Hsien Loong - "We are open, but this is our home."

"We have to bring this down in terms which individual Singaporeans can relate to, in terms of their lived experience – at work, in the community spaces, in the crowd which they meet, in that they feel that they are taken care of and in Singapore, this is a Singapore for Singaporeans," said Mr Lee.

"We are open, but this is our home."....

"Many companies which are breaking new ground, which are at the leading edge, are like that, and we want them," said Mr Lee.

"But when they come to Singapore, and they employ 40 per cent of Singaporeans, or even 60 per cent of Singaporeans, and you will see that many of your colleagues are not Singaporean. Your boss may not be Singaporean, certainly, your owner may have been a Chinese or Vietnamese or Thai or Indonesian start-up, then you will say, 'why is it here?'," said the prime minister.  CNA


After so many years of silence and taking the Singaporeans for granted by flooding the island with foreigners and allowing foreigners to determine the fate of Singaporeans in employment with many now jobless or under employed, and with the opposition parties bringing this up as a major source of unhappiness, the govt is now trying to control the damage. Question is whether the damage has gone too far and too widespread that it is too late to do anything meaningful.

Based on the above comments that foreign companies are employing 40% or 60% foreigners and the rest Singaporeans, I think Singaporeans could accept this. The truth is that many foreign and local companies are filled with foreigners, some more than 80% and nothing is done about it.

The govt must act and not just use words to appease the badly affected Singaporeans. This is our home, our only home, and we must not lose it to foreigners under stupid schemes and excuses. Most Singaporeans would have no where to run, cannot afford to work overseas to earn cheap pay and cheap currencies.

So, is the stupid 6.9 million and more population policy still business as usual? Is Singapore going to be the home of foreigners called new citizens or new Singaporeans?

Another fake news opportunity for the Americans

A US military jet crashed in mountainous territory in eastern Afghanistan, where there is a heavy Taliban presence, the Pentagon confirmed Monday, rejecting the insurgents' suggestions that it was shot down.

Afghanistan US Forces spokesman Colonel Sonny Leggett confirmed in a statement that the aircraft was a US Bombardier E-11A, a type of jet used as a military airborne communications node in the region.

"While the cause of crash is under investigation, there are no indications the crash was caused by enemy fire," Leggett said.

Leggett gave no information on casualties in the crash.

Earlier, a Taliban spokesman said the plane had crashed and there were no survivors, but another version of the statement from the insurgents said they had brought the plane down.  Yahoo News

Which part of the above is true and which part is fake?

Was the plane shot down by the Taliban? The Americans said no, probably fell off the sky by itself. The Taliban said they shot it down.

Were there any Americans killed? American version likely no casualties. The plane is a drone, no pilots, no aircrew and no passengers.

The Taliban said no survivors, all on board killed.

So, who is lying and who is telling the truth? Can Pofma be issued?

PS. Latest, two bodies were found on the wreckage.The Americans killed in the Middle East and West Asia deserved to be killed. They could have a good life in their homeland but chose to go to war to kill the poor people in these regions. The more Americans got killed the better, to teach them that there is a price for waging wars and killing other innocent people.

Wuhan Virus - Singapore's vulnerability

SINGAPORE — Singapore’s economy will definitely be impacted by the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak, with the tourism-related sectors being of immediate concern.

In a multi-ministry press conference on Monday (27 January), Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing said that this includes travel agents, as well as the food and beverage, retail and hospitality sectors.  Yahoo News

The Wuhan virus must have rung a bell in many people's head. Obviously it didn't. Singapore is still thinking it is a small matter. Well, our tourist industry will be hit and some people's jobs and business may be impacted. This kind of thinking is similar to the desire for nuclear energy, nuclear power station. It is small problem and should be ok. The Fukushima disaster, not fully disclosed and many serious consequences covered up, also did not ring a bell. If Fukushima meltdown would be to happen in Singapore, where would Singapore and Singaporeans be?

The closing down of Wuhan and several major cities in China, including Shanghai and maybe Beijing is small matter. What would happen if Singapore has to close down? Small matter, only the tourist industry be affected?

What lessons can Singapore learn from this Wuhan virus incident? Would Singapore still be happily opening up its legs wide wide and inviting everyone from all the dirty corners of the world to come here and reside and sleep and play and work with fellow Singaporeans? Not to worry, nothing bad will happen to Singapore. All the bad things can only happen in other countries, especially in China, never in Singapore. All the viruses would die after their carriers drink our shit water, oops, Newater, our cure all for everything. See, the facts have proven that Singapore is safe and clean after so many millions of potential deadly disease carriers have come and gone. No contagious disease or virus dare to attack Singapore and Singaporeans.

Can Singapore afford a slip, an unfortunate incident like the Wuhan virus or some slum virus from remote villages in some third world countries and think life will go on as usual? Anyone ever ponder what would happen if another virus or disease that spreads as easily and quickly as the Wuhan virus find its way here and Singapore has to close down?

Our health checks at our entry points have been so casual and relax, so easy to move in and out to the credit of our open leg policy. Just keep the fingers crossed and all will be well. There is nothing to worry about. It will not happen to Singapore.

What would it be like if someone with a very infectious disease travels in our very crowded trains?

Silent Cultural Revolution in Singapore

What was the Cultural Revolution in China in the 1966?

In 1966, China was engulfed with the fire of revolution with young Red Guards running wild all over the country attacking and arresting people, humiliating and punishing people branded as revisionists. The crime of the victims was mainly due to their intellect, the educated and worse foreign educated elites, the professors, engineers, academics, administrators, scientists, anyone with higher education was a target. It was destruction of everything related to knowledge, science and technology. It was the Road to Mediocrity when farmers and peasants were glorified. It was good to be poor. And China went back to Year Zero by the time the Cultural Revolution ended in 1976  with the death of Mao and the arrest of the Gang of Four.

Is Singapore also on the Road to Mediocrity? Is there a silent Cultural Revolution to frown upon excellence, to promote mediocrity, to encourage every student to be mediocre, be average is glory, top schools and top students should become unknown and unheard off? Do not mention about top schools and top students getting straight As. Popularise and glorify the average students as the good stuff, the way to be, be proud to be average and be ashamed if one is top of the class!

How long have the name Raffles Institution, Hwa Chong Institution been blanco from the media like it is a crime to mention them? When O level and A level results were released, not a whisper of the top students from the top schools? Why? Should these top talents be arrested, humiliated and send to work in the farms? Oops we don't have enough farm land to house them, maybe send them to neighbour countries? Send them for reeducation camps to tell them that to be good in their studies, to be top students, to be highly qualified graduates from the best schools and universities are bad, not to be seen, not to be heard.  Oh, we can send all our top graduates to become cab drivers and security guards as part of their reeducation stint like the intelligentsia of China during the Cultural Revolution. Can also become hawkers to learn what it is like to do manual work and to be poor.

Singapore does not need Singaporeans as top talents. We cannot offend the parents of the average students and the pride of the average students. We must make the average students happy, their parents happy by glorifying them and shun the top students. We can import all the top talents from third world countries to fill the top positions in the industries and govt ministries. Like that all the average Singaporeans would be very happy. See, no arrogant top students and their happy parents on the main media to make the average students and their parents unhappy.

Now when did I get this idea?  I came across this article in thenewpaper on 22 Jan titled, 'MOE launches pilot study to drop selection trials for CCAs'.  In the article there were a couple of phrases that prompted me to think again. The first paragraph of the article reads, 'In its latest push to encourage children to pursue their interests and focus less on performance, the Ministry of Education(MOE) will look at dropping selection trials for co-curricular activities(CCAs).  Another comment about the National School Games for young children, 'Last year, it tweaked the National School Games(NSG) junior division (for pupils aged nine to 11) to give children, even the less skilled, a chance to compete. Among the changes were removing individual events in some sports and rewarding participation instead of finishing first.  The bold emphasis were mine.

To reward mediocrity, reward communal activities, punish individual excellence are exactly what the Cultural Revolution of China was all about. Instead of in search of excellence, this is promoting mediocrity, levelling down to please the mediocres. Is this the road forward for Singapore?  Why is the MOE peddling to the cries of the parents of the average and in a way sidelining the talented and individual pursuits for excellence?  Is this what we get from the millionaires, brilliant ideas that millionaires could come up with?

What is wrong with excellence? What is wrong with wanting to be the best? Is it shameful to be top students, top talents? Should not then that the media stop glorifying our universities as world top universities, stop crowing how good we are and hide under the cloaks of mediocrity?

What do you think?

