Low Teo Ping for President

The contest for the President of SAAA is hotting up with Low Teo Ping throwing in his hat. I think we can't find a better candidate than Low Teo Ping given his sparkling track record in sailing. His team of local boys and girls are world beaters. These are 100% local bred. No need to buy from other countries. Low could repeat what he did for sailing in athletes if he takes over the helm. He should be given the post of Ministers for Sports to give him the authority to revamp the whole system that is increasingly relying on money to buy glory, buying foreing talents to carry our flag and fight our fight. Low Teo Ping is the man.

S$18,316,267,123,556

S$18,316,267,123,556 This is size of debt that could bankrupt US. The above front page headline is in mypaper today. I am still panting after typing the numbers on the keyboard. To me, the US is already bankrupt, not that the amount could bankrupt the US. How and when are they able to pay back when the debt is still mounting daily. The wars they are conducting, the huge military forces they possessed, the bases overseas, luckily they need not have to pay their politicians too well. But that could be their mistake and the cause of this huge debt. I thought if they sell their 6th Fleet and 7th Fleet to China they may be able to get out of their debt. Looks like they will have to sell much more to clear what they owed. The greenbacks are going bananas soon.

FT showing their true talents

Another aspect of the talents possessed by our foreign talents, oops, I mean foreign workers to be more specific, is gang robbery. A gang of 7 went on a rampage, killing one and wounding 3 or 4 within a few hours in the Geylang/Kallang area. It was the most outrageous attack ever launched by the foreign workers in one night, and with so many victims. Thanks to our men in blue, they were caught except for one still at large within a couple of days. So you guys better be grateful at our men in blue. They are good. Then another case of 5 foreign workers robbing 500k ringgits from two money changer couriers was also reported today. And they too were arrested within a week. This is kind of a record, to be able to crack such cases in a matter of days. But the important thing is that with the prosperity we have, and with the foreign workers trying to make ends meet, it is a matter of time before they become too daring and wanted to get rich quick. Armed robbery does not need too much talent really. When desperation pushes them to the wall, anything goes. This is the social price we will have to pay. Hopefully it is not too high and not too frequent.

Prompt, credible and impartial investigation

Hilary Clinton said that the US had agreed to a prompt, credible and impartial investigation on the Israeli attack on Aid Ship heading to Gaza. This is her response to the UN's call for an investigation. I am wondering why the UN did not call for a prompt, credible and impartial investigation. And I am wondering why the US, UK and the South Koreans went ahead on a partial investigation without any independent party involved. What is the difference between the type of investigation conducted by the US, UK and South Koreans and a prompt, credible and impartial investigation? Was it prompt, was it credible, was it impartial?

Praying for abundance

The City Harvest Church is in the limelight for the wrong reasons, and many quarters are pointing an intimidating finger at it. Some remarks were not very pleasant. I have heard a little about what CHC is doing and the very positive comments by the believers on what they are doing, and the wonderful pastor in Kong Hee. I look at CHC as a revolutionary church, one that is taking the Christian movement to a new age. When wealth is everywhere, there is no need for poverty. Yes, we should be praying for abundance, give more and receive more in return. Generosity will be rewarded. There is no necessity today to want to be poor, to live in a state of poverty as a precondition to go to heaven. Why should people who work hard for what they have be wrong because they are too rich, and theoretically should not be in heaven. This concept or belief will rule out many of the successful people from being in the company of God. Let's celebrate wealth and richness. Let's be rich and live a good life of abundance. Let there be no guilt for living well and wanting to live well. And with wealth, many good things can be done, to be generous and kind to the less fortunate. Without wealth, it is difficult to even offer help and assistance. Wealth and abundance are good. Many non Christians are practising this all their lives. My parents too have been visiting temples to pray for abundance. Many of other religions or no religion too have been visiting houses of worship to pray for wealth and abundance. I am no exception. Anyone think that it is wrong to pray for abundance and live in abundance? Anyone does not want to live a life of abundance and want to live like Mother Teresa?

