The Aussie GE came and went

Australia has a new party in power and a new PM in Tony Abbott. Kevin Rudd made a graceful exit and praised himself and his own party for still being a force to be reckon with in the next GE. And every Australian is in a party mood. It was just another day in the lives of the Australian, even when there is a change of govt.

Over here, Alex Au has been quoted to say, “… given that the transition will unavoidably be difficult, what can the opposition do to buy itself more credit?” Of course he was referring to the possibility of a change of govt in the near future with Tan Jee Say saying that it is a matter of when. Why should a change of govt with a new political party in charge be unavoidably difficult in a mature democracy of well educated and knowledgeable citizenry? We are in the First World aren’t we? We are no longer wild apes. Or we are still stuck in Third World politics that any change of political power and fortune is going to be messy and even bloody? It is terribly upsetting and sad that there is such a fear of an uprising or a military coup or things of such nature that befits a Third World pariah country with pariah political leadership.

Why can’t our social political system be like the Australians or the British or any of the mature European country? Even an emerging country with the brand of Communism is looking more stable and peaceful in making changes in political leadership. Do we really believe or expect violence or something similar should an opposition party won the next GE?

Where is this source of violence and instability going to come from? Why is this so? Have not the politicians come to the reckoning that in a democracy, where a GE is held once every 4 or 5 years, a change of govt is normal, expected and nothing more than the changing of the guards? Or is it that political leadership in this City is enshrined, hereditary or that some parties are guaranteed by the dark forces to be forever in power and any change will release the destructive forces of the dark side to deal a severe blow to the challenger?

Come to think of it, can be quite scary that this pretentious First World City will return to its rightful place in the Third World of instability and chaos if there is a change of political leadership. If that be the case, it just shows how humbug things are and the oasis of growth, prosperity, peace and tranquillity is just a mirage. In reality we have not arrived yet, not achieving anything that can survive a change of political leadership, and what you see is not what it is. Have we wasted the last 46 years developing nothing but a shaky political system that cannot withstand the test of time and change of political leadership?

Perhaps Alex Au is right, and that is very sad. What do you think?

Jason Chee - The indomitable spirit of living

We had one week of Nick Vujicic, the inspirational speaker that won the hearts of many Singaporeans and all those that had the privilege of listening to this very unusual man. He is a very pleasant looking guy other than his congenital handicap of being born without limps except for a flipper like left ‘leg’ that is all less than 30cm long. Seeing him on stage and waggling across a table top like a penguin is scary and intimidating. But when Nick spoke, his sprightly spirit won over everyone present that living is not just about a physical body but all about the mind and spirit. He is everything an optimist, and nothing can make his day a bad day. He is married with a charming wife, heard he also has a son and has done many things in life that a normal person could only dream of doing.

Nick Vujicic has a double ot twin living among us in Jason Chee. Jason, a young and healthy military expert in the Navy has a future waiting for him like any able bodied young man. He went to hell when he was caught in a winch for several hours with his body stuck and crushed by that awesome machine. He was as good as dead. By the time they extricated his body he has lost both legs, his left arm, and a right arm with only two fingers. What a cruel fate that was handed to this young man.

Never would anyone believe that he could smile again. He refused to give up and never was he down in spirit in a single day, or at least he put on a very brave front in the public eyes. He is still alive and living well, and his chubby and ever smiling radiant face greeted everyone that met him. Looking at the picture of him and Nick Vujicic in the papers would lead everyone to believe that nothing is amiss.

In Jason’s case, it is heartening to know that the Navy or Mindef did not leave him behind like a piece of broken furniture. Mindef is giving him every support and assistance he needed, fitting him with whatever that is available, motorised wheel chair and all the physiotherapy and psychological care to help him to start a new life. Nick Vujicic is a timely living role model for people like Jason.

The latest, the Navy is not abandoning him in the scrap yard. They are keeping him and offering him a desk bound job in the Navy. They surely take care of their own kind and something to be proud of. Wish the govt could take care of able and healthy Singaporeans the way the Navy takes care of Jason Chee. Then we would not have so many grouses, so many jobless PMETs and so many cries of being betrayed.