Singapore's education conundrum- something is fake

Language aside, the general school facilities and resources in Indian government schools are not comparable to Singapore government schools, and Indian teachers and students often work and study under adverse conditions.

I have often wondered how Indian government schools, despite their inadequate and commonly antiquated education facilities and resources, can produce talents in demand by a first world country like Singapore. There must be something unique (almost magical) about the Indian government schools, their education administration and education Ministry, Ministers and their officials....

How much of the Indian talents are “real” talents that Singapore cannot survive without them? How can India produce the first world talent when Singapore cannot despite our good education facilities and model?....

Lastly, if a Third World country like India can produce First World talents which Singapore must have to survive, why can’t First World Singapore produce the talent investors require (though not in the same numbers)?
It is only when the PAP government is really taking serious actions (rather than their ‘fanciful talks’) to control the inflow of foreign talents especially from India can our well-skilled and educated Singaporeans remain in employment without fear of unfair competition.

Kok Ming Cheang

The above statements from Kok Ming Cheang's article in the TRE are something that I have been musing about and perplexing to many Singaporean PMETs that have lost their high paying jobs to foreigners especially those from India. Amusing to me is one thing, but pain and suffering to the affected PMETs and their families is another. And to those that paid lip service to the suffering of this group of Singaporeans and claiming that they understood their pains and empathise with them,with their lives while they live their lives of aplenty because of their million dollar salaries, is another.

This is very serious matter and should not be taken lightly.  The reason 'wayang' as some in the social media have said about the sudden interest in MOM to right the decades long wrong to the Singaporean PMETs and their families hopefully is not really just another wayang because election is around the corner.

Is there anything wrong with this education conundrum or something is wrong with the facts? Is it true that third world Indian education is producing all the talents that first world Singapore education is unable to produce? Or is it true that Singapore's first world education is not producing the talents that first world Singapore needs, ie failure in the Singapore education system? Something is very wrong. Something is fake, cannot be both. Either Indian education is really good and producing good talents for Singapore or it is not. Or Singapore's education is really producing duds despite its claim of being world class or it is not.

What is fake, which part is fake? Can Singapore, after spending so much money to have a world class education system is not really what it is, everything is fake, fake world class education therefore unable to produce the talents it needs?  Or India's third world education is producing fake talents that the stupids in Singapore cannot tell the difference and took them in as talents?  Which is which?


What is real and what is fake?

US has always been an illegitimate rogue country run by criminals and psychopaths

     Five hundred years ago savage barbarian hordes from Europe went on a rampage to invade foreign lands far and wide and brought 500 years of curse to the whole world. Wherever they went they killed and plundered and deprived the natives of their land. Before very long the continents of the Americas, Africa, Asia and Australia were brought to their knees under white barbarians control and domination. In the Americas there was almost wholesale genocide of the natives by the British, France, Spain, Portugal and Holland. It is most outrageous all these invasions, conquests, killings and genocide of the natives were carried out and justified in the name of their Christian God and based on the instructions of their holy book which claimed their God empowered them to do so.

United States and Canada were founded by the savage hordes from England. The original United States which broke away from England in 1775 consisted only of thirteen states with a territory of only about six hundred and fifty thousand square miles. However, due to its endless aggressive wars of conquests it soon expanded to over Three million six hundred and fifty-five thousand square miles within a span of about one hundred and thirty years from 1775 to 1905, and all at the expense of the native American states and Mexico.

Having conquered the whole of continental north America, the evil white Americans then proceeded to conquer across the seas, across the Pacific Ocean to conquer Hawaii, Guam and most of the islands in the Pacific Ocean.

White American savage aggression has not stopped. They think no one can or is able to stop their aggressive wars of conquests and they make their aggressive wars as ongoing and a continuing process until it conquers and dominate the whole world under its tyranny and total hegemony. It is now trying to conquer the Middle East and deprive the Arab muslims of their lands so as to acquire full control of the oil and other mineral resources in the region. In south and central America its heavy hands of damnation bully and interfere in the internal affairs of each and every country in the region. It has constantly conducted brutal regime change in many of the countries in the region.

Despite the white American never ending streaks of wanton aggression it is very confounding that most of the third world countries especially many of the ASEAN countries and Arab muslim countries like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE, Tunisia and Algeria never condemn the Americans but on the contrary coddled up to them. Is this indifferent attitude the result of inherent fear of the brutal military might of the evil empire of the United States. Or is it some or many of the ex-colonial countries have benefited somehow and in some ways from their ex-colonial masters. Take for example in the late 1890s  to early 1910s England had occupied tens of thousands of square miles of Chinese lands in Southern Tibet or North East Frontier as the British called it and in the North West or the Ark Sai-chin corridor and in Lakdah, Chinese territories in which the Indians inherited from the British and thus took over the mantle of British imperialism at the expense of China. Also the state of Assam which was once an independent kingdom was also incorporated into British India and in which India does similarly inherited and benefited.

Indonesia also benefited territorially from Dutch colonialism. It illegally annexed Papua New Guinea and East Timor into Indonesia though these two territories are entirely different entities from the Indonesians.

Malaya also benefited from British colonialism when it was given the huge territories of Sarawak and Sabah formerly known as British North Borneo.

So it seems it is not only extreme self-interests but also ravacious greed that they behave in such outrageous manner especially some Asean countries like the Philippines, Vietnam,Malaysia and Brunei which capitalise on the enmity between China and the United States to take advantage on China by falsely pursuing illicit claims to many of the Chinese islands and territorial seas in the South China Sea region thinking that they might have the backing and support of the Evil Empire to their unfounded wild claims.

The recent assassination of Iran's commander in chief Mr Soleimani by the United States is state terrorism. Mr Soleimani was lured to his death by the subterfuge of President Trump via CIA and the Pentagon under the dark cloak of diplomacy to discuss ways to lessen tension between Iran and Saudi Arabia with Iraq taken for a ride as an intermediary. This reminds us of The Ides of March in which Julius Caesar was lured to his death in Rome in the struggle for supreme power of the Roman Empire.  Yet Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt and  none of the ASEAN countries either singly or as a group condemn the white American cowardly state terrorism. ASEAN countries and their ministers and politicians like to echo the American fake talk of following international rules, laws and regulations. The white Americans and its western allies have been committing so many countless atrocities and flouting all the international laws and rules all the time and yet ASEAN countries and some Arab muslim countries have been outrageously singularly silent without a word of condemnation against the Evil Empire. Yet the ASEAN ministers and politicians will always shamelessly echo the American agenda of demonisation of China.

Why are the presidents, prime ministers, ministers, influential politicians and elites of ASEAN countries so reticent about America's state terrorism. Why are they so blind or is it their eyes are covered with veils of wool that they cannot see all the evil deeds done by the white Americans. Yet the white Americans have been terrorising the non-white countries in the world for the last few hundred years, killing, murdering and genociding hundreds of millions of natives in North America, Central America, South America and Hawaii and as an extension of their terrorism now killing Arab muslims and Iranians in the Middle East. Further more it is trying to create another theatre of war in the South China Sea region pitting the littoral states of the region against China. Of course as usual the evil empire will use the silly South East Asian countries as pawns and proxies to fight its imperial wars against China while it profits from the war conflagration with huge monstrous profits in weapons and arms sales to the unsuspecting littoral countries of the region.

If the non-white countries do not condemn all the evils and misdeeds and wars of aggression ot the demonic white Americans and jointly oppose them they will be subjecting themselves to another 500 years curse of  American and white imperialism. 

Let's hope the third world or non-white countries of the world will be wise enough to wake up to the inherent evils of the white Americans and stop being made use of by the evil empire as pawns and proxies in their never ending perpetual wars of aggression and plunder.

Southernglory 1

Sunday, 26th January, 2020

1977 - Year 0 in China

阿丕书记：第1集 https://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMzg2OTU4Njcy.html?spm=a2h0j.11185381.mdlikeshow.1~3!4~5~5~A

The above is a short serial on the transformation of a poor agrarian country to what it is today, a new metropolitan state that is on its way to surpass to the USA as the richest and most modern economy and country in the world. The serial started in 1977, a year after the end of the destructive Cultural Revolution led by the Gang of Four. The Cultural Revolution was effective in turning China into Year Zero, when all industrial activities were halted and destroyed, when all the elites and well educated professionals, mostly western graduates were branded as revisionist, either locked up in reeducation camps or sent to the countryside to work as farmers, and many did not survive the campaign.

