Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank – China and the USA

The ugly Americans have been complaining that China is not doing its part in contributing to the world order. China now comes out with a huge sum of cash to set up the AIIB but the ugly Americans are crying foul again. What the Americans are demanding is for China to help the Americans to continue as the big bully against small nations. What the Americans are demanding is for China to be out of the way so that the Americans continue to exert control of the world through the World Bank and the IMF.

The Americans’ complaint against China is that China would be the major player in the AIIB without the Americans and that is bad. The AIIB can only be good if the major player is the American and with them pulling the string. So World Bank and IMF are good, AIIB bad.

21 Asian countries hungry for cheap loans that they often could not get from the American controlled World Bank and IMF have agreed to join the AIIB. They know where their interests lie and what is good for them. China may be the major contributor of funds to the AIIB, but if it takes the organisation and run it in a high handed manner against the interest of the participating nations, it would not last and AIIB would be a non starter.

This is the 21^st Century and there is no place for colonialism and imperialism and gunboat diplomacy. China would have to treat every country in the AIIB as equals. There is no other option. AIIB can only exist with the support of all the participating countries with equal rights. Bull to the Americans.

Good riddance to the American semi colonies for not joining. It is a blessing that they, especially Japan and Australia have been left out. Their participation would only be as spoilers and as proxy to the Americans.

The intent and purpose of the ugly Americans are all about world domination and control and the exclusion of China from the World Order of the Americans. The TPP is another American creation to exclude China from the system. Many countries have been victims of the Pax Americana and the time is ripe for an alternative platform and system for the victims of the American empire to offer them a better deal.

Asia, Africa and Latin America must strike out a new path on their own where they can manage and determine their own good and future with the Americans pulling all the strings. The AIIB is only the beginning to the dwindling influence of the Americans. And they are protesting loudly and even twisting the arms of their allies and semi colonies not to join. The World Order is shifting.

Kopi Level - Green

Sin City is ripe for a Constitutional Monarchy

Who is complaining that Sinkies are ungrateful? I will not be surprised if the views were expressed in the MSM. But for such views to be expressed in the social media it means a lot. Social media is always seen as anti establishment, anti govt, anti PAP and of course anti Lee Kuan Yew. It is thus very surprising to read so many positive views about how disrespectful it was to make LKY an MP. It is also very heartening to hear that many people sincerely believed that paying him anything, any amount, is not enough for all the good he has done for Singapore. How can the Govt be paying him a miserable $16,000 as an MP? Disgusting! And such views are expressed in TRE, would you believe it?

No amount of money is enough to pay him for bringing Singapore from 3^rd world to 1^st world and for making almost every Sinkie a millionaire, with many becoming billionaires. So what is the big deal for LKY to be sitting in the Istana as an MP? Nobody could see anything wrong with it except maybe Tan Cheng Bock.

Tan Cheng Bock knows what democracy is all about and what democratic practices should be. It is called 民主, by the people, of the people, and for the people, not a dynasty or monarchy, 皇朝, where one is a monarch for life. In a democracy, you are elected or not elected. You are the elected President, PM or just an MP and you must know your place. And your position and status as a political leader ends the day you are not elected by the people. It is not a never ending position.

From the praises and adoration and reverence expressed by the people in social media, democracy or western democracy does not mean anything to a deserving leader. The people are blind, or could or would turn a blind eye to such formalities and protocol. There is nothing wrong for a deserving MP like LKY sitting in the Istana forever. And they felt aggrieved and hurt that the Govt is paying him a miserable $16,000 pm. LKY should be very pleased to know that he is so highly looked up to by the people who are grateful for what he had done for them.

Perhaps dynastic rule is in the blood of the people even though they are descendants of migrants from China with thousands of years of dynastic rule. Not sure if the other racial groups share this attachment and sentiment. Given a choice, I think these people would not mind changing our democratic system to a Constitutional Monarchy to perpetuate the rule of LKY. To them, this country is like belonging to him. And he is deserving of it in every sense of the word. I think there will be very little resistance if someone would to propose a change of the democratic constitution to one of Constitutional Monarchy.

The people seem willing and have a penchant for it when there is a deserving ruler. I don’t think there will be another deserving leader in the future. This kind of thing doesn’t happen too often, definitely not every 50 years. And 50 years of democracy, or was it democracy, would not change the ancient mindset of deference to power and the mandate of heaven.  Many Singaporeans still do not know what is democracy and why monarchy is obsolete.

What do you think?

Kopi Level - Green

Letter of Appeal to the Prime Minister’s Office for the job security of SIA pilots

Below is another pathetic letter from a disadvantaged Sinkie employed by a GLC. All I can say is that it is like singing to the cow. They would not listen. They are deaf frogs. And they believed what they are doing is right and good for you. Why do you think cheating of shoppers could happen for more than 30 years until this Jover Chew’s case before they knew something had happened? Sinkies had been sold out and the sad part is that they don’t even know why or who had sold them out.
 
The full letter is posted in TRE. Would daft Sinkies wake up in time for the next GE? Sorry Sham, you should sign off as Daft Sinkie below your name. But they already knew. Nothing will happen until you and other daft Sinkies act together to effect the change. You want change for the better? The future is in your hand. Dig the spur into their hide. Don’t wait till 6.9m, you would not even have a place to stand on by then
 
19 Nov 2014
Dear Sir,
 
I am a pilot with Singapore airlines since 1999 and am right now a seven-year Senior First Officer who flies the A380 super Jumbo. During my time with the Airline I have experienced many ups and downs but what has forced me to write to you is to highlight the disparity for a Singaporean as compared to a Non- Singaporean….
 
