The Story behind PAP winning every Elections!

last SG · 2007-04-19T11:30:28+00:00

PAP keeps winning because Singaporeans vote conservatively. PAP have administrative experience in running the country; WP is inexperienced. Singaporeans can...

mrwonderful SG

yeah nobody else competent enough to vote for. so no choice vote for PAP again? then see the ministers pay increase again.

i think its has come to a stage where anybody else competent or not is better than the ones currently in power so as to at least break the monopoly of power of the PAP

mancha SG

When it comes to choosing a government, we always choose the least bad one.

When you have to choose a bad, badder or baddest govt. Which will you choose?

Atobe SG

Originally posted by kecang_puteh:

Wow, I guess you are right. Singapore already has the highest income tax in the world at 0 to 20%. The rest of the world all have 0% income tax. Moreover, the CPF is also considered a tax, even though we can use them to buy houses and they have a high rate of return. Even though we will be able to draw them out when we are old, nominate them to our children when we pass on or make investments with them, they are definitely still considered to be taxes.

Also, the goods and service tax is completely out of line with economics theory. Just ask any economist, they will tell you it is a gimmick for the government to make money. Worse still, you are right to say that we should never be made to pay for any of the services that the government provide us. Why should we pay for anything? All our money should be used to buy the goods that we want.

No, you are more right if you believe that after paying a hefty 20% tax, the 20% of your earned wages forced into CPF "savings" is yours to keep.

Afterall, you are right in considering that from the 20% CPF, a portion is allowed for home purchase, while the remaining amount is released at $200 per month after you have reached 60 years old, and with the remaining sum in Medical Savings that you will never get to see even if you remain healthy till death.

Yes, the 20% monthly contribution is brilliantly yours forever - how could you be wrong ?

Should we be amaze that you will believe that the 20% CPF is available for your exclusive use, when the Government has first lien to it by using it for infrastructural development and pay the CPF Account a pittance, when any other bonds or loans will have to be paid a higher percentage of interest ?

Then again, considering that the Government has full use of the CPF, you will believe that the CPF monies is all yours, since you are allowed to use the CPF to purchase the HDB home at inflated prices that the government will sell to you - and obviously you will not consider that the profit made will make the loan taken from your CPF at practically interest free.

Of course, from your accounting brilliance, you get the satisfactory use of your CPF to purchase a shoddily built HDB unit - that you can hardly complain, even when you are not allowed to use the full CPF amount to pay for the home purchase, and when you still have to pay in CASH up front - as if the CPF is not cash enough.

Is the CPF ours to keep ?

Yes, by your standard of looking at the manner in which we are allowed to use the CPF to pay for all kinds of inflated costs - besides the HDB unit - of government approved bills - such as the CPF to partially pay for government approved hospital and medical bills, and still we have to pay the balance in CASH - as if the CPF is not our already; with the bills priced for the government medical services to operate at a profit - even when these facilities are built with our CPF before the funds are drawn by us.

When you invest in building your own hotel, I guess you will pay for the full services charged when you use the services, and let the General Manager and his Team employed to earn more money from the profits that they have brilliantly made, than the dividends payable that you will get from the investments made with your savings.

Atobe SG

Originally posted by kecang_puteh:

That's right, all Singaporeans would rather prefer to spend 3 hours in traffic jams everyday to get to work in the CBD and another 3 hours to go back home. There are so many ways to reduce traffic in the city area without any costs to our society and yet the government wants to charge us money.

Even though we the pioneering country to implement an electronic fee collection system, our government must be able to foresee ALL problems beforehand. Yes, the government must be perfect in its implementation. We cannot allow a government that cannot tell the future to exist. Our government must be psychic.

I think you forgot to mention the COEs too. This is another money making gimmick. It should be abolished so that we can have ten million cars in Singapore and have a gridlock everyday. Then everybody can take the MRT. Yeah, down with the greedy government.

