Originally posted by cooleo:
http://forums.delphiforums.com/sammyboymod/messages/?msg=53332
Finally, someone with a functioning brain arguing
rationally.
With the exuberence of blind innocence, you have decided to
support this post as a master piece of work that blend into your
own political standard of being an uncritical worshiper of the
Ruling Party.
Originally posted by cooleo:
Pal...like many other rabid but misguided anti establishment types
on this forum, it is you who should wake up to reality. Your
complaints are so trite and rhetorical that it is standard
operating procedure for any opposition party wannabes. But
obviously, at every general elections..the people don't buy it...at
least in the constituencies that are contested.
As much as there are rabid and misguided anti-establishment
types in any forum (Sammyboy's Alfresco Coffee Shop being referred
in the quoted article), there are also the types who behave as
"carpet beggars" and "condescending arch angels ", who will turn a
blind eye to injustice, inconsistencies, incompetence of the Ruling
Party that forms the Singapore Government.
Originally posted by cooleo:
Your arguments are not based on facts but irrational perceptions.
Let me try to deconstruct your bullshit:
1. Government is not social service. That's the trouble with you
lot...you think the best and brightest will serve when they can do
better elsewhere in a booming economy that was brought about by the
correct government policies in the first place ? Yes there will be
many incompetent and clowns who will be happy to be a Minister or
MP for far less money..in fact for free even...since they can then
go and raid the state coffers. Why do you think our government and
system is consistently among the least corrupt in the world ? You
are also wrong in saying the Ministers and top civil servants
demand as much pay as top CEOs....check your facts again and learn
how the gahmen determines it's top pay structure. Only small minded
underachieving people will begrudge the money paid to the small
group of people who determines whether this country progress and
prospers...or goes down the drain.
Several issues have been pieced together to form a mixed bag of
answers that seem to undercut the debating opponent but only to
those who are unaware of the political history of Singapore.
Firstly, the problem with the Ruling Party is their firm belief
that Social Service is a "DIRTY TERM", and which explains for the
wide gap in the Standard of Living (which equates with the QUALITY
of LIFE) that exist between the Lower Income, and the Higher Income
Group.
Meanwhile, the line is slowly blurring between the Lower and Middle
Income Groups, as more households in the Middle Income Group
struggle to make ends meet, when the bread winners are retrenched
in their late 40's or 50's, and have to readjust their lifestyle -
from that of the Ruling Party widely promoted SWISS Standard of
Living that fizzled out quietly to one of any uncertain future that
require continuous change.
The SWISS somehow remains confidently able to continue to cope with
their SWISS Standard of Living, with High Pay, High Tax, and High
STANDARDS of Social Services - all achieved with a LESSER PAID
GOVERNMENT that is OPEN to all kinds of REFERENDUM that affects the
future of the Swiss Citizens.
Secondly, it is quite tiring for the constant repetition by the
Ruling Party and their lackeys, to treat the Singapore Citizens as
IDIOTS, unable to discern the supposedly MANY incompetent persons
and / or clowns and will NOT TRUST the Singapore Citizens to
exercise their vote "correctly".
Yet, the Singapore Government that is supposedly corrupt free has
seen one Minister committing suicide and one Minister of State
jailed for corruption, several other ministers had quietly stepped
down from office to take on the role of Ambassadors (exiled), one
Member of Parliament took flight from Singapore - with the
Singapore Government refusing to spend a single cent to track him
down, but willingly spend several hundred thousand dollars to track
the credit expenses and movement of an Opposition Candidate across
the USA.
Thirdly, it did not take only incompetent persons or clowns to be
in office to raid the coffers, as Singaporeans had elected a
brilliant Lawyer to be the first Chief Minister of Singapore, and
left office with the Government Treasury broke.
What makes you think that the present Ruling Party is not already
"raiding" the Singapore Reserve ? Why is the GIC and Temasek
Holdings not subjecting themselves to open accounting ? Why was it
necessary to amend the Constitution that allowed the Elected
President to have and to exercise some authority or power in
overseeing the National Reserves ?
Fourthly, the Singapore Government has cleverly explained the need
for the Ministers' remuneration to be comparable to "a basket of
the top Corporate CEOs" - yet it was not announced that some of
these CEOs are looking after Corporations with business turnover
that are larger than the size of the Singapore Economy.
It would have been more appropriate for the Ruling Party forming
the Singapore Government, to compare the salaries of the Ministers
of Government of the top economies in the world, or of countries of
similar economic size, or population size, or along such
comparative lines.
We could have compared the remunerations paid to Government
Ministers of Switzerland, Belgium, Ireland, Holland, Denmark,
Sweden, Finland, Israel, Hongkong, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Australia,
New Zealand, Brazil, Argentina, Egypt, Thailand, Malaysia, Sri
Lanka, Pakistan, Mexico, Austria, Greece, and any countries with
near similar characteristics in physical size or economic
performance.
Is it true that "Only small minded underachieving people will
begrudge the money paid to the small group of people who determines
whether this country progress and prospers...or goes down the
drain." ?
Or would it be more accurate that only a small group of greedy and
over achieving people will never be satisfied with the authority
and privileges that they have been given by the larger group of
people to rule over them, and have decided to enrich themselves by
way of 'LEGISLATION' ?
Originally posted by cooleo:
2. Singapore is small, and it's achievements cannot be taken in
absolute terms with far larger countries such as the USA and China.
However in relative terms, in per capita terms, and in the short
space of time since independence....Singapore has, in the judgement
of many independent international experts..achieved what no other
country has given the odds it has to overcome. Comparing us with
China and USA is silly...we are not even in the same ball park. But
in relative terms we have achieved so much more.
YES, in the circumstance that Singapore had found itself in, the
matrix of talented leadership, an obedient and diligent population,
having emerged from and with memories of the hardship of the Second
World War, Singapore was able to achieve far more than other
countries in Asia, Africa, and South America.
However, Switzerland is often cited as a role model for Singapore
to emulate, with the SWISS Standard of Living being lauded as a
goal for Singapore to achieve. Unfortunately, the Singapore
Citizens missed out on the fact that the Ruling Party was only
talking about the dream of achieving that SWISS Standard of Living,
WITHOUT the SWISS Social and Political Liberties.
