7/15/2012

The dying days of a dynasty




History students will be familiar with the events leading to the eclipse of an empire or dynasty. Everything seemed so right but so wrong, badly wrong, starkly wrong. But no one would be there to say things were wrong and to put them right. Many would stand up to speak and defend the wrongs and insisted that wrongs were right, nothing is wrong. Either they could not see or would not see or so used to wrongs as being rights as long as they said so.

In recent years, many flawed policies were thrashed out in the open leading to the PM apologising for them. That was about as far as it could get. The flawed immigrantion policy, congestion, high inflation, high cost of living, high property prices, high medical cost, high salary to pay for corruption, widening income gap, rewarding foreign thrash and demeaning the people that are the owners of this land, policies that favoured foreigners and against Sinkies.  And there are many others that were so obviously wrong but pronounced as so right and so good, or as something unavoidable, nothing can be done to change them.

The echoes of HDB prices are affordable, income gap is ok, high property prices are caused by market forces, nothing can be done, more foreigners are good for growth, immigrants are here to help the daft Sinkies,…..can go on and on, are still ringing in many people’s ears.

The charade of charity shows and big fund raisings were fun and a fad for the organisers until the funds were used by some individuals to have more private funs. The running down of the public transport system was never seen and everyone was happily rewarding themselves with more bonuses until it took a simple accident that ended up life threatening to shake everybody up.

The shameless exploitations for profits in the medical profession that led to many patients ended as victims of big scams and paying dearly to the noble profession of life saving until it exploded into a big ugly incident. No, nothing wrong about how much professionals or hospitals billed their patients. Caveat emptor, willing buyer willing selling. You want quality, you pay for quality. Moneyism has replaced ethics as the new social more. The banking and finance industry has been turned into a den of crooks and no one can see anything wrong with it except pointing fingers at the low down front line snake oil peddlers who failed to explain how poisonous the snake oil is. It is their fault. Snake oils were permitted to be peddled to innocent customers as sophisticated products and advanced computerised games.

What else is new? Money is not an issue when there are plenty to go around. The squandering of millions by people and splashed across the front pages of the media were dismissed as nonsense. Many cannot see anything wrong with them but wrong for accusing the squanderers wrongfully. And the good name of God was paraded to defend the squanderers. Some have ended behind bars but the loyal supporters would not see the human failings. What is a few millions?

Was there anything wrong with the purchase of $2,200 high end branded bicycles for public servants? No, definitely no. Minister had spoken out to defend the decision. Academics too sang in support. Nothing wrong. The whole process was done properly, lowest bid, cheapest available, right procedures. The only hint of some wrongdoings was the admission that it could be done better and the system could be improved. My God, our civil service procedures were found wanting in the 21st century for such a simple straight forward process. I think tendering is such a new thing in the civil service and they are still testing out the processes. I can only think of Ah Beng and his seventh month bidding which is more effective, efficient as a transparent tender system.

Just ask anyone involved in purchasing, any CEOs or dept heads, or any working adults and they will all shake their heads. Was there an elephant in the room? No, swear, no elephant! When a pile of shit stood right in front of everyone and in broad daylight, and respected people are defending it as no shit, you can expect how decadent things have become.

So far, the only person that is brave enough to stand up and call a spade a spade is Lui Tuck Yew. Not for fun like some pretenders claiming to do the same. And he is probably the only minister that is really working 25 hours to get the MRT running smoothly again. But he fell short of saying that heads must roll. Has anyone seen any heads rolling in the last decade or so? There is a phrase in the US called ‘too big to fail’. We may have our equivalent of ‘too talented to fail’. Anyway, this is only a side issue.

The main issue is that Nothing Is Wrong. No one can see anything wrong. And any wrong must be defended by all till it is accepted as right. Used the media to broadcast that it is right daily, get some known personalities to support the wrong as right. The daft Sinkies will believe it after a while.

Events in the dying days of a dynasty often manifest themselves in similar light, similar treatment and attention. Anyone dares claim that things are going wrong?

