PAP falls, would Singapore be in deep trouble?

I have been pondering over this statement for several days and trying to make a balance approach to this piece of rhetoric. Would Singapore be in deep trouble when PAP falls and the opposition parties take over as the new govt? A good way to look at this comment is the recent installation of Jokowi as the new President of Indonesia. Jokowi is in many senses like the opposition parties in Singapore. A man with no scintillating strings of As and MBAs. He rose from the ranks, made his fortune and became the governor of Jakarta. Not the kind of experience at national level, but more relevant experience than our boys and girls who became ministers, and definitely more experienced than our opposition party leaders running their constituencies and town council.
 
And the best part, the out going President did all he could to ensure that the new President took power in an orderly manner, and no one, no rogue generals would be there to make things difficult, no rogue politicians would be allowed to disrupt the ceremony. Yudhoyono has proven to be a great president, a valiant and honourable gentlemen, and truly deserved to be the Asian of the Year instead of the 6 month old Modi who has done nothing except meeting foreign leaders and rhetoric of great power. The danger of Jokowi being deprived of his presidency and turning Indonesia into turmoil were extremely grave.
 
What would happen to this first world pretender island if there is a change of political power? Would it be in deep trouble? Maybe the PAP believes that all the talents that can govern this little island are with them and there will be no one good enough to take over and all systems will break down. This is of course rubbish.
 
The danger of a major crisis can come from a losing ruling party refusing to hand over power gracefully, or a military coup. If this is really a first world country, it can be expected that the outgoing ruling party would do the honour to ensure a proper hand over of power and responsibilities. And this applies to all the ministries and stats boards. All Singaporeans expect it to be that way. It must be that way in a democracy when the change of power is in-built in the system. Theoretically there could be a change of power after every GE. Our one party rule without a change of power is unnatural and would not be for too long or so long. A time must come for a change of power, and an orderly and peaceful one if the men in charge are responsible and honourable, who obey the democratic constitution of this country. Not handing over power or disrupting the handing over of power is against the law. Anyone or political power that lost an election and refused to hand over power could be arrested under the law.
 
So, can we expect a proper handover of political power when there the PAP falls and Singapore continues to run smoothly and efficiently like before, all things normal, no deep trouble? Any one flirting to ride the tiger of disorder or a military coup must be prepared to be devoured by the tiger should things turn bad. It is a road of no return once embarked on. Yes, if this happens, Singapore will be in deep trouble.

Kopi Level - Yellow

Al Qaeda shot two – A bird in hand is worth two in the bush

The cowboys did it again, sending a team of Hollywood crack commandoes to raid an Al Qaeda hideout and hoping to rescue an American photojournalist, Luke Somers. The botched attempt got Somers shot immediately by his captors and the unfortunate Pierre Korkie as collateral damage. In Hollywood, such dare devil rescue jobs can be scripted to the fine details and always ended with the heroes coming back as heroes and with the prisoners safe and sound. But this is real stuff and you cannot write your own script and rubbish the Arabs.

The only people that could really pull off such a job could be the Israelis. They are real soldiers and they have good intelligence and know their enemies well. Now the Americans are blaming on faulty intelligence in the doomed raid. My goodness, all their intelligence gatherings have been faulty since the bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade and the evil accusation of WMD in Iraq. When have their intelligence been accurate except those cooked up in Hollywood?

Now look at what happened. Pierre Korkie was due for release in a couple of days. And the Americans did not know! The Americans also did not know that there was this South African hostage in the hideout. Or did they know but the African was just not important enough. Maybe Somers was an important operative that must be saved at all cost. Did someone say nothing to lose even if the mission failed?

Have the Americans degenerated to such a low level that they embarked on such a dangerous mission on the justification that there was nothing to lose? Did they even consider the life of Pierre Korkie as something of value? Oh, sorry, they did not know that Pierre Korkie existed. Korkie was not their problem, PNG.

Who is going to answer for this fiasco and the lost of an unnecessary life? Who is going to answer to the wife and family of Korkie? What happened to the fame Hollywood American heroes and their successful missions against all odds?

It is so sad that Pierre could be home now and could celebrate Christmas with his loved ones in a couple of weeks. Hagel would not have a good Christmas for sure.

When is the world going to prosecute Bush and Blair for crimes against humanity? Obama may become a collateral as well when this happened.

Kopi Level - Yellow

How many people can be squeezed inside a Mini Cooper?

This was a favourite challenge in the early 1970s. For those who can remember what a Mini Cooper was like, other than its legendary fast pick up and road hugging ability, the Mini Cooper was a little fun car. And it was shaped like a small lunch box fit for a driver and a front passenger. The little space behind could squeeze a couple of adults in a very compromising manner but definitely not for two fat guys.

The challenge then was to squeeze as many bodies, living beans, into the Mini. And if I am not mistaken, the record was 17 or 18 bodies. How could they do it? The bodies were crumbled like contorted sausages, not the nicely sardine pack. And the poor guys or gals at the bottom must be gasping for air and feeling the weight. But never mind, they would not die of suffocation or compression. They would remain in that uncomfortable position for a minute or two before being dragged out to live another day.

The moral of the story is that you could force people into very uncomfortable little corners for fun, for a moment. But when you want them to stay that way for anything longer they would not be able to bear the discomfort. No way.

You want to squeeze in 10 million or 20 million people into this island? For goodness sake, get your head examined. Or you are going to rent out your properties for triple the value to live on your rent while you migrate to Australia or some bigger country to live a life of spatial luxury? The temperature is rising here. The people are angry and the foreigners took are losing their cool and bashing up the natives. And we only have 5.4m people today. You want to double that and double everything and think it is fun?

If it is to prove how clever you are to squeeze more people into a foxhole, just try to put more people into a 3rm flat for a try. I think I can easily stuff in 300 people with room to spare, like stuffing bodies into a Mini Cooper, to prove a point. But that kind of things are not for real, not a condition for people to live their lives.

