How things can change overnight. Many great arguments, uncontested and unchallenged, were elevated to become the daily mantras of Sinkies. Overnight, after a heavy thunderstorm, the dull Sinkie minds seem to have brightened up a little after the flood water subsided. Now they are calling all the mantras high falutins. They don’t believe in any of them anymore.
The first to fall is the high salary for super talent. This brought along the demise of high salary to prevent corruption mantra. No body really believes in it anymore. This is amazing. As they said, real gold is not afraid of fire. But gold plating is a different thing altogether. How many high mantras are going the high falutin way?
Maybe the Sinkies are going crazy and the old mantras are still valid but the daft Sinkies could not appreciate how valuable they were.
1/31/2012
Can PAP survive 2016?
This is an interesting question that many observers are wondering. In the last election there were signs that the ground had shifted. The support for PAP was weakening and all it needed was for the opposition to put up a stronger slate of candidates to make some inroad into Parliament. And we have seen a GRC fell. Actually another one or two could have gone to the opposition.
There was no lack of good candidates from the opposition camp to win a couple more GRCs. Goh Meng Seng was right in going at individual ministers that were weak and losing ground support with their bad policies. The fault was the dilution of opposition candidates, basically spread too thin. If they have adopted the same strategy like the WP, the NSP could have got Tampines hands down.
What would be the fortune of the political parties in 2016? The PAP will have a very tough time comes 2016. There is really nothing left to stand in favour of the party. After the ministerial salary debate in Parliament, all the political credits have vanished into thin air. The super talent and super salary myths have been shattered to pieces. Not many thinking people will find the super talents anything that super or unusual. The few good ministers could have held their grounds if not of flawed policies or the wrong direction that the country is being led to. And to keep to party line and direction, they could only go along but undermining their own credibility as super talents.
The policy of throwing money at problems is getting hilarious and comical. Money is not an issue. It is OPM. Just throw money at any problem. The more money is thrown the better the impression that great effort and intelligence are at work, and the problem will be solved.
The reverse is to make the people pay as much as they can afford, as long as there is money left in their pockets. Both do not need any intelligence to go with. Millions and billions have been blown away.
How many still believe that the PAP candidates in Parliament are the best people available to lead this country? Many of the opposition candidates in the last elections were many times better and several were even of ministerial material. It is regrettable that they are not in Parliament. It is equally regrettable that a few of the not deserving are now in Parliament.
Some corners of the public are lamenting that there are still not enough good candidates. Actually they were several very good candidates from the opposition in the last GE, definitely better than those from the PAP. And it is likely that more will be stepping forward in 2016. If each of the opposition party could attract enough good candidates to wrestle one GRC from the PAP and with the WP doing a little better, there is a good possibility of another 4 or 5 GRCs going to the opposition. It will deplete further the already dearth of real super talents in the ruling party.
The invincible wall of super talents has fallen. There were really no super talents to talk of. And with so many mediocre talents in the GRCs, if the opposition parties could concentrate their fire power with good candidates in their GRC teams, the balance can easily be tipped. The Tony and Hazel Poa, Benjamin Pwee, Vincent, Jee Say, Nicole, just to name a few, were equals to the PAP’s best and should rightfully be in Parliament. The electorate has seen them and is likely to place their bets on them and other equally good candidates that will show up in 2016.
What else is there in PAP to hold against a new slate of able and good candidates from the opposition when practically every minister is now looking so vulnerable? As for the rest of the MPs…well….
Can the PAP survive 2016?
There was no lack of good candidates from the opposition camp to win a couple more GRCs. Goh Meng Seng was right in going at individual ministers that were weak and losing ground support with their bad policies. The fault was the dilution of opposition candidates, basically spread too thin. If they have adopted the same strategy like the WP, the NSP could have got Tampines hands down.
What would be the fortune of the political parties in 2016? The PAP will have a very tough time comes 2016. There is really nothing left to stand in favour of the party. After the ministerial salary debate in Parliament, all the political credits have vanished into thin air. The super talent and super salary myths have been shattered to pieces. Not many thinking people will find the super talents anything that super or unusual. The few good ministers could have held their grounds if not of flawed policies or the wrong direction that the country is being led to. And to keep to party line and direction, they could only go along but undermining their own credibility as super talents.
