It is a startling fact that no MPs, to my recollection, ever spoke about the wrong and harm done to Singaporeans when their hard earned savings are being kept away from them. Yes it is legal, the govt passed laws in Parliament to help the people to have money when they are in their 80s and 90s, and plenty of money. While many are savings for their 80s and 90s when money is no longer relevant, when waiting to die is the reality, many are dying in their 60s and 70s and got no chance to enjoy a little of their life savings. This is so humane and so caring. Or is it?
Incidentally, which part of the CPF schemes, the minimum sum in Ordinary Account and Medisave Accounts were passed by Parliament? I believe the power to keep the people’s money in the CPF and the continuous increases in the minimum sums must be sanctioned by Parliament and cannot be left to the discretion of a stats board to decide.
Is there an MP who is pricked by his conscience that the CPF policy on keeping people’s money away from them when they needed it most dares to speak out against it? Or can it be concluded that all the MPs also believe that this is right, the right thing to do and they support it? If they really believe so, then obviously their conscience will not be hurt and neither should anyone of them feel any guilt about taking the poor and average Sinkies money so that others can go and invest and make big monies to pay themselves big salaries and big bonuses while on the other hand the poor helpless Sinkies are gasping for air and sinking into a life of oblivion.
The conclusion is clear, any MP that does not speak against the obnoxious shifting goal posts and the outrageously high minimum sum to be tucked away and away from their owners’ reach are accomplices to this policy. And the poor Sinkies who suffered because of it must be thankful to them for being able to leave behind a big largesse on their demise from this realm of existence.
Where got guilt? Where got conscience? Where got shame? It is all legal and good for the people. And the people are so ungrateful and complaining everyday when the super talents spent so much time and effort devising schemes to help them keep their money safely in the CPF. Shouldn’t they be happy and thankful?
3/02/2012
What a horror story?
Chee Hean spoke in Parliament that the Govt will be relooking into its plans for a sustainable population for this island. A National Population and Talent Division of the PMO will be conducting a review on the ideal population size that is sustainable. My God, is this going to happen now?
For the last 10 years or so the Govt has been ramping up the population size from 3m to the current 5m plus and steadily growing. There were utters of 6m and 9m as good figures to hit. Now, were all these numbers guess works? Could the Govt be ramping up the population numbers without a proper view of what is sustainable and what is not sustainable?
Could all the things that were happening in loose immigration policies a haphazard process that is not coordinated, not carefully planned? And now there is a sudden realization that this needs to be studied and review and bottlenecks are appearing everywhere?
What are the proof that it was a thought through process or a policy that was left to the whims and fancies of individual ministries? The fact, a mess up of housing policies when demand grew exponentially and supply of flats were reduced by a decrease in building programmes. The fact, the transportation infrastructure is strained. The fact, medical facilities, hospital beds, etc were insufficient. The fact, many students were forced to study overseas when university places were not enough. And there are more.
Whether the study to be conducted is a frightening revelation or not, it is better late than never. And, very unlikely, that the findings would be that 5m or 6m is the max and more will be unsustainable. Very likely the results would be as expected, depending on who is expecting it. The final recommendations will be a perfect fit according to the assumptions or inputs in the brief, unless it is meant to be an objective and neutral academic approach. All the values and subjectivities of what this country is going to be or desirable by whoever is dictating it will likely be part and parcel of the review.
Though Chee Hean is calling for an inclusion of the views from the public, will it really matter if there is a bigger god with a final say of what he thinks is best? Would it matter that this country belongs to every citizen and not to a few individuals who know best and wanting their ways?
For the last 10 years or so the Govt has been ramping up the population size from 3m to the current 5m plus and steadily growing. There were utters of 6m and 9m as good figures to hit. Now, were all these numbers guess works? Could the Govt be ramping up the population numbers without a proper view of what is sustainable and what is not sustainable?
Could all the things that were happening in loose immigration policies a haphazard process that is not coordinated, not carefully planned? And now there is a sudden realization that this needs to be studied and review and bottlenecks are appearing everywhere?
What are the proof that it was a thought through process or a policy that was left to the whims and fancies of individual ministries? The fact, a mess up of housing policies when demand grew exponentially and supply of flats were reduced by a decrease in building programmes. The fact, the transportation infrastructure is strained. The fact, medical facilities, hospital beds, etc were insufficient. The fact, many students were forced to study overseas when university places were not enough. And there are more.
Whether the study to be conducted is a frightening revelation or not, it is better late than never. And, very unlikely, that the findings would be that 5m or 6m is the max and more will be unsustainable. Very likely the results would be as expected, depending on who is expecting it. The final recommendations will be a perfect fit according to the assumptions or inputs in the brief, unless it is meant to be an objective and neutral academic approach. All the values and subjectivities of what this country is going to be or desirable by whoever is dictating it will likely be part and parcel of the review.
Though Chee Hean is calling for an inclusion of the views from the public, will it really matter if there is a bigger god with a final say of what he thinks is best? Would it matter that this country belongs to every citizen and not to a few individuals who know best and wanting their ways?
3/01/2012
CPF Poll – Return our money
123 responded to the poll on the CPF savings of the people. 71% want their money back at 55. 14% want their money back at 60. 15% want to have an option whether to leave their money in the CPF after the withdrawal age. 2% are agreeable to the present system.
Altogether 98% do not agree with the current system and want their money back with 15% want to have an option to leave any money behind. What the people want to do with their hardearned money is very clear. They want their money back and no jokers should ever think that they have a right to keep the people’s money against their wishes. How could this ever be so? Who, tell me who, has the right to the people’s money if not the rightful owners? And who has the audacity and arrogance to think that he can take the people’s money and do as he pleases?
It is unacceptable, unbelieveable, outrageous, unjust, unreasonable… for anyone to act in such a manner, to keep the people’s savings from the people. Passing legislation to keep the money from its rightful owners for whatever cock reasons will only lead to more resentment as it is a foul thing to do. You cannot fool the people all the time.
Would the Govt reflect on this seriously? The people’s tolerance has a limit and the Govt should not test the people’s patience on the right to take back their money and use their money as they please. Would the Govt listen or would the Govt continue its cocky way, to ignore the people and keep holding on to the people’s money? The people are not begging for charity. The people are asking for their money back.
Or would the Govt think that it can get away with it by not bothering and keep doing as it thinks fit? There is no shortage of feedback on this matter to the Govt. The issue of so much money being kept away from their rightful owners is about as much as the people can take.
How long can the deaf frogs pretend to be deaf? They can pretend to be deaf about other things. Here it is dipping into the people's pockets.
Altogether 98% do not agree with the current system and want their money back with 15% want to have an option to leave any money behind. What the people want to do with their hardearned money is very clear. They want their money back and no jokers should ever think that they have a right to keep the people’s money against their wishes. How could this ever be so? Who, tell me who, has the right to the people’s money if not the rightful owners? And who has the audacity and arrogance to think that he can take the people’s money and do as he pleases?
