“FT’s = Shop assistants, mainly from China, in confectionery. These jobs if given to local senior citizens, can help these older folks in a big way, instead of ‘forcing’ them to salvage drink cans and cardboards from the rubbish bin.

FT’s = Coffee shops/kopitiams helpers taking orders for drinks. Unfortunately, these positions are also taken up by workers from China. Ironically, while these workers are busy with their servings, some with a little entertainment, the local aunties and uncles are painfully going their rounds sweeping rubbish on the floors, clearing plates, at times taking ‘instructions’ from these supposingly younger ‘colleagues’.

The list can go on, the job scope varies and replacement of jobs held by locals with ‘foreign talents’ are ongong…..

I must state here that I do not, repeat, do not, hold any grudges against foreigners. We have to agree that it is no fault of theirs to come over to Singapore to make a living. And it is not at all easy for most, if not all of them to work here.

BUT, somebody must be responsible for the current state. Other than policy flaws and poor administration, one can surely find many other reasons why so many of our owns are sufferings. Suffering from loss of jobs, suffering from reduced income, compromising their ability to buy a small HDB flats, or even being evicted from our humble abode. Suffering from our reduced ability to feed our family. Our children suffers, our aged parents receive lesser for their medical bills, where cost has escalated to an unreachable pedestal. Some of us were forced to sell off our flats, knowing clearly that owning the next flat will be out of reach for an indefinite period as the cost of flats will only go northwards.

What have we become? What will we become?

Most of us here are calling for change….. the time is about to come for us to decide, but will we truly decide on changes? I pray so….

My take is, as long as there are candidates from the other political parties, my vote is with this candidate. It doesn’t matter if he or she is of scholar qualities, it doesn’t matter if he or she possesses degrees that are lined with gold.

As long as he or she is someone with a heart for Singaporeans, he will last as long as Mr Chiam is in Parliament.”

“Since the distrust level of this PAP regime toward its people is ridiculously on the negative extreme, then it is up to the people to tell it to them – that the people cannot trust a government that cannot put its trust (and faith) in the people who voted them into power.

Funny, how politics are in Singapore. Anywhere else in the world you see governments doing things to win the trust of their people. Only in Singapore, the people must win the trust of the government. We must show the PAP government that it must continue to win our trust in them, not the other way around.

The control of the MSM, the frequent political meandering that include changing the constitution at its wimp and fancy, the blaming of its people when things do not go well (not productive, bad English, uncouth behavior) etc. etc. are just some of the more telling areas that clearly show how distrustful this government is of its people.

And now, to top it off, we have to proof ourselves worthy voters; with level-headedness and coolness before we are allowed to decide who we want as representatives of our interests.

If anyone still cannot fathom this outrageous and nonsensical proposition, then it is a sad day indeed for the citizens of Singapore. We have lost our power completely. In any democracy, the power of the people lies in their power to vote. We are now being told how we should vote and in the manner that one political party decides we should vote.

Lose this power and we will be a people lost – lost to our own stupidity.”

“To reduce cost in ministerial posts.

Get rid of MM Lee Kuan Yew, SM Goh Chok Tong and President Nathan unless they work for free. They are already old, senile and already way past their expiry date.

Reduce the number of MPs to 50; reduce by half the ministers, very senior officers in the civil service. Most of their work can be out-sourced.

Scrap all the GRCs and those who get to parliament must show that they are worthy of the position and that means that they compete one-on-one against candidates from other political parties. As it is, 90% of PAP MPs are quite useless and waste of tax-payers money.

Scrap the posts of Mayors. Close down People’s Association.

Cut away two-thirds of the fat in government institutions, the academic institutions.

Impose a 15% tax on PRs, foreigners and recent male Singaporeans under 40 years old. These taxes can be used to help deserving jobless Singaporeans.”

“I can’t wait for the next GE. I had vote for the MIW all my adult life but this time, this time I am going to vote for Change.

I never attended an opposition rally before but this time, this time I will be going to as many as I can. I am sure there will be thousands and thousands who will be going as well. And the good thing is that all of us will be true blue Singaporeans coming together for a common good.

