7/25/2012
When Minister turns ordinary citizen
After the last GE three ministers turned into ordinary citizens. They left politics and live a more carefree life as one among the millions. No more trappings of power and attention. A few ministers have stepped down but either remained in politics or staying in the inner circle of power brokers and still walk the corridor of power. To them, nothing really changes. Even for the ministers that have left politics, not much has changed. The umbrella of political power is still providing the needed shade and comfort wherever they go. What would life be if the umbrella is no longer there?
2016 looks ominously uncertain. Would the umbrella be folded and replace by a new one? The likelihood of the current political umbrella being removed or changed cannot be ruled out no matter how secure things look now. In a worst case scenario, the umbrella could be changed and many ministers would join the men in the street or civvy street. And without the coverage of the old umbrella, life is not going to be the same again. No more invitation, no more attention, no more large entourage, no one listening to what they talk or what they talk no longer matters. And the 30 titles and appointments will be lapsed. No invitation to be chairman or directors here and there.
Sinkies are being exhorted to prepare for retirement, to integrate with foreigners, accept a life with high cost of living and high cost of everything, to prepare to become hawkers as a new opportunity in life. The ministers who would join the civvy street need not bother with such issues. They are all very well prepared financially to live a life rich in abundance. What they would miss would be the attention and the sense of being important, being in the thick of things, being waited wherever they go. No one will be waiting for them when that day comes except their closed ones and friends.
Are the ministers prepared for such a change, when everyone in the street and their neighbours will regard them just as another ordinary citizen, just another Sinkie? This is no small change. Would they need psychiatric counselling to prepare them for the new life of being ordinary citizens? It is not easy to adapt to a situation when people will disagree with them openly without deference or decorum, or even ridicule or vilify them straight in the face. It can be quite dramatic and traumatic in the new situation, without the power halo over their heads.
Reading at some of the snippets in Chok Tong’s facebook, things can be rough down the road without the umbrella. Talking cock and craps would no longer be tolerated. Hope they will be strong and none would morph into lunatics at the fringes should that day becomes a reality.
7/24/2012
US and the West plan to attack Syria
USA accusation of Syria's chemical weapons is a clear signal that the desperate West and US intend to use it as a pretext and preamble to attack Syria and to carry out regime change. Obama is being used by warmongering white masters to sound the alarm.
Obama don't be too swell headed of being the first nigger to be president of the Evil Empire, USA. You are being used by white men as a psychological factor to win allies in the Third World or developing countries to serve the interest and agenda of US and the West. You had received the Nobel War Price, so you feel obliged to do the bidding of the evil white men. We know as a black prfesident you have no real power, for you have toe serve your white masters in Congress, the Senate and your war criminal masters and overlords in CIA and the Pentagon. You have tried to outdo the previous white presidents in carrying out brutal wars of aggression against Third World countries You are being used by the Evil Empire, USA to sow discord , suspicion and dissension among Asian and African nations and in stirring up China's neighbours to go against China with a view to eventually holding hegemony over them so as to dominate and control them in all spheres of life via territorial, political, finance and economy. You are denigrating yourself in serving as an agent of white men to destabilise and destroy Third World countries and in carrying out regime change of countries which do not accept US dictates you have not only betrayed them but have also grossly and unjustly trampled on their self-respect and dignity.
You are a hypocrite and you have no right whatsoever to accuse Syria or other countries of having chemical weapons when your Evil Empire , US has the world's greatest stock pile not only of chemicals but also tens of thousands of nuclear weapons. In any case the world knows that your false accusation of Syria is only a pretext and a preamble to eventually attacking Syria and carrying out regime change. Heaven is watching and it will not allow that to happen.
As a black president you should take the opportunity to right all the wrongs done by white to black men over the last few hundred years whereby millions of black African slaves were thrown overboard into the Atlantic Ocean or died under the most miserable conditions in America under their cruel white masters. The souls of these dead black men are crying out loud for revenge.
Obama shame on you for supporting white men's agenda of destabilising and destroying the whole of the Middle East and North Africa with a view to dominate and control the vast rich mineral and oil resources of the Arab world. The sins of the Arabs is that they are lazy, weak and disunited and thus fall easy prey to white men's manipulation and evil design.
We know all the uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa are the results of the wanton West and US in using outside mercenaries and paid proUSA terrorists in creating trouble and starting proxy wars on behalf of US and the West.
Obama, you and your evil US will receive retribution for all the evils and sufferings you have done to poor Third World developing countries.
Obama don't be too swell headed of being the first nigger to be president of the Evil Empire, USA. You are being used by white men as a psychological factor to win allies in the Third World or developing countries to serve the interest and agenda of US and the West. You had received the Nobel War Price, so you feel obliged to do the bidding of the evil white men. We know as a black prfesident you have no real power, for you have toe serve your white masters in Congress, the Senate and your war criminal masters and overlords in CIA and the Pentagon. You have tried to outdo the previous white presidents in carrying out brutal wars of aggression against Third World countries You are being used by the Evil Empire, USA to sow discord , suspicion and dissension among Asian and African nations and in stirring up China's neighbours to go against China with a view to eventually holding hegemony over them so as to dominate and control them in all spheres of life via territorial, political, finance and economy. You are denigrating yourself in serving as an agent of white men to destabilise and destroy Third World countries and in carrying out regime change of countries which do not accept US dictates you have not only betrayed them but have also grossly and unjustly trampled on their self-respect and dignity.
You are a hypocrite and you have no right whatsoever to accuse Syria or other countries of having chemical weapons when your Evil Empire , US has the world's greatest stock pile not only of chemicals but also tens of thousands of nuclear weapons. In any case the world knows that your false accusation of Syria is only a pretext and a preamble to eventually attacking Syria and carrying out regime change. Heaven is watching and it will not allow that to happen.
As a black president you should take the opportunity to right all the wrongs done by white to black men over the last few hundred years whereby millions of black African slaves were thrown overboard into the Atlantic Ocean or died under the most miserable conditions in America under their cruel white masters. The souls of these dead black men are crying out loud for revenge.
Obama shame on you for supporting white men's agenda of destabilising and destroying the whole of the Middle East and North Africa with a view to dominate and control the vast rich mineral and oil resources of the Arab world. The sins of the Arabs is that they are lazy, weak and disunited and thus fall easy prey to white men's manipulation and evil design.
We know all the uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa are the results of the wanton West and US in using outside mercenaries and paid proUSA terrorists in creating trouble and starting proxy wars on behalf of US and the West.
Obama, you and your evil US will receive retribution for all the evils and sufferings you have done to poor Third World developing countries.
Born in Singapore
Born in Singapore is going to make a difference as we become a nation of Singaporeans plus foreigners. In the early years of nation building, when the bulk of the population was of migrant stocks, being a migrant or a citizen did not matter much. Citizenship was a fairly new concept as the island was established as a colony of the British Empire. The locals were not really citizens as we knew it today, but subjects of an Empire, a foreign overlord who treated the subjects as lesser beans than their citizens.
The immigrant mentality must change as we progress. We started off as nobody and the island was like no owners but temporarily occupied by the usurpers, the colonial masters. Since given independence by Malaysia, a lot of sacrifices had been made to make this island what it is today by the pioneers who paid a heavy price in the building of a country but did not really benefitted from it. The only people deserving to benefit from the sacrifices of our forefathers must be their descendants, their children as a part of them.
Born in Singapore, Made in Singapore, must be the legitimate trademark for ownership of the island. The island did not become what it is today by accident. It is acceptable and generous for the children of the founding fathers of the island to share the wealth and inheritance with some newcomers if they are willing to. It is foolish of anyone to think that this inheritance should be given away freely to anyone. Only reckless prodigal sons will squander their inheritance away without any inkling of how hard it was down this road. It was covered with blood, sweat and tears of our forefathers. Perhaps the layering of fine material have covered and removed all traces of the past, the smell and marks of old. But look carefully, they are still there. And be thankful for what the forefathers have done for what we have today. It is sinful and irresponsible to throw them away to benefit new migrants at the expense of the descendants of the original nation building. It is not graciousness but sheer stupidity to do so.
Born in Singapore is not the same as Printed in Singapore. The more mature countries like the USA also have special provisions in their constitution to guard the privileges of local born citizens. The President of the USA must be born in America. The local born in the island since 1965 should be in their 40s. There are enough local borns to take over the country from here onwards. It is time to consider amending the constitution to protect the local borns from losing their privileges to the foreign borns and new citizens.
We are a nation with our very own people. The Born In Singapore are not migrants. This is what a country and a nation are all about. It is not a hotel, and hotel guests must not be allowed to usurp the wealth and privileges of the real owners of the country. Those thoughtless people who think of nothing about giving the rights of ownership of the island to any Tom, Dick and Harry should be prepared to give their own properties away first, share their private wealth with foreigners if they think it is ok to give the country away to foreigners. Bet you none of them would want to give away anything that belongs to them simply because it belongs to them, they own them. Why then would anyone think of given the country away so freely? Do they not own the country too?
Or they have plans to leave when everything has been given away and the place no longer pleasant to live in? Hopefully this is not in the thinking. The Born In Singapore must exert their rights to protect their interests in the country built and willed to them by their forefathers’ hands before it ended up as someone else property. This island belongs to those Born In Singapore. But if they are so careless and callous, they could lose it or share it with people that came along without contributing to it.