Building a nation

Building a nation, they used to call it nation building, is not about setting up a business, hire and fire, pick the best and discard the worst. A nation is about a people with a share history, some common identity, and a share destiny. It is not about fair weather friends, come when the weather is fair and vamoose when things get bad or there are green pastures elsewhere. It is about sticking together, looking after the able and disable, yes, no one is left behind. And many more. The last thing about nation building is to clamour for foreigners at the expense of your own people. To disadvantage your own people and tell them they deserve it if they don't buck up and there are many foreigners queueing up at the door to replace them. There is this relationship, an unwritten bond, to stick together for good or for the worst. When leaders forget and think that the less able can get lost if they are unable to keep up and will be most happy to bring in fair weather foreigners, give them a pink ic and call them citizens, then we are not talking about nation building. We are just running a corporation, hire and fire, no misgivings, no gratitude, no attachments. The people don't owe anything to the govt or the country and vice versa. Just a business contract.

Kim Jong Il is a madman, also a genius

Kim Jong Il is a madman that runs a very poor country for more than 50 years from the time of his father. And the North Koreans are still not starved to death and could build nuclear weapons and maintain an army that could over run the south with the word go. And the status quo is only maintained with the presence of American troops and backed up by Japanese pledge to join in to defend the South. Could a mad man and a very poor country really to that? Oh he is also a genius. And there was ‘a thorough investigation showing that the North Koreans are responsible,’ for the sinking of a South Korean corvette Cheonan. This is the most concrete evidence so far. Beyond any reasonable doubt. And Kim Jong Il did this just to attract world attention to feed his ‘dangerous personality disorder – “malignant narcissism” …which involves “extreme grandiosity and self absorption”. Isn’t this what George Bush was suffering from? Ok, Ok, I did not make this up. The above information can be found in William Choong’s article in the ST yesterday. He is a senior writer. I am wondering why he is so sure that the information was true and factual. How did he know, or those people who have no contacts with Kim, know that he is mad, and also a genius? Did they diagnose him or treat him? And I also wonder why William Choong is so sure that the evidence on the sinking of Cheonan is not fabricated but the whole truth and nothing but the truth. The Americans and South Koreans said so? There is another page on mypaper today showing satellite photos purportedly of the palace of Kim Jong Il and proclaiming that this is a man who lives a lavished lifestyle. Looking at the images, the size of it was nothing compare to the football stars or Michael Jackson's estate or much bigger than any residence of heads of states. The question is that why are we so obsessed with North Korea and so happy to read unsavoury news about that country? Do we have an axe to grind, do we have an agenda, are we anti North Koreans? Or are we just being fed by the western media to attack the North Koreans without knowing it? The West have an interest to paint the North Koreans as black and bad as they can to justify their political interests. Do we have such an interest?

Israelis raid on Aid flotilla

Israel conducted a raid on the Aid Flotilla heading to Gaza in international water. 10 of the Arabs or Turks were killed and several wounded. The US as usual expressed regrets! That's all. And they were asking for blood in Korea. The saddest part is that all the Arab world could do is to demonstrate and cry for revenge. And revenge is something they are incapable of. And an even saddest part is that they will be hit and hit again by the Israelis at will, any time, any place, and all the Arabs could do will still be demonstration and crying for revenge, beating their own chests and hurting themselves. China was in the same shit hole when it was weak and helpless. Today, see who dares to attack or hit out at China. The Belgrade Incident will never be repeated again. That was the last incident that the Chinese will accept without hitting back. The next time China will hit back. Iran and North Korea are getting stronger, and to think of hitting these two countries is a dicey thing. For the attackers will not know what would hit them in return. There is merit in being strong and powerful and being able to defend yourself. For the rest of the Arab world, enjoy your crying and demonstration. They can continue to do these eternally if they remain weak, divided, and helpless. The Arabs are the Sick men of the Middle East.

Why no condemnation?

When a Chinese vessel hit the Great Barrier Reef, there was immediate condemnation and even talks of criminal charges against the captain of the ship for destroying the ecological system. We had our own oil spill last week and there was an article in the Today paper asking the question, 'What if the oil spill here was really big? Does it really matter? The proper question to ask is who is spilling and destroying the environment. Look at what BP has done and still doing at the Gulf of Mexico? 19,000 barrels per day gushing out of its well and it is more than a month, and the oil is still flowing out, creating the worst environmental disaster in American history. Where is the condemnation? Where is GreenPeace? Where are the environmentalists? Thank god it is BP versus America. If it was China, war could have broke out. How could any country or company be allowed to let a disaster of this proportion go on like this and still taking its time to deal with it? And all the western journalists, environmentalists and govts are keeping mum. It's ok. Don't worry about what if the oil was really big. Ask who is the culprit.

