后知后觉

某一年的农历新年，在英国见证了燃放爆竹的仪式。让我大开眼界。

爆竹在英国，成了一只洪水猛兽。

先把爆竹吊起，再把爆竹的末端囚困在铁丝网里。负责燃放爆竹的员工，身穿护身衣，手戴安全手套，头戴安全帽。在点燃爆竹时，还启动了焊接防护罩护驾。如临大敌似得。

一串爆竹，由两名全副武装的员工负责燃放。爆竹燃尽后，两名员工迅速地把灰烬全清理干净、铁丝网拆走、吊杆移走。

只不过是欢庆仪式的燃放爆竹，英国人可不敢怠慢。却让我当场哑然失笑。

燃放爆竹的活动中，英国当局不惜物力和人力，只为了员工和公众的安全。别忘了，英国的劳动价格是属于发展国家的，有最低工资的保障。单是燃放爆竹，就动用了两名当地员工。

六月烟霾的狮城，让我想起了自己那年在英国的哑然失笑。

烟霾指数飙到危险水平后，拥有口罩的人们继续安心地生活，没有口罩的狮城建筑工人和清洁工人却继续曝露在外。

放爆竹这一小事，折射出英国对待员工的第一世界国度的先进。只不过是燃放爆竹而已，英国工人全身上下的安全配备，才让我发觉，日日摸黑起来捍卫狮城整洁美名的清洁队伍的清洁器具与工资，原来如此落后不堪；尘土飞扬的建筑工地里的工人的安全配备原来如此马虎。这些后知后觉，让我那年的笑尴尬无比。原来，英国把员工视为人。所以安全第一。而不是金钱第一。

今年的烟霾，加剧了狮城这座先进城市的悲凉，更突显了自己当年嗤笑英国人时的无知。

LHL’s strategic shift in shifting our focus

I was looking for the significant “shifts” that some commented on his NDR 2013. And found these significant hints instead that reflect his mindset/values:

“And overall, the Government creating the conditions for a vibrant economy and for good jobs, investing heavily in our people through education, through housing, through healthcare but keeping state welfare low and targeted, stringent. Some people call this tough love but it is tough love which has worked well.” (bold prints are mine)

LHL’s statement above indicates a continual defence of his “low welfare” value for the PAP-led government against any public expenditure increase across transport, housing, cost of living and healthcare where in reality, the policies of his government are the root cause of these rising costs.

The Pioneer Generation Package and removal of age limit for MediShield Life coverage etc are attempts to shift our focus onto the wrappings of the same old gift, so that we will be oblivious to the content beneath the wrappings which is the “tough love”, ie. low welfare spending.

Charge the people a high price but spend as little on them as possible.

“The values of homes has appreciated and even poor people are not poor by any international standard.”

Shifting our focus from doing more to help the poor or to close in the income-gap to the discovery of the good fortune of our poor compared to those tribes living in the Amazon forests. Goodness, these tribal people do not even have a roof over their heads and they feed on grass and air!

His denial of the existence of the poor means that there is never the need for a real strategic change in the current policies on the poor. Current schemes for the poor suffice. Income gap issue will be swept under the carpet.

“….each poor household has on average $200,000 of net wealth in the HDB flat.”

“No other society in the world has done that. We have achieved in Singapore growth with equity and spread the fruits of growth widely in Singapore.”

Shifting our focus from over-priced HDB flats to his self-compliments. There is no poor in the ivory tower of Singapore. He has helped his poor to strike rich and that is an endorsement to his policies:

(1)  Creating a property boom is the right strategy that benefits the wealthy and the poor alike. Nevermind if the wealthy can afford to flip properties and make quick bucks while the poor can only flip their flip-flops. The poor can sell off their homes and scum off to rental flats provided they can fulfill the criteria.

(2)  The open door immigration policy that allows human tsunamis to wash ashore Singapore from all corners of this globe to sustain or increase the heat in the property market.

(3)  Speculation of HDB flats is encouraged and to be enabled for the boost in the private property market which will in turn set the pricing for new HDB flats. LTA’s profits rely from the sale of over-priced flats.

