ELECTION DAY !!! Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̄&#8

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COMMENTS from Darkest Knight 5 hours ago

No disrespect to the MM, but frankly speaking he has not been saying too many bright things recently.

the comments in hard truths were totally uncalled for. and if my memory serves me right, the GRC was precisely set up to allow minority representation in the parliament. why is it then that malays feel that mr chiam see tong is the one championing their cause? then, what's the point of keeping GRC?!

even if u let this past, what abt the more recent comments threatening aljunied voters that they will need to REPENT for voting the opposition in. that's like saying, vote for PAP, all end up in heaven, vote for opposition, all ready to be condemned in hell.

come on, the election is already so kelong. the GRC set-up, your re-zoning, your election dept over-riding the misrep that Dr Vincent has writely pointed out and of course the all-powerful media, all these are within your control. you even have to ban my account from placing any more comments after i have been so critical of govt's policies. with so many tools in place, you will think that the PAP has no problem squashing the opposition like a bug. then, why will u go and threaten the good people of aljunied?

u see, while u so desperately try to rid the parliament of ALL opposition members, the opposition members are more gracious and kind. they are calling out, "president george yeo, president george yeo". 80 out of 82 seats no kick, now u want 87 out of 87 seats? seemed that PAP is addicted to power, that's why i feel an immediate rehab program is necessary!

u see, why is is it i feel that PAP has completely lost the plot. they feel that aljunied is the ONLY hot spot and that's why they have sent in so many reinforcement.

u think bt timah GRC not hot spot? the help from vivian for less fortunate families is pathetic, yet we are so "generous" with IOG spending, u think vivian does not have to explain this?

ever since chok tong wife commented on the $600k peanut, he has been saying wrong things one after another. we didn't take it well with his tongue in cheek comment abt TPL, and now he has shown his ungratefulness by claming that Mr Tan was not a good secretary! with him and TPL in marine parade, u think that is not a hot spot?

and of course our father of the opposition - Mr Chiam leading his team against MBT in Toa payoh. you claimed that our birth rate is low, so u need more immigrants.but how r we ever to start a family when a HDB flat costs so much? u start a family by squeezing with your parents?!

so many hotspots, yet all attention only for aljunied. don't be shock on 7 may, when you find your rojak now has much much more ingredients in it. the simple reason is we LOVE ROJAK, but we r SICK of seeing so many CHINESE TURNIPS in it!

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Nicole Seah apologises for MM’s Malay integration Comments

By Fann Sim | SingaporeScene – Tue, May 3, 2011 3:08 AM SGT

National Solidarity Party (NSP) candidate Nicole Seah delivered a surprise apology to the Singapore Muslim community when she apologised for the comments made by Minister Mentor (MM) Lee Kuan Yew in his book, Hard Truths to Keep Singapore Going.

In her rally speech to an estimated crowd of 15,000 at Mountbatten on Monday evening, the 24-year-old said, "On behalf of the Chinese Singaporeans, I would like to apologise to the Muslim community for the comments that MM Lee made."

In his recently published book, MM Lee suggested that Singaporean Muslims should be less strict in their Islamic observances in order to integrate better into the society. However, he later issued a statement and said that he stands corrected on how well-integrated Malay-Muslims are in Singapore.

Seah, who is part of the NSP team contesting in Marine Parade GRC, also addressed the crowd in Bahasa Melayu, touching on the concerns of the Malays.

"I would like you to know that my hopes are for us to progress as one Singaporean regardless of race or religion. I would like to build a community where no one gets left behind."

Seah's words had one of her Facebook followers, Alfian Sa'at, posting a thank you note on her page.

He wrote: "As Malay voter, I wanted to thank you for apologising for MM's remarks although it's not something you have to do. I keep telling my Malay friends that throughout Parliamentary history, the ones who really spoke up for the Malay minority were opposition MPs such as Chiam See Tong."

Seah also touched on the general anger at foreigners in Singapore, saying it may have been "misdirected". She said that the influx of foreigners should not be blamed for Singaporeans' stagnant wages, packed MRT trains and ballooning housing prices.

"No my friends, the real target of our anger is the PAP government," she said, to a thunderous round of applause. Seah criticised the government's policies for allowing foreigners into Singapore which led to a variety of problems.

The advertising executive also shared the policies she champion when elected. She intends to review industries on a case-by-case basis and will continue to allow work permits for foreigners in industries that are unpopular among Singaporeans. She also plans to review the foreign worker levy to encourage businesses to hire Singaporeans.

On a lighter note in her speech, Seah joked that supporters in orange were forbidden from using the toilets at the nearby Mountbatten Community Club. Taking a jibe at the People's Action Party, she said, "I wonder if it was a PAP rally, would they have let us in."

However, there was some drama near the rally when a car with an NSP flag was found vandalised with white paint. Photos of the car has gone viral, with netizens speculating that the culprit could have been supporters from the "other" party.

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SDP’s manifesto dangerous: PAP’s De Souza

By farism | SingaporeScene – Tue, May 3, 2011 5:17 AM SGT

The People's Action Party's (PAP) Holland-Bukit Timah GRC candidate Christopher De Souza has called the Singapore Democratic Party's (SDP) manifesto proposals "dangerous".

In his rally speech to an estimated 2000-strong crowd for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC and Bukit Panjang SMC on Monday evening, he said, "The SDP manifesto launched very late in the day is a rushed patchwork of ideas. Lose at its core, unviable in its implementation, dangerous to residents of Holland-Bukit Timah, across the board.

"There are disconnects within the manifesto, not minor ones (but) major ones, major consequences, dangerous," he added.

The incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) and lawyer took issue with SDP's proposal to increase personal income taxes to the 30 per cent mark for higher-income earners.

"Did you know that the SDP wants to raise personal income tax to about 30 per cent?" he said, with the crowd responding with boos.

De Souza argued that it would be unfair to tax higher-income earners, citing young families in his ward who not only live but invest in the private properties as a nest egg.

"Many of the new condominium dwellers are young families investing in a private property as a nest egg and SDP wants to raise personal income tax to about 30 per cent, not by a small margin but by a fairly large margin," he said.

He added that there is also a "disconnect" in wanting to increase income tax, supposedly to assist the poor as the SDP's proposal to divert the country's economy away from the manufacturing industry to a services sector would affect almost 500,000 blue-collar workers.

"The SDP wants to increase the tax of the higher wage earners which will seriously affect the financial planning of this group of my residents.

"But in the same breath, it also seeks to detrimentally affect the jobs of my blue-collar worker friends and residents who live in the HDB heartlands and they want to do so by dismantling Singapore's manufacturing sector," said De Souza.

His comments come after SDP's candidate Tan Jee Say proposed in his 46-page working paper titled 'Creating Jobs and Enterprises in a New Singapore Economy' that Singapore move away from the manufacturing sector to a "full-fledged integrated services hub for the region".

"Politics is about service, it's about applying heart and mind together. To assess, to understand, to deliberate what is in the best interests of our residents and Singaporeans. I consider it a scared duty.

"The last 5 years have not been easy, the MPs, my fellow MPs in this team have been on the frontline, witnessing, dealing, understanding, responding to the worst financial crisis since the great depression.

"We were on the ground, we were not giving speeches, rhetoric, high falutin ideas, no. We were banding together and overcoming one of the greatest economic obstacles the world has seen, and Singapore has seen," said De Souza.

Meanwhile, his Holland-Bukit Timah GRC teammate Liang Eng Hwa also took a swipe at SDP, calling them to unveil plans for the constituency.

Speaking at the rally, he said, "When I entertain the thought that (the) SDP team assembled two days before Nomination Day, and who are not interested in communicating with you face to face at your doorstep to understand your concerns, is to run this place, how will this town be like?"

He also questioned whether the SDP team truly understands the sentiments and needs of the residents or are they using the constituency as a stepping stone "to make more noises in Parliament".

"If they get in, there are no local plans for this town, simply because they did not bother to find out your needs and they have anyway a different focus.

"This thought and these dreadful scenarios spur me to work very hard for this campaign because we owe it to our residents here, to build a better and secured home.

"It is our responsibility and I will fight every ounce of my energy that I have, to make sure that our homes are secured and getting better. We are the team that feels strongly and emotionally attached to this place and we really want to make a difference here," he said.

The PAP rally saw 13 speakers delivered their speeches including "new face" Sim Ann who is part of the party's Holland-Bukit Timah team and guest speaker, Minister of State for the Ministry for Community Development, Youth and Sports, Mrs Yu Foo Yee Shoon, who will be retiring from politics.

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan also addressed three key issues — costs of living, jobs and housing prices, and urged voters not to go for quick-fix solutions as proposed by the opposition parties.

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Reform Party hits out at Mah Bow Tan

By ewenboey | SingaporeScene Tue, May 3, 2011 3:52 AM SGT

Housing will always be a make-or-break issue.

Reform Party (RP) candidate Frankie Low made this point at the party's rally on Monday evening, slamming Minister for National Development Mah Bow Tan's remarks that housing will not be a make-or-break issue at the General Election.

"How is housing not a make-or-break issue? HDB should be for Singaporeans. Many Singaporeans are not able to retire because their CPF is tied up in HDB loan," he said.

The RP West Coast GRC candidate was not the only one who spoke on the issue of housing policies, which was the dominant topic of the night at West Coast Park, where an estimated 2,000 people gathered.

Low's teammate Ho Soak Harn stressed that single Singaporeans should not have housing restrictions imposed on them as they also contribute to the country.

She suggested lowering the age requirement of 35 for single Singaporeans to buy their own HDB flats, and for the government to build smaller, cheaper units so that new flat owners with smaller families can pay off their housing loans in 15 years.

Another candidate from the West Coast GRC team, Kumar Appavoo, added, "Cost of living is up, standard of living is down."

Turning his attention to the battle of words between Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong and Singapore Democratic Party's Tan Jee Say, he said, "Our Prime Minister, Mr Lee said that the General Election should not be fought on personal issues, but Senior Minister Goh criticised his former principal private secretary Tan Jee Say."

The largely-docile crowd cheered the loudest when RP secretary-general Kenneth Jeyaretnam took to the stage.

