The Americans want to take over the leadership of ASEAN

In the latest round of telling the ASEAN countries who is the boss, John Kerry was late for a meeting by more than half an hour and making the rest of the leaders wait for him. While this has been the normal for the Americans with its Allies, and to some extent with some ASEAN members that are used to call the Americans boss, not every ASEAN member will willingly accept this rude behavior of the Americans. But as small countries, and being the host in this meeting, they quietly ignored the lateness of John Kerry.
 
But there is another big country in the meeting and it would not allow the Americans to brush everyone aside as inconsequential. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi promptly told Kerry that he was late and had kept everyone waiting. Kerry had no choice but to apologise.
 
The Americans were trying to tell the ASEAN that they were here to lead. And they came with an agenda, to set the pace and conduct for the countries in the region, particularly on the South China Sea. The western media as expected treated the ASEAN Regional Forum as an American forum. In the front page of the local media, it was reported that ‘South east Asian countries yesterday expressed concern over “increased tensions” in the South China Sea and called for stepped up talks with China, a development the United States said was a setback for Beijing’s effort to play down the disputes.’ It added, ‘A senior US official said ASEAN countries’ concern over China’s maritime actions was at an “all time high” based on private conversations,…’ AGENCIES.
 
The communiqué issued after the meeting included the phrase, ‘We urged all parties concerned to exercise self restraint and avoid actions that would complicate the situation and undermine peace, stability and security in South China Sea.’ There was no reference to the American moratorium or the Philippines called to stop China from its construction activities in the South China Sea. This did not stop Perry from claiming that ‘the communique’s wording was new and strong criticism of recent Chinese actions’. Kerry added, ‘I think the language goes far enough…I think we made the points we came to make. We were not seeking to pass something; we were trying to put something on the table that people could embrace’.
 
The above line of thought that the Americans wanted to put across, that they have set the tone and agenda for ASEAN, was refuted by this comment in the same AGENCIES’ report, ‘But there was no specific mention of China in the final statement from an Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) meeting and the 10 nations did not take up a US and Philippine call for a freeze on provocative acts in the sea’. The Americans may want the world to believe it is the self appointed leader in Southeast Asia, but the ASEAN countries have different thoughts. No, they would not let any Johnny comes lately to boss around with them. And they would not accept anyone being rude and turning up late for meetings among leaders of equals.
 
John Kerry and his men may want to go back to Washington and tell Obama and the American people a different story, but it is clear that its leadership role was never a consideration. The Americans were just a guest to the regional forum. The Americans must not go away thinking that they have wrestled and taken over the leadership of the regional association. ASEAN will be a neutral regional association with its own interests and would not be manipulated by big powers and would not be led by big powers. It is not NATO or SEATO and will never be one.

Kopi Level - Green

Goh Meng Seng – Your home is not for sale

This is what Goh Meng Seng said of his feelings about Hsien Loong’s National Day speech in his article posted in TRE.
 
‘But yet, PM Lee wants us to feel “at ease” and reassure us that we can possibly retire by selling off our HDB flats! I am totally disgusted by such suggestion, especially from the ruling elites of PAP who have been paid obscene amount of salaries for the past decades and do not understand how it feels to be “forced” to sell off their “HOME” for retirement. Our HDB flat is our HOME, not an investment. PAP ruling elites don’t even understand this.’
 
The thought of selling your home is a very frightening and depressing thing, very emotional and upsetting. The home, no matter how small, is more than just the four walls. It is place that a person lived, grew up, a place that provided the comfort and security from the stresses and insecurity of the outside world. Many people think of home when they are insecure, in trouble, in need of help. It is home that provides the shelter and warmth when needed. It is a place full of memory, an anchor of one's life.
 
The seniors are not as resolute and confident of themselves at their advanced age. They fear change, new environment, strangers, they need the familiarity, the neighbours and familiar faces, comfort and sense of safety in the homes they have lived in. The home is a part of their lives. To sell the home at a time when they are most vulnerable, financially challenged and emotionally unstable in a way is more than just about money. There are more to the selling of a home.
 
In the same way, there are more to a country, nation and people than just goods for commercial exchange and economic growth. Selling a country is unthinkable. And selling a country is not simply getting a price for the land. A country can be sold in many ways without the citizens knowing it. Selling a country, selling a people, selling a home, is not a commercial transaction, but very much more.
 
