Samsui woman, 95, jumps to her death

Photo courtesy of TRE
 
Why would an elderly woman at 95 want to end her life this way? And this is no ordinary woman. The samsui women, the pioneers that built the HDB flats and factories of this country, were the hardiest women in Singapore’s history. They toiled under the hot sun and rain, like the present construction workers from neighbouring countries, protected only by a rectangular red cloth contraption on their head. They were the red head army of workers carrying cement and bricks on their back and balancing on the narrow wooden planks that led to ever higher and higher floors of HDB flats under construction. They worked day and night with no complaints. I don’t think they even join the union to protect their welfare and working conditions.
 
When Madam Loke retired at 60 as a construction worker, she continued to work as cleaners and other manual jobs to earn a living. There was a quiet pride and dignity in these women. They do not beg for a living. They worked for a living. And she continued to work till her 80s, as coffee shop assistant or any odd jobs available.
 
Recently she had a fall and was hospitalized. According to her daughter, she jumped to her death so as not to burden her children. The medical cost to keep her alive is prohibitive. She could be the last old person to jump to her death for fear of high medical cost.
 
The govt is seriously working out a medical insurance scheme for the oldies to take care of their medical bills till 100 years old or more. They only need to pay the insurance premiums, if they can afford it, and all will be fine. There will be no more such problems. The Medishield Life could be the live line for the oldies to live longer and have peace of mind.
 
As for Madam Loke, she lived a life of dignity and probably enjoyed working till way past her 80s. Think all old Sinkies enjoyed working till they die. Working for the oldies in this island is for their own good, respect and dignified. Many average Singaporeans will live their golden years this way, working till they can work no more. There is now one more reason for them to work for, the impending Medishield Life and an insurance premium to pay for.
 
Maybe I am wrong. Medishield Life for the oldies is free, or they pay when they were young. Not sure about this, and not sure at what age will it be free, or will it be free at all.

Crime against Singaporeans

Last weekend I wrote about the Rape of Singapore. I hope it would set the Sinkies thinking of the shitty situation they are in. I just read a timely posting by a Ricky in The Real Singapore on his sacking of 7 foreigners, 6 Pinoys and an Indian IT personnel for crime against Singaporeans. This is what he wrote and I don’t think this is a hoax.


‘Hricky28@hotmail.com to TRS dated 23 Nov
Dear The Real Singapore,
 
Guys, on friday i sacked 6 pinoy nationals and 1 indian national at the MNC i work for fraud basically.
 
One of the pinoy that was sacked was a HR personnel (Pinoy), another was an IT personnel (Indian National).
 
What happened was that these two clowns had colluded in hiring their own nationals (mainly pinoys) in the company.
 
Basically we had put up Job adverts looking for some people, now when the people sent the email, anyone that was singaporean was deleted, they kept only the foreigners (pinoys.)
 
The IT personnel was basically bribed by the Pinoy to delete the log files on our SMTP server as well, making it seem that no singaporeans applied for the job.
 
What the IT personnel does not know, i keep another log file separately (disguissed as a system file) sent to another server.
 
When i saw the log files did not match the IT personnel gave some rubbish story only after i threatened to report him to the police, he told me the story.
 
Basically the Pinoy hr had people from the phillipines apply for any openings in the MNC i work and deleted any resumes that were singaporeans and he managed to get 5 pinoys past me.
 
They work on the idea that he gives the job their first salary belongs to the Pinoy HR. The Pinoy HR then gives 20% of that to the indian national to do cleanup on the server to clear traces.
 
The HR and IT guy were sacked without notice on Friday. The 5 pinoys that got in were also sacked. These were not small jobs but jobs that payed more than 6K/mth. Purpose i am making this post is so that you guys can be aware of the fraud going on in certain companies and games that foreigners are playing on singaporeans….’
 
This does not seem to be an isolated incident and could be quite a prevalent practice for sometime. It explains many things. It explains why employers superficially claimed that when they put up advertisements, very few or no Sinkies applied, implying that Sinkies did not want the job. It explains why the companies are filled with foreigners instead of Sinkies. It also explains why there are so many PMEs unemployed. It also explains why Sinkies sent out hundreds of application letters and not a single reply or very few replies were received for an interview. It also explains why Sinkies were often rejected after an interview.
 
Basically the Sinkies have been raped by these foreigners right in Singapore and made to look like clowns despite their high qualifications. The clowns go right to the top. These foreigners are laughing themselves silly not just at the highly qualified but stupid Sinkies who have been brought up in a system that works without knowing that the system has been hijacked by crooks to work against Sinkies. Sinkies don’t question the system as they have faith in a fair and honest system, a system they have been brought up in. But when dishonest people from the Third World, and First World start to use the system for their own advantage, the Sinkies would not have a clue what went wrong. The PMEs would still believe that they are not good enough for the job. And the daft would believe that those who got the jobs are talented, foreign talents that are better than Sinkies. Who are these daft people? You know surely.
 
Sinkies, now you know why you are not even called up for job interviews. Your applications didn’t even cross the gate. This is a crime against Sinkies, a nation wide conspiracy that have been going on for too long. Isn’t it time that MOM do something, set up a task force to get these criminals and put them behind bars? It is a massive task, as massive as faked certificates and qualifications, as massive as discrimination against Sinkies.
 
You cannot kill this crime with lip service. You need a lot of manpower and a lot of resources and a genuine commitment to want to do justice for the Sinkies. You need dedicated Sinkies who think Sinkies and want to protect Sinkies to do the job. Do not hire foreigners to do this job. That would not only be silly but a heinous crime against Sinkies. MOM cannot allow the Sinkies to be raped right before their eyes. Immediate actions need to be taken. Stop the farce, stop acting and do something real. At least do something for the Sinkies, the citizens you are supposed to look after and protect. We don’t pay you humongous salaries for nothing.
 
Stop the crime against Sinkies. There are many other silly things that these foreigners are doing to rape the stupid but honest Sinkies. What are you going to do about it? More FCF?

