I guess the big news this past day or so has been the PM's speech at the National Day Rally. Admittedly, I have never been one to watch the Rally on TV, often preferring other programs, or playing games on my PC if there are no other more interesting shows. Since I started working, that changed. I, as do many Singaporeans, wait with bated breath, all the while hoping for more handouts and goodies to be announced.
We Singaporeans are a strange bunch. We clap our hands at the announcements made by the PM on the various plans they have in place for us. We nod our heads in apparent agreement at the slides and the graphs, trying to make sense of the facts and figures being put before us and yet, at the same time, we dismiss the policies being put forth as money politics from the government. I admit, I'm one of them. I'm happy at the measures that affect me and my family directly (extended maternity leave, more child-care leave, more child-care centers and more subsidy for them). However, I cringe when it is put to us that in fact we are saving more than we think with all the policies already in place.
While I agree that the reduction in road tax covers the increase in ERP, more for some than for others, they are 2 totally different things. Road-tax is paid yearly or half-yearly. Many car owners, set aside a part of their AWS or bonus for this purpose. As such we don't feel the savings when we do pay the road tax. But any increase in ERP is immediately felt as we pay as we use.
Then again, personally, I feel that if one gripes too much about the increasing ERP, it probably means he or she shouldn't be driving especially if the $100 or so increase in ERP really does affect his monthly budget. Yes, I'm unhappy about the ERP increase, but I'm not changing my driving habits just so that I could save $0.50 here and $0.20 there. Heck, I'm not about to skip a "McHappy Meal" like Hitler does and neither would I switch to a BMX any time in future.
Enough griping from me for now. It won't changed the fact that we, as consumers will always be at the mercy of the producers. It's all politics.
Talking about politics, the stories coming out from across the causeway is really making me have a good laugh. Where else would you get religion, politics and sleaze all rolled into one soap opera for the masses? All the talk of reformasi reform if you'd prefer is thoroughly overshadowed by charges of sodomy. 10 years on since the last sodomy charge levelled against Anwar Ibrahim, nothing much has changed. Personally, I find it hard to believe that a 23 year old man can succumb and allow himself to be sodomised by a 61 year old man. I mean it does take some force, if indeed the act did take place, to strip a young physically able man down without his consent and make him bend over, especially if the one doing the forcing is 61 years old. Anwar must have been working out real good.
For all the talk of change by the Malaysian government to appease the populace, nothing has really improved. Really. What change is there when the traffic cops on the north south highway still ask for RM50 to settle what they claimed was speeding by predominanly Singapore cars? More on that at another time. There are more important things in life and I think one of them is that Izzati needs a younger sibling........
