Singapore Government Under PAP after LKY's hand

In looking through my journal recently, I came across a summary of a passenger's rhetoric on Singapore Government under PAP.

Here is one story in my journal that stands out from the rest.

January 31, 2019 -- I picked up a sixty-something Chinese man in Jurong and drove him to the airport, a thirty-minute ride, at 4 a.m.  

He told me he worked for many years as an accountant in various MNC and was leaving Singapore for good. He was joining his son in New Zealand and planned to work part-time or retire there.   

"Why are you leaving Singapore for good?," I asked him.

"I love Singapore, my birthplace but I hate PAP....The f***k.*@%"x! party". 

I was shocked beyond words and almost fell off my driving seat.

Before I could interrupt him in his sudden and long rhetoric that lasted the whole trip, he fished out his cellphone and asked me for my phone number. He wished to Whatsapp me a summary of his loathing of PAP and I obliged out of courtesy.

I kept his interesting abomination of PAP till today and would like to share it with you now in the spirit of an imminent Singapore general election.

Quote:

50 reasons why I hate PAP. 

1. PAP is not pro-worker. If anything, it is pro-GIC, pro-Temasek and pro-billionaires. PAP rigged the economy to favor the rich, powerful, and well-connected, thereby widening the income inequality gap between rich and poor Singaporeans. Our country is rich but for a minority privileged few. Imagine, the bottom 10% worker income is about $7/hr, the average worker about $25/hr, and the top 10% worker is $300/hr.  

2. The CPF Ordinary and Special accounts accumulated a total of S$272.8 billion but only S$6.4 billion or only 2% could be withdrawn for retirement purposes. On the other hand, 98% is taken by the PAP to invest in GIC, and accessible by Temasek Holdings.

3. The Medisave accumulated a total of S$102 billion, but only S$1.1 billion, or only 1% could be withdrawn for direct medical expenses.

Again, most of the rest of the 99% is invested in the GIC, and accessible by Temasek Holdings.

4. The MediShield Life, accumulated a total of S$8.3 billion, but only S$1.0 billion or only 12% were paid out in claims.

Again, GIC invests most of the rest of the balance, which is also accessible by Temasek Holdings.

 Only the Singapore government keeps such high surplus.

 5. 60% of a HDB flat price goes to land costs–land which the PAP owns and profits from.

Again, the land money goes to GIC, and Temasek Holdings.

Singapore is rich but most Singaporean are poor because most of the money is used to empower and enrich the GIC, and Temasek Holdings in their investment activities. How much of their investment gains is utilized to help poor Singaporeans?

6. With no minimum wage policy, there is negative real wage growth over the last 15 years. For political reason, PAP prefers to pay wage subsidies disguised PAP's assistances instead of implementing a minimum wage scheme.

7. PAP had failed miserably in trying to solve the low productivity of the Singapore economy that still depends on cheap foreign labor. 

8. PAP's many dismay social policies are the main cause of Singapore's Low Birth Rate, albeit started by LKY’s Stop @ 2 policy.

9. The sharp rise in the costs of living, housing, education, healthcare, and transport making Singapore the most expensive city to live in. GST to be raised to 9% between 2021 -2025.

10. (7), (8) and (9) resulted in a lower standard of living for Singaporeans. You can forget about GCT's Swiss Standard of Living and his FIFA World Cup goal. All BS! Post note: Lau Goh, now retired to enjoy his Swiss Standard of Living.

11. PAP initially kept secret its pro-foreign businesses and labor policies because it knew it was screwing Singaporeans. Out of 3.8 million workforces in Singapore, 1.5 million (40%) are foreigners. 

12. The CECA 2005 trade agreement with India allows unlimited inflow of cheap professionals with dubious qualifications and experiences to easily work in Singapore, thereby inevitably depressing wages and stole jobs of local professionals (PMET) and forcing many of them to become Grab/Taxi drivers. In return, India allows only GLC (Govt. Linked Companies) to invest in big projects there with no benefits to local Singaporeans.

13. Foreigners taking jobs away from Singaporeans when these foreigners are willing to accept wages as low as $500/month with housing, transport, and food provided. Can a Singaporean family survive at this wage or even $1000/month with HDB mortgages, food, transport, utilities, children's education, and health care expenses?.

14. Foreign students taking away places in local schools and universities that could have gone to Singaporeans.

15. Do you know that all SAP and autonomous schools are required by MOE to recruit a certain number of China students as scholars each year? These China scholars' school fees and lodging are fully paid for by PAP and they do not have to serve any bonds. 70% of these Government scholars break their bond, wasting taxpayers' money.

16. PAP broke a promise to payout CPF on retirement at 55. With no CPF money in hand at retirement, elderly folks have to clean tables, collect cardboard and sweep roads (not for exercise or boredom) to survive in this most expensive city-state in the world.

17. PAP does not want to tell Singaporeans the actual cost of building HDB flats and selling land to its own citizens at market rates. HDB is, therefore, selling over-priced HDB flats (prices doubled over the last 5 years) and profiteering at the expense of Singaporeans.

18. GCT created a property bubble as part of its Asset Enhancement Scheme. In reality, after 99 yrs HDB flats have zero value CPF accounts depleted after paying for HDB flat.

19. Only in Singapore, people have to sell or downgrade their homes to retire or else work into the seventies of their life or death.

20. PAP is dishonest with the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee. This committee is composed of civil servants and supposed to be independent but its under the control of the PM. Its not surprising that constituencies which saw close contests were merged or erased in the subsequent election.

