Cherian George Says PAP Can Easily Solve Short Term Election Issues

[Porfirio Rubirosa]

Political commentator Cherian George wrote that tackling high prices of state HDB apartments, traffic jams and the cost of living were election issues that the PAP can easily solve.

"These are problems that are open to technocratic solutions, and the PAP leaders and their civil servants are masters of navigating complex policy terrains when they have the political will to do so," George said.

"Instead, the real challenge post-election is to win back the people's trust." And even in this regard George appears to be optimistic that the PAP now given a red flag may well be able to secure a new social compact with the people. Hence George seems to think that a new dawn for the Opposition may not be all that clear cut afterall.

I for one do not necessarily subscribe to Cherian George's povs...for instance the growing income gap divide does not appear to be that easy to solve...as for the new social compact with the people...i think it shall be v difficult for PAP to change its core fundamental way of thinking i.e. pyramid club sort of psyche...top down pap knows best...it remains to be seen whether it is really able n willing to really listen n engage the public instead of the same old same old wayang wrapped up in a fresh package tied with a new ribbon...all along it has been form/style but no substantive structural change on the part of PAP...

 

[Taro Ries]

Any problem that can be solved with money is never a problem. The problem is a government who wants to perpetuate control through keeping a rich state and a poor citizenry. You can't change the essence of evil.

 

[SpareTyre]

Those problems are the symptoms of PAP's increasing economic far right ideology that assigns a dollar value to each citizen.

If you are old and unable to work, if you are sick and unable to afford life saving medicines, if you are have a severe handicap holding you back from a job...then as far as the government is concerned, you have zero economic value and hence should be written off.

If the PAP can find a way to swap the bottom 50% of our population for new 'hungrier, cheaper, faster' new citizens from China and India, it would do so without blinking an eye.

GMS is right. The PAP government had become a rapacious American style corporation.

It better repent if it does not want to suffer a worse fate in the next elections

 

[LeMans2011]

I would say it can be adequately "addressed" and brought under control in a space of 5 years. But first, PAP has to acknowledge their mistakes.

1) Don't expect them to reverse the pay rises, but at least put a permanent stop to it. Do more to help the poor.

2) HDB pricing issue is even easier to solve - let the pricing of new units sold be gradually lowered, maintain adequate supply... as long as this benchmark is gradually lowered, the HDB market can be made to move down gradually by 5% to 10% a year over the next few years. On the private property front, a lowered HDB market will put a brake to the uptrend boosted by HDB upgraders. Meanwhile, with immediate effect, purchases of all new properties should come with the condition it can only be resold to Singaporeans (the Australian way)

3) Immigration - PR or citizenship should be granted on the basis of skills and not funds brought in. We are flushed with too much funds already. Employers need to prove why they cannot get a local citizen for the job.

4) Temasek and GIC definitely needs a lot more transparency and accountability - Ho Ching should resign and replaced with a local born and bred top private sector talent.

5) Party and State should be segregated, PAP needs to stop threatening voters by choking off funds.

From what i can see, at the moment they are only keen on "PR offensive" to repair their image. It is hard for these folks to change... therefore i foresee none of the above will happen, they will continue to use propaganda to try to fool people into believing they are listening.

An interesting GE2016 ahead... hehe... i woul be bald by then

 

[kazuo]

Those problems are the symptoms of PAP's increasing economic far right ideology that assigns a dollar value to each citizen.

If you are old and unable to work, if you are sick and unable to afford life saving medicines, if you are have a severe handicap holding you back from a job...then as far as the government is concerned, you have zero economic value and hence should be written off.

If the PAP can find a way to swap the bottom 50% of our population for new 'hungrier, cheaper, faster' new citizens from China and India, it would do so without blinking an eye.

GMS is right. The PAP government had become a rapacious American style corporation.

It better repent if it does not want to suffer a worse fate in the next elections

Next election? By then all dissenters would have been displaced by bangalas, PRCs, and pawns who are willing to sell their soul for a job.

PAP is solving unemployment for ASEAN and neighbouring countries, and i suspect the reason why they can't cut back on manufacturing is precisely this: in return for giving their pp jobs, these countries rich in natural resources will
sell Sinkapore raw material at huge discounts as part of some kind of barter trade.

