10/31/2018

Saudi Arabia squeezing Trump’s balls

Trump has been flip flopping over the savage killing of Khashoggi. What is the relationship of Khashoggi with the USA? Never mind, this is not that important anymore. What is important is that the Americans cannot do anything about it and Saudi Arabia and MBS would move on as if nothing has happened.
 

Why, why are the Americans and even Trump, could not do anything against the Saudis?
 

Listen to these threats coming from the Saudis.
 

1. Saudi Arabia will switch from petrodollar to petroyuan. Americans mati. The end of the American Empire.
2. Oil price will shoot to US$400.
3. Saudis will invite the Russians to set up military base in Saudi Arabia.
4. Saudi Arabia will ally with Iran and join the Russia/China camp. When this happened, Israel will no longer be able to control and mess around with the Arabs applying their divide and rule policy.
5. Saudi Arabia will dump US Treasury Bills.
 

What would the above mean to the Americans and Israelis? The Middle East would all be part of a new alliance with Russia and China leaving the USA and Israel as the two lone wolves facing the might of the Arab world, and losing control of oil as a weapon of war.
 

So, what can Trump and the Americans do? Sanctions? Remove the Saudi royalties? No, they would turn their heads, start to whistle and pretend that nothing has happened. Let’s move on, human rights, abominable crimes, what’s that?
 

The Americans are increasingly facing such Hobbesian’s Choice and becoming hapless while their allies defied the Empire and do as they please. The Americans are losing control of their allies. All the chips they held over their allies are becoming meaningless. The end of the Evil Empire is near. In this Khashoggi’s case the Americans would look so ridiculous over their claims of moral superiority, or righteousness, of anything by hypocrisy. This will be like the Americans unmasked, the Devil will be exposed.
 

Trump thought he could have his ways by pushing everyone around. This time he is completely at the mercy of the Saudis. He could do nothing to bring justice for the savage dismemberment of Khashoggi, very highly and likely a CIA operative.

10/30/2018

F35s - Influencing policy makers and the masses

F-35: How the fifth-generation fighter jet might take RSAF to the next level

Channel News Asia ran a 3 part series article on how good the F35 is and how relevant it is to the air defence of Singapore or should it be the air offensive capability of Singapore with these aircraft. Lockheed Martin, the aircraft manufacturer must have paid quite a bit for this propaganda, oops advertisement to influence not only the decision makers into paying for this ultra expensive toy, but also trying to change the perception of the man in the street that they should not grumble should the govt plough a few billions into this wonderful war machine. I read the piece and am convinced that this is a really good piece of war machine, maciam a Ferrari or a Lamborghini. Actually it is more, like a F1 formual racing car. 

Imagine the people driving their Ferraris and Lamborghinis on our roads and how stylo milo they looked, just crusing along at 110 kph without breaking the road speed limit. That is about what these super cars could do on our roads. And the competitors for attention or to out race them were practically zero.

The big question is who are we going to use these machine against? China, completely useless. They have radars that could render the stealth feature ineffective. And it would be silly for any Singaporeans to think of fighting China with these aircraft, totally out of line, out of the leaque, no contest. Perhaps the closest to fighting China would be to be dragged in by the Americans as their point man, as part of the American war plan for world supremacy. This is definitely not something we want to be in, not something we want to pay for.

These war machine would be too good for our immediate neighbours. They too would not be our competitors even if they acquired them with American consent or acquiring the best Russian war machine. Buying these war machine is only the first step. You would also need clever pilots to fly them, not like the Ab Bengs in their soup up machine tearing down the road. These are highly sophisticated war machine to be used for war, not just swooping around in the sky. Not many would be able to use them as what they were made to do. Definitely not the pilots of our neighbouring countries. This is no bragging. 

Then there is the bigger headache of maintaining them in flying and fighting condition. Our neighbours track record of their Russian and American possession has proven that afterF15s and F16s would be more than adequate to do the job needed, at a fraction of the cost.

Talking about cost, many would be better informed of the complexity of these machine, the use of satellite technology and GPS system to support them, ground control computer and radar system. It is not so simp0le as just buying the aircraft. Then there is also the weapons and avionics cost etc etc. The total cost would be enormous and something we could not afford and do not need to pay for. 

Very likely these aircraft would not have to fight an air war and lost in battle. Many of them would be lost why flying in peace time due to engine or pilot errors. At the tune of $200m each, this is no small sum to fall out of the sky. 

They are good to have, nice to have, like the Lamborghinis and Ferraris. But for practical reasons, the F15s and F16s would be able to perform just as well given the theatre and competitors. Can we afford to pay for such beautiful state of the art war machine or toys with public money?

Below are some extracts of the Lockheed Martin sales pitch in Channel News Asia. Very attractive and mesmerising. Spending OPM is so easy, for such machine, called game changer. Sure, why not. Who would end up paying for the super expensive toys? The enemies would not be able to take them down. But normal wear and tear, poor maintenance and mistakes would.



FORT WORTH, Texas: At the end of a highly sensitive assembly line, in the nave of an enormous aviation paint shop, lay a hulking lump of metal grey aluminium and titanium.
It was a war machine that showed some qualities of an expensive sports car, with sleek lines, perfect symmetry and a matte finish. But looks didn't mask the fact that this fighter jet is designed to be ultra deadly.
The F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter is so advanced, it can “talk” to other aircraft, see the enemy earlier and avoid being seen better than ever before. It can hunt discreetly in packs or be the all-seeing eye in the sky.
This fifth-generation fighter, according to defence experts, is also one of Singapore’s top choices to replace its ageing F-16s.

10/29/2018

GE 2020 - Election of Estate Managers

The AHTC trial clearly demonstrate how important is the role of Estate Managers to the MPs than attending Parliament to debate about govt policies and matters of the state and interests of the people. Maybe the often absence of MPs when Parliament was in session is enough clues and hints to say that they must be very busy running their town councils and taking care of the estates instead of wasting time in Parliament.

MPs would not be sued for not attending Parliament. The most got scolding from the Speakers or be barred from attending a few sessions of Parliament. If they failed in their duties as Estate Managers, then it would be a very different story, can be bankrupted.

The term MP, meaning Members of Parliament may need to be changed and they should be given a new job description with estate management as their primary duty and attending Parliament as members of Parliament a secondary duty. It is a misnomer to call an elected representative a Member of Parliament, MP, if his main duties are estate management, making sure the dustbins are cleared, the roads are clean, people pay their dues for cleaning the estate. How about calling them Estate Managers? Or if it is important to retain the word MP, just add a E behind, eg MPE, Manager of Public Estate?

Whether the name be changed, the opposition party hopefuls would now be very clear as to what their primary jobs would be when elected, yes, concentrate full time to be an Estate Manager.

Now is this not queer? Do the people need to go to the vote to elect Estate Managers? Must MPEs attend courses in estate management to prepare themselves for the job? If they don't have such experience and did not know how to set up a team quickly to manage an estate, they will be in big big trouble. No one would want to be in the shoe of the WP MPs.

Looks like the General Election for political office needs a new definition and the people going to stand for election should be a different kind of people with different skill sets. Civil servants and ex civil servants would be most qualified for this job.

What do you think?

10/28/2018

Ripping the dictator apart

Below are extracts of a speech by Obama on the dictator as reported in Yahoo news. He did not name the dictator of cause, but a dictator is a dictator. You can tell them from a mile away. The lies that the dictator had spreaded, the fear the dictator had cast on the population or want the population to fear him, how the dictator filled his cabinet with the 'swamp' thing instead of draining the swamp, are all there for everyone to see. Just read and enjoy the hypocrisies and lies of the dictator.

"What we have not seen before in our public life is politicians just blatantly, repeatedly, baldly, shamelessly, lying. Just making stuff up," Obama said. "Calling up, down. Calling black, white.... 

Obama used the subject of Hillary Clinton's private email server to accuse Republicans of trying to "scare the heck out of people before every election" and also to mock Trump about the Chinese spying on his cellphone. (The Chinese recommended Trump to use Huawei and it would be safe from phone tapping.)

"In the last election, it was Hillary's emails. 'This is terrible' ... 'This is a national security crisis.' They didn't care about emails and you know how you know? (Fake news!)Because if they did, they'd be up in arms right now that the Chinese are listening to the president's iPhone that he leaves in his golf cart."....

"Now the latest, they're trying to convince everybody to be afraid of a bunch of impoverished, malnourished refugees a thousand miles away," he said. "That's the thing that is the most important thing in this election," he said. "Not health care, not whether or not folks are able to retire, doing something about higher wages, rebuilding our roads and bridges and putting people back to work."

"Suddenly," he continued, changing his voice to a high-pitch to strike a mocking tone, "it's these group of folks. We don't even know where they are. They're right down there."

