Amos Yee – How sick can we be?

A 16 year old, I was bowled over by his articulation and command of the language, was arrested over a self produced YouTube clip ranting about LKY with a heavy dosage of vulgarities. With 15 police reports made against him, and for the subject of his video attack, somehow a police intervention was quite expected in this uptight little city that wanted to be known as a cosmopolitan city to stand side by side with New York or London and other famous western cities.
 
Is the arrest of Amos a case of maintaining law and order? Or is it a case of throwing the book at anyone when a police report is made? Is what this young man, or an adolescent, said that serious that it would cause rioting in the streets? There are many assholes in blogs that uttered even worst comments than this Amos kid. A flutter of a butterfly in the Pacific Ocean could cause a storm? Not every flutter will cause a storm, maybe one in a million.
 
Such a ranting is not uncommon in the internet or even in the kopitiams. So, are the police going to arrest everyone who committed this crime of ranting against somebody, against a religion, against the govt? My impression after viewing the video clip was nothing more than a young man letting go some steam maybe for some publicity. Period. It does not go any further to envisage what more harm it would bring to anyone, or to create a social and security problem. Sure some highly sensitive people would feel hurt or agitated. Remember the UOB Annual Dinner and Dance theme when some racist minded cried racism because some of the staff dressed in different ethnic gear. Would the police arrest them if there was a police report or several police reports made? If a society cannot live with such a video clip in the YouTube and demands action be taken in every such cases, I think the enforcing officer will not have time for anything else. Block the YouTube, lock down the internet. Close down all the kopitiams.
 
What kind of society do we want to live in? Do we want a society that is filled with paranoids, everyone rushing to the police station to make a police report when they feel hurt, their feather got ruffled and the police will jump to their becks and calls? And every ranting is a national security threat?
 
My recommendation. In addition to the Cardboard Police Division, have a Robocop unit to answer to such complaints and let the Robocop store it in their harddrive for perpetuity, to be forgotten. The Police are already short of manpower, let them do the important jobs than chasing after kids or whenever a highly sensitive asshole makes a report.
 
It is about time that the knuckle duster be put away for good, that our people, our children, should be treated as one of us, to be dealt with as people and not enemies of the state, to be whipped, to be put away for every little indiscretion or ranting? A 16 year old boy arrested because of a few expletives and someone’s feeling got hurt? Did anyone shout, ‘Horror, this boy is dangerous!’
 
On the other hand there was an adult who threatened to cut the boy’s prick was found to be safer and allowed to go scot free? Who is more dangerous? This adult is in the same mold as that Raymond who threatened bodily harm, and imagine that these characters are part of the power equation? This place is going to be a very dangerous place not because of boys like Amos Yee but with psychopaths behaving like above the law gangsters.
 
What do you think?

Singaporeans taught the foreigners a good lesson in social behavior

Last week as Singaporeans mourned the lost of LKY, hundreds of thousands were on the move to the many sites to pay their respects. The Padang in particular was where many congregated, forming long queues and waiting for hours, 8 to 10 hours, under the hot sun, in orderly manner, no rush, no impatience, and no litters. Yes no litters!
 
The behavior of Singaporeans was at their best in a difficult time, was exemplary, the foreigners have a lot to learn from us on how to keep a place clean after used. Now who is going to tell the foreigners that we are a very bad bunch in social etiquette, prone to disorderly behavior and littering everywhere? On record, there were no rowdy behavior, no rudeness, a lot of patience and good manners that in many places tempers would have flared. Singaporeans are a graceful and discipline lot.
 
Singaporeans have shown to the foreigners what good behavior meant, from the young children to the grandpas and grandmas, we were a very discipline people befitting of our good upbringings, our education system and our status as people from the first world.
 
No one should be allowed to go on spreading misleading myths about how bad Singaporeans are and putting the blame on Singaporeans for all the shit on the streets. Last week was an excellent example of what true blue Singaporeans were and they should be very proud of themselves for being Singaporeans.
 
Singaporeans must not allow silly people to slap them for the wrongs and misbehavior of foreigners.

How HFT Destroys Markets: 50 Pages Of Evidence

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 03/20/2015 20:09 -0400

Back in 2009, when aside from a few insiders, nobody had heard of HFT, Zero Hedge launched its crusade to expose the algorithmic scourge that has since then caused an equity, treasury and now US Dollar flash crash, and has been the subject of a Michael Lewis bestseller and resulted in countless market halts and failures.
 
More importantly, there is now roughly 50 pages of just bibliography citing the evidence-based, academic research that has shown just how pervasively, maliciously and premeditatedly HFTs manipulate, destabilize, impair and otherwise destroy every single market in which they participate, and what's worse: result in incremental costs to investors, debunking the biggest lie HFTs spread about themselves - that they, being the gregarious humanist vacuum tubes they are, make trading cheaper and more accessible for the small investor.
 
