Malay Taxi driver - Lee Kuan Yew make us Malay proud

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Home > Review > Others
Mar 21, 2011
Straight talk with a Malay cab driver
By Gu Yuan You

WHEN I was in Singapore recently for a medical consultation, I took a taxi that was driven by a Malay. During the 30 minute-journey, the driver spoke to me solely in English.

'It is really fate that I took your taxi today. May I have this opportunity to speak to you in Malay while I am in Singapore? It would give me a sense of familiarity,' I clarified.

Unexpectedly, the driver replied, 'Actually, I have few opportunities to ferry passengers of my race, including those from Malaysia. So, of course I speak mainly English.'

We then continued our banter. I realised that this driver was not only chatty but also quite knowledgeable. When I asked him directly and indirectly about his life experiences in Singapore, he said, 'People are creatures of habit. After a while, they will get used to being scrutinised under a magnifying glass.'

'Do you know what fair competition is? The truth is, the Lee Kuan Yew government has made us Malays feel proud and given us a sense of pride!' he added. 'Being a taxi driver allows me to meet all kinds of people, understand different cultures and absorb new knowledge that can widen my horizon and thinking.

'The Malays on this island are very tough. Really, there are all types of people. From what I heard from various channels, I am puzzled and surprised that your country's leaders, especially (former PM) Mahathir, are quite opinionated.

' I personally feel that he is an unyielding person. Many of his statements are actually very hurtful. It clearly shows that he does not understand his fellow Malays in Singapore. He has lost touch with us.'

His sincere words reflected his feelings and thinking, and generally those of the Malays in Singapore.

At this point, he changed the subject and said that he was curious to know more about me. 'Why did you bother to take the night train to come all the way here from Kuala Lumpur? Isn't there any hospital in such a big city like Kuala Lumpur that can treat you?'

I thanked him for his concern and replied: 'It is not that troublesome! I am impressed with Singapore's border checks and public transport services such as the MRT, taxis and buses, as well as the hardware, software, medical skills and administrative efficiency of the hospitals here.

'It's true. There is also interaction between the patients and the hospitals. Moreover, the KTM railway station in Tanjong Pagar, which is worlds away from modern Singapore, makes me feel nostalgic too! It is now confirmed that the station will go into the annals of history soon. By looking at history, we can learn about the rise and fall of a place.

'Actually, after my first operation in Taiwan in the 1980s, I was referred to the National University Hospital here by the Taiwan hospital. It is through this hospital that I came across the first class medical system here,' I added.

Upon hearing this, the Malay driver felt proud of his country but warned: 'Mister, you are right. We are certainly more advanced than Kuala Lumpur. But we Singaporeans often pray that we only suffer from minor ailments. You must make sure that you do not have to be hospitalised for another surgery. You'll be in trouble if you cannot pay the deposit. The hospital will not show you sympathy. I have come across one actual case whereby the patient, who was my passenger, was refused admission. We are very good in everything, except for this.'

This column first appeared in the Oriental Daily News.

 

[lovesamleong]

'Actually, after my first operation in Taiwan in the 1980s, I was referred to the National University Hospital here by the Taiwan hospital. It is through this hospital that I came across the first class medical system here,'

Singaporeans need to appreciate that Singapore has one of the best medical facilities in this part of the world

 

[red amoeba]

sorry bro...best medical fac in the world? Yes, maybe....

but its unreachable to the common folks...in other words unaffordable.

its an luxury item like the Beirken bag...

 

[ahleebabasingaporethief]

(((the Malay driver felt proud of his country but warned: 'Mister, you are right. We are certainly more advanced than Kuala Lumpur. But we Singaporeans often pray that we only suffer from minor ailments. You must make sure that you do not have to be hospitalised for another surgery. You'll be in trouble if you cannot pay the deposit. The hospital will not show you sympathy. I have come across one actual case whereby the patient, who was my passenger, was refused admission. We are very good in everything, except for this.)))

PROUD OF A COUNTRY...YES. PROUD OF THIS GOVERNMENT'S POLICIES THAT DO NOT ALLOW TREATMENT IF YOU CANNOT COME UP WITH THE MONEY FIRST?

FUCK THE SCUMS. MANY PEOPLE HAVE DIED BECAUSE THEY CANNOT AFFORD MEDICAL TREATMENT IN SINGAPORE.
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[Char_Azn]

You'll be in trouble if you cannot pay the deposit. The hospital will not show you sympathy. I have come across one actual case whereby the patient, who was my passenger, was refused admission. We are very good in everything, except for this.'

Can anyone verify this. This would make big news if it was true. I know the private hospitals probably does that, that's understandable but I want to know if Public hospitals also does it

 

[ivebert]

sorry bro...best medical fac in the world? Yes, maybe....

but its unreachable to the common folks...in other words unaffordable.

its an luxury item like the Beirken bag...

