This is the impression I had everytime I see more appointments being loaded onto the ministers. I thought being a minister, running a ministry, on top of all the MP and constituency matters would be enough to bog down a man for all his 24 hours. Apparently this is just a misperception from on ordinary bean. Either the jobs are simply too easy to handle, or the ministers have more than 24 hours a day and the biological constitutions to keep them going.
Chee Hean and Tharman have just been appointed as the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the National Research Foundation(NRF), a high level organisation that gives grants and directions to the R&D in Singapore. These appointments are not for people who simply sign off millions or billions of dollars without thinking. They are serious appointments.
Both Chee Hean and Tharman are deputy Prime Ministers, and Chee Hean is also Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs. Tharman is also Minister for Finance and Manpower. I think Tharman is also in GIC or Temasek. Both must have several other very important portfolios to watch over.
They would not have become such supermen if they were just CEOs of some private sector companies. Now their super talents are fully tested, to work super fast, to grasp complicated matters in diverse ministries and issues they have no inkling of what they are before, to work super long hours. Being a minister sure can turn ordinary man into superman.
I have no doubt that a minister’s job is a serious job and a complicated job with huge responsibilities. And equally, all the other appointments they are holding are just as demanding on their intellect and time. Really admirable people, at least for their staminas. Walking from one ministry to the next is already quite energy absorbing. It is simply amazing how they can coop with their jobs and without shortchanging the people in time and details.
Wonder if they still have a life other than official duties, like a little quality time for the family?
10/08/2011
10/07/2011
The big scheme of things
The happenings in the stock markets around the world are happening because of the big scheme of things. Everyone is thinking damn bloody big, the biggest stock market, the biggest capitalization, the biggest computers, the biggest funds and the biggest war chests to manipulate the markets. No need to bother with slow and troublesome organic growth. Just MA, buy, acquire and expand.
When the heads are swelling so big, they forget the small stuff. There will not be any negativity in being too big too quick, think only the good stuff. The winds do not blow like before. It is like climatic change, big typhoons and big hurricanes. They move in and out, drive stocks up and down, only to clean up everything. Acts of God, no one to be blamed.
The falls in the world stock market are not just due the financial crisis, but aided by the big scheme of things. The big money and big machines were allowed to utilize their full advantage of size and speed. On paper, the machines are there to help generate liquidity, to bring down the cost of trading, for a more efficient system. No flaws. The machines are brought in to do social and charitable services at no cost.
In reality, the liquidity and lower cost of trading are there to facilitate the machines in their mopping up operations, cleaning up the whole market. By the time it hits, it is too late to run. Greed? Yes, with greed, all safeguards were down. And when the Americans are doing it, it must be good, it must be the way to go. It is where all the money of small investors will go.
All the big long term investors, including sovereign funds, must be bleeding profusely in the last few days.
No one wants to know why, or that they have allowed the system to turn into a monster, a Frankenstein, wrecking havoc at will, sanctioned by the authorities. There is nothing illegal, all part and parcel of a big and brilliant system, part of the game, part of the big scheme of things.
Very big, very good.
When the heads are swelling so big, they forget the small stuff. There will not be any negativity in being too big too quick, think only the good stuff. The winds do not blow like before. It is like climatic change, big typhoons and big hurricanes. They move in and out, drive stocks up and down, only to clean up everything. Acts of God, no one to be blamed.
The falls in the world stock market are not just due the financial crisis, but aided by the big scheme of things. The big money and big machines were allowed to utilize their full advantage of size and speed. On paper, the machines are there to help generate liquidity, to bring down the cost of trading, for a more efficient system. No flaws. The machines are brought in to do social and charitable services at no cost.
In reality, the liquidity and lower cost of trading are there to facilitate the machines in their mopping up operations, cleaning up the whole market. By the time it hits, it is too late to run. Greed? Yes, with greed, all safeguards were down. And when the Americans are doing it, it must be good, it must be the way to go. It is where all the money of small investors will go.
All the big long term investors, including sovereign funds, must be bleeding profusely in the last few days.
No one wants to know why, or that they have allowed the system to turn into a monster, a Frankenstein, wrecking havoc at will, sanctioned by the authorities. There is nothing illegal, all part and parcel of a big and brilliant system, part of the game, part of the big scheme of things.
Very big, very good.
Ethnic pride ethnic shame
Singaporean Chinese are different. They are not the same as the China Chinese or the Malaysian Chinese or Taiwan Chinese or any Chinese around the world. But some bear a very dominant trait in hating anything Chinese, dismissing anything Chinese, finding Chinese disgusting and something to be dissociated with. They see China Chinese as the lepers of the world, the rogue nation that meant no good but harm to the world. To this group of Singaporean Chinese, the China Chinese are the pariahs, the untouchables.
