the poor lower middle income class!

There was this guy who is earning $2000 a month and seeking help from the community. He could not go on with this income. And his problem is compounded by the fact that he lives in a 5 room HDB flat. Compare this with a foreign talent who earns the same amount. The FT is going to pray to god to bless the Singapore Govt for the chance to be here to work. For the $2000 means he could probably save $1200 every month and by the time he decides to go home, he is going to be a very rich man in his village. Any FT reading this, please do not take it as an attack against FT. This is just a comparison to show how relative is the worth of money and cost of living. The $2000 Singaporean, although still branded as lower middle income, is a POOR man. A man who needs financial assistance. And for those who says he must cut down his other expenses like eating one bowl of rice lesser and drink one cup of coffee less, I find such comments very cruel and unbecoming. The cost of living here is high, disproportionate to the income of the people. So, ask him to sell his 5 room flat? Another arrogant and thoughtless comment of Singaporeans who thinks their own good fortune will last forever. Only thick headed Singaporeans would tell someone in such a plight to sell his 5 room flat. For the flat was bought by CPF contributions and he would not see much of it after selling as most of the money would still be retained by the CPF. We can keep on boasting about our people, lower middle income class as if they were really lower middle class. They are living near the poverty line if one takes away all the fixed overheads that they cannot runaway from. eg CPF, consevancy fee, PUB, telecom, TV, public transport, basic meals, GST, school fees, medical, pocket money for children, the little contributions to social functions like a wedding, death etc. How much is left? How much is there to squeeze further? And all the fees are still going to go up as sure as the sun will rise. Welcome to the good life of a lower middle class Singaporean.

Can we forgive Mr Brown?

I am not sure if Mr Brown is still in Singapore. Or is he thinking of emigrating and be a quitter? Might as well. He must be feeling a lot of pressure now. Poor chap. How can he attempt to undermine national strategy? That is serious stuff. Maybe he should apologise and come clean and see if he can be rehabilitated. In communist terminology it is called self confession. Who knows, he might get his job back and may even be promoted after that. The return of the prodigal son! We are a forgiving people. Sunday is good day for confession and forgiving. Yes, shall we give him a second chance?

after the crooked bridge, what's next?

Malaysia plans to build RM490 million sports academy

Located on the outskirts of London, the extravagant project is raising eyebrows By Leslie Lopez The Straits Times Malaysia’s plan to build a half-billion-ringgit sports academy on the outskirts of London has drawn flak from some quarters who say this is an extravagance the country cannot afford. Government officials say that the Sports Ministry is quietly pushing ahead with an ambitious project to build a sports excellence academy at the cost of roughly 490 million ringgit on a 17.8ha piece of prime real estate owned by a Malaysian research agency in Hertfordshire. Proponents of the plan say the new academy will help Malaysian athletes excel internationally, develop the country's capabilities in sports science and medicine and improve the standard of coaching. Should Singapore up the stake and build a bigger one in the USA or Australia? Then we can make our footballers world class and aim for the world cup...Our impossible dream...may just come true.

myth 40

'Singapore is a dictatorial or totalitarian state' This is a label that many have branded Singapore and have even thrown many wild accusations at the political leadership. How can Singapore be associated with a dictatorship or a totalitarian communist regime? Any Singaporean would be able to tell easily what an elected representative govt is as compared to a dictatorship or communist regime. We are a freely elected democracy modelled against the British system. What stands out glaringly in a dictatorship or a totalitarian state is the use or abuse of power. Power in such states is absolute and resided mainly in the dictator or in a small group of men at the top. And the use of power is without shame, embarrassment or qualms. Power was used often in its naked form. People were pulled up and put away, unheard off, forgotten and disappeared. No excuses needed, no reasons given. In communist or totalitarian states, sometimes they did try to give some resemblance of a people's govt. And people to be put away often were labelled as reactionaries, revisionists or committing crimes against the state or doing things that undermine national interests. These are the clear cut dictatorial or totalitarian regimes. Then there are the mixed regimes or disguised regimes like the Marcos and the Suhartos. The military junta in Myanmar is simply what it is, no need for any pretension. The Phillippines under Marcos was a dictatorship called democracy. The Indonesia under Suharto was also a dictatorship under the cover of guided democracy. How can Singapore be a dictatorship or a totalitarian state when the govt are honest, sincere and respectable people of high integrity? If one considers the kind of polities under Marcos and Suharto, we must feel very bless with what we have here. Totally no abuse of power, and the citizens are free to live their lives and get rich, and feeling very safe. And we have been such a great model of a successful democracy that many countries are modelling themselves after Singapore. The best example is China. The Chinese system though communist, is actually communist in name. It is very pragmatic, very Singapore like. The rate that China is copying and imitating Singapore, soon it will be accused of becoming a democratic country, Singapore model. Oh, Communism in China now is a myth.

Singapore Flyer and Sky Park

http://aserialnumberonmyvote.blogspot.com/2006/05/grounding-singaporeflyer.html Grounding the SingaporeFlyer When the concept of the Singapore Flyer was first announced, I wondered what sort of attraction one could see 160metres high above Marina Bay. Look south, and all we will see are various oceangoing-ships at anchor. We look east, and we just might be able to see planes leaving Changi Airport. Look West, and we'll see signs of Singapore's economic muscle in the container business, and the huge CO2 emitter that is our Petro-chemical plant called Jurong Island. Look north, and we'll get a nice view of the Skyscrapers, and possibly a view into the heart of Singapore. Apparently, according to a Wikipedia entry, a 'flight' on the Singapore flyer is expected to cost around S$27.50.The London Eye, on the other hand, cost me £13 (S$40) back in 2003. What the flight gave one the opportunity to see was London, and all 800 years of its development into the capital of the United Kingdom. In a sense, it was boring - all around, you could see were lots of typical english housing roofs, stretching for as far as the eye can see, a testament to London's long history of civilization.It was fun to see the various railway lines snaking into the huge train stations, and watching trains come and go. And to look at the various statements of each generation, in examples such as London's Gherkin, and the Millennium Dome. The flight was over too quickly, and I longed to watch the trains go all day from literally a 'bird's eye view' of London.Insulted by many, and initially only given a 5 year planning approval, The LondonEye is now one of London's top attractions, and if you want a overview of London, a trip up the London Eye has no substitute. (except a Helicopter flight over London maybe.)Unfortunately, for Singapore, our inability to really create complementary planning has enabled us to score an own goal for the SingaporeFlyer even before it boards its first passenger. That is the Marina Bay Sands. With the Singapore Government accepting the Las Vegas Sands bid, it seems, a perfect substitute for the SingaporeFlyer has shown itself.The planning proposal indicates that "A 1-hectare Sky Park at 50th storey (above the three hotel towers ) offering panoramic views " is part of the offering from the Marina Bay Sands. Now, I could be wrong, and "Location, Location, Location" holds true that the real estate the Singapore flyer sits on will never be the same as the one Marina Bay Sands sits on, but looking at this particular picture, and imagining where the Singapore flyer will be, most economists and real estate professionals will be hard pressed to say that the experience offered by the SingaporeFlyer's has NO substitute.According to Yawningbread, he says that the Sky Park will be a 'public park', which means no entrance fees(?!). I cannot conclude that it will be a public park from either STB, and the LasVegasSands website fails to load (on both IE and Firefox) , so the question remains open, but I do doubt that it will cost S$27.50 to enter the Sky Park, unless the operators are perfect collusionists with the SingaporeFlyer firm.So, I guess, the most important questions for investors of the SingaporeFlyer now are: When will I ever recoup my multimillion Singapore Dollar investment? Is s$27.50 still viable given the presence of a near perfect substitute less than 1 kilometre away, and possibly with free entry? Why didn't I put in my contracts a no-compete that Singapore was not allowed to approve any development that could create a near-perfect substitute for the x-years? Is there any way of getting compensation for the loss of revenue a-la when Singtel was "forced" to give up its "telecommunications" monopoly early? Arrrrrgh!!!!!!! [Oh, the fun of being an STB bureaucrat dealing with the SingaporeFlyer people ;-)]Way before the Marina Bay Sands was confirmed, back in 1999, I already felt that it would be difficult for people to want to take a trip up an oversized Ferris Wheel, when half of the view was just empty sea. Now, with a near-perfect substitute, I think the SingaporeFlyer will become a perfect business case study on business uncertainty and the failure of vision.Anyone with investments related to the SingaporeFlyer best be calling his broker now or consulting his online brokerage web site? Theodore Ong wants to share the above article here. I find it quite interesting and informative. The link also gives some beautiful pictures of the Singapore Flyer and the Sky Park on top of the Marina IR.

who is the boss?