This is a great thing

In U.S., medical costs are very costly and only those with a full-time job is insured.

Unlike Sinkapore where everyone can get access but the quality may differ, in US, not everyone can afford medical care.

Sinkapore's policy works best in the nation's interests.
It forces people to have healthy lifestyle.
Prostituting old uncles should be left die with STDs.

Great Job PAP for making the hard decision.

 

[ahleebabasingaporethief]

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2nd Gear
Posts: 247
Warn:

</td> <td class="post1" id="post-main-3636160" valign="top" width="100%"> Old news....think of the Pigs from George Orwell's Animal Farm....Sinkapoor is the farm...guess who the pigs r?

Singapore Ministers Pay, Legitimised Corruption

With the extended downturn in the recession we see large banks falling,
accompanied with salary cuts and retrenchments in the private sector.

One looming question is whether the pay of Singapore's Million Dollar ministers
(which are supposed to be pegged to private sector salaries of top income
earners) will also see a 50-70% pay-cut?

We think not and circulate an old article which discusses this issue

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Singapore Ministers Pay, Legitimised Corruption
Singapore Review, 2 May 2003 (updated May 2005)
By Mellanie Hewlitt

The headlines blared loudly in the 2 May 2003 issues of the Straits Times and
Business Times "Pay cut? Ministers ready to lead by example: DPM", announcing to
the entire world this selfless act of leadership by Singapore's Ruling Elite.

In what appeared to be an initial move to reduce severely inflated salaries, to
more reasonable industry standards, Singapore's Ruling Elite have bowed to
public pressure and hinted at accepting a pay cut.

Or have they?

What exactly does "Leading By Example" mean? Lets try to put some substance
behind those brave words. As of last count, average take home pay of a Singapore
minister was well in excess of SGD100,000/- a month.

The below table puts things back in proper perspective: (these are basic figures
as of July 2000 and did not include last year's pay hikes or other benefits.
Otherwise the updated numbers may well be much larger)

1. Singapore President's Basic Salary US$1,483,000 (SGD$2,373,100)*a year
Singapore Prime Minister's Basic Salary US$1,100,000 (SGD1,958,000) a year
Minister's Basic: US$655,530 to US$819,124 (SGD1,166,844 to SGD1,458,040) a year

2. United States of America President: US$200,000 Vice President: US$181,400
Cabinet Secretaries: US$157,000

3. United Kingdom Prime Minister: US$170,556 Ministers: US$146,299 Senior Civil
Servants: US$262,438

4. Australia Prime Minister: US$137,060 Deputy Prime Minister: US$111,439
Treasurer: US$102,682

5. Hong Kong Chief Executive : US$416,615 Top Civil Servant: US$278,538
Financial Sec: US$315,077

Source: Asian Wall Street Journal July 10 2000 *Singapore President's salary
which was updated in 2005 from the Singapore Straits Times

In relative terms, less then 20% of Singaporeans here have take home salaries
exceeding SGD100,000/- A YEAR.

In stark contrast, BASIC SALARY FOR A MINISTER STARTS AT SGD1,166,844 A YEAR,OR
JUST UNDER SGD100,000 A MONTH.

What these ministers earns in just ONE MONTH exceeds the ANNUAL TAKE HOME
salary of 80% of Singapore's income earning population. Lets not even begin to
compare annual packages which will exceed SGD1 million easily.

With the above numbers and figures now in perspective, it is easier to give
substance to the words "leading by example". Several facts are noteworthy here;

a) That the ministerial salaries are grossly out of proportion, even when
compared with their counterparts in much larger countries (US and UK) who have
far heavier responsibilities.

b) That these salary reductions were long overdue. In the past, such handsome
remuneration were "justified" on the back of resounding performance. However,
Singapore's economy has been in the doldrums of a recession for several years
now (with beginnings reaching as far back as the 1997 Asian economic crisis).
This economic barometer is a rough measure of performance and implies that
ministerial salaries were due for review at least 3-4 years ago.

c) That adjustments should be made to bring them back within the industry
benchmarks. Taking the salary of US vice president as a rule of thumb, the
percentage for reductions should start at 50% of current pay. Even if a
Singapore minister takes a 50% pay-cut, he would still be earning much more then
the US vice president.

d) The percentage reductions should greater then 50% if the intent is to bring
the salaries within the perspective of Singapore's domestic scene.

With such inflated figures, it is understandable why the local government
controlled media (Singapore Press Holdings) have taken pains to exclude mention
of actual numbers for the world to see. The numbers would be too glaring and no
amount of window dressing or creative writing could have reconciled these
numbers with a sane figure and restored credibility.