The selling of the home must not be treated so lightly, spoken so casually, devoid of emotions, feelings and psychological implications. So is the issue of immigrations, the exchanging of the people of a nation. Citizenship is not just a piece of pink identity card. It is more than that.
 
We are so used to instant trees, buying and selling of talents, everything revolving around money and economics. We will not be a nation in 50 years time if we failed to build a people called Singaporeans, but become a hotel of immigrants, transient workers and guests. We will be like duckweeds, floating with little roots that did not sink and anchor to the ground.
 
When there is no home there is no country. When there is no citizen there is no nation. Try to imagine a nation with all the folks selling their homes in order to live. It is never the same living in a rented place.
 
This is Home, surely....

Kopi Level - green

A good and glorious project for Sin City

There is a report of Canada conducting a scientific mission to map the seabed around the North Pole. I think this is a good project for Sin City to embark on. We can buy all the great scientists and all the expensive equipment. Don’t ask me what for. We can build a Centre for Scientific Research of the Artics right here in the tropical city. Then we can attend all the world conferences about the Arctic. We will be represented by our foreign talents. Better still we can be the venue for such conference with the world’s scientist community descending on our city state. We will be in the news of the world. Recognition!

We can be a participant in this mission. Never mind if it means nothing to us. Never mind if the Canadians and the Russians have a natural vested interest to secure and claim the sea in the region. We have the money and we can gain some recognition as a high brow scientific community with resident scientists also knowing what is going on in the Artics. Studying the Artics is definitely more meaningful than studying Sun bursts or the universe. The Artics are nearer and of immediate relevance.

With money we can do anything. Have money will travel. How can we be left out of such a glorious project?

Kopi Level - Red

I have been convinced, Singapore is getting more difficult to manage, and may not be around.

Singapore is growing every day and is a big country. And the bigger it grows, the bigger the island, Australia is also an island, and the bigger the population, the more complex will be its problems and ability to survive. There may not be a Singapore in 50 years. Actually I think it will be sooner, maybe 20 years, when Singapore could be renamed as something else.

When we were small, it was so easy to govern. We only need a few tertiary educated ministers, and paid them peanuts, to run the country. The rest of the cabinet and MPs were workers, no worry, everything was fine. The problems were small and easily managed. No need for the talents of scholars.

Today our problems are huge and very complicated because we are a big country. So, despite having so many scholars in the cabinet, despite paying them top dollars, practically everyone in the cabinet is paid more than the President of the USA, we may not see a Singapore in 50 years time. In fact several MPs could be getting paid more than Obama if their other directorship fees are added into their salary.

Come to think of it, we could be paying $50m annually to our cabinet of super talents and top scholars. The same amount of money could be good enough to hire 50 Obamas at the same time. Should be hearing them saying with full confidence, everything is in good hands, everything has been thought out, Singapore will go on and on, Singapore will exist forever? Why are we paying so much for so many top talents that have no confidence of Singapore still being around in 50 years? Are we paying for top or super talents, better than anyone money can buy?

There are two simple solutions to the existence of Singapore beyond 50 years. The easier one is to pay the ministers double their current salaries. This should guarantee Singapore to be still around in 100 years time. You want quality ministers, you just have to pay for it. If the current pay can only possibly see Singapore surviving for 50 years, doubling the pay should do the work for another 50 years.

Another easier solution is to openly seek talents from all over the world to replace our inept talents. If our talents are not even sure of keeping Singapore alive for 50 years, then Singapore should import real foreign talents to replace our not so talented talents for Singapore to be around for more than 50 years. Logical right?

And this can be applied across the board, from the top in govt to the top positions in the private sectors. Then the govt and private institutions would stand a chance to be around. Not sure if the Singaporeans would still be around. But that is a non issue as the new Singaporeans from everywhere are still Singaporeans.

Wow, I so clever, can solve the problem of Singapore being around in 100 years by two simple solutions and doing it all in a Sunday morning, and feeling so good and positive.

Kopi Level - Red, like at the NDP.

CPF – An asset or a liability to YOU?

CPF is our life savings, how can it be a liability? By 55 we should all be happily getting it out from our CPF accounts for our retirement. Ok, the rules have changed, by 65 we should be happy, late than never.

The rude shock to CPF members, by 55 they are told that they ‘owe’ the CPF or the govt $155,000 in the Retiremment Account and $43,500 in the Medisave Account. Yes, you need to let the CPF or govt have these sums of money like you owe them. If you don’t have enough in your CPF savings, or lesser than these sums in your CPF, you cannot take out your savings. But the CPF would be so kind to let you have $5,000.  Or you can pledge your property to the CPF for half of the total sum of the total sum of $198,500, or is it half of the $155,000, with the CPF.