The Rape of Singapore

Someone suggested that a good topic to write about is the Rape of Singapore. I was kind of taken aback. I have heard of the notorious Rape of Nankin, how could there be a Rape of Singapore. When I look around, everything is so fine, so perfect, exactly like what George Yeo said. The people are so rich and getting richer. The govt has just announced the building of another 500,000 new homes in the choices part of the island for the people, and everyone with money are eyeing lusciously at the opportunity to live in these wonderful places or investing in them for a quick buck.

What does this Rape of Singapore gonna be? In the context of Nankin, there were the brutal killings of the citizens in hundreds of thousands, looting and raping of the women in the streets. It was the equivalent of a holocaust in fast forward mode. There is no way that this will be allowed to happen in this island. We have the most powerful armed forces in the region and a dedicated pool of National Servicemen all ready to defend and die for the country. And there is no enemy out there, or if there is, they would not be our match.

Can the Rape of Singapore be interpreted in different ways, like the country being taken over or looted, the womenfolk being raped but not physically? With the best and ablest in the govt, selected by a stringent tea drinking session to weed out the opportunists and money grabbers, or people who only think of their self interests, there is no likelihood that the country would be sold out by moles or traitors. This is something that this honourable govt and all the honourable men and women would not do, at least intentionally. The country is like a golden goose laying golden eggs and the people in power would have the least reason to allow a Rape of Singapore taking place. They can’t be doing the raping for sure.

The only possibility of a Rape of Singapore is in the wildest imagination of some deluded people, or in the minds of those fit for IMH. Oh, there is another slim possibility that the rape is taking place but nobody sees it or knows about it, something like a white elephant in the classroom and everyone is blind to it and say, no leh, no elephant leh. Where got? Have we been rape and still dunno? Can anyone tell me? Why are the people crying rape and crying traitors? These people must be mad.

I could not find any grounds to write about the Rape of Singapore and would never see this happening here under this able govt. This country will never be lost to the foreigners and there will not be a Rape of Singapore. By 2030, we would likely have 7m citizens in this ever more prosperous island, and with a bigger Singaporean core of, yes, 7m citizens to strengthen the Singaporean core. That would only make this island more secure in the hands of so many Singaporeans. Singaporeans’ interests have never been in better hands.

Enjoy the Sundays for all you can. No one is raping or looting this island.

Dengue outbreak once in 50 years

The outbreak of this disease and turning deadlier is giving cause for concern to the govt. It has never happened before, 20,000 cases before the year is over and claiming another life, its seventh victim. What is unacceptable is that it is happening right in the heart of Orchard, right in the middle of pre Christmas sales, and so near to the Istana.

Singapore is a small island famous for it efficiency in social policies and wiping out mosquitoes must be a piece of cake. It can’t be more difficult than wiping out the people’s CPF savings for housing and various schemes and minimum sums right? If Singapore cannot prevent this disease from spreading, a bit impossible for it to be wiped out, then no country can do better. Just pray and hope that this is only a once in 50 year incident and will be blown over by Christmas when the tourists failed to turn up and no blood to suck.

The mosquito experts are all busily trying out new solutions to stamp the spread of this disease in a highly dense environment that makes intercourse so convenient.  A company called ‘Oxitec is tinkering with the genetics of mosquito species to produce sterile male mosquitos that would…only mate with the females carrying the disease, leaving the 3,500 other mosquito species across the world untouched.’ The best part is that the males will only seek the females of the dengue carrying Aedes mosquitoes. How could they trained or spiked the drinks of these male mosquitoes to go for Aedes females only is truly ingenious. I thought it would be easier to ensure that the Aedes females are dressed to kill with the most expensive cosmetics to attract the sterile males. Alternatively might as well turn all the male mosquitoes into eunuchs, no desires. That would clean them up in one generation.

There was a stupid and innovative idea floated during the last outbreak that sounded damn silly but I agree could be workable, very effective and inexpensive. The idea is simply to provide maternity hospitals or water receptacles for the Aedes to lay their eggs. There is no need to go hunting for them. Just have these water containers in convenient locations to make it easy and conducive for the Aedes mothers to be to do the necessary. The clearing and cleaning job can be done once a week or a fortnight, knowing the incubation and free swimming lifespan of the larva and pupa. No need rocket science and expensive drugs and technology. And no hussle at all. Only common sense, labour and plastic containers would be enough to do the job.

At times simple and silly sounding solutions work best. And no need to pay the experts silly for their expertise and expert salaries. And we have all the cheap foreign workers to do the job with some responsible locals as supervisors. It is elementary, Watson!

Why, too cheap and cannot charge big bills so not a financially rewarding proposition? Cheap is no good. Must pay more then can be good. Better still if the ideas came from FTs. Perhaps if they appoint a foreigner to head the Ministry of Environment, all the mosquito problems will go away.

We want Michael Fay

Michael Fay and his teenage friends were just mischievous spoilt brats doing mischief out of boredom. It was a phase of growing up, doing some silly things and regretting it later in life, but with no real intent to hurt or harm anyone. The blame can be assigned to puberty and the inbalance of hormones.

That incident of a few young punks spray painting a few cars and caned for vandalism was world news and probably hit the front page of many big time media world wide. The boy was ordered by the court to be whipped 6 times on his butt. His parents went crying to the White House and President Clinton took personal interest by writing a personal letter to the President of Singapore for leniency.

Michael Fay was given 4 strokes of the cane instead of 6. The caning of Michael Fay was nothing personal. It was a symbolic act of caning a boy for his mischief, an act needed to keep vandalism in check. What was more was that it said a big NO to the President of the USA by a small island famously known as a little Red Dot. The people approved and walked around with heads in the clouds. We stood up to the pressure of the world’s only superpower by caning his backside if needed to.