It is unacceptable, unbelieveable, outrageous, unjust, unreasonable… for anyone to act in such a manner, to keep the people’s savings from the people. Passing legislation to keep the money from its rightful owners for whatever cock reasons will only lead to more resentment as it is a foul thing to do. You cannot fool the people all the time.
Would the Govt reflect on this seriously? The people’s tolerance has a limit and the Govt should not test the people’s patience on the right to take back their money and use their money as they please. Would the Govt listen or would the Govt continue its cocky way, to ignore the people and keep holding on to the people’s money? The people are not begging for charity. The people are asking for their money back.
Or would the Govt think that it can get away with it by not bothering and keep doing as it thinks fit? There is no shortage of feedback on this matter to the Govt. The issue of so much money being kept away from their rightful owners is about as much as the people can take.
How long can the deaf frogs pretend to be deaf? They can pretend to be deaf about other things. Here it is dipping into the people's pockets.
Govt can do more…
Front page news of Today paper is about building an inclusive society and the message is that the Govt can do more. At a glance this should be the case but really, when the Govt is going to do more is really a frightening proposition. The problem of this country is that the Govt is doing too much, to do everything for the people, even to keep their CPF money and when or how many children to have. The Govt is doing too much and this messing around with the people’s money and life is the main cause of many social problems.
What the Govt should do is to do less. Please, do not help the people when it is not necessary. Leave the people alone to live and manage their own lives. There are many things that the Govt can do to help the people without having to do anything. Imagine some kids in Parliament telling the whole population how to make people, how to be good?
One major curse of the Govt is how it is trying to manage and control the people’s hard earned savings in the CPF as if they belong to the Govt. For goodness sake, lay off, and return the money to their rightful owners. A stronger word would be ‘fuck off’. Leave the people’s money alone! So much saving and still not enough for retirement! Why? Why?
The next major concern of the people is the influx of foreigners that the Govt claimed is good for the people when the people are getting really pissed off, getting hurt. Why is something that the Govt claimed is so good is seen to be so bad by the people? Maybe the Govt is only thinking economic and money while the people are thinking social, our society, the way of life, how they want their country to be. The people must have the final say as to what the country should be and not a few individuals who are just as human and would not be in Govt forever. The country belongs to the people, not to a few individual who want to decide what they think is good for the people without consulting the people. Ask the people, consult the people. No need to?
The Govt can do less and allow the real market forces to determine housing demand and supply without controlling the supply and increasing the demand unnaturally.
The Govt can do less with the taxpayer’s money by not giving it to foreigners that have nothing to do with us. Do just a little or better, don’t do anything in this regard. Give the money to the children of the taxpayers that are more deserving.
The Govt can do less by allowing the people and country to develop naturally towards a freer and more inclusive society.
The Govt can do less in limiting the supply of professionals, especially medical so that the market forces can work to lower the cost of medical services.
The Govt can also do less in not raising the GST to help the poor. No, no need, the poor don’t need this kind of help.
There are many things that the Govt can do less and end up helping the people more. Property enhancement to inflate property prices is a double edged sword and one profits from another. What is really bad is for foreigners to profit from the citizens. This is detrimental to the well being of our own people.
The Govt can also issue less licences to foreigners, including PRs for small businesses that the locals can do without having to compete with mercenaries who have no stake in this country.
My call to the Govt is to do less in areas that the people can look after themselves. Please, don’t. The daft Sinkies are really not that daft that some leaders make them out to be. A second upper foreign scholar is not better than a second upper local scholar. Not deserving of scholarship based on merit.
What the Govt should do is to do less. Please, do not help the people when it is not necessary. Leave the people alone to live and manage their own lives. There are many things that the Govt can do to help the people without having to do anything. Imagine some kids in Parliament telling the whole population how to make people, how to be good?
One major curse of the Govt is how it is trying to manage and control the people’s hard earned savings in the CPF as if they belong to the Govt. For goodness sake, lay off, and return the money to their rightful owners. A stronger word would be ‘fuck off’. Leave the people’s money alone! So much saving and still not enough for retirement! Why? Why?
The next major concern of the people is the influx of foreigners that the Govt claimed is good for the people when the people are getting really pissed off, getting hurt. Why is something that the Govt claimed is so good is seen to be so bad by the people? Maybe the Govt is only thinking economic and money while the people are thinking social, our society, the way of life, how they want their country to be. The people must have the final say as to what the country should be and not a few individuals who are just as human and would not be in Govt forever. The country belongs to the people, not to a few individual who want to decide what they think is good for the people without consulting the people. Ask the people, consult the people. No need to?
The Govt can do less and allow the real market forces to determine housing demand and supply without controlling the supply and increasing the demand unnaturally.
The Govt can do less with the taxpayer’s money by not giving it to foreigners that have nothing to do with us. Do just a little or better, don’t do anything in this regard. Give the money to the children of the taxpayers that are more deserving.
The Govt can do less by allowing the people and country to develop naturally towards a freer and more inclusive society.
The Govt can do less in limiting the supply of professionals, especially medical so that the market forces can work to lower the cost of medical services.
The Govt can also do less in not raising the GST to help the poor. No, no need, the poor don’t need this kind of help.
There are many things that the Govt can do less and end up helping the people more. Property enhancement to inflate property prices is a double edged sword and one profits from another. What is really bad is for foreigners to profit from the citizens. This is detrimental to the well being of our own people.
The Govt can also issue less licences to foreigners, including PRs for small businesses that the locals can do without having to compete with mercenaries who have no stake in this country.
My call to the Govt is to do less in areas that the people can look after themselves. Please, don’t. The daft Sinkies are really not that daft that some leaders make them out to be. A second upper foreign scholar is not better than a second upper local scholar. Not deserving of scholarship based on merit.
2/29/2012
Mass immigration
Mass immigration, and how Labour tried to destroy Britishness
By Simon Heffer
22nd February 2012
Throughout the tenure of the last Labour government this newspaper, and others — while praising the huge contribution immigrants had made to this country in the past — attacked the laxity of what were supposed to be our border controls.
It was clear the very nature of our society was being changed by a new kind of uncontrolled mass immigration — and without the British people ever having been asked whether they supported the policy….
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2104550/Mass-immigration-Labour-tried-destroy-Britishness.html#ixzz1nApMhrYM
The British are feeling the heat caused by immigrants, from the rights of immigrants to be themselves, translating information, competitive for services and infrastructure, etc etc. And they are a pretty big country with a great and proud history, and they are finding their country being pulled apart.
How would the presence of millions of immigrants living among us on a 2:3 ratio? The only thing to our advantage is that we don’t have much of a share history or proud history to cling to. We are rojak and adding more rojak would not undermine the quality of our rojak. We can be a city of continuous change, continuous rojak with no binding history or share identity. All we need is the drive to make money and more money.
