Saturday, May 07, 2011

Singapore is going to the poll today

From the e-news I read, I cut out a few points that I picked up:

1. The bedrock of the PAP's support is its delivery of jobs and education, its reputation for an efficient, corruption-free bureaucracy and a history of savvy policy choices — such as embracing English as a common language — that helped boost gross domestic product per capita to $43,867 last year from $428 in 1960.

2. Rights groups condemn Singapore's use of the death penalty for drug couriers.

3. Rich people love the place and trust the PAP. Singapore has the world's highest percentage of millionaires — households with at least $1 million in liquid assets — at 11.4 percent of the country's 5 million population, according to Boston Consulting Group.

4. "Don't rock this foundation," Lee KY said last week. "Remember, don't risk your assets, property values, job opportunities."

5. Singaporeans complain that the foreigners have depressed wages, boosted housing prices and clogged public transportation — and opposition leaders are tapping into that unease.

6. "I'm not against the PAP," 35-year-old restaurant manager Francis Loh said at a Workers Party rally last weekend. "I just want more opposition in Parliament and someone to speak for the poor people."

Opposition rally drew crowd of about 30,000! This is amazing. But the comment from Francis Loh is right, any good government requires more opposition. We also need it. The government must be matured enough to acknowledge that a strong opposition is healthy and beneficial.

I believe that PAP will still come out as winner but there will be more opposition members. Perhaps, the government will become more people focus across the board.

Their per capita income is $43,867 (about RM100,000, ie, almost RM9K/month!) and we are still shouting for a freeze in petrol price!  The police arrested those who ask for minimum wages. What a contrast!

The above is summarised from here.

1 comment:

Reanaclaire said...

May the best man wins..