This episode is still remembered today by the people of the world. They look Singapore up for defying the Emperor. Only recently, a political forum in Taiwan spoke of the case again with awe and deference to the Singapore Govt and the man who said no to the Americans, LKY. LKY won a lot of admiration from Singaporeans and peoples of the world, and even the Americans. They respected him more. The Americans despise wimps. When there is a time to stand up and standing up for the right thing will bring honour and dignity, not the kind of dignity from having a big paycheck. In such times, not standing up will turn one into a stooge, a feeble lame prick.

The social climate of the little Red Dot has never seen the days of Michael Fay since. The island is being inundated with foreigners who acted as if they own this colony, and they ride roughshod over the citizens, ridiculing the citizens, abusing the citizens, beating up the citizens and even threatening the govt that they would take their businesses elsewhere. They have no respect for a weak govt. In the corporate world, they discriminate against the citizens and rubbish them no matter how good are the citizens, and favour their own kind, right before the very eyes of the govt. They kicked out and replaced highly qualified citizens with their own kinds. Can you believe that, in someone else’s country, not in their country? The little Red Dot is getting more little by the days. It is at risk of disappearing.

What did the govt do? Better not to say anything to offend anyone. Michael Fay was a juvenile. His naughty act can be forgiven for his youth. The rogues that are running around in this island are supposedly very talented professionals, men who are at their prime, who are expected to be able to think and act sensibly. They acted worse than the boy Michael, and more like beasts.

Appeasement, to let them off easily with little fines, or pleas would not work with bullies and swell headed thugs. They will keep on spitting at the locals and beating them up if they are not hauled in and be given a few strokes on their butts to mean business, to tell them this is our land and they better behave and obey our laws and respect our citizens.

Appeasement is bad. Capitulation is even worse. We need to do a Michael Fay on some of these foreign rogues that think they could bully our citizens and discriminate against them at work, for thinking that the whole island is all fools and whims to be had. The widespread discrimination in employment at high levels is sickening and cannot be condoned even for another day. Have we gone limp, unable to stand up to the humiliating affront by the foreigners that we begged and offered them good jobs and a good life here? Where is our manhood? We had that in the past, even though Michael was a boy. Are we so afraid of the rogues and we have to let them run amok in our country and do as they please, to abuse and insult our citizens?

Where is the man?

To cowpeh cowbu or not?

My article on WP’s silence in many hot and controversial issues has received mixed reactions as usual. Some are still unhappy that the WP has stayed away from making a stand when the people wanted them to say something. Some have complimented the WP for being wise by not being drawn or trapped into a situation like Chee Soon Juan or JBJ and other opposition politicians and be smashed to bits and buried alive.

There are merits and reasons to want WP to speak up. There are also very good reasons not to speak up but speaking up only at a critical moment when it counts. It is easy for WP to fire away at the many issues that the people are unhappy about and score political points and win over more supporters. Other than this, they are not going to gain anything meaningful and may open themselves to attacks just like cleaning the ceilings of hawker centres. Everything they said would be used to slice them to pieces, right or wrong, nitpicking to the tiniest hair. Even if they can say all the right things, all they need to do to get into trouble could be as minor as a sneeze while speaking.

What would happen to the issues if WP did not speak up? The problem could magnify and accelerate to an intolerable level much faster since no protest could be seen as everything is good, no problem, policy well received, or no one can find anything wrong with the policy. It is like allowing the fire to burn itself out.

Speaking out and pointing out problematic areas would allow remedial actions to be taken to rectify the flaws and could even turn a bad policy or issue around. A potentially explosive issue or bad policy could be massaged to become more acceptable. Speaking out, criticizing is helping to solve a problem, helping to make things better. The bad part is that no one likes to hear the bad news, the critiques, and people who spoke out are seen as bad people, trouble makers, the messenger of bad news, and often be kicked in the arse.

This may be a good reason why WP chose to stay reticent, don’t ruffle the feathers, don’t be a smart aleck when it is not welcomed, don’t be the messenger of bad news and don’t get butted for trying to help. What is the point when whatever they said would be received badly and seen as stirring trouble, with the wrong intention?  Must as well let people be happy with their mistakes and let the problem and pain fester and rot, and wait for the opportunity to pick up the pieces when it is too late to salvage a bad situation. Being quiet, non committal has many merits and can be strategically very sound too. It can also be a game of psycho, making the enemies wandering what one is up too and what is brewing. It may force the enemies to panic, to act prematurely and start barking for the wrong reasons. It can mislead the enemy to become complacent, to think there is no threat, all so nice and humble and accommodating. A nice and easy going politician, always smiling and so sweet can be even more dangerous than a barking dog. It is all a game and how the politician can play to his advantage. What is real or unreal?

We are just bystanders watching the chess players moving their pieces. Who will emerge the winner when it is game over, the quiet one or the one that is kpkb for the wrong reasons?

The price of justice

Recently an angmoh was fined $4000 for beating up a taxi driver after his drinking spree. Yesterday another angmoh was charged for beating up an Asian local who subsequently died, and was sentenced to 18 months jail. Oh he also had to pay a hefty $32,000 as compensation to the dead man’s mother for medical expenses. $32,000 must be a very generous compensation for the low life here, and 18 months jail was meant to be a very serious and deterrence sentence for beating a local ending in death. Another silly angmoh cyclist violated traffic rules, taunted a local woman driver in the middle of the road, and nothing happened to him. Maybe someone went to beg him to be nice to the locals.
 
The price of justice or the cost of justice is pretty affordable in this Sin City. I may want to caution that this price is only applicable to angmohs. I am not sure if the price would be heavier for the locals, or for the citizens? And I could even expect the price to be extremely high if a local were to beat up an angmoh, and worse if it ends up with a dead angmoh. The compensation could be in the millions, taking into account the potential income of the angmoh over a life time.
 
This is after all an ex angmoh colony and the angmoh tua ki mentality is still prevalent among the ex subjects of the empire. It is in their blood, in their DNA. They would employ angmoh first even for local companies doing local businesses. If I were an angmoh, I would make this place my play ground, to make money, have fun beating up the locals and enjoying the hospitality of the local women who are more than willing to oblige. Many would literally flip over when they see an angmoh, the prize possession of a low thinking local woman.
 
