corporate wayang

There were many letters to forums calling for a review of the cost of public transport after the brilliant idea of season pass was conceived. Never mind that it was nothing new and has been adopted in the more developed countries all over the world. However, from the official quarter, it was a deafening silence. No one is willing to risk his neck to say anything. It must have been seen as unwise to do so. All the champions of the people must know that some things can be championed, some cannot. Singapore is indeed a corporate state. Everything is corporate, even culture and politics. And everyone is playing the role in a corporate wayang. Wait for the signal and see who says what. Then take the cue and speak loudly or hide in a corner, don't say anything. And nothing else will be spoken about a comprehensive season pass that will really benefit the lower income group, not unless someone who calls the shot, or of a renowned standing comes out and say something. This is the realpolitik of Singapore.

asean, a 3rd world grouping

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. A primeval way to justice. We take it unkindly when someone said something bad about us. How to return the courtesy? Beat him up or kill him? Or we take the modern and civil way of reasoning it out with him, or take him to court. In the political process, the trademark of a stable and developed nation is the peaceful and orderly way of transferring political power or office. A president or prime minister departed and give way to his successor through a general election or a party election according to an agreed time scale. The president or prime minister could be naughty or crazy, but he could only be removed legally either through an impeachment or being voted out of office. There are other cruder forms of doing this, revolution, assasination, mass demonstration, or a military coup. When these methods are used, the normal legal procedures are cast aside. And such methods are normally adopted by third world countries, rich or poor. The use of extra legal processes or the thought of a military coup is a manifestation of the people's primeval instinct. ASEAN is an outstanding example of countries that are still far from political maturity. Myanmar is still under a military junta. Thailand just coup its popularly elected prime minister. The Philippines' president could be deposed by another coup anytime. Indonesia is country where the military is still very strong, like a dormant volcano. The Indochinese states are too new to form any judgement while Brunei is a kingdom. The most mature country within ASEAN in terms of a military that does not see its role in interferring with the domestic political process is Malaysia. The military has accepted the same role as those of the British, its predecessor. It is to defend the nation from external threat and not meddling with internal politics. You don't hear the military men edging to remove a prime minister or govt. Singapore was perceived as the most developed of all the ASEAN countries and a first world country in all aspects until the latest suggestion that the military will step in when things are not going right. That is the hallmark of a third world country. When military intervention is seen as a logical option, it only shows that we are still very far from being a first world political system.

constitutional monarchy is good for singapore

The Thai military coup could be the harbinger of a political change in Thailand. It is the first time that the king played a key role in engineering the removal of a popularly elected PM on drum up charges of corruption. It is so easy to prove such accusations on anyone in power, including kings and presidents, as people in such positions are often in compromising positions because of what they are. There will be many charges of excesses which can easily be proven. What may trigger off a backlash is the increasing awareness of the farmers of the political process. With higher education, the people will start thinking. Why should the land belong to the king and not to the people? Will this lead Thailand towards a republic? On the contrary, the politicisation of Singaporeans could go the other way. All signs point favourably towards a constitutional monarchy. How so? The majority of Singaporeans are of Chinese origin, steeped in Confucianist thinking that runs deep in their blood without them knowing. For several centuries, the Chinese fear authority. On the positive side, they become very discipline and easily led. On the negative side, they become very submissive and easily controlled. Or as proven in this region, they become very compliant even in the face of adversities and abuses. When there is a strong and virtuous leader, the Chinese will become a very powerful and organised force for progress and development, like what China has become. But when the leader is a crook or incompetent, the whole population will suffered in silence. They could not stand up to remove the leader, and thus be led or misled to their own demise. In a hypothetical case, if tomorrow a very powerful personality emerged and claimed to have the mandate of heaven to rule Singapore, like Yuan Shi Kai did in China, the people will obediently go along. Such a personality could instal himself as the next monarch, a constitutional monarch quite easily. And the Chinese population will accept it in acquiscience. No protest or protest feebly. But such a system may be good for Singapore. Under Confucianist ideology, the people are told to accept their stations in life. The monarch and elite deserve to be where they are and live a life of plenty. The poor farmers and peasants believe that life for them is to remain as good peasants and farmers. And if they have to toil for less, they are still expected to be contented with that. In the current context, the political elite will be very happy with such mindless mass that will quietly lead their lives in poverty. The compliant mass will resign to their fate and will not voice out about lack of opportunities or a widening income gap. Neither will they challenge the authority. Society will be at peace. The top and bottom are all happy to live their separate lives in separate worlds. See, a constitutional monarchy with a compliant people can save the country so many problems. Lim Swee Say need not work so hard to appease the demands of the unions. They know their station in life.

