The Great Singapore Train and Bus Robbery

And it’s perfectly Legal!

by MIKOspace

Commuters today hardly notice that they have been “robbed”. Each bus and MRT train trip will merely add 2 - 5 cents depending on distance.  Overall, public transport fares increase by about 2.8% from today, in accordance with the Public Transport Council (PTC) decision made on January.   

It has been argued and evident by facts and statistics that the public transport fare hikes for 2015 have no compelling rationale and basis. The PTO did not produce any justifications as to current or impending profits reduction; they could not because they actually enjoyed windfall profits due to unprecedented oil price drop last year.   

About $48 million will be taken from commuters over the next 12 months to feed highly profitable public transport operators (PTO) in 2015 and part of 2016. Serious public trust issues are raised but never fully addressed.

The generosity of commuters in acquiescing to the fare hikes, though few in fact have any alternative transport choices, will deliver the whooping additional $48.5m in revenue to the two public transport operators - SBS Transit and SMRT.  Never mind that they will have to contribute $5.5 million and $8 million respectively to the Public Transport Fund (PTF), from which $7.5 million from the Fund would provide 250,000 vouchers of $30 each to low-income households (one-time?), which act merely to postpone but did not eliminating its impact on the lowest of the low-income earners. These vouchers basically returned their PTF contributions to the PTO to retain net-neutral revenue impact

For SBS Transit, this $5.5 million represents about 25 per cent of the additional fare revenue, while for SMRT, the $8 million they are setting aside accounts for about 30 per cent.

As predicted, commuters hardly feel the mosquito-bite pinch of the transport fare hikes today.  My son reminds me that it amounts to about $2-$4 per month for regular commuters, or nearly $25-$50 per year, for no assurance of improvements in the prevalent poor customer services.  The only clear purpose of the public transport fare hikes is profiteering by the PTO.  

Singaporeans must be protected from the unequal powers of monopolistic – in the case of public transport, duopolistic – companies in the marketplace.  Every economic student knows that monopolistic and duopolistic companies are the most inefficient with respect to resource use in their operations. They furthermore generate huge profits from the captive marketplace is such disproportion to the privilege of providing a needed social service.

Both PTO have announced dividends for their private share-holders from their windfall profits. Their shares are expected to out-perform the stock market.  Currently, the shares of both PTO are the darlings of the Singapore Stock Exchange, even before the fare hikes!

Public transport commuters, mostly for middle and lower income households, have few affordable transport alternatives.   Where is the social justice when private companies are allowed to derive huge windfall profits from operating with assets largely invested by the Government ie people of Singapore? 

Granted, when considered in the totality of its entire assets, which include the transport infrastructure invested by past generations of Singaporeans, no strictly private and profit-oriented company could be profitable under the normal circumstances.  So, why are the PTO  profit-driven instead of guardians of social investments and public assets?  Why are they allowed to skimmed from the commuters a few cents here and there even though they are already highly profitable? It is because they can do so with impunity, to “rob” commuters in broad daylight and night, and to get away with it because it is NOT a crime.  It is in fact criminal to simply take from the less and lower income, basically the weak and vulnerable people, in order to enrich oneself.  In this instance, and every day for the next 12 months, day or night, when you board a public bus or MRT train, you will be “legally” robbed.  

Public transports should be managed by more socially responsible National PTOs beyond the current obsessive profit-seeker types of companies. We need Public Transport Social Enterprises that have embedded social responsibility values into its leadership and management. 

Related Posts:

Transport Fare Hikes 2015: Seriously, Are You Ready?

Singapore - The True Lies of Public Transport Operators

Restoring Public Trust in Singapore

Singapore - Social Contract Breached

Should Singapore Nationalise Our Public Transport Companies?

Dear Leeder, this is for you

Pole vaulter Rachel Isabel Yang, a 33 year of mother, probably past her prime in her sporting career if age is concerned, could not believe it herself. She returned to her sport after becoming a mother to compete in the Malaysian Open.

She cleared 3.40m, 3.60m and 3.70m in her first attempt, like a breeze. She attributed her success to Mr Lee. She said she thought of Mr Lee before her attempts and Mr Lee was such an inspiration. Then she wanted to attempt 3.80m but changed her mind and went for the record of 3.83m. She cleared in her second attempt to win a gold medal, and a national record and qualified for the SEA Games. Her mind was focused on Dear Leeder when she vaulted.
 
And this was what she wrote, ‘Dear Mr Lee, I competed in memory of you at Malaysia Open today. Before each of my attempts, I told myself, "Mr Lee, this is for you, I will make you proud"’.
 
The power of the thought is simply amazing. And the power of inspiration from a Dear Leeder is beyond words. I would like to suggest that all the sports associations place a statue or picture of Dear Leeder in their grounds for all sportsmen and sportswomen to take a bow before training. The statue or picture would be a powerful inspiration to do better for Dear Leeder. Coaches, are you reading? I can see a few Olympic medals in the horizon.
 
Do not doubt the power of the mind and what Dear Leeder can do to make a person perform wonders. And when the person is highly motivated and wanted to do Dear Leeder proud, miracles can happen. It may be useful to send a team to Pyongyang to learn from them how to erect the statues and pictures of Dear Leeder to make it effective. They have been doing it for decades and it is something we can learn from. People can be highly motivated without the use of money but by their thoughts.
 
This is highly motivational.

Religious extremism – beware!

The words ‘religious extremism or fanaticism’ give people a very clear idea of what they mean today. And the minds would simply wander off to the Middle East, to Iraq, to Syria and some of the countries that are homes to ISIS and the Al Qaeda.

