January 28, 2010
Written by Our Correspondent
Fearful of a backlash from voters at the coming general
election, the ruling party of Singapore has introduced yet another
cosmetic change to its pro-foreigner policy to appease fast rising
anger from Singaporeans at being relegated to “second class
citizens” in their own country.
Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan, a former Malaysian himself,
announced this morning that PRs will get less health subsidies than
Singaporeans from next year “to further sharpen the distinction
between citizens and PRs.”
PRs now get 10 percentage points less in subsidy than citizens.
This will go up – in two stages – to a 20 point difference.
From Jan 1, 2011, the subsidy for PRs in the public hospitals
(Class B2 and C wards) and specialist outpatient clinics will be
reduced by 5 percentage-points. From July 1, 2011, another 5
percentage-point reduction will apply in the public hospitals and
specialist outpatient clinics.
The changes are unlikely to benefit citizens much since most
PRs can easily afford to pay for subsidized healthcare in
Singapore as they should be of a certain “economic class” to be
accepted as PR in Singapore.
In the first place, PRs should not qualified for subsidized
healthcare in the first place. Singapore’s public healthcare system
is stretched to its limits lately faced by rising demands from the
growing population.
The Straits Times reported a few days ago that patients in Tan
Tock Seng hospital have to be lined along the corridors as there
are insufficient places in the wards to accommodate all of
them.
Besides healthcare, the ruling party should also look into its
generous housing policies towards PRs which enable them to purchase
resale HDB flats and sell them at a hefty profit later on, thereby
contributing to the sky-rocketing of prices in recent years.
A minimum period of residency in Singapore should be imposed
before foreigners can apply for PRs and a further period after
which they are permitted to buy HDB flats.
An additional “property tax” should be imposed on the profits
made by PRs when they sold their HDB flats and return to their
homelands eventually to ensure that they do not profit from the
transactions. The taxes paid by PRs can then be transferred to
subsidize needy Singaporeans to enable them to obtain a roof over
their heads.
The subtle policy shift in the PAP’s stance towards the
twin issues of immigration and foreign workers in the last few
weeks is an indication that they have heard the rising chorus of
discontent from the ground, especially the protest voices aired by
Singaporeans in cyberspace.
Singaporeans should continue “making noises” as loudly as
possible not only on the internet, but during Meet-the-People
sessions, dialogue sessions with ministers and other official
channels to make their grievances heard so as to exert political
pressure on the PAP to amend their policies to be more
“people-central”.
However, it is foolhardy to expect the PAP to make fundamental
changes to reverse its policy mistakes. To guarantee that the
rights of Singaporeans are protected, we have to vote in enough
opposition MPs into parliament in the next general election to deny
the PAP its traditional two thirds majority.
Only then can we be assured that such disastrous mistakes as
admitted tacitly by the PAP in its recent policy reversals, will
not be committed again in the future.