looking for chorus boys

I am still waiting for those people who proclaimed loudly that they are the champions of the poorer people to come forward and say something regarding a season pass that can benefit the people as well as the transport companies. It is better that they stand up and speak about it now than to wait for Wei Ling to say it and then come forward to sing in chorus, yes, yes, good idea! Wei Ling is only a medical doctor, not someone whose main preoccupation is to look after the general welfare of the people. We have heard a lot of big talks during the general elections. Lets see if people will now act on what they said and uplift the less fortunate of the society to a more bearable existence. And no, they don't have to provide giveaways and ask people to come forward to beg for them. All they need now is to take a serious look at the season pass concept and make it best for the people. And no need to crack their heads too. It is nothing new. All the merits and misgivings have been trashed out by other great minds long ago. Just borrow the idea and make it work, really work for the people. Now am I asking for too much?

lets talk about the hypocrisy

Perhaps the time has come for ASEAN leaders to face the ugly truth squarely instead of pretending that everything is alright. Race is something that no one consciously choose to be. One is born a Malay, Indian, Chinese, English, German or whatever. We are stuck with whatever colour that we came by. There is no running away from this racial distinction by calling oneself an international citizen or a Singaporean, Malaysian or Australian. And associated with this racial thing is a primordial instinct to belong, to be identified with. Imagine when the Indonesians were looting the Chinese shops and burning their houses, raping Chinese girls and killing Chinese Indonesians, and the Singapore leaders were feasting the Indonesian leaders at the Istana, pretending that everything is alright. We are Singaporeans and the Indonesian Chinese are Indonesians. Conversely, if the majority Chinese in Singapore were doing the same thing to their Malay counterparts while our leaders were having a feast in KL. How much hypocrisy can one live with and get by without being prick by one's conscience or morals? Inhumane treatment of human beings, discriminations, victimisations, can never be tolerated regardless of race or whatever distinctions. And the injustice becomes that much closer when one's race or religion is being victimised. Just listen to the uproar over what the Pope said and how the Muslims feel aggrieved by the comments. Perhaps LKY has assumed a new role in himself. It is no longer a domestic issue and he is speaking as an international statesman on an international issue. It is something that concerns him or any statesman around the world, the issue of treating every human being with respect, fairness and dignity. Are the other ASEAN leaders up to the mark to discuss the issues or are they going to pretend that there were no such things in their countries but only happened in Singapore?

