[softy54534]

It's not xenophobia, it's income stagnation

Title : Middle class wage stagnation could lead to social instability
By :
Date : 11 January 2007 1856 hrs (SST)
URL : Middle class wage stagnation could lead to social instability - Channel NewsAsia


SINGAPORE: Middle class wages have been stagnant in the past 5 years, according to economists, and this could lead to social instability.

These concerns were shared by economists at the annual Institute of Policy Studies Singapore Perspectives conference, who also added that the government is taking steps to address the problem.

Economists believe a US economic slowdown in business and consumer spending may cause problems for Singapore, but as Singapore is tops in the ASEAN resilience index, it should be able to weather external shocks, thanks to a diversified economy and strong Asian demand.

They predict that growth going forward will be above 3 to 5 percent.

The long-term growth limits for a mature economy was previously in the 3 to 5 percent range.

However, economists are asking who this growth is for. The income of the bottom 30 percent of the population has fallen. What is more worrying is the fact that the majority of Singaporeans in the middle class has only seen about a one percent increase in their nominal income in the last 5 years.

This is not not just a Singapore problem say economists who point out that stagnant wages is a global problem.

The chief reason for this is globalisation, especially with India and China introducing a large pool of skilled and unskilled labour to compete with the labour forces of industrialised countries.

Singapore is susceptible to this because of its open economy.

Manpower Ministry data shows that 124,000 jobs were created last year and 45 percent of these jobs went to foreigners.

"With the rate of immigration, even among unskilled and semi skilled labour at a rate twice of what we experienced in the 90s, at a rate fastest in the developed world, the question is - does this dampen our real wages as we grow? Does the strategy itself dampen real wages and depress real wages at the low and middle end of the spectrums? They are sacred cows but we should step back and think about them," said Yeoh Lam Keong, Vice President, Economic Society of Singapore.

Another reason cited for middle class wage stagnation is the move by the government to cut CPF employer contribution rates for older workers by 4 percentage points over the last 2 years.

"So if you were a worker in the 50-55 age group, you could have seen your wages fall as much as 10 percent over the last 3 or 4 years. Now with the economy improving, the government could bring that back, the increase is 1 or 2 percent. I'm in support of CPF tinkering but probably it happens far too often, but I think there's probably some justification to look back and think that the restructuring was a bit too aggressive on the CPF side and it has contributed somewhat to a very sandwiched middle class," said Chua Hak Bin, Director, Asia Pacific Econ & Market Analysis, Citigroup Global Markets Singapore.

The government is looking at increasing CPF by 1 to 2 percentage points in 2007.

Economists say workfare should become a more permanent pillar of the economy so as to cushion growing inequality.

- CNA /dt

[HedgeYourBets]

PAP should change and start praising Singaporeans instead of criticising them .
The reason is simple,where else in this world can you can find such a generous people & over generous country who accept people from all the continents(The exception may be Antarctica but what the hell?) regardless of race,language and religion.
I am confident that Singapore people will response positively if PAP starts changing its of old tune of Singaporeans being xenophobic or becoming one.

[9mm_fan]

Gerald announced his intention to contest East Coast GRC in 2016, character assassination sure starts early...

http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/69726113-post1.html

Pity. It was a great article initially (she was a Hwa Chong humanities scholar after all). The initial part was very good and indeed does show the need for a balanced approach to foreigners. But in the later part, she sexposed herself by attacking Gerald Giam. To me, Gerald was just painting what I think most people in the Internet agreed. That the attacks on the foreign trash is partly due to our need to express the anger at the govt. In the end, her purpose of her article was seen as just political rather than a good view of a MP on the ground. And how come straits times can allow such a partisan article. What does "for the straits times" ?

The ending sounds even more pathetic. Like a national pledge gone wrong.

sad.


By Sim Ann, For The Straits Times

LOCAL-FOREIGNER relations can be dicey, to say the least.

I see this in my work as a Member of Parliament. It is not unusual for residents, complaining about noise or litter created by their neighbours, to whisper to me in lowered tones: "You know, they are foreigners." Sometimes they are; frequently they are not.