“We can talk about other models we may experiment, but the core of it, home ownership. 99-year lease, it is yours.” (bold prints are mine)

Shifting the focus from the hefty price of something that you paid to be “rented” to you.

What is on a “lease” cannot be fully “yours”. No change to the rule of the HDB game on our flats. Securing the ultimate ownership of the flats for HDB, aka the PAP-led government.

Singaporeans are not entitled to own anything in Singapore for good even after paying them. HDB flats, COEs and CPF are some examples.

“…because the cheapest flat is just $150,000.” (bold prints are mine)

His choice of word “just” reveals his thought on prices of HDB flats. $150 000 is peanuts. LHL’s peanuts is still cheaper by the standard of Goh Chok Tong’s wife who regarded $600K as peanuts. In this regard, HDB’s strategy of maximizing profits from the sales of HDB flats to citizens will not halt at this stage. The prices are affordable and the word “affordable” will become the most hateful word here.

HDB will continue to be the cash cow for our reserves and Singaporeans should resign their fates of being milked.

“…we will means-test these additional subsidies so that we know we can target them to the people who need them.”

Shifting our focus to see that he is genuinely helping those who need help instead of looking at the root cause of income inequality and inflation.

The means-test result could very well be so stringent that chances are higher for people to die off first than to lay their hands on the subsidies. The target is not about targeting those who need the subsidies, but employing means-test to disqualify the bulk of those who need it.

“Medisave rates have to go up. It has to be.”

This is the core value.

Expect no help from the PAP-led government. You are on your own. While there are 101 innovative ways to extract money from the citizens, there is only one way of getting even half a cent from the PAP-led government—paying our own money to get it.

“But the best way for us generally to keep healthcare costs down is to stay healthy and especially for older people because for older people exercise is not just keeping fit or keeping well but also making friends, having the social contacts, the networks, the mutual support.”

The message is still the same: do not expect help from the government of curbing the healthcare costs. You are on your own.

“I think it is also good that we have top schools nationally”

Trying to shift our focus onto his empathy for us. Whatever he tries to empathize on the educational stress for our parents and children, at the end of the day, he still needs the elites to distinguish themselves from the daft. And the elites be rewarded for being elite.

“If we have a completely flat and featureless system – every school is exactly the same as every other school, no difference – you will have not excellence, but mediocrity.”

Shifting the blame onto mediocrity for all the woes and pressures of our education system. There is only one way to success by his definition. Not just the parents who think this way.

“please be very careful when you touch the PSLE, because the problem is not the exam. The problem is that parents think that the exams count for everything in the world.”

The above was taken from someone who has emailed to LHL on his thought about PSLE. LHL used the above illustration to shift blame from the education system created by his predecessors onto the citizens themselves. The parents brought it upon themselves and their children.

Nothing new about this finger-pointing trait as it is a consistent exhibition from the PAP-led government throughout the decades in blaming the people for their own incompetence and lack of foresight.

Even Orchard floods were caused by litter-bugs.

“Meritocracy has to remain the most fundamental organising principle in our society.”

Meritocracy will continue in PAP-regime. Where the definition of merit is narrowly defined by those who heads the regime. Where the super rich can absolve from the game of meritocracy and still rise above it. Where those with merit will serve the welfare of the regime itself and not necessarily to the welfare of our country.

“Other countries have tried to do similar things in the past with the best intentions but ended up with unwanted outcomes. America has the highest healthcare spending in the world. Their outcomes are worse than many developed countries, including Singapore. Finland has comprehensive protections for workers, yet 20 per cent of its youth is unemployed despite a good economy and a good education system.”

Shifting our attention from the need to address our bad policies from the root to others’ failures. And at the worst, rejoicing at their failures without a full comprehension of the causes of their problems and using others’ failures as a justification for not doing the right thing for ourselves.

We have to tread our path ourselves and find our way don’t we?

“And finally of course, all good things have to be paid for.”

There again. It is about footing the bill.

However, it does not necessary have to come directly from the people’s pockets but from the amount that was already extracted from the people and the foreigners.

Shifting the focus from exploring alternative funding and re-assessing current public expenditures to mislead people into the belief that they have to pay everything directly out of their pockets. 