"I do not need the fame...I am entering politics to not make "democracy" a dirty word in Singapore," he said.

"As an economist, if I am in Parliament, I can debate the national issues. It was the Reform Party that first pointed out that the economic growth record of which the PAP are so proud is actually hollow," he added.

Some people Yahoo! Singapore spoke to said that they were glad that the party raised bread and butter issues at the rally.

"The issues the candidates brought up were legitimate, and I'm glad Singapore has credible opposition to challenge the PAP policies which has made life hard for us," said 43-year-old landscaper, Roger Chew.

"I knew Kenneth's father when I was a volunteer in Anson more than 20 years ago. It's true that he's not the best speaker, but he has the perseverance of JBJ and his intentions are well. He is definitely qualified to help Singapore manage her reserves," said 65-year-old retiree Paul Yeo.

However, undergraduate Low Wee Kiat, 24, was a little sceptical of the party's intentions.

"They criticised a lot of PAP policies, but it is easy to make promises at rallies. When the time comes, will they be able to carry out those promises?"

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Give the PAP a wake-up call: WPs Sylvia Lim

By Jeanette Tan | SingaporeScene 20 minutes ago

Workers' Party chairman Sylvia Lim has called on voters to give the ruling People's Action Party a "wake up call" in this General Elections.

Referring to the aftermath of the 1991 GE, when the PAP was "stunned" after losing four seats in Parliament, she said, "What happened after 1991... showed that the PAP takes election results very seriously. Poor election results... improve your life."

Speaking before an estimated 12,000 people at a rally in Moulmein-Kallang GRC rally on Monday night, she added, "If you vote for the opposition, the PAP will wake up and take concrete steps to address your concerns."

Besides the four seats lost in 1991, the PAP's overall share majority dropped to 61 per cent -- its worst electoral showing since independence.

The results led to the PAP to form a cost review committee to study concerns about the rising cost of living, Lim added.

Lim, who is part of WP's A team that is contesting the hotseat of Aljunied GRC, went on to say, "If you vote for the PAP and give them a high mandate, the PAP will take you for granted and ignore your concerns."

Spirits and emotions ran high as the crowd erupted into a flurry of waving flags, clappers and whistles at every …

At the same rally, WP secretary-general Low Thia Khiang also called for a change in the Constitution so that all male election candidates would have to serve National Service first before being eligible for election.

Without naming any names, Low said the PAP should not field a candidate "who just became a new citizen without serving National Service."

It's been reported that PAP new face Janil Puthucheary, 38, only became a citizen in 2008 and has not gone through NS.

Low said even his party's star candidate, Taiwan-born Chen Show Mao, had served NS before taking up citizenship in 1986.

He said, "This is only fair to us. We have all done national service, including myself, including Chen Show Mao!" to loud cheers and applause from the crowd.

Low also picked up on his argument that the PAP government was abusing its power by employing public organisations such as HDB residents' committees (RCs) and the People's Association to assist them in their election activities.

He shared an example of an Aljunied resident who told him that his RC chairperson had contacted him to inform him of the details of a PAP rally to be held that evening. He asked the crowd, "Why is the RC promoting the PAP rally?" to shouts of "Keylong!" from the audience.

Low also shared that he had posed a question about the opposition's inability to build branch offices in parliament, asking why he had to sit at an HDB void deck to conduct Meet the People Sessions for the past 20 years.

Mao, who also took to the stage to a standing ovation, questioned the discrepancy between the growth in Singapores' economy over the past year (14.5%) and the rise in median income (3%), asking why average income was only half of GDP per capita, and where the other half had gone.

Chen also struck out at the rising retirement age, citing Minister in the Prime Minister's office Lim Boon Heng's comment that it may rise to 68 soon.

Saying "man cannot live by GDP alone", the top corporate lawyer pointed out that while inflation for the year is nearing 5%, interest rates in CPF accounts remains at 2.5%, asking the crowd if it was a rate that provided good returns that were sufficient for retiring at age 62.

Touching on the issue of foreign talent in Singapore, he said, "It's tough for the rest of us," he said. "The goal post keeps getting moved back, and we have to keep dribbling past young foreign players trying to take the ball away."

Referring to Minister for Trade and Industry Lim Hng Kiang's earlier comment that keeping foreigners to one-third of the population is "a severe limitation", Mao asked the crowd: "Did he ask you if one-third is the right number? Why not one-quarter? One fifth?"

To the crowd's loud bellows of "NO!", he said: "Perhaps we should send someone to parliament to ask him."

Many in the audience felt WP's rally speeches resonated with them.

Ms Tay, a Bishan resident in her 40s, told Yahoo! Singapore, I agree that CPF is an issue, as is housing, and its very true -- where did the other 11.5% go? I just came to listen to them speak. Sylvia Lim is very good and relevant, and so is Chen Show Mao.

Married couple Michael, 34, scheduler and Lina Chan, 33, an oil and gas buyer, also travelled down from their home in Woodlands to listen to what WP had to say.

Their verdict?

Most of the proposals tabled are very feasible in the near future,' said Michael.

"The atmosphere was very good, very exciting. We wanted to come to listen to them talk, to hear another perspective, because were both used to thinking that the PAP is the one we should vote. I now think otherwise, said Lina.

Chimed in Catherine Yeo, 42, an East Coast GRC resident who arrived at the rally two hour early to stake out a front-row seat, "The topics that the WP candidates touch on are Singaporean voices. They are real and I support them.

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Opposition will form ‘ROJAK’ Government: Lim Swee Say

By Jeanette Tan | SingaporeScene – Mon, May 2, 2011 9:59 AM SGT

If the People's Action Party (PAP) loses its majority in parliament in the coming election, Singapore's government will become like a big bowl of rojak, says Manpower Minister Lim Swee Say.

Speaking at the PAP rally at Bedok stadium on Sunday, the leader of PAP's East Coast GRC team told the estimated 3,000-strong crowd that Singapore would become direction-less should the Opposition one day win the majority of seats in Parliament.

Referring to the Malay mixed salad dish, Minister Lim said, "This would be something like a plate of rojak, where parties simply put their pet projects onto the table, without a single direction for Singapore."

"It would be a rojak government coming up with rojak policies. The government would a big bowl of rojak," he said to laughs and cheers from the audience of spectators, some of whom had followed him from the NTUC May Day celebrations at the Indoor stadium earlier in the afternoon.

Lim, who is secretary-general of the National Trade Union Congress, also joked to the would only be willing to give up his leadership of NTUC, as well as his seat at East Coast GRC, to someone who is "younger, smarter, and better looking" than him.

"So far, looking at the opposition camp, I haven't found a better, younger Lim Swee Say yet," he added, tongue-in-cheek.

During the three-hour rally, Transport Minister Raymond Lim also took aim at Workers' Party chief Low Thia Khiang's concept of co-driving.

He said in Mandarin, "Singapore is no ordinary bus -- in fact, it is an airbus. And if a co-driver of this airbus were to slap the driver simply because he doesn't like the driver, and if it were flying, the plane would certainly fall from the sky."

He then asked the crowd if they wanted a government like that, to a resounding "No!" from ardent supporters.

Other speakers who were present at the rally that night included Senior Minister S. Jayakumar -- who highlighted the need for a "first world governance", instead of a "first world parliament" -- and speaker of Parliament Abdullah Tamugi, who told the crowd about the parliamentary system in Singapore.

"Our MPs (members of parliament) are as rigorous as in any other parliament," he said.

"In fact, I am more lenient to opposition MPs in terms of speaking time than I am to my own MPs," he added.

For some East Coast residents, though, the comparison between the PAP rally and the Workers' Party one held at the same location the night before, was telling.

Many residents Yahoo! Singapore spoke to said that the atmosphere at the Workers' Party rally was much more lively, and there were many more attendees.

However, many were still ardent supports of the PAP.

51-year-old salesperson Gina Lim, who travelled to Bedok stadium from her home in Jurong East, said she has attended every PAP rally that she can make it for.

"I don't need to attend any opposition rallies; what I read in the newspaper and watch on TV is sufficient to show me that they are like gangsters," she said.

70-year-old retiree S. Pillai was a Buona Vista resident who travelled to Bedok to support Lim Swee Say at the rally.

"He's (Lim) been very good to us, and he looked after us and the constituency very well--that's why I still come here to support him," he said.

Graduating student Wu Shi'en, 25, felt that the presence of heavyweights such as Prof Jayakumar and Abdullah Tarmugi also added credibility to the speeches, compared to WP speeches the night before.

"Tonight's rally was more down to earth, with less fluff and more substance. The WP yesterday tended to play on human emotions without tackling innate issues," he said.

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COMMENTS from Criticise 22 hours ago

'"It would be a rojak government coming up with rojak policies. The government would a big bowl of rojak," he said to laughs and cheers from the audience of spectators, some of whom had followed him from the NTUC May Day celebrations at the Indoor stadium earlier in the afternoon.'

Mr Lim, even with your PAP in power, the policies churned out are already rojak policies, and a foul-tasting bowl of rojak at that which gave us a tummy ache.

'He said in Mandarin, "Singapore is no ordinary bus -- in fact, it is an airbus. And if a co-driver of this airbus were to slap the driver simply because he doesn't like the driver, and if it were flying, the plane would certainly fall from the sky."

Mr Lim, I suppose you're either no airline pilot or simply you're being selective in using the airliner analo----. There are always two sets of controls aboard the airliner, with the pilot having one and co-pilot having the other. Remember MM Lee said we've no autopilot, so now, the onus is on the two pilots. We cannot be sure if the pilot is always up the mark. That's why the airlines going by safety regulations will put two pilots in the cockpit. Look here, Mr Lim, this airliner is Singapore and we people are the passengers. If the pilot PAP gets disoriented then do we all die with pilot in the crash? Surely, since there's no autopilot, the co-pilot oppies has to step in to helm the plane to save the airliner. We people of Singapore does not want to die with PAP just because you helm the plane anyhow and risks an airplane crash. A co-pilot is a better safeguard against such an emergency more so than the air travel insurances we buy. Mr Lim, your analo---- of airliner is distorted and reflects your very scant basic knowledge of how an airliner works. Please try harder before you become another pile of jokes.