second guessing lky

Why did LKY made such a sensitive comment that he knew would invite reactions from all quarters? Let me try to guess, ok? I do not profess to know his thoughts. One possibility is to clear the deck before he quit the scene. Hsien Loong is now in charge. And all these bickerings and cross borders accusations to score political points is unhealthy. Hsien Loong can do without, so that he can spend his time with more important things. And who is best to clean up this old rivalry once and for all except LKY? What LKY is saying is that we should stop all this bitching. But if one party thinks that they can keep bringing it up to stir shit, lets do it now. Talk about it openly, have an open discussion to see who have more shit to spread. You want to thump table or chest, go ahead. He will do it with them. It is going to be rough. But he is prepared to rough it out, take all the blows, but hopefully he can put an end to all the nonsense that one is whiter than the other. No other Singapore leaders will be in a better position to take this headon than he himself. The other objective is to tell the other countries that they cannot keep on oppressing and discriminating against their chinese citizens. This could be something that he felt was wrong and he wanted to say it out. Not that it will make a difference if both Indonesia and Malaysia insist to continue with their victimisation of their Chinese minorities. But saying it out is to tell them that it is not a decent thing to do and as a statesman, he cannot turn a blind eye to it and pretend that he did not know. If the Malaysian and Indonesian leaders are offended by it, so be it. He is retiring from the scene soon and either he says it now or he would not have a chance to do so later. Better to go down in history as someone to call a spade a spade than to be seen as hypocritical. At least he could be remembered for telling the ugly truth that no one dares to say. Would the two countries severe relations with Singapore because of this remark? Unlikely. There could be some strains and posturing. But there are too many things that all can work together for mutual benefits to be ruined by his telling the truth. Would Malaysia go ahead like some kampong headmen in Johore suggested, developed the SJER without Singapore? Or would Jakarta drop all economic projects with Singapore in Batam and Bintang just because of this? Even if they do, Singapore is not going to lose anything. Our economy is now dependent on the world than just Johore and the islands in the Riau archipelago.

guided democracy singapore style

While on the way to work I was pondering what Singapore will belike in the future and came out with a hypothetical situation. I didn't realised that this could be a solution to the list of problems Lim Swee Say raised as reported by Clement Mesenas. I will think about it a little more and get it our on Sat morning. Let me just reflect something about guided democracy in Singapore. Hsien Loong had a long session with the post 65ers, a very encouraging and engaging session as was reported. But why guided democracy? Apparently the 17 to 30 year old youth had a preparatory session with a group of younger MPs who coached them on what to ask and who to ask and the sequence to ask their pre prepared 12 questions. That is meticulous work and needed as these young people would probably be lost as they have not a clue on what they were talking about, I think. So the guidance and help sure did them a lot of good. And the programmed session went on as they have planned. The only interruption came when Hsien Loong wanted to hear a bit more about race relations. And the room waited. Quite expected as it was not planned and they did not know what to do. Very Singaporeans. Out of the script and they will be lost to the extent that Hsien Loong had to push for more spontaneity. Given their youth, this is natural. Give them a few more years when they are in the 30s or 40s, they might be more ready. Only problem is that their useful years will be very short as many would probably be retired by 55. Maybe the political lifespan of politicians could be extended.

abe takes 30% paycut

It is reported in the Business Times today that Abe Shinzo has announced a 30% pay cut for himself as a symbolic gesture to cut cost. And all his ministers will take a 10% pay cut. I think they are all very rich so they can afford to take paycuts.

switzerland 1st singapore 5th

Switzerland is the world's most competitive economy due to its reputation for innovation, research and development and its scientific infrastructure. And other Scandinavian economies are also performing well because of the same reasons. Singapore is ranked fifth. Not bad. But why Singapore is there is not explained. Is Singapore's position also due to innovation, research and development, and scientific infrastructure? Or we are there because of lower cost through outsourcing and hiring of cheap labour ie foreign talents?

myth 68

'The Chinese are marginalised in Malaysia and Indonesia' Lee Kuan Yew Mahathir said no, Najid said no, Badawi said no, MCA and Gerakan leaders also said no. So it must be a myth. There are so many Malaysian leaders saying that the Chinese are not marginalised. Even Malaysian Chinese also declared that they are not and are offended by LKY. So the majority must be right. Look at it this way. If the people affected feel that they are not, who else can say otherwise. If a bird in a cage says it enjoys the freedom in the cage, how can an outsider say no, the little bird has no freedom. Quite subjective isn't it? What is the truth? Or can truth be variable? The verdict, you decide.

of corporate cheats

'There is little social sanction for cheating when so many people are cheating that it becomes normal and routine,' said Mr David Callahan, a co founder of the New York based think tank Demos and author of The Cheating Culture.... Americans have long been tolerant of cheats in business...We admire the rich, even if they broke a few rules to get rich, he added. The above is extracted from an article by Matthew Lynn in Today paper. He added, 'So you think the average corporate chief is lying cheat. Well, you haven't seen anything yet.' Are we in the same boat? Are the local corporate big wigs also the same as those of America?

does asean approve of the military coup?