Any community dispute where one party is a permanent resident or a foreigner is likely to have an invidious dimension. It takes all the tact and skill one can summon to keep both sides focused on the actual problem, and not let identity conflict cloud the issue. That is easier said than done, and I for one don't always succeed.

Recently, I was asked to adjudicate between two households quarrelling over corridor space.

It was clear that one household - let's call them Mr and Mrs C - was being unreasonable. Their shelves, potted plants and other belongings took up so much space along the walls that their neighbours were left with only a miserable corner for a small shoe rack. And now their things were advancing into the middle of the corridor too. "Our plants need more sun," explained Mr and Mrs C.

Mrs D, from the flat next door, pleaded with me to speak to Mr and Mrs C. According to her, prior attempts at reasoning with them had failed.

I was glad to try. Handling neighbourly disputes is bread- and-butter work for any MP.

But there was a slight hitch. Mrs D's Mandarin accent was almost local, but I could hear remnants of an unfamiliar lilt. When I asked, she told me she came from a province in southern China. On the other hand, both Mr and Mrs C were true-blue locals.

Uh-oh. An alarm bell went off in my head. Visions of imaginary online headlines spewing vitriol flashed across my mind. "Pro-foreigner MP sides with PRC woman in corridor dispute!" or something nastier.

Mrs D must have noticed my hesitation, because she quickly added: "I have been living here for many years."

I caught sight of a man inside Mrs D's flat. "Is that your husband," I asked. "Please ask him to come out and speak with me," I said. As it turned out, Mr D is a Singaporean, born and bred. Let me be honest - I was relieved.

He was not as articulate as his wife, but I insisted on dealing with him. It became a mediation involving locals: Mr D, Mr and Mrs C, facilitated by me.

This scene has been replaying itself in my mind lately. I have asked myself whether I did right not to include Mrs D in my effort to mediate. I could not help wondering if Mrs D's foreign origins had something to do with the fact that they could not settle the dispute among themselves.

More than anything else, I have asked myself what I would have done if it had turned out that both Mr and Mrs D were not local-born.

I share this personal experience to make the point that local-foreigner relations are real issues on the ground. For those of us whose job it is to maintain peace and harmony in the community, it is something we wrestle with constantly. But we also know there are many potential pitfalls whenever the subject is raised, that few are motivated to talk about it.

This is why I was particularly moved by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's decision to speak about this issue in his National Day Rally speech last month. It was an example of moral leadership.

Addressing the soul of Singaporeans, the Prime Minister asked us to choose the "better angels of our nature", to quote Abraham Lincoln, and not give way to prejudice or intolerance. He did so even though he had nothing to gain politically in speaking out on this issue.

Just as visions of hateful headlines had flashed instantaneously across my mind as I stood in that cluttered corridor, I had no difficulty imagining the howls of protest from netizens who would not hesitate to use the Prime Minister's statement as a stick to beat the Government.

The Prime Minister chose to make his statement nevertheless because it was the right thing to do - morally.

What sort of people do we Singaporeans want to be? Open, generous and tolerant or closed, surly and intolerant? These are important questions that must be asked.

The vast majority of Singaporeans understood the PM's message and agreed with it, according to a Reach poll.

The pot shots, however, did come. But I have to say, I was surprised by some who hurled them.

I read for example an article by Mr Gerald Giam, Non-Constituency Member of Parliament of the Workers' Party, published in this paper last Saturday. It was disappointing, for I had expected better from Mr Giam.

According to Mr Giam: "Anyone who examines the online comments about foreigners will realise that much of the anger is actually not directed at the foreigners, but at the Government for its liberal immigration policies."

Hang on a minute, Mr Giam.

As the Prime Minister acknowledged, people have every right to express their view on the Government's immigration policy. Indeed, the disquiet some feel about the spike in immigrants is understandable. As with all other policies, the Government will make adjustments on this front. The flow of immigrants has been tightened, and I support the shift.