And the biggest paradox: despite all this proof - which we urge every readers to sent to their favorite SEC regulator - America's corrupt enforcers of securities laws continue to turn a blind eye to all the crime that takes place every single day. Why? Because they collect a portion of the proceeds, of course, and because they need a scapegoat to blame once the market crashes.
 
We are grateful to "R. T. Leuchtkafer" who put it all together.
 
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-03-20/how-hft-destroys-markets-50-pages-evidence
 
Above are all the evidence needed to kill of HFT but no, the corrupted powers in govt would not do so. The Congressmen and Senators would not do so as their pockets are lined by the HFT operators. They would find all the excuses and lie to keep the HFT operations going.
 
MAS and the MOF must look at the operations of HFT in our system and get rid of it quickly before it does more damage to the dying market. It is getting worse everyday.There is no time to wait.

Holocaust and 731

When Shinzo Abe posed in a fighter aircraft with the marking 731 boldly printed on its side, China and South Korea were furious. It was the most insulting and offensive that a rascal Japanese Prime Minister could do to insult its neighbours and as good as showing his middle finger to China and South Korea, and with a hidden message that he would do it again. The South Korean govt lambasted him as being vile. It was not provocative, it was outrageously provocative.
 
What Abe had done in 2013 was like a German Chancellor sitting in a German tank with the marking ‘Holocaust’ boldly printed on its side so that no one can miss what he is trying to say. And to add insult to injury, he put up his thumb to mean good and smiling like crazy.
 
What would the Jews feel if indeed a similar act is done and flashed across the media? This is how low Abe had gone and China must be ready to take on this beast and Japan. Abe and his Japan are preparing for a rerun of a 731 in China and Korea.
 
It is unforgiveable for this asshole to do that as a Prime Minister of a country. And they expect the Chinese and Koreans to take it lying down? There is nothing more provocative than this act, rubbing salt into an old wound. Let’s hope Abe has the gut to do another Marco Polo Incident in China. Oops, there is no such chance today. But he could try something similar in Diaoyu Island or the islands in the South China Sea and see what would happen to Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Nagoya, Kobe and all the major cities in Japan in the aftermath. And China could build a few 731 experimental stations to show the Japanese what 731 means to them.

Eulogy to Lee Kuan Yew He Finished Well

by MIKOspace

Today’s the Funeral of Lee Kuan Yew,

Founder and Father of Singapore

And all Singaporeans;

Rains pour from the skies from the early morn,

Restrained for the past 6 days when he passed;

Washing the streets ahead of his procession

From Parliament House passing City Hall

Along the Padang to Trade Union House,

Through Bukit Merah, Queenstown, Commonweath

Before reaching University Concert Centre at Kent Ridge.

Along the streets his beloved Singaporeans in millions await,

For whom he loves and gives his life, wisdom and all.

Tears and raindrops merged before they hit the ground,

Heaven and people combined in united grief.

Many reached out to see him for the very last time;

Few know him face-to-face, mostly at a distance,

Many have seen him, heard his speeches,

In every general election, most have voted for him,

To lead us, our children and theirs into a better tomorrow;

We have not been disappointed.

Fifty years ago, Lee Kuan Yew wept for Singapore

When tossed out like a pariah and garbage from Malaysia;

Today, Singapore weeps for Lee Kuan Yew  

For the Metropolis that he promised then to build;

A better place than the one we left,

More prosperous, harmonious, peaceful and safe;

A Garden City by the sea,

A Nation par excellence,

A People rugged and resilience,

To continue his nation building vision

For the future of the world, and

For our generations to come.

Much are written on how he began,

How he define my future and us all,

How he fought, persuade, lead and organise,

For us to become his vision made real; 

Around us his handprints and footprints

Leaves no doubt LKY’s the Architect and Builder,

A Servant Leader by any measure,

A mortal human being,

Extraordinary by exceptional degree.

Heaven’s rains and our tears mixed,

Surge forth like a tidal wave

United in joyful celebrations,

To carry his remains to eternity

And preserve his immortality among the Greats;

We can choose to feel abandoned

By the loss of LKY in our midst;

Or to grasp the inheritance he left for us,

To continue his work to our very end.

Singapore is LKY’s dedication;

We are his pre-occupation.

He took us on a path of no return,

Promising a journey demanding

And worth the effort;

He made my life his endgame,

And Singapore his life;

He set his sights on Singapore made exceptional,

To achieve the things that really matter,

That we make a difference to the world

To make a difference in my life.

At every stage of his life,

LKY put forth his best effort

To the very end of his life,

He fought a good fight for Singapore;

We should now show the same diligence

To the very end of our lives;

Be involved and help others positively,

Never leave the weak, poor and sick

And leaving no Singaporean behind;

Do them with his enthusiasm,

To finish well like him.

Read Full Posts:

Eulogy to MM LKY (with Pix)

Last Walk with MM LKY (with Pix)

Obituary 2015 – Lee Kuan Yew

LKY - A moment in history

As if he did not think the people know who he was, how powerful he was, he made the nation stood under heavy downpour for a solid one whole hour, to wait for him, even when he is dead. The area around the Padang was thronged with people to be with him on his last journey from this mortal world. The streets that his cortege would pass were lined with people to keep him company, to let him know he was not alone.

