When Deng Xiaoping opened up China in 1978, he sent many delegations of Chinese leaders to Singapore to study and learn how this little island could prosper like the rich western countries. After a few hundred visits and studying, the Chinese leaders brought back all the blueprints of how to build and develop a city state to China, including the procedures, processes, rules and regulations to govern a city state. The Chinese did not copy everything from the book. They studied and digested whatever they had learnt and were selective in picking up the best practices and discarded what were not suitable to China, modified and scaled up everything to apply to a continental size country when a big city is more than ten times the size of Singapore in every aspect.
China has problems of its own, eg corruption. But they did not adopt Singapore's way of paying their leaders obscene salaries to keep them from corruption. They did not adopt the COE system to drive car prices sky high. They did not allow public transport to become too expensive for the average citizen. They realised that housing's main objective for their citizens is a good and affordable home, not for speculation and skyhigh prices like in Hong Kong.
China has grown, developed and changed, in many ways quite similar to Singapore, and in many ways quite different from Singapore. Both countries developed differently in some areas that served their respective countries and people well.
Public transportation is something that Singapore can learn from China. China's policy is to provide efficient and relatively cheap public transportation for its people, understanding that the moving of goods, services and people are like the blood system in the human body. Stopping or slowing the flow is critical to the health of the system. China has now the best and most affordable public transport system in the whole world, very modern, and very fast and efficient.
Singapore needs to bring down the cost of public transportation, both MRT, buses and taxis to really within the means of the average Singaporeans, especially the retirees and seniors. Not many average Singaporeans can afford to pay $30 to $50 for a taxi ride. The exorbitant prices of taxis in New York, London, Paris and major western cities are not the right models for Singapore. Ok for the rich but not the average Singaporeans, let alone the retirees. Many retirees have 20 or 30 years to live without an income but may need to take taxis in times of need. How to pay $30 when they don't even have a dollar in their pocket?
The buses and MRT can always serve the no income Singaporeans better, with lower fares to allow them to move freely to explore Singapore, to enjoy the infrastructure and smell the roses.
The other big issue is medical care and services which China has done very much better in many ways. Cost, efficiency, affordability and availability are things that Singapore can learn from. The quality of Singapore's health and medical facilities and services may be world class, but very unaffordable and not accessible to the average Singaporeans and the seniors. Waiting time for medical appointments, especially specialist, the cost of such appointments are serious matters. Even basic GP services, dental treatment are now priced beyond imagination.
China did not have cheap third world medical professionals to fall back on. There is no need to pay third world professionals the same level of income as Singaporeans. There is a better mid point to make them happy while working here while helping to bring down medicare cost.
Learn from China to bring down the cost of medical care and services. China is a very big country, with very big population and not as rich as Singapore. If China can have a more efficient and accessible medical care and service than Singapore, and really affordable measured by the average Chinese income and retirees, there is no reason why Singapore cannot do so.
There are many things that Singapore, once the master, can learn from the student, China. Just start by looking at the cost of public transportation and public medical care and services for a start. Public housing is heading to fall over the cliff.
2 comments:
China is running a socialist system while Cecapore is running a capitalist system. China G have this vision of shared prosperity while Cecapore G have you die your problem vision. Policy that came from China G is to ensure it benefit all it citizen while Cecapore G ensure that it benefit the elite/kakinan. Everything here is about making more money and not about the well being of citizens..that the different.
RUGHT you are Anon 2.10
Everyone here slaughtered you slaughtered me and I slaughtered others the ways to survive and prosperous!
See even those YouTube Creators talked about new BTOs and their prospects when you sell after MOP how many hundred thousands you wanted to make.
What's mature Prime, Plus and Standard Estates.
No wonder Sinkies don't want eight thirty to five and sometimes even up to midnight jobs to curry favours and bluff bluff working hard for their bosses.
Preferred self employed PHV drivers earning more than Office attire shirts and ties jobs.
Used to call Grab services to CCK Hall of niches to pray for ancestors rituals prior many occasions and one ride from Central Sinkieland can cost up to nearly forty fifty dollars.
Also the Unis High Class Hawkers just increased GST one to two percent and they charged you fifty to hundred percent.
You don't die them I cannot survive.
The Coffins, oops Coffee shops exchanged hands by.the millions and also those old purchased HDB's shops same.same also took the opportunity yo slaughter you wholesale.
Increased their Wares and food by few hundred percent.
China's majority moderate to middle incomes citizens are not on.a way have these capitalists routines as their Government made sure that they controlled the inflation and the cost of living.
Aiya, here you have yo do the same which might be unsettling to survive and don't have the guilt conscious about it!
Going to move to a 2 roomed 15 year leasehold flexi in the standard estate at below even 70K and selling my 5 roomed Central Estate at between 890 to 950K aiya too bad not one million and have cash receipts at least 700 to 800K.
Last time just brought at 46K less less even Acruued interests and what's not smelly smelly at least few hundred thousands.
Let the new buyer paid thru their own abilities if their also slaughtered others with their profits of selling also their properties.
So this vicious circle don't blame anyone, the main players are the PAY And PAY
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