'51-year-old salesperson Gina Lim, who travelled to Bedok stadium from her home in Jurong East, said she has attended every PAP rally that she can make it for.

"I don't need to attend any opposition rallies; what I read in the newspaper and watch on TV is sufficient to show me that they are like gangsters," she said.'

Well, then, if everyone thinks in such a shallow manner, perhaps we need to remind everyone here that PAP is probably worse than gangsters. They're just a bunch of mafias in disguise who suck our monies and if we don't continue to maintain their upkeep, they threaten us and our well-being. Sounds familiar?

Please vote wisely, vote for more alternative voices.

Opposition will form ‘ROJAK’ Government: Lim Swee Say

By Jeanette Tan | SingaporeScene – Mon, May 2, 2011 9:59 AM SGT

If the People's Action Party (PAP) loses its majority in parliament in the coming election, Singapore's government will become like a big bowl of rojak, says Manpower Minister Lim Swee Say.

Speaking at the PAP rally at Bedok stadium on Sunday, the leader of PAP's East Coast GRC team told the estimated 3,000-strong crowd that Singapore would become direction-less should the Opposition one day win the majority of seats in Parliament.

Referring to the Malay mixed salad dish, Minister Lim said, "This would be something like a plate of rojak, where parties simply put their pet projects onto the table, without a single direction for Singapore."

"It would be a rojak government coming up with rojak policies. The government would a big bowl of rojak," he said to laughs and cheers from the audience of spectators, some of whom had followed him from the NTUC May Day celebrations at the Indoor stadium earlier in the afternoon.

Lim, who is secretary-general of the National Trade Union Congress, also joked to the would only be willing to give up his leadership of NTUC, as well as his seat at East Coast GRC, to someone who is "younger, smarter, and better looking" than him.

"So far, looking at the opposition camp, I haven't found a better, younger Lim Swee Say yet," he added, tongue-in-cheek.

During the three-hour rally, Transport Minister Raymond Lim also took aim at Workers' Party chief Low Thia Khiang's concept of co-driving.

He said in Mandarin, "Singapore is no ordinary bus -- in fact, it is an airbus. And if a co-driver of this airbus were to slap the driver simply because he doesn't like the driver, and if it were flying, the plane would certainly fall from the sky."

He then asked the crowd if they wanted a government like that, to a resounding "No!" from ardent supporters.

Other speakers who were present at the rally that night included Senior Minister S. Jayakumar -- who highlighted the need for a "first world governance", instead of a "first world parliament" -- and speaker of Parliament Abdullah Tamugi, who told the crowd about the parliamentary system in Singapore.

"Our MPs (members of parliament) are as rigorous as in any other parliament," he said.

"In fact, I am more lenient to opposition MPs in terms of speaking time than I am to my own MPs," he added.

For some East Coast residents, though, the comparison between the PAP rally and the Workers' Party one held at the same location the night before, was telling.

Many residents Yahoo! Singapore spoke to said that the atmosphere at the Workers' Party rally was much more lively, and there were many more attendees.

However, many were still ardent supports of the PAP.

51-year-old salesperson Gina Lim, who travelled to Bedok stadium from her home in Jurong East, said she has attended every PAP rally that she can make it for.

"I don't need to attend any opposition rallies; what I read in the newspaper and watch on TV is sufficient to show me that they are like gangsters," she said.

70-year-old retiree S. Pillai was a Buona Vista resident who travelled to Bedok to support Lim Swee Say at the rally.

"He's (Lim) been very good to us, and he looked after us and the constituency very well--that's why I still come here to support him," he said.

Graduating student Wu Shi'en, 25, felt that the presence of heavyweights such as Prof Jayakumar and Abdullah Tarmugi also added credibility to the speeches, compared to WP speeches the night before.

"Tonight's rally was more down to earth, with less fluff and more substance. The WP yesterday tended to play on human emotions without tackling innate issues," he said.

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SPP outlines plans for S’pore, Bishan-Toa Payoh

By Alicia Wong | SingaporeScene – Tue, May 3, 2011 4:27 AM SGT

To help voters better understand the Singapore People's Party (SPP) and its plans, party candidates outlined their proposals for Singapore and Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC at their rally on Monday evening.

Party candidate Jimmy Lee, a former government scholar and senior civil servant, raised two proposals to tackle income disparity.

Speaking to a crowd of at least 7,000 at Bishan stadium, he called for public transport to be deregulated and for companies to justify why they need to hire foreign talent.

By allowing Singaporeans to operate transport services plying direct routes between housing estates and workplaces, profits can be shared among many people, said Lee, who runs a business management consulting firm.

Mainline public transport should also be run as a cooperative and surpluses earned should be used to subsidise the needy, he said.

"We want to democratise the economy, let small players, let individuals, let many people have a piece of this economy," he added.

Turning his attention to the issue of foreign talent, Lee said companies should show that they have tried all means to hire a Singaporean, before they employ a foreigner.

This means every foreign talent import will have to be case by case, he acknowledged. "But we believe this is what's needed to be done to protect Singaporeans."

Lee's teammate, Benjamin Pwee, another former government scholar and administrative officer, added that companies should also pay a 17.5 per cent flat tax on foreign employees and the money should be used to train Singaporean employees in the firm.

With its S$2 million funding from a donor, the party is also looking into starting a micro-financing revolving loan for small businesses.

Responding to voters' fears that the opposition could overturn the government, Pwee stressed that the party does not want to "sink the ship" but to strategically partner the ruling party.

He noted, even if the opposition wins three GRCs and two SMCs, the ruling People's Action Party will continue to "drive the car".

"If you even give the opposition parties 20, 25 per cent, 30, 33 per cent of the Parliament, we are grateful, we will serve you and this ship will still not sink," he stressed.

Lee and Pwee are part of the SPP's Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC team, together with SPP chief Chiam See Tong, Mohamad Hamim Aliyas and Wilfred Leung.

On Monday, Leung reassured voters that the estates will not fall apart if they voted for the opposition.

With the S$130 million sinking fund in Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC, all cyclical and maintenance work will be carried out should SPP be voted in, he said. Initiatives such as the lift upgrading programme have already been planned and will not be stopped, he added.

Leong, who served as Chiam's campaign manager in GE 2006, also promised that the team will hold two Meet the People sessions each week, if voted in.

"I assure you, everything will be fine," he said, adding that the party will also consult with residents to find out their needs before embarking on any five-year plan.

Chiam, who arrived at the rally to loud cheers at about 8.30pm with his wife Lina Chiam, was the last speaker of the night.

He highlighted the process of rejuvenation the SPP is undergoing and likened the fresh faces in his party to "new shoots and flowers" that grow during spring.

Calling for support for the party candidates, Chiam urged voters to "show courage" on Polling Day, which is on 7 May.

He said, "I have stood in seven elections and won them all, and have not got into trouble. And the people who voted for me, also did not get into trouble."

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SDP’s Vincent Wijeysingha: Vote without FEAR

By liyana | SingaporeScene – Tue, May 3, 2011 4:52 AM SGT

Singapore Democratic Party's (SDP) Vincent Wijeysingha has called for voters of Holland-Bukit Timah GRC to 'turn on the light in the dark rooms of their mind and vote without fear'.

Speaking at a rally on Monday, he gave the analogy of how someone would mistake a coil of rope for a snake in a dark room and run out of the room in fear.

He said that all it took was to turn on the light to show that there is no snake in the room.

Said the leader of SDP's Holland-Bukit Timah GRC 'A team', which comprises educator Michelle Lee and ex-civil servants Tan Jee Say and Dr Ang Yong Guan, "The PAP's threats are like the coil of rope in the dark room and that they are frightened Singaporeans will put the lights on and will see that their threats are harmless."

"The Minister Mentor told us that we are economic digits. If you continue to believe in the fear in your hearts then you will continue to be an economic digit," he said.

His comments addressed the concerns of Singaporeans who are afraid that if they vote for the opposition, their livelihood will be affected.

Over the weekend, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew said that Singaporeans "will pay a price, the hard way" if they voted for the Opposition.

Wijeysingha argued that the PAP has frightened Singaporeans into thinking that without them, the value of their lives will go down.

"Mr Wong Kan Seng cannot keep one man in a high-security prison, he cannot monitor two million votes," he told the crowd.

At the rally, ex-Internal Security Act (ISA) detainee Vincent Cheng, who is currently an SDP member but not running for elections, said that the ISA was PAP's tool to demolish the opposition and to put fear into Singaporeans' hearts.

Cheng, together with 21 others that included current SDP candidate Teo Suh Leng, were captured and put into political prison without trial in 1987.

The natural health practitioner said that as a social worker trying to organise disadvantaged communities to help themselves 24 years ago, the government accused him of being a central figure in the Marxist movement, something that he said he had no connection to at all.

Wijeysingha's Holland-Bukit Timah teammate Dr Ang Yong Guan said that fear is also present because there is a lack of facts clearly communicated to the voters.

To allay fears about civil servants not being able to vote for the opposition because they are afraid that their jobs might be affected, the former army colonel said,"The civil service is there to serve Singaporeans, and that the PAP is just a political party."

He told those at the rally that if anything, he would be the first get into trouble since he was an ex-civil servant and he joined the opposition. To him, he has got everything to lose and nothing to gain.

But for the voters, he said, "By voting for the opposition, you have everything to gain and nothing to lose."

In his speech, Tan Jee Say, the other former civil servant in the team, refuted comments made by Labour chief Lim Swee Say, who said that the opposition will form a 'rojak' government.

Tan said that many countries in the world like Thailand and the UK have 'rojak' governments, and the reason why they are becoming more popular is that society's interests have become too diverse to be represented by only one party.

According to Tan, there are many other issues such as environmental protection and women's rights that different parties are able to focus on.

"I love to eat rojak, it is a healthy salad from Singapore. Why is the PAP not proud of it and instead makes fun of rojak?" he said.

