A special hotel in paradise

The guests have single rooms. They have special areas for worshipping and were guided by religious teachers. When they are in trouble, they are assisted by counsellors. They wore new clothes and spruce up for family visits. The hotel is operated under a holistic environment for rehabiltation. The hotel is in Whitley Road. And all the rumours about harsh punishments were just rumours. Dr Rohan Gunaratna, head of Singapore's Internationa Centre of Political Violence and Terrorism Research, said, 'The rumours you hear about harsh treatment are not true. The conditions there must be conducive to rehabilitation. If you treat them badly, their resentment will grow.'

800 more chips on the table

800 chips of $1m each are on the Merill Lynch table. Temasek had earlier bought US$4.4 bil worth of Merrill Lynch shares and with the additional $800 mil through exercising its option, it now holds near to 10% of Merrill Lynch. Would this large holding qualify Temasek to have a say and the management of the company? Or we are so trusting to let the Merrill Lynch managers to run the show at will and believing that they will manage the company for our interest? What are the safeguards to protect our investments? It is incredulous to put in so much money and did not have a say in the company. Today paper reported that 'Temasek is currently sitting on paper losses of US$1.2 bil from its investments in Merrill Lynch and Barclays.' As long term investments, the returns will come in in a matter of time. As for concerns on the long term time frame and lack of disclosure on grounds of secrecy, investments in such high profile institutions cannot go unnoticed. These organisations are subject to public scrutiny in their own countries and any mismanagement or poor showing will be exposed quite quickly as in this case. They may hide and delay as much as they like, but they can't hide forever or for too long. The truth will be out sooner than expected.

More money into UBS?

'Singapore's GIC may participate in UBS rights offering - report April 14, 2008: 09:17 PM EST SINGAPORE, Apr. 14, 2008 (Thomson Financial delivered by Newstex) -- The Government Investment Corporation of Singapore (GIC) may participate in the 15-billion Swiss franc ($15 billion) rights offering of Swiss investment banking giant UBS (NYSE:UBS) AG, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing unnamed sources. This will be the second time that GIC will be injecting capital into UBS following an 11 billion franc investment in December last year....' This time they are going in with eyes wide open. The first time they went in there were some uncertainties and a little wet behind the ears. This time there is no excuse if they foul it up. Basic questions, is this a bottomless pit? Are all the woms out crawling? Is there light at the end of the tunnel? What are the safeguards and protection to our investments if there are more than meet the eyes? The worst thing that can happen is to put in good money after bad money. Better do all the homework thoroughly. Billions of our money are at stake.

God works in his own mysterious way

The world is in upheaval. Things are changing, and changing very fast. And things that are happening are all simply unbelieveable. Things that we see, things that we hear, all so unbelieveable.

Myth 178

MPs know what they are talking All these years we have been relying on the MPs to explain govt policies to us, the people, the uninformed masses. We were all ears, eagerly listening and copying every word the MPs told us. They were expected to know what they were saying, to understand the intricacies of govt policies. And it is their job to explain to us. Now the common people must be asking whether the MPs understand the policies and explaining the right thing to us. And this also applies to the news workers. When they report or comment, do they know what they are reporting or commenting? Do they really understand the what the polcies are all about? Maybe some MPs and news workers know, maybe some don't know and gasak butak. I also gasak butak. Not sure if right spelling or not.

More trains running

MRT has increased the number of trains running and reduced the waiting time for the next train. This must have brought some relief for commuters as the trains should be relatively less jam packed and there will be more air to breathe. With the increase in frequency and the same number of commuters travelling, the cost will definitely go up relative to revenue. And if MRT cannot generate more revenue from its other sources of income, eg rentals and advertisements, the profit will definitely go down, or may not rise as much in percentage term. And if the company must register growth in profit to satisfy the shareholders, and to pay more bonuses to its staff, what is the next logical development? Commuters must be prepared for higher fares for sure. There is no magic formula when the trains are operated for the primacy of profit first and national service second. It is not like national service pay where a NS men can be paid a few hundred bucks and if not enough, go back to parents for more pocket money. The public transport is a private business organisations and does not have a duty to perform national service, just like restructured hospitals. Soon schools too will not be doing national service. And many ministries may go along the same concept. Sit tight and enjoy the ride while you can. I am also being proactive, looking ahead.

I told you so

Yesterday I was talking about govt collecting a lot of money from the people and the people can expect this to be paid back. And HELP is everywhere. Today, the announcement is like Christmas is here, 8 months early. $3b payout will be given to all Singaporeans from last year's budget surplus. What this amounts to is that a 3 room HDB occupants could get about $5k while a 5 room could also get around $4.9k. Bee tang man. Time for celebration and say a big thank you to the govt. This is sharing the wealth of the nation to everyone. No where in the world got such a thing. Only uniquely Singapore. Now stop complaining please.

