China bashing and US arse kissing

A Pew survey takes the honour of Today’s front page to accentuate the fear of China by Asian countries. China is branded as the most feared country to start a war in the South China Sea, a war that may not happen for the next one hundred years if the US does not provoke, support and incite other puny countries to have a go at China, attempting to claim China’s islets. And no one bothers about all the wars that the US had started and fought in Asia and the Middle East. And no one bothers about the bombing by the Israelis against the Palestinians but about a prefabricated nightmare the West cooked up to frighten the Asian countries about China. Had China started a war and fought a war of invasion against any country since 1949 or since Genghis Khan ruled China?
 
And while China is painted by the West as the demon to be and the threat to peace, what is the perception of the US by the Asians? Our top thinker, Asia’s foremost and recognized thinker, Mahbubani, wrote an article in the ST in praise of the wholesome goodness of the Americans. I quote,
 
‘The first lesson is the folly of good intentions. Let’s be clear about one thing: Americans are not evil people. They do not conquer countries to rape, pillage and loot. Instead, they conquer countries to help the people.’ I am sure Mahbubani really, sincerely, believes in what he said about the good Americans’ good intention. He did not know that the Americans and the British fabricated the story of WMD, a total myth to be used as an excuse to invade Iraq, to kill Saddam Hussein with good intention. I must forgive him for not reading the newspapers. But he knew something about the war, and I quote again,
 
‘The US spent US$4 trillion, lost thousands of American lives and millions of Iraqi lives …. .‘ So much for American goodness and good intentions. Killing millions of Iraqis on a lie is good. I hope they don’t teach our children about such goodness and good intention. NLB must check and remove books that agree with this kind of goodness.
 
And in the concluding paragraph of his article he said this, ‘America should get out of the business of invasion and occupation. Four decades of failure have provided enough evidence to prove that the American people are far too good to do this job.’
 
My goodness, if the top thinker in Asia thinks like that, and he wrote a book, I think, questioning whether Asians can think, what about the rest of unthinking Asians? I think they must be praying to have wet dreams sleeping with the Americans and enjoying every moment of it in the warm caress of the Americans, in bed.
 
How could a country that treated everyone else as a nail and keep hammering everyone with a hammer, for four decades, be a country of good people with good intentions? Is there a word ‘bad or evil’ in Mahbubani’s or the Asian’s vocabulary for the Americans? Everything about the Americans is about wholesome goodness and good intentions even when they incited wars, provoked wars, engaged in wars and in the killing of millions of Asians. Good intention!
 
And China is the bad guy, the monster waiting to start a war that may not even happen! The American arse must smell damn good, all wholesome goodness.

When evil is goodness!

Kopi Level - Green

CPF – Monthly protest rally at Hong Lim

Han Hui Hui and Roy Ngerng will be holding monthly protest rally at the Hong Lim Park on the CPF issues. One immediate problem that comes to mind is their ability to continue to attract the number of people to Hong Lim on a sustained basis. Last Saturday’s rally was a test case for the people’s willingness to keep going to Hong Lim to show their support for Hui Hui and Roy and the return of their CPF money. It was tentative and could have been a big disappointment if only 200 people turned up. The possibility was there given the fact that it came so close to the last protest and with so little publicity on the event. It turned out that the crowd was there to keep the fire burning.
 
From past experience, it has been proven that Sinkies would kpkb for a while and would soon lose interests in whatever they were unhappy about and the whole thing was forgotten with time. There was no follow up and all issues died a natural death. Would this CPF issue die a natural death like everything else? Would the people persist with greater tenacity to keep the issue and pressure on the govt to make changes to the scheme? If the support for the protest rally dies off, then all things will return to normal. And the govt will know that Hong Lim Speakers Corner had served its wonderful role, to let the people let out steam and the temperature will cool down as expected.
 
23 Aug for the next protest rally is just a short while away. Hui Hui and Roy are following the practice of biting and not letting go, like a rotweiller. It is like taking a bite and sinking the teeth in. Saying sorry is not enough, must also explain. Keeping rubbing in, keep repeating to put the victim under pressure. This is how to keep an issue alive. Not following through, a couple of kpkb sessions, will not achieve any results.
 
So, would Hui Hui and Roy’s new approach, to keep pounding the road, keep hammering on the issue, to keep it alive, work? It may if they can gather enough crowd to be at Hong Lim. It may if the people do not get tired and start to give Hong Lim a miss when the protest rally is on. How long would Hui Hui and Roy be able to keep the flame burning? It is not easy even if an issue like CPF touches everyone’s pocket where it hurts.
 
Would the daft Sinkies behave differently this time and would also bite in and refuse to let go, and keep coming back to Hong Lim to kpkb every month?

Kopi Level - Green

IF HDB owns the HDB flat and the land it sits on.

‘IF HDB owns the HDB flat and the land it sits on.
When we "buy" our HDB flats.
Why do we pay for cost of land+cost of construction?’
 
This phrase was posted by an anonymous blogger as a comment in my blog. Does this ring a bell? All HDB dwellers bought a 99 year lease on the flat from HDB at a price that the govt said is very affordable. Affordable means how much one can afford to pay and does not take into consideration the real value of the flat or the cost of building it. The affordable concept is all about how much the buyer has in his pocket, or in his CPF.
 