The man god of Singapore, where his name was not to be spoken freely, like YHWH, not to be spoken, was affectionately called LKY. And heaven opened up, wept for him with the people of a country he helped to found. They braved the tropical monsoon rain, all soaking wet, my two cameras ‘konked’ but not before taking a few shots for this post. I was prepared for shooting in the rain but not the kind of downpour this afternoon, as if by clockwork precision, on his command, it fell dogs and cats at 12 noon until his cortege went past City Hall, the very same spot he aroused a people to bring him into power for the last 50 years. He was the god of this island, have no doubt about this.

Singapore lost its most illustrious son, son, man or god, it is the holy trinity. The world lost an elder statesman they would miss for a long time to come. There would be no more Oracle to consult should any leader needs that badly needed words of wisdom. Yes, the Oracle is gone forever. But he would remain in the hearts of many Singaporeans. Today is history in the making, the final chapter of a man god who would not come again, maybe he would, if his words were to be believed.

Tomorrow Singaporeans would wake up in a Singapore without LKY.

The photos above were the last moments of this man god’s presence on this island, on earth. The photos were touched up to give a little brightness and colour. The originals were all dark and grey.  The sadness in the air was pervasive and a bit depressing. The people were there to witness this moment of a life time, to see the passing of an extraordinary man, a brief moment in history.

Captions of photos from top to bottom
1. Students and  spectators arriving at the Padang while the rain just started to fall
2. WW1 Cenotaph with umbrellas all up
3. City Hall and the former Supreme Court
4. Gunners preparing the gun in a flooded Padang
5. Water everywhere in the Padang while cortege passing in front of City Hall
6. Cortege passing St Andrew Catheral towards the Recreation Club
7. First salvo of the 21 gun salute
8. Spectators opposite the Durians
9. Spectators lining the whole of Benjamin Sheares Bridge

Thank you Mahathir

Mahathir is the political enemy that is worthy in character and tenacity, across the causeway, to take on LKY. There was no secret that the two did not see eye to eye in many things and often the enmity became quite personal. They were worthy of each other, both never gave an inch. They fought, they made up, and fought again. I must say Mahathir had many strings to pull to make life very difficult for LKY at times. But the master eventually triumphed and brushed aside whatever obstacles that were placed in his way and made Mahathir to raise his hands in frustration. The water threat, the crooked causeway, the Malayan Railway land, to name a few.

Mahathir made two important points in his tribute to LKY in his blog. In the first he unravelled and confirmed a controversial fact during the troubled times when Singapore was in Malaysia. The cause of the racial riots in Singapore was never admitted officially and both pointed the fingers at the other. And this is what Mahathir has written.    

‘I first met Kuan Yew when I was a member of Parliament in 1964 after Singapore joined Malaysia in 1963. We crossed swords many time during the debates. But there was no enmity, only differences in our views of what was good for the newborn nation. He included me among the ultra Malays who was responsible for the racial riots in Singapore. Actually I never went to Singapore to stir up trouble. Somebody else whom I would not name did.’

The last sentence should settle the issue once for all. His second point is about the value of independence. The founding fathers fought hard for the independence from colonial rule, to become independent countries, to rule ourselves for the good of our own people, not for the colonial masters or for foreigners. This is what Mahathir wrote.

‘Now Kuan Yew is no more. His passage marks the end of the period when those who fought for independence lead their countries and knew the value of independence.’

The value of independence must not be taken lightly. Singapore’s historical record is there to warn the people not to take our independence for granted. It was under the British Empire, then conquered by the Japanese, voluntarily joined Malaysia only to find the marriage painful to bear. We are now independent, masters of our own destiny. Would we lose it again, by our own stupidity or negligence, to be ruled by foreigners from other land? Would the people become subjects all over again or be forced to leave this island inherited from their forefathers who fought hard for it?

Thank you Mahathir, for the timely and rude reminder. We need it before some fools give this island away one day, on a silver platter.

The awakening of the discriminating Singaporeans

Over the last few days we have witnessed the awakening of a new Singaporean, thinking, discriminating and appreciating the good works done by the government. They knew who was the architects and movers behind the good life that Singaporeans are enjoying today. They are anything but daft. And they are grateful and respectful to the man that made it happened.

The people are marching with their feet to show their approval and gratitude to the last and most formidable founding fathers of modern Singapore. From the young to the old, parents retelling the successful stories of Singapore’s tranformation and their admiration of LKY for being there to make it happen, with his able peers.

Do not be mistaken by this spontaneous rise of a people that are not known to show their emotions openly, apolitical and apathetic. They are not. Count on them when they are needed. They may not say much, not express much, they may not march on the streets, but they know what is happening and what is going on. They give credit when credit is due.

