GE2011 And Singapore's Future
Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. I am amazed at the mud-slinging that is happening during this general elections, the insinuations and allegations. I guess that politics is always a dirty business, but I am amazed at how a few years in the system can radically change the character of a person.
I do not buy the idea that Singapore is too small to run a two-party system, partly because party members are expected to tow the line of the party, even if it is against their own convictions. The government may have a bunch of very intelligent people, but I think they have lost touch with what it was to be without a voice.
Sure, the government has done a good job steering Singapore. For that, we really have to thank our founding fathers, who literally paved the way forward for Singapore. Lee Kuan Yew, Goh Keng Swee, E.W. Barker, S. Rajaratnam, Hon Sui Sen and Lim Kim San, all contributed to what Singapore is today. It was a team effort, with each bringing in a special perspective. Unfortunately, Singaporeans are not taught how each of them moulded Singapore, and their premises for their actions. I also wonder what they would think of Singapore today, if they were still alive.
I do wonder about certain policies, such as the influx of foreigners and permanent residents (many who do not share the same ethos as other Singaporeans). However, I think we are perceived as too dumb to understand the lofty plans of the government, and are just supposed to shut up and follow.
The government has used economics to communicate with Singaporeans for many years, job creation, increased wages, increased GDP, etc. Now that wages are stagnating and there is persistent structural unemployment, plus the widening income gap, the economic language does not work so well.
So, we have moved on to the emotional element. Fear has been introduced. A major upheaval in the Singapore government will lead to a massive flight of FDI and withdrawal of MNCs, and we will all go broke. The opposition is going to squander all our reserves. What is the point of reserves, if it cannot to spent to help the poor? What is the point of reserves, if the majority is tied up in Singaporean GLCs? By the same token, the opposition has raised issues about Singaporeans being squeezed out of Singapore. Where foreigners who do not need to serve National Service can undercut us in the job market. Let's face it, the majority of foreigners come to Singapore because of the money. Are we then, giving them too much of the pie?
We have competed on price for the majority of our trade, which makes use reliant on cheap labour. As our economy matures and wages rise, we are forced into importing labour. We somehow have not been able to develop a branded image, save for Singapore Airlines, which is about the only premium product we have. I am interested in seeing how we can transform our economy from basic manufacturing, to one where people attach value to the name. It seems no one has able to brand Singapore Inc. well enough to command a premium, and therein lies our greatest failure, and greatest problem for our future. Japan, with all its problems, still manages that brand value, why has Singapore, with the most brilliant of governments, not been able to achieve that?
I do not buy the idea that Singapore is too small to run a two-party system, partly because party members are expected to tow the line of the party, even if it is against their own convictions. The government may have a bunch of very intelligent people, but I think they have lost touch with what it was to be without a voice.
Sure, the government has done a good job steering Singapore. For that, we really have to thank our founding fathers, who literally paved the way forward for Singapore. Lee Kuan Yew, Goh Keng Swee, E.W. Barker, S. Rajaratnam, Hon Sui Sen and Lim Kim San, all contributed to what Singapore is today. It was a team effort, with each bringing in a special perspective. Unfortunately, Singaporeans are not taught how each of them moulded Singapore, and their premises for their actions. I also wonder what they would think of Singapore today, if they were still alive.
I do wonder about certain policies, such as the influx of foreigners and permanent residents (many who do not share the same ethos as other Singaporeans). However, I think we are perceived as too dumb to understand the lofty plans of the government, and are just supposed to shut up and follow.
The government has used economics to communicate with Singaporeans for many years, job creation, increased wages, increased GDP, etc. Now that wages are stagnating and there is persistent structural unemployment, plus the widening income gap, the economic language does not work so well.
So, we have moved on to the emotional element. Fear has been introduced. A major upheaval in the Singapore government will lead to a massive flight of FDI and withdrawal of MNCs, and we will all go broke. The opposition is going to squander all our reserves. What is the point of reserves, if it cannot to spent to help the poor? What is the point of reserves, if the majority is tied up in Singaporean GLCs? By the same token, the opposition has raised issues about Singaporeans being squeezed out of Singapore. Where foreigners who do not need to serve National Service can undercut us in the job market. Let's face it, the majority of foreigners come to Singapore because of the money. Are we then, giving them too much of the pie?
We have competed on price for the majority of our trade, which makes use reliant on cheap labour. As our economy matures and wages rise, we are forced into importing labour. We somehow have not been able to develop a branded image, save for Singapore Airlines, which is about the only premium product we have. I am interested in seeing how we can transform our economy from basic manufacturing, to one where people attach value to the name. It seems no one has able to brand Singapore Inc. well enough to command a premium, and therein lies our greatest failure, and greatest problem for our future. Japan, with all its problems, still manages that brand value, why has Singapore, with the most brilliant of governments, not been able to achieve that?