A constant state of flux and tension

We religiously laud and preach our great beginnings as an immigrant country and how this great phenomenon has done us well. There is no doubt that immigrants can contribute to the growth of the country. There is also no doubt that a country that depends mainly on its own indigenous population could also reach the stars. And there is no doubt that both have their weaknesses and consequences to bear with. After 45 years of independence or nearly 200 years of very loose immigration policies, taking 1819 as the starting point, are we getting anywhere as a nation of people with our own identity and a people that would root for this land and call it home? Prior to 1965, there was no concerted or conscious effort to build a country by the govts of the day. We were more like a frontier town existing only to serve the needs of the power that be, and building a country was the last thing in their minds. 1965 was the real beginning to establish a country with its own people from a collection of immigrants. A society of immigrants is but a transient society. A country of immigrants is a nation in the making. Could we have done better and be nearer to that goal, that we are a nation? Officially the position is that we are still a work in progress. We even have doubts that we are a nation. Pathetic isn’t it? So much for all the nation building campaigns, effort and education. So much for a flag and a pledge and National Day Celebration. Today we are just about in the same square as we were in 1965. Many of the things that we have been made to believe in, our social habits and social norms, even identity, are disintegrating and need reeducation and reinforcement. We are diluted by the large presence of foreigners in our midst. And it is believe that this is good. A lot of oomphs! This immigrant mentality, is it for real, for perpetuity? Are we going to enshrine this formula of having foreigners in large numbers at all times, 30 years, 100 years or more? The first victim of such a strategy is nationhood. We will forever be trying to get there but never will. We will be a transient society, a transient people, a nation that never will be. Every generation will be new, vibrant, hungry and dynamic, but not knowing who their forbears were or what were their histories. There will be no ownership, people come and go, buy and sell everything for instant gratifications. Maybe one day they just hold a referendum and sell everything away. Without a national identity, without a people who believe in this place, with everyone thinking that immigrants are good, how can there be a soul, how can there be a nation of people? Maybe statehood or nationhood will become irrelevant in the future.

Another faux pas in the making

We are going to force some PRs to take up citizenship or they will have to leave. What is this? Is this a solution to the overcrowding problem? Is this a solution to the citizen versus non citizen problem? What is this trying to achieve? What were the people unhappy or angry about? Would this solve the congestion problem, the over crowded trains, the high property prices, the NS angst? The govt is going to select from among the PRs, some, presumably the good ones, to become citizens or forced to be citizens. From the word go this is a no go. In the first place these must be the really super talents that we want. And they know, and they also know that they can go elsewhere. And if their hearts are not here, not wanting to be citizens, who are we going to get? Or what are we going to lose? I think we can live with the PRs here. The unhappiness is the overall number, too big a population in too small a piece of rock. In fact it will be better to have PRs than to have them as citizens. I would say, keep them as PRs, but make the distinction and privileges between PRs and citizens clearer and betterer for the citizens. There are many reasons why we should not force people to become citizens. We only want the numbers, the head counts, and their labour and skill for economic growth. Citizenship is a different commitment, an emotional and psychological one. You mean we cannot differentiate that? And forcing people, forcing the issue, is that the only thing that we are good at? My goodness!

Voices of the disadvantaged

The new measures to curb property speculation has raised the voice of the disadvantaged to their needs. Before this, it was always the voice of the big developers calling the shot, the voice of the speculators telling how successful they were in investing in properties, and the voice of some corners praising the virtues of free market forces, and the govt cannot to anything about it. There are more people writing to the forum to express their support of the new measures. The reason is simple. Housing is a basic need and can be a very serious problem in land scarce Singapore. Leaving it to the fictitious market forces will make the rich very rich and the less well to do in big trouble if they miscalculated or missed the chance to buy a place to stay. It could mean slogging for 10 or 20 years all for nothing. Would the govt review its fundamental assumptions on housing for the people, as a speculative investment instrument, to ensure that all Singaporeans be given a chance to buy a HDB flat? Starting with a HDB flat is the first stepping stone to many Singaporeans who don't have the privilege of wealthy parents buying properties for them in advance. The govt has a duty and obligation to see that no Singaporean is cut off from the HDB route. There is no need to butter the bread of developers on both sides. There is no need to make sure that private property prices must always go up. The top priority is to provide every Singaporean a roof over their heads, at an affordable price according to the buyers' ability, not some joker's private definition. The public housing sector must be separated from the private sector where everything goes. The public housing is the backbone of this country and its people. Breaking this backbone will undermine the social structure and well being of the people and country. The disadvantaged, the losers, the not so well endowed, cannot be thrown into the deep end with the sharks, the speculators and the super rich. They simply cannot compete. The govt cannot shirk this responsibility if it is to be the govt of the people and for the people.

