31/10/2012

Watz Buzzing - 31 Oct 2012

Treatment to Unfair and Unclear ICA, CNB Procedures



Daniel Lee Yong Boon is a sportsman, NUS administrator and caring counselor. Recently, while returning to Singapore from Malaysia, he was unfairly suspected of using illegal substances at the Woodlands checkpoint.

After reading his online letter to Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) and Immigrations & Checkpoints Authority (ICA), I could only imagine his confusion as he was subjected to a sequence of treatments that is all the more bewildering and unfair considering that he is innocent.

I’ve approached Daniel to request his permission to repost his letter on KRC so that the relevant authorities could be more persuaded to study how the system could be improved. Daniel granted his permission. His email to CNB and ICA on 29th October is reposted below:

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‘Millionaire’ Cabby: I don’t make $7000 every month

SPH earlier reported a news about a cab driver, Mr Mohammed Hasnor Bin Hashim, who quit his $5,000 a month job as a security manager to become a cab driver (‘Ex-manager earns $7,000 as cabby‘). SPH reported that on average, this cab driver earns about $7,000 a month, working from Monday to Sathurday.

SPH said, “The driver with Premier Taxis finds it puzzling when some cabbies complain that it is a struggle to earn a living. It could be because some are semi-retired and spend time in coffee shops chatting.” After the story was featured by SPH, there has been a flurry of exchanges among netizens on the Net. Most were quite skeptical and wondered if the story is true.

TR Emeritus then reported that a netizen, Rasyed Abdul Rahim wrote on Facebook that that he knows Mr Muhammad personally and said that if Mr Muhammad is earning $7K monthly, he won’t need to ask him to help pay Mr Muhammad’s taxi rental (‘More than meets the eye on The Sunday Times’s ‘millionaire’ cabby‘).

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This cabby earns $7,000 a month



Mr Muhammad Hasnor Hashim quit his $5,000 a month job as a security manager a year ago to become a cabby, and has no regrets. He now earns about $7,000 a month, and gets to spend more time with his family.

The 32-year-old describes his cab as a "money machine", adding: "Every day, I see the money and it is directly dependent on how hard I work".

Mr Muhammad works 6 days a week for at least eight hours a day, and rests on Sundays. His work day starts at 5.30am when he sets off from his Woodlands flat, and ends at 10pm, with enough time in between for him to drive his children to his in-law's home, have his meals, take a nap to recharge, and spend time with his family

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‘S$7k a month driving a taxi? Possible, but they’ll burn out’



Can taxi drivers in Singapore really make as much as S$7,000 a month?

Yes, according to stories carried in The Sunday Times.

But don’t quit your day job yet.

32-year-old Muhammad Hasnor Hashim and 32-year-old Mark Leow, who have only started driving taxis in the past year, told the paper they earn S$7,000 and S$6,000 a month, respectively.

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Is ST’s story on $7K a month cabby real or fake?

After the Sunday Times featured a cab driver earning $7,000 a month last Sun (28 Oct), there has been a flurry of exchanges among netizens on the Net. Most were quite skeptical and wondered if the Sunday Times’ story is true.
In the ST story, the cabby, Mohammed Hasnor Bin Hashim, 32, was said to have given up his $5,000 security manager job to drive taxi.

A blogger, supposedly a cab driver himself wrote [Link]:
“If that cabby – Mr. M. H. Hashim, 32, drives for only 8 hours and take home $200 per day after paying his $50 fuel and $100 rental, it means that he collects $43.75 per hour or $0.73 per minute.
At that rate, he is occupied on the road with a paying passenger every minute of the 8 hours, with no waiting at taxi stands, airports or anywhere. Is that possible?
I’m sure you have seen long taxi queue at shopping malls, airports and empty taxis cruising around with no passengers. But Mr. M.H. Hashim is occupied in all the 8 hours with a paying passengers! How preposterous and incredible!”
Another netizen, Rasyed Abdul Rahim wrote on Facebook that that he knows Mr Muhammad personally and said that if Mr Muhammad is earning $7K monthly, he won’t need to ask him to help pay Mr Muhammad’s taxi rental:


