In response to the govt call for ideas, here are 20 ideas. These are many ideas Singaporeans want to have implemented over time but the PAP due to its extreme right wing ideology has refused to implement any of them. But will the PAP be able to change? Come show us that it can overcome its own ideological barriers otherwise this whole national conversation will be just a national farce.
1. Get rid of ISA and ISD....Malaysia already done so. Replace the broad powers with anti-gang and anti-terrorist act. No democratic developed country under various security threats has ISA because it can be abused and causes fear among the populace.
2. Reduce defense spending to proper level. Singapore's defense spending to too high compared with neighboring countries. Various countries spend different amounts on defense ranging from zero to 6% of GDP. Singapore's defense is among the highest and very high relative to its neighbors. Experts estimate that the spending substantially lower is sufficient to protect Singapore. We have to make a proper trade-off between defense and the social needs of our citizens especially the elderly who have insufficient to retire and the sick who shoulder high cost of medical care.
3, Get rid of GRCs. This system has skewed the results of elections 40% vote against the PAP but is represented by 7% in the parliament. This system is worsen the problem of FPP (first past the post) election system vs an proportional representation system. A country can be strong and cohesive under proportional representation system because everyone's interest in properly represented such as in Israel. Skewing the representation in parliament is not inclusive.
4. Get rid of votes for upgrading priority scheme. It is undemocratic pork barrel politics.
5. Hard limit the number of foreigners now!!! Singaporeans already feel we have too many but businesses will always clamor for more. None of our competitors need to resort to the level of foreign influx to compete so why should we? It has gone well past the point that is good for ordinary Singaporeans.
6. Give more in scholarships to Singaporeans than to foreigners.
7. Implement minimum wage. Malaysia has done it so has Hong Kong. Hong Kong's study shows that while cost has risen for some businesses, this has been beneficial for workers and as a whole Hong Kongers welcome minimum wage. The PAP cannot be so right wing that it is more capitalistic than Hong Kong that existed in modern history as a colony not a nation.
8. Allow independent unions allow workers to form unions to protect their own rights. The main reason is with the union controlled by a PAP minister, we have undertaken a long journey of unbalanced policies than have undermined our workers especially low wage workers that need the most protection.
9. Adhere to UN Human Rights Declaration. Why is respecting human rights so difficult in Singapore? In the recent National Day speech, our PM claimed that the ungracious anti-FT of a small number of netizens is bad for Singapore's reputation. What about the PAP's human rights record? At the govt level refusing to adhere to UNHCR is bad for Singapore's reputation as the UNHCR establishes only basic protection for us as human beings - civilized developed countries go further than UNHCR.
10. Full transparency and accountability for GIC and Temasek. This is billions of tax payers money who is it so hard to let citizens know what is going on. Large part of it is our CPF money. This is what the citizens want and why are they denied. In many developed countries, the freedom of information act (FOIA) is established to give ordinary citizens full access information so long as it does not compromise national security. Why does the PAP govt want to operate in secrecy? How can there be greater trust when the PAP govt does not want to give citizens full access to information?
11. Implement universal healthcare scheme - preferably single payer system - so that every Singapore is well treated and no need to worry about medical financing. Every developed country now has it why not Singapore? Singaporeans shoulder the heaviest healthcare burden out of their pockets as a % of total expenditure compared with all developed countries.
12. Stop linking HDB price to market. It creates a vicious loop especially when the PAP govt insists on importing people in such large numbers. The upward pressure on public housing is enormous and high housing cost put Singaporeans into heavy debt.
13. Implement unemployment insurance to reduce worries of unemployment.
14. Supplement CPF so that elderly Singaporeans who contributed so much to Singapore can retire properly. The elderly were part of a generation that build Singapore to an economic power house. Many suffer today and do menial jobs because they earned low wages in the past and were unable to save when Singapore was a developing nation to help build Singapore. Seeing so many elderly workers doing menial back breaking work tells us there is a cold-heartedness and harshness that exists in our society yet in his National Day Rally, PM Lee spoke nothing about treating the old better but instead asked us to treat foreigners graciously - his can start by treating our old graciously. His attitude shows he value foreigners more than his own people even those who are now old and have contributed so much to the success of Singapore.
15. Reduce Income gap by reducing GST and increasing corporate and high income earners' tax. The relative share of wages in our GDP is low vs corporate profits - this is a result of pro-business policies pursued by the PAP. It is an fallacy to thing that an easy environment for big business equates to competitiveness. It does not and has not - it has breed constant demand for cheap labor and long term declining productivity.
16. Stop parachuting elites to state own enterprises. It is incestuous and result in conflict of interests. This is a perversion of meritocracy that has to stop. By deliberately allocating so much resources and opportunities to small group is not meritocratic but elitist in nature. It destroys the element of competition which is necessary to keep meritocracy healthy.
17. Stop the low wage, low productivity cycle by cutting employers from source of cheap foreign labor.
18. Revamp the transport system so that there is no compromise between quality of service and profits....get rid of Saw's legacy once and for all.
19. Get rid of all anti-democracy laws such as restoring our rights to protest, assemble and speak. We are now left further and further behind as more countries democratize and liberate its people.
20. Revamp our education system to "test less learn more". Stream less, less pressure, to create all round individuals with heart for our society. The system has it is puts to much emphasis on exams and does not cultivate a love for learning. The intense competition to get into various streams, secondary schools, results in unhealthy negative outcomes.
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