In 1977, the horrendous impact of the Cultural Revolution was felt everywhere, when poor was glorified, when being rich was scorned and treated as enemies of the people. The luxury of the time was to be able to eat an egg, no meat, no fish. An egg was often shared by four persons. Food on the table was mainly vegetables. Individual enterprises were frowned upon, banned and a crime, small business, hawkers etc were non existence as they were not permitted. If was life in communes.

1977 was the lowest point of the Chinese Civilisation after it was reunited under the CCP. 1977, a year after the death of Mao and the execution of the Gang of Four in their primitive destructive policies, was the year when Deng Xiaoping was reinstated as the deputy head of the CCP and many other key organisations, but effectively the de facto head of China. 1977 was the beginning of the opening up and transformation of modern China, leading to the Four Modernisations and the new China today.

The serial gave an in depth and truthful depiction of the hard life of the Chinese people and how the reformed intellectuals and educated elites released from reeducation camp gingerly tiptoed around to transform the Chinese economy and the thinking of the Chinese people. Once the oppressed and restrained energy of the industrial Chinese people was released and set free, everything was on a roll, but with a lot of resistance from the old and conservative schools of communal living and poor is good cadres.

This is a history lesson for those interested to know how it all started and where it all started as many have forgotten how hard and tough life was in China in the 60s and 70s. A whole new generation of Chinese people have grown up without knowing what is poverty or hunger and bad leaders and bad govt policies. Coincidentally Wuhan, Hubei is now the centre of attraction because of the virus epidemic.

The 19 chapters retold the story of a newly released Secretary General called 阿丕, full name 陈丕显, being posted to be the number one man in Hubei and how he rebuilt this province from scratch, from Year Zero.


Happy and Prosperous Chinese New Year to everyone.

Guaido, a traitor walking with his foreign collaborator in Pompeo

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on Monday for cooperation in the struggle to remove Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from office amid a long-running crisis in the South American country.

The appeal came as Pompeo met with Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido for strategy talks.

"We must put an end to Maduro's tyranny which harms Venezuela's citizens and has an impact on the entire region," Pompeo said after meeting with Colombian President Ivan Duque in Bogota.  Yahoo News

What is a traitor, how to identify a traitor? In the case of Guaido of Venezuela, it is easy. But no leader from any country outside Venezuela would dare to condemn him as a traitor in cahoot with the Americans in trying to bring down a legitimate elected govt. What is the rule of law when foreign country openly interfered and agitated for the removal of a leader of another country and supporting an opposition leader, trained and finance him, to overthrow the legitimate leader? 

This cannot be legal, the rule of law, international law and practice. This is a violation of the rule of law, against international law and human decency. This is lawlessness and what Guaido is doing is obviously an act of treason, a traitor to his country.

Imagine if a Singaporean would be in the shoe of Guaido, what would happen? Would the Americans one day do the same to Singapore, supporting an opposition party leader to bring down the govt of the day? This is a principle that must be protected and Singapore must speak up against it. Where are all the big mouths in Singapore that were very loud in shouting the rule of law and objecting on the grounds of principles and international law?

Does Singapore support such traitorous act, support the American interference in the domestic politics of another country?

Mysterious Wuhan virus - who planted it?

Virus Alert!

China has officially reported only six deaths caused by the new mysterious strand of corona-virus. The mysterious new corona-virus has spread to the US, Japan, Thailand, Hongkong, Taiwan, Vietnam and Singapore. And perhaps also Malaysia, Indonesia and Australia. The number of affected and death is growing and could be a world epidemic.

China was the first to report this incident to WHO on 31 Dec 19. On the same day the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention identified a seafood market suspected for the outbreak. Why are the Americans so smart and so well informed that they could immediately identified the source of the outbreak from far away America when China was still trying to find where it all started?

China today is not a dirty and filthy third world country like many parts of Asia, Africa and SE Asia. The farms in China are modern and scientific and clean. Why is it that most outbreaks of Swine Fever, Bird Flu and this mysterious virus always happened in China and not in dirty and filthy third world countries? Think? China a natural and fertile bed full of lice, fleas and viruses?

Is it that white gods did not like China and always inflict China with things that they would weaken China, to create problems for China? Notice white gods hardly put such diseases in white countries and also in filthy and unhygienic third world countries?

The moment China alerted WHO of this virus, there were continuous reports in the western media that this thing is dangerous and would spread like SARS even though China was able to contain its spread at the early stage and death toll was only a handful. Why was it that the western media were so sure that this is a serious and contagious virus in the first place? Why was there so much hysteria even before this thing spread? Did they know something in advance that China and the rest of the world did not know? Did they know that this is highly contagious and would spread from human to human even before it spreads?

Heard of biological and chemical warfare? It is good that this thing is spreading and starting to reach the countries of the white gods. What goes around would come around in this highly connected small world. If this virus is planted by some white gods, let it return to the source and spread among the white gods like they spread it among the native Americans in the greatest genocide in human history a few centuries ago.

PS. The rate that this thing is spreading despite all the control and preventive measures suggests that this is a very sinister and mean act of someone or some organisation. It is almost uncontainable once it is let out of the bottle. It is unlikely to come from a wild animal source that immediately becomes so deadly and spreading so quickly.

Ramesh Erramalli - So serious meh

SINGAPORE — Ramesh Erramalli, the condominium resident seen verbally abusing a security guard in a viral video last October, has been warned by the police over his behaviour.

In a statement on Friday (17 January), the police said that a “stern warning” had been issued to the 44-year-old, in consultation with the Attorney-General’s Chambers, for intentionally causing harassment to a security officer who was deployed at Eight Riversuites Condominium.

A similar warning was also given to two men, aged 41 and 47, for causing intentional harassment to Erramalli. The police have also administered a 12-month conditional warning to two other men, aged 19 and 56, who threatened Erramalli and his family with death and violence. Yahoo News

Wow, the police is so serious this time when a foreigner threatened, oops, I don't think this is the right choice of word, must be accurate and quote the news report, he did not threaten, he 'verbally abusing a security guard only. And some, I think Singaporeans, not sure about this, were also given the same serious warning 'for causing intentional harassment to Erramalli', some 'threatened Erramalli and his family with death and violence'.

See, the act of Erramalli against the security guard was definitely not so serous, just verbal abuse. The threats against him was very serious, mind you threatening him and his family with death and violence. Given the two facts as reported, think the punishment for a foreigner like Erramalli is really serious.  This may be a bad signal to other foreigners that are here providing and creating jobs for daft and jobless Singaporeans. What happens if all the talented foreigners pack up and go, many Singaporeans would be jobless and many properties would not be sold and many Singaporeans would not be able to rent their flats to them.

Initially I also agree with many angry Singaporeans that he should be sent home, not welcome here to bully Singaporeans. On second thought, I must agree with the police for such a serious warning and close the case. And better still, warned the Singaporeans not to be rude and fierce with foreigners, not to threaten these foreign talents. They must be reminded that their rice bowl depends on these foreigners. Be kind and gentle to the foreigners like the taxi drivers. When they beat you, do not hit back, call the police and the attackers would likely get a serious warning from them. Or they may then advise you to find a lawyer to take a civil suit against them, if you have the money. Very likely these foreign talents would have more money than you and can afford to pay for more expensive lawyers.

Anyway, it is good that the police is serious this time and this could be a good signal for the foreigners. If they harass or abuse Singaporeans, they would get a serious warning from the police. But their jobs would be safe, their PR status would not be affected and they could continue to earn big bucks in their high paying jobs here in Singapore, the city of foreign talents. Nothing to worry about.

Thank you very much.

Welcome to compassionate and caring Singapore, when no one is left behind

Single mum with 16 year-old son stayed in police lock-up for 10-hours for not paying accumulated S&CC bills of $2150

Felt shocked to realise that a single mum with a school-going 16-year-old son was arrested at her office for not paying accumulated S & CC bills of $2150. She stayed in the police lock-up for close to ten hours before being release.

The S & CC fees were unpaid for 18 months since April 2018.

I told her that she is fortunate they didn’t put her in jail outright. Prolonged non-payment of S & CC bills can land a person in jail here and she still has to pay up the default after the prison discharge. It’s probable that the single mum may have ignored numerous court orders triggering a warrant of arrest as a result.

Out of the total default owed, a massive 40% or $937 went to other miscellaneous costs such as penalty charge $310 and legal fee $627. The town council is willing to waive the penalty fee of $310 but not the legal charge.

The single mum, who is working as a promoter with a monthly salary of $1000 plus, told me that each time she couldn’t pay the monthly installment of $159, the town council will send in a legal reminder which costs about $200 – further aggravating the S & CC default. It’s akin to paying a loan shark but this time it’s a legalised one.

