Jaya says No!

In this continuing series of Vote @ 18, I have put forward the government’s argument with respect to lowering the voting age. It is clearly evident that there’s no immediate plans to change the existing status quo.

Below is a parliamentary debate between Ms Sylvia Lim, Chairman of the Workers’ Party and NCMP for the 11th Parliament and Professor Jayakumar, Deputy Prime Minister,Co-ordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Law.

I have already debunked some of the points raised by Prof. Jayakumar in my previoust post: I want to vote!

I want to vote !

Background: As my birthday falls on November, I was unable to turn 21 in time to vote at the last elections. Wasted sia. I really want to exercise my rights and and express my views through the ballot boxes. It doesn’t really matter who I am going to vote for. I just want to vote. Ever since the last elections, I have been thinking of this issue which I am going to talk about it in this post: Voting at 18. Young Singaporeans can vote well and are ready to vote at 18 and they want to vote.

I will allow the following discourse to tell you why?

What do Singapore, Fiji, Samoa, Gabon, Tonga, Kuwait and Lebanon have in common?

The citizens of these countries are only able to vote at the age of 21.

Internationally, 18 years is most often recognized as the age of majority and the voting age in many countries and Singapore is more of the exception rather than the norm in this aspect. I would like to argue that Singapore followed the prevailing trend in the rest of the world and lowered its voting age from 21 years and allowed citizens to vote at the age of 18.

The PAP’s foray into the blogosphere

The blogosphere have all along been the domain of anti-establishment voices. But with the PAP increasing its presence in the blogosphere, it seems like in the long-run, there will be a showdown between pro-government forces, and anti-establishment forces on the blogosphere. It is also worth noting the presence of a qualifying force online.

What then is my view on this?

Let me share with a quote by John Stuart Mill,

“The only way in which a human being can make some approach to knowing the whole of a subject is by bearing what can be said about it by persons of every variety of opinion and studying all modes in which it can be looked at by every character of mind. No wise man ever acquired his wisdom in any mode but this”

I welcome the PAP to come online but they have much to learn!

Re: My Thoughts In Hougang

The following response is part of my beliefs in standing up for injustice and irresponsible comments made. This is definitely not a case of a personal attack on the author himself.

I am entitled to my own opinions. I would appreciate it if you would respect them and engage me and the rest of the bloggers on a responsible and humble manner.

Mr Joel Leong,

From what I understand from your article, looks like the residents of Potong Pasir and especially Hougang have been suffering from a huge dose of injustice for decades!

As 1st July 2007 approaches . . .

I am committed to seeing a flexible GST policy, whereby each citizen will contribute accordingly to their level of prosperity and progress in society.

I recognize the intrinsic problems faced by the Singapore society in the next 10 to 30 years, of which the yawning income gap between the rich and the poor and an aging population are of my top priorities.

Thus, from my perspective, the implementation of GST is a sound one as it provides the government with the financial resources to strengthen the existing social welfare programmes already in place, thereby enhancing the social safety nets to assist the low-income groups, with the intention to close the widening income gap.

Furthermore, financial resources are needed to conduct medical research and development, to build health care infrastructures, and to finance the increasingly costly medical bills of Singaporeans.

In the light of all these, it is crucial that the government receives healthy levels of revenues through the implementation of GST.

I support the notion of implementing a GST policy with a rate of between 3 to 10% and reject the call to abolish/ waiver GST on basic necessities. Basic necessities as well as luxury items should be taxed.

However, I beg to differ from the government proposal to keep GST at 7% across the board.