They don’t come for your lunch

Neither did they come for your dinner. The foreigners are here, more than 2 million of them, working happily here and replacing the Sinkies in their jobs. Some poor Sinkies, highly qualified and experienced, are jobless or underemployed, and some simply ended up driving taxis, becoming first class cab drivers.
 
The foreigners did not come to take your lunch or dinner. They were invited here to do so. If we don’t invite them, there is no way for them to be here to take your lunch and dinner. It is more like we owe them a living. We need to take good care of them while their govts failed to do so. It is our responsibility to do so, even at the expense of our daft Sinkies.
 
Why are we doing this? It is for the good of the Sinkies of course. We bring them here to take our lunch and dinner and they in turn throw some crumbs for us.

Beware of TPP

Asian buyers need to be wary of TPP agreement
 
'Despite President Barack Obama’s charm offensive in the region, Pacific nations are well-advised to remain wary of the US government’s position on the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement (TPP).
 
If US trade negotiators got their way, the Pacific Rim would reap surprisingly few gains — but take on big risks. Until the United States starts to see Asia as a true trading partner, rather than a region to patronise, it is right to hold out on the TPP.…
 
In exchange for these small benefits, the US’s partners in Asia and Latin America have to take on big risks…the US is insisting that TPP partners surrender their right to regulate global finance.
 
Through its financial services and investment provisions, the TPP would allow Wall Street banks to move into TPP countries’ financial services sectors. To do what? If you can believe it, to push the very financial products that triggered the biggest global financial crisis since the Great Depression.
 
That is not progress. That’s regress, given what the world now knows about these often toxic instruments.
 
What is more, if US trade negotiators, acting at the behest of US industry, got their way, the deal would prohibit the ability of these banks to be regulated to prevent and mitigate a financial crisis. They would be “free” to recreate the mess all over again….
 
…the IMF expressed concern that agreements like the TPP “do not provide appropriate safeguards”….
 
What is perhaps most risky for the US’s TPP partners is that the foreign banks themselves will be able to directly sue governments for violations of the agreement….
It is in the well-understood self-interest of Chile, Malaysia and other TPP countries to continue to push back on Mr Obama’s proposals to de-regulate financial services and investment. It is also in the interest of financial prudence and international fairness.
 
In light of that, it is disconcerting to find a recent study which shows these nations have been able to safeguard the ability to regulate finance in treaties with trading blocs such as the EU and Canada and China, but that it is the US which is pushing back with great determination.
 
Thankfully, there are important voices in the US who are pushing President Obama to act with more prudence than the US financial industry wants him to do. Americans are also painfully aware that financial crises hurt US jobs and financial stability.
 
US Congressman Sander Levin and others have been pressuring the Obama administration to ensure that trade deals don’t trump regulating global finance. In 2011, over 250 economists from across the world urged Mr Obama to make trade deals consistent with financial reform as well…. ©2014 The Globalist'
 
Kevin P Gallagher is a professor of international relations at Boston University.
 
The above article is published in Bangkok Post. It highlights the dangerous proposals in the TPP and the unusually high risks for countries to go with the TPP. And an American professor is warning Asians to be wary of the US. Apparently some Asian govts are soooo happy with this TPP that they cannot see anything wrong with it. So this American professor must be crazy right?
 
Why are there govts so eager to sign this American proposal which is akin to signing a suicide pact? Is Singapore one of the eager beaver? This is going to be far more dangerous than signing the CECA. Before out govt sign this pact, does it have any responsibility to tell the people the pros and cons of this deal? Or would it be like the CECA and the AEC, the govt knows best. Trust the govt?

AEC, looking forward to it

The Asean Economic Community is shaping up nicely behind closed doors. We can expect the borders to become more porous with lesser restrictions to travel and work within the Asean countries. The impact could be tremendous but like the impact of 6.9m, no one is particularly interested to tell the public how it would affect their livelihood. The most immediate impact would be out entry points when a normal half an hour wait may now take half a day to cross if all the Asean workers are marching to Sin City. Come to think of it, the checks on security threat could come in very handy and we have plenty of practices to regulate the flow of traffic at the checkpoints.

What I am looking forward to is actually the exchanges of personnel at the top levels, not the PMETs. If we could exchange govt leaders and pick the best for our city, it would be real nice. Top on my list is Yingluck. It would be so nice to see her in Parliament as our PM. Attendance would be perfect and the galleries will be full. You may even have to queue for a gallery ticket months ahead just to have a seat at the gallery. And the MPs would be asking a lot of questions and trying their very best to impress her with their wits. No more absentees or too busy with their private commitments.

The other top seat that needs a change of personality is the Presidency. We need a strong and powerful dare devil to be our President. The best candidate is Aquino of the Philippines. He is the only President in the world that dared to tell China that it is preparing its military forces to fight with China. This kind of bravery is rare and if we can have him, no one would dare to tell him it would take 56 man years to come up with a report. And being paid in the millions, the jobs must be more than just shaking hands with visitors to the Istana and kissing babies. Not to forget, Aquino can stand in for the Pinoy President when the Pinoys here celebrate their Independence Day, so convenient.

