From tolerance to intolerance

This is a personal journey of an average Singaporean, like all Singaporeans. The changing mindset of a very tolerant Singaporean towards foreigners is very likely to be shared by all other average Singaporeans. Actually the word tolerance towards foreigners was never an issue, never appear in the Singaporean vocab. Most Singaporeans are or were very hospitable and warm to foreigners in this island. Most foreigners in the past left with a very pleasant experience of a very friendly people during their sojourns here. It is very unusual for a visitor or those who have worked or studied here to have had bad memories of a unfriendly people and ugly experiences because they were foreigners.

Things are changing so rapidly that the tolerance for foreigners is becoming intolerance. Some have broken out into out right anger. It used to be a little inconvenience taking public transport that was often a bit squeezy, and finding a seat a little lucky. The experience of taking public transport today is to have strangers, clearly foreigners, stuck to your sides, front and back, rubbing or knocking at you, breathing down your neck or yakking away at the top of their voices. Their unfamiliar and often unpleasant BO, with their arms stretched across your face cannot be fun but must be most unpleasant and irritating.

Fighting for a seat with the foreigners becomes a game of being ungraceful or disgraceful. What really troubles the Singaporeans must be the huge presence of foreigners and the deprivation of a better life for the citizens. When many Singaporeans are out of jobs, in between jobs, under employed, unemployed, while foreigners are fully employed, many taking up cushy and high paying jobs, things will turn a bit ugly. No one is complaining so much about foreign workers who are needed and tolerated here as transient workers.

And when foreigners flooded the housing markets and driving up housing prices, pushing them beyond the reach of citizens, and also the favourite item of car ownership becoming an impossible dream to many, tolerance will become intolerance.

Tensions will build up over time and over many unhappy incidents. The last straw, when Singaporeans become a minority, when they are victimized, discriminated by foreigners, you expect Singaporeans to continue to be meek and selfless and continue to put their arms up wide to embrace the foreigners? The elite in their little palaces can talk cock about sharing with the foreigners when they could hide in the comfy enclaves and move around in private cars.

The danger is that the rot will get worst and will affect the children of Singaporeans in more adverse ways in the future. This little piece of rock is home to the Singaporeans, the only thing they have. This little rock cannot be traded away for fiat money. The developers with their money motive will be happily bid for land at higher and higher prices to feed the foreign frenzy, with money from all over the world. The Singaporeans cannot afford to compete with the rest of the world on an ‘equal’ basis as many are much richer and able to buy up everything and replace the Singaporeans in everything, everywhere.

This tolerance and intolerance issue cannot be spoken in void. There are lives involved. There is country and citizens involved. It is not a simple economic number game. There are also many intangibles of being a people, a country and a nation. Yes, I am getting more intolerant to foreigners when they crossed my path, cut into my way and deprive me of things that I used to have as a citizen in my country.

Having one or two foreigners can be fun, a novelty. When the citizens become the one or two, and the foreigners swarming all over us, it is no fun anymore. It is intolerance, and this intolerance will grow in intensity and will be felt by more and more Singaporeans. It is a road that spells trouble.

Is Hsien Loong really trembling?

'Pentagon chief reassures a worried Lee Hsien Loong about US military commitment towards Asia-Pacific against growing Chinese threat

Turkish Weekly, 2 Apr 2013

U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Monday reassured Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of the U.S. commitment to rebalance toward the Asia-Pacific region.

Hagel "made clear the United States and the Department of Defense remain committed to the rebalance toward the Asia-Pacific region and that in the future there will be even more opportunities for closer collaboration between the United States and Singapore," the statement said....'

The above is culled from an article in TRE. Pentagon chief assured a worried Lee Hsien Loong of US military commitment? Is this what Hsien Loong is in Washington all about, that he is worried that the Americans will abandon the Asia Pacific region because of a Chinese threat? How did the Americans got to know that Hsien Loong was worried of the Chinese threat? Did Hsien Loong or someone from Singapore whisper to the Americans about this? Or is it a red herring that the Americans are sowing to create a divide between China and Singapore?

With this disclosure, that China is what Singapore is afraid of, and Hsien Loong so worried to make a 4 day official trip to Washington, would China keep quiet about it? Would China stop inviting Hsien Loong or LKY to Beijing, or would some top level visits be cancelled?

