Just read this, (Click.) and this, (Clickclick )
Food for thought? Yes.
"...Train Officer Tin is a PR refusing to take up citizenship. He has it all plan out for his retirement. He already bought land and built a huge freehold house in Sabah. In another few years time – In fact any time from now if he feels like it – he could just cash out his CPF and sell off his flat to return to his hometown. He will bring his family back to Sabah. He could easily bring back to Sabah more than RM1,000,000! Sale of his 4 room flat plus all his CPF savings.
There are many PRs like Train Officer Tin. Some are from Sarawak, Sabah and Johore Bahru. Those that live in JB commute daily to work here. With OT and allowances converted to RM, it’s easily RM6,000 per month. Only professionals earn that kind of pay there.."
Its easy for everyone to say that it is unfair that these people, (i.e. Malaysian citizens who travel to Singapore to work) and the amount they earn when converted back to their country's currency is twice the value and they can go back to their country eventually and live a good life. But have you imagined the hard work they put in? I have one such colleague now who commutes daily to work FROM JB. Waking up everyday at 5am is no joke. To spend almost 4 hours everyday just to travel to and fro from your home to your workplace. Can you imagine how exhausting it is! These people would not be able to spend much time with their family and friends as opposed to us. If the roles were to be reversed, would you have been as hardworking, as willing to give up your social life and family life for the sake of doing better in life? Unfortunately in most cases, we don't.
In case you're wondering, why am I so pro-government and "brain washed". No, I wasn't born into a family with old money. No, I am not a super intelligent girl with a fully paid scholarship to any elite University anywhere. In fact, I am just a plain old Taxi Driver's daughter who graduated from a polytechnic in 2010 with an average GPA. My parents do not have the means to send neither me nor my brother through University so I've been working since I graduated in 2010. I do not have it easy in life as compared to the typical Singaporean who are able to AT LEAST afford a University education once they graduate from JC/Poly/ORD. However, you don't see me lamenting EVERY FREAKING DAY about how sad my life is and how the government fucks up all the time from issues pertaining to housing to transport to how overpriced the charsiew rice is at ION Orchard (yes I actually seen somebody tweet that before #ohgodwhy).
Call me young, call me immature, call me the frog in the well who hasn't been through most of my life to comment on something like housing and politics. But all I can say is just how sick and tired I am of people my age, my generation, comparing Singapore to other countries in the world and how 'untaken' care of we are.
Granted maybe there are some issues that our government could do better in, but have you thought about the things that they did do right? Humans have this way of never seeing the things that people do for us, and only the things that they don't do for us. Even if they do see it, they take it as, they should have done it for us.
I have seen friends commenting on the fact that other countries like Libya and what their dictator, Gaddafi has done for the country. I saw this article floating on FB, and reading it on face value generates the idea that even a dictator seems to treat his citizens better than a democratic government does.
"The unknown facts about the Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi:
1. There is no electricity bill in Libya; electricity is free for all its citizens.
2. There is no interest on loans, banks in Libya are state-owned and loans given to all its citizens at 0% interest by law.
3. Home considered a human right in Libya – Gaddafi vowed that his parents would not get a house until everyone in Libya had a home. Gaddafi’s father has died while him, his wife and his mother are still living in a tent.
4. All newlyweds in Libya receive $60,000 Dinar (US$50,000) by the government to buy their first apartment so to help start up the family.
5. Education and medical treatments are free in Libya. Before Gaddafi only 25% of Libyans are literate. Today the figure is 83%.
6. Should Libyans want to take up farming career, they would receive farming land, a farming house, equipments, seeds and livestock to kick-start their farms – all for free.
7. If Libyans cannot find the education or medical facilities they need in Libya, the government funds them to go abroad for it – not only free but they get US$2,300/mth accommodation and car allowance.
8. In Libyan, if a Libyan buys a car, the government subsidized 50% of the price.
9. The price of petrol in Libya is $0.14 per liter.
10. Libya has no external debt and its reserves amount to $150 billion – now frozen globally.
Great Man-Made River project in Libya… $27 billion
11. If a Libyan is unable to get employment after graduation the state would pay the average salary of the profession as if he or she is employed until employment is found.
12. A portion of Libyan oil sale is, credited directly to the bank accounts of all Libyan citizens.
13. A mother who gave birth to a child receive US$5,000
14. 40 loaves of bread in Libya costs $ 0.15
15. 25% of Libyans have a university degree
16. Gaddafi carried out the world’s largest irrigation project, known as the Great Man-Made River project, to make water readily available throughout the desert country."
