Another reason not to have babies

A 3 year old toddler had his thigh bone broken by a maid who was hired to take care of him. I feel so sorry for the poor child. There must be many children out there who were in the charge of maids and suffered pain and injuries, victims of maid abuses. And the parents had to be out earning a living to pay for the maid and hoping to bring up the child, to give the child a good home and a good life. It is not just brave but foolish, silly, to trust your children to a stranger, called maid. Do these parents feel any pain leaving their children to strangers and being battered or tortured in their absence? I can feel the pain for the poor children. This is another reason why it is difficult for young couples to bear children. It is very expensive and if they are unable to take care of their full time, or with reliable help, it is suffering for both the parents and the children. Who says go forth and multiply? So easy meh? Please have a heart for the children and their parents. Not many can afford to bring up children and have peace of mind when the cost of living is so high. Don’t think having children is just for fun, for economic reasons. It is a life!

China taking on the gangsters and yakuzas

For two centuries, China suffered in the hands of the international gangsters and yakuzas. They raided and plundered the country to bankruptcy. They humiliated and robbed the Chinese of all respect and dignity as a people. China suffered constant threats of war, containment, embargoes, incursions, spying and trade discriminations for many years. This is the same fate that many small and weaker countries suffered at the hands of the international gangsters and yakuzas, once called colonialists and imperialists, and now neo colonialists and neo imperialists. They have never let up in their domination over the small and weaker countries. China is saying no to the bullying but the bullies are denouncing China for standing up to them. To the bullies, it is wrong and unacceptable to right the wrong of the gangsters and the yakuzas. What they have done and taken are rightfully theirs to keep. The rules of the game in their favour must be maintained and no one is allowed to challenge them. And the only language they know is power and might. China would have to behave like gangsters and yakuzas when dealing with them. There is no other choice. The small and weaker countries now have a leader in China to change the rule of the game of the gangsters and yakuzas. Would they want to change, rock the boat for a fairer system instead of being suppressed by the existing power blocs? Or would they want to side with the gangsters and yakuzas for a little crumbs left on the table? Asean looks like taking this road and joining the dark side. A little flattering and a little handout are all that is needed to win over the leaders of these countries. They will be divided and ruled as before, under a different guise. The small countries will miss a chance to fight for a level playing field if they join forces with the gangsters and yakuzas. They forgot that they are being courted now because there is a China to spoil the party. Without China, the gangsters and yakuzas will rape them again and again.

Balaji -Living the Singapore Spirit

Life is short. At 55, Balaji was even younger than Hsien Loong. What is pronounced in his passing is that he lived the Singapore Spirit. What is that? The Singapore Spirit is the desire to work till one's last breath. Even when he was very sick, he never stop working. He powered on, to serve the people, doing his duty as an MP and a Senior Minister of State. For his devotion, commitment and dedication to public service, he deserved a beautiful eulogy to his honour. The current leaders should look at Balaji as an inspiration and soldier on in their tasks to build a better nation. In sickness or in pain, answer the call of duty and persevere in an honourable role as leaders of a country. Then again, the people must not demand such an unreasonable expectation, that our leaders should plod along if they do not think they could take it. Some medical conditions or biological conditions will make this onerous task that much more demanding and excruciating. For those who have good reasons to want to spend more time while they can, to enjoy a little of life's pleasantness, and quit their jobs, the people must understand and wish them well. Singaporeans shall not demand that our leaders shall work till death do us part. They must also be given the privilege to have a good time and enjoy life while they can. To be honoured with an excellent eulogy is a good thing. To enjoy life and live well is equally good, though a bit selfish. As a Singaporean, I am feeling a bit guilty that we made our minister work to his death when he was already very sick. We should be more graceful and generous to our selfless leaders and remind them not to over work in the call of duty to the country and people. May Balaji rest in peace.

Dr S Balaji passed away this morning

At 55, he is a young man in the PAP's lineup of candidates. Quite a waste for a talented man to pass away at the prime of his career. Statistically he should have another 30 years to live for. Looking at SR Nathan, he is a marvel, looking chubby and younger every day. He looks like someone who is going to live forever and ever. He should write a book to share his secret on how to live longer and look younger. Indeed he is living a good life, free from care and want. My little bird has made one prediction right for the next GE.

A great evening for F1 but shit….

