Living the sins of the past

Muhyiddin Yassin, the Malaysian Trade and Industry Minister was in town yesterday to promote more trade and investment in Malaysia. He promised that politics would not get involved in economics and everything that needed to be done to create a favourable business environment would be done. He appeared very sincere and earnest in what he was saying. Would the Singapore business community bites? After so many years of abuses and politicising of economics and the judiciary system to adversely affect Singaporeans and Singaporean investors in Malaysia, after losing so much money over ridiculous changing of rules and uneven playing fields, would anyone dare to invest in Malaysia again? The precedents set by the former govt and his reckless style of managing politics and economics are still reflected in the style of many Malaysian leaders. And anyone of them can be another Mahathir or even worst. Can there be any protection or guarantee that things will be normal and our investment be protected by the rule of law and the law enforcement officers? The sins of the past is catching up with Malaysia and it is a tricky business to cleanse itself from its devious past.

Happy MPs and grassroot leaders

There were repeated clips over the local news on MPs and grassroot leaders giving up food packages to the poor and needy. It was reported that more of these desperate poor are appearing to seek financial assistance as they could not cope with the high cost of living. Many must have reached desperation point that they could no longer hide in their little nooks and corners and are crawling out for help. They need not look far. Help is around the corner. The MPs and grassroot leaders were there to help them with food and financial assistance. And they are doing it with great zeal and enthusiasm. After distributing the packages, they went on a flat to flat hunt for more needies who would not come out to look for help. The MPs and grassroot leaders must be very happy that they were doing a good deed to help the poor. What was obviously overlooked, in my view, is that the act of giving and help the poor, so many of them, is a sign of failure. We have done something wrong that resulted in so many people needing help. We can expect such situations in poorer countries and should not happen in one of the richest country in the world. A few pockets of poverty are inevitable. But the scale of poverty in paradise is unacceptable. Who or what is causing all these poverty and desperation? High cost of living, high cost of basic necessities and transportation, not forgeting high GST. They all eats into the pockets of the poor. Why is there a need to take so much from them, force them into difficulties only to give some back to them? When help is needed openly, by so many, we have failed. The most effective way of helping the people is to create a system that allows them to help themselves and be self sufficient. Helping them without having to be seen to help them through a systemic change in our economic structure is the better way. When the people can help themselves to earn enough to feed themselves, there is no need for all the high profile help to be flashed across the tv screens. We need not have happy helpers helping those who need help. It is not a happy thing.

Fake or forged certificates

More than 400 foreigners were caught last year for using fake or forged certificates to apply for jobs here. This may just be the tip of the iceberg. How many more were not caught and happily working here and being highly paid? The sad thing is that some Singaporeans would have lost their jobs to these fakers and none the wiser. Would there be a systematic review of all foreigners and their qualifications to return some justice to the displaced Singaporeans? It would be good if the MOM set up a committee to look into this and splash it on the newspapers. This will tell those who have yet to be caught to make their exits. And include caning in the punishment. If we can cane people for vandalism, we should cane people who cheated Singaporeans of their livelihood and jobs.