I want to be a cab driver

The glorious reports of cab drivers earning $6k to $7k must be very attractive to many out of job PMETs. This used to be peanuts at one time. But today, with a stock market that is dying and performing worst than a fish market, when the income of many remisiers is less than a fishmonger or butcher or vegetable seller in the wet market, becoming a cab driver is now an attractive option. I am seriously thinking about this and would have jumped in if not of the risk of being beaten up by a drunk or murdered by a desperado. There is no need to risk life and limbs to be a cab driver.

Leave it to the younger heroes that could defend themselves when attacked or their youthful bulk will keep the attackers at bay.

How about being a school teacher? Read that there is a great advertisement flying in Australia that our MOE is recruiting experienced teachers from down under. Some commented that with so many PMETs available, and a few thousand remisiers waiting to join the queue, perhaps MOE may want to send its flyer to these professionals who are also armed with quite a few pieces of papers and a mountain of life experiences to share with the young. Would not the MOE pick on our locals to educate our young or prefer to choose from some unknowns who would expect to be paid more than the locals, with housing and relocation allowances added?

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Cabby who claimed he earns $7,000 a month had difficulty paying his taxi rental?



Is ST story on $7k a month cabby a fake? Hear it from cabby65's blog

So, was the story cited by ST about a cabby who earned $7k a month real after all? Here are two other versions that will make you doubt ST's report.

First Version - A Millionaire Cabby with $7,000 per month Earning!
I think The Sunday Times news reports contained lots of half truths and unsustainable facts. Let me explain from my perspective, knowledge and experience as a cabby for the last seven years.

1. If that cabby - Mr. M. H. Hashim, 32, drives for only 8 hours and take home $200 per day after paying his $50 fuel and $100 rental, it means that he collects $43.75 per hour or 0.73 per minute. At that rate, he is occupied on the road with a paying passenger every minute of the 8 hours, with no waiting at taxi stands, airports or anywhere. Is that possible?. I'm sure you have seen long taxi queue at shopping malls, airports and empty taxis cruising around with no passengers. But Mr. M.H. Hashim is occupied in all the 8 hours with a paying passengers! How preposterous and incredible!

lol more dark secrets revealed about Sg millionaire taxi driver



let u cum to conclusion

154th never check before printing

ST is reliable my foot!


PRC passengers take Jetstar crew hostage in Shanghai after delay


Stuff.co.nz, 31 Oct 2012
A Jetstar pilot and crew were held hostage for more than six hours by a mob of angry passengers after their flight was diverted from Beijing to Shanghai because of bad weather.

The experienced Australian pilot is being hailed as a hero for his calm actions after being confronted by the angry passengers as they disembarked at Shanghai's Pudong airport.

Upset at the delay and fearful they would be abandoned and left to find their own way to Beijing, the passengers bailed the crew up inside a section of the arrivals area and refused to let them leave. Full story

Related:
Jetstar passengers rebel in Shanghai - news.com.au


The National Cost of Growing Old .... Is Perhaps Not That Large

Greying population could 'cost Govt S$13b more by 2025'
by Teo Xuanwei 
SINGAPORE - By 2025, public services for what will be a greyer Singapore could cost the Government S$79 billion, or S$13 billion more than what it spends today, according to a new report released by global management consultancy Accenture.

These types of figures always look scary to the uninformed. "Oh my goodness," they will say, "How can Singapore afford all these costs?".

Actually, there are many possible ways. For example, as senior citizens form an increasing proportion of the population, younger people necessarily form a decreasing proportion. The government will need to look after more old people, but fewer young people. Increased government expenditure on the old can be offset by decreased government expenditure on the young. For example, if Singapore has fewer young people, government expenditure on education must logically decrease.


