The Americans call them war games

The Americans are conducting ‘military exercises’ at the doorstep of their self assigned enemies like North Korea, Iran and even China. The nature of the so called ‘military exercises’ or war games is anything but benign or friendly. The war games around the Korean peninsula are always about simulating an assault or invasion into North Korea. The war games with the Philippines are about retaking islands in the South China Sea that belong to China. And the latest with the Japanese is about retaking islands like the Diaoyu Islands that belonged to China. It is sabre rattling in the most belligerent and arrogant manner. They are not games but game of death.

Do the Americans ever consider the views, feelings and interests of the countries they are conducting war games against? Would these countries see them as friendly exercises or acts of provocations? Could a deliberate ‘stray’ bullet or missile be fired into these countries like the attack on the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade? The Americans must known in no uncertain terms that another such crazy and irresponsible act will mean war with China. Who is the provocateur or angel of death?

Back to the American war games. Would the Americans tolerate the Russians or Chinese conducting similar games with Cuba or Mexico or any Latin American country, simulating an attack on American soil or the retaking of Hawaii or Guam? Would the Americans be as good manner as the Chinese and North Koreans and the Iranians, standing at their front doors and watching hostile and potential enemies sending their weapons of war to their doorstep, waving their fists at them?

The provocative and irresponsible military posturings of the Americans and its semi colonies must be condemned by the world communities. The UN should impose a sanction against the Americans or any countries conducting hostile military war games within the territorial limits of another country. The gangsters of the world must be stopped before they create more wars and more serious wars with other countries.

The future of Very Indecently Prosperous People VIPP

2016 is only 4 years away. 2020 is 9 years and 2030 only 19 years away. These dates are in the future and could see dramatic changes to our social and political scenes. The day when the ruling party looses its support from the people and an alternative power forms the govt cannot be ruled out. It is only a matter of time, sooner or later.

When that day arrives, they will be many VIPPs among the upper crust of society. They will be laden with so much money and riches but not knowing what to do for a while. There will be no ‘Yes Minister’ ringing in the ears. There will be no full list of daily appointments to meet, no meetings and meetings, no dignitaries or visitors, no gracing events and opening ceremonies.

There will be no more fanciful titles of advisers, chairman, or whatever. The name card will no longer be as big as A4 size paper with 30 directorships, chairmanships or advisers. Just an ordinary name card will do, with the designation VIPP, Very Indecently Prosperous People.

Life will be great, full of time in hand to enjoy the wealth accumulated over the years in office. It will be a life of leisure and pleasure, parties all over the world. There is no need to work unless back side itchy. For those who have been indoctrinated with the mantra of work till death, they could use their wealth to buy over big companies and give themselves fanciful titles once all over again.

Applying for a job in GLCs will be a no go. The new govt will see to it that it will not happen. Being invited as consultants or advisers to private organizations too will not be coming, as the access to the new govt will not be there. The private organizations will not want to be in the bad book of the new govt to invite these VIPPs into their folds.

There will still be the past time of speculating properties with their wealth. Property prices will soar even higher unless the new govt put a stop to it by doing away with the current policies…and reintroduce estate duties. Whatever, the life of VIPPs can only be fun and fun and plenty of time to enjoy the fun. It is a deserving reward for a lifetime of sacrifice to the nation.

Slash and burn for a better tomorrow

The haze seems to have subsided. Is it because there were less slash and burn activities or because of wind and rain? Slash and burn is a very cheap way of clearing away unwanted stuff. No need much planning, no need heavy capital expenditure. Just look at the weather, wind direction, and light a match, and a whole jungle can go in no time. And new crops or towns can be built over them, looking modern instead of wasteful vegetation.

I was listening to Boon Wan in Parliament last night. He was talking about the future new towns, all nicer and modern, to be built over the old towns. Old towns will give way to new towns, and better Punggols will take their places. This is like a different variation of the slash and burn method of farming.

The way we scrap a half a million dollar Mercedes after 10 years and replace it with another $1 million brand new Mercedes is also another form of slash and burn. Get rid of the old and pay for a better new. Only one condition must be satisfied for this modern Sinkie slash and burn economy, money. The people and govt must have all the money to get rid of good working condition cars and houses and pay for new ones every 10 years for cars and maybe 40 years for housing. For a super rich and affluent country where money just flows in naturally, this is never an issue. The people need not even have to work as long as they have the money to churn properties.

Some told me that this slash and burn policy is also applicable to population. The old that are no longer contributing to the economy should make way for the new, from overseas. Every inch of land in this little island is worth its weight in gold and you cannot have unproductive people sitting on them. Too wasteful. This utilitarian approach to all things has served the island well and has turned it into the richest country in the world on a per capita income basis. Just ignore the existence of the oldies.

Old and oldies have no value to a strictly utilitarian state that sees progress in terms of monetary value. It is time that they bulldoze away that piece of real estate called Chinatown and build a new city for another million people.

Asia will resist U.S. efforts to contain China, says Singapore diplomat

By Ashish Kumar Sen
The Washington Times

Sunday, October 14, 2012
“We don’t want another Cold War. The United States should not ask

Asian nations will resist any U.S. attempts to block the rise of China, as Washington pursues a new strategy in the Asia-Pacific region, according to Singapore’s former ambassador in Washington.

“I think if the United States re-engages Asia to contain China it won’t work because countries in Asia won’t sign on to containment,” Chan Heng Chee said in a phone interview from Singapore.

“We don’t want another Cold War. The United States should not ask Asian countries to choose. You may not like the results if you ask countries to choose.”

Ms. Chan returned to Singapore in July after 16 years as Singapore’s ambassador to the U.S….President Obama has adopted a rebalancing stance toward the Asia-Pacific region…Much of the commentary in Washington has described this policy as a “pivot” and framed it in the context of a military containment of China.



The above article is more than meets the eyes. It is unusual for an ambassador to speak so frankly about the USA and its intent and policies towards another country. While the official US position is all about peace, about anything except containment of China, and so many countries and observers have wool pulled over their eyes that this is a benign power, full of peaceful intent and purposes, the truth is not usually spoken publicly. And Chan Heng Chee has spoken the unpleasant truth.

In her long association with American policy makers and the intrigues behind the façade of civility and pompous feel good motherhood statements, the US must be peddling its schemes and plots to contain China to her allies. While in the US, Chan Heng Chee would have to be polite not to spill the naked truth, but now that she is an ambassador at large, it is opportune for her to tell things as they are with respect to the real USA. And this has to be done to prevent the innocent and naïve to think otherwise and not to be coerced by the Americans to tow the line and be lined up on one side against another superpower.

It is in Asia’s interest not to be pawns in another cold war when they have nothing to gain and risk an open conflict in the region. The US has thus been told, as direct as it can be, not to fool the Asian countries into doing its dirty work and be embroiled in its devious schemes to contain and destabilize China.

The Ambassador must have many first hand experience of what the true Americans are and what they are trying to do in this so called pivot to Asia.

The Americans cannot go on to deceive the world that they are all angels. Time to look at the devil as it is.

Home sales soar! See it coming?

When I read the papers today about the climbing sales of properties, private and public, and the rising prices, I thought of asking whether the govt has seen it coming? I can’t blame Boon Wan as he is still new on the job. The pent up demand is not just due to the Ghosts in the seventh moon. The demand has been brewing and kept under pressurized lid to prevent it from exploding for too long. All the ramping up of building public housing would still be not enough.

Then I read another headline, ‘Govt ready to stabilize market if needed: Khaw’. Read this carefully, between the lines, it would appear that the govt is pretty comfortable with what is happening, with the situation as it is now. Apparently there is no need to stabilize the market now and not needed. So things will just go on as it is.

Boon Wan also said that the market should be stabilizing. This means that once the market stabilized, the people should expect that this is the normal state of affair, the high prices are normal though demand could be lowered if not because of this new doctrine that the govt has to build homes for the singles as well.

So that’s it. The govt saw it coming and this is what it is to be, acceptable, bearable, sustainable....and definitely affordable!

The people did not understand Natcon

This is about what Grace Foo was saying. The Natcon is to talk about the future, about how Sinkies want this paradise to be, with millionaires and a great cosmopolitan city with gracious living for all. Instead, the people have totally misunderstood the conversation and went complaining about bread and butter issues, about big population, about foreign talents, about job losses, high cost of living etc etc. These things are non issues and are not about the future we want.

