We are not the cheapest

While the message has got through somehow, the drug for more foreigners is difficult to wean from the businesses and the Govt’s mentality. And let’s not confuse ourselves again and again. The foreign workers are needed. It is the middle and top management that are flooding the market at the expense of our PMETs that is the real problem, the pain facing our highly qualified and trained workforce. We shall not trade our PMETs for cheap FTs and making them drive taxis for a living, ferrying cheap FTs that took over their jobs. Thinking of this I boiling already.

As Hsien Loong put it in his May Day message,

‘We have spent many, many decades nurturing this reputation for reliability, for openness. We have made a name for ourselves; not necessarily the cheapest place but a competitive and dynamic city that’s worth paying the premium for. And we must keep that reputation because otherwise we’re dead.’

So, do we believe that we don’t have to compete to be the cheapest? We have so many advantages, tangible and intangible, that all the foreign businesses will be salivating to be here. Think SPGs aplenty. What a life! Let those who want to leave, let them go. Be selective, shrink a little to relief the pen up appetite for more FTs. We can start by getting rid of those businesses that are here and employing mainly FTs. The Govt can start by getting all GLCs to employ Singaporeans first.

Why be threatened by a few businesses and buckled under their threats of not investing here? What would Goh Keng Swee and his colleagues do when faced with such rubbish threats? Do we believe in ourselves? Do we have confidence in our system and infrastructure that the businesses need to pay a premium and not getting a Singapore discount? We have world best universities with Angmoh professors that would turn out graduates as good as Angmohs, if not, would still be better than third world universities right? With so many high quality third world FTs replacing our local graduates, I think I may be wrong on this count.

We have world famous man made gardens that cost us a fortune, F1s, casinos, safe and secure streets to party till the wee hours. These don’t come free. There is value for money. The more expensive the better right? This one surely right. We keep on raising university fees to raise the quality of our education, and also medical fees for better medical services and professionalism. We have all these good stuff within 15 mins of driving, in a world class city. Want cheap cheap, go to operate in third world countries lah.

See, I also can sell koyok for my country. It is time to seriously relook and restructure and take in only those that are beneficial to our bigger game plan that compliment and not sabotage our social and economic development of our people. We want to continue to be in the First World and not downgrade to cheap cheap Third World. Swee boh?

I can also sing a song of being cheaper and cheaper and cheaper or else all the foreign businesses will run away. Singaporeans must tighten belt, compete with all the hungry workers. It is market forces at work. The song I sing depends on my mood and the weather.

Can we afford not to be selective?

As our Govt continues in its relentless drive for growth, without growth no salary increment, it has become something like the Hokien saying, 什么南鸟都要。Who can say don’t want growth and don’t want salary increment? But can they say got increment must be more than inflation? Got $200 increment, inflation and cost of living eat up $500, good huh?

We have three national universities and several semi govt funded universities. Now we have this thing called NUS Yale University that is costing a bomb for the infrastructure and the foreign staff being brought in. Not forgetting all the great professori in the other govt universities. Do we really need this NUS Yale University and all the expensive foreign professors that are paid so handsomely that all of them is looking more handsome than before arriving here? Yes, our students will also become more handsome and would earn just as much as them or more.

We have F1 supposedly bringing in more revenue indirectly than the direct cost. This is necessary, I think, as all the rich and super rich need a past time like the F1 to kill their boredom. And all the hotels, retail shops and supporting businesses will get more businesses. Simply put, it is good for business and the indirect income is more than the millions spent. The businesses must be grateful for this govt largesse.

We have a super expensive man made garden. This one sure brings in more tourists to spend more money here. One day it may get into the Guinness Book of Record as one of the new 7 wonders of the world, man made wonders. Then Singapore would be known world wide and the publicity is worth every millions spent on its maintenance. And the people got to enjoy the great plants in them.

We allow all kinds of industries and businesses to operate here. Many businesses need not be here but because we are so good, good in everything, infrastructure, power that never break down, water that comes out of the tap without fail, MRt that never stop, and a world class workforce, world class workers to support the businesses. And if the workers are found not good enough, too expensive, the businesses can import their own workers, or at least most of them. Just make sure they have some pieces of papers to say they are talents.

And we are selling properties like hot cross buns with great profits.  We have unlimited land and we can afford to keep selling and selling. The sky is the limit. We can build higher than the Tower of Babel or deeper than the deep blue sea. In this sense, we have no land constraints. That is why 10m population is no big deal. I am thinking of 50m or more. Our ingenuity beats the world hollow.

We are never short of talents. We just import them. No need to grow them from young. No need nurseries or pre schools or primary schools. We bring them in like ripe durians, minus the trees. We are bringing anything that walks on two legs and called them talents. We can have the old and mature ones. We can have the young ones, just pay for their tuition fees, food and accommodation and hopefully they turn out good. We can have those that came with papers, fake ones also can. No worry as long no one knows. Just pray no one blow the whistle and everything will just look fine.

