The Western myth of China threat

The West has assumed their supremacy over the rest of the world for the last 500 years. From Portugal, Spain, France, Holland, Germany and Britain to the US, they have taken turns to rule the world. Today, American supremacy, arrogance, assertiveness and war mongering are an accepted way of life in international politics. The Americans can bully any country it likes, attack or conduct wars, declared or undeclared, behave like gangsters trampling or violating the sovereignty of countries in international waters or in the targeted countries with impunity. No one would utter a word, or no western media would condemn the Americans and said it was wrong. That is the mindset of all western and westernized reporters, journalists, researchers, analysts or academics and politicians.
 
Frank Kendall, Under Secretary of Defence of the USA is in town and harping about the rise of China and growing assertiveness of China. Yes, this is new and news. China has been under the domination of the West for more than 150 years, it is unacceptable for China to be assertive. This assertiveness is a threat to the American Empire and its self arrogated role of exceptional assertiveness. It is okay for the Americans or any western powers to be assertive but not China. The rest of the world is warned and chided to get together to stop this Chinese assertiveness but not the assertiveness of the Americans.
 
In an article in the news.com.au, Australia’s biggest threat is China, it talked about the need for Australia to work with the Indians to counter the Chinese. No westerners in his right mind would ever talk about the rest of the world forming an alliance to counter the assertiveness and threat of aggression by the Americans. These are acceptable norms of American behavior that the world must abide by.
 
What kind of threat is China posing to the world? China going to start a war with the rest of the world, to conquer the world? Not that it is impossible, it is not necessary. China is prospering without having to conquer or go to war with any country. Look at the following statistics reported in the same news.com.au.
 
‘China is the leading trade partner for 124 countries, compared to 76 for the US and its stock of inward foreign direct investment (FDI) has risen to $US832 billion.
 
It has the largest foreign exchange reserve of $US3.7 trillion followed by Japan with $US1.3 trillion.
 
Growing threat ... members of the Chinese Navy, a division of the PLA. Source: News Limited
 
China had 122 billionaires in 2013 compared to 422 in the US, 110 in Russia, 39 in Hong Kong and 26 in Taiwan.
 
It is the world’s largest manufacturing nation and in 2012 China built 19.27 million vehicles up from just 2.1 million in the year 2000.
 
That year the US built 10.5 million vehicles, Japan 9.9 million, Germany 5.6 million Korea 4.6 million.
 
China also accounts for 28.8 per cent of global sales for Volkswagen, 28.9 for General Motors, 20.9 for Nissan, 19.5 for Hyundai, 17.7 for Kia, 17.1 for Honda, 14.8 for Peugeot, 13.8 for Mazda, 8.4 for Ford, 8.0 for BMW and 7.6 per cent for Toyota.
 
It also produces 75 per cent of global output of mobile phones, 87 per cent of personal computers and 52 per cent of colour televisions.’
 
Why would China want to risk all the above to go to war with any country or to give the Americans a reason to incite the world to go against China? This is a number game and China is a number game. It is winning in every hand it is holding. Any war would destroy everything the Chinese have today and going to win more at the rate they are doing.
 
What is all this western hype about a China threat when war is the last thing that China wants or needs? The longer there is peace in the world, the more prosperous and powerful will China be, economically and militarily. A war will end all of these.
 
What is your problem Frank Kendall? What is your problem America and Australia? Why is China a threat to you? Or is it you a threat to China and world peace?

Pioneer Generation Package (PGP) is not charity

The ST editorial today also wrote about the suggestion by some to mean test the seniors before giving them the PGP. The basis is that the rich should get less and the poorer seniors should get more, just like handouts in a charity. Come, show me how poor and pathetic you are and beg for a little mercy.
 
Please, the PGP is not just to acknowledge the contributions of the seniors but to pay back what they had lost for their contributions in the early years to build this nation to what it is today, to pay the young punks millions to live an extremely good life. Your good life is built on the backs of the pioneers, on their blood, sweat and tears. They planted the trees to give you shade and fruits and a lift to prosperity and for foreigners to come here and get paid by the millions and claiming credit for it, that they are so talented and so deserving, that they built the institutions that are paying them millions.
 
Do not treat the pioneers as beggars like you are doing them a big favour, throwing some crumbs to those who are hungry and needed financial help. You created this financial burden for them by allowing medical cost to escalate to this point when it is better to die than to be sick.
 
You are just a bunch of ingrates to ever think of mean testing the seniors. See my middle finger?

Kopi level - Yellow

Managed Meritocracy is the way to go

Just like the phrase Guided Democracy, what Singapore needs is Managed Meritocracy and not Meritocrazy as it is being practised. The whole basis of Managed Meritocracy is about country and citizens. The country and citizens must be the main priorities in the practice of meritocracy. It cannot be a blind meritocracy. It cannot be a colourless meritocracy, irrespective of nationalities. It must be a meritocracy with nationality, Singaporeans, sitting on top of the agenda.

