What's left for Singaporeans?

Below is the first para of a Financial Times article posted in Singapore News Alternative about the surge of rich Russians coming to paradise. Financial Times, 21 Oct 2009 Singapore is attracting a surge of Russian investment as rich business people seek a politically stable home for their personal wealth as well as exposure to Asia’s rapid recovery from the global financial crisis. Officials and bankers say significant sums have been deposited in the island state’s booming private banking sector, with Russian money also flowing into the stock market through investments in property and luxury services companies. The issue is that other than investing in productive industries, a lot of money will be sunk in properties. If rich foreigners are flooding the market and buying up everything, eventually what will be left for the citizens? Yes, it is good money, like selling Alaska. Before we sell everything, there is a need to calibrate how much can be sold and how much should be reserved for citizens. (Ok, bad economics). Otherwise, the whole of the city, Orchard Road and Bukit Timah will be owned by foreigners and the citizens being left out. Exceptions will be the Istana and Oxley Rise.

Imminent collapse of American financial system

Obama is going to slash the pay of the top 25 wage earners in corporations that received financial aid from the govt. And fear is spreading across corporate America, not fear by the affected executives whose pay will be cut, but the fear of them quitting to join other organisations or fleeing to other countries. America will lose its super talents and the American financial system will collapse. America needs them to save their own financial organisations. This is the biggest bull that the American public is being made to believe. It is exactly this same bunch of idiots that caused the financial collapse of the American corporations and nearly the whole world. These are no talents but super crooks and thieves. I doubt any country with govt that has intellect that is better than kids will want to recruit these crooks to mess up their financial system. American shall say good riddance to them. Imagine the trillions of dollars poured into the financial systems of all the countries to avoid a total collapse of the world economy, and these crooks are starting to pay themselves astronomical salaries and bonuses again just because they cooked the books to register a few hundred millions in profits. What about the billions and trillions lost? When are they going to pay back? America will not collapse without them.

The fallacious truth of authority

The renowned Thai pathologist, Dr Pornthip Rojanasunand, is retained by the Selangor State Govt as an expert witness to the suspicious death of Teoh Beng Hock. The official version, after official autopsy reports, suggested that the likely cause of death is suicide. Dr Pornthip's conclusion is that there is an 80% chance that it is homicide. She found many irregularities including strangulation marks, head hit by a blunt object and anal penetration! Her findings were objected by Govt lawyers on grounds that she did not conduct the autopsy. So the people who conducted the autopsy must be telling the truth. This is the fallacious logic of authority. I was there, I saw it, I touched it, so I know what it is and I am telling the truth. The real truth lies in the facts and evidence. The controversial findings would not have been possible if providence was not in Teoh's favour. It so happened that the State Govt is controlled by the opposition PKR. And now we are hearing a different truth. Darkness cannot be covered forever and light must come through in this case. The dark ages of Malaysian politics must come to an end.

Blogging is a waste of time (part 2)

I was lambasted by a friend for raising the controversial issue of LUP in the two opposition wards. To him there was nothing wrong with the way it was done and the govt had the right to appoint whoever they want to announce the LUP. Raising such issues in a blog is a complete waste of time. Using the same argument, the half page article by Sue Ann Chia in the ST today must be a bigger waste of time, and ST must be wasting time and money allowing the issues to be printed on its pages. Why would ST choose to air this issue over again? I think the editors or someone up there must be feeling uncomfortable that if Singaporeans are so dumb, or choose to be ostriches, and refuse to question controversial issues affecting their lives and the political development of the people, the continued existence of Singapore and Singaporeans as a thinking people is questionable. Is it a good thing for Singaporeans to just shut up when they are confronted with controversies or even questionable decisions by the govt? Some may think so, assuming that everything is in good hands. So they can sleep in peace, happily making money. What kind of Singaporeans will we have if this be the case? Why are we complaining that Singaporeans are apathetic and apolitical and regretted that this is not a good thing? Should Singaporeans be more political, more aware of the political developments and affairs of their country? Should those who are raising issues and questioning controversial policies be called fools or the other way round, that the greater fools are the silent majority who allowed themselves to be pushed around like sheep, not knowing, not wanting to knowing, not to bother and think that all is well? I thank Sue Ann Chia and the ST for raising this issue again to stir the dull and numb minds of Singaporeans and to educate them to be thinking citizens.

136 loan sharks arrested

Almost half of these arrested, according to Eng Hen, are youths. And if I am not mistaken, the rest are in their early 20s. I will not call them loan sharks but ikan bilis. The sharks are still safe, hiding in deep waters or away in safer zones. When will the sharks be caught?