Entrepreneurship is not just for the young

Jonathan Chee wrote an article published in the Today Online calling on the govt to think of giving the seniors a helping hand as well in funding for entrepreneurship. The govt’s  scheme is mainly targeted at the younger set for good reasons. The young have so many more years to go, why help the ‘ah pehs’ and the ‘ah mahs’ who should be looking after their grandchildren or sailing into the sunset in their golden years, or pushing carts for exercise?

Here is a bit of Johnathan’s article published on 14 Apr.

‘Entrepreneurship is for all, regardless of age (“S’pore to create space for ‘winners’ to emerge: Heng Swee Keat”; April 8, online).

“Colonel” Sanders founded Kentucky Fried Chicken in his 60s, and Mr Ray Kroc established McDonald’s when he was 52. If Singapore focuses only on the youth, then we would lose the opportunity to have senior entrepreneurs like them….

The Government can give a hand to these experienced Singaporeans by allowing them to borrow from their CPF for their ventures, or lend them working capital based on their CPF balance….’

Though Jonathan’s call is valid as many oldies would like a chance to have another go at the challenge of going into a project or venture of their own, be their own boss for once, not the driving taxi type of boss, there is a catch. Once the CPF is mentioned…this is a very sensitive subject. Don’t ever dream of touching it. There is nothing much left after Medishield Life and Medisave Life and the Minimum Sums.

If the seniors were to allow to use their CPF savings and failed again, there is no turning back.  But another point, where got money left with everything locked up, all top priority items, spent already or designated and set aside, cannot touch. The CPF owners like Jonathan will have the last right to decide what they can do with their savings. The govt has the first right to decide what they want to do with the people’s CPF life savings and how much it wants to ‘tangkap’ for the good of the people.

Like they said, Jonathan would have to ‘tan ku ku’, if he knows what the govt’s plan on his CPF. That is real entrepreneurship. Making millions pay for something with no right to say no and no effort, no special skills or technology, no rent to pay.  And don’t ever think of touching the CPF minimum sum. Not your money anymore.

News coverage on Bukit Batok by election

So far, the coverage for both Chee Soon Juan and Murali has been quite balance. If one wants to nitpick, then one may complain that the photos of Murali are usually a bit bigger or Murali would be placed on top or in a more strategic position in the paper. Other than such fine details, this is the best that can be in terms of news coverage to date.

In the Today paper on 18 Apr, let me make a couple of observations. Chee Soon Juan is likely to lose out on the goodies that he could offer. All Chee could do was to promise that he would do this or that. Murali just rolled out the goodies cart packed with groceries for the people. This time he is even more innovative by giving equivalents of vouchers for the residents to choose what they want. This guy is so rich and generous. Chee cannot compete on this for sure.  Wait for Murali to push out his abalone porridge or XO roti prata cart and Chee would be left standing, high and dry.

Chee Soon Juan has an edge in having his wife accompanying him in every walkabout. He must have sensed that the people in Bukit Batok would want some kind of assurance that he is a happily married man and his wife is always around him to make sure all is fine. Under the present circumstances, this must be an advantage Chee is using to put the Bukit Batok voters at ease.

It would be nice if Chee could even the odds, find the money to throw some goodies, more groceries to the people. Where to find the money? So the richer man will still have an advantage in this, to show he cares, We Care, by giving. Chee must have a good chat with Murali to get some tips on where to find the money to give to the needy residents and say We Care also.

Sugar Tax – More happy solutions to Singapore’s problem

MP Chia Shi Lu is asking the govt to consider imposing sugar tax on food with high sugar content to fight against diabetes, heart disease, stroke and certain type of cancers. Sugar is a main cause to the rise in obesity. Imposed a sugar tax is a very good solution. All food and beverage with a sugar content shall be subject to a sugar tax to cut down on sugar consumption.

And do not stop at just sugar, fat is also dangerous. A fat tax should also be considered. But Chia Shi Lu also expresses concern that ‘such taxes may raise prices and disproportionately affect lower income Singaporeans who spend more on cheaper processed foods.  See, poor people cannot afford organic food or better quality food that are low on sugar, fat and low cholesterol and whatever to be healthy food. So how? Can give them more subsidies or not?

Some say eat rice also can get cancer because all those cancer patients also eat rice. So can consider a rice tax as well? And this is a timely reason to raise more taxes on wine and alcohol, all got sugar content, ice cream, cakes, sweets etc etc.

To protect the health of the people, more taxes must be imposed to reduce their intake of food.

Rogue President and freak election

We had a freak election in 2015. Yes , it was a freak election. Of course what is a freak election is a matter of opinion. Today some people are very busy worrying about this thing called rogue president. Again, what is a rogue president is also a matter of opinion. Why waste so much expensive manpower, time and resources on a peeved thing called a ‘rogue’ president? The Workers Party rightly refused to participate in this farce. Yes, to me it is a farce. Some may disagree and think or regard it as a very serious affair, a life and death thing involving an island state called Singapore. When one sees a bull, it is a bull.

Let’s get back to the first principle, what is this farce all about? It all started because someone said in case there is a freak election, in case the people voted in a new govt and the new govt is made up of crooks whose only interest is to run down the country and spend all the money in the reserves, and run the country to the ground. Are these valid and real reasons? Reasonable, sensible?

When these fears were first mooted, no one raise the any question. Or no one dared to raise any question. Fear was omnipresence then. Now that fear is dead, shall the people take some time to question what all these fears were about?