How is the price computed and what is the cost of building the flat is TOP SECRET, guarded closely by the govt. After years of barraging the govt, all the people got was a stone wall. The govt that prides itself for transparency and demanding everyone to be transparent would not be transparent on the cost of building a flat. Any hypocrisy?
 
The govt has also finally admitted in Parliament that at the end of 99 years, the flat will go back to the govt as it is on a lease. The question is whether the price of the flat, the lease, consists of the lease for use of the flat and the lease on the land it sits? If this includes the lease of the land, then how is this price? Is it based on the sale of the land for 99 years or the lease of the land for 99 years?
 
And as rightly pointed out by many, if the lease of the HDB flat is for the use of the flat, why are the lessee made to pay property tax, made to pay for maintenance and upgrading of a property that does not belong to them? If the property is run down, shouldn’t the owner of the property and the land be the one to pay for its refurbishing? Windows falling off, ceiling leaking etc, whose responsibility?
 
There are many issues to be addressed, who owns the land, who owns the flat, who is supposed to pay for property tax, who is supposed to pay for refurbishing and upgrading of the property and its surrounding?
Who is the real owner? Would the MPs ask these questions in Parliament and would the govt admit that it is the actual owner of the land and the flat?

Kopi Level - Green

There is a need to protect some trades and professions for citizens

The need for FWs in the construction industry and some harsh vocations is recognized by the govt and the citizens. No one is complaining about hiring foreigners to take up jobs that citizens shunned. Hiring of foreign workers in these jobs has become a necessity and not a choice.
 
On the other hand there are many jobs that Singaporeans would want to do, not highly skilled but could provide them with decent incoming. These jobs do not need ‘foreign talents’ to compete with the citizens. The profession of taxi driving is an area of last resort, the fall back position of many PMEs to earn a decent living. This has been in a way protected for citizens. Is there a change that foreigners are now allowed to be taxi drivers? Foreigners turned citizens to become taxi drivers cannot be of any talent, and cannot be of better than Singaporeans to replace Singaporeans. It would be dreadful and shocking that one day foreigners are preferred to Singaporeans to be taxi drivers because they are more talented. Would that day come?
 
There are foreigners, citizens and PRs, engaging in many professions that Singaporeans are quite happy to be in without the need to be terribly talented and highly qualified. Entry barrier to these trades are fairly low, eg insurance agents, housing agents, recruitment agents and stock broking agents. Should the govt allow free access to these trades by foreigners? What kind of expertise and extra talents or contributions would foreigners bring in to add value to these professions? There is really no need to allow foreigners to be in these trades. What is the point of having PhDs and masters graduates to be in these trades to compete with the citizens?
 
When would the govt have a change of heart, a change of policies to protect some trades for the citizens? When would the prostitute mindset be changed? Opening these trades to foreigners, even new citizens, is a threat to the quality of life of Singaporeans and cannot be allowed if the interests of the citizens is to be protected. Opening our economy and country cannot be a blank cheque to open up everything, and stripping off our panties. Some vital parts must be protected from uninvited intrusion to retain some dignity and self respect.
 
No entry signs must be erected in some areas. There are things that are sensitive in nature, critical and important to the average citizens and cannot be given away freely without affecting their lives. The govt has no obligations to provide good jobs and vocations to foreigners, but owe a big responsibility to make life better for the citizens. Or am I wrong, that this govt owes the citizens of the world good jobs and a good life, not to its citizens?
 
When would the policy makers descend from the high clouds to understand what is going on at ground level?

Kopi Level - Green

What is the national narrative?

We have the CPF issue hot on everyone’s lip with a protest in Hong Lim gaining momentum. Last week’s low profile protest, with very little publicity and came closely after the last protest, still managed to draw a significant crowd. The organizers are persistent on this issue and making it a monthly protest and calling for more support. The next protest is on 23 Aug.
 
In the main stream media, there is another narrative, about two penguins and a little penguin. This may be about a couple of books for the kids in the library, but it is occupying a lot of pages in the msm, just like the Pink Dot Party at Hong Lim a couple of weeks ago. And we have the pro LBGT taking the NLB head on. What’s missing are Pastor Kong and those wearing white.
 
What should be the national agenda for the people to be concerned with? Who should be setting the agenda? Is the CPF important enough to the people to be the narrative of the day? Should it be in competition with the pink agenda of the traditional family versus a non traditional family of two males and child?
 
Has the national agenda been hijacked? The msm seems very happy to be talking about the pink agenda rather than the CPF. Is the penguin book more important as a national narrative than the CPF? Would any of these two issues be fit to be part of the natcon? Oops, natcon is over.

Kopi Level - Green

Kishore – Don’t worry, be happy

At least this is the message I got after reading Kishore’s article over the weekend. His article has one major point, Singapore is history. We used to be number one in many things and many countries came to learn from us. Singapore was their model state. Then they learnt and adapted from us and are now better than us. And we are not going anywhere anymore.
 
