Our transportation is getting from good to bad to horrible. To drive a car in Singapore, you got to apply for COE (Certificate of Entitlement) that costs as much as the car itself. COE is now fluctuating between $30000 and $60000. Taxi prices just rose again, having taxi ‘surcharge’ from 6pm to 10am the following day. So there’s only 8 hours of non-peak periods where you don’t have to pay for surcharge. The taxi companies might as well just add surcharge for the entire day! Now those who can’t afford to drive or take taxis, they have to resort to the MRT – which is failing too! There have been 3 break downs in the past few days! What is wrong with our transport system???

What has our failing transportation system got to do with foreigners and the government? Everything.

The reason why Singaporeans are unhappy with influx of foreigners here is because we are not given preferential treatment. Foreigners are given so much incentive to come to Singapore that us Singaporeans feel as though we’re marginalized and we are the sacrifice to ‘build’ Singapore. With more foreigners pouring into Singapore, I fail to see the immediate benefits of having so many foreign workers but the negative social and cultural corrosion is becoming more obvious.

Our trains are flooded with foreign workers, many of them hard laborers board the trains with a stench of unpleasant body odor. Trains need to keep up with the number of commuters so they increase their frequencies, but our MRTs have been breaking down and SMRT have no idea how to deal with angry and unhappy commuters. Crime rates are increasing, more people are committing suicide. Our birth rates are declining as this society has become so stressful that people have no mood or time to have sex. Inflation and cost of living keeps rising, but our salaries remain stagnant. Some people feel that it is easier to find a job in Singapore if you are a foreigner! I’m not sure if that is true, but I won’t be surprised. Singaporeans are too arrogant to take a job that pays $2000 a month? No, we are not too arrogant. How does someone earn $2000 a month support a family in Singapore when everything is so expensive now??

We are unhappy because we decided to make Singapore our home, our ancestors decided to make this our home. We shouldn’t have to bear the consequences of letting the flood gates open for foreigners by compromising our quality of transport, quality of service, unscrupulous hiring tactics, corroding our Singlish and Singaporeness - all in the name of building Singapore’s economy. Who are we building this economy up for? For them or for us? After building up a world class economy, if foreigners are allowed to enjoy it as much as Singaporeans, then what pride should we have to be a Singaporean? The problem isn’t foreigners, but foreigners that did not pledge their allegiance to Singapore like I did. If you want to stay here, be a citizen! Serve the nation! Learn bloody Singlish!

What the government can look into is setting penalties for Singapore PRs for forfeiting their application for citizenship. Singapore PRs gets almost similar benefits to Singaporean, but they can leave any time since they are holding other nationalities at the same time. What I’ve heard is that some Singapore PRs even buy HDBs, and when they earn enough in Singapore, they sell their HDBs for a profit and return to their home country to retire! How about increasing taxes on foreigners based on income? How about limiting number of houses and cars they are allowed to own in Singapore? How about making it more difficult for Singaporeans to get sacked or retrenched? Besides English tests, how about implementing oral examinations and hygiene lessons for foreign workers!

Perhaps my suggestions may come across as very Nationalistic, but if the government continues the way it does, can Singapore still make it? Let Singapore love us as we love Singapore. Let us feel that this country deserves for us to defend and protect.

We Are Singapore

There was a time when people said
That Singapore won’t make it, but we did
There was a time when troubles seemed too much
For us to take, but we did
We built a nation, strong and free, reaching out together
For peace and harmony

Chorus 1:
This is my country, this is my flag
This is my future, this is my life
This is my family, these are my friends
We are Singapore, Singaporeans

Singapore our homeland, it’s here that we belong
All of us united, one people marching on
We’ve come so far together, our common destiny
Singapore forever, a nation strong and free

( Repeat Chorus 1 )

( Sung )
We the citizens of Singapore
Pledge ourselves as one united people
Regardless of race, language or religion
To build a democratic society
Based on justice and equality
So as to achieve happiness
Prosperity and progress for our nation

Chorus 2:
We are Singapore, we are Singapore
We will stand together, hear the lion roar
We are Singapore, we are Singapore
We’re a nation strong and free forevermore

( Repeat Chorus 1 & 2 )

We are Singapore, Singaporeans ( X 2 )

Related posts:

1. Not Enough Foreign Workers in Singapore?
2. My Vote Counts [Singapore General Elections 2011]
3. The Flaws of Singapore’s GRC System

1. Do not add hundreds and thousands of “random” friends on your facebook unless you don’t mind not knowing who has access to your information. It really depends on how comfortable are you sharing your personal information online. With Adelyn Hosehbo’s facebook page, there are quite a few “friends” of hers that are mocking and scolding her publicly on facebook.

