Malaysia becoming more like Singapore, the next incorruptible country

Singapore has the reputation of being the least corrupt country in Asia. Thanks to an incorruptible govt and an incorruptible culture. After visiting Singapore so many times and so many exchanges and retreats with Singapore govt officials, something good must have rubbed on to the Malaysians. They are becoming incorruptible, especially the ruling govt.

So far no govt official has been arrested for corruption, not from the ruling party definitely. The only people that are corrupt are likely from the opposition parties and their members. The Chief Minister of Penang, Lim Guan Eng, has just been arrested for corruption.

This is how serious Malaysia is about stamping out the scourge of corruption in the country. And they have set a very good example with the ruling party members all being incorruptible. And they will not be kind to the opposition parties or anyone that is corrupt.

Malaysia is becoming another shining example of a country that is free of corruption and very firm against anyone that is corrupt, regardless of race or position. Now Asean countries have two shining examples to emulate, Singapore and Malaysia, the two most incorruptible countries in Asean and Asia.

Najib is setting a fine example of honesty and incorruptibility.

South China Sea turning into another Indonesian wayang kulit

The South China Sea islands have been claimed by China for centuries and have never been an issue with the new countries in Asean for three main reasons. Historically, they were claimed by China and there were no Asean countries to talk about or to contest them. The new countries only came into existence after the end of WW2. They were non countries before that. And thirdly, the Americans came into the picture to agitate and support the new countries to claim the islands longed claimed by China.

What is the issue? It is not China claiming any part of the territory or sea belong to the new countries. It is the new countries wanting to claim islands belonging to China. But the western media gave it a wicked twist, that it was China claiming islands belonging to the new countries.

And the Philippines, with the support of the Americans and engineering a silly international court to hear a case that they have no jurisdiction to hear, put up a claim to this court without the consent of China as the other party for arbitration. It is a cooked deal from the start when an arbitration needs to have the consent of both parties but being heard in a farcical court with only one party presenting its case and the other party not present.  What a sham!

Many countries have border issues created during the era of imperialism and colonialism but are peacefully talking and negotiating the difference. Here we have the western media hyping up such border disputes and with the Americans agitating and provoking one or two spurious claimants to push the barrier to the verge of a military conflict and blaming China for it. There was no issue but made an issue by the American and western media.

Now another article by Reuter in the Today paper on 29 Jun framed the posturing by the Indonesian into another wayang kulit. It suggested that Indonesia was facing claims by China, threats by China, confrontation in the sea, clashes etc etc, all very serious stuff and Indonesia is bolstering up its defence and increasing its defence budget to protect its territorial waters.

What is the truth? Indonesia under attack by China?

Indonesian navy in clashes with Chinese navy? Indonesian confronting Chinese navy, in face off? China claiming Indonesian territories, claiming Natuna Islands? Far from it.

The whole farce was kicked up with Indonesian Navy chasing Chinese fishing boats, arresting Chinese fishermen and firing at Chinese fishing boats in disputed territories.  It was Indonesian Navy threatening and harassing Chinese fishing boats. Chinese Coast Guard Vessels did not confront or challenge the Indonesian Navy. If they did, they would have sunk the tiny Indonesian frigates. The Chinese Coast Guard vessels are much bigger and much well equipped to take on the Indonesian frigates.

Now who is threatening who?  Everything was hyped by the Indonesians with their Navy doing all the confronting and chasing against fishing boats! Yes, unarmed Chinese fishing boats that ran when confronted by the armed Indonesian frigates.  Whose is being feared and who is the bully and gangster?  Indonesian Navy being threatened by Chinese fishing boats or behaving like gangsters and pirates harassing Chinese fishing boats?

What is the truth? And the Indonesian wayang kulit went further to state that the Indonesian President had to make a visit to the Natuna Islands to make sure they are still there. They need to reinforce the islands with more military hardware!

Is China claiming the Natunas? If China would to do so, imagine what the Americans and the western media would say and how Asean would react? When Vietnam was threatening to run all over Asean, they were shivering in their pants and it was China that came in to stop Vietnam from running all over Asean. Today they are taunting China as if China is hapless against these little street urchins, and crying wolf.

What is the truth? Who is the aggressor, who is the bully, who is the gangster? The new Asean countries have been grabbing Chinese islands and accusing China of being the aggressor with the connivance of the Americans and western media.

Can you beat that?

Post-Brexit UK – A New Dawn for ASEAN

The political and economic fundamentals of the United Kingdom (UK) remain very strong even as madness and mayhem descend upon global financial markets after the Brexit voted 52%-48% in favour of the UK leaving the European Union (EU) in 2 years time.

Global financial markets protested as they are unable to grasp the inevitability of the emergence of an unfamiliar new world order having a independent, politically and economically strong UK unhinged from the EU. That the UK has never been truly and fully an integrated part of the EU seem to be lost on the major market players as they allow their fears and ignorance to fuel massive sell-down of stocks regardless of their materiality and relevance to UK and/or EU economies. 

The UK economy is 4% of the world’s GDP; and at nearly US$3 Trillion is the 9^th largest in the world and the 2^nd largest in the EU.  With a reducing national budget deficit, the UK has been the fastest growing among the developed nations, being the 9^th largest exporter and the 5^th largest importer with the world, including the EU. 

In terms of foreign direct investments (FDI), the UK has the 3^rd largest stock (behind USA and China) of inward FDI worth US$1.7 Trillion as well as the 2^nd largest stock of outward FDI, of which a significant 28% (about US$35Billion) flows into the EU.   

