[h=1]DON’T BE FOOLED BY PAP AGAIN[/h]
Post date:
31 Jan 2015 - 2:22pm
As the election draws closer, it is timely for PAP supporters to look at the PAP objectively. With all the screw ups, the picture is of course not pretty.
By now, most Singaporeans should be aware that our country has all the while been run on a for-profit basis. The profit of course goes to the PAP.
With total control of the print media, security forces, our country’s finance and parliament, citizens have been tightly controlled by the PAP.
The PAP has admitted to its incompetence with PM Lee saying his greatest regret is the PAP’s failure to construct infrastructure. During the staged interview, PM Lee attempted to hoodwink citizens into thinking that his job is easy only on hindsight. But how could the PAP government which has TOTAL control over demand (immigration/population policy) and supply (land) not know the number of housing units to construct?
Would any CEO of a transport company purchase a fleet of only 500 buses knowing full well there will be demand for 1000 buses during peak hours? Would any government construct only 30,000 housing units over a 5 year period when it already had plans to increase the population by 500,000? PM Lee should not try to fool citizens, acknowledge our planners are not up to scratch and hold them accountable.
When the HDB Resale Price Index doubled from 73.2 in 2005 to 146.7 in 2012, within a mere 7 years, it is not a trivial issue of miscalculation but an unforgiveable EPIC screw up. Hundreds of thousands of Singaporeans are now enslaved to additional billion$ of 30-year mortgages but those who were responsible have continued to receive promotions and generous bonuses for their failure.
When PM Lee says the lives of even the low-income families have improved, it is only a figment of his imagination, nothing to do with reality. It’s not just PM Lee imagining stuff but PAP ministers have also claimed a family with an income of $1,000 per month could easily own a HDB flat. The latest to repeat this $1,000-can-own-HDB-flat half truth is Minister Chan, a.k.a. ‘Keechiu’ online, who of course must have probably thought low-income citizens survive by eating grass and drinking rain water.
PAP profits from the Pioneer Generation Package
PAP claims it will be spending some $8 billion to pay for the PGP but this figure is totally misleading. PAP will not be spending $8 billion but will actually be raking in even more profits in the form of Medishield Life (ML) premiums, effectively transferring money from our CPF into GIC.
Presently, most elderly Singaporeans are not able to afford healthcare insurance even with premiums much lower than Medishield Life’s (ML). To get around this, the PAP intends to empty the Medisave accounts of their children with the introduction of ML and through legislation. Subsidies are a joke because they will be only a fraction of the impending premium increase. PAP must have also known that without PGP subsidies, ML will likely be the final nail in PAP’s coffin.
Is the PAP helping elderly citizens by implementing ML? The answer is clearly ‘no’ – the whole exercise is to simply shift the burden from the state to their families. If the PAP continues to dominate parliament, the non-payment of ML premiums will result in a fine/jail term or both. Every responsible child will then have no choice but allow the use of his Medisave account, risking depletion.
population20201320above20601
medishield20life20top20up20pgp1
From the above 2013 population figures for citizens, a total of more than $130 million will be channeled into Medisave as top-ups. Premium subsidies will amount to about $430 million annually and this will be a permanent feature of ML. All in, more than $500 million from the government will disappear into the CPF black hole. Why is the PAP in such a desperate need for funds to even attempt to fool citizens?
PAP does not want to lower privatised healthcare costs
Healthcare costs have been privatised by the PAP and have been unaffordable since 2 decades ago. Government grants serve to prevent political backlash and as propaganda – PAP can subsequently claim it dished out generous assistance. Take for instance the ‘full amount’ consultation charges of $38 at a polyclinic.
Although the final amount could be as low as $6, who actually benefits from the difference of $32 dollars? Certainly not patients because most neighbourhood private GPs are charging about $20 for consultation. It appears the difference between the full amount of $38 and $6 has been channeled into MOH Holdings, a company short on transparency.
PAP should not try to fool citizens because it is obvious consultation at a polyclinic is not worth $38 and patients therefore do not receive subsidies/grants amounting to $32. PAP should urgently review its costing practice.
Additional costs are actually insignificant
Every time the government reluctantly helps, it will inflate the additional increased costs. For example, after the implementation of the PGP, there was no increase in the number of doctors, nurses and admin staff. That being the case, how could the government disburse tax dollars for increased costs which are non-existent?
What happens now is polyclinics have become more profitable and productivity has increased. The only increase is probably in medication costs which is really insignificant.
