SDP - Feb 2014 - We must turn Singapore around

[Cosmos10]

We must turn Singapore around

Added on: Wednesday, 5 February 2014

by the Singapore Democrats

http://yoursdp.org/news/we_must_turn_singapore_around/2014-02-05-5774

 

[Cosmos10]

Dear friends,

We are a little past the halfway point in between elections and very soon the GE will be upon us again. Unfortunately, never has the mood of Singaporeans been so dark and our confidence in our future so low.

With overcrowding, MRT breakdowns, fare hikes, hospital-bed shortages, a riot, income inequality, unaffordable housing, record number of suicides, unhappy workers, immigration checkpoint failures, etc, many Singaporeans are despondent.

But we don't have to despair; we CAN, and MUST, turn Singapore around. To do that, we need to first see that we are not inextricably locked to the present policies. There are alternatives - alternatives drawn up by the SDP - that will take our country towards a better, more promising path.

Our (SDP) policies on:

healthcare (http://yoursdp.org/_ld/0/5_sdp-national-he.pdf),
housing (http://yoursdp.org/_ld/0/7_Housing_a_Natio.pdf),
and population (http://yoursdp.org/_ld/0/8_Building_a_Peop.pdf)

are real and workable, they can make our lives more meaningful and less stressful. Like you, we want to see a Singapore where we live a more balanced lifestyle, where society is more compassionate, and where the government is open and democratic.

But we can't build this Singapore alone. We need your support.

The Prime Minister can call for elections anytime. When he does, we want to be ready. We cannot wait until the announcement is made, by then it'll be too late. We need to start preparations now and, for this, funds are crucial.

Please consider making a donation. If each of you makes a small contribution, our work for the next elections will get a good head-start.

So click on one of the links below and let's start the effort of turning Singapore around.

Let's start building our vision of a better Singapore.

Thank you.

Donate ---> : http://yoursdp.org/index/donate/0-12

shop@SDP ---> : http://yoursdp.org/index/buy/0-13

 

[Cosmos10]

PAP supporters take exception to SDP's article

Added on: Monday 10 February 2014

by the Singapore Democrats

http://yoursdp.org/news/pap_supporters_take_exception_to_sdp_s_article/2014-02-10-5777

PAP supporters, or at least defenders of the Government's position, were obviously unhappy with our previous post We must turn Singapore around as several of them took to the SDP's Facebook to register their defence of the ruling party.

The SDP welcomes such discussion as it is our view that political debate raises the level of politics in Singapore. In the piece, we had summarised the current dismal situation in this country and the equally bleak outlook of the people.

 

[Cosmos10]

We have chosen, for ease of discussion, to group the Facebook comments according to their themes. One set of responses makes the point that the woes that have befallen Singapore happens in other countries too:

"Subway breakdown is not unique only to Singapore. It happens in any country where there are subways."

"Riot in Singapore in 48 years and you make a big deal over it! Hello!! Wake up lah. Riots are happening all over the world even this minute."

"Homeless in JAPAN!! Line up for soup kitchen!!"

The corollary is that Singapore cannot, therefore, be that bad. But such a view ignores what PM Lee Hsien Loong said in Parliament in 2012:

"Singapore has to maintain a high quality of government, otherwise we are going to go back down and we are going to be a mediocre country...We are different and because we are different and exceptional, therefore Singaporeans have reaped a Singapore dividend..."

And because of such excellence, the PM pays himself in excess of $2 million annually - a salary no other elected head of government comes even close.

If the PAP is going to proffer exceptionalism as a reason for the high pay of ministers, then its supporters cannot, at the same time, argue that Singapore is really no different from other countries when it comes to the kind of problems we face. Either you perform at the level of your hubris or you accept that you are really no better than others and pay yourselves salaries that are commensurate with your talent and competence. You can't have it both ways.

Having a riot, repeated MRT breakdowns, hospital-bed shortages, record suicides, unhappy workers, etc, all taking place within the recent past makes this Government anything but exceptional.

 

[Cosmos10]

Another line of argument is whether the SDP can do any better. One post reads: "Is the SDP claiming and assuring the public that IF they are in power, all the above mentioned will be solved or eradicated?"

No, the SDP is not making such a claim. What we do say is that the current policies employed by the PAP is taking Singapore in the wrong direction. We have taken pains to study the situation and developed remedies which we are confident will put Singapore on a better path.

For instance, the current policy of increasing our population to 6 million by 2020 and 6.9 million by 2030 has resulted in overcrowding, the ballooning of housing prices, unfair competition for jobs, social tension, and so on.

The SDP's alternative will only increase the population size if it enhances the quality of life and well-being of Singaporeans. Our plan will allow only bona fide foreign talent to work in Singapore and, in addition, employers will have to hire Singaporeans first. For a full discussion of our plan, click here ---> http://yoursdp.org/_ld/0/8_Building_a_Peop.pdf.

We are happy to subject our proposals to public scrutiny and compare them to the current policies in place. It is the Government and the state media that are suppressing such comparisons and debate. We are confident that the more Singaporeans come to learn of our plan, the more they will prefer it over the PAP's foreign talent policy.

 

[Cosmos10]

Finally, there are those comments that simply don't make sense: "SDP will just make things even more expensive for our future! look at their policies closely and model it to your future taxes!! they want to tax us till we are dead...worse off than PAP govt."

We have called for the GST for basic goods to be abolished, the Medisave to be scrapped (and in its place implement a national insurance scheme where Singaporeans pay much less for healthcare), and for HDB flat prices not to include land costs. How this translates into SDP wanting to "tax us till we are dead" defies explanation.

We welcome comments on the very serious issues that confront Singapore today and are willing to engage in meaningful debate to make Singapore a better place.

 

[da dick]

^ hello. srzz question ah. when lee uan yew say SDP is CIA, is he for real? are u really CIA? if u guys r CIA n encorage de "natives" to parang all cheena babee likke in surharto's indonesia, i will be damned scared no! are u CIA, SDP? will de rael CIA pls stand up!