After I wrote Akan datang here: A six-figure salary is ‘low income’ I remembered an observation that I kept forgetting to blog on. And I promptly forgot about it until yesterday after I wrote Why anti-PAP Save S’pore Fund won’t work.
I keep getting the sense from talking to young S’poreans and their parents and grandparents that more and more young S’poreans are asking out loud: “Can I get a job that will actually pay me enough to live on (let alone be able to have a family someday)?”
And their parents and grandparents fear that their children’s (or grandchildren’s) lives will not be better and more prosperous than their own: it’ll be worse, a lot worse. Many moons ago, one P (for Politician) Ravi (Remember him?) told me that his fear for his children’s future led him to stray from the narrow, white road of Hard Truths, even though he, his siblings and his mum had benefited from the PAP govt policies: the policies, combined with their efforts and a bit of luck, took them out from poverty. But he didn’t think the PAP’ govt’s policies will ensure that his children’s lives will be better and more prosperous than his own.
The Singapore Dream of the 5Cs of condominiums, cars, country clubs, cash and credit cards are no more. Most young S’poreans know they can’t afford condominiums, cars and country clubs, and they’ll be always short of cash (all in CPF leh they’ll moan). And they know that maxing out on their credit cards is a sure way to bankruptcy: PAP govt tot them to count.
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NUS survey bears out my observation
Out of 25 aspects about living in the country, Singaporeans ranked the affordability of cars as being the least satisfied with, followed by the affordability of properties, cost of living, ratio of locals to foreigners, and affordability of healthcare.
“Increasingly (over the years), they are upset about the affordability of cars and properties, so you can surmise from there that they are concerned with the issue,” said Tan.
So it’s not surprising that the young have different aspirations: an observation made by Mr Masagos Zulkifli, the Minister in charge of Muslim Affairs. The young are realistic of the possibilities of life under the PAP govt: only the rich and the anointed ones get richer, the rest pay and pay. Their parents and grandparents are also realistic about the young’s prospects.
The support for Dr Tan Cheng Bock in PE 2011 and his enduring popularity (despite the PAP’s increase of the popular vote in GE 2015 to 70% from 60%) shows that there are unhappy PAP voters out there waiting to be tapped: Why the PAP fears Dr Tan Cheng Bock.
Therein lies the opportunity for the Oppo.
But then the PAP can rely on the likes of Lim Tean: A disgraceful chamber of horrors and Silence of Goh Meng Seng (self-proclaimed Indian chiefs with no Indians behind them) to keep S’poreans fearful and contemptuous of a liberal democratic alternative to one-party rule.
With enemies like these two, how can the PAP ever lose? Sad.
Let’s hope they take the hints from Dr Tan Cheng Bock:
[S]ome may also need to stand down and serve from the backroom if it is for the good of the country.
…
I believe that the men and women I met yesterday, were more than willing to make way for better men and women who would stand in their place. They have guts. They have put themselves out there.
Somehow I don’t think they will. What do you think?
Thoughts of a Cynical Investor 
Need to have build up of critical mass.
Right now, things not that bad yet. Not bad enough for the typical Sinkie to “have guts. [to] put themselves out there.“