I remember this story that was often repeated about the relationship between a man and a woman, pre and post marriage. During the courtship stage, the man is all gentle and nice, opening doors, pulling chairs, waiting for his date and promising everything under the sky. The man will build a career, buy a car, build a house, diamond rings, holidays and all the goodies to charm the woman. And the woman will enjoy all the attention for those brief moments of courtship. Quietly the man would be saying to himself, 'Wait till after the wedding night then you know.' And sure after the wedding, when the rice is cooked, the man becomes the boss. What holding doors, pulling chairs? Go and prepare food, wash clothing, and look after the babies. And don't try to complain or the woman would get slap. If talk more nonsense, they will be locked up, in the house. Who is the real boss is only known after the contract has been signed. And the cycle gets repeated every now and then. And the woman never learn, and will find another man to boss them around.

in celebration of militarism

Today I would like to celebrate the might and arrogance of being militarily powerful. The last few weeks we have seen how the North Koreans flexed their muscles and how the Americans and Japanese started dancing to the Korean tune. And then Japan stood up and tell the world, including China and the two Koreas that they are military strong enough to take on anyone and will not hesitate to knock out North Korea. These are signs of pure military arrogance. And the world went along happily without any protest. Now Israel has even gone one step further. They choose to hit any part of the Middle east they like and nobody can stop them. The poorly equipped and divided Arabs are minced meat on the chopping block. Helpless and pathetic. While the Americans, the backer of the Israelis, sit by and enjoy the spectacle. So is the rest of the western world. Military might is right. Power comes from the barrel of the gun, so say Mao. Respect and right to live in peace comes from being militarily strong and self sufficient. Any country that is militarily weak is asking to be raped. And no one is going to apologise for doing it and no one is going to condemn the rapists. This is the new world we are living. Actually it has always been like that. Weaken your defences and you will be trampled upon. No leaders, in their right mind, will voluntarily disarm themselves. In fact they should do the reverse.

world conned by the japanese

The world has been conned by the Japanese. I have seen a map published in the Nihon Keisai Shimbun showing where the Korean missiles had landed. And for simplicity of explanation, if one divides the Sea of Japan into 4 quarters from the Korean to Japanese coast, the missiles landed on the first quarter nearer to the Korean and Russian coasts. Even the flight path of the missiles was pointed to travel parallel to the Korean and Russian coasts, avoiding the direction of Japan. What this proves is that the North Koreans are careful and did not want to be accused of firing the missiles in the direction of Japan and thus becomes a provocative act. There is no chance of the missile falling down on Japan even if there is engine failure. It is the Japanese that insisted that the act was provocative. This is the same kind of logic Bush used against any adversarial nation. Just called them aggressor, axis of evil, and that gives them a reason to attack or invade that country. The Japanese is using the same principle as an excuse to attack North Korea. And this is a very dangerous principle to live by. Actually the Japanese is the hostile and provocative aggressor instead of the North Koreans. A similar Marco Polo Bridge incident!

to believe in what we hear or see

We have all the time been living between believing and the truth, between what is spoken to please and what is real. I have posted what Vivian said here just like I have posted many things said by many people. Then it is for them to live out what they said or to dismiss what they said by their own subsequent actions. Boonyang has finally replied. What came out in his reply is as if the govt have been repressed and cannot respond to the public. And respond they did. And with one stroke, they completely wiped away everything that Hsienloong had said for the last few years and during the election. Let me recollect some of the things that Hsienloong stood for. Starting with the slogan, Staying together, Moving ahead. The way Brown was silenced clearly showed that it is a we against them divide. We are the boss and when we do not like what you said, disappear for good. This brings to the second point about encouraging people to speak up, listening to alternative views, have a debate on ideas, the right of reply. Why is it so difficult to debate about such an important issue raised by Brown and generate more interest by getting the population involved, discuss it thoroughly? Would this not encourage the people to be more participative, more involved with national issues and really feel that we are all together in the same boat? The impression created now is a very high up authority that talked down to the people and will not hesitate to brush aside any dissenting voice. This is like taking 20 steps back at one go. Where are we now? And how is Vivian going to go about engaging the people when a comment by Brown is stamped out with so much force? Why is there no confidence to engage the people in a constructive debate? And I think it is very unfitting to demand the people for solutions when they are paid to find the solutions. I have stated this many times before. When you are paid at market price, paid for your worth, you are expected to deliver your worth. There is no free lunch. Now they are being paid breakfast, lunch, dinner and supper. Please deliver. And there is no need even to say thank you when they delivered. It is purely a business contract. Once we take this road, it is no longer a sacrifice for the country and nation. There is no sacrifice. It is all bull. Everyone is paid adequately or more than adequately to do their job. And it is the right and reasonable expectation of the people to demand for the best when we paid for the best.

reckless japanese militarism

After reading reports from all quarters, we are seeing a group of jokers that are more reckless and thoughtless in Tokyo than those in the White House. Shinzo Abe wanted to carry out a preemptive strike. And all quarters in Japan are drumming up support for this action claiming that the ordinary Japanese also wanted Japan to strike first. Do these idiots really know what they are in for? A handful of bombs to knock out North Korea's nuclear capability? No way. Once the first bomb flies, it is all out war. And every missile in North Korea will fly into Japan. Of course the Japanese first strike could be in the same manner. Try to imagine the casualties! It will dwarf Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Millions will be wiped out from both sides. And South Korea will not stand on the side line. Its missiles will follow the path of the North Koreans into Japan. No, the North Koreans will not strike South Korea. It will be a war between the two Koreas and Japan. It will be Year Zero for Japan for sure. Let's see how cocky and reckless the Japanese will be. There is no guarantee that a first preemptive strike can take out all of North Korea's capability and that North Korea has no second strike capability. And for sure, South Korea will be the third strike which Japan did not count on in her equation. Come on Japan! Let's go, bomb North Korea!!!

How well did Temasek manage our reserves?

Attached is an article on Singapore and Temasek Holdings in the Fortune magazine of 20 March 2006, "Singapore Stumbles". I also refer to Temasek's letter to the Straits Times, Feb 7, 2006, "Temasek's 30-year returns a robust 18%". When I saw this statement pasted in the YPAP forum, I was dumbfounded. 18% in 30 years is considered robust? I put in fixed deposit for 30 years with a 2% interest will give me 60% return with no risk. And if the interest rate averages at 3%, I will get 90% return. What is 18% to crow about and managed by a team of experts and incurring all the risk of losing a bundle if the investment decisions went wrong? Today it was reported that GIC opened its book to detail its investments and LKY said GIC 'has earned an average of 8.2% a year in Singapore dollar terms since 1981.' Now this is more like it. How did Fortune get that 18% figure? I will be deeply disappointed if that is the case.

japan threatens north korea, korea must strike first.

The Japanese have spoken. They are openly threatening the North Koreans of a preemptive strike at their nuclear sites. This threat is an open invitation and enough justification for the North Koreans to launch their own preemptive strike against Japan. The Japanese have adopted a very aggressive and hostile stance in the UN, insisting that the UN and the world must accept their position to take strong measures against the North Koreans. Their behaviour is a mirror image of what they did prior to their conquest of China in the 19th Century, making demands after demands on a weak and semi colonised China. They are treating the Koreans like their former colony and China like the Sick man of Asia. They challenged the right of China to veto their proposal in the UN. It was prudent that China did not fall into their trap and supported their entry into the UN Security Council. The Japanese are now not hiding anything. They are standing up on the world stage to tell the world that Japan is now a military power and will take on China and the Koreans come what may. And their preemptive strike is on the way if China could not force the North Koreans to accede to the Japanese demands. What are the two Koreans going to do in the face of a militarised Japan ready to kick their butts? I would strongly encourage the two Koreans to strike at the Japanese first as a means of defence now that the Japanese have threatened to strike them first.

myth 39

'Singaporeans have a good sense of humour' I think most people will agree that we need to have some humour in our life, and humour makes life that more pleasurable. And I would also think that Singaporeans too have a good sense of humour. But lately I started to change my mind. I think not everyone are equipped with a sense of humour. And the type of humour is also very important. Black humour is acceptable. Any colour of humour is ok but make sure it is not brown humour.

japan should recolonise the two koreas

My last few postings on the rise of Japanese militarism were intentionally very provocative. Just like what I am going to say about the two Koreas. Germany and Vietnam were divided but have long reunited. One fought all the way to unite their homeland, the other came together out of a true sense of nationalism and pride as one people. The silly Koreans are still being kept apart, posturing to kill each other. One a semi colony of the USA, being used as a pawn in the politics of big powers. South Korea is very useful to the Americans as a foothold into the Chinese Northeastern flank and be a constant pressure point to apply when needed. But what is more treacherous is the Japanese ambition to recolonise the two Koreas. It may not be in the form of the 19th century, but it will be another kind of domination. Look at how cocky the Japanese are these few days, threatening to do a preemptive strike to North Korea as if it is another cakewalk. The Japanese really despised and look down on the Koreans, once their subjects. And as long as they are kept divided, Japan will eat them up in bite sizes one at a time. They deserve to be colonised by the Japanese if they don't wake up to the danger they are in. Good luck to the Koreans. Long live the Japanese Empire!

boost to the insurance industry

The latest call to provide insurance coverage to board of directors will give a big boost to the insurance industry and insurance agents. Directors in charitable organisations can be covered up to $1m against suits brought against them in the capacity as directors of the organisations. As explained and reasoned, "They jiak kopi only,..." No pay but work only. Not sure about work, but why jiak kopi only? I think anyone whose job is jiak kopi only should also be protected by insurance. But wait a moment, does jiak kopi means doing nothing? Just attend meetings, jiak kopi and then go home and tell people I am director of this and that big organisation? Would not appointments to positions of responsibility, even jiak kopi and do nothing, come with some responsibility? And would such insurance covers negligence and wrongful acts or criminal acts? Shall all the CEOs, or MPs etc, especially MPs and politicians who are sacrificing for the nation be also covered by insurance to protect them from lawsuits too? After all they do not want to be politicians but were called to do national service? Whatever, it will be good for the insurance industry to have more insurance sold, for the right or wrong reason.

myth 38

'It(Singapore) has created a national mindset of compliance and obedience, giving rise to a generation of "play safe" Singaporeans who lack initiative and enterprise.' by Seah Chiang Nee in Littlespeck I think Mr Brown has just proven that this is a myth, and Seah Chiang nee is wrong. What Mr Brown has written, though in a humorous way, is an expression of disagreement, and not playing safe and lack of initiative as subsequent events have proven so.

constructive debate?

