TR EMERITUS

The SDP kept up our ground effort in preparation for the next elections. Even though the GE is not expected until 2016, we are not waiting until the last minute to get our message to our voters. Yesterday, members visited nearly 20 blocks in the Marsiling area which is part of the Sembawang GRC where we contested in 2011. We continued to be warmly received with many residents indicating that they wanted to receive our newspaper, The New Democrat, and e-newsletter, SDP Connect. Several signed up as volunteers. As with previous visits, many of the residents related the pressures of the high cost of living. A Malay lady told us of her difficulties to make ends meet. She is the sole bread-winner working as a cleaner for $800 per month. She takes care of her mother-in-law who is sick. Her husband was recently retrenched and her son is still in school. She is saddled with hefty medical bills which she cannot completely pay off. The electricity was cut off after she owed the PUB more than $400. A kind neighbour helped her pay the bills. She approached MUIS for help but the officials there grilled her with many questions and even asked her to volunteer with the organisation before they would offer her financial support. She indicated that her PAP MP, Mr Hawaizi Daipi, hasn't been of much assistance. Another Malay man who was married to a Filipino woman with three sons said that he still cannot obtain PR for his wife despite more than 13 years of marriage. He said that nationals from China seem to get their PRs easily. A resident who operates as a karang guni man could not find a job and had to resort to collecting used items for sale to make a living. He was threatened by the Sembawang Town Council several times with fines because he left the collected items along the corridor, adding that the Town Council personnel was very unfriendly. He also lamented that the PAP is not taking care of the citizens. Another resident was very happy to see us but noted that his friends were afraid to vote for the opposition because they feared that their votes could be traced. We assured him that the voting process is secret and the authorities cannot tell who individual voters voted for. A group of Malay residents invited us to a gathering where they discussed current affairs. As with previous visits, we will be meeting with our new-found friends for kopi sessions to keep them involved and informed of our activities. We want to continue to listen to them and hear what they have to say about their concerns and what we can do to help. The campaign continues...onward to GE2016! Singapore Democrats  Read More →