Can Singapore become a casualty of sovereign debt?

Unlikely. We are very cash rich and have invested several hundred billions in a diversified portfolio and managed by some of the best fund managers money can buy. No way are we going to become the first sovereign fund to turn turtle. The billions that we lost during the subprime crisis is an aberration. It will not happen again. Not our fault by the way. The subprime crisis was not expected. So was the PIGS crisis. Unless the PIGS grow bigger and drag down a few bigger economies like UK, Germany and the EU. If that happens, no one can run, no where to run. Our hundreds of billions would become waste paper. But they are real money that comes from somewhere. Somewhere there must be owners who want their money back, to be repaid. That would be the day. But a collapse of Europe is just impossible. Don’t even think of it. It will not happen. So, for Singapore to become a casualty of sovereign default is simply unthinkable. Don’t worry. Go ahead and take the loan to buy that million dollar property. Everything is fine. If the impossible happens, pure speculation and imagination, what would happen to those with a million or half a million dollar mortgage to pay?

World Table Tennis Final, China versus China

The recently concluded World Table Tennis Championship in Moscow saw Chinese players representing China and Singapore competing. The Chinese players won, and Singapore claims glory. We are the World Champion in Table Tennis. There will be victory celebrations and we can tell the world how great our table tennis players are, and we have world champions living among us. I still can't find the slightest feeling of exuberance in this great achievement. But that is only me. I believe many will be celebrating our World Champion status, a midget country that has no resources except human talents has finally produced world beaters. Something to be proud of. For the rest of the Singaporeans, be happy that you have a chance to celebrate and cheer and clap your hands furiously for this great glory. Thanks to our foreign talent policy. This is proof that it is a successful policy and we need to do more to bring in more foreign talents and we can be happy everyday. They have lifted our standard of table tennis. And there are many fields that we need them to lift us to higher planes. Bring them in! In jobs and employments as well. Our productivity will also stand to benefit. And the rest of the Singaporeans can be happy clapping for them, never mind if some Singaporeans are jobless or have difficulties finding a decent job. From the big picture it is good.

Something right and something wrong

There is a letter in mypaper today by a Mrs Anna Lee on the good life of PRs in Singapore. When they completed their employment terms here, they take out all the CPF and go home to their big 'renovated luxuriously and comparable to a Good Class Bungalow here,' in the Philippines. And these are just the middle executives with incomes in the $2,500 bracket. With this kind of income, the exchange rate and low cost of living, their income here could multiply many times back in their home town. We can only boast of our great infrastructure and world class govt and world class lifestyle at world class cost of course. And the option is either or. We cannot have world class everything without paying world class prices. That is the only way and as they said, you can't have your cake and eat it. Our middle level executives with a combined income of $6000 to $8000 can at best live in a pricey 5 rm HDB flat. So, win some lose some. And for those graduates trying to find a decent job, maybe wait for a while to save enough for a 3 or 4 rm flat, and that would be quality living they can afford.

Can we afford to produce so many graduates?

We have three state universities and several local and joint universities in our little city. And each has been increasing their intakes of undergraduates rapidly. And we have several polytechnics as well. Then we also have students going abroad on scholarships or on their own to pursue that degree. In total, it is quite possible that 40-50% of each cohort will turn up with a degree and another 20-30% with a diploma. Can our economy absorb all these graduates and keep them usefully and meaningfully employed with reasonable jobs and income commensurate with their qualifications? Employing graduates in jobs that do not require their level of education is not satisfactory and not a desirable solution. In order to accommodate all these graduates, there must be a policy change to make it workable. The liberal policies of welcoming foreigners that are no better or even less well educated or trained as our citizens must be modified. If we are serious in wanting to raise the educational level and technical expertise of our citizens, we must have the capacity to absorb them into the system. The liberal policies of employing foreigners for middle executive levels and above need revision, including setting quotas for local versus foreigners. If the job market is to be lassez faire, the unfair competitiveness of foreign talents will only rule out the employment of local graduates and we will be building a little time bomb in the social fabrics of our society. There will be a political and social price to pay. Answering to the demands and expectation of parents and individuals to want a tertiary education is one part of an equation. Satisfying their higher expectations in jobs and lifestyle is the other. The first part is being accomplished with the availability of more university and polytechnic places. Looks like the second part of the equation is still unsatisfactorily managed and will build up more stress in our system. The young and unemployed graduates and the displaced PMETs will be a force to be reckon with.

