I angry with Mah Bow Tan

I am not only angry with Mah Bow Tan, but also very disappointed with him. He is so confusing. Doesn’t he believe in his asset enhancement policy? I believe in him and am depending on him to push up HDB resale price so that I can sell my flat for a million bucks and retire in Lijiang. Look at what he is doing? He is ramming up the building programme for BTO flats. And he is building so many in so short a time, just like the way they brought in the foreigners. The damn thing is that at that time he was not building, or building very few flats. Now, with the inflow of foreigners slowing down, he is building more flats frantically. What is the meaning of this? What is he trying to do? Pushing down HDB resale prices? Pushing down COV prices? Hey, what are you doing man, I was so happy supporting your asset enhancement policy and eagering waiting for the resale price to hit the roof, and now you are reversing everything that you have done? Are you losing faith in your asset enhancement policy? Are you losing faith in believing what you were doing was right? I am really disappointed and confused by what you said and what you do now. Are you for asset enhancement or not? Look at the other ministers, they are fully committed to the foreign talent policies and not wavering with what they think is right and good for Singapore. They are telling the Singaporeans daily that more foreigner’s policy is good. They are acting like deaf frog and will continue with the foreign talent policies, charging ahead when they think is right. They believe they have something good for Singaporeans. And after the election if they continue to ram up the influx of foreigners, no one can call them hypocrites. For they have never regretted what they were doing. In the case of housing and asset enhancement, if the policy changes again after the GE, what would people think? Before GE say and do one thing, after GE say and do different thing. But don’t worry, I will support you, and many people will be happy if the asset enhancement policy is resumed in full force. Don’t take too long as many are waiting for the price of their flats to shoot to the sky again. Please go back to your asset enhancement policy. Don’t be disturbed by a few kpkb in cyberspace. They are just noises.

Zulu chief, mama chief and baby

A Zulu chief standing beside mama chief holding a baby wrapped in cloth. The chief is wearing a pair of long white moustache. In front of them are several village elders. Click Art of RAR Gallery image on top right for more photo paintings.

Are words an indication of what could come next?

The first strong word used is ‘irresponsible’. How can we have irresponsible people running the country. Agree. Next, ‘strange bedfellows’. What does this word mean or imply? There is a bed and a fellow. Can be pretty sexy. Would it lead to pornography? Now a more powerful and serious word just came out, ‘mischievous’. This word alone can get people into deep trouble, even be sued in the court of law. Wait, there are other words that may be equally frightening. One is insanity. This word is closely associated with IMH. But a more scary word is ‘dangerous’. If anyone is being tagged as insane or dangerous, the person better be very, very frighten. Run road is an option to consider. Pray these words would not be heard or used. Oh, another word, ‘fundamentalist’. Depending on what context it is being applied to, it can be very dangerous as well.

From greed to fear

Going back to fundamentals, one man one vote and one MP for one constituency. That was what was all about in a democratic election. But there were weak candidates that would not survive in such a system. All political parties have strong and weak candidates. And when a strong candidate is pitted against a weak one, the result is obvious. There was also a genuine need to ensure minority representation. A GRC of 3 of which one must be a minority member was invented. It worked. All GRCs were mostly walkovers. The opposition were struggling and panting to recruit good candidates and to find the money for deposits. With the GRCs, it was a miracle formula to ensure victory in the GE. The advantages to a big and strong party were obvious. How could the opposition parties find that numerous good candidates to stand in a GRC? How could they raise the money, at $16k for a 6 member GRC it comes to $96k, to lose. The barrier to entry is raised higher and higher with each election. The strongest point of a GRC is that it can be easily carried by a minister. Just send in a minister and the GRC will be in the pocket. Some jokers still think so. So we have 3 member GRCs to 4, 5 and 6 member GRCs. Why not, it is a sure win formula. But things are not working out as they were supposed to. The trump card of a GRC, a minister, is turning from an advantage to an Achilles’ heel. Several ministers will not only be unable to helm a GRC, they will become a liability and guarantee its defeat. That is how bad it has become. I may be wrong if you see how confident they are in their walkabouts, like they are definitely going to be elected. And despite the high monetary cost to put up a GRC of 5 or 6 members, the opposition not only could raise the money, they could attract enough quality candidates to stand in the GRCs. This is unprecedented and totally unexpected. With stronger candidates from the opposition parties and badly weakened ministers leading the GRC teams, suddenly the odds of winning a GRC are more in favour of the opposition. Or at least the chances are more equal. What does this mean? With GRCs, clean sweep is so easy and effortless then. Walkovers were the order of the day. The PAP could win big when the odds are in its favour. Now the odds have changed and the fear of losing big is so real. The spectre of a freak election result is going to haunt the PAP in this election. But why called it a freak result when it is just what the people decided who they want to vote for? An election result is an election result. What is so freakish about it? If GRC is going to cost the PAP big losses this time, you can bet that the GRC game will be over in the next GE. It will all be back to square one, one man one vote and one MP for one constituency. All the great reasons and arguments for GRC will be passé. GRC will be seen as gambling in big stake. One either wins all or loses all. Can be quite dramatic, traumatic, and quite irresponsible in a way to stake all for a show hand. Some may be counting how many ministers will be packing their bags after this GE. A freakish election is going to happen, and can happen.