Let’s talk about our dreams, about beautiful dreams we can built for our children in 20 years time. The problems of today, put them aside. These are unpleasant things and would only make everyone work up and feeling angry. No wonder the ministers are not listening to what the people were talking about and neither the people understood what the ministers were talking about.

Can we restart by redefining the agenda so that our aunties and uncles in the markets and hawker centres know what to say and to express their dreams of the kind of Singapore they want in 20 years time? I am very sure if this is explained to them they will come up with a decent blue print of the future Singapore, Made by Uncles and Aunties from the Hawker Centres and Void Decks. And Parliament can then debate over it and put it into action like the new Punggol Town of the future.

In the meantime please be patient as the uncles and aunties are not super talents and it may take them a little longer to gaze at their crystal balls on how to plan for a futuristic city. Many may not even have gone pass O level. So the task must be pretty daunting on them.

Natcon fizzling out or taken a new life

I was thinking of revisiting the issue of reinstating estate duty as it is now a major cause of high property prices with the rich, both local and foreign, finding this as a way of tax evasion. And with the rich amassing more and more properties, knowing that it is very safe, it will only add to the mounting pressure on sky high property prices. But it is also a sad reality that the rich would have vested interest not to change this situation at all. I thought one or two properties of unlimited value would be very generous to the dead.

So far this subject has not been brooded anywhere, and not in the Natcon. But where is the Natcon heading? Things are getting clearer now, that the Natcon is just a conversation. It is a dialogue of sort. You talk I talk. The people talk, the govt talks.

When grave issues of immigration and population were raised by the angry citizens, when high property prices elicited serious concerns by the average sinkies, they were just that. Just raised and nothing seems to be done to ameliorate the Sinkies’ worries.

The govt will continue to sing its song of praises for high population, more immigrants and high property prices. Things will just be the same. The people will talk, the govt will talk, but both not listening. Both talk and talk. This is about sums up what Natcon is all about. Happy Natconning, or happy talking.

The Children of Agent Orange

These pictures are not too pleasant and could be difficult to some viewers. They are the gifts from the Americans to Vietnam. 40 years after Agent Orange is a programme screened recently on CNA. It is a very painful story of what the Americans did to Vietnam during the Vietnam War. 1/5 of South Vietnam was sprayed with Dioxin or Agent Orange which it was harmlessly called. It was pushed around as a pesticide, to deforest the jungles of Vietnam, to destroy the natural shelters protecting the Vietcongs in their struggle against an occupying foreign military force. There was no concern about the long term effects of Dioxin on the flora and fauna of the country, to the people who are living there.

By the time the war was over, over 300,000 American soldiers and dependents were struck by Agent Orange, living in America. In Vietnam, over 500,000 births with defects were reported. Many more went unreported, either dead at birth, or went underground as the family will suffer a social stigma for having a member inflicted by the sickness. It means that the whole family is condemned as the Dioxin will stay in the genes, maybe mutated, and could appear in any of the offsprings for generations to come.

There were hardly any compensations for the Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange. The audacity of the US Supreme Court ruled that the pesticide was meant to destroy foliage, not humans, and humans so affected were not intended. They had not invented the words collateral damages yet. Monsanto, the company that produced the Agent Orange only paid compensations to the American victims. The Americans too suffered many birth defects from the Dioxin, by soldiers who served in the war, who either sprayed the Dioxin across the countryside, or friendly soldiers on the ground being sprayed.

The children of Agent Orange are still alive, kicking, and many will continue to be born that way, looking like anything except normal human beans.

Thank you America. You are so kind, so humane, so generous.

US meddling is causing surge in extremism

Updated: 2012-10-09 16:55

By Han Dongping ( chinadaily.com.cn)

Comments(3) Print Mail Large Medium  Small 1

President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, speaking at the United Nations General Assembly, recently condemned the recent demonstrations and protests against the US in the Middle East and elsewhere. It seems that both President Obama and Secretary

US meddling is causing surge in extremism

Clinton still don’t get it.
Yes, there are extremists in this world. But it takes more than extremists to hold such large scale demonstrations and protests against the US presence in the Middle East. US leaders are blinded by their own arrogance. And as result, they can’t see the connections between these demonstrations and its foreign policies toward third world countries and their involvement in other countries’ internal affairs.

During his speech at the UN General Assembly, Obama also defended freedom of speech to justify his government’s refusal to ban the internet movie The Innocence of the Muslim. Yes, freedom of speech is a fundamental right that the American Constitution endows in its citizens. But freedom of speech is not limitless. One needs to exercise one’s freedom of speech wisely and prudently.
To defend the American freedom of speech amid wide spread demonstrations and protests by the Muslim population in the world is sheer American arrogance.
President Obama, in his speech to the UN, also vowed to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
This is yet another example of American arrogance. The US was the first to develop nuclear weapons, and was the only country to use nuclear weapons against another country.
The US developed ten plans to attack the former Soviet Union between 1945 and 1949.
The US only gave up its plans after the USSR acquired its own nuclear bombs in 1949.
Before China developed its nuclear bombs in 1964, the US threatened to use nuclear weapons against China eight times. Many countries have found it necessary to develop nuclear weapons solely because if they do not have them, they would forever have to face threats by those countries that do have them. Today, there are close to twenty countries that officially and unofficially have nuclear weapons.
The US needs to explain to the world why some countries can have nuclear weapons, and why other countries cannot have them.
Why it is reasonable for the US and its allies to have them, while at the same time, it is unacceptable for other countries to have them? How can the US and the UN preach the ideals of fairness for all countries, while still advocating this exclusionary measure? Does the moral principle of fairness to all mean anything in the UN General Assembly?
The devastating destruction caused by the US Invasion of Iraq, by its fighting in Afghanistan and Pakistan, by the American involvement in Libya and Syria is the real reason behind the mass protests that are occurring around the world, and not the existence of extremists.
The people in the Muslim world have felt and seen the impact of US foreign policy and military action.
It can be argued that it is exactly US foreign policy and military action in the Muslim world that has generated the phenomenon of so called extremists. It is time for US leaders to pause and reflect.
Why do Muslims hold such strong anti-US sentiments? Who are these extremists?
And why do they feel so strongly about this issue that many are willing to sacrifice their lives for its cause? The US has military bases in more than 120 countries, and stations over four hundred thousand troops on foreign soil.
The US does this in the name of national security. Apparently, these military bases and large scale military spending have not made Americans any more secure. Since Sept 11, 2001, Americans have constantly been under the threat of terrorist attacks overseas and at home.
Libya’s Deputy Prime Minister was quoted as saying that he was surprised to see the scale of CIA operations in Libya when he saw the large number of Americans that had to be evacuated at the airport when Ambassador Stevens and his bodyguards were killed.
The huge amounts of money that the US has spent on its military in the past 60 years has not necessarily equated to a level of security you might otherwise expect from such a large military budget. On the contrary the biggest effect of such a large military budget has been its negative effects on the US domestic infrastructure and the well-being of its own people.
One former Chinese leader said before that every time the American government builds an overseas military base, it ties a knot around its own neck, and in the end, it would strangle itself.
It is really tragic that the US government cannot see this for themselves, and continue to involve itself with other countries’ internal affairs, and continues to build more military bases overseas.
These overseas military bases and CIA operations messing with other countries’ internal affairs are not only a big burden for the US government and the American people, but it also generates anti-American sentiment around the world as demonstrated by the recent demonstrations and protests.
The US should not forget that Iran has become one of the deadly enemies of the US exactly because of the CIA’s involvement in Iran’s internal affairs and its support for the Shah of Iran at the expense of its people.
It is time for the US to have a general discussion about why there has been such anti-US sentiment around the world. It is time for the American people to see that military muscle does not necessarily generate security for the US. But goodwill toward other people can.
The author is a Professor of Warren Wilson College in the US.

As if our children did not have enough pressure

Sinkie parents have gone through so many rounds of pressure cooking to ensure that their wards are as equally good as their neighbours. They are so distraught when their children could not get into good schools, cannot get into gifted programmes, did not get straight As, did not get A stars, did not qualify for IP programmes…etc etc. Life is really traumatic to Sinkie parents and their children.

In order to please all the parents and release some pressure they put on their children, it would be good if MOE could design a system where every student gets straight As. If not, the alternative is for every student to get straight Bs. Then there will be no more comparison on who is smarter or better.

