Former Chief Economist at GIC and former adjunct professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy Yeoh Lam Keong lambasted a statement made by the Minister of Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing recently, questioning the lack of “concrete and effective policy action” by the upper echelons of Singapore’s leadership.

Speaking at a public policy conference last week, Mr Chan — who is rumoured to be the top candidate to succeed Lee Hsien Loong as the next Prime Minister of Singapore — urged Singaporeans to not “make all-encompassing generalizations about each other.”

Mr Chan also reminded Singaporeans to “make a clear distinction between “elites” who use their success and wealth to give back to society, and those with an “elitist attitude” who do not reach out to help their fellow man.”

Mr Yeoh, in his Facebook post on Wednesday (31 Oct), raised a pertinent question: “If our top leadership are really so keen for elites to help the underprivileged in society and create more equality of opportunity, why is it [that] our basic income policy support for the absolute poor is still so pathetic?”

He suggested the implementation of economic measures, such as raising the Workfare Income Supplement and Silver Support Scheme “by $600 a month to meet most of the basic needs” of low-wage earners, which “will cost us less than 1% of GDP and require no rise in taxes,” adding that “studies show that extending these schemes will not reduce work effort or motivation and would greatly increase the ability of the poor to help themselves.”

“Yet policy makers stubbornly refuse to adequately fund these two schemes that between them automatically reach most of these working and elderly absolute poor,” lamented Mr Yeoh.

Mr Yeoh also cited Singapore’s “misguided policy of excessive immigration over the 1990s and between 2000-2010,” which he explained resulted in “depressed wages,” and as a consequence, “created a huge class of working poor who form the bulk of our 300-400,000 absolute poor in Singapore.”

The former economist further questioned: “Rather than all this sophisticated talk on how elites should give back to the less privileged or be less conscious of socioeconomic status, how about some concrete and effective policy action to put our money where our mouth is, and to largely eradicate the scourge and shame of absolute poverty in Singapore?”

Mr Yeoh also criticised Mr Chan, who he suggested “is a smart, personable and generally well-meaning leader,” for not having done “anything substantial enough to sufficiently help the poorest of the poor in all those years of relevant high office that had the most responsibility and say in such matters,” being in charge of the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) and the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) as well as heading the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) “for nearly 3 years.”

“For our governing elites, true intelligent charity and compassion should should begin with a deep policy mindset change and social policy reform at home. Otherwise, all this kind of talk is just empty sophistry,” concluded Mr Yeoh.

Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
You May Also Like

多国领导和科技巨企签署《基督城宣言》 制止传播极端主义

多国领导人和主要社交媒体和科技公司于周三(5月15日),在巴黎召开“和平领导者论坛”,签署《基督城宣言》,制止传播极端主义与恐怖主义。 《基督城宣言》的订立,乃是针对今年3月份纽西兰基督城枪杀案,当时一名枪手血洗纽西兰基督城的光明清真寺和林伍德伊斯兰中心,共造成51人死亡。 枪手行凶时于脸书进行长达16分钟的网路直播,并于行凶前在网络社交媒体展示新纳粹主义符号。而签署宣言是为了制止利用社交媒体组织和宣传极端主义的国际措施。 此次论坛由法国总统马克龙和纽西兰总理阿德恩联合主持,其中出席人员包括,英国、加拿大、爱尔兰、塞内加尔、印尼、挪威以及约80名科技公司重要领导人,共同商讨解决科技困境。然而,美国并未出席论坛。 其中也包含了谷歌、推特、脸书与微软公司的行政主管表示支持《基督城宣言》。社交媒体巨头们对于当时于脸书公开大肆分享行凶过程时而并未能及时制止,而饱受批评。 阿德恩在会议结束后也表示,宣言的实施是阻止社交媒体成为恐怖分子肆意宣传仇恨性教义的重要一步,我们必须确保建立更人性化网络社交空间。 亚马逊、谷歌、微软、脸书以及推特也随即发布联合文告,提出实施九大措施,展开相关工作,以实现《基督城宣言》,解决可能含有潜在性暴力与极端主义的网路直播课题。 文告表示,“今年三月位于纽西兰基督城所发生的恐怖枪杀案是可怕灾难,故我们需要联手合作,有义务打击仇恨与极端主义所带来的恐怖袭击。” 文告续指,“我们将共同采取具体步骤,如研发与提升科技侦测与删除极端主义内容、更新个人权益使用条款以及使内容与删除政策更透明化,以此打击网络暴力,以避免极端主义内容广泛散播。 科技公司目前已公布了一些防御措施如提升“指纹侦测”的研发,一旦发现有害内容被大肆宣传,可及时让科技公司能够侦测与删除相关内容;以及建立简单操作的举报系统,让用户能够在发现非法内容即时通知,而该措施仍在研发中。 另一方面,科技公司也致力于研发更具透明化的通报制度来定期侦测与删除极端主义的内容。 然而,根据法新社报道,美国政府与脸书创始人祖克伯一同缺席论坛,而祖克伯已在上星期曾与马克隆进行洽谈。…

About 800 migrant workers newly quarantined after a COVID-19 case was discovered in a cleared dormitory

About 800 migrant workers have been newly quarantined after a COVID-19 case…

Roof at Punggol MRT Station continues to leak for years; Commuter considers it as serious safety hazard

Recently, a member of the public has gotten in touch with TOC…