The Debate on Minimum Wage

With our cost of living notoriously high here, can anyone survive with just $1300 a month or less? The short answer is Yes and No. The long answer: it depends. If you are a foreign worker or student with low expenses, this amount would probably be enough. If you are a local citizen with rising expenses (loans, CPF contribution, medical, insurances, transportation, utilities, GST hikes, etc.), then this amount is definitely not enough. Worst, if you are often sick and have more than one mouth to feed. 

When wage is not pegged to rising living costs, how could any local low-wage workers survive? Yes, you could argue that handouts and subsidies are given out, but these are not regular streams. Today, many employers and hirers are still paying $6/$7 per hour for part-time workers with zero welfare and benefit. One could visualize who would likely take up these low-paying jobs! We have raised the minimum wage for Employment Pass holders but nothing is set for local low-wage workers. The key question is: who should be helped more? 

Unless and until policy-makers acknowledge and owe this issue, no solution is possible. Again, this also depends on their ‘agenda’ and where they stance: pro businesses or pro local low-wage workers?

No Pain No Change

 

This cartoon was inspired by real events.

We are proud to declare we’re a first-world nation.

Yet, many residents here have a mentality of a third-world people. Their behaviours and habits are totally different when they are at home and outdoors. With a very diverse and rojak population here, it very tough to change mindsets here from think-for-self to think-for-others. Until there is pain, there won’t be any change.     No Pain No Change!

DISRUPTIONS: NO STOPPING?

 

To maximize profits, train operators refuse to run public bus services parallel and along all train routes unlike HK where there are many public transport services along train routes. Here, commuters have to take it or leave it. No choice. Our policy makers don’t feel the hardships of commuters as they don’t have to use this service for their daily commutes. Worst, if there is any major breakdown and disruption.  

Last wednesday‘s power failure and breakdowns of our 3 lines during peak-hours is another reminder to provoke ‘big brother’ thinking why the need to run parallel public transport services. Strangely, there has been no major breakdown during circuit-breaker period and off peak-hours or during weekends. Does this ring a bell?

Winners and Losers

 

Sometimes, I admire this breed of people.

They don’t have to do any real work, just talk only and enjoy great successes. I keep wondering what and how they made their bosses and co-workers to like them and support them. They must have done something right! For years, I’ve been studying and trying to learn from them but with zero success. No choice, I’ve to stick to old school to do real work to make a living. If not, it’d be ‘hand stops, mouth stops’ (手停口停)

Hungry Go Where?

 

After months of lockdowns and isolation, people are hungry for travel. But we are such an small island, it’s really can go nowhere. It’s also a waste of resources to launch flight to nowhere and cruise to nowhere. Instead, we should focus all our resources to create something new to lure the tourists back when our borders re-open. Many people are eager to travel again when this pandemic is over. Why do they choose to come here?  

A Tough Nut To Crack

 

People from this country are tough or seem to act tough.

They often assert their beliefs and shaft their demands on others’ throats. They are at times snobbish and they never listen to opinions and feedbacks. This is my own conclusion drawn after working for people from this country many years ago.

Today, they seem to have changed little or not at all!

You can call me stereotyping, it’s ok. 

Head you win, tail I lose

 

Some games are one-sided.

The game creator always win. It’s impossible and rare that one could win against those rich and powerful who abuse their power against the weak and helpless. For some personal reason(s), the victims could not just leave the ‘game’ to suffer even more loses. Many has chosen to keep silent and endure the hardship. I feel sad for them. 

Are you still in the game?

 

It’s entertaining to see our neighbours playing games.

We may just laugh at them because the outcomes never affect us.

If you are also “playing game’ in your own yard, then it’s a different context altogether. If you are still playing ‘games’, you must calculate your moves carefully because any wrong move means doom. If your boss is playing games, then you must know what are the “forces in play” and where and when to move. If your subordinates are playing games, you have to be alert all the time. Otherwise, you may be ‘stabbed’ or moved unless of course, you’re the big boss in your yard.