The Singapore Death Penalty Blog

I read an article posted in the Singapore Death Penalty Blog and I must said that I am not pleased. In fact I am terribly worried. The discussion was centred on the killing of Darren Ng in Downtown East. And the Blog took to questioning the cries to hang the assailants of Darren Ng. It gives the impression that if there are good reasons to the killing, like there is no intention to kill but to harm, or that it is not just a staring incident, then perhaps it is wrong to hang the killers. Below are some of the reasons raised and I quoted from the Blog. 'There are many questions left unanswered from the incident: * Was Darren Ng murdered or mobbed (with weapons), which resulted in his death? (The implications are important as they decide the charge and sentence of the accused persons) * Was it really a simple random staring incident resulting in a cold blooded murder? * Did Darren try to stand up for his friend, which resulted in a confrontation and the mob attack? * How many of the dozen or so assailants were carrying weapons? * Was there a real intention to murder Darren, or were the knives use with the intent to cause serous injuries? * How many other suspects are still at large? * If 10 men mobbed and caused the death of one person, should all 10 be charged for murder, a crime which carries mandatory death sentence? * Out of the 4 arrested and charged for murder, who attacked Darren, how many were doing so because their peers were doing it?' Do all these reasons or questions make any difference to the vicious killing of Darren in a public place? To me it does not. A young man was killed. It was not a case of simply two persons fighting or self defence. It was a mob attack. Or a mob attack deserves lesser punishment? Oh, perhaps they just want to give Darren a few cuts without any intent of killing him. The knives were just another tool and not meant to be for killing. Oh, there are other reasons...So? And 10 people killed one man. Maybe no need to hang 10 people, only one for one? The questioning and doubts cast sound pretty sick.

A new kind of BTO Factory

When the human race begins to lose its sentimental and emotional attachments, the bonds of human relationship will gradually disappear and replace by fads of fancy. Keeping pets and treating them as dear family members are catching on around the world. People choose to shower attention, money and tender loving care to animals than to other human beans. Family as an institution is losing its grip and breaking down in some societies. Instead of dogs and cats, human pets may become a bigger attraction in times to come. With the advancement in medical science and cloning, it is quite possible to determine exactly what a new child will be, or at least look a like in the future. BTO Factories could sprout up in the not too distance future to produce babies according to the demands of the owners. Babies To Order could become a flourishing commercial activity to add to the Bride to Order biz. People can walk into such a factory and order a Lady Gaga, Harry Porter, Rudh Khan, a Sammi Cheng or a Bruce Lee off the shelf. Or they could put in their own specifications of height, colour, sex etc etc. By the time we reach this stage of human race development, no one will bother about genetic purity or lineage. Anything that fancies will do. And there will be no angst of IVF mix-up kids too. And there would not be any affinity or attachment to race. All will belong to the human race and the human family. Maybe family will no longer exist in the human vocabulary.

Brave Japanese will fight!

The militant right wing Japanese are shouting, ‘Brave Japanese will fight. Proud Japanese will fight’. And they are denouncing Naoto Kan for releasing the Chinese fishing boat captain as crumbling under China’s pressure. I really like to see Japan declaring war on China today. It will be a spectacle to watch the brave samurais wielding their Japanese swords against the Chinese broad swords. Today, the match can be very interesting. In the last century it was tanks, big guns and aircraft against bows and arrows and spears. Not anymore. Go brave Japanese, go. Banzai! Banzai! Show the world the true yakuzas behind the suit and tie. And I am not the only one instigating the Japanese and try to drive their superiority complex to a crazy pitch. Read the main media today and there are at least a couple of articles castrating the Japanese govt for being weak and unable to stand up to foreign pressure. Let’s stoke the fire of war and push the Japanese to do it. And those who can profit and benefit from wars will pop champagne and celebrate.

Qantas plane crashed near Batam

Latest news flash from Reuters. No details yet. But this seems to be a deadly one.