A desperate plea from an honours local graduate

'...I sank into a mental depression and felt completely useless. There was a period whereby I can’t even afford to have a proper $3 meal outside and had to feed myself with instant noodles and plain water every day.' The above was from an article posted in Gilbert Goh's Transitioning.org. It is quite a long article by a local honours graduate who called himself Tan. He said he had just got an administrative job after 5 months of search, 11 months of door to door salesman, and another 4 months of search after he was retrenched from his first jobs of 3 months. Tan was expected to be the sole breadwinner of his family but his jobless status had forced his parents to continue with their odd jobs just to carry on. And he was also settled with a study loan to pay. Without a job, without an income, he ended having to borrow to clear his debt. This is the plight of some new graduates who are not lucky enough to have rich parents and could go on a long overseas holidays after graduating, and finding a job is secondary. Yes, some are not so fortunate. When graduates of tertiary education was only 3% or 5%, a degree was a passport to a good life with jobs aplenty waiting for them. When 30% or 40% of each cohorts ended with a degree, the equation changes. A degree is just a degree and many applicants are also armed with degrees. It is not a guarantee that one can land a job so easily. Then we have the talented foreigners coming in to take a share of the jobs available, and there are the retrenched or jobless PMETs begging for a job as well. Funny that this is a problem when technically we have full employment. Something is amissed. It will be a matter of time before our graduates start to drive taxis or be croupiers in the casinos, or as salesmen as saleswomen. Please lower your expectation even if you are a graduate as you will hit one by throwing a stone into any crowd. I wonder how much the parents will have to pay to bring up a graduate. And I wonder how much will be needed for these young graduates to start a home, to buy their first 3 or 4 rm flats. Forget about anything bigger or private. Those must come from the pockets of rich parents. Are we happy with the current situation? Are we doing it right or doing it wrong?

Can the Railway deal be derailed?

More positive comments are coming out from UMNO leaders, including Khairy Kamaruddin, the UMNO Youth Chief, who was the hottest head in fanning anti Singapore sentiment in the days of Mahathir. He too could see the logic and benefits of such a deal when the sky is clear and the wools were removed from his eyes. The benefits are so obvious and tremendous that only those who chose not to see would miss them. So far the glaring silence from the Mahathir camp and his erstwhile comrades in arms is the only notable thing in Malaysian news. They have kept quiet, including Mahathir. While things are looking well, Najib's path is still not smooth sailing as he is being challenged on his NEM, New Economic Model. Some UMNO branches are accusing him of selling out Malay rights. Najib's trump card is his father's reputation of being the champion of Malay Special Rights. One of the puzzling argument by his opponent is that some Malays are still not able to compete equally with the other races. Could any race have members that are all able and talented to be the best among the best? This is a flawed argument that is being thrown out as a justification to extend the NEP. In reality, every racial group will have its talents and not so talented and the latter will forever be left behind no matter what and how long it takes. It is just a natural thing. To expect all the Malays to be equally competitive is a false argument. Najib still has a big task ahead as he seeks to find new directions to take Malaysia to the future. And the danger of him being toppled and his plans discarded in mid stream are highly possible. Malaysian politics is very fluid and anything can happen except certainty. Nothing is firm or certain. Laws can be changed overnight, policies revoked, and master plans shelved. The only saving grace today is the urgency to want to move forward and achieve a developed country status. And a lot of money and resources have been expended on the IDR. Pulling back and pulling the plug will be very costly. There is no turning back in a way. But be not too sure on this. Is the Railway Agreement a deal done? The politicking has not started yet.

