This week saw Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky deliver a special virtual address at the Shangri-La Dialogue, an event that is organised by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). President Zelensky is somewhat of an international celebrity now, a heroic figure in a devastating war whose YouTube videos and other social media updates are widely shared. His participation would no doubt have generated a certain buzz for Singapore’s status as a facilitator for important events. The fact that President Zelensky wore a T-shirt designed by Singapore’s Ava Soh no doubt generated even more fanfare.
Yet, President Zelensky will not be popular with Russia and its allies. What does China really feel about President Zelensky is anyone’s guess. After all, while China has not outrightly proclaimed support for Ukrainian independence, it has not overtly declared support for President Putin either. That said, China has been a historic ally of Russia and, especially, against the United States. In the Singaporean context, how are we navigating the tightrope between conflicting international relations?
Singapore is no stranger to publicly hosting controversial figures. In 2018, it hosted the historic meeting between North Korean despot, Kim Jong-un and then US President, Donald Trump. Minister for Foreign Affairs, Vivian Balakrishnan even posted selfies of himself with Kim on social media as if he were some rock star instead of a tyrant.
In the same week when President Zelensky was giving his address, it was announced that Singapore and China signed agreements to deepen the military cooperation between the two countries. Among other things, the two countries will collaborate on the military education between officers and think tanks.
How does this collaboration gel with Singapore’s stance in relation to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine? Singapore has made clear that it sees this invasion as a contravention of international law and followed the international community in imposing sanctions on Russia. China holds a somewhat nuanced position when it comes to this war. Is Singapore’s military cooperation with China somewhat inconsistent with its position on the war in Ukraine?
As these international events play out, the world continues to suffer the results of rising costs of living, with Singapore being similarly affected. Yet, just at a time when there are rising costs, Singapore’s planned GST hikes will also take effect.
Yet, is it really the best time for the Government to bring in a consumer tax hike at a time when people are already feeling the pinch of rising prices? As mentioned last week, the GST is a consumer tax that is bound to hit the poor and middle classes disproportionately. With that in mind, it is really the best way to generate income for the Government?
The Workers’ Party (WP) which has always been against the GST hikes has presented its alternatives to the GST hike as a source of additional revenue for the government over social media. One of the suggested alternatives is Corporate Taxes from Profitable Non-SMEs (small and medium enterprises) whose annual revenues are in excess of $100 million.
Clearly, there are other alternatives to consider. Why then is the Government so seemingly hell-bent on increasing the GST? Is it a case of it being too inflexible to change course?
Just as lower-income families would need more support, it has been announced that Minister for Communications and Information, Josephine Teo has been appointed the new PAP Community Foundation (PCF) management council chairman, taking over from Minister for Finance, Lawrence Wong. The PCF was established in 2004 to support needy families and children with additional needs. The PCF, therefore, offers an important lifeline to low-income families. With this in mind, is Josephine Teo really the best person for the job?
Let’s not forget the faux pas that she made over the handling of Covid-19 when she was the Minister for Manpower. It was under her watch that the number of cases skyrocketed among the migrant workers in dormitories and brought the world’s attention to the shabby way in which our migrant workers live. When pressed to apologise, she had even somewhat arrogantly quipped that she did not need to apologise as no foreign worker had asked her to!
Netizens had repeatedly called for her to resign as Minister for Manpower at that time. Given that her competence was so widely called into question and her refusal to apologise had come across so out of touch, is she really the right person to head a fund that is designed to help the needy?
Would she be able to understand enough to handle this role?
Lest we forget, she is also the person who uttered the widely panned opinion that imposing a minimum wage could lead to higher unemployment in 2018! The mind boggles!
With the Government seemingly pressing ahead with the GST hikes and appointing someone who may not be best suited to help the needy to helm a fund for the needy, is the Government being woefully out of touch?