The grandiose EU dream has become nightmarish over the years. The peace and prosperity envisioned at its creation are mired in despair, unemployment, debts and fiscal disarray.   EU’s share of the world GDP has fallen in the past 40 years from 37% in 1973 to less than 23% today, and still declining.  EU unemployment remains high when compared with UK’s 7.5%, with countries like Spain at 23% and Greece above 25%.  The relentless economic EU economic and political crisis has no solution because it is grounded in the very conceptual nature of a “United European” notion that forces a group of 28 nations with very disparate economies and fiscal discipline, resulting thereby in endemic economic paralysis and stunted development.

Post-Brexit UK is finally freed of EU ideological, economic and political shackles to pursue her own destiny and dreams. Brexit opens up tremendous opportunities for the UK to expand its own trade with current trading partners like ASEAN, Commonwealth, Africa and the USA.  And to create alliances with other trading blocs eg the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) around the Pacific Rim, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the emergent ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) without having to obtain EU approval.

ASEAN is an economic community of 10 South-East Asian nations with a combined GDP of US$2.4 Trillion and 630 million people.  For ASEAN, the UK is a main export and FDI destination in Europe.  ASEAN also receive significant FDI from the UK. The UK-ASEAN relationship can be expected to deepen and expand in volume and financially post-Brexit. 

As a start, a UK-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (UKAFTA) would make logical sense and easiest to model after the proposed EU-ASEAN FTA currently under negotiation.  Alternatively, individual ASEAN nations could fashion their own respective FTA with the UK, using the 2015 EU-Singapore FTA (EUSFTA) as a template model.  Individual UK-ASEAN Member FTAs would not jeopardize the eventual conclusion of a EU-ASEAN FTA.  There are multi-billion dollar infrastructural projects in ASEAN awaiting FDI and investments from the UK, EU and the rest of the world.

Post-Brexit UK is a strong competitor of the EU and other developed nations in the global FDI and trade space.  ASEAN sits at the heart of two high-profile mega-FTAs: the TPP and the RCEP between ASEAN and its six FTA partners, including China, Japan and India. These two giant trade initiatives will inevitably draw ever more economic activities and FDI to the region and away from the transatlantic trading area, to the detriment of the EU.

The continuing turmoil in the financial markets post-Brexit ignore the solid inherent strengths of the UK economiy and her financial institutions.  Her political stability is not weakened by the Brexit vote, but is instead strengthened by the boldness and courage of her political leaders from all political persuasions to trust in the judgment of the UK people.  The doomsayers and gloomy outlooks for post-Brexit UK have no objective basis and are grounded in their fears of the unknown dynamics of a EU with the UK. 

The UK is also the peer leader of the Commonwealth, a huge loosely-organised bloc of 53 countries with a combined GDP of over US$9 Trillion.

And when the economic radarscope of the UK scans more wider globally, the Commonwealth and ASEAN will become her new prosperity platforms as the UK re-kindles old legacy relations in the dawn of a new global order now unfolding and unpacking before us in an uncharacteristic and certain manner.     

Michael Heng aka Mikros

Related:

Whither the Gloom and Doom for UK?

Post-BREXIT UK – Dawn of a New Global Order

How stupid has Singapore become?

Just read this, two opening paragraph from a post by a blogger called, ‘silence is NOT golden’  in TRE title ‘Call me xenophobic, I don’t care’.

‘I am sick and tired of foreigners coming to Singapore and giving Singapore Government advice to raise prices of essential goods and services without any consideration the economic and social impact their advice would have on the average Singaporeans who are not earning as much as they are.

One case in point: Asit Biswas (visiting professor of the LKY School of Public Policy from India). According to him, “if he had his way, he would increase water prices here by 30 per cent immediately.” (Straitstimes, March 21, 2016). In his view, “water prices should have been increased a long time ago” because “Singaporeans now use water profligately for all household chores, as well as for bathing and hygienic purposes”. Does he expect us to use water from the river for our household chores, as well as for bathing and hygienic purposes like they do in India? Biswas said “he and his wife are “seriously considering” becoming Singapore permanent residents”. Really? Just Singapore PR? Not Singapore citizens?’

How stupid can Singapore be, after building a third world country to become a first world city, the envy of the world, it starts to disbelieve in Singaporeans and everyday go around the world, no, go to third world countries, to hire people that could not do anything good to their sham and slum infested countries, to come here and teach us how to run our country to make it better? If these people are that good, their countries would not be such a shambolic state and a shame to talk about

No need to say anything more. The stupid will always go and ask the stupid for help. Look at the Americans, they used to come here for advice when they know they could get good advice. Now they would not bother. The Chinese used to come here to learn from us. Now they too don’t bother. We taught them how to build little housing estates and industrial parks. Now they are building the world, building the longest bridge, the longest road, the biggest train network across continents, building ships, aircraft, satellites, rockets, and becoming one of the top industrial countries and economies in the world.

Poor Singaporeans - Another sad tale to cry about

Below are some thoughts of a Singaporean driven to despair by a thoughtless nation that don’t believe in looking after its own citizens. Why would they, would they know the pathetic tales of Singaporeans being ousted by heartless policies, regardless of nationality in employment? Why would they have time for daft Singaporeans when they are all busily counting their millions?  It makes one wonders what the fuck is a country and nation all about when citizens are sacrificed in favour of foreigners.

Those people in MOM must think responsibly, that every employment pass they issued there is one sad Singaporeans begging to be employed. Maybe the MOM is run by foreigners or new citizens who believed that foreigners deserved the jobs as they are better, regardless of nationality? How can a country, a nation, degenerate to such a state when citizens no longer matters and foreigners come first? At least half a million foreigners having better jobs not the they were better but through the stupidity of fools in charge.

And after spending a small fortune to get a university degree, hoping to give the parents a better life as a filial chlld, one ends up earning $9 a day as a temp staff, with a degree to boot.

