Threats of high legal cost

Jonathan Lock is faced with another legal battle with his lawyer. And the most intimidating factor is the high legal cost. How many people will have the money to fight a legal battle in our courts? The first thing that will hurt is the big hole in the pocket. For those people who have no problem in paying for the huge legal fee, taking anyone to court seems to be a convenient practice as it is to their advantage. And most poor buggers will have to back off, even apologise and pay damages knowing that they are right. Is this how our justice system is going to be?

First frivolous protest

Allow protest, even frivolous ones for a start. A site was identified for the stockpile of granite in Lim Chu Kang. And the farmers are protesting that the granite dust will affect their crops. And the 6m fencing is also seen as a threat, blocking sunlight from the crops. I am refraining from laughing out loud. How serious can this protest be? But it is a good start. No demonstration or people marching down Orchard Rd or Shenton Way. Just standing up to say no. And with a petition to back up.

What if?

The Americans and the West are furious that the Myanmese military junta beat up the peaceful protestors, used tear gas and bullets on them. And they are calling for a regime change, saying that the junta is unfit to run the country. Now what if Chee Soon Juan is able to gather a couple of hundreds of people in a public and peaceful protest and forces the police to use the baton and other means of physical force? Would the Americans and the West also call for a regime change? It would be tricky.

EPF outperformed CPF

Read in many blogs that EPF is outperforming our CPF, at least in the interest they are paying. 6% or 6.5% is a lot over a 30 or 50 year period compares to 2.5 or 4%. Compounding them, it is easily 150% to 200% more than what we are getting from our CPF. We must send our ministers to KL to learn from them. Then we can give our CPF members a better return. And if the answer is 'if they are so good, take the CPF and put it there lah,' I will. But don't just talk only and don't mean it. Don't worry about a depreciating ringgit if the money is to be spent within Malaysia and for retirement. It appreciates or increase in value actually.

Balancing greed and passion

I left the civil service because I was paid pittance. How could a bread winner stay on a job that could not provide sufficiently for his family? That should be the basis for consideration in the compensation of a job, especially a higher level job or the equivalent of the Admin Service. At that time, I was told, the head of PSC believed that people should serve in the civil service with passion, a duty to the country. Pay should not be the main draw. Within two years after I left the civil service the pay was revised, and revised and revised. Today, the civil servants are getting a pay no less attractive than the private sector. And many good men were retained to serve in the capacity of public servants. And probably many of these good men will be saying to themselves, am I being over paid? Should there be a question of passion to serve? It is tricky to balance between passion and pay. How much pay is too much? How low pay will dismiss the passion in a man/woman to serve when he is not able to provide his dependants with a decent and comfortable life? This is a million dollar question best left to those who are paid in millions to decide.