It takes a newly qualified pilot an average of 8 to 10 years to be selected for command training, and on successful completion achieve the rank of Captain.
 
During this period, a Singaporean first officer dedicates 1 month of each year to serving our country as an active reservist whereas a non-Singaporean is not liable for this.
 
Even more so, when a non-Singaporean chooses to become a citizen, he enjoys all benefits of being one without having served at all. Whereas, for a Singaporean, we lose out a total of 1 year’s worth of flying by the time we are selected for Command training….
 
Recently there was an article in the Singapore Straits Times stating how non-Singaporeans given positions of importance have actively gone out and recruited their own kind for their companies and in time even given them positions of importance.
 
In Singapore airlines 95% of Flight Operations Management and 80% of Flight Operations Training Department is made up of Non- Singaporeans or those who chose to become citizens….
 
I am not asking for all these people to be replaced. What I am asking for is to level the playing field for Singaporeans. These are your people. We may be a minority, which may seem like a small number but take into account all the children and grandchildren we have and this now grows exponentially.
Please do something for us and our future.
 
Sham Kumar Singh
 
There is another letter in TRE by a mother on her son and fellow NS boys suffering from depression. Having to slog it out for two years braving the elements only to know that the foreigners are taking over their jobs and with all the advantages is really depressing. Who would care about these daft Sinkies?
 
The smart asses would tell the daft Sinkies, if you don’t buck up, we will replace you with all the millions of hungry foreigners out there.
 
Now, you know who should be replaced don’t you?

Kopi Level - Green

UN accusing North Korea for crimes against humanity

The UN, under the instigation of the Europeans, and hiding behind the corner, the Americans, thought it a very clever and highly moral thing to want to charge the North Koreans for crimes against humanity for the decades of cruelties against its citizens. On the other hand it turned a blind eye to the decades/centuries of cruelties committed by the Americans and Europeans against the African slaves and the genocides against the Red Indians. Maybe they think those cruel crimes against humanity were too long ago.

What about the murders of the Iraqis and Saddam Hussein and American boys and girls in a fake war built on fake grounds? Off hand the number of dead and maimed in the last 10 years would be more than those in North Korea over the so called decades of cruelties based on hearsays and anti North Korean gooks, and outsiders that had not set foot on North Korean soil. The numbers of kills and wounded in Iraq are available for all to see.

Never mind. Let’s look at the reason why the Americans and Europeans are obsessed with wanting to discredit the North Koreans and to bring them down, to continue to impose sanctions on the North Korean people, and to provoke them to react angrily and aggressively. It is not a simple case of hatred and mischief or ignorance or fake compassion for humanity. It is all part of the bigger scheme of things, to keep harassing the North Koreans, to perpetuate a state of tension and hostility between the North and South Koreans. It is all to serve the American Empire, to keep South Korea as a semi colony, to station troops in South Korea as a staging point for a strategic purpose, in case of war against China.

North and South Korea are just convenient chess pieces in the American war game for world domination. The Americans would not want the South Koreans to have any reason to negotiate peace with North Korea, to reunite the two states and to ask the American troops to go away. They must constantly provoke the North Koreans, agitate the North and incite the South to go and kill each other. Korean lives and national interests are secondary to the American Empire. And it is good money too, forcing the South Koreans to continue to buy American weapons, like it or not.

The secondary objective is to deflect the attention on the war crimes committed by George Bush and Tony Blair in the Middle East. As long as the pressure continues to mount against North Korea, and the fingers pointing at the North Koreans or Iran or any other convenient scapegoat, no one would have the time to look at the Americans’ dastardly acts and their crimes against humanity. The Americans would just drag the whole world by the ears to wherever they want them to be and to see. The Europeans were just convenient cronies to act as diversion in this case. They have more than enough trouble at home to want to mess around with the North Koreans in another corner of the globe. But they had no choice as the Americans insisted on them to front this premeditated cause just like using Australia and John Abbot as the sheriff of the western Pacific. So it gives the impression that it was not the Americans doing it.

The North and South Koreans are in very pathetic situation, unable to shrug off this evil Empire without being colonised by war if they chose to behave otherwise. The best they could do is to play along, but be very conscious that they are all Koreans and must avoid war at all costs.

The Americans would continue to control and mess around with these two states to keep them as two separate political entities, and to go to war would be even better. The Americans have all to gain politically, strategically and financially if hostility breaks out.

The two Koreans must pray very hard that God is merciful to them and keep the American Empire from exploiting them. And the allies of the Americans are all in praise of the Americans as the responsible policemen of the world, maintaining peace and stability and all the craps that they forced themselves to believe in.

What a joke!

Kopi Level - Green

IMD World Competitiveness Center ranked Malaysia 5th and Singapore 16th

‘IMD business school is located in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is one of the world’s premier business and management institutions. It offers the world’s best MBA program according to Forbes ranking in 2011, 2013. In 2014, it was ranked first in open programs worldwide by the Financial Times.’ Singapore Business Times.
 
In its World Talent Report, Malaysia was ranked 5th, ahead of Singapore at 16th. The ranking was based on three key factors of the country:
 
1. its investment and development in home-grown talent
2. its ability to retain local talent and attract those from overseas
3. its readiness to fulfil market demands with the available talent pool
 
It is understandable that Malaysia ranked very high in 1 while Singapore took a rubbing here. Malaysia is very focussed about investing and developing its very own talents. Singapore likely lost 20% of its best talents when their places were given to foreigners in the universities. The IMD must have noticed this flaw in developing own local talents versus developing other countries’ talent.
 
