Two thirds of jobs created went to foreigners

Lim Hng Kiang has quoted some numbers on jobs created over the last 5 years and how many of these jobs went to locals and foreigners. He said, ‘In the last five years, we have been generating something like 120,000 jobs a year, of which 40,000 are Singaporeans and we end up with 80,000 foreign workers. Going forward we have decided that this is no longer tenable over a long term.’

In summary, over the last 5 years 600,000 jobs were created and only 120,000 went to Singaporeans. Could the numbers be extrapolated backwards for a 10 year period and could the number be 1.2m jobs created with 400,000 going to locals and 800,000 going to foreigners? How long has this ratio of employment favouring foreigner been going on that Hng Kiang now realised that it is unsustainable and must be stopped? He said that his ministry would now be more selective and stringent in the type of companies to bring in and the type of jobs that would be created.

His projection is that this year 80,000 to 100,000 jobs will be created and between 40,000 to 60,000 foreign workers would be added to the workforce. The numbers of jobs created for foreigners would still be around 50 to 60 percent. The country is thus creating more jobs for foreigners than for locals even when the govt is going to be more selective going forward. Only if some of the jobs created can go to local PMETs, the unhappy noises would be much lesser.

‘To cow play harp "对牛弹琴!"

Following SDP’s detailed proposal for a NOM public housing scheme, many well meaning citizens have voluntarily cracked their heads to come up with many meaningful proposals to salvage the mess created by the housing policies. This is a really thankless task, not being paid a single cent, and at their own time and resources, they are passionate enough to do the sums. This is not the kind of thankless task that are paid in the millions and no answers. The thinking, effort and solutions should rightly come from those that are paid in the millions. True or not?



Another thorough proposal was in the Sunday Times yesterday by Chua Mui Hoong, a veteran establishment spokesperson. She was given more than half a page in the paper on her proposal, ‘How to cool the HDB resale market’. This effort is not the free labour type like those of SDP or other citizens but still free in a way as she is not responsible for the housing policies and the mess. Her job is to write for the paper.



What she suggested in her proposal made good sense, and so were the proposals in the SDP paper. All were made with good intentions to help the struggling minister and ministry to do a better job. But I must say again that it would all be in vain as the ministry and minister were thinking that they have done a damn good job. So what is the fuss and all the unnecessary proposals and recommendations for?



There are many reasons why all these proposals will end up in the dustbin. Firstly, they all assumed that there is a big problem that needs to be addressed. Secondly, they assumed that the ministry and minister did not know their stuff or did not know how to solve the problem. Three, accepting the proposals is as good as an admission of incompetence. How could lay people not paid for the job have the audacity to think they know better? And how could the professionals be made to look dumb?



The last point is always a hurdle and a big farce whenever an institution or person asked for suggestions. Accepting other people’s idea is acknowledging one’s own incompetence or shortcomings. And not accepting after opening the mouth to ask is an act of insincerity. Think Natcon.



What I don’t believe is that the highly paid super talents could not think of all the recommendations put up by the laypeople and the public. They are paid humongous salaries not for nothing. They are exceptionally talented and how could the less talented ignoramus think they could think better? Doesn’t make sense right? So, what is happening? To scratch or not to scratch?



The ‘to cow play harp’ is not really a good analogy. This phrase applies to the hopelessness of playing music to one that doesn’t understand music at all. Here the cow is no ordinary cow but a wise cow, a clever cow who knows what is happening and how to solve all the problems. What is holding back the cow or preventing the cow from coming out with a complete and effective solution really beats me. Excuse me for the pun.

Painting with your camera

The painters are some of the most talented artists around. They train hard, work hard and acquire great skills in wielding a very primitive instrument developed thousands of years ago and still in its original form, the brush, to create and paint great works of arts and masterpieces. A good piece of brush could be had for a few dollars.

What the painters can do the photographers can’t despite the highly expensive and sophisticated precision instruments in their hands. The camera is not only a piece of fine engineering tool but also a computer added in. The best could fetch several tens of thousands of dollars. Any decent piece of camera of professional grade would cost several thousand dollars.

Other than in capturing great shots that are newsworthy, not many photographers are able to create photos that could come near to a masterpiece of an artist/painter. Are the photographers ready to accept the limitations of their expensive tool and resign to the fate that photography is only photography and still found wanting when compare to what a cheap piece of ancient primitive brush can do?

This is about to change. The camera can paint. There are still many limitations that the camera cannot take the photographers to the world of paintings. But with a new technique that I have developed, the world of paintings is beckoning. Using the technique called The Art of RAR, short for Reflection and Reflection, I am able to create paintings using the camera. My experiment into this realm of photopainting is still in its nascent stage, but the potential of painting with the camera is only limited to the imagination and creativity of a photopainter. Some of my works can be viewed at www.artofrar.blogspot.com.

