Sleeping with the Communists

This statement will instantly remind people of the early independence era when the PAP was a party for the western educated elite, the communist sympathisers and the communists. They all slept in the same bed and played together until the open break by the Barisan Socialis and the detention of many political leaders from the Barisan camp in Operations Cold Store in 1963. The notable names like Chia Thye Poh, Poh Soo Kai, Lim Hock Siew, the Puthucherry brothers, Woodhull, Lee Siew Choh, Lim Chin Siong, Fong Swee Suan, Said Zahari still ring a bell in many older Singaporeans. They were the comrades, the friends of the PAP that turned to foes.

In 1987, the announcement of a Marxist Conspiracy and the arrest of a group of young people including some working with the Catholic Church was the lowest point in the deteriorating love affairs of the PAP with the Communist. Tan Wah Peow had fled earlier in 1976 and was identified as the leader of the new Group. Among those arrested were Vincent Cheng, Teo Soh Lung, and Tang Fong Har. Since then, Singaporeans have been living with this Communist spectre till today. Anyone branded as a Communist or sympathiser could face charges and be detained under the ISA. Reading or listening to communist literature was a sure sign of Communist leaning and a sign of trouble. Singaporeans were banned from visiting Communist countries except those above 55 and must apply for approval.

Despite the thawing of relations with Communist countries and the visit of Deng Xiaoping, despite flirting and dining with the Communists in Beijing, and despite paying regular homage and welcoming millions of Communists by our political leaders here for work and for play, something is still missing. Why are our ex Communists and sympathisers, some returned, some never allowed to return, still being held in suspicion, like enemies of the State, like demons and terrorists waiting to turn Singapore into another violent contest for power?

Can they do that, are they in a position to do that, would they do that? Are the Singaporeans still willing to join their quest for a Communist state? Or would the Singaporeans welcome them with open arms, like they welcome the PRC Chinese here and like the western world welcome them with red carpets? When would this stigma or spectre of Communism in our early generations be erased as part and parcel of our growing pains and history? Has anyone noticed that the world has changed and they should wake up and smell the roses? If we can dance and play with the new Communists, can we at least have tea with the ex Communists/sympathisers and treat them as one of our long lost brother or sister, the return of our prodigal sons and daughters? Chin Peng was treated much better by the Malaysians than ours that are still overseas.

Kopi Level - Green

TODAY is The First Day of the Rest of Your Life.

Do Things Differently in 2015.

By MIKOspace

“Insanity is when you continue to do things the same way and hope for a different set of outcome or results.” - Albert Einstein

The season for new Resolutions has come again.  Never mind that countless earlier ones over the years were not executed or successful.  We just love New Year Resolutions, as if their main object did not lie in fulfilling them but to fail in them.  Like promises, some were kept, while most others must fail or be broken.  Seriously, we want to CHANGE, but HOW?

WHY DO YOU WANT TO CHANGE?

For many reasons, obviously.  Mostly from a deep dissatisfaction of the status quo. You do not like your appearance; your career sucks; your boss is not sensitive or understanding; your lack of progress in relationships; have no close friends; no boyfriends or girlfriends; cannot afford that dream car or dream house or dream gadgets; cannot have what other people have; unhappy most times; unloved rest of the time; no one to love all the time; loneliness; depressed; want more of anything; want less of others; don’t like being sick or weak or medicated; having to depend on the unwilling; trapped in an unhappy marriage; stuck in an unhappy home; abused; beaten; hungry; cold; poverty; wars; diseases …. An endless list.

For most people, the reasons for change are more mundane and personal. You want to look better, more desirable and more beautiful. Modern marketing of personal and life-style products makes you feel too fat, or too thin, or too tall, or too short, or facial features non-symmetrical; eyebrows too natural, eyes not at same level, nose not in the middle of your face, your ears unbalanced, one foot bigger than than the other, one leg longer, another arm too short, one hand bigger, mouth not aligned with face, unshapely body, breasts too high or too big or too small or too ‘different’ or not enticing enough … well, look at Nature where beauty emerged and flourished in diversity, differences and NOT symmetry or same-ness.       

Remember you were born an Original, why strive to live like an Imitation?

Yes, Becoming Yourself is to be Different already.  Self-esteem is the best defense against the encroaching forces to make you an imitation of what other people want you to become. 

