A generation screwed

Over the last few decades, thousands of straight A students went through the mills. At least a thousand of them got straight As annually for their A level exam. How many of them could have been doctors and educated in our local unis? Oh, the capacity was only for a couple of hundreds. That’s it, nothing could be done to change this number. The rest of the straight A students either switch to other courses or, if they have rich parents, can go overseas for their medical degrees.

The situation today, our hospitals are infested with doctors from dunno where. Could these foreign doctors be as good as our straight A students? Or are they just the average, not counting those with fake qualifications? If we have not wasted our straight A students, we would have more of our best in the medical profession and at least reduce the shortfalls and need not take in doctors from God knows where and what.

For those who left on their papa mama scholarships, many would not want to return and would be lost for good. Why should they when on returning they would have to cough out a million or more to buy a decent small little private flat when they could own big landed properties overseas and a better quality of life? Why should they come home?

The number of such talents that have made homes in other countries must be pretty big. And we ended up shortchanged with you know what and from you know where.

A generation of our talented young men and women has been lost through our shortsighted policies on not educating our very best in medicine. To think of being treated by fakes or half past six doctors is really scary.

6.9m – do you have the people’s consent?

The 6.9m issue is not what 77 MP/ministers think they are big enough to decide. It affects every Sinkie today and into the future. Do they have the consent of the people? Definitely a big NO. Do they want to ask the people for their consent? Another big NO. Do they think they have been given the right to decide for the people on this issue. They want to think so.
 
The people are saying NO. Would they listen? NO. They are simply snubbing the people, an act of defiance against the people. They know the people are against it and they stubbornly and arrogantly want to go ahead with their decision against the will of the people. Why? Why would they want to go against the people? Is this 6.9m something that must be done and if not something very serious will happen, more serious than losing the vote and confidence of the people that the PAP rather offend the people than not doing it? Did they know something that the people did not know?
 
This is a democracy, mind you. And a democratically elected govt thinks it can ignore the people, disregard the people’s wishes and still believes confidently that the people will elect them to power, to rule the people, no need to listen to the people, to control the people and to snub the people.
 
This is definitely uniquely Singapore.
 
What can the Sinkies do? Absolutely nothing. Come election they will still elect the same people to power and pay them out of this world’s salary and can only pray that the same people will be kinder to them. It is like the govt knows that no matter what, they will continue to be in power somehow. Very eerie.

India, how a big power should behave

India is still fuming mad over what the Americans had done to their consul in New York, Devyani Khobragade. The rough and humiliating handling of the consul were just too much to swallow. Despite several high level protests, the Americans are not backing off and not apologizing. India, an emerging superpower, is not going to take it with hands down.
 
The latest development to this ugly episode of American bullying is the curtailment of non diplomatic American staff visiting a club at the American embassy in New Delhi. India is putting a stop to this privilege that it had closed an eye for many years. The non diplomats will now not be allowed to enjoy the benefits of the American Community Support Association club.
 
This is how an emerging power should respond to bullying by the Americans, the Number One superpower. Countries of the world must not allowed themselves to be bullied by the Americans and must react and hit back at the Americans. If the international communities are firm and take concerted actions against the Americans, it would put a stop to their nonsense and bullying tactics.
 
China needs to learn from India. Its worst humiliation was the bombing of the Chinese Embassy by an American cruise missile in . China was and is still military very much weaker than the Americans and taking a tough stand against the Americans may be too premature and put it on a losing end. But it surely can mount pressure and kick the American’s ass by other means, like what India is doing. The Americans would definitely stop their nonsense or at least have to think very carefully before repeating the same humiliation against India.
 
China can only stop the American bullying by standing firm and be prepared to take counter measures. The flying of two B 52s heading into China during the ADIZ episode was another case of American bullying. China must put it in no uncertain terms that B 52s, because of their offensive nature and capability to launch nuclear bombs, will be shot down if they approach a certain distance from the Chinese coast. At the very least, Chinese fighters must be scrambled to intercept and force them to turnaround.
 
Every country in the world that is repeatedly being harassed and bullied by the Americans must adopt a united front to stop the Americans from their rogue behavior. Not doing so would only encourage the Americans to treat them like dirt. India shall take the lead and show the world how best to deal with the American bullying.

