Tan Cheng Bock - I invite, I disinvite

There are many ways to look at this comedy. I like to call it so and I am going to drum about it. What I am saying is pure drumming as there is no element of truth in it. Just for a little giggle.

Think that this invite could be real, intentional, carefully choreographed. I invite you to this grand party. I know you like to be there as it is the right place to be at this time of the year. Then I disinvite you. This is like telling the guest, see, you could be there. All I need is to send you the invitation. But you must know which side is your bread buttered. Now I am letting you know that you could be there but I decided not to let you be there.

The above of course is based on the assumption that there is no mistake in the invite. But it could be a simple mistake. It could happen in several ways. One way is that the junior executive that sent out the invite was just doing a routine job. Get the list compiled which is an annual exercise and sent it out with the clearance of the immediate boss. They have been doing this every year. It is like second nature.

Then the bigger boss read the list and decided that something is amiss and decided that some must be dropped. And the order came down and someone has to do the job of telling the unpleasant truth of the disinvite.

Or it could be a genuine mistake like the CIA using an outdated map to bomb the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade. It was a genuine mistake that the loser must squeeze his balls and accept the explanation as genuine and it came with a sincere apology.

The stature of Cheng Bock has risen since he came so close to be the President of the country. Many believe that he is the President but somehow was robbed of the post by many funny reasons. And many believe strongly that he would definitely be the President if there is a reelection.

For being such a near miss President, would it not be nice and respectful to invite him to the Istana that could be his, or he could be the host for the party? Would his presence make people feel uneasy and be confused as to which one is the real people’s president?  Thus it is better to do the disinvite to avoid any red faces even knowing that Cheng Bock would not be there to claim that he could be the party host that night.

What do you think?

Medishield Life – No need to pay one, it is free

‘'Mr Gan said that working adults should not need to fork out any extra cash to pay for the new MediShield Life. That is because the Govt intends the individuals to pay the higher premium entirely from his Medisave.

He said that the individual’s annual Medisave contributions should be enough to pay for it.’

The above is everything you want to know about the Medishield Life Scheme. It is everything but nothing but your savings in your Medisave saving accounts, in the minimum sum. No matter how much you have, it will be just enough to feed this scheme. And it will be painless because you don’t see it and don’t feel it. They just quietly drain the money in your Medisave Account for you to pay for this Medishielf Life scheme whether you like it or not, whether you need it or not.

I remember in the past many people used to say, it is free, when they bought HDB flats or stay in the hospitals, all because the payment comes from their CPF savings. I think this will be a better promotional catchphrase, ‘Medishield Life is Free, no need to pay’. No cash needed to be paid up front. Everything will be just on papers, like what is being printed in your CPF statements. There is a lot of money there and there will be a lot of money being transferred compulsorily from your account when Medishield Life is enforced.

And every daft Sinkie can go around happily saying that Medishield Life is so good, or the govt is so good. It is free. No need to pay one.

Our retirement saving scheme in the form of CPF is so unique that despite setting aside so much for our retirement, many will end up without any money left or not enough for retirement. The trick is that the public housing scheme and the impending Medishield Life Insurance scheme will have first charge to draw down from the CPF, all designed to draw as much as they could without drawing blood and causing immediate pain. The way the CPF savings are spent is so ingenious that the daft Sinkies don’t even know what is happening to their savings. Simply brilliant and deserving to be paid in the millions! It does not hurt your pocket, only what is put into your CPF, your life time savings.

So, is it free or not free?

Singapore’s political scene – We have a situation

Judging by the volume of anti govt diatribes in the social media, if it is true and reflects the sentiment of the majority of the citizens, the ruling govt’s days are numbered. It appears that they have outlived their welcome and usefulness. Their one trick economic policy of growing the GDP based on population increase and selling land and properties has reached a point of no return. Any curbs on population growth will lead to a collapse of the property market on top of other international factors, and will bring the majority of the people on their knees.

The cry of VTO or Vote Them Out is deafening. It is the cry for change. Is it real or just a few lunatics in the fringe beating their drums? Who is wiser? Assuming that it is real, that the next GE will bundle the PAP out, lock, stock and barrel, there will be a vacuum of leadership that badly needs to be filled. The country cannot go on without a team of able leadership on stand by to take over in such an eventuality.

We have a situation!

The various opposition parties are too small, weak and fragmented to assume political leadership on their own steam or even as a coalition. There is an urgent need for the opposition to come together, to be led by an able leader. At the moment there is unfortunately no one to fill this shoe. One of the activists and potential leaders, or available leaders, Low Thia Kiang, Sylvia Lim, Chen Show Mao, Chee Soon Juan, Tambiah, Kenneth Jeyaratnam, Chiam See Tong, Jeanette etc etc would have to stand up to be the ONE to lead the country in the event of a dramatic PAP KO. On the sideline there are Tan Jee Say, Tan Kin Lian or maybe Tan Cheng Bock or perhaps a few breakaways from the PAP that may rise to the occasion. Could he be the Chan Chun Sing, Tharman, or the return of Goh Chok Tong? Chok Tong is still young and has many years to go before he hits 100. Would any one of these politicians be able to rally the rest and the people behind him to form the new govt?