 

[kingrant]

Dear Porf,

I also do not think CG is always right. The PAP must stop running Singapore like a corporation. They have to reexamine what are their KPIs and paying attention to externalities. There's too much focus on cost-recovery for everything and accumulating profits as reserves. Hence too much head and little/no heart in its approaches. I am also feeling that the various govt agencies are operating as silos with each Minister chasing after his KPI. Cost of living, transport, jobs, housing are not nec best solved with a Ministry-centric approach. E.g. tan Jee Say's $60 billion national regen plan desreves a good look where the focus is on community-centric and build up from there, calibrating with economic and industry needs etc. there's too much focus on the foreign investor, the businessmen and seem to have forgotten the ordianry citizens whose hard work and dedication built up this place.

 

[longbow]

In my POV, major directions for the ruling party comes down from MM and PM (father and son). The rest of the minsters pretty carryout instructions as best as they can. No one dares to stand up to MM. We can see that in MM's comments in his book on Muslims but yet there was little response from the Government. So major decisions like Casino, FT, immigration rates, pricing of HDB, even GIC/Temasek investments come from the top. It is very difficult for ministers and MPs to defend against the views of one man.

The old system of media control and censorship is fading away with social media. People are beginning to discuss on formerly taboo subject openly.

Just look at someone like Nicole Seah. 10 years ago, media would have boycotted what she said, and legal system would be used to ruin her future. But today her facebook has close to 100K friends - any such action would be suicidal for the ruling party. So it is no longer easy to silence voices, the population is more literate, more mdeia savvy.

As such when people question why is Ho Ching running temasek or why is MM wife's brothers running that or why should the 3rd Lee generation ascend to throne - very difficult for Ministers and MP to defend against.

 

[scroobal]

2 points.

The issues may manifest themselves in the material sense such as pricing for transport and housing but it is the underlying issues. Central is voters recognising that concentration of power in one party for so long and the arrogance that accommpanies it. Voters can't accept 26% pay increase while jobs are displaced.

Second, I can't help notice that Cherian has begun fencesitting. It is difficult when your brother in law is a cabinet minister and your wife works for SPH and he himself is working for a Stat Board. In fact I found his article as an SPH politcal correspondent lot better, enough even to incur the wrath of WKS.

I for one do not necessarily subscribe to Cherian George's povs...for instance the growing income gap divide does not appear to be that easy to solve...as for the new social compact with the people...i think it shall be v difficult for PAP to change its core fundamental way of thinking i.e. pyramid club sort of psyche...top down pap knows best...it remains to be seen whether it is really able n willing to really listen n engage the public instead of the same old same old wayang wrapped up in a fresh package tied with a new ribbon...all along it has been form/style but no substantive structural change on the part of PAP...

 

[chewed]

which planet is Cherian George living on?

The top 3 issues of HDB, living cost & transport are a direct result of Singapore being run like a corporation instead of a country. Everybody's KPI is profit, each ministry trying to see who can bring more to the coffers.

 

[Spock]

As long as the ministers continue to be paid out-of-this-world salaries, it is hard to see how they can rule with moral authority. Public money is not the same as private money. Getting paid highly in government simply because you were paid highly in the private sector is not going to cut any ice with Gen X/Y.

 

[Cruxx]

Those problems are the symptoms of PAP's increasing economic far right ideology that assigns a dollar value to each citizen.

If you are old and unable to work, if you are sick and unable to afford life saving medicines, if you are have a severe handicap holding you back from a job...then as far as the government is concerned, you have zero economic value and hence should be written off.

If the PAP can find a way to swap the bottom 50% of our population for new 'hungrier, cheaper, faster' new citizens from China and India, it would do so without blinking an eye.

GMS is right. The PAP government had become a rapacious American style corporation.

It better repent if it does not want to suffer a worse fate in the next elections

There's nothing more reflective of human desires than the free-market. Pray tell, how much have you donated to charitable causes this year?

 

[Cruxx]

Those problems are the symptoms of PAP's increasing economic far right ideology that assigns a dollar value to each citizen.

If you are old and unable to work, if you are sick and unable to afford life saving medicines, if you are have a severe handicap holding you back from a job...then as far as the government is concerned, you have zero economic value and hence should be written off.

If the PAP can find a way to swap the bottom 50% of our population for new 'hungrier, cheaper, faster' new citizens from China and India, it would do so without blinking an eye.

GMS is right. The PAP government had become a rapacious American style corporation.

