[h=1]ROY NGERNG: WE DO NOT AND WILL NOT LET THE PAP GOVERNMENT DICTATE OUR LIVES![/h]
Post date:
20 Oct 2014 - 6:39pm
Dear friends,
I just got back to Singapore. I am well, everything went smoothly on my way back to Singapore.
Four activist friends came to pick me up to make sure that I am safe. Thank you.
I am heartened that we are seeing Singaporeans stand in solidarity and unity with one another, as we understand now how standing together will enable us to be an insurmountable force that will not be easily threatened by the government. We will only become stronger to challenge the wrongdoings of the government and demand for justice.
The trip to Malaysia to meet with other activists in Southeast Asia has opened my eyes to how important it is for us to speak up for our rights, so that we are able to demand for policies that will protect our lives, and allow us to live well.
Over the past few months, we have seen small changes to the policies. Singaporeans should not have to feel grateful that the government is giving some leeway and giving some benefits back.
A government has a responsibility and duty to take care of its people and what the PAP government is doing just by a bit is long overdue.
Today, the PAP government spends only 30% on health subsidies. Other developed countries spend 70% and countries as rich as Singapore spend 85% on health. The 30% the PAP government spends is too little.
The PAP government also spends the least in social protection for Singaporeans among the developed countries, and things have fallen behind so badly in Singapore that Singaporeans have one of the least adequate retirement funds in the world.
I just came back from Malaysia and I do not see any elderly Malaysians working as cleaners in their food courts. The cleaning is done by young Malaysians, and who perform their jobs with dignity. If Malaysia is a less rich country than Singapore, why is it that Malaysia can allow its elderly not to have to work in menial jobs and why is it that there older Singaporeans here are still not protected?
The Malaysia version of the CPF or the EPF gives Malaysians a 6% interest. The Malaysians would keep their money inside the EPF for retirement because the returns are good. But in Singapore, the PAP government takes our CPF to earn 6% and gives us back only 3%. They keep the other 3%. This means that half of our own money is not returned to Singaporeans.
Thus Singaporeans, we should not heave a sigh of relief that the PAP government is now only making small changes to the policies. These changes are long overdue. And not only that, they are still not enough.
The government needs to increase health subsidies to at least 70%, increase social protection for older, poorer, disabled and unemployed Singaporeans. The government also needs to increase the CPF interest rates and return the money that Singaporeans are earning on our CPF.
Right now, the government is only giving us temporary reprieve, and giving us ad-hoc and short-term money back. This is not enough. It means that the government gets to decide when it wants to give more money and when it feels like it, it then withholds our own money from Singaporeans.
This is wrong.
A responsible government would implement long term measures to benefit the lives of Singaporeans and to improve our well-being. A responsible government will implement minimum wage to increase the wages of Singaporeans, increase health subsidies, increase the CPF interest rates and be transparent and accountable on its reporting to the people.
A responsible government will not hide or fudge statistics to prevent its citizens to know what is really going on in the country.
As such, my friends, remember. Remember that you are the citizens of the country. You are Singaporeans. It is our right to demand that the government is responsible. It is our right to demand that the government performs its duty.
The PAP government has reneged on its responsibility. And now, it tells Singaporeans that it will give us just a bit more and hope that this will pacify us.
No, we do not and will not let the PAP government dictate how much it wants to give, when a government's responsibility and duty is to listen to the needs of Singaporeans and respond to us.
The money that the PAP government is giving back by a little is money that we have given over the past many years that should rightfully be returned to Singaporeans long ago. It is our money.
So, start to take charge of our lives. Know what a government is supposed to do for its citizens and demand this from the government.
Speak up and be firm.
Singaporeans can choose to think - but what can we do?
Or Singaporeans, we can learn from our brothers and sisters in the other countries around us.
We can learn from how the Hong Kongers, even as their lives are just as bad as Singaporeans, they realise and believe that for their own future and their children's future, they will speak up and fight as they have.
