Who’s out in the next GE?

This must be something everyone is guessing and wanting to know. Allow me to pick my list, not in order of merit or demerit of course. The following are likely to miss the next GE. 1. Lee Kuan Yew 2. Goh Chok Tong 3. S Jayakumar 4. Lim Boon Heng 5. Khaw Boon Wan 6. Mah Bow Tan 7. Abdullah Tarmugi 8. S Balaji 9. Chan Soo Sen 10. Yeo Cheow Tong 11. Foo Yee Shoon 12. Ang Mong Seng 13. Charles Chong 14. Lee Bee Wah 15. Seng Han Thong 16. Ong Ah Heng 17. Irene Ng 18. Wee Siew Kim The above 18 will make up about 15% of the current 82 PAP MPs. The percentage seems about right if past election numbers were used for self renewal. Some of the names I throw out here may be a bit startling but given the way things are developing, I think it is a good guess. Or at least this is what the little bird thinks so. OK, I will let you people in on the methodology used for this prediction. I bought two packs of cards and pasted the photos of the MPs onto them. Then I lifted the door of the bird cage and whistled at the birdie. And these were the cards picked. Now if this birdie is as good as the octopus, I will put her up for sale. Should fetch quite a handsome price. I must apologise for thinking of making money all the time.

Selamat Datang

On 24 Sep 10, Singapore welcomed the return of one of its infamous supertalents in Mas Selamat. Although Mas has never achieved anything in his career as a mastermind terrorist, his reputation has been elevated to a cult status. He is a legend in escape that makes David Copperfield looks like a school boy. His skills and talent in planning terrorist acts are second to none. I am not sure about the execution part as he has no opportunity to put this plans to work. He has a knack to be arrested and re arrested after his great escapes from fortress Singapore. The potential of Mas becoming a world famous and successful celebrity is immense. There are many big things lined up for him. The copyright to his story of the great escape is worth millions in books and celluloid. He could become a professor in the academy to lecture on terrorism, and how to escape from prisons, or how to float across a body of water using empty plastic bottles tied to his body. He has also made famous the art of breaking a fall by using toilet rolls. At worst he could set up a security agency to provide security guards. I am going to submit my application to Mas Selamat as his business manager. I will promote his talent world wide and bring him instant fame. He can go on a world circuit to give speeches at US$2000 per head to attend his talks. It is so easy to dramatise his heroics and mind blowing feats as a terrorist. I have not read any reports of what he had done, but he must have done many to his credits. Then no sweat, all I need is to engage a few terrorist experts to endorse his talent and write about them, like a comic book super hero. I hope Mas Selamat is reading this and realise his great potential to be a very rich and famous man. PS. Double posting deleted. I honestly posted once only. It must be his special power that rendered my single post becoming double, like seeing double.

The temptation of Garuda

Hilary has done a great job. The Garuda was seduced by her charms and the lure of power and glory, military hardware and foreign aids, to become a regional power. F-15s, F-16s are on the way. So are frigates, battleships and battle tanks. Of course there will be investments and financial aids too. And Indonesia will be invited to all the grand parties organised by America. There will be more visits to the White House and more photo takings with the President of America. The Indonesian President will have his rightful place beside the infidel President. After the courtship and after being hooked, the hardware will no longer be free. The money from timber and palm oil will be needed to exchange for them in times to come. What would happen to Asean? For decades, Asean grew in strength under the banner of peace, freedom and neutrality. By keeping Asean neutral and staying clear from big power rivalry, Asean was able to carve out a bigger space to manouvre in the international arena. The big powers courted and wooed Asean like a pretty maiden but just enough, fearing that it would push Asean to the embrace of its rival. They treated Asean with tender loving care. No harsh words. What if Asean starts to take sides and sleeps with one of the big powers? When the chips are down, when the cards are open, the battle lines will be drawn. No need for any more niceties. The knives will be out. Will Asean regret the efforts put in all these years to keep the big powers at bay and the freedom to drive its own policies and interests? Or will it enjoy more the opportunities to engage and be full participants in big power conflict? Musharaff and Pakistan are living examples of what will happen when a country traded peace for glory. How would Indonesia transform itself while trying to be a member of Asean and a member of the Muslim brotherhood? Would Indonesia become another Iran, a Pakistan or a Saudi Arabia? And what would Asean become? Or would there still be an Asean?

