Do we have a good country?

Josephine Teo shared her chit chat with a foreign leader who came here quite often. And this was what she commented. ‘ I had dinner with a well-regarded government leader from our region. This person comes to Singapore for private short breaks. I asked this person: “Why do you come?” (He said): “To be encouraged and to be inspired.” People always say you must appreciate your own home. There’s truth in that.’
 
I fully agree with her that we have built a great place to live in. And why are Singaporeans so angry, she asked. I won’t want to comment why she asked such a question. It is like some MP asking, why got poor people in Singapore meh? Ignorance, living in cloud nine, refusing to come to terms with what is around her, and worse, thinking that all Singaporeans are bathing in a lap of luxury like her is simply unbelieveable. A politician is supposed to be well connected with the people, understands the people and their aspirations and their woes and concern.
 
Ok, enough of that. Now, why are Singaporeans angry? Why do I sound angry about the happenings and policies affecting the people when we live in a city that is an inspiration to many leaders around the world? Many leaders would want to create a country like ours no matter how corrupt they are. It is an achievement and a pride to be able to do a Singapore.
 
The people are angry simply because they fear losing this great country they have built. Not that the country will crumbled and become another normal 3rd World city. It can happen. The chances of it happening in the short term are remote. But the chance of losing it to foreigners and Singaporeans struggling to earn a living, to fall victims to foreigners who seized the country as their own is so high. It is happening. Many parts of the island have already been taken over by the foreigners. Many jobs and industries have been captured and controlled by foreigners. Dunno meh?
 
The foreigners have taken more than a beach head and will expand their foothold rapidly at the expense of Sinkies. And she asked, ‘Why are Singaporeans angry?’ Ask that again.
 
The leaders are living such a contented lifestyle that they are oblivion to the dangers facing this country and in a way working towards losing it for the citizens of the island. And this is only one aspect that the people are angry. If politicians do not know that the people are angry and do not know why there are angry, it simply means they are sleeping or living in Alice’s Wonderland. Life is too good for them to know anything is amiss. Do they want to know why the people are angry?
 
We have a great country. Don’t lose it. Don’t give it away on a silver platter to wolves in sheepskins. Don’t condemn our citizens to become maids and taxi drivers and security guards or become statistics of unemployment. Every year we produced thousands of very smart children. Please don’t make them servants to fakes, non talents and average talents from the 3rd World.

A noose within a noose

Bangkok starts a Monday with mass protest to shut down all business activities. To the protesters it is sheer fun and delirium, anarchy of sort. No one cares how this will impact the business in Bangkok and how businesses will be affected.
 
Several agencies are turning against the Yingluck govt. The Election Commission wanted the govt to postpone the election. The Anti Corruption Agency is filing charges against hundreds of lawmakers of the ruling govt. The Army is taking a ‘not my business’ position, and the protesters in Bangkok are in the streets. The noose is tightening on the Yingluck govt. They are forcing the govt to resign.
 
Where are the Red Shirts, the majority rural people in support of the Yingluck govt? They are forming another noose around Bangkok, a kind of the rural people encircling the urban people. There is a ring around the Yingluck govt and a bigger ring around this ring outside Bangkok.
 
And the Democrat Party who believes in democracy and democratic principles is stopping the people from electing their representatives to form a democratic govt. They do not want an election to be held. They refuse to recognize a popularly elected govt and wanted to appoint their own people to be the govt without being democratically elected by the people.
 
What is going on? Great strategies are being in play. We are seeing the art of war in real life happening at this very moment. Who shall triump, the Thaug or the Thak? Don't forget the real thug behind all these.

The sampan mentality

The nearly doubling of the population, the hospital bed crunch, the housing shortage, the employment problems of PMETs, the jams on the roads, the overloading of the trains, the crowds of restless foreigners on weekends, are not things that happened like the flash of lightning. They are built up day by day over a long period of time, and often with known policies and intention. All you need is a calculator, no need a computer, to tell you that all these will happen if the population keeps growing at this pace by letting in immigrants. Why is it so difficult to see these things happening? There is only one reason why all these can be missed. That reason is the sampan mentality. If one keeps thinking that one is in a sampan, one would think that there are only so many people in the sampan and no need to think too much. Everything will be manageable. The problem comes when the reality is more than a sampan. The sampan is ten times overloaded and you dunno meh? Still thinking you are in a sampan when there are more than 5m people in it and could be exceeding 6m if all the transit visitors are included you will be in trouble.
 
How many people are still stuck with this sampan mentality and going about merrily that the sampan can carry so many people without any problems?
 