Ask who you voted for and why you voted for them and what are they doing for you or against you. Read on. This article is in Gilbert’s www.transitioning .org blog.

Thoughts of a fresh graduate who earns $9/hour at a childcare centre

Dear Counselor,

Please pardon me for my incoherent thoughts. I have just recovered from a bout of crying. I have been sleeping late and waking up late the past few weeks. If I remain unemployed… Who knows? I don’t dare to imagine my ending. To cut a long story short, I hate myself for being so STUPID. I have always been the type highly likely to end up unemployable. Now, thanks to my own stupidity, I have made myself unemployable.

I have sent out so many cover letters (customized) plus CV to various companies and job agencies so far. No news!

Thought #1: Why should I work? I want to live a meaningful life by contributing whatever God-given skills/talents/abilities that I possess to society. I want to 孝顺 my parents. I must accumulate  $$$$$ in my CPF account, otherwise I will be penniless when I am old and ill. Even if I get rid of all my expenses, I still have to pay insurance premiums. Now then I realize that earning $9/hr beats earning nothing.

Thought #2:After my A Levels, the only temp job that I managed to secure was fast food crew member. I performed so badly that I received lots of screaming/scolding and not even one single compliment. I quit after three weeks and spent the rest of my post-A Levels break volunteering every Saturday at BLAHBLAHBLAH. I love BLAHBLAHBLAH so much that I told myself that I won’t quit it unless it asks me to leave. (Yup, I’m still volunteering at BLAHBLAHBLAH.) You might be wondering why I haven’t asked any of my fellow volunteers for job opportunities and so on. Reason #1: I doubt that they are able to help. We are acquaintances, not friends. Reason #2: Pride. They are highly likely to view me as stupid and incompetent if I tell them that I’m currently unemployed.

Thought #3: During my 1^st uni break, I secured a temp job through 100% luck, although my preferred explanation is that God had answered my prayers. My dad’s colleague quit her job so my dad brought me into the company as a temp while the company was busy searching for a permanent replacement. However, soon after I left, the boss revised company policy—no more 裙带关系. By the way, this company is now struggling to survive. My dad’s own rice bowl is at risk, therefore I ought to work!

Thought #4: Oh, please don’t ask me which uni I graduated from. I don’t feel like blaming my joblessness on it. Let me give you a clue… In 2011 (the year I entered uni), a girl committed suicide allegedly because she was sad that the only uni acceptance letter that she received was from this particular uni. I feel sad whenever people say that my uni teaches useless stuff. Sometimes my dad discusses work-related stuff with me. He says that my insights are good. I always tell him those good insights aren’t from me, I’m merely parroting what my uni modules have taught me.

Thought #5: During my 2^nd uni break, I secured a temp job through a job agency and yet another temp job through “cold e-mailing”. I can only secure jobs through the abovementioned means because I have NO friends. I’m bullied/hated/ostracized from kindergarten till JC, no wonder I’m friendless. I 独来独往-ed in uni. (To be fair, I do have seniors/peers/juniors who were nice towards me and teachers who doted on me. My JC classmates who hated me throughout JC 1 softened their stance towards me in JC 2 without rhyme or reason and started treating me very nicely. However, I’m so traumatized by my experiences that I deleted all teachers’ and schoolmates’ contact numbers. I almost committed bullycide in primary sch and later in JC.) I have lost count of sources stating that most jobs (at least 80%) are secured through friends. I have no friends, how to secure anything good?!

Thought #6: I slacked throughout uni while slipping in and out of depression. I recovered from depression in my 3^rd year, but I still slacked. Stupid me.

Thought #7: I have lots of horror stories involving counselors. However, several years ago, a call that I made to SAMH hotline restored my faith in counseling. I forgot everything that the SAMH hotline counselor told me, I only remembered that she saved me from losing my sanity completely.

Thought #8: When I was studying in uni, I was very sure that I would pursue WSQ PDECCE (Childcare) upon graduation. Stupid me. I can’t sing or dance or play sports, how to educate children in these aspects? Oh, when I applied through ABC Institute, somehow I managed to receive SMSes about job interviews but not e-mails containing the details. I found out from its staff that my e-mail address always bounces its e-mails back. Hmm, maybe God is stopping me from becoming a childcare teacher. Anyway, I was already working at XXX when this Institute contacted me. When I was temping (illegally) as a childcare assistant at one particular childcare center after “cold e-mailing” various childcare centers in my neighborhood, the most senior teacher there (plus every member of her clique) hated me to the core. The childcare center fired me for losing my temper at some of the children. You see lah, I don’t even have the aptitude to become a childcare teacher lah, so stupid.

Thought #9: I fantasize about working as an Admin Executive But I lack relevant experience, so I ought to secure an Admin Assistant position first before working my way up, right? Why no news? I suspect that one reason is that when employers see my degree, they wonder why this particular person is applying for a position that she is over-qualified for—she must be blindly spamming CVs. (I happily accepted my $9/hr six-months temp job at XXX after uni graduation because I wrongly assumed that I will be converted to perm one day and then I can start working my way up.)

Thought #10: My responsibilities at XXX were so niche that I doubt that my job there involves any transferable skill.

Thought #11: I’m very stupid. I made many mistakes at every single job that I have ever held. Let us take XXX as an example. On the surface, I exceeded targets for Quality, Productivity and Attendance every month. I was 100% punctual, lol. In reality, I was a slow learner (my OJT spanned three weeks whereas my predecessors’ OJT spanned two weeks at most) and careless. I’m so slow that the only way for me to finish my tasks within SLA (service level agreement) is to stay behind and work for free. My colleagues (especially my IC) urged me to seek clarification whenever possible to avoid more mistakes. I took their advice. My dad told me that my IC was probably secretly annoyed with me because I sought clarification from her so frequently. OMG, I want to be employed, but it seems that I’m doing society a greater favor by remaining unemployed. Why my weaknesses outnumber my strengths? For example, my handwriting sucks. It is babyish when I write slowly and illegible when I speed up.

