PM Lee: "Prepare for a difficult year ahead."

[bart12]

PM Lee: With my million $ dollar salary, I am well equip to go thru' a difficult 2009 but are you, my fellow Sporean , prepare for a difficult year ahead??

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/2008123...html?printer=1

SINGAPORE, Dec 31, 2008 (AFP) - Singapore's economy is likely to worsen next year after growing just 1.5 percent in 2008, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Wednesday, urging Singaporeans to "prepare for a difficult year ahead."
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"Our economy will probably contract further. More companies will be forced to downsize. So far we have not seen many job losses, but I expect more retrenchments in the next few months. We must be psychologically prepared," Lee said in his New Year's Day message to the nation.

More job losses are expected in the next few months as companies are forced to shed employees, Lee said.

"As a small, open economy, Singapore cannot avoid being hit. We earn our living by trading with and servicing the world. So the fall in worldwide demand has hit our exports, our tourism sector, and our broader economy," he said.

"We must therefore prepare for a difficult year ahead, and especially the first half of 2009.

Singapore's key markets such as the United States, Japan and Europe have fallen into recession after a crisis in the US housing market spread to the financial sector and the larger economy.

The city-state, one of Asia's wealthiest economies, went into a recession this year, although full-year growth came in at 1.5 percent, well below the official forecast of 2.5 percent and the 7.5 percent expansion in 2007.

"The outlook is highly uncertain. At each stage of this crisis, events have turned out worse than the experts predicted," Lee said.

While governments have been implementing monetary and fiscal measures and rescuing troubled financial institutions and key corporations, "no one is sure how the financial systems and economies will respond, or which policies will work," he said.

This has led to a loss of business and consumer confidence, he said, warning against expectations of a quick recovery.

"Quite likely the global recession will be followed not by a quick rebound, but by several more years of slow growth," he said.

Next year's national budget, which has been brought forward to January, will focus on helping Singapore firms so that workers can keep their jobs, the premier said.

"We will introduce measures to help them (companies) with their business costs, including rental and wage bills. We are also studying further financing support for companies," he said.

The government will do its best to help workers keep their jobs and retrain those who have been laid off, he said, adding this will be done by helping businesses through the crisis.

[kitkat]

PM Lee: With my million $ dollar salary, I am well equip to go thru' a difficult 2009 but are you, my fellow Sporean , prepare for a difficult year ahead??

What to do hor? PAP has majority so they can change the law any time, next time they will amend the law to make it a billion dollar salary, yes, that's a billion and not million

[0939]

He is telling us, die die our business, take care of yourself.

[angie II]

"Aiya.. my salary not much la.. only S$3,870,000 per annum" hehehe..

[tonychat]

Of course bad year ahead lah,

you only depend on foreign investments and dun have your own citizen to build any innovative business, how to survive, only know how to beg for others to come in , dunno how to take care of yourself.

[myfoot123]

"Prepare for rough time ahead". It is easier said than done. What is their solution? We do not want a leader who said things we already knew and talk shit about religious, terrorist and skill upgrading.

His message is drafted to fit all scenarios without much brain needed. In this tough time, is there anything new that he would like to said instead of reading routine articles which he read out from his old closet?

[The_Latest_H]

Kevin Rudd's message for Australians and Australian residents probably sounds better:

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au...013871,00.html

Full story published below. All rights reserved to The Australian newspaper:

KEVIN Rudd has called for national unity among business and unions in 2009 to help the economy weather the storm of the global financial crisis.
In his New Year's message to the nation, the Prime Minister has conceded the next year will be "tough" but said the government was committed to safeguarding jobs.

"Australia is a great nation and so often the hardest times bring out the best in us ,'' he said.

"As we enter 2009, we know it will be a very tough year for the global economy. And it will be a tough year for Australia as well.

"As the global financial crisis has unfolded the Government has taken early and decisive action to do everything possible to stabilise our financial markets and to stabilise the Australian economy, families and jobs from the full impact of the crisis. "

Mr Rudd said the government was determined to do all it could to support Australian families and the jobs and businesses of Australians.

"And if we stick together, businesses, unions, employers, employees, governments at different levels, federal, state and local and the whole community, we can and will see Australia through,'' he said.

"What is important is that we remember we are all in this together. "

Mr Rudd said highlights of the year included the Beijing Olympics in August, the Paralympics in September and at the year’s end and the historic election of an African-American as President of the United States.

