January 19, 2010
By Tan Keng Leng
Recently, PM Lee declared that “Singaporeans will always come first” for his administration. Predictably, this announcement was met by a storm of protests both from the pro and anti-government factions of netizens.
The anti-government factions denounced his declaration as just propaganda intended to divert attention from his administration’s staunchly pro-foreigner policies, while the pro-government faction denounced the anti-government faction as a bunch of ingrates who failed to appreciate everything the government has achieved.
So do Singaporeans really come first for the Lee Administration, and if so, how do exactly do they come first? To arrive at a correct conclusion to the answer, it would be best to count the ways in which Singaporeans are obviously coming in first for the administration.
1. Ordinary Singaporeans will always be the first to die in war, because the foreigners and elites will flee the country. Of course, one cannot reasonably expect the foreigners to stay and fight for Singapore; after all, this is not their country.
In fact, it may even be better to get rid of them entirely, because if Singapore happens to be at war with their homelands, then they may well become a fifth column against the SAF. But what about the elite?
Of late, there have been a number of fatal accidents in the SAF. All the dead soldiers came from middle or lower income families; none came from the families of the elite. So what’s the reason for this?
Are children of ordinary locals actually being placed in dangerous frontline positions while children of the elite are placed in safe rear-echelon positions? After all, if children of the elite are facing the same risks, then one should reasonably expect at least a few of them to get hurt in training periodically, right?
No one expects the SAF to answer this question even if it was put forward to them. Even if they were to reply, it would just be the standard stock answer: Singapore is a meritocracy, and that it just so happens that the elite children are the best. But of course, if this was truly so, then many of the fatal accidents could have easily be prevented in the very first place, since they would have planned for adequate safety procedures to safeguard against them happening at all
2. Ordinary Singaporeans will always be the first to be retrenched in any recession, while job priority goes to the elite and foreigners. This isn’t just idle supposition; it is actually borne out in the current recession.
One would imagine that any CEO who lost $48,000,000,000/- in failed investments would be out looking for a new job the very next day, but in the case of Temasek Holdings CEO Madam Ho Ching, it was her successor Mr. Charles “Chip” Goodyear who found himself looking for a new job after just five months instead. Exactly why was never revealed, except that it was “due to strategic differences”.
A very important question that should be asked but never was is this: strategic differences over what? Selling-off of money-losing investments? Dismissal of non-performing scholars from politically-connected elite families? Diversification of investment portfolios instead of putting all of TH’s eggs into a few baskets? What?
Furthermore, as a supposed “meritocracy”, the heads anyone found responsible for these blunders should roll, so where were the announced dismissals? Or was Chip Goodyear’s head the only one to roll? If this is so, then the interesting issue would be why his head should roll when he clearly had nothing to do with the debacle since he wasn’t in charge of the organization at the time.
Madam Ho has since been restored to her position because according to Finance Minister Mr. Tharman Shanmugaratnam, “she’s the best person for the job”. Of course, if this was so, the question of why her resignation was even accepted and Chip Goodyear appointed as her successor in the first place should be but was never answered.
One thing this bizarre incident did prove though was that the government failed to live up to its promises of “more good years”, since a prominent Goodyear did quit in a huff and leave over bureaucratic meddling in his job.
The current recession has also proven something else: contrary to the government’s previous pronouncements on the issue, foreign workers are NOT a buffer against retrenchments for locals. In fact, if anything, it is the locals themselves who are serving as a buffer for the foreigners. Thousands of locals have lost their jobs, replaced by foreigners. Presumably in the same way that Temasek Holdings earned “negative profits” of $48,000,000,000/- in the recession, so too are foreign workers a “negative buffer” against retrenchments for locals.
3. Ordinary Singaporeans will always be the first to suffer pay cuts in a recession. The foreigners will only have their pay frozen, while the elites will get massive pay increments for being “talented” enough to come up with this solution.
At the start of the recession, the government was quick to implement pay cuts. However, as they failed to announce ministerial pay cuts as well, presumably they continued to receive their over-bloated salaries. True, they did announce no bonuses or pay increments, but then again, the same applied for the “lesser mortals”. And now that the economy is picking up once more, while the government did call upon employers to restore staff salaries, they are not enforcing it. And sooner or later, they will announce the restoration of their own bonuses etc.
And as for the foreigners, even if their salaries were cut, the very fact that their employee CPF contribution is only 5% means that they are far better able to absorb the impact of such cuts better than locals can, simply because foreigners earning the same basic salary as locals have a much higher take home pay.
