Singapore -> money launderers, foreign talent, haolian toxic boastful population, very expensive houses, very high car tax, stressful environment but Singaporeans wont tell you that but will just boast that they are number 1, embedded in their toxic brainwashing education system
Completely agree with this take. Singapore has the riches of America, the safety of Iceland, the work-life balance (or lack thereof) of Japan and the housing crisis of Hong Kong. This is why South East Asians have a saying that one must work in Singapore, live in Malaysia and party in Thailand!
Not for the local citizens, only for the expat. The public housing is highly subsidized by the government. It is the job of the government to take care of its citizen not the expat
@@meklavier4664 Expats lives in luxurious private condos and has high paying jobs, most citizens lives in low class HDB flats, earns 1/3th the expat and work long hours with little chance to get high position roles
@@meklavier4664 dont sprout rubbish if you dunno about HDB, I am leaving this godforsaken country becz the HDB are soaring to 1.2million USD for public housing. Not to mentioned subsidzed rate are for married couples. Single cannot buy HDB at a discount rate. Who the F can afford a 1million usd flat with single income?
Of course, the same was/is true for China. Even so, India can take advantage of the West's greed for cheap labour and become a superpower - just as China has over the last 50 years.
@@Xx-he9qe Sure, I agree with you. But it's not like China got into high value manufacturing overnight. Arguably there arn't even there yet, though they're certainly heading in that direction. It takes decades, yet now they are increasingly leading the EV industry. Similar with battery, solar panels, and critical mineral refinement. I'm not saying India will have high value manufacturing tomorrow, but in 20-30 years, who knows?
As a Singaporean young adult in his late 20s living in Singapore, it is so difficult. I literally just quit my job due to the lack of work life balance. I really don't seee how i can own or even rent my own place, and feel like moving out to live somewhere more chill. Unfortunately im not one of those elites nor come from a rich family, this video almost describe how i feel right now....
Furthermore the island is invaded by the chinese china 😮. In a few decades the whole place will see the island being a part of china 😢 terrible terrible.
The excellent public system caters to the majority and hence cars are a luxury for most, but a necessity for some whose needs cannot be met by the public system. Families with elderlies and children with atypical needs will struggle with the public system. There are still many locations that public taxis are scarce and bookings frequently get cancelled. If it is truly seamless and efficient, senior public civil servants would not have owned cars themselves. It is easily observable that there is a two class system.
No country is a perfect fit for everyone. If you have the ability, find one that best fits your desired lifestyle. If housing prices are kept low, home owners will complain that their real estate "investments" are not appreciating in value. If education is not competitive, people will find it hard to compete with foreigners for jobs, then they will complain about unemployment. If car prices are low, more people will own cars and they will complain about traffic issues. If government changes every election, they will complain about instability. 🤦♂
The poor cannot afford to leave, it is the middle class who can get out of the squeeze. And when the middle class is diluted, society is left with the ultra rich and the invisible poor.
Just a lot of spin. I have lived for extended periods of time in Malaysia, UK, Singapore and Australia. I would like to live in Malaysia but despite lots of resources, its system of racial preference means that if you are not the preferred your opportunities are limited. UK and Australia sound good but the taxation regime means you are unlikely to build wealth. Singapore is very competitive environment but If you have ability you can build wealth quickly. That does not mean that those who are less competitive don't have the basic needs. Public housing, public transport, public education and public health are all very good. They are much better than the services found in other developed countries. It is not possible to please everyone. Those who are unable or unwilling to compete should not try to achieve the living standard of those who can. They still have a better living standard than those who are outside the top tier in other countries.
Don't think the video is disproving that. However....the trend is your friend, and ultimately no great city or city-state thrives without a middle class. It's also the reason why people are moving out of New York City and headed to Miami (or elsewhere). Even Dubai (a proto-Singapore) is suffering the limits of pure capitalism without associated democratic values (such as fostering a middle class and workers rights). Dubai is freak'n expensive! Even for the moderately rich.
@@gabillionaire I know that it is not an obstacle and many un preferred are very successful. Which poses the question why disadvantage the un preferred?
@@paulkhoo3537 It is the characteristic of this land, and tbh it's not really bad like apartheid bad, you just gotta know your way around the system. And also, everywhere you go, you'll face some sort of disadvantage. Learn the game, not running away from it.
This video is a lot of BS... the people leaving Singapore are actually the expats who find it more and more expensive. Locals who don't earn a lot cannot leave... where would they go ? And rich Singaporeans have no incentive to leave at all. I get a feeling the person(s) who wrote this video have never lived in Singapore... or not recently at least.
Everything is fine because Singapore's political leaders award themselves the highest salaries of any politician in the world, and tell ordinary Singaporeans that if not, no one as gifted and talented as they are will serve the country (which actually means they are in it for the money!). They then create a country that favours foreign imported talent, instead of nurturing Singapore's own people; favours businesses instead of employees (there is still no minimum wage), and shove the increasing cost of living in our throats while giving us pocket change just before elections. So, those of you who are from overseas, when you see all the praise for Singapore's economic miracle and such, remember that this is exactly the sort of marketing Singapore's political leaders want you to see - to attract your money and your blood here. This is why half the country is made up of foreigners while the core of Singaporeans continue to dwindle in numbers - the government is actively trying to replace the very Singaporeans that built this country with fresh immigrant talent for whom Singapore looks like a paradise - why bother spending time and money to nurture our own when you can just buy talent overnight?
