TR EMERITUS

From our Correspondent In his National Day rally, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong issued a rallying call for unity across different races and religions. (read article here) A large part of his speech in English was devoted to addressing the climate of rising religious fervour. He said that social cohesion was critical to Singapore's long-term success, and singled out racial and religious divides as the 'most visceral and dangerous fault line', potentially worse than the rich-poor gap or any divide between Singaporeans and foreign residents. While nobody can deny the fact that racial and social stability is a cornerstone of Singapore's continued prosperity, the Prime Minister is perhaps overly concerned about it at the expense of more pressing divides afflicting our nation today - namely that between the rich and poor and between citizens and foreigners. Racial and religious fault lines will always be present in a multi-racial society like Singapore. Though it can be managed to a certain extent by the state, it can never be eradicated completely. The government's enlightened policy towards all Singaporeans regardless of race or religion since independence had led to mutual tolerance and respect between Singaporeans. We no longer see ourselves as Chinese from China, Malays from Malaysia or Indians from India but as citizens of Singapore. Unlike our neighboring countries, all races have equal chances in education, work and to succeed in life as long one is smart, capable and industrious enough. The communal riots in the 1960s are of the past and while it served as a useful reminder to the importance of racial harmony, it should no longer be evoked as a scare-mongering tactic to frighten or threaten the people. Singaporeans are pragmatic by nature. Though some may feel strongly about one's faith, at the end of the day, they will be more concerned with earning enough money to feed themselves and families. Prime Minister Lee's example of a conflict between a Chinese and Malay family over the use of a void deck is completely off the tangent. The issue has nothing to do with race and religion at all. In fact, the fault lies with the Town Council which should have informed the Chinese family that the premises has already been booked for a Malay wedding when the application was first made. (read article here) The Aware saga was used again to illustrate the inherent fault lines in our multi-religious society. On the contrary, the episode shows that Singaporeans are mature enough to deal with such differences in a civil, rational and reasonable manner. The Christian camp who took over Aware was ousted in the EGM. There were no social unrest. Sometimes it's better to let the problem surface and sorted out rather than to allow it to fester underground. There will always be extremists and zealots in every religion, be it Buddhism, Christianity, Islam and Hinduism. The government should simply be an overall guardian instead of over-stretching itself to micromanage every isolated incident like the trivial "conflict" over the use of a HDB void deck. Besides, the government has control over almost all the major religious institutions in Singapore through which it can exert its influence. This perennial obsession with race and religion makes one wonder if it is another smoke-screen to divert attention from the real issues affecting the nation and the follies of the government. The most important issue on the minds of Singaporeans is how the government's pro-foreigner policy is going to affect their livelihoods, as reflected in 70% of the questions asked by respondents calling in to 93.8 Live. There is no doubt that Singaporeans need foreign workers, but the question is, are we getting the real talents or the riff-rafts who end up displacing Singaporeans from their work? In the past, foreigners working in Singapore can be broadly divided into two categories: the skilled professionals employed in highly specialized industries and the low-skilled blue collar workers taking on jobs that Singaporeans are not keen to take such as construction. Nowadays, foreigners can be found literally everywhere. The clinic assistant of your nearby family clinic may be a Filipino. The waitress serving you at posh western restaurant in the city is most likely a PRC. Geylang is