PAP’s care for our elderly

I nearly fell off my chair when I heard LHL acknowledging the contribution of our elderly towards nation-building on his PE by-election rally on 24 Jan 2013.

“老年人，他们建立了今天的新加坡。我们应该对他们致敬，感谢他们。我们知道没有他们，没有今天的新加坡。”（13:21 of the video here）

(Translation: The elderly built Singapore. We should pay tribute to them and be grateful to their contribution. We know that without them, there won’t be Singapore today.)

Too often, the PAP has propagated the myth that Singapore owes its success to none other than PAP’s out-of-the-world leadership. Thanks to the PE by-election pressure, it was really the first time that I have heard LHL crediting anybody else beside PAP for Singapore’s success. Remember his father’s portrayal of Singapore being a barren land in the 1950s before PAP took over? [Link]The entire Singapore was created by PAP and whatever adminstration, legislation or infrastructure that we inherited from the colonial British can be all swept under the carpet.

Words are cheap.

CPF is the most telling of the kind of value and appreciation that PAP holds for our elderly.

In 1988, CPF started differentiating contribution rates among different age groups. Prior to that, there is a uniform set of employer and employee CPF contribution rates for workers of all age groups. From 1988 onwards, employees above 55 years old found themselves being categorized into three groups: above 55 – 60 years old, above 60 – 65 years old and those above 65 years old. These 3 groups of employees will see their employer contribution rate reduced as compared to those below 55 years old. Once you reach 55 years old, you are subject to immediate wage cut as employer contribution rate drops. It drops further as you move further up the age group.

Those above 55 – 60 years old are relatively “more fortunate” than the other two  age groups to be able to enjoy certain years where employer contribution rate was restored to the 1988 period of 11% and in the 90s, it even rose above the 11% rate for several years. 

 

The 60 – 65 and those above 65 aren’t that fortunate at all. The employer contribution rate fails to restore to the 1988 figure (9% for 60 - 65; 8% for 65 and above) after two long decades regardless of the performance of our economy. Therefore, this is not a reactionary adjustment to recessions but a policy that underscores an open discrimination of our elderly workers. 

 Instead of protecting our aged workers, our system forces our elderly workers to make concessions under the pretext of saving their jobs whilst allowing employers to gain by paying less for the same job scope. For the same work that we do, we will receive less pay when we hit 55 years old.

We are looking at a system and a culture that allow selective devaluation and discrimination of elderly which will in turn impact their self-esteems. What is strikingly contradicting is that the work experience of our aged ministers are so highly valued that special positions such as SM, MM or EM were created for them in order to tap on their years of experience. Conversely for our workers, their years of work experience are negligible.

This is the way which PAP demonstrates their genuine appreciation for our elderly. And that is what makes LHL's tribute to our elderly sounds so empty.

We the voters of Singapore and the blame

On the desperate need to steer our country back to the right direction, the responsibility seems to have fallen solely on the shoulders of the alternative parties. Whether they could unite among themselves as one to take on the incumbents, whether they have the ability in attracting candidates with sound credentials and good character, whether they have sufficient outreach to the electorate and many, many other factors….. apparently would all add up to forge that single key to wrestle away the power from the incorrigible incumbents.

So much expectations pinned on the alternative parties. And even more so after GE 2011. And expectations turned into criticisms and fell heavily onto the alternative parties for either being overly-confrontational or for not being sufficiently confrontational. Some of us came down so hard on the alternative parties in the event of PE by-election.

Perhaps we have sensed the urgency of the state of affairs in our country. There are already obvious hints that another 2 million foreigners will be waiting at our door step even before the Population Paper is released. Inflation is still as stubborn as two years ago. And therefore the pressing need to reverse all the twenty-year-old bad policies asap.

However, as much as we can confidently blame our country’s sufferings on the incumbents, or lament at the disarrayed alternative parties, little has been mentioned about the role of voters/citizens who ultimately decide the fate of our country and our lives. Precisely of the far-reaching impact of our collective decision, we cannot just simply rely on the politicians alone, alternative parties or incumbents alike, to steer our country.  

冰冻三尺，非一日之寒。It takes more than a day to freeze three feet of ice. Singapore did not arrive at this sorry state of affairs just overnight. Detrimental policies adversely impacting the social, economical and political health of our country are accumulated throughout the decades.

Our ministers have been paying themselves fat checks even before 21^st century. Legal threats were already frequently in use in the 90s on opposition members and it continues to this day. CPF minimum sum was introduced in 1987 and it did not just grow into a terrifying black hole in a single day. 2 million foreigners did not fall from the sky onto our island just last week too.

