Alibaba – The Chinese have arrived

After all the sneering, doubting and badmouthing, the dusk has settled. Alibaba, owned by Jack Ma, a nondescript Chinese man who would not get a second look by anyone on the street, has launched a successful IPO in New York Exchange with a record IPO opening price and record gains on the first day of trading. At an issue price of US$68, it opened at US$92.70 and hit a high of US$99.70 before profit takings set in to close at US$93.89. The closing price would put Jack Ma in the company of Bill Gates and Warrant Buffet, among the richest man in the world.

The rich communists’ day has arrived. The Chinese have arrived in the form of Alibaba. Times are changing and the stereotyping of poor Chinese immigrants and cooks would be retired to a bygone era. The confidence in Chinese stocks and enterprises would regain some credibility after some dramatic failures in the recent past. Alibaba is seen as the real thing, a very profitable company in a rapidly growing economy. No American investors with some money would want to miss this wagon like how the West was won.

A few more Chinese companies in the same genre as Alibaba would likely help to reinforce the value of investing in Chinese stocks. But along the way there are bound to be some jokers that would come and go to ruffle the confidence of investors.

Alibaba was so big that it eclipsed all interest in the launch of iphone 6 on the same day. Wall Street held a live roundtable telecast with its top crew talking non stop for more than 2 hours on the early opening hours of NYSE. The listing of Alibaba was delayed by nearly 3 hours as the opening price was deemed too high and they were scrambling to bring it lower on fear of creating a bubble. Nonetheless it still opened very high and closed higher.

Jack Ma and his Alibaba suddenly become the darlings of the American investors for the day. Many just could not believe what they saw and were scrambling for more. The biggest company in value listed on the American stock exchange is Chinese.

Kopi Level - Yellow

Why a Coalition of Forces against IS?

In the first place who created this monster called ISIS?  American media have touted this honour to Hillary Clinton, calling her the grandmother of ISIS. The ISIS was given life by the Americans when they went in to kill Saddam Hussein and intervened in Syria. With Saddam gone, with Assad on the defensive, there is no Arab leaders or dictators with the stature and power to put a leash on the ISIS fighters. And they morphed into a new and more powerful military force with equally powerful appeal and mission. They have no need to call for a coalition or twist the arms of any country to form a coalition. The fighters went there voluntarily, fighting with their hearts.

The Americans are rounding up a coalition by force. They are demanding a coalition against the wills of other nations. The sickening thing was that when they bulldozed their way into Iraq and other Middle East countries to do their regime change and to kill their leaders, the Americans did not see a need to get any approval or agreement from their allies. They brazenly and rudely did what they wanted to do, even against the wishes of their allies, countries they are coercing to be part of the coalition now.

Why is there a need for a coalition when the Americans could do it on their own? Thomas Friedman had put it simply, that this war cannot be seen as the West attacking the Arab countries. This war cannot be seen as Christians against Muslims. The Americans need to camouflage this war as a war by a coalition of countries against the IS.

What are the implications or consequences to the other members of this unwilling coalition? In a simple analogy, the Americans are holding the hands of their allies to catch a poisonous snake. The hands could be beaten by the snake in the process. The Americans started a dangerous war, releasing a very brutal and powerful force, they branded it as an evil force. Now the American wanted other countries to participate in the suppression of this force.

If the Americans were to do it alone, they would be the one and only target for the IS to attack. By forcing a coalition of many countries, these countries will share the risk and also become targets of ISIS. To the Americans, it is spreading their risk.

To the members of this unwilling coalition, they are force to fight a war that they have nothing to do with and would end up as enemies and targets of ISIS. The weaker members of this coalition, especially those with a substantial Muslim population and with sympathizers of the ISIS, would likely to bear the brunt of retaliation by the ISIS. The attacks by ISIS would not be confined to Iraq and Syria. It could be anywhere or in any country, but likely to be in countries that are members of the coalition.

Welcome to the Coalition of the ‘Willing’ and share the risk.

Thomas Friedman’s latest article ‘Helping the Arabs to help themselves’ revealed an American hard truth. I quote ‘But then he asks: “(Is the Islamic States) really a problem for the US?  The American interest is not stability, but the existence of a dynamic balance of power in which all players are effectively paralysed so that no one who would threaten the US emerges….’

Now, would the Arabs understand what the Americans are doing to them? Would the rest of the world understand the intent of the Americans around the world? Thank you Tom for this hard truth that many Afro Asians are too dumb to appreciate, refused to see, or wanted to know.

Tom Friedman has a good advice for the Americans in Washington, let the Arabs fight and defend themselves. They have bigger stakes and interests to protect themselves if only the Americans take their hands off their problems. What Tom forgot is that the American war industry would want to be involved and would want Washington to be involved. That’s where the money is.

Should Singapore be part of this coalition?

Kopi Level - Yellow

Story of a Super-Wealthy Widow Fell into the Trap of a Tour Guide from China

Please see the story I have written on my long time family friend who was cheated of all her possessions by a Chinese tour guide, Yang Yin. Yang is unemployed but is now rich enough to enjoy a leisurely life! He volunteers his service to Ang Mo Kio community centre and posed for photos with MP and PM Lee. Did these helped him to obtain his PR status? Would other senior citizens become his next targets? ….

Kathleen's situation raises a number of question:

(1) how our law could allow a foreign national to obtain a LPA so easily, without the knowledge and consent of any relative?

(2) Why did our medical and legal professionals help Yang Yin apply for a LPA without contacting her relatives and friends in Singapore? Would they do anything, including harming a fellow Singaporean if they were sufficiently well paid. I am sure Singaporeans would be grateful if you can interview them and know their views a reasons.

