Please Mr Khaw, have a heart.
"So what is the difference in putting them in Johor Bahru?" asked Khaw Boon Wan in ST 10 Feb 2009. Look at "them" lying on the floor in the picture and read here."Mr Health Minister Sir, if there is no difference, why don't you ask Mr Lee Hsien Loong to put his mother in a nursing home in JB?" Though it is not nice to use Mrs Lee as an example, it is worse for a minister to offer advice that's offensive to Singaporeans!
I do not know if the Lee family gets preferential treatment at Woodlands Checkpoint but for lesser mortals, Wong Kan Seng's men will be looking for Mas Selamat in every bus, van, car and bicycle everytime we visit sick relatives in JB nursing homes. No sir, in trying to make ends meet, we neither have the luxury of time nor money like you have.
It's so sad that when we grow old and become unproductive and need nursing care, we are nothing but bad news to our caring Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan. We do NS here, work here, slog here, pay our taxes here but we are encourage to go die in Johor Bahru! For being grey, we become part of the "silver tsunami"? To me tsunami means bad waves that kill without mercy, not unlike the fire storms in Australia now. I'm human, I'm sensitive. I'm angered by such derogatory remark made by insensitive and callous minister. It's such a shame that a health minister whose duty is to take care of the welfare and health of its citizens is taking all preventive measures to ensure that his rich government need not cough out a cent when the 'silver tsunami' hits!
"He also disclosed that his ministry is looking at how to help Singaporeans set aside a sum of money for long-term care in their old age. This could take the form of a compulsory medical savings account like Medisave, but called Eldersave." Read here
It is sad. It is so very sad!
CPF was a retirement savings plan when I started work more than 40 years ago. I was promised that my contribution of 25% and my employer's contribution of 25% (yes, total contribution was 50% then) will be returned to me in full with interest when I retire at 55. Along the way the CPF scheme went scheming with Medisave, minimum sum scheme, retirement account, compulsory longevity annuity scheme and now, Eldersave???
For me 55 has come and gone and the promise of me getting my retirement savings (promised made to me 40 years ago) was nothing but a mirage. Yes, they tell me it's still there but I cannot touch it till I'm 62 (minimum sum) which may change to 67 or 85. It's their call. They can change it anytime they please.
Now the cause of my next heart attack. I have my Medisave that I can't use it for my medical care. I need to pay co-payment and deductible before I can use it for my medicines and doctor visits. What hurts most is I have to pay an administrative fee to use my Medisave after paying out of pocket cash for co-payment and deductible. It's my money, been my money but I can't use it even it's specifically meant for my medical care. WTF!
Alas, even under such tough time for common folks, the Health Minister is scheming "with no plan to do so" "Eldersave" to squeeze us further.
'This is, of course, not the time to be talking about raising the CPF contribution rate and we have no plans to do so. But when the economy eventually recovers fully, we should revisit this issue of saving for our long-term care.' he said.
Dear Singaporeans, have your lubricant ready and be prepared to be screwed again as "his ministry is looking at how to help Singaporeans set aside a sum of money for long-term care in their old age."
Good Luck!
feedmetothefish
Query of the day:
Our reserves which come from 'heaven knows where' is an interesting topic these days. With the wayang of $4.9 million draw down for JCS, is it real money? Or is it boardgame monopoly money transfered from left pocket to the right? Sounds nice to have govt help create jobs by dipping into reserves but the money still stay in the reserves, doesn't it?
For those who may have missed it, I must thank mrbrown for his "tan kuku" evergreen here.
posted by FeedMeToTheFish @ 8:23 PM
28 Comments
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28 Comments:
few years back,,i heard the suppose retirement home was to be in Bintan Island.Didnt expect it to be in JB.
All these clowns trying to be funny.
"'This is, of course, not the time to be talking about raising the CPF contribution rate and we have no plans to do so. But when the economy eventually recovers fully, we should revisit this issue of saving for our long-term care.' he said."
Wait long long.
With such astronomical loss of reserves and assets , the GST after next election will be at least 12%.
Surely they need to revisit the issue so that to increase the medisave cost at new GST rate.
From the article, the cost of nursing home is due to land cost. Who set the land cost in Singapore? Our government right? So, our government is saying that because we ourselves have stated a land value too high for our citizens, so, it is better for them to go overseas?
I join in the plea: "Please Mr Khaw, have a heart."
Perhaps Temasek has some shares in the Nursing home in JB. So our health minister is promoting for them.