Do not become a prodigal son and lose your inheritance. Do not be deceived into giving everything away as if they don’t belong to you. As Born In Singapore, this island is yours. Anyone thinking of giving it away needs your permission to do so. This is your inheritance.
The fearsome tag
Many must have remembered the Yellow Ribbon advert of an ex convict talking to a little girl and the fear it sent to the viewers that he was up to something no good. With his tattoo and appearance, the impression was bad, but it turned out that he was the girl’s daddy.
An artistic person performing a cultural dance would often be well appreciated by the audience especially if the dancer was a high profile professional from another field. Wow, the doctor is such a great dancer, or the minister or the CEO of a big corporation being carried on a well decorated sedan chair. There is nothing creepy about that. This is likely to be the reaction in normal circumstances.
The impression will be coloured, tainted, biased, if one wears a tag, especially a tag bordering on insanity. Once a tag is being pinned on a person, anything the targeted person does will be seen through that lens no matter if the case is proven. Any trait or behaviour that fits the looney category could be seen as confirmation that the tag is true.
M Ravi has just been accused of bi polar disorder or unusual behavior. Not proven yet. Now he went to Hong Lim to perform a dance in public. This is immediately seen as weird, that he is really what he was accused of. And the media is picking this point up. Wow, Ravi’s behavior is strange indeed.
Why is this so? Why is it that the commentators were not seeing the good side of Ravi, his other talents, that he could dance a classical Indian dance? And that was what he did.
Now this performance would likely be used by his opponents as evidence to prove their case, that Ravi is really a nut case. The tag is very powerful and destructive. It made the up the mind for many unthinking and innocent onlookers. All it needs is to plant the idea and all actions will be seen through that tinted glass, to confirm or to dismiss it. In this case, the dance performance is likely to be taken negatively against Ravi.
The door of IMH is open and waiting. How is Ravi going to get out of this snare? How many psychiatrists will be called upon to prove that Ravi is indeed of unsound mind? How many would be called to defend him, to prove that he is just another normal person with different talents and temperaments? And not dangerous, and be fit to work as a lawyer in his professional capacity.
Or would Ravi even get a chance to defend himself before the light goes out on him?
7/23/2012
Bachelor of Science(Hawking)
If
Vivian Balakrishnan has his way, would a new degree course be offered by the
universities, Bachelor of Science(Hawking)? Hawking is now so lucrative with so
many millionaires in their midst that the profession is getting more
respectable, or at least the hawkers are gaining more dignity with their
million dollar income. When there is money, there will be people willing to do
it.
For
the moment, hawkers are seen as those who sweat it out in their cooking stalls
selling food in hawker centres or food courts, an upgraded version. In the
latter, the hawkers no longer rolled up their sweaty singlets to their chests
but put on nice uniforms. Many who are good could end up as chef or owners of
upmarket restaurants.
It
is a good idea, definitely, to encourage the young to become hawkers. And to
make it more respectable, a Bachelor of Science degree, like domestic science,
will go a long way. In the not too distant future, parents will be bragging
about my son, the hawker, and being driven around in Mercedes Benzes. What is
the point of a general arts degree or science degree and ended as a sales
representative, an office administrator and earning a lousy salary? Go where
the money is. Money smells good, better, when cooked. Now, this is creativity,
thinking out of the box.
I
rather be a minister politician.
The new million dollar politician mindset
It is your problem and you are to solve it. The govt is
there only to facilitate you in finding your own answers. It is not the
responsibility of the govt to come up with solutions. It is okay for the govt
to create the problems no matter how much you opposed them. The govt is there
to do what the govt thing is right and any problem arising…it is the people’s
problem and the people have to solve it.
Imagine this is the new mindset of the politicians, after
being paid in multi millions annually, do not have to be responsible for
providing solutions and even can go on creating more problems.
If this the new mindset of the million dollar politicians.
Imagine if this is not a joke but for real? Imagine if a minister actually said
that it is not the job of the govt to provide the answers but for the people to
come up with the answers?
What about the strategy of creating problems that offered
solutions like COE to solve traffic congestion, housing subsidies to solve high
property prices, Medishield to solve ever increasing medical cost, more
training to help retrenched workers? Or more integration activities to solve
new and old citizen tension, or more salary increases to solve corruption
problem?
But nothing beats asking the people to provide the answers
to all the problems created by dunno who.
7/22/2012
The Ravi Incident – Another twist
The story so far, Dr Calvin Fones and lawyer Wong Siew Hong have been perceived as the villains of this case, out to do M Ravi in. Every one in favour of Ravi seems to think so. The psychiatrist is seen to have breached his professional code to disclose Ravi’s medical report to the Law Society without Ravi’s consent. Ravi claimed to have seen him for 10 mins on his stress problem and Fones offered to write him a MC but turned down by Ravi who did not feel the need for it. Still a medical report was submitted to the Law Society.
In Wong’s case, it was his barging into the High Court on two occasions in a single day, without ‘any locus to be there’, that were raising eyebrows. His strange actions could be seen as contempt of court and was duly told off by the judges. While everyone thought he acted in the capacity of the Law Society but with the Society claiming not so, it is now a case of acting on his own, on his own volition. This is hair raising.
Apparently both are not on Ravi’s side. However, Uncle Yap in his latest video tape has clarified that Fones was actually on their side, a friend of Uncle Yap and has been helping the WP and Ravi all the while. This would now cast more questions as to why he wrote the medical report which Ravi did not asked for. This point was clarified in the media in that he was asked by Wong to write the report for him on Monday morning, 16 Jul. Thus he did not write any report until told to do so by Wong.
According to Uncle Yap, Fones was required under some terms as Ravi’s doctor to submit report to the LSS. On this point he is cleared. As to who disclosed the confidential report, it is also clear that Wong brought it to the court. Would this constitute a disclosure or a public disclosure and a breach of confidentially? Or was it K Jeyaratnam as there were some comments that he was the one and retracted it later.
If Fones was on Ravi’s side, I think Ravi did not sue him, then he is being dragged into the shit hole by someone to discredit him. If he is not on Ravi’s side, he is also being dragged into the shit hole just the same. Either or, he is dead meat.
What is puzzling is that Fones, other than the very damaging report that Ravi is unfit to practise as a lawyer, he was attributed to have said that the Mental Health Act may have to be imposed to lock Ravi in IMH. This threat is not a friendly one and if he is on Ravi’s side it was unnecessary for him to mention that. Or did someone put the words in his mouth on this?
Though Ravi did not sue him, he still filed a complaint to the Singapore Medical Association against Fones. This did not necessary mean that Ravi is pulling Fones down. It could the necessary step to initiate a hearing to allow the truth to be aired in an official inquiry. Where does Fones really stand, a neutral professional, or on the side of either party?
Lawyer Wong’s case is clearer I think. And that is why the LSS is also distancing itself from him though LSS agreed with his civic minded act as reported. Both Wong and the LSS are being sued by Ravi.
The truth and apparent truth are still very patchy and more twists and turns are likely to surface and no one can presume who is the devil or real devil at this point in time.
7/21/2012
Michael J
I have copied the UOB painting of the year 2012 by Esmond Loh. I think Esmond done a great job.
When I have done my finishing touch to this photo I was in a state of confusion. It did look like the King of Pop and also the King of Rock. The costume could fit any one of them. My mind kept swinging from KOP to KOR. One moment it looked more like one and the next moment it looked like the other. Quite exasperating.
I sat back to take a long stare at the photo. Then a voice screamed out. 'Look, it's Michael! I am Michael! Look carefully at my nose and my complexion. It is all written on my face.'
I stood up and took a second look. Oh God, it was Michael alright. And Michael it is and Michael it shall be. It reminded me of Thriller.
Remove the plastic and cosmetics, I am still who I am.
The thugs have another weapon
The
thugs used to threaten people with lawsuits. They will engage the best lawyers
to sue anyone who crossed their paths. This reminded me of a lawyer who spoke
at a dinner telling the guests he was a gangster and threatened that anyone who
crossed his path would be finished. I thought it was a dinner of a registered
society but I kept feeling that I was in a triad meeting or a dinner for
gangsters. Anyway, it just showed how powerful the legal fraternity can be in
the wrong hands or in the hands of gangsters.
Getting
sued by the gangsters with the best lawyers is quite common even when one was
right as the NKF case had proven. Those who have the financial muscles would
use it to buy lawyers and used the courts as their executioner if the poor
buggers could not buy a better lawyer to defend himself.
Now
the new thing is to use a psychiatrist to put people in mental hospitals. This
one is a bit trickier as the victim must be dumb or be tricked into seeing a
psychiatrist in the first place. And once there, anything can happen if the
psychiatrist is one without ethics or principles and would violate his code of
practice for the money. Of course most of the psychiatrists are professional
and respectable people and are safe to deal with. All it needs is a couple of
rogues and an unwary patient could turn victim to the gangsters.
So
be very frighten when your friends, good or very good friends, advise you to
see a psychiatrist. This is a new tool that can be abused in the wrong hands. The
gangsters have found another way to get at their enemies.
7/20/2012
Dunno what to say
Trying asking anyone about the Ravi Incident in court, ‘What do you think?’
A doctor’s reply, ‘Dunno what to say.’
A psychiatrist, ‘Dunno what to say.’
Go ask a lawyer, also same answer, ‘Dunno what to say.’
Ask a senior politician, the answer, ‘What do you think?’
Ask a junior politician, the answer, ‘Dunno what to say.’
