After the May general election, nearly half a year gone by without the convening of Parliament. Is this the new normal for the Parliament to sit after a new govt is elected? The newly elected MPs will finally have a chance to warm the seats in Parliament, to be seen and to be heard in Parliament. How did they feel being kept out of Parliament for so long? Were they short changed, or the people shortchanged?
The election went by as if it was a non event. The only thing that the new MPs did was getting to know the people and perhaps meet them in Meet The People session which is not really an official function of the MPs. The key roles of MPs must be in Parliament, legislating laws and debating on national issues and the well being of the country.
The new MPs will have a chance to say their piece tonight. And even before they say anything, some jokers already presumed that the opposition MPs will be there to talk nonsense, just to make noise in Parliament, and they would rather such MPs not to represent them. There are also many people who did not want the majority of the MPs to represent them in Parliament. There are 40% of such people who just want other MPs to represent them, not those who will be in Parliament. Do they also think that those MPs they did not want to represent them will be talking nonsense as well, or not speaking for their interests?
Some views wanted opposition MPs to be more like the ruling party MPs, to be part of a symphony. For that, they might as well join the ruling party and be part of the ruling party, and to sing the same tune as ruling party MPs.
Then there are calls from the ruling party MPs saying that they must behave and play the role of opposition MPs, to be more critical of govt policies.
So what? People want opposition MPs to be ruling party MPs and ruling party MPs want to act more like opposition MPs. Sounds like LPPL to me.
10/10/2011
A stake in the country
Housing was a key factor to give the people a stake in the country in the early days of our nation building. When the people have a home, a stake, ie a HDB flat, there is something to fight and defend for. There was then a reason for National Service. It is a tangible asset that Singaporeans were told that is worth defending for even to the present.
Today, many Singaporeans who have served NS are told that they cannot buy HDB flats for one reason or another. After serving and sacrificing for the country in donning military uniforms, trained to fight and defend his land and his home, he is told that he cannot buy a HDB flat.
This is sounding comical. NS men to defend a country he has no stake in. Maybe what they said is true. We are still not a nation and nothing worth defending, particularly for those without a stake in his country. And the inequality becomes more ridiculous when new citizens and PRs are allowed to buy a stake in the country, a HDB flat, without serving NS, without pledging to fight and defend this country with their lives. All they need to do, maybe to be good in their civilian professions, which some equated them as national service. Even hawkers and taxi drivers must be doing national service, serving the people.
And those NS men deprived of buying a public flat will still have to defend this country and the foreigners and new citizens and their assets. This is uniquely Singapore in its most uniquely way.
Today, many Singaporeans who have served NS are told that they cannot buy HDB flats for one reason or another. After serving and sacrificing for the country in donning military uniforms, trained to fight and defend his land and his home, he is told that he cannot buy a HDB flat.
This is sounding comical. NS men to defend a country he has no stake in. Maybe what they said is true. We are still not a nation and nothing worth defending, particularly for those without a stake in his country. And the inequality becomes more ridiculous when new citizens and PRs are allowed to buy a stake in the country, a HDB flat, without serving NS, without pledging to fight and defend this country with their lives. All they need to do, maybe to be good in their civilian professions, which some equated them as national service. Even hawkers and taxi drivers must be doing national service, serving the people.
And those NS men deprived of buying a public flat will still have to defend this country and the foreigners and new citizens and their assets. This is uniquely Singapore in its most uniquely way.
Occupy Wall Street gaining momentum
The power of technology is sweeping through America in a most unexpected way. The home of high tech and innovation has been exploiting technology and developing technology in changing the way of life of human beans everywhere. In many ways, technology has improved the way information and communication has never been before. Lifestyle also changes with Ipad, Iphone technology, thanks to Steve Jobs.
While many improvements in the way of life have been taken for granted in the developed countries, technology saw its biggest impact in the bringing down of dictators in countries that have not really embraced technology in a big way. The falling of several kingpins in northern Africa, now famously known as the Arab Spring is a good example.
Now this Spring is arriving in the streets of America, in most of the major cities, where inequalities and injustice, greed and corruption are taken by horns when Congress refused to act or slept with the perpetrators of greed and corporate crimes. The American people have finally taken onto technology for the good of the ordinary Americans against the crooks in high places, especially Wall Street.