Now Vivian has spoken. Actually there are many points that he raised which are very interesting and deserve for more discussion. But I will just touch on this comment, '...If someone says something we disagree with, we will say so. If someone says something which is unhelpful, we have a right to say it is unhelpful.' And 'He added that what is important for Singaporeans, particularly on serious issues, is to have an honest and constructive debate with no extraneous agendas involved.' Taking both comments into context, there should be constructive debate and a right to reply. The only tricky part is the 'extraneous agendas.' What does it mean? Lets leave this aside first as we will be guessing what all the way. Now, the Brown episode. Mr Brown may have written in a humorous way, he has a good sense of humour which sadly many don't, on a serious issue affecting many Singaporeans. He was serious in what he said. But what was the official response? There was an official reply, alright. But was there a constructive debate? I think everyone will find this part missing. It was a talk down approach. No need further discussion. Mr Brown had touched on something unacceptable, crossed the OB line. Out you go. Where is the engagement and constructive debate to rebut what Mr Brown had said? Couldn't the official postion be one where a point by point rebuttal be more constructive and helped to explain the situation better, that what Mr Brown written were not necessary accurate. Won't it be better to say that 70% of the population are earning more and more and are not affected by the rising cost of living, rising fares and fees? Why wasn't the engagement mode be used to debate on an important issue but instead a disengagement mode be adopted? We are the boss. We do not have to talk to you. You are now history!

Heroes are aplenty

Heroes are aplenty. The victors write the story. And there are many heroes among the victors. There are many success stories to tell about how many enemies, ie natives, that they slaughtered and how much goodies they looted. It was not about murders and robberies, it was about national pride and might, about conquests for the kings and countries, or for God. All the killings and lootings in the name of Kings and countries, or even God are glorified as heroic acts. What were done to the defeated and conquered, were acceptable acts and behaviours. And so the stories go on and on and many heroes and legends were written. And there will also be one or two outcasts from the conquering forces that will be elevated to hero and cult status for having a little conscience and for trying to help the conquered. These will become heroes too, to the desperate and deprived oppressed people who have been robbed of everything. A piece of crumbs will be like a feast when stomach has been empty for days. History is such that there will be many heroes and anti heroes among the victorious. But in contrast, all the most based of human behaviour were exhibited among the defeated, conquered and ruled. Iraq and Guantanamo, and the Palestinians, are the best living examples of what being conquered is like, and what is right and wrong, as interpreted by the victorious. The losers will be losers.

Where are the heroes?

Countries that have been conquered and occupied by foreign forces have a very bad and bitter experience which they will never forget. An occupation robbed the countries of not only their wealth and pride, but the dignity of their people. Proud and upright people were all turned into vicious, unscrupulous and traitorous selfish people, only thinking of their own survivals. Betraying friends and families, and people and nation, became a means to survive. There were no heroes in such countries. Any hero will either be dead or rotting in prison for fighting the intruders. The conquered and oppressed people have very little choices. They need to live, and have families to feed. Joining the nationalist movement and resistance is as good as sure death. Not doing anything and trying to live is to live a dog's life. The other choice is to work for the occupied forces, the new rulers, to serve them and help them to exploit their own people and countries. In other words, become traitors and sell out their countries and friends and families. This has been repeated all over in history. From the days of the Red Indians, the Africans, the Arabs, the Indians, Chinese, Vietnamese and Koreans, and the Jews during the holocaust, their histories are littered with tales of betrayal and selfish people who thrived by serving the occupation forces. That is what many conquered people have experienced. The Koreans and the Chinese, under foreign dominations, Japanese in particular, were forced by the Japanese and circumstances to eke out a living by turning against their own people. This also happend in Malaysia and Singapore. Those were hard times and men were turned to beasts, no morality, no righteousness and honour to talk about. There were no shame in being unscrupulous. The shame only came after the occupation forces were defeated and left. Then the blood letting will come and all the shame will be laid out for all to see. All the pride of a people were no more. The people could not believe that their own tribes could be so disgraceful and selfish to commit dastardly acts against them, to bow and kneel to the conquerors to wipe their arses. The Korean Nationalism and their stubborness to be strong and resilient must be seen in such historical context. And this applies to many of the conquered and colonised nations. History will repeat itself if they are led to believe that all is well. And in their folly and delusion of peace and harmony, and goodwill of 'friendly' nations, they will inadvertently dig their own graves. It is better to be safe than sorry. National survival can only be preserved by the nation's own people.

my flowery dream

I had a dream last night. There was this beautiful garden where the owner planted many beautiful flowers. He had taken very good care of his garden, fertilisers, water, pruning and talking to his flowers, to encourage them to grow. And the flowers listened to him and bloom in all their majestic colours and brilliance. It was an awesome sight to behold, so many flowers, what a riot of colours. Then one morning a van came. And the owner took out his cutter and started pruning. All the lovely flowers came down one by one. One hundred flowers were cut down and taken away in the van. Probably to some fine hotels for display. What a pleasant ending for the flowers. The the owner was happy, waiting for another 100 flowers to bloom.

myth 37

'I, Singaporean, not stupid!' Well, we have always been laughing at all the stupid Singaporeans. But really deep down they are damn smart. They know when to siam if they have to. There was this petition asking people to support Mr Brown in the online petition site. For curiosity I went there to take a peep, maybe can post my findings here. I was greeted with a message, Petition removed for lack of activity. What happens to all the concerned Singaporeans who supported a cause like the NKF? And what happens to all those who posted at Mr Brown's blog pledging their support? And none posted in the online petition that it has to be removed? Same can be said for the silence in the media over the last few days. I think if you ask anyone, they will say it is inconsequential, not newsworthy. Or there are more important news like dirty litters in HDB blocks, or a foreign car number plate spotted in Singapore. Now, who says Singaporeans are stupid?

Cyber space and citizen reporting, a new frontier!

It is time I revisited this thread after all the excitement in the press. I mean the Malaysian press. Cyberspace is now the new battle field between Mahathir and Badawi as the official press is, as always will be, one sided. In the blogs and columns, it was reported that hits can go as high as 1.2 million a day for Malaysia Today! The key advantage of cyberspace news is that it is uncensored and immediate. In a sense, no holds bar. And the official media has, in its traditional way, encouraged the growth and flourishing of cybernet news. To quote Raja Petra Kamaruddin, a well known political activist, he said, 'As long (as) as there is no real free speech, blogs will be popular.' Let's return to home ground and see whether the situation is similar. For several days after the Mr Brown incident, when cyberspace was invaded by highly charged bloggers and forummers on the issue, there was a complete silence in the official media. It was a hot topic , but the official press, for their own reasons, thought it was better not to say anything about it. There goes the reason for more interests in cyberspace, when the news that the people are interested are being reported. Look at today's Straits Times. It has a glowing report on citizen reporting and how fast this media is gaining ground and acceptance as the most effective and popular means of communication and news dissemination. It devoted 5 and a half pages on this new trend. But sadly, nothing much was said about the local blogosphere and forum activities except for a small factual reference to Mr Brown's case, with no comments. But I think two full pages were devoted to promote Stomp and why it is popular with news like road accidents, windows falling off, and prizes for taking pictures of litters around mail boxes, foreign car number plates sighted in Singapore. I can't imagine what sensible and serious forumers find in such bits and pieces of rubbish around HDB blocks? And did they report on anything about the local citizen reporting scene? Did they mention any blogs or forums that are attracting the bloggers and forummers? What is the reason for not mentioning the names of popular local blogs and forums? At least Zaobao did a survey once and listed the names of popular blogs and forums for all to see, and to visit. As long as official media, often correctly associated with official views and mindset, continues its traditional way, more and more people will flock to cyberspace to hear more refreshing and relevant news.

Threat is nearer than you think - A horror story!

This is the headline of a one page article, with graphics, on the North Korean long range missiles in The New Paper today. The main gist of this article is that Singapore and many Asian countries are now within range of North Korea. And we are now under threat. Horror, run and hide quickly. And North Korea is going crazy and going to fire their missiles at all the Asian countries, including Singapore. We are now in imminent danger. We must protest and join the campaign to put pressure on North Korea from developing this nuclear threat. I am wondering, just wondering, how many gullible Singaporeans will believe in a silly article like this? And obviously it is silly as no one think it worthy or credible enough to put his name as owner of the article. Why would the North Koreans be threatening us and wanting to fire their missiles at us? For that matter, even it they are all insane and really fire at us, the missile will miss us completely. The missile will not be able to find us, too small a red dot or pee sai, to be picked up by its radar. If the North Koreans were crazy, they would have long fired all their missiles into Japan. They have all the reasons and the capability to do it for more than 20 years ago. Why are they not crazy to fire at Japan but will be crazy enough to fire at Singapore? Would the New Paper that poses this as a genuine threat to Singapore explain to all the stupid Singaporeans as they are too dumb to understand. This is the kind of articles that silly Asians are made to believe. And the source of such articles is likely to come from you know where. And it is so patronising to think that in the 21 century, Asians, especially Singaporeans, are unable to think.

