The Tan Dilemma

The Hainanese Clan has invited Tan Jee Say for tea. And someone asked me if the Hainanese Clan be accused of participating in politics? My answer is simply no. The election of the President is a non political event. I know many political science students are covering their mouths to hide the cheeky smiles on their faces. It is not a political event, or the candidates are independent, and have no political affiliations. So be it.

And no one can point a finger at the Hainanese Clan to register as a political party if they want to be involved in politics. Such childish innocence is passé. Who ever dare to utter such a remark today will make himself looking quite foolish.

With the Tan Clan being the first clan to step forward to endorse Tony Tan, the door is left wide open for any clan or association, union or trade organisation to endorse any candidate, and not be accused of dabbling in politics.

This reminds me of the Tan Clan decision to endorse one Tan against the other three Tans. I am sure the other Tans must be feeling very let down by their own clan. They are all Tans and share the same ancestors. Why the favouritism for one against three.

This must be what I called the Tan Dilemma. How did they get caught in such a tricky situation to hurt the feelings of three for the good of one? Have they not heard of the slogan, one for all and all for one, staying united?

Their decision to support one Tan is very divisive. I thought it would be a wiser decision to support all four Tans and let the rest of the Tans vote for whoever they want. An even hand would look more pleasant for all the Tans. Have they compromised their position to treat all fairly and equally?

Can the other three Tans approach the Tan Clan for an explanation and endorsement?

Tan Jee Say taking a big lead in Polls

My straw poll is up for 24 hours and 146 have voted with106 for Tan Jee Say, 24 for Tan Cheng Bock, 9 for Tan Kin Lian and 7 for Tony Tan.

Yes, if this was done by any media, they will blow it as their front page news as if Tan Jee Say is going to win the Presidency. But as many of you have pointed out, a poll conducted here, in the ST, in Reach or in TRE will reflect certain kinds of results reflecting the inclination of the participants. This is only natural and, I don’t have to remind any of you here as you are very rational and thinking people, I would like those who tend to take media reports at face value to be careful about such biases in polls and news.

The result of this poll so far is quite a true reflection of the kind of people visiting cyberspace looking for alternative news. They are informed and wanted to be more informed and would not allow anyone to pull wool over their eyes. For the moment, we can assume that the voters in the poll are quite genuine and this is what they truly wanted. This does not rule out a big block of voters coming in to vote for any one of the candidates here to swing the poll to their favour.

What is clear is that though Tony Tan is claiming endorsements from unions, clans and associations, these too may not say much as to who the members of these organisations will vote eventually. This poll shows that there are other corners of the population that have a mind of their own and some would favour other candidates very strongly, and that candidate may not be Tony Tan.

We still have 5 more days before polling day and we shall watch how the poll goes and how representative is a non partisan and non aligned blog like this one when match to the real election outcome.

Just keep an open mind.

Who will be the next President

Hi,

I have set up a poll on the right to get an indication of who you people would like to see as the next President. Let's see if what we think is a reflection of what the people think on 27 Aug.

Cheers.

Notable quote by Franklin Roosevelt

"The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have enough. It is whether we provide enough for those who have little."

Franklin D Roosevelt (1882-1945)
United States, 32nd president

How to grow our reserves?

It is a state secret how much of our reserves are CPF money, or the people’s money. Anyone has the figure? I think the CPF component is not small and could be a very substantial portion of our national reserves. And I find this very funny, and very painful. Why is it that the people’s money, your money, my money becomes the country’s reserve? Never mind, it is part of the economist’s formula, to include the people’s money as the country’s money for the govt to crow about while the real owners of the money can only cry about it.

With this in mind, the easiest way to grow the reserves is to make sure that there is more money in the CPF. How to do that? I think we all know the answers. I can make our reserves even bigger and tell you that it is safe, without telling you how much is there as long as the CPF account holders are happy with the monthly statements.

So, how rich are you? Or how rich is the country’s reserves? Your money or someone else money?

I am very frighten of people who claims to be able to grow the reserves.

The President, gambler and fund manager

The campaign for the next Elected President has commenced and what came to my mind is the relationship between the president, the gambler and the fund manager. They all have one similar interest, money. Money is a big issue not just about how much should the president be paid given the surprising revelation of his job by the Law Minister. The only part that justifies some big money is the president’s role as a custodian to the country’s reserves.

The rest of the functions of the president are more ceremonial and quite exciting, like in the company of heads of states, the kings and queens and dining with celebrities. I think many rich and successful people are dying to be in such a position and would even pay for it. As for the money part, what does the president do and how much is he deserving is now questionable.

Let me start with the gambler. Simply put, the gambler takes chances by placing his bets. When he loses, he blames it on bad luck. When he wins, he can brag about his gambling skills. In a way the fund managers also places his bets which he calls its investing. And he employs very talented and highly qualified people to justify what he is doing. All done carefully, objectively, with charts and figures. No guess work. When he makes money, he too will brag about how clever and talented he is. When he loses, there are always the forces beyond his control or he is investing in the long term. He will have the long term to cover his bad bets.

There are some startling differences between a gambler and a fund manager. The gambler’s cost is only himself. And he gambles with his own money. The fund manager pays all the top talents a fortune to place his bets. And when he loses, even in hundreds of billions, it is always other people’s money, not his money. He always wins with his huge pay packet and huge cuts in winnings. He is much better than the gambler in many ways.

And when a fund manager loses big, he can go to the president for more money. Here is the relationship. The Elected President is there to say yes or no to the fund manager gambling with the country’s reserves. But how can the EP say no when the fund manager says he is investing in the long term and will win back all his money in a matter of time? His short term loss is due to circumstances beyond his control.

What if the Elected President says no? He can be removed as the fund manager can claim that he is opposing his instruction. According to the Law Minister, an Elected President that challenges the govt can be removed. So how? Does the Elected President have any machinery or forces behind him to take on the govt? The govt is in control of everything, the media, the uniformed services, the civil services, the Unions, the clans and all govt related agencies and institutions. How could an Elected President say no to a ruling govt when he can be simply removed?

Here comes the question of his $10m pay. Should the president be paid $4m -$10m to say no when he can’t really say no? And this is the reality if one listens to the campaign speeches of the presidential hopefuls. They want to do all kinds of things that are nice to have but really quite irrelevant, and do not justify the money or the position. Who cares what they want to do? What is important is his ability to make sure that the reserves is not squander away. But can the EP do it?

An embarrassing moment repeating?

The likeable George Yeo could not imagine that he could be bundled out of a general election. Frankly, I too was surprised by his defeat and the losing of 5 super talents in one go. On reflection, none of them should take it personally as the defeat was not their fault. There was a change of wind. The defeat was a defeat of the PAP. Too much, too long, the PAP has overstayed its welcome and the people were looking for a change.

There was resentment too. The policies of the past decade have alienated the people to a point that the anger must be released. And George Yeo and his team were the unfortunate scapegoat. Nothing personal.

The present election for the EP could see another embarrassing moment being repeated. The possibilility of Tony Tan losing the election is very high despite all the endorsements from all corners appearing in the media. Endorsements by office bearers and committees are different from the feelings of the rank and file. The elite will think differently and may want to sit in the same table and sing the same song. The masses, the ordinary people, may have a mind of their own and want to do their own thing.

Don’t be surprised if Tony Tan did not make it to the Istana. What if he loses his deposit? That will be terribly embarrassing. But again, it has nothing to do with him. The vote against him is likely to be a vote against the ruling party. For the moment Tony is the front runner with endorsements from every where. He is having a good start.

Strange for me to look at the Presidential Election in this manner as it is not meant to be partisan or political while my whole reasoning is about politics, nothing but politics.

Would we see the knuckle duster again?

My article on Lee Hsien Loong’s National Day concessions is pretty generous and I thought for a start it is quite promising. There are other perspectives that are calling for more changes while some are asking for compensation for the wrongs and damages done by past policies. These are very serious in monetary terms for those badly hurt by the education policies and housing fiasco that were trumpeted as great jobs done. They were nearly awarded the public stars. We know that they are now history, good riddance.

Hsien Loong has taken a more conciliatory approach to deal with the problems, used to be called achievements, created by policies of the past few years. Trying to accept them and see them as problems and looking for solutions to them must be quite pressurizing. It could be different, a triumphant glory, if they were painted as great policies and nothing needs to be done. As things are, there is an admission that not all are right or good stuff. Some were blatantly disgusting.

What if Hsien Loong took the kpkbs negatively, or someone suggested to him that he needs to be tough, never retreat under pressure, never allowed the people to make demands on him, and offers him the knuckle duster? If that happens, I can easily foresee the following developments.

There will be a clamp down on new media. There will be people being sued. There could be midnight callers. And Hsien Loong could appear on national TV to speak to the people in a different tone. He may even shed some tears for the tough measures that he had to take against the detractors, all for the good of the country. The country will be pitched to be in a state of crisis, and tension would spread across the island. Some may end up as bankrupts, some may escape from paradise.

And all the ministers who were stripped from their posts will be resurrected and elevated to high pedestals, as heroes who made tough decisions. Only strong and good leaders are capable of making tough decisions even when the policies hurt the people badly. But there is always the long term good to preach. In the long run, like from a distance, the earth looks so beautiful, and everything will turn out well.

