Lawrence Wong riding the tiger 骑虎难下

When Lawrence Wong came onto the political scene as a fresh face minister there was so much promise in this young man. After 4 years in the job he is still looking fine until the live debate on TV with leaders of the opposition party. His boyish charm soon disappeared and he revealed a side of him that many viewers were taken aback. He came prepared to dig into Chee Soon Juan’s past and demanding an apology that he thought Chee should make in 1996.

This attempt shows a dark side in him that many have not known. His posture and indignant expression were shocking to the viewers in that what appeared on the TV screen was a totally different man, a man carrying a knuckle duster taking on another man that he hardly knew and a past that had nothing to do with him. The aggressiveness and hostility were abrasive and many viewers took a dislike to them. Their views of this man have changed. Mine too.

The politics of the last few decades must not be allowed to overflow to affect the new generation of leaders and politics of today. We had a rough start when life was nasty and short. Politics then was a different ball game. It was a game of survival of the fitness. In the wrong camp, or ending as losers could be a life and death situation, could be put behind bars for life. Informers that were exposed could be taken down.  Today when the cover was blown, nothing happens. Politics was vicious, rough and not much difference from gangsterism then.

Do we want that kind of politics to continue today and into the future? Our young politicians have no reason to adopt that kind of politics and style. And they must not forget that this is a democracy, not a monarchy or dictatorship. Today one is in office, in power, with all the trappings of power and calling the shot. Tomorrow one may have to come down to earth and walk the streets like any ordinary people.  Politicians should not think they will be there forever and could act and behave like they are nobles and aristocrats, 公子 or皇亲, above the common people.  To behave as thus is like riding the proverbial tiger and dismounting means to be eaten by the tiger, 骑虎难下.  Not many politicians could survive under the protection of power and depart in one piece. Many politicians, dictators, would have to face their abuses of position and power when they fell from grace. It is good to behave a bit normal, to give one a way out when one is no longer in power.

The days of knuckle duster politics, of putting political enemies in the dungeon are over, or should be over. The politics of today must be given a fresh start, be cleaner and less vicious, less personal and less vindictive. A politician that thinks it is ok to continue with the knuckle duster style must be up to it, believing that he can be in power till death do us part, and better be that way. The knuckle duster way can lead to a very unpleasant and humiliating end if one cannot stay in power all his life.

Young politicians are well advised to take note that this is a democracy, a republic and political power can change hand like the weather, and every 4 or 5 years one can be brought down to earth to face the harsh reality of being an ordinary person.

Fear is dead and should be consigned to history. We need a more congenial political climate, more human and humane, for the good of everyone. This is the way forward.  Live by the sword die by the sword. There are very few exceptions. A little humility is good for the soul. What is past is past. Leave the past to the past. We have to progress and be more civilized.

PS. Do not underestimate the power of social media. No one is infallible or flawless.

GE2015 – Tanjong Pagar

This PAP stronghold is suddenly open for grabs in the absence of LKY. PAP is likely to live on its past glories and the LKY hangovers among the oldies and the old faithful.  How strong would this group be is untested as the GRC did not have a contest for the last 2 decades. There are many unknown forces in this GRC and many things would be left to the candidates defending the ward and the challengers.

The PAP is led by a PM potential in Chan Chun Sing. After his move to the NTUC, people are seeing this as an unfavourable move and his PM potential may be called into question. This would be made known in the hustings and voters may hear a confirmation either way. Would Hsien Loong still endorse him as a PM in waiting?  The other members of the team are Indranee Rajah,  Chia Shi Lu, Joan Pereira and Melvin Yong. This is an untested team and in a way all are newbies. The main vote puller in Lily Neo has been sent to Jalan Besar and this may prove very costly to the team. Who would be the one to pull the votes for the team? Chan Chun Sing or Indranee or one of the newer newbies?

Facing them is a completely new team from SingFirst led by Presidential candidate Tan Jee Say and supported by a recognizable face in Ang Yong Guan. The other members are Muhamad Fahmi Rais, Melwyn Chiu and Chirag Desai, all new faces. It is difficult to know the strength of the newbies in both teams at this moment.

The contest in Tanjong Pagar is likely to be between Jee Say and Ang Yong Guan against Chan Chun Sing, Indranee and legacy. Putting aside history, the oratory skills of the pair of combatants would be put to test and be the deciding factor. By the look of things, Tanjong Pagar is not very safe for the PAP as the strongest candidate is Chan Chun Sing whose oratory style was cooked in the military camps.

Who would the voters go for, a PM in waiting or an ex Presidential candidate? The chances for both parties are likely to be 50:50.

911 - Independence Day for Singaporeans

The aliens have landed, more than 2m of them, in this little island Singaporeans called home. And more will be coming according to the govt’s immigration and growth policies. Singapore has no other means to generate economic growth, productivity is at abysmally low, non existence. Its economic numbers are propped up by the influx of foreigners that are hardly enlightening as a factor for economic growth strategy.

Other than the elite, the natural aristocrats and nobles, many Singaporeans are struggling from hands to mouths and depending on govt subsidies in many things to get by, from housing, medical, hospitalization, education, bringing up children etc etc, Singaporeans are now so dependable on the subsidy crutch that removing it will shatter the lifestyle of many. No subsidies many Singaporeans will be in trouble.

Many have lost their good jobs to foreigners and many are waiting to lose theirs with the impending expansion of the terms in the CECA, TPP and Asean Economic Community. More than 50% of the population is foreigners. Many are hidden under the category called locals, ie citizens, new citizens and PRs. How many are the original Singaporeans?

