MySingaporeNews

Chua Chin Leng蔡镇龍 aka redbean · at 11:25 am

A trip in contrast. continue We hit the North South Highway in double quick time as the traffic was easy and flowing. Gone were the mad rush to the golf courses. Life seemed to have returned to the normal leisure pace. We did not encounter any traffic police road blocks to check our passports or motorists being caught for speeding. Maybe the number of Singaporeans coming over now did not justify the deployment of a police unit of cars, equipment and precious police manpower. No speed trap along the highway too. After exiting Ayer Hitam we headed west to Batu Pahat. We intended to go for Bukit Benang Golf Course but changed our mind and went to the old Batu Pahat Golf Course instead to enjoy the warmth of local hospitality. The road had widened into a 4 lane highway and made driving so easy. We were greeted with a sign board saying Cross Creek outside the club house. Hmmm, very American. A little sign of change. Other than that, the Club was as beautiful as it was, very well maintained, despite a cowgrass course. Plenty of flowers and colours. We had our tussles and arguments and all the digs at each other during the 18 holes. And in between the monkeys were screaming away. Then the 3 wild boars that dashed across the fairway while we were teeing off. Quite a refreshing experience for city folks. We drove out for lunch after 9 holes. The kopitiam was a 2 min drive. We had two big plates of loh may or mixed cuts, chicken, roast ducks, roast pork. Actually we double the order after the first one. Then laksa, wanton noodle, drinks plus 4 large bottles of Calsberg etc. $50 ringgits for the whole works for 4. A big plate of wanton noodle and a big bowl of wanton soup at $2.50 rm each. Dinner was more sumptuous. We went for the famous chicken rice by the sea, otah, chicken wings, carrot cake, clams, big prawns, vegetable, carlsberg, fruits, etc. This was followed by a round of Batu Pahat durians. RM$5 a kg of quality durians with rambutans thrown in by the seller for free as dessert. The whole trip, including caddie fees and tips, cost $110 ringgits. Now how much is that, less than S$50 for a day of golfing and pigging out. How far can S$200 stretch for 4 adults at home? The biggest surprise awaited us on the home leg. We took the side entrance for goods vehicles and were met with an eiree silence. Where were the thousands of Singapore cars and the long queues? We were the third car at the immigration. And only two counters were open. And on the Singapore side, we were the first car! And this was peak hour, 8pm on a saturday night. The best experience of the whole trip was of course the casual and friendly people we met around Batu Pahat and Cross Creek. It was so pleasant that made us want to return again. A little trip to memory lane.

Chua Chin Leng蔡镇龍 aka redbean · at 10:48 am

A not too contrasting lifestyle but a widening cost of living. I have not been to Malaysia for quite a number of years. For old time sake one of my kakis decided that we should walk down memory lane again. We used to do that when golfing craze was at its height, when golfing in Singapore would cost a hand or a leg, when making money was also easy and spending money in our neighbouring country seemed so fun. We arrived at the causeway at 7.30am. Again we were slammed by the jams on our side of the causeway. When jams occurred on our side, they were the result of more intensive and thorough checks, nothing to do with being slakay or go slow attitude. Definitely not being understaffed or trying to make life easy to the motorists. So we grudgingly nailcrawled all the way to the immigration. Phew, by the time we got through, 45 min were gone. What a waste! The same number of vehicles were also expected to hit the Malaysian side and we should face a worst jam knowing their slakay tiadak apa attitude, go slow to irritate Singaporeans, and scolding Singaporeans for trying to rush through or appearing impatient. Well, where was the jam? We were in a queue of about 10 cars and were through in less 10 minutes. Now what is wrong? So we consoled ourselves that they simply let everyone through without checking. That made us feel better. But actually, there was no difference and all the procedures were followed. Across the causeway the first thing that greeted us was Mahathir. He was standing right across the road once we left the immigration. Huge masses of unfinished concrete with reinforced steel bars jutting into midair. And all the makeshift dividers, were all in a mess. The signs of the crooked bridge halted and abandoned halfway. Now I know why Mahathir was angry.( to be cont)