Jason Chee will stand up again one day when he is fitted with prosthetic limbs.

MAS lost S$10.2b!

This is reported in an article by Simon Black, an international investor, entrepreneur, permanent traveler, free man, and founder of Sovereign Man posted in http://www.sovereignman.com/trends/singapores-central-bank-lost-87-of-gd. MAS lost S$10.2b trying desperately to defend the Singapore dollar’s rise against the US dollar.

The report said that ‘MAS was buying US dollars and then intentionally selling them at a lower price in order to create artificial demand for US dollars. This was a completely failed strategy.

Singapore’s ultra-healthy economy attracts investment from around the world, and the natural tendency is for the Singapore dollar to rise….

In fact, Singapore’s economy only grew by S$11.5 billion from 2012-2013… so MAS managed to blow through 87% of the country’s economic growth last year fighting Ben Bernanke. Crazy.

This is something that is clearly not sustainable. And while that term is a bit overused today, such losses cannot continue indefinitely.’

The sum is huge definitely and the report suggested that this is a dangerous exercise that could bankrupt a central bank. What it did not say but meant is that the MAS was stupid to do what it did. Is that so? I believe that MAS must have strong reasons to do spend $10.2b and has been quite successful in preventing the S$ to rise against the greenback. In fact the S$ is looking like one of the weakest Asian currency vis a vis the greenback and has lost some 10 to 20% in value. And I believe this must be the goal of MAS and there must be better returns somewhere that could offset the S$10.2b lost in allowing the S$ to weaken.

The author of the article did not know the full story and thought that MAS is really making a big loss of S$10.2b without knowing that the bigger picture could be net gains of much more than this loss. I hope MAS could come out with an explanation to prove that the author of the article is wrong and MAS is having the last laugh. Better to show with statistics that the $10.2b spent has been recouped with several tens of billions of profit.

Fake qualifications not a problem

The problem of fake qualifications has been over blown, out of proportion, an issue like making mountain out of mole hill. What did I say so?
 
We have near to a million foreigners with professional qualifications working here. And from the records so far, only a handful have been caught and charged for falsifying their qualifications or using fake qualifications to get employments here. I think not more than a hundred. In percentage terms this is so small that it is a non issue, not worth the effort to flush them out.
 
The Sinkies should drop this issue and move on. Fake qualifications and certificates are not a problem worth exploring. Tio boh? If there are really so many fake degrees floating around, many would have been exposed or caught by now. The fact that nothing really happened means that all is well.
 
What do you think?

The cursed Singaporeans – part 2

Many retirees living off their pensions are in dire straits given the galloping inflation rate over the last decades. Whatever pensions they are receiving have been eroded to less than half their values and dwindling further every day. They thought it was a great blessing to be alive for so long. The truth, the longer they live, the worst their financial position will be. Those who are lucky enough to have bought properties could still live on quite comfortably. Those without would have to make do with whatever they have, downgrading if they can. What about those without pension, without property and with no dependents?
 
The plight of the oldies is not a once off thing. Those in their 40s or 50s will join this group of cursed citizens very soon. Each with a life span of 80 or 90 years but many would have lost their jobs in their 50s. The only saving grace is to pawn their HDB flats. But this is only possible if they are not struck by a serious illness that pawning their HDB flats would not be enough.
 
How many oldies can survive 30 or 40 years without a source of income? Even their HDB flat cannot provide for everything as they still need a roof over their heads. Would they all end up renting a room from other oldies to live through their last days?
 
But that is not all. The escalating cost of living is going to be accompanied by an escalating medical cost. And this one is more deadly in the sense that no one will be exempted. They will have to pay, like it or not, fit or unfit. The only good news is that the govt has said the premium is going to be light on them. How light and affordable is questionable given that they no longer have an income and with 30 or more years to live. Many young and able could not survive without a job for a year.
 
Cursed are those who have long life in this Sin City. Exceptions will be those with many properties or with a million dollar pension. Every oldie should be worried where to find the money to pay for Medishield Life premiums. No where to run, no where to hide. Beh Si premium scheme, is a payment that the oldies will have to pay for being alive. They are so lucky to have such a caring govt.