4. Ordinary Singaporeans will always be the first to receive priority in selecting the schools of their choice. This comes after all the best schools have been reserved for the elites and foreigners of course.
This statement may be an exaggeration, but not by much. Twenty years ago or so, the then-PM Lee announced the graduate mother priority scheme. In this scheme, children of women graduates who are married to other graduates would be given priority for schooling in keeping with his theories of the genetic intellectual superiority of graduate parents.
There are many major flaws in this theory: for one thing, if talent and intelligence are hereditary, then one would reasonably expect the children of Oscar-winning Hollywood stars to also be as talented as their parents, but many if not most are not.
For another thing, there are many geniuses whose parents came from modest backgrounds, most notably Professor Albert Einstein. Predictably, the scheme failed, because the graduate mothers who chose to register their children under the scheme quickly found themselves ostracized by their outraged friends. One can’t help but wonder about one very important point: if scholars really are so intellectually superior, then why did they fail to predict the outcome of this ill-conceived scheme?
As for the foreigners, there has been much controversy in the public and debate in government circles over whether they should be given equal opportunities as locals, notably sparked off by the arrogant, sense-of-entitlement letter written by Mrs. Sweta Agarwal.
The government is always going on and on about how to convince the PRs to become Singapore citizens, but really, this debate is a non-issue that proves that the elite scholars are anything but the best and brightest in the country. Locals should always be given privileges not available to foreigners, whether PRs or otherwise.
If foreigners have the same benefits as locals, then why should they adopt Singapore citizenship? Conversely, if locals have no advantages in anything at all over foreigners, then why shouldn’t they be “quitters” and leave behind a country that does not appreciate them and takes them for granted instead? Since any lesser mortal can realize this, then why can’t the elite scholars? Or are they so high up in their ivory towers that the rarefied air up there has caused them to hallucinate and become delusional?
Perhaps replacing them as policy planners with lesser mortals would give them a reality check if this is the case.
5. Ordinary Singaporeans will always be the first to be called upon to donate generously to the less fortunate. Whether it is for foreign disasters, needy locals or whatever, the government is always exhorting locals to keep donating even though the salaries and living standards of ordinary locals have been steadily declining.
Given its huge reserves, the government can easily pay for these programs, but they refuse to. This is especially appalling when one considers that they have actually dipped into the reserves to pay for cost overruns in the two casinos.
The government is always saying that they have to take actions that are good for the country and not those that are necessarily popular. Applying this logic to the above, presumably they regard a crutch mentality among the wealthy elite as being good for the country.
6. Ordinary Singaporeans will always be the first to be rejected for welfare or other benefits. A couple of years ago, the government raised GST, ostensibly to “increase Workfare assistance” to the needy, but when Dr. Lily Neo, one of the few PAP MPs who show genuine concern for needy locals appealed for assistance to be raised by at least $100/- per month, MM Lee curtly told her off for it.
After much debate, the government finally settled on a $30/- increment, with 20% deduction for CPF of course. This was then followed by a massive pay increment for ministers. This was then followed by an announcement at the end of the year that per capita income had gone up substantially, meaning that the standard of living in the country had improved.
What was left unmentioned was that it went up only for a few elite people, not the vast majority. Presumably this was how the GST increase was meant to benefit the needy: by using it to give themselves massive pay increments so as to raise per capita income with minimal increase in assistance for the people who truly need it, the poor.
From time to time, the government says that they are well on track to provide a Swiss standard of living for the country. What they obviously failed to mention was that by that, they meant a Swiss cheese standard of living for the country, with all the cheese, the good parts in other words, going to the elite and foreigners, and all the holes being left for ordinary locals.
The government justifies its refusal to provide welfare benefits because they claim that it will cause the poor to develop a crutch mentality, and yet at the same time, they encourage locals to donate to private charities (see #6 above) when this will also create a crutch mentality in them.
Further contradicting themselves, the government has also announced a series of programs to integrate foreigners with locals. So it would appear that the government doesn’t want to support locals with a crutch mentality, but is all too happy to support foreigners with the same crutch mentality. Obviously they have forgotten that locals from low income families pay taxes, serve NS and vote too.
Perhaps they should be reminded of it by losing a few GRCs.
7. Ordinary Singaporeans will always be the first to bear the brunt of massive housing cost increases. According to several ministers, including MND Mah Bow Tan, HDB will always provide affordable housing for locals. The problem though, is that affordability is a subjective matter.