If one refuses to break out from the sampan mentality and think is no problem like before, everything can be seen within arms length, how to anticipate the problems of a population that has outgrown even a cruise ship?
 
On one hand keeps thinking small but on the other hand keeps having megalomaniac dreams. The two dreams just won’t match. It is like dreaming big and thinking small. The sampan is simply too small and the problems too big.
 
Please get rid of the sampan mentality. We need an ocean going ship and the space to hold all the people and all the associated problems of a big population in a limited space. We have outgrown our sampan. Don’t believe ya?

PS. Do you know what they do in a sampan? There is always someone with a tin in his hand to scope up water creeping into the sampan and throw it out. Small problem, simple solution.

As long as you are an employee, be very afraid

Yes, you are an employee, in the private sector or in govt service, as long as you earn a living by working for an organisation, you must take note of the predicament you can be in. Even if you are a top civil servant or a CEO in the private sector, if you did not accumulate enough wealth for your children to live off the inheritance, think of what would happen to them when they cannot compete for a job with foreigners. Think of what would happen to them when they can’t even get a decent job to live a decent life. This is the plight of Sinkies in the coming years when the island is filled with foreigners and foreigners turned citizens. They are not going to be kind to you or your children and grandchildren if you do not stop this trend of letting the foreigners to take over your country. Your generosity is idiotic. It is critical time and time is running out if we do not put a stop to the influx while we still can.

Increasing population is NOT the only way to growth and well being of a people. That is a sure way of self destruct. Everything just go up with the rise in demand. So the cleaners should be laughing and very happy that they are earning 4 figure salary. Of course you know that it is a delusion. The money is shrinking rapidly by this unsustainable formula of inflation, of inflating the price of everything with the influx of more and more people. There are other ways to provide a better life to the people than population growth.

Every Sinkie that is a working person has to do his part to stop this spiral to oblivion. It is destroying the lives and future of the true blue Sinkies. The only people benefiting from this idiotic scheme, other than the super rich, are the poor and average foreigners. This make belief 1st World city is only good for poor 3rd World people and a few passing by from the developed world who are making hay while the sun shines. Even some 3rd World so called talents would have to be offered top jobs to accept the pink ICs or PRs which they could easily change again when the going is rough, when the eventual collapse comes.

You, working class Sinkies, even if you are top civil servants or CEOs of private sectors must learn to protect your country, yourself and your children from the dangerous path that this game is leading us to. It is not only unsustainable, it is a sellout of the true blue Sinkies. You will lose everything eventually when being true blue becomes a curse, and instead of bumiputra the country, the country will go to a new master. With only 3m plus people, it is so easy to become a minority and be overwhelmed.

Sinkies must wake up to save themselves and their children’s future now. Don’t ever think that you are having a good job and a good income so it is not your problem. You need to help yourself and your children or you and your children will be replaced. It is also your problem. Your vision of good life cannot be just you and now unless you are single or have no children to think of.

Insurance schemes – When conscience pricks

Han Fook Kwang politely asked a few questions in his column with the title, ‘Insurers should treat customers better’. He just received a notice by his insurer that the premium for his medical insurance would be doubled to keep pace with the changing landscape of medical insurance. The Medishield Life, before even being implemented, is already showing its true colours and claiming its first casualty. Everyone, got money no money, life worth living or unworthy of living, healthy or unhealthy, young and old, there is no where to run. Get your cash ready to pay and pay for your medical insurance.

Han Fook Kwang wants the insurers to explain why should be the premium be raised and doubled. He expects a little civility like informing the payers and talking to the payers. He only asked to be treated better.

Wait a moment, is he compelled to pay for his private medical insurance? In a way, since he has been paying for several years and changing an insurer is not the convenient thing to do so for people with the money to pay. His main worry is the road ahead. How often would this doubling of premiums be done as he ages and when he retires and there is no income? He theoretically has another 30 years to pay and each doubling of premiums can be awesome. And mind you, Han Fook Kwang is no ordinary average Sinkie. If he is concerned, the average Sinkies with no savings, no jobs and no income are going to have an interesting time paying for compulsory Medishield Life. They can avoid the private insurers but not the one that would use the law to force them to buy insurance and to pay for it.

Now the bigger question, can anyone, even the govt, force the people to buy and pay a life time of insurance premiums? Do the people have a choice not to buy medical insurance? There are people who do not wish to live another day longer and a medical condition is welcomed to take them out of the drudgery of a meaningless and moneyless life.

