China showing its anger with Singapore

The Global Times is China’s official media and what is printed in that media is the unofficial official view of the Chinese govt. When articles in the Global Times attacked Singapore for siding with the hegemonic power of the USA, it is China’s way of telling Singapore that it is unhappy with Singapore . And Stanley Loh, the Singapore Ambassador to China has spoken up to refute China’s criticism of Singapore.

Stanley Loh dragged out all the economic cooperation and projects as his proof that Singapore is supporting China or is friendly with China. He side stepped Singapore’s military cooperation with the Americans, providing a military base for the Americans to launch warships and warplanes into the South China Sea to challenge China’s claims to the islands. He also did not mention the political rhetoric or statements by our diplomats against China that are more vehement than even those from the Philippines and Vietnam recently.

On the economic front, Singapore wanted all the cooperation and benefits from a growing Chinese economy. But on the political and military front, the position of Singapore is anything but friendly. The comments by Bilahari Kausikan in his speech in Tokyo and his lectures must have ruffled the feathers of the Chinese govt. Would Bilahari or Stanley Loh think the comments were fair, neutral and positive for Singapore China relations?

Singapore is sticking its neck out, too far out for comfort, by taking a pro American line. The local media too were putting up almost on a daily basis, American views of the South China Sea dispute that were unflattering to China. How would China view these actions from Singapore, supposedly a reliable and close friend with a lot of economic cooperation, economic projects and a lot of legacies of LKY when he was around? Would China be seeing a major shift in Singapore’s policy since the demise the LKY and a Singapore that is increasingly partisan and anti China instead of walking the tight rope, not to be seen to favour either super power?

What would Singapore’s position be like should the Americans open a war front in the South China Sea against China and Singapore providing a military base for the Americans to attack China? Would Singapore maintain its neutrality by closing down the American base here, or would Singapore say it is ok and it is neutral and still a friend of China and allowing the Americans to launch military attacks at China?

Is the rude and undiplomatic comment that China is attempting to divide up Asean in the South China Sea dispute helpful when the other Asean countries were diplomatic enough to keep mum when they have vested interests and stakes in the dispute while Singapore did not?

The complaints in the Global Times are just a tip in the iceberg of the souring of relations between Singapore and China. There could be official complaints to register China’s unhappiness that were not reported in the media.

Singapore is now in a fix, and would have to make its stand clear to China. Is it going to be neutral or more pro America, more anti China on matters that affect China’s core interests and how would Singapore’s relation with China proceed from here? A diplomatic storm is brewing and it does not look good for Singapore. Singapore may be left out in the cold in China’s OBOR projects and other economic cooperation as well.  Trying to hang on to China’s gravy train and taking unfriendly positions against China would not work. Singapore cannot have the cake and eat it.

There is no LKY to smoothen things out in our relations with a China that is growing in strength and confidence to deal with small countries. Don’t try to punch above your weight when dealing with China or any big powers. That is a myth. When the big powers refused to give you face you will look silly in the eyes of the world if you try to punch in their face.

China no right to be world cop?

A Japanese, a diplomat I think, by the name of Shigeru Ichige, commented that Chinese Admiral Sun Jiangguo ridiculed the international communities by saying that China would ignore the verdict of The Hague on the Filipino claims on the islands in the South China Sea. And because of this, ‘China cannot and should never be a world cop able to maintain the world order as the United States does.  This kind of Japanese half truth logic is no longer passable when the world is fully aware of all the facts of past and present.

What this Shigeru did not want to mention is that the United States were the one that set the precedence of ignoring the verdict of The Hague when it ruled against the US in the past. The US even committed an act of contempt of The Hague by tearing to pieces the verdict in full media coverage. What Shigeru also refused to disclose is that The Hague has no jurisdiction over territorial issues under the UNCLOS. And what Shigeru also did not disclose is that the US refused to sign as a signatory to abide by the rules of UNCLOS. The US is NOT a signatory of UNCLOS or is not willing to abide by the laws of UNCLOS. This is the biggest American hypocrisy, demanding other countries to abide by UNCLOS rules when it refuses to do so.

So is USA more suitable as the world cop? Or is Japan more suitable as the world cop? The Japanese must remember the crimes and atrocities committed by Japan in WW2 against the whole of Asia and South East Asia by their invasion to conquer and rule over these countries.  On record at least 24 million people were killed by the Japanese, not counting the wounded and maimed and the destruction to their country’s economies and the lives of their people. And Japan is everywhere pitching to be a peacekeeper and potential world cop. And some stupid Asean leaders agree that it is alright for this beast of a nation to be a peacekeeper when their people were massacred by the Japanese, their countries conquered and colonized by the Japanese. They got to thank the Americans for dropping the two atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end the war and save their skins.

By the way, China is not interested in being a world cop and has no desire or intent to be a world cop. The term world cop in reality is more like an international gangster, using might to control and intimidate smaller countries, to conduct regime change and to provoke and conduct wars. How virtuous is this international gangster to be called a world cop? How many thousands or millions of innocent lives have been killed or destroyed by the current ‘world cop’ and the world cop aspirant in Japan during the invasion of Asia?

Both are the most unsuitable candidates to be world cop when bullying and conducting wars are their modus operandi, their way of conducting international relations. They conduct wars instead of keeping peace as a cop should be doing. And no need to bother about China wanting to be world cop. China is not interested. Only aggressive warmongering nations would want to assume the role of ‘world cop’ to rule over other countries, to bully countries that refused to toe their line.

The world does not need a self appointed world cop. If there is to be one, it should come under the banner of the United Nation, not the United States of America.

MH370 wild goose chase coming to an empty ending

More than two years of ghost chasing, hundreds of millions spent, hundreds of thousands of manhours wasted, the ridiculous mad hunt for MH370 in the Antarctic Ocean is finally coming to a dead end. All the stupid theories were just that, stupid theories. Now they are all exposed, as the biggest wicked fraud of the century, when evil people hatched a scheme to mislead the desperate victims and their govt to go in search of the aircraft in a God forsaken place when they should be searching at other more likely places.