For example, to Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, a US$20,000,000/- mansion is affordable. To a middle manager earning Sg$5,000/- a month, this is an insane price to pay for a house. Likewise, to a government minister earning Sg$1,000,000 a year or more, a HDB flat costing upwards of Sg$400,000/- is affordable, but to a local couple whose joint income is Sg$4,000/- per month or less, they will need to slave away for 30 to 40 years to pay off their mortgage loans, with little if anything to support them in their twilight years.
The government claims that their calculations are based upon a per capita salary of Sg$7,000/- per month, or in other words, Sg$14,000/- per month for a married couple. Given that many if not most ordinary locals earn only a third of that amount, this of course means they will need more than three times as long to pay off their housing loans, not including the interest. This clearly shows just how out of touch with reality the policy makers have become.
But then again, what can one possibly expect from people whose idea of raising the standard of living in the country is to raise per capita income for the people in the country by giving themselves massive pay increments?
8. Ordinary Singaporeans will always be the first to be given priority for dirty, low-paid, dangerous jobs such as road sweepers, toilet cleaners, construction workers etc.
This is because the best jobs are reserved for the elites while the good jobs are reserved for foreigners, “otherwise they won’t want to come”. In fact, the government has even stated that it. Exactly why was never explained.
After all, if it is really “in the strategic interests of the country for locals to fill these posts” as claimed, then shouldn’t it all the more be in the strategic interests of the country to employ only locals in the utilities industry, considering that trouble in this sector will result in the country being shut down and cut off from the outside world?
Furthermore, given the high accident rate in the construction and shipbuilding industries, are foreign governments actually threatening to ban their nationals from working in these industries unless industrial safety standards are tightened? Is this the real reason why it is in the strategic interests for locals to fill these posts?
There is another issue here. Given the government’s frequent claims that Singapore is a meritocracy, then why should jobs be reserved for anybody at all? Shouldn’t all jobs be opened to competition instead? Or are these elites and foreign talents so good that they can only perform when their jobs are secure and they are free from competition and under no threat of losing their jobs?
9. Ordinary Singaporeans will always be the first to be blamed for such blunders as the escape of Mas Selamat Kastari or the Geylang Serai food poisoning debacle. In fact, several government ministers did say Singaporeans have become complacent, which is why these events occurred. How exactly ordinary locals are at fault for them though was never detailed.
Terrorist mastermind Kastari’s escape came about because the commander of the Whitley Road Detention Center (an elite scholar) where he had been incarcerated kept ignoring repeated reports of the danger posed by the design of the toilet he escaped from, while his Nepalese Gurkha guards left him unattended in the toilet. How ordinary locals caused this potentially catastrophic incident through their complacency and negligence when no ordinary locals were ever involved in it remains a mystery.
The Geylang Serai Indian rojak food poisoning case was caused unsanitary conditions within the market, and according to government officials, “failure of the victims to wash their hands after using the toilet”.
If this is so, then this would be the first ever known incident of people eating Indian rojak with their bare hands. How they are able to withstand the sizzling hot oil on the fritters or the scalding hot gravy they are dipped into without the use of a fork is an intriguing question.
A more intriguing question though is this: what were the Aljunied CCC and the NEA doing all the time before the incident that the market and food center should be in such unsanitary conditions, and why weren’t they ever publicly taken to task for it?
10. Ordinary Singaporeans will always be the first to get the spurs stuck into their hides for being lazy. No less than MM Lee had said this. He even went on to declare that Singaporeans prefer to spend time on sports and other enrichment activities whereas China nationals spend time in libraries.
Perhaps one should give him the benefit of the doubt here; he is an octogenarian after all. It’s only natural that he should forget that it is the government itself that demands that Singaporeans should participate in sports and other enrichment activities, and that their academic performance (and chances to be admitted into good schools) would be graded accordingly because the government wants locals to be all-rounded and not merely academics.
Curiously though, foreign students, in particular the PRCs, seem to be exempted from this requirement, which is why they can spend all their time studying and in the library. In fact, the government even provides them free English lessons so that they can bridge the gulf in English standards between themselves and locals.
Whether they can actually compete with the local students should they be equally encumbered with all these CCA requirements is a good question. The answer is, probably not, since they cannot even compete with the locals in English, the fundamental building block of the local education system, without CCA requirements and free additional English lessons. But then again, given that their positions in good schools have been reserved for them, they don’t need to care about such things either.
After a careful analysis of all the ways in which Singaporeans will always come first for the government, it appears that the pro-government faction is correct. Ordinary Singaporeans do always come first for the government exactly as they claim.