Chok Tong's words of wisdom

Those who are complaining about not being able to buy that flat or house, not enough car parks, crowded MRTs, are victims of our own success. Think about those who are struggling to make ends meet, can't even afford to take MRTs and put things in perspective. There are people who are in much worst situation than the grouses and complaints in the media. Or think about Africa, then we will know how lucky we are. I would like to look at these problems from another angle, the people who caused all these problems. We cannot just blame the people who are complaining. Sure there are some who are responsible for their own plights. Some were lesser endowed and unable to compete or do the normal things and were left behind. We need to stare hard at those creators of the problems. In many cases, the problem creators are very well paid for their jobs, and should not be creating problems for the people. These are the people that need to think a little about the people who are hurt by their decisions. The fare hike is one issue. Though many can very well afford the few cents increases, there are some who really cannot. Why don't the decision makers take them into consideration? don't they care, or they just want a simple solution that gives them the mostest returns? Insufficient car parks? Who created the problem? Blame it on the people's success? Or do the decision makers think that each family shall only can only own one car? This is the same mentality as those who decided to build HDB flats smaller. They want to own more cars, want to live in big mansions themselves. But when they look at the miserable people, they dictated that they should have the bare minimum and be done with it. So we don't have enough car parks and living in little mickey mouse flats. And why are we having all these housing problems? The problems caused by itself or the people are causing the problems? Nay, it is bad policies one after another. It is bad decisions one after another. The latest case of unhappiness is the NSRA. It was all unnecessary if a little more thought is put into it. But it was a rash and arrogant decision to write off a few hundred thousand ex NS men with total disregard to their feelings. It only needs 5% of them to be unhappy enough to be vocal, we will have a bad problem at hand. So, shall we tell the people to count their blessings and stop complaining when jokers keep creating problems for the people?

Stop At Two will return

At the rate our population is growing, Stop At Two policy will make a come back not too far in the future. Be it 6.5m or 10m, it will be hit in no time. And looking at the rate of congestion everywhere, in public transport, on the road, competing for services, school places, I think we will hit the limit much quickerer than we hit 6.5m. And when that breaking point is reached, there will be strong pressure to limit population increases. No more space for anymore heads. We could also hit a major financial crisis when the world economy turns into a tail spin. Companies go bust, jobs lost, huge unemployment. We will be in a similar position as the British pull out in early 1970s. A new NS for women may be introduced to absorb the jobless. Population restraining measures will also come in. Stop At Two v2.01 will be enforced. Third child will face discrimination in all fronts. No priority in schooling or medical benefits. It may come sooner than you think. Many things will come in full circle.

Different aspiration and different angst

For those who are earning million dollar incomes, they could conveniently brush aside the $9000 NSRA. What is $9000 when they are swimming in a pool of money? There is a different story for those who are sleeping on a piece of mat. A letter to the Today forum today highlighted the angst of the lesser beings that drooled at the chance of touching that miserable $9000 to some. It was about the earlier batches of NS men, a 60 year old who has nothing much left after bring up his children and thinking of what that $9000 could mean to him. I know that the elite would laugh at such desires of the have nots. It is indeed a different world out there. This NSRA case is a manifestation of how people with different means would look at issues from a very different perspective. I wonder if the award distribution would be different if the decision makers were people that are less well off. Yes, it is a case of hawker centre, food court or restaurant mentality. We can sneer at those who only think hawker centre and salivate at the sight of a plate of kway teow while the regular restaurant customers would snub at a bowl of sharks fin that have too little fins in it. Politicians must think like a politician and look at the electorate at large.

