Policy changes coming up

Heng Swee Kiat was reported to have said that more policy changes are in the card in Hsien Loong’s National Day Rally speech next week. The key areas expecting major changes are Housing, health care and education. Nothing was mentioned on the influx of foreigners and the loss of jobs to foreigners due to discrimination? I do hope Hsien Loong will take a personal interest in this and put his weight behind Chuan Jin to give him more clout and confidence to deal with foreigners and foreign companies practising discrimination against Singaporeans.

Boon Wan has solved some of the more urgent issues of insufficient housing supply with his ramping exercise. The backlog of enforced demand due to bad policies should have ease somewhat. Now we will have to see what changes the Govt will come up with. Will there be a fundamental policy shift to ensure that ALL Sinkies be allowed to buy his homes direct from the HDB and to do away with all the silly and stupid Sinkie discriminating policies of the past? Will Sinkies be allowed to be prudent like Boon Wan has said, not to over commit in buying properties beyond their means and be allowed to buy properties/HDB flats that suit their needs and not the size of their income? Would Sinkies be allowed to buy smaller flats if they so desired without being forced by the Govt to buy bigger flats and compromise on their retirement savings just because the Govt think it must be like dat?

The exhorbitant medical care cost must be brought down, at least in govt hospitals, and that they are not allowed to charge like private hospitals just because they are now called privatised. Govt privatised hospitals are built using public funds and have a duty to serve the people and not merely profits. Many senior citizens are waiting to be bankrupt by high medical bills.

Would there be a comprehensive medical insurance scheme for the senior citizens that will minimise the amount they have to pay in govt hospitals or for the govt to fully pay for the medical premiums of those above 65 or 70 and above? The thinking behind medical policy needs a thorough relook as the population ages as the cost is running to frightening and unaffordable level. To what extent is the Govt responsible to the elderly for their medical care and medical bills?

The slippery education policy, the cost and how many to be educated to tertiary level and whether the Govt is seriously looking at a paradigm shift, to educate Sinkies to be crane drivers and hawkers is something mesmerising and truly innovative to watch.

More important is the population size and the size of foreigners in the country. Is the 6.9m a forgone conclusion and the people must accept it with no exceptions or changes? Will foreigners still be allowed to dominate our employment scene, to kick the citizens aside, especially the PMETs and to rule over Sinkies?

What is the ideal percentage of foreigners for the island and should there be a need to obtain the consent of the Sinkies? Or should 77 MPs be allowed to decide the fate of this nation and its citizens without question?

What is going to happen to the Sinkies and the high cost of living?

Kishore – Count our blessings

This is what Kishore said in his article on Saturday of the 48 years of nation building and how successful we have become. We have a lot of achievements, a lot of blessings and also the inevitable weaknesses due to what we are. Every nation has the same two sides of the coin except whether there are more blessings or more weaknesses. There is nothing to be apologetic for praising the Govt for what we are today. The material achievements are there for all to see, with warts and all. In many things we have outdone many countries in many ways and yes, we are the envy of many. We have our problems, still manageable and tolerable. But small problems if not nip in the bud could easily snowball and a mole hill can become a mountain if we are reckless and complacent.

Kishore ended his monologue with an invitation for rude comments to remind him of the obvious that he had missed out that could make this city continue to be great or starting a downward spiral to ignominy. What is so obvious that he is not seeing is perhaps something that is too close to him. He is after all the Dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.

Singapore will miss the presence of a strong, robust and dynamic leader that allows it to punch above its weight. The answer is so obvious. For all our money and wealth, our infrastructure and system, they will be nothing without a strong leadership that is recognisable and well respected in the international arena. I don’t see anyone in that shoe anymore. There will be none for at least the next 20 or 30 years. We may be wealthy as a country, but we will not be able to impress or speak and be listened to. You need dynamism, charisma, wisdom and the acknowledgment from other leaders to be able to lead and be respected.

From the current slate, what we have is mediocrity. We will fade away and just be another rich kid in the neighbourhood and nothing else. Empty in the head but driving flashy cars and with some money to throw around at best. That is, provided we did not let the economy runs into a halt, that we did not let a nation in the making becomes a hotel with no ownership and everyone is ripping it apart for his/her immediate vested interests.

What else can be more obvious than a vacuum that cannot be filled for a long time to come? Do we have any leader that is respected, revered and thought highly of by world leaders in the immediate future? Do we have anyone who could look at the whole rather than bits and pieces and have the ability to piece everything together for the greater good of country and people? Or instead we have people who are running the ship aground?

What kind of future can there be when the best hope is to get views from the laymen and women, the aunties and uncles, to guide the country going forward when the million dollar talents have run out of ideas and knowing not where to go or what to do?

Would there be anyone be rude enough to tell Kishore the obvious?

The courts of public opinion

 

The rich and power seek justice in the courts of law. They have the money to hire the most expensive and eminent legal experts to bring them the justice they can afford to pay for. Often the loser lost without a fight as they cannot pay for the fight.

The courts of public opinion is a less defined and big grey area. No one can buy justice in the courts of public opinion as opinion is free and the judges are numerous. Everyone has an opinion, rightly or wrongly, fair or unfair, biased or bigoted, but they all have something to say on an issue. And there are many courts of public opinion on a case, some will favour while some will go against the defendant under scrutiny. And one does not need to commit a crime or do anything to be sentenced in the courts of public opinion.

