The influence of LKY and his thinking is still very strong in the PAP.
It would be alright if his thinking and logic were still relevant and
useful. Unfortunately many of his policies based on his thinking and
logic have proven to be flawed and no longer valid in the context of the
new realities. And unfortunately, many of the unthinking would continue
to parrot his thinking and logic as the gospel truth, word for word,
without a thought, with no value add, to make them relevant or to
discard them when proven unwise or impractical.
Many Singaporeans have seen the flaws of PAP’s policies but are keeping
mum, not wanting to rock the boat or offend anyone, and letting the
proverbial Emperor to strut around without his clothes. The flawed
policies are not only going to down PAP in a matter of time, but also
going to cause very serious damage to the country and people in the long
run. Many of the flawed policies are already hurting the people very
badly today but everyone is pretending that it is not happening and
everything is fine. A good example is that CPF is no longer your money,
spoken and endorsed in Parliament.
Recently the logic of paying ministers outrageous millions is being
touted again as the golden rule. No one can see the flaw or reasoning of
this policy. Oops, many did, but not wanting to say anything and let
the one trick pony to go on as per normal.
Under this policy, the PAP leadership claimed that only by paying out of
this world salary would they get super talents, and went scouting
around for top earners in other professions assuming that a good surgeon
or a top lawyer would automatically become a good politician. Just look
at those professionals turned politicians and ask how many really did
well as a political leader and how many fouled up the jobs so badly that
the damages are hard to repair? Foreign policy with China is a good
example.
By picking a top professional from a different profession and making
them a political leader could result in a good politician and all is
good. It could also end up with a round peg in a square hole leading to a
profession losing a top guy and the govt getting a dud.
What is worse is that the dud would be paid millions as a politician and
still unhappy because he could earn more in his previous profession and
also excelled instead of failing in politics and looking so ridiculous.
This is an injustice to both professions and also to the individual for
making him earning less and becoming a misfit.
The other consequence of this logic is that because of one or two
professionals that were earning millions in their professions, other
average Joes would also be paid in the millions when they in their whole
life time would never be able to earn that kind of money out of
politics. This is wasting public money on the undeserving.
Incidentally, did Edwin Tong lose any income for joining politics?
Please come clean on this. Politics is a part time job for him and he is
still practicing as a top lawyer and earning big bucks like in the City
Harvest case when he is a minister of state. Heard of fake news or
misinformation? OK he recently got promoted to senior minister of state.
Can anyone confirm that he is getting only $500,000 and not more, no
other income like director or chairman fee or bonuses to make up to his
millions? If Edwin Tong really took a $1.5m or even $500k loss in salary
to become a politician, I will call him an idiot, but I would respect
him for making such a big monetary sacrifice and losing $1.5m or $500k
in dignity. His life style and his family will suffer in the quality of
life for nothing making millions.
There will be exceptional individuals in other professions that would
become good political leaders and willingly wanting to serve. In
general, it is better to leave the top professionals in their own
profession and making their millions instead of forcing them into
politics and lose their millions and doing a bad job and wasting public
money. This is a win-win situation that could turn out to be a lose-lose
position for everyone.
What do you think? Repeating what LKY said can make one look funny if
not silly if what LKY said is no longer relevant or has become obsolete.
Many people don’t believe this crap about having to pay someone
millions to go to politics and that someone from another profession
earning big bucks would also make a good politician. This may still be
touted by some as political wisdom here but is a joke in the whole wide
world.
40 comments:
Without this blind flaw philosophy how to justify HoleeJinx an engineer by training, an ex-President scholar was the best candidate to manage big national sovereign fund active in global markets, registered as a private company despite being wifey of you know who, with undisclosed renumerations? Now that Old Man already dead maybe DoneNarBarLan should explain again..
Flawed Thinking To Justify Obscene Unconscionable Pay For Dud Ministers
Edwin Tong is only a swallow that does not make a Summer. Bringing him up as an example to justify paying obscenely to reward a minister (a public servant sworn in to serve the country and people without fear, favour or ill-will, with the best of his ability) is morally, ethically and logically wrong.
