New Dawn? Or mere rehash? (The Reform Party Rally at Hong Lim Park)

As I stand in the rain, covered in water, cursing under my breath that my shoes are not waterproof, I am greeted by a booming masculine voice. The voice claimed that, for some reason, they could not or would not use the Government built shelter for Public speaking at Hong lim Park.

The speaker thanked us for turning up and showing our conviction for wanting effective change in Singapore. However, he promptly disregarded us by spewing biting words about the Government's ineptness without offering much believable solutions. He ranted about the sad fact that Singaporeans will probably have to work till they die due to the increased retirement age (from 62-65)and that our CPF money will be near depleted due to payments made to mortgages, education for our children and etc. Is it really a bad thing to allow us to use our CPF to pay for such necessities? It is our money after all and at least we are allowed to use it to pay for some of our essential needs rather than merely leaving it to rot in some "government" vault ( since many Singaporeans probably will die before retirement thus forfeiting whatever remains).

He continued to speak on the possibility of making all Singaporean Citizens shareholders of the Singapore Government's Investment Arm(s), thereby allowing all of us to share in Singapore's success. It sounds like a potentially good idea (better than the periodic payouts nearing election time)but I wished that he could have elaborated more on that small glimmer of light that almost salvaged his speech.

There were other better ideas fielded too, by a young budding lady lawyer whose name I could not hear as my buddy and I have retreated to the nearby shelter to avoid the terrible rain. She proposed catering free legal advice to people classified as low income wage earners, to aid them in better understanding their rights and defend themselves in an increasing litigious society. Although such services have been provided at Community Centers and on the Grassroots level, it is usually done at a less formal and ad hoc manner.

Last but not least the final speaker spoke about the minimum wage scheme and other issues that we could not hear due to the heavy downpour and our failing interest in the rally. I am no expert but I do at least expect people who dare to raise such issues in public to back their claims with factual data, rather that rely on stirring up public emotions with angry words directed at a dispassionate ruling party