The mixed up kid

What a tragedy! How would the parents feel when a part of the child is theirs and the other part belongs to you know who? The latest slip in the IVF case is a terrible thing to happen to anyone. Now, how to rectify this one in a millionth error? Can rewind and start all over or not? There is no question of putting the child away. It is an innocent child created by sheer human stupidity. For the parents, can they live with the child’s mixed identity? If they don’t mind, they need not go through the trouble and pay so much money for IVF. They could simply adopt one from the orphanage. The special relationship between your own child and that of a mixed up kid cannot be replaced. In this case there is nothing in the child that the father can be emotionally or biologically attached to. It is simply somebody’s child, not his. What about the child when he/she grows up? What kind of identity should the child assume? Is this just a rare case of human error or a wicked prank? Whatever, many people would have to live miserable lives through this sickening tragedy. It is a mistake that cannot be unwound. Though no life was lost, I don’t think anyone would want to be in the shoes of the parents and the mixed up kid. Can’t imagine the trauma when they have to face the child everyday. This is like In Vitro Rape.

We have come to take the govt back!

These were the words of Rand Paul, a Tea Party candidate elected to the US Senate yesterday. The Americans are so pissed off with the all talks and empty promises President Obama that they have rebelled and voted in the Republicans into the House of Representatives and narrowing the Democrat’s majority in the Senate. This is a clear and powerful message from a disgruntled electorate. It could be a useful theme for our next general election. The time may be here for the people to take back the govt if they are not happy with the ways things are moving. So, are they satisfied with the incumbent govt and would like them to continue doing what they are doing? Or are they going to say enough is enough and time to take back the govt to do things the people want? Everyone is talking about a watershed election. What will change and will change for the better? Or would it be more of the same, no change is necessary except cosmetics, like more loser MPs? From the PAP side, it is quite certain many of the yodas will not be around anymore, including LKY. On the opposition side, will there be more professional and good people coming forward to give the people a better choice and make this a really watershed election? Would the rally cry be, 'We have come to take back the govt'?

Why can’t the Australians understand?

‘Temasek is a tax-paying investment company which was incorporated in 1974. Our board and management make our investment, divestment and other company decisions on a commercial basis, independently of our shareholder, the Singapore government. The board comprises a majority of non-executive independent private-sector business leaders. A third of our staff, including senior management, are non-Singaporeans from 20 countries. Our CEO was appointed by the board with the independent concurrence of the President of Singapore.... Temasek plays no part in the governance, operations or investment decisions of the Singapore Exchange. Simon Israel, Executive Director and President, Temasek Holdings’ The above is quoted from The Australian. The relationship between the Singapore Govt and Temasek or between Temasek and the SGX is strictly business done with a ten foot pole apart. Temasek is independent of the Govt and the SGX is independent of Temasek. Is this so difficult to comprehend? Every Singaporean understands this logic and is very clear that they are all separate entities and operate independently with only making money as their main objectives. Why are the Australians trying to mix everything together as one rojak dish, that SGX is Temasek, and Temasek is the Singapore Govt? Singaporeans are very familiar with the Govt’s logic and way of explaining things and have no problem understanding the official logic. For foreigners, maybe it is a little different. They don’t think like us and they don’t want to understand our logic. They may think that we are weird or trying to hoodwink them. We shall forgive them for their unwillingness to see our point of view and their stubbornness to resist our takeover of the ASX. They did not know that we are doing it for their own good.

