This is another political truth that Singaporeans are going to make to believe in. Drinking shit water is good. No car will not affect the quality of life. Two working parents too will not affect family life as quality time is more important. HDB flats are affordable, are affordable and stop complaining that it is not.
Singaporeans are not gullible. They are only easily made to believe whatever political truths they are made to believe. Foreign talents are here to help them and not competing with them for jobs or facilities. Foreign talents are better than local talents.
As far as living in small flats or mickey mouse flats are concerned, just compared with Hongkong and Japan and we will feel so blessed. In Hongkong a designer can even turn a 300 sq ft unit into a lifestyle statement. On entering the unit, he says, welcome to my living room. Then he pull down a shelf, without moving from the spot he is standing, he will say, welcome to my kitchen, next by moving a panel, he says, this is my toilet. Then pushing another panel and pulling out a sofa bed, he says here is my bedroom.
All high tech staff, futuristic, with expensively designed furniture and fittings. His life style is definitely not affected. In fact he will show off his cleverly designed flat as a statement of style.
Seriously, what kind of flats, what size is needed for a decent flat to raise a family with two children? Have we forgotten about family and children? Maybe we have accepted that the family shall be small, with one or two children or no children at all. Get use to the smaller flats. There is no contradiction or conflict in policies, definitely.
But having two children still needs a lot of space for growing up, for grandparents or a maid. Oh, we used to have many bodies in a cubicle. Two on the beds, two under the beds, one on the table, one under the table, one in the kitchen and a few more in every corner of the room. How can we complain about smaller flats? We have progressed, like back to the future.
The thing is that why are we squeezing our people into smaller spaces. Or is it to make room for more foreigners, for 10m population? Is a bigger population indispensable, which our progress depends on it and is the quality of our life? If the quality of life is living in smaller and smaller flats that are going to cost more and more, I think this kind of progress can be done without.
Are we serious in wanting parents to have children, to have three tiered families? Sure, it only depends on whether you can afford it. Having more children and three tiered families in a 10,000 sq ft or 20,000 sq ft property should be no problem. When you can’t afford that, live within your means and try clever redesigning, clever use of space like squeezing the maids with the grands or the children or in the store room.
The quality of our life style will definitely not be affected. It is only an issue of affordability and living within your means.
11/11/2011
A specialist hospital across the causeway
Peter Lim and the Sultan of Johore are building a specialist hospital just across the causeway to cater for Johoreans and Singaporeans. This is the best joint venture to date coming from Johore. And the involvement of the Sultan will eradicate a lot of petty problems that could be conceived from petty minds.
When I wrote about such an option, my main worry is the use of CPF for medical treatment in the Iskander. You know, it can be something like the ¾ tank rule all over again. Then it is as good as a no go. With the Sultan’s stake in the hospital, we can be sure that this is not going to happen. It will definitely give the hospital a big boost in drawing more Singaporeans over.
On the Malaysian side, the Sultan’s presence can ease many unnecessary troubles. The most obvious is to ensure that crime against Singaporeans using the hospital is not an issue and the police would have to work harder on this. Then without Mahathir in the kitchen, hopefully no UMNO leaders will agitate against Singaporeans using their facilities or jamming their roads, raising cost of living.
I am really looking forward to a successful symbiotic relationship between the two sides that improves the lives of both people. The Johoreans will benefit from a world class hospital and its supporting industries. Singaporeans will not be squeezed by the local hospitals and have a meaningful alternative across the causeway.
It can be a real win win situation and not mere lip service.
When I wrote about such an option, my main worry is the use of CPF for medical treatment in the Iskander. You know, it can be something like the ¾ tank rule all over again. Then it is as good as a no go. With the Sultan’s stake in the hospital, we can be sure that this is not going to happen. It will definitely give the hospital a big boost in drawing more Singaporeans over.
On the Malaysian side, the Sultan’s presence can ease many unnecessary troubles. The most obvious is to ensure that crime against Singaporeans using the hospital is not an issue and the police would have to work harder on this. Then without Mahathir in the kitchen, hopefully no UMNO leaders will agitate against Singaporeans using their facilities or jamming their roads, raising cost of living.
I am really looking forward to a successful symbiotic relationship between the two sides that improves the lives of both people. The Johoreans will benefit from a world class hospital and its supporting industries. Singaporeans will not be squeezed by the local hospitals and have a meaningful alternative across the causeway.
