What is the purpose of calling for a public tender?

There is no need for an expert to explain why a public tender is called. At times tenders may be restricted, pre qualified, or selected for various reasons like secrecy, confidentiality, expediency or some peculiar reasons like corruption or cronyism.

Normally a public tender is called to ensure that the buyer has the best deal in terms of quality, choice and price. This is normally achieved by having a good number and selections from tenderers with a good mix of products and pricing. The buyer would then be able to make a more informed decision on what are available in the market and the cost of the product or services.

A public tender also ensures fair play, no favouritism, under hand tactics, no fixing, no collusion or corruption. It is about being fair and transparent to the buyer and sellers.

Govt agencies, public or private companies do not established procurement procedures and tender processes for fun. No responsible management staff would simply place a public tender and accept anything that comes along, and the last thing is to accept a one bid tender. This can only happen when the value is insignificant and when there is a critical time issue at stake.

The very fact that a purchase must go through the process is already a reminder to the buyer that they cannot suka suka buy anything at any price. It is a reminder that the process is to ensure the organisation is getting a fair deal and also suppliers are given a fair chance to bid for the tender. There will always be cheats who go through the motion to give an image of transparency and fair play. There will be those who will game the system for obvious reasons as had happened, and anyone who knows the system could do it so easily. And when caught, pretend to be naive and ignorant and mouth things like the system can be improved.

Are these commonsensical objectives of a tender so complicated and difficult to understand? A moron can be expected to overlook such processes and the reasons for them because a moron is simply a moron. Can anyone be more moronic than a moron and failed to observe and practise these basic rules of procurement and purchases using public money?

The dying days of a dynasty

History students will be familiar with the events leading to the eclipse of an empire or dynasty. Everything seemed so right but so wrong, badly wrong, starkly wrong. But no one would be there to say things were wrong and to put them right. Many would stand up to speak and defend the wrongs and insisted that wrongs were right, nothing is wrong. Either they could not see or would not see or so used to wrongs as being rights as long as they said so.

In recent years, many flawed policies were thrashed out in the open leading to the PM apologising for them. That was about as far as it could get. The flawed immigrantion policy, congestion, high inflation, high cost of living, high property prices, high medical cost, high salary to pay for corruption, widening income gap, rewarding foreign thrash and demeaning the people that are the owners of this land, policies that favoured foreigners and against Sinkies.  And there are many others that were so obviously wrong but pronounced as so right and so good, or as something unavoidable, nothing can be done to change them.

The echoes of HDB prices are affordable, income gap is ok, high property prices are caused by market forces, nothing can be done, more foreigners are good for growth, immigrants are here to help the daft Sinkies,…..can go on and on, are still ringing in many people’s ears.

The charade of charity shows and big fund raisings were fun and a fad for the organisers until the funds were used by some individuals to have more private funs. The running down of the public transport system was never seen and everyone was happily rewarding themselves with more bonuses until it took a simple accident that ended up life threatening to shake everybody up.

The shameless exploitations for profits in the medical profession that led to many patients ended as victims of big scams and paying dearly to the noble profession of life saving until it exploded into a big ugly incident. No, nothing wrong about how much professionals or hospitals billed their patients. Caveat emptor, willing buyer willing selling. You want quality, you pay for quality. Moneyism has replaced ethics as the new social more. The banking and finance industry has been turned into a den of crooks and no one can see anything wrong with it except pointing fingers at the low down front line snake oil peddlers who failed to explain how poisonous the snake oil is. It is their fault. Snake oils were permitted to be peddled to innocent customers as sophisticated products and advanced computerised games.

What else is new? Money is not an issue when there are plenty to go around. The squandering of millions by people and splashed across the front pages of the media were dismissed as nonsense. Many cannot see anything wrong with them but wrong for accusing the squanderers wrongfully. And the good name of God was paraded to defend the squanderers. Some have ended behind bars but the loyal supporters would not see the human failings. What is a few millions?

Was there anything wrong with the purchase of $2,200 high end branded bicycles for public servants? No, definitely no. Minister had spoken out to defend the decision. Academics too sang in support. Nothing wrong. The whole process was done properly, lowest bid, cheapest available, right procedures. The only hint of some wrongdoings was the admission that it could be done better and the system could be improved. My God, our civil service procedures were found wanting in the 21^st century for such a simple straight forward process. I think tendering is such a new thing in the civil service and they are still testing out the processes. I can only think of Ah Beng and his seventh month bidding which is more effective, efficient as a transparent tender system.