Is this what we really want for our children and our country? Is this what we are working towards, a soulless country without any sense of pride or identity, everyone a piece of rojak? Are we really serious in wanting to build a nation of stayers or a city of vagabonds, wanderers, thrill seekers, opportunists, and money grabbers?
By Simon Heffer
22nd February 2012
Throughout the tenure of the last Labour government this newspaper, and others — while praising the huge contribution immigrants had made to this country in the past — attacked the laxity of what were supposed to be our border controls.
It was clear the very nature of our society was being changed by a new kind of uncontrolled mass immigration — and without the British people ever having been asked whether they supported the policy….
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2104550/Mass-immigration-Labour-tried-destroy-Britishness.html#ixzz1nApMhrYM
The British are feeling the heat caused by immigrants, from the rights of immigrants to be themselves, translating information, competitive for services and infrastructure, etc etc. And they are a pretty big country with a great and proud history, and they are finding their country being pulled apart.
How would the presence of millions of immigrants living among us on a 2:3 ratio? The only thing to our advantage is that we don’t have much of a share history or proud history to cling to. We are rojak and adding more rojak would not undermine the quality of our rojak. We can be a city of continuous change, continuous rojak with no binding history or share identity. All we need is the drive to make money and more money.
Is this what we really want for our children and our country? Is this what we are working towards, a soulless country without any sense of pride or identity, everyone a piece of rojak? Are we really serious in wanting to build a nation of stayers or a city of vagabonds, wanderers, thrill seekers, opportunists, and money grabbers?
For the love of the motherland
Qian Xuesen, the Chinese nuclear scientist educated in MIT and a co founder of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Caltech, returned to China in 1955 after being detained at Terminal Island in California for 5 years. On his return to his motherland, he was instrumental in the setting up of China’s missile and space programme. He is being honoured as the Father of Chinese Rocketry and the rest is history. China’s progress in space and nuclear technology owed a lot to scientists like Qian and many others educated in the West. They returned home to serve their motherland, exchanging a life of luxury in the West for something where luxury is a rarity.
Many Chinese professors and scholars have gone home to serve their country for anything but money. The emotional attachment and love of the motherland are beyond comprehension. Not to Singaporeans anyway. Singaporeans only understand money. The motherland concept is something intangible, cannot be bought by money, and with intelligent and patriotic people willingly making great personal sacrifices just to serve their country and people.
It may be idealistic, it may sound stupid, it may sound unrealistic, but the power of the motherland is not something to be trifled with. Countries that have developed such values and virtues like patriotism, nationalism, will triumph in adversity, by the sheer loyalty, commitment and dedication of its own people that believe in the motherland.
In Singapore, what kind of values are we teaching the people, to bind the people to this land which rightfully is their motherland? What we are seeing today is the pride of a materialistic people that believe only in money and nothing else. And half a century of nation building is being rubbished, that we conveniently called this island a hotel, a city state, not a country. And we keep dismissing the citizens in favour of alien foreigners for their perceived talents. We buy talents, we bribe talents, we beg talents, hoping that they will be here to contribute to our economic growth and well being. When things are fine, when the sky is clear, they will be here.
When the weather turns foul, will these talents stay and strive with the people in times of adversity? Many would not even want to serve in NS. Would our own elite, the self proclaimed great sacrifices they made to serve the country, also stay and struggle side by side with the people when there is a national crisis?
Or would all of them reveal themselves as just fair weather friends, and would scoot the moment things turn bad? What is there to hold them back when the draw for them to be here is money, while everything else is an aspiration? Would they bother to double think, that this is their motherland, to fight and to die for? Do the elite bat an eyelid if this city state is lost for whatever reasons, sold or snatch away by anyone?
Would those who are here stay and fight? Would those overseas come running home to help to defend this city state like defending their home, their motherland? The Chinese will return to fight for their motherland, the Indians will return to fight for their motherland, the Jews around the world will return to defend their motherland, not for money but because it is their motherland.
Would Singaporeans do likewise, driven by the cause of their country, their motherland, to come home to stand side by side with their fellow citizens? Unfortunately, no Singaporean is calling this island their motherland. The word motherland is alien to Singaporeans. More are familiar with the word hotel. In a crisis, the reverse is likely to happen, with everyone for himself, running away as fast as they could from this island, which was never seen as their motherland.
Bring in the foreign talents, bring them in. Pay them, bribe them, just bring them in to share the good fortune of this island hotel. It is not a motherland to anyone, not to Singaporeans, not to any foreigners. Just a hotel of convenience.
Many Chinese professors and scholars have gone home to serve their country for anything but money. The emotional attachment and love of the motherland are beyond comprehension. Not to Singaporeans anyway. Singaporeans only understand money. The motherland concept is something intangible, cannot be bought by money, and with intelligent and patriotic people willingly making great personal sacrifices just to serve their country and people.
It may be idealistic, it may sound stupid, it may sound unrealistic, but the power of the motherland is not something to be trifled with. Countries that have developed such values and virtues like patriotism, nationalism, will triumph in adversity, by the sheer loyalty, commitment and dedication of its own people that believe in the motherland.
In Singapore, what kind of values are we teaching the people, to bind the people to this land which rightfully is their motherland? What we are seeing today is the pride of a materialistic people that believe only in money and nothing else. And half a century of nation building is being rubbished, that we conveniently called this island a hotel, a city state, not a country. And we keep dismissing the citizens in favour of alien foreigners for their perceived talents. We buy talents, we bribe talents, we beg talents, hoping that they will be here to contribute to our economic growth and well being. When things are fine, when the sky is clear, they will be here.
When the weather turns foul, will these talents stay and strive with the people in times of adversity? Many would not even want to serve in NS. Would our own elite, the self proclaimed great sacrifices they made to serve the country, also stay and struggle side by side with the people when there is a national crisis?
Or would all of them reveal themselves as just fair weather friends, and would scoot the moment things turn bad? What is there to hold them back when the draw for them to be here is money, while everything else is an aspiration? Would they bother to double think, that this is their motherland, to fight and to die for? Do the elite bat an eyelid if this city state is lost for whatever reasons, sold or snatch away by anyone?
Would those who are here stay and fight? Would those overseas come running home to help to defend this city state like defending their home, their motherland? The Chinese will return to fight for their motherland, the Indians will return to fight for their motherland, the Jews around the world will return to defend their motherland, not for money but because it is their motherland.
Would Singaporeans do likewise, driven by the cause of their country, their motherland, to come home to stand side by side with their fellow citizens? Unfortunately, no Singaporean is calling this island their motherland. The word motherland is alien to Singaporeans. More are familiar with the word hotel. In a crisis, the reverse is likely to happen, with everyone for himself, running away as fast as they could from this island, which was never seen as their motherland.