In the first place, what is a freak election, according to who is an election a freak election? Oh, is it because the people voted a new group of people, a new party to form the govt. Is that freakish? Or is that just a normal process of a democracy when the people so decided to choose another party to form the govt because they have given up hope on the incumbent govt as has been?

There are 2 million people out there, all very well educated. Are the voters stupid, mad or being drugged, or being bribed and so foolish to vote in unison, a new party to form the govt made up of rogues and cheats? And why should the political leaders in the newly elected govt be rogues, thugs, robbers, cheats, out to destroy the country and rob its reserves? Is this a reasonable assumption or a foolish assumption?

Is it right to say that only good, honest, clever and responsible politicians are found in the ruling party and the rest are all bad people? Children, I am speaking to you. Do you understand what I am saying? Have you grown up and know what is right and wrong, what is good for you and what is bad for you, what is reasonable and what is freakish?

Are these assumptions sound and real? Or are they just wild imaginations to frighten the voters, to create irrational fear? All democratic countries went through the electoral processes to elect new govts. This is what a democratic process is all about, a change of govt is the norm.

Is there a need for an Elected President to check on a popularly elected govt? How effective is such an Elected President to check on a ‘rogue’ govt? A one man machine against a parliament of political leaders?

And after creating an Elected President to check on a ‘rogue’ elected govt, now another new fear is raised. What happened if the Elected President to check on a ‘rogue’ govt becomes a ‘rogue’ President? So now we need to devise another funny scheme to double check to make sure the Elected President will not become a ‘rogue’ president?

Do we then need to triple check on whatever rules and regulations and criteria so that these would not become ‘rogue’ system of checks and checks?

What the fish? What is going on? A popularly elected govt to be checked by a single man called Elected President, and now to check on this Elected President that is supposed to check on the elected govt?

Does it make sense? Does it make any sense at all? So far, the only thing that makes sense is what the WP has suggested, there is no need for this Elected President. No need to waste public money and resources, in the hundreds of millions for something that needs to be checked and checked and checked.

What do you think?

The moral of the story…. I need a safe. But the safe is not safe enough. So I buy a bigger safe to put the safe inside. But I don’t trust the bigger safe. So I buy a biggerer safe to put the bigger safe with the smaller safe inside into this biggerer safe. If I don’t feel good about this biggerer safe, I may want to build a fortress around it.  And so the story goes.

Tuition - Top tutors earning HK$2m a month!

Just heard this over the news that a top tutor in Hongkong could earn up to HK$2m a month. Now that is a cool S$400k! These tutors must be really good and doing a very good service to the students needing their services.  It must be money worth spent or the tutors would fold up in days or weeks, if they could not deliver.

I am sure tutors in Singapore are also doing pretty well tutoring our students, for all levels. Tuition is also not only an industry but a must as part of our education system. Many weak students could do with the help of a good tutor to get that elusive A that is a must to move on.

Though the tutors here are not earning the kind of money like their Hongkong counterparts, many are doing it full time and the rewards are quite good or exceedingly good to some good tutors. For those students that could afford the fees, well and good, nothing to complain about. There must be many that would like the assistance of a tutor to give them that little lift they needed so badly if only they could afford it.

I am thinking of launching a mail service to review and comment essays for O and A level students, for a little fee of course, for Singaporeans and foreign students. I could even do it for free for Singaporeans if needed. Students interested can email me their essays and I will do the necessary. I am putting this up on a trial basis.

I have edited a few essays before and found that generally the students here are able to write a decent piece, but with a little help and pointers here and there, it would make the difference between an A or a B grade.

Those interested can start sending their essays to me with immediate effect. I am not doing this to make millions. Just to give a little assistance where needed, to those that can do with a little help. My email, redbeansg@yahoo.com.

Redbean.

Putin is the man

WASHINGTON, DC: A US Air Force reconnaissance plane was intercepted by a Russian SU-27 jet in an “unsafe and unprofessional manner” while flying a routine route in international airspace over the Baltic Sea, the Pentagon said Saturday. –Channel News Asia

This piece of news came only a week after two similar Russia aircraft swoop down on an American destroyer, Donald Cook, in the Baltic Sea. American aircraft flying all over the world on reconnaissance or ‘freedom of navigation’ shit are all unfriendly activities that must be stopped. Conducting war games to simulate attacking a country in the country’s backyard are acts of provocations. The Americans would not allow other countries to do the same but insisting on doing it to others, as the Empire of the day and they can do anything to provokc other countries and get away with it.

It is good that there is now a Putin to put his fist in the face of the rude and belligerent American gangsters. What the Americans can do, others can do likewise. The American gangsters must not be allowed to traverse and violate the airspace and seas of any country. They are not the policemen of the world. They are gangsters.

China should do the same to the American aircraft and naval ships in the South China Sea. But before doing so, China must arm the islands and aim its DF26 missiles at the American carriers in the region. China by now would have dedicated units tracking and aiming their anti ship missiles at every American carriers, each carrier targeted with 100 DF26s to be rained at the carrier at the first sign of war.

The carriers will be sitting duck in the face of a stream of 100 DF26s coming after them. The only option will be abandon ship.

China must coordinate with the Russians and North Koreans and other allies to stand up to the international gangsters in all corners of the globe. Not to worry, God is on the side of the peaceful nations. The recent earthquakes in Japan is God’s warning to the unrepentant butchers of WW2 that are now arming themselves to the teeth and wanting to engage in wars all over again. And Japan is now the new trouble maker, instigating Asean countries to go to war with their backing and scheming with the Americans to go to war with China and North Korea.