Kishore quoted Dubai, turning its airline and airport into the number ones, overtaking us. The disciples have overtaken the master. And Dubai is only a small example of Singapore sliding behind. China came to learn from us in the late 70s, 80 and 90s. Now China has overtaken us in everything, yes everything, and getting better. They built better cities, created more jobs, producing more graduates, became a manufacturing hub of the world with many big brands, they have stable leadership renewal. Everything that is good they learnt from us, and everything that is bad they rejected.
 
The next big thing is Malaysia and the mega city in Iskandar. If they played their game right, Singapore would become a satellite town of Iskandar. Would they be able to press all the right buttons? They have done well till now and if they don’t press the wrong buttons, they will be on their way to overtake us.
 
Well, Kishore said we would not enjoy another 50 years of growth like before. Neither would there be another LKY to turn a ‘fishing village’ into a first world city state. We will have more migrants, but not the same type as our forefathers. The next batches are simply mercenaries like everyone of us. Everyone is treating this place like Zouk, to have a good time. Zouk would be history soon.
 
So, what else is there to do? Enjoy, party, be happy for as long as we can. Next year would be party time for Singapore. We have the money to splurge and feel good. Hope it is not the last fling. Hope it is not the last hurrah, the final celebration before everything comes crumbling down.

Kopi Level - Yellow

CPF – All talks lead to Rome

So many ministers have spoken about the CPF. They appeared to be saying different things. On close analysis, they all points to one direction, they are not going to return your CPF at 55 or 65 in one lump sum, or a meaningful sum. And what do these mean? Why are they so adamant to hold back your CPF despite the public expression of anger? For your own good? Or is it something else? The govt seems to be taking a stance of defiance, ears plugged and not wanting to listen to the angry voices of hte people. Kenneth Jeyaretnam has a long list of reasons why.

Look at all the schemes and changes to the CPF, and the answer is crystal clear. The minimum sums, the Medisave and Retirement accounts, the CPF Life and now the Medishield Life, what did they say? Be prepared for something like CPF AfterLife to complete the cycle of cradle to grave.

CPF is your money, so they said. So he’s a jolly good fellow, so he’s a jolly good fellow, so he’s a jolly good fellow, so say all of us.

It may be a difficult thing to determine who needs to leave their money in the CPf Board as they are weak in mind and ability to hold on to their money. But it is not difficult to pick up those who don’t need to leave any money in the CPF after 55. By this age the game of life is almost over and what a person is made of is fairly clear to see. Before we tread into this dangerous doctrine, that the govt can withhold a citizen’s money on the ground that the citizen is deemed stupid and irresponsible, the people must make it known to the govt that this kind of thinking and logic is flawed, unacceptable and a violation of an individual’s right.

All the rich and super rich, including those with landed properties worth more than a million do not need the CPF to hold on to their money. All those who have filial children supporting them do not need to leave money in the CPF. All those who are still working in self employed professions and likely to work till they die or willingly call it quits, no need the CPF. All those who never or would not go to Batam and Bintan are safe with their money. All those who are dying do not need the CPF’s caring hands.

Really, it is only a very small group of people that need to depend on the protection of kind, very kind and caring people in the govt to help them to look after their money passed 55. Even if they choose to let the govt manage their money, it must be voluntarily, not because the govt declared that they are incapable of looking after their money, not because the govt forecast that they would live to 100 years old. No where in the world can a govt hold on to the people’s money at will and at its own pleasure, against the will of the owners of the money.

Kopi Level - Yellow

Medical tourism can be a very good idea

Medical tourism is a big thing here. With our high quality medical professionals and facilities, and a very comfortable living environment for the rich foreigners to feel at ease and at home, we have many good things going to make the city state a successful medical hub. The private sector medical services are doing roaring businesses. There have been complaints that the govt private hospitals are also jumping into the bandwagon and forgetting that they have a mission to serve the needs of the citizens. This is unfortunate.

Medical tourism can be a good thing if probably structured with a bit of govt intervention to capitalize on the profits from rich foreigners with deep pockets to pay for quality services and sharing this with the citizens. Govt privatized hospitals can tap into this source of revenue but without going bonkers and neglect the citizens. By allocating resources and medical professionals to this rich sector of the market the profits generated could be shared between the specialists, to allow them to earn more and to stay in the govt hospitals, and the hospitals to lower costs for the citizens. How are these apportioned can be worked out without allowing greed to blind the lucrative process.

The private sector specialists could be encouraged to do some national service by offering a little of their time and expertise to govt private hospitals and the revenue be used to subsidise and lower the cost of patients in govt hospitals. With their comfortable income in their private practices, some could be persuaded to offer a couple of days in govt private hospitals as their contribution to community services, to share their good fortunes with the people.

An initiative from the govt with this line of thinking would make medical tourism a very attractive business and with a lot of goodwill when the benefits could reach down to the citizens in govt privatized hospitals. The govt could promote and institutionalize this as a public service system, benefitting the professionals and the citizens and make all parties happy with the system. It calls for a bit of sacrifice on the part of the private practitioners who are doing very well to do a bit of charity at the same time. It also allows those in govt privatized hospitals an avenue to raise their income level while still in govt service. And the cost in govt private hospitals can be lowered, subsidized by medical tourism. 

