Modi received his ‘Nobel Peace Prize’ like Obama

India PM Modi has been awarded the Straits Times’ Asian of the Year Award in a similar fashion as Obama when he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize a few days into office with nothing to show but promises and promises. Modi is also all promises and sounds and fury if you read the Indian press.

Let’s see what were his great achievements to deserve the Asian of the Year Award that put him ahead of more deserving candidates who have done exceptionally well during their terms in office. Thien Sein of Myanmar and Yudhoyono of Indonesia, two illustrious Presidents that worked tireless, but quietly without any big mouth and highly infatuated Myanmese or Indonesians to blow their trumpets. These two men have achieved a lot for their countries without claiming or saying anything.

Ok, back to Modi and I quote Ravi Velloor in the front page of ST on 6 Dec. His achievements, ‘impressive election victory for his party in this year’s national election,…energised India with is stirring calls for a development focus and “toilets before temples”.’ He would not mind if there are countries willing to offer to build him smart cities if he does not have to pay for it. And he is smart enough to grab the opportunities for such expensive freebies by quickly saying yes to the generous offer.

His other achievements, ‘call for Make in India campaign’. Ravi added a big IF, ‘if pursued to its logical conclusion with a friendlier investment climate and less rigid labour norms, could help fire up the growth engines of US$2 trillion. This is impressive, just a call that, subject to so many what ifs, could lead to US$2 trillion!

And ‘Economists project that as early as next year, India could pick up the growth baton from China…a resurgent India will be a boon for the region and the world.’ I am still trying to figure out what have all these got to do with his achievements when it is the promise of a future created by a changing world economy. I can only see the similarity of Obama and the hope for peace that lies ahead of him.

I think the strongest factor to his credit is that Singapore leaders have seen the potential in him. This must be his greatest asset and achievement to warrant the Award, his potential and noticed by Singapore’s wise leaders. I think he must be the one and only leader to be pointed out by Singapore leaders for potential. Singapore leaders are also exceedingly good at picking potential ping pong players from the kindergartens in China.

Oh, he has made his mark already by ‘reaching out to neighbours and receiving world leaders, including Australia’s Prime Minister Tony Abbott and China’s President Xi Jinping. In January he will be seeing Obama! Fantastic achievements for a great leader with great potential!

I think they may give him an Award for Asian of the Century if he had met Lee Kuan Yew and our President Tony Tan.

Straits Times editor Warren Fernandez had this to say, ‘the award to Mr Modi is as much a recognition of his record as an administrator who has propelled his home state, Gujarat, to global attention, as for the promise of reenergising larger India.’

If making a state to get global attention is the reason for the Award, I think the Sultan of Johore is more deserving for making Johore well known with his huge Iskandar Economic Zone that would dwarf anything in Gujarat.

The Award is more like an Award for potential a la Obama. Modi has a few more years to see through his potential and in this he is one up on Obama who had failed to live up to the Nobel Peace Prize Committee’s faith in him to bring peace to the world. Modi could do well to see the US$2 trillion becoming a reality to do justice to this Award. For the moment his best achievements are meeting state leaders and impressing Singapore leaders with his potential. I think Tony Tan did far better than him by being a house guest at Buckingham Palace and dining and chit chatting with the Queen of Great Britain. Really great stuff.

Kopi Level - Yellow

Be kind to foreigner rogue cyclists or be sorry

There was a front page report of a local motorist being harassed by a rogue foreign cyclist that cut through 4 lanes in heavy traffic at morning peak hours. What the local motorist did was right by honking at the foreign cyclist. Her intention was to warn him to be careful as he was risking his life cycling dangerously. This is what the motorist, Ms Huang, said to the reporters of mypaper, ‘after seeing him riding recklessly and very close to her car, she worried for his safety…so she decide to sound her horn to alert him.’

Unfortunately the rogue motorist thought otherwise and thinking that the honking was rude. So he became rude and stared at her and threatened her. It was lucky that the rogue foreigner cyclist did not beat her up. Singaporeans must handle these rogue foreign cyclists with care and not be rude to them. They are somebody’s loving pet, very pampered. As they say, beating a dog, one must know who is the master of the dog, 打狗看主人. Don’t anyhow scold them or their masters will be very angry and may punish you.

Where is that kind guy? Please come out and say some kind words to soothe the nerves and tempers of these rogue cyclists before they beat up another local motorist, especially the woman kind, very easy to bully and beat up.

Kopi Level - Blue, thank you.

Foreign judges will sit in Singapore International Commercial Court

‘For what good is it if we gain the whole world of international commercial litigation, but forfeit forever the possibility of an autochthonous legal system.’ I quote senior consultant Sim Yong Chan for RHTLaw Taylor Wessing. He was arguing his case against allowing foreigners to sit in the SICC located here as part of our legal system.

