A dangerous National Day Pronouncement

The Singapore model for economic development and authoritarianism is The Model for the world to emulate. This is the first time some one so close to the establishment actually, formally, admitted the term authoritarianism as an intrinsic element of our political system. There is no denial and no need for denial any more. We are a good and successful authoritarian state. This is the gist of Chua Lee Hoong's article in the ST and a must read for National Day. And who can speak for us more authoritatively than a westerner by the name of John Kampfner, a British journalist writing for The Guardian. We have our endorsement from the liberal western world than this model might not be a bad thing. This is what Kampfner said, 'The model for this is Singapore, where repression is highly selective. It is confined to those who take a conscious decision openly to challenge the authorities. If you do not, you enjoy freedom to travel, to live more or less as you wish, and - perhaps most important - to make money....' The strength of this system is economic freedom, to be rich, to chase your material wealth and dream, and to enjoy your rich life freely. The only condition is not to challenge the authority. Repression against those who challenge the authority is the right of those in authority, and justified. Are Singaporeans really accepting this precept and willing to go down this path? Political challenge or offering an alternative political solution, an alternative team to run the country, cannot be a crime in any sense. In fact providing an alternative political solution must be enshrined into our system to encourage good people to challenge the system for the betterment of people and nation. But once we accept the precept that all political challenge can be lawfully and rightfully repressed or suppressed, we are in for a very dangerous slide down to a dictatorship or an authoritarian state. Is that what we want? Some may argue, like Chua Lee Hoong, that we are already an authoritarian state and we are progressing very well. The world is looking up to us as The Model for economic growth and uplifting the livelihood of the people. We are on the right path. Really? How much is Chua Lee Hoong's position of an authoritarian state a reflection of the thinking of the political elite? Is this her position or the position of the elite and they are giving notice to the Singaporeans, that this is the real stuff and this is what we gonna be? In a separate article Tommy Koh wrote about the role of the legal profession and urged them to be passionate for justice and against injustice. If we are to accept repression against political challengers, do we need to consider or think about justice and injustice? Is political repression an injustice to be fought against?

A silly article written by a 'westerner'

It's not my Beijing! Where's the charm and chaos gone? What charm and chaos that this foreigner is talking about her Beijing? Oh, it is about the shabby apartment complex across the street, about bare-bottomed babies, horse draw carts and chickens pecking the sidewalk...that's the real Beijing to this foreigner. And it is regrettable that all these real things were gone and Beijing is now 'unnaturally sanitised and stiffly coiffed, with much of its frenetic grittiness and earthy charm falling victim to zealous organisers who want a flawless event(Olympic).' To this western, Beijing should be as old and charming, and downtrodden as it was for centuries, and the flavour preserved for the visitors to savour. The new Beijing is unreal and disgusting. This is the stereotype view of what a westerner would write or want to see of most Asian cities, the slums and the centuries of neglect, and stuck in time without progress. To be specific, the writer is an Asian wearing western lenses and thinking like a westerner. The article is in Today.

God is beyond reproach

If there is anything, the best position to be in is god. God is the master of everything. He owns everything and controls everything. He dishes out punishment as he deems fit, according to his fancy or which side of the bed he wakes up. Basically, he calls the shot. And the best part of it, he is beyond reproach. It is always someone else fault. He is faultless and above all things. Nothing can stick on him or his spotlessly white garment. Nice, very nice. Please bow and pay your obeisance.

Helping others versus helping self

We have heard that many scholarships were given to foreigners. Many did serve their terms before leaving for greener pastures. Many also decide to stay. Do we have any statistics to show how many we have sponsored and how many are staying or have left. After so many years we should have enough numbers to decide whether it is a worthy or worthwhile investment. We also need to balance the amount of money given to foreigners and the amount given to our own children. Are we giving more, in numbers of scholarship to foreigners than to our own?

The Hollywood clowns!

