A man’s will versus the law

There is an article in the ST on 24 Fri discussing the issue of LKY’s will to demolish his house and not allow the state to acquire it as a national heritage. Here is a case of whether the will of an individual should take precedent over the law? Which is more important or carries more weight? Can any individual write a will and expect it to be honoured by the State, in this case the State should not take over the house no matter how valuable it is according to the law on the acquisition of private properties?
 
On face value it is a groundless case for any individual to make such a will and demanded it to be accepted by the state regardless of what value the state sees in the property. A grandfather wants to will his attap hut in Bukit Timah to his son, can or not? Sure can, but the State would decide whether the attap hut got any historical or architectural value or other values. If got, sorry, tell the grandfather it would not do. The interest of the state supercedes an individual’s will.
 
But LKY, the founding father of Singapore is not any individual and his will is best respected. And his son, Hsien Loong, the incumbent Prime Minister, has taken the case to Parliament, asking Parliament to honour his father’s will. Not sure if a decision has already been made. I never follow Parliament meetings so closely. Maybe they have put it to a vote. That is the fairest thing to do in a democracy.
 
This article in the ST would raise a lot of questions. If LKY’s will is granted by Parliament, the author of the article said it could be quoted in the courts as a precedent. So the grandfather’s will on his attap hut still got chance to be saved if he dies after this thing has been approved by Parliament.
 
But Parliament may approve the request by the PM and put a special clause to it that this is an exception as LKY is the founding father of the nation. And this case cannot be quoted as a precedent. So the grandfather can forget about willing his 100 year attap hut to his son. Anyway, never mind, the law is the law. And the attap hut got not much value. What is an attap hut?

When would the govt recognise our universities as world class?

Our universities, at least two of them, are ranked among the best in the world. After spending so much money gaming the system to be among the top, has any of our ministers even said it officially that our universities are world class, among the best of the best? And has the govt make this into a reality by telling the ministries and stats boards, GLCs and the MNCs here that our students are the best and they should hunt them down for employment and senior management positions? Have any of them even commented that our universities are reputable universities? Maybe that is too much to ask when everyone is so overawed by the reputable foreign universities and their high rankings, like in the 551. Some believed the bigger the number the betterer the university. Thus NUS and NTU are no match.

For once, we are hearing from IDA that an unranked university called University of Mumbai, is a reputable university. Oops, it is ranked a creditable high of 551, better than NUS and NTU. No wonder they are scrambling to hire its graduates and falling all over, grabbing at anything and would not let go. Funny, this reputable universities graduates cannot tell a degree mill or think a degree mill degree is just as reputable and worth pursuing.

But more funny, our stats boards, maybe even ministries and GLCs are by passing our local ‘out of this world’ university graduates and opted to hire graduates from reputable universities like Mumbai. What is the secret? Why is Mumbai, with no disrespect, better than NTU or NUS? Or is it that our ‘out of this world’ universities are producing graduates with skills set that are ‘out of this world’ and so much ahead of its time, or behind time that the skills set are not suitable for the present job market?

When would one of these immortals say something good about how good our ‘out of this world’ graduates are and telling the ministries to employ them as preferred graduates? Or it is not true and ‘out of this world’ means fictional, not relevant or irrelevant, only good for show, but not employable?

If our govt is non committal in the value of our graduates, why should foreigner MNCs be interested in employing them? If our ministries and stats boards and GLCs think so highly of universities like Mumbai and nothing of NUS and NTU, and the Ivy League universities they are linked to, might as well close down these two universities or linked them with reputable universities like Mumbai. At least the employers like the ministries and stats boards and GLCs would find them employable.

Seriously, why is the govt so unwilling to commit to saying our graduates are the best, at least should be better than those of Mumbai and should be preferred employees? Are the graduates from our world ranked universities fakes or hoaxes? Don’t forget, more than half of our lecturers and professors are world class, from foreign countries, real foreign talents. They are paid handsomely to produce good quality graduates here. Did they or didn’t they?

The only people that find it necessary to crow about the quality of their graduates are those from SMU. They are proud of their graduates and their worthiness. With the current trend of hiring from reputable universities from the 3rd world, not sure if SMU graduates are also relegated to the fringe.

The slippery road of no return

The Singapore Brand, a legacy of LKY that makes Singapore ticks and the role model of the world is taking a bashing in quick succession. It looks like they have buried the Singapore Brand with LKY and a new brand like the Chinatown or Rochore Canal Brand is the new replacement. Honesty and integrity are just two slippery concepts that can be twist and turn to suit the user’s needs.

There was an applications consultant hired by the IDA that was found to include an MBA from a degree mill in her resume. The explanation came after the social media went on fire to demand that she be sacked, that she was recruited based on the first degree from a reputable university, the MBA was not considered. Ask around and you will find no Singaporean with a decent grade would enrol in this reputable university that is ranked 551 in an international ranking. If I am not mistaken, many universities in Malaysia ranked even better than 551.

After incessant pressure for the ministries to act, it is reported in Saturday’s msm that an internal investigation found that the staff concerned ‘did not deceive the agency by listing the MBA from Web based Southern Pacific University, an alleged diploma mill, in her resume.’ The staff ‘…had genuinely believed her MBA programme to be bona fide, and she had put in effort to obtain the qualification, the IDA said.’ My auto pilot reaction when reading this was, ‘huh, got like that one?’

