Hsien Loong: PAP must set the standard!

The PAP has started its election rally yesterday. And the speeches were as normal as any political rally from any politician. In colloquial style, they amount to ‘Lin peh is the best. Lin peh serve the people, Lin peh is honest, transparent and accountability.’ The rally cries were to stir the emotions, fire the supporters to take up the fight. And the supporters did not fail. They shouted back, ‘Yes, Yes, hallelujah’ in response to the cry of their leaders. If there was a problem, ‘We settle now’. And the supporters roared in approval. This is not much different from meet me at the cul de sac.
 
The atmosphere must be highly charged with every supporter leaving the rally with the glint in their eyes and walking like Bruce Lee ready for a fight. That was what a political rally is meant to be. Get the people motivated, excited and aroused.
 
After the din and fury subsided in the quiet of home and senses, and after the dusk has settled down, not many would remember what was said. But they would be reminded calmly by the media, minus the emotion and temperature on what their leaders said. Hsien Loong said many things. The notable was PAP would do its best to send strong teams to the opposition wards to win them back. But he cautioned about when this could be done. Now the WP must be all in anticipation of very strong PAP teams led by strong ministers. We would have to see.
 
The other thing that came out starkly was flaming in the social media. Hsien Loong talked about transparency and the need for PAP to set the standard. How would this be done? PAP had previously declared the existence of its Internet Brigade. And they have been very active or very inactive and none has stood up to tell the netizen he is from the PAP brigade. Till today, none is proud enough to own up to say, ‘I am PAP Internet Brigade, and I am proud of it’, and signing in his real name with PAP behind it, like BBM or PBM. So far it can be assumed that they are just as opaque and sneaky hiding behind anonymity.
 
Would PAP set a new standard and make all its Internet Brigades to post with their real identity, not anonymous, be transparent, and be proud of what they are doing and be proud of being PAP Internet Brigade? Or would they be like the others, no transparency and flaming others and taking pot shots at other bloggers and feeling ashamed of their very existence?
 
What kind of standard and transparency would the PAP set in the internet and social media? Would PAP be just like everyone else or would it be different, setting the standard for transparency?
 
Would there be a PAP standard in transparency in social media?

Kopi Level - Green

Uniquely Singapore -Billionaires asking govt for help

At first you have poor people asking govt for help to buy food to get buy. Govt was very angry. How much you want? You want to eat in the hawker centre, foodcourt or restaurant.

Then the middle class crying money not enough. Their money all gone to buying affordable govt built flats and needed 30 years to service the loans. And just when they have paid up their loans, they lost their jobs. But wait, they thought things would not be that bad as they had carefully put aside a large chunk of their money in the CPF. The shock came when the govt said, this money cannot touch, must be used to buy medical insurance and life annuities for life long protection and to provide them a few hundred dollars a month for life. Sounds good, but with high inflation, money not enough again. So these millionaires, their flats all worth half a million or more, again got money problem and needed govt to help them.

The latest, multi millionaires and billionaires also asking the govt for help. Because their fortunes are all tied up with the billions of dollars of properties they are holding. Now, after so many decades of making millions and becoming exceptionally wealthy, they are multi millionaires and billionaires not for no reason, they want the govt to help them to sell their properties at good prices, better than affordable prices, not that they cannot sell them by themselves.

Who would be next to need govt’s financial assistance? I heard the next group would be the ministers when they lost their election in the next GE. And if the PAP is no longer in power, where are they going to get paid the same millions to maintain their millionaire lifestyle when the GLCs would not be offering them any chairmanship or directorship appointments as ex ministers? Without such appointments who in their right mind, in the private sector, will be willing to pay them by the millions to maintain their lifestyles?

By then the new govt may be in a dilemma. How to justify to pay them millions to help them to live without affecting their quality of life? Hopefully not necessary as quite a number of them are really billionaires or worth hundreds of millions. For those who are not, would the next minister be asking how much they want or whether they want to eat in the hawker centre, foodcourt or restaurant?

Sin City is the only super rich city where millionaires, half millionaires and billionaires are all asking the govt for financial help. Yes, there is no poor people in Sin City, only half millionaires, millionaires and billionaires.

Kopi Level - Yellow

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.