And there are plenty of them, trying to make meanings out of their dumb decadence lifestyles with an abundance of money and nothing in the head. And Richard Gere came out as one of them. He saw our Ambassador Chan Heng Chee in her beautiful cheongsam in a party in Washington. And he went after her saying 'Oh Ambassador, we must talk about Tibet.' To this clown, every Chinese woman in cheongsam must be from China. Our Ambassador plainly told him that she was from Singapore and walked off. Poor dumb ass stood there trying to figure out what is the difference between China and Singapore. He may not have heard of Singapore at all.

Childcare not for profit!

ERPs not for profit. Childcare also not for profit. Are we going mad? We privatised govt organisations and statutory boards to make them efficient and profitable. And in order for them to exist, they must make profits. Even charitable organisations are thinking of making profits, or at least some of those running them. And here we have the childcare operators saying that making profits is not their main priority. So what are they existing for? Shall we rename them as charitable organisation and give them the IPC status? These operators must be so embarrassed about making profits and became so defensive about their business. Why don't they bluntly quote some big shots saying that it is important to make profits. They can't be fools running a business for nothing. Or maybe there are some kinds of saints. Maybe they are right. All the organisations do not make profits as their priority. It is just incidental. They exist for more noble reasons.

Another ungrateful aid recipient

Singapore and Singaporeans have been emptying their savings to help the unfortunate victims in the tsunami, in earthquakes and typhoons. The public even donated $660,000 to the Nepalese conjoined twins and a team of doctors and nurses ran a marathon operation practically for free to separate them. Now Singapore and the surgeons are being accused of breaking our promises and being irresponsible. Dr Basant Pant, a Nepalese surgeon, accused Singapore for starting the operation and not completing the job. Hahaha. This is what we deserve for being too hasty and eager to help the desperadoes. It is our duty and responsibility to finish the job and raise more funds for it. Actually Singaporeans will do it enthusiastically if the surviving twin, Jamuna, returns for her next operation. And Dr Keith Goh will willingly complete what needs to be done. But for what this Dr Basant had said, and pointing the finger at us, it has left a very bad taste. Do we owe them a living? Do we need to bother about what happens to a Nepalese child? Do we need to empty our pockets to help this child? Do we need to be accused of being irresponsible and trying to be good samaritans? I think we should tell this Dr Basant Pant to shaft it and take care of his own people and their own problems.

No cartel in petrol industry!

We have all the time believed that there is an unofficial oil cartel regulating the pump prices. When one petrol company raises its price, the rest will follow suit for the same amount. This has been going on for the last round of increases when oil price shot to US$145. Then the prices started to come down in unison, same day same amount. Today, surprise, and surprises, the petrol companies are bring down their prices in drips and pieces, at 3 or 4 cents, 2 cents, 6 cents and 1 cents, all at random over a few hours. Now, this kind of pattern indicates that there is no cartel and they are all acting independently. And possibly a price war in the making! So, will all the pump prices steady in a few days and all settle at the same price again? My guess is that it will be the case. Those school bus operators should do the same if they want to raise their fares. One at a time at different amounts. Some by $10, some $12, some $15 etc, and do it at different times, then all will be ok. No price fixing.

2 member GRCs

I would like to take up Shriniwas Rai's suggestion of having 2 member GRCs. I think this is getting more relevant if we look at the composition of the population. We have two main minority groups and a growing foreign talent group. The 3 together will probably make up 50% of the population. And to give every group proportional representation, we should convert all GRCs to 2 member GRCs with one member from the majority group and one from either of these 3 groups. Oh, not to miss out on our Eurasian group, they can be included as the fourth member. So the new composition of GRCs should be one Chinese and one Indian/Malay/FT/Eurasian. The FT can be Indian, Chinese or any foreigner turned Singaporean. That should be a good thing to make sure that all groups are equally represented in Parliament. How's that?

God's Scheme of Things

Chin Sau Ho, Director from the Ministry of Finance, wrote a detailed reply to Conrad Raj's call for the govt to step in to help Singaporeans cope with higher inflation. Chin Sau Ho's point is that the govt is doing a lot to help the Singaporeans, including those in 4 rm and 5 rm flats through several kinds of handouts. And thanks to the GST for making this possible. With GST, the govt's approach is thus more targetted and effective except for those who are still left out of the loop. That is exactly why Vivian wanted the people's help to help him to reach out to those who did not get help. Nothing can beat God's Scheme of Things. It is the best solution from our earthly gods. GST is the best.

