MySingaporeNews

Chua Chin Leng蔡镇龍 aka redbean · at 11:15 am

Rajasegaran Ramasamy was quoted in the ST Forum complaining that teachers are getting free parking while in other ministries and stats boards the officers have to pay for parking. To him this is grossly unfair. He wanted the system to be fair to all and teachers be made to pay for their parking in school compounds. His most convincing argument is that 'the govt is losing a potential revenue of some $1.625 mil monthly.' Now who can argue against such a big sum of money logic. I am sure the bean counters will be smiling in glee with so much money to collect. Sorry teachers, your little privilege is habis. I will be glad to support Rajasegaran if he were to proposed that all the ministries and stats boards should follow the example of the MOE and allow their staff to park free. I forgot, Mindef officers are allowed to park free also. Will I be seeing paid parking lots in military camps and carpark wardens patrolling inside them as well? Rajasegaran's suggestion is a 'bee tang' idea and should be implemented and he be awarded a gold medal for public administration. The best suggestion I have heard from a citizen so far.

Chua Chin Leng蔡镇龍 aka redbean · at 11:03 am

Tan Kin Lian has developed a new speak your mind culture in cyberspace. He spoke about things he knows best, insurance. And he went one step further by taking on NTUC Income on the changes in the payout of insurance bonus. He was unhappy when the payout formula was changed and policy holders will be getting less than when he was in charge. He ran a protest in cyberspace and would have taken the issue to the NTUC Income AGM. Fireworks were expected. Then, pssssst.... He was invited for tea by Lim Boon Heng and Matthias Yao. As reported in the ST, 'Mr Lim told him that his committee would ensure that Income's policyholders would continue to get good value, while Mr Yao said the restructure was designed to improve Income's solvency position.' Wow, if the payout formula was not changed, Income's solvency will not improve. Matthias added, 'those who terminate their policies this year would not be in any worse off position compared with the previous bonus structure.' What about those who did not terminate their policies this year? Should they all scramble to terminate their policies so that they will not be worst off? Anyway, 'Chairman Ng Kee Choe called the restructure a "very carefully considered decision" and one in the best interests of policyholders.' Was the old bonus structure carefully considered?

Chua Chin Leng蔡镇龍 aka redbean · at 10:46 am

The Amazing Case or Amazing Grace? Durai is back and will serve his 3 month jail sentence from 10 Jun 08. He has to date paid $1.4 mil to NKF and still owing $2.6 mil of the total $4 mil owed. He has two rich friends to lend him $500k each to help to pay the debt. Wonderful friends to have. What is so amazing about that. Nothing. What is amazing is that it was reported that Richard Yong, Loo Say San and Matilda Chua, all three has yet to make any payment. They were declared bankrupts. All of them were high flyers, with big paychecks, living is style and luxury. And they could not and did not pay a cent to NKF! What's going on? Isn't that amazing?

Chua Chin Leng蔡镇龍 aka redbean · at 10:49 am

Or is there a unwritten order not to engage bloggers in cyberspace? Or is it a crime or a sin to be seen in cyberspace for official or professional journalists and reporters? More likely it is a kind of self censorship. Without the official nod, without anyone saying it is ok, better stay clear of cyberspace. I have on many occasions quoted journalists and reporters on their articles and views, with their names clearly written. I was hoping that they would come by and add in their views or to offer some alternative views. It was always silence. I have yet to see a journalist or reporter engaging the bloggers in cyberspace. For that matter, people in authority. Are they afraid that their names will be tarred with feathers? Or are they afraid that their views will not receive the same silent approval, or be attacked and they could not defend by censorship or by not printing the rebuttal? Cyberspace is the most level playing field one can get in a discussion. Everyone is free to post, from king to pauper. But titles are not respected. It is the view that carries the weight. When will official and professional journalists and reporters feel safe and comfortable to write and post freely in cyberspace?

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

We were ruled by the colonial masters and fought for our independence, to be free people, and to be able to determine our own future. Has anything changed? Yes, we got rid of our colonial rulers. We were no longer ruled. Did we? Have we gone to sleep and woke up to realise that we are being ruled again? We are now talking of the rulers and the ruled, or the rulers and the many rules. And the rulers are not denying that they are the rulers. Or at least no one thinks that such a perception is misplaced and needed to be clarified. Maybe the rulers are happy to let it be, to continue ruling. And the people also contented to let it be, to continue to be ruled. Is this political development, progress? Or have we gone back to the medieval days where kings and princes were born to be great and the people to bow in their presence? Long live the king! After more than 40 years of independence, this feeling of being ruled is creeping in and surprisingly very comfortable. Is this the mentality of Singaporeans, that they loved to be ruled, needed to be ruled, and wanted to be ruled? Without being ruled, without rulers, they will feel unease and lost? In the next general election the campaign should be, 'Elect your Rulers!' Then we need not live with the hypocrisy that we are electing people's representatives to Parliament.