The kind of paintings that could be created from The Art of RAR technique could vary from realism to abstract art with ease, using only natural light and the natural environment. More creations are waiting to be discovered in a control environment with the right set ups and accessory equipment. Photography is not going to be the same again. Photographers need not be limited by what they were used to be doing with their cameras and could venture into many unknown frontiers of artistry. Technology has given the photographer and their cameras room for more creativity and innovation and experimentation.

The Art of RAR is only a small step forward.

Little fantasies, myths and beliefs

I could not remember what was the annual sum quoted to maintain the make believe gardens at Marina South. The novelties are wearing down and the exuberant crowds have dissipated, or at least during weekdays. The abundance of eateries is putting pressure on the operators of barely half filled joints, sitting glorious like petrol stations in a way out park in the desert. If the revenue from the eateries were computed to defray the original maintenance cost of the gardens, this is going to rocket when they called it a day or with rentals tumbling down. The little fantasy could be a long drawn financial drain on the public coffer. There is another interesting article in the Sunday Times on the poorest president in office, Uruguayan President Jose Mujica. He does not live in the equivalent of a White House or the Elysee Palace but in his little farm house. He donated 90% of his US$12,000 monthly salary to charity and drives around in a 1987 Volkswagen worth US$1,800. His philosophy in life is not to be burdened by possessions. This is what he said, ‘I am called “the poorest president”, but I don’t feel poor. Poor people are those who only work to try to keep an expensive lifestyle, and always want more and more.’ I don’t think he will fit into the ethos of living in Sin. He is easy going, no drive, no greed and no ambition to want to be a multi millionaire, and did not claim that he had sacrificed for the country by taking up political office. Neither did he claim that his income is far below market rate. Another piece which would trash the learning Mandarin is difficult myth for the Chinese Sinkies is about the two precocious little girls of investment guru Jim Rogers. They were Americans but speak fluent Mandarin that they learnt while attending local schools on arriving here. The presence of a Mandarin speaking home environment helps with a full time personal tutor. What is more important is the passion and purpose of wanting to learn a language and the ability to see its usefulness in the future. But this will be an exception as some Chinese Sinkies will still find learning Mandarin more difficult than pursuing a course in rocket science. Another myth centres in the now infamous CIA Director Gen Petraeus. It has nothing to do with his ECA but how the CIA thought it expedient or convenient to con the American public and the world with their reports. Think WMD. In this case it was the 911 attacked of the US Embassy in Benghazi and the killing of its Ambassador. The official and public statements made were that it was a spontaneous rioting. The truth is that it was a planned terrorist attack to commemorate the September 11 attack on the World Trade Centre twin towers. This kind of misinformation or telling white lies is nothing new to the CIA or the American Administration. Fortunately or unfortunately many believers will still believe that anything coming out from the American govt or western media must be the truth, as they keep repeating them. These are interesting readings and food for thought on a Sunday morning.

USA, The Evil Empire

                 USA, The Evil Empire

Since its independence from imperial Britain, USA has always been run by bad wicked people whether in the government or in the private sectors. In fact its government departments be it White House, CIA or PENTAGON and its business institutions like the big banks, insurance business, stock exchange and other big business conglomerates have  always been run by crooks, robber barons and scoundrels. Immediately after its independence from Britain the white American invaders started on an aggressive war path of wiping out the native Americans through killings, murder and genocide and as a result over eighty-five million or about ninety-eight percent of the natives were brutally and wantonly killed. Then the white invaders started on a massive programme of getting millions of white immigrants from Europe to fill up America. Then to develop America the white invaders embarked on a programme of using African slaves as free labour to work in the plantations and other labour or construction works . Believing in its own superiority the white Americans went on a rampage march of aggression to attack and invade Mexico and consequently took by force of military might about one million six hundred and fifty million square miles of Mexican lands comprising the present states of Florida, Texas, Utah, Dakota, New Mexico and California. It subsequently attacked and took away Hawaii and Guam from the natives of these Pacific Ocean islander kingdoms.

While the politicians and the military were active in political and territorial aggressions their counterparts in the business institutions were just as aggressive in building up big business empires at the expense of the natives and the people. These white American crooks, scoundrels and robber barons are very much in the big picture of the present day of controlling and ravaging banks, insurance, real estate and stock markets not only in America but also throughout the whole world. It is through their selfishness and uncontrollable greed that they have not only brought the American economy, banks and finance to its present debacle of self destruction but it has also extended its evil operations across the seas to affect the economy and finance of many others countries .

With the American economy and finance are in shambles and the country already bankrupt the wicked American politicians and its military can't bear to see other countries especially Asian countries coming up growing rich in peaceful development. So in their warp thinking they will not allow others to develop and grow rich while they stagnate and so they try all ways and means to create troubles, instability and wars across Asia to stop the march of Asians to development and prosperity. This can be seen in its wanton open attacks on Iraq, Libya, Syria, Afghanistan and soon Iran as well as creating tensions and suspicion between the countries in the East China Sea and the South China Sea. The world especially Asian countries must wake up to realise how  wicked and satanic the Evil Empire, USA is and unite and cooperate to stop the Evil Empire from doing further damage to others.

Southernglory1
Saturday, 17th November,2012