The criminals in the finance and banking system
Betting derivatives and conducting proprietary trading or gambling.
Below are three short paragraphs that could really summarized the shit situation JP Morgan is in as well as many to big to fail bank and sovereign wealth funds. The first is about derivatives and how this monster has grown to a size that could destroy not only the biggest banks but also taking down the global finance and banking system with it.
Simply, ‘A derivative buys you the option (but not obligation) to buy oil in 6 months for today's price/any agreed price, hoping that oil will cost more in future. (I'll bet you it'll cost more in 6 months). Derivative can also be used as insurance, betting that a loan will or won't default before a given date. So its a big betting system, like a Casino, but instead of betting on cards and roulette, you bet on future values and performance of practically anything that holds value. The system is not regulated what-so-ever, and you can buy a derivative on an existing derivative. ….no economist in the world knows exactly how the derivative money flows or how the system works, while derivatives are traded in microseconds by computers, we really don't know what will trigger the crash, or when it will happen, but considering the global financial crisis this system is in for tough….the 9 largest ‘American and European’ banks hold a total of $228.72 trillion in Derivatives - Approximately 3 times the entire world economy. No government in world has money for this bailout.’ These paragraphs are copied from Democracy.info
When banks are indulging in such huge bets, they need to cover their backsides through hedging, betting against a loss position.
‘A JP Morgan trader, Bruno Iksil, has been accumulating a giant bet on U.S. corporate bonds. He used derivatives to do it, and he messed up the bet and lost $2 billion for the bank. He could end up losing $1 billion more if the market doesn't cooperate.’ According to Market Place Easy Street blog.
To add into the mess, banks used to be conservative but could not resist the big money that traders were making. They too want a piece of action for themselves. How else would they be able to make the kind of crazy profits to pay the kind of crazy money to their top management and traders? The big salary must be foot by some operations, and they went for proprietary trading, ie trading themselves with the bank’s or clients’ money. The more they traded, the more hedging they needed and the more derivatives would be written. And they ended up with a mountain of debt, swaps, derivatives and betting slips that they probably did not know what was happening and any small changes in a position could end up in huge losses.
To summarise, fraudulent banking practices were allowed to go on, deregulation allowed the banks and their traders to do as they pleased with the regulators just as blurred as to what was going on. The regulators just lapped it up on whatever information the banks and their traders told them, if they were not in cahoot. When they said everything was in order, under control, the regulators could not be more happy even if it was a big white lie. How could the regulators allow the derivative transactions to balloon to US$228 trillion? Imagine the risk involved and the amount of losses should anything goes wrong? Do they have any clue what is happening? They don’t even have any clue about banks rigging Libors!
And they allowed the presumably smarter banks and traders write bets on anything, and they have not the slightest clue of what they were. And when pushed to allow the banks to trade their own money, even against their clients’ position, the regulators were as good as raising the white flag. Let them do whatever they want, just don’t create a mess, as they were lost in the maze of financial instruments and betting slips. The banks were addicted to gambling as they need to pay their robbers at the top with millions per head and hundreds of millions annually. No amount of loans officers and tellers could make this kind of money to pay these turkeys. Only gambling in derivatives could feed their appetite.
And all it needs is a little trigger and for a bank to surrender when it is no longer able to conceal its losses and cooking of the books, everything is going to come down very quickly. All the façade of well ran, well managed sophisticated systems and instruments by the best brains from Harvard and other Ivy League universities was only a great deception with each rogue bank or trader trying to disguise their excesses for as long as they could, and to demand as high a compensation package, plus an equally atrocious severance package. These turkeys cannot lose. Only the clients of the banks and the general taxpayers that would eventually have to foot the bill.
Below are three short paragraphs that could really summarized the shit situation JP Morgan is in as well as many to big to fail bank and sovereign wealth funds. The first is about derivatives and how this monster has grown to a size that could destroy not only the biggest banks but also taking down the global finance and banking system with it.
Simply, ‘A derivative buys you the option (but not obligation) to buy oil in 6 months for today's price/any agreed price, hoping that oil will cost more in future. (I'll bet you it'll cost more in 6 months). Derivative can also be used as insurance, betting that a loan will or won't default before a given date. So its a big betting system, like a Casino, but instead of betting on cards and roulette, you bet on future values and performance of practically anything that holds value. The system is not regulated what-so-ever, and you can buy a derivative on an existing derivative. ….no economist in the world knows exactly how the derivative money flows or how the system works, while derivatives are traded in microseconds by computers, we really don't know what will trigger the crash, or when it will happen, but considering the global financial crisis this system is in for tough….the 9 largest ‘American and European’ banks hold a total of $228.72 trillion in Derivatives - Approximately 3 times the entire world economy. No government in world has money for this bailout.’ These paragraphs are copied from Democracy.info
When banks are indulging in such huge bets, they need to cover their backsides through hedging, betting against a loss position.
‘A JP Morgan trader, Bruno Iksil, has been accumulating a giant bet on U.S. corporate bonds. He used derivatives to do it, and he messed up the bet and lost $2 billion for the bank. He could end up losing $1 billion more if the market doesn't cooperate.’ According to Market Place Easy Street blog.
To add into the mess, banks used to be conservative but could not resist the big money that traders were making. They too want a piece of action for themselves. How else would they be able to make the kind of crazy profits to pay the kind of crazy money to their top management and traders? The big salary must be foot by some operations, and they went for proprietary trading, ie trading themselves with the bank’s or clients’ money. The more they traded, the more hedging they needed and the more derivatives would be written. And they ended up with a mountain of debt, swaps, derivatives and betting slips that they probably did not know what was happening and any small changes in a position could end up in huge losses.
To summarise, fraudulent banking practices were allowed to go on, deregulation allowed the banks and their traders to do as they pleased with the regulators just as blurred as to what was going on. The regulators just lapped it up on whatever information the banks and their traders told them, if they were not in cahoot. When they said everything was in order, under control, the regulators could not be more happy even if it was a big white lie. How could the regulators allow the derivative transactions to balloon to US$228 trillion? Imagine the risk involved and the amount of losses should anything goes wrong? Do they have any clue what is happening? They don’t even have any clue about banks rigging Libors!
And they allowed the presumably smarter banks and traders write bets on anything, and they have not the slightest clue of what they were. And when pushed to allow the banks to trade their own money, even against their clients’ position, the regulators were as good as raising the white flag. Let them do whatever they want, just don’t create a mess, as they were lost in the maze of financial instruments and betting slips. The banks were addicted to gambling as they need to pay their robbers at the top with millions per head and hundreds of millions annually. No amount of loans officers and tellers could make this kind of money to pay these turkeys. Only gambling in derivatives could feed their appetite.
And all it needs is a little trigger and for a bank to surrender when it is no longer able to conceal its losses and cooking of the books, everything is going to come down very quickly. All the façade of well ran, well managed sophisticated systems and instruments by the best brains from Harvard and other Ivy League universities was only a great deception with each rogue bank or trader trying to disguise their excesses for as long as they could, and to demand as high a compensation package, plus an equally atrocious severance package. These turkeys cannot lose. Only the clients of the banks and the general taxpayers that would eventually have to foot the bill.
The colonisation of Africa
When the Europeans landed in Africa, they brought their guns and started to rob, loot and kill. They did that to India and Asean countries as well. They enslaved a continent of Africans and hunted down the men and women like animals to be bought and sold as slaves. 20 million Africans were turned into slaves in the US for 200 years under the western colonial slavery practice. They provided free labour and amusement to make the US what it is today. The continent of Africa was owned by the Europeans, including its inhabitants which became subjects of their various empires and all the resources. Subject is a more polite word than slaves.
After robbing and raping the Africans dry, the Africans picked themselves up through nationalistic uprising and independence movements. Today the nations of Africa are independent nations governed by Africans and charting their own future and developments. They traded with countries of the world on equal basis, no more master and slave relationship. No more one sided agreements.
China has been in Africa for the last 60 years, trading on equal terms with them, from the time when China was still a very poor and weak nation to what it is today. The profit of China is being reinvested in the African countries through generous loans. Yesterday, China announced another loan package of US$20b which is twice the amount given in the last three years. 59 African nations are now in China in a trade conference. No slaves were taken. No African country was looted.
Despite the good relations between China and Africa, the western agents and some unthinking Sinkie thick heads have been spreading misinformation about China in Africa. They are spreading the mischievous message that China is recolonising Africa as if the Africans were as weak and daft as their forefathers under western rule. Such disinformation will continue subtlely to undermine the unwary and the unthinking that China is indeed colonizing Africa. They are planting ideas into the heads of daft Sinkies, telling them how and what to think. The western agents have an interest to sabo the Chinese economic activities everywhere. Why would daft Sinkies do the same job for the West? Every trade deal that the African countries signed with China is on a par basis, both parties studying their terms and agreeing to them, unlike in the past when the Europeans went there with a gun pointing at the heads of the African leaders.
What colonizing shit are these provocateurs talking about?
Sons of laundrymen and cooks making it in USA
The Chinks or Chinese were once discriminated, marginalized and oppressed by the racist European Americans in the early years of the American history. They have laws that forbade Chinaman from the more respectable professions and degraded them to just railroad coolies, laundrymen and cooks. And for centuries the westerns have been rubbishing the Chinaman as good for nothing drags of the human race, untalented, no creativity, and plain stupid, through this racist exclusion. The laundryman tag resurfaced recently in a brawl when a racist Brit used it to insult a local Chinese of the same stock as the Chinky laundrymen and cooks.