Agree. Plus the gov opening PR for rich chinese china and mindset, in a decade or so, locals will be replaced by those people with high net worth. All locals will be working as gov employees 😅 servicing "foreigners "
This has been the case since 2000. Old news. 24 years since the policies has been in place. The majority still voted for PAP. FYI Singapore was built by foreigners. We are a nation of Foreigners.
Half the country is made up of foreigners ? what are you on about ? Where is your source for this ? You have none as this stat you quote is ridiculously exaggerated.
@@TJsalt-lp6ifi guessing the vast wealth of Singapore mostly belongs to foreign entities. life looks good on paper but not for the average native Singaporeans
The problem is that the government keeps trying to get rich people to move there, which drives up cost of living and competition for property, the average Singaporean won't see any of this money that the rich foreigners park there. The employment pass scheme encourages companies to only give the high-paying work to Expatriats while the locals are there just to fill the employment quota. Singaporeans are some of the hardest working and well educated people in Asia, yet labor rights don't really exist in written law nor is there a legally enforced minimum wage. The government knows there are going to be 'failures' that don't succeed under their system of governance. They just cast them aside because they aren't 'useful' to the modern economy.
We tax these foreign riches. And the median Singaporean is very well off by global standards. As for the failures, true, let those Singaporeans suffer loh.
@@SohaiKia I remember telling a foreign friend I had ICT, and he said to me, half jokingly, "I'm grateful to Singaporean men for putting their lives on the line to protect my assets." And that's the thing - I remained friends with him, because he wasn't even lying or being malicious. It's just the truth.
Lets hope Lawrence Wong though i am not too sure if the new BTO rules like mature non mature estate or single people first time buyers will make a difference. Anyway lets see how in the next election.
@@Ealsantelol you talk you dont own anything in singapore. Its just a matter of who have more. You should be angry with capitalism. Its not singaporeans vs foreigner. Its more about rich vs poor.
This is not just Singapore this is everywhere, Canada, Australia, America parts of Europe ... BlackStone and other trillion dollar investment companies are buying homes across the world and artificially increasing prices.
@@hermanpardan6860 No you fool. Blackrock deals with financial assets. Blackstone is a spinoff focusing on commercial and residential property. It was separated to avoid regulatory restrictions. You tried to look clever ended up looking dumb to the whole of the internet. 😂😂 Can't spell, can't construct a sentence, your mom must be so proud.
As a Singaporean, I must say this video is really accurate regarding the current state of Singapore. A lot of people have the impression that Singapore is a rich country but that is not true. It is only the government and the ministers that are rich. I wouldn't say that there is ZERO corruption, It is more like open corruption to show they are not hiding anything. I mean how is it possible that the US president earns way lesser than Singapore's prime minister but this is what is really happening in Singapore. Also, the people are indeed suffering. Living a normal life or owning a house or even a small car is practically impossible now. Mental health crisis and suicide rates are through the roof. The locals and foreigners are also planning to leave Singapore and retire elsewhere too.
Your complaint about "transparent" corruption is brilliant. The fact that the ministers, including the prime minister, pay themselves millions of dollars a year is a form of corruption too. But since it is transparent corruption, no one is complaining about it. So silly. This form of corruption is more sinister than the under the table type.
Yes, the PM pays himself and other ministers millions of dollars a year so they don't need to be corrupt to be a multi-millionaire and brags about Singapore being corruption free. That is a laugh.
Contrary to many comments here, living in Singapore can be quite affordable. As compared to US, Australia, Canada ... - Public transport (bus, mrt) is very cheap: about $1 per trip. - Food if you cook is fine. Not that expensive. If you eat out, it's not as expensive as US, Australia or Canada. $4-5 you can get a decent meal. - Housing is cheap for citizens and PRs: around $200k for a 50 sqm unit. Can be paid using CPF. - Medical is not cheap. But can be paid using Medisave. As long as one does not buy a car, it is fine. But of course, there are cheaper places. All neighbouring countries are cheaper. But the quality of living and safety are an issue.
I visited Singapore once and was amazed by how clean and efficient everything was, but I can see why living there long-term might feel challenging with the high costs.
As a Singaporean, this negative video is generally accurate, although not exactly that negative. But the pause in construction of public housing during COVID is a once-off event, and supply has already partially caught up and will resolve soon. As for the population, the massive influx of high-earning migrants more than offset the low birth rate.