With such atrociously high legal charges levied on errant defaulters, the law firm representing the town council must have racked in tens of thousands of dollars each month on legal fees alone.
Moreover, besides paying the monthly installment of $159 for the default owed, she has to cough up another $78.50 for fresh monthly payment for S & CC charges. This is on top of the many other bills Singaporeans are currently paying.

Our town council sinking fund has reached close to $2 billion and some estate has pooled resources to derive benefit from economy of scale but none of the savings have being passed to the residents so far. Residents also are rather clueless as to how the town council uses the S & CC fees collected which could run into millions for each estate per month.

We also realized that in the past, some town councils used the excess sinking funds to dabble in risky financial investments but they have now stopped.

As for the single mum’s financial trouble, I asked her why she didn’t rent out one of her room to alleviate the situation – she told me that she is uncomfortable living with strangers under the same household.

The small single-parent family does not receive any maintenance from the ex- husband and the mum is working 12-hour shift for seven days a week trying to keep up with all her bills especially the S & CC one which may invite a jail sentence if not properly paid.

Gilbert Goh
Editor’s note: If you wish to help the single mother by transferring funds directly into her AXS account, you may contact Gilbert at goh_gilbert@yahoo.com

PS. Just have to repost this in full to show how caring Singapore is as a country. And this practice, long standing practice of sending legal letters that cost more than the sum owed must be good practice and would not be changed. So if someone owes $20, he would still be issued with a legal letter that would cost $200 and this would add to his debt. Nice! 

In my business, when a client owes me a sum that is lesser than the cost of sending legal letters, I will treat it as bad debt and write it off instead of incurring more cost to myself and to the client.

Lessons from KMT losing the Republic of China

The KMT rode to power under the popular leadership of Sun Yat Sen, the father of modern China, from a colonial Empire. KMT became the ruling govt, the legitimate govt and the elites of the day were nearly all with the KMT. And the power of the KMT resided in the thousands of generals that they promoted to rule China. The reasons for KMT to lose power were unimaginable then when they were in power.  The CCP was too weak, peasants with little support initially and mainly from the farmers and workers, not highly educated elites and aristocrats. The businessmen, the landlords, the politicians and generals were all KMT or KMT supporters or sympathisers. But eventually KMT lost China to the supposedly very weak opposition, with few talents and no experience in running a country.

When the foreigners ie Japan and the West were carving out China, KMT did not see that as a problem. When the Japanese started to occupy the eastern part of China, the KMT ceded the territories to them, withdrew to the West. The main preoccupation of the KMT was not foreigners or foreign occupation of Chinese land, but the opposition, the CCP. They believed that as long as they were the govt, controlled the govt and the military, the business elites, intellectuals, aristocrats and landlords would be with them and they could rule China forever, even with foreigners everywhere.

So the KMT spent all its resources and time oppressing and suppressing the opposition while ignoring the growing presence of the foreigners. It was ok for foreigners to occupy parts of the country as they were seen as lesser threats than the local opposition. In many ways the KMT was colluding with the foreigners, even helping the foreigners to fight the CCP and ignoring the plight of the people. It was great time for the foreigners as they increasingly encroached into China, even when they were occupying all the major cities and eastern part of China, they were literally left alone to do as they pleased.

As for the people, they were treated as non entities, to be taxed and bullied, to be robbed of everything. The people of China then had nothing, no land, no homes, as land and homes were owned by the govt and the rich landlords. And they carried the burden of the KMT govt and their wars against the local opposition, not the foreigners.

The KMT also relied a lot on the Americans to protect their interest as the govt of the day. They thought that with the American support, they could continue to rule China and the poor and helpless and jobless Chinese people. And why not when the people were powerless and allowed themselves to be bullied and ruled by the KMT without resistance.

It took many years of abuses of power and corruption in the KMT govt before the people realised that the opposition CCP was their real saviour, not the corrupt govt of the day. And it took the full force of the foreigners and their intent to conquer and take over China before the KMT realised that the foreigners could not be ignored. By then it was too late. The foreigners had taken over nearly all the eastern part of the country and the people had fled to join the opposition.

The only thing left for the KMT, the legitimate and powerful govt with many incompetent generals and the corrupt administration and landlords was to run away. And they ran across the strait to Taiwan, with the loot and treasures of China, leaving China and the Chinese people ever poorer. The KMT warlords, generals and the rich businessman and landlords continued to enjoy their wealth overseas, in Taiwan and in the USA.

The big question, how could a legitimate ruling govt, with all the elites, rich landlords and businessmen and all the talented but corrupt generals and govt officials eventually had to flee China, and ran away in defeat? Did they not see their corrupt ways, their bullying and exploitation of the people leaving them homeless, with no land and no homes, poor, jobless and hapless, and also allowing the foreigners to enter China freely, with little resistance, and the people at the mercy of foreigners, would eventually lead to the lost of trust among the people and the people turning against them? Mind you, till today, the KMT still clings to the image of Sun Yat Sen as the father of modern China to lend them credibility. Other than the father of modern China, the KMT has no more legitimacy as an ex govt of China. There is a huge memorial in Taiwan of the father of modern China.

Can history teach us anything about powerful govts falling and having to run away with their loot? All corrupt govts that bullied and cheated their people and in cahoot with foreigners at the expense and well being of the people of their country would lose the support of the people and their right to rule.

The liars exposed and admitted

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States treated 11 of its troops for symptoms of concussion after an Iranian missile attack on an Iraqi base where U.S. forces were stationed, the U.S. military said on Thursday, after initially saying no service members were hurt.

The attack was retaliation for a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad on Jan. 3 that killed Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the elite Quds Force of Iran's Revolutionary Guard.

President Donald Trump and the U.S. military had said there were no casualties after the strike on the Ain al-Asad air base in western Iraq and a facility in its northern Kurdish region.

"While no U.S. service members were killed in the Jan. 8 Iranian attack on Al Asad air base, several were treated for concussion symptoms from the blast and are still being assessed," Captain Bill Urban, spokesman for U.S. Central Command, said in a statement.... Yahoo News

The Americans have been lying to the world daily for years. They have made use of the main media to propagate their lies to the daft and willing to hear only what they wanted to hear. Many of the war statistics were outright lies and this attack on American bases was the most recent lie exposed. Iranians firing dud missiles that would not hit at American soldiers, all 15 of them hit their targets with no casualties. The last part was the American lie.

In many of the rocket and missiles attacks by the Arab and Muslim forces, especially by the Palestinians, the Americans would claim no casualties or the rockets/missiles did not hit their targets or were intercepted. These were furthest from the truth. No defence system can intercept even half the in coming rockets/missiles unless the enemy fired one at a time. When they rained the targets with rockets and missiles and artillery, many would get through and hit their targets and inflict casualties for sure.

This is the same as how they boasted about their Iron Dome defence and Patriot system. All hogwash. Even the capabilities of their F22s and F35s were mostly on paper and not what would be in real situation. The propaganda war using western media on English educated willing to believe the American lies have been very successful so far. But this is not going to go on forever.

Even the American believers are starting to know that they have been fed of daily doses of American white lies and are turning sceptics and questioning and feeling silly to believe the rubbish churned out by the Americans and American proxy and crony media.

You can't lie to all the people all the time. The Iranians would sink the US warships and aircraft carriers in the region if war started and all American bases, including those in Israel and Europe could be hit. It would not be a walkover, a cake walk like the invasion of Iraq and Libya.

Chan Chun Sing - 80% of jobs created went to Singaporeans

SINGAPORE: Of the nearly 60,000 new jobs created for the local workforce between 2015 and 2018, about 50,000 went to Singaporeans and more than 9,000 went to permanent residents (PRs), Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing revealed on Thursday (Jan 16).... CNA

This statistics looked quite favourable to those who want more jobs to Singaporeans than to locals. When I look at the numbers it looks fine to me. Singaporeans are taken care of when new jobs are concerned. What about old or existing jobs are concerned? The main complaint is that Singaporean PMETs were sacked or asked to resign from their jobs and foreigners were hired to take their places. These are not new jobs, so would not be in the statistics I supposed. What is the number in such cases?

There is another number that I think is missing? What about employment of foreigners that are not PRs, foreigners that are foreigners but on employment pass and work permits? No, no new jobs created for them or these are not counted? Of course those that came under CECA schemes like inter company transfer would not be counted I supposed.

I have a question, what is the total number of jobs created in the period mentioned, ie including those that went to foreigners that are not PRs but EP and WP holders? Or what is the total number of additional number of people employed during this period, ie new employment, including Singaporeans, PRs, non PRs? How would these change the percentage of Singaporeans employed versus others ie PRs and non PRs?