They forgot that they are Chinese too. They may call themselves Singaporeans or international citizens, citizens of the world, but they cannot hide the fact that they are the same disgusting Chinese that they detest and hate. There is no ethnic identity or pride in who they really are. They may harbour thoughts of dying their hair blond, bleaching their skin white, and adopt all mannerism of the westerners.
Can anyone be respected when he can’t even respect himself, his own identity and his own ethnicity? Such people will only be regarded as outcasts by their own ethnic groups, and be sneered at by those they hoped to be and wanted to be. The very basis of respectability is to respect yourself, your own ethnicity, be it Malay, Indian, Eurasian or Chinese. Only by respecting self can one earn respect from others.
I am a Singaporean Chinese. I do not hate nor despise the Chinese. Neither do I adore or idolize them. I do not prejudged them. I look at them as another people, to be respected or to be dissociated from, by their acts, by rights or wrongs that they do. Not simply because they are China Chinese. This applies to all other races. The 1.5b people cannot be simply grouped into one, one type, one kind, one behavior, bad and nothing good. They are a sea of humanity, with good and bad and ugly, just like us, just like every ethnic group.
But we have some very different Singaporean Chinese that have stereotyped the China Chinese, China, as simply of one kind, bad, bad intent, bad in everything. How their mindset gets to this level, with deep seated perversion of thoughts and thinking process is difficult to fathom. Our education system does not teach them to hate their ancestors, their breed or their ethnicity. How did they grow up to become thus? Yes, the Singaporean Chinese is different from all other Chinese, but some are much more different. To this group, they take pride in hating China and anything Chinese.
If they cannot see anything good in their own ethnicity, can others see anything good in them?
They forgot that they are Chinese too. They may call themselves Singaporeans or international citizens, citizens of the world, but they cannot hide the fact that they are the same disgusting Chinese that they detest and hate. There is no ethnic identity or pride in who they really are. They may harbour thoughts of dying their hair blond, bleaching their skin white, and adopt all mannerism of the westerners.
Can anyone be respected when he can’t even respect himself, his own identity and his own ethnicity? Such people will only be regarded as outcasts by their own ethnic groups, and be sneered at by those they hoped to be and wanted to be. The very basis of respectability is to respect yourself, your own ethnicity, be it Malay, Indian, Eurasian or Chinese. Only by respecting self can one earn respect from others.
I am a Singaporean Chinese. I do not hate nor despise the Chinese. Neither do I adore or idolize them. I do not prejudged them. I look at them as another people, to be respected or to be dissociated from, by their acts, by rights or wrongs that they do. Not simply because they are China Chinese. This applies to all other races. The 1.5b people cannot be simply grouped into one, one type, one kind, one behavior, bad and nothing good. They are a sea of humanity, with good and bad and ugly, just like us, just like every ethnic group.
But we have some very different Singaporean Chinese that have stereotyped the China Chinese, China, as simply of one kind, bad, bad intent, bad in everything. How their mindset gets to this level, with deep seated perversion of thoughts and thinking process is difficult to fathom. Our education system does not teach them to hate their ancestors, their breed or their ethnicity. How did they grow up to become thus? Yes, the Singaporean Chinese is different from all other Chinese, but some are much more different. To this group, they take pride in hating China and anything Chinese.
If they cannot see anything good in their own ethnicity, can others see anything good in them?
10/06/2011
Singapore a big player among the super powers
Yes we punch above our weight. And we must guard our national interest zealously, and speak out against any nation that does anything that will harm our national interest. One particular nation is China. China is growing its military forces to a level that is becoming a threat to us. It is building aircraft carriers too, never mind if their ICBM will wipe us off the face of this earth, and this will undermine the free passage of ships along international waterways. It will be dangerous if they park their aircraft carriers in the South China Sea or in the Straits of Malacca. We must question China’s motive.
We have no problems with the Americans. Our national interests coincide with the Americans. And we are pleased with their military might and military presence. They are here to protect our national interests. The Americans are a benign and friendly superpower. They have military bases everywhere, sailing their naval fleets everywhere, including the South China Sea, all for altruistic reasons, to protect smaller countries against China. Just dunno who America was protecting against before China. What is good for the Americans is good for us. What is good for China may be dangerous to us.
Americans know this and are watching the Chinese like a hawk. The Chinese are now an equal to the American war machine. Even India is concerned. India has historical and territorial disputes with the Chinese. And both are Asian superpowers and are rivals in this sense.