The Government welcomes further debate on how we might fine-tune our population policies. The ongoing process leading to the proposed White Paper on population is precisely about consultation and discussion.

But online comments that clearly spew hate and prejudice against individuals or groups are simply that - hate speech.

All of us, politicians and netizens, must take a clear stand against hate speech. Abuse of foreigners, or any human being, is not acceptable, whether it is verbal or physical, online or offline. Interpreting such vile comments, as Mr Giam does, as misdirected anger intended originally for the Government is deeply questionable.

It also strikes me as disingenuous, for Mr Giam's party only six months ago criticised the Government for tightening the availability of work permits on the grounds that it was hurting small and medium-sized enterprises.

Above all, it raises the question of choice and responsibility. Mr Giam's article suggests that the online vitriol is ultimately the Government's fault; what is more, the vitriol is justified, for the foreigners, abetted by the Government, have made our lives miserable. It boils down to "don't worry, be nasty" - a suggestion that is no doubt appealing to those seeking an excuse to hate.

I choose to say no to that. I say no because I believe we all have a choice in deciding how we behave. Hate speech online or in person is wrong, no matter who the target and whatever the alleged provocation. As moral beings, we can and should choose not to indulge in hate speech. That was the Prime Minister's simple point.

I say no because I do not think it is responsible to argue that the minority among us who choose to behave badly are helpless victims of the environment.

I say no because I believe my fellow countrymen, whom I have pledged to serve, can weigh right and wrong - and we can choose to do right or refrain from doing wrong even when confronted by seductive voices suggesting wrong is right.

The Prime Minister appealed to our better natures: Singaporeans, let us treat foreigners as we would want to be treated ourselves. And immigrants, whatever the difficulty, learn Singaporean norms and become better integrated into the larger Singapore family.

How we choose to respond to this simple message, too, would be a reflection of ourselves.

For my part, I choose to respond with new resolve. I resolve to carry out my duties on the ground fairly, always with compassion and, if necessary, with firmness. I resolve to uphold social harmony and community relations in my country. I resolve to support vigorous and honest, but civil, debate.

And I also resolve to speak up against vitriol and hate - and excuses people may make for them.

The writer is Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Law, and a People's Action Party MP for Holland-Bukit Timah Group Representation Constituency.

[Drugmachine]

Between Xenophobia and Xenophilia, which do you choose?

[Big A]

Between Xenophobia and Xenophilia, which do you choose?

good grief... tough choice...

[MannoFr]

good grief... tough choice...

I know. That is why the Govt tikamed and chose the latter.

[tgs]

will ISA be invoked to arrest political xenophobes?

[NeroASERCH]

will ISA be invoked to arrest political xenophobes?

I hope not. ISA as such a blunt tool as it is is a much feared weapon of the ruling party and, if there is a change of govt, whoever assumes power. A country with autocratic rules in place often have past rulers come to miserable ends. So present rulers of such regimes, please take good care or change the rules.

[HedgeYourBets]

I hope not. ISA as such a blunt tool as it is is a much feared weapon of the ruling party and, if there is a change of govt, whoever assumes power. A country with autocratic rules in place often have past rulers come to miserable ends. So present rulers of such regimes, please take good care or change the rules.

Gerald going get fixed?

[tgs]

Gerald going get fixed?

Was this speech before or after the apology statement? No I don't think so. If the unbelievable really happens and WP becomes the next govt (not that I think it will happen) and the ISA is still in place, the repercussion of fixing Gerald could be disastrous.

[tgs]

Was this speech before or after the apology statement? No I don't think so. If the unbelievable really happens and WP becomes the next govt (not that I think it will happen) and the ISA is still in place, the repercussion of fixing Gerald could be disastrous.

2006 Lunch rally at CBD...

[Ifroham4]

2006 Lunch rally at CBD...

Must have done several rounds of soul searching after that. No. GG will not be fixed.

[NeroASERCH]

Must have done several rounds of soul searching after that. No. GG will not be fixed.

I hope they will fix him gao gao... confirm alot of sympathy votes...