Do foreigners bring wages to people's pockets?

PAP defends its pro-immigration policy by claiming that foreigners help boost GDP growth and hence create jobs and grow wages.

Newly appointed National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan was quoted yesterday:
“We thought (taking foreigners in) was important to bring wages to people’s pockets, so that we can grow as fast as we can… (and) catch up with other countries. But now, we get the message that ‘we don’t want so much growth, that we are prepared to accept slower growth’”

The hard truth is ordinary Singaporeans are arguably not better off than before the immigration floodgates were opened.
Where is the empirical evidence that local wages, adjusted for inflation, have gone up substantially?
What is the official employment or unemployment rate of Singaporeans (not PRs)?
Are these jobs that were created "good" jobs?

According to the World Bank, Singapore's GDP per capita in 2009 was S$51,152, one of the highest in Asia.
However, using data from the Department of Statistics, you can roughly derive the median personal income is S$2,500 or S$30,000 annual.
The Reform Party's Kenneth Jeyaretnam, an economist by training, argued that as much as 45% of our GDP goes to foreigners.
So it is obvious that all this immigration-led GDP growth did not benefit Singaporeans as much as PAP through state media will claim.

Consequently, if the fallacy of foreigners bringing wages to people's pockets is exposed, then the PAP must stop importing them immediately.
In fact, their numbers must be reduced so as to ensure that the fruit of the country's growth is more equitably shared among Singaporeans, not foreigners, even if it means slower growth.

SAF scholar and National Solidarity Party's Tony Tan rightly suggested in his Choa Chu Kang GRC rally that the government should also be measured by other key performance indicators such as wage growth.
You can watch his speech here:

The People's Association must have no association

The People’s Association (PA) was established in Singapore as a statutory board on 1 July 1960 to promote racial harmony and social cohesion.
It was supposed to be a non partisan group interested in fostering better ties between citizens of all races.

The PA also oversees various grassroots organisatoins like Citizens' Consultative Committees, Residents' Committees, Neighbourhood Committees etc.

Therefore, the mission of the PA is clearly non-partisan.

The Chairman is none other than PM Lee Hsien Loong himself.
What's worse, they've just added even more PAP MPs into the ranks.

Further, the PA is funded by grants via taxpayers' monies.

Because of the one-sided nature of PA, it's obvious that the grassroot leaders all toe the part line.
These activists are blamed for not passing on proper feedback to the Ministers. In all likelihood, they would rather paint the rosiest picture on the ground firstly to impress the Ministers and secondly to save them the trouble of explaining otherwise.
This has prompted PM Lee to openly defend the activists.

It can be argued that PAP activists are a huge factor in General Elections. Using taxpayers grants, they hire "volunteers" to go door to door, distribute pamphlets, attend rallies etc etc.

The end result is they end up representing the views of the PAP and alienate the views of non supporters. The goal of promoting social cohesion is invariably lost.

Therefore, I would like to request for a radical overhaul of the PA and committees under its charge.

1) The management of the PA should consist of memebers from each registered political party
2) The Chairman of the PA is decided by a popular vote
3) Disallow PA funds from being used for party campaigning during elections

Obviously, it's not going to be easy.
MM Lee once told Chinese Officials visiting Singapore to see how the former ran his country:

“They discover that the People’s Action Party (PAP) has only a small office in Bedok.

But everywhere they go, they see the PAP – in the RCs (residents’ committees), CCCs (citizens’ consultative committees), and the CCs (community clubs).”

That to me, smells of a party wanting to perpetuate it's grip on power indefinitely, regardless of the hard truths on the ground.

If PM Lee is sincere about engaging Singaporeans better, there's no better place to start than a total overhaul of the PA.



So why then is it OK for the PA management to include only PAP MPs?

TODAY newspaper goes 7 days a week

Heaven helps us.
We are already getting SPH's nauseating propaganda 7 days a week.
And now Mediacorp is going 7 days a week.

In the 70s, Singapore used to have many newspaper publishers including one called "Singapore Herald". It was shut down by the PAP because it did not toe the party line.
Only Straits Times survived and we all know the reasons why.

Total media control is one of the most important tools for the PAP. With all TV channels and newspapers dishing out only pro-PAP stories, it is easy to keep the populace in check and on their side.
Nowhere else in the world would you get 75% of popular votes going to one party, except in Communist  regimes and dictatorships.

While social media has taken away some of that monopoly, the hard truth is that the majority of Singaporeans still read SPH newspapers.
On the positive note, the Internet will continue to get more and more prevalent in societies all over the world, including this tiny country. And social media can only grow increasingly unstoppable.

The day will come when most of the 60% will no longer be daft.



SINGAPORE: Singapore's second-most read newspaper, TODAY, will go seven days a week - with the launch of a Sunday edition from 29 May.

Published by MediaCorp Press, it will add a new reading experience, with features, personality-driven columns as well as topics such as parenting.

It will also offer local and international news and sports.

Readers can also enjoy The New York Times International Weekly as part of their Sunday read.

TODAY on Sunday will be distributed to homes and will be available at major shopping malls, selected convenience stores and all Starbucks coffee outlets.

Managing Director of MediaCorp Press, Patrick Yong, said: "Being only 10 years young and built on a free newspaper business model, the team has decided to make the bold move to introduce a Sunday edition. This shows our dedication to deliver the best and complete reading experience for our readers."

More residents have been turning up at meet-the-people sessions

One can understand the interest surrounding Aljunied GRC's Meet-the-People's Sessions (MPS).
For the first time in history, an Opposition Party has managed to win a GRC.
So it's a momentous occasion and a small step forward for democracy.

PAP on the other hand, have almost 100% dominated Parliment for decades.
You should expect that their MPs will be so used to MPS by now.

Apparently not. Why?

It's because for the past 46 years since independence, there were hardly any opposition voice in the political process and their share of the popular vote has been unwavering.

Now, they've seen a dramatic rise in the number of disgruntled citizens spurred on by the wealth of alternative information supplied by social media.
And of course, they finally lost a GRC!

Never before did PAP MPs expect to work for votes! Never before has PAP MPS sessions ended past midnight.
Never before in the last five years has Goh Chok Tong made a single appearance at Marine Parade GRC's MPS!

