Striking rich for selling a HDB coffee shop

There is another good piece of news that someone out there has made a fortune through HDB’s generosity. A coffee shop in Hougang is sold for $23.88m! Wow, so easy to make a fortune. Buy a shop from HDB, sit it out and when the time is ripe, sell it and retire rich and happy.

For every one to make it rich this way, someone else must pay for it right? The buyer of the coffee shop, the Broadway Group, is not going to throw the $24m away for nothing. How is the group going to recover the money back and with profits of course?

Your guess is as good as mine. Someone, or many people, will have to pay for the windfall. It has to be. The stall holders are worried that their rent will shoot through the roof through. I say, no worry lah, just past the cost to the consumers mah, easy what.

Singapore soldiers in Afghanistan

‘TRINKOT (WNA, 23 Jun): Maj. Gen. Ravinder Singh, Chief of the Singapore Army, visited Afghanistan yesterday and met with the ISAF leadership and his forces in Uruzgan, the alliance said in a statement

Singh called on Gen. Joseph F. Dunford, commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and expressed his appreciation to ISAF for the support rendered to Singapore troops during their six years in Afghanistan….’

The full article above was posted in TRE and there were some discussions as to where Singapore soldiers were serving in Afghanistan. Some were not comfortable with our involvement in the American affair and feared being dragged into the war of terrorism and becoming a victim by association with the Americans. Some called it a price to pay for the protection the Americans were giving to us and allowed us to live in peace in a region that can become troublesome for all the wrong reasons and for the slightest unseen provocations.

We should be grateful to the Americans for offering us the protective umbrella. The question is how far should we go to reciprocate the goodwill? Would our offer of allowing the Americans to use our military facilities here be good enough for what they did for us? Or must we go so far as to send our soldiers to fight or support the American military adventures everywhere? This contribution to the American adventure is not so safe as it seems as it opens us to attacks by the American enemies as we will be seen as American accomplice participating in the same evil deeds. Our hands are tainted by the blood of the victims of American aggression.

What is the value of our offer of military bases? I think this is not a small matter knowing how important it is to the American to have a friendly and ready base to operate from. We are probably the most dependable ally the Americans can count on in the region. Is this not enough? We are helping the Americans to project their power to protect their interests in the region. This is not a small contribution and in many ways worth much more than dragging us into Afghanistan and compromising our safety and security.

Do we have other options other than the Americans as our protector? Can another superpower offer us the same protection without forcing us into a difficult and dangerous situation? We are serving the American strategic interest with the facilities we offered them. Our participation in Afghanistan is peanuts to the Americans. They don’t really need us there except to implicate us and fix us up, so that we cannot detach ourselves from their bloody acts of war.

Do we have the bargaining power to negotiate with the Americans on how far we should go with them? Do we have an alternative power to replace the Americans without our arms being twisted like what the Americans did to us?

Basically, what choice is there for us? Yes, standing on the head of the Americans means we can talk louder and punch above our weight. Is that worth being compromised in dicey situation that we are in now? If we are not with them we are their enemy!

The Philippines slams China

This piece of news is hot in the media.

‘BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei: The Philippines accused China on Sunday of a "massive" military buildup in the disputed South China Sea, warning at a regional security forum that the Asian giant's tactics were a threat to peace.

The statement by Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert Del Rosario ensured that the growing row over rival claims to the strategically vital and potentially resource-rich sea would again be a key focus of the annual four-day Asia-Pacific talks.... ‘Source. CNA Online.

I think the news should be rewritten as ‘The US accused China of a “massive” military buildup in the disputed South China Sea,... What is real behind this gungho screaming by the Philippines is quite obvious. And read further the message is quite clear. What does the Philippines meant in its warning that ‘China’s tactics were a threat to peace?’ Who is going to disrupt peace or start a war? Yes who, China or someone else?

Could it be the Philippines trying another killing of Taiwanese fisherman act? Would the Philippines dare to re enact that scene with Chinese military boats or ships as the target? What is likely going to happen?

