NSP National Day Message 2007

The following is the National Day Message printed on flyers given out on National Day.




National Day Message 2007

National Day is upon Singapore again. It should be an occasion for joy, pride, and hope as the nation and its citizens celebrate nationhood, especially in what the government touted the "Golden Period". Yet, the reality is more sombre.

The liberal policies on indiscriminate admission of immigrants and foreign workers into Singapore have created a massive challenge for citizens. Workers fight for survival against an influx of cheaper alternatives, constantly uncertain about the earning power of their income as they age. While places like Hong Kong are aiming to have 60% of the cohort students getting a degree, our local students are fighting over lesser allotments in schools as the government reserves 20% of places in our universities for foreign students which results in lesser enrolment of local students. Retirement becomes a fantasy as citizens forgo the luxury and work to their last breath.

A declining birth rate means that the ambitious plan to increase the population could only be realised by massive import of immigrants. But how will the rickety infrastructure cope with the accelerated pace of population growth? Are citizens expected to accept, as a way of life, shortages of hospital bed, blood and doctors, crowded buses and trains, traffic jams and more ERP gantries, more compact but costly housing estates?

Citizens have for many years been languishing under the continual horde of increments in taxes, charges, fees, and levies. Healthcare cost continues to leap ahead even as services to citizens are sacrificed to pander to foreign medical tourists. University tuition fees for citizens increased even as government grants state scholarships funded by taxpayers to foreign students, to the point of depriving citizens a place in tertiary institutions.

The broiling property market adds to the chaos for citizens as valuable land is demarcated for more property development. In the process, the property bubble inflates and induces cost of living to rise in tandem. Rent-pressure (notably on Small-Medium enterprises) forces businesses to pass the cost to consumers. All these translate to lesser savings for citizens to cope with daily expenses, emergencies, and old age.

Property bubble benefits foreign speculators and buyers who have no qualms on cashing out their assets at the right opportunity, possibly causing a massive plunge in property price with disastrous consequences for the country and its citizens. Citizens should not have to live with the consequence of being the 'ATM of the world'.

In the midst of these punishments, citizens are further burdened with an incredulous GST hike, which invariably creates an upward inflationary spiral which the government refused to acknowledge is hurting the people.

When national policies reduce citizens to a sense of unfairness, marginalisation, and oppression, can citizens be expected to cultivate a sense of belonging and ownership? Should we be surprised that citizens are fleeing Singapore, and rebuffing government effort to lure them back?

And will our national identity fade away as foreigners and naturalised citizens outnumber the original citizens? Can we expect the foreign arrivals to assimilate overnight? Or are we to accept the dilution of our national identity?

Do Singapore citizens have substantial reasons to celebrate National Day with a real inner sense of joy, pride, and hope? Do you want to leave this legacy for your future generations?

National Solidarity Party
Central Executive Council

国 庆 献 词


一年一度的国庆庆典再次来临。在行动党政府宣称目前的新加坡是“黄金时期”的时刻里，本应该是一个充满欢欣，自豪和希望的节日。但实际上在欢庆的气氛中卻蕴藏着无限的忧郁。

在行动党政府无节制，不加选择的吸引外来移民和劳工的政策下，已对国人造成重大的冲击。我国劳动阶层需要胼手胝足才得于勉强维持生计，人民更担忧的是当步入晚年时是否还有能力谋生。退休已成为平民遥不可及的奢望，国民正忧虑需面对终身劳碌而终的困境。

育才是我国兴国之策，世界其他地方如香港正在大力提倡为六成学子提供高等学府就学机会时，我国的高等学府卻保留二十个百份比的学额给外国学生，造成本国学生学额短缺,需要面对苛刻的竞争才能挤入本地大学。在政府为外国学生提供由我国纳税人资助的奖学金的同时，我国学生却得应付节节高升的大学学费。

持续不断下降的生育率致使行动党政府不得不通过大量引进外来移民来达致增加整体人口的宏愿。但我们现有的基建设备又岂能应付快速的人口增长呢？国人是否意味着需要接受医院床位，血库存量和医护人员的短缺。更需接受拥挤的公共交通，交通阻塞和更多电子道路收费路段以及更小但价格更高昂的房子等作为我们的生活本质。

炽热的房地产市场令国人的生活担子百上加斤。宝贵的土地被用作更多的房地产开发，房价的炒做造成价格泡沫化而引发生活成本上漲。租金调高的压力迫使商家把成本转嫁给消费者，结果导致国人减少日常开支也削减了为紧急事故和年老退休所需的储备金的储蓄。

我国房地产泡沫使外国投机者获利，他们在关键时刻将毫不犹豫变卖房产套利撤离，这将可能导致房产价格大幅下滑，对国家和国人造成灾难性的后果。我国人民根本不应该被当成“世界的自动提款机”任人挤榨。

在重重生活困迫下，人民还得应付难以信服的消费税的提增，忍受百物腾漲的煎熬，而行动党政府始终拒绝承认更高的消费税正蚕食国人的消费能力，危害国人生活素质。

当国家政策使人感到不公平，被边缘化和受压迫时，国家怎么能期望培养出有国家归属感的国民？我们对许多国人选择离开新加坡并不感到惊讶，留居外地的国民甚至抗拒政府为吸引他们回流所作的努力？

我们的国民身份是否会随着外来人口超越本地人口而势萎？我们可否期望外耒移民在短期内与土生土长的新加坡人同化呢？或我们是否能接受国民身份淡化的事实与后果呢？我国人民在欢庆国庆的当儿，是否有踏实的理由以及内心能真诚的感到欢心，骄傲和对未来充满希望呢？难道我们希望日子就永远的这么过吗？您有权利选择您的生活，我们与您同祝国家兴泰，国民安康！。

国民团结党中央委员会