There is an American preacher saying God has revealed Himself to him and God’s message to the Americans is to repent. Repent before it is too late. God is angry with the Americans, the war mongers of the 21^st Century. If there is a WW3, it would be started by the Americans with the help of the Japanese. And many silly Asean countries living in peace today are very happy to go to war and bring destruction to their country and people.

God is watching from a distance. Putin and his Russia will be blessed for standing up to the Dark Side. May the force be with him.

PA is not partisan – Chan Chun Sing

The PA is a statutory board….The PA does not allow any political activity or any canvassing on our premises or in our activities. And we certainly do not mobilize anyone for any political party….If Ms Lim has any evidence of such wrongdoing. You can let me know and I guarantee you I will follow up. I will be the last person to ever allow the PA to be politicized.’  Chan Chun Sing

Chan Chun Sing made this comment in Parliament in reply to Sylvia Lim’s question that the PA is being politicized. And it is expected that he would come under scrutiny and attacks in the social media for saying such a darn truth. Many are questioning him that what he said was blatant lie, actually no one dares to call it a lie, something like they did not believe him. I would only want to caution those who said they did not believe what he said to be a bit careful here. If you said you don’t believe what a person said, you are indirectly calling the person a liar. And one can be sued in court for defamation to a minister. There is already a legal precedent set in the past in Singapore courts.

What Chan Chun Sing said is correct. If you have any evidence, bring it up to him or challenge him in court. And as to his statement in Parliament that the PA is non partisan, it is a truth that is unchallengeable. He would not have said it if it is false. For any minister to say this with his eyes wide open, with a straight face, and in Parliament, to be officially recorded, shows the kind of conviction and his strong belief that he was telling the truth and he stood by what he said. He even guaranteed to check it out if anyone has evidence to prove otherwise.

For saying this in broad daylight, it shows that he is really PM material. I don’t think any other minister would have the guts to say such a darn truth and put himself to be attacked or to be ridiculed. Some in social media are still doubting Chan Chun Sing’s suitability to be the next PM. He has proven that he is a cut above the average ministers with this clear statement of truth. Anyone dares to challenge him in court that he is not telling the truth, that he is a liar?

We are witnessing first hand the rise of our next PM. Here is a man of conviction, a man that would not mince his words to tell the darn truth and to challenge anyone to prove him wrong. That is the quality to be expected of a PM in waiting.

Singaporeans should prepare to welcome him and cheer for him as the next PM of Singapore. I bet no one would dare to challenge him and prove him wrong. This is not like the TV programme of kids saying the darnest things. This is a PM potential telling a political truth. And he meant it. This is quality stuff. You see this happening only once in 50 years.

PS. For praising Chan Chun Sing so boldly I am expecting daft sinkies to start throwing stones at me.

Interviewing a political candidate

The setting was in a posh hotel. It was done to impress the candidates that this is the right place to be, to be in the right company and everything is fine, first class stuff. All the riches money can buy. The décor and ambience were like those gold bullions and diamond bucket shops, a façade done to impress the impressionable, with superficial finesses.

The candidates must be awed by the opulence of such an interview setting. It is like walking into the temple of god, and in the company of gods. And the godlike interviewers will field their cleverly crafted questions to assess the candidates, at the same time to impress them that the interviewers are the super talents and assessing the super talents wannabes. The unspoken ethos, you need to get pass them to be seen as good enough to be a super talent. They will assess the candidate’s potential and aspiration.

In the course of a few days of interviews, the candidates tried their very best to be the one to be selected and they will muster the most ingenious ways, at times queer, but always different, to impress the godlike interviewers. Some will bring themselves so low, to prove humility, that they are in politics to serve the people, anything but for personal glory and money. They don’t mind becoming social workers, very highly paid social workers, to look after the oldies and the poor, the special needs children, a very noble sense of wanting to give to the downtrodden, to care for them. Some would go down one level further by confessing their greatest love for animals, the non sentient beans. They rather care for animals than the already blessed human beans.

The smarter ones will try to game the system. They did their homework and know what the interviewers were looking for. So they showed off their management skills and said they want to manage town councils. They know that the skill to run town council is a mandatory skill to run a country. Anyone that is incapable of running a town council means no good to run a country. Instant failure. They would not mind being paid $16,000 pm or more with the perks, to brag how well they can sweep floors and make sure public toilets are clean, and the roads have no pot holes.

The not so bright ones, who thought they are brighter, would tell the interviewers their aspirations to be great politicians, great leaders and even want to chase the rainbows, and be prime ministers or ministers. They want to live with the true spirit of meritocracy and being high achievers.

The interview is a very serious process to pick out the deserving candidates to be politicians, to be paid in the millions, at least $16,000 a month to start with, and only part time. Many candidates were picked and shortlisted, and after the interviews, many more days and nights would be spent sorting out the real and good stuff from the pretenders.

Finally, after a long wait, the list will be announced. Those aspiring to be road sweepers, to manage town councils are chosen. Those wanting to be highly expensive social workers or animal lovers were also desirable candidates, the type of people to become political leaders and to look after the welfare of animals in the islands, like stray dogs and cats. Those that want to be great leaders, to run the country, to be ministers and prime ministers, were unfortunately not chosen. Who needs such ambitious brats? There are enough godlike talents and the pyramid at the top is very narrow. No room for smart alecs and bright and ambitious politicians.

The interviewers studied their needs very carefully and picked the right people to fill in the slots from the best candidates available. They need town council managers, not political leaders, they need people who have a big heart for the down trodden, for the poor animals. They need people to sweep the floors and clean toilets. There is no need for real leaders, leaders that can solve national issues. They already have plenty of them in the stables. What, glorified and over paid social workers and animal lovers? Are they being paid too much for what they are doing? Not really, unless you want to employ foreign workers to do these jobs.