BTO is anti family

A forum writer, Sim Siew Chien, wrote to the ST a few months back, complaining that the BTO scheme is detrimental to young people getting married and having children. She said many young people were forced to live separately after getting married as they have to wait for BTO to complete building their flats. Now whose fault is this? It is definitely not the govt or HDB’s fault. The young people must plan their marriages ahead. Why do they wait till they want to shit then look for jamban? So the wise men say or think. Getting hitch is so easy. With so many matchmaking agency, I also think so. Just place an order. The BTO scheme is the most intelligent, brilliant, and farsighted scheme thought out by the most brilliant supertalents we have. And they are not paid millions for coming out with stupid schemes. This is the best scheme they can think of. How could the low thinking public complain that it is bad? The public just does not have the brain to appreciate the beauty and brilliance of this scheme. It is unfair to complain about it. Just live with it. Just remember that it is the best scheme. It is the most efficient scheme for HDB. As for the people who needs a flat urgently, is it a good scheme? “My brother got engaged, but lost his engagement because he could not afford an HDB flat,” said Lim Zi Rui, the engineering student from NTU during Chok Tong’s dialogue with the students. For people like Zi Rui’s brother, very likely they would not even apply for a flat as they could not afford it. And they will not form part of the statistics to create a demand for BTO flats. No flats will be built for such losers. I am not sure how big is this pool of unable to afford to apply for HDB flats? Anyway, they are irrelevant and HDB need not sweat to build flats for them. Only those who can afford HDB flats need apply. This is the beauty of the BTO. No waste and everyone who applies will say the flats are affordable.

A little disorder is good

We have seen the loan sharks upgrading their skills and tactics in chasing after their debtors. From pouring paints onto doors and letter boxes, they have upped their ante by burning cars. I am wondering what kind of training they would get next to make themselves more efficient and effective. Burning houses? Then Downtown East, a Halloween style bloodied body turned out to be real. Our youngsters are having too good a time, and couldn't find any purpose in life but to form gangs and patrol shopping centres looking and staring at one another. And if the staring gets too intense, they will be fumed to want to gorge out the other's eyes. More and more fights between the young and their gangs are appearing in the news. Maybe this is a welcome change that we need, to throw the country into a little disorder for the new generations to appreciate what orderliness is all about. Or maybe this is the new fun that the new generations want. More blood and gore in the streets. And gangsterism is a new way of life, a return to the stylo 60s. How did these happen and grow unrestrained? Just like loan sharks, a soft pair of hands will be seen as incompetence and weakness and nothing to fear. And with a law enforcing force that is so well educated and well mannered, it is tough to face up with the toughies, a kind of mismatch. And there will be the goody and kind hearted who would want to protect the waywards and the criminals as pityful people that need help and protection, need to be saved. Welcome a little lawlessness.

Asean in Transformation

A gathering of small and medium countries, and wanted to be left alone, in peace, to develop their own economies and the lives of their people. That was what Asean used to be, avoiding big power conflicts and staying away from becoming proxies in big power rivalries. That was how ZOPFAN, zone and peace, freedom and neutrality came about. Today, Asean has grown bigger, economically, structurally and militarily. It starts to have wild ambitions, to start bickering with each other’s internal affairs and to challenge bigger powers, and ganging up with big powers to achieve its aims. Consciously or unconsciously, it has accepted the US as the de facto leader of Asean, doing away with its neutral status. Non alignment is no longer its mission. During its days of neutrality, Asean was able to grow peacefully, and also stayed out of big power conflicts. Today, it is inviting big power rivalry into the organization. It courts big power influence and protection to compete with other big powers. For that, it is willing to surrender its own leadership to a big power and become subservient or proxy states of big powers. Would this transformation of Asean lead the region into a state of turmoil and warfare? Has Asean really believe that engaging in big power politics and struggle of power and influence a desired development for the small and medium states? Has Asean grown a head that is too big for itself and wanted to play a bigger role in international affairs which it thinks it deserves? While Asean is being seduced by big power attention and bathing in the limelight, let Asean not forgotten what happened in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Dancing with the big bad wolf has a disastrous price to pay.

China involved in largest number of conflicts???!!!