Again, why would you want to squeeze 18 people into a Mini Cooper? Why do you madly want to put 10m or more people into this island to over populate it? The world leaders are trying to save the world by cutting consumption and reducing populations. What kind of fools are insisting on increasing population and consumption but turn around to exhort people to be green to save Gaia?

Kopi Level - Yellow

What kind of people to form the new govt?

A blogger writing under the name of United Opposition Front posted an article in the TRE with the title ‘Forming the new govt’. In his first sentence he wrote this, ‘Do we have in our opposition a viable alternative to become a credible government once PAP is defeated?’ The author’s thinking is that even if the PAP is defeated, which means the opposition parties have the number to form the next govt, there is still doubt about their ability to form a credible govt, and the problem is the quality of the new elected representatives.

Take a deep breath and ask yourself why was this author asking this question. The answer is simple. After so many years being fed by the same idea, the same message that only super talents, ie those with a string of As and masters or doctorates, are able to form a credible govt, one cannot think of anything else. This kind of condition is very dangerous. Ask yourself again, is this true? Let me make it clearer. Only super talents that are making millions in the professions are able to form a credible govt to run this country. Is this so? If you don’t get the idea, let me repeat, is this so?

If this is so, then the opposition parties must go out and recruit the straight As, the scholars, the doctors, the lawyers, and must be making millions or else not good enough. Is that so? If so, then the new govt must also prepare the same expensive budget to pay them in the millions or else they would not want to join them.

We have the same kind of people in govt, the straight As, the scholars, the top lawyers and doctors, aren’t they doing a very fine job? And if they are, why is there a need to want to replace them? What is the main reason to want to replace them and then to replace them with the same kind, with the same criteria and same thinking?

What I know as of today, not many opposition candidates are of these kinds, academically damn bright, making money damn clever. Think Low Thia Khiang. Silvia Lim, Png Eng Huat, Pritam Singh, Lee Li Lian and Mohamad Faisal. Chen Show Mao is the only exception.

Why are people voting for them in Aljunied, especially during the by elections when the bright and brilliant and exceptionally clever types were defeated by the ordinary Singaporean type? The only thing that the people saw in Png Eng Huat and Lee Li Lian and the Aljunied team is not academic brilliance and ability to make more money, but the heart. They saw a heart in the right place in every one of them. And they voted for a good heart, to serve the people.

Is a good heart not what the people are looking in the new candidates to form the next govt? Or are the people still being stuck with the idea that the people that are going to form the next govt must be of the same kind, the same type, the same mindset and aspirations as the PAP?

Anyone with reasonable intelligence and a good heart should be good enough to form the next govt. All they need is to think of the good of the people and country, and the super talented civil servants would be there to provide the expertise and the solutions. We need good men and women with good hearts, in the right place, with good intentions, to form the next govt. And I believe there will be no shortage of such people. Too clever people would have too many clever ideas, and if their hearts are in the wrong place, can create big and clever problems.

Ask the right questions and you will find the right answers. Ask the wrong questions and you will get the ‘right’ wrong answers.

Kopi Level - Green

Kshore Mahbubani – How to love Singapore

I saw this sticker on the top right hand corner of the ST today. I swear my eyes were not deceiving me. My first thought, goodness, this is deep trouble. I have written a few articles questioning whether Singapore would be in deep trouble. But this has nothing to do with Singapore. It was about Kishore. There are only two possibilities, between the devil and the deep blue sea. Is he growing stupider by the days? Or is he going senile?

Who does not know how to love Singapore if they are being paid by the millions and have all the riches in the world to last a few generations? Actually no need so much lah. Anyone who has the wealth of Kishore and be in his position would make loving Singapore so easy.

Kishore went on to explain how dirty Singapore has become and how Singaporeans can make it clean by loving Singapore. Here he unintentionally disclosed a little of his mental state. He claimed that the dirtiness of Singapore is the fault of Singaporeans. He didn’t even know the real cause. He made a farcical assumption that even a child in school would have told him off. For every two persons here, one is a foreigner. In fact if we include all the new citizens that are here for less than 10 years, it is likely that 60% or more of the people in the island are foreigners. So blaming Singaporeans for dirtying the island is a no good reason. And expecting Singaporeans, now a minority, to clean up the littering of foreigners, and Singapore will be clean is nonsensical.

Kishore went on to talk about happiness, about promoting Singaporeans to be like Lat and how the rich should help the poor Singaporeans. And he indulged in the same crap that if Singaporeans laugh a lot, even living in a pigeon hole they can be. When he quoted the experiment on how animals got unhappy and ate up each other in confined space I thought there is still some sanity in him. But he has proven beyond any doubt that senility is catching up with him. And I told myself, if he keeps on this way, I would write to the ST to publish his articles in the juvenile section.

But on reflection, reading the whole article all over again, he is getting to be like me, so innocent and appearing so naïve in what he wrote. Actually there are deeper messages in what he said other than the little distractions to lower the guards of his readers. His cartoonist part, about the ability to laugh at our ourselves and the names that he quoted, like Mahathir as a good example, and the names of people for people to ridicule, like Tommy Koh, Chan Heng Chee, Ho Kwon Ping and Gerard Ee. Look how clever he ‘eh lar’ the more meaning names to avoid saying the wrong things? This part shows that he is sane after all, and very smart by not suggesting himself to be the cartoonist’s joke.

His most important message in the whole article is in this phrase, ‘If our deeds do no match our words, we do not love Singapore’. He said this in the beginning of the article and to make sure the readers get his message and did not think he is really going nuts, he repeated this again, ‘Many of us say we do so. Here again, the one question is: Do our deeds match our words?’

Think about it, ignore all the rubbish that he spun in so many words. The gist is, ‘Do our deeds match our words?’ This phrase alone said what is bothering him about Singapore. And it is not about his $2 contribution to Sinda every month.  He would not give more or would want to stop contributing.

Kopi level - Green

China’s problem is stubbornness, not wanting to learn from Sin City

China is plagued by this huge problem of corruption. Xi Jinping is now going all out to curb corruption after Zhu Rongji failed to clean up the act during his watch. The more Xi Jinping dig, the bigger the problem revealed, as many top brass are taken out of the closet.
 