An idiotic and mindless meritocrazy that sells out the citizens in favour of foreigners is unacceptable and a betrayal of the citizenry. This point must be foremost in the minds of the leaders. The citizens are the masters of this island and own this place. No one can give their birthrights and privileges to have a good life here to foreigners at their expense.

Any politician that threatens to replace the citizens with foreigners on the ground that the foreigner is ‘better’ than the citizens is standing on weak sand. It cannot be and must not be and must not be allowed to continue. If this kind of argument is the new truth, then it is a matter of time that the whole citizen population would be replaced by foreigners.

What we need is Managed Meritocracy. This is a Meritocracy that places the interest of Singaporeans ahead of foreigners. All things being equal, the Singaporeans must be considered first. Even when things are not equal, especially in top jobs or good jobs, the Singaporeans must still be considered first unless the having of a foreigner is a no choice option, unless the foreigner is going to bring the moon and the stars to put on the table. We know that many foreigners are not able to do so and what they are doing are nothing better than what a citizen can do in their places but still given the jobs. In many cases there is nothing spectacular that the foreigners can do that the Singaporeans cannot do except they looked like our colonial masters or some 3rd world novelties.

For the good of people and nation, Meritocracy must be managed or else it is at best just a dangerous kind of Meritocrazy.

Wisdom in a tricky situation

The blow up on the naming of the Indonesian naval ship was, like many commented, a storm in a tea cup. Was it a tricky situation? I don’t think so. It was unnecessary and a throwing of tantrum at the wrong time for the wrong reasons. We are in a time when relations with our neighbours are extremely good and things can be sorted out over a cup of tea. To raise all the ruckus over this issue is bad judgement. Things have to dealt with wisely, from the right perspective, the right context and the right timing. Beating the drums and thumping the chest are not always the right thing to do.
 
Indonesia is blessed with several wise leaders in Yudhoyono and in Marty Natalegawa. They spoke wisdom. They could behave like young punks and responded with more tantrums as well and the situation could have blown out of proportion with both sides unable to fall back to a conciliatory mood. We benefitted from wise leaders, and this particular incident shows how valuable wise leaders to their countries and how they could affect their neighbours as well.
 
Yudhoyono cautioned against the slippery step of destroying a relationship built over the years without hinting at any signs of retaliation. Marty spoke calmly, like a wise man many times his age on the issue, without ruffling any feathers. That was not his intention. He explained that the naming of the ship was done without malice or ill intent. He needed not have to explain and neither does any other Indonesian leaders. And it would be even more embarrassing for our leaders if they did not back up their aggressive response with another level of provocations. Now Marty has given them an excuse to back down with some dignity. Let’s hope no one is trying another one upmanship to raise the temperature.
 
Thank you Marty. Indonesia and the region are blessed to have wise leaders like you and Yudhoyono in charge. Let’s hope the next president and his team will be as equally wise as your team today. The three candidates of Wiranto, Subianto and Wibowo are technocrats and highly educated and looking in the same mould as Yudhoyono. Indonesia and Asean have benefitted from Yudhoyono’s wise leadership and hopefully this will continue when the baton is passed to another wise leader.

Small minded and mean people aplenty

The Medishield Life Scheme and the Pioneering Generation Package would be in everyone’s lips for a while. Some will be so happy that they have been included in the package, some a disappointed. Some are talking about introducing mean testing like they did in the hospitals. I must say only mean people can think of such a sickening thing. A friend of mine was trying to renew his CHAS card and was subject to a grueling regiment of questions that were as good as stripping him of all dignity as a person, to the extent of wanting to know how many pubic hair is left beneath his underwear. Only people who are wealthy beyond recognition will think it is fun to subject people to mean testing. They said such people have bad hearts.
 
I have a very simple solution to those shit heads. Just let the rich to voluntarily donate their package to charity if they do not need it. It is a very simple unobtrusive and generous gesture, showing a big heart instead of a small and narrow one. If the pioneering generation package is to recognize the contribution of the pioneers, why is this nonsensical objection against the rich? I know many of the rich pioneers are extremely rich and would not need the money. Let them decide what they want to do with the money. It is their prerogative.
 
By the way, do not be happy. The pioneering package is just there to keep the pioneers from being made to pay for the Medishield Life. The money will be credited and then debited, LPPL. They are just being spared from emptying their little savings if they have any. It is not a windfall, not striking lottery and can go to Batam for a fling. Just count yourself lucky for not being put in a very embarrassing financial fix, no money to pay for the hefty premiums when you don’t have an income.
 
Should they be grateful for the kindness and mercy shown? Even before they are on dry ground and some mean people are thinking of dragging a few into deep waters. God bless the mean and mighty. Mercy. These are very kind and good people with very good intention, to commit murders in the name of goodness.