The discrimination of Chinaman was nationwide and across the western world, and Chinaman was treated as a good for nothing breed by the West. Even the unthinking Africans and Asians look down on the Chinaman till today. They share the same perception painted by the West that Chinaman are useless, brainless, good for nothing, invented nothing, uncouth ruffians and peasants. Only the civilized descendants of the Chinaman in Sinkieland are different, or they thought they are different. They regarded themselves as a different breed, that they are as polished, cultured and sophisticated as the westerners, speaking western tongues.
Today, a Chinaman by the name of Donald Tan, actually an eminent ophthalmologist, a Singaporean, has been appointed as head of the renowned Cornea Society in the USA. This is the kind of recognition that is rare even today. Prof Tan is at the forefront of cornea transplant technology and has developed many procedures and instruments that were used world wide and named after him. Among his contributions are the DALK(Deep Anterior Lamellar Keratoplasty) Tan Scissors and a procedure called Tan Endoglide.
If Donald Tan would have been born in those ugly racist American days, (today many descendents of Chinaman are conducting leading edge research and technologies in the US today), they would probably end up as laundry boys or cooks. And they will be very familiar with laundry tags on the clothes of their European customers.
The world has changed so much and the laundryman and cook tags are starting to fall off. But Chinks are still Chinks. The difference is whether they are PRC Chinks or Sinkie Chinks. No matter what designer suits they put on or what famous pubs or bars they patronized, or what European company they keep, unless they are as good as Professor Donald Tan, behind their backs they would still be called Chinks. It is not funny to read in the blogs that Sinkie Chinks are spitting at PRC Chinks.
7/19/2012
Celebrating Singaporean - Judge Philip Pillai
It is not often that I praise anyone in public or any public officer. The way Judge Philip Pillai conducted himself is highly professional and highly respectable. He knows his job, his rights and what is within his jurisdiction. By upholding the dignity and integrity of his office, he commands great respect from everyone, and I think even his enemies will respect him, for upholding justice and principles.
He has lifted the judiciary a notch higher in the international arena. And everyone in the judiciary and the legal profession, including Singapore as a country, has Judge Pillai to thank for.
Judge Pillai is the epitome of what a civil servant shall strive to become, and be respected in an honorable way. Be truthful and professional in the execution of your duty and responsibility, without fear or favour. This is the only way to command respect and bring a good name to the profession and to oneself and to one's country.
Anyone who compromises his professional integrity will live to regret it later and no amount of money can make it look right again.
He has lifted the judiciary a notch higher in the international arena. And everyone in the judiciary and the legal profession, including Singapore as a country, has Judge Pillai to thank for.
Judge Pillai is the epitome of what a civil servant shall strive to become, and be respected in an honorable way. Be truthful and professional in the execution of your duty and responsibility, without fear or favour. This is the only way to command respect and bring a good name to the profession and to oneself and to one's country.
Anyone who compromises his professional integrity will live to regret it later and no amount of money can make it look right again.
A day of mourning
I dunno why. I feel like today is a day for mourning. I feel that something went drastically wrong over the last few days but I just could not put my fingers on it. It is just something out there that is stifling, frightening, shameful and disgusting.
Let me meditate over it. For those who should feel shameful or shameless, please repent.
Those who can feel it may want to wear black to mark this day. The sun is so bright but the feeling is so dark.
M Ravi is so lucky
Lawyer M Ravi must count himself lucky to be in a first world city state that operates under the rule of law. In such an environment he has all the instruments of the state and law to protect him from being put into a mental institution for good and never see daylight again. We have an incorruptible govt that respects the constitution and the law, a highly regarded judiciary with upright judges, a law society made up of professional and learned men and women, and a medical profession that is beyond any ill repute. And we can count on whistle blowers and civic minded individuals that would stand up to tell the truth if anything is wrong.
Put it in another way, if Ravi is living in a communist country, or a dictatorial regime, or in the USA, he must be very wary of his personal well being and freedom. They could easily asked a stooge, like a psychiatrist to diagnose him as mad and get a lawyer to file a charge against him, then the judge will receive a phone call and know exactly what to do. The next thing is that he will be escorted by the secret police in an unmarked car and dumped into a mental institution which is really another kind of prison. Once in there, the doctors will inject into him all kinds of drugs to make him delusionary, videotaped his behavior while in a hallucinated state and publish in the media as proof that he is mad when he is really not. And that will be the last time the citizens hear of him. He will be obliterated from the pages of history.
Back to our civilized first world country, we know that such things would not happen to Ravi. The lawyers and Law Society will be there to assist and protect him in case there are funny charges leveled at him. The Medical Society will have many eminent psychiatrists to challenge any wild diagnosis raised against him. He will have the opportunity to call for a second opinion from a more renowned psychiatrist with better reputation. And he will be given a fair trial in courts when justice will be duly carried out.
Ravi is safe here. Thank God we have such a wonderful rule of law system in place and the citizens can feel so secure, unlike those communist and dictatorial regimes, or even the USA.
7/18/2012
Learning investigative journalism from social media reporters
TNP reporter tries to track down NParks brompton bike whistleblower
Hardwarezone Forum, 18 Jul 2012
This is abit irritating. The story is not about me, that why i tell them to focus on the actual story instead. EXTRA CSI Attempt -nParks Brompton procurement process ended up with a dodgy winning bidder? [Extra]
Also, i were got so stupid... give them everything now, then next time how i going to continue do any future undercover CSI works to expose other sagas and keep check on the authorities?
Hi Singaporean1st,
I'm Benson Ang, a reporter from The New Paper. I'm contacting you because of your post about the Brompton bike issue. I must say that you have done a lot of research about the matter, which is quite impressive.
I'm the reporter who wrote the initial article about NParks' purchase, and am writing an follow-up article based on the details shared in your post, alleging there was bias in the purchase.
Some of the questions I would like to ask you are:
1. How long did it take to do research on Mr Bernard Lim, BikeHop and Mr Woon Tianwen?
2. What is your motivation to do such research? What do you hope your research will achieve?
3. Are you friends with any of the parties? Are you involved in the cycling community in Singapore?
The above is part of an article posted in Singapore News Alternative but originated from Hardwarezone. This is another evident that social media reporters are getting more recognition from their main media counterparts in investigative journalism. The ability and skills of the writer is receiving admiration from both social and main media and everyone who wants to learn investigative journalism can take a few notes from him.
Exemplary conduct of civic minded citizens
The ST has a pretty good summary of the events leading to lawyer Wong Siew Hong turning up in court to make a representation to the judges while the courts were in session. For a lawyer representing the Law Society to do such a thing is unprecedented and he must have found the matter of grave importance to do it. This is an act that could get him charged for contempt of court. But he is a very brave man, acting without fear or favour, even at risk of offending the judge in a court session.
What happened was that two public spirited professionals, a consultant psychiatrist and a practicing lawyer representing the Law Society, who found something so serious that they must quickly act on it to prevent whatever they thought would happen that could be very bad. This kind of conviction and dedication to walk that extra mile, doing something beyond the call of duty, is truly commendable and the two deserved to be given a medal for civic consciousness, acting for the good of country and people. They acted on their own accord and professionalism, without consulting anyone as it was a weekend. It was like a tsunami approaching and any delay could be a life threatening situation.
On Sat, lawyer M Ravi was examined by psychiatrist Calvin Fones. On Sunday, the police received a report around 8am that someone was causing a disturbance at the Sri Mariamman Temple and the person was Ravi. It was also reported that Calvin Fones alerted Wong Siew Hong who was overseas. When and why he alerted Wong was not stated. Was it because of his examination of Ravi on Sat or was it because of the disturbance at the temple that he came to know about was not clear.
On Mon at 9am, Wong was back in Singapore and called Fones to prepare a letter. He also said he had alerted the Law Society Secretariat and was going to the High Court. There he informed State Counsel David Chong and Ravi that ‘he wishes to get the court to stand down and to inform the judge about the letter in chambers.’ Wong got the letter at 10.45am and entered the court room while hearing was in progress. Judge Pillai did not allow him interrupt the proceedings. After the hearing the two were called into the judge’s chamber and Wong presented the letter. He admitted that there was no precedence of such nature and the judge ruled that as long as Ravi still had a practicing certificate he could continue to represent his client.
Later, not sure what time, Wong went to another court to present his letter again. Justice Quentin Loh too ruled that Ravi could continue to represent his clients.
The event showed how persistent and dedicated was Wong in what he was doing which he must have viewed as of utmost urgency and importance to the good practices of law in the country. The Law Society has also made a statement that the ‘Society not involved in any conspiracy.’ The LSS also stated that Wong ‘decided to go to court “on his own volition” …”LSS is satisfied that although Mr Wong had acted very much on his own, he did so with the best of intentions.”
All the events that occurred only proved that there is a very civic minded lawyer acting on his own, thinking on his own with the diagnosis from a psychiatrist that something must be put right, to do something good. And no joke, the lawyer and psychiatrist were working through the weekend, and trying to rush a letter to court on Monday morning to make sure it got there on time. Such public spirited dedication must be appreciated and highly rewarded. National Day is just around the corner and a National Day Award is deserving as it is unusual for daft Sinkies to work so hard for free but for a good and just cause.
Kangaroo on the lose
A kangaroo was seen hopping around in town and barging into many buildings without notice, causing annoyance to its owners. It was driven out by the respective owners but not before leaving a smelly trail of kangaroo stench.