You really cannot blame them when supposedly high thinking elite also flip when they see an angmoh. Angmoh is best, in everything. How could anyone accuse the daft locals of being xenophobic when they idolize and worship at the sight of angmohs?

My son earns $10,000 (一万)

Many years back while doing my ICT in Taiwan I had time to take the train and be amongst the Taiwanese along the Taipei Chiayi line. The Taiwanese spoke mainly minnan dialect or Hokien as we are used to. These two women were chatting away like our aunties in the market, one probably not literate and another looked better off. The illiterate, very like some of those we met at the wet market spoke in the usual loud pitch for all to hear.

‘My son ‘tan’ 一万 lah.’ (One million in Chinese numerals but ten thousand in our terms)

The other woman nodded her head politely. I was impressed, initially not knowing what currency she was referring to. After a few more exchanges I heard that the son was an odd job worker. My first impression took on a new reality. At that time the exchange rate was something like S$1 to TW$15. A $10,000 pm is hardly anything, an equivalent of a few hundred Sing$.

Today, if one is watching the HongKong TV serial, often the pay are in HK$20k or HK$30k, and sounding quite astronomical for an office worker. After conversion there are like S$4k to $5K. Still very good but less startling.

Today in Sin City, many aunties are loudly announcing that their children are university graduates in pride. Many of the older aunties were at best O level, with many lesser or unschooled. During their time, a graduate was a very prestigious thing as there were very few around. Today around you a train cabin, likely 2 out of 3 are graduates, including the white collar foreigners.

What has happened is that inflation has caught up not only in the incomes of the people but in educational level. And a $10k income today is not much better than a $1k income in the 60s/70s. A graduate today is no better than an O level graduate in that era in terms of job opportunities and potential income.

Also in grades, today, straight As are the norm and you would need more to be above the average. Today, Crescent and Fairfield are the top schools. But in those days there were the average schools. Or are they really the top schools today when many of the top schools are not spoken of in the sense that they don’t participate in the O level exam? And many PSLE school leavers could not even apply to these unmentionable top schools as they have pre selected their intakes through the through train schemes. Please do not apply. If you are good we will contact you.

In housing, every average worker could aspire to own a 5 room flat or better in the 70s/80s. Today such flats are unattainable to many, even graduates as their first property. In those days, many office workers could buy a second hand car after one year of working. Any young police or army officer could buy a brand new small capacity car after a couple of years of working. Today most of them can forget about such luxuries. Take public transport is the norm.

Have we progressed? Are our lives getting better, from living in bigger homes to smaller homes, from car ownership to taking public transport? From just an O level and bringing up a family quite comfortably to a university graduate and still struggling to make ends meet.

Shall we celebrate that we have arrived in the first world with Swiss standard of living? Is the quality of life getting better?

Print media’s doom exaggerated

This is what Patrick Daniel said in his article in the ST a few days’ back. I must say I agree with his assessment but for different reasons. Digital and social media have carved out a big chunk of the pie and readership from print media and this is a fact. The younger generations are more comfortable with digital media and will keep fleeing the ground with a balance that will tip in favour of digital media in the long run.
 
On the other hand, print media has its own turf that is cut out for it. In fact both have their own audience and it is only a matter of who gets a bigger slice of the pie. The development of the two media is diverging into one that is reporting on facts and events, thanks to the political leadership, and another into more opinionated discourses and very interactive in nature. Digital and social media are going to be very personal, very emotional and with a very high rate of participation by the readers. It is a two way affair while print media is just reporting. The readers just read what the reporters reported. The reporting role is still necessary for the full time reporters to go around gathering news to report on and being paid for it.
 
The ST and its stable of lesser news media are doing well. According to Patrick Daniel, it is all about a commanding brand. I wonder if the brand would still be that commanding when other brands are allowed to print and sell their news. Why are there no neutral or alternative brands? Search me? In a monopolistic environment, it is elementary to gain the biggest share if not all the share of the readership and can crow about it. Where are the competitors? What would be the fate of the ST media if there are competitors? Would ST be doomed?
 
The print media’s shelf life has been extended. It will continue to exist for a longer time. This is a truism as digital and social media have their own limitations. When the latter becomes full fledge media with their own professional reporters, the balance would be tipped further to favour digital media. For the time being, the ST stable of news media shall rule the waves as the only media available. Just like the other monopolistic services, not making money and maintaining the market share is simply idiotic.

The silly Spaniards still think they are an empire

A Spanish court had heard complaints by a Tibetan group of alleged genocide by the Chinese soldiers in Tibet and even issued a court’s order to arrest Chinese leaders like Jiang Zemin and Li Peng. China has issued a strong protest and called the act despicable.
 
Actually China should simply issue an order for the arrest of the judge who presided in this farcical and mischievous court case and all the court officials involved for terrorism and for slandering the Chinese leaders. Who did they think they are to go around arresting other country’s leaders? There is no need to protest against the silly Spaniards. Just make sure that those involved do not set foot in Hongkong or Chinese soils. Put up an arrest on sight warrant with ‘wanted’ posters for the judge or judges and court officials.
 
China could impose a trade sanctions against Spain until the Spanish govt makes an apology for the silly act.
 
China can also remind the Spanish of their genocides in Latin America and the Philippines, not forgetting the Spanish Inquisition. They killed tens of millions of South Americans in the name of the God when they invaded these countries. The British did the same to the North American natives and more than a hundred millions were brutally shot in cold blood. How to exterminate a continent of people? Ask the British and the Spanish, they did it.
 
Who committed genocides?

NYT’s harsh criticism of the Philippine military

There is a scathing attack of the Philippine military by the New York Times today. Basically it said that the Philippine military is outdated and lost, no equipment and no leadership, and doing so little in the aftermath of the Haiyan disaster. While the eastern islands of the country was devastated, the Philippine military were waiting for things to happen, waiting for equipment, waiting for orders that never came because their useless mobile phones didn’t work.
 