The greed in Wall Street knows no bound and are concealed or blatantly ignored by the congressmen and senators. Only the bringing down of Wall Street can the cancerous growth of greed in America and the financial world be arrested. Europeans and some American regulators are reported to be trying to clamp down on the new scourge in the stock markets, ie, computerized high speed trading. They have seen the ills, and some have been fined heavily. But they are very cautious as the literature and media are still promoting and praising the goodness of such tradings, ignoring or sweeping under the carpets the ills of high speed tradings. The benefits are superficial and actually non existence. The whole scheme is to clean up the market by the application of high technology against the innocent small traders without the advantage of sophisticated computers. The playing field is not level, which is criminal itself. But the big boys are ignoring the inequitable situation, to take advantage of the system against the ordinary guys.
Only when Wall Street is taken to task, taken down, can the stock markets of the world be returned to normalcy. And only the ordinary Americans can do it, with a little help from technology, the very technology that the crooks in Wall Street are using to rip them off. The American people need to bring the issue to their govt, who are just as guilty as the crooks in Wall Street. They are in cahoot, in a white collar crime that are hidden in the name of technology and expediency.
Deep down, everyone of the crooks know that they are cheating the people, the ordinary Americans in main street. They are laughing all the way to the banks, with the loot robbed from the ordinary guys. Bringing down Wall Street will set in motion a wave to bring down all the crooks in the international financial systems across the world.
While many improvements in the way of life have been taken for granted in the developed countries, technology saw its biggest impact in the bringing down of dictators in countries that have not really embraced technology in a big way. The falling of several kingpins in northern Africa, now famously known as the Arab Spring is a good example.
Now this Spring is arriving in the streets of America, in most of the major cities, where inequalities and injustice, greed and corruption are taken by horns when Congress refused to act or slept with the perpetrators of greed and corporate crimes. The American people have finally taken onto technology for the good of the ordinary Americans against the crooks in high places, especially Wall Street.
The greed in Wall Street knows no bound and are concealed or blatantly ignored by the congressmen and senators. Only the bringing down of Wall Street can the cancerous growth of greed in America and the financial world be arrested. Europeans and some American regulators are reported to be trying to clamp down on the new scourge in the stock markets, ie, computerized high speed trading. They have seen the ills, and some have been fined heavily. But they are very cautious as the literature and media are still promoting and praising the goodness of such tradings, ignoring or sweeping under the carpets the ills of high speed tradings. The benefits are superficial and actually non existence. The whole scheme is to clean up the market by the application of high technology against the innocent small traders without the advantage of sophisticated computers. The playing field is not level, which is criminal itself. But the big boys are ignoring the inequitable situation, to take advantage of the system against the ordinary guys.
Only when Wall Street is taken to task, taken down, can the stock markets of the world be returned to normalcy. And only the ordinary Americans can do it, with a little help from technology, the very technology that the crooks in Wall Street are using to rip them off. The American people need to bring the issue to their govt, who are just as guilty as the crooks in Wall Street. They are in cahoot, in a white collar crime that are hidden in the name of technology and expediency.
Deep down, everyone of the crooks know that they are cheating the people, the ordinary Americans in main street. They are laughing all the way to the banks, with the loot robbed from the ordinary guys. Bringing down Wall Street will set in motion a wave to bring down all the crooks in the international financial systems across the world.
10/09/2011
Need to review reservist liabilities
There is a need to review the NS/reservist liabilities of NS men who did not enjoy the same privileges as other NS men or citizens. I am referring to those who are barred from applying for HDB flats for the reasons the HDB chose to bar them, singles, earning too much, above the ceiling imposed by HDB, unable to form a family unit to be eligible.
A roof is the basic necessity for anyone to stay in a place or country. And when owning a roof is so expensive, it is more essential to acquire that roof to live in peace. If the country thinks it can deprive any citizen from the right to own a public flat, should the citizen so deprived be spared the duties of reservist liabilities? After all, he is now a lesser citizen than other citizens. And he has no home to defend, They are homeless in their own country unless they cough out every single cent they have to buy expensive resale flats or private properties.
If the state thinks it is fair to treat its citizen unfairly, and still demands that the citizen be fully liable to defend the state, it will be better for such diminished citizens to pack up and emigrate. There is nothing to cherish and defend for when one is an unwanted child. Worst, when one has no roof over one’s head, and have to defend foreigners and citizens with a roof over their heads.
Why should they stay on, especially those that exceed the income ceiling? These are the young professionals who are highly qualified and would have no problem shifting out, and be wanted by other countries. The very basis of discriminating against such citizens from owning a public flat is simply silly. Just because they are earning more, they must pay more? They might as well move put, and no more reservist liabilities. Can come back as foreign talents some more.