My inspiration for the above story comes from the Animal Farm. It is 100% fictional and would be good for another 100 years as a political piece of crap.

A Tribute to a Malay Intellectual – Said Zahari

‘Another unsung hero from our anti-colonial struggle in the 1950s and early 1960s has left us. Unlike the victors of history, Said Zahari, age 88, went quietly as he had done for the most part of his life, be it when he was fighting against the British for Singapore’s independence or when he sat in prison for 17 years under Lee Kuan Yew’s rule.

His calm demeanour belied a spirit of steel that saw him bear the cruelty of long imprisonment without trial and yet not for a moment compromising on his principles to seek release from incarceration.

Pak Said had publicly called Lee Kuan Yew “a political coward”. He had said only a coward would resort to jailing his opponents instead of taking them in a political contestation of ideas and letting the best man win…’   By Dr Wong Souk Yee

Wong Souk Yee wrote a tribute on Said Zahari posted in the TRE. Said was among the Malay intellectuals of the era when PAP was fighting tooth and nail with the Barisan Socialis, the left leaning political party then. Said was in the same company as those arrested during Operation Cold Store and served the second longest detention of 17 years after Chia Thye Poh, strongly committed to his cause and like Chia Thye Poh, would not denounce his belief throughout his detention.

Said was tri lingual, fluent in Malay, English and Mandarin, an asset most feared in the political arena. He was also the editor of Utusan Melayu.

One by one this first generation of political leaders will fade to oblivion only to live forever in the history books of Malaysia and Singapore.

China’s peaceful rise

Jean Pierre Lehmann, emeritus professor of international political economy at IMD, Lausanne, wrote an article on the above in the ST on 9 Apr.  His story centres on the rise of international powers starting with the Portugal, Spain , the Netherlands, Britain, France, US, Japan and The USSR.  He traced the history of these powers and the use of violence and wars as an intrinsic part of their ascents. War and violence as parts of conquest and world domination were inevitable before a new power took the pole position.

And now comes China. Would China’s rise as a super power be peaceful, be an aberration and not in the mold of the western powers, predated by wars and violence?  The western narrative has constantly harped on a belligerent and expansive China that would swing its big clubs at everyone on its way up, like the western powers. China would be like one of them, no exception. So beware, China is coming.

China today is the Number Two super power after the US. In a way, China has risen, peacefully, without the need for wars and conquest. This alone would have been enough proof that a super power can rise without resorting to violence. China is what it is today, without the need for conquest but by trade and commerce.  Is this enough to assuage the western thinkers and media to accept China as a risen power, peacefully?

The other notion, China is not there yet. It has to overtake the USA and this last step would force the issue and a war with the Americans. And in Lehmann’s view China has the right to engage in wars. It was the victim of aggression when major powers came to being. China should follow the same pattern in the rise of a super power, through war and conquest, to challenge and defeat the incumbent super power, the USA.

However, according to Lehmann, ‘if China succeeds in achieving a peaceful rise to great power status – that is, dispensing with war, pillage, slavery, conquest and exploitation – it will be the first rising great power to have done so.’ This could be a welcoming outcome if China is left alone to continue in what it is doing for the last 30 plus years. Unfortunately this may not be the case. The Americans are in the way of the peaceful rise of China with its confrontational approach towards China, the pivot to Asia, building anti China trade and military alliances, escalating and precipitating armed conflict, particularly in the Korean Peninsula and the South China Sea.  Today it is reported that the Americans would be conducting sea and air patrol in the South China Sea, not freedom of navigation, as if the South China Sea belongs to the American Empire. Here it is not China challenging the Americans to a show of force. It is the Americans that are standing up to China, confronting China and putting up obstacles to contain China’s rise.

Though the American patrol is only a token show of force, it is a bad precedent. China could ignore this little insect, but in principle it is bad. What the Americans are doing, violating other country’s sovereignty and economic zones, China could do the same. China could announce conducting air and naval patrol in American economic zones as well. Both sides can play the game of bully. The American’s blatant flexing of military muscle to exert control of the South China Sea and in the Korean region should not be ignored by the world community.

In Lehmann’s view, the world must work with China to achieve this historical aberration, that a super power can rise to the pole position without having to go the disastrous and destructive road of war.  China’s march towards the Number One super power status, to eclipse the Americans through economic means, economic development could be a possibility and only a matter of when. It is in the interest of the rest of the world that they work with China for a peaceful rise instead of following a confronational course set by the Americans.

China has risen and will continue to rise peacefully as an economic and military super power. The main protagonist against such an eventuality is the intent of the Americans and its bellicose policies towards China. China is no western nation, has its own culture and values, and is not seeking conquest and colonization. It is a super power more in the economic sense and would grow to be a bigger economic power, without having to control and colonise any country like the western powers did.

China is not seeking war, and war is unnecessary in the Chinese model to be the greatest power on earth. The world can and must work with China for this to happen, peacefully. The world must not allow the Americans to force an issue with China leading to a conflict of epic proportion and destruction. The Americans too knew that a war with China is inconceiveable. China knows that too and is trying to avoid a collision course with the Americans.

If good sense prevails, the peaceful rise of China will be a welcome aberration in the history of humankind.

Free parking is a subsidy, what about free air?

Minister of National Development Lawrence Wong today (April 11th) said that free parking in some car park spaces are not “free” and are in fact subsidies from the government.