May I add, ‘For what good is it if we gain the whole world by being the smartest city of foreign talents, and average Sinkies ended up as cleaners and taxi drivers and living in Batam, Bintan and JB?’ This is something the hotel managers of this city that do not have high regards for its citizens must think very carefully. And this is one thing that this silly city state with silly heads can learn from Malaysia and the countries all over the world. A country is not a hotel!

What is the point of setting up SICC here if it does not benefit the citizens of the island? Oh, we gain a lot of recognition as a venue for international litigation. So? The only people that may benefit will be the property developers or owners selling or renting a few properties and maybe the hotels and restaurants with a few more clients. What is so good about it if the legal fraternity and profession did not reap real benefits like jobs and professionalism?

Or, I may quote Sim Yong Chan once more, the presence of foreign judges ‘could threaten the development of a homegrown legal system, something towards which Singapore should be working…’ Or shall I quote someone else by saying, you want the best Singaporean lawyers and judges, just bring the best from the world and issue them with pink ICs as instant citizens. Or shall I quote Judge of Appeal Andrew Phang, ‘voluntarily embrac(ing) the fetters of our colonial heritage’.

The thought of having foreigners presiding in our courts is anathema to our integrity as an independent nation. Sad to say, many jokers think losing our independence is ok, giving our country to foreigners is ok. If foreigners are talented, nevermind if they are fakes or from unrecognized pariah universities where the grades are suspect, it is ok to let them replace our citizens.

What is the point of having international courts here if they are to be run by foreigners with Singapore as a minor partner and Singaporeans as clerks and messenger boys?

Kopi Level - Blue, thank you.

Obama – Please spend your last days solving the white racist shit against the blacks in your own backyard

Obama still got time to talk nonsense and meddle with other countries’ domestic affairs when his backyard is burning. If he can’t handle the rise in white racism and hate against the black Americans, someone may even burn down the White House, the symbol of White Supremacy in the USA.
 
We took more than 30 years to realize that the rogue retailers in our shopping centres were cheating the tourists and giving our country a bad name. And it also took us more than 30 years to find that there must be a law to stop what the rogue retailers were doing as crimes. Luckily there is the internet to help the govt to think real hard on this problem. A few weeks ago so many quarters in the establishment were still harping about how clever the retailers were, they knew the law and did not do anything criminal. Some came out to chastise the netizens to be kind to the retailers, some were apologetic not to break the rice bowls of the rogue retailers, some minister, I think, even threatened the netizen vigilante not to go too far to harass the rogue retailers.
 
Obama and his law makers just worked up and think this white racist thing against the blacks also happened yesterday after more than 200 years of racism. They did not know that the blacks have been victims to white policemen all the while, beaten and killed even when unarmed or underage. No, there is no racism in America!!!! The policemen are so angelic and only killed the blacks when their lives were threatened, like 14 of them, all carrying arms, fearing for their lives against one unarmed black and had to shoot him dead, 14 time over to make it 14 times sure. Then two armed policemen had to kill a child with a toy gun, fearing for their lives as well. And now another black man choked to death by a white policeman despite pleading for his life that he could not breathe. And the white policeman was acquitted.
 
These are the only three of four exceptional cases that happened to happen. In Singapore we called it once in 50 years incident. Happened only once in 50 years, get it? Obama, are you that ignorant? You were supposed to be an exceptionally intelligent black man. The black community expects you to do something good, at least during the last two years of your term, for respect and decency for the black Americans. Please, stop poking your fingers in other countries’ affair and do something good for America and the black people. You owe it to them for voting you to the White House. What happens in other countries in none of your business. Go do something useful, do something real. And please return the Nobel Peace Prize that some stupid people gave it to you by mistake.

Kopi Level - Green

Aljunied is now the Hougang of yesteryears

Hougang was then the only stronghold of the WP. It was like a tiger’s den and any PAP candidate going there would be devoured, meal for the tiger. PAP candidates treaded Hougang in fear. Many had fallen and many more will fall again.
 
Aljunied GRC has taken over this role as the most formidable opposition stronghold and a bigger one. In the past, there were sneering calls for Low Thia Khiang to step out of Hougang to challenge the PAP. Some even suggested taking on a biggie or lead a team to take on the PM. Today, the ground has changed. Some quarters are throwing the same kind of challenge to the PAP to send a strong team to Aljunied to face defeat. It is a dare from the supporters of WP, with so much confidence that they had for Hougang and now for Aljunied. Aljunied is the GRC to take but many will fall like the retaking of Hougang.
 
It would be something if Low Thia Khiang would to throw a challenge to the PAP in the next GE to send a strong team to Aljunied. And he could peppered it with comments like no fight, very disappointing, and looking for a good fight if the PAP team is weak and eventually lost Aljunied again.
 