Too many shifts in attempt to veil the intention of preserving the fundamentals of all existing policies. 

And no shift from his 6.9 million population plan. 

Medi-genies to tame our healthcare costs and 6.9 population

At NDR on healthcare, LHL rubbed the Medi-lamps for the Medisave and MediShield genies to appear in a puff, hoping they will at least pretend to solve the issue of healthcare costs. And he now produces the latest genie by the name of MediShield Life as his assurance to resolve our healthcare concerns.

On health care, MediShield coverage will extend beyond the age of 90 and as well as extending the coverage to the young and old with pre-existing conditions. And finally acknowledging the contributions made by our pioneers in the form of Pioneer Generation Package. After 48 years of nation building. Came too late for some.

Individuals in curbing healthcare costs

Healthcare is one of the hot button issues during GE 2011. And it is still.

We worry about the healthcare costs not because we expect healthcare to be free but because the pace of its inflation outstripping the pace of our savings is very, very real. Savings are getting increasingly challenging with stubborn inflation and meagre savings rate.

Not that we are all irresponsible and deliberately get ourselves sick. Neither are all of us splurging on every cent that we earned. For those who do spend all their earnings, the truth is that there are simply those whose incomes are too small to cover all their daily expenses. There are some whose savings will not suffice for the increasing heathcare costs for three generations—their offsprings, their aging parents and themselves. Even going back to the days of having three meals of plain rice with soya sauce and drink only plain water contribute very little to the savings for healthcare in today’s inflation rate and negligible savings interest rate.

Btw, neither keeping a healthy lifestyle can insulate us against the inevitable of falling sick. LHL himself was once a cancer patient. Are we to blame his failure for keeping a healthy lifestyle?

The Medi-genies disguise

There is no disguise that LHL’s Medi-genies is a means of organizing our compulsory savings (in the form of Medisave) for heathcare and enforcing individuals for preparedness (through MediShield or MediShield Life). The genies DO NOT address the healthcare cost itself, and does nothing in curbing or reducing the costs at all.

The scale and scope of heathcare cost is something beyond the individuals’ ability to control and to resolve. Individuals could only buffer themselves against the rising costs of healthcare with savings. Therefore, it is logical and an obligation for government to channel sufficient funds to healthcare in curbing rising costs.

Apart from the Pioneer Generation Package where premiums will be borne by the government for our seniors which is laudable, MediShield Life genie however will bring about higher premiums for the rest of us.

Higher premiums naturally provide better heathcare coverage and services, not some rocket science, and those who worry about heathcare costs and who could afford would have already done so. And precisely the worry of the costs drives people into buying higher premiums for more extensive coverage. Whichever way looking at it, higher premiums do not address the cost issue.

Govt shies from taming the costs

Extending MediShield Life to those with pre-existing conditions is another piece of good news.

But his exactwords of “the MediShield Life’s premiums will have to be higher. It has to be, because it has to break even….” is so deafening that it completely erodes the empathy that he is trying so hard to portray and overshadows the few positive changes that he brings.

His implication is significant. He expects his people themselves to pay for his “empathy”. Don’t expect him to dig into government’s pocket to fork out an extra cent on the healthcare of our people.

YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN. That was the hidden message.

For where do we find the money to fund these “empathy”? It sounds like a Nigerian scam.

That takes us to another question before we can answer the first one: where have all our money gone to? Where did the bulk of wealth of our GDP flow to? In the last decade, we have 9 our of 10 years positive GDP growth between 2002 and 2011. 

I am not suggesting that we spend every single cent of our revenue or future savings but re-allocate from other expenditures in our budget to healthcare, or channel some amount from the our GDP growth into healthcare. If we don’t spend enough on our people now, how are we to proceed from here to the future? If we don’t take care of our people, who are we defending for through our national defence? And who will benefit our future savings from what we scrimp and save now?

Don’t forget that Singaporeans will be reduced to a 55% in our home nation in the very near future.

Using his Medi-genies to allay our healthcare cost concerns and cleverly avoids tackling the issue of healthcare costs depicts LHL’s political will in improving the lives of his people.