Singapore ST playing a dangerous game

But what has startled many Malaysians has been the unexpected (or perhaps, to be expected) participation in the public quarrel of the two Malaysian leaders by a foreign newspaper, the Singapore Straits Times. The Singapore Straits Times is closely linked to the island state's government so one may reasonably assume to an extent that its views would reflect or be similar to that of the government.... Malaysians would be rightfully alarmed if such a supposition bears true. Following from that, we may ask why would a foreign country, which hitherto had observed proper and diligent distancing from Malaysian internal politics, at least publicly, has now seen fit to stomp right into the fray. by K Temoc as reported in Malaysiakini Malaysians find it alarming for Singapore to comment on Malaysian politics and 'has now seen fit to stomp right into the fray'. I still remember Syed Hamid marching into Rangoon to ask to see Aung San Suu Kyi and telling the Myanmese Govt to become more democratic. Now, is that stomping into another country and telling another govt to behave in a way that one desires a polite thing to do? And if that is acceptable, what is a little comment in the newspaper compares to a foreign minister flying all the way into Myanmar? It is always dangerous and undesirable for a country to interfere in the domestic politics of another country. Why is the Malaysian thinking that it is ok to tell the Myanmese govt how to behave and not ok for the Straits Times to have a few reports which were borrowed articles from Malaysian media?

choosing a PM - best man does not win

Dr. Mahathir was a very dramatic type. After sacking Annuar Ibrahim, Dr. Mahathir was fighting for his political survivor, elections loomed and the Malay political ground was never so divided. He needed a deputy who wasn’t just politically unambitious but a loyal subservient lieutenant trusted to preserve his legacy. Above all he needed someone who was the least likely to cut a deal with Annuar Ibrahim. Abdullah fitted this profile very nicely. Mahathir always considered Abdullah to be a grassroots politician, a nice guy, and very little vision, if any. by Leslie Lopez, a KL based journalist The above statement is from Leslie Lopez and it is very interesting to note the rationale he ascribed to Mahathir in how he chose his successor. And the criteria is not very flattering for Abdullah. If what Lopez said is true, Abdullah was chosen because he is not ambitious but a loyal subservient lieutenant, a nice guy with very little vision. These are obviously qualities not desirable of a nation's PM. And for Mahathir to choose someone with such qualities, it is evident that it was not in the interest of the state but to serve his personal interest. It seems that Mahathir is very unfair to the nation for choosing a less able man to be its leader. Talking about nation before self or self before nation? Looks like the ablest is not necessary the first choice to be a nation's PM. And the one chosen to be the PM could be a dud.

How long can our luck hold?

The ugliness of top men in office is being unveiled daily for all to see. Bush and all his lies about WMD and how he fixed his opponents is now under official investigation. And nearby we have the dominant and cannot be wronged Mahathir who has initiated the opening of his own can of worms. He was untouchable as a PM, who was also a Home Affairs Minister, Finance Minister, Foreign Minister, Trade Minister. Actually he was a one man Govt. A clear recipe for disaster. And the disaster is going to explode. We have been very lucky. We have LKY, Chok Tong and Hsien Loong, all men of unquestionable integrity, as our PMs. Can our luck hold forever? Can the next PM be just as honest and honourable that he will not do a Mahathir? This is a danger that we are facing as a nation. Are our institutions developed to prevent absolute power in the hands of one man or a few men?

Health Care Specialists

After the closing down of sleazy massage and tui na spas in neighbourhood estate, this creates a vacuum that needs to be filled. We should train our own aunties as Health Care Specialists to provide a badly needed and lucrative service in HDB estates. This is definitely better than Toilet specialists. But to upgrade the professionalism in the trade, all specialists must attend a diploma course in the polytechnics on the human physiology and how each part functions and how much pressure is needed to maximise the relief and pleasure for the customers.

job loss and job gain

The civil service has brought the Finance and HR functions under one roof for greater efficiency and economy of scales. And there will be great savings in cost of up to $4.5 million a year. Where would this come from?

It is inevitable that there will be layoff and retrenchment. Look at it positively, this is a great move. People who can't fit in should be retrenched. And because of the pooling of the two functions, it will create a bigger function of two. So the responsibility at the top is bigger and there will be more value added jobs at the top.

This is the way to go, lower and less value jobs be downsized. Create more jobs at the top that pay well. More CEOs, Deputy CEOs, Asst CEOs. This upgrading of skills can be seen all the way from our toilet cleaners becoming specialists.

Given time the income of all Singaporeans will be higher than what it is now.

myth 36

'Singaporeans are fed up with progress...' by Mr Brown. This myth came from Mr Brown's sensational article of polemics. And I must agree that it is a myth, a distorted truth. For Mr Brown is talking only about 30% of Singaporeans, those who are trying to make ends meet. He has not covered the large group of happy Singaporeans, especially those earning $100k or more a month. Even people earning peanuts are very happy. How then can Mr Brown said that Singaporeans are fed up with progress? It is right for Bhavani to chastise Mr Brown for distorting the truth. For if Mr Brown is telling the truth, then there would not be 4 million smiles. Mr Brown's fault is to look at only one small segment of unhappy Singaporeans. The truth is that there are many happy Singaporeans, and Bhavani knows better.

Operation Hush Up is on.

I have been scanning all the papers, official media, tv news, radio news, etc... I have not try Stomp yet, but Mr Brown has vanished. No news about Mr Brown and how he distorted the truth. And all the investigative journalists, anyone interested in covering this incident? I have just taken a peep at Mr Brown's blog, and there are almost 500 comments in 3 days on this issue. Hey is this not news? But it is big news in blogosphere! Any little blog or forum in cyberspace worth its salt will have enough comments on the issue to make it worth reading. It is the news of the day. What happens to the traditional media? Not interested or what? Isn't news be news? Isn't something so hot be newsworthy? Maybe we are all waiting for an official response and take the cue from there. We are all objective reporters and journalists. We are independent thinkers and we write what we think are news worthy, of public interest. If I can't or don't even say something on this issue, I better close down my forum. I don't practise self censorship here. I don't have to read what is safe or unsafe to post. Now, why would people flock to cyberspace for independent news instead of subscribing to the main media? Luckily I did not buy a copy hoping to read something about it. Would I be wasting my money, feeling money not well spent?

the malaysian way!

A Singaporean was robbed after bank teller announced that he had withdrawn RM200,000. This incident happened in Johore Bahru and was reported in the New Straits Times yesterday. After cashing out his cheque and as the Singaporean man was about to leave, the teller shouted in front of 50 customers: "Sir, can you please count if you have RM200,000 before leaving the bank". And the robbers were waiting for him in the carpark, and he was robbed. Could the bank teller be so kind or silly to shout out the big amount for everyone to hear? Isn't there a standard practice that no one is to announce what the customers are doing? I think this must be a new bank and the teller is also new. Banking is also a new business in Johore Bahru. What a joke!

myth 35

'...civil service has become politicised and is "subordinated and even subservient to the political leadership"' I quoted the above from the Today paper's article on Ngiam Tong Dow. It then quoted Simon Tay saying that 'Ngiam's recollections suggest that such comments "go too far"'. Ngaim did not say that it is a myth or that it is the truth. He just said 'go too far'. If the comments did not go too far, maybe could be true. In this case, by going too far, it is a myth. The mandarin has spoken.

going down the malaysian road

We have many things in common with the Malaysians. We are also engaged in many developmental projects, mega projects, some private initiatives and some govt initiatives. All done either to inject funds and vitality to the economy or to make profits for the project owners. But there are subtle differences between the Singaporean way and the Malaysian way. Where the project funds come from, who benefitted, who get the share of the profits and who pay for the profits. There is also another key difference in the conceptual stage. Singaporean projects were normally conceived when there is a need with profits coming in later. In the case of Malaysians, the project was conceived from the profit first basis and generating the needs later. So we have the crooked bridge, a classic example of a project where the need was not there but build up to justify for it, and with how much money can be made as the main reason. Who eventually pays for the project and profit are secondary. Would Singapore go down this road, conceiving of a project because there is money to be made? And get the private sector to pay for all the costs and charge the public for it? I have in mind the underground road system. The Malaysians are expert and single minded in building roads and bridges and railway lines to collect tolls. Not that we are not collecting tolls. The tolls we are collecting are much bigger in scale. But these are schemes that grow out of a necessity, a need. Suddenly the road situation got bad, so the easiest way to kill two birds with one stone is to make the motorists pay and relieve congestion. We have never think of collecting toll as the primary goal, the raison d'tre for building roads. This is the Malaysian way of making money. Not forgetting we are already collecting in the billions from ARF, PARF, road tax, COEs, ERPs, ALS. Aren't these enough to pay for the construction of roads? Aren't the collection of all these fees meant for this purpose? Now where have all these monies gone to that we need to think of collecting tolls as the main reason for the building of roads?

more than 4 million smiles!

Mr Brown has done it. Got to give him a medal. When the IMF officials are here in September, they will all be having a big smile on their faces after reading Mr Brown's blog.

myth 34

'Journalists are supposed to write and champion issues' So I thought. And I think they have been doing that for a long time, everywhere. Maybe a little selective at times. But they are writing about issues. Now am I wrong? Quote from K BHAVANI's letter: "It is not the role of journalists or newspapers in Singapore to champion issues.." This is the view from the Press Secretary to the Minister of MICA. Are we going to see a different newspaper from today? No more championing of issues? What are the journalists going to write now? Bak Cho Mee? Even then cannot complain that the Bak Cho Mee is no good or not up to standard. If not happy and want to complain, must be constructive and come up with alternatives and solutions. (Bak Cho Mee Version 1.1)

myth 33

'Political power passes from father to son' This has been a very popular myth that has been circulating in the kopitiams. And it is a myth that needs to be debunked after having been around for so long. Actually saying it is easier than done as many people, no matter how logical is the argument, will still want to believe in this myth. LKY passed the baton to Chok Tong. Who said he passed it to the son? And Chok Tong passed it to Hsien Loong. Who said Hsien Loong received it from the father? The facts are there but people just stubbornly refused to accept it as it is. Run it through a computer and the answer is absolute. Talking about the human mind. We believe what we want to believe. The next point related to this myth is the assumption that because it is father to son, so the son is not worthy but got into the position by patronage. Even this cannot hold any water. Who in the cabinet can stand shoulder to shoulder to Hsien Loong? Don't compare him with LKY. That is not a fair comparison. No one can stand shoulder to shoulder with him. Oh, yes, the only person that stood taller than Hsien Loong is Chok Tong, physically. Look at the total package, Hsien Loong still stands a head above Chok Tong, with all due respect to him. Both first class honours. This is a comparison of giants. Anyone with a second upper or lesser, please stand aside. And Hsien Loong's is a double first from Cambridge, the top university in Britain. And his military record, a general and a hero who has saved lives. This one has no comparison. Then there are the additional plus factors. Who else could have the rare opportunities of having two brilliant parents to rub shoulders with and share the genes? Who else has a wife that is equal to none, academically and in achievements? All these are added assets that only Hsien Loong has. So the son is not as good as the father? Maybe not now, but the future is there for him to create. Even if he cannot outshine the father, it is no shame as not many people worldwide can outshine him. And the realities. Since Hsien Loong took over the rein, the economy has been up and up. And unemployment is down and down. And there are so much money to give to the people. Who can do that? So there goes the myth.