Thought #12: I started job-hunting after my final uni exams. Two weeks later, I secured my XXX job through a job agency. ABC Institute was dreadfully slow in contacting me (as previously mentioned in Thought #8.) Several days after I accepted XXX’s offer, I declined a $1.6k offer from a 三人 (two men and one woman) company that interviewed me before XXX did. Its location was very far-flung. I was supposed to replace the woman. Once the woman has finished serving her notice period, I will be left alone with the two men. Quite dangerous. (Wow, I digressed.)

Thought #13: Even though I’m UNDER-EMPLOYED, I appreciated everything that XXX offered except the low pay. As far as I know, I think that I managed to get along with everybody in my dept. (What an achievement! I think that I even managed to get along with my fellow trainees who were subsequently deployed to various depts.) My parents urged (and my “shifu” who gave me OJT) hinted that I should job-hunt while serving my six-month contract at XXX, but I ignored them. I wrongly assumed that even if XXX doesn’t want to convert me to perm, at least it will renew my contract as a temp.

Thought #14.1: Due to automation, my dept’s workload was reduced by 66.6%. When my contract expired, I told my boss that I was interested in staying on. According to her, her boss instructed that I will continue working in my dept (and receive my $9/hr pay from the job agency) while waiting for my temp contract to be renewed three weeks from the original contract’s expiry date. I verbally accepted XXX’s decision to transfer me to some other dept (the dept having the highest turnover) once the new contract is signed.

Depressed

Is Brexit really that bad?

Before and after the Brits voted to leave the EU, you only hear one song, Britain leaving the EU is bad, all bad and nothing good. Britain and the Brits are going to suffer, short of telling them that they would repent, it was all fear mongering. Yes, the stock market took a $2 trillion hit after the result but mostly due to uncertainties than anything else.

What is so bad about a Brexit? And if it is so bad, why are the Brits asking for it? Are they nuts?

The answers could be culled from what Tharman said, '"The majority of the educated class voting to stay; the less educated to leave.  Those doing well in their jobs and incomes voting to stay; those who felt they've been losing out voted to leave.  Many more of the young voted to stay; old voting to leave."

And there is also the problem of the "weakening of trust and consensus in society, and of the centre in politics".

Quoting from the same article in Channel News Asia, Mr Tharman said, "the politics of the centre must stay connected to the challenges that ordinary people face - and address their need for jobs and security, and a balance in immigration that preserves a sense of identity.  Tackling this without turning inwards,and weakening jobs and society further, is the central challenge everywhere."

Immigration and jobs are of utmost importance to the Brits voting to get out. Then for those who wanted to remain are those that are benefiting from the status quo.  This is very similar to the situation in Singapore. Those that are benefiting from the PAP rule will not want to rock the boast, but those not having a fair share in the gravy train would want change.  And there is also the issue of the centre not doing enough to tackle the angst of the people over immigration, the weakening jobs and society.

The Brits have chosen uncertainty and change and hoping for the better.  And the portions of people wanting change against those wanting to stay were quite close but enough to tip the balance.  When would Singapore reach this point when those wanting change would tip the balance and go for it, to replace the PAP rule like the Brits did?

The exit from the EU presents a lot of opportunities to the Brits.  They have been world powers and a political maverick that was ahead of its time. The initiative to break away from the American camp to join AIIB was an ace scored by the British that changed the bigger picture of the world's financial structure.  What's next from Britain that would rock the world?

Would Britain join BRICS or form a new alliance with Russia and China where it could benefit more from the new associations than being burden by a basket of burdensome countries and failed economies? Looking from the positive side, there are many positive cards in the new British hands to play.  The EU is not what it was presumed and designed to be.  It is getting dysfunctional and Britain may lead more countries to want to quit the EU.  The subjugation of national interests to other nations' interests that did not really bring benefits to the country would not be acceptable.  Asean is facing the same problems.  What is good for one is not necessary good for the other.

Trust the Brits to take full advantage of their new status and identity to carve a new and better chapter in their story going forward.  There is no fear of change.  When the majority wants it, even a small majority, change will come and the old beneficiaries of the incumbent moribund system must make way.

Do not underestimate the wisdom and ingenuity of the Brits and think they are stupid.  They did not rule the world for nothing, definitely not because they were stupid.  The doomsayers think they are cleverer than the Brits. The Brits would prove to them  who are the real stupid ones in due course.

The most sought after profession in Sin seeing lesser applicants

Other than aspiring to become an instant millionaire minister, the next most highly sought after profession in Singapore must be a taxi driver. Singaporeans, regardless of educational level and work experience all wanted to be a taxi driver. The annual number of applicants is more than 9,000. They all want to be their own bosses and to drive around the most expensive city in the world, in a car that not many could afford anymore.  Driving taxis, other than being their own bosses also gives them the privilege of owning a car, the most highly priced car in the world.

I am wondering if it is good news or bad news to hear that the number of applicants to be taxi drivers have dropped from more than 9,000 annually to less than 8,000, a whooping 12% fall! Is it because they realized that this no other better option profession is not that attractive anymore? Is it that they have found better jobs after all the skills trainings and retraining? Or is it that they have found a job overseas, or that they gave up and retiring completely from the workforce?

