Chinatown hawker centre. Hawker Centres are a national heritage, selling a wide variety of food at very reasonable prices. They are spread across the whole island and is part of the Singapore way of life.
3/04/2008
3 flawed concepts as policies
3 obviously flawed concepts are now national policies. The Longetivity Annuities/CPF Life and Mean Testing both go against the grain of thrift and private properties. They were conceived with your money in mind and to compel the people to spend them against their will. They also go against the principle of letting the people be more self reliance and be responsible for their own lives.
Longetivity Annuities, now repacked as CPF Life, are based on the assumptions that people will live to 85 and more and have no money or means to look after themselves. The result is an insurance scheme that only helps those who may not need to be helped and left out those that need to be help.
Mean Testing if not properly executed is better not done at all. Everyone, every individual, has his own peculiar problems. It cuts through religious, social and cultural values. You can't tell someone that his $10k income is good enough and his 10 wives and 20 children are his problem.
Doing a proper mean testing requires a lot of time and resources. To oversimplify it is a waste of time and effort as all the errors and exceptions will creep in. Is the effort worth it to do a half baked job to catch a few prudent individuals who may have some money but not millions that cannot be spent away?
The assumptions that people earning $4k, $5k or $6k, can afford to pay more is grossly flawed. How many people with this kind of income are able to pay a $50k hospital bill? More subsidies are provided in the budget. So? The subsidies to be collected back by the hospitals as income and even profit and the medical fees keep going up.
Lack of doctors and overworked doctors! Whose fault? What kind of planning has caused us to reach such a pathetic state? We also have shortage of lawyers. Why?
What is the third flawed concept? Medisave. It is a scheme that guarantees one thing. Many people will die without touching the money. Some may use a little and a small group will deplete it. Then people will laugh, 'What is $30K? What's the big deal?'
Yes, it is not even near a peanut. But to many, this is a money that is their life fortune. Money that they can use to live a bit more decently and even pampered themselves a little. Alas, they are not going to touch it in their life time.
Is it cruel to deprive these hard life buggers from their little nest eggs in the name of 'It is for their own good?'
We will not micro manage the people's life. Is this the tooth?
3/03/2008
The burden of high salaries
All the hype about paying high salaries to supertalents is now taking a knock. There have been many strong views and attacks on Kan Seng since the disappearing of the Jedi or JI. And if one looks at the reasonings behind it, it is all linked to the high ministerial salaries. They are demanding for greater accountability and responsibility commensurate with the high salaries.
Would these people be less harsh on Kan Seng if he is not getting this kind of salary? When high salaries are equated with high talent and ability, the expectation becomes very high as well. You said you are damn good and deserve that high salary, then you better peform and prove that you are worth the money. And when you fumbled, the people is going to come after you.
Indeed the high salary, high talent, high expectation formula is becoming a double edged sword. I think the people will be much more kinder and forgiving if the salary is not tagged to high talent and ability. Are these people justified in their expectation and can demand for the axe to fall if it is not met?
It's an exercise...Want to know more?
Let me speculate on this theory with more clues that I have gathered from the msm. Don't take it seriously. This is an exercise too, for those who want to see it this way. And those who want to see it from another perspective can also try to collect their own evidence to support their case.
1. We are famous for being professional and meticulous to the point that nothing can go wrong. And for a highly dangerous prisoner, fat hope that he can fly out from the detention centre.
2. There is a physical breach! Ridiculous suggestion. It is as good as saying our men are sleeping on the job. Unikely.
3. They took 4 hours to release the news. Another sign that there is no need to hurry.
4. The information were in drips and draps and not very accurate. Execise material.
5. Kan Seng was seen on TV smiling. A big giveaway.
6. Search was only on one part of the island around Whitley area. Why only one part and the MacRitchie part not touched on the first day? A bit of artificiality here.
7. Sniffer dogs are now in use, after several days. Why not the first day?
8. Interpol was informed also after a couple of days. Probably no need to tell them but on second thought.
9. After so many days, still searching from one park to another, assuming that he can only hide in parks. Why not HDB or housing estate as the first day? Going into housing estates will be troublesome as it will get the people all excited and difficult to coordinate. In the parks and reserves, like exercise grounds.
10. More information are given after a few days, like computer games. As one advances into the game, more information will be provided to lead the players along.
11. No need to put up monetary rewards for a Most Wanted Man.
12. No condemnation from the US or our neighbours. Now this part is very interesting. I am exhausting my possible clues.
13. Hsien Loong hasn't spoken on this I think. No need to make him comment on an exercise
I think these should be enough to build a case that it is an exercise.
The most realistic exercise
Let me just speculate a little on this great escape. At the end of the day it could be the most realistic exercise any country could have conducted. Given the fact that he is a little lame, tagged, and in a small and high tech island where cctv and satellite technology are being harnassed to the fullest, even a mosquito can be tracked and monitored. He will be caught of course.
The rewards, the whole system being tested to the fullest. The people becoming fully aware of the threat of terrorism and would not take it for granted. Civil Defence and people's participation and involvement also tested.
It is a very worthwhile exercise with everything being controlled and closely monitored while Mas Selamat Kastari thought he was on the run. And they may even be rewarded with all the attempts and contacts that Mas tried in the wilderness.
Who would have the last laugh? Don't take things at face value in the city of possibilities. And they don't have to admit it publicly that it was afterall a well coordinated exercise.
He's still here!
This is the most positive and assuring statement coming out from the police. They even confirmed that he was not limping as was previously reported. The limp is only noticeable when he runs. And he could jump start cars easily. Hope he could find a car in the jungle.
Hi elle, there have been many conspiracy theories around this escape. It is something that no one believe will happen here. In our neighbouring countries such escapes are expected and occurred quite frequently. Not in the red dot.
Now that they are so sure that he is here, you can bet on it that he will be captured. Unless this 'he's still here' is just another guess.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)