‘China, significantly, has been involved in the largest number of military conflicts in Asia. A recent Pentagon report is unsparing: “The history of modern Chinese warfare provides numerous case studies in which China’s leaders have claimed military preemption as a strategically defensive act.’ It then went on to quote the Korean War, (the world knew who brought the war to China’s border), the border war with India in 1962, ( and yes, who started it?), with the Soviet Union, to reclaim lost Chinese territories, and the war with Vietnam, (again, who started it?). China involved in the largest number of military conflicts in Asia? What about the Americans? The professor never heard of the USA? Matilah has this to say, ‘Meanwhile since the 18th century, America has been involved in 200 or so "armed conflicts" all of them overseas -- in "OPC" - Other Peoples' Cuntries.’ Anyone bother to count? Starting from the Korean War, Vietnam War, the Middle East, Europe, not counting Latin America and Europe… And the claim that China is involved in the largest conflict came from a Brahma Chellaney, professor of strategic studies at the Centre for Policy Research in New Delhi. What kind of academic integrity does he have when he can’t even count or refuses to acknowledge the great involvement of the Americans in military conflicts. The scale of the wars waged by the Americans, in any one of them is thousands of times more severe and destructive than all the conflicts the Chinese were involved. And this foolish article titled The Chinese conundrum, appears in today’s Straits Times. By the way, how many military adventures have India been involved since it became independent? How many times had India fought with its neighbours and the little islands in the Indian Ocean?

What’s so great about the Singapore Spirit?

"When I was younger, I was very proud of being a Singaporean. But that was about five, 10 years ago. Five years later, with all the changes in policies and the influx of foreign talent, I don't know what I'm defending anymore. I feel that there is a dilution of the Singapore spirit in youth... We don't really feel comfortable in our country anymore." By Lim Zi Rui, a final year Engineering student of NTU The Singapore Spirit is something that we can vaguely remember as the thing that helped to build this city state. There are still fond memories being cherished by the young and old. Is it still there or it is gone? Or it is no longer good enough, that we need the new hungrier spirit of the new immigrants to save us, to give us a kick in the back to wake us up? The official wisdom today is as good as saying that the Singapore Spirit no longer living in the young Singaporeans. We need more vibrant and enthusiastic and smarter foreigners if we are to move ahead. If this is the mentality, then many European countries will end up like the dinosaurs. The truth is that the well managed European countries are those that stay close to their own spirits and not those that are flooded with foreigners and with foreign spirits. The latter are seeing a decline in their quality of life, and chaos and social disorders are becoming a norm, threatening the very system that the foreigners came to benefit. If the fad of new and new spirits is anything to go by, there is no need to visit Finland to learn from them. The Finns don’t hunger nor pander for more hungrier immigrants to lift up their lives and economy. Simply, they don’t need new immigrants. They can make do with themselves and their own spirit of survival and do very well with their own people. They are confident of themselves and their own people. So, what is this Singapore Spirit? Is this something great or something that is best forgotten and replace with a new migrant spirit? Or is this a Spirit that runs down its own people as helpless and goners, and there is an urgent need to find a new Spirit to replace it? Shouldn't the Singapore Spirit be like the matured European countries, believe in themselves and their own people and continuously improving their own standard of living without having to hope or beg the hopeless and nothing to lose dare devils from the lost countries to mess up their systems and lives? When I referred to matures European countries, count England, France and Spain out. They will be destroyed by the foreigners they foolishly brought in.

‘Best losers’ guaranteed seats in Parliament

In his dialogue with NTU students, Chok Tong told them that our Constitutions have been tweaked to guarantee that the ‘best losers’ in a general election will still get to Parliament. At present 9 seats were provided for the losers. Is this a concession, a grace or an effective alternative to having opposition members in Parliament? What is the purpose of having oppositions in Parliament? Personally I do not want to be represented by losers, and definitely not losers that cannot vote when serious issues are at stake. Maybe other people will disagree with me on this. Some may just want to have an alternative voice in Parliament and whether they can vote on issues is not important. Some Singaporeans are smart enough to just want a voice but not to oppose the policies or rock the boat. A little kpkb in Parliament to let out some steam should be enough. After all the govt is doing a very good job and let’s not be too serious in having opposition members in Parliament. There is no need for real oppositions. Consider this as a pragmatic view from some corners of the masses. How many really feel it this way? If they do, then the govt has read the ground well. They may even provide more seats for more losers, as long as they cannot vote. But if this is not the desire of the people, would it make any difference in the coming election? Or would the next general election be a watershed election in more than one ways? Who needs losers by the way?

