Before we even lay our hands on the matter proper, let us rewind our memory to the news report splashed on the front page of all major and minor newspapers last week, whereby benefits cited for the bonus hike included the relief of burden in low and middle income families. But the logic of this statement is elusive, considering most civil servants are well-paid and are nowhere near the fringes of poverty. How then can the media lump this exclusive group of well-protected employees armed with an iron rice bowl with authentic low income earners who have to scrimp and save just to make ends meet? There is apparently a self-afflicting flaw in making this argument to drum up support for the policies of the government.
This in turn orientates us to other burning questions. If the real motive of the government is to lend assistance to the needy, why not employ a more direct stance by putting the excess wealth to better uses in subsidising medical costs and housing loans for the low income families instead of implementing a GST rise and after that introducing a series of measures to neutralise the impact? And do ALL civil servants really deserve the bonuses? I'm more concerned with the second question here.
Truth be told, there are definitely people in the civil service who work hard and therefore are deserving of the increased pay and bonus package. But we can't help ourselves in recognising the undeniable fact that all occupations breed black sheeps, to sound a bit extreme. So is it unfair to sprinkle bonuses indiscriminately on each and every one? I afraid so. For an example off-hand, just look at the teaching sector. Indeed, the extensive teaching industry falls no short of dedicated individuals raring to put their education ideals into practice and realise their passion of educating the next generation. Yet, the conception that teaching is a safety net to fall back on in times of unemployment remains at large and that is attracting teachers who can't be bothered to build trusting relationships with students and merely see teaching as a technical model of transferring knowledge. There are even some who venture into the teaching arena equipped with a teaching scholarship but are in fact smart people who know how to put on a false front to pull a fast one on unsuspecting interviewers, hankering only after the steady provision of income and the accompanied advantages that come with a job in the civil service. Are they really worthy of the larger bonuses?
Even more so in the bureaucratic organisation SAF where there is constantly an under-utilisation of manpower, regulars are paid highly for a contrastingly small workload. Common sights in military camps are regulars sitting together at canteens chatting merrily and doing practically nothing constructive in one whole day. Of course, on the other hand, there are regulars who are being sent on overseas mission where they put their lives in danger to protect the country's image. These are but the minorities. On top of their already premium pay package, is such a high bonus justifiable?
Assuming the selection procedures of employees in the civil service is aligned parallel to one another, this glitch exists across the board, hospitals, statutory boards and government organisations alike.
I urge the government to remedy this seemingly small but far-reaching problem, by perhaps adopting a variable bonus system where the amount of bonus one gets varies in tandem with the assessment of his attitude and efficiency at work. This might also bring about an increase in mutually beneficial competition in achieving excellence of work. Let us fight for a society which is just, non-partisan and meritocratic.
On a sideline, it remains to be seen whether private businesses will follow the government's initiative in adjusting higher the year-end bonus, given that my father did not receive a single cent of bonus from his company last year. A new year doesn't always spells good in some families...
scribbled at 11:27 PM
Was it just mere coincidence or was it a greater force of fate working behind the scenes to bridge the social circles of mine and the friends around me? What was originally a table tennis outing of 5 people (BY, Gary, Teddy, Jeffrey and me) spawned into an inadvertent bumping into mutual friends (tS and WJ) at the food court in North Point. Under normal circumstances, the unplanned meeting would have been much appreciated and received but special conditions deem it the other way. Especially so when tS, Gary and me work in the same company and see one another almost everyday, coupled with tS's lament that his social life is increasingly dominated by people around BY and me. In fact, his outing with WJ today was his bid to break off from the "curse", so to speak, but his efforts apparently appeared to have gone down the drains. Perhaps this is what the physicists call Newton's third law of action and reaction forces, or rather a tweaked version whereby the energy rebounded with increased intensity. tS, I suggest you let nature take its course, staying at home today without sticking a hand into the matter might have been a wiser choice. Haha. Well, either that or, like me, make deliberate attempts to go against fate by cutting the meeting short of an extended kbox visit afterwards. Just kidding. Duh. I would have gladly joined in if not for some irreversible plans made beforehand.