The evidence was fabricated

The North Koreans have strongly denied their involvement in the Cheonan Incident and claimed that the evidence was fabricated. The South Korean/US/UK experts claimed that the torpedo was fired by a Salmon class submarine and the North said that it was nonsense as they didn't even own such a submarine. How could the investigators cooked up such a story is mesmerising. And the words carved on the torpedo turbine was also claimed to be forged. And the western media was all clamouring that China is under intense pressure to punish the North. Really, would China be put under pressure to make a major decision against its ally on evidence that it was kept away from and which has a high possibility of being fake? I believe China will want to take its own time to study the evidence to confirm its authenticity. Given the reputation and knowledge of how the Americans and British have fabricated the evidence and information about WMD, it is only expected to doubt whatever the Americans and the British claimed with a big question mark. They are now world renowned for telling lies. Who would be so silly to believe in them? If the evidence was found to be fabricated, then China should call for a bigger investigation to find out the truth, who fired and killed the South Korean soldiers, and also bring criminal charges against those who fabricated the evidence. And how would the world look at the South Koreans and the Japanese who are so willing to take sides and support a war with the North? In the event of a war, who will be killed and destroyed?

High hopes and high expectations

There have been many positive comments on the milestone set by Najib and Hsien Loong and the expectations are high for more cooperations ahead. One big surprise is the reticence coming from the court of Mahathir. Or is he planning a long thesis on how foolish is this Najib move? The Najib magic is a direct slap on Mahathir and he should feel the most pain. During the tussle for power, he was still calling the shot in some ways when Najib was reported to have met him to discuss his future as the next PM of Malaysia. It was like Najib needed his blessing and support for the seat. All that has passed now and the first major international policy made by Najib was to dump all of Mahathir's venom into the sungei. While Mahathir is fuming and planning his next move, the Malaysian paper Sin Chew Daily commented on the diverse path that the two countries have ventured and the gaps that needed to be bridged to move along as equal partners. It summarised the policies of Mahathir and how these have held back Malaysia to its developing status while Singapore is running away in the developed league. It lamented that the lack of competitiveness, efficiency, corruption and racial politics would be difficult problems to surmount as the two countries try to get their acts together and move along as partners. The high hopes and expectations are positive but after 20 plus years of heading in different directions, it is not going to be easy, or can be overcame quickly, to get things on the same footings. It will take a long time for the two to be able to operate in the same frequency and enjoy the fruits of their new endeavours. It will demand a lot of patience and statemanship to bridge the gaps and set aside decades of bad blood and perceptions of each other. The people of the two countries can only hope that it is not a flash in the pan move and the subsequent leaders would be dedicated to keep the momentum going. Would this be another high hope?

Why only 70% believe?

The South Koreans reportedly conducted a survey on the sinking of Cheonan and was surprised that only 70% of the South Koreans believed that it was the work of the North Koreans. Why is it that there are still 30% of the South Koreans disbelieving the claims by their govt even with their one sided evidence? Given the overwhelming proof produced by the South Koreans, the American and British experts, there should not be any doubt to believe otherwise. So far the western world all believes that the North Koreans are guilty beyond any reasonable doubt. Even the UN Secretary General said so, and he believed everything that the South Korean govt said. And reading from the media, it is conclusive that it was the North Koreans who did it. Would a one sided evidence produced in secrecy by a gang of interested parties that have all the reasons to point the fingers at the North Koreans be admissible in court as valid evidence? And China is expected to take these evidences as the gospel truth. Though China and Russia have said that they would want an independent investigation on the evidence, how much can they differ if the evidence were expertly cooked for several months? The happiest person is the little girl who thought that everything has been sewn nicely and foolproof, that the North is guilty and no one can deny it. The possibility of it being a North Korean act cannot be ruled out, but the probability is low. What if it was a sinister plot by a third party to fan the tension and at the expense of South Korean lives, and the South Koreans swallowed it hook, line and sinker? Isn't that a shameful tragedy while the third party or parties quietly partying away for a great clandestine op?

