Talking point with Bendahara 1

Good day my tifosi, Below is the excerpt of my interview with Talking Point. It is pretty long so I am going to split it into a few parts. B means Bendahara while H means the host. Note that this is his view and no way represent any other organisation. H: welcome bendahara B: thank you H: With the election coming up in Singapore, how do you think that the Singapore Parliament had fared in the past five years? B: The current bunch of mps had been pretty disappointing on the whole. It had been pretty obivous in the past two years where it had drove many of the believers and netural into giving the opposition a chance. While they had continue to bring prosperity to Singapore on the whole, they failed to address issues like the rising cost of living, housing and transport issues as well as the widening gap between the rich and the poor. H: This seems to be pretty negative on your view, what and how do you think that situations could have improve? B: The issue of the housing should have been something that the ministers could have plan better in ahead with the forecast. Instead of reducing the number of houses built, he should increases it and that the price of the house should stay low so that the average citizens can afford it. When I say afford it, I do not meant paying by instalment for another 30 years before claiming it to be your own. H: As you had mention earlier, the transport should have been better managed, how do you think it could have been done? B: With the rising number of people in Singapore, you could anticipate that much more is needed for transportation. COE should be cater as such it should continue to be affordable and yet it control the number of traffic on the road. A good way is to ensure that it would be a premium above the Coe price for those who are foreigners or those who are on the verge of owning a second car. I am in approval of the additional mrt lines been built but I thought that these could have been done earlier and not at this stage where the population already feel the impact of the underprepared transport system. H: What are the steps that you would take to ensure that the rising cost of living would be minimized? B: This is a difficult question with no right or wrong answer to it. If I am to handle it, I would look at the items and decide whether if it is a essential item or luxury goods. If it is an essential goods, we can try and reduce the price by scrapping the gst. This would definitely benefit those with a lower income as they would need to use lesser income to get the same amount of essential items. The excessive income could be better off used as a personal development fund or something that enrich themselves. In that way they would be able to learn and progresses ahead. However, I do not encourage the scrapping of the gst on the luxury. In fact, we can increases the gst via the progressive methods. It can be raised to 10% on all luxury items with the exception of the first property been purchased. H: The progressive gst incremental methods seems interesting and it might work out. Would that be helpful in closing the gap between the rich and the poor? B: No, progressive gst on luxury items would be good for scrapping the gst on the essential goods such as food. The progressive gst should help to reduce the negative effect of scrapping the gst of the essential items. It will not help in reducing the gaps of the high income vs the low income. In fact, if we are to narrow the gap, we should bring the lower income gap upwards than to force the higher income group downwards. H: It seems that you already have some plans to narrow the gap. Can you share with us what would you do if you can have a free hand on the issue? B: We will need to understand why is it that certain profiles fall into the lower income group while some manage to stay out of it? The answers to the reasons may not be that clear, outright or simple solution. It means that there will not be a complete set of answers or solutions to the question. What I would do if I am given a free hand? I would be setting up a council to study and analysis the issue and to come out with the solution. The solution must be practical and effective to the issues arises from it. H: What would likely to be the challenges and issues that would be ahead for the government and the country? What would you do to overcome them? B: The competition ahead from other countries may force us to be more competitive and to stay ahead of them. At the same time, we need to ensure that all Singaporeans stay ahead of competition with a good income and happy with the optimal results ahead. Again, I do not have any solution off hand without a detail analysis. I would definitely drive a committee to tackle the issues ahead. It should be the utmost priority given if I am the government. Part 2 of the conversation would be posted later.

New Year Resolution?

Hello my Tifosi,

Bendahara is adapting well in the new regional organisation well. He would be expected to lead his kingdom to a new height in this year in hope that all would be well for the kingdom.

Recently he does not seems to have any luck. He was struck down by bees on the first day of the Julian Calendar. Then he injuried two of his fingers on the next few days. The worst seems to be over with his translink card giving up on him.

It was just before CNY that his cash was been eaten by the deposit machine. It was terrible that such things happen. But it gave him a slip to call the bank and that after that, he need to wait a week before he get the money back.

He was thinking of a friend right now, it was strange that how fate manage to bring them back to Commonwealth. He does not know a lot of people in the new school back then and that she was one of those that he know. So after final days of exams, he was suppose to get her contact but forget about it till now.

He meet her once in a hi bye situation and then gone. It was till Yesterday that they caught each other in the train.

On the same day he caught eye of another ex classmates who seems to be doing well as he drive a rare car across Raffles Place. He was surprise that how he managed to do that well but at the same time, he was wondering how he could improve his kingdom and his own personal status.

Lately he is vex. He can't pinpoint the reasons but there seems to be a lot.

winter solace soon

Hello my tifosi, I had been trying to see how do I connect my mobile postings to the pc but no luck about it. That is something random that I would like to say. In another 5 days time it will be Christmas and your bendahara here would like to wish all of you a merry christmas and a happy new year. How would u spend ur holiday? I have no idea on how I will do it actually. I would likely to be off my official duties late actually. So the eve will be spend mostly at work.

strange or what?

Hello my tifosi, Your bendahara is trying to find out if he can post normally which the others can see. According to his internal affair department, they said they cannot view his posts from the pc when he was posting from his phone. He will see if he can fix that

latest update of Bendahara

Bendahara had a series of good and bad announcement. Firstly he had found a new job back to the bank. To be more precise an previous bank that he had worked with. His boss had rehired him again. The income bring in will be good and so does the benefit when compare to now. Second new is that he had successfully paid down the bond of the country and he will expect things to be better from there. Third is a troubling mystery that Bendahara could no comprehen. Lastly his exam result is out soon and he is shaking with fear for his final year.

Dreams kills

Hello my tifosi, Your Bendahara had a lot of strange dreams these days. All the while he was fond of an ex colleague but he didn't want to progress further. In life there are some people that you are fond of but you will never want to progress it beyond friends. The same situation take place. For the past few nights, I had been dreaming of sleeping with her and kissing her. Holy. They were good dreams but I woke up feeling guility cos she was already married even through her marriage was not as secured as I thought that it would be.

The beginning of the end?

Hello my silent Tifosi,

It has been another half a month gone since i had address the public. Your faithful Bendahara is looking a switch in the regional organisation. Right now the organisation that he had registered the country to be was in a big mess. The other countries in the organisation were expressing interest to withdraw from the organisation.

Bendahara would now be on the high alert and would be hunting for the next regional organisation for his country to join. Right now hunting for a good fit would be a big problem but he had already sent out a lot of intelligence to look for them.

Bendahara still feel very empty. His royal grandma's death had bring upon some significant changes in his behavior and action but at the same time he still feels that nothing much had been achieved and that in his heart he was thinking of more.

There was still something that is lacking in him to push into the kind of life that he want to have. Right now he was still some distance away from his ideal life.

Oh the side note, Bendahara was learning how to play golf. His practice in the golf range showed that why he was never a tiger wood. But he would continue to practice hard.

He would continue to update more as he get a little more time than usual.

Till then everyone.