And everything goes on as usual, with all the past policies in force. Property owners will be smiling when property prices shoot to the sky. CPF holders will be smiling when they read their monthly statements. Foreign talents will be smiling everywhere and telling their country men that Singapore is a paradise. And more foreigners will be queuing up to come to paradise. Some will be pointing to the jams everywhere as signs of progress and vibrancy.

There will be high economic growth and prosperity, at all cost. And everything else is just an aspiration, except money in the pocket.

Telling the President hopeful's fortune

My bookie came to see me for guidance on the Presidential Race. He has faith in my clairvoyance ability and also my skills in fixing numbers. Of course I obliged when there is a big angpow waiting for me.

So I took out a wash basin, filled it with holy water, threw in a few twigs of pomegranate leaves. Then I lighted three joss sticks and got into a prayer for my spiritual guide.

The result of my spiritual trip was most enlightening. 50:50, a touch and go Presidential Race. How does this works out? In the last GE, PAP garnered 60% of popular votes. This time around, they are likely to get only 50% for the following reasons. It is not about electing a govt. That has been confirmed and no risk in electing whoever as the President. It would still be a political contest between the PAP and the non PAPs.

The second point is the lost of faith in the govt and its policies. People are getting very cynical and are questioning how these policies are benefiting them. Many have great doubts. Many too have great doubts in the abilities of the super talents giving the fiascos in the surge in population, high property prices and the lapses/bad policies to build more flats, to provide the infrastructure for the big influx of foreigners. And there are the big losses in our sovereign funds, the failure in our education system to produce top talents leading to such a pathetic state that Singaporeans have to depend on foreigners to come here to help them. Not enough hospitals or not enough lower class wards. There are many more things that have inundated the Singaporean minds.

The third point is the need for a strong President to check on a rogue govt led by a rogue PM. Singaporeans may be daft, or some people may think so. But no Singaporean is going to believe that an independent director handpicked and paid by the management can be an effective watchdog to monitor the wrong doings of the management. This principle is applicable to the Elected Presidency. But some daft Singaporeans will not think, and will still be deceived. Serious and rational thinking Singaporeans, and there are many out there, will want to vote for a truly independent individual that can check on the govt.

The votes will be split evenly for various reasons, between the two pairs of candidates, Tony Tan and Tan Cheng Bock versus Tan Jee Say and Tan Kin Lian. The former have strong links with the govt and the latter are seen as more independent or not related. Now let’s look at the numbers. With 50% each, Tony and Cheng Bock are likely to split their votes between 20:30 and 24:26, likely in favour of the former. In the Jee Say/Kin Lian camp, it could be the same split and would make the contest that more interesting.

What other factors could be thrown into the computation to make the difference? The controversy over Patrick Tan is still hanging over Tony’s head and if there is a whistle blower, this could completely demolish his chances, and the biggest beneficiary will be Cheng Bock. In the case of the rest, anything can happen. Who knows when a monkey will escape from the zoo to accuse one of them of stealing his peanuts? Or some jokers may stand out to complain of losing paper clips.

For the moment it is 50:50 and depending on the combination, both sides will have a candidate that may tip the scale. Will the people vote for a pro PAP President or an independent President? Sorry, wrong choice of words. All the candidates are independent of political parties and are standing on their own. They have no links with any political parties. This is a completely non political election, get it?

The people are quite lucky to have four highly qualified and respectable men, with good reputation and integrity, to choose from. Now who is going to win? Let me toss my dice….

Voting for a LPPL Elected President?

Following the public exchange of views on the role of the President, Law and Foreign Affairs Minister K Shanmugam has upped the ante by making a not-so-veiled threat – claiming that the President can be removed from office if he attempts to go against the government.

The above is quoted from an article by Tanya Wei in the TRE. After reading this and Shanmugam’s example of a British King that lost his throne for challenging the elected govt, I got this very uneasy feeling. I am wondering whether I should laugh or throw out at the thought of electing a President that would be removed from office if he goes against the govt.

What is the key issue concerning the Elected President today? The high salary and the ceremonial role of the EP are just side issues. What is upper most in the people’s mind is the power to go against the govt to protect the reserves. The people want an EP that would go against the govt when the time calls for it.

Now we are told, or warned, or implied, or kind of threatened, that if the EP is to go against the govt, like saying no to spending the reserves, he will be removed.

Put it simply, why have an EP in the first place? Some are calling this election a sham. It is looking more like a LPPL President just for show and will be removed when he is needed at the critical moment. It reminds me of the fate of Ong Teng Cheong.

What’s happening?

PAP beating a retreat

3 May at Fullerton Square, Lee Hsien Loong apologised to the people on behalf of the govt. It was an ominous gesture for the PAP. The GE saw the defeat of a key minister and the lost of a GRC. George Yeo had seen it coming. He related an incident to Hsien Loong of a voter telling him he was going to vote opposition a couple of days earlier.

The aftermath of the GE saw the stripping of 3 ministers from their posts and the stepping down of LKY and Goh Chok Tong. Since then, the PAP must have taken George Yeo’s advice seriously to reflect on themselves and their policies. And it has been on the defence, retreating all the way from their arrogant and I know best ways.

Many policies were revamped and the kpkbs of the people were taken heed. Yes, the PAP is taking very seriously the noises made by the people. The callous and bullying housing policies were dumped with a new minister in Boon Wan taking charge. He is not dictating to the people to live by his terms like his predecessor, but going all out to build more flats to meet the needs of the people, to restrain the rising property prices, telling the applicants not to screw themselves up by blindly applying for a flat with anyone in a hurry.

Measures were taken to slow the pace of immigrations even after LKY had said that another 900,000 foreign workers were needed. The MOM has come out with new regulations to limit a free flow of foreigners like TGIF. In a way Hsien Loong was arresting the fears of young Singaporeans losing out in the job market to hungrier FTs.

The cries for more university places were also heard and more places will be squeezed out for Singaporeans, with the intake of foreign students frozen at the current level. Yes, he is saying Singaporean First and doing it.

The new media is not giving up with their attacks and demands for a more Singaporean centric govt and policies. The new media was tolerated and permitted to carry on as usual, with bigger space to air their views.

The issuing of 4 COEs to presidential hopefuls is unthinkable and unprecedented. With all the discretion in the hands of the govt, it could easily tighten the screw and push through its endorsed candidate in a walkover by rejecting the other candidates. It was a huge concession, a huge step backwards, to appease the anger of the people.

Shanmugam, the elite and top notched lawyer minister was lambasted and had to beat a retreat from his interpretations of what a EP can or cannot do. Any minister or MP trying to make clever talks were not spared and were hammered relentlessly, including presidential hopeful Tony Tan, once a PM potential. The other once arrogant ministers were no where to been seen, probably trying to live by the new mantra that they are the servants and not the lords of the people.

The retreat by the PAP under Hsien Loong’s leadership is not in disarray. It is a measured retreat, taking a stand here and there not to concede too much ground. All the concessions were in response to the feedbacks from the people, primarily from the new media. The govt may not admit it officially, but there is a big battle going on with the govt taking stock of its positions and responding with changes in its policies.

Hsien Loong is leading the govt with a completely new style from his predecessors. Could he do otherwise if he is going to regain the confidence and trust of the people, and to extend PAP’s rule into the future? Another big concession is waiting to be served, the slashing of ministerial salary, including that of the ceremonial President. How much and how far will Hsien Loong be able to engage the people while on the defensive is still unfolding. The day is young.

mysingaporenews a heavyweight blog

Many bloggers have complained that the speed of this blog is getting too slow. Often it gets stuck or frozen and causing a lot of frustration to users. My apologies. The service provider of this blog is Bloggers and if it is a system fault only Blogger can answer for it.

My feeling is that this blog is becoming a heavyweight, getting too heavy, and unable to move quickly. Now, is this a good sign or a bad sign. Some say good, only heavyweight blog will encounter such problems. Lightweight blogs will be speeding along quite happily with lower traffic, like a free flowing expressway.

I think Firefox is still crusing quite well. Some have suggested Explorer Chrome. I hope it is not due to the generosity of some parties who happily shared introduced some bugs or cookies into the blog. I have removed some pages and links to make it lighter.

For the time being, let's pretend that it is a heavyweight blog and getting too much unwelcome attention: )

Shanmugam is right

In a way, Shanmugam is right in telling the Singaporeans to vote for the President as spelt out by the Constitution and not the President they wished to have. What else can the Singaporeans do? For this presidential election, Singaporeans have no choice. It is written in the Constitution and Singaporeans going to the polls cannot act other wise.

Singaporeans who want to vote for the Office of the President with powers and duties they wished the President would have would have to wait till the next GE. Only in a GE will Singaporeans have a choice to decide what kind of EP they want. And if they are serious of wanting their kind of President, they will need to vote in a different political party to Parliament and with a 2/3 majority. Only then can they change the terms of reference of the EP, even all the criteria of eligibility for the presidential candidates. They can even disband the Presidential Election Council.

Yes, they can do that only if a new party comes into power with a 2/3 majority in 2016. For the time being, everything is fixed. Cannot change except to elect one of the Tans. There is nothing else that Singaporeans can do now.