ESM Goh's thinking is warped, off-tangent, twisted. His mental faculty has become faulty. Otherwise, he wouldn't have made such a careless, inexcusable blunder. "Those with an annual salary of $500,000 are mediocre"?
How much was Lee Hsien Loong's pay before he became an MP? How much were ALL the other MPs' annual salary before they join PAP and got elected as an MP, and then became Ministers?
ESM Goh was actually putting the cart before the horse. By using Edwin Tong's case, he was actually using an illogical logic to make his point. How much a person earns in his private capacity cannot be equated to how good he can be as a devoted and loyal public servant to serve the country and fellow countrymen. Monetary earning power alone does not define a person's character nor his ability in a totally different field of endeavour. Simple as that!
By his assertion that those earning $500,000 or less are mediocres, ESM Goh has not only revealed his faulty mental faculty but also insulted the intelligence of the collective wisdom of the masses in Singapore and the world at large. He has become laughing clown and a liability to the PAP and Singaporeans.
Since ESM Goh has lost his ability to think logically, rationally, morally and ethically, it is time for the voters to tell him go and fly kites with his grandchildren and spend time with his quitter daughter in the UK.
@ RB
I still maintain the view that the PAP top-dog tua kees are not being paid enough; and that there should not be any UPPPER LIMIT to their tax-payer funded largesses.
"Logic" and "reason" needs to be applied in specific, well-defined and limited CONTEXT. CONTEXT MATTERS...otherwise you can suka-suka justify or discredit anything.
Paying world-record sums of taxpayer funds---money FORCIBLY EXPROPRIATED from hardworking, struggling citizens--- is an indelible aspect of Singapore political culture.
Why?
Because Singaporeans love money. They worship money. You notice this in the rallying cry of unashamed Singaporean materialism---HUAT AH!, No Money, No Honey, and the king of all cultural beliefs: YOU DIE, YOUR BUSINESS!
Therefore, in their collective wisdom, Singaporeans have consistently, and resoundingly voted in a money-loving bunch of Politicl Elites who have in turn delivered in spades, untold wealth to millions of Singaporeans.
Even today when many are questioning the validity of high pay (which began 30+ years ago---it is not new, and thus calling it a "culture" is spot on) for a parlimentary and political MONOPOLY---the PAP will still win any election thrown at it.
The oppostion has little credibility---they raise issues all Singaporeans are already aware of, and have chosen to "tolerate" (tahan), despite the issues being absolutely BONKERS if proposed in another cuntry, where the citizens are more balanced in their materialism vs quality of life.
The PAP are Singaporeans. They come from the same cultural stock as the smallest, most insignificant voter/ taxpayer selling packets of tissue at the MRT station.
Singaporeans will grit their teeth, and die-die vote and re-vote for the PAP time and again.
What RB failed to mebtion, is that LKY advised The Sheeple to "Vote them out" if they didn't like the govt. Singaporeans keep on voting them back IN. So how?
Culture is very difficult to change, if not IMPOSSIBLE by peaceful means. Massive shift in the collective consciousness require VIOLENT REVOLUTION or CIVIL WAR, where the evil incumbents are chased out of office, or dragged by their hair kicking and screaming to be brutally butchered by the angry mobs.
Such a scenario is unthinkable in Singapore where the citizens love their money and socio-economic status. It just won't happen. You can't even get a decent crowd at Hong Lim's Speakers' Corner....no one gives a flying fuck.
LKY also said that Singapore needs people like the PAP because the cuntry is a mass of "chattering classes" who, being educated, will bicker and quarrel amongst themselves and nothing will get done. LKY was 100% CORRECT on this point. To this day, in blogs and websites like this, and in the numerous koti tiams and cafes, citizens complain and whine and hurl insults at the PAP and "Internet Brigades"....but nothing changes.
And so...here we are, and here we will stay. LKY's "logic" is still fucking RELEVANT!
In the whole island of red dot no one in financial circles is better than the Jinx, an engineer, to helm Temasek? That presumption must have floored many people in the world of finance.
Was there an attempt to get the best person for the job, or was it a Hobson's choice like the President Elect? Is the appointment above board?
