Why I cannot join SPP to contest in Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC

Some netizens have expressed their wish that I avoid a 3-corner fight with SPP and reconsider the suggestion by a cadre member of SPP to join them instead to contest in Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC.

I am glad that there is an intense interest in the contest in Potong Pasir SMC which would otherwise have been just another one of those constituencies with only 2 choices for voters in the coming general elections.

Please allow me to explain why the suggestion is not workable. 

1. I have no wish to be a party-hopper and made this commitment to myself when I joined the National Solidarity Party ("NSP"). I repeated this commitment to myself when I left NSP. 

2. There are many former members from NSP who have joined SPP. If I join SPP, I will be seen as part of the NSP faction in SPP and this will not be in the best interests of SPP.

3. Every political party has its internal politics and I am totally unfamiliar with SPP's culture and internal workings. And I have no wish to be embroiled in any internal party politics at this time.

4. It would not be fair for me to displace anyone in the team that has already been formed to contest in Bishan-Toa Payoh for all the efforts that he/she may have put in.

5. It takes time for the members in SPP's team for the Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC to know each other and they would have formed their synergy by now. It would not be right for me to disrupt their team spirit at this crucial time.

I thank all those netizens who support my decision to contest in Potong Pasir SMC and those who encourage me to remain firm in my decision. May the best candidate in Potong Pasir SMC win on his or her own merits.

THEME: Medical Care and Costs

There is an old saying by Singaporeans that derides the medical costs in Singapore. It says that in Singapore, you cannot afford to fall sick and it is better to die. The underlying sentiment is that the costs of medical care and treatment is beyond affordability.

Medical costs have been constantly rising like the earth's surface temperature and in the last five years, there has been a sharp rise in private healthcare costs (Read HERE). The fastest rising component appears to be doctors' bills. According to a report, the costs of doctors in private practice have jumped very significantly and even a simple lumbar disc surgery by a junior doctor has shot up 5 times from S$5,000 to S$ 25,000. The other components that have risen rapidly are clinic costs and overheads.

When private medical costs shoot up, there will be a flow of private patients into the public healthcare system. Medication and lab tests fee have risen across the board. Over at the 18 neighbourhood polyclinics, even the costs of consultation have risen. Singaporean adults pay up to S$11.90 and children and non-pioneer generation patients pay a maximum of S$6.80 for basic consultation. Up from S$11.00 to S$11.30 and S$6.10 and S$6.40 in October 2014. The reason given was that operating costs such as utilities, infrastructure, equipment and inflation, have gone up.

There does not appear to be a ceiling to the medical costs that patients have to pay and the sky is the limit. The recent case of a Singapore surgeon charging a foreign patient S$ 24.8 million has sent shock waves throughout the land. Doctoring is seen as the most lucrative professions to be in and many doctors prefer to practice plastic surgery and aesthetic medicine which are considered the most profitable. With high medical costs, "pay as charged" medical insurance became popular but these policies began to see medical costs rising even higher as they encourage doctors to charge higher fees with insurers footing the bill. Medical tourism brought in well-heeled patients who are willing to pay high charges for health screenings and various surgical procedures, leading to a vicious cycle of higher and higher medical costs.

How can we address the concerns of ever-rising medical costs in a fast expanding population where the number of aged people is growing rapidly and further ensure that all those who need medical care will not be left out? I will share some of my thoughts in my next blog.

THEME: Employment

One of the biggest bugbears for Singaporeans has been the growing competition for jobs as a result of the long-standing "foreign talent" policy. 

The policy was intended to supplement our local workforce with expatriate talents to sharpen and maintain Singapore's competitiveness in the new global economy. This policy initially saw an influx of British and European expatriates into our banking, financial and advertising sectors who had the relevant skills, expertise and network that made a real difference. Later, it developed into a fashion statement to have these expatriates working in the company, a reminder of our colonial mentality.

With an aging population and falling birth rate, the "foreign talent" policy took a twist and denigrated into what is generally perceived as "cheaper foreign talent" policy. Combined with the open door policy on immigration based on the white paper to expand our population to 6.9 million by year 2030, Singapore became the hot destination for PMTs (professionals, managers, executives and managers) coming from Europe, China, India, Philippines, Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand. 

These foreign job-seekers were attracted by the strong Sing dollar and our favourable job climate for foreigners, fostered by constant refrains from the policy-makers that gave these PMETS the mistaken belief that we needed them more than they needed us. Whilst Singaporeans were answering to the calls to re-skill or upgrade their skills to improve their productivity, PMETs were recruited to fill job vacancies to avoid down-time. Contract appointments soon became more permanent appointments and younger PMETs with greater work-commitment were seen to be favoured over aging local PMETs.

The lower remuneration packages for foreign PMETs, as compared to Singaporeans, are attractive enough to make them leave their families and home countries and to work and live in Singapore. Apart from better pay packages and working conditions, housing schemes were introduced to provide them with affordable and comfortable accommodations. These schemes paved the way for permanent residents ("PR") to own HDB flats and to bring their families here to be with them. The number of PRs owning HDB flats run into the tens of thousands (Read HERE). Amongst these PR-owned flats, thousands are rented out by PRs who spend most of their time outside Singapore and there are also PRs who own also own private property at the same time. A diaspora of foreign communities quickly emerged in our local housing estates, giving rise to communal tensions due to cultural differences.

According to the statistics in 2014 (Read HERE), there are now 3.343 million Singapore citizens and more than 527,000 permanent residents living in Singapore. An average of 18,500 foreigners are granted citizenship each year with 30,000 new permanent residency given out (Read HERE). Singaporeans are getting hot under their collars and many are feeling immense pressure competing for work, accommodation and transport in their own land from these new citizens and permanent residents. Singapore-born PMETs who have lost their jobs are attributing their unemployment to cheaper foreign and many are unable to find re-employment in the same line. PMETs. 

From a warm and hospitable people that was always ready to embrace new arrivals onto our shores, Singaporeans are now generally perceived as being nationalistic and less tolerant of foreigners who live and work here. What can we do to help assuage the feelings of a people that has been hurt by a long period of "hands-off" approach in job competition without hurting the economic progress and stability of our nation?