And we thought George Bush Jr was crazy

The woman was invited to the East Asia summit In Hanoi. Before she even warmed her seat she declared that she was the leader of the summit and she was taking over. And she lectured the Asian leaders on how their territorial disputes should be resolved, in her ways of course. Then she strapped a magnum .457 in between her tights, tugged another behind the back of the Japanese PM and turned to tell the Chinese that she had appointed herself as the mediator for the China Japan island dispute. She did not think the Asian leaders were capable of handling their own affairs and only she has the wisdom and leadership to lead them and solve their problems. The Empire strikes back with a joker. In an era when war between the two superpowers is obsolete, both nuclear and conventional, the Empire can no longer threaten China with the use of force. The silly war games of beach landing belong to the 20th century. Today, any hostile ships within a 200 miles radius of China will be sunk, the bigger the easier. This applies to aircraft as well. The immense fire and destructive power, the sophistication and accuracy of modern weaponry have made war a no option. War is only possible when there is a disproportionate balance of military strength between the two protagonists. Iraq is a good example. China should stand firm and not allow the evil Empire to dictate terms and think that it still controls the world. China should make it know that its territories taken by foreign forces through unequal treaties must be returned, that it will not honoured any treaties signed under coercion during the days of gunboat diplomacy. It is too polite to use such a term. It was a time of gangsterism in international relations when big powers plundered the weaker nations by threats of wars or wars. The injustice should be made right by the light of justice.

Turning greed on its head

Half a billion is small change to him. When people are buying fast cars as a hobby, he is buying football clubs. That is what money can do when you have enough of it. Peter Lim did not get his Liverpool Football Club. It could be a blessing in disguise. He has just acquired Thomson Medical Centre for half a billion bucks. This in all sense is a much more meaningful buy. And he could make it more meaningful to himself and to the people in the streets. Peter Lim is getting close to a state like Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, though still far away, but he could still uttered, huh, another $500m profit, what shall I do with it? He is comfortable enough that another half a billion is not going to make him a different person or to excite him. So what is he going to do with his new acquisition? To make more profits, to live the Singapore ethos that profit is everything, or to live the Gecko mantra that greed is good? Could he turn the Medical Centre into an institution to benefit the people at large? Medical cost is spiralling up like housing prices. Of course it need not be if there is less greed. Here we have a man who does not need any more small change of half a billion. He could be another philanthropist in the making. What Singapore need is a no frill hospital to serve the people without breaking their bank account for every admission. We need a hospital to make a point that medical and hospitalisation fees need not keep going to the sky. Would Peter Lim answer to this higher calling, that making money and more money is not the only reason to live? That money shall be made to good use, that one’s good fortune can be share with the common folks and the less fortunate. No one is going to begrudge him should he take the conventional path, to turn it into another successful business enterprise, and making more money for himself. And one day he will join Gates and Buffett, to give the money away because he just have too much of it.

Temasek Review, New Temasek Review

I thought Temasek Review has changed its name to New Temasek Review. I am pleasantly surprised to see the original name reappears again. This is a good sign.

