TR EMERITUS

Speaking in Yan'an, China, Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean heaped generous self-praise on Singapore as well as China for winning the "trust" of their people. DPM Teo was recounting to a group of Chinese officials of his earlier encounter at Beichuan county, one of the worst-hit areas of an earthquake in 2008. He claimed that he saw modern apartments built by the Chinese government to house the displaced people and a new high school for students, using that to illustrate the example that "that a good government must not only plan for the future, but also deliver on its promises." "They must have integrity and act in the long-term interest of the people and country rather than their own self-interest. In the era of new media, they have to communicate openly and honestly with the people, especially when there is bad news," he was quoted as saying in the Straits Times. DPM Teo does not seem to be aware of the fact that the death toll of Beichuan students was astonishingly high due to shoddy work in the construction of the schools. A group of parents had tried to bring the local officials responsible for the construction to justice but their efforts were thwarted by the state police. DPM Teo added that both Singapore and China have done reasonably well in earning public trust so far, citing the most recent survey by international public relations company Edelman in which both Singapore and China scored well, with 84 per cent of Singaporeans and 74 per cent of Chinese saying that their respective governments were "trustworthy". The results are not surprising as the media of both countries are completely controlled by the government which churns out only good news and censors negative publicity. China and Singapore are ranked 168th and 133th respectively in terms of press freedom by international media watchdog Reporters without Borders in 2009. Furthermore, Edelman was embroiled in a heated controversy with climate activists two years ago which cast doubts on its credibility. In July 2008, activists from Oxford Climate action staged a protest at the London office of Edelman, alleging a massive ‘greenwashing’ campaign by the agency’s energy client E.ON. (read article here) DPM Teo should think twice before opening his mouth and embarrassing himself again. In the era of the new media, it is becoming increasingly difficult, if not impossible to hoodwink the people anymore.   Please join our Facebook discussion on this article here and invite your friends to do so as well to raise awareness among fellow Singaporeans. This page is maintained independently by a TR reader.   Copyright © 2009 – 2010 The Temasek Review (If you are going to reproduce this article on your blog or forum, please provide a link back to ours)  Read More →

A survey done by Russell Investments, a global financial services firm showed that 60 percent of Singaporeans want to retire when they reach 60 years old, Channel News Asia reports. The poll surveyed more than 500 fully-employed Singaporeans aged 35 and 55 in December 2009 and January 2010. It also discovered that only 40 percent of Singaporeans have developed or intend to develop a proper retirement plan. The findings seem to contradict earlier efforts by PAP leaders to get Singaporeans to work for as long as possible. The PAP has been encouraging employers to re-employ older workers and to retain them in the labor force. Though Singapore has one of the highest GDP per capita income in the world, its citizens enjoy few social welfare benefits from the government. They are expected to be "self-reliant" and not become a burden to the state when they grow old. CPF was initially meant to provide for the retirement needs of Singaporeans, but with the bulk of it being tied up in housing loans for HDB flats, not many Singaporeans will have sufficient funds left in their CPF to support themselves when they retire. Furthermore, under a new CPF Life Scheme, Singaporeans can no longer withdraw their entire CPF and are required to keep a minimum sum of nearly $120,000 in it which will be disbursed to them on a monthly basis. As such, Singaporeans have no choice but to work well beyond their twilight years to support themselves. They cannot depend on their children either, especially if they have families of their own and are burdened by the increasing cost of living. It is not easy for the elderly to find jobs in Singapore as they have to compete with the relentless influx of younger and cheaper foreign workers while remaining "cheaper, better and faster" at the same time, to borrow the words of PAP minister Lim Swee Say. Some have little choice but to take up menial jobs such as cleaners, toilet attendants and scavenging for used cardboards for a living. PAP leaders have remained oblivious to the plight of Singapore's senior citizens and are adamant that the greatest "dignity" they can give them is to a job, never mind if it pays well to afford a decent standard of living in Singapore. With increased competition from foreigners, stagnant wages and ever rising cost of living, it is foolhardy for Singaporeans to expect to retire when they reach 60 years of age. In all likelihood, they probably have to work till they drop dead and die.   Please join our Facebook discussion on this article here and invite your friends to do so as well to raise awareness among fellow Singaporeans. This page is maintained independently by a TR reader.   Copyright © 2009 – 2010 The Temasek Review (If you are going to reproduce this article on your blog or forum, please provide a link back to ours)  Read More →

Just when Singaporeans are crying out for help to bring down the sky-rocketing prices of HDB flats, National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan talked about Singapore's "biodiversity" instead. During a speech made at the launch of the "Forest of Giants" yesterday, Mr Mah claimed that Singapore has been "successful" in balancing development and conservation.   "...we are a very small city state, land locked; development is important for us, but at the same time, we have to make every effort to conserve what we have. So, this balance, this tussle between development and conservation is even more acute in a city state like ours," he was quoted as saying in Channel News Asia. It is not known how relevant the topic of conservation is to ordinary Singaporeans who are increasingly priced out of the public housing market. Mr Mah has come under fire lately from disgruntled home buyers for failing to control HDB flat prices which hit a record high last year though he admitted that he was caught "off-guard" by the phenomenal growth in prices. Despite evidence showing otherwise, Mr Mah is adamant that HDB flats remain affordable to Singaporeans and castigated home buyers for being "fussy" and having "unrealistic" expectations. Mr Mah's nonchalant demeanour appeared to suggest that he remained unfazed by the rising chorus of discontent from the ground. He is paid about $2 million dollars a year, or more than 4 times the annual salary of U.S. President Barack Obama and is expected to get another 8.8 percent pay hike this year. With the property market booming and "good times" returning, Mr Mah can well afford to dwell on "biodiversity" and "conservation for now.   Please join our Facebook discussion on this article here and invite your friends to do so as well to raise awareness among fellow Singaporeans. This page is maintained independently by a TR reader.   Copyright © 2009 – 2010 The Temasek Review (If you are going to reproduce this article on your blog or forum, please provide a link back to ours)  Read More →