So many ministers have spoken about the CPF. They appeared to be saying different things. On close analysis, they all points to one direction, they are not going to return your CPF at 55 or 65 in one lump sum, or a meaningful sum. And what do these mean? Why are they so adamant to hold back your CPF despite the public expression of anger? For your own good? Or is it something else? The govt seems to be taking a stance of defiance, ears plugged and not wanting to listen to the angry voices of hte people. Kenneth Jeyaretnam has a long list of reasons why.
Look at all the schemes and changes to the CPF, and the answer is crystal clear. The minimum sums, the Medisave and Retirement accounts, the CPF Life and now the Medishield Life, what did they say? Be prepared for something like CPF AfterLife to complete the cycle of cradle to grave.
CPF is your money, so they said. So he’s a jolly good fellow, so he’s a jolly good fellow, so he’s a jolly good fellow, so say all of us.
It may be a difficult thing to determine who needs to leave their money in the CPf Board as they are weak in mind and ability to hold on to their money. But it is not difficult to pick up those who don’t need to leave any money in the CPF after 55. By this age the game of life is almost over and what a person is made of is fairly clear to see. Before we tread into this dangerous doctrine, that the govt can withhold a citizen’s money on the ground that the citizen is deemed stupid and irresponsible, the people must make it known to the govt that this kind of thinking and logic is flawed, unacceptable and a violation of an individual’s right.
All the rich and super rich, including those with landed properties worth more than a million do not need the CPF to hold on to their money. All those who have filial children supporting them do not need to leave money in the CPF. All those who are still working in self employed professions and likely to work till they die or willingly call it quits, no need the CPF. All those who never or would not go to Batam and Bintan are safe with their money. All those who are dying do not need the CPF’s caring hands.
Really, it is only a very small group of people that need to depend on the protection of kind, very kind and caring people in the govt to help them to look after their money passed 55. Even if they choose to let the govt manage their money, it must be voluntarily, not because the govt declared that they are incapable of looking after their money, not because the govt forecast that they would live to 100 years old. No where in the world can a govt hold on to the people’s money at will and at its own pleasure, against the will of the owners of the money.
Chua Chin Leng AKA RedBean
*The writer blogs at http://mysingaporenews.blogspot.com/