Can anyone imagine the Philippines in their rickety warship firing at the Chinese surveillance ships?

China is not going to let this American lackey to push her around and has sent the first warning as reported by REUTERS. ‘China's state media warned on Saturday that a "counterstrike" against the Philippines was inevitable if it continues to provoke Beijing in the South China Sea, potentially Asia's biggest military troublespot.’

China needs to send a very firm no nonsense message to the Philippines and the Americans. It is prepare to strike if the nonsense is not stopped. Any weakness or backtracking by China would only embolden the Pinoys and the Americans. China has no other option but to dig in and take the provocations by the horns.

Is the Philippines trying to punch above its weight, propped up by the Americans and the Japanese?

Singaporean helping Singaporean

Below is an extract of a letter by a Steven Sum stationed in Suzhou, China. Having heard the plight of Sinkies here, he has made a job offer for a Singaporean to work with him. Salary reasonable and accommodation provided. Here is part of his brief posted in Gibert’s Support site for the unemployed and underemployed.

I work for a British company in China , in Suzhou to be exact.

We are looking for a Laboratory Engineer (designate lab supervisor).

I can’t offer much as this job was designed for a Malaysian (mainly due to cost factor) but I thought why not help my Singaporean brothers who may need a job.

If anyone who is willing to accept a monthly salary of around 15k rmb (~ S$3k) and willing to relocate to Suzhou China , I am interested.

Apartment for single accommodation will be provided. We will also provide 2 return air-tickets from Shanghai to Singapore for each calendar year worked.

Annual leave is 15 days on top of Chinese National holidays which is 12 days now.

I need a diploma holder from Mechanical, manufacturing, production engineering or equivalent.

Work is straight forward. Mainly to perform laboratory testing (usually mechanical testing) of Personal Protective Equipment to international standards (e.g. EN, ASTM, etc….)

Training will be provided until qualification to test is obtained by the employee.

The person must read and write in English. Must speak Chinese and moderately able to read/write in Chinese.

If you know of someone who might be interested, please ask him to write to me with full CV and expected salary

Thank you.

With best regards,

Steven Sum

The best part is that training will be provided. In Singapore, the employers are looking for instant trees. Did they know that they can train their new hires on the job? Or must the applicant be fully trained to fit the job or else they will look to the world for someone that will fit?

Thank you Steven Sum.

When you employed a butler

How many of you have the good fortune of employing a butler? The common folks or even the HDB rich are quite used to employing maids to take care of their household chores, and pay a pittance for them. At that kind of price, it is only normal not to expect too much. But no, some Singaporeans believe their money is very big and want to get their money’s worth. They want to work their maids from 5 am to 12 midnight, 7 days a week. Some may even be thinking of 24/7 and 365 days in a year. They are paying and they expect the maids to work. And if the maids are lazy, they may iron them or starve them for being unproductive.

For the privilege class who can afford a butler, the situation is quite different. They pay good money for the service of the butler and expect a service quality that the maids cannot do. They expect the butler to do everything in the house, including thinking and planning ahead for the needs of the master. They do not want to waste their time bothering on the nitty gritties of living. With a butler, a talented one as they are supposed to be, for the money they are paying, it is only right that the paymaster can expect the quality of service they are paying for. And so does the butler. He demands the high pay and knows that he has to live up to the expectation of his masters.

For every price the quality of service will come with it. It is only right that the paymasters have a lot of high expectations from the butler. Can any paymaster be blamed for blaming everything on the butler if the bulbs are blown, the tap doesn’t work, the rubbish not cleared, the fridge is empty because yesterday was a holiday and the butler forgot to top up the fridge? Or is it not right to blame the butler when the kitchen caught fire and no fire extinguisher can be found? Or can the paymaster blame the butler when there is haze and no mask is available in the house?

Or should the butler tell master, why don’t you do a bit of work yourself, go to the shop and get your own mask? Or can the butler tell the master he did not buy because the master did not tell him to do so, like a HDB mum will order the maid to go and get one?