But it's early days and we don't know if this is just "wayang" or for real.
If it's "wayang", Singaporeans must take away a few more GRCs to make sure the spurs stick to their hides.

SINGAPORE: More residents have been turning up at meet-the-people sessions (MPS), after the recent General Election.

Members of Parliament (MPs) whom Channel NewsAsia spoke to said there has been a surge in the number of cases, with the increase being at least 30 per cent.

They said most of the new cases concern housing and financial assistance.

MP for Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency (GRC) Tan Chuan-Jin, who oversees the Kampong Ubi-Kembangan ward, said he saw 213 cases at his last MPS.

Writing on Facebook page, Brigadier-General Tan described it as the "mother of all MPSes", which only ended around midnight.

In comments later, BG Tan said he saw the majority of the cases, but has to look at the "internal triage in terms of prioritising time."

He said better IT support can help boost efficiency.

MP for Marine Parade GRC Seah Kian Peng said: "(BG Tan) covers a very big area -- in terms of the coverage and the number of residents, (his area) is very huge.

"Indeed, 213 cases was a shock to me. It may be a record, really a record in any constituency.

"We know that in every GE, there is a surge in the number of cases, partly also to catch up on those that we were not able to conduct in the course of the hustings.

"But I think after this GE, all of us have seen a bigger surge in MPS cases".

MP for Jurong GRC David Ong, who oversees the Bukit Batok ward, said he saw a doubling of cases - something he described as "a natural response".

From the usual 40 cases before the election, it has now jumped to about 80 to 90 cases.

"After the election, they... want to see what the MP can do for them," Mr Ong said.

"They want an MP who can listen, (want to know) what they stand for and (if they) can make a difference for them.

"As an MP myself, now is (the time) for us to make sure that we also deliver as much as I can for our residents.

"We do see a fair bit of financial assistance cases where they need help to just cope -- some are more temporary, some are more permanent.

"We do see more requests for rental flats -- some are downgrading, and we are also seeing people who are trying to get new flats.

Meanwhile, Mr Seah said he too, has seen a 30 per cent spike in cases for his Braddell Heights ward.

Some cases concern those looking for interim housing such as rental flats.

Most MPs say a 30 per cent rise in cases after the GE is normal.

MP for Moulmein-Kallang GRC Denise Phua said her "new clients" are "a lot more politically aware".

MP for Aljunied GRC Faisal Abdul Manap said most of the 50 cases at his first session were about housing matters.

He said he expects cases to go up at least for the next two months.

"Of course, I cannot work alone, and I believe we are going to start a grassroots made up of local communities and we do have a list of names already, and we do have more and more people coming forward," Mr Faisal said.

The rise in number of cases comes at a time when Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has pledged for the government to serve the widest possible spread of society.

-CNA/wk

Please "Like" my Facebook page

It seems that PAP MPs just don't get social media. While Opposition candidates have mostly embraced social media like ducks to water, the men and women in white continue to bumble and stumble like a gymnast constantly falling off the beam.

The PAP's REACH website meant for citizens' feedback to the government has far less views than the Temasek Review.

Then there is the infamous Wee Shu Min, daughter of PAP MP Wee Siew Kim, asking a disgruntled Singaporean to "get out of her elite uncaring face".

Even the Young PAP has had numerous faux pas online where they succeeded in antagonising netizens more than anything else.

Just this past week, Tampines PAP MP Irene Ng erected banners all over her constituency asking people to "Like" her Facebook page.
If that isn't lame, I dont know what is.

By the way, she is also the same MP who whined about the Workers' Party "excessive" media coverage of its first GRC MPS.

While I applaud PM Lee's attempt to engage voters over Facebook during campaigning, it's all just too contrived and insincere. Just like their previous attempts to do rap videos and hip-hop dances to woo the younger generation.

Since we are on the topic of Facebook, here are the top 10 Opposition candidates by number of  "Likes" as of 26 May 2011, 9pm. Achieved without any form of solicitation. (Please let me know if I missed out on anyone. Thanks!)

1. 104,525- Nicole Seah
2. 27,558- Chen Show Mao
3. 20,227- Low Thia Khiang
4. 12,702- Chiam See Tong
5. 11,632- Sylvia Lim
6. 9,492- Dr. Vincent Wijeysingha
7. 5,137- Pritam Singh
8. 3,031- Michelle Lee
9. 2,859- Chee Soon Juan
10. 2,802- Glenda Han

PAP Town Councils- inbreeding?

Many of the PAP Town Councils are managed by township management companies such as EM Services.
EM Services is a joint venture between HDB (gov) and Keppel Land (gov-linked).
The Managing Directors of the company are either PAP MPs or ex-MPs.

So you see, therein lies the problem with PAP Town Councils, such as Sembawang Town Council, which badly botched up the security of the water tanks at Woodlands 686B. Residents found an unwanted ingredient in their water- a dead body.

Whenever an organisation practices in-breeding (some call it nepotism) ie. awarding of positions or jobs to parties that have direct relations, not necessarily based on merit or ability, what follows over time is a culture of complacency, conflicts of interests and incompetency.
Not to mention the constant shirking of responsibility or what Singaporeans call "tai-chi".

How a foreign worker had unbridled access to the rooftop and then the water tanks without the knowledge of town council officers is mind-boggling.
You would think a vital installation like water tanks should be better protected.

As usual, no heads have rolled so far and none of Sembawang GRC MPs have said or done anything of note. Newly appointed Environment and Water Resources Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, famed for his mishandling of the YOG budget, has so far not intervened.

The Singapore Democratic Party Sembawang GRC team, despite losing the elections, paid a much welcomed visit to the residents of the affected block. They even brought along a medical doctor to give advice and assistance.
That's the kind of compassion and servitude that very few PAP MPs have in them.

Further, the Hougang Town Council also came out to assure its residents that their water tanks are in secure hands. Now I wonder whose Town Councils are "messy".

From HGTC:

In view of the recent unfortunate ‘body in water tank’ incident, there were concerns raised about water tanks’ security & safety issues across the island. To help residents better understand the processes Hougang Town Council (HGTC) put in place, below are HGTC’s water tanks’ safety guidelines enforced throughout the years.