now a "Little China" with enterprising PRCs opening eateries, shopping marts and of course brothels there. Even the receptionists at POSB and Singpost are foreigners! With the exception of prostitution, which of these jobs can't be taken up by Singaporeans? (though in recent years, there have been a rise in the number of Singaporean women doing "freelance" work including undergraduates) To compound matters, these foreigners can easily obtain PRs and citizenships which leads to a relentless rise in the cost of living, including public housing. As they do not have to serve National Service, our local-born Singaporean men are at a disadvantage because they have to be away for up to 28 days a year for reservist training. Are we competing with these new-comers on a fair and equal basis? The influx of cheap, foreign labor only helps to keep our GDP growth respectable, boost the profits of the major corporates and state-linked company and of course fatten the pockets of our ministers whose a segment of their salaries is pegged to the GDP. However, ordinary Singaporeans are not seeing the real benefit of the economy growth, especially the lower-income group whose pay has stagnated for the last decade. A company's ultimate purpose is to generate as much profit as possible. Therefore, it is only reasonable and logical for them to employ foreigners to keep their labor cost down. A government's role is to take care of the people who voted for them and not economic growth at all cost. What's the point of having yearly GDP growth exceeding 5% when the people in the street are toiling like a dog day in and out just to feed themselves without having any savings left for their golden years? The second issue which the Prime Minister completely ignored is the rising prices of HDB flats, contributed partly by the influx of foreigners and the government's policies. Public housing should be kept cheap and affordable by the masses and therefore its prices must be strictly controlled by the government instead of leaving it entirely to free market forces. A HDB flat is a necessity, not a luxury in Singapore. There will always be a demand for HDB flats. When we let in more buyers into the market, than demand is definitely only to increase in the face of a limited supply of flats. It is inevitable that prices will rise. The Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Lim Hwee Hua said that HDB flats remained affordable as not more than 30% of the monthly pay of Singaporeans are used to service the mortage loan. Of course everybody can "afford" a HDB flat because the banks offer loans of up to 80% and one need only put down a payment of a couple of thousands dollars, but has anybody  bothered to look at the plight of our citizens 10, 20 and 30 years down the road? Is it healthy for the nation to have more than half its population burdened with housing debts? Supposed a Singapore worker earning a median pay of $3,400 monthly uses 30% of it to service his housing loan and 20% for his CPF contribution, he will be left with only $1,700. A single person may well survive with this amount of money, but it is barely sufficient to raise a family in this present time and climate where the cost of living has sky-rocketed. Last year, our inflation rate hit a record of 6.7%. Assuming this faithful Singaporean who trusted the government entirely, slogging hard daily to earn a living and contribute to the economy, will he have any savings left for his own retirement when he grows old? Can he count on his children to support him then? Who is going to foot his hefty medical bills which remain "affordable" as claimed by the government? Singapore has no social safety net. Once your productive life has expired, you are as good as an invalid. The third issue which the Prime Minister failed to address is the gigantic losses suffered by Temasek and GIC. He should at least offer Singaporeans an apology. Temasek and GIC are not private companies. They are (supposedly) under the charge of the Ministry of Finance which answers to the Prime Minister. There's no way Mr Lee can escape his responsibility even if he is not directly involved in the investments. How can a country which lost a few billion dollars of its reserves be so nonchalant about it? This is no small amount of money, enough to send a few countries into