The replies given by Lim Hwee Hua, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for Finance and Transport on Sunday during a walkabout in Bishan appears to imply that it might be impossible to track how our funds are being used, just like how it is difficult to prove how the Jobs Credit Scheme does save jobs, apart from saying that it does and it has.

Mrs Lim said retrenchments may not indicate abuse of the system. She added that abuse was also hard to define, as the subsidies go into the company’s cash flow. And it is up to the company to decide how it wants to use the government wage subsidy. Speaking to reporters later, Mrs Lim added that it is “technically difficult” to define what counts as abuse, as the scheme is a “blunt instrument” where the firm can decide how it wants to use the government wage subsidy. She explained: “Because it is basically cash to companies, it is technically difficult to define what is abuse, because it goes into cash flow. You also cannot judge that once a company has retrenched workers, it must be abusing the system, because some of them might just need to be restructured. “So I think it would be difficult to judge it quite quickly. But I think there is enough peer pressure out there for companies to feel like, if they had retrenched at the word go, they would feel quite bad about it. But if it is because of business circumstances, regardless of how hard they have tried, they still needed to retrench, then I think we would have to let market forces work its way.”

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1010703/1/.html#

So even though the money belongs to the people, and also because it is given to companies -technically- as a “cashflow”, it is not possible to tell the companies how to use the money. It comes to the beginning where handing out the money was a moral hazard since there was no way proper resources could have been assigned to make sure the money was used responsibly instead. Would there then be instances like how the money given by the Obama administration to bail out the banks was in turn used to pay out obscene bonuses to bankers and insurance agents? We would not know because the Jobs Credit Scheme is essentially turned into a ‘cashflow’ for the companies and it is ‘technically difficult to define what is abuse’, because it goes into… cash flow.

So what can be done about this to protect proper and responsible use of the people’s money? Apparently, in the end we will need to rely solely on peer pressure on the companies and believe that they will act on good faith and not retrench employees after receiving money from the Jobs Credit Scheme, because they might feel bad about it. Even though it is basically what the ‘credits’ are supposed to be used for – to help save jobs by not having the companies retrench their workers.

The government has dug a hole for itself by copying the bailouts enacted by the Obama administration. The Jobs Credit Scheme should never have been created because it can be abused in more ways than one. Due to technicalities, they cannot seem to ensure its integrity either. And now if companies do see the need to retrench, the government is happy to let market forces work its way, even though it would have been the right thing to do that from the start – it might have been more painful in the short term to have businesses fail and people losing their jobs, but in the long term it would have created more efficient and productive environments. Instead, we have a fall back for the companies to exploit if they do not wish to do anything to save their own bottomlines. But the budget shortfall used to fund the scheme would surely then have to made up by putting a bill on the people like you and me. The Jobs Credit Scheme should be stopped instead of being extended.

One girl surveyed stated that dining at cafes and fast food outlets was the norm and then spending $6 – $8 on a meal was reasonable, especially since they would rather eat fast food than at cheap coffee shops because the food at the latter “is not so nice”.

Another said that allowances are only saved for the sole purpose of making purchases of luxury items such as the latest gaming consoles or clothes. A teenager commented that spending $15 to $20 each time at cafes for meals was the norm and acceptable.

Once again, the blame is laid on the feet of parents who do not spend enough time with children and teaching them the right values of saving, while creating a false environment of endless comfort using the commodity of money. But judging by the values and attitudes of the Singapore youth and younger generation in particular, it is also the result of a weak educational and value system that has seeped into and festered in the local culture.

Learning from, and building on, the current generation of Singaporeans who think they are always right and above most people from all over the world, our youth have now been brought up on a steady diet of propaganda of being the best and that nothing they do will be, or can go, wrong. Singapore has been touted as the best country for everything. Most of us are wrapped in a bubble of comfort. The recent recession has hit us hard, and will continue to do so. If the global economy does not turn around quickly and with more losing their jobs, the loss of livelihoods will seep down to the youth.

Brought up in a life of comfort, not many will be able to understand or accept the situation. But the worrying effect could be a large percentage of youths deciding to give up on their futures as they struggle to cope. There are already signs that Japan’s lost generation phenomenon has reared its ugly head in Singapore society, with kids turning to virtual reality and video games to soothe their savage souls while neglected by families in the latter’s quest for financial wealth and comfort. And to make things worse, Singaporeans’ “holier-than-thou” attitude will result in denials.

