TR EMERITUS

作者:黑马非马 (06/09/2010) 1 总理演讲搔不着痒处 长篇大论、有声有色，总理的演讲，内容尽是缅怀已往的功绩，对于如何解决民生困境、舒缓日益尖锐的民怨，竟无一言半句涉及。因此，从这里就不难了解到为何革新党秘书长肯尼思会表示失望。批评总理在国庆群众大会这个重要场合只顾着赞扬政府政策的成效，却没有借这个机会针对新加坡所面对的一些真正问题发表谈话 而不满。其实，人同此心，针对总理的国庆演说，民情联系组在基层领袖俱乐部主持的首场对话会上，在约100名出席者当中，竟然高达六成举手表示不满意。就 完全诠释总理的演讲搔不着痒处，是完全不得人心。 肯尼思表示，因为政府的开放式外劳政策，影响到本地工人，以致有多达40万国人领取就业入息补助金。新加坡是个吊诡的国家，有着失业从来不是课题，也不会是议题的独特国情。政府的政策，从来就是严格遵守没有白吃的午餐这个国策。因此，新加坡的失业者，从来就只有自求多福，不能够期望从政府哪儿得到帮助的尴 尬。然而，吊诡的是，在323万国民之中，竟然有40万就业人士所得不足糊口，必须依靠政府的就业奖励金含糊过日，这才叫人触目惊心。 团结党秘书长吴明盛说，外劳的涌入抑制了中低收入群的工资，许多国人的工作被外劳取代，而政府宽松的外劳政策，也形成严重的收入差距问题。吴明盛说：“收入差距扩大与中产阶级的缩减，会影响社会稳定。然而总理并没有提到这个问题。”新加坡总人口达508万，其中公民323万人、永久居民54万人。而非居民高达 131万之巨。其实，移民和外劳本来不应该是议题。因为一来移民解决了新加坡人口不足的危害；二来外劳解决了新加坡经济发展劳力的瓶颈。如果善于策划经 营，这本来就是双赢的政策。然而，在一帮藉着集选区顺风车进入国会的市侩的恶意经营之下，新加坡采取了利益至上，靠着剥削外劳廉价的劳动力来发展国家的同 时，一方面也极力藉此压制国内底层社会的薪金酬报 -- 这，就是就业者还得就业补助金来帮忙维持生活的原因。 2 吴资政转移焦点模糊人民视线 针对新加坡大部分人民来势汹 汹，不能认同总理对移民和外劳政策的解释的声音甚嚣尘上的这个时候，吴资政却适时的转移焦点，试图模糊人民的视线。吴资政劝告一些对问题不满的国人应该多 关怀贫困者的说法，其实本末倒置、移花接木，企图把政府的责任完全推卸到无权无势的人民身上。试想，这个年薪将近4百万新元的前总理、现资政，领取的高薪 难道就是在人民有困扰的时候说些风凉话？ 在国大医院成立25周年晚宴上，吴资政指出，对病人的周全医疗是要做到预防与综合护理这两大要素， 并强调的全面及贴心医疗的重要。然而，在医药费用高昂的今天，很难想象，在吴资政的心目中，竟然还会抱着幸灾乐祸的狭隘心理，庆幸新加坡政府把国家的保健 体系推卸给人民的明智，强调医药是个人的责任。因此，避免了在保健医疗服务方面所面对的局限 -- 正确的说，是国家和政府对于人民医疗事业的责任比起大多数发达国家都来得少 -- 一个世界上薪酬最高的政府，竟然以对人民的医疗责任减至最低而引以为荣，那也真是个异数了。 在新加坡坊间尽是流传着可以死不可以病的说法甚 嚣尘上的时候，吴资政所强调的贴心医疗，对于大部分中下层人民来说，其实就如海市蜃楼，可观不可据。看着如真，其实都是幻景，中下层人民实际上是享受不 起。不是吗？五星级的服务、五星级的设施、五星级的享受，对于小民来说，在残酷的现实里，永远都是个梦想。 3 早报应景文章标榜“模范外来人才” 为了配合李总理的演说，早报今天 刊登了几篇有关外来人才的应景文章。被标榜为“模范外来人才”、负责设计本地最高组屋 -- 达士岭组屋的建筑师邱彬铭与黄婉菁夫妇。这一男一女，就如网上流传的-- 妻子黄婉菁成为新加坡公民，丈夫邱彬铭则保留原籍，成为新加坡永久居民，一脚踏双船的思维呼之欲出。 其实，人各有志，既然初衷是为利而来， 那么随时准备为利而往，那也是天经地义的事，怪不得人。然而，问题是，两人建议新加坡人应该要常以“外国人”的眼光去看新加坡，去重新认识新加坡的特点和特色，不要因为太熟悉，反而无法真正认识本地的优缺点，落入刻板沉闷的局面。不错。不识庐山真面目、只缘身在此山中。然而，那毕竟只是针对外在的皮毛而说的。俗语说，如鱼饮水、冷暖自知。不是新加坡人，又岂能懂得此中辛酸？ 一个新加坡人，怎样以外国人的眼光看新加坡呢？外国人乘利而来，利尽而往。如雪泥鸿爪，本来就是新加坡的过客，怎能够和生于斯、死于斯，与新加坡国家成败系于一线的新加坡人相提并论呢？ 4 早报社论让人一头雾水 早报今天的社论，让人感觉是一头雾水。地铁拥挤是好是坏呢？这个议题，譬如一间流水作业的工厂，流程被阻塞了，生产效率变慢了。那么，是好使坏呢？交通是一 个系统，地铁是交通工具之一，在整个交通系统中，占有重要的地位。而地铁作为单项交通系统，地铁如果过于拥挤，就表示了系统已经有了瑕疵，是一个很明显的 缺陷。那么，怎么会有人厚着脸皮，大言不惭的认为拥挤也是一个成就呢？ 这篇社论，很明显的就是和成功带来问题的说法互相呼应。本来嘛，世事无绝对，有其利必有其弊，这样的论调也无偿不可。只是，如果是一个平庸的政府，也就罢了。然而对于一个自诩良政，而且是支取天文数字高薪的政府来说，让人的感慨，就有了物非所值的遗憾。何况，尤其吊诡的，其实是新加坡政府投资在大众交通的民脂民膏，到后来竟然成为上市公司的摇钱树，那才叫作荒缪。 李总理在国庆群众大会上，透露政府将在未来十年耗资将600亿元改善地铁交通的措施，扩充我国的地铁系统。除了增辟三条新的地铁线以外，扩展裕廊东地铁站将在明年5月竣工。是的，国库充裕，政府才敢作如此大手笔的承诺。然而，作为新加坡人，我很难明白，为什么国家投资的项目，结果是私人业界得到了巨大的盈 利，而公民在使用地铁时，却必须付出昂贵的车资来保持商人的利润。 最令人叫绝的，其实还是社论最后的两句话。“地铁若是出现载客量不足的情 况才是更值得国人担忧的问题，因此国人目前对地铁拥挤的投诉不完全是一件坏事。” -- 地铁拥挤不是计划不周，而是成功带来的问题。这四两拨千斤的太极手段，用得恰到好处。然而，地铁乘客若是严重不足，明显的就是一个白象工程。那么为什么最 后一如既往的就都是人民的错，都要人民来担忧？这里头，过去种种，都是先例 -- 新加坡政府，几时才能够坦荡荡的挺起自己应负的责任呢？ 大马论坛  Read More →

