I have abstained all this while from making reference to her directly with due respect to all parents, husbands and brothers and sisters of every young person. She is after all someone’s daughter, somebody’s wife and sister. It is not very kind to be so harsh in our comments on her. Many do not know her and made remarks based on the few things or comments they heard or read about her in the media.
She is just like any other young person, chasing her dreams, wanting to serve in her best capacity in her chosen endeavour. She has accepted the challenge to go into politics. Whether that is a right or wrong decision, it varies with individuals. If there is anything wrong with that, it must be the people who selected her and put her in the deep end.
Is she good enough for the job? The problem of Tin Pei Ling at the moment is more of PR and the image that the public perceived her. She is young and looked young, and that became a disadvantage. In politics, it is better to look matronly, with more girth and more meaty to look more substantive yah? Can she carry the responsibilities as a MP, to take care of her constituents, to discuss national issues in Parliament? Only time will tell.
When the perception of her is so wrong from the start, everything negative comes together to make things even worst for her. People are not happy that she is getting the huge MP allowance that was designed for super talent which people think is very excessive for someone that they think is still too young for it.
It is no longer about logic, about abilities, but about emotions and personal biases. And this is making life very tough for Tin Pei Ling. Every little movement from her will come up for criticism. I think this is grossly overdone. The rice has been cooked. If the people are unhappy, go after the people who cooked the rice. It was never her fault. She saw an opportunity, she seized it and thought she can do it. No one can fault her for this. For putting her on the high pedestal as another super talent, for thinking that she is good enough and that the people would embrace her, now looks like a bad judgement call from the people who made the decision to field her.
Tin Pei Ling is paying a very heavy price for the mistakes of others. She may blossom later and prove others wrong. For the moment, the public perception is that she is just not ready for political leadership. And the constant attack on her is not graceful and very unkind. Let’s be more graceful and let her have some peace and get on with life.
I say again. It was not her fault. She is just like any other young person starting out to work, to take the challenge in life. Let’s not make her life miserable and to pay for other people’s mistake. After the day is over, it may not be a mistake after all. No one knows better. People should refrain from attacking her at every opportunity. She did not create GRCs to get into politics.
1/13/2012
The Chip Bee Asian Asshole Incident
There is a big battle between Asian Assholes and East European Professor in Chip Bee Estate. The trouble started when the professor had parties one too often and making too much noise to irritate her Asian neighbour. So the latter reported to the police and even recorded their jokes and adulterated conversations with phrases like Asian Assholes.
The professor has now made an apology for the noise and disturbance. Not sure if she has apologized over the asshole remark. I think there is no need to over react. Asians have always been assholes to the Westerners and love every bit of it. They love all the names the Westerners have been calling them right in their faces or behind their back. So this apology, if there is, for calling Asian Assholes is unwarranted. It is a fact.
Just get together and have a few orgies and be friends. The Assholes just love to be screwed by Westerners. Come on Assholes, be gracious lah. This is not the first time or the last time Asians will be called Assholes or more fanciful and endearing terms.
The professor has now made an apology for the noise and disturbance. Not sure if she has apologized over the asshole remark. I think there is no need to over react. Asians have always been assholes to the Westerners and love every bit of it. They love all the names the Westerners have been calling them right in their faces or behind their back. So this apology, if there is, for calling Asian Assholes is unwarranted. It is a fact.
Just get together and have a few orgies and be friends. The Assholes just love to be screwed by Westerners. Come on Assholes, be gracious lah. This is not the first time or the last time Asians will be called Assholes or more fanciful and endearing terms.
Protect our ministers
Don’t give me that puzzled look can? I was thinking of another title, ‘The temptation of Jesus Christ’, but that may be too religious an approach. There are many reasons why Sinkies need to stand up to protect the ministers. And there are many known and good reasons to do so. We were told that they are the crème ala crème of the super talents on this piece of rock. This must be a good enough reason for many Sinkies. Many also believe that they are the best people to run this country. Without them, the economy is going to go downhill, prices of properties will collapse, many would become foreign workers. There will be a flight of capital and investments and we will slide back to the Third World. Our reserves and CPF savings will become banana currency. We don’t want that to happen.
There is a more basic reason to want to protect the ministers. The most fundamental assumption of the Ministerial Salary Review Committee is that the ministers are also humans. This rude revelation is a big departure from the assumption that they are immortals. Good that the Committee set this record straight for once. This assumption is also similar to the fear that they will succumb to temptation to be corrupt. Looking at them as humans, understanding the weaknesses of human weaknesses is half the battle won. There is no need to pretend that they are immortals and above the weaknesses of human beans. As humans they are subject to the same temptations of the flesh, of greed, of corruption, and the endless desires and wants.
This is what I mean when I say we need to protect the ministers as they are human beans too. Monday, Parliament is going to debate the salary recommendations of the Review Committee. And it is likely that they are going to vote for or against it. With 81 MPs and the Whip in force, the recommendations will be passed. This is bad. The recommendations are full of treacherous loopholes and traps that will compromise and bring down the good ministers.
