A degree course for politician wannabes

This is a follow up to my article If I am the PM and my good intention to make sure all the MPs are up to it to run the country. And my contention is that they are to attend a degree course in one of our top universities on the subject of government and how to run a govt. I know that some immortals are naturally gifted to have this skill set in born, born to rule, in them. So immortals can be exempted from this course since they already born with this talent. For the rest of aspiring politicians and wannabes, despite their successes in their professional fields, they must attend this course, compulsory, if they want to be qualified to stand for election as an MP. Our country must be run by able men and women who are properly trained to do the job and to be paid in the millions, more lucrative than any other profession.

The first topic to teach them is about Democracy. They must be made to know that this island republic is a democracy and not a monarchy or some dictatorship. So for the first lesson I would want them to write 1000 lines everyday. And this is what they should write.

‘A democracy is a govt of the people, by the people and for the people.’

They not only have to submit this to the lecturer everyday, they must all rise and recite this everyday before the class starts. They must be told that the political leaders of a democracy comes from the people and elected by the people to serve the people, not to serve themselves or to serve foreigners.  Repeat this everyday, of the people, by the people and for the people until it is second nature to them, that they will never forget these three phrases.

Comparative roles of opposition politicians in Parliament

Singapore and Malaysia inherited the same template for a democratic govt and parliament from the British. Both have evolved and made amendments to alter the nature of govt and parliament but the principles and fundamentals are still in tact.  Now, am I making a naïve statement on this?

Observers of the politics and politicking on both sides of the causeway cannot miss the stark difference in the roles being played by the opposition parties. Up north, the politicians seem to have all the time in the world to check on the ruling party, to investigate their misdeeds and wrongdoings, to form parliamentary committees to investigate the ruling party and their cronies. They are very busy doing that. As worthy lawmakers and as checks and balance to keep the ruling party and govt on their toes.

Down south, the opposition parties or shall I say party, are also very busy, not with checking the govt and lawmaking, but in running town councils and being checked by the ruling party/govt. The WP is now up to their neck, trying to shake off the demands placed on them to meet the deadline or no subsidies for AHPETC. They are working like crazy, to comply with administrative procedures and processes of a town council. Do you think they have time for other things, to keep the govt in check, to go checking on the govt and its agencies?

And with the GE around the corner, I don’t think they even have time to prepare for it or know that the GE is going to be held tomorrow. See the difference, the opposition lawmakers in the north have all the time to fire questions at the ruling party. In the south, the ruling party has all the time firing questions to the opposition party and keeping them very busy trying to ward off the blows and no time for anything. It is the ruling party that is doing the checks and balance against the opposition party.

Funny isn’t it?

Singapore got only one banking and finance talent

When the CEO of Stanchart’s position was vacant, one name came up as a suitable replacement. When the CEO position of the SGX is empty, the same name came up as the worthy candidate for the job. And the candidate is already sitting pretty and happily as CEO of another big bank.
 
It seems that Singapore has only one citizen that is good enough to fill the position of CEO in a bank or a big financial organization. And he is not even a Singaporean 2or 3 years back. He is a new citizen, taking up the citizenship after being offered the lucrative and plum job of CEO of DBS.
 
Is this a happy thing or a sad thing? Where have all the native Singaporean bankers gone, or is there any left? What kind of silly country is this when it keeps bragging about being the financial centre of Asia but got no native talent good enough for any top banking job? In fact most of the CEO jobs in the banking and finance industry are filled by foreigners and the next native that could be good enough or would be trained for it would be one in the late twenties because the Minister of Finance realized recently that there is a dearth of talents among the natives in the banking and finance industry.
 
I bet the CEO of SGX would probably come from a little village somewhere in SE Asia or Asia, a village bumpkin, as the real talents can only be found in little remote villages where the top banker is likely to be a money lender without a shop front. And the good thing, maybe they are beefing up the 3 top local world class universities to equip them with the resources and academics to start to train native Singaporeans for the future CEO positions in finance and banking, and be ready in 30 years time.
 
We are always planning way ahead of our time, so they quipped, a lot of foresight and aftersight, or backside, 30 years ahead but forgot that we need these talents today. There is no top native talent in the banking and finance industry in the financial centre of Asia!
 
What is happening? Ya, no skills set in banking and finance among the natives in the island. The best local talent available was recently appointed to be the Chairman of Temasek while another sitting pretty in the Istana. The local banking and finance talents have either gone the dinosaur way, extinct or fossilized!
 