They will not be cheated or shortchanged. Since the days of Hougang, Aljunied and Punggol East, the Singaporeans have clearly shown a very astute level of political awareness. The glimpses of this awareness are encouraging and will do well to a people and country as we move forward. They will not blindly follow or believe, or be misled by the pretender pied pipers. They will only follow the true leaders that have their interests at heart and will deliver to them what they want, not what they do not want.

Telling lies to them would not do. They think and they will decide for their own good and their own future. They will line the streets tomorrow to say farewell to the last hero of yesteryears. It will be a scene that may not be repeated for a long time to come.

LKY – Dancing on the world stage

The world was his stage. He was one of the key actors playing his part brilliantly and at times to eclipse the roles of many big players. In a way he usurped the roles of other bigger players and claimed the stage as his own when others faltered or could not continue to stay on and were replaced. His endurance made him a permanent cast to provide the continuity in an unending play. He was there when new players were introduced into the stage to show them the rope, how to play their roles without tripping on stage.

At home he had a smaller stage, in fact too small for him that there was no room for anyone else except himself. The years of honing his skills pushed him to eminence as the undisputed master in the trade, both at home and in the world.  Now the master is gone. The students have learnt, but not too well. Oops, some thought they have learnt enough to be able to carry the candle and pass it on. None of the students are in his class, to level up with him, but could be masters in their own right, in the smaller stage back home.

LKY is the equivalent of Huang Fei Hong, and his disciples will remain his disciples, with none able to achieve and attain his level of skills to play at the highest level of the game.

The students will play their parts but would not excel to propel them to the international stage like the master, not at the moment. Perhaps some might hone their skills to keep the flame burning and find their place in the international stage as a major player, perhaps. Perhaps left on their own, they would grow and fight their way onto the world stage. They would have to prove their worth to be there, no one will be there to offer them a place on stage. They must earn it.

What is worrying is that the smaller stage, the home stage maybe too small for the students but not in the same way it was too small for LKY. In their blinded ignorance or arrogance, they brought in bigger players to play in the small stage with a false sense of security. Little did they realize that when the master was around, no outsiders would dare to usurp their role to upstage the disciples. The master was still keeping a keen eye on the stage. Now master is no more.

Would the students be able to hold on to their prominent role in the home stage? Or would they be ousted from the stage by the bigger and more ruthless players from afar, without the protection and watchful eyes of the master? The students have a small stage to play on. Would the stage be too small that there would be no standing ground for them to stand on?

The students have learnt, or may have learnt, but may not have mastered much of the master’s prowess and shrewdness to stay on the stage. It looked easy when the master was around. It even looked easy to be calafare on the international stage, as stand ins or guest stars. Minus the master’s overwhelming presence and aura, the big stage would be too crowded for them. Hopefully they can keep on dancing on the small stage and not be taken away from them. Dancing on the small stage can also prove perilous to the naïve, innocence and daft.

Would they lose the stage? Would they lose their pants? Forget about dancing on the world stage when the master is gone.

LKY – A time for celebration, a happy funeral, a 喜丧

喜丧 pronounced as xi sang, I hope the Chinese character is the right one, is an expression used for someone who has lived a good life and departed at a ripe old age. To qualify, I think the deceased must be past 80 while some would accept 70. The other conditions are a good life, a big family with children and grandchildren and a lot of wealth, fame and fortune, the more the merrier.
 
According the Chinese custom, a 喜丧 or ‘happy funeral’, is a combination of happy and sad emotions but more of the former, happy that the person had lived well and to a ripe old age and died peacefully and naturally. The sadness comes from the separation or departure of the loved one and not be able to have the person around to continue to enjoy the blessings.
 
The processes of a ‘happy funeral’ are a reversal of the normal funeral processes that are all about pains, griefs, despair and sadness, all drapes, sack clothes, white and black and crying. A ‘happy funeral’ is about celebration, celebrating the deceased’s good life. Red is the colour for the occasion, not black. Joss sticks are red as well, not the colour of green. Entertainments are provided in the form of opera or in today’s version, stage show or ge tai, 歌台, to entertain the deceased and the living. There will be joy and feastings as well, firecrackers too I think.
 
I am a bit disturbed by all the grievings and the calls for dressing in the usual mourning black and all the expression of misery. Yes there will be some sadness. In this case, how many people can live the life that LKY has lived and to depart so peacefully, with a big family of children and grandchildren, with a big fortune, jiat buay liao, with the citizens and statesmen of the world saying all the kind words about him?
 
LKY has live exceptionally well and it is time to call for a celebration for ‘What a life!’ he was blessed with. This is a ‘happy funeral’, a 喜丧. Don’t have to make it a sad occasion. Cut off the solemn music and the look like it is the end of the world. Put on some cheerful tunes and put on the smile. You can’t be mourning and grieving about a life well lived and a life well spent!
 