[kueytoc]

Comment from PAPAYA has become rotten 3 hours ago

In the first place, PAPAYA should not be able to punish non-PAPAYA wards, bankrupt Opposition members, imprison challengers. If these are not injustices and abuses, what are? Yet PAPAYA can keep perpetuating such abuses and even laugh about it and threaten loud and clear. Why?

How come PAPAYA can change constituency boundaries, change election laws, change CPF rules, change immigration policies, change housing, transport policies, and anything and everything. Why?

It is because election after election, we voters have handed PAPAYA unchecked, absolute POWERS. We were bullied into “fearing the consequences” ! We were bullied into becoming scared to become a non-PAPAYA ward !!

On May 7th, if voters continue to fear and do exactly what the bullies want us to do, then there is NO HOPE for all Singaporeans. If we continue to think only about our own constituency and upgrading, we will continue to hand PAPAYA Unchecked, Absolute POWERS. Next, they will flood all constituencies with PRs, and let them vote. PAPAYA’s grip on ABSOLUTE POWERS will become complete and IRREVERSIBLE ! ! !

On May 7, think of all Singaporeans as we vote. On May 7, it is NOW or NEVER !!!

On May 7, think about all the great risks and sacrifices made by Opposition members. They would have stood up for nothing if we continue to cringe on bended knees !!!

Comment from PAPAYA has become rotten 3 hours ago

PAPAYA keeps saying that if voters vote Opposition, Singapore will suffer. Actually it is precisely under PAPAYA’s rule that most Singaporeans’ standard of living has been going downhill. It is not because we are not hardworking or qualified enough (PAPAYA wants us to believe it is our own fault).

PAPAYA DELIBERATELY brings in floods of new citizens so that most citizens, old and new, become poorly-paid debt-ridden servants. PAPAYA DELIBERATELY makes housing and all costs high, so that vast majority of citizens, some faster some slower, slide downhill and remain as servants. To PAPAYA, it is best that all servants are REPLACEABLE.

Meanwhile, the high costs and GSTs support the SUPER-HIGHLY PAID, ALL-POWERFUL, SELF-SERVING PAPAYA and the ELITE class that they had always wanted. On one hand, they said “we must keep wages competitive”, on the other hand, they said “we must pay Ministers well” !

Do not be fooled. These are PAPAYA’s DELIBERATE POLICIES. They DELIBERATELY want to depress wages. They DELIBERATELY want to make costs high and continually higher. They DELIBERATELY want to make citizens REPLACEABLE.

To new citizens, Singaporeans’ fate today will be your fate 5-10 years from now. You are also REPLACEABLE by even newer citizens.

On May 7, think of all Singaporeans as we vote. On May 7, it is NOW or NEVER !!

[kueytoc]

MCYS has not been STINGY: Dr Vivian Balakrishnan

By Faris Mokhtar | SingaporeScene – Tue, May 3, 2011 1:06 AM SGT

Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) Dr Vivian Balakrishnan says that his ministry has not been "stingy" when it comes to public handouts, especially in helping needy families.

In his speech at the People's Action Party (PAP) rally for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC and Bukit Panjang SMC on Monday evening, Dr Balakrishnan shared details of his ministry's budget and how money was spent to assist families in Singapore.

Acknowledging that the budget for MCYS has increased "tremendously" since the last seven years — with this year's budget at an estimated S$1.9 billion — Dr Balakrishnan said that around S$700 to S$800 million was spent on providing subsidies such as the baby bonus policy, childcare and kindergarten subsidies.

He added that around SS$500 million is also put aside annually, for needy families in Singapore, including those who are lower-income earners, disadvantaged or require social assistance.

Dr Balakrishnan — who has been the MCYS minister for the past 7 years — also dismissed claims that his ministry tightens its belt when it comes to public assistance schemes, saying that the handout rate is now S$400, compared to S$260 in the past.

"So this is not a stingy government. People said your public assistance rate is only S$400. Well I remind you that when I first became the minister for MCYS, it was only S$260. I have increased it steadily to S$400 but even S$400 is only the cash allowance.

"If you actually ask a person who is on public assistance in Singapore and you compare this person with someone in America or UK or anywhere else in the world, I can stand here confidently and tell you the Singaporean is better off," he told the estimated 2000-strong crowd.

Dr Balakrishnan also highlighted that a family with two young children, for example, will be able receive S$1350 in cash. Apart from paying low rental fees for housing, such families will also receive free education for their children and healthcare services.

"And that's why I need to remind all of you, that we do care for our people and we do look after our people.

"We will make sure that no matter what happens to you — between the government, grassroots organisations, the community support — we will look after you, look after your parents, look after your children," he said.

At the rally, the minister also addressed concerns of the rising costs of living, housing prices and employment.

Touching on inflation, Dr Balakrishnan said that being a small country which imports commodities such as food and oil, Singapore is not able to determine and control global prices.

"So understand this is not something that the PAP has done to our people but something that happens as a result of worldwide developments," he said.

Dr Balakrishnan also echoed Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's comments that the most effective long-term solution to deal with rising costs is to raise salaries. But this, he said, should be done by ensuring that workers are able to obtain better jobs with higher productivity especially in a competitive globalised world.

"Let us understand that there are deep, fundamental global forces at play and it is not a political conspiracy to make life tough for Singaporeans."

He added that there are measures in place such as the Grow and Share package, GST rebates and ComCare to help Singaporeans tide over the rising costs.

"All these are big transfers of money from the government to the people who have less. Why do we do this? We do this because the people need it and we do this because we care. And that's the point you need to understand, this is a caring government," he said.

Minimum wage not the way

Turning his attention to employment, Dr Balakrishnan said that while he agrees with the opposition's intention to raise salaries, the minimum wage policy as they have advocated is not the solution.

"I agree with their (opposition) intention to raise people's wages, people should have higher wages. The question is how do you raise people's wages? The opposition way with minimum wage will cost higher unemployment."

By simply raising wages, Dr Balakrishnan argued that if the company is not as competitive, it will close down, leading to unemployment. He added that the minimum wage will also not help those who are self-employed.

Instead, the minister said that wages should rise in tandem with the skills and training of workers and pointed out PAP's Workfare solution which tops up wages of workers.

"So the point I'm trying to tell you is beware of people who sell you 'koyok' that, apparently makes the pain go away but doesn't actually cure you."

Before he ended his speech, Dr Balakrishnan cautioned voters not to be swayed by quick-fix solutions.

"Do not take what we have now for granted. We now have a strong, booming economy, we have a growing population, we have confident international investors in Singapore. But so easily, these can go wrong and when it goes wrong, you're at risk."

"We must be concerned about the future, about our children's future. And we must remember to teach them the right lessons and even as we fight this political battle, do not get taken in by populist measures that will do long-term harm to our children," he said.

A total of 13 speakers delivered their speeches at the rally, including MPs Christopher De Souza, Teo Ho Pin, Liang Eng Hwa and guest speaker, Minister of State for MCYS Mrs Yu Foo Yee Shoon, who will be retiring from politics.

[kueytoc]

Comment from ShortSingapore 7 hours ago

Ok, in the old days when LKY was prime minister, Singapore was like a old style hawker center. LKY was a good and cheap PM. Value for money. So when he was rude and shouts at SIngapore, and on occasions causes food poisoning to his hated customers (opposition), we take it because like hawkers that serve good food, we will queue up and take all manner of abuse from the hawker to get great food at dirt cheap prices...

So LKY and his team slowly upgraded the hawker into food court. Food more expensive but now got aircon. Hawkers still rude but we all still can handle the bad service for decent affordable and cleaner food.

Then his son took over and decided change the food court into huge high class resturant. No more food court choices. The food became very expensive and the utensils and cutlery were designer stuff. THe food was no longer what the usual customers liked but they had no choice. Before you can even order, the peanuts and towels were charged. Then you order the food say roast fillet mignon but the food that came was over cooked char siew. You asked to return the charsiew but was told by the waiter in a beautiful uniform who insisted that the char siew was fillet mignon. But when angmos and foreigners come in, they get the real fillet mignon even when they order only salad. Their bill is always salad pricing.

So you had to eat badly cook charsiew and was slapped a very expensive bill. You decided to complain and ask to see the manager. The manager is not around.

Then one day, you found that a small hawker stall opened up next to the resturant. The food seems reasonable but you are not sure...The big resturant tells you not to go eat there because you will get food poisoning...SHould you risk it? Then the big resturant tell you that they will let you have fillet mignon at discounted price again...Do you trust this big resturant after your experience?

If PAP wants us to endure their bad service and bad attitude, they must be like hawkers, cheap and good. If they want to operate like French resturant and charge us $$$$, then their service has to be perfect. No charsiew disguised as fillet mignon. Thank you.

[kueytoc]

Hougang has become a SLUM: PAP’s Eric Low

By Faris Mokhtar | SingaporeScene – Sun, May 1, 2011 3:36 AM

People's Action Party's (PAP) former candidate Eric Low fired the first salvo at the Workers' Party (WP) in the battle for the single-member constituency (SMC) of Hougang.

Low was one of the ten guest speakers at a rally on Saturday evening in support of the party's candidate Desmond Choo, 33, who will be contesting in the ward. Choo will be going up against WP's candidate, 34-year-old businessman Yaw Shin Leong.

Rebutting WP's chief Low Thia Khiang statements that the ward is not a slum, Low said that it is the contrary.

"My answer to Mr Low Thia Khiang is yes, it (Hougang) has become a slum. The word slum means downgrading," he said to slight cheers from the 1,000-strong crowd.

Low also made a comparison of the HDB flats of Block 1 and 2 to the ones in Block 20 and 21, saying that if residents could not see the difference, then "we are blind".

"Let me share with you that for the last 20 years, your home, residents of Hougang, has been downgraded because of the poor maintenance and upkeep.

"I have been here for the last 12 years and I know it, because you complain to me that certain rubbish stays for days before they are cleared outside your house. Is that not true?" he questioned.

Adding that he had also received complaints that the car parks in the constituency are poorly maintained, Low advised residents in the ward to "make a wise move" come Polling Day, saying that "the time has come for the change".

He also sent a warning message to voters of Aljunied GRC.

"Before you vote, please take a walk in Hougang SMC and you will see the difference between what you are having now — maintained by the PAP town council — and then you may want to vote wisely," he said.