Not only Temasek, my suspicion is that this practice is prevalent in the world of autocratic rule in red dot, degenerating into cronyism, and one perfect example is the MRT. Are those chosen engineers, or if they are engineers, what kind of experience in the army did they have to helm the MRT system? Same with MOE.
Not a single minister in the present PAP government can hold a candle to the old guards. They paled in comparison. The old guards have vision and foresight. They are committed. They are driven by a strong passion to serve the proletariat. PM Lee swells the ranks of the PAP with duds and mediocre men like ET. The nation is in peril if the present dearth of high calibre politicians remains a conundrum. Filthy lucre is not the most effective solution.
How did papies treat the people? House them in small flats, Make them use stinky crowded public transport, Work and Study till drop dead, Tax them in every possible ways, Force them to do NS, Come out with schemes to con their retirement funds, No social welfare and medical, Make them pay high housing and living costs etc. In other countries, if too tired of city life can retire to countryside but not here. It quite unfortunate to be Singaporean.
Best is to get a PR in Australia and still retain Singapore citizenship. Work or do business in both cuntries. Retire in Australia, renounce citizenship, take out all your CPF savings.
And then make fun of Singaporeans by using cock arguments to support cock policymakers like the Shameless Wooden Blockhead, until even own wife and children also run away from him.
'Make them pay high housing and living costs etc' unquote
High housing cost is to liquidate every Sinkie's CPF money. That practically transfer all the CPF money to the Government. Do we have choices besides HDB if you are a low wage earner?
High housing and business rental cost is the main culprit of the high cost of living in red dot. High business rental cost stems from the practice of tendering, giving the benefit to the highest bidder, not in the interest of the public, but to fatten the coffers of the powers that be.
We have a Government chosen by the people but acting not for the interest of the people. And the irony is for such a Government asking to be paid more and more, but not working for the interest of the people. Will the dafts wake up? Elsewhere maybe, but unlikely in red dot!
RB. I do agree with your views. Specialists do not necessary make Good Politicians. Using one person to justify for the whole Cabinet is unfair and untruthful. Y
He may as well tell the Nation that his people must peg their salary to Jack Ma. After all, who can determine the limits? Own self?
They are paid more than any eu leaders and still not enough.
Should learn from Malaysia and scrap gst.
The papies have gone nuts.
ESM Goh's position is actually redundant. Why do we need a ESM ???
Many Extraneous and Redundant Cabinet Posts such as the President, Deputy PMs, Minister in PMO and Minister Without Portfolio are created to reward
Kakilang,
Crony and
Sycopant.
Even posts at
Stateown Entity
are created to
keep paying ousted
and retired members.
EdWIN TONG's REAL SALARY
--------------------------
Please refer to the below for the current ministers & political appointee pay scale & computations:
https://www.gov.sg/~/sgpcmedia/media_releases/pmo-psd/press_release/P-20180301-1/attachment/Annex%20B%202017%20Review%20Committee%20Report.pdf
In particular, refer to page 8 of the report, under the column "2011-Current".
** Note ** The salaries are the "close both eyes also can get" typical salaries, comprising:
12 months basic pay + 13th month + 1 month Annual Variable Component + 3 months Performance Bonus + 3 months National Bonus. (Total of 20 months)
If someone is "good" or "makes the PM happy", then he/she can expect to get:-
12 months basic + 13th month + 1.5 months AVC + 6 months Performance + 6 months National Bonus. (Total of 26.5 months)
Edwin Tong as SMS has basic monthly salary of $46,750.
This means "close both eyes" he will get $935,000 each year.
But if he works a bit "harder" he can get up to $1,238,875.
As a lawyer, even a senior partner in top 3 law firms, he will need to spend a LOT of time, weekends, energy, dinners, entertainment expenses, word-of-mouth, networking etc in order to generate enough clients & business to get his "$2 million salary".
On a dollar-per-effort basis how many think Edwin Tong is better off being a lawyer?!?!?
I know many low-to-mid level lawyers and they ALL work 14-hour days trying to clock enough client hours & cases in order to achieve $10+K monthly remunerations. Partners still have to put in much effort to cultivate the whale & big fish clients while at the same time tekaning the junior lawyers to meet targets & hours. A bit like insurance sales, property sales & MLM!!