Referring to Trump's promise to "drain the swamp," Obama said that instead "they have gone to Washington and just plundered away."

"In Washington they have racked up enough indictments to field a football team," he said. "Nobody in my administration got indicted."....

"I'm hopeful Michigan," he said. "I'm hopeful that despite all the noise, despite all the lies, we're going to come through all that. We're going to remember who we are, who we're called to be. I'm hopeful because out of this political darkness, I'm seeing a great awakening."

PS. Such a beautiful and meaningful speech on what the dictator should be doing and not lying.

10/27/2018

Workers Party MPs’ appeal for fund – A mini referendum

‘Low Thia Khiang, Sylvia Lim and Pritam Singh revealed in their blog, entitled In Good Faith, that they have raised SGD $477,653, as of 10pm yesterday evening – just over 24 hours since the trio appealed to the public for help to fight the multi-million dollar lawsuits they are facing in court
On Wednesday, the opposition party leaders revealed in their blog that they have “depleted our personal resources,” having already paid $600,000 from their own pockets to their legal team as the trial progresses.’ Posted in theindependent

The 3 senior WP MPs are facing charges in court for dunno what and facing bankruptcy to the tune of $30m. The legal fees so far came to $600,000, paid out of their pockets and from friends, not from party fund. Defending one's honour in court is no cheap stuff and one who cannot pay would likely have to accept defeat and a guilty condemnation even before going to court, or unable to proceed for short of fund.
 

The WP MPs have made a public appeal and the money came fast and furious, nearing half a million within 24 hours. The latest count after two days is more than $900,000 from more than 5,200 donors and counting. What does this mean?
 

The charges, based on the amount they were accused of mishandling or mismanagement or dishonesty is a staggering $30m. For those who willingly donated to the appeal is as good as saying that they believe that they were doing it in good faith, the WP's defence in court, or else they would not be forking out the money if otherwise. For those who could not afford to support the 3 MPs financially, they have good words to share and to keep their spirits high.
 

From the political perspective, this is like a mini referendum for the people of Hougang and Aljunied to cast their vote of confidence for their MPs. Two days have passed and more than 5000 have voted with their pockets. The two constituencies have more than 100,000 voters. If the 51% that voted for the WP were to contribute $10 each, 3 plates of char kway teow, that would bring in another $510,000 to the fund. But it is not so much the money that counts. It is the people showing their faith and confidence in their MPs, an affirmation of their trust and support for them.
 

How much would the WP be able to raise and how many people would donate is still too early to tell. The picture would be clearer in a week or two.

PS. Please do not make comments about the proceedings in court. 

Those who wish to contribute to the WP MPs to aid with legal costs, may do so using the following channels:

PayNow to +65 9852 5901 (Sylvia Lim’s public line)
Internet fund transfer to UOB account no. 396 309 388 6
Cheque made payable to any one of the three WP MPs: Lim Swee Lian Sylvia, Low Thia Khiang, or Pritam Singh
Alternatively, contributors may reach them through post at “My Mail Box 882560 Singapore 919191,” or arrange to meet them in person by contacting them at ingoodfaithsg@gmail.com.

10/26/2018

The third round of CECA improvement talks went by in darkness

There were some reports in the media of the third round of talks to improve the terms of the CECA for greater cooperation and ‘mutual benefits’ or win win for both India and Singapore. How did it go and what were the great changes made to benefit Singaporeans were still not spoken or reveal in the media. Hope this is not going to be another state secret that Singaporeans need not know, it is good for Singaporeans and that’s matter.
 

What were the pretentious thinkers or pseudo thinkers thinking and decided to do in such a massive agreement between a giant and a dwarf, a third world country and a first world country, a country with 1.3b people and a rock with 5m people? The inequalities and incompatibilities between the two countries are so enormous and stark that anything thought equal and fair, equitable, would not be fair.
 

It is so easy to say we open up to India and Indians coming here and India likewise opens up for Singapore and Singaporeans to go to India look superficiality so equal and fair. Is it? Can Singapore afford to open up to allow 1,300,000,000 Indians to come here so that 5,000,000 Singaporeans can go to India? Can the pretentious unthinking thinkers say an open door policy between the two incompatible countries is fair and equitable?
 

How many Singaporeans would want to go to India to be paid in rupees compare to how many Indians would like to come to Singapore to be paid in Sing dollars? How many Singaporeans would like to live happily thereafter in India after having lived in HDB flats with basic necessities like clean water and flushed toilets within the flat as against shitting in the bushes or on the road sides and with no potable waters?
How many companies from India would be coming here and how many Singapore companies would be going to India? Is 1:1 fair, 1:100 fair, 1:1,000 or 1:1m fair and acceptable?
 

What about the hundreds of thousands of Indian universities and colleges and their millions of graduates coming here versus the less than 50 universities and colleges, actually less than 20 and their graduates flooding the job markets of both countries? Fair, good, insane or madness?
 

A 1 percent Indian labour/worker/professionals landing in Singapore is 13m versus a 1 percent Singaporeans or 35,000 Singaporeans, if the Singaporeans really think they could earn a decent living and given decent jobs that made the move palatable or good, make any sense?
 

Can Singapore absorb the 13m Indians coming into the island without upsetting the social fabric and sensitive racial balance in the island? Would Singapore become another third world country instead if this is to happen? What about the quality of our life, our public services, professional services, our infrastructure, our lifestyle, would they be better or worse?
 

How good is the CECA for Singapore? It is definitely good to India without question. Would the upgraded CECA lift Singapore to the next level of economic development and improve the quality of life of Singaporeans or sink Singapore into a third world sink hole?
 

What were agreed in the third CECA that benefit or hurt Singaporean’s interest? Do Singaporeans have a right to know?
 

For sure, the visible impact of this silly and indiscriminate open door policy are as follows: Our employment/job market is now controlled and manipulated by foreigners to the detriment of Singaporean job seekers. The IT industry is dominated and controlled by foreigners. The banking and finance industry likewise is controlled and dominated by foreigners. To a great extent the academia and research agencies and mouth pieces of many such agencies are dominated by foreigners.
 

Where have all the Singaporeans gone? What have happened to them?

10/25/2018

Johore royalty - A people’s sultan

In todayonline it was reported that the Johore Crown Prince Tunku Ismail Ibrahim announced that the royal family would be building really affordable housing for the rakyat. This one the pricing is really affordable, not those you know smell like a rat type. A three-bedroom, two-bathroom landed house would be priced below RM200,000 (S$66,270) and as low as RM70,000. The royal family is replying to the cries by the rakyat that property prices are skyrocketing and becoming unaffordable. If you still wonder what is a caring and people’s sultan of govt, look no further. This is it, no trickery, no fake news, no ‘blufferlogy’. This is how sincere the royal family is about caring for its people, no lip service like understanding their plight. They just do it, with their own money, NOT OPM.
 

‘ “The project will be under the auspices of the Sultan Ibrahim Foundation — an effort by the Johor Royal Family to ease the burden of the people,” the Johor crown prince said in a statement on his official Facebook page.
 

He said the housing project is non-profit and will include amenities like a multi-purpose hall, a park, shops and a motel that will also be built and funded by himself and his father, the Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar.’ Today Paper
 

The Johore royal family would be donating 60.7 hectares of their own land to build 1,000 houses in every district across the state. How about that? Can anyone beat that? No bullshit! This kind of leadership would command the respect of the rakyat without saying further. And the cheap housing would be offered to all races with allocation also for the non bumi minorities.
 

Next time you hear any politician talking about caring for the people, use this as a yardstick to measure his sincerity to help the people, to care for the people.
 

PS. Do not believe in anyone saying he is going to help you and then take/use your money ‘to help you’.

10/24/2018

Traitors Must Face Demnation One Day


It was during the Japanese occupation. A traitor by the name of Lau Kiam , a Japanese spy was always secretly giving detrimental information to the Japanese on his fellow countrymen. He frequently praised the Japanese and behaved arrogantly towards his own countrymen. He put many of his countrymen to grave dangers. Many suffered badly from torture by the Japanese and quite a huge number died a terrible death because of Lau Kiam's treachery.

However, after the Japanese surrender Lau Kiam disguised himself and went into hiding to escape retribution. The people lost no time in hunting him down and brought him to justice. Eventually he was caught and brought to face his fellow villagers. He was charged with treason and summarily killed by hanging after many days of rigid interrogation. All this happened before the British returned to reoccupy Malaya as its colony. It happened in the town of Muar in Johore.