Put it whatever you like, isn’t this a liability, a huge sum of money that you now ‘owe’ to the CPF?  Yes or No? By 55, many would find the CPF a liability instead of an asset in away.

This must be another Uniquely Singapore thing. You can owe the govt or a savings scheme money when you are supposed to be taking out your savings to live your golden years. And many Singaporeans are finding this damn stressful.

Oh, not to forget, if you sell your property bought using your CPF savings, you have to return the sum borrowed plus the equivalent of interests that the money should have earned over the same period to your CPF account even if you are retired, in your 80s or 90s or 120s. It is not that after the withdrawal age kicks in, whatever money you took out for the purchase of properties is none of the CPF business. All these open ended contributions to the CPF regardless of age must be driving many people crazy, except the people making these rules and collecting the money.

Tiok boh?

Kopi Level - Green

National Day Rehearsal - 2 Aug 14

These pictures were taken last week. The top pic is the performance stage, the largest floating stage in the world. Pic 2 and 3 are the performers and dancers in front of a huge screen. Pic 4 and 5 are the Red Lions dropping from the sky. Pic 6 and 7, the guards firing the 21 gun salute. Pic 8, beautiful doggies dressed up for the National Day. And the last pic is the fly past of the national flag in a clear sky with nice cirrus clouds.

For those who want to view the actions again, today's the day, 9 Aug, with the parade starting at 5.30pm. The performers and dancers would start the show at about 4pm.

Kopi Level - Green

A different kind of reserves Our national reserves, the money type, is going up and up, more and more, and no one knows how much is enough. The more the merrier. We could be sitting on more than a trillion dollars today. Not enough, sure not enough. More would be added every year and when we hit $2 trillion or $5 trillion, it will still grow and grow. There is no limit to what is enough.
 
We have another kind of reserves that are dwindling by the day. It gets lesser and lesser, smaller and smaller. Maybe because no one actually refers to it as national reserves, so losing it is ok. Actually not losing is, but transforming it into other more valuable assets is ok. I am referring to our land, the natural reserves, the parks, the green lungs and land that are not highrise.
 
There are some numbers like a certain percentage to be kept according to the planners. And this number is always getting smaller. No one actually says or is fighting for our land reserves to grow bigger. Any piece of reclaimed land is already chopped for use even before it is ready or reclaimed.
 
It may be nice to include our land reserves into the formula for national reserves to enjoy the privilege of growing and growing, or at least untouchable, cannot take out, or after taking it out, must put back with interests. Then we will have our land protected and even grow bigger. If not, our land and the reserved land will risk being used up for economic growth. We need the space, the fresh air, the option to be with nature, with the trees, the birds and the grass and rivers.
 
The land has more values than just being converted to industrial or commercial uses. They are our national reserves, to be kept and better to grow bigger. Unfortunately its fate is reversely proportional to economic growth or population growth. Can’t imagine how much of our land would be left as reserves when 6.9m or 10m becomes a reality.

Kopi Level - Green

PMEs must apply to SG Jobs Bank

The SG Jobs Bank is now in service with 50,000 jobs available for Singaporeans and PRs. These jobs are technically on offer for 14 days before the employer could turn around and claim they have tried but failed to get a local and now can go and get their men/women from wherever they liked. How serious are these companies looking for locals to fill the vacancies or how few locals are qualified for the jobs would soon be known when the statistics are available in the coming months.
 
It is very important that Singaporeans apply to these positions quickly as it is like they are being given the first right of refusal by these companies through the Jobs Bank. There would of course be some companies just going through the motion with no intent to hire Singaporeans and would do whatever that are necessary to get their desired candidates other than Singaporeans.
 
There are two things that are important here. First, Singaporean PMEs must respond vigorously to these job advertisements. And two, the MOM must keep a close watch at how the recruiting process is being carried out seriously and not a farce just to appease MOM’s requirements. Hopefully MOM has procedures to collect the data and to monitor and assess how things are being done professionally and not have companies pulling wools over their eyes. It is good that MOM has set up a Fair Consideration Department (FCD) to support the FCF and the Jobs Bank.
 