(3) It also makes a mockery of our government’s expressed wish to attract Foreign Talents. How could such a selfish and scheming Chinese national be treated by our government as a Foreign Talent and granted him his PR status? The criteria for PR appear to be very lax. I fear that there is insufficient investigations of the PR applicant’s background.
If this kind of person is permitted to remain in Singapore, he is likely to target other senior citizens by offering himself as their adopted son or grandson to rob them of their CPF and life savings.

(4) What criteria, if any, are used to assess the suitability of volunteers and leaders in grass-roots organisations? ….

The con-man must be brought to justice, prosecuted for his crime, stripped off his PR status, and barred from ever entering Singapore to harm other senior citizens.

It Koon

The above is a condensed version of a letter by a Dr Tan It Koon that is circulating in social media. Dr Tan must have found this episode very tragic to have happened to a helpless old lady. Now that she has been reduced to a non entity, suffering from dementia and her wealth stripped from her, many questions are being asked.
 
I would like to touch on a few more pertinent questions raised by Dr Tan about how a vulnerable old lady could so easily be stripped of her assets and possessions so easily and legally. There are likely to be medical and legal professionals involved in the whole process and everything seemed to be done legally and with medically acceptable given her conditions.
 
My questions, are there anything that would have warrant the medical and legal professionals involved in the process to have raised a red flag or eyebrows? The processes involved a very rich and lonely old lady with probably signs of medical conditions and a totally unrelated young man from a foreign country. And the whole process is putting the old lady at the complete dependency on the young stranger with totally no relations to her. And did anyone bother to ask about the possibility of the old lady having some living relatives that may have an interest in her well being and her assets?
 
No? Everything is absolutely normal and legal. No further questions need to be asked?
Another question, would any normal person of sound mind, no need to be a medical or legal professional who probably have access and experience in such cases, think that something is just not normal? Or would it be a case of everyone just their job they are paid for and mind their own business?
 
What have we become as a people if no one thinks that this is very unusual and suspicious?
 
I will leave you people with this sad story to ponder over the weekend. We have heard of politically apathetic Singaporeans. We have heard of Singaporeans that would not lift a finger when someone is in trouble in public, someone being bullied, being beaten. Etc. What more shall I say? Passionless, conscienceless, bochap?
 
Kopi Level - Green

Good news for Alibaba

Despite all the critics and venoms, Alibaba is hot favourite among the Americans. The typical analysts and anti China lobby were cursing and swearing and crying foul, pouring cold water at Alibaba or anything Chinese as usual. But the smart investors know where to put their money to make money. The last Baidu IPO had benefitted the investors by more than 300% in price gain. They know that China is the growth engine of the world.
 
In the case of Alibaba they are throwing US$22b to Jack Ma in his IPO listing in the New York and still demanding for more. Jack Ma’s net worth is now in the realm of Bill Gates overnight and could possibly overtake him in the near future.
 
Cheers to the Alibaba business and Jack Ma.

Kopi Level - Green

Scotland’s referendum – what does it mean?

The Scots are going for a referendum to decide to stay or to get out of the United Kingdom. It is a decision for a people, to want to be on their own to decide their own future or to let the Englishmen to decide their future. It is about breaking away to chart a new destiny by a people for a people.
 
We had a referendum to decide our future as a people in 1963, to give up our independence, to be part of Malaysia, to allow leave our destiny in the hands of the Malayans, to be part of another country. Given the frail nature of a small island with little natural resources, there was fear that we could not survive on our own. Conventional wisdom was to hook ourselves to a bigger land mass, a bigger country with a bigger critical mass and population.
 
We voted to be part of Malaysian, to surrender our rights to determine our future to another people. On hindsight it was so risky, treacherous and dangerous. So many things could go wrong and we could be forever under the domination and oppression of another people. We were lucky to get out of the arrangement to be our own master. It was also lucky that we did not a referendum to get out like the Scots. We would not be able to get out if a referendum was needed then unless the referendum was to be decided by the original Singaporeans and not by other people.
 
Today we have this policy of increasing our population by bringing in foreigners, sanctioned by a PWP in Parliament. What does this paper ultimately mean to the original Singaporeans? It is another merger of people, a merger with other people, to own this island. When the foreigners are small in numbers, we are assimilating and integrating them into us. If it is the other way round, we will end up assimilating and integrating with the foreigners. It is like merging to become part of Malaysia. In this case the original Singaporeans, if it becomes a minority, will be merging with a bigger foreign population, to be part of them.
We are going to bring in so many foreigners to decide our future, our destiny. Get it? This is another major change to our country and identity. But most important of all, we are going to hand our future to other people to decide for us, to decide our future, the future of our children. Think about this carefully. What is the difference between what we are doing with this PWP and being a part of Malaysia? Why are the Scots going to a referendum to want out of UK, to reclaim their country and their sovereignty and the right to determine their destiny?
 
Does the PWP that is going to change our life, our country and our destiny, deserve or warrant a referendum? This is no joking matter. This is no masak masak, child play. The implications and consequences are very serious and can be very adverse to our life and our future. Such a big change cannot be decided by a handful of people surely.
 
So far the good things about a high influx of foreigners were simply about economic growth. What about the other side of the coin? What is the price the people of this island are going to pay to give half of the island’s to foreigners? The foreigner’s share could be bigger if the number is bigger? No country in history ever did such a thing willingly without force. What are the negative and adverse effects of this change? What if the foreigners are not as generous and kind as us and want the island to themselves when they are in majority and ruling the island?
What do you thing?
 
Do we need a referendum? Do we want to surrender our country and our future to foreigners on a silver platter?

Kopi Level - Green