The threat against the existence of the original Singaporeans is reaching breaking point and Singaporeans are voicing their anger and frustration. The govt is responding with some lip service and vague comments to assuage the people that their interest will be taken care of first as Singaporeans. But the influx of foreigners continues though at a slightly slower pace in view of the GE. How would the flow be like after the GE given that the one trick pony cannot think of anything else better than adding more heads into the island?

Singaporeans must prepare for more influx of immigrants once the GE is over and to fight for their life, their existence in the island they called home. The fear of losing their jobs, their homes and their country is more real than in the movie Independence Day.

Come 11 Sep, Singaporeans will be voting for their Independence once again, after 50 years, from being marginalized and booted from their country. It is a fight for life, for the right to be the citizens of their country, to live the way they want it. The GE is a fight to be Singaporeans, to have more rights than foreigners, to keep the foreigners out from their home country, to be proud and take back their self esteem instead of being bullied and pushed aside by foreigners.

Would Singaporeans be united to stand together to fight this last fight before they go down to the foreigners, their country overrun by foreigners? Some are still sleeping and think it is a little discomfort to be squeezing with the foreigners in the train. There is clear and present danger that they will lose their country if they continue to be apathetic and ignore the changes taking place. There is a real risk of becoming a minority to the foreigners.

The aliens are here. What are Singaporeans going to do about it? Fight or flight? Some ministers have encouraged the Singaporeans to flee, go overseas and leave their homes and jobs to the foreigners. Go and give away your homes and your country to the foreigners..

This is a fight not only for all Singaporeans but also for their children and future generations. This is a fight for independence and self determination, not to be swallowed by the hordes of foreigners. It is a fight for freedom, to breathe easier and not to be ruled and controlled by a regime that arrogantly decided everything for the people, including keeping their life savings and forcing the people to pay for a medical insurance scheme they cannot say no, and will wipe out all that is left of their life savings and…only allowed to read and see what the regime approved.

Now you hear the good news. Wait for the bad news after GE if Singaporeans failed to make Independence Day happen. Would there be cries of Merdeka again after 50 years of enslavement? Would there be any original Singaporeans left to do the fighting?

Listening to the ministers is so frightening

With the GE fever on, I watch both sessions of the live debates on Ch 5 and 8 on the GE. I heard Chan Chun Sing and Lawrence Wong and their strong beliefs on the right things that the PAP had done in the past. I have no doubt about the strength of their faith. They truly and sincerely believe in what they were believing in with all honesty and conviction. And it is so scary

Chan Chun Sing spent a big deal of time stressing on the importance of trust and claiming that the PAP had the full trust of the people and that it was this trust by the people that had brought us here today. Lawrence was saying that he was so proud of what the PAP had done to prove how good the PAP was.

I wish I was present to ask them a few questions but since that was not possible maybe I shall pose the questions here and hopefully they could read it and give me an answer.

 

1. The PAP had legislated away the people’s life savings, including mine, without the people’s consent or my consent. Does Chan Chun Sing think the people still trust the PAP? I for one would not trust the PAP with my life savings. I want my money back, every cent of it. Is there a breach of trust? And to Lawrence, is he proud of what the PAP has done about the people’s CPF savings? The PAP brought in 2m foreigners and turned many of them into citizens without seeking the consent of the people. Many people, including me, would not consent to it.  Does Chan Chun Sing think the people still trust the PAP? And to Lawrence, is this something he is proud of?
2. The PAP is forcing the people to pay for the Medishield Life Insurance, compulsory, without asking the people for their permission. And the people would have to pay for this for the rest of their life, emptying every single cent they have in their Medisave Minimum Sum accounts in a matter of time. The Medisave grants and the premiums in the future are not fixed. I can imagine that after all my Medisave Minimum Sum has been ‘gasak’, and if I live long enough, I would risk to go behind bars for not able to pay the premiums. Is this about trust or is this daylight robbery? Is Lawrence also proud of this?
3. The govt signed the CECA with India allowing unrestrained entry of millions of Indians to work here and causing many Singaporeans to lose their jobs. Is this an issue of trust? Does Chan Chun Sing think the people still trust the PAP to sign more of such agreements? Is Lawrence proud of the PAP signing such agreements?

Has the PAP breached the trust of the people and losing the trust of the people?  If yes, is Lawrence still proud of the PAP?

If no, I think both would answer no and are still very proud of what the PAP had done, in particular to the above policies, and this is the frightening part. They cannot see anything wrong in what the PAP had done and going to do if re elected for another term. They are such staunch and unquestioning believers.

The only glitch in the debate was when Lawrence tried to dig out Chee Soon Juan’s past for an airing. This is what he is capable of doing. And while on Chee Soon Juan, it reminds me of another unflattering record of the PAP in its treatment of political rivals like Chee Soon Juan, JBJ and Tang Liang Hong. All were bankrupted. Tang fled for his life and Chee was thrown into jail. What about the sagas involving Roy Ngerng and Amos Yee? Is Lawrence, and for that matter all the ministers, proud of these records?

GE2015 – Marine Parade GRC

Marine Parade would be closely watched by the voters after the close shaved in the last GE. This GRC is ripe for the picking by the opposition given the poor performance against a team of unknown minnows in 2011. In that GE, with Chok Tong and poster boy Tan Chuan Jin’s stars still shining, they could barely win 54% of the votes. This was a clear indication that the voters were not really behind them. And a young Nicole could singlehandedly pulled 46% of the votes must be quite shocking to the PAP camp.