As for factor 2, Malaysia definitely scored better in retaining its own talents while Singapore lost out as it encouraged its local talents to go overseas, maybe due to poor job offers at home. Also, many local talents, especially the middle age PMEs were displaced and ended up unemployed or under employed. This must count strongly against Singapore. But it scored very high in attracting talents from overseas to replace its displaced local talents while Malaysia might lose out in this area. So, for factor 2 the score is likely to be even.
 
In factor 3, Malaysia was likely to fill its market demands from local talents while Singapore would be filling them up with foreign talents. On paper should also be fairly even. The only questionable factor may be that IMD knew that the foreign talents Singapore was attracting were craps or fake talents. As an European institution, it would probably look at those so called talents employed by Singapore and measured them against their own standards. Simply put, if they would not think they are good enough and unemployable in their standards, they would rule them out as rubbish talents. They might have a good laugh at the stupidity of these talents and so did not give Singapore any marks for it.
 
This could explain why Malaysia is at 5th spot and Singapore at 16th spot. But that is just my guess. Maybe there are far more serious reasons for downgrading Singapore to 16th place. The IMD is filled with real talents and would not be fooled by fools and fakes. They are outsiders and could see the picture very clearly and objectively. While the fools are happily deceiving themselves, the IMDs must be having a good laugh.
 
I really cannot find any good reason other than the above to justify Malaysia ranking higher than Singapore. Singapore has been the champion, the pipe piper in recruiting foreign talents. It constantly go for a world wide search when a CEO position is vacant. The first choice seems to be foreign talents and a local talent is considered only after the foreign talent search failed.
 
And I trust that this IMD ranking system is credible compares to those demolished and unrecognised university rankings. Anyone got a better idea why Singapore is so far below Malaysia?

Kopi Level - Green

Nature Society wants Ubin to be gazetted as a nature reserve

‘A nature group has called for Pulau Ubin to be given the same level of protection as a nature reserve, given the concentration of rare and endangered wildlife found on the off shore island.’ This is reported in the Today paper on 19 Nov 14.
 
I can only say fat hope. We don’t even have enough land for 6.9m population, where got land for wildlife? The only kind of wildlife we are protecting are those rogue retailers in the shopping centres and the wild foreigners on bicycles in our roads.
 
Actually I am wrong to say that we don’t have enough land for 6.9m. Some experts claimed that we have land for 10m. I think we have enough land for 100m population. We are preparing to bring the world’s jobless population here because we don’t have enough babies for economic growth. After 6.9m, they will say we need more growth, and it will be 10m. After 10m, they will say need to have economic growth, and it will be 20m, and so on. 100m maybe just a planning number. It could go bigger.
 
Pulau Ubin, Tekong and all the southern islands would need to be filled, expanded, to prepare for 100m in the future. Where got the luxury of land for wildlife?

Kopi Level - Green

CECA and Smart Cities in India

I hope the MPs would raise these two issues in Parliament and discuss the merits and demerits for Singapore and Singaporeans. Whose big ideas were they? What is in them for us? How much are we going to spend and how much are we going to get in return? Goodwill is not good enough. Praising Singapore as a good friend is not good enough. Praising Singapore as smart or stupid is not good enough. We cannot be doing charity all over the world and squeezing on the people to do it.
 
We need to know the bottom lines. Parliament must draw a line on major decisions involving big money, big projects that must be approved by Parliament. Not everyone can suka suka go and spend the people’s money on their pet projects or hobbies. No one should travel the world and behave like a philanthropist using the people’s money.

Kopi Level - Green

PAP big gun in Aljunied and Hougang

Lim Boon Heng, the big gun of yesteryears, is seen in a grassroot affair in Aljunied and Hougang, leading a team of freshies that are likely to be the candidates for the next GE. Just my guess. The question, why Boon Heng and not some incumbent ministers? Perhaps Boon Heng has volunteered to throw his weight in Aljunied GRC to carry the new team to victory. By the look of things, Boon Heng is the most worthy heavy weight that could to do the job now, or is the bravest to lead the charge.
 
Boon Heng’s first salvo is to question what would happen if WP would be in charge of SG? For him to ask such a question is like saying what PAP has done is the best, or WP would make a mess of everything. Can WP do anything worst? What do you think?
 
The other issue is about the finance of AHPETC. Boon Heng was horrified that the Town Council has turned a $3m surplus to a $734k deficit. I can understand the surplus part, ie excess revenue collected. Good thing. Collect more is good and better to transfer the excess to the Sinking Fund and sink to the bottom and be forgotten. Another untouchable fund?
 
What is this deficit? Is the deficit due to losses due to bad investments or mismanagement? Or is it because some residents are facing hardship and have problems servicing their monthly conservancy fees? Or is it that some ‘above the law’ citizens chose not to pay because they did not vote for the WP and they have the right not to pay?
 
In the first case, hardship, would it be better to ruthlessly chase for payments by issuing legal letters or threats of evictions? In the second case, are there people above the law that they can choose not to pay their conservancy fees because they did not elect the MP? Is there any law about such hooligan behavior? Can the residents in PAP constituencies who did not elect the PAP MP do the same? If can then it would be a good precedent for more lawlessness in this City with gangsters running wild everywhere. And the best part, no law to apprehend them and to bring them to justice in a rule of law country.
 
What is the issue? What do you think?
 
Please also read TRE’s editorial on the disproportionate distribution of govt grants to GRCs and why AHPETC got among the least and how some GRCs covered their deficits by huge govt grants. The TRE article is titled ‘Desmond Lee, all town councils run deficits.’