All water tanks in the HDB blocks of Hougang SMC (Single Member Constituency) Estate are locked. Cleaners do not have access but if they are required to access the roof to do any cleaning works, a HGTC officer is required to be present to monitor and check the works.

The access door to the roof is also locked and the keys to access the locks are securitized in that these cannot be duplicated at any shop except by the manufacturer who can only do so with the authorization by HGTC.

The locks to the access door to the roof are different from that used to lock the water tanks. Any personnel given access to the roof must first be authorized by the company that has a contract with HGTC or statutory boards.

Existing at the roof tops of HDB blocks are various services which various authorities either directly or through their assigns may want access to at one time or another. To accommodate this, HGTC endeavors to maintain the current system of using only securitized padlocks accompanied by very stringent enforcement actions.

If any person who is given access loses the key, the company or authority under which the person was given the key would have to bear the cost of replacement of all the padlocks which the key opens. All the padlocks replaced will have a new lockset combination which the lost key cannot open.

The above ensures that any personnel holding any one key knows of the consequence of losing the key and thus cannot then take the responsibility lightly. Previously, HGTC has made contractors pay for the replacement of padlocks before when their supervisor (usually the person we will allow to sign for keys) lost the key given. The sum involved was substantial. This enforcement had been effective in inculcating the responsibility amongst the workforce which in the past was sorely lacking.

Tin Pei Ling and her supporters

A private investigator and obviously a fan of Tin Pei Ling urged the latter to sue citizens who have "defamed" her.

Funny he said that because isn't Ms. Tin the one who is being investigated by the police for her apparent "cooling-off" day misdemeanor? (What's happening to the investigation?)

Naturally, this attracted lots of angry response from netizens who are overwhelmingly anti-TPL.

But don't get upset. Everyone has supporters, smart people/dumb people, compassionate leaders/dictators.

Kim Jong Il has many supporters in North Korea. Osama Bin Laden certainly had his loyalists who protected him for over a decade. Hell, even Rebecca Black and Charlie Sheen have their legion of fans!

So we should understand that Tin Pei Ling will have her die-hard followers.

And it's apparent that her followers share the same values as her. This is what they are so proud of:

"I don't know what to say..."

Kate Spade as part of MP fashion

"Cost of education very low, especially for young ones"-- Err, Ms. Tin, education is FREE in most countries for the young ones

And in a world full of trials and tribulations, she picks Universal Studios as her biggest regret.





Well one man's meat is another man's poison. But even Emeritus Goh doesn't think she is tasty.

MPs welcome formation of ministerial pay review committee

Look Singaporeans, by the simple act of confiscating a lone GRC, the PAP appears to finally acknowledge that their astronomical salaries must come down.

If 60% of Singaporeans were a little less daft, we could have had Ministers giving up their salaries altogether!

In any case, these Ministers have amassed millions over the last two decades. Not to mention that they all hold top paying jobs and pensions look unchecked. So what's a little pay cut to them?

Still, it is another small step in the right direction.

SINGAPORE: Members of Parliament have welcomed the formation of the committee to review ministers' salaries.

Although political office holders face a possible cut in their salaries, they said the review is timely.

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Environment and Water Resources Minister, said: "I see this as a symbol that everything is up for review. Nothing is sacrosanct. Having said that, I would like to leave the committee to do its work without interference and without us trying to pre-judge or prejudice the issue."

Michael Palmer, MP for Punggol East, said: "There must be a certain sacrifice on the employed person's part. So in this case it can be a Minister in terms of taking that cut so that you show that it's not only a case of doing a job, but that you actually want to serve the people and I think that's what the people want to see.

"So I am not going to comment on amounts and all that because that is something (review committee chairman) Gerard and his committee are going to have a look at. But in that sense if there was a cut I would have no problem and I would probably welcome it."

Dr Janil Puthucheary, MP for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC, said: "Clearly that's what a lot of people do feel. I have to look at the figures and I can understand the sentiment and certainly I think it does need to be reviewed."

One political analyst also agreed with the intention to assess salaries according to workload. But it is important to agree on some major principles first, said Zulkifli Baharudin.

"Principles like whether we should consider the different portfolios within the Government..... Obviously today nobody questions how much you would pay your Prime Minister and MM, they're worth every cent and more. But by the same token, people feel that the junior ministers ought not to be as well rewarded until and unless they've proven themselves," he said.

He said he hopes the team will be competent enough to achieve a consensus with Singaporeans.

"Certainly you need some intellectual and professional input, but I think ministerial salaries are something that even the man on the street has an opinion on. And as part of consensus-building, it's good to have a diverse group of people," he said.

He expects the Committee's recommendations to be widely debated in Parliament.

- CNA/ir

What do you make of the Workers' Party's silence?

It's been over 2 weeks since the Workers' Party historic victory in Aljunied GRC.
I was one of the thousands of Singaporeans rejoicing in this momentous event.
Born are five heroes who will take the battle to 81 other PAP MPs in Parliment.

I'm not ashamed to admit that I'd deliberately driven into Aljunied GRC just this past weekend to get a feel of the change in the air.

Since then, a number of significant things happened- Stepping down of MM and SM, reshuffling of the Cabinet, Ministerial salary reviews, Woodlands water tank incident etc.

But the Workers' Party has kept largely silent. The only comment of note was Low Thia Khiang quoted in Straits Times "praising" the Cabinet musical chairs.

While it's WP's prerogative when the want to comment, some people think they are adopting an overly cautious approach in their quest for a first world parliment.

Personally, I urge Singaporeans to give this new GRC team time to prove their track record.
History has shown that it doesn't pay to take the confrontational route with PAP.
However noble the causes, Dr. Chee's and his party's image had suffered all these years due to the media's portrayal of them as the "rebellious" bunch.
If not for this, one could argue that the SDP could have performed even better this elections.

Singaporeans, especially the older generation, are too used to LKY's  approach where he has moulded a whole generation into obedient and apolitical people who view rebels with an admonishing eye.

So I feel WP knows this very well.
And I hope that the five Aljunied GRC MPs will take the good fight to PAP in Parliment and be that alternative voice they have promised voters.