bankruptcy. How can our Prime Minister, as well as the other ministers pretend nothing has happened? Who is going to take the rap? Where is the accountability? Is there any transparency left in this government? It is true that the global economic crisis is something beyond our control. And it is not the intention of the directors at both SWFs to lose money, but how does it explain the fact that some SWFs like the China's and Timor Leste's still manage to make a profit and Abu Dhabi making a tidy profit of $2.5 billion pounds from its sale of Barclay shares while we lost $500 million pounds? We put our trust in the government to appoint the most talented and experienced people to manage our reserves. Now that we have incurred such tremendous losses, which can be put to much better use to help the poor and needy in Singapore, surely somebody must take the blame? Or are we responsible for the predicament we are in? The last, but most important point which the Prime Minister did not mention in his National Day Rally and one which most Singaporeans are not aware of is our obsolete one-party based political system - the greatest mortal danger to our nation, not race or religion. The government of Singapore is a democracy in name only, but not in practice. It does not even resembles a one-party authoritarian state like China, ruled by consensus amongs various centers of power, each providing a sort of check on each other. What we have today can be best described as a "mandarinate" system like the feudal dynasties of China, ruled by one single authority whose words are edicts to be obeyed by all. Democracy may not be a perfect system of government, but it is the least of all evils because it allows a free competition of ideas, civic participation and most importantly an institutionalized system of check and balance on the government. There is clear separation of powers between the executive and the legislative. It can be chaotic, inefficient and unproductive at times, but it is the only system which can build a society based on justice and equality. Under the present incumbent, which controls the police, media and the state bureaucrary, elections are nothing more than an exercise to legitimatize its "mandate" in the eyes of the international community, not that they care much about puny Singapore anyway. No opposition can ever hope to achieve a sizeable presence to deny the ruling party its customary two-third majority under the present system in the next 50 years because the system is designed as such to ensure, promote and perpetuate one-party rule, or a "strong" government according to the Prime Minister himself. After 44 years of independence, we are still ruled by an octagenarian who can never be wrong. Aren't we pathetic? Some people in our country are more equal than others. No matter what mistakes they make, they do not have to pay for it and yet still able to command the respect, adoration and admiration of the people. Of course with our media putting even the Soviet Union's Pravda or China's Xinhua news agency to shame,  even the world's greatest mass murderer like Mao Zedong can be transformed into a saint. Singapore's system of government is poorly equipped for a future fraught with challenges and dangers. A society which does not tolerate alternative and dissenting views is one devoid of ideas, vibrancy and dynamicism. It may be useful to maintain social stability, but it can never inspire its people to take on the world to fulfil our nation's potential. A people who is apathetic, cowardly and unthinking can only be followers and not leaders. What Singapore need are world-class thinkers, intellectuals and visionaries and unfortunately, they cannot exist in a closed society which does not foster freedom and independence of thought. More importantly, this system of government makes it easy for incompetent men to masquerade as "leaders" when they are not to exploit the country for their own selfish gains and we will have no way to remove them through legal means. We are blessed that we have quite a number of decent men and women now in the government, but who can gurantee that we will not let in a "wolf in sheep's clothing" in the future? There is a Chinese saying: "Human nature is hard to fathom". All we need is one Yuan Shikai to destroy the entire nation. We cannot afford to take any chances. (Yuan Shikai was a Qing general responsible for bringing an end to the dynasty when he refused orders to fight the republican troops belonging to Sun Yat Sen and forced the young Emperor Puyi to abdicate) At this crucial juncture in our nation's history, many questions remained unanswered and problems ignored by the establishment. