So caring, seniors are so well taken care of in Singapore

Last Sunday (13 Oct), DPM and Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat was at a PAP event commemorating the International Day of Older Persons when he shared two events which touched him.

The first was a statement jointly issued by the late Lee Kuan Yew and ESM Goh in 2011: “The younger team must always have in mind the interests of the older generation. This generation who has contributed to Singapore must be well-looked after.” Minister Heng says that this was a principle that he continues to be guided by....

Meanwhile, some 17km away from the Hotel Miramar where the PAP event took place, Secretary-General of the SDP Dr. Chee Soon Juan was at a coffeeshop at Bukit Batok West Avenue 6 last to chat with residents. Sharing a picture on his Facebook page, he shared 2 stories of the lives of residents in their 60s.

The first had around $247k in his CPF after working for 42 years. He would not withdraw the monies and retire as he wanted, as these funds were locked up. Another resident was unable to work because of an illness; he thus wrote to the CPF Board to release him some funds for his sustenance but this was declined. As a result, he had to seek help from charity organisations and his family even had to cut down their meals to twice a day.

Dr. Chee then concluded that these were cases of “Ordinary Singaporeans playing by the rules, paying their taxes but ending up after a lifetime of work unable to live in security. They face a government callous to their hardship, impervious to their pleas.”


The above is quoted from an Editorial piece in TRE title 'A tale of 2 politicians'.  In both cases the govt is very caring. For the seniors in general, there are many schemes to lower the cost of living like Pioneer Generation, cheaper transport fares, discounts here and there.

In the second case, the seniors that cannot touch their CPF money, what $247k, they are be very grateful to the govt for protecting their life savings. If the govt did not lock their money up, they would soon spent until nothing left. Some would go to Batam to enjoy life that only money can buy and then return home with pockets emptied. See, now they may complain that they have money only printed in CPF statements but cannot touch, but they can still smile and appreciate the money stated as belonging to them, with many zeros.

These seniors just did not know how good the govt is to them. Luckily only a few will not appreciate this. Many really do and many would vote the PAP to power again in the next GE to protect their money so that the money would forever be there in their CPF accounts, even after they die. No where in the world would a govt care so much for the seniors to keep their money under high security vault, would not be stolen, would not be lost.

And while they feel so comforted and secure with so much money in their CPF, money that would make them very rich in third world countries, they can continue to work till they die as table cleaners in the food courts.

Be thankful, be grateful. Got money in the CPF is better than no money in the CPF right? And the money earns higher interest rates some more. The only other organisation or bean that can give higher interest than CPF is redbean. Anyone wants to keep his life savings with redbean, 10% interest, but cannot take back, will be kept in perpetuity? You can only see the monthly statements that showed how fast the money is ballooning with the high interest rate and be very happy ever after.

Kiasu, kiasi, kia chenghu Singaporean's self defeating logic

Matilah Singapura said this:

'This is a global trend lah. Not just in Singapore. Working life is tilting towards The Gig Economy in most developed cuntries. You can blame the govt all your life, and even think that the "solution" is massive political intervention...but you would be wrong.

The business environment is so fucking competitive now. If you are a CEO---THE PERSON WHO ALLOCATES CAPITAL---your job has never been tougher, which is why, if you are successful, you will be compensated with 100's of millions, if not billions of dollars. And if you fail, you are fired IMMEDIATELY.

So if the competition is so stiff at the top, how do you think it would be for the general salaried worker who has to go thru a rigid HR process just to earn a paycheck? Plus you have ChIndians coming online competing toe-to-toe for jobs, and those folks are HIGHLY MOTIVATED.

As a total China + India make up about a third of the world's population. If you take away the borders and group together all of humanity, One in three people will be either China Chinese or India Indian. You cannot escape the REALITY of NUMBERS....

 #1 Rule is: if you want to earn more, be able to create MORE value. If you cannot, someone else will, and they will eat, and you will starve.

 Life is UNFAIR. People will let you down. The government will bullshit you....'


While Matilah Singapura is used to blabbing about his own theories of what is good for Singapore as a non living entity, he is happy that Singapore continues as a state even if all the Singaporeans are chased out of this island country they built and once called home.To him the existence of a non living entity is more important than the people in it.