Gilbert Goh may want to provide a parallel monitoring channel for PMEs who applied and failed to secure a job despite the 50,000 jobs available. Keep track of what is happening to make sure the employers do not turn this Jobs Bank into a circus. With some of the comments posted in TRE, and if they are an indication of the intent of some of the employers, some monkeys would not treat the Jobs Bank seriously. The threatening remarks that MNCs would move out are hogwash. If they can find another paradise with an English speaking workforce, an environment that is so friendly for businesses and for leisure, no fear of personal safety, please go. And the arrogance of some claiming that they could not find local talents is a sign that they did not intend to find local talents and are bent on hiring their own kind.
 
MOM would have a lot of work cut out for them to haul up the rascals for a whipping. The Jobs Bank is only a start and now it is the details and the realities on the ground that matter. The FCD needs more manpower to police the processes. Singaporean PMEs must make an effort to reclaim their rights to decent jobs from this portal. All those professionals driving taxis, under employed, unemployed, please submit your applications quickly and best, give Gilbert Goh a feeler of your applications and the results for analysis.
 
Let’s hope this is real and the employers are serious. Any rejections have to be critically checked by the FCD to make sure they are valid and reasonable. They need to start by checking the CVs and qualifications of the imports from overseas and punish the culprits severely to make a point. The FCD/MOM must have the means to deal with the recalcitrants and not just having kopi and nice talks with them. Everyone must watch how this game is being played henceforth and Singaporean PMEs are not convenient rubbish to be dumped into the waste paper bins.

Kopi Level - Green

10m population snippets

Many nice things have been said about having a 10m population. Some even encouraged the planners to be braver and go for 20m or more. Some were thinking seriously on how to accommodate 20m. One suggestion is to build 40 storey flats and nothing less going forward. This is not only cheaper than building 40 storeys down into the ground.
 
The advantage is that when there is an emergency, you can jump out of the window of 40 storey high flats. If you are 40 storeys down under, you cannot jump out.
 
Some were suggesting that all the low rise landed properties in Bukit Timah, Holland and Tanglin be acquired by the govt to make way for 40 storey high rise flats. And the owners would be happy if paid market price for their land, x 40 of course. $1m becomes $40m, $10m becomes $400m. Win win for all.
 
Old low rise HDB flats can go for SERS and owners get a free new flat when new blocks are all 40 storeys and above. No need to worry about 99 year lease ending. Get a new 99 year lease for free.
 
What do you think?

Kopi Level - Green

First generation PRs no need to serve NS, but second generation…

Many people have raised the issue of first generation PRs not serving NS. Some even deliberately opt to become citizens after a certain age to avoid NS. But if I am not mistaken, the often repeated defence to this policy is that the second generation of PRs or citizens would have to serve NS. This took away some of the vehemence of NSmen for the time being. Finally their children would have to serve NS.
 
This is what I have believed, rightly or wrongly. Now there is an article in TRE that told a different story. Maybe I have been mistaken all the time. According to this article, ‘PRs who fail to serve NS face serious consequences’, the children of PRs can opt not to be PRs and stay here under student passes. I swear this is new to me. Blame me for being ignorant. I quote an elaboration of what this means in the same article.
‘Foreign expats’ sons go for Student Pass instead
 
Due to the stringent tightening of NS policy especially after the PAP Govt suffered a GRC loss in the last election, foreign expats will now tend not to apply PR for their sons. Their sons are put on student pass so as to avoid NS and work or study issues later.
 
A good example is former Indian national and now new Singaporean citizen, Raj. During an interview with TOC [Link], Raj revealed that only he in the family has converted to Singaporean citizenship. His wife and daughter remain as PRs and his son is on a student pass.
 
Raj said that if his son was a PR, he would need to serve NS. He preferred to “let his son decide if he wanted to put his roots down in Singapore or go back to India when he turns 21″.
 
The benefit of having his son on a student pass is that his son can always work in Singapore later as a “foreign talent” and eventually become a PR himself. He will not be considered a second-generation PR since he was not sponsored by his parents in the first place. A second-generation PR who gives up his PR is barred from working or studying in Singapore.
 
Raj said, “We have friends who are from India as well as Singapore. My kids must grow up knowing their roots and our Indian culture, so we purposely go out of the way to stay connected with our friends from India, especially those from our own hometown.”
 
“Living and adjusting to so many different races of people is a very big challenge,” he added.
Raj chose to let his children study in the Global Indian International School instead of a local school.’
 
There are two points to this quote. One, PRs indeed had the option for their children not to serve NS. Another point is that they do not think our policies of having the four major races learning their own languages and roots are good enough to retain their own culture and need to go back to absorb their own culture in their mother land. Also, they are not going to sink roots here as their children would not be one of us.
 