What happened to this highly sought after job after the job of a minister? No, they are not giving up on this highly desired profession that all able Singaporeans aspired to be, wanting to be. They have other alternatives to drive cars other than driving a cab with a taxi sign on top of the car. Now they can drive Uber and Grab cars and still be their own bosses and driving around in the most expensive city in the world. Of course some may switch to drive bigger cars, oops, I mean buses operated by Europeans and with lower pay than driving local buses. Lower pay is ok as long as it is European.

While on this matter, how many womenfolk or young girls would dare to take a ride from strangers when they offer them a lift home? No, cannot take a ride from strangers? Don’t bet on it, with Uber and Grab, our ladies, young girls will simply hop into any car driven by a total stranger and feeling very safe.

This is the mentality of Singaporeans because Singapore is a very safe place and taking a lift from a total stranger is absolutely safe. There is absolutely no risk, just like importing 2m foreigners without any risk. We have Total Defence and SGSecure  and our men in blue to protect them and keep the island safe. Nothing to worry about.

Whither The Gloom and Doom for Post-Brexit UK?

By MIKOspace

Conventional wisdom failed; and the proverbial perfect storm brews in the financial market teacups. The globalscape of economic and trade is beginning to shift, gradually and forever.    

And so the United Kingdom (UK) begins her lone, political and largely psychological, journey out of Europe through a Brexit referendum vote of 52%-48% on Thursday, 23 June 2016, in favour to leave the European Union (EU); which, truth be told, the UK has never been wholly integrated into.  

Gone are the grandiose, delusional and oft-times, nightmarish, dreams of European unity originated in the 15th century and which gathered momentum at the end of the 2nd World War.  In 1972, the UK eventually joined the European Economic Community (EEC) by becoming part of the 1957 Treaty of Rome which established the EEC with the goal of a free trade area with a common tariff.  After a series of related and developmental Treaties, the European Union was formed out of most members of the EEC in 2009. 

The initial gloom and doom predictions for UK in the wake of the Brexit vote are largely misconceived and the doom pundits ignore the fact that the UK has been very much a “reluctant” (EEC and) EU member who was courted with special terms and conditions to become “more European”. 

The UK was allowed to keep her own currency, the British Pound, instead of merging it with the common European currency, the Euro. The British Pound therefore enjoys an independent exchange rate with the EU as well as other trading partners without being unduly impacted by the economic policy vagaries of many EC countries eg. France, Germany, Greece, Italy … etc.  EU currency and financial regulations have no effect on the UK’s own independent policies and measures.  

The ensuing financial markets volatility lacks compelling fundamental causes and makes very little logical sense since the Brexit votes did not change any factors affecting the volumes of trade, which is governed by contracts, and short-term investments, whose prospects and profitability are not suddenly impacted by the votes.  Yet, the British Pound lost 8% against the US Dollar within just 40 hours, as financial players shed sterling pound (why?) for the US greenback (seriously?). 

Never mind the simple economic truths: That 44% of UK exports goes to the EU, and which also accounts for 53% of UK imports. UK exports to the EU sustain about 10% of the UK workforce (about 3 million workers).  In contrast, EU exports to the UK provide more than 8 millions EU jobs.  Economists should also know that these would not change significantly in the coming years to justify the drastic shifts in the currency exchange rates that the market players have incited and instigated.

UK-EU trade is expected to continue and even improve since the UK is a major key export destination of many EU countries. Post-Brexit UK may face some new rules with some EU countries but these are likely to be mitigated by their legacy mutuality of benefits.  

We see once again the stroking of fears by short-term profiteers and speculators.  The explosion of fears and greed for speculative profits exaggerate and inject unfounded and imagined uncertainties to create profiteering opportunities for the smarter market players by fueling short-selling as they await the long-game victories that begin immediate in the next and following weeks.

The administration of UK laws is also not governed by EC legislation, legal systems and jurisdiction.  For example, the European Court of Justice has no power over British Courts of Law. 

The UK enjoys many exemptions from EU rules which must be complied by other EU members.  For example, EU passports have to be produced when entering the UK; unlike the convenience of free travel without need to show EU passports when entering other EU countries.

EU annual membership fee costs the UK 12.9 Billion British Pounds (after the rebates agreed in 1984 from the full UK 17.8 Billion British Pounds).  This includes UK contributions to other EU Institutions.  British farmers, researchers and other beneficiaries received back about UK 6 Billion British Pounds.

What the pundits of Brexit gloom and doom did not want the rest of us to know is that the UK would save at least 350 Million British Pounds per Week in annual membership fee once the UK is out of the EU. 

It is also estimated that compliance with the massive 170,000 pages of the Top 100 EU rules, directives and regulations cost UK businesses an annual 33.3 Billion British Pounds.

The UK is the top recipient of Fixed Direct Investments (FDI) among the EU countries.  In turn, she is also a major FDI contributor to many EU countries. Its proximity to the EU remains a core competitive advantage, which is further enhanced by her relative political and security stability as compared with other EU countries. Most of her other major investment partners are however not from the EU.  

The truth is the EU needs the UK much more in many ways beyond financial contributions. Post-Brexit EU is clearly much poorer financially and materially, as well as much weaker structurally with lesser strategic resources in terms of global leadership influence and prestige.  The EU exit terms for a Post-Brexit UK are therefore expected to be quite favourable for the UK.

There is no rational basis for any gloom and doom predictions for the future of a Post-Brexit UK. Market volatility following the Brexit vote is man-made, and the more powerful men (and women) in the financial markets have a greater hand in provoking and fomenting it.

Post-Brexit UK is finally freed of EU ideological, economic and political shackles to pursue her own destiny and dreams.  It is timely for the UK to reverse its 1968 “East of Suez” decision to retreat from its imperial power bases from the Gulf to the Far East, and replace it with an updated non-imperial engagement plan with equal partners in the British Commonwealth that focus on all the common issues of global concerns.