Oh, don’t forget to provide for additional beds and staff for the tourists that came along and add demands on the system.

Kopi Level - Yellow

I thought driving taxis only for Singapore citizens

I saw this post in Hardwarezone about Pinoy taxi driver in Sin City. It was accompanied by a photo of the inside of the cab with sever Pinoy flags in it.

‘Dear The Real Singapore,
I took a cab from my office to ubi this morning and I encounter a Pinoy driving taxi in Singapore.

.Isn't it illegal?....

I am shocked that some Taxi companies are breaking laws by hiring Pinoy to be working as Taxi drivers. Are our local taxi drivers going to be displaced as well?
The pinoy speak with a very strong accent that I couldn't understand properly and he was also extremely rude to Singaporeans like me.
.
I won't be surprised next time the whole country gets displaced with foreigners and that even our ministers are foreigners.
.
Can LTA please clarify why are these foreigners welcomed into our country as 'Foreign Talents' but work as cab
drivers? Are we in shortage of cab drivers?’

Can this be true? Maybe the Pinoy taxi driver is now a citizen, a foreign talent with a string of degrees. Taxi driving is the last bastion that is protected and reserved for jobless Singaporean PMEs. If this is violated, where would the jobless unemployable Singaporeans going to find a self employed job? Cleaning tables in hawker centres? Or someone going to ask, you want to clean tables in restaurant, foodcourt or hawker stalls?

Oh, the trick now is to recruit foreign talents, make them citizens and by passed this protected profession. Is this the case now? Yes, LTA, please confirm that this is not true. I hope this is just a mistake, an oversight. Or we are now recruiting foreign graduates to compete with our PMEs in driving taxis? We have many graduate taxis drivers, including a PhD.

Kopi Level - Yellow

The next big bet

The National Council of Problem Gambling ad that went like this, ‘I hope Germany will win. My Dad bet all my savings on them’, is the best ad so far in terms of getting notice. It is value for money for an ad to be getting so much positive attention. It has also propelled NCPG into the top forecaster of all bets. It has beaten the octopus, the parakeet, the turtle and the fish for picking the winners of soccer bets.

The next big bet will be the General Election. It could go like this, ‘I hope Hsien Loong will win. My Dad bet all my savings on him’. This could be the next big thing in the next GE for the bookies and also the citizens, gamblers or non gamblers. And NCPG would be the toast of PAP if it lives up to its reputation as the top oracle, and if it is cheeky enough to put up such a bet.

Someone may be motivated enough to place a shrine outside NCPG’s office for people to pray for 4D/Toto numbers. Didn’t Germany won the game against Brazil? Didn’t dad make a killing and the boy had his savings returned safely to him plus bonuses as well?

Anyone wanna bet who would win in the tussle between the pro LGBT group and the conservatives in the NLB book burning case?

Kopi Level - Yellow

The changing geopolitical game

The American Empire rules the world after its victory over Germany and Japan in WW2. It then went on to dictate the terms and rules of engagement in international affairs with the Americans as the judge, jury and executioner. It was field days for the Americans to do as they pleased and how they liked. Branding nations as rogue nations, imposing sanctions, supporting anti govt forces, inciting and arming of resistance forces to overthrow govts, sending American advisors to work with anti govt forces in civil wars, invasion and regime change, were all part and parcel of the American game plan. Countries not on the American side would either end up in perpetual warfare, divided or constantly under harassment of sanctions and threats of war.

Up until Iraq, all systems go. There was no resistance to the military might of the Empire. Then came Libya and a slap on the face of the Russians. It forced the Russians to stand up and said this is one step too far and if not stopped, the Russians would be booted out of the Middle East.

The Americans tried the same game plan again in Syria. Incite a small resistance movement to go against President Assad. This was followed up by military aids and sending in of military advisors to overthrow Assad’s govt.  This time the Russians were prepared for it and Putin said no. The Russians went in to support Assad with military aid, advisors and a political will to keep the Americans out of Syria. Obama was surprised by the strong stand of Putin and got to think very hard to risk a war with the Russians. Any American move to support the resistance would only escalate the civil war. The Americans turned chicken and an uneasy civil war failed to break out. Assad is safe and the resistance movement would have to remain a resistance movement with limited American support.

Syria is a stalemate. The turning point came in Ukraine. Now the whole American game plan is turned against the Americans. The Russians incite and support a resistance movement against the Ukraine govt. The Russians sent in their military advisors and aid to boost up the strength of the resistance. 

This is American military intervention instruction 101. The Americans and their European allies could only scream and shout and threaten retaliation but all sounds and fury, like the Russians used to do. The Russians have taken the initiative and the offensive. The American Empire has never found itself in such a situation and could only hold their breath and watch the developments in Ukraine with no answers.

Under the dominance of the American Empire, Germany and Korea were divided. China and Taiwan was also divided. Now it is the turn of Ukraine, but the call is by the Russians. The Russians are throwing the book back at the Americans, following every word and page of the American book of war.

Ukraine is the beginning of the changing fortune of the American Empire. Ukraine is the beginning when the table is turned against the Americans. The fall of the American Empire is getting real.