Han Fook Kwang asked the rights of the insurers to suka suka raise premiums. But he has a choice to stop his medical policy if the price is not right. Do the rest of the people have the choice to say no? Why are the people being forced to pay against their will for something they do not want?

Did the people vote for a govt to compel them to buy medical insurance for life, for a life not worth living and when they don’t have any income or savings to pay for?

Does anyone see anything wrong with this concept of forcing people to buy medical insurance? Next time they may even force you to buy your coffin beforehand or pay for your cremation and a place at the columbarium.

This is the only country where an elected govt, not a dictatorship mind you, could suka suka decide how to spend the people’s money, to compel them to buy things that they did not want or wish to. And it thinks it has the right to do so. Anyone understand the meaning of daylight robbery?

I think it is kind of a habit. When the people get used to it, when the govt gets used to it, it becomes a new normal, to make things compulsory for the people to pay. Not paying becomes an offence or a crime. All those who cannot pay will become automatic criminals, violators of the law.

What’s happening Thailand

Thailand is seeing a nation crippled when anti govt forces strutted around like they own the country and given the blessing to protest, to riot and to bring down a popularly elected govt. And the govt just cannot do anything as any attempt to stop the mass protest is likely to lead to violence and gives the military the excuse to declare martial law.

This leaves only the military to bring peace and order to the country. And for whatever reason, the military chooses not to do anything while the police knew they must not do anything as their very action is being watched by the military and waiting to pounce on them. Is the military under some sort of order not to act?

The biggest anti govt protest is now scheduled to bring down the govt on Monday. The Yellow Shirts are all ready on a do or die battle. The rich elite and office workers have no fear of death or injury should violence breaks out. Hope it stays that way. The Red Shirts comprising farmers and the poorer Thais have been staying away and avoiding a clash are now faced with a no option. For them not to do anything will see Bangkok and the govt brought to a standstill, a state of shutdown and finally the removal of Yingluck govt.

They too know that it is time to act if they want the govt to stay in power, if they want democracy to survive. With both sides taking a position that they have to fight against each other, how would Bangkok become, how many lives are waiting to be sacrificed for the cause of who? The masterminds are adamant in wanting to push this through and the innocent and ignorant masses will become the sacrificial lamb.

Thailand is divided. Thailand has never been so divided in this way when there is no other way out. Unless those in power step in to defuse this confrontation, one can safely conclude that there will be a bloody clash next week. The grandpas and grandmas and the children and babies better avoid joining the crowd as it is not going to be a tea party. Suthep has called his movement a revolution. No revolution has succeeded without bloodshed and martyrs.

The blood letting had started in the last couple of days. This is despite the Red Shirts avoiding a direct confrontation with the Yellow Shirts. They have announced that they would protest away from the Yellow Shirts to avoid a clash. It would not work. The people who wanted bloodshed to provoke a military intervention would see to it that people would be shot and die. Who would do such an act of treason against its own people? The Yingluck govt and the Red Shirts know very well to keep peace, to avoid any violence. But violence will be created for sure, and people will be shot, will die.

So strange that the Thais are so happy to walk down this road of violence that would never heal after the event. Can anyone predict the death toll and what will come out of this if it becomes a full fledge street battle? Or do they believe that with a few hundred thousand protesters on each side facing each other there will be no violence? Anything can be fabricated by the puppet master. Who is responsible or irresponsible for letting this to happen? And the law enforcers seem so hapless or not their business, and waiting to see how it all goes.

Will Bangkok burn?

A President with little dignity

Like all presidents, he does not have many things to do. He is a part time farmer and lives in a farm with his wife and a dog named Manuel, the only 3 legged thing around him. He attends meetings or meets other presidents and prime ministers in a casual shirt and a pair of sandals. Of course he owns a car, an old Volkswagen beetle that could be probably half his age. His only trapping of power are two security guards outside along the road to his farm house. There was a palace for him but he did not deem fit to occupy such an extravagant place.

And because he practically has not much to do as presidents often do, he is only paid and equivalent of S$12,000 a month. And because he knew that he did not do much he probably feels ashamed to take that money. So he donated 90% of the money to charity. No, he did not attend charity shows to raise fund, to make other people donate money to charity in his name so that he can use his fat salary to buy houses and more houses. When 90% of his $12,000 is donated, there is not much money left for himself and his wife. So they grow flowers to sell in the market to earn some pocket money.

President Jose Mujica of Uruguay is no meek and spineless individual. He was a guerilla fighter, fought for freedom of his people, not against his people. He was imprisoned twice and shot 6 times for trying to escape.

