Transparency. The price of hiring an SG Minister.

Just read this:

• Fiscal finagling in Singapore By Shawn W Crispin
  April 13, 2007

Someone tell me it isn't true.

The simple issue is that there isn't much transparency in the financial polices regarding profits, revenues and surpluses. I understand opposition MP Mr Low TK has brought this up many times during the parliamentary debates. However, the rebuttals were quick and fast and usually fall along the lines of: if these (financials) were made transparent, external forces (market, political) could manipulate our reserves, etc.

For me, I believe it is every citizen's right to know where the national reserves and how the monetary gains/revenues are managed.

That's why Singapore keeps having bad press about how it handles its financial budget and surpluses. For me being a Singaporean for at least 30 years, I have absolutely no idea how and where the investments, profits and revenues are generated and how much flow back to us. It's like the airy-fairy kind of stuff that you know it's there but you can't know what makes it tick (or if it is ticking even).

The article also remembered the respected Morgan Stanley economist Andy Xie? Google it to know what happened.

Fishy.

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Just added the Workers' Party website to my link. I really liked the way how Mr Low TK and Ms Sylvia Lim put forth their arguments on issues.

Hits directly to the points with very good statistics and background. Also without all the fanfare and hip-hop dancing (punt intended).

Good stuff and worth the read.

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I think I've come up with a brilliant solution on the hoo-ha surrounding the ministers' salary hikes.

Perhaps we should outsource them since it's becoming too expensive to keep them. How about it - having foreign talents as our ministers in the government!

I mean I could afford 2x George Bush(s), 4x Shinzo Abe(s) per month, eh?

Quite nicely actually.

And still have some spare 'peanuts' left over.