21. PAP shamelessly encourages blatant double-standard routinely in policy enforcement like discriminately against low wage migrant workers compared to foreign talents and expatriates. Adding to my pax's rant in hindsight, I think PAP's MP broke C.B. rules go scotch free with no punishment while an old uncle fined $300 for a similar offense.

22. A Singapore student is fined $400 for using an unmarked power outlet in MRT station but PAP grassroots leaders get free public parking coupons.

23. No conflict of interest when the Auditor General audit her husband's Defend Ministry while he is a Senior Minister of State there.

24. Adverse accounting rating for PA (People Association) financial reports and yet its CEO is slated to stand for G.E. as a new PAP candidate. Where is the credibility of this PAP person?.

25. PAP ministers control and politicized POFMA.  The power should be taken from the Ministers and civil servants and given to an independent group. POFMA can be abused to silent critics.

26. PAP divides Singaporean for its own political agenda. We have no say in many things they did like the walk-over President. Only the PAP decides and it didn't care as they are prepared to pay a political price. Rightly so as 70% endorsed them.

27. PAP's population White Paper is flawed in many aspects. Its primary purpose is to boost GDP to enrich themselves as Ministers salaries are pegged to GDP and also to provides more gambling chips for GIC and Temasek. 

28. Many PAP MP abused their political positions to earns extra millions from directorships fee. The MP who has the most directorships in 2004 were Bukit Timah MP Wang Kai Yuen and Tampines GRC MP Ong Kian Min, each with 10 directorships. Most PAP MPs say no to cap on directorships. Why?.

29. To stay in power, PAP controls all trade unions, newspapers, radio, TV, People Association, Election Dept, and Presidency like in a dictatorship regime.

30. Frequent breakdowns of MRT and commuters suffered helplessly while a paper army general enjoys his million pay with no repercussions.

31. Failed privatization of public transport requiring billions in bailout and re-nationalization from Govt.

32. Public transport makes tens of millions each year, has frequent breakdowns, and gets $2b bailout from Government yet fares are raised.

33. PAP is out of touch with reality (Nasi Padang: $2.50 and Bandung: $0.50). PAP is an elitist party...for the rich and well connected. Vastly different from LKY's era ministers who really cares for the poor and Singapore. PAP has lost its way.

34. Rampant corruption in the Civil Service – FAS, SCDF, MFA, NCB, MDA, NParks, CPIB but PAP swiped all accusations under the carpets.

35. Lack of foresight. In today's context, Covid19 virus in foreign workers' dormitories is unexpected.

36. Big dormitories owners and operators are mainly PAP's lackeys. They make millions annually with horrendous over-crowded living quarters and when they flouted rules governing their businesses, MOM closed their eyes. COVID 19 opened their cans of worms.

37. P.A. (People Association) is a powerful tool of the PAP. It should be de-politicized as she is used to favour defeated PAP candidates over elected opposition MP.

38. PM's wife's salary is a State Secret.

39. Instead of answering questions on CPF, our PM prefers to sue a commoner for defamation. He also sued another commoner who simply shared a Facebook post without comment albeit that embarrassing post was about his family affair and its originator was his sister. 

40. Minister Edwin Tong's annual salary of $1.3 is not enough to feed his family and GCT agreed that Ministers are not paid enough. The latter claimed that any person who earns less than half a million annually is mediocre.

41. PAP MP guilty of overcharging client, no investigation nor reprimand.

42. Medishield Life: No subsidy for asset-rich, cash-poor Singaporeans.

43. No transparency. Nobody knows how much is in our National Reserve, how much losses in GIC & Temasek, GEO salary, etc...

44. Amend Constitution to deprive TCB of contesting, resulting in a walk-over President in a democratic country. Where is the legitimacy? Only a dictator could amend the constitution as he likes.

45. Abuse power to avoid demolishing 32 Oxley Road's house for political reasons and use parliament with 90% own party members to defend own self.

46. Own self check Own self. Own self Pay Own self. Legal corruption.

47. Employ all sorts of dirty tricks to fix the Opposition in all G.E. like gerrymandering electoral boundaries and dissolving constituencies if Opposition nearly won like Joo Chiat SMC in 2011 G.E. The dirtiest trick is abusing GRC to coattail untested, flawed and rejected candidates into parliament, some of whom became ministers. Isn't this a devilish diversion from the original purpose of GRC to entrench minority representation in parliament?

48. Cleverly using citizens' money in Singapore's Reserve to give generous cash handouts in a pre-determined G.E. to buy votes but deceived the uninitiated that the handouts are PAP's sincere efforts to help them tie over the pandemic. 

49. Give easy citizenship to foreigners to ensure 100% PAP's Parliament with this guaranteed New Citizens' votes. NS men still dying while FTs new citizens do not do NS.

50. Finally, PAP employs fear tactics to stay in power for decades. 

They say without PAP, Singapore will collapse :

you'll lose your job, the value of your flat will drop, your sister and daughter will become a maid in other countries, your estate will become a slum, will sue you till your pant drops, label you a traitor, if you're a loving critic like Alfian Sa'at.

Unquote:

A question that puzzles my whole life is "Why 65% - 70% of Singaporeans are still voting PAP, elections after elections? Why?

I'm a loyal Singaporean in my twilight years. I love Singapore but never voted for PAP except when LKY was in charge in the eighties. I do not trust the 4G, period.

I think we need more opposition members in parliament to bring PAP to accountability for their many failures and get them to show transparency in their dealings. Absolute power corrupts ultimate.