The M1 satellite map

M1 put out an advert with a double page spread of a Singapore map taken from a satellite. It was a very clear map on the state of development or build up of the island. Other than the catchment areas around the reservoirs, we are as good as 90% fully built. There were a few scattered plots of land left which could be taken up in no time. Finish! Where do we go from here? It is clear that the next big phase of development will be down under or destroy and rebuild. All the land with lowly built properties would be next to be mowed down to ground zero and new pinnacles will take their places. That's a good way to realise the value of all the little precious land we got. And we can then sell them away to make more money to be kept in our reserves or to invest overseas. Investing in overseas is a great way to grow our wealth. Each plot of our land is worth a hundred or thousand times what we can get in other parts of the world. By trading ours to the rich investors, we should be able to buy up land that are hundreds or thousand times what we have sold. Then we can have scattered colonies all over the whole and we can call them the Greater Singapore. All we need is a little more focus and planning and not to buy anything that did not fall into this Greater Singapore Plan. We can then become a bigger country: )

Notable quote: Don't pray pray with NS

'...for male citizens, NS obligations have the highest priority, ahead of studies and personal reasons,.... Judge V K Rajah Goh Khim Siong was jailed for four months for evading NS. The importance of NS and how it affects the personal life of all male citizens cannot be understated. Goh Khim Siong had been deferring his NS to complete his studies, to look after his parents and brothers, cut no ice and was jailed for 4 months before starting his NS from scratch. This is how serious this obligation to the country is. No one should trifle or rubbish this obligation as just a passing phase in life. The NSRA is just a token to this heavy responsibility and tedious constitutional commitment. What the govt can do is to make this sweeter by tying it to the right to purchase a HDB flat for all NS men who have completed his NS liability. With housing becoming so 'AFFORDABLE' to some jokers but so unafforable to many NS men, the linkage will make NS much more palatable and meaningful. The NS men will be more committed to serve the country and to defend his home. At least he has something to fight for and to defend for.

Where we should not go

There is no quarrel that in many fields and ways of life we have done exceedingly well, and surpassed many of the western countries. The danger is that we may get carried away by our successes, be complacent or be lost in chasing the wrong goals. The blind and unquestioning pursuit of material wealth and physical comfort, and the madness in chasing for more money and more money could lead us into an abyss. The citizens who are concerned about the long term viability of this country, the quality of life, must speak out and shout, scream, if things are turning bad. We cannot let some silly buggers to tell us that we must achieve Tokyo's infamous mass transport cram as the ultimate goal of having arrived. That is a bad example of success. It is regression. Let no fools utter or compare our transport system with Tokyo as a yardstick of the best in the first world. Let no fools compare Hongkong's property prices and be gratified that ours are cheap. Let no fools think that living in micky mouse flats or coffin size boxes is a new lifestyle, desirable lifestyle, because some countries are doing it. We must set our own criteria on what is good and gracious living for our people and consciously set out to achieve them. The govt should stop degrading the people's quality of life by building ever smaller flats and ever higher prices. Our medical cost is daylight robbery but still cheaper than the West. This is deadly. How many hardlanders have $30k cash, or $50k, $200k, or more, to be ready to be robbed in privatised govt hospitals? The citizens cannot be robbed by a system at a time when they have no choice to act otherwise. The obnoxious medical fees, hospitalisation fees must be curbed. Don't ask me how unless you want to pay me to do it. We have the best paying jobs in govt. Even an ordinary minister will earn more than the President of USA or the Prime Minister of UK or Japan. We must get the best from the best paid ministers. No buts. No more comparing with Africa or third world countries and say we are betterer. We must compare with the best and their best as our standard of goodness and achievements. Are we being too demanding? Or should we be complacent and leave things the way they are going, and be like the proverbial three monkeys?

2 in 3 are foreigners!

The latest statistics show that there are 3.2m Singaporeans to 1.8m foreigners in the island. In the trains, probably for every 10 commuters 6 are foreigners. Though the Singaporeans are technically still a majority, in many other counts Singaporeans are already a minority here. For the 3.2m, I am not sure how many are new citizens who were foreigners a few days or a few months ago. And in the trains, Singaporeans are definitely a minority. So what is this call for Singaporeans to integrate foreigners to our society and way of life? It should be the other way round when Singaporeans are a minority. At the rate it is going, soon Singaporeans will be an absolute minority here and have to integrate themselves to the foreigners way of life. It must be a good thing for the well being of country and Singaporeans to plunge into this situation with eyes wide shut. One puzzling phenomenon, where are the foreigners hiding, or living? In Orchard Road or Bukit Timah and Tanglin? It is not possible that for every 5 HDB flats 2 are occupied by foreigners. Where are they other than those living in the workers dormitories? Oh, some jokers will compare with Bahrain and say look, they have 80% foreigners there and very happy about it. So we are still far from being overwhelmed! We can do much more and have more foreigners here.