Gaps In Public Service

Quoting a report by consulting, technology- services and outsourcing company Accenture ("Delivering Public Service For The Future: Navigating The Shifts") the mainstream media said the Singapore Government may have to spend an additional $13 billion to fund public services by 2025. The puzzle here is where the billions have been spent, if they were actually expended for public services at all. The mind boggling amount is supposed to be required due to costs associated with the country's ageing population. Ask Ah Pek when was the last time he received any handout without strings attached - as in the nefarious one-time GST voucher for a life-time hike in good and services tax.



Reading the report proper, Accenture's focus was actually about the gap between what the citizens want, and what the Government is delivering. They have identified four clear structural shifts that are needed to push public services toward becoming more outcome focused:


Hawkers votes ‘no’ to convert wet market after NEA wants rental hike

The Holland Village Market and Food Centre was upgraded in 2005, but business has not been as good as the stall owners have hoped for.

In August last year, over 20 hawkers petitioned the National Environment Agency (NEA) to convert the wet market section into food stalls, making the Holland Village Market and Food Centre completely into a food centre only. The centre is operated by NEA.

The hawkers hoped that with the revamp, it would help improve business for everyone there.

30/10/2012

Watz Buzzing - 30 Oct 2012

Only 19% of expats in Singapore feel they have integrated well in local community

inSing.com, 25 Oct 2012
According to the study: “The number of expats who agreed strongly that they had integrated well in the local community in Asian countries including Malaysia (25%) Singapore (19%), Thailand (14%), and Hong Kong (11%) were much lower in comparison to many English-speaking countries such as Canada (44%), Australia (43%) and the UK (41%).”
The study was commsioned by HSBC and was conducted by research company YouGov.
5,339 expats were questioned via an online survey. Full story

Related:
Foul-mouth foreigner threatens workers and warns he will hunt down their families - stomp.com.sg


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Foul-mouth foreigner threatens workers and warns he will hunt down their families

"This Caucasian trespassed into the construction site and shouted vulgarities non-stop. His dangerous behavior of throwing construction materials into the pit nearly endangered the lives of two workers!

"The video was taken by my staff at the site. We are constructing a house for a client and the Caucasian stays nearby. We comply with the government's regulations on construction, after about six months of construction, we have a year to go before the house is ready. "The neighbour is not happy with the noise generated for the construction. I also understand from the surrounding neighbours that this guy has a lot of problem with noise. If a dog barks, he will throw a shoe at it, and he has also thrown things at neighbours and picked fights with them.

"From day one my staff have encountered a lot of problems with this guy. He threw things at them, scolded them, imposed his rules and regulations on what time they can start work. He told them to start at 9am, so we try to, but on this particular day we started at 8.45am. The government allows work to start at 8am. "On Saturday, it was the last straw as he barged into the site, and it is very dangerous for both my workers and himself. He started an aggressive tirade at the workers, and didn't even look into the pit to see if there were workers inside before throwing the zinc sheet down. It almost hit them.

"You can also see he is not wearing any safety gear and I am worried he can slip and fall on the site, not only endangering himself but also becoming our liability. "We have made a police report and consulted our lawyers on this case."

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A Consummate Joker

Dr Tony Tan won the presidential election by a razor-edge 35.20 per cent of the votes narrowly beating Dr Tan Cheng Bok. Morally, though not stated in the Constitution, there should have been a run-off between these two candidate as neither managed to obtain an absolute majority in the first round. It would have frightened the shit out of the PAP leaders as it was obvious that their pet candidate Dr Tony Tan would not have stood an earthly chance against the more popular Dr Tan Cheng Bok in a run-off. So Dr Tony Tan managed to emerge the winner  by the slimmest of margin in the first past the post system of the Westminister model. An obsequious supporter had described his victory as an overwhelming mandate which is the acme of ludricrousness.