Over the last few days, religious extremism in a different form is showing its signs in the world’s most expensive and supposedly cosmopolitan city called Singapore. A young boy of 16 insulted their ‘God’ in a YouTube broadcast and was met with threats of having his cock cut and shafted down his throat. Another gave a mild threat that the boy could be killed. Just imagine if the two were to say these to an MP like burning him? This is no joking matter. Yes, religious extremism can crop up anywhere, even in a cosmopolitan city, and the extremists could be the goody goody boy next door. In this case they are not boys but supposedly ‘responsible adults’ with good connections to the establishment.

Were they saying or uttering the threats to a boy as a joke? There were many calls for them to own up, for the police to investigate and find out what was their intent? These should be serious enough for them to realise that if they meant what they said as a joke or a figure of speech, they should explain, yes they should explain, and come out clean, that they were misquoted.

No, there was no explanation, no apologies. The big question, is this a joke, a figure of speech or an intended threat? If not, then is this in the mould of religious fanaticism, that the believers felt so aggrieved by words that hurt their ‘Gods’ and they were really furious, filled with anger and hate? Are they planning to carry out their threats? Is the boy’s safety at stake? Should there be a clarification of their intent or have they gone underground, untraceable, gone to their equivalent of the middle eastern hideouts to lie low when the heat is on?

Religious extremism can come in any form when people are easily provoked or excited or feel wronged and are strong believers of their beliefs and their ‘Gods’. Do not say anything to offend such extremists. Do not take social security and safety for granted. Do not take threats for granted. Be very careful in what you say, even in blogs and in YouTube.

PS. I too was threatened and I have to take it seriously until the asshole comes out with a statement that he did not mean it. Wherever I go, I am still watching my back all the time. And if something bad happens to me, please remember this threat against me and get the authority to go after him.

Just hope no harm goes to Amos when the extremists are still at large and did not own up. Do not take an open threat lightly no matter how subtle it is worded. You do not know what is in their minds and what is the real intent.

Education standards in Singapore universities going up again

In Singapore, you pay a price for quality. And anything that is good is expensive, priced according its quality. The SMRT is one of the best in the world. And it is so good that it is raising its fares again to match its quality of service. Fares will go up on 5 Apr 15.

Yesterday it was also announced that all the universities will be raising their fees again for the next academic year. So if you put one and one together, the quality of our universities will go up again. You pay for quality. The quality is in the price you pay. The increases range from 1% to 8% depending on the courses and the institutions. This must be good news for the students eyeing for a world class university education in Singapore. The rankings of these universities will definitely notch up a few more rungs. At the rate they are raising the quality of university education by raising the fees respectively, soon they will be better than Harvard or MIT or Cambridge and Oxford. And of course they will have equally high course fees to match.

But just be careful about job opportunities. It was reported in the media yesterday that 60% of the local professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMET) that lost their jobs could not be reemployed because they lacked the skills set. And they are the products of our world best universities.

And the lack of skills set is not confined to the older graduates from our universities. Fresh graduates also have difficulties finding jobs due to lack of skills set. I quote a comment in a local social media, the TRE,

‘crush the PAP:
so if PMETs young and old have lack of skills, then what are the polytechnics and SIM, SMU, NTU,NUS teaching in their degree and diploma syllabuses??? all outdated stuff???
its like the educational institutions are still teaching DOS and Word Star and the outside world is using windows 8 and office 2013.
if you are a fresh grad from Poly and NUS and outside interviewers are telling you you lack the relevant skills, then what the f*ck are these educational institutions teaching???
education ministry sleeping and daydreaming still isn’t it??’

I can guarantee the students that the qualities of these universities are definitely world class. But I am not sure world class in what ways. The students must be mentally prepared that getting a degree from these universities does not guarantee them a good job as the experience of the PMETs and the fresh graduates are anything to go by.

My recommendation is to go the neighbouring countries, 3^rd World also good, if they want to get the right skills set to be employable. An easier and cheaper way is to buy from the degree mills. Not to worry, many of them are getting good jobs here and doing very well. Everyone is sleeping and no one is checking. Be street smart, get a degree, fake also can, that can get a job, not a world class degree that no employers want or worst, did not teach you the relevant skills set to get a job.

What do you want, a good degree from a world class university that cannot get a job or a fake degree or from an unknown university but can get you a job? It is very easy to con or cheat the talented employers in this 1^st World city. They did not know what the hell is going on. They are too busy counting their money. See the ‘Do Not Disturb’ signs on their doors?

The angst and pain of being Singaporeans that assholes cannot understand

Below is a post by a commenter called Tham in TRE.  If you can’t feel the pain and the frustration of this Tham, and the many filial children that shared the hapless feelings of Tham’s son knowing the financial problems they caused to their parents, you are inhuman. Read on to share the plight of being average parents in this extremely expensive city and trying to make ends meet. I just have to share this post to let the world know what the average Singaporeans are going through. This is the norm.

Tham: Readers out here, do share my grief; do share my agony; do share my anger; do share my frustration, when :

My son was graduated in NUS in year 2012 and the graduation ceremony was held in middle of July 2012 whereby more than 700 fresh graduates were waiting for their turns to be given the University Degree Certificate on stage…!!!!

As parents, both myself and my wife attended the grand convocation together with my daughter on that very evening.

There were thousands of parents serving as audience attended to this event held on that very day’s graduation apart from the volume closed to a hundred of convocation ceremonies held before this said date and immediately thereafter.

