I can empathize with the updates and personal experience that was shared by Angry Singaporean. However, I will also like to share my personal view from a general perspective and see if Singaporean in general has any other agreeing or disagreeing views. Yes, MP Josephine is correct when she mention that under the PAP, Singapore has done well. However, I would like to further understand her opinion of has done well is from WHOSE perspective and from WHAT perspective, PAP and the Rich and Elite or the the general Singaporean public. From the PAPs perspective, theyve claimed that theyve done well but from the overall Singaporean population perspective, the ongoing feedbacks from the social media and most importantly from the results of the last 2 General Election says otherwise. Yes, economically we may have performed well by generating more economic growth and wealth for Singapore in the last decade or more. The KEY question are, have we actually dive deep into the details and understand how these economic wealth were distributed amongst Singapore? A Channel News Asia program last year has highlighted that in the last decade, almost 30 percent of the GDP wealth that was generated in 2012 goes to the top 10 percent consisting the rich and elite (I believe in both the private and public sectors) as compared to 21 percent of the GDP wealth they are taking a decade ago. A jump of almost 10%. Meantime, the GDP wealth of the bottom 10 percent consisting the poor and needy whom are already struggling to meet their day to day livelihood has decreased from the slightly over 2 percent to below 2 percent of the GDP wealth. This less than 1 percent may not mean a lot to the top 10% Rich and Elite but it mean life and death to many whom are struggling in the bottom 10 percent. A recent article also mentioned that Minister for the Social and Family Development Chan Chun Sing had said that the government doesnt want to define a poverty line in Singapore. But a statistical article that was shared indicated that Poverty in Singapore GREW from 16% in 2002 to 28% in 2013. A jump of 12%. Now lets put the 2 sets of data above together for analysis. The Rich and Elite wealth grew from 21% to 30% ( 9% increase) in the last decade or more has resulted in Poverty to increase from 16% to 28% ( a 12% increase ) from 2002 to 2013. Are the above 2 sets of data coincidental and is it telling us that we may already have a serious social issue that need SERIOUS REVIEW and ADDRESSING before it is TOO LATE, instead of being continuously BRUSHED ASIDE again and again in denial (the government doesnt want to define a POVERTY LINE in Singapore) by our leadership team !!!! Though there are recent articles from the government leadership team preaching and encouraging those whom has made it in the society to give back to the society, Im sure there will be LITTLE or NO progress if they just continue PREACHING but are NOT LEADING BY EXAMPLE. Ive in an earlier posting, Ive shared and hope the the Rich and Elite in the government leadership team as well as the public sectors to LEAD BY EXAMPLE in order to rope in more of the Rich and Elite from the private sector to do more. Have we seriously reviewed, analyzed and shared the last decade or more of salary, bonuses and increment of our top officials (our President and Ministers, MPs, etc....) earning in the Ministries and Public sectors? How much have their basic yearly salary, bonuses and increment increased since 2002 to current year and how much are they currently drawing? How much have their personal and family wealth and assets of our key and top Public sectors officials amassed and increased in the past 1 to 2 decades? Tens to hundreds of millions?? Did our last 1 to 2 decades of policies and legislation seriously reviewed, analyzed and mitigate the overall economy growth such that we do head towards and ended up with the winner takes all (as was recently highlighted by our minister) environment? Did our KEY and TOP officials in the ministries and public sectors take lead ( LEAD BY EXAMPLE thus being able to convince those in the private sectors ) by minimizing their remuneration (from the Singaporeans tax payers money) so that the tax payers money can be contributed back into speeding up the building and enhancing of the Singapore economy with more attention and assistance given to those within the lower income groups as well as the poor and needy groups? Yes, we can put blame onto the last decade of overall global and economic shift and the above may not be the only reasons but it could have been the KEY reasons that weve ended with such serious wages disparity and wealth distribution, resulting in so many more within the rich and elite community amassing so much more personal wealth (winner takes all) and assets at the expense of so many more Singaporeans as well as our PRs living below the poverty line. The above are now water under the bridge and were unable to rewind the clock. Yes, the ministers are now trying to review and amend many of the projects and programs to assist more of the lower income groups as well as the poor and needy (dipping into more of our tax payers money and reserve ??). However, if the rich and elite Ministers and top officials from our ministries and public sectors do not LEAD BY EXAMPLE by reviewing and sharing their own personal wealth and assets and to rope in those within the rich and elite groups from the private sectors, there will be little or no progress. The overall landscape of our Singapore economy, wage and wealth distribution WILL NOT change. The situation may ever worsen further with the 10% consisting of the Rich and Elite taking away 40% of the generated GDP wealth by the end of 2022 as compared to 30% in year 2012. Likewise, POVERTY may also increased from 28% in 2013 to 40% in 2022, something disastrous to the overall economy and social systems JUST THINKING ABOUT IT !!!!! While the rich and elite in both the Public and Private sectors continue to further amass much more of their personal wealth and assets in the coming years and decades, our government will only continue to fund these projects and programs by dipping into our public funds and reserve from the tax payers money which will continue to decrease and may eventually be depleted. The above programs and projects will only be a stop gap solutions. Singapore will eventually face another sets of different issues that will seriously impact those within the lower income groups as well as the poor and needy once again...... Once again Im here to urge our ministers and top officials in the public sectors to LEAD BY EXAMPLE, stop all your increment, scale down your salary and bonuses as what most of you had already amassed can last you and your family a few lifetime. Donate more of your personal wealth and assets back into society in building much more FREE facilities and amenities such as orphanage, hospitals and family and healthcare facilities for the aged, poor and needy ..... Instead of continuing the current legislation and policies that place high weightage favoring the Rich and Elite groups, please seriously review and revise them placing more focus and friendly to the middle and lower income groups and the poor and needy groups. DO NOT not just continue PREACHING. If not, the overall landscape of our Singapore economy, wage and wealth distribution WILL NOT change.
Posted on: Mon, 20 Jan 2014 03:21:54 +0000
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