myth 15

'Greed can be satisfied.' I am raising this myth after discussing with some bloggers on whether it is acceptable to tax the poor. One thought so and considered it low to tax an income of $12k per annum at 5.8% or $700. But when I posed to him the question of who is in a tighter spot, someone who earns a million and pays $200k in tax or this poor chap who could not make ends meet with his $12k income and still have to pay $700 in tax, he backed off his position. Can greed be satisfied by keeping on paying more to the greedy? A technician who missed his $80 annual increment for losing a test meter could have his world shattered. He may need the extra $80 for his school going children's pocket money. On the other hand, a person who is doing sweet nothing and getting paid $1 million may still expect his 10% increment every year, with no caps, as if it is his birth right. And this is the trend, for the big earners to keep lining up their pockets in the millions and never say enough. Greed can never be satisified. The more one gets, the bigger the appetite and the bigger the delusion of grandeur and one's talent and ability.

myth 14

'Singaporean pays the lowest tax' This is the myth that Singaporeans are believing. Yes, in income tax alone, we may have one of the lowest rate in the world. But in real terms, the amount of tax a Singaporean is paying is very high especially at the bottom rung of society. The poorest segment of our society, the people that need help, pay the full GST. Everyone, from the baby to the retired and jobless old man/woman, pays tax in the form of GST. In many countries, there is no income tax on the poor. And also no GST. We are perhaps one of a kind in this world to tax our poor.

myth 13

I might as well add this to the list of Singaporean myths. 'The richer one gets, the more magnanimous one becomes.' I would expect rich people to be more generous than the poor people. I would expect them to be kinder and less petty as well. But if we were to look at the persistence and the tenacity shown in trying to implement means testing only to catch a few stingy not so rich people, maybe not the right words to use, prudent people who are careful with their money, it clearly shows that rich people are anything but magnanimous. They are so mean and so petty.

myth 12

'Singaporeans are highly dependent on government initiatives.' This is a myth that Li Ao, our Taiwanese friend, said in his latest story on Singaporeans. He illustrated his point by the story of 3 men stranded in an island. The Hongkie will start to pick fire woods and look for food. The Taiwanese, the smartest, will think of how to build house and water supply to sell to the two. The Singaporean will be lost, waiting for a govt to tell him what to do, or to build the house for him. Now this can't be true right? All Singaporeans will disagree with it. Singaporeans are just too organised and prefer things to be orderly. Not that Singaporeans have no initiative. Just look at the HDB flats. If every Singaporean were to paint whatever colour they want on their windows or the facade of their flats, we will have a riot of colours. And if we allow hawkers to do business anywhere, we will have a mess. Neatness, systematic, and staying together, moving ahead are our strength. We will do everything together, organised. Ok, we will now all smile together. Now you see the impact of 4 million smiles! No country can behave like Singaporeans, to be able to act as one people. It is not that we have to wait for the Govt to tell us to smile then we will smile. We are organised and discipline.

a dangerous combination -internet and freedom of speech

Freedom of expression is bad. It allows anyone to take potshot at anyone at will. Look at what Mahathir is doing to Badawi. Worst still is freedom of expression and internet, a very dangerous combination. Humans, being what they are, everyone is a combination of a host of biases and historical baggages that he grew up with. And anything, any issues, especially govt statements and policies, are going to elicit all kinds of responses. The good are not going to say much. The silent majority will just remain silent. Only the vocal minority who have something nasty to say will have their voices heard, loud and clear. In the past, when information was controlled, when the media was controlled, there was only one voice talking down. Nothing allowed to talk back unless vetted and found agreeable. Today, anything spoken, no matter how innocent or how clever, will receive an equal amount of brickbats from all quarters. And the favourite targets of such brickbats are celebrities, business honchos and, yes, yes, the govt, the MPs and senior officials. When they are not careful, or even very careful, they will still get it. Splurge...shit coming from everywhere. There is no longer comfort in authority. Everything can be ridiculed and every policy can be poked with millions of holes. Before the advent of internet and the freeing of expression, stupid policies and rubbish talks could still get away and the originators still appear high and lofty, looking like a smart alec. No mistakes were broadcast or exposed. Now they cannot run away. They can be made to look so ridiculous, so fallacious, so ah ah... This is the age of the internet and cyberspace, and freedom of speech. Maybe, huh, maybe, it is better to control the media and freedom of speech before it gets too dangerous.