Now why should people be disturbed by which kid is smarter than which kid? Aren’t kids all be gifted differently and are blessed differently? Now what is this Scroolball or Skoolbo, some organization coming here to test and find the smartest kid in Sinkieland. They are organizing an event called, ‘Smartest S’pore 2012 – The Search for S’pore’s Cleverest Children’.

My God, all the poor parents will be up on their toes to prepare their children for this event, to be the smartest kids in the island. They have no choice. And if their children are not, it is going to be hell for both parents and children once again. How can their children not be the cleverest? Why are other people’s children so smart?

To prevent the parents and children from another round of agony, I hope they will cancel this event. It is just so stressful!

Shane Hill, Skoolbo CEO has this to say,  “Singapore possesses some of the world’s brightest children and we are looking forward to seeing them show their skills. I think this is bad as the bright ones will put pressure on the not so bright ones, especially the parents.

NSmen – cheap talk or for real

Hsien Loong paid tribute to NSmen who have protected Singapore for the past 45 years during his trip to Australia. He also visited them in the field.

‘He said, “For them to spend 20-odd days overseas (ICT) continuously like this for the country, I think we owe them something.”’

NSmen should find comfort in the words of the PM for acknowledging their contribution and sacrifice to the country. So, what is this something that the country owes them? The NSmen are training and being prepared to defend this country, to fight and die for it. How many NSmen are left without a home, cannot even buy a HDB flat for all kinds of crappy reasons? And they are supposed to fight and die for this country, defending it, when foreigners are flocking here, turned PRs or citizens the next day and eligible to buy HDB flats that these NSmen are supposed to fight and die for. And the silly NSmen did not even have a roof over their heads.

As long as NSmen are deprived of the right to buy a HDB flat, it is all cheap talk for nothing. The very basic and fundamental needs of a citizen is a roof over his head. And that is the least the country owes him for believing in the duty and obligation to be an NSmen, to fight and die for this country. Without a stake in the country, they might as well emigrate somewhere. What is there to fight and defend for?

‘I think we owe them something.’ Put the money where the mouth is. Get the basics right. Make sure that the citizens, the NSmen, are not disadvantaged and treated worst than PRs and new citizens who have no need to serve NS or as reservists, and to answer the call of the country. Is this too difficult to understand?

What internet standard are we talking about?

Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, said on 8 Oct in Geneva at a conference that developing codes of practice for the internet is good. He added that industry self-regulation is needed to ensure a high level of credibility and quality in the net.

I think the Minister needs to be more specific when he talks about the internet. Some forum in the net are very similar to a news media and may replace the role of the print media in times to come. But many sectors of the net are actually gossips, personal diaries, or simply kopitiam talks among bloggers. What kind of standard is the Minister talking of, or is there a need for a standard when many are personal and private conversations? Obviously the Yaacob is not expecting facebook or blogs to have the equivalent of the standard of professional media. They don’t have to and need not be. People in kopitiams say whatever they want according to their personal standards.

Can the Minister specify which group or groups in the net that he is referring to that needs to raise their standard and credibility? As far as bloggers are concerned, as long as they don’t get into areas of scandals or inciting troubles among the people, they can say as much nonsense or fiction as they want in the most atrocious or crazy English or Singlish or rojak language as they like. And these will be of no concern to the Minister or his ministry.

You only need standard and credibility when it is a business concern or some institution of recognition. Then again, the internet is in a virtual world, transcending international boundaries. It is a grey area that is beyond any govt. Who is the rightful authority to impose standards and code of conduct on netizens?

What do you think, Minister?

I am no God

Come on lah, don’t ever expect me or anyone to be God. We are just human beans with all the flaws and human weaknesses, and biases. The only difference is that some people are more sensible, sensitive and make an attempt to be decent and not to be offensive. Then there are some that are by nature less amenable and have the urge to be offensive and destructive to others, to society and to themselves. And why blame people when God is also a racist?

The Amy Cheong case has brought out the ugly, the bad and the good in us. Many unconsciously exposed their true self, or at least their intent, and capitalized on this event to advance their causes. Where is the sensibility of adults to jump on it and make a mountain out of a mole hill?

So far the most sensible article posted is in Today, titled ‘The problem of a racialised mind’, by Mohamed Imran Mohamed Taib. Basically he is looking at it from the human point of view and telling everyone to cut out the pretense and face the issue of racism in real life. Everyone has a racist inclination to a matter of degree as there is always the ‘I’ in every one of us. It is how we handle this little dark part of ourselves and how we adapt to the real world and living with people of diverse composition and complexities. All the righteous asses, please hold your farts and stop thinking that you are Gods or angels. Behind that façade of sainthood, I don’t think you are any different or better than Amy Cheong. Only that you are not exposed and have been careful.

Many were agreeable to the actions taken to dismiss Amy Cheong. Such public comments against anyone on race or religion is unacceptable in a multi racial and ethnic society here or anywhere. Everyone has to be restrained and more circumscribed in the mouthing of their opinions and views of others as some assholes will take the opportunity to raise the temperature and create more anger and animosity among the people.

Let me quote Mohamed Imran in his article, ‘While laws such as the Sedition Act and the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act are in place to deal with serious cases of intentional and malicious attempts to sow discord, the judicious use of such legal instruments is necessary to allow the growth of a mature public capable of defeating bad ideas with good ideas – and the ability to tell the difference between the two.’

There is a need to look at each case and deal with it accordingly. Let not the evil doers in the clothes of angels misled the people into a witch hunt and stir up more discord among the people. There is more danger in such ‘righteous’ assholes than in Amy Cheong as an individual that crossed the line. The authority must also exercise its commonsense and deal firmly with people who think making police report is like calling the ambulance for the slightest reason. Otherwise the police would be sent to run around for all the wrong reasons and be at the beck and call of ‘righteous’ people with bad intent.

SMRT making the right move

SMRT has made the right move in appointing Stephen Forshaw, an Australian PR, as its spokesman. As a little rojak country that is still struggling to find its identity and to break free from it colonial heritage, the island finds it very comfortable to have a face that looks like its past colonial master for a sense of security. And the people love it. What ever comes from the west has always been seen as good and of great value. God came from the west as well. Western media is held in high regards for objectivity and unbiased reporting, and of great intelligence.

The recent bad publicity following a series of mishaps by the SMRT makes it a must, a necessity to have a spokesman that can speak with some authority over the natives. Stephen Forshaw is the ideal candidate for such a job. He is good looking, like a movie star, has a natural command of the language that the natives understand. He should be able to talk his way out to restore the blemished image of the SMRT in quick time. When he speaks, the native will listen better than any other locals. He is worth every cent paid to him. The job is cut out for him.

Who shall decide how many people in the island?

The govt has decided that 6m is what our population should be. Does the govt think it should consult or ask the people if this is what the people want? We have a Natcon going on, should this issue be in the con for the people to tell the govt what they really want?

When the people elected a govt, does it mean that it also gives up its right to decide on the issue of the size of the population? At the moment the govt of the day thinks or behaves as if it is the sole arbiter on how many people should be in the island. Is the govt thinking that that is its right, or behaving in an arrogant manner, ignoring the wishes of the people, not listening, does not want to listen, no need to listen?

If this is the case, that the govt so assumes the power to decide on the population, and if the people disagree, what can the people do, or not do anything and allow the population to go on increasing against their interests?

The arrogance of Japanese militarism

What is happening at the Diaoyu/Senkaku Island dispute is a glaring example of the arrogance of Japanese militarism and how atrocious they could be when they are in a position of military superiority. After seizing several islands from China with Unequal Treaties signed after defeating China in a war, including Diaoyu and Taiwan, the cocky Japanese are today chanting the position that Diaoyu was theirs historically. They totally ignore the ownership of the island by China many centuries back. And they are doing it today when China is the second superpower that has the ability to flatten Tokyo and all the major cities in Japan.

This kind of arrogance is a reminder of how wild and abusive the Japanese was in the 19th and 20th centuries when it was the dominant East Asian power and China the Beggar of the Asia, poor and weak. In those days, the Japanese created many incidents, like what the Americans are doing around the world today, to provoke a fight and to bash a poorly armed Chinese military. And this would be followed by a long list of outrageous demands and compensation, best remembered by the 21 Demands of the days of Unequal Treaties.

Today the Japanese under the right wing militant Nationalist Shintaro Ishihara, after provoking the recent rioting against Japan, are again trying his Act II. This time he is advocating building infrastructure on the Diaoyu Island.

