Degree course for politician wannabes – Lesson 3

The politician wannabes must be clear of their roles as politicians when they are elected to become lawmakers. They have a very heavy duty and responsibility to sit in Parliament when the Parliament is in session, which happens quite rarely in their terms of office. Unless they are seriously ill, there is no excuse not to be present in Parliament.
 
The meaning of part time MP does not mean they can attend Parliament part time or anytime their want. The part time concept means they could still be working full time but when comes to Parliamentary duties, it must be full time. That is the most important function of an MP other than help the residents with their problems and how to cope with govt policies.
 
The MPs may go around hunting for soiled panties, taking care of stray dogs, kissing babies, taking selfies, etc etc but these are not their primary duties. Get the respective departments and officers to go chasing dogs and hunting soiled panties. Law making, making sure that relevant and effective laws are passed in Parliament, asking relevant questions, not about $20 or $200 issues and neglecting the $2m, $200m or $20b dollar problems. There are many very important matters to be discussed in Parliament that rat catching may be not so so important to the hard working MPs.
 
The simple lesson, get your priorities right. Do the important and the necessary. And know how to pass the buck, point the arrow and let the various departments and agencies do the running and get their jobs done. Part time MPs where got so much time catching rats and chasing soiled panties?
 
And it is not about running Town Councils. Leave that to the professionals, the civil servants who know what they are doing and would do it regardless of political parties in power. The interests of the residents must not be compromised by a system of musical chairs when the team going to run it could have very little professional knowledge or have to start to learn the ropes all over again after every GE. This is simply unsound and not good for the residents.
 
Get the point?

PS. Apologies for repeating an earlier post on lesson 2.Deleted.

The Brits are losing it

The recent announcement by our Govt to delist some well known British universities from the list of recognised universities for law degree and allowed to practise here must come as a shock, a thunderbolt from nowhere. How can this little ex colony have the gumption to not recognise top notch universities with long academic traditions and anytime better than the local universities here? The Brits forgot that our local universities are higher ranked that many British universities. It is like the student has surpassed the master. Wait a minute, I thought the higher ranking of local universities here are due to two major factors, foreign lecturers and foreign students. And foreign lecturers, especially the English speaking type are mainly from UK/US. And British universities must have a lot of foreign students as well. What is wrong with British tertiary education when they are ranked lower than our state universities? Don’t ask me. Maybe these universities did not know how to game the ranking system.

Now some of these reputable British universities are standing up in protest. How can this ex colony think British universities are not good enough? They are going to make representations and appeals to be reinstated into the list of approved universities.

All I can say is silly Brits. An easier and more comprehensive solution would be to sign a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement, CECA, and all their problems will be solved. CECA could also mean Comprehensive Exemption for Cheats Agreement when the quality and authenticity of the qualifications are questionable. If the Brits did not what this is all about, send a team of representatives to New Delhi to learn from their ex colony on how to con Singapore into singing a CECA. This ex colony has also outsmarted their colonial master and a smaller ex colony to sign this great agreement.

With a CECA, the British could even take over this ex colony and rule it for perpetuity if they so wish. There will be no more need to recognise any universities from UK, the Universities of Soho or Haymarket would do. They can just hop over to work here. Some natives here have gone bonkers and would love to welcome the British back to rule them. They have run out of ideas and would need just an excuse to bring back the Union Jack like some Hongkies are doing, protesting in the streets begging for the Brits to be back to rule them.

And the CECA with the British is just the right instrument to do it. Every single university in UK would be recognised by default of the agreement. No need to appeal to the ex colony. Come on Brits, used your head. It’s elementary, Watson.

President Netanyahu to speak in Congress

President Obama has infuriated Israel for working up a deal that was interpreted by the White House in Israel that Iran would be allowed to build nuclear bombs. The White House in Israel would not accept such a deal that it has vetoed and prevented for the last half a century. How could Obama allow this to happen as it would jeopardize the safety and security of Israel. Israel’s security is built around its absolute military superiority in the region and with its nuclear arsenal to obliterate any Arab states or Iran should they intend to mount a military campaign against Israel.
 
President Netanyahu has invited himself to speak to Congress to overrule Obama’s initiative that he and Israel would not accept. The de facto President of the USA is challenging the de jure President of the USA to have the latter’s plan dismissed and dismantled. Congress is going to be the battleground for the two Presidents to call their shots and see who is the one that is holding the real power to determine the policies of the USA.
 
And the Republicans are laying the red carpet to welcome the de facto President to turn the table against a lame duck de jure President on his last leg out of the White House. The true power of the President of the USA, in the hands of President Obama or President Netanyahu will be put to a test finally.
 
Who is the real President of the USA will finally be settled after President Netanyahu’s speech to Congress. The rest of the world will finally get to know that there are two American Presidents calling the shot at the same time, one elected by the people of America and one elected by the people of Israel.
 
The truth is stranger than fiction, so they said.

Cheng Meng at HDB estates?

Is it lucky or unlucky that the columbarium idea at Sengkang West is scrapped for the time being? For those who were thinking of paying respect to their ancestors in HDB estates during Cheng Meng they must be quite disappointed. The convenience of walking downstairs without the hassle of going to Choa Chu Kang, Bukit Brown or Yishun or Mandai must be a let down.
 
There is a brighter side to it though. Think of the crowd and cars parking in the HDB estates like those along the roads in Choa Chu Kang, Mandai and Bukit Brown during Cheng Meng, and all the smokes that came along, which is better? The traffic jams in HDB estate would not be easy to bear for the residents.
 
Traffic jams during Cheng Meng normally lasted practically the whole day and for a few weekends. Can HDB estate residents tahan or not? I think it will increase the strains on our multi racial population and unpleasant incidents could happen when the estates are packed by the visitors descending on them at the same time. The new citizens would need more time to adapt and integrate into this social event of the locals.
 
Anyone still wants a columbarium in your backyard? Would there be more columbarium built in HDB estates?

What is the PAP best remembered yesterday and today?

This is no longer so straight forward. What is PAP is best described in two phases, the first 30 years and the last 20 and still counting. The PAP was remembered best in the first 30 years as a party that built Singapore and positively transforming the lives of the people. What the PAP did in the first 30 years is still being strutted around as a badge of good performance. The PAP leadership of early years no longer in the picture, mostly gone, sidelined or not really in the thick of things.
 
What was the PAP associated with or best remembered in the first 30 years? Let me try to put it in simple words, nation building, industrialization, eradication of poverty, building cheap housing for the people, progress, upgrading, home ownership, buying bigger homes, car ownership, happier times, committed and dedicated leaders, a party of the people, support of the people, brilliant leadership. Creating a confident and proud people that could achieve anything.
 
What is PAP equated to today? High cost of living, high cost of everything, unaffordable housing called affordable, depletion of CPF savings, withholding the people’s CPF savings and refusing to return as promised, downgrading, selling homes to buying smaller homes, forget about car ownership, elitism, super expensive ministers that are dwarfed in comparison with the pioneering leaders in many ways, job loss of PMEs, influx of foreigners to replace Singaporeans in good jobs, lost of direction, loss of ideas, losing support and trust of the people, questionable leadership, a subsidy dependent people, highly in debt, highly stressed and insecure of their future well being. 

The most important, lost of confidence as a people and being despised by the foreigners replacing them in the job market. A country of no talent and needing 3rd world talents to help in the economy.
 
The above are just my views. Some may agree, some may disagree, no sweat. It is just an opinion. They are not the absolute right or wrong. It all depends on who you are and the colour of your lenses.