TR EMERITUS

Written by Our Correspondent Workers' MP Low Thia Kiang shed his inhibition and went for the jugular during a parliamentary session yesterday with harsh criticisms of the ruling party's liberal immigration and pro-foreigner policies which have brought untold hardships and sufferings among ordinary Singaporeans. Contrary to what was said by Finance Minister Tharman in his Budget speech earlier that the wages of Singapore workers have grown over the last few years, Mr Low felt that the low-wage earners are left behind: "When the Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) has to be revised upward and the qualifying monthly income limit increased to $1,700 to ensure low-wage earners are not left behind in our foreigner-dependent economy, doesn't that raise an alarm in the Government about the meagre salary our low-wage workers are getting? 'The growth strategy... for the past 10 years has definitely not made these Singaporean workers feel any sense of progress with the nation," he was quoted as saying in the Straits Times. He blamed the government for opening the floodgates to foreign workers which provides few incentives for companies to boost their productivity: "It is easy to blame our local workforce for low productivity but who opened the gates to allow foreign workers to flood the labour market in the first place? Easy access to cheap foreign labour offers little incentive for companies to up their productivity... The Government has to assume some responsibility for the low productivity in the last decade" he said. According to a recent Wall Street Journal, the relentless influx of foreign workers has depressed the wages of Singapore workers, increased the cost of living, especially that of public housing, decreased labor productivity and led to an overall decline in the standards of living. Foreigners now made up 36 per cent of Singapore's population, up from 14 per cent in 1990. Of the remaining 64 percent who are citizens, an increasing number are born overseas. Mr Low also urged the PAP to take 'bold step' to scrap the foreign workers levy completely and use the dependency ratio to manage the growth of foreign workers in Singapore. "Based on reports that there are about 856,000 work permit holders in Singapore as at December - excluding the 196,000 domestic helpers -  a $10 to $30 monthly increase in levy would bring in an additional $79 million to $238 million per year for the Government. And using the low end of the work permit levy, which is $150 a month, the Government is taking in about $1.2 billion a year from this payment," he added. Mr Low opined that the hike in foreign worker levy will not affect large companies and "'this whole exercise could just end up fattening the Government's coffer with little results to show in controlling the ever-expanding foreign workforce." As expected, Mr Low's comments brought a barrage of criticisms from the PAP MPs who dominate parliament. Ms Josephine Teo (Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC) claimed that foreign workers will be cheaper without the levies: "Without the levies, foreign workers are even cheaper and even more attractive to businesses. And some of these businesses will find loopholes to get round the quotas, to get more of the cheaper foreign workers," she said. However, she ignored the fact that Mr Low had already suggested refining the dependency ratio to control the inflow of foreign workers. Ms Irene Ng (Tampines GRC) added that "any move to tighten the dependency ratio as a way to raise workers' wages could also lead to higher cost of living for consumers." She forgot that there is a limit to which companies can raise the prices without losing their clients. At the end of the day, the onus is on them to find ways to boost productivity while keeping prices low at the same time. It is evident that the PAP's growth strategy for the past few years has disastrous consequences for the low income earners in Singapore whose wages had remained stagnant. In fact, Singapore now has the largest income gap between the rich and the poor among the thirty most developed economies after Hong Kong. With no opposition in parliament to check on the PAP, Singaporeans will have little choice but to be led by them through the noses like a flock of "sheep".  Read More →