‘He is an extraordinary man, lived through an extraordinary time, and did some extraordinary things. ‘ Redbean

My Last Mile with MM Lee Kuan Yew

Walking Through History

by MIKOspace

On yet another hot Spring Wednesday, the skies waver between gloom and shine midweek in the time of national mourning

over the passing of our beloved MM Lee, Founder of Singapore and Father of all Singaporeans.

For none desiring him to go so soon before their children and grandchildren could know the Man without whom, there is no modern Singapore as the World knew us.  I did not know that I would be walking through History as I join the queue to pay my last respect to MM Lee Kuan Yew as he lays in state at Parliament House.

My Q position was only 3km long from the House and the journey took almost 6 hours.

The Q snakes along both banks of the Singapore River from South Bridge Road through Clarke Quay along UOB Plaza through Battery Road, to swing around Standard Chartered Building and MayBank, passing by Bank of China whose staff passed out bottled water, before crossing Cavenagh Bridge at One Fullerton arriving at the Asian Civilisation Museum next to Parliament House.

Along Clarke Quay, I looked out at the Singapore River; saw flashes of the tongkangs and bumboats that once dominated the River so central to our economic survival those early days.  They are gone now.  Looking ahead beyond Cavenagh Bridge, the skyline of Opera House and Marina South loomed, flanked by One Fullerton, formerly the General Post Office; the old and new have co-existed as Singapore developed from 3^rd World to 1^st in just 40 years led by MM Lee Kuan Yew.

He promised in 1965: “I will make this a Metropolis in 10 years!”.

He delivered as he always does in whatever he promises.

As the Q moves at a snail pace, at times only 15 meters in an hour, I could only begin to grasp the true meaning of the moment; for just a stone’s throw away, the Stock Exchange and Banking Sector continue their hustling and bustling wheeling and dealings

amidst other commercial and trading activities, seemingly oblivious of the solemn ceremony taking place; Singapore as a global financial hub continues in vibrancy unabated with the heartbeats of the Man whose own heart has ceased; for as he laid in state, MM Lee’s energy and vitality continue in the daily life of Singapore. The Man has not just given his life and all to Singaporeans; MM Lee has in fact interred in the Singaporean soul the embodiment of his spirit, dreams and aspirations of an exceptional Singapore nation in the global community, of a free, prosperous, racially harmonious, sovereign nation deserving of respect, admiration and friendship by all.

And after nearly 6 hours, I arrived; to walk past his body with a momentary pause of respect and remembering our first meeting in 1983; this last mile’s walk with him will always be cherished. Even in death, he has reminded me and all Singaporeans, Singapore in not easy; it takes hard work, dedication, vision, perseverance, resilience and Leadership.  And so he left as he has lived, not a monument to his name nor his image on any ornaments, with just the grateful hearts of millions of Singaporeans privileged and honoured to know and have him for many seasons of his life.

“Goodbye, my Leader, Mentor, Brother and Friend”.

I could still sense his heartbeats continued strong as he laid resting at last; his work unfinished but for us to build upon by remembering his pillar legacies based on social peace with justice, regardless of race, language or religion, on this tiny sunny island by the sea.

Read Full Posts:

Last Walk with MM LKY (with Pix)

Obituary 2015 – Lee Kuan Yew

Lee Kuan Yew - People queuing to pay last respect

I made a trip down to the Padang and Parliament House to take some photos on the people turning up to pay their last respect to LKY.

The photos run in sequence from the top to the bottom with people arriving and moving into the holding area at the Padang. The Padang was dotted with army tents to provide some cover from the sweltering heat while the queue zigzaged from one side of the field towards the Esplanade. After crossing the road they moved towards Victoria Concert Hall, going through the underpass beneath St Andrew Road to emerge in front of the Asian Civilisation Heritage Centre. From there they walked along the Singapore River towards the new Parliament House.

Another queue in front of the City Hall/Supreme Court was formed for the seniors and children for a shorter route to the Parliament House.

Donation for Mysingaporenews Collection book

Hi, 5 more days to my crowdfunding for Mysingaporenews Collection Book.
Still need more orders or donations for those who wanted to help. I havc placed a paypal facility on the top left corner of this blog for this purpose after receiving comments that some prefer to use paypal.

Instructions

After hitting the paypal 'Buy Now' button, for Description just type 'Book'
As for Item, just key in amount eg 100 for $100 and hit update.
Then continue with the particulars of donors on the right side of same page.

Many thanks.

Redbean

Jokowi got fixed by Japan

In his official trip to Asia’s two biggest economic power, Japan was his stop to be followed by China to end his trip. In his first day in Japan, the Japanese paper flashed his remark that China’s claim in the South China Sea based on the 9 dashes has no legal basis in international law. This put him in an awkward situation when he next visits China to meet its leaders. Jokowi is now seen as taking the side of Japan and opposing China’s claim.
 
Jokowi has come to clarify his position today, claiming that Indonesia is a neutral party and would not take sides. His comment was only referring to the 9 dashes but not China’s claim as a whole. China has been diplomatically quiet about his comment and not wanting to say things in view of his scheduled official visit. The issue would definitely be top of the agenda when he is in Beijing.
 