Though he is a hero in Uruguay, he is unlikely to have much dignity in countries when a person’s worth is measured in how much he is taking home, no matter if he is working or not, no matter if he is deserving of the money he takes. This is a simple man with simple dignity and earns an honest day’s work, with his own dignity, and to be honoured by his people as a national hero. You can say that every cents paid to him is worth it.

Singapore worried about Finlayson squirrel

This is a foreign specie squirrel that was imported by pet lovers and could have been let out or escaped into the wild.  Presumably this was an accidental act without knowing the consequences when the squirrels multiply and took over the parks and forests. No one see that far to think that the local squirrels would be in danger in the long run. The Finlaysons are found in Bidadari that is scheduled for redevelopment. The nature enthusiasts are concerned that they would be driven to other parts and threaten the existence of local species of squirrels. What makes the Finlayson squirrel a menace is that these foreigners are more aggressive and could replace the meek local species.

What the nature enthusiasts did not know is that the Finlayson specie has spread to other parks and not only in Bidadari. While everyone thinks they are only found in one area, they are in fact all over the island. And their numbers have grown to a size that any attempt to violate their habitat would turn them violent and they would riot against the locals.

The ignorance that there are not many around to be a threat is unbelieveable. Like the foreigners gathering in other parks of the island, they are everywhere and big in numbers. When they feel threatened, they could turn violent and devour the meek locals. The locals would be easy meat and their meek nature would surely see to their own destruction. The locals no longer know how to fight against the more aggressive and hungrier foreigners.

At least the nature enthusiasts can see the dangers these foreigners posed to the locals. The Finlaysons will keep their peace as long as they free to go on growing and expanding their population undeterred. Now, because of their size and their integration and adaptation to the local environment, they are a serious threat to the locals. They would take over the island in a matter of time and they will claim they are part of the locals.

But the true locals are oblivious to this threat. Only the people looking from the outside, like the nature enthusiasts, could understand and see the danger. It is only a matter of when, the locals will be forced out of their habitats with no resistance. They would probably feel the new specie is more deserving to live here. Ignorance is bliss.

A generation screwed

Over the last few decades, thousands of straight A students went through the mills. At least a thousand of them got straight As annually for their A level exam. How many of them could have been doctors and educated in our local unis? Oh, the capacity was only for a couple of hundreds. That’s it, nothing could be done to change this number. The rest of the straight A students either switch to other courses or, if they have rich parents, can go overseas for their medical degrees.

The situation today, our hospitals are infested with doctors from dunno where. Could these foreign doctors be as good as our straight A students? Or are they just the average, not counting those with fake qualifications? If we have not wasted our straight A students, we would have more of our best in the medical profession and at least reduce the shortfalls and need not take in doctors from God knows where and what.

For those who left on their papa mama scholarships, many would not want to return and would be lost for good. Why should they when on returning they would have to cough out a million or more to buy a decent small little private flat when they could own big landed properties overseas and a better quality of life? Why should they come home?

The number of such talents that have made homes in other countries must be pretty big. And we ended up shortchanged with you know what and from you know where.

A generation of our talented young men and women has been lost through our shortsighted policies on not educating our very best in medicine. To think of being treated by fakes or half past six doctors is really scary.

6.9m – do you have the people’s consent?

The 6.9m issue is not what 77 MP/ministers think they are big enough to decide. It affects every Sinkie today and into the future. Do they have the consent of the people? Definitely a big NO. Do they want to ask the people for their consent? Another big NO. Do they think they have been given the right to decide for the people on this issue. They want to think so.
 
The people are saying NO. Would they listen? NO. They are simply snubbing the people, an act of defiance against the people. They know the people are against it and they stubbornly and arrogantly want to go ahead with their decision against the will of the people. Why? Why would they want to go against the people? Is this 6.9m something that must be done and if not something very serious will happen, more serious than losing the vote and confidence of the people that the PAP rather offend the people than not doing it? Did they know something that the people did not know?
 
This is a democracy, mind you. And a democratically elected govt thinks it can ignore the people, disregard the people’s wishes and still believes confidently that the people will elect them to power, to rule the people, no need to listen to the people, to control the people and to snub the people.
 
This is definitely uniquely Singapore.
 
What can the Sinkies do? Absolutely nothing. Come election they will still elect the same people to power and pay them out of this world’s salary and can only pray that the same people will be kinder to them. It is like the govt knows that no matter what, they will continue to be in power somehow. Very eerie.