Clumsy solutions to clear up a mess

The NSmen Award may not be well thought out as it totally disregard the hundreds of thousands of reservists that have completed their NS liabilities. Brushing them aside with a stroke of the pen is the most insensitive thing to do. I would thought it would be more amiable to reduce the budget for those currently serving and apportion a little to those who have done their duties diligently without complaining. A token sum of a couple of thousand dollars could have soothe the nerves and avoid a backlash from those who were summarily dismissed from the award. That is only one part of the problem. Compare to the measures to curb property speculation and runaway prices, the NSmen Award is nothing. A whole list of complaints and grievances are going to be poured out by those affected. Just wait and see. A trickle has started in the ST forum. The broad strokes are going to anger many who are caught by the sudden measures which were anything but brunt instruments. After having created such a big mess for so long, and affecting so many innocent home owners and potential home owners, Rip Van Winkle suddenly realized that he had overslept and jumped up to catch a train, knocking everyone and everything in his path. When the problem is so huge and turns into a Gordian Knot, being denied, a hurriedly push out remedy is likely to create more unhappiness. That’s what I think it will generate.

How the gangsters did it?

In the days of the 50s and 60s, the tongs and triad activities were high. They ran the country’s business world parallelled to the limited presence of the police force. They were quite successful and were part and parcel of life. They had their ways to gain acceptance by the communities, rightfully or wrongly. They had their own modus operandi, from thugs to saviours. They brought along peace and order in an otherwise chaotic society. Of course they were the bullies and took advantage of the people whenever they could, for their own benefits. They disturbed the businesses, from street hawkers to shopkeepers. They harassed the operators and workers. They threatened them as well as their customers. Things were broken, shops broken into, electrical and water supplies damaged, fires were often encountered. Robberies and theft and whatever that gave no peace to businesses. Then, with the situation grinding to a point of near collapse, help was needed to restore order and stability. The village or kampong headmen would invite the gangsters to help. And what else could happen if the devils stopped playing punks? The gangsters became the heroes, for saving the villages and kampongs of their problems. How would the villages know that their problems were caused by the same gangsters they appointed to help? So the devil became the saviour. They were honoured and given their dues. That was how the gangsters claimed credits for undoing their own dirty works. The formula, create a mess, chaos, problems for everyone, everyone crying for help, then step in like a knight in shining armour. Always work.

A letter from a surviving hostage

Events that lead to the death of eight tourist inside the bus Postscript Of A Bloodbath by Bang Lu Min (One of the Hostages) Mr. Mendoza was already upset even before he saw on television what the policemen did to his brother. The other tourists who remained inside the bus were complaining. Wei Ji Jiang wanted to go to the bathroom. Dao Chi Yu was hungry and the rest were just groaning and whining like they have forgotten that our lives rest in Mr. Mendoza's hands. The hostage taker, as you know him was really nice. He treated us okay and even let the elders and the children leave the bus. He said your policemen treated him unfairly. He was a policeman too and was accused of doing something he had no knowledge of. But your government didn't listen so he used us to get everyone's attention. Things would have never turned for the worst if he didn't see how his family was dragged out of their house and taken into custody. He was watching the news all the time as we huddled around each other behind the bus. He shouted some words in your language then started shooting in the air. A girl about my age started screaming. Mr. Mendoza demanded her to stop but she didn't understand English. God, he had to slash her neck with a knife just to put her to rest. Her boyfriend who tried to hit him was shot in the head. Tension was rising. You can see in his face how scared and confused he was. The bus driver ran away leaving him alone with strangers from a distant land. I can see him walking across the aisle, sometimes pointing his machine gun to one of the tourists. But he tried his best not to hurt us, especially those who really cooperated. I guess its in your nature not to inflict pain on others unless it was necessary. I remember him saying that he will free us before sundown and implored us to forget everything when we return home. But his words don't matter now. The policemen were trying to force their way in, while we all lied down to shield ourselves from bullets. Mister Mendoza blindly shoots at his enemies which I think kept them from rescuing us. I hear sobs under the chairs. Some were even shouting the names of their loved ones even when the air merely eat their words. Kevin Tang tried to escape when the glass door was was shattered, but one shot and he slumped on the floor with blood gushing from his mouth. Heavy rain pitter-pattered on the rooftop. In old Chinese saying, it means an end to a struggle. Finally, somebody was able to open the escape hatch at the back of the bus. Freedom. But I knew Mister Mendoza was still alive. I knew he was just waiting for a chance to strike back at his enemies. So I told those around me not to escape. Let the authorities come for us instead. Then there was gunfire. He was firing at his enemies with a machine gun. Those who were at the escape hatch fled abandoning us once again. It's like a nightmare with no end and to wake up means a certain death. Then somebody from outside the bus threw a canister. It forced out a black smoke that is so painful to the eyes and putrid smelling to the nose. People started screaming. We cannot breathe. Some ran in front of the bus but Mister Mendoza warned them of stray bullets. It was too late. One was hit on the head, the other was hit on the shoulders. Bullets were now flying. Its like the authorities thought we were all dead. Mister Mendoza finally realizes his mistake and said sorry to everyone, dead or alive. He then ran towards the front of the bus where he would meet his maker. As he passed by my chair with bullets whistling overhead, I clutched my hand on the velvet curtain and wrapped it around my face. All I could think of was to stay alive - for my child who is waiting for me back in Xinjang. I know I will survive, I will come home. Bang Lu Min Survivor, Quirino Bloodbath