Questionable numbers

Two sets of numbers in Hsien Loong’s speech don’t really make sense. The first is the number of university places from 9,000 to 12,000 in a decade, from 2001 to 2011. By now every Singaporean should be familiar with the increase in population from 3m to the present 5m plus, or almost a doubling of the population in the last decade or so. The problem is so glaring that our super talents even failed to see and failed to provide for it. Go figure it out.

With such a huge increase in population and the provision of 18% of university places for foreign students, the total increase in places is only 3000 when the population gone up by nearly 3m. Maybe the number is too big and too fast that it is very difficult to grasp even for the most talented.

The other numbers, income ceiling for BTO flats from $8k to $10k and $10K to $12k for Exec condominiums. Superficially looks like a big relaxation. It was reported in the Today paper yesterday that a young couple whose combined income was $11k were feeling lucky. So happy, now qualifies to buy EC. Really?

In the past, when one registered to buy a HDB flat, they used your income from the date of registration. I was told that today, they used the income when one is offered the flat. (Correct me if I am wrong). Get the idea? This is one of the sick causes of why many young people got kicked out of the system when they could not get a flat within a few years.

Would the $11k couple still be qualified in 3 or 4 years time when the flat is built? For such mid level professionals, a couple of thousands of increment over a 3/4 year period is common. And there are two of them. It is quite possible that one year after registering they could see themselves disqualified with income exceeding the $12k.

Such situation will affect many in the $8k to $10k group who are eligible for BTO as well. It will affect the singles as well. So, is the increase/solution really effective, or will it help the singles and young couples or all the flat applicants?

A time to stop contributing to Medisave

As long as one is employed, one continues to contribute to CPFMedisave for as long as one is alive. For self employed, they will have to continue contributing to Medisave even at 100 years or more under the present rules. What is the logic of contributing endlessly when CPF savings can be withdrawn progressively after 55?

The other point is the bottomless limit of Medisave Minimum Sum to be retained, increasing annually. There is a point in life when living is a matter of diminishing returns. There is a point in life when there is no point to perpetuate life when the cost of keeping one alive is unsustainable and for no benefits. When one has lived to a ripe old age, when the legs and hands no longer move, or could barely move, when the body no longer feels, when keeping the body alive is so expensive, living or being alive is suffering, what is the point of having a lot of money in the Medisave when in such a state?

For the rich, when money is not an issue, it is ok. To many, when money is a big issue, it is not ok. Should the govt pass legislation to hold back the people’s savings after 75, 80 or more, so that the money can be used for expensive medical bills while the owner of the money could no longer enjoy even simple food, see nor hear?

There must be a point in time when money is no longer useful, when being kept alive is meaningless. Money is useful when one can still enjoy them, having a good meal, a drink, or moving around, still able to feel the senses.

The legislation must be changed to stop CPF from taking the people’s money after a certain age. A self employed person at 60 is in a much better financial position than one that is unemployed and drawing down on his CPF savings. When one is eligible to withdraw the CPF savings, that should be the age for those who are still economically active to be spared the burden of contributing to Medisave. Their incomes are more valuable when they are young, (not counting wasteful inflation) than when they are no longer physically able.
Savings for Medisave after the CPF withdrawal age must be voluntary. After 55/62, CPF or Medisave contribution must no longer be compulsory but voluntary. Otherwise it is like extorting the old folks, to withhold their money to fatten the nation’s reserves, and which they are unlikely to use them. It is another way of robbing them to pay the hospitals, against their wish when they are mentally unable to decide for themselves.

After certain age, the people must have the right to decide if they want to waste their money to pay the expensive hospital bills. Maybe some are hoping that once the oldies hit dementia, unsound mind, let other people decide on how to spend their huge savings in the Medisave.

It is time the govt review the CPF/Medisave Contributions for the old folks. Stop bullying them and taking their money against their wills.

Financial crisis hitting stock markets

MAS is getting more clouts to deal with errant pushers of toxic products. This sounds like a good thing. What MAS needs to do is to be more proactive and look at the whole financial system as well, especially how stock markets are run around the world, and how dangerous products and systems are allowed to get into the stock market system to run riots and exploited the weaknesses of the system to prey on the small investors.

The exploding financial crisis in the US and Europe is affecting not only toxic products but also the stock market mechanism and processes. The plunge in Dow and Europe market had caused panic and the immediate response by the European govts is to curtail short selling. The damage that short selling could cause, and how this mechanism can be easily abused need no further explanation.

Short selling and many other new devices and systems have been introduced into the stock markets world wide, including high speed trading, derivatives, dark pools, programme tradings, etc that violate the principles of stock trading. The very basis for funds to employ these new gadgetry and systems works against how a stock market should behave. In the long run they will devour everything and lead to a loss of confidence in stock trading and even the destruction of this industry.

They also violated the sacred principles of level playing field and transparency. If stock markets allowed such principles to be transgressed with impunity and explaining them to be part and parcel of modern stock trading, there is a very high possibility that the stock markets would go the way of toxic notes and bonds. They could inflict more severe damages and consequences than just toxic products. The industry could collapse and many people, other than losing their investments, could also lose their jobs.

Eventually the blame will fall back to authority/regulators for allowing all the infringements of good market practices, principles and rules and regulations to be breached and not doing anything to prevent them. When it became another crisis like the minibonds, it will be disastrous and the authority cannot run away from this responsibility by claiming investors went in with eyes wide open. The authority has the responsibility to provide a fair system and level playing field. That is the basic principle and also the rationale for the existence of a regulatory body. The people trust that the stock market are there to provide a level playing field and MAS is there to see to it. Caveat emptor is not acceptable when a system is allowed to operate with unfair advantages to the big funds.

If ever the stock market collapses, someone will have to answer for it. The key questions will be whether there is a level playing field and whether the new trading platform provided the funds with an unfair advantage over the small investors.

Post election Rally

It was a National Day Rally, but the tone of the Rally could be more a result of post election effect. Several key policy positions that were stubbornly held previously were dismissed to history. And the citizens must thank the result of the last GE for such changes to take place. Prior to the GE, several policies were still zealously guarded as the key foundations for growth and development of this ‘work in progress’ nation that is unlikely to become a nation for a long time to come. Many things that were built in the past were allowed to go to waste to accommodate a larger influx of foreign talents to dilute the core values, social behavior and the privileged positions of citizens.

This post election Rally is seeing some changes. Income ceilings to purchase the unaffordable affordable public flats have finally been raised to the displeasure of some. Without the GE, the ceilings will still be unshakable, necessary and the right things to keep.

The influx of foreigners is said to be slowing down. Let’s wait to see some statistics as the official policy is that they are still indispensable to our economic growth. The numbers will tell whether there has been a slow down and how significant is the slow down. Hopefully it is not just cosmetics.

Tertiary education for Singaporeans is seeing some changes in increasing future intakes. But foreign student intake will remain though the percentage is smaller with a bigger base. They should follow the British system, foreign students pay the full fees to subsidise the locals who pay substantially lower than what the former pay. With such a policy, we can afford to build another one or two universities and increase the percentage of foreign students even to 50% and no locals will be complaining.

There was no mention of past students that were disadvantaged by the old policies and had no choice but to go abroad, and with their parents selling their homes to pay for their expensive foreign university education. Neither were anything mentioned about those young people who were forced out of public housing by the old policies and left in the lurch. Whatever was done was over. For university education, there is nothing that can be done for those who already spent their time and money overseas. For housing, many are still left hanging in the air, income exceeded because of not building enough and low income ceilings. Would the govt make amends to accommodate those victims of past policies?

Special education and healthcare also see some changes with more budget or subsidies allocated to these areas. With the growing cost of healthcare, subsidies and help may go some way but only temporary if the runaway cost is not contain, like property prices. Contain and reduce the high cost and no help will be needed.

Maybe another 10% swing in popular votes in the next GE could see more substantial changes to benefit the people. The people must be looking forward to more GEs.

Rise of an Asean military power

Filipinos have taken centre stage the last few days in our social media. It was something like they were shocked by Singapore’s NSmen lacking in morals, loyalty and patriotism. Given the rising stature of the Philippines as a military power in SE Asia, I think the comments made good sense and a good reminder of how far Singapore has been lacking behind the Philippines.

On record, the Philippines have the reputation of being the only Asean country that could take on China. They have arrested Chinese seamen, removed Chinese territorial markers in the Spratly Islands belonging to China. And they have warned China that they would fire at Chinese naval ships in the area.

Now where on earth can you find such a garang country, other than the US, to talk to China in such a threatening manner? Yes, only a rising military power like the Philippines could act in this way, fearless, with a strong sense of morals and patriotism. This is something that Singaporeans got to learn from the Filipinos.

The latest is that the Philippines Navy is buying a patrol craft to defend its islands against China while China is playing with its new toy, an aircraft carrier.

If you don’t agree with me on the facts that I used to support my case, you must give it to the Filipinos for their confidence and guts to tell the Chinese off. Great nations and great people start by thinking they are great and believe in it.

One of Singapore’s best policy today is to add the good genes of foreign talents into our degenerating and depleting gene pool. Since independence, the quality of our talents is going down hill to the extent that many CEO positions in our native organisations must be helmed by foreigners. Maybe this is one of the reasons why we are welcoming more Filipino FTs to our shores to share their good genes. And our little children will also be taught the great values of the Filipinos by the maids.

