SINGAPORE
— Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat slammed
opposition leader Pritam Singh for “repeatedly” asking about the size of
Singapore’s reserves, claiming that it goes against the national
interest to do so.
Addressing
supplementary questions from Members of Parliament on the Solidarity
Budget on Tuesday (7 April), Heng told the House, “It is neither in the
interest of Singapore, or Singaporeans, to repeatedly ask about the size
of our reserves. We are in the middle of a storm, and I'm very
disappointed that Mr Pritam Singh has used this occasion to raise this
question again.”
He added, “We do not disclose the total size of our reserves, for the sake of national security and strategic interests.” Yahoo News
Anyone acting against the national interest can be arrested and charged for treason. If asking about the national reserves is also an act against the national interest, then Pritam Singh is dancing too near to being put behind the bars for treason. Is this really the case? Would asking this question in Parliament, protected by the privilege of Parliament, protect Pritam Singh from being accused of treason?
To act, speak or do anything against the interest of the state, against national interest, is a very serious charge.
From now onwards I would not 'ask repeatedly' about the national reserves. And I would advise the MPs, especially the opposition MPs, also to avoid asking this question. It is soooo sensitive and threatening to ask repeatedly about the national reserves, even in Parliament. Get it? Never mind if you do not know why asking repeatedly is dangerous to the good of the country. Just know that it is against the national interest good enough.
And what is the point of asking when they are not going to tell you? Maybe asking repeatedly is irritating when they cannot give talk about it, state secret, I supposed. Anything that is state secret or about to salary better not ask.
What do you think?
PS. ' Drawing an analogy with the Singapore Armed Forces’ arsenal, the designated successor to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said, “No country's armed forces will ever tell you exactly how much ammunition and weaponry they really have. To do so is to betray valuable intelligence to potential adversaries.”' Yahoo News
What do you think?
PS. ' Drawing an analogy with the Singapore Armed Forces’ arsenal, the designated successor to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said, “No country's armed forces will ever tell you exactly how much ammunition and weaponry they really have. To do so is to betray valuable intelligence to potential adversaries.”' Yahoo News
That's why Sinkies must wake up and vote more Opposition MPs to ask such questions in Parliament under Parliamentary Immunity.
ReplyDeleteLet the General Public or Masses know the ongoings of any so called Secrets or any Hanky Panties behind the scene.
Let them tickle their arses. See Mr JB.Jeya grilled them and each time they yelled him to repeat outside Parliament. Or else sure kena silenced.
So, any one outside the House would be silenced by them legally or illegal without further any questioning.
We must have answers and questionings that keep them in check and have lots of shits to clear after their blunders.
Just like today's of the migrant workers.
Perhaps that's another way of saying I DONCH KNOW!!! Ask me simple questions like 'jia pa buay' or 'ni how ma?' Can or not..
ReplyDeleteAlso read that Masagos says its irresponsible to garner support for home business..but it's not irresponsible to allow Daiso to be open.. was it irresponsible to tell everyone not to wear a mask unless sick ..could have been against national interests if we were spotted wearing one then.. is it irresponsible to lock down entire country on account of mismanagement of foreign workers dorm issues..will it be against national interests to ask where was the ministerial oversight in respect of the foreign workers issue.. jeez what a bunch of poops!!
If the true figure is revealed, it may lead to collapse.
ReplyDeleteHow about Ho Chin's salary? How's that a state secret? Other countries gonna attack us if they know about her pay? Don't BS.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteHi 925am
As said, when you are in total power, anything can be a state secret! Yes it is a state secret! What can you do?
But one day............
Hahahaha....$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$!
Even our beloved and genuinely ELECTED PRESIDENT Ong Teng Cheong asked our country's reserves. I think he also faced difficulties, and was told he might take years. And I think the current Pres doesn't know and couldn't be bothered to ask. So, who is the only person/s in Sinkapor know our total reserves ? Who is supposed to update our country's reserves then ? I think too many questions to ask !
ReplyDeleteJust ask:
ReplyDeleteHow many hours a day ... during office hours ... Ho Ching post on Facebook.
