This year would be my 2nd time voting.
I am not very good with words but I still want to write out about what I think and comment on some issues floating around these few days..
There are many young adults who find the elections really overwhelming, many doesn't know who to vote for and are looking to their friends for answers.. I hope this post will help those who are a little lost?
1. Catch the rallies if you can (can watch online no need to go all the way down haha), from there you will know what the parties are offering.
Do keep in mind that if something is too good to be true it usually is. Eg having more benefits now means someone else is going to pay for it later. Think far, think of your kids future.
2. If the rallies are too difficult to understand. How about think of in whose hands would you leave your kids with?
The grandparent who spoils the child or the grandparent who tries to make things work and help the child who is willing to help himself?
3. Here are a few issues people often complain about and what I think of them..10 years ago MRT was great but past few years MRT often breakdown.If you buy an electronic item how long can it last before it gets cranky? 10 years ago how old is MRT? How many times did MRT breakdown in the past 12 months?
Our cars are so expensive, our neighbours are laughing at us for paying more.Land size issue. If everyone of us own a car, all the roads will be congested all the time and carparks will be same height as our hdb flats.
Our houses are so expensive, 10 years ago our 5 room flats used to cost less, now I can't afford it at all. The quality of our houses are also not very good.I do agree that our houses are not cheap but if you don't earn so much can buy a smaller flat? I do appreciate that our houses gets upgradings and paint works often, been to overseas and saw how poorly maintained their flats are. In Singapore, the flats gets new paint every few years (at least that's what I can see) and most of the flats looks new and nice even if it's build more than 10 years ago.
Our medical is so expensive, even after subsidies we are still paying a lot!Medical is expensive everywhere, do name me a place that have affordable and good quality medical without their citizens paying high taxes? Other than subsidies, MediShield and Medisave covers partial of the bills too unless it's private hospital or patient choses class B1/A ward? In cases that families could not afford the bills they can speak with hospital for financial counselling, assistance in application for Medifund.
(Just to update I have seen people paying $2+ and even ZERO cents for their visit to polyclinic, I am on long term follow up with polyclinic and often accidentally hear/saw people's bills..)
There are so many old people 50-70yo that are still working and they are so poor thing. How many meals a day can they have with $1,000 a month when food is at least $5 per meal?Let's not say that it's an assumption that all old folks who work are working are needy, have no savings etc, let's just do some calculation..
CPF contribution rates for age 50 to age 65 and above ranges from 19% to 5%, which means it's not right to use 20% to calculate but it's okay let's just use 20%..
$1,000 * 80% = $800.
Transport (concession pass depending on age/types ranges from $40-$120)
If he/she owns a house no need to pay rental but paying utilities approximate $80? (If only 2 old folks I don't think the utilities will be very high, if staying with kids would expect the kids to pay for the utilities so $80 is a rough estimate.)
Food say $5 per meal * 3 meals a day for 30 days = $450
$800-$120-$80-$450 = leftover $150 a month to pay for other items.
Liveable? I would like to think so.
10 years ago everything is peaceful, neighbours are more friendly but now more FT comes here and now a lot of crimes, murder cases, molest cases, etc..These kind of things happens last time too, just that it's not publicised much 10 years ago because mobile phones, social media was not that good then. With social media, bad news travels even faster now. Today, I don't dare to say I am very close to my neighbours (just moved here 3 years back) but they are all quite nice people.
Pressing lift doors for me, share news about upgrading ongoing in our estate, offer me seats on the bus/trains (just to add somehow 99% of the time my kid's seats on the MRT and buses are offered to me by non Singaporeans).
We import so many talents for our sports teams that other countries are laughing at us.Talents are everywhere but to be able to spot and keep talents is as important. People can laugh at our "imports" but when our imports beat them who have the last laugh? We train these talents and they did us proud by achieving medals, putting our name out to the world. Even when they don't win anything, having good training partners is good for us too. Without good training partners how can our own people grow?
10 years ago it is easy to travel to JB for short getaway but now there is all these charges for foreign cars to enter here and for our cars to go in.There are other modes of transport if you really must go into JB for short getaway. If there is a better way to stop too many cars going in and out of JB I'm sure they would have used that. If this in not in place how many cars will be coming into our tiny Singapore everyday causing jams to our roads? For the other side that is charging Singapore cars money, that I do not really know why but I don't think our government could control that? Do you think any other elected party can stop another country from implementing new laws?
10 years ago our old folks often sits around at void decks to relax but now all of them are collecting cardboards and drink cans, no time to relax at all.Did you join the Sunday Qigong Exercise? Once a month walk organised by CC/RC? Dance, Zumba, singing classes? Ever went to coffeeshop to take a look? My block downstairs still lots of old folks chit chatting everyday! At a nearby CC, lots of old folks go there to read newspaper everyday too! Bringing my girl to school I meet many grandmas and grandpas sending their grandchild to school and after that went to coffeeshop to sit and talk or go to the market. Did you speak with any of these working old folks? Isn't it an assumption that if they are working they must be poor and needy?
I am actually proud when I see our pioneers working. Those who are working depends on themselves instead of waiting for welfare, also businesses are willing to hire older generations due to certain policies/benefits too! Not everyone scavenging for cardboards are needy and if you actually bother to spend time to speak with them you may understand them more. My house area has a few folks collecting cardboards and when I do have cardboard I will bring it to them, they are not needy people.
Our hospitals are filled with doctors and nurses from other counties! They don't even speak our dialects and there was even a case a nurse gave wrong medication and cased death.Many of our own doctors does private practice so lesser local doctors in national hospitals. In order to make sure there are doctors and nurses in national hospital so that citizens can see doctor at subsidised rate they have to bring in people from other countries too. Or you would rather they don't bring in any and only use local doctors and nurses. If that's the case then we would expect waiting time to see doctor to be even longer. Do you know in some countries waiting time to see GP is 2 weeks? Yes normal GP for flu and cold!
Human error is everywhere does it mean locals doesn't make mistakes at all? Xenophobic.
Whatever your choice is, your vote is secret. Let no one peer pressure you into voting carelessly.