Kopi Level - Green

Residents to elect their own mayors?

Someone suggested this to be a better thing. My question, why do we need mayors in the first place? To give more pay to the mayors? What can the mayors do that the MPs cannot do or vice versa? Oh, MPs are part timers, too busy working and making money. Are mayors part timers also? If full timers are needed, why not make MPs full timers? $16,000 pm is not small change and deserves to have a full time person on the job.
Either we make the MPs do their job or replace them with mayors. It is an either or option. There is absolutely no need to have both. We are a little pee sai. Got so much work for mayors, MPs and town councils to do? Got very powerful CCC Chairman some more!
 
Please don’t waste public money and resources. We are too small and no need to create so many levels of appointments and work and money to pay to so many people.
 
Why don’t we create a mayor post for every constituency and 5 or 6 mayors for big GRCs? Are our people that incompetent? London and New York with more than 10m population only has one mayor each. They are not falling apart. Are our HDB estates better run by our mayors than London and New York?
 
Do we need mayors for every 20 blocks of flats or every 100,000 people? Hey, our mayors are all super talents earning super talent salaries, definitely more than the mayor of London and New York.
 
Are we getting value for money? Or are we made to become Santa Claus?

Kopi Level - Green

Big banks fined in the billions in Europe and the US

Saw a few pieces of crawlers over Channel News Asia a few days back. UK fined big banks US$1.7b for forex rigging. US fined big banks US$1.4b for forex riggings. Swiss authority fined UBS US$139m for forex rigging. My doubts about how the big banks could make billions in the business of banking suddenly got clearer. No, just on lending and earning interests would not make that kind of money. And no, just on trading would not make that kind of money either. When the big banks are cooking up billions in profits, the likelihoods of fraud and rigging are not far fetched. Give them a chance, like the last US financial crisis, every one of these banks will declare insolvent, bankrupt over night. History will repeat itself.

Who believes that banks are honest bankers doing honest and conservative businesses? Today, the big banks are the biggest rogues in fraudulent practices, money laundering, and rigging in forex and sell toxic derivatives. And if they are not caught and fined, it is not that they are innocent. It is just because they have yet to be caught. So be wary, be very wary, when banks are blowing their trumpets about the billions they are making, just like before the global financial crisis. And until today, none of the CEOs have to be locked up in jail. They continued to cheat and fraud using their banks and some low level traders would be used as the scapegoats. Any fines would be paid by the banks. The CEOs are blameless. They did not know what was going on.

A note of clarification. The big banks I am referring to are those in the US and Europe. Those that are here are absolutely safe, 101% sure. They would do what the rogue bankers are doing in Europe and the US. Our banks are making genuine small profits from loans and financing. We are so very lucky. Must be the good govt, the good governance and the good men in charge of the banks and all the good regulations we introduced.

I hope there is no nightmare in the making. Just remember Murphy’s Law.

Kopi Level - Green

Redbean - I can help alternative parties get good quality candidates

I thought about it for one whole night and finally got the answer to alternative parties’ problem of not enough good quality candidates. Now I cannot ‘tahan’, must quickly type out my solutions to solve their headaches. The most basic problem is that alternative parties dare not dream big and think big. They think they got no money, not enough strong candidates, so go slow and steady, ‘poon pee pee’. I say think big and go for it and attract the big boys, the super talents, the successful professionals, those earning multi million dollars, by offering them better pay, better terms to join politics, fast track to ministership. They must be prepared to take PAP by the horns and do better. What the PAP can do, they must offer more.

It all boils down to the political organisation structure. The alternative parties must not be shy and say they cannot be the govt or when they become the govt, screwed up everything as predicted by all the expert analysts, see them no up. Then ‘kena’ booted out again in the next GE, easy come easy go. What I am going to suggest would sure to bring them all the super talents they need to prove to the expert analysts that alternative parties also can buy super talents to serve.

The solution, provide a lot of opportunities to be appointed as ministers or as appointment holders. PAP offers only one PM and 13 ministers and 5 mayors I think. Change the organisation structure to one PM, 3 Dep PMs, 20 ministers, 40 dep ministers, (two to one minister), 20 ministers of states and also 40 deputy ministers of states, and 20 mayors. Like that all the super talents see also ‘lau nuar’, I mean salivate. Practically everyone can be an appointment holder other than just be MPs. Then no need to work so hard to go and collect directorships, so ‘malu’. And some more people make unsavoury remarks if take up too many directorships and, ‘lagi terok’, no time to attend Parliament. Always apply leave for board meetings and got criticisms by people watching Parliament in session. And poor Speaker sometime sleepy never count attendance then got no quorum also dunno. Make the Speaker’s job very ‘susah’.

And if the above is not enough, tell them that PM can also be promoted to Senior PM with more pay, or have 3 PMs to go round, Ministers to Senior Ministers, Mayor to Senior Mayors or Chief Mayors to manage all the Mayors. Like that sure ‘jalan’ one.

Where to find the money? What money? You are already the govt, all the money is your money, like your Ah Kong’s company. All the assets and reserves and taxes are your money to give to attract the best talents money can buy. And the people cannot complain either. The people will know all these are good for them and also to prevent corruption. When spending OPM, no need to be ‘khek khee’ 客气one, just spend lah. Make every cent worth spending. Just 3 plates of char kway teow only.

I think if alternative parties take my recommendations, sure a lot of super talents will join them. The carrot always works, the bigger the carrot the better the results. And with so many layers of appointments, can promote them every year to make them happy and laughing to the banks.