Best summed up in Pritam Singh's May 5 rally.- "We raise national issues rationally, respectably and responsibly..."

Our press ranking- 151st

The PAP is so familiar with ranking. In fact, one can argue that the party is obsessed with it.

Singapore would probably rank no.1 or 2 for having the highest proportion of resident foreigners.
We have also been labelled the world's fastest walkers by a CNN study.

One area the PAP regime fares not so well is press freedom.
Not so well is really an understatement.

Our State Media, effectively Singapore Press Holdings, which publishes The New Paper, Shin Min, Straits Times and nearly everything else, including women's magazines, is ranked a shameful 151st in Freedom House press rankings, earning itself the unflattering title of "not free".

Freedom House is an independent watchdog organization that supports the expansion of freedom around the world. Freedom House supports democratic change, monitors freedom, and advocates for democracy and human rights.

Why is it important to have a "free press"?
To quote from an academic study:

"They keep people informed of the march of events in the world. They are a guardian of citizen. They expose social, economic and political evils. They are a link between the people and the government. They are a mirror to the heart of poor. They protect the liberty of people and safeguard their right. They awaken national consciousness and raise the mental and moral standard of people. They serve as a national link.

But the press should be responsible. It should not spread false reports or news. It should not throw mud on others. But to perform its function properly, press must be free to express public news, views or reviews, without fear or favour. The freedom of the press is a sacred privilege of the nation. Freedom of press is a vital necessity for the working of democracy."
Our National Pledge tells us to "build a democratic society" and freedom of press is essential for this.
So the fact that our press is "less free" than the likes of Iraq, Pakistan and Zambia means that Singaporeans seriously need a reformed press.

Also, "It should not spread false reports or news".
Shin Min today carried a full page on Nicole Seah's Facebook plea for supporters to donate money into a personal account to defray the cost of NSP's Marine Parade campaign.
The author deliberately raised suspicions that the money donated could be misappropriated by Miss Seah.
It is not surprising for opposition candidates to solicit donations from supporters. Unlike the PAP machinery, which is awashed with funds (we don't actually know where they come from), opposition candidates need to account for every cent spent.
And in all honesty, it is not surprising for the NSP to use Nicole's popularity for this purpose and supporters would identify better if the money went directly to her bank account.
Thus, such low ball tactics to destroy the credibility of a rising Opposition star is dastardly, deceitful and cheap.

Not too long ago, SPH journalists helped Dr. Vivan Balakrishnan sensationalise the sexuality of Dr Vincent Wijeysingha. They also succeeded in painting Dr. Chee Soon Juan as some sort of "loose cannon".
Who knows how these gross untruths affected the polling results?

Unless there is an alternative mainstream press that can challenge the might of SPH, many Singaporeans and new citizens will forever live in the fantasy world that PAP wants them to believe in.
More lies will be told and talented people like Tan Jee Say will never get a chance to serve Singaporeans.
It was absolutely absurd how SPH came up with articles claiming that Goh Chok Tong's former aide wanted to abolish manufacturing and that he was crazy.

However, I do believe what goes around comes around.
While not deeply religious, I have enough direction on my moral compass to know right from wrong.
And if you believe the long arm of the law, you would believe that the unjust will one day get their just desserts.

That day will come.

PAP vs other governments in tackling rising costs

The PAP's response to the rising cost of living is to blame it on global factors.
Will the new Cabinet actually do anything different to this end? I doubt so.

So here are examples of what other less-well paid governments around the world are doing to combat high global prices.

• Malaysia has doubled the amount spent on subsidies.
• Today, Hong Kong announced plans to up civil service pay.
• South Korea froze electricity and gas fees as well as a host of public service fees for first half of 2011.
• The Taiwanese government gave fuel subsidies to target group of consumers.
• The Kenyan government is working towards reducing prices on commodities.
• In Jordan, the monarch has announced a slew of measures to reduce prices of necessities.
• In Victoria, Australia, the new coalition government has extended free weekend travel and electricity concessions to seniors.

It is evident that most governments around the world are working to tackle rising costs. The PAP on the other hand has allowed electricity, food, transport and housing prices to continue increasing.

Their strategy of GDP-led job creation to tackle cost of living is hopelessly misdirected as Singaporean wages are being held back by the PAP's open door immigration policy.

However, there is always a silver lining. Let's not rule out another raise in GST to help the poor.

All Passports

Something struck me on the way back from KL the other day.

Whenever you arrive at an airport and approach Immigration, you are almost certain to see a couple of lanes dedicated for citizens eg. "Malaysian Passports only", "Hong Kong Passports only" etc.

Changi Airport was no different, up until a few years ago that is.
Today, sad to say, there are zero lanes dedicated to Singaporeans. All lanes are simply marked "All Passports".

I don't know what to make of this.

Sweeping changes to Cabinet

PM Lee announced a tide of changes to 11 of the 14 ministries today.

Some significant departures:

• Wong Kan Seng- DPM and National Security
• Mah Bow Tan- National Development
• Raymond Lim- Transport

No surprises here. Theses are Ministers which have performed poorly in their respective areas.
Mah Bow Tan who oversaw the convolution of public housing , which is now incredibly overpriced.
Then there's our rapidly deteriorating transport system- trains breaking down, overcrowding, jams on all major roads and expressways during peak hours, cars costing more than houses in many countries etc. Mr. Lim's only response is to erect more ERP gantries!
And Wong Kan Seng and Mas Selamat.

Not to mention that these three were part of GRCs that performed relatively poorly and could be ripe for the taking next GE- Bishan-Toa Payoh, Tampines and East Coast.

Some curious appointments:

• Heng Swee Keat- Education Minister
• Vivian Balakrishnan- Minister for Environment and Water Resources
• Gan Kim Yong- Health Minister
• Khaw Boon Wan- National Development Minister
• K Shanmugam- Law and Foreign Affairs

I did a search on Heng Swee Keat's background. MAS, Trade Development Board, Singapore Police Force and Singtel Optus- nothing that screams "education" here. Maybe his experience with SPF will make our kids more disciplined.