Indonesia has its own form of guided democracy under Suharto and the military. Singapore is seen as a paternalistic democracy. And to some western critics, it is a dictatorship democracy. Now Thailand has its own version of military democracy. What is so different about this new version of democracy? In the words of Gen Sonthi, 'The junta will only select the prime minister. The new prime minister will choose the cabinet.' He then added, ...but the military could have places in the new cabinet and 'act as advisers to the interim govt.' He forgot to mention that the military could remove the prime minister or the whole govt if it deems fit. Now this is not democracy really. It is a step back for the country, moving towards the direction of Myanmar which Thailand took objections to. Why is ASEAN, the champion of democracy and human rights, stood silently in the face of these developments? Shouldn't ASEAN interfere like it did in Myanmar and warn Thailand about slipping back to military rule? Does ASEAN approve of military coups?

don't switch on the light to benefit your neighbour

'In a front page story in Utusan Malaysia yesterday, they were quoted as saying that projects that benefit the Republic such as the proposed high speed train should be cancelled, given that Singapore does not appreciate the sensitivities of its neighbours. They also said Malaysia should not take into account the Republic's interests when implementing the South Johore Economic Region plan.' Is this meant to be a joke? And Singapore is invited to participate in the development of Johore? Looks like they will switch off their lights as the lights will also light up their neighbours courtyard.

to say or not to say, or to bury the truth

I accept and agree with all those who said LKY should not make those comments. The comments were definitely not diplomatic and will ruffle feathers across national boundaries. But I am glad he said it. On the grounds of humanity, human rights, equality, fairness, etc. brutality, discrimination, victimisation, bullying and marginalisation of a people because of their colour and ability are unacceptable, and the world must stand up to such bad practices. That is why we have human rights movements.

foreign talent - the discussion so far

After several rounds of discussion with fellow bloggers and forumers, two distinctive views emerged from the pro liberalisation of foreign talent policy camp. The first point that was strongly emphasised by this group is that the govt does not owe the people a living, and it is not responsible to provide jobs for everyone. I can accept this view to the extent that those who are not trying to help themselves will not be the fault of the govt. The people must first look after themselves and be prepared to fend for themselves instead of depending on the govt. On the other hand there are many who are doing all they could to prepare themselves to compete in an increasingly tough environment, slogging through all the years through tuitions and university or polytechnic education, and they deserve a fair chance in society. To this group, there is a social obligation, my view, that jobs shall be created for them. We cannot be like other countries producing tens or hundreds of thousands of graduates that are jobless. I would like to hear a politician standing up and say openly that they are not responsible to create jobs for Singaporeans. I will definitely pin up the speech in my forum, on stickers, to be remembered. The other point of view is that Singaporeans must tighten their belts and compete with the foreign talents. And if they failed against the foreign talents, they deserved to be losers. Because they are no good and do not deserve to earn a living here. This kind of thinking can only come from those who think that they are better than foreign talents and will never be replaced by them. Unfortunately this kind of smugness is misplaced. The foreign talents are not only smarter than our local talents, even the very best, they are also hungrier. Our best are from a minute pool of 3 million people. The best of the foreign talents came from a pool of 3 billion people, from two ancient civilisations well known to produce brilliant people. Our talents will be a mixed match when they have to compete against them. I have mentioned that maybe only a handful will survive such a challenge if not protected. It is easy for people whose jobs are protected, or at least in a better off position today, to advocate full liberalisation of foreign talent policy, welcome all with open arms. They will regret it one day when they too will be displaced by them. But if that is the end that we are looking for, the continued survival of the city state regardless of who lives here, then by all means. But if the city state is for its citizens, called Singaporeans, then there is a need to be more circumspect in this policy.

