Of ethics, pride and shame

Singapore is the second least corrupt country in Asia after Hongkong. Not a bad medal to wear. But is this tooth or truth? A CEO running a huge organisation may be stripped of all his responsibilities and kicked upstair and given a grand title like Master CEO or Grand Master... and continue to receive his obscene pay. His new job description could be in charge of the welfare of the tea lady and the toilet cleaners. And he continues happily going to office looking after the tea lady and cleaners, and with great pride and a lot of pay. Is this corruption? A board director who does not do anything material, who may not even attend board meetings, and continues to collect his fat director's fee happily. Is this corruption? In the strict sense of the definition, these are not corruption. The things that border people are ethics, pride and shame. Do these people have any ethical values to talk about? Are they proud of what they are doing? Do they have any sense of guilt or shame? Are they the role models in our society?

No words from Mas Selamat's family

I have been trying to hear from Mas Selamat's family and see what they have to say on his escape. After two weeks, still nothing heard. Neither was there any report on them. I think they must have given up on Mas Selamat. Or the journalists have all given up on them too. They are not news worthy, falling in the same category like how Mas Selamat escape. There may be people who want to know. But no one thinks it is important to follow up and do a write up about them. Would the family want to know where Mas Selamat is, or is he dead or alive?

Call for govt to take over public transport

Ng E Jay wrote to the ST calling for the govt to take over public transport as privatisation does not lead to more competition and efficiency. Has Ng E Jay forgotten that only through privatisation can organisations become more efficient? Taking over by the govt, according to our conventional wisdom, is a step backward, and public transport will become less efficient. Only through privatisation can public transport become efficient. And that is the tooth. Are Singaporean gullible or unthinking?

Malaysia's rite of passage

Below is a comment by Shad Saleem Faruqi in the Mypaper which I find very relevant. New Politics 'The electorate is not, any more, swayed exclusively by racial and religious appeal. The old technique of appealing to people's fear and insecurities did not work. The feudal hold of party overlords seems to have weakened. The Malay electorate seems to have cast off traditional loyalties. A maturing electorate saw through all the political rhetoric, the issues of corruption, arrogance of power and price rises.... The voting population has demonstrated that there are limits to its gullibility.' Shad is a Professor of Law at Universiti Teknologi Mara.

A city for dogs

I wrote earlier about dogs competing for space with human beans. I just come a cross an article in the Today paper reminding readers that it is an offence to abandon dogs. And the fine is $10k. Not a small sum to commit such a crime. I am wondering whether there is a similar act for abandoning parents or children. Just wondering. While we are going all out to protect the dogs, spare a thought for the human beans that are abandoned.