Now, would the MFA come up with another clarification that the Americans were putting words in Hsien Loong’s mouth, that there is no such thing, that there is nothing to fear about China? We are friends of China, we welcome all the big powers into the region peacefully and we are not American lackeys trying to contain China’s influence in the region. We are not part of the American scheme of things to balance China’s position in the region. Singapore needs not worry until China puts a claim on Pedra Branca. And if the Americans did not correct this misinformation, would Singapore continue to buy the F35s?

Is there any truth in the reported statement, or someone misquoted Chuck Hagel. Maybe it is true and that is why Singapore is going to buy the F35s to defend against a Chinese air attack, or to fight on the side of the Americans against the Chinese.

Seriously, I think it would be better to report this comment as an April Fool joke. It is reported three days late.

F35 - another American snake oil product

Look at the big picture of American defence system and picture who would attack the US home land and in what form the attacks would come, one would easily come to the conclusion that the F35 is a piece of gimmick that is unnecessary and wasteful, and sadly would have to be paid by the American tax payers only to benefit the arms manufacturers. The arms merchants would keep telling the American public of the need to keep buying the most expensive toys for their own good.

Who or which country in the world, in his right mind, would launch a military attack against the mighty Americans other than the militants in Japan during the Second World War? The hype and fear mongering of a North Korean or Iranian attack were simply foolish and meant for the silly American peasants and the peasants of the world to believe in. Simply put, what would the Americans do if it suffers a nuclear attack by missiles from another country? That country would be wiped out to Stone Age. That is the fate awaiting anyone or country that dares to do it. The banging of war drums and cymbals in North Korea is just that. Period. But the silly Koreans have been led to the slaughter house by the Americans pushing them on.

Coming back to the air defense system and strategies of the Americans. The F35s are only useful as an interceptor against an air incursion of fighter bombers, but their primarily role is more as a stealth attack bomber. For the defensive role it is absolutely redundant as no country within the range of the US mainland would be able to do that with what they have at the moment. The Russians and the Chinese could not ‘and would not’ launch an air strike of fighter bombers for many decades to come and neither would they want to go back to the stone age.

The F35s are only good as offensive weapons to be stationed in Europe or lift off from aircraft carriers. If the damn Americans did not have these weapons, they have a weapon less to conduct wars of aggression against other countries. Even without the F35s, the Americans have so many superior alternatives, the F22s and B2s, and even the antique B52s would deliver a deadly blow to any country, to conduct wars. F35s are extravagant toys to make the American public pay for them. Now the bill is so huge that the Americans are getting their allies and proxies to help to foot the bill.

Any real attacks against the American continent will be Armageddon, ICBMs from Russia and China. Such attacks will render the F35s completely useless. The best part, Russia and China will not do such a crazy thing to engage in an ‘end of the world’ war game. Neither would the Americans attack the Russians and Chinese with a similar attack. Such a war is inconceiveable by any of the three super powers.

So what is the purpose of F35s? It is simply created to generate income for the weapons industry. The Americans really have no use or need for such an aircraft, only to bully the lesser equipped countries like Iraq and Iran. Who is going to attack the USA by air power other than 911 version which will render the F35s useless, sitting on the tarmac?

6.9m squeeze - Is this for real?

Is this a hoax? Think it was posted yesterday, 1 April. What the poster is saying is that 6.9m is real. What it is also saying is that the squeeze is real. What it is also saying is that they did not know how to prevent the squeeze. What it is also saying is that the super talents got no answers. What it is also saying is that maybe the lay people may have the answer. What it is also saying is that you are paying millions to super talents who's forte is to ask the people for answers.

I am waiting for someone to come out and say this is an April Fool joke.

Meritocracy in practice in the red dot

I will stretch this statement to include graciousness and discipline in practice. Was at the train station this morning and found long queues, neat and tidy rows of people queuing up for the trains. So I joined the queue with about 20 people ahead. Just as I was thinking how nice, disciplined and orderly, a bunch of foreign workers surged forward and planted themselves on both sides of the barrier door. The Singaporeans remained in the queue and many missed the train as those crowding the doors were able to push themselves in first.

