TR EMERITUS

NTUC Secretary-General and PAP minister without portfolio Lim Swee Say said he is "happy" that employers are not rejecting his proposal to restore their portion of CPF contributions. Mr Lim had called on a partial restoration of employers' CPF contributions which were reduced during economic downturns in the past in view of the improving economy. Though his proposal was not rejected outright by employers, they appeared not to be too keen on it. The Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) gave a lukewarm response when it urged the government to take a "cautious" approach to restoring CPF contributions. Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong said his ministry will "study' the proposal seriously. NMP Teo Siong Seng, who is also the President of the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce felt the time is not ripe yet and implored the government to wait for another one or two years. The CPF contributions of employers used to be 20 percent, but has been reduced to 13 percent during the economic downturn in 2003 before being raised slightly to the current 14.5 percent. In an interview with MediaCorp, Mr Lim stressed on the need to reward Singapore workers for their sacrifices made during the recent recession: "In any downturn when there is a need to cut the CPF, the labour movement is always upfront together with the employers and the government to mobilise the ground, to support a CPF cut. At the same time, when the economy is doing well, when the overall climate is positive, the labour movement will not shy away from calling for a restoration. At a time like this, when the unemployment is low and the rebound is strong, we really hope that employers would do their part as well, and help to understand and recognise the contributions of the labour force during the downturn. And at a time like this when the wage pressure is going to be higher this year, it is important for us to reward workers fairly for their performance, for the better performance of their businesses," he was quoted as saying in Channel News Asia. There are no independent trade unions in Singapore to represent the interests of Singapore workers. The only legal union NTUC is a pseudo-PAP organization which is always led by a PAP minister.   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 →

