The Americans want to take over the leadership of ASEAN

In the latest round of telling the ASEAN countries who is the boss, John Kerry was late for a meeting by more than half an hour and making the rest of the leaders wait for him. While this has been the normal for the Americans with its Allies, and to some extent with some ASEAN members that are used to call the Americans boss, not every ASEAN member will willingly accept this rude behavior of the Americans. But as small countries, and being the host in this meeting, they quietly ignored the lateness of John Kerry.
 
But there is another big country in the meeting and it would not allow the Americans to brush everyone aside as inconsequential. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi promptly told Kerry that he was late and had kept everyone waiting. Kerry had no choice but to apologise.
 
The Americans were trying to tell the ASEAN that they were here to lead. And they came with an agenda, to set the pace and conduct for the countries in the region, particularly on the South China Sea. The western media as expected treated the ASEAN Regional Forum as an American forum. In the front page of the local media, it was reported that ‘South east Asian countries yesterday expressed concern over “increased tensions” in the South China Sea and called for stepped up talks with China, a development the United States said was a setback for Beijing’s effort to play down the disputes.’ It added, ‘A senior US official said ASEAN countries’ concern over China’s maritime actions was at an “all time high” based on private conversations,…’ AGENCIES.
 
The communiqué issued after the meeting included the phrase, ‘We urged all parties concerned to exercise self restraint and avoid actions that would complicate the situation and undermine peace, stability and security in South China Sea.’ There was no reference to the American moratorium or the Philippines called to stop China from its construction activities in the South China Sea. This did not stop Perry from claiming that ‘the communique’s wording was new and strong criticism of recent Chinese actions’. Kerry added, ‘I think the language goes far enough…I think we made the points we came to make. We were not seeking to pass something; we were trying to put something on the table that people could embrace’.
 
The above line of thought that the Americans wanted to put across, that they have set the tone and agenda for ASEAN, was refuted by this comment in the same AGENCIES’ report, ‘But there was no specific mention of China in the final statement from an Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) meeting and the 10 nations did not take up a US and Philippine call for a freeze on provocative acts in the sea’. The Americans may want the world to believe it is the self appointed leader in Southeast Asia, but the ASEAN countries have different thoughts. No, they would not let any Johnny comes lately to boss around with them. And they would not accept anyone being rude and turning up late for meetings among leaders of equals.
 
John Kerry and his men may want to go back to Washington and tell Obama and the American people a different story, but it is clear that its leadership role was never a consideration. The Americans were just a guest to the regional forum. The Americans must not go away thinking that they have wrestled and taken over the leadership of the regional association. ASEAN will be a neutral regional association with its own interests and would not be manipulated by big powers and would not be led by big powers. It is not NATO or SEATO and will never be one.

Kopi Level - Green

Goh Meng Seng – Your home is not for sale

This is what Goh Meng Seng said of his feelings about Hsien Loong’s National Day speech in his article posted in TRE.
 
‘But yet, PM Lee wants us to feel “at ease” and reassure us that we can possibly retire by selling off our HDB flats! I am totally disgusted by such suggestion, especially from the ruling elites of PAP who have been paid obscene amount of salaries for the past decades and do not understand how it feels to be “forced” to sell off their “HOME” for retirement. Our HDB flat is our HOME, not an investment. PAP ruling elites don’t even understand this.’
 
The thought of selling your home is a very frightening and depressing thing, very emotional and upsetting. The home, no matter how small, is more than just the four walls. It is place that a person lived, grew up, a place that provided the comfort and security from the stresses and insecurity of the outside world. Many people think of home when they are insecure, in trouble, in need of help. It is home that provides the shelter and warmth when needed. It is a place full of memory, an anchor of one's life.
 
The seniors are not as resolute and confident of themselves at their advanced age. They fear change, new environment, strangers, they need the familiarity, the neighbours and familiar faces, comfort and sense of safety in the homes they have lived in. The home is a part of their lives. To sell the home at a time when they are most vulnerable, financially challenged and emotionally unstable in a way is more than just about money. There are more to the selling of a home.
 
In the same way, there are more to a country, nation and people than just goods for commercial exchange and economic growth. Selling a country is unthinkable. And selling a country is not simply getting a price for the land. A country can be sold in many ways without the citizens knowing it. Selling a country, selling a people, selling a home, is not a commercial transaction, but very much more.
 
The selling of the home must not be treated so lightly, spoken so casually, devoid of emotions, feelings and psychological implications. So is the issue of immigrations, the exchanging of the people of a nation. Citizenship is not just a piece of pink identity card. It is more than that.
 
We are so used to instant trees, buying and selling of talents, everything revolving around money and economics. We will not be a nation in 50 years time if we failed to build a people called Singaporeans, but become a hotel of immigrants, transient workers and guests. We will be like duckweeds, floating with little roots that did not sink and anchor to the ground.
 
When there is no home there is no country. When there is no citizen there is no nation. Try to imagine a nation with all the folks selling their homes in order to live. It is never the same living in a rented place.
 