What the Israelis are doing these few days would make the Americans more evil in the eyes of the Islamic world and the Arabs. The Americans are just folding their arms to let the Israelis blast the Palestinians out of their homes. They act daft, can’t do anything. But if it is against the Israelis or American allies, they will sail in their naval fleet and threaten to bomb whoever to Stone Age. The anger of the Arabs and Muslims would grow not so much against the Israelis but the Americans, the evil Empire behind the carnage. Israel could be so brazen and trigger happy because the Americans allowed them to do so.

The evil Empire is the source of all conflicts around the world.

Kopi Level - Green

When no meeting of the minds is intentional

There have been a lot of kpkb by the more vocal citizens about bad policies or policies they do not want to go along. The 6.9m PWP, the complaints about the influx of ‘foreign talents’ to displace local PMETs, the demand to return the people’s CPF savings at 55, the high property prices, the anger about throwing public money at foreign students, offering them scholarships and precious spaces in the local universities, etc etc. How did the govt respond to these challenges?

One simple straight forward tactic is not to talk about it, just remain silence and pretend there is no problem or they did not hear anything. Is any of these topics discussed in the Natcon? Other than the unavoidable issue of CPF linked to Medishield Life and the Hong Lim Protest, is any of the issues raised in Parliament? Let the anger and energy dissipated with time and soon the people would be too tired or even forgot about the problems. People have short memories and are not persistent enough to fight for what they think is right or to stop what is detrimental to their good and did not want to continue. As unorganized groups, they soon lost themselves, the issue lost steam, and gave up on their cause.

Another way to handle public anger or disapproval is to side track the issue or pretends to be working on it but on a different issue. The people are angry when good jobs are given to foreigners in the name of foreign talents. Does anyone notice that the govt is not saying anything about the continued influx of foreign talents but focused on reducing the intake of foreign workers instead? There seems to be no meeting of minds, the people talking about FTs and the govt talking about FWs.  Is this an intentional diversion from the main issue, ie foreign talents, pretending or ignoring them but working on reducing the FW intakes that the people knew are jobs that the locals did not want to take up? They did not understand what the people are kpkb about, the FTs and not the FWs?

Maybe it is about good communications or selective communications, talk only on topics that they chose to talk about and keep quiet on issues that they did not want to talk about. And there is no need to bother about a meeting of the minds. The meeting of the minds, if there is any, will be in the Natcon on select topics with the converts talking to the converts of the same religion.

Kopi Level - Yellow

Respecting Parliament and the trust of the people

The embarrassing revelation of Parliament having not enough MPs present to make a quorum for the passing of bills is not funny. It is not a small matter.
 
Our MPs maybe part time, some full time, but they are paid extremely well for being part timers. The people can understand that they are busy people with many hats to wear, many directorships and meetings to attend. But to skip Parliament is unacceptable.
 
The Parliament is the highest office of the land. It is not only an honour to be sitting in Parliament, it carries a lot of responsibility and prestige as law makers. It carries the hope and aspirations of the people. MPs are elected by the people to represent their interests in Parliament. And Parliament does not sit everyday.
 
When Parliament is in session, it must be the top priority of MPs to be in attendance. Any MP that thinks being present in Parliament is secondary to his other money making activities should not offer himself as a representative of the people. They are not only disregarding the interest of the people but showing disrespect to the highest institution of the land.
 
The Prime Minister and the Speaker of Parliament must impress upon the MPs that this is the highest duty, to be representatives of the people in Parliament. The MPs and MPs to be must commit to serve the people and be present in every Parliamentary sitting except for extenuating circumstances that they could not be present. How can anything be more important than a Parliament in session? How can MPs feel so comfortable and convenient to be absent from Parliament?
 
Maybe I am wrong. Parliament is not important. Being present in Parliament is a waste of time. Law making is not important, voting and passing of bills in Parliament are not important. If that is the case, by all means, no need to attend Parliament, or no need to have Parliamentary sessions to discuss national issues and make laws. What is the status of Parliament? A rubber stamping institution, be present or absent is not material?
How can there be less than 25% of MPs present in a Parliament session and how long have these been going on? $16,000 a month is a lot of money, teeny weeny peanuts to some, to at least make a show of face or sleep in Parliament. Anyone who thinks that $16,000 a month is not big enough and not justifiable to make a presence in all Parliamentary sittings must not stand for election as an MP. It is an insult to the Office of Parliament. It is not doing justice to the people that elected them to be in Parliament.
 
What do you think?

Kopi Level - Green

Vietnam still nursing its wound from border war with China

Ha Thi Hien was 14 when the PLA launched its attacks into Vietnam following Vietnam’s invasion and occupation of Kampuchea. In a NYT report posted in the Today paper on 7 Jul, ‘Chinese artillery fire echoed across the hills around her home in northern Vietnam and hundreds of thousands of Chinese soldiers swarmed across the border.’ They fled their homes only to run into Chinese soldiers. The Chinese soldiers were all over Langson, all over north Vietnam.
 
Vietnam then was victorious against the mighty Americans, chased them out of Vietnam and went on to occupy Kampuchea and Laos. The speed and extent of the Vietnamese occupation of its neighbouring states brought fear to Thailand and Malaysia and as far south as Singapore. The Domino Theory was revived and was very real as no Southeast Asian country possessed the military might and experience to fight a war with Vietnam. The ease in the fall of Kampuchea and Laos was too frightening to imagine. Thailand was next.
 