A Jewel in the Jungle of Asia.

Reflections of a Foreign Student on Religious Harmony in Singapore. by Rev. Fr. Athanasius Atta Barkindo. Priest-Student of the Pontifical Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies 89, Viale Trastevere, 00153, Rome – Italy Dear Editor, I refer to your news item “Breaking the Fast Together” in the Strait Times of 13th August 2010 which clearly portrayed the invitation extended by the Muslim Kidney Action Association to all other religious faiths to join them and participate in the Muslim breaking of the fast. I have attended so many conferences on religious harmony, visited different institutes for peace studies, attended seminars and participated in workshops for community and religious leaders to help rebuild the lives of families shattered by religious bigots in Nigeria, Egypt, Italy, UK, etc. While attending all these programmes, reference was always made to Singapore as the “Jewel in the Jungle of Asia”; evidently a gift from God to the entire Asian region. I made up my mind to visit Singapore; to see for myself the gift God has given to Asia. From my seat on the Singapore airlines flight, to the warm reception of the air hostesses, the beauty of the Changi Airport, the skyscrapers, the well fed trees to the sea of humanity eating away in different locations. The orderliness is amazing. I whispered to myself, this is called political stability, economic success. No question was directed to me about my religion, my faith and my creed. No one seems to care if I worshipped the mountain or the emperor. All that matter was I am human and I was treated as such, with dignity and courtesy. My amazement was complete when I was invited on the 13th August 2010, by the Muslim Kidney Action Association of Singapore to participate in the breaking of the fast at the premises of the association in Telok Kurau Road. It was absolutely magnificent to see all the representatives of different religious faiths including government officials, seated together in harmony and sharing together with our Muslim brothers and sisters in this most important month of Ramadan. There was no distinction based on religion, creed or race. There was no prejudice, sentiments or fear. Religious arrogance and superiority was completely absent. The most important thing was being a Singaporean. Singapore has indeed understood the advantage of pluralism whose core value is “humanity and meritocracy”!! I watched the President of the Muslim Kidney association as he passed the dates from the Catholic Archbishop to the Taoist Master, the Buddhist Venerable etc. The sincerity of the atmosphere made a tear tickle down my smiling cheeks (cheeks shining and smiling from the two weeks of hospitality rolled around the mixture of the satay, chicken rice and roti prata all tasted in Singapore). I told myself, this is the real Singapore. This is the real Jewel in the jungle of Asia. For once I thanked God for giving us such a beautiful gift as Singapore. I thanked the Singapore government for its cooperation with religious leaders to educate Singaporeans on the importance of religious harmony and pluralism in the world today. I even stole a thought of envy at Singaporeans yet proud that I am a Singaporean by association. I wondered how many Singaporeans appreciate what their government is doing in promoting religious harmony. It is a hardworking government, a sincere government, a government committed to the physical and spiritual welfare of its citizens; it is indeed Majulah Singapura and not Malulah Singapura!!! I hope some African governments and Africa at large is learning from Singapore; a country tolerant in nature, progressive and religious in outlook, where all peoples, Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhist, Atheists, Secularists, and Traditionalists coexist in mutual respect and harmony, and contribute selflessly to the development of their country. Africa, the Middle East, Europe, America and indeed the entire world has no choice than to learn from Singaporeans and their government. Singapore is indeed a gift from the God not only to Asia but to the entire world. Congratulations to the Muslims Kidney Action Association, Congratulations to the Inter-Religious Dialogue council of Singapore, Congratulations to the Government of Singapore, Congratulations to Singaporeans. Long live Singapore, the Jewel in the Jungle of Asia. I just have to repost this to remind ourselves that we have done many things right.