Nicole would not be in the contest this time. But in her place there is a He Ting Ru, a Cambridge trained lawyer,  and a very hardworking and unassuming Yee Jenn Jong. Yee has grown over the years and winning the hearts of the Joo Chiat voters with his persistence to walk the ground. He is likely to be just as well received by the voters in Marine Parade that have grown tired of the PAP.

Tan Chuan Jin has lost his shine as a minister after failing to make any impact in MOM and now in a minor ministry in charge of families and social affair. His dismal effort to reverse the immigration problems and the plight of the PMETs will hang over his head in this GE. And as a PM potential, he is expected to lead the charge, but instead it is an ageing politician taking him along for the ride. This is definitely not going to look well on Chuan Jin and the PAP team.

The contest in Marine Parade would be between an old horse and a PM to be, but not to be, against a hardworking Yee Jenn Jong and a Nicole Seah double with a Cambridge law degree to beat. He Ting Ru is going to be bigger than Nicole from the way the media is avoiding coverage on her. Someone else also pointed this out, that whenever Ting Ru was caught on camera several times, speaking, the sound was muted. Watch out for this girl to rise to the occasion to take the baton from Nicole and bring it higher. This is the surprise and new star in the WP camp.

My view is that with an electorate that is shifting away from the PAP and wanting a change, and with PAP presenting the same slate, the opposition is looking that much more attractive for a change, and looking that much more sincere to serve. This is likely to be another GRC to fall.

GE2015 – Nomination Closed

The final list of the candidates for the GE is out. My disappointment is not to see Nicole Seah in Marine Parade. I thought she would be the surprise that WP was going to spring on the Chok Tong and his team. The good part is that there is He Ting Ru instead of Nicole. Ting Ru is looking like another candidate in the mold of Nicole, and could be even better. Chok Tong’s team is not going to have an easy ride this time. I will do an analysis of this latter.

Let me start with a little forecasting on the easier cases. I would like to touch on Holland Bukit Timah where the PAP led by Vivian with team mates like Sim Ann, De Souza and Liang Eng Hwa standing against the SDP team of Chee Soon Juan, Paul Tambyah, Chong Wai Fung and Sidek Mallek.

I think this is the first GRC that is going to fall to the opposition. Vivian is the anchor man of this team. Standing against him will be Paul Tambyah, a practicing academics, Tambyah is in many ways a head above Vivian other than the latter being a minister. In another way, Vivian as an incumbent minister is also a weakness due to the many foul ups he made while in office. He is best remembered for his comments against Lily Neo and the overspending on the Youth Olympics by hundreds of millions, and also ponding. There are more negatives in Vivian than positives and the higher income voters in the GRC that would have voted for Vivian would now have a comparable professional to vote for in Paul Tambyah.

Tambyah is going to take a lot of votes from Vivian. And Chee Soon Juan is going to take all the hard core anti PAP votes. Sim Ann would be pitted against Chong Wai Fung with a double masters and could break even between them. De Souza, Liang and Sidek would be the so so candidates that would not do any much good or harm to either side.

SDP is likely to gain the upper hand with the two biggies in Chee and Tambyah to make the difference. My view is that Holland Bukit Timah is likely to go to the SDP.

A few legacies that are very costly and redundant

‘We need to put an end to this SM, MM, ESM positions. If these OLD ministers want to "give back to society", surely they can afford to do it for FREE since they have been well paid in their previous ministers' roles. If they feel that this "sacrifice" is more than what they can bear, and they are reluctant to sacrifice their time with their family or their precious privacy, then for goodness sake just RETIRE.

We don't need any SM, MM, ESM to milk our country dry, nor stifle the future prime minister to push forward new reforms to meet changing needs… Are these roles needed? Why are we paying so much of tax-payers' money? Won't they cramp the style of the new PM & his team? With public awareness of the FULL PRICE THAT WE PAY to these positions, hopefully this practice can be put to a stop. OR at least make these position-holders do it for FREE because they want to "give back to society"’.

 

The above is written by a blogger called Thai Laksa.

 

Thai Laksa has a point. These positions were legacies of a past when LKY’s words and decisions were absolute and unchallenged. It is about time that these vestiges of the past be relegated to history. They are redundant and also very costly to the taxpayers. And in a way, their appointments could be a hindrance to the PM who would have to look behind his back to see if he has the approval of these elders. A confident and able PM does not need more guardians and neither would he want to be chaperoned and be looking like an apprentice on the job.

 

For the elders who want to serve, since they are so wealthy, do it for free is not too much to ask for. They have been paid very well while in active service and it is time to return their precious time and wisdom for the good of the people. By the way, they are still being paid a handsome pension that is many times the pay of Obama, the pay of an American President on the job.

 

Not to worry about being accused of corruption when working for free. According to Vivian’s definition, a wealthy person working for free is definitely not corrupt.

 

What do you think?

Do not think Singaporeans are daft

The daily attack on the WPs management of AHPETC by the PAP using the main media to its max is based on the assumption that the people are daft. Just set the agenda, keep telling a story, like WP is bad, WP is bad, WP is bad, and the unthinking daft will believe so, or if not, their subconscious will tell them so. WP is bad, cannot manage town council is the election campaign slogan for the PAP.

How are the Singaporeans taking this piece of slogan? Do the Singaporeans believe that this is true, that the WP is really incompetent? Or would the people say, shit, this is what ugly politics is at its worst. Running out of ideas and think this is very clever and would work on daft Sinkies. They keep attacking the WP for a wart on its face but they themselves are rotting all over and trying to look the other way? You think we are fools?