On the other hand the Americans were running the whole rescue operations with their latest military equipment, warships and airplanes doing the donkey work. The best the Philippine military could do was sentry duties to guard against looting. Let me quote, ‘The destructive fury of Typhoon Haiyan quickly laid bare the limitations of the Philippine govt’s disaster preparation and relief capabilities,…it is also focusing an unflattering spotlight on the nation’s military – an overstretched, poorly funded force that has been criticized for its late arrival to the disaster zone….even when several thousand soldiers were finally able to fan out across the devastated islands…their work was, and continues to be, hampered by a lack of provisions including food, heavy equipment and communications technology needed when cellphone service is down.’
 
My view is that the criticism is overly harsh as the Philippine military was not designed and equipped for disaster relief work. You should see how efficient they were in chasing foreign fishing boats in the South China Seas. They have so many ammunitions to fire at the unarmed fishing boats and even killing its captain. They even have a new warship with courtesy from the Americans. And they are ever ready to take on China head on should a war erupt. NYT should not under estimate the military prowess of the Philippine military.
 
The govt has also budgeted $2.15b to buy more war equipment to modernize its military. Only hitch is that the equipment is still on the way. Once the equipment arrives, it will be a military force to be reckoned with. It is unfair to expect them to be good at disaster work. NYT is expecting too much.
 
Singapore just spent $4.3b on a 5km road tunnel. This is exactly double the amount the Philippines are spending to modernize its military. For a small military set up like Singapore, this sum of money could double modernize the Singapore military surely. We may even have a new military force if $2.15b can modernize a huge military like the Philippines to take on China.

New Master Plan for 500,000 new homes

This new Master Plan is called a draft Master Plan. Well, it is the new Master Plan for the next 10 to 15 years, or between 2023 to 2028. Would it make any difference if it is a draft or not a draft plan? At 4 persons per new homes, this plan can comfortably accommodate another 2 million residents.
 
The PWP of 6.9m is for year 2030 and for an increase in population from 5.3m, or an increase of 1.6m in 17 years time. So the two plans seem to be complementary to each other. Some may want to quibble why 7.4m (5.4m +2m) in 2028 and not 6.9m in 2030? Let’s not split hair (or split cables) over such a small discrepancy.
 
Many Sinkies must be salivating at this prospect, looking forward to such great places to live and play. And being public housing, they will definitely be sold at a discount from market prices, or with a generous dose of subsidies. The future is surely looking so rosy. Boon Wan is planning well ahead.
 
Let me make a guesstimate of the prices of HDB flats in Holland V in year 2023. If the price is going to double in ten years, each unit of a 4rm flat should easily be around $1.2m at least, conservatively. But not to worry, the income of Sinkies should also be double or triple by then, so these flats would definitely be affordable, or the govt will make them affordable.
 
I can only dream, for by then I dunno where would I be. The fortunate young Sinkies would be the future proud owners of these dream homes and living a great life, gracious living among 7m people.

SMRT wanting to raise fare?

What is the purpose of this fare raising exercise? To increase profits, to buy equipment, to buy trains, to increase salaries or bonuses?

There could be some justifications to increase salaries as part of the annual increments and to off set some inflationary cost. This cost could easily be absorbed by the profits from its operations. As for bonuses, the workers could still deserve the usual but for top management, how many think they should deserve more than the normal? Working extra to solve all the problems they created cannot be justifications for more bonuses for working so hard. Management cannot be rewarded for self inflicted injury.

How much is needed and to be raised from the fare increases for capital expenditure? $100m enough? Or is it $200m?

Didn’t the govt already give a cash injection of $1.1b for capex? This is equivalent to 5 or 10 times the expected funds to be raised, assuming its target is between $100m to $200m. Even if the fare hike is to raise $1.1b, this is already given. Or is the SMRT thinking of raising more after the $1.1b windfall?

This is a private company with the public as shareholders. The shareholders are as good as being given a cash top up of $1.1b and they shouldn’t be complaining. In fact the public non shareholders should be asking why the SMRT/shareholders should be rewarded with the public’s money for failing to provide a satisfactory service in recent years. The shareholders have been amply rewarded and SMRT can’t be thinking of raising more funds to account to them and reward them with more dividends.

A $1.1b windfall still not enough? Even if it has to go into the red this year, it should accept it for their less than satisfactory service compares to past years. Oh, the $1.1b not counted. This is equivalent to how many years of profts? This sum has saved SMRT from diverting a big sum of money for its capital expenditure. The rest of the expenditure are chicken feat, aren’t they

TRE finding a formula for self destruct?

I am unable to gain access to TRE this morning. From what I have gathered, you need to pay to get in. I hope I am wrong. If this is the formula that TRE has chosen to finance its operation, I think it will meet a premature death soon.
 
The game plan in cyberspace is quite different. Many great sites are all free access to viewers. They have to find other sources of revenue, mainly advertisers or selling some products. The monetary contribution is always voluntary. TRE may want to set up a team to canvas for advertisements or seek the experts on how to generate some income.
 
Even in a blog like mine that is quite well received, I would not dare to ask for contributions. Even lifting the fingers to exercise, to buy me kopi (OPM some more) is often difficult and too much an inconvenience, or simply too easy to forget.
 
TRE should leave the monetary contributions to those who are willing. There will be some who will contribute quite generously but many would not for some other reasons. There are many students or non working adults and retirees reading the articles and may not be able to contribute. Turning them off would reduce a big chunk of the readership and that is very bad.
 
TRE, are you reading this? I hope I am wrong and you are not doing so. Richard, what saying you? Or you have a mole telling you this is the best way to raise fund? Remember WTSAWTD? The mole will not tell you that TRE will be obsolete, will be history. You are not the only site in cyberspace doing the same thing.

