Everything you need to know from the National Day Rally 2018

Missed the National Day Rally 2018 speech? Don’t worry.

Here’s a summary of what you need to know from the National Rally speech on Sunday (19 Aug):

1. Healthcare

Singaporeans are spending more on healthcare because we now good life, so living longer. And as we grow older, we are more likely to fall sick and more medical problems to treat.

Another reason is also because we have more advanced treatment options and better equipment.

Therefore, in order to help Singaporeans cope with healthcare expenses, the Gahmen announced that:

• The Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) will be extended to Singaporeans with chronic conditions, regardless of income. The benefits will continue to be tiered according to income. More details from Ministry of Health later.
• Gahmen will be building more new polyclinics across Singapore.
  1. Sembawang, Eunos, Kallang and Bukit Panjang by 2020
  2. And in Nee Soon Central, Tampines North by 2023
• Gahmen will also launch a “Merdeka Generation Package” for Singaporeans who are born in the 1950s to help them meet their medical expenses. Details next year.

2. Housing

Majority of Singaporeans stay in HDB flats. But because house prices affect everyone differently, it is not easy to keep prices down. Somemore when you want to buy house, you want cheap. And when you want to sell house, you want to sell expensive. Like that you think very easy meh? You got a roof over your head, very good liao hor. Be thankful lah.

But then PM Lee assured that:

• 99-year HDB lease is long enough for it to retain substantial value, and be a good retirement nest egg for majority of Singaporeans.
• For Singaporeans who bobian and have to return their flat at the end of its lease, the Gahmen will help them get another flat to live in. But hor, our oldest flats in Singapore right now are at most 52 years old, so still got at least another 47 years left, still very long lah, don’t scared.
• Gahmen will also help Singaporeans keep their flats in chio chio good condition, by upgrading HDB twice through:
  1. Home Improvement Programme (HIP): when your flat is about 30-40 years
  2. Home Improvement Programme II (HIP II): when your flat is about 60-70 years
• The Gahmen also announced a new scheme called Voluntary Early Redevelopment Scheme (VERS) to redevelop flats that are around 70 years and older. It’s like Voluntary SERS, geddit geddit?
• This VERS will allow Singaporeans to vote if they want the Gahmen to buy back their estate 20 to 30 years earlier so they can use their proceeds to pay for another flat. This scheme will only be implemented some 20 years later.

3. Cost of living

Say real one, if you compare now to last time when police wear shorts, life is a lot better now lah. Now you can go out and eat in fancy restaurants, go cafe sit down drink coffee and blow water, blow aircon. You can now afford to take airplane go holiday. You got smart phone, got data can access internet and go Facebook to complain and scold people.

So when you can afford to spend more, naturally you will feel like everything also expensive. Because you everything also want mah.

Having said that, PM Lee said that the Gahmen will still try their best to help by:

• Giving rebates like the U-Save which will help lower-income Singaporeans with their Utility.
• Help Singaporeans to lower the cost of food and make food cost more affordable by increasing the number of hawker centres.
• Now Singapore already got 7 new hawker centres and there will be 13 more new ones coming up.

Singapore don’t have our own water supply leh, so when water price increase, it also can’t be helped. Electricity prices is dependent on global oil prices because Singapore is not an oil producing country. We have to import energy. We cannot suka suka fix electricity tariffs if not will incur more cost next time one.

Gahmen also cannot subsidise everybody because it will mean that the rich Singaporeans who stay in big houses and use more electricity and water will get more subsidies. You ok with that meh?

Aiya, actually is can one lah, don’t anyhow spend money lor.

If really want to eat outside, can go to normal coffee shop without aircon then after that go walk in shopping mall to blow aircon lor. But if really need to blow aircon as you eat, just go and eat at NTUC Foodfare lor. Cheap cheap. And hor, did you know they served 85 million meals last year alone? Wah wah wah… Or go Rice Garden also can, lagi cheaper lor.

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