The policy of throwing money at problems is getting hilarious and comical. Money is not an issue. It is OPM. Just throw money at any problem. The more money is thrown the better the impression that great effort and intelligence are at work, and the problem will be solved.
The reverse is to make the people pay as much as they can afford, as long as there is money left in their pockets. Both do not need any intelligence to go with. Millions and billions have been blown away.
How many still believe that the PAP candidates in Parliament are the best people available to lead this country? Many of the opposition candidates in the last elections were many times better and several were even of ministerial material. It is regrettable that they are not in Parliament. It is equally regrettable that a few of the not deserving are now in Parliament.
Some corners of the public are lamenting that there are still not enough good candidates. Actually they were several very good candidates from the opposition in the last GE, definitely better than those from the PAP. And it is likely that more will be stepping forward in 2016. If each of the opposition party could attract enough good candidates to wrestle one GRC from the PAP and with the WP doing a little better, there is a good possibility of another 4 or 5 GRCs going to the opposition. It will deplete further the already dearth of real super talents in the ruling party.
The invincible wall of super talents has fallen. There were really no super talents to talk of. And with so many mediocre talents in the GRCs, if the opposition parties could concentrate their fire power with good candidates in their GRC teams, the balance can easily be tipped. The Tony and Hazel Poa, Benjamin Pwee, Vincent, Jee Say, Nicole, just to name a few, were equals to the PAP’s best and should rightfully be in Parliament. The electorate has seen them and is likely to place their bets on them and other equally good candidates that will show up in 2016.
What else is there in PAP to hold against a new slate of able and good candidates from the opposition when practically every minister is now looking so vulnerable? As for the rest of the MPs…well….
Can the PAP survive 2016?
$750m to solve ponding problem
The govt took less than a month to decide on spending $750m to solve a little ponding problem in Orchard Road. The recommendations by the committee of experts were revealed only a few weeks back in the main media. Looking from a positive angle, it is decisiveness, a govt on the ball and is trying to tackle the problem as fast as it could. I still remember that it needed one whole year of studies to decide to give those on public assistance $50 extra a month. I am not privy to how long the committee took to come out with the recommendations but the decision was made super fast and super serious.
I don’t know how many and how big were the ponds. If there were 10 ponds, it means each pond will cost $75m to remove. And looking at the works to be done, many of the facilities were meant to be for monitoring and data collecting purposes and not really to solve the flooding problem. I think the $124m map is one of them, plus all the CCTVs and early warning system. By the time they have the map ready and all the new data, another big sum of money will be needed to implement more new measures from the new findings.
Well, money can solve all problems. True or not? Or money down the drain into the ponds? What is $750m? May not be effective as the sum is too small.
I don’t know how many and how big were the ponds. If there were 10 ponds, it means each pond will cost $75m to remove. And looking at the works to be done, many of the facilities were meant to be for monitoring and data collecting purposes and not really to solve the flooding problem. I think the $124m map is one of them, plus all the CCTVs and early warning system. By the time they have the map ready and all the new data, another big sum of money will be needed to implement more new measures from the new findings.
Well, money can solve all problems. True or not? Or money down the drain into the ponds? What is $750m? May not be effective as the sum is too small.
Incompetence or negligence?
A contributor to the ST forum today, Woon Toon Tuan, wrote an article titled, ‘Why property prices will remain high’ and quoted some amazing numbers which he said were from official sources.
He stated that from 1995-2010, the population of citizens and PRs increased by 758,000 while 128,896 private homes were built. The 758,000 when translated into homes needed with a 3.5 person per household were 216,628 homes. Between the two, there was a shortfall of 87,732 homes needed. To date, there are 77,089 units of incompleted homes in the pipeline and these would still be insufficient and will thus not quench the demand for housing. Prices will thus remain firm.