Also relevant is the question whether such highly paid million dollar ministers
can ever relate to the plight of the average man on the street. The remarks of
Mrs Goh Chok Tong, that a SGD600,000/- per annum salary (of NKF CEO) is PEANUTS,
is a harsh reflection of the real mind-sets, priorities and values of
Singapore's million dollar ministers. And it is these same million dollar
elitist bureucrats who will shape and determine public policies which will touch
on the daily lifelihoods of every Singaporean.

http://f5.grp.yahoofs.com/v1/QKgPRJ1g291aU...8ok-QJiK5\
xGY1KbdcQm03b-1sjI6V2gQYH8YVi1o6U/Peanuts.jpg

It is unlikely that Singapore's Ruling Elite will accept such huge salary cuts.
Exactly How much and when the ministerial pay-cuts takes effect is not revealed.
Ask any man on the street and 9 out of 10 responses indicate many agree the
current ministerial salaries are grossly inflated, especially in these lean and
difficult times.

Said a long time forumer from an internet political chat group:
"First of all the Ministers are NOT leading on pay cut. Workers' salaries have
been drastically reduced since the beginning of the recession while thousands
have been unemployed. so the Ministers are NOT LEADING. they are only CATCHING
UP. And they have several decades to catch up on."

"Secondly, how much of a pay cut will Ministers take? 10%? 20%? unless its a cut
that will affect their lifestyles, it is merely symbolic and they would still
not know what it feels like to be a normal worker. as such, this is not Leading
by Example. Its just another bogus political propaganda stunt"

A 29 yr old executive who requested to remain anonymous admitted sheepishly ;
"The numbers (ministerial salaries) are a national embarrassment really, because
it reflects the underlying materialistic value systems of Singapore Ministers.
No matter how you look at it, the fact remains that our ministers are money
faced, and these are supposed to be Singapore's leaders, with value systems that
Singaporeans should follow." "It (the ministerial salaries) puts Singapore in a
bad light in the eyes of the world. The rest of Singaporeans really put in an
honest days work for every penny they earn. And the process for review and
approval of the ministerial salaries is also a joke. Imagine sitting on the
board and approving (on White Paper)your own salary increments! Its all a wayang
show".

This also raises the question as to the authenticity of the actual process for
review and approval of cabinet minister's salaries. Who decides on these
numbers? Is there independence and transparency?

Veteran opposition figure J.B. Jeyaretnam on Wednesday, Nov 20, 2002 challenged
Singapore government ministers to take a pay cut to show they understand the
economic hardships faced by the public. And the over-riding concern is that
Singapore's Ruling Elite are unable to appreciate the economic hardship that the
masses face in these tough times.

The growing public resentment comes afew months after PM Goh's careless comments
that "lay-offs were not all bad", drew a backlash from the public with a flood
of e-mails being sent to the foreign press to register public indignation.

It is a revelation that when the "paycuts" were finally effected they amounted
to a miniscule 10% haircut from the massively bloated ministerial salaries.

It is also a revelation that barely a year later (in June 2004) the bloated
ministerial salaries were restored and increased beyond their original levels
even as the rest of Singapore was still struggling in the throes of a recession.
(There were no CPF restorations for the rest of working Singaporeans).

Source Sg_Review group
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[Conan the Barbarian]

Lol, news with fictitious characters to imbue national pride in the proles.

The proles make up about 81% of the population of Oceania.
The Party itself is only interested in their labour, because the
proles are mainly employed in industry and on farms.

 

[SIFU]

Lol, news with fictitious characters to imbue national pride in the proles.

The proles make up about 81% of the population of Oceania.
The Party itself is only interested in their labour, because the
proles are mainly employed in industry and on farms.

a lot of north koreans also praised kim jong il to the sky. north korea must be the happiest country around under his leadership.

 

[Orion]

MM Lee is a Malay anyway. He is a Perankan

 

[Conqueror]

(((the Malay driver felt proud of his country but warned: 'Mister, you are right. We are certainly more advanced than Kuala Lumpur. But we Singaporeans often pray that we only suffer from minor ailments. You must make sure that you do not have to be hospitalised for another surgery. You'll be in trouble if you cannot pay the deposit. The hospital will not show you sympathy. I have come across one actual case whereby the patient, who was my passenger, was refused admission. We are very good in everything, except for this.)))

PROUD OF A COUNTRY...YES. PROUD OF THIS GOVERNMENT'S POLICIES THAT DO NOT ALLOW TREATMENT IF YOU CANNOT COME UP WITH THE MONEY FIRST?

FUCK THE SCUMS. MANY PEOPLE HAVE DIED BECAUSE THEY CANNOT AFFORD MEDICAL TREATMENT IN SINGAPORE.
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Wow! Super emphasis.

