All bridges lead to JB. Why?

More opposing voices are being heard against the 3rd bridge. I can understand the people of JB for not wanting any bridge that does not go their way. I can understand all those with vested interests in JB, businesses, properties etc to want everything to go to JB. A 3rd bridge will only divert people and business activities away. But have they thought of the consequences of everything going into JB? Do they want a KL or our CBD in JB, when the place is jammed packed with vehicles and people and pollution? Could they not see any merits in diverting away traffic, people and vehicles that are not bound for JB, through other avenues, and bridges? Yes, the 3rd will not benefit JB directly but more for the east coast towns like Mersing, Kota Tinggi, Desaru, Pulau Tioman and all the islands, and also Kuantan and perhaps Trengganu and Kelatan. But JB will benefit from a cleaner and less congested city, less through traffic, less enforced travellers that must go through JB short of alternatives. The Federal Govt is right in looking at the big picture. Who will have the final say? I think not Najib. Another stillbirth.

Make yourself useful and work for life

Yesterday a Raymond Lo wrote to the ST to encourage Singaporeans to make themselves useful and they can be guaranteed of life time employment. His role model was LKY, who he quoted, at 86, 'MM Lee did, to a gruelling round of visits to Malaysia, meeting important personalities, gauging opinions and cementing ties. He has my respect and admiration because he does it for Singapore's well being.' In the same page a Kelvin Tan wrote to complain about the plight of his 81 year old father who was literally a football, being kicked all over the place and no one interested in his well being. The old man could not qualify for the Eldershield and need to be certified as 'disabled' to get help from the Interim Disability Assistance Programme for the Elderly(Idape). And it needs a simple process to confirm that he could not eat, dress, bathe or go to the toilet, move around and transfer from bed to chair. Kelvin Tan was able, and made many calls only to be pushed around too, with no solution to his father's plight. He was very disappointed. What is the moral of the two stories? 1. One must be useful. 2. One must be your own boss and have a job that is only yours, to work at your own time, to decide what you want to do and not to do. 3. No one there to breathe down your neck, to check on you and ask you to hurry. Why so slow? 4. The job must pay so well that you die die still want to work. How many of the taxi drivers would want to work to their 80s if they have a choice? How many cleaners, clerical staff, executives, mechanics, technicians or even professionals would want to work till their 80s if there is someone younger and fiercer yelling at them at every little mistakes they make? I would like to emulate LKY if I have that kind of job, or even be his personal blogger for the rest of my life for a pittance of a minister's pay. To be real, find something to do and enjoy doing it, like blogging or photography, and make yourself happy. No one to boss around with you and you decide what, when, where and how to do it. Happy blogging people. Forget about emulating LKY. Forget about emulating Nathan or Chok Tong. Find your own peace. But don't end up as a football to be kicked around, useless and unwanted.

Revelation of the MPs

In the follow up to the changes to the political system that is akan datang, ST has a full page report of the views of the ruling MPs on these changes. And the revelation is quite enlightening. Teo Ser Luck said this, 'We will be thinking in terms of national interest, and less about putting things across because of political points.' He was referring to the Govt Parliamentary Committees which were trying to serve as a check on govt policies in the absence of a significant opposition presence in Parliament. Both Ser Luck and Amy Khor probably share the same view that it would be a step back if PAP MPs were to censor their views just to toe the party line. For all these years, how much of the MPs views were party lines or to score political points and how much were based on national interests? The two positions may or may not be in conflict, but at times they could. The other interesting quote from Amy is that, 'When a PAP MP criticises govt policies, he or she is not doing it just for criticism's sake or playing to the gallery.' Well said, Amy. How many had been guilty of criticising for criticism's sake or playing to the gallery? Anyway, what is the point of having opposition views when they have no right to vote against the bills? Opposing views for the sake of opposing views or playing to the gallery of the public eyes? Can this be all there is to it? This is best answered by Charles Chong who said, 'Currently, MPs can say whatever they want,...The Party Whip - applies only during voting.' This simply means that the MPs can make all their opposing views, but when come to voting they must vote for the party line. Doesn't this smack of hypocrisy? When one is so against a policy but must vote for the policy? What is not very enlightening in the report is the comment by Dr Gillian Koh. She said, 'Gone are the days when opposition can say there are so few opportunities. No longer would that excuse be there.' She was referring to the increase of single ward seats from 9 to 12. Hmmm, what kind of logic is that? Didn't she know that once all the seats were single wards? So it is a great concession after taking away all the single seats and now say you can have 3 more from 9? Better say a big thank you to the govt for being so generous and magnanimous.

Putting a lease and tag on thieves and cheats

Obama is going to do it. Make no mistake about it, the thieves and cheats of the corporate and financial world must be leased and tagged and kept under observation. They have committed horrendous crimes against the innocent public and minority shareholders for too long, robbing, stealing and cheating under the guise of financial engineering, clever accounting and selling toxic products that were no better than snake oils. And practically none, only a handful, has been put behind bars. And who is to be blamed? The govt and regulators of course. They were either sleeping or in cahoot with these thieves, sharing their kickbacks. The Obama Administration is going to take the lead, to show the way, that a crime is a crime no matter how well conceived, how legally documented and how sophisticatedly worded and looking so real. The financial system has been at the brink of being ruined by these thieves and cheats. And one bunch is still happily singing and whistling as they go about cheating through a game that they cannot lose by sheer advantage of financial power and a set of rules of the game that are in their favour. I am referring to the hedge funds and how they are courted by stock market operators to participate in the market, to give a false sense of an active and healthy market, but at the perils of the small investors and shareholders. Obama shall not stop at just the corporate thieves and cheats, but also the hedge fund operations. Taking advantage of arbitraging is acceptable. Taking advantage of a trading system by its system weaknesses is unacceptable. And the fault does not lie just in the hedge funds but also the system administrators for creating a faulty or flawed system, an uneven playing field. Obama shall show the world how the bad systems, sold to the world as the best and workable systems, are really a scam, and let the little administrators around the world wake up to their follies of blindly following Wall Streets and the dictations of the big fund managers on how the system should be, of course to enable them to participate and exploit to their benefits. Just hope Obama is not bundled out as the forces stacked against him is huge and powerful.

From hot heads to wise old men

We have progressed over the last 50 years, and in two months time we will be celebrating 50 years of self government. During the early years of nation building, many of the ministry and dept heads were young and hot headed task masters. They howled and they growled to get things done. They were intolerant of mistakes and heads would roll at the smallest of errors. They demanded the best and no ifs and buts. In a way these were brash and rash men in a hurry to get things done. The room for errors were small. There were heads being given the boots for sending their peons to buy lunch or lottery tickets. Today, as we celebrate our manhood as a nation, we can see the change to a more mature people, civil and graceful. Mistakes were accepted as part and parcel of a job. No risk no mistakes. Big risk big mistakes. No sweat, another day's job. In a way we have grown to be kinder and more forgiving, a sign of maturity and age. We have arrived as a rich and graceful people with plenty of botok on the face, full of forgiveness and compassion for the people. No more hot heads in charge, but plenty of Yodas.