I am not sure if public housing would affect his numbers as he mentioned that the 128,896 were private homes. Then he added that in year 2010, the population increased by another 107,000 foreigners. This would translate to another 30,000 units of home for them.
It is really very funny that if these are official data, how could they be missed and some jokers happily cut down on the building of public housing? Actually it is not funny at all when so many people were adversely affected and their savings kenna wiped out because of high demand and low supply of housing. Home buyers could have suffered a few hundred thousand dollars extra in the prices they paid because of this boo boo. Some would have to push back their buying decision only to end up seeing the prices rocketing to the sky. And they are stucked with no housing till today. Those that have to pay the exceptionally high prices would have no recourse to the monetary loss they have incurred because of this fiasco.
Nobody is responsible for the shit they have ended up in. Ya, they can blame it on market forces.
He stated that from 1995-2010, the population of citizens and PRs increased by 758,000 while 128,896 private homes were built. The 758,000 when translated into homes needed with a 3.5 person per household were 216,628 homes. Between the two, there was a shortfall of 87,732 homes needed. To date, there are 77,089 units of incompleted homes in the pipeline and these would still be insufficient and will thus not quench the demand for housing. Prices will thus remain firm.
I am not sure if public housing would affect his numbers as he mentioned that the 128,896 were private homes. Then he added that in year 2010, the population increased by another 107,000 foreigners. This would translate to another 30,000 units of home for them.
It is really very funny that if these are official data, how could they be missed and some jokers happily cut down on the building of public housing? Actually it is not funny at all when so many people were adversely affected and their savings kenna wiped out because of high demand and low supply of housing. Home buyers could have suffered a few hundred thousand dollars extra in the prices they paid because of this boo boo. Some would have to push back their buying decision only to end up seeing the prices rocketing to the sky. And they are stucked with no housing till today. Those that have to pay the exceptionally high prices would have no recourse to the monetary loss they have incurred because of this fiasco.
Nobody is responsible for the shit they have ended up in. Ya, they can blame it on market forces.
1/30/2012
Obama - A contented man
In his latest State of the Union Address, Obama Barack came across as a happy, balanced and contented man. In his Presidential speech it was all about nation and people, nothing about self. He was not there to defend his pay or asking for more pay. The only time he did mention about his pay was to say that he was very satisfied with his meagre official pay and was more than willing to pay more taxes on top of what he was paying under the current tax laws.
Some may squirm and privately mumble to themselves that Obama could be paid more under the table. But no one has any evidence to say so. Given the American liberal and open system, any such wrongdoings would not hide pass muster. It is not so easy to be corrupt or be paid under the table without being discovered as the President of the USA. This is unlike Asian systems of opagueness, non transparency and non disclosure when many things could be hidden or undisclosed and plenty can be hidden under the sun.
The closest Asian system that is as transparent as the American, and clean, must be our very own system. The slight difference is that Obama is a happy and contented politician who is happy with his lesser pay than our politicians who are still feeling quite sore of the hair cut. A contented man, some say silly man, is a wise man. Of course this is very subjective and many in paradise will be laughing themselves silly at Obama for such a big job and responsibility and afraid to fight for more pay. He could simply use our model to justify his $600k pay upwards many times.
Whether he is wise or silly is a matter of opinion, a judgement call really.
Some may squirm and privately mumble to themselves that Obama could be paid more under the table. But no one has any evidence to say so. Given the American liberal and open system, any such wrongdoings would not hide pass muster. It is not so easy to be corrupt or be paid under the table without being discovered as the President of the USA. This is unlike Asian systems of opagueness, non transparency and non disclosure when many things could be hidden or undisclosed and plenty can be hidden under the sun.
The closest Asian system that is as transparent as the American, and clean, must be our very own system. The slight difference is that Obama is a happy and contented politician who is happy with his lesser pay than our politicians who are still feeling quite sore of the hair cut. A contented man, some say silly man, is a wise man. Of course this is very subjective and many in paradise will be laughing themselves silly at Obama for such a big job and responsibility and afraid to fight for more pay. He could simply use our model to justify his $600k pay upwards many times.
Whether he is wise or silly is a matter of opinion, a judgement call really.
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