India, how a big power should behave

India is still fuming mad over what the Americans had done to their consul in New York, Devyani Khobragade. The rough and humiliating handling of the consul were just too much to swallow. Despite several high level protests, the Americans are not backing off and not apologizing. India, an emerging superpower, is not going to take it with hands down.
 
The latest development to this ugly episode of American bullying is the curtailment of non diplomatic American staff visiting a club at the American embassy in New Delhi. India is putting a stop to this privilege that it had closed an eye for many years. The non diplomats will now not be allowed to enjoy the benefits of the American Community Support Association club.
 
This is how an emerging power should respond to bullying by the Americans, the Number One superpower. Countries of the world must not allowed themselves to be bullied by the Americans and must react and hit back at the Americans. If the international communities are firm and take concerted actions against the Americans, it would put a stop to their nonsense and bullying tactics.
 
China needs to learn from India. Its worst humiliation was the bombing of the Chinese Embassy by an American cruise missile in . China was and is still military very much weaker than the Americans and taking a tough stand against the Americans may be too premature and put it on a losing end. But it surely can mount pressure and kick the American’s ass by other means, like what India is doing. The Americans would definitely stop their nonsense or at least have to think very carefully before repeating the same humiliation against India.
 
China can only stop the American bullying by standing firm and be prepared to take counter measures. The flying of two B 52s heading into China during the ADIZ episode was another case of American bullying. China must put it in no uncertain terms that B 52s, because of their offensive nature and capability to launch nuclear bombs, will be shot down if they approach a certain distance from the Chinese coast. At the very least, Chinese fighters must be scrambled to intercept and force them to turnaround.
 
Every country in the world that is repeatedly being harassed and bullied by the Americans must adopt a united front to stop the Americans from their rogue behavior. Not doing so would only encourage the Americans to treat them like dirt. India shall take the lead and show the world how best to deal with the American bullying.

A novel idea to free up hospital beds

The hospitals have become a great place for R and R, great and comfortable environment, clean, sanitized and airconed. And there are so many pretty and young nurses to take care of the patients’ needs and recreation. Who doesn’t want to extend his stay in the hospitals when it is so luxurious and fun? The patients would be so happy and pampered in bed, why would they want to leave the hospitals?
 
I have a novel idea that is a win win for everyone. The nurses will be free to do other more important nursing work. The patients would not want to stay in the hospital for too long. And operation cost could come down too and with more beds to spare.
 
The magic formula, retrain and convert the uncles and aunties in the foodcourts who are very experience in cleaning tables, plates and bowls to clean the patients. They are so good in this cleaning job that with every swipe all the dirt will come off. And they can clean more patients in shorter time. And the cost of redesignating them as nurses will definitely be lower while they will get a higher income than be cleaners in the foodcourts and hawker centres. With better income they will be more enthusiastic and motivated to do a better job, better morale. Think they will also be more cheerful and less grouchy.
 
And the benefits for the hospitals will be higher turnover of patients, thus freeing the precious bed spaces for more deserving patients. And the Ah Mahs and Ah Kongs are less likely to be job hoppers and would work till they call it a day. This is a good case for raising productivity of the Ah Kong and Ah Mah nurses, the pretty nurses to doing real nursing jobs, and the hospitals with lesser problems of bed shortages since patients would be cleaned so fast that there would be no reason for them wanting to stay in the hospital a day longer.
 
What do you think, Gan Kim Yong?
 
PS. I got inspiration from Agongkia to write this piece.

Game of musical chairs?

The curse of public housing hurt many Sinkies real bad for at least a decade with the Minister of Housing claiming housing was affordable and drastically cutting down the building programme. A decade of denial finally succumbed to public pressure and anger that resulted in his departure from the cabinet. Many home buyers suffered for having to buy public flats at highly inflated prices. The damage caused by this foolishness will take its toll when the next major economic crisis hits.

Now where would the white knight be from to solve the housing crisis? No prize for guessing, the Minister of Health was the right man to solve a housing problem. Who says you need relevant experience in the right field to do a good job? What relevant experience was needed for someone from the Health Ministry to solve housing problems? Or shall I say the important factors are: right attitude, a little intelligence, a little common sense, and a will to do the right thing. A major part of the housing shortfall has been taken care of. The second problem is the high housing prices that were bloated during the decade of not building. How to solve this and who to solve this? Or it has become the new normal to be accepted by the young home buyers?