The zoo did not know that the kangaroo had bolted out on its own until it was reported in the evening news. The zoo owners denied any prior knowledge of the mischievous kangaroos and they would not be responsible for all the droppings it left behind. How the kangaroo could go to town is still puzzling to everyone. And how it got so far without anyone knowing, without being stop by the police or knock down by the traffic on the roads must be a miracle.
The strange behavior of the kangaroo, of all places, appearing in town and try barging into buildings is even stranger. Should not kangaroos be running to places that it is familiar with and comfortable, like the kangaroo grass courts or kangaroo playing fields?
Now the zoo is going to conduct an investigation to check the mental health of the kangaroo. There are vets for animals. Are there psychiatric vets for animals to examine if this kangaroo has any disorders that need to keep it in a lock up for its own good?
It is strange that there are kangaroos in a cosmopolitan city and running around excitedly. This story is totally fictional and any resemblance to anything is purely coincidental.
7/17/2012
The quality and credibility of social media
The Bromptomgate and the Ravi case have proven beyond any doubt about the quality and credibility of the social media. Some have gone so far, walked that extra mile, to uncover the hidden truths that the public were dying to know. And social media have done that extremely well, to tell the truth, nothing but the truth.
Anyone want to disagree with me that social media is just some voices in the wilderness or some lunatics fringes? The quality and intensity in the investigation to get to the truth without being paid a single cent is simply remarkable. Social responsibility need not be bought by money. Social media is not only the voice of the people, but also the voice of conscience and social justice.
You want the truth, social media can handle it.
Anyone want to disagree with me that social media is just some voices in the wilderness or some lunatics fringes? The quality and intensity in the investigation to get to the truth without being paid a single cent is simply remarkable. Social responsibility need not be bought by money. Social media is not only the voice of the people, but also the voice of conscience and social justice.
You want the truth, social media can handle it.
So frightening….
A medical report from a psychiatrist, Dr Calvin Fones Soon Leng from the Gleneagles Medical Centre, was submitted to the court by the Law Society to raise doubts about lawyer M Ravi’s ability to practice law. Some of the contents of the reports in the media state that Ravi is ‘currently unfit to practice law and his illness is likely to affect his professional capacity…is having a manic relapse of his bipolar disorder…this is likely to occur over the past two weeks.’
Ravi was advised by his kind and concerned friends to take a break from his heavy load in cases like the death sentence of Yong Vui Kong, Kenneth Jeyaretnam’s case on Singapore’s loan to the IMF and the case of cleaner Vellama versus the PM on the PM’s discretion to hold by elections. The report did not state whether his good friends advised him to get a medical MC or to see a psychiatrist. But he went to see Dr Fones leading to this report in court, submitted by the Law Society.
The more significant and frightening part of the report in the media is this. ‘He(Dr Fones) added that the lawyer “lacks any insight into his condition as is often the case for many patients who (suffer a) relapse”. If Mr Ravi remains uncooperative, the doctor said that the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) Act may need to be invoked. The Act provides for the admission, detention, care and treatment of mentally disordered persons in designated psychiatric institutions.’
Don’t pray pray with the power of the doctors. When they have diagnosed someone as mad or potentially mad, this is what they can do to the person. And it looks like Ravi is diagnosed as mad or going mad in layman terminology.
Would Ravi be seen running wild brandishing a sword that makes him dangerous to society or to the judges in court? Or would Ravi ended up throwing a shoe at some VVIP. I am wondering what had Ravi done to put him in this dangerous person list?
What can happen now would be for Ravi to be struck off the practicing lawyer’s list, or may be put into a mental institution. End of the story.
7/16/2012
Inclusive society, no one left behind
With this grand motherhood statement, one can presumed that it is true, a govt position and all policies will follow suit. So anyone left behind?
All those victims of past govt policies, especially those citizens that still have no homes, ostracized, discriminated, banned, punished or for whatever reasons, not allowed to by HDB flats, it is time to show your middle finger, together as a group. Some of these were the singles, some could not find a partners to get married and their incomes exceeded the arbitrary ceilings that should not be there in the first place if the govt’s goal is to build homes for the people, not finding excuses not to build and put the blame on high demands, some waited and see their incomes grew or got promoted and found themselves screwed.
If the govt has been caring and know that it is duty bound to build flats/homes for the citizens, and did not hold back from building, there will be no demand exceeding supply problem. And the idiots could not understand that all young people started work with incomes below the ceilings and should be qualified unless they were children of millionaire ministers who already be given private properties in a silver platter.
The children of the working class, worked their way up, saved and stinged, only to be knocked out of the system because they took a little more time to save, to decide to get hitched, to save a little more, or could not get what they want because of limited supply and the curtailment of building more flats by the ministry. And it is their fault, not the ministry’s fault, for taking too long, waiting too long.
Where is the inclusiveness when citizens are not allowed to buy public housing, when new citizens could easily buy them? All discriminated citizens should send a petition to the govt to acknowledge their failure in providing housing to them as citizens, and the flawed policies of the past, not building enough flats to meet the needs of citizens. Would the govt reply that it is the citizen’s fault for not planning their lives and bad decision not to buy a flat when their incomes were low? Conversely, would the govt acknowledge that this is a problem due to flawed govt policies, not building, slow building, and allowing influx of foreigners and new citizens to join the queue to compete with local citizens?
What inclusiveness is the govt talking about? Inclusive of foreigners, new citizens, integrate them and screw the citizens? How many sinkies are out there, never bought or disqualified from buying public housing?
What is the purpose of calling for a public tender?
There is no need for an expert to explain why a public tender is called. At times tenders may be restricted, pre qualified, or selected for various reasons like secrecy, confidentiality, expediency or some peculiar reasons like corruption or cronyism.
Normally a public tender is called to ensure that the buyer has the best deal in terms of quality, choice and price. This is normally achieved by having a good number and selections from tenderers with a good mix of products and pricing. The buyer would then be able to make a more informed decision on what are available in the market and the cost of the product or services.
A public tender also ensures fair play, no favouritism, under hand tactics, no fixing, no collusion or corruption. It is about being fair and transparent to the buyer and sellers.
Govt agencies, public or private companies do not established procurement procedures and tender processes for fun. No responsible management staff would simply place a public tender and accept anything that comes along, and the last thing is to accept a one bid tender. This can only happen when the value is insignificant and when there is a critical time issue at stake.
The very fact that a purchase must go through the process is already a reminder to the buyer that they cannot suka suka buy anything at any price. It is a reminder that the process is to ensure the organisation is getting a fair deal and also suppliers are given a fair chance to bid for the tender. There will always be cheats who go through the motion to give an image of transparency and fair play. There will be those who will game the system for obvious reasons as had happened, and anyone who knows the system could do it so easily. And when caught, pretend to be naive and ignorant and mouth things like the system can be improved.
Are these commonsensical objectives of a tender so complicated and difficult to understand? A moron can be expected to overlook such processes and the reasons for them because a moron is simply a moron. Can anyone be more moronic than a moron and failed to observe and practise these basic rules of procurement and purchases using public money?
Normally a public tender is called to ensure that the buyer has the best deal in terms of quality, choice and price. This is normally achieved by having a good number and selections from tenderers with a good mix of products and pricing. The buyer would then be able to make a more informed decision on what are available in the market and the cost of the product or services.
A public tender also ensures fair play, no favouritism, under hand tactics, no fixing, no collusion or corruption. It is about being fair and transparent to the buyer and sellers.
Govt agencies, public or private companies do not established procurement procedures and tender processes for fun. No responsible management staff would simply place a public tender and accept anything that comes along, and the last thing is to accept a one bid tender. This can only happen when the value is insignificant and when there is a critical time issue at stake.
The very fact that a purchase must go through the process is already a reminder to the buyer that they cannot suka suka buy anything at any price. It is a reminder that the process is to ensure the organisation is getting a fair deal and also suppliers are given a fair chance to bid for the tender. There will always be cheats who go through the motion to give an image of transparency and fair play. There will be those who will game the system for obvious reasons as had happened, and anyone who knows the system could do it so easily. And when caught, pretend to be naive and ignorant and mouth things like the system can be improved.
Are these commonsensical objectives of a tender so complicated and difficult to understand? A moron can be expected to overlook such processes and the reasons for them because a moron is simply a moron. Can anyone be more moronic than a moron and failed to observe and practise these basic rules of procurement and purchases using public money?
7/15/2012
The dying days of a dynasty
History students will be familiar with the events leading to
the eclipse of an empire or dynasty. Everything seemed so right but so wrong,
badly wrong, starkly wrong. But no one would be there to say things were wrong and
to put them right. Many would stand up to speak and defend the wrongs and
insisted that wrongs were right, nothing is wrong. Either they could not see or
would not see or so used to wrongs as being rights as long as they said so.
In recent years, many flawed policies were thrashed out in
the open leading to the PM apologising for them. That was about as far as it
could get. The flawed immigrantion policy, congestion, high inflation, high
cost of living, high property prices, high medical cost, high salary to pay for
corruption, widening income gap, rewarding foreign thrash and demeaning the
people that are the owners of this land, policies that favoured foreigners and
against Sinkies. And there are many
others that were so obviously wrong but pronounced as so right and so good, or
as something unavoidable, nothing can be done to change them.