The government of Singapore is rather vindictive towards Singaporeans who leave. Dual citizenship is not permitted and good luck trying to work in Singapore if you ever renounce your citizenship. Sometimes, they call out Singaporeans for leaving Singapore during hard times. The irony is Singapore is comprised primarily of Chinese who historically left China due to economic challenges in their ancestral homeland in different waves. Life is also borderline pointless for the vast majority, homes are basically identical Lego blocks and having children is beyond the majority of many minds, yet for those who want to have children through surrogacy cannot do so, and one can only access they’re frozen eggs if they are heterosexually married, with gay couples not being allowed to adopt either, yet subsidised homes are given to heterosexually engaged couples who don’t need to have children, but are justified as having priority since they’re “likely” to have children. The policy failure is frustrating because it’s purely vindictive and ideological, but I suppose when you have an ex minister of social and family development having to leave due to adultery but during his time as MSF deciding to refuse to expand familial benefits to single mothers (with the justification that such a lifestyle is not to be encouraged), the nonsensical changes to the National exams which really are just complicated rebranding, and the extreme control the government has everywhere, even in the apparently autonomous NUS, it thus becomes no surprise why educated and qualified Singaporeans wish to leave. It’s either you work in Singapore for a while then migrate or you just immediately leave for a growing number of us, me included. People used to say migrating makes you a second-class citizen, but it’s becoming increasingly the case that being a first class citizen in Singapore is worse than being a second class citizen in other first world nations.
Well said. As an Australian, I know a few families who have left Singapore to set up roots in this country. All are well qualified professionals with well paid jobs, and all appear to have integrated well into Australian society. It is not clear to me why they left, but I have no doubt that these families represent an outflow of talent that Any country can ill afford to lose.
I saw a video showing an article from long ago that the SG government once used a tactic to sterilized poor class people from having children and then promote to the richer class to have children. LKY may be a good leader with a strong backbone but this is disturbing.
@@Technosux Or they just get foreign citizenship and don't tell. Look up Victoria state's data about Melbourne-Singaporeans, 49% of them have Australian citizenship, and I guarantee you the majority of them didn't renounce.
it is good to see more Singaporean seek overseas life. It will make the nation stronger, not only rely on foreign talents. Those will not choose Singapore too, if the cost of living continues to be excessively high and less attractive for a place to settle down..
Live fast, die young. Things will only stagnate from now on, like in Japan and Italy. Why not take a long-term approach. Instead of peaking within 60 years and then declining, why not commit to a 200-year strategy with a healthier, less stressful environment and more comfortable growth?
why everybody is leaving everywhere, in Egypt the situations are economically catastrophic in the Gulf countries they started to get satisfied and no longer needing foreigners in the UK racism and high crime rates in Germany the same in USA high taxes in Canada high unemployment rates and taxes so where do you suggest living
I disagree, Singapore is cheaper than La, California. I teach globally, Seoul, Taipei, homg Kong, Singapore. I lived just fine. Living a high end, fashion, materialistic life and driving a car are expensive. Normal life with metro, normal, cheap lifestyle. Saved lots money. Built beachfront house in Vietnam.
@@siewmj1since when after independence did we have a hinterland? In hind sight it is blessing in disguise not to have hinterland so that we are forced into excellence & succeeded thus far.
Sounds like the UK! Except in the UK no social housing, a plenty of unbuilt privately owned land, failing infrastructure, declining foreign and domestic investment, low wages, lack of accessible public services like health care. Well, seems like increasing poverty and inequality are similar, and focus on financial services. So much for our Singapore-on-Thames.
That's because we sold all of our social housing under Thatcher's neoliberal austerity and have been doing so ever since, the same goes for land and public corporations. We can solve most of these problems with competent, fast acting governance like enacting a 10% LVT, increasing CGT to 40%, increasing top rate income tax to 50%, decreasing bottom rate income tax, increasing VAT to 25%, simplifying and increasing the efficiency of our tax, legal and political structure, etc. A lot of the short term solutions are regressive, such as VAT but they work, in the long term we can decrease the regressivness of our system.
@@Betweoxwitegan Increasing top rate income tax is happening to the UK right now, and the richest people, who are the ones that have the means to, are leaving because of increasing taxes. Nobody, rich or poor likes seeing their money get taken by someone else. Cutting taxes across the board is always the best choice, as it attracts investment and stimulates growth, but governments really dislike doing so because it gives them less money to spend short term.
Funny thing is… the purchasing power of people who work and live in Singapore is higher than most asean countries. Food is relatively cheap here compared to neighbouring countries if you work in the respective countries.
@@ViolentCabbage-ym7ko If you're still earning $2k-$3k after 3 years of working you need to pick up new skills and change industries. Diploma graduates are earning $2,500 at 20 years old, no excuses for falling behind
@@TheManabopo Malaysians have the option to work in Singapore and bring back 3 times the pay and spend it in Johor. Singaporeans earn in SGD but spend their money here in Singapore, that's the difference. Also, Malaysia's inflation rate is only 2.79% where else Singapore's inflation is slightly higher at 2.98% from 4.82% in 2023. So, I don't know what you are talking about when you say their inflation is higher.
As a third generation Singaporean Indian, I couldn’t take the stress of the work culture. I moved to Minnesota. Singapore is wonderful if you have the money.
Good video. And this doesn't even take into account the immense social and environmental costs that have been inflicted on Singaporeans in this pursuit for economic success. Singapore is like a miserable billionaire - someone who divorced his spouse, abandoned his kids and ceased all his hobbies and threw himself into work to build a billion dollar company, after which he then sits alone realising there is neither warmth, honesty nor enjoyment in his billion dollar life.