While Boon Wan is still working on the housing problem, a new problem surfaces, the shortfall of hospital beds. Of course, don’t expect the Minister of Health to solve this problem. Housing problem has to be solved by a Health Minister. So Health Ministry problem in the form of shortages of beds must be solved by someone from another ministry. Or should it be from the Housing Ministry, the Minister of Housing? Two Health Ministers have been on the seat and not knowing that there is a huge shortage of beds. They know or dunno? Maybe they know and waiting for it to go away with time or for a miracle to happen.

Now that the problem has exploded and cannot be hidden anymore, do they have other capable ministers to solve hospital beds problem? The Health Ministers are of no use as it has proven that under their watch the problem was not nipped in the bud.

There are also other big problems of immigration and employment waiting to be solved by the Minister of Manpower. Or should the white knight to solve this problem come from another ministry?

The public transportation problem is still not fully solved yet. How about getting the Transport Minister to solve Manpower and Immigration problems, and the Health Minister to solve transport problem, then the Manpower Minister can go and solve hospital bed shortfall problems?

Some of you may find this confusing but actually there is a simple logic to it. Those of you who have watch people playing chess will understand what I am going to say. Often the chess players are not as clear as the bystanders. People watching from outside often have a clearer picture of the mess and could see the problems clearer better than the incumbents. It is also called the fishbowl effect. The fish inside the bowl is part of the problem or are trapped in the problem. People looking at the fishbowl will have an overall view of what is happening. See, logical?

So this game of musical chair is good, really good. And no need whatever relevant experience or the usual craps. Just get someone with a little intelligence from the outside to deal with the problem. In a way it is like the foreign talent thing. The people inside cannot see or solve the problem, only foreigner talents can, even if they are faking the whole damn shit. Sorry I was exaggerating and being naughty on the shit part. And you can also see that Boon Wan now out of the Health Ministry could see the bed shortfall problems better than when he was there.

Get the picture?

One reason that can make the Jewel a destination

I want to claim copyright to this idea. As many have said, why the hell is there a need for another shopping mall in Changi when you have shopping malls all round the island and in all the terminals and all the airports around the world? Why don’t they think of something more innovative and less run of the mill type of ideas?
 
I think the Jewel can have a great chance of success if it is not just another ordinary shopping mall but a Jewel in the form of a Medical Mall. Sell it as a top notch medical centre with top notch facilities but Asian prices. And with its convenient location at the airport, it will be so convenient for medical tourists to have the best medical services at walking distance from the planes. Some day surgery patients could stop by, do their stuff and off they go in the same waiting plane or the next flight.
 
No need to elaborate too much as the attractiveness of such an idea, an excellent Medical Hub at the airport, is self explanatory.
 
What do you think CAG? No need to copy all the other malls as another shopping centre selling the same stuff. And yes, the Jewel will become a destination for medical tourists.

Why I like the MCE

The MCE is now flowing smoothly, thank you motorists for avoiding this expressway so that I can push my car to the limits without the congestion. It is now like driving in a Formula One circuit with the foot flat on the pedal. Whoosh, great freeway.
 
I also like to drive in a tunnel and enjoy the tunnel vision. In a tunnel, all you care or see is a little light at the end of the tunnel. Now I know what that means. Driving over and across the Benjamin Sheares Bridge may have a lot of beautiful sights to behold, the great scenery, the open space and the fresh air if the window is down, or for those with a soft top. But who cares, I just love the tunnel and the feeling of being in a well. Oops, I mean inside a tunnel. The only misgiving is to miss the sight of that multi billion awful fake garden, or is it a blessing?
 
And why not, now I can tell the world that I have driven on the world’s most expensive express way, the 8th Wonders of the World. The feeling is damn shiok, a wonderful feeling really, honest. For every metre of road travelled is like moving on a pile of money equivalent to $860,000! The sensation is really good, the money under my feet or wheels feeling. And I don’t mind the longer distance with more time to enjoy this great feeling. Lagi shiok. Never mind more tyre wear and burning a bit more gas. It is worth it, every cent of it.
 
Many Sinkies may not be able to afford the world’s most expensive cars. Now they can afford to drive on the world’s most expensive stretch of road. The feeling is just as good.
 
Funny, why do I have this great sinking feeling?

Why a GE in 2014 is highly probable?

No, this time it is not that the ground is sweet. It is very sour. Then why pushing for an early election when there are two more years to sit in comfort and drawing the comforting salaries plus bonuses? Well in two years time the situation would not be sour but fermented. Externally there is a bigger financial crisis waiting to explode leading to the break down of the whole banking and financial system and money would be worthless in a way. This would lead to an economic crisis leading to job losses worldwide and our housing market would simply collapse and people with huge mortgages got no where to run. But this is only a small factor in the consideration as it may or may not happen, or may happen much later.
 