What do you think? ‘Swee swee’. All the super talents will form a long queue for tea sessions to be selected.

Kopi Level - Green

Netizen Vigilante – An indispensable role when boh cheng hu

Yang Yin’s case would not have received the kind of publicity if there was no Netizen Vigilante. It was all the drummings of netizens that created so much awareness on the vulnerability of a rich widow suffering from dementia. Now the case is in court and there is great hope that her fortune would not be robbed by a foreigner she invited home. 养虎威患.
 
The next big role played by netizen is the Mobile Air case when a tourist was at the mercy of unscrupulous shop retailers. The publicity on the case in social media was too much to handle and no action was just unacceptable. Despite this, the initial reaction was another hopeless case of bo cheng hu. Nothing can be done. The culprit was so clever and knew the law so well that nothing could be done to him, no crime committed but unethical only.
 
It was reported today that the police has raided the shop that has changed name and ownership and carted away several boxes of equipment and files. So, there must be some laws that the culprit could have violated. Hope it is not just a case of public nuisance. And Rip Van Winkle suddenly wanted to do something, to change the law from boh cheng hu to got cheng hu. After more than 30 years and thousands of cases reported and forgotten as nothing could be done, thanks to Netizen Vigilante, things are starting to move.
 
A rogue foreigner motor cyclist, a highly valued foreign talent, was charged in court for hurting a daft couple in a car. He was sent to stay behind bars for 3 weeks. Many such cases happened in the past and the rogues got away quite lightly. But in this case it is not certain if the Netizen Vigilante got anything to do with it. Anton Casey?
 
Netizen Vigilante could have play a big role is Saving Roy Ngerng in the Hong Lim Park heckling or harassment case. Not sure about this also, but Roy and his friends were finally charged for being a public nuisance, a much less severe charge instead of heckling or harassment of Special Needs Children.
 
A word of caution to the Netizen Vigilante. Some quarters are unhappy with your rogue behavior for harassing the clever retailer. Be careful not to cross the line or you would be hauled up for harassment or heckling or a public nuisance. Leave it to the law to protect the victims. Don’t always think there is boh cheng hu. Got, got cheng hu. This is a rule of law country. Don’t pray pray unless you are as clever as rogue retailers where the law is helpless against you, or there is no law that can be applied to you.
 
Anyway, the victims must be very grateful for what you have done. Never mind if some people are not happy with you. You have done something good and needed to be done when there was boh cheng hu.

Kopi Level - Green

Obama, head I win tail you lose

‘We are also very firm on the need to uphold core international principles. And one of those principles is that you don’t invade other countries or finance proxies and support them in ways that break up a country that has mechanisms for democratic elections.’
 
This was what Putin told Obama at the Group of 20 Meeting in Brisbane. After all the invasions conducted by the Americans in the Middle East and Afghanistan, what else is there to tell Obama.
Oops, I was wrong. I misquoted. The above was spoken by Obama! Yes, the Americans did not invade any country or finance proxies and support them to break up their countries. It is the Russians and other countries that are doing such things.
 
My apologies for misquoting the Emperor of Peace. He won a Nobel Prize for Peace too. I am very sure many people believe what Emperor Obama said. America is the Holy Empire that does no such evils. I could see the halo over Obama’s head. You can see the halo on the heads of George Bush Jr and Hillary Clinton too.
 
And Obama also ‘called on China to pursue peaceful development and adhere to the same rules as other countries’. What, like the Americans, sending soldiers to invade other countries, bombing other countries, conduct regime change? Xi Jinping replied that China would remain ‘unshakable in its resolve to pursue peaceful development and hope other countries would do the same.’ He is indirectly telling Obama to go and fuck off and don’t be a hypocrite, and warned him ‘that a war like state, however big it may be, will eventually fail.’
 
Viva Pax America, the Empire of Peace and righteousness. Now read an extract of the letter by a dying American soldier that appeared in the comments on my article, Assault on Red Bean Hill.
 
My Last Words to George W. Bush and Dick Cheney
by TOMAS YOUNG

(Excerpt)

... I write this letter on behalf of the hundreds of thousands of veterans who have been wounded and on behalf of those whose wounds, physical and psychological, have destroyed their lives.
I am one of those gravely wounded. I was paralyzed in an insurgent ambush in 2004 in Sadr City. My life is coming to an end. I am living under hospice care. ....

I write this letter, my last letter, to you, Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney.
I write not because I think you grasp the terrible human and moral consequences of your lies, manipulation and thirst for wealth and power.
I write this letter because, before my own death, I want to make it clear that I, and hundreds of thousands of my fellow veterans, along with millions of my fellow citizens, along with hundreds of millions more in Iraq and the Middle East, know fully who you are and what you have done….

Kopi Level - Green

Chee Soon Juan - Super talents are wholesome goodness

I read many comments in social media, needless to say anything about the msm, of views that Chee Soon Juan is a rash young man. Many still remember how he challenged Chok Tong with the remark, ‘Where is our money?’ that led to his defamation suit and bankruptcy. Many would still remember about how an honourable MP went around taking taxis to prove that he cheated a few dollars on taxi claims. Then there was the postage incident.

Take a step back and ask yourself? How serious are these indiscretions? How many of you have made indiscretions in your life that were far worse than these when you were young or in a moment of mischief or rashness? We were all young before. We are bound to make mistakes along our journey in life. I am not sure about people that claimed to have not made any mistakes in their lives. I am very sure that I made many mistakes too, some very silly ones, in my younger days. And even at this age, occasionally I would still make mistakes. I am just an ordinary human bean, not an immortal or god.