Theresa May. Prime Minister of the United Kingdom; Married; Children: 0. Annual: £150,402.00;
He is smarter than Theresa May meh? Demostrate his achievements lah.
This paying minister basing on how much they have been earning previously in the private sector is getting too far until absurd reasonings and twisted logic are being used by none other than ESM Goh, someone who should not have continued with ripping off taxpayers' money by hanging on greedily to jobs which deprived other up-and-coming younger ministers.
His senility is quite obvious now. The public must not be afraid to kick him out in the next GE. Otherwise, the rot within the PAP will manifest into an incurable money-obsession disease!
The people are suffering and these scavengers are having a joily good time. Yet their hunger for more money has no limits. This is unsustainable and must be stopped now!
‘Time has come’ to create a US Space Force, a sixth branch of the military, says Mike Pence.
How come PAP elite never fuck the US for militarization of space?
Power from law is powerful.
Power from riches is influential.
When power from law is used as means to get riches it is historically called corruption.
When power from law added with power with riches in almost all cases it moves to absolute corruption.
20th century democratic govt system separates these 2 powers.
Blogger Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...
@425
Whether or not I kena ass fucked won't change the fact that ministers'salaries will increase. And the PAP will keep winning term after term in office.
The trend is over 30 years old already---- more than 1 generation of Sheeple and 2 versions of PAP guards....
Najib and his UMNO rogues also thought so before the last Malaysian GE.
Avant-garde said...
His senility is quite obvious now. The public must not be afraid to kick him out in the next GE. Otherwise, the rot within the PAP will manifest into an incurable money-obsession disease!
Not to worry. He would not be fielded. What he said has caused more damage to the PAP than good. The people are fuming at the PAP.
Damn clever, raised top civil servant's salary to the millions. Then complained that minister's salary less than civil servants, so not fair, must increase minister's salary.
Who raised or approved civil servant's salary? You think civil servants can anyhow write their own pay check?
//What do you think?//
No need to think!!! Just GET (the FXXK) out of their uncaring, ELITE faces. Period.
Interesting theory: Crossing America's 60% GDP red line, the US hit the Soviet Union, then Japan, and now China.
The United States has historically been skillful at containing its competitors. At one point, the gross domestic product (GDP) of the Soviet Union exceeded 60 percent of American GDP. The United States strengthened its efforts at containment of the Soviet Union. At the same time, the Soviet Union also made fatal mistakes that, combined with American economic pressure, led to its eventual disintegration.
The so-called Japanese miracle also triggered pushback from the United States. Japan's GDP grew to be worth more than 60 percent of the GDP of the United States. In response, America forced Japan to sign the Plaza Agreement, which led to the appreciation of the Japanese yen. Combined with Japan's loose monetary and fiscal policies, large amounts of money flowed into the country's stock market, and into the real estate market. When the bubble burst, Japan entered into a period that has been called its "lost decade".
In 2014, for the first time China's GDP passed the red line of 60 percent of America's GDP. It seemed almost inevitable when in August last year the "Section 301" investigations were launched against China. Tariffs against China are ostensibly to solve what the United States has called China's unfair trade practices. But the tariff policy also plays into the long-term strategic objective of the United States to suppress and contain its fast-rising competitors. By doing so, it hopes to maintain the hegemony of the U.S. dollar, dominate multilateral institutions, and maximize its economic advantages.
The money-crazy Goh Chok Tong asked,
"Do you know that civil servants are getting higher pay than ministers?"
Answer:
Yes, we know long long ago already. When you put Ho Ching as both President and CEO of Temasek Holdings, we already envisaged that she will be getting much higher pay than you when you were PM. And as a result of that, you became jealous. That's why you introduced the obscene ministers' pay scheme, pecking against the top professions, to fatten your own bank account.
Now that Ho Ching is getting even higher than her husband as PM, you greedy guys become jealous again. Your mouth dripping with saliva. Your eyes turning red and green. So, instead of spending more time and effort thinking how to help the poor Singaporeans get a better life, you greedy idiots are spending most of your time thinking how to fix the opposition and how to fix your own pay higher and hugher, by making use of people like Edwin Tong as your excuse and twisted reasoning.
