There was this joke years ago when S'pore was 'blooming' - that we were a 'City of Cranes'. Cranes -being construction cranes.
Now S'pore is in a frenzy state of construction activities due to years of poor planning with regards to housing and transport infrastructure. These 2 important items are not able to cope with the high influx of immigrants. With the PAP's crazy insistent to house 7 million - S'pore has become just on big construction site. Every where you go, you will see HDB flats and condo being built. Then, there is so much digging all over the island for the Downtown MRT lines.
Even once upon a time peaceful estate like Pasir Ris, is not spare from heavy construction activities. Everywhere you go is road division, pedestrian division, barricades all over....sigh!
It is very humid and warm recently - with so much dust from construction activities. Besides, the air quality is again hit by fire 'hot spots' (agriculture crops clearing by burning) from Indonesia. One gets 'sticky' all over easily when outdoor.
The occasional rain, which used to bring relief in previous years, does not help nowadays. In fact, it becomes even more humid after the rain.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Friday, March 29, 2013
Things are NOT WELL in Singapore
Came across a good article by in a blog. For details : http://thehearttruths.com/
Summary :
1) our national average SALARY is significantly LOWER than our GDP per capital by 41%
2) We have the 2nd HIGHEST income INEQUALITY amongst economically developed countries.
3) The same goes for our very LOW PURCHASING power
3) We fork out the HIGHEST for our HEALTHCARE cost amongst developed countries (63.9%)
4) We also have the LOWEST RETIREMENT income
BUT :
1) S'pore has the 2nd HIGHEST CASH surplus
2) Our RESERVE is the 3rd HIGHEST
3) Our POLITICAL leaders' salary is the HIGHEST in the World
"Singapore is in dire need for bold and dynamic changes to kick start our chugging engine. Our government is losing its moral authority at an ever quickening pace, where the trust among the people towards it is eroding at light speed. Such is the state of being when a government forgets its responsibility towards the people that had put it in power. "
Summary :
1) our national average SALARY is significantly LOWER than our GDP per capital by 41%
2) We have the 2nd HIGHEST income INEQUALITY amongst economically developed countries.
3) The same goes for our very LOW PURCHASING power
3) We fork out the HIGHEST for our HEALTHCARE cost amongst developed countries (63.9%)
4) We also have the LOWEST RETIREMENT income
BUT :
1) S'pore has the 2nd HIGHEST CASH surplus
2) Our RESERVE is the 3rd HIGHEST
3) Our POLITICAL leaders' salary is the HIGHEST in the World
"Singapore is in dire need for bold and dynamic changes to kick start our chugging engine. Our government is losing its moral authority at an ever quickening pace, where the trust among the people towards it is eroding at light speed. Such is the state of being when a government forgets its responsibility towards the people that had put it in power. "
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Medisave depleted by Medishield
My mum is a homemaker all her life. Folks like her do not have much retirement savings. Likely, many seniors like my mum could be better off without CPF Medisave a/c and Medishield coverage.
My mum has been paying cash for her health care expenses and has never once touch her medisave nor make any claim on her Medishield. Currently her medisave a/c is depleted by her Medishield as the premium has been increasing by leaps over the years.
She was influenced by my aunts who are 'PAP believers' with blind trust in our govt. They told her it is to her benefit to have a CPF a/c so that she could 'benefit' from govt top-up to CPF members' a/c. This normally happens when CPF policies change, whereby they 'demanded' more money from its members. So the govt would 'lighten' the burden with top-ups.
My mum has been putting money in her CPF a/c for more more than 2 decades in order to receive the occasional govt top up. Then in 2001, the govt enticed elderly to put more money in their CPF, by encouraging them to be covered under Medishield.
As usual, their tactic is to give peanuts in return for walnuts. So they covered the 1st year premium of $132. My mum at that time was 69. We innocently thought that the premium was reasonable basing on the starting premium amount. By 2006, her Medishield premium has went up to $375 - which is more than 100% increase.
Last year (2012) it was $615. Then the bomb shell this year! Her premium for 2013 is $1123 - which is 82.6% increase in just 1 year! She has only $600+ in her medisave which is not enough to pay for her Medishield premium. As usual, because of the change in CPF policy, the govt will be giving top-up this year, which for her is $400. But there are a number of conditions attached to the top up which is to make sure you have to put more money into the CPF a/c first.