China could have avoided this big corruption problem if it had learnt all the good things from Singapore. China is a good student and has learnt many good things and is now so many times richer than Singapore. Its economy is complete in a way, with agriculture, manufacturing, financial services, engineering, high tech, almost anything you name it China would have it.
 
But China is also a stubborn student. The most important thing in Singapore’s success is anti corruption. Singapore is corruption free, or nearly, forget about what you read in the paper today, because no one in high position finds the need to be corrupt. The remuneration system for politicians and top govt officials is based on paying them so that they would not be corrupt. Singapore has succeeded. China has failed badly in this area by not paying their equivalent officials the kind of out of this world salaries. If China has done what Singapore did, there will be no corruption in China and Xi Jinping would not have such a big and dangerous task to tackle.
 
It is still not too late to learn from Singapore. Maybe they need not go all the way as that would be too much given the size of China’s economy. Just go half the mile will do and their politicians and top govt officials will not be tempted to be corrupt anymore. Maybe they were learning from Goh Keng Swee’s old principles of thrift and integrity, that civil service is a calling, an honour to serve, not about pay. Goh’s thinkings were long obsolete. Now there is a new thinking, new doctrine and new principles, accepting that human beans are human beans and will corrupt if not paid enough.
 
Would China learn from Singapore in this area and rid corruption from its system?

Kopi Level - Green

Enemies of the state

This is a tag that no one should be made to wear for all the wrong and frivolous reasons. The seriousness of this tag is that the person could see himself behind bars for life. This is no joking matter and people should not feel so free to hang this tag on anyone. How many people have been made to wear this tag and suffered the ignominy of being an outcast, of being a danger to the country, to live in disgrace and shame?
 
I let go a few outbursts at the sneaky IBs earlier. I also let go at Matilah Singapura for pinning a tag of xenophobia on me. The IBs were trying to discredit me as a person and would gradually try to hang me as anti establishment if they are not stopped in their acts. Matilah’s apparently nonsensical branding, readers don’t take him seriously and should not be an issue to the casual readers. But if given time, just like the centuries of propaganda against communism and China by the West, it will stick in the subconscious of people. And redbean would be associated with anti foreigners or anti establishment. I would not take this lightly.
 
I was told by some readers that if they used the mobile phone to access my blog they would be greeted by a warning message that they are entering an anti establishment blog. I wonder which creep gave this order, or which creep was ordered to attach this tag on my blog. I was told that this has stopped recently. Nonetheless I am very angry with this kind of irresponsible act. I will tell the creep who authorized it, the sneaky IBs, uncle redbean has spent the prime of his youth guarding national interests and state secrets. I have devoted more years of my life protecting this country and the asses of the creep and all the IBs combined. Do not simply put an anti establishment tag on me you assholes. Those in the establishment would know what I am talking about.
 
The western political philosophies have emancipated human beans from the yoke of oppression for centuries. To the Afro Asians, this yoke was removed more recently, when they got their independence from their colonial masters. Modern human beans of the 20th and 21st centuries must break free from oppression by the state and individuals who abused the power of the state.
 
Modern human beans must not accept the badge of authority at face value, the offices of authority blindly. Who are the enemies of the state? Who are the enemies of the people? There are rogue officers in uniform, rogue monks and priests, and of course rogue govts. And under the cloak or title of authority, these people could do more harm than good to country and people if they are left unchecked to do as they pleased. The goodness of govt, people in high offices, in positions of power must be judged by what they do in the interests of the country and people.
 
Are the opposition political parties and politicians enemies of the state and people? Are the critics of govt enemies of the state and people? Do not blindly assume that they are. Free yourself from the yoke of oppression of power and authority and think like a free man. Singapore is a democracy, not a kingdom or dictatorship. Singapore belongs to every citizen. And people elected to position of power are temporary in nature. If they served the people and country well, they will be reelected to govern. If they are against the people, against the interests of the people, they will be removed from power. This is democracy. This is your country.
 
Do not simply assume that people in positions of power or high offices are for the people and country, be they political leaders, civil servants or uniformed officers. Ask yourself a couple of questions, especially those in positions of authority, that you have never asked before, afraid to ask or do not think it is necessary to ask.
 
1. Can people in authority be acting against the country and the state?
2. Can people in authority be acting against the interests of the people?
 
Today I set you thinking the unthinkable. As citizens of a democracy, you must be constantly be thinking about these questions for your own good and the good of your children and the good of the country. Do not take this for granted. If you do not want to think, you may lose everything when rogues take office and sell out the country, sell your interests and the interests of your children.
Start thinking. Do not voluntarily replace the yoke of oppression on your own shoulders. Keep asking, keep questioning.

Who are the enemies of the state? Who are the enemies of the people?

Kopi Level - Green

US/CIA – How long can you masquerade as Human Rights Defender?

With the disclosure of the inhuman acts committed by the CIA against the Muslim/Arabs that they captured and tortured, the real Devil is now exposed. The ‘angels’ with the halo on its head and went around the world preaching goodness and human rights are the real devils in disguise. The hypocrisy, after what Wikileaks had leaked out, and what Snowden had exposed, may still not be enough to convince the dull and daft Afro Asians who are the devils They would still believe in the Devil that told them the Axis of Evil comprises North Korea, Iran and Iraq. These fools would not believe that the real Devil is standing right before their very eyes, the ‘angels’ in the name of Americans.
 
Who have heard of such sweet words like rectal feeding? Try imagining what the Muslim/Arab prisoners had to go through in the hands of ‘angels’? What about being ‘hung on the wrist for 22 days in a stretch, sleep deprivation of 180 hours either standing or in painful position, confined to a coffin size box, water boarding or another version called rectal dehydration. The phrases are so cool and attractive. They are specially crafted by the western media to sound pleasant and palatable.
 
It was so palatable that the low level CIA operatives refused to use them but were ordered by higher authorities to do it. How high are the higher authorities? At the CIA or at the White House? What is certain is that the higher it goes, the lesser the chances of them being prosecuted even what was committed were brutal crimes against humanity. No, none of them would be prosecuted for crimes against humanity. Remember, they are the ‘angels’.
 