At the end of the day our gene pool will be enhanced and perhaps we could also make claims to the Spratly Islands. There is oil out there and would be good for our economy. If the Chinese objects, we can also threaten to arrest their seamen as a show of force. I think we have a few more patrol craft than the Philippines, and if they could stand up to China, we should be able to do better, if only our NSmen have more morals, loyalty and patriotism.

Presidential candidate Tan Kin Lian

Tan Kin Lian speaking at Speakers Corner yesterday on his election platform.


The news so far on Tan Kin Lian is on his departure from NTUC Income. Kin Lian has his version for leaving and NTUC has come out with their version that told a different story. So far the exchange has been quite civil and no one of senior positions has been going around take buses or taxis or checking on personal claims to cast doubts on him.

What is important at this point in time, like all other president hopefuls, is that the PEC has found them to be men of integrity, good reputation and character and is fit to be the president of the country. The disagreement on the how and why that he resigned is not an issue of misconduct or mismanagement. At top management level, many a time the reasons for a separation can be quite dubious, controversial or a matter of chemistry. Many were there because of political appointment as many other candidates are equally qualified for top management positions but only a few were chosen. Often it is always the person who left was seen as the loser but never a victim. And the people who called the shot carried on as if they had done no wrong, like god. Of course the truth could be otherwise.

Kin Lian's strength is drawn primarily from his fight for the victims of the minibond saga. He volunteered to champion the cause of the losers. And he made a difference. Without his leadership at a time when a leader was badly needed, the victims would not have gotten a better deal. He challenged the authority when no one dared. This is a very pertinent point in a society that is engulfed with fear of authority. And it took a man of great courage and sacrifice to stand out at a time like that crisis.

As an elected President, most of the functions are ceremonial. The EP will be called upon to act exactly in a time of great crisis. It is only in those time that a president is tested and he needs to draw on all his courage, wisdom, integrity and duty to the people, the average citizens, to stand up to a govt that could be turning into a rogue. Any presidential hopeful must give the people an indication that when pushed to a corner, he would stand up and fight back.

The EP's job is toughest in the toughest time. Having tea and cosying up to the PM to make a good impression and hopefully gain some respect from the PM and then his listen hear is of the least concern of the people. It is when he is called upon to act strongly, that is the moment that he is being paid for, to defend the interest of the people, to prevent the reserves from being squandered by a rogue govt. Trying to be nice to influence a rogue govt is a foolish suggestion.

In this election, particular to Kin Lian, would some irreprehensible bums be everywhere smelling for shit? All the candidates have remarked that they would want to run their campaign with dignity. Would someone hit below the belt or pull a file from the dustbin to dust around? Employment records are confidential documents. Personal encounters and discussions in board meetings are confidential and privileged information. Would they be aired to score points just because they are juicy or could be used to smear a character? No one would forgive a padre for divulging a confession of a sinner.

The people are watching again to see which party would take the first shot to diminish this contest for the highest office of the country into another slug fest in the longkangs, where all respectability, dignity and honour were thrown to the wind. Would there be people holding high positions, willing to lower themselves and their own honour, to do shameful things to mess around with the candidates?

China’s new toy

China just rolled out its aircraft carrier for a sea trial. Its spokesman told the press that the ship is for training and research. The US has 11 aircraft carriers fully operational for decades. And it is in a state of confusion at the sight of the single non operational Chinese aircraft carrier. It does not know what the Chinese aircraft carrier is for and is asking the Chinese to explain. It also said any explanation would be good enough, just tell them.

The Chinese spokesman’s official press statement that the carrier is for training and research seems to miss the Americans. Maybe when he spoke in Chinese the Americans thought it was a coded message and trying to decode them and this will take time to read.

What I think is that the Chinese are seeing the Americans having fun with their 11 aircraft carriers and thought it would be fun too to have a few. And they could then fly their spy planes along the American coasts like what the Americans are doing along the Chinese coasts. Then both countries would have fun playing ball. Won’t the Americans love that, to play ball with the Chinese along American coasts?

Now why did the Chinese want to build aircraft carriers? I am getting as dumb as the Americans. I just cannot figure out why. Maybe I should ask the Chinese also and any answer will do.

President Tan will move in at the Istana

By next month Singaporean will see a new President Tan at the Istana. All four Tans, Tony Tan, Tan Cheng Bock, Tan Kin Lian, Tan Jee Say, are in the running after being issued the COE. They are found to be men of integrity, good character and reputation and have the prerequisites to carry out the duties of the President as provided in the constitution.

The granting of COEs to four candidates is another milestone in our political history. This is not so much as having four Tans running for the office but a sign of more opening up of the political structure. The fear of the PEC applying the criteria stringently to limit the number of candidates to those that the ruling party favours proved unfounded. It speaks well of both the govt and the PEC. No one can now point a finger at any of them for playing foul and the voters will have a good spread of candidates to choose from.

It is now up to the candidates to promote themselves to the people to make an informed choice of who they want. Each has his own merits and drawbacks and when come to casting the vote, it could be a tough choice for many and may the best man wins.

Having set the pace for more openness and more eligible candidates to contest the office of the EP, I hope this will be the last time that the restrictive criteria of the Act are allowed to stand and that it be amended to widen the pool of eligible candidates. Integrity, dignified, respectability are essential characteristics of a presidential candidate. However, the stringent criteria of being a top civil servant or CEO of a $100m organisation must go as they are too restrictive and elitist. In a way, the disqualification of the majority of the citizens to run for the presidency is unconstitutional as it is robs the right of every citizen to stand as a candidate for the highest office of the country.

The role of the EP and the criteria attached are incompatible and need a thorough review. There is an expectation that the presidential candidates have to be dignified, stately looking and with good stature. This could easily be overcome by a PR agency or some help from Mediacorp makeup artist.

The second part, man of good character, integrity and reputation is a harder act to follow. What it wants to deny are thieves, wife beaters, liars, cheats and people who are above politics, that is, no politicking, scheming and fixing other politicians. Would these automatically bar all politicians from becoming president? The most ideal candidate should be a secular priest that is acceptable to all. Unfortunately there is no such animal around.

The third part about a top notch permanent secretary or CEO of a large corporation is asking too much. If a C grader like George Bush Jr is qualified to be the executive President of the USA, why is there a need for such a highly qualified candidate who is more ceremonial plus a small custodial role? Think Nelson Mandela, would someone of his background be qualified?

A EP does not exist nor act alone. He is always advised by the Cabinet and a presidential advisory team. What is needed is a man with a reasonable education and good common sense and an ability to understand what is presented to him to put his rubber stamp on it.

It will be good to move away from the past stringent criteria that are not seen as objective and fair. Review the criteria and the eligibility and not rob the rights of every citizen from aspiring to the highest office of the country.

Kopitiam Movement

The Americans have their Tea Party Movement to fight for issues that are important to them. Without trying to reinvent the wheel, we may want to call the fight by netizens as a Kopitiam Movement in general, for the good of Singaporeans. There are so many issues that netizens have raised but are scattered all over cyberspace and often lost in time. I would like to sum up a few key issues that a Kopitiam Movement can stand for and to stay the course.

1. To reclaim the rights of the people to decide the size of the population and new citizens.
2. To reclaim the rights of the people to their money in the CPF and Medisave.
3. To reclaim the rights to have a say in how essential services like transport, medical services and education are run for the benefits of citizens.
4. To reclaim the rights to limit the building and sales of properties to foreigners.
5. To reclaim the rights of every citizen to stand for the office of the President.

More missions can be added on to this Movement in the course of time. I will post a window on this blog as a reminder of this Movement and what it is fighting for.

A Kopitiam Movement does not need an official leader like the Wear Black Movement. The Movement is identified by what it stands for and anyone can push for the cause or add new agenda to the cause. It is a Movement without forms but with certain identifiable objectives.

A fearful lesson from London

The rioting continues in England and spreading. The police seem to be at a lost or treating the rioters too leniently that the country is turning into a state of anarchy. The underprivileged are taking things in their own hands, to take whatever they want, and at the same time to burn and destroy. They are the underclass in a first world and rich country.

We have our underclass, not so much as the poorer citizens who are really not in such a dire state. What we have in our midst are the half a million foreign workers, maybe more, that are hungry and unpredictable. What if they run amok, and thinking that they could loot and take from our well stocked stores of goodies?

I believe we have contingency plans to deal with such a situation. But it will be very messy. A rampage through Orchard Road is unthinkable. 500,000 hungry workers on the loose are uncontrollable. And many are living with our people, in rental homes. A couple of them running wild can be very destructive too.

Do we believe that the lawlessness will not happen here? Or do we believe that we can handle such a situation? Bringing in the super rich has a different set of problems. Bringing in the poor workers can become a disaster. Can we afford to push our luck and hope that nothing of such a magnitude happens here?

Please don't make our foreign workers angry.

Not everything can be compromised

We have spent 46 years to stew a broth, today some of the newcomers are complaining that the broth smells, and they don’t like the smell. We have spend several generations, a lot of blood, sweat and tears, and the newcomers said they are not happy and wanted us to change, to accommodate and adapt to their new ways, or even adopt their new habits. And some silly Singaporeans are telling our native Singaporeans to be tolerant and to appease the newcomers. (No wonder they even dared to beat up Singaporeans in broad daylight in Clementi).