Just ask anyone involved in purchasing, any CEOs or dept heads, or any working adults and they will all shake their heads. Was there an elephant in the room? No, swear, no elephant! When a pile of shit stood right in front of everyone and in broad daylight, and respected people are defending it as no shit, you can expect how decadent things have become.

So far, the only person that is brave enough to stand up and call a spade a spade is Lui Tuck Yew. Not for fun like some pretenders claiming to do the same. And he is probably the only minister that is really working 25 hours to get the MRT running smoothly again. But he fell short of saying that heads must roll. Has anyone seen any heads rolling in the last decade or so? There is a phrase in the US called ‘too big to fail’. We may have our equivalent of ‘too talented to fail’. Anyway, this is only a side issue.

The main issue is that Nothing Is Wrong. No one can see anything wrong. And any wrong must be defended by all till it is accepted as right. Used the media to broadcast that it is right daily, get some known personalities to support the wrong as right. The daft Sinkies will believe it after a while.

Events in the dying days of a dynasty often manifest themselves in similar light, similar treatment and attention. Anyone dares claim that things are going wrong?

Look at the American Empire. Anyone dares say they are the problem of the world? Anyone dares say they are the one that is causing tension and wars around the world? Anyone dares say America is free from corruption? Everyone says, America is good, freedom, no corruption, America is saving the world, a benevolent and peace loving nation. And the best part, the Americans and their leaders, the scheming, conniving gangsters and murderers, believe it too. They too cannot see anything wrong with themselves and what they are doing. Did they ever admit that they enslaved 20 million Africans for 200 years! And murdered 10 million Red Indians and seized their lands?  Hitler was a novice compared to the Americans.

Oops, I digress.

Revolt of the Sinkie millionaires

Sinkieland can possibly boast of having the highest percentage of millionaires in the world, be it by population or by per sq foot basis. Throw a stone into the crowd in the shopping centres or the two resorts, or in Raffles Place or Shenton Way, one in two is likely to be a millionaire in net worth, counting his HDB flat and savings in CPF. The latter two will make them smile at most and nothing they could do to them as the bulk is untouchable.

There is a distinct difference between the real millionaires and the Sinkie millionaires. The real ones are full of money in their pockets, can afford several houses, cars and mistresses if they wanted. They live a life of leisure, and their wives and mistresses enjoy the lifestyle of tais tais, going for afternoon tea and chat the days away, and travelling in their big limousines.

Many of the Sinkie millionaires could never get near to this kind of lifestyle. Many will be made bankrupt on admission to hospital for a serious op or having to stay for more than 30 days. Many will end up selling their homes at old age to survive as their savings, despite one of the highest in the world, will never be enough to feed inflation. Many of these millionaires will have a hard time paying their mortgages, sending their children to schools or even owning a car. They could not even afford to pay for nursing homes for their parents and have to send them away to JB.

In other countries, a millionaire is normally someone who is pretty well off and very comfortable financially. The Sinkie millionaires are often waiting anxiously for govt handouts and subsidies to save their skins as many would be deep in debt.

The dull and daft Sinkies would still believe that they are millionaires but more and more would soon realise that they are only paper millionaires. An awakening is coming soon when the millionaires realise that they are just like any middle class or lower middle class citizens elsewhere who, very likely live a better, easier and less pressurised lifestyle than them. Many of the maids that they hired, ordered around, bullied or abused are going home to live a richer and more carefree life than them without having any inkling of being a millionaire. Even the foreign workers are going home to live in much bigger houses than the four concrete walls millionaires could afford here.

There will be no uprising of the miserables in Sinkieland. If there is going to be any, it will be a revolution of the Sinkie millionaires, the millionaires who can only feel rich with their CPF statements and imagine that they have all those money in their savings. The reality is that not only they could hardly lay hands on their illusory wealth, by the time they get to touch them, the money would probably be worthless.

They have started to gripe and kpkb about it. This is the beginning of a systemic change, a rude awakening, that a millionaire in Sinkieland is actually another average worker trying to make ends meet and nothing else. They will revolt and vote for an alternative party that can make them really richer and not slaves to an unworthy property and money that they thought were theirs but hardly. The only way to feel richer is to liquidate and leave for a cheaper country. Other than that, the illusory wealth is all tied up in the property and the CPF. A sense of well being of a millionaire but not living like one.

The best combination to exploit Sinkies in Sinkieland

One foreign family I knew;
Husband : citizen
Wife : PR
Son. : PR
Daughter: citizen

Why??? I probably do the same. Everyone will take the best out of every opportunities, and that is exactly the smart people our country wanna attract, isn't it?

