If you are looking for real analysis, then you came to the wrong place. I don’t have a lot to say about the actual budget – I am just interested in the local response.
There was a lot of anticipation before Singaporeans were recently introduced to the 2009 National Budget. At work I was receiving emails about the budget, a colleague organized a watch party, and there were a lot of discussions around the office. This seemed to be too much excitement for something that seems so boring.
I decided to use this as a learning opportunity, so I visited the official site of the 2009 Singapore Budget. The first thing that caught my eye was the slogan – “Keeping Jobs, Building for the Future.”It’s not the slogan’s wording that amused me, but the fact that they actually have one! I guess it does fit into the idea that the government is somewhat of a nanny…
After looking at the official site, I went to the Straits Times website, and discovered that they have a special webpage for the budget. It has details about the budget, opinion articles, and responses from citizens.
On top of all of that, the Ministry of Finance launched the first annual inter-school budget debate for secondary schools in Singapore.
This is one of those differences between Singapore and the US that amazes me…until I remember how small this city-state actually is.
Oh, by the way – this year Singapore is dipping into their reserves (what country has those these days?) for the first time EVER.