The mission of HDB is to build flats for all Singaporeans

Really? Ask the singles. Oh ask the young professionals who happen to be earning a bit more, exceeding the arbitrary ceiling of $8000/$10,000 pm income. Are they not Singaporeans? Are they less deserving than the new citizens? What is their crime? The premises for creating such rules have changed. Solutions need to be found to look after all Singaporeans so that no one is left out for whatever creepy reasons. After all these years, have the policy makers become enlightened, betterer in their thinking processes, bigger hearts, or still living in the closets? The prices of HDB flats are no longer cheap. And the private sector is a killer. Why forced these people to buy from the private sector? To help the developers to get richer, or to help to shore up the prices of private properties by increasing demands so that speculators who own many private properties can be assured of higher profits? The reasoning that they will add to the demand for public housing and compete with the lower income HDB buyers is bull. They will be looking at the more expensive flats, the DBSS and Exec condos. And the rulings can be tweaked to see to that. Then of course more flats can be built to cater to the demands of those who want smaller and cheaper flats. It is a supply and demand issue. The biggerer the demand, more flats need to be built. Blaming on a small group of Singaporeans is silly, a poor excuse. If HDB does not want to build enough flats to meet the increasing demand, it is unfair to put the blame on other deserving citizens.

What Hsien Loong did not say

We all know that he did not talk about the recent hike in transport fare. We know that he did not say anything about the high cost of living or the high medical fees. There are many things which obviously he did not touch on. More pertinent are the sources of feedback that he depended on and acted on. The frustration of first time flat owners, the jam packed trains, the overwhelming presence of foreigners leading to a citizen versus foreigner controversy and tension, the high property prices, the concerns of parents of their children’s education, these were some of the key issues that he spoke about intensely and announced measures to deal with them. What he did not say is that these issues were the daily grinds in cyberspace, the kpkbs, the whinings and gripings that were hardly reported in the main media. If left to the main media, or if Hsien Loong were to rely solely on the main media for his feedback, there were no problems to talk about. Everything is perfect and blissful. Report only the good stuff and hear only the good stuff. Only the irritants in cyberspace are complaining incessantly, deafening at times, on these issues that really hurt them badly. What Hsien Loong did not say is that he read the feedbacks from cyberspace, probably mainly from Reach for sure. He may also read some of the frustrations and whinings from other non govt blogs and forums. How else would he come to know that the people were grousing if the grouses were not reported in his normal channels of communications? The whinings and gripings are important. Who say not so? Without these kpkbs, the problems will not have surfaced or taken notice of. No complaints means no problems to look into. And what Hsien Loong did not say is that he took these kpkbs seriously as well. And if the complaints are legitimate, the govt will take actions to resolve them. There is an important role for the alternate media or new media in throwing real issues for the govt to tackle. The new media can tell the truth and can be a good source to listen to. They may be the messengers of bad news, but still important news and can be taken seriously by the govt. Relying just on the main media is a handicap and many problems may not be given the appropriate airings. And lastly, what Hsien Loong did not say is to tell the new media to shut up. There is a complimentary role for the new media as a source of feedback to the govt.