The government “does not have a magic source from heaven”, he said and simply relinquished the responsibility of his.

Healthcare expenditure for the 6.9million population

We know that our government is not spending sufficient money in our healthcare compared to other advanced economies despite achieving impressive GDP per capita growth which overtook Switzerland….that was how we achieved our “Swiss standard of living”.

“We will increase healthcare spending…” LHL did mention increasing healthcare spending.

It brings no assurance, contrary to what he thinks. The 6.9 million population is looming and he is executing the population plan with his Paya Lebar plot of land.

Between 2004 to 2011, LHL has grown 1 million of people on to this island. Did our healthcare spending grow proportionately?

As such, without any specific knowing to the extent of that increase healthcare spending he has in mind, we might be sharing the “increase”, adequately or inadequately, with additional 1.6 million (assuming current population remains at 5.3 million). The worse case scenario would be the existing healthcare quality and costs will persist and the worst case scenario will be a further deterioration of future healthcare quality and further exacerbation of healthcare costs.

Given the existing problems in housing, transport and healthcare resulting from a money-driven value where LHL and his gang tries to grow the biggest GDP/population with the least spending, exactly the likes of SMRT that maximizes profits and scrimps on maintenance, his NDR 2013 assurance that our future healthcare is well-taken care is not at all convincing.

One’s value does not change overnight, even with the pressures at the ballot box.

“If we should fall seriously ill, can I afford the hospital bill if I have a very big hospital bill? In reality, there are very few such cases.” That is LHL’s reality on our healthcare costs.

From tsunamis to pioneers for political survival

 “…we owe it to them.”

And the pressure on his votes is apparent as LHL changed his tune on the seniors whom he described disdainfully in 2011 as “silver tsunamis” has been conveniently been corrected to “pioneers”.  The “silver tsunamis” was so catastrophic that he has to open our immigration doors to more foreign adults and aged to sink their roots here.

Overnight, our seniors who were perceived as parasites became the contributors to our nation.

Tomorrow, I will wake up, not knowing whether I will be a parasite or a sheep to this nation of mine.

Sunrise-sunset-midnight and the struggles of being

At sunset-watching, just before the day folded into night, Celine gazed wistfully at the setting sun which was hanging precariously by the horizon.
She said, “It's still there..still there...”

As the sun vanished, together with its warmth, glory, colours, hope……all that the sun came to stand for, completely removed from the sky, leaving a long stretch of darkness behind. Celine concluded melancholically, “……and it's gone.." An allusion to what she felt about her love.

For Celine, her love with/for Jesse was sun-setting.

18 years ago, Celine and Jesse met for a day in Vienna, a foreign land for both of them, in the first of the trilogy movie Before Sunrise. It explores the possibility of love.  Just before sunrise when Jesse has to catch his connecting flight back to America, they vowed to meet again six months at the same platform where they started.

The subsequent sequel Before Sunset unravelled the fact that they failed to meet up. When Celine and Jesse met again in Paris, their only second encounter, there was already a space of nine years before them. Nine years in real time. A boyfriend, a son and a wife entered their respective lives, all were but feeble attempts to fill up that vacuum which Vienna left them when they exited each other’s life. Before Sunset contemplates the decision of breaking commitments in pursuit of following one’s heart.

In the second sequel Before Midnight, Celine and Jesse have proceeded into a relationship and into their middle-aged journey. Nine years into their relationship and a production of a pair of twins.

In the oasis of Greece, in the form of a family holiday, the strains and stress of their career, self-development and family still managed to seep through and soiled their time together.

Unbeknownst to Celine, she herself was sun-setting too. Negotiating the realities of a 40-something-year-old woman, Celine was slipping unconsciously into the horizon like the setting sun, struggling to keep her head above all the different roles that she has chosen to play at that stage of her life--a mother, a career woman, a feminist, a lover, an aging woman and herself. And the desire of perfecting each role has taken the toll on her. And bringing Jesse/relationship down along with her in the midst of her own struggles.