Let’s hear what the ex CIA Directors got to say. ‘the CIA was not acting alone in carrying out the interrogation programme…Throughout the process, there was extensive consultation with the national security adviser, deputy national security adviser, White House counsel, and the Justice Department. The President approved the programme. The attorney general deemed it legal.’ What can you say about this?
 
There are still some Americans with the right conscience to expose these dastardly acts in the Congress. There will be people like Ben Emmerson, the UN Special Rapporteur on counter terrorism and human rights. He said, ‘The individuals responsible for the criminal conspiracy revealed in today’s report must be brought to justice, and must face criminal penalties commensurate with the gravity of their crimes…The fact that the policies revealed in this report were authorized at a high level within the US Government provides no excuse whatsoever. Indeed, it reinforces the need for criminal accountability.’
 
But experts are saying fat hope that this would happen to members of the Evil Empire. They even claimed ‘that the evidence was insufficient to obtain conviction.’ Can you believe that? And the evidence against Saddam Hussein was sufficient to murder him and invade his country and kill his people. And the ‘angels’ are waiting for an excuse to do the same to Iran and North Korea. Evidence is conclusive.
 
How many countries are accomplices to these wicked crimes against humanity committed by the American CIA and whoever authorized them? How many more American White Lies must the daft Afro Asians drink before they wake up from from their stupidity? The Ku Klux Klan were amateurs compared to this revelation.
 
The American devils knew they cannot pretend to be angels anymore and are preparing for a worldwide hit by the terrorists. It is Red Alert to all Americans in all corners of the globe. The hypocrisy has been exposed. There is no where to hide and no where to run. It is pay back time.

Kopi Level - Blue, thank you

Desiring 10m pop is not a hunger pang

Liu Thai Ker ‘urges city planners to adopt a long term perspective to find solutions for the nation’s requirement to house the 10 million…“The voices that I hear from social circles, newspapers, is to look at limitations first. ‘We don’t have land, so how can we look at population?’ If that’s the case, would people say since we don’t have money, we don’t eat tonight? But eating is the priority.”
 
What a stupid analogy! Would one die from not having 10m pop? What kind of stupid comparison? Do we need 10m pop? Why is there an urge to want 10m pop? We know that 10m pop will come with 10m problems. Why do we want or desire to have 10m problems when we have a choice not to live with the problems?
 
Are we asking for trouble, desiring for more problems so that we can prepare for it? Do we have other options? 10m is not an irresistible sexpot that is a must have by lusty old men. 10m pop is an excruciating pain in the arse. It is not just about building more flats, more roads, more trains and car parks and infrastructure. It is about more electricity and power, more water, more schools, hospitals, more food, more mouths to feed, more jobs to create, more human problems, more social problems and diseases and more people to live and to die. The problem is compounded when all these factors work against one another and work together. There would be the race and religion problems, the rich and poor divide, the class struggles. The bigger the population, the more diverse and heterogenous the pop, the more complex and complicated things would be. And I am only scratching the surface of these known and many unknown problems.
 
A simple mind like an architect would not be able to perceive the consequences and permutations of the problems that would be created. Liu Thai Ker should not overrate himself that he has the solution and could see it all. He did not see the problems of 5m population today for sure. Even a multi disciplinary team of experts would not be able to tell with any accuracy what it would be like.
 
What is so sexy about having 10m pop that die die must have? For those thinking green, it is wasteful thoughts, consuming and wasting natural resources. What the fuck does one gain by building every square inch of land available to stuff more people into it? Is that progress? Is that necessary? Is that a life and death option? Why ask for trouble when there is no need for it?
 
The simple question, What for? Has any seen the game when they tried to stuff as many bodies as possible into a Mini Cooper?

Kopi Level - Blue, thank you.

SFP in AMK GRC, a master stroke

I read this somewhere that the SFP is walking around AMK. First they were spotted in Tanjong Pagar and now Ang Mo Kio. Tan Jee Say sure knows where are the vital points and where to make the strategic moves that would make a difference. These two moves are so unnerving that I have read IBs trying to suggest that the SFP is the shadow PAP and either party wins will not make any difference.  Really, what if the SFP wins AMK GRC? What is going to happen to Hsien Loong? This point itself is going to give many the shivers, Hsien Loong included.
 
If SFP were to be successful in taking Tanjong Pagar and Ang Mo Kio, it would literary turn the table and put PAP in disarray. Losing these two strongholds would be most upsetting. And losing Hsien Loong would turn the party topsy turvy. The succession planning is for this to happen in 10 years time and the touted successor in Chan Chun Sing would not be ready in such an eventuality.
 
It just cannot be allowed to happen and PAP would do everything it can to prevent any party to launch a serious assault at AMK. Tanjong Pagar with LKY retiring may be allowed to go. It is already a goner anyway. No way would PAP allow AMK to go with Hsien Loong in the basket.
 
In the last few GEs, the token force put up by the opposition in AMK were non events and Hsien Loong and all his lieutenants could have the comfort of sitting behind the planning tables like generals deploying their forces in cool comfort, with no imminent threat to their seats. With the SFP putting up a serious team to take AMK, not only Hsien Loong would be working through the wee hours and losing sleep, his generals would have sleepless night too, trying to boost up the defences in AMK. They cannot let it fall. They cannot let Hsien Loong fall.
 
In one bold move, the whole PAP camp is startled and scrambling for cover. How to deal with the new situation when the HQ becomes the main target? I think Hsien Loong and his lieutenants would not have the luxury to move from one rally to another without having any concern to watch their backs like before. They must be casting their glances behind all the time to make sure SFP does not succeed. This will give room and space for the other parties to make their moves to take their targets.
 
What a game changer for SFP to make these two moves! They are like the right and left flanking attacks that changed the whole battlefield with the regrouping of enemy forces to protect the HQ and to keep the king secure. The king piece in the chess board cannot fall or it would be checkmate.

