Starting fires paying off

US plans massive arms sale to Saudi to counter Iran threat AFP - Tuesday, September 14SendIM StoryPrint. US plans massive arms sale to Saudi to counter Iran threat WASHINGTON (AFP) - – The United States plans to offer Saudi Arabia 60 billion dollars' worth of hi-tech fighters and helicopters to help counter the threat posed by Iran, in the largest ever US arms deal, officials said Monday. A senior defense official said President Barack Obama's administration would formally notify Congress this week or next about the groundbreaking deal, which follows months of talks with the Saudis, who are increasingly anxious about Iran's missile arsenal. "If you look at the kingdom, the major threat that they face in the region emanates from Iran," the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told reporters. "And this gives them a whole host of defensive capabilities to defend the kingdom and deterrence capabilities.".... The above news will bring comfort to the American arms merchants. After years of inciting tension and wars in the Middle East, it is bearing fruits. The Arabs are divided and poised to attack each other and buying arms is an indispensable alternative. This is a US$60b deal. Finally the Arabs have an avenue to spend their old money. Who says starting war is not a profitable business? Next big buyers on the list are Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and Asean states.

Bumiputra versus Sinkiputra

In Malaysia, Bumiputra connotes privileges, special, govt protection and favours, a kind of prestigious badge to be worn for the advantages it came with. In Singapore, Sinkiputra, the original citizens from the day it gained independence in 1965, does not seem to be a badge of honour. It is more a badge of hindrance, heavy responsibilities and disadvantages. The advantages are on the side of the PRs and foreigners residing in the island. The non citizens more or less have the cake and eat it as well. While the Sinkiputras are burdened with 2 years of NS and another 20/25 years of reservist liabilities, the PRs and foreigners are earning their keeps happily with the knowledge that the country is safe and sound for them to live and make money. While the Sinkiputras lost two years of income, work experience, training and expertise, the non Sinkiputras are filling up their bank accounts, gaining work experience, training and expertise and lining up for promotion ahead of the Sinkiputras. While the Sinkiputras are saving madly to pay for a 99 year lease micky mouse flat, the non Sinkiputras are saving their money to buy their dream homes in their home countries, one that is 10 times bigger than the Sinkiputra’s and sitting on freehold land. While many Sinkiputras are depleting their savings to buy that precious little cars for a little convenience, the non Sinkiputras are dreaming of the limousines they will get when they go home. While the Sinkiputras have to squeeze with the non citizens in their world class public transportations, which they could travel in comfort otherwise, the non citizens are enjoying them when compared to what they had to put up with at home. While the Sinkiputras were educated not to litter public areas, to keep the country clean, the non Sinkiputras are trying their best to do otherwise. While most Sinkiputras are educated in world best local universities, when come to hirings, the foreigners from foreign universities, probably ranked lower and with lower grades, are preferred. What else are the Sinkiputras disadvantaged in their homeland when they are the sons of the land? What else? Who enjoys better privileges, Bumiputras or Sinkiputras? Oh, a few more points, Bumiputras are allowed to talk louder against non Bumiputras, even offending them at will. Sinkiputras are told to talk softer and be nicer to non Sinkiputras. Sinkiputras even funded events to make the non Sinkiputras feel at home, welcome. On the contrary, Bumiputras will tell the non bumiputras that they are orang tumpangan, and to go home if they are not happy. If only Sinkiputras are treated betterer, a bit like Bumiputras….

The moment is here!

NSP announced to field 30 candidates in the next GE. This is an interesting piece of news. If NSP is confident of the number, then Workers Party and Reform Party could easily attract the same number if not more. And we have another few parties out there to add to the number. If this materialized, then there will be no walkovers anymore. You will have your chance to vote for your future. The moment has come to make your choice wisely. Some mishaps cannot be ruled out like parties disqualifying themselves by slipping on banana skins, or too many opposition candidates competing in the same wards and cancelling their own chances. That will be stupid. The voters can only hope that the petty disagreements among the alternative parties will not be in the way of the bigger mission, to get in as many opposition candidates into Parliament. The best hope is still the dark horse Reform Party. It has a clean slate and led by highly qualified professionals. They could attract equally qualified candidates to join them to present a solid party to the people. My gut feel is that many professionals and qualified people will run this time, sensing that the end is near. May the force be with the people and for the good of the people.

Feeling betrayed

From the conversation of a group of Yuppies, one cannot help but get the sense of betrayal. Yes, they felt being betrayed by their own govt and govt policies. They were young, talented and upwardly mobile, earning good money, too good that it becomes a liability. There are many young professionals who are earning more than $5k pm, some much more. They served their NS diligently and dutifully without expecting anything. It was just a service to the country as expected of every healthy young man. Their sin was not to find a partner and get married sooner. They delayed their matrimonial pursuits to carve a niche in their professions. And when property prices shot through the roof, they found themselves out of the HDB scheme and must pay a robber’s ransom for a small private flat. Some tried, but because of the small supply and slow down in building programme, they ended without a flat, and their salaries exceeded the HDB ceiling. And they are the local talents, the future leaders and captains of their industries. Many ended up renting and paying through their noses because govt policy forbids them from buying HDB. They could buy private but why pay so much for so little? Private properties may be peanuts to some but terribly expensive to the prudent. What would happen to them? Is it unnatural for them to feel betrayed? Where other Singaporeans are given two bites of the cherry, when new citizens are also entitled to two bites of the cherry, why are they not even entitled to one? They are the talented children but feeling unwanted and becoming victims of the system. Is this how we reward our very own children?

Legacy of gunboat diplomacy

The western reporters could only quip that the Chines furore over the Diaoyutai Incident is about face saving. These are the only two words that they knew over the centuries of reporting about China. Other vocabularies include Chinese are inscrutable, good housekeepers, good cook for chop suey and laundrymen. The arrest of the Chinese fishing boat captain by the Japanese in the disputed Diaoyutai Island harks back to the days of Unequal Treaties. The island was wrestled from China at the Treaty of Shimonoseki. China than was a weak nation in the dying days of the Qing Dynasty. It went further down as the Sick Man of Asia after repeated raids and territorial aggression by the Western Powers and Japan. In the days of gunboat diplomacy, might is right. The Japanese told the Chinese then that they deserved to be attacked and defeated because the Chinese were weak. Yes, weakness was sexy and tempting. And Japan and the Western Powers raped and invaded China, and extorted all kinds of war reparations and ceding of Chinese territories and concessions. Diaoyutai was one of the islands ceded to Japan. Taiwan was ruled by Japan for several decades. So was Korea. History has come full circle. The difference is that China has the power of balance in its favour now. Japan may still think that it is a great imperial power and could do what it did to China all over again. It is in for a rude surprise. The Chinese, including the Koreans, are ready to take back whatever they lost to the Japanese during Imperial Japan. The stupid westerners can only think of Chinese face. They refused to acknowledge the days of humiliation, aggression and Unequal Treaties when China had to give up its wealth and land, and islands. Today China is strong enough to stand up to the aggressors and will demand the return of all lands taken from old China. They will do it on the negotiating table and will use the gun only if necessary. Japan want a war with China, with the US backing? The Chinese will meet the Japanese and Americans in the battle field. This time it is not a ragtag army of ill equipped peasant soldiers carrying only rifles and small arms. The Chinese military is in a position to take on the most advanced military power in the world today. Japan is chicken feed. Of course the militant Japanese will think otherwise, that they are capable of invading China once more. They want to return to the days of Imperial glory. The show has just started.