And why only talked about 2015 to 2018, the years when there were some changes in govt policies after public outcry about the incessant inflow of foreigners by the thousands annually earlier and Singaporeans losing their jobs to foreigners?  Selective selection of data is selective truth.

There are many ways to craft data and churning out numbers in statistics. What is the purpose of Pritam Singh asking the question? What is his intent? Simple, he wants to know if Singaporeans are being shortchanged in employment vis a vis foreigners, ie PRs and non PRs. Is this a bad intent, sinister intent? Any Singaporean who cares for fellow Singaporeans would want to know this, would want to ask such questions. Cannot meh? Wrong meh? What is wrong with asking such questions?

What is the intent to ask for the intent of Pritam Singh for asking such questions?

Kim calling Trump -- No more meetings

By Humeyra Pamuk and Jonathan Landay

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday said Qassem Soleimani was killed as part of a broader strategy of deterring challenges by U.S. foes that also applies to China and Russia, further diluting the assertion that the top Iranian general was struck because he was plotting imminent attacks on U.S. targets.

In his speech at Stanford University's Hoover Institute, Pompeo made no mention of the threat of imminent attacks planned by Soleimani. It only was in response to a question that he repeated his earlier assertion that pre-empting such plots was the reason for the Jan. 3 American drone strike on Iran's second most powerful official.

His speech, "The Restoration of Deterrence: The Iranian Example," focused on what he called an administration strategy to establish "real deterrence" against Iran following earlier Republican and Democratic policies that encouraged Tehran's "malign activity....

On Sunday, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said he had seen no intelligence forewarning of imminent attacks on embassies.

Trump on Monday added new fuel to the controversy by saying "it really doesn't matter" whether Soleimani posed an imminent threat.

Pompeo said there was "a bigger strategy" behind the killing of Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force, Iran's elite foreign espionage and paramilitary force.

"President Trump and those of us in his national security team are re-establishing deterrence – real deterrence ‒ against the Islamic Republic of Iran," he said."

The above comments were from an article in Yahoo News telling the world how this international terrorist country is going to kill leaders of other countries at their whims and fancy, they called it a new strategy of assassinations. Kim Jong Un better be very careful.  All that is needed is for these rogues to fabricate some intelligence threats and then kill him. And yes, the American terrorists also said this applies to China and Russia, which means any other country in the whole wide world.  China and Russia should do the same and kill those Americans that are plotting to create unrest in other countries especially in Hong Kong. Just kill them in the name of national security.

What would the UN say? What would the western countries say? What would the cronies and lackeys of the evil Empire say? The USA is a law abiding country, respects International Law, a rule of law country, good and deserving to be the policeman of the world especially in South China Sea?

PR with fake certificates - Inefficiency or foreigners have privileges?

On Tuesday (14 Jan), a press release from the Immigration and Checkpoint Authority (ICA) said that a Philippine national was jailed for 7 weeks’ for immigration offences. This was after she had produced a fake diploma and transcript to support an application for PR status for herself and her daughter.

38 year-old De Luna Noriza Dancel had submitted documents purportedly from the Centro Escolar University during her PR application in 2008 & 2009. Subsequent checks with the university revealed that she did not study there as claimed, and she was subsequently arrested by the ICA on 25 Oct 2017.

ICA said in their release that they take “a very serious view of persons who provide false information or conceal material facts during their applications for any Singapore immigration facility.”

Not the first brush with the law

In any case, this does not appear to be her first brush with the law. In 2012, De Luna was charged and fined $50,000 for setting up and running 2 unlicensed employment agencies....

In July 2011, the license of RSD Consultancy & Services’ had expired but De Luna did not renew it as she was being investigated by MOM. Despite ongoing investigations, she nonetheless proceeded to set up a second unlicensed agency, Impact Manpower, using a nominee director and applicant.

In any case, it seems that De Luna’s earlier application for PR status was successful given that the 2012 media report described her as being a “PR”. Whilst being a PR, it is equally curious that her forgery came to light only after 8 years, and the subsequent charge took more than 2 years. Was her PR not revoked after the fine?

What do you think?


The above is an editorial piece in TRE. Can't believe that I am reading this, forgery of certificates by foreigners is now so common that you can't help looking at every foreigner as a fake. How high is the percentage of foreigners with fake certificates? 10%, 20%, 30% 50%, 60% or more?

What happen to the super efficient Singapore administration? With fake certificates so prevalent would it not be wise to take every foreign certificate as fake until confirmed to be real? Or still adopt the tidak apa attitude, taking foreign fake certificates as real until proven fake, and it may take 8 years for each case to be proven? How many of the fake talents are now managers and CEOs in Singapore, replacing the genuinely qualified Singaporeans, sacking them and replacing them with more fakes to cover their tracks? And many silly Singaporeans that have not been affected by this disease are telling other Singaporeans to accept their fate for being cheated by foreigners and living a life of misery.

Below are some comments on the above article.

GetOut:

January 14, 2020 at 9:54 pm  (Quote)

We must open our eyes & u/s that this govt is juz putting up a pretentious fake wayang show… becoz election is coming soon!!
Why, despite after so many years, then do this govt, especialy useless MOM, point out these various companies that practice unfair hiring?
There’re already hundreds of companies in SG, that prefer hire mediocre foreigners… over local citizens. And our MOM ( bloody big entire ministry) chose to close both eyes & do nothing… until now, becoz election is coming
We must not be fooled by superficial pretentious wayang action by this govt !!
We, local native citizens, are already becomin strangers in our own country, and soon, we wil become the minority , flooded & drown by influx of average foreign workers & their dependants!
What hope do we have then? With a clueless out-of-touch 4G wayang jokers… n LHL enjoyin million$$ after he step down
VTO we must!!

Crooked PAP:

January 14, 2020 at 10:44 pm  (Quote)

A bizzare case ?
There are so many cases of cheating undetected by the FT-friendly Govt.
Becos there has been overwhelming condemnation from Singaporeans on the uncontrolled opening of floodgates to allow cheap FTs from 3rd world countries, Govt is trying to find a few scapegoats to show they are actually busy scrutinizing every FT getting PR or citizenship.
There is too much dirt in CECA, PRC and Pinoys who have already been accepted.
That’s why the Govt is withholding the breakdown of New Citizens and PR, rather the clubbing all of them as “Residents”.
Thanks Pritam for putting PAP on the spot. Josephine was cornered and she could not handle his questioning, as her colleagues came to support her.
Useless MOM Minister. Mind you, she was only an HR Manager not long ago but don’t know how she became a Minister so soon, with such low IQ.

Pioneer:

January 14, 2020 at 11:06 pm  (Quote)

I have a feeling that many (foreigners) are not caught or yet to be filtered out by the authorities. To the foreign trashes, SG is a goldmine, and pay and pay like this sort of cheap talent from 3rd world countries. The only talent they have is outsmart SG with false & fake documents, and hoodwink the civil servants.


I agree that the only talent that these fake foreigners have is to outsmart the super talents that are supposed to check on them and the idiots that called them talents and allowed them in by the hundreds of thousands.

Respect for International Law and the Rule of Law

This interview with the Iranian Foreign Minister again showed how stupid they are with regards to the world's Number One Terrorist State, the USA. In the interview the Iranian FM could say that Trump was fed the wrong information, ie, Trump was as innocent as an angel and as naive as a kindergarten child. Trump did not know what he was told, he did not know that the information was false, he did not bother to check, and he used it to kill Soleimani, just like Georgie Boy used the fabricated WMD information to invade Iraq and murdered Saddam Hussein. Come on, stop being silly. Trump knew exactly what he was doing and the fake intelligence that he got. He just wanted to use it to kill Soleimani, hopefully to take the heat off his impeachment charge.

The important points made by the Iranian FM were that Trump did not respect international law, did not respect the rule of law. Now, which country kpkb about respecting international law, the rule of law, and as a matter of principle must kpkb during the fake Hague Tribunal ruling against China?

Why is this country keeping quiet and not utter a sound about the rule of law and respecting international law. The key principles that Trump broke if not condemned, could be the same principls he breaks again to assassinate another national leader, and this country's leader could be on the list if the evil Americans decided to do so by fabricating another white lie when this country did not listen to their command.

Where are all the smart alecs that boasted of punching above their weight and as a matter of principle cannot keep their CB mouths shut?  Why no condemnation?

Should Singapore be the ally of the world's number one terrorist and not violate its own principle of respecting international law and the rule of law?