Kopi Level - Blue, thank you.

If PAP loses, Singapore will be in deep trouble?

This is what Hsien Loong said. If PAP loses in the next GE, Singapore will be in deep trouble. How could that be? Is Singapore a fragile 3rd world country run by tin pot dictator that once the dictator loses power the country would turn into a state of anarchy, everything collapses? What would happen to our top class civil service? What would happen to our armed forces? What would happen to our men in blue? All run away or all fighting to be the next dictator?
 
Come of it. We are 1st world remember? We are a rule by law country, with good systems and good civil servants and professional uniformed services to provide the continuity when a political party loses its power and a new party takes over. We are a 1st world democracy right? Or we are a fake democracy, a 3rd world country pretending to be 1st world and everything depending on a 3rd world dictator? Cannot be right?
 
The Philippines and Indonesia were less developed than us. What happened when Marcos fled? What happened when Suharto fell from power? Did both countries, still developing in status, fell into pieces, the end? No right? The countries continued as if nothing had happened. You mean Singapore is so fragile than the Philippines and Indonesia of yesteryears?
 
Wolf! wolf! Anyone indulging in crying wolf? Anyone wants to bet? I bet Singapore will continue to exist even if PAP is trounced in the next GE. It must be. How can Singapore collapse just because 80 people who claimed to be super talents lost an election? You mean the island does not have more than 80 people that are more talented, more capable, committed and dedicated to run this island? With my eyes closed I will say there are thousands of Singaporeans capable, or more capable, to run this island without the PAP, without the boys and girls.
 
30 years ago, the mantra was that a 5 rm point block flat had enough talents to run this island. Today we must have thousands of talented people that are capable to run this island. Why would Hsien Loong think otherwise? What did he know that we don’t know that Singapore will be in deep trouble? Honestly I can’t think of anything that would put Singapore in deep trouble if PAP lost the right to rule this island. Yes I admit I am naïve and do not know what is going on, what are the bigger scheme of things.

Kopi Level - Green

More Singaporean bashings by rogue foreigners

Sinkies must be thankful for the pleasure of being bashed by rogue foreigners right in the heart of their country. Or shall I say rogue foreigners should be grateful for the privilege of being invited into this island to bash Sinkies as a past time, and the cost is really nothing, maybe a few thousand dollars in fine, and the pleasure they would say, is mine?
 
In the mypaper today, 3 rogue foreigners were in court for bashing cabbies. Our cabbies used to be united and organized to deal with such rogues but today they just let themselves to be beaten and would not retaliate. Maybe hitting back would get them into bigger trouble with the law. How would they dare to hit back at our darling foreigners?
 
Norwegian Arne Corneliussen was charged for two counts of voluntarily causing hurt to a Sinkie cabbie. Michael Michaelidis, a French rogue, pulled the hand brake of a cab causing it to spin and crashed. A Swede rogue, Andrea Michel Blomqvist, punched a 59 year old Sinkie several times on the head.
These rogues must be really having a great time in Sin City, paid good money, party everyday until it became a boredom and needed more thrills. And bullying and bashing Sinkies become a great past time.
 
Would there be a govt that would protect the poor and helpless Sinkies, small built, old and feeble against these giant rogues? It may take another 30 years for any real hard measures to be taken. Hopefully the next govt will be more protective of Sinkies instead of rogue foreigners and make caning compulsory for any foreign rogue that hit a Sinkie, and compulsory jail sentence as well. Until then, the party will go on. What is a few thousand dollars earned from the daft Sinkies in Sinkie land to beat up Sinkies?
 
Can Sinkies look forward to a better life, free from physical harm by rogue foreigners? The daft cab drivers must be fearing for their lives everytime they picked up a foreigner. But what to do, the foreigners are the best people who tipped them well. To make a living they just have to take the risk and swallow their pride if there is still any left.

Kopi Level - Green

Dr Mahathir: What’s next, a white PM?

This was the title of a report in the Today paper. Mahathir was angry with the stupid UMNO leaders for hiring an angmo to save the ailing MAS. He questioned whether there is any more intelligent Malaysians or Malays left to turn the airline around. If everything has to be solved by foreigners, what about a white PM? Are the whites really smarter or because the silly Asians gave them all the opportunities to be trained on the jobs and depriving their own kind to be trained and to gain experience in top jobs?
 
“I am worried, if we do not believe in ourselves, one day when we need a Prime Minister, we can get a white man because he is ‘smarter’ than us….If people want to get angry(with my comments), so be it. That’s my opinion.”
 
In the same article ‘Mahathir also expressed worry about an increasing distrust of local expertise in important positions…We have many talents in this country. But if they want consultants, they call in foreigners. Even directors are foreigners.’ He also said, ‘the country became prosperous after gaining independence because of the efforts of local leaders. “I don’t think Malaysians are stupid. During the British occupation, we were a poor and backward country. We became rich and developed after independence, led by Malaysians,” he said.
 
I am wondering if Mahathir was taking a dig at Malaysia’s stupidity or sneering at Singapore. What he said is everything about the developments in Singapore. We have confused national responsibility with commercial responsibility and allowed foreigners to take charge in strategic areas like IT, university education, finance and soon it will be the legal system. A white PM will happen faster here than in Malaysia. The UMNO may be stupid, but they have the ultra nationalists to prevent them from selling out their country. In Singapore, once a govt becomes stupid, there will be no ultra nationalist to stop them from hiring a foreigner as PM and selling this country to foreigners. Any ultra nationalist or patriot would likely to be behind bars when the time comes.
 
Thank you Mahathir, for the subtle warning and for saying the right thing. We are stupid and that is absolutely true. You can see it everywhere. The cab drivers will confirm this if you have any doubts. The unemployed PMEs would have many testimonies to vouch for it.

