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seldom read your posts, but you are definitely not an ordinary "kway teow man" to be thinking so deeply and writing insightful opinions on the state of our Singapore society. In any case, do educate the average kway teow man who's unable to write well nor speak well to ensure their rightful participation in the continual evolving of our First World Nation.
Those who complain that it's the Garmen's fault should look in the mirror. Garmen ask you to buy the five-room flat you can ill afford izzit?
Heavenly Sword doesn't mind staying in a 1-room flat. But I think I'm not 'eligible' to apply for one...
Well-argued post, although I don't agree with some bits. :]
Bjorn,
Thanks for your kind words. The KTM talks a lot of nonsense, so you dun have to take him too seriously. :-P
Master Heavenly Sword,
Perhaps you can tell the KTM a little more about the bits that you disagree with. Some of these thoughts are quite random and probably complete nonsense. 
Your insights would be much appreciated.
To respond to your point about not being qualified to buy a one-room flat, whenever public subsidies are given out, some care much be taken to ensure that the greedy ones dun soak up the subsidies meant for the poor. Erecting barriers is one way to deal with this lah. Who ask Master HS to earn so much? If Master HS gets himself unemployed then I think he will qualify to rent a one-room flat. :-P
Wahsay KTM choot pattern man!
I starts with one small pt - GST. GST shd not be 5% across the board as you impry. I think maybe generally groceries, healthcare shld be less not no GST (no free lunch mah hor) but others more e.g. dining, movies (buy car got GST or not?). But damn hard to implement leh liddat.
The guy who wrote "to build a democratic society.....so as to achieve happiness, blah, blah,blah" means just that. He truly believed a democratic society will bring happiness. Trouble is, some other fellow disagrees, and comes up with his own definition of the type of society that will actually bring happiness to the people. And when the elephants make love, the ants get crushed. History has proved time and again that when people are unhappy, the government will be changed, whether well coiffured heads will roll a la the French Revolution style, or through a peaceful democratic process.
Void Deck,
Aiyah, if you have a hundred and one different GST rates of course will be difficult to implement lah, but dun have to be so extreme. I think in the short term, two classes will do: got GST and GST-exempt. Most of the cashiers already use a computer to scan prices. It should not be too hard to program the cash registers to deal with this.
As for healthcare hor, no need to exempt GST since it's Garmen controlled, can give subsidies on the sly. Private hospitals how? Collect GST also never mind what, since the people who go there got the dough. Collect some extra to subsidize the poor also not a bad idea what. :-P
Gavin,
It turns out that the KTM doesn't believe that a democratic society will necessarily bring happiness either, so perhaps then you will accuse the KTM of being on the other fellow's camp.
The KTM believes that happiness is a function of many factors, and in the context of Singapore, whether the political system is democratic or not means squat to most Singaporeans. :-P
Revolutions happen not simply because people are unhappy lah. If like that there will not be any stable Governments in the world today. Revolutions happen only when the life of the masses becomes UNBEARABLE. Precisely why the KTM is advocating that more needs to be done to make sure that the lives of the poor should be made more bearable (not good, 'cos to do so would not be incentive-compatible).
Hi Master Kway Teow Man,
Mine are hardly insights, unlike yours
But since you wanted my critique, here it comes, please catch the darts (Disclaimer: These are not meant to suggest that I disagree with you on all these points. I'm just presenting the possible criticism. Do take it in the spirit of 'ah these are potential criticisms, if KTM counters them well, KTM will emerge with glory and honour, yeah?) 
(1) Para 1: Uncertainty about what the pledge means. My view is that The pledge means what it means - every word counts. We shouldn't modify it.
(2) Para 2: I agree with you that it's not necessarily the case that democracy Leads to HPP (Happiness/Prosperity/Progress). You've argued for this position convincingly. But someone can still ask you, 'How do you know democracy WON'T lead to HPP?' How do you know democracy is necessarily a Worse system?
(3) Para 3: This 'sustainability' thing is every elusive. What do you mean by 'sustainable in the long term' - is there even such a thing? (I think there is, but my argument is different from yours - see next point, (4)) What's 'destruction of society'? My question is: How can a system be so fragile? Also, no society dies overnight.
(4) Para 4: You're right that SG is good in terms of amenities/infrastructure. But even potential critics of your essay would agree with that. Their point would be that Despite these Hardware, SG still ranks poorly in terms of happiness. Why? So your para doesn't answer that qn that they might pose, but merely repackages the problem so as to bypass that question. In addition, would you say that there is no truth in the rankings at all?