Vice and heartbreaks - by Seah Chiang Nee

I must hasten to say that the majority of China women here are simply earning an honest living and are not cheats or prostitutes. But a large minority is fiercely ambitious, seductive and prepared to use any means to get rich, including seducing men into an affair or marriage, then cheating them and returning home or moving to another man. Swindle cases are on the rise although some men are too embarrassed to go to the police. The victims range from retirees to middle-aged married men with grown-up children. This easy use of sex has revealed just how vulnerable Singapore’s older men are despite – maybe because of – their conservative upbringing in which sex was regarded a taboo subject. After decades of “pent-up” frustration or deprivation, some are becoming easy prey to younger, prettier women intent on seduction. It also brings into question the sex health of some older Singaporeans. Other men are just lonely souls living drab lives. A letter from “Elisabeth” says: “I feel worried for the ‘old uncles’ in Singapore. These elders are really simple-minded, blinded by temporary pleasures. “They thought these Chinese girls really liked them and even gave them their savings. Pity the family.” The above is an extract from Chiang Nee's article in the Star Paper. It is about the controversies arising from the open door immigration policy and how ambitious village girls from China stormed here to make a quick buck from our 'innocent, naive and rich uncles.' In the case of outright cheating, which there were many cases, it is fair for people to point the fingers at the China girls. But it is unfair to say that our men were pure and innocent when you recount the number of China girls being chopped to pieces. These are outright unacceptable behaviour from both sides. But the art of seduction and the price to pay by the China girls in exchange for hard cash is fair game. Prostitution, other than its social and moral stigma, is an honest occupation. The senior citizens and uncles are not that gullible to throw away their money innocently. The China girls did not rob them of their money either. They are offering them genuine good services that the uncles needed. It is fair exchange. Caveat emptor. Maybe we should not put in too much subjective judgement on the players in this game of lust and money. Both are willing and happy partners in the trade.

what's wrong being bloggers anonymous?

There are many reasons why bloggers or forumers chose to use nicknames instead of their real names. To hell with those who insist that everyone who post must use their real names. To hell to those who call bloggers anonymous cowards and all kinds of names. Cyberspace is space anonymous. It is accessible to anyone from any corner of the globe to get in touch with you, in your blog or in your forum. No matter how honourable, lovable and respectable one is, there will be the bolt out of the blue from someone for no reasons, to lambast you with all the worst obscenities you never ask for. That is the risk of offering your face in cyberspace. Even God does not escape being whacked into bits and pieces. So what is there to stop anyone who just wanted to yell at you to resist from doing so? Then why should anyone want to paste his face/name in cyberspace to be targets to be shot at random? For that matter, would any political leaders dare to come into blogosphere or any internet forum using his own real identity? They may get a thousand well wishers for doing that. And bet you, they will get a handful of bloggers who will throw mud and shit in their faces. Cyberspace can be an innocent space but why would one want to invite unnecessary and often rude and abusive comments to themselves? There is nothing wrong being bloggers anonymous. The true worth of a blogger or forumer is in his/her postings. Not just because he/she exposes himself/herself. What is good is good, what is bad is bad. A good blogger or forumer need not necessary have to use his real name. This is a myth created by our society.

distorting the truth, mr brown

The is a heading in a reply from K Bhavani, Press Secretary to the Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts, to Mr Brown's article on rising cost of living. Bhavani's point is that Mr Brown must use his real name to make comments or criticisms and not hide behind a pen name. Funny to insist on Mr Brown using his name when most people know who he is. It is like if an author writes a book under a pen name, then the book is not written by him. A second point is that Mr Brown was criticising, like the whining Singaporeans, and not offering constructive criticism and alternatives. Who's job is to come out with solutions? Who is being paid market rate to solve society's problem? The people are the customers that civil servants are paid handsomely to look after. Using the word 'serve' may be asking too much these days and some might find it offensive. Isn't it the right of the people, or customers, to complain when they are not satisfied? Isn't it the duty of the civil servants to look at the criticisms and try to come up with a better solution? Why ask the customers to come up with solutions? Are the customers paid to come up with solutions? If yes, I think many customers will willingly come up with solutions. Then we don't need civil servants anymore. The people will provide their own solutions. Why should the people pay the civil servants if they cannot come up with solutions and pass the buck to the people? The food is not properly cooked. The wine tastes bad. The service is lousy. The TV does not work. These are the common complaints of unhappy customers. Now the management is going to say, please come out with an alternative solutions. Criticisms and complaints are not constructive. Bhavani's third point, 'Mr Brown's views on all these issues distort the truth. They are polemics dressed up as analysis, blaming the govt for all that he is unhappy with. His piece is calculated to encourage cynicism and despondency, which can only make things worst...' Now this is an unfair criticism and even an accusation that Mr Brown is attacking the govt on the pretext of criticism. Under the same interpretation, this post will also deserve the same branding as Mr Brown's comments. I think it is all in the way people see and accept criticisms. What Mr Brown wrote can be seen as a feedback, that something is not going down well. Why must it be seen as polemics, as an attack on the govt? Is it not the right of the people, as citizens, to air their grouses? How else is the govt going to get some genuine feedback if airing of grouses is seen as attacking the govt? Now there is another definition of a partisan player in politics. One cannot be a neutral critique. In the past, one is deemed as partisan if one joins a political party. Now, when you criticise the govt, or air your grievances or grouses, you are partisan. Is this what an open society should be?

myth 32

'Progress Package - to help lower income Singaporeans cope with higher costs of living.' People may disagree with me for calling this a myth. My reason is that if it is to help the lower income Singaporeans with higher costs of living, it is only temporary and enough for only a short period of time. How much would that help? It is like throwing a couple of dollars to the beggar. After the two dollars are spent, it is back to square one. The problem is still there. It is also a myth in the sense that many Singaporeans look at it as a hongbao, a handout or spare cash that will come in handy. Unfortunately it is not to be. All that was given will be taken back in one way or another by some other increases. So not only there was no gain, after a while, it will be eaten up by all the increases. It is giving but not giving. It is something you receive in one hand and give out on the other, and give out more than you receive.

myth 31

'High cost of living is necessary in Singapore. With humans as the only resource in Singapore, therefore it's necessary to mantain high cost of living so that 90% of the population do not accumulate excess wealth.' by Orwell76 I am not sure whether to call this a myth or a national policy. I culled this from a posting by Orwell76 in the YPAP forum. The argument for this is that it is good to keep the people half full so that they will not be lazy. Another reason is that this will prevent the people from passing down too much wealth to their next generation and make them a parasitic generation, living on the handme downs of prosperous parents. This assumes that people who are wealthy from old wealth are going to suffer eventually when the wealth is gone as they would not be able to generate the same wealth to keep them going. The first problem of this assumption is that this is not really true as some of the new scions are very capable to producing more wealth. And for those who fear this, the next logical thing is to keep accumulating wealth, the more the better, to ensure not only 3 generations to be wealthy, but 30 generations. That is why many succumb to the evil of greed. And they keep lining up their pockets through legitimate and illegitimate ways till they are caught and their pockets emptied. Now is this an official policy? Robertteh quoted the Goh Keng Swee Doctrine ie keeping the people hungry and fighting fit. If this is true, then the heartlanders will be hardlanders for a long time, kept alive, half full and never be rich. And some policies of HDB actually support this thinking, like making it very hard for heartlanders to upgrade to private properties by making them pay a high market subsidy price that is pegged according to their income of 30 years, literally in debt for 30 years. And also the levies to be paid on the profits made when selling their flats. etc etc. Is this a myth or not?

england out of the world cup

Many must be drowning their sorrows last night after their favourite team lost out to Porugal by penalty kicks. England has always been a favourite to this little island of former British subjects. Despite more than 40 years of independence, the link and bond between the two countries have been very strong. Singaporeans will talk about the Premier League as if they were there, watching every match. Singaporeans are more familiar with the Brtish football scene than anyone else except the brits themselves. Thanks to the daily coverage of the Premier league by the media. All the who's who of British football are well known here. Even what they eat, what car they drive, how many times they need to pee, are common knowledge and exchanged over a cup of teh tarik or in the pub. We are British in many ways. Our likings, our favourites, even a subconcious desire to speak like the British ala the recruiting of British native speakers to teach our children the British way of good English. Britain is still our model of a society to emulate. We are British at heart, or at least for those who are above 40s. The interest of the younger generation may vary and may be a bit more international, but as for football is concerned, it is still British. Now, how could England be out of the World cup? Every day Singaporeans are being fed with the exploits of the British football stars, how good and how legendary they were. Names like Beckham, Owen, Rooney, Gerrard, Lampart etc etc are household names. And when watching the Premier League, they were mesmerised by all the great moves of their favourite stars. Last night was lights out for the British stars. The next few days will be reports after reports of the missed opportunities and how England could have won. Yes, they will be whinning and brooding over not being able to see England in the final again. It is a sad Sunday morning to start the week.

a post by Joe Public in redbeanforum

Increased youth crime rate is caused largely by absent fathers. We have seen two groups of working age adults emerging. One group will have received psychological, social, economic, educational and moral benefits. The other group will have been denied them all. The first group will have grown up with a father present in the house. The second group will have not had a father present.

