AIM – It is all WP’s fault

I have read several comments in TRE concerning the AIM issue and it seems that the fault lies with the WP. It is all because the WP was given a red card and it is not turning the table around. Some even accused the WP for taking so long to bring up this problem. The WP should have known when they took over the TC that something is not right. Why take more than a year to bring the matter up? Why wait until given red card that want to fight back? WP must be sleeping! I quote a comment by a ‘bravo’ in TRE for saying this. ‘If it is a matter of urgent public importance, why didn’t WP revealed it 19 months ago?’ See, this must not be important or WP would have raised it so long ago.

And worst, WP knowing that it is wrong, also thinking of outsourcing or developing their own management system. And dunno what kind of open system WP will use. Would it be as top notch and proper as the TC system? When WP does call a tender, many doubts will be raised.

And now WP even wants to raise the issue in Parliament. How can? Many people are claimed to be unhappy that WP is raising this issue in Parliament. There is really no issue here. At worst it may be an error of judgement. People do make mistakes. And this is a small mistake. And the whole arrangement was for the good of the people. The TCs saved a lot of money. And there is no profit going into anyone’s pocket. Everything was done legally to benefit the people.

WP must be prepared to be laughed at when the issue is being discussed in Parliament. They will be bombarbed by the most articulate MPs and ministers for bringing the issue up to Parliament when the PM has already called for an investigation. WP could also be faulted for not developing an alternative system fast enough. They will likely be jeered at, sneered at and stared at. WP sure kenna jia lat, jia lat.

This session in Parliament sure fully attended by everyone and will be shown live on TV. No censorship, no cuts, in full. It will be a Special Report that will draw the most viewers, even better than soap dramas from Taiwan and Korea.

WP, it is all your fault, right? What do you think?

Video

Hypocrisy and War Crimes: The Western Imperium

by Robert S. Rodvik

The U.S. has a long history of unleashing chemical and biological warfare against civilians both abroad and at home, primarily as an experiment but also to get rid of outdated stockpiles while inventing a villain to crucify. Canadian author Robert Rodvik rips into Barack Obama for hypocritically warning Syria against its alleged use of chemical weapons and lambastes his own country which, from a potential U.S. target, turned into a U.S. accomplice in the chemical warfare waged against the Vietnamese people.

Voltaire Network | 11 November 2012

Punggol East By Election 26 January.

SINGAPORE: A by-election will be held for Punggol East Single-Member Constituency (SMC), after Member of Parliament Michael Palmer resigned over an extra-marital affair.

Nomination Day will be held on 16 January 2013. If more than one candidate stand for nominations on Nomination Day, Polling Day will be held on 26 January 2013. Polling Day will not be a public holiday....

The above is announced in Channel News Asia.

Easy path to corporate success

The trial of SCDF chief is scheduled next month. Another case of the police chief is in process. Fortunately the Speaker’s case need not go to court. The common factor of all three cases is feminine wiles or sex. This is one of the oldest tricks used by the fairer sex for personal advancement, for promotion, contracts or favours. Some have used this so successfully that they would go around encouraging other less able and simple minded women to do the same. Search around for powerful and successful men, lean on the men, and be rewarded. The association, to be seen around powerful and successful men, to be known as these men’s companions is itself a reward. Women with no confidence of their own ability will become easy prey to such enticements. Not much effort needed, just give them what they want. Be nice to them.

This prompted me to take a look at the stockbroking industry. The stock broking profession is safe, I think, from such feminine exploits, for throwing themselves to management would not get one a promotion or a big contract. Maybe a few inactive clients or names of walk in clients will be the best they could get. Not worth the pound of flesh. Offering to successful traders or remisier kings may be equally futile. In one sense, there is no remisier king left, though there are still some quite successful ones around.

Those still in the industry are all in the same sinking boat. And their intelligence or stupidity in stock picks will be as good as that of those thinking of currying their favour. Some dimwits would be easily impressed by a few success stories. But it is common knowledge that for each success story there will be tens or more of failures.

Would there be the dumb blonds looking for successful big names to lean on, or to think it is an honour to be associated? I doubt so. They are not that daft to think of worshipping gods when they should be working to be gods themselves.

The easy path to corporate success is definitely not applicable to the stock broking industry. To be successful, one just has to prove it on one’s own merit, not on other people’s merits or by association. There would be no sensational news of Cecilia or Stella to boot in the stock broking industry.

Taking AIM into the wilderness

The AIM saga is not going to go away. First impression, if it counts, is that it is in muddy waters. There are so many things that the general public do not think were right and the stench is getting foul as the days go by.

On the PAP side, several efforts were made by Teo Ho Pin, Chandra Das and a minister in Grace Fu to explain that everything is in order. Unfortunately the explanations only helped to muddy the water even more and people listening to the explanations are getting exasperated. It is something that cannot be explained away. It is like the proverbial elephant that is too big to be covered up.

Three presidential candidates in the last Presidential Election have all chipped in to air their dissatisfaction over the whole saga. This can only mean that they were in agreement that something is not right. The only presidential candidate that became the President has yet to say anything. Perhaps he disagrees with the other three and did not see anything wrong with the AIM. Until the President speaks, no one would know what he is thinking and his position on this matter. Maybe it is a matter that should not involve the President.

What would be the likely outcome of this episode? So far the official explanation is not cutting any ice. Could more explanations help, or it is already a failed cause? If this is a failed cause, how would it affect the PAP’s standing and its performance in the next GE?

Or would the PAP bite the bullet, conduct an inquiry and sacrifice a few heads to redeem itself? I wrote this yesterday and this morning read the papers that Hsien Loong has called for an inquiry. After the last GE a few ministerial heads rolled. Would this episode lead to similar results?

As I said in my first posting on this subject, Teo Ho Pin’s explanation will have great consequences to the eventual outcome of this episode. What the public have been told so far is that public money was spent to develop a management programme and this is sold to AIM which is a PAP organisation. And AIM is making money by charging a fee to the Town Councils, and the people are paying for it. Is this the right perception?