Ex-Singaporean on why he has the right to talk about S'pore
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Ex-Singaporean on why he has the right to talk about Singapore
I would like to response to comments regarding my article. (read here)
1. I have no right to talk about Singapore as I have emigrated-
I am now a Canadian citizen and my allegiance is to Canada but that does not prohibit me from speaking or writing about Singapore or any other country.
That is freedom of speech as stated in our constitutions – Singapore and Canada. MM Lee and many Singaporeans have expressed their opinions about other countries, i.e that the British healthcare is inferior to Singapore’s and how superior the Singapore system is compared to other countries, etc. etc. If they can speak on other countries, why can’t I? Do they have more rights than I? Let’s be fair and debate on a level playing field.
Let us be civil and not treat anyone with opposing views as public enemies. Canada has about half a dozen former prime ministers and they treat each other with respect even though they have different opinions. None was ever put in jail nor threatened with it. That is 1st World democracy.
I was raised in Singapore and have friends and relatives there. I am concerned about Singapore because a friend of mine committed suicide because he could not pay for medical treatment after his Medicare ran out.
A group of us regularly send money to his wife as she could not get any financial assistance from the government. Why do we care about Singapore? It is because we care about our friends and relatives in Singapore and we are not ashamed of it. Yes, we care and we cannot turn our faces from it regardless whether we are called quitters or losers.
2. Myths about us being treated as foreigners and second class citizens in other countries -
In Canada, all citizens have the same rights and privileges regardless of race. There are more than 20,000 ex-Singaporeans in Canada who will stand by what I said. To illustrate my point, the previous Governor-General of Canada – a position equivalent to President Nathan of Singapore, was a Chinese lady who came to Canada as a refugee from China.
The Police Commissioner of Vancouver Police Force is a Chinese from Hong Kong, the Solicitor General is an Indian and the list can go on and on. A Singapore friend who has a special need child was paid more than C$1,000 a month to help the kid’s living expenses. He did not get any help when he was in Singapore. Is that second class treatment? I suggest those Singaporeans check their facts before they make fools of themselves.
3. In Canada, the immigration program is well calibrated and managed. Canada has a population of 33 million people and a land mass of 9,093,507 sq km which is about 15,000 times the size of Singapore. Even with such a huge land mass, it takes in only 250,000 immigrants a year from all over the world.
Singapore, on the other hand, took in more than one million PRs in the last few years mainly from China and India. Singapore’s infrastructure could not support such an huge and sudden influx of people. There will be a breakdown of social order.
In Canada new immigrants are given free lessons in English or French to assimilate into the Canadian society. Immigrants from Africa are even taught how to use modern facilities like toilet bowls, hot and cold showers, ovens, etc. I have nothing against Chinese or Indian PRs into Singapore but it must be well planned like the Canadian system.
I am not writing to ridicule or hope for the demise of Singapore. Contrary, if you read with an open mind, I pray that it will improve and continue to be in the 1st World status in every meaning of the world. However, it cannot be done when opposition members are being intimidated, jailed or fine just because someone wanted absolute and perpetual control of the government.
Cheong Wing Lee -
Singapore – from 3rd world to 1st world to LOST world
By Cheong Wing Lee, Guest Columnist
It has been 50 years since Singapore has been governed by the PAP under the leadership of Lee Kuan Yew.
Is Singapore better off now than it was 50 years ago?
The answer from most baby boomers is that it is worse. Despite all the gains in materialism and wealth in the country, the majority of the ageing population is feeling no better than five decades ago. Many are stressed out by the anxieties of the absence of a dignified retirement plan, the affordability of healthcare and the uncertain future for their children.
Fifty years ago, Singapore was a British Colony under British rule. The majority of the population neither liked nor disliked the British. They had no opinion and took it as part of life.
During the colonial days, most of the population then were born to accept that the white people were superior. The population then were mostly poor working class, lost without direction and living from day to day.
Fast forward fifty years to present day Singapore and we find the majority of the ageing population also neither like nor dislike the PAP and can’t do anything about it. Most of them were born to accept that the “Men in White” are superior.
The PAP has over the years designed policies and safe guards to ensure that the party remains in power indefinitely. The indiscriminate use of the ISD, rezoning of constituencies, formation of GRCs, monopoly of the mass media and liberal use of defamation lawsuits against opponents practically destroyed all oppositions.
The aging population are generally poor, lost without direction and like the population fifty years ago, living from day to day, praying that their savings will be adequate for a decent retirement.
To PAP’s credit, during the past fifty years,the old guards of the PAP and MM Lee manage to bring Singapore from an improvised third world country to the first world status.
I remembered I was then living in a small rented room in a Chinatown shop-house with only one kitchen, one make shift bathroom and one pull out bucket toilet. The shop-house was shared with 4 other families with a total of 22 occupants.
Within fifteen years I was able to buy a 5 room HDB apartment and own a car. For that I was grateful to the PAP, especially the old guards.
Back then in the seventies, Singapore was bustling with economic activities brought about by Dr. Goh Keng Swee, then Deputy Prime Minister, who led the Singapore industrial revolution.
For the next few decades, Singapore was hailed by the world as an economic miracle . A country without natural resources and yet able to propel itself from 3rd world status to 1st world status with one of the highest per capita in Asia.
The country achieved so many “Number Ones”, i.e. No 1 airport, No.1 container port, No.1 airline, etc, etc. that I lost count. We were proud as citizens of Singapore.
We were proud of the PAP and we were proud of MM Lee. Many of us would have died for the country and him. MM Lee would have left a great legacy for generations to remember.
Ironically the past two decades had eroded that admiration. The addiction of absolute power has made MM Lee developed a deep craze to perpetuate his control of Singapore. It was no longer our country.
Singapore has become his country, his personal property. Our pledge for justice and equality for all is only but an aspiration according to him. To MM Lee, only he and the PAP can effectively govern Singapore.