Just a little musing

Read it in the 3in1kopitiam and posted by a blogger as a comment in the thread about Malay is our national language. He was responding to Wong Wee Nam’s article on the historical importance of Malay as our national language and teaching it as a second language or whatever may not be right. The funny blogger was telling his story of his command of the national language and he was glad that he learnt some of it at least. So he tried it out at a nasi padang stall by asking the stall owner how much it cost. ‘"sumau buat apa ringgit" (all how much )?. But the macik corrected me saying encik abdul rahman dah mati,sekarang dollars,bukan riggit!’ The macik had a wonderful sense of humour. She knew this guy was not trying to pay in ringgit here. He thought ringgit was the Malay word for dollar. Well almost, when ringgit and the S$ were trading on par then. Now we know it is not the same anymore. So macik told him that we don’t use ringgit here anymore, but Sing dollar. The younger generation have mostly lost this skill except for the Malays. The orang tua may still make do with some pasar Melayu like aku pun boleh : )

My A Team

The election fault lines

There are several major issues that will be tested in the GE. Among them will be the cost of living, the cost of housing, foreign talents, casinos, high ministerial salary, public transportation, medical fees, the political system, cronyism, corruption etc etc. All these issues will generate a lot of heat during the campaigning. Some of them will develop into fault lines that will divide the people into taking sides. One of the hottest fault lines must be housing, the owners and the young people waiting to buy their first homes. The owners will be more comfortable with a policy that will keep the price of their properties intact or growing. The non owners will be rooting for a party that could hold down the runaway prices to make their first purchase more affordable. In the ring will be the 80% HDB owners against all the young people that are queuing up or are waiting to grow up. Technically, it is a forgone conclusion that the home owners will have an upper hand. But going deeper into the issue, it may not be that straight forward. The other fault line is the divide between foreigners and locals. The govt is still taking a stand that they are all for more foreigners here and are heaping praises on the importance of foreigners to the well being of the locals. This will definitely piss off the locals who have one way or another affected adversely by the presence of too many foreigners, competition for jobs, housing and space. In this divide it is clear that it will be the govt and the foreigners versus the opposition parties and the locals. The govt will still have an upper hand with their die hard loyal local supporters and the new citizens behind them. The devil hiding in the shadow is when the foreign talent issue is linked to new citizens and old citizens in politics. We can see the anger brewing and the divide gaining momentum. The third major fault line is likely to be the pro PAP versus the anti PAP groups. There will be many who will stay on to support the PAP as the govt because of its track record. There will be a new emerging force that sees the track record, especially those of recent years, as being less than satisfactory. The old records will be played over and over again. But the new records with its new funky beat and off beat may not be acceptable to some voters. The old records were good, the new records bad. So going down the road it could be more of bad new records than more of good old records. There could be a shift in the followers, especially when the opposition are presenting the voters with a new wave of new talents. And the new idols are looking quite attractive. The alternative is at least seen to be better than the new records which are being rejected for all its flaws. The danger here is that the ruling party is lumping the old record and new record together and the people could be confused and think that they are the same, or they could only look at the new record and reject it completely. The fourth fault line which is seething in the under current and not fully exploited is the casinos. This is not only an emotional issue, an issue of values, a social ills, it could be tainted with religion and morality. This could become a full blown issue to divide the electorate during the campaigning. For the moralists, it is a clear cut right or wrong issue and can be very uncompromising. The election battle line could be drawn along these fault lines which will make voters taking sides much simpler.