The evidences of the fraud are appearing in bits and drapes but taken with all sincerity and hope by the Malaysian and Chinese search parties. From the early days when the Australian PM was thoughtless enough to announce he knew where the aircraft was, and the flimsy signs, to the bits and pieces of flotsams in the African coast with their little signs and markings showing that they came from the lost aircraft, the coincidences are not strange or funny. Not many parts of an aircraft are imprinted or etched with markings and numberings to tell they belonged to an aircraft. But the few pieces coincidentally had all the markings and numberings that gave clues that they were carefully selected and scattered to be found to tell a false story.

Haven’t there enough fake and nonsensical evidences and signs and circumstantial evidence to prove that there is a conspiracy to misdirect the search parties to look at the wrong places of all places?

Should Malaysia and China start to take up legal actions against the hoaxers and fake information providers to prolong this tragedy and the lost of 239 innocent lives? This is an evil crime against humanity and the perpetrators and their conspirators would hope that no one would remember their crimes and time will erase all memories and the case be forgotten.

This case must not be forgotten and justice must be brought to the evil men and women behind the crime.

Tharman’s comment on freedom

Actually I wanted to use the title Tharman – Once a dissident, but some may misunderstood its meaning. Like Once a Rebel being used on Ho Kwon Ping, both titles are actually badges of honour for someone who had crossed the line as young idealist and survived and became successful in their own right. They had been there, done it and lived to tell their story. When Tharman told the students that he was once a dissident, it was in this context, had been a youthful idealist and went through the baptism of fire.

Why is that important and what has that got to do with his comment on freedom? Let me repost his comment here, ‘Society has to find the right balance and some freedoms have to be curbed for it to evolve in a way that advances other freedoms, he said. “Every society faces this. We haven’t found the perfect balance, and we have to keep evolving.’’

I first misquoted Tharman by saying ‘We have found the perfect balance’ which has a totally different meaning. Now let’s look at his statement once again. His two key phrases, ‘we haven’t found the perfect balance’ and ‘to keep evolving’. The ‘haven’t found it’ is like saying it could be better and the ‘evolving’ can only be evolving for the better. This is what an idealistic dissident mindset and a govt critic, a bit like me, would be like. It is not there yet and can be better. And hopefully it will evolve over time, maybe not in this regime but some time down the road.

It is also important to understand what Tharman is thinking, what are his values and whether they are going to be more pro people, more freedom or otherwise. If it is his destiny, and if Singapore is going to have a non Chinese PM, no other non Chinese minister can stand near to him. Tharman’s view is therefore important as he could possibly be the One. There is some silver lining in his, ‘We haven’t found the perfect balance, and we have to keep evolving.’ Having been in a position when his freedom was curbed, he would have a better appreciation of what freedom is all about and what is the better or perfect balance to be.

What do you think? How would the perfect balance be like under his watch if that day becomes a reality? How much of his youthful idealism as a dissident is still with him and how would this impact the freedom of the day some time in the future?

Apology to DPM Tharman for misquoting him

I have made a factual error in my post 'Who decides how much freedom we can have.' Tharman did not say he is happy with the perfect balance today but that it is still evolving. That makes the content of the article totally out of sync. But I was using his quote to ask the question on how much freedom we should have and who should decide that.

I have made the necessary amendment of the article where appropriate.

Sorry Tharman, no intent to misquote you.

Fighting terrorism is your responsibility

This is just about what Nicholar Fang said in his article in the Today paper today. His article titled ‘Fighting terrorism cannot be the responsibility of the Govt alone’ is as good as the people must be responsible too. I would agree if the people have a say to stop the govt from policies that would bring in more foreigners from regions that are breeding grounds for terrorists. Why would the govt want to bring in herds of wild beasts knowing that they are wild beasts and can do us harm and then expect the people to fight for themselves, to fight the wild beasts when the people are telling the govt they did not want the wild beasts and to stop importing them? Should it then be the govt to be solely responsible for creating the problem, putting the people to unnecessary risks living among the beasts, 2 million of them?

Oh, Nicholas said not to fight, hide and run, you are no match to the terrorists. This is the best piece of advice but on second thought, where to hide, where to run in this piece of rock when half the population are foreigners?

Nicholas Fang also quoted Shanmugam saying that ‘The fact that members of the public had not noticed anything suspicious is worrying’. Is Shanmugam serious when making this comment? To me, everyone of the foreigners here is suspicious and looks like a terrorists. And I think most of the average Singaporeans who did not know what a terrorist looks like would share the same view. The terrorists never wear a badge on their forehead to say ‘I am a terrorist!’ So what to expect from the people? To the people ignorance is bliss.

Put it this way, if the terrorists were holding a meeting in the kopitiams with all the people around them, who would know what the hell they are talking about even if they are planning to bomb the Istana?  Anyone understand what they are saying, undertand their language? They did not have to hold their meetings in hideouts. They can hold their meetings right before our eyes and no one is wiser.

What does Shanmgam expect the people to notice? The general public are not uninterested? They simply have no clue who is a terrorist, who is not. And the two million foreigners are all over us, living with us, working with us, in sensitive organizations and jobs, in mundane jobs, in top jobs, who would know which one is a terrorist or working for terrorist organizations, or going to be self radicalised?

Oh, Nicholas article also quoted this, ‘He also revealed that the information that had led to the arrests did not come from the community.’ So, if there was no such information from somewhere else, the terrorists would still be operating here happily and peacefully right? Then how to expect the ordinary people to know better?

Maybe a safer option is to advertise to the terrorists that this is a friendly place for them to build their bases as long as they don’t attack us and we would not ‘kacho’ them. What do you think? Win win solution.

There are more than 2 millions of them here! How many are potential terrorists, have connections with terrorist organizations, will be self radicalized? And who brought them here?