PGP has led to a sudden increase in number of polyclinic patients and longer waiting time. That there was no planning is evident in “Marine Parade polyclinic sees consequences of pioneer ‘benefits’”. This also confirms elderly citizens have not been seeking necessary medical attention due to our unaffordable healthcare.
ActiveSG$100 voucher
In April 2014, Minister Lawrence Wong announced a government freebie to encourage more citizens to utilise public sports facilities or sign up for sports programmes. As usual, thousands of Singaporeans could not resist the ‘free’ $100 and 30,000 memberships were activated with lightning speed. Good job Lawrence for now he has the figures to claim some credit, using at least $3 million tax dollars to improve our health. But what happens after the $100 have been used up?
The $100 freebie is actually a government expenditure but what is interesting is almost all the money actually goes back to the government! Increased activities did not result in an increase in employees or construction of more facilities. Swimming pools become more crowded, underutilised courts are temporarily booked, existing public gym users have to put up with more Arnold wannabes, etc In reality, the government hardly spent a single cent.
Just lower cost and stop all this marketing
If cost is really an issue, lower entrance fees permanently and allow senior citizens free use of facilities during office hours. Lawrence should go look at all the CCs and sports hall. Aren’t they underutilised for years? Why are CCs still insistent on making money when they are funded by taxpayers? Why all the marketing and numbers game?
The PAP should not even attempt to fool citizens in this time and age by itemising its arbitrarily inflated healthcare costs. It should focus on governance and not on trying to impress with its unbelievable subsidies.
There are numerous examples of PAP’s attempts to fool citizens and all one has to do is look a little deeper into PAP’s schemes, grants and assistance to confirm the billion$ given out ultimately return to their origin.
Conclusion
Most subsidies and grants are used to support privatised healthcare costs, unaffordable public housing, etc. Instead of permanently resolving the issue of high cost by lowering them, the PAP tries to fool citizens.
Almost every assistance/subsidy/grant given by PAP ultimately finds its way back to government coffers or into the CPF black hole.
PAP’s ‘success’ is dependent on an unlimited supply of cheap labour and squeezing money from citizens to generate profits for its businesses. The PAP has already played out citizens for decades. Citizens should be wary and not be fooled again.
Phillip Ang
*The writer blogs at https://likedatosocanmeh.wordpress.com/
Post date:
31 Jan 2015 - 2:22pm
As the election draws closer, it is timely for PAP supporters to look at the PAP objectively. With all the screw ups, the picture is of course not pretty.
By now, most Singaporeans should be aware that our country has all the while been run on a for-profit basis. The profit of course goes to the PAP.
With total control of the print media, security forces, our country’s finance and parliament, citizens have been tightly controlled by the PAP.
The PAP has admitted to its incompetence with PM Lee saying his greatest regret is the PAP’s failure to construct infrastructure. During the staged interview, PM Lee attempted to hoodwink citizens into thinking that his job is easy only on hindsight. But how could the PAP government which has TOTAL control over demand (immigration/population policy) and supply (land) not know the number of housing units to construct?
Would any CEO of a transport company purchase a fleet of only 500 buses knowing full well there will be demand for 1000 buses during peak hours? Would any government construct only 30,000 housing units over a 5 year period when it already had plans to increase the population by 500,000? PM Lee should not try to fool citizens, acknowledge our planners are not up to scratch and hold them accountable.
When the HDB Resale Price Index doubled from 73.2 in 2005 to 146.7 in 2012, within a mere 7 years, it is not a trivial issue of miscalculation but an unforgiveable EPIC screw up. Hundreds of thousands of Singaporeans are now enslaved to additional billion$ of 30-year mortgages but those who were responsible have continued to receive promotions and generous bonuses for their failure.
When PM Lee says the lives of even the low-income families have improved, it is only a figment of his imagination, nothing to do with reality. It’s not just PM Lee imagining stuff but PAP ministers have also claimed a family with an income of $1,000 per month could easily own a HDB flat. The latest to repeat this $1,000-can-own-HDB-flat half truth is Minister Chan, a.k.a. ‘Keechiu’ online, who of course must have probably thought low-income citizens survive by eating grass and drinking rain water.
PAP profits from the Pioneer Generation Package
PAP claims it will be spending some $8 billion to pay for the PGP but this figure is totally misleading. PAP will not be spending $8 billion but will actually be raking in even more profits in the form of Medishield Life (ML) premiums, effectively transferring money from our CPF into GIC.