Having said that, I think there are really people that don’t make mistakes in their lives at all. These are the demi gods and immortals. They will laugh and sneer at the mortals for all the small mistakes they made. That is the privilege of being demi gods and immortals. They don’t make mistakes, they cannot make mistakes, and if they made mistakes, they make sure that you would not know, or the mistakes were not mistakes and would quickly be forgotten. Then they will walk around with their nose up in the air, snorting around like clean, blameless and sinless human beans. Oops, my apologies, not human beans, but demi gods and immortals.

Come, come, look around, can anyone spot any mistakes made by any demi gods and immortals? Does anyone remember the mistakes they made? No right?

But coming to Chee Soon Juan, everyone seems to remember every fine details of what he did as if they were serious crimes of the century. Heard of yellow ribbons to forgive serious criminals?

Step back and ask yourself why are you acting this way, only seeing the wrongs of one person but not the wrongs of demi gods and immortals. I apologise if you really believe that only human beans like Chee Soon Juan could make mistakes and the demi gods and immortals could not.

Next you will remember Roy Ngerng and Hui Hui for the next 30 years that they heckled and harassed Special Needs Children and were charged in court for being a nuisance in public. Would anyone remember what or who caused them to be charged in court and the slew of mistakes committed by the demi gods and immortals throughout the whole incident? No, yes, no?

Daft Sinkies are very easy to manipulate and plant ideas into their empty heads. For they don’t want to think for themselves and allowed others to tell them what is the truth, what is other people’s truth(OPT). And they would not doubt a bit the OPT that is planted into their heads by other people with other people’s agenda(OPA).

Next time when you think of Chee Soon Juan, please ask yourself why are you thinking that way. If you have really been thinking about the whole issue around him, fair enough. But if it is because other people planted the idea in your head, don’t you think it is time to wash your head with Dettol and cleanse it from OPT? Ask if any demi god and immortal have done anything worst off than what you think Chee Soon Juan had done, and who are they. You need to remember them too to make a sound comparison and judgment of who is the better person and who is the real devil. I mean devils, not demi gods and immortals. Or has the line between devil and goodness been blurred or switched?

Judge Chee Soon Juan objectively, not because other people told you so. He is bad, so he must be bad. That simple? People who have an agenda against him will tell him he is bad and vice versa. You must think for yourself and decide what is good and what is bad in your own interest. I did not say he is good or bad. That is your call.

Kopi Level - Green

Singapore to develop Delhi to a smart city?

Nov 15, 2014 - Many Indian cities including Delhi may be aspiring to be “smart” but that’s easier said than done. Singapore which is now working towards positioning itself as the first “smart nation” has done it through meticulous urban planning to use land, water and power most efficiently. Masagos Zulkifli, Its Masagos Zulkifli, minister in home and foreign affairs who met Indian journalists on Friday as part of media visit organised by Singapore International Foundation (SIF) said Indian cities first need basic planning to make lives comfortable for people.
 
Zulkifli said Singapore government is open to developing Delhi as a smart city but it depends on the Indian government who they finally choose. “Singapore can help the new government led by PM Modi short circuit the process of becoming smart....
 
timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Singapore-offers-to-develop-Delhi-to-a-smart-city/articleshow/45155558.cms<
 
The above article was posted in TRE. I hope we are not insulting the Indians by telling them that they need to build smart cities and they can’t do it and must need out help. I am sure India has many super talents that could easily build all the smart cities they want. They have built rockets to the moon, to Mars. You mean they don’t have talents to build smart cities? Who is kidding who?
 
What about all the talents that India is sending here to help us to grow our economy? What about all the super India talents being appointed to CEO positions in Singapore because we could not find such talents among Singaporeans? What about all the Indian recruiters saying they could not find Singapore talents and must go back to India to recruit talents to work in Singapore? Did these things say how good Indian talents are and how lousy our talents are? Or our talents are only good in building smart cities and nothing else?
 
What if India turns around and say, ‘Hey, we will build smart cities for you. Just give us the money will do. And don’t think too highly of yourself. You think Indians are stupid ya?’

Kopi Level - Red

PMEs – No need for more hare brain schemes

Every time I heard of more schemes and training programmes for the PMEs my blood pressure goes up. Only people with vacuums in between their ears would think their hare brain schemes are brilliant schemes to solve a self created farcical problem. The only way to put something sensible into the vacuum is to make them PMEs and make them go through their hare brain schemes, put them through their silly training programmes to become dishwashers or table cleaners.

What is the problem sacked and retrenched PMEs are facing, or what is the cause of their problems? What are you going to teach a 30 year experienced PMEs with a string of degrees and technical certificates on? Dishwashing or sweeping the floor? When I look across the job market, it is so exasperating to think that all those middle management jobs are far too sophisticated and difficult for the PMEs when they were in the jobs for several decades.

And I find it a silly joke that 3rd world villagers from chapalan universities have the required skill sets and technical expertise to replace our PMEs who have been practising their trades and professions in a 1st world economy, a knowledge based economy for decades. Who were there to teach them to be better than our PMEs? How many of the jobs given to 3rd world villagers cannot be done by our PMEs? How many of these 3rd world talents possessed better qualifications that are real and from better universities than our PMEs? I have seen many Apapa and Amama universities that straight away raised a red flag.

Do they know what are the real problems on the ground? No, they do not want to know. They only want to bring in more 3rd world villagers and their cousins, and to believe that they are the best talents to bring this 1st world economy and city back to the 3rd world.

