1/01/2016

The happenings and achievements of the year

The USA’s achievements of the year, launching Apple iphone6, forming TTP, sailing warship and flying warplanes to challenge China, sending more boots into Syria, signing more military pacts with more American allies, issuing more threats and sanctions against Iran and North Korea.

The achievements of China, launching One Belt One Road, forming AIIB, signing contracts to build bullet trains in Indonesia, Thailand and the USA, launching new brand names like Alibaba, Xiaomi, reclaiming islands from the sea, building train network to Europe and Africa.

What are the achievements of Singapore? Celebrating SG50, found a buyer for NOL, making Kopitiam and NTUC Fairprice the new brand names of emerging enterprises, Khaw Boon Wan incharge of running the train system, new train downtown line, hosting American spy planes to conduct Freedom of Navigation in South China Sea, new museum and art galleries, SGX winning the best regulated stock exchange in the world, building smart cities in India. The list is very long.

Singapore probably achieved more than the two super powers, not forgetting punching above its weight. I could have added buying F35s but not sure if the deal is on or off. Oh, planning to have lesser cars and more car free days and more walking and bicycle lanes. This is the new aspiration of Singaporeans, not to buy cars.


Happy New Year to everyone.

26 comments:

Anonymous said...

What are the achievements of Singapore?
RB

Aiyo RB, as a seasoned current affairs commentator, how can u missed out mentioning one very, very important achievement and event?

And which is PAP winning 70% of the votes in GE 2015! Maybe PAP was even surprised by their achievement! U not surprised or even shocked meh and can missed out some more?

Anonymous said...

The achievements of Singapore will only be as good as the achievements of PAP.

So if PAP sucks, just too bad for daft, money no enough Sinkies lah.

Because smart and with lots of money Sinkies will still have a good life regardless of whether PAP sucks or not, tio bo?

Anonymous said...


红豆汤 叔叔

新年快乐! 身体健康! 万事如意!

希望新加坡明天会更好!

Cheers!

Anonymous said...

George Lucas declined to take up the role of Mentor Director on the new Star Wars Film "The Force Awakens"
---------------------------
Talking to The Washington Post, the filmmaker (George Lucas) discussed why he didn’t want to work on the new movie, saying:

"There is no such thing as working over someone’s shoulder. You’re either the dictator or you’re not. And to do that would never work, so I said ‘I’m going to get divorced.’ . . . I knew that I couldn’t be involved. All I’d do is make them miserable. I’d make myself miserable. It would probably ruin a vision — J.J. has a vision, and it’s his vision."
----------------------------------------

I can’t even imagine how difficult it would be to try to work in that situation, to see this world that you created, that you birthed and steered across decades, in the hands of other people.
It would probably be damn near impossible for him to contribute to a Star Wars movie that he wasn’t in control of, having to hold his tongue as the new generation made decisions and choices that impact what he made.
He’d just bum out everyone involved, including himself. It’s probably for the best that he stayed away.

http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Why-George-Lucas-Didn-t-Work-Star-Wars-Force-Awakens-98057.html
------------------------
You gotta love these Americans.
They know when to let go and fuck off into the sunset.
Unlike Chinese Emperors who hang around until you are glad to see them die.

Anonymous said...

Rb // The list is very long. //

U know arh?

Anonymous said...

Greatest Achievement in 2015 by Singaporeans - Helping PAP stay in government for another 5 years.
Greatest Achievement in 2015 by the PAP - Getting re-elected into parliament for another 5 years.

Singaporeans get the government they deserve.

Speedwing said...

Hi Redbean, speed here for UK. Like to wish you and your family a Happy New Year. May 2016 brings to all in Singapore lots of Happiness, Good Health and Peace.

Anonymous said...

2015 is water under the bridge.

2016 is likely shaping to be a ( huge ) challenge in domestic, regional and global economics, geo-politics and the domestic politics shaping up in many ( important ) countries and the positioning to make either way.

The actions and outcomes are likely to have ( far reaching ) implications way beyond 2016.

Anonymous said...

To liken 2016 to being a year of the crossroads may not be an exaggeration?

A right turn could likely deepen the prospects?

Make the wrong one and it could be on the way back to where it started?

Anonymous said...

Are the 4G ( leeders ) up to the tasks?

Would the Conmittee for Future Economy make the right diagnosis, come up with the right blueprints, press the right buttons, "pull the right triggers", ensnare the right targets or is it all hogwash, TKSS ( sessions to get free expensive tea breaks, lunches and dinners on the account of the taxpayers during working hours and while away precious time that is ticking away), another PR disaster to showcase bankruptcy of ideas and plain simple leeches undoing all the good works achieved and otw to turning a powerhouse into an abyss?

Time will tell? The reading on the walls tells that YEW will likely be in for a huge disappointment and dismay? SG51 TO SG100 is a journey ( sadly ) back to where it started? The 70% eyes paste stamps? Duds are just duds? They are just having a ( jolly ) good time ( all the while at the taxpayers expense )? SG101 could be like SG001, a year to start all over again?

Anonymous said...

Hope it is not more of Botak's "TLLM" ( Teach Less Learn More ) motherhood type statements made in the 2000s?

After more than 10 years ( since 2004 ), what has "TLLM" delivered on the ground ( "other than own self amused own self reports being submitted ")?