Such thoughts would never be in the minds of anyone. Every GRC or SMC would be an uphill struggle and likely to lose except for Hougang and at one time Potong Pasir. Now there is Aljunied, a 5 seat GRC for the opposition side to make their war cry.
 
And this is very intimidating and it is unlikely to see anyone from the PAP bravely standing up to volunteer for this great opportunity. Those who have said they needed a good fight, this is the time to prove what they said, to take up the cudgel in Aljunied. The days of Goh Keng Swee, Rajaratnam, Lim Kim San, Hon Sui Sen, Barker, Ong Pang Boon, Ong Teng Cheong when they would just carry a GRC wherever you put them were long over. There is no more such heavyweights to depend on today.

Kopi Level - Green

World’s 4 'most peace loving' countries signing military pacts

The world’s four ‘most peace loving’ countries have been going around signing military pacts and buying and selling arms to one another, all in the name of advancing regional peace and stability. The US, Japan, India and Australia, have been very busy inking defence agreements. The latest by Modi and Abbott, ‘They agreed to hold regular meetings at the level of the Defence Minister, conduct regular maritime exercises and convene regular navy to navy, air force to air force and army to army staff talks.’
 
On the other the ‘most belligerent country’ China according to the West, has been going around the world signing trade pacts and free trade agreements, the latest with Australia and the state of Tasmania.
Countries signing trade pacts are offensive and dangerous. Military pacts are peaceful, friendly and for peace. Just believe the western media and the Empire and their cronies and you will have world peace. Don’t believe in countries that go around to trade and promote economic growth.
 
India got no money and time to build Smart Cities but got a lot of time and money to buy and build more submarines to tell the world the Indian Ocean belongs to India and no one can come in and practising big power hegemony in South Asia. At the same time it is conducting war games in East China Sea and South China Sea. All very friendly acts, to promote peace and stability. No need to mention what the Americans and the Japanese are doing. Australia thinks and acts as the sheriff of South East Asia. Just wondering when would it be overrun by Indonesia.

Kopi Level - Green

An education centre or snake oil selling centre

We promote our City as a regional education centre. We allow all kinds of schools and universities to set up shops here to teach and to issue certificates, diplomas and degrees. Is there a need for quality checks? Or it is caveat emptor, the schools and their operators do whatever they want, the students go and do whatever they want, the Govt has no responsibility to the quality of the education services provided, the Govt may not even recognized their certificates or degrees issued?
 
In the banking industry there is some minimum guarantees for the deposits, at one time by the Govt. In the stock market, many investors are complaining about fly by night operators, companies listed in the market but turned turtles within months or a couple of years and then closed shop. Many got delisted for fraudulent accounting and businesses. Who is responsible for this? Caveat emptor?
 
The big question, shall there be some standard or criteria be set so that unwary students who honestly come here to get an education did not get snake oil instead? Would anyone be responsible or is it fair to the students and their parents for putting out good money, honestly, believing in the Singapore brand, to give their children an education but the certificates and degrees were not recognized at the end of the day? When there is no accountability or responsibility, anything can happen. Is this the nature of things that we want just to do business and collect some fees?

As a Govt and a country promoting education, can anything go, got quality or no quality, recognized or not recognized, does not matter as long as they can run it as a business and there are people, students, willing to register and to pay for it? Willing buyer and willing seller good enough?  Can this same principle be applied to other products and services? Can anyone import or produce and sell food products freely, with no questions on the standards and quality of the food? Or can anyone bring in cars that are not safe or did not meet engineering and design standards or quality to sell here?
 
Our education scene is like the Wild Wild West, like our infamous shopping centres. Buyers beware! No one is responsible for fakes, frauds and snake oils?
 
As a regional education centre, does the Govt think that it has no duty to ensure that the products and services are of certain quality and standard, or at least they are recognized by the government as employers? Singapore has a reputation for quality and reliability. The Singapore brand? How would the consumers think if the money they paid expecting quality education turns out to be something else?
 
Can a Singaporean student attending a private university here expect that the degree be recognized by the govt when applying for a job? This is the least that can be expected. Is the education scene too cavalier? 

Where is this thing called moral obligation or responsibility? What is ethical consideration?

Kopi Level - Green

Banks/credit cards -So long no hike interest rates

The banks are raising their credit card interest rates to more than 24% per annum and cash advance interest to 28% per annum or more. And the perfect reason to do so, so long never raise, so it is a good justification to raise.
 
No one is questioning whether 24% and 28% are very high interest rates to pay. Of course it is still very low compare to the loan sharks. Would anyone be saying cheap, cheap, cheap? Now, on the other side, the banks are paying their depositors never before extremely low interest rates. Would this be a factor for the banks to lower their rates instead of hiking them? Oh, it is a commercial decision. Or like boh cheng hu. Or would anyone yell cartel or price fixing?
 