When the heavy curtains of the night came down after the sunset, signalling the imminent end of their relationship, Celine and Jesse entangled in a heated and irreconcilable argument in a hotel room which was intended to be a romantic getaway. They were soulmates yet the worst poison for each other.

Realities bite. Deeply. For them and for anyone else.

A one-day romance in Vienna has seemingly succumbed to the weight of the mundanities of everyday life and the constant tussle with their inner selves. The inner tussle was especially strenuous for Celine. Her failure to tackle her own insecurities turned her bitter and calculative on every “sacrifice” that she has to make in the relationship. Love seemed to be ending. As she prophesized. It could well be her self-fulfilling prophecy afterall.

Nine years of absence accentuated the fondness and the connection between those two. Nine years of living together has obscured the fondness and caused distance.

However, it may not be an end or as despairing as depicted.

Sunrise passes on to sunset and sunset passes on to midnight. It is a matter of passing on. Life/love passes on. It may not have ceased but only to take shape in new forms. The yester-love might be asphyxiated by the daily mundane, realities and self-interests. It could also be just buried under and taken a different form. It could be still there, in a different form and to be readapted.

For after all is said, after midnight comes the sunrise.

LHL's mindset on tangibles

                                      LHL NPD Message 2013

Yet, LKY derided GCT when he made known that GCT was not his preferred candidate to succeed him, that he was a poor public speaker. 

In LHL's NPD 2013 video, I found him terribly uneasy with himself before the camera. A wide plastic grin split across his face in attempt hide his uneasiness and he was clearly awkward with his hands. I need no comparison with GCT's public speaking skills or LKY to dictate me, of arriving at my own conclusion about the quality of LHL's public speaking skills. 

Moving away from the presentation of the NDP message to its content.

With no surprise, LHL's message did not, and never fails to, mention Singapore's GDP performance in any of his address to the nation. There was a mix of tangibles and intangibles in his message. The economy, the workforce, transport, healthcare, accommodation, family, inflation, the kind of society, aging and even SAFRA upgrading. 

Nonetheless, three aspects stood out prominently among others as they have been the recurring themes in the last few years. Foreign workers. Investor confidence. Other countries' admiration of Singapore. There is no way which he will spare us from these. Coincidentally, they are directly linked to GDP. A clear picture of how clear-minded LHL is on GDP-core related matters. Even his concern on our falling birth rate is related to his GDP as he offers a intake of new immigrants as his only solution.

On the other hand, his take on the intangibles appear weak and hollow in light of his past policies. 


His mention of fair and just society sounds ironical. Think of the removal of the estate duty in 2009. Which strata of our society will be the biggest beneficial of its removal? Think of the wage gap between the lower income groups and his top civil servants or himself. Think of Woffles Wu. Think of his treatment to his political "opponents". Think of the unproportionate political and economic power the "elite group" holds. Think of what he pays himself and his gang for their "sacrifices" and what he pays for our NS men for theirs.

He treads into the realm of Singapore's identity, which Singaporeans holds dearly to in the face of the tsunamis of foreigners taking place on our shore, yet he has a vague idea of what it meant, given his statement of "we are feeling our way forward carefully" on identity. "We" refers to him and his gang, exclusive of the people. He is determined with his Population White Paper in shrinking the proportion of local-born Singaporeans to less than half of the population and inviting new citizens to make up the shortfall in our birth rate, diluting and exterminating our own identity. A clear depiction of his priorities over the tangibles. GDP is after all more valuable than identity.


Interestingly, LHL mentioned SAFRA upgrade in his NDP message this year. Couldn't help but think of it as an epitome of his tangible-obsessed mindset and his incompetency refusal to address the intangibles.

In his understanding, a new SAFRA building, as the tangible, suffices as a compensation for the male Singaporeans' contribution to NS against the growing proportion of new citizens, PRs and foreigners who have the luxury of choosing for themselves and their sons whether to serve NS or not. It is a duty for Singaporean males to serve NS for the defence of their homeland when non-Singaporeans (new citizens inclusive) are steadily outgrowing them.

SAFRA building and amenities are peanut compensation for the financial and job opportunity loss of two years in the job market. And the burden duty of NS is shared between the NS men and their families who have to provide financial support during their NS period. Especially a drain for financially-strapped families. 