Could not have said it better. That analogy is SPOT ON. People are seduced by the promise of wealth, low taxes, business friendly etc. But it is a trap. Car and home costs a fortune. There is no space to live. There is no time to live. The water is not clean, the air is smoggy. Money is a currency, you are supposed to exchange it to get something of VALUE.
You are correct. Its also strange that this phenomenon happening in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Most Singaporeans in a not so distant past envied these countries and wanted to go there to work ..... hmmmmmm
The kiasu culture in Singapore was precisely the reason why I left the country and am extremely unwilling to go back even for a brief visit, recreational or otherwise. Being forced to constantly see others as competition made me depressed and borderline suicidal and not receiving a shred of compassion from those tasked with looking out for me made my condition worse to the point where I couldn't even perform at the basic level.
Meritocracy doesnt exist any more if it even ever did before. You just need to be an ex army general yes man. One who knows nothing about their field and is far from qualified to be in their role. Pay them millions so they will never go against policies that needs to be passed. Yes, the act of paying them millions to do as they're told is in it self corruption. "legal" corruption.
We're lucky it hasn't hit us as hard, but there are small signs everywhere. The China divestment/boycott from the west meant lots of extra cheap stuff being dumped into SEA, even as our neighbours are setting up their manufacturing. Our currency remained relatively strong, so as an everything importer we're riding it out high. And unlike the rest of SEA, we don't have much domestic manufacturing that would get killed by this competition unlike in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.
@@306316 Not true. There is a thing called a "Segi Tiga" or something like that where Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia within the region will share resources and help each other out. It's like an EU. So, if that happens, which most likely would, Singapore will survive.
Actually, in my opinion, it totally depends on the point of view. There are people who say they left Singapore and are happy, others say they left and then came back, you know, so it depends on each person's experience of the country, just as there are people, for example, who say that Australia is a clean, safe, beautiful country, others will say that it is a poorly maintained country, with a lot of violence, in short. There are people who say that Singapore is a great country to live in, with a good salary, public transport, that the people are welcoming, etc. But others will say that the people are racist, that the salary is not enough to survive, that there is no balance between personal and professional life (it just shouldn't be worse than Japan, I imagine, due to black companies), anyway. It all depends on experience and perspective.
Singaporean owe a lot to live in Singapore. Always change a new car every 5 year because Singapore Government Policy are not allow use a car more than 6 or 10 year. Loan with bank will not finish until they died because for luxurious life.
Of course, thats why we saw so many homeless and poors in LA and SF, despite having extremely high median income.😂 HK is another extreme example... US is however in better luck, because they can still relocate to cheaper Texas and Floriday which still employs same legal system. While singaporean does not have that comfort... they can relocate to Malaysia or Indonesia... but it is different legal system and corruption level too.😂😂
You do realize that there are expats living in Singapore too, right? Many have left because of the cost of living. Some were paying a third of their pay just for rent where else others were seeing a 50% increase after the pandemic. Title: Expats making plans to leave S’pore, finding it too costly amid soaring prices Source: MS News Title: Goodbye Singapore - Here's Why Expats Are Starting to Leave Singapore! Source: Seasia
The demographics of people who leave Singapore tend to be those who will not draw attention to themselves and hence generally unknown and unacknowledged. Just the increasing Singaporeans who have relocated to Malaysia for lifestyle and children's education is eye opening. Kids need not take PSLE, affordable international schools, affordable housing, affordable transport, affordable food. For what it costs to rent out a typical flat in Singapore at the current rental prices, it can be exchanged for a either a condo or a 4 bedroom landed house with security, plus a car or two.
@@sleepyheadz If all you want is everything cheaper than Singapore but a unstable government, currency which is weaker than Singapore, then you can choose Malaysia.
@@ViolentCabbage-ym7ko You do see a lot of people repeatedly trying to get PR in Singapore. Expats left because they want everything cheap. Unfortunately, these good days are gone, especially after Covid. People know Singapore is a country which is well planned, our government take good care of the poor and old. They know this is a safe and good country to set up a family and for better futures. But if a person only cares about cheaper house, cheaper car, cheaper food, cheaper education, then this is not a place for him.
I saw many very old people there working cleaning jobs etc. to make ends meet. There's a lot of rich but a lot of hidden poor and not much social security. It's a nice city but for me, it's the weather makes it unlivable. No seasons, just extreme heat and sun year round.
the "rich" are imported launderers, scam syndicates etc because the KYC due diligence is just very lax , they can't do stringent KYC or else all these foreigners will just go elsewhere like Dubai
Yes cost of living and property affordability is a concern, but you are confusing private property prices and rents (which are up with global highs) with HDB flat prices which are subsidised and where (as you say) 80% of people live
Subsidies and what that means is another contentious topic as soon as HDB start pegging their inflated land cost assessment and opportunity costs to private developments. It's like selling a piece of drawing paper. The paper is not sold at it's actual cost value but influenced by how someone could have used the paper to make rare origami art and hence costs much more.
Singapore is not perfect, and its problems are not unique. Unfortunately, being kiasu is the price for being a prosperous and highly productive nation with no natural resources. Singapore is not a place to retire, but it is great for the young and ambitious!