China must learn its lesson on how to deal with the Japanese. Only military might could make the deceitful and militant Japanese come to the negotiating table to return the islands taken from China in the past. China must make its stand very clear, that any further provocation or attempts by any Japanese to land on the islands or to build any infrastructure will be an act of war. There is no point fearing the Americans as that is what they intend to do and are behind every move the Japanese are making. It would be a war of mutual destruction and if the Americans and the Japanese so desire, let it be. China cannot act on a position of weakness and fear of war. China must take the bull by the horn and play this chicken game and not to blink.

The time has come when the Americans and the Japanese bullying of China must come to an end, if in a wasteful war. The Japanese must know that there will be no major Japanese city standing. Likewise there will be no American and Chinese city standing. Fearing this scenario will provide more reasons for more American and Japanese provocations and infringement of Chinese territories and interests.

While the Chinese are standing up to the bullying, they might as well include their claims on the Liu Chiu or Ryukyu Islands. Since there is gonna be a fight, make it more worthy and recover every island taken from China historically.

Is a massive market crash imminent?

‘In the financial world, the month of October is synonymous with stock market crashes. So will a massive stock market crash happen this year? You never know. The truth is that our financial system is even more vulnerable than it was back in 2008, and financial experts such as Doug Short, Peter Schiff, Robert Wiedemer and Harry Dent are all warning that the next crash is rapidly approaching. We are living in the greatest debt bubble in the history of the world and Wall Street has been transformed into a giant casino that is based on a massive web of debt, risk and leverage. When that web breaks we are going to see a stock market crash that is going to make 2008 look like a Sunday picnic.

Yes, the Federal Reserve has tried to prevent any problems from erupting in the financial markets by initiating another round of quantitative easing, but 40 billion dollars a month will not be nearly enough to stop the massive collapse that is coming. This will be explained in detail toward the end of the article. Hopefully we will get through October (and the rest of this year) without seeing a stock market collapse, but without a doubt one is coming at some point. Those on the wrong end of the coming crash are going to be absolutely wiped out....’

The above is posted in yolohub.com. Many financial experts are telling of the great danger of the stock market and financial system heading towards a big crash. And all because all the regulators and govts could not do anything to restrain the banks and funds from gambling and turning the whole financial system into a big casino.

Everyone with some knowledge knows how bad the situation is. What should they do about it? Some say, since nothing can be done, just join the fun and wait for the crash. Why is it that no govt is willing to say this is not the way to go, and decides to stay out. Keep clear from the danger and things they don’t understand.

Is there really no option, that govts can only watch and wait for the big collapse and nothing can be done? The least a govt can do is to stop getting dragged into the trap. Don’t participate. The worst thing is to go along, put in the chips as well and engaged the rogue gamblers to design the same system to be part of the dangerous system.

Then say, no choice, must follow the crowd and the rogue gamblers and let them do what they want. Such defeatist attitude is unimaginable. Holy cow, what is happening?

Do we need a lynching party?

Many police reports were made by the public against people, some times kids, making racist or anti religious remarks in the internet or facebook. Though all racist and anti religious remarks are not acceptable and cannot be condoned, is there really a need to make a police report? In many instances the comments were made in the heat of the moment or at a thoughtless moment by someone who could not understand the seriousness of the remarks or the consequences that could follow. Many would not have done so if they knew what they were doing. Not many, not even one in all the reported cases, was there a recalcitrant who had the intent to stir racial or religious hatred.

It is right to put such people into their proper place and telling them what they did was wrong. And if they need to be punished, let it be. Making police reports often is only aggravating a bad situation that is unnecessary. The last thing is to treat making police reports callously, like people making calls for ambulance service for the slightest reason. Making police reports is not like going for a pee. It must be a serious matter that needs the police attention.

The police must not be exploited by anyone for personal attention or to serve their personal agenda, or to use the police to whack another person. People who think they can misuse or abuse the police, to set the agenda and make the police to run around like bull arse flies, need to think again. First, the police have many serious matters to deal with. Two, the police would not react every time a public make a police report.

For those who are passionate and feel that people making racist remarks in the internet must be hanged, I would suggest that they form a lynching party if that is what they think should be done to appease their anger. I think there are many such righteous and upright fighters for justice, for fair play, for teaching the bad boys or girls a lesson they would not forget. And they want them to be whacked badly.

No one is going to stop them from forming their own lynching party. But don’t expect the police to do the lynching for them. The police would unlikely have the resources to answer to every report made and to conduct an investigation.

But after reading today’s ST, in the front page, the police has already launched an investigation into the Amy Cheong police report. So I take back whatever I said about police not having the resources and people should not suka suka make police reports. Our efficient police will investigate into their reports if this case is an example of the standard of our police force.

By the way, the outbursts by some netizens and bloggers could be a manifestation of the problems of overcrowding and strains in our compact living environment. Feel the pulse of the people and understand the real cause of the problem instead of attacking individuals. The symptoms of a people under stress are all there but the people that matter are blind to them and stubbornly persisting with their agenda of increasing the population to even bigger numbers.

The age of Scams

Why are consumers being scammed by the insurers and no authority bothers to do anything about it? Why are the workshops continuing to scam the insurers who in turn pass the buck to the car owners? Really, that there is no way to curb the scam, like loan shark harassments?

Scamming and cheating the consumers seem to be fair game as there are profits to be made, depending on which side one is on. Even in the internet, spamming, Nigerian scams and spreading viruses are allowed with eyes wide opened, encouraged, as it means big businesses to the software developers.

There is no moral or ethics to talk about when making money is concerned. As long as there is money to be made, the scams will continue, the spammings and the development and spreading of viruses will be part and parcel of internet biz. Only the poor consumers ended as suckers, paying for the irritations, harrassments and the damages.

This is the real world. How many of the less enlightened, computer illiterate, and the poor, have to end up forking up money to clean up the virus infecting their computers? How many people would fall victims to Nigerian scams? How many people will have to live with the spamming and abuses or invasion of privacy to their internet accounts because no one deems it necessary to stop the nonsense?

This is exactly like the American weapons industry. The industry thrives on warfare and they will get the American govts to continue to incite and start wars to feed the industry. The poor buggers will be the American boys and girls coming home in black plastic bags or live a life as invalids on wheelchairs, and the collateral damages, the innocent victims of the targeted countries and the ruins of their countries and lives of their citizens.

Scams are good for biz.

What we need to feed the bananas?

The issue of ethnic and religious practices is getting more annoying to some Sinkies. The huge population and crammed up environment, living so closely with each other, undoubtedly, have added pressure to mutual tolerance. When there were lesser of us, when there were more living space, when such practices were relatively less frequent as the number of people were smaller, things were much manageable.

Now the crazy thought of 6m, without thinking how the sardine packed environment is going to turn every average tolerant Sinkies into a monster in an instant is not funny. People who lived in 30,000 sq ft houses, who are being chauffeured around in comfort, can NEVER understand what it is like to be cooked in such a pressurised environment and would merrily go around spouting nonsense that 6m or 10m is no issue. We have the technology to build more houses and be creative in space management. To me they are just asses that only use their own comfortable lifestyle as a reference point. The masses can be squeezed and moulded to any shape and size for all matters. It does not affect them.

What has bananas got to do with multi racial religious and cultural activities? Bananas’ lifestyle is highly dependent on the media hype. The media says go and jump into the Singapore River in your evening dress at 12 midnight and they will do it. Go and scream at Block 108 at 3am in the morning, they will go and think it is fun. Go to the next field or park and bang the dustbins for an hour to create a record in the Guinness Book, they will do it. It is hip, fun, cool and spectacular.

Ethnic celebrations and ceremonies? Yak, so uncool, so backward, so noisy, dirty, smelly. Bananas cannot appreciate their own cultures or anything Asian except something that I don’t think much about, a bastardised culture called Peranakan. This is the only hip thing that they adored and craved about.

But there is hope. All the govt needs to do is to invite a few westerners to say a few good things about our ethnic diversities, cultural practices and ceremonies. Film the angmohs having a good time at a void deck wedding, at a seventh moon ghost festival, at a Thaipusam procession, and let them comment how excited and exciting these events were. I bet the bananas would turn up in droves, with the reporters, to report on these events as something new and fantastic that they never know were so interesting, something so cool and they want to be a part of them. A little PR using the media, and using the westerners, and the western lenses will do the trick.

Then all our ancient and antiquated cultural and religious practices would be in vogue, cool. Otherwise they will be viewed as disgusting, tasteless, offensive and waste of time and money.