In order to be divorced in the past, one mate had to be proven adulterous. Legally, one party was deemed guilty and one was innocent. That finding affected each party financially and socially enough so that most couples tried hard not to divorce.

In the late sixties, the "sexual revolution" began and couples rebelled against the constraints of marriage. The addition of more grounds for divorce and the elimination of the need to appear in court made it easier for couples to split.

Now there are "no fault" divorces which further decrease the stigma. By late 80s one out of two couples divorced. The divorce picture is not all rosy. Divorced uneducated women get by with less or no income.

For their children, this translates into less money for school activities, clothes, opportunities for traveling and learning, day care and sometimes food. Children can be called on to do adult tasks before they are ready, like caring for younger siblings. Older children may be required to work long hours at a job to help bring money to the family.

As a result, they may fall behind in their school work. After a while, the child may feel it is hopeless to try to keep up and decide to quit school. At this point a girl may decide to get pregnant and bear a child. She may feel that in doing so her life will have more meaning and she will receive unconditional love from the child. More girls from divorced families become mothers. For boys, leaving school generally means a succession of low paying jobs or life on the streets.

comfort women fairprice

Talkingcock.com posted an article that NTUC Comfort is moving into masseurs services and setting up a new company called Comfort Women FairPrice. Now this is a test to see whether Singaporeans got any sense of humour. I think got. But before this conclusion is final, lets wait for an official confirmation.

the anwar factor

The Anwar factor. Anwar is squeezing himself into the fight and it seems like he is not on anyone's side. Now it looks like a 3 corner fight but with Anwar cheering the two combatants to slog it out. Isn't that interesting? From the reports apparently the Umno camp has cold shouldered Anwar which is understandable given that Anwar will be too big a presence and a threat to many of the aspiring leaders. And it is also to Anwar's advantage to let Badawi and Mahathir to fight it out. When two tigers fight, very likely both will be badly wounded. And here comes Anwar, clean after washing away all the dirt and mud that were smeared on him. Nothing can stick anymore. Looks like Anwar's chances of becoming the next PM is still very good.

myth 30

'Singaporeans are so lucky' I can't help share Mr Brown's enthusiasm today. Everything is up, spirits up, morale up, hopes up, salaries up, prices of properties up, fares up, fees up, and I think happiness index also up. It is such a joy to read happy articles like this, contributed by Mr Brown in the Today paper. And in the small prints Mr Brown also included a small thing that was left out, the income of the 30% low income earners. Only this little item was not up. And after reading all the ups, I got this strange feeling that something is not going to stand up. I think our population rate may be slightly affected if this thing is not up. But all things considered, Singaporeans should be happy as there are more ups than downs.

myth 29

'Voting for PAP will get priority in lift upgrading' This is now a confirm myth. Voting for PAP does not guarantee priority in lift upgrading. Similarly, voting against PAP can still get priority in lift upgrading. The factor that decides lift upgrading priority is not how one votes but whether the constituency is won by the PAP. If a constituency is won by PAP, everyone in the constituency will be treated equally and get lift upgrading priority. If a constituency is lost to the Opposition, everyone in the constituency will share the same fate, ie no priority in lift upgrading. In this way, everyone is treated fairly, PAP or Opposition supporters, all the same.

poor singaporeans getting poorer

Poor Singaporeans getting poorer. The latest General Household Survey shows that the lower 20% household income dropped by 20% to $1,180. And the 30 percentile dropped by 5% to $2,190. Here we are talking about a household's income, the income of two breadwinners. And ironicall the top 10% household income gone up by 14.8% or $16,480. But the survey did not show the top 3% household income. This is very likely to be from $1 mil to $2 mil for a year or probably a 100% rise. Just extrapolating on the incomes of individuals which went up by $1 mil to $2 each. And if the household has two super income earner, the net increase could be $3 mil or $4 mil. But all these are natural, unavoidable and expected as the supertalents must be paid highly or else they will be poached by other MNCs and will be a lost to the country. We cannot affford to lose our CEOs in SIA, NOL, Singtel, PSA etc etc and all the banks to foreign companies.

myth 28

'Singaporeans are asset rich' Some are, and some are very rich. But for those living in 99 year leasehold, just don't be happy too early. The first batch of HDB flats should be about 40 years old by now. This means that in another 60 years they will become worthless. How's that for being asset rich? And actually the dwindling asset value will come sooner, maybe in 10 or 20 years time when the value of the asset is going one way, down, down and down and then out. And no matter how much upgrading and money put in, once the lease is nearing the end of its shelf life, it is like a man running out of time. All his properties and assets would mean nothing. Time out, game over.

education hub -caveat emptor not enough!

The case for CASE in the education scene is getting more rigorous and important. CASE took on the role of playing a mediator as well as guardian in an industry that is showing promise but with a lot of shady players. There were problems and problems to be tackled. CASE went into it by setting up some systems which theoretically are very sound in protecting the interests of the students. The only little misgiving is that it expects all the good guys to come forward and forget about the bad guys. And the bad guys continue to operate freely in a different world. It is anarchy in a way. And the complaints to CASE keep growing, a few hundred cases every year. And by adopting a hands off approach, CASE is now waving the flag of caveat emptor to all the foreign students and parents. Free market, buyers beware. Now is this the right way to go, a laissez faire market and those who got conned or cheated just too bad? Let the market evolves and let market forces take care of itself. There will be winners and losers. I rather that there be some enforcement and regulations. We cannot have a system where people can be cheated if they are not careful. And how careful can these foreigners be when they are strangers in town? For a reputable education hub to exist, there are certain expectations. And one of the expectation of Singapore and the Singapore brand is trust and honesty, a system that is fair and transparent and no cheating. If we cannot live up to this expectation, then our education hub status is destined for the gutters. Caveat emptor is not enough.

its here, taxi fares going up

Ahhh finally it is here, taxi fares are going up. With the prices of oil shooting skyhigh, how can taxi fares remain unaffected. It is only natural and something of a must happen. Next on the line will be bus fares and mrt fares. Another two natural comrades. And don't forget school buses. Oh yes, electricity bills. Sure must go up. This means that all business cost must go up as their electricity bills must surely go up. And what do all these means, everything is gonna go up. Perhaps, maybe, or hopefully, some wise genius can bring down the price of oil. And I thought I remember some people said they can do that. Definitely not Chiam or Low Thia Khiang. What is interesting is to know that tariff rates are pegged at a higher future price. This means the rate used to price today's power rate is higher than today's oil price. How clever. How not to make profit.? This is the beauty of being privatised. Just care about how much to make and ensure that the system or methodology favours the bottom line and not the pocket of the consumers. Three cheers to privatisation. I only hope that no smart alec is going to say, since oil prices are going to go higher in the future, lets prepare the people for higher oil prices and price the power bill to some future price of oil say at $100. Then the people will know how to save or conserve the usage of electricity at home.

poster boys

In the Straits Times today the two prettiest faces on its pages are those of Michael McCrea and Ram Puneet Tiwary. Both are poster boys material. I must say they both look so charming and disarming that no one would believe such pretty faces could belong to two vicious murderers. Both have something in common, killing two people each. And both spent time in Australian prisons. And both will be saved from the death penalty, protected by Australia's humane laws that are very caring for criminals.

myth 27

'We need to privatise to be efficient.' Do we really believe in this myth? If we do, shouldn't we privatise all the govt services? Why do we let these inefficient govt services to continue to exist and be paid so much for their inefficiency? Any civil servant or anyone from the govt would admit to this myth, that they can only be efficient when privatised? I feel that this myth is the most insulting to all the civil servants.

myth 26

'Singaporeans vote for politicians who can serve them' Singaporeans go to the polls to elect Members of Parliament who can serve them, who can take care of them. This is only partially true. The truth is that Singaporeans vote a govt so that they, the people, can serve the govt. When they go to the polls, they are actually going there to surrender their rights, or put it in another way, to vote for a govt to control them, tell them what they can do, cannot do, what is good for them, what is not good for them. And this ritual occurs every 4 or 5 years without fail. And after the ritual is over, the govt will start to think of all the best rules and regulations and laws to protect the Singaporeans from their immaturity and wanting to hurt themselves. And the people will feel so secured and safe, that their future is in good hands.

please pity the poor road bullies

A controversial US research indicates that road bullies are suffering from a serious mental disorder. And Cheow Xin Yi in his article in Today paper asked, 'Spare a kind thught for that horny blasting, expletive spouting road bully?' According to the US study, it suggests that the idiot behind the wheel may be the victim of an obscure mental condition described as intermittent explosive disorder(IED). Poor chaps, they are violent not because they wanted to but because they are sick and unable to control themselves. Or maybe they should send these IEDs to Iraq as a counter measure against the Iraqi IEDs, Improvished Electronic Devices used to kill American soldiers. I believe the American IEDs will prove very effective. A local pyschiatrist, Dr Ang Yong Guan, spoke about the case of a young man who would overturn table because people stared at him and would want to beat up the other person. When asked, he said, 'I have always been like that, but I didn't know why I am like that.' Another victim of IED. What a pitiful guy. The only thing that is common among these bullies is that they seemed to be picking only on guys that are smaller and easier to beat. And I think that probably points out to the right solution to prevent them from going into a rage. I would strongly recommend that these poor bullies be caned at least 24 strokes by a guy bigger than them when they fell victim to their own sickness. I think that is the only way society can help them to help themselves. I really, sincerely, honestly, feel very sorry for them. And if 24 strokes of the cane still cannot help them, double the caning. Up to a point I think the pain should wake them out from their sickness.