Bring in the foreign talents, bring them in. Pay them, bribe them, just bring them in to share the good fortune of this island hotel. It is not a motherland to anyone, not to Singaporeans, not to any foreigners. Just a hotel of convenience.
2/28/2012
Zoellick – China needs major economic reform
The President of World bank, Robert Zoellick, has warned that China needs a major economic reform. He said, ‘This is not the time for just muddling through. It’s time to get ahead of events and to adapt to major changes in the world and national economies.’
China has been muddling through for the last 3 or 4 decades and has transformed itself from a poor third world country to the second largest economy in the world. On the other hand, the Americans and Europeans have been so well managed over the same period that the Americans is now the world’s biggest debtor and many of the European countries are running into bankruptcies.
I would recommend that the Chinese leaders should continue to muddle through the way they did and not listen to the World Bank or China would end up like what America and Europe are today.
China, carry on, keep muddling through and be the biggest economy in the next 25 years. Don’t ever listen to advices from people who mismanaged their economies. Never listen to them as their advices are likely to be laced with poison like the apple given to Snow White. The Chinese leaders must have been doing it right for the last few decades to get where they are today. And the losers are trying to teach China how to run its economy with many crying and screaming that the Chinese economy will be doomed for the last 30 years.
China has been muddling through for the last 3 or 4 decades and has transformed itself from a poor third world country to the second largest economy in the world. On the other hand, the Americans and Europeans have been so well managed over the same period that the Americans is now the world’s biggest debtor and many of the European countries are running into bankruptcies.
I would recommend that the Chinese leaders should continue to muddle through the way they did and not listen to the World Bank or China would end up like what America and Europe are today.
China, carry on, keep muddling through and be the biggest economy in the next 25 years. Don’t ever listen to advices from people who mismanaged their economies. Never listen to them as their advices are likely to be laced with poison like the apple given to Snow White. The Chinese leaders must have been doing it right for the last few decades to get where they are today. And the losers are trying to teach China how to run its economy with many crying and screaming that the Chinese economy will be doomed for the last 30 years.
New Hawker Centre Philosophy
The most gratifying news today in the front page of ST is about a proposed change in the philosophy of running hawker centres by a public panel headed by entrepreneur Elim Chew. The principle behind the thinking is that as a national institution providing basic needs to the people, it cannot go along like other institutions to be run by market forces where profiteering is the main motivating factor. And hawker centre customers are the average Singaporeans that cannot afford to keep paying ever higher and higher food cost.
The problem of the current system is that hawker stalls are changing hands for hundreds of thousands or being sublet for substantial profits. Also, some private developers are ever eager to grab a hawker centre to ‘upgrade’ it and then you know the story, the prices will have to be double. And the final victims of these transactions are the average Singaporeans. All the profiteering and high cost will be passed down to the customers. And as the prices of these hawker stalls are rising, the hawkers are getting marginal profits despite of it while the poor customers keep paying more for less.
For those who believe blindly about market forces and the fictitious manipulated market forces, I am sure they will be crying foul. How can the govt interfere with the market forces? The customers must pay the price as so determined by the market.
Now, would the govt really accept the recommendations by the public panel? There is hope as the 18 member panel was set up by Vivian Balakrishnan, the Minister himself. So would Vivian finally do something good for the people and fight this case in Parliament against those who believe in fictitious market forces and profiteering?
The problem of the current system is that hawker stalls are changing hands for hundreds of thousands or being sublet for substantial profits. Also, some private developers are ever eager to grab a hawker centre to ‘upgrade’ it and then you know the story, the prices will have to be double. And the final victims of these transactions are the average Singaporeans. All the profiteering and high cost will be passed down to the customers. And as the prices of these hawker stalls are rising, the hawkers are getting marginal profits despite of it while the poor customers keep paying more for less.
For those who believe blindly about market forces and the fictitious manipulated market forces, I am sure they will be crying foul. How can the govt interfere with the market forces? The customers must pay the price as so determined by the market.
Now, would the govt really accept the recommendations by the public panel? There is hope as the 18 member panel was set up by Vivian Balakrishnan, the Minister himself. So would Vivian finally do something good for the people and fight this case in Parliament against those who believe in fictitious market forces and profiteering?
Pearl Harbour and MRT clips
The clips are falling off one by one. It barely happened for the last 30 years. The first major problem appeared in the North South Line when a series of the clips were found displaced and causing major disruption to the train service. Ah, the reason, train too heavy and affecting the shock absorbing floating cushion on the tracks.
Obviously the weight of the trains is a critical component in ensuring that the train runs smoothly on the track. In the movie Pearl Harbour, the Americans were desperately trying to fly their bombers off the aircraft carrier and still had enough fuel to hit Japan and onwards to land in China. Every gram of weight on the aircraft contributed to the drag and its performance. Many weapons and items were removed from the aircraft to keep it light, to be able take off in the short runway on the aircraft carrier. The aircraft weight was critical if it were to lift off from the carriers.
Our trains seem to be facing the same weight problem. The weight could be the menacing factor that is causing the clips to fall off recently. The solution may be to make the trains lighter by removing unnecessary gadgets or even lower the passenger load to lighten them a bit. And if reducing the weight is not a solution, it looks like the heavier trains would have to be removed from operation before they do more damage to the tracks.
A lesson from Pearl Harbour. The fat lady cannot fly.
Obviously the weight of the trains is a critical component in ensuring that the train runs smoothly on the track. In the movie Pearl Harbour, the Americans were desperately trying to fly their bombers off the aircraft carrier and still had enough fuel to hit Japan and onwards to land in China. Every gram of weight on the aircraft contributed to the drag and its performance. Many weapons and items were removed from the aircraft to keep it light, to be able take off in the short runway on the aircraft carrier. The aircraft weight was critical if it were to lift off from the carriers.
Our trains seem to be facing the same weight problem. The weight could be the menacing factor that is causing the clips to fall off recently. The solution may be to make the trains lighter by removing unnecessary gadgets or even lower the passenger load to lighten them a bit. And if reducing the weight is not a solution, it looks like the heavier trains would have to be removed from operation before they do more damage to the tracks.
A lesson from Pearl Harbour. The fat lady cannot fly.
High COE for cars
The prices of COEs are going through the roof again. Some car owners or potential car owners are starting to feel the pain. Some openly questioned whether the govt is going to force people not to buy cars. The answer is obvious. If you can’t afford it, take public transport.
And the situation is only to get worst with COEs going higher and higher. Many will just have to take the govt’s advice to take trains or buses. And one thing for sure, the quality of their life will never be affected. This is how the middle class of a first world city will have to get use to, living in mickey mouse flats that cost a million or more, and taking public transport to work. With the millions of new citizens coming in to boost our population and economy, the outlook is quite predictable.
