Hougang by election on 26 May

Nomination Day will be 16 of May. This is an interesting event to watch from all corners. How would the opposition parties react? Would there be a mad scramble to be in the arena, like fools rush in? Or would they be united and give deference to the Worker's Party to fight a one to one battle without any spoilers?

On the PAP side, the result is going to be closely watched and it could foretell its fortune in the next GE. The people of Hougang will set the tone for what lies ahead. It may be a simple by election. But it has far reaching consequences for everyone.

The art of making Asians lick everything

The Titanic, the Unsinkable cruise liner, the biggest of its time, the biggest technological achievement of Britain, the biggest flop, the biggest tragedy!

If the sinking of the Titanic were to happen to any Asian or African country, it would be a national shame, like the failure of the satellite launch by the North Koreans. The western media will have a field day laughing their guts out. Daft Koreans could not even build a rocket to launch a satellite. What would it be if the Titanic was built by the North Koreans or the Russians or the Chinese? The West would be giggling themselves crazy and laughing on their stomachs.

100 years on, the British and their silly former colonies are celebrating the sinking of this mammoth ship that took thousands of lives of the British and European elite class, the aristocracy, the royalties and the gentries. Yes, they are celebrating the ill fated maiden voyage of a ship they called the Unsinkable that sunk on its very first voyage. Instead of shame and agony, it is time for celebration and a big PR blitz complete with memorabilia and keepsakes of the romantic times.

It was not a failure of technology. It was human error. Everyone was celebrating and allowed the ship to kiss an iceberg. It is all about how to reframe a story. We should learn a bit from this media blitz and celebrate the daily breakdowns of our MRT system, the jewel of achievement of a first world country known for flawless efficiency. Maybe it is too early to make such a celebration when there is a BOI. Maybe at least to wait till the BOI is over. Maybe we can wait for another 100 years to make it real big and after all the angst and cursing is over, and a future generation that just want to have a good time, no matter what reasons or occasions.

Clever ideas for COEs

The frustration faced by car owners and potential car owners is raising temperature by the look of the numerous appeals to the authority to revise the system. Many see the systems as totally flawed and have offered many clever ideas to make it more reasonable.

These well intended proposals by the public are nothing new, nothing difficult to figure out and nothing extraordinary. The super talents would have even much better ideas to improve the system. They are not duds. They know exactly what they are doing and why they are doing and why they refused to see from the perspective of the frustrated car owners. Do not underestimate their talents.

What the public failed to see is that the COE is the biggest cash cow to the govt next to the CPF and HDB. And it is even more efficient as a source of revenue with practically zero cost and zero effort. Printing a piece of paper is all it takes to collect a $100k. Why should the govt want to change this ATM and cut its revenue? And with the foreign talents with bigger pockets coming ashore, it is even better to make sure that the COE goes even higher. And for those who are earning tens of thousands a month, the convenience of a car and lesser cars on the road are things that they would not mind paying for. They only need to make sure their income and salary increases are ahead of the COE prices.

The unhappy public need not waste their time and talent with their clever suggestions. The deaf frogs would not listen as they know very well how flawed this system is to the car owners who cannot afford to pay higher COEs. It is a biased system in favour of the rich and you know who.

Miserables don’t rebel

I posted an article yesterday with the title ‘Miserables rebelling’. Actually it is not a true reflection of the situation. The miserables are very happy, contented with the warmth inside a boiling kettle, like the frogs. They are oblivious to what is going to happen except fearing that outside could be very cold.

The people who are speaking up are far from being miserables. Ngiam Tong Dow, Lim Chong Yah, Tommy Koh etc etc are very well endowed financially. They are the elite and are having a great life. Why are they speaking up? It must be a matter of conscience, of a sense of justice. They are very secured people that need not step out to brave the storm. They could remain in the comfort of their cocoons, shielded from all the noises, all the inequalities, and live very comfortably in their own world. They did not have to put up with small flats do not affect the quality of life stupidity. They did not have to squeeze for a standing place in a crammed train or bus. They need not be irritated by the unwashed and smelly workers. They need not worry that a COE is $100k.

The fact that they are speaking out is a sign that they did not like what they see. The injustice and inequalities in the society must have become too stark and unbearable. In our kind of political system, it takes not only a man of conscience and passion to want to right a wrong for the good of people and country. It takes a very brave man to do that. In the case of Lim Chong Yah, he is will to have his salary frozen for the next three years. He and all his high earning relatives and friends would have to do so if his recommendation is implemented. Yes, putting the money where the mouth is, and lead by example. “If I don’t go down to Hades, who should go instead?’

FTs causing havoc in the island

They are new, with short roots or new roots that have not sunk in deep enough. All it needs is a little storm and they will be falling all over. Unlike the locals who were born and bred from young, becoming a fixed feature of the land, part of the land, permanently, the newly planted trees, the instant trees, are creating more problems instead of help. They are crashing over cars, hundreds of them.

The people have been warned to avoid the forest or wooded areas when there is a big storm, for fear of FTs. This is a newly created problem because of FTs. Aren’t the FTs here to help to make the place better? But they have achieved one key objective, create jobs. Many workers would have to cut and remove them. Many more jobs will be created to repair the cars and damages to buildings and infrastructure. Fortunately no one was hurt.

This is not only an ominous sign. It is a testimony of the problems we have to face with new transplants with short roots. A storm is all it takes for them to run or turn into trouble for us. We have been sold with all the good stuff of FTs but not the negative side. The gods are speaking up. See, this is what will happen if there are too many FTs, without roots or short roots. They cannot be the same as the local trees.