   

Like a Japanese “ronin” samurai without a “master”-brand to associate and anchor her affiliation, post-Brexit UK as a major political and economic player must now roam the world stage in search of a “uniquely significant and influential” global platform to re-define and re-calibrate her relationships with the global community in all the emergent issues of trade, economics, terrorism, security, immigration, climate change and sustainable development.

The challenges and prospects of a post-Brexit UK will portend well for ASEAN in a new dawn for old relations.  

Related: Post-Brexit UK – Dawn of a New Global Order

BREXIT And EU EXODUS For A Better And More Peaceful World

European countries affiliated to EU better run - run away from EU as quickly as possible. EU is an American racket conceived with evil intent and it is under the complete dictatorial charge of USA 's Neoconservatives and their proxies in EU. Washington's neoconservatives in the Whitehouse, CIA, and Pentagon and the Anglo American Rothschilds, Illuminati, Zionist Axis are the real power behind EU.

The Evil Axis enacts all the EU laws and takes command of all decisions to suit its imperial agenda and the various local governments of the 28 affiliated countries have no say whatsoever. The Axis hijack all the political, economic and military power of the EU countries

USA treats the Russians and the Chinese as its enemies because they are the main obstacles to unchallenged USA global dominance.USA conducts provocative military build up close to the borders of Russia and China. This may lead to inevitable confrontation thus risking a possible nuclear war. For this responsible world leaders in Europe, Asia, Africa and South America must show serious concern not to ally with the Evil Empire's catastrophic imperial agenda. They should reject USA's imperial agenda which is the greatest threat to world peace.

USA thinks now is the time to destroy Russia and China in order to fulfill its ambition of bringing the whole world under its total control - its hegemony

But USA is bankrupt and so it has to create so called allies and partners to share the cost of its reckless wild ventures of wars of aggression.These allies and partners are nothing but subservient lackeys with voidess power and decisions.They are being led by the nose by the Evil Axis and may realise too late that they are being led to the slaughter house in the frontline in confrontation with Russia and China.

The Evil Empire is very cool and calculative and manipulates all hostilities and wars far away from USA's shores.The evil neoconservative warmongers think America is safe and well protected by two big oceans.In fact USA is governed by a few selected rich aristocrats and business tycoons in the Axis who only think in terms of making endless profits by the billions and thrillions of dollars through unconscionable perennial warfare. While they reap endless profits from warfare, their citizens and soldiers have to pay the price of suffering and death.

British people are smart to realise the danger of staying as part of the EU. Their decision to leave the EU sets the pace and example for others to leave the sinister organisation. Other Eu countries must quickly conduct national referendums to leave EU to save themselves from a nuclear Third World War that the Evil Empire may recklessly unleash on this world.

Southernglory1

Monday, 27th June, 2016

 

China would soon have to act against Indonesia

Indonesia is thumping its chest after shooting at Chinese fishing boats and arresting one. So far Indonesia has arrested quite a number of Chinese fishing boats and those of other Asean states and acting very smug. This is the same situation as the 1962 Sino Indian border war when the Indians were thumping their chests after the early initiatives in attacking China’s border guards. The early victories gave the Indian Army a false sense of grandeur and confidence and prepared for a major onslaught with a 4^th Army Corp getting into position for an open war. When China mounted a counter attack, it dealt the Indians a shocking and embarrassing defeat that the Indian soldiers simply dropped their weapons and fled. The PLA just marched into India only to pull back when it had attained its objective of returning to a status quo, driving the Indian Army back to where they belonged.

China has not taken any military action yet since the Indonesian shooting incident. This is like the Ip Man movie when he was challenged to a fight in his house. He kept defending without attacking and the opponent got more aggressive, breaking down many of his furniture. Then he was told by his little son that his wife told him that if he still refused to strike back, more furniture would be broken. Only then that he hit back and threw the opponent out in another embarrassing defeat.

If China does not hit back, not only Indonesia would get more aggressive, the Philippines and the Malaysians would think they could do the same as China is really weak and not able to hit back. I have left out the Vietnamese as the latter had a taste of what it would be like trying to take on the PLAN. This is reported in Yahoo News.

‘

There have been two armed conflicts between China and Vietnam in the sea.

In 1974, a clash erupted between the South Vietnamese navy and Chinese forces that left about 50 Vietnamese troops dead.

The other major conflict occurred when Vietnam and China fought a naval battle on Johnson Reef in the Spratlys in 1988 that killed about 70 Vietnamese military personnel.’

The Vietnamese have learnt their lesson and would not be crazy to challenge the PLAN again. But for Indonesia, the Philippines and the Malaysians, these twits have not learnt any lessons yet and with the Americans behind their backs, they really think that China would not hit back.

Just wait. China is even prepared to take on the USA and taking on these twits is chicken feat. China is just tolerating their silly chest thumpings for the time being. It is only when before China kick asses.

Car Park rates to go up

Front page news that public car park rates will go up soon and a study is in process. You can expect this kind of money grabbing decision to come very soon. No time to waste. One question, govt short of money or what?

What is amusing are the silly reasons that are being quoted to justify a big round of increases. Maybe the cost of living index is too low and the people can afford to pay more. Maybe too long never increase, so it is time to increase. Then of course, the standard high cost of living, inflation and what have you. Actually want to increase just increase lah. Who is there to object or protest or to say that it is unreasonable, unnecessary, it will increase the cost of everything, the cost of living, the cost of visiting your friends or your parents and grandparents?

Ok, listen to this, ‘the review is meant to “right price public car park charges and reduce the gap between the fees charged by private and public car parks.’ What a gem.  The people have a choice not to go to public car parks but no choice parking at HDB car parks. It is home, stupid. Now you people better protest if private car park operators increase their rates or over charged. It would be used as an excuse to raise public car park fees. This is something like HDB prices priced to market private housing prices. It is like that mah!

