TR EMERITUS

The PAP has always been standing on the side of the employers, especially those running big businesses, be they local or foreign owned.

We see it not by their words but by their actions, which frequently benefit this select group.

For example, the PAP government has signed 27 Free Trade Agreements to guarantee investors’ rights, pursued a bigger population to feed businesses, brought in many foreign workers to boost profits, used taxpayers’ money to subsidize and bailout businesses, allowed big businesses to merge therefore increasing their monopolistic powers, and kept corporate tax rate relatively low while increasing GST.

On the other hand, employees, who form the majority of the people, are treated as economic digits. For example, their collective will is suppressed by a pseudo union sanctioned by the government lest their demands become too burdensome for employers; they are replaced by hungrier foreigners if they can’t work longer hours and survive on a lower pay; they can be summarily dismissed without mandated compensation if they are not needed.

Employers and employees have always been engaged in a perpetual tug-of-war - who gets to have more of the spoils of economic exertion and more say in the conditions of work. It is played out silently in the background, with periods in time when the employers have the ascendancy, and then excesses set in and the system collapses and the employees gain the ascendancy, as was the case in Singapore in the 1950s and 60s when employers were wary of the powerful labor unions, when employees had a lot of bargaining power and investors thought long and hard before investing; and then the employers plot their way back, oftentimes with the help of the government and gain the ascendency again, as has happened now.

This struggle between employers and employees is the most important issue in the internal politics of our country because it is about the livelihood and wellbeing of every citizen. From time to time, urgent and crucial issues crop up, for example, the current trade war recklessly started by Mr Trump that may wreck havoc on world trade; then, of course, all hands will have to be on deck to mitigate the problem, but it will pass. However, the tug-of-war between employers and employees would still be quietly playing out in the background.

The maneuvers of the employers are usually undertaken surreptitiously: they - via the employers’ federations and business associations - always hide behind the politician to further their interests, who in turn, is careful, even deceitful, in trying to advance those agendas. For example, during Covid, when many employers were staring at substantial losses, even bankruptcy, and needed the government to bail them out with taxpayers’ money, the phrase the politician used, was always to “save jobs”, never to “bail out” the struggling employers. When employers needed cheaper foreign workers to boost profits, the narrative is either foreign workers will help “keep the cost of living down”, or foreign workers will “create more jobs for Singaporeans”, but never that they are good for profits.

The situation in Singapore is even more dire because in addition to the power the government has, just by carrying out its normal functions, it has diversified into business, further increasing its power. Just in Singapore, Temasek Holdings probably controls more than 50% of the economy. This is a major conflict of interest. Temasek, as an employer, can easily influence the government to shape policies to benefit its companies, at the expense of the employees.

What we need now is an opposition party that will represent the needs of employees because their voices have been drowned out by the voices of the employers who are strongly represented by the PAP. Its core mission must be to gain back the ground lost to the employers, who have been winning with the help of the PAP.

This is because the root cause of most of the problems facing Singaporeans today is due to the disproportionate powers of the employers vis-a-vis the employees.

The current opposition has spent countless hours in parliament debating issues arising from the influx of foreign workers, about the increase of GST, about the high cost of living - which is well and good - but at the end of the day, the government simply dismisses them or tweaks its policies, and continues in the same general course, because the opposition has been targeting the symptoms but not the root cause, which is the structure that gives the employers their disproportionate powers.

They need to fight for all labour unions to be non-partisan, scrap the oxymoron that is tripartism, bring back collective bargaining and the right to strike, and repeal all the laws that are unfair to employees.
If there were real unions instead of the Trojan horse, a.k.a., NTUC, there would be far fewer foreign workers because no real union would let foreigners dilute its members. With less foreign workers, the demand for Singaporeans would increase, leading to higher wages for low-wage workers and lower underemployment of former PMETs, there would be far fewer low-value added businesses and uncompetitive businesses, leading to a smaller population, and less social problems. The Total Fertility Rate may even increase.

A smaller economy doesn’t mean a weaker economy. Instead, it would be even more resilient and suited for the needs of Singapore. For one, it would be anchored by Singaporeans, for another, it would constitute mainly high value-added industries compatible with a small but highly educated population. However, employers would not be happy because many of them would see their pie shrinking or even disappearing.

But attacking the structures that give employers and their backers their power, will certainly result in a swift and brutal response. They will use all their powers to see to the demise of that opposition party. But this is the type of opposition that Singapore needs, rather than the “loyal, constructive and responsible” opposition that prods the government, that, by and large, disagrees on technicalities rather than principle, that never attacks the root causes that are oppressing Singaporeans, because it will be too hot to handle.

The worst thing that can happen for Singapore is having two major political parties seemingly opposing each other thereby offering Singaporeans alternative voices at the ballot box, but both, in effect, supporting the employers - which is highly possible because they are rich and powerful - while still disenfranchising the employees who form the majority of the people.

It is unhealthy to have the employers overly represented in parliament, at the expense of the employees. We need both groups to be well represented to balance each other, otherwise, the ascendant group will push their agendas beyond the limits and destroys the system, to everyone’s detriment.

Foong Swee Fong