We know in singapore current system, whoever get the most MPs form the next governement. However serving in consitituency do not need ministerial level. Neither will capable MPs elected mean national policies will be aligned to our thoughts.
I just wrote an article on it. Welcome comment.
http://cory-investor.blogspot.com/2011/0...apore.html
Cory
I think I am one of the very few people in my circles of friends that has voted in every single General Elections since I was old enough to vote.
I was previously living in Hougang but has moved away since the last GE 2006.
To put thing in prospective, life in an opposition ward (as far as estate management goes) is ok. The Hougang Town Council did an OK job in keeping the estate clean and carrying out the required maintenance works. So when the PAP talks about opposition town council not being able to manage the town well and the town will turn into slum, I laughed. I'm not sure what the experience is like over at Potong Pasir, Nee Soon Central (when it was held by opposition) so I will not comment.
In the current GE, I have to say that I haven't seen much of either candidates - after the last GE, before nomination or during the current campaign. So it will be hard for me to vote on the basis of the candidates themselves. To be honest, I am terribly impressive with either candidates. So most likely my choice will have to be based on party politics.
I vote with my heart and my mind... My vote goes to.... But hey, that's secret!
Quote:When we pay a minister over $5000 a day, but give a Singaporean on public assistance only $11 a day, we need to reflect on what we mean by progress as a nation. When we increase the compensation for our political office holders by 30% this year, while real median household income only increase by 0.3%, we need to reflect, we need to reflect on what we mean by public service.
(05-05-2011, 11:50 PM)Jon-san Wrote: [ -> ]I vote with my heart and my mind... My vote goes to.... But hey, that's secret!
hehe, by saying your 'heart and mind'...double confirmed u vote for opposition...which ward r u from?
No secret lah, nowadays....i can openly tell u
my family give PAP 0- OPP 3, lucky my son a CCC member induced in during army day cos he a honor degree graduate , now oversea back after election...if not sure........
(06-05-2011, 12:31 AM)violinist Wrote: [ -> ]When we pay a minister over $5000 a day, but give a Singaporean on public assistance only $11 a day, we need to reflect on what we mean by progress as a nation. When we increase the compensation for our political office holders by 30% this year, while real median household income only increase by 0.3%, we need to reflect, we need to reflect on what we mean by public service.
Singapore minister is highly paid and so is our civil service.
Let's take a look at Ministry of Education
Guesstimate only...
Annual pay
Junior Teacher $50000
Senior Teacher $70000
Department Head $100000
Pri/Sec Principal $150000
JC Principal/Poly Department head $200000
Poly School Director $250000
Poly Principal $300000
MOE director $350000
MOE deputy secretary $400000
MOE Director-General of Education $600000
MOE Second Permanent Secretary $800000
MOE Permanent Secretary $1000000
So.. Minister pay should be ???
In Singapore, we pay civil servants well in order to attract good people to join. So, in order to pay the civil servant highly, is it necessary to pay the higher management aka Ministers at a higher rate than the civil servants?
So, if we think that the Minister does not deserve this pay, so shall we reduce the minister pay and at the same time, reduce the rest of the civil servant pay proportionally?
IMHO, it is not necessary or right to pay top dollars - similar to the private sector - to our political appointees and top civil servants.
Our political appointees should be doing what they want for their lives and Singapore, driven mainly by their personal political beliefs and ambitions - just like what Sylvia Lim, Low Thia Khiang, and Chen Show Mao of the Workers' Party are doing.
As for our top civil servants, it is more a matter of their personal career choice, including working in a large and more stable civil service environment - when compared with the private sector - and having the possibililities of long-term career path planning and sponsored continuous further education and training.
Quite obviously, our political appointees and top civil servants are over-paid by world standards! That in itself is already wrong!
I agree with Yeokiwi on our minister salaries. What I do not agree is that they serve too many of other roles especially in the private sector that would be an outright conflict of interest.
Let me put it another way, how do you know the Opposition members are not motivated similarly by the good pay and kinda of easy life? No one knows their real agenda. Even if they say they are passionate in serving the people, do they have the determination to overcome the obvious obstacles they going to face in the parliament for the next 5 years? It is easy to say that "I can" for 2 weeks or so but do you think they have the experience, contacts and courage to last throughout the battle?
IMO, the opposition parties are kinda humorous in my opinion. If they really want to win the conviction of the people, they should start planning 4 years ago when they lost the previous GE and not promise to come up with actions within 100 days after they are elected. What kind of basis are we voting them for? Moreover, when I look at all the opposition parties, they are opposing for the sake of opposing. If you want to have a revolution, the fundamental should begin from the parties' ideal and principles and these prinicples should guide them towards the direction they want to. It should not be the case that we give everything to what people are asking for.
Most people would judge a politician firstly, by his character and motivations. And the easiest way is to listen and think about his words and arguments, by watching his public speeches.
A good example from this GE2011 is WP's Chen Show Mao.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=If1bXl7gZ_0 [1st rally speech on 28Apr11]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Le9fAMWZspg [Last rally speech on 5May11]
Chen as a promising new politician is good, real, and has matured in the past week! He will have many supporters!
(06-05-2011, 08:21 AM)dydx Wrote: [ -> ]IMHO, it is not necessary or right to pay top dollars - similar to the private sector - to our political appointees and top civil servants.
Agreed. private sector got such thing called "retrenchment", while public service have none.
However, IMHO, whosoever vote for opp must prepare to let opp run government(Freak result is highly possible).
For me, will vote based on either Party(which PAP has done badly this round) or Credible Candidate(Some Opp candidate propose drawing National Reserve Fund make me very eery).