It can be a real win win situation and not mere lip service.
11/10/2011
Notable quote from LKY
"If you don't include your women graduates in your breeding pool and leave
them on the shelf, you would end up a more stupid society...So what happens?
There will be less bright people to support dumb people in the next
generation. That's a problem." - MM Lee in 1983
Someone sent me this quote and after reading it I was a bit puzzle. I can’t figure out ‘less bright people to support dumb people in the next generation.’ I think I got a mental block here. I am intrigue by this quote. Please read it carefully and find the intricate truth it is revealing.
them on the shelf, you would end up a more stupid society...So what happens?
There will be less bright people to support dumb people in the next
generation. That's a problem." - MM Lee in 1983
Someone sent me this quote and after reading it I was a bit puzzle. I can’t figure out ‘less bright people to support dumb people in the next generation.’ I think I got a mental block here. I am intrigue by this quote. Please read it carefully and find the intricate truth it is revealing.
Selling junks is a crime!
The scavenger went to the junk yard to hunt for usable parts, took them home, sieved out the usable parts, repaired or refurbished them and sold them in the market. Is that a crime? Definitely not. What if they are military parts, is it a crime?
According to two hawks in the US Senate, Carl Levin and John McCain, it is a crime against the US. Selling them is like selling counterfeit parts. Are they counterfeits? They are genuine parts! The only thing is that they are discarded junks and the junk scavenger took the initiative to find them and rework them into working parts. If this is not allowable, then all the junk yard operators should close down.
So what if they are military parts when there are willing buyer and seller. And these are not really arms parts but electronic parts from old circuit boards which can be used for anything, not necessarily weapons. And there are millions of them floating around. How could there be millions of them be floating around when they are parts of weapons? But that was what the American Defence Department claimed.
The two senators are using this accusation as an excuse to create problems for Chinese electronic parts entering the US. They wanted to use it to justify inspecting all Chinese shipments to the US. Basically these jokers are sick, running out of ideas. They still think that it is a one way affair, that they can make life difficult for China, bully China. The game can be played both ways and many American goods going to China would likewise be subject to the same courtesy.
According to two hawks in the US Senate, Carl Levin and John McCain, it is a crime against the US. Selling them is like selling counterfeit parts. Are they counterfeits? They are genuine parts! The only thing is that they are discarded junks and the junk scavenger took the initiative to find them and rework them into working parts. If this is not allowable, then all the junk yard operators should close down.
So what if they are military parts when there are willing buyer and seller. And these are not really arms parts but electronic parts from old circuit boards which can be used for anything, not necessarily weapons. And there are millions of them floating around. How could there be millions of them be floating around when they are parts of weapons? But that was what the American Defence Department claimed.
The two senators are using this accusation as an excuse to create problems for Chinese electronic parts entering the US. They wanted to use it to justify inspecting all Chinese shipments to the US. Basically these jokers are sick, running out of ideas. They still think that it is a one way affair, that they can make life difficult for China, bully China. The game can be played both ways and many American goods going to China would likewise be subject to the same courtesy.
A frightening discovery
Maybe it is not, just a confirmation that it is real. After a few days of discussion on the housing issues, it comes out very clearly that the average Singaporeans either refuse to think, or simply cannot think, or too frighten to think.
When faced with problems, they said, look at the third world countries, we are so much better. Or, it could be worst. They would not compare with the best or would not think that it can be better. The status quo is the best and the only way. Even after May 6, with a trickle of change coming up, they are still not convinced that they could make the change for the better in a bigger way.
They simply accept the raison d’tre of the authority. If people don’t sign up to buy flats, the govt will not build. The govt will only build when there is solid demand with applicants putting their money out front and signing on the dotted line. So what if it takes 3 to 4 years to build a flat? Even if it is 10 years, that’s the way it should be. They should be grateful that they got such a good flat. Other countries, many do not have such good housing.
May 6 did change a little on this great thinking and policy. Without May 6, the housing programme still will be as before, build only when there is demand and be grateful to get a flat in 3 or 4 years. That was the normal and the best thing can be.