The echoes of HDB prices are affordable, income gap is ok,
high property prices are caused by market forces, nothing can be done, more
foreigners are good for growth, immigrants are here to help the daft
Sinkies,…..can go on and on, are still ringing in many people’s ears.
The charade of charity shows and big fund raisings were fun
and a fad for the organisers until the funds were used by some individuals to
have more private funs. The running down of the public transport system was
never seen and everyone was happily rewarding themselves with more bonuses
until it took a simple accident that ended up life threatening to shake
everybody up.
The shameless exploitations for profits in the medical
profession that led to many patients ended as victims of big scams and paying dearly
to the noble profession of life saving until it exploded into a big ugly
incident. No, nothing wrong about how much professionals or hospitals billed
their patients. Caveat emptor, willing buyer willing selling. You want quality,
you pay for quality. Moneyism has replaced ethics as the new social more. The
banking and finance industry has been turned into a den of crooks and no one
can see anything wrong with it except pointing fingers at the low down front
line snake oil peddlers who failed to explain how poisonous the snake oil is. It
is their fault. Snake oils were permitted to be peddled to innocent customers
as sophisticated products and advanced computerised games.
What else is new? Money is not an issue when there are
plenty to go around. The squandering of millions by people and splashed across
the front pages of the media were dismissed as nonsense. Many cannot see
anything wrong with them but wrong for accusing the squanderers wrongfully. And
the good name of God was paraded to defend the squanderers. Some have ended
behind bars but the loyal supporters would not see the human failings. What is
a few millions?
Was there anything wrong with the purchase of $2,200 high
end branded bicycles for public servants? No, definitely no. Minister had
spoken out to defend the decision. Academics too sang in support. Nothing
wrong. The whole process was done properly, lowest bid, cheapest available,
right procedures. The only hint of some wrongdoings was the admission that it
could be done better and the system could be improved. My God, our civil
service procedures were found wanting in the 21st century for such a
simple straight forward process. I think tendering is such a new thing in the
civil service and they are still testing out the processes. I can only think of
Ah Beng and his seventh month bidding which is more effective, efficient as a
transparent tender system.
Just ask anyone involved in purchasing, any CEOs or dept
heads, or any working adults and they will all shake their heads. Was there an
elephant in the room? No, swear, no elephant! When a pile of shit stood right
in front of everyone and in broad daylight, and respected people are defending
it as no shit, you can expect how decadent things have become.
So far, the only person that is brave enough to stand up and
call a spade a spade is Lui Tuck Yew. Not for fun like some pretenders claiming
to do the same. And he is probably the only minister that is really working 25
hours to get the MRT running smoothly again. But he fell short of saying that heads
must roll. Has anyone seen any heads rolling in the last decade or so? There is
a phrase in the US
called ‘too big to fail’. We may have our equivalent of ‘too talented to fail’.
Anyway, this is only a side issue.
The main issue is that Nothing Is Wrong. No one can see
anything wrong. And any wrong must be defended by all till it is accepted as
right. Used the media to broadcast that it is right daily, get some known
personalities to support the wrong as right. The daft Sinkies will believe it
after a while.
Events in the dying days of a dynasty often manifest
themselves in similar light, similar treatment and attention. Anyone dares
claim that things are going wrong?
Look at the American Empire. Anyone dares say they are the
problem of the world? Anyone dares say they are the one that is causing tension
and wars around the world? Anyone dares say America
is free from corruption? Everyone says, America
is good, freedom, no corruption, America
is saving the world, a benevolent and peace loving nation. And the best part,
the Americans and their leaders, the scheming, conniving gangsters and
murderers, believe it too. They too cannot see anything wrong with themselves
and what they are doing. Did they ever admit that they enslaved 20 million
Africans for 200 years! And murdered 10 million Red Indians and seized their
lands? Hitler was a novice compared to
the Americans.
Oops, I digress.
7/14/2012
Revolt of the Sinkie millionaires
Sinkieland can possibly boast of having the highest
percentage of millionaires in the world, be it by population or by per sq foot
basis. Throw a stone into the crowd in the shopping centres or the two resorts,
or in Raffles Place or Shenton
Way, one in two is likely to be a millionaire in
net worth, counting his HDB flat and savings in CPF. The latter two will make
them smile at most and nothing they could do to them as the bulk is
untouchable.
There is a distinct difference between the real millionaires
and the Sinkie millionaires. The real ones are full of money in their pockets,
can afford several houses, cars and mistresses if they wanted. They live a life
of leisure, and their wives and mistresses enjoy the lifestyle of tais tais,
going for afternoon tea and chat the days away, and travelling in their big
limousines.
Many of the Sinkie millionaires could never get near to this
kind of lifestyle. Many will be made bankrupt on admission to hospital for a
serious op or having to stay for more than 30 days. Many will end up selling
their homes at old age to survive as their savings, despite one of the highest
in the world, will never be enough to feed inflation. Many of these
millionaires will have a hard time paying their mortgages, sending their
children to schools or even owning a car. They could not even afford to pay for
nursing homes for their parents and have to send them away to JB.
In other countries, a millionaire is normally someone who is
pretty well off and very comfortable financially. The Sinkie millionaires are
often waiting anxiously for govt handouts and subsidies to save their skins as
many would be deep in debt.
The dull and daft Sinkies would still believe that they are
millionaires but more and more would soon realise that they are only paper
millionaires. An awakening is coming soon when the millionaires realise that
they are just like any middle class or lower middle class citizens elsewhere
who, very likely live a better, easier and less pressurised lifestyle than
them. Many of the maids that they hired, ordered around, bullied or abused are
going home to live a richer and more carefree life than them without having any
inkling of being a millionaire. Even the foreign workers are going home to live
in much bigger houses than the four concrete walls millionaires could afford
here.
There will be no uprising of the miserables in Sinkieland.
If there is going to be any, it will be a revolution of the Sinkie
millionaires, the millionaires who can only feel rich with their CPF statements
and imagine that they have all those money in their savings. The reality is
that not only they could hardly lay hands on their illusory wealth, by the time
they get to touch them, the money would probably be worthless.
They have started to gripe and kpkb about it. This is the
beginning of a systemic change, a rude awakening, that a millionaire in
Sinkieland is actually another average worker trying to make ends meet and
nothing else. They will revolt and vote for an alternative party that can make
them really richer and not slaves to an unworthy property and money that they
thought were theirs but hardly. The only way to feel richer is to liquidate and
leave for a cheaper country. Other than that, the illusory wealth is all tied
up in the property and the CPF. A sense of well being of a millionaire but not
living like one.
7/13/2012
The best combination to exploit Sinkies in Sinkieland
One foreign family I knew;
Husband : citizen
Wife : PR
Son. : PR
Daughter: citizen
Why??? I probably do the same. Everyone will take the best out of every opportunities, and that is exactly the smart people our country wanna attract, isn't it?
This is posted by Ahmadbaba in 3 in 1 kopitiam. And many bloggers who have PR or new citizen friends are saying that this is the normal and ideal combination. Taking the best from Sinkieland and waiting to scoot. And can’t blame them as they are rightly called foreign talents not for nothing. They could easily outwit our dull super talents and their policies. Or maybe not. Our dull super talents knew exactly that this would happen but closed an eye as they deemed the benefits outweighed the loophole. Only average Sinkies will be affected.
Let’s make a plea to these foreign talents, on good faith, that if their children do not intent to serve NS, please, please don’t take up PRs or citizenship. We know that these foreign talents are honest people and will not try to game the system and make our policies look silly and disadvantaged our very own citizens.
The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow is just too tempting. FTs who bought a HDB flat could simply service the mortgage and wait for the fruit to ripen in 5 years or so, cash out by selling the flat at a big profit to some hardup Sinkies that the govt refused to sell them public flats. Then pack up and go home to be a rich man. For those who are earning a good income it will be double bonus with a good savings and a good profit from the sale of the flat.
And the stupid Sinkies would end up with the expensive resale flat bought from a happy FT turned temporary Sinkie.
Has Asean lost its way?
The Asean Regional Forum in Phnom Penh is getting rowdy with the issue of South China Sea claims as the hot topic. Four Asean states are making counter claims to Chinese islands led by the Philippines and Vietnam and backed by the US. The Philippines are acting like a big power, sitting on the head of the American beast and raring to take on China in a fight that it hallucinating that it can be a winner like Pacquiao.
The bigger picture is that the US is the master of this regional forum, telling and dictating to all the parties how to behave, what they should do and what it would want them to do. Asean is turning out to be a vehicle of the American Empire, existing only in names with the Americans calling the shot and setting the agenda and tone of discussion.
What happens Asean? What has Asean become after being a dominant regional association and international player, calling its own shot? Apparently the association has now been hijacked by the Americans, fronted by its semi colonies, to do its bid as the Empire assumes its role as the master of the region. And the news is always about what Hillary Clinton said and what she wanted.
Ten little boys went out to play and in their innocence, or thinking too highly of themselves, invited the gangsters to join them in their game. Now the gangsters are taking over the game, brought in their knives, wrote the rules and telling the little boys how to play. The little boys can only LL.
Sequel to ‘Do not underestimate the Malaysians’
Temasek ignores downgrades, is very optimistic on India story
Mydigitialfc.com, 5 Jul 2012 by Rajesh Abraham
Temasek, the investment arm of the Singapore government, on Thursday said it was “very optimistic” on India’s long-term potential, dispelling fears expressed by rating agencies which downgraded the country’s outlook recently.