This is posted by Ahmadbaba in 3 in 1 kopitiam. And many bloggers who have PR or new citizen friends are saying that this is the normal and ideal combination. Taking the best from Sinkieland and waiting to scoot. And can’t blame them as they are rightly called foreign talents not for nothing. They could easily outwit our dull super talents and their policies. Or maybe not. Our dull super talents knew exactly that this would happen but closed an eye as they deemed the benefits outweighed the loophole. Only average Sinkies will be affected.

Let’s make a plea to these foreign talents, on good faith, that if their children do not intent to serve NS, please, please don’t take up PRs or citizenship. We know that these foreign talents are honest people and will not try to game the system and make our policies look silly and disadvantaged our very own citizens.

The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow is just too tempting. FTs who bought a HDB flat could simply service the mortgage and wait for the fruit to ripen in 5 years or so, cash out by selling the flat at a big profit to some hardup Sinkies that the govt refused to sell them public flats. Then pack up and go home to be a rich man. For those who are earning a good income it will be double bonus with a good savings and a good profit from the sale of the flat.

And the stupid Sinkies would end up with the expensive resale flat bought from a happy FT turned temporary Sinkie.

Has Asean lost its way?

The Asean Regional Forum in Phnom Penh is getting rowdy with the issue of South China Sea claims as the hot topic. Four Asean states are making counter claims to Chinese islands led by the Philippines and Vietnam and backed by the US. The Philippines are acting like a big power, sitting on the head of the American beast and raring to take on China in a fight that it hallucinating that it can be a winner like Pacquiao.

The bigger picture is that the US is the master of this regional forum, telling and dictating to all the parties how to behave, what they should do and what it would want them to do. Asean is turning out to be a vehicle of the American Empire, existing only in names with the Americans calling the shot and setting the agenda and tone of discussion.

What happens Asean? What has Asean become after being a dominant regional association and international player, calling its own shot? Apparently the association has now been hijacked by the Americans, fronted by its semi colonies, to do its bid as the Empire assumes its role as the master of the region. And the news is always about what Hillary Clinton said and what she wanted.

Ten little boys went out to play and in their innocence, or thinking too highly of themselves, invited the gangsters to join them in their game. Now the gangsters are taking over the game, brought in their knives, wrote the rules and telling the little boys how to play. The little boys can only LL.

Sequel to ‘Do not underestimate the Malaysians’

Temasek ignores downgrades, is very optimistic on India story


Mydigitialfc.com, 5 Jul 2012 by Rajesh Abraham


Temasek, the investment arm of the Singapore government, on Thursday said it was “very optimistic” on India’s long-term potential, dispelling fears expressed by rating agencies which downgraded the country’s outlook recently.


The Singapore sovereign fund, …said it would continue to bet on Indian companies, which are proxies for the country’s economic growth. India accounts for 5 per cent of Temasek’s 42 per cent exposure in Asia.


The sovereign fund has $109 billion worth investments in Asia, making India investments at nearly $6 billion….



This is an extract of an article by Rajesh Abraham reporting from Mumbai. I like his use of the word ‘bet’. It is not investment today is different from the past. All are taking a bet. The only difference today is the betters are betting big time today, not with their own money but with OPM.



And while Temasek has its gun sight lined up at India, Malaysia is lining up to acquire the assets in Singapore. Not a bet deal really, selling Sinkie assets at a high price and buying cheap in India. The return is tremendous, and both ways win, making good profits at home and potentially bigger profits in India. This is putting the win win formula into practice.

Vindication of high pay no corruption

HongKong’s Housing Secretary Mak Chai Kwong has been arrested and under investigation for benefitting from housing policies while in office. He and his colleagues took advantage of loopholes in housing policies to gain financially.

We don’t have such incidents since the govt started to pay to prevent corruption in public service. Imagine how serious it could be given the predominant stake in public housing and how public servants and ministers could take advantage of policies to line their pockets and investments.

Thanks to our high pay policies that such thing did not happen here. It is about time to review whether it is necessary to raise the pay of ministers and public servants given the reappearance of a few high profile corruption cases recently. Better be proactive and nip the problems in the bud. If there is a need to increase the pay, better do so quickly to save the embarrassment like the Hongkong case. Our foresighted govt should act quickly and can be depended on doing this wisely.

Hongkong should send a team of civil servants here to study our high pay no corruption scheme. And since no angmohs are acting as consultants, the fees will be nominal if any.