China’s appeasement policy towards the World’s Number One Terrorist Nation would not work

China has adopted a policy of appeasement towards the aggressive Americans and their constant and repetitive provocations thinking that the gangsters would back down. No, this has failed miserably. The gangsters are taking it as a sign of weakness. From warnings and threatening China with force, from sailing their warships and flying warplanes into Chinese waters and airspace, from coaxing and arm twisting Asean countries to join the gangsters to start a war with China, it is now calling on the other Europeans countries and also India to join the gang of terrorists.  The Number One Terrotist Nation knew that they have failed to get the Asean countries to do their bidding and is counting on their traditional European allies to do the job invoking the White Man supremacy to rule over the coloured people of the world.

The stage is now set for another ‘invasion’ of China like the 8 Nation invasion in the early 20^Th Century. China must change tact, abandon this policy of appeasement and take the devil by the horns. The Americans have dropped all pretence to hide their hegemonic ambition, what fucking pivot to Asia? It is the domination of Asia once again under the White Man’s rule and lie. If the rest of Asia is going to remain as non participants, China must strengthen its relations with its allies, in Russia, in North Korea, in Iran and Pakistan and whoever willing to stand up to the American terrorists.

There is no more reason for China to want to isolate North Korea and Iran to toe the line of the world’s Number One Terrorist Nation. China must formalize its military alliances with Russia, North Korea, Iran and Pakistan to take a common stand, to be ready for war with the Americans and the European powers.  Canada and France are in, so is Japan and India, to fight on the side of the Americans. China cannot afford to lose the North Korean ally and risk the North Koreans joing the American terrorists to contain China. China must be confident enough to come out in open support of North Korea and be pressure to do North Korea in by the Americans. The Americans are up to no good, to contain China and isolate China.

War is imminent in Asia. It is best for the rest of the Asian countries to stay out if they would not come to the side of China and be prepared to be ruled by the European powers, to be ruled by the white men again in a new phase of colonization, formulated by the Neocons.

There is no escape or avoidance for a Third World War. Wherever the World’s Number One Terrorist Nation set foot on, it is war and destruction and the killings of the people in the region.

To possibility avoid this fate, China, Russia and their allies must declared their intention, to stay together to fight the rogues and terrorists of the world. Only when there is conviction and determination to face might with might would the Number One Terrorist Nation reconsider their plans. They only hope to divide the world up and attack them one at a time. The potential victims of the Number One Terrorist Nation must show a commitment to stay as one, to stay together, to fight the Terrorists and White Plague coming and threatening to rule them all over again.

Can Asia avoid this White Plague?

South China Sea – The reluctant and uncomfortable truth

Is the South China Sea a problem of freedom of navigation? Nay, that is an American deception and excuse for them to move into the region. No one dares to tell the truth in front of the world’s Number One Terrorist Nation.  No one today but not yesterday. 15 years ago, LKY the Oracle had spoken about it. The problems facing South East Asia were Terrorism and the contest for influence and power between China and the USA. What craps the Americans are trying to spin to deceive the stupid leaders and people in the region about freedom of navigation?  Freedom of navigation has never been a problem or an issue in the South China Sea. China has never arrested any ships or boats. The only fishing boats that have been arrested in the South China Sea were those of China’s by the Vietnamese, the Philippines and the Indonesians. Who then is the threat to freedom of navigation?

Singapore has diplomatically steered away from this freedom of navigation shit stirred up by the Americans and not be seen as another American lackey following the pipe piper. Ng Eng Hen conveniently carried the Oracle out to tell the Americans and to enlighten the rest of the Asean states that the real problem is the relationship between China and the US for influence and control of the region. Forget about the freedom of navigation red herring. The rising power in China would naturally seek for more influence and the receding power in the US would resist and want to fight back.

“With the US and China as the main protagonists, the South China Sea and territorial disputes therein, willy nilly has provided the stage on which this strategic rivalry is being played out,” said Dr Ng.” I think all of us are conscious that more is at stake than disputed rocks or islands. As Mr Lee observed in his 2002 speech – ‘the competition for economic and diplomatic influence has started.’.

What is sad is that the current leaders in some Asean countries are so immature to swallow the American shit of freedom of navigation and are willing to go to war to serve the American agenda and interests, dragging their country and people into destruction and suffering and become collateral of a war without knowing why. The Americans seen through their stupidity and kept on playing to their little egos and make them jumping up and down wanting to go to war.

And then came out of nowhere, Duterte, to see through this American farce and said no, the Philippines will not be somebody’s lackey and do silly things against the interests of the Phlippines and its people. Former Asean Secretary General Ong Keng Yong has been quoted to say, 'We don't want to get involved with any contestation between the two big powers...we are best served by staying on the ringside.'

PAP is the Singapore Miracle

I don’t think any history or political science student or academic could figure this out. It has never happened before in history, for a political party or dynasty, to last forever. But if they are looking into the politics and political developments of Singapore, many would be shaking their heads, unbelievable is what they would say.  No it is not about the evolving and emerging police state that is taking shape. It is about the PAP that is going to last forever and ever as the ruling political party of Singapore that has never happened in the history of civilisation. You cannot find any weakness in the system that would lead to the disintegration or fall of the PAP.

On the opposition front, it was like a given. None of the opposition party would stand a chance to challenge the dominance of the PAP. None of them can present a leader that is charismatic enough to lead his party or a coalition of parties to challenge the PAP. The position of the PAP is simply so comfortable, so invincible.

And the PAP is doing all the right things to keep themselves in power forever. They have a monopoly of all the political talents there is in the island in their team. They have the civil service, the uniformed services and all the organizations and institutions, social, cultural, sports and businesses on their side. They have all the right policies in how to run the country that no one else could do or capable of thinking, and have the confidence and undying support of the majority of the voters.

The PAP is flawless in every way. They are united, the leadership is united, those hoping for an internal split are wasting their time, and they have all the grassroot organizations behind them. And they have talents in depth with constant leadership renewal and more talents waiting to come on board. There is just no way to break the PAP stranglehold and vote them out. They are even planning years ahead, 50 years, a hundred years that no political party would bother to do so as not many would last through more than two terms in office.