Singaporeans are not only courteous, polite and well mannered. Unfortunately this gracious streak, nurtured over the years, made them easy victims to the coarse and callous foreigners who would yell and scold them for the slightest thing, even when asking the foreigners to join the queue.

And while the Singaporeans would avoid littering, keep the streets clean, the foreigners would leave their litters and sputum everywhere, even raining them down from the flats.

And in employment and job placements, Singaporeans will write in their resumes exactly what they are, what they have and their job experience. They could not lie as one phone call would expose them of any misinformation. The foreigners could dress up their resumes like that of George Bush or Obama and got the job. No one really knows or can verify their resumes, or it is too troublesome to make that phone call to nowhere.

This is how meritocracy is being practiced in Singapore. The Singaporeans ended with the wrong end of the stick for being too nice, too orderly and too straight and honest. They did not know that they have cheated by the foreigners who demanded that Singaporeans practise meritocracy and play fair.

How stupid can Singaporeans be? Or how meritocratic can Singaporeans be?

May Day Protest Rally – Why?

Many of you have attended the first protest rally in February. And a sequel is being arranged for May Day. What curious me, and perhaps Gilbert, would be the motivation of the people who made it a point to be there. Many were there for different reasons. They all went home feeling recharged with an old emotion of a past when they were Singaporeans. It seemed that that was a long forgotten feeling that was lost and found again in Hong Lim on Feb 16. Many cried, as simple as that. Many were emotional. This is what being a people united is all about. Something connected them, something clicked.

The people in the Govt may also want to know what was that strange emotion felt by everyone present in Hong Lim. There was something out there that bonded the people. Gilbert too would want to know. It will make his second effort more meaningful.

Many of you reading this were there at Hong Lim. It would be good to share with us here why you were there, why you went. And it would also be good to tell us why you would want to go again, to bring more people along to share that special moment of being Singaporeans. And there will be many of you who would want to be there this time round. Why?

Where should this movement go from here? What is it that you want or what is it that you want Gilbert and his team to do? There is still some time to talk about this and help Gilbert to work out something, like the speakers and the speeches that you want to see and hear.

Please use this platform to share your thoughts. Just a reminder, the 6.9m is the goal if the circular that is going around asking the people to suggest ways to make 6.9m less of a squeeze in the island is real. Everyone knows that the big squeeze is on the way, not just physical squeeze but squeeze in everything, from housing, infrastructure, schools, facilities, jobs etc etc. Everything must be downsize to feel comfortable. Is this what the people want? No need to ask the Govt.

Weekly pageviews of mysingaporenews

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Weekly page views of mysingaporenews. The US has overtaken Singapore with the most viewerships of mysingaporenews blog. It has 14,161 weekly pageviews against Singapore’s 14069. Third is the UK and followed closely by France and Germany. Quite an achievement for a small little blog of Singaporean bloggers.

Well done guys. You are international.

Redbean

Programming how Asians think

The West, with its monopoly of English language media and the English literate feeding on it, has been very successful in programming how Asians think. MacDonald, of junk food status, is a fad in many Asian countries, simply by repeatedly telling the Asians how cool it is to eat at MacDonald. But this is merely commercial advertisement.

More serious and deadly, and insulting, is the programming of Asians to hate another country, particularly Iran and North Korea as part of the Axis of Evil. China used to be the number One target, including Myanmar. Today it is all Iran and North Korea.

The daily provocations by the Americans and South Koreans against the North Koreans are turned around to condemn the North Koreans as the provocative one. Major war games simulating a landing and invasion of North Korea on the borders of that country, flying stealth bombers that are nuclear capable, and now stealth fighters in the Korean peninsula were claimed to be normal acts and non aggressive. From the North Korean’s point of view, these are intense and aggravated acts of provocation and acts of hostility.

Then there is this constant barrage of western articles repeating western dismissive fantasies against the North Koreans being written and published almost daily to paint the North Koreans as mad, insane and unpredictable and war like people. Another article appeared in the ST today that said nothing new or good about the North Koreans but with the purpose of reinforcing the message that the West have been painting about North Korea for the innocent and unthinking Asians to read and to sink into their subconscious mind. North Korea is bad, North Koreans are mad…. The repetition of such a one sided distorted message, over time, will programme the Asians to utter without thinking, to regurgitate what the West want them to think and say about North Korea. And many Asian media are accomplices to this act, blindly aiding the West to make fellow Asians think stupid, Asians to hate Asians because the West wants them to do so.

