Sengkang West SMC Rally 3rd May Speech by Dr John Yam

Selamat datang dan selamat malam.
Apa khabar?
Bahasa melayu saya kurang fasil.
Harap maaf.
Para pengundi, salamat berhormat.
Nama saya jalah John Yam.
Saya bawah kumpulan cahlon berdiri di Nee Soon GRC.
Saya minta sokong tuan-tuan Dan puan-puan.
Tolonglah, undi parti perkerja.
Undilah, undilah Parti Perkerja.
Ke arah parlimen dunia pertama.
Terima kasih

Welcome  and good evening my dear fellow Singaporeans.
I am John Yam, WP candidate and leader of the Nee Soon GRC team.
The issue I'll be dealing with this evening is our education system. I will briefly speak in Mandarin, follow by English.

我们的孩子在学校是不是成受太大的压力？
是否有太多太多做不完的功课？
是不是很担心他们考试不及格？
你们花费很多金钱在扑习上？
学校在班上的排名是否给孩子很大的压力？
那么我们都是同一艘船的。
为何有这样的问题？
问题是出在行动党精英排名教育政策。
不要抱怨学校太多的功课，这全是因为我们直通车计划，
升入理工学院还是初级学院的分流。我们的教育制度需要的
不是真正的精英，不是淘汰，适者生存。我相信广大的家长
会同意我的观点，拒绝分流，拒绝精英制度！

Parents and pupils, are you by stressed by our school system?
Are we spending too much time and money on tuition for our children?
We believe this is due to MOE agressive streaming, done at too young an age of our pupils. Branding and ranking of schools.
Teaching staff are overly KPI  or (key performance indicators) driven in the MOE system. This contributes to the highly stressed school system.
All these are due to our elitism in our education system.
Just take a look at the teachers'
workload. If these educators are so stressed up,
what more down the line for the students?
How successful is MOE compare with the other countries?
Canada may not compare well with the Singapore in world ranking.
Canada has produced  18 Nobel Prize winners, 44 Olympics medalists, plus hundreds of world-renowned entrepreneurs.
By population ratio, Singapore should
produce at least 3 Nobel Prizes, scores of artists and
writers. Even Hong Kong and Taiwan managed to have at least one Nobel Prize winner, many Olympic medalists and entrepreneurs.
Israel does not enjoy the higher ranking like Singapore. Rank among top globally in medical research, as well as defense science and telecommunication technologies. To date, Israel with a population of only 7.5 millions, produced nine Nobel Prizes, astronauts participating in NASA Space Shuttle Mission. 
We, as parents are so stressed up under such a competitive system -  in order to cope, we are sending our children for tuition classes. Not surprising, tuition is fast becoming a billion dollar industry, in our country. 
Practically, smaller class size ratio, improving English grades with declining command of English at work, expensive quality childcare, the discriminating, widening gap between scholars and non-scholars in civil service career, is producing YES-men policies - narrow and more of the same, grades being a life-time stigma and punishment as MISTAKES, with no second chance - this is weakening out social fabric, making the nation POOR IN SOCIAL CAPITAL.
When you apply for a government job at 40 years old, you will be scrutinized and condemned for poor O Level grades decades ago. You are punished. This is a cold and harsh system. Very cruel for young late starters in life. Even true blue elites like Mr Tan Jee Say, becomes trash in the mouth of his ex-boss in the civil service, once he's NO LONGER a YES MAN!

The desirable outcomes of an education system, should be one that develop our pupils
- to be socially responsible, morally righteous as well as creative and innovative citizens. Not just exam smart pupils, with good grades that secure places in branded or elite universities.

PAP attacks our candidates lack track records. Based on such argument, does it mean SAF never go to war is incapable of defending and protecting our country.

Dear fellow Singaporeans:
Do you believe we will ever have more good years under the PAP political monopoly. Are you confident we will ever attain Switerzland standard of living. Very clearly, if the PAP is once again voted in, without significant opposition representation, it will be more of the same - the much needed changes that many Singaporeans look forward to, will not come. Today, we have attained Switzerland cost of living but not the standard of living. Latest UBS research on purchasing power, Malaysia is ranked higher than Singapore. Did Singapore gotten into the last world cup quarter finals? Who made the promise to us in the 1990s of more good years. Today, we don't have more good years but only more, GST, ERP, very high COE, street gangs and moral issue behavior in our society reported every other day. Clearly, it is time for change.
Together, involving your active participation of every Singaporeans, we shall build a first world parliament. Vote for the Workers' Party towards a first world parliament. Thank you. 晚安。