Shhhh, super talents at work

Singapore is truly a nation of super talents or, ok, ok, let me be more accurate, a nation with a very small pool of super talents. Mind you, there are plenty of great ideas to learn from them, like making every ministry or minister an entrepreneur and thus making every ministry self sustaining. A very good example is the Ministry of National Development

If I want to be an entrepreneur, the most exemplary ministry to learn from is the business model of MND. For a start, get a piece of land as cheap as possible then call for tenders and let the contractors bid at the lowest price to build properties for sale. There is a slight twist in this from the business model of Singapore Land Authority. In the latter they would open tender for contractors to bid for the land at the highest possible price to take the first bite of the cherry. I think HDB also got their land at a good price from SLA.

Now, after the contractor won the contract to build flats, let them outsource whatever jobs they want to the cheapest service provider. Not my problem as a super talent. Actually my job is already done once the tender is given to a contractor. All I need to do is to wait and shake leg and twiddle my thumbs. When the flats are completed, actually no need to wait till the flats are completed, I could immediately authorise the housing agencies to start marketing the flats. All I need to do is to determine how much profits I want to make per flat. And the housing agents would work furiously to sell the flats for me in advance.

By the time the flats are built and sold, I just collect my profit and don’t even have to say thank you. The biggest talent involved is to tell the buyers that the flats sold to them are very affordable. Better still, tell them they are getting it at a big market discount and see how happy the buyers are. Bought at a discount! What choice have the buyers?

But that is not all. The supreme talent is to tell the buyers that I am losing a lot of money building and selling the flats. You know I did not lift a finger on a single piece of brick. Nevermind, as long as they pay me for the flats and believe that I lost money, that is good enough. This losing money part will make them feel so grateful to me, like I am a philanthropist, or like the merciful God that came down from heaven to do charity, to help the people.

How much it cost me to build the flats, no one knows. How much I made from the sale of the flats, no one knows. They only know that I work so hard to build flats for them and lost so much money. Next time if I raised the price of flats, they will be very understanding. They will convince themselves that my prices are really cheap, even selling below cost, so raising the price a bit will only reduce my big losses. They will understand.

See how talented I am? Or is it the other way, the buyers are just too daft to know what is happening? I am a genius.

Kopi Level - Yellow

Rats country

After 3 days and an army of pest control workers, more than 140 rats were caught on the hillside beside Bukit Batok MRT station. And the bad news, the problem is much bigger. Like many problems, only a little surfaced at a time to deceive the unwary that all things are fine. No problem. But the pest control workers are saying that it would take more than a week to clear the rats as they are quite widespread throughout the hill. Hopefully they are right. And hopefully this problem is an isolated problem like the rioting in Little India. Clear the rats in Bukit Batok and there will be no more rats problem.

Some were even suggesting that the rats problem is island wide and in all colours, walking in two legs also got. I have used loanshark country to describe what is happening to this Sin City. And then lawlessness in the shopping centres perpetuated by rogue retailers cheating on tourists and the fly by night private school operators where the quality and reliability were in doubts.

Now looks like we are going to earn another title like rats country. The PAP used to be on top of rats problems in the past. They got rid of the rats then. And the credit must go to their rats catcher, Fong Sip Chee. He is famous for wearing that badge of honour. 

Despite the hundreds of rats running wild in Bukit Batok, and many resurfacing in other parts of the island, there is no self appointed rat catcher around. We only have politicians claiming to be animal lovers and maybe that is the problem. Rats are also animal and cannot be seen as rat catcher to discredit the animal lover image. But all animals are equal except some are more equal than others, and some walked on two legs.

With today’s new consciousness to love animals, there is unlikely to be a rat catcher emerging. Cruelties to animals is not a good badge to wear. And catching rats is not so glamorous anymore.