Chua Chin Leng蔡镇龍 aka redbean · at 9:56 am

Some of the bloggers here reminisced about the days gone by when we studied very little and still got by with our lives with very little. Those were times when Standard 5 or equivalent of Primary 6 could land one a job as a Chief Clerk(tua chye hoo) in an organisation or even as a senior civil servant in the colonial civil service. And one could wear white long pants and white shirts, to be whiter and more similar to the white lords. Educational standards then were very low. Qualifications of teachers were equally low. It was a case of the blind leading the blind. The aim was to be able to learn the 3 Rs. That would be adequate. The colonial masters did not see the need for the locals to be too highly educated. The first Chinese secondary school, The Chinese High School, was a communal effort by the Chinese community to educate their own children. No, not the responsibility of the govt then. They paid for everything, including land and building and the teachers' salary. And school life was simple. As children, did we study? Play was all we knew, or staying out of the cubicles we called home. Sometimes home was a folding bed, or bed was a corner of a floor inside the cubicle if one was lucky. Or it could be the corridor or 5 footway. Staying out was the norm, at least for the children of coolies and odd job labourers. The outdoor was the living room. Tuition or proper guidance by parents in education was a luxury that few could afford. Even if some parents tried, the teachers were mostly school dropouts, whose parents could put them through a few years in school but they failed to progress to secondary school or at best Secondary Two. Anyway, who cared about education when parents too were illiterate and did not know anything that the children were learning in school except ABC? Life was simple and no big dreams. The common big dream of the labourer mothers was the 'tua chye hoo' or a pen pushing job in an office. That was a great achievement and improvement in the quality of life. A 'tua chye hoo' was the senior administrative staff in an office, and could often earned enough to own a car. In the minds of the children it was play and quickly grow up to work. Those who failed early were the joy of parents. They could start work earlier, in the kopitiam as kopi kias, or helping the kok kok mee to peddle the streets for business. When poverty was everywhere, no one felt that poor or miserable. The little corners of wealth were in the Bukit Timah, East Coast and Orchard Road areas when the Ang Moh resided and those enclaves of the babas who were mainly civil servants or working with the British forces as clerks. Stress? The only stress was when the legs were covered with cane strokes left by abusing parents. How to hide them in shorts at schools. Other than that, many passed their lives aimlessly. Life was unstructured and so was elementary education. What's happening today to our children? Striving to be the best that can be. We spent our times singing 'God Save the Queen.'

Chua Chin Leng蔡镇龍 aka redbean · at 9:22 am

That is the impression I get from the discussions in the ST on the way the students are pushed. As a generalisation, our Primary One starts at kindergarten now. And by Pre university the students are actually doing undegraduate works. The question is what for? So what if our PSLE students are taught at the level of Secondary students? So what if our A level students are taught at university level? Did they shave off a few years in the education system? Or did they becomes smarter than the cohorts in other countries? They are just learning ahead of their time. A simple analogy is for a young person to start dating. Some start at 12, some at 20. What is the big deal if they ended up in a mess? We either derive some goodness from increasing the pressure or else we should let things cool off a little. The pressure can be selective, only for those who are good enough and wanted it. The PSLE and O level should be flexible to accommodate the different standards of knowledge acquisition. Forcing all students to attempt unusually tough questions is wicked. The A level only allows the exceptionable students to do more papers and H3. So the less gifted need not be put through the pace and be unduly stressed. Have mercy on the primary and lower primary students. They cannot be cooked in the same pot.

Chua Chin Leng蔡镇龍 aka redbean · at 9:07 am

We put Pedra Branca, Middle Rocks and South Ledge on the betting table and won it back, but not all. Now ain't that clever? What if we lose all? The judges voted 12 to 4 in favour of us. There were 4 who ruled against us. If only 4 more thinks that way. I still think it was a silly thing to do. if we have lost...everything. We lost Middle Rocks and South Ledge. Now that the sovereignty of the island is settled, other issues are still left undecided. Ownership of the territorial waters around Pedra Branca is still vague but more likely to be in Malaysia's favour. They owned Pedra Branca originally, which means that they own the whole area. Only Pedra Branca was signed away to the British and we inherited it. The only thing now is to claim territorial water from Pedra Branca. How far from its shore or, in the case of Malaysia, from the shores of Middle Rocks. The southern waters of Pedra Branca are going to be cut short by Middle Rocks. Hopefully we can claim 200 km from the north and the eastern waters. Even 50 km will be great. Then built on it if we can. Bye bye Middle Rocks and South Ledge. We won! Really?