I am referring to the cooking of curry in HDB estate and a foreigner complained, and the local mediator told our native Singaporean to give way to make the new citizen happy. The mediator must have been briefed on how to deal with such matters. There must be an official position and the mediator must be following that official position. For racial harmony, it is always good to compromise, even on things that we have done for the last 46 years, never mind, make the newcomers feel welcome and make their lives more pleasant. Can that be?

Is this the official position? I wanted to pui. For so many years, we have been emphasizing on racial and religious harmony, and we have accepted certain social norms and practices that we are comfortable to live by. This incident is threatening the very fundamental principles that we have built on. This must be put to and end.

New citizens must not be allowed to challenge and demand that we change to appease them. If they think they can get away with their demands, soon we they will be telling us that they want their own language, custom, newspaper, play area, and TV channels as well. They may want their languages to be taught in our schools or be spoken in Parliament.

The people of Singapore must take a stand to protect what we have built and not allowed any newcomers to suka suka change them. We welcome them since our govt wanted them so much, but they must accept what we hold sacred. We cannot let them change the status quo, the social norms, and undermine the mutual tolerance among the various people. The newcomers must adapt to our way of life, not the other way round. Is there anyone telling Singaporeans to adapt to the newcomers way of life? Now what is the govt going to do about it?

PS. There is a simple Simon approach to solving social problems. Compromise, no need to bother about right or wrong, as long as the two parties don’t give problem it is settled. I have experienced this attitude in the mediation of minor disputes. I had a bad experience with a crazy neighbor who came to my floor to threaten my family. I was told to stay indoor when he appeared. I was telling myself, I will do anything I can, even to break his legs if I have to. My freedom and safety of my family were compromised by a mad man and I was told to hide behind closed doors.

Great Britain and London on Fire

The looting and burning in London has England up in flame. Starting at Tottenham, it spread to more than 15 areas in London and now Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham and Bristol. The causes, some highlighted the big income divide between the haves and the have nots, some seemed to be getting things for free, and the lost of jobs.

This is almost unheard of in the developed world. Riotings, lootings, breakdown of law and order are associated with third world countries. The events in the Middle East are different as they are politically motivated with foreign forces in play. The events in England are mainly social and economic. The inequalities in society will lead to tension and stress. Don’t pooh pooh away big income gaps as part and parcel of rapid economic progress. It only needs a little spark to tear down everything. Economic inequalities cannot be taken for granted as a necessary evil. They must be addressed when times are good.

For those who are enjoying the richness of their good fortune, they are numbed by their wealth and would not care a dime about what happens in the poorer neighbourhood. To them, it is all due to their cleverness and good fortune to be living in luxury. The poor are in a state due to their own laziness and dullness and ought to be blamed. Can’t be helped.

Let’s pray that the lawlessness in UK will not spread like the Arab Spring to other parts of the world.

The greatness of Benjamin Sheares

Who is Benjamin Sheares? In case you are still scratching your head, he was a highly regarded and prominent doctor in the field of obstetrics and gynaecology, the doyen of the profession in his time. And he was also the second President of this country. A quiet and dignified man who did his job without blowing his own trumpet, without pretensions.

Today in the ST, a Dr Chew Shing Chai who had worked with President Sheares, shared a little insight of this great man. At that time, before the high salary is good mantra struck this land, his income was a paltry $2000 as a medical doctor, maybe slightly more. When he was appointed as the President, his monthly salary was $17,000, big by the standard of the day. And unknown to the public till now, he donated his entire salary to charity, according to Dr Chew.

What the people don’t know, now they knew. My respect to this great man. I didn’t know either. Thank you Dr Chew, for this enlightenment.
I am sure many ministers and presidents too would have donated a handsome chunk of their salaries to charity without declaring it. Some may, like President Sheares, donate their entire salaries to charity too.

God bless them. Cheers to President Sheares.

National Day regrets

Dow plunged more than 600 pts last night and we were asleep. Can't do anything. If only our stockmarket was open, we would not be caught in a situation like this. We could also sell our stocks down.

This morning Hangseng fell more than 1,400 pts. We are closed for National Day Celebration. We have gone on continuous trading, no lunch break, exactly for this reason, not to be caught while other markets are trading. Now they are all sold down and we aren't open and looking helplessly.

On this National Day, these are my two regrets.

I would like to recommend that our stock market be open, 24/7 all year round. We will only be closed when the rest of the markets are closed. Oops, no need 24/7, 24/5 and minus a few international holidays will do. Going fully operational, we will be able to cover all situations and take advantage of all situations. We can also call our city a city without sleep.

Would that be nice, fully prepared and ready, pro active, a bit kiasu though.

The unusual silence

When Tony first announced his candidacy, there was an immediate barrage of support and endorsements from his PAP colleagues. A few including Chok Tong came out to say Tony is a good man. Some praised him for his dignified look, every inch and corner like a President. The public media did the necessary with coverage on his every move, invitations and speeches.

Over the last few days the surprising development was the attack on Tony’s son, Patrick and his NS deferment. The attack was furious and vicious and quite damaging to Tony’s shining image. Mindef came out with some statements to deflect some of the bad barbs. Otherwise it was left to Tony and son to fend for themselves.

Could someone of higher standing say something or do something to moderate the blows? Maybe, maybe not. Maybe Tony should be able to fight his own battle, being a heavy weight himself. At the moment it is Tony and son versus the anonymous masses in cyberspace. How would this develop or would it have a chance to develop further in the main media?

The stand of the main media at the moment is reticence. When an issue that is so hot is cyberspace is played down in the main media, it starts to prob on people’s mind as to what the hell is happening in our great media and their stable of great reporters and journalists. No one feel the itch or need to want to contribute to the debate with their sophisticated skills and resources? I feel quite sad that great reporters were deprived the avenue to write their show piece and display their brilliance in investigative journalism.

Even if they take a diametrical opposed view from cyberspace, it will be refreshing to see how and what they will put across. Or are they waiting for the debate to blossom when the EP campaign is official? They may not even have the chance if there is no contest. This must be one of the hottest topic waiting to see the light in the main media. The integrity of the hottest presidential hopeful is being questioned and a proper closure is demanded.

Where are all the eminent colleagues of Tony and are they going to stand up to defend him?

Lead by examples

The retired teachers are unhappy. There may be more certainty of their rehiring after 62, but it means a pay cut as well. And they are complaining that this is regressive. They are still doing the same hours of teaching which does not demand heavy duty work that age will slow them down.

The MOE should take a leaf from the govt where politicians are getting the same pay regardless of age. In fact they should adopt the practice of paying the teachers pension and the same pay concurrently, if the teachers are still on pension scheme. The retirement age is a legacy of the colonial past and Parliament has set a good example to delink from this abnormal practice.

Just follow the leaders and they cannot be wrong. Have they forgotten about the wise old saying of leading by examples?

Is the Elected President a dumb President?

Many comments have been made about the role of the EP. Some claimed that it must be an involved President, willing to speak up for the people, some say it is meant to be a dumb President, some say it like a machine, only say what the govt wants it to say or else better not be heard.

The lay people have their own interpretation and expectation of an Elected President, a President that they took the trouble to vote, not just any appointed President when they have no say at all. They, rightly or wrongly, feel that the President should be more than a dud. They think that being the highest office in the country, he must be able to speak up on national issues that affect their lives and have some influence on the govt.

However, these are just layman’s views, and everyone can have a view. The Law Minister too has a view. He has spoken quite comprehensively on what the EP can or cannot do. He even quoted the constitution. Now, is he just expressing a legal opinion based on his professional background, or is he taking a position, that what he said is the govt’s definition of the role of the EP?

There is still the judicial, the courts of law that will have the final say as to the interpretation of the constitution. Until the courts have its say, it is all a matter of interpretation, and naturally everyone is trying to interpret it to his own advantage.

According to the constitution, Article 21(1) as quoted by Shanmugam, it says the President shall ‘act in accordance with the advice of the Cabinet or of a Minister acting under the general authority of the Cabinet’. So the EP can only act under the advice of the Cabinet and not otherwise.
What does this mean, cannot go against the will of the Cabinet? What if the Cabinet push out a bill to spend all the reserves and ask the President to sign? Now can the President then act against the advice of the Cabinet. Surely he can, or else how is he going to protect the reserves.

How many things that the EP can or cannot do that are specified by the constitution? Or is it another case of No U Turn sign. If there is a U Turn sign only can make a U Turn and if there is a No U Turn sign cannot make U Turn. No sign means cannot do anything. I am not sure how many pages are there in the constitution that described what the EP can or cannot do.

From what was reported, one thing for sure, if he is nice to the PM, he may be able to influence the PM over beer, I think.

The bickering two party system

The Americans received the biggest shock of the century when its Treasury Bills were downgraded to AA from AAA. How could this happen to the world’s number One superpower? They are now on a witchhunt on how they arrived at the present dire state. Obama is the natural strawman for the occasion. It is his fault. Soon they may even claim that if they only had a white president and things would not have gone this way.

Actually the US went on a self destruct mode the moment George Bush Jr took over the Presidency. For an executive president, not a ceremonial one that cannot speak as he likes, you really need someone with a little brain. That is not the only flaw of the American system.

Our local media has an article in the Sunday Times which, if one reads carefully, is saying that a one party system is the way to go. The problems leading to the US downgrade are a result of the bickering and indecisiveness of a two party system. Thank god we have a very decisive one party system that will just do it without the need to answer to another party in Parliament. The govt of a one party system can even afford to be deaf.