All others outside of PAP with opposing views are treated as Public Enemies. Under the disguise of self renewal and recruiting new blood, the entire group of old guards were retired except for himself. He brought in young bureaucrats, technocrats, and scholars who will obey and above all fear him without questions.
This dream team and MM Lee initiated a series of social engineering. MM Lee’s dream is to create a perfect society based on meritocracy. There will be no room for complacency. He wants Singaporeans to be the best of the best.
In the process of social engineering, Singapore becomes a nanny state where the government dictates to its citizens what, how and when to do in every minute aspect of their lives. The ideal dreams of the ordinary citizens turned to nightmares. The citizens are hard pressed to perform to the government’s requirements.
The education system was revamped time and again to filter and segregate the slow learners from the ordinary and the brightest students at a young age.
The brightest students are given the best education, priorities and scholarships with promise of top government jobs and top salaries upon completion of their studies.
These super students are primed to be future leaders of the country. The slow learners and the ordinary students are thrown to the lower rungs of the food chain.
The numerous new education policies cause panic amongst parents who do not want their children to be labeled as slow learners or mentally challenged.
There is a huge surge for private tuition whereby children are forced to endure hours of extra studies to keep up or be one step ahead of the others in their pursuit of academic excellence. The joy and happiness of growing up as children was robbed.
There was no time for children to be simply children. The segregation system is based on an unscientific assumption that if students do not perform well in examinations, they will not do well in all aspects of their lives.
Maids are hired by almost every household in order for parents and children to devote more time to studies. The repercussion of the overuse of maids results in a generation of children not knowing how to do simple chores like boiling water, washing dishes, cleaning, hanging a picture frame, changing a tyre, etc. Few children learn or do anything outside of textbooks. The children are simply not street smart.
Perhaps the biggest mistake was the “STOP AT TWO” or “Two is Enough” campaign where citizens were encouraged to stop at only having two children by curtailing all medical benefits and educational privileges of the third child.
The successful campaign resulted in a sharp drop in birth rate and a mass exodus of emigrants who have more than two children. Even more severe repercussions surfaced two decades later resulting in the present huge influx of more than one million “Foreign Talents”, mainly from China and India.
Just when the local citizens thought that they have met the worst by working as janitors, food courts cleaners and other low paying jobs, they are now challenged by foreign talents from China and India who are prepared to work for less.
This challenge now spread to include regular higher paying jobs like engineers, surveyors, healthcare workers, etc which are traditionally held by local born Singaporeans.
Companies are openly advertising and recruiting the new foreign talents in preference to the locals. The reason being that companies need to stay competitive and be more profitable.
New immigrants or foreign talents are not burdened by national service and reservist duty which put additional cost to the companies. Furthermore, new immigrants are willing and able to work for less pay and longer hours since most of them come to Singapore by themselves and have no family obligations like the locals.
The entire working environment is working against the local born Singaporeans. All of a sudden they have become strangers in their own land.
The country they have sworn to protect has betrayed them. In desperate times like this, when help and reassuring words from the government should be forth coming, instead the local Singaporeans receive advice telling them to lower their expectations. This only add insult to injury.
What the dream team and high salaried ministers fail to understand is that the people cannot go lower than low. Just try to survive on a salary of $2,000 a month or less with a family, then maybe they may understand the plight of the average Singaporeans.
For those frustrated Singaporeans who wants to emigrate to other countries to escape their present hopeless predicament, they are walking into another brick wall.
Unknown to most of them, new emigrants to countries like Australia and Canada are also foreign talents who have recently obtained their Singapore citizenship. It must be heart breaking for locals to find out that even the last escape route from their desperate predicament is being challenged by foreign talents who use Singapore as a stepping stone.
There are potential problems looming on the horizon with this huge influx of foreign talents, permanent residents and newly minted Singaporeans. The total number is between 1.6 million to 2 million people under these categories.
These people have no allegiance to the country. Their allegiance is to money. If they do not get employment, they will not get the money to send back to their countries to help their families.
The local born Singaporeans are largely of the “kaisu and kaisi” non-violent type who only complain but continue to vote in the same government election after election. However, the new immigrants are more vocal and hostile. These people will not be easily intimidated and bullied by the authority. The threat of jail to them is like going to a holiday camp with free food and shelter. They have endured much harsher penalties and hardships in their own countries. They are battle hardened and not afraid of dying.
If these people do go on protest riots, it will be a security nightmare. Logistically, the police does not have enough manpower to cope with such numbers. Singapore has less than 10,000 regular policemen. Each policeman has to deal with 200 violent protesters. No matter how efficient the policemen are, it is an impossible task even if the reservist NS are called in to help.
On the assumption that these people are contained, there are simply not enough jails to lock them in. Changi Prison will have to be increased at least one hundred times in size. The government has only one solution and that is to keep them constantly employed to maintain peace.
So when it comes to the question of whether Singapore is better now than it was 50 years ago, should we be surprised at the answer?
About the Author:
Cheong Wing Lee is an ex-Singaporean who is now living in Vancouver, Canada.
Source: http://www.temasekreview.com/2009/10/06/singapore-from-3rd-world-to-1st-world-to-lost-world/
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well. if you get sick in singapore(major illnes) you don't get sick. you get poor, VERY poor.
and yet some bastard up there is earning millions every year
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Of course anyone has the right to talk. He aint dumb is he? Even Obama talks about our country. It's only when one uses words calculated to incite hatred or fear to our society is when such right would be challenged, more so from one who had abandoned its citizens and what our forefathers had done for him, who had contributed to his growth and opportunities, but now serving another society who had done nothing for him.
I have no personal animosity to those who left and would even wish them well, for new citizens from elsewhere would be welcomed to contribute to our elevation and progress.
It is only when they turn against my fellow citizens with malicious propaganda that they must be exposed, challenged, and revealed for what they really are and stands for.
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Originally posted by xtreyier:
Of course anyone has the right to talk. He aint dumb is he? Even Obama talks about our country. It's only when one uses words calculated to incite hatred or fear to our society is when such right would be challenged, more so from one who had abandoned its citizens and what our forefathers had done for him, who had contributed to his growth and opportunities, but now serving another society who had done nothing for him.