Chua Chin Leng蔡镇龍 aka redbean · at 11:29 am

This must be the most frequent asked question among Singaporeans since the announcement on Friday. After Singtel, where else? It has to be something better and bigger. Are there are not many companies that are bigger and better than Singtel? SIA, DBS? Not many to choose from actually. Or what about Temasek? Does Temasek's recent performance demands for a change of leadership? Or maybe Hsien Yang has a different call, maybe he has seen enough of the corporate world and wanted to live life and see the world in peace and quite, or to serve God. Not a possibility to rule out. The third option is politics. The reluctant brother who is thrown into the arena when saying no is not an option. We have seen how Rajiv Ghandhi was made to accept his political assignment when Sanjay was cut down. Would Hsien Yang be made to step into his brother's shoe because he has no other choice? Would we be hit by a second and bigger surprise of Hsien Loong calling it a day from politics? You never know would you?

Chua Chin Leng蔡镇龍 aka redbean · at 10:57 am

Tan Soo Khoon is in the best position to offer a balanced advice to his new and old comrades. Be humble, respect people who disagree and not to question their motives and live a normal life. Being out of the system, no longer entrenched in it and with the vested interest of preserving and protecting the system and policies, it is easier for Soo Khoon to look at the whole picture as a bystander. It is always clearer from that angle. Be humble may be asking too much when one is already told that he/she is the best, the cream of society. It is ok to have that wow feeling, just don't get too swell headed. It is difficult to be surrounded by power and wealth and to live like an ordinary man who has nothing. Good, live it up, but stay rooted to the ground. Accepting different views and knowing that there will always be people who disagree with you is a sign of wisdom and humility. Unless one still believes in being god, supreme wisdom, and unquestionable. As for motives, there are those who have real bad motives. There is no doubt about that. But not everyone harbours evil thought. If that be the case, all those gossipers in the kopitiams should be put away. And there are thousands of them, and the taxi drivers or officer workers. Everyone has something to say, good or bad. Only when it arrives at your ear or not. Or is it preferable to pretend that there is no disagreement by shutting one's ears or cutting off people who say something unacceptable? Living a normal life, continue to drink coffee in the kopitiam may have to go. Not realistic because of time pressure, the activies and the bulging pocket. But there will be opportunities to sit in the kopitiam with the grassroots. Plenty of opportunities to do so. But do not pretend that the kopitiam is still the natural habitat. What is most important is not to see the people as your enemy. The communists like to swim as fishes among the sea of people. The people is there to provide the props and support to raise a leader higher. Cutting off the people with the slightest annoyance will eventually destroy the connection between people and leaders. A few more cases of brown soup will definitely draw a clear line between the ruler and the ruled and the widening of the divide.

Chua Chin Leng蔡镇龍 aka redbean · at 9:57 am

US in no hurry to seek Mid East ceasefire. This is the heading of Jonathan Eyal's article in the Straits Times. Isn't the Israelis' who are fighting the Lebanon? The Israeli soldiers are attacking, and are preparing to move into Lebanon. But in reality, it is a proxy war of the US. Despite many calls from world leaders, including Kofi Annan, there was a stony silence and America just stand aside as if it is none of its business. But this is what Jonathan wrote,... "The reality, as every diplomat in New York knows, is that the US is quite content to allow Israel another week or so to crush Hizbollah. The Americans' ultimate aim is to humiliate Syria and Iran, the countries it regards as Hizbollah's paymasters.... But the US is keen to avoid any spillover into a direct confrontation with Syria. The Syrians are merely to be kept in check and, if possible, lured away from their alliance with Iran." There is no doubt as to who is the master of this show of force. And if the US continues to stamp its authority over the Arabs, the backlash will come. And it is gathering momentum across the world. Do not be surprised when US embassies will be hit and Americans become targets of attacks by the pro Arab groups.