On the other hand, could the consumers tell the banks, so long never cut rates, so it is time to cut some rates? Why must interest rates be one sided, up and up and up when saving rates is down and down and down?
 
As long as it is a business decision, there is no cause to argue about morality or right or wrong. It is about profits. And the banks can be praised for making the right commercial decision. Now I can understand why Jover Chew and all the rogue retailers are not doing anything wrong. They are only making commercial decisions. It is a business, and profit is the only reason for making such decisions.
 
So consumers can expect the banks to keep raising interest rates every few years by claiming that they have not raise rates for a long time. Soon they will be competing with the loan sharks to see who is charging higher interest rates. Using the formula of time as a factor to raise rates, there is no limit to how high the banks can raise their interest rates. And there is no law against it, all perfectly legal.
 
What is wrong with charging more and collecting more? New morality or self serving morality?

Kopi Level - Green

Going hysterical over SGX glitches

Everyone is showing how concerned they are over the second stoppage of SGX as if the end of the world is coming. Actually it was nothing more than a pimple. What should be really serious are the dying stock market and the consequences of the financial market and financial centre when the market goes kaput. But this has been going on for so long that the dying stage is accepted as normal and a dead stock market is something no one wants to know. Depending on one’s definition, the market to some has long been dead or in ICU.
 
So we have so many people acting angry, condemning the SGX. What happened to deregulation, self regulation and self inspection of pimples in one’s backside? These are the good things, the good stuff, the right stuff and in a way contributed to the recent lapses. No, not true, just a little bit of bad luck I supposed?
 
The only sensible call, or wake up call, is from the Small and Middle Capitalisation Companies Association to demand an independent inquiry. To the rest of the regulators or overseers, this is not necessary at all. Now, aren’t anyone curious why this Association suddenly finds it necessary to demand for an independent inquiry? Shouldn’t it be sufficient for SGX to conduct its own inquiry by appointing its own independent directors and senior officers or board of directors to do the same like the previous glitch? Why is this one so different that this Association is demanding an independent inquiry?
 
It is a good call and a necessary call. But at most it will find out the causes of pimples and acnes. Would anyone think it necessary to call for an independent board of inquiry on the fate of the SGX and why it is dying and when it is going to go kaput for good? Oops, this BOI is only necessary if people acknowledge that the market is dying. If people still believe that the market is doing roaring business and in the pink of health, any call for a BOI is simply superfluous.
 
Maybe this is an over exaggeration. The market will not die, will never die, as long as the computers are kicking and doing the buying and selling. Only the traders will die, the remisiers will die, but the broking houses will not die either, they would simply downsize or reduce in numbers. And everyone will still be having a party and singing hallelujah, Christmas is around the corner, let’s pop the champagne and celebrate another good year.

Kopi Level - Green

Smart cities need smart govt and smart people

The drumming to build smart cities in India continues unabated. India, with all its talents, needs Singapore to build smart cities for them? India is only interested in flying to Mars, building more nuclear submarines to be the next super power. It has no time to want to build good housing and toilets for its people. But, just like going to Mars, it wants to leapfrog the process to build smart cities beside the streets of shits everywhere. Who is going to live in the smart cities by the way when all over are poverty and illiterates that did not even have the privilege of shitting in a proper shit hole?

As a commercial project, I think it is a good idea for our businesses to make their assessments and do the sums before putting the money in such grandiose schemes. But we should be very careful when putting public money into such schemes. We must have learnt a lesson or two in Suzhou to not want to throw our people’s money into a bottomless pit to please some foreign govts and make some people happy that they have initiated some grand projects using OPM without hurting their own pockets.

What is it that India lacks that we can provide that it doesn’t have? Money, plenty of money, but whose money? My money or your money? I would encourage the businessmen to do what they think is profitable and to risk their own money if things go wrong against their judgement. But please, don’t use public money to invest in something to look like Orchard Road in a shit hole. It is more responsible to return the money to the people who needed the money to live and to clear their financial troubles, to live a day better and not be insulted by people asking them whether they want to eat in hawker centre, food court or restaurant.

Any hero or philanthropist who wants to go and build smart cities for India, please use your own money. Please do not use the people’s blood and sweat money to paste on your face. I also want to build good homes for the whole world with OPM of course.

Kopi Level - Green

Currency exchange $1 to $3

Half a century ago the exchange rate for S$ to US$ was $3 to US$1. Today it is S$1.30 to US$1. Not bad huh. The same period half a century ago, S$ to ringgit was 1:1. Today, there is a long queue at the money changer to buy ringgits using S$. The rate is S$1 to Ringgit2.625.
When the rate was S$1 to Ringgit 2.5, it was like a windfall for Singaporeans visiting Malaysia. With today’s rate, the Malaysians working here are getting a pay rise when they convert to Ringgits without have to do anything.
 