If HSK dare to answer, I salute him.
People's Interests Are National Interests
ReplyDeleteSometimes, it is better to reveal a portion, just like a miniskirt, of the information (in this case, the National Reserves) in order to satisfy the repeated interests of the People. To protect strategic interests, you don't have to reveal the full amount. If you continue to keep quiet, refusing to say something meaningful to the People or to the legally elected Representatives of the Constituents, then you become not only an unreasonable person but also a dimwitted laughing stock. And in the eyes of the world at large, you may appear as being insincere.
It has become a favorite past time for many political hacks to make use of the two all-encompassing magical terms - national security and national interests - as weapons to silence, subdue and suppress information that may be embarrassing, unethical, immoral or unlawful. Therefore, all citizens and voters must know the definitions of national security and national interests so that political hacks cannot simply throw the two magical terms at you whenever they are cornered with their pants down.
What is National (or Strategic) Interests?
1. The interests of the People are the National Interests. The People's Interests can be short-term (tactical) or long-term (strategic). Likewise, National Interests can be tactical or strategic.
2. The interests thought out by any Minister, whether in personal or official capacity are not National Interests but personal interests or ministerial interests because each Minister represents only his/her own ministry, and as ministerial appointments are political appointments, each Minister also represents his/her own political party's interests. He/she does not represent the whole Singapore Citizenry.
3. Even the PM's interests only represent PMO's interests and his political party's interests, not People's Interests, or National Interests.
4. Moreover, these ministers are political hacks who have personal political interests and are controlled by their political party's WHIP to vote in line with party interests that sometimes or most of the time override National Interests, i.e. overriding the People's Interests.
5. A nation without its people is not a nation. It's only a piece of hard barren rock. A piece of hard barren rock has no national interests. Therefore, when one talks about National Interests, one is actually talking about the People's interests. What are these People's interests collectively?
6. Is the National Reserves, accumulated over 50 years from the People, going to serve the People in times of needs? If the answer is "Yes", then it must be of the People's Interests, cannot be anything else.
Or, is the National Reserves accumulated from the People just to serve the interests of the MAS, MOF, and the two SWFs managed by Temasek Holdings and GIC only? If the answer is "Yes", then something must be very wrong. If the answer is "No", then it must be of the People's Interests.
So, if the National Reserves is of the People's Interests, why then the People are not allowed to know how much money is left after so many withdrawals made over the past 25 years?
This is becoming more and more curiously amazing.
70% PAP Voters.
ReplyDeleteYou got the government you deserve.
Lampar song boh?
From Swiss standard of living .... to gold standard in healthcare
ReplyDeleteHa Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha
PAP
I clap for you.
70%
I clap for you.
Singapore's a very rich and generous country with huge reserves. Even the dorm Indian and Bangla foreign workers are so pampered that they throw away food the government provided. See here -Photos of Gov’t-provided meals for foreign workers thrown in trash .
ReplyDeleteSometimes it is very difficult to tell the truth when the truth can hurt, and telling untruth or half truth when discovered can be sued for telling lies.
ReplyDeleteThis kind of food wastage, very good food, is sinful.
ReplyDeleteWho is responsible for it?
Very chekarc. The thrown away food is even better than what I am eating. The problem is when it is free it has no value. Actually no reason to provide free food cause they are being paid without working anyway. May be charge them $3 per meal
DeleteEven the President is not allowed to know, so peasants should not even ask.
ReplyDeleteThe late President Ong was told that it will take 50 years to work out.
Now, let's see how many years since Ong asked about the reserves, say around the mid-1990s or so, and up to today would be about 25 years. They will take until 2045 to calculate our reserves. So, we can assume that later Presidents namely Nathan, Tony Tan and Halimah also do not know how much is the reserves
If those Presidents after Ong Teng Cheong also do not know how much is the reserves, what is the purpose of holding the third key? I am flabbergasted to no end.
Perhaps they are still calculating, so be patient. Maybe a supercomputer will help.
When will the 70% over-dependent on government instructions ever wake up their own ideas?