When justice stood firm

This is an unbelieveable Sinkie story of the year. A cleaner challenging the PM on a point of law. The AG office going all out to get the case dismissed. And a judge that stood firm and wants it to be heard, something that many Sinkies do not believe will happen in their life time.

Justice Philip Pillai has dismissed AG’s second attempt to strike out the Hougang by-election case in High Court. The case is now set for hearing on 16th and 17th of July in open court.

Mdm Vellama, 42, filed her application in High Court in March after the Hougang seat became vacant and after the Prime Minister’s statement that he could decide ‘whether and when’ to call a by election. It thus became a case of how much discretion a PM has with regards to the calling for a by election. Apparently the law is not quite clearly defined and subject to interpretation and the PM’s discretion.

Vellama was just asking for an interpretation of the law. I am still puzzle why the AGC is bent on dismissing this case which would mean that no one is wiser about the law.

It is astonishing for the court to stay its position and to grant a hearing to clarify this part of the law. I am sure all citizens would want to know what the law really meant and the limits of the PM’s discretion, and also the need to call a by election when a seat is vacant.

This is the kind of transparency we need and we want in a rule of law country, when the law is clear to everyone. Cheers to the judiciary system. My respect to Judge Philip Pillai. He has won so much admiration for his ruling and a pat on the judiciary system.

Either now or later

China has no choice but to defend its territorial sovereignty, either now or later. The concerted conspiracy to force the issue on China is getting closer to a flash point. The Japanese are making more wild gestures to rip Diaoyutai from China. They even cooked up ridiculous acts like buying the island as if it was Japanese land, ignoring it as a piece of Chinese territory. It is a repeat and revival of the arrogance of the Japanese Imperialism in the 19th Century. The Japanese still think they can bully China and seize or occupy Chinese land at will.

In the Spratleys and Paracels, the Vietnamese and the Philippines are agitating their claims through Asean. The Empire behind the whole conspiracy is quietly planning and moving its military pieces into the region.

China has no choices left. It has to put its foot down and establish its control over its territories. Any hesitation and wavering will be seen as weakness and will encourage more adventurism from the provocateurs. The earlier that China makes a stand by sending its naval craft into the islands the better. It must let the trouble makers and opportunists know that China will fight them off and the provocations should stop there and now. China is no longer the Sick Man of Asia and its land is not for distribution.

The US will be there screaming and shouting foul. That is exactly what the US wanted to do. It is now or later, and better now than to allow the provocateurs to keep inching in nearer for a fight. A bloody nose may be needed if China is to avoid further advances from these countries. This position must be made known, clearly, with no buts, to the Asean leaders in Cambodia. Let no one have wild dreams that they could divide up China’s territories like the West did in the 19th Century. It is also about time to put Japan in its proper place, that all Chinese territories must be returned and compensation for seizing and colonizing Taiwan. The confrontation with Japan and the Americans over Chinese territories will come, only a matter of time and in what form.

Changing faces, changing sides

The 50s and 60s, the post war period, was best exemplified by the rivalry between Communism and Western Imperialism leading to Cold Wars and proxy wars. The bad guys were the Communists led by the Soviet Union and PRC. The good guys were the USA and its European and Asian allies. Soviet Union and PRC were everything bad, from poverty, military aggression, exporting revolution, and supporting insurgencies to regime change and espionage. The good guys, the Americans and allies were protection of free trade and development, economic aids and a better materialistic well being for the people on the side of goodness. The good and bad were very clearly defined, the Communist camp versus the Capitalist camp, the rich versus the poor, the haves versus the have nots, first world, modernization, economic development, versus third world, underdeveloped or developing countries, poverty and backwardness.

How the world have changed today with the two sides switching places. The rich Americans and European countries are stuck in a financial and economic crisis that could turn them into beggars, broken economies, corruption and bankruptcies. On the Communist side it was all development, development, trade and loans to the developing countries. The Russians and Chinese were everywhere signing trade and development agreements. The Americans were everywhere signing defence pacts and military agreements, conducting war games, inciting rivalry, supporting insurgencies, conducting regime change and fighting wars. The Russians and Chinese were all businesses, in business suits, buying and selling raw materials/goods/services all over the world. They carry briefcases with loads of cash to trade. The Americans were everywhere in their infamous pixilated uniforms, in military and naval crafts, with guns in hand, fighting and selling weapons, and killing framed enemies.

