At least this is the message I got after reading Kishore’s article over
the weekend. His article has one major point, Singapore is history. We
used to be number one in many things and many countries came to learn
from us. Singapore was their model state. Then they learnt and adapted
from us and are now better than us. And we are not going anywhere
anymore.
Kishore quoted Dubai, turning its airline and airport into the number
ones, overtaking us. The disciples have overtaken the master. And Dubai
is only a small example of Singapore sliding behind. China came to learn
from us in the late 70s, 80 and 90s. Now China has overtaken us in
everything, yes everything, and getting better. They built better
cities, created more jobs, producing more graduates, became a
manufacturing hub of the world with many big brands, they have stable
leadership renewal. Everything that is good they learnt from us, and
everything that is bad they rejected.
The next big thing is Malaysia and the mega city in Iskandar. If they
played their game right, Singapore would become a satellite town of
Iskandar. Would they be able to press all the right buttons? They have
done well till now and if they don’t press the wrong buttons, they will
be on their way to overtake us.
Well, Kishore said we would not enjoy another 50 years of growth like
before. Neither would there be another LKY to turn a ‘fishing village’
into a first world city state. We will have more migrants, but not the
same type as our forefathers. The next batches are simply mercenaries
like everyone of us. Everyone is treating this place like Zouk, to have a
good time. Zouk would be history soon.
So, what else is there to do? Enjoy, party, be happy for as long as we
can. Next year would be party time for Singapore. We have the money to
splurge and feel good. Hope it is not the last fling. Hope it is not the
last hurrah, the final celebration before everything comes crumbling
down.
Kopi Level - Yellow
People came and learn from us. And they overtook us.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: we also supposedly learn from others. What then did we still get overtaken? Someone got complacent? And flooded our workforce with third world labour. One does not import 'labour' only - experience, skills, attitudes, aptitudes, culture, or the lack of it - the whole package.
We take anything that calls itself talent, fake talents also good.
ReplyDeleteGood article and very true too. Its so sad to see the sunset in this country. We had achieved number one status for almost everything we do thanks to a bunch of dedicated pioneer leaders who worked their guts out, not for the money but with the simple goal to make the country a better place.
ReplyDeleteThings had changed. Leaders are drawn only from scholars and successful professionals whoes goals is to make more money. How long can we last with leaders with no DRIVE?
The beginning of the end of "Golden Age" of Singapore.....
ReplyDeleteWho said they got no drive? They were driving very hard for their Swiss Standard of Living.
ReplyDeleteHow does all this come about?
ReplyDeleteFrom treating a country as a BIG BUSINESS ENTITY.
All the residents are just economic digits contributing to the $$$ to be withheld by the authority who self-claimed to be business-astute.
Just what Mr Redbean has said before, putting a business suit on a monkey does not make it a businessman.
Sadly, our authority does not think so. Just because they are scholars, they ASSume that they know better. They think that the mass cannot handle their own earnings and need someone of 'scholarly' attributes to handle for them. When does a politician become so SMART that he can be a chairman in an investment arm? While the rest have to prove themselves by UPGRADING non-stop, even after attending their own so-called world-class university!
The truth is -- they forgot that they are THE monkeys in business suit.
You will know how good the leaders are at managing their lives financially if each of them is paid $5k a month in salary.
DeleteHowever, if they are remunerated at a few million Sin Dollars a year, even a monkey can build a kingdom.
Very sad indeed. When there is no proper fairness and logic in place in civil service or statutory board, it is finish. Who is going to be hardworking when nowadays it is all about networking. That is why everyone prefer to close one eye when things happen. But if really everyone close one eye, how come they poke into young Shaw life and give him trouble. And that is why there is no fairness and logic in Singapore nowadays.
ReplyDeleteIs some people living in rental housing richer than someone who need rental housing but could not got it? Where is the proper mean testing?
When someone is dead at Khoo Teck Puat hosiptal and have history of applying for medical help before. But after he died, still got credit company go after his family. Did the staff take pride in the work and check whether the patient apply for medical help before?