His first point is about high competition at CEO level. Really, what kind of businesses are facing such fierce competition? Running a chicken rice chain in Singapore, a super market or a train system or a GLC or stats board? What kind of foreign or international competition is there or was there that they needed to pay millions to a sales woman to run a public transport company? There are many businesses in Singapore that are domestic in nature and do not need to be paid in the millions as if they are facing international competition or needing rocket science theories. And even need to employ a foreigner with foreign experience to be CEO. Think of the million dollar ministers, facing international competition running rocket science ministries? Or any degree or non graduate also can?

Workers needing to go through rigid HR processes for average mediocre jobs? Of the 2m jobs given to foreigners, bank managers jobs that serviced local residents and HDB dwellers need foreign talents and Singaporeans cannot do them? Look at the number of middle management jobs in MBFC and Raffles Place, need foreign talents and Singaporeans got replaced because foreign talents from little villages are better educated and can do a better job? Please lah, if that is the case, then NUS, NTU and all the local universities should close down. Some idiots even suggested sending our undergrads to do interns in India! Head full of shit.

The real reason is because India and China have more than a billion beans each. Should we replace all the Singaporeans with Indians and Chinese from these two states? We are only 3m Singaporeans and we want to replace them with 2 billions Chinese and Indians?

The more I talk about this, the clearer it becomes, stupidity has no cure. It is not just defeatist Singaporean mentality, it is worse than that, trying to explain why replacing Singaporeans with foreigners is a good thing and the govt is doing the right thing. Singaporeans better wake up and vote out any govt that sells your interest to foreigners and wanting to replace you with foreigners.

PS. Happy Deepavali to our Indian brothers and sisters.

Not enough good jobs for Singaporeans?

That day my friend told me about this very worrying trend of more and more jobs being temporary basis.

Many been saying more and more jobs offer, all actually only available for 6 months period after that cancel, will have to be renewed. I find this trend very worrying, because there is no job security like that, work 6 months end up being jobless against. It is not worth it.
My friend has been finding it hard to find jobs in this market. The government talks a good deal about creating good jobs, but Singaporeans do not want jobs like this. The government comes in and say they are going to reduce foreigners. In the end only cut those low-paying jobs Singaporeans do not want to do. What’s the matter with them?....

 The government should focus more efforts on hiring our own Singaporeans instead of always relying on foreign talents who are not as loyal. It is a shame when we work hard in our own country but end up no employer want us just because they only care about degrees and diplomas, or worse, foreigners.

Frustrated local

The above is extracted from a post in TRE, Not enough good jobs for locals. Is this true? Cannot be, Singapore has 2m foreigners working here and many are having good jobs with good pay in the CBD area, in Raffles Place and MBFC. Look at the number of foreigners in these places, they out numbered Singaporeans which means there are many good paying jobs but going to foreigners, not to Singaporeans. The big question is why?

We have a govt that is elected by the people and everyday spouting slogans that they are for Singaporeans, creating good jobs for Singaporeans. Then why are there so many happy foreigners in good jobs and so many unhappy Singaporeans unable to find good jobs here? The number of foreigners in Raffles Place and MBFC is a fact. The number of unhappy Singaporeans unable to find good jobs, unable to find full time jobs can only be heard in social media not in the main media. Who is telling the truth and who is telling lies?

The next GE would tell the truth. If there are many unhappy Singaporeans unable to find good jobs, then they are likely to vote opposition. If Singaporeans are retrenched for whatever reasons, like restructuring, they would not vote for the PAP. But this is only an assumption. The unemployed or retrenched Singaporeans may be so stupid that despite losing their jobs, despite unable to get permanent jobs while foreigners can, would still vote for PAP.

The other fact is that maybe the number of unhappy and unemployed Singaporeans is too small to make a difference and therefore the PAP would still win with big margin, a confirmation that the PAP is doing the right thing and the majority of Singaporeans is supporting the PAP. Or the number of happy foreigners, now new citizens are so large, or at least more than unhappy Singaporeans, so the result is determined by them, the happily employed new citizens.

Which is the truth?

Building Singapore for who?

SINGAPORE — There are many new plans to build Singapore for the next generation, but the country first needs birth rates to rise so that the population can grow “a little bit”, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Thursday (Oct 10).