From the mother tongue these huge pool of audience attended to this ceremony alone, more than 70% are from PRC…!!!!

As a matter of courtesy and carried with joy witnessing the graduation of our children is something great…!!! We did not hesitate chatting freely with all these PRC parents who were there as audience giving their cheers and support to their children…!!!!
What really frustrate, angered and antagonized us is that parents of these PRCs were saying :

1) Ooooh, this Singapore PAP Government is very kind and generous in giving out FREE EDUCATION, FREE TUITION FEE, FREE LODGING & FOOD AND EVEN MONTHLY POCKET MONEY FOR THEIR CHILDREN TO STUDY HERE WHICH THEY CAN HARDLY FIND IN THIS WORLD….!!!!

2) Even a BOND is required to be signed as a formality so that after their children are graduated and comes out to work, they will have this revenue source to repay back whatever Educational Loans so far extended to them BUT AT ANY TIME THEY CAN FLED BACK TO CHINA WHICH IS VAST ENOUGH FOR THEM TO TEMPORARILY HIDE THEMSELVES UP AND THEREAFTER GO TO OTHER COUNTRIES TO SEEK FOR A HIGH SALARIED JOB WITH GREAT PROSPECTS…!!!!

From here we need to ask ONE VERY BASIC SIMPLE QUESTION :
Why aren’t our own True Native Born Singaporeans being privileged with all these Benefits when they are eligible to enroll for a seat & their parents have been all along over the past contributed towards the building of this Nation…???

My son, a True Native Born Singaporean; served the two & a half years of Full Time National Service in the Army; his parents are both also True Native Born Singaporeans who have contributed for the past decades in serving this Nation and myself too served the Part-Time National Service for 12 years with 5 years in the Army and 7 years in the Police Force…!!!!

WHY ARE WE NOT PRIVILEGED WITH THIS BENEFITS FOR OUR OWN CHILDREN TO OBTAIN & RECEIVED THEIR TERTIARY EDUCATION FOR FREE WHEN OUR CHILDREN ARE ELIGIBLE TO ENROLL THEMSELVES FOR A SEAT IN THE UNIVERSITIES…????

As a filial piety son, he was reluctant to take out borrowings from my CPF money to pay for his University school fees and tuition fees in view of my health & age, among others…!!!!
My son worked full time during the day as a simple technician and with his lean income, he saved hard to ensure he can afford to pay for his semester fee and tuition fee when falls due during his course of study at NUS…!!!!

Far 5 years back when my daughter studied at NUS, she borrowed from my CPF to pay for her semester fees and tuition fees…!!!!

AND THERE WAS COMPULSORY NEED FOR HER TO SEEK FOR A GUARANTOR WHO MUST BE A WORKING SINGAPOREAN BEFORE SHE IS APPROVED TO TAKE UP THE BORROWINGS FROM MY CPF ACCOUNT…!!!!

We (our whole family) together with our relatives, friends and colleagues whom are acquainted with us do share this : UNFAIRNESS AND ABUSIVE POLICIES OF THE PAP GOVERNMENT OVER ON HOW THEY HAVE ILL TREATED ALL OUR TRUE NATIVE BORN SINGAPOREANS….!!!!

Least but not Last or Last but not the Least, rest PAP can be assured that from all those within our known circle who knew about our predicament will NEVER VOTE FOR THIS PAP FROM THEREON IN EACH GENERAL ELECTION…!!! Thank you very much…

Early signs of rebellion

Less than one week after the state burial of the founding Prime Minister of Singapore, two incidents hogged the headlines. One is the abusive tirades of a 16 year old boy in the YouTube against the man himself. And this was taken very seriously, top priority and urgency. One day after it hit the news the boy was charged in court for 3 offences. How could it be when more than a million people paid their respect to the man, queuing for more than 8 hours just to walk pass his body lying in state over a whole week? And immediately there was this big hooha by a boy that took a diagonally opposing view that frayed raw nerves exposed by a week of mourning and public weeping.

To raise the temperature higher, some pro establishment grassroot leaders made threatening remarks like cutting the cock of the boy and shaft it in his mouth, and another insinuating that the comments by the boy could get himself killed, … in this first world city! My God, we are not far from the mentality of the medieval age or the tribes in the jungles.

Yesterday, the angry residents of an upper class public housing estate found it necessary to air their grievances publicly in the social media when they could not get the attention of the authority and the main media to deal with their unhappiness. A state organisation, the Residents Committee, in their zealous effort to help and bond with the residents, insisted on building more facilities in the estate. They already have a big presence but the residents are not happy with their generosity to help them. The residents did not want more RC facilities in their midst. But the RCs are adamant to build more facilities against the wishes of the residents. Strange that the state wanting to help the residents but the residents rejecting the help.

The residents have approached the social media to air their grievances in an open confrontation and to challenge the authority. They did not want the RCs, or as good as please go away. More details are available in an article in the TRE, ‘War breaks out between RC and residents in Toa Payoh’. This is a sample of the comments in the article:
‘Another resident told TRE, “We are being bullied by our RC and PA!”
“There is already an existing RC at our block and they want a 2nd RC. Seriously the residents don’t need 2 RCs within 5 blocks!” she explained.
She asked TRE to help spread the news. “We are really desperate and need your help to make this public as they are going to construct the RC soon. We have written several emails to the authorities but they are not addressing the issue,” she said. “This means a lot to the residents. We sincerely thank you loads.”’
Everyone is wishing the man to RIP and things are beginning to turn bad. How to rest in peace? You want him to jump up so fast? Leave the man in peace can?

Transport Fare Hikes – Still Necessary Now?

