Are our taxi drivers professional?

How much would it cost from the Chinese Embassy at Tanglin Road to Redhill MRT station? The distance is about 2 km. This auntie took a Comfort cab and had to pay $4.30 for the trip. The distance registered by the cab is 3.5km. Receipt details: Comfort Transportation GST No. M2-0113048-4, SH 8135A. Trip No. 121010323 Start 10/12/2007 10:32 End 10/12/2007 10:40 Meter Fare $4.30 Have a nice day. The auntie is still fuming mad for being taken for a ride.

More ups. Economy up, salary up.

Over the last few days childcare centre cost has gone up by $75 pm. And taxi fares up. Flag down fare up by 30c plus other charges also up. The comparison for a 9 km trip during peak hours is $14.35 against Hongkong's $14.30. Very compatible as if the commuters can switch to Hongkong cab if local cab is too expensive. A substitution idea. Then the mandatory comparison with Sydney at $28.70 and London at $51.60. So we are cheap, very cheap. How about comparing lemon to lemon? What is their average income compare to an average Singaporean?

1/3 full or 2/3 empty?

Zul Othman reported in Today on a poll conducted by Globescan and Synovate on press freedom versus social stability. The survey concluded that '48 per cent of Singaporeans feel controls on the media necessary.' Or is it 52% say it is not necessary? It also said, '...43 per cent felt a free press was very important.' So 57% must feel that press freedom is not important. And 'Some 42 per cent of Singaporeans gave a "good job" rating to govt-funded media in accuracy and honesty,...' What about the 58%? So, should we say one third full or two third empty?

Providence smiling at the Red Dot

While all the super talents were planning and strategising their moves to conquer the financial world, Providence was watching. What human beans intend, without the aid of Providence, will hardly get anywhere. But when Providence smiles, fortune comes a knocking at our door. We have spent a lot of money buying little banks and incurred the anger and minds of their petty leaders. They basically said, we want your money but not your presence. Or we don't like you. Leave your money here and get lost. Then the sub prime loan crisis came and many fell along the wayside. And Providence keeps smiling. The Red Dot is welcomed to work with the big international banks. The number one European bank, the UBS is offering the little Red Dot a majority share in the bank. And the little Red Dot did not even have to sweat for it. I don't think we even think of owning such a bank. But Providence smiles only on those who prepare themselves for it. We have positioned ourselves well and being in the right place and the right time counts. Also being seen as a decent and predictable entity, operating under the rule of the law and not the rule of the fist helps. Singapore should discard its little boy mentality and walk with the big boys in the international arena. Forget about wheeling and dealing with the kampong chieftains. Singapore can go places.

Throwing caution to the wind

It is necessary to seek alternative views and opinions. People who come out with different views and perspectives are not necessary the devils or trying to spoil the broth. There is a front page article on Ngiam Tong Dow in the Today paper. Ngaim is talking through his vast experience and is cautioning against this unquestioning righteousness and the arrogance of never wrong. He revealed, through hindsight, what had gone wrong of decisions that were then seemed so right and backed up by even Goh Keng Swee. History will vindicate what is right or wrong many years down the road. Many things are being sung tonight as the best decisions and the right decisions. Would they stand up tomorrow as the right things to do? The second point which Ngiam was trying to say, which we all know, is that the realities on the ground are more real than mere statistics churned our by statisticians. We need to read statistics wisely and carefully and not be lulled into a sense of well being when what is happening at the ground level is saying that things are not right. Ngaim's third key concern is the way we are pushing up our population growth. The consequences of what we are doing now at this maddening speed will tell tomorrow. By then it is too late to unwind. And the faster we hit the 6 million mark, the faster we will hit recession. Unless we continue to pursue population growth as an engine of growth and do not stop at 6 million. The question is what then when 6 million is reached? The convinced and believers will just believe blindly. But we need the doubters, the non believers to tell the other side of the story.