What is the point of paying the butler so much and still cannot depend on him to take care of all his living needs? I am sure many will just sack the butler. They will tell the butler, ‘You are the butler and that is your job. Go and get the job done. No excuses. Pay you so much to sit on your fat arse and play dumbo?’

Why is the Govt insisting on using 24 hr PSI?

For all practical and commonsensical reasons, the people want a current PSI number to make decisions on their daily activities. For all the nonsensical and unbelievable reasons, the Govt keeps on telling the people that the best reading of the PSI is the 24 hr one and 3 hour is second best. They are not going to give to the people the current PSI that the people want. Why?

I only have one explanation. It is like reporting on the average income of the population or workers. Average income of workers is $3,000 or thereabout. They are not going to report about the last 10 percent’s incomes. They are not going to report on the top 10 percent’s income or the top 1 percent’s income. The answer is obvious. No explanation needed. The real and current PSI can be alarming and the Govt does not want to alarm the people. Neither should the people earning $3,000 a month need to know about people earning $100k or $300k a month.

And this is a Govt that takes pride in telling the people that they will listen to the people. Or did I hear wrongly? Why is it that everyone is screaming their heads off for a current PSI but the Govt does not seem to hear what the people want? The people will not see the current PSI on the TV screen. It is like pornography.

Another possible reason, the Govt knows what is good for the people and that a 24 hr PSI is good for the people. Be thankful, be very grateful.

Xinjiang riots has the murderous thumb print of CIA on it.

Xinjiang riots a lesson for West
Updated: 2013-06-28 08:33
By Shi Lan ( China Daily)


At least 27 people died in riots that rocked Shanshan county, about 250 km from Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, on Wednesday.

The Shanshan riots were one of the innumerable acts of terrorism since the Sept 11, 2001, attacks, which led the US-led West to label terrorism as the biggest threat to national security. But it's a pity that the Western powers still use double standards when it comes to terrorist attacks on China.

The US and its allies have spent astronomical amounts fighting the war against terrorism. But even more than one decade after the US launched its "war on terror", terrorism is far from dead. On the contrary, it is still taking the lives of innocent people from Asia to Africa, and from Europe to America.

So there is something wrong with the global anti-terrorism policy, and what can be done to fix that? One obvious deficiency is the lack of global consensus on the fight against terrorism.

Of course, the concept of terrorism varies from country to country. It depends on the circumstances and strategic goals of countries too. Nevertheless, three factors can always be used to determine whether a person's or group's action can be defined as terrorism: The use of violence or force, targeting of governments and people, and creating an atmosphere of terror to realize the objective of changing a government or society. The three key factors to define terrorism highlight its political goals, violent action and the damage it causes to society.

Different countries have different definitions for terrorism and adopted different policies to deal with it. Every country that suffers a terrorist attack has its own immediate threat to security and the right to decide its own course of action. But despite their differences, all countries agree that terrorism is evil and has been threatening the stability of global society and, hence, they have to cooperate to fight it.

In central and eastern Asia, for example, the countries that have suffered most because of terrorism have agreed that terrorism, extremism and separatism are the three evils threatening their national security and territorial integrity. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization's member states reached a consensus since the organization's inception to fight the three evils. That is a good example of regional coordination to fright against terrorism.



But even with mutual understanding and the facts being clear, some voices still differ on the issue. Most of these voices come from the West, especially the US, which distort the truth by claiming that the separatists and extremists - who would be condemned as terrorists for committing the same crimes in their own countries - are "heroes fighting for freedom and independence".

Such double standards have hurt the fight against terrorism, and helped the evil cause of terrorists.

People in Xinjiang have suffered many terrorist attacks perhaps because of the region's strategic location near Central Asia, where uncontrolled groups exploit the complicated ethnic situation to plow their evil trade. With Xinjiang making tremendous economic progress in recent years thanks to the immense support from the central government and coastal provinces, some terrorist groups fear their survival and thus launch more attacks to check the march of development.