Are You Ready for the Ride?

As expected, the two public transport operators (PTOs) in Singapore, ComfortDelGro (CDG) and SMRT had achieved unprecedented profits due mostly to the more than 60% drop in oil prices over most of their past financial operating year.  It was reported that CDG’s FY14 revenue rose 8.1% while its PATMI (post-tax profits minus interests) grew 7.7%.  Its PATMI was attributed to broad-based revenue growth across bus, rail and taxi segments.  Similarly for SMRT, its 3QFY15 PATMI jumped 58.4% year-on-year as revenue rose 6.8% on both non-fare and fare businesses recorded huge broad-based growth due to vastly improved operating margins also in the fourth consecutive quarters.

Even without the impending transport fare increase, both CDG and SMRT enjoy continually low and lower oil prices as well as huge Singapore Government subsidies.  Their stock prices have soared through the roof and huge profitability are eagerly expected in 2015 and possibility 2016 by their private shareholders as they milk the public and docile cash-cow. 

So, are the Transport Fare Hikes for 2015 still necessary?    

The 2015 transport fare hikes which is effective from 5 April 2015 is highly controversial, for reasons unlike previous transport fare hikes which were deemed necessary to maintain the “economic viability” of the PTOs.  As evident above, the PTO are enjoying unprecedented windfall profits and very remote from becoming “un-viable”. In view of falling oil prices, the increase in public transport fares has sparked an outcry in Singapore. Many raised questions about why falling oil prices did not translate into lower commuter fares. Despite numerous responses and explanations from the PTC, the general public sentiment has been one of dissatisfaction, where for some the government broke a “social contract” in the provision of public transport services.

Watch the Debate Video by Inconvenient Questions (IQ):

In the Video, you would hear many reasons for the public frustrations towards our transport system, not least the impending fare hike in 5 April 2015. 

The IQ Team has also selected a reading list focusing on various aspects of Singapore’s public transport system, including a statement from the Public Transport Council.

GoTo:

Transport Fare Hikes 2015: Seriously, Are You Ready?

More on Singapore Transport System

 

Related Posts:

Singapore - The True Lies of Public Transport Operators

Restoring Public Trust in Singapore

Singapore - Social Contract Breached

Should Singapore Nationalise Our Public Transport Companies?

60% PMETs lacked relevant skills

‘In a statement yesterday (2 Apr), NTUC said that 60% of PMETs face difficulties in their jobs mainly due to a lack of relevant skills.
This is according to a survey NTUC conducted with 894 PMETs last year.
“We found that many face challenges pertaining to their current skill sets and knowledge,” said Mr Patrick Tay, assistant secretary-general and director of NTUC’s PME Unit.
The top 3 difficulties in their job, cited by PMETs in the survey, are:

1. IT challenges
2. Lack of relevant training or industry specific skill-set
3. Need to constantly upgrade their skills due to changes in regulations or market conditions’

The above report in TRE also quoted a 23 year old fresh graduate who was unable to get a job as well. ‘She said, “I know I have the certificate. I just finished my education, so I thought I should be okay, I should be getting a job. I did not know what was going on, I did not know what was wrong. So I decided that I needed to find somebody who can actually help me out and tell me where I was going wrong.”’

And what happened, she sought help and what did they do to help her get a permanent job? They helped to polish her resume and interview skills and that was it. What have these got to do with her skills set? And why is it that 60% of PMETs who were good enough to be employed as PMETs but got sacked and then no longer have the relevant skills. And all the jokers and fakes and dunno what from God knows where have the skills sets to be employed here, have the skills sets that our PMETs did not have?

You believe in that? You believe in the 3 reasons given above? You believe that the PMETs could only become taxi drivers and security guards and people from the 3^rd World are better trained than them, from the little villages or streets of 3^rd World countries? Excuse me, what does PMET meant? It means Professionals, Managers, Executives and Technicians! No skills set?

How did they become PMETs if they have no relevant skills set? The whole world, including 3^rd World countries knew what kind of skills sets needed to work in Singapore and could produce them to meet our needs but our world class education system could not produce people with the skills set needed by our employers!

How many of you believe in this kind of nonsense?

AIIB – Breaking the American stranglehold

The vice grip on the world’s economic system by the Americans has finally been breached with the birth of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank initiated by China. Despite all the threats, arm twisting and hogwash splashed all over by the Americans about transparency, fairness, accountability, environmental issues, the rest of the world broke free from the barriers erected by the Americans, like the fall of the Berlin Wall, to rush to join the AIIB as its founding members.

Britain took the lead by ignoring its former colony’s demand, the once Number One colonial power would not be bullied by the dictates of it’s ex colony. Its own national interest is paramount and no way would it be kept from being a founding member of AIIB. The run for freedom from the clutches of the Americans was quickly followed by more Europe countries and the semi colonies of America in the East. South Korea and Australia found a good excuse to join as well, leaving only the semi colony of Japan to hang on to the American bandwagon for its own fear of losing its grip on the Asian economies.

The fear mongering of the Americans and Japanese were simply fear mongering without an ounce of truth. The countries joining the AIIB are not colonies of China, led by a gun pointing at their heads, to join or be shot. They were not like the slaves of Africa being hunted and sold to slavery in the USA or like the Red Indians being led to a massacre. China would not be able to lead the AIIB if it does not play fair and accept the views and interests of all the founding members. This is the 21^st Century! The founding members have equal rights and votes to out vote China or, failing which, the AIIB will become a stillborn.