“Free parking is not free, it’s a subsidy to the motorist, paid for by non-motorists.”

This is an example to prove that Singaporeans are daft. Only super talent can like that. It requires a very high level of intellect to reason why free parking is a subsidy.

What about free air? Is free air also a govt subsidy? What else that is free is govt subsidy? Sunlight? Haze free air?

What would opposition parties say?

 

Food for thought.

Singapore paying the price for decades of failed education policies

This verdict is controversial of course, depending on how one  measures success and failure of our education policy. If one measures it in our uniquely Singapore ways, like dignity is measured by how much one’s income, and education is measured by how many straight As, then we are very successful. We produced probably the most straight as in the world on a per capita basis. Even the new International Baccalaurette programme that was introduced recently, our students are acing the exams every year since it started. Students that used to score average grades would now get full scores possible.

Producing straight As and more straight As is a matter of moderation, a process that allows the examiner to move the scores of the students left or right of the median grade for whatever they set out to do. It is scientific or mathematical in a way, but whether the students deserves the As is subjective.

What is apparent today, after a few decades of producing straight As students is that the flaws are showing. We are getting a bunch of very brilliant parrot that could regurgitate everything perfectly. But when ask to think, they began scratching their heads, what is that? And in the industries, the lack of thinking talents, people who walked around on two legs and can think, is simply not there. And that is why so many foreigners from God knows where are here and touted as talents because, despite their dubious academic records, they could talk and think and run circus around our duds, the unthinking parrots.

Sure we have many very brilliant Singaporeans here and abroad. The really good and bright people would not be subdued and made stupid by a stupid education system. They would shine under any system or no system. But for the rest, the elite parrots and the masses, the inability to think, and the unique ability to receive and to be taught to repeat what they were told is getting to a very frightening stage, to a point when you tell them eating shit is good, drinking shit water is good, and they will eat and drink with gusto.

The daft Sinkies, not invented by me, I just regurgitate this phrase, like unthinking parrots do, oh, unthinking parrots never used this phrase in their vocabulary, will accept everything they are told to be good. I have recently wrote an article about the things the daft Sinkies were made to believe in. Some of the daft things that Singaporeans would swear to be good are: we are too small, not enough political talents, so cannot afford to have two political parties, when one opposition candidate is voted to become an MP the country will collapse, they dismissed the wisdom of not putting all their eggs in one basket, that power corrupts, and instead believe in one party is best for a democracy and nothing is better than ownself checks ownself.

The idiocy of the unthinking reaches a climax when I read this comment in the TRE.

‘Mr Lee Kuan Yew is not only founder father of spore, he also a war hero. Country everywhere always celebrate and remember war hero and their found father.’

This is a comment posted by someone calling himself True Blue Singaporean. The only consolation is that he is a fake, or at best a new citizen. And everyone reading his comment will know he is not even writing in Singlish. This guy even advised Singaporeans to read our history to verify his claim. With no due disrespect to LKY, I don’t think anyone in govt would dare to glorify him with this war hero title, not even in a state of drunken stupor.

The stupidity of Singaporeans is now legendary. Go ask those PMETs that are now driving taxis and working as temp workers, who replaced them and made them redundant and they would not have any clue. They would not want to know why someone from the 3^rd world with dubious academic qualifications and experience is more suitable and qualified to do his job. He simply accepts the fact and his fate, that he is no good even if he is the product of a world best education system. He is just not taught to think, to be smart, to be smarter than fakes and cheats, so getting cheated is only something deserving in his case.

Not to worry, daft would not make a scene and will disappear into the wilderness, quietly. Oh, he is trainable and very willing to be trained, to become a low skilled worker despite his experience and qualifications as PMETs. This must be a special asset of these daft Sinkies. In Singapore you can literary trained old dogs with new tricks. Just tell them to go for training, for what they don’t care, to be better or worse, they don’t mind. Tell them training is good, like put all the eggs in one basket is good, and they will nod their heads in agreement.

And they can’t even fall back on their life long savings in the CPF when they lost their job or when they retired. The money is kept by the govt for them, for their future well being. And they accept this fate as well.

I like Yaacob Ibrahim

Long long time ago, there was a city in SE Asia brimming with banks and financing institutions. Local brand names like Chung Khiaw Bank, Tat Lee Bank, Keppel Bank, OUB, Far Eastern Bank, Malayan Banking, Industrial and Commercial Banks, International Bank of Singapore, POSB, OCBC, UOB and DBS were common features of the banking landscape. Now only UOB, OCBC and DBS are left standing. The rest of the smaller banks were merged or absorbed by the three big banks.  Many foreign banks also started business here in a crowded financial industry.

In the past there were many big local names, heading the local banks, Ng Kee Choe, Elizabeth Sam, Theresa Foo, Wee Cho Yaw, the late Lien Ying Chow, late Lee Seng Wee,  Lee Hee Seng, Peter Seah, etc etc.  Today there is only one Singaporean left helming a local bank, and he is lucky that he is not replaced by foreigners. What happened to all our banking talents? No more, cannot find, all got no skill sets?

Who is responsible for this mess? This thing did not happen overnight. Someone is sleeping or deliberately let it happened. This is not only a national shame, it is undermining our talent pool in banking and finance. No one responsible for it? Cannot name anyone or else no one would want the multi million dollar job?

Now you know why I said I like Yaacob? He is rolling out a programme to train 1,200 IT professionals from 160 that they are producing. (Correct me if I get the numbers wrong). Yaacob wants to build a Singaporean core in IT. Never mind, don’t ask him why we were not training IT professionals and why he is cramping this training programme.  It is not his fault. No one knows whose fault, cannot mention one.

