Working Poor

[Goh Meng Seng]

About nine years ago, Jame Gomez was talking about "New Poor" in Workers Party's various rallies. But after nine years down the road, many people are talking about "Working Poor". i.e. It is no longer "New" but just as any other average guy or gal in the work force who are now considered as "Poor".

What has happened throughout this period that created this Working Poor phenomenon? The widening gap of income inequality caused by Globalization as well as ultra-capitalism has taken its toll on the middle class in all societies. The changing of labour conditions also caused a great diminishing middle class in many societies, including Singapore.

Karl Marx has predicted the eventuality of the diminishing middle class which will create social class struggle within an economy, if Capitalism is allowed to go to the fullest extreme and unregulated or checked.

This is especially so in Singapore when our country is just a little red dot on Earth. There will always be "Cheapest, Fasterest, Betterest" labour else where who are willing to come to work in Singapore. There are billions of people on Earth and Singapore only need a few millions of them.

What it would mean to Singaporeans is that without proper checks and control, each and everyone of us could be replaced by some other "Foreign Talents". Our wages will be forever suppressed or stagnant, which is the case right now. In spite of wonderful Economic Growth, the real income of the working class has stagnated in the past 10 years. Some even face depression of wages and some, worst, retrenched and face either structural unemployment or simply underemployment. Thus, our Working Poor emerges.

The problems of Working Poor will continue to deteriorate in the years to come in Singapore. Without a proper social safety net, we will face more Singaporeans being displaced by the "Cheapest, Fasterest, Betterest" Foreign Labour. Wages will continue to be suppressed while cost of living will continue to rise, mainly due to higher rental charges.

Standards and quality of living will go down while cost of living goes up.

Jobs is no longer a problem; Jobs that pay enough to sustain decent livelihood will be the main problem. It is under such circumstances that places like Hong Kong and Malaysia are setting minimum wages for their vulnerable group of workers.

The widening income gap is the main concern that this PAP government has refused to acknowledge. If this is allow to carry on, social tension will mount. What will become of Singapore? I really don't want to imagine.

But here are some key indications:

1) Singaporeans can no longer afford a decent HDB flat. It takes two income earners to take up a 30 years mortgage to pay for a decent HDB flat. Singaporeans may need to pay a 35 years or even 40 years mortgage if things carry on like this.

2) There will not be enough CPF savings for retirement for 80% of Singaporeans.

3) Singaporeans will have no retirement at all and will have to work until the day they die. This is what PAP and the Main Stream Media trying to "mentally condition" Singaporeans into believing that working until death is "NORMAL" or even "GOOD FOR YOU".

4) There will be more people living in poverty when they get older. Well, new definition of poverty will emerge.

5) Social instability. There are already ground grumbles and whispers of great discontent on the ground. If this carries on without proper social safety net being set up, I really don't dare to imagine what will happen in the near future.

Goh Meng Seng

 

[Tan Kim Kim]

in summary,

PAP no good NSP good

MBT very stupid GMS smarter than him (let the gong kia work on the ground every sunday while I sit in the aircon room do the typing)

Vote NSP (just vote although we have no solutions either )

 

[Man in the streets]

well done Meng Seng !

you did well on net !

Real ground issues you raised are all true !

share your solutions during the GE .

Thank you meng seng......many more Tampines residents are supporting you ! Go with your heart...not partying or fashion shows nonsense !


meanwhile the HDB misery continues if Mapok tan is not voted out !
Next GE . you would have already informed the voters, and if they continue to vote for Mapok tan, they deserve the consequences !

 

[boring]

in summary,

PAP no good NSP good

MBT very stupid GMS smarter than him (let the gong kia work on the ground every sunday while I sit in the aircon room do the typing)

Vote NSP (just vote although we have no solutions either )

stop barking around !!!:oIo::oIo::oIo:

 

[Watchman]

People here are just contented with raisins and boinks !

Give them both . And they forget about the world !