Chua Chin Leng蔡镇龍 aka redbean · at 10:42 am

While the transport companies are going after the small time cheats, MDA is going after those who refused to pay the TV licences for their own reasons. Many just find it ridiculous to pay for things that they do not want. There are many channels, yes, but how many want all those channels that are programmed for them? Many will be contend to live by one or two channels and some may not want a single channel at all. Haven't technology caught up and be able to monitor which channel people tune in to and charge for usage, and not because the provider wants to provide and the viewers have NO CHOICE but to pay? It reminds me of the Medisave, Life CPF, Minimum Sum retention scheme etc etc, when the people have NO CHOICE. Who cares if MDA provides for 10 or 100 channels free if those are not what the viewers want? Who cares if MDA thinks it is important or good to provide 'TV and radio programmes that "inform, educate and entertain our multicultural and multiracial society"?' Why are the masses made to pay or subsidise for the effort of MDA to want to cater to everyone? Personally I only watch one channel. Not even listen to radio and all the craps the rowdy and at times silly DJs are gabbing about. So why should one pay for services and programmes that one does not want? Compulsory woah. If MDA thinks that they are the one to decide what the people should hear or see, then they should pay for it themselves and not demand that the viewers and listeners pay for them when the people did not want to hear or see.

Chua Chin Leng蔡镇龍 aka redbean · at 9:25 am

Public transport companies are going all out to catch these petty thieves for cheating the transport giants for a few cents or a few dollars per trip. These are big monies to lose and it is estimated that the total amount lost is $9 mil annually. At $1 a trip cheated, that is 9 mil trips or roughly 25,000 trips daily. Either we have so many cheapskate buggers or cheats, it is still no good. Cheating is cheating, even for a few cents. It is now like a war against these petty thieves, and manpower and all resources, including satellite technology will be harnessed to save the $9 mil and to teach these useless buggers to be honest. People who have to cheat for a few dollars are not worth living. And worst still, there is a higher justification for the huge amount of money going to be spent to tackle this cheating problem. If not because of the cheating, transport companies need not keep on raising transport fares. So the cheating hurts the majority of the honest fare paying commuters. All fare paying commuters must be grateful and should lend a helping hand to catch all these cheats. And when the problem is solved, they can expect fares to be lowered. Or at least there will be lesser fare hikes. The moral of the story is that if these people want to cheat, they must cheat big and in style. And they would not even be called cheats if they are smart enough to do it. They will even be respected for being able to collect hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars without anyone knowing what is happening. The real and big cheats always get away and it is the small petty thieves that are caught and embarrassed.

Chua Chin Leng蔡镇龍 aka redbean · at 9:09 am

Just like we don't need help from the govt, we also do not need subsidies if the real cost of inflation is arrested. Many of the high costs can be attributed to inflation and 'market value.' Both need not be the case and need not add to the high cost of living. One angry example is the high price of HDB flats, priced at a subsidy to market value or market price instead of the actual cost of building the flat. And the govt feel damn good, and expect the people to feel damn grateful because it is giving the people a subsidy. When has this mindset of really serving the people's interests been changed to one where, 'the people would be worst off without the govt subsidies and have to pay real market prices' while allowing market prices to runaway? HDB pricing is not the only area that the people are made to pay much more than the cost of goods. Medical services is another sore point. Why must HDB insists that medical practitioners pay market rate rentals of space that were built donkey years ago at a fraction of current day prices? Essential services should be charged or cost at as low a price as possible to keep the price of such goods and services down. Why can't the govt identify specific essential services and charge them at minimum profits so that the service providers need not pass the cost to the consumers? It is time to shut those who keep trumpeting about how much subsidies are given to help the needy. They are not subsidies. The people are charged with inflated market prices with a little discount called subsidies. The high cost of living must be tackled at its root. Many services and goods must not be treated simply as a business to make profits. In certain areas, making obscene profits from the users is criminal or morally unacceptable, disgraceful. As costs keep going up, cost of public transport and many essential services must be brought down to help the poor communities. The high transport cost is going to take its toll on the tertiary students and their parents. These are the country's assets, young people being educated to come into the workforce and having to pay like hell to go through their years as students/undergraduates without any income. Do away with subsidies like clamping down on those who are scheming to help the people with their obscene schemes when the people become worst off and may not even benefit from their schemes.

