TR EMERITUS

I cringed as I read the Straits Times propaganda boasting about Singapore’s achievements in the semiconductor industry. “….More than 50 years on, Singapore has made its mark in the semiconductor supply chain as a global node …… The country accounts for about 11 per cent of the global semiconductor market and 5 per cent of wafer capacity; 20 per cent of semiconductor equipment is manufactured here … “ Impressive! Except that the whole boast is based on big foreign MNCs like the United State’s Applied Materials and Micron Technology, Abu Dhabi owned GlobalFoundries and Taiwan’s UMC, siting their operations here partly due to irresistible incentives dangled by the government. But once money is earned, where does it go? A portion goes towards our taxman and another to salaries of employees, including that of many foreign talents, but the bulk goes back to shareholders in the US, Taiwan and the Abu Dhabi sovereign fund. Yes, some local SMEs have sprung up supporting them, but pertinently, WinTech Nano-Technology Services General manager Li Xiaomin notes that “it can be difficult to raise prices”, presumably due to lack of bargaining power as all the chips (no pun intended) are with the foreign MNCs. If they pull out, the whole ecosystem collapses. Most of the benefits accrue to the MNCs, although JTC, being the landlord, is a winner too. But for Singaporeans in general, it is debatable if the benefits commensurate with the cost. Resources used by foreign MNCs cannot be used by Singaporeans to pursue their dreams, and excessive demand for limited resources pushes up the cost of living for everyone. We used to have our own semiconductor company - Chartered Semiconductor (CSM), but it was sold to Global Foundries in 2010. What a shame! Taiwan, Korea and Japan can rightfully be proud of their homegrown semiconductor giants, but Singapore, in this respect, has nothing to boast about as it is just riding on the coattails of foreign MNCs.   Foong Swee Fong      Read More →

I refer to today's Straits Times story 'Hopeful signs of population growth' on page B2, Insight. Briefly, Singapore's population grew by 3.4% over the past 2 years reversing 2 years of decline. That is good news because unlike many bigger countries with bigger populations, areas and resources etc, population or more specifically manpower is particularly critical for our continued economic growth, prosperity and even existential crisis. The pap government has over the decades, I stress, Decades, failed big time at arresting our plunging total fertility rates (TFR) with replacement numbers at mere 2.1. Our TFR in 2021stood at a very miserable 1.12 only. It is most unfortunate and hurtful for me and I am sure for many patriots and concerned citizens as well to digest the fact that ours is a totally financially able but super unwilling to do more to seriously help our married couples to have more children government. The situation has over the years been made worse by a very clever talking, very clever at giving excuses but far poor performing pap government, a government that is so clearly lacking in political will to solve our plunging TFR challenges but instead opted for instant tree results through immigration policy options. The other hand that enables a clap to happen are our majority indifferent, don't know don't care suckerporeans. Taking in more and more foreign PRs or new citizens do not solve our population problems at the root level. It only buy us time, mitigate our manpower shortage issues and kick the can further down the road for future governments and younger generations of Singaporeans to inherit. ( Please read this paragraph again). Singapore is a very expensive place to live made happen by the pap government and by and large, PRs are here to earn Singapore dollars and not to make babies and chances are when they have made enough SGD, they will bid their bye bye to us or even if they continue to live in Singapore, they will compound our old age challenges on all fronts such as elderly care, medical care, housing, transport and much more because they must grow old someday. I do not believe that new citizens are much different. As far as arresting our plunging TFR is concerned, the pap government has failed Singapore and Singaporeans big time. More Singaporeans need to be aware of that because it must and will impact them and everybody else one way or another now and in the years ahead. Think.   Simon Lim      Read More →

I read with solemn mood of the report, “Maintenance Act review: What if a needy parent doesn’t want to ask the kids for money” (The Straits Times, September 29). There is an inseparable correlation between maintenance and support of parents and nurturing, upbringing of children. There is a Chinese saying, “Parents are obliged and responsible for their children’s upbringing and to be blamed for their faults and being unfilial towards them”. I would like to relate an analogy - A child is likened to a taintless paper, and the background of a child’s upbringing will greatly dictate, affect his/her life journey, compassion and obligation of filial piety. Anyway, if children at their young age could be duly inculcated with values of morality and positively guided with senses of compassion, unreserved love, gratitude and forgiveness from their beloved parents, they can gradually learn to foster a positive and righteous mindset of respecting and caring for the elderly folks including their own parents. Nevertheless, we should gradually get rid of this outdated Chinese tradition or perception - “raising children in preparation for their old age; parents will depend on the support of their children when they get old”. Thus, it is significant for parents to have some savings for the rainy days while they are still working or in their retirement stage. So that, they don’t really need to depend upon the financial support from their married working children. However, in the unforeseen and unfortunate circumstances, some needy parents still inevitably require the supports either financially, physically (materialistically) or mentally from their grown-up children. Hence, the mandatory Maintenance of Parents Act should be perceived as the right, positive and timely move. As, it allows Singapore residents aged 60 years and above - who are unable to provide for themselves - to claim maintenance from their children who are capable of supporting them, but are not doing so. Parents can claim maintenance, in the form of monthly allowances or a lump-sum payment. No matter how, maintenance or support of needy parent(s) is an imperative and touchy subject which is closely related to the human nature. If it is not duly managed, it will become a negative and far-reaching social issue.   Teo Kueh Liang (Mr)      Read More →