America was actually controlled by a small group of oligarchs or power brokers, mostly in the finance and arms industry. The former wanted a free and deregulated financial system to do as they pleased. The latter just know how to make wars. To them making wars is the only profitable business. While those in finance got their way to plunder the financial system, the latter twisted the hands of all politicians to wage wars after wars, for their own self serving interests. They enriched themselves by paying themselves crazy from the war industries, just like those in finance.

And America dips deeper and deeper into debt. And many silly American boys and girls would have to pay with their lives, not counting the number of ‘enemies’ killed in the wars. And many would go into debt, lost their fortunes, and inherit a country that is technically bankrupt.

The fall of the American Empire is not the multi party system or Obama, but a system that is corrupted by greed and the losing of a moral compass. In reality, all systems, no matter how good or how bad, will end up this way in their dying days. Corruption will be so rampant that it is no longer recognisable. Corruption comes in all forms and in all areas, the worst, other than amassing wealth till they look silly, is the corruption of power and the political system. When corruption is the norm, and being justified by all kinds of self serving logics, you know that the end is near.

One party system, multi party system, dictatorship, communism, monarchy, all will end with the same fate, with the same set of problems, all because of human greed. No system can survive the greed of man, no matter how good the system was when it was first formulated. All systems will end up with systemic rot, with the smell of human stench.

Countries that are still relying on the American model to operate their financial system need to think triply hard. As an example, they have allowed their stock market to function not on fundamentals but on how fast another machine can be to make a quick profit. The old school of investing on fundamentals is totally irrelevant against a bunch of crunching machines that trade on speed and algorithm of odds, with complete disregard to value and fundamentals. This is not stock trading anymore. It has ruined the American stock exchange and it will ruin the rest if they are so blind to embrace them without thinking of the harm that it can cause.

A few good dinosaurs

The news of the three $1b dinosaurs has subsided. I think they should be on the way here, nicely packaged to be the biggest attraction on the island, to create the wows and draw in the tourists dollars. If I recalled, the three were a family, or at least from the same specie, two adults and a smaller one.

My main concern then was a place to exhibit them. Think they said they needed a museum or mausoleum that is going to cost a few hundred million, befitting of the size and importance of the three relics. Yes, they will link the new Singaporeans to the past, that we were once living with dinosaurs. There is another moral aspect to these exhibits. No matter how predominant the dinosaurs were in their heydays, they too will become dinosaurs, or relics of the past.

I was suggesting that the dinosaurs be placed on a floating platform in the Marina Bay to save on space. We can’t afford to use up so much space for some relics of the past, no matter how relevant they are to our history. Every inch of land in the island is worth more than its value in gold. We could build more top end structures for sale and earn more dollars, as long as they are not greenbacks.

It just dawns on me that there is an alternative place for the dinosaurs. If only the architects could incorporate the mausoleum into the Istana Park would be great. Keep the park as it is plus the three dinosaurs without wasting more valuable land. The Istana Park should be big enough for the three. To locate them anywhere else would be a waste of land.

And to think of how important the three dinosaurs are to our history, it will not be befitting to locate them somewhere in the wilderness of Jurong or Woodlands or Tekong. There is always a solution to all problems, especially when the mind is fully relaxed on a Sunday morning.

The changing ethos of govt officers

The story of a permanent secretary driving around in his old 1.6 Japanese jalopy was legendary. Those were the days of thrift and leading by example. I remember a govt link company CEO was only comfortable with a 2000cc Mercedes Benz. Anything above was seen as flaunting and undesirable. A GM actually got a bollocking when he ordered a 3 litre limousine. That was seen as unbecoming. Thrift and propriety were important values to observe.

The ethos today is quite different. Not only is a 3 litre limousine common, some even flashed around in Lamborghinis and Ferraris. These are things that were frown upon in the good old days. I am not complaining as we have climbed the ladder of economic prosperity and what is a 3 litre car? It is time to enjoy our hard work and our success. Who would dare to announce a $50k cooking class in Paris then?

The ethos of new is to be who you really are. We need to announce that we have arrived. Perhaps it is also a dignity issue. In those days, a permanent secretary’s title is enough dignity to carry a long way. There is no need to show the pay slip and the number of zeros behind. Respect was more easily achieved and earned, and was real. Today, you need to be a billionaire to be respectable, or at least earn a million a year. Just flash it in the face of whoever and there will be instant recognition.

The ethos of the day is always set by the leaders. Monkeys see, monkeys do. Good example and exemplary behaviour at the top will be carried downwards. When the top is senget, you bet the bottom will be too.

I dunno what to say

In a high power forum chaired my Professor Tommy Koh, and with two key speakers in Law Minister K Shanmugam and Professor Thio Li Ann, the Law Minister repeated his position that the Elected President is not to be heard, or cannot express any views unless approved by the Govt. He said, ‘It is quite clear the president has no such power and that was not the role that was envisaged for the president.’ ‘The president,’ he added, ‘can speak on issues only as authorised by the Cabinet; and he must follow the advice of the Cabinet in the discharge of his duties.’

The only time the president can wield some influence on the PM is if he is on good terms with him, or if the PM finds him amiable and willing to listen to him. It is not the other way, that you have a president and the PM try to be nice to him and listen to him. Thus, a President that is pally pally with the govt is in a better position to be listened to by the govt. So the people should know who to vote if they want a president that can have influence on the govt.

What if the people want a president that does not need to be nice to the PM or the govt and want him to be firm and be ready to say no to the govt, should they then vote for someone that is more distant from the govt? To influence the govt or to check on the govt are two distinct roles that require quite a different character in the president.

But my main point is not all of these as they are immaterial. In more probability the president will have nothing of crisis level to do and spend his time writing his memoirs or raising funds for the disabled or shaking hands and waving at the crowd during NDP. Occasionally he may try to visit other countries to improve relations and trade. I am not sure that this is part of his portfolio, or if he is being advised by the govt to do so. Or maybe he is trying to give the Trade Minister a helping hand since he is not allowed to talk freely.

For such a role, do we need a president that should be as good as a permanent secretary, a chief justice material, or someone who manages a $100m paid up capital country when the PM and his ministers need not be that highly qualified? A butcher or a gardener can also be our PM under our constitution. And this must be the best part, the gardener PM is going to advise this high power president what to say and do. Does the country really need to pay him so many millions to perform such a role?

What is needed perhaps is a person of good conduct, dignified, good looking and respectable, and be given an honourarium of $500k per annum max. Of course a little commonsense and a tertiary education should be good enough as he would be advised by the Presidential Council and also the govt on what to do and what to say. No need to sweat the small stuff to find a super super talent and to pay him obscenely for the nature of the job. He may end up more dignified than the gardener PM who is going to tell him what to do.

Please feel free to disagree with me. If you don’t I will like to recommend some of the better and dignified looking Media Corp actors for the job. I am sure the people will love to shake their hands and feel good when they looked good standing side by side with kings and queens.

So a fare hike of 1% instead of 2.8%

Rejoice, celebrate, the unhappiness of the people has been heard. The PTC must have taken heed of the general unhappiness of the people over the rising cost of living and came out with a smaller increase for public transport fare. A 2c increase per trip is negligible and well absorbed, may even be unnoticeable. There are still complaints. People are still unhappy.

The PTC quoted the profits of other private companies including non transport operators, to justify the increase. Other organisation’s profits ranged from 3 to 14.9%. These include companies like Hongkong’s Transport International and MTR, London’s Stagecoach Group. SembCorp Industries and Singpost. And the profits of SBS and SMRT were 7.8 to 11.2%, very reasonable and within the spread of the companies quoted.

There is no point trying to go into the details of the little data provided. For those who are sceptical, doubts on the credibility and relevance of the data are glaring. I could quote more transport companies and non transport companies running at a loss to justify that it is ok to run public transport companies at a loss or with little profit.

What is still seen as wrong or unacceptable with the minimal increase? What is 2c when people are earning millions? The issue here is the principle of public transport and how this is treated as any other organisation whose interest is profit. And the operators deserved to be making profits like any other organisation.

Is public transportation with the privileges of a monopoly attached, to operate without competition, any other organisation? A govt run public transport monopoly is a govt monopoly under any colour or stripe. And a public transport system is an essential service and should not quickly be swept away as any other business for profit.

Why is the govt so obsessed with the public transport companies making profit as its major concern to shareholders, and coming out to defend its right to such profits? Why is the govt so persistent in proclaiming that the govt officers are daft and unable to run a public transport system if it is returned as a stats board? It is unbelieveable that any govt would say such a darn thing, that they could not run a transport service unless it is run privately. What a profound statement to acknowledge an inadequacy in a govt filled with top talents. I just dunno what to say.

The battle for cyberspace

Controlling the media by any political party or ruler is a strategic move to control a country. Control of the media means controlling what the people see and hear, controlling the agenda, saying all the good things on the right people and all the wrong things on the wrong people. The masses are easily swayed and manipulated in their thoughts and views. That is why advertising is such a powerful tool. Controlling the media the controls the minds of the people.

Most govts of the day have more or less a monopoly of the main media to do as they pleased. And their opponents were often denied such access, may be persecuted or rubbished repeatedly in the media with no ways of replying. It was a very comfortable position to be in, to be able to take potshots at political opponents at will and the other party unable to hit back.