AIIB will set a new World Order on a more equitable basis where every country will have equal rights according to a set of rules and regulations decided by them, without a gun pointing at them. It would gradually and eventually replaced the flawed and unfair systems of the IMF, World Bank and ADB that were structured and designed to perpetuate American and Japanese dominance and control. The world will be a better place for small nations, and a more level playing field for all.

It is good that the Americans and the Japanese stayed out of the AIIB and allow the new organization and its members to decide the rules of the game without being spoilers and trying to lay imaginary obstacles to cripple the organization. The AIIB will set the new standard for an international organization respecting the rights of all its members fairly and equally.

Pax Americana is waning. Welcome to a new dawn to a New World Order. With 47 countries, including all the major western powers except the USA and Japan, it is a force to be reckoned with. The AIIB is an experiment. If successful, there will be two more AIIBs, one for Africa and another for Latin America, the African Infrastructure Investment Bank and the American Infrastructure Investment Bank.

Officialdom and fortune making升官发财

My learned friend reminded me of this old adage, 升官发财. This is a tradition in old dynastic China where the ambition of scholars, except the daft and idealistic ones, was to get an imperial appointment and get promoted or 升官. With promotion came the opportunity to become wealthy, ie 发财.

When the ambition of升官发财 was fulfilled, the scholar would have power and wealth, ie got 官 and also got 财, or got官财.  The two words, 官财 put together, read together, have another meaning, ie coffin.

This can be interpreted as the ability to buy and be buried in a coffin, a rare privilege of the rich and powerful. In another view, it is the end for the corrupt and powerful, they will meet their 官财 sooner, a matter of time. There is another saying, 不见官财不流泪, meaning many evil doers would not weep until they have seen their官财 or coffin, or after they have become officials and made their fortune, presumably from improper ways.

Chinese words are very meaningful in the ways they are written and combined in usage. A lot of wisdom from the ancient sages.

Update on mysingaporenews book

To date I am still short of a few hundred dollars to get the book printed.
I am renegotiating with the printers to print lesser copies at a lower
cost. Very likely I may have to cough up the balance to get it done.

I am quite confident that it can be done. Hopefully there will still be a
trickle of donations coming in to make up for the shortfalls.

Thanks everyone.

Redbean

Is the out of this world minister salary worth preserving?

One of the most controversial policies of LKY must be the high minister salary that he introduced as a compelling must do thing in his time. He made such a ‘convincing’ case for it that there was hardly anyone opposing to it. The country needs the best men and women in political leadership. The country is so big, the job is so big, the salary must be so big also or else no good men or women who need big money to satisfy their ego would want to serve the country. Of course these were his assumptions. His other unstated assumption is that good men and women would step forward to serve when the money is there.
 
As usual he used Richard Hu from Shell as an example to push his case. He assumed that everyone was as highly paid as Richard Hu when they stepped forward. The policy has been in force for two decades. Let’s take a look at LKY’s assumptions for this policy and whether it lives up to his expectation and effectiveness.
 
Look at all the ministers and MPs and ask yourself a simple question. Are they the top talents in the island and deserving of what they are being paid, in the millions? If yes, good, the policy has served its designed purpose in getting the best men and women to be in politics. If no, why? Are the best men and women stepping forward or backward from politics despite the big draw in monetary terms? If not, why? Maybe the carrot is not big enough. Maybe politics is just not their cup of tea even if the carrot is blown up another 10 times its size. Maybe, this is important, good men and women do not think money should be the reason to be in politics.
 
Again, if the policy is serving its purpose, keep it. If the policy is not getting the best men and women into politics, it is like saying we are overpaying the lesser than the best men and women by the millions to go into politics while the best men and women remained out of politics. Which is which? I am not even dealing with the situation when the best professional in whatever fields, earning millions, turned into a political dud but still being paid millions for becoming a misfit in a profession they were not trained for or neither have they the heart and instinct to do a good job.
 
If it is not working, not attracting the best men and women into politics, should good money, millions, continue to be paid to the ‘not the best men and women’ in politics? Should this policy or legacy be reviewed?
 
Are we getting value for money? What do you think? I heard some giggling.

Amos Yee – The charges

Amos Yee and his parents appeared in court yesterday to face the following charges for his YouTube video clip. ‘Police said Amos will face charges in court today under Section 298 of the Penal Code for utterances against Christians with a “deliberate intent to wound religious feelings”. Other charges include circulating an obscene object and making threatening, abusive or insulting communication which is likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress. The Straits Times’
 
Read carefully and you will notice how serious the charges are. ‘Deliberate intent to wound religious feelings’ means that the act was intentional and touching on a taboo area in the city state, ie religion and religious feeling. These two points are serious and not to ‘pray pray’ with.
 
The other adjectives used, ‘threatening, abusive or insulting,…likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress’ …to who? Amos’ offending words were in the YouTube. You know what is the YouTube? A YouTube is like a private document, not sold on the street sides, not forced onto the audience like the TV or Radio, demanding your attention. If you want to view the clip you would have to intentionally access it through a gadget or computer. You seek for the video or info. They don’t come breathing down your neck. Amos did not ask anyone to go to his YouTube to listen to him. The viewers seek to view on his own volition. The viewers trepassed into his video or a blog. He did not broadcast to everyone. Intent?
 
Perhaps all YoutTube postings or blogs should have a privacy clause, ‘The material or info is private, enter or view at your own risk’. Now, would this make a difference and protect the author from being accused of being intentional or threatening anyone, or harassment or causing alarm and distress to others? A YouTube or blog is passive. If a person does not intent to visit, the person would not notice anything or be offended by its content. Someone shitting in the toilet, another one enters and feels offended by the shit. The person shitting has intent to shit on him? So very funny. Actually it is not funny at all.
 