🟢ATTENTION 🟢Singapore is a mirror image to Sri Lanka with hard working indian ( ASIAN ) population, small little island , but only 1 different. ......That , Singapore has its natural asset - its natural geographic maritime location but Sri Lanka don't ...... ...The key reason for Singapore's remarkable prosperity and economic success is its strategic geographic location as a major global shipping hub. Being situated at the heart of important maritime trade routes between Asia and the rest of the world has allowed Singapore to capture immense economic benefits from the trillions of dollars in maritime commerce passing through its waters. In contrast, a country like Sri Lanka, despite its own geographic advantages, has not been able to achieve the same level of economic development and wealth because it does not occupy a similarly critical position in major global shipping lanes. The implication is that Singapore's prosperity is heavily dependent on its inherent geographic advantages, rather than solely on its people or the leadership of its government alone.( its overhyped to think otherwise ) . Without the geographic the scenario would be different) IF Singapore were somehow relocated to a less strategically important location, like Sri Lanka, it would likely struggle to maintain its current economic success and status. Conversely, if Sri Lanka were able to replicate Singapore's geographic advantages, for example by developing a major shipping canal or land bridge, it could potentially transform its economic fortunes in a similar way. In essence, Singapore's remarkable prosperity is fundamentally rooted in its privileged geographic position as a global maritime hub, more so than any other intrinsic factors.shallow. In fact, Singapore's strategic geographic maritime location is the **major natural asset** that has created trillions of dollars in revenue over the last century. Without this natural asset, Lee Kuan Yew would be unheard of like Sri Lankan Prime Minister and today's Singapore may not have been possible, and may have ended up in a dismal state like its mirror image, Sri Lanka. Singapore is a mirror image to Sri Lanka with hard working indian population, small little island , but only 1 different. ......That , Singapore has its natural asset - its natural geographic maritime location but Sri Lanka don't ...... ...The key reason for Singapore's remarkable prosperity and economic success is its strategic geographic location as a major global shipping hub. Being situated at the heart of important maritime trade routes between Asia and the rest of the world has allowed Singapore to capture immense economic benefits from the trillions of dollars in maritime commerce passing through its waters. In contrast, a country like Sri Lanka, despite its own geographic advantages, has not been able to achieve the same level of economic development and wealth because it does not occupy a similarly critical position in major global shipping lanes. The implication is that Singapore's prosperity is heavily dependent on its inherent geographic advantages, rather than solely on the capabilities of its people or the leadership of its government. If Singapore were somehow relocated to a less strategically important location, like Sri Lanka, it would likely struggle to maintain its current economic success and status. Conversely, if Sri Lanka were able to replicate Singapore's geographic advantages, for example by developing a major shipping canal or land bridge, it could potentially transform its economic fortunes in a similar way. In essence, Singapore's remarkable prosperity is fundamentally rooted in its privileged geographic position as a global maritime hub, more so than any other intrinsic factors.shallow. In fact, Singapore's strategic geographic maritime location is the **major natural asset** that has created trillions of dollars in revenue over the last century. Without this natural asset, Lee Kuan Yew would be unheard of like Sri Lankan Prime Minister and today's Singapore may not have been possible, and may have ended up in a dismal state like its mirror image, Sri Lanka.
For many years, Singapore has been hoarding all capital flowing into Asia while the others were dying for their territories. So now they have to pay a price. Land is not free and costs our ancestor's lives.
@@filipbunaltiU not check with Wikipedia?? Or Singapore Constitution?? U not hear the Singapore Anthem Song ,Majulah Singapura?? National Language in Singapore are Malay Language since 1965 After Separate With Malaysia But Most of Singaporean are speaking English. Yes correct Have 4 Official Language But The National Language in Singapore are clear that are Malay Language.
This video seem to be very opinion-based. Many negative opinions were sandwiched between actual figures to make these opinions seem legit. Video also talks so much about the detriments of 'streaming' yet only very briefly mentioned that it has been abolished. Very unbalanced and biased.
It talked about the effects of streaming, not the mere abolishment. One can swallow a poison and the effects will linger on even after they stop swallowing poison.
@@browncony3897 GST voucher is a pale compensate for the rise in GST. When GST was introduced in 1994, the rate was 3%. This was increased to 4% in 2003, 5% in 2004, 7% on 1 July 2007, 8% in 2023 and 9% in 2024. Why do you think giving a small sum of money is good for singaporeans when the daily cost has risen? Economy rice was $3 to $3.50 max back in 2008 to 2020, now its $4.50 to $6.
@@browncony3897 Do you know that GST is now 9%? Everything that you buy, the govt will earn 9% from it and if they increase it to 10% next year, what can Singaporeans do about it?
This video is totally wrong. Singapore’s problems is also common for all other countries, but at a much lesser scale than others. I travel a lot and I can tell you, Singapore is heaven compared to almost every country in the world. This is a country with worlds highest GDP, lowest unemployment rate and inflation rate, safest country in the world with virtually not a single terror attack ever, racial and social harmony, highest employment, best everything like education, health care, public transport and whoever. Name another country that is even nearly as good. This is why Singapore is the single one country that’s touted as the most perfectly run country in the world.
