Singapore Government is a die-hard perfectionist

chronicles SG

They want everybody to adore them, i heard when you post strong remarks that shows detestment of SG government on the internet.Internet "police" will catch you.They do not like people to criticize their government, do you actually think they are bigots.

Even some foreigners call us an autocratic country Rolling Eyes

LazerLordz SG

I'm giving my future kids the choice of where they want to settle.It's the very least I can do.. Laughing

greengoblin SG

Must at least save some $$$ for them also...otherwise how to choose where they want to go...

Choose between Pasir Ris and Sengkang is no choice also Mr. Green

Lowclassman SG

Me too, I told my kids if they want to migrate to elsewhere, I won't stop them.

vito_corleone SG

my future kids wont have to live in this sh|thole..woohoo! Laughing

SBS3688Y SG

They become rather soft nowadays lo....
i still prefer under LKY leadership......more discipline, no nonsense policy = excellent.....

robertteh SG

Singapore per capita ranking dropped from 8th to 22nd over a matter of a few years because of wrong high-cost anti-business and anti-entrepreneur elitist policies.

So far apart from piecemeal efforts on education, CL2 and medishield the 20 major policy errors as posted in this forum (page 11: Definition of True Democracy) are still not solved. (read below)

1) Bureaucracy in civil service.
(2) High costs of essential government services e.g. medical, utilities, housing, transportation, education, etc, etc
(3) Growth Triangles
(4) Affective divide due to lack of understanding of people's views and aspirations.
(5) Work site safety problems (Hotel New World Collapse's blue paper was not effectively implemented)
(6) Deliver a Swiss standard of living
(7) Asset enhancement scheme fiasco
(8 ) Unit trust investment fiasco
(9) Foreign relation fiascos
(10) Non-formulation of a value-adding investment strategy
(11) Double-charging on lands (paid by taxpayers yet charged back to them at full market prices) and triple charges on vehicles.
(12) Meritocratic education policy that backfired - brain drains of thousands
(13) Mother tongue - CL1 admission fiasco
(14) Reaching World Cup soccer league by 2010 - no sign of getting near.
(15) Investment losses by thousands of citizens from CPF funds.
(16) Spiraling of government ministers' and civil servants' salaries.
(17) Failure to implement accountability and transparency in respect of investments of citizens' monies in overseas investments.
(18 ) Loss of economic competitiveness due to high costs.
(19) Neglect in promoting entrepreneurship
(20) Neglect in nurturing the domestic sector of economy.

Despite NKF revelations of many problems caused by past erroneous policy assumptions, there was no "thinking out of the box" or willingness to correct past errors due to face or egotism. (Koizumi would simply call for an election and refer such 20 issues to the people as election issues; Thaksin would place his head on voters' chopping block to decide on his leadership in dealing with unrest in the south)

So given such a egotistic nature of governance there will be no corporate governance to expect. There will be little change to its economic competitiveness in the next few years but of course the state-licensed newspapers and televisions will show the economy is doing well.

Salman SG

Overall, the govt did a great job and I tend to disagree with many points brought up by Robert.

However, there are two things the govt screwed up big time.

1. The costing of PSA, insisting the high land cost assigned by the govt be passed on to shipping companies. We lost Maerks and Evervgreen in the process and gave PTP a leg up. This is absolutely stupid. The biggest screw up by the govt.

2. Ranking system for schools. They love to benchmark so much on the wrong things that it drove the quality of life downwards for Singaporeans.

robertteh SG

Of course some may be happy with government performance depending on their own stations e.g. the beneficiaries, the elites or the rich.

90% of the populations are struggling to make ends meet. Currently the local SMEs are not doing well and have not been doing well for the past 10 years or so due to high-cost and anti-business environments created by many past policies.

There are some changes no doubt being made but many past policies essentially as you can see from the previous post like double-charging on lands and triple-taxing of vehicles are cast in stone, conceptual and full of unproven assumptions and anti-business.

The ministers do not possess the businessman entrepreneurial sense of proportions about sustainability of their government's high fees and costs.

From medical to education, utility to rental all fees are based on taxing, full recovery of cost by imposing market-value fees and charges or privatising of essential services to save government costs.

Their past policies are badly hurting the citizens and businesses. It seems that the ministers will not admit government fees or HDB prices as high and will concede only one inch at a time only when big players like Maerks, Evergreen and Air Asia are finally hurting them big or throwing off their pet theories on values or land costs.

Ordinary citizens are not listened to so they could only grumble. Their only recourse is to vote with their feet causing brain drains by thousands. But the government has ignored their pleading so far and do not relent that their HDB double-charging on HDB flat prices (which citizens already owned or paid for). Too many similar top-down policies and decisions are made in self-centred (not openly debated) manner without consideration of total views about entrepreneurship or competitiveness.

Therefore I am of the view that the government does not change its past policies and it looks like it will not change because of face.

pisces8 SG

I totally agree with your points.