What is going to kill, or who are going to be hit hard, will be those who really need a car to get around. There will be parents who have a few children to send to school, or old folks/medically handicapped that cannot conveniently hop onto a train or bus. Then again, what to do? Life goes on. Just be thankful that you got a first world city to live in and a great govt to manage it for the good of the people.
Many people are waiting at the door for a chance to come into this paradise. Be grateful and count your blessing.
And the situation is only to get worst with COEs going higher and higher. Many will just have to take the govt’s advice to take trains or buses. And one thing for sure, the quality of their life will never be affected. This is how the middle class of a first world city will have to get use to, living in mickey mouse flats that cost a million or more, and taking public transport to work. With the millions of new citizens coming in to boost our population and economy, the outlook is quite predictable.
What is going to kill, or who are going to be hit hard, will be those who really need a car to get around. There will be parents who have a few children to send to school, or old folks/medically handicapped that cannot conveniently hop onto a train or bus. Then again, what to do? Life goes on. Just be thankful that you got a first world city to live in and a great govt to manage it for the good of the people.
Many people are waiting at the door for a chance to come into this paradise. Be grateful and count your blessing.
2/27/2012
Is the PAP losing it in Hougang?
Gone were the days when every Minister or MP would be thumping their chests and raring to have a go at a by election to take on the opposition. There were times when ministers would proudly stand out to be the point man to lead the charge in an opposition ward. Gone were the times when MPs and grassroot leaders would want to chionh, beating their drums, as if winning an election was a given.
The vacant seat in Hougang is up for grabs and it is a God sent opportunity for the PAP to wipe the smile off the faces of the WP and its supporters. With Desmond Choo all ready, fresh from the last election defeat, and full of experience and battle scars, and with so many invincible ministers available to fight a solitary battle to capture the hill in Hougang, we are getting the message that a by election is not on the card. And Desmond is willing to serve the people of Hougang with or without a by election. It means that he is willing to serve without an MP allowance. This is very noble of him. And he must have a lot of financial resources to do so.
The PAP is bidding its time, in no hurry. Why? To punish the Hougang residents for voting opposition and now have to live without the service of an MP? An MP has many important duties other than appearing in Parliament or attending board meetings. There is a whole constituency of people with problems awaiting an MP to assist them. That is why there is a need for an MP. It is unfair to let the Hougang residents be left without an MP for practically a whole term. It cannot be that the MP has little to do so without an MP it does not make any difference to the people.
Oh, I heard that our Parliamentary system does not make a by election automatic so no need for by election. It is not necessary as long as there is a govt running the country. OK, since this is our system then got to live with it. It is the fault of the Hougang people to vote someone that would not serve a full term.
The reluctance to hold a by election cannot be a lost of faith, that the PAP is afraid that it will surely lose. I am very sure the party can send all the ministers to battle to guarantee a win. It can also throw in all the goodies, abalone porridge, $10 char kway teow for free, upgrading, more freebies etc etc to sweeten the ground and fight a battle it cannot lose. Or really it is losing confidence of itself and its support from the people? This is not the party that we used to know, a party full of confidence and very garang in every election. In the past, every election is a cake walk, another opportunity to win another seat. So far no minister volunteering to lead the charge of the light brigade.
The Hougang seat is waiting to be taken. Would anyone dare to set up a fight?
The vacant seat in Hougang is up for grabs and it is a God sent opportunity for the PAP to wipe the smile off the faces of the WP and its supporters. With Desmond Choo all ready, fresh from the last election defeat, and full of experience and battle scars, and with so many invincible ministers available to fight a solitary battle to capture the hill in Hougang, we are getting the message that a by election is not on the card. And Desmond is willing to serve the people of Hougang with or without a by election. It means that he is willing to serve without an MP allowance. This is very noble of him. And he must have a lot of financial resources to do so.
The PAP is bidding its time, in no hurry. Why? To punish the Hougang residents for voting opposition and now have to live without the service of an MP? An MP has many important duties other than appearing in Parliament or attending board meetings. There is a whole constituency of people with problems awaiting an MP to assist them. That is why there is a need for an MP. It is unfair to let the Hougang residents be left without an MP for practically a whole term. It cannot be that the MP has little to do so without an MP it does not make any difference to the people.
Oh, I heard that our Parliamentary system does not make a by election automatic so no need for by election. It is not necessary as long as there is a govt running the country. OK, since this is our system then got to live with it. It is the fault of the Hougang people to vote someone that would not serve a full term.
The reluctance to hold a by election cannot be a lost of faith, that the PAP is afraid that it will surely lose. I am very sure the party can send all the ministers to battle to guarantee a win. It can also throw in all the goodies, abalone porridge, $10 char kway teow for free, upgrading, more freebies etc etc to sweeten the ground and fight a battle it cannot lose. Or really it is losing confidence of itself and its support from the people? This is not the party that we used to know, a party full of confidence and very garang in every election. In the past, every election is a cake walk, another opportunity to win another seat. So far no minister volunteering to lead the charge of the light brigade.
The Hougang seat is waiting to be taken. Would anyone dare to set up a fight?
US$98,000 for a landed property
For about US$100k one can get a freehold landed property with 3 bedrooms and a garage. For a little more it comes with 2 garages in Atlanta. This is being advertised here by Reapfield Property Consultants. For the same amount of money what can we get here? A Mercedes or BMW would cost more than that.
I presume that these houses are for the average American families. They looked very good though not at good as our top end bungalows here but easily beat our terrace or average semi Ds. Good, decent and cheap housing is the basic to a good life anywhere. And the price being offered to own these properties must be well within the reach of the average Americans. These are great places to bring up children and raise a family. The quality of life cannot be worst off than the average 3 rm or 4 rm flats that the average Singaporeans are cooped in. And for that, the Singaporeans are paying double or more for the little space for 99 years.
And as we keep increasing the population given the limited land that we have, the prices of owning the right to live in smaller spaces will keep escalating. On the other hand the salary cannot keep on going up without driving our workers out of the market. The real international market forces for labour will definitely hit our workers badly.
Is there anything with the kind of housing and prices that the people are paying? The only reason we keep hearing is that we are different, we have no land. But we have a big plan to bring in more and more people to this ‘no land’ island. And the people will have to suffer the consequences of this wild and reckless agenda.
Qatar is the richest country in the world on GDP per capita. It has a population of 1.7m. But they are different, they have oil oozing out from the ground to give them the wealth. Luxemburg is the second richest and has a population of 500k. We are third and with 5m people and not enough and must increase some more. Would we use Luxemburg as a model for comparison, a tiny country with one tenth our population and doing better than us?
No matter how creative and innovative the planners are in squeezing more people into tiny shoeboxes and claiming that the quality of life is not affected, it is not what the people will agree. Sure, give the genious a free hand and they will tell you this island can be comfortable for 20m people or more. I also agree.
