Chok Tong: People and govt are family

The people and the govt must be closed like a family, taking care of each other and looking out for each other. This is as much as what Chok Tong was saying. The rest of what he said in his constituency’s National Day dinner was gibberish, ‘mao dun’, as he only saw the symptoms of a fractious family but not wanting to know the causes. He even attributed this to the people criticising the govt and their unreasonable demand as the major causes of this divide between people and govt. Really? What was he smoking?

He added that the govt must also be compassionate to be worthy of its citizens, to listen and engage the citizens, if not it would not be a family. Did the govt do that? Or what the govt had been doing all these years? It needs two hands to clap. Gone were the days when it is all a one sided love affair. The govt could do anything it wanted and claimed that everything was good for the people, everything was fine. And the govt could claim credit by saying, ‘see, no public demonstration, so the people are happy and supporting the govt and its policies’. What a clever reasoning, when demonstration is banned and 4 is illegal assembly.

And there were no social media to talk about the negative aspects of policies and what the people were unhappy about. The main media were only saying the good stuff. And if they were occasions when some complaints were heard, they were ignored. Or like the burning of an MP, it must be the fault of the other party, never the fault of the govt.

The divide between govt and people has been growing and widening but mostly ignored. The losing of a GRC, the by elections and the Presidential Election were all clear signals of a growing divide. Did the govt take heed? If there were no social media to speak of the divide, the govt would still not see any divide. No complaints heard means no problem.

What are the causes of the divide between people and govt? Big income gap was claimed to be normal, foreigners replacing Singaporeans in jobs is necessary, in universities, in sports, in getting scholarships, etc etc, were these caused by the people? Who imported foreigners to replace citizens in good jobs, in university places? Or these divides were not important, it is all due to the criticisms of the govt when it made the slightest mistakes?

What about the cost of living, high property prices, and the people’s CPF savings? And didn’t the govt hear of the saying that one can die but cannot get sick?Are the citizens guilty of unreasonable criticisms of the govt, or there were really nothing worthy or deserving of the citizens to criticise the govt?

During Chok Tong’s time there appeared to be no divide but not necessarily no divide.
The unhappiness and disapproval of the govt were just not spoken, no avenue to air them. Hot topics like the absurd high property prices that the govt insisted were affordable were simply brushed aside. Now we can see how this emptied the savings of the people. Or perhaps the divide was not that serious then.

It is so easy to blame the people for criticising the govt as the problem. The people cannot anyhow criticise the govt without good reasons and would not criticise the govt without good reasons. The govt can continue to blame the people and ignore their grievances. It is the people that were at fault. Period. So cramping down on public criticisms, on social media, could be the answer and the divide will go away.

Just keep bringing in the god sons, adopted sons, the foster sons and sons of other people to replace the sons of Singapore and see what would happen to the Singapore family. If the parents can disown the children, (did he say the govt was caring and creating jobs for the children?) the children can disown the parents as well.

The relationship is not one sided, where the govt can behave like deaf frog and do what it thinks is right, ignoring the people and their objections. The arrogance of the govt to think what it does is right and good for the people, even when the people voiced out to object, cannot be good for govt people relationship. Or can it?

Kopi Level - Blue. Thank you

A simple CPF question

How many people died without touching their CPF savings? Or how many people saved for a life time but never benefit from this saving to live for a day when they could feel relieve that it is time to enjoy their life long savings, to fantasise for a day of plenty?
 
Or how many people only could smile but die without really be happy spending their money after a life time saving it?

This is simply hideous.

Kopi Level - Yellow

There was a time when a degree meant so much

There was a time when a graduate could aspire to be a manager or a senior civil servant, as one of the elites. Today, our graduates can aspire to be a fast food stall manager, but mostly as salesmen, or even temp staff, hopping from one job to another on a needs basis. And he is expected to commit to a 30 year mortgage for a home, get married and make babies.
 
What is the point of having so many universities producing so many graduates but could not find a decent job even at mid management level? And it is not that there are no jobs available. We have half a million foreign PMEs here which translate to half a million middle management jobs that could be given to our graduates. Why not? Why do we have to import foreigners, many are the average joe or street punks with questionable paper qualifications and our graduates are not gainfully or justifiably employed in full time jobs?
 
