Daily Lessons from Life 18 August 2013 - National Day Rally Speech by PM Lee

This is the most important speech by the PM of Singapore each year as it normally outlines the direction and the strategies that the nation will be heading in the immediate 12 months besides the long term perspective angle. Many topics to digest and then carefully analyse and exercise my grey matters to see if I can contribute to the discussion and actions. To throw up a few controversies for now: 1. SMEs vs. the government's initiatives for change SMEs obviously need to go beyond the song 'Only the past to remember' to the government's song of: 'Do you know I am waiting for you?' i.e. SMEs MUST recognize the way forward has to be through the 'raising productivity' instead of 'relying on CHEAP FWs'! Q. Most Singaporeans welcome FWs who perform jobs that Singaporeans, being 1st world citizens, do not aspired to do, like building 'affordable' HDB flats, MRTs, airport, etc. So, the KEY issue here is: what about the in-flow of FTs, especially the Fake FTs that allegedly took PME jobs from Singaporeans? Many were trained by world class MNCs in the last 20-30 years! 2. 'affordable' HDB flats and the assertion that 'how can you say HDB is making profit?' by PM Lee It is true that many efforts have been launched to try to 'tame' and get the public housing, especially the resale market, under control in the last 18 months. The MOST significant action is the acknowledgment that it is 'inappropriate' to peg the new HDB flat prices to the HDB resales prices. So, PM Lee's assertion that: 'how can you said HDB is making money?' WHILE TRUE i.e. NOW, assuming this is indeed the case, HDB is pricing new HDB flat at Cost or Cost Plus, so it may be making less profit. BUT before the delinking of the resales price from the new HDB price, this assertion MAY NOT be true. HDB under the previous Minister of MND had denied or refused to provide details costing information on this issue. A pity but at least this seems to be taken care of. Well, more time needed to read and digest the rest of the many important issues, let's dwell more in the next few days. Good night!