myth 67

'It is very difficult to do business in Singapore' Who said so? There are many companies that are doing exceptionally well here. But they must know the secret formula to succeed. Actually there are two parts to that secret formula. And most companies already satisfied the first part. Yes, Privatise! So all private companies are already privatised and should have no problem. The second part of the formula is to run the company on a profit making basis. Tell the CEOs and management teams that the companies must make profits to exist. Simple isn't it. So the formula reads like this. First privatise, second make profits. And if any company still have difficulties operating as a going concern with handsome profits, they should consult some of the very successful govt companies that have been privatised eg SMRT, SBS, hospitals etc etc Just a money making idea. All these successful privatised companies should conduct courses on how to be a profit making private company. And with their track records, they should be able to charge a high attendance fee. They have a lot of success stories to tell.

say something, wei ling

I would really like to invite Wei Ling to this forum, to speak up and be the diva. No matter how much we kpkb, no matter how often people write to the papers or where else, nobody is going to listen. This morning Lim Boon Hee pointed out the issue of why only season passes for SBS buses and not the others. The half past six conception of this piecemeal solution is obvious to anyone. No need super talent brain to look at its implementation with horrors. Without a Wei Ling, everyone is listening, or pretending to be listening. But nothing enters or registers. Where are all the politicians who claimed that they care for the people? You need a Wei Ling to say it and all will chorus with amazing predictability. And they will suddenly rise to the occasion as if they just thought about it. Before that, no one could see that the sound solution is there staring in their faces. Please say something Wei Ling.

speaking political truth

Going by the responses from the Malaysian non bumi political parties and people, there is absolutely no discrimination in Malaysia. And they are all very happy with the course of development and the progress of the various communities. What is the truth? It is so apparent that people are saying what they don't believe in while the truth is rubbished as dangerous. Having said that, it is up to the Malaysians to fight their own battle. We are outsiders and our comments are not appreciated. Not by the bumis and also not by the non bumis. Thank you LKY for your concern. Some will quietly appreciate what was said behind closed doors. On the other hand some will have no choice but to speak up against it. That is politics of survival. In politics you are not expected to speak the truth but what is politically correct.

from a kingdom to a republic

Thaksin has been accused of all the sins of his govt. There are good reasons and objections to how he managed his own finances and businesses and how he handled the Muslim insurgency problems in the south. But has Thaksin done any good to the country and the Thai people? During his watch as a PM, he had weathered the financial crisis with scintillating results. Thailand was the earliest to recover from the crisis and the Thai economy has grown from strength to strength. He has given away a lot of money and did many projects to benefit the ordinary Thais, especially the farmers. Now who else has done these to the Thai people and the Thai economy? No one, not even the royal families have done anything that really improve the Thai farmer's lives. And for what were the perceived wrongs of Thaksin, there is no justification to conduct a military coup to remove him. This coup is very exceptional in the way it originated and would have far reaching consequences to Thai politics and may even undermine the sanctity of the palace. Would the revered King become an issue? Would this be a watershed in the history of Thailand? Would this be the spark that would turn a kingdom into a republic?

listening but not hearing

During last night's PM dialogue with the youth the concern of letting in too many foreign talents in the salary bracket of $1,800 and $2,500 were raised. This is the group that will hit very hard on our young graduates and executives. The fear is genuine. Hsien Loong's response was to acknowledge the concern but added, 'I think we should bring in people who can make a contribution and as for our people, you'll compete with them but at the same time because they are here, our economy will grow and there will be more business, more opportunities for us.' Some may think that Singaporeans are incapable of competing with the foreigners. Maybe. And they are genuine and valid reasons why Singaporeans are worried of foreign competition. It is not that they are not competitive or would not work as hard. What they need is to be able to compete fairly, on a level playing field. How could Singaporeans compete with foreigners when the playing field in his own country, homeground, is levelled against him? Is this fair? For those who cannot see the uneven playing field, they should remove their blinkers. And Hsien Loong added, 'If I'm buying an HDB flat, I want to make sure that it's built as best as cheaply, as efficiently, as best as possible. So if they have foreign workers, foreign draughtsman, foreign architects, I would be happy because I think it's good for Singaporeans.' Then what about me, us, Singaporeans? What are we going to do? Be cleaners, or go overseas to third world countries and earn third world salaries? If these Singaporeans cannot find a job here because of foreign talents, how are they going to compete in the international arena? There must be fine tuning on this foreign talent policy. We need to employ our young graduates from the polytechnics and universities. They must be allowed to compete on an equal basis with foreigners, better with an advantage. How can they be disadvantaged in their own home country?