How then could so many Asians hating the North Koreans without knowing who they are and have had nothing to do with them?

Xenophobia a badge of honour?

When one scans the social media today, there is an unmistaken trend developing, a trend that no one could foresee will ever happen in this migrant society, open and international. We are a very open society and people, very cosmopolitan and liberal, some even called themselves international citizens. How could there be a rise of xenophobia or racism? Some angry Singaporeans are claiming that it is a right to be xenophobic, to be racist in a way, against the intrusion of so many foreigners in their midst. On the other hand, the Govt is planning to have more foreigners to reduce the citizen core to 40% in order to strengthen the core. Believe it? I cannot understand the logic when the people are showing their objection openly. So I must be daft.

Singaporeans are familiar with the annotation of CMIO or Chinese, Malay, Indian and Others as the official racial groups of the island. Everyone is one of these four different racial groupings. How then can Singaporeans be racist when they have embraced different races as one of them and living in harmony for years, the envy of many countries? Racial conflicts or riots are things of the past.

Is it racism or xenophobia, is it nationalism or patriotism, or is it simply about the rights and privileges of being citizens, being owners of this island? The rising anger and trend got to do with a little of each and a combination of all. What is the root cause of this ugly development? Many books can be written by the sociologists or political scientists but I will try to put them simply in one sentence and leaving all the big theoretical jargons to the academics. The problem of xenophobia is due to the Govt’s thoughtless policy of flooding the island with foreigners to compete with the citizens for good jobs, housing, cars, schools, facilities, space and a seat in the train.

There are just too many foreigners around and competing with the citizens in many unfair ways with citizens being displaced from top and middle management jobs, being priced out of good housing, being deprived of car ownership, compromising the good life they used to have. The latest revelation that foreigners are ganging up to discriminate and victimise citizens in employment and work place is just about the last thing that the citizens can stomach. There is anger and more anger against foreigners. And the foreigners did not help but add to the burning fire with callous behaviour and talking down on the locals.

In the face of such gross infringement of foreigners everywhere, with the local citizens calling themselves true blue and bred Singaporeans feeling the pressure, the Govt’s White Paper of increasing the population further by bringing in more foreigners was just the breaking point. The rage is unrestrained among the more vocal citizens. The Govt is seen as uncaring and aloof, totally disconnected from the feelings of the common Singaporeans. It is like two persons in the same bed but having different dreams, going separate ways.

How is the Govt going to contain this anger of the people? Or is the Govt going to do something positive to appease the unhappiness of the people? If the Govt fails to rein in the growing anti foreigner tension, the social fabric is up for a bitter test in tolerance. The main media, like the Govt, is telling the angry citizens to be more tolerant of foreigners. Would the affected Singaporeans listen and be swayed? T shirts are being printed to ‘down with the 6.9m population’ and a May Day protest is on the way. Would Singaporeans end up wearing the racist badge as an honour to defend their basic interests as citizens of this island? A point to note is that much of the anger is actually directed at the Govt for its pro foreigner policies and not directly at foreigners per se.

Spend more to win election

On 28 Mar, the ST ran an article ‘Lee Li Lian is by election’s top spender’. It was reported that she spent $65,227 against Koh Poh Koon’s $62,991. The details of what is included in these numbers and what are not would be another area of contention. And she held three rallies instead of the latter’s two. No wonder she won the by election. She must have worked harder and willing to spend more money, altogether $2,236 more than Koh. And her votes won were 16,045 while Koh got 12,875.

Just analysing the statistics will simply say that spending more and working harder is the formula for success. Can we expect all the political parties to be spending more and working harder in the next GE? I think many parties would have problem achieving both as they may be able to work harder, but many would not have the money to do so. Fortunately Li Lian was able to come up with more money on the table. This is quite strange as the PAP was never short of money. Or is it that they thought spending nearly $63k would be hard to beat as the WP, being a workers’ party, would not be able to match the rich elitist party with many millionaires and multi millionaires in their ranks.