Does this not defeat the objective of having immigrants to be one of us, to be rooted here? We would end up with transient families and more old folks problems if their children would not want to be citizens.
Why like that one?

Kopi Level - Green

PRC woman lets her son defecate at Chinatown MRT

‘Today I saw a PRC woman allowing her son to shi.t publicly into a drain right beside Chinatown MRT station. This is very disturbing to me and I told her to bring her son to the toilet instead. However, she told me that I shouldn’t tell her what to do and she say that there is nothing wrong for letting her son shi.t publicly into a drain.
She then started scolding me and saying about how Singaporeans think that they are very classy and always think that they are better than the PRCs. She say that PRCs are also human and that they also need to shi.t….’
 
The above article is being shared all over the internet and receiving a lot of attention. You can read the whole article and other similar articles in the TRE. Let me look at it from the integration perspective. By the way, 50 years ago we were no better. The behavior was quire prevalent then. It took us at least two generations to change. We have educated ourselves to a higher standard of hygiene, social behavior and conduct that are different from peasants and villagers. Our convenience has changed with the availability of toilets and washrooms everywhere. The act of children defecating in the public is no longer acceptable to us.
 
We have moved on and not looking back, we do not want to go back to those days when we were like that. As I have said many times, once we get out of the longkangs, to be clean, why would we want to go trampling in the longkangs to dirty ourselves, to be smelly again?
 
We are 1st World, we brought in millions of 3rd World people to live with us. We want them to be like us, to integrate with us, to live our way of life. The integration must be one way, not a matter of arrogance or conceitedness. Our hygiene standard is very high and desirable. I am not saying that everything from the 3rd World is bad, but from the material comfort, hygiene, cleanliness and health point of view, this is what we want.
 
From the replies and retorts by the woman encountered, it is clear that it is not easy to integrate them to be like us. She is angry that we are imposing on her. She would want us to be like her, to accept her ways. It may take time, but some may not, or would take a very long time.
 
Our overall quality of life like cleanliness and social behavior would be affected as long as the 3rd World living with us would not want to be like us or taking too long to be like us. Our clean city images have been tainted, and some Singaporeans have also joined them to add to the littering. We have gone backwards and have to live with more untidiness and more littering and rubbish everywhere. Please don’t blame it on all Singaporeans. Nearly half the population here is 3rd World. It is lucky that we have not become 3rd World with reversed integration, instead of them becoming more like us, we becoming more like them.
 
Is this what we want? To bear with them for the sake of cheap labour and economic growth?

Kopi Level - Green

Japan’s White Lie

Today’s ST carried an article by Kwan Weng Kin and Hau Boon Lai with a title, ‘China’s move to set up defence zone profoundly dangerous: Japan’. The article dealt with an annual defence White Paper that was approved by the Japanese cabinet to criticize China’s Air Defence Identification Zone as profoundly dangerous. Such accusation is often accepted at face value by the innocent and unthinking masses who flipped through the pages within giving it a second thought. ADIZ China, dangerous. Japan said so.
 
What is an ADIZ? Simply it an airspace of a country for identifying aircraft flying into it to know if they are friendly or hostile. It is an identification zone for defensive purposes. Why is it dangerous? Why is it that the Japanese ADIZ is not dangerous? The ignoramous did not know that the Japanese have a similar ADIZ set up several decades ago and extended to the Chinese coast.
 
Again, why is it that the Japanese can set up an ADIZ and is not deemed dangerous but the Chinese ADIZ is dangerous? As mentioned earlier, an ADIZ is just an identification zone of a country, an airspace that hostile aircraft could fly in to attack the country. How can it be dangerous when it is defensive in nature, an identification zone?
 
According to the Japanese, it upsets the status quo. What is the status quo? The status quo is that the Japanese can have an ADIZ up to the Chinese coast and China did not have one. The status quo is that the Japanese can fly their fighter aircraft to intercept aircraft in the ADIZ but the Chinese cannot do so. The status quo said that the Japanese have full military control of the airspace adjoining the two countries up to the coast of China. Is this militarily acceptable, fair, equitable?
 
Why is it that the Japanese have the right to control part of the Chinese airspace and China cannot control its own air space and part of the overlapping airspace? Is the status quo reasonable? It is as good as your neighbor having the right to control and check on all visitors in your garden across the road but you cannot do that to his. And if you want a similar right, your neighbor is going to cry foul to the whole neighbourhood that you are dangerous.
 