Now we have in Singapore and ASEAN similar type of traitors trying not only to betray Singapore but all of ASEAN. They write damaging articles against an ASEAN neighbour and servilely plead to the Evil Empire to constrain and contain this neighbouring country which posts no danger to Singapore and ASEAN. They want America to maintain its military bases in Singapore and the Far East. One of them  a dishonourable journalist in a Singapore mass media openly and arrogantly tell the savage Americans not to stop patrolling its navies in the South China Sea and the East China Sea so as to balance and constrain the rise and peaceful development of this Asian country.

This treacherous traitor happen to be a disgraceful and dishonourable descendant of a Chinese. He and his fellow traitors want America to set ASEAN and its big neighbour aflame in a senseless fight and killing in an unnecessary war that will only benefit no one else but the evil Americans.

He and many of the American lackeys and running dogs who work as strategic research writers as well as lecturers in many of Singapore institutes of higher studies in the universities and in the institutes of international political and strategic studies post grave danger to Singapore and ASEAN countries. They crave for America to interfere in Asian affairs as if they do not know that imperial America is a rogue country that has been creating savage brutal wars of conquests for the last two hundred and thirty-two years leaving trails of destruction and deaths and ending in American annexation of many lands and countries like the many native American Indian states, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam and many others.

These shameless treacherous traitors to Asians must definitely be recruited by CIA on its payrole as American agents to subvert  and destabilise Asia to facilitate the Evil Empire's wars of hegemony over all Asia . If they persist in their treason and evil doings they must eventually and similarly  meet with the fate of  Lau Kiam.

Southernglory1

Wednesday, 24th October, 2018


CPF - Another Singapore miracle

'When netizen Rahayu Bte Mazlan went to the Central Provident Fund (CPF) board to collect her late mother’s CPF money, she found that it did not receive any interest, even though her mother had passed away 31 years ago. According to her, it took them 31 years to review her mother’s account, and therefore after the review, the money did not accrue any interest.
Rahayu’s post was shared on Facebook page All Singapore Stuff. In her post, she shared a letter from the CPF Board and wrote, “My mum passed away in 1987. She nominated me as her beneficiary. Last wed, I received a letter from CPF that there is money in her CPF after CPF review”.
However, after going to CPF Board, Rahayu was advised differently. She wrote, “I went to CPF yesterday. I said that since they had kept my late mum’s money, they should pay interest. They say that that her case was after review so no interest. What I don’t understand is that why after 31 yrs then they review? What is going on with our CPF?”'

I read the above posted in social media. Can't remember which blog posted it. Apologies. Below are quotes from the ST.

'Thirty-one years after Rahayu Mazlan received payouts from the Central Provident Fund (CPF) following the death of her mother, the outstanding balance - under $2 - finally found its way to her.
The 51-year-old housewife had received a letter dated Oct 4 from the CPF Board stating that as part of its "regular reviews", it had found some leftover savings in her late mother's account since the last withdrawal in 1987.
CPF has asked her to submit a completed form and necessary documents by Nov 5 to claim it.
In response to The Sunday Times' queries, a CPF Board spokesman yesterday said that all of the deceased's CPF monies were disbursed within two months in 1987 - except for a "small residual amount" which had been retained for a specific housing-related transaction. "This amount continued to attract interest until it was deducted several months later for the transaction. The interest accrued - which amounted to less than $2 - remained unclaimed," the spokesman added.'

The facts, some money was left in Rahayu's mother's CPF account to settle a specific housing related transaction. This amount continued to receive interest which the ST article quoting CPF, for up to 7 years only. Reading from the above ST quote, the interest accrued was less than $2. Take it as that for 7 years. Not sure if this is correct. So Rahayu is claiming the interest for the subsequent 24 years, ie 31-7=24. I think, just my opinion, if CPF members are charged interest from borrowing their own savings to pay for properties and the number of years to pay for this interest, regardless of whether the person is 100 years old or 200 years old, there is no limit as to how many years a person has to pay interest on borrowing his CPF savings, then why when money kept in CPF would not enjoy interest after 7 years? Is there a discrepancy and is this fair?

Many people would say nevermind, so little money, a few dollars only. But to some it is a matter of principle. You deserve to be paid, then you should be paid, the amount is immaterial.

Why I said this is a miracle? In many countries, whatever is left in a savings account like this case would likely be forgotten or lost in the files. Only in super efficient and clean Singapore would the CPF ask a person to make a claim for $2. The MRT fare to CPF would cost more than that. Again it is not only a matter of principle but a matter of right. The money belong to Rahayu and she should make a claim for it. So she is also claiming for the extra years interest not paid.

A $2 claim after 31 years is a record and a miracle. How many people lost all their savings in their bank accounts because they forgot the $200 in their savings, thought very safe in the banks but all kena eaten up by the $2 monthly fee the banks charged them for having too little money in the account?  Got money in the bank account ended no money left and account closed by the banks. This is like cheating the small people on the street.

Here we have the CPF asking a person to claim for $2 after 31 years, no extra charges, no monthly fee for having too little money in the CPF. Now was that lucky? The CPF does not cheat small people of small money.



10/23/2018

Freedom of Navigation or provocative acts of war?

Many reading the western narratives have conveniently fell to believe that the American’s claim of freedom of navigation trips in the South China Sea are just innocent passages in the high seas without question, nothing more, nothing less. Are these trips so innocent, using warships, sailing all the way from the eastern Pacific Ocean to the South China and entering China’s 12 nm territorial seas?
 

What is freedom of navigation? Simply, freedom of navigation is the right for ships/boats, mostly commercial or pleasure, to travel the high seas freely, from one point to another without violating a country’s territorial sovereignty. Sending warships that would not have any reason to be in the South China, but deliberately and repeatedly entering the territorial limits of a country’s sovereignty is NOT freedom of navigation. These are deliberate acts of provocations, acts of war.
 

Sending warships from Europe into the South China Sea to intrude into another country’s territorial sea for no other purpose or reason is provocation and tempting war. Innocent passages by non military ships that needs to pass through a part of the sea for commercial or pleasure, sports or whatever are always protected and permitted by all countries.
 

The world must be accept the American and western lies of freedom of navigation when these are actually acts of provocation, acts of war. They are not innocent passage, they are deliberate passage to provoke, to instigate, to challenge another country to war.
 

These warmongering Americans and western gangsters must be told that their nonsensical military adventures into another country’s territorial seas are not innocent, not freedom of navigation. The American and western narratives are lies, conducting dangerous acts of war. Period. No one acting innocently would intrude into another person’s backyard or front yard carrying weapons of war and claiming to be there innocently when the provocateurs have no reason to be there. England and France sending their warships into Chinese territorial waters all the way from Europe are innocent passages? These ‘has beens’ colonial powers still cannot see the day of reckoning and waiting for China to sink their antique warships? China must sink one or two of these ships for them to wake up that the world has changed. They are now little countries, not colonial powers any more.
 

Asean has finally found the courage to ask the Americans what were they doing in the South China Sea and whether their provocative acts would lead to war unnecessarily.

10/22/2018

Founders' Memorial - Take a leaf from North Korea

Singapore is setting aside 5 hectares of prime land in the heart of the new downtown city at Gardens by the Bay dedicated to our founding fathers. They deserved to be sited in the choicest part of the island. Somehow I got this uncomfortable feeling that 5 hectares may be too small to honour them. We need something more grandeur. Cost is not an issue. On that, with our good relations with North Korea and Kim Jong Un, I would recommend that Singapore send a team to North Korea to study how they honoured their great dear leaders. The North Koreans are perhaps the best in this area and their expertise is well recognised in Africa with many African states commissioning them to build gigantic statues of their founding fathers as well. This is one of their main exports and major source of foreign income.

Our westernised and heavily American influenced thinking may be satisfied with a library or a warship named after a President. We could do that and also copy from the North Koreans, taking the best from the East and West. The North Koreans are the best.

Here are some comments in the CNA on this historical project.

'The memorial site will include a garden, within which an indoor gallery will be built, the Founders’ Memorial committee said in a press release on Friday (Oct 19)....

The memorial will focus on stories and events in Singapore’s growth as a nation, the committee said, adding that it aims to take visitors on a journey that is “moving and inspiring, educational and reflective”.
"It intends to also capture the context for key milestones in Singapore’s nation-building history, the experiences and dilemmas of our leaders which shaped their values and principles, and how these affected their actions, policy deliberations and decisions," the committee said.'

Now you see why I said cost is not an important factor. It can be turned into a tourist attraction as well and the revenue would be enough to cover for its cost and general upkeep and maintenance, just like the two indoor gardens in the same area. And why bigger space, cause you need to prepare for the crowd, locals and tourists, to bring in tourist dollars. The visitors to North Korea never failed to take photographs of their dear leaders when in North Korea.

Singapore is always very particular about cost and returns and would not simply blow away money unnecessarily. If there were such incidents, they were anomalies and very few in between. Every project must be revenue generating, profit generating, like GIC and Temasek and our world best DBS and POS Banks. See how successful are our tourist sites like Sentosa and Haw Par Villa, capturing the tourists with their creative ideas.