2. Check your facebook privacy settings. In Adelyn Hosehbo’s profile page, you don’t need to be her friend to see things posted on her wall. Again, how much would you want to show the world – while not knowing who is reading it.

3. Don’t post things that may potentially be harmful to yourself. Eg. Posting that you slapped your mother, stole a car, commited a murder… things like these should be kept to yourself. If I slapped my mother, I would probably be too ashamed to even tell my closest friends. Your potential employers might actually see all those on your facebook someday… Go get a diary if you really need to pen it down. I wonder if this generation people still use diary or not…

4. Don’t post your school for public to view if you are likely to get stomped. See now everyone in Singapore knows that Adelyn Hosehbo was from Marsling Secondary School. Not a very good image for your alma mater.

5. Last but not least……… If any readers reading this post has violent tendencies like Adelyn, please speak to your school counsellor or approach counselling centres near your home. A list of VWOs in Singapore can be found here http://www.ncss.org.sg/vwocorner/members_list.asp

I do not like STOMP as it is breeding an anonymous self-righteous vigilante platform as I voiced my opinion here before http://www.deadpris.com/2008/12/16/stomp-singapores-most-disgusting-seen/ but these kids should have seen it coming *sigh*

There are always consequences to your actions.

UPDATE 3/11/2011: Seems like Adelyn read my blogpost and changed her facebook privacy setting. Good girl.

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Straits Times 26 October 2011 reported, again, “Firms feel impact of foreign worker crunch”. The article went on portraying how businesses finds it difficult to hire both Singaporeans and foreigners, with 4 different reports of businesses not able to find workers. However, when I read the article, this is what I felt they were trying to say:

1. Businesses do not want to hire Singaporeans because they are too demanding.

“We are willing to pay $2500, higher than the $2000 we pay for foreigners, for a new local, but they tell us, ‘Saturday, Sunday I don’t work. Go out sea to troubleshoot, very tough, cannot’.”

“Most don’t have the patience – they quit halfway and become property agents”

“Some job seekers asked “Does the bus stop in front of your shop?” and “Can I get a cash advance?”.”

Well, I don’t think Singaporeans being concerned about their job welfare is a problem. Employers want to hire quality labor for as cheap as possible while employees want to find a job that pays well enough for the amount of work and trouble they have to be put through. Fair? I’m sure these employers would be so happy to find workers that work 7 days a week for $400. Do they care that our salary has been stagnant for the last 10 to 20 years and the cost of living is increasing?

2. Implying that foreigners are cheaper and better workers than Singaporeans.

It’s possibly true! These foreigners earn peanuts in their home countries. When they come Singapore, they are earning many times more than of what they would get back home. They come with experience, knowledge and are more humbled and appreciative of their jobs (probably). Then why don’t these companies just go to China or India to set up their companies instead?

Singapore has a great infrastructure, safety, government stability etc. etc. that is what attracts big businesses here. Should foreign workers instead of Singaporean workers be reaping the benefits of having such a great country? We didn’t set up this awesome place to attract investors and businesses just to have foreigners come and reap the reward that is suppose to be ours.

Ok. Let’s take a look at this from 3 different views of Singaporean workers.

Singaporean A – The lowly educated

In my line of work, I interact with many lower income and educated families. Many of whom work jobs that pays less than $1000 a month. Assuming that both parents are working, they earn a total of less than $2500 a month. These are the drivers, the delivery men, food packers, hard laborers, technicians etc. I really wonder how does a family of 5 survive on $2500 a month! HUH? A driver earns $1000 a month?? Are you sure?? Yeah of course they only earn $1000 a month… The company can easily hire a foreigner to work for $1000 a month, so why would they want to pay locals any more than that?

Singaporean B – educated

I hear this from a friend who works in the hotel industry. She is a fresh graduate with a degree and she only earns $1500 a month, working 6 days shift! Her Filipino colleagues working the same position earns $1800 a month holding S-pass. The only reason why a Singaporean earns $1500 a month and Filipino earns $1800 a month is because it is a requirement to attain an S-pass and employers do not pay CPF for foreigners. How is it that a degree holder should have to earn such minimal wage in a country like Singapore??? If there were no supplies of foreign workers in her sector, perhaps hotels would have to offer higher pay to attract locals to work.