military democracy

Today I have just discovered that military coup is a democratic process. The military junta that took over Thailand by force is trying to wrap themselves with the cape of democracy. They are looking for champions of democracy to lead the new govt in Thailand under presumably a democratic govt, without election and taking orders from the military men. I have heard of democratic dictatorship or dictator democracy. But military democracy is the latest phenomenon in the world of politics. And at the same time a kangaroo court has been set up to investigate all the wrongdoings of the Thaksin govt. The Thai inquisition has begun. Can anyone believe that they will find Thaksin free of wrongdoings when he is already found guilty and ousted from his premiership of the country?

myth 67

'It is very difficult to do business in Singapore' Who said so? There are many companies that are doing exceptionally well here. But they must know the secret formula to succeed. Actually there are two parts to that secret formula. And most companies already satisfied the first part. Yes, Privatise! So all private companies are already privatised and should have no problem. The second part of the formula is to run the company on a profit making basis. Tell the CEOs and management teams that the companies must make profits to exist. Simple isn't it. So the formula reads like this. First privatise, second make profits. And if any company still have difficulties operating as a going concern with handsome profits, they should consult some of the very successful govt companies that have been privatised eg SMRT, SBS, hospitals etc etc Just a money making idea. All these successful privatised companies should conduct courses on how to be a profit making private company. And with their track records, they should be able to charge a high attendance fee. They have a lot of success stories to tell.

say something, wei ling

I would really like to invite Wei Ling to this forum, to speak up and be the diva. No matter how much we kpkb, no matter how often people write to the papers or where else, nobody is going to listen. This morning Lim Boon Hee pointed out the issue of why only season passes for SBS buses and not the others. The half past six conception of this piecemeal solution is obvious to anyone. No need super talent brain to look at its implementation with horrors. Without a Wei Ling, everyone is listening, or pretending to be listening. But nothing enters or registers. Where are all the politicians who claimed that they care for the people? You need a Wei Ling to say it and all will chorus with amazing predictability. And they will suddenly rise to the occasion as if they just thought about it. Before that, no one could see that the sound solution is there staring in their faces. Please say something Wei Ling.

speaking political truth

Going by the responses from the Malaysian non bumi political parties and people, there is absolutely no discrimination in Malaysia. And they are all very happy with the course of development and the progress of the various communities. What is the truth? It is so apparent that people are saying what they don't believe in while the truth is rubbished as dangerous. Having said that, it is up to the Malaysians to fight their own battle. We are outsiders and our comments are not appreciated. Not by the bumis and also not by the non bumis. Thank you LKY for your concern. Some will quietly appreciate what was said behind closed doors. On the other hand some will have no choice but to speak up against it. That is politics of survival. In politics you are not expected to speak the truth but what is politically correct.

from a kingdom to a republic

Thaksin has been accused of all the sins of his govt. There are good reasons and objections to how he managed his own finances and businesses and how he handled the Muslim insurgency problems in the south. But has Thaksin done any good to the country and the Thai people? During his watch as a PM, he had weathered the financial crisis with scintillating results. Thailand was the earliest to recover from the crisis and the Thai economy has grown from strength to strength. He has given away a lot of money and did many projects to benefit the ordinary Thais, especially the farmers. Now who else has done these to the Thai people and the Thai economy? No one, not even the royal families have done anything that really improve the Thai farmer's lives. And for what were the perceived wrongs of Thaksin, there is no justification to conduct a military coup to remove him. This coup is very exceptional in the way it originated and would have far reaching consequences to Thai politics and may even undermine the sanctity of the palace. Would the revered King become an issue? Would this be a watershed in the history of Thailand? Would this be the spark that would turn a kingdom into a republic?