I hope that they will be wise enough to look for a clean and simple package that will protect them from the temptations of man, of being human. I hope they will come out with a simple recommendation, a new recommendation that will remove all the loopholes and trappings that will lead the ministers to their downfall. It is unfair to design a system that is flawed and inviting the beneficiaries to think crooked. The new recommendations on the table are not much different from the current package, with many variables and flexibilities and loopholes for wrongdoings. If the ministers are put in a situation where they can be selective in what they are doing, say by doing this or that they could improve their bonuses etc, being human and weak, they could be lured into those erroneous paths.
There is no need to throw away the whole recommendations in toto. The recommendations have provided a decent framework as to how much the ministers can hope to get as their salary. Just compute them into simple numbers like $1.1m which is the base and $10m which is the maximum. With these two extremes, add a couple of options like $3m and $5m. Remove all the other variables and measurement criteria. Just put the four numbers to vote and let them be the salary of the ministers.
Once this is done, the ministers will be released from all the distraction of money, money will no longer be their daily preoccupation. An added precaution is that there shall be no other incomes by virtue of other appointments or duties. They can take on whatever duties or appointments if they so desired, but no more money, not even a token allowance. No more creative appointments as well. This will then be the simplest and cleanest and most transparent package for the ministers, and to protect them from themselves, to free them from temptations, and from thinking crooked. I want to say no crooked bridges as well, but that would be too complex to deal with.
May the main task of Parliament next week be towards a revised and simple salary package for the ministers. This is the best that everyone can hope for, for country, for the ministers and for the people. The police or uniformed personnel can do whatever to protect the ministers, but the most difficult task is for the ministers to protect from themselves. The people need to do their part to assist the ministers by proposing a simple compensation package that is free from mischief and temptation. This is a responsible thing to do. It is a simple task but very daunting. And it would need very brave and righteous ministers to agree with such a proposal. Just tell them it is for their own good and their own protection. Think they will understand the simple logic behind the proposal and assumption.
May God bless them and give them wisdom in this very difficult moment of their lives. Boon Wan is the best person to help to enlighten the rest of the ministers, to see light in times of darkness.
There is a more basic reason to want to protect the ministers. The most fundamental assumption of the Ministerial Salary Review Committee is that the ministers are also humans. This rude revelation is a big departure from the assumption that they are immortals. Good that the Committee set this record straight for once. This assumption is also similar to the fear that they will succumb to temptation to be corrupt. Looking at them as humans, understanding the weaknesses of human weaknesses is half the battle won. There is no need to pretend that they are immortals and above the weaknesses of human beans. As humans they are subject to the same temptations of the flesh, of greed, of corruption, and the endless desires and wants.
This is what I mean when I say we need to protect the ministers as they are human beans too. Monday, Parliament is going to debate the salary recommendations of the Review Committee. And it is likely that they are going to vote for or against it. With 81 MPs and the Whip in force, the recommendations will be passed. This is bad. The recommendations are full of treacherous loopholes and traps that will compromise and bring down the good ministers.
I hope that they will be wise enough to look for a clean and simple package that will protect them from the temptations of man, of being human. I hope they will come out with a simple recommendation, a new recommendation that will remove all the loopholes and trappings that will lead the ministers to their downfall. It is unfair to design a system that is flawed and inviting the beneficiaries to think crooked. The new recommendations on the table are not much different from the current package, with many variables and flexibilities and loopholes for wrongdoings. If the ministers are put in a situation where they can be selective in what they are doing, say by doing this or that they could improve their bonuses etc, being human and weak, they could be lured into those erroneous paths.
There is no need to throw away the whole recommendations in toto. The recommendations have provided a decent framework as to how much the ministers can hope to get as their salary. Just compute them into simple numbers like $1.1m which is the base and $10m which is the maximum. With these two extremes, add a couple of options like $3m and $5m. Remove all the other variables and measurement criteria. Just put the four numbers to vote and let them be the salary of the ministers.
Once this is done, the ministers will be released from all the distraction of money, money will no longer be their daily preoccupation. An added precaution is that there shall be no other incomes by virtue of other appointments or duties. They can take on whatever duties or appointments if they so desired, but no more money, not even a token allowance. No more creative appointments as well. This will then be the simplest and cleanest and most transparent package for the ministers, and to protect them from themselves, to free them from temptations, and from thinking crooked. I want to say no crooked bridges as well, but that would be too complex to deal with.
May the main task of Parliament next week be towards a revised and simple salary package for the ministers. This is the best that everyone can hope for, for country, for the ministers and for the people. The police or uniformed personnel can do whatever to protect the ministers, but the most difficult task is for the ministers to protect from themselves. The people need to do their part to assist the ministers by proposing a simple compensation package that is free from mischief and temptation. This is a responsible thing to do. It is a simple task but very daunting. And it would need very brave and righteous ministers to agree with such a proposal. Just tell them it is for their own good and their own protection. Think they will understand the simple logic behind the proposal and assumption.
May God bless them and give them wisdom in this very difficult moment of their lives. Boon Wan is the best person to help to enlighten the rest of the ministers, to see light in times of darkness.