Recent achievements

Time to take stock of the recent achievements of the govt ministries. The MOH has completed its plan to make sure that everyone is able to pay his medical bills when admitted to hospitals. The bill is large, it did not do much to bring down the hospital costs, but it did got the various medical insurance schemes going and potential patients can feel better that the insurance will take care of the bills. They only need to pay a few dollars more a month to the medishield. The second achievement is old age problems. The MOM knows that people will live longer, to 85 or 100 and need more money to keep themselves alive. They fear for the old people, that they will have no money to spend at old age. This problem is also solved through the Long life annuity scheme. So Singaporeans will now have more money to spend when they grow old. Transport problem is also solved, or at least temporarily solved through more ERPs and lesser COEs. Then in the not too distant future the Circle Line will come on stream. This will definitely help. For those living the in the extreme east, west and north, their problems of getting to the city may still be the same as they converge there daily. But this too will be taken care off with decentralisation in the future. In this short span of time, three major problems were solved. Looking forward, the outstanding one will be high education cost. A solution will be found soon. Security will be no problem despite the little glitch recently and can be said to be well controlled. Not bad for the report card.

Beware, caveat emptor, Yeong Kie Seafood Restaurant

Last week, I brought my guests to Genting Highlands. After a day above the clouds', we decided to have dinner at the Gohtong Jaya area on the way down. We ordered some dishes and decided to have a steamed fish as well. So the captain recommended 'sultan fish'. The steamed fish came. HALF, and plain steamed. Good & fine. But when the bill came, it came to over $500 !! We were shocked !! We were told the fish was 1.4kg ( & please bear in mind, its ONLY HALF A FISH ) at RM 320 per kg! RM 420!! This was daylight robbery. We were not informed by the Captain that a kg of the Sultan fish would cost us RM320 and there was also no signs of such pricings anywhere in the restaurant. When we checked with the cashier, she told us, its correct !! Of cos, it was our mistake for not asking the! price first. Anyway, on the way back to KL, we stopped at Unique Seafood,PJ, where one can choose a live fish. The most expensive Soon Hock swimming in the tank is RM135 per kilo. Asked them about the Sultan fish, it is going for RM100 a kilo. Will be sending this letter to the newspapers, Tourism board, etc etc; and friends, pls pass on to all on yr email list. CHEATED. PS, the above posted was emailed to me.

Stop complaining, HELP is everywhere

Why are Singaporeans complaining about high cost of living when HELP is everywhere. Stretch out your hand and you can touch HELP. I couldn't believe that there is so much HELP out there to keep the people warm at night. HELP from the govt, HELP from the NGOs and charities. There must be thousands of HELP organisations with hundreds of millions of dollars helping the poor. And there are so few poor living among us that many did not even know they existed. There are handouts, discount vouchers, subsidies, donations, queues for free food, charity shows etc etc. Sometimes I wonder if we are in Africa! With so much HELP, so many wonderful people helping, a little affordable increases here and there should not mean a thing. We can indeed be called a HELP paradise. If we put all the HELP agencies together, and the varieties of HELP a Singaporean can get, we should rightfully be number ONE in the world for helping our people. And best, we don't believe in welfare state and giving freely to the people. It is so sian to talk about the poor when the poor are so well taken care of. And don't forget, the more the increases, the more HELP will be there. Fear not, for I have known you by your name....

The people don't understand

Many people are moaning about all the increases that are driving up the cost of living here. Many are angry. But they don't understand. These are complicated policies that are postulated to mean well. The people should go about their lives normally. Don't worry, all is in good hand. When the time comes, there will be handouts aplenty, and everyone will then understand why the govt has been collecting all the dues. We must believe that our govt thinks very far ahead and policies are implemented after careful thoughts. The whole process will be carefully thought through. And Singaporeans do not have long to wait to see the fruits of such high fee policies. The next GE is not too far away. Remember the last GE? GE are good times, happy times, just like Budget times. Singaporeans will be very happy then. The GE will be days of abundance, dues collected during good times will be shared with the people. We must have more frequent elections and budget readings.

An example of a simple mind

You don't have to look far to understand how simple minded Singaporeans are. Just read the post by a Chong Yew Mun in the ST Forum today. He is claiming that people were too quick to recognise others mistakes like the Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo and thinks that they have overlooked the putting down of the recent Tibetan riots. He also finds it curious that Dr Ong Siew Chey, another forumer, suggested that the timing of the Tibetan riots coincided with the Beijing Olympics. He can not see any connection in the two events. His innocence is remarkable. He said China is solely responsible for the recent protest because of its suppression of the riots. It was the rioters fault that led to the suppression. He needs to understand what is geopolitics and why human rights is bullshit when political considerations take precedence. I like his innocence and idealism of a black and white world view. So simple to understand.

Notable quote: Lee Hsien Loong

'In fact, if we test people's understanding of policies, I think even news workers and PAP MPs might not pass.' Lee Hsien Loong I agree with Hsien Loong. Things are getting too complicated for people to understand them. Many take things at face value if we read the remarks of the complacent Singaporeans in msm and cyberspace. Everything is so simple and easy to understand. Real issues go far beneath what we see and read. As for news workers and MPs, quite expected.

