Crumbling of Singapore?

Ask Him About Canada

ckmpd said:

"Mr Wing has worked in China for more than ten years and knows many intelligent and polite PRC Chinese.

I know lots of very intelligent, polite and well mannered Chinese. Somehow, these Chinese FTs are from the bottom of the barrel that the Chinese government does not want.

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Your cheapskate govt wants cheap labour lah. So, what do you get ? An Einstein from PRC ? Engineers are highly regarded in Japan, not in Singapore. What happened was many left engineering or science in pursuit of money grabbing jobs like sales (including property and insurance) and banking. Even this kind of placings are taken up by some FTs too.

Fook Seng said:

This illustrates what can happen to a country when its leaders neglect its people.

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If the PAP was neglecting Singaporeans, your story might have some relevance. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Neglect is the last thing on the minds of the PAP leaders.

The PAP works very hard at providing ample opportunities for ALL Singaporeans to thrive and prosper and there are many assistance schemes for those who fall behind. For every $1 in taxes the poor pay, they get $5 of assistance in return in the form of subsidies and rebates.

Just because the PAP does not spoon feed it's citizens and kill the work ethic with lavish welfare schemes does not mean it is neglecting the people. It does mean that it's being a responsible government and is adopting sound policies to encourage and reward hard work.

The unemployment rate figures pretty much sum up the situation. The unemployment rate for Singaporeans hovers around 2%. This figure is the envy of the developed world. The US unemployment rate is stuck at 10% with no signs of improvement. The European Union unemployment rate is a whopping 10.2%. HK is 3.5%. Australia is 5.3%.

You can see all the figures at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_unemployment_rate

I urge all of you to check facts and figures rather than launch emotive arguments using terms such as "neglect", "uncaring", "arrogent", "crumbling". These terms are more suited to an argument between a couple of love birds and have no place when it comes to debating the health of a nation.

I stick to the facts and the figures and by any measure, Singapore is doing extremely well. Life may have been a bit easier in the 80s when everyone was handed a job an a platter with no competition whatsoever. However, all honeymoons come to an end and just because Singaporeans are now required to put in more effort in order to acquire the comforts of life certainly does not mean that the govt is not living up to its responsibilities.

Leongsam said:

If the PAP was neglecting Singaporeans, your story might have some relevance. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Neglect is the last thing on the minds of the PAP

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Spoonfeed is the thing that the govt loves to do. It is through this that the people can be led by the nose. The PAP only does things that give them PR headline points. The real people, the masses have been neglected for a long time and it is not awakening to appreciate the problems of these people. The FR policy, too, has further alienated the people.

If you want further example of decline of nations, check up on Korean Kingdom of Balhae which existed from around 700 to 900 A.D., brought down by liberal immigration policies which led to civil unrest.

Fook Seng said:

If you want further example of decline of nations, check up on Korean Kingdom of Balhae which existed from around 700 to 900 A.D., brought down by liberal immigration policies which led to civil unrest.

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It was a very different world in those days. With the interconnected economies of today, everyone should view themselves as citizen of the world. National boundaries should be a mere formality.

The world has prospered immensely from trade liberalisation where the principle of comparative advantage has brought about an explosion of trade volumes and wealth generation.

The next wave of prosperity will come about from the liberalisation of immigration so that labour can flow to where there is a demand and depart from areas where there is a surplus. In the long run, it can only be good for the world as a whole. There may be pockets of discontent as people adjust to the new order but it will soon dissipate when everyone realises the benefits of being able to move to any part of the world where there is a demand for their particular skills.

Leongsam said:

A classic case of failing to make a distinction between a political party and a country. Whatever grievances you may have with the PAP, it does not alter the fact that when you fight for the country, you aren't fighting for LHL. You're fighting to protect your property and your loved ones.

If you succeed in defending the country, your material possessions remain yours and your loved ones ie your parents, your children, your relatives will avoid becoming victims of the horrors of warfare.

If you surrender, be prepared to lose everything.

LHL and the Lee family clan don't have to worry about the outcome as much as you do. They already have contingency plans. Life for them will carry on in some other land where they will live out a luxurious existence till the end of their days.

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How about this for a likely scenario:

War breaks out.. Leaders flown off to safe-havens offshore to 'strategise from afar'.peasants fight a victorious but bloody war, with many casualties. Leaders come back to much fanfare ala mcarthur. Leaders then proclaim national rebuilding exercise: your property, money, labour is theirs, in the interest of the nation, helping the poor, widows, stray dogs, what have you.


Heads they win, tails u lose. Not much diff who 'they' can refer to.

cocobobo said:

How about this for a likely scenario:

War breaks out.. Leaders flown off to safe-havens offshore to 'strategise from afar'.peasants fight a victorious but bloody war, with many casualties. Leaders come back to much fanfare ala mcarthur. Leaders then proclaim national rebuilding exercise: your property, money, labour is theirs, in the interest of the nation, helping the poor, widows, stray dogs, what have you.

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It's not that far fetched but my prediction is that they wouldn't last long upon their return. The British were viewed in a different light after they abandoned the defense of Singapore in WW2.