Everything is about generating money and more money. With land no longer an issue as the sky is the limit, we crave for more and more people to fill up our land, to create more economic activities, it is easier than manufacturing, to generate more revenue and money, but there is a little hitch. Somehow the average people are finding money no enough, and money disappearing everyday, even those in the savings. They said inflation is under control, no problem.

Can we be more selective in what we want, what we do, what we allow to come in, what kind of businesses we want, and how we spend the money that we made so easily? Or shall we adopt the gambler’s mentality of easy come easy go? We have so much money, spend lah! Just keep on buying anything we fancy, more angmoh professori and FTs, F35s, or buy anything in the name of investment, short term, long term, or very long term as long as it is not gambling.

We are such a blessed city, with God’s grace, everything will just go on fine. And everything is just looking fine. Bring in the people to increase economic growth. No need Samsung, Apple or Toyota. Our products are people and unlimited good value added land.

Hsien Loong accepts MND’s review on AIM

SINGAPORE - A National Development Ministry (MND) team that reviewed the controversial sale of software by People's Action Party (PAP) town councils to Action Information Management (AIM), a PAP-owned company, has found that the transaction in 2010 had complied with the Town Councils Act and the Town Council Financial Rules….

The above is the latest news on the AIM saga reported by Channel News Asia. It is all clear and the saga was just a saga and nothing to it. Everything is in order, in compliance with the Town Councils Act and the Town Council Financial Rules. For those who smelt a rat and hoping for the worst, sorry, nothing of that sort. There were no lapses or wrong doings. Case closed. The squeaky clean image of our system is intact.

I have not read the detailed reports, all 37 pages with recommendations on what needs to be improved to avoid negative perceptions from the public.

The arrogance of western powers

‘US sees DPRK as security threat in Northeast Asia

WASHINGTON - The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) poses one of the most critical US security challenges in Northeast Asia as it is pursuing nuclear capabilities and developing long-range ballistic missiles, the Pentagon said Thursday….

Australia's role is to keep peace in region

CANBERRA - Australia's 2013 Defence White Paper underlines the country's role in keeping peace in the Indo-Pacific region, Prime Minister Julia Gillard said at a press conference of launching the white paper on Friday….’

The above two extracts are exemplary examples of the arrogance of the Americans and the Australians to dictate to the world. In the first article, the Americans simply declared that the DPRK is a security threat when the North Koreans are just trying to develop long range missiles for their own defence. And the USA is across the Pacific Ocean and could turn North Korean into the Stone Age! The Americans already possess enough long range missiles and nuclear warheads to hit anything in North Korea and always threatening to strike North Korea and conducting war games at the borders of North Korea. Should not it be the other way, that the North Koreans see the USA as a clear immediate and present danger, a security threat?

The North Koreans cannot hit the USA but the USA can hit the North Koreans any time it wanted to. So, who is a threat to who?

In the case of the Australians, they simply declared that they are the policemen in the region, to keep peace. Who they think they are? Did they ask Indonesia or the Asean countries for permission to do that? They are here to keep peace in the region? Are the Asean states little war mongering countries and needing the Australians to keep peace, to clobber anyone of them if they disturb peace?

Should the Asean countries pay tribute to this master of the region, a regional empire? Why could not the Indonesians, being the biggest country in the region, be the respected leader to keep peace in the region, or Asean as a collective unit, to keep peace? Why a small country of 20 odd millions thinks that it is its right to rule over a region of so many countries whose combined population is well over 300m?

Are the Australians crazy or what? Do they have any respect to the countries in the region? Are they the new colonial master of Southeast Asia?

Backside kenna burnt in MRT train

A nurse got her backside burnt while travelling in the North South MRT line towards Jurong East. Recently there was another case of a commuter suffering almost from the same kind of incident, seating on seats in the train. There were other similar incidents in the past.

There have been no conclusive reports on the causes of such incidents. Were they caused by accident, negligent or mischief? It is strange that in our crowded trains, such incidents could escape from so many public eyes. Any accidental spill would quickly be noticed as the person involved would have no reason to hide.

What is unacceptable is mischief and this can get more frequent as well as more toxic. The public have been warned about unattended bags or things left lying around in the trains, buses or stations. It looks like liquid on the seats of trains and buses is posing a clear and present danger to commuters.

Commuters are better warned that people leaving liquid on train or bus seats must not be taken likely and some precautionary measures need to be taken to curb this, hopefully irritating mischief caused by individuals and nothing more serious than that.

The public’s cooperation can be helpful with the availability of cameras in the mobile phones. A quick shot of the person leaving behind a wet seat could be evidence should something amiss is found and the person needs to be contacted. This kind of public spirit and civic consciousness are much more urgent than scoundrels in cyberspace pretending to be civic minded but really to harass bloggers and trying to fish for the slightest transgression, intentional or otherwise. The backside burning is a threat to personal safety and is occurring a bit too frequent. It is a small problem relative to rail cracks but still important enough to receive some attention.

This would be something more worthy and meaningful for the IB to watch out for, money better spent for sure.