Singaporeans list key challenges to marriage and parenthood
Monday, July 28, 2008
I happened to come across news of this issue via yahoo news.
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/cna/20080716/tap-446-singaporeans-list-key-challenges-231650b.htmlAll of the sudden, I 有感而发，feel like writing my thoughts about this in my blog, so here goes...
Actually, whatever mentioned in the article boiled down to only one reason and that reason is the answer for the low birth rate in Singapore. Simply classified into one word and that is.......
MONEY!!!No money No talk la. As simple as that. I dun understand why our 'intelligent' Government and Ministers dun see this simple logic and are still pondering on the reasons why the Singapore birth rate never increase much despite their very 'appealing' baby bonus. (Or they choose to act blur???)
With the 'kia si lang' inflation and our measly pay and the super 'kia si lang' hospital bills, how many couples can truly afford to give the best for their babies without struggling?
Please tell our dear Singapore Ministers that their $3,000 baby bonus (paid out every quarterly) is not at all enough. I know this is an extra bonus for the Singapore parents la but please lo... please tell the Government to stop harping on the fact that they give $3,000 to each baby and up to $9,000 to the second and third baby so on and so forth.
They think this extra cash will spur young couples to have kids??? No lo... If young couples really want to have kids, no $3,000 they also will have a kid lo. If they dun want to have kid, you think this $3,000 can 'sia' them??? $30,000 maybe la.
I am very patriotic de but I really cannot stand the way Singapore Government does things sometimes. $3,000 only say until so big. 3 months maternity leave say until lagi big and this 3 months maternity leave is a hoax somemore lo. It's not exactly 3 months lo. It's 12 weeks inclusive of holidays lo. Super bluff people.
Look at the benefits of what some countries are offering its people before you hao lian la.
Germany - on Jan. 1 introduced a new government bonus of more than €10,000 (that is more than S$30,00 BTW) to parents, in an effort to encourage couples to have children and boost the country's flagging birthrate.
France - Mothers with modest incomes get a bonus of nearly €800 for each new child, as well as smaller monthly payments until a child's third birthday and help with child-care costs. In July, benefits to help parents with three or more children went into effect, giving a €750
monthly payment for parents who take one year's unpaid leave from work, or €513 a month for up to three years unpaid leave.
Serbia - The struggling government has provided subsidized kindergartens and an occasional incentive to cash-strapped couples. In keeping with a Communist-era tradition, working mothers enjoy
a full year of maternity leave with wages marginally lower than their normal salaries.
Sweden - Since 1948, Sweden has made a
monthly cash payment for each child under 16. The child allowance now starts at 1,050 kronor (€116; US$155). In 2001, the government increased the allowance for large families — parents with three children, for instance, receive 3,604 kronor (€400; US$530) per month, and those with four get 5,514 kronor (€611; US$811). Parents also get a generous combined 480 days of paid parental leave per child.
See the difference, ministers (who are earning millions)???
When u claim $$ from Singaporeans, you never reduce the amount nor would the amount remain the same. You just claim higher and higher each time (ERP, Income tax, utility bills, etc). BUT when you give $$ to Singaporeans, you proclaim it loud and clear and the amount you are giving out is either constant (Bonuses - One month fixed) or on a reducing basis (NRS, ERS, growth dividends, whatever shit 一年不如一年) S$200 for the increase in GST!!! S$200 can only buy 4 cans of milk powder for my QiQi thank you very much.... Gek sim...
Why dun all Singaporeans give you S$200 and you reduce the GST to 3%??? Just my suggestion...