Either he couldn't see or that he couldn't care less.

There are times when we have to ask what we can do for our country; there are times when we have to ask what can the rulers country do for us! A lot of tangibles are being extracted from his citizens but the returns are far from fair and just. Crumbs for the lower and middle stratum of the society while fat chunks reserved for the higher strata.  

Think of the pre-election upgrading of HDB and sheltered walkways bribes incentives to secure our votes. Giving you the tangibles but taking away the intangibles of transparency, accountability, the rights to unobstructed access to our own CPF, a stronger alternative presence in the Parliament, uncontrolled media .... away from you for good. 

Inevitably, Marina Bay comes into mind. About a month ago, LHL shared his new-found pride with his audience "....there is only one Marina Bay in the world." Marina Bay was used to illustrate the outcome of getting the "right politics". Again, he is self-complimenting himself and his gang. There is no inclusion of his people. Again, a clear depiction of using the tangibles as an indicator of success. 

Marina Bay, an expensive pride of his, developed by stacks of cash for the glittering buildings, casinos, ferris wheel, Garden, expensive shopping malls......

And what proportion of the returns is being channelled across our society to improve the quality of our living? In alleviating the stress of cultural, social and identity invasion by the fierce foreign influx and the diminishing sense of security? In reducing the stress for the unfair competition for land space, jobs, education and housing?

Interesting Finds on SG Cabinet

The GRC red carpet to ministerial pedestal:

17 ministers out of 18, ie 94.4% of our rare breed of talent entered politics via this mode with Lee Hsien Loong being the exception. Almost everyone rode on the coattails of ministers before getting to see the scenery of a Parliament.

Teck Ghee SMC forgotten

Surprise! Surprise! For a leader who habitually hides behind his subordinates and father, Lee Hsien Loong stood the test on his own feet in his debut election. He is the only minister in our current entire Cabinet who was directly elected into the Parliament via a SMC. 

GRC remains the greatest all-time innovation of Singapore. Cleverly introduced as a short-cut to the Parliament for political newbies. And Singapore electorate received an expensive gift in the election of 2011 in the form of Tin Pei Lin as a result.

The ministers-churning GRC: Tanjong Pagar GRC

It is not just any door. But the door that opens to the realm of heaven opportunities of ministerial appointments and perks.

27% of our Cabinet, ie 5 out of 18 ministers, entered our political arena via the golden door of Tanjong Pagar GRC (CCS, KBW, LHK, LSS, LTY). Tanjong Pagar GRC producing the most number of ministers in our current co-hort among all the GRCs and SMCs. Jurong GRC, Marine Parade GRC and West Coast GRC come in second.

The most formidable GRC: Tanjong Pagar GRC

Remains uncontested since 1991 for 5 consecutive elections. In the last election in 2011, contestants were disqualified for submitting their forms THIRTY FIVE SECONDS late. Thanks to that particular clock/watch, it helps to preserve the unscathed record of Tanjong Pagar GRC uncontested for two decades.

The boundary pool of ministers:

It is just not about qualities but professions. You must fall within a particular kind of mould, namely in the form of army officers, civil servants, GLC leaders, doctors or lawyers.

The most undesirable trait of ministers:

That you do not come from the army, the civil service, the GLCs, medical profession (sorry, nursing excluded. Pls remember that nurses are classified as unskilled workers) and legal profession. If you do not fall within these boundaries of professions, wait for your next life for that chance to be ever parachuted into the Cabinet as long as PAP holds firmly to their political lifeline. Forget about PAP changing at its core. It is easier to remove all the spots on the leopard than to anticipate core changes within PAP.

From Ah Boys to Men: Yes, Sir!

6 out of 18 of our ministers come from an army background (LHL, CCS, TCJ, LHK, LTY and TCH). One third of our Cabinet is nurtured to the habit and demeanour of issuing orders to their subordinates.

Unfortunately, in the political context, there are no soldiers to command respect (note that it is to command respect instead of earning respect) but only citizens to be herded.

