The proper perspective of history

Many people tend to write about social political developments in Southeast Asia as if these countries were there from time immemorial. The truth is that many of these countries we see today and took for granted were never countries in the normal sense. Many were colonies or disorganized states of a different nature, and some have not even reached statehood in whatever counts.

Singaporeans used to use the familiar dates of 1819 as the founding of Singapore and 1959 when we were given self rule, but still a colony of the British Empire, not an independent country. Then came 1963 and 1965, when we became part of Malaysia and then truly independent as a nation. And there was the blip in 1941 to 1945 when we were conquered and became part of the Japanese Empire.

What was the state of Singapore in 1819? Was it a state, a country, with local govt, with a head of state, or was it a natural territory that was still evolving? There was the Johore Sultanate, with a Temengong and village chiefs. It was then probably called Temasek, or was it called something else? It did or did not have a name until Raffles landed and claimed this land as part of the British Empire and ceded it from the Johore Sultanate? It was so easy then. And he named the island Singapore or Singapura. The people, not citizens, became British subjects, owned by England. I don’t think they called themselves Singaporeans or British or Malayans. There was no Malaya as a single entity or country then.

Sounds quite funny really. There were the sultans who owned parts of the peninsula separately but no country that we know of today. They were regrouped by the British as Federated and non Federated states. There was no Malaya to talk about till 1946. A Federation of Malaya came about only in 1948 as a British colony. It only became an independent state in 1957. As a country, Malaya was even younger than me.

Singapore only gained self ruled in 1959, but still a British colony, not a country. Only in 1963 were we given the honour of calling ourselves Malaysians, citizens of a country. This short lived affair lasted for two years before we gained our independence as Singapore. Then could we call ourselves Singaporeans. Were there Singaporeans before 1965, Singaporeans of an independent country?

Until 1963, the people were a mixed of migrants with different nationalities and at best could called themselves British subjects. They didn’t have a country to pledge loyalty to but to raise the Union Jack and sing ‘God save the King/Queen’. Oh, in the period under Japanese Occupation, they were actually Japanese subjects, Japanese conquered people. And every racial group was on their own to look after themselves. You want schools for your children, go and build yourself. Raise your own fund, the govt of the day did not care who you were or your needs as a people.

No one bothered about integration or welcoming them. No one bothered what was happening to another racial group. Neither would the British be bothered. To them, all the residents were their subjects and each might hold different loyalties to wherever they came from.

And all the changes happened about 50 years ago. Could Singapore go and join the rest of the newly minted countries to claim the islands in South China Sea? We were just migrants, then British, then Japanese, British again, then Malaysian and now Singaporeans.

Now we talk about rights as citizens, equal under the law. We demand to be treated equally. We can get angry if feel discriminated. Before all these today, what rights could we talk about then? Everyone was on their own, to make the best of the day.

What’s next? American or International citizens?

Can Singaporeans be so cruel?

Members of a family who repeatedly tortured a 10-year-old relative over two years and left him permanently disfigured were yesterday sentenced to jail.

The boy - who started living with his grandaunt and her family when he was four, after his mother went to prison - was beaten repeatedly, burned and had his fingers cut. …
The court heard the boy was hit last year on his mouth with a hammer, causing a tooth to fall off and his mouth to bleed.
This was after his grandaunt found out he had finished some fried rice meant for the family.

A few months after the incident, the boy was again abused for allegedly stealing food and playing with the knobs of the gas stove.
His grandaunt asked her three daughters to restrain the boy while she splashed hot cooking oil on his face and body. She also cut his fingers with a pair of scissors, and pressed a hot iron and ladle on him….

The boy now suffers from facial deformities, including a distorted lip margin and a flattened nasal bridge.
The above extracts were taken from the ST.

Singapore a safe haven for money

The developers are worried that the recent property curbs may dampen the property market and lead to a recession. I think they are unduly worried and the fear is misplaced. Singapore is the choice estate for the rich to park their money, good or bad money, as long as they can get them in. The attractiveness of Singapore is a stable and good govt and a system of rule of law. Once the money is in and legally accepted, the money is safe.

