May I spend, please?
In Parliament yesterday, there was some debate over the latest Budget, specifically the Progress Package. It's basically some wealth-sharing package designed to distribute cash to poorer citizens. I doubt that's the true purpose but I shan' t go to the extent of speculating here. Come to think of it, what's there to speculate? If you live/stay in Singapore long enough, you would have understood the true motives and acknowledge the message that the government (or the ruling party, if you prefer) wants to send.
I seldom take interest in what is being discussed in Parliament. Yes, yes, label me an "apathetic Singaporean". What do I care? I can't vote (not now anyway), my opinions will probably be given a "Oh! Thank you for your insights. We appreciate them and will take them into consideration" and I don't want to end up being political refugee, so the best bet is to smile and "move on" - a new catahphrase used frequently after the NKF fiasco.
Anyway, what caught my attention was what one MP said. Below is an excerpt from Channel News Asia:
Others were concerned that the money would not be well spent.
Halimah Yacob, MP for Jurong GRC, said: "I am a bit concerned about the different ways in which some Singaporeans intend to spend their Growth Dividends. There's even one person who was quoted as saying he intends to buy 4D.
"But it is better to save this money to use during a rainy day as jobs are now more volatile. It's uncertain and it's possible for us to leave our jobs anytime."
For the uninformed, 4D is a national past time enjoyed by scores of people, who would brave the elements, sickness, endless queues and probably the riot police, just to indulge in it. Click here for more about 4D.
Singapore was seen by some as a nanny state by some. I didn't see how bad it was until this MP said this and I was hit with the stark reality that I probably didn't have as much free will as I thought I had in spending the money assigned to me by the government. Say, why can't we spend as we like and why should there be any cause for concern?
Then again, perhaps she is right; we should save and contribute to the reserves of the local banks. I would like to save too but the interest rates offered by local banks are too paltry. Hell, I think I'm better off leaving my notes scattered randomly at home. Well, at least this gives mean uplifting feeling of being so psuedo filthy rich that I can afford to leave notes lying around, and not rolling my eyes when I update my bank account and see the mediocre interest.
When I got wind of this Progress Package, I began hatching a little plan on how I am going to fritter all of it. Below is a totally fictitious scenario that I imagined. It essentially outlines how I would spend the money on some fabricated causes. Assume I get $800 for the following exercise.
$200 - Bet on soccer. I would want to actually spend all $800 on it but I have more financial sense than to do that.
$200 - Settle part of my debts with the friendly neighbourhood moneylender, so that he will refrain from knocking on my door at odd hours, with gritted teeth and waving his clenched fists menacingly.
$100 - Have a wild night at the local night spots. *wink wink*
$100 - Film a local version of Girls Gone Wild. The money will be used to entice unwitting girls to display some of their "assets". *wink*
$100 - Have them in small change so I can perform a magic trick, similar to that of G.O.B's in Arrested Development. I'd perform near Singapore River, making coins appear from seemingly nowhere. I guess it would be amusing to watch people scramble to pick up coins on the ground. It would be nice if some people actually make a splash in the river in their crazed attempts for coins, while I dance to Europe's The Final Countdown being played in the background.
$050 - Buy friends rounds of drinks. Not that I drink anyway.
$040 - Procure a fake medical letter from a general practitioner to certify that I need consume chewing gum for some obscure medical reasons, so that I can legally buy gum from pharmacies and chew in public.
$010 - Essential items to prevent contracting some incurable or embarrassing STDs.
That's it; all 800 of it. *gasp* I didn't save a single cent! What am I going to do when "I leave my job" due to "volatile jobs"? Argh! I should have saved up and fatten the local banks!
OK, now seriously, how long would $800 last, even if I had saved? A month? Maybe two? Regardless, it is not going to last long. To quote lyrics from Jon Bon Jovi's "It's My Life",
It's my life
It's now or never
I ain't gonna live forever
I just want to live while I'm alive
I think the lyrics aptly describes the majority of Singaporean's reaction towards the idea of spending the Progress Package money VS saving it.
I seldom take interest in what is being discussed in Parliament. Yes, yes, label me an "apathetic Singaporean". What do I care? I can't vote (not now anyway), my opinions will probably be given a "Oh! Thank you for your insights. We appreciate them and will take them into consideration" and I don't want to end up being political refugee, so the best bet is to smile and "move on" - a new catahphrase used frequently after the NKF fiasco.
Anyway, what caught my attention was what one MP said. Below is an excerpt from Channel News Asia:
Others were concerned that the money would not be well spent.
Halimah Yacob, MP for Jurong GRC, said: "I am a bit concerned about the different ways in which some Singaporeans intend to spend their Growth Dividends. There's even one person who was quoted as saying he intends to buy 4D.
"But it is better to save this money to use during a rainy day as jobs are now more volatile. It's uncertain and it's possible for us to leave our jobs anytime."
For the uninformed, 4D is a national past time enjoyed by scores of people, who would brave the elements, sickness, endless queues and probably the riot police, just to indulge in it. Click here for more about 4D.
Singapore was seen by some as a nanny state by some. I didn't see how bad it was until this MP said this and I was hit with the stark reality that I probably didn't have as much free will as I thought I had in spending the money assigned to me by the government. Say, why can't we spend as we like and why should there be any cause for concern?
Then again, perhaps she is right; we should save and contribute to the reserves of the local banks. I would like to save too but the interest rates offered by local banks are too paltry. Hell, I think I'm better off leaving my notes scattered randomly at home. Well, at least this gives mean uplifting feeling of being so psuedo filthy rich that I can afford to leave notes lying around, and not rolling my eyes when I update my bank account and see the mediocre interest.
When I got wind of this Progress Package, I began hatching a little plan on how I am going to fritter all of it. Below is a totally fictitious scenario that I imagined. It essentially outlines how I would spend the money on some fabricated causes. Assume I get $800 for the following exercise.
$200 - Bet on soccer. I would want to actually spend all $800 on it but I have more financial sense than to do that.
$200 - Settle part of my debts with the friendly neighbourhood moneylender, so that he will refrain from knocking on my door at odd hours, with gritted teeth and waving his clenched fists menacingly.
$100 - Have a wild night at the local night spots. *wink wink*
$100 - Film a local version of Girls Gone Wild. The money will be used to entice unwitting girls to display some of their "assets". *wink*
$100 - Have them in small change so I can perform a magic trick, similar to that of G.O.B's in Arrested Development. I'd perform near Singapore River, making coins appear from seemingly nowhere. I guess it would be amusing to watch people scramble to pick up coins on the ground. It would be nice if some people actually make a splash in the river in their crazed attempts for coins, while I dance to Europe's The Final Countdown being played in the background.
$050 - Buy friends rounds of drinks. Not that I drink anyway.
$040 - Procure a fake medical letter from a general practitioner to certify that I need consume chewing gum for some obscure medical reasons, so that I can legally buy gum from pharmacies and chew in public.
$010 - Essential items to prevent contracting some incurable or embarrassing STDs.
That's it; all 800 of it. *gasp* I didn't save a single cent! What am I going to do when "I leave my job" due to "volatile jobs"? Argh! I should have saved up and fatten the local banks!
OK, now seriously, how long would $800 last, even if I had saved? A month? Maybe two? Regardless, it is not going to last long. To quote lyrics from Jon Bon Jovi's "It's My Life",
It's my life
It's now or never
I ain't gonna live forever
I just want to live while I'm alive
I think the lyrics aptly describes the majority of Singaporean's reaction towards the idea of spending the Progress Package money VS saving it.
posted by hg @ 00:02
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