This must be WP’s secret weapon, got plenty of money to campaign for election, and must be a big surprise to the PAP. Maybe it was because it was only a by election and its resources were focused on one event. If the WP would to contest in a GE then they may not have enough money to spread around. Fielding so many candidates and running so many rallies would be very very costly. No wonder in GE the PAP always sure win.

If the PAP thinks that the WP only got enough money for a by election by putting all in, then it should not present much problem with $63k per candidate in the GE. With 87 seats, this will cost the PAP at least $5.5m on the average to fight the next GE. If the WP were to contest half the seats, it will be 43 x $65k or $2.8m. Can the WP afford this kind of money?

What if both want to up the stake by adding another $10k or so per candidate, it will be very much more to put on the table. The rest of the smaller parties would have to think twice whether to follow or to fold their cards. Very likely they would only be able to do well by concentrating their limited resources to a few candidates. Winning an election definitely cost money and the stake is getting higher and higher. Do not rule out higher deposits for the candidates.

The higher cost of fielding a candidate is expected as the rewards are also quite handsome. For $63k to $65k, the return at $16k per month for 5 years is $960k, quite close to a million. And then there is the big bonus of becoming an office holder, with a top prize of several millions annually. Spending $60+k is really cheap when compare to the returns. Not a bad investment looking at the odds and the monetary winnings.

We are hitting 5.5m soon

'Theweek.com, 30 Mar 2013
Singapore
Population: 5,460,302
GDP: $326.7 billion
Tax incentives: Tax rates that max out at 20 percent and no capital gains taxes, according to Reuters.
Foreign cash: Reuters reported that estimates put "the amount of German money moving to Singapore in the double-digit billions," forcing the German government to step in and negotiate more transparent banking standards....'

These are the introductory paragraphs of an article from Theweek.com dated 30 Mar 2013. Does anyone notice the population of Singapore is now 5.460,302 and not 5.3m? Our population has gone up by another 160,000 from the often cited 5.3m.

I believe Theweek must have quoted from a reliable source.  It takes less than 40,000 and we will be 5.5m. The rate of growth is frightening despite our below replacement rate of fertility rate. What is happening? Would the population be 5.5m by May Day?

Paintings of Gods

This is a series of mysterious paintings from my rar art collection. Every one of these paintings is created by Mother Nature. I have enough of such paintings in many different series that can fill up an art gallery in every major city.

The Big Thing in Sin City

In this small little island of millionaires, everything is big. Even a small little nimrod will think very big and imagining that it is the most desirable big thing and women will beg to have it in their mouths. I think we are going to be the biggest customers of the US in the purchase of the most sophisticated aircraft of the future. It is flying but will only be ready in the future as it is not flying right yet. The thing big about this aircraft is the price tag.

I just read an advert that someone paid $147k for a Porsche 911. The Sinkies are so rich that they would not want to buy anything on the cheap. They would pay for a piece of worthless paper called COE for $100k to give them the privilege to plonk down another half a million for the same car. Why would they do that, I dunno. It must be a dignity thing. Things must have a big price tag to be good. Oh, they just raise the tuition fees for universities and polytechnics to make them better. The more expensive the better the quality.

Yes, the Big Thing in Sin City is the price tag. Everything has to be priced big to be good and saleable. A public housing flat with a 99 year lease, very likely less than 90 or 80 years left, was selling like hot cakes at $1m or more. And the millionaire Sinkies, I supposed, would congratulate themselves for such a good buy. The guy who bought the Porsche would probably get 2 or 3 landed freehold properties for the same price of one public housing flat. Across the Causeway one could buy several landed properties too, for that price tag.

And many will save a life time for that final visit to the hospital to empty their life savings. It must be a final charitable act, to donate everything to the hospitals and to tip the staff for the good service, or is it the hospital price tag?

And the citizens are so generous that they are happily paying their political leaders millions to keep them from corruption. Of course the leaders are the most dignified and talented people on earth, or at least in the island. Their forte is to learn from other countries, what other people are doing before applying what they learnt to the island. And if they failed to learn anything, they will pay for expert consultants to do the job. Or they may even ask the people, the ordinary men in the street for answers. The price tag for the ministers is not only big, but very big. Obama would have faint if the Americans decide to pay him half the amount being paid to his counterpart here.