CPF gleefully send her a letter telling her to top up again. She will not be given the govt medisave top up of $400 until her Medishield is renewed. They make sure the $400 top up which could have help to offset her shortfall, is only given after extracting more money from her first.
Besides, the $400 is to 'help' offset premium increase over 2 years. So effectively, it is only $200 per year. What is $200 when the premium has shot up by $508!
She has been transferring money from her meagre life savings into her CPF all these years. Now after being covered by Medishield for 12 years, she has no money in her Medisave. Elderly like her is better off holding on to their cash which they have full control over. Putting them in CPF only means 'can see but cannot touch'. If an elderly is unable to keep putting money in CPF, they will be left without Medishield coverage in their critical years.
For this group of seniors, they should have kept away from CPF with its web of complicated policies, which most of them cannot understand. CPF is as hungry as a wolf for money and is a bottomless pit, always demanding for more money from its members with perpetual changes in policy and all sort of 'new' schemes (CPF Life, Eldershield...etc,etc).
Elderly with little savings and no family member could easily see their retirement dried up and disappear once they get entangle with CPF. Like a spider web, there is NO escape for its victim.
My mum has been paying cash for her health care expenses and has never once touch her medisave nor make any claim on her Medishield. Currently her medisave a/c is depleted by her Medishield as the premium has been increasing by leaps over the years.
She was influenced by my aunts who are 'PAP believers' with blind trust in our govt. They told her it is to her benefit to have a CPF a/c so that she could 'benefit' from govt top-up to CPF members' a/c. This normally happens when CPF policies change, whereby they 'demanded' more money from its members. So the govt would 'lighten' the burden with top-ups.
My mum has been putting money in her CPF a/c for more more than 2 decades in order to receive the occasional govt top up. Then in 2001, the govt enticed elderly to put more money in their CPF, by encouraging them to be covered under Medishield.
As usual, their tactic is to give peanuts in return for walnuts. So they covered the 1st year premium of $132. My mum at that time was 69. We innocently thought that the premium was reasonable basing on the starting premium amount. By 2006, her Medishield premium has went up to $375 - which is more than 100% increase.
Last year (2012) it was $615. Then the bomb shell this year! Her premium for 2013 is $1123 - which is 82.6% increase in just 1 year! She has only $600+ in her medisave which is not enough to pay for her Medishield premium. As usual, because of the change in CPF policy, the govt will be giving top-up this year, which for her is $400. But there are a number of conditions attached to the top up which is to make sure you have to put more money into the CPF a/c first.
CPF gleefully send her a letter telling her to top up again. She will not be given the govt medisave top up of $400 until her Medishield is renewed. They make sure the $400 top up which could have help to offset her shortfall, is only given after extracting more money from her first.
Besides, the $400 is to 'help' offset premium increase over 2 years. So effectively, it is only $200 per year. What is $200 when the premium has shot up by $508!
She has been transferring money from her meagre life savings into her CPF all these years. Now after being covered by Medishield for 12 years, she has no money in her Medisave. Elderly like her is better off holding on to their cash which they have full control over. Putting them in CPF only means 'can see but cannot touch'. If an elderly is unable to keep putting money in CPF, they will be left without Medishield coverage in their critical years.
For this group of seniors, they should have kept away from CPF with its web of complicated policies, which most of them cannot understand. CPF is as hungry as a wolf for money and is a bottomless pit, always demanding for more money from its members with perpetual changes in policy and all sort of 'new' schemes (CPF Life, Eldershield...etc,etc).
Elderly with little savings and no family member could easily see their retirement dried up and disappear once they get entangle with CPF. Like a spider web, there is NO escape for its victim.
Irritating standard answers from CPF Board
Phone call enquiry to CPF Board is out of the question, unless one
has plenty of time to spare and very patient. Their line is perpetually
'hot'. After listening to tons of options and make the necessary
selections, you will be told you are the 8th in the queue (normally some
large number) - a very long wait indeed.
Writing to them also test one's patient, as CPF just like any other typical govt organisations - loves to give standard answer to any enquiry, including general ones.
