Is the Government doing enough for the poor ?

The sad truth of Spore society is, we have given too much power to the government
thru our votes. Yes! the early years of PAP rule were for the people. Fought for independence, created jobs. And the old guards helped LKY to consolidate his power.

As the years go by, the founder old guards by death or retired left the political scene. LKY becomes the sole dictator of the system which he thinks is built by him alone. He survived the odds with many underhand tactics and thus the
present sad state of affair facing the citizens. Creditable oppositions are sued to bankruptcy and democracy is all but dead.

The elites and LKY’s yes men and cronies benefitted much at the expense of ordinary hardworking honest citizens.

With the national coffer accumulated at billions and losing billions without
abating an eye-lid. No transparency and accountability.

Only a one party system can profess to wedge such supreme power to silence all critics and show no accountability of the tax-payers money. At the same time enriching themselves with increase in exorbitant salary which was easily passed by parliament. WHY? Because there is no voice nor opposition to counter them. Low Thia Khiang is a meek lamb. Chiam See Tong is geting old and hopefully has a successor to take over in Potong Pasir. Chiam did a good job for the residents of Potong Pasir.

Parliament was against the increase in Public Assistance in 2006 and only 3000 citizens were on the dole. 3000 x 340= 1,020,000 dollars only. per mth. A big hooha debated in parliament with Vivian Balakrisnan's infamous statement in answer to MP Lily Neo. " They want to eat in hawker centre, foodcourt or restaurant." A minister totally out of touch with the common folks. An air of total lack of compassion.

With the enormous tax on GST, ERP, COE, etc, billions are collected every month.
We do not see why the PAP gahmen will not assist the destitute old folks of S’pore but will increase their salary by leaps and bounds to stash into their fat bank account.

Medisave are not allowed for specialist treatment as outpatient in the S'pore National Eye Centre for consultation and expensive eye-drops. And most of the patients are poor old citizens with no income. A eye-specialist consultation for 5 minutes cost $27/-, eye-drops cost $43/- per bottle.

The average poor do not have 200 dollars in their savings and many have no money for daily survival to have any bank account to their name. Most are retirees with no income.

The government must show greater compassion to these poor penniless old senior citizens with no children to care for them. Many may have children but the fallback on PAP’s policy of stopping at two backfired, to have more children pooling resources to help the old age parents. Most young couples are struggling to service their mortgage loan on the unrealistic high price of HDB flats they bought.

Young couples wanting a family faced the hardship of how to balance earning a living and procreating . It is never easy in our present context of S'pore with such high cost of living. So sad but true, old parents are left on their own and live a lonely life of misery.

How can the PAP after 50 years of nation building and enriching themselves legally with the poor taxpayers money, have no heart to look after the poor haggard old folks who had contributed in no small measure to nation building.

The PAP government only see into their own interest of ‘national wealth’ for their own comfort of life.

Alas! the heart shattering truth of totalitarian, despotic and absolute rule of a one party system under the one and only dictator LKY. The others are all the yes men of LKY. Even his son Lee Hsien Loong is a puppet Prime Minister to the old patriarch.

Nothing is permanent. We citizens can make the different. Do it right for the poor old citizens of our sad nation.

We must vote for a Singapore with compassionate leaders to help the poor, old and destitute not the present government who only knows how to enrich themselves with obscene high pay.

Vote for more oppositions TO REPLACE PAP. Vote for true justice and democracy !!

Patrick Lee

(First published as a comment in the Online citizen)