You think we, the voters, are stupid? Come on, give us a break, man!
Top civil servants pay are fixed by ministers. Up their pay to justify up your own. Its a money fattening game from taxpayers money. As good as ownself pay ownself using citizen money.
What is happening in Turkey?
In the last 36 hours, the lira has lost around 20% of its value. It had already fallen more than 40% in the past year.
Who is behind this? Trump. Donald John Trump, the 45th President of the USA.
CIA engineered a coup to topple the Turkish President two years ago. But the coup failed.
Many of the coup plotters and supporters were arrested and retained. Some CIA agents and undercovers were among them. One of whom is a priest who has been charged and found guilty.
And Trump wants him to be released. But Turkey refused. So, he imposed trade sanctions on Turkey in order to force Turkey to her knees.
At the same time, the US also manipulated Turkey's currency and make it lost its value.....
This is an exceptional time for the rest of the world to unite and impose sanctions against the USA and at the same time ignore all the sanctions initiated and imposed by the US/UN and trade with everyone except the US.
The rest of the world united can break the American hegemony and bankrupt the USA.
The US wants to control the whole world and cannot tolerate any country rising to counter their influence. Such is the agenda of the power behind the throne. Making wars and provoking regime changes is the monopoly of the evil empire. They are the biggest legalised terrorist in the world, and no one can say a thing.
When Russia and China unite, with North Korea playing the subsidiary role of kicking ass, the US is facing a formidable battle against the likelihood of loosing their top dog reputation for real, economically and militarily. Economically they already lost the battle for a fact, with their mountain of debt, but theoretically, with the support of their poodles and control of oil, they still control the world's financial system through the US$.
In military terms they are still untouchable, but with China focusing on research in missile and defence technology and Russia doing the same with newer ICBM that can render the missile shield defence obsolete, the gap is narrowing. These are genuine fears that spook the evil empire and their backers.
It is now a 'no holds barred' for the US to confront and counter the Russians and Chinese. They are attempting to rouse the attention of their poodles by spreading fear of the Chinese stealing technology from the West and are out to lure more trade with their allies. Thankfully many EU countries are not on the same wavelength as Trump. However, as I said before, when a push becomes a shove, those EU countries that still wanted trade with China, may have to tow the line as dictated by the US.
They are actually stealing Chinese technology but shouting Chinese and Russians stealing their technology, just like shouting peace or human rights but actually conducting wars and abusing human rights.
The Russians and Chinese have advanced technology that the Americans fear and did not have.
New name for USA - United Sanctions of America
USA stands for Unscrupulous Sneaky Assholes.
Anon 12:30am,
The daft Americans got drunk by their gangerism and arrogance that they forgot the real value of the RMB. They thought China's US$12 trillion GDP was only half of the Americans but in reality it was as big as their US$21 trillion GDP.
While they were sleeping, the Chinese GDP has surpassed them in real terms and it is too late for them to do anything to China without killing their own economy.
All the ministers are super talents by the fact that they are all being paid above $500k. Anyone got any issue with that?
So easy to make Ah Meng a super talent oso. Just pay him more than $500k enough liao. Then Ah Meng can walk around acting thinking he is a super talent. But everyone knows he is walking clown.
If super talents are determined by how much you deliberately paid him or going to pay him, then you must be deceiving yourself.
This is the sad state of human progress. Success is now defined as how high up you can climb in this world and how much money you can make. The founding members of the PAP must be wriggling in their graves for being called 'mediocre' because they were paid a pittance.
In the old days, a good politician is defined as how successful he is in helping and lifting people out of poverty, not in how many more millionaires he can help to make, or worse still how he himself can become a millionaire using politics as a selfish tool. When politicians starts to ask for more and more, you know what kind of politicians you have put into power.
How true of the saying that absolute power corrupts absolutely, when power is slowly and deliberately used to profit those in power through unsatisfied greed.
@ RB:
Najib might be out. But I assure you UMNO is not. UMNO will be "captured" again by Dr Mat, mark my words. Machiavelli never had such an outstanding student as Dr Mat---he is a true Master of The Universe in political theatre.