Most people would just see this, take it as it is, and share it. They usually won't be bothered to assess if the above claims are true, and if so, to what extent. I read up (albeit not extensively) and chanced upon an interesting comment that pretty much summarises what I feel too, just with more facts.
"Dictators, theocracies, and other governments of that type always make these sorts of claims. Saudi Arabia is a country I'm familiar with and has a lot of the same kind of things Libya does. The problem is in the details they don't tell you.
There are public hospitals that are free. The problem is that many of the docs are Sudani or Pakistani and are more familiar with veterinary work than working on people.
Universities are free, but the students graduate with degrees in "Koranic Recitation" and "Islamic Jurisprudence" rather than anything useful. Of course, the other problem is with the wealthier students bribing the profs for a passing grade on the finals. The profs are mostly Palestinian and are desperately poor so bribery is a big issue.
Citizens with serious ailments may be sent abroad for specialized treatments. The problem is that this tends to be either members of the royal family or those with access to them. "Abdullah Average" doesn't have much chance of being sent anywhere.
Gasoline is cheap in Saudi and probably Libya as well. After all, they're practically floating on the stuff so why shouldn't it be?
Another one is the Chinese "barefoot doctors." A Chinese guy in Saudi was telling me that if the barefoot doctor was your only medical care, you'd better make your will. Little to no medicines and basic training at best.
All those governments make these kinds of claims but the truth on the ground is usually something VERY different."
Just as you would highlight to me the last statement (in the context of our government), allow me to direct you to that same statement. All we hear of is how other countries provide free healthcare, free housing for their citizens. But what we do not hear of, are the consequences and the exact details of such policies. Not every country is perfect, and not every policy would work in any other country.
"Housing is so expensive, how can I afford a house next time? Government not doing anything."
We complain that our government is not doing anything. But do you realise that Singapore has the highest rate of home 'ownership'? 'Ownership' with inverted commas because HDBs are actually leased. In a way, HDB still owns them until 99 years since the construction is up. My point is Singaporeans (IMHO) are really 身在福中不知福. I am sure many of us have travelled overseas and encountered countries that have relatively huge amount of homeless people roaming the streets.
"Stupid NS, waste my time. Why must NS be compulsory!"
Controversial topic here. As I have said many times, I am truly grateful and appreciative to all Singaporean males out there who have been through NS, or or about to go through it. I truly and sincerely appreciate you 'wasting' your time on learning on how to defend our country, of which many has now despised, to call their home. Thank you. But what you need to know, is that for a small country like Singapore, with a relatively (come on its insanely small for a country with our achievements) small population of 3.7 million, we don't have the luxury of being given the choice, whether or not you want to serve NS. We need the numbers. Thats why its compulsory. I know the guys out there will say, "why not enlist girls! That'll be fair!".
I know during the 2 years that these males are in NS, we girls get the '2 years headstart' to our careers. Be it onto University, or into the workforce. When the males get out of army, the girls who had been into University would more or less be out in the workforce, bringing home a pay of averagely $2.5k, whereas males of the same age would have just started studying. 2 years later when they graduate, even with the additional pay of $100/- per month (due to NS), the girls would still be earning more. Thats the scenario of University route.
Now lets talk about the workforce route. After poly education, the girls get into the workforce with an average pay of $1.8k. After the boys have ORDed (approximately 2 years), they would enter the workforce with an average pay of $1.9k to $2k. But the catch is, the girls who have garnered 2 years of experience and her pay would have increased to approximately $2k to $2.2k! And so the cycle goes on.
But let me remind you, there is something called inequality at work. No matter how hard we work, there is still something that would eventually come our way called pregnancy. When that happens, after 9 months, a baby will pop out and we get something called maternity leave. Contrary to popular belief, maternity leave is not as good as it sounds. I have heard, first hand, from ex-colleagues who know that. During that 4 months of leave, you are practically useless. When you come back to work, you can't remember much. You have to learn from scratch, that all these affects your work performance and indispensability to the company. Not to mention, our priorities then would be shifted more towards building a better home, and being a better mom. In a way, by the time we get to that point, you would notice that the males would then be moving towards a better role and position to further their careers, while ours just stops there. Unless we can find a way to juggle both work and family. (In my terms, juggle family is not to really rely entirely on the domestic helpers because thats just pushing the responsibility to the domestic helpers. I mean actually spending quality time with the kids and not just about sponsoring their education and basic needs. But we'll come to that when I become a mother.)
So there, thats my perception on the '2year headstart'.
All in all, I feel that its time we learn to stop expecting the world to be served to us on a silver platter. The world doesn't owe you a living. Only you can make your life better. I get it if you are frustrated when you've exhausted all means, you've tried your very best but still things don't go your way.