Kopi Level - Green

Hsien Loong – next GE a deadly serious fight for Singapore’s future

I quote Neo Chai Chin’s first paragraph in the front page of Today on the PAP60 Rally dated 8 Dec. ‘The Republic’s future and society are at stake in the next General Election because it will be about who forms the Govt and not merely how many seats the Opposition captures…said Hsien Loong’. I agree that this is a serious fight but I have a slightly different take on this. Yes it is a deadly ‘live or die’ fight for the PAP. For the Singaporeans, it is a fight for the future of their children and grandchildren. I think the foreigners will also be betting their future on this GE. They must be betting their future for a PAP win.
 
Hsien Loong added, ‘A great deal is at stake, comrades. Our future is at stake because if we do not remain a nation of opportunity, our children will have no future…If PAP fails, Singapore is in deep trouble…’ I would like Hsien Loong to clarify if the ‘Our future’ is about the future of his comrades or about the future of Singaporeans. What do you think?
 
I think Hsien Loong meant this to be about Singaporean and the future of the children of Singaporeans. As for the part Singapore will be in deep trouble if PAP fails, how so, no one else can run this country? I beg to differ.
 
There are quite a few interesting statements from the media like ‘this will be the last time a PAP CEC will be elected’, ‘eventually there’ll will be no more PAP to check’, and ‘That will be the last “check” , because it will be checkmate.’
 
In the same article, the concluding paragraph has a quote by Christopher De Souza, ‘It’s very easy to be a people’s party or a party for the people and speak about ideas, all the more to translate those ideas into action.’ What was Christopher trying to say by not saying? Can anyone figure out?
 
So many pages of the msm have been devoted to this rally. Even the TV has been telecasting the speech by Hsien Loong over and over again. There are many things to digest, many good things, many right things and many things that are not so clear. Many people would read the speech with different ideas.
 
What I like about is the repetition of opportunities for Singaporeans and the children of Singaporeans. ‘This is a place where our children can dream big, achieve their aspirations and live well in Singapore.’ I really hope so. I really hope so. I have children and grandchildren, and I want them to be the beneficiary of their forefathers’ blood, sweat and tears and not to be kicked aside in favour of darling foreigners, clever foreigners.
 
Who would the people vote to protect the future of their children and grandchildren?

Kopi Level - Blue, thank you

Comments about SGX uncalled for?

I have heard a lot about this Vincent Khoo over the last couple of weeks and of his numerous letters on SGX and remisiers in the main media. He must have written something ‘right’ to get so much publicity and attention by the media. I have not met him or read any of his ‘renowned’ articles until this morning. I would expect the article to be just as objective and logical for it to be accepted for print in the main media. Although the rankings of our media are not too flattering, topping the list from the bottom up, there must still be some sensible guys to publish non political articles that are deserving and of some quality, at least from the point of logic and objectivity.
 
The first comment by Vincent Khoo this morning is that SGX did not suffer a breakdown. It just decided to close down the exchange for the whole morning. What is a breakdown is subject to different interpretations. The official reason was that SGX was downloading a new programme overnight and some users would need some time to reconcile some of the trades. So SGX decided to close down a regional market, no trading for the whole morning. Whether this is an acceptable practice for a big regional market was not discussed.
Assuming that a major stock market can suka suka close down for whatever reasons it deems fit, can this logic be applied to other organizations like the trains, the TV stations, telecoms or whatever when they feel like it? Or can we see SGX closing down more frequently, not because of breakdowns or system maintenance? Is this the new normal?
 
The next point Vincent chastised the remisiers for is claiming loss of business because of shorter trading hours and also the excuse for the return of a lunch break by extrapolation of trading hours. More trading hours more business and vice versa. To Vincent this is illogical, short of pure heresy. He forgot that the SGX used the same reason to justify for the cancellation of the lunch break. No lunch break means longer trading hours, means increasing in trading and more commission. Is Vincent also saying that the SGX was silly for using this stupid logic?
 
His third point is to quote a remisier claiming to have 50 to 100 trades in the early morning. So remisiers not doing well must learn from this remisier. Is this a sensible suggestion? I just feel like saying don’t talk cock. A swallow does not make a summer. Using statistics to lie, selective picking of statistics to lie, is not very clever. To be fair and objective, one has to use the full set of statistics available to come out with a sensible story. Cherry picking is only for one out to deceive.
 
If one or two remisiers is suffering from poor business, it is reasonable to say they may be the problem though not necessary so. If 70 or 80 percent of the remisiers are suffering from low business, something is obviously wrong. Even if Vincent Khoo is doing exceptionally well, it does not speak for the whole industry. Why doesn’t he quote Peter Lim and say every remisier must be making millions like Peter Lim, otherwise the remisier is underperforming? There are always exceptions and exceptions are exceptions and should not be used as the norm.
 
I am still puzzled why the msm gave this Vincent Khoo so much space to print his one sided and skewed articles? Is his thinking process that logical? Or do the editors of the msm think the articles are logically argued and deserving to be in print?
 
The most important point is whether a regional bourse can suka suka close down its operation whenever it feels like it and be accepted as normal. How many idiots out there think that this is acceptable? I hope SMRT would not stop the train services when it feels like it for whatever reasons. Hsien Loong said the govt must set the standard. Is this the kind of standard for SGX?
 
Comments against SGX for two stoppages uncalled for? What kind of standard are we talking about? Are we another 3rd world city with a 3rd world stock exchange? I think 3rd world stock exchanges also did not have so frequent downtime.

Kopi Level - Blue, thank you.

ST Asian of the Year Award – I am very disappointed

This Award is getting quite mysterious. I read that Thein Sein also received the Award, or did he not? I quote Kishore in Straits Times online 8 Dec, "Foreign Policy magazine has named Thein Sein No.1 in its list of Top 100 Global Thinkers for 2012. The International Crisis Group will present Thein Sein with its top honour, the In Pursuit of Peace Award. Thein Sein truly deserves all these awards, especially the Asian of the Year Award by The Straits Times. There could not be a more deserving recipient." Barry Desker also commented on Thein Sein being given the Award

And on the 7 Dec the Sunday Times reported that Modi of India was the Asian of the Year. Now how many people received this Award, or who actually received this Award? With so many congratulatory messages and a repeat in the Today paper on 8 Dec. I believe it is Modi who was the recipient. And I am still very disappointed, not because Modi was given the Award. The citations on Modi and how deserving he was and all his achievements pale in comparison with someone I know who have outshone Modi in everything.

