In their haste to recruit as many foreign talents as possible to Singapore, the government has constantly overlooked one common grouse by many Singaporean male. Why is there a need for Singaporean male to do 2 years national service so as to ensure not only Singaporeans but foreigners as well to sleep soundly at night.
The only benefit that one can see from being a citizen is that they could buy brand new subsidised HDB flats. All other benefits like education and medical are being subsidised for the foreigners. These foreigners can be seen as being in Singapore temporarily as they have no commitment to this new land. In an event of a war, they could easily go back to their mother country and seek refuge.
Most of the countries in this world have clear demarcation in that PR may not receive subsidised treatment or education. Australia, since under Howard government, has reduce the PR’s benefits so much so that it seems that getting a PR to Australia is as good as a long stay visa. By forcing one to take up citizenship would mean one has greater implication when moving to another country to live and work.
By differentiating between the benefits of citizenship and PR, Singapore government is moving towards the right in appeasing its people. Come October 2007, benefits will be reduced for the foreigners and another year from then, even more benefits will be withdrawn.
This is by far the clearest demarcation Singapore can witness. Remember the pianist Melvin Tan? It seems that he could renegade his duties and pay a small fine for being AWOL (absent without leave) from NS. Far cry from others less elite who had to endure jail terms.
So now, clearly it pays to be a Singaporean.
By differentiating between ’singaporean’ and ‘pr’, your government is preparing to exploit ‘foreigners’ more than they exploit you. ‘Subsidised’ in your pathetic state is just another term for increasing the prices a hundredfold before decreasing it tenfold. If you weren’t such a typical ’singaporean’, you might be smart enough to realise all this. The government has ensured your stupefaction through decades of hard manipulation. Thus, the aforementioned view.
You’ve got a lot to think about matey.
agrees.clearly, you pay to be a singaporean.
I too wrote in this. I disagree with thinkreal. I think it is a good idea. Subsidies cost money. A reduction in subsidies means more money. Of course I don’t know if that means more tax cuts, seeing as how GST got raised by income tax got cut.
On a more personal note i think that is fair. It means that while we serve NS and do our time, it is only fair that our children be given a cheaper education than some PR who never did NS and his kids. There has been a freerider problem for too long. I’m still a firm believer in the nation state and in the romantic idea of a nation. I am also definetely anti-post modernism.
I don’t quite understand thinkreal’s point. Cutting of subsidies for PRs will only raise prices for PRs, not non-PRs or citizens. Unless they want to announce a price hike to go with the cut in subsidies (which makes less sense as now they get more money from people instead of less under subsidies).
Also it’s a bit mean to carry out ad hominem attacks on xblogger ain’t it?
I’m not surprised at “thinkreal”’s mentality.
“thinkreal” makes so much fuss about this small increase in fees, I can’t imagine where he/she will be when Singapore is in a war. Back to his cushy country I bet.
I’m all for this reduction in subsidy.
Well guys, time will tell. The Singapore government has had a long history of exploiting Singaporeans.
If you measure them the same way that they measure YOU, (mind you, they have a detailed record of you too) then we can conclude that things WILL NOT change.
However, there is always a FIRST. Any maybe these changes may endear Singaporeans to Singapore so that when MM eventually dies (when is he going to die?), he will die in peace.
pmg: PRs may not have to do NS, but their sons do.
I agree with thinkreal.
As Harro pointed out, “The Singapore government has had a long history of exploiting Singaporeans.”, but do remember that it has had a longer time exploiting the foreigners and it’s just getting worse every year.
Rajan, yes but they’re offered citizenship at the end.
Subsidy ?
What is subsidy ?
By “earning less from you”, this is not subsidizing you.
pmg: As with many foreigners after some time of being a PR.
I thank you all for your valuable inputs. Clearly this “benefit” is not being seen by many. I too agree in some small ways with calamari that it is a matter of how we term the word subsidy.
I don’t get it, instead of decreasing subsidies for PRs, why not increase subsidies for citizens?
err.. singapore government always have their ways around with things