ANITA: First and foremost, even though I am not a civil servant, my comments are not intended to belittle civil servants and the work they do. These people dedicate themselves to making sure our country runs smoothly, and its right that they get little rewards every now and then for their efforts.
What I am not happy about, is why the government is lavishing Singaporean taxpayers’ money on just civil servants alone, and not all Singaporeans. Do we not contribute to Singapore’s growth, even though we work hard in the private sector? Since this is a one-off SG50 bonus, shouldn’t we receive it too since we are all Singaporeans?
I’m ok with not getting any SG50 bonus, and if the government can give a proper explanation, I am willing to spend my tax money to benefit civil servants and give them some additional creature comforts.
What I don’t like is being marginalised as a Singaporean. It’s like a father giving his elder daughter a dollar to go to NTUC and buy a soft drink, while his younger daughter receives nothing. I don’t practise favouritism with my children, and I don’t expect the government to practise this at my expense, especially when the total bill comes up to millions of dollars and not just a one-dollar can of Coca-Cola.
We’re not talking about caring more for the elderly, or helping people with disabilities, or providing more healthcare subsidies for the poor. This looks like discrimination solely based on occupation. To me, it’s not about vote-buying or whatever some online commentators have to say. It’s about fairness, and I think in this case, an SG50 bonus should be given to all Singaporeans, or none at all. What happened to “one people, one nation, one Singapore”, as one of our favourite national songs goes?
This letter was written by Anita.