Amazing Singaporeans

Singaporeans continue to amaze in things they think are normal but bizarre to foreigners. I have previously wrote about how Singaporeans paid millions for a house which they hardly stay but left to the maids and their boyfriends when they visit in the middle of the night or when the owners are at work. Fully furnished and well appointed homes that they paid for through their noses but spending their time elsewhere. The next most costly consumer item in a Singaporean’s expenditure is of course the car. Before buying a car they need to buy a COE, Certificate of Entitlement to buy a car, which will cost between $30k for a small car to $50k for a big car. And the small car will cost easily another $30k for a total cost of at least $60k, not including insurance and road tax. The best part is that Singaporeans are encouraged to part their cars at home and cycle or take public transport to work. And parking in public housing car parks is not cheap either. Maybe I am wrong in that the next most costly expenditure item is the bringing up of a child. It easily costs between $250k for the average hardlanders to bring up a child through university and more than $1m for the well heeled that comes with tuitions and all the perks, plus an overseas degree. And Singaporeans are encouraged to have more children, assuming that they can all afford to cough up this huge sum of money to bring up children. Sure, money is not important to Singaporeans as money is abundant. Another baffling thing that the Singaporeans take for granted is to keep saving in a saving fund that they cannot touch, except for housing and specific needs, till a ripe old age of 62 and above. And they enjoy smiling at the big amount of savings from the monthly statements but barely able to make ends meet in their daily lives. Oh, this one got a best part too. The inflation will find their savings a wasteful effort at the end of the day. And the startling discovery is that despite the big savings, between 40 to 50% of their income, retirement is still a problem to many. Some would have to remortgage their flats or sublet them to keep themselves alive. This is how successful Singaporeans are and in their retirement plans. Oh wait, despite having full employment and needing to import millions of foreign workers, there are Singaporeans still complaining about joblessness. And they are qualified, some are graduates. Amazing indeed. One small secret. Some maids and workers own bigger houses in their home countries than their Singaporean employers.

Indonesia in the big league

The US officially welcomes Indonesia as a member of the big power league with Indonesia rejecting China's stand that the US should not meddle with the territorial disputes in the region. The Indonesian Foreign Minister, Marty Natalegawa, after a meeting with Hilary Clinton in Washington, 'has rejected China's stance that the US stay out of territorial disputes in the South China Sea.' His positive commitment will be rewarded with an audience with President Obama who would probably announce his visit to Indonesia as icing on the cake. With Indonesia openly supporting a US backing for Asean states to negotiate with China, Vietnam already in support of this position, and with Asean's number one military power sure to take the same position, Asean is likely to grow in confidence to thump table with China. China will find it tough handling the most populous Muslim power in the region, back by the US. Marty Natalegawa added that the current row between China and Japan 'reminds all of us that we cannot take for granted the relatively benign atmosphere we've had for many decades now in the Asia Pacific region.' It is time to raise the temperature and have some fun with a little tension and possibly war. Pakistan had many years of peace but found it too uncomfortable. It then invited the US military to have a little fun and the rest is history. Indonesia will be the first recipient of generous military hardware sales to beef up its defence forces to take on China, just in case. And the other Asean states too will queue up to buy more sophisticated American weapons. The US war merchants are salivating with such wonderful opportunities opening up. Soon we will have a militarily strong Asean standing at par with the super powers. Forget about ZOPFAN. That is history. Asean should change its name to SEATO.