Cyberspace is a free for all zone, and no govt is able to control much of it other than blocking it off from its citizens. This requires big machinery and an army of keyboard soldiers hammering at the buttons full time. It is a costly affair and a misuse of public fund. The nature of how the internet works makes surveillance that much more tedious and often unenforceable.

In the last few days there seemed to be a big battle going on in cyberspace. Many popular forums and blogs were subjected to unexplained down time or difficulties in access. Many links and videos that were provided were blocked and getting through them is a tough act. Even the NLB was down with some old news not retrieveable. But that was due to some internal updating issue. The popular political forum of TRE was purportedly under heavy attacks and was down most of the time. So were some other blogs and sites. Even my little blog is facing difficulties and many bloggers have complained that it is moving exceptionally slow and can be very irritating. There are many strange things happening in cyberspace lately.

Competition for the attention of readers is hotting up especially with the run up to the Presidential election. With the main media becoming a has been, when local news are no longer exciting but a regurgitation or rerun, they have lost the grip for readership. Who wants to read stale news that is no better than listening to an old tape recorder?

On the other hand cyberspace is fresh and exciting. And reporters/bloggers are given a free hand to post whatever they want, free from any restraints or editing. Investigative journalism is taking on a fervor that is hardly known in the main media. And these people are doing it without being paid. And the material is informative, controversial and thought provoking. It is an act that the main media finds difficult to replicate to the extent that they look like boy scouts. Or maybe they are all busy covering the National Day Parade.
While the main media are busy or on vacation, the internet is driving and firing all its engines. All systems are running at full speed. And the readership is flocking into cyberspace in increasing numbers. A small outfit like The Temasek Review Emeritus operated by a few volunteers are garnering more readership than many professional media with a huge budget. It has in a way becomes the primary alternative media here.

Who is winning this battle for readership, for the people’s mind? The battle of cyberspace has begun, and the winner will determine how the people think and look at things. The Presidential Election is likely to be the first test case of the power of alternative media to influence how the people will vote. Control of cyberspace is like control of the sky in military terms.

What should Tony Tan do?

It is not easy to be in Tony Tan’s shoe now. His shiny armour of a white knight is now smeared with tomatoes and eggs. It takes great effort and convincing to remove the grits. The thing is, how is this going to be done? Can god stand up and say Tony has done no wrong. Period. Let’s move on.

Even if god is to pronounce that Tony is innocent, the point is that would the people accept the judgement? If the people do not agree, then comes the election and Tony might get a real bruising, and this is no good.

On the other hand if there is no election, a walkover, unthinkable but possible, the smear will not go away. It will harden into a scar. Not only will Tony be affected, the whole institution will come under questioning and a big dark cloud will fall over the island. I don’t think this is an acceptable scenario, and the pus will keep festering and spread to the whole system.

There is another possibility, with a case that is like jumping into the Yellow River will not wash away the dirt, will Tony do the necessary and withdraw his candidacy for the EP? If this be the case, if Tony is no longer in the lime light like some of his contemporaries, the vibes may just fade away.

Well, what if Tony were to walk into the Istana uncontested, this episode is likely to be hanging in the air, in cyberspace, for as long as he is the Elected President, or by walkover. And the plot may thicken.

Which is a better or amiable scenario? An important point to note is that nearly every male Singaporeans has gone through NS and knew how the system should work. Any variation or deviation could be spotted from a mile away. Never try to bluff a NS man about NS. They can get very angry. They have given the best part of their lives to it.

PS. Another possibility. The PEC decides not to issue Tony with the COE in view of the controversies surrounding him and his son. Ok, this is really remote. Heheh. Whatever, once the election campaigns start, many of the concerns raised in the internet may spill over to the main media. It is not going to look good.

The Chinese fools in Fangzheng, Heilongjiang

When Japan was colonizing China, they did what the Israelis are doing today, by sending thousands of Japanese settlers into Manchuria. By a stroke of ill fate, they lost the war and these colonialists fled Manchuria after the war. Many died in the process, at least 5,000 on record.

Zhou Enlai did the humanly decent thing by giving them a proper burial. Today, the local govt of Fangzheng went one step further by erecting a monument on the grave site of these occupiers. This act has incurred the wrath of a nation that suffered the brutality of Japanese occupation forces when millions were killed and maimed, when the country was devastated and the dignity of a people erased from their faces.

The foolish people of Fangzheng have forgotten that if the Japanese had won the war, they would be victims of these dead Japanese and their atrocities as conquered people. No country in the world is silly enough to build monuments to honour their conquerors. I doubt Singapore would dare to put up a monument to honour the Japanese soldiers killed in the island during the Japanese Occupation.

The Americans too did not set up monuments to honour the millions of Red Indians decimated during their conquest and occupation of Red Indian country. The Indians and Africans too did not build such monuments to honour the dead colonialists. Many even tore down buildings and landmarks of their colonial rulers.

How much sillier can the Chinese be?

Dr Patrick Tan – A bigger issue at stake

The public scrutiny of Tony Tan and Patrick Tan has led to a bigger issue, the integrity of the system as a whole, particularly Mindef. A doubt has been created in the minds of the public and all NS men and their families are feeling very uneasy. It is very important that this be led to rest quickly before the election of the President takes place.

No matter what Tony Tan and Patrick Tan said, no matter what Mindef tries to explain, there will be all kinds of innuendoes and perceptions, rightly or wrongly. The longer this issue is dragged on, the more perplex it will become and wild imaginations in the minds of the people can be expected.

What I think would be a better way to clarify this confusion, which is not going to do good to Tony and Mindef, is to state clearly the milestones of Patrick’s scholarship, deferment, enlistment and reservist training, including ICTs and IPPTs. List the events and dates clearly and let the people see for themselves and make their decisions based on facts. Mindef can include some explanations along the way to clarify on why the decisions were made and the policies of the day.

I think this should be QED to clear the air.

What would the PEC be looking at?

All eyes are now on the President Election Council where three wise men are supposed to pass an edict on who are the presidential hopefuls that will get their blessings to receive a COE. What they have to fall back on is a list of criteria in an Act to make their godly decisions. The terms are public knowledge today, but though everyone thinks they know what they meant, everyone is also at a lost as to what they meant. Everyone is having an opinion as to who will qualify and who will not.

Some of the criteria are quite specific, a permanent secretary or equivalent, CEO of a public company with a paid up capital of $100m and at least three years in the job. With these conditions, some have already pronounced that only Tony Tan qualifies while the rest are doubtful starters if the PEC applies them stringently. It seems quite an easy task if one is to act like an unthinking robot and goes by the letters in the legislation. And if that be the case, only Tony will qualify. Anyone with any objections can be asked to read the Act themselves. See, must be a permanent secretary or a CEO of a public listed company with $100m paid up capital. Anything else is outside the law.

The PEC can also attempt to try to read the spirit of the Act, as to what was the intention of the provision. As in all legislations, the words are limited and cannot cover all conditions, variations or exceptions. What was the intent of the people who passed the Act? Do they really mean that only those few people as indicated qualify to stand as a candidate, or is the provision meant to cover a wider area to include more able people for the Presidency? To many laymen, that must be the case and the provisions are just guidelines to ensure that people of good character, with sufficient intellect and abilities to decide on the use of the nation’s reserve be allowed to stand. The Act cannot be so rigid, a straight jacket, that will rule out anyone that do not fit its brief descriptions to the T.
The four/five candidates, with their qualifications and experiences, are good and able men that would have no problem in performing the duties of the Elected President. They are more than the average men on the street. They have good credentials and no one is saying that they are not good enough unless it can be proven that they have character flaws or did anything that is unbecoming of the office of the President.

The job of the PEC should be quite easy actually if it is just the interpretation of the Act. Unfortunately there are other political considerations and complications that will affect their final edict. The people all knows what the considerations are. There are the interests of the ruling party and also the interests of the country and people to take note of. We have heard comments about a neutral President that is not beholden to any political party. A President that has the courage and stature and toughness to take a stand against the ruling govt. After all he is to check on the govt when the use of the reserves is placed on his table. He is also expected and some say good, to be able to work closely with the ruling govt while able to say no if necessary.

See, things start to get messy here, to be friendly, pally, to be nice but also to be able to stand up to the govt. Or to be not so friendly and to be not so nice and glad to have the opportunity to say no. As far as the govt is concerned, they would want someone nice and pally, someone that would give them the least annoyance. Maybe someone that will say yes when the govt wants to dip into the reserves. In this case, an ex party member with close ties would be ideal. Strange relationship huh?

On the other hand, the people would want a President to be really, truly, and strongly independent minded, independent of the govt, and happy to be objective and ready to say no to the govt. In this case, a non ruling party member, someone who has never slept in the same bed before must be the chosen one.

So, how would the PEC decide then, given the unspoken interests of the ruling govt to take care of and the interests of the people who are more comfortable with a really independent President, not just by words alone, or personal claims, but to be able to act independently of the ruling govt? Would the spirit of the Act hold sway and a broader interpretation be used by the PEC? Or would a different kind of spirit takes an upper hand and every letter in the Act is taken literally with no rooms for exception, leading to the disqualification of several candidates?