And most importantly be on time for tomorrow's job schedule .

 

[myfoot123]

Singapore NTUC union is a failed and ineffective labour union. It should not continue to cheat the workers of their membership fees they paid monthly and annually. Have a chief labour who sang support for employer leave us wondering if he is more of a chief Employers union rather than chief labour union. We are screwed and betrayed by such intitution who claimed to protect labour but side employer instead. Absurd systems.

There are so many issues to bring out during election to gain more genuine vote without resorting to buying. Goh Meng Seng is right to point out all these people daily predicament that is certainly going to touch many hearts and bring people to tears. Please also include other dilemma like CPF locked up fund, GST hike likely to grow further, prostitutions in Singapore and many others including transport, housing, school fees, medical...etc. I am sure winning tampines is like a breeze with good and clear layman agenda for the people to understand in election rally.
GMS must go for the heart of voters while PAP goes for policies (unpopular one though)

 

[Talking Donkey]

Well said GMS,so true...so very true....you are beginning to gain my respect as a worthy opposition..thumbs up!

 

[Goh Meng Seng]

5 years down the road, I think we will be witnessing the worst scenario of the diminishing middle class turning into Working Poor.

What will become of Singapore then?

Goh Meng Seng

 

[hotbot]

hi sir, why did you say that middle class is disappearing? I heard a lot of pple ard 40 and above in the middle class are trading shares on a daily basis to make a living. The real working poor are those uncles and aunties working in food court as I witness. How can you help them?

5 years down the road, I think we will be witnessing the worst scenario of the diminishing middle class turning into Working Poor.

What will become of Singapore then?

Goh Meng Seng

 

[nato33]

5 years down the road, I think we will be witnessing the worst scenario of the diminishing middle class turning into Working Poor.

Goh Meng Seng

Sadly I see myself falling into this scenario. Even if Opposition wins a few more seats, I doubt they can reverse this high cost/heavy dependence on FT much.

Prices will probably still be high whilst wages remain stagnant and middle aged professionals continue to be displaced by "FT".

Short of migrating, don't see things improving much :(

 

[Ash007]

Mr Goh Meng Seng,
The more I read about your views, the more I think you are clueless and an egomaniac. I seriously doubt you would make a good opposition mp and could cause more harm to Singapore if you win the coming election.

Karl Marx has predicted the eventuality of the diminishing middle class which will create social class struggle within an economy, if Capitalism is allowed to go to the fullest extreme and unregulated or checked.

So you want us to be a communist country now? Or a Socialist one? How about renaming NSP as the National Socialist party? (Nazism stands for National Socialism by the way.) How do you propose to change this? What sort of social net" are you talking about? Saying that Singapore needs a social net is one thing. Proposing a working solution is another. Like they say, the devil is in the details. You are spouting more hot air then actual substance. Where are the reports/studies that says your social scheme would work?

This is especially so in Singapore when our country is just a little red dot on Earth. There will always be "Cheapest, Fasterest, Betterest" labour else where who are willing to come to work in Singapore. There are billions of people on Earth and Singapore only need a few millions of them.

What it would mean to Singaporeans is that without proper checks and control, each and everyone of us could be replaced by some other "Foreign Talents". Our wages will be forever suppressed or stagnant, which is the case right now. In spite of wonderful Economic Growth, the real income of the working class has stagnated in the past 10 years. Some even face depression of wages and some, worst, retrenched and face either structural unemployment or simply underemployment. Thus, our Working Poor emerges.

No one owns you a living. Not the government, not the company, not your mum or your dad. Has Singaporean grown so soft that they do not realised this? Everyone, anyone is replaceable, this includes the ruling government of the day. This includes you as well. Even if you have a zero "Foreign Talent" policy, you would still get retrenchment, unemployment, underemployment.
Why don't you harp about the "quality" of these "Foreign Talents" instead? The quality of our local workers/graduates as well? Or the companies that hires them? Foreign talents are just a smoke screen, the real issue is more cultural that Singapore are addicted to low quality migrants. Have you looked at the emigration folder recently? On how other countries implement their migration policy? Do you know that Australia has stopped processing a lot of visa applications now and are only focusing on migrants that are really needed by the country?