Are the people really that daft and cannot see the truth for themselves? The PAP’s truth is that they are doing all these for the good of the people, with good intention, nothing selfish or personal. They are so responsible and honourable and when they see something is not right they must warn the people, that the WP cannot manage town council when given a chance.

Would the people say, don’t be silly lah, we know what you have been doing,  all the obstacles and traps you have laid in the path of the WP to trip them and make them fall. You think the people are so stupid ya? Don’t treat the people as naïve children and cannot see through the whole farce ok.

What is the real perception of the people? Do they believe the story of the PAP or would they feel offended by the PAP for treating them as daft and unthinking children, to believe everything the PAP tells them, that this election is about running town councils and not running the country?

What do you think? Who is the daft one? Who is the arrogant one?

Singaporean cleansing – A plea from ground zero

Below is part of an article by a Andrew Ho posted in the TRE title, ‘Voting away your children’s jobs’. The full text can be viewed in the TRE.

‘I worked in a financial futures company sometime in 2007. When I started with the company, the managing director, heads of department, back office managers were almost all local citizens with a few PRs occupying these posts. The staff were mainly Singaporeans with a few Malaysians and Indonesians due to language ability as the customer base of the company spanned the ASEAN region.

About 2 years later, the managing director was replaced by an Indian from Mumbai. This new MD was mostly lost about what the company actually did and went about asking all sorts of basic operational questions that set us thinking ‘what the hell’? We know now that there was a high chance his academic qualifications were fake although we did not suspect it at that time. In any case why would someone from Mumbai get hired to run a financial company in Singapore, the number 3 or 4 major financial center in the world after London, New York and Hong Kong?

As months passed, all the local heads of department were replaced one by one by Australians and Britons. The customers who had interacted with locals suddenly found themselves up against the arrogant and racist outlook and attitude of the new managers with their “take it or leave it “attitude, and the local staff were often caught in awkward situations between their bosses and the clients they served.

In the back office, the operations managers were replaced by Australians too. Was this even necessary? The company looked like an ethnic cleansing zone. They even employed this Caucasian to man the phone lines and he had to ask for help whenever he picked up a call where the caller spoke Bahasa Melayu, Mandarin, Hokkien, Cantonese and so on. This company ran itself into the ground in 2012 and is no longer in existence. Nobody in Singapore misses it, I would think….’

This is just one company that I personally worked in that so blatantly discriminated against local born citizens, and nobody could do anything about it. If our elected representatives allow such systematic cleansing of the local workforce in the local economy, why are we still voting for them? I know that this is still happening in many companies in Singapore right at this moment and there are many frustrated locals out there….’

The above is painful feedback from the people that are being hurt. People in ivory towers would not feel anything or would not want to know. They are still enjoying their wealth and comfort and demanding the people to vote them to power with bigger mandate while the people on ground zero are crying for help. They would even blame the people as losers and expect the citizens to compete with cheats and fakes on a level playing field in our very own country.

Think very carefully about the future of your children and your country. How are your children going to compete with cheats and fakes and people who can survive with little pay when their cost of living is far lower than living here? Vote wisely. This is your last chance to do something, failing which there is no hope of saving this country and the jobs for your children and their children. The situation on ground zero is real and dire. Do what you can for your children and your country in this GE. Do the right thing.

For the rich and successful, those with wealth and jobs, do not think they will last forever. And your children may not be as brilliant as you to compete with the foreigners. They need a pro Singaporean govt when they are down and out to protect them. That is what a govt is for, to protect the citizens, not to protect foreigners. Do your part for the future of your children too.

MH370 - Can you believe this?

Aircraft Resembling MH370 Found in Warehouse Belonging to CNN

CASA GRANDE, Az. – DEA agents and sheriff’s deputies with the Pinal County Narcotics Task Force made a startling discovery Tuesday while serving a drug warrant that ended in a botched raid. County officials say a typo on the official search warrant lead law enforcement officers to the wrong location, a warehouse in Casa Grande, where, instead of a methamphetamine operation, they found a Boeing 777 commercial airliner and a sedan.

“Upon entering the premises, Pinal County Sheriff’s deputies observed a large commercial airliner parked in the center of the warehouse,” Pinal County’s Chief Investigator Adam Hutch told reporters. “The aircraft in question is white, with a gray underbelly and features red and blue stripes down the middle of fuselage.” Hutch said the plane’s tail prominently displays the all-too-familiar red and blue logo of Malaysian Airlines. Additionally, its registration number, 9M-MRO, matches that of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 which is believed to have crashed in the southern Indian Ocean on March 8, 2014.

“Right now we are trying to determine the origin of this aircraft,” Hutch said, adding that airliner was carrying “less than a quarter tank” of fuel. Public records show the warehouse in question is located on privately owned land in the outskirts of Casa Grande and has been on lease to CNN since March 6, 2014. The twenty-four hour cable news channel declined a request to comment from this reporter but Ted Turner, owner of Turner Broadcasting System Inc, the parent company of CNN, told The New York Times that he found the discovery “very peculiar,” and added, “I have no idea why that would be there.”

During CNN’s The Situation Room Tuesday, Wolf Blitzer was pointedly asked by a guest what his thoughts on the aircraft were. Mr. Blitzer blinked several times while staring into the camera before saying, “I’m sorry, could you repeat that? We seem to be having some issues with the mic.” Blitzer, citing “technical difficulties,” began to tap on his earpiece before removing it entirely to inspect it. He began to blow on the earpiece, presumably to remove dust or hardened ear wax, as the segment cut to an unusually long commercial break....