In the last two elections, PAP's Low, 62, suffered defeat at the hands of WP's Low Thia Khiang, who this time has decided to contest Aljunied GRC.

In January this year, Eric Low revealed his decision not to stand in the coming general election, citing age as the main factor. He added that a younger candidate would be better able to serve residents and has more time oversee longer-term projects in the constituency.

In addition, two other guest speakers, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean and former Member of Parliament (MP) Yatiman Yusof also took aim at the WP.

At the starting point of his speech, DPM Teo took a swipe at WP Low's analogy of his party being a co-driver, saying that the idea "does not work".

"So you know that if you have two drivers quarreling with each other to drive the same bus or the same lorry, sooner rather than later, you're going to have a big problem... And a big road accident and a crash, (it) doesn't work," he said.

On the other hand, former Tampines GRC MP Yatiman Yusof — who stepped down after the last general election in 2006 — questioned whether WP's vision of a First World Parliament is applicable in Singapore's context.

"When you talk about First-Class World Parliament, I'm a bit puzzled. Is this concept something that is uniquely applicable, usable and beneficial to Singaporeans? We are not sure yet," he said

Yatiman reasoned that the idea is not applicable due to Singapore's unique position as a "global city" and its policy of multi-culturalism, adding that the country is susceptible to changing global trends.

"And for a very unique country, we need a very unique system which the PAP had evolved over the past 40 years. This is the system that has led Singapore to grow and grow, to prosper and prosper."

Echoing Eric Low's views that for twenty years Hougang had been "relegated, downgraded", Yatiman also called on voters to scrutinise the WP's goal.

"It is not easy to copy a first-class or first-world parliament system. When the Workers' Party talk about this, I'm not sure what they are talking about," he said.

"But what I'm very sure is that in their mind, they have Australia, United States, Europe, UK and many other developed countries that practiced parliamentary democracy. But I want to tell you there is no single brand, single-type of democracy, parliamentary democracy that can be practiced, that can be copied and applied successfully."

[kueytoc]

Comment from Pasir Panjang Sun 01 May 2011 05:52 SGT

Excerpt From hardwarezone forum.

Opposition wards HDB prices.. interesting..

I got this interesting facts from another source..

i am find it strange pap keep harping vote in WP will result in HDB price to fall. But if want look at the HDB records on the HDB website, one can see HDB flats in Hougang Ave 5 which is the heart of Hougang SMC, the prices of the 4room flats that transacted there are not much different from Hougang Ave 8 which was run by georgie aljunied grc. The prices for the last 12 months are as follow:

Hougang Ave 5 3rm flat : ranging from $245K to $330K (WP)

Hougang Ave 8 3rm flat : ranging from $220K to $326K (PAP)

Hougang Ave 5 4rm flat : ranging from $305K to $420K (WP)

Hougang Ave 8 4rm flat : ranging from $290K to $420K (PAP)

Hougang Ave 5 5rm flat : ranging from $340K to $527K (WP)

Hougang Ave 8 5rm flat : ranging from $390K to $496K (PAP)

looking at the above figure, i fail to comprehen how did PAP come up with the logic that WP run hougang HDB flat worth less than the same across the road in the PAP run estate.

The figure above are not bull****, all taken from HDB resale e-service. On the whole, WP's Hougang worth more than PAP's Hougang. In fact, i use Hougang Ave 8 as comparsion place hougang ave 5 at a disadvantage as Hougang Ave 5 were built in 1983 while Ave 8 were built in 1986, some even in 1992.

So can PAP explain why people are paying more to buy a older flat in a "slum" while pay less for the newer flat in a "world clas estate" run by the PAP?

[kueytoc]

Aljunied has Five Years to 'REPENT' if it chooses WP: MM

By Ion Danker | SingaporeScene – Sat, Apr 30, 2011 11:58 PM SGT

Speaking at PAP's Radin Mas branch on Saturday, Singapore's founding father said the PAP will not lose in this election, as the only hot-seat is Aljunied.

But he said, "If Aljunied decides to go that way, well Aljunied has five years to live and repent."

MM Lee added that he does not consider it a major setback if the People's Action Party (PAP) loses the the contest, that it would not be "the end of the world" as the PAP would fight to get the GRC back.

"We accept the verdict of the people, but they must also accept the consequences of their actions. You must expect the PAP to look after PAP constituencies first."

His latest comments come hot on the heels of another stern warning to voters on Friday, when he said Aljunied voters will "pay a price, the hard way" if they voted for the Opposition. His remarks then sparked a huge backlash online, with close to 3,000 comments on Yahoo! alone questioning MM Lee's motives.

Netizens have also not taken too kindly to the 87-year-old's latest warnings, calling them a thinly veiled threat to voters.

Yahoo! News reader Secret wrote, "Dear MM Lee, I am a resident of Aljunied... I do not need you to either lecture or intimidate me. You and your ilk may be the "CEO" of Singapore Inc now, but even the CEO has to answer to the stakeholders -- and we citizens are the stakeholders who have the right to either keep you employed or fire you."

Another reader Jubilant said, "Voters of Aljunied GRC will be intimidated by your threats. Instead you should be the one to repent for insulting the intelligence of Aljunied voters."

Users of micro-blogging service Twitter were also quick to criticise MM Lee.

@SamanthaDelina said, "Quite disgusted by MM Lee's comments on WP. No matter how great PAP is, I don't see a need for them to put others down."

Another user @duncanchew was also appalled and wondered, "How can those words come out from MM Lee's mouth?"

On Saturday, MM Lee also questioned WP's real intentions.

"It's not just to win one GRC. Let's have no hypocrisy about this, every political party sets out to win and win a majority and they are setting out from a single constituency to a GRC and then expand to more GRCs and then take over. It's up to you to decide whether they are capable of running Singapore," he said.

The high-powered 'A' team from the Workers's Party contesting the Aljunied hotspot consists of former Hougang MP Low Thia Khiang, former NCMP Sylvia Lim, the party's "star catch" Chen Show Mao as well as family counsellor Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap and post-graduate law student Pritam Singh.

They will be up against the incumbent PAP team fronted by Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Lim Hwee Hua, Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Zainul Abidin Rasheed, Madam Cynthia Phua and new face Ong Ye Kung, an assistant secretary-general of NTUC .

Separately on Saturday, Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong also commented on the impact should Mr Yeo and his Aljunied GRC team be voted out of Parliament.

Speaking at a rally in Marine Parade GRC, SM Goh said Mr Yeo has been handling delicate negotiations with Malaysia and Indonesia on border issues.

Describing that Singapore has a "beautiful arrangement" -- with an Indian as President, a Chinese as Prime Minister and a Malay, Zainul Abidin Rasheed, as potential Speaker of Parliament -- SM Goh said that "on the basis of merit we ended up with this, a politically balanced, beautiful picture'.

"You knock out George Yeo and Zainul Abidin. Well, you'll have to look for another Speaker on the basis of merit. Well, that person may not be Zainul Abidin once he's out, or another Malay MP.

"These are the fine points of politics which we in PAP understand, which we try to manage quietly. But the opposition says never mind, George Yeo can be a diplomat. Come off it, that's not the way you build up a first-rate government."

Aljunied Voters will regret choosing WP: MM LEE

By Jeffrey Oon | Yahoo! Newsroom – Sat, Apr 30, 2011 11:49 AM SGT

Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew has warned Singaporeans, especially those in Aljunied GRC, they will "pay a price, the hard way" if they vote for the Opposition.

Speaking to reporters during a visit to Tampines on Friday night, MM Lee said, "If Aljunied decides to go that way, well Aljunied has five years to live and repent."

The 87-year-old warned voters they would have to live with the choice they make come Polling Day on Saturday.

"It may well happen that they win, in which case the people of Aljunied live with the results," he was quoted as saying on The Straits Times.

"The only way people learn is when they have to pay a price. From time to time we may lose, and the voters pay the price, " he said.

He further cautioned, "If Singaporeans are that fickle, they will have to pay a price, the hard way."

He highlighted the example of opposition-held ward Hougang where, "If you have the wrong government, your property prices go right down. Ask why in Hougang the property is not as high as their neighbours."

The high-powered 'A' team from the Workers's Party contesting the Aljunied hotspot consists of former Hougang MP Low Thia Khiang, former NCMP Sylvia Lim, the party's "star catch" Chen Show Mao as well as family counsellor Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap and post-graduate law student Pritam Singh.

They will be up against the incumbent PAP team fronted by Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Lim Hwee Hua, Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Zainul Abidin Rasheed, Madam Cynthia Phua and new face Ong Ye Kung, an assistant secretary-general of NTUC .

MM Lee also urged Aljunied voters to look at the track record of the different candidates.

"Do you want a capable team that can look after your interests, or do you want a team with little track record?" he said.

"At the end of the day, if you are in Aljunied, ask yourself: Do you want one MP, one Non-Constituency MP, one celebrity who has been away 30 years, and two unknowns to look after you?"

Or, he asked if voters would prefer two ministers, one potential Parliament Secretary, one potential Speaker of Parliament and one grassroots MP?

Cautioning voters against "trying their luck" when the value of their property and livelihood was on the line, MM Lee said, "Just think. Five years, they're in charge of your property and your lives... If you like to try your luck, well good luck to you. But I guarantee you, you will not do better than the PAP candidates."

MM Lee, whose own Tanjong Pagar GRC went uncontested, went on to question the WP slogan of "Towards A First World Parliament."

"Do you want a first world government or you want a first world opposition?" he asked.

"And is this a first world opposition? Can they compare themselves to the senators in the US congress?... If you want a third world or even a second world opposition to come and create a bit of excitement, well that's your choice," he said.

"But I do not consider them a first world opposition. I do not want to degrade them but you just look at their track record."

[kueytoc]

No small matter if we lose Aljunied: PM Lee

By Jeffrey Oon | Yahoo! Newsroom – Tue, May 3, 2011 11:02 AM SGT

PM Lee Hsien Loong says losing the hotseat of Aljunied GRC will be "no small matter."