Unfortunately, the dumbness is in the X-rat who has to dumb-down the entire text into one irrelevant question - "he aint dumb is he ?"
Was there any relevance to suggests words were used in the text to "incite hatred or fear to our society" - or has the X-rat decided to go into another one of its fantasy tour to act like an adult when it is basically a X-rat kiddie ?
If at all, the insecurity of this resident X-rat is so bad that it will react with the standard text that it plagiarized from those more intelligent than a rat, and for the rat to use the text as its own with no iota of shame.
The text was clear to enlighten Singaporeans of what is available to citizens who are in a truly democratic country, not one in which a X-rat will feel insecure and will have to boast louder that this authoritarian state is not one because of its saying so!!!
I have no personal animosity to those who left and would even wish them well, for new citizens from elsewhere would be welcomed to contribute to our elevation and progress.
The new citizens will have to watch their backs with X-rat as a fellow citizen, as their works and words will be plagiarized by an incapable rat, who will as quickly change its tune when the "new" citizens decide to call it quits from this Little Red Dot.
It is only when they turn against my fellow citizens with malicious propaganda that they must be exposed, challenged, and revealed for what they really are and stands for.
Do the "fellow-citizens" need a dishonest X-rat to protect anyone's interests, when the very being that everyone should be wary of is the rat in our midst, who will tirelessly deny the X-rated lies to be so, even when these are exposed, challenged and revealed ?
Only a X-rat will vehemently swear by its own X-rated values that the Truth are "lies and half-truths" - even when it is unable to produce an iota of evidence to proove its own X-rat position that it claim.
Time and again, the X-rat will persist in its quest to tarnish the Truth, and make hollow sanctimonious claims of protecting the innocent, when its very action is to snuggle into one's confidence so as to undermine the truth, and shade the historical facts from a trusted position to achieved its dubious agenda.
Such acts are no better then sheer dishonesty, and a betrayal of confidence.
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Great articles.
It is reality that many cannot afford payment to healthcare in Singapore. While the public are voicing out about this point, I heard doctors from public hospital commenting, pushing blame on the public that we are unappreciative to keep complaining that healthcare is expensive in Singapore when the govt has already subsidised so much for us. They stated that the public should compare the fee/charge of the healthcare in Singapore with those western countries. I was so pissed off when I heard what these doctors said.
The ruling party split the public healthcare to 2 companies - SingHealth and National Healthcare. I was told they are competing with each other for profit and performance.
As much as some of us are thankful for the present ruling party's contribution in the past, we are aware that life here in Singapore is not getting better. It all boils down to probably we have a self serving govt.
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I think this acticle has many standing points. Even though he is Canadian now, to write such a long article certainly proves that he puts our welfare in his heart. Singapore need a better system to "recruit" immigrants. I really feel that we are taking in too much immigrants to the point our infrastructure cant support them and our locals anymore. Just look at the bus and MRT. It is crowded with immigrants most of the time. Some locals even lamented that they dont feel that they are in Singapore anymore, there are so many foreign slangs around. It really takes a long time for these immigrants to become part of Singapore, but unfortunately before they do, they would have "jumped" to another country.
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I bet the retarded xtreyier is 1 of the foreigners living in sg.
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Do more to help Singaporean students
I REFER to yesterday’s reports, ‘PM signals a slower intake of immigrants’ and ‘A tip to students: Be driven about causes’.I am a student at the National University of Singapore. I agree with what Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that bringing in foreigners will help ‘raise our standards and create a stimulating environment’.I enjoy working with people from various cultures, having been exposed to them since Secondary 3, which is when the Ministry of Education brings in scholars from China and Asean.However, at university level, there are sometimes too many foreign students competing for Singaporeans’ space to grow.For instance, in a mathematics lecture I attended, almost three-quarters of the class comprised foreigners. During in- lecture quizzes, it was obvious that the foreigners were better than the Singaporeans, and so ’stimulated’ the learning environment.However, it has come to a point where the competition has become stifling and stressful. This is because, in most cases, the foreign students have already learnt lower-level maths and science in their home country. Hence, Singaporeans are at a disadvantage in studying the same subject together with them.Besides, universities here should give higher priority in offering places to Singaporean students from polytechnics and junior colleges. It is like giving your own children priority in education instead of those of a stranger.Why should we give priority to foreign students at the expense of Singaporeans? I feel sorry for Singaporeans who have no university place because of this.Singaporeans should be given more opportunities to learn and grow. Otherwise, many of those who cannot secure a place in a university here will go elsewhere.Colin TanI REFER to yesterday’s reports, ‘PM signals a slower intake of immigrants’ and ‘A tip to students: Be driven about causes’.
I am a student at the National University of Singapore. I agree with what Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that bringing in foreigners will help ‘raise our standards and create a stimulating environment’.I enjoy working with people from various cultures, having been exposed to them since Secondary 3, which is when the Ministry of Education brings in scholars from China and Asean.However, at university level, there are sometimes too many foreign students competing for Singaporeans’ space to grow.
For instance, in a mathematics lecture I attended, almost three-quarters of the class comprised foreigners. During in- lecture quizzes, it was obvious that the foreigners were better than the Singaporeans, and so ’stimulated’ the learning environment.
However, it has come to a point where the competition has become stifling and stressful. This is because, in most cases, the foreign students have already learnt lower-level maths and science in their home country. Hence, Singaporeans are at a disadvantage in studying the same subject together with them.
Besides, universities here should give higher priority in offering places to Singaporean students from polytechnics and junior colleges. It is like giving your own children priority in education instead of those of a stranger.
Why should we give priority to foreign students at the expense of Singaporeans? I feel sorry for Singaporeans who have no university place because of this.
Singaporeans should be given more opportunities to learn and grow. Otherwise, many of those who cannot secure a place in a university here will go elsewhere.