What are the cost and the consequences? I believe every average Singaporean would like a bigger space for living, like those in Atlanta and a car to drive around for leisure and convenience and not having to spend a life time paying for them. If we continue with this relentless drive for more people in this rock, we would end up worst than Hongkong with smaller and smaller space for everyone, and forget about car ownership. Are these the quality of life that we are working so hard for and looking for in the future or a future for our children?
I presume that these houses are for the average American families. They looked very good though not at good as our top end bungalows here but easily beat our terrace or average semi Ds. Good, decent and cheap housing is the basic to a good life anywhere. And the price being offered to own these properties must be well within the reach of the average Americans. These are great places to bring up children and raise a family. The quality of life cannot be worst off than the average 3 rm or 4 rm flats that the average Singaporeans are cooped in. And for that, the Singaporeans are paying double or more for the little space for 99 years.
And as we keep increasing the population given the limited land that we have, the prices of owning the right to live in smaller spaces will keep escalating. On the other hand the salary cannot keep on going up without driving our workers out of the market. The real international market forces for labour will definitely hit our workers badly.
Is there anything with the kind of housing and prices that the people are paying? The only reason we keep hearing is that we are different, we have no land. But we have a big plan to bring in more and more people to this ‘no land’ island. And the people will have to suffer the consequences of this wild and reckless agenda.
Qatar is the richest country in the world on GDP per capita. It has a population of 1.7m. But they are different, they have oil oozing out from the ground to give them the wealth. Luxemburg is the second richest and has a population of 500k. We are third and with 5m people and not enough and must increase some more. Would we use Luxemburg as a model for comparison, a tiny country with one tenth our population and doing better than us?
No matter how creative and innovative the planners are in squeezing more people into tiny shoeboxes and claiming that the quality of life is not affected, it is not what the people will agree. Sure, give the genious a free hand and they will tell you this island can be comfortable for 20m people or more. I also agree.
What are the cost and the consequences? I believe every average Singaporean would like a bigger space for living, like those in Atlanta and a car to drive around for leisure and convenience and not having to spend a life time paying for them. If we continue with this relentless drive for more people in this rock, we would end up worst than Hongkong with smaller and smaller space for everyone, and forget about car ownership. Are these the quality of life that we are working so hard for and looking for in the future or a future for our children?
2/26/2012
Meritocracy – Singapore’s success formula
The truth hurts. What Baey Yam Keng has said is nothing but the truth. Singapore is successful because we practise meritocracy regardless of nationality. If a person is talented, he is more than welcome than daft Sinkies.
The daft Sinkies must not be so narrow minded, so short sighted. We must support the govt policies of bringing in more talents, give scholarship to foreign talents. If our citizen’s children are not bright enough, then they are not deserving of any scholarship.
And this meritocracy thing must be the pillar of our City if we are to succeed. We shall build the best City in the world filled only with talents and super talents from all over the world. Non talents pissed off, even if they are Sinkies.
Sinkies that have no talents shall know their proper place. There are places like JB, Batam and Bintan or more far away places to go to. Only when the dull and daft Sinkies move out of this City, can this City claim to be a world best City for the world best talents and people.
Ok. Let’s be a bit compassionate to the Sinkies. Those who want to stay but with no talent, there are many jobs available other than those CEO jobs reserved for talents. Cleaning tables, washing plates are aplenty.
All Singaporeans must rise up to the challenge to make this City a world class City. Make the best of it if you can. See how the rich and successful are buying properties worth tens of millions and a car costing several millions. If you cannot afford these items at these prices, you know that you don’t deserve to be here, citizen or no citizen is immaterial. This City is the City for talents based on merits.
Any Sinkie that can make it to be a talent here will find living in this City very rewarding. And he will know that he gets there based on meritocracy, nothing about citizenship has its privileges. No talent citizens, make it or move out.
The daft Sinkies must not be so narrow minded, so short sighted. We must support the govt policies of bringing in more talents, give scholarship to foreign talents. If our citizen’s children are not bright enough, then they are not deserving of any scholarship.
And this meritocracy thing must be the pillar of our City if we are to succeed. We shall build the best City in the world filled only with talents and super talents from all over the world. Non talents pissed off, even if they are Sinkies.
Sinkies that have no talents shall know their proper place. There are places like JB, Batam and Bintan or more far away places to go to. Only when the dull and daft Sinkies move out of this City, can this City claim to be a world best City for the world best talents and people.
Ok. Let’s be a bit compassionate to the Sinkies. Those who want to stay but with no talent, there are many jobs available other than those CEO jobs reserved for talents. Cleaning tables, washing plates are aplenty.
All Singaporeans must rise up to the challenge to make this City a world class City. Make the best of it if you can. See how the rich and successful are buying properties worth tens of millions and a car costing several millions. If you cannot afford these items at these prices, you know that you don’t deserve to be here, citizen or no citizen is immaterial. This City is the City for talents based on merits.
Any Sinkie that can make it to be a talent here will find living in this City very rewarding. And he will know that he gets there based on meritocracy, nothing about citizenship has its privileges. No talent citizens, make it or move out.
2/25/2012
MOE qualified that foreign scholars did better
In a letter to the ST today, Han Liang Yuan, Director, Corporate Communications of MOE gave another figure to state that 67% of foreign scholars scored high honours or better than the 45% mentioned by Sim Ann. The latest number is based on the 2011 graduating cohorts. It also said that Sim Ann will be making a clarification in the next parliament sitting.
What we would like to know is how Singaporean scholars performed in the same cohort of 2011 compared to the foreign scholars. The comparison must be apple to apple. Also, the statistics given should cover at least 10 years or more to give a better reflection of the situation. Statistics of just one year will only tell the picture of just one year.
But the real issue is not how well the foreign scholars are performing. The claim that foreign scholars are doing better and thus deserving of the scholarship is the same trend of thinking as as that of Baey Yam Keng, that our taxpayers money should be given to anyone anywhere, based on merits, or as long as they can do better than our children.
I am sure the statistics will show that there is very little difference in the performance of our local talents and the foreign talents as far as scoring high honours is concerned. There could be a few exceptions. Generally, our local scholars will also be able to get as many high honours as foreign scholars, proving that the foreigners are not that better. But this argument is superfluous.
I may only be guessing. But given the thousands of straight A students in every cohort of local students, plenty of them will be able to get high honours, and plenty of them are deserving of scholarships based on merit from our taxpayer’s money.
We can do some charity and share some goodwill by giving scholarships to deserving students from other countries. But we must not forget that our taxpayer’s money must primarily used to benefit our own children, or the bulk of it should go to our children. Another data that Sim Ann may want to provide is the number and sum of money given in scholarships to our local students and to foreign students in our local universities.