Paying big, buying big, getting big pay are the norms here. The thought of how much to pay for the things we paid here can drive many people elsewhere crazy. Imagine how many life times will one need to earn a $100k in many countries. Here it is only good enough to buy a certificate only to be entitled to buy a car with a bigger price tag.

That is how big our money has become.

When meritocracy is stupidity

The problem of highly qualified Singaporeans unable to find employment is not only serious but politically unacceptable to a Govt that has responsibility to its people first and foremost. Silly politicians that keep harping blindly on meritocracy need to be voted out from Parliament. Meritocracy and the practice of meritocracy as a country are very different and complex from practising meritocracy in a well of frogs. In the well, the frogs are safe from intruders and have only among themselves to see who is more meritocratic. In the land of the blind the one eye frog shines.

Singapore only has a population of 3.3m, citizens and PRs. An open door policy to invite foreigners here to work, with only meritocracy as the criteria, is simply insane, stupidity at its peak. There are 6 or 7 billion people out there and if being more talented, or merits, is justification to work here, to replace another Singaporean, the whole 3.3m people should be replaced, from the President and PM and to the low down beggars on the street. Sure you can find millions of people out there that are more meritocratic than a Singaporean or the PM.

Just because the frogs in the well are protected from competition, they can throw the meritocracy card at everyone, not good enough get out, there is always a better foreigner to replace another Singaporean. Why don’t the frogs allow fair competition and let the more meritocratic foreigners to replace them? Never, they know too well that there will be many many out there that will be better than them, every one of them.

In practice, many jobs can be done by a Singaporean. The education and skill level of many Singaporeans are more than adequate to do the job. You don’t need someone with 3 degrees or a master’s to be a middle executive doing administrative work. You don’t need to drive a sports car to get from point A to B when any good decent car will do. It is a fallacy to pick the best when the best is ten times over qualified for the job that a Singaporean is qualified to do? Does this sound complicated?

Who are we kidding, that Singaporeans are not good enough to fill all the middle management positions with the qualifications they got from our world class education system and universities? Who are we kidding when many are employed instead of Singaporeans for all the wrong reasons except being meritocratic?

The nonsense that is happening in the employment scene must be made right and it is the duty and responsibility of the Govt to put it right. It is the Gov’t’s thoughtless policy of opening the door widely to foreigners with little due consideration to the employment needs of the citizens that is the problem. Meritocracy without due recognition to country and citizenship is simply crazy, madness, and idiocy. The whole population should be moved out and replaced by more meritocratic people from all over the world. Yah?

Advertisements are news too

For Singaporeans who have been away for too long, migrated or simply working overseas, the reading of advertisements in the blog is also keeping in touch with home. The types of advertisements, the jobs available, the qualifications needed, the salary offered, the type of companies placing the adverts, tell a lot about the happenings in the country.

This is also applicable to foreigners who want to have a feel of the social and economic developments taking place in the country. The advertisements tell a lot of what is happening here, particularly the job opportunities and income level of the people, the quality of life and the vibrancy of the economy.

There are more things to see and understand from just flipping through the advertisements other than jobs or entertainments or food etc etc. You will be surprised how much information can be deduced from just reading the advertisements. So when there are no fresh postings, take a peep into the adverts.

Chinua Achebe - A tribute to a Nigerian nationalist and hero

‘He also addressed corruption head on, teaching younger Nigerians not to be hungry to the point of selling our birth rights. His soul and conscience were non negotiable. He turned down Nigeria’s national honours twice because he was one who believed an elder should not eat his meal atop a heap of malodorous rubbish.

He was a gentle rebel who refused to shake the necrotic outstretched hands of corrupt leaders.  He was an old breed, a wise man from a different generation who could not stand the wanton looting of Nigeria’s public coffers.

Achebe would have loved to spend his twilight years among his own people instead of in America.  With the bastardisation of a nation he was once proud of by kleptocratic military and civilian rulers, the old man had no country to return to alive.’  

The above quote is by a Victor Ehikhamenor in his article on his Nigerian hero and nationalist, Chinua Achebe. The article is reproduced from the New York Times in the ST today.  Reading the article allows me to reflect on the situation in Singapore and I conclude how lucky Singaporeans are for not having the kind of leaders the Nigerians were blessed with. Our leaders don’t eat their meals atop a heap of malodorous rubbish for sure. And Singaporeans are definitely not selling their birth rights away as they are not that hungry. And our nation was not bastardised by kleptocratic military and civilian rulers and looting the public coffers.