A novel idea to free up hospital beds

The hospitals have become a great place for R and R, great and comfortable environment, clean, sanitized and airconed. And there are so many pretty and young nurses to take care of the patients’ needs and recreation. Who doesn’t want to extend his stay in the hospitals when it is so luxurious and fun? The patients would be so happy and pampered in bed, why would they want to leave the hospitals?
 
I have a novel idea that is a win win for everyone. The nurses will be free to do other more important nursing work. The patients would not want to stay in the hospital for too long. And operation cost could come down too and with more beds to spare.
 
The magic formula, retrain and convert the uncles and aunties in the foodcourts who are very experience in cleaning tables, plates and bowls to clean the patients. They are so good in this cleaning job that with every swipe all the dirt will come off. And they can clean more patients in shorter time. And the cost of redesignating them as nurses will definitely be lower while they will get a higher income than be cleaners in the foodcourts and hawker centres. With better income they will be more enthusiastic and motivated to do a better job, better morale. Think they will also be more cheerful and less grouchy.
 
And the benefits for the hospitals will be higher turnover of patients, thus freeing the precious bed spaces for more deserving patients. And the Ah Mahs and Ah Kongs are less likely to be job hoppers and would work till they call it a day. This is a good case for raising productivity of the Ah Kong and Ah Mah nurses, the pretty nurses to doing real nursing jobs, and the hospitals with lesser problems of bed shortages since patients would be cleaned so fast that there would be no reason for them wanting to stay in the hospital a day longer.
 
What do you think, Gan Kim Yong?
 
PS. I got inspiration from Agongkia to write this piece.

Game of musical chairs?

The curse of public housing hurt many Sinkies real bad for at least a decade with the Minister of Housing claiming housing was affordable and drastically cutting down the building programme. A decade of denial finally succumbed to public pressure and anger that resulted in his departure from the cabinet. Many home buyers suffered for having to buy public flats at highly inflated prices. The damage caused by this foolishness will take its toll when the next major economic crisis hits.

Now where would the white knight be from to solve the housing crisis? No prize for guessing, the Minister of Health was the right man to solve a housing problem. Who says you need relevant experience in the right field to do a good job? What relevant experience was needed for someone from the Health Ministry to solve housing problems? Or shall I say the important factors are: right attitude, a little intelligence, a little common sense, and a will to do the right thing. A major part of the housing shortfall has been taken care of. The second problem is the high housing prices that were bloated during the decade of not building. How to solve this and who to solve this? Or it has become the new normal to be accepted by the young home buyers?

While Boon Wan is still working on the housing problem, a new problem surfaces, the shortfall of hospital beds. Of course, don’t expect the Minister of Health to solve this problem. Housing problem has to be solved by a Health Minister. So Health Ministry problem in the form of shortages of beds must be solved by someone from another ministry. Or should it be from the Housing Ministry, the Minister of Housing? Two Health Ministers have been on the seat and not knowing that there is a huge shortage of beds. They know or dunno? Maybe they know and waiting for it to go away with time or for a miracle to happen.

Now that the problem has exploded and cannot be hidden anymore, do they have other capable ministers to solve hospital beds problem? The Health Ministers are of no use as it has proven that under their watch the problem was not nipped in the bud.

There are also other big problems of immigration and employment waiting to be solved by the Minister of Manpower. Or should the white knight to solve this problem come from another ministry?

The public transportation problem is still not fully solved yet. How about getting the Transport Minister to solve Manpower and Immigration problems, and the Health Minister to solve transport problem, then the Manpower Minister can go and solve hospital bed shortfall problems?

Some of you may find this confusing but actually there is a simple logic to it. Those of you who have watch people playing chess will understand what I am going to say. Often the chess players are not as clear as the bystanders. People watching from outside often have a clearer picture of the mess and could see the problems clearer better than the incumbents. It is also called the fishbowl effect. The fish inside the bowl is part of the problem or are trapped in the problem. People looking at the fishbowl will have an overall view of what is happening. See, logical?

So this game of musical chair is good, really good. And no need whatever relevant experience or the usual craps. Just get someone with a little intelligence from the outside to deal with the problem. In a way it is like the foreign talent thing. The people inside cannot see or solve the problem, only foreigner talents can, even if they are faking the whole damn shit. Sorry I was exaggerating and being naughty on the shit part. And you can also see that Boon Wan now out of the Health Ministry could see the bed shortfall problems better than when he was there.

Get the picture?