The Americans were a lost cause for help, having been defeated and no longer had the appetite to engage the Vietnamese once again. Thailand sought help from neighbouring China. The Chinese responded positively as they too wanted to keep Kampuchea and Laos as independent states. China ordered the Vietnamese to pull out. The Vietnamese refused, after defeating the Americans they have no one to fear, not a relatively weak China. The Chinese gave them an ultimatum and when this was ignored, China launched a border war against the Vietnamese. It was a brutal war.
 
The Chinese went in to teach the Vietnamese a lesson and to pull out from Kampuchea and Laos. The Western media, still nursing the wounds and lost pride of the American defeat at the hands of Vietnam, were too happy to sing a different tune. Vietnam taught the Chinese a lesson. Who did the teaching and who received the lesson and learnt well not to repeat the same mistake? The Sino Vietnamese border was peaceful since then with no major incursions from the Vietnamese. They were ferocious fighters and attacked Chinese positions when told to vacate Kampuchea and Laos. They would not take such orders from China.
Not only that the Vietnamese no longer harbor the adventurism to attacking Chinese positions at the border, they left Kampuchea and Laos in peace. They withdrew. Period. Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries took a big sigh of relief that the Domino Theory would not materialize.
 
Till today, many western sources are still blowing the trumpet that China was taught a painful lesson. It was a bitter war with heavy casualties from both sides. The effective result, Vietnam left Kampuchea and Laos. If the Vietnamese had taught the Chinese a lesson, would they be so willing to give up their two prize catches in Kampuchea and Laos? Why should a victor in a war be dictated by a loser? Or it was the other way? The victor dictated the terms and the losers obliged, the loser, Vietnam, having been taught a lesson quietly withdrew from Kampuchea and Laos.
 
The Vietnamese are cocky and very aggressive in nature. They are very proud of their military triumphs against the French and the Americans. They would not give any respect to the Chinese. But their actions told the real story. They never dare to give any more trouble to China and her neighbours, Laos and now Cambodia.
 
They are starting to be itchy again, and harassing Chinese rigs in the South China Sea with tens of small fishing boats and coast guards attempting to ram the Chinese rigs. China is restraining itself from sinking them and allowing the western media a field day to denounce China as the aggressive party.
 
The recent trip by Yang Jiechi to Hanoi was not a friendly visit but to warn the Vietnamese to stop their harassment or they would be taught another lesson at sea. The Chinese have given enough face to the Vietnamese and even rope to hang themselves if they refused to stop their street punk tactics to ram the Chinese rigs. The Chinese must have told the Americans and the Asean states of what they told the Vietnamese and would take actions if the harassments continue. The Vietnamese are still as determined as ever to disrupt Chinese oil drilling processes. China has up the pressure by starting to arrest Vietnamese boats attempting to do so to mean business.
 
When would another flare up begin and when would a second lesson be taught? The first lesson seems to have lost its effect and faded in time. Are the Vietnamese seeking to be taught another lesson in how to behave as a good boy and a good neighbour?

Kopi Level - Green

This Singaporean reject will not return as FT

‘….Encourage bold visions and idea, no matter what they are. One of the reasons why Singaporeans overseas do not want to come back, is because the smallness of the vision of the local population. The big bold visions draws out the best in us, they draw people to us. No one believed me when I first said we could build a space industry on our own, now 18 months later, the Australian government is supporting its creation along with Universities and Commercial entities in the creation of the Delta –V which is now leading the creation of the Space Industry in Australia.
 
Reduce the amount of red tape to experiment. At Singularity University, I am investigating, Bio electric batteries, next generation drone flight systems, Genetic Modifying organism, and new ways of traveling into space. We know that we can’t do all of them, but we can test all our ideas and experiments on them to validate them.This is incredibly useful for generating new ideas and validating old ones. I intend to already build a similar facility back in Sydney to support the space industry….’
 
Above is part of a letter from a Brian Lim to Jack Sim explaining why he would not return to Singapore. That is not all. If he had not migrated to Australia, he would probably be a hawker or someone peddling goods in the pasar malams. This Brian Lim did poorly in his PSLE, ended in the Normal Stream, repeated his O level, and failed in polytechnic. What kind of prospect or jobs would he be fit to do?
 
Today he earned a Masters in Space and working in NASA in Singularity University in Australia. Would he be invited to be a returned FT? Can we find the reason why there is no talent among Singaporeans and why other countries are producing so many talents? If a PSLE failure can be remoulded into a top talent, surely all the straight As and near straight As students must be better potentials. But no, they are not even good enough to compete against 3rd World funny degree graduates.
 
And this Brian Lim is not a single or exceptional story. There are many Singaporeans overseas that are rejects of our educational system but earning Masters and PhDs and working in high tech, science and engineering industries. Can we figure out what is wrong with this kind of developments?
 