The papers reported that Mr Khaw said only the middle-income group who do not qualify for subisidy need to consider the JB options. So, in Singapore, you will be allowed on this land if you are very rich or very poor. Only those in the middle have to settle for JB or Bintan or other places? This is a real motivator for people to work hard!
Given a choice old folks prefer to die at home, not in a hospital, not in a nursing home and certainly not in a retirement or old folk's home in Bintan or JB.
Under the not so bad scenario for the old folks, and that is not having to die in Bintan or JB, why is it so glaringly difficult for the Government to just earn a little less on land sales, and use some land from their massive land banks to build old folk's retirement or nursing homes in Singapore? I know, the same old argument will come up, and they will say that land is expensive in Singapore and that they can make more money by selling them to developers.
But if they can afford to loose billions investing overseas, why not forgo a much lesser amount to look after its old people, the ones who built up this place from scratch. Maybe they are thinking that old people are the least important of the whole pyramid, below younger leaser mortals and certainly below the greater mortals and elites. They can be discarded to make way for more greater mortals and elites.
Lost Citizen
When you are young and have economic value, they want you to be a "stayer". When you old and have little to contribute to the economy, they want you to be a "quitter".
Just go and count how many golf courses here. They can have so much land for golf courses and not place for the aged folks. They are simply a bunch of baboons.
SL
Spread around what this silly cow has just proposed so that all old folks will know what to do in the next election.This is truly uncalled for!!
Our million $$$ minister is hatching more $$$ saving schemes to earn his million $$$ bonus and salary. In 2008, we had the mean-testing scheme. In 2009, nursing homes in JB. In 2010, Eldersave for the long term care for old age.
From these schemes, the ministry would save millions of $$$ and passing the burden to the people. And the minister gets to pocket his million $$$ bonus and salary.
The public health service is being operated on the basis of maximizing privatization and minimizing subsidy. It is taking out the "public" from the public health service..........
If one has any doubt, just think of the NKF scheme..........
He has no heart, nor soul.
Kharma
Before the unfilials go to Hell.
The old folks will be cursing some people to go to Hell but not neccessarily 18 level down.
These some people will get to hear the swears and curses all the time from now as they are touched and inspired by Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan.
Ah Khaw 'cho gua kan khaw'(Hokkien Dialect meaning) 'You make me suffer'. 'Ho khaw?' meaning 'Why the trouble doing it?'
But, I say to hell with the Idea, get out of this sickening place first.
patriot
Hey Mr Fish, how are you?
This post is very touching, and I hope you'd take care.
Your writings remind me of the novel Notes from the Underground, check it out when u're free.
cheers :)
Really outrageous!
This Malaysian Cow is a heartless creature, a beast and an unrepentant traitor to all true-blue Singaporeans. And this is the 2nd time he dare made such a callous and insensitive suggestion.
Who does he think he is? He's nothing but a stooge drawing fat salaries and perks from over-burdened tax-payers. Singapore belongs to Singaporeans, and so don't roll over and let ex-Malaysians (Quitters and Traitors to their own homeland) dictates and decides what is best for us.
Cry, my beloved countrymen. When will you all wake up, see the prevailing injustice and fight the injustice. No point just cursing him and expect karma this or that to happen to Cow eventually. Make him feel uncomfortable, make him feel unwelcome and unwanted, and take concrete action to oust him from his "overly-comfortable" post and boot him back to Mudland where his kind really belongs.
Ptui! What a swell-headed, over-paid, overfed buffoon! Didn't he know that Ho Jinx just blew US$58,000,000,000 without proper due diligence or guile in all those hare-brain ventures punting recklessly into ailing western investment banks. If only a portion of that money is used to look after and care for elderly Singaporeans. Sigh!
And so many golf-courses in Singapore. No need to guess which greater mortals got the time and money to indulge in a spot of golfing all this time while ordinary folks toil to buy groceries and pay our bills. Can't the land be free up to build low-cost retirement homes for our own folks?
In a country where there isn't any institutionalized social security system and elderly welfare, we'll all be living in dread of the day when we'll be forcibly deported to JB or Bintan to live in shanty-town retirement villages.
What a bunch of myopic and idiotic pappy pigs running the country!
Please do not blame Ho Jinx for the fiasco -
check the board of directors of Temasek Holding here.
Imagine -
Ho Jinx - let us invest X bill into Citibank
Director - sure or not - let us do due diligence
Tharman - you don't thrust her izzit?
And there goes our Reserves in Temasek
I think anyone thinking of President Ong will think well of him and what he tried to do with the 2nd key.
I hope the children of President Nathan and children of the presidential council (if they read blogs) will prompt them to seriously do the right thing by the citizens.