Vivian Balakrishnan will now be tasked among other things, to stop the frequent floods in Singapore. Seeing how he burst his YOG budget by three times, I wonder if the Marina Barrage will overflow.

Gan Kim Yong presided over possibly what was the biggest influx of immigrants ever in this country. I suppose as new Health Minister, he will have the opportunity serve the healthcare needs of the 1.5 million or so foreigners.

Malaysian-born Khaw Boon Wan once blogged about his $8 bypass surgery. Will Singaporeans have a chance to buy a flat for $8? Tantalising prospect.

Multi-talented K Shanmugam will now helm both Law and Foreign Affairs portfolios. I guess Foreign Affairs is just not important enough to get its stand-alone Minister considering there are only 205 countries and about 2,469,501 cities in this world.

Noteworthy:

Our NTUC Chief and singer Mr. Lim Swee Say gets the Minister in Prime Minister's Office role again. I'm not exactly sure what this type of Minister does for a $2 million salary.

Yet another new title is born: Emeritus Senior Minister- Goh Chok Tong.

GRC Dream Team 2016

Singaporeans first?

Now that the dust of the GE is settling, many anxious Singaporeans are waiting to see if there would be policy changes from the PAP.

Already, both MM Lee and SM Goh have announced their resignations from Cabinet.
The timing of their decisions is a moot point. How many people would have still voted SM Goh if they knew he was leaving his post?
How many swing voters would have voted Opposition had they known that LKY would no longer be MM?
It can be argued that Chiam See Tong failed in his GRC bid because many voters weren't sure if he could last the distance.

However, the biggest talking point amongst my peers, colleagues and acquaintances is the foreign worker issue.
We want the PAP to come out and declare a "Singaporeans First" policy. Most if not all of the Opposition parties have promised to do so if elected.

There have been more and more reports surfacing online about extremely lax immigration policy, not just in terms of numbers but quality of the foreign workers that have swelled up our tiny island.
One Indian national posted in the Singapore Expats Forum about how the Ministry of Manpower failed to detect his false educational qualifications. How many more such cases are there amongst the 1.5 million foreign population?
Just to clarify, I think most of us are aware that we do need unskilled workers to do jobs that Singaporeans won't want to do, eg. construction. Many countries around the world employ workers from developing countries for such jobs too.
Most people are taking issue with the foreign PMETs who compete for jobs that Singaporeans want to do or are upgrading themsleves for.

It is not that Singaporeans hate foreigners. It's just there are far too many of them in our country and it doesn't take a PhD to conclude that they must be taking away good jobs from the natives.
In fact, it's the PAP's flawed immigration policy that has created distrust between locals and foreigners. If you knew you can be replaced by a foreigner who's cheaper, has no NS obligations, has a Masters (Many Indians obtain higher degrees very easily!), wouldn't you be a little resentful and suspicious?

On that note, the Times of India reported that 60,000 Indian PMETs will be hired in Singapore this year.
Firstly, that's far too many for our liking . Secondly, how many of those will be on fake qualifications?

And it's not just the Indians. Our precious office spaces are filled with Filipinos, PRCs and Caucasians of all types. Don't get me wrong, some diversity in the workforce is good. If a comapny was selling into Indian state markets, it may make sense to hire a skilled Indian professional. A Caucasian with considerable regional business development experience could be an asset to a firm.
But it becomes farcical when we are employing foreigners to do jobs that Singaporeans can do, from receptionists to technicians and marketing execs.
A market research team in a big consumer goods MNC is entirely made up of Filipinos and Indians.

If the PAP is really doing some real soul-searching, please do the following:

1) Declare a Singaporeans first policy not just for jobs but other basic services like education and health care

2) Grind immigration to a halt this year. We don't want another 60k Indians on our shores or MM Lee's grand vision of another 900k foreigners!

3) Review the employment passes that have been given out. Set a quota to renew just 50% of these, obviously retaining the best talents with proper qualifications

4) Give Singaporean sons who do National Service a level playing field. Some things that could be done incldue reduction of NS time, priority in tertiary courses and further subsidies to school fees.

We hope we won't be disappointed.

General Elections 2016- battle plan?

I was just studying the 2011 electoral boundaries.
While we know that boundaries are redrawn every election, one thing I could conclude is that the PAP has everything to worry about.
Also, if the Opposition can fully get their act together, work the ground alot harder, better strategise where to send their teams etc, the gains could be significant.

If you look at the map below, the red areas are Aljunied GRC and Hougang SMC.
I've pinked out those constituencies where the Opposition came close to winning.

My advice to the Opposition is band together and form a bastion in the East. Send your A teams to take down these wards and we could have a solid Opposition base in eastern Singapore.
It's often cited that the Opposition lacks the funds and economies of scale to wage a successful fight. With this scenario, they can consolidate resources by banding these constituencies, which are all adjacent to each other, together.

Now we all know how staunchly PAP is in the West- Jurong, Choa Chu Kang, West Coast (biggest GRC by land area) and to some extent Holland-Bukit Timah.
So if the Opposition can consolidate power in the East, they can use that as a springboard to tackle these more stubborn areas.

For the PAP, they have to seriously consider:

• Who will repalce SM Goh in Marine Parade
• If Lim Swee Say can improve the performance in East Coast,  considering that he faced off with what was essentially, no disrespect, WP's 'B' team
• If they can they stretch Pasir-Ris Punggol boundaries even more to take advantage of Teo Chee Hean's safe status
• If MBT should continue in Tampines

We have a battle on our hands. Looking forward to GE 2016.

PS: Notice how tiny Tampines GRC is. Looks like the PAP had little faith in MBT.

MM Lee and SM Goh to leave

Some people would be rejoicing reading the headline.

But they have come out to say they are leaving the cabinet, not retiring from politics.

On the surface, it makes little difference whatsoever.
Their roles in the cabinet were created specially for them without any clear idea of the areas of responsbility.
Still, this would save taxpayers a few million dollars each year.

From SM Goh's perspective, it would give him alot more time to reverse the shocking decline in support in Marine Parade GRC and also ensure that TPL doesn't make the team look sillier than it already is.

From MM Lee's perspective, it may help shed the party's hard-handed image that we've come to be so familiar with. In any case, time is not on his side.