Kopi Level - Yellow

Rule of Law or Rule of Thugs

It is not funny that I have to keep reminding the daft Sinkies that we are a democratic country and there is a rule of law to govern the way of life here. What it means is that either the people did not understand what is a democracy, what is meant by rule of law, or the country is not what we think it is. It is not a democracy, it is a rule by thugs. Of course things are not as simple as that. It is not a black and white case but with many shades and variations. Or sometimes it is a democracy or looks like a democracy but sometimes it is not. And sometimes the rule of law is supreme, sometimes it is the rule of thugs. It all depends.

In a simple and straight forward democracy, the people elect the govt once every 4 or 5 years to rule the country. In our case rule is more appropriate than govern though they are interchangeable. And the govt is made up of people from a political party who won a simple majority in a GE. A 51% is good enough to form the govt and dictates what is to be done. The 49% who did not vote for the ruling party would go about their life and take orders from the 51% govt. Some may kpkb a bit, but that is about all. They will accept the new 51% govt or even a 34% President as the legitimately elected govt and president. And life should go on as normal.

Things would get complicated if the loser segment of the voters refused to acknowledge the new govt and a 34% President. It would get ugly if they refused to even accept anything the new govt decides, like paying taxes, paying GST, driving cars but refusing to pay COEs. There will be a break down of law and order. There will be no rule of law but thuggery. Such a state must not be allowed, must not be encouraged, and anyone agitating such a state is guilty of treason, and if found, must be put behind bars.

Such a situation at the national level is not different to municipal matters at constituency level. The recent farce about residents refusing to pay S&CC fees to AHPETC is a case in point. Many thugs openly spoke about not willing to pay on the ground that they did not vote for the WP. And no one is shock or embarrassed to stand up to say anything about it. Are they encouraging it, are they backing this kind of lawless behaviour? Anyone harbouring such thoughts and acts, and anyone not thumping it down is as good as being in favour of the rule of thugs.

In every constituency there will be residents who are in financial trouble and have problems paying their S&CC charges. The average could be in the 5 to 10% bracket. Anything more is abnormal. Anything more than 20% or 30% is highly suspicious and could be the works of thugs.

The AHPETC must be clear and firm in the handling of this problem. The obvious case of people in financial difficulties can be dealt with compassionately and should be helped. The obvious case of defying the rule of law, refusing to acknowledge the principles of democracy and the elected party in the constituency is a challenge to the constitution, to the rule of law and must be put right with the use of the law. The AHPETC must come down hard on such thuggery, civil disobedience, lawlessness if the refusal to pay S&CC charges is anything other than financial difficulties, and worst, politically motivated. No one is above the law.

The AHPETC is well advised to throw the book at the violators of the rule of law. Bring them to court and sue them until their pants dropped, and make them pay for all the legal fees in obvious cases of defiance and challenging the rule of law. The courts would be judging such cases fairly and judiciously. The courts would not be a party or accomplice to the breaking down of rule of law. They are there to uphold justice and the constitution.

It cannot be imagined that breaking the rule of law, and undermining the constitution and democracy would be supported and upheld. This would lead to anarchy as the precedence set will be spread all over the country and anyone who did not vote for the ruling govt can defy all the laws and policies imposed by them, and refuse to pay taxes and S&CC as well.

Vile, did I hear anyone say vile? Unacceptable, unconstitutional and the violators must be brought to courts? All I heard is silence. Is silence meaning consent? Or are the residents who refused to pay just like the rogue retailers in Sim Lim, there is no law against them? They are very clever, they know the law and nothing can be done to them? This kind of thinking is unbelieveable in a 1^st world country. 3^rd world, it happens everyday and the rich and powerful will be behind it as they are the abusers of the rule of law to their advantage.

My apologies to ask so many questions on a Sunday morning. Enjoy your morning kopi.

Kopi Level - Yellow

China’s Total Defence is Real

We have heard of Total Defence before but it seems that this is history going by the things that are happening in the country. Foreigners are swarming every sector of the economy, from sitting in top GLCs and ministries to the highly sensitive IT staff in the country’s financial system. One is reminded of the worms all over the place, hiding inside the system and eating up the core or waiting to destroy everything in their path.