Worse, some of the Xinjiang terrorist groups get support from the West which loves to call their usurpations acts of "independence and religious freedom", complicating the situation further. The result is deeper fear and greater misunderstanding among Xinjiang residents.

Because of the double standards adopted by the US-led West, the cost of Washington's fight against terrorism has been soaring without much success in rooting out the evil. The US has led the invasion of two countries, Afghanistan and Iraq, since the Sept 11 attacks but, far from being cornered, terrorists have responded with more attacks.

Even after May 2011 when US troops shot dead al-Qaida leader Osama Bin Laden, who was believed to have masterminded the Sept 11 attacks, attacks against American citizens and troops have not ceased. Just two months ago, explosions in Boston claimed three lives and injured many more.

A deeper look into history will show that the US has also been a victim of its double standards. In the 1980s and 1990s, the US supported terrorists in Afghanistan against its ideological enemy, the Soviet Union. One of those the US supported was Osama bin Laden. In fact, some terrorist groups threatening Iraqi people today were also supported by the US to fight former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein.

Terrorism is evil not only because of the violence it unleashes on people, but also because it has a political agenda to overthrow governments and thwart development. So it's time the US-led West gave up its double standards and coordinated with the rest of the international community, including China, in the fight against terrorism.

The author is the vice-director of Institute of Central Asia Studies, under the Xinjiang Academy of Social Sciences.

Uighur terrorists actions incited and supported by the Evil Empire

I refer to the recent Uighur terrorists actions in Xinjiang in which scores of innocent people mainly ethnic Hans were killed.

The hidden hands of the Evil Empire are definitely involved in the turmoil in Xinjiang. Until the Evil Empire sincerely and openly declare that it will not support the Uighur terrorists and close down the Uighur separatists office in USA and other cities of the Western countries the incitement to choas and terrorist actions by Western supported terrorist Uighurs will never end. The White or European Americans managed to solve the native American problems by genocide through systematic mass massacre . May be the Evil Empire is hinting to China to learn from them how to solve the Uighur Terrorists problem. Native Indian American survivors of the massacre were put in concentration camps and so China should take a leaf from the  The Evil Empire and deal with the surviving Uighur terrorists similarly. Of course we Chinese are too civilised to do the way of the barbaric white men.
Just round up all the Uighur terrorists and their supporters and legally sentence them to the gallows or the firing squad and leave without a shadow of doubt that China will not tolerate any terrorist acts from any quarter.


Southernglory1

21,000 turn up at Gay Party in Hong Lim

This is surely a very big number for a non govt event or an event organised by the public. It sure beats the 2,500 or 3,000 turn out at the first population protect rally at Hong Lim in February. That was what we were to believe as the right number.

I scrutinised the two photos of the crowd in Hong Lim yesterday and the crowd at the first protest rally and found that they were not much different, at the most a 10 per cent variant. And the first crowd was conveniently tagged at 2,500 with some reports claiming it to be as low as 1,500. And this gay crowd is claimed to be 21,000!

Holy cow, I thought photos don’t lie. So either the first protest number was wrong or the gay party number is wrong. With the two photos as evidence, I kinda think the crowd at the gay party was over stated and that at the first protest rally was understated.

What is interesting is that photos can also tell lies or people with cock eyes can be so screw up in their number guessing game.  Was there an agenda?

Crocodile feeding in Sungei Buloh

A couple of shots taken yesterday at Sungei Buloh Wetland. This guy snapped his jaws so hard that pieces of the fish splattered all over, out of its mouth. There are a few of them at the river next to the entrance and there is no need to trample deep into the park to see them. Timing is crucial and they are normally seen at low tide. The best is one or two hours after the published low tide when the water starts to flow back in, bringing along the fishes for the hunt.

I was there one afternoon when the tide was high and everyone was desperate looking for the crocodiles. Every little movement or shadow in the water would attract attention and finger pointing, 'There, there, the croc is there.'  A little girl in her father's arm was bewildered by the antics of the adults. She was so exasperated and shouted, 'There, there, over there' and pointing to another direction. The daddy asked her where. She said inside the triangle.