Thank God we are Singaporeans and we need not have to run away to live out the twilight years in America. Singaporeans better be grateful.

Why are Sinkies so sick and shameless?

I read this comment from a Sinkie in TRE about racism. The way he put it was really so disappointing. He was unhappy about racism against Asians, but unconsciously he was practising racism against Asians without knowing it. Too many kantans and hamburgers I supposed, or too much deference to the Westerners that subconsciously he felt and acted inferior to them. This is what he wrote,

‘Honestly, how are we the natives expected to react? Smile and behave happily and accept things as they are.

I was in Perth on holiday and my wife was stunned when a white lady ticked her off at a supermarket queue for no reason. She just doesn’t like us I supposed and was mumbling some rascist remarks starring hard at us. I can assure you she is not mad. In Paris in a lift, I witnessed a well dressed white lady yelling at a meek Asian woman asking her to pack off and go back to where she comes from. I can assure you she doesn’t look mad either. What do you make out of these situations?

I guess it is the sense, the feeling of being displaced and having your place taken over that led people to behave this way.’

You notice that he addressed those racist pigs as ladies and their Asian victim as woman. What was so ladylike about those racist bitches to be called ladies? And what was so unlady like for the Asian woman not to be called a lady but just a woman? Too use to call them sir and ma’am and ladies and gentlemen, and too use to be called just man and woman?

This kind of inferior mentality has been subplanted in the mediocre Asian mind that it has become habitual, second nature. Yes Sir, Yes ma’am, but turn around and shout at the Asian women like inferior stocks. If Asians are not going to respect themselves but the West, they deserve to be treated like shit. And if Sinkies could not stand up to foreigners and allow foreigners to ill treat them or discriminate against them in their own country, they deserve it, every little bit of it.

The Europeans are xenophobic for ages. They conquered, robbed and killed the coloured races all over the world and are still stinkingly racists like the examples given. Of course they claimed that the racist bitches are a minority, and they are exceptions. Xenophobia is not a Singaporean thing. And I find it ludicrous for a Tessa Wong to write in the ST today calling for restraints against Singaporeans becoming xenophobic. And Singapore for Singaporeans slogan is xenophobic? Who taught her that?

Xenophobia is practised by foreigners in the work place in Singapore against Singaporeans. Does she know this? If not, go ask Tan Chuan Jin or read the parliamentary reports. The most important issue today is to get rid of xenophobia against Singaporeans in Singapore. The Govt has a duty and responsibility to Singaporeans to stamp this outrageous behaviour out immediately and ‘burn a few on the stakes’. I put this phrase in inverted commas so that no donkeys will take it literally and think it is a call to burn people. It is just an figurative expression ok?

If the govt fails in doing so, and xenophobia continues against Singaporeans and silly Sinkies still think it is the fault of Singaporeans, the anti foreigners cry will get stronger and may get nasty. It is time to nip the problem in the bud by kicking a few foreign butts to mean business. Singapore is for Singaporeans first. There is nothing xenophobic or shameful to say this. There is nothing to be apologetic about it. Or shall we call female Sinkies ‘woman’ and foreign women ‘ladies’ to be respectful and less xenophobic?

US flying B2s over Korea

Those of you who know what B2s are capable of doing will behave exactly as the North Koreans. These are stealth bombers with the capabilities of sneaking through radar surveillance and defence system, and to drop nuclear bombs on the enemy, in this case, North Korea. By flying over South Korea, a change of heading will see them over North Korean in minutes and there is not way to defend before they drop their nuclear bombs. The Americans denied that they were nuclear armed. Who in his right mind will believe the Americans? As for the North Koreans, a mistake is all it takes to see their country going up in smokes.

The flying of B2 over the Korean peninsula is not only provocative but a hostile act. The North Koreans should declare a no fly zone and any B2 crossing that line, which can be 200 km inside South Korea is an act of war and will be shot down. That is a reasonable thing to do in the defense of their country.

The Cuban crisis was caused by the Soviet Union trying to station some nuclear tipped missiles in Cuba which put the missiles within range of the US mainland. The US took that as an act of war, cordoned off the access by sea and air of Russian ships and aircraft into Cuba and demanded the removal of the missiles or war.