Chua Chin Leng蔡镇龍 aka redbean · at 11:21 am

Why are there non-smokers outdoors? By Edwin Yeo July 16, 2006 FOR the last two weeks, I've felt unwanted. Not because I was again rejected when I tried to pick up that hot chick at the bar (I'm used to that), but because of my smoking habit. While my fellow scribe Adam Hashidy might jump up and shout like Fred Flintstone at Singapore's new smoking regulations, it's made me feel like a pariah. I used to enjoy my cup of overpriced coffee at coffee joints, light up a cigarette and imagine that I looked cool. The above is just a fraction of the ranting of Edwin Yeo that non smokers die everyday. I fully agree. Everyone who eats rice also die. Everyone who drinks water also die. I don't have anything against the smokers and their disgusting habits. I have many friends who are smokers. I only hope that they are less generous and don't exhale their precious tobacco mixed smoke for me to inhale, and don't taint my clothings and body with the smelly stale smell of tobacco. And I also hope that after their puff they will swallow the cigarette butts instead of littering them everywhere. If only they can do these, I will love them.

Chua Chin Leng蔡镇龍 aka redbean · at 10:38 am

There was this guy who is earning $2000 a month and seeking help from the community. He could not go on with this income. And his problem is compounded by the fact that he lives in a 5 room HDB flat. Compare this with a foreign talent who earns the same amount. The FT is going to pray to god to bless the Singapore Govt for the chance to be here to work. For the $2000 means he could probably save $1200 every month and by the time he decides to go home, he is going to be a very rich man in his village. Any FT reading this, please do not take it as an attack against FT. This is just a comparison to show how relative is the worth of money and cost of living. The $2000 Singaporean, although still branded as lower middle income, is a POOR man. A man who needs financial assistance. And for those who says he must cut down his other expenses like eating one bowl of rice lesser and drink one cup of coffee less, I find such comments very cruel and unbecoming. The cost of living here is high, disproportionate to the income of the people. So, ask him to sell his 5 room flat? Another arrogant and thoughtless comment of Singaporeans who thinks their own good fortune will last forever. Only thick headed Singaporeans would tell someone in such a plight to sell his 5 room flat. For the flat was bought by CPF contributions and he would not see much of it after selling as most of the money would still be retained by the CPF. We can keep on boasting about our people, lower middle income class as if they were really lower middle class. They are living near the poverty line if one takes away all the fixed overheads that they cannot runaway from. eg CPF, consevancy fee, PUB, telecom, TV, public transport, basic meals, GST, school fees, medical, pocket money for children, the little contributions to social functions like a wedding, death etc. How much is left? How much is there to squeeze further? And all the fees are still going to go up as sure as the sun will rise. Welcome to the good life of a lower middle class Singaporean.

Chua Chin Leng蔡镇龍 aka redbean · at 10:12 am

I am not sure if Mr Brown is still in Singapore. Or is he thinking of emigrating and be a quitter? Might as well. He must be feeling a lot of pressure now. Poor chap. How can he attempt to undermine national strategy? That is serious stuff. Maybe he should apologise and come clean and see if he can be rehabilitated. In communist terminology it is called self confession. Who knows, he might get his job back and may even be promoted after that. The return of the prodigal son! We are a forgiving people. Sunday is good day for confession and forgiving. Yes, shall we give him a second chance?

Chua Chin Leng蔡镇龍 aka redbean · at 9:15 am

'Singapore is a dictatorial or totalitarian state' This is a label that many have branded Singapore and have even thrown many wild accusations at the political leadership. How can Singapore be associated with a dictatorship or a totalitarian communist regime? Any Singaporean would be able to tell easily what an elected representative govt is as compared to a dictatorship or communist regime. We are a freely elected democracy modelled against the British system. What stands out glaringly in a dictatorship or a totalitarian state is the use or abuse of power. Power in such states is absolute and resided mainly in the dictator or in a small group of men at the top. And the use of power is without shame, embarrassment or qualms. Power was used often in its naked form. People were pulled up and put away, unheard off, forgotten and disappeared. No excuses needed, no reasons given. In communist or totalitarian states, sometimes they did try to give some resemblance of a people's govt. And people to be put away often were labelled as reactionaries, revisionists or committing crimes against the state or doing things that undermine national interests. These are the clear cut dictatorial or totalitarian regimes. Then there are the mixed regimes or disguised regimes like the Marcos and the Suhartos. The military junta in Myanmar is simply what it is, no need for any pretension. The Phillippines under Marcos was a dictatorship called democracy. The Indonesia under Suharto was also a dictatorship under the cover of guided democracy. How can Singapore be a dictatorship or a totalitarian state when the govt are honest, sincere and respectable people of high integrity? If one considers the kind of polities under Marcos and Suharto, we must feel very bless with what we have here. Totally no abuse of power, and the citizens are free to live their lives and get rich, and feeling very safe. And we have been such a great model of a successful democracy that many countries are modelling themselves after Singapore. The best example is China. The Chinese system though communist, is actually communist in name. It is very pragmatic, very Singapore like. The rate that China is copying and imitating Singapore, soon it will be accused of becoming a democratic country, Singapore model. Oh, Communism in China now is a myth.

