9/09/2013

US military intervention in Syria could be catastrophic

by Bhim Singh
on 06 Sep 2013
"Profile: 'Bhim Singh is an Indian politician, activist, lawyer and author. "UN Secretary-General

Ban Ki-moon has acknowledged the concern expressed by many across the world on the dangers to peace in case the United States insists on military intervention in Syria. We in India also urge the UN Secretary-General to intervene to save peace as well as the letter and spirit of the Charter of the United Nations, which does not permit interference in the domestic affairs of any Member state.
 

Article 2 (7) is mandatory for all Members of the General Assembly and is equally applicable to the big powers and permanent members of the Security Council. It was tragic and unfortunate that the United States has been deliberately violating the mandate of the UN Charter - in erstwhile Yugoslavia, Iraq, Libya, Pakistan and now in Syria. The living example of violation of the UN Charter was the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 when the Bush administration attacked under the false pretext that Iraq was manufacturing/hiding weapons of mass destruction.
 

This author personally interacted with the Chief Inspector deputed by the United Nations in Iraq in 2001, who admitted that his team was not able to trace any such weapons. It was proved beyond an iota of doubt that the US charge against President Saddam Hussein was false and unfounded and was made only to demonize the Arab leader and liquidate him. Washington succeeded in its game plan. The silence of the United Nations over the Anglo-American attack against Iraq has damaged the credibility of the UN; its silence was suicidal.
 

In 1999, the US used NATO to commit naked aggression against Yugoslavia with criminal intent to destroy Serbian culture, history and civilization. The NATO committed genocide of thousands of people and the international fraternity allowed wiping out the very name of Yugoslavia from the membership of the United Nations. President Slobodan Milosevic was abducted from his Belgrade residence, imprisoned in a dark cell manned by US commandoes in The Hague, Netherlands. He was ultimately found ‘murdered’ in his cell when the prosecutors failed to establish any guilt on his part….

More than two million people died of hunger and starvation caused by the illegal economic sanctions imposed by the United States of America against Iraq. In his book, ‘Iraq: A Heroic Resistance’, this author exposed the Anglo-American Bloc aggression against the people of Iraq followed by the genocide of innocent people. The US mission in Iraq was to capture oil, land and strategic waters in Iraq and the Arab world. Saddam Hussein was the biggest obstacle to this target and hence they started a worldwide media campaign to demonize him and succeeded in eliminating him (Saddam Hussein). The US proclaimed that it intended to bring democracy in Iraq. Today in Iraq hundreds of innocent people are killed daily by weapons manufactured in the western world. Where were the weapons of mass destruction that the US had detected in Iraq?
 

The United Nations is answerable for its silence when NATO fighters and bombers were showering bombs and arsenals on the people of Libya. International Law and the UN Charter were thrown to the winds by the Anglo-American Bloc and European allies. How and under what provision of the UN Charter did the Anglo-American Bloc use NATO forces to destroy the Arab people and brutally assassinate Libyan leader, Col. Gaddafi? The intention was not democracy but the oils of Libya which stands ninth in oil reserves in the world. Where is the democracy in Libya? Where were the humanists when the USA was committing genocide in Iraq, Libya and now in Syria?

The next target is India. The US has been promoting the Dixon Plan since 1951. To reach India, they are targetting Syria and Iran. Now American media is demonizing President Basher al-Assad, having succeeded in getting rid of Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak and also its first elected President, Mohamed Morsi.
Washington does not want to see another Nasser or Saddam or Gaddafi or even Arafat on Arab soil. Its entire strategy has been to demolish leadership in the Arab world and establish US hegemony. The interest is to grab Arab oils, earth-wealth and strategic land and waters all over the globe.

The Anglo-American Axis needs Gilgit-Baltistan to monitor China. This Bloc needs Afghanistan to keep watch on the Russian Federation. The US needs control over Latin America so that all the gold, diamond reserves and earth-wealth in those countries remains in its hands. The West has divided Sudan by fomenting Muslim-Christian conflict as done previously in the Indian sub-continent during British Rule. They divided Cameroon, the Congo, East Africa, and Palestine….

Now the Obama administration wants to attack Syria and liquidate President Basher al-Assad so that no dissenting voice remains against the United States. This fact is established after the clear message from NATO Political Chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen that the attack on Syria shall be ‘short, sharp & tailored’. This means the aim is to liquidate the Syrian leadership and its elected President.

The British Parliament has demonstrated a clever strategy to keep Arab opinion divided. Prime Minister David Cameron lost his motion by 13 votes in the House of Commons, thus showing that Britons have learnt from Iraq and Libya….

Putin has dubbed the so-called ‘chemical weapons’ theory in Syria as ‘utter nonsense’. China is equally concerned about US intrigues to demolish Syria so that Israel can freely expand in the Middle East. Obama may have compulsions to attack Syria but Obama stands defeated in his own arguments when he welcomes the support of Arab leaders on the one hand and calls for democracy in the Arab world on the other.
India made its stand clear on the eve of G20 Conclave being held in Kremlin, Russia, that she will not support foreign interference in the domestic affairs of Syria. The people of India stand for peace all over the world. India stands for the sovereignty and independence of all nations, and opposes any interference in the domestic affairs of other nations."

The above article stated clearly the intent and motivation of the Americans to attack Syria and its invasion of other Middle Eastern and African countries. The sad thing about such articles is that the Americans are setting the agenda and no one is questioning if the Americans are guilty in the first place. They just tried to defend the victim nations. Why don’t they question America’s role in the chemical attack and what if the Americans are the supplier of the chemical weapons or even a party to the chemical attack?
 

Many countries rightfully sang the tune that the guilty party conducting chemical attacks should be duly punished. Hsien Loong also took this stand and said the same thing which is morally right and in tune with international law. The UN should decide and if found guilty, the party should be punished by a military attack.
 

Now the tricky part. The Russians have evidence to prove that the chemical weapons came from Saudi Arabia. If it is proven that it was the work of Saudi Arabia, would all the countries that condemned this chemical attack also support a UN resolution to bomb Saudi Arabia? And if the investigation goes further and prove that the US is behind the chemical attack, would they also support an attack on the USA? Or would everyone turn the other way, case closed?
 

Why aren’t the interested parties be conducting an investigation to prove the guilt or innocence of the Americans? At the moment they could be the devil but standing on high pedestal like angels. They could be the guilty party but pointing the fingers at everyone. They cannot be presumed to be innocence as they are party to this conflict and with their hands in everything, including training of insurgents, agents and provocateurs on the ground and supplying the weapons and supplying chemical weapons cannot be ruled out even through a third party. The Americans have vested interest in the conflict and cannot be trusted as a neutral observer.

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?

9/08/2013

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.

9/07/2013

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.

9/06/2013

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?