What is more imminent is the threat of a split in PAP. As long as He is around the split would not happen. When He is not around, you can bet your last dollar it will happen. And when it happens, it will be the end of the party. Pardon my pun.
 
It is better to take a small bit, cut some losses and still be in power for another 5 years than to lose everything in two years’ time. This is the only major consideration in the game.
 
In the last GE, both MM and SM stood down and become ordinary MPs. The next GE, if it happens this year, will mean that both will not stand. The alternative, if the GE is held in 2016, there is a likelihood that Chok Tong may want to stand. He is still very young if we take 90 as the reference point. Chok Tong has another good 20 years to go. And if the Party is not going to field him, then a split is imminent given his support base and the number of MPs willing to follow his leadership.
 
Now, that would be a nightmare surely.
 
So, would it be 2014 or 2016?

Do not meddle with our money. You need our consent!

The increasing frequency in the govt meddling with the people’s savings in the CPF is not a joke anymore. It concerns hundreds of thousands of an individual’s life savings that they earned through blood, sweat and tears. No one, not the govt, should think it can take liberty with the people’s life savings under whatever excuses. It is simply not the govt’s money. No one shall be allowed to decide how much of the people’s money to be held back almost indefinitely or how to spend it by compulsory schemes other than the owners of the money. How could anyone think he could do that with other people’s money without the owner’s consent? It is not your grandfather’s money you know?
 
This is not your money. This is the people’s money, individuals out there who earned it. If the money were given to the people by whatever bonuses from govt surpluses, fair enough, the govt can decide how and where it should go to. The people did not elect a govt to mess around with their life savings. This message must be brought to bear on the govt, that they better back off from the people’s savings, and if they insist to ignore this, they should be voted out.
 
Any political party that comes to power must be made to respect the people’s right to their money. This is something that bothers on human rights, the right to one’s safety, liberty and possession. Who is so outrageous to think that the people’s money is for them to do as they wished?
If the present govt is mistaken, that the people indeed elected them to mess around with their money, the people must make this known to the govt that this is not so, must not be so.
 
How on earth could this happen for so long and the amount that are kept away from the people’s reach is getting so huge and so unreasonable? The message to the govt must be loud and clear, return our money as promised. This govt is getting carried away by what it thinks it is within its right to do so just by passing laws in Parliament. Worse, now they don’t even need to discuss in the Parliament or pass any law on what they want to do with the people’s savings. They just change the rules as they deemed fit.
 
Can you beat that? Are you going to accept it meekly? The time has come to say NO to the govt. The people’s money in the CPF is OB to the govt. It is sacrosanct, the sacred right of the owners.

We can cope with 6.9m?

‘Singapore public hospitals are experiencing a severe shortage of beds….Changi General Hospital set up a large air-conditioned tent outside this week for patients to stay in while waiting for beds in the hospital.
 
At Tan Tock Seng Hospital, dozens of beds were set up n corridors to meet demand.
Meanwhile, Khoo Teck Puat hospital has resorted to sending patients on to Alexandra Hospital.’ ST
 
Khoo Teck Puat is a new hospital and there is another one in Jurong East. And the strain on the system is there for everyone to see. Not forgetting that getting an appointment can mean more than a year in waiting.
 
Is this good planning? Really, we can cope with 6.9m and we are planning ahead for it. Can we just plan for now, the present? We are being screwed by the problems today, not in the future. Take care of the present first, the problems under your nose.
 
It is lucky that there are free space to build tents in Changi. At the rate they are building to bring in more people, next time you can’t even find a place to pitch a tent for two. But nevermind, everything is about long term. Plan for the long term, invest for the long term. Current failures or losses will all be taken care of in the long term.
 
Actually, according to MP Chia Shi Lu, “the crunch might be due to the holiday season rather than a spike in illnesses.” I think is closest to the truth. Our hospitals are now as comfortable as a 5 star hotel and many people took the opportunity to stay in hospitals for R&R.

The opposition guessing game

The mystery of a ‘non’ existing opposition party in the govt can be annoying to those who wanted the opposition to be more vocal and aggressive in speaking out on national issues. Some are very disturbed by the WP’s deliberate silence and inaction. It must be a conscious strategy to focus on local municipal issues, look after their wards well as nothing they say or do would affect national policies but more often than not be met with a tirade of robust and sometimes intimidating response. Thus, an avoidance strategy of keeping the nose clean and fight only during an election could be a well crafted and conscious position to take.
 