I can imagine the long queues at least for the first few months of its opening to take a look at this new tourist attraction and to honour our founding fathers at the same time.

PS. If I let my imagination go wild I would like to see twelve 50m statues of founding fathers over looking the Padang and floating platform. In that way they could see the NDP every year, the fruit of their labour and sacrifice. A twelve statue monument would rival the statues in Easter Island and could earn the title of the 12th Wonders of the World. This would be money well spent as it would be income generating from tourists all over the world flocking here to see this new wonders. Definitely more fascinating than the Jewel in Changi.

10/21/2018

Not easy to tell the truth and nothing but the truth

'20 days after Perera posed his question on bonuses to PM Lee, sparking public uproar over the lack of transparency, top Mediacorp news presenter Bharati Jagdish interviewed Ho Kwon Ping – the executive chairman of Singapore-based leisure business group, Banyan Tree Holdings – on her noted ‘On The Record’ programme.
During the interview, published on CNA on 30 Sept, Ho Kwon Ping remarked that his salary is lower than that of ministers. The CNA report went on to state that Ho’s salary, inclusive of bonus and benefits, comes up over S$2.5 million.
The wording on the article seemed to imply that if Ho’s claims that he is paid less than what ministers earn, ministers actually earn a lot more than the S$1.1 million for entry-level ministers and the S$2.2 million for the Prime Minister, when bonuses are included....' theindependent

See how Bharati Jagdish and Ho Kwon Ping were caught in a mess that Chee Hian had to comment on it and both had to explain and explain to make sure the water is crystal clear, to see that truth, that Ho Kwon Ping's  income or salary of $2.5m is not less but more than the ministers, more than the PM. The issues involved telling the basic salary or with all the bonuses and perks. Not telling correctly can lead to misinformation and confusion.

The Independent reported that Bharati had been dismissed or forced to resign.

During the interview with Ho Kwon Ping, she did not double check Ho Kwon Ping's salary and thus gave the impression that someone was lying for saying the PM earns only $2.2m, the ministers lesser than $2.2m, then how could Ho Kwon Ping's $2.5m be lesser? See, when the numbers are not clear,  it could become half truth or fake news or misinformation, misleading. Anyone making such half truths must be made to clarify so that the public would not be misled. And the main media cannot afford to make such mistakes. Now with the committee on fake media being formed to deal with such matters, for a media staff to report unclear numbers became a very serious business.

Ho Kwon Ping had clarified that his basic was less than the minister/PM. His $2.5m was gross, including bonuses and benefits. It is very important to compare apple with apple, not with orange or durian. Anyone still blur and cannot tell the difference between apple and orange or durian?If you want to compare Ho Kwon Ping's gross salary, then you have to compare minister's gross salary also. Gross is gross.

10/20/2018

Americans do not meddle in the domestic affairs of countries

Trump and his lying gangsters have continued their barrage on China meddling in American domestic politics and trying to influence American opinions in the November election. He added that the Chinese meddling were worse than what the Russians were doing. He did not say whether the Chinese and Russian meddling in American domestic affairs were worse or less than the Americans meddling in other countries, especially Chinese and Russian affairs. The answer is no as far as the lying Americans are concerned. The Americans did not meddle in other countries’ domestic affairs or tried to influence them.
 

The breakup of the Soviet Union was not due to the Americans meddling in the USSR’s affair. Agents meddling in the domestic affairs of countries to try to influence nation states to be more friendly with them are very easy to be dealt with. Just send them packing home.
 

In the case of the Soviet Union’s breakup it was regime change, not just simple meddling or trying to influence a country’s policies. These are kid’s stuff. The Americans are more serious than that and many countries have had their bad experiences with the Americans. Just look at what is happening in Iraq, in Libya and in Syria, in Korea, in the South China Sea, in Myanmar, would tell you that the Americans did not meddle with their domestic affairs but conducted regime change, threatening invasion and wars.
 

The tools of the Americans are not diplomats or academics but the CIA and Special Forces and military bases. The CIA would invite themselves into countries they chose to conduct covert operations. The Special Forces could be invited or invited themselves in likes the CIA with or without the consent of the local govts. And you cannot expel them or send them home. They would not leave and may turnaround to fight, with the insurgents they recruited, trained, financed and armed as their front.
 

And the military bases, once in, no way would they leave. They are there to control the colonized or semi colonized countries like they are part of the USA, or part of the American Empire. Ask the Japanese and the South Koreans how they tried to rid their countries of the Americans and how difficult it was to do so.
 

See, the Americans did not meddle with the domestic affairs of countries nor tried to influence their policies. They are much more vicious than that.

10/19/2018

Singaporeans are contract or part time staff, foreigners permanent staff

I have heard many comments that Singaporeans are increasingly being employed in MNCs, banks and even local companies as part time staff or on contract. If they work in a bank, they are not bank employees but engaged by employment agencies and subcontract to the banks. On the other hand the full time employees of the banks are foreigners. Is this true? Anyone got any statistics? MOM has any statistics on this or did not know?
 

At this moment there are smokes but not sure how big is the fire. If this is true and in significant numbers, then it is injustice to our citizens, it is a crime against our own people to allow this to happen in our own country with the victims being our own citizens. This is atrocious, irresponsible if true.
 

It may be difficult to get the statistics as no one would want to know. Everyone would be looking the other way and the poor daft Singaporeans, the victims, are hapless and afraid to raise their voice. For the foreigners, there are better reasons to keep quiet and happily go about exploiting the daft Singaporeans. They would not protest, dunno how to protest, afraid to protest. Some may be silly enough to think that this is normal, the new normal, where foreigners first, Singaporeans last.
 

Since it is difficult to get enough statistics to verify this sad development, maybe it is time for those Singaporeans working part time, as contract workers, to stand up and be counted. Gilbert Goh and his blog can do a survey or data collection and build up a case on this, to prove if it is true or false, how serious is this problem. Our journalists and reporters may want to do an investigative journalism on this issue to see how serious is the problem. This is doing national service to help fellow Singaporeans.
 

Someone must be concerned about the welfare of Singaporeans, about whether Singaporeans are being mistreated, taken advantage of, victimized in SINGAPORE, the home country of Singaporeans where 
Singaporeans are the rightful owners, sacrificed to do National Service to fight, defend and die for this country. Why are there so many Singaporeans that are unemployed and under employed when so many foreigners are in full employment here?
 

If this is a big problem, it is injustice to Singaporeans and must be put right immediately.

US Imperial and Colonial Pursuit in Africa : PART ONE


US Imperial and Colonial Pursuit in Africa : PART ONE

In 1961 US assassinated the democratically elected president Patrice Lumumba of the Republic of Congo with the intention of replacing him with a pro Ameican Congolese government. In the intrervening years between 1961 and 2018, US had tried to topple many African governments for regime change. The most brutal regime change was carried out by fiendish Hillary Clinton , the State Secretary of Barrack Obama in 2011 in Libya when President Mummuar Gadddafi was hunted down and killed.

US has given notice that it intends to recolonize Africa . It is trying to recolonize Africa through diabolical economic and financial stratagems and in cahoot with corrupted political and military leaders in many African countries.

Recently Donald Trump the dishonourable US president sent his wife Melania Trump on a colonizing trip to Africa. She represented US Pentagon's Military Industrial Complex in a nuanced US intention of recolonizing Africa. Her wearing of of a colonizer's hat, a symbol of colonialism is a subtle warning sign that US intends to recolonize Africa.

However, Hillary Clinton a war hawk who predates Melania carried out a wanton destruction of Libya in 2011 and with the brutal killing of its president general Gaddafi pave the way for US wild encroachment on Africa.

Hillary had diabolical designs on Africa. She founded the Hillary Foundation to draw in billions of dollars of investors money to enable her to exploit Africa's rich resources and mining. Her foundation obtained one hundred million dollars donation from Lundin a white man's oil and mining company based in Canada. It also received a twenty million donation from Ethiopa's repressive leader Meles Zenawi. They intend to exploit Africa's resources , oil and mining for their own greed and benefit.

Hillary Clinton also have business ties with businessman Gilbert Chagoury shady land deals in Nigeria. As secretary of State she enriched herself by arming child soldiers in Southern Sudan . She made millions of dollars through illicit arm sales.

There are many more endless cases of how US through people like Hillary and Trump's wife and others are trying to recolonize Africa in both covet and uncovert ways through working hand in glove with corrupt African national leaders.

The Clinton Foundation in cahoot with the ugly US State Department appeared to have a hand in every dirty underhand resource exploitation in almost every country in Africa. In this Hillary Clinton had shown herself to be the most outstanding villain. Hillary had shown herself to be just as capable as her counter male parts in committing evils on the grandest stage and the capacity to take regressive and oppressive actions on third world countries and coloured peoples.