Colin Tan
Source: ST Forum, 17 Sept 2009
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PR giving out flyers offering to pay “higher price” for HDB flats
From our Correspondent
Below is a scanned copy of a flyer emailed to us by a reader:
Dear admin,
I live in a HDB flat & I received this piece of note slipped under the door recently.
I couldn’t paste it on your webpage so I decided to email it to you instead as you may be interested in it.
I’ve erased the telephone number course I don’t want the person to receive any prank call. I believe this is no fault of the PRs or foreigners but rather the problem lies with the government policies.
The question is, how can we ever hope to have affordable HDB flats when we have foreigners who are distributing flyers saying they are “willing to give higher price..” to buy the same HDB flats we are living in??
EDITORS’ NOTE:
With the Singapore government being the largest landlord and property developer at the same time, there is no free market in Singapore as it is able to fix the housing prices as it wishes due to its complete monopoly.
The prices of HDB flats are rising due to the following artificial factors created by the government:
1. Constant and ready demand for HDB flats as they are a basic necessity in Singapore. If Singaporeans and PRs do not purchase HDB flats, they will have no where to stay unless they opt for rental.
2. Increasing demand by allowing an increasing number of foreigners to become PRs and to purchase flats. As PRs usually hold a decent-paying job, they will have few problems paying for a resale flat. Besides, since some may not settle down in Singapore, they do not mind paying more now as they can always sell them at a profit later on when they leave.
3. Limiting supply by capping the number of new flats built: With few completed subsidized flats in the market, Singaporeans will have no choice but to compete for flats with the PRs in the resale market thereby causing the prices to go up. The number of flats built in the last few years are considerably less than that in the 1990s. (HDB Infoweb)
4. Complete monopoly over the public housing sector: With virtually no competitors, HDB is able to sell its flats at any prices as it wishes as there is no pressure on them to bring down the prices.
5. Since there are PRs like the above couple who are willing to “spoil the market” to secure a flat in their desired location, sellers will naturally jack up the COVs to make a “killing”. This will eventually lead to higher COVs in the long run. Already we are seeing ridiculously high COVs like the $70,000 paid for a 3-room resale flat in Toa Payoh (Lianhe Wanbao, 14 September 2009)
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You voted for PAP and…
By Hardwarezone forumer Ixnay
You voted for PAP, and you get to pay 7% GST instead of 5%.
You voted for PAP, and they peg power to the price of oil even when
80% of Singapore’s power comes from natural gas.You voted for PAP and your CPF money gets lock up for another 3 years
more than the original.You voted for PAP, and your ministers demanded a 85% pay raises.
You voted for PAP, and your job went to a foreigner.
You voted for PAP, and your neighbors become foreigners.
You voted for PAP, and your elderly gets to enjoy the dignity of
employment by cleaning toilets, scavenging trash bins for aluminum
cans and selling tissue papers.You voted for PAP, and your minsters tell you it is your fault that
Mas Selemat escaped.You voted for PAP, and your government would rather lose millions at
sinking foreign banks rather than to save you from starvation.You voted for PAP, and not only do your ministers literally spit on
you, but their scions tell you to “get out of their elite uncaring
faces”.You voted for PAP, and you are amply rewarded with ERPs at your doorstep.
You voted for PAP, and Lee Hsien Loong pledged to fix the oppositions.
You voted for PAP, and you got a Division 3 Prime Minister who needs 2
mentors to hold his hand.You voted for PAP, and you got a large serving of Mee Siam Mai Hum, at
your own expense.You voted for PAP, and your salary stayed stagnant for more than a
decade while the cost of living shoot sky high.You voted for PAP, and you see the foreign kids get a place in school
while you child get zilch.You voted for PAP, and you find that your public transport is no
longer “public”.You voted for PAP, and your ministers want to house 1,500 foreign
workers right smacked in the middle of a peaceful neighborhood without
any concerns for you.You voted for PAP, and the government readily reward your men with
more hookers than they can ever poked in Geylang.You voted for PAP, and your government happily demands $5000 ang pao
from you when your maid runaway or get pregnant even though you had
nothing to do with it.You voted for PAP, and your government glorify themselves with Olympic
sized banners of their ghastly faces to scare away ghosts during the
Chinese 7th month, courtesy of your S&C contribution to your town
councils which is suppose to go toward making life in your
neighborhood better.You voted for PAP, and they protect the interests of the petrol
companies by making you pump 3/4 tank before you cross the causeway.You voted for PAP, and they see nothing wrong with fining you for
driving a foreign registered car into Singapore.You voted for PAP, and you discover that world-class super talented
multi-million dollar minister with all the state resources and
manpowers cannot even catch a limping man in this tiny island state
after more than half a year.You voted for PAP, and you realise that your MP’s job is not to speak
out for you in parliament, but to tell you to tighten the belt, bite
the bullet, eat lesser and work longer.You voted for PAP, and your kids have to stay with you till 40 years
old, as they cannot afford the cheapest “public” housing.You voted for PAP, and your government tells you that their
interpretation of subsidies is the profit that they forgo making,
instead of actually paying part of the cost.You voted for PAP, and everyone in Singapore suddenly got elevated to
Swiss standard of living, except you, and everyone around you.You voted for PAP, and your neighbors can sell your home for you
(en-block), whether you like it or not.You voted for PAP, and your organs automatically belongs to the
government (HOTA).You voted for PAP, and you have to pay administration fee to use your
own money when you are sick (Medisave).You voted for PAP, and your sons get to spend 2 or more years as free
labour in National Service and 13 more years as reservists, so that
the foreigners can have a safe country to work in.You voted for PAP, and you found out that each of your son is worth
$30k, because that is what you are going to get if your son die while
serving the foreigners.You voted for PAP, and you get a grand party every year on 9th August
celebrating more salaries for PAP.Not everyone is invited though, you
will still have to ballot for it.You voted for PAP, and they tell you that there is a corner called
Hong Lim Park where you can go to talk all you want, other than that,
shut up unless you have something nice to say.You voted for PAP, and you get a world-bottom “nation-building” press
serving you the latest propagandas, regardless of truth.You voted for PAP, and in order to buy a car, you have to first pay
for a piece of paper that cost more than the car itself.You voted for PAP, and you must vote for PAP! You cannot even think
about not voting for PAP. Because a certain inaccurate old man said
that he will call in the army if you don’t.So vote for PAP. Read the list above again, and vote for PAP. Go
ahead, vote for PAP. More good years eh? Vote for PAP. For Swiss
standard of living. Vote for PAP. Mee Siam Mai Hum ok?Source: Hardwarezone Forum
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A reply to Mr Harry Ng’s letter to Straits Times Forum
By Phong Teck on Singapore Enquirer
I refer to the comments made by Mr. Harry Ng on his letter dated 25 August 2009. (read letter here)
Unfortunately coming from someone who is neither a citizen nor a person who understand the sacrifices male citizens made for this country, I would suggest his opinion is just doing lip service to what MM Lee and our dear Government has been advertising, Singapore Permanent Residents (PRs) is the way to the future of Singapore, at the expense of Singapore Citizen interest.