Now is this depressing and exhilarating news for the citizens, a never ending story of a PAP rule into the unknown future. PAP all the way. And looks like God is on the side of the PAP.

God is also on the side of the American gangsters to start wars, destruction and killing people all over the world in the hundreds of thousands. How many have ISIS and the terrorist organizations killed, peanuts compared to the number killed by the Americans. And the people of the world love the Americans and called them benign power, full of righteousness and goodness. It only confirms that God is White and will support any regime that is white. Apologies, I got distracted.

Shangri La Dialogue – Terrorism the real and immediate threat

‘SINGAPORE: Terrorism featured heavily in discussions at a ministerial lunch hosted by Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen on Saturday (Jun 4), in conjunction with the Shangri-La Dialogue.

Leaders acknowledged terrorism as a clear and present threat needing international and regional cooperation to tackle effectively….’ Channel News Asia

The security dialogue at the Shangri La was nearly hijacked by the international terrorists to serve their hegemonic and empire dream of controlling the South China Sea and the countries in South East Asia by insisting on establishing their military bases in these countries on the pretext of an expansionist China that was accused of threatening the freedom of navigation for building infrastructural facilities in their islands in the South China Sea.

It was wise for the host Singapore to take the initiative by redirecting the real and most serious problem faced by the countries in the region, ie terrorism. Every country in South East Asia, including those in other parts of the world, are faced with immediate threats from terrorism. Some had been attacked and had lost lives and destruction of their infrastructure. What is more important than the terrorist threat than crying wolf about a red herring in the South China Sea? Why be coerced by the Americans to serve their hegemonic agenda?

And what is more dangerous and threatening in the region than terrorism? The wolf in sheep clothing, the world’s Number One Terrorist has moved in, has built up military bases and facilities to conduct the most destructive terrorist act in the region. In the guise of freedom of navigation, the Number One Terrorist is forcing the countries in the region to allow its Imperial Forces to station in these countries to engage in a war that these countries did not want and have no reason to want to go war.

Why would South East Asian countries want to fight a destructive war, to claim islands in the South China Sea that belonged to another country? Why would South East Asian countries want to become lackeys of the world’s Number One Terrrorist Nation and be misled into a war when they have been living in peace and making progress in every field of endeavour to better the lives of their people?

Is war so much fun? Is fighting a war dictated by the Number One Terrrorist Nation so attractive, or plain stupidity? Why would Asean countries want to go to war? Beware of the Number One Terrorist. They brought war and destruction in every corner of the globe that they moved in, militarily.

Asean countries must not end up as lackeys of the World’s Number One Terrorist Nation. The Philippines have wisen up to the danger of flirting with the World’s Number One Terrorist and have openly stated that they would not be its lackey. Would there be other stupid Asean countries that wanted to be lackeys to the World’s Number One Terrorist Nation and bring their country and people to war?

Do not despise the dogs, they were expensive dogs

The ST on Friday had a long piece of article cautioning the public not to look down on stray dogs. In Singapore, these dogs could be very expensive dogs even if they have been rejected by their masters. Many of these dogs that have lost their usefulness were once pedigrees like Pit Bulls, Labradors, Cocker Spaniels, Dobermans, even Huskies, you name it, you can find them in the cages of SPCA. They are expensive, very expensive to buy and to upkeep.

Many of these dogs have gone through serious training courses, obedient training, toilet training, learn how to sit, how to fetch, how growl, how to bite, They have been trained in many skills just to please and serve their masters. But one thing cannot change, dogs are dogs. They may be faithful dogs, but what they lacked is the sense of right or wrong. They would just protect their masters faithfully, to do the biddings of their masters with no questions asked.

It is a pity that after serving their masters faithfully for so many years, giving so much pleasure and fun to their masters, they are dumped in the SPCA or disowned to run around as stray dogs, unwanted and having to find their own food, pickings from the dustbins or leftovers. Seen some chasing after the rats at Bukit Batok too. Many are in very pitiful state of decay and diseases due to lack of care and attention once they are not wanted by their masters.

You people out there who still like dogs and have a soft spot for dogs, please go to the SPCA to adopt a couple to give them a better home while they are still kicking. They will make good dogs, good faithful friends like they used to be. They have been trained to be such by their former masters.

Poor dogs. Once pedigrees, the pride of their masters, walking around with their masters, to be stroked by their masters and feasted with the best dog food, and shampoos and manicures. Ya, every dog had his days. That is a dog’s life.

Who is advising Hsien Loong?

‘The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) strongly urges the Government of Singapore to stop this harassment and ensure that bloggers are proetected against such unjustified interference with or reprisals for the exercise of their right to freedom of expression.

By resorting to this kind of harassment and intimidation of bloggers, Singapore is showing complete disregard for human rights and the rule of law,” said Sam Zarifi, ICJ’s Regional Director for Asia and thePacific.

“The Government of Singapore must stop intimidating citizens who express their political opinions openly. The actions taken by the Singaporean police against the four bloggers do not only constitute an attack on freedom of opinion and expression in the country, but also clearly violates their right to privacy.” He added.’

The above is quoted from an article in the TRE titled ‘ICJ: End harassment of bloggers in Singapore’ quoting source from ICJ’s website.

I am not going to discuss about the subject matter, about what Roy Ngerng, Teo Soh Lung or The Independent Singapore wrote during the Cooling Day of the by election. I will also not touch on the police actions and how they conduct their investigations. I am trying to understand the motivation for the govt or Hsien Loong to allow this to go on the way it did.

Hsien Loong must have a team of political advisers working for him just like his father LKY. These are very experienced and professional people, could be ministers or some people he really trusted for their good judgement and sense of reality and proportion. They are the people that would assist him, give their views and opinions or anything, particularly in this case, political critics.