The govt is accountable to the people on how it spends our taxpayer’s money. Anyone who wants to give his money to support foreign students in their studies is most welcomed to do so. Please use your own money to do it. Do not use the taxpayer’s money as if they belong to your grandfather and do as you please.
What we would like to know is how Singaporean scholars performed in the same cohort of 2011 compared to the foreign scholars. The comparison must be apple to apple. Also, the statistics given should cover at least 10 years or more to give a better reflection of the situation. Statistics of just one year will only tell the picture of just one year.
But the real issue is not how well the foreign scholars are performing. The claim that foreign scholars are doing better and thus deserving of the scholarship is the same trend of thinking as as that of Baey Yam Keng, that our taxpayers money should be given to anyone anywhere, based on merits, or as long as they can do better than our children.
I am sure the statistics will show that there is very little difference in the performance of our local talents and the foreign talents as far as scoring high honours is concerned. There could be a few exceptions. Generally, our local scholars will also be able to get as many high honours as foreign scholars, proving that the foreigners are not that better. But this argument is superfluous.
I may only be guessing. But given the thousands of straight A students in every cohort of local students, plenty of them will be able to get high honours, and plenty of them are deserving of scholarships based on merit from our taxpayer’s money.
We can do some charity and share some goodwill by giving scholarships to deserving students from other countries. But we must not forget that our taxpayer’s money must primarily used to benefit our own children, or the bulk of it should go to our children. Another data that Sim Ann may want to provide is the number and sum of money given in scholarships to our local students and to foreign students in our local universities.
The govt is accountable to the people on how it spends our taxpayer’s money. Anyone who wants to give his money to support foreign students in their studies is most welcomed to do so. Please use your own money to do it. Do not use the taxpayer’s money as if they belong to your grandfather and do as you please.
TRE - The heat in cyberspace
Richard Wan and the TRE are facing the heat of legal suits for defamation. Public apologies have been made and whether further demands or legal proceedings will follow are yet to be seen. The furious onslaught of lawsuits has put a dampener on the mood of bloggers and struck fear in some. The hundred flowers bloomed is taking its toll and some bloggers are making a retreat for a while.
The call for more propriety and care in allowing postings and comments to go through without censorship comes into question. The site or blog owners are accountable for what is being posted. There are counter arguments about the amount of control available and possible due to the nature of blogging and posting in cyberspace and how much blame can be put onto the owners.
In redbeanforum.com I was faced with several hundreds of pornographic posts and hate posts every morning when I turned it on. Initially I tried dutifully to delete them one by one. But the flood of unsavoury articles were just too much and demanding great effort on my part to vet them and delete them. My ultimate solution was to ban all postings altogether in the forum. It is now a read only forum except for a few blogger friends that I know.
Mysingaporenews also has its attacks daily. Fortunately Bloggers have quite an effective system to screen out the outright vulgar contents instantly. The other great thing about mysingaporenews is the restraint and maturity of the bloggers here. I have very little need to do any censorship. But that does not mean that all is fine. I tried my best to allow freedom of expression even with personal attacks against me or to other individuals as long as they are bearable. Anyone feel offended can notify me and I will delete the offensive stuff. I had a request once to remove an offensive thread for personal attack and it was done and the matter closed.
The danger of cyberspace and social media is that there are all kinds of bloggers with all kinds of agenda. There are the saboteurs, provocateurs, the internet brigade, the terrorists, the paid instigators, the moles and whatever that can do damage to a blog or site or its owners. Some may be dragged into trouble if they are not careful and thinking that the bloggers are just innocent complainants letting off steams. They could be planted there to do damage to the blogs and its owners. And it is very unjust when owners are prosecuted or taken to task when they were really fixed up without knowing what hit them. This is the ugly part about human conspiracy. The wicked became the innocent and the innocent became the victim.
I would like to thank all my bloggers here for their restraint and propriety in keeping this blog sane and respectable. The only exception is Matilah which we all understand is having some Tourette sickness problems and we can ignore his diatribes when he forget to take his pills. He will get back to his normal self very quickly.
I hope TRE will continue to exist as a social forum with more control of their material and not be dragged down for the wrong reasons. The internet can be a treacherous place if one is not careful. So please bear with me if I have to do some cleaning when necessary. So far I have done very little. Thanks to all of you.
The call for more propriety and care in allowing postings and comments to go through without censorship comes into question. The site or blog owners are accountable for what is being posted. There are counter arguments about the amount of control available and possible due to the nature of blogging and posting in cyberspace and how much blame can be put onto the owners.
In redbeanforum.com I was faced with several hundreds of pornographic posts and hate posts every morning when I turned it on. Initially I tried dutifully to delete them one by one. But the flood of unsavoury articles were just too much and demanding great effort on my part to vet them and delete them. My ultimate solution was to ban all postings altogether in the forum. It is now a read only forum except for a few blogger friends that I know.
Mysingaporenews also has its attacks daily. Fortunately Bloggers have quite an effective system to screen out the outright vulgar contents instantly. The other great thing about mysingaporenews is the restraint and maturity of the bloggers here. I have very little need to do any censorship. But that does not mean that all is fine. I tried my best to allow freedom of expression even with personal attacks against me or to other individuals as long as they are bearable. Anyone feel offended can notify me and I will delete the offensive stuff. I had a request once to remove an offensive thread for personal attack and it was done and the matter closed.
The danger of cyberspace and social media is that there are all kinds of bloggers with all kinds of agenda. There are the saboteurs, provocateurs, the internet brigade, the terrorists, the paid instigators, the moles and whatever that can do damage to a blog or site or its owners. Some may be dragged into trouble if they are not careful and thinking that the bloggers are just innocent complainants letting off steams. They could be planted there to do damage to the blogs and its owners. And it is very unjust when owners are prosecuted or taken to task when they were really fixed up without knowing what hit them. This is the ugly part about human conspiracy. The wicked became the innocent and the innocent became the victim.
I would like to thank all my bloggers here for their restraint and propriety in keeping this blog sane and respectable. The only exception is Matilah which we all understand is having some Tourette sickness problems and we can ignore his diatribes when he forget to take his pills. He will get back to his normal self very quickly.
I hope TRE will continue to exist as a social forum with more control of their material and not be dragged down for the wrong reasons. The internet can be a treacherous place if one is not careful. So please bear with me if I have to do some cleaning when necessary. So far I have done very little. Thanks to all of you.
2/24/2012
Scholarship be given to anyone based on merit
‘http://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/singaporescene/scholarships-based-merit-not-nationality-baey-152120978.html
No matter where a scholarship comes from, nationality should not factor into the decision of who receives it, says Member of Parliament (MP) for Tampines GRC Baey Yam Keng.
"Whether they are a GLC (government-linked company), the government or a private company, they all want good people to work for them," he told Yahoo! Singapore in an interview on Thursday.’
