For us 60% Singaporeans in Singapore that have lived for all our lives, we complain about things all the time and truthfully, we should complain. But not about Singapore or the world or whatsoever, you want to complain you complain about yourself.
A recent talk with my bro Tian Wei over lunch one day caught me to my underlying attention on how Singapore could become. Well, it "could" become. You refer to other similar countries like Hong Kong, Japan, it's all getting really similar and yet so distinct as well. Think of subjects such as moral values, religion, politics, economics, geography, sociology, psychology, globalization, it's all getting too predictable on how the future is going to shape and it's not a good one. You should have notice by now there's so many "secrets" and "conspiracies" going on in this world, why do they even exist? Because the rest of the population can't take the truth, even though it's so out rightly in front of us.
Let's take it this way, imagine that society has been brought up on the so-called moral values that we have now, religion continues to impose and set the values for us to follow and it will change accordingly with time. With this moral values and beliefs from religions, sociology will be set to "obey" these values and rights, hence affecting each and everybody's psychology itself to follow to these values. No doubt not everyone will follow to it, depending on the environment they are brought up but in a sense our "right" and "wrong" are highly determined by our environments which in return is affected by society. Next government will set laws and name it under the term "justice" so that we will be deterred from doing the wrong, as this will be "beneficial" for the government politically. With available power from being a popular government, they could then have to power to conduct economic policies beneficial either to the country with factors dependent on the country's situation and ability, or to the politicians themselves, if you know what I mean. Currently with the added flux of globalization, technology, information spreading, the previous known boundaries of geography and information retention has been changed significantly, hence society itself changes unconsciously but definitely and government will change themselves accordingly.
This is how I see the current general system works. Of course it's just a very very brief outlook on how things flow with all details excluded. In a brief sense, all I'm saying is this; things are changing, fast and if you do not catch up fast enough, you will find it increasingly difficult to catch up.
Now the reason I'm writing this, is a sense some form of warning to myself to better buck up my own socks. I'm working comfortably now at UOB and I'm sensing that I'm losing my drive, something that is very dangerous in anyways in this kind of fast moving global world. Secondly, it's to bring to you guys a very sense what is the worst thing to happen to our home Singapore if it does get bad, so to people who are reading this, I hope this can help you guys brush up a bit.
Takahina has stated tons and tons of times long ago and I share the same sentiments with my brothers, in that this world waits for no one and as it goes on progressively, as long as we do not hit to the top 10% of the population in Singapore, we can expect to not ever hit there unless some miracles happens.
Let's look at the situation in Singapore now, a stagnant economy being propelled highly by FTs and Singaporeans remain disgruntled with their life complaining over PAP all the time. We want an opposition to enter into parliament so as to better keep check what PAP is doing and to ensure the government is doing what is correct now.
What if you look at the future? We can take reference to various countries like Hong Kong and Japan. Inflation is set to rise yet again, housing especially will reach to an exorbitant price (look at Hong Kong's property price now), aging population (like those in many developed countries). In a sense you can imagine Singapore to be like a kid with very fast growing cells, due to the fact that we are small, things, information, policies can get done much faster here in Singapore. It gets developed faster, as is evident with us reaching a "developed" economy status in a matter of decades while other countries take centuries, our currency growing superbly fast and strong compared to countries like MYR etc. So we grow fast, hence at the same time we die fast.
Take this into account, and you'll start to understand that's why maybe Singapore's government is pushing our economy and society so fast. Because if Singapore doesn't plan things, doesn't look at things fast enough, we will be behind the whole world and outdated by it. In the past, things planned can be done rather fast, but now it's a different case with globalization and the internet itself. Anti-government sentiments are being blown out of proportions and netizens only look at the good side of other countries, but what most Singaporeans failed to realized is that the situation of Singapore is very different from other countries.
Like what I mentioned above, for a government to be able to handle our it's policies effectively, it has to be popular. The inclusion of globalization rendered it increasingly difficult for not just Singapore, but the whole world as well. However for Singapore the effect is much faster, why? Because we are small as I've mentioned before.
That's why you have seen now, PM Lee apologizing to Singaporeans, doing somewhat populist policies not done before such as increasing wages of low paying jobs. In a sense they are necessary, because PAP is losing favor with the citizens. At least Singapore's government system is still on a more steady stronghold, imagine if our PM changes every half a year like how Japan changes theirs as if changing clothes, before the policies implemented would show effect a new set of policies would be implemented by the new PM. If Singapore ends up like that, we would be dead and PAP is doing their best not to let that happen.
In a sense it's not saying that PAP must be the sole ruling party with no one to "keep check" on their behavior, but seriously look at the few opposition party members elected into parliament. What kind of "difference" are they making? Does citizens in the Aljunied region feel happier? Nope they feel the same as with the rest of the other Singaporeans.