Chua Chin Leng蔡镇龍 aka redbean · at 10:40 pm

The Japanese have spoken. They are openly threatening the North Koreans of a preemptive strike at their nuclear sites. This threat is an open invitation and enough justification for the North Koreans to launch their own preemptive strike against Japan. The Japanese have adopted a very aggressive and hostile stance in the UN, insisting that the UN and the world must accept their position to take strong measures against the North Koreans. Their behaviour is a mirror image of what they did prior to their conquest of China in the 19th Century, making demands after demands on a weak and semi colonised China. They are treating the Koreans like their former colony and China like the Sick man of Asia. They challenged the right of China to veto their proposal in the UN. It was prudent that China did not fall into their trap and supported their entry into the UN Security Council. The Japanese are now not hiding anything. They are standing up on the world stage to tell the world that Japan is now a military power and will take on China and the Koreans come what may. And their preemptive strike is on the way if China could not force the North Koreans to accede to the Japanese demands. What are the two Koreans going to do in the face of a militarised Japan ready to kick their butts? I would strongly encourage the two Koreans to strike at the Japanese first as a means of defence now that the Japanese have threatened to strike them first.

Chua Chin Leng蔡镇龍 aka redbean · at 11:04 am

Heroes are aplenty. The victors write the story. And there are many heroes among the victors. There are many success stories to tell about how many enemies, ie natives, that they slaughtered and how much goodies they looted. It was not about murders and robberies, it was about national pride and might, about conquests for the kings and countries, or for God. All the killings and lootings in the name of Kings and countries, or even God are glorified as heroic acts. What were done to the defeated and conquered, were acceptable acts and behaviours. And so the stories go on and on and many heroes and legends were written. And there will also be one or two outcasts from the conquering forces that will be elevated to hero and cult status for having a little conscience and for trying to help the conquered. These will become heroes too, to the desperate and deprived oppressed people who have been robbed of everything. A piece of crumbs will be like a feast when stomach has been empty for days. History is such that there will be many heroes and anti heroes among the victorious. But in contrast, all the most based of human behaviour were exhibited among the defeated, conquered and ruled. Iraq and Guantanamo, and the Palestinians, are the best living examples of what being conquered is like, and what is right and wrong, as interpreted by the victorious. The losers will be losers.

Chua Chin Leng蔡镇龍 aka redbean · at 10:50 am

Countries that have been conquered and occupied by foreign forces have a very bad and bitter experience which they will never forget. An occupation robbed the countries of not only their wealth and pride, but the dignity of their people. Proud and upright people were all turned into vicious, unscrupulous and traitorous selfish people, only thinking of their own survivals. Betraying friends and families, and people and nation, became a means to survive. There were no heroes in such countries. Any hero will either be dead or rotting in prison for fighting the intruders. The conquered and oppressed people have very little choices. They need to live, and have families to feed. Joining the nationalist movement and resistance is as good as sure death. Not doing anything and trying to live is to live a dog's life. The other choice is to work for the occupied forces, the new rulers, to serve them and help them to exploit their own people and countries. In other words, become traitors and sell out their countries and friends and families. This has been repeated all over in history. From the days of the Red Indians, the Africans, the Arabs, the Indians, Chinese, Vietnamese and Koreans, and the Jews during the holocaust, their histories are littered with tales of betrayal and selfish people who thrived by serving the occupation forces. That is what many conquered people have experienced. The Koreans and the Chinese, under foreign dominations, Japanese in particular, were forced by the Japanese and circumstances to eke out a living by turning against their own people. This also happend in Malaysia and Singapore. Those were hard times and men were turned to beasts, no morality, no righteousness and honour to talk about. There were no shame in being unscrupulous. The shame only came after the occupation forces were defeated and left. Then the blood letting will come and all the shame will be laid out for all to see. All the pride of a people were no more. The people could not believe that their own tribes could be so disgraceful and selfish to commit dastardly acts against them, to bow and kneel to the conquerors to wipe their arses. The Korean Nationalism and their stubborness to be strong and resilient must be seen in such historical context. And this applies to many of the conquered and colonised nations. History will repeat itself if they are led to believe that all is well. And in their folly and delusion of peace and harmony, and goodwill of 'friendly' nations, they will inadvertently dig their own graves. It is better to be safe than sorry. National survival can only be preserved by the nation's own people.