Next, ‘Separately, the HDB pointed out that its carparks have improved over the years, with amenities such as landscaped decks, electronic parking systems and lifts. Wah, it is like a cup of kopi, now taste better, so good reason to raise price. Or is it that they are now using porcelain cups instead of plastic cups? Who cares about the landscape in a car park? And why pass the cost of electronic parking system that makes collecting fees more efficient to the car owners? Sial lah!

Oh, this one I must agree. HDB is also studying to charge non residents different rates. Got non residents meh? I thought everyone in the island is a resident except permanent or not permanent? Second car charge more. Thought this is already in practice? How about bigger cars charge more? Sorry big car owners.

This one is classic, sooo clever. According to parking policy expert, Dr Paul Barter, ‘Rates could be raised during peak periods and lowered in the off peak period…If it’s too full, it’s too cheap, and if it’s too empty, it’s too expensive.’ This one HDB car owners sure jialat jialat. Evening and night time when all went home after work, it would be peak period for the HDB car parks. So evening and night parking would be more costly according to this logic. Knn, your HDB home car park is subject to demand and supply meh, peak hour and non peak hour?  Got choice meh?

We need foreign experts for such silly brilliant ideas mah! Singapore where got so clever people other than pricing HDB to resale market price? Actually the kopitiam ah peks and ah mahs have better ideas than these if you are willing to ask them.

Give the HDB a break or they will lose more billions. This will be a better reason.

No tear for the Red Indians

Every year on June 4, there will be commentaries and sit ins to commemorate the Tiananmen Incident not only in HK and Taiwan but also in the West.  I was reading this article deemed important enough by our main media to be reported in one full page.  Nick Frisch, a Yale Law School doctoral student wrote this in his article ‘Tiananmen at 27: Is it worth looking back? The first para:

‘Each spring, a ripple of recollection passes through Beijing and anyone over the age of 35 remembers how hundreds of thousands of Chinese citizens went into the streets to join striking students.

The crowds, demanding reforms, used their bodies as barricades against advancing columns of troops.  No on believed the People’s Army would fire at its namesake.

When the gunfire started, the crowds melted away in shock and disbelief. Most individuals became anonymous to history and one another, and, like other urbanites across China, walled off memories of the massacre and accepted the Communist Party’s gospel of prosperity: Make money, avoid politics, get on with your lives.’

I find the above very well written and I choose not to reinvent the wheel and to use the same text, with a few changes, to describe the fate of the Red Indians in North America a few centuries ago. Now try reading this.

‘Each spring, a ripple of recollection passes through the Plains of the Prairies and how anyone of any age, could not remember how millions of native Americans, called Red Indians, went into the prairies to join other native Indians.

The crowds, demanding for the right to live in their land, used their bodies as barricades against advancing columns of troops and the Calvary.  No on believed the American troops would fire at its namesake, at native Americans.

When the gunfire started, the crowds melted away in shock and disbelief. Most individuals, mothers and children, became anonymous to history and one another, and, like other urbanites across America, walled off memories of the massacre and accepted the Confederates and American Union’s gospel of prosperity: Make money, avoid politics, get on with your lives.’ Unfortunately for the tens of millions of native Americans aka Red Indians, the genocide was so complete that barely a few survived today in the land of the free.

While the bleeding hearts and white man’s conscience want to remember 4^th of June, would the native Indians want to remember 4^th of July as their Independence Day or the Day they were terminated to near extinction? To quote Frisch, ‘It is a question that global media multinational businesses and foreign governments must confront as well.’ Or they have forgotten, afraid to confront to offend the white Americans?

The silence of the Red Indians is remarkable. There is no tear left for the Red Indians.

Frisch emphasized that there is one place, Hong Kong, 1,900km south of Beijing, that allows mass remembrance of Tiananmen. Would there be a place in the North American continent, a city far away from the Plain of the Prairies, to have a remembrance of the genocide of the Red Indian as a human race?

Frisch quoted a Hong Kong journalist Yau Lap-poon saying, ‘Without June 4, would China have travelled its 27 year path of development? ... Perhaps the blood of Tiananmen was a kind of fertilizer, helping China bloom prosperously on the soil of market economics.’

Using the same phrase, ‘Without the massacre of the Red Indians, would the USA have travelled its 240 year path of development? … Perhaps the blood of the Plain of Prairies was a kind of fertilizer, helping the USA bloom prosperously on the soil of market economics.’

Frisch also quoted a poem by Cao Shuying, a Beijing poet, ‘I am from a planet you cannot forget…We survivors look like husks…A burden over years…The laughter of lost days, emptied out.’

Take a ride into the prairies in a cold summer night and listen…You may still here the Red Indian laughter of lost days….many centuries ago. You may still see them chasing their squaws around campfires surrounded by their wigwams. You may still see the trails of smokes floating into the air from the pipes of the big chiefs.

No more tears for the Red Indians.

Govt give people $100 in activesg$

Here is someone sneering at Singaporeans who would be given $100 in activesg.com when they signed up but did not know how to use the money. He said this $100 can be used for the following:

1.     Gain admission to public swimming pools

2.     Work out at the gym for free

3.     Book courts for racquet sports

4.     Book playing grounds for team sports

5.     Get a 30% discount on sports programmes

Wah, so simple, so many uses! I actually signed up for activesg to participate in the National Game this August without knowing that there is this $100 activesg$. Well since they credit this sum into my activesg account, I might as well use it.

