by Simon Lim
Deep in my heart, I know that our country is heading for mediocrity. Citizens are getting lesser opportunities under the incompetent PAP’s rule, and yet we are even seeing politicians unashamedly behaving like sleazy snake oil salesmen.
In a recent meeting with residents, Sembawang GRC MPs Khaw Boon Wan, Ong Ye Kung and Vikram Nair told residents that “increases in cost of living are good things” and that they and that they are “problems of success”.
It is easy for them to say such things but let us remember that PAP ministers and MPs earn lucrative allowances that we can only dream about. Ironically, low-income Singaporean workers do not have minimum wages, unlike low-income workers in Australia, Japan or even Hong Kong. In fact, last year and this year, Japan hiked its minimum wages by 3%.
To make matters worse, Singapore has been ranked year after year the most expensive city in the World to live in. Many of our workers are left to struggle, swim or sink on their own. Already this year, we have seen a 16.8% electricity hike, 30% water price hike while a 9% GST is soon on the way.
Yet, Khaw still has the check to tell his constituents that higher cost paid to vendors and service providers go towards paying higher wages. Is this so? Higher living costs certainly add to the burden of our citizens, but it does not automatically translate into higher wages.
In fact, the reality is far from this.
Too many of our workers have not seen pay increase for one year, two years or even three or more years already. Even more of our workers have in fact seen their wages depressed because of the liberal importation of hungrier and cheaper foreign workers, compliment of the PAP government’s policies.
Every so often when I see elderly citizens with their heads full of white hair and bent spines leaving their flats very early in order not to miss the very early buses for work, I couldn’t help but sigh in resignation.
Only unthinking citizens will buy Khaw’s cock and bull stories. Unfortunately, we have plenty of such people around. I strongly urge all aware and informed Singaporeans to enlighten as many as possible their lesser informed friends and colleagues for our collective interest and survival sake.