The USAS

The hysterics were unbecoming. Who would expect the Australians to behave like third world countries and kpkb just because some entrepreneurs saw a good opportunity to raise their bets in the merger of the two stock exchanges? The Australians are behaving and jumping around like some of our neighbours, rearing the ugly xenophobic face of little townfolks. Can any of the politicians see any good in the merger? The benefits that can spew out of this venture are tremendous for both sides. For Singapore it is obvious. We can break out from the constraints of a little dot with Australia as our hinterland. We can proceed from here towards a greater economic and social integration, a kind of United States of Australia and Singapore. Of course, political integration is something that we shouldn't talk about at the moment. This will release a lot of pressure from our system, particularly the constraints of land, which is self inflicted in the first place. More Singaporeans can move on to the big island and relieve the pressure in the property bubble. Provided the thick heads did not stuff in more foreigners here to replace them and everything back to normal. Our dependent on food supply will be solved with the agricultural products from Oz. The advantages are enormous and can fill the pages of a library. Same for Australia. We will help Australia to effectively plug itself into Asia, as a member or extended member of Asean. The dynamism of this little dynamo can be infectious, and together with the liquidity here, it will be boom town Charlie for Australia. Growth will be everywhere, in all sectors. The Aussies can continue with their laidback lifestyle and enjoy the boom while the Sinkies will do the donkey work for them in developing this big island. Win win huh. The USAS is still the longer term goal and not far fetch. Australia, New Zealand and Singapore have been cooperating for 40 years in the 5 Nation Defence Pact. We have a similar history and colonial system, and colonial mentality. I think Singaporeans would welcome the chance to sing God Save the Queen once more. And Peter Lim can buy Liverpool and be welcomed as one of time. In fact we can buy up all the British football Clubs as well, once we become a part of Australia. Then we can bring the English Premier League to play in the Golden Triangle of Singapore, England and Australia. The possibilities are unimaginable, starting from just this humble begining of a ASX-SGX merger. Think about it mate.

Obama and his new hunting dogs

I read in the New York Times that Obama has acquired three new dogs to do his bidding and will use them, together with Japan, to contain China's growing influence. The eager beavers are so elated after being wined and dined in the White House and being 'consulted' by the Empire that they are thinking that they are part of the Empire. Other containment efforts by Obama, despite the empty Treasury and a mountain of debt, are the expansion of military base infrastructure in Guam in the Pacific Ocean and the island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. The beefing of all these military bases serves only one purpose, to entrench America's presence in the guise of defending the free world, but actually to contain China and protect American interest. There is a neo colonialist agenda in the American Administration and the old colonies, British, Dutch, French or Americans, were jsut too happy to be part of it. Asia can expect heighten tension and possibly proxy wars between America and China, but with the two protagonists looking from the sideline. And smaller Asian countries will gear up to kill each other or at least spend more on American weapons to provide more employment for the Americans.

$8 for a heart bypass!

Khaw Boon Wan said his bypass surgery which normally costs about $30k in an A class ward ended with him paying only $8. That is cheaper than buying two packs of panadol from a pharmacy. He claimed that he had Medishield and topped up by a supplement medical insurance. Knowing miserly is the payout from Medishield, with co payment, I am very interested to know the break down in his medical bill and how much each of his insurance paid for him. Let us have a peep on the details, Boon Wan. And also let us know how much premium you are paying for the Medishield and the supplement insurance. If it is meaningful and makes financial sense, I think many people will like to have the same insurance coverage. Thank you.

Australia unmasking its racist face

Just listen to the polemics made by the opposition to SGX acquiring ASX and you can see the truth behind the noise. As a business transaction, it is a great deal where both parties will benefit. The Australian investors are the first to benefit in a big way, they could actually cash out and still own a big chunk of the new ASX-SGX which I thought should be renamed SAX, short for Singapore Australia Xchange. It also sounds more sexy. For all the accusations, which is the standard tactics employed by the West against Asians or their enemies, to point the finger first and let the victim to defend himself can Australia hike from its true nature? In the process the victim will forget about the accuser's own imperfections. For a country that prospers after centuries of racist policies, abuses and discriminations against the local natives, Australia should be shameful of itself to talk about human rights and freedom. This is a smaller version of the Americans. The biggest arms merchant in the world, the most highly armed nation, the greatest currency manipulator, the biggest violator of human rights, not just the past in the form of genocide and slavery. Just think Guantanamo, Abu Graib, Afghanistan, Pakistan will do. If one still did not get the picture, go to Wikileaks. The Americans are the worst warmongers in modern history, starting wars and fighting wars and with a huge industry that thrives on wars, providing employments to its own people and soldiering. What else does it possess and do that is anti humanity and against world peace? But it keeps pointing its finger at China and other countries for all the above violations when it is the number one culprit. All the wars and tension in the world today is caused by the Americans. Yes BSE, blame somebody else, and think that the world will be stupid enough to believe them. It is always other people's faults.