myth 25

This myth has been on the lips of many people for a long time. There have been rumours and speculations that the PAP has at least two factions competing for dominance, one led by Choktong and another by Hsienloong. And many hope, and have been hoping still, that a split in the party will see two equally balanced parties coming out of it which is good for Singapore, something that Singapore really needs. But all these hopes were in vain. The PAP remain as united as a party as ever. Choktong was elevated as the SM like LKY and behaves like LKY did when he was a SM, taking orders from the PM. The PM is the undisputed captain of the team and decides who should do what. The best example recently was the dispatch of Choktong to Potong Pasir and Hougang which Choktong did like a good soldier. That is party discipline and conduct which should be enough to dispel the thought of a party divided. Maybe after Hsienloong, as for now there is no way that the party can split into two factions. Hsienloong is too strongly entrenched in his position as the PM and with a new team and the summary retirement of some old guards would make his position doubly secured. And dissidents within the party, if any, will now be too small a force to make any impact and splitting is no longer a viable option.

more high paying jobs for singaporeans

Toilet Specialist is a novel and innovative way of creating jobs for the oldies that are no longer worthy of their existence in our young society. And to train them in a polytechnic and getting a diploma in toilet fineries will put them in good stead for many more useful years in jobs that Singaporeans shunned. I can immediately see the potential of these specialists. We can export them as foreign talents to countries like China or India or other Asian and Southeast Asian states to teach them how to manage their toilets and raise their standard of public hygiene. The Indonesians and Phillippines export their domestic helps, we can export our uncles and aunties, oops, I mean Toilet Specialists, armed with diplomas to lend them more weight in what they say or do. This is a second career for retired bankers, managers, engineers etc who are no longer employable in our young and vibrant society. They could eventually contribute another source of foreign exchange to our economy, a kind of a second wind. We have done another first.

another reason to hire native English teachers

Chua Mui Hoong wrote her piece today explaining the need for native speakers. Her reasons, why not, as long as they are trained and capable. Then why not trained Singaporeans who are capable? If the conditions are capabilities and being trained to do the job, you don't need native speakers. She then argued that with native speakers, you can create a conducive environment for the language to flourish. True, how many do you need to create such an environment? 5 native speakers in a school? Here is her answer and the main problems that our society will have to deal with. 'Students need good speech models. Hiring a few more hundred English lanuguage teachers can help create a good English speaking environment in neighbourhood schools. Students will benefit.' Sure I also agree. Just have 100 native English speaking teachers should be sufficient for a school to provide such an environment. Just a minute, how many teachers are there in a school, 50? How many schools are there? There are 178 primary schools. Just primary schools alone we will need to recruit 17,800 native speakers to provide the environment. And do we still have room for local teachers? If training the teachers is the solution, maybe recruit a few native speaking teachers if we can't find any local teachers good enough. But this will not be able to create the conducive environment as required. Or like some local international schools did, hire a few foreign looking teachers and print their faces on the school magazines, that will give some credibility that the schools are really international and world class with world class foreign looking teachers.

singaporeans are sick to the core, idiots really

I was glancing over some snippets in the Straits Times this morning on the growing trend in blogging and the flourishing of blogs and forums in cyberspace. Several writers commented that it is self defeating and a dead cause to think of regulating cyberspace. Actually all the laws on scandals, libels, seditions etc are there and any bloggers or forumers who flirt in these areas will have the law to reckon with. There is no need to set up a new ministry and a manual of new laws to tie up the netizens. What is appalling among the snippets is this statement by Khoo Li Han, I think a journalist by profession. He said, 'Even as the Govt considers giving more leeway to bloggers at the next GE, they should practise self discipline and not post nonsensical comments. Only when Singaporeans cooperate with the govt and give it the confidence that bloggers are blogging appropriately, can they be given more freedom...' Why can't people post nonsense and lighted hearted comical stuff on the net? Why can't people indulge in fantasies and escapees? All the Ah Peks in the neighbourhood kopitiams are engaging in intellectual and no nonsense comments, or they need to be regulated as well? But the disgusting point is the acceptance that freedom does not belong to the people. Freedom of the people is for the govt to dish out if it so pleases. And the people must behave, then only shall the govt allow them some freedom. This also means that the people went for an election to vote for a govt to control their freedom, or to surrender their freedom. For goodness sake, Freedom is our natural right. Why must we behave in a way that the govt thinks is good and only then can we be given more freedom? How sick can Singaporeans be? If from the first principle, they already accepted that it is the right of the govt to regulate their freedom, they are as good as dead meat. Finito! You are slaves with no freedom to talk about. Is it the fault of the govt? Or is it the fault of our political system, culture and education system, that we believe that our freedom is conditional on the good grace of the govt? I think the govt is quite happy with this state of affair, that the people think that their freedom belongs to the govt. And there is no need to educate the people to the fact that freedom is their natural right as a human being. It is a happy state favouring the govt. And the govt can use this mentality to decide or manage how much freedom to give to the people. When the govt is not happy with the bloggers and forumers, it is only a matter of how to manage or regulate it. Our freedom is like our money in the CPF, to be dished out to us at the mercy of the govt. It we are good and cooperative, we will get a bit more. This is indeed a sick society when the people does not think freedom is their intrinsic right. Are we first world?

another nail in the coffin

Another nail has been slammed into the coffin that threatens to bury Singapore's ambition as a regional education hub of excellence. Ritz Everton Academy closed its business in the pattern of another fly by night operator. How much damage will this done to the already battered and shaky image of Singapore as an education hub when students keep being cheated of their money and aspiration to attain a reputable academic degree or qualification? While the Tourism Board is trying so hard, and investing so much funds and resources to build the education hub status, the education and private school scene is like the wild wild west. Anything goes. All and sundries are in the pot, with many rotten and stale meat, to make a world class stew. The issue is how could this happen and keep repeating as if it is a normal state of affair. And how could Singapore build a reputation as a reliable and dependable centre for quality education? Can't believe it, that this is happening and everyone is taking a hands off attitude. Not my problem.

resurrecting Li Ao

I am trying to resurrect Li Ao's statement that Singaporeans are stupid today. I have heard many rumours that large local organisations, some govt linked, are in the process of pushing their oldies for retirements. And these oldies are in their 50s and 60s. And the people or management who are initiating this move to move these past their prime employees out of the way are in their 40s or late 40s. And they spoke about these oldies with so much contempt without knowing that the writing is on the walls. That they, in less than 10 years, or even 5, will themselves in the same cesspool of oldies. And the next batch of 40s will be telling them that it is time to go. And the country is finding problem to keep these oldies economically active! And these young assholes are pushing them out of the job market. Ok, there will all be retrained and become specialists. Either the govt comes out emphatically to tell the people, especially those decision makers, that people are now expected to work to their 70s and 80s, this message will never sink in. Maybe the govt needs to hang a few of the 40s for treating the 50s and 60s as have beens and needed to be put away quickly...in retirement villages.

myth 24

'The Ministry worked under the misguided belief that native languages and mother tongues are determined by descent, and that languages are monolithic rather than variable in nature.' by Yvonne Lim of Today Paper. Now let me try to grasp the meaning and implications of this statement, or myth. The Ministry, must be the Ministry of Education, the authority in pedagogy, in the education of the nation's future, could not understand the difference or meaning of 'native speakers' and believes that native speakers are by descent? If this is true, indeed we have a serious problem. And now every man and woman in the street is saying so, that the definition adopted by the Ministry is questionable and nobody agrees to it. And the teachers and would be teachers are very sore. No lah, I don't think the Ministry really misinterpreted the meaning of native speakers lah. Shall we call this a misplaced myth? And for trainee teacher Meenakshi Narayanan, don't feel slighted just because she does not come from England or North America or white by birth. Incidentally, the bumiputras of those countries speak English and not Malay. Language is a living instrument and should not be used in a rigid way. And words like bumiputra, son of the soil, means different native of the soil in different land.

myth 23

'The govt is harrassing and threatening bloggers' This myth is inspired by an anonymous blogger here who threatens me that because I am posting myths, my existence will become a myth. And I believe our govt will not stoop so low to do such things. So my guess is that this guy must be paid by some party or organisation out to discredit the govt and go around blogs planting the seed of fear, threatening bloggers with severe actions. Now this is a nice myth. I will have a few more myths inspired and in a way contributed by this blogger.

a nation of specialists and foreign talents

Soon Singapore will become a nation with the most specialists after the restructuring and retraining excercises bear their fruits. All our mature citizens will be specialists in their own right. Toilet specialists, crockery distillation specialists, environment specialists, roadside specialists, voiddeck specialists etc etc. And soon we will have more professional bodies registering with the Registry of Societies to accommodate all these maturing specialists. We have, as a nation, upgrade ourselves in the skills of our workforce. We can then boast of having foreign talents and local specialists. Foreign investors will be spoilt for choices with the talents and specialists we are offering to them. And rightly, all these talents and specialists will see a higher income to commensurate with their specialist and professional skills. We no longer have to compete with China and India in trying to pay lower. Our workers will now command a higher pay.

french PM on key visit to Africa

read this headline in le monde by agence france presse.

myth 22

'Soldiers die in battlefield' This is a truism until it becomes a myth. Today's soldiers don't die in battlefield as war is not a common occurrence in peaceloving nations. Soldiers die in battlefield only because their country wages war for whatever reasons. Today, soldiers die without going to war. They die in swimming pools, bathtubs or inside their dormitories, reading books. At the rate it is going, we are going to see more soldiers dying without fighting the enemies but killed by friendly forces or own troops. Maybe the military organisations should consecrate a new medal for soldiers who die without going to war but in the service of the nation. Soldiers or young men who need not die if they do not have to don on uniforms for the country.

myth 21

'Singapore is not a homogeneous society' I always say this. We are pluralistics, multi racial, multi cultural and multi religious. But this is now a myth. Hsien Loong said we are a homogeneous society, a society that has been mixed and integrated into one. 'In Singapore, we have 84 constituencies, but basically they are all more or less the same. you don't have a rural area, a city area. You don't have a very working class area versus a very upmarket area. We have made sure you don't have a Malay area or Indian constituency or Chinese constituency.' Hsien Loong said.

myth 20

Ok let's call this Myth 20. 'The govt is listening.' Actually the govt is listening. But the govt also has a mind of it's own and thinks that it knows better. So it is listening but not necessary for the govt to agree with what it hears.

good news, cpf refund!