The unhealthy disquiet

Is there a disquiet among Singaporeans? We have 4.6m people here. The Singaporeans do not include the more than 1m foreigners. It does not include the probably another 1m PRs. Don't let anyone change the definition of Singaporeans. The Made In Singapore, the true owners of this land is about 2.5m. And if we remove the top 20% from this group, we will be left with about 2m Singaporeans that really matters. The top 20% don't matter in the sense that they can go anywhere and are welcome anywhere. And many of these 20% may have made alternative arrangements to be somewhere if need be. The unhealthy disquiet is about the disquiet of the balance 2m Singaporeans who are gradually being displaced or eased out of their comfort zones. It is like the parents bringing in a few strangers and telling the children to make room for them, squeeze out a room for the strangers. And also being told to smile and to be nice to the strangers. The children will not accept that and will protest or refuse to budge. Why should they give up their space in their home to strangers? But parents would not do that. They know the difference between home and the right of their own children. They will provide for their own children, even sleeping in the corridors themselves. That is what parents would do. The landlord will do exactly as above. They will make the tenants make way. They will tell the tenants the best rooms will be reserved for the one who can afford to pay. And if the tenants could not pay the higher rent, they will have to squeeze into one room, or move out. Is this disquiet healthy? Some may think that since no one is screaming or protesting, then it is good. But do they read into the disquiet? Why are Singaporeans not protesting? Resigned, gave up, no use fighting, accept their fate, or think of leaving? A nation is a collection of people who owns and belong to a place. The people must think and believe that that place is theirs, their home. And they will not take it lightly when their rights to their home is challenged. But when there is a disquiet, something is missing. The soul of the nation, the spirit of a people is missing. Where is the spirit?. When a people gives up fighting, when a people gives up protesting, they deserve to be replaced. It may be a good thing replacing these hopeless and less talented people. They lack the motivation to fight for themselves and their rights to ownership. They should be replaced by the highly motivated and energised foreigners who brought along a different vibration, a higher vibrancy. They should be the new owners of this paradise. You find them everywhere and they can be easily recognised. The chirpy and happy faces in trains or foodcourts are the distinct faces of the newcomers who have found their paradise here. The grumpy, groomy and lost look faces are those of the Singaporeans. Lost in the pursuit to making ends meet, and a lot of bills to pay. Singaporeans who are complacent of their rightful existence in their own homeland will live to regret it one day. Many are still in their comfort zone and think it will not affect them. Before they know it, things would have changed so much that they would not know what hits them.

NTUC against wage inflation, not pay rise.

Heng Chee How replied to a forumer, Daniel Tan, in the ST explaining that NTUC is not against pay rise. It is wage inflation that NTUC is against. This, I think, means that if the pay rise does not contribute to wage inflation, then NTUC will support it. If it does, than it will not support it. This is the simplest way of looking at it. Maybe there are more complicated ways of explaining this which I too find difficult to explain. Heng Chee How also said that, 'The most effective and sustainable way to help workers tackle inflation is to grow the economy, create more jobs, upgrade skills and improve productivity to keep employment high and unemployment low. What I would like to add is to raise GST. That will be able the help the workers more.

Helping Singaporeans to be gracious and grateful

Mercy Relief was formed 5 years ago in the wake of the 2004 tsunami in Indonesia. Since then there were earthquakes in Sichuan and typhoon in Myanmar to keep Mercy Relief busy. Now that these were over, while waiting for another natural disaster to happen, it is good that Mercy Relief takes on something useful, like helping Singaporeans to be graceful, and to be grateful of what they have. A 5 month campaign is on the card, Cultivating a Grateful and Gracious Society Campaign with an equally attractive slogan, 'If we could care for strangers, caring wouldn't be strange.' It is good that after learning to care for strangers, we start to look inwards to care for our own people. Charity begins at home is not applicable for Singaporeans. We are so gracious that we practised Charity begins at Strangers. Never mind that we suddenly realised that we need to be graceful to our own people. The campaign will include concerts , exhibitions and talks to schools and religious organisations. It is comforting to know that Mercy Relief has a big budget for such a campaign. Only affluent societies can afford to spend money on being graceful and grateful.

Empty roads empty shops

Is it an overkill, the roads inside CBD are practically empty especially around the Chinatown area. And the retail and food stall owners are manning empty stalls. Business has been hit and is down by 50% as reported in the news. The jewel of Singapore's tourist attraction is turning into a ghost to at least for this month. We have empty roads to help businesses. The businesses now need help. The newly opened Chinatown Food Centre, if I get the name correct, is said to have 60% of the shops open for business. And shops are closing early as customers are hard to come by in the evening. Roads are made for use, not to be empty. There is an optimum point before congestion slows down traffic and leads to dysfunctional roads. And empty roads are as good as dysfunctional for being under utilised. Maybe it is still too early and motorists have not got use to the higher ERP charges and more ERP gantries. Give it another 6 months and business will be roaring. The motorists just need to get use to paying more.