The PAP must be quite happy with the stand of the WP, lesser attack and lesser embarrassment. No need to constantly try to fix them. It is a kind of uncomfortable truce, I don’t rub you the wrong way, you don’t rub me the wrong way either. At the same time it may disappoint the supporters who expect more from the opposition party leading to a loss of confidence and desertion. The WP would definitely lose some points and some supporters from its inaction.
 
The inaction or non communication of the WP with the other opposition parties is causing much discomfort and apprehension and annoyance. Some are looking at this as aloofness, arrogance and incooperative and would make forming of an alliance against the PAP that much more difficult. The perception is like the rest of the opposition parties are inconsequential and does not matter and WP could go alone in its fight with the PAP.
 
Maybe the opposition parties should cool down and concentrate on what they want to do and how they would want to contest the next GE. It is unlikely that the WP could offer more than 30 good candidates at one go. Even if they could field 40, it would still leave more than 50 % of the seats available to the opposition parties. Actually other than the WP, there are only two or max three opposition parties that are worthy of contention and may win some seats, ie SDP, NSP and perhaps SPP. The rest can do whatever they want, make whatever noise they want, even contest in a 3 corner fight, they would not make a dent to these bigger parties.
 
Once the WP has made its claim on the SMCs and GRCs, the SDP and NSP could divide the leftover seats among themselves. There are enough seats for the rest to contest without fighting with the WP. There is no need to sweat the small stuff, to be angry because the WP did not want to talk to them or negotiate. Each party should simply put all its resources on the GRCs and SMCs they have chosen to contest and fight directly with the PAP without having to worry about the WP or vice versa.
 
The cake is big enough for all to share. There may be a few obvious weak GRCs, but really other than a handful, the rest of the GRCs are there for the taking. Many are borderline cases and for the opposition to take them is fair game. The invincibility is gone. The weight of a minister is now a liability.

A big F for succession planning

It would appear that succession planning in corporations is something of a myth, a critical operation need but given only lip service. DBS is an outstanding example that it ended with a succession of three foreigners in the CEO seat, the current on being a citizen only after given the post. What happened to succession planning that no Sinkies were line up, trained to assume such a vital appointment or seriously, none was found to be good enough? After the current CEO, would it be another foreigner to take over? Very likely if the track record is anything to go by.
 
After Hsieh Fu Hua at the SGX, the same story repeated itself that a foreigner is needed. Would it be another foreigner after the current one has departed? Why not, when the locals are not good enough, or succession planning is not something that they are interested. We have seen the drama of getting someone to succeed Ho Ching in GIC when they had to go overseas to seek foreign talents again for more good years. They thought they found a Goodyear only to find something missing and then no more Goodyear and Ho Ching had to be reinstated. Is the situation now better with a local being groomed in case Ho Ching wants to step down again? Or would there be another round the world trip to find the One for this job when locals are found wanting again? Would they do a DBS, give the job to another foreigner and hand him a pink IC to tell the daft Sinkies that another Sinkie is in place for the high paying job?
 
Succession planning is not always a lost cause in all the big corporations. SIA for one could groom and find locals to continue the stewardship of the airline. And I think UOB too would be in the good hands of another local if not forced to buy another foreigner to take over what Wee Cho Yaw has built in a life time. Has UOB done more badly compares to the other two big local banks that are run by foreigners? UOB is a good case to dispel the foreign talent myth. Otherwise the silly fools would tell Hongkong, China, South Korea and Japan to hire angmohs to run their banks. And if the angmohs are too expensive, find one from the 3rd World as long as he is a foreigner.
 
The best succession planning is perhaps in politics. And the best person that executed such a plan was none other than Chok Tong himself. The moment he took over the premiership he already had a successor in mind, recruited him and groomed him for all 12 years of apprenticeship before finally handing over the baton to him while Chok Tong still had many good years to serve. This is a classic succession planning that GIC and DBS or SGX can learn from. An incumbent CEO generously recruited and trained a local successor to replace him. And the successor was so appreciative to reward his mentor with an Emeritus Minister title for his effort.
 
Now, would we see a local take over GIC, DBS or SGX when the time comes? Do they have a succession plan in place? To be real, why would a CEO want to plan and train someone to takeover from him? It is simply stupid to do so right? Anyway, Chok Tong is still around and his talent in this area can still be tapped before it is too late. You need a great man or a dull one to do succession planning, or planning for one’s own exit or demise. Very likely the person in the hot seat wold make sure that no one is fit to take over from him, or even groom a dud to be discarded as not good enough. Across the causeway Mahathir did exactly that.