Or we can learn from our Malaysian neighbours who have come out in force to vote for change and will have a very high chance of changing their government at the next elections.
And from Indonesia, where after the fall of a dictatorship under Suharto's regime, the Indonesians finally regained their voice and are today speaking up and fighting for change in their country.
They are succeeding.
Let our friends and neighbours in the region be the example that we can learn from. At the next elections, we have a very good chance of letting change come to government. Let's make it happen.
Singapore is a small country. This means that Singapore is very easy to control.
But Singapore is a small country. It also means that if Singaporeans put our hearts and minds to it, it is also very easy to change Singapore and to make a country a better place, if we join hands and make it happen.
This is something the PAP knows. That's why they are trying their best to control Singaporeans. Why do you think the PAP government has been using the law against Singaporeans everytime someone speaks up to expose the wrongdoings in government? The PAP government is scared. They are scared that Singaporeans will learn to use our voice. When that happens, they know they are weak. They know they will fall.
They know that true democracy and freedom will come to Singapore.
If each Singaporean believes that if we one person are to speak up, we might not be able to change things, and so we might not speak up, then things won't change.
But if each Singapore decide at once that for our own lives and our own survival, we have to speak up, imagine how change can come to Singapore overnight and how the things we have been waiting to happen, to improve the lives of Singaporeans, will finally happen.
The PAP is very afraid of you, my friends. We can let fear affect us or we can make the PAP government buckle at its knees, because we find our voice, use it and demand for our rights to be returned and get the government to finally do its job.
So, my friends, it's time to find our voice. It's a new day, it's a new beginning. It's time we find the courage we have from within us, seek courage and trust from those around us. Some of us have paved the road and led the way, some even earlier on. The PAP government wants to hurt us. We will not allow them. We will stand in strength and in solidarity and we will gain confidence and fulfilment.
Follow us and join us on the path to reclaim your voice and your rights, because when that happens, we can use it to better the lives of Singaporeans, and to protect our children and light a path for our future.
Together, my friends. Let's join our hands.
Roy Ngerng
Post date:
20 Oct 2014 - 6:39pm
Dear friends,
I just got back to Singapore. I am well, everything went smoothly on my way back to Singapore.
Four activist friends came to pick me up to make sure that I am safe. Thank you.
I am heartened that we are seeing Singaporeans stand in solidarity and unity with one another, as we understand now how standing together will enable us to be an insurmountable force that will not be easily threatened by the government. We will only become stronger to challenge the wrongdoings of the government and demand for justice.
The trip to Malaysia to meet with other activists in Southeast Asia has opened my eyes to how important it is for us to speak up for our rights, so that we are able to demand for policies that will protect our lives, and allow us to live well.
Over the past few months, we have seen small changes to the policies. Singaporeans should not have to feel grateful that the government is giving some leeway and giving some benefits back.
A government has a responsibility and duty to take care of its people and what the PAP government is doing just by a bit is long overdue.
Today, the PAP government spends only 30% on health subsidies. Other developed countries spend 70% and countries as rich as Singapore spend 85% on health. The 30% the PAP government spends is too little.
The PAP government also spends the least in social protection for Singaporeans among the developed countries, and things have fallen behind so badly in Singapore that Singaporeans have one of the least adequate retirement funds in the world.
I just came back from Malaysia and I do not see any elderly Malaysians working as cleaners in their food courts. The cleaning is done by young Malaysians, and who perform their jobs with dignity. If Malaysia is a less rich country than Singapore, why is it that Malaysia can allow its elderly not to have to work in menial jobs and why is it that there older Singaporeans here are still not protected?
The Malaysia version of the CPF or the EPF gives Malaysians a 6% interest. The Malaysians would keep their money inside the EPF for retirement because the returns are good. But in Singapore, the PAP government takes our CPF to earn 6% and gives us back only 3%. They keep the other 3%. This means that half of our own money is not returned to Singaporeans.