Oil is the only godsend asset that Malaysia can boot about, and can sneer at the non Malays for depending on gambling and prostitution to make a living. Don’t even have to work, just get machine to pump from the ground or under the sea. See how blessed they are, Malaysia is getting money just like that. Now with the falling oil prices, and expecting to go lower, an exchange rate of 1:3 is quite possible in the foreseeable future.
The only lucky draw for the non Malays is the good fortune of those working in Singapore. Don’t have to depend on oil, prostitution and gambling. Just hope that the oil price keeps falling and the exchange rate be in their favour, they can also get richer without having to work that much harder.
 
Singaporeans are now buying Ringgits. Some will be rushing to buy properties in Malaysia too. For the latter, good luck to them. They need a lot of good luck to protect their investments which they think are gotten at a steal.

Kopi Level - Green

Daft citizen mentality must go, not in the 21s Century

There are two aspects to this daft mentality of the people in a democratic country. On one hand, the daft masses must know their rights as citizens of a democratic country, that they are not slaves to the politicians. They are the masters and citizens of a democratic country. Can’t say this if it is a kingdom or mafiadom where the people have no choice but to elect thugs and gangsters to rule over them. In a democracy, any politician that the citizens don’t like, no matter how smart or how smug, they would be voted out, especially the arrogant ones, and those that talked cock and done nothing useful. This is what democracy is all about. The country belongs to the people and the people decide who they want to run the country every four years or whatever depending on the country concerned.
 
Why would citizens want to elect politicians to bully them, treat them like serfs, take control of their life savings and dictate terms to them, how to use their savings and not returning to them when they badly needed the money?
 
What about the mentality of the politicians? They must be reminded that they are also ordinary citizens in a democratic country. The people must remind them that they are elected to a fixed term of office, not for life, and to serve the people. Elected politicians must not think they could use public office to chart their personal career paths and how much money they could take from the public coffers, not in a democracy.
The politicians in a democracy must be told not to think that they are elected to decide what the people can say, can read, can see, and how to shut up the citizens. This is not their grandfather’s kingdom and they are not kings or royalties that can dictate to the people at their whims and fancies.
 
Politicians must be reminded that they should not abuse their power to make civil servants do their biddings, to brow beat the people. The civil servants are there to serve the people with pride and dignity, not the interests of political parties and politicians. The people and country’s interests come first, not the interests of the political parties. The civil servants and uniformed services must be reminded that it is their duty to serve and protect the people, to obey the constitution, the rule of law, to execute their responsibilities fairly and justly to the people without fear or prejudice.
 
It is so frightening to hear politicians talking so casually about how to control the people, what the people can say and cannot say, what they can read and cannot read as if it is their God damn right to do so. It is very frightening to imagine that politicians can abuse the civil servants, the uniformed services to serve their private interests and agenda, even against the people in a democracy.
 
How can the people of a democratic country allow this to happen? The ignorant and subservient citizens must stand up and say no to rogue politicians that behaved like gangsters and mafias to bully the people. This is not what a democracy should be, this is not democracy. In a democracy, the politicians listen to the people and serve the people, not the other way.
 
What kind of democracy do the people want? What kind of daft mentality is it that a people would vote politicians to rule over them and to screw them left and right, and they cannot do anything about it, and fearing every moment of their lives what the politicians will do next to them? What kind of people will do such things in a democratic election? What kind of mentality is it that a people fear the politicians, the same ordinary people they elected to represent them in Parliament and to form the govt?
 
The above is a generalization of how a stupid people in any supposedly democratic country could behave and how they could be ruled by democratically elected rogue politicians and become a helpless people after an election. Can such a thing happen? If it does, it is so pathetic, so unbelieveable. This is the 21st Century.

Kopi Level - Green

Smart City comes too late

I was at MBFC before 8am and someone shouted at me. I turned around to see a grouchy face of a very unhappy man. ‘Brother, no market this morning. Market will open at 12.30pm.’ And he was on his way home. I was a little puzzled. He said he got the news on arrival at the office. I think the news was in the Business Times.
 
On the way from Raffles Place I have flipped through the pages of Today and mypaper but there was not a single piece of news that the SGX would be closed this morning. And I was reading a forum writer talking about how wonderful Smart City will be when news and information flow would be instant. And important news like the closing of the stock market would have been known to all the stake holders and players with the press of a button.
 
In the office there was already a crowd of unhappy remisiers and staff grumbling about the news and wasting their time waking up early to get to office. How nice would it be if the Govt has installed the Smart City yesterday then no one would look so foolish and unhappy? And so many people would not be wasting their time in the office twiddling their thumbs. It would also help to ease the peak time traffic in the trains.
 
This episode also reminds us that even if we have a Smart City, if the people are daft or lazy or negligent, the information would not have flowed to the people in a timely way. What is the point of telling people that the market will be closed for half a day when the people are already in the office?
 
