What is $60 billion?

During the global financial crisis it was officially reported that the combined losses of the two SWFs were $60b. It was a staggering figure and many people put a lot of 0s behind it, ie $ 60,000,000,000 to show how big this number is. But do they really register, how big is this sum of money?
 
The Philippines announced a budget of $20m to acquire navy boats to compete with China for control over the disputed islands in the South China Seas. Damn big deal. India announced a budget of $3b to purchase weapons to want to be a super power. Another damn big deal. All these are nothing compare to the $60b that was lost. Got any idea how big is this $60b? It can build 30 Gardens by the Bay all over the island but would not be able to find any spare land to take more than 3. We would not have the land for 30 Gardens by the Bay in the island. What about the $6b to buy the super expensive toys called F35s at $300m each for 20 pieces? $60b can buy 200 pieces of F35s!
 
I don’t think many of you would get the picture still. Using a workforce of 2m and each contributing $200 pm to the CPF this will mean $400m into the CPF per month or $4.8b per annum. Actually it could be more than $6b if bonuses are included. It would thus take 10 years to contribute $60b by the whole work force at today’s income level.
 
15 to 20 years of CPF contributions of the whole workforce
 
To collect $60b from a smaller workforce and a smaller income base like the last two decades, it would likely take 15 to 20 years to reach $60b. Now you get the picture of how big this $60b sum is? It is the equivalent of15 to 20 years of the whole workforce’s CPF contribution to lose in one go.
 
Of course today more than $60b could have been collected since the financial crisis in CPF to cover up this loss. But if hypothetically the $60b were CPF money, the loss would not and cannot be covered as the new money must be returned to the CPF contributors when due. It is just new money to pay for loss of old money as a stop gap measure. Uh, did someone say no need to pay back with all the changes to the CPF system? Really? CPF not your money any more?
 
Let’ take it that the $60b is not CPF money, so there is nothing to worry about your CPF savings. The point of this article is to show how big a sum of money is $60b with the CPF savings used only for reference and comparison purposes. Imagine the equivalent of 15 ot 20 years of contributions by the whole workforce gone in a smoke.

Kopi Level - Blue, thank you.

Malaysia living under a racist time bomb

It is very chilling to hear Khairy Jamaluddin, UMNO’s YouthChief telling the non Malays not to forget the Malay’s sacrifice to let them be part of Malaysia. The AGENCIES reported him in a speech at the UMNO ‘general assembly that looks set to stoke racial flames’, Khairy ‘hit out at non Malays who refused to accept the status quo’, ie Malay dominance and political supremacy.
 
This is most puzzling as the non Malays, after May 13, 1969, and so many years of threats, have long accepted the status quo. Even if there are some little corners that are disgruntled about it, there is nothing that can change the situation. Why is Khairy harping on this issue? Is he feeling insecure, or the Malays really feel threatened that the status quo can be change by a minority non Malays that have no political military clout to do anything? Any non Malays that dare to challenge this would not see daylight tomorrow.
 
Najib also showed slides of the May 13 1969 racial riots which was not a riot per se but the killings of non Malays by the Malays. It was racist killings, a one sided affair, to remind the non Malays that it could happen again.
 
What is Khairy’s agenda or what is UMNO’s agenda?
 
DAP Lim Guan Eng made the remark that Khairy ‘is now travelling the “dark road” of racial extremists’. Not to worry, only the Malays can make such racist charges and it is acceptable. Lim Guan Eng also added that ‘Putting the blame on non Malays is dishonest and evil politics by Khairy because it is simply false and malicious that the non Malays questioned such rights enshrined in the Federal Constitution.”
 
It is not an issue of who is saying the right thing. It is a case of when the extremists will use this excuse to carry out another blood letting against the non Malays. It is a matter of time, of when. This is the peril of the non Malays in Malaysia. This demon of racism will always be exploited by the racist to serve their agenda and the consequences could be very extreme.
 
The call by Khairy would not be the last and will be repeated as often as they like. But who knows when the threat would turn into ugly reality? It could be tomorrow.

Kopi Level - Blue, thank you.

China must not take it lying down

The Americans are putting their fingers into China’s internal affairs at every opportunity they could find. China is building its own air port in its own territorial island and the Americans also thought it their right to tell China to stop construction. China should do the same and meddle with the American’s internal affairs as a tit for tat. The racism of white policemen against the blacks is a good point to start. The recent series of white policemen killing black negoes must be condemned. The killing in Ferguson is not a single incident. The whole thing is blowing up. China should support the black and coloured Americans and demand that Washington not to discriminate against them. The white policemen must be arrested and charged in court, to face justice for murder, racism and abuse of police authority.
 