I would like to point out the factual error in his letter dated 25 August 2009.
Firstly, Mr. Eduard Tay’s Letter pointed out “…a neighbourhood school” he is seeking for his child, not a top school but a school near his residence. Twisting the facts of Mr. Eduard Tay’s letter to give credibility in your arguement seems very superficial.
Secondly, what sort of benefit can a 6 year old foreigner brings to another 6 year old citizen here in a primary one class??? Intellectual or Cultural exchange?? Isn’t it easier to Google all this online or you must be using a different search engine?? My child studies in a multi-national kindergarten, well I do not see any benefit he gained from his classmates except the occasional swearing words he picks up from his Korean and American classmates??
Thirdly, give healthy competition to remind the children to constantly upgrading themselves. Getting into a neighborhood school is already tough for Mr. Eduard Tay, let alone talking about giving competition in the school. It is already a tough environment for a primary school kid nowadays and your way to improve their situation is to pile on them with further competition with these PRs. I would suggest you should jog down to the nearest school around your place and observe their studying environment before making such comments.
Fourthly, if a poor Singaporean Citizen complains about its rich counterpart, its only natural. It happens everywhere in the world, from United States to Japan. However, it is rare for citizens to complain about the equal opportunity handed out in a silver palette to foreigners who don’t contribute to the building of their nation because almost all developed nation recognized the importance of their citizen’s contribution, except ours. Do we see this type of incident happening in United States or Japan??
What happened to Mr. Jerry Yang in United States can only happen in United States and not anywhere else in the world, not Taiwan. It is totally absurd to make such comparison with the situation in Singapore. Does Mr. Jerry Yang need to serve the mandatory two and the half years National Service like all male citizens in Singapore. For all I know he may have gone to the United States to escape his country’s mandatory National Service.
Lastly, nearly all of the PRs here are economic migrants who want only the best for themselves and their families. Once they have earned enough, they will return back to where they came from. Only Singapore citizens, who have for generations staying and supporting this nation, will be there when the country is in need. Sadly, our government has forgotten what sacrifices our fathers and forefathers made for this country, instead choosing PRs as the next loyal savior of this country. I can only say fools like you and our government will believe that out of the 100% of these economic migrants, 99% will take up citizenship and save our nation in times of need.
Source: Singapore Enquirer
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You voted for PAP and… the most sobering truth!
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Originally posted by fireng:
I bet the retarded xtreyier is 1 of the foreigners living in sg.
It is only when they turn against my fellow citizens with malicious propaganda that they must be exposed, challenged, and revealed for what they really are and stands for.
Wahahahah, he sounds so noble but in reality he is heartless for the locals. hahahhahah! Think he should change the words "fellow citizens" to "ruling party", wahahahha. Cunning for him to make use of us to tell people off. Eeee.
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Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva of Thailand Rejects Emulation by Thailand of Singapore’s One Party Rule
EDITORS’ NOTE:
Abhisit is only half right. Singapore is not just a one-party system, it is fast becoming a ONE-FAMILY system if not already one ! A one-party system is DETRIMENTAL to Singapore in the long run because it is completely devoid of any internal checks and balances. All we need is a nutcase like Hitler to turn Singapore into a fascist state.
Even now, we see ordinary Singaporeans being subjugated to the will and power of the one-party state. We have no voice in Parliament, no bargaining rights as citizens and no power to change our destiny. We have become serfs in our own land of birth, toiling hard not to better our lives but to merely to sustain our physical bodies so that we may continue to contribute to the state funds.
It is IMPOSSIBLE in a real democracy to have one party being returned to power repeatedly for 50 continuous years ! Singapore has one of the best education system in the world. Almost 50% of our population has some sort of tertiary education, be it a degree or diploma. There are more than enough talented Singaporeans to form not only one, two, but multiple political parties to challenge the incumbent. Only when there is a healthy competition for ideas can there be better refinement of policies to suit the real needs of the people on the ground.
Then why aren’t Singaporeans stepping forward ? Because they are afraid of the ruling party. They have seen capable men who dare to oppose them and end up being sued, bankrupted and ruined for life. They have no choice but to shut up and being herded around like sheep to safeguard themselves and their families. For those who refused to allow their basic rights to be trampled upon like shit, they pack up and leave for greener pastures overseas where they can live as free men without fear or apprehension.
A one-party state can bring about social stability and economic prosperity for a short period of time only for as long as there are capable and benevolent leaders at its helm. Once these leaders pass on and if corrupted politicians were to take over, there will be NO EXTERNAL bodies or entities in place to remove them. And no citizens in the world will want to make such a fascist state as their homes. The United States is home to so many migrants from all over the world who stay on and become its citizens for life. Ask any PRC and Indian foreign workers here if they are willing to retire in Singapore and the answer is likely a “no.”