The purpose of Jokowi’s visits to the two countries is to seek more economic cooperation and participation of the two countries in Indonesia’s big economic plan. The funding and know how of the two countries are greatly sought after by Indonesia. Did Japan corner him to make his anti China comment in return for Japanese investment in Indonesia? And how would this affect China’s position and how much would China put in eventually towards the infrastructure development of Indonesia would be telling.
 
Jokowi would have a tough time explaining his position that the Japanese have deliberately flashed in their media. He would still be warmly received in Beijing as Indonesia is still a very important partner to China in the region. There could or may not be any impact with respect to how much China would be willing to invest in Indonesia and if the assessment is a not too friendly Indonesia, there would definitely be a toning down on the final bundle.
 
How much would Jokowi get from Japan and China would be interesting to watch. Let’s hope Japan would not make another announcement that Indonesia has signed a defence pact with Japan. That would seal the fate with China and scuttle a lot of projects in the pipeline…and a wasted trip.

Lee Kuan Yew – Asian of the Year

I must admit that I was taken by surprise to see the massive queues of Singaporeans lining up to show their last respect to LKY. I am surprise not just by the numbers but the genuine spontaneous turnout not of the Ah Mah and the Ah Pek types that many would quickly jump to conclusion that they were there because of the chicken rice and the free transportation. The crowd were mostly from the young and rebellious group that would likely to vote against the PAP in view of their youthful angst against authority. They came in droves and droves to wait for 4 to 8 hours, braving the tropical heat of the day and the still of the night, to bow to the LKY resting in state in Parliament House. They have forgone their good times in the pubs or in their favourite haunts in Orchard Road to be there just to catch a glimpse of the man that made their lives better, the true beneficiaries of Singapore’s progress and prosperity, a generation that has not seen hardship and poverty except in some individual cases.

Since no organisation thinks it appropriate to do so, Mysingaporenews will, in all its audacity, confer its own version of the Asian of the Year Award to Lee Kuan Yew posthumously. I should have given him the Award earlier but thinking that he would have lived for many more years and would be getting the Award from the Straits Times in due course. So I withheld this self arrogated initiative till now. If I can remember, one of the main criteria for such an award is for a leader to have met many many leaders of the world.

On this point alone, LKY was at least 4 times over qualified and beat anyone hands down. He met all the heads of govts of the world more than 4 times over during his 50 years in politics. From China he met Mao Zetung, Zhao Ziyang, Li Peng, Hua Guofeng, Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin, Hu Jingtao and the current Xi Jinping. From India, he met Nehru, Rao, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Manmohan Singh, not sure if he had met the ST Asian of the Year Modi. In the USA he had met Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, the two Bushes, Clinton, and Obama. From Britain there were Wilson, Callaghan, Heath, Thatcher, Major, Brown, Blair, Cameron, and probably a few ancient PMs.

Who can beat this kind of record? Of course in Malaysia he had met them all from Tengku to Najib. But the honour of being Asian of the Year is more than just meeting other heads of states. Not many PMs or Presidents had done and achieved as much as he had with his long tenure in office. This is a record that is not going to be broken for a long time to come.

Perhaps ST should come out with a more honourable award like Asian of the Century that would be more befitting to this man. It was a pity that the ST did not give him the Award as the Asian of the Year when he was still around. He missed the Nobel Peace Prize as well to complete his collections.

This unquestionable Asian of the Year is now RIP in Parliament House to receive the respectful bows of a people that are not ungrateful to appreciate what he had done for them and their country. Singapore is unlikely to produce another son on par with the likes of LKY in the next 50 years or 100 years.

Who is the real Shinzo Abe?

Tokyo Subway Gassing Was Abe’s First Strike

By Yoichi Shimatsu
3-19-15

This essay by the former general editor of The Japan Times Weekly, is the first in a retrospective series of articles on the Tokyo Subway Gassing issued on the 20th anniversary of that precedent-setting attack.
 
Within three hours of the Tokyo subway gassing that felled 20,000 commuters, our reporting team realized that the government was manipulating and censoring the news media to divert public attention from state sponsorship for terrorist cells planted inside the Aum Shinrikyo cult. In open challenge to censorship and disinformation, our investigative journalists, in tandem with Japanese-language Takarajima 30 (Treasure Island) magazine, exposed the key political heavyweights who had financed and directed secret agents inside the neo-Buddhist sect. The aim of Aum’s sponsors was to obtain nerve gas, nuclear warheads and ballistic missiles from post-Soviet Russia and Ukraine in order to stock Japan’s clandestine arsenal of weapons of mass destruction.
Working with the only two news outlets willing to print leaks from honest but disgruntled police detectives and government officials, our editors recognized that the subway gassing was not just a crazed plot to trigger a global Armaggedon, a factually unfounded theme repeatedly cited by the collaborationist media. The untold story is that the subway attack was part of a larger coup attempt by the neo-militarist faction inside the powerful coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Clean Government Party (Komeito). The paralysis of the nation’s capital was a preliminary step toward isolating and eliminating those respected personages who defend the antiwar Constitution.
 