LKY lived in a very different time, with very different kind of political opponents, different value system, with a less educated population, without the social media, in a world when drastic measures were swallowed without much question by the people and international organizations. The world has since moved on, everything has changed, values, morals, a more educated and enlightened population, more NGOs and a 24/7 social media presence. The social and political tapestry is very different and using old methodology and tactics to deal with current situation may seem out of sync.

LKY listened to his advisors and their views and made his own decision. He decided what should be the final outcome, what should be done, and would throw out bad advices that would not solve the problems but caused him more and greater problems if he went ahead with them. He took many tough decisions and gambled with the outcomes. The situation in his time was tough and rough.

The situation today cannot be that rough and tough. Maybe I did not have the full picture, the full inside story. Under today’s circumstances, the PAP is reining supreme, untouchable, and can afford to have a little criticisms, a bigger tolerance for dissent, and the broadcast during Cooling Day did not do any real damage, water under the bridge, really.

The follow up actions by the police and now the attention from around the world, ICJ, are definitely something that Hsien Loong and his govt need not have to face.  It is baffling to invoke such attention. The Cooling Day broadcasts were tolerable and bearable irritations and could be dealt with with a slap on the wrist. Nothing more and no storm in the tea cup.

What made Hsien Loong to allow this mess to go on the way it went? Ok, I am being presumptious here, that he knew and approved the whole process. I could be wrong and I stand corrected. Hsien Loong could be totally uninvolved and the whole incident was left to someone else to handle as that someone deemed best.

All I can say is that it is something unnecessary and there is no need to kick up a dust storm when there is no need to. Why invite the unnecessary attention that is anything but good for Singapore and the govt? This is the 21^st Century, not the days of LKY and the Communist Insurgency. The political climate and players have changed, the people have changed, the risks have changed, the challenges have changed.

Would Roy Ngerng or Teo Soh Lung present such a big threat or challenge that it is necessary to send a bull into a theatre? The PAP shall rule till SG100. Relac.

‘We will not be lackey to anyone’

Now who said that? What do you mean by being lackey to anyone? This statement was made by the incoming Filipino Foreign Minister Perfecto Yasay. The Foreign Minister was confirming some of the foreign policy statements that the incoming President Rodrigo Duterte has been saying since his election. The Philippines foreign policy will be independent of any foreign powers and will be conducted from the interests of the Philippines and its people.

This is a clear change from the policies of Benigno Aquino that has been leaning towards the US and reinviting the Americans to their former military bases in Clark and Subic, in a way turning the Philippines into a semi colony of the USA once again. The Philippines will be the third Asian countries that allowed the Americans to station troops in their own soil as semi colonies. And Benigno is very proud of it, to be the lackey of the Americans. And his rewards, a WW2 museum piece that he called his biggest warship to take on China.

In the case of Japan and South Korea, they were reluctant to remain as such and wanted the Americans out but were unable to do so. The American troops are there to stay, to protect American interests and keeping the two states as part of the American Empire. The situation in the Philippines is different. Here there is a Filipino President happily and willingly subject his country to be a semi colony of the Empire by invitation, by choice.

Duterte would not have such nonsense. The Philippines will not be the lackey of any super power. This man has pride and is a nationalist.  How many countries would go so low to welcome a foreign power to be their overlord, to become a semi colony, a lackey to a super power?

A Petition and an Open Statement from the Workers Party

The police investigation on Cooling Day postings by Teo Soh Lung and Roy Ngerng has reached a new high that there is a Petition signed by 150 political activists from all colours appealing to the police to cease the investigation. You can read the petition in TRE and TOC.  

And the unusually non partisan and quiet WP has even issued an Open Statement,

‘The Workers’ Party is concerned about the manner in which the current investigations into alleged violations of “Cooling Off Day” regulations are reportedly being conducted.

We understand from the public record that other individuals or entities who were reported for similar violations in the past were not known to have faced the same lengthy interviews, and searches and seizures of personal equipment.

We urge the authorities to ensure that consistency and proportionality are applied to all investigations, as these are key to maintaining confidence in Singapore’s law enforcement organisations and legal system.’

The Petition and Open Statement may all come to nothing given the state of affairs in this island. At best it would be to register their disapproval and put it on record. Nothing will come from these actions. The investigation will go on.

What would be interesting and meaningful would be for the 150 signatories to the Petition to do something concrete and meaningful. One thing they could do is to approach the WP or the SDP to join the parties to run in the next GE. These 150 activists are mostly professionals in their own rights and would be a force to be reckoned with, to add to the strength of whichever party that is willing to take them in en bloc.  Put aside all the personal differences for the bigger objective.  See the bigger picture and think big. This is the kind of things that would be meaningful and impactful if that is what they want to do. Otherwise words don’t kill and would not come to anything.

And if the WP and SDP did not want to welcome them, the 150 activists could launch a new political party and invite all with the same thinking in the opposition party camp, WP and SDP included, and all the professionals on the sidelines to join this new party without any historical baggages but with a clear objective, to be the political party to stage a real challenge to the ruling party. This is the way to go forward.  Start preparing for the next GE now. There is no time to waste if they want real change for the good of country and people. Just do it.

Put the Petition and Open Statement aside and do something that would lead to greater change to our political landscape and the good of the people and country.

Education – I had a dream

I dreamt that in the future all our students would turn out to be scientists and engineers equipped to live in a futuristic world with all the skill sets they need embedded in them by a microchip. No need to go to school to learn anything anymore except morality and moral values. And they will live through their lives like perfect human beans, with no sickness as this will be taken care of by the microchip that regularly dispensed medicine and supplements needed for their good health. And their intelligence will be several notches higher than the average beans around the world.

Then I woke up to a rude shock. The plight of the PMETs are still around where many are still unemployable as they no longer have the skill sets to fit into the workforce. What is happening? We are trying and planning for the future but forgot about the Now, the people that are living now and turning obsolete, falling down the economic and social ladder of the society.