The transition is taking place

Stephen Bernard and Tim Paradis, AP Business Writers, On Thursday May 27, 2010, 6:19 pm EDT NEW YORK (AP) -- Stocks had another turnaround Thursday and rocketed higher after China reassured investors it doesn't plan to sell the European debt it holds. The Dow Jones industrial average surged nearly 285 points. Treasury prices tumbled as traders funneled money into riskier assets like stocks and commodities. China's show of confidence in Europe let the market resume a rally that stalled late Wednesday following a report that the Chinese government was considering cutting its European debt holdings. If that were true, such a move would have signaled that China didn't think Europe would be able to contain its debt crisis. The agency that manages China's $2.5 trillion in foreign reserves denied the report.... The above passages are signs that the world leadership is slipping from the fingers of the American and into the Chinese. A few words by China are enough to bring a rally in European and American stock markets while Timothy Geithner's visit last week yield practically not even hot air. The weight that China carries in the financial world is evident in contrast to the mess the Americans carved themselves into by the very best financial gurus they have produced from their best universities. These unethical selfish individuals are out there doing their best for their own pockets with total disregard to the ruins they are creating. Obama is trying his level best to put a lease on these crooks but unlikely to succeed as nearly everyone in Congress is probably being paid by these guys or their institutions. The bills may be passed, but the implementation is another matter. In the meantime the American financial system, including the Europeans, will continue to wind down and implode. On the military front, the hawkish and warmongering policy of George Bush of pre emptive strike comes under the limelight. This cowboy gun firing policy, the right to invade any country on the ground that the US claims that it is a threat is now being abandoned by Obama in name. In practice, the policy is still in practice as is seen in the Korean peninsula and the Middle East. Just brand the countries as a threat to American interests and it is up to the Americans to decide when to invade. The world must be feeling very disgusted with the evil Empire and Obama knows it. Unfortunately the little girl is still innocent about what she is doing and is waving the flag of war in Korea. More sanctions, more war games and provocative actions against the North on a charge backed up by evidences that are highly suspect, like the WMD evidences. She is still continuing with the Bush Doctrine of starting war everywhere. As the world wisen up to the deeds of the evil Empire and their bankrupt policies and treasury, I wonder when will they jump ship and let the boy to continue crying wolf and playing the pipe piper to lead the world in financial ruins and war?

North Korea's acts as baffling as ever

This is the title of an article by John McBeth in the ST today to describe the sinking of Cheonan. He could not find a sensible reason for the North Koreans to do such an act. And as national leaders, one must assume that they are thinking people and will act only when they are to benefit from it. There must be good reasons for them to sink the South Korean ship. But apparently there were none. The truth is that the sinking of Choenan has all the bad reasons for North Korea. And the evidence are all there to say that the North Koreans have nothing to do with it. Instead, the sinking are all in favour of South Korea and its allies and what they are up to. The AGENCIES reported that the South Koreans are monitoring and tracking the movements of the North Korean submarines. This is a Freudean slip in the first order. It reveals and admits that the South Koreans have all the while been tracking the North's submarines. And if there was one near Choenan, they would have known and would not have been knocked out by surprise. The South Korean's National Intelligence Service also reported to the President that the North did not do it. And they were arranging for a meeting between the two Presidents which made such an incident intolerable. The factors that are in favour of such an incident is exactly the above. The meeting between the two Presidents and the warming up of relations between the two Koreans must be stopped. Then there is the China element. China is gaining in building up closer relations with the two Koreas. The third reason is of course the American bases in South Korea and Japan. An incident like the sinking of the Choenan would strain relations between the two Koreas, raise tension and justify greater American military presence. And of course, it would drive a wedge between China and its closest ally, North Korea. China would be forced to take sides and whichever side it takes will hurt its relation with the other. Brilliant strategy! China is now in a fixed. North Korea is branded as the bad boy. America, Japan and South Korea are the good guys. And after months have passed, they expect the Chinese to examine the evidence provided by them for the sinking of the ship. During this time they were the ones meddling with the evidence and who knows what they had done to it. They had the chance to have an international and impartial body to examine the evidence but they passed it. China and North Korea should simply rule the evidence as questionable and not admissible as proof. Period.