Senior Minister Goh's TOP 10 LIST

Posted: August 3, 2009 by fievel in Labels: ,
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Straits Times featured a top ten list on its front page today, it's SM Goh's top 10 challenges ahead for Singapore. These are my first thoughts on reading the list...honestly, just plain first thoughts.

Ten challenges ahead for S'pore...
1. How to maintain high economic growth and improve living standard?
What is SM Goh's or PAP's definition of "improving living standard"? Get the definition out in the papers for us to understand what we are really working towards. Clearly defined goals get us there better. Enough with the vagueness. So far it seems they got it wrong for most of us...there hasn't been a real change for most of us in the past decade; more trains? Yes...but much much more people...More jobs and more wage? But much much more inflation...
On the contrary, their living standard definitely improved by leaps and bounds. Maybe we should consider paying $2M annual salary to the real experts of "improving living standards". Someone from Norway preferably...

2. How to convince Singaporeans their lives will get better?
Why focus on the convincing? Just make it better already. Enough with the convincing.

3. How to satisfy transport demands of the next generation?
By realizing our growth story cannot depend on continued growth in population, we need real upward growth in productivity, we need to shift away from low wage competition. Then, we'll be fine with the transport as it is even though its horribly crowded, at least we've stopped it from getting worse. Stop adopting irresponsible, short term fixes. Maybe we won't be here to bear the burden when that day comes, but our next generation will. The kids won't want to live in an overcrowded island even if you have MRT trains criss-crossing everywhere. It just sucks!

4. How to stamp out new diseases and keep health-care costs down?
Stamp out new diseases? That's not for us to control. Keeping health-care costs down...again, definition please. Is it the cost to the public coffers or is it the costs to the individual citizen? I hope your answer was - both. This one has me scratching my head.

5. How to design job training programmes and wage supplement schemes for low-income older workers.
Norwegian brother is needed once again. So far we've been pretty sucky at this as well.

6. How to get younger Singaporeans to marry and have children?
How about changing the way people have to either wait 3 - 4 years for a public housing or pay crazy dollars on the market for an older one? No nest=no eggs, Sir.

7. How to support the growing elderly population?
Definitely not by plainly importing younger workers who are not going to stay if u ask them to share this burden one day. Maybe we could invest some of our public coffers into US Treasury bonds rather than letting some woman gamble it away we'll do better with supporting the aged.

8. How to deal with scarce land resources?
Not by bringing in much more people, period.

9. How to bond Singaporeans overseas to their homeland?
They are already bonded, they love coming back every once in a while for a Charkuayteow and marvel at Singapore's progress then go back to their new country. But if you are talking about the kind of bond that bears $$$ value I'm not sure how either. Maybe can give them discount for buying a long term property here to rent out. That way, the first place they'll think of running to when they have got any problems one day would be to come back here. But in all fairness "quitters" shouldn't get more discount than the "stayers", SM Goh.

10. How to ensure Singaporeans of different faiths continue to mix with one another and respect one another's faith?
I think PAP is doing well with the racial harmony project. Religious harmony, shouldn't require too different an approach, no?

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