The Americans and their western allies are still calling themselves the good guys fighting the bad guys. But the two big bad guys are not fighting and did not carry guns on their foreign diplomatic trips. Wars, military rivalry and weapons are least on their minds. It is trade, buying and selling of commodities, raw materials and finished products that they carry with them. On the other hands, the Americans are selling weapons and weapons and nothing else, and threatening countries with sanctions and regime change.

This good guy image is now only in name. The good guy mask is soon to fall off when the world starts to call a spade a spade. It is such an irony that the two sides, the good guys and the bad guys, have changed sides. The communists are now rich, committed to free trade and engaging in trades and not wars. The bankrupt Americans and the west are raising trade barriers and fighting everywhere. In every international forum, the ‘good guys’ could be seen pounding the table to attack and bully one country or another. The ‘bad guys’ were there to defend the victims and lend them the support. The wolf pack of the ‘good guys’ will be there to tear down countries one at a time, the perfection of centuries of divide and rule to dominate the world. Now the rest of the world have two ‘bad guys’ plus a few newbies in an infant grouping called the BRICS countries to offer a new balance and a new code of ethics in international relations. A new ‘good guy’ pact is being formed to replace the old ‘good guy’ American mafia.

How daft can Sinkies be? V1.1

Their forefathers came to build this little colonial outpost to what it is today only to be told that they lacked talents. Then comes the importing of foreigners who could not help their own countries, runaway from their own countries, to come here to rule the Sinkies.

And with the most advanced and highly rated schools in the world, with the best facilities, the daft Sinkies claimed that they are daft and needed the talents of half broken down schools in third world countries to come here and help them.

And being the most advanced financial centre in the world other than the European cities, we could not produce any talents to run our banks and needed to import foreigners who came here to learn the ropes, to run our banks. To add insult to injuries, the banks that we have today were built by the so called no talent locals. And now, after they have built the banks to such a size some declared locals are not good enough to run them. And foreigners who have not run them, never built a bank, are deemed good enough, better than the locals. They are still wearing their blinkers and not seeing that western bank managing methods and processes are mostly fraudulent, gambling and taking high risks on fictitious products and derivatives that will risk the bank going bust.

And we formulated policies in favour of foreigners and detrimental to the locals without even knowing it until the daft Sinkies could not take it any more and started to vote against the govt.

And whenever there is a problem, money will be thrown around the world looking for foreign talents to come and solve them. Our parks, resorts, golf courses etc can only be managed by foreigners or they will be in ruins. Big corporations too. NOL is selling its flagship HQ because it is running into the red with foreign talents. Who else is making big losses with foreign talents running the ship?

And now all the half baked foreigners are strutting around despising the locals, and the daft locals really believe that they are inferior. Who can blame them when the foreigners have ended up being their bosses and bossing them around?

Socially, the foreigners also feel so free to beat up the locals at their whims and fancies and what did the locals do? Everyone turn the other way, very happy that the person being beaten was someone else. They are safe without knowing they could be next.

And the locals pledged themselves to serve and protect the country and the foreigners and their super expensive properties while they live in small but expensive public flats if they are lucky. If not, they would not even be eligible to buy public flats to live in. And more ridiculous, some locals ended up having to rent a room from the foreigners to stay. Brilliant inclusive policies that are Sinkies first, foreigners last. The daft Sinkies did not mind being discriminated in their own country. Sinkies with no homes because govt policies excluded them while foreigners are happily buying homes to rent out to them. Can you believe it?

Tell me, how daft can the locals be? The daftness is at the top or at the bottom, or at all levels?

Wah Lan, BTO making losses

We used to have one guy shouting till his throat went sore that housing prices were affordable. Of course no sensible person will believe him no matter how long and how loud he shouted. Then Khaw Boon Wan came in to try to hold down the prices and started to build flats for the people in double quick time. It was obvious that Boon Wan does not believe in the other person’s shouting.

Yesterday in Parliament Ellen Lee came out with statistics to proclaim that BTO schemes are making losses to the tune of several tens of millions per project. She quoted the HDB building 1016 units at a cost of $279m while the sales proceed was only $240m because of generous subsidies, thus making a loss of $39m. At the rate this is going I think HDB will go bankrupt soon and would not be able to pay its staff lavish bonuses like before.

The statistics must be real, the truth, no bluff one. Since there is such a good set of statistics being flashed in Parliament, it would be good if the breakdowns could be given to prove that HDB is indeed subsidizing the buyers. If that can be done then there is no need to keep shouting until face red red. And can stand up to scrutiny, no need to turn away when someone ask for transparency.

