5/16/2014

Chinese police to patrol Paris streets

This is a rather interesting and unfamiliar piece of news. The French govt is going to bring in Chinese policemen to help their police to patrol the streets of Paris, to protect Chinese tourists from being robbed or beaten up. Chinese tourists are now the second largest group of visitors in France but the biggest spenders and the tourist dollars are important in a French economy that is in deficit. And to attract more Chinese tourists, to give them more confidence and feel safer, after several cases of robbery and adductions targeting at Chinese tourists, the French govt is doing the right thing, a token of Chinese police presence in Paris. This is any time better than hiring Chinese or foreigners into the French Police Force.
 

Our SPF is considering hiring more foreigners to join the force. Maybe this is an option they can consider. We have so many foreigners here, from PRC, India, Thailand, Philippines, Myanmar, Indonesia and Malaysia and Vietnam! How about inviting their police to walk the streets with our police to show them how welcoming we are for their presence, to make them feel safe in our streets, to make them feel like this is home, like their country? Imagine, having foreign policemen in our soils? Not much difference from hiring them and letting them wear our police uniform right, and carrying weapons to rule over the Sinkies.
 

Now what am I suggesting? Ok, ok, I know it is a silly idea. Just thinking out loud only lah. But I am sure some people will think this is hell of a great idea. Well, having more than 2m foreigners here is not an issue, they may think what’s wrong with foreigners walking our streets as policemen and checking and arresting Sinkies, should be quite normal and acceptable tiok boh?
 

I am not sure whether this kind of thinking should be classified as Uniquely Singapore or Silly Sinkie mentality, a mentality of no nation and no country?

Good idea? No? But the France is doing it already so cannot be wrong what? Got western country doing it so we can do also right?

Kopi Level - Green

Recreational centres for foreign workers

‘Singapore plans to build more recreation centres in the suburbs to draw migrant labourers away from the city after a rare riot in the congested Little India district last year, a report said Monday.
 

The multi-million dollar centres are the latest in a series of government measures to better manage areas where foreign workers congregate after the rampage by South Asian labourers on December 8 injured 39 people and saw 25 vehicles destroyed….’ TRE
 

It is something that has to be done. We have more than 2m foreigners working and living here. The rich foreigners have already bought their homes in the private estates, some renting out HDB flats and many living in the dormitories. 50% of the population here are foreigners and it is lucky that they did not take up 50% of the space and facilities here. It is simple arithmatic. You have so many people you need to provide them the living space unless they can be canned away after used.
 

Oh, while they are finding new and cheap land for the foreign workers, I hope they would be able to find some cheap land to build more nursing homes for our oldies instead of sending them to JB, Batam or Bintan. If we can find space for foreigners, we should have the decency to find space for our old and forgotten citizens.
 

Funny no one is trying to talk about appreciating their contributions in building this city. And no one is sending them encouraging letters to show how we value them. But many are writing such loving letters to the foreign workers here today. And no one is trying to socialize with them, to make them feel wanted, to make them feel not so lonely or neglected.
 

Really funny right if you can remember all great things the people are suggesting to make the foreign workers feel at home here. Our oldies can go to Bintan, Batam and JB, who cares?

Kopi Level - Green

The Devil is in town

Obama swiped through Asia recently and in the process told his hosts that America would be here to fight with them. It was as good as telling his subjects to go ahead to provoke and even attack China, and if China retaliates, the Americans will come out in full force to back them up. With this kind of blank cheque to start wars, the Pinoys and the Vietnamese wasted no time to try their luck. Vietnam sent their ships to ram Chinese ships and oil rigs. Now they are burning Chinese factories and killing Chinese, including Hongkies and Taiwanese in Vietnam. The Pinoys started to arrest Chinese fishing boats again. Tension has gone up several notches. The Japanese are talking tough with Abe eager to try his luck with China as well.
 