But if what you're doing is
a) Wishing for something above your means, meagre pay expecting to buy a good property thats near facilities and prime location.
b) Procrastinating your whole life, or just doing the bare minimum and expect to be highly sought after by top companies and be well paid
c) if you're just not doing enough and you expect to reap a whole lot more..
just fuck off la ok.
Even I know that I'm doing (b), and I need to get my shit together to be able to lead the life i truly want. At least I don't blame the government for the life I'm leading now!
I'll end off with 2 posts from Alvin. I read these 2 posts during GE2011 period, and felt strongly towards.
Post One
"When Thaksim was in power,
Thailand’s economy was at its peak,
But were people seeing that?
Or were they seeing the sidelines?
So at the end of the day, what is to you,
that really matters?
When we were young,
and Daddy dint always do the best things that the family agreed upon.
Sometimes daddy made mistakes.
he used the family money to invest in stocks,
sometimes he won, sometimes he lost.
he invited friends over our place for dinner,
some we knew, some we werent quite fond of.
Sometimes..
And comes a man, offering me a lollipop,
with words promising me that he will treat me nice,
give me everything.
But will i?
No, not today, not ever,
for after all these years,
it was daddy oh great that brought me up this old and this wise.
Who kept me safe from all the storm as i was growing up,
who ensured i had food on my table,
who ensured i was well fed,
who brought me education,
and gave me all i had growing up.
And i understood that the decision he made,
wasnt just for me,
as given the position he had in the family,
he couldnt only care for me,
he had to look at a bigger picture,
Daddy oh daddy,
i trust u will bring this family to a higher place.
-Alvin Soo.T.G
mayb its because of where i am and how i got there, being in the military has given me much more insights to running a team, a unit, a country. Again, all this said has nothing to do with me now serving my NS liability. But as a officer, i learnt that its always easier to see things from the outside, from a third party point of view. When i was learning the ropes from my upperstudy, i had alot of plans and thoughts, why couldnt this be done this way… if only we do this…. im gonna do this….. this would be a better way….
but as he left and i stepped into power, i realise, as with many other commanders, who try to make a change upon stepping up a new appointment, i realise why things werent done the way i thought it could, i met barriers, restrictions, directives, considerations. I realise, i wasnt that smart fellow that thought of that solution first, many before me have tried, but failed, and thats why they werent doing what i thought could.
I agree, that to a certain extent, polictics should have a fair amount of opposition, but i stay a firm believer on the majority to be held by one party, one that has been proven for years. But when one too many feels that way, and decides to be the one trying to make a difference, this could lead to a potential disater.
Because at the end of the day,
u ask me,
i say,
it rounds down to,
what are u looking at?
Are you looking at the glass half full
or the glass half empty
The 75% sucess
or the 25% failure/setbacks?
E.g are you looking at the annual 5~6% GDP spent and the 2 years NS liabilty
or are u looking at that money and time spent,
into making all of us safe and sound,
into building a strong and deterring force
They say the one party is trying to dominate,
MM Lee quote
“What political party helps another party come into power?”
So was it wrong for them to TRY to dominate?
it may not be in everybodys interest, but who does that, and say
“Come, share my pie”
Would the opposition party do that once theyre in power,
would they not try to dominate?
Quotes
Remember that for a country that’s only 46 years old we have achieved one of the world best airlines, ports, fourth largest foreign-exchange trading centre after London, New York and Tokyo, an amazing armed forces(haha), transport system.
-VJ
it is evident that ____ has raised our country. From a poor fishing village to a cosmopolitan city with far sighted goals in the economic progress of our country, we all have to undeniably credit it to the current government. Inevitably, like every human being, the ___ cannot please everyone with their decisions and are not utterly perfect in every deed they do. However, time (the best evidence) has proved us right in continuously supporting the ___. Especially under the leadership of LKY, our country has prospered.
-LC
MM Lee, The grandfather of singapore, “Ah Gong”
One i hold in high regard,
One that deserves our utmost respect,
the vision and his words that pierced into everyone that sits down and listens.
If only you had the time to hear him speak,
his words blow you away.
Even though more often than not i find myself end up having to
flip the dictionary to understand his phrases.
*Disclaimer: Above is the view of an individual and does not represents the thoughts of the people or company he works in/with."
Post Two.
"See, im not entirely against opposition.
But im gonna quote a few sentences by PM Lee in his recent release
I hope you will understand when these problems vex you or disturb you or upset your lives, please bear with us, we are trying our best on your behalf
No government is perfect… we will make mistakes
But when it happens we should acknowledge it, we should apologise, take responsibility, put things right. If we are to discipline somebody, we will do that, and we must learn from the lessons and never make the same mistake again
Overall, however, the government “has been right more often than wrong
So please come forward, take your path in building this nation, but also please take good care of Singapore. It’s a precious jewel, understand it, how it works, what its important components are, what’s the spirit of it, how to make it better.”