Everything was perfect. Even the threat of inclement weather was blown away. The evening was surprisingly cool and the spectators were happy enjoying themselves while the cars roared by, right to left, the heads kept turning. That’s what F1 is all about unless one is following closely on who is winning the race or chasing who. My best time spent was behind the grandstand, in the padang itself. The performers were great. The aerial dancers were better still. I did not stay back for Maria Carey and Adam Lambert show. But many came in just for that. I was quite pissed off with the F1 itself. I got a sore neck after repeating my head turns for an hour following the cars whoosing from right to left. That’s not all. I brought two cameras to shoot the cars and all I could shoot was the fence. Even at the top of the padang grandstand I could not overlook the fence. Eventually I folded up, and that’s when I got my sore neck. And there was even a clause in the terms and conditions of sale of ticket that copyrights of photographs taken of the F1 race belong to the organizer. Unbelievable! Do the organizers really feel that their competent photographers could not shoot better than amateurs and they have to fence up the whole circuit to make photographing the race impossible? Where is the freedom to take photographs? I am sure the event would have more exposure and interest if the public and amateur photographers were able to shoot good pictures and post it everywhere in cyberspace or in other media. It is free publicity and promotion for the F1. Surely safety can still be ensured by some ingenious fencing and location of the spectators with the fence lowered in some sections for a clear and unobstructed view of the race. It really spoilt the fun watching through the fences and unable to take a single clear shot. This is shit to F1.

East Asia coming full circle

China is demanding that Japan apologises and pay compensation for the arrest of fishing boat captain Ding Xiping. Japan had detained him for 3 weeks before releasing him under intense pressure from China. For the uninitiated, Japan annexed the island with the Penghu island group and Taiwan after it defeated China in 1895. It also claimed war reparation and many other rights and territorial claims. It wrestled Korea as its colony and hundreds of tons of silver from China. The weak and defeated China could not do anything but resigned to its dismal fate. And Japan went on to rape China and extort more and more rights from her, creating all kinds of incidents for more apologies and demands. The Marco Polo Incident was etched deeply in the minds of the Chinese populace. The closest equivalent of power between China and Japan then is between Iraq and the US today. The US could do anything to Iraq without any credible response from the Iraqi people. Today Japan is till a powerful military state. But the equation of its military might vis a vis China is that of Germany or England vis a vis the US. The Japanese still did not realise that there is a mismatch of the power equation and not in its favour anymore. For every soldier the Japanese have, the Chinese have 1000. For every military aircraft or tanks the Japanese have, the Chinese have 100 more. The bow and arrow and big sword armies of the Qing Dynasty were long gone. Today China will be making demands and more demands for any Japanese incursion and violation of its territorial integrity. And China does not need to create any incident like the Japanese did. It only needs to claim back all its territories ceded to Japan during the days of gunboat diplomacy and unequal treaties. The Yakuzas in Japan still think that they can take on China in the battle field. They are dreaming. The China of today is even ready to take on the US if forced to defend its national interest and territorial integrity. If Japan still does not take heed, it will be China declaring war on Japan and demanding apologies and war reparation. Naoto Kan said it is unthinkable for Japan to apologise over this incident and that Diaoyutai is Japanese territory. Such a stand will have grave consequences as China will no longer accept the unjust treaties it signed under duress. China will not and cannot back down from this Japanese position or it will be seen as acceptance of the Japanese claim. Let’s see what China will do next.

The SDP Rally at Hong Lim

A 400 crowd attended the SDP rally yesterday to express their unhappiness on the social political situation in the island. The crowd could be bigger if there were more publicity, and if public transportation is cheaper. Attending such a rally could cost a lunch or dinner and could be an inhibiting factor preventing people from attending. The organisers should have tried to contact those bus operators that were recently out of job to ferry hardlanders to Hong Lim instead of the casinos. That way the crowd could easily swell by a few thousands. The three main issues raised were foreigners, jobs and cost of living. The SDP's position is that too many foreigners is not good, not enough jobs and escalating cost of living, which reads bad. The response from the govt could be like this. They are slowing down on the intake of foreigners. And those foreigners that are still here are no foreigners any more. They are new citizens. As for jobs, who says no jobs? Just lower the expectations, there are plenty of jobs around and that is the reason why we need so many foreigners. The bestest living spirit of a Singaporean is to take any job that comes along. A foreigner with a PHD is willing to drive taxi, so what are Singaporeans complaining? And the last one, cost of living which equates to high public housing. This is definitely not a good reason. More than 80% of Singaporeans are living in public housing and the higher the prices the happier they will be. They can smile every day, not every month, when they read the newspapers reporting that the value of their flats have risen. The little annoyance is that all the CPF money will be sucked into it and nothing left to withdraw on retirement, taking into consideration the huge minimum sum and medisave account. But the latter two are for the good of Singaporeans. At the worst, they will die rich, with plenty of money to pass down to their children, if any, or worthy of the inheritance. See, so easy to rebut the opposition claims.

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.