Online processes of Government ministries

The online processes of several Government ministries are terrible - they make life difficult for the public. I have bad experience with the Ministry of Manpower in respect of getting work passes and making CPF top-ups. My friend told me that he had a lot of trouble in submitting an application to work as a relief teacher in the Ministry of Education website.

I have submitted several feedback to the Ministry of Manpower giving details of the difficulty faced by me. They give me a polite reply each time, but do not really address the root of the problem - the online process make life very difficult for the public. Instead of improving national productivity, they make things worse. The ministry save 1 hour, but the public has to spend (say) 5 hours.

In many cases, the process are so complicated that the public has to call the helpline. After a while, many of these helplines (especially from the Ministry of Manpower) do not respond (i.e. cannot get through). I can understand the difficulty of these helpline operators. They are deluged with so many questions from the public seeking help.

The underlying problem is the complicated process. They are designed to save time for the government ministry, and they add to the overall waste of national resources. I hope that someone from the Ministry of Finance, who is supposed to drive national productivity, will respond to me (kinlian@gmail.com). My feedback to them in the past were also not attended with seriousness.

Investing in stock in a volatile environment

Should a young person invest hard earned savings in stocks in a volatile environment? The answer can be found here: http://money.cnn.com/2011/11/04/pf/expert/young_investors/index.htm?section=money_topstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fmoney_topstories+%28Top+Stories%29

I agree with the advice that money for the long term, e.g. for retirement, should be invested in stocks and that money needed for the short term, e.g. to make down payment for a home or other specific purpose, should be invested in a secure asset, such as an insured bank account.

Upgrade Medishield for elderly?

Hi Mr Tan Kin Lian ,

I hope you can advise me on this Medishield upgrade . Presently my wife and i are both 59 years and on basic 

Medishield . I am wondering whether it is better to upgrade and even buy riders to cover the deductibles and co-insurance .  I am thinking not so much about a better bed in the hospital but whether the present basic Medishield is adequate enough to cover major illnesses . Another worry is the annual limit to medical claims for basic Medishield  and  also riders are paid in cash .

REPLY

Please read my views on Medishield in these many articles. After that, you have to make your own decision.

http://tankinlian.com/Information.aspx?q=medishield

NOTE: Consumers should attend the talks on Financial Planning and Life Insurance organised by FISCA. More details can be found at http://easyapps.sg/assn/Org/Event.aspx?id=5. (The last talk on Life Insurance was cancelled due to lack of response.)  Consumers should attend these talks and be educated, rather than expect to get free advise to their specific questions - as they may end up being conned by dishonest advisers.

It is all right to get rich in an honest way, but it is now quite common for people to get rich by being dishonest and they get away with it.

Most Americans don't begrudge great riches to anybody who works hard, takes real risks, and creates things of value. As evidenced by the positive outpouring for Steve Jobs, great entrepreneurs are still celebrated. But there is an implicit social contract that links rewards to effort and accomplishment. If many people now believe that corporate America has violated that contract, is it surprising? At many big corporations, the senior managers have seemed more interested in stuffing their pockets than building for the long term. Gargantuan pay packages are only the start of it. Think boards of directors packed with patsies, books cooked to juice earnings, potential whistleblowers silenced, golden parachutes, and finally taxpayers obliged to save expensively tanned hides. The thing that is really surprising is that it has taken this long for public anger to well up.

http://finance.fortune.cnn.com/2011/11/04/one-percent-wake-up-call/?section=money_topstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fmoney_topstories+%28Top+Stories%29