It just isn’t coming in first in a positive way.
http://www.temasekreview.com/2010/01/19/singaporeans-come-first-yeah-right/
This is my analogy, just wish to share.
Singapore by itself is a small country, it needs people to work in order to progress, which is why there is no minimum wage, in case everyone becomes rich. In singapore, part of the reason property is expensive because Singaporeans are becoming more and more affluent, what took 40 years to repay HDB 99 year lease now takes 10 year less.
Meaning, Singaporeans can consider retiring 10 years earlier thus reducing the human resource available to function the country, thus property - the pivot of all families has it's price raised to counter this rising affluency.
Food in Singapore is relatively cheap compared to other countries because the government knows majority of the money is either crippled by CPF or used to pay for property, hence it's win-win. Singaporeans can afford food while foreigners are drawn to the cheap food here, thus again, economic growth is inevitable.
Why Singapore has only 3 government uni with a 4th one coming up?
Being a country with more people than New Zealand, but alot lesser Universities. Imagine a Singapore where everyone has a Diploma at least or a Degree, everyone will be demanding $2000 at least. This leads to a economic breakdown because the government cannot substain the rise in talent, the government can counter this by increasing improving jobs BUT risk losing the tourism industry when everyone becomes too rich leading a hike in prices.
Thus there is a tier system from NITEC/Diploma/A Levels/Degree each already pre-determining your worth in society measured by your salary.
The government isn't smart, they just know how to make society work, they are still under the mentality Singaporeans are cavemen from the ancient times with no proper thinking capacity, they didn't realise that even cavemen cannot hold in accumulated anger.
Originally posted by Agenda:This is my analogy, just wish to share.
Singapore by itself is a small country, it needs people to work in order to progress, which is why there is no minimum wage, in case everyone becomes rich. In singapore, part of the reason property is expensive because Singaporeans are becoming more and more affluent, what took 40 years to repay HDB 99 year lease now takes 10 year less.
Meaning, Singaporeans can consider retiring 10 years earlier thus reducing the human resource available to function the country, thus property - the pivot of all families has it's price raised to counter this rising affluency.
Food in Singapore is relatively cheap compared to other countries because the government knows majority of the money is either crippled by CPF or used to pay for property, hence it's win-win. Singaporeans can afford food while foreigners are drawn to the cheap food here, thus again, economic growth is inevitable.
Why Singapore has only 3 government uni with a 4th one coming up?
Being a country with more people than New Zealand, but alot lesser Universities. Imagine a Singapore where everyone has a Diploma at least or a Degree, everyone will be demanding $2000 at least. This leads to a economic breakdown because the government cannot substain the rise in talent, the government can counter this by increasing improving jobs BUT risk losing the tourism industry when everyone becomes too rich leading a hike in prices.
Thus there is a tier system from NITEC/Diploma/A Levels/Degree each already pre-determining your worth in society measured by your salary.
The government isn't smart, they just know how to make society work, they are still under the mentality Singaporeans are cavemen from the ancient times with no proper thinking capacity, they didn't realise that even cavemen cannot hold in accumulated anger.
Then they should take the first step of reducing their salaries isn't it?
Originally posted by RoyFang:Then they should take the first step of reducing their salaries isn't it?
no cant
they eat lobster meat , abalone,
bear paws,sharks fins for daily meals
Originally posted by noahnoah:
no cantthey eat lobster meat , abalone,
bear paws,sharks fins for daily meals
use shark fin to brush their teeth , abalone for breakfast, organic milk for moisturing, organic shampoo, organic soap for bathing organic clothes footwear
It is not only what LHL think about Sporean that matter..the entire PAP and civil servant have the same mentality as LHL..It is the whole system that Sinkie have voted in is now against them . Serve all Sinkie right!
aiyo, why post so long for what, real stupid one, when govt said singaporeans will come first....it mean the rich singaporeans ya. That's all folks.
Originally posted by Agenda:This is my analogy, just wish to share.
Singapore by itself is a small country, it needs people to work in order to progress, which is why there is no minimum wage, in case everyone becomes rich. In singapore, part of the reason property is expensive because Singaporeans are becoming more and more affluent, what took 40 years to repay HDB 99 year lease now takes 10 year less.
Meaning, Singaporeans can consider retiring 10 years earlier thus reducing the human resource available to function the country, thus property - the pivot of all families has it's price raised to counter this rising affluency.
Food in Singapore is relatively cheap compared to other countries because the government knows majority of the money is either crippled by CPF or used to pay for property, hence it's win-win. Singaporeans can afford food while foreigners are drawn to the cheap food here, thus again, economic growth is inevitable.