Yeah, down with the greedy government - the most brilliant remark ever made.

COE would have belabored the subject, and was not forgotten.

You belittle this government when you fail to appreciate their genius and passion for the 'Plus and Minus' that affect the "State" pocket book.

Perhaps you did not appreciate the fact that this government took over the hot seat in 1957, they had an almost empty treasury, and from Day One - MONEY has always been at the forefront of their mind.

Roads that could have been built were purposefully delayed until the actual need arise, and plans that were already done had to be held back until the need exist.

When the plans are finally implemented, the plans are already outdated and could hardly cope with the new traffic situation and patterns that evolved during the delayed interim period.

The period between the CTE being designed and built was almost ten years apart, and almost immediately when the CTE was opened, it was clogged, as its capacity was much less than the current traffic volume.

When looking at the finished CTE, its capacity cannot compare to the improved AYE that was being upgraded for the third time, even when the CTE was being built concurrently as the AYE was being upgraded.

Minister of Transport and Communications MBT brilliantly blamed Singaporeans for their passion to own cars - how could he blame his own team ?

What better way to cope with the traffic situation and enrich the "State" Treasury then the financially punitive route ?

If the ERP is not to be used to benefit the government financially, and if it has been an effective to regulate traffic, why has this Government not reduce the Road Tax that were punitively raised by over ten times with the purpose to dampen the passion for cars - (when Minister MBT had promised this will take place ) ?

With the COE already effectively moderating the growth of car numbers, why are the punitive Import Duties and Road Tax not been reduced ?

I guess you are right that the Ministry is serving us in the most altruistic manner by increasing the quota for more cars to be released now that the car population is manageable - and car ownership has dipped.

Why would the Ministry be so keen to allow the growth of the car population again, when so much has been invested in newer MRT lines ?

Why would the Government continue with such policies of high costs when others are already seeing Singapore as - "Once a premium economy charging premium prices, it is now a less-than-premium economy - but is still charging premium prices." - (see reference piece below).

Note:

The "State" Treasury is a misnomer, considering that it has become the private fiefdom of the First Family, LKY as the Chairman of the GIC, LHL the Finance Minister, and darling Wife the CEO of Temasek Holdings - all three managing the entire wealth of this Country that even the Elected President and Parliament has no knowledge of the extent of the Wealth.

Reference Article from Asia Times :

Data from the US Department of Commerce on returns to US companies show that, compared with the Asian average, Singapore no longer provides the superior rate of return it once did. Once a premium economy charging premium prices, it is now a less-than-premium economy - but is still charging premium prices.

Although Lee Hsien Loong has stated his determination to create a more flexible wage structure, some analysts feel that such wage-centered strategies may not suffice in reinventing the Singapore economy. At best, such measures will merely be perfunctory, because Singaporean wages to begin with have not deviated from market levels. What matters more are land, regulatory and transportation costs, which the Singaporean government exercises considerable control over.

According to Manu Bhaskaran, the head of Washington-based advisory firm Centennial Research, "Singapore's competitiveness problem is cumulatively due to distortions in land prices [and its effects on wages and rentals], high transportation costs resulting from the government's forceful anti-congestion policies [which drive up the cost of distribution and logistics] and high regulatory costs."

Indeed, the prices of major inputs - land, labor and capital - in Singapore are substantially influenced by the government. This is because the government, through its Housing Development Authority, owns most of the land, effectively becoming the monopoly supplier.

The incremental supply of labor is controlled by the government through its grip on foreign-worker inflows. Singapore's financial capital is also heavily influenced by government, as the biggest players are all government-linked companies with ties that extend to the Lee family. Lee Hsien Loong's wife, Madam Ho Ching, for instance, is the chairperson of Temasek Holdings, Singapore's state-owned investment company, and his brother Lee Hsien Yang is the chief executive officer of Singapore Telecommunications Ltd (SingTel). Lee Kuan Yew has also remained a key board member of various government-linked companies.

