ge round 28: a watershed

Kan Seng said this GE is a watershed election as it is again witnessing the passing of the baton to a new pm. Indeed this is a new milestone. But there are many more things that will make this a historical moment. First there is the ballooning of the younger voters coming into the scene and the fading away of the first generation senior citizens. Then there is the internet that changes the way information reaches out to the people. Political views and issues are exchanged and no longer a one way process as in the past. The people talk back. Never have so much money been placed on the table in a GE, eg upgrading and progress package. The total amount probably exceeds $10 billion. For the first time the opposition parties are getting much better quality candidates than in the past. Young professionals are stepping forward to offer themselves as opposition candidates. The ruling party is seeing the changing of the guards and a third generation of leaders taking over the helm. According to Chinese traditional belief the third generation presents a lot of uncertainties. It either marks the beginning to an end or is an end in itself. But given the strength of the PAP, it is likely to see at most a big dent. Lets see how dramatic is this watershed. Would the people give a rousing support to the new PAP team and clean up the opposition? Or will the people's wish for a strong opposition be granted with the opposition taking a couple of GRCs? Either way it will be a watershed indeed.

hu jintao should call off his visit to the usa

The americans are not showing any sign of sincerity to host the visit by Hu Jintao. In fact in every aspect they are trying to tell Hu Jintao that he is second rate and does not deserve the full honour of a head of state. For Hu Jintao to proceed to visit the US is as a good as turning his face to be slapped. He will be an embarrassment to the Chinese people when the host country is showing all the signs to treat him less than what he is. It is better for Hu Jintao to call off the visit and saves the embarrassment not only to him but to his country and people. This visit is now a joke in cyberspace.

da vinci code

There seems to be a hot debate on whether the film Da Vinci Code shall be allowed to be screened here. Those who were against complained that the film is a heresy, undermining some of the sacred beliefs of Christianity. And they claimed that the filmmakers and those who allowed the screening of the film are insensitive to Christians and their beliefs. Those who want the film to be shown said that the film is just an entertainment and people are smart enough to know that it is fiction. Something like Lord of the Ring or Harry Potter. Shall we screen the film or no? Can a religious group, not necessary on this issue, or the Christians, any group, insist that because of sensitive grounds, dictate what can be screened or what cannot be screened? Or do we have a body to mediate on such issues?

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!