You mentioned HongKong and Malaysia with a minimum wage system. Do you also know about people grumbling in these countries about how their wage are not on par with inflation? With the huge income gap between the rich and poor as well? Like you have mentioned, the issue here isn't about minimum wage or not. Its about if people can afford to live a decent comfortable lives. This means buying power, quality of life for an average salary. How are you going to address that? Why not talk about making Singaporean more competitive? How the education system, social policy needs to be changed to encourage more creative thinking? How the failures of these have not produced the results we need for Singapore to survive without these "Foreign Talents"?

 

[Ash007]

But here are some key indications:

1) Singaporeans can no longer afford a decent HDB flat. It takes two income earners to take up a 30 years mortgage to pay for a decent HDB flat. Singaporeans may need to pay a 35 years or even 40 years mortgage if things carry on like this.

[\QUOTE]

No one says its your god given right to own a decent HDB flat. Its a dream only for the unimaginative. There are other options that Singaporean can go for. One of them could be just owning something across the causeway. there is a long standing thread in this forum on that "Living in JB" I believe. Perhaps you can suggest that Singaporean do just that, and have the MRT extends to JB for that as well?

2) There will not be enough CPF savings for retirement for 80% of Singaporeans.
[\QUOTE]
Again, another unimaginative aspiration of Singaporean. I know of ex-vets, enjoying their retirement in Philippines, Thailand. If a place becomes too unbearable to live in, can't afford it, do something about it. Change the environment or change yourself.

3) Singaporeans will have no retirement at all and will have to work until the day they die. This is what PAP and the Main Stream Media trying to "mentally condition" Singaporeans into believing that working until death is "NORMAL" or even "GOOD FOR YOU".
[\QUOTE]
It is not a conspiracy that the MSM is trying to "mentally condition" Singaporean that working until death is "NORMAL". It is a post war generation mentality. My grandma, at the age of 92, is still active, and working. She is a seamstress and teaches people how to make cloths. She doesn't have to do it, but it keeps her happy. As long as you are happy doing it, why not? You seem to believe that everyone should follow some set of ideal way of living their lives.

4) There will be more people living in poverty when they get older. Well, new definition of poverty will emerge.
[\QUOTE]
And what is this new definition?

5) Social instability. There are already ground grumbles and whispers of great discontent on the ground. If this carries on without proper social safety net being set up, I really don't dare to imagine what will happen in the near future.

Until something happens its just more hot air and hearsay.

 

[Subok]

Dear GMS thinks he is a KNOW ALL....

Well all he does is show what he is a wonderboy here in INTERNET... half of more of his wretched life was spend and is still spending here while people in tampines hardly see him around.

He alone bears so much of allegations here where many accuse him of unfaithful husband, bad father, coveting other skirts etc. But he is not coming clean. Had his wife come out with a "white paper" testifying GMS non-infidelity?

Yes, we want PAP down. But to have someone with such suspicious character is much to be wanted.

I pitied those who follow this "thinks-he-is a-wise-bloke-knows-all" NUS grad.

Maybe we have no rights over his personal life but is he a successful businessman to begin with? Are his trade associates speaking up for him? IS he going around in a Mercedes or any luxury make cars?

Here is a man who potentially may be the next government because of the fact the ground is soured towards PAP and not because GMS is a "god-given".

Just by chance, GMS may get pass the gates, then do you want such man on the helm? One who what some alleged here, betrayed his marriage?

How I wish there is another box in the balloting paper, whereby you can vote against the ruling party but not vote for GMS aka NSP.

(BTW, GMS is synonymous to NSP as NSP by far is a OMO(S)- One Man Operation Show, feel say for the demise of NSP, as the personality of GMS already shadowed the good name of NSP)