Personal debt in the future is the least of our worries for the new generation growing up. It is the shrinking future workforce available to the country and their lack of proper financial values that could cause greater problems for Singapore.

If you are looking to spend less on Valentine’s Day flowers, why not take a walk through the many gardens and parks in Singapore, where you can actually sneak a stalk of flower or two and bundle them up into a bouquet for your other half? Of course, this is a little risky but if it is just a stalk or two of roses, it should not be too much of a problem. In any case, drop by any florist in Singapore and get your three rose bouquet, which is more than sufficient to let your significant other know that you love her.

Most Singaporeans love to eat, and it should not be a surprise that this is a common and popular choice for us to spend our Valentine’s Day. Unfortunately, it also means that most restaurants and eating places would be fully booked, not to mention highly expensive if you decide to bring your date out for a romantic meal. On a budget, you could actually have a sumptuous meal in a coffeeshop where there are many zi char stalls (where you can order cooked dishes just like you do in a restaurant, but at a much lower price and equally good quality). Why not show your love and dedication by preparing a meal for your Valentine’s Day date, in the comfort of your own home? It would be even cheaper and the effort taken to prepare the meal would literally seal your Valentine’s Day night!

Personally, I always prefer to drop by a restaurant for a Valentine’s Day dinner date. The important thing is a place where they have a dish on the menu which my date loves. If it is crab, I make an advance booking for Jumbo Seafood Restaurant, where they have the famous chili crab and hot fried buns which you can dip into their delicious chili gravy. If it is steak that my date prefers, then off to Dan Ryan’s Steak and Grillhouse we will go. If it happens that she has a craving for sashimi, I would actually opt for a Japanese buffet where we can have our fill of the freshest and best sashimi on offer (a favourite of ours is the coffee house restaurant at Plaza Hotel along Beach Road). All these, of course, are costly, but it is only once a year and we then restrict our spending for the most part.

Do not forget the many parks in Singapore such as the Botanic Gardens, where you can enjoy a nice day out in a picnic or gentle stroll with your date on Valentine’s Day. There are a zillion ways in which you can spend Valentine’s Day on a shoestring budget in Singapore – you just need to use some imagination and a lot of heart. After all, that is what Valentine’s Day is all about!

The more interesting bit of news was that out of the top 10 students in Singapore, only 2 of them were Singaporeans. It would probably surprise some and the Ministry of Education might do a little study about it, as they are generally known to over react. Certainly I would think it is no surprise that foreign students are scoring better. Most of them have flown specially to Singapore to get their educational needs. They are paying top dollar for it. If I were a parent of a foreign student, I would drill it into my child to study hard and do their best.

Most of these foreign students (especially those from Asian countries) are immensely hardworking, but this is from my own experience many years ago and there were not many then. But I believe it all stems from cultural and general attitudes, so it should have remained unchanged. And at an age when the child is still young, their thoughts would first and foremost be on studying and doing well. Unlike teens who then fly overseas for a University education – they would want to experience life from that level. The end result is that only the most focused would go on to do well in higher education.

The 2007 O Level results are impressive, but at the end of the day, not too important. It can be used to get into the college of your choice, but if you end up chasing skirts or boys at that age, it would mean nothing being in a school like Raffles Junior College.

Perhaps it is best to re-look at our spending in these pessimistic times and be more frugal. Switching to public transport could help to save more in the long run, even if it is more inconvenient with the longer travel time, although to be honest, driving a car in peak hour traffic do not always guarantee getting to your destinations faster. Public transport in Singapore is quite convenient to say the least and still cheap relative to those of in other countries, even if the operators seek to increase fare prices every year. I have heard increasing complaints from locals and also expatriates who find the long travel times a pain but when I press further, they are finding things to pick at with average travel times of 30 to 45 minutes per trip. If you can wake up half an hour earlier, it can result in possible savings of a few dollars so why not do that.

Back to the upcoming shake-up of the Singapore public transport system. In future, bus routes will be open for bidding in order to promote better route operation and to the most efficient operator. However, I am not entirely convinced that this would promise lower fares as operators might transfer the cost to commuters. Even so, I believe the Singapore government will do its best to ensure commuters are not taxed too heavily otherwise they will face even more complaints.