There was a triangle sign hanging in the observation shed with a picture of a crocodile in it.

The plight of Singaporean PMETs

Thanks to the internet, the pathetic plight of Singaporean PMETs are getting an airing that otherwise would not be heard. A blogger, SNG’s article in Gilbert’s Transitioning Org blog, dedicated to jobless Singaporeans, is being reposted in TRE. Another article of a graduate Singaporeans who had to hide his degree qualification just to get a temp job and was asked to leave when he applied for a permanent position was also posted in TRE. They discovered that he had a degree and not just a diploma.

Some may denounce him for lying. But why must he lie about his higher qualification? Isn’t that something to be proud of, to be added in the CV to enhance the chances of an application and higher pay? How can the situation become so ridiculous that I can’t even laugh? Singaporeans hiding their higher qualifications in order to get a lower grade and lower paying job? If this is the case, the call for Singaporeans not to pursue university education may be the result of this new reality. And there is no need for more universities unless to cater for foreign students.

In SNG’s case, he managed to work 17 months out of 36 months, and not that he is not qualified and lack experience. He has worked overseas as an expat as well which means he was good enough. And now finding a job here is so difficult for him.

And we have more than a million foreigners happily working here, maybe nearer to two millions if PRs are included. And many more foreigners are happily rushing here as jobs are plenty and easy to get except for Singaporeans. What the hell is going on?

What is happening? Dunno leh. Maybe Singaporeans are really daft. Maybe the local universities, despite their world class rankings, are teaching craps or producing crappy graduates. Maybe Singaporeans are basically unemployable because they are Singaporeans and companies, organisations, institutions and even ministries are finding it more beneficial to hire foreigners or PRs.

I have only one conclusion. Singaporeans are simply disease. They carry a disease that made them unemployable. Or if they are employable, at most up to 50 or maybe lower, about 40. After that their mind will shrivel and their intellect and ability to work just diminished and no longer productive. They should then be despatched to the lepers colony till death comes.

So it is paramount that the City must import more foreigners to boost up the City’s productivity and to replace the diseased Singaporeans.

The haze poll is working fine at the moment

75 have voted. 65 said the govt is reactive and 10 said dunno or blur. The result is quite expected. It would be worst if 65 voted blur and 10 voted reactive.

Being reactive means still trying to do something, whether right or wrong or effective or ineffective is another thing. And don't try to explain this away as not the right thing or the people are misguided. This is the perception of the govt and from the way things are happening daily, you can see that the Govt is reacting on a day by day basis.

The big plan, the proactive part, the thinking ahead to prevent things from getting to such a stage, are totally absent. They may argue that there is a haze plan and every reaction is part of the big plan. How many would believe so?

The distribution of the mask, the PSI, PM 10 and PM 2.5 are all hot issues with everyone contradicting and disagreeing with everyone. It is just like a circus in town.

We still have a few more days for the poll to run and the numbers are still coming in.

Thanks for the feedback.

SMRT free ride trial run

Five days into the free ride scheme for early commuters and things are running smoothly. The number of early commuters has increased slightly but still bearable.

Two factors could contribute to the situation at the moment. One, more trains were added to reduce the waiting time. At times train would arrive at 1 or 2 minute intervals. This frequency helps to get the commuters moving at a faster rate.

The second factor waiting to happen is the presence of student commuters. They will join the crowd on Monday and the picture could change. Whether having more trains and higher frequency could cope with the 300,000 students in the system is yet to be seen.

The strange thing or miracle that has happened these few days is that the trains could be spaced out within a 2 min interval, with some arriving within one min. Now why would I call this a miracle?

How many of you still remember a couple of years back when the jam problem first surfaced and there was a call for more trains on the track. Then some wise guy claimed that in order for the train to increase the frequency for a separation of 2 min interval it would need a sophisticated monitoring system that would cost a few billion bucks. Now it seems that without spending a few billion bucks, the train can still run with a 2 min separation. Is this strange or the public has been hookwinked? Or has SMRT already bought and installed that multi billion dollar train management system?