WTSAWTD

This is a slight variation from WYSIWYG. WTSAWTD means What They Said And What They Don’t. A couple of years back, we were told that big funds would be invited to trade in the stock market, to provide liquidity so that the market will be active and investors can buy or sell easier. Trading activities would increase and good business for everyone. Bid sizes were also reduced for the same purpose. Expensive stocks would be split to make it easier for the small traders to buy one or two units at lower capital outlay, ie more business also. Computer tradings would be introduced and facilitated to improve liquidity and volumes. Everything was done for the good of the market and small investors. Then lunch breaks were even removed and the carrot, more trading hours mean more business, at least another ten per cent increase in business. Derivatives are good, sophisticated instruments for the sophisticated fools. With all these changes, the stock market would fly to the moon.
 
All this has come to past. The volumes get thinner and thinner. The small traders were wiped out, sent to the cleaners. Who made the money was obvious. The stock market is a zero sum game. One makes another must lose.
 
Many good things were said and many not good things were not said. No one talks about how dangerous the big funds and their computers were to the small traders. No one says anything about redesigning the trading system to facilitate the computer traders to clean up the small traders. No one says anything about the unfair advantages of the computer traders and the trading system against the small traders. No one says that no lunch break was to allow the computers to keep trading without having to square and reopen their positions. No one says smaller bid size allows the computers to trade at lower cost and can move faster or can manipulate the stocks more efficiently against the small traders. No one says the losers were the small and big traders not using computers. No one says anything about who are the absolute winners in the market. No one says the number of genuine traders in the market has drastically been reduced and that if the computers stop trading, the market will come to a stand still or turn into a grave yard.
 
No one is going to say that the market is dying. And they are still saying the market is doing very well, in the pink of health. And to make it looks pinker, bring in the makeup artist for the dead, HFT will be introduced to increase volume and liquidity again. Now, what are they saying about HFT and are they not saying about HFT this time?

Health of citizens is health of nation

We need more babies. Our TFR is falling and this is bad. Why is it bad and why do we need more babies? It is to replace the ageing population and to keep the GDP growing, period. Can we not let the population fall naturally and let the GDP shrink proportionally? Cannot, must have more babies to provide the workforce to keep the economy healthy. Babies are important to the economy. Then why should bringing up babies be the responsibility of their parents, to pay for their growing up, medical and social expenses, including education? If the govt or country needs the babies, why shouldn’t the govt pay a portion of their upbringing, including healthcare?
 
There is a 20 to 25 years of cost to grow a baby into a productive worker to feed the economy. No babies, no workers, no economy. The babies are important and so are their growing and productive years. The only time they are less productive, not useless to the economy, is when they are in their retirement years. But not working does not mean not contributing to the economy. They consume goods and services and have to pay for them. They are still contributing to the economy.
 
If the people are so important to the govt and the economy why shouldn’t the govt take care of their health and well being? Without a healthy population, there is no healthy economy. Actually, like it or not, ultimately the people pay for their health and well being. There is no other way, but only a matter of nuances. Either the people pay directly or the govt pays from the taxes collected. The taxes are public money, not someone’s money, not OPM but TPM, The People’s Money.
 
To put things simply, the govt needs the people to be healthy to contribute to the economy, to produce goods and services, to consume goods and services, to pay taxes and to pay the thing called the govt. Why should the people pay for their good health to feed the economy and to pay the govt to be the govt? It is the govt and the system that needs the people, not the other way round.
 
The prevalent thinking now is to make the people pay for their healthcare directly. Can other ways be found? The govt will claim that it has no money to pay except to increase taxes. That unfortunately is true. So how? Ask the people who are being paid millions for the solution lah. So simple also dunno. Pay them millions for what? Heheh, they will tell you the best solution is for you to pay. Problem solved.
 
Gambling income for healthcare
 
We don’t have the two casinos before. Can the taxes from the casinos be applied to provide healthcare for the people? Why should this new and additional income be spread to other uses? Why not devote this source of income to care for the people’s medical well being? Why cannot? And if not enough, why can’t we take some from the Tote Board? The health of the people is key to the health of the economy and to generate revenue to pay the people called the govt.
 
Self Insured to take away insurance cost
 
The other point is to self insure at the national level. No need to pay to a huge organization and staff to manage an insurance scheme. No need to worry about paying for the middle men and profits for the shareholders and fat bonuses to the top management. This should do away with the unnecessary insurance cost.
 
National Healthcare must be basic and limited
 
A national health scheme must be limited in nature, nothing extravagant. Such a scheme must be limited to C class equivalent of services and care. Anyone who wants better services must pay for it. And it should all be about healthcare and not cosmetic care or frivolous medical treatments. The medical professionals can list out what to be excluded from the scheme. The medicine and equipment can also be generic if available. Anything better should be over and above and be paid by the patients that demanded for them.
 
Lower cost to those who need healthcare/Pay for use
 
The operating cost of a national healthcare scheme should avoid the costly frills of extravagance. The people can then be at ease of being assured of a basic healthcare plan and they need only to pay a small fee, at outpatient poly clinics or when hospitalized. There is No need to pay upfront whether they need or do not need through insurance premiums or minimum sums in the Medisave. Free the people’s savings for more immediate needs. A national healthcare scheme should not be entirely free to avoid waste, but not so prohibitive and costly. With the bulk of the cost coming from the casinos, the amount to be paid by the patients on needs basis can be greatly reduced.
 
Option to pay for more
 
The people would also have the choice of paying for higher level of services and the frills that come with the higher fees. What should come under the national health scheme and what should not can be worked out by the professionals.
 
Recompute healthcare costing/No ransom from the sick
 
Another area to review is the computation of cost. As a national health system, items like land cost need not be included or at least not marked to market. Without a profit motive, the cost should be more of consumption, recurring operating cost and cost of replacement. No market forces or mechanism nonsense.

These are just some general thoughts for input into a national healthcare scheme. The health of the people is the concern and interest of the state and not just the individuals. The details can be worked out by the people who are paid to do the job. At the moment the minds seem fixated to a particular model already. Can the authorities explore the unbeaten path, to take a plunge into uncharted waters? No insurance premiums to be paid up front, (paid by gambling revenues) free the people from their worries of huge medical bills without ripping their pockets by all kinds of funny schemes that boils down to the same thing…make the people pay?
 