The govt, Tourism Board, Media Corp, can do their part. And yes, you need to spend money using angmoh PR firms and angmoh models if you want it to be successful, to change the taste of bananas. Don’t use MPs or ministers.

Big banks can gamble away your money

There were so many excruciatingly painful stories of gamblers gambling away everything and ended in deep trouble, and dragging their families along with them. And both the govt and NGOs are struggling to come up with more rules and regulations to keep the gamblers from trouble. The most notable thing is the self exclusion order, or family members can choose to exclude them with the same order. These are individuals that could do just so much harm to themselves and their loved ones.

What would happen if banks, financial and investment banks were to gamble with high stakes, with the depositor/investor/shareholders’ money? Any mess up means hundreds of thousands of people will be in deep shit. This is exactly the same problem with the ‘too big to fail’ banks in the last financial crisis. The govts had no choice but to rescue them using taxpayers’ money. And hopefully these rascal bankers would have learnt and stay away from high gambling using other people’s money. No, they are back at it, everyone of them.

I am really surprised to read in the BT today what Hsien Loong said about these big time gamblers while in New Zealand. Below are some of his comments:

‘The difficulty is that financial markets have variegated into all kinds of sophisticated activities, products, derivatives, investment activities, trading – and the banks are also in these….But the reality is that the gambling part is intrinsic to the financial system….Noting that central bankers and regulators are under a lot of pressure to split the deposit taking role of banks from the reckless and even morally doubtful part that many argue amounts to gambling with money….These were investment banks, risking their shareholders’ money. But they were all doing similar things, they were all getting sick at the same time and the govt had no choice but to go into it.’

What can I say? And these bankers knowing that the govt cannot do anything about their gambling activities, will go on crazily gambling away with OPM and demanding huge outrageous pay for doing that. And should they lose, they know that the govt will have to bail them out.

What kind of shit are these animals made of? Licensed to gamble and to break banks and destroy the savings of everyone coming into contact with them, having trusted them and putting their money with them? And better still, govts simply dunno what to do with them and cannot control their wild gambling streaks disguised as sophisticated investments!

My goodness, what is happening? No wonder all the banks and SWFs are happily gambling away.

The Tramp’s Corner

With million dollar public flats everywhere, Singapore is a country that literary has no slums. The closest that one can get to resemble a slum is the little corner in Potong Pasir, a void deck with an aged and worn out desk and with a couple of make shift dividers to keep the weather away. This little corner in Block 108 was the make shift office of the elected representative of the people where Chiam See Tong used to meet his residents to assist in their problems.

Comparing to the surrounding, it was quite pathetic really. It was not much better than the desk of Chief Minister David Marshall under the staircase in City Hall in 1959. The colonial govt was too poor to provide the Chief Minister a proper office. It is difficult to understand why the richest country in the world, willing to spend billions on make belief gardens, but could not afford to provide its elected members of Parliament with a proper office space to serve the people. It is puzzling to think that a junior civil servant is found necessary or appropriate to ride around in a top end model bicycle that cost $2000 when a $200 would suffice. And the junior civil servants would also have a decently equipped office with very decent chairs to sit on in an air conditioned environment.

Why are our members of Parliament treated so shabbily? Are they not serving the people, not working for the people? Are they not the law makers of the nation? Are they not the leaders of the country, the elected representatives of the people?

For justice and equality, may I suggest that all members of Parliament be given a proper office with desk and chair in a void deck to conduct their meet the people’s session there? I think any security guard would have a more decent office to work in. Maybe the country cannot afford to pay for such an office. It must have something to do with being financially prudent, not to squander public funds too freely.

How many slums corners are there in the island of millionaires and million dollar flats? Can the govt show some decency and respect to the office of the Members of Parliament? Thank God this little tramp corner is gone and not need to be an eye sore anymore. Are there anymore eye sores in Hougang and Aljunid?

Malaysian hospitality

I literally enjoyed a day of Malaysian hospitality yesterday. That’s the reason why I did not post anything. Woke up at 5.30am to have golf at Horizon Hills. The new maze of flyovers and viaducts still posed a serious problem to unwary drivers. My partner driver has driven in many many times and still can get lost quite easily.

I was aiming for Jalan Tun Razak, that means trying to get back to town instead of heading to KL. We missed a lane and the next familiar turn was Permas Jaya. We took it and fortunately I am quite familiar with that area, made a U turn towards the coastal road along Bukit Serene and was on our way to the Club.

Fine day for golf with bright sunny sun. On the 6^th hole after making a decent drive I was tripped by the tee box marker. Some jokers thought it was a great idea to carve the alphabet H to be unique, HH equal Horizon Hills. Nice. But it was too big and high, and being blue did not stand out from the green grass.

I stumbled, couldn’t control myself and smashed my face against the hard buggy track. There was a 5cm deep cut on my forehead and that was the end of my game. I ended at a nearby hospital, brand new, medium size and with the name of Columbia Hospital. Nice thought, sounding very American in bumi country. Indeed it was an American chain of hospitals.

What surprised me was the staff. All Malaysians, no pinoys, PRCs, Indians or Myanmese. There was a Dr Soh, a senior nurse Ms Lim, a staff nurse by name of Jawady or something like that, another Indian staff nurse and many local female Malays nurses. The uniform was smart and probably by a good designer. And they were first class in their attentiveness, politeness and very professional. And they work very well as a team, very friendly among themselves and to the patients.

There were quite a number of patients but they don’t seem to be queuing for several hours like here. And the number of hospital staff, especially the nurses, was clearly sufficient to do an efficient task.

The hospital is entering its third year and the equipment was brand new and modern. I was taken into the surgery theatre, spanking clean and modern. And that was after all the checks and X-ray, and everything was over in about 3 hours with 14 stitches to close my wounds.

With this kind of service, the club is paying for the bills and I never ask, they will pose a serious alternative to the atrociously expensive hospitals we have here. The service quality is as good and you can feel that they are looking after you with tender care.

The other big surprise, far away from the politicians, is that the people work harmoniously despite all the hype about racism in the country. Get rid of politics and the politicians, the people will not be spending time bickering against each other on stupid political issues. There was not the slightest tension arising from race related staff.

The politicians should stay far far away from the economy and industries and let the people run their own businesses and live their own lives in peace, harmony and prosperity. The only thing they need to do is to make the infrastructure efficient and easy for the people, and make sure the place is crime free.

The Sinkies will have a good alternative in JB and not be robbed in our hospitals.

It is criminal to force our young into huge debt

Do not force our young into acquiring huge debt in the purchase of properties. This is a very wicked thing to do when seemingly responsible people are blowing the trumpet of prudence and not spending beyond one’s means.

Young people, fresh from schools, should be encouraged to save rather than to force them into buying big ticket items that run into several hundred thousands or millions of dollars and hang a big mortgage mill on their necks. They should be saving their first few years of income to act as security, to cushion from upheavals and upsets in the early stage of their lives.

The govt should make it a priority to provide young people the opportunity to buy their first flat, to start life, in a thrifty manner. The outrageous income ceilings on first time buyers of public housing is daylight robbery, forbidding the young people from a little savings and forcing them to spend all their income/savings in their first home.

Only very wicked people would conceive of such a policy and peddle it as good. As it is, public housing is no longer cheap and the ceiling is obnoxiously low and unjustified.

Standardization of pre schools

Standardising pre schools or setting standards for pre schools. Are they joking? Pre schools are play schools, not the proper schools for older children. Are they going to set standards as to how many words a child must acquired in pre schools, how many numbers, how many this and that?

As far as educators are concerned, there are wide and varied views as to what pre schools should be, what is good or bad for the little children. There is still no agreement as to what is best or what should not be done. The thought of setting stands for pre schools could end up with the same problems as proper schools, academic achievements, banding and branding.

Perhaps they are not talking about such standards but the standards of the infrastructure and the teachers. What would probably be important are the quality and professional training of the pre schools teachers and their compensation. Raising the standards of the pre school teachers is important as better trained professionals would be better placed to look after the little tots relative to untrained caregivers that are not more than caretakers with little value add other than feeding and looking after their physical needs and safety.

Good and well trained professionals must be recognized and rewarded accordingly for their level of training and expertise. They have invested time and effort to be more knowledgeable and professional in their very specialized field of childcare that requires them to know and understand a whole new skills set and information.