Another small miracle is that with higher passenger loads, the jams could be reduced or at least minimized by increased frequencies. Why was this not possible or not done in the past? Let me guess. High profits and sardine packed trains go hand in hand. To increase the comfort of commuters by having more trains running and higher frequency are incompatible with higher profits and higher bonuses. Can this be an explanation for the jam packed trains? Just thinking aloud. 

Monday is just around the corner and if not delayed be the reappearance of dense haze, the system will be put to the real test. It would be more crowded for the early birds and the students. It is only a matter of how crowded would it be. This week was a good break for the SMRT to sort out the details and fine tuning for the free ride to prove itself. This free thingy would not have been even considered under the previous regime when profit was everything.

Testing out a new poll on haze

The last time I put up a poll, the result was unmanageable as the votes kept changing and even went missing. I have just put up another poll to have a feel of the perception of the people on the Govt's handling of the haze situation and see if the poll function is working.

Cheers.

Philippines the most powerful American colony

It was only a couple of decades back that the Pinoys exerted their independence and national pride by kicking out their colonial master, the Americans, from Subic and Clark Air Base. Today the Pinoys are reasserting any kind of independence and national pride by willingly offering their military bases to the Americans again and also to invite their WW2 invader, the Japanese, to base in the Philippines. Both the trigger happy cowboys and the blood letting samurais are welcomed with open arms by the equally trigger happy Pinoys.

And the Pinoys can now claim to be the most powerful American colony in the world and are ready to go to war with China. They are now the point man of the Empire, with unlimited supply of military weapons. And the Japanese have also vowed to fight beside them.

Japan is now on a military expansionary path towards Asia and SE Asia. It is pushing ahead with its remilitarization and with the connivance and blessing of the Americans. They are burning their pacifist constitution and shedding the mask of being a decent and non aggressive military power. Japan has rearmed and will resume its military past that it has never given up.

The East and South China Seas are about to go up in flames. And the Chinese are prepared for it. China has announced its interests in the South China Sea islands as non negotiable and will go to war if necessary, even against the combined forces of the Empire, Japan and the most powerful American colony.

The American pivot and intrusion into Southeast Asia is going to bear fruit. How many SE Asian countries will be drawn into this coming war? Wherever the Americans make their presence, be sure war will follow.

Building a Singaporean banking core

Since Tharman came out to speak about building a banking core of Singaporeans, very little has happened really. And from the few skimpy reports, I think the whole thing will be a wash out or at least a big hazy wayang. It fails from the word go.

Just read the comments and reports and what the banks are claiming that they will be doing and how happy they are with the 75% locals in their employ. And no one can escape the dreaded word locals. Yes, a Singaporean core is all about the locals, so they want you to believe. Now, this mischievous word is going to be used very mischievously to undermine the interest of Singaporeans. You all know what it means when someone utters the word local. It is about PRs more than about Singaporeans. People using locals to include Singaporeans and PRs are betraying the citizens of this island. And there is another easier way to betray Singaporean, ie hand the joker a pink IC and lo behold, he is a genuine Singaporean and no question asks.

It is comforting to hear Foo Mee Har urging the Govt to introduce further measures. She had been there and knows what is happening. ‘One way is to put in place a robust labour market test, whereby employers have to show evidence that they have exhausted the local candidate pool before they hire foreigners. The UK, Australia and Hong Kong already have labour market tests in place,’ she said. I say, put her in charge of a task force to build this Singaporean core.

If the Govt is serious in building a Singaporean core from Singaporeans born and bred here, there are many things that it can do. It is all about the intention and the will to do it.

We are all watching the show, be it a wayang or a serious attempt to promote the interest of Singaporeans. We will vote for it in 2016.

Saving Rebecca Loh

I wrote about her case a while back. Many sympathised with her in this cruel, unforgiving and shamelessly rich city. Some assholes even chided her and more or less had her condemned to death for dropping her ‘special needs’ son, Gabriel, to his death.