I am willing to predict that Anwar won't be PM either, or if he does get the office, it won't be for long, as long as Dr Mat is still breathing. Dr M said that no way is a gay man going to be PM. The idea of Anwar for PM was a convenient ploy in the Harapan movement. If you think about it, Najib's fall from grace was actually an "opportunity" for a smart and seasoned operator like Mahathir to seize the political opportunity and strike.
Dr M will get UMNO back. To boost power, he will play "scare tactics" again and say that the ethnic Chinese will have to be reigned in so that Bumi Malays can prevail. i.e. the good old race card will again be played, successfully.
The fundamental difference between Malaysian and Singaporean politics is that we are blessed/ cursed with a government who is ADEPT at using a modified version of CONFUCIANISM to impose ABSOLUTE RULE over the Sheeple and the territory. Malaysian politics even in it's most "police state" (for e.g. after the Asian Financial Crisis circa 1997 onwards) is not even close to the monitoring and control of the populace the PAP has on a daily basis.
Our ISD and the ISA Law has been used with such effectiveness to control politics that we don't even talk about it anymore. Since then, the PAP has employed all manner of "high tech" to surveil the people, gather and analyse data. We had biometrics (fingerprint ID) before the word was even coined. Now retina scans are being tested at the borders.
So that is why I am "long" on PAP salaries trending upwards. Firstly, it is CULTURE, based on a trend dating back 30+ years.
As with all trends, you look for "reversals" to (maybe) signal a change in direction. There is no such signal. The signal, in fact, is a continuing UPTREND....backed up by constant justification by people like GCT on why the taxpayer must pay for "the best of the best" when it comes to government.
I am calling for another increase in minister's salaries, and their various directorships in "private" government companies. (yeah baby, in Singapore govt can form private companies, publicly traded on the SGX. Wah peh kani nah...).
My prediction, restated:
1. PAP monies will go up up up (no upper limit---that's my suggestion)
2. They will justify, justify, and justify until you all kepala pusing and cannot offer any counter-argument
3. Before election, plenty of emotion, cock-talk, big-talk, kpkb talk, blah blah blah
4. After election, PAP with another majority win forms the next cabinet and government.
5. Wash, rinse...repeat.
Matilah, i differ. Pap mkt reversal is getting nearer. Toppish signs both inside technicals n outside macros:
1. Inside network has became too big n too costly, money extractions from citizens are nearing inflexion pt. More n more middle class are moving downward to indebted class. Parents financial sponsorship is also near exhaustion for young families. Recent tax n tariffs hikes n future ones are eating into the flesh n bones of many. Pain is felt not just complain.
2. Macro of more info n accessibility to info is exposing the unaccountability n excess greed to more n more citizens. Self interests of vast majority are now at odds with Pap self intetests.
3. Incompetence levels are increasing with widening spread to compensation. Like they said Pap performance does not commensurate with sky high renumeration.
Pap political monopoly will be steadily eroded n broken though it will remain athe ruling force in Spore politics for at least 1 more election.
@ 1242
Wow! Thank you for that. I don't do macro---I prefer to follow just price action, unless I just buy cheap (like my HDB with my "stolen" CPF and hold long term).
Anyway to respond to you, it seems I'm thrust right into macro ;-)
Yes, I do agree that the middle-class base of the PAP is finding its economic and future security "eroded", and there is discontent amongst the masses. I make the assumption here (using Pareto) that ~80% of Singaporeans are "middle-class"---which in itself encompasses a very broad range of networth and disposable income.
My estimate is based on observing the cars in my HDB carpark. In the 3 or so blocks which share the park, there are non-car owners (like myself), and car owners. I see cheap, small cars like Hyundai, Kia etc, and the range goes from those all the way up to expensive ones like Audi R and S series, Beemers and Mercs. Thus, I hypothesise the range of middle-class income/ networth.
The approximation 80% correlates well to the PAP's 70% majority in the last GE.
OK, back to your rejoinder. Yes, I agree the PAP's heartland voters are questioning the PAP, and becoming increasingly skeptical on the incumbent's prognostications. We are in agreement here.