Then I read the papers and was again filled with hopes and promises of a greater future as the govt are tweaking the education system again to be the best education system in the world, to teach and educate our people to be the brightest and best all rounder, and most important, to be employable again. But the result is in the future and we will have to wait for that to happen, maybe in SG100 when Singaporeans will be the happy people, fully employed and leading a good life.

Then I started thinking, what is the point of the future when the present is a failure, when our people from our education system are no longer competitive and no skill sets to even get a job. So, before we embark on another wild goose chase, another untested experiment, we need to know what is the basis of our futuristic education system, proven or modelled after some successful model or just another trial balloon? Because someone took some drugs and hallucinated that this is the best way to go?

Why don’t we do the real thing, the logical thing, look at the successfulo working models and copy what people have done successfully, no need to reinvent the wheel when the wheel is another trail and error, unproven game of hope? Look at all the talented people that are coming to Singapore to replace our no skill set PMETs and young graduates! Does that ring a bell, that these are the products of a good education system, to be able to produce the graduates and professionals needed by our industries? If our education system can do the same, there is no need to keep tweaking and toying around our education system and telling the people it is really good.

Be real. Look at the countries that are producing the talents that we need. The most talents we are getting are from India. This is the hard truth. You can see them all over Raffle Place, MBFC and Changi Business Park, or is it now called Chennai Business Park?  What does it mean? It’s so simple. The Indians are doing all the right things in their education system.  No need silly and expensive foolish ideas. Just get the basics of education right. That is why we are hiring all the Indian professionals with the right skill sets to replace our no skill sets PMETS and young graduates. It must be. We can’t be hiring them if they are no good unless we are so hopelessly stupid. We can’t be employing fakes and cheats to replace our PMETs right?

So, with this understanding clear and bright, the solution is very simple. Stop mucking around with our education system and pretend that we are doing the right thing. And those people who have no idea of what education of the young is all about better shut up and don’t pretend they know. Go to the experts, go to the countries that have done it, and done it well. And no country has done it better than India. The results showed. Walk around Raffles Place and MBFC and you will know where the foreign talents came from.

I would advise the MOE to stop mucking around, send our MOE staff to India to learn from them. They know best and are producing the best talents that are in our industries and govt services too. And in the interim, before waiting for the result to be seen in 20 years or 30 years down the road, quick, send our A level students to the universities in India for their undergraduate and post graduate studies. Forget about NUS, NTU, SMU. Forget about the Ivy League universities in UK or USA. Send them to India, University of Mumbai is one of the best in India. That would be a good start.

The success of India’s education is no fluke shot. Look at the number of Indian nationals helming big corporations in the USA, the UK and also Europe would be enough testimonies to logically conclude that India is doing the right thing. They are producing the world’s current and future honchos in the corporate world and do not need all the silly university rankings to feel good. Their universities are unranked, many several hundred notches down the ladder of infamy according to those ranking agencies. But the Indians are soaring to the sky. And this is real, not magic!

Stop all the funny tweakings and experiments using our young as guinea pigs. Haven’t we wasted a whole generation of our graduates with no skill sets from our world best universities?

Stop smoking. I too have woken up and seen the reality. We have an education system that looks good on paper but cannot be eaten, not worth a cent but the students have to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to complete the highly flawed system that at best is dysfunctional, the graduates good to be taxi and crane drivers or hawkers.  We need another 30 years to produce top finance and banking professionals!!!! What kind of shit is that? What are we going to do in the meantime? What have we been doing in the last two or three decades?

Would anyone dare to say that the Indian graduates we hired are rubbish and we are hiring all the rubbish and to say what I wrote is rubbish?

The Undiplomatic Diplomat

Yes, being a little red dot, Singapore is often forced to walk the tight rope in international politics, between the super powers, and juggling our core relations with the Israelis that came to our aid in our time of needs and our two giant neighbours that are more sympathetic to the Palestinian cause. It is not a job for kids to think that Singapore has an easy task to dribble around these powerful forces and to live on unhurt or unscathed. This balancing act not only demands great diplomacy and contortionist act, but also the quality of great statesmanship to steer through the rough sea. Children should never attempt to do what is normally done by adults. Acting big, talking big and thinking big are different from whether people think you are big and if you are up to it.

The difficult job in diplomacy needs not be made more difficult by callous talks and insinuation to ruffle the feathers of interested powers unnecessary. Yes. LKY did that and got away with it. But he was LKY and he could do and say a lot of things that many national leaders would disagree but deferred to him and would not be rude to him by telling him so in his face. And if you are not LKY, please do not behave and act as if you are LKY.

The Singapore today is not the Singapore of LKY. In his heyday, Singapore, or the Istana, is like a temple of wisdom for world leaders to pay homage and ask for blessings and a piece of good advice or wisdom from the Oracle.. Today who bothers to call on the Istana to have his fortune told? There is no need to go around antagonizing others when there is no need to. There is no need to commit our national interests to the interests of big power to offend anyone.

Singapore is not a Chinese country and it is right to remind China of this fact. But there is no need to apologise or feel a sense of guilt that Singapore is a Chinese majority country. Without the Chinese majority, what would Singapore have become today? Would Singapore be still in the ranks of the third world countries with no toilets and the people shitting in the open with slums everywhere? Singapore is a Chinese majority country and we have done well for all the races here. This is a heritage that we should be proud of. And Singapore would chart its own course for the benefits of the people of Singapore, with great sensitivities to the feelings and cultural backgrounds of its people without showing favour to any or discriminating against any. 

Our diplomats must know the sentiments of the Chinese majority and not shooting off ignoring their existence. The Chinese majority is not homogenous, there are the bananas, the anglophiles, there are also those that are rooted in their ancient civilization and culture. Are they anti China or pro America?  Most of the bananas are anti China, but there are those who do not think and share the values of the bananas. Any diplomat lashing out at China is not speaking for the Chinese majority or being sensitive to their sensibilities. Would offending some sections of the Chinese majority or offending China be good for our national interests?

