A simple matter of defence

The issue of women serving NS is gaining currency but has been put down by Eng Hen, quoting Finland and Switzerland as role models. They don’t conscript women, so we can safely say we don’t need it too. Logical reasoning. While women should not be called up as NSwomen, they can still perform some roles in defence as volunteers. And so too can first generation PRs.
 
Everytime someone brings this topic up, suggesting that PRs be called up for military service, I cringed. Though there is the reason of equity to demand that PRs contribute to the country like NSmen instead of taking a free ride, getting PRs in uniform needs to be carefully considered. It is like the same silly reason that if one is a PR for some years, he better be a citizen. Again, the foolish and simple minded just do not know what citizenship meant and how valuable is a citizenship that it should not be given away so freely. There are many implications and serious consequences for granting citizenship so freely to foreigners. And there are serious security implications for allowing PRs to be in uniform.
 
The security of a nation cannot be simply entrusted to foreigners just because that person is a PR. Similarly, the security of immigration cannot be simply entrusted to foreigners as another job to be done and anyone willing can do.
 
A NSman or a soldier is trained to use firearms, be given firearms to handle, to be trusted to use the firearms wisely for the defence of the country and the citizens. A soldier is also trained and privy to military information and doctrines, they called them military secrets. A soldier is entrusted with all the military knowledge of the organizations and sensitive information that need to be guarded and not to be shared with people not supposed to know. A PR, if enlisted to serve in the military service, has be treated as one of us and be given access to military information and equipment etc etc. He has to be trusted to uphold all the things he is trained and expected to do.
 
Are PRs so easily trusted, or should they be entrusted with the nation’s security and defence? OK, with the presence of mercenaries in the form of Gurkhas, one can justify that it is ok. Why can’t we trust PRs when we can trust Gurkhas who are really foreigners? Putting aside the Gurkha issue that has historical precedents, what about the PRs? The PR issue gets more complicated with their origins as they can come from any corner of the globe and could be from countries that we have very special sensitivity to.
While everyone is in heat and cheering to go and make every PR a citizen or every PR a soldier, should this be thought out carefully on how far this should go? Can we trust Ah Meng as an NSman if he becomes a PR also?
 
Or are we now so desensitized, insensitive, that nothing matters anymore as long as we manage to haul another fish in the net. Or for political expediency, to appease the anger of the masses, why not? I still remember the early days when even tree planting was highly classified and everyone is carefully scrutinized for security reasons.
 
Maybe things can be more relax in a country that is also a hotel for the whole world.

Breaking News from TRS

**BREAKING NEWS***
TRS has just received a private video made by Anonymous declaring 'war' against the Singapore government. 
In the video it says that The Messiah is just a single hacker and many more hackers will infiltrate the Singapore government websites and databases if their demands are not met.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=656364671075370&comment_id=6755136&...
Below is the message attached with the video:
{Twitter} The Messiah @ twitter.com/Th3M3551A
Greetings Government of Singapore,
We are Anonymous and we believe that we have your undivided attention.
We also believe that you have had the pleasure of meeting our comrade The Messiah, who demonstrated what a single Anon could do to your so call technologically advanced island.
Now allow us to explain the objective of our recent invasions.
The secondary objective was to welcome you to the new rule where ignoring the issues of your citizens will not go ignored by Anonymous. We advise you to stop feigning ignorance and serve the people.
Any form of arrogant and ignorant statement from a person of position towards the people will not go ignored by Anonymous.
Have you forgotten who you work for? Traditionally the workers respect the boss. Let us stick to tradition.
But the primary objective of our invasion was to protest the implementation of the internet licensing framework by giving you a sneak peak of the state of your cyberspace if the ridiculous, communistic, oppressive and offensive framework gets implemented.
Did i mention the previous hacks was executed by a single Anonymous member?
Now close your eyes and imagine a legion of Anonymous unleashed upon your tiny little island and infrastructures. It will be like dipping yourselves into a pool of piranhas.
We have faced much larger and more secured corporations such as the F.B.I & the NSA.
Do you think the I.D.A will be a problem for us?
After all, security is just an illusion against time and temporary ignorance.
So mark our words when we say that we Anonymous stand firm on our belief that no Government has the right to deprive their citizens the freedom of information.
No one has the right to tell an individual what he can or cannot read or write.
This is a basic fundamental of democracy and we will use everything in our resources to protect it at all cost.
We demand you reconsider the regulations of your framework or we will be forced to go to war with you. For every single time you deprive a citizen his right to information, we will cost you financial loss by aggressive cyber intrusion. An intrusion your $130 million cyber security will not be able to stop.
After all how do you stop an idea?
You may be ambitious enough to try and stop us but remember, the people you are after are the people you depend on:
we cook your meals, we haul your trash, we teach your children, we pay your high salaries, we feed your families, we guard you while you sleep!
It is not wise to piss us off.
And finally we call upon our fellow Singaporean brothers and sisters to join our protest by dressing fully in black & red on the 5th of November to paint your streets with the colors that represent the current Singaporeans emotion.
We urge you to black out your FB profile picture for a day along with the status message:
I am a Singaporean and i had enough of being oppressed! I want my freedom back!!
Anonymous will be making a virtual protest by your side.
Let us demonstrate our frustrations in organized unseen unity that may live a thousand years. This action might not make a political change but it is the first step towards the mental conditioning needed to achieve our goals.
Remember, remember. The fifth of November.