It's about perspective. Many who succeed in Singapore do not see the poor in their midst, even if they are right under their nose. Just because high achievers are more visible and vocal to dictate social policies, does not negate the struggles of the invisible poor, who are not lazy but precisely doing all they can to survive. If a significant percentage of population is merely trying to survive, it is not a pleasant place to live for them.
@@sleepyheadz I can agree with your statement when it comes to many countries. I understand that in many places, regardless of how hard you try and work, there's no way out of poverty, but that's not the case in Singapore. Singapore is a meritocracy through and through, I got a shitty 3rd class honours degree from a private university and didn't have to rely on any connections to find a job. It's hard to land a first full-time job anywhere in the world, but simply the words "Singaporean Citizen" in a CV already helps immensely when job hunting because companies need to maintain a high percentage of locals to match regulations. For those who want to learn new skills, the government gives a $1,000 credit to all citizens to learn new skills. it's not so much that the ones who succeed don't see the poor in their midst, the island is small and the poor aren't locked up. But the opposite may be true as well, the poor see the opulence of the rich have and turn red-eyed. There aren't many place like Singapore where one can get their ego-bruised so easily. We see the poor but we just don't really sympathize because the ones doing the most whining are the able-bodied young adults who aren't putting in any effort. There are also those who have zero financial literacy yet decide to have multiple children while only having a part-time job. The government already gives plenty of handouts to those earning below the 25th percentile, it just isn't on a monthly basis like in those scandinavian countries. With prudent spending, it's extremely easy to make a living wage here, the ones who can't should just stop trying to buy the latest iphones/luxury goods.
@@daniel1233 Thank you for your contemplative reply. While your points are valid, they could be general statements and sweeping stereotyping. When loaded labels like 'poor', 'marginalised' are brought up, it immediately triggers a emblazoned image of people who are lazy and unwilling. Your personal example of grinding through adversity even with a less prestigious degree is admirable, but it didn't address what it might be like for someone who isn't sufficiently privileged to even get a degree. Both ends of the social spectrum need specific attention and scrutiny. Perhaps in your admirable struggle, you might have encountered peers who were literally born with an Ivy league degree on their birth certs and probably couldn't imagine the struggle you may have experienced. Meritocracy works with an adequate starting runway. There are population demographics dealt with a shorter hand that is got little to do with their diligence or desire. Let's take a less visible social example just for conversational discourse. Children born to incarcerated parents run the race of life with slippers while other kids run with racing spikes, and they all too often get blamed for giving up the race when the odds are skewed against them from even making the starting line. Sure, there are success stories of some of them running hard enough to attract the attention of others who offered them decent racing shoes, but in this current short-runway race climate, your starting position and by correlation, your finishing position is decide by the shoes you were given rather than the sprinting potential you have. On the other end of the spectrum, Is it not a strange coincidence that all our Olympian medalists were products outside of our main social institutions? Yes it has to be accredited and acknowledged that many have benefitted from the social nets of the system, yet the stark reality is that for those who don't qualify, or fall though the gaps of institutional requirements, there is very little recourse. Unless one is intentionally engaged with the poor, the poor in Singapore is indeed invisible. Let's take another real time example. Until 5 years ago, homelessness in Singapore was non existent to most consciousness. The stereotype being the old men sleeping on cardboard boxes in Chinatown and it's a non issue. How can there be poor people when the streets at the iconic Marina Bay Sands are paved with gold and bright lighted for F1 night races? It takes concerted effort and groundswell movements from those who can't unsee what they saw to bring attention to homelessness being a real challenge not restricted to seniors, but with kids as well across all ages. Did these homeless kids sudden became homeless when a uni prof starting counting them on the streets? Or were they always there but nobody saw them simply because they were voiceless and their plight was invisible to almost all of society? And even with the official efforts to count them on the streets, how many remained out of sight to render the reported numbers insufficient to indicate accuracy of reality? A mature society is one that is both able and willing to care for the last, least and lost in our midst, and not merely pandering to the majority with influence and disregarding the less influential. As a third and final illustration; In any market, a MSW durian from an old mature tree commands the highest price compared to similar fruits from younger trees. A good durian tree spends at least 10 years primarily to grow as tall and strong as it can before suddenly and significantly slowing outward growth. To continue a similar pace of growth getting overly heavy is only detrimental to itself and hazardous to others. Instead it's life cycle demands that it shift toward fruit producing rather than accruing tree size. That is when the tree matures and becomes useful. Key point must be taken that a durian tree does not consume durians they produce for itself but for others. Singapore has done sufficient growth, it is time to mature.
Singapore is just a little scarrier than other cities. No money is an absollute no no. There is not much special rights just because people were born there. So kids who are born to avg and below household will likely struggle their lives as well, unless they are scholars or able to get rich themselves, else will be a slave for life. University degrees are waste of money these days as everyone working are one, nothing special. We dont really own anything, houses are 99 years at most (the 999 years is not accurate as it can be taken back at compensation) and cars have coe every 10 years. Most people are more self-centered and selfish, maybe its a city. Hence there is no sense of belonging, so even if a Sg goes out to Australia or Canada, they wont feel much diff, only more freedom and bigger.