Of course a Smart City would have a lot of stupid problems that they would not tell you. Now they are just telling you the good stuff, the things that you can have but need not have, and may not need or do not want, but have to pay for it. The American intelligence agencies are flooded with information gathered from their snooping around the whole world with all their sophisticated equipment and bugging gadgets. Now, who is going to read them? Who has the time to read them? It would need more than 56 man years to read a day of information collected. It would need thousands of man years to do that. Many people don’t even have the time to read more than two paragraphs of an article in the newspaper.
 
There will be a lot of information available. Who have the time to browse through them or to use them? Just like there are millions of apps in the market. How many do you need and how many millions you don’t need?
Now for the problems that many people are not counting on. You will be paying for the whole system and infrastructure like it or not. You will be paying for the information like it or not.
 
Do you still want a Smart City to tell you that you have forgotten to switch off your lights in the toilet or a bee was found in the Antarctic Ice? Are you smart enough to know what is good for you and what is unnecessary and still you will have to pay for it? Ask, who is benefitting from this Smart City and who is making all the money?

Kopi Level - Green

Hsien Loong’s son should join the opposition

Chris K, a blogger said this in TRE. Though his reasoning was different, I think it is a damn good idea. This is really a win win development. From the point of PAP and Hsien Loong, if his son or sons joined the opposition, either side win will still be PAP and Hsien Loong winning, just like placing bets on a roulette table, placing bets on both sides.
 
The betterer thing is that if his son or sons join the opposition, the opposition will become more acceptable, become ‘ka ki lang’. When that happens, life for the opposition will be so much more comfortable and easier. They need not fear being fixed. They can be a real alternative to PAP and if they win PAP will say it’s ok, nevermind. It will be a pao ka liao kind of arrangement. No need to call out the army.
 
And Hsien Loong’s hair would turn black again. No need to keep thinking how to deal with the opposition and fearing what might happen if the opposition wins. Politics will take on a new rhythm, a friendly tune and everyone can pat each other on the back and party everyday. From confrontational politics it will be love making politics.
 
Of course the people will also benefit. There will be upgrading of estates everywhere, no matter opposition or PAP wards. No need to get approval or support from the Chairman of CCC. Ministers especially the Environment Minister’s life will be more pleasant. Only problem is that the judges will have less cases to deal with. Hong Lim Park can be the same Speakers’ Corner again but nobody will be there like in the past. NParks officers and men in blue will breathe a sigh of relief.
 
This is the most brilliant suggestion from the social media netizen.
 
Good or not? WP, SDP and all the Ps, please invite the sons for tea party, quick.

Kopi Level - Blue, thank you.

Threats posted in internet – US Supreme Court to decide

‘The US Supreme Court will consider a ground breaking case today about whether those who post death threats on Facebook are liable to prosecution or whether threatening comments are protected by constitutional rights to free speech.’ AFP article in the mypaper on 1 Dec.
 
The case was about a Anthon Elonis who posted this in his Facebook about his wife. ‘There’s one way to love you but a thousand ways to kill you. I’m not going to rest until your body is a mess, soaked in blood and dying from all the little cuts. Hurry up ad die, bitch.’
 
was charged in court and sentenced to 44 months in prison. He appealed but the appeals court upheld the conviction. Now the case is taken to the US Supreme Court. The Supreme Court will decide if what Elonis wrote ‘constiture a “true threat” or were harmless because he did not intend to act on his words.’ According to US law, a threat is a statement that a reasonable person would interpret as a serious expression of intent to do harm to another person.
 
This case is interesting and I would like to point to the similarities of the threat against me by Raymond posted in my blog and I quote:
 
As for who I am, don't worry. We'll meet some day--at your funeral. Please make sure your obituary includes a mugshot of your ugly face.
October 29, 2014 1:22 pm
 
As a reasonable man, I feel threatened, that my life is being threatened by this blogger called Raymond. And he even dared me to make a police report. He refused to apologise or explain what he meant by his posts. And he added this post to my demand for a clarification on his intent.
 
Raymond said...
LOL! Go ahead, you crazy old wanker. I dare you.
October 30, 2014 8:31 am

I am still waiting for this Raymond to explain his intent. The case is now with the police.

Kopi Level - Blue, thank you.

PAP, do not be ungrateful

Now who is being ungrateful? When a party controls the media and the msm, it can keep on drumming whatever that suits its agenda and no one is likely to dispute or even has the chance to dispute whatever it is saying. The people are ungrateful. This is the accusation heard all over and utter by many jokers. The PAP has built this country from a 3rd world to a 1st world, raised the quality of life of the people to Swiss standard, but the people are so ungrateful. Without the PAP and the founder of modern Singapore, Singapore would still be a fishing village and the people would still be coolies and maids. Sinkies better be grateful and thankful to the govt, the PAP and the political leaders for the good life they are having.
 