1/12/2012
Hong Kong Traders Plan Lunch-Break Protest
Bloomberg
By Kana Nishizawa and Marco Lui - Jan 12, 2012
Securities traders and restaurant staff will protest outside the Hong Kong stock exchange offices today over the bourse’s plan to reduce its lunchtime trading break.
As many as 1,000 protesters will gather at the Statue Square in the city’s central business district at 4:45 p.m. and walk to the headquarters of Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing Ltd. at the Exchange Square, said Patrick Lam, chairman of the Hong Kong Securities & Futures Employees Union and organizer of the demonstration.
Hong Kong Exchanges Chief Executive Officer Charles Li plans to cut the lunch break from March 5 to one hour from 90 minute, following a reduction last year from two hours, the longest of the world’s 20 largest bourses. Brokers use the lunch break to communicate with clients and improve businesses, and one hour is not enough, Lam said by telephone today. Restaurants in the city’s central district would be losing business as well, he said.
“I think it’s ridiculous,” said Francis Lun, managing director at Lyncean Holdings Ltd., who may join the protest. “After the morning trading, traders have to spend about 15 minutes to match all the trades, so it really gives you no time for lunch at all. I hope we can throw garbage on the head of Mr. Charles Li for not listening to public opinion.”....
The SGX has since cut off lunch break to be in line with the stupid Americans for the same quoted reason that it will increase the volume of transactions. Where is the evidence? Where is the increase? There is only decrease in volume. In fact the volume of trades does not even justify opening the exchange for more than 2 hours. Now that this sad state of affair has been proven, let’s not deceive ourselves that volume will increase with continuous trading.
What is the point of opening non stop when there are hardly any trades being done? Or is it that it got something to do with switching on and off of high speed computers? There is no reason for continuous trading unless the volume justifies it. Until then, it is only reasonable to revert to the one and the half hour lunch break.
By Kana Nishizawa and Marco Lui - Jan 12, 2012
Securities traders and restaurant staff will protest outside the Hong Kong stock exchange offices today over the bourse’s plan to reduce its lunchtime trading break.
As many as 1,000 protesters will gather at the Statue Square in the city’s central business district at 4:45 p.m. and walk to the headquarters of Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing Ltd. at the Exchange Square, said Patrick Lam, chairman of the Hong Kong Securities & Futures Employees Union and organizer of the demonstration.
Hong Kong Exchanges Chief Executive Officer Charles Li plans to cut the lunch break from March 5 to one hour from 90 minute, following a reduction last year from two hours, the longest of the world’s 20 largest bourses. Brokers use the lunch break to communicate with clients and improve businesses, and one hour is not enough, Lam said by telephone today. Restaurants in the city’s central district would be losing business as well, he said.
“I think it’s ridiculous,” said Francis Lun, managing director at Lyncean Holdings Ltd., who may join the protest. “After the morning trading, traders have to spend about 15 minutes to match all the trades, so it really gives you no time for lunch at all. I hope we can throw garbage on the head of Mr. Charles Li for not listening to public opinion.”....
The SGX has since cut off lunch break to be in line with the stupid Americans for the same quoted reason that it will increase the volume of transactions. Where is the evidence? Where is the increase? There is only decrease in volume. In fact the volume of trades does not even justify opening the exchange for more than 2 hours. Now that this sad state of affair has been proven, let’s not deceive ourselves that volume will increase with continuous trading.
What is the point of opening non stop when there are hardly any trades being done? Or is it that it got something to do with switching on and off of high speed computers? There is no reason for continuous trading unless the volume justifies it. Until then, it is only reasonable to revert to the one and the half hour lunch break.
The more you read the more tulan
More and more cases of PRs and new citizens benefitting from the housing policies or taking advantage of them are being reported in cyberspace. And to think that they did not have to do NS and could get a public flat so easily while so many Sinkies are not even eligible for some cock reasons, singles, income too high etc etc, makes the blood boils. How can policies be formulated that put Sinkies at a disadvantage over PRs and new citizens?
The people that fall victims to such policies have all the rights to be fuming mad. They are the sons of the land, oops, a piece of rock, and having live here all their lives, doing NS to defend this piece of rock, and could not buy a roof over their heads while new citizens going around merrily getting them, subletting them, or selling them at good profits only to abandon this place and return home.
The Sinkies deserve the govt they get. I am sure many Sinkies are damn tulan over this. Own citizens, born and bred here, lost out to PRs and new citizens. And best of the bestest, they will vote for those who made the policies to their detriment.
The people that fall victims to such policies have all the rights to be fuming mad. They are the sons of the land, oops, a piece of rock, and having live here all their lives, doing NS to defend this piece of rock, and could not buy a roof over their heads while new citizens going around merrily getting them, subletting them, or selling them at good profits only to abandon this place and return home.
The Sinkies deserve the govt they get. I am sure many Sinkies are damn tulan over this. Own citizens, born and bred here, lost out to PRs and new citizens. And best of the bestest, they will vote for those who made the policies to their detriment.
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