Kenneth Jeyaretnam has just written another plea for Rebecca and is reposted in TRE. Again, instead of opening out our hearts to this wretched poor woman, another asshole attacked KJ for trying to capitalise on her pathetic case for political objective. But there are also many ordinary folks out there who could feel the pain of this woman in desperation. Rebecca is crying, alone in her cell. Can you hear her?

I am equally lost as to what can be done to save this poor woman from the punishment that would likely be passed against her for taking the life of her son. The law is the law. The judge is there to uphold the law.

Maybe everyone can only wait for the judgement of this case and then make a plea for clemency from the President.

It is so sad, and unforgivable, for a case like Rebecca to slip through the social net. Everyone that came to know her, in contact with her, before the incident, could not possibly fail to see her despair. Or they might have felt it but could not find a way to help her.

Many are crying for Rebecca and the late Gabriel. Rebecca could have stopped crying. She is the living dead, the day she let her hand go on Gabriel. There is nothing for her anymore, unless the conscience of the people extends her a helping hand. The billions or trillions in our reserves are as good as fool’s gold or monopoly notes, that despite so much money there, not a cent could be spared to prevent the tragedy of Rebecca and Gabriel. And there are many Rebeccas and Gabriels out there, lost and waiting for help. Would there be a glimmer of hope, that a few dollars from these precious billions or trillions could find their way to them?

We are the richest country on earth and we are so busy paying millions and millions to the successful and undeserving. And they are still asking for more. But we cannot spare a few dollars for Rebecca and Gabriel.

While everyone is busy with the haze, queuing to buy N95, queuing to buy that condo, or queuing overnight to get a Hello Kitty, would they spare a thought for Rebecca? Would Singaporeans cry for Rebecca?

Home / Opinion / Chen Weihua
World owes Snowden debt of gratitude
Updated: 2013-06-14 07:56
By Chen Weihua ( China Daily)
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World owes Snowden debt of gratitudeThere have been raging debates about whether Edward Snowden is a whistleblower, hero, criminal or traitor after the former CIA employee revealed the US National Security Agency's top-secret surveillance program of people's phone, e-mail and Internet records.

But people both inside and outside the United States owe the 29-year-old a thank you for telling them that they are being closely watched by a government that likes to portray itself as a protector of privacy and civil liberties, and a role model for other countries.

Most people, except those at the NSA and a few lawmakers like Dianne Feinstein, chair of the US National Intelligence Committee, were not aware of the surveillance until Snowden exposed it.

Those who want to cast Snowden as a traitor argue that the information he leaked could aid the US' enemies and poses a national security threat. That has been a familiar excuse used in the US since Sept 11, 2001, to scare people into supporting actions they don't necessarily agree with.

Holding prisoners at the Guantanamo Bay detention center without trial and drone attacks in other countries are all conducted in the name of keeping the country safe. However, the morality and legality of such actions have been questioned globally.

Now Snowden has bitterly reminded people in the US of the surveillance society they are living in.

There is no doubt that the Obama administration has been hugely embarrassed by the scandal since the Democratic president has long campaigned for transparency and against the government's overreach during the George W. Bush years.

The phone and Internet companies that have aided the NSA in mining people's phone and e-mail data have also come under public scrutiny. Indeed, such companies as Google, Apple, Twitter, Microsoft, Facebook, Verizon and AT&T have betrayed the trust of people worldwide.

The American Civil Liberties Union, a Verizon Communications client, has already filed a lawsuit against the Obama administration in a bid to stop the data gathering and purge any storage of its information.

What is chilling is that the Obama administration has not only denied any wrongdoing, it has vehemently defended the NSA surveillance program as legal and necessary. It is also doing everything it can to hunt down Snowden and charge him with treason.

That is what they have done to Bradley Manning, a 25-year-old soldier who was arrested in Iraq three years ago on suspicion of passing classified information to WikiLeaks.


US prosecutors have also targeted WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who is now living in asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, at the opening of Manning's trial, alleging that he directly encouraged and aided Manning's leaks of classified documents and conspired with Manning in the theft of classified information.