Southernglory1

Thursday, 18th October,2018

US Imperial and Colonial Pursuit in Africa : PART TWO

US Imperial and Colonial Pursuit in Africa: PART TWO

Donald Trump did not visit Africa because he despised the Africans and considered African countries as shitholes. He is an outright racist and has an inherent white supremacist German blood.He is a staunch supporter of the evil murderous Ku Klux Klan. 

Though Trump hates the black Africans still he will not give up his intent to re-colonize Africa . With vast American military might of hundreds of military bases and outposts in practically all the African countries the Africans will be cowed into submission to American dictates. Trump and his mafia pack of world hegemonists surely know that white men had in the past few centuries  caused extreme pain, suffering and destruction to Africans through brutal exploitation. But Trump and his gang like all previous white imperialists have no empathy, compassion, conscience or feeling for other non-white peoples so long as they can achieve their motive of obtaining absolute power, wealth and riches at the expense of others. In fact US is now involved with active colonial wars in twenty of these African countries, all fomented and instigated by US.

There are now twenty percent of US commandos deployed in Africa. The tragic and dramatic shift in the US war on Africa is geared to US colonizing activities . US has increased its military missions in Africa from around one hundred eighty in 2008 to more than three thousand five hundred in 2018.

This US military expansion across the whole of Africa in the last twenty years tells the tragic story of new American imperialism and colonialism in Africa. America intends to control as many African countries as possible through military force. It seems the United Nations and the American people are numb to this new danger of exponential American Imperialism and fascism.

The Hillary - Obama murder of Libyan president Muammar Gaddafi was devastating not just for Libya but for all of Africa. Gaddafi was a threat to America because he was trying to unify Africa. After Gaddafi's killing the lawless American leaders intend to have a free hand to deal with the rest of Africa as they please.

US established bases and outposts for drones, surveillance, air bases, special forcesand porft facilities in Kenya, Uganda, Chad, Central African Republic, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Ghana,n Senegal and others.

The rest of the world seems to be numb and ignorant of this aggressive American foreign policy in Africa.

Trump in sending his wife Milania on a mission to Africa is using a deceptive soft diplomacy to portray that America cares for the poor and hungry Africans. She is actually an agent to sense out opportunities for American operations in Africa.

Trump is an expert in hypocrisy and double speak. He claimed US is not responsible for the destruction of many African countries economies and the destructive wars in which children were recruited as fighters in the last twenty years. On the other hand he blatantly said "Why should we have these people from Africa in America . They are shithole countries." Trump and his fellow white supremacists are always obsessed with the idea of how to get these blacks out of America. They do not want to be tainted by the blacks. They are always thinking of deporting the non-white Americans. However, there is no need to deport the native American Indians for they have almost all been genocided long time ago with the exception of only a few surviving remnants. This reminds us of the less than noble Abraham Lincoln who acquired Liberia in North West Africa almost for free for the vile purpose of deporting blacks to Africa. 

Trump and his white supremacist clique are trying to revive the evil and cruel traits and practices of the past where white men could rob, kill and pillage the non-whites whatever they pleased.

The present US colonialism has the underlying support of the vast majority of the  liberals, the Neo-Conservatives and the Anglo-Saxon Jewish Zionist lluminati cabal. US war on Africa had intensified and increased by more than twenty times compared with the last decade and yet the American public is turning a blind eye to this brutal invasion of the dark continent . This is happening because US has descended  into fascism of the duopoly dictatorship of the Republicans and the Democrats with state controlled fake news intentionally organised to misled and misinform the public at large.

Southernglory1

Friday,19th October,2018

10/18/2018

A compelling case for the existence of God

The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, so said the Bible. To the atheists this sounds superfluous or nonsensical. Sometimes I too think, well, who needs God. There is no need for God when human beans behave like human beans and not like beasts. As human beans get more civilized and wise, there is a trend of thought that there is no need for a superior bean to carry a stick to whack the spoilt brat out to do mischief and evil.
 

The hope for human beans to behave and be kind to other beans is a hopeless case. In their pursuit for personal interest and well being, human beans could turn cruel and evil against other beans. See how they cut up Khashoggi. The wickedness of human beans had happened millions of years ago, but with the years of progress and development this wicked trait did not seem to go away. And it exhibits itself in the most unexpected places, in places where you thought the people are more civil or respectable or noble. One would think that when one has everything, does not need anything, one could be magnanimous, gracious, kind, compassionate or at least indifferent to the presence of others, to be oblivious of the existence of others, to enjoy one’s life in peace, luxury and tranquility. Why the need to dirty one’s hand with wickedness?
 

No, in the name of fame, glory and money, human beans would not be less evil and less wicked. The wickedness of human beans is inherent in the DNA. Wicked human beans, wickedness, have no fear, are fearless. And this is more apparent in those that wielded absolute power, believing in themselves as the untouchables, the Gods on earth, the ones that decide the fate of others with impunity. There is on greater God or gods to mess around with their evilness.
 

The greater the power, the more one is surrounded with power, the more invincible one thinks, and can become very ruthless and brutal to other human beans. It is in such times when human beans become the personification of evil, that would do evil with careless restraint, that evilness becomes a way of life, second nature, that the need for a superior bean to tame such wickedness is sorely needed. The desperate would be calling for heaven and hell to break lose to tame the evil and the wicked. When there is no hope for justice and fairness, human beans would hope for the impossible, the supernatural, to lend them a helping hand.
 

Their only hope is for the evil ones, the wicked ones, to have a fear of God. Only when there is such a fear of God would the evil ones and the wicked ones be less evil and less wicked. Unfortunately the evil ones and the wicked ones would have no such fear of God. They would sneer at the simplicity and futility of the losers hoping for a God to bring them comfort and do them justice.
 

There is or there is no God is immaterial. The losers just hope that there is a God. They wanted a God badly to be the final arbiter of good and evil, and to punish the evil and the wicked. Is there a God to bring justice and fairness to those that were done wrong?
 

The answer from history is NO. Evilness and wickedness triumphed. The evil and wicked lived better lives than the losers. The losers would always be the losers and be in despair, be at the mercy of the ruthless and the wicked and the powerful, because there is no God no matter how compelling is the reason for one.
 

If there is a God to stop the evil ones, then there would be lesser evil and wicked deeds. Just look around at what the evil and wicked ones are doing, daily, you will know that there is no God, they do not fear God.

10/17/2018

Jim Rogers banned from investing in North Korea

In a live interview, Jim Rogers said he has been to North Korea several times and found great opportunities to invest in that country. He said the North Koreans practically need everything and he would want to be the first to invest in that country. The North Korean govt has given approval for  him to do the necessary.

He said he came from the land of the free, freedom of expression, of beliefs, of association, freedom to do anything. But, his country, the land of the free would not allow him to invest in North Korea. He is not free to invest in North Korea! See the irony, the hypocrisy?

The two Koreans would want to sign a peace agreement. The Chinese and Russians also supported the peace agreement. But the Americans would not want to sign a peace agreement with the North Koreans. For doing so, there would be no justification for the Americans to keep their military bases in South Korea or nuclear weapons there. There can be no peace agreement as far as the Americans are concerned. All the talks and hype are just that, for show, not to mean anything. Trump may be the only person who could be believed to want to sign a peace treaty with Kim. How much to make out of what he said is another thing. He and his gang are pushing for more sanctions on the North Koreans and demanding the North to denuclearise without the Americans doing so. Would he be doing the same stunt like calling Xi his good friend and then starts a trade war on Kim after North Korea has denuclearised? And you can bet all the other American leaders and agencies would be asking Trump to squeeze the North Koreans like an orange, and follow up with an invasion.

The two Koreans also know this. And they are going ahead with their own plan for peace and reunification without the approval of the Americans. Their actions would eventually make Trump and his USA irrelevant when the two Koreans sign a peace agreement without the Americans. When that happened, they would force a fait accompli on the Americans and it would be the Americans standing out like a sore thumb, the only evil one that is deadly against a Korean unification and peace in the Korean Peninsula.

The rest of the world and many Americans like Jim Rogers would be rushing into North Korea to take their first bite of the cherry when the Koreans open up their market. Caveat, Jim Rogers and his American investors could be left out in the cold, banned by the Americans from investing and trading with North Korea. The American's game of pretending to be the angel but really the devil behind the non ending Korean War would be exposed with horns and a tail to show.

Jim Rogers is a free man from the land of the free but has no freedom to invest in North Korea.

10/16/2018

Singapore - Do less, achieve more

'Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group Annual Meetings in Nusa Dua, Bali, Mr Heng said: "I’m very disappointed to read the Oxfam report ... The report, rather erroneously attributed, measures the performance (of countries) by input and how much money the public sector is spending on education, on healthcare.

