New measures to boost fertility

'SINGAPORE: A new package of measures to raise Singapore's baby count will be introduced next month, said Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng. Speaking at the 150th anniversary celebrations of the KK Women's & Children's Hospital on Sunday, Mr Wong warned that Singapore's population could be hard hit if its total fertility rate is not boosted....' ST. Let me offer a few suggestions. 1. Sack the whole Film Censorship Board. 2. Stop checking and arresting people bringing in VCDs and DVDs at the causeway. 3. Free prescription of Tongkat Ali and friends. 4. Generous buffet dinner of prawns and oysters huh. 5. No one allows to stay in office after 7pm. 6. No night ERP charges. This one a bit tricky. No ERP charges may slow down traffic and delay reaching home early. 7. Lights off at 10pm to save electricity. Video watching permitted. 8. Media Corp needs a new programming team. Too many comedies and laughters may drive away the urge. What else? Money not enough if the small stuff refuse to work.

Prepare for more parking hikes in CBD

We are cheaper than London and Sydney. And Sydney is charging as high as $1000 pm for parking in the business district. What we are paying, about $300, is way too cheap. Gear up motorists, there are plenty of rooms for higher parking fees. How can the operators be short changed when they can charge more. And we are not even the most expensive city in Asia. We need to be number one. Then we can brag about how good we are for people willing to pay number one prices to be here. It is a sure measure of a great city.

Sacrificing our child for our own benefit

A Primary One child starts school at 7.20am. Depending on the distance and mode of transportation, the child may have to wake up before 6am to get to school. Now why is there a need for a child at such a tender age to start school at 7.20am? Oh, the parents need to go to work. So they need to pack the child off to school first, could be on the way to work. Huh? For the convenience of the parents, for the convenience of meeting working hours, we force our little ones to wake up so early in the morning, sleepy eyes, to go to school. Are we humans or monsters? For all decency, there is no need for young children to start school before 9am. The parents can go and sort out their own problems. Do not sacrifice our children for the sake of the adults.

You are free to leave!

This is the often repeated message by Singaporeans or new citizens when Singaporeans are griping about some of the things that they are not happy with. Goh Wen Zhong, a LSE student also said the same thing in the ST forum today. This is a simplistic view of a snobbish response, an arrogant and thoughtless remark. Not only that many cannot afford to go, you need to be welcomed, qualified to go where you want to to. And the people who can do that would likely be the talents that we want to keep. The other is the issue of our right to stay. As citizens, it is our right to stay. And as responsible citizens, it is our right to demand changes for the betterment of country and people. Running away is not an option. And if any silly politician would dare to tell a citizen to quit if he is unhappy, kick him in the arse. He deserves that for being childish and rude. Singaporeans must stay in this place they called home. This is where they belong. How and what shapes the country takes shall be decided by them, not by a few individuals. Let no one threatens you or ask you to leave your home, your country. Singaporeans must be stayers, to redefine and rebuild the country to what they want. The country belongs to everyone who is a Singaporean. Running away is to give this island away be default.

Extortion on the rise!

Yes, and it seems legal, technically. I am sure many of you have received unsolicited credit cards and given lines of credit. When the cards plus all the terms arrived, you will find that you will have to pay an annual fee. Sometimes they called, and I politely told them that all my credit cards are free. If they are giving them free to me, I will keep them. If not they can cancel the cards and facilities. Now this practice is getting more arrogant. They just send the package to you, And they bill you if you did not call them to reject them. The onus is now upon the recipients to call and act on something he does not ask for. Now he has to take the trouble to make those nonsensical calls to a phone machine and to wait for several minutes, pressing stupid numbers to get through. And you don't normally get through on the first attempt but after several attempts. I just received another card, with lines of credit, with cheque books, and of course with an annual fee. I conveniently threw everything into the rubbish chute. I am waiting for the bank to call me for payment of annual fees. You can expect what I am going to show them. Is there any law that I can go to for redress against such extortionist acts? The banks may even use their legal muscle to threaten small people like us for not paying. What is this country turning into? Oh, and I remember sometimes back a big shot banker was complaining about unethical practices in the industry. Is this unethical practice?