Lately everywhere I went I felt like this was no longer home. I was surrounded by so many different people all speaking a different language. Nothing seemed to bind them. There was no common identity. They were just hungry hoardes of people here to make as much money as they could and go back home. They don’t have the slightest intention of contributing anything to this country.

What is happening to my country? Why are they destroying it just for greed?”

The Government’s failed policies have badly damaged the trust of most Singaporeans, especially the lower and middle rungs.

There will come a time when feelings and emotions cannot be restrained any more. The breaking point seems to be just around the corner.

That is why LHL is again using the race and religion cards as an excuse to subtly threaten the populace into subservient and submissive behaviours.

In his National Day Rally speech, he spent so much time elaborating about these racial and religious issues, instead of addressing the severe economic downturn. There must be a motive. He disguised it as a call for cooperation from the masses.

Yes, we should all cooperate for the good of our country. But cooperate not for the selfish interests of the PAP elites.

Since it is quite obvious that the Opposition will not be able to form the government even if many of them are elected into Parliament, Singaporeans should try a new strategy.

Singaporeans should cooperate by not electing the PM and his father. In this way, PAP will have no choice but to change leadership. The new leadership will have to take into consideration this new development. It is very likely they will listen more to the people’s voices then.

Cooperate and vote the Father and Son out to force a change in the PAP’s leadership, style of governance, attitude, behaviour, and the elite uncaring faces.

Say NO to total control!
Say NO to absolute power!
Say NO to despotism!
Say NO to nepotism!
Say NO to one man controlling the whole of Singapore!

“This is more than disturbing.

The Central Provision Board is tasked with securing the future interests of Singaporeans in their old years, and chief among the objectives should have been to ensure that the money Singaporeans have with the CPF are properly secured and guaranteed, given that this is a compulsory scheme (i.e. there is no option to leave the scheme).

Hence, any investment or scheme made by the CPF should be in line with this objective. Having such a clause is irresponsible, out of line with the CPF’s objectives, and only allows whomever is managing the fund to make losses without recourse to members.

I do not think that a normal company would make such a fundemental strategic mistake. If a government backed scheme is unable to at least give an advantage (in terms of security) towards ensuring savings for a person’s old years, they should simply just give the money back to the people, and let them invest the monies themselves, for there is no difference in the risk borne by the people.”

“How is the government of Singapore going to successfully monitor cyberspace? How is that even possible? This is a bit like talking about snakes in Norway – it cannot possibly make sense as the thing doesnt exist!

The PRC has tried it with legions of state funded cyber operatives – even they are having a very hard time plugging up the holes in great chinese firewall, despite their limitless human and financial resources.

Are you are telling me Singapore wants to replicate their failure on a similar byzantine scale?

I think, its time for someone at cabinet level to take out a A4 piece of paper, draw a plus and minus column and work this crackbrain idea through very carefully – we are all already living in very challenging times – we should not waste money chasing after unicorns and leperchauns, that is not how intelligent people go about using state resources to secure a competitive advantage – they dont plough the sea – intelligent people pick and choose their battles – they never reinforce their failure.

Do these decision makers even have any idea how big a geography the internet is or how many ways there is to actually hide? You have to be kidding me…right?”

“this is alienation in our own motherland!

n i was on the thought tt it was only affecting the HDB’s quota system for Indians/others..where local indians r competing with PR indians & other nationalities for the already pathetic lots avail to them…
now e intensity’s affecting our future generations too!

Damn ministers who’re drooling ovr their fat-paychecks frm e GDP growth r 4getting tt in the event of a crisis (ie.WAR.. )… the only ones who’re gonna b there defending the nation r the under-appreciated LOCALS …

Offering foreigners the same living privilege as locals & presuming tt they’ll show loyalty to another over their own birth country is sheer idiocracy. The present govt ought to realise this…”

“We have all heard this and read this before: the many snide remarks against the PAP because it has brought Singapore to the status of First World – infrastructurally and in some, not all, economic indicators – but still governs like a Third World government.

I agree completely with the above assessment.