It better repent if it does not want to suffer a worse fate in the next elections

There's nothing more reflective of human desires than the free-market. Pray tell, how much have you donated to charitable causes this year?

 

[cheekenpie]

Political commentator Cherian George wrote that tackling high prices of state HDB apartments, traffic jams and the cost of living were election issues that the PAP can easily solve.

"These are problems that are open to technocratic solutions, and the PAP leaders and their civil servants are masters of navigating complex policy terrains when they have the political will to do so," George said.

"Instead, the real challenge post-election is to win back the people's trust." And even in this regard George appears to be optimistic that the PAP now given a red flag may well be able to secure a new social compact with the people. Hence George seems to think that a new dawn for the Opposition may not be all that clear cut afterall.

I for one do not necessarily subscribe to Cherian George's povs...for instance the growing income gap divide does not appear to be that easy to solve...as for the new social compact with the people...i think it shall be v difficult for PAP to change its core fundamental way of thinking i.e. pyramid club sort of psyche...top down pap knows best...it remains to be seen whether it is really able n willing to really listen n engage the public instead of the same old same old wayang wrapped up in a fresh package tied with a new ribbon...all along it has been form/style but no substantive structural change on the part of PAP...

Listen and communicate. Thats all they have to do. But its the hardest thing for them because they think they are always right and we just grumbling.

 

[Bigfuck]

Uhm HDBwise can arrest increase in prices to some extent, traffic jams no way as population has increased faster than road infrastructure and public transport being proper factored in. Cost of living, yes, but employment stability is no.

 

[Char_Azn]

Political commentator Cherian George wrote that tackling high prices of state HDB apartments, traffic jams and the cost of living were election issues that the PAP can easily solve.

"These are problems that are open to technocratic solutions, and the PAP leaders and their civil servants are masters of navigating complex policy terrains when they have the political will to do so," George said.

"Instead, the real challenge post-election is to win back the people's trust." And even in this regard George appears to be optimistic that the PAP now given a red flag may well be able to secure a new social compact with the people. Hence George seems to think that a new dawn for the Opposition may not be all that clear cut afterall.

I for one do not necessarily subscribe to Cherian George's povs...for instance the growing income gap divide does not appear to be that easy to solve...as for the new social compact with the people...i think it shall be v difficult for PAP to change its core fundamental way of thinking i.e. pyramid club sort of psyche...top down pap knows best...it remains to be seen whether it is really able n willing to really listen n engage the public instead of the same old same old wayang wrapped up in a fresh package tied with a new ribbon...all along it has been form/style but no substantive structural change on the part of PAP...

The main issues brought up in this election are the following:
MRT solution already implementing new signals and new train lines. Should improve by next year

FT solution already stopped massive influx back in 08/09. Number should stabilize

HDB, already starting to flood the market with new flats, price should start coming down within the next 3 years

It's the cost of living that no one has a solution to. Let's face it, if the best minds in EU/China/US/Aus/India are doing an even worse job then SG in dealing with the cost of living. I seriously doubt they can do too much more that they are already doing. Even if they do something, it will specifically target the poor and not pple like us who are stuck in the middle won't get anything


As for your growing income gap it's pretty easy to close the gap. Increase Income tax of top 10% by 1% and channel all this back to the bottom 10%. When giving out growth dividends, give even lesser to the rich and transfer all these to the poor. However this wasn't on the top of most pple's minds this election

 

[halsey02]

2 points.

The issues may manifest themselves in the material sense such as pricing for transport and housing but it is the underlying issues. Central is voters recognising that concentration of power in one party for so long and the arrogance that accommpanies it. Voters can't accept 26% pay increase while jobs are displaced.

Second, I can't help notice that Cherian has begun fencesitting. It is difficult when your brother in law is a cabinet minister and your wife works for SPH and he himself is working for a Stat Board. In fact I found his article as an SPH politcal correspondent lot better, enough even to incur the wrath of WKS.

The point on housing, don't we forget that, this was used as political carrot to hoodwink the voters many years back, on their 'assests enhacement', your questown flat bought at 13,100 now valued at 500,000 or the Bishan one sold at 700,000 and so forth?. That created a mad rush of cashing in of their "homes for the people' and changing them into property speculators, who in return lead to an upward spiral, which now they are finding hard to tame.

Transportation, the projection did not include for a large influx of Foreigners who will come & reside here, I believe. That is why, it is bursting at the seams, and the growing out of proportion vehicle population is due to policies & greed for making more money.