How easy to start a war

Ask the Americans, or ask George Bush in particular. It is so easy to start a war. The Americans have been doing it for decades or centuries. The Gulf of Tonkin Incident, the WMD and the war on terrorism are recent events of history. Some of the reasons for starting a war could be fictitious or fabricated and involving some hare brain issues. The latest is to declare it a national risk as if America will be attacked, or an issue of American interest. The latter has surfaced at the recent Asean meeting with the superpowers. Just declare that it is of America’s interest, no matter how far and how detached or remote, it is good enough a reason to start a war. The present heat generated in East China Sea between China and Japan is not hogwash. It is not a fabricated no brainer. It is about territorial sovereignity, about a country’s territory. In this case it was an island seized by Japan when China was weak, helpless and powerless. The Japanese just declared war on China, won and extracted land and islands from the defeated. China must not forget the atrocious Treaty of Shimonoseki and the 21 demands that came later. A militarily weak China was of no match to the then mighty modern Japanese army, navy and airforce. And China had to sign away its territories to the Japanese, just like it signed again Hongkong to Britain and Macau to the Portugese. And more land to Russia. Is it unreasonable or belligerent for China to declare war with Japan to reclaim its territory? The Western view is that such an act will prove that China is an aggressive and hostile power. China is doing it all for face? China should send Japan a 37 demands to commemorate the 37 Incident and to avenge the 21 demands shafted to her in 1915. Declaring war on a fabricated truth like WMD is acceptable and not aggressive, not warmongering if done by the USA. In fact it is an act of a peaceful power. Japan took away Chinese territories by force, by an act of war when it was strong and China was weak. Today Japan is still strong, but China is stronger, militarily. Is it unfair and unjust to take back one’s lost possession taken when someone put a knife at your throat? The tension could easily flare up and war could be here tomorrow despite the heavy tolls and destruction on both countries. Japan seems to be very eager to prove that it is still the supreme military power in East Asia and what they took by forced would not be returned unless by a superior force. From the tough stand taken by its leaders, they are more than ready to take on China, with the Americans backing them from behind. China will be easy meat, like in the 19th and 20th centuries. Asean is enjoying peace for decades since the end of WW2. Asean too can enjoy some tension and possibly war if it finds peace too dull and uneventful. The Americans are there ready to back Asean countries to wrestle with China in the battle field instead of the negotiating table. America is the number one superpower and has no fear of China. But it would not fight China and neither does it have any legitimate reason to do so. It can fabricate another WMD or China is an expansionist power and need to be stopped. Even then, fighting China directly is a deadly business and not much benefits or profits to be made. Getting Asean to do the fighting and America supplying arms is more lucrative. America can stand at the sideline, watching and profiting from selling all the weapons that Asean countries would need. Asean is being invited to Washington for a cosy conference and for a little cajoling to intoxicate them with the feeling of power and how fascinating victory in war can be. It is a nice feeling, and terribly exciting too.

Commonwealth Games - The height of Irresponsibility

Singapore will be sending a team of sportsmen and sportswomen to New Delhi to compete in the Commonwealth Games. Other than training hard for their respective sports, there is one additional drill that the athletes would have to be trained. And this part they must take it very seriously, as the training involved a matter of life and death. The athletes must be properly and carefully briefed and trained to react in the worst eventuality, a terrorist attack! The syllabus must be quite a bundle, how to react, what to do, what not to do during an attack, in the line of fire, becoming hostages, how to stay safe from harm, how to behave to avoid antagonising the terrorists should they be caught in a bad situation like in Manila. Or how to escape, how to survive, treat injuries…. And the list goes on and on. This is one kind of a sports event that is more than a sports event. My thought, what kind of people would organise such a sporting event in a country where terrorism is not mere threats but real? And what kind of govt would send their athletes to such an event? Of course it will never happen to our athletes. We have also made all the necessary preparations. Our athletes will be safe. Did I hear someone whispering, better safe than sorry? I don’t like it a wee bit. Is it the height of Irresponsibility or Stupidity?

Last month's traffic to mysingaporenews

Hi everyone, Below data show the traffic flow to mysingaporenews last month. I am surprise how international our blog has become. Cheers. Singapore 11,575 United States 4,117 Norway 2,481 Australia 657 Malaysia 326 Canada 237 United Kingdom 234 Germany 210 Hong Kong 91 Luxembourg 79

YOG priceless - I am lost for words!

