Following a week of intense propaganda from the state media, a government reporter has outdone the cesspool by blaming Singaporeans for their “mindsets” over the criticisms of Budget 2018. CNA reporter Bharati Jagdish wrote in a propaganda article saying that Singaporeans are narrow-minded individuals who should “look beyond hongbaos”:
“With this in mind, we may need to embrace a social compact that enables us to secure mutual protection when it comes to social spending beyond looking for handouts for ourselves. No doubt, the Government needs to do its part to evolve the narrative, with the aim of strengthening confidence and trust on this issue. While those efforts continue and we continue asking questions, we need to make an effort to address our own mindsets to search for answers beyond hongbaos for ourselves or complaining about costs. We need to open our minds to the bigger picture and our place in this picture.”
The propagandist wrote that she is aware of the anger behind the GST increase, and that many Singaporeans do not believe the lies of Finance Minister that there has been a surplus:
“An almost palpable sense of apprehension over possible tax hikes progressed into outright anger in some quarters on Budget day as Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat announced a Goods and Services Tax (GST) hike from 7 to 9 per cent “sometime in the period from 2021 to 2025″. Mr Heng’s explanation for the hike didn’t seem to convince online commenters especially since Singapore also ended 2017 with its largest Budget surplus in recent years in absolute terms – S$9.61 billion, or 2.1 per cent of the GDP.”
The CNA reporter who host state media forums said that the poor and middle class have a mentality that “someone else should foot the bill”:
“A major issue is whether taxes are being levied equitably. The rich should be paying more, but are they? Can taxes be even more progressive?…This could go some way to address the mentality that someone else should foot the bill…Is the “every man for himself” mentality making it harder for some of us to accept this?”