The first pain in Middle East

After lording and messing around with the lives of the Arabs, and killing so many of them, the Americans are tasting the first bitterness of their aggressive intent in the region. Bombing Libya, killing Gaddafi, turning the country in civil war and probably messed up for the next 30 years, the table turned yesterday. The Libyans turned their guns at the US Ambassador Chris Stevens. He was killed with 3 other officers.

And Hillary gasped, ‘How could this happen in a country we helped liberate, in a city we helped save?’ She believed that the Americans were there to liberate and save the Libyans. Did she ask the Libyans if that is what they wanted and what they asked for? Or was the help unilaterally offered, like it was good for the Libyans and must be done? The pain of war so far is only felt by the Arabs, not the warmongers.

Now the answer came from the Libyans, a kind of thank you America, for killing Gaddafi and turning their country into ruins. And here is our present and our gratitude. You can bring the present home in black plastic bags.

A country that makes war a way of living will have war brought into its home soil.

Sinkies are not xenophobic

The accusation and branding of Sinkies as xenophobic is simply bad. It must not be allowed to stick. Sinkies have never been xenophobic. Other than some bad encounters with criminals, most visitors or foreigners working here have pleasant experience and memories to bring home with them. Many also have enjoyed the hospitality and generosity of Sinkies when they were here and some when in deep trouble. Those who have bad experience here are the racists that would not find any place good enough for them, not even their own countries. They will be the first to bad mouth any country that welcomed them to stay.

Sinkies must protest against this unjust labeling as anti foreigners. No one from any country would want their home to be flooded by so many foreigners in so short a span of time and with the infrastructure stretching and barely able to cope. The anger of Sinkies is not against the foreigners but against the policy of having too many foreigners leading to over crowding, unwanted competition, high cost of living, and a better future for our children.

No, Sinkies are definitely not xenophobic. Sinkies must denounce this xenophobic branding. It is having too many foreigners that is hurting the average Sinkies. The only good that can come from this branding is to frighten foreigners from thinking that Sinkieland is a good option to migrate.

First sacred cow slaughtered

The abolishing of the banding of schools is a major policy change in education. With this change, it could impact many areas of educating the children as it would in a way release some pressure on competing for good schools, good grades and a very demanding not doing well is not an option system. The annual panic of school selection when going to a school in the lower band brought immediate stigmatization could be less felt by parents and children with the change. It is a big step to make education less pressurizing and maybe more enjoyable for all, parents, teachers and children. Just don’t go over board and do away with examinations and grades as well.

Heng Swee Kiat is new in politics but his approach is like a veteran. Make the necessary changes that are needed, not the piece meal approach like the other veterans in the game. This is exactly what is happening in housing. It is all piece meal and the major policies are still hanging over the head. Would Boon Wan do the necessary and dismantle the wicked policies of his predecessor and make housing, choosing a flat, buying a flat, less stressful to the citizens? The babies may come faster too.

Would there also be more major changes coming the ways of health and manpower, the latter more with respect to the population size of this little rock, and not blindly looking at economic growth as the sole determinant of how many people it can take.

The mistakes of the govt have been so gross in so many areas, that without acknowledging it, are hardly unrecognizable. Despite all the great numbers and data that this is a miracle island, the flaws are so painful that they erased whatever goodness and goodwill that should be duly acknowledged. Funny, with so much wealth, talent and resources, the problems are found so difficult to solve. Just throwing more money at the problems will and can work, if the govt is willing, like throwing money into the pay of the elite to attract the best of the crème la crème into politics.

It’s time to bury the hatchet, when there is still time

The news of Chee Soon Juan’s offer of $30,000 to settle his defamation damage awarded to LKY and Chok Tong, and the acceptance by the two, came as a relief after so many years of acrimony. It is time that the age of brutal body blows to opposition politicians be put to an end and a new and clean chapter be allowed to start anew.

All Sinkies know what happened and how ugly that things had been and at times feel very shameful over the whole ordeal, but keeping a disinterested silence. It does not mean that Sinkies are apathetic to the unpleasantness and smell of the politicking that went against the grain of human decency.

Now that we are seeing a closure to this ugly past, let us all hope that it will be the last and will not happen again. We have civilized politically over the years, I hope, and any animal instinct or savagery should not stick onto the new designer suit. We have to progress politically and individually to be a better country and better people.

But until the last nail is in, anything untoward can still happen. Pray that things will be better as we step towards a brighter future of genuine inclusiveness and not just another hope or inspiration.

The Foreign Concessions

In the dark days of Chinese history, China was branded the Sick Man of Asia. In its own territories there were places designated as foreign concessions, The British Concession, French Concession, Japanese Concession, Russian, American etc etc . In these concessions, the foreign powers ran the places like their colonies, their own laws, police, and treated the Chinese as foreigners to be victimized and kicked around. They have no regards or respect to the Chinese who owned the land that sat the concessions. They humiliated the Chinese and ignored the catchphrase, 打狗看主人, or showing some deference to the owner before whacking the dog.

I was reading the plight of the local PMETs in Gilbert’s Transitioning.Org and could see the similarities in concessions being sprouted in this little island whereby foreigners held the locals in contempt and treating them as pariahs. I hope the cases mentioned in Gilbert’s blog are not true and not even exceptions. Sinkies cannot be treated as pariahs by foreigners in their own land. Sinkies cannot have concessions in their own country where Sinkies are bullied by foreigners. When foreigners did that, it is the end of the nation. Foreigners should try to belittle the locals in the Middle East and see what will happen to them.

But it cannot be true here. It must be Sinkies bullying the foreigners and that is why we have this integrate the foreigners call, help and love the foreigners campaign. Incidentally the foreigner that bashed a local taxi driver, a Sinkie, has returned to face judgment. Another two bashers were still at large. Let’s try to integrate this Sinkie basher since he is already given a PR as reported. He can become one of us. Maybe he can then direct his disgust at foreigners when he becomes a Sinkie.

Are there foreign concessions in Sinkieland where Sinkies are ill treated, mistreated and their presence unwelcomed? Have Sinkies lost their country?