Would any country go around giving scholarship to anyone regardless of his nationality? Is this the road Singapore is taking, using taxpayer’s money to give scholarship to anyone from any country and not to its own citizens? Whose money, and who should decide how the money shall be spent, to the children of citizens or to the children of someone, somewhere far away, that have nothing to do with us?
How many of you think this is the way to go? To me, personally, is damn stupid. You don’t take the taxpayer’s money and throw it around the world. Is Singapore a charitable organisation, a church for the people of the world? Come one and all, we will pay for your education if you are talented. Our citizen’s children that are not talented do not deserve to be given scholarships.
We have thousands of students who are straight As and definitely deserving of scholarships unless their straight As are unworthy, useless or fake. That cannot be. Their straight As came from our world class education system. Now I have great doubts.
And they are not deserving but students from the far corners of the world are deserving. What talking cock!
Why are our thousands of straight A students undeserving of scholarships?
No matter where a scholarship comes from, nationality should not factor into the decision of who receives it, says Member of Parliament (MP) for Tampines GRC Baey Yam Keng.
"Whether they are a GLC (government-linked company), the government or a private company, they all want good people to work for them," he told Yahoo! Singapore in an interview on Thursday.’
Would any country go around giving scholarship to anyone regardless of his nationality? Is this the road Singapore is taking, using taxpayer’s money to give scholarship to anyone from any country and not to its own citizens? Whose money, and who should decide how the money shall be spent, to the children of citizens or to the children of someone, somewhere far away, that have nothing to do with us?
How many of you think this is the way to go? To me, personally, is damn stupid. You don’t take the taxpayer’s money and throw it around the world. Is Singapore a charitable organisation, a church for the people of the world? Come one and all, we will pay for your education if you are talented. Our citizen’s children that are not talented do not deserve to be given scholarships.
We have thousands of students who are straight As and definitely deserving of scholarships unless their straight As are unworthy, useless or fake. That cannot be. Their straight As came from our world class education system. Now I have great doubts.
And they are not deserving but students from the far corners of the world are deserving. What talking cock!
Why are our thousands of straight A students undeserving of scholarships?
Hundred flowers bloom
Remember this campaign in China? If I can remember correctly, this happened some time before the Cultural Revolution when there seemed to be a loosening up of govt control and the people were encouraged to speak freely. Freely they spoke, a bit too freely. Then the door was closed and all who spoke freely were rounded up in a dragnet. It was a clean sweep and all the dissidents, unhappy people and anti govt agitators were behind bars on sent to reeducation camps in the rural parts of China.
Free speech and freedom of expression have a price. It is free to speak, to express and attack people, but when done wrongly, unrestrained and without proof, spurious, defamatory, it can be like entering a mouse trap. A hundred flowers bloomed may end up with a hundred flowers doomed.
Don’t take your freedom too casually and for granted. One must know one’s place in society.
Free speech and freedom of expression have a price. It is free to speak, to express and attack people, but when done wrongly, unrestrained and without proof, spurious, defamatory, it can be like entering a mouse trap. A hundred flowers bloomed may end up with a hundred flowers doomed.
Don’t take your freedom too casually and for granted. One must know one’s place in society.
No automatic by election
After Professor Eugene Tan’s comment that by election is automatic as in the case of Hougang, Hri Kumar has written a reply today in Today paper saying that it is not so. Hri’s position is that the law and reason behind the law in our system is mainly to elect a govt, and the position of an MP is secondary. A vacant MP seat is acceptable as long as the govt is in place. There is no automatic by election or no need for by election if the PM or govt thinks so.
So if 5 seats were vacant, or to stretch the argument further, 20 seats were vacant, legally as provided by the law and the reason behind the law, if the govt is in place and running, there is no need for by election at all and the vacant seats can remain, and the people can suffer for having no MPs to serve them. It is the fault of the people for choosing a wrong MP who may resign, expel, die or committed a crime and force to quit while in office.
Hri added, ‘It has another salutary effect: It holds political parties accountable to voters for the performance of their candidates. Parties must endeavour to field candidates who can last the term as MP.’ So political parties must now play God to judge that their MPs would not get into any trouble and resign or prematurely die while in office. Would a doctor’s certificate be needed, like runners for marathon, to ensure that the MP is medically able to live through his terms? I am not God and I don’t think any doctor is God enough to issue such a certificate.
But is it the intent of our electoral system to just elect govt and MP can die or go away never mind? Is that specified in the law or is that an interpretation or a personal opinion? This is the first time that I have heard of such a view that is claimed to be the law and the reason behind the law. No need to have by election. Not automatic.
So if 5 seats were vacant, or to stretch the argument further, 20 seats were vacant, legally as provided by the law and the reason behind the law, if the govt is in place and running, there is no need for by election at all and the vacant seats can remain, and the people can suffer for having no MPs to serve them. It is the fault of the people for choosing a wrong MP who may resign, expel, die or committed a crime and force to quit while in office.
Hri added, ‘It has another salutary effect: It holds political parties accountable to voters for the performance of their candidates. Parties must endeavour to field candidates who can last the term as MP.’ So political parties must now play God to judge that their MPs would not get into any trouble and resign or prematurely die while in office. Would a doctor’s certificate be needed, like runners for marathon, to ensure that the MP is medically able to live through his terms? I am not God and I don’t think any doctor is God enough to issue such a certificate.
But is it the intent of our electoral system to just elect govt and MP can die or go away never mind? Is that specified in the law or is that an interpretation or a personal opinion? This is the first time that I have heard of such a view that is claimed to be the law and the reason behind the law. No need to have by election. Not automatic.
2/23/2012
Foreign scholars - Bad meat bad broth
A piece of bad meat in a broth will turn everything in the pot bad. The Sun Xu incident is gonna turn the batch of scholars around him feeling sour despite the scholarship and opportunities given to them for a good foreign education in a world class university in a world class country.
Sun Xu is unlikely to feel good about the experience. He has shown to be quite an ingrate to rubbish the people of a country over a few stares by a few rude oldies, probably the illiterate type. His close scholar friends would likely be rubbed the wrong way and feeling uncomfortable with the whole issue. And so would other scholars who empathize with his plight.
The broth and meat have to be thrown away, including the millions spent on the whole batch of scholars. One bad apple is enough to affect the whole basket of apples. What a waste of money.
Sun Xu is unlikely to feel good about the experience. He has shown to be quite an ingrate to rubbish the people of a country over a few stares by a few rude oldies, probably the illiterate type. His close scholar friends would likely be rubbed the wrong way and feeling uncomfortable with the whole issue. And so would other scholars who empathize with his plight.
The broth and meat have to be thrown away, including the millions spent on the whole batch of scholars. One bad apple is enough to affect the whole basket of apples. What a waste of money.
CPF Poll - If you have a choice
I have added a poll on what the people would like to do with their CPF savings. Poll is at top right corner of page.
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