And look at what this Brian Lim is doing, ‘investigating Bio electric batteries, next generation drone flight systems, Genetic Modifying organism, and new ways of traveling into space.’ Some of our super talents would laugh out their dentures if they found out Brian Lim failed his PSLE. Brian is employed by the Australian govt in space exploration and space mining. What are our local talents doing, building more costly shopping centres and monuments? Or maybe trying to study solar flares, earthquakes and tsunamis or desert storms.

There have been many stories of our failed students that turned out to be gems in foreign educational systems. How many of our Einsteins have been wasted in the process and going through the decades of our educational system?

Kopi Level - Green

Roy Ngerng and Han Hui Hui at Hong Lim - 12 Jul 14 (Sat)

Roy Ngerng and Han Hui Hui will be at Hong Lim again this Saturday on a follow up to their earlier protest rally last month. The issues would still be about the CPF withdrawal and Minimum Sum Schemes. They will be doing an update on these issues and on the debate in Parliament.

The protest rally will start at 4pm. Not sure about the speakers but very likely the same as in the last rally. Not sure if they have invited Irene or Renee Yap to speak about her plight. Maybe her problem has been resolved and she has gotten her CPF money back.Anyone got any update about her case, or has it died a natural death?

India: Over 1,000 teaches with fake degrees sacked

‘(AFP, 8 Jul) – India’s Bihar state has sacked 1,100 school teachers in the last five years for faking their own education qualifications, an official said on Tuesday.
 
Bihar’s government has launched an investigation into the eastern state’s primary and secondary teachers to check the authenticity of their degrees, the official said….
 
Bihar, with a population of almost 100 million, has some of the poorest literacy rates in India….
Standards of education in rural India have declined almost every year since 2009 despite huge government investment, a survey by Indian education research group Pratham has found.’
 
The above full article is posted in TRE.
 
Singapore is so lucky that only honest Indian professionals with genuine certificates are coming here for employment. Or maybe it is our strict criteria and controls that are weeding the fakes from coming here. And we have probably a few hundred thousands of honest and genuinely qualified Indian professionals working here, some in very high positions. No problem really, all genuine talents.
 
Dunno who to thank for this or what lucky star to thank for. Or maybe we are just a born lucky country where the houseflies would not think this is a piece of shit, a place fit for them.

Kopi Level - Green

TRE under planned routine maintenance?

Yesterday I noticed the home page of TRE was not normal with overlapping words that could not be removed and thus making reading difficult. Was TRE attacked and defaced?

This morning it is down for maintenance.Oh, it is unplanned maintenance!

Singaporean bashing Round 2

Singaporeans are up for bashing again by Singaporeans that think they are immigrants or anglophiles. An article in the Mypaper titled, “‘Us and them’ drag us down’, gave a no holds bar attack against Singaporeans by a group that is noted for Singaporean bashing. They share the same mindset and together they supported and reinforced each other’s view that Singaporeans are to be blamed for being ungracious to foreigners. William Wan even identified himself as immigrant to take side with the foreigners. We were immigrants and are one of them.
 
Do the immigrants think that they were one of us? The angmohs have been pretty cocky, vicious and arrogant in how they made fun of Singaporeans, teasing Singaporeans with racist remarks, threatening Singaporeans in broad daylight and beating up Singaporeans as a past time. Did any Singaporean do such things to the angmohs? Did any of these angmoh lovers make any vile remarks against the Singaporean beating angmohs?
 
And as for the very nice foreign workers, they burnt our police cars, rioted and beaten up the Singaporean drivers and bus attendant and put all the blame on them for their rioting, causing loss of properties and disturbing the peace. And now our police are even the target of attacks, for being incapable, incompetent and poor leadership in managing the riot.
 
Why is it the fault of the police when the rioting was committed by foreigners? Why is it the fault of Singaporeans for being angry with so many foreigners here and growing impatient and intolerant to their abrasive and boorish behavior and invading our space? Why is there no criticism of foreigners cheating on Singaporeans, sacking and replacing Singaporeans in PME jobs with their own kind? Why is it tolerated when foreigners practiced discrimination in the industries by hiring their own kinds in our very own country?
 
Pauline Straughan even commented, ‘when things get rough and tough in Singapore, it is easy to blame outsiders’. What this group of elite or academics is doing is exactly the opposite. When things get rough and tough, it is so easy to blame the Singaporeans. And the whole gang is whacking Singaporeans, particularly the netizens for the ‘rudest and vilest of comments’. Are these worst off than what the likes of Casey Anton did? Are these worst off than Singaporeans being threatened by foreigners, with a burly angmoh chasing a young NS man into lift and choking his neck, threatening him with bodily harm, and walking away like he owned this island? Are these worst off than those cocky and aggressive angmoh cyclists threatening to beat up Singaporeans on the road, in defiance of the law?
 
And there is this Christine Leong saying, ‘Just because the streets and public transport are getting more congested, people get annoyed and want to find someone to blame for this, and the first group that comes to mind are the foreigners’. Is that unexpected when the average Singaporeans would have to push their way into the trains with the foreigners and to smell their smelly armpits and tolerate their loud talking in the confines of the train? And many of our oldies and young women would have to stand while the young and tough foreigners enjoyed their ride sitting?
 