So I went ahead to sign up for the National Games happily.  The organizer of the National Games is none other than activesg, if I am not wrong. When it comes to payment I tried and tried and tried to use the $100 activesg to pay for the $15 registration fee. But no matter how hard I tried I just could not use the money credited to me. What the hell, I saw a $100 activesg$ but cannot use it.

Not going to give up and not going to use my credit card, I called activesg to ask how to use the $100 active$ to pay for the registration. Here is the reply, oh, for registration fee for the National Games, cannot use activesg$.

That’s it. They gave you $100 active$ and someone even sneering at people not knowing how to use it when it can be used for so many things, not limited to the 5 things mentioned above, and I only want to use it for one thing coincidentally and it cannot be used.

Brilliant! Looks like I should be happy and smiling at the $100 activesg$ in my account and feeling really rich, cannot touch except for what they said can be used for. Ahem.

PS. The registration fee is $15 and I am willing to let them deduct the $100 activesg$ in exchange as that is the only thing I need. Other than that it is unlikely that I would be using it for any of the above 5 things. So very likely I will keep the activesg$100 very warm till it expires. Thank you very much for being so generous.

American hate rhetoric to con Americans and daft Asians

This is a quote by an American calling himself hedgeless horseman.

‘As a kid, I was taught that the United States of America went to war in Vietnam to stop the proliferation of communism.  The US government's rhetoric, repeated to me by my father, was that if we didn't stop the communists in Vietnam, then they would take over the world.  So, we trained our young men to hate and kill communists.

We lost the Vietnam War. 

But the communists did not take over the world. 

Today, Americans are making assloads of money exporting manufactured goods from Communist Vietnam.

Why did Americans fight and die in Vietnam?

I was told that The United States of America went to war in Afghanistan, now the longest war in American history, because the Afghanis were harboring a Saudi Arabian, Osama Bin Ladin, who was, allegedly, the masterminded behind the 15 other Saudi Arabians, 2 United Arab Emirates citizens, 1 Egyptian, and 1 Lebanese that allegedly perpetrated 9-11.  The US government's rhetoric was that if we didn't hunt down and kill Osama Bin Laden in Afghanistan, then the Muslims would plan and execute other terrorist attacks on the USA.  So, we trained our young men to hate and kill Muslims….

Today, Americans are making assloads of money exporting opium from Afghanistan and exporting death to the world.

Why are Americans fighting and dying in Afghanistan?’

The Americans are not only happily trading with Vietnam but also Russia and China. And China is lending hundreds of billions of dollars to the Americans to spend on weapons manufacturing and war games targeting at China and Russia and trying to provoke a war with China and Russia.

The Americans are propagating hate against China and Russia and one day the same question would be asked, ‘Why are Americans fighting and dying fighting China and Russia?’ But that is alright as they are Americans and they started the wars for world hegemony. The other big question would be, ‘Why are Asians/Europeans and especially the daft South East Asians fighting and dying, fighting China and Russia?’

This hedgeless horseman added this, ‘If you are a veteran or active duty US military (or daft Asians, this part I added), I invite you to skip to items 15-18 on my Revolutionary Call to Arms.

15.  Research your two senators and one congressman at https://www.opensecrets.org/ Make a list of their 10 biggest donors, and send the list to your "representative" in an email or letter.
16.  Read War is a Racket, by Major General Smedley D. Butler.
17.  Read On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society, by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman.
18.  Watch the online video of the TED Talk, A radical experiment in empathy, by Sam Richards.

Does citizenship make any difference?

What is a citizen’s pledge to be loyal to a country, to protect a country when one becomes a citizen of a country? A citizen of a country, by virtue of birth or choice, by immigration, is supposed to be loyal to that country, to defend that country if it goes to war. What are the official definitions to tell you what a citizen should be? Oxford’s definition, a legally recognized subject or national of a state or commonwealth, either native or naturalized, nothing about defending the country and dying for the country. But would a citizen do that?  Another definition, a native or naturalized member of a state or nation who owes allegiance to its government and is entitled to its protection. This one said owes allegiance to its govt and is entitled to protection, not the other way round.  How about this one, person who is entitled to enjoy all the legal rights and privileges granted by a state to the people comprising its constituency?

In all the above definitions, I am hard put to find one that says a citizen must fight and defend the country, be loyal to a country. But it seems that these are expected, a kind of assumption by the populace. And what it quite clear is that a citizen becomes part of the country he took up citizenship with. He belongs to the country and can claim or should claim that this is my country. Legally this must be the case. Mentally as well. In reality this may not be.

In the case of Omar Mateen, yes he is a US citizen. The USA is supposed to be his country and presumably he must have said his pledge like Singaporeans do, to uphold the country’s constitution or whatever. The funny thing is that Omar Mateen told the 911 officers that his country is Afghanistan. No, he did not say it in that way, that my country is Afghanistan or Afghanistan is my country. Neither did he say the USA is his country although he is a US citizen legally.

He told the 911 officers to tell America not to bomb his country. He is an American citizen but his country…America or Afghanistan? What can we make out of this? A new citizen taking up citizenship and still calling his country of origin his country, not the USA as his country.

What lesson can we learn from this when there is probably a million new citizens taking up Singapore citizenship here, with the new citizens saying our national pledge? Would they call their country of origin their country and not Singapore? Would Singapore be just a convenient place to make a living and all the time their countries would be their countries of origin, like Omar Mateen?

Would a citizenship be just a piece of paper? Would a national pledge be just, yes, an inspiration, nothing to be serious about, meaning nothing. How many of the new citizens here would think in the same way as Omar Mateen?

Would citizenship change anything? Omar Mateen is a US citizen and must behave like an American and must call the USA his country not Afghanistan? If he called Afghanistan his country then it is wrong. Wrong? So what is right, what is real?