Health and education ministries reviewing fees for PRs and
foreigners
By Farah Abdul Rahim, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 03 December 2006
1918 hrs
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Health and education ministries reviewing fees for PRs and
foreigners
SINGAPORE: Singapore citizens will always come first, before
Permanent Residents and non-citizens, says Prime Minister Lee Hsien
Loong.
That is why the health and education ministries are now working on
changes to reduce fee subsidies for non-citizens, so that
foreigners do not enjoy the same benefits as Singaporeans.
The next offset package for the GST increase will be for
Singaporeans only, just like the Progress Package earlier this
year, said Prime Minister Lee.
This is because the Government's responsibility is to Singaporeans
first, although Permanent Residents and foreign workers will remain
priorities.
"While we have non-citizens here, citizens always come first. We
have to treat them as the best, we have to treat visitors well too
but citizens have to be treated better," Mr Lee said.
"Right now, PRs enjoy the same subsidies as Singaporeans for
education and healthcare, and in fact in healthcare, foreign
workers also receive subsidised treatment. I think we should make a
clear difference PRs should pay more than Singaporeans but less
than other foreigners, there is a distinction.
"If you are not a PR and not a citizen, you should be given good
treatment but we will not give you special privileges."
For education, Mr Lee said there are plans to charge non-citizens
more, but not to set fees so high that foreign students will not
come.
While for healthcare, foreign workers will have to bear the full
costs of their medical bills.
Halimah Yacob, Chairman of the GPC for Health, said that employers
of foreign workers should do a proper costing to cover their full
healthcare need so that Singaporeans would not end up paying for
them. She also hopes that employers will not ignore the needs of
these foreign workers.
"We got feedback from many Singaporeans and even from my own
constituents that since everything's equal for Singaporeans,
foreigners and PRs, what's so special about being Singaporean? To
some extent, short of being nationalistic, PM's message of
'citizens first' is well overdue. It'll be much appreciated among
Singaporeans who are wondering what's in it for me holding that red
passport," said Zaqy Mohamad, MP of Hong Kah GRC.
More details about the review will be announced by the respective
ministries over the next few months. - CNA/so
So...in
past, the foreigners had been getting subsidys from our ''good and
generous'' govt. Now, the govt are adjusting the fees higher for
foreigners...what about the locals?
I can say, we have lost billions of dollars to subsidize foreigners
at the expense of the poor peasants or singaporeans. These show how
''good'' is our govt. 
If the head of state has to go
on air to tell whole world that we have to treat our own people
better than outsiders - THEN SOMETHING IS DEFINITELY SERIOUSLY
WRONG! THE SOUL OF THE NATION IS REAL SICK !!!!
HAVE WE NOT BEEN TAKING CARE OF OUR OWN PEOPLE BETTER THAN
FOREIGNERS ???????
OR HAS THE CHORUS OF CRYING VOICES BEEN TOO JARRING ON THE EARS OF
LATE , AND SIGNALLING A THREAT TO THE FABRIC OF THE NATION
?
We had done and wasted 2 to 2.5 years in National
Service...Foreigners came and got their citizenship so easily and
also given all sorts of goodies. SO...what we as a pure
singaporeans?????
During my NS days.....I had always suffered injuries from
excercises. The worst of all was the f uc king full pack that was
held at my back. In FBO...or Full battle order and we will have to
run 5 KM. The f u c k ing full pack had no cushion and it rubs
against my back and I have to suffer with severe wounds and it took
months to recovered.