Modi greatest achievement, I am still puzzled why they called it achievements, was to meet some of the world leaders. The person I have in mind have met the same world leaders many times and have probably met all the leaders in the whole world. If this is the criteria of a great man, the person I have in mind is hundreds of times greater. He has met hundreds of leaders many times over.

And while Modi is planning to build more toilets, my candidate is building smart cities. See the difference? And not only that he is building smart cities in his own country, he is offering to build smart cities for Modi. And his achievements are so numerous that you can fill a library with his works. Just to name a few great structures under his watch, the most expensive undersea highways in the world, the most expensive artificial garden, two famous and most profitable casinos. And there is a Jewel coming up in Changi that is probably one of the new wonders in Asia.

But these are nothing when you consider the millions of jobs created for the jobless around the world in Singapore. Hundreds of thousands of 3^rd world professionals have benefited from his policy to hire foreign talents in the City. The happier ones were given citizenship to this great modern city. And of course the citizens also greatly benefited from the contributions of the foreign talent policies. Many became millionaires and multi millionaires. And over the years, a few tens of thousands of university scholarships worth hundreds of millions, just my guesstimates, were given to 3^rd world students to study in Singapore. MOM and MOE would be able to provide the data as concrete proof of the achievements, not just someone shouting in the hills but got nothing to show.

What did Modi really do in his 6 months on the job compared to what Lee Hsien Loong has done and the hundreds of thousands of workers and students who have benefited from his enlightened policies, and the filtering down effect on lucky Singaporeans?

Now my big unhappy question is why did the Straits Times overlook the enormous contributions of Hsien Loong to Singaporeans and 3^rd world citizens? What are the criteria that made Modi more deserving than Hsien Loong? These were not mentioned in the Straits Times. Maybe the paper can be more transparent and publish the criteria for the Award for Asian of the Year. It did not even tell the readers who are the eminent selection committee members that decided on the deserving recipient.

I really not happy that Hsien Loong was overlooked for this Award. His achievements could even put him on the list for Nobel Peace Prize for helping the under privileged lots of 3^rd world citizens and making many millionaires as a result.

The Award would have come in so useful in the General Election if given to Hsien Loong. Maybe still in time if the GE is held in 2016/7. Straits Times still got time to make amends to give the Award to the most deserving PM of Asia in 2015 or 2016.

Kopi Level - Blue, thank you.

Mayor Boris Johnson – Britain should not keep out talented people

This is what the visiting London Mayor said when he was here. And this is very important as he is the only mayor in London with a population that is double that in this tiny island. In absolute terms, he is running two Singapore alone. In this sense I think it can be said that he is quite talented than those mayors running a housing estate of a few thousand inhabitants. No? Ok, Ok, look at it in another way, he is not so dignified, not because he took the train to visit the Istana, but because his pay is not even half a peanut. He definitely would not qualify to be called a super talent in this city. Did he send a message, that he is the poorest mayor visiting the richest PM, so better to know his place, and take a train?

Ok, I have digressed. Why is his comment important? You see, he just said the right and sexy thing, and our boys and girls would be drumming this comment to justify their push for more foreign talents. And they would not be bothered to look at what else he said to qualify his statement. No, Boris Johnson is not talking about a blank cheque even if he disagrees with David Cameroon. He assured that what David Cameroon is going to do, to curb immigration is also legitimate and necessary. There is a need for foreign talents, and Britain has benefited a lot from it.

Boris Johnson cautioned against the free loaders and the fake talents and the cheats. Britain too would not want the fakes and the cheats. But what to do when they don’t have a system to check on the cheats or are outsmarted by the cheats? Just pretend not to see lor, close one eye, and just treat all of them as talents and no one would miss a heart beat except the loser PMEs who were replaced by the cheats. Anyway, it is the losers’ problems. As long as the losers are happy being taxi drivers and security guards, or remained unemployed, as long as they did not complain or march to Parliament House, there is no problem.

So, before any boys and girls take up the megaphone and blare that we need more foreign talents, please take note of the fine prints. And please do something serious to get rid of the fakes and half bakes to protect the jobs of the PMEs. If not, it is a matter of time before they come after your asses.

Kopi Level - Green

Minxin Pei – Understanding a colonized mind

This is a Chinese by ethnicity professor of government at Claremont McKenna College, US. She wrote an article titled “Why China should drop its slogan of ‘Asia for Asians’” in the editorial page of the ST on 5 Dec. She was obviously very offended by Xi Jinping’s called for ‘Asia for Asians’ as if it infringed on her mental freedom as a ‘westerner’, and thinking all good things must be western centric with the West as the centre of human civilization. She could not see her western biased agenda and thinking process. I will leave you to read her thrash but just to quote a few paragraphs to prove my point.
 
‘Some Chinese strategists believe the US is using Asian states particularly Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam, as pawns to contain China. If this perspective has prevailed at home, Chinese leaders, including Mr Xi, could have reached the fateful conclusion that, on balance, America’s security presence in Asia directly threatens Chinese interests and must be eliminated.
 
That would be a grave strategic error, based on a fundamental misreading of Asian security dynamics. Most of China’s neighbours, even North Korea, fear an unconstrained Chinese hegemon – and, if the US security presence were eliminated, that is precisely what they would face. ‘Asia for Asians’ would be ‘Asia for the Chinese’.’
 
From the above quote one can see how naïve is this professor. She does not believe that the US is using Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam to contain China. Of course she believes that this is not the case because the Americans told her so. She also believes that the American presence in Asia does not threaten Chinese interests. I am wondering is she a juvenile? Of course the Americans have been threatening Chinese interests since the Second World War with a series of containment policies and overt and covert threats to China’s interests and national security. She does not know that? My God!
 
Of course the American threat must be eliminated if you are a Chinese and managing China’s national interests. But for a banana thinking like a banana, China is the threat to America and must be contained but keep telling the Chinese to believe that the Americans are not doing anything to contain China. How silly can she be as a professor?
 