Good job Yaacob. Please train more Singaporeans quickly before the whole industry landed in foreigners’ hand and all our infocomm security put at risk, in the hands of foreigners. Quick, quick, not much time left. And no need to go to Parliament to kpkb why got no IT talents in Singapore, no banking and finance talents, not enough doctors, no Singaporean talents to be politicians, and not enough of local academics.

Just do it. Get the butts off the chair and start working.

White men speak with fork tongue in a straight face

John Kerry visited Hiroshima to place a wreath at the commemorative site where the atomic bomb landed 65 years ago. The two atomic bombs brought an end to the savages’ imperialistic dream of conquering the world and colonizing Asia. The Americans and the victims of Japanese invasion and savagery were and are still thinking that the bombing was justified. It is not easy to let an army of savages running wild, bombing, killing, looting, raping murdering the peoples of Asia. The Japanese deserved every bit of the two atomic bombs and the 200,000 death which was a small fraction of the millions they slaughtered during their invasion of Asia.

The atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was a just dessert for the Japanese for their cruelty and barbarity to their victims and brought an end to it abruptly for the good of Asia. What was mischievous about this Kerry visit to Hiroshima was the things that he uttered with a straight face. In an Agencies article in the Today paper on 12 Apr, it has this headline, ‘Kerry reaffirms US anti nuclear stance during Hiroshima visit’. And the article quoted him saying, the nuclear attack on Hiroshima and Nagasaki ‘was a reminder of the need to pursue a world free of nuclear weapons’. 

To the innocence, such a statement appears so noble. But when one knows that the Americans possessed the most nuclear warheads among all nations, more than 7000 of them, more ten times the nuclear warheads possessed by all the nuclear countries, what John Kerry said was either crap, white lie or pure stupidity. The USA was the first country that used a nuclear bomb on another country.  The USA was the only country that had on several occasions toying with the idea of nuking other countries. And the USA is the country that possessed enough nuclear weapons to wipe the human civilization off the face of the earth. And it is saying that it is anti nuclear weapons! But not to worry, many silly Asian countries will believe the Americans really meant what they said.

And the Americans are pushing very hard against Asian countries possessing nuclear weapons but not their allies and not themselves possessing more than 7000 warheads.  The American anti nuclear policy means that all countries that the Americans considered as their enemies cannot possess nuclear weapons. Only America and its allies can have nuclear weapons. Period.

White men speak with fork tongue? No? Why must the Americans built so many nuclear warheads and carry them around the world in bombers and nuclear submarines and in bases across the whole world if they are anti nuclear weapons?  Which country possessed the first nuclear weapon and refused to commit a no first use of nuclear weapon policy?

Oh, they are blaming the North Koreans for wanting to go nuclear! It is the fault of the North Koreans that the Americans must have more than 7000 nuclear warheads. It is confirmed, double confirmed. The Americans need 7000 nuclear warheads for peace. The Americans need to sign military alliances everywhere and build military bases all over the world for peace. What more does one need to believe the Americans to be stupid?

Be wary of nincompoops and sycophants

I remember this story of a turkey that was fed with bull shit and flew to the top of the tree. At that height and visibility, it became an easy target for the farmer who promptly shot it down.  The moral of the story is that those that climbed too high by bull shitting would be exposed to danger and would fall as quickly as they got up there.

In corporations or in politics, there will be a lot of nincompoops or sycophants who are very slippery in flattery to fan the ego of their bosses to get themselves into the good books. The intention could be just that, but sometimes the intention could be more serious, drugging the bosses to commit hara kiri without knowing it. Some bosses are just like the turkey and would be happy being fed with shit to be unnecessarily exposed, standing high on the tree top naked.

In a way the same story can be used to understand what Lee Wei Ling was trying to say and do. She is apprehensive that too much publicity given to LKY, already respected by many by the turn out at his funeral, could turn negative and ultimately make a mockery of LKY when sarcasm and doubts started to build up among the skeptics. LKY departed with great honours and the feeling was good in the minds of many. This goodwill should be left to stay in the minds of the people for as long as it could hold. To exaggerate it could end up being overdosed and trigger a bout of rejection.

Hsien Loong must be wary of the nincompoops and sycophants trying to curry favours by feeding him with the wrong message, that the people wanted more celebration of LKY, wanted to build more and bigger monuments, wanted to build temples, to elevate LKY to a deity to be worshipped.  Singapore is a first world country, not like those in the 3^rd world when hero worship and megalomania are acceptable, when political leaders could assume a god like image for the people to bow and pray and worship. Trying such behavioural tactics on a first world educated and sophisticated people would likely lead to unexpected and negative reception. We have gone pass the 3^rd world mentality. Or haven’t we?

Hsien Loong should appreciate the contrarian view of his sister, and kick the butts of the nincompoops and sycophants telling him the wrong things. What was fed to him could be expected, as they were the messengers of good news, telling the master what he wanted to hear.  What was not fed to him could be something exactly opposite. How is Hsien Loong going to hear the bad stuff if he is surrounded by people telling him only the good stuff?

It is good that the big celebration was preempted before it gone too far. In this case, my view is that Wei Ling had a better feel of the ground. The ground swell, the spontaneous  groundup adoration seen during the funeral were not there this time. Hope no one is telling Hsien Loong that people are crying and fainting at the anniversary commemoration.  In the developed world there is such a thing called quiet dignity.