Intangible benefits of the YOG are priceless! This is the title of an article by Shalini Samuel in mypaper today. I could not describe it better. The $387m the govt spent on the game is a steal. Imagine all the great experiences that our organisers and volunteers gained from just participating as host of this event, the opportunity to serve the future leaders of the world, to shower them with food and food, courtesy and hospitality, to make them remember what a great place Singapore is! Wow, wow, how come I never think of that in the first place. Hold the next Olympic game, even the Olympic for the veterans. Put it on man. For all the intangible benefits coming out of the games, we should be willing to pay more and hold more of such events. Another $500m should be good money spent for the betterment of Singapore. The masses are just too low thinking to be able to see how great the benefits are for Singapore and our volunteers and organisers. I can see one. They can include that in their resumes when applying for jobs related to international sporting events. I think, and I hope, this will put a stop to all the criticisms and accusations on how the YOG budget blown. The crux of the matter is actually how the organisers could even put up a number of $104m in the first place. Would it make a difference if it was known before bidding for the game that it was going to cost a walloping $387m? Would the govt then withdraw from the bid as it was too costly? Hindsight said they will go ahead even if it is $387m. And if they all agrees with Shalini's view, then $500m would still be cheap for the priceless intangible benefits. Would the criticism ends now? Or would god be invited to tell Singaporeans to move on, and assure the Singaporeans that every cent spent is worth it? PS. My heirloom of a labourer's hook used for dragging rice bags is also priceless.

Myth 223 –The govt cannot do anything

When property prices were at its height of frenzy, the people complained furiously. The answer from gods, it was all the doing of market forces. The govt cannot do anything about it. It was a case of free market forces and supply and demand. What happens? Who were the fools who were trying to pull wool over the eyes of the people? What market forces? The truth is so apparent that it is looking ugly and embarrassing. But to deaf frogs, they chose to hear nothing and thought they had done a good job, the right thing, good for the people. And they let the momentum run. Was it being clever or foolishness, was it market forces at play or was it intentional? Your guess! Saturday’s ST frontpage news was about how effective the new anti property speculation measures were. They are taking effect, lesser demand, lower asking price for flats and COVs etc etc. So the frenzy is slowing down. It could be just a cooling period. The wind down could be just a knee jerk reaction. Prices could spiral again when the speculators see that prices are not falling and still good profit to be made. How could prices fall when the demand and supply mechanism is still the same one that led to the froth? How could prices come down when the bidding system for land is still the same, going to the highest bidder? How could prices fall when the official position is not to let it fall? They could not let it fall as the buyers of exhorbitantly priced flats would become suckers overnight. How could prices fall when the same…. But that is beside the point. The point here is that it is not market forces at work. At best it is managed or contrived market forces, engineered market forces of supply and demand, and turning a blind eye to the huge increase in population. See the myth?

The debate I am waiting for

If there is a debate that could ignite Parliament and bring it alive, it must be Vivian Balakrishnan versus Lim Swee Say. And the topic, Speak Good English. And allow them to bring in a few co debaters, 3 for each side like all debates were. Vivian’s choice would be quite easy to guess, Shanmugam, Mah Bow Tan, a great debater in his heyday, and perhaps LKY or Hsien Loong. He would be spoilt for choices I am sure. Now who would be on the side of Swee Say? Dum, dum dum….Ok, for this matter, we should break parliamentary protocol and allow Swee Say to bring in the bestest from the island. I am hearing clapping sound and good, good, in the streets. If this is can do, the first obvious choice would be ex Miss Singapore Ris Low. Clap, clap, clap. She is hot favourite to spiak good Singlish. Two more, just two more. Oh dear, Swee Say will be spoilt for choices too. Let me just throw up a few good potential contestants. How about Phua Chu Kang aka Gurmit Singh, or his wife Rosie aka Irene Ang? Mark Lee or Jack Neo may do quite well too. But if he prefers betterer candidates, he could even invite some FTs to join his side too. Then we can have a Special Edition of In Parliament, 2 hours long, and no one would complain it is too long. And it will also be full house in Parliament, including the public gallery. MediaCorp can air in both Channel 5 and 8. Guarantee all Singaporeans sure stay home to watch one. Just kidding. KNN can take a little joke or not?