Look at the American Empire. Anyone dares say they are the problem of the world? Anyone dares say they are the one that is causing tension and wars around the world? Anyone dares say America is free from corruption? Everyone says, America is good, freedom, no corruption, America is saving the world, a benevolent and peace loving nation. And the best part, the Americans and their leaders, the scheming, conniving gangsters and murderers, believe it too. They too cannot see anything wrong with themselves and what they are doing. Did they ever admit that they enslaved 20 million Africans for 200 years! And murdered 10 million Red Indians and seized their lands?  Hitler was a novice compared to the Americans.

Oops, I digress.

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

America is the epitone of all that is wrong with this world.

Greed, warmongering, biggest weapons dealer, dictatorial in action, all with selfish aims and aspirations.

Yes, many will still say it's days are not yet over. Let us see.

Anonymous said...

At the recent Asean Regional Forum they hit their face against the wall. For several decades, they have been setting the agenda and calling the shots. They tried to slam China again by using their two or three proxies to front the attack.

Nothing came out of it this time. The Filipinos and Viets were furious. The evil Empire swallowed the insult quietly but must be banging and yelling their guts out in Washington. They could not get Asean to do the China bashing for them.

JeffGoh said...

"You know your country is dying when you have to make a distinction between what is moral and ethical, and what is legal." -- John De Armond

Anonymous said...

Yes,some shareholders of SMRT asked for Ms Saw to repaid the millions she gained from us,but the new CEO quickly ran away from such a difficult question,smart CEO.

Anonymous said...

The former SMRT CEO is teaching Singaporeans how to prosper under a Pro Alien Party government.

Talk big & sing song.
Don't be scared to make big promises.
The chickens will only come home to roost a few years later.
By that time, rich enough to resign already.

And the Pro Alien Party cannot blame her either.
Or else they will also look stupid and incompetent.
Pay so much to achieve so little.

Wasn't the SMRT Board of directors supposed to be overseeing the SMRT CEO?

Wasn't the LTA supposed to be overseeing SMRT?

Wasn't Ong Ye Kung supposed to be ... actually ... what the hell is Ong Ye Kung supposed to be doing? He is independent director. But independent of what?
Independent of the unions, management, LTA, board, or politics?

Wasn't Transport Millionaire Lui Tuck Yew supposed to fix the problem?
And the Pro Alien Party's huge parliamentary majority.
Still cannot get enough of their Millionaire MPs to attend parliament to get quorum to support Tuck Yew's "LTA (Amendment) Bill".

Real cartoon.
Prime Millionaire not in town.
Suddenly, every Pro Alien Millionaire in Parliament can suddenly forget to attend parliament.
I wonder if the Pro Alien Party Whip was present to enforce party discipline?
Or was he also AWOL?

We need a Billionaire to manage all these Millionaires.
Since they won't listen to working class people like us.

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

I don't see anything bad. This is all FUN and ENTERTAINMENT in a brave new world of personal empowerment, and loose morality. The problem is culture-systemic, and it is GLOBAL.



"Anything goes" when you hold the reins of power. Couple that with the popular post-modern nihilistic idea "there is no such thing as 'morality'", and you have an unpredictable chaotic system -- where human enterprise is limited only by one's imagination -- an imagination to conjure up all manner of nefarious scams or brutal extensions of power for the sole purpose self aggrandizement.



It really doesn't matter who "rules" in Singapore. The HDB is one of the most ingenious mass-manipulation tools ever designed in the realm of political science. And any government in power would be foolish NOT to exploit its use to their maximum benefit.



85% of Singaporeans live in HDB, many own their units, and have enjoyed spectacular asset "appreciation".



A loud MINORITY of Singaporeans are those whinging about HDB's "high prices". Unfortunately for them too bad. The 85% already in HDB do not want the prices to drop. No way. Let "market forces" and "animal spirits" do their jobs properly, which of course the government can spin as "success" to bolster their credentials.



The historical examples quoted point to the need for planned change: those "dynasties" which died out didn't evolve nor did they ever re-invent themselves.


I'll bet this dynasty re-invents itself before accepting the fate of death. Too much money, power and influence at stake. They're unlikely to "go quietly", and are apt to kick, scream and put up a fight to the bitter end. It's their nature.



Got UFC?

Relax. Cover your own arse, then sit back and enjoy the show. Be entertained by the consequences of people making moronic errors, mostly due to their own arrogance bwahhahahahah...

Should you spot "opportunity" allow your greed to motivate you to exploit the lucky break and max-out your profits.