Geisha and companions

A geisha and her companions. Both companions are partially hidden by her body, on the further side. Click the Art of RAR image on top right for more photo paintings.

As good as god speaks

‘As Finance Minister, I have made that very clear in Parliament that at least for the next five years …. there is absolutely no reason to raise the GST….’ Tharman Shanmugaratnam The citizens can now rest assured that in the next 5 years the GST will not be raised. Tharman has said that ‘there is absolutely no reason to raise the GST.’ He must know what he is talking about to be so confident about no reason to raise GST. Some sceptics are suggesting that if GST is not increased, then he can raise other taxes. Some were reminded of Boon Wan saying that mean testing would not be introduced but was introduced. What I am glad is that we have a minister that has that kind of confidence to commit himself for 5 years that nothing will happen. He must be super brilliant or is probably omniprescient. Whichever, it is good for the people and country for such ability. Our future is in good hands.

Impressive!

I am impressed. First we have the Tony Tan and Hazel Poa, then Benjamin Pwee, Vincent Wijesingha. And then standing ovation when Chen Show Mao appeared. And look who's entering the arena, Tan Jee Say and Ang Yong Guan. And all these, not discounting the pathfinders like Sylvia Lim, Goh Meng Seng, Gerald Giam, they all add up to quite a bit of weight to the pioneer and veteran fighters of Chiam, Low and the other opposition leaders. One thing that stands out, the new candidates are standing head to head with the PAP slate. But the most startling of all is Nicole Seah. At 24 she seems young, but not when she speaks. She is every inch a mature and able politician in the way she carries herself and how she handles the press. I am impressed. When you have a good candidate, it shows. No one is questioning her on her maturity though she is only 24. It is not just age. You have it or you don't.

The timing of heaven

When a big storm is brewing, or when a natural disaster is about to hit the shore, all the creatures in the wild, big and small, will get the first signal to evacuate. The timing of heaven is obvious to those recipients who are meant to receive the signal of a major change. Throughout our 40 odd years of existence, other than the founding years, never has there been a time when so many talents are standing up as if someone has blown a whistle. They came from thousands of miles away, they sprouted out from under the carpet, sprang out of cupboards, they came out of retirement, from the most unexpected quarters, all heeding a call for change. They are not the only one that is answering to this call, everyone can sense that change is coming and many are standing up to make the change. Everyone in cyberspace is contributing in his little way towards this change. Even the often reticent and fearful aunties and uncles in the kopitiams and markets are making the change. They are stretching their hands out to greet the opposition party candidates. The days of fear and shunning the opposition parties were gone. There is a new kind of exuberance. The recent barrage of failures after failures, against all the big talks about being pro active, about thinking and planning ahead and about preventing problems from taking root seem so defeating. Can the high cost of living be arrested earlier, can the high influx of foreigners be prevented, can the high housing prices and housing problems be foreseen? Can more be done to make public transportation more efficient, can the escalating medical cost be prevented? The answer is either one in 50 years or due to external forces. Nothing can be prevented or anticipated even by supertalents with super salary. The worst part is that many of the problems created are claimed to be good for the people. The influx of foreigners are good, the high property prices are good, the high medical fees are good, after all you can’t get world class medical services for free. High GST is also good. Is there anything that is not good? High population density? High salary in public offices? If these problems are regarded as good, don’t expect them to go away. They will be fed to become bigger. The heaven has signal for change. The timing is just about right. And the forces for change are all ready to effect the change. Even the ruling party is contributing positively to the impending change either intentionally or unintentionally.

Grotto Art 2

Another of my cave paintings with the figurines of children and women sketched on the cave walls. The texture of the wall is also very interesting. Click the Art of RAR image on top right of page for more photo paintings.

Can we survive without huge influx of FTs?