Aung San Suu Kyi could be another good choice but her kind of values on happiness may not go down well with our money minded populace. We don’t believe in happiness. We only believe in money, money and more money.

The Malaysian Home Minister Hamidi would be a good choice for our Home Ministry. We would not have anymore Mas Selamat problems or Malaysians gate crashing through out check points. But what impressed me about Hamidi was his comment on the fair treatment of minorities during Obama’s visit. When asked if Malaysia was fair in its affirmative policies to the bumiputras he quoted the examples in the US to support his case. The US also has affirmative policies for the minorities. So there is nothing wrong for Malaysia to have affirmative policies for the majorities.

Wish he can be our Home Affairs Minister and introduce affirmative policies for the majorities here.

His comrades Hishamuddin would be a good one for Transport Minister. He is so experienced in handling the media and with so frequent breakdowns in our trains, he would be like fish in water, holding press conferences daily like a cake walk. He will definitely enjoy his job here and we can have free publicity to the whole world.

It would be a tough choice to swap our Foreign Minister with Natalegawa of Indonesia. Between him and Shanmugam, close fight. The only reason to replace him with Shanmugam is the cost. If we pay him half of what we are paying Shanmugam he will be so happy that he would not hesitate to take up citizenship here and may promise that his sons will do NS. He can also tell his generals not to anyhow name their warships. Diplomacy is key man.

From Vietnam we could have a war veteran as our Defence Minister, someone that have really gone to war and seen what was like fighting in the battlefields. That would would be real stuff, not paper generals.

As for environment, media, housing, I think we can stick to our own talented ministers. Oh, I nearly forgot, Health Ministry needs a helping hand. The Malaysian Health Minister Subramaniam is doing a hell of a good job producing local doctors at about 500/600 a year. That kind of experience is very good for us. We must produce more local doctors to meet the demands of the AEC. But more important is the free health care for the citizens. We would not be complaining if he introduced a flat fee of $5 per visit for outpatients, medicine included. That would be real nice.

I think the number of changes is about right. We need to keep some ministries for our locals to helm. Cannot give all positions to foreign talents, Singaporeans and locals must come first. Hope AEC would not put too many of out ministers out of job, being replaced by foreign talents.

Kopi Level - Yellow

Two possible Manifestos for the GE

This could be the platform for the next GE.

Vote for my party for more population and more growth.

Vote for my party for higher minimum sums in your CPF.

Vote for my party for more foreigners to create more jobs for Sinkies.

Vote for my party to serve super talents, and prepare to pay them more.

Vote for my party to have no ending tenure in political office.

Vote for my party to have more quality medical care from foreign talents at affordable fees.

Vote for my party to have affordable public housing.

Vote for my party to defend and die for your country but not allowed to buy public housing.

Vote for my party to be your own boss, like driving your own taxis.

Another possible Manifesto

Vote for my party to put a stop to population growth by importing foreigners.

Vote for my party to half the pay of ministers.

Vote for my party to have really affordable public housing, not market pricing.

Vote for my party so that every Singapore will be eligible to buy public flats.

Vote for my party to bring down the cost of medicare.

Vote for my party so that PMETs will not be replaced by foreigners.

Vote for my party so PMETs no need to drive taxis but by choice.

Vote for my party to bring down cost of living.

Vote for my party to limit political office to two terms.

Obama has removed his mask

After all the pretensions that the USA was not trying to contain China or trying to form a military alliance against China, the latest trip by Obama said it all. It was all about containing China and supporting its allies to challenge China’s rise as a superpower. 

Obama has removed his mask to show what this trip was all about.

China better stop fooling around with Obama and start to take Obama and the Americans as what they really are. All the niceties to appease the Americans, to cajole them even to the extent of strangling the North Koreans to please the Americans are futile. It is now serious business and China is best to strengthen its military alliances with the North Koreans and the Russians to take on the American alliance head on. The responses can be calibrated and need not be military. It can be economic and political in nature.  China must use its economic and political leverage to squeeze the Americans where it hurts. China must come out openly and positively in support of Russia and North Korea like the Americans supporting its allies. Doing otherwise would undermine its own position with Russia and North Korea.

In the case of dealings with the Japanese and the Pinoys, China must be prepared to play hardball as hardball will be what these two countries would want to play. China has to gear up for more provocations by Japan and the Philippines in the seas around the disputed islands. The military wargame has been set on play mode and the level of play will escalate to higher levels by the Americans and their allies.

China cannot avoid an open conflict with Japan and the Philippines and it better make its stand clear that it would take them head on if provoked. Only then would the two take China seriously and be more circumspect in their devious military schemes. Whatever, the Evil Empire would be there to pull the strings.

What American pivot? It is naked American military expansion and aggression in Asia. It is all about confronting China militarily. China needs not be polite with nice words and simply stands up to the Americans. That is the only thing the Americans understand. If China, India and Russia would to stand up to this bully, it would be the end of Pax Americana. China and Russia must go all out, openly, in support of North Korea, Iran and Syria and all the countries being condemned by the Americans. The Americans are gearing up for a fight and there is no where to run.

Kopi Level - Green