This is home, truly…

Is Singapore a home or a hotel? The traditional understanding of a home is a place where one grows up and has many fond memories of, old places, faces, smell and a lot of stories to feel nostalgic about. It is about belonging, a familiar place to touch base. The features of modern living and being Singaporeans today are about change. Everything is changing, from the infrastructure and road maps to the faces of people on the street, the odour and the sight and sound, never the same before. We have people moving in and out of the island, citizens become non citizens, non citizens become citizens. We move homes like changing clothes. All the memories of childhood were wiped away for development and progress. The moving and changing even goes down to being a part of a place or constituency. Today part of Hougang, tomorrow part of East Coast, then become single wards, then GRCs. Today serve by this MP, tomorrow by another. With all the continuous changes in our lives, from the familiar to the unfamiliar, can we really feel that this is home? No wonder they are saying that as a nation, we are still a work in progress, starting all over again and again. Our roots have very few things to anchor on. Our friends were always new, our neighbours new, our MPs also new. We are less than 50 years old, and our accumulated past have already been wiped away by economic and progress. This is home, truly? Work in progress?

How could Singaporeans be not grateful?

It has never occurred to me that a medical bill can go beyond a million bucks. (Ok, I know I am not living in this glittering world). It was shocking to hear that it could be $24.8 million. I was always shaken by a $20k or $100k bill. It only shows how ignorant I am in the world of the very rich when paying a few million bucks is nothing. Singaporeans who have to pay $100k or $30k for a medical bill must be grateful that it is such a small sum to pay. And those who kpkb about a 5c hike in transport fare or a 10c in kopi O, please lah, have a life. You people are not worthy of living if you have to kpkb about such trivials. The $24.8 million bill must have awakened many people that their lives are actually not worth living. How could people be spending that kind of money as if money is nothing? That is another point. Next time when one got admitted to our world class hospitals, privatized or whatever, don’t complain about the bill. It is very cheap. And be very grateful to ministers who have to give up their lucrative medical careers to serve the people and country. For doing that, they are sacrificing a career that could mean several millions of income per month for a $3m annual salary. Be grateful and be thankful that we have such good people making such big sacrifices. And also be grateful that the minister is trying to raise your savings in the Medisave account to several hundred thousands. The reason now is obvious. Medical bills in privatized govt hospitals are cheap but can still be in the hundreds of thousands. The current minimum of $33k or there about are simply peanuts. Definitely not enough! Be appreciative of the govt helping to plan for you to pay your medical bills when you least expect it. The masses may be ignorant and not thinking, thank god the govt is thinking for them every day, for their own good. Singaporeans are indeed a lucky lot.

The Grand Old Man of the Opposition

Whenever I look at Chiam See Tong and his physical condition, I shook my head and quietly told myself that he should retire from politics. Then I read these comments from him when asked why he wants to continue in his condition, I understood. These are what he said, But you know, this isn’t a hard job, he said.. In fact, it is harder to bring up a family with little income. It is harder competing for jobs with foreign talents. It is harder to look after a disabled child, or an elderly parent It is harder to afford hospital bills for your family. These, are hard jobs that Singaporeans are facing. And it will get tougher. He is doing it for a cause, to want to do something for the people. With all the odds and physical limitations, he is struggling to fight another fight which is no easy thing to do. He is the Grand Old Man of the Opposition, a man with a mission for the people of Singapore. He walks his talks. Good men are rare to find. He is one of the few left. He never claims to have sacrificed anything. He just do it. What a man!

When supply and demand are not elastic

The basis of a free enterprise economic system is based on the elasticity of supply and demand. And there must be plentiful of supply, ie choices, and plentiful of demand, ie people can afford to buy whatever they want. Without this elasticity, a free enterprise economy is doomed for self destruct. Today we are seeing more and more evidence of what an uninterrupted and skewed economy can become a living hell to many and heaven to a few. Hey, isn’t that a truism, that only a few will be in heaven and the rest be in hell? Take drinking water as an illustration. If the supply of drinking water is controlled by a mean owner, he can literally sell a cup of drinking water at $100 or at whatever price he demands. Everyone kwai kwai must pay. It is only the wisdom of time that govts of today imposed regulations on the distribution of essential and basic goods and services. Of course the temptation of free enterprise and the grostesque profits it can make often proved too tempting that devious reasons were used to perpetuate free private enterprises. The mantra of market forces know best and are best for buyer and seller is the wisdom of today. This is the biggest myth that the masses have been led to believe. For many economies, or many goods and services, the perfect market condition is just not there. The result is abuse of the free enterprise system. There are times when control and regulations must be imposed, with good intention as a prerequisite, to ensure a fair and equitable system for the people in general. A time has now come to upturn the concept of property speculation in a small piece of rock. Properties cannot continue to be speculated simply for profit basis. It is an essential piece of basic needs and must be heavily regulated. Unrestrained property speculation for profits only benefitted the few who will get richer at the expense of the larger majority. Making matter worst is that foreign speculators in the name of investors, came in to profit and disappear with their gains and leaving the locals with a baby that becomes a heavy burden for life. The madness of property speculation, of property as a good investment, has transformed itself into a dangerous animal to the demise of many average home owners. With so many negative factors that will only contribute to higher and higher property prices, a fundamental change in housing policy must be looked at now. It is no joke when a person has to work his guts out, for the rest of his life, just to have a roof over his head. It does not make sense anymore.

A second career in politics

Gilbert Goh has joined and left the Reform Party. Heard that he is now with another party. People like Gilbert, in fact there are many professionally trained and experienced people who have retired or in between jobs, should take up politics as a second career. The experience and wisdom they bring along after years of hard knocks will give them a more mature perspective of the expectation of life and what they can do for the people. And many of them are very able and could do much instead of waiting for another job. A politician is a full time job, a career and a worthy one, and a worthwhile one as an occupation. What are they waiting for? Get together some like minded people, ten or twenty and that will be a good start and nucleus for a new political party. Joining an existing political party is easier but it means accepting all the culture and history and philosophy of that party. Starting a clean slate with some people one knows better is more desirable and easier to move on without any old garbage. The young retirees are at the prime of their lives and have many more good years to go. What is there to lose when there is so much to gain?