Truth is, the dissatisfaction with oneself has little and nothing to do with one’s appearance.  It lies in our desire to be loved and to have a lover.  The journey through life is essentially a journey of love.  It is a journey along visible milestones of errors as one struggle to escape the end of otherwise meaningless existence.  One quickly discovers that paradox, ambiguity, chaos, absence and silence as central to the human condition.  

Many lapse conveniently into the comfortable understanding of the human condition as one where we are all in a perpetually suspended state of incompleteness, in an endless search of that elusive Happiness.   The urge for “more” and “better” becomes quickly the justification for the pursuit of selfishness, thinly disguised as the noble accumulation of material wealth and prosperity, in the hope of locating the happiness which satisfies the ultimate true meaning and purpose of life’s existence.  Sadly, but expectantly, “more” and “better” can never deliver the promised Happiness. The pursuit for life’s purpose hence degenerates into itself as the end.

In 2015, Resolve to Do Things Differently – Unlearn, Relearn and Learn to Discover Love and True Happiness.

This begins with a mental transformation to complete the awesome task of becoming your own realization.  Stop occupying space and wasting oxygen, but be the change you want the world around you to become.  Seek only the approval and encouragement of loved ones.  Other people’s opinions do not matter, seriously.  Open an inner Dialogue with yourself and affirm your individual uniqueness and significance.  You also have to acquire the habits to unlearn, relearn and learn – which are the the skills-set of learning agility.

Yes, flexibility and adaptability are the personal tools to engage the human conditions of paradox, ambiguity, chaos, absence and silence.  Affirming yourself strengthens your self-esteem and facilitates the building of close and intimate relationships with those around you.  Self-esteem empowers you to nurture and develop in others a greater capacity for love and for you to receive their love in turn.  When we are at our best self, we readily share without fear or limit to bring out the best in others as well.  Invariably, we also discover and rediscover Happiness at the end of such sharing of ourselves.

Go forth to Love and Share, to Discover Yourself and the Secret of True Happiness. The Secret of True Happiness lies in the creation of Happiness in the Life of Others.   

Kopi Level - Green

Political entrepreneurship is supreme entrepreneurship

Many entrepreneurs are struggling in the very competitive world of business to make their marks and their first million. Some made it eventually but many failed and got lost, became unknown. The casualty rate for failed entrepreneurs is very, very high. We only hear the success stories but no one would want to know the failures.
 
Count the odds, and it is very surprising why many are still struggling to compete with, in many instances, against the best in the world. And not only exceptional talents are needed, some require huge financial resources and risking to lose everything.
 
There is an easier path, lesser competition and could make millions and many millions that is available only to Singaporeans, at least for now before the door is thrown open to the whole world. Entrepreneurship in politics is something so close, and relatively easier knowing the competition, that somehow the daft Singaporeans did not think of venturing into. Let me point out the advantages of political entrepreneurship as a career and as a means to getting rich quick, and maybe more Singaporeans would want to consider this as their top career choice.
 
First thing, it is a multi million dollar industry and the pay for the successful is beyond your imagination. Many became multi millionaire after a couple of years in office. Now isn’t that attractive? And to make it even more attractive, for those with exceptional business acument, money is everywhere and it is only limited to their intelligence to scoop as much as they could in a single term in office. Everything, every policy, can be turned into a money making machine. And it is all done within the law, or the law can be changed to one’s advantage. Perfectly legal, and no need to resort to criminal activities, cheating or corruption. How’s that for a start? Of course there is great temptation and danger of going the crooked way.
 
Then look at the competition? There is really no competition if you look at every one of them. Everyone is just like you and me, many like boy scouts and girl guides. And there is no need to fear big titles as Hougang and Punggol East have proven, Ah Lian and Ah Huat could take on anyone with glittering credentials. All it takes is a bit of organization, getting organized.
 
And what is the start up cost? What is the barrier to entry financially? Very little really. A $15k deposit and some money to buy chicken rice for the helpers. This is unlike the American election where hundreds of millions are at stake. The small stakes involved is like buying Toto, spend a few dollars and hoping to strike it rich. And here the pot of gold is huge. Top price of Toto is peanuts. Once in power, striking Toto is like a monthly affair or better with no odds but guaranteed to win. And these are the known knows. The unknowns are something else. There are the incidentals, just happen to come along with the office and be in the right place and right time, knowing the right people or people wanting to know you, and the right connections. Again, everything is legal and above board. Don’t try anything under the table, not worth it. In fact the system is designed to make it unnecessary and for politicians to remain clean. How nice can it be?
 