Chua Chin Leng蔡镇龍 aka redbean · at 10:25 am

I had a dream last night. There was this beautiful garden where the owner planted many beautiful flowers. He had taken very good care of his garden, fertilisers, water, pruning and talking to his flowers, to encourage them to grow. And the flowers listened to him and bloom in all their majestic colours and brilliance. It was an awesome sight to behold, so many flowers, what a riot of colours. Then one morning a van came. And the owner took out his cutter and started pruning. All the lovely flowers came down one by one. One hundred flowers were cut down and taken away in the van. Probably to some fine hotels for display. What a pleasant ending for the flowers. The the owner was happy, waiting for another 100 flowers to bloom.

Chua Chin Leng蔡镇龍 aka redbean · at 11:04 am

'I, Singaporean, not stupid!' Well, we have always been laughing at all the stupid Singaporeans. But really deep down they are damn smart. They know when to siam if they have to. There was this petition asking people to support Mr Brown in the online petition site. For curiosity I went there to take a peep, maybe can post my findings here. I was greeted with a message, Petition removed for lack of activity. What happens to all the concerned Singaporeans who supported a cause like the NKF? And what happens to all those who posted at Mr Brown's blog pledging their support? And none posted in the online petition that it has to be removed? Same can be said for the silence in the media over the last few days. I think if you ask anyone, they will say it is inconsequential, not newsworthy. Or there are more important news like dirty litters in HDB blocks, or a foreign car number plate spotted in Singapore. Now, who says Singaporeans are stupid?

Chua Chin Leng蔡镇龍 aka redbean · at 10:18 am

It is time I revisited this thread after all the excitement in the press. I mean the Malaysian press. Cyberspace is now the new battle field between Mahathir and Badawi as the official press is, as always will be, one sided. In the blogs and columns, it was reported that hits can go as high as 1.2 million a day for Malaysia Today! The key advantage of cyberspace news is that it is uncensored and immediate. In a sense, no holds bar. And the official media has, in its traditional way, encouraged the growth and flourishing of cybernet news. To quote Raja Petra Kamaruddin, a well known political activist, he said, 'As long (as) as there is no real free speech, blogs will be popular.' Let's return to home ground and see whether the situation is similar. For several days after the Mr Brown incident, when cyberspace was invaded by highly charged bloggers and forummers on the issue, there was a complete silence in the official media. It was a hot topic , but the official press, for their own reasons, thought it was better not to say anything about it. There goes the reason for more interests in cyberspace, when the news that the people are interested are being reported. Look at today's Straits Times. It has a glowing report on citizen reporting and how fast this media is gaining ground and acceptance as the most effective and popular means of communication and news dissemination. It devoted 5 and a half pages on this new trend. But sadly, nothing much was said about the local blogosphere and forum activities except for a small factual reference to Mr Brown's case, with no comments. But I think two full pages were devoted to promote Stomp and why it is popular with news like road accidents, windows falling off, and prizes for taking pictures of litters around mail boxes, foreign car number plates sighted in Singapore. I can't imagine what sensible and serious forumers find in such bits and pieces of rubbish around HDB blocks? And did they report on anything about the local citizen reporting scene? Did they mention any blogs or forums that are attracting the bloggers and forummers? What is the reason for not mentioning the names of popular local blogs and forums? At least Zaobao did a survey once and listed the names of popular blogs and forums for all to see, and to visit. As long as official media, often correctly associated with official views and mindset, continues its traditional way, more and more people will flock to cyberspace to hear more refreshing and relevant news.

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