I’ve got yet another friend, who is a foreigner, earns only $1800 a month and he was given an employment pass (E-Pass). This was approved after the General Election 2011 this year. When the government said they were going to raise the E-pass requirement to $2800… they actually meant $1800 is it?

Singaporean C – The highly educated

Studying a post-graduate course in Singapore, I was hoping to some day earn lots of money. I don’t. This I don’t blame the foreign workers but the under developed sector of psychology, counseling and social work. I found it difficult to accept that my current pay is less that of someone working in MacDonald in Australia. If I were to find work in a westernized country, I would get at least twice that of my current pay.

This is what is happening to many brilliant, smart, educated Singaporeans… They would rather work overseas than to stay in Singapore. What is there for them here? The public transports over crowded with China and Indian nationals? The higher competition their children may receive in schools due to foreigners? The fear of cooking curry at their own homes? The poor services we receive from non-English speaking staffs? The stressful, fast-paced life that does not even allow you to have quality family time anymore, don’t talk about even having kids! Where got time to even have sex!

I was not born in Singapore but I grew up here and I am proud to call myself a Singaporean. I have nothing against foreigners and I am not xenophobic. I have a problem with Singapore’s current legislation and the direction of which the country is heading. My parents thought Singapore was a great place to migrate and bring up their children… slowly but surely… Singapore is losing all the factors that made Singapore so unique and great.

All in all, we do need foreign workers in Singapore, but not at the expense of affecting the livelihood and quality of life of other Singaporeans living here like you and I.

News article:

Related posts:

1. We are Singapore, Singaporeans – Are we?
2. The Flaws of Singapore’s GRC System
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However, I read a few citations that disputes this claim:

These details were narrated by Mdm Hwang to senior consultant psychiatrist Francis Ngui on Jan 15, 2009 when she was ordered by the court to take a psychiatric assessment.

Taking the stand on Wednesday, Dr Ngui told the court that Mdm Hwang, who has been suffering from dementia since 2000, was an “emotionally feisty elderly lady with a witty personality”.

She told Dr Ngui that she was very annoyed that OCBC had locked up her money unreasonably. Mdm Hwang said she wanted to use the money to travel and buy property. She also wanted Ms Hsu to look after her money if her memory worsened.

He added that “the presence of dementia is not synonymous with being mentally incompetent to make financial decisions” and it must be severe enough to affect her judgement for her to be deemed incompetent.

Taken from: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1035225/1/.html

And…

A clinical psychologist who assessed Mdm Hwang in March 2008 also took the stand. Dr Zena Kang said that although Mdm Hwang had a deficit in short-term memory, she was “alert, lucid and responsive to all questions” and “did not appear to have cognitive disturbances”.

Taken from: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1034950/1/.html

If the court’s decision is solely based on Madam Hwang’s mental capacity at the time of the bank incident, then I don’t see how the testimony of 2 psychologists aren’t good enough. The only clear problem she had with alzheimer was her short term memory. Her cognition, based on the reports, seemed to be intact and lucid.

I’m really really curious on what grounds did the courts side OCBC on the matter. Perhaps there are other underlying reasons, such as Madam Hwang’s will. But if it’s ruled based ONLY at her mental capacity, then I feel that the Singapore justice system is really insulting folks with alzheimer and dementia! They may be old, their brains might not be functioning as before, their short-term memory may be affected – it doesn’t mean that they are incapable of making decisions! Why bother having psychologists and psychiatrists around if the court has the final say to who is “sane enough”? I’m sure judges have more credentials than psychologists to determine a person’s mental capacity? Again, I stress that I’m making such statements IF the courts ruled in favour of OCBC based SOLELY because Madam Hwang had Alzheimer. She has Alzheimer and Dementia, she’s not useless until she can’t handle her own money! Perhaps she was impulsive, and wanted to make her daughter happy before she passed away, but that’s EVERY PERSON’s RIGHTS! She’s not CRAZY or PSYCHOTIC or STUPID.

More to read here: http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_593224.html

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1. We are Singapore, Singaporeans – Are we?
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It’s funny how the presents gets smaller and more expensive every year. I guess, as we get older, we want to live up to a certain expectation of giving more extravagant presents. Like when you’re 8 years old, you would probably get your mom a hand-made card, when you’re 10 years old a picture frame, when you’re 18 a bouquet of flowers… and when you reach 20something, you get bird’s nest or spa vouchers.