Singaporeans unappreciative of Vivian

Scouting around cyberspace, the immediate impression is that many Singaporeans are angry, very angry, with Vivian for the way YOG had turned out. No one cares how well the game was managed and how perfectly were the opening and closing ceremonies that showed to the world how efficient we were as a people. We could managed and organised big time world events. And the YOG was there to prove our worth. One particular vibe about Vivian is the blown budget by some 300%. The final bill for the game came to $387m. And Singaporeans were unhappy. Singaporeans should look at the whole thing in proper perspective. Vivian was actually very prudent and careful about public money and would not anyhow give them away, even for $10. That is his reputation. He emphasised his thrifty management style in Parliament. According to Vivian, the blown budget was his fault. Yes, but not because he was careless in managing the money. It was the reversed. He constantly and repeatedly reminded the Organising Committee of the YOG to be careful about the money spent. It was OPM after all. And he squeezed the budget to keep it small and that no one dared to over spent. And his conscientiousness in controlling the expenditure turned out to be his undoing. Under his guidance, the Organising Committee became too careful and tried their best to present as small a budget as possible. They tried to cut corners, lower the quality of the things needed for the game. I think the food for the volunteers was a good example. If only the Committee had been forthwith and direct and presented a reasonable budget that was closer to the real thing! If only Vivian would have been more generous and let them quote and spend whatever the Committee wanted! Then the original budget presented could even be $500m. And Vivian could then tell them to cut cost, and the final bill, $387m. It would be a different story. He could even claimed credit for saving more than $100m! Or a discount or a subsidy or whatever you want to call it. And everyone will praise him instead of blaming him. His fault now lies in his thriftiness and honesty in working with the truth. Only if he would have followed the unscrupulous business or commercial gimmicks of generous discounts after jacking up the prices, things would have been different. The people must relook at the whole issue and say a big thank you to Vivian for a job well done. And if he had not been thrifty, the bill could be $500m. Singaporeans must be more understanding and appreciative. It is not an easy job to start with. _________________

Another day of disappointment

I was watching In Parliament last night, looking for gems again. It was another disappointing session. After sitting through the 10 minutes of airing on Channel 5 I could not remember anything worth noting. All I could recall was a few familiar faces like Halimah, Zaqy, Ho Geok Choo and Hawazi. Oh, I remember the camera zoomed in on a handful of faces in the back bench. To be exact, I remember 3 faces, De Souza, Pauline and Sylvia. And the camera kept coming back to Pauline as if the room was too crowded and it was being blocked from taking other faces. I was hoping that it could pan the whole Parliament room to show all the faces but no. Viewers watching In Parliament could go off with the impression that our Parliament had not more than 10 MPs. Of course there were 84 of them out there. This morning's ST reported that Mah Bow Tan was there and so was Lee Bee Wah. She dispelled the impression that Parliament was having a sleepy session. It was indeed very busy. This is what she said. 'Sometimes we are not called on even though we put up our hands. I would like to see more time devoted to hot topics in particular, so that the issue can be thoroughly debated.' That I agree, will be a good change instead of limiting debating time and the session ended with a minister making his prepared speech and followed by a few prepared questions from the MPs. To give justice to Parliament sitting, MediaCorp should devote more time to it rather than the 10 minutes accorded, same same like Talking Point. Even Blog TV has longer air time than the highest body meeting in the country. It would give an opportunity for the people to share some of the wisdom from the best talents in the country, anytime betterer than Blog TV.

Shhhhh…planning is a bad word

Don’t ever mention the word ‘planning’ in the public. To plan ahead, be proactive, and prepare for problems before they arise! Saying this word is going to result in many red faces. Just whisper it in private if you want, and have a good laugh at it. A little bird said that to me. I think it makes a lot of sense. The word may be raised to the same status as ‘boomz’. Or it may even become taboo.

The Ridiculous Nature of Thick Heads

Up till today, they are still using the same stupid reasons to explain the fiasco in public housing. There must be demand before HDB will build more flats. What about the demand of those who could not afford and could not apply, no demand by default of inability? And what about those that were kicked out of the HDB queue because their incomes are deemed too high? HDB will build flats to cater for the lower income first. Those who earn above HDB’s arbitrary income ceiling cannot apply for HDB flats as they will compete with the lower income and push up demand and prices! How silly. But they cannot see the silliness of this argument. The higher income group can only apply for the bigger and more expensive flats. So they are not competing with the lower income group for smaller flats. So what is the problem? What is the problem? The whole problem is NOT building enough to meet the demand. That is the stupid problem. And how silly of it when the flats are sold for huge profits? Hey jokers, you are not doing charity and selling flats at a loss! Can you get it? It is profit and profit and more profit. The difference is how much profit. So what is your problem in building more flats to meet the needs of all citizens irrespective of their income? Is it that citizens buying HDB flats will deflate the prices of private properties and the coffers of private developers, and the rich/speculators who have bought private properties and waiting to dump to these suckers that have no where to turn to? How thick can they get? They are still thinking that they are selling HDB flats at a loss and so must not build more than necessary.

