For many years since its independence, Singapore has been a model of excellence in governance. However, the situation has grown to be quite pathetic during in recent years. Here are some of the problems:
a) rampant cheating, e.g. land banking, toxic products
b) escalating cost of living and housing prices
c) stagnant wages, stressful and poor quality of life
d) wastefulness, such as the episode on payTV platforms
It is time for our leaders to address these issues.
Tan Kin Lian
The incumbent leaders may have become complacent due to the almost complete absence of competition in the political arena.
ReplyDeleteJust like in business, absence of competition may breed service arrogance and drop in product and service quality.
We have 50 + reporters at Jack Neo's press conference (a private affair beside some moral issue). What about GIC , Temasek , Minibond fisaco, losing billions of dollars, who is answerable to the public? Media groups - have you got your priority correct?
ReplyDeleteOne more thing is leaders should not get involved in sex scandals. In the recent Jack Neo sex scandal, one minister and one MP expressed their supports for Jack Neo. The latter even commented that "it's normal for successful men to have extra marital affairs". I can't believed what I read in that report. Is he saying that one day he will too? Mind you, he's a president scholar and one day he will become a minister if all progress well. It makes me worried what kind of leaders we have ? I think his wife should be worried now after reading his comments on the blog. I cannot accept that our leaders get involved in this kind of trivial things and even expressed support and making those comments. Don't they have more important things to do ??? They also did not find out the details before jumping to support Jack Neo. From te press reports the last few days, I have the impression that this film director had systematically and progressively planned his sexual exploitation of young and naive women who want to make show biz their career. Sad thing this happen in S'pore; I used to think it only happen in HK and Hollywood. May be our president should take back his public service medal and in future guage a person's moral character properly before handling them the medal.
ReplyDeleteUnlikely for govt leaders to address these issues because no spurs in their hides. Bet they spend more effort & energy to think up ways to preserve their ruling power and status quo than to bother with such matters.
ReplyDeleteThose other people not in power but are enjoying the status quo with good salaries, stable careers, jobs in GLCs and MNCs also don't want to rock the boat. They curry favour with the powers that be and criticise those who question the govt. These people are just products of this selfish govt, just looking out for themselves.
Very often, an issue was addressed in Spore but never given a good solution and enforced.
ReplyDeleteImportant issues like traffic, property, foreign worker and productivity. Even there is a proposed solution, it still need to be enforced to see if it works. I don't agree COE, BTO and levy are the acceptable solutions. The lack of enforcement in many other issues has been wasteful. Examples are using mobile phone while driving, safety belt, littering, belongings left in common area posing risk to public, etc. These are issues left unresolved after a long time. Money spent but no result achieved - wasteful exercise.
Addressing the problems is not enough but the determination to solve the problems. Standard relies given by the authority are just too disappointing as the answer clearly implies nothing will be done. It is sad to see such replies are so short of IQ and irresponsible.
After reading this blog on land banking, I thank my lucky star that 1 Minibond is enough to make my hair grow white.
ReplyDeleteThis afternoon, I received a call from xxx Strategy marketing department selling land banking. Some tricks to draw my attention:
i) I am one of the few VIP selected with free trips some place.
ii) Great opportunity to earn money etc.
iii) Company is new thus providing lots of goodies.
I did not let her continue and politely end the call.
So, to everyone reading, land banking marketing is making a come back. Take care....
REX comments on anon,12.54 pm as follows,
ReplyDeleteI went to the Temasak Review site and could not find the words you guote --"it's normal for successful men to have extra marital affairs---".
From what i saw in TR blog, they translated the chinese version of the MP lim biow chuan statement as "Actually, a man who has good career development would find such scenarios unavoidable,” the original chinese papers report was a tad different "一個男人在事業上有很好的發展，難免會有這種事情發生“
The translation seems to be inaccurate. The words 難免 is critical to the meaning of the sentence. 難免 means "it is difficult to avoid". It does not mean "it is normal to do so". He was not necessarily condonng it as in "it is normal to do so".
But the biggest joke is that the minister now totally denied everything and said that he was totally misquoted even by SPH government media, he insisted in his blog tht he actually said "for such an incident to happen it was so sad and pitiful".
It is getting very confusing.
REX
Dear Mr Tan
ReplyDeleteYour headline "Leaders should address important issues" is self evident and self explanatory.
