A Singaporean, who has migrated to Australia and continued to visit Singapore regularly, made this observation about transparency of Government.
In Australia, there is a free media that is willing to criticize government decisions that they consider to be bad. The academics, i.e. university professors, are also willing to argue the issues independently.The ministers had to go on television and radio to defend their policies against critics.
He observed that some of the statements made by ministers in Singapore would never survive the debate in Australia.
He made research on certain issues and found it difficult to get the relevant statistics in Singapore. In Australia,t he statistics are produced by an independent agency, are available at a detailed level and are not controlled by the government. The quality of the statistics are much better than in Singapore.
When he first migrated to Australia, he felt that Australia would give a better future for his family. After 40 years, he still felt the same, although the conditions in the two countries had changed considerably. He like the openness, transparency and accountability found in Australia.
Tan Kin Lian
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Do you hear the people sing?
This song, taken from Les Miserables, echoes the anger of a people who suffers for the unfairness and hardship of life. Does it apply to Singapore?
http://blog.dk.sg/2011/05/06/do-you-hear-the-people-sing-singing-a-song-of-angry-men/
http://blog.dk.sg/2011/05/06/do-you-hear-the-people-sing-singing-a-song-of-angry-men/
Stagnant wages
A Singaporean who migrated to Australia 40 years ago told me this story. In 1987, he saw an advertisement in a shop in Toa Payoh for an assistant, that offered a salary of $1,200 a month. He proudly told his friends in Australia that Singapore was making good progress and the salaries would soon catch up with Australia. But, the situation did not improve as expected.
Instead of going up, salaries had remained stagnant (and had actually declined) over the past 25 years. If Singapore had made progress, the salary for a shop assistant should be $3,000 today - allowing for the change in cost of living. Instead of improving, the wages had stagnated. Many Singaporeans are being squeezed by the rising cost of living and stagnant wages.
Tan Kin Lian
Instead of going up, salaries had remained stagnant (and had actually declined) over the past 25 years. If Singapore had made progress, the salary for a shop assistant should be $3,000 today - allowing for the change in cost of living. Instead of improving, the wages had stagnated. Many Singaporeans are being squeezed by the rising cost of living and stagnant wages.
Tan Kin Lian
Meeting Singaporeans in Sydney
Four Singaporeans contacted me by e-mail and offered to meet me in Sydney. I met a family for dinner this evening. They migrated to Australia 40 years ago, but still maintained close ties with Singapore and visited their family in Singapore regularly over the years. They are able to give me an interesting perspective of the difference in the thinking, values and way of life between the people and government of Singapore and Australia. They were very proud of Singapore in the old days and ask now, "What is happening in Singapore recently?" I shall write about this matter over the next few weeks.
I will be meeting other Singaporeans or talking to them over the telephone over the next few days.
Tan Kin Lian
I will be meeting other Singaporeans or talking to them over the telephone over the next few days.
Tan Kin Lian
Prepare for an increase in population
On the plane to Sydney, I saw an article in The Australian newspaper. There was some discussion about a proposal to increase the population of Australia. The government did not specify a numerical target but stated that the increase in population should be built based on the capacity of communities to cope with a larger population, i.e. the housing, schooling, medical and other facilities.
This is a different approach taken from Singapore - where the floodgates were opened and the inadequate facilities became evident caught the leaders by surprise. We should replace our old style of governance, which is based on behind the door planning by a small group of elites, who are out of touch with what is happening on the ground. We need to change our system of governance to be more open, transparent and participative. It will lead to better planning for the future, and reduce the negative impacts of bad planning.
Tan Kin Lian
This is a different approach taken from Singapore - where the floodgates were opened and the inadequate facilities became evident caught the leaders by surprise. We should replace our old style of governance, which is based on behind the door planning by a small group of elites, who are out of touch with what is happening on the ground. We need to change our system of governance to be more open, transparent and participative. It will lead to better planning for the future, and reduce the negative impacts of bad planning.
Tan Kin Lian
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