We are anonymous, we are legion.
We do not forgive, we do not forget.
Expect Us!


PS. I copied the above from TRS. 

From sampan to cruise ship to sampan

Koh Buck Song said Singapore is like a cruise ship. Hsien Loong corrected him by saying that we are in an upgraded sampan. Now who is right or whose version is the reality? Buck Song explained that in a cruise ship, the elite would be partying in the top deck while the masses would be rowing the ship at the bottom deck, with oars. All in the same boat.
 
Hsien Loong was more self deprecating, and with a great sense of humility. We are all in the same boat, in an upgraded sampan. This is like saying we are living life the same way, having the same gruel and sleeping on the same wooden planks. And we move ahead together or sink together, in the same sampan. No one is partying in the top deck.
 
This is a good political statement, saying the right thing for the people to hear. No one will be left behind. We even scooped up foreigners in the high seas to sail with us. We accommodate them and we don’t mind the squeeze, together in the same sampan. We can hug everyone while yo-yoing in the high seas, foreigners, locals all same same.
 
Now, did I get the picture right?

India may take Singapore to WTO for violation of CECA

The new measures taken by Singapore to control the influx of foreigners working in Singapore ‘has irked India as the new law does not give India a preferential treatment incorporated in the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CECA) between the two countries, operational since 2005. This stance by the Singapore Government is expected to affect Indians working as middle-level managers, executives and technicians.

Speculations are rife that India might take up the issue with World Trade Organization’s (WTO) dispute settlement body. However, according to Singapore such a decision was imperative in the interest of the natives as the share of the foreign workforce is rising very rapidly.

“… I do not think we have contravened our commitments in the WTO or the CECA. Moreover, this is not specifically targeted to any one country. We remain very open to foreign talent,” a senior Singapore government official told Business Standard…. According to Indian officials involved in the negotiations, this is a violation of the services trade agreement under CECA. This will also adversely affect Indians who are working there as it might lead to job losses, especially for the middle level workers.
India has submitted a request to Singapore for addressing the matter but has not received a formal communication yet.

Currently, there are about 200,000 non-resident Indians in Singapore working in ITES, financial services and scientific research sectors among others, according to one estimate.’ - Business Standard 29 Oct. http://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/govt-decries-ceca-violation-by-singapore-113021700123_1.html

Did Singapore sign an agreement with India or any other country that allows that country unlimited entry of its people into the island? Can this really be the case? Imagine a little island of 760 sq km signing such an agreement with countries that have more than a billion people and they can send any number of people they want here? I don’t think Singapore officials are that stupid right? There must be some misunderstanding or misinterpretation of the agreements in this case by India. No silly govt in the world will open their country to any country with no restrictions. It is like inviting an invasion and a takeover of the country.

What is happening? I have faith that our super talents with foresight and great intelligence would not sell out the country blindly with such agreements. How can it be?

A poser, what can be worse?

Heard of the saying, the blind leading the blind? This statement has often been quoted to denote a bad situation, a lost cause when nobody knows what is happening, and the blind is being led by an equally blind towards the cliff. Actually it is not that bad as the blind has no bad intention and if luck is on his side, he could lead them to paradise of plenty, by accident.
 
Then there is another situation where the blind are led by the crooks. This is about sums up the situation in the USA. The whole banking and finance industry, including the stock exchange, are led by the crooks. The bankers are selling fraudulent and gambling chits as sophisticated financial products to their clients. The stock exchange has been redesigned and turned into a gambling den, with trading system that is worse than a computer game or a real casino. At least computer games and casino have rules to regulate some level of fair play with the odds known. The stock exchange is designed to cheat the innocent investors by using computers to trade against them.
Here the blind congressmen and women could do nothing as they did not know enough of the game to press the right button. And for those who knew, they were simply bought over. So they have very little regulations under the guise that deregulation and little regulation are good for the market and the finance industry. So the crooks rule the day and run the industry and stock market the way they want it.
 
The third situation is slightly different. Here we have a bunch of very clever and self serving talents running the show, leading the blind by telling them that they are there to serve them. Instead the super talents are serving themselves and laughing to the banks and the blind did not know what is happening. Can’t blame them as they are blind. So the blind are happy and the super talents are happier.
 
The three scenarios are just generalization. They are not applicable to Singapore. We have a fourth version where the super talented are leading an intelligent population, not blind. The super talented are there to serve the intelligent and highly educated populace. They are honest, upright, incorruptible and selfless, only thinking of serving the people whom they have acknowledged as their masters. Just look at how well regulated is our banking and finance system and the stock exchange, unshakable and in the pink of health. No gambling chits being sold and the exchange is running a system that is fair, and a level playing field for all investors. Soon other govts will be sending their delegates here to learn from us, world best banking and finance system and world best stock exchange. And rightly our Finance Minister is voted the best finance minister in the world. Just a bit puzzling is the rating for our MAS boss. How could they give him a B rating, worse than the USA and Malaysia and many other countries.
 
The USA and the rest of the world would be in better shape if they have adopted our banking and finance system or have a situation where their leaders are selfless serving servants of the people, and very talented as well.