Taunting the opposition

Taunting the opposition or opposition taunting the ruling party should be part and parcel of politics. The slight difference here is that it is a one way thing, with the ruling party taunting the opposition and the other side completely quiet. They were challenged to come out with alternative policies, with better candidates, with more voices to speak out for the people etc etc. What did we hear from the opposition camp? Did we hear any replies or rebuttals? Nay. Did the opposition reply and were not reported in TOM? Or did the opposition really gone speechless? What is the use of a speechless opposition? It simply cannot be as the opposition should be seen and heard to represent the people's interest. They must be seen to do it all the time, not seasonal or cyclical. Or is there something more sinister that we don't know? The impression I am getting is that they may be hanged by their balls. And trying to make too much noise will only lead to a tightening of the tension and increasing the pain level. So it is better to keep quiet and all peace on the western front. It is just a perception and I may be totally wrong, and the opposition could be adopting a different kind of strategy which they are keeping to themselves. Whatever strategies, the people are watching and would want the opposition to stand up and be heard. It is unbecoming for a opposition to be on a silent mode.

Homogenous constituencies

Our constituencies are by design, or by a stroke of nature, very consistent in their composition. The racial groups represented are similar, the rich and poor are similar and the number of people voting for the ruling party and opposition parties are also similar. The 66.6% for the ruling party and 33.4% for the opposition parties would be the norm across all constituencies. Now, under this kind of distribution, the ruling party is more or less assured of being elected. But would it throw out a strong opposition party? For 33.4%, never! In a democratice system, one can only be elected by a simple majority. 49% also will not be represented. Maybe we need to tweak the system to allow the 33.4% some representation in Parliament. Otherwise, because of the homogeneity of our constituencies, they will forever be left out.

The Big IF

What if Anwar is a victim of a political conspiracy to keep him out of politics? If this is the case, what can the Malaysians make out of their political leadership and all those in power, including the police and judiciary who are all out to get him? Has Malaysia degenerated to such an unhealthy state of affair when leaders of the country could stoop so low, devoid of all human decencies, ethics and moral conduct, to destroy a fellow man just to keep themselves in power? If this is the case, what kind of country has Malaysia become? And what should the people do when the leadership is totally immoral and has no moral authority to lead? The big IF, is that if what is happening is really so shamelessly ruthless. And the leadership still walks around like upright and honest men and pointing an accusing finger at an innocent man. This is the big IF. Any country that has gone down to this level is no longer a country but a hell hole. What is the truth in Malaysia?

Ingredients of our success

Come National Day Parade, it is natural for every Singaporean to be hit by a sense of awe and pride. We watch as the showcase revealed how far we have come. From the sophisticated weaponry and hardware to the organisation of a precise drill involving thousands of people, and a people in celebration of how well they are living. The message is that we have done well. And we got to thank the political system that we have developed, the dedicated and selfless leaders that are there to constantly improve the lives of the people, and an obedient and willing to be led populace that will listen and move along quietly, guided by a progressive govt. And many people feel that we have arrived. We shall maintain the status quo, not to rock the boat, everything is fine and well managed. We can only do better over the years and march into the future with confidence that things will be better. The life and progress of a nation is like the life of a person. It is a journey, a longer journey and will not end until the nation collapses or being overrun or taken over by someone else. To think that we have arrived and nothing more needs to be done is a sure sign of complacency. We need to keep on going, to improve ourselves, change and adapt to an unknown future, and be wary of death traps. The three ingredients that have brought us so far could also be the three ingredients that will destroy us. A small wrong step or wrong decision and we will face the wall. Our political system is so strongly biased in favour a strong govt that works for the people. It relies heavily on a strong team of men who will want to do good for the people and country. And the system allows such a team of men to do as they liked. In such a system, all it needs is a few scoundrels to take over the govt and run it for their own benefits. And that's it. The system will facilitate such a process, will facilitate the scoundrels to do what they want. The system does not check and restrain them. And the people, trained and moulded to be followers without questioning, unthinking, and a strong believer of the system and the leaders, will be led to jump over the cliff. The people will not know how to resist or check the govt. They will just go along, and go along for as long as they can. They have a very high tolerance to take pain. They have a strong belief that the leaders will always be the honest and selfless leaders that will take care of them. And they will be buried alive with that kind of thoughts and belief. They would not know how to react or sense that things are getting out of hand till it is too late. The three ingredients that brought us so much success will be the same ingredients that will do us in eventually. As we celebrate our National Day, we must constantly remind ourselves how long will it last.