Are important issues being addressed? NO!
Is Jack Neo's extra-marital affair an important issue? NO!
Is Jack Neo's extra-marital affair receiving attention from some of our leaders? YES!
Has Jack Neo's extra-marital affair received more prompt attention and support from our leaders and news media than the mini-bonds affair? YES!
CONCLUSION?
We have no leaders... since important issues are not being addressed.
The Singapore aeroplane has been on auto-pilot for far too long. Will the real pilot please stand up or wake up?
Go and see your MP!
ReplyDeleteIdeally, our leaders should address these important issues, and not prolong them.
ReplyDeleteThey have "no choice" but allowed these to happen.
It is time the people wake up from their slumber and see beyond the materialistic lifestyle and lead a more meaningful and healthier lifestyle.
Well, they are addressing "important" issues-- when will the chewing be lifted ?
ReplyDeleteI think we are now in a situation similar to that of a frog (singaporeans) in a pot of water (policies) that has a fire (government) below that is slowly heating the water to boiling point.
ReplyDeleteIt is still not too late for the frog to save itself.
quote: CONCLUSION?
ReplyDeleteWe have no leaders... since important issues are not being addressed.
The Singapore aeroplane has been on auto-pilot for far too long. Will the real pilot please stand up or wake up? /unquote
Hi Anon, absolutely agree with you! We have a bunch of incompetents, 82 to be exact, in the sham parliament.
Shhhhh....
ReplyDeleteDont wake them up from their slumber.
Otherwise, they'll demand another few million dollars more each to do real work.
rex comments on anon@ 11:03 AM
ReplyDeleteNice analogy there. However these frogs which number 66% are mostly deaf, some even blind, some dumb, so much so that perhaps a lot of them, they don't know the fire is boiling below them.
And basking in the warmth of the water they feel happy, and say, it's nice, how can people be grumbling, stupid grumblers. Daddy-o who nurtured me since birth, he's the greatest, he knows what to do and will take care of me always, he's the greatest.
rex
The real tragedy that is going to hit us and the world is when the almighty US defaults on its debt obligations with the world.
ReplyDeleteTrillions of dollars in debts. If they dare to raise interest rates, they will drown in the interest repayments.
75 million baby boomers starting to retire. If each even draws just 1k from their Social security, that's 75 billion a month.
Since they only know how to print money and issue more debts with glorious sounding names like Treasuries, they are going to kill their own dollar.
Since all commodities are priced in dollars, guess what happens to the cost of living.
Correct me if i am wrong Mr Tan.
Look at social security. What would happen if our CPF money had been replaced by Singapore Treasuries?
"It is time for our leaders to address these issues"
ReplyDeleteThe Govt was deaf on Minibond issue thus leading to MAS being deaf because the chairman and the deputy chairman are from the Govt.
For things they cannot solve, they just become deaf and ignore. This approach helped them to pay themselves millions of tax payers money thus again proven very effective. Don't bet on them to change or agree with you that these are important problems. They are not and will not as they are all living in another planet.
Kin Lian
ReplyDeleteGreat observations! Great post!
For the people of Singapore, can you forecast what Singapore will be like in 5 years time?
Cannot? Look at what happened over the last 5 years.
Let me add a few more assumptions & observations:-
ReplyDeleteOur Government has been on auto-pilot and seriously can do as well or as bad with about 30% of the current Ministers/ Ministers of State etc.
Our Civil Service/ Town Councils can also do with some Re-structuring with hardly any observable drop in service level !
Hi, I am curious if you are going to run for elections, if not as President then as an Opposition MP?
ReplyDeleteThe Singapore regulator does not regulate toxic products from reaching Singaporeans. They are good in generating a good GDP number so that it can be use to regulate the ministers' salary....
ReplyDeleteI get intoxicated when I see toxic products not regulated & get blown out of control. Obviously, we are responsible for owe actions! after reading about the Madoff Ponzi schemes etc.
ReplyDeleteIn my past employment,I also experienced stagnant wages,lower bonuses with multi-tasking(stressful) and frustrating that resulted my health to deteriorate so as to quit working due to natural attrition!
I have been working hard to write to Ministry of Law, MAS etc to highlight such cases and request for authorities to address some of these selling which led to citizen's loss of hard earned money.
ReplyDelete