OPINION Though the next general election is not due till 2012, there is already a mini election fever on the ground which is hotter than the impending Youth Olympic Games. The opposition has been increasing its walkabouts in the constituencies with the Reform Party making two visits within a week to Choa Chu Kang and Bishan. Opposition supporters on the internet have been galvanized into action too by spreading the message of change to fellow Singaporeans with the membership of the "Vote PAP out" Facebook doubling to almost 5,000 in less than three months. In the HDB heartlands, Singaporeans can be overheard cursing the PAP for bringing in so many foreigners in the neighborhood kopitiams and parks. Singapore's bloggers and netizens have stepped up their scrutiny and criticisms of the PAP too, forcing the YPAP to close down two of its Facebooks after it was "invaded" by anti-PAP supporters. The question on the minds of many Singaporeans now is: when will the next general election be held? With public disgruntlement and anger against the PAP at an all-time high, the opposition is expected to make significant gains in the next election including winning a coveted GRC if it gets its act right together. Though the PAP is likely to retain power, the next election is significant in the sense that a stronger opposition presence in Parliament is likely to encourage more Singaporeans to step forward to partake in the nation's political life, paving the way for the emergence of a two-party political system in the future. Given that the ground is fast "shifting" against it, the PAP is likely to call for an election this year to ride on the recovery of the economy. Three possible periods have been mooted which coincide with the school holidays: June, September and December. There are pros and cons in calling the elections early versus late. As the ground is not favorable to the PAP now, an early election may see them losing a few more seats including a GRC. One must remember that the PAP does not seek to win only the election, but to win all the seats as well so as to obliterate the opposition completely. During the 2006 general election, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong threatened to "fix" the opposition if more of them were to get elected into Parliament. Under such uncertain circumstances, the PAP will not dare to take the risk and call for an election soon, e.g. in June which will coincide with the YOG at the same time thereby distracting them from the electoral campaign. The three main issues which Singaporeans are obsessed with are: 1. Relentless influx of foreigners into Singapore. 2. Sky-rocketing HDB flat prices. 3. Stagnant wages which do not commensurate with the increasing cost of living. They are all inter-linked: According to a recent Wall Street Journal editorial, the inflow of cheap foreign workers into Singapore over the last few years has depressed the wages of ordinary Singaporeans, increased the cost of living, especially that of public housing and led to an overall decrease in the standards of living. These problems are unable to dissipate with time as the PAP prepares itself to face a massive backlash from a restive electorate who is increasingly peeved with its authoritarian style of governance. While the older generation of Singaporeans may be persuaded by the knucle-duster style of "confrontational" politics propagated by PAP strongman Lee Kuan Yew, young Singaporeans are absolutely aghast at the obsolete "top-down" approach adopted by the PAP to "engage" them. The post-65 generation of Singaporeans are angry with the PAP for allowing HDB flat prices to spiral out of control such that they are experiencing problems getting married and starting families of their own. The middle-aged Singaporeans are frustrated at their seemingly stagnant wages and the increased competition they faced from the foreigners the PAP is bringing in. As for the elderly Singaporeans, they work their socks off in the entire lives to build Singapore into what it is today only to realize that their CPFs are "locked" for eternality by the PAP. Despite the propaganda churned out daily by the state media to glorify the PAP, the reality on the ground is drastically different and it appears that Singapore is ready for the political tsunami which hit the shores of Malaysia in 2008. Though the ground is unfavorable to it now, it is not in the interest of the PAP to drag on calling the polls till next year as it will give the opposition ample time to prepare. In recent years, an increasing number of tertiary-educated professionals have joined the opposition thereby boosting its strength and credibility. About 70 percent of the candidates fielded by the opposition in the last election held either a degree or diploma and the percentage looks set to increase in the next election. The fledging Reform Party led by Cambridge-educated Kenneth Jeyaretnam has managed to recruit two former high-flying government scholars into its ranks and as well as a few young graduates. With more young Singaporeans joining the electorate next year, the PAP may even lose more votes and seats. Therefore, the PAP should be calling for the polls once the economy has more or less stabilized and the wage cuts of Singapore workers restored including a possible increase in the employer's CPF contributions. As such, the one-week holiday in September is a more probable period of time for the elections to be called. The next general election may be the last chance for Singaporeans to reclaim ownership of their nation after which they will surely be relegated to second-class citizens right down the pecking order behind the immigrants which the PAP is mass-importing right now to shore up its flagging support base. Let us not forget that the PAP cares more about its political survival and hegemony more than anything else and it will have no qualms sacrificing the interests of Singaporeans in order to preserve its "legacy".   EDITORS’ NOTE: Please join our Facebook discussion on this article here and invite your friends to do so as well to raise awareness among fellow Singaporeans.   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)   Related articles: >> The scourge of personality-driven politics within the Singapore opposition >> Triggering the Singapore political tsunami with a highly motivated minority >> Singaporeans think highly of opposition’s chances in next general election >> What will happen to Singapore if the opposition wins the next general election >> Dr Ng Eng Hen welcomes greater contest from opposition >> Chee slammed again for introducing confrontational politics in Singapore >> Lim Hwee Hua: opposition “trying” to work the ground for next GE >> Let the next GE be a primer for Singapore’s own political tsunami >> Are opposition MPs becoming redundant in Singapore ? >> Why do we need so many strawberry PAP MPs in Parliament? >> PAP MPs complain of fast-pace of parliamentary debates >> Why PAP MPs are no more but a “wayang” >> A disaster in the making: PAP’s “instant tree” mentality >> Yes-men PAP MPs embarrassed themselves by saying instinctively “yes” to wrongly reduce budget  Read More →

YPAP member Mark Chow who has astonishingly managed to escape a jail term after being convicted of molesting a woman by touching her breasts, buttocks and calves earlier this month, now admits to another count of molest. He was only fined $6,000 for his crime, the Straits Times reported. District Judge Sarjit Singh said in his verdict the touch of the chest was a “fleeting” one, and a “stiff” fine would do. According to information posted on his blog, Mark is a YPAP member of Pasir Ris-Punggol South and was nominated for Spirit of Enterprise Awards. Mark’s YPAP membership was not reported in the press. The present case occurred in 2006 when Mark met up a 24 year old woman for an interview as the owner of a model agency. He told the woman that he had to "examine" her body as a "standard" protocol. When the woman stripped to her underwear inside a unisex toilet, Mark put his left hand into her bra and caressed her breast. Mark has since pleaded guilty to the molestation and two other criminal intimidation charges last year November when he threatened two IMH staff by pointing two pistol-like objects at them. It remains to be seen if Mark will be let off with only a slap on his wrist this time if his "touch" proved to be a "fleeting" one as well.   Please join our Facebook discussion on this article here and invite your friends to do so as well to raise awareness among fellow Singaporeans.   Related articles: >> Mark Chow escapes jail term >> Mark Chow convicted of molest  Read More →