"At home, Australians came together as we made the historic apology to the Stolen Generations and pledged to work together to close the gap on indigenous disadvantage ,'' he said.

"We hosted around 150,000 young people from around the world for the remarkable World Youth Day celebrations in July. And this year we showed again the great strength of Australia’s democracy with the smooth transition to a new Federal Government.

"We’re a tough people, we’re a resilient people and in hard times we also care for each other and for other members of the community. "

[popdod]

"Prepare for rough time ahead". It is easier said than done. What is their solution?
We do not want a leader who said things we already knew and talk shit about religious, terrorist and skill upgrading.

Ya lor..everyone know how to say that...
but
whatz is the solution?

Just like an IT tech...telling the boss..
Prepare for the hardisk crash, the loss of data.
and
expect boss to listen and feel sad about it?


KNS.....pay you to solve my problems
and
not to tell me what are the problems.

[batman1]

PM Lee: With my million $ dollar salary, I am well equip to go thru' a difficult 2009 but are you, my fellow Sporean , prepare for a difficult year ahead??

In short,this called LPPL.Say like never say at all.

[1sickpuppy]

Someone should tell this ass hole that we electded and paid him millions to solve our problems and not tell us or give us problems. If we wanted someone to tell us problems and give us problems we can always find some nut case in woodbridge to do that for us.

[DerekLeung]

Paid millions to talk cock and stating the obvious !

[STUCK_HERE]

I try to ignore the fuckface comments everytime. But this time his fucking comments are on my Yahoo homepage. Cheebye, fuck off and shut up! Highly paid useless pinky ass clown

[makapaaa]

Not for the BEST PAID Govt in the world!

[makapaaa]

"Prepare for rough time ahead". It is easier said than done. What is their solution? We do not want a leader who said things we already knew and talk shit about religious, terrorist and skill upgrading.

His message is drafted to fit all scenarios without much brain needed. In this tough time, is there anything new that he would like to said instead of reading routine articles which he read out from his old closet?

The solution:

[makapaaa]

From: kojakbt22 3:05 am To: ALL (2 of 4)
	4613.2 in reply to 4613.1
	So, in other words, if a PR earns $3200, for C class ward, he will be given 70% subsidy. If a SG earns more than $5201 and above, he will only get 65% subsidy for C class ward, 5% less than that PR fella. Bros, ask yourselves this question: PAP now considers a foreigner who is earning less than a Singaporean much more valuable than the Singaporean! The foreigner with less income is given more help now even though he'd got no NS liability, no reservist etc (remember, a PR is a foreigner) !!! WTF! kojakbt@gmail.com

[maimeechai]

I try to ignore the fuckface comments everytime. But this time his fucking comments are on my Yahoo homepage. Cheebye, fuck off and shut up! Highly paid useless pinky ass clown

What you referring to?

[funglung]

you prepare for that difficult year ahead.

they will continue to laugh all the way to their banks

Do enjoy your voting for those PAP bastards who will continue to screw you

[angie II]

I try to ignore the fuckface comments everytime. But this time his fucking comments are on my Yahoo homepage. Cheebye, fuck off and shut up! Highly paid useless pinky ass clown

What you referring to?

'Prepare for grim year ahead'

PM Lee is urging S'poreans to "get ready for a tough year ahead" in his New Year's Day message. »More

• S'pore economy grows just 1.5% in 2008
• PM Lee urges vigilance against terrorism

You will see the above on sg.yahoo.com

[suteerak1099]

it was already a bad yr in 2008, but the MIW refused to come to terms with reality. it's obvious 2009 is gonna be a tough downhill ride too... for the MIW to now finally acknowledge reality, n start to plan for relief efforts for ppl suffering.......... by the time they finalized any decent plan, the recession already crawled back up.

[mscitw]

Clown Prince surely jest.

He pays himself millions annually and now tells peasants to be prepared for an extremely lean 2009.

What a joke!

When times are good, he pats himself and gets more stipends and benefits.

When times are bad, he blames global conditions and continue to draw sky high pay whereas those whom he benchmark against could be out of a job.

Peasants know even in tough times, their leaders benchmark their pay to the lucky few and continue to do well while they face price hikes and retrenchments!

Only in Peasantpore, woe woe woe!