SG Govt vs the people Divided?
The ‘Sea of suspicion’….
(The terrorist will attack where the people divide)
Why do most Singaporeans- not have the chance to vote during elections?
What is the true purpose of the ‘GRC’ system of elections? And-
Whom does the current principle of ‘GRC’ Serve mainly?
Is SG a democracy? Why is there reduced press freedom and a lack of transparency in Spore?
Are Singaporeans happy people?- Why are SGporeans not having enough children?
Will social instability increase when the rich poor divide widens?
Why did Singaporeans fail miserably in ‘terrorism awareness’ in a recent ‘rucksack test’ conducted at Raffles place MRT?
- In view of the a/m, what are the foreseeable problems facing Spore?
I see GRC and Ministerial salaries as divisive issues between SGporeans and their govt- one that needs urgent examination [prior to the coming elections].
Initially defined as a 4-person team contesting elections for constituency groups, where at least one member had to be of a minority raceÂ… the definition was subsequently widened to allow the formation of 6-person teams.
This is an unfortunate expansion as:
1. PAP knows that the opposition lacks manpower and political machinery- so by deliberately inflating the stakes, (more members per GRC favoring larger more organized parties), PAP has thus effectively ‘out priced’ opposition participation.
2. Sure there are single seat constituency available- but its only logical to conclude that many parties vying for the same seat- will only encourage a PAP win in a ‘first past the post’ election.
3. Increasing GRC MP nos. from 4 to 6 also prejudices the original ‘racial harmony [minority representation]’ theory by Diluting the minority race representation in a GRC from 25% to 16.6% (with the minimum of 1 minority race member representing).
6 MP groups is thus a cunning inflation of the original 3+1[minority race] concept- a deviation that if left unchecked will surely pervert the spirit of democracy in SGpore.
Ministers say that a high salary serves 2 purposes:
1) Reward for the wonderful work they do.
2) Sufficient remuneration so civil servants will avoid corruption.
3) And Mrs Goh CT’s ‘peanut remark’ and TT Durai’s ‘Golden taps’ and 1st class air travels only serve to exemplify the growing divide between the live styles of the rich and the poor in SGpore.
So the way I see it is that either:
1- PAP is self serving and thus uses extreme measures for self preservation- even blatantly undemocratic measures.
2- PAP does indeed have good intentions for SG – but Paternalistic as its members are- distrusts it’s citizens and the opposition so deeply- that they have resorted to deceitful measures to win democratic elections.
- Neither of the a/m 2 possibilities are good.
And the people:
- They are wonder if Singapore is a Democracy ruled like a Monarchy- Some say that it is a private limited company owned by the Lee familyÂ…
- They view with horror the widening rich-poor divide- the occasional unintended disclosure in court only highlighting the point.
- They view with suspicion how elections without voters are held- and wonder if our politicians are actually good men given the deceitful election games they play and the rules that they change.
- Depressing is the fact how Politicians are encouraged to be honest because of the promise of high salary… whilst common folk are forced to remain honest by virtue of ‘deterrent sentences’.
- They wonder why the high medical costs, the high costs of living- despite the PAP promise of ‘more good years’… so the demoralized who have decided to suffer no more… they commit suicide…
- The rest- they have become lazy- preferring to believe in the promises of the PAP- they will complain childishly when their needs are not met- too bad- having never learnt to vote, you canÂ’t expect them to ask for anything less then a realization of the promises made.
This situation does not augur well for Singapore:
A decreasing birth rate (1.24 instead of 2.10) means that Singaporeans have
1. Lost faith in their country/ future and donÂ’t want children to suffer.
2. Lost the appetite to procreate.
3. Have to work too hard to earn a living leaving no energy for sex.
4. Are too poor to have children/
5. Have become infertile due to stress/ pollution.
What should the PAP focus upon during the next election?
Political rivalry OR the welfare of Singaporeans.
The next lap will be a time of change and discovery, nothing less then a robust debate in parliament will prepare Singapore for the challenges that lie ahead.
[Disclaimer: there is no warranty on the accuracy of the a/m info which is based solely upon the authorÂ’s beliefs/ opinions.
Any replies / clarifications most welcome]
DPM Tan says Singaporeans have much to learn from London blasts
S. Ramesh, Channel NewsAsia
18 Jul 2005 1935 hrs (GMT + 8hrs)
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/cgi-bin/search/search_7days.pl?status=&search=terrorism&id=158513
SINGAPORE : Deputy Prime Minister Tony Tan warned Singapore could very well be the next target for terrorists. Â…
Â…..
Dr Tan mentioned a Channel NewsAsia news item which showed that Singaporeans were just not vigilant enough.
He said he watched the television programme where an unattended bag was deliberately left at Raffles Place and it was spotted by two American women.
Dr Tan said the two women had been used to such an attack that they decided to raise the alarm.
He reminded Singaporeans that they are "the eyes and ears, and the extended reach of the security agencies".
Dr Tan said it was just as important that the country's Muslims are well integrated into the community to prevent any backlash if there is a terror attack.
He said any backlash against the Muslim community could split the country and lay to waste the decades of hard work we have put in into nurturing racial and religious harmony, and in building up social resilience. - CNA/de
http://www.yeocheowtong.com/Salaries.html
http://www.youngpap.org.sg/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=5836&sid=882e18570eba6fc957d4834cf98a4b98
T. T. Durai, National Kidney Foundation's Annual Salary- S$600,000
Singapore President's Basic Salary US$1,483,000 (SGD$2,373,100)
Singapore Prime Minister's Basic Salary US$1,100,000 (SGD1,958,000)
Minister's Basic: US$655,530 to US$819,124 (SGD1,166,844 to SGD1,458,040) a year
United States of America
President: US$200,000
Vice President: US$181,400
Cabinet Secretaries: US$157,000
United Kingdom
Prime Minister: US$170,556
Ministers: US$146,299
Australia
Prime Minister: US$137,060
Deputy Prime Minister: US$111,439
Treasurer: US$102,682
Source: Asian Wall Street Journal July 10 2000.
Singapore President's salary which was updated in 2005 from the Singapore Straits Times.
Cost of living increases for Singapore: 2004- 2005.:
http://www.finfacts.com/costofliving.htm
(2004- 46th, 2005: 34th most expensive in the world)