But in this city state, the law is the law. Just obey the law and know the peculiarities of the law that is uniquely Singapore. Enter at your own risk. I mean visiting YouTube or blogs.

The Strange Disappearance of The Men-in-White

by MIKOspace

As long as I could remember as a little boy, they were always there.  One or two of them would come to our house almost every week to talk to my dad, and neighbours.  They asked him what issues he might have regarding anything really.  Whatever my dad raised, they would promise to do something about it and come back to him with some answers. They always returned. Most times, my dad seemed quite happy with whatever actions reportedly taken. 

I grew up accustomed to see them around the community. On some occasions, they would wear their all-white signature shirts and pants, or skirts for the ladies.  Later, a book would be written about these Men-in-White, or MIW, who belong to the People’s Action Party (PAP) who has formed the government of Singapore over the past 55 years since 1959.  

Just over a week ago on 23 March 2015, MM Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s first Prime Minister (1965-1990) and the Founder of modern Singapore passed away at the age of 91 years old.  During the following National Mourning Week (23-29 March), I did not see any MIW.  Indeed, where did the MIW go as the nation engulfed in sorrow and grief?  He was one of the Founders of the PAP, and the longest-serving Secretary-General of the Party of MIWs; their Grandmaster, their Paramount Leader, their Mentor, Advisor and General of Generals who led the MIWs from victory to victory at every general election battle after battle over the past 50 years!

Did the MIWs scatter upon the death of their first leader Lee Kuan Yew?  Lee’s son, Hsien Loong, is now the 3^rd Prime Minister, after PM Goh Chok Tong.  Were the MIWs so devastated by the loss of MM Lee that they became dissipated, disorganised and disappeared?

   

I decided to investigate the strange disappearance last week of the ubiquitous Men-in-White members of the PAP rank and file.  Here’s the Report of the purportedly missing MIW.   

The first discovery was that the MIW did not disappear last week during the National Mourning Week.  It was such a relief and comfort.  Yes, their PAP Branches remained opened as per their weekly schedule from Monday to Friday.  Yes, the MIW were there as usual serving the residents who came to see them.  However deep their sorrows and grief over the death of MM Lee, the MIW remembered that the weekly Meet-the-People Session (MPS) were instituted by him to connect the PAP to the people regularly.  This Mission continues relentlessly even as MM Lee rested in state at the Istana’s Sri Temasek and Parliament House later. 

The people’s issues and grievances have to be heard; their petitions to appropriate government bodies advocated, and they have to be assured of being represented, so that the masses’ confidence in the “Party of the People” be always reinforced and sustained.  For the MIW, the PAP is always there to help lift up the poor, assist in the healing of the sick and the protection of the weak.  Overall, the continuing Mission of the MIW is to assure, ensure and create the greatest benefits, the greater good, for the largest number of Singaporeans for a more secure future and better society for them, their children and their children’s children. 

During the National Mourning Week, the MIW were in fact everywhere, somewhere and anywhere the observance activities were taking place.  And then some. The MIW were there among the people queuing up to 6-10 hours along Clarke Quay, UOB Plaza, One Fullerton and the Cavenagh Bridge on Wednesday, as well as the Padang over the next 3 days.  As always, the MIW enjoy no special privileges or special shorter queue, and they also help to ferry the old and elderly as well as distribute water to the people in the queue.

No, we did not see the MIW in their customary white attires. The Men-in-White had joined common cause with the People-in-Black united in the common painful sorrow of the death of the People’s Champion.  They were indistinguishable. Dressed in common black, the MIW and people entwined in painful grief as they comfort one another to make the transition easier to bear.  The pain grew deep and unbearable as to be intolerable at times during the funeral procession on Sunday.  Together, they were one; united in loss, side-by-side as one people, facing tomorrow as one nation and reaching beyond our grasp towards realizing the fuller vision of the remarkably extraordinary man who took us on the road of no return arriving at the Metropolis which he promised, and which he has now entrusted and bequeathed to us all – MIW and people – to be One People and One Nation forever.

The Mystery solved – the MIW did not disappear last week.  Perhaps, they are always with us and never left us under any circumstances.  In times like the mourning and passing of our Father of the Nation, it is refreshing to know that MM Lee has left behind his MIW to guide and lead Singapore through whatever challenges and prospects await us.  We shall know that MM Lee is always with us, his legacies our foundation and his words of wisdom our pillars, as long as the MIW are around. 

Remembering MM Lee Kuan Yew:

Eulogy to MM LKY (with Pix)

Last Walk with MM LKY (with Pix)

Obituary 2015 – Lee Kuan Yew

A Conversation with Lee Kuan Yew

MM Lee’s Timeless Advice: “Peace & Progress in East Asia”

The World Will Miss Lee Kuan Yew

The Strange Disappearance of the Men-in-White (with Pix)

Daft Sinkies deserve to be kicked out from this island.

Below is a letter of complain against a foreigner by a daft Sinkie appearing in The Real Singapore blog.
 
‘FT TEACHER HOGS 2 RESERVED SEATS IN BUS AND IGNORES ELDERLY COMMUTERS' STARES
THEREALSINGAPORE 16 March 2015 - 9:42am
 
This PR lady was infront of me in the line queueing for the feeder service which plys 10 bus stops around my estate. First when i stood behind her she gave me a very dirty stare like i had done something bad to her. I turned away.. immediately she took her phone started dialling and i guess the other party answered... she started reprimanding the person with her very heavy accent and was giving instuctions to run a class.’
 
