SG Govt vs the people Divided?
The Sea of suspicion
.
(The terrorist will attack where the people divide)
Why do most Singaporeans- not have the chance to vote during
elections?
What is the true purpose of the GRC system of elections?
And-
Whom does the current principle of GRC Serve mainly?
Is SG a democracy? Why is there reduced press freedom and a lack of
transparency in Spore?
Are Singaporeans happy people?- Why are SGporeans not having enough
children?
Will social instability increase when the rich poor divide
widens?
Why did Singaporeans fail miserably in terrorism awareness in a
recent rucksack test conducted at Raffles place MRT?
- In view of the a/m, what are the foreseeable problems facing
Spore?
I see GRC and Ministerial salaries as divisive issues between
SGporeans and their govt- one that needs urgent examination [prior
to the coming elections].
Initially defined as a 4-person team contesting elections for
constituency groups, where at least one member had to be of a
minority race
the definition was subsequently widened to allow the
formation of 6-person teams.
This is an unfortunate expansion as:
1. PAP knows that the opposition lacks manpower and political
machinery- so by deliberately inflating the stakes, (more members
per GRC favoring larger more organized parties), PAP has thus
effectively out priced opposition participation.
2. Sure there are single seat constituency available- but its only
logical to conclude that many parties vying for the same seat- will
only encourage a PAP win in a first past the post election.
3. Increasing GRC MP nos. from 4 to 6 also prejudices the original
racial harmony [minority representation] theory by Diluting the
minority race representation in a GRC from 25% to 16.6% (with the
minimum of 1 minority race member representing).
6 MP groups is thus a cunning inflation of the original
3+1[minority race] concept- a deviation that if left unchecked will
surely pervert the spirit of democracy in SGpore.
Ministers say that a high salary serves 2 purposes:
1) Reward for the wonderful work they do.
2) Sufficient remuneration so civil servants will avoid
corruption.
3) And Mrs Goh CTs peanut remark and TT Durais Golden taps
and 1st class air travels only serve to exemplify the growing
divide between the live styles of the rich and the poor in
SGpore.
So the way I see it is that either:
1- PAP is self serving and thus uses extreme measures for self
preservation- even blatantly undemocratic measures.
2- PAP does indeed have good intentions for SG but Paternalistic
as its members are- distrusts its citizens and the opposition so
deeply- that they have resorted to deceitful measures to win
democratic elections.
- Neither of the a/m 2 possibilities are good.
And the people:
- They are wonder if Singapore is a Democracy ruled like a
Monarchy- Some say that it is a private limited company owned by
the Lee family
- They view with horror the widening rich-poor divide- the
occasional unintended disclosure in court only highlighting the
point.
- They view with suspicion how elections without voters are held-
and wonder if our politicians are actually good men given the
deceitful election games they play and the rules that they
change.
- Depressing is the fact how Politicians are encouraged to be
honest because of the promise of high salary
whilst common folk
are forced to remain honest by virtue of deterrent
sentences.
- They wonder why the high medical costs, the high costs of living-
despite the PAP promise of more good years
so the demoralized
who have decided to suffer no more
they commit suicide
- The rest- they have become lazy- preferring to believe in the
promises of the PAP- they will complain childishly when their needs
are not met- too bad- having never learnt to vote, you cant expect
them to ask for anything less then a realization of the promises
made.
This situation does not augur well for Singapore:
A decreasing birth rate (1.24 instead of 2.10) means that
Singaporeans have
1. Lost faith in their country/ future and dont want children to
suffer.
2. Lost the appetite to procreate.
3. Have to work too hard to earn a living leaving no energy for
sex.
4. Are too poor to have children/
5. Have become infertile due to stress/ pollution.
What should the PAP focus upon during the next election?
Political rivalry OR the welfare of Singaporeans.
The next lap will be a time of change and discovery, nothing less
then a robust debate in parliament will prepare Singapore for the
challenges that lie ahead.
[Disclaimer: there is no warranty on the accuracy of the a/m info
which is based solely upon the authors beliefs/ opinions.
Any replies / clarifications most welcome]
DPM Tan says Singaporeans have much to learn from London
blasts
S. Ramesh, Channel NewsAsia
18 Jul 2005 1935 hrs (GMT + 8hrs)
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/cgi-bin/search/search_7days.pl?status=&search=terrorism&id=158513
SINGAPORE : Deputy Prime Minister Tony Tan warned Singapore could
very well be the next target for terrorists.
..
Dr Tan mentioned a Channel NewsAsia news item which showed that
Singaporeans were just not vigilant enough.
He said he watched the television programme where an unattended bag
was deliberately left at Raffles Place and it was spotted by two
American women.
Dr Tan said the two women had been used to such an attack that they
decided to raise the alarm.
He reminded Singaporeans that they are "the eyes and ears, and the
extended reach of the security agencies".
Dr Tan said it was just as important that the country's Muslims are
well integrated into the community to prevent any backlash if there
is a terror attack.
He said any backlash against the Muslim community could split the
country and lay to waste the decades of hard work we have put in
into nurturing racial and religious harmony, and in building up
social resilience. - CNA/de
http://www.yeocheowtong.com/Salaries.html
http://www.youngpap.org.sg/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=5836&sid=882e18570eba6fc957d4834cf98a4b98
T. T. Durai, National Kidney Foundation's Annual Salary-
S$600,000
Singapore President's Basic Salary US$1,483,000
(SGD$2,373,100)
Singapore Prime Minister's Basic Salary US$1,100,000
(SGD1,958,000)
Minister's Basic: US$655,530 to US$819,124 (SGD1,166,844 to
SGD1,458,040) a year
United States of America
President: US$200,000
Vice President: US$181,400
Cabinet Secretaries: US$157,000
United Kingdom
Prime Minister: US$170,556
Ministers: US$146,299
Australia
Prime Minister: US$137,060
Deputy Prime Minister: US$111,439
Treasurer: US$102,682
Source: Asian Wall Street Journal July 10 2000.
Singapore President's salary which was updated in 2005 from the
Singapore Straits Times.
Cost of living increases for Singapore: 2004- 2005.:
http://www.finfacts.com/costofliving.htm
(2004- 46th, 2005: 34th most expensive in the world)