"Those people who are capable may choose not to make the sacrifice and hope someone else will do it.
(We believe in meritocracy, having the right people for the right jobs.).... we have strict requirements that work performance must be good."
3 Dec 2014
Dear PM Lee,
Please do not talk about sacrifice when you and your ministers are being market rates of multi-millions in salaries and bonuses, many with taxpayer-funded state pensions for life?
True sacrifices are:
1. Our national service men (NSFs and NSmen) who risk their lives (not to mention 2 years of their precious time) serving their country and protecting the citizens, the rich, the foreigners, the PRs, all for pittance of a few hundred bucks a month, about a third or half of what you and your ministers earn in an hour!!!! (Okay, I can accept it if they are really super talents worthy of their multi-million salaries based on "meritocracy .... strict requirements that work performance must be good", but look at ex-DPM Wong Kan Seng: despite letting highly dangerous terrorist Mas Selamat escape with ease under his watch, he still got to keep his job (you call that work performance? Because in the market, for which he was paid market rates, he would have been disgracefully sacked). And even after he left cabinet, he is still well taken care of by the PAP government when parachuted into this newly created Temasek's Rajaratnam Endowment, Singbridge, etc... ). If he is that good, he should have no problem getting a job anywhere he wants and not rely on Temasek and GLCs!!! And by the way, does he get pension for life? If so, what sacrifice did he really make?
2. Our Old Guard ministers who really sacrificed to serve the country, for a pittance in salaries.
3. Those workers who sacrificially accepted deep cuts in CPF during the 1985 recession, supporting the Economic Review Committee's (which you chaired) recommendation
4. Those land owners (including our family) who sacrificed their precious land when the PAP government under then PM Lee Kuan Yew compulsorily acquired them on the cheap (in cents per square foot) back in the late 60s and 70s, all in the name of National Development so that more citizens could have a roof over their heads (truly affordable HDB flats).
5. Those who died during World War 2 defending the country ... patriots like Lim Bo Seng, Lt Adnan, etc... (link http://singaporeheroes.weebly.com/ ).
6. The SARS heroes
7. The Pioneer Generation who sacrificed with their Blood, Sweat and Tears and helped build Singapore into what it is today.
8. And of course, the current batch of Singaporean workers (those fortunate enough to still have jobs) who survive on barely survivable wages sacrificially, no thanks to the recent influx of cheap foreign labour.
Jeff
TRS Contributor