Who are having the good life? The people that must be grateful must be those that are having a good life, not the losers. Why should losers be grateful? Definitely not all Singaporeans are having a good life. The people who are having the good life are the so called foreign talents here. They are given all the opportunities to lead an exceptionally good life that their countries could not provide them. An average mid executive Pinoy could be earning more than their ministers back home. A maid could be making more than their Pinoy PMEs in Manila. And this is applicable to all the 3rd world PMEs here. Even those from the western economies are also having a party that they could not dream of at home.
 
These are the people that must be grateful. They did not build Singapore but coming here at the right time to enjoy the fruits of Sinkie labour. But they are dreadfully ungrateful, thinking that they built this country and we owe them a living.
 
The Sinkies that should be very grateful to the rest of the Sinkies that built this country, it cannot be built by a few men talking and walking around, are those that are living the Swiss standard of living, emasculated and emancipated from the squatters and public housing to live in landed properties and mansions. The people that should be grateful should be those that are paid millions in public office. Remember, it is the people that are paying for their good life. They must not take the people for granted and called them losers, daft and lazy. It is exactly the daft and losers and the lazy that are footing their multi million dollar income and the good life.
 
Be grateful, be very grateful. The people’s tolerance has a limit. The people are not daft just because you called them daft. If you choose to remain recalcitrant, arrogant and ungrateful, the people will take your multi million dollar income away. Your good life and well being and the big salaries you are getting come from the grace and kindness and sacrifices of the people. And the people are the Sinkies whom you have chosen to kick aside in favour of foreigners. Keep taking away the jobs and opportunities from the very people that feed you, keep biting the hands that feed you, keep being ungrateful…the day of reckoning is near.
 
The foreigners are also here participating in the buffet spread but would flee when the daft Sinkies wake up from their ignorant and helpless slumber. The daft Sinkies will take back the buffet for themselves. They will take away from those enjoying the multi million dollar incomes and the good life but did not contribute to it, just inheriting the good fortune and pretending that they did it or created it for the people. Just keep believing that the daft will forever be daft. Don’t be ungrateful to the people that are paying for your good life.
 
PS. This is what Tsai Ingwen, chairwoman of DPP, Taiwan said, 'We will start from the local level and win back Taiwan. If a govt doesn't stand on the side of the people, the people can take away its power.

Kopi Leveln - Blue, thank you

Headlines: PAP trounced!!!

When I saw the headline of a Taiwan paper with the words ‘KMT trounced’, the first thing that came to my mind is “PAP trounced’. I think quite a significant number of people are cherishing this magical moment, that this will be the headline in the next GE, a refreshing change from the suffocating political environment of fear, threats and a man named Sue. It has happened in Taiwan with the KMT losing so badly that they would just bend their heads in shame. KMT lost Taipei, its stronghold, and also Taichung, not to say Tainan and Kaoshiung. It is as good as over. Such a devastating defeat is rare, exceptionally rare in the history of KMT.
 
History is predictable but often also throws up exceptions in the most unexpected way. Would this scenario happen in Singapore? Would the PAP be trounced, and the ST splashed it across its front page? Highly unlikely. Many of the experts and apologists have already predicted PAP would be unbeatable for the next 15 years, that is 3 more GEs. And PAP is likely to remain in power for the next 50 years.
 
For those hoping for such a front page earth shaking headline, well, shall I say fat hope? It will not happen, it cannot happen. The political experts and pundits said it would not happen. At best it is a wet dream.
 
What do you think?

Kopi Level - Yellow

Smart City or Smart Nation and the Silver Brigade

Singapore is going to transform itself into a Smart Nation. Note the difference between a Smart City and a Smart Nation. Got it? Ok, we are drumming to build Smart Cities in India but promoting a Smart Nation for ourselves. You need to be a bit smart to notice the difference. Simply put, Smart Cities are simply Smart Cities, all wired with gadgets and fibres. Smart Nation involves making the people smart. The only problem is whether this is so easily said than done. My proposal is to input a smart computer chip into every Silver Hair to interface with all the smart computer devices in the same way C3PO and R2D2 related to each other. This will make the Silver Hair ‘computer smart’ at a jab.

There was an article in the ST on 29 Nov by a Calvin Soh on the topic of Smart Nation and the Silver Brigade. The concept of a Smart Nation as proposed by Hsien Loong is all inclusive. The seniors, many illiterate or computer illiterate, will be trained or educated to benefit from a Smart City. The lonely old folks would be the first beneficiary as computer and electronic devices would be installed in their homes to monitor their movements to protect them. This is only a small step in the whole process.

