Would Singaporeans be motivated by money?

In Parliament Kan Seng announced that a $1m bounty is waiting for anyone who squealed on Mas Selamat's whereabout and leading to his recapture. What he emphasised is that the money is from private individuals, not from the govt. Maybe the govt does not believe that people can be motivated to work for money. But apparently the two individuals thought so. And they would like to sacrifice half a million each to motivate the poor Singaporeans to look out for Mas Selamat. Will it work? Is money that important in the psyche of Singaporeans that they will not work harder to capture Mas Selamat? Why won't Singaporeans go out and hunt for him in the name of country and nation? What happen to the selfless Singaporeans that believe in some virtues like sacrificing for the nation, dying for the nation, instead of working just for money? The other point to note is that till now, 5 months after his 'escape', there is not a thread of news on his whereabout. There are two possibilities. He is long dead in the wilderness. That explains why no one knows where he is. The second explanation, more frightening, is that the people who helped him to escape and harbouring him, are damn professional, committed and will protect him at all cost. And these are people who are unlikely to be moneyminded. They are unlikely to sell him out for money. People who are motivated by a cause will die for the cause, like those suicide bombers. Money is not important to them. Money only motivates the superficials or those who need money. As a country, we need to motivate our people to work, sacrifice and die for the country on more noble causes or on some silly idealism. This kind of motivators will beat money anytime. Our NS men will die and fight for the country even if they are paid a pittance. Without such sense of duty and commitment to a nation, we are as good as a goner. The $1m will be a test to see if Mas Selamat's accomplices could be bribed by it. And if $1m is too little, maybe gradually increase the stake and see how much will they bite. Eventually the price should be high enough to move some of them, hopely.

Fear not retirement plan

Singaporeans got it made for life. They should not fear being unemployed and penniless. I am not referring to the CPF Life. That one is bull. The real stuff is to cash out when property prices are up. And it is up and up as it has been reported almost daily. Just pray that more foreigners keep coming onto our shores to support the property market. After selling their HDB flats, should be between $500k to $750k, park the money in fixed deposits and live frugally. That will be enough to last them for 30 or 40 years. Where to stay, squat in a temple if possible or with the children. If not, rent a room from the FTs who have bought over their flats. Two old folks, why do they need more than a room? They could not even have the energy to mop the flat. Renting a room will remove such a chore. Let the FTs look after and maintain the flats. Never mind if they become the new landlords. When you have more than half a million in the bank, nothing to worry about. Sell everything, don't own anything. Just convert to cash. This is the latest mantra now I think. And the beautiful surroundings and parks will be like the garden of Eden to be enjoyed in the twilight years.

Housing glut

HDB must have sold the 10,000 units of unwanted flats by now. Today, despite some trying to talk up the private housing market, the numbers are telling, that many are unsold and the stock is growing. The developers must have built and continue to build on the premise of a 6.5 mil population. With this as a guiding principle, building another 50,000 units would not be a problem. But should there be a change of the master plan, many of these private units will be left high and dry. Then again, knowing that we don't meddle with market mechanism, we can still open the immigration door a little wider and the new arrivals will quickly snap up the excess in supply. Private developers are in such a privilege position and in land scarce Singapore, investing in properties is a sure win formula. This may be the reason why the 6.5 mil population target is unshakable. Too many stakes involved.

More gems coming our way

Parliament sitting today and we can expect more gems to come out from it. And with topics like organ transplant and ERPs to wet the appetite, I think we can expect a glorious time. Let's wait and see if some will argue on high moral grounds and invite their gods or religions to sit on the high pedestals in Parliament. Would not that be a forceful way to get their points across? With such uppertance, sectoral views can easily be used to influence or be shafted into the throats of people who don't believe in the same virtues, gods, religions or cultural smugness. This is normal in a small society like ours when the gods are already in place and know that they can command order and respect. Relax and wait for the fun to start. I don't think we will be disappointed.

A little icing and confetti

Below is an extract of a ST report that ERPs are well received and motorists are happy with their brightly coloured designs. I think they could make motorists happier by giving them a cup of free ice cream or coffee every time they pass through gantry. That will be great service! And the motorists will all be talking about how good the ice cream or coffee was, and how thoughtful. "MOTORISTS are giving the thumbs up to ERP charges - at least the way the amount payable is displayed on gantries. Snazzy colourful icons of vehicles and the amount motorists have to pay at various times are now revealed brightly in a panel at the top of the gantry. First unveiled on July 7 when five gantries downtown became operational, the new-style display has since been set up on 40 of 65 gantries in use. By Nov 3, the panels, each costing about $65,000, will be on 70 gantries. This is when five more gantries will come onstream in places like Commonwealth Avenue, Jalan Bukit Merah and Alexandra Road."