Hsien Loong’s National Day Rally

The main media will have a good coverage of what Hsien Loong said last night. Cyberspace will have a diametrically opposite version from the main media. What should I add to the yin and yang of reporting the same event? I must say that he made my life quite difficult, from the point of writing something that is expected from the new media perspective. And I am trying hard and still fumbling as to how to be critical with what he said. I can’t blame him for not listening to the people’s grouses and brushing them aside or calling Singaporeans names. I can’t blame him for not doing anything towards the people’s complaints. He covered most of the issues that we have discussed here, from NS men, housing issues, immigrants, transportation and education. More recognition will be given to NS men, more substantive and tangible than just mere talks. Of course, it would be better if more were given. $9000 could not even pay for the first down payment, only meaningful if buying direct from the HDB. The issues of immigrants and transportation were tackled, explained and the follow up actions and plans were revealed to minimise the problems. New citizens and PRs will be managed more stringently and at a slower pace. More MRT lines are in the pipeline. Then the runaway housing prices and the promise of more flats to be built. He reiterated the original mission of HDB, to build affordable flats for ALL citizens. Mah Bow Tan will be coming out with his new plans to clear up the mess that should not be there in the first place. This appointment is inappropriate. Mah Bow Tan has his own definition of affordability that no one agrees except those in the party. He has his own queer ways of interpreting supply and demand for housing. He has his own convenient time frame while the anxious flat buyers would be biting their fingers as housing prices soar to the sky. Many ended up buying more expensive flats, paying excessively more than necessary while the more unlucky ones were kicked out of the HDB queue because they waited too long and their incomes exceeded the ceilings imposed. My main misgiving is that no sacred cows were slaughtered. He never did what LKY did like removing retirement age once and for all. The HDB income ceiling stays. It would be more refreshing and exciting if he announced that there will be no more income ceiling and ALL Singapore citizens shall be entitled to at least one bite of the cherry. No citizens shall be excluded from buying his first flat from the HDB. But that was expecting too much. A little tweak in the income ceiling like retaining the $8000 for the cheaper HDB flats and those earning above $8000 can be eligible for Design and Build or Executive Condos will be a better change. The silly $8000/$10,000 ceiling is irrelevant given the high cost of private properties and HDB flats. It is becoming an irritating anomaly. What more when multi millionaires are now allowed to buy HDB flats, though in the resale market! This Rally speech came out as one that promises more actions, acknowledging the problems raised by all the whinings and kpkbs, instead of words or excuses and nothing can be done as in the past. It is more pleasant to the ears.

How political or apolitical is our Civil Service

We inherited the British system of govt where there is a separation of power between the judiciary, legislative and executive branches of the govt. The three are supposedly to function independent of each other. The assumption is that while the political leaders could change at every election, the judiciary and executive branch could continue to function without being embroiled in a political tussel for power and control. Somehow it works in the British system and to a certain extent even the American system. Our system is designed or copied to work the same. Our civil servants are apolitical in this sense, not part of a political party and will serve which ever party that comes to power in the electoral process. When Vivian Balakrishnan spoke to a university crowd of students, an innocent student popped out the innocent question of how political are our civil servants, are they able to continue to function when there is a change of govt? Vivian did not answer her question directly but gave the standard reply that no one can deny the party from picking the best talents for the job. The adult population will not ask such a question. They have a clear understanding of how our political system works. A student is still innocent and untainted in their views and idealism. They expect things to work the way it is said to work. Why should the students have such a notion and popped such a question? Are they seeing things in a different light? Our civil servants are completely neutral to party politics. The govt has made sure that they are not politicised. The People's Association and the PAP's kindergarten are also not political. They are there to serve the people in general, all, regardless of political affiliations. Our Civil Service is definitely apolitical in this sense. The fear in the student's mind is that should there be a change of govt like the tsunami in Malaysia, very unlikely to happen here, what would happen to the civil servants? Would they resign en bloc or be asked to leave by the new leadership? Or would they go on strike or mount a revolt? Whatever, it means that the country will be disrupted. These are just suppositions. The talents in the Civil Service are indispensable to the smooth functioning of the country and any new political party coming to power is likely to keep the Civil Service intact. And the civil servants only need to pledge loyalty to a new govt and continue as per normal. It is good for students to raise such idealistic questions. Idealism is only for the youth. The pragmatism of the adult world does not have room for youthful idealism. Anything goes for one's personnel benefits and interests. Most adults will be asking what is in it for me instead?