SR Nathan, the immediate past President is awarded the highest honour of the country, the Order of Temasek First Class. This is a very rare honour that is reserved for a very few and very distinguished individuals. Nathan is now among seven who were deemed fit enough to be decorated with this honour.

While this is something that anyone would feel greatly honoured as a life time achievement, what Nathan did not bargain for is to be hauled into the courts of public opinion. In the main media it was a story of great achievements and accolades for a man of distinction, with many great stories to tell of the man. In another court of public opinion in cyberspace, the story is quite contrary and ugly. Being bestowed such an honour is like being set up for scorn. The commentaries were anything but pleasant. Many were questioning what he had done that was so deserving of such an honour. The criticisms and berating were very subjective, very personal and very uncomplimentary.

The courts of public opinion can be very unforgiving especially the wrong ones. Many luminaries may hesitate to even think of accepting great honours and awards and be praised publicly when the courts of public opinions could disfigure all they have achieved and cast smears and doubts, and disparaging dismissed all the good things that were said. Instead of being affirmed and praised, the experience can be quite humiliating and uncomforting.

The courts of public opinion are never just or fair, more like kangaroo courts. It is a bane to any public figure made to stand in such a court to be demolished and diminished. No amount of money can buy the best legal brains to earn a favourable judgement in these kangaroo courts. No matter how high is the office, how powerful is the defendant, there is no defence against the scorn of public opinion if one is undeserving or has a tinge of grey in a white slate.

The world has since become more grey than merely white and black.

Hsien Loong is going to build a fair and just society for Sinkies

I know this is a motherhood statement but what is wrong with it? It sounded like the PAP is running an election campaign and this is the key slogan for the party. It can also sound like the PAP has just formed the govt and is promising the people that this was what it wanted to do for the people. Wait a minute, this is our 48^th National Day and the PAP has been running the country for the past 47 years and has just started to want to do this. What had it been doing all these years, building an unfair and unjust society? Should we say that it is better late than never, and Sinkies can be hopeful that going forward they can expect a fairer and just society? The worrisome part is that the Govt either does not know that it has built an unfair and unjust society or it has been doing so thinking it is ok.

And the PAP is going to ensure that every Sinkie will have a home when it did not bother, to have a stake in this country now when it was not important. Obviously there are Sinkies that have no home and no stake in this country. It cannot be like, how can Sinkies have no home and no stake in this country in the first place? Then what are these Sinkies doing NS for and what will they be defending, other people’s homes and other people’s stake, foreigners’ homes and foreigners’ stakes?

The high cost of living, high cost of medical care, the high cost of everything, the govt is going to tackle them all. Sounds good, really. The govt will be solving all these problems.  What sounds not so good or unpleasantly funny is that why and how did all these happen? Would it not be better if the govt did not allow all these to happen in the first place, nipped them in the bud like it always said? Would it be better if the govt and those who are responsible did not allow these problems to become problems to the people in the first place? What is the meaning of proactive?

And there are problems of public transport, problems of unemployment, problems of too many foreigners and many others. Who are the twits that created all these problems for the govt to take care of? Who are they that are giving so many problems to Hsien Loong and causing him many sleepless nights trying to solve so many problems at the same time? These must be people who are doing Hsien Loong in, right? I hope they are not being awarded any National Day honours for creating all these problems.

As the PM, his job is really tough, with so many people undermining him by making all the wrong decisions and policies and making him responsible for cleaning the shit. Hsien Loong should rightly deserve the highest National Day Award, the Order of Temasek(First Class) for cleaning shit and not blaming anyone for it. Why no one recommends him for the highest National Day Award?

The Revengeful Japs never forget US nuclear bombing of Japan and will definitely return the same favour to US some day in future

The revengeful Japs will never forget US nuclear bombing of Japan and will definitely return the same favour to US some day in future.

The launching of Japs new aircraft carrier on 6th August is a bad omen for America. It is a veiled threat that they meant to take  nuclear revenge against US some day in future.

Why is US coddling the Japs and inciting them to create trouble in the East China Sea against China? After an era of Western and Japanese domination and imperialism during the last one hundred and fifty years China was left crippled with lost of huge territories of land to invading Western countries and Japan and with her economy in shambles , China was critically weak and despised by the invaders. That was the time Japan thought it could invade and dominate China totally. But with intense patriotism the Chinese under the leadership of Chairman Mao and Premier Zhou En Lai and the Peoples' Liberation Army fought bravely against the Japs and defeated them. However , when the Japs attacked America's Pearl Harbour , they stirred the hornets' nest and brought the Americans into the war against the Japs. With America's atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki the Japanese war of aggression against China was brought to a stop. The Japs have always blamed America for destroying their only chance of invading and subjugating China not forgetting that even without America's nuclear bombing of Japan , China would definitely and ultimately defeat the Japs and drive them out of China. However, the revengeful Japs in launching the new aircraft carrier on the 68th Anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on Tuesday 6th of August is not a co-incident but is meant to carry out a clear signal and reminder to US that Japan will definitely take revenge on that infamy incident against US some day in future and in the same nuclear manner. Thus America should take the warning seriously and stop supporting and rearming an evil monster in the making. America should not side with the Japs but let China have a free hand this time round to deal with the Japs so that the Chinese can teach these Japs a fatal lesson once and for all and make sure  that they will never rise up again to give trouble to the world.

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