Appearing to contradict his father, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew -- who had earlier said that losing the GRC would not be "the end of the world" -- PM Lee said, "The Aljunied team is made up of very strong and capable people. So to lose such a team, with five fierce warriors, is no small matter."

Asked for his views on MM Lee's earlier comment, PM Lee -- who is the PAP's secretary-general -- was quoted on The Straits Times as saying, "Well, I'm running the election, MM Lee is expressing his view. But my view is this an important fight."

He was speaking during his Monday walkabout at Kaki Bukit market, his first visit to Aljunied GRC since campaigning began.

Aljunied is seen as the key battleground for this GE with a strong team from the Workers's Party led by former Hougang MP Low Thia Khiang going up against the PAP incumbent team led by Foreign Minister George Yeo.

At a separate conference later in the day, PM Lee also admitted that the PAP "doesn't always get things completely right, and that when things turn out unexpectedly or problems arise, I hope Singaporeans will understand this."

He asked for the people's patience and faith and said, "I think we can fix the problems and we keep going in the right direction, I have no doubt that in five years' time, we'll have a Singapore which is much better than today's."

As the GE fever heats up, PM Lee also promised to look into the "sandwiched middle-income class" in Singapore, acknowledging that the $$8,000-a-month income ceiling for young couples looking to buy new HDB flats may be too low.

He said the review would be done after a study of the latest effects of the recently introduced property cooling measures.

PM Lee also addressed the hot topic of ministerial salaries, an issue he said he would have to explain "again and again, during times when temperature is not so high."

He said, "The last time we made changes was in 2006 and we had three days of parliamentary debate -- full debate... there was a full airing of the issues and explanations... not just ministers, but judges, civil servants, Singapore Armed Forces officers... all the public sector."

"None of those arguments get rehearsed in rallies. When it comes to rallies, you just throw big numbers down and excite envy and disaffection. But I suppose that is the nature of the election campaign," he said, according to Today newspaper.

At a separate event, Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong said the debate of ministers' salaries was the opposition's "favourite flogging horse."

Speaking after a walkabout in his Marine Parade GRC, he said the "majority" of the population is not concerned about it.

"All they want (to know) is: Have we produced jobs for them, can we look after their medical care, can their medical care be affordable, can we cope with the cost of living, can we deliver good housing at affordable prices?" said SM Goh.

Although he acknowledged the issue has cost the PAP "some votes", he said, "You go and examine the pay of the chairmen, CEOs of the public-listed companies in Singapore... every CEO is earning twice the ministers' pay, even more. CapitaLand's (CEO) easily earns about S$10 million. Why should they come and join us in politics?"

Foreign Minister Yeo, who is anchoring the PAP team contesting Aljunied GRC, also gave his take on ministerial salaries on the sidelines of a separate event.

He told the same paper that while "it's an awkward question because I have a vested interest in this", he noted the country's key advantage was its public administration and that salaries had to be competitive.

"If they are not, then the people whom they are regulating, managing or trying to attract to Singapore would be smarter and more able than they are."

[kueytoc]

Comment from CAGE 2 hours ago

My vote will go to the party that can give me a good answer to the following questions.

Why must I pay to get into Sentosa?

I can understand it if I have to pay to get into the theme parks and private entertainment places to enjoy their private space.

But why do I have to pay to get into Sentosa to sit along the shores of Singapore, which is a public space, to watch the sunrise and sunset over our Singapore horizon? Why?

Why should a government be run Singapore like a private company? All over the world, in all of the world’s history, countries and even kingdoms and dynasties have been run on the premise of public and private sector dichotomy. If a government runs the public service as a private entity that is focused on profit making (it used to be just about cost-recovery but the line has now inched to cross over into profit making) – then who is going to take care of the interest of the public sectors like public healthcare, public transportation and education at affordable costs? The very basic needs of public consumption like education and healthcare must never be commercialized. But this is what PAP has been doing over the years.

If a government does not take care of public sector interests then we have no need for a government. Especially, we have no need to pay for an expensive government that does not take care of basic public sector interests. If PAP MPs want to run a country like a private enterprise then they should join the private sector, not join the government. The line between the private sector and public sector must be distinct. By all means make your millions in the private sector, but do not exploit the public sector cost structure and use it as arbitrage to make a profit out of it. To do so is irresponsible, deceitful and immoral.

The present government is good at listening with their ears. Why can’t they listen with their hearts?

The present government is good at talking with their mouths. Why can’t they talk with their hearts?

Desmond Choo, the PAP candidate for Hougang, spoke about the opposition parties doing the “wayang”. I advise him, and indeed all PAP candidates, to attend the opposition rallies and decide for themselves who are doing the wayang. They can then decide for themselves what are the hard truths, what are the half-truths, and what is hardly true. They can then get back to the basics of governing instead dabbling with the ugly showmanship of politics.

[kueytoc]

Bring the KAMPUNG SPIRIT back to KATONG: Chong-Aruldoss

By ewenboey | SingaporeScene Tue, May 3, 2011 6:03 PM SGT

Jeannette Chong-Aruldoss wants to revive the kampung spirit of Katong if she gets voted into Parliament.

The National Solidarity Party's Mountbatten single member constituency (SMC) candidate unveiled a proposed five-year plan for the area that emphasises greater community engagement and bonding.

"It is the 'kampung spirit' that we are trying to build. The most important aim is to foster a greater community spirit," she said.

Katong had a reputation as a town with this strong spirit and sense of community which, according to Chong-Aruldoss, was killed after the constituency was subsumed under the Marine Parade group representation constituency (GRC).

"Now, everybody only remembers Katong for the laksa," said Ravi Philemon, who is a campaign manager for Chong-Aruldoss.

One part of the plan is to set up an alternative grassroots organisation called "residents connect" that will strive to work hand in hand with existing organisations like the People's Association, which are "politicised to a certain extent", she said.

Chong-Aruldoss' five-year plan also proposes the introduction of 'town hall' meetings.

Citing it as a way for residents' needs to be met, these meetings will not be a replacement for Meet-the-People sessions, but rather a supplement to it that is in line with fostering a more tight-knit community.

She intends to hold these town hall gatherings on a regular basis of "about four times a year".

When asked how much funding she would need to carry out her plans, she replied, "Why do you think we need funds? What we really need is enthusiasm, energy and the willingness to serve."

Philemon said that some agencies and organisations, which he declined to identify, have offered to help in these initiatives if Chong-Aruldoss gets elected.

"We wouldn't have put forth these ideas if we didn't already have the support of these organisations," he said.

You can find out more about the FIVE YEAR PLAN.

[kueytoc]

Reviving the Katong Spirit – 5 YEARS Mountbatten Community Plan

The newly carved out Mountbatten single member constituency is not really new. Up till 1980, it was Katong constituency. In 1984, the boundaries were slightly re-drawn and it was called Mountbatten. Mountbatten existed till 1997, when it was subsumed by Marine Parade GRC.

Katong originally had earned a national reputation for its strong tradition of neighbourhood involvement and participatory democracy. Often described as a town with a strong ‘kampong spirit’, Katong prided itself on its openness and sense of community.

But 20-over years of being under Marine Parade GRC have almost killed the Katong Spirit. If elected as a Member of Parliament for Mountbatten SMC, Jeannette Chong-Aruldoss promises to rekindle and revive the ‘Katong Spirit’through this 5-year Mountbatten Community Plan.

Plan 1 – Set-up an alternate Grassroots Organisation called ‘Residents Connect’

Purpose:

•to focus on community building and engagement in Mountbatten

•to organise and develop community programmes to foster a sense of belonging to Mountbatten and to Singapore

•to facilitate networking and to build friendships in Mountbatten

Plan 2 – Facilitate and promote Open Dialogue sessions (Town Hall Meetings)

Purpose:

•to involve the residents of Mountbatten in the issues which them

Plan 3 – Partner established agencies to bring Career Development Clinics

Purpose:

•to encourage the residents of Mountbatten to find, grow and sell their talents

•to facilitate a diversity of career options for the residents of Mountbatten

Plan 4 – Partner established agencies to bring Healthcare Awareness and Health Education

Purpose:

•to inculcate the value of prevention among the residents of Mountbatten

•to promote early intervention among residents of Mountbatten

Plan 5 – Partner established agencies to bring Financial Awareness and Education

Purpose:

•to equip the residents of Mountbatten with good money management skills which will prevent them them from feeling stressed out over running out of money or living paycheque to paycheque

Plan 6 – Partner established agencies to bring Legal Awareness and Education

Purpose:

•to equip the residents of Mountbatten with practical knowledge about their basic legal rights and remedies provided under various laws, thereby making them fit to face challenges in real life situations

Plan 7 – Promote Zero Carbon Footprint Transportation

Purpose:

•to enhance access of the residents of Mountbatten to public amenities

Plan 8 – Promote the appreciation of Arts, Culture and Sports

Purpose:

•to leverage on the artistic. cultural and sports related traditions, infrastructures and facilities of Mountbatten

•to bring vibrancy to the community of Mountbatten

•to fulfill the aspirations of the young

•to foster a sense of connectedness among the people to the community and to the nation

Through these 8 core-plans, Jeannette promises to account for her Vision and Mission for Mountbatten, to the people of Mountbatten.

Revive The Katong Spirit! Vote NSP!

[kueytoc]

PM Lee: If we didn’t get it right, I’m SORRY

By Alicia Wong | SingaporeScene – 37 minutes ago

"If we didn't get it right, I'm sorry. But we will try better the next time."

It was an apology that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong saw fit to repeat twice on Tuesday during the People's Action Party (PAP) first lunchtime rally at Boat Quay next to UOB Plaza.

PM Lee acknowledged the government's initiatives have resulted in "side effects", such as problem gambling among Singaporeans due to the opening of the Integrated Resorts.

He also cited the congestion in public transport because of the increased intake in foreigners.

"These are real problems, we will tackle them. But I hope you will understand when these problems vex you or disturb you or upset your lives, please bear with us, we are trying our best on your behalf," said PM Lee to a crowd of about a thousand.

The secretary-general of the PAP continued, "And if we didn't quite get it right, I'm sorry but we will try better the next time."