-PM LEE
Like i’ve been emphasing and reemphasing to my friends, my blog readers and people around me,
time and time again,
the key thing to vote upon is,
what ARE you looking at?
if the things you are looking at,
are a surface problem or if that problem is for the nation of singapore?
If youre complaining about you, your son, having to serve 2 years national service,
that, is a surface problem,
you wouldnt like it, noone does,
but thats cause you dont see it is a must for singapores security.
And quite frankly to me,
the rising gambling blame on the gov due to the opening of the casino,
is too, a surface problem,
because the opening of the resorts brought up our economy.
There has been a rise in the number of opposition this year,
with due to the happenings in the past 5 years,
but quote and unquote PM Lee
No government is perfect.
Then again, the things you would want to point fingers at the gov for,
have you seriously sat down and thought about them.
Seriously, floods?
If WP or SDP or any other opposition took up parliment,
would the floods stop coming?
In my most humblest opinion,
what disses me off the most,
is for people, my age, to adopt the
“I’m voting for the opposition cause some of them make sense, and i want to have a change, the rest of nation issues, i’ll leave to the rest of the PAP GRC”
Im sorry you were born with a silver spoon,
and dont have to worry about singapore’s economy as your forefathers did.
I’m sorry you only care about,
the packed trains and buses due to the foreign labor.
I’m sorry you were brought up in sucha safe environment that supporting the opposition
makes you feel great being the bad guy, u wish u was in sec sch.
But do you not see, that the you today,
not having to worry about singapore’s GDP/economy,
is due to the gov that led us to where we are today.
Do you not see if an excessive(in my estimate, if 1/4 or more of the seats)
were won by opposition, how it would affect policy implentation and
thus result in the fall.
We work hard and long to reach singapores standing today,
population to population,
we have one of the highest count of millionaires in this small city alone,
compared to our neighbors.
If foreign workers leave,
whose gonna do all the manual labor?
Is it you?
The one born with a silver spoon?
Would you work from 12am to 8am building roads?
Would you clean our toilet cubicles?
I know im gonna diss many off with this,
but im sorry,
i’m not a fan of low thia kiang,
first of all,
i believe a minister should be one,
who speaks english fluently.
and second of all,
i cant stand those that spend all day trying to put down the gov,
trying to point out the mistakes of the gov,
trying to voice the bad of the gov.
What good does that do to you?
Screaming, swearing, going against the gov.
But what for?
And worse of all,
when asked what are your plans?
You say, youre not in power yet,
and do not wish to make empty promises.
To me, thats just bull.
Its kinda like complaining,
about your teacher,
not doing this, doing that wrong,
and when asked, what would you have done different and you have no answer.
Another hot concern is of singapores gov being highly paid.
And MM Lee has address this time and time again,
the reasons behind it.
Because we are a small country that cannot afford mistakes,
we have to have the ability and holding power to hold
people of high calibre in politics,
to prevent these qualities from floating into the private sectors.
Which part of that is so hard to understand?
Again imho,
there are oppositions that i do wish get into parliment too,
opposition that makes sense,
opposition that genuinely raise the concern of the people,
oppositions of intelligence and equal calibre,
oppositions that can help remind the gov on issues it may have overlooked
and not getting into parliment just to be of a nuisance and scrutinise every single gov action or try to slap anyone
Oppositions like Nicole Seah & Chiam See Tong
her rallies makes sense
and she seems to be one that matches the above mentioned qualities
neither am i a pro pap,
for one, i think Dr.Vivian is gonna lose,
imo.
But oh well, come what may,
May 7th 
its 336am and ive been typing this while doing my daily politics catchup for over 2 hrs nw,
and its time for bed
Last with this:
Particularly loving the phrase:
“A line has to be drawn”
“The member hasnt suggested that i should resign that i appointed…….”
A line has to be drawn, on what of the bad today can you truely blame on the gov.
And the gov has in fact as mentioned, has had more rights than wrongs.
A student who has always been the top of his game,
had good grades during exams,
helps his students,/
but out of 365 days a year,
was late for 10 days.
Is that kid a bad kid?
Are you looking at the 10 bad? or the 355 good?"
Disclaimer:
Just my two cents worth, all quotes credit to their respective sources. Pardon my English, if there were to be any incorrect use of vocabulary, grammer or whatsoever. No malice intended, should you perceive my ramblings as offensive.
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