I take issue with this good for nothing daft Sinkie not because he shied away when confronted by a nasty stare when he did not do anything. I take issue not because he did not do anything about the ugly situation in front of him. I take issue not because he acted like a lame duck, afraid to defend what is right or wrong. I take issue not because he thought it was a brave thing to complain in the net and not deal with the matter there and then.
 
I take issue because he cannot tell the difference between a lady and a bitch. He called a bitch a lady! For goodness sake, he is so stupid. With this kind of useless Sinkies around, this island would eventually be taken over by foreigners and bitches.
What is happening to the once proud Singaporeans who built and own this island? Do they have to behave like pariahs, like aliens in their own country and be allowed to be bullied by foreigners and got frightened by a hostile stare of a foreigner?
 
God, please get rid of all the useless daft Sinkies. They don’t deserve to be citizens of this island. Wait a minute, they have given it up by default and allowing the foreigners to stake a claim on this island as theirs. It is only a matter of time before they become boat people, chased out by foreigners from a country they no longer think is theirs.
 
My message to all the daft Sinkies, if you are afraid to defend your rights and ownership as citizens of your country, if you don’t defend your rights to be citizens of your country, you will lose your rights to be a citizen of your country and you will lose your country.
 
Stop behaving like foreigners. Defend your birth rights to this country your Ah Kong and Ah Mahs fought and built for you.

Protecting LKY’s legacies

There have been many comments about the need to protect the legacies of LKY. The issue is not so simple as it seems to be. Many of LKY’s policies are good, but there are bad and ugly policies as well. People should not blindly accept everything as they are but be discerning, like in all political and economic philosophies, only pick out the good and reject the bad and unworthy legacies. No, all are good? Please lah.
 
We can discuss about the legacies and shift out those that are not wanted today. For the moment let’s look at the most important legacies of LKY, the most enduring and endearing policies that he had left behind, that led to the show of respect during his funeral, and should be preserved not only to respect him but for the good of Singaporeans. The phrase, ‘for the good of Singaporeans’ must not be spouted freely to deceive the people by the asses.
 
LKY’s biggest contribution to the people of Singapore is the founding of this independent city state. But he did not stop there. He had emphasized in many of his speeches that this island is for Singaporeans, for the good of Singaporeans, better education, better homes and better jobs. Beware of those that are so ready to hand over pink ICs to foreigners and call them Singaporeans. Be careful of their real intent.
 
And as far as leadership is concerned LKY specifically said that political leadership must be in the hands of Singaporeans and not any silly Singaporeans. The Singaporeans to be recruited into political leadership and the govt must be instinctively Singaporeans, always be thinking of the interests of Singaporeans. On this point you can simply pick out the fakes and pretenders who uttered they are for Singaporeans whenever they opened their mouths.
 
What should we do with people who are out to dismantle LKY’s legacies, to turn his policies upside down? We have seen many policies that are anti Singaporeans, pro foreigners, allowing foreigners to assume political, commercial and social leadership. We have policies that favour foreigners in housing and good jobs to the detriments of Singaporeans. And these were done while LKY was still alive. Now that he is gone, these people who claimed to be for Singaporeans but systematically and consistently dismantling LKY’s legacies will be even more callous. Make no mistake about it, giving a foreigner a pink IC does not make him a Singaporeans in the definition of LKY and in the eyes of true blue Singaporeans. See how they bring in their own kinds here at the expense of Singaporeans! A Singaporean is dedicated to the well being and interests of Singaporeans by instinct. How many Singaporeans in leadership position qualify to be instinctive Singaporeans and really thinking for the good of Singaporeans? Hear them spout their nonsense about bringing in more foreigners. See them instinctively go around the world to find foreigners to replace Singaporeans in top jobs and you will know who they are and their instinct.
 
What shall we do to these ‘Singaporeans’ that are destroying the legacies of LKY? Now who is calling for the protection and preservation of LKY’s legacies when piece by piece is being taken down? Didn’t they know?

Amos Yee – How sick can we be?

A 16 year old, I was bowled over by his articulation and command of the language, was arrested over a self produced YouTube clip ranting about LKY with a heavy dosage of vulgarities. With 15 police reports made against him, and for the subject of his video attack, somehow a police intervention was quite expected in this uptight little city that wanted to be known as a cosmopolitan city to stand side by side with New York or London and other famous western cities.
 
Is the arrest of Amos a case of maintaining law and order? Or is it a case of throwing the book at anyone when a police report is made? Is what this young man, or an adolescent, said that serious that it would cause rioting in the streets? There are many assholes in blogs that uttered even worst comments than this Amos kid. A flutter of a butterfly in the Pacific Ocean could cause a storm? Not every flutter will cause a storm, maybe one in a million.
 
Such a ranting is not uncommon in the internet or even in the kopitiams. So, are the police going to arrest everyone who committed this crime of ranting against somebody, against a religion, against the govt? My impression after viewing the video clip was nothing more than a young man letting go some steam maybe for some publicity. Period. It does not go any further to envisage what more harm it would bring to anyone, or to create a social and security problem. Sure some highly sensitive people would feel hurt or agitated. Remember the UOB Annual Dinner and Dance theme when some racist minded cried racism because some of the staff dressed in different ethnic gear. Would the police arrest them if there was a police report or several police reports made? If a society cannot live with such a video clip in the YouTube and demands action be taken in every such cases, I think the enforcing officer will not have time for anything else. Block the YouTube, lock down the internet. Close down all the kopitiams.
 