“We have so many plans for Singapore, in terms of new industries, new businesses, new schools, new opportunities, new towns to live in, new parks — a new society to be built for the next generation. And what we need are new people — our children,” Mr Lee told Nikkei Asian Review editor-at-large Takehiko Koyanagi at a dialogue held at the National University of Singapore.

Laying out the state of Singapore’s demographic challenge today, Mr Lee said that the
Read more at https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/new-towns-industries-are-being-built-now-what-spore-needs-are-new-people-pm-lee

Is the govt building Singapore for Singaporeans, for the children of Singaporeans? Just look at the composition of the population, 5.8m of which only 3.6m are Singaporeans and of the 3.6m, probably 1m are new citizens. What does this mean? If the original Singaporeans are now only 2.6m, then 3.2m foreigners are enjoying what we built in this island.

The basis of the govt's argument is that we need more and more people for economic growth. Is that the best solution? Bringing in more people for economic growth must lead to real economic growth, eg if we increase the population by 1% foreigners, there should be at least 3 or 4 additional percent of growth. Today and for many years, our economic growth is barely 2%. Did the increase in foreigners lead to more economic growth? What happened is that we brought in more foreigners to come here and eat and shit and we called it economic growth. Whatever little miserable growth was eaten by the foreigners themselves and shitted away and we end up drinking their shit water.

What is more important is the well being of our own people, not foreigners, not the children of foreigners, not the parents of foreigners. Our economic growth should be proportional to our population and any increases should be from higher productivity, innovation and technology, not to bring in more people to eat and to shit and to use up whatever little space we have in building more homes.

If our population is smaller, we don't have to build so many more homes and parks and destroy more and more of our land, fauna and flora. The indiscriminate and reckless input of people is destroying the island and contributing to climate change. We are in a mindless pursuit of self administered destruction ie SAD by forcing more and more people into the island. It is definitely not for the good of our children.

In the 60s, when population was smaller, the pressure on land and on everything was so much lesser. Anyone starting to work could afford to own a car and a home at really affordable prices. Today owning a car is beyond the rich of many young people except those whose parents are ministers or millionaires. Today, owning a small little cubicle called home would need to be paid with an arm or a leg. Today the cost of living is so high that many are living from pay check to pay check which the got is gloating about economic growth and more economic growth like 1 or 2%  which is actually no growth at all but a technical recession.

There is so much emphasis on economic growth when the truth is no economic growth except for the millionaires and the rich that got richer and the poor got poorer. The only superficial wealth of a Singaporean is his HDB flat. But up to a point, this becomes depreciating asset that will turn into a bumpkin after midnight, no value. At that point, all the superficial wealth and well being of a Singaporean will go up in smoke, becomes nothing.

More people means higher cost of living. Period. Not necessarily higher economic growth as the GDP  numbers have proven. Building Singapore for what and for who? In the name of building a better Singapore for our children, is the govt instead destroying Singapore for our children? SAD.

Repealing S377A completely?

'An outlier in criminal law regime'
 
Section 377A doesn't criminalise gay sex and its purpose no longer exists, argues former Chief Justice
Writing in a 72-page article in the Singapore Academy of Law Journal, Mr Chan Sek Keong said: "Section 377A was enacted for the purpose of dealing with the mischief of male prostitution and its associated activities (which involved male homosexual conduct) which were rife in 1938, and not because homosexual conduct was not acceptable in Singapore society in 1938."

The above quote is from Today online. Reading Chan Sek Keong’s comment, it appears that this 377A is no longer relevant and should be repealed. The case for this to decriminalize same sex sexual activities in today’s context is to some extent justifiable from the non religious point of view. The morality issue from the secular viewpoint has changed and same sex activities are now tolerated. The religious tribes may still have their own reservations in view of their unflinching religious doctrines.
 
Assuming that the secular thinking rules the day and 377A is repealed, the law must not forget that the young must still be protected and not fall prey to sexual assault of the same sex, with or without their consent. As long as the young are protected until they become adults, I think there should be lesser resistance and opposition to repeal this Act.
 
We are going to be more advanced and progressive on this relative to Malaysia, I think. Anyone knows if Malaysia has such an Act since we inherited the same judicial system from the British?
 
What do you think?