Something Fundamentally Wrong

pearlie27 SG

An extract from a beautiful and succint article from xenoboysg.blogspot.com

http://xenoboysg.blogspot.com/2008/05/kilo-of-r…
Thursday, May 08, 2008 A Kilo of Rice from Tua Pek Kong

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There is something fundamentally wrong in Singapore.

There is something fundamentally wrong when our town councils masquerade as little temaseks, squirreling away significant percentages of our conservancy charges into enormous sinking funds. Little temaseks hoarding 30% of what we pay every month and investing them in funds and financial products with only whispers of accountability. Town councils playing little temaseks, while those they bleed from, stand in line for a kilo of rice. Perhaps these little temaseks should occasionally pretend to be town councils and build some covered walkways to all the charities so that citizens can wait for their kilo of rice in condescending shade.

It is perhaps tolerable for the citizen during times of reasonable plenty, to witness political control of local governance, our town councils, our little temaseks through Governmental manipulation of community funding, and turn a blind eye. Political control through fund conditions like the mandatory allocation of surplus funds to sinking funds, which in the case of Hougang means that the town council is forced to charge higher conservancies, or the inequitable distribution of Community Improvement grants by MND to different constituencies, are political luxuries in times of plenty. In times of plenty, all these manipulations at local governance to add gloss to living in a PAP-controlled ward as opposed to an Opposition ward, does not hurt the citizen and he is mostly oblivious to the difference.

In times of need, the burden of such systemic grotesque political mechanisms, like maintaining huge sinking funds, while the needy are trying desperately, simply, just to get food on the table, is a political cruelty. It is cruelty when almost 30% of what you pay in conservancy charges is allocated into town council sinking funds; it is a political cruelty when conservancy charges have to be raised so as to meet the minimum contribution into town council sinking funds.

It is cruelty to forget the impact such political controls, such political mechanisms, have on the lives of citizens at these local governance levels.

Rolling out billion dollar packages are mere stop-gap measures which look good on paper. There is a reason why more people are queuing for free food at the charities. It is not only because they need this aid; it is more the simple fact that aid disbursed by charities comes with much less bureaucratic tangle than the billion dollar packages. With the charities, the needy need not have to crawl through broken glass to get a kilo of rice; they need not have to have their dignity broken.

There is something fundamentally wrong in Singapore if we have to stand in line for a kilo of rice from Tua Pek Kong while 30% of the conservancy charges we pay every month feeds nobody.

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balance_else_complacent SG

You hold the option to exercise it.

Atobe SG

The ‘’Accountant-General’’ and ‘’Auditor-General’’ Offices should take a look at these 'little Temasek'' accounts, and make public their findings of any wrong doings.

If there is any precendent of scandalous use of public money - besides the NKF - it will be the recent shocking revelations to the manner that the Budhist Charity fund being used as interest free buisness loans, when the funds were accumulated through sponsored glamour TV events that include the Chief Monk performing spectacular stunts to help his charity

With secrecy and non-transparency being the hallmark of this Ruling Political Party, and using the judiciary to intimidate troublesome hard-nosed citizens - can we expect a higher standard of accountability from the public office holders ?

balance_else_complacent SG

If there is no transparency in a large financial organisation funded by public,

would mistrust not be created in some public members?

Of course I would say that I hope everyone trusts organisations which does not show what is going on with the money inside it.

How long can such model last?

I no no , that is why I asking.

If u know, u tell the me, so I no more asking.

I wonder where else in the world got like this.

Certainly there are but which countries ? What kinds of countries?

SevenEleven SG

These supposing "reserve" are put to "earn returns", what are they meant for in the first place? Like our national "reserve", even the Elected President cannot question them nor approved to use them. Will the TC reserved ended up like this too?

robertteh SG

Town council is an extraneous big-titled meganomaniac position created to perpetuate its rule under the precept of depolitisation (OB marker, licensing of media etc), co-option (e.g. Ho Kwon Peng, Tommy Koh, David Marshal etc) and machination (Town council, RC, CCC etc) mentioned by some think-tank from NUS some years ago.

Under such political control strategem, the ruling party seeks to perpetuate itself by maneurve and shinanigan, by elimating politics or political thinking from the masses, converting people who are likely to be of threat to their perpetuation to their camp with offering of sinecure jobs of no impact on the party's perpetuation, and creating organizations like RC, CCC, PA, Town Council, CDC to bond the masses to serve their own political agendas or purposes.

Town councils from day one are nothing but to serve the political purposes and other hidden agendas of the ruling party. It took over the service and conservancy collections formerly paid to HDB to do the same maintenance and upkeep of estates without realizing any particular benefits to the residents over and above what HDB could have done.

Its purpose is to make it more difficult for a small country to evolve its alternative political talents to serve the people by requiring them to form larger political organizations to contest in larger GRCs each supported by its own local or provincial authorities of which Town council, RC, CCC, are part and parcial of machinations.

Unless and until citizens can see through such empire building control strategem to enable the ruling party to stay perpetually in power without challenge from any alternative political parties, we will all by controlled by many layers of machinations, depolitization and co-option.

