Questions about pensions, HDB, CPF, transport, jobs,
charities, etc.
Posted by theonlinecitizen on August 29th, 2007
By Leong Sze Hian
On this mornings (29 August) NewsRadio 938 Talkback programme from
8.10am to 8.50am, the guest on the programme, MP Halimah Yacob, NTUC
Assistant Secretary-General and Government Parliamentary Committee
(GPC) Chairperson on Health, said that Ministers no longer receive
pensions.
She was replying to a caller who asked why and whether it is
equitable for Ministers to continue to get pensions, when the
people have to purchase a compulsory deferred age 85 annuity paying
just $250 to $300 a month.
In a reply to the Straits Times Forum dated 4 April, 2007, the
Prime Ministers Office said that:
The Government moved away from the pension scheme for the majority
of civil servants since 1986. However, the pension scheme is
retained for the Administrative Service and the Intelligence
Service where there is a strong reliance on the depth of expertise
and length of experience for continuity of national policies.
For the same reason, the pension scheme has been retained for
Office Holders, namely, Speaker, Ministers, Ministers of State,
Mayors, Parliamentary Secretaries and Political Secretaries, given
their role and impact on national policies, provided they serve
long enough to qualify for a pension.
And in 2004, then-DPM Lee Hsien Loong had also clarified with
former NCMP Steve Chia in Parliament that indeed, the pension
scheme is still in practice. (link)
Now, Ms Yacobs remarks on the radio programme may have cast doubts
on both the PMO and the PMs clarifications.
So, do they get pensions or dont they?
Hello! Anybody home?
On another note, I refer to the Auditor-Generals (AG) report in
the last few years.
If not for the questions raised by the AG, the public may not be
aware of the various lapses, from the answers given by the
ministries and statutory boards.
I looked back at
my letters to the newspaper forums, and have listed below some of
the questions that I asked, but did not get answers
to.
1. Education - How many foreigners are given scholarships relative
to Singaporeans ? (Whats ratio of foreigner to local
scholarships, BT, Oct 13, 2006)
2. Healthcare - What was the surplus accumulated, and what happened
to it, when MediShield Plus was privatised to an insurance company
? (Hello ? Anybody listening, BT, May 25, 2005)
3. HDB - What is the breakdown of the cost of land and construction
for HDB flats ? (Settle question of HDB subsidy once and for all,
ST, Jan 2, 2007)
4. Charities - Why was NKFs Institution of Public Character (IPC)
status reinstated within a month of its termination by the
National Council of Social Services (NCSS) ? (Lesson from Kids :
Stop passing the buck, ST, Dec 24 and 21, 2005)
5 Transport - Why is the Public Transport Councils household
income data different (much higher up to 61 per cent more) from
the Department of Statistics data, in the report on the
affordability of fares ? (The poor will benefit most from
transport fare cap, ST, Nov 30, 2006)
6. CPF - Why is it that poorer Singaporeans who do not withdraw
their CPF at age 55 and who do not meet the Minimum Sum are given
lower interest, compared to those who can meet the Minimum Sum ?
(Increase 2.5% CPF interest rate, BT, Dec 19, 2006)
7. Investing - After 11 years, about 75 per cent of CPFIS investors
did not beat the Ordinary Accounts 2.5 per cent. What are the
statistics after 12 and 13 years ? (CPFIS investors and their
losses, ST, May 20, 2005)
8. Jobs - What is the breakdown for Singaporeans and Permanent
Residents, for new jobs created, number of unemployed and the
unemployment rate ? (Show the numbers to dispel notion that
foreigners take away jobs from Sporeans, ST, Dec 22, 2006)
According to the World Bank report,
Governance Matters 2007 : Worldwide Governance Indicators
1996-2006, Singapores score for Voice and Accountability fell
further to a low 46.6.
As I believe Singaporeans may like to know the answers to some of
the above questions, which pertain to the use and accountability of
public funds, I would like to suggest that perhaps the AG could ask
some of them in next years report.