At best Dr Tony Tan can claim to represent only 35.20 per cent of the electorate as a minority president and could hardly claim to have a mandate  in the strict sense of the word.He can be said to be a lame-duck president as if a referendum is taken an overwhelming majority would have repudiated him. The PAP has happily inherited him as he is their pet candidate and so we are stuck with the comical spectacle of a minority president performing the presidential functions of the State. Of course the precarious President Tony Tan could not afford to show any queasiness in performing his official functions as this would have given the game away. Outwardly, he receives the proper respect from foreign dignitaries but whether they harbour any belittling feeling would be an interesting point as they may find it a unique experience interacting with a minority president.

Dr Tony Tan has so far not shown that he has the making of a people's president in the manner of the late President Wee Kim Wee. In fact he seems to be living under the shadow of former President SR Nathan, who was himself not an illustrious president. When asked by reporters what was his achievement in his first year as president, the joker President Tony Tan showed incredible naivety to say comically that watching the Olympic in London was his best achievement so far. Can one imagine paying a president millions of dollars a year from the taxpayers' money to watch Olympic in London and to top it all he claims this to be his best achievement in his first year in office.


Singapore has changed, will the PAP change too?

When Lawrence Wong said that an emerging thread in the public dialogues that he has been part of has been one of “wanting a kinder society, a more gracious society,” his is a rather late observation. I wonder too if the Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth has merely scratched the surface, because, if the Sunday Times story of his epiphany is anything to go by, he transplants  these outward demonstrations of simple decency into the term “values”. “Values” mean far more than that, they go deeper than that, as I will discuss further down.

His realisation is late. Many academics and observers I have spoken to have been saying something similar for years now: that increasingly, Singaporeans consider the questions of identity and values to be high priority.

It’s been the People’s Action Party government that has been blind to it. They still see things in econometric terms. Their own feedback loop has been so broken, they didn’t even realise that every time they boasted about GDP growing by such-and-such a percent, people were switching off. Some saw it cynically as another excuse to reward ministers and top civil servants handsomely.


PR from China who assaulted Singaporean taxi driver with iron rod has his sentence reduced from 1 month to 5 days

XIN MSN News, 25 Oct 2012
The director of a manufacturing company who was sentenced to a month’s jail for hitting a taxi driver with a steel rod, successfully appealed against his sentence on Thursday.
42—year—old Zhai Lu, a Singapore permanent resident, had his sentence reduced to five days instead.
The scuffle between the two men took place in May 2010, when Zhai boarded a taxi driven by 60—year—old Mr Teo Siang Toh.
Zhai was carrying some steel rods, which he loaded into the boot of the taxi. Full story
 

Socialism or Free Markets? Consider Myanmar and Thailand


IN TERMS OF LAND area and population Myanmar and Thailand are close in size, and i n the 1960s both countries had similar rates of growth.

But in 1962 Myanmar’s General Ne Win led a coup d’état, establishing a nominally socialist military government that followed an economic policy of autarky. The country closed its doors to the world and expelled the Indians who had come with the British to help in the retail industry many decades before. Although Ne Win resigned in July 1988, the military junta remained firmly in control of the country.

During the same period Thailand experienced multiple army coups, but its leaders chose a different economic path. Thailand became a free-market economy, open to all investments from all countries, and it absorbed its Chinese immigrants, who had arrived during and after British rule. Today Thailand is one of Asia’s busiest manufacturing hubs

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Psychopath with an anti social personality disorder?


Or is he?

"I've had several of my own doctors who are familiar with such conduct . . . tell me that he is a near psychopath", Lee Kuan on on Chee Soon Juan.

'Today one cannot help but conclude that the trailblazer is more a sputtering meteor, and perhaps one with an anti-social personality disorder", ST Political Editor Chua Mui Hoong on Chee Soon Juan.

