Is there a solution??

Was reading the papers just now. Something just tickled me. DPM Wong Kan Seng highlighted in Parliament the various disciplinary measures taken against those whose lapses enabled Mas Selamat to escape and wreaked untold discomfort to many of us Singaporeans.

The superintendent got sacked and his deputy was given the permanent order to hentak kaki and got demoted at the same time. Unfortunate for these 2 fellows, but someone's gotta pay. It's all good that something is done to prevent such escapes, but one has to ask, was the sacking of the superintendent enough? What I'm really asking is why, despite the calls from some quarters for more accountability, is Wong Kan Seng not the head to roll? The answer put forward was removing Wong Kan Seng would not have solved any problems. Really?

I doubt that Sir Alex Ferguson would still be manager of Manchester United if they were relegated to the Championship. Put it this way, while I'm not one who'd go out to lead a call for Wong Kan Seng to be removed, or any minister for that matter, I'd have thought that someone in the Cabinet be held responsible or even offered to resign over this whole fiasco. Not only has the populace been affected, the country's squeaky clean image has been tarnished.

I guess someone in the Cabinet would have been sacked had Mas Selamat sent a postcard from some remote location like Ungkaya Pukan in the Southern Philippines or Sawahlunto in Sumatra to the PM, Sm or MM saying, "Wish you were here!!!"

Something else in the papers recently also had me thinking - MM Lee, in response to calls from some people to provide subsidies, said that Singaporeans would always be asking for more even when a lot has been done by the Government to reduce the impact of rising costs. I have to agree that a lot has been done, but is it enough? The price of petrol has been jumping so much that it makes the ERS a distant memory. The price of rice has steadily climbed that the GST rebates seem like a pittance. The utilities bill tariffs has gone up but the growth bonus doesn't seem like it's as much as the Government makes it out to be.

In fact, MM Lee said providing subsidies is not the solution to the problem of rising costs. We, Singaporeans, need to work harder ad smarter to make Singapore a more dynamic place so that Singapore is always at the forefront. Hmmmmm....I've seen to have read that somewhere before. Oh, sacking Wong Kan Seng isn't the answer to the problem. I feel that in order to Singapore to remain competitive globally, Singapore needs to be investing a lot in the one resource we have - Singaporeans.

What's the use of investing globally when the needs of the average Singaporeans are, while not exactly neglected, not being addressed fully. What's the point of having trillions in our reserves if the people are having to worry constantly if they can remain debt-free, due to all the price hikes? C'mon Lee, show me the money!!

On another note, 2 close friends of mine, Iswandy and Isnani, are about to become a first time parents. Congrats bro and sis, welcome to the club!!