Same topic, different perspective from adjacent site as
follows:
Singapore ruling
political elite have made themselves more equal than
others
I mean specifically HDB BTO prices.
Remember Mr Mah Bow Tan saying how HDB is 'subsidised' based on a
subsidy given to Singaporeans on the price of HDB which was Market
price of land plus building costs???... So that was how MBT
justified high HDB BTO prices:
So unlike the PAP lead by LKY which basically sold HDB BTO units at
miniscule land cost plus building costs, PAP under LHL/ Mah Bow Tan
did absolutely NOTHING to help poor Singaporeans with land cost,
opting rather to keep land costs exorbitantly high, then giving a
tiny subsidy, the ultimate objective being to reap MAXIMUM profit
for the government. That HDB are affordable CANNOT BE FURTHER FROM
THE TRUTH since the PAP has not only DECLINED
to peg HDBs to the median wage, as suggested by WP,
which it easily can (it owns the vacant land and can release it
cheap to needy Singaporeans dependent on public housing, just as it
released confiscated land cheap/ 'free' between 1960s to 1980s to
poor Singaporeans so that they could contribute more effectively to
the new Singapore economy.
Whilst there was no option for the open market sale of HDB during
the early period before 1990, the HDB flats sold then were still
lease hold 99years, thus giving early Singaporeans a practically
guaranteed roof over their heads. The early leaders of Singapore
also loved the people, placing the welfare of the people before
themselves.
The PAP leaders of today unfortunately are a selfish lot,
preferring to guarantee their own welfare by pegging their own
salary scales to the highest in Singapore, not forgetting that some
CEO salaries ought to checked as not few are responsible for
various unethical practises just as banker CEOs are most guilty of-
e.g. money laundering to terrorist/ human rights abuse states, tax
evasion etc especially those bankers in Switzerland and the USA.
Many companies also profit from unethical practice's such as
pollution, market manipulation and attempt to minimise tax payments
by registering their profits I'm tax haven nations- these CEOs are
the MOAT IMMORAL amongst all citizens. There is nothing wrong with
a high pay for demanding work, but shouldn't government salary be
some multiple of the median annual pay in singapore rather than a
multiple of the most unethical CEOs in business?
Then after tagging their own pay to CEOs, PAP leaders now create
excuses dime a dozen to avoid minimum wage legislation, claiming
its rigidity, lack of acceptance by MNC etc. The real reason I
think is to keep worker unions from getting any leverage since once
legislated, the question then becomes what is the minimum
wage?
So unions have now become toothless tigers, and what about the very
poor, where are the statistics about homelessness or those
dependent on government rentals, those unable to afford daily
meals, what is the supply of rentals and how are the rentals
calculated, I find that the transparency of these issues is not
available to publication.
In conclusion, it is ironic that whilst there is indeed a minimum
wage for politicians (within like top 200-1000 earners in Singapore
and no parallel peg anywhere else in the world), there is
paradoxically neither minimum wage for Singaporeans nor a defined
poverty line or reported poverty parameters for citizens to work
upon.
Politicians are very well taken care of but the poor people now
remain locked behind closed doors, as far as PAP's socialist roots
go, I feel that PAP today is taking the wrong turn toward the
dispicible bait-switch communist way of government- all citizens
are equal, but PAP (the leaders) have made themselves MORE EQUAL
than the others.
High HDB prices means people spending time working and scant time/
money donated to the poor. The limitless money politicians pay
themselves, guaranteed, will not just be useless, but a burden in
heaven.
When the poor are neglected, the leaders deserve zero respect. More
must be done for the poor in Singapore and a culture of inclusion
must start..
