Opinions

Are our Ministers not paid well enough?

Recently, New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern turned down a $12,000 pay raise because she and her colleagues thought that they are already enjoying high wages. She currently draws about $427,000. Oh look, that's mediocre in Goh Chok Tong's definition!

Wait, there's more. New Zealand ministers have also agreed to go on a pay freeze because they feel that "MPs are paid well above the average worker, so giving them a percentage rise accentuates their higher pay. When it is right for MPs to get a rise, they should get the same in dollar terms as what the average worker receives."

Well hello ESM Goh, what do you have to say to this? Are our Ministers really not paid well? Or are New Zealand ministers mediocre like us common Singaporeans?

Do our Ministers know how shallow they look when they accentuate their fat paychecks in our faces? Do they even understand the daily struggles and trivial problems that Singaporeans face? Are they trying to solve our problems for the sake of progress or are they solving our problems with their heart? Who are they to claim that they are not paid well enough? 

We gave them a big job to do and yes, they have big shoes to fill, but that does not give them the right to be entitled or arrogant to complain that they are not paid well. Please. Don't just ownself check ownself. Don't fire at the citizens who helped you come this far. Look and learn from other countries. Can?

After NDR 2018 when Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong acknowledged that land in Singapore would always be sold again due to its 99 year lease, prominent academic Prof Donald Low questioned the Ministry of Finance's past rejection to use more money from Singapore's reserves to fund future spending. Prof Low believes that since 99 year leasehold land was a renewable resource that generates money on a 99 year basis for the government, wouldn't it be sustainable for Singaporeans to dip our hands into the reserves? 

Why then is the PAP Government constantly scaring Singaporeans into believing that it is unwise to use money from the reserves and because of that, GST will be increased in the near future, electrical and water tariffs would be increased, all in the name of generating more income to sustainably fund future spending. Perhaps it is time, to consider using more of our reserves to make the lives of all Singaporeans better now, instead of hording the money in the name of the next generation. 

Prof Donald Low's argument in full:

Also, when the PM explained why HDB leases have to be 99 years (so that land can be recycled and sold again after 99 years), he confirmed what all of us should know but probably don’t: that land in Singapore is a renewable fiscal resource.

And it is because land is a renewable resource, MOF was on very weak grounds when it rejected suggestions during the Budget debate this year to use more of the NIR from reserves or use (part of) the revenue from land sales (which are currently wholly locked up as reserves).

On this year's episode of National Day Rally, Pinky talked about ways to cope with our cost of living. The highest paid minister in the world is teaching us about coping with our cost of living. What an irony right?  A netter wrote in with some ways for us to cope with the cost of living while being in line with pinky's tips:

"Ways to Cope with the Cost of Living (in line with Pinky's methods)
1. Flush as few times as possible in the toilet.
2. Better still, pee and poop in free toilets such as in shopping malls to save on both water and toilet paper. (Don't blame me if it leads to price increases. Just don't shop?)
3. Walk part of your journey to and from work. (Don't blame me if you end up having to buy more shoes. Walk barefooted?)
4. Eat more raw fruits and vegetables so that you can save on the energy needed to cook.
5. Don't watch TV at home.
6. Cancel your Internet subscription and rely on free Wi-Fi at places like MacDonald's -- without patronising them, of course. (Don't blame me if you get chased away.)
7. Wear your clothes more times before washing so that they won't be worn out so fast and you can save water.
8. Don't get haircuts so often. If you are schooling, be a si geena and let your discipline master cut for you. 
9. Don't vote for upgrading if you are asked to. It's not free, you know?
10. Reuse condoms. (Don't blame me if you end up paying for your contributions to the fertility rate.)"

Credits to 莫丽蜜

Did you know, if you use your parent's CPF to pay for your school fees, you have to return it to them with an interest? Even if your parents agree to you not returning it, CPF will not agree to it. Isn't CPF supposed to be our money? Why can't we choose to use it to pay for our children's education? Netizen Nadiah Ash recently found out about this:

"I don’t post much online. But I feel a need to voice this out because I’m really upset about my situation and how it was handled by the relevant parties.

Did you know that if you use your parents CPF to pay for your education, you are required to repay it back to your parents...CPF using CASH.

Lee Hsien Loong just finished his National Day rally last night. He mentioned that he wants us to give them another 20 to 30 years to remake Singapore. Would you want to wait that long? Also, do you think we can get away from paying for them to remake Singapore? Ravi Philemon talked about these in a video he posted last night.

"Dear Singaporeans,

The Prime Minister just spoke to us Singaporeans to give the PAP another 20 to 30 years to remake Singapore. He spoke about a new CHAS programme, he spoke about a programme to redevelop the HDB estates - or what he called VERS - and he spoke about rolling out a Merdeka Generation Package.

The 7th month is well and truly underway. And as always during this month, lots of ghost stories or haunted palecs resurfaced. And so, there is something serious to share with all of you, in preparation for the 7th month.

During this 7th month, there have been lots of report about avoiding certain roads. These roads are named as:-

1. Old Upper Thomson Road
2. Lim Chu Kang Road
3. South Buona Vista Road
4. Yio Chu Kang Road
5. Mount Pleasant Road
6. Old Tampines Road

However, the scariest, top of list up to this date, and for many decades, has got to be along Robinson Road. This road seldom gets spoken about in hush tones. Trust us, Hell is definitely located there.

Yes, this is the very road where the mythical CPF Building and its mythical CPF are located. You can see, but still cannot touch. What makes it worse is that the whole freaking CPF building has mysteriously disappeared, only to reappear when you least expect it. Nobody knows where the CPF is now.

Even David Copperfield cannot make CPF disappear just like that, Speaking of which, anyone wants to dare David Copperfield to take up this challenge to bring back the building and, of course, ultimately our CPF money back?