But let’s examine exactly what is meant by First World standards of governance.

1. All the First World governments that Singaporeans are really referring to are the Western liberal democracies.

2. In political science, political centrism is defined as an adherence to constitutionalism and the rule of law.
(Note: Political centrism is not about a party’s ideological positioning on the political spectrum – ie. the issues it champions and where that places it on the political spectrum; it is strictly an assessment about the party’s conformity to constitutionalism and the rule of law.)

3. A liberal democracy is one that is dominated by centrist parties; the taste for the rule of law that the populations in the well-governed First World liberal democracies have acquired ensures that parties that represent fringe political values – like the neo-Nazi magnets, the British National Party and France’s National Party which threaten the constitutionalism and the rule of law – will have a very tough time electorally.

4. Remembering that the Constitution is informally defined as the government’s government – ie. it is a rule book that the government is legally obliged to obey – centrist politics, and the attendant rule of law ensures that good governance. Centrism also ensures lawfulness, justice, fairness, transparency, accountability, and integrity.

5. By definition, the SDP is the only centrist party in Singapore; it is the only that has the potential for good, First World governance because of its strong adherence to constitutionalism and the rule of law
.
6. Apart from the potential of good governance, the SDP is so far the only party from the political left that has proven those credentials, and as such, is the only party with an ideology that can correct the ultaconservative-to-fascist excesses of the PAP, which has the tacit support of the ultraconservative parties in opposition like the WP aand the SPP. Analyse every ‘criticism’ of the PAP by the WP or the SPP and you will find this common thread: “The PAP is fundamentally right, but if we only tweaked this policy in question just a wee bit, this will be a perfect PAP policy”.

A political party can be a champion of even conservative issues and values and remain respectful of the Constitution and the rule of law; such parties tend usually to be characterized as right-of-centre parties. While all the non-SDP parties in my analysis – the PAP, the WP, and the SPP – are champions of ultraconservative (and fascist in the case of the PAP) issues and values, none are right-of-centre conservatives ie. centrist conservatives.

7. Many First World countries have a two-party dominant electoral field of players; some also have a third strong party. The two dominant parties are almost always one right-of-centre and one left-of-centre party, that might incorporate social democratic policy in their platform especially if a social democratic party doesn’t exist. (A good topical example of this is the health care reforms – an essentially social democratic policy – in the US but taken up by a liberal party, the Democrats.) As the only party from the left flank of the political spectrum, the SDP is the only viable true alternative government to any of the ultraconservative parties. Apart from the late JB Jeyaratnam’s occasional election as MP, Singapore has only had only a very lopsided, ultraconservative-to-fascist-only Parliament.

If Singaporeans want to be governed as a First World country and by a First World government, then doesn’t it make sense that they would have to:

1. support what is currently the only centrist party, the SDP in Singapore; so as to,
2. apply pressure on the other political parties towards centrism; and then,
3. help create a political scene dominated by only centrist parties?

So why all the hostility towards the SDP? Are Singaporeans just politically dumb, just as they are dumb in all other fields of human activity so much so that foreigners are needed here to raise the quality of Singaporeans?

The routine SDP bashing that I see everywhere may well result in the SDP continuing to suffer electorally. But I don’t see this as the SDP’s bad karma or any equivalent explanation.

I actually see it as the Singaporean collective bad karma; because the lack of self respect is sio deeply etched in the Sinagporean psyche, Singaporeans have become a long suffering lot and are willing to continue letting the PAP push them around and trample over them for much longer than getting rid of them altogether.”

“Our government make more than corrupt leaders elsewhere.

Many of our managers made world class salary.

Our construction worker earn less than a begger. (try begging 1 month without being caught, I sure you earn more than site worker)

why why why.

why our low level laborers earn less than europe but our leaders earn more?

why why?

Our young boys has no future no hope no access to womb to fertilize someone, our country are sterilised rank among the lowest in world

why why?

Why only bankers has job credit why no job credit for workers in construction?

Our young people being paid same amount of monies doing those construction can easily kick out those FT.

So PAP create these problems. Now can you see it?”