In the case of the Philippines, China should increase coastal patrols in the South China Seas and arrest Filipino fishermen in the area, including uniformed pirates. If China does not do it, the Pinoys will think it is ok to arrest Chinese fishermen and even shooting and killing them.
 
The Chinese Navy must stand up and take actions against the Pinoys to show that the seas around the islands belong to China. Not doing so is a sign of weakness and the Pinoys love that and will go crazy arresting and shooting Chinese fishermen. China is asking for more trouble of appearing weak and inaction. Dealing with thugs must use the hammer. There is no other way. Thugs are only afraid of being hammered.
 
How can a super power allow its citizens to be arrested by another country on fabricated charges and worst, in the same waters that China claimed to be its own. This is China compromising its own position on its claim to the islands and territorial seas.

Kopi Level - Green

S&CC fees, pay only to the party you voted for

Below are the conversation between two bloggers on why they should or should not pay S&CC fees.
 
I am an Aljunied resident living with my parents. Lately, due to some disagreements I had with the TC, I have been asking my parents not to pay the S&C fees. My reasoning is simple. Why should we pay to an administration body that we did NOT vote for??? Let those people who voted for them pay for them.
I can only imagine the sheer number of people who feels the same way. I hope these people continue to withhold payment and hopefully we can shame the Workers Party out of parliament.
Why can’t Aljunied have a “normal” and competent town council like other constituencies??  Lim 11 November 2014 at 8am
 
Hey, @Lim, I just love the pure logic of yr reasoning. I think it’s worth its weight in implementation on a nation-wide basis.  Why don’t you bring this up to PM Lee himself to propose such a bill in his PAP-dominated parliament? Truly, someone yr calibre, so thinking-out-of-the-box type, is wasted just writing comments here. Don’t waste it, dude. Serve the country as a PAP candidate.  Let me know when you do. I’ll be following yr speeches and writings most closely. Thx.
2econdsight 11 November 2014 at 2pm
 

I also agree with 2econdsight. The comments by Lim are worth its weight in gold. Everyone should think about it seriously and decide whether to pay your S&CC fees. Sinkies are getting smarter by the days. If more Sinkies are as smart as this Lim, there will be a better tomorrow for every Sinkie.
 
Just a word of caution, before you stop paying your S&CC fees, make sure you got a mountain behind you. People who so ‘kar si’ and refused to pay S&CC fees must surely got a mountain behind them, or they would not be so garang and ‘kong cum’ to think this is their grandfather’s country.
 
This is looking like the Americans telling the Pinoys to fight with China with them carrying the big stick in the shadow. What kind of world is this turning to be? Gangsterism or mafiadom?
 
Our kiasi, kiasu and kia chenghu daft now acting like the mouse sitting on top of the lion's head.

Kopi Level - Green

A future without the people’s consent

The govt has charted a new future for the Sinkies and wanted the Sinkies to unite and move forward together in the name of this future according to what Chan Chun Sing said at the ITE College East. Now what is this common future? Anyone knows?
 
I can’t remember any minister telling us what this common future is except what they are doing. Perhaps the people can make a guess as to what this common future is. For sure it must be a future led by the PAP Govt. This must be a given. The next thing that is a given is the 6.9m population and maybe more with the original Sinkies become an absolute minority core.
 
What else is given? More foreigners, more local PMEs driving taxis or being retrained by WDA to do manual jobs while foreigners take over their jobs? What else? A couple of days back, over the news Hsien Loong was talking about a smart city with the computerization of the city to make city living so easy. If I am not wrong, in a smart city the computers will do all the thinking and make all the decisions for the peopel. The people only need to take the instructions from the computers, guided by the computers to do what the computers think best and most appropriate. No thinkings required.
 
And the oldies that are not so clever with the computers will not be left out. I guess they will plant a computer chip in each of them and turn them into living C3POs. The little chips planted into them would be a miniaturised R2D2.
 
The common future looks interesting but where is the meat to beef it up so that all the Sinkies would know what is in it for them. For starters they can expect a big bang kind of celebration next year for SG50 with a lot of goodies for everyone, including babies and their parents. More good news in the pipelines?
 
Why is this common future so skimpy that I could not figure out what it is all about?

Kopi Level - Green