The amazing Mahathir

His conscience is clear. He did everything for the good of Malaysia. And everything that he had done were within the law. He did not know that he changed the judiciary and put his friends as judges. He did not know that he fixed up the opposition and put them in jail. He did not know that his children's successes were due to his influence. He did not know that he practised cronyism. And he did not know that corruption was rampant among his UMNO comrades. Just because everyone got something did not mean that it was right or he need not feel guilty about it. And today, he still stand tall as an elder stateman, telling Abdullah to resign. That is the amazing Mahathir, the amazing grace of Malaysia.

Starvation? Not in Singapore

With escalation of food prices, the crisis could lead to war and starvation. But complacent Singaporeans need not worry. We are safe. With money, nothing is impossible. We have spent billions in our investments and have billions more in reserves. What is one or two millions more to pay for food. Now, what is $22b as compare to $2m? It is $22,000,000,000 to $2,000,000. There are quite a lot of zeros there. The removal of GST from rice will save the Singaporeans 7% and this is only a few millions a year. Singaporeans are simply lucky, and can continue to be complacent. Actually incorrect. Singaporeans are lucky to have such an efficient govt that plans ahead and accumulates so much money to cushion a rainy day.

Singaporeans complacent?

I get angry when I hear people saying Singaporeans are complacent. They have chosen the best politicians to lead them and given them the best standard of living in Asia after Japan. They have so much faith that they are willing to put all their eggs in one basket and have faith that tomorrow will be better. And they know that everything is in good hands, no need to worry about, no need to question, no need to ask, no need to think, and no need to do anything. The Singaporeans are not complacent. Definitely no. The word stupidity is not in the Singaporean's vocabulary. Ignorance is bliss.

All road signs in Melayu

I drive to Malaysia very frequently for leisure. And I did not have much problems with the road signs. I could make out what they meant most of the time. Only once when I was a little confused when I was in Malacca. I was driving along this road and it seemed that there was no ending to it. I kept turning and turning and I kept hitting Jalan Sehaja. It must be the longest road in Malaysia. The Sunday Times complained about signs that Singaporeans could not read or understand. Well, that's your problem. The roads are in Malaysia and the signs are meant for Malaysians only. And if you want to drive in Malaysia, you better buck up on your Melayu. That is the practical way to do. And Singaporeans being practical, they should not be complaining. In Tokyo I too had no problems reading the signs. Neither do I have problems in the big cities in China. They have signs in English to make it easy on the foreigners. It is their way of saying foreigners are welcomed.

Great place to hunt for politicians

The SICC was in the news recently on issues like who whispered about who and who had married more than once or guilty of bigamy. Today the SCC is in the news, this time about who were overstaying in office. It was reported that President Anwarul Haque, deputy President Leow Kim Liat and games control board Chairman Jurgen Martiens have been in office longer than usual. A member, Teh Leong, is challenging the three on grounds that a Rule 34 allows 'the maximum term of president, dep president, chairman of games control board and finance member is three consecutive years.To be eligible again, an affected office holder has to stand down for at least a year.' Mavis Toh reported that Anwarul has been president since 2001, Leow and Martiens both have been in office for more than three years. It is now a legal tussle and lawyers were engaged to unravel the meaning of Rule 34. The SCC is a microcosm of what Singapore is like. A place with a dearth of political talents and leaders. Given such a serious problem, the Rule 34 has provided for past office holders to stand up for reelection, but for good corporate governance I think, a break of one year is required. In my view, this is all unnecessary. With good and honourable men in charge, there is no need for such provisions. There is a great shortage of such talents and it is better and desirable for them to continue serving for the good of the club for as long as they can. Otherwise, if no other talent is available or willing to stand for office, like Anwarul being elected unopposed, then the club will end up with no leadership. All these rules on one term or two terms should be abolished and amended. The SCC is a club of luminaries and many eminent lawyers and there is no fear of wrongdoings or another NKf.

Public Assistance Allowance up

The govt has brought forward the increase in PA allowance for the needy instead of taking the one year to study the implications of such an increase. We must thank Vivian for short cutting the process and give the additional $40 to the poor recipients. Don't forget the push by Lily Neo for the amount to be raised. Without her, this may not have happened.

Protesters to the Olympic Flame

Dalai Lama is due back in Washington for his briefing and for more instruction from the American Administration on what further steps to be taken. The mastermind is not making it a secret anymore as to who is the boss in this Tibetan violence. And the naive Dalai Lama is painting himself into the corner as the lapdog of the American Administration. At the same time the riots of protesters are lining up the streets in the big cities, clamouring for some publicity and TV coverage while trying to douse the Olympic Flame. I can appreciate the feelings to the Tibetans as a minority group, as other minority groups in every country. Everyone wanted independence or autonomy. The reality of politics and geopolitics will not allow that to happen. Otherwise we will have the disintegration of the USSR in every country's doorstep. Even the USA will not be safe from such forces of self rules and breaking up. In Asia, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines are all threatened by such breakups. If this is the precedence to be set, the world will be in turmoil. Many protestors are protesting out of ignorance. The western media say so, the western human rights group says so, the western govts say so, it is fun to join the protestors without knowing what the shit it was all about. No need for any reason or objective reasons to protest. Many are just silly people joining the protest thinking that it is another party, an interesting movement to be in, to be seen in support of a cause. Otherwise their lives will be meaningless. There are suckers born every second.