Orang Melayu – Old ties that bind

The one week of state funeral was best remembered by the passing of a political giant of an era and the outpouring of sadness by people at home and those abroad. Many foreign leaders were here on their personal capacity or representing their respective govts to pay their last respect to the man lying in state. While everyone was immersed in the solemn and somber mood of the moment, a sense of warmth permeated the air in an unusual way that many would have missed, gone unnoticed and forgotten.
 
The spirit and graciousness of the Orang Melayu of the region was at its best. The Sultan of Brunei and several members of his family were here, including many govt officials not reported, to show their respect to a man whose relationship with the palace were built over two generations as family friends. The bond was strong and lasting and valued by both families and people.
 
From the south, the Sukarnos, the Suhartos and the Yudhoyonos were all here. And so were the Jokowis and many present and past govt officials. They remembered the deeds of the man that was in the midst of interstate rivalry and friendship. They remembered him dearly and fondly as a good friend.
 
More remarkable were the leaders and royalties from the north. The love hate relationship between Malaysia and Singapore, between LKY and their leaders, the quarrels and bickering and at times personal acrimonies were set aside. With the passing of the man, the hatchet was buried, but more. The warmth relationship cultivated over the decades surfaced. At the end of the day, they were all like kampong boys growing up together, playing together and fighting over everything. But they were still childhood friends of the same kampong.
 
The Agung was here and so were the royalties. And the newly crowned Sultan of Johore was here, one day after his coronation, putting aside his busy schedule to show his respect to the man with many ups and downs in the relationship between the two states. Najib was here and so were Daim and many old friends and political foes.
 
The one that was dearly missed was Mahathir. The Malaysians expected him to come, no matter how bitter he fought with LKY, it was the man that he knew and worked with, like him or not was a separate matter. Mahathir missed the chance to show the world how big a man he could be. Abdul Samad, a very senior Malaysian politician of the same vintage was seen on Malaysian news chastising Mahathir for his lack of graciousness. He even reprimanded him for his slowness in coming out with his eulogy for LKY. There are times when personal rivalry should give way, take a back seat, to allow the warmth of human relationship to triumph.
 
The Orang Melayu of the region were extremely gracious and warmth and added a great sense of dignity to the occasion, to bid farewell to a kampong boy they knew a life time. Without the politicking and agitating, the Orang Melayu could make great friends that would last a life time.
 
The passing of the man they called friend and at times loved to hate marked a new chapter in the relationship of the people in the region. Hopefully the new leaders and future leaders could pick up a few goodness in being friends and political foes and graciousness while locked in political differences and rivalry. There is a man behind all the politicking, and there is friendship to be made and cherished, in the spirit of the Orang Melayu.

PS: There were signs of regret in Mahathir for the things he did to the man and he came close to saying sorry for the riots when Singapore was in Malaysia. There was an admission of guilt for the incident, a kind of telling the man, ok we did it. Let bygones be bygones. He must have deemed it necessary to set the record straight and close the chapter of finger pointing on who caused the riots.

CPF – From compulsory savings to compulsory taxation

It was meant to be compulsory savings for retirement. Now it is more like compulsory taxation by the govt. The latest clause that demands all Singaporeans who are overseas to pay for Medishield Life is as good as that. The govt does not care or bother you need the Medishield Life coverage as you may be away for 20 or 30 years or more, but you are legally required to pay up. The govt does to care if you are paying for another medical insurance in your domicile country and no need for the Medishield Life, it still wants you to pay, all because you are a Singapore citizen. If this is not compulsory taxation, what is? It even overides double taxations. At least double taxation could mean exempted from one country or paying one side. This one is so aloof, it doesn’t care what you are paying and how much you are paying or that you are paying for a better medical coverage, you pay up because you are a Singapore citizen. You are so blessed!
 
Who do you think benefits most from your compulsory saving/taxation? Obvious right? The first and biggest beneficiary from your compulsory saving/taxation must be the HDB. Here everyone would have to cough up at least $500k in his life time or more than a million to pay for ‘affordable’ public housing. Now you would have to pay a life time for Medishield and again who is the beneficiary? And whatever money left would be stucked in the two minimum sum schemes, to benefit who in the form of cheap loans? And the loans would only be repaid when you die or if you are alive, in small tokens. It means that you are extending a loan with your life savings to the govt until you die. And if you are stupid enough to will it to the CPF account of your loved ones, the loans could be extended in perpetuity. To benefit who?
 
Your compulsory savings are for whose benefits? Do the daft Sinkies know what is happening to their CPF savings? All their CPF savings kena tangkap for life! Does the PAP really believe that it do anything it wants with the people’s life savings and can get away with it without any serious repercussion in the GE, that the people do not mind, do not care and submissively accepted this fait accompli?