When asked if the flying of the B2s over the Korean peninsula was a provocative act, the US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel acted so innocent and replied that it was a normal thing that countries did to defend their homeland. No, no, they did nothing unusual. He did not see it as provocative. And as usual, the western jokers were claiming that the North Koreans were fetish with their power and wanted to hold the world hostage. They are totally blind to the provocations by the Americans and the South Koreans, and condemning the North Koreans as irrational people when the warmongers were the Americans.

The fact and truth, the North and South Koreans may not be on too friendly terms, but they were trying to cooperate and live as good neighbours. It was the continuous provocative acts of the US in connivance with the South Koreans to conduct war games simulating an invasion of North Korea at the Korean borders that raised tension. And now the US provocatively and threateningly flew the nuclear capable B2 in the peninsula and claimed that it was an innocent act.

Even an Australian professor could not resist commenting that such an act was definitely provocative. How about the Russians and the Chinese flying their nuclear capable bombers along the western coasts of the American homeland and see how the Americans would squeal their heads off that such an act is hostile? It is a case of the Americans can go provoking everyone and is ok but others cannot do so, it’s not okay.

The Americans are trying their best to raise tension in Asia and in the Korean peninsula in particular, to keep the two Koreans at war to be used as justification for the stationing of American troops in the Korean peninsula and also in Japan. The real losers are the stupid Koreans, being manipulated by the Americans and Japanese to be at each other’s throat, and the hordes of unthinking Asians accusing the North Koreans of being provocative and the bad guy. The real winners are the Americans and the Japanese. The real losers, other than the two Koreans, are the rest of Asia.

Kim Jung Un has signed an order authorising the firing of missiles on American targets in Korea, Japan, Guam and even the American mainland. And the Americans are worried of a misjudgement and the missiles unleashed. If it does happen, the Americans and the South Koreans have only themselves to blame. They have been the provocateurs of rising tension in the Korean Peninsula. They created it and asked for it.

What is so frightening about the White Paper

The indigestion caused by the White Paper is there for all to see. No to 6.9m population, no to bigger population. Is this so difficult to understand or can be plainly ignored by the Govt? The Paper was whitewashed by the Govt that has absolute majority in Parliament. A vote for such a Paper is really a non issue and to claim that it has been read, debated and passed by Parliament, I really dunno what to say.

Given the shocking opposition by an erstwhile docile people, with various polls conducted officially or unofficially, the Govt is still in a state of denial, that the people will agree and support the Paper if they have read the details in the Paper. Isn’t this dangerous?

What is more frightening is that many on the side of the Govt are saying, it is only a matter of communication. If the Govt could have communicated better, explained to the people better, there would be no issue. The people will go with the Govt. Really ah?

Such thinking is really lame. It thinks that the people are so dense and could not understand the implications and consequences of dense population.  It also reassures the Govt that actually the people are just angry for the wrong reasons, nothing to bother about. The people will get over it in time, will come to their senses. The Govt is always right.  Or it is only 4,000 or 5000 people that are not happy, never mind. The majority of the people will eventually agree to it, and if better communicated.

Is this frightening, or something else? What if the 4,000 people become 10,000, 20,000 and then more and more? Would it make any difference?

Raising children is a losing economic proposition

The cost of raising children here is easily half a million by the time the child graduated from university, and that is a local university. A foreign university could add a couple of hundred thousands more, depending on the type of courses and which country he went to. Just talk economics, as a digit in the GDP number game, the returns must be profitable for the whole process, minus all the emotional and other considerations.

For an outlay of half a million, the child must at least bring in an income of the same amount just to break even. Then include the cost he/she would need to incur, excluding his personal expenses to keep him alive, say housing and car, both items would cost him easily two to three millions more. Simply, the child must bring in an income of $2 ½ or $3 million to make the whole effort worthwhile.

Assuming a productive life is 30 years and additional work years are for retirement expenses, one would need an income of $100k on the average. Anyone earning less than this amount is a losing proposition, a losing investment. And not having a child, a couple could save a million or two for their own. Would that be a better option than to bring up a child or two? If one just thinks economic, the answer is obvious.