Dear SDP,
The ordinary, the common, the quiet, the ignored, the uneducated, the simple and the obedient Singaporeans cannot control their destiny of their every day life in Singapore. They do not have the expertise, the knowledge and the experience to control the destiny of their life in Singapore. They do not have the intelligence to understand and realize the results, the implications, the consequences and the conclusion of the foundation and the fundamental purpose, the principles and the public policies of establishing the cost of living in Singapore.
It is difficult to accept the rationale of the continue rise in cost of transport being stated as adjustment. When crude oil price drop from US$120.00 to US$60.00. Why is there no downward adjustment to align with the drop in crude oil prices? Will there be downwards revision on the cost of water and electricity as well?
The ordinary, the common, the quiet, the ignored, the uneducated, the simple and the obedient Singaporeans have no choice but to use the water, electricity, the transport of their every day life, twenty four hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year. They have to use it from the day they were born till the day their body being kept in the coffin have to be transported to Mandai for cremation. Every day they have no choice but to pay and pay for the use of the essential items. Without them, they cannot survive and support the economy of Singapore.
Water, gas and transport are essential items for every Singaporean. Should Singaporeans pay for the 7% GST being included in the cost of water, gas and transport?
Every Singaporean must earn a living in Singapore to support their family, to pay tax, to pay for the cost of living and most important to pay for their flat or condominium. Every Singaporean must pay. They have no choice. Nothing is free in Singapore. Singaporeans have to pay through their CPF and cash for the interest and the principal of the loan they have taken up with banks. They have to pay and pay to keep up with the rise in prices of their flat and condominium. The sky is the limit for the price of a flat. Imagine a flat in Bishan cost S$1 million dollars. This is the destruction of the free market policy on supply and demand for flats and condominium.
Singaporean bought a flat for $100,000 in 1999. It is still the same flat in 1999 and continues to be the same in 2009. Why the price should be valued at $200,000? What is the correct valuation of the original price in 1999 at $100,000 to the current price in 2009? Should Singaporeans allow the free market policy of supply and demand to destroy their home? A free market policy of supply and demand has total freedom without accountability, responsibility and integrity to determine the price of a home in the form of a flat or a condominium. A free market policy is a long term policy of destruction to every Singapore family who are not rich enough to withstand the continuation of price increase. A rich Singapore family also become poorer or less wealthy to leave to their children, their grandchildren and their favourite charities when they are cremated.
The free market policy is a long term policy of destruction of a home called a flat or a condominium. The destruction is the breakdown and extinction of the three generation families and the two generation families. The destruction is the destruction of the mental courage, mental confidence and mental conviction of Singaporeans to own a flat or a condominium. The free market policy destroys the fundamental purpose of having a family and the foundation of the continuation of present and future families of Singaporeans.
The purpose and the reason of a flat or a condominium is to set up a family and to maintain the structure of a family in Singapore. The foundation of Singapore as a society and as a country in the future depends solely on the continuation of the existence of two generation and three generation families in Singapore.
Singaporeans are also suffering from the destruction of another long term market policy called economic restructuring. Each time a company closes its operation due to losses it incurred for 1 to 3 years and shifted its business operations overseas. Singaporeans pay the price of being retrenched, remain jobless for a period of time from a few months to a few years before they can another job usually a lower pay or the affected Singaporeans have to start all over again from scratch and start at the lowest end of the pay scale. How can Singaporeans reconcile this reality of restructuring with continuing rise in cost of living and housing? It is a nightmare and an endless period of anxiety and worry. They as employees and the employers have to bear with the continued rise in the cost of a flat or a condominium through the CPF every month without fail. This cost money and put pressure on the employers. Employees also have to bear the pressure as they have to pay the bank also on time without fail otherwise they would penalize for late payment by the banks.
The employers again have to bear pressures from their employees for pay rises to cope with the rise in the cost of living and the continued rise in the strength of the Singapore dollar. This makes the export to overseas far more expensive. Employers finally receives a slap on the left side of their face and the right side of their face. On the left side, the slap is for continued rise in the overall cost of doing business in Singapore and on the right side, there is a harder slap. This is the cost of owning a place to do business, the cost of leasing the place to do business and the cost of rental of the place to do business. Every year the cost of the place keeps on rising.
Who can stop the long term economic policy of destruction?
Mark