This is Home, surely....

Kopi Level - green

A good and glorious project for Sin City

There is a report of Canada conducting a scientific mission to map the seabed around the North Pole. I think this is a good project for Sin City to embark on. We can buy all the great scientists and all the expensive equipment. Don’t ask me what for. We can build a Centre for Scientific Research of the Artics right here in the tropical city. Then we can attend all the world conferences about the Arctic. We will be represented by our foreign talents. Better still we can be the venue for such conference with the world’s scientist community descending on our city state. We will be in the news of the world. Recognition!

We can be a participant in this mission. Never mind if it means nothing to us. Never mind if the Canadians and the Russians have a natural vested interest to secure and claim the sea in the region. We have the money and we can gain some recognition as a high brow scientific community with resident scientists also knowing what is going on in the Artics. Studying the Artics is definitely more meaningful than studying Sun bursts or the universe. The Artics are nearer and of immediate relevance.

With money we can do anything. Have money will travel. How can we be left out of such a glorious project?

Kopi Level - Red

I have been convinced, Singapore is getting more difficult to manage, and may not be around.

Singapore is growing every day and is a big country. And the bigger it grows, the bigger the island, Australia is also an island, and the bigger the population, the more complex will be its problems and ability to survive. There may not be a Singapore in 50 years. Actually I think it will be sooner, maybe 20 years, when Singapore could be renamed as something else.

When we were small, it was so easy to govern. We only need a few tertiary educated ministers, and paid them peanuts, to run the country. The rest of the cabinet and MPs were workers, no worry, everything was fine. The problems were small and easily managed. No need for the talents of scholars.

Today our problems are huge and very complicated because we are a big country. So, despite having so many scholars in the cabinet, despite paying them top dollars, practically everyone in the cabinet is paid more than the President of the USA, we may not see a Singapore in 50 years time. In fact several MPs could be getting paid more than Obama if their other directorship fees are added into their salary.

Come to think of it, we could be paying $50m annually to our cabinet of super talents and top scholars. The same amount of money could be good enough to hire 50 Obamas at the same time. Should be hearing them saying with full confidence, everything is in good hands, everything has been thought out, Singapore will go on and on, Singapore will exist forever? Why are we paying so much for so many top talents that have no confidence of Singapore still being around in 50 years? Are we paying for top or super talents, better than anyone money can buy?

There are two simple solutions to the existence of Singapore beyond 50 years. The easier one is to pay the ministers double their current salaries. This should guarantee Singapore to be still around in 100 years time. You want quality ministers, you just have to pay for it. If the current pay can only possibly see Singapore surviving for 50 years, doubling the pay should do the work for another 50 years.

Another easier solution is to openly seek talents from all over the world to replace our inept talents. If our talents are not even sure of keeping Singapore alive for 50 years, then Singapore should import real foreign talents to replace our not so talented talents for Singapore to be around for more than 50 years. Logical right?

And this can be applied across the board, from the top in govt to the top positions in the private sectors. Then the govt and private institutions would stand a chance to be around. Not sure if the Singaporeans would still be around. But that is a non issue as the new Singaporeans from everywhere are still Singaporeans.

Wow, I so clever, can solve the problem of Singapore being around in 100 years by two simple solutions and doing it all in a Sunday morning, and feeling so good and positive.

Kopi Level - Red, like at the NDP.

CPF – An asset or a liability to YOU?

CPF is our life savings, how can it be a liability? By 55 we should all be happily getting it out from our CPF accounts for our retirement. Ok, the rules have changed, by 65 we should be happy, late than never.

The rude shock to CPF members, by 55 they are told that they ‘owe’ the CPF or the govt $155,000 in the Retiremment Account and $43,500 in the Medisave Account. Yes, you need to let the CPF or govt have these sums of money like you owe them. If you don’t have enough in your CPF savings, or lesser than these sums in your CPF, you cannot take out your savings. But the CPF would be so kind to let you have $5,000.  Or you can pledge your property to the CPF for half of the total sum of the total sum of $198,500, or is it half of the $155,000, with the CPF.

Put it whatever you like, isn’t this a liability, a huge sum of money that you now ‘owe’ to the CPF?  Yes or No? By 55, many would find the CPF a liability instead of an asset in away.

This must be another Uniquely Singapore thing. You can owe the govt or a savings scheme money when you are supposed to be taking out your savings to live your golden years. And many Singaporeans are finding this damn stressful.

Oh, not to forget, if you sell your property bought using your CPF savings, you have to return the sum borrowed plus the equivalent of interests that the money should have earned over the same period to your CPF account even if you are retired, in your 80s or 90s or 120s. It is not that after the withdrawal age kicks in, whatever money you took out for the purchase of properties is none of the CPF business. All these open ended contributions to the CPF regardless of age must be driving many people crazy, except the people making these rules and collecting the money.

Tiok boh?

Kopi Level - Green