the hypocrisy of asean

How far will ASEAN walk down the road of hypocrisy? After putting so much pressure on Myanmar to respect human rights and democratic processes and institutions, ASEAN did not breathe a single word about the coup in Thailand which brought down a democratically elected govt. And all the ASEAN leaders quickly sent congratulatory messages to the new govt installed by the military junta. How coup ASEAN stand up to face the world and said it is defending the democratic institution? Myanmar should now be applauded as the role model of what ASEAN countries should be, ruled by the military. With Thailand now another military regime, who is next? Phillippines, Indonesia,...? Singapore will become another military regime if the opposition will to win the election. It will be exciting to see ASEAN as an association of military run countries.

the hip hop controversy

Some younger MPs are attempting to parade themselves during the 2007 Ching gay procession doing hip hop. I don't know what that is. Must be something the young is doing. To be hip, to be cool and hopping around. Why is a simple fun activity generating so much controversies? Why can't young people have fun? Oh, they are MPs and are expected to be like MPs, speak up in Parliament for the interests of their constituents. Doing hip hop, now... is that what they are paid to do? There are all kinds of perceptions and expectations by the people, all kinds of people. What is acceptable to one is not necessarily acceptable to another. What a young MP thinks is a great idea may be a great idea to some but there will also be some who think otherwise. The volume of remarks in cyberspace and MSM is still flooding in, from the complimentary to the outright rejection and cynicism. But that is what being in the limelight all about. One stands out to be recognised and will receive all the accolades and all the rotten eggs. Not everyone sees things in the same way. What is good to you is not necessary good to other people. What is affordable to you is not necesarily affordable to other people. Hip hop is good to these young MPs but some will not agree. The moral of the story is that when they are in Parliament and thinking and speaking what is good for the people, please check with the people first.

myth 73

'The truth of half truths and truths in Cyberspace/MSM' Cyberspace has been accused by the MSM as something like the twilight zone, harbouring anything but truth. And many proclaimed truths are actually half truths. Truth can only be found in the MSM, spoken by honourable and reputable people in reputable publications written by professionals. Do I need to say anything further? A cup is half full, so I say. The other party say no it is half empty. So who is telling the truth? The Emperor is not wearing anything, so say Cyberspace. The MSM sees the same thing but not saying anything? Who is telling the truth or half truth? If Cyberspace talks about the poorer 20% of the population and MSM brags about the good life of the top 20% of the population, who is telling the truth and who is telling half truth? If Cyberspace cries out for the people who find that public transport fare is expensive, and MSM quoted comparative figures of New York, London and Hongkong and concluded that our fares are cheap, who is telling the truth and who is telling half truth? Is Cyberspace only spreading half truths and MSM only telling the whole truth?

mine is mine, yours also mine

When the NEP was first conceived, its target was for the bumiputras to own 30% of the nation's wealth. How this was defined was still as hazy as the Indonesian haze today. A figure of 30% Malay ownership by 2020 is now the official target. But 30% Malay ownership of what? The official govt figure is that the Malays only owned 18.9% and this is defined as all the 600,000 registered companies. An independent study by Asli came out with a 45% ownership. And quoting this figure is even seen as being irresponsible by Badawi. What has in fact been the case is that Malay ownership of GLCs, which are the meaty companies as they were huge, are not considered as Malay ownership in the bumiputra definition of the word. The official bumiputra definition of Malay ownership is that what is mine is mine and not counted. What belongs to the non bumis only can be counted. Jusr consider all the stocks in the KLSE alone, assuming that the GLCs eventually grow to 50% of the size of the stockmarket, it is still counted as zero Malay ownership. So when they achieved 30% of the balance 50% of non bumi ownership, they would in fact controlled 65% of all the stock value in the stock market. To think that mathematics is not their forte, they seemed to be able to count everything to their advantage. Or is this modern maths? Malay ownership means what is mine is mine and what is yours is 30% mine. Using this bumi definition, the 2020 target of 30% ownership is unlikely to be reached till the end of time as any company that is big enough could be bought over and become GLCs. The non bumis will be left with all the small and medium companies. And they are not marginalised.

myth 72

'Singaporeans are great pretenders' ' Hey zebra, why are you wearing pyjamas?' The zebra was angry and said the remark was uncalled for. And as more zebras got agitated, they started to demand for an apology. But many, including Singaporeans will agree with the zebra that they are not wearing pyjamas. The issue is how many believe what they said openly and what they actually believe but not saying? How could one make out of people who would not blink their eyes and tell you that the zebra did not wear pyjamas? The statement that Singaporeans are great pretenders is unlikely to be a myth. Neither are they stupid. Many are just not saying what they really know and believe. It is more a case of no point saying it or the time is not ripe to say it. And for those who are cornered to say something, their response is obvious. The zebra is not wearing pyjamas. And they will swear in court to say the same thing, for pragmatic reasons.