Start with a few simple and effective solutions. Civil services, stats boards and GLC companies must stop employing 3rd world half bakes and fakes from chapalan universities. This will stop the PME problems immediately and give back dignity to our PMEs. Please don’t treat them like little lost children that need more training, or like lepers that should be shunned.

Do not betray your own citizens with funny and silly schemes. This is the last straw and they will vote you out in the next GE. If you do not want to take care of their interest and only think of taking care of foreigners, they would not take care of yours either. Every PME losing his job is a family in trouble and a family of votes that would go with them. With a life span of 80 to 90 years, it is a nightmare to lose their jobs at 50 or 60. They have another 20 to 30 years to live and being jobless or a cleaner is not the way to go.

Think, think. Fill the vacuum with something useful, not money and more money.

Kopi Level - Red

Tommy Koh’s To Singapore with Love is fun reading

Saturday’s article by Tommy Koh on his book, with the cheeky title ‘To Singapore With Love’, bears no relations to Tan Pin Pin’s film of the same name should be read like what Tommy said, like ‘loving critics and critical lovers’. The article can be divided into three sections, the past, the present and the future. 90 percent of the article was about the past, 9 percent about the present and 1 percent about the future.

Tommy’s article was culled from the comments of past diplomats who had served in Singapore and their impressions of what this island and govt were all about during their tours of duties. He started with the Mexican Ambassador Eduardo Ramos Gomez who came out genuinely as someone who was in love with Singapore and believed that this was a good place to live and raise a family. His children were educated in ACS and done their national service. And he is back working here in his law firm.

The next ambassador was Joergen Moeller from Denmark, and I quote what he was impressed with, ‘the Singaporean elite focused upon doing something for Singapore, thinking of the future for the country, and being fully aware that their prime duty was to look after the interest of the nation – not their own interest’. As I said, these were viewed formed from the past. I have no comments on the phrase, ‘not their own interest’.

Patrick Van Haute of Belgium said this, ‘Keeping its economy open, joining the fight against protectionism, building a world class education system, investing in the skills of its workforce, in knowledge based assets…’ Today, anyone in the know and knowing the dearth of talents and skills among the daft citizens and how many foreigners were imported to replace them even in low skills jobs, and knowing how screw up these foreigners are, with questionable educations, I think this Patrick Van Haute may want to change his opinion on our world class education system and the investment on the skills of our workforce. We are a bankrupt country as far as local skills and talents are concerned. We depended on 3rd world half bakes to do all the works for us. When 3rd world half bakes are better than us, we do have a problem. And the trend is gaining steam. Our only skills are taxi driving and be security guards. Please feel free to disagree with me.

Mohamed Abdel Rehim El Zorkany of Egypt said Singapore’s success drew on ‘tolerance, respect, justice, the rule of law, a fair share and sense of ownership, for each and every one’. I agree he is correct, almost fully correct in what he said. He should add, ‘for each and every one coming here to work but not necessarily the citizens’. The Singaporeans are really, truly tolerance of foreigners, respect foreigners, justice and rule of law were practised to the last letter to protect the foreigners, to give the foreigners a fair share of the country and a sense of ownership. This is how magnanimous and generous Singaporeans are to foreigners. If only the foreigners who are benefiting from the Singaporeans generosity are reciprocating in kind. Singaporeans should be very grateful if they are not insulted, beaten by foreigners or replaced by foreigners in their jobs.

And Alan Hunt of England had all praised for LKY. ‘Much of the credit for Singapore’s remarkable success was attributed to the foundations laid by Lee Kuan Yew. I have to agree to this when the past is concerned, and I know many would not agree with me. That is fair.

Another American had this motherhood statement to say. ‘Living in Singapore reinforced my conviction that the quality of leadership is the most decisive factor in human affairs.’ How to disagree with him? I think living any where, the quality of leadership matters most. When you got good leaders, it shows. When you got asses as leaders, it also shows.

Education seemed to impress the ambassadors. Juan Martabit of Chile wrote, ‘The education of Singapore is the key to its rapid success, generating the human resources necessary to compete with the best in the world.’ His comment is obsolete. The truth is that our education system has degenerated our human resources to a point that they are unable to compete with the worst from the rest of the world. Not true?

Now for a bit of the present. Frank Lavin noted the eight rules of the Singapore school of diplomacy and Takaaki Kojima of Japan identified two. That is all the good things these two ambassadors could think of, and of course Tommy Koh took the queue by not saying anything more. The South Korean Ambasssador ‘Ryu Kwan Sok cited three cases in which Singapore had not given in to pressure by the great powers and said that Korea should emulate Singapore’s example’….I may add, by not becoming a semi colony of any great powers.

And here comes Tommy’s punchline. ‘It is natural that several of our European and American friends should find our political system to be sub optimal. What, what, sub optimal? So kind and polite of Tommy as usual. Diplomatically he added, ‘When such criticisms come from our Asian friends, however, we should reflect deeply.’ And Tommy quoted Dr Park Sang Seek of South Korea about Singapore’s three Achilles’ heels: ‘democratic deficit, economic inequality and a pseudo non aligned foreign policy.’ The Korean was equally diplomatic.

China’s Yang Wenchang told Tommy that LKY had told him of transforming ‘the country into an olive shaped society, the middle class was the majority at the centre’ with the rich and poor at both sides and smaller. Tommy added that Yang would be disappointed as the society today is like a pear instead of an olive.

What about the future of Singapore. Tommy only volunteered one comment from Yoichi Suzuki of Japan. ‘Singapore faces a bigger challenge than others being the only one without a hinterland…I wish Singapore will play the game as smartly as it has done until now.’ You can sense the tons of reservation by the Japanese.