What kind of society do we want to live in? Do we want a society that is filled with paranoids, everyone rushing to the police station to make a police report when they feel hurt, their feather got ruffled and the police will jump to their becks and calls? And every ranting is a national security threat?
 
My recommendation. In addition to the Cardboard Police Division, have a Robocop unit to answer to such complaints and let the Robocop store it in their harddrive for perpetuity, to be forgotten. The Police are already short of manpower, let them do the important jobs than chasing after kids or whenever a highly sensitive asshole makes a report.
 
It is about time that the knuckle duster be put away for good, that our people, our children, should be treated as one of us, to be dealt with as people and not enemies of the state, to be whipped, to be put away for every little indiscretion or ranting? A 16 year old boy arrested because of a few expletives and someone’s feeling got hurt? Did anyone shout, ‘Horror, this boy is dangerous!’
 
On the other hand there was an adult who threatened to cut the boy’s prick was found to be safer and allowed to go scot free? Who is more dangerous? This adult is in the same mold as that Raymond who threatened bodily harm, and imagine that these characters are part of the power equation? This place is going to be a very dangerous place not because of boys like Amos Yee but with psychopaths behaving like above the law gangsters.
 
What do you think?

Singaporeans taught the foreigners a good lesson in social behavior

Last week as Singaporeans mourned the lost of LKY, hundreds of thousands were on the move to the many sites to pay their respects. The Padang in particular was where many congregated, forming long queues and waiting for hours, 8 to 10 hours, under the hot sun, in orderly manner, no rush, no impatience, and no litters. Yes no litters!
 
The behavior of Singaporeans was at their best in a difficult time, was exemplary, the foreigners have a lot to learn from us on how to keep a place clean after used. Now who is going to tell the foreigners that we are a very bad bunch in social etiquette, prone to disorderly behavior and littering everywhere? On record, there were no rowdy behavior, no rudeness, a lot of patience and good manners that in many places tempers would have flared. Singaporeans are a graceful and discipline lot.
 
Singaporeans have shown to the foreigners what good behavior meant, from the young children to the grandpas and grandmas, we were a very discipline people befitting of our good upbringings, our education system and our status as people from the first world.
 
No one should be allowed to go on spreading misleading myths about how bad Singaporeans are and putting the blame on Singaporeans for all the shit on the streets. Last week was an excellent example of what true blue Singaporeans were and they should be very proud of themselves for being Singaporeans.
 
Singaporeans must not allow silly people to slap them for the wrongs and misbehavior of foreigners.

How HFT Destroys Markets: 50 Pages Of Evidence

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 03/20/2015 20:09 -0400

Back in 2009, when aside from a few insiders, nobody had heard of HFT, Zero Hedge launched its crusade to expose the algorithmic scourge that has since then caused an equity, treasury and now US Dollar flash crash, and has been the subject of a Michael Lewis bestseller and resulted in countless market halts and failures.
 
More importantly, there is now roughly 50 pages of just bibliography citing the evidence-based, academic research that has shown just how pervasively, maliciously and premeditatedly HFTs manipulate, destabilize, impair and otherwise destroy every single market in which they participate, and what's worse: result in incremental costs to investors, debunking the biggest lie HFTs spread about themselves - that they, being the gregarious humanist vacuum tubes they are, make trading cheaper and more accessible for the small investor.
 
And the biggest paradox: despite all this proof - which we urge every readers to sent to their favorite SEC regulator - America's corrupt enforcers of securities laws continue to turn a blind eye to all the crime that takes place every single day. Why? Because they collect a portion of the proceeds, of course, and because they need a scapegoat to blame once the market crashes.
 
We are grateful to "R. T. Leuchtkafer" who put it all together.
 
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-03-20/how-hft-destroys-markets-50-pages-evidence
 
Above are all the evidence needed to kill of HFT but no, the corrupted powers in govt would not do so. The Congressmen and Senators would not do so as their pockets are lined by the HFT operators. They would find all the excuses and lie to keep the HFT operations going.
 
MAS and the MOF must look at the operations of HFT in our system and get rid of it quickly before it does more damage to the dying market. It is getting worse everyday.There is no time to wait.

Holocaust and 731

When Shinzo Abe posed in a fighter aircraft with the marking 731 boldly printed on its side, China and South Korea were furious. It was the most insulting and offensive that a rascal Japanese Prime Minister could do to insult its neighbours and as good as showing his middle finger to China and South Korea, and with a hidden message that he would do it again. The South Korean govt lambasted him as being vile. It was not provocative, it was outrageously provocative.
 
What Abe had done in 2013 was like a German Chancellor sitting in a German tank with the marking ‘Holocaust’ boldly printed on its side so that no one can miss what he is trying to say. And to add insult to injury, he put up his thumb to mean good and smiling like crazy.
 
What would the Jews feel if indeed a similar act is done and flashed across the media? This is how low Abe had gone and China must be ready to take on this beast and Japan. Abe and his Japan are preparing for a rerun of a 731 in China and Korea.
 
It is unforgiveable for this asshole to do that as a Prime Minister of a country. And they expect the Chinese and Koreans to take it lying down? There is nothing more provocative than this act, rubbing salt into an old wound. Let’s hope Abe has the gut to do another Marco Polo Incident in China. Oops, there is no such chance today. But he could try something similar in Diaoyu Island or the islands in the South China Sea and see what would happen to Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Nagoya, Kobe and all the major cities in Japan in the aftermath. And China could build a few 731 experimental stations to show the Japanese what 731 means to them.