Yet, we allow the incumbents to grow to this day and to this state, through decades of our endorsement, be it in the form of direct electoral votes or indirectly through our silence, indifference or ignorance of their self-serving policies and abuse of power.

Some individuals, as early as the 90s, from the alternative parties had tried to raise issues concerning the welfare of our country and people and consequently were forced to pay a hefty price for their acts. And what did we do then? Some of us were part of the group who were unaware of or were indifferent to these gestures/individuals, or simply chose to look away in the name of saving our own skins.

The incumbents are responsible for the mess that it created. However, the party who should shoulder the most blame for the mess today, imho, is none other than the voters/citizens ourselves. Some of us choose to live in the history and in continual self-denial that the same party who led our country from the third world to the first world infrastructure has deviated into a self-serving party which places itself above national interests; some of us cannot even bother to understand and to think deeper on how policies affect their daily lives; even in this day and age of internet era, some of us choose the lazy way out by drinking in all mainstream media reports at face value and are averse to thinking beyond the msm or making an effort to find out more views through alternative channels; some of us self-deprecate as-a-matter-of-factly before the high and mighty incumbents; and of course, there are some of us who prioritize self-interests above national interests and will relish at the expense of others.

The various alternative parties need to grow to strengthen our political scene but can we expect them to thaw three feet of ice in a minute when we shy away in those decades? And if the majority do not think there are any crippling issues with our country even at this current state, there is very little the alternative parties could do.

Before we get into the blame-game again for the current mess, perhaps we should also learn to be a responsible and well-informed voter/citizen. For in order to  move our country forward, the politicians could not and should not  be on their own. That should be a collective effort coming from both the politicians (regardless of political party) and our people.

陌生人的台北

心系台北。

毫无壮观的旅游目的地，却能一次又一次地久留台北这座城市。特别是走访过更大、更繁华的城市、以及历经狮城人口爆发的不适之后，更能欣赏台北的不浮夸，也更能感受到这座城市对社会里渺小一份子的尊重。说到底，最终能撑起一座城市来的，不是前卫的摩天楼或是历史光环，而是孕育了该座城市的人。

陌生人的台北

在捷运站充值台前挣扎着充值优游卡时，旁边的搭客见状，便一声不响地伸手过来迅速地帮我把问题解决了。

相机汲汲于捕捉视觉画面。偏偏，时间却慢慢地证明了，由人勾勒出的风景所留下的印象更持久。至少对我而言是如此。

以台币20元（相等于新币$0.87）的费用购买了一张可充值的优游卡（相等于狮城的易通卡，易通卡的费用是新币$5）。试图以捷运（地铁）贴近这个城市，却获得了相机无法捕捉到的美丽画面。

捷运车厢门一开，不管繁忙时间与否，搭客都能从容地走入车厢内面对有无座位的事实。没有出现抢位子的景象。捷运车厢内，有搭客对目的地有所犹豫时，对座的阿姨便热情地提供详细资讯。发现一些搭客戴上面罩。原来是为了避免自己的感冒传给他人。身体或随身物不慎触碰到他人时，便立即道歉。无意挡住了他人去路，也可以致歉。

对陌生人的尊重，如此司空见惯。而拥挤并不能作为公共场所里对其他人无礼的借口。

不经意的集体社交行为，展现的是这座城市的素养。跟拥挤的程度绝对绝对绝对毫无关系。因为自己也几番在狮城毫不拥挤的场所里被人碰撞过。碰撞的人觉得那是理所当然的行为。

对陌生人的尊重，让人即使身处拥挤处，仍然能够保持最低限度的舒适度。反衬出人的主导作用。台北捷运是在难产的情况下，耗了十年的光景才正式运作。然而，最终让硬件达到文明水平的是使用硬件的人。

一座能够善待陌生人的城市，比起一座堆砌华丽建筑却缺乏爱心的城市更美。

人心中的拥挤

有点意外，台北市的人口稠密度其实高于狮城。每平方公里约九千多人，而狮城则是七千多人。

其实，拥挤是事实，但能够缓冲那令人难受的拥挤，肯定需要的是集体配合。台北就让我感受到这一点。星期天的台北车站地面上和地下商场内，人潮汹涌。奇异的是，还是能顶得过来，没有窒息的感觉。