deception is good for the soul

Deception is good for the soul. NUS is now ranked 19th among the great universities in the world by Times. Everyone is happy. NUS is now a great university. No body bothers to question the criteria that put NUS up there. Only those that find the criteria rather silly would dismiss the findings as another crap. And Newsweek came out with a different set of criteria and the ranking were all different. The accounts people were very good at juggling numbers and creative accounting to make a company looks good. Academics can be equally brilliant to set their own criteria to make themselves look good. I too can set up a set of criteria to make NUS Number One. As long as NUS is Number One, that is all people want to know. NUS can even be Number One in the Guinness Book of World Record or in Sotong's Book of World Best, doesn't matter. NUS is Number One. Now the reality. Even if today NUS is ranked Number One and Cambridge or Harvard are ranked 50th and 51st, where would students choose to study? Or would people care that there is a NUS that is ranked Number One?

myth 71

'Singapore is short of talents' How can that be? I think no where can one find so many talents congregated in a small piece of land. And the kinds of talents we have, all multi skill and multi talented, will put many foreign talents to shame. Our talents can be political leaders, ceos, singers, dancers, sports champions etc all rolled into one. And they all performed multi taskings wearing 10 or 20 hats. Whew! They probably work 25 hours a day.

feelings of relative wellness

Feelings of relative wellness Singaporean parents are the most stressed by our education system. Not that they have to sit for the exams. It is the social stigma that they have to live with and be confronted by the daily comparisons of why their children are not in the Gifted Programme or in the top schools, or why they are in neighbourhood schools, normal stream or last in class. How could they bear such labels being hanged over their Gucci and Versace apparel and accessories? How could they say their children are in Longkang Besar Sec School? In earlier days, schools were ranked in a simple order of goodness. Then you have the two Raffles, ACS, SJI, the Convents etc hogging the limelight at the top. And any children that are not in the top 10 schools were considered non conversation topics. Better not to be seen or heard. And when newer concepts like SAP Schools and Independent Schools came about, a different kind of orientation of the mind map took form. Now children must be in such institutions to be recognized as good students, to give pride to their deserving parents. Under these two systems, only a small group of students could do their parents proud as our mind can only accommodate about 10 digits, the top ten. Even being top ten in class will be a good thing to talk about though the child is not from a fine school. Any bigger number is difficult to comprehend. Naturally not many parents could be found to be happy. All kinds of ranking that defines what or who is good or better will make those not so good feel lousy. Quite a normal response. So when the SAP and Independent Schools were taken out of the ranking list, more parents were made happier as another 10 new schools made it to the top of the packing order. Needless to say, parents of those in SAP and Independent Schools were still be as elated as ever. The next great thing that the Ministry came up with is the banding system. There are now 9 bands for the Special/Express Stream and four for the Normal Stream. And the beauty of this system is that 6 schools can be in one band. How would this make parents happier? With only 9 bands, we cannot expect parents to look at the top ten anymore. A little adjustment to read the top 3 or 4 bands as good schools will suffice. Bravo! Another 24 (6 x 4 bands) schools will now be socially acceptable as good schools. And in total, including all the SAP, Independent and Integrated Programme Schools, there will now be 30 to 40 that will make parents feel good instead of just 10 in the past. The Ministry could go on and add more schools to make parents feel more secure and less traumatised. One area is the sports or arts and music schools. Though these may not be top schools, they could do with a little rebranding. Instead of simply calling them sports or arts schools, call them Gifted Schools for special talents. Their students will then be recognized as talents, or students from Gifted Schools. There could also be schools like Eton or Schools for the Gentry Class to churn out young ladies and gentlemen who can appreciate all the finer things in life instead of boring academic grades. Not everyone needs to work for a living. Creative packaging could mean lesser emigration, less stress and more babies.

my first article with the New Paper

Hi fellas, My New Paper article was scheduled for today but was held back because of some factual errors. I am trying to clarify the errors. Will see if it will ever see the light