(5) Para 5: Dansong's points about Rat race, lousy jobs, etc. You stated that it's the pple's own fault and they deserve what they get. But a rat race and lousy jobs are not problems of individuals; they are macro/structural/cultural problems (otherwise, why would it be called a Race? It's lousy jobS that constitute the problem, not A standalone lousy job. AND, EVEN IF you're right and it's really the pple's fault, don't u think it's a good thing for organizations/companies in Singapore to strive to provide good (not lousy) jobs for pple (if they can)? Unless you think that they Can't, or they Shouldn't -in which case i'd be interested to know why... :]
(6) Paras 7 and 8 (skipping 6): Potential critics of your essay would also agree with you that 'no fish prawn also can' - lousy jobs would be better than no jobs. So of course Singaporeans want those jobs, and nobody will counter-argue and say that Singaporeans have a choice not to do those jobs. In other words, your opponent (whom you seem to be arguing against) is imaginary. The 'long hours' issue is a different matter altogether - it concerns a way of life. It's precisely because China/India/other economies are rising, that Singapore needs to play a different game altogether. The books, Rise of the Creative Class and Rise of the Network Society, together will convey this point v clearly. It's no longer Just about working LONG hours, slogging HARD (rather than Smart), it's about getting the top brains to stay in this place and innovate (re the debate you had with Han; re New Growth Theory by Paul Romer at Stanford). And what do the top brains (quality, not quantity, my friend) value? Lifestyle. Swiss lifestyle. This therefore contradicts one of the key arguments of your essay.
(7) Re 'Asset Rich Cash Poor'. This is a real problem; if it wasn't, the govt won't be talking about it. Even if one doesn't live in a 5-room flat, a 3-room flat is still v expensive. You said, 'by allowing pple to buy their flats at rock-bottom interests..etc', i think this is 'blaming the victim' strategy. It's not that pple want to stretch their loans over 30 years. I don't think most pple would choose that option if they have other alternatives.
(
Healthcare costs. Critics will ask you, 'Why are healthcare costs so high in the first place?' Possible counter-argument: if other things weren't so expensive (e.g. housing, transport, etc), perhaps pple won't have a problem with healthcare bills.
So here are the 8 darts, hope you've caught them. :]
Master Heavenly Sword,
Wahsei, ask to practice kungfu with you, you throw so many darts! Scary sia. :-P
Dart 1: No lah, not suggesting that we change the pledge any time soon. Even want to change pledge also must get someone with more ink to change the pledge lah, not some lousy KTM with broken Singlish. The KTM means no disrespect the pledge or to the learned Mr Rajaratnam. He's seriously just thinking aloud.
Dart 2: Where did the KTM ever make a claim that democracy wouldn't lead to prosperity and progress? The KTM's claim is as you rightly highlighted that democracy does not necessary lead to HPP. However, the KTM might possibly be persuaded to go a bit further to claim that H (Happiness) is more highly correlated with an individual's outlook than with the society at large.
The KTM suspects that if you quantify these two quantities, the scatter plot will have some degree of linear coorelation, but there will also be some serious outliers. Singapore is probably one of those points.
Dart 3: What's 'destruction of society'? That's something that the KTM made up 'cos it sounded cool. It's a good point though that you brought up the question of the definition of "sustainable". The KTM actually doesn't have a good definition. I guess it's how long we can keep the current system running as it is without some serious perturbation like change of Garmen (aka PAP losing the GE and Opposition coming to power) or the Garmen being forced to do something seriously unthinkable today because it is forced by circumstances and not by choice.
The KTM does think that the present system is pretty fragile. You don't think so meh? We exist in a highly unstable equilibrium without any checks and balances. If that's not fragile, I dunno what fragile is. :-P
Dart 4: How is the KTM supposed to know why people are unhappy? You want to know, why don't you ask them yourself? :-P In any case, I thought that Dansong, and you have covered most of the ground on this dunno what happiness/unhappiness issue already what. Never even leave some scraps for the KTM. Shame on you guys. :-P
Dart 5: Here is KTM trying to be sarcastic, but ending up causing confusion. Punchline was supposed to be contained in the line: "do Singaporeans have a choice NOT to do those jobs?" My apologies. The point is that while the Garmen is busy creating jobs, better keep an eye on ensure that the costs of living doesn't run over the heads of those who already have jobs. Otherwise their job will never be done (not like their job can ever be done to begin with though...). :-P
Dart 6: This is not an essay about those with brains. The KTM is talking about keeping the poor people alive without having them turn into Jean Valjean's, and not talking about keeping the brainy ones happy. The latter is a completely different story (that is perhaps more suitably addressed in a subsequent entry?).
Dart 7: 'Asset Rich Cash Poor' is real problem? Aiyah, if got 4 or 5-room flat, can sell it off, get cash, invest and rent a place to stay. Be thifty a bit can survive one. :-P Question is whether people willing to downgrade and stay in rented 3-room flat and how easy it is to do so in terms of the Garmen rules.
Like you said before right? Even though you're willing to stay in one-room flat, Garmen also dun allow. Actually hor, given his way, the KTM will allow you to stay in a one-room flat, why not? Just deregulate the one-room flats, decouple subsidies from the prices of flats and give you subsidies according to your income loh. If you cheat CPF Board or IRAS, then of course Garmen lose lah, but suppose you are honest (not implying that you are not lah), then why cannot let you stay in one-room flat if it makes you feel cosy and shiok??