Singapore is too small and fragile a nation to be dominated and ruled by only a small clique of people. We need to have more heads and hands to govern it and more voices to contribute to to the nation-building process. It may slow down the speed and efficacy of policy implementation, but it will surely benefit a larger segment of the population in the long run with a fairer and more equitable distribution of wealth.
”Few years ago when former Prime Minister (Thaksin) said that he wanted the Thai political system to emulate the Singaporean system, I made a very clear statement on my part that I don’t believe that a one-party system will benefit Thailand, even if that party were to be the Democrat Party. So I hope to see competition in politics which is the essence of democracy and so I have throughout my career and I will continue to make sure there will be healthy political competition and that minority rights are protected.”
- Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva of Thailand
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China’s Sovereign Wealth Fund earns USD $10 billion dollars by ‘doing nothing’
By Eugene Yeo
In spite of the disastrous mistake made by Temasek and GIC in its risky forays into the finance sector which caused us to lose billions of dollars, the PAP spin doctors and apologists continue to insist that they have not “done so badly” compared to other SWFs like Kuwait and Abu Dhabi and that it is “inevitable” that the funds are performing badly in the face of the global economic crisis.
Even our highly paid Prime Minister appeared to be taken in by the spins of his own propaganda mouthpiece. Speaking at the Singapore Tripartism Forum last Sunday, he said:
“Some years it will go down, some years it will go up more. But on average it’s not bad. And we have to take a long-term view because this is not money for now, this is money for many years ahead. If you look at a long-term basis, on the overall on the way the government has managed the money, we haven’t done badly“.
Only fools will be taken in by such outrageous hogwash ! The unsavory truth is – Temasek and GIC’s performance is nothing short of catastrophe ! The extent of our losses beg the question whether the government had exercised due caution and diligence in the management of the funds.
It is a myth that it is unavoidable that our SWFs have lost monies. In fact, there are other SWFs which are making money in such troubled times !
Since the regime has always been quick to curry favors with China, why did they hide the performance of China’s SWF from Singaporeans ?? There were no reports on the performance of China’s SWF in both the English and Chinese dailies. Shouldn’t we deserve to know how Temasek and GIC perform in comparison to the SWFs of other Asia countries ?
“China Investment Corp (CIC), the country’s $200 billion sovereign wealth fund, made a profit of about $10 billion last year as it benefited from staying largely in cash and avoiding new investments in Western banks, a source close to the fund told Reuters on Tuesday.
“Combining all the investments together, CIC is still enjoying a positive profit of slightly less than 5 percent, which is better than many other foreign wealth funds,” said the source, who declined to be identified as he was not authorised to speak to the media.
CIC’s profitability stands in sharp contrast to the recent results of some other sovereign wealth funds (SWFs).
The assets of Singapore state investor Temasek Holdings [TEM.UL] shrank 31 percent to S$127 billion ($84 billion) in the eight months to November, due in part to poorly timed investments in Barclays and Merrill Lynch.” (Read full article here)
As the China example has shown us, it is possible to make considerable profits by simply “doing nothing” with the cash instead of throwing them at risky investments.
Furthermore, it is not true that “nobody could have foreseen the financial crisis.” Renowned investors George Soros, Warren Buffett and Jim Rogers had warned about the impending collapse of the United States banking sector way before the crisis stuck.
As early as March 2008, investment guru Jim Rogers had expressed his belief that US bank stocks could fall further and predicts that Singapore’s state investors will lose money on their multi-billion dollar investments in Citigroup and Merrill Lynch. ‘I’m shorting investment banks on Wall Street,’ the long-time commodities bull told reporters in a media interview.
‘It grieves me to see what Singapore is doing. They are going to lose money,’ he added, referring to investments by Government of Singapore Investment Corp and Temasek in Citigroup, Switzerland’s UBS and Merrill Lynch.
Why didn’t Temasek and GIC take note of this warning then and still go ahead and plough in more money into Citigroup and Merrill Lynch subsequently ?
How much money have we been paying for the “top talents” at Temasek and GIC to manage our funds during the “good” years ? Besides the ministerial pay he is getting, how much salary is MM Lee drawing annually as GIC Chairman ? Are these salaries justified ?
Since our leaders have always pride themselves as banking executives in Wall Streets who deserve to be paid at market rates, shouldn’t they follow the practice in the private sector too and resign to take responsibility for the mistakes ?
When they demand us to pay them out of the world salaries, shouldn’t we expect them to deliver “out of the world” performance even in an economic downturn like China’s Sovereign Wealth Fund ? There is absolutely no excuse for their dismal performance. Temasek and GIC are expected to generate returns even during troubling times instead of losing a bulk of our reserves !
Singapore have imported so many China nationals to our shores over the years – Chinese students, workers, prostitutes and Peidu mamas. Maybe we should bring the CIC fund managers which probably cost less than our “first world talents” over to teach our SWFs how to grow their funds for the “long term”.
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Originally posted by Georgetan884:
Singapore – from 3rd world to 1st world to LOST world
By Cheong Wing Lee, Guest Columnist
It has been 50 years since Singapore has been governed by the PAP under the leadership of Lee Kuan Yew.
Is Singapore better off now than it was 50 years ago?
The answer from most baby boomers is that it is worse. Despite all the gains in materialism and wealth in the country, the majority of the ageing population is feeling no better than five decades ago. Many are stressed out by the anxieties of the absence of a dignified retirement plan, the affordability of healthcare and the uncertain future for their children.
Fifty years ago, Singapore was a British Colony under British rule. The majority of the population neither liked nor disliked the British. They had no opinion and took it as part of life.
During the colonial days, most of the population then were born to accept that the white people were superior. The population then were mostly poor working class, lost without direction and living from day to day.
Fast forward fifty years to present day Singapore and we find the majority of the ageing population also neither like nor dislike the PAP and can’t do anything about it. Most of them were born to accept that the “Men in White” are superior.
The PAP has over the years designed policies and safe guards to ensure that the party remains in power indefinitely. The indiscriminate use of the ISD, rezoning of constituencies, formation of GRCs, monopoly of the mass media and liberal use of defamation lawsuits against opponents practically destroyed all oppositions.