With quality and trained professionals as the standard, the pre schools should be allowed the freedom to design their own programmes for the toddlers. Some may emphasize play, creativity, relationship, social skills, confidence, cognitive skills, motor skills, etc. Different schools should be allowed to market their own programmes that may be very different from another school. The last thing that pre schools should become is straight jacket curriculum and ended up as factories with a standard mould and producing one type of toys that will respond similarly when the right button is pressed. Variety and free wheeling activities are the keys at this tender age and regimentation or standardization should be frown upon.

In praise of great Sinkie schemes

The last few days have seen many young Sinkies crying out loud and screaming for blood. They are unhappy about the rising property prices. On the other hand, 800,000 Sinkies with HDB flats and many more with private properties are quietly congratulating themselves of their new found fortunes. And many are secretly praising the great schemes that the govt have devised to make them all so rich.

What the young Sinkies did not know or could not understand is that this great scheme of paying forward will also reward them when their time comes. Their parents bought flats at $20k/$30k and are now worth $400k or more. Some bought at $200k and are worth $800k or so. So what is the problem for them to pay a million now when they could see their flats worth several millions later? Just close the eyes and pay, and good things will happen. Don’t worry. No need to worry. We have the brightest and most talented with the best interest and intent to serve the people managing the schemes. It is all for the good of the people. Be thankful and grateful

This is a housing scheme, savings scheme and retirement scheme all rolled into one. All Sinkies that faithfully follow this scheme will be handsomely rewarded. The current oldies will retire as millionaires. The young today will retire as multi millionaires or billionaires in times to come. It is a sure win scheme.

Look at the good stuff, the bright future ahead and stop complaining. The schemes are very well thought out and planned by the best talents money can buy. Trust me.

Malaysia’s third grade thinking ticking again

I call it envy thinking or missing the woods for the trees. Malaysia is unhappy that their companies are paying Malaysian employees less than Sinkie employees. They want to pay their employees as much as the workers in Sinkieland are being paid.

The first question, are the Malaysian workers really underpaid? I don’t think so. A Malaysian employee earning RM3000 or RM5000 will probably be much well off than his Sinkie counterpart earning $3000 or $5000. His cost of living is so much cheaper relatively and he could own a much bigger home, maybe even landed properties than the Micky Mouse flats which Sinkies called home and so bloody proud of it. But you can’t blame them when they have been so conditioned to think less is best.

And every Malaysian could easily own a car to travel around the vast country and paying cheaper petrol for it. Everything costs lesser in Malaysia when it used to be the other way. What is this talk about Malaysian workers being underpaid? Maybe the companies could pay them much more if they take into consideration the cheaper cost of business and rentals, not forgetting their top management are not robbing the companies to pay themselves crazy. They can afford to and still be more competitive than their Sinkie counterparts. That is the reason why many Sinkie companies are moving over, and more will do so.

Does Malaysia seriously think that it should go the Sinkie way, to price itself out of competition in the international market? China’s manufacturing factories are being pressurized by the Americans to pay more and to price themselves out. Is this what Malaysia wants? The Sinkie model is designed for self destruct in the next 10 or 20 years, or earlier should a major world crisis hit. Life will go on as per normal in Malaysia should it happen. Sinkies will be jumping off from their million dollar Mickey Mouse flats when they cannot service the huge mortgages and debt that they have acquired. The truth is that the average Sinkies are all heavily in debt and this will only get worst.

The issue of Malaysiansskilled personnel working in Sin is a totally different problem. The proximity of Sin and the comparatively higher salary, and the ability to return and spend the money in Malaysia is a strategic factor Malaysia would have to cope with. But this is not the only reason for the brain drain. The Malaysian govt should know better why. Given a decent govt policy to value their own talents on their own merits, many Malaysians would be the first to run back to Malaysia today. Their salary though comparatively lower than Sin does not mean that their standard of living will be lower as the cost of living is so much lower. Simply put, it is bad govt policies that created this problem.

Malaysia should be thankful that its economic system has not been taken down the Sinkie way, a system that is unsustainable and is likely to cause much grief in a crisis. The Malaysian system will grow slowly and steadily. They need not work themselves to death. They can afford to stop in their path to smell the roses and take a nap under the coconut trees.

Sinkies will die or be in deep shit if they stop working before they die at the ripe old age of 80 or 90. Malaysia should stop this rubbish envy thinking and look at how blessed it is and can only get better with good and positive govt economic and political policies. Malaysia can only get better. Sin can only get worst. And Malaysian workers are not paid worst relative to their cost of living.

When or if the Malaysian govt embarks on a path of enlightened economic policies, and discards the unproductive and counter productive political policies, it will seriously undermine the economic development of Sin. Many of the highly trained and experienced Malaysians would rush back to lift up the quality of life in Malaysia in all fields. Malaysia could be a shining first world country when the talents returned. The past policies were doing just the reverse, leveling down in all aspects of economic, technology and social endeavours.

A lesson from Genneva

Genneva, a gold trading company that offered its customers 24% returns on their investments has its business suspended. It was definitely too good to be true. Its office has been raided and is now under investigation by CAD. It was under the watchlist of MAS all the while.

When the company was set up, it tells a story of good returns and everything good. The returns were absolutely good, very good, outstanding. No one borders to ask what can go wrong to make the promises turn sour. The company would be the last one to want to tell what can go wrong.

Sinkies are now living it up, in high heavens. Everything is so rosy, so good, so very good. The housing price is just on one track, up. The savings in the CPF with 4% interest rates for the oldies must be excellent. Jobs aplenty and more foreigners and more citizens are needed. Nothing can go wrong. Really?

Murphy’s Law says that what can go wrong will go wrong. Same thing happened to Genneva. Same thing happened to toxic notes and Lehman Bonds. Same thing happened to all the too big to fail banks in the US and Europe.

Anyone believes that nothing can go wrong? Anyone believes that the housing price will be happily stay up there? Anyone believes that the high population is only good? How many believe that their CPF savings will not be worthless at the end of the day?

And how many believe what the ministers said, that the young today will have a lot of money when they retire? Anyone out there willing to say what can go wrong, what can go awfully wrong?

How dangerous can internet be?

A Caroline wrote in her Facebook ‘…I will always make sure that they know our govt is to b blamed for what is happening to us n to Sg: )’

A MJ Rina Huang replied, ‘Dear Ms Caroline, if you are married and have kids, please pray that they don’t hear you, or that no one tells them that their mummy is to be blamed for what’s going to happen to them: )’

The Caroline posted the above and received a threat from another blogger in their Facebook posts. Though both signed off with a : ) sign, the latter can still be interpreted as a threat. One cannot be blamed to think that some harm or something bad could happen to the children.

Caroline went to make a police report and it was reported in TRE that Rina Huang had since removed the offending post from her Facebook. The ball is now in the police’s court. Is there a criminal intimidation threat made by Rina Huang against the children of Caroline? If there is, what are the police going to do about it?

The internet is no place for intimidation or causing mischief. Everyone should have freedom of expression, differences in views and opinions. But no one should be allowed to go around abusing one another, threatening another or irritating others. There must be some form of discipline, decency and not to do to others what one does not want others do unto them.

I would suggest the police set up a unit to make tracing of the mischief makers easier when an official report is made. There is no room for gangsterism or thuggish behavior in the net. Some may think that these are reasonable and part and parcel of freedom of expression, I must say I disagree. The right to speak freely does not give one the right to abuse another person or to threaten another person. With the police providing such a facility, you don’t need any more code of conduct to keep some peace and decency in the net. The wrong doers and mischief makers will know that even hiding under anonymity will not let them get away scot free. This facility is always there, don’t think it is something new. It is only how accessible it is to the public or to people who are being offended.

It is okay to post using a nick or even anonymous, and to exercise freedom of expression. It is another thing to use it to attack people personally or to cause mischief, and worst, threatens others. Why should anyone think that it is alright to verbally attack another person in the net or to abuse another person?