The Election Departments will be offering SMS-alerts on election-related news including changes to the electoral boundaries and alerts after Nomination Day. Singaporeans can subscribe to the service on the ecitizen website here. To learn how to sign up for the SMS-alerts, you can read the short PDF guide here. The Temasek Review will be providing daily election news, interviews and political commentaries in the days leading to the next general election and instant updates on the latest happenings during the campaign period and on election day itself. Despite our limited resources, we have proven ourselves to be more than capable of countering the relentless propaganda from the mainstream media during our coverage of the recent Youth Olympic Games with more than 50 articles on the event itself, a feat not achieved even by the Straits Times. With our soaring readership which has already exceeded TODAY Online and is given a further boost by Google News aggregating our articles on a daily basis, we are quietly confident of countering the mainstream media's monopoly on the election news as in previous years. Though our readership is still below the likes of Straits Times and Channel News Asia, we have a few advantages over them: 1. We are able to get our news out faster than any media agency or blog in Singapore and nobody can beat us to that. 2. We can generate a relentless barrage of publicity for a political party which the mainstream media is unable to do so. For example, if you have noticed, we have been publishing daily articles about the Reform Party which has led to an increased number of volunteers helping out at its walkabouts. For propaganda to be effective, it must be constant, consistent and compelling. 3. We are able to obtain scoops and insider information which nobody in Singapore is able to because of our connections and large readership. We need our readers to be our citizen journalists on the ground when the day comes. If you come across any news-worthy stuff, please post it directly on our Facebook here. You can also upload photos directly on our Facebook page here and we will get an article out within half an hour. Alternative political parties in Singapore are most welcome to make use of our site and Facebook to get their news out without going through the biased Singapore media which will surely twist, distort and misquote every single word of yours in order to discredit you and make you look like a bunch of idiots. Here at TR, we promise you that your message will be sent to a largest number of voters within the shortest period of time completely uncensored, unfiltered and unedited (However, this means that you will have to be responsible for your own spelling and grammatical mistakes.) In addition, we will be providing instantaneous updates via our Twitter service here. Please sign up for it if you haven't done so. For readers who are concerned with privacy and security especially with the uncertainties posed by the ruling party and various agencies, do consider signing up for our Secured TemasekVPN, which is specially throttled for access to our site. We may also launch a separate site in due course in case this one crashes under overwhelming traffic. In 2006, we do not have an alternative news site with a readership to rival that of the mainstream media. Today, we have one. To enable us to be more effective, influential please help us share our site with everybody you know to increase our readership base before the election. This is a battle between David and Goliath. The Facebook generation has an once in a lifetime opportunity to create history. Please join us in our quest to tip the unequal playing field in favor of the alternative parties and to reclaim the ownership of our beloved nation.      Read More →