Written by Our Correspondent For those of you who are disgusted by the PAP MPs singing in unison in support of Budget 2010, let us recap the infamous quotes made by some of them 3 years back on Budget 2007, courtesy of Mr Brown: 10. Ms Irene Ng (Tampines GRC): “incredibly generous” 9. Mr Hri Kumar (Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC): “Comprehensive and forward-looking” 8. Dr Ahmad Mohammed Magad (Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC): “Inclusive and a landmark budget” 7. Madam Ho Geok Choo (West Coast GRC): “(Workfare is) Pragmatic, innovative and exemplary” 6. Mr Wee Siew Kim (Ang Mo Kio GRC): called Budget 2007 “generous” and “forward-looking” 5. Dr Amy Khor (Hong Kah GRC): “Good intentioned” and “Made in Heaven” 4. Mr Ong Ah Heng (Nee Soon Central): Said that the generosity of the recent budget is possible under the stewardship of the ruling People’s Action Party. 3. Mr Inderjit Singh (Ang Mo Kio GRC): “This is one of the best, if not the best budgets, I have seen.” and “Wonderful” 2. Ms Lee Bee Wah (Ang Mo Kio GRC): “Pang sai ka che jamban” (Want to take a dump then look for toilet). 1. Dr Fatimah Lateef (Marine Parade GRC): “Let me share with her that nowhere else in the world can you get a Budget which includes love and compassion in abundance as this one.” Where are we now after the "generous", "wonderful", "inclusive" and "made in heaven" Budget of 2007? Are we better off now or are we still stuck in the same s**thole? While the median wages of Singapore workers have barely increased in the last three years, the cost of living has more than doubled, especially that of public housing, all thanks to the PAP's mismanagement of the economy. Till today, the PAP MPs are still ignorant of the crux of the problem and continue sing the same old tune. Singaporeans should wake up from the fact that there is nothing the PAP MPs can do for them in parliament. No matter how hard they argue or fight, they cannot go against the party's wishes because of the party whip. More than often not, the policies are formulated and implemented hastily by a core group of leaders (we know who they are) within the party. The PAP MPs are only allowed to "debate" in parliament to put a "wayang" for all to see, but they have no power to effect any fundamental changes in the policies. The liberal immigration and pro-foreigner policies were implemented without due consideration or planning. Since when did we hear a debate in parliament on the matter? Singaporeans must vote wisely in the next election. We need a strong opposition in parliament to keep the PAP in check. We must have proper debate on all national policies before the bills are passed. We cannot give the PAP another blank cheque to govern the nation without any accountability, responsibility or transparency. For those of you who are still undecided, please recall Lee Kuan Yew's famous quote: “To be the prime minister, you don’t have to know every instrument, but you got to recognise, ah, he’s a good violinist, he’ll be the first violinist, he’ll be the double bass. He will play the viola, he will have the trumpet, he will do the drums. Then you coordinate them and then you have great music. And if you already have a great orchestra, you can put a dummy there and you still got great music.” [Source: Channel News Asia, 5 March 2008] Why cast your vote for a dummy MP who is simply there to fill the empty places? Is it worth taxpayers' monies to pay him/her $13,000 a month to sing in tune to his party's "orchestra"? Do you want to see the PAP MPs regurgitating the same rubbish three years later on Budget 2013 when your wages and standard of living continue to drop? You have only one last chance in the next election to make a real difference to your destiny: VOTE FOR CHANGE, VOTE OUT THE PAP!!!  Read More →

Written by Our Correspondent Even as the PAP is celebrating the end of the recession by giving its ministers and parliamentary secretaries a hefty 8.8 per cent pay rise this year, an economist at DBS Irving Seah has sounded the alarm bells that the picture is not so rosy after all way back in 2009 With the economy projected to grow by 4.5 to 6.5 percent this year, the PAP ministers will take home more pay since a certain percentage of it is pegged to GDP growth. The state media has been busy of late trying to convince Singaporeans that the worst is over, but chose to conveniently ignore Mr Seah's predictions made in Bloomberg on 25 February 2009 though it was mentioned in brief by CNA. In the article, Mr Seah wrote that "job losses this time will be worse than the previous two downturns in the aftermath of the 1997–98 Asian financial crisis and the 2001 bursting of the dotcom bubble". “With growth this weak, labour market conditions are expected to deteriorate further. Job losses and the unemployment rate will continue to rise as companies struggle to cope with the impact of the global downturn," he added. [Source: The Edge] Singapore's unemployment rate rose to 2.6 percent last quarter from 2.2 percent in the previous three-month period, but the figures are misleading as it takes into account PRs as well and omits those who have given up looking for a job altogether. "About 58,000 workers in the manufacturing industry may lose their jobs, while more than 69,000 people in logistics, wholesale and retail trade services may be fired," Seah wrote. Though Singapore's growth figures have been impressive for the last few years, the gains from the growth are not shared equally among Singaporeans. It is popped up artificially by keeping labor costs down via the import of cheap foreign labor, thereby increasing the output and profits of companies and not through boosting productivity, innovation or research. As such, the wages of Singapore workers have barely risen while the cost of living has sky-rocketed, especially that of public housing. Not surprisingly, Singapore has the highest income gap between the poor and rich among the thirty most developed economies in the world after Hong Kong. Mr Seah gave an ominous warning of what is to come: “Companies that are not doing well will need to cut costs to remain viable or may be forced to wind down. As a result, higher employment and more job losses will be inevitable. The going will get tougher as the worst of the labor market cycle is yet to come.” Mr Seah's grim assessment is likely to fall on deaf ears as the PAP MPs and ministers continue to "scratch the backs" of one another for a "good job" done.  Read More →