I had been living in Singapore for the past four years. This place is heaven when you earn more than S$6000, but it is al living hell when you are unemployed or making mere $2000 month.
The younger generation of professionals in Singapore better think of migrating overseas. The cost of living has gone crazy like housing, food prices, etc. Singapore is flooded with foreign talents and rich foreigners. To make matters worse, giving grants to encourage couples to produce more babies ended up with the wrong type of couples producing more not high-quality babies 😂
Imagine what will happen to u if u are in a large room, and living there for a long period of time! U just go around and around and around and around until u can't stand it anymore! U will go crazy of the routine of life u are in... I've got a grp of friends who worked in SG and now they are back in Msia...
Singapore has a centrally planned economy that worked well up to the 90s after which they restructured to allow more investments into its economy. The public housing wasn't so much to address shortage back in the 60s, but planned because of the shortage of land, thus increasing densities to allow more people to live in the small island through the public housing system. The double edged sword with the system though is the racial quota system that the public housing system uses. Through this it prevents neighbourhoods from having an imbalance of racial groups. However, as a racial minority growing up in Singapore, I realised the flat that I grew up in is only allowed to be sold to racial minorities only, thus limiting the market that it can be resold to.
@@summerapple7062 the property was on the market for a while, to the point we had to seek a lawyer to extend beyond the 5 or 6 years. Finally got an agreement recently below market rate.
@@summerapple7062 Does someone need to be disadvantaged by not being able to sell their property for a long period of time just because of the colour of their skin? And even if they didn't have to wait too long, the available pool of buyers is already severely restricted and limited. How is that equal opportunity?
@@sleepyheadz Beside EIP (Ethnic Integration Policy) that affect the resale of a unit, other factors may also affect the sale of property. Factors such as location, unit level, direction such as west facing where it can be hot in the afternoon, condition of the house, availability and proximity to amenities such as transport facilities, food court, wet market and supermarket, pre-schools and schools. At the end of the day, it is willing buyer, willing seller.
@@summerapple7062 of course it is willing buyer, willing seller economy. No one is disputing that. What makes it challenging to individuals is when one has and open pool of willing buyers, and another has a restricted percentage from the open pool. Two identical units with similar location and amenities command differently if affected by EIP. So lets compare apples with apples. If you're selling an apple in a market where less than 20% of passerby are permitted to buy from you, guess how much do you need to devalue it just to recover your costs?
Psychological and mental illness are also becoming prevalent with the relentless pursuit of being amongst the best, crème of the crop, top of the food chain. It’s an environment whereby standing still, or slowing down is not an option unless one is happy to settle for scraps. If married couples are struggling to make ends meet for themselves, how could we expect them to have babies to compound their sufferings?
The kiasu culture came mainly from the chinese race which forms the majority in Singapore. the indians,malays and other races are not so kiasu as them.
As a Chinese Singaporean, as much as I want to deny, I have to agree what you said is true. It is due to toxic ego Chinese culture of "face". Parents will want to boast about their child to others about how well they are doing academically or what are their jobs etc. Respect is directly related to status.
@@roccatx1509are you saying the Melayu and Indian are not as kiasu and boasting ? 🤣 . Don’t lie as you don’t know enough of the Melayu and Indian. Many who claimed they are Chinese like you are fake. 🤣
Born in Singapore citizen are getting poorer because the government keep on increasing cost like property tax and land cost. Only high official get paid in the order of millions while the general public get almost 50% of their pay forcefully stored in cpf which due to inflation can get less than 50% OR MORE OF ITS TRUE ORIGINAL VALUE. This doom everybody....working hard only to be milk to dry. Yes hard work pay but who. Think.
Housing problem clearly can be solve..build higher..what SG have now is not much high..SG dont have land but have space upwards..utilise it to max..as you can see the housing is lowered and not much can supply the demand
Public transportation here is unaffordable due to government love to yearly hike up the fares alot and by giving excuses on why need price hike. Despite after the price hike the services still sucks with lousy train/bus frequency, train breakdown very frequently, overcrowding and lack of improvement. This is also 1 of the reasons why Singaporean want to move out is due to unaffordable public transport and non-stop price hike for public transport.
We lived in Singapore for 17 plus years. I am so glad that we left (ran away may be a better term) in 2013. Life back home is a lot better. We own 3 cars, which would be worth more than $1 million in Singapore. Most Singaporeans can't even afford one basic Corolla. They can only afford to take buses.
I lived 3/4 years in the island, and so happy I was when I left the place to next door and neighbour country !. 😅. Over a decade ago, SG was nice, these days, more crowded than ever, hot and humid, rushing everyday somewhere, enjoying the packed malls on weekends, plus the number of chinese china has increased by many fold these days, the population of the island will look like another china province in the future. Wish you guys good luck.
@@andreandree4384 Everything is scarce in Singapore except one thing. People. There are people, lots of them, loads of them, everywhere you go or look. Every shopping mall looks the same with the same stores and same high prices, and loads of people. Life can only be described as miserable in Singapore. When we first arrived in 1996, it was quite pleasant.