As our govt CPF policies are so complicated, most elderly folks are easier fooled by them. For example, the recent govt medisave top up announcement. My aunt in her 80s phoned my mum to express her delight that the govt is topping up her medisave a/c. But to my understanding, she is not cover by medishield (my aunt is a homemaker all her life). The recent govt top-up to medisave is meant to offset the increase in medishield premium. Thus, she will not get the top up.
I decided to email to CPF to ask them if my aunt who has only medisave a/c but no medishield coverage, is eligible for the top up.
Though expected, I still find it irritating that they reply with standard answer, which likely they copy and paste all the time. Their reply is :
Writing to them also test one's patient, as CPF just like any other typical govt organisations - loves to give standard answer to any enquiry, including general ones.
As our govt CPF policies are so complicated, most elderly folks are easier fooled by them. For example, the recent govt medisave top up announcement. My aunt in her 80s phoned my mum to express her delight that the govt is topping up her medisave a/c. But to my understanding, she is not cover by medishield (my aunt is a homemaker all her life). The recent govt top-up to medisave is meant to offset the increase in medishield premium. Thus, she will not get the top up.
I decided to email to CPF to ask them if my aunt who has only medisave a/c but no medishield coverage, is eligible for the top up.
Though expected, I still find it irritating that they reply with standard answer, which likely they copy and paste all the time. Their reply is :
To enable us to assist you further, please provide us with your
aunt's NRIC/CPF Account number.
We would be pleased to assist if you require further
clarification. For more information on CPF, please
visit our website at www.cpf.gov.sg or call us on 1800-227 1188 from Mondays to Fridays, 8am-5.30pm.
Can't they just answer a simple 'yes' or 'no', without asking
for unnecessary details and wasting public's time.
Talk about productivity. This is a clear cut example of how
unproductive they are.
Latest Update : After another round of correspondent with CPF-
it is confirm that those with NO Medishield a/c will not
receive any govt top-up to their CPF a/c
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Ask The Minister
Channel News Asia (CNA) runs a new program on "Ask The Minister", whereby each week, a minister will be invited to the program to interact with audience over the internet (both audio + visual) to discuss on the policy under his/her ministry.
This week it was Mr Heng from the Ministry of Education. At the end of the program, as a round off, he was asked what is the one thing he would want to fix within these 2 years. Sigh! He gave a l-o-n-g winded answer without answering the question. Looks like he is clueless how to go about 'righting' and improving the education system in S'pore.
So there he goes - saying that he want to help every students to succeed...blah...blah. He wants to help every educator to succeed.....blah...blah.... But exactly what does he need to do (fix) in order to help students and educators to succeed ?? We are left clueless.
Likely some enlightened bloggers could provide the answer though they are not head of education ministry nor paid an obscene salary to think through the problem. Actually Mr Heng does not even need to think, as he has so many 'capable' staff under him to do the job of thinking for him. Perhaps this could be the reason he is clueless on what he needs to do, as he is awaiting feedback from his staff.
Mr Heng is another typical PAP minister - talks a lot without substance. Currently, most PAP ministers arepretending learning to listen to public feedback, though they still go off tangent when answering critical questions which make them uncomfortable. Or they would use their infamous strategy of asking back - "What do you think?" instead of providing an answer.
This week it was Mr Heng from the Ministry of Education. At the end of the program, as a round off, he was asked what is the one thing he would want to fix within these 2 years. Sigh! He gave a l-o-n-g winded answer without answering the question. Looks like he is clueless how to go about 'righting' and improving the education system in S'pore.
So there he goes - saying that he want to help every students to succeed...blah...blah. He wants to help every educator to succeed.....blah...blah.... But exactly what does he need to do (fix) in order to help students and educators to succeed ?? We are left clueless.
Likely some enlightened bloggers could provide the answer though they are not head of education ministry nor paid an obscene salary to think through the problem. Actually Mr Heng does not even need to think, as he has so many 'capable' staff under him to do the job of thinking for him. Perhaps this could be the reason he is clueless on what he needs to do, as he is awaiting feedback from his staff.
Mr Heng is another typical PAP minister - talks a lot without substance. Currently, most PAP ministers are
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