How to deal with inadequate CPF savings

The government is worried that citizens do not have enough CPF savings to meet their old age needs.

They deal with this problem as follows:

a) Ensure that a large proportion of CPF contributions are set aside for old age in the special account

b) Restrict the withdrawal of the CPF savings

c) Introduced rules to require the CPF savings to be withdrawn in monthly sums over a lifetime, i.e. the CPF Life scheme

They are worried that the citizens will have insufficient savings and have to rely on the state for welfare.

In spite of the restrictions, a certain percentage of the citizens will end up in this scenario. In most cases, they did not have adequate savings during their working life. This could be due to low earnings or an extended period of unemployment.

https://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=3286

WOTC - Call general election during pandemic

Wisdom of the Crowd: 78% of the respondents disagree with the decision of the government to call the general election during the pandemic.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart.aspx?ID=2024

WOTC - Lee HY involvement in GE2020

Wisdom of the Crowd: 44% of the respondents said that Lee HY will help the PSP to win some seats. 38% said that he has given credibility to the party by his involvement.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart.aspx?ID=2025

Start with allowing early withdrawal of CPF savings

Minister Tharman said that unemployment insurance may be considered, if the economic situation gets worse.

https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/unemployment-benefits-may-be-considered-if-there-high-structural-unemployment-over-time?

I doubt that the government can come to the stage of implement unemployment insurance. It will never happen.

I suggest that they should allow withdrawal from the CPF savings. If a person is unemployed for more than 3 months, he (or she) should be allowed to withdraw from the CPF account a monthly sum of 70% of the average monthly salary earned during the past year.

This will deplete the CPF savings but it will be a problem that can be addressed in the future, several decades down the road. It is better to solve the current problem, and not worry too much about the distant future.

If one day, when the comes come home, the PAP government decides to implement unemployment insurance, it will be great. But let us start with allowing the withdrawal of CPF savings.

https://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=3285

Wisdom of the Crowd - New Issues

1. Who do you blame most for the problems brought by CECA?
2. Does CECA bring in some benefits to Singapore?

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https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/vote.aspx

Wisdom of the Crowd survey results

Here are the results of the surveys carried out in The Wisdom of the Crowd recently.

You can view the result for any selected survey. You may be interested to see the results of some of the surveys which relate to current issues and happenings.

You can also search for a survey by entering a key word, e.g. PAP

https://tklcloud.com/crowd2/result.aspx

Vote on these issues in the Wisdom of the Crowd:

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/active_issue.aspx

WOTC - Check for defects

Wisdom of the Crowd: 59% of the respondents said that they would check for defects in a new flat on their own. 40% said that they would pay $300 to get a surveyor to check for defects.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart.aspx?ID=2022

WOTC - Safe Entry

Wisdom of the Crowd: 41% of the respondents said that the Safe Entry exercise is a waste of time. 27% said that we should have Safe Entry at key points and not all over the place.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart.aspx?ID=2023

Wisdom of the Crowd - New Issues

1. Is it fair for the PAP to ask WP to give alternative policies?
2. Is the new infection in Hong Kong serious?

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https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/vote.aspx

Respect the science

I prefer to take off the mask when I go for a walk in the hot sun and there is nobody around. I put on the mask when there are many people around.

Someone said that I should "respect the science" and put up the mask all the time, to avoid getting or spreading the coronavirus infection.

Why is this person so arrogant? Does he think that he is qualified to make a scientific pronouncement?

http://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=3280

Wisdom of the Crowd

You can vote on these issues

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/active_issue.aspx

WOTC - How will voters react to the circuit breaker

Wisdom of the Crowd: 81% of the respondents said that the voters will be react negatively towards the government over the circuit breaker - for wasting $90 billion of reserves and damaging their livelihoods. 19% said that they will react positively.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart.aspx?ID=2020

WOTC - After relaxation of circuit breaker

Wisdom of the Crowd: 28% of the respondents said that life will get back to normal within 6 months after lifting the circuit breaker. 46% think that it will take at least a year. 28% said that many businesses have already closed and will not resume.

Overall the circuit breaker has been harmful to the economy and people's livelihood.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart.aspx?ID=2021

Outdated form made available to the public

I obtained a form from the Internet to recruit an unemployed PMET under the Career Support Program (CSP) of the government. It was quite troublesome to locate this form because there were links all over the place to point to different pieces of information.

I send the form to the applicant to complete it. After that, I had to complete the form by typing over the particulars of the employer, i.e. TKL & Associates.

I submitted the form to Workforce Singapore, which administers the scheme.

Guess what happened?

I received a prompt reply, telling me that I had used the wrong form. The officer enclosed an updated form.

I now have to go through the troublesome process of getting the applicant to complete the form again and, after that, to type over with the company details.

Fortunately, I have access to an online tool to type over the PDF. Otherwise, it can be quite troublesome to print out the form, write in the details, and scan it back.

Why do they need me to sign the form when I am already submitting it after logging into the website with my SingPass?

It looks like WSG is still relying on manual signature.

I want to share this experience, so that the people in charge in WSG and other government agencies realize that their current method of putting the forms "all over the place" in their website has its flaws, namely that the public may inadvertently retrieve the outdated form and not realize it.

WSG should have a better way to present the latest forms for the public to access. I am building a prototype website to show how it can be done.

https://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=3277

A bad approach to close borders

I do not agree with the approach to close the borders to prevent the spread of the corona virus.

I wish to explain my reason.

https://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=3276

Keep the town councils intact following the election of MPs

It is very costly and wasteful to change the structure of the town council when there is a change of party that heads the council.

The PAP govt should stop this nonsense and wastage.

The town council should remain fixed. Any change in the elected MPs should be represented in the board of the town council.

The constituencies under each town council should not change.

The daily operations should remain under full time managers. There should be no need to change the people running the operations, until their term expires and another management contract is evaluated.

We should also not change signboards and other printed materials.

The wasted money comes from the tax payers.

Do you agree?

https://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=3272

Give stronger, visible support

Many people have sent private messages to tell me that they like the views that I post in my Facebook page.

They said that my views reflect my genuine concern for the future and welfare of Singaporeans.

I thank them for sending these private messages of support.

But I like to ask them to show their support in more visible ways, including the following:

a) Like my posts

b) Share my posts

c) Vote "Agree" in the #HearMeOut posts.

They should also help to shout down the negative views from the opposing camps!

I need to get strong visible support from more people. OK or not?

Inflow of foreigners

Many Singaporeans are angry at the inflow of foreigners who take over their jobs and become new citizens. They vent their anger against the immigrants.

I hold a different view.

I understand that the migrants also face a challenge in adapting to a new country and culture. Their families also face the same difficulty.

Singaporeans will also face similar difficulties when they migrate to another country. They also have to face the xenophobic reaction from the locals there.

There are advantages to a country to welcome immigrants who can contribute to the dynamism of their economy and society.

However, in the case of Singapore, the problems caused by the migrants to the local workforce is daunting and disruptive to a harmful extent. They overcome the benefits that are brought by the immigrants.

Why is this the case?

https://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=3270

Rotation of ministers

I asked a question in a survey - which minister do you expect to head each ministry.

More than half the respondents choose the incumbent minister.

Is it a good idea for the same minister to head a minister for more than five years, and sometimes more than ten years?

Here are my views:

https://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=3268

Wisdom of the Crowd - New Issues

1. How many ministries will change ministers when the new government is formed?
2. Is 61% vote share a clear mandate for the PAP?

Vote in
https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/vote.aspx