Indianised MNCs - How to explain this strange phenomenon?

U know Micron?:

'January 12, 2020 at 7:02 pm  (Quote)

Micron PMETs is being Indianised recently with India nationals taking over PMET and management roles. Is is expansion or restructing? Someone knows? BTW, the CEO is India.
Mom should keep close eye on companies headed by India nationals for any unfair employment practice.

Imagine entire singapore is Indianised (small number really good intake is OK) , what will happen to her productivity, quality and economy as a whole?'


The above comment is taken from TRE

Indian CEOs are conquering the world, especially in western countries and the USA, taking over MNCs like they are the saviours of these companies. Many western and American companies are opening up to Indians as their CEOs. Singapore is following this trend and more and more Singapore companies including GLCs, and soon ministries and stats boards could be headed by the India Indians...if the trend becomes popular here. Fad is now a very infectious disease in the govt's thinking and policy making decision.

Are the India Indians really that good? If they are really that good, why are they not the CEOs of Indian companies? Why are there so few successful Indian MNCs? The trend of Indian CEOs taking over companies that were built by the West and Americans is coming to Singapore, and now companies that were built from scratch by Singaporeans are ripe for the taking. What this means is that the people that built these successful MNCs and Singapore companies are no longer good enough to run them. And the good enough people to run them are Indian CEOs that did not do anything in the building up of these companies but coming in to take a ride when all is set up for them to become CEOs.

The logic is that people that started and built companies are not the right people to run these successful companies. People that did not start, never started, or built successful companies are the best people to run these companies. If this logic is true, then UOB, OCBC, SIA, SPH, Sembawang, Keppel etc etc should be run by India Indian CEOs, like DBS. Or are they already planning to do so? And to stretch this thinking further, our twits should also make way for India Indians to take over the running of Singapore.

What do you think?

Assassination of Soleimani a rude reminder to Kim Jong Un not to meet Trump again

The Trump administration claimed Iranian general Qasem Soleimani was planning “imminent attacks” on US interests when it assassinated him. That lie was just destroyed, but not before countless corporate media outlets transmitted it to the public.

By Max Blumenthal

Desperate to justify the US drone assassination of Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo insisted that Washington had made an “intelligence-based assessment” that Soleimani was “actively planning in the region” to attack American interests before he was killed.
President Donald Trump justified his fateful decision to kill the Iranian general in even more explicit language, declaring that Soleimani was planning “imminent attacks” on US diplomatic facilities and personnel across the Middle East.

 “We took action last night to stop a war,” Trump claimed. “We did not take action to start a war.”
Trump’s dubious rationale for an indisputably criminal assassination has been repeated widely across corporate media networks, and often without any skepticism or debate.

At a January 3 State Department briefing, where reporters finally got the chance to demand evidence for the claim of an “imminent” threat, one US official erupted in anger.

“Jesus, do we have to explain why we do these things?” he barked at the press.

Two days later, when Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi addressed his country’s parliament, Trump’s justification for killing Soleimani was exposed as a cynical lie.

According to Abdul-Mahdi, he had planned to meet Soleimani on the morning the general was killed to discuss a diplomatic rapproachment that Iraq was brokering between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Abdul-Mahdi said that Trump personally thanked him for the efforts, even as he was planning the hit on Soleimani – thus creating the impression that the Iranian general was safe to travel to Baghdad.

Source:  https://thegrayzone.com/2020/01/06/soleimani-peace-mission-assassinated-trump-lie-imminent-attacks/

The above article made it clear to all the American treachery and deceit in the assassination of Soleimani. The Iraqi PM was duded by Trump to invite Soleimani to broker a peace mission in Iran Saudi relations. Soleimani flown to Baghdad thinking that he was there to negotiate for peace with the Saudi govt.  He flew there in a commercial aircraft on a peace mission, not as what the Americans had been lying to the world. And on his arrival, the American drones were there waiting for him at the airport and took him and his entourage out in cold blood murder.

The Iraqi PM is furious for being made a fool of, and made use of, just like Justin Trudeau, by Trump, and became an accomplice to the assassination of Soleimani. How stupid can the Arabs be to continue to believe and trust the evil Americans? Soleimani would not have been so stupid to visit Baghdad if not of the invitation and the assurance that the evil Americans are supporting his visit and peace mission.  Now the Iraqis are demanding that American troops leave Iraq but the Americans would not leave. They were invited to be in Iraq?

Kim Jong Un must be wary of the Americans and stop meeting Trump again if he treasures his life and not be assassinated in the next meeting.

Cultural supremacy will rule without being forced

When the Arabs came to SE Asia they were immediately welcomed, their language, culture and religion were adopted and quickly became the culture of the region especially among the royalties and rulers. Being relatively primitive, the natives of the region did not have much to offer or stand against the superiority of the Arab civilisation and way of life. Arab's superiority in everything soon became part of the culture of the natives of SE Asia.

Then came the Europeans, the Portugese, the Spanish, the Dutch and the English. The assimilation of the European culture was intense and made possible in a very short period of time, often by force and also by association. They were the conquerors and the local elites have no choice but to live with the European cultures to survive. And being the new superior culture, they dominated the way of life of the natives in SE Asia. And they also came with their religion in Christianity.

The dominance of Arabic culture and religion was supplanted and the new European culture took over to replace them as the culture of the elite. Though some of the European cultures faded over time due to their short term influence and shallow penetration into the common people, the English language and Christianity became the way of life of the new elite. No one protested to being influenced and have to accept the new culture. The superiority of the European culture and way of life, rich and powerful, the rulers, were imitated by the local elites and the rich. Then monkey see and monkey do, the general public also started to mimic the European way of life and culture.

Education also played a very big role in colonised countries when the lingua franca and language of administration was English and with English schools set up everywhere. By the time the British left, English and English way of life and Christianity were the choice things to do. There were very few resistance to their adoption. The rich locals all wanted to be like the British, imitating everything they do, some changing their names to be like them till today.

The ancient cultures of Arabia, India and China too gave way among their own natives. In Singapore in particular, native Chinese find it difficult to learn and speak Chinese and some even rejected everything Chinese, wanting to be bananas and if possible becoming westerners.

For more than 5 centuries, the western cultures have been supreme, dominant and seen as more superior than the regional cultures. There is no need to force the more backward local natives to embrace western cultures. Western cultures are irresistible and attractive. The British did not need to force or coerce the locals to adopt British language and way of life. Living the English way of life is voluntary and in the case of Hong Kong they would even want to be subjects of the British Empire even today. Such is the power of a superior culture versus less advanced local cultures and way of life.

It is unimaginable for the local natives to force the British to be more like them, adapt their tribal way of life and culture and religion. No inferior culture would be attractive enough for westerners to want to embrace them, except for some western weirdos that some may find local native cultures and religions attractive. In general no.  Even the ancient Indian and Chinese cultures that were in decline in the last few centuries have to give way  to the European cultures. When these two civilisations were in their abyss, their people willingly absorbed other cultures to survive, and European was the culture and way of life to go after.

The world is changing and the rise of India and China has refocused the natives on their respective civilisations, to revisit their ancient cultures and become proud of them again. As the two countries develop and becoming more prosperous and powerful in the world, their cultures too would rise in status and no longer be seen as inferior cultures. They would return to their roots and the formal glories of their civilisations.

There is no need to force anyone to embrace the Indian or Chinese culture when they are seen as superior again. Europeans are also starting to learn Indian and Chinese cultures, language and way of life. No compulsion, no force is required. No Chinese or Indians would be there daily to want to force the lesser cultures or inferior cultures to adopt their cultures. There is no need to do so.

When a culture is seen as superior and useful, people would gravitate towards them, to want to embrace them. Only inferior cultures, inferior natives would want to force people from more superior cultures to be like them. Is it possible, like humans beans wanting to become apes when the apes forced human beans to be like them? It is possible if the apes rule the world of human beans, and over a considerable time their way of life would be the way of life of human beans.

The attractiveness of cultures rises and wanes with time. And over time, superior cultures and civilisations would take their proper place to be the leading light of the time.  No amount of force could turn the tide and for people of superior cultures to embrace the cultures of inferior races and make it their way of life. A good example is the peranakan culture, fading rapidly and would soon be history though some remnants of the culture are gloating about how great is this culture.

We are in exciting times when the forces of civilisations are changing and competing again for supremacy, and only the best will triumph by virtue of the fact that it is the best. A new world is in the making and emerging. The western civilisation is facing competition and is resisting change to protect their supremacy and turf. The revival of Indian and Chinese civilisations is like coming full circle. The new superior culture is likely to be a hybrid of the different cultures and not the dominance of one culture. It would be the superior culture of the best of the human beans. The people of the world have their choice and would make their choice, voluntarily.

