ESM Goh has recently called for the review of Singapore’s social policies, saying that this should be done in the hopes of creating a “fair and equitable Singapore”. One cannot help but wonder if this PAP man means what he says, given that our PM has admitted that he would take in 10 more billionaires even though it would increase social inequality if he could because of the opportunities they bring.
Firstly, 9 in 15 young Singaporeans surveyed said they can now no longer look forward to owning a house and car. This is very worrying for any country but what is worse in the case of Singapore is that the reason for this asset inflation is too many PRs who have benefited from rising HDB prices at the expense of native Singaporeans. In this regard, it would be good to place on capital appreciation tax then redistribute it to Singaporeans. Empirically, this has not dampened investment as in the case of Japan and the USA.
Secondly, NS has also created much social inequality for Singaporean males especially in the context where foreigners have no liabilities whatsoever. For a government which advocates paying themselves millions as a mark of their worth on the free market, NSmen should gain a three to four fold increase on their allowance funded by a defence tax. In addition – since NS was never equitable - they should also be given greater freedom to pay for regular servicemen to reduce their own liability.
Thirdly, the amount of scholarships for foreigners is an entire outrage especially when many of the middle class are burdened with loans. To allow this policy to be more equitable, these foreigners should be made to pay more tax as they have no CPF contributions; their pay will translate into much after adjusting for third-world purchasing power parity. Such a tax – along with their reduction – should be used to fund subsidies for Singaporeans who have served NS.
Fourthly, the misbehaviour of foreigners has caused much dismay. Take the publicised case of Sun Xu to Ma Chi, discount the magnitude and put them in the reach of everyday Singaporeans and you can see why numerous surveys have highlighted a social schism between locals and foreigners. The PAP needs to take a harsh stance against these foreigners rather than praise them. This needs to happen both socially and in the labour market.
I may seem like I am echoing what many people have said. But the issue here is that the PAP has been so blind to their own model of elitism. In simple truth, the policies created by the PAP have become so bad that our own people are being torn apart from the discrimination they face from foreigners. Unless they make drastic measures to correct this inequality, they should be prepared to be voted out in 2016.
Vincent