Forcing the highly qualified and highly mobile professionals to think of leaving this country must be a very clever policy. They must really believe that this country is that fantastic that these young people would not risk going away. The truth is that these young people will exactly do what the govt thinks they would not do. But it is ok. They will be replaced by cheaper foreign talents, who will then be allowed to buy cheaper public flats which our own citizens are not allowed in the first place.
I am still unable to fathom the ingenuity of such a policy.
A roof is the basic necessity for anyone to stay in a place or country. And when owning a roof is so expensive, it is more essential to acquire that roof to live in peace. If the country thinks it can deprive any citizen from the right to own a public flat, should the citizen so deprived be spared the duties of reservist liabilities? After all, he is now a lesser citizen than other citizens. And he has no home to defend, They are homeless in their own country unless they cough out every single cent they have to buy expensive resale flats or private properties.
If the state thinks it is fair to treat its citizen unfairly, and still demands that the citizen be fully liable to defend the state, it will be better for such diminished citizens to pack up and emigrate. There is nothing to cherish and defend for when one is an unwanted child. Worst, when one has no roof over one’s head, and have to defend foreigners and citizens with a roof over their heads.
Why should they stay on, especially those that exceed the income ceiling? These are the young professionals who are highly qualified and would have no problem shifting out, and be wanted by other countries. The very basis of discriminating against such citizens from owning a public flat is simply silly. Just because they are earning more, they must pay more? They might as well move put, and no more reservist liabilities. Can come back as foreign talents some more.
Forcing the highly qualified and highly mobile professionals to think of leaving this country must be a very clever policy. They must really believe that this country is that fantastic that these young people would not risk going away. The truth is that these young people will exactly do what the govt thinks they would not do. But it is ok. They will be replaced by cheaper foreign talents, who will then be allowed to buy cheaper public flats which our own citizens are not allowed in the first place.
I am still unable to fathom the ingenuity of such a policy.
10/08/2011
Catching the second wind
The sheer thought of the second wind is invigorating. Singaporeans are so lucky. This is a pleasure that only Singaporeans are blessed with. With life expectancy reaching 80 or 90, life begins again for Singaporeans at 60.
The first thing for those hitting the 6 big zeros, is to think about schooling, just like when they were 6. Go back to school to learn a skill, like the ITE. I am still wondering why old dogs need to learn new tricks. Nevermind, after a year or so, and armed with a new certificate, it is time to write the resume. The thought of going for the first job interview is exciting, adrenalin is gushing through my veins. Must get the white shirt nicely pressed.
In the meantime register to join a gym. Got to get the muscles toned and the skin taut. The face part is not a problem, just go for Botok. The eyes, ok, lasik surgery is so common now. In fact go for the full course, the hair, the denture, the manicure, it is a new life man.
Looking ahead, getting a new girl friend, courtship and perhaps marriage. And there could be little children running around too. And soon got to think of choosing the best primary school again for the little ones. May even have to do some voluntary work for a good primary school. These are the things that make one thinking, and feeling young once more.
With a fresh list of responsibilities and challenges, buying a flat, getting insurance and all those things, and preparing for retirement in another 20 years, things cannot be better. With the experience gained before, the second round can only be better.
I hope Boon Wan would let these first timers get their HDB flats. Yes first time seniors. Only after 60 can one qualify as a first timer once again.
Creak. What’s that noise? Uncle, you can have my seat. No thank you. I am 60 years young.
The first thing for those hitting the 6 big zeros, is to think about schooling, just like when they were 6. Go back to school to learn a skill, like the ITE. I am still wondering why old dogs need to learn new tricks. Nevermind, after a year or so, and armed with a new certificate, it is time to write the resume. The thought of going for the first job interview is exciting, adrenalin is gushing through my veins. Must get the white shirt nicely pressed.
In the meantime register to join a gym. Got to get the muscles toned and the skin taut. The face part is not a problem, just go for Botok. The eyes, ok, lasik surgery is so common now. In fact go for the full course, the hair, the denture, the manicure, it is a new life man.
Looking ahead, getting a new girl friend, courtship and perhaps marriage. And there could be little children running around too. And soon got to think of choosing the best primary school again for the little ones. May even have to do some voluntary work for a good primary school. These are the things that make one thinking, and feeling young once more.
With a fresh list of responsibilities and challenges, buying a flat, getting insurance and all those things, and preparing for retirement in another 20 years, things cannot be better. With the experience gained before, the second round can only be better.
I hope Boon Wan would let these first timers get their HDB flats. Yes first time seniors. Only after 60 can one qualify as a first timer once again.
Creak. What’s that noise? Uncle, you can have my seat. No thank you. I am 60 years young.
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