Is it too late?
Has anyone read this? http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_337283.html
Just a few days after Mr Khaw tried to convince Singaporeans that it is really fast and convenient to travel in and out of JB, a SBS bus driver was slashed. I think our dear minister forgot about the safety of Singaporeans travelling in and out of JB.
If we are all given dual citizenships and are Malaysians or can speak Malay to save our lives, then this can work.
His assertions that it is within half an hour to an hour to travel from JB to Singapore. That is provided that the hospitals and the families stay next to the 2nd link. I can't remember a time where I could get from Woodlands to Chinatown within such a short time. Maybe in the middle of the night.
I think he should be ill (no need for a big problem, a simple headache and fever will do) and try lying in a moving ambualnce (with no sirens as it is not life and death) for an hour under Singapore hot sun and see how he feels. I hope I am not being evil, I just think he needs to experience being a middle-income sick person before speaking so carelessly.
NO govt.minister in the WORLD has ever told their citizens to live in another country's nursing homes except this Mad Cow in UNIQUELY SINGAPORE !! Is he trying to sabotage Singapore since he is an import??
Don't get too emotional. Mr Khaw's suggestion is very sound. Land in Johore and Bintan is much cheaper and therefore will have better facilities. Lawn bowling, gardening, fishing, boating and most important big compound and big houses. I am thinking of doing one for my retirement though I can afford NZ or Kumming. The Japanese are thinking of this idea long ago. Wake up and help the Minister help you.
Anon 6:22pm
I believe Khaw is talking about nursing homes, not retirement villages. The latter is for old people who are mobile and not in need of medical assistance whereas the former is for old people who are in constant need of medical attention. If I were at a stage where I need constant medical care, I would want to be in a nursing home close to my children where they can get to me easily.
THE WORD IS CHOICE, MY FRIEND.
NOBODY POINTS A GUN AT YOUR HEAD TO FORCE YOU TO GO ANYWHERE.
IS IT JUZ BECOZ A MINISTER SAY IT YOU MUST FOLLOW. HOW DUMB !
Lets say if people want to go and stay in JB becoz it is cheaper, and the Government say "NO YOU CANNOT STAY THERE", what will be the reactions?
Retirement or Nursing Homes, we need all of them. Nursing homes provide assisted care such as physio, taking medicine etc. The extreme ones are nursing homes like the Apex Harmony which specialises in Dementia patients.
We must stop scolding people and blaming people. We should in fact brainstorm and give good suggestions to the Government. Before we start we already put obstacle in front of us.
Places like Batam is good because a massage only cost about $8 an hour and maybe cheaper if you don't ask for the 'Chio' type. Of course this type is for those quite active and can look after themselves.
After kenna dementia, then, hopefully stay with children and give them hell or move to a dementia home.
IS IT JUZ BECOZ A MINISTER SAY IT YOU MUST FOLLOW. HOW DUMB !
February 16, 2009 8:20 AM
You know something? If you are a true singaporean, you won't even allow this idiot to spout such irresponsible suggestion. Paying him million$$, what useful work has he done for us singaporeans, thus far? Think!!
Come on behave like a man! His salary got nothing to do with retirement or nursing home. There is nothing wrong in what he said. He is just suggesting some ideas only to see the reactions. Of course some of us in this blog are just damm too stupid and cannot think rationally. You have to help others to help you.
I am just a true Singaporean that is all.
when you are young and useful to singapore ok.
old and sick go and die in JB!!!
If they just give those nursing homes a free piece of land, reduce or remove all the taxes and regulate their operation fee, I dont see why it will be more expensive than jb.
To Anonymous who posted on February 22, 2009 6:39 PM,
I would be careful about who I'm calling stupid if I were you, seeing how many people here will think that you are the stupid and uneducated one.
The reason why people are upset about his comments is because there is a time and place for caustic comments and the way he did it was totally uncalled for.
If he had wanted to get feedback of this particular implementation, it would be better to do a survey instead of announcing it all over the papers and then sit back to wait for a reaction. That is plain dumb don't you agree?
The issue with his salary is because as a minister, drawing such a high salary, citizens expect him to uphold his position with distinction. Instead he is undermining our old folks by giving unwarranted comments. As a taxpayer, shouldn't you be upset as well? You are paying his salary afterall.
There is a difference between misinformed people and people who can't face the facts even when its right in front of them. You sir, I believe, is of the latter category.
Vincent,
You say what is what!
You have so much hatred and i don't think you can understand nor get anything done.
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