What is $1b?

We are so rich now that throwing up a number like $1b seems nothing. And what can $1b buy? A signalling system for the MRT to get the trains travel faster and to move people faster. That's all. What can $1b do to SBS Transit? For one, they have ordered 600 brand new and 'all environmentally friendly and Euro V compliant' buses at a total cost of $268m! $1b could actually buy 2000 of such modern buses for the road. The signalling system better be worth the money.

A constant state of flux and tension

We religiously laud and preach our great beginnings as an immigrant country and how this great phenomenon has done us well. There is no doubt that immigrants can contribute to the growth of the country. There is also no doubt that a country that depends mainly on its own indigenous population could also reach the stars. And there is no doubt that both have their weaknesses and consequences to bear with. After 45 years of independence or nearly 200 years of very loose immigration policies, taking 1819 as the starting point, are we getting anywhere as a nation of people with our own identity and a people that would root for this land and call it home? Prior to 1965, there was no concerted or conscious effort to build a country by the govts of the day. We were more like a frontier town existing only to serve the needs of the power that be, and building a country was the last thing in their minds. 1965 was the real beginning to establish a country with its own people from a collection of immigrants. A society of immigrants is but a transient society. A country of immigrants is a nation in the making. Could we have done better and be nearer to that goal, that we are a nation? Officially the position is that we are still a work in progress. We even have doubts that we are a nation. Pathetic isn’t it? So much for all the nation building campaigns, effort and education. So much for a flag and a pledge and National Day Celebration. Today we are just about in the same square as we were in 1965. Many of the things that we have been made to believe in, our social habits and social norms, even identity, are disintegrating and need reeducation and reinforcement. We are diluted by the large presence of foreigners in our midst. And it is believe that this is good. A lot of oomphs! This immigrant mentality, is it for real, for perpetuity? Are we going to enshrine this formula of having foreigners in large numbers at all times, 30 years, 100 years or more? The first victim of such a strategy is nationhood. We will forever be trying to get there but never will. We will be a transient society, a transient people, a nation that never will be. Every generation will be new, vibrant, hungry and dynamic, but not knowing who their forbears were or what were their histories. There will be no ownership, people come and go, buy and sell everything for instant gratifications. Maybe one day they just hold a referendum and sell everything away. Without a national identity, without a people who believe in this place, with everyone thinking that immigrants are good, how can there be a soul, how can there be a nation of people? Maybe statehood or nationhood will become irrelevant in the future.

Another faux pas in the making

We are going to force some PRs to take up citizenship or they will have to leave. What is this? Is this a solution to the overcrowding problem? Is this a solution to the citizen versus non citizen problem? What is this trying to achieve? What were the people unhappy or angry about? Would this solve the congestion problem, the over crowded trains, the high property prices, the NS angst? The govt is going to select from among the PRs, some, presumably the good ones, to become citizens or forced to be citizens. From the word go this is a no go. In the first place these must be the really super talents that we want. And they know, and they also know that they can go elsewhere. And if their hearts are not here, not wanting to be citizens, who are we going to get? Or what are we going to lose? I think we can live with the PRs here. The unhappiness is the overall number, too big a population in too small a piece of rock. In fact it will be better to have PRs than to have them as citizens. I would say, keep them as PRs, but make the distinction and privileges between PRs and citizens clearer and betterer for the citizens. There are many reasons why we should not force people to become citizens. We only want the numbers, the head counts, and their labour and skill for economic growth. Citizenship is a different commitment, an emotional and psychological one. You mean we cannot differentiate that? And forcing people, forcing the issue, is that the only thing that we are good at? My goodness!

Voices of the disadvantaged

The new measures to curb property speculation has raised the voice of the disadvantaged to their needs. Before this, it was always the voice of the big developers calling the shot, the voice of the speculators telling how successful they were in investing in properties, and the voice of some corners praising the virtues of free market forces, and the govt cannot to anything about it. There are more people writing to the forum to express their support of the new measures. The reason is simple. Housing is a basic need and can be a very serious problem in land scarce Singapore. Leaving it to the fictitious market forces will make the rich very rich and the less well to do in big trouble if they miscalculated or missed the chance to buy a place to stay. It could mean slogging for 10 or 20 years all for nothing. Would the govt review its fundamental assumptions on housing for the people, as a speculative investment instrument, to ensure that all Singaporeans be given a chance to buy a HDB flat? Starting with a HDB flat is the first stepping stone to many Singaporeans who don't have the privilege of wealthy parents buying properties for them in advance. The govt has a duty and obligation to see that no Singaporean is cut off from the HDB route. There is no need to butter the bread of developers on both sides. There is no need to make sure that private property prices must always go up. The top priority is to provide every Singaporean a roof over their heads, at an affordable price according to the buyers' ability, not some joker's private definition. The public housing sector must be separated from the private sector where everything goes. The public housing is the backbone of this country and its people. Breaking this backbone will undermine the social structure and well being of the people and country. The disadvantaged, the losers, the not so well endowed, cannot be thrown into the deep end with the sharks, the speculators and the super rich. They simply cannot compete. The govt cannot shirk this responsibility if it is to be the govt of the people and for the people.

Chok Tong's words of wisdom

Those who are complaining about not being able to buy that flat or house, not enough car parks, crowded MRTs, are victims of our own success. Think about those who are struggling to make ends meet, can't even afford to take MRTs and put things in perspective. There are people who are in much worst situation than the grouses and complaints in the media. Or think about Africa, then we will know how lucky we are. I would like to look at these problems from another angle, the people who caused all these problems. We cannot just blame the people who are complaining. Sure there are some who are responsible for their own plights. Some were lesser endowed and unable to compete or do the normal things and were left behind. We need to stare hard at those creators of the problems. In many cases, the problem creators are very well paid for their jobs, and should not be creating problems for the people. These are the people that need to think a little about the people who are hurt by their decisions. The fare hike is one issue. Though many can very well afford the few cents increases, there are some who really cannot. Why don't the decision makers take them into consideration? don't they care, or they just want a simple solution that gives them the mostest returns? Insufficient car parks? Who created the problem? Blame it on the people's success? Or do the decision makers think that each family shall only can only own one car? This is the same mentality as those who decided to build HDB flats smaller. They want to own more cars, want to live in big mansions themselves. But when they look at the miserable people, they dictated that they should have the bare minimum and be done with it. So we don't have enough car parks and living in little mickey mouse flats. And why are we having all these housing problems? The problems caused by itself or the people are causing the problems? Nay, it is bad policies one after another. It is bad decisions one after another. The latest case of unhappiness is the NSRA. It was all unnecessary if a little more thought is put into it. But it was a rash and arrogant decision to write off a few hundred thousand ex NS men with total disregard to their feelings. It only needs 5% of them to be unhappy enough to be vocal, we will have a bad problem at hand. So, shall we tell the people to count their blessings and stop complaining when jokers keep creating problems for the people?