Parliamentarians should take this opportunity to ask for detail breakdowns of this set of numbers. Not only the opposition candidates. Those from the ruling party who have independent mind or claim to have independent mind and can speak freely will have a real chance to speak up on this issue.

Let’s see how many can be independent minded and will speak out for truth and transparency.

They can still kill you

While many who supported the abolishing of the death penalty are celebrating their victory that many in the gallows would be saved, there is this article in Singapore News Alternative screaming, ‘They can still kill you.’ For a moment I thought the criminals or murderers could still kill their victims. But no, I was mistaken. The author was saying that despite the changes in the death penalty laws, the murderers and criminals can still be hanged. It was a kind of being short changed, that the death penalty is still in force, not abolished.

So some criminals and murderers would still have to meet death for killings and murders. And this is sad and bad. And in the view of Matilah and his very intelligent friends, it is only right that criminals and murderers be given the opportunity to make a decent defense before they are hung. That is only fair.

The next Huang Na or female jogger being dragged into the bush, raped and killed would only see their murderers at most serve a life sentence as the intention was only to rape them and their deaths would be treated as incidental. No intention to commit murder.

The next question is whether the rapist murderers gave their victims a chance to defend themselves, a chance to plea for their lives before they were killed, with or without intention? Why should murderers or killers be given so many chances to save their own lives and their victims were not given the same chances in their hands before being killed? Did any one hear the cries and pleas of the next Huang Na or female joggle, please, please, don’t, please stop it, please don’t kill me, while the rapists/killers totally ignore them just for a little lust?

Did any of the drug peddlers give their drug addicts a chance to say no? Did the drug addicts, in a state of grave deprivation, go robbing and killing just to get the dole to buy more drugs, and in the process kill their victims. Did they give their victims a chance to live?

While society and do gooders are so kind to the killers/murderers, can they spare a thought for the victims of the killers/murderers who were innocent and have lives to live for but ended prematurely and cruelly in their hands?

Yes, they can still kill you, I mean the killers/murderers can still kill the innocent and helpless victims. Where were the kind and compassionate do gooders, when the victims were being killed in the most frightening and nightmarish way, when they were in fear, alone, helpless, begging and pleading for mercy, and for a chance to live? They have not done wrong or harm to the killers and murderers.

Thank God there are so many kind and compassionate people around to help and save the killers and murderers, to share their pains and griefs, to make this world a better world, for the killers and murderers. And perhaps some may walk out of prison, to live again, and to kill again.

Gambling – It is for your own good

‘Singaporeans and permanent residents who visit casinos more than five times a month may need to show proof they are not in financial distress or face restrictions, acting Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Chan Chun Sing told the Straits Times newspaper.’

Checking their finances and bank accounts is a good thing as it will force them to reveal all their monies kept in Sinkie banks and overseas, or with their mistresses, to show that they are financially sound. Make sure they attend an interview and tell the truth. It will definitely help the Tax dept to collect some taxes as well. And those who are trying to catch money laundering can also tap into this revelation or confession.

I think this is a wise and good thing to do. But to make it more effective, Sinkies who frequent the casinos more than 5 times a month should also produce a certificate from the psychiatrists that they are mentally sound and able to control their gambling habits. I am sure the shrinks will love to share their problems.

With the change in mandatory penalties to protect the criminals, and now to protect gamblers, the govt is showing how caring it is in taking care of its people. We protect orang utans in our zoo, we protect exotic plants in our latest high tech sci fi botanic gardens, next on the list will be wild boars.

It is for the good of the citizens and the animals that these measures should be taken before these silly Sinkies and animals/plants destroy themselves. Sinkies should call the govt papa.

Death penalty – buckling under pressure

Under pressure from the protector of criminals group, the govt of Sinkieland has given way to moderate its tough position on the death penalty. Putting on a brave front by staying the penalty, the knees are wobbling. Judges are now given more discretion to spare the lives of serious criminals in this tough weak stand.

The onus and responsibility, and conscience, have now been passed to the poor judge who will now be hounded by his values, religion, by the public pressure on him to be a nice guy instead of the cool disinterested party that is there to see that the law is executed. It is no longer the politician’s problem.

Criminals will now breathe easier and more desperadoes will take the gamble, knowing that death is not a certainty. The drug lords will game the system and carefully choose the pathetic and pitiful cases to be their runners knowing that the kind judges with the kinder tough laws could give way with a few sob stories. The poor ah mah and ah kong or the little boys and girls could just do the trick as the perfect runner.