Singapore -> money launderers, foreign talent, haolian toxic boastful population, very expensive houses, very high car tax, stressful environment but Singaporeans wont tell you that but will just boast that they are number 1, embedded in their toxic brainwashing education system
should keep in mind home ownership rate in Singapore was 89.7% in 2023 so the math doesn't make sense for the majority of people not being able to own a home.
@@sleepyheadz Home ownership, basically, means owning a property whether HDB, condo, bungalow etc. This includes properties owned via mortgages or other loan vehicles.
@@hockysa The home ownership figures are high because what is the alternative? Rental prices that are even more ridiculous than the crazy mortgage loans? Unless your mortgage is fully paid, you do not own the home. That's the technical definition of ownership. As long as the mortgage needs to be paid, people have little option but be driven to service it. There is no argument on whether one should work for their keep. It's a given. What is arguable is the lack of autonomous options should something like an unexpected crisis hit the family. The system rewards those who are able and willing to generate revenue but it is not very tolerable to people perceived to be less productive.
@@sleepyheadz ok but the home ownership is still the vast majority of people at 89%. Also that's a good thing when loans are available and cheaper than rent otherwise people get stuck in rent traps like the UK and US. Mortgage can be eventually paid off, you never stop paying rent while renting. Ownership without a mortgage would be another sub category of home ownership. Take the UK and US statistic of home ownership which is around 65% for both, americans are leveraged up to their eyeballs. People need to save for their own emergency funds. While I love the idea of welfare systems being available to those in need when crisis hit without the right culture they are proving inefficient in western countries most on an unsustainable trajectory. You don't grow an economy and raise the average of everyone's living standards by creating more of these "autonomous options" history has shown this.
Folks, you put together a good video, but it's a little hard to take you seriously when the first graphic on poverty was so far off. You had five equal rows, but you were colouring them in as if there were only four. Each row represents 20%, but you had it representing 25% when you intended to show 12% and 26%.
The party has got that all that figured out years ago. Low fertility is not a problem if work visas are relaxed even further. How else did the country double its population from 2000 to 2020 with a fertility rate of 1.2?
I think its all perspective People are living beyond their means and allowing compound interest work against them We are ungrateful for the security we have and look at the other countries as better then ours.
How about the fact that none of this land is going to be passed to their grandkids. It's all 99 year leasehold, and property prices (Even HDB) is growing more and more unaffordable every year. How are the next two generations going to live?
You “stay” in temporary accommodation like a hotel; you “live” in a residence. Furthermore, speaking of “home ownership”, I am sure you know the HDB ultimately owns the flat - i.e. their occupants are NOT strata owners a.k.a. subsidiary proprietors.
There is a difference between Owning the flat and Owning a 99 years lease for the flat. Owning the flat means, the flat is yours for perpetuity and you can sell it and profit from its capital gains at anytime. Whereas, Owning a 99 years lease means, you can no longer stay in the flat and have to return the flat to its owner "The HDB" after 99 years i.e. you are just renting it. In the case of HDB flats, you had paid the 99 years rent in advance, but you can sell the balance lease to others before the 99 years is up.
@@dchey01: Yes, the oldest HDB flats are ≈ six decades old. Furthermore, barely 10% of HDB flats qualify for the Selective En Bloc Redevelopment Scheme (SERS) introduced in the mid-1990s.
@@riptyurass302 You're not wrong, but Singapore has no inheritance tax, so whatever assets owned by the current generation will be passed on to the next in full. Honestly, property price go up but the grants also keep going up, not that hard to buy HDB for married couples
I lived in Singapore between 1995 - 2016 as an expat. I saw first hand the remarkable growth. Last month I visited again and was surprised at how quiet it was now. Clearly less people around.
Yes cpf plus income tax......almost come to 50% of wages.,And ever rising Coe,taxes(like tax now on internet on line purchases),water price height,electricity price height,carbon tax height......list never ending Even hawker food price rises by almost 10% every 3 month. Terrible.
26% not earning enough to keep up with the rest of the country. What is defined as keeping up? We can't and shouldn't expect everyone to keep up with the Jone's
Singapore has segregated communities of "locals" who do not interact at all. There are communities living in private homes who have never set foot in a rental flat, likewise people who lived in low income communities who have never entered a condo. It's unbelievable but it's definitely true. And of course we're not even talking about the ultra rich and the abject poor. Sometimes, it helps to have someone outside looking in, to offer better perspectives of what we don't know that we don't know.
@@sleepyheadz - Heard of the parable the 5 blind men and the elephant! U clearly one of the blind man trying to justify your argument! It same with this video u have this unknown dude thinking he knows everything about Singapore but he is just a blind man feeling the elephant leg and calling the elephant is like a pillar.....
@@albertwong1919 I'm a Singaporean too and your comment is simply ignorant and arrogant because you assume that foreigners cannot understand Singapore as though it's a country from another planet. It's basic journalism to find a native correspondent in order to understand the situation from another country and his sources are taken from credible articles. Its people like you who simply dismiss information by saying it's inaccurate just because Singapore is being criticized that is giving Singaporeans a bad name.