Then look at what the Japanese have been doing that is not considered profoundly dangerous. The Japanese have reinterpreted their pacificist constitution so that they can now conduct wars and engage in wars not only in the defence of Japan but in other regions and countries, just like they did before in WW2. Is this not profoundly dangerous? The Americans are pretending they did not know.
 
The Japanese are now saying that they are free to conduct wars like their defeated Empire, and if they are like their barbaric forefathers, would commit the same kind of atrocities overseas. Is this not dangerous, not profoundly dangerous? How does this compare to China’s ADIZ, an identification zone to check and identify unknown aircraft flying into the country?
 
The Japanese White Paper is synonymous to a Japanese White Lie. China’s defensive act to protect its territory is claimed to be profoundly dangerous, but an act to commit wars overseas is not profoundly dangerous? And with their historical records and propensities to conduct wars of aggression, they got the cheek to call China’s ADIZ dangerous when all China did was to protect itself against possible Japanese military aggression.
 
How many fools swallowed the Japanese White Lie totally, hook, line and sinkers?

Kopi Level - Green

Why so few Singapore flags flying for National Day?

Some people, especially the old and patriotic Singaporeans, are lamenting why so few flags are seen on the flats? It used to be nearly the whole block of flats flying the Singapore flags. Now it is like you can count them on your finger tips.
 
Let me explain this phenomenon by arithmetic. First point, not too long ago, the majority of the population was Singaporeans. Then you have the element of being a closed knit society of One People, One Nation and One Singapore. Practically everyone will be flying the flag.
 
What does the number says today? 40% are foreigners. That is 2 foreigners to 3 Singaporeans. By this you can at best get 3 flags flying from every 5 units. But actually if you include the new citizens who are still fresh and not really one of us, you are talking about 50% are Singaporeans and 50% new citizens cum foreigners. This will mean that for every two units, only one will fly the flag at best. So at best, only 50% of the flats will be flying the flag.
 
But of the 50%, 30% are hard core anti PAP which will translate to no flag flying. This will reduce the number of flags flying from 50% in a block of flats to 35% at best. The 30% hard core supporters of the PAP/Govt will mean only 15% of the flats would fly the flag. Thus, for every 100 units, 15 units will be flying the flag(from the hard core supporters) and at best 35 units if all the swing voters are included, the grey area of 40% neither pro or anti PAP. If half of this group will to fly the flag, it will mean 15 + 10 or at best 25 flags will be flying for every 100 units.
 
And if you take away some from these 25 units due to forgetfulness, angry because of summons/fines, or not happy with MPs, or jobless, or for whatever real or unreal reasons, the number of flags flying could be less than 20 for every 100 units of flags.
 
So, the dearth of the national flag being flown in the HDB estates is normal, the new normal, when the population of Singaporeans is so much reduced. This could be a statement of how big is the Singaporean core that is left in the city state. It is a new reality when there are simply too many foreigners living here.
 
Make sense? You can’t expect the foreigners to be flying the Singapore flag right? If they could, as some have done, they would fly their own national flags. They are not Singaporeans and have no reason to fly our flag. They are not one of us.

Kopi Level - Green

Meritocracy versus Marriedtocracy

Since Professor Michael Hor Yew Meng assumed his Deanship in Hongkong University’s Law Faculty, after being by passed for the post in NUS when he was Number Two and first on the waiting list, there have been this funny talk of Marriedtocracy in Sin City. This is best exemplified by Michael Hor’s reply to the media when asked why he was found not good enough and a junior guy, a foreign talent was offered the top job instead, Michael’s reply, ‘I don’t know.’
 
What is this thing called Marriedtocracy? Simply, it is merit by marriage, as was suggested in the rumour mill. One can earn merits by getting married in Sin City. I think this is nothing unusual. It happens everywhere, in different degrees. It is just that in a small City state, oops, I am being dismissive as some think we are the biggest country in the world, when everyone knows everyone, when everyone is living next door to the Who’s Who, there can’t be many secrets that were unknown. All, or nearly all, secrets are public knowledge.
 
This rumour of Marriedtocracy over Meritocracy is just mischievous. There is no such thing in this corruption free state. Everyone is appointed based on merits. This is the secret to the City State’s success story. You can’t have dunces appointed based on Marriedtocracy and expect them to do well. It must be real merit at work. Or else it is only a matter of time when merit sounds more like married. The truth about married, or merit, will surface with time. Merit can last and can survive the test of time. Married often does not last and would lead to divorce, separation and unsavoury marital affairs.
 
