Saturday 30 April 2011

So what are the real issues at stake?

Ignore the party rhetoric, slogans and catch phrases. What is really at stake for the future of Singapore?

1) 6.5 million people.
I don't know about you but I already feel the strain of having 4.5 million people in this tiny country. Since the last GE, the PAP allowed about 1 million foreigners of all sorts into our land without consulting Singaporeans. They also failed to adequately expand the public infrastructure to accommodate them. Our facilities- public transport, malls, clinics, parks, hospitals, schools etc- are strained.
Trust me, we will get to 6.5 million if our political landscape remains status quo.

2) Cost of living.
Unlike many developed nations, the PAP doesn't subsidise basic necessities like food and utilities. Instead, these items are slapped with a 7% tax, which burdens the less fortunate alot more than the rich.
I'm sure we can make room for such subsidies by scrutinising our defence budget and minister salaries more closely.

In the last five years, the PAP heavily pushed medical tourism. Millionaires from all over the world flock to our island and use up valuable healthcare facilities. Yet the number of hospital beds hardly increased. So now we have foreigners + medical tourist + Singaporeans competing for medical infrastructure. Who should come first?
Why would a hospital allocate more "C" class wards for Singaporeans when surgeons can charge a member of the Brunei royal family $24,000,000 in fees?
The end result is that healthcare fees just go up and up. And I'm not sure if Johor Bahru is a viable option.

The notion of public housing is twisted beyond recognition. Public housing is no longer affordable when you need 25-30 years to pay off a loan. This leaves many Singaporeans with little retirement monies.
Ask yourself, how comfortably can you retire if things stay the same?

3) Education
The PAP has created a system that is focused solely on grades. Mission schools that used to place equal emphasis on academic and character development have also given into this system. Half of a typical primary 1 class is now foreigners. Our children have no choice but to compete with them from a young age. Our kids no longer learn but just study.
Our local students are finding it harder and harder to get into the courses of choice. Our unis set aside too many places for foreign students.

My dear Singaporeans, I see darker clouds over the horizon if nothing changes...

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