You believe the recent police that catch drug offender in the middle of the road? Or is it a show? When little india riot is in a mess and they cant even catch the culprit for unknown fires, when they say they got so much cctv to catch a 71 year old scribble on bus stop board.
I got personal experience for all this. And I can tell you Singapore nowadays dont take pride in their job compare to last time. Talk with old policeman before and they are so man. Nowadays police are like wimp. Why? Have you ever see a police man take out a baton outside a house when the door is lock? Who is he going to beat? And the best part is, it is domestic affair. Old policeman say they dont bother with domestic affair. even my uncle take knife and cut my dad, the policeman will ask my dad want to press charges. if no than forget it. And my mum is being lock up at police station for doing nothing. You think all this malaysian policeman will give a damn if you die. just like why dinesh will die in prison. yes, last time singapore also got malaysians, singaporeans, indian or whatsoever. but ppl last time who are less educated, know when to pull and release like fishing. you think people today or police or whatsoever know what to do in actual little india riot when they study so much until the brain like books?
so there is no fairness given to common people today. actually is not about fairness. it is how u do things. i am not very great. it is what i went thru in singapore. i haven reach the cpf stage to complain. if i reach that stage, than i will complain. by reading, i really dont feel the impact yet. so there isnt much to complain about cpf for my age.
but it dosent make any sense. when u buy a new hdb, u still got to check for defect. and the same defect, you need to repeat many times before they will change. than what is the point of hdb asking people to check, when a defect is not a defect. and we are not civil engineer or plumber or whatsoever. but it is common sense when tile are diff color, there is sharp ages, water pressure is diff from other unit, window got holes. and nowadays who will use windows that will rust? only hdb. u pay premium hdb for window material made of metal that will rust. well done or medium rare? u tell me.
govt always say we complain too much. if we cant complain, what is the point of employing people in REACH. dont waste money. how roy got sue? i dunno. hope roy can have daisy and rose too.
indeed. even we have drive and patriotic to bring about change like roy. we are being put down. and soon we will all become zombie singapore. where people are emotionless. and u die is ur problem.
want meet me for coffee red bean?
Networking is second to nepotism.
DeleteIf born in the right families, a moron will magically becomes a talent and elite.
than what is the point of religion. what is the point of donating. what is the point of msf? what is the point of everything?
ReplyDeleteWhen charity become commoner job. like mr lim who take in poor people. how much will it cost to built more rental housing. when we pay 300k for a 4 room. all those profit, not enough to built a few more rental housing? one floor 5 unit, 1.5 million. go mutilply.
if i got brain and character problem, and i cant get govt job. why do i need to go reservice than? if all your hr or psycho test is so efficient. why so many commoner is complaining about so many things. so many blogs still proven wrong?
wrong to be too honest and direct? than why need education?
Hi anon 12:55,
ReplyDeleteWhy not. I think I will be at Hong Lim on 23 Aug. We can always have a chat. And all here is welcomed to join, maybe for kopi. I buy.
You guys and gals have been nice to buy me virtual kopi, my turn to buy real kopi.
When the son took over the father empire, we all know the empire will not last. Thats written all over in the history.
ReplyDeleteIn other words, its not the brightest that will be made the next pm. Its about birthmarks.
ReplyDeleteEvery country starting late is overtaking us.
ReplyDeleteBut 60% of Sinkies still think that without LKY we would still be a fishing village.
Now, the truth is out. Our development was not unique and any country can emulate what Singapore has achieved, even without a LKY. Some even did better, like South Korea. Sinkies have all along been fed with the myth that only one man was able to chart our rapid progress from a mythical fishing village.
it really lky effort. not lky than who? can share? maybe i am not so knowledgeable.
ReplyDeleteand we will not crumple down.
investor not stupid. it already stable here.
we do not have natural disaster.
lky is another Chairman Mao; millions and millions of Chinese citizens died of starvation in his failed policy: "The Great Leap" yet they still worship him like GOD to-date. 历史回顾--从大跃进到大饥荒 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7u5vC0n1fSQ
ReplyDeleteComparing lky to Chairman Mao Zedong?