And the Americans are hollering at the Chinese for reacting. China is provocative, China is escalating the tension and bullying its neigbhours. Really? Who is bullying who? The Vietnamese are ramming Chinese ships and oil rigs and killing the Chinese in Vietnam. What have the Chinese done? The Pinoys are arresting Chinese fishing boats. The Americans are descending from heaven like angels, not the devils, and the American pivot into Asia is for peace. But since their arrival, tension is rising and their cronies are acting like mad cowboys, provoking and attacking China and daring China to react.
 

Vietnam and the Philippines are trying to rope in Asean to challenge China as a united front. Some Asean countries are also eager to act as the good boys of the Americans and are also thumping their chests. The devil must be happy. China is now having trouble with little pesky countries that think they can wallop China.
 

It is about time that China kicks butts and to flush out the devil behind all the tensions. There is no other peaceful ways to deal with provocative and aggressive little pests and the evil Empire. All they need is a big stick behind their backs to put them in their places.
 

The seed of war has been planted by the devil. And the Americans are shouting that China is aggressive and provocative. How many Asean countries would go along with the devil to start a war in the region? The devil is setting the agenda for Asean countries. Either you are with the devil or against the devil. There is no neutrality. I must say Obama has done well. For flirting with a few Asian countries and a few days’ work he has started a fire that will burn down the Asian countries and stop them in their peaceful path for economic growth. Asia has had peace since the Americans were booted out of Vietnam. Now they are back and war is around the corner. And this time the Devil has done better by having pesky countries to do the fighting themselves.

Kopi Level - Green

5/15/2014

Howard Zinn – Food for thought

"We were not born critical of existing society. There was a moment in our lives (or a month, or a year) when certain facts appeared before us, startled us, and then caused us to question beliefs that were strongly fixed in our consciousness – embedded there by years of family prejudices, orthodox schooling, imbibing of newspapers, radio, and television. This would seem to lead to a simple conclusion: that we all have an enormous responsibility to bring to the attention of others information they do not have, which has the potential of causing them to rethink long-held ideas."
 

Howard Zinn, 2005 , Political Science Professor

Minimum sums schemes for ministers

I am very concern for our ministers. They are so used to their high income and high living. If they did not save enough they will not be able to live the same lifestyle when they reach 80 or 90. The CPF minimum sums will not be enough for them to spend in a year. The CPF must do something to help them when they retire. We as citizens must reciprocate the kindness and compassion and care shown to us by the minister and in turn do something good for them.
 

I would like to recommend that the CPF designs a special scheme for the ministers like putting $1 mil every year into their retirement fund. Their minimum sum should be at least $5 mil so that they will have a generous payout when they are retired and start to draw down on their savings. Wait a minute, $5 mil minimum sum may be insufficient. An average Sinkie with an annual income of $50k needs a combined minimum sum(MA and RA) of nearly $200k to ensure a similar or decent lifestyle, so the CPF said. How much should be the combined minimum sum for a minister earning $2 mil pa? Simple arithmatics, $2mil versus $50k, works out to be 40 times. So what is sufficient for the average Sinkie at $200k would mean a minister need $8 mil to be set aside in his minimum sums to be able to live well like he is now. No downgrading of the quality of life.
 

It takes a lot of money to service the mansions they owned, the big cars and the servants to look after the properties. $8 mil minimum sum is just about right. And the Medisave Minimum Sum must be enough should they be warded in private hospitals.
CPF, Please don't fall asleep. You need to take care of the ministers when they retire, you need to plan ahead for them. Make sure they don't squander their monies on mei meis, the expensive ones. Make sure they have enough minimum sums in their MA and RAs to live well into the 80s and 90s. You do not want them to suffer a drop in their standard of living would you? CPF must take good care of the ministers as well. They deserve to be very well taken care of, and the CPF is the right body to look after their interest, plan on how much they should set aside, plan on how to best use their life savings. They deserve better for taking so good care of the citizens by ensuring the citizens have a lot of money in their CPF to retire. The citizens must be grateful and do something for them too.
 

What do you think?

Kopi Level - Green