A change of leadership would be inevitable in the scenario you describe.

Fook Seng said:

There is one very important example in history - Taiwan. For centuries, the Qing emperors took the Taiwanese for granted, neglected Taiwan and did not make any effort to develop the territory. Eventually under pressure from the Japanese, Taiwan was ceded to the Japanese.

Although mainland forces stationed there fought bravely against the Japanese against imperial order, eventually the local population, frustrated by long term neglect by the Chinese Emperors, opened the gates to the cities and let the Japanese in.

Even today, a large portion of the Taiwanese population think well of the Japanese even though they were the aggressors. This illustrates what can happen to a country when its leaders neglect its people.

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You are absolutely right. The pap has totally neglected local Singaporeans and has focused on caring for foreigners. It is like a father who has neglected his own children during his prime and has turned to his mistress and have doted on her children instead.

Later, when the father is fragile, weak and penniless in his twilight years, some of his children may still remember his neglect and may choose to ignore him. The same is for SG. The pap is doting and caring for foreigners and neglecting local Singaporeans now. When SG faces a war, how many Singaporeans will turn around, show the pap their middle fingers and neglect SG for what the pap govt has done to Singaporeans ? I dont blame those Singaporeans

Re: Ask Him About Canada

Conqueror said:

Your cheapskate govt wants cheap labour lah. So, what do you get ? An Einstein from PRC ? Engineers are highly regarded in Japan, not in Singapore. What happened was many left engineering or science in pursuit of money grabbing jobs like sales (including property and insurance) and banking. Even this kind of placings are taken up by some FTs too.

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I agree that the pap is cheapskate. But I have to correct you that i dont consider pap as my govt. I have already disowned the pap

Fook Seng said:

Spoonfeed is the thing that the govt loves to do. It is through this that the people can be led by the nose. The PAP only does things that give them PR headline points. The real people, the masses have been neglected for a long time and it is not awakening to appreciate the problems of these people. The FR policy, too, has further alienated the people.

If you want further example of decline of nations, check up on Korean Kingdom of Balhae which existed from around 700 to 900 A.D., brought down by liberal immigration policies which led to civil unrest.

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You are so knowledgeable and know the exact ground sentiments. I wish the pap is like you!

cocobobo said:

How about this for a likely scenario:

War breaks out.. Leaders flown off to safe-havens offshore to 'strategise from afar'.peasants fight a victorious but bloody war, with many casualties. Leaders come back to much fanfare ala mcarthur. Leaders then proclaim national rebuilding exercise: your property, money, labour is theirs, in the interest of the nation, helping the poor, widows, stray dogs, what have you.


Heads they win, tails u lose. Not much diff who 'they' can refer to.

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good scenario. I hope that more Singaporeans see through the evils of the pap by the next GE

In the early days of nation building in SG, the pap leaders told top civil servants that they must have high integrity, honest and clean. No lies, no falsehoods, no gambling, no vices like prostitution. Visiting of red light districts was a no no. The pap govt was very clear and was not apologetic that they do spy on top civil servants.

That was good and kept the civil service clean, honest and true.

Look at the pap now..gambling is allowed, visiting prostitutes is condoned as long as the prostitutes are above 18yrs old. The pap has lost its values.

By themselves, gambling and having sex with prostitutes may not seem to affect the top civil servants' work. But is that really so? A top civil servant who is addicted to gambling and prostitution is very vulnerable and cant be trusted to always make the right decisions for Singapore.

The pap then was very clean and honest in the early days. How clean and honest is the pap now? Is the drop in standard of truth, honesty, integrity in the pap and top civil servants another factor in the "Crumbling of Singapore?"

1st Generation PAP Leaders LKY - cared for Singaporeans, worked for Singapore, high integrity, worked quietly, achieved fantastic results. achieved unity among Singaporeans

3rd Generation PAP Leaders under LHL - cared for foreigners, worked for themselves, low personal standards, full of noise eg "Upturn the downturn", "Can Be Done", achieved little, caused division among Singaporeans.

Is the poor quality of present pap leaders a contributory factor in the "Crumbling of Singapore"?

PAP's Charles Chong admitted that the pap can only attract 2nd tier and 3rd tier candidates into the pap. No 1st tier Singaporeans want to join the pap. That's the sad truth.

We need better leaders to lead Singapore.

LKY, GCT and LHL thought that "bribing" PAP candidates with high pay will get them good leaders who will be behloden to them.

High pay is a double edged sword. It attracts some candidates but repels others. The truly good candidates dont need high pay to attract them. On the contrary, high pay requiring obedience turns off truly good candidates.

TracyTan866 said:

1. MRT Congestion
2.Are these signs of the crumbling of Singapore? The pap appears to run out of ideas how to bring SG forward but is taking the obvious easy ways out, bringing long term problems to SG.

Are the recent MRT failures precursors to more failures to come? Will there be forthcoming systemic failures of the Transport system, Medical Institutions, Housing issues, social problems?

