Shadow Budget 2011 at a glance

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Friday, 18 February 2011

Singapore Democrats

Shadow Budget 2011: Empowering the Nation is a ground-breaking document. It is the first time in Singapore's political history that an opposition party is presenting an alternative to the government's financial policy for the year ahead.

Past Budgets have mis-prioritised the needs of the nation and allocated expenditure that, through the years, built an economic structure that severely disabled the entrepreneurial class while keeping Singaporean workers' income levels unacceptably low.

The mismanagement of the economy by the PAP has resulted in HDB prices skyrocketing to beyond what the people can afford. Our elderly have to clean toilets just to earn enough money to survive. Singaporeans have to travel to Malaysia for find affordable healthcare and buy cheaper medicines. Youth gang violence has exploded and so has vice. And after more than half-a-century of hardwork and sacrifice we are now told that without foreigners we cannot make our economy work.

Just how has the PAP's past Budgets helped the people and society?

The Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) presents Shadow Budget 2011 to address the many budgetary failures of the PAP Government. Unlike the PAP's there are no 'goodies' in our budget because goodies are given only to sweeten the poison.

We make specific proposals in the Shadow Budget with this singular objective: To provide ordinary Singaporeans the wherewithal and genuine assistance to live in security and dignity, and to develop themselves to compete with other peoples of the world.

Among our proposals are:

Lower the cost of living including abolishing the GST for basic foodstuffs and medicines, reducing utility rates and lowering public transport fares.
Introduce the Singaporeans First Policy where businesses are required to demonstrate that the skills they seek are not available in the domestic workforce before they are eligible to employ non-Singaporeans.
Reduce teacher : student ratio in our classrooms to 1 : 20 and introduce school psychologists and counsellors for all schools.
Abolish tuition grants for foreign students and reduce fees by 50% for our local students at the tertiary level.
Increase government spending for healthcare and the number of hospital beds by 25%.
Increase Public Assistance for the poorest of our poor.
Dismantle Temasek Holdings and divest its companies; transfer management of GIC to an independent body
Pay full-time National Servicemen the recommended minimum wage of $1,200 a month as the basic allowance.
Trim the bloated cabinet by removing the posts of MM, SMs, DPMs and Ministers without portfolios.
Reduce the PM's salary to $60,000 per month from the present $300,000 per month. Other ministers' salaries will be cut proportionately.

The PAP's scheme is to force Singaporeans into a condition of dependence upon it as a dispenser of ‘privileges’ so that it can continue to wield political and economic control. The government's Budget this year will be no different from previous Budgets in that it will continue to constrain and coerce the people. Shadow Budget 2011, on the other hand, empowers our nation.

The entire Shadow Budget 2011: Empowering the Nation can be downloaded here.

Read also: Budget to benefit Singaporeans? Look again

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Comments (9)

Fri 18 Feb 2011 3:36 PM | Cheers

My top priority wish list that it will come to past.

This is the budget, where every sector of our population benefit

Dismantle Temasek Holdings and divest its companies; transfer management of GIC to an independent body

•Pay full-time National Servicemen the recommended minimum wage of $1,200 a month as the basic allowance.

•Trim the bloated cabinet by removing the posts of MM, SMs, DPMs and Ministers without portfolios.
•Reduce the PM's salary to $60,000 per month from the present $300,000 per month. Other ministers' salaries will be cut proportionately.

Fri 18 Feb 2011 5:43 PM | freedomT

I have compared PAP budget to SDP shadow budget, SDP budget is one millions time better for us than the PAP. PAP as usual tries to protect the rich, elite and foreigners. Not us at all. There is nothing for us at all. Do you seiously think they want to help the needy. Bunch of lies and it won't work at all. Its actually taking a loan from the the PAP to own a home. Another loan. Nothing new. Nothing totaly nothing to reduce the high cost of living at all. Only new plot and new names to sweeten the problems and to bluff us again. After this all the PAP people will say how good is their budget is. The whole paper would be full of it. Foreigners would still get free education and instant work benefits. We will still get kosong. I am voting for opposition that cares for the people.

Fri 18 Feb 2011 11:13 PM | Buwakasha

"Introduce the Singaporeans First Policy where businesses are required to demonstrate that the skills they seek are not available in the domestic workforce before they are eligible to employ non-Singaporeans."

I like the Singaporean First Idea, but there's no mention how "businesses are required to demonstrate that the skills they seek are not available in the domestic workforce" can be achieved. I think doing that is just a waste of the business and the government's time and just an added burden to doing business in Singapore.