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: 29 May 2014 NSP Statement on the new Bus Contracting Model Scheme 1. The National Solidarity Party (NSP) refers to the Transport Minister's announcement on 21 May 2014 captioned 'Transition to a Government Contracting Model for the Public Bus Industry'. This announcement which specified a new Bus Contracting Model (BCM) for the provision of public transportation, seeks to nationalise assets but privatise operations. 2. In 2011, NSP highlighted that it would be unrealistic to expect state-run organizations, usually large and cumbersome, to be able to respond speedily to rapid changes in demand, and that what is needed is more competition. We proposed a route licensing scheme. [Ref: NSP press releases dated 26 July 2011 and 1 August 2011] 3. There is one distinct difference between the BCM scheme and NSP's route licensing scheme proposal. While both are contracting models for bus operations, NSP’s proposal is premised on the buses being owned by the bus operators. Whereas the Transport Ministry's BCM scheme will see all bus operating assets including the buses being owned by the Government. 4. In such a scenario, what will be the role of public transport operators? Merely to function as labour suppliers for the bus system the Government owns? 5. SMRT Corporation's bus operation reportedly lost $28.4 million in the financial year 2013 and Comfort DelGro registered an operating loss of $14.3 million in the same year . The BCM is an excellent exit strategy provided for the public transport operators to shed operations and assets that are not lucrative and which depreciate every year. 6. Since the announcement of BCM, the price of SMRT Corporation and Comfort DelGro shares have reached highs never seen in many months. Foreign land transport operating companies have also expressed interest in entering the fray - all signs pointing to the fact that the current public transport operators expect to reap a handsome profit under the BCM scheme, without bearing sufficient risks for running the business. 7. Through the Bus Service Enhancement Programme (BSEP), the Government will spend $1.1 billion to add 800 buses to the existing fleet of about 4,000 buses owned by the two public transport operators . With the BCM, the Government will be responsible for these buses. 8. Our population today stands at 5.4 million and the Population White Paper estimates that this will increase every year until it reaches 6.9 million in the year 2030. The population increase will mean that the buses currently in operation will be insufficient as we go forward, and the Government will have to buy more buses to add to the almost 5,000 buses we have now to cater to the increasing population and new routes. 9. The Land Transport Authority has indicated that it has not decided whether to buy all existing buses, or acquire them when they are due for replacement. There are, however, many unanswered questions with the BCM scheme: • If the Transport Ministry decides to buy the existing fleet of buses from the two operators, how will it determine fair value? • How many more buses will the Government need to add to the existing fleet to cater to the population growth? • If 800 buses under the BSEP cost us $1.1 billion, how much will it cost to replace an aging fleet of buses and to get new buses? • What about the costs of repairs and maintenance? • Will multiple operators be allowed to run in each of these bundled packages, or will only one operator have exclusive right in the bundled package that it successfully tendered for? • If each bundled package has only one operator, how will efficiency increase and waiting times decrease if there is no real competition in the routes? 10. There is a real risk that even as operators enjoy the profits, costs will be passed down to the commuters and/or tax-payers under the BCM scheme. 11. The Prime Minister in his Speech in Parliament on 28 May 2014, indicated that this would be a possibility when he reportedly said that while the Government will continue to subsidise public transport, commuters must be prepared to pay their share. 12. NSP is unsure how the BCM will benefit commuters and whether the BCM will burden commuter and/or taxpayers with higher costs. 13. The Government should seriously re-consider our earlier proposal - the route licensing scheme - to introduce more competition and to further liberalise the Public Bus Industry. Jeannette Chong-Aruldoss, Secretary-General On behalf of the 15th Central Executive Committee of the NATIONAL SOLIDARITY PARTY [1] http://app.lta.gov.sg/apps/news/page.aspx?c=2&id=28fca09a-bed6-48f4-99d4-18eeb8c496bd [2] http://nsp.sg/2011/07/27/public-transport-why-the-pap-and-wp-positions-fall-short-of-commuters%E2%80%99-needs/ & http://nsp.sg/2011/08/01/why-cherry-picking-is-good-for-commuters/ [3] http://www.stcars.sg/guides-articles/smrt-reports-25m-loss-in-core-business-for-the-first-time-144767 [4] http://www.todayonline.com/business/comfortdelgro-reports-57-jump-full-year-profit [5] http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/business/singapore/bus-contracting-model/1115658.html [6] http://www.publictransport.sg/content/publictransport/en/homepage/bus-service-enhancement-programme-bsep.html [7] http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/pm-lee-speaks-in-debate/1125096.html  Read More →

Think about this, you’re someone 25 years old earning 3k per month. $2,400 received in cash, $600 into your CPF and $480 of employer contribution. This will be the breakdown into the three accounts in your CPF: Each year, OA will have an increase of $8,281.56 2.5% for 25 years till you reach 50 years old will be $282,879.57 A couple will have $567,759.14 in total. Say you buy a 300k HDB, the monthly instalment for your loan for 25 years is $1,361 per month. Total payment will be $408,300 after 25 years. A couple will be left with a total of $157,459.14 altogether after paying for the HDB flat, which means each person will have only $78,723.57 in their OA account. Since the CPF minimum sum is now $155k, each of them will be $76,270.43 below minimum sum when they are 50 years old. The CPF minimum sum has been increasing over the years, but did your salary increase at the same rate? If things continue like this, when will you be able to reach the minimum sum and retire? Lee Hsien Loong said:  People support CPF cuts because there are no protests outside parliament. Do you agree with him? Are you going to prove him right? Join us on 7 June 4pm at HONG LIM PARK to demand them to #ReturnOurCPF Han Hui Hui * The author blogs at huihui247.blogspot.  Read More →