Give people the choice
 
Give the people the CHOICE to pay, not the choice on how much and when to pay or compulsory to pay with eyes fixed on the money in the Medisave of citizens? A basic national healthcare system supported by gambling revenue and without having to tax on everyone who may not need to use it must be the way going forward. The people cannot be held captive by insurance and insurance and insurance and nothing else. The people cannot be forced to pay and pay and pay, compulsory some more with no option to opt out.
 
What is the point of paying out of this world salary if they cannot come out with out of this world solution? Is it too much for the people to expect or even demand out of this world solution? Some of the features mentioned above are not even out of this world, just plain commonsense and better utilization/allocation of funds with no wasteful payments into a nation wide insurance scheme when every daft Sinkie is made to pay like Santa Claus. Paying insurance is like making everyone pay for a few who are in need. We need a scheme where the sick need not be bankrupt by hefty hospital bills and the healthy need not have to pay. Are we so bankrupt of ideas? Shall we send a few teams overseas to learn from those that are not so talented than our top talents?
 
See, no need to make everyone pay insurance premiums, no need to lock people’s savings in the Medisave Minimum Sum scheme, no need to waste manpower to have a big organization to collect and manage the money. Unless of the course the whole objective is to take more money from the people, another devious taxation under a ‘for your own good’ scheme, then no need to waste time on feedbacks or CONversation with the people. Just make Medishield Life COMPULSORY. PERIOD.

DBS doing National Service

‘Thousands of HDB homeowners are turning to DBS Bank for a mortgage product that guarantees savings.
 
Those who took up a POSB HDB loan when it was launched in April could be looking at savings of as much as $1,600 by next month, calculations from DBS showed.…
 
The first POSB HDB loan pilot launch – where homebuyers enjoyed a floating-rate loan with interest capped below the HDB concessionary rate for 10 years – was fully sold.
The bank is now into its second offering, which charges the same rate but for eight years, said Ms Lui.
 
The current POSB HDB loan charges for the first eight years the three-month Sibor (Singapore interbank offered rate) plus 1.38 per cent, capped at the CPF Ordinary Account rate. The current CPF Ordinary Account rate is 2.50 per cent.
Thereafter, the loan charges three-month Sibor plus 1.48 per cent. The September three-month Sibor is 0.374 per cent.
 
The HDB concessionary loan now charges 2.60 per cent, which consists of 0.10 per cent plus the CPF Ordinary Account rate of 2.50 per cent. Based on the three-month Sibor of 0.38 per cent, borrowers who switch from the HDB concessionary loan will pay a lower interest rate of 1.75 per cent.
 
For a homebuyer refinancing from the HDB in April, based on a loan of $400,000 and 25-year tenor, the potential savings over six months amount to $1,684.
And should interest rates rise over the next eight years, DBS guarantees that it will be capped at the CPF Ordinary Account rate of 2.50 per cent or 0.10 per cent below the HDB concessionary rate….’
 
The above is posted by Thoughts of a Cynical Investor in his blog. What is obnoxious is that bank housing loan rates have been below the rates charged by HDB for years and why is HDB is charging 2.6%? Making money from daft citizens is so easy as long as they don’t complain.

WP’s frightening silence

The Workers Party has skipped many controversial social and political issues with a stony silence. Many critics have accused the WP for opting out, for losing its balls, and choosing the easy way out by keeping silence. This non committal strategy is frowned upon by those who expect the biggest opposition party to take the ruling party on important issues, at the very least. And many have expressed disappointment with the WP, some even claiming that it has been bought over by the ruling party.
 
Within a matter of days, two outspoken MPs from the ruling party have lashed out at the WP for their reticence on the hijab issue. They accused the WP for sitting on the fence by not taking sides and leaving the PAP to make a stand that is not well received by the Muslim community. It will cost the PAP dearly in votes from the community. This has made the PAP fuming mad as it cannot win on this issue.
 
WP’s silence is the best strategy for the moment. Let the PAP confront the Muslim community alone and take the blow. WP only stands to gain by being neutral. The strategy works if it can extract strong reactions from the PAP. And judging from the frustrating comments by Indranee and Hri Kumar, the WP is not only scoring without lifting a finger, it puts the PAP in a very defensive and uncomfortable position and feeling the full weight bearing on them. The attack also proves that WP has not been bought over or has sold out on its political mission.
 
The strategist in Low Thia Khiang is showing itself again. The PAP has been rattled and could not do anything about it except to provoke the WP to stand up and be shot at. You can bet the WP would stay even lower and let PAP face the wrath of the Malay community all alone.
 
Who says a political party must always kpkb to be effective? WP’s silence is not only effective, but also very unnerving.

There was a time – Jean Yeo

This is a six part series produced by Jean and Pedro and shown on Channel 5 at 9 pm every Monday. Tonight was the first half of the 1964 racial riot in Singapore. The next half will be shown on ncxt Monday. I am not sure how many of you have seen this episode and the other episodes of early Singapore.

I was in Secondary Two then. Still a bit young to really understand what was going on but could not miss the fear and tension of those days. My memory was still vivid on that night, in a coolie keng in Borneo Road. This was a row of double storey prewar houses with 9 units attached together and an open verandah on the upper floor. One unit was occupied by a lone Malay family, two by Indians, one of which was an Indian coolie keng. The rest were Chinese families. Though only nine units, there were many Chinese families as each family occupied just one room with the exception of three units. There were several rows of shophouses along the adjacent Nelson Road. The nearest cluster of Malay residents was in a govt quarters at Miri Road about 50 metres away. It was a mixture of Malays, Indians and a few Chinese families.

I was sitting there with more than ten Chinese coolies, all male singles from China in their 40s and 50s. Remembered them looking at me, an excited little boy in their midst. They did not say anything to me. They were very calm and did not seem to want to do anything or were bothered by the news of the racial riots in Geylang. No weapons were prepared, but as coolies there were many wooden poles under the long beds if needed. There were no talks of going after the nearest Malay kampong in Radin Mas a km away.