Why Singapore has only 3 government uni with a 4th one coming up?
Being a country with more people than New Zealand, but alot lesser Universities. Imagine a Singapore where everyone has a Diploma at least or a Degree, everyone will be demanding $2000 at least. This leads to a economic breakdown because the government cannot substain the rise in talent, the government can counter this by increasing improving jobs BUT risk losing the tourism industry when everyone becomes too rich leading a hike in prices.
Thus there is a tier system from NITEC/Diploma/A Levels/Degree each already pre-determining your worth in society measured by your salary.
The government isn't smart, they just know how to make society work, they are still under the mentality Singaporeans are cavemen from the ancient times with no proper thinking capacity, they didn't realise that even cavemen cannot hold in accumulated anger.
Food is relatively cheap??? LOL
Originally posted by Call4ljw:Food is relatively cheap??? LOL
Actually Food is relatively cheap
if u know where to find the best cai png
One meat and one Vega = 2 bucks
with rich tat can make u super full one
People want to eat $20 fish heads, $6 per piece frog porridge, $18 chicken rice at chatterbox with Gst or $35 per chicken at Woon Tong Chi, $70 sushi at Sakae with Gst, $300 peking duck at Hai Tien Lo with Gst, $4 mee rebus at Parkway, $50 per peice abalone at ah yi bao Ee with Gst etc etc...so, who to blame??? dun have big hat want to wear a big hat, sure poor lah...want face, want style, want good food, cannot lose to other, compete with each other, you got maid, i also got more maid, you drive 2k cc car, i drive 3k cc...you two storeys house, i modify 3 storeys.. singaporeans, die die also want faceccc....fall right into the govt trap
It goes like this
Hi long time no see
Where u putting up ?
Me putting up at orchard road
You where?
Me putting up at toa payoh /sian no face liao
What car u driving?
Me BMW series 7
then wat about u
Me toyota nia
Where u going now?
Me heading to LV shop and buy some stuffs
What about you?
Me going to Ion foodcourt and eat cai png lor
See
All this make the market boom
Ppl want the best , the best and all the best
in their life
Even mistresss , gf and bf also compare, when my gal fren get a nice handsome bf, she keep wanting to show to us, then one of my gf brought a lagi handsome and macho one, the other keep quiet and get angry...WHY??? why like this,...be single better. Die, CNY come again, relative sure ask me when get bf....anyone wants to be my partime bf??? Just for CNY ya...no need very handsome ya, anyone who own a landed property and drive at least a new SLK300 merc will do
Originally posted by angel7030:aiyo, why post so long for what, real stupid one, when govt said singaporeans will come first....it mean the rich singaporeans ya. That's all folks.
Then it should stated rich sporean come first and not lump all together. Very confusing lay.
Originally posted by angel7030:Even mistresss , gf and bf also compare, when my gal fren get a nice handsome bf, she keep wanting to show to us, then one of my gf brought a lagi handsome and macho one, the other keep quiet and get angry...WHY??? why like this,...be single better. Die, CNY come again, relative sure ask me when get bf....anyone wants to be my partime bf??? Just for CNY ya...no need very handsome ya, anyone who own a landed property and drive at least a new SLK300 merc will do
ME.
Singaporeans will never come first because all the despots especially the old evil "sek woon tai, fun woon meen"!
Originally posted by likeyou:
ME.
thot u live in HDB??? I hate those living in flats under Mah
Originally posted by Fantagf:Singaporeans will never come first because all the despots especially the old evil "sek woon tai, fun woon meen"!
Minister and MPs Singaporean rite, so they are not wrong mah, they come first ya
Originally posted by angel7030:
thot u live in HDB??? I hate those living in flats under Mah
You mean all living in hdb under ma?
only miw, rich people, prc, etc
Originally posted by likeyou:
You mean all living in hdb under ma?
I thot under HDB are void decks, you want all of use to live in the void deck ar??? Cannot lah, at nite i change clothing very dangerous ya
Originally posted by FT You Roll back:only miw, rich people, prc, etc
Rich peoples got many types ya, some are rich in monetary, some are rich in mind and some are rich in soul, some are rich in life, etc etc
Originally posted by angel7030:
I thot under HDB are void decks, you want all of use to live in the void deck ar??? Cannot lah, at nite i change clothing very dangerous ya
Alemak...I talk tail, you talk head lah.
Now I understand. heheheheh ;)
i drink coffee you go and drink tea can
don't know what you talking
It is ok.
Forum is like that.
i like to drink Latte, tea mix with coffee...so innovative