We held parties called Singapore Day for our citizens and their friends
abroad in cities like New York, London, Melbourne, Shanghai and the
latest in Sydney. Each event could see near to 10,000 Sinkies being
feasted with our local favourites to remind them of home, all free, paid
by our govt. And the cooks and their foodstuff were flown there from
home to ensure authenticity. We even flew a real minister and several
big shots there to really make them feel at home. See how hardworking
our ministers are. Each event would probably cost a few peanuts at most.
Good value for the money. Our overseas Sinkies will be so happy and
their guests will be impressed. I don’t think the Americans or the
Japanese could afford such parties.
It is one of those events that Sinkies really feel like Sinkies and
being surrounded by Sinkies. You can’t even find such a gathering and
atmosphere back home except in Hong Lim when Gilbert Goh threw a party.
And this is what a Sinkie, a Anthony Sim, in Sydney said, ‘… he had
never seen so many Singaporeans congregating in the one place.
“It is quite heartwarming to know we are not alone. Everyone of us were on the same page,” he wrote.
"There were no PRCs, India Indians, Bangla or Pinoys to annoy us.” Ahem.
Sinkies back home would not have many chances to be in the company of
just Sinkies.'
Unfortunately this Sinkie event has attracted the wrong
gatecrashers who demanded to be invited. And when failed to get in, they
accused the organizers of racism. KNN, how can our govt be accused of
racism when they invited all foreigners with their open arms here?
Typical outback country bumpkin mentality! It is unbelieveable but it is
true. The two hungry and hard up white Australians said on a talk show
that they were refused entry to a private party for Sinkies. I hope the
Australian govt is not going to demand an apology and for SIA to fly the
two men for a two week fully paid vacation in Sin City to appease them.
Actually since we have so much money to spend, the Singapore Day could
be open to all and sundry. It can’t cost that much more than the F1 or
the synthetic garden in Marina and another one coming up in Changi. It
is goodwill money and will be money well spent. And the hard up Aussies
will be blowing our trumpet happily on how generous we are and how good
are our hawker cuisines, and all the good thing about Sin. Ya, good PR
value for tourism money.
10/17/2013
Asia Asean partied in the absence of the gangster
The Asia Asean Summit came and gone, cordially and with many economic
issues addressed and advanced. The Asean states and their Asian partners
locked themselves up in Bali and Brunei to discuss and chart their path
for economic cooperation and trade. The climate was conducive and
dignified and befitting of a platform of national leaders in conference.
The enmity and hostility were totally absence. There were no thumping
of the table and no gangster was there to set the agenda for Asean. It
was Asean taking the lead as host to other Asian leaders. It was all
about moving forward for their mutual benefits. No gangster was there to
seize the moment, to hijack the meeting for its hideous motives and
agenda.
The recent Asean Asia Conference and Summit were marked by the absence of tension and big power rivalry and big power agenda. The gangster was not there to stoke tensions talk about instability and threats of war where there were none. The gangster was not there to agitate and incite interstate rivalry and hostility when there was none without the gangster behind pulling the strings.
The meeting was one of the most productive and least contentious that Asean and Asia have had for a long time. Whenever the gangster was around, it was the gangster that set the agenda, for more bickering and for creating fears and threats of war.
Thank God for keeping the gangster away, for keeping him busy and no time to cause mischief in the region.
The recent Asean Asia Conference and Summit were marked by the absence of tension and big power rivalry and big power agenda. The gangster was not there to stoke tensions talk about instability and threats of war where there were none. The gangster was not there to agitate and incite interstate rivalry and hostility when there was none without the gangster behind pulling the strings.
The meeting was one of the most productive and least contentious that Asean and Asia have had for a long time. Whenever the gangster was around, it was the gangster that set the agenda, for more bickering and for creating fears and threats of war.
Thank God for keeping the gangster away, for keeping him busy and no time to cause mischief in the region.
10/16/2013
Chipping at the Greenback
One by one, slowly but steadily, countries are starting to negotiate to
trade with China using the Renminbi or Yuan and their national
currencies. The Indonesians have started the ball rolling and soon more
Asean states would do likewise. Why would they want to use the Greenback
that is losing its value rapidly with the Americans happily printing
them to consume more and getting more into debt?