Sat 19 Feb 2011 2:34 PM | crashburnt - Good Effort

I am delighted to read the full shadow budget. It is an alternative and appeals to people who wants greater equality and focus on social priorities rather than economic ones. Having said that, there are several loose ends that SDP should tie up and address the negative implications their new policies may have on other sector of our society. For example, what help is the SDP government going to give to SMEs who will face cost increases from the introduction of a Minimum Wage? By increasing the personal income tax and GST on high net worth individuals, how is the SDP government going to continue to attract these people who brings in investments that lead to job creation? SDP should also reconcile its stance against the import of FTs and its expansionary plans for more teachers, school psychologists and counselors as well as the specialist jobs that will be generated by “third sector” industries. The two are not parallel issues but lies on a continuum. I do not think we have the citizen manpower to fuel continual economic growth or even to maintain current GDP level. I believe SDP is not outright against FTs but to always give Singapore citizen the priority when it comes to employment opportunities. I think this is a good policy but SDP should flesh out the details on how this system will be administered effectively and efficiently.

Sat 19 Feb 2011 11:19 PM | Buwakasha

crashburnt,

The SDP is modeled very much by progressive ideas, very much like the Democratic party of the United States, ie their goal of government is to attain equality for all under a socialist system. Keeping that in mind, lets go through some of your points.

"SMEs who will face cost increases"

The goal of the SDP is not to worry so much about SMEs. Consider it a privilege that SMEs can even do business in Singapore. If they want to do business, they have to conform to the rules that they cannot exploit anyone. If they are not happy about this, they can don't do business. Remember, the goal of the SDP is not to grow the economy, but to attain equality.

"import of FTs"

The SDP stance again is Singaporean first. That means, no additional foreigners. Again, the SDP does not care about "third sector" industries.

"fuel continual economic growth"

Not a goal of the SDP. The economy can shrink as long as people become more equal. The SDP considers that if people have to be exploited for the economy to grow, they would rather not have the economy grow.

Sun 20 Feb 2011 10:52 PM | crashburnt

Buwakasha,

I would like to know whether you are voicing your own views or are you speaking on behalf of SDP. Anyway, I have further comments on the three points you have responded:

"SMEs who will face cost increases"

You point on prevention of exploitation is a fair one. But I do not think equality between employers and employees will be attain by any means. Instead of making equality the singular goal, should we not also consider fairness and rights protection? We must be fair to employers as well. They take risks to do business, creating jobs in the process, and they deserve a reasonable profit to spur them to excel. If we squeezed out a significant portion of SMEs in the process of attaining equality, we will be facing high unemployment and further hardship for both the employed and the out-of-business employers.

"import of FTs"

If SDP does not care about the third sector industries, why did SDP put it in the Shadow Budget? Did you actually read the Shadow Budget? How is SDP going to find so many Singapore citizens to be the teachers, school psychologists and counselors needed to fulfill the education reforms laid out in the Shadow Budget?

"fuel continual economic growth"

I do not understand what it is meaning of "exploitation" in this context. We do not practice slavery, do we? Everyone has a choice and everyone's destiny is different and is not controlled by a central power. People who work hard and take up opportunities get to do well and live a better live. The government cannot be held responsible for the destiny of everyone's life. I cannot understand how economic growth is not a goal of any serious alternative government candidate. Don't we want to live a better life and for our children to live an even better life? How can we remain stagnant and not want to strive to increase our economic returns? Sorry that I don't buy the "equality" idea at all. I believe in working hard to make an honest living and I expect to be living better off than others who do not work hard and expect the state to provide them with equality. I'll leave this country with my family if this day of "equality" becomes reality, I hope not.

Mon 25 Apr 2011 11:24 AM | tom - DISMANTLE THE DRAGON

Agreeds with SDP ! We need to dismantle the LEES Dynasty !
History repest itself ! Dynasty never lasts forever !

Parts of North Africa and Middle East is shaking up. Marcos and Soharto is out !! Get rid of Nepotism.

We dont need PM Lee son to take over Sinagpore!! Lees does not own Sinagpore , Singaporeans own it !!

Tue 21 Feb 2012 10:03 PM | charisma288

Singapore adopts the Social Capitalist Model, which is a very corrupt model that make ppl poorer everyday. I would like to learn more on the new model from SDP. Interesting and very refreshing!

Thu 23 Feb 2012 9:31 PM | wmulew

A quick glance at this and anyone with a simple calculator can tell you the damn budget won't work. The entire government budget is base off of income collected from taxation. Your proposal to have NSman pay go up to 1.2K alone will bring defense budget up to unacceptable levels. Even if you take the profits generated from TH and GIC, it's unlikely to fund what you plan to do