Kishore – Don’t worry, be happy

At least this is the message I got after reading Kishore’s article over the weekend. His article has one major point, Singapore is history. We used to be number one in many things and many countries came to learn from us. Singapore was their model state. Then they learnt and adapted from us and are now better than us. And we are not going anywhere anymore.
 
Kishore quoted Dubai, turning its airline and airport into the number ones, overtaking us. The disciples have overtaken the master. And Dubai is only a small example of Singapore sliding behind. China came to learn from us in the late 70s, 80 and 90s. Now China has overtaken us in everything, yes everything, and getting better. They built better cities, created more jobs, producing more graduates, became a manufacturing hub of the world with many big brands, they have stable leadership renewal. Everything that is good they learnt from us, and everything that is bad they rejected.
 
The next big thing is Malaysia and the mega city in Iskandar. If they played their game right, Singapore would become a satellite town of Iskandar. Would they be able to press all the right buttons? They have done well till now and if they don’t press the wrong buttons, they will be on their way to overtake us.
 
Well, Kishore said we would not enjoy another 50 years of growth like before. Neither would there be another LKY to turn a ‘fishing village’ into a first world city state. We will have more migrants, but not the same type as our forefathers. The next batches are simply mercenaries like everyone of us. Everyone is treating this place like Zouk, to have a good time. Zouk would be history soon.
 
So, what else is there to do? Enjoy, party, be happy for as long as we can. Next year would be party time for Singapore. We have the money to splurge and feel good. Hope it is not the last fling. Hope it is not the last hurrah, the final celebration before everything comes crumbling down.

Kopi Level - Yellow

CPF – All talks lead to Rome

So many ministers have spoken about the CPF. They appeared to be saying different things. On close analysis, they all points to one direction, they are not going to return your CPF at 55 or 65 in one lump sum, or a meaningful sum. And what do these mean? Why are they so adamant to hold back your CPF despite the public expression of anger? For your own good? Or is it something else? The govt seems to be taking a stance of defiance, ears plugged and not wanting to listen to the angry voices of hte people. Kenneth Jeyaretnam has a long list of reasons why.

Look at all the schemes and changes to the CPF, and the answer is crystal clear. The minimum sums, the Medisave and Retirement accounts, the CPF Life and now the Medishield Life, what did they say? Be prepared for something like CPF AfterLife to complete the cycle of cradle to grave.

CPF is your money, so they said. So he’s a jolly good fellow, so he’s a jolly good fellow, so he’s a jolly good fellow, so say all of us.

It may be a difficult thing to determine who needs to leave their money in the CPf Board as they are weak in mind and ability to hold on to their money. But it is not difficult to pick up those who don’t need to leave any money in the CPF after 55. By this age the game of life is almost over and what a person is made of is fairly clear to see. Before we tread into this dangerous doctrine, that the govt can withhold a citizen’s money on the ground that the citizen is deemed stupid and irresponsible, the people must make it known to the govt that this kind of thinking and logic is flawed, unacceptable and a violation of an individual’s right.

All the rich and super rich, including those with landed properties worth more than a million do not need the CPF to hold on to their money. All those who have filial children supporting them do not need to leave money in the CPF. All those who are still working in self employed professions and likely to work till they die or willingly call it quits, no need the CPF. All those who never or would not go to Batam and Bintan are safe with their money. All those who are dying do not need the CPF’s caring hands.

Really, it is only a very small group of people that need to depend on the protection of kind, very kind and caring people in the govt to help them to look after their money passed 55. Even if they choose to let the govt manage their money, it must be voluntarily, not because the govt declared that they are incapable of looking after their money, not because the govt forecast that they would live to 100 years old. No where in the world can a govt hold on to the people’s money at will and at its own pleasure, against the will of the owners of the money.

Kopi Level - Yellow

Medical tourism can be a very good idea

Medical tourism is a big thing here. With our high quality medical professionals and facilities, and a very comfortable living environment for the rich foreigners to feel at ease and at home, we have many good things going to make the city state a successful medical hub. The private sector medical services are doing roaring businesses. There have been complaints that the govt private hospitals are also jumping into the bandwagon and forgetting that they have a mission to serve the needs of the citizens. This is unfortunate.