the monkey pool

The Monkey Pool In this little pool of monkies of all odds and sizes, the biggest of the lot is the orang utan. They all play in the same pool and were quite happy for some time. Then god said the water level of the pool shall rise by one cm everyday. This is small enough a change that no one will feel any discomfort. And all the monkies agree and continue to play and be merry. Soon the water is half a metre high and some of the smaller monkies were having water up to their neck and screaming for help. And god is compassionate. He throws in a couple of life buoys and some manage to cling on to them. Those who could not get on eventually were unheard of as the water level went over their heads. And surely and steadily the water level rises a little bit everyday and more of the screaming were silenced, never to be heard again. The orang utans continue to enjoy their feast and make merry. They were at the top of the packing order and have no fear. They were more than a metre tall and many other monkies would have been swallowed by the water first. They never think their turn will come. While the old voices were silenced, a new vibrancy came to the pool as more bigger monkies come visiting. It is a lively place again, a lot of oomphs. But before long, big apes also come into the scene, bigger than the orang utans. Ah Meng is no longer the grand old dame. As time goes by, Ah Meng passes the scene through old age. He did not have the chance to see the pool being taken over by the big apes. No orang utans left. They too were not tall enough. Gobalisation, some shouted. No, it is Godbalisation, some argued. Whatever it is, the monkies are no longer around. What happened to them? God knows. Finally god explained. This is the game of the big apes, designed by the big apes to be in their favour. Little monkies have no place in such games of the big apes. Orang utans too were not big enough.

a message for the clowns

I was reading the comments coming out from the Malaysian Circus on the LKY apology. Many were still talking about LKY's comment that it was uncalled for, insensitive, unacceptable, inciting racial feelings etc. To these circus performers, the unpleasantness of such a remark is so obvious. That no leaders should be making such comments about another country is something so natural and comonsensical. Funny thing is that when Mahathir and Malaysian politicians were hurling such remarks at Singapore, none of them say anything. And many even joined in the chorus. Did they have mirrors in the Cabinet? What LKY has done is to tell the Malaysians plain and simple. Stop making such stupid remarks. His comments and apology are to set an example for them to take note. Such remarks are, like what the clowns suddenly realised, unpleasant, uncalled for, insensitive, provocative etc etc and must not be uttered. And whoever makes such remarks must be kicked in the arse and apologise. Would the clowns be jumping around if another of their dignified member shoot off such remarks again? Or would this be the closing of a chapter of passing silly remarks at each other? Did they get the message?

youth is in

In the past, MPs are chosen from a field of experienced, intelligent and wise men to look after the affairs of the people and country. Incorruptibility, honesty, strength of character, integrity etc were the qualities that were seen as important. Then other qualities were also added, like bi lingualism. Candidates are chosen from those who can speak another tongue other than English to reach out to more people. Later on a humble background is a badge of honour to be flashed around to show that the underdogs can also do well. Today, the most important quality is youth. To be able to connect with the young, to dance, to be hip, and to be cool are important qualities to be an MP. The future is theirs. They are the future guardians or owners of the nation. Starting them young is important. The younger the better. I would strongly suggest to the opposition parties to start looking at the kindergartens and nurseries to recruit their potential candidates. Never mind if they are still sucking their pacifiers. They need to reach out to all the people, to the very young as well. And then they can brag about having the youngest MP in parliament. Maybe getting one from the kindergarten will sure make great news.

myth 70

'The blind cannot see' This is what everyone thinks so, that the blind cannot see. It must be or else we won't call them blind. But if one is to observe the designing of the guides for the blind in MRT stations or in shopping centres, and then try to imagine how the blind go about getting from one place to another, one cannot help but to think that the blind are not so blind. For instance the blind will be able to find their way to the MRT stations without any guides. So they must be able to see in a way. But once they are in the stations, they became blind and needed the guide to help them along, to the ticketing gates, to the lifts and to the trains. Without the guides they definitely cannot find their way around. And when they get to the platforms, they can see again. The whole platform of 50 metres length are lined with guides so that they can walk from one end to another to choose which train cabin to get in. Presumably they can see which one is empty or more comfortable. Or they can walk around enjoying the scenery high above ground level on the platform. Now, would I be made to believe that they are blind and cannot see?

are public transport companies private companies?

Cindy Lim, Press Secretary to the Minister of Transport wrote a letter to the Straits Times forum explaining why a forumer's allegation against the transport companies were wrong. And she went on to justify the come of the transport companies as healthy and not excessive. I am wondering why aren't the transport companies be there explaining for themselves and why the Transport Ministry thinks it is its responsibility to do so. Aren't the transport companies private companies, or are they govt companies?