PS. Inferior culture or culture that is seen as backward, regressive, primitive, would never succeed in coercing people to accept and live by their culture.

Qassem Soleimani revenge strikes at American bases - who is lying?

SINGAPORE: Iran's missile attack on military bases housing United States troops in Iraq did not intend to kill, said Middle East expert James Dorsey hours after the incident on Wednesday (Jan 8) on CNA's Asia Tonight.

Iranian forces fired missiles at military bases housing US troops in Iraq on Wednesday in retaliation of the killing of an Iranian general. US President Donald Trump had ordered the drone strike that killed General Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad.....

"These were precision-guided missiles. They could've hit hard. They could've caused casualties, particularly American casualties. They didn't. They were calibrated not to cause casualties because casualties would've given Trump no option," said Dr Dorsey.

Above is from CNA. Why this expert said there were no casualties? Because Trump said so, and the American media said so. But Iran claimed 80 American terrorists were killed. 15 missiles fired, no casualties? Blanks? The American terrorists used one cruise missiles and killed 9 Iranians in the attack on Soleimani.

Who is lying and who is telling the truth? It depends on who you choose to believe. The bananas would be like this expert, everything the Americans said is true.  I also agree that Trump and the Americans are saying the truth for the following reasons:

1. As the Americans claimed, the Iranians informed them of the strikes before the attacks.
2. So the Americans could evacuate first. The Iranians did not want or dare to kill Americans.
3. The Iranian weapons were unsophisticated, not good enough, unlike the good and precision American weapons.
4. The Iranians did not put any explosive material on the warhead, firing blanks, so only sound but cannot cause any damages.
5. The Iranians are so afraid of the Americans and were putting on a PR show despite the cries for revenge after the killing of their beloved general Soleimani.

Anyone that can believe in the above reasoning can also believe that there is no American casualties. And they can believe that the Americans are angels and Trump is God's messenger of peace and will make America Great again.

What do you think? Can you think? Would you think or be like the unthinking bananas?

Back to the future - PMETs to become construction workers

Singapore has come a long way from Third World to First World, from working under the hot sun in the construction and labour intensive industry, in backbreaking jobs, to white collar jobs in aircon offices. We have progressed from a Third World sweat shop to a fine First World city with our people living a better life.

The new message, many have been talking about it and dreading it, is from First World to Third World. The latest, according to Zaqy Mohammad, Minister of State for National Development and Manpower, ...'The proportion of locals taking up jobs for PMETs in the (construction)sector has fallen over the past decade' ie not good. Thenewpaper reported. 'Local white collar workers appear to be shying away from the construction sector, but new polices are in the offing to lure them back.'

Is the govt trying to sell the new magic formula that working under the hot sun as construction workers is the new good thing for Singaporean PMETs? And it is ok for the foreigners to come in and replace the PMETs in the aircon offices? Our First world PMETs, many with tertiary educations from world best universities, now being replaced by Third World funny degree graduates with funny backgrounds and many with fake and suspicious degrees from funny universities.

This is the new future awaiting our PMETs that are no longer needed in our aircon offices. Out you go, to work under the hot sun and dusty environment, back to the future, to the days when your papa and mama were construction workers. Is this really a good thing? Have our million dollar ministers lost their scripts and have no answers on how to give good jobs to our PMETs after inviting hundreds of thousands of Third World funny graduates to replace them? Have they lost the plot after being paid by the millions? Is this the best solution for our PMETs while they keep bringing in more fakes and funny Third World graduates?

Thank you very much for working so hard and coming up with such a clever solution to help our PMETs. And the ladies, please learn how to put on the red square cloth hats of our Samsui women.

This is Year 2020 and more better options will be coming for our PMETs, from First World to Third World. When would all Singaporeans be asked to vacate Raffles Place and MBFC to make way for wildlife?

My above article in a way is an answer to this comment by Rafiz Hapipi in his article posted in TRE.

'As a Singaporean, I am not simply concerned about unemployment. More importantly, has underemployment of Singaporeans increased? This is the more important question.

This is an undesirable scenario especially when a Singaporean has been trained by local institutions and is deemed qualified, and yet denied an appropriate position that exists in the employment sector in Singapore because companies prefer a PR or foreigner for whatever reasons.

At the end of the day, the qualified Singaporeans have to resort to taking up stop gap measure jobs or gigs then this underemployment becomes the failure of both the MOE and MOM.'

All these underemployed PMETs or replaced and jobless PMETs could become construction workers or whatever in the construction industry that they were not train for. All their valuable education and experience would be thrown into the dustbin like waste and swill, and they need to be retrained to do new jobs. How clever. This is called optimising the use of trained white collar workers to become blue collar construction workers. Only people paid in the millions can come up with such brilliant solutions to help our PMETs.

Andre Vitchek - A letter to the young people of Hong Kong

*A letter to the young people of Hong Kong*

By Andre Vltchek

Friday, January 03, 2020

给香港青年人的一封信

作者 安德烈·弗尔切克

2020年 一月三日 星期五

安德烈·弗尔切克是前苏联出生的美籍小说家、诗人、政治评论员、记者、摄影家和电影制作人。费尔切克曾是一位战地记者，足迹遍布十多个战火地区，从波斯尼亚到秘鲁到斯里兰卡，从刚果（金）到东帝汶。

Now that your city has been in flames for more than six months, your families divided, and no end to the violence is in sight, I have decided to write this short essay, in the form of an open letter, to the young people of Hong Kong.

现在你们的城市既然已经焚烧了六个多月，你们的家庭也分裂了，但暴力的终结还未在望，我决定用公开信的形式，撰写这篇短文给香港的年轻人。

First of all, I want to ask: Why?

首先，我想问：为什么？

Why all this smoke and fire, anger and violence? Were your lives, before the so-called “protests”, or “riots”, really so dismal? 

为什么有这么多烟，火，愤怒和暴力呢？在这些所谓“抗议”，或“暴动”发生之前，你们的生活真的是那么糟糕吗？

You have been living in one of the richest cities on Earth. Even according to Western evaluations, Hong Kong has one of the highest “freedom indexes”, higher than that of most of Western countries.

你们一直生活在地球上最富有的城市之一。就算用西方的尺度来衡量，香港的“自由指数”也是最高之一，比起大部分的西方国家还要高。

Water that comes from your taps is clean, the internet is extremely fast, and public transportation is cheap and one of the best in the world. You can enjoy an exciting cultural life, as well as great public spaces constructed along your impressive coasts.

从你们的水喉流出来的水是洁净的，互联网速度极高，公共交通便宜，也是世界最好之一。你们可以享受多姿多彩的文化生活，和沿着你们的令人印象深刻海岸线建设的优美公共空间。

Naturally, Hong Kong is not a perfect place, as there are no perfect places on this planet.

当然，香港不是一个完美的地方，因为这个地球上是没有完美的地方的。

Your housing is some of the most expensive in the world. Job opportunities for college graduates are not really excellent. Some cities on the Chinese mainland are now more exciting places to live, to create, and to dream than “good old” Hong Kong. But still, it is a fascinating, solid city, with its own culture, mindset and complex history. And in many ways, it is a beautiful city; beautiful and unique.

你们的房屋是世上最昂贵之一。大学生的就业机会也真的不是那么理想。现在， 在中国大陆的一些城市里生活，创作，造梦，比起在香港这个“老名牌”，更带劲。但这仍然是令人向往，有实质的城市，有自己的文化，思维，和错综复杂的历史。

So, why? What happened? Why suddenly such anger, and such frustration?

所以，为什么呢？发生了什么事？为什么突然这么愤怒，不满？

Should we talk? Please let’s.

我们应该对话吗？请吧。

When waving the UK flags, nostalgically recalling your British masters and their rule over Hong Kong, do you even think about some of the most monstrous crimes committed in the history of humankind?

在挥动着英国国旗，依依不舍地怀念你们过去的英国主子和他们管有香港的时期，你们有没有一丁点儿想过人类历史上犯下的一些滔天大罪呢？

I have worked in around 160 countries and territories, on all continents. I have written about and filmed many wars and conflicts. I have been covering revolutions and rebellions, but also terrible riots ignited by Western countries. You probably have heard about the so-called “color revolutions”, or the “Arab Spring”.