scribbled at 10:40 PM
Just when the economy is humming steadily and a beautiful picture is being painted for the future of Singaporeans, PM Lee had to drop an unexpected bomb on us by releasing news of a further 2% increase in the GST to a alarmingly high percentage of 7% probably next year. And the rationale? To channel greater funds to help the lower income families. While the cited reason seems at first sight to be flawed and it doesn't take an economist to realise that GST is a regressive tax, thus affecting lower income families to a larger extent, further looking into the issue will lend some credibility to the policy. The lower echelon of the society who has a weaker purchasing power tend not to spend their disposable income on goods that are considered too luxury and since the necessities of everyday life can be spared partly from the GST, eg in NTUC, I have a strong contention that the bulk of the burden brought about by the GST will inevitably fall on the middle income families, which I sadly belong to. Avoidance of the GST will see less visits to restaurants like Swensons, Cafe Cartel and the likes, till then, enjoy while we still can.
scribbled at 9:43 PM
From a drab and tranquil industrial conglomeration, Tuas transformed into a hive of activity this morning as runners from many different countries gathered for the Singapore-Johor 2nd Link Bridge Run. I had the feeling that the turnout wasn't as good as that of Real Run but the people density might have been further diluted by the larger running space on the 2nd link bridge. Difficulty level was definitely much lower than that of the Real Run with the omission of the sand and the presence of better ventilation, though a few occasional slopes were expected. A good race, and a good timing of 45 mins, considering the late preparation of only 1 week. And I can now say that I have visited Johor, at least skirted the west boundary to be specific. :)
scribbled at 4:22 PM
Holding a temp job paying a more-than-satisfactory rate of $7/hr with the choice to do OT for 1.5x the normal rate and later claim the money used to hitch a cab home looks attractive enough. Yet I have made a more rational decision to shy away from OTs, in return for more leisure time used to accommodate other commitments.
I used to be perplexed when many white-collared office workers unanimously cited "no time" as an excuse for their lack of exercise in their lifestyle. But having being put in their shoes, I can fully empathize with their reasons because it isn't easy to persuade yourself to do things like jogging after one tired day of work. It takes a lot of determination and willpower to actually maintain an exercise regime amongst work. Coupled with my preparations for tuition, the amount of free time I have for leisure activities have shrunk to a bare minimum. It seems like I'm racing against time everyday to do all the things I have planned out including watching TV, reading, blogging and having 7 hours of sleep. 24 hours is definitely INADEQUATE!!! To live a more well-balanced life, I guess compromise is the word.
scribbled at 10:03 PM
While a seamless flow of Singaporeans continues to throng the newly-established VivoCity for novelty's sake every day and night, I have on the other hand come to a conclusion to banish the mega mall to the list of condemned shopping centres, at least I can safely do so with full conviction for the food segment. Disregarding the unexciting feeling that invaded me the moment I set foot on the mall yesterday, the totally hopeless experience at one of the three food courts there was the full blow. Before you cast any doubts on my words, take a good look at the receipt for my dinner below.
If you are observant and calculating enough, you would have noticed the unusually steep pricing of the VEGETABLES at $1.20 and would have imagined a serving of greenies commensurate with the cost, say maybe AT LEAST 1 recognised serving of vegetables i.e 3/4 glass full. But it was far from it. The amount was so small that I could count the number of leaves and stalks on the plate with my ten fingers, what then could beef up the argument for such exorbitant prices? No, there was definitely no gold flakes embedded in between the fibres and on the whole, the Nasi Lemak was of a mediocre standard, nothing special at all! What's more, the service of the stall owner was lacking and in a blatant act of deceit, no price tags came along with any of the dishes that were displayed. (You only know the total price at the counter, so you can imagine the shock I received when it registered $5.20 for an undeserving meal.) I seriously had a good mind to wreck their business by discouraging their potential customers from patronising afterwards, but for the sake of discretion, I decided to post this entry here to warn friends against the dishonest stall owner. What saved the image of VivoCity was finally the night scene along the waterfront promenade.
If you like witchcraft, The Covenant is for you but beware, described as a foiled attempt to hybridize Harry Potter and Fantastic 4, the movie reminded me of lame street fighters as the power-holders sent photon-like packets of energy flying all over the place. It just looked so juvenile.
Anyway, call me mister from now on. ORD loh!
scribbled at 6:24 PM
![[Powered by Blogger]](http://buttons.blogger.com/bloggerbutton1.gif){kind=small}
