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Singapore, Singapore – “Rising standards of living? More like rising cost of living!” said a taxi driver. A sentiment shared among most lower and middle income groups, the rising cost of living in Singapore is not a thing we can ignore neither is there anything much we can do. Yet, the problem is a pain in the neck staring at you when you realize that the chicken fillet(?) from Long John Silver’s is starting to look as small as a goreng pisang (banana fritters).
Singapore apparently boasts a ‘world class’ transportation system. Air-conditioned, clean public transport and their related platforms and interchanges we use even in residential areas are a notch higher than most of what we can find if we travel around the region and can be something we can be proud of too – only if you magic away the crowd. Rising fuel costs and a timely realization that there is a need to slow down environmental degradation from exhaust fumes, more of the former than the latter, give more reason for Singaporeans to use public transportation. To use something faster and more comfortable and away from crowds, one would have to pay a bomb. The taxi may have been a consideration for those who are old, weak or carrying much stuff (or late for that matter) five years ago. Now, Singaporeans may have to think more than twice. The amount one has to pay to enjoy a cab ride just made it a luxury.
If parents want their children to ’study hard’ so that they may enjoy a more ‘relaxed future’, it is time to increase the pressure. If the cost of living is much higher, it makes more sense if they start aiming for better-paying jobs. What a mentality!
Besides those who have planned for such financial tight spots, the middle and low income group will have to struggle to survive if the trends follow for years. The higher income group may not really feel the heat though, let alone those who have really high-paying jobs that require really high wages to keep the current level of integrity.
I challenge the red of the Singapore flag if things get even worse. I challenge the fraternity and brotherhood it symbolizes if a crisis happens. If any of those who earn more than 4-digit salaries have in any way helped or planned to help those in the lower and middle income range, make yourself known.
Then again, the world isn’t fair and Utopia might just be idealistic.