Supporters of Manning and Assange have launched a worldwide campaign to nominate them for the Nobel Peace Prize, and a petition to pardon Snowden on the White House website had already gathered 63,013 signatures by 7:40 am Thursday.

For the past few months, the US has been viciously accusing China and other nations of cyberespionage, yet Snowden's whistle-blowing has revealed that it is the US that has been engaging in a monstrous spying program on people all over the world.

And that's not all. A recent Reuters report showed that the US government has become the largest buyer in a burgeoning gray market where hackers and security firms sell tools for breaking into computers. It said the US intelligence and military agencies are using the tools to infiltrate computer networks overseas, leaving behind spy programs and cyberweapons that can disrupt data or damage systems.

The report claims that much of the offensive cyberwarfare is done by publicly traded US defense contractors, such as Raytheon Co and Northrop Grumman Corp.

It may sound paranoid - like some in the US House Intelligence Committee - to brand those US firms who collaborate with the NSA as a possible national security threat, as they did to Chinese telecom firms Huawei and ZTE. But it is so ironic when recalling Obama's many passionate speeches on freedom, civil liberties, the rights of the individual and government transparency.

Those speeches sound hollow now.

Haze a convenient smoke bomb

For more than a week, Singapore was and still is covered by a thick layer of haze, or smoke. No one can see through the white smoke thrown over the island like a godsend. There was relief in many corners with attention drawn towards NEA, PSI, PM10, PM2.5 and N95. Everyone is grouching about how to get life back to normalcy, how to breathe in a little clean air, and how to blow the smoke away.

People were praying for rain as rain was seen as the only way out to wash away the haze. And I think they prayed too hard. Rain came but in hard form of hailstones. The lesson learnt, pray hard but not too hard. Ask for help but just the right dose. And I think the people learnt and we had a bout of real rain yesterday. The sky was clearer, a bit better.

So is it time to see through the haze and to grapple with the temporary forgotten problems of cleaning hawker centres, of unemployed PMEs, of overflowing foreigners, of internet regulations, and the many unsolved problems hanging in the haze? Let’s hope the haze does not return to throw smoke all over the problems again. Let’s put aside the N95 and forget about the PSI, if we can.

While I was typing this, the air is still looking a bit hazy.

Yudhoyono has to defend his apology to Singapore and Malaysia

President Yudhoyono must have come under heavy attacks from the Indonesian leaders for apologizing to Singapore and Malaysia. What does this mean? The true feeling among the Indonesia leaders is not about right and wrong but about national pride, about being a big power. And it is demeaning for a big power like Indonesia to say sorry to smaller countries. This is the thinking and mentality of many of the Indonesian leaders. Lesson Number One, there are not bothered by being right or wrong.

Indonesia is the acknowledge leader and biggest regional power in the region. There is no reason for Indonesia to fear Singapore or Malaysia. Apologising to these two countries is just the correct thing to do and has nothing to do with bowing to pressure. No country in the region can put pressure on Indonesia, not even the Australians. For those Indonesian leaders to think so is a sign of inferiority complex, that they still did not know that they are the acknowledged regional power and leader. What a joke.

And it takes a greater man like Yudhoyono to say sorry to Singapore and Malaysia as a goodwill gesture. It makes him and Indonesia looked even bigger and more respectable. The criticisms by the other Indonesian leaders in a way have destroyed the goodwill Yudhoyono has done. It reveals the real deep psychic of the Indonesians and something that Singapore and Malaysia have to take note and be very careful about. This is Lesson Number Two.

The sad part is that Yudhoyono is now trying to say things to please his critics and claimed that the Singapore and Malaysian media reports were exaggerating to smear Indonesia’s reputation. Such back tracking will only bring him to be in line with the hysterics of his Indonesian critics. He could ask his ambassadors in the two countries to take a reading or walk in the haze and give him a ground zero report on the situation, first hand reporting, no exaggeration, not from the media, just the truth. Or use their mobile phones to take a picture and MMS to him.

This is Lesson Number Three. No need to know the truth.