Randomly select 30 or 100 students ( from the system ) and YEW will likely be appalled ( by how little they have actually learned from the system other than to pass exam )? And most students might admit that is so? They are not ( most of the time interested in ) learning whatsoever other than just to pass exam? What a great job all the MOE ministars have done in the past 21/2 decades since the political leedership baton was passed to lao goa? Given such ( outcomes in the system ), how is the economy going to face the challenges ahead? Are they just a simply kicking the cans down the road and passing ( all ) the problems to future generations ( but all while collecting fat pay cheques, bonuses, perks, privileges etc )?

Anonymous said...

// Singapore probably achieved more than the two super powers, not forgetting punching above its weight.//


Is this sustainable?

Anonymous said...

The old guards were mostly in power till 1984?

Anonymous said...

How long and how much can 20 years of good work ( 1965-84 ) last?

Anonymous said...

Since 1990 ( when Lao goa took over ), it has been all about ( "frantic, fanatic and frenetic" ) monetizing the assets built and accumulated by the PG?

Anonymous said...

Nothing new were created except "tools, mechanisms and every law" to "extract the last pound of flesh and last drop of blood"?

Anonymous said...

"What's wrong collecting more $$$"?

Anonymous said...

Think COE, ERP, GST, Privatisation, Asset-Inflation ( disguised as Asset-Enhancement ), Retirement Policies ( "CPF savings in perpetual custody"), Healthcare Policies, Leg Open Big Big, Wide Wide, Loose, Loose Policies"?

Anything "new", creative, innovative, high productivity, high value-add generated by all these "blood-sucking, exploitation-oriented", "YEW die YEWR business" policies?

Can all the above-mentioned policies rolled out since 1990 ( when Lao goa took over ) ENHANCED sinkieland's international competitiveness in anyway except monetizing and eroding what were built and accumulated in the first 20 years of nation building by the PG?

Anonymous said...

By INDISCRIMINATELY, SELFISHLY and SELF-SERVINGLY harvesting almost all the low-hanging and mod-hanging fruits and even some of the high-hanging fruits, what have lao goa and his cohort left for the future younger generations?

Some "dying" BOTAK fruit trees with nothing much left except to keep them alive?

Living the future younger generations with all the hard labour to toil, shit to take care and almost no more fruits to harvest?

Anonymous said...

Typo ....

"Leaving"

Not "Living"

Anonymous said...

What kind of prospects have lao goa and his cohort left the younger generations sinkies with?

1) At least half-million or more tiny pigeon holes, somemore many 50 storeys high in empty air?

2) Mostly more than $100,000 for a functional car?

3) Jam-packed, unreliable and frequently breaking down MRT system ( that have mostly eroded sinkies confidence in the system )?

4) More than 2 millions expats and foreign labour to contend with in a tiny rock of 718 sq km, a total population of 5.5 m and density fast approaching and exceeding 10,000 per sq km?

How to visualise how SQUEEZY is 10,000 people per sq km?

Just imagine 100 people per foot field stacked side by side endlessly covering the entire 718 sq km?

Anonymous said...

Yew see?

Even buying breakfast or lunch or dinner is such a waste of time?

Now at Changi Beach. Gave up buying the nasi lemak nearby. The ( long ) queue was so snaky and slow moving. For 20mins it hardly moved. And many stalls were like that. Gave up and bought some bread from convenient store. Yew see? Having 100 people per foot field after foot field endlessly and doing every single biz necessary to survive - shit, eat, sleep, play, work, rest, study, exercise, walk, run, jump, skate, cycle, roller blade, swim, work-out, drink, zumba etc in such close proximity is akin to every 100 rats housed in a 10 sq feet cage after cage?

Will there be long term built-up, pent-up frustrations and "explosions"?

Can a small 718 sq km island sustain such a labour-intensive economic model and deteriorating demographic trend?

Hypothetically when the original 6.9m indigenous sinkies and imported instant trees aged and produced far from sufficient babies to maintain the eco-system, does it mean bringing in another say 5m to maintain the economy?

Where does it end?

How much can the tiny island withstand?

By then, there will be about "300 rats in every 10 sq feet cage" fighting for space to do all the "daily bizes" mentioned above, clawing and hurting each other hoping to get the space they need?

Anonymous said...

Typo

Should be "per football field "

Not " per foot field"

Anonymous said...

Typo

Should be "per football field "

Not " per foot field"

Anonymous said...

At the other side of the equation to the more than half-million pigeon holes and more than 0.1 million $$$ functional 4 wheels are the stagnating or rather declining real wage of fresh graduates in the past 25 years relative to cost of living in general and housing and private transportation in particular.

Imagine on the left hand side, the scale weighs more than $600,000 just with pigeon hole housing and lao pok kar, not yet counting the high monthly living costs?

On the right hand side, fresh graduates start off with a meagre 2k+ to 3k+ salary on average?

How would the scale look like?

What prospects would a typical sinkie have after slogging for almost 20 years in the pressure cooker system in their studies only to realise the shit ( dead end? ) they are in?

What prospects ( or shit holes ) have lao goa and his cohort "dug" for sinkies especially the future younger generations?

Yew tell me?

Do they care?

Yew die YEWR business?

What can sinkies do except keeping walking in the dark tunnel day in day out hoping there is light at the end of the perpetually dark tunnels when mathematically it is impossible and in reality their fates are sealed and cast in stones?

Anonymous said...

Get ready for the collapse of the stock market to kick start the year.