If you think about it, taking public transport in Singapore, while providing cost savings for your living budget, might actually increase the quality of your life. You do not have to deal with driving in a traffic jam yourself and the accompanying stress. You do not have to wait in the office for anticipated traffic jams to dissipate (yes, I know colleagues and people who do that), so you get home relatively earlier and spend more quality time with yourself or family. I guess it is all to do with how positively you take the changes and work them to your advantage.

That bad habit is to slow down and start staring at incidents or accidents that have occurred near you while driving. Now it might be natural for everyone to slow down as the instinctive reaction is to make sure you don’t knock into anyone else and it is a safety barrier. But most drivers slow down and then start staring at the accident like what might have happened in the Pioneer Road accident, trying to figure out what went on and, of course, a major like of many Singaporeans – doing their best to spot the car plate or license numbers of the accident vehicles.

“What for?” you may ask. So that they can scoot off to the nearest Singapore Pools 4D outlet during lunch and buy the numbers in the hopes that they have the next ‘lucky’ 4D numbers to hit the top prize. It might not have been the same intention by the lorry drivers involved in this Pioneer Road accident, but allowing yourself to be distracted by accidents other than to slow down and drive safely is causing major road hazards.

Unfortunately there might not be an easy solution to this. It is after all, human nature, and most people are curious as to what happens around them, especially in morbid situations such as the Pioneer Road accident. Even more unfortunate is that curiosity may kill the cat, or us, in this case.

This time of the year in Singapore usually brings wet weather. I always remember my first months in school each year as having to brave heavy showers and going to class in slippers due to shoes which would not dry after getting soaked in puddles the day before. January weather in Singapore was always predictable. Yet this month has only seen occasional rain and the odd thunderstorm which led mild floods last week, while it has even begun to get hot at night. I could hardly sleep well last night fighting the growing humidity and stifling heat. I mean, it used to rain for days during this time of the year!

Add to that I seem to notice some mild haze building up around my home. It could be the construction work going on at the new neighbour’s place but that only adds to the hot discomfort.

I know most people hate rain and find it inconvenient. Yes sometimes it is, but in hot and humid Singapore, I am one local who appreciates the wet season and have developed a recent fondness not to use the air condition. But this crazy January heat is driving me nuts and it is hard to work or think well when you start getting all sticky and wet. And yes, weather forecasters still have the best job in the world because they get it wrong but nothing ever happens to them!

Of course, we can still assume there might have been some miscommunication or misunderstanding and the man might be back at a later date. But it is disturbing to see so much trust afforded to a suspect of corrupt practices that continues to threaten our national sport and pastime – football. Wang Xin faces up to 25 counts of match-fixing, and the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) must definitely have a body of evidence to support their charges, even though we should always assume a man is innocent until proven guilty.

It might seem an oversight by the High Court in this situation. The S-League’s reputation continues to be sullied by such match-fixing and corruption cases and will never grow and gain foothold in the region unless anything involved is treated with tough measures. The case with Michael Vana years ago should have taught us a lesson.

So far, most, if not all, the foreign clubs invited to the S-League have failed. Perhaps in a last-ditch attempt, we should look at inviting a team from the Middle East. Their national sides have done well in recent years and have generally overtaken the East Asian sides in standing and results. Japan and South Korea are no longer as formidable. Middle Eastern players are also sound technically and entertaining. Since the Singapore government has had tie-ups with the Saudi Arabians on many fronts, why not sports as well? And with the money those oil rich merchants can pay their footballers, perhaps the risk of them involved in match-fixing will be low! Certainly you would not expect more horror stories like that of the eight Liaoning Guangyuan footballers left in Singapore who are now living from hand to mouth.

Unfortunately, despite residents concern and some who have voiced it to the mainstream media, the authorities do not seem to take them to heart and continue to iterate the same reasons given – that the gantry will not be switched on unless traffic along the route fell between 20 – 30 km/hr. Given the number of people who have to use it anyway since ERP gantries were set up along the BKE, most expect the gantry to be used soon. Residents around this area now have to pay just to get out of their house to go to work in the morning.

There are some alternate routes to explore, but you would need to get up earlier to make up for the time required to make these extra turns. One way would be to enter Hillview and exit at the old firestation junction further up after the gantry, or to head straight for the junction at Beauty World and the PIE, also via Hillview. However, you can be sure that additional ERP gantries will be erected at these points in the near future as we endure more impractical attempts to curb growing traffic.