See how as they get smaller, they get more expensive too?

Sadly, my angbao money doesn’t seem to be increasing at that rate.

I’d like to take this opportunity to share some thoughts I have on an advertisement I heard over the radio, encouraging people to have babies. Receiving Mother’s Day presents are nice, but definitely not a reason to have baby right?

The advertisement went something like “There are somethings in life you can wait, like queueing up for discount etc. But you can’t wait forever to start a family”, promoting MaybeBaby.sg , a site that gives information on making babies

Isn’t it strange that the message seems to be asking people to get a baby tomorrow? I understand the government’s worries of Singapore’s aging and non-breeding population. But a message like this just rubs me the wrong way. I have been involved with children during my jobs and my internship, and I have seen too many irresponsible parents to know that… you shouldn’t be impulsive getting a baby. Does Singapore government really want lots of poorly cared for children that grows up with some sort of problems (be it emotional or mental) because their parents cannot fulfill their responsibility in bringing up their children with common sense? I’m not suggesting that the MaybeBaby.sg movement is sending the wrong message, they are just trying to give information to future parents. What I’m upset about, is the insufficient system in place that ensures the safety of children from families that imply cannot afford to even support themselves.

The government have been giving many monetary incentives for young couples to have babies and giving more welfare to mother’s at work. What I feel the government might be lacking is promoting quality parenthood and perhaps even harsher punishment for parents that do not carry out their duties as parents. The sad thing is simply: poorer couples, or couples from lower SES, who are less educated, are giving birth to half a dozen of kids, whereas high-flying couples have very few children or even none at all. We should be giving incentives to highly educated parents to aid them in having children. By incentives, I don’t mean giving out $10000 for a baby. The baby bonus is insufficient to attract the average or professional Singaporeans to want to have babies. Things like giving more maternal leave, implementing paternal leave, bonus to education, perhaps even a better chance in getting a domestic helper (maid) would encourage the average or professional Singaporean to have more babies.

I’m not saying that poorer people should have less rights to have babies. But after hearing about family of 10 with mal-nutrition child, parents in prison, or parents that are too busy to even look after their children… I feel that the government SHOULD implement a system to punish irresponsible parents. We don’t want a society of lower privileged, under-educated, mal-nutrition,  physically or emotionally abused children! We want more babies, but we also want more educated, cared-for, healthy children to replace our society’s workforce! Perhaps a punish system would deter people from having babies… but would a random person that tortures, not feed, beat up another person get away scott free? If not, then the law should apply to parents and they should be even harsher because of the vulnerability of children.

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1. Not Enough Foreign Workers in Singapore?
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Some people claim that her nipples can be seen through the clothing since she’s not wearing any bra. Is going braless really such a big deal in Singapore? Especially when you’re talking about wearing a pretty Gucci dress that is suppose to bare an inch of her breast from the bottom. Instead of showing cleavage from the top, she’s showing some boobs at the bottom. Big deal? It’s not like you’ve not seen her, or other actresses, in swimsuits and showing off half their boobs!

Well, I think she looked great and I don’t see what the fuss is about.  Look at these other actresses! One is cross dressing in a tux, another reminescing of her prom 10 years ago, and another going Orchard Road shopping. Yeah, sorry, but I like Joanne Peh over Felicia Chin. The cross dresser is actually Rui En! I couldn’t tell from this picture at all! I love you Rui En, but you don’t look good in this dressing (or this picture).

All pictures taken from http://xin.msn.com/

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I have been blogging ferociously for the past couple of days regarding the Wax In The City scandal in Singapore, a waxing company that has folded and cheated more than 3000 members of their money, including myself. In the midst of researching data online, and finding evidence of their evil tactics to cheat people’s money… I found that Wax In The City’s web domain is owned by Naughty By Nature, another company that has been under investigation for scamming people’s money.

I posted it on various forums, Facebook site, and my blog this picture:

To my horror, I found that The New Paper has published this:

Meanwhile, The New Paper did a domain search to find out who registered the website for Wax in the City. It was a Singapore-based company called BNYN International

HUH WHAT? SERIOUSLY? The New Paper did a domain search? Hello?! Your journalist Mr. Lim Weili called me at least 3 times on my mobile phone to interview me and got this information from me!