Such an explanation would never have been accepted in the past and no one in his right mind would dare to use it as a logical explanation of a wrong. And they have no doubt about her intelligence. She is a graduate from a reputable university and did not know what is a degree mill? Today IDA is using it as an acceptable justification to clear an employee alleged to have used a degree mill MBA in her resume. Can I take it that the govt and the ministers too would agree to this kind of reasoning, if they did not say anything against it, especially the Minister of Infocomm?

And there is another case of a foreign lecturer in the Ngee Ann Polytechnic who ‘received a master’s in education from non accredited, online based Breyer State University three years ago,…(and) is supposedly graduating from the same institution with a doctorate in psychology later this year.’

In defence of his appointment as a lecturer, he had 15 years of experience with the polytechnic’s School of Film and Media Studies, NP said he was appointed not based on his masters and doctorate degree. The polytechnic did not mentioned what qualifications he had when appointed as a lecturer and then promoted to senior lecturer. ‘NP added that Mr Jonet pursued the master’s programme of his own accord, and that it was no a job requirement and had no bearing on his progression at the institution.’

The only positive thing about NP’s explanation is that one does not need a degree or a technical qualification to be hired or promoted as long as one is able to do the job. In the past it was like that. This is the same position taken by a forum writer, likely a FT, in the main media a few days’ earlier that a certificate or degree is not necessary if one can do the job. Our hospitals and architectural institutions would now have a lot of doctors and architects to choose from if no degree or certification is necessary. In the past a dentist can set up a shop to extract tooth without going to medical school. And it worked too. Maybe our PMETs should consider becoming a dentist and apply to the MOH. But first must go learn how to pull a few teeth out from some mouths to show that one knows how to do the job.

Such a flexible approach to hiring talent is like back to the 3rd world. But looking at it positively it is Innovation with a capital I and 3rd world Creativity with a big C. Our rigid and straight jacket system run by our super talents would definitely frown upon such frivolous methods of recruiting talents. Or have they been won over by IDA and NP? No wonder we need more 3rd world talents to teach us how to do it the 3rd world way for progress. It is like anything goes. And please, no need to pay our 'out of this world' salary for this kind of standard.

Ok, forgot it is time to forget about LKY’s Singapore Brand. Now no need qualifications, can do the work OK leow. No wonder some ministers are discouraging our young from going to universities. If you can get someone without a good and respectable degree to teach our students, what is the point of going to get a degree? I like it very much. Non graduates can teach students to become graduates. It is novel for sure. How come I never think of it?

Shit, I am behind time. Our super talents are worth their pay. They have thought of it, ahead of me. I am really slow. Now the new mantra, ‘Bo tak chek’ can teach students to get a degree! Ingenius! And daft Sibkies are in awe of 551 ranked university as reputable, and this kind of talents to help Singapore to grow, to replace our PMETs.

Chok Tong – Old ginger is hot

‘Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong thinks that the Singapore society will go through a major upheaval. "I can see an avalanche of social issues coming," he said this at the launch of the National University of Singapore (NUS) Social Service Research Center today. 

"The social challenges of Singaporeans in the next 50 years will be drastically different from those in the last 50," he also said，‘

The above is quoted from an editorial in The Real Singapore ‘GOH CHOK TONG: I CAN SEE AN AVALANCHE OF SOCIAL ISSUES COMING’

While the party members are all in celebration mode, Chok Tong is warning them of things that are coming their way. With his height and helicopter view, he has all the advantages that his colleagues in the party did not have. Actually it is his age, I supposed, to sit back and think and look at the whole picture. You need him and his wisdom now that Oracle is gone. He has the time and experience to see more things and bigger things. Being not involved with what is happening and the policies of today, he has the comfort of being disinterested and can see things clearer.

He is seeing an avalanche of problems. The rest are happily having a ball, everything is fine. Would Chok Tong move into the Istana to fill the vacant seat of the Oracle and start dispensing his wisdom and forecast of world events? Would the Istana come to life again with queues from foreign dignitaries seeking advice from the elder statesman, the wise one.

The little Red Box says it all

In every commercial aircraft there are two black boxes to record all the relevant and important data concerning the aircraft, its flight pattern and details and the conversation of the pilots. The information recorded will eventually be used as undisputable evidence of what actually happened to the aircraft in case of an accident.

After LKY his former PPS, Heng Swee Kiat, has revealed the story of the little, now famous, Red Box used by LKY for his work. What does this Red Box say about LKY and his role in the governing of Singapore? He may not be the PM, and during his last term just an MP. But there are the trappings of power in the man. His office is in the Istana, the official resident of the President of Singapore and now also the office of the Prime Minister. He has a staff of his own, security officers etc. And of course the little Red Box that he kept his official files that he was working on.

What did all this meant to the nature of work and responsibility of LKY? Was he doing the job of an MP, taking care of the affairs of the residents of Tanjong Pagar? Or was he intricately and intimately involved with the running of Singapore? What did the man said about himself and his commitment and devotion to the well being of Singapore? What did the rest of his colleagues and the Prime Minister said of his work?

Heng Swee Kiat was no longer his PPS when LKY was just an MP. Apparently the little Red Box was still with LKY in his last stretch in his office in the Istana. What did the Red Box say about his involvement in the affairs of the state? Did he let go or did he not let go? Was he just keeping an eye over state affairs or a passive observer?