A very dangerous proposition

The New York Times

September 19, 2012

http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/19/the-inconvenient-truth-behind-the-diaoyusenkaku-islands/

I’ve had a longstanding interest in the Diaoyu/Senkaku islands, the subject of a dangerous territorial dispute between Japan and China. The United States claims to be neutral but in effect is siding with Japan, and we could be drawn in if a war ever arose. Let me clear that I deplore the violence in the recent anti-Japan protests in China: the violence is reprehensible and makes China look like an irrational bully. China’s government should reign in this volatile nationalism rather than feed it. This is a dispute that both sides should refer to the International Court of Justice, rather than allow to boil over in the streets. That said, when I look at the underlying question of who has the best claim, I’m sympathetic to China’s position. I don’t think it is 100 percent clear, partly because China seemed to acquiesce to Japanese sovereignty between 1945 and 1970, but on balance I find the evidence for Chinese sovereignty quite compelling. The most interesting evidence is emerging from old Japanese government documents and suggests that Japan in effect stole the islands from China in 1895 as booty of war. This article by Han-Yi Shaw, a scholar from Taiwan, explores those documents. I invite any Japanese scholars to make the contrary legal case. – Nicholas Kristof

The above article appeared in the New York Times and argued convincingly in favour of Chinese ownership of the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands. The hard evidence was clear, and Nicholas Kristof was chastising the Chinese for protesting in the streets instead of taking the case to the International Court of Justice. On face value it is a very good and logical suggestion. In reality, it would be the most foolish thing for China to do so. The islands belong to China and were taken away as war booty by the Japanese who now insisted that the islands belonged to them. Why would China want to go to court with the robbers when the outcome could turn the other way? Why would China want to risk its territory in a court that China is not even convinced of its objectivity and neutrality? What happens if it turns out to be a kangaroo court? How high is the possibility of the judges being bribed and bought over by the Japanese? The Japanese would be very willing to offer the judges a sum that they could not refuse. Not possible?

The worst case would be for the court to try to appease both parties, like the Pedra Branca case, and apportion the islands equally to both parties. And China would lose, legally, half of its territories to the robbers and never think of getting it back anymore.

The fact today is that the robbers, Japan, are lying through their teeth and refused to acknowledge the truth, and are likely to do anything to keep the loot. The only way for China to take back its property is to do it the same way as the robbers, in a war, unless Japan is willing to return it voluntarily before it happens.

China must never bring the case to the ICJ. It could be a trap. It should do it the same way as the Koreans. It is their island and there is no dispute and no necessity to go to court. Chinese territories are not negotiable. They are setting China up for the kill.

PS. Never trust the Americans.

They are paid what they are worth

This is Matilah’s truism. I always discount what he said by 50% as most of the time he just shoot from his hip. In this case he added a qualifier, ie, a free market mechanism. Of course there is no real free market mechanism to talk about, especially when pay is concerned. For this, I will deduct another 20% from his truth.

The corruption in both public and private practices as far as compensation for the top dogs is concerned is as innocent as the devil wearing a halo over its head. How could anyone justify paying a joker hundreds of millions a year or tens of millions a year? Superman or Wonder Woman? Yesterday’s ST reported about the scions of billionaires paying themselves millions simply because of their genealogy. But the recipients would tell you they really deserved every cent paid to them.

How deserving a person is should not be determined by the incumbents or those with vested interest in the well being of the incumbents. We have seen and heard a lot of hogwash regarding the super salaries the employees are getting and claimed to be worth every cent of it. Would any of the recipients or those related to the recipients say otherwise? Or would anyone of them be honest enough to stand up, with a straight face, or embarrassingly and meekly say, actually I don’t deserve the money as I am doing sweet nothing?

Closer to home, the hot topic of the ministerial salary is always on the mind of most Sinkies. The ministers will vouch and swear that they deserved every cent they are paid. Some will even claim that they are underpaid. I am not going to discount any of their claims. I do not know how hard they work for their money or what is their true market value.

What is important is the paymaster. Does the paymaster think that the ministers are being paid fairly? You will know the answer in 2016.

The real stuff in the real world is that many are paid outrageous salary because they are family. And many are equally paid dubious salary because of political reasons, using public funds. How many of you really believe in this Matilah truism?

Return of Warlordism

The high profile news of the rich and powerful in China flaunting their wealth and abusing their power hinted towards a return to the days of Warlordism. After 300 years of shame and near bankruptcy, 亡国时代，the new China has just stood up on its two feet to stand shoulder to shoulder as a respectable nation, there are ominous signs that China is sliding back to it corrupt and decadent days. The days of lawlessness, 无法无天, when the rich and powerful are starting to abuse their positions, and the excesses of their children in total disregard to law and order and propriety, misbehaving in the wildest kind, 花花公子，are putting China and its society in a very bad light.

The rapid fall into ill repute, abuses, corruption, no respect for law and order, and bullying the ordinary citizens are a shameful display of not only a country, but a people and its values and culture. The philosophies of the great sages of Mencius, Confucius, Lao Tzu etc, did not seem to teach the Chinese any good. It is becoming another wild country if things are not put in order. Or, if it is not the fault of the great philosophers, it must be the poor upbringings of the rich and powerful. They did not know that their misconduct is not only bringing shame and embarrassment to the country and people, it could lead back to a period of decadence and the destruction of the nation.

It took 60 years of hard and arduous work for the country to climb back to respectability, but in such a short span of time, the ugliness of the Chinese and its culture are already rearing its head. Would China be able to transform itself into a powerful and gracious nation, or would the decadent past catches up and return China to become the Sick Man of Asia once again? The signs are very unhealthy. The top officials who are not able to educate their children to be decent and respectable people are failures and should not be in public office. They are the role models to set a good example for the 1.3b people to emulate. Hopefully the disgraceful acts and conducts of the few are only exceptions and can be corrected and eradicated from becoming the new cancers of the new China.

Housing, half hearted or half baked measures won’t work

Frankly, I am not too sure whether the measures to cool down property prices were half hearted or half baked measures. They have proven not to work, or they could be intended to work this way. Don’t expect me or any bloggers to know the whole story. We are blogging on superficial understanding of what was going on and at most we are just skimming the surface of a very complex problem, but not unsolvable if the will is there.

Bloggers are not paid to spend all their time and resources to understand the problem and to come out with good solutions. This should be the duty of the professionals who are paid millions and full time on the job to solve the problem. If they cannot to anything right, they should not be there and should not be paid the big salaries. Is this a difficult logic to understand?

The people on the job are professionals and must have a good grasp of the situation and the extent of the problem. It is very disheartening to hear professionals saying that the housing problem is due to one or two factors, a supply problem, or BTO and resale market are separate issues. Some even think that it is okay for foreigners to continue to grab anything available in the market.

Everything in the market affects the market. Everything is linked to the housing price that is ballooning, not just supply and demand, not just a matter of private properties and public housing. Even the scrapping of estate duties is a major factor that influenced the price of properties.

I am not here to give a solution. I am not paid to do it. The public demands that those that are handsomely paid to do their job, starting with a correct policy or mission statement from the govt on what it thinks is its role in providing housing for the people, and what kind of housing and affordability. Everything must gel together for a comprehensive solution and not piece meal. It is obvious that the people are getting very angry with the housing situation.

Can the govt get it right? If they can’t, learn from Malaysia and China. These two countries are serious in wanting to curb property prices and have their priorities right. Housing, a roof over the head at a really ‘affordable’ price is what they are trying to achieve. Even Hongkong is getting serious while we are getting reckless. They are less concerned with the profits of developers and those rich who are hoarding properties to get a good profit for their investments. And in Singapore’s case, with the high density and the squeeze on limited land, the concept of investment in properties and property speculation, foreign ownership, estate duties, must be thoroughly reviewed.

There are many vested interests at stake. What is more important?

Traffic jams at Bukit Panjang!

Where is Bukit Panjang? Quite near to JB lor. How could a little town in the periphery of the island be facing traffic jam? In the city, in the suburbs, still possible, but out in the country side, 5 mins to JB and the residents now have to coop with traffic jams. And it is expected to get worst when the BTO units are occupied in a few years time.

You really believe that we can take in another 700,000 people to raise population to 6m? Really, sure or not? Sure, at most is to have a gridlock over the whole island. Then more people can take public transport and no need to drive. Quickly buy SMRT and SBS shares.

That would not be the case. There will be no gridlock in the island. The answer is in COEs and ERPs. ERPs can be erected in Bukit Panjang and all the outlying new towns to control cars on the road. It is only a matter of how many more ERPs and how much the drivers will have to pay to keep the roads congestion free. The ultimate solution will be to erect ERPs at the exit of HDB car parks. Yes HDB car parks or condominiums only where there are concentrations of cars.

There will be no gridlock on our roads. That I can guarantee, even with 10m population. Have faith in the govt. Our roads will run as smoothly as they are today with 5.3m people. Double that or triple that will not make it any worst.