The KTM is not blaming the victim lah. Like he says, it's the Garmen's fault. It is precisely because we let people take such huge loans with such long repayment periods that they can go into property speculation: force HDB prices up and get burnt. If the Garmen was not so overly generous and people can only borrow enough to buy 3-room HDB flats, then maybe the current situation wouldn't be quite so bad today -- but like all of the KTM's nonsense, this is all pure speculation lah. Who knows man? But talk is cheap what, so the KTM indulges loh. :-P
*sweat* *sweat* Thank you for panchan'ing the KTM and not using too much inner strength in your darts. Scully KTM get injured from your darts cannot afford medical bills how??
Wow, KTM has caught all the darts! *clap clap*
I'm sure KTM can afford medical bills lah - KTM's so rich! ;]
KTM: Good stuff.
Wasn't Dan's point exactly that the according to the nef's hpi, it is not that Singaporeans are not happy, but that our happiness comes at the expense of a large environmental footprint. In fact, the data from the nef's site indicates precisely that there is a decently high degree of self-reporting of happiness in Singapore.
re: the pledge. First, the "so as to achieve" clause can be read in a variety of ways. One might think that DJE some how leads automatically to HPP--which would be implausible--or, more plauisbly, that DJE is a necessary component or condition to HPP. If the latter is the correct reading, then it's not just "happiness, prosperity and progress" however understood, but the three qualified by "democracy, justice and equality". This opens the logical possibility that some forms of "happiness, prosperity and progress" might not be compatible with "democracy, justice and equality"; and that means that if we are serious about the pledge, the nation should not be pursuing them...
Whether or not originally intended, I think the clause does point to something that speaks to many modern Singaporeans. It's not just 'happiness' (privately conceived) people want--they also want to feel that they have a voice, that they count for something, hence, the DJE thing is not dispensible. (In Hegelian terms, their desire for recognition has been awaken and--they think--it can only be satisfied within the framework of a democratic society. Whether *any* form of society can ultimately satisfy this desire if it is widespread is a whole question of its own.) (HS: Incidentally, there is a connetion between this and your post on the LEGOs; and yes, I am still working on the reply, but work has caught up...)
Master Heavenly Sword,
Alamak, actually the KTM realized that Master HS threw EIGHT and not seven darts. Last one not numbered (!). Lucky the KTM inherited secret kelvar-coated underwear from his sifu that's why never end up in A&E.
Actually hor, the last dart the KTM want to catch also cannot. You asked by healthcare costs so high? KTM actually not familiar with health economics, so dunno why also. He suspects it has to do with the Garmen policy of "cost recovery" (basically kiam siap, dun want to give too much subsidies). As for why the real costs of healthcare is rising, the KTM really doesn't know. Perhaps some learned reader will come along and enlighten us?
Eh, you which eye spied on the KTM's bank account to claim that the KTM is rich?? Dun anyhow spread unfounded rumours okay! :-P
Huichieh:
To some extent, I do regret for making light of the pledge. In all seriousness, I think the pledge is very well written and truly espouses what we should strive for as a nation. Nevertheless, it is quite troubling that while most Singaporeans (KTM included) have been reciting it daily for dunno how many years of their life, we don't often pause to ask ourselves what it really stands for.
The KTM is a little bit slow lah -- to think about what it means so many years after he left school.
That said, as highlighted, the pledge does lend itself to different interpretation by different people. For example, the KTM's view of what HPP means, since he's just a lowly hawker, may be very different from that of the Master Heavenly Sword, who hides in his mountain cave practising his invincible martial arts.
Interpretations aside, the pledge does help unite the nation in a hope for a better world and a better society. The KTM has always found the idea of a dunno what Singapore Dream somewhat lame. How come we have to tell Singaporeans what to dream? Can we not let them sleep in peace and dream their own dreams? The KTM believes not in a Singapore Dream, but that each Singaporean would be empowered to his/her dreams. Some will succeed, while others will fail. But for having tried, all will be better off and theirs would be a life worth living. :-P
Typo: should be "empowered to [pursue] his/her dreams"
*sigh*
The KTM believes not in a Singapore Dream, but that each Singaporean would be empowered to his/her dreams. Some will succeed, while others will fail. But for having tried, all will be better off and theirs would be a life worth living.
This is actually a version of what I was urging in my earlier post on "happiness", though coming from a different angle. In a nutshell, the state can at best (and should really only be allowed to) seek to maximise the general purpose conditions that can be used by people in general for their own pursuit of happiness as they see fit while making sure that people do not oppress each other when they do so...
Master HS threw EIGHT and not seven darts. Last one not numbered (!). Lucky the KTM inherited secret kelvar-coated underwear from his sifu that's why never end up in A&E.
Hi KTM, I did number the eighth dart, but Haloscan converted it into an emoticon! Wow, I like your armour (it's not an underwear, please hor). :] Can give it to me (Christmas coming), since I fight many battles and can't afford medical bills (I'm too poor)? ;]
KTM not bad siah.
The older generation can be thankful for being asset rich-cash poor due to the cheap housing in the past but for this generation or the next, they will require a lot of financial discipline to be even asset-rich, not to mention cash poor.
Commenting by HaloScan