Good news for 950,000 HPS members who are paying to protect their HDB flats. The CPF Board will return $480 million of surplus to them and the premiums will be reduced by 10 to 35%. I am wondering how long it takes to accumulate such a huge surplus. And I am also wondering when they found out that the premium is excessive high. And I am wondering whether all the provisions in minimum sum and Medisave are excessively high as well. Maybe 30 years down the road they will have several billions of surpluses to return to the aged CPF members. Unfortunately they might not be around to hear the good news.

mature workers, be patient...

'But as far as jobs are concerned, Singaporeans - especially mature workers - have to be patient as the cyclical economic restructuring runs its course.' Reported by Loh Chee Kong in Auckland covering Hsien Loong's speech. This reminds me of a story of a man whose penis was rotting. After seeing hundreds of doctors he finally found one who told him not to worry. He was at once comforted. But he was also worried as the doctor did not prescribe any medicine for his penis. So he asked anxiously how it was going to be. The doctor said, 'Be patient, it would whither, dry up and fall off by itself.'

the right to choose and disagree

While overseas in Oz and New Zealand, Hsien Loong has been comparing and answering questions relating to our political system and what the ruling party should and should not do. And discrimination in lift upgrading according to the party the voters voted to Parliament is the way to go. And so is one party govt. Hsien Loong believes that the one party govt must continue and it is good for Singapore, having seen how divisive and disruptive multiparty system is in the two countries he visited. Would Singaporeans agree with him and choose to go for a multi party system in the next election? Many critics may disagree with Hsien Loong and the PAP. That is their views and their rights to disagree. It is also the PAP's and Hsien Loong's right to choose what he thinks is best for Singapore. It is also his right to disagree with his critics and the opposition. This is something that the people must live with. This is a contest of ideas and political beliefs. The opposition and the critics of the govt have all their rights to champion an alternative system. And the ruling party, being voted to govern, has the prerogative to rule as it deems fit. And the people shall decide which is best for them during the election.

let's create more tragedies

She is only 26, has three children, 7, 6 and 1 and divorced. At one stage she left for work daily and left the baby to the care of a 6 year old child, locked up in her flat with plain rice or noodles. How could people be so thoughtless and irresponsible, to bring lives to this world without caring how these lives are going to survive? How could these children ever think of growing up as normal children, go to school, get an education and live life without all the deprivation? How could people be so unfair and wicked to these children? Bullshit if they called it love. There was another man and a woman, both second marriage, both part time employees. And they had between them 4 children each. Do they care or know what life will be to these kids when they, the parents, could not even afford to look after themselves? And such tragedies are being perpetuated, if not, even encouraged by society. Are we being kind or evil to let these things to happen over and over again? When people are irresponsible to their children or to the lives they brought into this world, recklessly, what shall the society do to them? Or shall we pat them on their back and said well done, keep producing a few more tragedies?

myth 19

'Singaporean teachers are well trained to teach' I can't believe that I have to call this a myth. But when the Minister said so, then a myth it is. Tharman was shocked to discover that Singaporean teachers were not taught to teach English and were assigned to teach English. Now how could such a blunder happened in our world class education system? Now we even have an institution called National Institute of Education where all teachers are properlee trained and awarded a degree or diploma in education. Then why are our children shortchanged by having unqualified teachers to teach them English? I believe this must be so traumatic for the Minister that it prompted him to call for the recruitment of native speaking teachers to teach our students whose standard of English has deteriorated because our poor English Language teachers were not trained to teach the subject. Isn't that a mouthful?

myth 18

'All Singapore households own a TV' For a super rich Singapore where all household gadgets are part and parcel of life, owning a tv, radio, fridge, washing machine, hifi etc is now taken for granted. Every household should have these equipment. And so the story goes. This guy was fined by MDA for not reporting that he did not own a tv set. And the onus is on Singapore resident to inform MDA or else they will be fined. Why is there such a regulation? Isn't it enough when asked to pay for the licence, for the house owner to confirm that he does not own a tv set? This must be the problem of a super rich country. Maybe next time they will fine people for not owning a tv set. Maybe...below is copied from Singaporesurf. RECENTLY I received a summons sent by the Media Development Authority (MDA) for having a 'broadcast television receiver without a valid licence'. I called up Licensing Services (Broadcasting) to inform the staff that I have not had any television set in my house from at least last year, so how could I be guilty of the offence? An officer from the licensing unit told me: 'You did not inform us that you did not have a television set, so you have to pay the fine.'.... N. Stanley Jeremiah

do we need native angmo teachers?

We need angmo teachers to teach us English. Our standard of English has declined. A few immediate thoughts came to my mind. 1. Fire all the staff in MOE. All these high payment morons have failed the education system miserably and do not deserve to be there. 2. This is a case of pocket too much money. So fingers itchy and must find ways to spend them. Or something like if we want good sportsmen, just buy them. 3. Local talents are never good enough, so must pay for imported quality. Locals going to lose some jobs to foreigners again. 4. We are paying for quality foreign talents, so school fees must go up. Quality does not come cheap. After 40 years of excellence in our first class education, after 40 years of almost 100% literacy rate, after ramming our population with English in all major media and means of communication, from pop culture, fashion, literature, movies etc,... and our standard of English got from bad to worst? Why don't we look at it in a different way? Before, Ah Lian and Ah Beng only swore in Hokien or whatever dialects. Today they can swear in English. And they could do a little bit more. They can use words like auntie and uncle! Our society is anything but homogenous. The languages or dialects spoken are poles apart in terms of grammar, sentence construction etc etc. Do we really believe that with native angmo teachers our standard of English will be as good as England or America? And we believe that the mases will speak Queen's English like native English gentlemen? Even in England, many native English speakers speak in a variety of dialects and accents that are incomprehensible. The good English speakers are there, and those who need to speak and commnunicate in good English will possess the skills and abilities to do so. It is unnatural to expect the pork sellers and fishmongers in the market to speak good English. On the reverse, we could expect them to speak good dialects or their mother tongues. If we are thinking of having a nation of native English speakers, the only solution is to ban all other languages. Then we can proceed from there to make everyone a native English speaker. In reality, many Singaporeans are already native speakers and English is their mother tongue. English is not only their first language, the language they were born with and spoken at home, but also the only language they converse in daily. Want good native English teachers or not? Want, got or not? With our openly admitted position that our English Language is of sub standard, how are we going to attract foreign students to come here for a good English biased education? And how are we going to become a centre of excellence in Education? When foreign parents know that our English standard is half past six, no come anymore.

stomp, stomp, stomp

The Straits Times is stomping all over the cyberspace for the last few days. With the muscle of the the main paper, its advertising resources and the money it has, it is using all its marketing power to stage a claim to be the number one player. And it has been very successful in promoting itself, with free gifts being thrown at their visitors. I think the budget must be pretty substantial. The conquest and claim for a presence in cyberspace is on. The Straits Times means business, to gain its market share and readership in no man's land, in a new frontier. In the fun, pop culture and entertainment fields, there is no doubt that the Straits Times will have an upperhand over the other blogs and forums. These are fadish and politically neutral areas and are easily embraced by anyone who are in it. The true test of influence is in the social and political fields, providing views in these areas are politically sensitive. And as long as the Straits Times is seen as an official mouthpiece, its penetration in these areas are bound to be inhibited by its own history and background. The cynical, questioning, non conformist and rebellious readers will still seek the unregulated and freer blogs and forums for more refreshing views. What ever the Straits Times objectives, it is a welcome player in cyberspace and will make the scene more colourful, vibrant and interesting. Huh, more choices. Interest in cyberspace has blossomed and is now an area to be reckoned with. It now has a noticeable presence.

there must be distinction between state and party

Mah Bow Tan contributed an article in the Straits Times forum today to explain his stand on lift upgrading and the criticism by Sylvia Lim and some other letter writers. On this issue many people disagreed with him. His explanation is that the money used for the upgrading were earned by the PAP govt and thus can be used for party interest. How blind and misguided this kind of thinking can be. The whole nation's resources are available to whoever is in power and at their disposal. It is so because there are managing the nation on behalf of the people as one nation, one people. The nation's wealth and resources and revenue generated, belongs to the nation, not to the party in power. Otherwise the party might as well use it to build a monument or a huge party complex since it is now deemed the party's money and they use do it to serve party interest. This is the failure of being too long in power and unable to draw the line between the nation/state and the party. Can't blame him as many people have treated the govt as the PAP and also synonymous with the country. That's why you have people who are unhappy with the PAP and ended up being unhappy with the govt and the country. But the line must be drawn clearly just like personal selfish interest and interest of the country. For the good of the country or for the good of self or party. They are not necessarily complementary.