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Rhetoric vs Reality
PAP MPs in costumes not entertainment? 23 Aug 06 The
Rhetoric
The
Rhetoric The Reality "Nearly
300,000 Singaporean workers earn $1,200 or less in gross monthly
income. Half of them, or one in 10 workers, earn even less -
$900. They are the group most vulnerable to retrenchments and
fallout from economic restructuring. Many already struggle to
make ends meet and have little or nothing for their medical and
retirement needs."
The Rhetoric "We
must remember that workers are not simply factors of production
or economic digits." The Reality
"At
the end of the day, we are so many digits in the machine. The
point is – are these digits stronger than the competitors'
digits?"
The Rhetoric "Our
CPF system based on individual savings is sound. The CPF will
provide a basic retirement pension for most Singaporeans." The Reality "As
of last year, only about 40 per cent of active CPF members who
turned 55 meet the CPF minimum sum of $84,500. Of these, slightly
more than half had set aside no more than $40,000 and had to
pledge their properties to make up for the shortfall. The CPF
Board estimates that 10 economically active persons are
supporting one elderly person. By 2030, only 3.5 persons will be
supporting one elderly person."
Economy growing? 11 Dec 05 The Rhetoric "We
are growing our economy, creating more jobs, and providing
Singaporeans the skills and opportunities to look after
themselves and their families." The Reality "...the
spiraling numbers of applications for the Straits Times School
Pocket Money Fund to help needy children. The number needing help
tripled from 3,735 in 2001 to 10,419 in 2003. According to CDC
figures, those needing financial aid swelled from 14,300 to
22,500 in 2002, and 31,570 in 2003."
Land of opportunity for whom? 8 Nov 05 The Rhetoric "We
want to make sure that all Singaporeans benefit from our success.
As we forged ahead, nobody should be left behind...This will be a
land of opportunity for all." The Reality "Monthly
incomes for households in the bottom 20 per cent fell 3.2 per
cent a year, from $933 in 1998 to $795 in 2003." "Seven
in 10 polled were not aware of any financial assistance schemes,
although more than half of them said they had faced financial
hardship in the past year. Almost 16 per cent of the respondents,
all living in one and two-room flats, had family members who
often went hungry."
Backtracking over Taiwan and South Korea 17 Oct 05 The Rhetoric “If
in 10 years, Philippines, Taiwan and South Korea were better
societies because they adopted the US model (of democracy),
Singapore would hurry to catch." The Reality "Singapore
is an improbable nation and therefore cannot be compared to such
places as South Korea and Taiwan…I think in 20 years our
society will change. But I do not see a Western model...as the
target we want to aim for."
Which hospital is that again, Mr Lee? 27 Sep 2005 The
Rhetoric The Reality My
dad was sent to the A&E department three times in two months
because of stroke and, each time, my family had to wait at least
six hours before he was pushed to a ward…When my dad
finally got to the ward, it was past 2am. And we had arrived at
the A&E department about 7pm; it took more than six hours
before my dad was seen by a neurologist. If my dad had been taken
to the ward earlier and been treated by a neurologist, his
chances of living might be higher…The neurologist told us
that my dad had the worst kind of stroke anyone could get. Sadly,
he was pronounced brain dead the next day. Recently,
my father, who is in his late 70s and has multiple illnesses and
end-stage renal failure, had to wait seven hours for a bed at the
Singapore General Hospital (SGH). We were told that as no bed was
available, he would be placed in the observation ward first. This
had happened many times before and we were prepared to wait for
one to two hours for a bed for him…However, it was not
until seven hours later that he was wheeled into the ward. During
this time, no doctor came to see him.
The
Rhetoric The Reality "4,190
people were made bankrupt in the first 11 months of last year -
the highest in 19 years." "More
and more Singaporeans are working past the age of 65 as they lack
retirement funds. As of June last year, 35,727 Singaporeans aged
65 and over were still employed, up from 22,699 a decade ago
(1993), according to MOM statistics. The majority, or 35.7 per
cent, worked as cleaners and in other related menial jobs. This
means their incomes will fade with their strengths."
All the spinning is giving us a headache 10 Aug 2005 The
Rhetoric The Reality "Job
creation has dipped. Between January and March, 16,900 jobs were
added - around half the 32,700 jobs gains in the last quarter.”
Pay us top dollar: Goh 2 Aug 2005 The
Rhetoric The
Reality "More
and more Singaporeans are working past the age of 65 as they lack
retirement funds. A survey of 1,140 people aged 40 to 59 years
showed only one in three felt they had enough to retire on.
Another one in three planned to downgrade to a smaller home to
make up for their shortfall in retirement funds. Frighteningly,
almost four in 10 said they were counting on luck, in the form of
a Toto or 4D windfall, to bankroll their retirement."
Best quality of life...for whom? 26 Jun 2005 The
Rhetoric The
Reality
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