Full text of the above news can be found at:  http://realnewsrightnow.com/2015/08/05/aircraft-resembling-mh370-found-in-warehouse-belonging-to-cnn/

The Evil American Empire continues to provoke the North Koreans

It was reported that the Americans and South Koreans were conducting a large scale military exercise, the Ulchi Freedom, along the North Korean borders simulating an invasion of North Korea. The number of troops involved, 50,000 South Korean soldiers and 30,000 US soldiers. A military exercise of such a scale is hostile on all counts and the North Koreans had condemned it as ‘Such large scale joint military exercises…are little short of a declaration of a war.’ And the North Koreans are threatening to strike back.

And the silly pro American allies and nations would condemn the North Koreans for reacting and shaking their fists. How biased are the Americans and their allies not to condemn the American provocations but put the blame on the North Koreans as the hostile party? Such exercises are held regularly, several times a year, and are claimed to be peaceful, for defensive purposes.

Imagine if a neighbouring country is conducting such a big scale exercise against another country, with the target country be Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore or the USA, would it be acceptable?

The Evil Empire is doing it with impunity today. Their turn will come when they will be on the receiving end one day. What you throw out will come around. It always happened, only a matter of time.

The world must condemn the real provocateur of aggression, the Evil Empire, for provoking the North Koreans and other countries all over the world. The American people must rise to oppose their evil regime from starting wars every where. If they continue to do so, war will come to America, in American soil, to give the Americans a taste of their own medicine.

PS. Thank God the Koreans are not duped into killing each other.

A contest on who committed the most lapses

GE2015 is looking like a contest to showcase which party committed the most lapses under their watch. For the moment it is looking like a contest between WP and PAP as only these two parties have direct responsibilities over the citizens as their representatives. And also a very important point to note, both parties may have committed lapses, but both did their jobs with good intentions, with very decent and upright people, so no crime has been committed so far.

So far if one is to read the main media the there are more lapses committed by the WP than than the PAP. If one is to read the social media, there are more lapses committed by the PAP than the WP. To be fair, it is necessary to look at both media for a balance picture and I did that and find that the lapses are about equal on both sides.

Let me just list down 10 lapses of the PAP, could be more but it would be too tiresome to belabour the point as both parties committed equal numbers. It can be 10 versus 10 or 20 versus 20 or 100 versus 100.

Ok, here are the 10 lapses of PAP not in any order of merit:

1.     Infrastructure not ready for huge influx of foreigners, train stoppages

2.     Need more transparency to know how Temasek and GIC are doing

3.     Losing the Singaporean core

4.     AGO reports on PA’s grassroot organizations

5.     Not returning the people’s savings as promised

6.     PMETs losing jobs and replaced by foreigners with fake or half past six degrees

7.     Shortage of hospital beds and high medical cost

8.     AIM saga

9.     Spending billions to provide scholarships to foreigners

10.                         Signing of CECA

And here are the 10 lapses of WP, also not in any order of severity.

1.     AHPETC – Cannot manage town council

2.     AHPETC – Cannot manage town council

3.     AHPETC – Cannot manage town council

4.     AHPETC – Cannot manage town council

5.     AHPETC – Cannot manage town council

6.     AHPETC – Cannot manage town council

7.     AHPETC – Cannot manage town council

8.     AHPETC – Cannot manage town council

9.     AHPETC – Cannot manage town council

10.                         AHPETC – Cannot manage town council

So the score card is 10 versus 10. The people can now judge the merit of the case and how good the two parties are. I could make it 20 versus 20 if the above is not convincing enough.

Oops, I wrote the above last week. Now there are so many new developments about the AHPETC’s case. The managing agent is found to have made excessive profits or profiteering. And WP has been accused of rewarding their friends and supporters with big contracts to make money. This kind of things never happened in super clean Singapore under the PAP. The PAP never believed in rewarding their friends and supporters or profiteering, let alone collecting more money from the people.

Strange things are happening. How can political parties reward their friends, supporters and kaki lang with contracts and profiteering some more? Ask the PAP, their track record is so clean and perfect. That is why they can stand on high moral grounds to poke at WP. Now on one side we have righteous people, good hearted people, immortals, natural aristocrats and nobles and the ordinary not so rich people on the other side. The good side is pointing the guilty finger at the ordinary people. And according to Vivian Balakrishnan, wealthy people are unlikely to be corrupt even when they worked for free.

So, what do you think?

Has the PAP abandoned Aljunied GRC?

Tharman said the PAP’s team or suicide squad for Aljunied GRC has a fighting chance. Boon Heng also said he is quietly hopeful. These are most uncharacteristic of the PAP. PAP always sent a team to win, the strongest team they could gather. What is this talk about a suicide squad? The team, other than super talented Yeo Guat Kwang, is all newbies. Has PAP running out of talent or ministers, or if not ministers of state, to helm this GRC, the fortress of George Yeo and Lim Hwee Hua?

In 2011, the PAP team had two ministers and a minister in waiting. That was the confidence it had then, and thinking that Ong Ye Kung would get an easy ride into Parliament with George Yeo anchoring the team. Now the strongest candidate is the most industrious MP, famous for the 64 appointments he held in Yeo Guat Kwang.  Yeo Guat Kwang is now the leader and anchor of this suicide team, meaning ‘pau si’ team, to go on a mission and not hoping to come back alive.