DeleteYou must be the GREATEST JOKER EVER IN HISTORY OR IN YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF HISTORY.
So it's official:
ReplyDeleteWithout PAP and LKY, Singapore would have been the #1 city in the world.
Just goes to show.
Singaporeans can never fly like eagles when we vote in turkeys to lead us.
RB, we are still the number one in one thing, and no other country can smell. We have the highest paid Prime Minister, President and Ministers. Ha ha, go eat your heart out, this is one thing nobody in the world can overtake this red dot
ReplyDeleteQ: What do you call a pig that wins the Singapore General Elections?
ReplyDeleteA: Filthy rich.
If you are going to be Number 1, 2 or 3 and can objectively prove -- with huge data sets of testable evidence -- that your methods not only work, but work splendidly and can be scaled up....then face the reality that people are going to copy you.
ReplyDeleteSingapore has been a trove of infrastructure, economic policy and civil service ideas for many cuntrees.
Eventually other cuntrees adopting Singapore-ideas will "surpass" Singapore, that's to be expected. So what? It is actually irrelevant, because it actually ENHANCES Singapore in many ways and aids GROWTH, not as RB so incorrectly suggests -- detracts or diminishes value in Singapore.
I don't need people like Kishore to tell me to not worry and be happy. To me, that comes naturally. "Worry" is completely unproductive and pointless -- mainly because it is passive. If you are "concerned" about something, you will DO (i.e.ACTION!) something and look after business.
"Happiness" is different for everyone. However to have expectations or to do stuff simply for "achieving happiness" is shallow and effects are short-term. (any Buddhist will affirm this)
If you are "happy" to begin with, any achievement after that is simply BONUS. Starting off "happy" also offers some protection when things go wrong -- which they will eventually. In every venture and in every enterprise, FAILURE is unavoidable and inevitable. If you are "happy", you will recover from failure much better.
Got Noble Eight Fold Path?
Noble Eight Fold Path ?
ReplyDeleteWhat is it? Sir.
Matilah just attended a course in Buddhism.
ReplyDeleteBuddhism does not aim to achieve happiness but equamnimity.
@ RB:
ReplyDelete>> Matilah just attended a course in Buddhism.
I didn't even know such course existed. However, I did spend a span of nearly 2 decades working in Thailand, so yes I have had contact with this ridiculous faith/ philosophy/ religion / action-borak nonsense. Although Buddhism is a crock of shit, amongst the world's religions, it is the most tolerable and occasionally makes some sense.
However, it is still, generally RUBBISH.
@ very certain, 100% correct Redbean:
>> Buddhism does not aim to achieve happiness but equamnimity.
Wah lau , che ba steady lah Zen Master BoHisShitva Guru Sensei Redbean. Such stunningly CERTAIN wisdom can only come form the consciousness of an ignorant shithead.
Namaste, aum shanti, shove a cock in the 布袋's mouth, then shove everything up yer arse, whence the Golden Lotus can explode and bring you Nivana!
Furthermore:
ReplyDeleteFrom spiritual conquistador redbean:
>> equamnimity.<
Please lah, you delude fool. Practically NO ONE (Not One, Nada, Zero, Zip, Boh Liau) uses that word in daily conversation.
The word "equamnimity" is reserved exclusively for use by so-called people who claim to be Buddhists to SHOW OFF THEIR MORAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL standards, tacitly saying :"Hey asshole, I am enlightened. You are shit".
You are so deluded you don't even stop to consider what the meanings and use of words are.
Ignorant ass.
Equanimity, a difficult word and more difficult to attain.
ReplyDelete无为也- simple words with profound meaning, however, not easy to put into practice.
You don't have to sign off as 'Ignorant ass'. That does not mean you are humble or full of humility. It only shows you are drunk or forgot to take your medicine again : )
ReplyDelete