Yesterday in Parliament

I could not find any specific gems in yesterday's parliament session to broadcast. Instead I found a new mood of confidence and self assurance that everyone had done a good job. Getting betterer by the days. The new housing measures to curb speculation were carefully thought out to benefit everyone in the property game, from existing home owners, new home owners and even speculators. Only our supertalents are up to it to come out with such a perfect measure to correct the fiasco of yesterday. Then the abrupt curtailment of free bus services to the Integrated Resorts. The measures were timely and necessary and for the good of the people. The govt is in control of the whole situation and will tighten the noose when necessary or when the IR operators cross the line. Would the govt have let the free bus services to continue if the IR operators did not mention or promote anything related to the casinos but emphasising only the goodness and wholesomeness of the IRs? Are the two resorts meant to be for the family, wholesome activities where everyone from Ah Ma to Ah Soon can enjoy? Or the IRs were just cleverly disguised casinos with all its evils and should not be promoted to the hardlanders as wholesome family entertainment? I think the truth is out. The IRs are hideous highouts for gamblers. Keep the Singaporeans and their families away. No promotion to their attractions allowed. And no free buses from hardlanders. And the YOG was money well spent. I also think so. I remember one project where the towkay wanted everything to be the best and no one dare to say no to him. It also had the same result, everything was top notch, plus cost overrun. But then that project was on OPM. So didn't matter. Sylvia's question on why the cost was overran by 3 times was well explained by Vivian. Sylvia thought if the whole event cost $387 million, and the cost of the recording system and upgrading of the facilities already cost nearly $200m, the latter should not be too difficult to project . The reply was that we did not know that it was an international event and we needed a higher standard of everything when we knew that it was so. So the cost needed to be scaled up to meet the world standard expected of the event. Sounds very reasonable and convincing. Luckily they didn't provide food for the volunteers at international standard or the cost would blow a bit more. My overall assessment of yesterday's Parliament is that everyone was happy that they had a job well done. You could see that on their faces, full of confidence that everything is going well. It is good that they feel that way especially when the election is around the corner. Confidence means half the battle won.

Sylvia Lim – A pertinent question

Sylvia Lim is going to ask Kan Seng about employing non Singaporeans as security officers. To many, with the line between Singaporeans and foreigners being blurred, employing foreigners as security officers is just a commercial activity. Yes we also have the Gurkhas as a precedent. So nothing to sweat about. After all Singapore is now a country for everyone or anyone who is a talent and want to settle here. If they don’t, we may even want to force them to. For Singaporeans, the Sinkiputras who value this little piece of rock as their only home, seeing how it is being abused by the influx of foreigners is heart wrenching. Personally I will feel very pissed off if I return to my country and is being checked and queried by a foreigner. I hope no foreigners are being employed and deployed at our doors to check on Singaporeans. It is a very obnoxious and pungent thing to do. This is like asking foreigners who became Singaporeans and asked to defend the country. All you need is a few bad apples and many lives can be lost. Remember the case in Australia when two of our young men were murdered by a new citizen turned soldier? We accept foreigners on face value and with good intent. Do we know who they are and what they are in the first place, what is their intent? Yes Sylvia, please ask Kan Seng.

Theories of a little bird

All it took was one resident(dunno citizen or PR) to complain and a zealous MP to raise an alarm, and the free bus service to the IR was stopped, immediately. Got to be careful here, is it free bus service to the IR or to the casino? Are the IR operators allowed to provide free transport to their customers? The casino is only a small part of the whole IR and most of the people taking free transport went to many other places except the casino. But one resident and one MP were enough to ruin the pockets and enjoyment of the majority of Singaporeans. Many low income children will now not have a chance to visit the IR as their parents cannot afford to pay for the expensive public transport. And fuck heads are claiming that this is progress, a great achievement! Why should one resident and one MP dictate the lives of millions of residents? Or why should 10,000 residents and 30 MPs deprive millions of residents from free transport? There were several theories for the mad rush to stop the free bus service. One is that the free service is eating into the businesses of other transport providers. Another reason is that it is election time, so must show that the govt is listening to the resident's complaints. ST correspondence, Elgin Toh commented that this is encouraging. The residents must complain more to get things done. If they don't agree with the govt policies, complain lah. I know someone is frowning. The little bird has two theories. One is that is it similar to the Aware saga where a small group of bigots try to impose their holier than thou values on the majority. They are against gambling and took the opportunity to stamp the free bus service. Think they will all go to heaven after chalking up such great merits in saving so many mindless Singaporeans from gambling. The second little bird theory is that this is a sign of political struggle from within. The IR was Hsien Loong's baby. And if this is too successful, he will get all the credit. And maybe one or two more IRs could be added. This cannot do. The IR cannot be allowed to be too successful. Quickly take the opportunity to kill the free bus service when he is away. This is just a bird theory, mind you. Free bus or no free bus, I have not taken a step nearer to both IRs. But I was planning to take the free bus to visit my island in the sun. Now I can't even do that for free. Shit to those holier than thou creatures! I hate minorities trying to impose their superficial superior values on the majority. It is good for you! Duh. My middle finger to you.