A huge hot air balloon has been floated into space calling for a foreign talent to fill the job in SGX if the best and only ‘local’ talent in DBS does not want the job.

50 years, still a little tart

Immediately after SGX announced the impending departure of Magnus Bocker it followed up with another piece of news, that it had appointed a foreign recruitment agency to hunt for a replacement worldwide. This is like a reflex action. No one good enough in SGX or in Singapore, or there must be a better foreigner out there. Go, get me a foreigner quick. Shouldn’t it be looking for a Singaporean first, in house or within the industry or from the pool of brilliant scholars in the govt and if that yields no result then go hunting elsewhere? Why must it be that the SGX must look elsewhere first and not in house?
 
After 50 years, the little tart is still a little tart, looking for the shoulder of a foreigner for security. She probably feels very safe and comfortable hiding behind a foreigner. If a foreigner were to stand in front of the little tart, she would probably wet herself, urinating controllably and trembling in fear. Would it help if she pastes a million dollar on her face for that façade of paper thin dignity?
 
When the pioneering leaders came on board, it was all about self reliance, about independence, about our ability to run our own country with our own people and talent. And they made it a point to stand shoulder to shoulder with the foreigners, as equals. Today, things have degenerated so far that the little tart, instead of growing up, is highly dependent on the foreigners to hold her hand and to lift her head high. The insecurity and lack of confidence are hard to miss. Look over the shoulder and you will see a little tart grabbing the hands of a foreigner tightly, so afraid to let go, like the security blanket.
We don’t have good students, we don’t have good professors. So to make our universities look good, we import the professors and the students, lock, stock and barrel. Nice one, tart.
 
Initially I thought it was a colonial handover of sort. But today, any foreigner will do, even from the 3rd world countries. The little tart has lost all self respect and confidence of herself and her ability. What is the point of paying her million dollar salary when she continues to behave like a clueless little tart? Would she need another 50 years to grow up?
 
It cannot be a fetish craze for foreigners after 50 years of growing up unless it is a kind of degenerative trait, premature ageing and getting senile prematurely. Would the little tart be asking for a foreigner to be the PM or the President when the incumbents vacate their seats? Would it have to take another 50 years to grow up and be on our own? What are we celebrating SG50 for? For more good years and forever as little tarts?
 
What is wrong with our native Singaporean talent? Singapore got no talents? Yes, I am asking you, little tart.

LKY – The most controversial man at a critical moment of his life

There was a big stir last night that LKY had passed away only to be proven wrong. He is still in ICU being watched closely by his doctors. It is good that we keep an even keel in this blog without getting ourselves embroiled in the controversies by two opposing camps lampooning at each other over the merits and demerits of this man. He had done many things that people would remember him for good, and many things that his enemies or victims would not forgive him. In fact many Singaporeans have benefitted from his rule, some more, some less. I am not going to say much about those that crossed his path. They would have their own stories to tell.
 
At this very moment everyone is watching with uneasy feelings on when he would move on and what would happen after that. Would things go on as normal as if nothing happens, a non event? Or would hell break loose and all the knives and hatchets unsheathed? There are angers and hatred in some quarters, in some corners. How bad are they? Some comments in cyberspace were very harsh and very crude, a sign that some had a bad time from him or his policies.
 
This is like a lull before a storm. The initial reaction should LKY pass on would be a flurry of reports on him in the main media, in the papers and on air, eulogies and weepings from those who appreciated his contributions and made a difference to their lives. Then they would be the ceremonial processions for the man that was no longer the Prime Minister for many years but still living in the Istana as a permanent resident, a right only he deserved against all state protocol. He is still bigger than his MP title.
 
When the sound and glory are over, it would be the turn of the sound of fury. Would there be a different set of eulogies from a different viewpoint surfacing, not in the main media of course? Would there be hard thumpings and different versions of hard truths to challenge the official hard truths?
 
Fortunately I think all these happenings are likely to be academic, all sound and fury and nothing more than that. It is unlikely to be anything more after the steam was let off. Then soberness and sadness will fill the air for the passing of a national leader that had risen to the top of the heap only to close the chapter with a controversial ending.
 
This is a very busy and tense moment for many who are involved in one way or another, a moment they have prepared for and waiting to happen. This could be the most important event in our history that cannot be eclipsed by the SG50 celebration other than a shocking and controversial result in the next GE, if there is going to be one at all. There are expectations and this time, with the passing of the LKY’s era, the expectation is high, anything is possible. It will be a new ball game, the beginning of a new chapter in our history.

Next chapter, the changing of the guards.