the medisave trap

In the New Paper today, an asthma patient was reported to prefer to be resuscitated in hospital during a bout of asthmatic attack than to go on preventive medication. The later was too costly, about $100 a month. Holycow, what bullshit? Can't people afford a miserable $100 for their health? By choosing to go to hospital, she could be resuscitated and paid her medical bills using medisave. If the attempt to resuscitate her came too late, she could die. She was prepared for that. She knew. Our world best healthcare is very affordable. Cannot believe got people cannot afford a monthly preventive medicine bill of $100! I tip the doorman at the 6 star hotel $20 just to give me that big grin which he called a smile. $100 is small change. I think I must walk around more and look see at the real people instead of being driven around in my Benze.

so much love around

Peter Lim wrote this line 'Did you feel the love all around' in his article in the New Paper today. Yes he was talking about the love the politicians were showing to the voters during the campaigning. Never have the people feel so much love for them, to be courted by, wow, of all people, their political masters. And the love was real, tangible love. Not love of the fresh air type. A cool package worth hundreds of millions of hard cash, especially for the people of Hougang and Potong Pasir and Aljunied of course. In Aljunied, during the last hours prior to election, a whole detailed plan of what the PAP will do for the voters was delivered to each household. And so were many other constituencies and GRCs. It was really like Santa Claus was in town, and full of solid love, in hard cash. Housewives accosted with little pats on their darling babies or children, or the children in the arms of politicians. Suddenly life becomes so meaningful, so much warmth. Everyone is so concerned if you have eaten, your health, whether you are still jobless. If only everyday is like that, where the people, the citizens, are so much in demand. Oh yes, not a single one of them dare to be seen shaking the hands of a foreign worker. Yeah, its true, now that I recollect. Definitely not on TV. Then the two poor and penniless MPs of Hougang and Potong Pasir were left wondering what to do, what to offer or what can they offer? They can't even afford to give free salted eggs with plain porridge. So the only thing left for them to give was, yes, love of the fresh air type, with no money attached. And of course their sincerity, which most opposition candidates were attacked for not having. 9 day politicians wannabes, appearing during election and disappearing after that. Where got sincerity? I like Peter Lim's thought that love was all around us. So comforting.

ncmp, no need horse trading or cutting deals

A GRC is an expansion of a single ward. A defeated single ward candidate can still hang on to the ward and try to work in the ward to serve the constituency. For instance Steve Chia had done that and had served his constituency after becoming a NCMP. Now Eric Low and Sitoh would probably do the same, to continue to serve Hougang and Potong Pasir, build up the support for the next election. Now, how is Sylvia going to cover a GRC? It is a 5 single ward combined together. That is why it needs 5 candidates. It is not only fair but logical for all 5 defeated candidates to be appointed as NCMPs so that they can cover the ground. By just appointing one of 5, it lives to its reputation as a half baked scheme to entice the people. The sincerity is not there. It was not meant to work, not meant to be a serious alternative. Talking about uneven playing fields? Talking about offering more NCMPs when there is now an opportunity to put in 5 defeated candidates with the most votes into parliament, but not doing it. How are the people going to believe that this scheme is genuine, to allow more alternative voices to he heard in parliament?

another 666 incident

666 Went to vote yesterday, bringing along my child. A final thing happened what i was at the voting booth. I wanted to put a cross against this party but somehow that was this feeling that i'm doing something wrong. A kind of spiritual feel that i should not do it. Anyway, I went ahead and when I slot the slip into the box, a kind of irrational fear fall over me. I walked out of the place quickly with my child. Once I'm out of the place, I felt much better.That night, while having dinner with my parents, my mom told me that a friend of her - a lady around her age - decided to vote for the PAP as she is scared of voting otherwise. The results of the election came out yesterday, 6/06/2006. The percentage of the eligible votes won by PAP is 66.6%. See the coincidence - 666. I'm just wondering when the time to put that cross, a lot of people felt that irrational fear coming over them and thus vote otherwise?? the above is posted in Life in Singapore, www.singaporeman.blogspot.com. with so many crosses being put on the ballot papers still can't chase away the devil? : )

lets be fair to opposition parties

Aloysius Low Pei Chuan wrote to Voices in Today complaining that the opposition should come up with better plans, and justify them, and that he still had no idea of what the WP proposed. He demanded that the opposition should develop workable plans to solve the problems they have raised such as unemployment, retrenchment etc, rather than just raising them, criticising the govt and stirring up the crowd to win votes. I think this is not a fair statement to throw at the opposition parties. Who really did all the complicated tasks of understanding a problem and coming up with proposals for the govt to approve? It is not just the politicians. The bulk of the work is done by the unseen and unappreciated civil servants. They did all the donkey work and the politicians take all the credits. If the opposition also have the same access to these highly paid and highly qualified civil servants to do the work for them, which they will have if they come into power, then it is fair to expect them to come out with a detail plan. The role of politicians is to set broad politicies, guidelines and objectives. An example is the cost of living. The politicians shall decide whether to bring it down or not. And the details shall be done by the civil servants. Bring down transport fares, bring down medical fares. That is what we expect the politicians to decide and tell the civil servants to come up with solutions. So it is only sufficient for the opposition parties to sell their dreams like the PAP has done. What details should the people demand from the politicians from either side? Even if the details are worked out, how many people will have the time to read them? We should be fair in our expectation and criticism of both parties, ruling and opposition. PS: Can we expect Chiam and Low Thia Khiang to deliver upgrading projects that cost hundreds of millions? We must understand that there are apples and oranges.