Singapore Matters

2022-05-12 04:05:21 Well done, LTA!

Reported on 6th May. Fixed on 9th May. Open / Comment

2022-05-11 09:32:24 There, you have it.

There are many people who live in a post-fact world. Their feelings are more true than the facts of the matter. They will not stop to consider the facts. They are convinced they are right. Not only that, they are evangelists of their feelings.

S$30,000 is not a small sum to a Singaporean. If someone has pocketed this sum that belongs to you, would you not be angry? Would you not try to get it back?

Lim Tean's client made a police report against him for CBT and somehow this is the PAP's fault? Somehow, it is opposition-fixing?

Some of their comments even border on defamation. Wonder if they realise it?

Don't live in a post-fact world. We are each endowed with grey matter that should not go to waste. Open / Comment

2022-05-11 07:19:50 Politicians can make all kinds of lies in order to rile people up or boost their chances in an election.

But we must also use our brains and consider the things they tell us, whether they make sense at all.

Why would anyone believe that the Singapore Government is targeting to grow its population to 10 million by 2030.

10 million is almost double of our present population. Do we have the capacity to build homes for another 5 million people in 10 short years, like duplicating every housing estate once over in just 10 years? Do we have the desalination plants to generate water for consumption for another 5 million people? Do we have hospitals to take care of the healthcare needs of another 5 million?

Come on, people!

"Let me be clear: The Government has never proposed or targeted for Singapore to increase its population to 10 million. And if we look at today’s situation, our population is likely to be significantly below 6.9 million by 2030."
- DPM Heng Swee Keat in 2020 Open / Comment

2022-05-10 10:51:45 This is the problem we have today. So many dishonest politicians who want to act as a 'check and balance' on a government more honest than they.

That's not all. The scary part is that there are many voters who actually believe their future will be better if these politicians form the government instead of the PAP. They are working for the PAP to be voted out of government.

Nightmare for us if their dream comes true. Not impossible though as many of these politicians are gifted with glib tongues. Open / Comment

2022-05-10 07:12:31 With our borders now open, tourists are starting to come here again. We will be able to collect GST on their spending.

Why would we deny ourselves this avenue? In pre-covid time, tourists and foreigners accounted for the bulk of NET GST collected which are spent on Singaporeans.

Even with GST, it is still the rich who are paying the bulk of taxes because they have more spending power. BUT a goods and services tax allows the lower income group to do their part in nation building. They make a small contribution to the GST but receive outsize benefits. Open / Comment

2022-05-10 06:42:00 ​​The destruction follows months of street protests as Asia's fastest inflation and mismanagement of government finances lead to shortages of food and fuel.

It was the people who elected the government for their populist campaign promises.

Rampant corruption and populism brought the country to ruin.

In Singapore, we do not have a problem of corruption because the ruling PAP upholds honesty and integrity and will deal with corruption even if it is embarrassing or inconvenient.

BUT, we also have leaders in the opposition who see nothing wrong with lying to cover up their failures, leaders who mismanaged Town council funds without showing any remorse but played political persecution instead. And supporters who hold them to no standard at all, who have no expectations of them except to replace the PAP. They are ready to condone what their leaders did. Somehow, everything is the PAP's fault..

We cannot guarantee that the PAP will always be in power.

If one day, we are ruled by a dishonest government that mismanages the country, it's because we deserve it. Yes. You always get the government you deserve. If you hold leaders to no standard, you get no standard. If you are okay with lies, you will be fed more lies.

"Protests are going to continue as the economic situation worsens," said Smruti S. Pattanaik, a senior research fellow at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses in New Delhi.

"Unfortunately, there are no easy solutions for the people of Sri Lanka. Negotiations with the IMF are going to be long drawn and even then the remedial measures will mean further hardships."

https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/south-asia/violence-erupts-in-sri-lanka-after-leaders-brother-quits-as-pm Open / Comment

2022-05-09 09:42:23 Sri Lanka was better than Singapore when Singapore achieved independence but today Sri Lanka is bankrupt.

Singapore has one of the few good governments left in the world but probably also little appreciated. The government could have easily implemented populist policies to make themselves popular (and stay in power) but they didn't because it is more important to them, to build a thriving Singapore than to make themselves popular. So sometimes they do unpopular but necessary things at the risk of losing votes or being voted out of government even.

The Opposition in Singapore offers populist alternatives like FREE transport, no GST hike, take from reserves instead. Also, take from only a small group of people. Tax only the wealthy.

You can't run a country this way. You cannot lay the burden of tax on a small group of people while the rest of the population just piggy ride on the benefits. You don't have a social compact this way that can hold people together to move forward as one cohesive people. Open / Comment

2022-05-09 05:46:48 ​​Post-pandemic, it's a different world, more fractured, volatile and unpredictable. Domestically, we have to deal with the challenges of a rapidly ageing population and more diverse and complex needs, not forgetting climate change.

Why would PSP Leong Mun Wai not welcome Minister Lawrence Wong's announcement that the 4G team will lead a major exercise to refresh our social compact?

The complexity of our society has changed, so our social compact needs an update to keep it relevant so that we remain a cohesive society that will move forward together.

Our future is more than just a matter of immigration numbers. It is better that the opposition stops exploiting the 'us vs them' mentality for political gains if they truly care for Singaporeans.

Good government is not always about giving people what they want all the time. It is impossible to give everyone what they want because people do not all want the same thing. And what we want may not bring a good outcome for the country.

Populism will lead us to ruin. We should not take good government for granted. We should not assume that the PAP will always form the next government. Why? Because we have seen how politicians, found by the courts to be dishonest, were rewarded by their supporters with more votes. Open / Comment

2022-05-08 02:00:00 ​​Happy Mother's Day! Open / Comment

2022-05-07 04:46:55 Wow, it looks like there is not just an upward trend of people voluntarily contributing to their CPF, there is also an upward trend of people choosing to defer their monthly payouts!

In just 2 years from 2019 to 2021, the proportion of people who choose to defer payouts when they reach 65 has gone up by at least 10% (43% to 54%).

Members have wised up to the emotive and false arguments floated by the 'return my CPF' gang.

You can defer your payouts by any number of months or years but not beyond. 70. Once you hit 70, no deferment is allowed. Those who choose to defer payouts until 70 will receive 30% more in monthly payouts, thanks to attractive CPF interest rates. Open / Comment