Presently, most elderly Singaporeans are not able to afford healthcare insurance even with premiums much lower than Medishield Life’s (ML). To get around this, the PAP intends to empty the Medisave accounts of their children with the introduction of ML and through legislation. Subsidies are a joke because they will be only a fraction of the impending premium increase. PAP must have also known that without PGP subsidies, ML will likely be the final nail in PAP’s coffin.
Is the PAP helping elderly citizens by implementing ML? The answer is clearly ‘no’ – the whole exercise is to simply shift the burden from the state to their families. If the PAP continues to dominate parliament, the non-payment of ML premiums will result in a fine/jail term or both. Every responsible child will then have no choice but allow the use of his Medisave account, risking depletion.
population20201320above20601
medishield20life20top20up20pgp1
From the above 2013 population figures for citizens, a total of more than $130 million will be channeled into Medisave as top-ups. Premium subsidies will amount to about $430 million annually and this will be a permanent feature of ML. All in, more than $500 million from the government will disappear into the CPF black hole. Why is the PAP in such a desperate need for funds to even attempt to fool citizens?
PAP does not want to lower privatised healthcare costs
Healthcare costs have been privatised by the PAP and have been unaffordable since 2 decades ago. Government grants serve to prevent political backlash and as propaganda – PAP can subsequently claim it dished out generous assistance. Take for instance the ‘full amount’ consultation charges of $38 at a polyclinic.
Although the final amount could be as low as $6, who actually benefits from the difference of $32 dollars? Certainly not patients because most neighbourhood private GPs are charging about $20 for consultation. It appears the difference between the full amount of $38 and $6 has been channeled into MOH Holdings, a company short on transparency.
PAP should not try to fool citizens because it is obvious consultation at a polyclinic is not worth $38 and patients therefore do not receive subsidies/grants amounting to $32. PAP should urgently review its costing practice.
Additional costs are actually insignificant
Every time the government reluctantly helps, it will inflate the additional increased costs. For example, after the implementation of the PGP, there was no increase in the number of doctors, nurses and admin staff. That being the case, how could the government disburse tax dollars for increased costs which are non-existent?
What happens now is polyclinics have become more profitable and productivity has increased. The only increase is probably in medication costs which is really insignificant.
PGP has led to a sudden increase in number of polyclinic patients and longer waiting time. That there was no planning is evident in “Marine Parade polyclinic sees consequences of pioneer ‘benefits’”. This also confirms elderly citizens have not been seeking necessary medical attention due to our unaffordable healthcare.
ActiveSG$100 voucher
In April 2014, Minister Lawrence Wong announced a government freebie to encourage more citizens to utilise public sports facilities or sign up for sports programmes. As usual, thousands of Singaporeans could not resist the ‘free’ $100 and 30,000 memberships were activated with lightning speed. Good job Lawrence for now he has the figures to claim some credit, using at least $3 million tax dollars to improve our health. But what happens after the $100 have been used up?
The $100 freebie is actually a government expenditure but what is interesting is almost all the money actually goes back to the government! Increased activities did not result in an increase in employees or construction of more facilities. Swimming pools become more crowded, underutilised courts are temporarily booked, existing public gym users have to put up with more Arnold wannabes, etc In reality, the government hardly spent a single cent.
Just lower cost and stop all this marketing
If cost is really an issue, lower entrance fees permanently and allow senior citizens free use of facilities during office hours. Lawrence should go look at all the CCs and sports hall. Aren’t they underutilised for years? Why are CCs still insistent on making money when they are funded by taxpayers? Why all the marketing and numbers game?
The PAP should not even attempt to fool citizens in this time and age by itemising its arbitrarily inflated healthcare costs. It should focus on governance and not on trying to impress with its unbelievable subsidies.
There are numerous examples of PAP’s attempts to fool citizens and all one has to do is look a little deeper into PAP’s schemes, grants and assistance to confirm the billion$ given out ultimately return to their origin.
Conclusion
Most subsidies and grants are used to support privatised healthcare costs, unaffordable public housing, etc. Instead of permanently resolving the issue of high cost by lowering them, the PAP tries to fool citizens.
Almost every assistance/subsidy/grant given by PAP ultimately finds its way back to government coffers or into the CPF black hole.
PAP’s ‘success’ is dependent on an unlimited supply of cheap labour and squeezing money from citizens to generate profits for its businesses. The PAP has already played out citizens for decades. Citizens should be wary and not be fooled again.
Phillip Ang
*The writer blogs at https://likedatosocanmeh.wordpress.com/