For almost 2 decades, I have never seen or read of the mainstream media putting Chee Soon Juan in a good light. If he was not condemned, he was totally ignored. His recent party's alternative National Healthcare Plan [Link] and other ideas were shunned and never brought up for discussion by the msm. Considering the NATCON that is supposed to hear from citizens to make their lives better, isn't it a waste that such ideas from Prof Thambyah and CSJ and his team are silenced?


MOE turning a blind eye to a known problem and unhappiness on the ground

The hard truth is that MOE has been struggling to get English and Humanities teachers to fill its secondary school teaching positions for more than 10 years now. There is a CRITICAL SHORTAGE of HUMANITIES and ENGLISH teachers in our secondary schools.

About 3 years ago, MOE has resorted to recruiting and recognizing English and Lit degrees from SIM University in its desperate attempts to get English teachers. MOE had also collaborated with MOM to get Humanities teachers (Geography) from Canada.

Many of these Canadians were unhappy that they couldn’t teach the subject in their own critical thinking way as they’re required to cover the syllabus content at all cost. This situation was made worse when a Yahoo online article: “Are Singapore Teachers Overworked?” was ran at the same time when this recruitment was taking place.


Self And Society

The doctor who owned "just a Ferrari spider convertible 430", dined at fine restaurants with Michelin Chefs and kept company with the likes of Miss Universe and Eduardo Saverin (net worth $2.6 billion) said society made him do it.

The relationship between individuals and the social environments in which they live is a topic which fascinates sociologists, psychologists, anthropologists and political theorists. Interactions between Self and Society can help explain:
(1) the impact of one individual on another individual,
(2) the impact of a group on its individual members,
(3) the impact of individual members on their group and,
(4) the impact of groups on one another.

An understanding of the priorities of individuals in respect of the social systems into which they are immersed  helps to explain social problems (attributed to foreign intake or competition), social norms and values (unresolved "visceral" racial issues), moral and political change (exacerbated by institutional promotion of gambling), organizational practices (meritocracy eroded by cronyism), and interpersonal and cross-cultural conflict (conflated to xenophobia).


PM Lee blames divorcees for causing current housing problems

inSing.com, 25 Oct 2012
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong related some Singaporeans’ housing problems connected with the issue of family breakups via his Facebook page in the wee hours of the morning today.

PM Lee said he received such messages on his Facebook page as well and added that family breakups lead to more than just housing problems.
While MPs do their best and the HDB builds more rental flats, PM Lee said “ultimately the family members have to work things out themselves, and ideally avoid breaking up in the first place”. Full story 

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Grace Fu: Workers’ salaries to increase in tandem with productivity gains

If higher wages for cleaners were attained through productivity growth, why would the hawkers who are the customers need to pay higher fees?

In a 20-minute keynote address at the Economic Society’s annual forum last Thu (25 Oct), Minister in PMO Grace Fu said Singapore is aiming for quality growth driven by productivity and innovation, not labour – and this will ensure sustainable wage growth.

She stressed that increasing productivity will ensure sustainable wage growth for Singaporeans. She then referred to the progressive wage model as an example of an inclusive growth strategy. She cited the cleaning industry as an example.She noted that the progressive wage model for the cleaning industry spells out clear progression of wages with skills upgrading and training, allowing pay increase to move in tandem with productivity gains.


OPINION: When a single party state goes wrong — Celia Lim

The Malaysian Insider, 24 Oct 2012
OCT 24 — For years, Lee Kuan Yew educated Singaporeans there was no need to have a multi-party parliament because a single-party one would be more efficient and effective.
He gave examples of third-world countries, despite being ruled by dictators, having able to achieve decent economic growths. He also added that history had shown when a strong government became corrupt, a man would rise to overthrow the bad government.
These are words of selfish rulers who want things to be done in their own way, hate to be challenged, do not want to be held accountable for their failure and insist to hold onto power indefinitely. Hence, now and then, such dictators would come out with theories along the above lines to justify their need to operate without noises and challenges. We, the citizens of 21st century, should be sober enough not to be taken in by such selfish arguments. Full story

29/10/2012

The TOP 30 highest paid politicians in the world

The TOP 30 highest paid politicians in the world are all from Singapore:

1. Elected President SR Nathan - S$3.9 million.

2. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong - S$3.8 million.

3. Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew - S$3.5 million.

4. Senior Minister Goh Chok Thong - S$3.5 million.

5. Senior Minister Prof Jayakumar - S$3.2 million

6. DPM & Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng - S$2.9 million.

7. DPM & Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean - $2.9 million

8. Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo - S$2.8 million.

9. National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan - S$2.7 million.

10. PMO Miniser Lim Boon Heng - S$2.7 million.

11. Trade and Industry Minister Lim Hng Kiang - S$2.7 million.

12. PMO Minister Lim Swee Say - S$2.6 million.

13. Environment Minister & Muslim Affairs Minister Dr Yaccob Ibrahim - S$2.6 million.

14. Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan - S$2.6 million.

15. Finance Minister S Tharman - S$2.6 million.

16. Education Minister & 2nd Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen - S$2.6 million.

17. Community Development Youth and Sports Minister - Dr Vivian Balakrishnan - S$2.5 million.

18. Transport Minister & 2nd Minister for Foreign Affairs Raymond Lim Siang Kiat - S$2.5 million.

19. Law Minister & 2nd Minister for Home Affairs K Shanmugam - S$2.4 million.

20. Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong - S$2.2 million.

21. PMO Minister Lim Hwee Hwa - S$2.2 million

22. Acting ICA Minister - Lui Tuck Yew - S$2.0 million.

23 to 30 = Senior Ministers of State and Ministers of State - each getting between S$1.8 million to S$1.5 million.

Note: 1. The above pay does not include MP allowances, pensions and other sources of income such as Directorship, Chairmnship, Advisory, Consultancy, etc to Gov-linked and gov-related organisations or foreign MNCs such as Citigroup, etc. 2. Though it is based on an estimate, the data cannot be far off the official salary scales.

The above was posted in redbeanforum by Green Peas

37 comments:

redbean said...
i think the term 'politician' is a misnomer here. the 'politicians here are not politicians but jobs with employee annual assessments, pay rise, bonuses and pensions etc etc

i am thinking of setting up a company to recruit professionals to apply for these jobs.
Anonymous said...
Senior Perm Secretaries also under Salary Scale of MR4, should include them inside since their salary are higher then any foreigner politician like no.1 Donald Tsang (USD516k) and no.2 Obama (USD400k).
curse of the golden period said...
Thank you so much for posting the list.

The top 30 highest paid politicians in the world all coming from S'pore should replace the G20 leaders in providing solutions to this global economic crisis.

The pay is so obscene that even the politician ranked number 30 coming from Spore is still way ahead of those leaders from either US,UK,Germany,France,Holland,Scandinavian
countries,Japan,Australia,NZ,HK etc.

Indeed this is the PAP's golden period, and about time all S'pore citizens put an end to it with their votes.
sgcynic said...
We're number one! Oleh oleh... :(
Anonymous said...
curse of the golden period said...

"Indeed this is the PAP's golden period, and about time all S'pore citizens put an end to it with their votes."

How? Already before voting 50% walkovers at every election. Can't even exercise my vote for the past 20 years!
Anonymous said...
Hi, can i have the source of all your information please? Thanks.
Anonymous said...
anon 7:48: are you a dumbass? perm secs are not politicians. typical farmer ignorance.
Anonymous said...
PAP
Poor citizen said...
OMG, Singapore has created another world record...the top 30 highest paid politicians in the world!
These top civil servants are earning without conscience!!!
No wonder they lose touch with the ground and call us "lesser immortals".Welfare is a taboo for the needy singaporeans.Extremely sad.
Just curious what they will do with their multi-million$$$??
Disgusted said...
NO wonder we, the citizens of singapore have to pay and pay for the ERP,GST,unreasonable PUB bills,etc,etc. just to upkeep the president,(who does nothing but for show)all the ministers and the elitist servants.
It's about time singaporeans wake up and show their displeasure! Pls vote wisely in the next election.
redbean said...
hi, curse of the golden period, welcome to the blog.

i must say you have a point there. spore should a T30 politician forum to rival the G20. Our T30 should have enough talent and brain power to solve the world's problems. Academically, paywise already a given, many of our T30 politicians are A grade students.