The Last Dance of a Racist Racialist Coward

Alimama vs Sinaman

By MIKOspace

A couple of weeks ago, it must have taken some daringness for Dr M to travel to Singapore to see and confirm for himself that MM Lee Kuan Yew has actually passed away and is really, really dead. Being a medical doctor, trained no less by Singapore’s best Medical School, he was quite convinced himself that LKY has indeed passed away.  Sadly, Dr M sighed with great relief before his narcissistic personality overwhelmed him and he decided to insult the better man by calling LKY “kiasu” during their years of dealings and negotiations.  

It was just amazing! Finally, Alimama could muster the courage to insult Sinaman in his face as the latter was laid to peaceful rest by his beloved Singaporeans.  Alimama had to be certain that Sinaman would not suddenly jump up to sue him, Dr M, for defamation or slander.  But just to be on the safe side, the coward Alimama only uttered his insults after Sinaman had been cremated.  And then, he only did so in the safe Malaysian town of Cyberjaya, nearly 300km from Sinaman’s Singapore.  Serious outstanding courage indeed, Dr M.

As Alimama boarded his plane to return home, he secretly hoped that his Malaysian people, whom he ruled as their 4^th Prime Minister from 1981-2003, would shower him with the same love and fame as Sinaman had received from Singaporeans in his life as in death.  It’s really a shame, Dr M, that the people you had so despised, deceived and divided by political and social racism over the years have left you so useless, empty and lonely. Dr M had repeatedly scolded, coaxed and prodded Malaysian Malays. They saw the truth in your eyes after you left office and sniped at all your successors from Tun Abdullah Badawi to the present Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak from the lofty Petronas Twin-Towers.

MM LKY said: “Dr M undermines his successors”.  MM Lee sees his role after stepping down as Prime Minister to be an advisor to the next generation of leaders. Taking up his new role seriously, he deferred to his successors, PM Goh CT and PM Lee HL, in all protocols, matters and manners.

It was already 1981 when Dr M became Malaysia’s Prime Minister, and where he remained the longest serving for 22 years.  It is therefore disingenuous when he said that MM LKY was still "coloured with bitterness" over Singapore's expulsion from Malaysia in 1965, some 17 years earlier. By 1975, Singapore had transformed into a thriving global metropolis when compared with still struggling 3^rd world Malaysia, who was then obsessed with implementing her racist pro-bumiputra social and economic policies.  MM LKY and Singapore have absolutely no regrets, let alone lingering bitterness, over separation from Malaysia, who continues to languish in the errors of her policies and drowning in the cesspits of prevalent corruptions that they spawned. 

To Dr M, the Malay race is inherently “backward” genetically.  In his controversial 1970 book “The Malay Dilemma”, he attributed the Malay’s “natural racial inferiority” to poor eugenics from their traditional habit of marrying first cousins which, according to him as a trained medical doctor, resulted in gene regression and resulted in the relatively greater social progress by the better intelligent Chinese.  Of course, Mahathir himself is not pure Malay racially but hailed from an Indian-Muslim (ie Alimama) ancestry that thereby enable him to claim and prospered from the privileged bumiputra status.  He therefore sees himself, a non-Malay, as the “Champion for the Malays”, and their political support of him for over 20 years further reinforced his belief in his “inferior” race supporters.

Malaysia’s problems are therefore mostly self-created and based on the flawed “inferior race theory”, and which was further expounded in the discredited thesis of Alimama himself.  The achievements of Singapore Malays confirm the lies and baselessness of the “inferior race theory” and affirm Singapore’s multiracial multicultural policies “regardless of race, language or religion” as the cornerstone of our development success.    

In fact, Dr M’s duplicity was clearly exposed to MM LKY and Singapore civil servants in the 2001-2002 Water Talks regarding the prices of raw water supply from Malaysia in the Water Agreements scheduled to expire in 2011 and 2061 respectively.  The raw water price was 3 M’sian sen per 1,000 gallon under the Agreements.

It was actually agreed between Dr M and MM LKY that the indicative raw water price would be 45 sen in return for agreement of water supply beyond the 2011 and 2061 expiry dates of the Agreements. The price was however shifted by Dr M repeatedly; first to 60 sen, to be backdated to 1986 and 1987 respectively, and also RM3 (3 Ringgits!) from 2007 to 2011; and from 2011 to adjust by inflation.  In September 2002, Dr M’s staff returned to ask for RM6.25 per 1000 gallon, a jump of 200-fold from RM3!  

In July 2002, Singapore announced the success of our Newater Project, and informed Malaysia that the Water Agreement expiring 2011 would not be renewed.  In December 2002, both country suspended discussions on the other Water Agreement expiring 2061. We are now self-sufficient in portable water supply.

Singaporeans can now understand why MM LKY had almost no direct dealings with Dr M from 2003 onwards.  We already know only too well that MM LKY does not suffer fools and idiots easily.  However, what MM LKY cannot tolerate is a blatantly dishonest, perfidious and untrustworthy person who cannot, will not and choose not to negotiate in good faith and not to adhere to his word.    

Singaporeans, especially the younger ones, can now better understand why Dr M was cautiously nervous, even apprehensive, when he arrived in Singapore 2 weeks ago. Understandably, Alimama clearly dread facing the live Sinaman in any straight and honest shootouts! 

