I refer to the articles “Seize opportunities, but remember to give back to society: Chan Chun Sing” (Channel NewsAsia, Nov 22) and “PAP reaffirms commitment to core values as it paves new way forward at dinner and awards ceremony” (Straits Times, Nov 22).
Give back to society?
The former states that “Singaporeans need to seize opportunities, but also remember to give back to the society and help the less-privileged.
Social and Family Development Minister Chan Chun Sing said only then can the nation truly be what he called, a “Singaporean Tribe” – or the Singapore Family.
Singapore is only able to be at where we are today because those who have succeeded, those who are more accomplished, have a sense of contribution, a sense to want to give back something to the society, to help those who may be less privileged than some of us”
Giving our people a better life has worked for 60 years?
The latter article states that “The principles of a clean and effective government, meritocracy and fairness, have been the vital building blocks of success for both the party and country
One of these areas is a shift from “extreme meritocracy” – which could favour those with means – to an “open and compassionate meritocracy”
The party will also ensure community and government support for the vulnerable and less fortunate, as it builds a fair and just society that encourages individual effort and family responsibility.
It also wants to develop a democracy of deeds, which is built on collective responsibility and community action.
“Our values serve as important guide posts for the Party as we embark on the next stage of our journey,” Mr Khaw said. “But ultimately, it’s the people in the party who make these values come alive, and who make our objectives achievable.”
He paid tribute to the contributions of party members in his address, ahead of an awards ceremony that marked the contributions of 390 activists, saying that they “do not flinch from the unglamorous work of tilling the ground” and “make significant and selfless personal sacrifices to serve the people”
“The PAP way of building a country and giving our people a better life has worked for the last 60 years,” said Mr Khaw. “Let us dedicate ourselves to make it work for another 60 years.”"
The outcomes?
- In this connection:
Is Singapore the country (amongst developed and developing countries) with the lowest government spending?
Is Singapore the country with the lowest public healthcare spending as a percentage of GDP in the world?
Is Singapore the only country in the world that does not spend a single cent on public housing, and makes profits?
Is Singapore the only country in the world that keeps an estimated 3 per cent of the annual returns on its national pension fund, at the expense of CPF members – resulting in the lowest real rate of return amongst all national pension schemes in the world since 1999?
Is Singapore the country with the highest Budget surplus (per capita) in the world ($36.1 billion in FY2012 using IMF fiscal reporting guidelines)?
Leong Sze Hian