The article actually told the Singapore Story in an indirect way. A lot of past glory to crow about, not much of the present to talk about, and the future is still out there.

I am waiting for someone to offer me a million bucks to write a glowing tribute of Singapore for the SG50 celebration. Serious, I can write really good stuff and in great style.

Kopi Level - Red

Assault on Red Bean Hill

Battle order was given for an Internet Brigade to assault Red Bean Hill. The mission was to heckle and harass the occupants at Red Bean Hill. The occupants put up little resistance and the first wave of attack let by a Gongmando was a sweeping success. The Gongmando mustered a force of 120 insurgents for the attack against a force less than half its size. It was a walkover.

The defender retreated and set up a second line of defence with a half of its strength intact. This time the Gongmando won the battle with only half of his insurgents under his control.

The defenders retreated further and moved into deep bunkers and fortified walls. This time Gongmando was out of wit. His insurgents could do no damage as the defenders were protected by strong defences. He could find any holes to break in. In desperation he called for a mission to go all out to destroy the defenders instead of heckling or harassing them.

The defenders called for reinforcement. A blue force was sent to search and destroy the insurgents under the Gongmando. Intercepted transmissions revealed that the Gongmando was order to retreat with all his insurgents and not to engage the blue force. Subsequent intelligence reports disclosed that Gongmando was reprimanded for going overboard, defying his order for heckling and harassing and went amok instead, and going for the kill.

Gongmando was subsequently relieved of his command and sent to Obedience School for training. His insurgent brigade was disbanded. Another intelligence report said Gongmando was demoted for exposing his insurgents to unnecessary risk when charging up Red Bean Hill unmasked and unprotected. The blue force could easily identify them and is in the process of arresting them. Gongmando has gone into hiding.

There was a lull of two days at Red Bean Hill. The scouts in the field have reported signs of a few insurgents at the foothill and preparing another attack. This time the leader of the insurgents has an initial starting with J, probably another Gongmando. The occupants of Red Bean Hill are still digging in and hopefully the blue force will be there to take down the insurgents when they mount a new attack. 

Kopi Level - Yellow

New York Central Park is safer

New York Central Park is notorious for mugging and butchery. But that happened only at night and when one was alone, a female in most cases.  Yesterday, after 50 years, we have daylight robbery at Raffles Place in front of a crowd of office workers. And the victim was a well built man, not a physically weaker female. He got a couple of stabs, on his stomach and arm because of his laptop. This was the initial report.

And the good news, the robber was instantly tackled by the public and arrested on the spot with his bloody knife. At least he would not be around to create more mischief unless he is given bail. Can’t imagine if he got away and the whole island going on full alert ala Mas Selamat or the escape tiger in Paris.

Is Raffles Place now more dangerous than Central Park? No lah, Raffles Place is definitely safer even if the dare devil desperate robber did it in broad daylight in front of the lunch crowd. Raffles Place is definitely safe. This thing only happened once in 50 years, this one just in time for the 50 year celebration. You would have to wait for another 50 years for another such incident to happen. That is a long period for Raffles Place to be safe for everyone.

And the robber looked like a foreigner. This foreigner must be mad. The foreigners coming to this paradise island are all very nice people mind you. The only rogues are those angmoh cyclists that threatened motorists or laughing at the poor Sinkies.

Be assured that Raffles Place would not be another Central Park. More security cameras would go up. And there will be more police patrols to assure the crowd that it is very safe, at least for another 50 years.

Now the real story after one day has lapsed. The robber, Arun, is an Indonesian and the victim, Kang Tie Tie, appears to be a money changer or working for a money changer and the laptop that was first reported was actually a money bag with more than half a million in cash and cash cheques.

Does the truth make Raffles Place safer than Central Park?

 Kopi Level - Yellow

Mobile Air no more, Jover Chew no more

In the news this morning, Mobile Air has been sold to a new owner Ricky Lee and Mobile Air will be renamed HJ Mobile. Ricky Lee assured everyone that the new shop has nothing to do with Mobile Air and Jover Chew. He bought over at a good price. So there you are, a new shop and a new owner and business as usual.

According to Seah Seng Choon of CASE, this is what normally happened when the heat is on and the shop changed ownership. And that is the end of the story. The only legal thing for CASE to do is to continue with the injunction against Mobile Air. For what I dunno.  What about Jover Chew? No, there is no law against him, if I remember what came out in the discussion in Talking Point. The law only goes after the company, not the cheats, not the salespersons that committed the offence. Oops, sorry, sorry, no offence committed. Just unethical practice only. Maybe call up the salesperson and give him a warning. Maybe this one also cannot, because no offence what.

And the story goes on and on and everyone is very happy. Can close the case already. This story has been repeated over more than 30 years, over more than just one shop in Sim Lim Square but also in other shopping centres like Chinatown, Funan and Lucky Plaza. On record, this is only one case only what. No need to go hysterical. No need to kpkb. It is normal.  People need to earn a living. The shop keepers and their salespersons are also human beans so their interests must be carefully considered.

So? Life goes on lah. Everyone got things to do and very busy. Let’s move on.

Welcome to Sin City, the shopping paradise of the East. This is a rule of law country and the shop keepers know the law. They are so clever. Or is it? Caveat Emptor. Please come and shop but prepare for the adventure. Wear knee guards in case if you got to kneel down to the shop keepers. The shop keepers are king, not the customers. Got that? And please bring money and more money.

Kopi Level - Green