Sylvia Lim resigns day job to be full time MP

Sylvia Lim, the Workers' Party Chairman, has resigned from her day job as law lecturer at Temasek Polytechnic.

This is fantastic news as it would probably mean she can focus on being a full-time MP.
It may also give her more time to "fix" the PAP.

In any case, I hope to see more MPs, PAP or opposition, resign from their day jobs to concentrate on the important task of taking this country forward in the right direction.
Of all the parties, I believe only SDP and NSP candidates had made the pledge to become full-time MPs if they had won their seats.

Using PAP's driver analogy and coming up with one of my own, an MP with a day job is like someone using his/her mobile phone while driving, without the hands free!
It's little wonder the car has crashed a few times over the last 5-10 years.

In any case, 15,000 a month is sufficient money to "get by", no?

Well done Sylvia!

Bring back George Yeo....but why?

So many people are hoping that George Yeo gets somehow reinstated in Parliment.
I mean let's think rationally for one second...something PAP Ministers like to urge Singaporeans to do.

While it could be argued that George didn't really put a foot wrong, and he certainly looks more competent than a number of PAP Ministers, what significant contributions did he make as Foreign Minister?
Our relations with neighbouring countries probably has not improved. Wiki Leaks exposed our MPs talking down on other political figureheads in the region which isn't the most effective way to forge closer ties, is it?
Then there are the numerous outstanding bilateral issues with Malaysia and Indonesia.

Wise men say that the sin of commission is as bad as the sin of omission.

What's worse, George Yeo, together with two other members of his defeated Aljunied Team Lim Hwee Hwa and Zainul Abidin Rasheed, have quit politics just after one loss. They chose the easy way out by walking away instead of working harder to make amends.
Are these the type of people we want serving our country?

But again, it is a relatively easy decision to make considering that retired Ministers receive millions in pension on top of the millions they have already made with their astronomical salaries.

In the Forum pages of today's Straits Times, there are some letters criticising the electorate for kicking these Ministers out. They are about as far away from the truth as Jupiter is from Mars.
The only part of the electorate that should be criticised is the 60% who foolishly voted for another five years of more bad policies.

So it's evident that the PAP political system has created politicians who serve only for the money and not the greater need of the people.
This is why they will continue to import thousands of workers to prop up GDP so they can continue to pay themselves bonus after bonus.
This is why they don't see the need to raise subsistence to the poorest in society with one Minister summing up the party's stand in his now infamous "three meals in restaurant, food court or hawker centre" retort.
This is why they will never understand the trials and tribulations of the majority of Singaporeans because they sit in Ivory Towers made of gold.

On the other hand, Chiam See Tong has been a true servant to the residents of Potong Pasir and Singapore. Despite two strokes, he continued to fight for democracy by laying down his health and his 15k allowance, stepping out of his SMC comfort zone to contest the hitherto immovable GRC.
Despite all the monetary and political obstacles thrown into his path, he continued to serve his residents in the humble surroundings of a void deck and ensured that they don't pay a cent for lift upgrading.

Despite the SPP's setback in these elections, he has yet to call it quits and will continue to work the ground with his wife to ensure the party makes a comeback in 2016.

For sanity sake, please discontinue these petitions to bring George Yeo back.

Let's continue to focus our emotional and social energies on people who put servitude ahead of personal wealth.

Another foreigner with a big mouth

Nothing irks me more than when some foreigner runs his mouth off about how lucky Singaporeans are yada yada yada without knowing our history.
Nothing irks me even more when our local media publish every pro-PAP comment no matter how ridiculous they are.
How about more coverage on Aljunied GRC's transition? That's national news worthy of precious ink.

A dude from somewhere nearby, obviously across the Causeway, sees fit to give us a lecture on "gratitude".

Newsflash! Efficiency does not always equate to happiness.
Cuba and N.Korea are pretty efficient regimes, at least to their supporters but that doesn't mean that ordinary citizens wouldn't jump at the chance to migrate to US or S.Korea?

Sure Malaysia isn't as efficient and safe as Singapore but alot of middle class Malaysians seem a whole lot happier, can afford a proper house and a car with average salaries.
Indeed, a survey by Gallup World Poll on happiest countries in the world places Singapore in an unflattering 81st position. Even inefficient Pakistan and Botswana are ranked above us.

Mr. Yeo, be thankful you are in the enviable position of having choices. You always have Malaysia to fall back on while Singaporeans don't. You earn in S$ and spend in Ringgit when you decide to go home.

We know that Chinese Malaysians may suffer some form of discrimination but Singaporeans are increasingly being treated like second class citizens too---only difference is it's happening in our own backyard!

Having choices is a liberating and assuring feeling.

So to answer your little teaser, yes I would like to exchange places with you.

And make no mistake there is absolutely zero tolerance when government policies contribute to the marginalisation of our poor and less fortunate in society and the relentless squeezing of the middle class. By the way, it's not karma that got them there.

Therefore, please continue to refrain from making any comments to Singaporeans even after the elections.

Unhappy? Swap places with me

Letter from Matthew Yeo

Updated 11:36 AM May 12, 2011

I refer to the statement made by Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew in your report on May 9. I am a professional working in Singapore on an Employment Pass and I come from a nearby country. I have refrained from making any comments to my Singaporean friends in the run-up to the General Election because being a non-voter, I believe I should be neutral. But I am aware of all the issues being thrown about: High cost of living, overcrowding, entry of many foreigners, the hot property market, etc.

My personal view is that the present government, although not perfect, has done very well in comparison to other neighbouring countries, and indeed globally. We see a society here that is relatively safe, stable, has a good standard of living, that prepares its younger generation for the future by having a world-class education system and a thriving economy.

Singaporeans must come out of this complaining, molly-coddled mindset, and I think part of this syndrome is because the efficiency of this society has spoiled them so that they are less tolerant. Please compare this country to where I come from: There is rampant corruption, social injustice, religious and racial bigotry, indecisiveness and opaque governance, to name a few things. The list goes on.

To the unhappy and discontented Singaporeans, exchange places with me. I would only be too happy to make this my permanent home.