As long as the City State continues to prosper, you can bet that Meritocracy is the guiding principle of appointments at the top level. Everyone at the top looks so meritocratic, so bright. But if it flounders, then you will know that Meritocracy should be written as Marriedtocracy instead. The proof is in the eating of the pudding.

PS: I did not coin this term. Pick it up from a post in TRE.

Kopi Level - Green

National Day Protest Rally at Hong Lim

Topic:  Should we unite to build a fair and just society for our fellow Singaporeans?
National Day at Hong Lim Park 4pm to 6pm




A protest rally will be held on National Day organised by Han Hui Hui and her friends.Below are a few of the examples that speakers will talk about on 9 August, 4pm to 6pm at Hong Lim Park:

Foreigners taking our jobs
Lowest public healthcare spending as a percentage of GDP in the world
Lowest real rate of return amongst pension funds in the world
Most expensive public housing in the world
30% of households spend more than what they earn
Hardly any real wage growth
High cost of living – Most expensive city in the world

The speakers include Leong Sze Hian, Patrick Low, Benjamin Matchap, Tay Kok Weng, Pek Chee Yong, Roger Caleb Chua etc etc.

For those who are not attending the NDP at Marina Bay, this is another event that they could attend without the need for an invitation.

Kopi Level - Gteen

SGX is in the pink of health

After two months of public consultations and another two months of thorough studies, the MAS/SGX have came out with several recommendations that would ensure the stock market to be in the pink of health and will continue to grow and grow with reduced risks, and the small investors well protected, with better liquidity and with more choices of stocks for the small timers to invest in.
 
It is a signal that all is well. There could be a few possibilities in the recommendations by the MAS/SGX. A slew of big and drastic changes could mean that things were not healthy, and thus the need to bring out the chopper to get the bad parts out of the way. And if there is nothing substantial that needs to be changed, just a minor tweaks here and there, it is as good as saying all it fine, nothing much needs to be done. Or there is nothing wrong with the stock market, really, sure.
 
Initially I was disappointed to think that the few minor changes would be too small to make any impact on a sick market. I was expecting some dramatic and major changes to save the market from dying. Obviously I was very wrong. There is hardly anything wrong with the stock market. I was being paranoid and saw only the bad stuff that was not there in the first place.
 
For those who think that the changes could be the last nail that goes into the coffin, they will be disappointed. The measures would surely help the market to revive, to survive and to grow in strength.
 
Mark my word, the market will be simply great and more buoyant, with more liquidity, and more investors will be swarming in to invest in the market when the new measures are introduced, just like all the previous introduced.
 
What are the new measures? Never mind. It is the result that is important.

Kopi Level - Green

6.9m dream scuttled by Fukushima

The talk of 10m population is getting to sound sillier after Fukushima. Now 6.9m is already out of synch when nuclear power has been put on the back burner. The basic factors to support a big population in a resource poor island, not enough water, no indigenous food supply and power sources like oil, geothermal heat, hydropower, etc are simply not there to sustain a big population. Nuclear power was thought safe and feasible to fulfil such megalomanic dreams of 6.9m or more population. This has been ruled out since the fallout of Fukushima confirmed that nothing is safe as the snake oil sellers would want you to believe.
 
Without nuclear power, with a near total dependency on foreign sources of food supply, one cannot imagine how serious would be the socio economic problems the island with face in an energy or food crisis when the population is 6.9m or more.
 
Every snake oil seller is talking about the economic growth arising from bigger population. But what would a bigger population demand from the system to be sustainable in the long run? The assumptions, continue prosperity and economic growth leading to a strong dollar to buy all the food and energy needed. Other assumptions, food supply and the cost of energy are stable, cheap and reliable. Any fluctuations in these supplies could bring down the whole socio economic system like a pack of cards.
 
Small or big have their advantages and disadvantages. Both are like knives that could cut both ways. Perhaps a major health epidemic like the Ebola could wake up those having sweet dreams that all is well and the bigger the population the better things will be. A hit by something like Ebola will be unimaginable in a dense city state full of people. The only advantage is that a bigger population will see more victims but also more survivors after the plight is over.
 
The 6.9m dream may have been scuttled by Fukushima. But more snake oil sellers are appearing and advocating for bigger dreams. How would 10m or 20m stand when 6.9m is unsustainable without nuclear power? Really we have so much money to buy all the fuel we need to support 10m people?