What would the people of Aljunied think of this team? Is this the best the PAP can afford or willing to sacrifice to take back Aljunied? Or the PAP has already concluded that there is no point putting in a serious challenge? Or is it that no minister or minister of state would want to risk themselves going to Aljunied?

What about Aljunied voters hoping to be represented by a minister? No minister would want to represent them? Has the PAP abandoned them?

What about the daily barrage at the WP failing to do a good job in running the town council? Does the PAP believe that they have cooked up a convincing case to demolish the WP as incompetent? If so, should not the PAP be confident enough to send in a serious team led by a minister to retake Aljunied?

Maybe they are still hoping for a minister to step forward to lead this team. Boon Heng said the team is still not finalised, meaning it can change. Maybe they are tapping the ground and if the feedback is favourable, they will put in a minister. If not, at most they could lose is their most industrious MP whose defeat would lead to 64 vacancies to be filled, and a few newbies that can be the next batch of nomads in the 2020 GE.

This is the first time in the history of the PAP that they have fielded a team in a GE with the presumption that it would lose. How things have changed and how the fortune of the PAP has changed.

If I read Victor Lye’s comment in the press interview, he did not think so. He took the press to task for calling the WP’s team as heavyweights and the PAP team as lightweight, underdog. Obviously he disagreed. In his view the PAP is a heavyweight team and the WP team is not.

I just got this feeling that the writing is on the wall. Aljunied GRC would remain as the WP’s stronghold after the GE. Maybe they would field Boon Heng on nomination day to make a difference. His highly charged emotion would touch many hearts and win him many votes just like LKY’s tears on Singapore being kicked out of Malaysia. Boon Heng’s tears could have the reversed effect, instead of being kicked out of Aljunied, he could win Aljunied for the PAP just like Hsien Loong did in 2011. Looks like Boon Heng is PAP’s secret weapon for Aljunied. A former minister is still a minister.

SG50 Jubilee currency notes – Once in 50 years!

I went to the bank to exchange my old drippy notes for the crispy Jubllee notes. At the exchange rate of one to one it was a steal. I was so glad to receive the new notes and the two folders that the teller apologetically told me dad a printing error in the name of the President. In the folder it was spelt Yusok Ishak instead of Yusof Ishak. I put on a frown to show my displeasure for receiving the folders with typo errors and then asked the teller if I could exchange it for a new corrected copy. The teller replied that it would take some time but as an interim measure they would be issuing stickers to stick over the error and I could go back to collect them when ready. Quite a clever idea, paste over the error and no one will known.

I pretended to be very disappointed and would come back for the stickers.  Quietly I was telling myself how lucky that I could still get the copies with errors in them. For collectors, such errors are not easy to come by and the value of the folders, not the notes, will fetch a much higher price. And this error is not just a once in 50 year error. It may not happen again with this experience. Next time they would get a computer to double check to make sure there would be no human errors in any issue.

For the collectors, they must thank the MAS for this little miracle to enhance the value of the collection. It is a kind of gift to all Singaporeans, the folders would appreciate in value much more than the notes. Come to think of it this could be a kind of Jubilee present for the people, an intended error.

In the kopitiam I was sitting next to a group of regulars all getting so excited about the Jubilee notes. Everyone was so happy with this windfall.  ‘Mo tin tin fat tat’. More votes for the govt for their ingenuity. Thank you, thank you, they echoed.

Then another regular came running and planted himself on an empty seat, panting and looking all excited. ‘I got the stickers, I got the stickers’, he exclaimed. ‘Oh good, show us, we are dying to see the stickers.’

‘Wait, wait, there is a new sticker for the picture of the President.’

‘What?’ Everyone was taken aback.

“Let me explain. They discovered the picture of the President was wrong. 50 years ago, the President was younger and no moustache. So now they printed new photos of a young President to stick over the old ones, no moustache.’

Wow, this is really ‘bee tang’. Everyone jumped up and started to clap. ‘Huat ah, huat ah.’  Now the notes would surge in value many more times than the covers.

I congratulate myself for queuing for 3 days for the notes. Now I am looking at a small fortune.  5 sets of notes, all got wrong photos of the President.  Thank you, thank you.

PS. Hope the dumb asses don’t accuse me of spreading rumours. I must state in advance here that this is only a joke, not true ok. Can take joke or not?

I worried for the PAP ministers

I am sure all of you have heard what they were saying. Were they coherent? I would not want to be rude to say that they sounded gila or in medical terms more like bi polar. I can’t believe that they are normal for the things they said were simply delusional, and they are the best talents of the country worthy to be paid in the millions, fit to run the country for the next 50 years. My only conclusion is that their drinks must have been spiked.

In the last couple of days you have heard Chok Tong’s famous quip about ‘chasing after meat’ thrown by the opposition parties. The people were furious. We are not animals or dogs. And Vivian’s wisdom quote that people who are working but not asking for incentives are either very wealthy or corrupt. Why would he make such a sweeping statement that could offend so many good people who really do community services out of goodness, not for incentives or money, and definitely not corrupt. And all the not wealthy people working for free must be corrupt or what? Maybe he has never met anyone in his life working for free, to serve the community without being corrupt.

Tharman said his half past six team in Aljunied GRC stands a fighting chance against the heavy weights of the WP. When a PM potential minister like George Yeo plus a minister plus a minister to be, plus a Parliamentary Secretary were not good enough, this team of minnows got a fighting chance? He really believed Singaporeans are so daft?

There were many other funny quotes even from the PM and DPMs that bordered on disbeliefs. But nothing beats Chok Tong’s call for the people to give the PAP a bigger mandate, to do what?

To bring in more foreigners to replace local PMETs?