Invasion of the journalists and reporters

Yes they are coming. The Straits Times is unleashing them into cyberspace to compete for readership. And ST has assured that they will continue to provide the quality of accurate reporting that is its trademark. So we will see more blogs by the professionals and read their views of things, events and issues. I think this is implied, other than just reporting on factual stuff. And would their blogs be censored and edited by the editors first before they can be read? This is getting interesting. Cyberspace will never be the same again.

The unusual burden shouldered by the poor

GST is across the board, no exception and no exemption. Who would this hurt most? Who would have to pay more as a percentage of their income? Under the old tax system, the poor do not have to pay taxes. Now they are shouldering the bulk of the tax in view of the large numbers of them in the population. Then everything goes up. They still have to pay. No escape. And their income has been stagnant for the last 10 years. All the good years they missed on real growth in their income. And now, when the economy is just beginning to show a little weakness, the message is that they should not get pay rises. And if they do, should not be too big to offset inflation. And they are expected to provide the workforce to clean up the rubbish and the lower level of jobs. They are expected to provide the bulk of the NS men to defend the country. And now they are expected to produce the babies to form the pyramid base. Can they afford it? Who cares. All is needed is for them to keep producing. The country needs the numbers.

Help me help you - Vivian said

This is what Vivian said to the residents of Cashew Constituency. He told them, 'What I will tell you is that anybody who needs help will get that help. I need you to help me and the grass roots leaders make sure that there is no hunger in Cashew. My advice to Vivian is to look no further. Ask Lily Neo. She will have a lot of good ideas if he cares to listen.

43 years of Independence!