While more criminals will be spared the gallows, would it also lead to more victims of drug abuses? If it does, then society will become fairer and more inclusive in a way, with drug criminals enjoying more kindness and fairplay while drug abusers finding it easier to get their drugs. The drug pushers, the drug addicts and the drug criminal protectors will be happier. The govt too will be more comfortable without the criminal protectors breathing down their necks. It is a win win for all parties.

Another way to pardon those that deserved the death sentence would be to make them confess and to reveal their handler, get the latter convicted and exchange a life for a life. The main task of the enforcers must be the bigger drug lords up the chain of command. Pardoning the low down courier should be a good exchange for someone higher up. Anyone down the line could have his life spare if they could assist in the hanging of someone above them, hopefully all the way to the top.

Just like the loan shark curse, all the time the people being caught are the little runners. What is the point of catching the runners when the real problem is at the top of the chain? The system should be tweaked only to facilitate the arrest of the biggies. Then the softening of the death sentence against the runners can be justified. Otherwise a weak stance is a weak stance and would compromise the effectiveness of using death penalty as a deterrent. When a deterrent is no longer a deterrent, might as well do the popular thing and do away with it altogether.

Burn Arab countries, burn…

This is about what the Americans and the Western powers have decided for the Arab world. One by one, the Arab countries were encouraged to do regime change with their help, and turn the countries into turmoil, with Arabs killing Arabs and the country bogged down in civil wars and conflicts that would bring them back at least 30 years in economic development and destruction of the country and people.



This is a great recipe for the growth of American and Western powers and continuous domination and rule over the pathetic and bickering Arabs. The Arabs would need to pray more than 5 times daily and Allah to save themselves from these Western angels.



At the recent conference of the willing, Clinton wanted the dumb Arabs and the willing nations to go to war with China and Russia. And I quote,



‘US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged world powers on Friday to show Russia and China they would pay a price for impeding progress toward a democratic transition in Syria.

"It is frankly not enough just to come to the Friends of the Syrian People (meeting) because I will tell you very frankly, I don't think Russia and China believe they are paying any price at all - nothing at all - for standing up on behalf of the Assad regime," Clinton said at a gathering of countries seeking to speed the departure of Syrian President Bashar Assad.’



The Americans are setting the agenda and calling the shot, to start more wars and upheavals among countries to impoverise them and to exert their control over them.

Property prices will soon be halved

Sinkies can look forward to lower property prices if the reasoning of some quarters can be implemented into govt policies. They have started with commercial properties by halving the length of the lease. And those needing to buy or rent such properties will now be so happy as the properties will now be so affordable, at half price. Sure what, 60 years to 30 year lease, everything goes half.

There are several ways to make property prices even cheaper substantially. One way of course is the size. If Sinkies are content to live in a 350 sq ft flat instead of a 700 sq ft flat, the price can be halved. Very affordable and within the reach of many not so rich Sinkies.

Another way to half the price is to half the lease. Instead of 99 years, make it 49 years. Sinkies will be in glee, and screaming, cheap, cheap, cheap. They will go crazy if the lease is shortened to 30 years and the price be reduced to 1/3. The Sinkies will be shocked into disbelief. What, a 5 rm flat now cost $200k instead of $600k? Unbelieveable, but good, good, very good. Cool man.

I think if the govt does this change, the Sinkies will be so grateful and will definitely re elect them in 2016. This is a new version of Ah Q mentality. It is Sinkie mentality and thinking process, thinking and seeing not further than the tip of the nose. They cannot count, cannot know the real difference. They only see the final figure and will be convinced that they are getting a good deal.

Actually if a 5 rm flat is shrunk from 1000 sq ft to 500 sq ft and the lease shortened to 30 years, it can even be sold at $100k. (600k/2 and divide by 1/3). Wow, so affordable! So good, so cheap. Govt so good. At such prices I think you can even build nursing homes or hospices beside them and they could move off the shelf before the hand is removed.

The world should learn from Sinkieland

Two gripping news today, rate cheating by Barclay’s on LIBOR and China’s curb on property speculation. In Barclay’s case, it was trying to offer better interbank rates against a fixed rate determined by a formula. The British authorities and European govts are against variable rates. They are going to frame criminal charges against the violators. They want all banks to work on a fixed and determine rate. Isn’t this against a free market?