Beware of the hidden agenda of those ‘friends’ that are waiting for the Ides of March. Beware of nincompoops and sycophants.

The appeals of Chee Soon Juan and the SDP

There are still many comments from the unthinking that Chee Soon Juan is a rash and mad politician. This message has been repeated and rammed into the heads of many innocent readers for the last twenty years and many are unable to shake this piece of shit off their minds. This fortunately is only true when the unthinking masses are concerned. It is a different matter to those who think, who question how a man could be so wronged, so badly tarnished for a small and questionable act when many had got away with murders and still walking around like angels.

The introduction of the new SDP town council team designated to run the Bukit Batok Town Council is a good case to watch. The people name are professionals and respected individuals and with lawyer like Peter Low, formerly the Law Society President, in the list, speak very well of the SDP and Chee Soon Juan. The professionals are not easily dragged to believe the taints thrown all over Chee Soon Juan. They are rallying to his side, to join his party and his cause, a statement of trust and faith.

These professionals are not only showing way, they are telling the people that they believe Chee Soon Juan is a good man, a man worthy of their support. They want him to be in Parliament. They are saying, do not believe the craps thrown at Chee Soon Juan. They are telling the people, the masses, to think and to believe in Chee Soon Juan and the SDP.

It is an endorsement of the man and his works. Would the people of Bukit Batok listen to the good voices of these good men, to shrug off the craps that they were made to believe in, that Chee Soon Juan is an unworthy man? How many people out there among the politicians are more worthy than Chee Soon Juan?

The Bukit Batok by election is a test of the maturity of the people of Bukit Batok, to think for themselves on what is good for the constituency and for the country. Do not let other people think for you or make you think what they want you to think or how to think. Think for yourself for goodness’ sake, and decide what is best for yourself and for Bukit Batok and for Singapore.

Violating the sanctity and security of the heartland

The govt encourages the people to sub let their HDB flats to earn extra income. Many have taken advantage of this new avenue to ease their financial burden and obligation, and that is good. One or two rooms can be sublet out and the retirees can live on this new source of income to live through their retirement years.

When one gets into detail, this sub letting policy could become a bane to the average Singaporean families. Our rapid progress and changes in our lifestyle have altered the characteristics of our society. We have new small nuclear families. The three generation or two generation families are no longer the norm. Singaporean families are either very young, the newly wed, or small new nuclear families of one or two kids, and the solitary or two retiree families. The number of people occupying a flat is relatively small, mostly 2 to 4 persons per unit regardless of flat size.

How would the subletting policy affect the life of the average HDB dwellers? Subletting of one or two rooms would normally add a couple of people into an unit of flat, unlikely to be more than 4. A small presence of a few strangers living in a floor of HDB flats would be quite comfortable for everyone. The problem comes when 6 or 8 or more move into a flat. Some owners are subletting their whole flat to foreign tenants, and depending on flat size, it is quite normal now to have more than 6 tenants in a HDB rental flats. Quite often it could be more than 10 as the tenants find it economical to share the cost of rentals. The more the merrier.

The modest HDB flats are homes to the Singaporeans. They returned after a hectic day at work to seek comfort, security and solace within their four walls. The sense of home, security, familiarity, belonging and a safe sanctuary have been taken for granted as part and parcel of HDB dwellers’ life.

How would a floor of 6 or 8 units of flats, occupied by retirees or young families feel when 6 to 10 burly foreign men moved in? How would the parents feel when they are all out at work and leaving only a few retirees and young children at home, with 6 to 8 foreigners living next door when they have no clue of who they are and what are their characters?  And what if the foreigners would make the common corridor as an extension of their flats since there are so many of them, and the young and old, and the women folks would now have to walk pass these foreign men, under the stare of their wandering glare?

There are personal safety concerns for the retirees, the women and the young children. There are also security concerns of their homes when the adults are out at work, often leaving behind empty flats, and the foreigners would know who would be at home and who would not be at home. Very likely 99% of the foreigners are decent and honest people and there is nothing to worry about. The problem comes with the 1%.

Have the HDB and the govt, the police, think through this social, safety and security problems of the Singaporean HDB dwellers when a big number of foreigners moved in to live side by side with them? It is no joke for the feeble retirees, young children and women to be straddling pass big burly foreigners in the sanctuary of their HDB homes daily. It is no joke for the parents with young children alone at homes and knowing the presence of many foreigners next door when the parents are not at home.

This violation of the HDB sanctuary, the homes of the average Singaporeans by the presence of big numbers of foreign men, construction workers or manual workers, is unacceptable and unwelcome for the well being of the HDB dwellers. When they are small in numbers, things are manageable. When the number is big, especially a large number of men in a unit, and with the neighbouring units often empty or left with young children, young daughters and wives and retirees, it is not only undesirable, but poses serious safety and security risks.

The Govt and the HDB must review this policy of having too many foreigners, especially men, in a unit of HDB flats. The sanctuary of the HDB as homes for the average Singaporeans must be protected and not violated by this subletting policy. There must be more control and restrictions on the number of foreigners allowed to live in a flat in the midst of Singaporean families, in the heartland.

Singaporeans must feel safe and at ease with their homes, their dependents at home, when they are out at work, and also to feel safe at home, in peace and without having to worry about so many foreigners next door and what if they have bad intentions.

This is not a terrorist issue but a very basic right of the people, to live and feel free and safe in the heartland.

China’s inexplicable policies in the South China Sea

China’s claim in the South China Sea using the 9 dashed lines is a natural progression from its strengthening economic and military power. After being cut into pieces like a water melon, with its land and islands seized by foreign powers, China is reasserting itself to regain control of what it had lost during the years of foreign invasion of China.