KopiLevel - Green

Ebola threat is real and imminent

This is copied from John Harding’s blog dated 3 Aug 14.

‘There are fears of a world-wide Ebola outbreak after a passenger from Sierra Leone collapsed and died as she got off a plane at Gatwick. If the woman had Ebola the virus could spread globally as Gatwick services over 90,000 passengers every day.
The woman, 72, became ill on the gangway after she left a Gambia Bird jet with 128 passengers on board. She was sweating profusely and vomiting. The aircraft was immediately quarantined.
According to officials, “The passenger was taken to hospital and sadly died. The patient was not symptomatic on the plane and therefore there is no risk of Ebola being passed on to either flight crew or other passengers.”
This is incorrect, as the woman could easily transmit the Ebola virus to others on the aircraft as could her vomit once as she exited.
The passengers from Gatwick have since departed for nearly every country around the world.’

It is unbelievable that the Brits allowed the passengers to depart without quarantined them. It is like go forth and multiply, Ebola. The 128 passengers could be the angels of death, bring Ebola along with them. It is very difficult now to track those people they have come into contact. So were the crew of the Gambia jet.
 
Is this the beginning?

Kopi Level - Yellow

What kind of Singapore do the Singaporeans want?

We need to know where we are heading and the social economic model that will make life better for Singaporeans. This is our country and we must do everything to favour the Singaporeans, to assist them to lead a good life. There is no point of having a rich and prosperous Singapore but benefiting only a few elite families and foreigners while the rest of the Singaporeans were made to struggle and to downgrade their quality of life. Today, the catchphrase for Singaporeans is all about downgrading except for the few privileged elites and the super rich.

And if you look at the family structure of Singaporeans, even the rich would not last more than one generation. The cost of living is so high that if their next generation of children are going to be mediocre, they would be taking the downgrading road as well and that will be the end of their fortune and their good life. Some may not care since they did not want to have children. They just want to live this good life and call it quits when they turn to ashes.

We need to develop a system that would advantage Singaporeans to sustain their good life, their children and grand children’s good life. We must not have a system that only helps the foreigners to enjoy a better life at the expense of the Singaporeans. We should not be using our public funds to nurture foreigners to have a good life and not our children. We got a lot of table tennis gold medals. So? Anyone feeling excited about it? How is it going to better the children of Singapore?

We are spending millions and millions of public money to bring in foreigners, to hire them at very good pay, but to discard our own just to claim that we have talents. Is this good for Singaporeans? It is not about envy or jealousy. It is about stupidity. If you are talking of a handful of foreigners, fair enough, we need some diversities and some competition. When we go in blindly, and flooded our social economic system with foreigners, instead of supplementing our needs, or as interim measures to train our own, to replace our very own, what the fuck are we thinking? Where are we heading? Where is the future of Singaporeans and our children? I am talking about the children of all Singaporeans.

Do we want to replace our own kind with foreigners simply because they are better? I am not even thinking of fakes and half bakes. As a country and a nation of people, we must protect our own kind, provide all the opportunities for our own kind, provide them the space and avenues to have good jobs, good incomes, good homes. Not telling them to downgrade to be taxi drivers and security guards or cleaners because there is a long queue of foreigners waiting at the door. This is seditious talk..

Am I talking Greek? Or am I talking to dunces? This is your country and you must be the preferred choice for good jobs, good homes, good educations and good of everything. The foreigners can come only as a side show, at our pleasure, not displeasure, to compliment our needs, not to replace ours. We must not commit socio economic suicide by welcoming the foreigners to take over our jobs, our homes and our country, and to rule us. The foreigners must be laughing silly at our stupidity which we bragged to the world as the secret to our success.

And for those who want 6.9m or 10m people in this island, I simply ask, what for? You mean Singapore cannot be a rich and prosperous city state without more population? Is that the only answer? Is this the only trick that the pony knows?

Kopi Level - Yellow

Historical millionaire clubs

The top three pics were of the Chinese Weekly Entertainment Club at Club Street. It is a private millionaire club with a history going back to 1891. Membership is private and confidential and I was not allowed to take any pics of the committee members on the board.  The clock is still telling the time of its glorious days.

The lower two pics were of the Lu Wu Club, also at Club Street a short distance away from Weekly Club. It was empty and appeared to have moved or defunct. A big red no entry sign greeted the visitors at the main entrance. It is now gone, with its stories of the wealthy of the past hidden in the memories of its existing members if they are still around.