What I hate about the current Singapore

[Way2GO]

3Boys:

but I call your attention to this;

8. We must send a message to these operators that it will not be business as usual after the gifting of the 550 additional buses that comes complete with drivers and full maintenance. Because at the end of the day, the commuters should be the one smiling and not their shareholders.

Populist statement, aimed at voters, hailed by many on TOC.

In other words, stick it to the PTOs and the shareholders.

If this is what we want, this is what we will get.

Maybe you are cheering, but I feel a cold chill down my spine.

I certainly fail to see para 8 as a populist statement pandering to win votes.
I read d whole speech as PEH asking for accountability n transparency.

D bus companies r public listed companies. Temasek Holdings is a major stakeholder in these GLCs?
Shd taxpayers money be used for capital investment n operating costs in public listed companies?
Why not float shares in open market to fund d purchases of new buses?

Then FM Tharman tabled a bill n it was passed in Parliament without much debate in Aug 2008 to abolish Estate Duty with IMMEDIATE effect.
Unbeknownst to d public at dat time, d late KGC had just suffered two strokes in May n June of dat year.
How I wish there were more MPs to inquire about d exquisite timing of d removal of Estate Duty with IMMEDIATE effect when d bill was tabled.
We need to hv d transparency n accountability to citizens for a better SG.
Not business as usual, which can only bode well for SG. :rahrah:

[3Boys]

limlim:

Look at SMRT, trains frequently breakdown, but they are are looking at rental biz..?

You look at NS line performance for the first decade of operation, and the circle line breakdown within ONE week of operation.. same company, different management.

Now, infrastructure funded by govt and taxpayer BUT profits are privatized. How can this be good? Please explain.

I'd like to know which benchmark you use in terms of service standards. If there is convincing data that public transport systems consistently outperform privatised ones worldwide, then ok, you win.

SMRT is a listed company, if you believe that they are making obscene amounts of money and distributing it to their shareholders, it'll only cost you a couple of thousand of S$ to partake in the gravy train.

The problem is that you are looking at things in isolation without reference points. SMRT has never had a fatal accident whilst the German ICE has had a few, does it mean SMRT is better than German ICE? You've got to do an apples to apples comparison. Who's to say a public system can outperform SMRT?

[Way2GO]

3Boys:

tuition_czar:

Perhaps when the chips are finally all down and everyone starts eating one another, you might change your mind Singapore is a fantastic place to be in.

And when might that be? If we love the place, then we have a responsibility to not eat each other.

It’s already happening if u look closely. Big fish eats small fishes, subtly.
To keep d peace, Big fish feeds small fishes scraps to keep them fr starving n keep them off d streets by putting them in small fish tanks.
Eyes r kept on d small fishes. Any outstanding small fish is co-opted to join d group of Big Fish.
If willing, d small fish becomes one of them, soon forgets he was once fr d multitude of small fishes feeding off algae to keep d tanks clean n pristine n plants flourishing for outside observers to exclaim, “wow! wat a nice environment to live in!”.
A small fish who joins d Big Fish is not going to speak out against itself. Smart move.

[3Boys]

Way2GO:

It’s already happening if u look closely. Big fish eats small fishes, subtly.
To keep d peace, Big fish feeds small fishes scraps to keep them fr starving n keep them off d streets by putting them in small fish tanks.
Eyes r kept on d small fishes. Any outstanding small fish is co-opted to join d group of Big Fish.
If willing, d small fish becomes one of them, soon forgets he was once fr d multitude of small fishes feeding off algae to keep d tanks clean n pristine n plants flourishing for outside observers to exclaim, “wow! wat a nice environment to live in!”.
A small fish who joins d Big Fish is not going to speak out against itself. Smart move.

Ha Ha! That's funny!

[Way2GO]

3Boys:

kiddo:

:hi5: :hi5: :celebrate: :snuggles: :hugs: :grphug: you mean like this
with just one or two like this still ok :stompfeet:
:evil:
I think i will learn to be Vegan but i think eat fish better ...not meat

:rotflmao:

I don't think Singaporeans taste very good, too much bitterness

There's a Chinese saying dat goes something like -
one must be able to eat bitterness to taste success.

Eating bitterness is gud.
Too much rich food will give u gout! :rotflmao:

[verykiasu2010]

3Boys:

Portugal, Italy, Greece and Spain

And no, I'm not talking about football.

food ball, that is

[Way2GO]

3Boys:

Way2GO:

It’s already happening if u look closely. Big fish eats small fishes, subtly.
To keep d peace, Big fish feeds small fishes scraps to keep them fr starving n keep them off d streets by putting them in small fish tanks.
Eyes r kept on d small fishes. Any outstanding small fish is co-opted to join d group of Big Fish.
If willing, d small fish becomes one of them, soon forgets he was once fr d multitude of small fishes feeding off algae to keep d tanks clean n pristine n plants flourishing for outside observers to exclaim, “wow! wat a nice environment to live in!”.
A small fish who joins d Big Fish is not going to speak out against itself. Smart move.

Ha Ha! That's funny!

I hit ur funny bone or something closer to d heart?

[verykiasu2010]

Way2GO:

3Boys:

[quote=\"kiddo\"]
:hi5: :hi5: :celebrate: :snuggles: :hugs: :grphug: you mean like this
with just one or two like this still ok :stompfeet:
:evil:
I think i will learn to be Vegan but i think eat fish better ...not meat

:rotflmao:

I don't think Singaporeans taste very good, too much bitterness

There's a Chinese saying dat goes something like -
one must be able to eat bitterness to taste success.

Eating bitterness is gud.
Too much rich food will give u gout! :rotflmao:[/quote]Mao Tse Dong said : \"Everyone must eat some bitterness\"

[3Boys]

Way2GO:

3Boys:

[quote=\"Way2GO\"]
It’s already happening if u look closely. Big fish eats small fishes, subtly.
To keep d peace, Big fish feeds small fishes scraps to keep them fr starving n keep them off d streets by putting them in small fish tanks.
Eyes r kept on d small fishes. Any outstanding small fish is co-opted to join d group of Big Fish.
If willing, d small fish becomes one of them, soon forgets he was once fr d multitude of small fishes feeding off algae to keep d tanks clean n pristine n plants flourishing for outside observers to exclaim, “wow! wat a nice environment to live in!”.
A small fish who joins d Big Fish is not going to speak out against itself. Smart move.

Ha Ha! That's funny!

I hit ur funny bone or something closer to d heart? [/quote]Being eaten?

[verykiasu2010]

tuition_czar:

3Boys:

Of course, and its too bad. Its a free country, if they feel they can do better elsewhere, then certainly its their prerogative to leave.

Hot potato issues? I think we've had it good for too long, we've become a navel-gazing society. A little bit of adversity and we go yelling to mama. Try 50% youth unemployment in Spain.

You are highly delusional if you really think this is a free country. You speak as if it is so easy to uproot and go away for good. If that was the case, we would have witnessed a mass exodus by now. Many of the poor and middle class are enslaved to their 30-40 year housing loans debts-how exactly can they simply pack up and say goodbye?

they can sell the flats, cash in the profit, redeem the loan, zero debt, pack up, and go

just purely from the pov of getting rid of debt to uproot. not impossible. just willing or not ?