A group of anonymous donors contributed some $250,000 through the Red Cross Society in support of the rehabilitation expenses for the Thai youngster who lost both her legs at the MRT station that lacked safety barriers. Another anonymous donor, Singaporean living in Hongkong, called Tan Tock Seng to offer to settle the estimated $46,000 hospital charges. We are told details of the transaction are still being worked out, but rest assured it won't be a $8 billing. Even Nitcharee Peneakchanasak's electric wheel chair was a gift from the Rotary E-Club of Singapore. And a well-wisher at the airport send off presented her with $800 in cash.
But discerning Singaporeans can also see how money can be better applied. Well, maybe 40% can.
During GE 2011, the incumbent PAP spent an average of $1.90 per voter, compared to $0.61 for the alternate political parties. The law allows candidates to spend up to $3.50 per voter, up from $3.00 in the 2006 election.
PAP paid $4.2 million for the 82 seats they contested, while opposition parties expended $1.34 million for the fight. Lee Kuan Yew's Tanjong Pagar GRC blew $185,667.84 even though there was no fight, as their walkover was a hollow 35 second "victory". Notably Vivian Balakrishnan's Holland-Bukit Timah was second highest spender at $$204,746, a far cry from his YOG profligacy.
Where did the money go? PM Lee Hsien Loong's expenses in Ang Mo Kio included $163 for 90 boxes of Jacob's vegetable high calcium biscuits delivered to his Teck Ghee branch two days after parliament was dissolved (but before official campaigning started). Father Lee Kuan Yew's bill included $44 for buns (half coconut, half red bean paste) for helpers on Nomination day. These guys obviously never heard of out of pocket generosity.
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Who paid for these expenses?
ReplyDeleteSo clearly the party with the most resources is also the one with least effectiveness! From Aljunied/Hougang the difference is huge! Even other constituencies where the fight were really close like Joo Chiat/MarinParade & PP the cost by Opp were no where close or near to what MIW had spent. Goes to show how throwing the most money doesn't always yield you a better results. The joker among all must be TPagar where the emperor resides. $185k even without running! Imagine they'd ran?! What a lame excuses.. And yes, who paid for these expenses from PAP? I don't remember they have any fundraising or donors' program. It better NOT come out from my taxpaying bit coz I certainly didn't want to give them a single cent..! Including those excessive PAs & Private Secs that the so-called retired MM & Emeritus. Time they bleach their laundry in front of the people.
ReplyDeletewah..the emperor has no clothes on, and they still charged $185k for tailoring! World's speediest robbery in record 35s!
ReplyDeleteAll these exorbitant expense goes to confirm a universal truth - when the money is NOT YOURS, and you are spending other people's money (read: taxpayers), you tend to be VERY GENEROUS with the spending, because you do not have to fund raise every single cent and question every single expenditure whether it is worth the money. Typical PAP. I bet even the cheap sweets to soothe the throat of each speaker on rally stage is paid for by AH GONG's money, not from PAP candidates' own pocket.
ReplyDeleteOpp spent 1.3m and garnered 40%. To quote LSS - they are cheaper, better and faster leh! As for PAP - Same same and no difference. Not only their pay deserves to come down significantly, the silent President too.
ReplyDeleteI feel sorry for Desmond Lim (SDA), who spent $61,088 for the contest for Punggol East and yet still ended up losing his deposit of $16,000. what a double whammy. Kudos for his tenacity, but sadly, he wasn't savvy enough to know when to fight, and when to back out gracefully so as to avoid a 3-corner fight.
ReplyDeleteHow convenient for our PAP govt to exclude the Grow & Share package as money spent for the election even when it was paid into the voters' bank account just 1 week before the election, isn't it ?
ReplyDeleteLet's hope our Prime Minister will be honest enough to repeat the Grow & Share package every year, and not only during election year !
You see he may have forgotten that he and his father happens to be enjoying a couple of million-dollar salary every year, not only election year.