People living in ivory towers and a different lifestyle that hardly have to bear with the antics of the foreigners could talk cock like in the academia. If they were to encounter the foreigners day in and day out, and be victims of their nonsense, threatened or beaten by them, lost their jobs to the foreigners, would they be talking such nice cock and bull stories?
 
Yes, I must agree that Singaporeans should not blame the foreigners. Singaporeans should blame the policies that brought about the influx of foreigners and be victims of the foreigners. But no, it is not just the policies that made Singaporeans see red. It is the people that made the policies that the Singaporeans should be angry with. It is the people that condone the academics and elite to bash Singaporeans because of their bad policies that should be the target of Singaporeans’ anger.
 
For the past centuries, Singaporeans have been very kind and inviting to foreigners. And they still do except when their privacy, dignity and safety are violated. They have the right to be angry when these things happened to them. And the true blue Singaporeans are born here, not immigrants. Your forefathers may be immigrants, without a country, starting off as foreigners, not even citizens. Now we are citizens of this island, our country. We are not immigrants and we want to have a say in the number of immigrants being brought in and how they behave and how they treat Singaporeans. Bad foreigners must be kicked out of our island, be it that they are very nice angmohs and very nice foreign workers.
 
The people’s tolerance for the foreigners is being tested daily and they are losing their patience. The people’s tolerance for being bashed by our own kind, blindly in support of foreigners, in defending the rights of foreigners but ignoring the rights of Singaporeans, is also being tested. Singaporeans would soon turn to this group of people who think of nothing but bashing Singaporeans for all the wrong reasons except for their fond of foreigners. And they can choose to be immigrants and called themselves immigrants for all they want. The true blue Singaporeans would not tolerate their cock and bull remarks and disgraceful comments against the good nature Singaporeans in general.

Kopi Level - Green

Watching Parliament debate is like watching a horror movie

I managed to catch a couple of minutes of the news when the CPF was discussed. They were talking about the withdrawal of CPF on retirement. The argument went something like this. The govt allowed CPF members to withdraw their money in one lump sum at 55 at a time when life was short. The people were expected to die in 5 or 7 years after retiring at 55. Today, life expectancy is 82, so there is a need to ensure that people have the money to spend after retirement. Letting them have the money at one go and at too early an age would mean depleting the saving faster.
 
Jumping onto this logic, Lim Bee Wah asked the govt to consider working backwards from 82 to allow the people to get a lump sum on retirement. Most retirees are looking forward to touch their life time savings when they retired. Chuan Jin’s reply, extending the logic of longer lifespan, it was not possible to know how long people would live after 82. They could go on living and it was necessary to make sure that they have money to go on living.
 
Here came my goose pimples, and my hair stood on ends. Fear crept up and I was really frightened, like watching a horror movie. No, Chuan Jin and Lim Bee Wah did not turn into Dracula or vampire. It was this sense of wholesome goodness for the people, so caring and so earnest to want the people to live well till their last day. I cannot imagine that there are really people that are so virtuous, so good and so genuine in this world to really want to help other people. No, don’t get me wrong. Chuan Jin was really sincere in wanting to help the retirees. I would have doubts if it was someone else selling his koyok.
 
It was too good to be true. And the scary part is that it was true. And they are going to make sure that the retirees will have the money to spend, and no lump sum return of their savings, and the payback will be delayed for as long as possible to make the money last, perhaps another 100 years. Oops, I shouldn’t say that. They might believe people will live to 200 years and make your CPF savings provide for it. Bad idea to say that. And the people will have to leave their money with the CPF for a very very long time. Irene Yap, or is it Renee Yap, should not gripe about withdrawing her money in the CPF. Going forward, CPF retirees would be expected to leave their money in the CPF to last them their life time being alive.
 
This is now a case of better to overprovide than underprovide. Chuan Jin is right to say that no one can predict how long a person would live beyond 82. But he was silence on how many would not live beyond 55 or 60. Anyway, this part is not important as they would not be a burden to themselves or to the state if they die young.
 
Gan Kim Yong should follow the same principles in his Medishield Life scheme. I think Gan Kim Yong is doing the opposite by providing the minimum, B2/C wards intead of A wards or private hospital wards. Should not Gan Kim Yong follow the same logic, provide for the best, for all contingencies like Chuan Jin? Or why don’t Chuan Jin borrow the principle of Gan Kim Yong, provide for the basics or minimum, and the extra or excessive part would be an option? Gan Kim Yong may be providing for B2/C wards but the people can opt for better wards by voluntarily paying more. For a compulsory across the board scheme, this is a sensible approach.
 
In the case of the CPF, the govt can go for the best, though it claimed to be using the lower income Singaporean as the benchmark, as the money to be retained in the CPF comes from the people themselves. If the money is to come from the govt, would the govt use the same yardstick, to demand the people to keep so much money in the CPF/minimum sum after retirement?
 
I still remember the saying, when the govt says it wants to help you, is so serious and happy and voluntarily offering to help you, be frighten, be very frighten. The thought of saving enough CPF to live up to 100 years or 200 years is really damn scary. I could not sleep the whole night. It was a frightening display of human goodness at its extreme. You don’t need enemies if you have people thinking like that and planning your life and your money…for your own good.

Kopi Level - Green