Two monthss ago, an open truck carrying 17 migrant workers, skidded and crashed, killing three workers and badly injuring the other 14. These workers were sitting on the back of the truck next to a pile of construction materials.  One of the workers was killed after being impaled by a metal rod which was traveling along with them.  On the following day, a lorry crashed while transporting 40 workers, leaving six workers injured. But this was not a small city in central or western China, this was Singapore, supposedly one of the most advanced and modern cities in the world. Singapore is currently the world’s second largest market for Chinese labour after Japan, with total labour contracts valued at US$527 million in 2008. And yet, the working and living conditions for migrant workers in Singapore are often no better, and sometimes even worse, than they would face at home. Many workers, expecting gleaming skyscrapers and a clean, hi-tech environment, are shocked when arrive at their destination. “When I first arrived at Changi Airport, I was so impressed. Then a goods vehicle came to pick us up. I felt very ill-at-ease, why is this company sending a goods vehicle to pick us up?” one worker said. More than 200,000 workers are transported to and from their worksites each day on the back of such vehicles. And in 2009, on average, four workers were injured on their way to work each week as a result. Click here to see the humans aren't cargo photo stream on flickr. Having just spent a week in Singapore talking to migrant workers and researching employment conditions there, it is clear to me that neither Singapore nor China provides adequate protection to these workers. Many Singaporean laws favour employers. Employers are able to terminate work-permits anytime without even informing the workers. It is also standard practice for employers to withhold migrant workers’ passports. Wage arrears and long working hours are common problems. According to Singaporean government regulations, foreign workers are supposed to be housed in purpose-built dormitories or other suitable accommodation, but these regulations are widely ignored. The Singapore media recently exposed a case of more than one hundred foreign workers living in converted cargo containers. Each container was furnished with two three-deck-bunk-beds, and workers had to cook, eat and sleep in this tiny space. There was no bathroom and they had to shower and wash their clothes in the open air. Nevertheless, the workers put up with these conditions because they feared their employers would cancel their work permit if they complained. China Labour Bulletin will publish a detailed research report on Chinese workers in Singapore later in the year.   Source: China Labour Bulletin  Read More →