Especially the first point which set back Singapore a lot.

The high land cost policy is affecting every aspect of life, as majority of Singaporean are home owner. Eventually the "greedy" policies price Singapore out of the competitive edge.

Salman SG

Originally posted by robertteh:

90% of the populations are struggling to make ends meet. Currently the local SMEs are not doing well and have not been doing well for the past 10 years or so due to high-cost and anti-business environments created by many past policies.

Come on lah, where got 90%? I will believe you if you say 10%.
SMEs not doing well because of bad management, don't blame others.

There are some changes no doubt being made but many past policies essentially as you can see from the previous post like double-charging on lands and triple-taxing of vehicles are cast in stone, conceptual and full of unproven assumptions and anti-business.

Import tax on cars is a money making scam. Totally unnecessary.

The ministers do not possess the businessman entrepreneurial sense of proportions about sustainability of their government's high fees and costs.

This is not true. Lowering cost is not the 100% answer for growth.

From medical to education, utility to rental all fees are based on taxing, full recovery of cost by imposing market-value fees and charges or privatising of essential services to save government costs.

Our tax rate is among the lowest in the world. You can try living in western countries and see how you like the taxes there.
Cost recovery may not always be bad, in fact its good. Its better than high taxes man.

Their past policies are badly hurting the citizens and businesses. It seems that the ministers will not admit government fees or HDB prices as high and will concede only one inch at a time only when big players like Maerks, Evergreen and Air Asia are finally hurting them big or throwing off their pet theories on values or land costs.

PSA is a definite screw up but high HDB prices may not be. It certainly prevented risky investments and capital flight. You have to look at it on a wider perspective.

Ordinary citizens are not listened to so they could only grumble. Their only recourse is to vote with their feet causing brain drains by thousands. But the government has ignored their pleading so far and do not relent that their HDB double-charging on HDB flat prices (which citizens already owned or paid for). Too many similar top-down policies and decisions are made in self-centred (not openly debated) manner without consideration of total views about entrepreneurship or competitiveness.

Not true. The govt do listen to people but not suggestions are good.
If a govt always listen to teh people, it may not be a good govt.

Therefore I am of the view that the government does not change its past policies and it looks like it will not change because of face.

If you compare Singapore govt and other countries, our govt is actually very flexible. The problem with you is, you just like to complain complain. You shld open your eyes and compare.

robertteh SG

I notice that despite all the denials by ministers over the years, people have finally found that the government has been slow in tackling its high costs due to various reasons within their control, the unreasonably high charges levied on lands being one.

In the same way, it has been refusing to admit similar high costs at SIA, HDB, Town Council, LTA, and its GLCs. Just imagine we a small country have employed the expensive services of 4 mayors while bigger country was only having one for the whole capital city. Many of these officers were morever paid three times of equivalent in private sector.

Despite all the claims about leadership and talents, all the mayors and the whole NEA (paid half-million salaries pa) have sadly been unable to prove their worth and failed miserably to solve simple problem with effective preventative control of dengue epidemic. It is a matter of preventative measures which if regularly taken should have prevented the spread sometime back.

Sadly despite all of them being paid the highest salaries none of the officers and ministers and mayors have solved simple problems.

It is not until the NKF matter came to a head at the court case between NKF and SPH when NKF CEO was finally caught for excessive spending of donation monies while he was paid salaries - higher than prime ministers in other land and unheard of 12-month bonuses.

With such frequent denials of problems, making comparison selectively with problems of other countries, no wonder today, we are contending with the 20 major policy errors which despite citizens's suggestions are not tackled at all.

Bill Gates, Sim Wong Hoo and some other lesser leaders or talents outside our leaders' definition of talents would have solved them in some ways and not to leave the matter to protracted contentions with customers or the people.

kaka_22 SG

not quite true lehh.....our income tax is indeed low but wat about people who own cars....COE will at last go to the govt .......u do the math and u will find out that actualy its more or less the same then western countries....

stellazio SG

Sounds like i belong in the government.. Laughing

Salman SG

But if you don't buy car, you don't pay COE. We have a choice, not like western countries where you have no choice. That is the difference.

Lets say if you have no COE, then very very jam everywhere man. How can?
If yu want to blame the high price of COE, blame the small size of Singapore, don't blame govt.

kirpal SG

our country is young, no doubt, therefore we have no culture and good history because there is not major upheavel like natural diasters, things like that.

up till now we only have one racial riot (over 40 years ago but LKY is still talking so passionately about it.. he sure love that old times.) and the rest is only news about murders, gang killings, rapes, business related that people don't really matter and remember after some time.

in this period of time, our nation cannot survive just by Changing a little here and little there. this kinda idea does not work now.

they keep telling us not to remind in one spot because we will get outdated. and yet, we are still told that being number 1 in everything is the thing/policy to stay. how can a small country being first in every aspect?

this carries on, we will not only cripple ourselves, and realize that the dream is over, a long time ago.