April 1, 2010 by Our Correspondent
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Written by Our Correspondent
Indulging in shameless self-praise is fast becoming a trait
characterizing the world’s most expensive ministers.
Coming right after Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan who gave
himself a pat on his back for maintaining a “sustainable”
healthcare system in Singapore at an Asian conference on
healthcare, it is now Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean’s turn to
do so.
Mr Teo was embarrassed publicly when he was caught on TV napping
when his fellow colleague Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng was
making a speech in parliament not too long ago:
During a speech made at a civil service event last night, Mr Teo
lavished generous praises on the PAP for “planning ahead”.
“Singapore has a reputation for being forward looking. For
almost 20 years, scenario planning has been a key part of our
efforts to understand and plan for the future,” he
proclaimed.
The PAP has always portrayed itself as the “savior” of Singapore
without which the entire nation will collapse.
As such, PAP leaders have demanded Singaporeans pay them out of
the world salaries without which they will leave for the private
sector.
A career civil servant, Mr Teo earns almost $3 million dollars a
year, or more than 5 times the annual salary of U.S. President
Barack Obama. He is expected to get another hefty 8.8 percent pay
rise this year.
Repeating an often used PAP rhetoric that it dares to take
“tough” measures to tackle national problems, Mr Teo said:
“Singapore has always taken bold, creative and pragmatic
approaches to solve national challenges. When the situation calls
for it, we have eschewed conventional wisdom, or the politically
correct, and sought out innovative solutions.”
One “innovative” solution thought by the PAP to boost
Singapore’s declining birth rate is to flood the island with
immigrants from China and India.
Though many Singaporeans are unhappy with the PAP’s liberal
immigration and pro-foreigner policies, there is nothing they can
do about it as the PAP controls all state institutions and there is
no credible opposition to challenge it.
“The public housing programme, the Central Provident Fund
system as well as the certificate of entitlement scheme for vehicle
ownership are all examples of policy innovations,” Mr Teo
continued to boast to his audience rather unashamedly.
Singapore’s public housing programme and Central Provident Fund
system have provided the state a ready available source of
funds.
More than 85 percent of Singaporeans live in flats built by HDB.
A significant proportion of their CPF savings are tied up to
mortgage loans used to pay for these flats.
Under a new scheme introduced in 2003, Singaporeans are required
to keep a minimum sum in excess of $110,000 in their CPF ordinary
accounts before they can withdraw it when they reach 55 years of
age.
Singapore is the richest country in Asia after Japan and
while its cash-flushed sovereign wealth funds can afford to
lose billions of national reserves in failed overseas investments,
Singaporeans enjoy few social welfare benefits from the nanny state
thanks to its “policy innovations.”
