Modi received his ‘Nobel Peace Prize’ like Obama

India PM Modi has been awarded the Straits Times’ Asian of the Year Award in a similar fashion as Obama when he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize a few days into office with nothing to show but promises and promises. Modi is also all promises and sounds and fury if you read the Indian press.

Let’s see what were his great achievements to deserve the Asian of the Year Award that put him ahead of more deserving candidates who have done exceptionally well during their terms in office. Thien Sein of Myanmar and Yudhoyono of Indonesia, two illustrious Presidents that worked tireless, but quietly without any big mouth and highly infatuated Myanmese or Indonesians to blow their trumpets. These two men have achieved a lot for their countries without claiming or saying anything.

Ok, back to Modi and I quote Ravi Velloor in the front page of ST on 6 Dec. His achievements, ‘impressive election victory for his party in this year’s national election,…energised India with is stirring calls for a development focus and “toilets before temples”.’ He would not mind if there are countries willing to offer to build him smart cities if he does not have to pay for it. And he is smart enough to grab the opportunities for such expensive freebies by quickly saying yes to the generous offer.

His other achievements, ‘call for Make in India campaign’. Ravi added a big IF, ‘if pursued to its logical conclusion with a friendlier investment climate and less rigid labour norms, could help fire up the growth engines of US$2 trillion. This is impressive, just a call that, subject to so many what ifs, could lead to US$2 trillion!

And ‘Economists project that as early as next year, India could pick up the growth baton from China…a resurgent India will be a boon for the region and the world.’ I am still trying to figure out what have all these got to do with his achievements when it is the promise of a future created by a changing world economy. I can only see the similarity of Obama and the hope for peace that lies ahead of him.

I think the strongest factor to his credit is that Singapore leaders have seen the potential in him. This must be his greatest asset and achievement to warrant the Award, his potential and noticed by Singapore’s wise leaders. I think he must be the one and only leader to be pointed out by Singapore leaders for potential. Singapore leaders are also exceedingly good at picking potential ping pong players from the kindergartens in China.

Oh, he has made his mark already by ‘reaching out to neighbours and receiving world leaders, including Australia’s Prime Minister Tony Abbott and China’s President Xi Jinping. In January he will be seeing Obama! Fantastic achievements for a great leader with great potential!

I think they may give him an Award for Asian of the Century if he had met Lee Kuan Yew and our President Tony Tan.

Straits Times editor Warren Fernandez had this to say, ‘the award to Mr Modi is as much a recognition of his record as an administrator who has propelled his home state, Gujarat, to global attention, as for the promise of reenergising larger India.’

If making a state to get global attention is the reason for the Award, I think the Sultan of Johore is more deserving for making Johore well known with his huge Iskandar Economic Zone that would dwarf anything in Gujarat.

The Award is more like an Award for potential a la Obama. Modi has a few more years to see through his potential and in this he is one up on Obama who had failed to live up to the Nobel Peace Prize Committee’s faith in him to bring peace to the world. Modi could do well to see the US$2 trillion becoming a reality to do justice to this Award. For the moment his best achievements are meeting state leaders and impressing Singapore leaders with his potential. I think Tony Tan did far better than him by being a house guest at Buckingham Palace and dining and chit chatting with the Queen of Great Britain. Really great stuff.

Kopi Level - Yellow

Be kind to foreigner rogue cyclists or be sorry

There was a front page report of a local motorist being harassed by a rogue foreign cyclist that cut through 4 lanes in heavy traffic at morning peak hours. What the local motorist did was right by honking at the foreign cyclist. Her intention was to warn him to be careful as he was risking his life cycling dangerously. This is what the motorist, Ms Huang, said to the reporters of mypaper, ‘after seeing him riding recklessly and very close to her car, she worried for his safety…so she decide to sound her horn to alert him.’

Unfortunately the rogue motorist thought otherwise and thinking that the honking was rude. So he became rude and stared at her and threatened her. It was lucky that the rogue foreigner cyclist did not beat her up. Singaporeans must handle these rogue foreign cyclists with care and not be rude to them. They are somebody’s loving pet, very pampered. As they say, beating a dog, one must know who is the master of the dog, 打狗看主人. Don’t anyhow scold them or their masters will be very angry and may punish you.

Where is that kind guy? Please come out and say some kind words to soothe the nerves and tempers of these rogue cyclists before they beat up another local motorist, especially the woman kind, very easy to bully and beat up.

Kopi Level - Blue, thank you.

Foreign judges will sit in Singapore International Commercial Court

‘For what good is it if we gain the whole world of international commercial litigation, but forfeit forever the possibility of an autochthonous legal system.’ I quote senior consultant Sim Yong Chan for RHTLaw Taylor Wessing. He was arguing his case against allowing foreigners to sit in the SICC located here as part of our legal system.

May I add, ‘For what good is it if we gain the whole world by being the smartest city of foreign talents, and average Sinkies ended up as cleaners and taxi drivers and living in Batam, Bintan and JB?’ This is something the hotel managers of this city that do not have high regards for its citizens must think very carefully. And this is one thing that this silly city state with silly heads can learn from Malaysia and the countries all over the world. A country is not a hotel!