Among the T20 you will be lucky to find a couple of A grade students in them.

Our T30 should come out with their own solutions to save the world. Will definitely be a better solution.
Anonymous said...
i am a pauper and not very educated or talented and am in no position to envy our World Highest Paid Political Leaders. However, may i say that You people can be more magnanimous,let our leaders set World Records, be it fame or infamy.

What is important is that when our leaders are paid obscene salaries, the people have reasonable incomes and reasonable livings in comparison. But, as it is,many of us are slogging like ox just to survive. Wonder if our leaders are aware and understands their subject well or are they cooped up in their ivory towers with their millions(billions ?) SIN Dollars locked in vaults, unused ?

The other thing that me wonders is, are our ruling political leasders humans ? Or are they inhuman, they seem to lack humanities or simply put; inhumane.
Please pardon my poor english.

posted by silly singaporean.
redbean said...
hi peeper's, welcome to the blog.

you sure got an interesting blog in Peeper's Boh Action Party.

cheers.
redbean said...
oops, let me welcome disgusted and silly singaporean and good singaporean to the blog.

cheers.
Renaldi said...
Singapore police officer made a death threat to a Singaporean blogger!!!! The true face of Singapore government:

Gary: He said to me at the lift lobby 90% of the exact words - ”Mr Tan,if you walk out of here tomorrow,you might get killed.You might meet with a mysterious accident,you might disappear and nobody will know what happened to you! Mr Tan, some things and people in this country you cannot offend! Some people are above all things! You better make sure you know this! Mr Tan,we can arrange for things to happen to you.You understand or not!”
Lim Mingji said...
I am stunned beyond words.... = |
redbean said...
hi Renaldi, that' frightening. was he in uniform or how did he identify himself?

this guy is a very brave 'police officer'. i used inverted comma because i would not like to tarnish the good name of the police force. i believe our police officers are sensible people and will not behave like gangsters. we will be no different from those third world countries if this is true.

please tell me that it is not true. if true, have you report him to the MHA or to the attorney general?

ps: sorry there was a typo error on the word uniform and i have to amend it.

and welcome to the blog Lim Mingji
tiantian said...
If our politicians want high pay comparable to private sector, they will have to LEARN to take accountability for their mistakes ie: BAD govt investments, disappearing terrorist.. just like any other private CEOs do.. GET FIRED! or DEMOTED... and not just penalised the kuching kurak staff.. and get away by patting their asses!
i do not know how they live by their conscience when there are more and more cash strapped poor singaporean citizens everyday as the recession deepens..
redbean said...
hi tiantian, welcome to the blog.

this is the kindness month. so let's be kind to everyone. further we are very short political talents. we really cannot afford to fire anyone for any reasons.

actually i would want them to be paid $10m or $20m if they could just share some of the goodies with everyone. i will be very happy with a few hundred Ks. and i will bless them to have more.
Anonymous said...
We can hardly afford to feed them. As much as they know such is the case, they rob us in broad daylight in unceasing increases on every damn thing.
Anonymous said...
Talk so much for what. You ex-civil servant, not happy. Go form a new party or join opposition and take on the PAP to form next Govt. Complaint King for what. NATO.
Jhon Amstrong said...
Good article,.... i love this one, stay update yeah !!!
redbean said...
hi NATO and Jhon Armstrong,

welcome to the blog. actually writing and commenting about issues require a lot of effort. it is not easy to keep writing and talking about issues daily. otherwise every sheep would be doing it.

it is action in words!
David Tech Guy said...
Wow I wish I even knew what it feels like to make as much money as a politician. As it is my salary is still so low I cant afford to die yet alone live. its a public service they shouldn't be paid.
redbean said...
hi david, welcome to the blog. singapore is a paradise for politicians. they call the shot.
Letmesay said...
Just one question, even if it is a silly one.