Chua Chin Leng蔡镇龍 aka redbean · at 10:07 am

Friday � April 25, 2008 CHITRA RAJARAM Deputy Editorial Director chitrarajaram@mediacorp.com.sg ARE Singaporeans racially sensitive as a society? Do we merely tolerate each other or do we really understand and care about the different races and sensitivities in our midst. While we pride ourselves as one people, one nation, one Singapore; I am not sure there is real depth of understanding at all when it comes to racial sensitivities. My recent experience with public transport is testimony to this. I drive to work four days a week and every Friday I take taxis, sometimes even in the wee hours of the morning. I have to confess, I have been appalled at the lack of sensitivity by taxi drivers. Why? Every time I had gotten into a taxi, it was to blaring music in a language I do not understand. The first few times, I kept quiet and endured the "noisy" journey back home. But once, after a 14-hour exhausting work day, I refused to take it any longer. When I told the driver to turn off the music, he told me he had to listen to it because it gave him traffic updates!... As a Singaporean, I find such behaviour rude and somewhat odd. We have grown up here on the mantra of four races. We have inter-religious organisations (IROs) to build understanding and tolerance. We also have celebrations of the four main festivals.... But my experience is not uncommon in societies where there are predominantly majority societies. The hegemonic behaviours of such groups of people is not extraordinary. But it is the minorities in these communities who perpetuate this hegemonic behaviour by adopting "paths of least resistance", one of which is silence. Once the sounds of silence set in, then the behaviours transcend from the personal, to the state and systemic levels. Admittedly, the Government has recognised this and has provided many avenues for us to be sensitive and sensitised to our innate differences. However, we are products of the socio-cultural systems we are born into and learn these traits in our social context, traits which are not biologically determined. So, we as a society (majority and minority) need to unlearn and reconstruct ourselves. How? To put it simply, we need to challenge ourselves, speak up when we are uncomfortable and reconstruct the social dynamics of our society � then we will truly be one people, one nation, one Singapore. Copyright MediaCorp Press Ltd. All rights reserved. The above article is an early sign of the stresses building up in our society. It is good that it is being aired for if kept unspoken and unchecked, it will blow up in the most unexpected and ugly way. I have personally witnessed a few cases of citizens finding one another annoying in SMRT, and they spoke up, with their fists. If we cannot appreciate the intensity of this tension, we should expedite it by increasing the population at a faster speed and hit our 6 mil or 7 mil target quicker. Then everything will become real for all to see and experience. Our 40 years of nation building is going to go under with this thoughtless influx of superficial residents that would want their rights to be different in our own home.

Chua Chin Leng蔡镇龍 aka redbean · at 9:28 am

I read from the feedback of MPs that more and more people are seeing them for help, for handouts. These people used to be from the lower income group. Now increasingly they are from the lower middle income group. What is happening to these Singaporeans huh? Giving them the best education money can buy and they are now in queue for charity? Why can't they buck up, work hard, and like the smart Singaporeans, earn $100k a month? In this land of opportunities and possibilities, how can they be in the queue for free money? That is the wrong queue. What have gone wrong? We are the best, the most highly educated in this part of the world or among the best in the developed world. Why are our people begging? They must be lazy, and maybe our claims that we have the best workers are not true. And yes, yes, we need more foreign talents to replace them. These useless Singaporeans only have themselves to blame when foreigners can work here and be so happy. Or like the little girl said, my father is earning so much, these people who cannot make a decent living here should get lost.