What about the perception of China as a hegemon? The Americans are the hegemon and still the hegemon. China is a rising power challenging the primacy of this hegemon but has yet to be a hegemon.
 
What cock is she talking about? Yes, many Afro Asians are thinking exactly what the West and the Americans are telling them, just like her, Americans are for peace and China is belligerent, hostile and a hegemon to be. After centuries of reading this kind of literature, even a naïve professor would have her brain cleansed and washed to think so. It must be.
 
It would take at least half a century for the Afro Asian minds to think that China could be and is a friendly power unlike the American Empire that is oppressing the whole world and threatening the whole world with wars and interventions. It is not easy to clean up the minds of unthinking masses subjected to the daily dosages of mind bending propaganda. Soak the mind with Dettol would not work either.
 
China would have to prove by words and deeds to its neighbours that it is a friendly power. It is doing that in Africa and Central Asia. It is doing so in South East Asia as well but not easy when the Americans are behind their thinkings. China is growing to be more assertive or is it the Philippines, Vietnam and Japan or Australia that are getting more assertive? As a hegemon, China would have kicked the asses of the Philippines and Vietnam and ran all over Japan and India. It does not do any of this stuff but restraining itself to diplomacy unless forced into a tight corner.
 
China is not a hegemon. There is no room for hegemon and empires in modern geopolitics. War is no longer an option to settle big power disputes. China is winning the war for influence by trade and economic policies. Not a single Chinese soldier is engaged in wars of domination and hegemony in any corner of the world. Whose soldiers are doing that, fighting wars and interfering in the domestic politics of independent states and nations and threatening regime change?
 
Only idiots are blind to see. A professor can also be an idiot, be blind to see the truth right before his or her very eyes.
 
PS. I should use the title ‘How to get a university education and still be stupid’.

Kopi Level - Green

Hsien Loong: PAP must set the standard!

The PAP has started its election rally yesterday. And the speeches were as normal as any political rally from any politician. In colloquial style, they amount to ‘Lin peh is the best. Lin peh serve the people, Lin peh is honest, transparent and accountability.’ The rally cries were to stir the emotions, fire the supporters to take up the fight. And the supporters did not fail. They shouted back, ‘Yes, Yes, hallelujah’ in response to the cry of their leaders. If there was a problem, ‘We settle now’. And the supporters roared in approval. This is not much different from meet me at the cul de sac.
 
The atmosphere must be highly charged with every supporter leaving the rally with the glint in their eyes and walking like Bruce Lee ready for a fight. That was what a political rally is meant to be. Get the people motivated, excited and aroused.
 
After the din and fury subsided in the quiet of home and senses, and after the dusk has settled down, not many would remember what was said. But they would be reminded calmly by the media, minus the emotion and temperature on what their leaders said. Hsien Loong said many things. The notable was PAP would do its best to send strong teams to the opposition wards to win them back. But he cautioned about when this could be done. Now the WP must be all in anticipation of very strong PAP teams led by strong ministers. We would have to see.
 
The other thing that came out starkly was flaming in the social media. Hsien Loong talked about transparency and the need for PAP to set the standard. How would this be done? PAP had previously declared the existence of its Internet Brigade. And they have been very active or very inactive and none has stood up to tell the netizen he is from the PAP brigade. Till today, none is proud enough to own up to say, ‘I am PAP Internet Brigade, and I am proud of it’, and signing in his real name with PAP behind it, like BBM or PBM. So far it can be assumed that they are just as opaque and sneaky hiding behind anonymity.
 
Would PAP set a new standard and make all its Internet Brigades to post with their real identity, not anonymous, be transparent, and be proud of what they are doing and be proud of being PAP Internet Brigade? Or would they be like the others, no transparency and flaming others and taking pot shots at other bloggers and feeling ashamed of their very existence?
 
What kind of standard and transparency would the PAP set in the internet and social media? Would PAP be just like everyone else or would it be different, setting the standard for transparency?
 
Would there be a PAP standard in transparency in social media?

Kopi Level - Green

Uniquely Singapore -Billionaires asking govt for help

At first you have poor people asking govt for help to buy food to get buy. Govt was very angry. How much you want? You want to eat in the hawker centre, foodcourt or restaurant.

Then the middle class crying money not enough. Their money all gone to buying affordable govt built flats and needed 30 years to service the loans. And just when they have paid up their loans, they lost their jobs. But wait, they thought things would not be that bad as they had carefully put aside a large chunk of their money in the CPF. The shock came when the govt said, this money cannot touch, must be used to buy medical insurance and life annuities for life long protection and to provide them a few hundred dollars a month for life. Sounds good, but with high inflation, money not enough again. So these millionaires, their flats all worth half a million or more, again got money problem and needed govt to help them.

The latest, multi millionaires and billionaires also asking the govt for help. Because their fortunes are all tied up with the billions of dollars of properties they are holding. Now, after so many decades of making millions and becoming exceptionally wealthy, they are multi millionaires and billionaires not for no reason, they want the govt to help them to sell their properties at good prices, better than affordable prices, not that they cannot sell them by themselves.

Who would be next to need govt’s financial assistance? I heard the next group would be the ministers when they lost their election in the next GE. And if the PAP is no longer in power, where are they going to get paid the same millions to maintain their millionaire lifestyle when the GLCs would not be offering them any chairmanship or directorship appointments as ex ministers? Without such appointments who in their right mind, in the private sector, will be willing to pay them by the millions to maintain their lifestyles?

By then the new govt may be in a dilemma. How to justify to pay them millions to help them to live without affecting their quality of life? Hopefully not necessary as quite a number of them are really billionaires or worth hundreds of millions. For those who are not, would the next minister be asking how much they want or whether they want to eat in the hawker centre, foodcourt or restaurant?

Sin City is the only super rich city where millionaires, half millionaires and billionaires are all asking the govt for financial help. Yes, there is no poor people in Sin City, only half millionaires, millionaires and billionaires.

Kopi Level - Yellow