To sign more CECAs?

To control what the people can read, see or say?

To keep the people’s CPF money longer, forever?

To force the people to buy Medical insurance until they are 110 years old?

To continue to give billions to foreign students in scholarships?

To buy affordable public housing and pay for 30 years at half a million or more?

To pay the ministers millions and the people living from hand to mouth?

To get beaten or bullied, discriminated or replaced by foreigners?

To bring fear back?

To pay millions to the elite?

To increase population to 6.9m, 10m or more?

Does Chok Tong and Hsien Loong really believe that the people are so daft and would vote the PAP to be the govt with a bigger mandate to continue doing the above?

What have they been eating and drinking? I am really worried for them. Or are they suffering from Bi polar Syndrome? They don’t seem to be their normal self and talking incoherently to themselves?

What do you think? Would you give PAP a stronger mandate?

PS. They have ascended to Maslow's 5th Level of Needs. They have surpassed the 4th Level of Self Actualisation. The 5th Level is Self Delusion.

When PAP in minority position

Parliament has been the playground of the PAP for five decades. In Parliament, the PAP rules with absolute majority and the opposition could hardly be seen, heard or noticed. The PAP dominated all debates and any opposition that tried to make a stand would end up as a victim of jeering and sneering and dismissive laughter. The unfortunate ones would either be thumped down or suffered the glare of cold steely stare.

It is a very frightening experience for the opposition candidates in Parliament if they are emotionally unprepared for the ordeal. The sheer majority or the volume of sneering laughter would be enough to cower them into submission. Would the PAP ever be in a position of minority and how would they react?

The NUSS Political Dialogue gave a glimpse of what it would be like to be in the minority for a PAP MP. Sim Ann was the sole representative in a panel with 9 opposition leaders and a clever and mischievous moderator that was friendly to the PAP side but not without needling at the PAP. Actually it was all done with good humour without being offensive and dismissive like in Parliament. The moderator, Viswa, an ex NMP, knew how it felt.  Ooooohh…  He had first hand experience of the most menacing kind. Kishore said Viswa was slapped by the dictator.

With the nine opposition leaders taking their stand against the PAP, and with an audience that acted like the backbenchers of the majority in Parliament, laughing, jeering and sneering, Sim Ann must be feeling how it was like in Parliament for the opposition MPs. It was one against not only 9 opposition leaders but also the gallery. The PAP’s voice was a lonely voice in the crowd and often not well received. At one stage a group broke into loud laughter in the midst of Sim Ann’s commentary that disrupted her composure. ‘What was that, did I make a joke?’ or something like that was her response.

What would it be like if the current situation in Parliament is reversed after the next GE? It could be comical when the cold glare would come from the new ruling govt, accompanied by jeets and sneers. Low Thia Khiang and Sylvia Lim should start to practice this art of killing by staring in Parliament. Jee Say should also learn this trick.

What is Vivian Balakrishnan talking?

Dr Vivian said there are only two kinds of people who would work without incentives – those who are wealthy, and those who are corrupt.

“Don’t be seduced,” he was quoted by the TODAY newspaper as having said. “The danger with elections is it’s an auction. Everybody would promise you the moon. Everybody would say they don’t need pay on the assumption either they don’t need to deliver, or things will go wrong.”

I quoted the above from an article in TOC. Vivian was replying to a question on the $16,000 MP allowance and multimillion dollar minister’s pay.  Two kinds of people would work without incentive, the wealthy or the corrupt. KNN, does it mean that when one is not wealthy one is likely to be corrupt? Oh, he is talking about politicians. So lucky, I thought I will be in the bandwagon of the corrupt since I am not wealthy. So people no need to get angry. He is talking about politicians only. Oops, politicians may want to get angry.

Now who are the politicians that are promising the people the moon? If there are, please don’t trust them. They are like the snake oil sellers. Watch out people, listen to the politicians especially those promising you the moon. Don’t trust them. This is Vivian’s advice.

And this is new. Got politician say they don’t need pay meh? Who, which politician is saying he or she does not need pay?  Lily Neo? I think she doesn’t need pay. Heard that she gave away her MP allowance to the people. So what does it mean? Is she saying she does not need pay?

But I like the assumption part, either they don’t need to deliver or things will go wrong. I will like to promise the people things will be well in 50 years time. Vote for me and see the result in 50 years. Ssssshhh, in 50 years time I will not be around. Heheh, like no need to deliver leh, tiok boh?  Or is it that in 50 year’s time many things that I promised would not happen but I still got paid in the millions? I may promise good things in 50 years time, but not for free hor. I would not say I don’t need pay because I don’t need to deliver in 50 years time. I want my millions now. 50 years time, who cares, I also dunno where I would be.

Oh, if I am paid in the millions, I don’t need anymore incentives. Dunno about you.

Now what was Vivian trying to say? Got corrupt politicians? For the rich and wealthy, safe, would not be corrupt. For the poor ones, very likely, especially when they promised you the more and say no need to be paid. But if they asked to be paid in the millions, also very safe, would not be corrupt.

When our super talent and super wise statesmen dispense their words of wisdom, you must copy it down for your own good. You will get a bit wiser.

GE2015 – Latest surprise!!! 3 Champions in the Reform AMK team

Just heard that Reform Party has confirmed 3 candidates for Ang Mo Kio GRC. They include Roy Ngerng, M Ravi and Gilbert Goh. The names of the other 3 candidates to make up for the 6 member GRC have yet to be announced.

Who are these 3 gladiators in the dragon lair?