Singapore may need the help of the Americans in the future and we should call the USA our friend, for the USA is the only trigger happy country that would have no qualms to pull the trigger on our behalf when called upon.  In this sense the USA is a very reliable protector. But we should also not be silly to think that the Americans would do this just for our own good. It is also for their own good, a symbiotic relationship. We need the Americans and the Americans need us just as badly for a safe and reliable foothold to support their Empire and world hegemony ambition and agenda.

While we need the Americans military muscle for our national security, we also need the Chinese economic power, the market, to spur our economic growth. In this sense we need China and its economy more than China needs us. The majority Chinese Singaporeans did not see China simply on cultural and racial familiarity but an avenue for our continued economic well being. Did we not send many many govt missions to China to carve out a little niche for ourselves and for our own economic growth? Did we not become one of the biggest investors in China? Did we not build Suzhou Industrial Park, Tianjin Eco Park and the many property projects in China? We are trying so hard to cling onto the Chinese economic bandwagon to share a bit of their growth.

Is there a need to slap the Chinese in front of the Japanese and the world, to embarrass them and to call them names? What is all that for? What are we trying to achieve by painting the Chinese as enemy and not to be trusted but hoping for crumbs left on the floor by them?

If slapping China and expecting China for hangouts is diplomacy then I would have to go back to school to relearn this new trick. Now I have a reason to spend my $500 in the Skills Future Fund. Is this the highest level of diplomacy red dot style? Has anyone heard of this new diplomatic doctrine, what Doctrine shall I called it, the Doctrine of the Little Red Dot?

Do not take China for granted, for a fool. And please do not take the USA as angels. Ask yourself a simple question, would China allow you to slap its cheek and turn the other cheek? And would the USA give you no strings attached military backing? Remember how the phrase ‘You are either with us or against us’ came about and how we ended up supporting a war that we should not be involved and compromising our national interests precariously?

Diplomacy is an art of the skillful statesmen but a bungling act for little boys and girls. Be reflective and know who we are and what we are. Learn from George Yeo, the former Foreign Minister. Don’t be ‘boh tua boh suay’. Know your rightful place in the international stage of realpolitiks. You don’t get away for taking cheap pot shots at the big powers or medium powers or even small powers.  Be contrite and be wise. A day of drunken glory would end up with a nasty hangover.

Kishore may be outspoken, but he is all diplomacy and even countries like China would seek his views on international matters in some way like a smaller oracle. A diplomat is a diplomat unlike a national leader. Can a diplomat be undiplomatic?

The role of opposition parties

In the past we used to joke about civil servants working from 0800 to 1700 hrs. They arrived at the office at 0800 hrs and at 1700 hrs they left the office. In between they did nothing. This could also describe the work or role of the opposition parties. They started to come alive during a GE and subsequently went to sleep. Ok, they did a bit more than that. They attended Parliament to ask questions. When Parliament is not in session they spend their times looking after the town councils, to make sure their constituencies are clean and the street lights are working and the once a week meet the people session. Those who need not attend Parliament, got no town council to look after, got no MPS to attend, they just went into hibernation. These seem to be the role of opposition politicians.

If politicians are not elected, they cannot attend Parliament, no town council to be responsible to, and no MPS, so nothing to do. Is that so? Does an opposition politician have a voice without being in Parliament to ask questions? Can they participate or play a part in the upkeep and well being of the constituents without a town council or without a MPS?

Without the privilege of being in Parliament to ask questions, the opposition politicians still can ask many questions outside Parliament to hold the govt accountable for their policies and actions. They can raise issues, engage in discussions on matters affecting the people and country and keep the govt on its toes, to check on the govt, without being in Parliament.

There is the social media, the respective websites of the political parties and yes, even the main media can be called upon for press conference to say their piece. If opposition politicians just fade away after a GE, and keep their mouths shut in between GEs, they would very likely be forgotten.

In between GEs is the time for them to build up their credentials, their positions on issues and to get the coverage they needed, so that by the next GE they will be well known and be familiar faces to the electorate. They need to be in the minds of the people, that they are there, that they are concerned with issues affecting the people. By talking about issues, by making their stands, the electorates get to know them better, get more time to measure them and feel comfortable with them, and when the GE comes around, they are already established and well known personalities to the people.

In between GEs are important time for the opposition politicians to build up their credibility. Why do the people think some politicians are fit to be politicians? It is because they are in the news over the period before the next GE. People get used to them and subconsciously think that they are politicians. As for opposition politicians, they are just like strange things, untested, unknown and thus unsure. Opposition politicians must become household names, their names must be on the lips of the people, be part of the unofficial establishment, part of the political landscape, that they are good enough and ready to be in Parliament, that they are politicians.

Wake up and don’t go to sleep. The jobs of opposition politicians did not stop at Parliament or doing town council works. It is a continuous process, a never ending process. It does not stop after a GE.

Who decides how much freedom we can have?

This is a democracy and one of the basic rights of an individual in a democracy is freedom, the right to free speech, freedom from fear of the authority, freedom to choose our beliefs and what we want to do with our lives.

Now hear this from Tharman.

‘There is more freedom now compared to a decade ago, “let alone when I was your age”…I was a dissident, a govt critic. It was completely different then, compared to where it is now. We have evolved into a society that has more freedoms, but it has some restrictions and they serve a purpose.”… “Society has to find the right balance and some freedoms have to be curbed for it to evolve in a way that advances other freedoms, he said. “Every society faces this. We haven’t found the perfect balance, and we have to keep evolving.”

The addition is prompted by Tharman's Press Secretary, that the first part about finding the perfect balance is still evolving and Tharman's view is that we haven't found the perfect balance. I do not want to misquote him.

(PS. I have rechecked the Today paper on the above quotes and that I have misquoted the DPM on the part about the perfect balance. My apologies to the DPM, no intention to misquote him. It is never my intention as such a thing can be easily checked. The key point in the article is about who should decide on the right amount of freedom, not so much as the perfect balance.)

The big question, who shall decide how much freedom we shall have? Do we elect our representatives to form the govt to curb our freedom, to decide how much freedom we shall have?