The FT is good mantra is being sung daily. FT good, FT is indispensable, FT is our saviour. If we keep on singing this mantra, soon we will have nightmares on FTs. We are not talking about the natural movement of people across borders to work and play. This trend has been going on for ages without much of a hiccup except in racist countries when some people of different colours are barred. Today we are faced with a different kind of problem, a conscious and meticulous design to flood the country with foreigners, claiming that without them the country will not be able to continue to grow at a rapid pace. This calling for more and more foreigners is getting to a point of madness. Of course the madmen would not admit that it is madness. With all due respect to all the super great FTs in our shores and those who were appointed to high offices due to their merits, I would like to ask a simple question, ‘Can an organisation be run just as efficiently with a Singaporean in charge instead of a FT?’ Take the case of the Health Ministry, would the health services collapse, or all systems failed to work if a Singaporean is made the Health Minister? Or would DBS do less well if it was not managed by FTs? Stretch this further, will those govt ministries or GLCs be worst than what they are today if Singaporeans were to be in charge instead of FTs? If the answer is yes, then we better bring in more foreigners quickly. If the answer is no, that these organisations will just run as before, could be better, then someone must be lying through the skin of his teeth. I bet there are many Singaporeans that are worthy to feel these positions. These are high value positions need not necessarily go to FTs if Singaporeans can do the job equally well. If Singaporeans cannot do them, we have a very serious problem in paying super salary to super local talents. They must be all overpaid, all rubbish, that they can’t do these jobs and only foreigners can. Am I talking rubbish or the people are being fed with rubbish? We have thousands of our best talents trained locally and in the best universities overseas, and all proven to be duds. Believe me, it is true. That is why the panic button is pressed for more FTs.

The Ten Commandments of Sin

1. Thou shalt believe in one god 2. Thou shalt believe in one party 3. Thou shalt not steal when being paid very well 4. Thou shalt not begrudge other people’s big salary 5. Thou shalt not kill but anything else ok 6. Thou shalt believe that some are more equal than others 7. Thou shalt believe that what you saved is not your money 8. Thou shalt not have doubts in god's words. 9. Thou shalt believe that your country is a hotel 10. Thou shalt believe that foreigners are your saviour

What is my motive?

I have proven myself to be one of the top legal eagles in the world. I am well regarded in the USA and in China, Hongkong and Taiwan. I have made my millions and I could go on making millions as a foreign talent in the US, China or any where in the world. I am following the advice of our MM, to venture abroad when our talents are well appreciated and in demand. I can consider myself as a successful Singaporeans in every way. I have made my money. Money is no longer important to me. I am looking for a higher calling. I am coming home to serve my country and my people, on my own volition. I am coming home, to give back to society, to my country who have given me so much in my younger days, good schools, good education and a good place where I grew up and made many friends. For what I am going to do, I have no chance of making the kind of money I am getting if I were to stay overseas. And I may not even be given a chance to serve the people if they do not want me. There is not only no guarantee that I will be given a chance to serve, I may face a lot of obstacles in my path. For a start, people may question my motivation, as if I am eyeing for the multi million dollar income. I can tell to go to hell. I have all the money that I need and I have proven that I can make more. And if money is all I wanted, it will be better for me to continue to do what I am doing in Shanghai or in New York or London. But home is where I choose to be. I am bringing my family home, to grow my family and serve my people. Serving my people is a higher calling than just making more money. What I will be getting as an allowance is really peanuts, without being rude. Some of my friends think I am crazy, a successful world class lawyer, and I give up all that to come home to be questioned on my integrity, my sense of duty, with my family and private life being displayed in the open for people to rubbish. I also know how brutal and unforgiving the politics of my country is from the experience of my predecessors. I must say that I am a bit disappointed. But I also believe that the people will understand what I can do for them, to work for them and the country. I believe the people have the wisdom to know what is real and what is unreal. I will let the people judge me for what I am. If the people want me, I am willing to serve them at the best of my ability. I am offering my service to the people and the country. I shall let the people decide. PS. This is just what I would like to hear from Chen Show Mao. He comes forward without the need to be invited. He has the passion to want to serve. And he knows that losing can mean total destruction of his life and career, even his family. No secure and comforting coat tail to hang on. The risk is just unacceptable to many good people to want to come forward. What more do we want from him? And what is the motive of people asking for his motive?

Who is raiding our reserves?

Worker’s Party wants to reduce the cost of public housing and is accused of trying to raid the reserves. When Chiam See Tong asked for a chicken wing for the people he was accused of trying to kill the golden goose. Now the people not only have a chicken wing, some have two chicken wings, and some two chicken wings plus two drumsticks. Who is feeding our reserves and who is raiding the reserves?