我在所有四大洲约一百六十个国家地区工作过。我曾经制作过很多关于战争和纠纷的录像和文章。我采访过革命，叛乱，但也有西方国家煽动的可怕暴动。你们可能听过所谓“颜色革命”，或那“阿拉伯之春”。

I have witnessed, first hand, the fate of countries that have been occupied and then thoroughly destroyed by the United States and North Atlantic Treaty Organization: Afghanistan and Syria, Iraq and Colombia, to name just a few. I have seen millions of ruined lives in nations where the West overthrew left-wing governments, and then injected fascism: places like Indonesia (1965), and Chile (1973). Now there is nothing left of Indonesia; its nature is thoroughly ruined and the great majority lives in misery. In Chile, people have stood up, and are proudly fighting and dying for socialism which was stolen from them by Western governments and corporations.

我曾亲眼见证了那些被美国，北约国家占领，随着彻底破坏的国家的命运：阿富汗和叙利亚，伊拉克和哥伦比亚，举几个例。我见过一些国家的左翼政府被西方推翻，随着注入纳粹主义后，数以百万计的人生被摧毁：像印尼(1965), 和智利 (1973)等地方。现在印尼什么也没有了；它的生态被彻底破坏，大部分人生活在困苦中。在智利，人民站起来，骄傲地，为被西方国家和集团盗去的社会主义奋斗，牺牲。

I have lived and worked all over the African continent, the most devastated part of the world, colonized and terrorized first by Europe, and later by the US, for many centuries.

我曾经在非洲多处地方生活工作过。那是世上被蹂躏得最彻底的地方：多个世纪以来最初被欧洲，后来被美国施加殖民，恐怖统治。

In Hong Kong, I see you waving flags of the US. You want that country to “save you from China” — from your own nation, in essence. I have read a translation of your school curriculum. It smears China, and it glorifies the West. Were you told, ever, that in the name of that flag, consisting of the stars and stripes, tens of millions of people, worldwide, were murdered, democracies raped, and freedom of expression horrendously oppressed? Or are you reading only what is brought to you by Reuters and other Western press agencies?

在香港，我见到你们挥动着美国国旗。你们想那国家把你们“从中国拯救出来”，即是，从你们自己的国家。我曾经读过你们学校课程的译本。它诋毁中国，歌颂西方。它从来有没有告诉过你们，以这星条旗的名义，数以千万计的人在世界各地被杀戮，民主被强奸，表达自由被无情压抑？或者你们是不是一直只是阅读路透社和其他西方报社带给你们阅读的？

When waving the UK flags, nostalgically recalling your British masters and their rule over Hong Kong, do you even think about some of the most monstrous crimes committed in the history of humankind? On all continents of the world, the British Empire murdered, humiliated, violated and plundered hundreds of millions of people. Human beings were reduced to slaves. Their lives, identities were reduced to nothing.

在挥动着英国国旗，依依不舍地怀念你们过去的英国主子和他们管有香港的时期，你们有没有一丁点儿想过人类历史上犯下的一些滔天大罪呢？在世界所有四大洲，英国帝国杀戮，羞辱，侵犯，抢掠了数以亿计的人。有尊严的人被贬为奴隶。他们的生命，身份被贬成一无所有。

Were you told this? Do you realize it? When you wave these flags, when your leaders are taking bribes from the US and the EU establishment, do you ever think what kind of money you are touching? Do you ever consider that this money is soaked in blood?

他们对你们有说过吗？你们知道吗？当你们挥动这些旗，当你们的领袖收取美国和欧盟当局的贿赂，你们有没有想过你们碰的是什么类型的钱？你们曾否考虑过这些钱是浸过在血中的呢？

I saw several of you demanding “independence from China”. I even witnessed some of you calling China a “terrorist” state.

我见到你们有几个人要求“脱离中国独立”。我甚至见证你们一些人称中国是一个“恐怖主义” 国家。

Have you ever, seriously, compared the Chinese political system to that so-called “democracy” of the West?

你们有没有认真地比较过中国的政治制度与西方的所谓“民主”呢？

Let me give you a simple quiz: In the last decades, how many countries have been attacked by China, and how many by the West? Just do a simple calculation, please. It is so simple; so clear. How many countries have been bombed to the ground, and thoroughly ruined by China, and how many by the West?

让我给你们一个简单的提问：过去几十年，有多少国家给中国攻击过，多少给西方攻击过？就做一个简单的计算吧，请。就是那么简单；那么清晰。有多少国家给中国炸成平地，彻底被摧毁；多少给西方的？

And democracy? In China, the government listens to its people. In reality, democracy means nothing more than the direct translation from Greek — rule of the people. In the People’s Republic of China, the government is working to improve the lives of its citizens, while building a global infrastructure for all (the Belt and Road Initiative). Now, look at the West: Most of the citizens in North America and Europe hate their system, but cannot get rid of it. Some of you regularly travel to the West: Don’t you hear what the people are saying there?

民主吗？在中国，政府聆听人民。实际上，民主的意思就是直接从希腊文翻译过来的－人民作主的意思。在中华人民共和国，政府致力改善自己人民的生活，同时也为所有人建造一个全球性的架构(一带一路倡议)。现在看看西方。北美和欧洲的大部分人民都憎恨他们的政治制度，但不能革除它。你们当中有定期去西方的，你们没有听过那里的人说什么吗？

In the last two decades, China has lifted up hundreds of millions out of poverty. In the West, the governments have buried billions of people in misery in all their colonies. Despite of the terrible plunder of the world, tens of millions are destitute at home, in both North America and Europe.

过去二十年，中国已经把数以亿计的人从贫困中解救出来。而西方国家则把数以十亿计的人埋葬在它们的殖民地里。虽然他们可怕地掠夺了整个世界，北美和欧洲本土仍有数以千万计的贫困人口。

Despite of the not-too-high GDP per capita, China has almost no misery, while tens of millions of the US citizens are living in poverty. There are many more prisoners (per capita) in the US prisons, than in the Chinese ones. 

虽然人均国内生产总值不是很高，中国几乎没有极度贫困，但数以千万计的美国人生活贫困。以人均计算，困在美国监狱里的囚犯要比中国的多得多。

Many US prisons are now privatized: It is a big business. The more that are held behind bars, the bigger the profit!

现在很多美国监狱已经私有化：这是一门大生意。越多人收监，盈利越高。

Is this a system in which you’d want to live? Is it, really?

你们是想生活在这个制度中吗？是真的吗？

I know the West very well. And I know China. These days, in Hong Kong, some of you are waving Western flags, while insulting Beijing.

我对西方很熟悉。也认识中国。这些日子里，在香港，你们当中有些人挥动着西方旗帜，同时侮辱北京。

The West has the most powerful propaganda on Earth. It has the ability to twist everything, to call black white, and vice versa.

西方有地球上最有力的宣传工具。它有能力扭曲任何事情，指黑为白，或相反。

But frankly, it is Beijing that has the ability and desire to help solve the problems of Hong Kong.

但坦白说，有能力和有心解决香港问题的是北京。

Do you really think that Washington, London or Berlin are genuinely interested in helping your city? I am convinced that they only want to break China, and to continue ruling over the world.

你们真的以为华盛顿，伦敦，柏林有诚意帮助你们的城市吗？我深信他们只想打垮中国，继续统治世界。

To conclude this letter, let me say what has to be said. After speaking to people that are now angrily waving black banners, as well as US and UK flags, I realized that they know very little about the state of the world. And, they do not want to listen to different points of view. When confronted intellectually, they become violent.

最后，让我讲一定要讲的话。和一些愤怒地挥动黑橫額, 和美国英国国旗的人谈过后，我发觉他们对世局认识很少。还有，他们不想聆听不同的观点。面对理性质询，会变得暴力。

That is not a democratic approach; not at all.

这不是民主方式，一点也不是。

I suggest we talk. Publicly. Let us debate the very definitions of democracy. Let us discuss who has done more harm to the world: China or the West? I am ready, anytime.

我建议我们对话。公开对话。让我们辩论民主的定义。让我们讨论谁给世界造成更大伤害：中国或西方？我准备好了，随时。

If the leaders of Hong Kong riots, or “protests”, are confident that they are correct, let us face each other, in front of microphones and cameras.

如果香港的暴动，或“抗议者”的领袖有信心他们是对的，让我们在咪和相机前，面对大家。

I love your city. I love Hong Kong. I love China. And I strongly believe that China and Hong Kong are one beautiful, inseparable entity. 

我爱你们的城市。我爱香港。我爱中国。我还深信中国和香港是一个美丽的，不可分离的个体。

I am ready to give my best proving that point.

我已准备为证明这点，尽我的力做得最好。

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