Outside there were movements of people. The gangsters had a job cut out for them. They became the much needed guardians of the neighbourhood. Over the few days of curfew, nothing really happened in the neighbourhood. Not a single incident. The Malay family were not disturbed at all. But one could imagine their fear living in a Chinese neighbourhood.

I think this was the normal state of affairs in many areas when the non Malays were the majority. The clashes were in Malay majority areas in Kampong Glam, Geylang and Eunos areas. This could explain that the riots were likely to be incited by foreigners.

The only event that came pretty close was the death of a woman that I happened to know. I used to call on them to collect night soil removal fees, the bucket system that we provided as a side income to some of the households in kampong Radin Mas. It was weeks later that news of her killing reached us. That dreadful night her family members heard her scream just a little distance from their attap hut. It was not the right thing to be brave to rush out. They collected her body the next morning on a path leading to their home. By then we had stopped providing the service and I no longer run all over the kampong to collect the monthly fees.

The tragic event of 1964 was called a racial riot in Singapore. The non Malays clashed with the rioters and fought for their lives. And there were the presence of impartial law enforcers to keep everything in control. Though we were in Malaysia, the patrols were conducted by teams of mixed racial origins officers to ensure that every incident was evenly handled. Within the local communities there were really no bad blood or deep rooted baggages to allow the riots to be blown out of proportion.

The riots in neighbouring Malaysia and Indonesia were misnomers. They were killing the Chinese in those days, with the partial law on the side of the killers. Many Chinese were brutally killed in both countries that the Chinese media termed the events as ‘pai hua’ or killing of Chinese. They were not racial riots but highly racist mobs out to kill the Chinese.

This dark part of our history came and gone and hopefully would not be repeated again. The HDB policy of allocating flats to different ethnic groups to prevent any concentration of a particular race had its origin from this tragic past. We must not take the small discomfort and inconvenience of such policies lightly and think it is ok to remove them without taking heed to our history. What happened in 1964 was nothing compares to the events in Malaysia and Indonesia that were best not spoken. The wounds have healed but the ugly scars are still there.

It is worth watching the second part of the 1964 riots next Monday and to hear the personal encounters of the people who are still living with us. We must learn from our past, our history and our mistakes and not to let it ever be repeated. We must not be complacent to what can go wrong once again. Never take racial harmony for granted.

Daft Sinkies will lose their country

The Malays in Malaysia will never lose their country. They are fully conscious and politically aware that they are the owners of their land. The daft Chinese almost lost China when the country was ruled by a minority tribe, the Manchus, who cared more of their tribe’s interest than the interest of the bigger country China, chose to protect their own interest. As long as they could preserve their dynasty, even just the forbidden city, the rest of China can go to the foreigners. When the Chinese people did not believe in themselves, lost confidence and faith, did not believe that they own the country, they just give up. Foreigners were everywhere in China, with more rights than the citizens.
China was lucky that a new elite emerged to gather the lost Chinese together, to politicize them again, to renew their faith and patriotic love in their country, to take back their country. The rest is history.
 
Singapore is at a juncture when the lost sheep is led by blind shepherds that only believe in selling the wool to make more money. They would sell the sheep and the pen if the money is good. No one cares about the country and the people. It is laissez faire, and money can buy anything. The rich are intoxicated with the money they have made, and everyone is trying to make more money, selling land and properties and whatever they have, for more money.
 
Sinkies no longer think about country. Sinkies no longer believe that they own this country. Sinkies were told to share this country with any Tom, Dick and Harry. It is like lelong, come all and take all, come and feast. Whoever can and willing, can take and have everything. There is no ownership, no country, just a hotel.
 
While the rich Sinkies are merrymaking and laughing to the banks, the average Sinkies are lost, without a leader to lead. They simply give up, not fighting anymore. Don’t know how to fight or what to fight for. If Sinkies do not think they own this piece of land and allow others to take it away from them by default, they deserve to lose their country.
 
While they remain apathetic and disinterested, others are not. There are many waiting and scheming to take this island from the daft and pathetic Sinkies. And the good part, the daft Sinkies don’t even know that it is happening. The world is so innocent and beautiful to the daft Sinkies. They could not see the sinister hand of the real world at work. Their island home is slowly slipping away from their limp fingers. Their country is being taken away right before their eyes, wide shut.
 
Sinkies better wake up before it is too late. This is their only home, their country. Lose it and you will become boat people. The rich will fly away to be rich in other countries. Those left behind will not go on to live a life like what they have today, if they lose their country. And they will lose it, under a rogue govt of bad leaders that think of nothing but their self interest.

Do not adopt a tiada apa attitude and let this country become a hotel.

The insanity of the rich Singaporeans

Yes, Sinkies are rich, high income and high spending. Many are worth half a million or more just be housing alone. But one thing the Sinkies did not bargain for or fail to realise, the money in their pockets, savings and bank accounts flies away faster than the money of their peers in the neighbouring countries. Our money cannot be kept for too long and keep flowing out and many would have serious problems on retirements, selling houses and flats to get by.

Our neighbours may not have big incomes, but the money they have somehow stay with them much longer. And when they look forward to retirement, they have no fear of losing their homes, the homes they bought and lived for their whole lives, just to have some money to get by.

Be careful with your money. They are here today, gone today. One can have hundreds of thousands wiped out without knowing what is happening. This is going to be the shocking reality that rich Sinkies would have to come to terms with. The bulk of the ‘rich’ sinkies, notably the average living in public housing, will realise that the equation will come to nought when they reach the end of their life journey. In a way it is a zero sum game, every cent planned to be used for just this life time. Nothing left in their CPF or savings, not even their HDB flat when it is game over.

The ability to plan to such details to perfection is really an amazing art of ‘gum gum ho’. The precision is an engineering feat unmatched anywhere in the world.