An attempt to figure out the PAP voter base

I struck up a conversation with a taxi uncle today. No prizes for guessing that we spoke about the elections. He told me that he has three children, one of which is a Major in the SAF and the other an executive with DSTA. According to him, all of them, including the two public servants, voted for the opposition. He too voted against the PAP because he felt the overall standard of living was decreasing.

It's not surprising to see more public servants voting against the regime. Then how is it that the PAP still managed to cling onto 60% of the electorate? Where are the votes coming from?

Let me attempt to break it down. Please note that these are pure estimates. I apologise in advance if there are any gross inaccuracies. So here goes.

Public Service
This government website says there are about 124,000 officers working around various ministries. While it isn't clear, let's assume they are 2009 or 2010 figures.

Grassroots
According to TODAY, there are about 30,000 grassroots leaders Using the average household size of 3, there would roughly be 100,000 or so grassroots leaders and their families voting for PAP.

New Citizens
The PAP claims to need 20,000 new citizens each year. So you can deduce there would be about 100,000 new citizens from 2006-2010.

Older Voters
Referencing official stats, there are about 1.6 million citizens above 50 years. MM Lee claims that those 50 and above will remember the PAP contributions so I thought this would be a good gauge of PAP's staunchest demographic.

So the math is:

Type:	Votes:
Public Service	124,000
Grassroots	100,000
New Citizens	100,000
Older Voters	1,600,000
Total	1,924,000

Further assuming that all New Citizens will vote PAP and applying 60% to the rest (based on popular voting results), the number would be 1,194,400.
And after taking into account overlap in the categories by applying 70% factor, the estimated number of assured PAP votes is 836,080.

Again, this is only an estimate at best but that's 40% of the 2.2 million voters in the PAP's corner even before a minute of campaigning.
Throw in Grow & Share monies, a rare apology by PM Lee and some apparent underhand tactics, it's not hard to see how they can easily swing another 10-20% of the voters to win a mandate.

Same old PAP?

Barely a few days into the new government term, reports have surfaced online regarding typical PAP behaviour towards the opposition and their supporters.

The 60% daft Singaporeans thought a hasty apology from PM Lee signalled a change in the PAP mindset.
While it may a little too early to judge, the signs aren't too good.

Aljunied residents have complained about a spate of apparent sabotage after PAP got voted out.
Town Council services stopped, employees sacked, garbage not cleared etc etc.
The TCs and RCs are doing Singaporeans a big disservice if they halt essential functions. You are NOT part of the PAP even though MM Lee would like you to think so.
You have a duty to all Singaporeans, regardless of language, religion or political association.
If the allegations are true, they are classic PAP tactics to instill fear into opposition voters.

In fact, the ominous signs were there seconds after the results were announced. Dr. Vivian B, in his thank you speech said "many PAP policies are right but their implementation and communication can be improved".
Looks like we might get the same old shit policies shoved down our throats, in improved ways, thanks to silly Singaporeans who failed their duty to do their bid in toppling a few more GRCs.

MM Lee too couldn't resist another pot shot:
“2011 has seen a generation that does not remember from whence we came, but that is to be expected. But I do, and those amongst you who are over 50 will remember”

As I'm writing this, the Police are apparently dispersing the peaceful crowd gathered at Blk 108 Potong Pasir to sign a petition for by-election.

To the 60% of Singaporeans, you were given a very important vote and wasted your cross on the wrong box for the umpteenth time. This Aljunied resident summed it up best.

Repent?

Why is the PAP worried?

If the elections were contested online, the opposition would have trashed PAP on every count. Nearly all the online polls conducted were overwhelmingly in favour of the opposition.
Despite the numerous attempts to woo young voters, including attempts at hip-hop, they seem to have difficulties connecting with the younger generation.

However, it was a triumph in the end for MM Lee, err PM Lee and his 81 MPs.
Why then is the PAP so concerned about the results?

• 40% or 880,000 Singaporeans voted against them. If we exclude the estimated 100,000 new citizens whom we can safely assume , voted PAP, the figure is 43%.
• The PAP share of popular votes has plunged from 75% in 2001 to 60% in 2011. If the trend continues, they could see their share hit the crucial 50% mark in 2016.
• They have given literally everything in this fight: Grow & Share package, PM Lee's apology, smear tactics, MM Lee's threats, redrawing of GRC boundaries etc.
• They put their best minister in charge of Aljunied GRC and yet he lost to a coherent and formidable Workers' Party team. If George Yeo can lose a GRC, any other lesser minister can be vulnerable in 2016
• They are getting a real bitter taste of their own medicine. What is it like to lose three ministers and one future speaker of Parliment in one fell swoop?
• One of their strongest GRC anchors, former Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, came within a whisker of a shambolic embarrassment. And their opponents? A bunch of unknowns including a raw 24 year old candidate. SM Goh has said this would be his last elections. Who then is going to helm Marine Parade in the next GE?
• How did they let TPL into their political ranks? Steve Tan? What happened to the screening process?
• How much more can they rely on MBT and WKS? If they had come up against opposition of the calibre of Low's team, these deeply unpopular Ministers would probably have lost. WKS, the veteran Minister, has mind-blowing number of "Likes" on Facebook-847 to be exact.

The "Aljunied Roar"

For those who haven't heard the "Kallang Roar", this is it.

Some PAP ministers wanted to bring back the roar... But even with their million dollar salaries, they couldn't see that all they needed to do was to give the people their voice in Parliment!

PM Lee...just listen to the people of Aljunied GRC.
It is so good to be Singaporeans again!

Avril Lavigne Black Star Tour- Singapore Indoor Stadium 9 May 2011

Please allow me a little break from politics..:)

I mentioned before that I was a massive Avril Lavigne fan...yes almost as massive as those Bieber die-hards I dare say!
Just came back from a sold-out crow at the Indoor Stadium- Avril Lavigne "Black Star" tour.
This is the second time I'm catching her in Singapore and the show literally blasted us into the black star.

Although just 1.5hours long, the music was continuous (unlike lots of Chinese acts who'd rather use 1/2 hr of precious time with costume changes). She sang all her favourite songs like "Complicated", "I'm With You", "Girlfriend", "Don't Tell" etc.
Of course, there were new songs like "What the Hell", "Smile" and "Wish You Were Here".