What kind of spirits would rule the day and lead the PEC to go about their work? I can see that people are praying everywhere in the streets for good blessings from the spirits. The govt can be angry, the spirits too. And there is the wrath of the people to consider. This is a non political appointment, a non political President and the election must be devoid of politics. So some wise men would say. Non political? Can that be?

The least that the people can expect is that this election is done with great respect, decorum, honour and decency. And it starts from the moment the application for a COE is submitted. This election must be clean and free from all the ugly accusations of a GE where all kinds of perceptions were present to discredit or cast doubt to the whole affair. The PEC and its three wise men have a very vital role to play to set the tone for the election of a President that is not tainted with political undertones.

High falutins in the Green Movement

Saving the world, go green, cut carbon emission etc etc are all barking up the wrong tree. The solution to prevent the destruction of gaia and human life is to stop the relentless and reckless consumption of food and natural resources. The wanton destruction and reproduction of goods to feed the mad consumption pattern of human beans that is growing and growing, is the biggest problem to saving mother earth.

High consumption is primarily the result of high population growth and longetivity. The secondary cause of high consumption is the commercially driven demands for material goods and the hurried production and manufacturing of goods that need not be. It looks extremely good in terms of feeding the economic growth formula but at the same time lighting the fuse to destroy life on earth.

High population growth must be stopped. Has the earth reached its capacity to sustain the 6/7 billion populations, or in its micro aspect, has Singapore reached a population size that it is going to be increasingly difficult to sustain.

The mad economists will tell you that with increased productivity the earth can feed and house more people, GM food, digging deeper for oil, using advanced technology to fish the oceans, just like this island can feed and house more people, maybe 20 million. What kind of life will it be?

Can the alternative of maintaining the present level of production but maintaining or reducing the population lead to a better quality of life, with more for lesser people? If every country is to adopt growth with uncontrolled growing population, the end is sure to come faster for everyone. Is higher income, higher growth, higher population, higher inflation, higher cost of living, and the depletion of the earth’s resources the way to go?

Changing trends in political persecution

JB Jeyaratnam, Tang Lian Hong, Chee Soon Juan, James Gomez are familiar names in the local political scene. They have many things in common, from being in the wrong camp, persecuted in the courts of law, for personal or political digressions etc etc. All were victims in the game of Predators and Preys. Three were bankrupts except for Gomez.

Their persecutors were tenacious, never letting go after the first bite. And they were on the run, desperately trying to fend off every attack but in vain. Once the process of the Predators and Preys game started, there was no where to hide, only how badly would they be mauled.

The last of such preys was Andrew Kuan, though he did not suffered as much, but the process was quite similar. It was like a pack of hyenas appearing from all corners in the the pursuit of their lonely victim. He was rudely dismissed and his aspiration to be a candidate for the Elected Presidency came to naught.

This game seems to have taken a different character after the last GE. On the wrong side were Tin Pei Ling, Foo Mei Har and Puthuchery. Could have been more but when the preys went into hiding the pursuit ended. The tenacity of the predators was not of the same degree and zeal. Not until the latest attack on President hopeful Tony Tan.

Tony Tan became the newest prey in the game. The attackers were different, not from any political party, but the anonymous masses in cyberspace. And the battle zone too is not the main media but the new media. The attacks came fast and furious, appearing to be concerted but not, more like spontaneous. There is no chance that Tony will end up in the courts of law, but he will face a different kind of justice that will not see him becoming a bankrupt.

Tony will appear in the people’s court of justice. It is the people, or some of the people, that are putting Tony on trial. It is not a personal vendetta or a feud. They have accused him of favouritism or abuse of authority in granting special exemptions for his son in National Service. Would this be proven or would Tony be found guilty by the people’s court? For the time being, they have screamed guilty.

Tony and his son have been defending furiously against the accusations. Both the media, new and old, were giving him space to present his case. The Ministry of Defence too issued statements to support his defence.
The interesting part will be the findings and judgement. In the people’s court, there will be no official findings or an official pronouncement. The rights and wrongs will be formed in the hearts and minds of the people. There will be just as many who will think he is guilty as those who will think he is not. One thing for sure, Tony will not be made a bankrupt and neither can the predators make any unreasonable claims of compensation from him.

The glaring difference of this game of Predators and Preys is that the victim now comes from the ‘right’ side as oppose to the ‘wrong’ side as in the past. No one will ever imagine that the elite could be put on trial and have to defend themselves to clear their names. They need not have to as it is not really a court of law. It is a kind of common law, a kind of natural justice, a prick on the conscience. The victim can totally ignore the persecution and dismiss the whole case without answering, and remain silence. The sore point is that keeping silence is no longer an option.

The rules of game have changed. The Predators and Preys have also changed. The political climate is set to be changed.

The dumb Arabs

The musical chairs of the Arabian Nights are being played and replayed over and over again. They were supposed to be ancient and wise civilizations. Somehow they never get over their colonial hangovers. They trusted their colonial masters more than themselves. They fight among themselves and ended as divided people and conquered by the West one by one.

After independence, they forgot about their colonial legacies and went sleeping with their former colonial masters. And they happily parked their wealth in Europe and America only to be confiscated or locked away when they fell out of favour with the Europeans or Americans. And whoosh, all their wealth here today gone tomorrow. And they never learnt.

Now the Brits just declared that they did not recognize the Gaddafi govt and all the monies now go to whichever rebel groups they are supporting. The Arabs are so pathetic. How are they to act as leaders of the Muslim world when they are in such a mess, and being made mince meat by the Westerners?

Would Asian and African countries learn any lessons from the Arabian fiasco and their sleeping with the Europeans and Americans. I think many Asian and African despots and dictators are still parking their ill gotten wealth in Europe and America only to be sorry one day when the loots were forfeited by their safe keepers.

A stroke of brilliance

Yesterday the SGX went on full time, no lunch break, to improve trading volume. And the result was immediate. During the one and a half hour of trading, without lunch break, it chalked up 100m shares traded. This, as reported, was an increase of 6.4% in volume.

I was dumbfounded. For all the years I spent in human resource management, the profession has been bugged by the difficulties in raising productivity. Money were spent to improve productivity throught mechanization and computerization. The catchphrase was to work smart and not work hard, to work intelligently and not slogging over long hours. And we did not achieve much.

Now I realized that we have missed the wood for the trees. The solution was so simplistic yet so brilliant, so effective. Just extend working hours man. And 100m shares were achieved in an additional one and a half hour of trading. Nevermind if the overall volume was down from 1.7b on Friday to 1.46b yesterday. The 240m shares lost can easily be recovered by increasing trading hours by another two hours.

This is a remarkable discovery of a management theory of great significance. I must write an article to the SHRI’s newsletter on how to raise productivity in the simplest way and cheapest way. If the ministers and their ministries were to work through lunch, gaining another one hour of working time, their productivity would increase accordingly. And if the no lunch break is extended across the country, across all industries, viola, the country would have a 6% increase in GDP. There is thus no need to increase the influx of foreign workers and foreign talents which would bring along high inflation, high property prices, high congestion and competition for space and air.

After 40 years of independence, I think Spring Singapore would not have thought of such a great concept. We have wasted all this time trying out all the dump ideas to improve productivity which obviously did not work. And the one that works, influx of foreigners, actually works on the same principle. Increase in workforce means increase in manhours working. This is the same as increasing the number of working hours, like no lunch break.

I think we will progress more rapidly if everyone simply works longer hours. We will progress, from First World to the Third World.

Investigative journalism taking on new meaning

Investigative journalism is the pride of the journalistic world. To be able to fish out information of public interest that are hard to come by must be the aspiration of all great journalists who want to make a name for themselves.

Investigative journalism is taking on a new form, investigating news by the citizens and not by the professional journalists. And their reach is far wider and deeper than the professional journalists. Citizens are up in arms, with the power and tool of the internet, to make their own investigation and contribution to put to print, newsworthy news that are somehow not printable or not available in the main media.

The internet has made possible the availability of news, with no fear or discrimination, to the people. In this area, especially in countries when news are controlled and managed, investigative journalism by the people, a kind of people’s power, is taking shape. The pen is mightier than the sword. Today it is the key pad that is mightier than the pen.

The main media will now have a worthy successor to their once privilege position of telling news the way they want it. The internet will tell the news the way it wants it, in a freedom that has never been experienced before. The internet is going to be the new champion of news and information. The main media will become dinosaurs if they cannot stand up to this challenge, of reporting news that is newsworthy. Both sides can now report selectively, news that each deemed is news. The readers will have a better choice of news to read, of media to look for the news they want to know and to read.

Every citizen can now write their own news, to call his news, 'My News.'

The Americans should have learnt from us

The US could have avoided the subprime crisis if they were willing to learn from us. In fact they would have become a much richer nation if they were to implement the same immigration policies as ours. They would have their property prices shooting to the sky and benefit all their property owners who would then be able to sell them at enormous profits to the new immigrants. All they need to do is to let in 10 or 20 million new immigrants who would then need to buy up the properties to stay. And if they are more aggressive, they could let in a 100m, and the US will be boom town Charlie. All the original Americans will be laughing to the banks by just selling their properties or looking at their market values.

It is a sure win formula. Dumb Americans. They could have turned a crisis into a great opportunity. And to think that they have been coming here to get good advice or words of wisdom. I think they never bother to listen when they were here, just pretend to listen but not letting anything to get into them.