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TJS wrote recently:

"When the first MRT disruptions took place in December 2011, the reason cited was the aging infrastructure. Then when the brand-new Circle line broke down, it was said to be due to teething problems. But when the NE line which was neither old nor new, suffered disruptions, there was no more excuses. We now know the following facts :-

1. Physical infrastructure strain does not fully explain the breakdowns; software is also at fault namely management whose priorities are wrong – obsession with profits at the expense of maintenance and safety.

2. The breakdowns were not confined to operations run by SMRT but also by SBS Transit/ComfortDelgro , the other operator (the North East line). So the problem is systemic i.e. it affects the entire rail network and management of both operators have much to answer for their appalling performance.

3. The rail system is severely overloaded as it was not designed to take the sharp increase in passenger traffic following the huge influx of foreign workers. The chief controller of SMRT’s operations control centre told the COI that with the growth in passenger traffic over the past few years, “you are just asking [for] this (train service disruptions) to happen sooner or later”.

Tracy Tan is visionary!!! She was spot on!

ckmpd said:

Temasek Times, 2 May 2012:

"SMRT trains are having delays and disruptions on an almost daily basis that even the mainstream media has stopped reporting on it altogether."

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Huh? Is this the end? Will the MRT network just give up altogether and self-destruct?

ckmpd said:

You are so knowledgeable and know the exact ground sentiments. I wish the pap is like you!

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The more you look at it, the more Singapore resembles Balhae. Like Singapore, Balhae had a high GDP, one of the richest state in Korean history, and both have a liberal immigration policy. In the case of Balhae, it led to an eventual collapse due to civil strives. Tracy's vision could come sooner than later.

Fook Seng said:

Huh? Is this the end? Will the MRT network just give up altogether and self-destruct?

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SMRT is not doing well...lack of management foresight and short term profits at the expense of long term well being. SMRT is suffering now and may need the govt to bail it out in the near future. Will SMRT be finally nationalised and run as a non profit entity to serve SG?

Many GLCs and TLCs are in the same shoe as SMRT. They get preferential treatment and are sheltered from real competition at the expense of Singapore consumers. But these cant continue in perpetuity . The day of reckoning will come. and that will lead to the Crumble of Singapore.

Fook Seng said:

The more you look at it, the more Singapore resembles Balhae. Like Singapore, Balhae had a high GDP, one of the richest state in Korean history, and both have a liberal immigration policy. In the case of Balhae, it led to an eventual collapse due to civil strives. Tracy's vision could come sooner than later.

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Yes, I agree with you. Tracy Tan is one visionary lady.

There are many things wrong in SG but are swept under the carpet by the PAP...but these cant be hidden for long and will ultimately surface.

The mismanagement of SMRT is no isolated incident.

The erosion of character, values and personal integrity of PAP leaders and top civil servants will result is non optimal decisions and results for SG.

The divide between foreigners and locals will cause much social problems.

The misuse of SG tax payers' money to help GLCs and TLCs look good will haunt SG in the future

Crumbling of Singapore?

Temasek Times 3 May 2012:

"I am a truebreed Singaporean living & working abroad at this moment. It saddened me the last few times when I came back. Can you maybe do something?

These are few of the recalled incidents during my last 2 trips back.

1. Groups of PRC Workers…some with “Half-headed perm” long sleeves shirt tucked out, long black pants and thongs (Blue & white) hanging in ION Shopping Mall, talking very loud.

POINT : You invested so much to beautify the place and yet you let these ugly sights bring everything down?

2. When I arrived at the airport, I headed down to Terminal 3 foodcourt to grab a bite. While queueing up for my favourite Fried Kway Teow, I noticed the auntie behind the wok was a PRC. Then the Angmo infront of me tried to place a special order WITHOUT MEAT. He tried to explain to the PRC Auntie, the whole scene was basically a chicken & duck talk. In the end PRC Auntie turned to me for translation, she didnt even thanked me, she just kept mumbling about him having such stupid request.

POINT : Yes we need these ppl to do these jobs but have u noticed that What would the Angmo think of this situation? Singaporean cannot speak English? Once again u have put somebody out there to shame us.

3. A friend of mine had some problem with his MRT Transitlink card went forward to the control station to check. Yes again, the person behind the counter is young PRC girl. The girl could speak English but it was obviously she was struggling very hard. In the end she told my friend off….CHINESE CANNOT SPEAK CHINESE? Of course my friend made a fuss to her supervisor andthat goes on…

POINT : Again…a PRC frontliner who was not trained to speak english well or to at least have some manners
"

ckmpd said:

Will SMRT be finally nationalised and run as a non profit entity to serve SG?

Many GLCs and TLCs are in the same shoe as SMRT. They get preferential treatment and are sheltered from real competition at the expense of Singapore consumers. But these cant continue in perpetuity . The day of reckoning will come. and that will lead to the Crumble of Singapore.

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Singapore Govt has a major problem slaughtering sacred cows. Even the reversal of the Stop at 2 policy needed explicit concurrence from the Old Man. With such a dominant figure, it is very difficult to reverse policies. Let's see whether this will change with his passing.