Are we happy with the amount of freedom we are having, and if not, why are we electing our representatives to curb our freedom and then complain that we don’t have enough freedom?

The freedom is ours in the first place. This is our country, we are the masters/owners of this land. We elect representatives to manage the country, not to rule over us, not to limit our freedom the way they like it. Why do we repeatedly elect our representatives to restrain our freedom as they wished? They will give us our freedom at an amount they think is right.

Is the GE a time for the people to elect their masters to rule over them?

Defence of Singapore cannot be outsourced?

Desmond Lee, the Senior Minister of State (Home Affairs) said this. This is like a changing of tune. First we have Lim Swee Say saying that we must nurture local talents which is something they had forgotten. Now we have Desmond Lee saying another thing they have forgotten, outsourcing defence of the country to foreigners. What do you think the auxiliary police force are doing at the check points, and who are they? Are they defending the country and are these officers, or many of them, are foreigners?

We have people taking our national defence, Total Defence, for granted. In fact some of the policies are undermining the very precepts of Total Defence. Not only that foreigners, and many from highly terrorist proned countries, are brought in to work here, to live among us, in the heartland, and many were even working in sensitive positions and trades. We have this silly notion that all foreigners are friendly and would not do harm to Singapore. Oh, they have evidence that the foreigners are only using Singapore as a base, not to harm Singapore, like the discovery of Bangladeshi terrorist cells. They are only planning terrorist activities in their home country. So it is ok. Foreigners are very nice to Singapore and Singaporeans.

Why is Desmond Lee saying something so fundamental and crucial to our nation’s defence, that we need to rely on our own citizens to do that, not to outsource to foreigners? How many policies are there, like hiring and bringing in foreigners indiscriminately and employed in industries and positions that could compromise our safety, security and the defence of our nation?

We exposed our citizens by letting foreigners of dubious backgrounds to live among them, and plenty of them are now living in HDB estates. We allowed foreigners to be employed in highly sensitive IT jobs, to guard our checkpoints! How thoughtless can this be? The checkpoints are the first line of defence and these foreigners guarding them could be the holes to let the terrorists through.

What are the people in security and intelligence thinking or doing that today, after so many years of flooding the island with potentially dangerous elements, and many already in positions to do harm and damage to our defence, the damage could have been done, that we have a Senior Minister of State (Home Affairs) raising the alarm? Did he just realize that this is a dangerous path to go forward? Is he just another swallow and the rest are still happy dreaming or sleeping and allowing the foreigners to take charge or be in position to create trouble to the defence of our nation and people?

Do they know what Total Defence is all about? Have they forgotten or is Total Defence just an aspiration, not meant to be anything? No need to take Total Defence seriously? It may be too late now with half the population comprising of foreigners that have no good things to talk about us and would do us in if they could.

Defence cannot be outsourced, or should our defence continue to be outsourced? What do you think? The whole of Home Affairs and Defence Ministries, only one junior minister is awaken by this sorry state of affair and think it is necessary to talk about it. It is not a problem to the rest of them in charge of defence of the country? Can it be said that since they did not say anything about it, they are happy with the situation except Desmond Lee? Or is Desmond Lee expressing their concerns in the open as a politician?

The thing that pissed me off most, and I believe every NSmen, is to be checked and harassed by foreigners in police uniform at the check points like we are potential terrorists when we are the ones trained to defend this country, to fight and die for this country. Why are we subject to interrogations and checks and the rude glare of foreigners that could be the real terrorists or potential terrorists that would do us harm?  This is our country and our country trust foreigners to check on us, the defenders of our country?

How silly can we get? Yes Desmond, wake them up.

South China Sea gunboat diplomacy – A divergent establishment view

We heard Bilahari and Ong Keng Yong’s view, one official and one personal, attacking China for trying to divide Asean in the South China Sea island disputes. Last Saturday, the ST published a divergent establishment view about the South China Sea, this time giving it another spin. Instead of a dispute between a few South East Asian countries, claiming islands and coral reefs in the South China Sea, the veil was dropped and the naked truth was exposed. It was an open contest for control of the South China Sea by the Americans, to reinforce its hegemony over the region in the name of Freedom of Navigation.

Leslie Fong, the former editor of the ST, an establishment men, or used to be a part of the establishment. His views must still be a reflection of what the establishment is thinking. But he put it that what he wrote was not his views but the view of a Taiwanese lady by the name Ms Oh Beigong through a letter to the Japanese Admiral in charge of the American Pacific Fleet by the name of Harry Harris. A yellow banana for sure, very like the Singaporean banana, but a very dangerous one.

In brief, Ms Oh Beigong, or in Hokien Ms Black White Said, the Americans were just pretending about Freedom of Navigation but using it to pick on China while the American allies like Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam have been doing exactly what China is doing but no Freedom of Navigation to their reclaimed and militarized islands were conducted by the Americans.

The bottom line, in Leslie’s article, through Ms Oh Beigong, is this. ‘Might is right. The US is out to stymie the rise of China and prevent it from challenging American dominance, if not hegemony. We get that. So do us a favour, please stop talking about high principles and international law. However, if you wish to regain at least a modicum of respect from clear sighted people in this region, here is something you…can do. In the name of asserting freedom of navigation and upholding international law, send your destroyer or whatever to an atoll in the Philippine Sea which the Japanese call Okinotorishima and claim as their territory….the atoll lies 1,700km south of Tokyo, …but less than 500 km from Taiwan itself.’

The American hypocrisy in the South China Sea is exposed by this dear letter to the American banana now called Harry Harris, no Hiroshima or Nagasaki. It is all about gunboat diplomacy, about control of the South China Sea, about American hegemony.

What shit is the talk about splitting Asean countries by the other side of the establishment? What is the real issue? China claiming the islands, Asean countries claiming the islands, or the American claiming the whole South China Sea?

Thank you Leslie Fong. Oops, thank you Ms Oh Beigong.