The aging population are generally poor, lost without direction and like the population fifty years ago, living from day to day, praying that their savings will be adequate for a decent retirement.
To PAP’s credit, during the past fifty years,the old guards of the PAP and MM Lee manage to bring Singapore from an improvised third world country to the first world status.
I remembered I was then living in a small rented room in a Chinatown shop-house with only one kitchen, one make shift bathroom and one pull out bucket toilet. The shop-house was shared with 4 other families with a total of 22 occupants.
Within fifteen years I was able to buy a 5 room HDB apartment and own a car. For that I was grateful to the PAP, especially the old guards.
Back then in the seventies, Singapore was bustling with economic activities brought about by Dr. Goh Keng Swee, then Deputy Prime Minister, who led the Singapore industrial revolution.
For the next few decades, Singapore was hailed by the world as an economic miracle . A country without natural resources and yet able to propel itself from 3rd world status to 1st world status with one of the highest per capita in Asia.
The country achieved so many “Number Ones”, i.e. No 1 airport, No.1 container port, No.1 airline, etc, etc. that I lost count. We were proud as citizens of Singapore.
We were proud of the PAP and we were proud of MM Lee. Many of us would have died for the country and him. MM Lee would have left a great legacy for generations to remember.
Ironically the past two decades had eroded that admiration. The addiction of absolute power has made MM Lee developed a deep craze to perpetuate his control of Singapore. It was no longer our country.
Singapore has become his country, his personal property. Our pledge for justice and equality for all is only but an aspiration according to him. To MM Lee, only he and the PAP can effectively govern Singapore.
All others outside of PAP with opposing views are treated as Public Enemies. Under the disguise of self renewal and recruiting new blood, the entire group of old guards were retired except for himself. He brought in young bureaucrats, technocrats, and scholars who will obey and above all fear him without questions.
This dream team and MM Lee initiated a series of social engineering. MM Lee’s dream is to create a perfect society based on meritocracy. There will be no room for complacency. He wants Singaporeans to be the best of the best.
In the process of social engineering, Singapore becomes a nanny state where the government dictates to its citizens what, how and when to do in every minute aspect of their lives. The ideal dreams of the ordinary citizens turned to nightmares. The citizens are hard pressed to perform to the government’s requirements.
The education system was revamped time and again to filter and segregate the slow learners from the ordinary and the brightest students at a young age.
The brightest students are given the best education, priorities and scholarships with promise of top government jobs and top salaries upon completion of their studies.
These super students are primed to be future leaders of the country. The slow learners and the ordinary students are thrown to the lower rungs of the food chain.
The numerous new education policies cause panic amongst parents who do not want their children to be labeled as slow learners or mentally challenged.
There is a huge surge for private tuition whereby children are forced to endure hours of extra studies to keep up or be one step ahead of the others in their pursuit of academic excellence. The joy and happiness of growing up as children was robbed.
There was no time for children to be simply children. The segregation system is based on an unscientific assumption that if students do not perform well in examinations, they will not do well in all aspects of their lives.
Maids are hired by almost every household in order for parents and children to devote more time to studies. The repercussion of the overuse of maids results in a generation of children not knowing how to do simple chores like boiling water, washing dishes, cleaning, hanging a picture frame, changing a tyre, etc. Few children learn or do anything outside of textbooks. The children are simply not street smart.
Perhaps the biggest mistake was the “STOP AT TWO” or “Two is Enough” campaign where citizens were encouraged to stop at only having two children by curtailing all medical benefits and educational privileges of the third child.
The successful campaign resulted in a sharp drop in birth rate and a mass exodus of emigrants who have more than two children. Even more severe repercussions surfaced two decades later resulting in the present huge influx of more than one million “Foreign Talents”, mainly from China and India.
Just when the local citizens thought that they have met the worst by working as janitors, food courts cleaners and other low paying jobs, they are now challenged by foreign talents from China and India who are prepared to work for less.
This challenge now spread to include regular higher paying jobs like engineers, surveyors, healthcare workers, etc which are traditionally held by local born Singaporeans.
Companies are openly advertising and recruiting the new foreign talents in preference to the locals. The reason being that companies need to stay competitive and be more profitable.
New immigrants or foreign talents are not burdened by national service and reservist duty which put additional cost to the companies. Furthermore, new immigrants are willing and able to work for less pay and longer hours since most of them come to Singapore by themselves and have no family obligations like the locals.
The entire working environment is working against the local born Singaporeans. All of a sudden they have become strangers in their own land.
The country they have sworn to protect has betrayed them. In desperate times like this, when help and reassuring words from the government should be forth coming, instead the local Singaporeans receive advice telling them to lower their expectations. This only add insult to injury.
What the dream team and high salaried ministers fail to understand is that the people cannot go lower than low. Just try to survive on a salary of $2,000 a month or less with a family, then maybe they may understand the plight of the average Singaporeans.
For those frustrated Singaporeans who wants to emigrate to other countries to escape their present hopeless predicament, they are walking into another brick wall.
Unknown to most of them, new emigrants to countries like Australia and Canada are also foreign talents who have recently obtained their Singapore citizenship. It must be heart breaking for locals to find out that even the last escape route from their desperate predicament is being challenged by foreign talents who use Singapore as a stepping stone.
There are potential problems looming on the horizon with this huge influx of foreign talents, permanent residents and newly minted Singaporeans. The total number is between 1.6 million to 2 million people under these categories.
These people have no allegiance to the country. Their allegiance is to money. If they do not get employment, they will not get the money to send back to their countries to help their families.
The local born Singaporeans are largely of the “kaisu and kaisi” non-violent type who only complain but continue to vote in the same government election after election. However, the new immigrants are more vocal and hostile. These people will not be easily intimidated and bullied by the authority. The threat of jail to them is like going to a holiday camp with free food and shelter. They have endured much harsher penalties and hardships in their own countries. They are battle hardened and not afraid of dying.