The trouble is that the arrogant Chinese are ignoring even India. They are only running a race with the Americans in their cross hair. They have no time to cast a glance at the Indians. The Indians are inconsequential to them.
But still we must make known our concerns to the Chinese, to make them listen to us. China must consider our national interest in what they do. They better don’t ignore us. Hey China, tell us why you need to build such a big and powerful military force? Tell us, tell us, we want an answer. We need to question you for our national interest.
China, tell us of your intention. Don’t be rude, we are asking you, tell us, tell us…..tell us please….please. Look down here, we are here.
We have no problems with the Americans. Our national interests coincide with the Americans. And we are pleased with their military might and military presence. They are here to protect our national interests. The Americans are a benign and friendly superpower. They have military bases everywhere, sailing their naval fleets everywhere, including the South China Sea, all for altruistic reasons, to protect smaller countries against China. Just dunno who America was protecting against before China. What is good for the Americans is good for us. What is good for China may be dangerous to us.
Americans know this and are watching the Chinese like a hawk. The Chinese are now an equal to the American war machine. Even India is concerned. India has historical and territorial disputes with the Chinese. And both are Asian superpowers and are rivals in this sense.
The trouble is that the arrogant Chinese are ignoring even India. They are only running a race with the Americans in their cross hair. They have no time to cast a glance at the Indians. The Indians are inconsequential to them.
But still we must make known our concerns to the Chinese, to make them listen to us. China must consider our national interest in what they do. They better don’t ignore us. Hey China, tell us why you need to build such a big and powerful military force? Tell us, tell us, we want an answer. We need to question you for our national interest.
China, tell us of your intention. Don’t be rude, we are asking you, tell us, tell us…..tell us please….please. Look down here, we are here.
Continuous good news in the property front
During the last term of Mah Bow Tan, there was continuous good news of property prices and that they were very affordable by the way they computed affordability. When Boon Wan took over, there was continuous good news of property prices too, from building more flats to some changes in HDB policies and priorities for first timers. And the people were equally happy.
Yesterday there were two charts in the media, one on property price index over 11 years and one on HDB resale price index for 5 quarters, 2 from 2010 and 3 from 2011. The first chart showed that property price index was almost flat from 2001 to 2006. Only in 2007 that it started to shoot up and this uptrend has been consistent till today for HDB resale price. What this means is that the prices are still going up at the same pace, no letting up.
From a base of 172 in the 4th quarter of 2011, the HDB resale price index has gone up by 1.6%, 3.1% and 3.8% in the third quarter of 2011. Yes, it is going up, regardless of the number of new flats that Boon Wan is going to build. And the good news is ‘Good progress in meeting flat demand.’ Nothing about the price.
Using the 172 base, HDB resale price till the third quarter has gone up by 15.1 points to 187.1 or 8.8%. By end of the year it could easily cross the 10% mark. Again looking at the first chart, the index was at 150 at end of 2009, or an increase of 37.1 points or 24.7% by the third quarter of 2011. These must also be good news for the property owners. For the buyers or potential buyers, it can also be good news as it means that at whatever price they are going to buy their new flats, they can expect the price to go up by more than 10% per annum or doubling the price in 10 years. In reality, with the compound growth effect, the price could easily double in less than 10 years.
What more good news can one ask for? And better still, with a decreasing lease life but rising prices.
Yesterday there were two charts in the media, one on property price index over 11 years and one on HDB resale price index for 5 quarters, 2 from 2010 and 3 from 2011. The first chart showed that property price index was almost flat from 2001 to 2006. Only in 2007 that it started to shoot up and this uptrend has been consistent till today for HDB resale price. What this means is that the prices are still going up at the same pace, no letting up.
From a base of 172 in the 4th quarter of 2011, the HDB resale price index has gone up by 1.6%, 3.1% and 3.8% in the third quarter of 2011. Yes, it is going up, regardless of the number of new flats that Boon Wan is going to build. And the good news is ‘Good progress in meeting flat demand.’ Nothing about the price.
Using the 172 base, HDB resale price till the third quarter has gone up by 15.1 points to 187.1 or 8.8%. By end of the year it could easily cross the 10% mark. Again looking at the first chart, the index was at 150 at end of 2009, or an increase of 37.1 points or 24.7% by the third quarter of 2011. These must also be good news for the property owners. For the buyers or potential buyers, it can also be good news as it means that at whatever price they are going to buy their new flats, they can expect the price to go up by more than 10% per annum or doubling the price in 10 years. In reality, with the compound growth effect, the price could easily double in less than 10 years.
What more good news can one ask for? And better still, with a decreasing lease life but rising prices.
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