China is reclaiming and rebuilding the islands in the South China Sea and turning them into habitable islands with facilities for commerce and human industry.  Its fishing boats and coast guards are in the waters in the South China Sea. And it is being accused of being an assertive and aggressive power when its fishing boats are being arrested and towed away by little countries making counter claims to the islands in the South China Sea. Who are the aggressive and assertive countries? Who are the countries that are arresting fishing boats from other countries and blowing them up?

What is inexplicable is that China, being a super power, could easily chase away all the small little patrol boats of the Asean countries that are threatening the Chinese fishing boats, arresting them if needed to, including arresting the patrol boats,  instead of allowing Chinese fishing boats to be detained and blown into piece  and Chinese fishermen arrested.

Does China believe in the 9 dashed lines and that its fishing boats are fishing in Chinese waters? If so, then China must enforce and protect their safety from foreign patrol boats. By not doing so, China is indirectly saying that the Chinese fishing boats are fishing in other country’s waters and therefore illegal and rightly detained by other countries. If they are in Chinese waters and they could be arrested and Chinese coast guards could not do anything about it, it is a sign of weakness, unable to protect its own fishing boats and fishermen.

China has two options, enforces its claim over the islands if it really believes they belong to China and protect its fishing boats and fishermen. If it does not believe so, or believes that the waters are disputed seas, then it should keep its fishing boats out of the disputed areas. This is only the right and respectable thing to do. Allowing its fishing boats to fish in disputed water is debatable. Unable to protect its fishing fleet makes China look hopeless and weak as a super power. In both instances China is looking very bad to the world.

What does China really believes? It is either right or wrong, the claimed South China Sea region is either Chinese territories or it is not.  If yes, make sure the competing claimants know and to protect their fishing boats. If not, do not cause trouble by allowing its fishing boats into the area and to be arrested and blown apart.

What are the Chinese leaders thinking? China must not be wishy washy and invite trouble and ill repute to itself without a clear position and a clear policy to deal with the other Asean states or to allow its fishing boats to be harassed and arrested like illegal fishing boats committing a crime in other country’s territorial waters. China must not only act tough but also be clear and must respect other country’s territorial waters if it wants others to respect its territorial waters.

Anyone, China or Asean states making claims in the South China Sea would have to safeguard their claims legally and by force if necessary. The Vietnamese, Indonesians, the Malaysians and the Philippines are doing so, sending out their naval vessels to enforce their claims. China too must do so if it is serious in its claims and arrest vessels in the disputed areas when others are also doing the same.  Failure to do so is not only a sign of weakness but weakening its claims by default, an act or acknowledgement that the disputed area does not belong to China.

Pope Francis’ weapons of love to fight terror

I am not sure how real is this call by Pope Francis in dealing with terror after the Brussels bombing.  First thing, what are the weapons of love in the Pope’s arsenal? Would he be sending his followers to go around with an olive branch to the terrorists and hug them and kiss them, and showering them with love?

The first problem I think his followers will face is to find the terrorists. Who are the terrorists that he can show love to? Not everyone is a terrorist. Would his followers be hugging everyone they met, everyone from the refugee camps or the ghettos in Brussels and all over Europe? Or will they flock to the Middle East in a crusade of love?  Would the Pope lead by example, when the faith is strong as a mustard seed? How to execute this plan of love?

Humans have had some success in offering love to wild beasts. But there is one condition, that is, the beasts must be caged first. And after they have responded positively to love, they must still be caged or put on a leash.

What is the moral of the story? Trust the beasts or trust God? Should the beasts be set free after receiving all the love? The Americans did the right thing in Guantanamo, lock them up first. But the Americans did wrong by not giving them love. If the Americans had learnt from the Pope by using the weapons of love, the result could be different. The Pope spoke too late.

Donald Trump will remind the Pope of the vicious snake story,  that the snake bit the old woman who carried it home to nurse. When asked angrily, why, by the old woman, the snake replied that she should know better. A snake is a snake, and will bite.

Amen.

Home coming for the Barisan Socialis

Uh, not exactly. But in a way, we are seeing the return of the Barisan Socialis, or at least the next generation of the descendants of the Barisan Socialis politicians making a come back to Singapore politics. We have seen the Puthucheery, the Ong Ye Kung and now the Murali. And I think there were another few that came in earlier if my memory is clear.

This is a very unique phenomenon in Singapore where the first generation of politicians, the fathers, were fighting for life and death in the poltical arena. We know who won and who were sent to jail. Today we are seeing the children of the jailbirds being courted by the PAP and invited to join the PAP, and to contest in GEs, to be MPs and even minister, akan datang.

What is the story? Hsien Loong making amends, for the bad blood of the early generation of politicians? When papa was a politician, Barisan Socialis or PAP, the children would be good politicians too, a new political breed, to extend the political life of the PAP?

When they started, they slept in the same bed. Then they broke up and threw punches at each other. Today they are making up. How would the story end? The scions of the Barisan Socialis are joining the ranks of the PAP. So they said, no permanent enemies. Political necessity would decide who should sleep with who.

The enemies are in bed and safe. The latest development following the one year anniversary of LKY commemoration is showing up the cracks among friends, or those supposedly to be on the same side. Wei Ling is having a bout with Janadas with gloves off. It is Round One and everyone is waiting for Round Two and Three. Yes no permanent enemies and no permanent friends as well. The schism within the ruling party and the establishment are starting to show.

With the big tree fallen, would the monkeys start to scatter?