Pushing on with a message he had for voters on Monday, PM Lee stressed, "No government is perfect… we will make mistakes." He cited the examples of the escape of terrorist Mas Selamat and the Orchard Road floods.

"But when it happens we should acknowledge it, we should apologise, take responsibility, put things right. If we are to discipline somebody, we will do that, and we must learn from the lessons and never make the same mistake again," said PM Lee.

Yet, he explained the difficulties in making decisions with incomplete information.

For instance, if the government knew there would be a sudden surge in demand for HDB flats in mid-2009 and that foreigners would have created such congestion on the roads, it would have ramped up plans for more flats and MRT lines.

"We're sorry we didn't get it exactly right, but I hope you will understand and bear with us because we are trying our best to fix the problems," he said.

The government will build 22,000 flats this year and open one new MRT line every year for the next seven years.

Overall, however, the government "has been right more often than wrong," said PM Lee, who is also the secretary-general of the PAP.

For instance, the intake of foreign workers contributed to the Republic's 14.5 per cent economic growth last year, and subsequently led to the budget surplus and Grow & Share package.

But still, the Prime Minister cautioned, "Good as we are, we and the PAP in particular, must never become self-satisfied". Wearing white, he noted, does not give you an "automatic right to become the government".

"Never forget that we are here to serve the voters, to serve Singaporeans and not to lord it over people," he said, reiterating his message on leadership at the Young PAP 25th Anniversary Rally recently.

The anchor for Ang Mo Kio GRC, who will be facing a challenge from a team from the Reform Party, PM Lee also noted the PAP government's ideals and passions have not changed over the last 50 years but "our policies have been updated, our approach has shifted, our style has changed".

He contrasted this with Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew's approach who "tells it like it is".

Over the weekend, MM Lee's comments that Aljunied GRC voters would regret voting in the Workers' Party and would have five years to "repent" if they did so have drawn much controversy.

But PM Lee said, "I think you've got used to our style. We don't try to do it MM's style. We do it our way, we spend some time to talk, to explain… to overcome some of these working problems so that we can go in the right strategic directions."

While MM understands the difference in Singaporeans today and those from previous generations, "whether it's ordinary time, election time, you can be sure he is still the same MM," said PM Lee.

Towards the end of his 30-minute speech, PM Lee turned to young voters under 35, who form up to a third of the 2.3 million eligible voters.

Urging them to think carefully before they vote, he said: "You belong to the country, but the country belongs to you."

"So please come forward, take your path in building this nation, but also please take good care of Singapore. It's a precious jewel, understand it, how it works, what its important components are, what's the spirit of it, how to make it better."

There were a total of eight speakers during the two-hour PAP rally, including Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam and six new candidates.

They spoke on topics such as education, community Members of Parliament, low-wage workers and the need for a steady hand to guide Singapore through difficult times.

New citizen Chen Yan, 37, said PM Lee's speech was "inspiring, encouraging". As a first time voter, she is "proud to be Singaporean," she said.

Director Sanjir Shah, 46, said, While the messages were nothing new, "the thing that struck me most was the humility. (PM Lee) comes across as sincere."

Entrepreneur Dexter Wong, 35, however felt PM Lee should have addressed the high ministerial salaries, since it is a matter within the government's control, unlike the floods, and student Cherrie, 23, said she still wants to see more diversity in Parliament.

[kueytoc]

NSP ? It stands for NO SUBSTANCE PARTY: SM Goh

By Jeffrey Oon | Yahoo! Newsroom – Wed, May 4, 2011

Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong has dismissed the challenge from National Solidarity Party for the Marine Parade GRC, calling them a "No Substance Party".

SM Goh, who is the anchor minister in the constituency, was asked during a walkabout in Macpherson on Tuesday if he thought the National Solidarity Party (or NSP) was also the "Nicole Seah Party", a reference to the election's youngest candidate who has captured the imagination of young voters and netizens.

The 69-year-old's reply, as reported on Channel NewsAsia, was, "My sense is that it is a 'No Substance Party'... they have just one attraction, the rest are just being carried along, so am I worried?"

"If the people in Marine Parade GRC vote for that team and I am out, I think Singapore will be in deep trouble, as simple as that," added the former PM of Singapore.

SM Goh is defending the PAP-held Marine Parade GRC together with his team of Seah Kian Peng, Fatimah Lateef, Tan Chuan-Jin and Tin Pei Ling. It is facing a contest from the NSP from Ivan Yeo, Cheo Chai Chen, Nicole Seah, Abdul Salim Harun and Ng Chung Hon.

Later on, when asked for a response to Mr Goh's statement, NSP candidate, Spencer Ng, said the elections is about a contest of policies.

Ng said: "I only can say that Mr Goh, if something is good, come on let us just admit it is good, just like our NSP's proposals -- the HDB proposals, our lowering of GST, these are very good proposals, so let us stick to our policies and let us discuss policies, it is a contest of policies and not acronyms."

In recent days, SM Goh's comments have grabbed headlines.

Over the weekend, he was involved in a war of words with Tan Jee Say from the Singapore Democratic Party. He claimed the former government scholar who was his former principal private secretary quit the civil service because could not "make it" as a Permanent Secretary.

And on a walkabout in Joo Chiat on Monday, SM Goh said Foreign Minister George Yeo was too important to the government to lose, should he be defeated in the battle for Aljunied GRC.

The Business Times reported SM Goh said, "You vote him out -- what mistake has he made? You can criticise a minister for not delivering on housing or transport. Or for Wong Kan Seng, people say: 'Vote him out because he let Mas Selamat escape.' For George Yeo, what has he done to deserve this?'"

[kueytoc]

Current Healthcare System Insufficient: SDP

By farism | SingaporeScene – Wed, May 4, 2011

The Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) has unveiled its shadow healthcare plan and criticised the current healthcare funding model as inadequate in helping Singaporeans cope with rising medical costs.

Speaking at the party's rally at Bukit Panjang on Tuesday evening, Sembawang Group Representation Constituency (GRC) candidate James Gomez presented the party's plan to the 2,000-strong crowd who braved the rain.

Gomez highlighted that the current funding model for healthcare which consists of Medisave, Medishield and Medifund is "problematic" and insufficient to tackle the rising medical costs.

According to Gomez, the rising costs is being driven up by the growing number of elderly people — with more than 9 per cent of the country's population above 65 years of age — as well as the increasing number of foreigners who seek medical care in Singapore.

"This pressure is having an impact both on the quality of patient care and it's also having an impact on our healthcare professionals," he said.

Gomez added that the current Medisave plan is ineffective to help support healthcare costs in the long run. He argued that almost 50 per cent of Medisave withdrawals in 2009 went to pay for dependents' medical expenses.

He stressed that this will result in a situation where those who are paying for their parents via Medisave may not have adequate funds to support their own healthcare requirements.

"What that is showing us is that those who are using up their money for their parents do not have enough for themselves.

"When this basic tier of funding is at risk, the other complementary elements of Medishield and Medifund cannot work well, even though they are also problematic in their own way," he said.

Touching on Medishield, Gomez pointed out that the scheme covers only a few treatment regiments while excluding a host of other illnesses and does not extend its coverage to include children born with congenital illnesses.

On the other hand, the party has proposed four key initiatives in its shadow healthcare plan which it will push in Parliament if elected.

They plan to increase the budget allocated to the Ministry of Health (MOH) from the current estimated S$4.08 billion to S$10 billion, to provide a "secure" healthcare system for Singaporeans.

It also proposes to build more hospitals to increase the number of beds and while waiting for the hospitals to be built, the party is suggesting an interim plan which explores the option of converting void deck spaces in HDB flats into allocated healthcare facilities to provide services for acute and chronic illnesses.

Apart from that, the party wants to see an increase in the number of healthcare professionals such as doctors and nurses, and a universal insurance coverage to cater to Singaporeans who work and study abroad. It added that this type of coverage can be jointly managed by the Government and appointed national insurers.

"Because the nature of our society has been evolving for many years, we want to introduce the idea of global and portable medical insurance because as a cosmopolitan society which travels a lot, to study and to work.

"So if we have a medical insurance that is medically portable, then we can look after you wherever you are," said Gomez, adding that such a model is practiced in countries such as Switzerland.

However, he went on to criticise the present system as ineffective, saying that the healthcare plan under the charge of Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan, has not "delivered".

In his explanation, he said the PAP government has pushed the bulk of financing to the people, resulting in Singaporeans having to travel across the causeway for affordable healthcare services.

"We at the SDP believe healthcare should not be a profit industry but we also believe there should be some kind of responsibility of co-payment between Government and patients but the patient component must be affordable and reasonable," he said.

Although he did not reveal the cost of the party's alternative health plan, Gomez told Yahoo! Singapore that the proposal will be financed by drawing down from the country's reserves and reducing the budget of other ministries, particularly the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF).

He said that prior to the announcement of the party's shadow plan, it had consulted with a panel of five doctors — from both the private and public sectors, but he declined to reveal their identities. The final consultation process took place two days ago, Gomez added.

At the rally, a total of nine speakers addressed the crowd, with education and ministerial salaries the focused of their speeches.

[kueytoc]

TEARS fall during Khaw Boon Wan’s WET Rally

By Liyana Low | SingaporeScene – Wed, May 4, 2011

Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan was overcome with emotion during a rain-soaked PAP rally held at Woodlands on Tuesday.

Speaking to an estimated 1,000-strong crowd, he struggled to hold back tears as he recalled how residents in his Sembawang GRC had asked him about his health after the heart bypass he underwent a year ago.

He said many residents on his walkabouts and Meet-the-People sessions had become like "personal friends" to him and for that he is "truly grateful" as he bowed in appreciation.

He added that, "So long as we stay united as one people, we can face rain, hurricane, tsunami... we will be all right.

During the rally which had to be delayed due to a heavy downput, the Minister also said that Singapore's healthcare system is not perfect, but it is not bad either.

He admitted there are gaps and deficiencies in the system after many opposition parties criticised the lack of hospital beds and medical personnel in their rally speeches.

To address this, the Minister said there are already plans to build two more hospitals in Jurong and Sengkang, three new community hospitals and two more polyclinics.