The latest American crisis and the threat of a debt default is very real and it is only a matter of time even if they could kick the can further down the road. The British have also signed a new agreement to be the centre of Yuan Pound swap in London. It is going to make London the biggest financial centre to trade the Yuan.
With this move by London, knowing how strategic the Brits are in their thinking, more European countries would not want to lose out. And this also applies to New York. There is no stopping for Yuan to be used more widely as an international currency. And the victim to this development is none other than the Greenback.
Countries holding on to huge American Treasury bonds are sweating in their pants with the Greenback shrinking in value like melting ice in the summer heat. The Americans are not helping either. They could not as they are deep in the shit and wanted to print more to reduce their foreign debt.
An avalanche is waiting to happen with the Greenback turning into banana currency very real. The confidence of the Greenback is being eroded daily and all the holders must be planning on how to get out, how to get rid of the Greenback at the earliest sign of trouble or opportunity to do so.
The Americans have killed two Arab leaders that were trying to scuttle the Greenback supremacy and a third one in Assad temporarily delayed. They could not be culling the British PM or other European leaders for wanting to cut down on the use of the Greenback.
Don’t worry, the Americans have worked it all out. It is time for another pow wow at Bretton Woods. And the Greenback would have a few zeros sliced off its back and buried for good at Arlington with the American flag wrapped around it. So would the holders of American Treasury bonds.
The latest American crisis and the threat of a debt default is very real and it is only a matter of time even if they could kick the can further down the road. The British have also signed a new agreement to be the centre of Yuan Pound swap in London. It is going to make London the biggest financial centre to trade the Yuan.
With this move by London, knowing how strategic the Brits are in their thinking, more European countries would not want to lose out. And this also applies to New York. There is no stopping for Yuan to be used more widely as an international currency. And the victim to this development is none other than the Greenback.
Countries holding on to huge American Treasury bonds are sweating in their pants with the Greenback shrinking in value like melting ice in the summer heat. The Americans are not helping either. They could not as they are deep in the shit and wanted to print more to reduce their foreign debt.
An avalanche is waiting to happen with the Greenback turning into banana currency very real. The confidence of the Greenback is being eroded daily and all the holders must be planning on how to get out, how to get rid of the Greenback at the earliest sign of trouble or opportunity to do so.
The Americans have killed two Arab leaders that were trying to scuttle the Greenback supremacy and a third one in Assad temporarily delayed. They could not be culling the British PM or other European leaders for wanting to cut down on the use of the Greenback.
Don’t worry, the Americans have worked it all out. It is time for another pow wow at Bretton Woods. And the Greenback would have a few zeros sliced off its back and buried for good at Arlington with the American flag wrapped around it. So would the holders of American Treasury bonds.
The Socrates syndrome
Socrates a great philosopher of ancient Athens who died around 399BC was blamed for all the ills and failures of the City State in Athens and was sentenced to death by the state.
Socrates - ( ancient Greek philosopher ) Versus Athenian City State
Ngiam Tong Dow ( a pragmatic Head of Civil Service ) Versus Singapore City State
Result
_____
Socrates: Death by drinking hemlock , a poisonous drink
Ngiam Tong Dow : Recant
Verdict in History
______________
Socrates : An honourable man vindicated by History
Athenian City State went into decline after Socrates death
Ngiam Tong Dow : People in tune with his original version
Singapore is in the doldrums, unsure of its future
Socrates - ( ancient Greek philosopher ) Versus Athenian City State
Ngiam Tong Dow ( a pragmatic Head of Civil Service ) Versus Singapore City State
Result
_____
Socrates: Death by drinking hemlock , a poisonous drink
Ngiam Tong Dow : Recant
Verdict in History
______________
Socrates : An honourable man vindicated by History
Athenian City State went into decline after Socrates death
Ngiam Tong Dow : People in tune with his original version
Singapore is in the doldrums, unsure of its future
In praise of Singapore
Below is an extract of an article posted in Thoughts of a Cynical Investor blog.
Why more FT Indians here than local Indians?
In Economy, India on 15/10/2013 at 4:52 am
…’Assuming he is correct about the FT Indian population being bigger than the local Indian population, there is possibly a gd, sound economic reason for it:- Our local Indians are not the “right” kind of Indians S’pore needs?