In a Bloomberg report on 19 Dec and posted in the Today paper, it reported ‘China is aiming to purge most foreign technology from banks, the military, state owned enterprises  and key govt agencies by 2020, stepping up efforts to shift to Chinese suppliers.’ Microsoft’s Window operating system, Apple’s iPads, security systems by Cisco, IBM, Intel and Hewlett Packard applications, middleware and infrastructure software and hardware are all on the chopping list. Foreign suppliers could avoid being replaced if they allowed China’s security inspectors to access their products and core technology.

IT security is a serious business and how pervasive is American intelligence penetration around the world, peeping into other countries’ secrets could be a warning with the exposure by Edward Snowden. Only fools will think the Americans are priests and have a halo on their heads and their security systems in the govt and the economy are free and safe from attacks.

What are we doing to our Total Defence or has it been dumped into the wastebin? Our national defence cannot be just the army boys. What kind of Total Defence are we talking about when armies of foreigners are living and working among us and infiltrated throughout all the industries, in the govt and GLCs and occupying high positions and very sensitive services. And some are clamouring that foreigners should be in uniforms. Our IT is as good as being outsourced to foreigners by bringing them here in plane loads to operate inside our system and country. Can they turn hostile one day? I bet the intelligent fools will swear it will not happen. Give them a pink IC and they will become one of us. Safe already.

Have we surrender ourselves to technology and the need of foreign talents that our securities are no longer something to protect and secure? Would Total Defence be spoken again or forever be dismantled? How exposed and vulnerable are our systems throughout the country, in the govt and outside the govt?

Are the Chinese doing something foolish to secure their national security that we do not think is necessary? I think hotels too have their security systems in place to prevent a break in or everything being stolen.

Where are we, where is our Total Defence when the enemies are within, like worms inside us? We don’t only operate foreign operating systems but have foreigners operating them and manning them for us, and taking charge.

Kopi Level - Blue, thank you.

Aljunied GRC - My recommendations to WP

I have read widely from the main media and social media and have come to the conclusion that the Aljunied GRC voters are like children, just about 12 to 14 years in mentality. And I think that was the reason why they voted for the WP in the last GE.  You see, children are playful and like to have fun, even risking their future, even defying the warning that they would have to repent for 5 years if they voted for the WP. And they really did.  Very rash indeed!

In a way this is the rebellious nature of children. You cannot blame them. The more you threaten them, the more ‘kuai lan’ they will become. So you tell them not to do it, they would purposely do it. This is very different from mature adults who would think very carefully before they make such an important decision like voting for their representatives to Parliament. Unfortunately Aljunied voters are all immature kids.

Assuming that the Aljunied residents are still like the last election, still like children, never grow up, I can think of two strategies for the WP to win the election. Treat them just like immature kids and understand how immature kids will behave. One strategy is to defy them or threaten them like the last election. But doing this will be more like committing hara kiri. If the WP were to threaten them that if they vote for the PAP the WP would not return to serve them anymore, than surely they would vote for the PAP. Got it? Never threaten kids, they will be in defiance. Have some respect for them even if they are kids. And don’t call them kids.

The other option is to treat them like children, unthinking children or immature kids. Then offer them a lot of ice cream and lollipops. Kids love ice cream and candies, cool stuff. If can afford to, buy them the latest iPhones. But this one can be seen as bribery. I still think free ice creams or lollipops, like free porridge or chicken rice can leow. These kinds of thing got precedence so no problem.  Like that sure to win their votes.

Be nice to them. Allow them to write graffiti on the walls of HDB flats by designating a few walls just for their spraying pleasure. Tell them it is better and safer than painting graffiti on trains or on top of HDB flats. That would be illegal.

See, the recommendations are so simple when you are dealing with immature kids. No need to think too hard. Oh, tell them it is hip and cool to vote WP. See the colour of WP, cool light blue. Little children like to be cool. Yes, that’s it, Be cool, Vote cool blue. Wow, nice slogan.

What do you think? Would the children of Aljunied bite?

PS: Kopi Level - Blue, thank you.