The Affordable Singapore
Straits Times
Jan 14, 2005
Reforms in price, delivery of health care by Radha Basu
REFORMS in how health care is paid for, to the way it is delivered, will remain the top priorities for the Health Ministry, so that all Singaporeans can continue to enjoy high standards of affordable health care.
Straits Times
Jan 14, 2005
Steps to ensure affordable water supply
MANAGING the country's water sources will receive more emphasis this year, Environment and Water Resources Minister Yaacob Ibrahim said in an addendum to the President's Address.
In the addition, released yesterday, he said: 'We will also ensure affordability, service quality and reliability of our water supply, through adopting new technologies, improving operations, and facilitating public-private partnerships.'
I read with apprehension the above 2 news items. For in Singapore "affordable" is a precursor to price hike, if not an euphemism for high price.
From the enquiries on the prices of HDB flats, Singaporeans now know that the "affordable" prices charged are based not on the cost of building the flats but on whatever prices the HDB fancies which most often are more than double the cost.
It is not just the huge profits that is in question. It is about the insistence by HDB that it provides subsidized flats and makes every effort to ensure that they are affordable.
Singaporeans are getting quite annoyed with the continuous price hike of the various public services such as bus fare, GST, conservancy, etc, which were imposed at a time when they were facing either pay cut or retrenchment. Moreover, the justification for the increase: "price had not been revised for a few years", were plain economic idiocy.
Many Singaporeans now feel that the govt that had given them much prosperity no longer cares about them but is only interested in collecting revenue.
Jan 14, 2005
Reforms in price, delivery of health care by Radha Basu
REFORMS in how health care is paid for, to the way it is delivered, will remain the top priorities for the Health Ministry, so that all Singaporeans can continue to enjoy high standards of affordable health care.
Straits Times
Jan 14, 2005
Steps to ensure affordable water supply
MANAGING the country's water sources will receive more emphasis this year, Environment and Water Resources Minister Yaacob Ibrahim said in an addendum to the President's Address.
In the addition, released yesterday, he said: 'We will also ensure affordability, service quality and reliability of our water supply, through adopting new technologies, improving operations, and facilitating public-private partnerships.'
I read with apprehension the above 2 news items. For in Singapore "affordable" is a precursor to price hike, if not an euphemism for high price.
From the enquiries on the prices of HDB flats, Singaporeans now know that the "affordable" prices charged are based not on the cost of building the flats but on whatever prices the HDB fancies which most often are more than double the cost.
It is not just the huge profits that is in question. It is about the insistence by HDB that it provides subsidized flats and makes every effort to ensure that they are affordable.
Singaporeans are getting quite annoyed with the continuous price hike of the various public services such as bus fare, GST, conservancy, etc, which were imposed at a time when they were facing either pay cut or retrenchment. Moreover, the justification for the increase: "price had not been revised for a few years", were plain economic idiocy.
Many Singaporeans now feel that the govt that had given them much prosperity no longer cares about them but is only interested in collecting revenue.
posted by locky2ky at 3:42 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home