A new trend and a new normal

This guy came to me and offered me his name card. My God, was I impressed. Below his name is a long list of credentials. Let me just list them down to show you how well qualified he is.

B. Eng, Masters Computer Science, Ph D Eng, Ph D Science, Ph D Social Engineering, Ph D Technology.

I asked him if he was in senior management. He said no, just an engineer. But his boss was very impressed and even asked him how to get these Ph Ds to add on to his name card. He said his boss only got a B Eng from NUS. Now his boss felt malu looking at his name card.

I said soon he should be taking over his boss position. He said no lah. He was employed only because of his first degree which was genuine and from a reputable university in Geylang, the rest he bought it from the degree mills. Oh, you mean degree mills degrees can also be printed in the name card. He assured me can. He said he listed them in his CVs also. But not to worry, the rest just for show show only. The boss knew he did not get them by the normal and proper academic route. But it is okay. No worry, no crime. Not a crime.

This is the new fashion in Singapore. Even one government agency did not find any problem with it, till now. He said if don’t believe go and ask IDA. This type of thing is very normal one. If I don’t have a long list, employers would say I got no relevant skills set compare to FTs. FTs all got very long list of degrees and many many skills set.

I was so happy that I too went to get a few Ph Ds to add onto my name card. My name card now is printed on two sides. Too many degrees from University of Cempedak, University of Tekka, University of Telok Blangah, University of ….Oops, I can’t remember, so many of them that I don’t even know what they are. But shiok, damn shiok. Damn impressive. Whenever I meet anyone I will hand them my name card.  Lan par oso song.

Having fake degree from a degree mill is acceptable in Singapore?

Below is part of an article posted in the TRE about a staff from IDA with a Masters degree from a degree mill. The netizens are questioning IDA whether this is a crime. So far no official comment from any ministry on this.
 
‘IDA says staff’s MBA not a relevant certificate for her working in IDA
On 2 Apr, TRE wrote to IDA for comments on the matter and asked if it is aware that one of their staff has obtained her MBA from a degree mill. TRE did not get any reply from IDA.
 
However, netizens continue to pursue IDA relentlessly on its Facebook page and on Tues (14 Apr), IDA finally replied.
 
IDA said that her Bachelor’s degree is from a reputable university and she was recruited based on the Bachelor degree. Her MBA was “not a relevant certificate for her position in IDA”, it added.
 
IDA further said, “We would like to share that Nisha has been a committed team member and contributed in her role as an Applications Consultant for the past year.”
IDA’s full reply on its Facebook page [Link]:

Diego Garcia, Guam and Spratleys, what’s the big deal?

The Americans have been bombarding the Chinese daily about their constructions of buildings and airstrips in the islands in South China Sea. To the Americans, these actions are unacceptable, even acts of aggression that could lead to war. The Americans are all behind the Philippines to cry foul against the Chinese and even agitating the Asean countries to form a naval force to challenge the Chinese for building structures in their islands. And everyday there will be reports in the New York Times or other American media highlighting the Chinese activities with aerial photographs and condemning them. The drumming of war has started.
 
What is so wrong with the Chinese construction of buildings and airstrips in their own islands? These are islands the Chinese claimed as their own under the historical law of finders keepers. These are uninhabited islands, with no natives, no human life forms in them.
 
What about Diego Garcia and Guam? These were islands with islanders, natives living in them. And one is in the Indian Ocean and the other in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The Americans went in and seized the islands from the natives and built buildings and air bases for military purposes. These are two military fortresses owned by the Americans, taken from the natives. These islands are owned by the natives.
 
Why is it acceptable, no crimes, no aggressive intent? Why are the Americans allowed to treat the islands belonging to the natives as their own, without the permission of the owners and happily strutting around as a right? American Exceptionalism? The islands are not no man’s land. There are natives living in them.
 
China should show aerial photographs of the military bases in Diego Garcia and Guam to the world, get the New York Times to publish them and make comparisons on why one is acceptable, nothing wrong, and why the other is unacceptable and wrong. No man’s land is finders keeper. Land with natives are own by natives, like the continent of North America, Australia and New Zealand, and of course Diego Garcia and Guam. Who conquered them, robbed them from the natives?
 
Did China rob any natives of their islands in the South China Sea? Oh, other Southeast Asian countries are claiming them too. When China founded these islands, these Southeast Asian countries did not even know of their existence. They were not even nation states in the western concept of statehood. They have more rights to the islands than China?
 
The Americans should stop their bull and stop using its bigger military size and power to bully China. China would not take it lying down. When would the Americans stop their hypocrisies? The Americans must remember that the Chinese would not forget the attack on their Embassy in Belgrade. One day, one of the American Embassies will suffer the same fate when China is ready to stop the bullying. Sleep well America! What you sowed you shall reap.

When the Japanese did the sneak attack on Pearl Harbour, all the Americans were crying for blood and blood they did extracted from the Japanese with the two Atomic bombs. What makes the Americans think that they can get away with the sneak attack against the Chinese Embassy?

From foreign students to PR to citizenship

Responding to Png Eng Huat’s query on the number of foreign students taking up PR and citizenship, Iswaran was reported to have said ‘that about 7,000 foreign students at the secondary and junior college levels became permanent residents between 2001 and last year on their own merits. Of the 7,000, about 840 of them or 12 per cent subsequently took up citizenship’
 
Let’s look at the numbers more intimately. In 14 years, from 2001 to 2014, 7000 students became PR and 840 took up citizenship. These mean that 500 students became PR and 60 took up citizenship yearly for the same period. Not every encouraging right?
 
Another question to ask, presuming that all of them were on govt scholarships, how many of them were here during these 14 years and how much were spent on them using taxpayers’ money. These numbers would help to work out how much it cost to get one PR or one citizen. Then maybe the number can be used to compare if it is better to use the money on our citizens to encourage them to produce more babies. Just give the money to every child that is born, that may be cheaper in the long run.
 
What do you thing? It would be interesting to know the absolute number of foreign students given scholarships under this scheme and how much were actually spent. The former would give a percentage on the success rate. Could it be 10%, or 20%?

PS. Based on the 12% taking up PR, total scholarships given out would be 58,300 over 14 years.

Naming monuments after LKY

This is about the most important thing to think about and to do today. The whole population is thinking of some ingenious ways to honour the founding father. And many great ideas have been mentioned in Parliament about naming this and that or erecting this and that to name after LKY. Of course my idea of a 100m Statue of Liberty, I mean Statue of LKY, at the Marina Barrage is not well received as no one seems to want to mention it. So far the thinking has been very positive and everyone is very high about this, like on drugs.
 
Before anyone gone too far overboard and over excited by this exercise, just consider for a moment about the not so savoury part. Think of assholes, yes assholes like Matilah Singapura and the likes of him. Think of what rascals like him would be thinking and what they would be contemplating and would want to do. Just bear this in mind before doing anything. Think security. Think vandalism. If these hints are not good enough, think of Ah Long, I mean the loan sharks and what they are famous for when they went chasing for bad debt.
 
I think by now people should have a good idea what I am driving at and what they should do and should not do. It is always good to think positive, but at times it is important to consider the unthinkable. Not everyone is head over heels about this matter. Maybe a better idea is to ask people like Matilah Singapura, to read his mind to understand what they may be up to and not to make things too easy for them. Yes, pay him a consultation fee, kind of learning from a thief to catch a thief.
 
Get it?

PS. Careful about the acts of God. Remember the Merlion? A little proactive thinking would go a long way.