Well, George Yeo is quite the joker, which is really great that politicians can take jokes (even at others' expenses)
Spotted at George Yeo's
facebook page
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Including tissue, $4.80 at Loyang Point. |
Hah! I love that guy.
For those who are blurred on this issue, a fellow PAP MP (oh wait, I forgot George Yeo is no longer a MP), Mr Baey Yam Keng, posted a photo on social media of his meal, a Nasi Padang and a bandung drink.
He proclaimed it of a cheap meal of $3... $2.50 for the nasi pandang and $0.50 for the bandung drink.
(sold at the coffeeshop TAMPINES STREET 44, BLOCK 475)
Needless to say, within a short time, he got lambasted by other singaporeans who figured out that $3 for such a meal is too little, and there was accusation of corruptions and favours....
Someone wrote that he had the exact meal and was charged $6 for the Nasi Pandang.
Honestly, I dont think this is a case of corruption. I mean, Corruption for $6 of nasi pandang? I believe the MP can afford that. Not a case of favouring by the coffeeshop owner as well, because even if it is favouring, it happens everywhere. Don't believe me? Get your colleague who is pretty dolled up, wearing nice sexy clothes to order some economical rice at the coffeeshop and see how much they charge her... =)
Or... just be very polite and nice to the stallholder, and visit that stall regularly, and eventually, you will get bigger portions.
Thats how it works, and I think it is fine. The Nasi pandang vendor probably just charge a nominal fare for the food, because he respect the MP and like to express his gratitude in a small way. I don't see anything wrong with that.
However, the BIGGEST fault is that Mr Baey, actually think there is nothing wrong with the meal costing $3.
I mean, seriously, he actually post the photo on social media, obviously because he was unaware of that hefty discount he got.
And he gleefully announced that the Nasi Pandang probably costs $2.50 and the Bandung drink, $0.50.
Nasi Pandang is an expensive hawker meal, and most Nasi Pandang meal I ordered costs $5, or $6, sometime it goes to $8 or $10, especially when you order fish or sotong. How would any typical Singaporean not know otherwise? In fact, any typical hawker meal, such as fishball noodles, chicken rice, wanton mee etc would not be cheaper than $3. Most hawkers or coffeeshops are selling them for $3.50... to still believe that a simple dish can be bought for $2.50 is naive.
And a bandung for $0.50?
That is so ridiculous.
The normal can drink at our local coffeeshop has already gone from $1.30 to $1.50 (I wonder why it skipped the $1.40 price floor), I have been eating at coffeeshops from tampines to jurong, so I don't think any other coffeeshop is too far off from what I've experienced.
How did Mr Baey even can consider a drink for $0.50?
Not even kopi. Not even a tea bag drink.
I believe Mr Baey, and many of his fellow colleagues have not been unable to dine in hawker centres, and or coffeeshops (or perhaps they were unable to pay for their food, maybe company aides pay for it and all). I can imagine many of the PAP MPs are directors, or doctors or high level people who work in Shenton way and such, and is totally immune to the increasing costs of living. They do not realised hawker food is no longer cheap, that a $0.50 beverage was extinct a few years ago...
If you guys want to reinvent PAP, and want to make sure you do not lose too many votes in the next election, I sincerely suggest you guys roll up your sleeves and start getting in touch with the citizens, especially those lower-income groups who would really appreciate a $2.50 dish meal.
Mr Baey, and PAP grassroot members, the truth is... you guys are not corrupt.
But you guys are no longer in touch with the costs of living in Singapore.