People and their governments are doing really stupid things, which you can benefit from if you can control your emotions ;-) The big "if".

Anonymous said...

Did anyone spot any opportunity when NParks wanted to buy some bicycles?

Anonymous said...

Singapore's Economic Policies explained in very simple terms.

How benefits given to the rich trickles down to also benefit the poor.


http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2012/07/tds-correspondents-explain-trickle-down-economics/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheBigPicture+%28The+Big+Picture%29

Anonymous said...

Redbeans,
you are drinking too much kool aid, and start having hallucination.

Dynasty is still very much alive and prosper nowsaday. Just look at our emperor now enjoying emperor's life with pension while the useless and incompetent prince talking to himself and cronies who just get paid to entertain his presence. See that gigantic tsunami amount of $158 billions unaccounted for according to Chris Balding does not even cause havoc and protest in Singapore unlike that just mini billions in USA. This clearly show that dynasty is the way of the future.

Long live the Emperor, long live the dynasty. Let us bow down and sing praise ... Let us rejoice that we have paradise in Sincity. Money, money, money , money,

Anonymous said...

"The whole process was done properly, lowest bid, cheapest available, right procedures. "

The cheapest according to only 3 days bidding time and research !!

http://www.tremeritus.com/2012/07/15/more-percularities-uncovered-over-nparks-purchase-of-brompton-bikes/!


It is like that telling the public that they have secured the best bid after giving a generous allowance of 3 days. Hello, 3 days ? , shouldn't it be at least one month ?

Redbean, please do your math

Anonymous said...

The man ultimately is now having a nice holiday in so called Eco-City in China,good life indeed.

Anonymous said...

Our system rewards the able and talented.

Anonymous said...

Long live the emperor?

How much longer?

Still ashes to ashes and dust to dust in the end!

Anonymous said...

Hahaha......

as long as he is the emperor, with or without clothes.

Jess said...

Singaporeans are now like frogs cooked in warm water, not that its not painful, but struggling to tolerate all consequences of the policy makers' irresponsibilty, breakdown of mrt becomes part of life. The question is, why did we vote pap during the election, knowing that pm lee will ask us to welcome foreigners with open mind, when its his decision to let them in not us.

Anonymous said...

Hi redbean,

You definitely need to understand Ponerology. Great insights to the minds of the criminals/pathogens that have taken over the world. I count that old S(enile)M lee among them including many current leaders and ordinary sinkies too.

http://ponerology.com/index.html

Anonymous said...

You will know that the government is paying lip service to us when NO ONE is held ACCOUNTALE for the MESS he created. I means CIVIL SERVANTS who is responsible for the daily operations, supervision and safeguarding the assets of the country. The Minister must take the blame and get voted out in the next election, but so should the CIVIL SERVANTS that earn Million dollar salaries and life long pension be sacked. Why fine SMRT $2M when the more effective solution is to take away SMRT top management and directors' bonus, benefits, and pay of the equivalent amount?

Anonymous said...

You will know that the government is paying lip service to us when NO ONE is held ACCOUNTALE for the MESS he created. I means CIVIL SERVANTS who is responsible for the daily operations, supervision and safeguarding the assets of the country. The Minister must take the blame and get voted out in the next election, but so should the CIVIL SERVANTS that earn Million dollar salaries and life long pension be sacked. Why fine SMRT $2M when the more effective solution is to take away SMRT top management and directors' bonus, benefits, and pay of the equivalent amount?

Anonymous said...

Nice article. But you were so wrong about Lui Tuck Yew.

He's another of PAP joker that commented it was unavoidable (actual word used) that the MRT trains broke down. But checks later showed that SMRT could have indeed done better.

We all know this government is a mercenary one. Collecting high pay which they don't deserve, but work minimal and talk nonsense. At the end, the rich benefit the most, while the poor ones suffer more ans spiral downwards.

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

In any groups, there will be the good, the bad and the ugly. Lui is working very hard to solve a problem created ove several years and just imploded.

And he is also trapped by their own scheme of painting everyone as the best talents in this world and thus when he could not solve the problems, it becomes very glaring and unacceptable. The Sinkies are now so used to the super out of this world pay they are getting and are demanding they prove to the Sinkies for the money they are paid. No more excuses if one is being paid so many times more than Obama.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous must be a very popular name in the Dynasty ;))