Do they pay income tax on this?

If Singapore wants to be first in everything, what about welfare?

I know a poor man who had to declare his adopted mother destitute for her to benefit from social welfare, 25 year ago, in Singapore. Is this still the case?

I know that I have asked more than one question but only one could be deemed silly, I hope.
Anonymous said...
You guys mock your politicians but you should try living in a third world country where the presidents are "officially" paid only $10,000 per year.

Then you will see that $3.1 million is really nothing when a corrupt president who officially makes $10,000 a year in reality makes $100 million through graft and corruption. Be careful what you wish for, you will realize what a paradise Singapore really is compared to other countries. Struggling to make ends meet? Tell that to the kids who live under the bridges in Bangladesh who can't even eat 3x a day. Coincidentally, guess how much Bangladesh PM makes a year "officially"? Then guess how much they actually make...

Better the politician who is honest about the money he is taking from you, than the one who pretends he isn't taking much money but in reality has robbed you of even the clothes on your back.
Seelan Palay said...
Strange how people always like to compare Singapore to 3rd world countries.

Seems to be a convenient excuse to avoid the fact that the ministers of 1st world countries are getting much less pay than Singapore ministers and yet not being corrupt.
Anonymous said...
All this money is spent to prevent corruption in the government?
What a laugh!

It's just to ensure the mono-party situation.
All you have to do is to turn a blind eye to the people begging discretly in the streets and encourage the grannies to continue to sell their produce in the market to set a good example to the young.

A part from the 30 millionaires paid by the people's taxes, how many other millionaires live in Singapore?
Desmond Tang said...
THESE so called politicians (actually nurtured millionaires) are not voted in by the people. They are simply invited or ushered in by the PAP Powerful People.
Anonymous said...
So now I see where are the millionaires majority in this 'great and prosperous' country.
Anonymous said...
If Singapore did not pay their politicians millions. Then the country would be corrupt.
Letmesay said...
The idea that giving them millions to prevent them from being corrupt is a false one. That would mean that all the politicians in the world who are not millionaires are corrupt.This is not true.
So Singaporeans are being tricked, into being a welfare state to its top ranking officials not to its poor.
Anonymous said...
Seriously I don't understand how they can pocket that obscene amount of pay and say that it is a deterrent for corruption when it all boils down to personal principles.
Anonymous said...
365 days a year

Below is only assumptions:
14 days of public holiday

14 days of annual leave

52 days of Sundays

52 days of Saturdays (assuming work 1/2 days) so its 26 days

assuming the minister have a minimum of $1 million salary per annum.

1million / (365-14-14-52-26) = $3861 per day

Just imagine based on the above assumptions a minister's daily wage is $3861 per day.

How much does a professional in the private sector earns a month ?
Say with more than ten years experience ? Assume $10k to $13k per mth ?

A minister will just need 2.6 - 3.4 days to earn that 10 - 13k .
Where else the professionl will have to work full 22 days to earn that 10-13k (assuming every mth 30 days deduct sat & sun ) five day work week.
Anonymous said...
You want the truth? The figures are very far from the truth. The gross income, including bonuses, particularly in year 2011, could be much much more than $10m for that year.

Wait till they are forced to disclose it in Parliament, if pushed to.
Anonymous said...
i say so what!! with what singapore have achieved so far in such a short time, i say their pay is peanuts, i would pay them double if i could. i dun see what the hell the big deal is.

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