If these people do go on protest riots, it will be a security nightmare. Logistically, the police does not have enough manpower to cope with such numbers. Singapore has less than 10,000 regular policemen. Each policeman has to deal with 200 violent protesters. No matter how efficient the policemen are, it is an impossible task even if the reservist NS are called in to help.
On the assumption that these people are contained, there are simply not enough jails to lock them in. Changi Prison will have to be increased at least one hundred times in size. The government has only one solution and that is to keep them constantly employed to maintain peace.
So when it comes to the question of whether Singapore is better now than it was 50 years ago, should we be surprised at the answer?
About the Author:
Cheong Wing Lee is an ex-Singaporean who is now living in Vancouver, Canada.
Source: http://www.temasekreview.com/2009/10/06/singapore-from-3rd-world-to-1st-world-to-lost-world/
a great article but some of the points u mention like 2m PR go on riot is a bit over.
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Originally posted by xtreyier:
Of course anyone has the right to talk. He aint dumb is he? Even Obama talks about our country. It's only when one uses words calculated to incite hatred or fear to our society is when such right would be challenged, more so from one who had abandoned its citizens and what our forefathers had done for him, who had contributed to his growth and opportunities, but now serving another society who had done nothing for him.
I have no personal animosity to those who left and would even wish them well, for new citizens from elsewhere would be welcomed to contribute to our elevation and progress.
It is only when they turn against my fellow citizens with malicious propaganda that they must be exposed, challenged, and revealed for what they really are and stands for.
Continue to stick your head in the Sand.
Singaporean that have left singapore still have family in Singapore. They travel annually back to Singapore to visit family. The is the result of Singapore going global it is part of the Global Human Network. This has been practices by the Koreans and the Taiwanese for Decade. We are just starting to experience.
Be glad that overseas Singaporean changllenge current status quo. This help Singapore to refresh its direction towards the global communities. There is a Push factor that you either get suck into the China vacum and see propaganda and allow it to be China sphere of influence. Or i call it the PULL FACTOR and only Singaporean Local/Overseas to understand situation and are the only one that can pull our sock up.
SG Govt can't have the entire cake and eat it all. Singapore is part of the international communities. It is just a small dot..it is better off being an international cities and be isolated and restricted by 1 outdated view from Government.
Like I say if you can't take the heat Quit.
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I guess you have to move out of sg and live to make a better comparison.
It is an individual choice.
But, depend on your interpretation on whether who is ruling the place is self-serving and self-deceiving, then you make the choice to stay or move on.
Just like the recent wet market incident.
It is a mini representation of what our situation are.
Even how much signature that the store holders have collected for the petition, the wet market would have to make way.
Just like how much we fight for our welfare.
Or whose welfare is really being taken care of.
The top 10% or the bottom 90% ?
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Just found this Forum recently and thought it's rather interesting! Didn't even know that it exist! Hope you guys don't mind me joining in for a little bit of "steaky beak?"
I left Singapore for Australia in the early 70s, I was in my early twenties then. I just turned sixty last month and I can tell you all that I've only been back to Singapore only twice! The first time when my mother was taken ill and hospitalised, the second time was when she passed away and "went to a better place so to speak!"
For me personally, growing up in the period between the 60s to the late 80s in Singapore was just intolerable. Virtually too much government control in all aspects of our lives! Many of the young ones left Singapore for good and as far as I know, all of us are very happy living and growing old in a "foreign country."
It all depends on what your outlook in life is and what do you really want from it! I'm still single, own a 3 bedroom home, own my Mitshubishi Lancer, have enough money in the bank and have stopped working since I'm in my early forties!!!! I don't depend on any government handouts and have just two years ago, sponsored my sister and my niece to Australia. They're both living in Australia and have received the PR status. It's entirely up to them if they want to be naturalised as an Australian as I have that many years ago, or remain as a Singaporean living overseas comfortably without any hassles!
Nothing in life is impossible!! It's a matter of pulling your socks up and get on with it rather than blaming "others" because things just don't work out for yourself!
I still have family members in Singapore, but Australia is my home now. The lifestyle here suits me better rather than all the government controlling in everything I do or every word I say in Singapore! If you're not happy in Singapore, do something about it. After all, it's your life!
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Originally posted by Chelsea 1 71:
Just found this Forum recently and thought it's rather interesting! Didn't even know that it exist! Hope you guys don't mind me joining in for a little bit of "steaky beak?"
I left Singapore for Australia in the early 70s, I was in my early twenties then. I just turned sixty last month and I can tell you all that I've only been back to Singapore only twice! The first time when my mother was taken ill and hospitalised, the second time was when she passed away and "went to a better place so to speak!"
For me personally, growing up in the period between the 60s to the late 80s in Singapore was just intolerable. Virtually too much government control in all aspects of our lives! Many of the young ones left Singapore for good and as far as I know, all of us are very happy living and growing old in a "foreign country."
It all depends on what your outlook in life is and what do you really want from it! I'm still single, own a 3 bedroom home, own my Mitshubishi Lancer, have enough money in the bank and have stopped working since I'm in my early forties!!!! I don't depend on any government handouts and have just two years ago, sponsored my sister and my niece to Australia. They're both living in Australia and have received the PR status. It's entirely up to them if they want to be naturalised as an Australian as I have that many years ago, or remain as a Singaporean living overseas comfortably without any hassles!
Nothing in life is impossible!! It's a matter of pulling your socks up and get on with it rather than blaming "others" because things just don't work out for yourself!
I still have family members in Singapore, but Australia is my home now. The lifestyle here suits me better rather than all the government controlling in everything I do or every word I say in Singapore! If you're not happy in Singapore, do something about it. After all, it's your life!
pls read thishttp://sgforums.com/forums/10/topics/378346
A rebuttal to Eric Brooks’ call for Sporean to be ‘grateful'
http://sgforums.com/forums/10/topics/381541
why i am migrating
http://sgforums.com/forums/10/topics/377771
Pls read Bye Bye Singapore hello China