any more reasons to go to malaysia?

Why did Singaporeans rush to Malaysia in hoards over the weekend? 1. Big open space and leisure resorts. 2. Cheaper golf courses. 3. Cheaper food. including oil, sugar, milk powder, flour etc 4. Cheap petrol. 5. Safe and friendly environment. With the recent developments, with Singaporeans being easy targets for criminals, what else is left to attract Singaporeans to go across when all the things are no longer cheap. Even all the MNCs are moving out of Singapore and Malaysia to China and India. Does this ring a bell? That they have to be cheap to be attractive? Who would want to go to Malaysia when all things are equal and they did not have anything else to attract Singaporeans. Who would want to go to Genting when our own IRs are operational?

end of the road for agents and agencies

I once wrote about the participation of GLCs in the domestic economy, competing with the SMEs and little individuals for business, flexing their financial muscles, contacts and expertise. All these will only drive the small businesses out of business. I advocated that GLCs, because of their size and finances, and govt links, should compete in areas where barriers to entry are high and difficult for SMEs. When Temasek starts to expand overseas buying up other big companies, I thought that is what they should be doing. And when they compete in a different market with the biggies, the domestic markets can be left for the SMEs and little individuals whom they want to encourage to be entrepreneurs, to have a go at them. Looks like this is not going to be the case. From the way things are moving, all the agents and agencies will be driven out of business. The provider of services or product agencies cannot compete with the big boys when they are unleashed to wipe out all the small businesses. With the latest rulings on commission for housing agents, where only one side needs to pay, housing agent's income will be half. And if this is extended further, when buyer and seller are encouraged to do it themselves, or go online, that will be the end of the housing agent industry. The stockbroking agents are struggling to make ends meet. The drop in business and commission is already wiping out any growth in their income. Now the banks are allowed to trade stocks for their clients. This is already bad enough. Taking more clients out of the market from the small stockbroking agents as if the banks will go broke for lack of business. The worst to come is for the banks to compete by slashing commission rates. That will kill an industry that is struggling to be alive. So with the banks going upstream and downstream for more businesses, is there any room for the small individuals? Isn't it the govt's intention to limit the banks to just do banking and divest all their assets and businesses in non core areas? And for small product agencies, don't be too happy. Soon all the agencies too will be usurped by the bigger GLCs. But for all those who will be driven out of their agent and agency businesses, do not despair. The govt will be more than willing to help. Many jobs are created specially for them. Go for retraining, and clean tables at foodcourts. Or become environment specialists, cut and water plants or sweep floors. And with mechanisation, the jobs are quite comfortable. And for those who still can't make it, or can't bring themselves down to these professional levels of their new jobs, they can queue up for Comcare handouts. The whole game plan has been carefully planned as part of the restructuring that the country is going through. And it is good for everyone. Majulah Singapura!

ge round 27: cordial and friendly competition

Saw a brief moment when Hsienloong was on tv when he met a delegation of the opposition at a food court. Both exchanged greetings, big smiles and handshakes and a little loose chat. If only such friendliness can be maintained during the election without anyone going after the jugular. Competing candidates should treat each other with respect and civility and challenge each other on issues and programmes and not hitting under the belt. They should remain on friendly terms during and after the election campaign. Then we can say our political system is maturing, and politicians also maturing. Hooliganism and gangsterism must not surface during the campaigning for the good of future Singapore.

world's 2nd most peaceloving nation: north korea

North Korea has emerged as the world's second most peace loving nation after the USA. This is in accordance to the new definition for peace loving and friendly nation that the world is now led to believe in. The USA is the number one peace loving nation. And to qualify to be peace loving, the country must threaten to invade another nation, or even invade another country, or threaten to launch pre emptive strike against another nation. The USA has done all that. Invaded Iraq, fighting in Afganistan, threatening to launch an attack against Iran, threatening to launch a pre emptive strike against North Korea. And yesterday North Korea did just that. It threatens to launch a pre emptive strike against the USA and will not sit idly by to wait for the USA to strike first. It also has the capability, though not able to launch so many ICBMs, to attack the US. For once the most friendly and peace loving nation is being threatened by the second most friendly and peace loving nation with a pre emptive strike. Now we will see how the US reacts to such a threat.

general election: engaging issues

Technically and legally if the MDA said that any blog or forum talks politics must register with them, then we have to register. And technically this applies to blogs/forums by Singaporeans or non Singaporeans. Only difference is whether they are able to enforce them when non citizens are concerned. For Singaporeans, this is our law and they can throw the book at us. It is up to them whether to do it or not. What is interesting and I would like to quote Hsienloong's statement over the weekend: "But when we have Opposition parties which avoid the issues, which refuse to answer questions, which publish a manifesto and...(which) say, well, the manifesto speaks for itself - and refuse to explain, defend, elaborate and persuade - then I think it's a very strange sort of competition," Let me substitute the above with a few words and hopefully Balaji reads it. I saw him together with Hsienloong when the above was mentioned. "But when we have Government which avoid the issues, which refuse to answer questions, which publish a regulation and...(which) say, well, the regulation speaks for itself - and refuse to explain, defend, elaborate and persuade - then I think it's a very strange sort of government, Ever since Balaji came out with his regulation on controlling free speech in blogs and forums, he has been very reticent about it, without any further explanation though many people are asking for clarifications. Maybe grassroot or peasants are too unimportant for him to reply. There is no need to engage grassroot in any discussion.