Then again, maybe the opposition party is not strong enough to make any difference. But think about it, if Singapore's government is split into almost a half-half party like Taiwan's Kuo Ming Tang and Ming Jing Tang, there's bound to be high conflicts which can potentially split a country into 2. For a country that is as small as helpless as Singapore is, we cannot afford that. So no ways will PAP in a sense let that happen.
What I believe is that the PAP knows certain things that we won't know of, and in a sense even Presidents don't know of (remember ex-president Mr Ong Teng Chong?). The one who holds the most power in Singapore still remains to be the key members in PAP. Maybe it's highly confidential secret that holds the balance to our economy? Or certain deals signed in the past which enabled Singapore to survive it's infant stages I have no idea. What I know for sure is that every country has certain secrets that they can't divulge and that opposition party will never know it unless they become the official ruling party. By then who can confirm that the opposition party will not become another PAP again?
Few things are for certain though, PAP's method of reaching out to public is definitely less effective now. The words, "What Do You Think We Should Do?" should have never been spoken by a high member politician. The words used are much more tactless now, as is evident with how politicians, especially the older ones, are frustrated with the comments thrown at them, something which they have never really encountered before in the past. In fact right now the younger ones seem to show a bit more promise if you ask me. Laugh at Tin Pei Ling all you want but the fact that she's a MP of PAP proves that at least she's more promising than the average Singaporean her age.
Secondly, PAP can never do everything correct in current stages. I sincerely believe they didn't expect the outburst of information and technological widespread. I sincerely believe they didn't expect the social outcry and the overly too effective FT policies. They used to be so powerful and correct in the past because we are not informed. Now that we ARE informed, they can't just simply say something is good and that we will take it to be good. They have not yet adapted to the "proper" way of convincing us and still have a long way to go. The FT policies done a few years ago are indeed necessary for economical reasons, but I'm sure they did not expect the huge influx at such a pace. Population has grown too fast before our own systems such as the public transport can adapt to it. MRT breaking down in Singapore high chance is due to our MRT being over utilized and MRT could not support the immense overcrowding weight and frequency.
But in all certainty, we definitely do not know certain things but the government is already conducting something to "curb" it. However remember this thing, neither PAP nor the opposition party can do everything correct and expect the effectiveness to be as expected, so don't put 100% faith in them or the government to be able to help even if they wanted to.
Additionally, similar countries like Hong Kong are showing sense of what is going to happen. Expect things like sky rocketing housing prices, further inflationary pressures and in a weird sense retirement at other countries. I know there's this trolling picture of Singapore's future MRT lines, but don't find it weird if it really happens. I mean 1 Tampines can have 3 MRT stations, what's up with 1 Malaysia line?
Well I'm sure few of the lines are bullshit, but a future Malaysia line I don't find it implausible. Singapore is in desperate need of space, so why won't we take over some land from them?
Inflation is very dangerous in Singapore as we know it. Increasing income gap coupled with increasing prices but not increasing income for the poor makes it a lose lose situation in any sense. Problem is that the few causing it are the rich people themselves. For those with at least a bit of econs sense in your mind, when you have additional income you will demand more. The more you demand, the higher price will be bid up. Hence inflation happens.
Now remember, the rich people gets richer due to them knowing how to get rich and know how to exploit the market. Every consumption, investment that they do will serve to increase the country's aggregate demand by a significant factor due to them being filthy rich, thus increasing inflation as well. How about normal middle/low income citizens like us? We will not get that increase in income but inflation will still grow, so our burden will increase to the extend that there won't even be a middle class. You're either rich or poor.
This effect will be even more severe when houses price shoot up, this is a very basic simple economy theory. Singapore is a small country, so our supply of houses will eventually be limited by it. Yet at the same time the country has to grow, so our own growing population and growing FTs will demand more and more houses. With an increase demand but yet no corresponding increase in supply, don't be surprised if 1 normal HDB reaches $1mil.
Middle class will be gone as we get lesser benefits from government but we have to afford for the increased cost. Buying a house will slaughter us into paying debts for the rest of our lives, and yet it's almost a necessity to buy a house, so be expected to pay debts to pay off for your house. Lower income group are already disadvantaged, but because their expenditure is already low, the impact felt by them is understandably less painful than that of the middle income.
Higher income group? Their real wealth will be unlikely to drop and they will leverage on the middle income and lower income to grow up in status and wealth, because they would be the one to lend $ and property to them and earn interest/rent from them.
Now this is a very scary truth, but it's yet just a possible truth which has been shown in other countries. Its like saying that, if you're not rich within the next decade, you can proceed to be slum residents.
So what can we do now? Must we all be rich and wealthy to be able to survive in the future. Not exactly. No one is asking you to compulsory become rich with over $1bil worth of assets. But you must basically be able to have certain personal financial knowledge, discipline and to know the consequences of your decisions. I'll get to that in a future post.
For now though, just don't expect the future to be cheery. For those who still have the luxury of going overseas, enjoying and slacking like no tomorrow without a secure future... better do something. For this time it's not something that the government can help like what we are so used to, but only you can help yourself this time, and you don't have all day.
Even I need to wake up.
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