He may not be aware that S’pore’s an offshore hub of India, along with Dubai and Mauritius.
The largest hub for Indian trade is probably Singapore. It is the centre for investment banking, which thrives offshore, owing to the tight regulation of India’s banks and debt markets. Reflecting this, the global exposure to India of Citigroup and Standard Chartered, the two foreign banks busiest in India, is 1.9 times the size of their regulated Indian bank subsidiaries.
Fund managers running money in India are often based in Singapore. India’s best financial newspaper, Mint, now has a Singapore edition. At least half of all rupee trading is offshore, says Ajay Shah of the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy in Delhi. Investors and firms do not like India’s fiddly rules and worry that the country may tighten capital controls if its currency falls too far, says one trader in Singapore…..
Indian e-commerce firms often get their data crunched in Singapore, using web-hosting and cloud-computing firms, such as Google and Amazon. Amitabh Misra, of Snapdeal, says bandwidth costs less, technology is better and you avoid India’s headaches—such as finding somewhere to work, coping with state-run telecoms firms and having to wait to import hardware.
Singapore is also a centre for legal services. International deals involving India often contain clauses which state that disputes be arbitrated outside India, with its clogged courts. Singapore, along with London and Paris, has become the preferred jurisdiction. “The level of comfort Indian companies get from Singapore is unmatched,” says Vivekananda N of the Singapore International Arbitration Centre.’
This is the kind of tribute paid to Singapore that is not often spoken. It would be good that our dumb asses take note of such praises and stop short selling the value of this city like a prostitute’s den. We have great and absolute value and the foreigners are not going to run away if we insist on implementing polices and laws that benefit our own people and country. Instead they will come crawling at our doors just to get in. Those cheapskate companies that think they could threaten our weak dumb asses to bow to their demands are best that they leave this island. There is a very long queue of foreign companies waiting to come in, with a horrendous long queue of foreign workers begging to be let in to find their pot of gold here.
Why more FT Indians here than local Indians?
In Economy, India on 15/10/2013 at 4:52 am
…’Assuming he is correct about the FT Indian population being bigger than the local Indian population, there is possibly a gd, sound economic reason for it:- Our local Indians are not the “right” kind of Indians S’pore needs?
He may not be aware that S’pore’s an offshore hub of India, along with Dubai and Mauritius.
The largest hub for Indian trade is probably Singapore. It is the centre for investment banking, which thrives offshore, owing to the tight regulation of India’s banks and debt markets. Reflecting this, the global exposure to India of Citigroup and Standard Chartered, the two foreign banks busiest in India, is 1.9 times the size of their regulated Indian bank subsidiaries.
Fund managers running money in India are often based in Singapore. India’s best financial newspaper, Mint, now has a Singapore edition. At least half of all rupee trading is offshore, says Ajay Shah of the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy in Delhi. Investors and firms do not like India’s fiddly rules and worry that the country may tighten capital controls if its currency falls too far, says one trader in Singapore…..
Indian e-commerce firms often get their data crunched in Singapore, using web-hosting and cloud-computing firms, such as Google and Amazon. Amitabh Misra, of Snapdeal, says bandwidth costs less, technology is better and you avoid India’s headaches—such as finding somewhere to work, coping with state-run telecoms firms and having to wait to import hardware.
Singapore is also a centre for legal services. International deals involving India often contain clauses which state that disputes be arbitrated outside India, with its clogged courts. Singapore, along with London and Paris, has become the preferred jurisdiction. “The level of comfort Indian companies get from Singapore is unmatched,” says Vivekananda N of the Singapore International Arbitration Centre.’
This is the kind of tribute paid to Singapore that is not often spoken. It would be good that our dumb asses take note of such praises and stop short selling the value of this city like a prostitute’s den. We have great and absolute value and the foreigners are not going to run away if we insist on implementing polices and laws that benefit our own people and country. Instead they will come crawling at our doors just to get in. Those cheapskate companies that think they could threaten our weak dumb asses to bow to their demands are best that they leave this island. There is a very long queue of foreign companies waiting to come in, with a horrendous long queue of foreign workers begging to be let in to find their pot of gold here.
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