PAP’S INDRANEE RAJAH: S’POREANS HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO “BITE THE BULLET”

First, it was a clown and PAP MP Lee Bee Wah who equated increasing the price of water to “bring[ing] up the awareness of the importance of water”.

Now we not only have an MP but a minister, SMOS Indranee, telling us to “bite the bullet” and other jokes.

Who’s next? I guess the wayang script calls for PM Lee’s appearance. Recall PM Lee had also appeared in the “Syonan Gallery” wayang after Minister Yaacob’s and Hara Kiri Khaw’s acting skills had failed to convince the public to forgive NLB’s blunder.

Indranee’s latest joke: “Increasing water prices is a necessary measure to ensure future supplies, and Budget 2017 was the appropriate time for the rise.”

So clever hor. Will another PAP minister soon tell Singaporeans that HDB prices need to be increased to ensure future supplies of flats? Or maybe some monkey in white will take her joke further and insist that public transport fare should also increase to ensure future supplies of trains and buses?

With an expected economic contraction, is this really the appropriate time to increase business costs? Hmm .. guess a lawyer shouldn’t have been made SMOS for FINANCE. Singapore surely jialat next year.

Indranee also appeared to be confused: “You can put it off this year. But then next year you don’t know what the economy will be like.”

But if next year turns out to be worse, won’t increasing business costs by hiking water prices this year put companies in a more precarious position? Hike business costs now to help them grow?

Governments provide relief measures during times of economic uncertainty and hike costs only when business picks up. But our PAP government is not only terbalik but tries to sell koyok to the people.

Indranee on productivity: “ … people and businesses …need to change mindsets in order to increase productivity.” So the PAP which spearheaded all past productivity drives by throwing billions in tax dollars has no role in the failure to increase productivity? Goh Chok Tong exacerbating the problem with his welcome all foreign talent policy not to blame? Blame only people and businesses? Does she have transient memory loss or is it selective?

If the PAP government had been upfront with Singaporeans there would have been no need for all these wayangs. What Singaporeans need to know are the facts and figures supporting the price hike, not some motherhood statements telling us to accept our fate.

It is again self-insulting for Indranee to simply tell citizens that we “sometimes have to bite the bullet and say this is …”. Indranee expects Singaporeans to blindly accept even wrong decisions of PAP ministers.

Should Singaporeans just bite the bullet for all PAP-driven cost increases?

Indranee has found herself in a spot because PAP had made a decision for the people without any engagement or parliamentary debate. As such, Indranee has to cook up illogical arguments which make her look rather silly.

Indranee should just stop insulting herself with jokes about water price increase.