Another ugly case of monopoly

Nets charging $5 not refundable for a new card that has an expiry date. First, why must there be an expiry date if the card is in good condition? Many people bought more than one card, some kept as spares and hardly used. Secondly, is the $5 justified? Why allow only one organisation to monopolise the sale of such a card to the public when usage is almost unavoidable or near compulsory to some? Shouldn't there be some control or regulation over such a monopoly till alternative suppliers are in the market? It is like asking car owners to take MRT when there is only one MRT while better alternatives are not ready or available other than the snail buses.

High noon in Paradise

Below is a post I lifted from TOC. The post was dated April 9, yesterday. This is the 125 comments on this thread posted in TOC. It is more than 40 days after the great escape from paradise and the heat is still on. It is like high noon in paradise. Insulted Says: April 9, 2008 at 1:05 am I do not know about the rest but as a Singaporean I feel insulted. Yet I can do nothing as I have never had the chance to excercise by right to vote (mind you, I am in my mid 40s) because of governments efficiency in re-drawing boundaries and creating bigger GRCs. At the least I definitely do not feel humiliated, the 66.6% should, because they were complacent.

Paying for top grade rice

There was this restaurant that used to buy low grade rice. Over the years, as its business improved, it increased its budget for rice. Gradually it moved from low grade to medium grade, to top grade and to the best grade money could buy. It's budget for rice increased from $200 monthly to $2000. All was well and they kept telling their guests that the restaurant served the best grade rice in town. The bosses were happy, the customers were also happy. The most happy person was the master chef. He did all the purchasing. What the bosses and the customers did not know was that they were paying top dollars for the same low grade rice all the years. No one was wiser except the master chef.

No PM potential!

Hsien Loong must be having a hard time looking for a successor for the PM position. Even among the present batch of ministers, no one is likely to fit into that position. I think I know the answer to this problem. Hsien Loong must have discussed the topic with his colleagues. And very likely they all told him that they were not good enough or have no ambition to be the next PM. The problem thus lies in not having anyone with the ambition or aspiration to want to be the PM. This is the same problem as no one in his right mind wanting to stand for the Elected President. When no one want the job or think that they are good enough for the job, maybe with the exception of a few loonies in the opposition, we really have a replacement problem. How could Hsien Loong fire up the people, including his ministers, to be audacious enough to say they want to be the next PM?

Openness, dignity and integrity

'You cannot be a political party and be strong in a democracy when there is a strong disconnection between your message and what the populace is now about. And the populace is now about openness, dignity and integrity.' Dr Ooi Kee Beng, a fellow at the Institute of SE Asian Studies. Ooi was referring to UMNO and commented that the days of Barisan National is over.