I don't feel safe in my neighbourhood anymore

This is what Tan Ting Ting said in her letter to the ST forum. Her neighbour was attacked after a late night party, bashed and robbed. She used to feel so pleased about the quiet and peaceful neighbourhood of Anchorage and Sengkang but these have turned into fear. Another woman was murdered at Holland Road and a Bangladeshi worker is being charged. Like I said, it is only the beginning. But thank god, statistically we are still looking very good. The crime numbers are still negligible. Then if you don't add people being assaulted as crime but personal and private problems between two people, then we can keep the numbers even lower. Fortunately or unfortunately the woman that was bashed was also robbed. Otherwise it would be another private matter for her to pursue with her lawyers. There must be regulations to limit and restrict the rental of HDB flats to foreign workers. Having a flat with 5 or more men, all hungry, burly and lonely is a recipe for trouble. Only the naive Singaporeans who have lived a life of peace and undisturbed existence will think that life will always be that way even with so many foreigners living next door. The day will come when the mothers, the wives and the daughters would not dare to walk alone in HDB void decks or corridors. That is the price to pay for our reckless disregard of social and environmental security. You only need one or two bad hats in a thousand to create pain and fear.

How Singaporeans think

Actually Singaporeans don't think. Only the elite think. The hottest issue now is Minister's pay. Ministers and MPs are not employees but elected people's representatives in parliament. Their tenure of service is subject to the mandate of the people every 4 years. The concern previously is that these people may be tempted to corrupt if they are not paid well. So their salaries, wonder that is the right term, were raised to million dollars level. With that we have solved our problem of corruption at high places. Now the new thinking is that their salaries need to be raised further. For what? Corruption is out. The new reason is to attract more future capable people to join politics. They are paying the current batch to prove to the future leaders that this is what they can get if they go into politics. Before, we use money to buy honesty. Now we use money to buy honesty and talents. Whose thinking? Not the average Singaporeans on the street. It is elite think. They think for the average Singaporeans. And many average Singaporeans also think that this is right thinking. Nobody question what is enough, what is enough to buy honesty and what is enough to buy talents. Is $5m enough? Is $10m enough or $20m?

Can Ah Pek cope with the taxi surcharge system?

There are so many surcharges and additional fares to be added to the fare. Can our Ah Pek taxi drivers cope with such a complicated system? Can the Ah Mahs and elderly aunties and uncles know that they are paying the exact fare and not being fleeced? How to remember all these charges? Maybe we should raise the educational level of taxi drivers to at least a degree in mathematics or computer science. It is no joke trying to remember and calculate all these charges in a hurry. With the high income, taxi driving is now quite attractive. And if they can raise the fare a little bit more, I may consider driving taxi as well. With the new system, all the driver needs is to park his taxi in the car park and wait for calls. No need to drive around wasting expensive fuel. It is like ring a service. I think that should be the way to go for the taxi service.

When I'm 85

What it be like? At 85, probably my best friends will be Dementia and Amnesia. What would I be thinking of, or remember of? Very likely will be the fantasies of Hollywood. Yulp, the great movies of yesteryears like the Three Mouseketeers, all for one and one for all, Robin Hood, the one who rob the poor to help the rich, or Ali Baba and his 40 thieves or the Band of Robbers or Brothers. Can't really remember which is which. Then the great leaders of the past, Marcoos, Sueharto and Mahatail, all honoured in the Hall of Fame. But one good thing, I can live on my savings from the Compulsory Annuity Insurance. No need to work and keep collecting till I conk off, and all $350 a month. Ho, ho, ho, plenty of money to live by if not having to pay for first class hospitalisation bill. Now that would be a good life, in an old folks retirement village. Hope the villages will not be like some concentration camps.

Do the right thing when assaulted

Singaporeans must learn from KM Ho, the communications manager, who was attacked by a drunk US sailor while parking his car. When attacked, do not defend yourself by hitting back. Run if you can, but never strike back. For not hitting back, the attacker got no grounds to counter sue you when you initiated legal actions against him. So you are quite assured of getting some compensation. In this case, the captain of the ship also called KM Ho to apologise and he was invited to tour the US naval ship as well as a reward. Not bad at all. And if you have some friends to write to the msm to blow up the case, even in the internet, will all help to keep the offending party on the defensive, especially big organisations.