Thus Singaporeans, we should not heave a sigh of relief that the PAP government is now only making small changes to the policies. These changes are long overdue. And not only that, they are still not enough.
The government needs to increase health subsidies to at least 70%, increase social protection for older, poorer, disabled and unemployed Singaporeans. The government also needs to increase the CPF interest rates and return the money that Singaporeans are earning on our CPF.
Right now, the government is only giving us temporary reprieve, and giving us ad-hoc and short-term money back. This is not enough. It means that the government gets to decide when it wants to give more money and when it feels like it, it then withholds our own money from Singaporeans.
This is wrong.
A responsible government would implement long term measures to benefit the lives of Singaporeans and to improve our well-being. A responsible government will implement minimum wage to increase the wages of Singaporeans, increase health subsidies, increase the CPF interest rates and be transparent and accountable on its reporting to the people.
A responsible government will not hide or fudge statistics to prevent its citizens to know what is really going on in the country.
As such, my friends, remember. Remember that you are the citizens of the country. You are Singaporeans. It is our right to demand that the government is responsible. It is our right to demand that the government performs its duty.
The PAP government has reneged on its responsibility. And now, it tells Singaporeans that it will give us just a bit more and hope that this will pacify us.
No, we do not and will not let the PAP government dictate how much it wants to give, when a government's responsibility and duty is to listen to the needs of Singaporeans and respond to us.
The money that the PAP government is giving back by a little is money that we have given over the past many years that should rightfully be returned to Singaporeans long ago. It is our money.
So, start to take charge of our lives. Know what a government is supposed to do for its citizens and demand this from the government.
Speak up and be firm.
Singaporeans can choose to think - but what can we do?
Or Singaporeans, we can learn from our brothers and sisters in the other countries around us.
We can learn from how the Hong Kongers, even as their lives are just as bad as Singaporeans, they realise and believe that for their own future and their children's future, they will speak up and fight as they have.
Or we can learn from our Malaysian neighbours who have come out in force to vote for change and will have a very high chance of changing their government at the next elections.
And from Indonesia, where after the fall of a dictatorship under Suharto's regime, the Indonesians finally regained their voice and are today speaking up and fighting for change in their country.
They are succeeding.
Let our friends and neighbours in the region be the example that we can learn from. At the next elections, we have a very good chance of letting change come to government. Let's make it happen.
Singapore is a small country. This means that Singapore is very easy to control.
But Singapore is a small country. It also means that if Singaporeans put our hearts and minds to it, it is also very easy to change Singapore and to make a country a better place, if we join hands and make it happen.
This is something the PAP knows. That's why they are trying their best to control Singaporeans. Why do you think the PAP government has been using the law against Singaporeans everytime someone speaks up to expose the wrongdoings in government? The PAP government is scared. They are scared that Singaporeans will learn to use our voice. When that happens, they know they are weak. They know they will fall.
They know that true democracy and freedom will come to Singapore.
If each Singaporean believes that if we one person are to speak up, we might not be able to change things, and so we might not speak up, then things won't change.
But if each Singapore decide at once that for our own lives and our own survival, we have to speak up, imagine how change can come to Singapore overnight and how the things we have been waiting to happen, to improve the lives of Singaporeans, will finally happen.
The PAP is very afraid of you, my friends. We can let fear affect us or we can make the PAP government buckle at its knees, because we find our voice, use it and demand for our rights to be returned and get the government to finally do its job.
So, my friends, it's time to find our voice. It's a new day, it's a new beginning. It's time we find the courage we have from within us, seek courage and trust from those around us. Some of us have paved the road and led the way, some even earlier on. The PAP government wants to hurt us. We will not allow them. We will stand in strength and in solidarity and we will gain confidence and fulfilment.
Follow us and join us on the path to reclaim your voice and your rights, because when that happens, we can use it to better the lives of Singaporeans, and to protect our children and light a path for our future.
Together, my friends. Let's join our hands.
Roy Ngerng