我都几乎忘记了当年台北的马路，如何教会我坚持行人过马路的权利。硬着头皮，在川流不息的交通情况下，杀出一条路来过到对面马路。今时今日，台北马路上的车辆往来仍然频繁。但已能名正言顺地在交通灯前过马路。更奇异的是，耳朵甚少听到汽笛鸣起。即使交通拥挤，马路上还是能保持一片安静，体现的是耐心和宽容。

在捷运上注意到，可以看到搭客的脸。因为很多搭客都不是埋头于电子仪器上。因此，留意到一些人眼睛里的笑意。突然让我联想起今年狮城高居全世界最缺乏情感的调查的榜首。当时摸不着头脑。重游台北才恍然大悟，我们所缺乏的正是内心的微笑。相由心生，心里面要有快乐，才能通过微笑散发出来。而微笑，更是对生活的一个选择角度，也是对人事所选择的诠释角度。

“我”的反思

台湾人的自豪，可以感受得到。

没有把很突兀的旅游景点，如环球影城、迪斯尼乐园……生硬地移植到台北，或是刻意打造一座人造公园来制造旅游吸金石。就地取材，推动的是属于自己的历史与人文景点，故宫、忠烈祠、夜市、西门町、小吃、温泉……都是台湾/台北自己的。于是，还吃到了铁观音茶的雪糕呢！还有一本介绍了一百件台湾设计的杂志。设计范围超出商品，涵盖了环境、事件、团队的设计。有建筑设计，也有对台湾农产品包装的设计。

当然还有，不可不提的诚品。

台北重庆南路的书街已经不复在了。Borders，Page One和商务书局也相继撤离狮城市场。还好，诚品书店仍健在。除了书店功用之外，诚品似乎也身兼台湾产品大使的任务，腾出了空间展示本土设计的产品。就在诚品，见识了台湾本土的设计产品以及重新包装的农业产品。

很有意思，也很有温度。

区分你我来重新审视什么是“我”，以驱动何谓台湾产品的反思。金钱固然重要，但如果只有纯粹的金钱驱动，只能把自己搞得不伦不类，毫无个性、更无灵魂。

心件中的人性

2000年初已经领教过台北捷运了。那时，四种语言（华语、闽南语、客家话以及英语）的信息播放、妇女夜间安全区，以及轮椅设备也都已登陆了。对于不同搭客群的需要，捷运公司一点也不吝啬。

十年后重返台北捷运，在领教了狮城地铁公司的处事之后，更能突显台北人的自我要求。无线网络角落、免费通讯充电服务、哺乳室、容纳脚车的车厢都一一推出了。硬体背后的基础是心意，由此可见。硬件为使用者服务，心件为迈向高素质的社会而努力。除了硬件外，更需要人与人之间的尊重才能提升硬体的素质。

于是，车厢内还提醒搭客在使用电子仪器时注意声量，以减少对其他人的干扰、身体不适应戴面罩等信息。一个以公共交通为服务的捷运公司，从宏观的盈利角度进入微观的视角，注意到了捷运公司的服务对象为人的事实。捷运搭客被视为人，而不是榨取利润的单位。这是令人感动的一件事，尤其是见证过狮城SMRT的经营方式之后。利润与服务的素质能否取得平衡，的确是事在人为的。

搭乘缆车上猫空，全程四公里的透明地板缆车鸟瞰地面，收费不过台币50元（新币$2.17）。地勤人员用心服务，猫空旅游设施周全，的确很台北。

我的肤浅

必须承认，也有过旅游的虚荣心，必须膜拜非看不可的景点。近年来变得更堕落，只求美好感受的旅行，只想轻松一游，再也经不起日日与人为营的旅游方式了。所以钟情于台北。走访过必须时时备战的文明城市，对能够包容陌生人的城市有了一种感恩的心理。

初次走访台北的C见到当地民宅、楼房不管新旧看起来都很旧、很脏时，以为台北还停留在5、60年代的世界里。的确，台北的市容缺乏让人叹为观止的元素。即使是独占台北天空焦点的台北一零一摩天楼，也带着竹子的几分刚毅与谦卑，没有一般傲然而视的霸气。

但又如何？

说到底，纵使让相机记录了长城的宏伟、上海摩天楼的霸气又如何？一旦走入人的城市与城市里的人擦肩，足以毁灭原先对古文明的所有景仰、摩天楼所带来的震撼。这样的城市反而让古人的智慧尴尬非常；让摩天楼沦为肤浅的文明标签。让人旅行得如此心力交瘁的城市如何让人尊重？

终究，完美的视觉画面完全抵不上人的素养所带来的美好感受。美好感受的旅行很重要，才不枉一程。