The political govt

What is that? It is a term I have coined for a blur govt. No, not that the govt is blur, but it is blur in the sense that it is not the govt but something like the govt, or the govt but not the govt. Ok, you are all confused by now.

Take Britain as an example. They have things like royalties, dukes and duchess, lords and what not. These are, in a way, political appointments, not the govt but the govt, the ruling elite. Or there could be MPs running a district or constituency that is doing all the necessary works but then someone is appointed as a mayor, presumably to do the same job of the MP, or an honourary political title. These are political appointments that can be done without, of no real relevance to the working of the govt.

The other kind of political govt are the titles or positions awarded to people for political reasons but not because of necessity of work. These are appointments like chairman, directors, advisors, assistant this and that, all because of political connection or patronage. This is the western model of corruption but not branded as such. It is like the current little clip in CNA when one notable was quoted as saying, corruption can be a gift to some and a token of appreciation to another.

What is troublesome about political govt is that it is not just appointments and titles. Somebody got to pay for it. And if the payment to such political appointments are huge and comes from the public coffer, directly or indirectly, it can be serious. It means that the country’s revenue is being used to pay for political appointees in the political govt.

All countries have some form of political govt, big or small. And the people ended up paying for it. No, it is not corruption but a derivative. It is just using public money to pay to people doing something not really necessary, like the dukes or whatever, not because the job or title is necessary but add ons, like badges of honour. Simply it is a political payout from the state’s fund, public money that need not be. In monarchies, it is a parasitic scheme that sucks away money from the state for the royal families, and the amount can be a strain on the country unless there is oil money coming out from the ground.

In modern nation states, republics and democracies, such payouts are getting more prevalent under different guises. No wonder many democracies in Europe are going bankrupt and the people did not know where the state money goes to. It is convenient to just blame it on the welfare system. But without lifting the blinkers, they would not know how big is the political govt and the political payouts. They would not know that there is a horde of dependents happily being paid enormous sums of money by the people without the people having any clue to it.

The people in the countries of PIGS are thinking that they were the ones bleeding the countries through welfare schemes. They did not know of the bigger schemes that their elite are parties to, and taking much more than them. And the elite will never admit that they are in the take, taking money from the public coffer.

Sinkies lack motivation

Don’t laugh, this is true. And this is the reason why they are not keen to take on low paying jobs. How could they? How could they survive when a HDB flat cost several hundred thousand dollars, a car also cost a hundred thousand and 3 meals a day cost $15! And there is public transportation cost as well. So how to motivate them to accept lower paying jobs? Some may find it cheaper just to stay at home and live with their parents.

Money can fail to motivate when it is too little or not enough. And this can be relative and can also be real. A young adult will need a thousand dollars to get by a month not counting housing and household expenses. Anything less is just not enough. Would he be motivated to work for $1k pm or would he be motivated to work for $2k pm when the cost of living is so high?

At the other extreme, someone earning $30k pm, would he be motivated to change job that pays him $31k, and worst, when the heart is not in the new job, when there is simply no interest for the new job? Maybe try doubling the amount like $60k and throw in more perks for someone who is not interested but can be bought over. The excessively high offer could extract some interest for a while but not for along as money, like drugs, need to be increased in dosage to acquire the same effect as before. That means more money will be needed tomorrow, next month and next year to keep the employee interested.

This money and motivation problem could be seen among the gods. Look up into the clouds and it is not unusual to see the gods feeling down. Why should they be made to do things they are not interested when they were happy in what they were doing before? And offering them money, how much and how much more, and how much longer before they feel jaded again?

Is this the problem facing our political leadership? Putting square pegs into round holes and holding them there by plastering them with more money and more money? It is definitely easier and less costly to motivate someone earning $2k with a $20k job. He would work 24 hours for it and never feel tired. What effect would it be to offer someone $50k when the person is already getting $50k and to do something he does not like? Yes very costly and very ineffective.

Party time for Sinkies

The Trojan Horse is in the city. Let’s party. Sinkies are entering an enjoying the golden years. Prosperity is everywhere. Practically every other Sinkie is a millionaire or multi millionaire. Open the champagne, lay out the tables with good food and wine and everyone should go celebrate, have a good time.

There is no time to waste in whinning and kpkb. Enjoy while you can. Enjoy while it lasts. Pray the party never ends. Pray the night does not fall. There will be no hangovers the morning after. Sinkies will not remember when the party ends.

For those who are able and smarter, it is the time to grab as much as they could before the curtain comes down.

The ugly Japanese revealing their true colour

After the defeat in WW2, the Japanese took on a new persona, of efficient and meticulous businessmen and were very successful in that. They rebuilt their war torn and devastated country into a new modern and industrial economy. They travelled the world, invested in every country with their new found wealth, and wore impeccable business suits. And with the help of Hollywood’s romancing of the honourable samurai cult, they were projected as decent, well mannered and honourable people.

In a short span of 40/50 years, the cruel, barbaric and brutal soldiers that invaded practically every Asian country, plundered, raped and looted and killing their victims, pregnant women, the olds and the babies, in the most despicable and vicious ways, were changed. The silly Asians and the Westerners painted a wholesome and new image of an honourable and dignified people. And many believe so, especially the bananas.

The current dispute with China and Korea on some Chinese and Korean islands is like a rekindling and revisiting of the times of militaristic Japan, all might and arrogance. They were the most powerful Asian country then and took advantage of their military superiority to invade Asian countries, to conquer and to seize their wealth and land. Dokdo, Ryukyus, Diaoyus and Taiwan etc etc were lost to the Japanese by the logic of the gun.

And the countries are reclaiming their islands but facing the militant Japanese with their logic of the gun once again. The Japanese plainly insisted that these islands were theirs historically and refused to acknowledge how they were acquired by force. They still believe that if they carry a big gun, they could steal other country’s land as their own. And they will have their believers and sympathisers from the victim countries. And the Japanese also have the evil American Empire on their side, acting innocently claiming not to take sides by not standing on the side of logic and historical rights. The treacherous Americans even included the Diaoyu/Senkaku under the American Japan Defence Treaty.

And many silly Asian bananas would naively say that it was history, no need to fight over a few pieces of uninhabited islands. Why don’t they tell the robbers to lay off, no need to continue to insist that the islands they stole should be returned to the rightful owners?

The robber and gangster’s mentality of reasoning is very simple. They already have the loot in their pockets and would tell all the victim parties not to stir shit or revive history. Why should they when they are the gainers of other people’s land? So the victims who lost their land are seen as trouble makers, quarrelsome and not wanting to let the past be the past.

And the robbers and gangsters are standing on high pedestal as peaceful robbers and gangsters. The victims have no right to claim back what they have lost to the robbers and gangsters. This is the ugly Japanese of the past surfacing in the present, that might is right. Did anyone say the Japanese are honourable or dignified? They could think so by ignoring that the Japanese had raped, killed and looted their countries and do not feel any remorse about it. These are the type of losers that would be easy to rape and loot and to conquer. They will not resist and will fall in love with the dignity and honour of their violators.

PS. The Japanese are demanding the Russians to return the four islands taken from them in the same period of history.

China is again facing the danger of foreign aggression

China is again facing the danger of foreign aggression. War clouds are hovering in the horizon. This time the danger comes from the Evil Empire, US whic h is instigating and encouraging its colonial lap dog the Japanese to steal Chinese lands and territorial seas. The Evil Empire , US may create any incident to start a war with China either directly by itself or through its proxies like the Japs or the Pinoy vermins or Vietnamese rats.Whatever it is, China and every Chinese must be very vigilant and be constantly aware that the only true protection, safeguard and guarantee for Chinese peace and security is that China must have the strongest economy and most powerful military in the world, for without which China may suffer again as happened in the last century. China should not play the gentleman anymore. China should adopt a forward policy, be fiercer and more aggressive to attack and destroy all potential enemies  and if necessary to recover all territories stolen by foreign aggressors in the last century.

Singapore claims that  it does not lean on China or the Evil Empire. But Singapore is now a military base in which the Evil Empire operates its navy and airforce in and out freely . If the Evil Empire,US out of  economic and financial desperation starts a war with China, will Singapore still allow the Evil Empire to operate its navy and airforce freely in Singapore or will Singapore put a complete stop to the evil activities of the Evil Empire. The government should not expose Singapore and Singaporeans to the danger of nuclear annihilation and hence it should forthwith put a stop to US naval and airforce operations out of Singapore.