Political self gratification

What is political self gratification? It is not much different from masturbation. Just imagine whatever that is pleasurable and masturbate on it, work on it I mean. One way is to think that you are the best talent in the world and the people must pay you whatever is your price, be it $3m, $5m or $10m. The thought of it is enough to get wet. And to really be paid that kind of money, now that is political self gratification at its best. Then you tell the people that what you have done is the best in their interest, like enhancing the value of their assets. Disregard those that have to pay more and more to chase the asset balloon. If they cannot afford it, just ask them to lower their expectations, from 4 rm to 3 rm to 2 rm. And you know the people just cannot do anything about it. Damn gratifying. They still have to come begging for more. It can be better by telling the people that they have to live with your logic, like it or not. Tell them that you are not going to build flats like cars in the show room for sale. They have to put in their orders, then only will you throw a tender and let the developers sweat it out in the next 3 or 4 years. Then tell the dumb asses that it is their fault for not planning when to get married and when to want to buy a flat. If this is not gratifying what else is? Comes election, throw them a slate of candidates and tell them these are the best talents you can find even if the talents are no better than their next door neighbours. And if the opposition comes up with candidates that are as qualified as yours or better, just question their motives. Your candidates did not have any motives. Or tell them the motives of your candidates are all honourable, to serve the people. Oh yes, tell the peasants that you are their servants, to serve them. After the election you can continue to rule them for the next 4 or 5 years. Screwing peasants must be great fun. Tell them to work hard, be cheap, be better and faster, tighten their belts when things are not looking good, and threaten them that without you their standard of living will go down, their property values will drop, and they may end up as maids in foreign countries. Isn’t that gratifying telling them that you are their servant? I must confess that I have no motive writing this. I am just getting a little self gratification. I am wet already.

Brazillian Road Festival

A procession of colourfully dressed performers on a road festival in Brazil. Click on Art of RAR image on top right for more paintings.

One casualty before the GE

Temasek Review has been down for a couple of days. It announced that it will not be in business in July. We are now still in April. Does anyone know the reason why Temasek Review is down and out? It can’t be the GE and that someone thinks that it is a threat and blocks it from broadcasting. It will be a sad day for the internet if it is so. Maybe the fear of the internet is true. Is this the beginning of a clamp down prior to the GE? How many will still be broadcasting throughout the GE? The humble internet is growing in importance to compete against the main media in the coverage of socio political news. And in the GE, its role is all cut out, to ensure a more level playing field for all parties. The opposition parties do not have the privilege of a friendly media covering and presenting their side of the story in a better light. With the internet, they practically have their own reporters and broadcasters to say what they really want to say. Then there is this dirty tactic that some like to used to attack their opponents, peeping into candidate’s key hole, sneaking in to find juicy news, digging out candidates history or things like candidates digging their noses and wearing pink panties. When candidates run foul, play foul, the internet could make it into an issue to embarrass the trespassers, to shame them for hitting below the belt, even to question their integrity and suitability to run for political office. This is the least the alternative media can do, to be the watchdog for fair play. The dirty game is just starting and more can happen without the internet to check such abuses. Let this game be a fairer game, a decent game and the better and more deserving man or woman be elected to Parliament. And let the punks be made known as punks. This is what citizen journalism is all about.

A bad feeling

Chen Show Mao spent 40 of his 50 years out of Singapore. There is this rumour that he may be disqualified to stand for election under the 10 year residency condition. The public data that I have gathered is that he came to Singapore in 1972, completed his primary, secondary and A level in 1979. This is followed by 2 ½ years of NS. He graduated from Harvard in 1986. From these data, the number is scary. Assuming that he continued to work outside of Singapore after graduation, and he started in Harvard in 1983, probably he will be safe. But if one is to take a fine comb and go through the days he was out of Singapore on holidays etc, it can be very dicey. This case his passport will be a key document, to count the number of days he spent in Singapore to make up for the 10 years requirement. And the number of days he returned to see his parents will be very crucial. Who will be tasked to do the checking? The WP better starts the checking to provide all supporting documents for this case. Will he be disqualified? Let’s hope that this is a false alarm.