The loneliest department: PMO

So much so that it needs three ministers to warm up the temperature at PMO. Yes, three ministers without portfolio. Grace Fu, LSS and Iswaran. Equivalent to 16 % of the Cabinet manpower channelled to the PMO alone. And I thought LHL had challenges looking for sufficient talents to work for him in the Cabinet. Fyi, there is only ONE minister without any portfolio in the entire UK cabinet.

Cheaper, better and faster Cabinet?

Minister without portfolio LSS urged Singaporeans to improve productivity before dreaming about wage rise. His most famous advice for our workers is: cheaper, better and faster. Nevertheless, the contrary for our Cabinet ministers.

Take a look at our Cabinet size and price.

18 ministers (including PM) for a country of a population size of 5.3 million (as at 2012 and this figure is still growing) and over a land size of 710 km² with a total GDP (PPP) of US$327.557 billion (2012 IMF estimate).  

To put it simply, employing one minister for 0.244 million people per 39.4km². If we divide our total GDP over our Cabinet size, one minister would account for US$18.1 billion GDP produced.

Compare this to the UK cabinet. 32 ministers (including the PM) for a population of 63 million (as at 2011) over a land size of 243,610 km² with a total GDP (PPP) of US$2.316 trillion.

11 times our population, 342 times our land size and 3 times our total GDP but their Cabinet size is less than twice of ours and the salaries (excluding bonuses) alone for their entire Cabinet are lower than ours.

I would imagine that given the relative smaller population density, there is the advantage of swifter and greater control and response. Infrastructure and essentials such as healthcare, public transport and housing will be relatively easier to deal with. And crises too.

The reality in Singapore tells a different story. Think of the recent haze crisis. It was THREE days after PSI hit hazardous level that free N95 masks were distributed free of charge to the lower income groups.

Looking at the efficiency and the value for money of our Cabinet, LSS’ words on “cheaper, better and faster” only serve to irk.

活人的情绪

前英国首相撒切尔夫人仍健在时，已在网上浏览过对她不满的言论。英国政坛的铁女子，在执政时期所实施的措施，给一些人带来了负面的影响。

2013年，撒切尔夫人与世长辞。意想不到的是，不满言论变成了上街欢庆她逝世的行动。让人瞠目结舌。赤裸裸地展现了个人情绪，而且是在一名往生者的身上。于是，这些人的情感表露受到了批评，被指不尊重过世的人。

是的，我们总是不疑有他地遵守着不明文的规定，尽量美化死者。出自于对逝世者的尊重，也包含了对死者亲属的体谅。

尊重逝世者，所以人民的情绪应该有所收敛。

然而，人民的情绪，活着的人的情绪，政客们生前是否有同等地正视或尊重？政策影响的是一群人，活着的人。

一部分大肆庆祝撒切尔过世的人，曾经受到她政策长期负面影响。遭遇的人不是我，我无法感同身受。正因如此，无法否定他们对撒切尔所显露的情绪，更无权判定他们的情绪为非理性。

把视线从英国拉回狮城。

某名政客退出政坛时当着媒体落泪，被视为人的表现，人民必须受宠若惊，感动涕零。

然而，当某个高龄政客眷恋权势，迟迟不肯退下光环，甚至在选举时威迫选民；当他为了守着自己的政治势力，在未经审讯下就囚禁政敌，剥夺了一个人长达三十二年的人生；当他为了巩固英语的政治势力，把其他族群语言边缘化；当他信奉优生学而公开侮辱低教育者的子女不聪明；在他吹捧的高薪养廉下聘用的绝世贤才，把住屋作为套利的工具，让房价飚出了平均薪酬的负担水平、无理地扣住了人民有血有汗的公积金、开放移民政策吸纳大量新移民时……人民所表露的情绪，却被斥为非理智、不够远大。

然而，政客是否给予活着的人应有的尊重？是否正视活人的情绪？

尊重只能赢得，无法被指令。即使通过威迫来换取尊重，也只能是在世时才奏效。一朝入黄土，恐惧就会化成乌有。尊重也当场湮灭。

想要在身后获得多少分量的尊重，政客们别无他选。毕竟，尊重，也是一种人的情感。