Not just economic growth

People are expecting a miracle speech coming out of Hsien Loong’s National Day Rally. It is like waiting for a sermon by one of the miracle healer in the National Stadium, where the sick and woes of human suffering will be lifted away into thin air. Unfortunately a National Day rally is likely to be more down to earth. And if problems and issues are raised, if they can be solved, the better, if not, they will be simply explained away. The two key issues of immigrants and housing prices are expected to top the list of concerns. Both are problems of economic growth and economic data. Looks good on paper, but they come with intrinsic and long lasting repercussions if other factors are not carefully looked into. Not economic growth alone, for the superlative data of growth can be deceiving, in the sense that the growth came from where and how and how it benefits the society and people in general. We are building a country and with real people, not running a casino where the winners take all and the losers lose all. Take housing for example. It seems like a happy problem. Then why the angst and pain and complaints? Maybe they are inconsequential and can be conveniently ignored. Maybe not. Over the years many policies have changed, from the policies of building flats, from definition of demand and supply, the definition of affordability, the eligibility criteria, the private property owners allowed to buy another HDB flat, the uses of HDB flats for subletting and speculation, market pricing etc etc. All these have contributed to the mess that the affected people are complaining. This could be an issue that could swing votes in the general elections. Despite all the big changes, there are some that are seen as fundamental and unchangeable. The eligibility of singles, the income ceilings, the building of smaller flats. There is still this blinkered mindset that HDB prices are affordable which are obviously not. The income level of the lower segment of society lagged far behind the price inflation of HDB flats. They can only keep downgrading and lower their expectation, but up to a point. The income ceiling is bull. The fact that many are still able to buy higher priced flats is because they were upgrading and had a base to spring from. The young couples buying their first flats, even with a $10k income, will be hard pressed to put down that huge deposit and COV. At best it will clean up their savings. Going to the private sector is jumping from a frying pan into the deep blue sea. Same as the singles that are crying for a decent place to stay without bursting their bank accounts. And every day they failed to get their flats, their worries get worst as the prices keep on escalating. While these citizens are grappling with their plight against unthinking robots replying that they should lower their expectations and policies cannot be changed or are good, the foreigners are happily swarming into the market to pick up bargains to be sold later to the locals that missed the boat, at a quick profit. While we bent all over to welcome and accommodate the new citizens, should not the govt think that they need to take care of the citizens first and foremost, especially when housing is a critical factor in their lives? Would Hsien Loong come out with earth shattering changes in govt policies like LKY did to retirement age? Would Hsien Loong take the casino road and say old ways that are irrelevant must give way to the new? Or would he just explain the current problems faced by the people as something that they must lived with, market forces, nothing can be done, or pack up and go somewhere? Is there anything new in the coming National Day Speech or more of the same? Will there be any sacred cows to be slaughtered to make way for a better tomorrow? Or the premises of the sacred cows are still relevant and necessary, and not sacred bulls that must be kept at all costs?

Singapore under threat

By Patrick Lee, FreeMalaysiaToday KUALA LUMPUR: A PKR leader promised that if convicted Malaysian drug mule Yong Vui Kong is hanged, it will have grave repercussions. "I warn the Singaporean government: if they hang Yong, I will come back and bring a coffin here! (Singapore High Commission)," said Kapar MP S Manikavasagam. He also took a swipe at Foreign Minister Anifah Aman for not doing enough. “I am ashamed of the minister. He should put more pressure on the Singapore government,” he said. Added human rights lawyer N Surendran: “Our government claims that it's doing great things for this country. But if it cannot stand up for one Malaysian in trouble overseas, can Malaysians rely on the government?” Earlier, Manikavasagam and Surendran joined some 20 mostly PKR members to present a memorandum to the Singapore High Commission here today. Also present were Teluk Intan MP M Manogaran and PKR information chief Latheefa Koya.... The above is part of an article published in FreeMalaysiaToday. The brave and bold PKR leader declared that he was warning the Singapore Govt not to hang Yong Vui Kong. I am wondering whether he is trying to help Yong or helping to nail his coffin. This kind of garang talk about threatening a foreign govt, especially Singapore, is only forcing the issue. And the ending is one that is exactly the opposite of what Kapar intended to achieve. Or perhaps that is exactly what he wanted to achieve, force the Singapore Govt’s hand, and then he can stand up as the champion of Yong. Kapar is giving the Singapore Govt no way out but to hang Yong. For no sovereign govt can uphold its integrity by giving in to the demand of a crazy foreign politician. This is different from the demand of a disgruntled policeman asking for reinstatement of his job. Carry on Kapar. Well done!