This forum by the Reform Party was held at the RELC Hotel on the 5 December 2009, Saturday, at the Napier Room on Level 5.
Leading the seminar was the Secretary-General of the Reform Party, Kenneth Jeyaretnam. Other speakers included the Reform Party CEC (Central Executive Committee) member, Mr. Tony Tan, financial consultant, Mr. Leong Sze Hian and the moderator of the forum, Miss Jeanette.
Mr. Kenneth Jeyaretnam started with the discussion of starting a minimum wage policy. He said that real earnings for less-skilled workers are falling because of competition from foreign workers. Several pressing questions were asked during the discussion from the floor including “what is the rational for workers who are exempted?” and “why are older workers being exempted rather than having a lower minimum wage?”
The seminar was followed closely by the next speaker, Mr. Leong Sze Hian, who touched upon the issues of productivity, housing policies, CPF and healthcare. He mentioned that the poor productivity record has been falling since 2007.
He also continued with a humorous speech saying why every year, the government says that people are not buying the smaller HDB flats. Because more than 230,000 households could not even afford to buy flats! From the household expenditure records which were recently released, 40 percent of households in Singapore have no increase in income.
Out of these households, statistics state that their expenditure had increased simply put, if you earn $700 per month, how can you have spent $1000? So the figures are quite ridiculous.
The Reform Party will examine why the HDB programme has slowed right down since 2000 and the effect this had and also, how the failure to build cheaper units is going to affect in pushing up property prices at the lower end, including how much does it cost to build a HDB flat since the last published breakdown of costs back in 1984. They will also push for privatisation of CPF after part has been used to fund a genuine public health insurance scheme and to fund a basic pension for all Singaporeans who have contributed to CPF for a specific number of years.
Mr. Tony Tan embarked on his part of the seminar on education and training. He proposes to provide students with a buffet of choices on what to study, quoting Steve Jobs on learning Calligraphy so that he is equipped with skills to design fonts other than his engineering modules.
Kenneth Jeyaretnam added that foreign students should not be rejected in Singapore’s education but provided that they pay the full cost of their education without any subsidy, just like us if we choose to head overseas for further education. We should also have compulsory and free primary and secondary education, and only then, we can head and work towards a top ranked country in the world. By expanding tertiary opportunities, we should head in that direction and strive at making our Polytechnics into Universities in itself. Do we have the resources and can we afford to? The Reform Party says “it is not a question of whether we are able to afford but whether why we are not able to afford?”
About immigration and foreign workers, they attempt to level the playing ground by providing them with a CPF scheme. Singapore should not give ad hoc assistance to foreign workers because they are definitely on higher ground than locals as they will save on National Service leave, Maternity leave, they have no CPF, no reservist and employers do not have to pay extra tax!
Other issues being discussed were liberal tax and investment regime, increasing domestic consumption and privatization of SWFs. There was also talk of finding a middle ground for people who finds that the minimum wage is still too low.
Leading the seminar was the Secretary-General of the Reform Party, Kenneth Jeyaretnam. Other speakers included the Reform Party CEC (Central Executive Committee) member, Mr. Tony Tan, financial consultant, Mr. Leong Sze Hian and the moderator of the forum, Miss Jeanette.
Mr. Kenneth Jeyaretnam started with the discussion of starting a minimum wage policy. He said that real earnings for less-skilled workers are falling because of competition from foreign workers. Several pressing questions were asked during the discussion from the floor including “what is the rational for workers who are exempted?” and “why are older workers being exempted rather than having a lower minimum wage?”
The seminar was followed closely by the next speaker, Mr. Leong Sze Hian, who touched upon the issues of productivity, housing policies, CPF and healthcare. He mentioned that the poor productivity record has been falling since 2007.
He also continued with a humorous speech saying why every year, the government says that people are not buying the smaller HDB flats. Because more than 230,000 households could not even afford to buy flats! From the household expenditure records which were recently released, 40 percent of households in Singapore have no increase in income.
Out of these households, statistics state that their expenditure had increased simply put, if you earn $700 per month, how can you have spent $1000? So the figures are quite ridiculous.
The Reform Party will examine why the HDB programme has slowed right down since 2000 and the effect this had and also, how the failure to build cheaper units is going to affect in pushing up property prices at the lower end, including how much does it cost to build a HDB flat since the last published breakdown of costs back in 1984. They will also push for privatisation of CPF after part has been used to fund a genuine public health insurance scheme and to fund a basic pension for all Singaporeans who have contributed to CPF for a specific number of years.
Mr. Tony Tan embarked on his part of the seminar on education and training. He proposes to provide students with a buffet of choices on what to study, quoting Steve Jobs on learning Calligraphy so that he is equipped with skills to design fonts other than his engineering modules.
Kenneth Jeyaretnam added that foreign students should not be rejected in Singapore’s education but provided that they pay the full cost of their education without any subsidy, just like us if we choose to head overseas for further education. We should also have compulsory and free primary and secondary education, and only then, we can head and work towards a top ranked country in the world. By expanding tertiary opportunities, we should head in that direction and strive at making our Polytechnics into Universities in itself. Do we have the resources and can we afford to? The Reform Party says “it is not a question of whether we are able to afford but whether why we are not able to afford?”
About immigration and foreign workers, they attempt to level the playing ground by providing them with a CPF scheme. Singapore should not give ad hoc assistance to foreign workers because they are definitely on higher ground than locals as they will save on National Service leave, Maternity leave, they have no CPF, no reservist and employers do not have to pay extra tax!
Other issues being discussed were liberal tax and investment regime, increasing domestic consumption and privatization of SWFs. There was also talk of finding a middle ground for people who finds that the minimum wage is still too low.