The retrogressive coup failed for several reasons. First, on the week after the gassing, an assassination attempt against National Police chief Takaji Kunimatsu was foiled by his nearly miraculous recovery from four gunshot wounds. His survival rallied those constitutionalists opposed to the shadowy alliance of neo-militarist politicians, yakuza, defense corporations and the nuclear industry. Second, our tiny remnant of the free press was able to sustain public discussion as well as discredit politicians who sponsored terrorist elements inside Aum Shinrikyo.
 
Unflinching truth in reporting reversed the pendulum of political opinion against the coup leaders. A few big fish like Liberal Democrat spymaster Toshio Yamaguchi were exposed, removed from office and imprisoned for their role in creating Aum. Other guilty parties got away amid the confusion that gripped the capital. Among those escapees was a WMD specialist named Shinzo Abe, who had acted as mentor of arms dealer Kiyohide Hayakawa and Aum’s “science minister” Hideo Murai….

 

The full report can be viewed at http://rense.com/general96/tokyosub.html. This would give the background to what Shinzo Abe has been doing and explain his aggressive and militant policies that could lead to a war with China. The Japanese themselves are wary of his intention and where he is leading Japan forward, to a war of mutual destruction with China. Abe apparently is the connect between his father and the inhuman chemical and biological Unit 731 of World War II and the hawkish govt of today’s Japan. His proud appearance in a photograph in front of a fighter aircraft with the marking 731 is no coincidence. He knew what it meant and is telling the world what he is up to.
Shinzo Abe is a very dangerous man.

Remembering LKY – No smoking

One of his legacies must be the No Smoking campaign and the banning of smoking in cinemas, restaurants and public spaces. And of course there was no smoking in the airlines too. In those days one would smell so foul after watching a movie or having a meal in restaurant that scrubbing for an hour in the bathroom would not help much. And there would be the unsightly and smelly ashtrays on the dining tables with all the cigarette butts to share with the diners. Arrrghhh!
 
I was in a trip home in SQ. The whole cabin was filled with smelly cigarette smokes like someone had thrown in a smoke grenade. The two assholes sitting beside me were puffing non stop like they were just released from hell. I had to vacate my seat and, as there were no other seats available, I had to seek refuge standing at the back of the aircraft next to the toilet. It did not help much as the whole aircraft was in smoke except that is was less awful than sitting beside two smelly chimneys trying to outdo each other with how much smoke each could produced. Remember those hazy days?
 
No one would have the guts to ban smoking in public places when many smokers were in positions of power. My last battle was against the Kent Ridge NUSS Guild House several decades back. The committee members were, as usual, mostly smokers and drinkers. And you know what, the main reception hall, a public area when all visitors and children were usually found, aircon and yes, a smoking area. When I protested, I was told to sit outside in the open air, for non smokers. Can you beat that!
I wrote to the ministry to complain. Only then, subsequently, that the committee reversed the decision and the main reception hall was snuffed out. Smokers go outside please. That was 25 years ago.
 
Only LKY could be tough enough to do away with this dirty and smelly habit and to offend all the die hard smokers. Even Rajaratnam, a chain smoker, had no choice, cannot smoke in Parliament, not when LKY is around. Today, all aircon rooms and offices, public areas, shopping centres, restaurants and cinemas, are no smoking areas. Open air food courts and hawker stalls too are non smoking areas except some designated zones.
 
You have only one man to thank for, to make it all possible, for a healthy and clean environment. One no longer smells after seeing a show or after having a meal. Today we take this for granted, unthinkable. It is unbelieveable that non smokers had to tolerate the abuses of the smokers, forced to inhale and to smell. Airlines no longer need to provide ashtrays, buses no longer have ashtrays, public toilets no longer littered with cigarettes except some dirty joints. You don’t have to watch a football match clouded by cigarette smokes.
 
Sorry smokers. Only non smokers could appreciate what No Smoking means to their lives. To the smokers, cigarette smell and smoke are ecstasies and they will pay an arm or a leg for them. Smokers would not understand the agonizing moments that the non smokers would have to bear with. I hope it stays this way until a chain smoking dictator comes along to change everything back to the 60s and 70s, and to make everyone smell like him and share his nicotine and second hand tobacco smokes.
 
Try imagining smokers smoking in the trains, buses and taxis today! It was the old normal.
 
PS. The banning of smoking is well received by the people. And there was no complaint. Nice.