He called me yesterday Thursday, 1/4/2010 at 5.35pm from the phone number 63195***, for the last time and the conversation went:

TNP Journalist: What made you go search for their web domain name?

deadpris: I was digging up info of Wax In The City and I’m quite familiar with web related things.

TNP Journalist: So how did you find out the domain name is registered by NBYN?

deadpris: I found it online from the website www.dnsstuff.com (spelt letter by letter out for him some more)

TNP Journalist: Oh, so you can find the owner of any website all over the world?

deadpris: Yeah. But there are services that you can pay to hide the owner’s information.

If I recall correctly, this is our 3rd and last conversation. My boyfriend was wondering why journalist ask such weird questions, shouldn’t they know about such things, like online detective work? In fact, I told Mr Lim Weili that he can feel free to quote from my blog, and I gave him my blog address ON WEDNESDAY 31/3/2010. He told me he saw my username and blog links at various forums pertaining to the Wax In The City topic as well. I DID NOT told him that he could conveniently steal my information without giving me credit and claiming it as TNP’s search.

Yeah well, I’m not making a big fuss because I want justice. No, I don’t wish to get you into trouble either Mr Lim Weili. I am very happy that The News Paper did such an intensive coverage on the Wax In The City scandal in Singapore but I feel that traditional media people have been taking us bloggers for “laughs”.

I try my best to report anything in my blog with integrity, I try my best to give credit back to whom ever I got the information from, be it newspaper or fellow bloggers, and I don’t believe that the traditional media should hold a standard less than “new media” bloggers. Stop treating us like our words don’t matter!

Printed version:

MY FINDINGS WAS POSTED ON MY BLOG ON THE NIGHT OF 30/3/2010 Tuesday

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As for the rest of their concerns, if you aren’t happy with the way the blocks are maintained then complain to HDB to be stricter with the rules, you can’t ask HDB to stop building rental flats near your house?! How does that even make sense?

You know in the same way these “HDB people” look down on “rental flat people”, many “Condominium people” also look down on you guys! Shocking news? Things I’ve heard the “Condominium people” say is that HDBs have no facilities, no security guards, dirty, rubbish bin stinks at the lobby, spoilt bicycle and junk littered everywhere. So go ahead “HDB people”, go look down on those “rental flat people”… Just know that you are judged as well by the private property people as well.

Do these people even think before they speak? Do they really want to segregate Singapore’s property into different Socioeconomic classes? If you don’t want to live beside rental flats, then go work harder earn more money and move to “better” neighborhoods! Money can’t buy everything, but if you don’t have money then stop complaining about people that are poorer than you! If you have money, then go hire people to help you complain instead

***PS: if you don’t understand sarcasm, please forget you just read this post thanks.***

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Even though I’m still a student, I’m feeling the pinch from the increase in food prices, transportation fares, and general goods and services. Especially during this economic crisis, people are losing their livelihood and settling for lower paying jobs, but prices of daily necessities does not seem to be lowering. I guess we can only do what we’re best at: whine, complain and blog about it. -shrugs-

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I’m re-publishing this from facebook… Please go help support! I can’t be there since I’ll be overseas… Sigh.

The venue of the AWARE EGM has been changed to the following:

Date: Saturday, May 2, 2009
Time: 12:00pm – 5:00pm

Exhibition Hall 402
Suntec Singapore
International Convention & Exhibition Centre
1 Raffles Boulevard, Suntec City ,
Singapore 039593
Location: Singapore EXPO Hall 2
Add: 1 Expo Drive, #01-01

First Choice Auditorium 3 Lorong 6 Toa Payoh #01-01 HSR Building

Points To Note:
1) Admission and registration would be from 12 noon to 2 pm on Saturday, 2nd May 2009 .

2) It is mandatory to show your NRIC for admission and registration.

3) Only FEMALE members who are Singaporean & PRs above 18 years old are allowed to vote.

4) For those who signed up online and did not receive their membership card, please print out your confirmation email and receipt and bring it along for the EGM.

5) For those who have failed to register online or need help in signing up, please email egm@aware.org.sg for details on alternative methods of signing up.

6) Please be there EARLY as we have reason to believe the place will be too crowded and there may not be enough seats for everyone. Those who arrive late may not be admitted for the EGM.

Thank you for the support and we look forward to your vote!

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1. Adelyn Hosehbo – Social Media Lesson for Teenagers
2. We are Singapore, Singaporeans – Are we?
3. My Vote Counts [Singapore General Elections 2011]