TR EMERITUS

From our Correspondent The findings of the authoritative worldwide study conducted and released by UBS lately "Price and Earnings 2009" was widely reported in the international and regional papers. However, other than a short article on Singapore overtaking Hong Kong in terms of cost living, the state media did not publish any further write-ups or analyses of the study. The state media is well-known of giving extensive coverage of international studies and surveys which put Singapore in a good light, e.g. being the least corrupted Asian country in rankings done by Transparency International, highest GDP per capita etc. When it comes to studies which are critical of Singapore or whose results protray Singapore in a less than flattering manner, they are usually either censored completely as in the state media's pathetic annual rankings on the World Press Freedom Index conducted by Reporters Without Borders or given selective reporting like in the UBS study. In some cases, the latest studies are ignored while outdated ones are used to spin a positive image of Singapore. For example, the state media used a study conducted three years ago in 2006 to give the impression that Singaporeans are a "happy lot" while the latest results released by the National Economics Foundation on the Global Happiness Index in which Singapore fared less than ideally, were completely ignored. The UBS study revealed that Singapore has the lowest wages and domestic purchasing power among the Asian Tigers. Though Singapore is technically a first world country, most Singaporeans do not enjoy the equivalent standard of living. An average wage earner in Zurich, Switzerland can buy an Apple iPod nano after nine hours of work. A Singapore worker will have to work three times longer to afford the same product. The study also shows that Singapore is plagued by a high cost of living, long working hours and low relative purchasing power of wages. Our standard of living is closer to Russia than Switzerland, which was the target set by then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong in the 1990s when he promised Singaporeans a "Swiss standard" of living within a decade. The term was never heard or used again by the state media. The mass media play a critical role in keeping citizens informed of current affairs, local developments and international trends. It appears that the Singapore media is more concerned about maintaining the "infallible" image of its political master than presenting the objective truth to Singaporeans for them to assess and judge. Brainwashed by years of relentless government spins and propaganda, it is no surprise that many Singaporeans have high regard of the ruling party. Some have a limited world view and develop a superiority complex with the erroneous impression that Singaporeans enjoy a far higher standard of living than neighboring countries. In fact, the upper and middle classes of some developing countries in the region like Malaysia, China and Thailand live a better quality of life than the average Singaporean. However, the state media often report negative news about these countries, e.g. robberies in Malaysia, to mislead readers. As the UBS study has shown, Singaporeans are really not that better off than their counterparts in the region despite our economy's impressive GDP figures. Though we may earn more than others, we have to work far longer hours and pay for a higher cost of living. The selective censorship employed by the state media is another blatant attempt to keep the Singapore "illusion" alive for its denizens because a one-party state can only survive if the citizenry is kept perpetually contented, apathetic and ignorant.   An analysis of the UBS study by Eugene Yeo: >> Part 1: Singapore has lowest wages and domestic purchasing power among Asian Tigers >> Part 2: Moving towards a Russian standard of living >> Part 3: Why Singaporeans are paupers in a first world economy  Read More →

From our Correspondent Our state union are embarking a new course to curb the retrenchment problems in Singapore by increasing productivity.(Read report here). With proven statistics that Singapore’s labour productivity dropped by 15.4 per cent in the first three months of this year compared to the same period last year, their battle plan is to prepare the country for take-off when the global economy recovers. Labour chief Lim Swee Say had in recent weeks spelt out how companies can help raise productivity. One way is by introducing new technologies and designing innovative products and services. Other ways are to find new markets, generate more revenue from existing markets and to get workers to go for skills training. Mr. Lim used his football analogy and is now going on the offensive to increase productivity with an absolute objective to upgrade workers to be more competitive. I do understand that from Mr. Lim’s notion to increase productivity is to appeal to the new markets that have the potential to invest in Singapore and upgrading workers to compete with the increasing competition from our neighbouring countries. His targets are the services sector where most locals are employed, namely- hotels, retail and food & beverage. While he managed to point out the reducing productivity as a major flaw, it would be also great that Mr.Lim could focus on other sectors as well and not be concentrated on the service sector. Mr. Lim had gone back to focus on the same problem which was addressed in 2005 by Minister of State for Trade and Industry Lee Yi Shyan. Go The Extra Mile for Service (Gems) drive has helped Singapore moved to 10th place last year is already starting on its second phase this year. Surely, we would want Mr. Lim to identify other problem areas that needed attention. We gather from forums that stories of fresh graduates taking jobs that don’t pay them well, simply because times are hard and the older work force not being able to find jobs. Moreover, the report on the month of May stated that the second wave of layoffs triggered by the beleaguered manufacturing sector. The sector, which had a first round of mass layoffs between January and March, is 'still okay' for the second quarter. What is of 'greater concern', he said, is how it will perform in the second half of the year. At this report, he addressed the need to stay competitive and not be complacent although our employment rates are one of the lowest. It would be better that he could seek out other problematic areas to battle the competition.  Read More →

From our Correspondent The Reform Party will be celebrating its first anniversary of formation and in memory of its founder Mr Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam on 25 September 2009 from 7.30pm at: Fortunate Restaurant, Blk 181 Toa Payoh Lorong 4, #02-602, S310181 The programme for the evening includes speeches by its Secretary-General Mr Kenneth Jeyaretnam, CEC members and President of the Youth Wing. Dinner will be followed by a prize ceremony for the winners of the Young Reformers' logo design competition. R.S.V.P Tickets are available at $45.00 The Reform Party Office at 18A Smith Street Tel: 6534 9641 or [email protected]  Read More →