And the chances of winning come once every 4 or 5 years, and one can repeat and improve on one’s position and strategy to make the chances betterer. This is unlike the general entrepreneurship in the industries when there is no certainty or predictability. Many entrepreneurs could strive for a life time without getting anywhere near. In politics, every four year there will be a chance to bet, to make that winning kill. And the odds can be 50:50 when the contest is one against one. Think of the chances of winning a Toto bet or a Big Sweep? It doesn’t make sense right?
 
Alright, did I paint an attractive enough picture to make more people interested and turn to political entrepreneurship? And you don’t really need to be a genius. No need to be a professor, no need to be a lawyer or a doctor. No need even to be a super talent. The real qualification is a good heart and be acceptable to the voters, to win the hearts of the voters. No need paper qualifications, but a reasonable one will be helpful. No need to invent the wheel or create a new product or a new app or a new computer game. Are these that difficult?
 
How, there are many political parties out there waiting eagerly to receive the good men to come forward. No need to wait for an invitation for tea. Just knock and the door will be open.
 
Political entrepreneurship is a viable career route and the rewards are very handsome. And for those who really care for the people and wanting to help the less able, to do charity, to show your compassion for the people, even to fake it is alright, political entrepreneurship offers everything for the head and the heart and the desire, and the ego for fame and fortune.
 
Go for it. Opportunities are knocking at your door. Why are you waiting? What is stopping you, to do good for country and people, and to improve your bank accounts? It is a very attractive career choice, and comes with a lot of glamour and glory. Everyone wants to take selfies with you, wants to shake your hand, wants to know you, and wants to be seen with you. You became a political celebrity, better than a movie star.
 
What are you waiting for? Don’t you want to be a multi millionaire? Oh, don't answer yes. Just say you are sacrificing to serve the people. It sounds more correct.

Kopi Level - Yellow

Reflections 2014 – Leave Your Future Behind

“We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” ― Joseph Campbell

Seize the Day After Tomorrow

by MIKOspace

Returning to MIKOspace from a 2-month’s break on business and other matters, I am glad to welcome many new readers as well as the many loyal readers who continued faithfully to visit myBlog. Nearly 10,000 page views have been recorded since MIKOspace’s debut on 7 September 2014. Your support has been truly generous and I sincerely appreciate your encouragement.  The last 2 months’ restful and productive break from blogging also provided opportunities to reflect on 2015 and beyond.      

Our conversations will continue over a wide and wider range of topics, I promise. Education continues to top my first loves. The stealthy insidiousness of bogus World Universities Ranking Standards would be engaged even more ferociously. Singapore’s Global Brand of Authenticity and Integrity should never be misused and abused to mask their lack of credibility, validity and reliability. It is my belief that our fine Universities should not participate in lending and associating Singapore’s pristine and impeccable credentials to otherwise fraudulent and bogus standards of dubious criteria as adjudged by the United Nations and Eminent Professors of Education and Higher Learning.   

We owe it to our Founding Generations to be a Nation of Law, and never to cheapen our Reputation, painstakingly built over the past 50 years, in any manner.  

And on our 50^th birthday in 2015, the future course and fate of our Singapore will be put to before the people in a likely General Election with a significant distinction. The decisive vote to determine the fate of Singapore over the next decade and into the mid-21^st Century will rest with an electorate whose vast majority are born after 1965.  They would remember little of the 3^rd World Singapore at their birth, and have enjoyed the rapid prosperity growth of Singapore over the past 40+ years.  Fresher memories instead exist among most younger and new electorate of the increasingly harder and difficult years over the recent 25 years when over-crowding from immigration and migrant workers compounded increasing living costs associated with food, transportation, medical, private housing, vehicle ownership and education together with decreased opportunities for universities admission and choice job opportunities.      

The Pioneer Generation (borned 1949 and before) and Post-Pioneer Generation (borned after 1950) would bring to the 2015 General Elections the active aging issues of retirement, mobility, geriatric care, medical and the release, and possible topping-up, of CPF.  Already some are making a fuss over the CPF.  

