Some rich abhor inequality

There is this joke about Zhou Enlai and Khrushchev. Khrushchev proudly proclaimed his proletarian background in contrast to Zhou's non-proletarian background. Zhou supposedly told Khrushchev that they had something in common.

   "We are both traitors to our class."

In Singapore, Professor Lim Chong Yah, "one of Singapore's most distinguished economists", is calling for a raise of the low wages to $1000 a month. Further, he calls for a minimum wage law if the voluntary increases do not happen.

Tommy Koh, international lawyer, professor, & former ambassador of Singapore to the United Nations, supports Lim's proposals. Tommy Koh writes,

"In conclusion, I wish to thank Prof Lim for being our moral conscience. He has reminded us that our mission is to achieve growth with equity. Our ambition is to build a fair and prosperous Singapore. What we have achieved so far is a prosperous but unfair society.

Prof Lim has warned us that we have deviated from our original path and that we are dangerously close to a point when our inequality could adversely affect our cohesion and harmony."

While a minimum wage law will definitely help to raise the wages of the very poor, we should remember that another equitable law is for a citizen-ownership income. The Alaskans have done it, and they are enjoying yearly citizen dividends of $1000 to $2000. In Singapore, the possible citizen income is $9000 annually per citizen.

Suppose we manage to have a minimum wage of $1000, as proposed by Lim. A poor man may work at this minimum wage and support his family of 3 or 4 at $12,000 per year.

Suppose we manage to pass a law similar to the Alaska Permanent Fund, where every Singaporean gets his citizen income of $9,000 per year. The poor family of 3 or 4 surviving on $12,000 minimum annual wage will get a boost of another $27,000 or $36,000. This is real boost for a more equitable society. Each and every person gets an equal reward for his ownership of the country. This is also justice. According to the Pope, a person should get what he deserves for his being, not only for his acting. Just being citizen owners, citizens have a right to their citizen income from the common ownership of their country's wealth.

Kenneth Jeyaretnam of the Reform Party is proposing a citizen-ownership democracy. Are the other political parties in Singapore interested?

In Alberta, a province in Canada, the second biggest party, Wildrose Party, with 34% vote, is also proposing a citizen-ownership democracy. It is only a question of time before another state/country adopts a citizen-ownership democracy. The world will evolve toward this democracy model as more and more citizens are educated and demand their rightful citizen income.