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. When the government is "strong", the people will inevitably end up weak, obedient and subservient, like a herd of blind sheep being chased around by the sheep-dog. The bitter truth we must face today is: Singaporeans are not the owners of their land of birth. We are no more than modern-day serfs toiling for the benefit of the aristocracy.   Related articles: >> Singapore's limits: The curse of the GDP by Eugene Yeo >> Singapore's limits: An unthinking and unquestioning 'Confucian' society by Eugene Yeo >> Do we know the real meaning behind the words of the National Pledge? by Eugene Yeo   EDITORS’ NOTE: [If you like our work and would like to support us, please transfer your donations via paypal to our account ([email protected]). Any amount will be greatly appreciated! Alternatively, you can also help boost our advertising revenue by clicking on the ads displayed. Thank you!]  Read More →

Probably the only taxi driver in this world with a PhD from Stanford and a proven track record of scientific accomplishments, I have been forced out of my research job at the height of my scientific career, and unable to find another one, for reasons I can only describe as something "uniquely Singapore". As a result, I am driving taxi to make a living and writing these real life stories just to make the dull job a little more interesting. I hope that these stories are interesting to you too.   Since the takeover of leadership by some western “big shots” a few years ago, the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB) of ASTAR, Singapore, a place I have worked for 16 years as a PI (principal investigator), a place that was once flourishing, promising, and pleasant to work in, has been in a mess. Bestowed with the kind of power they had never seen before, these once reputable scientists turned everything in the institute upside down. The previous democratic and consensus-oriented management system that had worked well for more than a decade in the past was thrown out of window and replaced by one that was marked by domineering, manipulation, and incompetence. What they lacked in experience of management, adequate understanding of the institute, and proper respect for fellow scientists as their colleagues, they made up for in arrogance, prejudice, and naked muscle of political power. Some PIs were sent packing, and some were promoted, all up to the new leadership’s manipulative and twisted standards. Despite my considerable contribution to building up this place into what it is today, I was among the first few PIs to be told to go. My employment contract with IMCB was terminated by May, 2008, without any forms of compensation given. I was hence forced into a deeply difficult position. Becoming jobless at my age is perhaps the worst nightmare that can happen to any ordinary man, not to mention the loss of life-long career. Ever since I was informed of their decision sometime in 2007, when the economy was still booming, I had been trying hard to find a job. I had submitted countless CV and application letters to various places in Singapore including universities, government agencies, and private companies. Most of them, however, never responded. A couple of replies I did receive never materialized into anything positive. Later, the outburst of financial crisis world wide helped extinguish my last hope of finding a job anytime soon. By November 2008, I finally made a decision to become a taxi driver. At the time like this, the taxi business is probably the only business in Singapore that still actively recruits people. I signed up for a training course run by a government-linked transport company in November, with a course fee of nearly $280. On paper, the Express Taxi Driver’s Vocational License Course, or TDVL, is supposed to run six days a week, five hours a day. But in reality, the daily course never lasted longer than 3 hours. The whole purpose of the course was to help