The word 'independence' is a smear word in the history of colonised people. Independence from who or from what? If the land is yours, if you are the owners of the land, what independence, but independence from the colonial masters who came and took the land from you. You lost ownership of your land and your rights as an independent people. You became a subject of a colonial power. All the properties and land now belonged to the masters. They came and they took, including you. The only people who fought bravely for their land and their rights as a people were the Red Indians. They fought with bows and arrows against rifles and bullets. They were decimated. But they were willing to die for their land and the rights to be what they were. No one was going to take away their land and properties unless over their dead bodies. Millions of dead Red Indian bodies were strewn across the prairies. There are so few left of them today that the World Wild Life Protection Fund should rightly put them on the endangered species to be protected. The Africans were in a poorer state when the colonialists arrived. They did not know much about being a nation or a country. All tribes, and primitive weapons for hunting, worst than the arrows of the Red Indians. And they were easy meat. Hunted down like animals and shipped as beast of burdens. They called them slaves then, to work for a paltry 3 meals and in chains. No rights, no freedom. They don't even own their bodies or their children or spouses. All owned by the colonial masters. The Indians in India were far better developed. They had empires and kingdoms before. But they could not fight the power of new military weapons. Many chose to serve the colonial masters and be part of the empire. The pockets of resistance were too weak and disorganised to mean anything. Came Malaya, in a period of village chiefs. The only fighting weapons were the krises and spears, maybe some blowpipes. But as small groups of fishing villages, they were easily rounded up, a little carrot and stick, and all was peaceful with the colonial masters in full control and owning everything. Singapore was created as a trading post by the colonial masters. It grew and became their administrative headquarters. We became part of the Straits Settlement which included Penang and Malacca. Then came self rule in 1959. David Marshall and Lim Yew Hock were involved in political and administrative fights to win back some rights to govern ourselves. History helped us in our next phase of development when the British Empire was crumbling and they found it necessary to grant independence to their colonies but retaining authority and privileges to trade and administration. We became part of Malaysia in 1963 and then full independence in 1965. Finally, we owned the land we lived in, we became citizens with full rights to properties and liberty. Yes we became independent and owned everything here. There were some legal and political struggles, not the kind like fighting a war of independence when many were killed or ended up as martyrs. We were literally given our independence on a silver plate. Maybe we have got our independence too easily. So it is easier to give it away or share it with the world. Everyone is welcome to be a citizen. And everything can be sold for a price. Just name your price and we can negotiate. Will we sell everything we owned for some fiat currency? Would we sell our rights as a country, our people's rights as citizens for money? Will we eventually lose everything or sold out everything that has a monetary value on it? What is a country or nation when we don't own anything any more? What is a country or nation when no one feels any attachment to anything here? What is, if no one thinks it is worth fighting for, or a better option is an exit to another country, emigration? What is a citizen when anything of value is own by foreigners? And to make matter worst, we either have to pay dearly to enjoy or visit them or be excluded completely, because we are not a member or cannot afford to become a member, in our own country? It is not too far fetch to imagine that Sentosa or Orchard Road will no longer be freely accessible to the citizens unless they can afford a ransom for it. The trend of losing the rights to our land and properties, to the right of sight and smell, and even free air, is growing. If and when everything is sold, what are we as citizens of this land? We are 43 in a week's time. What will things be when we are 53, 63 or 100? Will we be citizens in name only but serving new economic colonial masters that own all our land and things on the land one day? Will the word independence takes on a new meaning some time in the future?

School bus fares won't go up

Thanks to the Competition Commission of Singapore, school bus fares that were supposed to go up by $10 to $15 form Aug 1 will not take effect. The Commission has 'advised them (Singapore School Transport Association) to take remedial action.' The Commission is not against price hike but must be done by individual bus operators independently. That may be the reason why fare hikes for MRT and public buses can continue to go up simply because they act individually. But it would be good if the Commission can also advised them a little after all these companies are making huge profits without competition. And they have just submitted for more hikes for approval by the Public Transport Council. Oh, the petrol companies should also be advised on the way they hike or reduce their prices, all in tandem and in the same amount.

Hither the opposition parties?

A debate is now on as to the tweaking of the political system for a stronger opposition party to partner the ruling PAP in the govt. And how the system will turn out will be at the discretion,magnanimity and mercy of the party in power. They will tweak the system in a way it deems fit for the participation of the opposition parties. Will the opposition parties be consulted or will they have a say in the tweaking? Will the people be consulted as well? Why am I asking such obvious questions? The opposition parties have taken a very low presence lately. Wondering why? Have they lost their scripts or are they having a retreat to re strategise how they should play their roles to win support from the people? Or are there things that we do not know that is happening behind the scene that led to the disquiet? What I thought a good strategy for the opposition parties is to learn from the master. The Malaysians and Indonesians refused to learn from the master and have been left behind, gasping for air and heading no where. The opposition parties need not reinvent the wheel. Just learn from the master from organisation, strategies and tactics, including styles and purposes. Just do a little tweaking on the objectives. Both are working for the people and country. The only difference is the methodology and the priorities. The opposition parties should start with the setting up of a parallel mode of organisation structure, committees, sub committees, grassroot organisations, activities, just remember to exclude things like bicycle rides or joggings in the parks that may cause riotings. And organisations/committees or cells should include the official and unofficial, the known and the unknown, to gather support and information on the ground. But all these requires a lot of resources and manpower and the opposition can only do it in smaller scale or selectively. I think this will be a good start. With an equivalent organisation, no need a shadow cabinet yet, the field will be more level. Both can take on each other on similar terms, strategies and tactics.