Let me tell you she has one of the hottest vocals in the music industry. She is absolutely fab "live"!
No auto-tune, lip synching and pitchy notes and people who listen to Avril's songs will know they are rather hard to sing.
And she writes them herself. An artiste in every sense of the word.

Anyway, I leave you aptly with a "live" performance of her current No.1 hit single on 91.3, "Smile".
Just as Aljunied GRC residents will be smiling for the next five years...

More thoughts on GE 2011

A full day has passed since the GE and the reality of what transpired is totally sinking in.
Somehow, the well-oiled PAP machinery has steamrolled all but 2 constituencies.

It appears that whilst momentous in the making,  the Workers' Party's superb victory in Aljunied GRC was a pyrrhic one. Although some opposition supporters may not admit it, it feels like we've taken one step forward and about two steps back.

Firstly, it is a mystery of unimaginable proportions how Tin Pei Ling is officially an MP and will actually be debating on serious country issues in Parliment. It is just as well the Singapore Parliment is not used to debates but serves as a legal ground for other pressing issues like the creation of a food museum.
Such is the undeniable consequence of the GRC system, a system supposedly designed to ensure minority representation in government.
Well the GRC certainly did just that by voting in a minority indeed. How often do you see someone of TPL's ability or lack of contesting in a General Election?

Secondly, how did candidates of real calibre like Dr. Vincent Wijeysingha, Tan Jee Say, Tony Tan and others not be serving in our country's highest office? Are Singaporeans going to continue to show blind faith in untalented and undeserving ministers? Is there something really wrong with the opposition's strategy? I will deal with this in future articles.

Thirdly, by giving a 81-6 mandate to PAP, are Singaporeans actually saying it's OK to have:
1) Public housing that is increasingly unaffordable to the masses
2) Rising healthcare costs with the PAP continually chopping its share of the burden
3) Unchecked immigration that have made our daily toil ever more suffocating and unbearable
4) Foreigners taking away jobs that Singaporeans want and can do
5) Ministers paying themselves millions of dollars while 30% of our population continue to earn about $1500 a month
6) Ministers talking down to us, calling us names and suggesting we ship our elderly to JB for cheaper nursing homes
7) Our CPF retirement age and minimum sums raised time after time while thousands are in dire need of their hard-earned monies
The bewildering actions of 60% of our electorate may have prolonged the hardships of the 40% by another 5 years.

Fourthly, how much of a role did our state-controlled media play in this elections? We all know that our media is ranked a shocking 141st in the Worldwide Press Freedom Index so biased coverage is but expected.
While this elections may be known as the social media election, I'm afraid that state media came up triumphant in the end, much to the PAP's delight.
My belief is that alot of the good messages from the opposition didn't reach the masses. It appears there are thousands of people, probably in the late 40s and up that don't access Facebook, Youtube or Temasek Review. Singapore may not be as highly wired as we think.
So long as state media is under total PAP control, the task of unseating them is always daunting.

Fifth, 40% of Singaporeans voted for the opposition but that yielded less than 10% of the Parlimentary seats. That is both an aberration and anomaly and there is little doubt that the GRC system is the chief cultprit. While my prayers are on the 6 brave souls that are going to be the voice of a million Singaporeans, we know that they would be powerless to stop the PAP should they still decide to pass laws on their whim.
I'm hoping or dreaming of a legislation that will ban electoral boundary changes for 3 or 4 elections.

Finally, how astute was the timing of PM Lee's "apology" on the penultimate day of campaigning? I actually think this was one of the turning points in this GE. Thousands of undecided voters would have felt the nostalgic tug on the heartstrings and failed to realise that they could be royally screwed for another 60 months. Further, we have already seen how monetary "gifts" during election time can seal lots of votes for the PAP. I think the "Grow and Share" package entrenched many Singaporeans grateful for the extra $800 to defray mounting expenses onto the side of the men in white.
Pity they didn't know the handouts are from the GST they paid or that the ministers would have received $1,000,000 each for their part of the package.

So what happened?

I'm confident that young voters (21-35) did our part. Unfortunately, we are only 1/4 of the electorate.

I suspect the majority of our grandparents voted PAP. New citizens nearly all voted PAP.
Then there is the big civil service where many people are still scared of voting opposition even though they really want to.
And remember that PAP has built up formidable numbers in grassroots.
Also, 400,000 Singaporeans did not vote. Many of these are probably working or living overseas. They could have made a difference.

The only way the opposition can take power is if all parties united into one to contest PAP.

However, the PAP has never been pushed so hard before.
Let's hope that PM Lee's apology was sincere and that Singaporeans' lives will improve.
But somehow I'm not so sure...

PS: Well done Aljunied GRC! Fingers crossed for Tampines, Marine Parade and Holland Bukit Timah

Clean sweep?

Not looking good.

Seems like only Aljunied GRC to opposition.
Apparently Marine Parade and Tampines are the only "close' calls.

Looking at things half full, we could have finally brought down their invincible GRC system.

What is the future of Singaporeans?

I haven't posted anything since 12am May 6 in observance of "cooling off day".
If only Ting Pei Ling can observe a simply ruling like this.

Let's see if the opposition can make signficant gains despite having all the odds stacked against them.
May the good Lord bless our nation and votes.

Here we go...

Rally action- May 5

"NCMP scheme is designed to bring in powerless people to Parliment"- Low Thia Khiang, leader of the Workers' Party makes a valid point on final day of campaigning.

NCMPs do not have voting rights on policies, including no confidence votes. There's nothing they can do to stop the PAP.
That's why we need real opposition MPs to keep PAP in check.

Rally action- May 5

Excellent speech by Sadasivam Veriyah.

Btw, SDP, fantastic final rally. All eleven candidates are definitely MP calibre.
The crowd enjoyed every minute of it.

Kudos to Dr. Vincent for thanking Dr Chee Soon Juan at the end. Dr. Chee has championed democracy and human rights for years, endured countless prison terms and is going through a crushing bankruptcy at the hands of the PAP.

If the opposition makes significant inroads on Saturday, I think Dr. Chee should deserve some credit for showing the world that all is not well with the PAP system.