As his plane was taking off from Singapore Changi Airport, Alimama looked back as if just to ascertain that neither Sinaman nor his pervasive indomitable air force was trailing behind. Quite fortunately, no. Running won't get you far, Dr M. You just cannot shake off the unmistakable and indisputable legacies of MM LKY in Singapore and the world. The spectre of Sinaman as the better and more honourable man will continue to haunt you, Alimama, forever.  Run, if you must; know that hiding is impossible, and escape is not an option, man.  Soon, everyone will die naturally.  With Sinaman now in the heavens; where do you think you could hide in eternity from him forever, Dr M?  Actually, there is that other place …..

Full Post:

Dr M and MM LKY: The Continuing Saga  

Related:

Again, Malays are Lazy, said Dr Mahathir

Panorama: A History of Singapore’s Battle for Merger

Why George Gascon, photographer of LKY, going home?

It was reported that the Gascon, personal photographer of LKY from the ST, had returned to the Philippines to be a farmer despite LKY persuading him to stay on as a citizen. Why would a person reject the good offer from LKY to stay in this first world city?
 
Let’s do the number game and see why this guy preferred to go back and be a farmer, owning his own farm and probably a big land and house to his name. If he stayed, he would likely be retired by 60. Assuming both he and his wife were professionals, they would likely to own a 4 or 5 rm HDB flats and each would still have about $100k to $200k in their CPF accounts after 20 years here. On retirement, both would receive maybe $1000 each monthly to live forever and the flat fully paid. They would survive but no frills, no cars.
 
By choosing to return to the Philippines, they would cash out everything. The flat could fetch between $400k to $600k. And the CPF would have to return them maybe $300k in total. Their net cash would be roughly S$1m or 32.5 million pesos. A flat in the Philippines costs about 1/10 the price in Singapore. He could get a very big house in the rural area for $100k and maybe a big farm for another $100k. He could buy a decent car for $30k. And he would be left with $650k cash or est 20m pesos in his bank savings, not stuck in a CPF kind of savings that he cannot touch.
 
With the cost of living that is roughly 1/10 of Singapore’s, he would be a very rich man! And he could send his children to the best schools. And if they need a good job, send them to Singapore to go through the same cycle and to return to the Philippines later as rich men one more time.
 
Why would he want to retire in Singapore with no cash except those stuck in the CPF, untouchable except for the monthly stipends and waiting to pay a medical bill that he cannot afford to, no cars and only a HDB flat? He is now a very rich farmer and very comfortable with his savings.
Gascon is definitely no daft Sinkie.
 
PS. I am assuming that he had a flat to sell with big profits. Many Pinoys and those from neigbouring countries would be doing the same when they retired. Sell everything and go home very rich.

Lee Wei Ling: Lesson from LKY

“Let’s not miss the chance to learn the lessons Papa’s death taught us about ourselves,” Lee Wei Ling said in her eulogy to her father.
Calling Westerners “the white man”, she said, “Never be impressed by the white man who thinks he is superior to you. We are no less and probably more capable than he is. If Papa and his Old Guard colleagues did not believe that, they would not have fought for independence and built up this country.”

Lee Wei Ling should say that to her brother and in Parliament to help the super talents have some confidence in themselves and in Singaporeans, and not be worshipping foreigners like God. See the mad scramble to hunt for foreign talents whenever a CEO position is left empty? Take a guess who will be the next CEO of SGX. No prize for the correct answer. I think the decision has probably been made and it would not be a daft Sinkie.
 
The generation of founding fathers of modern Singapore was made up of men and women of confidence, who believed in themselves and in Singaporeans, that we could build this country into a better place for Singaporeans. And they were not proud men and women that were blinded by their pride not to accept foreign help. Foreign help would be welcomed when a situation called for it, not calling for foreign help in every situation. Singapore was practically built with the hands of the founding fathers who believed in themselves and in Singaporeans. Foreigners were welcomed to teach and train us at times when we did not have the expertise, not to take over and rule us. We learn to walk and to run on our own, not forever holding on to a foreign crutch. Talented foreigners should be welcomed to compliment us, not to supplant us and replace us.
 
Look at the present bunch and ask yourself if they believe in themselves and in Singaporeans? Look at how they tremble in the presence of foreigners, how they go gaga in the presence of foreigners, how they faint when a position is vacant and how they scramble to find a foreigner to fill it up quickly. Look at how silly they look in the presence of foreigners who could con them into giving them millions and billions to do whatever they want.
 
Lee Wei Ling must instruct them to read her papa’s biography, make it compulsory reading, and to learn from him about believing in themselves, don’t shrink or shrivel in front of foreigners, and like Heng Swee Kiat said, to look at the foreigners in their eyes, wear high heels if needed, classical LKY teaching. Actually it is about confidence and not how tall you are. Did they learn anything from him? Wei Ling, better be quick before they bring in another foreigner to sit at SGX.