"As we know, what really matters to our people is the outcome. It's the health outcome, it's the educational outcome and those are fairly objective measures. So it is important for us to focus on the outcome and not get misled by input measures," he added. ' Quote from CNA

The economists and statisticians have certain ways of understanding an issue. One of the way that is making Heng Swee Kiat and other ministers unhappy is the correlation between input and output. The more you put in, eg money, the better will be the result. This is like paying higher and higher education fees to make sure the education is quality or paying millions if you want above mediocre ministers. You can't blame Heng and his peers for not understanding this relationship. Actually they should know better. They are the living practitioners of more money more results.

But why did Heng think otherwise, that it is not how much you put in but the outcome. The outcome in this case is not how much is being put in 'by the govt'. In this matter, you can spend less and get more, or do less or work less and get better results.

The first believer of this theory is Tharman when he was the Education Minister. He came out with 'teach less and learn more'. The trick is in the details and implementation. And this do less and achieve more catchphrase is gaining popularity. The latest from DBS, ''Bank less, live more" in a way comes from the same kind of reasoning. How about eat less and live well, eat less sugar to live healthier, or pay more sugar tax or water tax? Oops, I digress.

I am also a believer of this theory of doing less and achieve or getting more. I eat less, never full, and somehow feels healthier. I spent less on food, often a $3 meal is enough and still go kicking or running around. On this, never eat until your whole face is rough, rosy and oily. It may give one a wealthy and prosperous look, like towkays, but once lard start to ooze out from your pores and crevices, you are in deep trouble. I know it looks so rich and handsome, the wealthy and succesful look of having a good life, not the scrawny poor look, like a starving grey hound.

I digress again. I may like the do less achieve more catchphrase, but this is only good as a queer theory, an exception. In reality, in practice, it is more input, more output, more money, better quality. If not the ministers would not be asking to be paid in the millions and asking for more, or the universities would not be raising fees to improve their qualities. Same as the MRT, must raise fare to improve quality of service.

Then you ask, why they never say pay less and better quality of work and services? Should give it a try by paying the ministers less and see if the result would be better? Lower train fares, lower medical fees, lower tuition fees in universities, and achieve better results?

Would any minister be shouting,  pay less get more? This is a good topic to table in Parliament.

PS. Can daft do less and achieve more? I think super talents can.

10/15/2018

Space exploration and cooperation - Politics is out

The failure of a Soyuz rocket to bring two astronauts to the International Space Station marks the ending of an era of space exploration where the Americans were calling the shot. After their failed mission to send astronauts to space with a batch of highly trained astronauts killed when Apollo exploded on take off, the Americans have lost confidence in their own rockets. They have tacked on to the Russians and the Soyuz rockets to send American astronauts to the ISS.

The failure of the latest launch is going to be a watershed in American/Russian space exploration. The big question, would the Russians be able to sort out the problems before the next mission? In the meantime the Americans are still crowing about their superiority in space technology and keeping China at a distance, obstructing China from participating in ISS and from sending Chinese astronauts to the space station. They are still calling the shot to sideline China despite being passengers in Russian rockets.

NASA's top official Bridenstine was quoted to say that in space exploration, politics has been kept separate from such cooperation. The cunning Americans are saying this because they desperately needed the Russian rockets to send American astronauts to space. Without the Russian's cooperation, they would have to play out their space exploration act in the Californian desert. But when dealing with China, politics would not be kept separated from space exploration and they would die die want to keep China out of the international space programme.  This is what the hawkish John Bolton said recently, '''If they're (China) put back in the proper place they would be if they weren't allowed to steal our technology, their military capabilities would be substantially reduced. And a lot of the tensions we see caused by China would be reduced,"... He indicated that Washington was prepared to take more action to restrict sensitive high-tech exports to China. "We did this and continue to do it in terms of dual-use technology that could affect nuclear, chemical or biological weapons or ballistic-missile development.' Quote from CNA.

The silly Americans like John Bolton may continue to blindly brag about their superiority in technology in particular space technology. This idiot is so ignorant about the dismal fate coming the American way when the ISS outlived its expiry date in 2024. But the day of reckoning would come knocking earlier.

At this moment there are 3 astronauts in the ISS, an American, a German and a Russian. They were due to return home in December but the flight is delayed until further notice pending the Russians confirming they could fly the next rocket. And there is only enough food till April next year in the ISS. If the Russians were unable to resolve their rocket problems, these 3 men would be mummified in the ISS. There is no reliable American rocket that can do the job of flying them home.

Would the Americans come crawling and crying to Beijing and beg China to help them bring their astronaut home? Would they be chiding the Chinese not to get politics involved in space exploration, forgetting that they were the bastards that have kept the Chinese out of the international space exploration programme and from joining the ISS?  Would idiots like John Bolton be still shouting about their superiority in space technology and wanting to keep China from stealing their technology or would they be desperately trying to steal Chinese space technology or Chinese rockets?

For the moment, NASA have made meek advances to China to want to be let into China's Space Station, which would be the only station in space after ISS came to the end of its lifespan in 2024. China would be stupid to allow the Americans in by the backdoor after being kept out of the ISS for so many decades by American hostility and arrogance.

The story of American astronaut trapped in the ISS is still evolving and will hit critical stage come next year if the Russians are unable to launch another rocket to the space station. Time is ticking away. What goes around would come around. The Americans must have a taste of their bad medicine.

The next big American anti China hooha could be 'Save American astronaut from Space' with the American politicising the issue and branding China as a heartless nation, not willing to cooperate and help to save poor American astronaut dying in space station. And all the silly Americans and bananas would rise to echo the American shitty political agenda.






10/14/2018

StanChart looking for a new CEO?

'Lex adjudged that chief executive Bill Winters has done a poor job of preserving shareholder value — never mind building some — since he joined just over three years ago. The shares are down 40 per cent.
Emphasis mine. FT’s Letter from Lex summarising it’s article that’s behind a pay wall. Emphasis mine.

Time for Temasek, the controlling shareholder, to talk to other top 10 shareholders about removing him? Pigs will fly first. The CEO that ran the bank into the ground was kicked out because another top 10 shareholder,Aberdeen Asset Mgt, as it then was, organised a campaign against him.
But then Temasek’s paper general CEOs would also have to go if they are judged by best practices ang moh private sector standards.'    Cynical Investor

The above were comments by Cynical Investor posted in TRE. He was talking about the financial woes in StanChart and the heavy fines it is paying the US govt. The shareholders are definitely unhappy with the current CEO and may be looking for a replacement. Temasek is a major shareholder of StanChart and would be concerned about who is next to helm the bank.

While Cynical Investor was talking about paper general CEOs in a different direction, maybe Temasek should seriously consider putting up one of its hundreds of paper general for the post. It has placed many paper generals in different CEO positions that were unrelated to the experience and training of a soldier general and all doing extremely well. Why not putting one as the CEO of StanChart?  Cynical Investor also commented that this Winters made our paper general looked so good. OK a little OTJ may be required but this is chicken feat.

It is a good opportunity to train paper generals into top bankers. Singapore needs more locals, oops, shouldn't use this dirty word, I mean Singaporeans, to become top bankers. A top financial centre must continuously be grooming its citizens for such positions and not relying on foreigners all the time. It is high time such a scheme be put in place.


If this suggestion is a no go because a MNC would want its CEO to have relevant experience and soldiering experience of paper generals would not be accepted as good enough, perhaps Temasek can send its top Singaporean banker, Piyush Gupta to take over StanChart. Then the CEO of DBS can go to a Singaporean that is next in the queue.


The foreign shareholders inn StanChart would definitely welcome Gupta as he is now one of the world's top bankers, if not the best banker in the world, at least he is the best in Asia helming Asia's number One bank, DBS.

This would be a good career path to develop for retiring paper generals. DBS is a good training ground for paper generals to be bankers and then move on to helm StanChart or other foreign banks where Temasek is a majority shareholder. It is time that this career path be institutionalised to provide a good career for our hundreds of paper generals queuing up to join the private sector as CEOs.


Who do you think Mr Heng? Or shall I ask Mr Lee or Madam?

10/13/2018

Unfair trading practices versus Unequal Treaties

The Americans are accusing China and other trading partners of unfair trade practices. And using this excuse the Americans have launched a trade war with all their trading partners and targeting China as their number One enemy.
 

How unfair are the trade practices of China? How would these so called unfair trade practices compare to the Unequal Treaties imposed on China after the Opium Wars and Sino Japanese War? Any of the Americans remember what were these Unequal Treaties and how fair or unfair they were to China? But before these Unequal Treaties, do they remember the wars of conquest, colonization of people and countries and imposing their will on the colonized people, looting and plundering these countries into poverty, robbing their land and natural resources and the dignity of the conquered and colonized people?
 