The other great logic, the higher income Singaporeans are competing with the lower income Singaporeans for public flats. And if they are allowed to buy public flats, they will deprive the chances of lower income applicants. What a great logic. So it is ok for the slightly higher income citizens to compete with the richer foreigners in buying private flats and emptying their savings plus a big big mortgage.
No, the average Singaporeans could not see the flaw in this logic. They could not see anything further than their noses. I am too tired to repeat the explanation on how nonsensical is this reasoning. For those who can understand, good, for those who can’t, good.
And many Singaporeans are barred from buying a public flat for all kinds of reasons while foreigners/new citizens who did not contribute anything to the country, not even defending the country, are allowed to buy public flats. I just saw this quote in the Today paper and I just modify the last word from bonus to housing. ‘Consider that we trust military and homeland security personnel with our lives, yet we don’t’ give them lavish ‘homes’. The author Nassim Nicholas Taleb was referring to the lavish bonuses of the bankers in America.
There are many weird logics and reasonings that the average Singaporeans will just accept blindly. Cheng Hu kong so must believe, must follow, must accept, cannot argue. Would they ever believe that an alternative govt of better people can be better than the present govt? No, it could be worst. This is the best. There are no better people than those already in the govt.
It is quite frightening really, to think of a people raised in the best education system and failed badly in trying to use their brains to think deeper and not accepting superficial explanations. It would not hurt the brain to make it work a little bit more. Keeping it in pristine condition is a bad thing. The more one works the brain, the shinier it will be.
I may be wrong. And there is still hope that those who are not thinking and see this place as a Shangrila, flawless, are new citizens or PRs who came from a lower base. That could also be the reason why they are asking critical and cynical Singaporeans to get lost so that they can bring in their families here. This is indeed a place made in heaven if you know where they are coming from.
When faced with problems, they said, look at the third world countries, we are so much better. Or, it could be worst. They would not compare with the best or would not think that it can be better. The status quo is the best and the only way. Even after May 6, with a trickle of change coming up, they are still not convinced that they could make the change for the better in a bigger way.
They simply accept the raison d’tre of the authority. If people don’t sign up to buy flats, the govt will not build. The govt will only build when there is solid demand with applicants putting their money out front and signing on the dotted line. So what if it takes 3 to 4 years to build a flat? Even if it is 10 years, that’s the way it should be. They should be grateful that they got such a good flat. Other countries, many do not have such good housing.
May 6 did change a little on this great thinking and policy. Without May 6, the housing programme still will be as before, build only when there is demand and be grateful to get a flat in 3 or 4 years. That was the normal and the best thing can be.
The other great logic, the higher income Singaporeans are competing with the lower income Singaporeans for public flats. And if they are allowed to buy public flats, they will deprive the chances of lower income applicants. What a great logic. So it is ok for the slightly higher income citizens to compete with the richer foreigners in buying private flats and emptying their savings plus a big big mortgage.
No, the average Singaporeans could not see the flaw in this logic. They could not see anything further than their noses. I am too tired to repeat the explanation on how nonsensical is this reasoning. For those who can understand, good, for those who can’t, good.
And many Singaporeans are barred from buying a public flat for all kinds of reasons while foreigners/new citizens who did not contribute anything to the country, not even defending the country, are allowed to buy public flats. I just saw this quote in the Today paper and I just modify the last word from bonus to housing. ‘Consider that we trust military and homeland security personnel with our lives, yet we don’t’ give them lavish ‘homes’. The author Nassim Nicholas Taleb was referring to the lavish bonuses of the bankers in America.
There are many weird logics and reasonings that the average Singaporeans will just accept blindly. Cheng Hu kong so must believe, must follow, must accept, cannot argue. Would they ever believe that an alternative govt of better people can be better than the present govt? No, it could be worst. This is the best. There are no better people than those already in the govt.
It is quite frightening really, to think of a people raised in the best education system and failed badly in trying to use their brains to think deeper and not accepting superficial explanations. It would not hurt the brain to make it work a little bit more. Keeping it in pristine condition is a bad thing. The more one works the brain, the shinier it will be.
I may be wrong. And there is still hope that those who are not thinking and see this place as a Shangrila, flawless, are new citizens or PRs who came from a lower base. That could also be the reason why they are asking critical and cynical Singaporeans to get lost so that they can bring in their families here. This is indeed a place made in heaven if you know where they are coming from.
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