There is a crisis of leadership if the PAP falls in 2016. The possibility may be remote but not really impossible. It could happen. Maybe in time of crisis, some unknowns or dark horses could surface, just like destiny, to bring together the loose and disconnected political forces into a new force to lead the country. History often throws up true leaders or new champions as if a natural order of things. Singapore would be lucky if it happens quick and fast or it would be thrown into turmoil for lack of a leader.

We have seen such situations in the histories of nations. We are seeing a similar situation happening now in Thailand, when there is no anointed one to rise above the dusts to be acknowledged as the ONE to lead.

We have a situation and how would this be overcome? Who would be the ONE to lead Singapore into the next leg? So far no one is in horizon and this is bad.

PS, after reading the disinvite of Tan Cheng Bock, maybe he can be a good candidate to provide the glue for the opposition parties. We not only did not have an Anwar Ibrahim, we don’t have leaders who would take a step back for a bigger common good even if we can find an Anwar Ibrahim.

A time to face reality, we are just a red dot

“There’s no need to change [the ship’s name],” he told The Jakarta Post.
 
“The Indonesian government has its own rules, procedures and assessment criteria for determining whether to honor a person as a hero. This cannot involve any intervention from other countries.” 

The Today paper quoting Indonesian Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister, Djoko Suyanto on the naming of an Indonesia frigate about two terrorists for bombing MacDonald House in 1965.
 
Our ministers have registered the govt’s concerns and respectfully told the Indonesians of the feelings of the victims’s families and ‘to consider the implications and consequences of the move.’ What are these implications and consequences? Obviously the Indonesians are not bothered with them. So?
 
What would be Singapore’s next move, or would there be any next move, or would the case be closed?
 
In a situation like this when our govt finds it necessary to put forth our objections, the reactions of the other party and our follow up actions will show what we are made of. Are we just a little red dot to be brushed aside or are we able to punch above our weight? If we can’t punch above our weight, it is best not to blow up matters that would not be beneficial to our interests.
 
We are in a little sticky situation now, aren’t we?

Shawn Tan - A man of 3 seasons

I would like to repeat this story of a man, full of himself, that visited Confucius to have an intellectual discourse with him. During his visit Confucius was having his meditation and could not see him immediately. So he engaged Confucius’ disciple on his theory of 3 seasons. He told the disciple confidently that there were only 3 seasons and not 4. They had a furious discussion and both could not agree obviously. To this man, there were only 3 seasons, but 4 to Confucius’ disciple.
 
When Confucius came to the room, his disciple explained to him what the commotion was about. Confucius nodded and agreed with the man to the astonishment of his disciple. How could that be when everyone knew that there were four seasons? After the man left, the unconvinced disciple confronted his master. Confucius explained that the man was like a kind of insect that lived only till autumn and would die before winter. In the insect’s lifespan it was good for only 3 reasons and would never know what winter was all about. And he was right.
 
My post on the interest rate for Medisave Minimum Sum received some ridicules from this Shawn Tan in TheRealSingapore site. Shawn Tan was confidently sure that I was talking nonsense on two points. There is a Medisave Account and no Medisave Minimum Sum Account. He was also very sure that the Medisave Account pays 4% interest rate and I got my facts wrong and posting rubbish without getting my facts right.
 
I just sent a reply to the CPF telling them that based on my statement in the CPF online record, the sum paid to me for my Medisave Minimum Sum was 1.92%. I got the numbers using a calculator. The amount of interest paid to my Retirement Account was 5.1%. Both numbers are facts, not guessing and have been sent to the CPF. Shawn Tan may choose to believe that I was talking rubbish still, with no facts or wrong facts. He is entitled to his belief.
 
In his post, he confidently said that there was only a Medisave Account and no such things as Medisave Minimum Sum Account. Let me quote from the CPF site on this.
 
‘What is Medisave Minimum Sum (MMS)?
 
The Medisave Minimum Sum (MMS) is the amount you need to retain in your Medisave Account (MA) for your healthcare needs. You may withdraw any excess Medisave savings on or after 55 subject to the applicable withdrawal rules after meeting the CPF MS requirement.
 
If you have set aside the CPF MS but are unable to meet the MMS requirement when you make a CPF withdrawal, you would need to top up your MA with all or part of the balances from your Special Account and Ordinary Account to meet the MMS prevailing at the time of withdrawal.
 
Since 1 July 2013, the MMS is $40,500.’
 
The MMS is only known to those who reached retirement age, or those who are in the know when what is left in the Medisave Account will be the MMS. For the young and not in the know, they will only know that there is a Medisave Account but no MMS. The quote from CPF site above explained clearly what MMS is. Let’s hope Shawn will understand that there is a MMS when he reaches retirement age. For the time being he can be confident that he is right, that there is no MMS.
 
A man of 3 seasons.