Since the Europeans left their shores to colonise and control the rest of the world, since the end of WW2, all the rules governing international trade were dictated by the West and subsequently by the Americans. The Americans and the West controlled the UN, IMF, World Bank and many international organizations to dictate rules for the rest of the world. They imposed sanctions and restrictions on what they want to buy and sell on the rest of the world. They set all the terms of agreements in their favour. Note, all the rules and regulations and treaties were dictated by the West and the Americans. And during the days of colonial rule and unequal treaties, the terms were forced on the other side under duress and threats of war. And the rest of the world, including China, has to abide and play by these rules. They imposed their will on China with stringent and unfair terms to join the WTO, the UN and any organization they controlled, and often banned China from organizations they did not want China to participate, like space technology and exploration.
 

Given the fact that the Americans were the ones that were dictating terms on international trade and international relations, how can these terms be favourable to China and unfair to the Americans? Are the Americans so stupid, so altruistic, so generous, to China and the rest of the world? China was isolated by the Americans for decades. The Americans are still doing it to China in many areas, and to countries like Russia, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela and many other countries they demonized as enemies.
 

The economic downfall of the USA is due to unfair practices, unfair practices imposed on the Americans by China and the rest of the world and China and the rest of the world are to be blamed for this?
 

On the other hand, China and the rest of the world were the underdogs. And when China signed trade or infrastructure building agreements with the rest of the world, these were done on a willing buyer willing seller basis, on terms negotiated by equals, with the best negotiators from both sides. These agreements by China and other countries were not done at gun point like the West and the Americans used to do when they conquered and colonized people/states.
 

Today, all the little countries are liberated and independent countries except the semi colonies of the USA and some colonies of European powers. South Korea and Japan are still victims of unequal treaties imposed on them by the Americans, demanding the right to station troops in their countries and controlling their armed forces. Same as in several Middle East countries. The independent countries today are helmed by highly politicized, smart and nationalistic leaders. Would these leaders signed agreements with China under pressure and to their disadvantage? Would the brilliant American trade negotiators/gangsters sign unfair trade agreements with China, under pressure because China is more powerful than the Americans? Could China dictate trading terms with the Americans in favour of China and Americans willingly agree to unfair trade practices when they are in charge, in control of everything, the world's biggest hegemon?
 

The facts, all the trading rules and terms were dictated by the Americans and the Chinese were price takers of such unfair agreements, often biased and in favour of the Americans. How valid is the claim of Donald Trump and his gangsters in Washington that China is imposing unfair trade practices or taking advantage of unfair trade practices on the Americans?
 

This is exactly like the saying, a thief shouting thief. China and the rest of the world are playing by the rules set by the Americans, under the American world order, living under Pax Americana, the Evil Empire.

10/12/2018

Training to become hawkers

I read in the main media of this great opportunity to become hawkers in Singapore’s famous hawker culture business. ITE has started a new hawker course to teach and train aspiring young people, very likely armed with degrees or diplomas to become hawkers. This new profession is about the best thing that has happened in Singapore for the young and entrepreneurial Singaporeans since getting a permanent job is quite difficult as most of the jobs were taken up by the 2 million foreign talents working here, and with more coming in to become locals and Singaporeans. New Singaporean graduates are finding it tough competing with these new talents, or is it that employers for some reasons, prefer to hire foreigners instead of Singaporeans, and other than becoming taxi drivers, it is better to become hawkers.
 

The ITE course, Introduction to Managing a Hawker Business, has attracted 25 aspiring young people to learn this new trade. Among the things that they would learn other than managing a hawker stall would be things like how to source for suppliers and yes, how to formulate a business plan. This is serious business.
I am calling my grandfather to apply to be a lecturer for this course. His experience as a hawker for 50 years, from the time he arrived in this island, with out a penny, with no education, would be very useful to the new trainees that have no clues about running a hawker stall. My grandfather would be able to teach them all the tricks of the trade, including sourcing for suppliers, how to cut operating cost, how to work from 6am to 12 mid night, how to stand frying char kway teow for long hours without going to the toilet.
 

But there is a caveat. My grandfather would not know how to teach them how to write business plan. Also he would have to conduct his course in Hokien. He had never been to school. He learnt his trade the hard way or what they called, OJT. There was no one to teach him how to be a hawker then, and no hawker courses to learn how to be a hawker.
 

Hope if he got the job, the highly educated trainee aspiring hawkers would bear with him and be willing to learn from him. Hawker business is not so easy and they don’t teach them in schools or the universities. So my grandfather and his peers would be the best lecturers/trainers for such a course. They had been there and done it, no pure reading by the books.
 

This poses a new query in my mind. Who are they getting to train these aspiring hawkers, people with experience in being hawkers or text books academics? I am still puzzled by the availability of such experts in the hawker business. Would a Mat Salleh help?
 

Ok, ok, I am kidding. My grandfather must be 150 years if he is still alive. But hawker business is going to be a new profession for our young people since they no longer can become IT professionals or other professionals in Singapore. This is their best hope to earn a decent living and have a permanent job or profession. Otherwise they would likely be unemployed or underemployed.
 

The caring govt has come forward to give them a helping hand by initiating such a great course to train them to be hawkers. If not they would not have a clue how to become a hawker. Singaporeans must be taught or they would not be able to do anything on their own. This is like they said, no initiative, cannot think, cannot find out on their own, a product of Singapore’s tuition culture.
 

My grandfather did not need any tuition or training to become a successful hawker. He would faint if he knows that his class would have highly educated young people with no ideas about how to be a hawker. He would like say, seow.

10/11/2018

Oxfam’s finding on Singapore’s inequality ‘simplistic and prescriptive’

SMU don Eugene Tan commented on the Oxfam report on Singapore’s income inequality that the ‘methodology was simplistic and prescriptive’. It ranked Singapore 149 out of 157 nations, just one notch above Laos. Singapore’s position fell from a high of 86 last year to near rock bottom, a ranking comparable to the ranking for Singapore’s main media. How atrocious! Would the comments be more friendly if the rankings were like those for our world class universities? Incidentally the rankings for our world class universities have received a few condemnations and they have started to think of a more realistic and relevant way of ranking our world class universities, ranked in the same ethereal realm of existence as the top universities of the world.
 

With such bad ranking on income inequality, this report rightly deserves to be rejected and dismissed. How could Singapore be lying so low down there in the company of Laos and not right up there with the top European countries? Must be very biased, or yes, simplistic and prescriptive. And Minister Desmond Lee was also unhappy with the report and was offended. He said, ‘We think it is more important to look at the outcomes achieved instead.’ Yes, agreed, these people coming from nowhere, never lived here before, making such unruly comments on our domestic affairs and so critical and simplistic some more.
 

Let me just make one quote from the Oxfam report as reported in thenewspaper to support a case against the unstinting and unfair criticism of this best run state in the world. ‘Singapore could tackle inequality at home by spending more, strengthening labour rights and enacting anti discrimination laws.’
 

But Singapore has been spending a lot more to help the poor students, including many from other countries to study in our world best schools, polytechnics and universities, with scholarships covering fees, living expenses and housing. This is in the tune of several billions over the years. How much more must Singapore spend before Oxfam is satisified? The govt even legislated to spend the poor people’s life savings, otherwise they would not spend, to protect them from health and life expectancy problems. This money spent the Oxfam sure would not know. They must add this as part of the social spending to help the poor, to level up the income inequality.
 

As for strengthening the labour movements and labour rights, how much more is needed when the govt assigned the PM to be to head the labour movement? This is damn powerful ok, to protect and to fight for the workers’ rights and interests. No country would put such a high power minister to work for the workers. So the comment by the Oxfam report is too simplistic or ignorant.
 

More anti discrimination laws? On what, sexual inequality or wealth inequality? Ok, sexual inequality is now gaining support, especially for the LGBTs. Give the govt some time and all sexes and bisexuals will be equal, no more discrimination. Oh wait a minute, I read about this on sexual inequality, ‘Singapore has no equal pay or non discrimination laws for women, its laws on rape and sexual harassment are inadequate and there is no minimum wage except for cleaners and security guards.’ Holy cow, where did this come from? See how many women ministers we have and think the top salary earner in Singapore is a woman. Ok, I have no statistic to back this up. Caveat.
 

Laws on rape? Come on, Singapore is virtually free of rape crimes against women. Why do you need more laws on this when it is quite irrelevant? You need more laws on rape if the country is infested with rapists, not safe, safe Singapore.
 

As for wealth inequality, the best legal provision is the abolishment of estate duty so that everyone can inherit their homes after the death of the owner of the estate. Rich or poor, all are treated as equal. Poor Singaporeans need not lose their estate as a result of death, and can pass on their HDB flats to their descendants forever.
 