spend to look good and feel good

As I approached a MRT station I was greeted by lines of sparkling metallic studs on the floor, nicely arranged in neat rows. With a little curiosity I followed all the way to the lift and out of the lift. And on both sides of the platform, two equally brilliant rows of studs ran across the whole length of the platform. Very well designed and a visual treat. These are aids for the blind to allow them to get to the station platform. And by stretching it across the whole platform, the blind could walk from one end to the other to enjoy the beautiful sight, guided by the studs. Very thoughtful. I am glad that we are putting in great efforts to help our physically handicaps. But I thought they could do a little more. The studs only start at the station floor. How could the blind get all the way from their homes to the station without the studs? It would be better if the studs were laid all the way to the flats or houses, through overhead bridges, stairways, underpass etc. That would make it more convenient, and would have looked more caring. Then we will be more deserving of a first world nation, looking good and feeling good. And those car parks that provided only one parking lot for the invalid drivers should change their mindsets and provide more. One is too miserly. Maybe twenty or more. As our population ages, we can forsee that in the future there will be more wheelchairs and blind people on the road. We must prepare for a nation of cripples and the sightless. What we are doing is not enough. Maybe 20% of the population, statistically will need assistance to travel around to see the beautiful gardens, parks and cities, and shopping and eating. We must do more to prepare for a nation of people that cannot see and walk but would like to see and travel around. Seriously, I am for all the assistance we can do to help those who need help. But throwing away money unnecessarily to look good is not the way to go.

open apology from lky

LKY has officially replied to Badawi, something which a gentleman like Badawi deserved. I refresh my memory but could not recall Badawi making any insinuations or racial remarks about Singapore in the past, unlike his predecessor. It would be unlikely for LKY to do so if it was Mahathir making the demand. For many years, LKY has been quite reticent about the racial slurs of Mahathir and his ministers. During that period, attacking Singapore on such grounds is the implied norm. Every minister worth to be in the good book of Mahathir must utter something to this effect to cut his teeth, so to speak. What did Singapore do? Explain, explain and explain. None feel it right or up to it to take on such comments headon, probably to avoid further deterioration of relations. Even LKY refused to be dragged in. But a closure must be made to this unpleasant way to conduct interstate relations, pointing an accusing finger across borders to score political points. Hopefully, with this letter of open apology coming from LKY, the Malaysian side could bury this episode and not to reinvent more new attacks in the future. It takes two parties to clap. And if one party insists to continue, it would seem that the Singapore side will now respond more robustly by the ministers instead of keeping quiet and avoiding the issue. One just can't keep folding his arms and receive all the blows.

a remarkable obituary

Remarkable Obituary Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Mr. Common Sense. Mr. Sense had been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as knowing when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm and that life isn't always fair. Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you earn) and reliable parenting strategies (adults, not kids, are in charge). His health began to rapidly deteriorate when well intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a six-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition. Mr. Sense declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer aspirin to a student, but could not inform the parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion. Finally, Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband, churches became businesses, and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense finally gave up the ghost after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot, she spilled a bit in her lap, and was awarded a huge financial settlement. Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason. He is survived by two stepbrothers; My Rights and I'm a Whiner. Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on; if not, join the majority and do nothing. I received this in an email and is passing it on.

myth 69

'A govt must look after its citizen first' This is the common practice and first principle of all govt. And that is where most govt has got it wrong and got into trouble. Looking after the interest of its citizens is very important but the question is how? Many went to the extent of protecting their citizens and driving away investors. There are countries which demanded that a percentage of the shares of the company must be owned by the citizens or else no investment. In this area, Singapore can teach the world a lesson. The trick is to take care of foreigners and their investments first, including providing them with jobs. The foreign investments will bring in more jobs like the IRs. That is quite clear. It is the second part, providing jobs to foreigners that many cannot see the values from it. With more foreigners here, they will consume our services like housing, transportation, medical, schooling etc. They also eat, sleep and play and spend money here. And all these provide employment and jobs for Singaporeans. Treat foreign workers well and they will bring prosperity to the people. The benefits will be filtered down to Singaporeans at the lower levels, or downstream. Keep the foreigners out and Singapore's economy will suffer and our economic progress will slow down. The conventional wisdom of barring foreigners from our shore must be changed. We must welcome foreigners.

the wheel is turning

Our parents and grandparents and their parents came to this island at a time when there were turmoil in their home countries, when getting a job was difficult. Many foreigners, maids, construction and shipyard workers or even white collar workers are here for the same reasons. Perhaps more, where they could earn more here than at home. Our young and old people are told to compete for jobs here with foreigners. And if they are unable, go overseas. Looks like the cycle is now reversed. Singaporeans are finding it difficulty to get a job at home and have to move out to find jobs to feed themselves. The cycle is being repeated but in a different direction. I have a very funny feeling that things are not right. Just cannot put a finger on what is really wrong? I don't think anyone can. No one believe that there is a problem.

a national iconic drink

Motivating people is very important. Other than pictures we have many icons to remind people of our country and its greatness. We even have a drink with the country's name attached, the Singapore Sling. This morning I discovered a more appropriate and wholsome drink that we can call it our own, maybe a national icon, instead of the Sling that will get one a bit high for not so good reasons. This drink is brewed from natural herbs, aids digestion and blood circulation, and always good for health. It sure gets the blood pressure circulating and boiling and will improve the general well being if done regularly. It is called Youmeisu. Just kidding.