you pass the test and get the license. It was divided into five sections, Rules and regulations, Routes and landmarks, Names and locations of buildings, Defensive driving, and General paper, which included subjects such as highway codes, vehicle maintenance, healthy living, etc. The instructors were either veteran taxi drivers or representatives from government agencies such as Land Transport Authority (LTA). My class started on 1st of December, 2008, which consisted of more than 30 people. There were three classes running at the same time and all were about this size. The course was very easy. Every day, the instructors told us what to highlight on the manual and asked us to memorize them because these were the materials that were going to be tested. As long as you did that, it was impossible to fail the test. Even if you fail, you still have one year to take an unrestricted number of retest. With such ease, no wonder there are nearly 100,000 people possessing taxi driver’s license today in Singapore, almost 3 for every 100 Singapore citizens, children and infants included. By the end of February this year, I finally received my taxi driver’s license, and thus began my new taxi driver’s career. This blog records some of the events that I have experienced as a taxi driver. They are all actual events and are presented as truthfully as possible. Special precautions have been taken to avoid revealing any specific information which may help in any way the identification of the persons described in these events. The purpose of this blog is to provide readers with the first hand accounts of my experience of converting from a veteran scientist to a rookie taxi driver in today’s Singapore. The views and encounters described in this blog may be insignificant, isolated, or biased. Nevertheless, I am sure some readers will find this blog interesting and helpful in widening their general perspectives on Singapore. Finally, I want to thank my family for their trust and support, and for always being at my side to endure with me the trauma, the distress and the anxiety caused by my job loss. I also want to thank all of my customers, especially the ones who have shown their grace, kindness, and understanding to me when I made mistakes during my work. They are the important factor to encourage me to carry on. Source: http://taxidiary.blogspot.com/2009_04_01_archive.html  Read More →

Original Blog Written by Insanepoly HERE [Improvement of Chinese translation following a reader’s comment] 国庆日来去匆匆，在我日常生活上不留下一点痕迹。 我不庆祝国庆日。 我不悬挂国旗，不观看游行，并且不听那些炮制的胡说歌曲例如《新加坡可依靠我》(Count On Me Singapore)，《支持新加坡而站起来》(Stand Up for Singapore)等等的费话。我唯一庆祝的是我在国庆日不须上班工作。实际上，国庆那天早晨，当我去健身室作体操时，我似乎是唯一的身穿黑色健身衣服的人，而其他人都穿了红色或白色。我没有故意穿着黑色衣服，但眼见我的衣服在那红色和白色的人海之中是唯一的黑色时，我体会到我或许无意之间表露了我真正没有庆祝的心态。 老实说，我没有原因去庆祝。 庆祝什么东西呢？ 庆祝一个政党劫持了(hijacked)我的国家，它的机关和它所代表的一切？ 庆祝新加坡这个国家成为PAP这个政党，而这个政党成为政府，再而这政府成为了公务员机构。国家、政党、政府、公务员机构这四者之间的界线是那么混淆不清，因此令人无法知道其中一者的界限是从哪里开始和到哪里终止。 新加坡、人民行动党(PAP)、职总(NTUC)、人民协会(People’s Association)、建屋发展局(HDB)、军队(SAF)、新航(SIA)、新科技(ST)、政府投资公司(GIC)、公积金(CPF)、和它们之间的其他一切机构，只不过是个『一成不变』的个体的引伸，而这『一成不变』的个体专注于控制我们生活的每个环节，使我们变为活生生的笼里鸡向它生蛋贡献，和把这个国家变成为一间巨型的生财公司。 为以上『一成不变』的个体而庆祝？你是否讲笑呢？ 我转头到处所见的都是林林总总的令人感觉良好和听来悦耳的海报和横幅，叮嘱人们庆祝国庆日。在海报上国家部长和议员们俯视着我们和仁慈地微笑，而人民的照片则方便地剪贴在部长和议员们的身旁，好象告诉我们所有人都是『同一群人民，同一个国家』。 国庆日和PAP日有什么区别呢？镇议会和基层组织所举起的那些海报和横幅与PAP在竞选时举起的那些竞选海报和横幅似乎相同。有谁真正知道有什么区别呢？ 我知道的唯一件事是政治领导人和我们人民之间的区别：一个机构两种等级的人。当我们设法竭力维持生计时，他们已经入息成千上万。当我们团结凝聚在一起时，他们的确向前进发了。『同一群人民、同一个国家』是为那些仍然相信这种胡说的儍瓜而说的。在吴作栋资政清楚地说明的未来各项挑战之中，他没有提及收窄我国在所有发达国家之中的最坏的收入差距。这就是非常有力的证据。 新加坡可以依靠我吗？ 如果新加坡可以依靠我，反过来我能否依靠新加坡呢？当我贫穷和失业时，我能否依靠新加坡付钱资助我吗？当我患病和身无分文时，我可以依靠新加坡医治我吗？我可以依靠新加坡提供给我一个社会安全网吗？当我年老和独身时，我可以依靠新加坡吗？如果我在军训其间受到永久损伤，我可以依靠新加坡吗？ 我们一向相信当您达到退休之龄时您至少能依靠您的CPF。现在有谁可以知道将来是否如此呢？他们已经更改了法例，如果CPF面临破产，他们可以继续扣留着您的金钱而不交还给您，并且他们无需请求您的同意。因此身为新加坡人，除了我自己之外我还能真正依靠谁呢。 支持新加坡而站起来？ 新加坡有否支持因银行售卖不安全金融产品而丢失了他们的毕生积蓄的那些人呢？ 新加坡有否支持因不良学店出售假文凭而受骗的那些人呢？新加坡有否支持因尽国防职责而失去他们生命的那些男性公民呢？在国庆日游行的声浪和喧哗之中，有没有为丧命的军人沈默一刻呢？新加坡有否支持那些不可能支持自己的人民呢？新加坡有否支持人民而反对运输公司不论经济好与坏年复一年地增加车费呢？ 我记得在庆祝国庆其间的某个环节，大家都站起来和一起背诵新加坡的国家承诺。这些人民是否知道他们背诵的是什么，还是他们只是装模作样呢？您是否知道国家承诺的真实意思呢？ 我首先并不背诵国家承诺，因为背诵它会是向这虚伪的行为作出默许的支持。有谁想信他们『建造一个民主国家』呢？我们现正追求民主，但是新加坡的民主却是遥不可得之物。 事实是在这世界上没什么东西比我想要庆祝国庆日更珍贵的，我希望能够骄傲地站起来和自称为新加坡人。 但是目前我不能如此庆祝。当新加坡仍然是个被囚禁的国家，并且人民的权利和公民自由仍然被剥夺之时，我不能庆祝国庆日。直至新加坡被交还给它正确的主人：新加坡的人民，我不可以庆祝国庆日。 如果某些庸才趟进了您的房子并且窃取了您所有的财物，您肯定不会庆祝这样不幸之事。  Read More →