Spoil Market - Even Monks kena

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Local monk Ang Juat Chong says he spoke to his MP, Mr Yaw Shin Leong, about unlicensed monks working in Singapore. -- ST PHOTO: SAMUEL HE

 

Monks face pressure of foreign competition

Income from prayer sessions down as foreign monks charge lower rate

 

Some monks here are feeling the heat of competition provided by their foreign counterparts.
In particular, the local monks claim that foreign monks, who are mostly from China and Malaysia, are undercutting them by charging up to 50 per cent less for prayer sessions conducted at funeral wakes.

Mr Ang Juat Chong, 59, a Singaporean who has been a Buddhist monk for the last 18 years, said his monthly income has gone down by as much as 70 per cent in the last two years because of this.
'Local monks charge about $1,200 to do Buddhist rites at funeral wakes, but these foreign monks charge only $600 or $700. So of course, funeral parlours will prefer to hire them,' he told The Straits Times yesterday.

[Commentary : Whilst competition in principle is always good for the consumer and promotes continuous improvements, un-fair competition kills off local talent, cultivates $ only society and export Singapore dollars overseas....maybe we should have illegal Ministers who don't have to pay taxes, don't need to live in high cost Singapore, and don't need multi-million dollars salaries, to replace our current Ministers...Fair or not!]