Hence, without adequate measures to retrench the role of the state, the economy under Lee Hsien Loong will restructure in the manner it always has, with companies laying off workers, cutting wages, squeezing subcontractors' margins and forcing landlords to cut rentals.

Atobe SG

Originally posted by kecang_puteh:

SMRT Corporation is half owned by Temasek Holdings. But still, it should be made to lose money so that the rest of the public shareholders will pull out of their invesments in SMRT and it can collapse. Makes so much business sense.

Though Temasek Holdings has no stake in ComfortDelgro at all, it should also be made to bleed for the sake of the public so that it may collapse and we can all have no public buses.

Your brilliant and talented suggestions could be a viable, and should be seriously considered as the final option if all other alternatives are not available.

Since Temasek has been brilliant in losing millions - if not billions - with funds taken from the Singapore's Reserves, through its own genious and through some of the subsidiary companies in its stable; why not lose a few millions or billions more that will surely benefit the bank accounts of Singaporeans - instead of the current situation in which millions and billions are taken from Singaporeans to benefit the private bank accounts of unappreciative personalities in Thailand, Myanmar, India, or even Indonesia ?

Does Temasek Holdings need to own any shares in ComfortDelgro for effective Government control over it ?

You can hardly match the brilliance that the POWER OF ONE has in building the web of connections and inter-connections of all the Government Linked Companies, much like the Korean Chaebos that have run foul of the Korean Laws.

Is there anyone to oversee the dealings of this Singapore Government that makes its own Laws to suit itself, and will even dare flout the Laws of Thailand in its preliminary takeover of Shin Corp in Thailand ?

With talented and brilliant Singaporean like yourself, could Temasek ever bleed to death ?

You have the typical characteristic of the Power of ONE to over simplify and over dramatise alternative suggestions put up by Singaporeans, then blaming Singaporeans for a worsening nightmare that is already in the making even without any input from ordinary Singaporeans.

reyes SG

The following are some of the factors contributing to the pap winning every time:

1) Not politically savvy voters who are apathetic to the demoncratic process - action: nothing much can be done - only time will reduce this problem

2) Pap doing well (if it aint broke dont fix it) - action: tell voters we need more opposition as check & balances & not to form the Govt

3) Political morons, clowns & chalartans, appearing before an election, who will tarnish the image of the opposition - action: must find ways & means to weed out this flunkies/weidos before they can join in the fray

4) Pavlovian conditioning of voters with fear & certain consequences near & during the election period & somehow some imberciles will commit stupidities/absurdities which will be attacked - action: cannor think of a solution

true. the media must play a key role in all above issues.
in singapore there aint even a politics related debate program that enable singaporean to call in to express their thoughts. ppl who volunteer to attend TV forums with minsters are rejected because their thoughts are not in line with the PAP. CNA keep repeating gomez case that they forgotten we still have a election to run.

the political savvyness of singaporeans depends very much on my media. the papers, TVs, radio and etc. if we simply shut down all these medias where in earth do we get ah chek, ah ma get to read and think for themselves what hold for them in the future.
thanks god. at least there is a thingy now call " internet"

reyes SG

I think the amount of foreign reserves we have is a testament to the ability of the government. For such a small country to be able to accumulate so much wealth, there certainly needs to be good leadership. The reserves are there so that we have a backup when there is a shock to our currency. It is normally seen as a strength. Were you expecting the government to give out money to the population?

ERP charges increase because traffic jams increase. The ERP system is solely used to control traffic jams in the CBD area and not a money making scheme by the government. It is the only known effective system of controlling heavy city traffic jams.

The public transportation is run by corporations and not by the government. They increase prices because their bottom line is profitability. However, they need to submit price increases to the Public Transport Council for approval. It seems that they are approved because of rising costs due to increase in fuel prices, lower than projected ridership and other reasons. Please remember that they are private firms and they do not want to lose money for they are answerable to their shareholders.