Least favourite child

I would not dare to attempt to write about what it is like as the least favourite child as in Nur Dianah Suhaimi's article. You need to be in that person's shoe to know and feel what it is like. It is good that on our 43rd birthday, we can talk about it in the mainstream paper. It was a very sensitive issue for the last four decades and we are loosening up a little and tipping our toes into this issue warily. There were stereotyping for sure. There were also genuine concerns and historical concerns. The inability to participate fully in all avenues and areas of a nation's development is very painful. And this is especially true for the Malay elite who think more and could rationalise more. Many questions were asked and many were unanswered, or difficult to answer, or poorly answered. National service, to don on the military uniform to serve the nation, a statement of loyalty and trust, cannot be dismissed lightly. To be left out of this process is a very difficult thing to accept and to many, unacceptable. And it is good that the Malay community want to serve and fighting for their right to serve the country in the most honourable way. Nur Dianah's father did not serve NS like any other Singaporeans. And this is bugging him and his family for being left out for no fault of his. And for those who are serving NS, but in the Police Force, the slight is also being felt. Could we come up with a better and more acceptable solution to this problem? We have made some inroads and some progress over the years, but not enough. Until the sense of being left out, being the least favourite child is removed, the solution or status quo is far from adequate. Now, with so many talents and so much being paid to these talents, this is an issue that is worthy to crack their talented minds instead of being stressed over mundane issues that no talents can also do better. We as a nation need to embrace every member of our citizenship equally as one of us. No buts. Don't ask me for solutions. I am not up to it and neither am I being paid for it. We need to help our Malay community to chase their aspirations like any other Singaporeans unhindered by any roadblocks.

The biting reticence of Singaporeans

Two articles worthy to read appeared in today's Sunday Times. 'Time to tolerate political diversity' by Cherian George and 'Feeling like the least favourite child' by Nur Dianah Suhaimi. Both expressed an inner feeling of what things are and what were their aspirations of how things could be better from two groups of disfavoured children of paradise. Let me deal with Cherian's piece first and Nur Dianah's in another post. Cherian George dealt with three issues, political intolerance, lacking of civility in politics and passionate people wanting a better Singapore for all Singaporeans. We have seen the worst of political intolerance in our history and this intolerance is not going to go away. It may get worst. It is already in our blood. The victims were people who chose to take a different path, join a different political party and sing a different song. Even when they were doing all these legitimately, legally as far as our constitution and political system granted them, their fate was absymal. This is mixed with a high dosage of lacking in civility on both sides. Yes, both sides. None is better than the other as far as civility is concerned. And this has led to a point that good people would not join the alternative parties and neither will they want to be seen to be associated with the ruling party. As Cherian George put it, 'Nobody should be surprised when either bully talk by those with power or histrionics by those without leave the broad middle ground turned off....There is that well known fear of taking positions that can be construed as anti government. But there are also talented young people who feel embarrassed about joining the Government because their peers scorn such a path as lacking in idealism.' A kind of sell out of principles and idealism I supposed. Lately there have been many calls by well meaning Singaporeans in power or close to the power saying that Singaporeans must speak out fearlessly, with passion and sincerity. There is this belief, or new trend of thought, that being passionate and sincere is a licence to say speak freely. I hope this is real. Turning back to what Chua Lee Hoong wrote yesterday, that we are now unfurling our authoritarian flag unashammingly and with pride, would we see a meaningful change in our political culture and political system? Or we are seeing encouragement to stride proudly into the realms of authoritarianism? We should not be confused with having a tough govt making tough decisions for the good of the people and an authoritarian govt that runs a country for their own good. The two are not synonymous.

The Internet Age has arrived

Hsien Loong's National Day speech was devoted to three key areas, 1, create wealth, 2, create more babies, and 3, embrace the internet. No surprise that the internet is growing in importance here and around the world. It is instant information at 24/7 and unstoppable and very difficult to apply censorship other than blanketing the whole cyberspace. Over the last few days we are hearing internet and cyberspace everywhere and ST is going into cyberspace in a big way. Perhaps they are entering the arena for the purpose of educating and engaging the cyber citizens. Educate comes first, engaging is secondary. Cyber citizens can look forward for more free education from the professional journalists and the govt and will turn out wiser and more educated.

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.