The Singapore sovereign fund, …said it would continue to bet on Indian companies, which are proxies for the country’s economic growth. India accounts for 5 per cent of Temasek’s 42 per cent exposure in Asia.
The sovereign fund has $109 billion worth investments in Asia, making India investments at nearly $6 billion….
This is an extract of an article by Rajesh Abraham reporting from Mumbai. I like his use of the word ‘bet’. It is not investment today is different from the past. All are taking a bet. The only difference today is the betters are betting big time today, not with their own money but with OPM.
And while Temasek has its gun sight lined up at India, Malaysia is lining up to acquire the assets in Singapore. Not a bet deal really, selling Sinkie assets at a high price and buying cheap in India. The return is tremendous, and both ways win, making good profits at home and potentially bigger profits in India. This is putting the win win formula into practice.
Vindication of high pay no corruption
HongKong’s Housing Secretary Mak Chai Kwong has been arrested and under investigation for benefitting from housing policies while in office. He and his colleagues took advantage of loopholes in housing policies to gain financially.
We don’t have such incidents since the govt started to pay to prevent corruption in public service. Imagine how serious it could be given the predominant stake in public housing and how public servants and ministers could take advantage of policies to line their pockets and investments.
Thanks to our high pay policies that such thing did not happen here. It is about time to review whether it is necessary to raise the pay of ministers and public servants given the reappearance of a few high profile corruption cases recently. Better be proactive and nip the problems in the bud. If there is a need to increase the pay, better do so quickly to save the embarrassment like the Hongkong case. Our foresighted govt should act quickly and can be depended on doing this wisely.
Hongkong should send a team of civil servants here to study our high pay no corruption scheme. And since no angmohs are acting as consultants, the fees will be nominal if any.
7/12/2012
When justice stood firm
This is an unbelieveable Sinkie story of the year. A cleaner challenging the PM on a point of law. The AG office going all out to get the case dismissed. And a judge that stood firm and wants it to be heard, something that many Sinkies do not believe will happen in their life time.
Justice Philip Pillai has dismissed AG’s second attempt to strike out the Hougang by-election case in High Court. The case is now set for hearing on 16th and 17th of July in open court.
Mdm Vellama, 42, filed her application in High Court in March after the Hougang seat became vacant and after the Prime Minister’s statement that he could decide ‘whether and when’ to call a by election. It thus became a case of how much discretion a PM has with regards to the calling for a by election. Apparently the law is not quite clearly defined and subject to interpretation and the PM’s discretion.
Vellama was just asking for an interpretation of the law. I am still puzzle why the AGC is bent on dismissing this case which would mean that no one is wiser about the law.
It is astonishing for the court to stay its position and to grant a hearing to clarify this part of the law. I am sure all citizens would want to know what the law really meant and the limits of the PM’s discretion, and also the need to call a by election when a seat is vacant.
This is the kind of transparency we need and we want in a rule of law country, when the law is clear to everyone. Cheers to the judiciary system. My respect to Judge Philip Pillai. He has won so much admiration for his ruling and a pat on the judiciary system.
Either now or later
China has no choice but to defend its territorial sovereignty, either now or later. The concerted conspiracy to force the issue on China is getting closer to a flash point. The Japanese are making more wild gestures to rip Diaoyutai from China. They even cooked up ridiculous acts like buying the island as if it was Japanese land, ignoring it as a piece of Chinese territory. It is a repeat and revival of the arrogance of the Japanese Imperialism in the 19th Century. The Japanese still think they can bully China and seize or occupy Chinese land at will.
In the Spratleys and Paracels, the Vietnamese and the Philippines are agitating their claims through Asean. The Empire behind the whole conspiracy is quietly planning and moving its military pieces into the region.
China has no choices left. It has to put its foot down and establish its control over its territories. Any hesitation and wavering will be seen as weakness and will encourage more adventurism from the provocateurs. The earlier that China makes a stand by sending its naval craft into the islands the better. It must let the trouble makers and opportunists know that China will fight them off and the provocations should stop there and now. China is no longer the Sick Man of Asia and its land is not for distribution.
The US will be there screaming and shouting foul. That is exactly what the US wanted to do. It is now or later, and better now than to allow the provocateurs to keep inching in nearer for a fight. A bloody nose may be needed if China is to avoid further advances from these countries. This position must be made known, clearly, with no buts, to the Asean leaders in Cambodia. Let no one have wild dreams that they could divide up China’s territories like the West did in the 19th Century. It is also about time to put Japan in its proper place, that all Chinese territories must be returned and compensation for seizing and colonizing Taiwan. The confrontation with Japan and the Americans over Chinese territories will come, only a matter of time and in what form.
7/11/2012
Changing faces, changing sides
The 50s and 60s, the post war period, was best exemplified by the rivalry between Communism and Western Imperialism leading to Cold Wars and proxy wars. The bad guys were the Communists led by the Soviet Union and PRC. The good guys were the USA and its European and Asian allies. Soviet Union and PRC were everything bad, from poverty, military aggression, exporting revolution, and supporting insurgencies to regime change and espionage. The good guys, the Americans and allies were protection of free trade and development, economic aids and a better materialistic well being for the people on the side of goodness. The good and bad were very clearly defined, the Communist camp versus the Capitalist camp, the rich versus the poor, the haves versus the have nots, first world, modernization, economic development, versus third world, underdeveloped or developing countries, poverty and backwardness.
How the world have changed today with the two sides switching places. The rich Americans and European countries are stuck in a financial and economic crisis that could turn them into beggars, broken economies, corruption and bankruptcies. On the Communist side it was all development, development, trade and loans to the developing countries. The Russians and Chinese were everywhere signing trade and development agreements. The Americans were everywhere signing defence pacts and military agreements, conducting war games, inciting rivalry, supporting insurgencies, conducting regime change and fighting wars. The Russians and Chinese were all businesses, in business suits, buying and selling raw materials/goods/services all over the world. They carry briefcases with loads of cash to trade. The Americans were everywhere in their infamous pixilated uniforms, in military and naval crafts, with guns in hand, fighting and selling weapons, and killing framed enemies.
The Americans and their western allies are still calling themselves the good guys fighting the bad guys. But the two big bad guys are not fighting and did not carry guns on their foreign diplomatic trips. Wars, military rivalry and weapons are least on their minds. It is trade, buying and selling of commodities, raw materials and finished products that they carry with them. On the other hands, the Americans are selling weapons and weapons and nothing else, and threatening countries with sanctions and regime change.
This good guy image is now only in name. The good guy mask is soon to fall off when the world starts to call a spade a spade. It is such an irony that the two sides, the good guys and the bad guys, have changed sides. The communists are now rich, committed to free trade and engaging in trades and not wars. The bankrupt Americans and the west are raising trade barriers and fighting everywhere. In every international forum, the ‘good guys’ could be seen pounding the table to attack and bully one country or another. The ‘bad guys’ were there to defend the victims and lend them the support. The wolf pack of the ‘good guys’ will be there to tear down countries one at a time, the perfection of centuries of divide and rule to dominate the world. Now the rest of the world have two ‘bad guys’ plus a few newbies in an infant grouping called the BRICS countries to offer a new balance and a new code of ethics in international relations. A new ‘good guy’ pact is being formed to replace the old ‘good guy’ American mafia.
How daft can Sinkies be? V1.1
Their forefathers came to build this little colonial outpost to what it is today only to be told that they lacked talents. Then comes the importing of foreigners who could not help their own countries, runaway from their own countries, to come here to rule the Sinkies.
And with the most advanced and highly rated schools in the world, with the best facilities, the daft Sinkies claimed that they are daft and needed the talents of half broken down schools in third world countries to come here and help them.
And being the most advanced financial centre in the world other than the European cities, we could not produce any talents to run our banks and needed to import foreigners who came here to learn the ropes, to run our banks. To add insult to injuries, the banks that we have today were built by the so called no talent locals. And now, after they have built the banks to such a size some declared locals are not good enough to run them. And foreigners who have not run them, never built a bank, are deemed good enough, better than the locals. They are still wearing their blinkers and not seeing that western bank managing methods and processes are mostly fraudulent, gambling and taking high risks on fictitious products and derivatives that will risk the bank going bust.
And we formulated policies in favour of foreigners and detrimental to the locals without even knowing it until the daft Sinkies could not take it any more and started to vote against the govt.
And whenever there is a problem, money will be thrown around the world looking for foreign talents to come and solve them. Our parks, resorts, golf courses etc can only be managed by foreigners or they will be in ruins. Big corporations too. NOL is selling its flagship HQ because it is running into the red with foreign talents. Who else is making big losses with foreign talents running the ship?
And now all the half baked foreigners are strutting around despising the locals, and the daft locals really believe that they are inferior. Who can blame them when the foreigners have ended up being their bosses and bossing them around?
Socially, the foreigners also feel so free to beat up the locals at their whims and fancies and what did the locals do? Everyone turn the other way, very happy that the person being beaten was someone else. They are safe without knowing they could be next.
And the locals pledged themselves to serve and protect the country and the foreigners and their super expensive properties while they live in small but expensive public flats if they are lucky. If not, they would not even be eligible to buy public flats to live in. And more ridiculous, some locals ended up having to rent a room from the foreigners to stay. Brilliant inclusive policies that are Sinkies first, foreigners last. The daft Sinkies did not mind being discriminated in their own country. Sinkies with no homes because govt policies excluded them while foreigners are happily buying homes to rent out to them. Can you believe it?
