An investor gripes about the Annual Giam-siap Meeting

THE annual general meeting (AGM) season is upon us again.

And as if the depressed Singapore market is not already off-putting enough to investors, some giam-siap (Hokkien for stingy) companies must be so scared of hordes of hungry, equally cheapskate investors showing up at their door, that they have resorted to various means to cut down on costs.

Exhibit A is a Straits Times Index (STI) company with a name beginning "S" and ending with "G". In previous AGMs, shareholders received S$15 NTUC or restaurant vouchers, a pretty nice touch.