On the plane to Jeddah, I met a Singaporean lecturer. He recognized me and told me, in his soft spoken way, about the four challenges faced in Singapore:
- Transport. Many people spend up to 3 hours daily on transport. This is a big waste of productivity.
- Housing prices. It is too costly.
- Medical cost. The cost of medical treatment for his mother was so expensive that he had to downgrad from a private property.
- Education. It is too stressful and costly.
I replied that these challenges affect everybody and is a real test of whether the Government has build a good environment for the people.
If a lecturer, who is probably in the top 40% income bracket, can feel this way, what more the bottom 60%?
ReplyDeleteThe bottom 30% probably just live day by day. The bottom 10% will likely be living from 1 hour to another hour or even minute to minute. Becoming like animals, just thinking of survival for the next few minutes.
On 3rd December pm, I send a group of rich Thais off at Terminal 1. A ask B:
ReplyDelete"Why is the old man employed to push row of heavy trolleies (cart)?" The old man looks like in his 70s with one leg long one leg shorter ! B could not answer it.
Prior departure Singapore, Thais B was in China Town having kopi-O with us. He had told me: " LKY is very smart" !