Point_blank SG

The only thing fundamentally Wrong is your brains. SHOW YOU CAN DO A BETTER JOB, or you would just be talking cock!

domonkassyu SG

actually, investing the reserves is a very good idea. BUT..must know whats the risk/returns ratio correctly and publicise it.if the returns are good then can collect less from the people. ultimately over time, the returns accumulated should allow people to pay lesser. but knowing money hungry govts..they make people pay more so they keep more.

balance_else_complacent SG

But how will the people know the P & L?

Of course good investment is good.

But no world owes anyone a living.

Investments can go wrong.

But the stakeholders need to be informed in the name of Accountability and Responsibility which are basic benchmark of True Leadership.

Point_blank SG

Money hungry govts? Which govt not money hungry. Eh, you sleeping? We have an aging population, you know. Who is going to subsidize their medical care or provide free care to them when they have no children or their children don't care? Tax the young?

You understand or dont or JUST WANT TO TALK COCK?!

Point_blank SG

But how will the people know the P & L?

Of course good investment is good.

But no world owes anyone a living.

Investments can go wrong.

But the stakeholders need to be informed in the name of Accountability and Responsibility which are basic benchmark of True Leadership.

Investments can also go right. Accountability and Responsibility on our Reserves? ARE YOU MAD? and let the real money grabbing guys know what your portfolios truly are down to the last cent to plan their attack max profit? Don't talk cock lah about issues IF YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!

lotus999 SG

and as though you understand! what you know is to parrot what your master said.

Atobe SG

Do you know what you are talking with your 'Point_blank' understanding of the issues ?

Do you know the difference between the call for ''Accountability and Responsibility'' on our Reserves, and the call for transparent ACCOUNTING of our Reserves ?

Why will the Government hold large Public Companies to be transparent in their Accountings, and the Directors to be ''ACCOUNTABLE and RESPONSIBLE'' to the PUBLIC shareholders for their Companie's performance, but will not do the same for themselves in managing the Reserves ?

If by making known the strengths and weaknesses will encourage corporate raiders and fund speculators to make a run on our Currency, surely the same will happen to our major Public Companies being exposed to hostile takeovers by well funded and sharp-eyed corporate raiders ?

Even if it true that it is for the sake of National Security not to publicise our Reserves, surely there is no excuse for this Ruling Party to backtrack on the Two Key systems, but modifying the duties of the Elected President, and preventing him from having any further responsibility to guard the National Reserves, or have any authority to call for the Full Accounting of the National Reserves ?

Now, is the ''Point_blank'' mind taking the line from Gazelle - in the sudden interests in both making references to cocks and bulls, and also being drawn to panties ?

Fingolfin_Noldor SG

The only thing fundamentally Wrong is your brains. SHOW YOU CAN DO A BETTER JOB, or you would just be talking cock!

Ah.. the usual Ad Hominen attacks. Now sir, what is this job are you talking about? I didn't know that Town Councils have any right to use our funds for business other than taking care of the estate.

oxford mushroom SG

Ah! Sour grapes...all because town councils like the one in Potong Pasir is running the Opposition Party controlled constituency to the ground and house prices there are in the doldrums. If the Opposition Parties cannot run a small constituency, can anyone expect them to have a prayer at running the country?

Point_blank SG

Do you know what you are talking with your 'Point_blank' understanding of the issues ?

Do you know the difference between the call for ''Accountability and Responsibility'' on our Reserves, and the call for transparent ACCOUNTING of our Reserves ?

Now, is the ''Point_blank'' mind taking the line from Gazelle - in the sudden interests in both making references to cocks and bulls, and also being drawn to panties ?

Been wiping too much asses and getting a high, thus the crap you wrote? Or was too much sniffing of panties made you say those nonsense?

Stick to wiping asses and sniffing your panties, asswipe, and leave other affairs to your betters to handle!

F.Asswiping Atobe the Clown think he/she damn smart!

Atobe SG

Been wiping too much asses and getting a high, thus the crap you wrote? Or was too much sniffing of panties made you say those nonsense?

Stick to wiping asses and sniffing your panties, asswipe, and leave other affairs to your betters to handle!

F.Asswiping Atobe the Clown think he/she damn smart!

Having reached this thread, after all the swipes that you have received in being treated like an ass, can we expect any further creativity in your juvenile vulgarities ?

There seem to be a definitive slowdown in your productive output in your label of being a 'word-whore' - as you seem to have lost steam with any further intelligible profanities.

Can you even attempt to go beyond your own 'Point_blank' status to know if you can think you are smarter than me, before speculating what I think for myself, or have you lost your self-confidence and know that you cannot possibly be smarter than those whom you labelled as ''bastard opposition supporters'' ?

Try harder if you want to excel beyond your clown status of being a 'bastardised' version of the image of your Grand Mentor Shepherd, whom you have 'bastardised' so badly with your 'Point_blank' efforts.

qpicanto SG

why can't the town council which oversee the operation of the estate maintenance simply perform this basic role and that's it! Why cant they charge the residents less or return the residents in the form of more rebates.

would sinking sunk in private estate be allowed to put into such investments without the committee's (residents' rep) approval ?

and why four and five room flats pay dif S & C, afterall they use the same facilities like the badminton and basketball courts. And public amenities usage like sports stadium facilities is either paid by residents directly to sport council or its free for the use of the jogging trek. and upkeep of the stadium is by sport council.