Activist, Roy Ngerng, criticised the an article published in local mainstream news outlets, that touched on how low-income Singaporeans try to make ends meet. That report was based on statistics compiled by SingStat that showed that the bottom 20% of Singaporean households are, on average, spending more than their monthly income of $2,2235.
Ngerng was of the view that the article has done a disservice to the group. He asserts that they can't make ends meet because their wages are too low.
Instead of addressing this issue of wages being too low, the article quoted several PAP MPs on what the government can or cannot do, and how the situation has improved.
So, you have PAP MP Rahayu Mahzam who says "there is no immediate solution, but the Government will look into these problems to see how they can be better addressed". So, no solution.
Then, you have PAP MP Louis Ng who says it has become "more affordable" to raise children today, and PAP GRC MP Seah Kian Peng who says milk powder is also "more affordable". By "more affordable", he means a can of milk powder below S$30. This is affordable? But it's OK, the more they tell you, the more you will believe it, they think.
Then, you have PAP MP Lily Neo who says Singapore's 3M system does not deprive anyone of healthcare due to a lack of means.
Ngerng disagreed with those assertions.
A $30 milk bottle can't be considered as "affordable". He also pointed out anecdotal evidence of people who can't afford to pay for their cancer treatments, or who can't use their Medisave for healthcare.
Ngerng didn't beat about the bush. He was very clear that Singaporeans can't make ends meet simply because they aren't earning enough.
Hence, it was perplexing to Ngerng why Singaporeans continue to vote for the PAP.
Again, he pulled no punches. He left us with something to ponder on:
If we are too scared to change things, might as well wait for handouts from the very people who oppress us and take away our wages.
Or maybe we can vote for change? It's up to you, whether you feel it's painful enough yet. If not, it's OK to suffer a bit more. It's only been 60 years under the PAP. What's another 100 years?
So how about it? Are you ready to make change?