See how simplistic is the Oxfam report? They did not know that our poor are so rich and happy that all the poor in the whole world would want to be poor in Singapore. This is a fact, a spoken fact. Why is it a spoken fact? Because no one in Singapore dispute this fact when spoken.
 

Whew. I said my piece for Singapore. I defended Singapore’s integrity.

10/10/2018

The AHTC case and the flaws of switching management

It is so obvious that the problems facing the AHTC case need not arise and must/would not be allowed to be repeated if the management of town councils remains with a statutory board or ministry ran by civil servants. The management of a town council, the complexity and operational details involved, and the importance of such services remaining in tact and continuou, demand that it must be run by a permanent body of staff. It cannot be otherwise.
 

The AHTC case highlighted the problems and flaws and unnecessary troublesome administrative handling over of funds, records, duties and responsibilities that could not be efficiently transferred from one management to another over a short spell of time. Such procedures and processes, the involvement of funds and monetary matters, necessitate very careful, arduous and detailed scrutiny and inspection before a transfer can take place. And worse, under the politicized nature of the system, when a different and often unfriendly party won an election and having to take over the function and running of a town council, in a way exposing the predecessor’s work to be scrutinized for wrongdoings, make the transfer of responsibility a hostile takeover with both parties placed in a very difficult and confrontational position. How could such a belligerent and antagonistic system be to the interest of the residents that expect a public service to continue to run efficiently, smoothly and without disruption?
 

When a political party takes over the running of a state after winning a general election, all the staff of ministries and stats boards remain in tact, with all the systems and procedures, including software and hardware, remain practically unchanged until such time when the new govt is ready to make changes. The services of the respective ministries and stats boards will not be affected in anyway or in any serious ways. Assuming the same terms of changing all the staff and systems in ministries should take place like the changing of the guards in the town councils, there is no way the new govt can start to administer a country and all its ministries and stats boards given the time constraints.
 

The expectation of a new town council management to start operating and running a town council almost immediately is insane. An incoming town council could insist that all the documents, accounts and system be proper and free from errors before taking over and this would lead to an endless explanation and bickering of what is being handed over. This is simply plain impossible and unacceptable.
 

It is time the town councils be returned to be managed permanently and continuously by a stats board with permanent staff and system for the good of the residents. No one or party or politician need to be put through running a town council to prove themselves to be able to run a country. This is a red herring, a myth. It does not happen in any other country and historically, new govts are form in democratic countries after winning an election with people that came from all walks of life except running a country and they ran the country and doing no less better than people who had the experience of running town councils.
 

One does not have to run a small company to run a big company or organization. Running a small company or organization like a town council has very little relevance to running a country. If that is the critical experience to run a country successfully, then the first generation of leaders would have failed or must fail. They did not, without the experience of running town councils. So did the leaders of all the countries in the whole wide world.
 

This town council thing must be put right for the good of the people and country. All the political bickering is unnecessary, stressful, silly and a waste of public funds and resources that could be put to better use and more important things.

10/09/2018

DPRK Prospects, Sanctions and Opportunities by Dr Michael Heng PBM

DPRK (North Korea) Music Video - 1st Singapore DPRK Business Mission

Abuse of power and the media to maintain dominance

The Evil American Empire has been abusing everything under the law, with their superior military power and control of the western media and media of little USAs to accuse, demonise and attack their enemies just to hold on to their position as the unchallenged dominant world power.

The strategy is very simple, just keep on accusing the enemies, demonise them using the main media, and attack them with their superior military might to destroy their enemies. These are the things the Americans are doing. The world's biggest war criminal, killing hundreds of thousands all over the world, but accusing every country they regard as enemies of war crimes, in Eastern Europe, in Africa, in Sri Lanka, in Myanmar and in Latin America. They also accused all these countries of violating human rights when they were the one that were the worst violator of human rights in the past and in  present times. And sickeningly they awarded themselves under the slightest pretext with Nobel Peace Prize while conducting wars, escalating wars, and starting wars.

They blame other countries of militarisation, like China in the SC Sea when they set up more than 1,000 military bases all over the world, militarising the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean with nuclear bombs and sending warships, warplanes and Special Forces to threaten other countries. They accuse others of currency manipulation, of money laundering, when the American govt and American banks were the biggest culprits of such criminal activities.

They accuse China of settling Asian and African countries with debts when they were the ones that were doing so and with higher interest rates than China through IMF and the World Bank.

For decades they have been conducting world wide espionage, spying and eave droppings of communication lines, and cyber attacks and accused others of doing it as if they are innocent of such covert operations.

They support, finance, arm and train terrorist organisations and accused others of doing so.

They coerce, pressure, threaten countries all over the world with military invasion, regime change, trade sanctions and everything you can name of but accused other countries of doing so.

They meddle and interfere with the domestic affairs and politics of every country but accusing others of meddling with American domestic politics.

They conduct smear campaigns against countries and their leader when they and their leaders were the worst scoundrels, groping women, sexual harassment, sexual violation, misconduct, blow job in the White House, violence etc etc.

I could go on and on. The main purpose of this dirty strategy is to attack and keep the enemies busy defending and have no time to hit back or to expose the dirt and shit of the Americans. The enemies would be so bogged down trying to clear their names and have no time to attack the Evil Empire on all their crimes against humanity, abuse of power, disregarding the rule of law and using the media to spread fake news and false news and disinformation about their enemies.

The Evil Empire is the Evil Empire and it is a matter of time before the wheel of fortune turns against them and bring them down on their knees. You can bluff some people some of the time but not all the people all the time. When the Evil Empire loses its power, it is a matter of when, they will pay for their abuses of power and media and for crimes against humanity.

10/08/2018

AHTC lawsuit - A landmark case in the making

Multimillion-dollar civil suits against 3 Workers’ Party MPs go to trial

The suits were brought against three Workers' Party MPs Low Thia Khiang, Sylvia Lim and Pritam Singh as well as others, over alleged improper payments amounting to millions of dollars....

An 'egregious, cavalier misuse of public funds': Town council lawyers rip into Workers' Party leaders
Later in the afternoon, lawyers for the three MPs and AHTC councillors Chua Zhi Hon and Kenneth Foo stressed that at all times, the five were acting honestly and in “good faith”. The five are represented by Tan Rajah & Cheah.​​​​​​​

“Various allegations have been made ... we have our responses to all those,” said lawyer Chelva Retnam Rajah in court. “At the heart of all our actions is the fact that at all times ... They were acting in good faith, acting honestly and for the purposes of the Town Councils Act in all their actions.”

Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/workers-party-trial-ahtc-prptc-lawsuits-low-pritam-sylvia-10793984


Three leaders of Singapore’s leading opposition party Workers’ Party will have to defend themselves in court today over  (Oct 5) alleged mishandling of S$33 million in town council funding. The civil suit was lodged by the ruling party PAP-controlled town councils – through a fake “independent panel” filled with government cronies – after the police cleared the opposition MPs of criminal wrongdoings.

It is unknown who is sitting in the “independent panel” appointed by the ruling party dictatorship....thestatestimes

Above are two quotations, one from Channelnewsasia and the other from thestatestimes.

Just reading them prompted me to ask a few questions. One who were the people filing the civil suits against the WP? What were the grounds that gave them the privilege or right to file a civil suit against a state organisation, a legal entity, constituted under a democratic system of govt? The AHTC may be run by the WP, an opposition party, but it is a legally constituted organisation, not a private organisation, not a social organisation or a NGO or a commercial organisation.

As this is allowed in this case, it is going to set a precedent for anyone to sue any govt organisations under the same pretext, especially town councils and more.

The second point that came out from thestatestimes is the ground for defence put up by the defence lawyers, ie 'They were acting in good faith, acting honestly and for the purposes of the Town Councils Act in all their actions.' This defence is against the charge for 'egregious, cavalier misuse of public funds'

If this defence cannot hold, then in future, anyone being charged for the same egregious, cavalier misuse of public funds would also not be able to get away using this defence of acting in good faith, acting honestly and acting legally, as the WP representatives were acting legally too.

If this defence holds, then in future anyone acting in good faith, honestly and legally, could get away with 'egregious and cavalier misuse of public funds'.

The decision and judgement of the court would have far reaching consequences as whatever the court decides, it would become judicial precedents to be quoted in the future. 

I repeat the three points being put before the court.

1. Anyone can sue any legally constituted state organisation, especially town councils...
2. For egregious and cavalier misuse of public funds
3. Acting in good faith, honestly and legally is or is not a ground for defence.

PS. I have not seen the names of the people filing the suit against AHTC. Have they been made public or is this not to be made public, anonymous?