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

Some time last year someone thought of honouring the foreign workers' contribution to the growth of Singapore and created a statue to stand side by side with Stamford Raffles, sharing equal honours in the history of Singapore. I was cynical about the idea and was unhappy that such a thought did surfaced, not that their contribution should be ignored, but what about the contributions of all our citizen workers past and present? With the recent publicity given and explanation of the greatness of foreign workers, I am having second thought. After hearing all the reasonings, I am starting to be convinced that foreign workers are our saviours and deserve a special place of honour. The statue that was discarded and kept in wrap last year should be brought to life and put at a high profile place. I think the most appropriate place would be in front of the NTUC Building in Finlayson Green, to replace the piece of tin can there. Now what made me change my mind? 1. They do the works that Singaporeans did not want to do. 2. They save the embarrassment of Singaporeans for allowing their parents to work as cleaners cleaning tables and washing plates or sweeping floors. Without them, all these cleaners will be the fathers, mothers or grandpas and grandmas of Singaporeans. 3. They create work for Singaporeans, like littering the parks which means more cleaning works and more contracts for cleaning companies. 4. They create demands for rentals. So Singaporeans can retire living on their rentals and can dump the CPF Life for good. 5. They create demand for goods and services, ie higher sales. This also leads to more jobs for service staff and foodcourts. I believe the public transport companies high profit is to a great part contributed by foreign workers. 6. They help to reduce cost to manfacturers who will then relocate here. We will become more competitive. 7. They provide a talent pool to bolster our otherwise talent depleted manpower. 8. They keep Singaporeans on their toes so that Singaporeans will not be complacent. 9. They can buy over the properties of cash strap Singaporeans or Singaporeans who are migrating, thus maintaining the value of properties. 10. The presence of these talents will rub off to the less talented Singaporeans and Singaporeans will get smarter in the process. And I can go on and on. They are indeed our benefactors and we must give due respect and recognition to them. They also teach Singaporeans not to be too gullible, and be easily conned by kidnap scams or washing dirty money. I rest my case.

Chua Chin Leng蔡镇龍 aka redbean · at 8:46 am

ST May 5, 2008 Conservancy fees may be tied to index, with dirtiest precincts paying more By Alfred Siew TIRED of hardcore litterbugs, Aljunied GRC plans to start measuring the cleanliness of its precincts under a new litter index to be introduced in October. Officials also said they will consider raising the conservancy charges for the dirtiest precincts to cover the extra work that goes into maintaining them. The index, the first of its kind in Singapore, was unveiled on Saturday by the GRC's Members of Parliament.... Aljunied Town Council chairman Cynthia Phua said... that the plan is under consideration and would not be confirmed until next year, she said. The above is another case of Dictation Culture.

Chua Chin Leng蔡镇龍 aka redbean · at 9:43 am

The fact that this letter is circulating all over paradise simply means that it strikes a familiar cord among many Singaporeans. Yes, this help thing is getting sickening and frightening. How about the govt got kicked out in the next General Election and the reason is that the people do not want to be helped and want to be left alone? This is an interesting development and may prove my theory is correct. Whatever that is good will end up bad. Whatever policies or good intention that can bring a govt to power could at the end of the day bring it down. The people who support the govt or are instrumental to keeping the govt in power will be the one that will bring down the govt. The formula for success is the recipe for disaster. This fear of too much help is no longer a joke. It is a genuine fear that help is really no help. Just think about it.

Chua Chin Leng蔡镇龍 aka redbean · at 9:34 am

This is the latest innovation to help the elderly and not so rich Singaporeans to pay lesser medical fees. Those who are above 65 are entitled to apply for a Primary Care Partnership Scheme cards to enjoy this privilege. The conditions, Singapore citizens and a per capita household income of $700 pm. Just bring your ic, proof of income or no income, and a CPF statement or payslip to a Community Development Council or a community centre or club. Ok, to prove per capita household income, I think you may have to bring more documents to prove the number of people in the household and how much each is earning or what they are doing. How else to prove if one just bring his/her own payslip or CPF statement? Gone were the days when a GP would automatically run through his mind the affordability of the patient and charge accordingly. The place or type of residence, the general appearance or clothing, the neighbourhood, and if he knew the occupation. They did not ask for so many private information in the past. So a richer patient would be charged a higher rate than a poorer one. Not foolproof but a general practice by the GPs then. A kind of self regulation and social consciousness. Now this got more money pay more is being institutionalised.

Chua Chin Leng蔡镇龍 aka redbean · at 9:32 am

There is an email circulating in cyberspace pleading to the PM to stop helping Singaporeans. With Boon Wan working so hard, he should also read that same email and take the message as addressed to him as well. He is just working too hard to help the Singaporeans which I think many are finding it giddying and must be wondering whether too much help is a good thing or a bad thing. The latest is a Health Promotion Board letter for health screening at a discount rate. Whenever I receive a call from a bank or a flyer telling me about a promotion or discount, I never trust them. The discount, no matter how much, will end up with you parting with your money. It is like a foodstall saying $2 a plate. You will end up paying more when you have to ask for more as the $2 does not give you what you want. Or a beauty salon advertising a hair cut for $10. Once in, you may end up with bleaching, perm, massage, facial, steaming etc etc, and from $10, the bill may come to more than a $100. Just don't help the people so much. Too much kindness can be repulsive.

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