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, if they do not want people to know, delaying the calculation is a good idea.
ReplyDeleteJust keep on delaying until those wishing to know, and are asking, are no longer around. Then, there will not be any need to reveal at all.
And the PAP and the 70% will live happily ever after.
Hi Uncle Redbean, speed here. As a foreigner it is quite intriguing to read about the obsession that Singaporeans are so keen to know about the size of your national reserve. Your government with 70% mandate has repeatedly stated that this revelation would harm the security of Singapore, why are people still asking this sensitive question. As long as Singaporeans know that the reserve is safe and intact, why worry?
ReplyDeleteAnother intriguing question is Mdm. Ho Ching's salary. Why so curious??
My answers may not be pleasant to people's ears. So better say no comment.
ReplyDelete@ 3:37 pm
ReplyDelete"Even the President is not allowed to know, so peasants should not even ask.
The late President Ong was told that it will take 50 years to work out."
Correction to your mistaken statement. It was clearly started by LKY as 50 man-years, not 50 years.
That means, if one man takes one year to do the job, he will require 50 years to complete.
However, if 50 men were to do the job, it can be completed in one year.
Better still, if 100 men do the job, it can be completed in six months.
Or, form 100 teams of six men each, and go out simultaneously to 100 locations to record down all the assets that are considered under the National Reserves, then you can easily complete the project in one month.
I wonder why President Ong Teng Cheong did not rebut?
Indian Nationals construction workers said "Need many many hands"
DeleteCheers
China Envoy Threatens Racist White Aussies for Call to Investigate Beijing's Epidemic Conduct
ReplyDelete"The Chinese public is frustrated, dismayed and disappointed with what Australia is doing now," China's ambassador in Australia Cheng Jingye said in an interview with the Australian Financial Review published on Sunday.
"If the mood is going from bad to worse, Chinese people would think 'why should we go to such a country that is not so friendly to China?' Chinese tourists may have second thoughts," he added.
"It is up to the Australian people to decide. Maybe Chinese ordinary people will say 'Why should we drink Australian wine? Eat Australian beef?'"
Cheng also threatened the flow of Chinese students to Australian universities, a key source of revenue that is already under threat from pandemic travel restrictions.
"The parents of Chinese students would also think whether this place which they found is not so friendly, even hostile, whether this is the best place to send their kids here," he said.
@ 3.37pm
ReplyDeleteMaybe the President is not like the 3rd key guarding the reserves?
Maybe the President is who we are supposed to blame when there is no money left in the reserves?
True or false?
@All,
ReplyDeleteWhy you waste time TCSS about something that won't help you or your children?!?!?!
Even if Oppo take over gahmen tomorrow, they will also keep the Reserves secret ... maybe even more secret than PAPies.
Under PAPies, 2 out of the 3 portions of the Reserves are made known, and the 3rd one can be estimated if you read widely enough. (MAS foreign reserves, Temasek, GIC)
From big data analysis, SG will stop the virus by early-June. After that it will be endemic disease i.e. a handful of cases per day.
The stock market has been anticipating this --- that's why stocks have been recovering in the last few weeks.
As for US, it will be by early-September.
I still think there is a good chance for stocks to "crash" during middle of the year.
That will be the 2nd best time in 11 years for YOU to buy stocks & get out of the RAT RACE & RETIRE in the next 5-10 years. (The 1st best time was in March)
I'm already sitting on nice profits from my stock buys in late-Feb & March (used up $300K). Another $350K cash from my warchest to deploy in middle of this year.
WSG
Trump and his psychopaths are doing everything they could to delay and obstruct testing in the US. This is their way of lying, not to let the world know how widespread this virus is in the US, the origin and source of this pandemic.
ReplyDeleteIf they ramp up the test, there could be a few millions more confirmed cases showing up as by today the number of Americans infected could well be in the 40m mark and going higher with their eagerness to open up.
This madness to restart their economic activities would flare up not only in the USA but also in Europe. The second wave is going to be fast and furious.
How much you have in your cpf?
ReplyDeleteDoes it matters to you?....