George Yeo remembers LKY

There was an interview with George Yeo on CNA yesterday evening on his personal encounters with LKY. There was one particular point that stood out glaringly in a tussle of opinions and interpretation on investment in India. LKY was not in favour, skeptical given the difficulties in that large subcontinent. George was always the optimist, sharing his positive impressions of how great India was as an investment opportunity. And in many occasions LKY dismissed his views and maintained his negative outlook of India.
George claimed that LKY seemed to have been convinced by his feedback and relented, changing some of his reservations about investing in India. That could be the reason why the CECA was signed. The CECA must be George’s and Chok Tong’s pet project as both were deeply involved in the initiative to invest in India in a big way.
 
Did LKY changed his view of India or did George manage to change his view? Read this interview with CNA,
 
‘I remember leading a delegation to India in early 1993. We spent two weeks in India and when we came back the report to the Cabinet was a relatively upbeat one. He was profoundly skeptical. And never failed, afterwards, to send me articles which expressed skepticism about India’s development.
 
But every time I visited India and reported what I saw to him, he listened. So while he had a view his mind was not closed. And gradually I saw how his position shifted, not wildly, and in many cases., he was proven right. Two years later when it was clear that Singapore was making progress in India he said to me over lunch, he said be prepared for a change of government. And a year later he was proven right, even though when he mentioned it to me, it did not seem likely.’
 
Was LKY’s position or skeptism changed? ‘I saw his position shifted, not wildly... Two years later when it was clear that Singapore was making progress in India he said to me over lunch, he said be prepared for a change of government. And a year later he was proven right.’ What has this to do with his skeptism of India’s development?
 
Did LKY give his blessing to the signing of the CECA. Until his departure, LKY had never mentioned a word about investing in India and neither had he said a word about the CECA.
 
The divergence of views of the two men was wide and whether the gulf was narrowed has not been confirmed except for what George has said. My view is that LKY has not changed his view on India and it was left to Hsien Loong and his cabinet to decide as by then he was taking a back seat.
 
History will prove if this CECA is a good and wise decision or a daft one. Would CECA benefit Singapore in the long run or lead to more problems for govt and people to handle? It was a very big and serious decision and the consequences would impact every Singaporean for good or for bad.

Remembering Lee Kuan Yew

Channel News Asia ran a full day programme on LKY and many people related many encounters with him to show the different aspects of him as a leader and as a man. Under his watch, it was all about Singaporeans, jobs for Singaporeans, homes for Singaporeans. He was obsessed with creating not just jobs, but good jobs, and not just homes but good homes for Singaporeans. There are still many good jobs being created today, and many good homes built. Somehow they are not going to Singaporeans but foreigners, especially those CEO positions. Whenever one is vacant, the joker’s first response was to look around the world for a foreigner. And many good homes are now the homes of foreigners, practically whole condo or development could be bought over and occupied by foreigners and become foreign enclaves. You would not believe you are in Singapore when you stepped into them.

Briefly I saw this clip on TV about LKY saying that he expected every button that he pushed to work. And if any button did not work, then someone would be in serious trouble or would lose his job. That was the kind of demanding and high standards he set for the whole govt. He did not go around saying he was unhappy about jobs badly done and hoped that they would improve or be done better. Wimps would say such things. Can’t imagine what he would do if he is still in the seat and seeing the deplorable state of the mrt. Just cannot imagine.

What kind of standard are we setting today? Or was there any standard expected? I remember those days in Mindef. LKY was one of the consumers of our reports, in fact the most important consumer. And our reports going out to the cabinet, with him on top of the list, must be as perfect as they could be. No mistakes, not even a missing comma or a full stop. Don’t ever dare to put out any report with typo or factual errors. It was unforgiveable. That was the kind of professionalism expected and that was the standard kept, to please him.

There was one of those days, our reports, after being vetted and vetted and cleared for print and delivery, were on their way to the cabinet ministers. The phone rang and an anxious voice came over. ‘Stop the report, there was a comma missing!’ His voice was shaking. Too late, the reports would have reached the ministries by then, and the Istana as well, and could be on the desk of the ministers and the desk of LKY. All the staff was ordered to call the minister’s PAs to intercept the report. A few minutes went past and several frantic calls made in quick succession.

Phew, we made it. The reports were stopped at the PAs and the drivers were despatched with a new set of reports, error amended, and to retrieve the earlier reports on the way. It might seem obsessive, but it was a very high standard demanded and to be maintained at all times with no compromise. Not only LKY was reading it, Goh Keng Swee too would not tolerate sloppiness. Everyone lived up to that kind of task masters. He demanded perfection, we delivered perfection. 

That was my close encounter with the man, and my fingers could have been burnt. There were many trips to the Istana and every time a tense moment, making sure every small detail was in order. Fortunately nothing untoward happened during my watch.

What is happening today is unbelieveable. Everything is like a friendly game with little or no consequence. Mistake, never mind, try to do it better the second time, or the third time or the fourth time. Making mistakes is human for human. Not then, when human are expected to be perfect human or inhuman. There was no room for error dealing with this man if you want to keep your job.

It is happy times today, happy hours all round. A new normal has taken over. Maybe that is the reason why foreigners are needed to do a better job when Singaporeans no longer able to.