While he feels that the opposition has good intentions for the residents by suggesting policies like void deck polyclinics to provide subsidized patient care, Mr Khaw questioned the viability of the plan and asked, "Where are they going to get all the doctors and nurses?"

Instead, if elected, Mr Khaw wants to build on the current Primary Care Partnership Scheme (PCPS), under which if residents are means-tested and they need to see a doctor, they can go to one of the 700 approved General Practitioners near their house, instead of waiting in line at a polyclinic.

Patients will pay a subsidized rate at the GP clinic, a price that is similar to the rate at polyclinics. According to him, the Health Ministry is looking into expanding the PCPS, which currently focuses on the elderly, to meet the needs of the lower-income group in Singapore.

He also wants to look into subsidizing those born with congenital diseases because they cannot get insurance, and also who require nursing home care.

With opposition parties campaigning to do away with the 3M policy of Medifund, Medishield and Medisave and opt instead for a national health insurance plan, Mr Khaw contended that under such schemes, there is the "Buffet Lunch Syndrome" where people pay a fixed sum of money and because they want to get their money's worth, they opt for the most expensive treatment available.

He said that Singapore's own unique brand of insurance under the 3M policy are specifically designed to avoid many pitfalls, such as the one mentioned above.

But the government will continue to make adjustments to these insurance policies to ensure that Singaporeans can have good quality healthcare without worrying about financial burdens.

While the main hospitals have been providing relatively good services for Singaporeans, Mr Khaw feels that more can be done for care outside the hospitals.

He explained this was why S$1 billion was set aside during the Budget for the Community Silver Trust Fund, where the government works together with voluntary welfare organisations to help seniors age with dignity.

Mr Khaw is currently leading the Sembawang GRC team comprising seasoned campaigners Ellen Lim and Hawazi Daipi and first-timers Vikram Nair and Ong Teng Koon, against the Singapore Democratic Party led by James Gomez.

Voters in the 2006 General Election gave Mr Khaw a 76% mandate, which is the highest winning margin in all of the contested seats.

[kueytoc]

COMMENT from Justin 1 hour ago

Khaw Boon Wan,

JUST 4 SIMPLE QUESTIONS FOR YOU :-

1. Did you RECOMMEND to Singaporeans to send OUR PARENTS to old folks home across the causeway in Johor ?

Why did you do this ? PAP want Malaysia to solve our Aging Population problem ?

2. Why did you fight to ensure that SINGAPORE do NOT have to issue EMPLOYMENT PASS for general practitioner DOCTERS (not referring to specialist) ?

3. Why CAN'T Singapore BE SELF SUFFICIENT with SINGAPOREANS GP DOCTORS ?

4. How many FOREIGN STUDENTS in medical facultly of NUS ?.......Are our CHILDREN deprived ?

Dont spend time crying.......ADDRESS the MANY NATIONAL ISSUES & MOST CHRONIC is AGING POPULATION directly RESPONSIBLE by MINISTRY OF HEALTH beside 2 other Ministries !!!!

TEARS fall during Khaw Boon Wans WET Rally

By Liyana Low | SingaporeScene Wed, May 4, 2011

Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan was overcome with emotion during a rain-soaked PAP rally held at Woodlands on Tuesday.

Speaking to an estimated 1,000-strong crowd, he struggled to hold back tears as he recalled how residents in his Sembawang GRC had asked him about his health after the heart bypass he underwent a year ago.

He said many residents on his walkabouts and Meet-the-People sessions had become like "personal friends" to him and for that he is "truly grateful" as he bowed in appreciation.

He added that, "So long as we stay united as one people, we can face rain, hurricane, tsunami... we will be all right.

During the rally which had to be delayed due to a heavy downput, the Minister also said that Singapore's healthcare system is not perfect, but it is not bad either.

He admitted there are gaps and deficiencies in the system after many opposition parties criticised the lack of hospital beds and medical personnel in their rally speeches.

To address this, the Minister said there are already plans to build two more hospitals in Jurong and Sengkang, three new community hospitals and two more polyclinics.

While he feels that the opposition has good intentions for the residents by suggesting policies like void deck polyclinics to provide subsidized patient care, Mr Khaw questioned the viability of the plan and asked, "Where are they going to get all the doctors and nurses?"

Instead, if elected, Mr Khaw wants to build on the current Primary Care Partnership Scheme (PCPS), under which if residents are means-tested and they need to see a doctor, they can go to one of the 700 approved General Practitioners near their house, instead of waiting in line at a polyclinic.

Patients will pay a subsidized rate at the GP clinic, a price that is similar to the rate at polyclinics. According to him, the Health Ministry is looking into expanding the PCPS, which currently focuses on the elderly, to meet the needs of the lower-income group in Singapore.

He also wants to look into subsidizing those born with congenital diseases because they cannot get insurance, and also who require nursing home care.

With opposition parties campaigning to do away with the 3M policy of Medifund, Medishield and Medisave and opt instead for a national health insurance plan, Mr Khaw contended that under such schemes, there is the "Buffet Lunch Syndrome" where people pay a fixed sum of money and because they want to get their money's worth, they opt for the most expensive treatment available.

He said that Singapore's own unique brand of insurance under the 3M policy are specifically designed to avoid many pitfalls, such as the one mentioned above.

But the government will continue to make adjustments to these insurance policies to ensure that Singaporeans can have good quality healthcare without worrying about financial burdens.

While the main hospitals have been providing relatively good services for Singaporeans, Mr Khaw feels that more can be done for care outside the hospitals.

He explained this was why S$1 billion was set aside during the Budget for the Community Silver Trust Fund, where the government works together with voluntary welfare organisations to help seniors age with dignity.

Mr Khaw is currently leading the Sembawang GRC team comprising seasoned campaigners Ellen Lim and Hawazi Daipi and first-timers Vikram Nair and Ong Teng Koon, against the Singapore Democratic Party led by James Gomez.

Voters in the 2006 General Election gave Mr Khaw a 76% mandate, which is the highest winning margin in all of the contested seats.

[kueytoc]

COMMENT from Johnny 1 hour ago

"Where are they going to get all the doctors and nurses?"

Another foreign talent minister who never served NS crying a crocodile tear, while misleading the silliporeans that a heart bypass cost only $8! My father now wants to go class A ward because he thinks this Khaw is telling the truth.

You want to know where are the doctors? Well for years you created the problem yourself! The garment's policy was always to limit the number of medical students to protect the existing doctor trade. Until the problem became so blatantly screwed up, NUS admitted not more than 200 medical students each year for 4000 engineering students. The system was so bad that straight A students were rejected for medicine (many left and went to study overseas and stayed overseas, in US, UK, Aust) and told to study "humanities" or "engineering" or "accounting" if they wanted a scholarship. No doubt it satisfied the medical profession because it guaranteed higher salaries for them, and no doubt the LKY of your garment who were all educated in Oxbridge with useless degrees in philosophy (err hem, George Yeo err hem) or law thought philosophers and lawyers can argue a wrong policy until it sounded correct.

As a result, all doctors expect a good life, 3 vacations a year in Europe and benchmark themselves against the admin service pay, and they set up too many GPs neighbourhoods charging $30 for 3 min consultations.

TEARS fall during Khaw Boon Wan’s WET Rally

By Liyana Low | SingaporeScene – Wed, May 4, 2011

Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan was overcome with emotion during a rain-soaked PAP rally held at Woodlands on Tuesday.

Speaking to an estimated 1,000-strong crowd, he struggled to hold back tears as he recalled how residents in his Sembawang GRC had asked him about his health after the heart bypass he underwent a year ago.

He said many residents on his walkabouts and Meet-the-People sessions had become like "personal friends" to him and for that he is "truly grateful" as he bowed in appreciation.

He added that, "So long as we stay united as one people, we can face rain, hurricane, tsunami... we will be all right.

During the rally which had to be delayed due to a heavy downput, the Minister also said that Singapore's healthcare system is not perfect, but it is not bad either.

He admitted there are gaps and deficiencies in the system after many opposition parties criticised the lack of hospital beds and medical personnel in their rally speeches.

To address this, the Minister said there are already plans to build two more hospitals in Jurong and Sengkang, three new community hospitals and two more polyclinics.

While he feels that the opposition has good intentions for the residents by suggesting policies like void deck polyclinics to provide subsidized patient care, Mr Khaw questioned the viability of the plan and asked, "Where are they going to get all the doctors and nurses?"

Instead, if elected, Mr Khaw wants to build on the current Primary Care Partnership Scheme (PCPS), under which if residents are means-tested and they need to see a doctor, they can go to one of the 700 approved General Practitioners near their house, instead of waiting in line at a polyclinic.

Patients will pay a subsidized rate at the GP clinic, a price that is similar to the rate at polyclinics. According to him, the Health Ministry is looking into expanding the PCPS, which currently focuses on the elderly, to meet the needs of the lower-income group in Singapore.

He also wants to look into subsidizing those born with congenital diseases because they cannot get insurance, and also who require nursing home care.

With opposition parties campaigning to do away with the 3M policy of Medifund, Medishield and Medisave and opt instead for a national health insurance plan, Mr Khaw contended that under such schemes, there is the "Buffet Lunch Syndrome" where people pay a fixed sum of money and because they want to get their money's worth, they opt for the most expensive treatment available.

He said that Singapore's own unique brand of insurance under the 3M policy are specifically designed to avoid many pitfalls, such as the one mentioned above.

But the government will continue to make adjustments to these insurance policies to ensure that Singaporeans can have good quality healthcare without worrying about financial burdens.

While the main hospitals have been providing relatively good services for Singaporeans, Mr Khaw feels that more can be done for care outside the hospitals.

He explained this was why S$1 billion was set aside during the Budget for the Community Silver Trust Fund, where the government works together with voluntary welfare organisations to help seniors age with dignity.

Mr Khaw is currently leading the Sembawang GRC team comprising seasoned campaigners Ellen Lim and Hawazi Daipi and first-timers Vikram Nair and Ong Teng Koon, against the Singapore Democratic Party led by James Gomez.

Voters in the 2006 General Election gave Mr Khaw a 76% mandate, which is the highest winning margin in all of the contested seats.