Roy Ngerng is the famous champion of CPF money. And for digging too much detail on the flow of the CPF money, he strayed into some sensitive areas and was sued by Hsien Loong for libel. Roy went to the public for financial support and within days nearly $200k was raised from total strangers to pay for his defence.

M Ravi was a human rights lawyer and had fought many high profile cases like the appeal to spare the life of a drug addict, the controversial by election in Punggol East and many other cases that other lawyers shunned. For his high profile work, Ravi had been dragged to court and also had tussles with the Law Society, got his name struck off from his law practice under charges of suffering from bipolar sickness.

The third champion is Gilbert Goh, the owner of Transitioning Org for fighting for the cause of PMETs losing their jobs to foreigners. Singaporeans who lost their jobs or could not find reemployment would go to Gilbert to seek advice and counselling.

It is a strange coincidence to have 3 champions of social issues to come together to contest in Hsien Loong’s GRC. They call this a confluence of events. Now everyone would be eager to know who would be the other 3 candidates to partner the 3 champions in a battle royale in Ang Mo Kio.

Would the 3 champions be able to slay the dragon in the dragon lair? Would Leong Sze Hian and Kenneth Jeyaratnam be in the team? That would be a something to watch.

PS. I did a quick calculation with my abacus. The possible votes going to this team, just on the merits of the 3 champions: 30% of CPF members will support Roy. Ravi will get 10% support from the human rights group and another 20 % from all his relatives in Ang Mo Kio. Gilbert will get 20% from all the PMETs and their families and relatives and friends. After flipping the abacus counters, these added together will be about 25% of the votes in Ang Mo Kio. And add this to the 30% hard core anti PAP voters, wow, 55% in favour of the Reform Party team. What about swing voters?

PS. The other members of the Reform team announced last night are entrepreneur Osman Sualaiman, former banker Jesse Loo and ex NTUC club media producer Siva Chandran.







    

Nicole Seah – I am back

The darling of Marine Parade, Nicole Seah, is back from Thailand to help out in the GE. It is a pleasant surprise for everyone who loves this girl with a heart. Her presence and her positive comments on WP’s candidate He Ting Ru  have already caused a stir and are very encouraging signs that she could be in the WP’s team. Nicole was quick to dismiss the suggestion that she could be a WP candidate citing WP’s stringent criteria on not parachuting superheroes in an election. She also said she would not be running in the GE.

I hope the WP would not be so regimental and to rule out completely the opportunity to put up this hot favourite of the last GE in Marine Parade. Nicole singlehandedly lifted up the NSP team of minnows to give Chok Tong a fright of his life. And surprise of all surprises, Chok Tong would never thought of a return of Nicole Seah and to give Nicole a second chance to take him down in Marine Parade.

The popularity and draw factor of Nicole cannot be underestimated and Low Thia Khiang must be thinking seriously to use this trump card if he wants to win Marine Parade and Nicole is crucial to the WP team contesting there.

The Nicole factor may be the deciding factor in Marine Parade and I believe the voters of Marine Parade would warm up to her and show their support for this girl with a heart of gold. There is a new buzz and a new optimism in Marine Parade and the WP camp.

There you go girl. I really hope Low Thia Khiang would make a rare exception in this case. This is the eastern wind he must be waiting for. With He Ting Ru and Nicole Seah in the bag, WP is getting to look very exciting.

Vote for candidates with good credentials

This seems to be on the minds of many thinking Singaporeans. They want good candidates to serve them in Parliament, no matter which party. How to fault such thinking?  So many candidates, including those of the opposition will be credibility tested, maybe even mentally tested if they could run a town council as a prerequisite to run a govt. This type of things only happen in Uniquely Singapore. Running a town council means can run a country. George Bush ran a football club and was good enough to be Presidente USA. Ronald Reagan was an actor.

Apologies, I got carried away. Where was I? Oh, good candidates. What is a good candidate? A medical degree, a lawyer, a general or a police commissioner or a civil servant or a corporate executive or someone early million dollar salary? Where is the relevance, where is the skill set? Would an animal lover make a good politician to run a govt?

What if a team has all the right qualifications, the good looks, the desired qualities that would make them good enough to run a govt? Ok right?

What if they come from a party with a manifesto that is bad for the country or people? What if, hypothetically, the party boss is a mafia boss or a loan shark or a drug lord incognito, would the credentials and qualifications of the individual candidates be important?

What should the voters be looking for? Should they not also be looking at what the party stands for, what kind of leadership is behind the party and then the individual candidate’s character and qualifications?

A good candidate, a highly qualified candidate, is not the only thing that the voters be looking for. Look at the whole picture before deciding. Do not vote for an angel hired by the devil to show that he has a team of angels when the devil is calling the shot.

The voters must be savvy and street wise, to know what they really want. A very good example is the by election of Punggol  East or for that matter Aljunied GRC. In both instances, there is a bigger objective to determine who they should vote for.

What is the bigger objective in this GE? It is not individual candidates, it is not about municipal matters or about town councils. It is about Singapore and Singaporeans and their well beings. It is not about a 50 year dream and a promise of mansions in the sky. It is about the real things, about the livelihood of the people, now when they are living and trying to survive and make a good life for themselves and their families.

Who cares about 50 years time when one is struggling to live today and putting food on the table tomorrow?  Look at the whole picture and understand what this GE is all about. The voters of Punggol, Hougang and Aljunied GRC were very clear on what they want. 

Do you know what you want and what would you be voting for? A highly qualified candidate with a strong heart? Or a candidate with a good heart in the right place?