The social and national issues that could impact the 2015 General Elections shall be monitored closely by MIKOspace who would enjoin the conversations to enhance the debate quality and factual truthfulness of the discussions.

In 2014, Hong Kong students startled the world with their failed sit-down (with mahjong) protests presumably for more democracy.  I expect these protests to return in some other forms, despite of their lack of agenda, problem definition, credible issues and glaring absence of possible solutions. Democracy in 2014 – Hong Kong Chapter concluded that they therefore failed to garner the popular support of the vast majority of HongKongers to their doomed cause.    

Issues of Tibet and the Dalai Lama as well as Racial Harmony and Malaysia’s Racist Politics would continue to surface, and MIKOspace would continue to assert the truth with pertinent facts and our usual persuasiveness, in our Panorama – Singapore’s Battle for Merger.

Indeed, 2015 would be much more exciting than 2014. Carpe Diem. We must be ready to seize the Day after Tomorrow.  And, as Joseph Cambell puts it, “be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us”.

Thank you, one and all, for 2014.

Have a Great and Bountiful Life Ahead.

Share your Abundance, Respect the Environment and be Compassionate to those who are sick, younger, weaker and older.

Love all, for Love conquers all things and circumstances.

2015 – Would it be the same all over again?

One year has passed. I must have written between 800 to 1000 posts in 2014 at the rate of 2 or 3 posts daily. I don’t think anyone is happy after reading what I wrote, but many would be unhappy for the right or wrong reasons. My apologies, I did not set out to write to make anyone happy. Some may feel sad, some may even get depression after reading my posts.

My objectives are very different. I hope that those who read my posts would at least be questioning what kind of nonsense I was writing. If they bother to ask, to think, to get angry or feel annoyed, to feel uptight, to want to say something or do something, that would be good enough for me. If they agree with what I wrote, good. If they disagree with what I wrote, very good. At least they were listening and have some ideas of their own, to agree or to disagree.

What would be pathetic would be to feel nothing, unmoved or unemotional, just numbness. It could mean that they did not know what I was writing, did not bother, did not want to bother. This is unlikely as anyone that bothered to read my stuff must already be motivated, searching and thinking, wanting to know another perspective of things. My greatest regret is for the unthinking Sinkies to end up like unthinking parrots or tape recording machine. Just listen and repeat or regurgitate whatever that goes into their heads, GIGO. GIGO is a common terminology used in the computer language, garbage in garbage out. It is expected of computers and machine to act like GIGO. It is so sad to have human beans getting this GIGO disease, whatever goes in just comes out, unprocessed and did not benefit them in anyway.

Can you imagine people eating hamburger or roti prata and shit out the same, in the same form, unchanged, unprocessed? The unthinking human body is better than that. It absorbs and processes food entering the body, takes out the useful stuff and only releases the shit. What would happen if the body takes in and releases the same stuff unprocessed? It would be a big pity and a big waste of food.

I would be very glad if people disagree with me and start to form new ideas from the garbage that I posted. The very objective of my posts is to provoke the lazy and dull mind, to make it angry and to start ticking, to elicit some thinking process, to form new ideas and views of what is happening to our country. Not to be led or misled for the wrong reasons or false logic and false truth.

I would likely to be following the same path and methodology, to agitate and to make people uncomfortable and even angry. And hopefully something good comes out of it. It is a bit like reading the Animal Farm. The brief moment of liberation and hope soon turned to drudgery. The only animals that were having fun and enjoying life were the pigs. The readers looking from the outside could see the trickery, treachery and deceit and the injustice on the rest of the animals, a sense of indignation, the same way as reading my blog.

2015 is unlikely to be as peaceful and uneventful as 2014. Hopefully the ideas that were planted in 2014 would bear fruits, good fruits, for the good of the people, to make them smarter or at least thinking people. 2015 cannot be like 2014. 2015 is going to be a very active year, a year of actions and activities with the people taking the lead and not being led.

A Happy New Year to all my friends here. No need any hypocrisy to greet the dogs Happy New Year. It will be a waste of time. Let’s see how many of them will start snarling after reading this New Year message.

While we are greeting the New Year with big hopes, spend a moment of silence for the victims of QZ8501 and their families. 2014 has closed tragically on them and changed their lives completely.

Kopi Level - Green