Rates should be freed up so that every bank can compete freely to offer the best rates to their customers. This will bring down the cost of financing and must be good. And the Americans are the champions of such deregulations and free competition. Sinkieland is the next freest place in terms of free competition. A good case is commission rates. Several industries are encouraged or made to operate on a free rate basis, ie, everyone can offer any rate to their customers, even doing it for free, while they make from other businesses. Technically, some big financial institutions would be able to offer cut throat rates to win market share and make their profits from elsewhere. It will only encourage a lot of trading and business activities when commissions can be reduced to practically zero. Must be good for business. And cutting rates, offering better rate, is not a crime, it is free competition.

It is inconceiveable that the Europeans could not see the merits of free rates against fixed rates. They should allow the banks to compete freely with each other and those that are not competitive should be allowed to fold up. Free market mechanism should be allowed, with free play, to bring down the rates to the lowest possible.

In China’s case, they did not want property prices to go up, even after several years of curbing regulation, they would not want to see a rebound of property prices. China would encourage first time buyers but not speculation that would drive up prices and great profits for the rich. This is against free market practices and free market forces. By doing so, the prices of properties will be artificially depressed which is not good for the economy. The economy would not grow, just like North Korea, when a landed property cost $10k compares to a lousy 2 rm flats here that could fetch $100k. The North Korean economy will definitely be shrunk and small in size. Economy growth numbers will be small and slow to grow. No wonder China is so badly managed and at the brink of a collapse, according to free wheeling western economists and analysts.

If the North Koreans would to allow market forces to determine their property prices, all the landed property will be worth a few hundred thousand dollars instantly. China’s economy too will get a big boost with free market forces driving their property prices.

These countries should learn from Sinkieland and drive down the cost of doing business with low interest rate and let property prices shoot to the sky so that all property owners feel they are instant millionaires. Never mind if they are struggling to pay the mortgages and have nothing left for other things. When property prices are high, when speculation is a past time, the economy will boom and everyone will few really rich.

The Sinkie example is the best for high growth and high property prices, and for the making of instant millionaires without working for it. It must not be a crime to offer cheaper and more competitive rates, even no commission or doing things for free. It is not a crime to sell property at ever higher prices. It is good for the economy. People who cannot afford to buy just buy what they can afford, or rent. No one is forced to buy property at high prices. Free market at work.

Village girl

A piece of rar art. More can be viewed from www.artofrar.blogspot.com

The big man made garden

Some of you may remember the big fake volcano in Sentosa. Our latest grand attraction is in all counts another big artificiality in the vein of Hollywood, bright lights and humanly designed waterfalls, designer buildings and all the jazz. And the people lap it all up as the latest craze in town. It has outdone the cosplay event in town, where ordinary people could dress up as superheros or their favourite anime characters to live a few moments of fantasy.

In the new fantasy garden, many interesting programmes have been lined up for the visitors from food to education, and participation in all the botany related activities, understanding or getting close to nature in a souped up environment.

In an instant, one is transported into another wonderland of what humans think are desirable, to please the emptiness of dull city folks with plenty of money and nowhere to go, or not knowing what to do. It is a smaller version of the tranquil island of Sentosa, once a verdant little tropical jungle where one could enjoy nature, serenity, sand and sea for free. Like Sentosa, the new garden fantasy doesn’t come cheap for each visit.

What happens to the genuine century old Botanic Garden that is cultivated through time and by the hands of nature? What happens to the Wetland Reserves where a family could have a real taste of nature, practically for free? What is it like to enjoy a few hours sitting silently in the reserve, feeling nature, listening to nature and be a part of nature?

How much does it need to create this great nature disneyland that needs not be or could be created at lesser cost, lesser consumption of resources and expenses while preserving or destroying nature in the process? Could a more natural habitat living to the name of a tropical paradise, a little tropical jungle in the city be created in much lesser cost and much more nature friendly than this mammoth of human creation and achievement? How much more will it cost to run the attraction though the bills will be partially paid by the visitors?

What’s next? An interconnecting sky garden across the island like the hanging garden of Babylon, in much grander scale? Avatar was about the return to nature and its mystic, protecting nature and nature’s way of life. In the creation of our own Avatar, are we protecting nature or destroying nature in the process? The hidden costs and destruction to nature to bring about this wonder are not small in wonder. The continuous maintenance and creation of consumer demand and consumption in the whole process are the price to pay for this new gracious lifestyle, a visit to the Garden.

Do we need such a garden? Plenty of jobs are created which is good for the economy and economic growth. Do we need more of such jobs? Do we need more food and restaurants, more shopping centres and shops, build more expensive properties for sale to foreigners? Do we need to put up more containers to collect tin cans, plastics and papers to save the environment and mother earth?