The kangaroo courts of ASEAN

Aung San Suu Kyi has been sentenced to another 18 months of house arrest. The sentence was actually half of what the court passed down, 3 years of hard labour. Her crime, a stupid American, a big fat slop, floated into her house in the night uninvited and stayed there for 2 days. The crime was so serious that that was a big trial and a big sentence. And ASEAN countries rose to their feet and banging their chests against the kangaroo court decision. Somehow I got this funny feeling that they don't sell mirrors in ASEAN. Don't they see kangaroo courts everywhere? Maybe not, some are more equal than others.

The bizarre behaviours of Singaporeans

44 years of economic and material success have spawned some very strange behaviors among Singaporeans. We spent so much to buy a house or flat, furnished it up like a palace, but spent our time outside, most of the time at work. And the maids are the ones enjoying the million dollar or multi million dollar assets. Then we paid so much, the highest in the world, for a car only to park at home. Too expensive to drive, too many ERPs and car park charges to pay. And we are encouraged to park the car at home and take public transport, cheaper and more convenient. And when Singaporeans travelled, instead of seeing the places, they went shopping. The best part is that they would head for the cheapest bargains, buying stuff that they could get in Chinatown or pasar malam, at even cheaper prices. And they are happy that they got a bargain. And while the heartlanders are busy trying to make a life here, being told to bust off if they are not happy, which they could not, the rich and presumably very happy and contented citizens are buying up properties overseas just in case they need to make that escape from paradise. While many Singaporeans are thinking of jumping ship, or preparing to jump ship, hoards of new immigrants are rushing in to take their place in this paradise. And to top it all up, they keep complaining about the govt and all the policies that they found unpalatable, come every election, they will vote and return the govt to power. Strange Singaporean behaviours.

When would anti social policies be removed or moderated?

One of the most anti family and anti social policies is car parking in residential estates. You visit your parents or your children, you pay, except Sundays and public holidays. You visit your friends and relatives, you pay. The more friendly you are, and the longer you stay, the more you pay. The more filial and caring you are to your parents, visiting them more often and staying longer, you pay more. There is an issue of lack of parking space, and residents deserve a place to park. Too many visitors will deprive them of a parking space. Sure there is a conflicting demand of space and social interactions. I pose this as a challenge for the administrators to come up with a more conducive policy to please both the residents and the visitors. Or is this the best that can be? Even in private estates, the roads are narrow, and the white lines are there. Not many of the private properties can accommodate more than 2 cars in their car parks. Any parties or social gathering is going to be very demanding on the residents and the visitors. We have plenty of space to take in 8 million people. Really? At what cost and social life?

Security at the NDP

Read my face