The average person salary have not caught up with inflation & have not risen much in this last 5 years, it had been depressed or held stagnant, with the large inflow of cheap foreign workers, not only for the blue collar class; but all across the board. Whereas, the people in government are getting better, & better renumeration, not only that, teh civil service & all that is related to the ruling party.

Let us see the immediate, how they are going to address the problems of ever rising PUBLIC HOUSING prices, Transportation, bridging the income gaps, addressing a ballooning civil service salaries and the government, their accountablilty & regaining repect.

 

[Hans168]

Political commentator Cherian George wrote that tackling high prices of state HDB apartments, traffic jams and the cost of living were election issues that the PAP can easily solve.

"These are problems that are open to technocratic solutions, and the PAP leaders and their civil servants are masters of navigating complex policy terrains when they have the political will to do so," George said.

"Instead, the real challenge post-election is to win back the people's trust." And even in this regard George appears to be optimistic that the PAP now given a red flag may well be able to secure a new social compact with the people. Hence George seems to think that a new dawn for the Opposition may not be all that clear cut afterall.

I for one do not necessarily subscribe to Cherian George's povs...for instance the growing income gap divide does not appear to be that easy to solve...as for the new social compact with the people...i think it shall be v difficult for PAP to change its core fundamental way of thinking i.e. pyramid club sort of psyche...top down pap knows best...it remains to be seen whether it is really able n willing to really listen n engage the public instead of the same old same old wayang wrapped up in a fresh package tied with a new ribbon...all along it has been form/style but no substantive structural change on the part of PAP...

A leopard will never change its spots. At best it will change its modus operandi: hunting in the dark vs in daylight so that slate of hand & tactics are not so obvious like the mountain of remunerations & benefits the Elites enjoy.
Chap Cheng Kia Vivian B has said yesterday that they will spend more them explaining.......... blah, blah, blah (meaning at the end of the day, we still do what we have set out to do; just more time wasted so that you have no excuses left..). So it never occur to these assholes to do an introspection; re-engineer itshelf and transform to match ground sentiments.
So it is obvious they will hang on to their super doper salaries & perks although pegging them to median salary makes absolute sense! If this is rejected, why not peg to 1% of combined incomes of Gates & Buffet? 1% is not much & the 40% may accept it after the 60% duds shallow it lock, stock & barrel.
Another 5 yrs of misery & sufferings! NO thanks to those 60% sheeps (you deserve to be exploited n slaughtered!).

 

[streetsmart73]

which planet is Cherian George living on?

The top 3 issues of HDB, living cost & transport are a direct result of Singapore being run like a corporation instead of a country. Everybody's KPI is profit, each ministry trying to see who can bring more to the coffers.

hi there


1. he is living in some denial hole mah!
2. the top 3 matters do not happen overnight.
3. sheep have definitely ignore such bread and butter issues that affect the common sheep most.
4. gdp, growth and power are sheep's foremost kpis throughout.
5. solving it, my foot!

 

[Bigfuck]

A leopard will never change its spots. At best it will change its modus operandi: hunting in the dark vs in daylight so that slate of hand & tactics are not so obvious like the mountain of remunerations & benefits the Elites enjoy.
Chap Cheng Kia Vivian B has said yesterday that they will spend more them explaining.......... blah, blah, blah (meaning at the end of the day, we still do what we have set out to do; just more time wasted so that you have no excuses left..). So it never occur to these assholes to do an introspection; re-engineer itshelf and transform to match ground sentiments.
So it is obvious they will hang on to their super doper salaries & perks although pegging them to median salary makes absolute sense! If this is rejected, why not peg to 1% of combined incomes of Gates & Buffet? 1% is not much & the 40% may accept it after the 60% duds shallow it lock, stock & barrel.
Another 5 yrs of misery & sufferings! NO thanks to those 60% sheeps (you deserve to be exploited n slaughtered!).

More time making excuses is the point. The basic premise from his claim is we are doing everything right in the first place. Are you sure? Do you know what the trade-off is? Did you oversimplify your problem, so that you can make
a simplistic mathematical equation? Did you put monetary values to intangible variables that can have tangible consequences? Did you ask the people whether they agree with the trade-offs?

 

[jw5]

Mr George should just turn on the air conditioner and chill out.
The weather is very hot these days.