Training and education and high tech devices would be the natural follow ups in this Smart Nation process. The people, Silver Brigade included, would be made smart to use all the smart equipment. And I believe, though no one is saying it, there will be a compulsory scheme to make sure that no one is left out of this smart programme.

Where to find the money, it is not free you know. Who is going to pay for it? The users, including the Silver Hair for sure, will have to pay for it. Nothing is for free mah. There is no free lunch.

In the future, instead of buttoning my own shirt or making my own cup of coffee, a computer gadget would to that for me while I lie down in bed. Now all these must cost money right? Not to worry, did anyone suggest another compulsory scheme to set aside some money from the CPF for this Smart Nation Scheme? Don’t ask me, I can’t afford it no matter how affordable they are going to drum about it.

I think I am smart enough not to be duped into paying for things I do not need. The sad part is when they make it compulsory. But there is a way out of these compulsions.

Kopi Level - Yellow

The mental box that confines the thinking of daft Sinkies

Over the last few decades followed by daily repetitive drumming, the people have becomeso used to the false premises and false truths used to barricade their minds that they are now literally prisoners of this imaginative box. And the joke, they kept telling themselves to think out of the box when the box is inside their heads. Think about it, how many barriers have been erected around the Sinkie mind that have become permanent attachments to prevent them from thinking freely though they think they are thinking freely?

What are the artificial walls that the Sinkies are living with but not knowing and not seeing them?

1. Only the PAP can rule the island successfully.
2. Only the PAP has the talents to rule the island. The oppositions have no talents.
3. You want growth you must have an ever increasing population.
4. Singaporeans are daft.
5. Foreigners, no matter how shitty, are better than Sinkie talents.
6. We are a rule by law country. Think about it again.
7. We are a meritocracy and everyone is where he is by his own merit.
8. We are a free economy, free trade, free immigration, in other words a prostitute den. And these are good and necessary.
9. PAP will rule this island forever or at least another 50 years.
10. Extraordinary salaries for politicians are good and would prevent corruption.
11. We are a democracy.
12. High income inequality is good.
13. The fear of political masters.
14. Money is the determining factor for success and for everything.
15. Everything has a price and can be bought. The more expensive the better.
16. We are a country but more like a hotel in reality.
17. Our country is everyone else country, like a public toilet.
18. Everyone is equal but some are more equal than others.

I could go on with more walls. And these walls are there, inside the heads, and very effective in restraining the thoughts and activities of the citizens, controlling and moderating what they say or do, transcending all levels of society. All thinking processes and activities evolved behind these unseen walls. We are free in a deluded way. Our creativity and ingenuity are also restrained by these walls and you can see how creative or lack of it by our works and how we solve problems and their solutions.

Sinkies are in a way slaves behind these walls.

Kopi Level - Yellow

How to deal with stupid people? Make hay while the sun shines

‘I honestly have nothing to say today except that I really don’t want to be ruled by the stupid.’ This is what Marina Mahathir, daughter Dr Mahathir, said in response to Najib’s retraction on his promise to remove the ISA. I am not sure if she is referring to Najib or Mahathir as Mahathir is the one that ‘spearheaded the call to retain the Act that Malay groups and most in the party say is crucial to defending the sanctity of Malay rights and Islam.’ Now the big question, is Najib stupid to retract his promise just because Mahathir instigated the UMNO ultras to force him to do so, and now looking stupider to everyone, to the bumis and non bumis? Or is Mahathir stupid to get the ultras to push for the retention of the ISA?

I think whoever is the stupid one is not material. What is important is to know how to deal with stupid people. Yes, make hay while the sun shines. Singapore or Hsien Loong just did that. After two decades of wrangling with the recalcitrant Mahathir to redevelop the Malayan Railway land, and in total failure, here came the white knight in Najib. In his new promise of a pragmatic leadership, to push Malaysia to a higher level of economic development, putting aside unproductive politicking, an economic and pro business deal was struck. An agreement was signed between Najib and Hsien Loong to remove this historical baggage of ill will. Both sides are happy with the deal. Malaysia was lagi happy when they won the international court ruling on not having to pay redevelopment fees on the use of the railway land.

The funny thing is that Singapore was deliriously happy with losing that legal tussle. I have been wondering why for quite some time. Now the answer is crystal clear. There was a small window to make things happened. Without losing a second, Hsien Loong was all graciousness and generous and offer everything that Najib asked for, topping it up with more icing. He probably knew that the window would be shut anytime without any notice or sign of a change in their party politiking.

When dealing with stupid people, this is the most important and effective strategy. Make hay while the sun shines. You wound know when the dull clouds would return, follow by thunderstorms and monsoons. But a word of caution. This strategy can only be adopted when the assets are here in Singapore where the rules and laws or agreements cannot be changed, cannot be retracted.

Things in Malaysia are quite predictable, really, if you understand what Marina Mahathir is saying.

Kopi Level - Red