"PAP MP Inderjit Singh: Not every Singaporean's life is better - AsiaOne Tuesday, May 27, 2014
SINGAPORE - Mr Inderjit Singh said in a lengthy post on Facebook that "things have become tougher for some middle and low income Singaporeans" over the last three years.
The PAP MP asked in his commentary: "We must ask ourselves, are all the amenities and entertainment places we built in the last 10 years being enjoyed by mainly Singaporeans or by new arrivals and foreigners?"
In the Facebook post he put up on Monday night, he looked more closely at the disconnect between Singapore's wealth and well-being of Singaporeans, as well as how policies are made here."
Mr Inderjit Singh has raised some valid points, some or many would have said, these points had been raised by the ordinary people and vocal minority in the MPS sessions and the cyberspace for a long time. So, they are nothing new and NO BIG DEAL.
Having said that, I do want to point out that having a PAP MP and a Deputy Speaker (which I assumed he still is) reiterating the points is SIGNIFICANT.
He has also pointed out some STRATEGIC issues that the government will need to reflect and take actions sincerely and seriously.
As an ordinary citizen, I am always puzzled at WHY the government will always, or often, try to EXPLAIN 'things were not as bad as they looked' when things did not go well.
Mr Singh mentioned the MCE fiasco - the explanation was: IT was NOT a design fault when CLEARLY 'putting up sufficient road signs, and earlier, along the many intersections' has to be part of the OVERALL DESIGN of a road system!
It is OK to admit that. The BEST plan can go astray. It is human to err. Seriously.
Instead, we were told it was an engineering feat, WHICH IT IS and NOBODY disputed that except that the 1st few days were TOTAL CHAOS due to the poor placement or non-placement of road signs being ONE of the major contributors. The other being drivers not sufficiently aware of the routes, etc.
Another example is the explanation for the initial Orchard Road flooding was 'once in 50-year' or 'ponding' did not HELP ordinary citizens understand the issue too. Simple explanation like: there were too many building works around the area, coupled with the choking of the drainage system at the Botanic Garden area (supposedly one of the reasons), etc are acceptable. Really.
This 'thin skin' syndrome has to be dealt with. Of course, it is BETTER, as MP Singh suggested, to have 'good scenarios planning' that had considered ALL that COULD go wrong.
Notes: some of my learned friends said in our society, the people in authority CANNOT say: sorry as they are expected to get things RIGHT every time. To this I say: we better change this mind-set before the ruled and the rulers have bigger misunderstanding about each other's actions and intentions.
I just want to add this one for the government to consider besides the many raised by MP Singh.
I am STILL HOPEFUL that with MP like Mr Singh raising valid points to help the government to make better policies that will create a greater good for the majority of Singaporeans is possible!
The PAP MP asked in his commentary: "We must ask ourselves, are all the amenities and entertainment places we built in the last 10 years being enjoyed by mainly Singaporeans or by new arrivals and foreigners?"
In the Facebook post he put up on Monday night, he looked more closely at the disconnect between Singapore's wealth and well-being of Singaporeans, as well as how policies are made here."
Mr Inderjit Singh has raised some valid points, some or many would have said, these points had been raised by the ordinary people and vocal minority in the MPS sessions and the cyberspace for a long time. So, they are nothing new and NO BIG DEAL.
Having said that, I do want to point out that having a PAP MP and a Deputy Speaker (which I assumed he still is) reiterating the points is SIGNIFICANT.
He has also pointed out some STRATEGIC issues that the government will need to reflect and take actions sincerely and seriously.
As an ordinary citizen, I am always puzzled at WHY the government will always, or often, try to EXPLAIN 'things were not as bad as they looked' when things did not go well.
Mr Singh mentioned the MCE fiasco - the explanation was: IT was NOT a design fault when CLEARLY 'putting up sufficient road signs, and earlier, along the many intersections' has to be part of the OVERALL DESIGN of a road system!
It is OK to admit that. The BEST plan can go astray. It is human to err. Seriously.
Instead, we were told it was an engineering feat, WHICH IT IS and NOBODY disputed that except that the 1st few days were TOTAL CHAOS due to the poor placement or non-placement of road signs being ONE of the major contributors. The other being drivers not sufficiently aware of the routes, etc.
Another example is the explanation for the initial Orchard Road flooding was 'once in 50-year' or 'ponding' did not HELP ordinary citizens understand the issue too. Simple explanation like: there were too many building works around the area, coupled with the choking of the drainage system at the Botanic Garden area (supposedly one of the reasons), etc are acceptable. Really.
This 'thin skin' syndrome has to be dealt with. Of course, it is BETTER, as MP Singh suggested, to have 'good scenarios planning' that had considered ALL that COULD go wrong.
Notes: some of my learned friends said in our society, the people in authority CANNOT say: sorry as they are expected to get things RIGHT every time. To this I say: we better change this mind-set before the ruled and the rulers have bigger misunderstanding about each other's actions and intentions.
I just want to add this one for the government to consider besides the many raised by MP Singh.
I am STILL HOPEFUL that with MP like Mr Singh raising valid points to help the government to make better policies that will create a greater good for the majority of Singaporeans is possible!
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