Tell me, how daft can the locals be? The daftness is at the top or at the bottom, or at all levels?
Wah Lan, BTO making losses
We used to have one guy shouting till his throat went sore that housing prices were affordable. Of course no sensible person will believe him no matter how long and how loud he shouted. Then Khaw Boon Wan came in to try to hold down the prices and started to build flats for the people in double quick time. It was obvious that Boon Wan does not believe in the other person’s shouting.
Yesterday in Parliament Ellen Lee came out with statistics to proclaim that BTO schemes are making losses to the tune of several tens of millions per project. She quoted the HDB building 1016 units at a cost of $279m while the sales proceed was only $240m because of generous subsidies, thus making a loss of $39m. At the rate this is going I think HDB will go bankrupt soon and would not be able to pay its staff lavish bonuses like before.
The statistics must be real, the truth, no bluff one. Since there is such a good set of statistics being flashed in Parliament, it would be good if the breakdowns could be given to prove that HDB is indeed subsidizing the buyers. If that can be done then there is no need to keep shouting until face red red. And can stand up to scrutiny, no need to turn away when someone ask for transparency.
Parliamentarians should take this opportunity to ask for detail breakdowns of this set of numbers. Not only the opposition candidates. Those from the ruling party who have independent mind or claim to have independent mind and can speak freely will have a real chance to speak up on this issue.
Let’s see how many can be independent minded and will speak out for truth and transparency.
7/10/2012
They can still kill you
While many who supported the abolishing of the death penalty are celebrating their victory that many in the gallows would be saved, there is this article in Singapore News Alternative screaming, ‘They can still kill you.’ For a moment I thought the criminals or murderers could still kill their victims. But no, I was mistaken. The author was saying that despite the changes in the death penalty laws, the murderers and criminals can still be hanged. It was a kind of being short changed, that the death penalty is still in force, not abolished.
So some criminals and murderers would still have to meet death for killings and murders. And this is sad and bad. And in the view of Matilah and his very intelligent friends, it is only right that criminals and murderers be given the opportunity to make a decent defense before they are hung. That is only fair.
The next Huang Na or female jogger being dragged into the bush, raped and killed would only see their murderers at most serve a life sentence as the intention was only to rape them and their deaths would be treated as incidental. No intention to commit murder.
The next question is whether the rapist murderers gave their victims a chance to defend themselves, a chance to plea for their lives before they were killed, with or without intention? Why should murderers or killers be given so many chances to save their own lives and their victims were not given the same chances in their hands before being killed? Did any one hear the cries and pleas of the next Huang Na or female joggle, please, please, don’t, please stop it, please don’t kill me, while the rapists/killers totally ignore them just for a little lust?
Did any of the drug peddlers give their drug addicts a chance to say no? Did the drug addicts, in a state of grave deprivation, go robbing and killing just to get the dole to buy more drugs, and in the process kill their victims. Did they give their victims a chance to live?
While society and do gooders are so kind to the killers/murderers, can they spare a thought for the victims of the killers/murderers who were innocent and have lives to live for but ended prematurely and cruelly in their hands?
Yes, they can still kill you, I mean the killers/murderers can still kill the innocent and helpless victims. Where were the kind and compassionate do gooders, when the victims were being killed in the most frightening and nightmarish way, when they were in fear, alone, helpless, begging and pleading for mercy, and for a chance to live? They have not done wrong or harm to the killers and murderers.
Thank God there are so many kind and compassionate people around to help and save the killers and murderers, to share their pains and griefs, to make this world a better world, for the killers and murderers. And perhaps some may walk out of prison, to live again, and to kill again.
Gambling – It is for your own good
‘Singaporeans and permanent residents who visit casinos more than five times a month may need to show proof they are not in financial distress or face restrictions, acting Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Chan Chun Sing told the Straits Times newspaper.’
Checking their finances and bank accounts is a good thing as it will force them to reveal all their monies kept in Sinkie banks and overseas, or with their mistresses, to show that they are financially sound. Make sure they attend an interview and tell the truth. It will definitely help the Tax dept to collect some taxes as well. And those who are trying to catch money laundering can also tap into this revelation or confession.
I think this is a wise and good thing to do. But to make it more effective, Sinkies who frequent the casinos more than 5 times a month should also produce a certificate from the psychiatrists that they are mentally sound and able to control their gambling habits. I am sure the shrinks will love to share their problems.
With the change in mandatory penalties to protect the criminals, and now to protect gamblers, the govt is showing how caring it is in taking care of its people. We protect orang utans in our zoo, we protect exotic plants in our latest high tech sci fi botanic gardens, next on the list will be wild boars.
It is for the good of the citizens and the animals that these measures should be taken before these silly Sinkies and animals/plants destroy themselves. Sinkies should call the govt papa.
Death penalty – buckling under pressure
Under pressure from the protector of criminals group, the govt of Sinkieland has given way to moderate its tough position on the death penalty. Putting on a brave front by staying the penalty, the knees are wobbling. Judges are now given more discretion to spare the lives of serious criminals in this tough weak stand.
The onus and responsibility, and conscience, have now been passed to the poor judge who will now be hounded by his values, religion, by the public pressure on him to be a nice guy instead of the cool disinterested party that is there to see that the law is executed. It is no longer the politician’s problem.
Criminals will now breathe easier and more desperadoes will take the gamble, knowing that death is not a certainty. The drug lords will game the system and carefully choose the pathetic and pitiful cases to be their runners knowing that the kind judges with the kinder tough laws could give way with a few sob stories. The poor ah mah and ah kong or the little boys and girls could just do the trick as the perfect runner.
While more criminals will be spared the gallows, would it also lead to more victims of drug abuses? If it does, then society will become fairer and more inclusive in a way, with drug criminals enjoying more kindness and fairplay while drug abusers finding it easier to get their drugs. The drug pushers, the drug addicts and the drug criminal protectors will be happier. The govt too will be more comfortable without the criminal protectors breathing down their necks. It is a win win for all parties.
Another way to pardon those that deserved the death sentence would be to make them confess and to reveal their handler, get the latter convicted and exchange a life for a life. The main task of the enforcers must be the bigger drug lords up the chain of command. Pardoning the low down courier should be a good exchange for someone higher up. Anyone down the line could have his life spare if they could assist in the hanging of someone above them, hopefully all the way to the top.
Just like the loan shark curse, all the time the people being caught are the little runners. What is the point of catching the runners when the real problem is at the top of the chain? The system should be tweaked only to facilitate the arrest of the biggies. Then the softening of the death sentence against the runners can be justified. Otherwise a weak stance is a weak stance and would compromise the effectiveness of using death penalty as a deterrent. When a deterrent is no longer a deterrent, might as well do the popular thing and do away with it altogether.
7/09/2012
Burn Arab countries, burn…
This is about what the Americans and the Western powers have decided for the Arab world. One by one, the Arab countries were encouraged to do regime change with their help, and turn the countries into turmoil, with Arabs killing Arabs and the country bogged down in civil wars and conflicts that would bring them back at least 30 years in economic development and destruction of the country and people.
This is a great recipe for the growth of American and Western powers and continuous domination and rule over the pathetic and bickering Arabs. The Arabs would need to pray more than 5 times daily and Allah to save themselves from these Western angels.
At the recent conference of the willing, Clinton wanted the dumb Arabs and the willing nations to go to war with China and Russia. And I quote,
‘US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged world powers on Friday to show Russia and China they would pay a price for impeding progress toward a democratic transition in Syria.
"It is frankly not enough just to come to the Friends of the Syrian People (meeting) because I will tell you very frankly, I don't think Russia and China believe they are paying any price at all - nothing at all - for standing up on behalf of the Assad regime," Clinton said at a gathering of countries seeking to speed the departure of Syrian President Bashar Assad.’
The Americans are setting the agenda and calling the shot, to start more wars and upheavals among countries to impoverise them and to exert their control over them.
Property prices will soon be halved
Sinkies can look forward to lower property prices if the reasoning of some quarters can be implemented into govt policies. They have started with commercial properties by halving the length of the lease. And those needing to buy or rent such properties will now be so happy as the properties will now be so affordable, at half price. Sure what, 60 years to 30 year lease, everything goes half.
There are several ways to make property prices even cheaper substantially. One way of course is the size. If Sinkies are content to live in a 350 sq ft flat instead of a 700 sq ft flat, the price can be halved. Very affordable and within the reach of many not so rich Sinkies.
Another way to half the price is to half the lease. Instead of 99 years, make it 49 years. Sinkies will be in glee, and screaming, cheap, cheap, cheap. They will go crazy if the lease is shortened to 30 years and the price be reduced to 1/3. The Sinkies will be shocked into disbelief. What, a 5 rm flat now cost $200k instead of $600k? Unbelieveable, but good, good, very good. Cool man.
I think if the govt does this change, the Sinkies will be so grateful and will definitely re elect them in 2016. This is a new version of Ah Q mentality. It is Sinkie mentality and thinking process, thinking and seeing not further than the tip of the nose. They cannot count, cannot know the real difference. They only see the final figure and will be convinced that they are getting a good deal.
Actually if a 5 rm flat is shrunk from 1000 sq ft to 500 sq ft and the lease shortened to 30 years, it can even be sold at $100k. (600k/2 and divide by 1/3). Wow, so affordable! So good, so cheap. Govt so good. At such prices I think you can even build nursing homes or hospices beside them and they could move off the shelf before the hand is removed.
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