What is the point of setting up SICC here if it does not benefit the citizens of the island? Oh, we gain a lot of recognition as a venue for international litigation. So? The only people that may benefit will be the property developers or owners selling or renting a few properties and maybe the hotels and restaurants with a few more clients. What is so good about it if the legal fraternity and profession did not reap real benefits like jobs and professionalism?

Or, I may quote Sim Yong Chan once more, the presence of foreign judges ‘could threaten the development of a homegrown legal system, something towards which Singapore should be working…’ Or shall I quote someone else by saying, you want the best Singaporean lawyers and judges, just bring the best from the world and issue them with pink ICs as instant citizens. Or shall I quote Judge of Appeal Andrew Phang, ‘voluntarily embrac(ing) the fetters of our colonial heritage’.

The thought of having foreigners presiding in our courts is anathema to our integrity as an independent nation. Sad to say, many jokers think losing our independence is ok, giving our country to foreigners is ok. If foreigners are talented, nevermind if they are fakes or from unrecognized pariah universities where the grades are suspect, it is ok to let them replace our citizens.

What is the point of having international courts here if they are to be run by foreigners with Singapore as a minor partner and Singaporeans as clerks and messenger boys?

Kopi Level - Blue, thank you.

Obama – Please spend your last days solving the white racist shit against the blacks in your own backyard

Obama still got time to talk nonsense and meddle with other countries’ domestic affairs when his backyard is burning. If he can’t handle the rise in white racism and hate against the black Americans, someone may even burn down the White House, the symbol of White Supremacy in the USA.
 
We took more than 30 years to realize that the rogue retailers in our shopping centres were cheating the tourists and giving our country a bad name. And it also took us more than 30 years to find that there must be a law to stop what the rogue retailers were doing as crimes. Luckily there is the internet to help the govt to think real hard on this problem. A few weeks ago so many quarters in the establishment were still harping about how clever the retailers were, they knew the law and did not do anything criminal. Some came out to chastise the netizens to be kind to the retailers, some were apologetic not to break the rice bowls of the rogue retailers, some minister, I think, even threatened the netizen vigilante not to go too far to harass the rogue retailers.
 
Obama and his law makers just worked up and think this white racist thing against the blacks also happened yesterday after more than 200 years of racism. They did not know that the blacks have been victims to white policemen all the while, beaten and killed even when unarmed or underage. No, there is no racism in America!!!! The policemen are so angelic and only killed the blacks when their lives were threatened, like 14 of them, all carrying arms, fearing for their lives against one unarmed black and had to shoot him dead, 14 time over to make it 14 times sure. Then two armed policemen had to kill a child with a toy gun, fearing for their lives as well. And now another black man choked to death by a white policeman despite pleading for his life that he could not breathe. And the white policeman was acquitted.
 
These are the only three of four exceptional cases that happened to happen. In Singapore we called it once in 50 years incident. Happened only once in 50 years, get it? Obama, are you that ignorant? You were supposed to be an exceptionally intelligent black man. The black community expects you to do something good, at least during the last two years of your term, for respect and decency for the black Americans. Please, stop poking your fingers in other countries’ affair and do something good for America and the black people. You owe it to them for voting you to the White House. What happens in other countries in none of your business. Go do something useful, do something real. And please return the Nobel Peace Prize that some stupid people gave it to you by mistake.

Kopi Level - Green

Aljunied is now the Hougang of yesteryears

Hougang was then the only stronghold of the WP. It was like a tiger’s den and any PAP candidate going there would be devoured, meal for the tiger. PAP candidates treaded Hougang in fear. Many had fallen and many more will fall again.
 
Aljunied GRC has taken over this role as the most formidable opposition stronghold and a bigger one. In the past, there were sneering calls for Low Thia Khiang to step out of Hougang to challenge the PAP. Some even suggested taking on a biggie or lead a team to take on the PM. Today, the ground has changed. Some quarters are throwing the same kind of challenge to the PAP to send a strong team to Aljunied to face defeat. It is a dare from the supporters of WP, with so much confidence that they had for Hougang and now for Aljunied. Aljunied is the GRC to take but many will fall like the retaking of Hougang.
 
It would be something if Low Thia Khiang would to throw a challenge to the PAP in the next GE to send a strong team to Aljunied. And he could peppered it with comments like no fight, very disappointing, and looking for a good fight if the PAP team is weak and eventually lost Aljunied again.
 
Such thoughts would never be in the minds of anyone. Every GRC or SMC would be an uphill struggle and likely to lose except for Hougang and at one time Potong Pasir. Now there is Aljunied, a 5 seat GRC for the opposition side to make their war cry.
 
And this is very intimidating and it is unlikely to see anyone from the PAP bravely standing up to volunteer for this great opportunity. Those who have said they needed a good fight, this is the time to prove what they said, to take up the cudgel in Aljunied. The days of Goh Keng Swee, Rajaratnam, Lim Kim San, Hon Sui Sen, Barker, Ong Pang Boon, Ong Teng Cheong when they would just carry a GRC wherever you put them were long over. There is no more such heavyweights to depend on today.

Kopi Level - Green