 

[kingrant]

I still dun understand how this

....But we Singaporeans often pray that we only suffer from minor ailments. You must make sure that you do not have to be hospitalised for another surgery. You'll be in trouble if you cannot pay the deposit. The hospital will not show you sympathy. I have come across one actual case whereby the patient, who was my passenger, was refused admission. We are very good in everything, except for this.'

proves that "LKY makes us Malays proud."

 

[Capano2121]

Can anyone verify this. This would make big news if it was true. I know the private hospitals probably does that, that's understandable but I want to know if Public hospitals also does it

No such thing as a public hospital in Singapore anymore! If indeed it is public, it's meant for foreigners not Singaporean! And Singaporeans are paying through their arse every year in tax to subsidise the foreigners! PROUD?

 

[GOD IS MY DOG]

so very obvious the whole article was FAKED.................


another piece of bullcrap from PAP lapdog

 

[hillary888]

History lessons, MM Lee did many thing for this Nation. Both good and bad decisions.

Comparing the Iron man with the Iron lady

There is no such thing as society: there are individual men and women, and there are families

A world without nuclear weapons would be less stable and more dangerous for all of us.

Look at a day when you are supremely satisfied at the end. It's not a day when you lounge around doing nothing; it's when you've had everything to do, and you've done it."

To wear your heart on your sleeve isn't a very good plan; you should wear it inside, where it functions best

If my critics saw me walking over the Thames they would say it was because I couldn't swim.

I don't mind how much my ministers talk -- as long as they do what I say

I seem to smell the stench of appeasement in the air

There are still people in my party who believe in consensus politics. I regard them as Quislings, as traitors... I mean it.

Europe was created by history. America was created by philosophy

If you want anything said, ask a man. If you want something done, ask a woman.

Any woman who understands the problems of running a home will be nearer to understanding the problems of running a country

To cure the British disease with socialism was like trying to cure leukaemia with leeches.

Economics are the method; the object is to change the soul

No one would remember the Good Samaritan if he only had good intentions. He had money as well

Of course, it is the same old story. Truth usually is the same old story

I always cheer up immensely if an attack is particularly wounding because I think, well, if they attack one personally, it means they have not a single political argument left

There can be no liberty unless there is economic liberty.

I am extraordinarily patient provided I get my own way in the end

One hopes to achieve the zero option, but in the absence of that we must achieve balanced numbers.

If you lead a country like Britain, a strong country, a country which has taken a lead in world affairs in good times and in bad, a country that is always reliable, then you have to have a touch of iron about you."

You don't tell deliberate lies, but sometimes you have to be evasive

If you want to cut your own throat, don't come to me for a bandage.

You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it

To me, consensus seems to be the process of abandoning all beliefs, principles, values and policies. So it is something in which no one believes and to which no one objects

The cocks may crow, but it's the hen that lays the egg

I wasn't lucky. I deserved it

It pays to know the enemy -- not least because at some time you may have the opportunity to turn him into a friend

I've got a woman's ability to stick to a job and get on with it when everyone else walks off and leaves it.

I am in politics because of the conflict between good and evil, and I believe that in the end good will triumph

It is not the creation of wealth that is wrong, but the love of money for its own sake.

I usually make up my mind about a man in ten seconds, and I very rarely change it

A well ordered society would be one where the State only had a negative action, comparable to that of a rudder: a light pressure at the right moment to counteract the first suggestion of any loss of equilibrium.

If it is once again one against forty-eight, then I am very sorry for the forty-eight

I do not know anyone who has gotten to the top without hard work. That is the recipe. It will not always get you to the top, but it will get you pretty near

People think that at the top there isn't much room. They tend to think of it as an Everest. My message is that there is tons of room at the top

 

[Loofydralb]

After reading this, I now understand why Malays are considered the lowest class and dumbest in Singapore's strata.

Even after being marginalised, ridiculed, critisised, suspected loyalty, biased-against, this guy thinks LKY is god. Duh.

 

[konstandy]

Can anyone verify this. This would make big news if it was true. I know the private hospitals probably does that, that's understandable but I want to know if Public hospitals also does it

yes its true lah. many yrs ago my knee kana cut until can c the bone inside the doctors refused to operate until my mum sign some paper to pay then they operate KNN i was waiting waiting for i think over 3 hrs!!!!!

 

[iamhere]

not surprised...


Sad to say "Medicine, Science n Technology cannot cure and/or remove the stubbornness and stupidity of
the fuckin' daft idiotic imbeciles (60.1%)...

 

[watchman8]

Singaporeans need to appreciate that Singapore has one of the best medical facilities in this part of the world

you mean Singapore, Johor and some say batam?

 

[moolightaffairs]

er why today people keep digging out old thread?