Medical tourism can be a good thing if probably structured with a bit of govt intervention to capitalize on the profits from rich foreigners with deep pockets to pay for quality services and sharing this with the citizens. Govt privatized hospitals can tap into this source of revenue but without going bonkers and neglect the citizens. By allocating resources and medical professionals to this rich sector of the market the profits generated could be shared between the specialists, to allow them to earn more and to stay in the govt hospitals, and the hospitals to lower costs for the citizens. How are these apportioned can be worked out without allowing greed to blind the lucrative process.

The private sector specialists could be encouraged to do some national service by offering a little of their time and expertise to govt private hospitals and the revenue be used to subsidise and lower the cost of patients in govt hospitals. With their comfortable income in their private practices, some could be persuaded to offer a couple of days in govt private hospitals as their contribution to community services, to share their good fortunes with the people.

An initiative from the govt with this line of thinking would make medical tourism a very attractive business and with a lot of goodwill when the benefits could reach down to the citizens in govt privatized hospitals. The govt could promote and institutionalize this as a public service system, benefitting the professionals and the citizens and make all parties happy with the system. It calls for a bit of sacrifice on the part of the private practitioners who are doing very well to do a bit of charity at the same time. It also allows those in govt privatized hospitals an avenue to raise their income level while still in govt service. And the cost in govt private hospitals can be lowered, subsidized by medical tourism. 

Oh, don’t forget to provide for additional beds and staff for the tourists that came along and add demands on the system.

Kopi Level - Yellow

I thought driving taxis only for Singapore citizens

I saw this post in Hardwarezone about Pinoy taxi driver in Sin City. It was accompanied by a photo of the inside of the cab with sever Pinoy flags in it.

‘Dear The Real Singapore,
I took a cab from my office to ubi this morning and I encounter a Pinoy driving taxi in Singapore.

.Isn't it illegal?....

I am shocked that some Taxi companies are breaking laws by hiring Pinoy to be working as Taxi drivers. Are our local taxi drivers going to be displaced as well?
The pinoy speak with a very strong accent that I couldn't understand properly and he was also extremely rude to Singaporeans like me.
.
I won't be surprised next time the whole country gets displaced with foreigners and that even our ministers are foreigners.
.
Can LTA please clarify why are these foreigners welcomed into our country as 'Foreign Talents' but work as cab
drivers? Are we in shortage of cab drivers?’

Can this be true? Maybe the Pinoy taxi driver is now a citizen, a foreign talent with a string of degrees. Taxi driving is the last bastion that is protected and reserved for jobless Singaporean PMEs. If this is violated, where would the jobless unemployable Singaporeans going to find a self employed job? Cleaning tables in hawker centres? Or someone going to ask, you want to clean tables in restaurant, foodcourt or hawker stalls?

Oh, the trick now is to recruit foreign talents, make them citizens and by passed this protected profession. Is this the case now? Yes, LTA, please confirm that this is not true. I hope this is just a mistake, an oversight. Or we are now recruiting foreign graduates to compete with our PMEs in driving taxis? We have many graduate taxis drivers, including a PhD.

Kopi Level - Yellow

The next big bet

The National Council of Problem Gambling ad that went like this, ‘I hope Germany will win. My Dad bet all my savings on them’, is the best ad so far in terms of getting notice. It is value for money for an ad to be getting so much positive attention. It has also propelled NCPG into the top forecaster of all bets. It has beaten the octopus, the parakeet, the turtle and the fish for picking the winners of soccer bets.

The next big bet will be the General Election. It could go like this, ‘I hope Hsien Loong will win. My Dad bet all my savings on him’. This could be the next big thing in the next GE for the bookies and also the citizens, gamblers or non gamblers. And NCPG would be the toast of PAP if it lives up to its reputation as the top oracle, and if it is cheeky enough to put up such a bet.

Someone may be motivated enough to place a shrine outside NCPG’s office for people to pray for 4D/Toto numbers. Didn’t Germany won the game against Brazil? Didn’t dad make a killing and the boy had his savings returned safely to him plus bonuses as well?

Anyone wanna bet who would win in the tussle between the pro LGBT group and the conservatives in the NLB book burning case?

Kopi Level - Yellow