We do not need a single foreign PME more as long as one of our graduates is half employed or unemployed. We need to give jobs to our graduates to put food on the table. Now someone is asking why is there a divide between govt and people, a distrust, and the people losing faith in the govt?
 
When the govt thinks it is its duty to employ foreigners than citizens, that it is ok to employ foreigner and does not bother if our graduates are losing their jobs, the govt has lost its way, has lost its mandate to be the govt. The govt must be for the citizens first. If the govt does not think so, don’t expect the people to respect the govt and want to be ruled by such a govt. It is elementary, Watson. No need to crack your head to understand why. If you have to do that and still cannot understand why, you don’t deserve to be the govt.

Kopi Level - Yellow

Hsien Loong’s NDR speech on education and jobs

Singapore not only has high ranking universities but also world class polytechnics producing the best graduates a 1st World Education System is expected to do. We bent backwards to accommodate the pseudo requirements dictated by the ranking agencies to gain top rankings. We brought in plane loads of foreign academics and foreign students at the expense of our local academics and students just to look good on the charts of international rankings. We even over built our needs for universities to cater for foreign student intakes.
 
Where is the result? What is the result? Why are the employers and recruiting agencies screaming on top of their voices that they can’t find good graduates from the citizens and die die must import foreigners, even from 3rd World countries and unranked universities, including graduates from the streets of 3rd World cities with a piece of paper from printing machines, to replace our highly ranked graduates that went through a proper academic regime, the best in Southeast Asia and among the world?
 
This unsaid problem is finally acknowledged quietly with the setting up of two committees, the Tripartite panel to promote skills-based career advancement led by Tharman and the Applied Study in Polytechnics and ITE Review Committee chaired by Indranee Rajah. Presumingly they are going to review the education system so that our graduates are useful and good enough for the industries.
 
The biggest contradiction here is that our graduates are practically worthless compare to those from the 3rd World. That is why our graduates’ ambition is to be hawkers or taxi drivers while all the top and well paying jobs go to talented graduates from the 3rd World. What is wrong?
 
I would like to recommend the members of the two committees to visit India to learn from them. India does not have any high ranking universities. They don’t need this kind of recognition or farce. Their graduates are in demand in the West and heading many of their top MNCs. And we are also seeing great values in them and are recruiting them en mass to replace our top university untalented graduates. India does not have to waste money and resources to recruit foreign academics and students to boost their rankings. The value is in eating the pudding. And all the employers and recruiting agencies are getting the best employees hailing from India.
 
That is the first thing the two committees should do, head for India and learn from them. India has the right formula. Our education system has failed in educating our students and preparing them for employment. If we continue to open the door indiscriminately, India alone could provide us all the top talents that are needed to run this country and the industries, to take over this island of no talents, despite the high rankings of our universities that we spent so much money to attain but practically worthless, a name on a shit of worthless paper. Opps, I mean a sheet of worthless paper.
 
What is so good or so wrong with our education system?

Kopi Level - Yellow

Second generation PRs who chose not to serve NS

First generation PRs are not necessarily needed to serve NS. But their children are liable to. And to escape serving NS, some came up with crappy excuses like letting their children remain here in this island under student passes so that when the time comes they need not serve NS. Wonder why there is such a legal loophole? And they could come back as foreign talents, as new PRs or Employment Pass holders to work here. Correct me if I am wrong.

Ng Eng Hen was quoted in Parliament to have said, “As MINDEF has cautioned, these ex-PRs who have not served their NS, will face serious adverse consequences when they subsequently apply to study or work in Singapore.” So, what does this mean? What are the adverse consequences if the second generation PRs could still be issued with Student Pass or with Employment Pass, or may even be given PRs in their own rights? I say ‘may’ huh, not will be given.

So, what are the serious adverse consequences, like cannot become citizens and cannot serve NS but still can study or work here? Eng Hen did not elaborate on these but must be too serious to talk about them in case the PRs would be frightened away. This is like PG rating I supposed.

Unhappy and disadvantaged Singaporeans must be happy to hear about this and feeling good that the second generation PRs would have to face adverse consequences.

Kopi Level - Green