The old folks have CPF and nursing homes to take care of them. If the government starts handing out money, people will take it for granted and will not save money by themselves. If old folks need help, they can approach the various government funded organizations. I do not know much about the children funds, though.

no wonder kacang puteh coz you dont even think.

the greater foreign reserves are probably serve as a poltical tools for the PAP to win at every election. where in hell do the PAP get the money from to give out at every election? where to temasek get their money to keep buying politcally sensitive company from out neighbouring country? there are probably the investment gains.
ERP are use to control traffic? take a look at all expressway leading into the CBD are at every morning and evening peak hours. what the point of implementing ERP where the LTA are giving out more COE year after year.

yes our public transport are run by private company and infact most of them are listed company. why in the hell do we get these company privatise in the first place? the reason is simply. the govt simply want to wash their hands in these cost increament issues.

do you happen to think why CPF board are letting Banks into HDB housing loans? the probability of privatise town council? coz they see them as troubles in the coming years, privatise them is their helicopter view solution. and that is indeed planning 10 years ahead. that why we are paying them Millions dollars salary not for solving our problem but theirs.

Atobe SG

Originally posted by kecang_puteh:

You are right on again. We should not be made to pay for anything except the latest handphones and accessories. The CPF can definitely be considered a tax. In fact, the interest rate is so low it is ridiculous. It is a minimum of 2.5% instead of the 0.74% average in local banks. So I guess you will rather put your money in the local bank and earn 0.74%. Of course, you can invest them in stocks or bonds, but I'm sure if you could, you would draw them out and put them all in the banks.

With your brilliance you will leave out the fact that the bank lend money at a basic prime rate or PLUS a percentage to different borrowers.

The Government has admitted to using the CPF for infrastructural development - do you think that the Government will not use this large pool of accumulated CPF monies, and pay a flat interest of 2.5% per annum into all the CPF accounts ?

The alternative source of finance to the Government will be at a higher interest charge for loans that are received through the "sale" of Government Treasury Bills and Bonds offered to the market place.

While paying us 2.5% for the CPF monies that we could have used for our immediate needs, the 2.5% payable interest is more then recovered by the Government from the high profit margins that they reap from the sale of HDB flats, and high priced hospital and medical fees that Singaporeans are forced to pay.

If you are smarter and more talented than we know , you should have a better avenue to invest the funds to earn a higher rate of return than the 2.5% that is paid for the large sums of monies that are locked until it is utilised for the approved purposes.

Judging by your remarks made so far, you seem to be too mediocre with independent thinking, and with little confidence shown in yourself.

This simply fit the Government often made remarks that there are few Singaporeans with the daring and imagination to take risks.

Hence, they have concluded that few Singaporeans are talented.

Why are you so keen to prove the Government right ?

BTW, how did you brilliantly look at 2.5% interest paid to CPF accounts to the Saving Rate of 0.75% paid by Commercial Banks ?

Try looking at the 2.5% CPF interest rates as the borrowing rate that the Government is prepared to pay us, comparing it to the borrowing rate that it has to pay for alternative sources of financing their needs - then you will justify to be awarded bigger peanuts.

lotus999 SG

Originally posted by reyes:

no wonder kacang puteh coz you dont even think.

the greater foreign reserves are probably serve as a poltical tools for the PAP to win at every election. where in hell do the PAP get the money from to give out at every election? where to temasek get their money to keep buying politcally sensitive company from out neighbouring country? there are probably the investment gains.
ERP are use to control traffic? take a look at all expressway leading into the CBD are at every morning and evening peak hours. what the point of implementing ERP where the LTA are giving out more COE year after year.

yes our public transport are run by private company and infact most of them are listed company. why in the hell do we get these company privatise in the first place? the reason is simply. the govt simply want to wash their hands in these cost increament issues.

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you maybe interested in reading the article here:

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/ID13Ae01.html

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