With so much money floating around the world and seeking a safe place to hide or park, where else but Singapore. For this reason, more money will keep flowing in as other places are turning bad. Switzerland has lost its attractiveness when its privacy status is being challenged, and with foreign govts being able to pry open private accounts. The Arabs are also starting to realize their stupidity for putting money in Europe and the US when the Americans could seize them at will. And the US dollar is no longer a safe hedge for the future.

The developers should have no fear as foreign money are aplenty and will keep coming in as long as the door is open. In fact they should prepare for a flood of foreign funds into the island. The price of private high end properties should never be an issue as the reason for the money to be here is safety. And there are plenty of these monies wanting to come in.

Stop crying wolf. They could hold their prices or even expect the demand to increase. How much more land can this piece of rock sell to foreigners? And the prices are guaranteed to go up and up. The best hedge against inflation, and very safe.

Super high speed train for paradise

The ageing SMRT train system is looking like a goner. Instead of high speed it has to operate on slower speed. And instead of a smooth free ride, getting train disruptions and delays are going to be a daily affair. So what else needs to be done to improve the system of mass rapid transportation? I am including the words ‘mass’ and ‘rapid’ in case people think it is meant to be otherwise.

First step, send the international head hunter agencies to go on a world wide hunt for a true blue foreign talent to helm the organization. Local talents definitely won’t do, good at scoring As only in examinations. Regional talents, well, proven still not good enough.

Once such a true blue foreign talent comes on board, even 30 years is ok, tell him we want the best MRT and let him go to work. Soon we will have the world’s best super high speed train running from Tuas to Changi, only these two stops. At 500kph, it would take only 5 min for the journey. There is no possibility of more stops if the train is to hit the top speed. It would be a super fast journey, no jams, like taking a river bus from Clark Quay to Marina Barrage.

When the system is in place, commuters can take the snail train to Tuas or Changi to get to their destinations super fast. This will definitely help alleviate the jams in the city as commuters will all be travelling outwards to Tuas and Changi.

Why would they want to go to Tuas and Changi is not the problem as long as the train is super fast. And we have another claim to make, the fastest public transport system in the world. Never mind if it is empty. The train computer can generate images on the windows to give the impression that the trains are full, full of activities.

Never mind if it costs billions of dollars. It is other people’s money. And can get reporters to write about how good the super high speed train is, all the good stuff. It is all about the future, proactive, planning ahead for higher demands, looks very good too.

If, after blowing the trumpet for a while and the truth is that the super high speed train is not doing what it should be, well, it was a good wet dream. The foreign talent can say good bye and collect his fat severance pay to live forever, happily ever after. As for the white elephant, still can show the world we have the fastest super high speed train running, all paid for by the people.

Pakistan another powder keg

Pakistan is poised for a big explosion, a military coup. The Army Chief came out to deny that a coup was in the making. What is worrisome is the discovery of a note from a Pakistani leader asking the US to intervene to prevent a coup from happening. What a recipe for disaster! Now, who sent that note out for help? Or was there really a Pakistani leader that sent out such a note inviting a foreign power to move in to his country? Is that a sign that a certain foreign power are planning to meddle with Pakistan’s internal affair?

There were also talks of coup in China and in North Korea. Where would the support for such coups to come from? There have been frequent rumours in the media that these leaders are weak and the dissident groups are waiting to oust them out, and a coup is the perfect weapon.

No coup has happened in China or in North Korea since the end of WW2. Coups happened quite frequently in Arab land, in the Philippines, in South Korea, in South Vietnam, in Thailand, in Indonesia, but not even in North Vietnam. They are considered unstable govts but never had coups. Only stable countries have had coups.

Pakistan got to be very careful as the coup makers are working overtime for a coup, maybe with outside help.