Starting fires paying off

US plans massive arms sale to Saudi to counter Iran threat AFP - Tuesday, September 14SendIM StoryPrint. US plans massive arms sale to Saudi to counter Iran threat WASHINGTON (AFP) - – The United States plans to offer Saudi Arabia 60 billion dollars' worth of hi-tech fighters and helicopters to help counter the threat posed by Iran, in the largest ever US arms deal, officials said Monday. A senior defense official said President Barack Obama's administration would formally notify Congress this week or next about the groundbreaking deal, which follows months of talks with the Saudis, who are increasingly anxious about Iran's missile arsenal. "If you look at the kingdom, the major threat that they face in the region emanates from Iran," the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told reporters. "And this gives them a whole host of defensive capabilities to defend the kingdom and deterrence capabilities.".... The above news will bring comfort to the American arms merchants. After years of inciting tension and wars in the Middle East, it is bearing fruits. The Arabs are divided and poised to attack each other and buying arms is an indispensable alternative. This is a US$60b deal. Finally the Arabs have an avenue to spend their old money. Who says starting war is not a profitable business? Next big buyers on the list are Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and Asean states.

Bumiputra versus Sinkiputra

In Malaysia, Bumiputra connotes privileges, special, govt protection and favours, a kind of prestigious badge to be worn for the advantages it came with. In Singapore, Sinkiputra, the original citizens from the day it gained independence in 1965, does not seem to be a badge of honour. It is more a badge of hindrance, heavy responsibilities and disadvantages. The advantages are on the side of the PRs and foreigners residing in the island. The non citizens more or less have the cake and eat it as well. While the Sinkiputras are burdened with 2 years of NS and another 20/25 years of reservist liabilities, the PRs and foreigners are earning their keeps happily with the knowledge that the country is safe and sound for them to live and make money. While the Sinkiputras lost two years of income, work experience, training and expertise, the non Sinkiputras are filling up their bank accounts, gaining work experience, training and expertise and lining up for promotion ahead of the Sinkiputras. While the Sinkiputras are saving madly to pay for a 99 year lease micky mouse flat, the non Sinkiputras are saving their money to buy their dream homes in their home countries, one that is 10 times bigger than the Sinkiputra’s and sitting on freehold land. While many Sinkiputras are depleting their savings to buy that precious little cars for a little convenience, the non Sinkiputras are dreaming of the limousines they will get when they go home. While the Sinkiputras have to squeeze with the non citizens in their world class public transportations, which they could travel in comfort otherwise, the non citizens are enjoying them when compared to what they had to put up with at home. While the Sinkiputras were educated not to litter public areas, to keep the country clean, the non Sinkiputras are trying their best to do otherwise. While most Sinkiputras are educated in world best local universities, when come to hirings, the foreigners from foreign universities, probably ranked lower and with lower grades, are preferred. What else are the Sinkiputras disadvantaged in their homeland when they are the sons of the land? What else? Who enjoys better privileges, Bumiputras or Sinkiputras? Oh, a few more points, Bumiputras are allowed to talk louder against non Bumiputras, even offending them at will. Sinkiputras are told to talk softer and be nicer to non Sinkiputras. Sinkiputras even funded events to make the non Sinkiputras feel at home, welcome. On the contrary, Bumiputras will tell the non bumiputras that they are orang tumpangan, and to go home if they are not happy. If only Sinkiputras are treated betterer, a bit like Bumiputras….