I think the PAP is taking a huge gambit on this Budget. Look, they can jolly well announce the regular brib... I mean handout, the soft padding of business taxes, conservancy charges, etc.
However seriously, the above old tactic is just as likely to backfire on them. If they were to do that, the internet will be ablaze with cries of "voter bribery!" again. And the last time they handed out close to $1,000 - I could remember that sad day, huge queues of Sinkies queuing up at Singtel waiting to buy a new mobile phone and GIVING THE FUGGING MONEY BACK TO A GLC AGAIN!
No, they decided to go for a new approach. They have already pushed the message out to the peons : "Raise your productivity, and you'll raise your income (thereby raising our taxes income too."
Last year's recession was a stunner honestly - people simply started grabbing at anything that can help them keep their job, whether perceived or real. There's a real sense of dread that another recession could happen soon, with the economic cycles shortening.
As such, a "productivity"-focused Budget is the same as a direct cash handout, just that this one is more in line with the psychological thinking of current times. As the saying now goes "A job is an asset." And the PAP in this Budget is promising just that - "We will help you keep your asset."
I'm not one for ousting PAP entirely - I personally think that's a bad idea. What's a worse idea however, is having a one-party predominant rule. There MUST be sizable opposition presence in the Parliament!
