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| What, me worry? |
Even the coterie of sycophants at the Public Transport Council (PTC) was taken by surprise. They had just completed their dastardly deed of hiking fares by 2.8% in April in the face of nose-diving crude oil prices; their brains are good only for computational activity once a year. The PTC is supposed to be an independent body charged with regulating public transport fares, and the next review exercise is scheduled to begin at the end of the year, using 2014 indices. And what about the poor Lieutenant-General in charge of the trains, how is he going to pay for the 30,662 insulators of the North-South and East-West lines he promised to change out? Shelve it for the next spectacular breakdown?
And why implement in December? If a major-general can hand out free packet rice and provide buses to the rallies, why can't the rear-admiral be generous in September? Transport Minister Lui claims the intent is to celebrate the opening of the second phase of the Downtown Line. While every other minister is throwing taxpayers' money for the SG50 celebrations.
The Transport Minister is flexing his muscles to the max, "I encourage the PTC to pass on this 1.9 per cent reduction fully to commuters." You're the man, Lui, why not go the whole hog and demand a 5.0 % reduction from the "independent" PTC? Heck, push it to 50% - in line with the current SG50 mania - and the electorate will make you president.
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“He wears a mask, and his face grows to fit it.” - George Orwell
ReplyDelete2015, the year of handouts! We'll just collect all the goodies and still give them a big, nasty surprise!
ReplyDeleteI smell rats not only infesting malls and other places!
Well at least one other minister is not throwing goodies, not even using taxpayers' money. The health minister just announced that while cancer and heart diseased folks would be covered, the premium would depend on the "severity" of the disease. In singlish, you shud not expect lower premium if your disease is the kind of bypass that cost $8. Transport and CPF money are big issues, but I think the largest can of worms is in healthcare and medishield life. If the average age of Singaporean is say 40 and average life expectancy is 70, that means another 30 years to pay and pay, at an increasing premium plus healthcare cost of inflation. And you go to jail if you don't pony up!
ReplyDeleteI better vote Opposition.
ReplyDeleteAfter all these goodies are given out in 2015.
We will be paying more for everything in 2016.
Give you a finger, take back your whole arm. The adage of no free lunch in this world can't be any truer when describing PAP Pte Ltd.
DeleteCome on people, how much of an idiot are you if you is still think a initial hike of 2.8% and a later 1.8% drop is still not a hike at the end of the day, and mind you this is before the GE. You think they are going to be any more benevolent after that? Har har, I got Nigerian princes that will make you rich.
started in 2016????
Deleteyou will be so lucky if its the case.
start date will probably be a week after the GE.
what's wrong with making more money?
Is this the first time ever that there will be a reduction in fares? Sure, nothing to do with the erections (with help from viagra).
ReplyDeleteAnd why announce now when it is only going to be implemented at the end of the year? Why don't announce after the erections if they are related? I am getting a hard-on and just salivating for the huge package - the humongous deduction in fares.
/// in line with the current SG50 mania ///
ReplyDeleteAs the satirical site New Nation suggested, voters should AIM to give the PAP 50% of the votes and 50 constituencies. This will give them something to celebate about (without viagra of course).
They really think we are daft! Hike the fares by 2.8% to spite us before news of GE was known and reduce the fares by 1.9% weeks before GE. There is still a net increase of fares at a time oil prices have plunged by 50%!
ReplyDeleteHe said he timed the price reduction with the opening of DTL2 so that he needed not to tweak the fares again with the opening of DTL2 in this Dec
To be completely honest with Singaporean (a phase borrowed from the filial son of the horrible man when he was recently interviewed by Chan Heng Chee), he should have told us that this is his way of buying back a seat he has lost on the gravy train when his GRC was removed by EBRC
The PAP is getting senile by this point. They spent too much energy devising ever-increasing ways over the past decade to squeeze our wallets dry when it is should be last thing they want to do to not alienate the votes of our incredible money-minded citizens.
DeleteIf the whiteys believe we are going to vote them in for old times SG50/LKY sake and not solving our bread-and-butter issues, they are in for a rude shock.
LMAO...
DeleteTruly is once a 50 years occurrence for fare reduction.
Gee, let me see. So if my fare is $2 it will not even be 0.05 cts leh...hahaha good try lah
This move also clearly shows that PTC is totally irrelevant. This minister can suka suka raise and drop fare according to the (dire) needs of the situation.
Guess he is the man of the minute is more like it. Move on...nothing to see here.
Can the Prime Minister pray tell us in complete honesty why is there a connection between the opening of a MRT new line and a fare reduction?
ReplyDeleteIf want to be so dishonest also don't need to use this type of stupid excuse can or not? By the way this time round are you going to repeat your insincere apology to con us into believing you again?
DeleteHaha....
Indeed a very funny
reason for a fare drop.
So funny that stupid
fits like a T.
patriot
Not to worry, Lui, you are indispendable to Ah Loong because your keen olfactory nerves can sniff out all the recalcitrant parts of your train system, including the 30,662 insulators where you can save money by replacing only the defective ones. Me not daft, so please don't give all the cock-and-bull reason for the fare reduction. Me worry that after the fare reduction, GST go up to 10%.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, if he has the guts and the power, why not just waive ERPs for 50 Sundays island wide? Or free taxi rides for 50 taxies on SG 50?
ReplyDeleteLai lai, I give you permission to use my tax money to pay me back! Totally makes sense man!!
It clearly shows this government is taking the stupidity of 60% Singaporeans for a free ride. I am not fooled by the 1.9% TEMPORORAL fare deduction because the worse of fare hike thereafter has already been crafted on stone by this greedy government and the shareholders of Temasick!!
ReplyDeleteI normally would think the 60% are always suckered by their election gimmicks, but perhaps not this time. This 1.9% is just ridiculous, it's like those $1.99 stores - you go inside and find almost nothing which is not junk.
DeleteWhat the tuck!? Whats wrong with making more Lui?!
ReplyDeleteYou know what is even more UN UN UNbelievable?!
when he was Minister for MICA 5 yrs ago, he said we were not ready to lift the restriction on dialects as allowing full content in dialects could "hypothetically impact the standard of Mandarin by 20 percent".
Well, now that Journey to the West PG infomercial has since gone full dialect, naturally our mandarin standard must decline 20% nationwide. And I'm wondering if he has any concerns with this reduction too.
you probably not turned on the radio long time? On 95.8, daily news broadcast in all dialects incl hinanese for eons, the dash for the old folks' votes has been ongoing for long time, as long as the crown gets to keep the CPF and unfettered power to tax and hikes, anything else is no sacred cow dee!
DeleteIts the circus season as the pipe pipers are leading the rats through the streets with crumbs. As the rats scuttle for the crumbs, little do they know they're led into the cauldron of fire.
ReplyDeleteOnce the season ends and rations deplete, there will be mountains of other rats rushing in to compete against and the whips will flash and spurs begin to spike harder.
If anything is too good to be true, it usually is.
ReplyDelete10% GST confirmed lai liao.