Where I disagree with you, or at least am skeptical is based on a question: does this "discontent" contain enough "heat" to get these folks to VOTE AGAINST the PAP in the next GE?
I don't think so. Why?
Because the PAP have been preasuring Singaporeans for years. High minister salaries are 30+ years old. The erosion of "ownership" of CPF money is more than 20 years old. The GST has ticked upwards twice since it was introduced. Globalisation policies of making it easier for foreigners to contribute and benefit from the commonwealth of the nation is over 10 years old, and most professionals now accept that their jobs are not "cast in stone, forever".
Decades of commentary and complaints are well documented, anyone can look them up. There have been a few GEs along the way, and no opposition (with the exception of Hougang et al) have managed to upend the PAP's political dominance, actually a "monopoly".
People have cited reasons about PAP manipulating the game, and of course some of that goes on. That is not out of the ordinary---every incumbent in history---and you can bet in the present and future (human nature lah) has tried to "game the political process" in order to maintain its office.
But to me, despite all the theories and explanations, The Game is The Game, and reality will always bite those who buck The Trend. It is very very difficult to upend the incumbent. Being the incumbent offers significant strategic and tactical advantages; and politics is just a "game" played by human actors against each other.
Markets can stay irrational and unexplainable longer than you can stay solvent!
As long as I see no correlation between The Sheeple's bickering, I'm staying "long" with th PAP staying in office.
Please feel free to torpedo my ideas. I fucking love that :-) I am wrong about 60-80% of the time, so no worries mate!
@ 1242
Wow! Thank you for that. I don't do macro---I prefer to follow just price action, unless I just buy cheap (like my HDB with my "stolen" CPF and hold long term).
Anyway to respond to you, it seems I'm thrust right into macro ;-)
Yes, I do agree that the middle-class base of the PAP is finding its economic and future security "eroded", and there is discontent amongst the masses. I make the assumption here (using Pareto) that ~80% of Singaporeans are "middle-class"---which in itself encompasses a very broad range of networth and disposable income.
My estimate is based on observing the cars in my HDB carpark. In the 3 or so blocks which share the park, there are non-car owners (like myself), and car owners. I see cheap, small cars like Hyundai, Kia etc, and the range goes from those all the way up to expensive ones like Audi R and S series, Beemers and Mercs. Thus, I hypothesise the range of middle-class income/ networth.
The approximation 80% correlates well to the PAP's 70% majority in the last GE.
OK, back to your rejoinder. Yes, I agree the PAP's heartland voters are questioning the PAP, and becoming increasingly skeptical on the incumbent's prognostications. We are in agreement here.
Where I disagree with you, or at least am skeptical is based on a question: does this "discontent" contain enough "heat" to get these folks to VOTE AGAINST the PAP in the next GE?
I don't think so. Why?
Because the PAP have been preasuring Singaporeans for years. High minister salaries are 30+ years old. The erosion of "ownership" of CPF money is more than 20 years old. The GST has ticked upwards twice since it was introduced. Globalisation policies of making it easier for foreigners to contribute and benefit from the commonwealth of the nation is over 10 years old, and most professionals now accept that their jobs are not "cast in stone, forever".
Decades of commentary and complaints are well documented, anyone can look them up. There have been a few GEs along the way, and no opposition (with the exception of Hougang et al) have managed to upend the PAP's political dominance, actually a "monopoly".
People have cited reasons about PAP manipulating the game, and of course some of that goes on. That is not out of the ordinary---every incumbent in history---and you can bet in the present and future (human nature lah) has tried to "game the political process" in order to maintain its office.
But to me, despite all the theories and explanations, The Game is The Game, and reality will always bite those who buck The Trend. It is very very difficult to upend the incumbent. Being the incumbent offers significant strategic and tactical advantages; and politics is just a "game" played by human actors against each other.
Markets can stay irrational and unexplainable longer than you can stay solvent!
As long as I see no correlation between The Sheeple's bickering, and a decrease in choosing the PAP at the ballot. I'm staying "long" with th PAP staying in office.
Please feel free to torpedo my ideas. I fucking love that :-) I am wrong about 60-80% of the time, so no worries mate!
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