Rohingyas - Sin City given second chance

In the late 70s and 80s, Singapore was faced with a serious threat from the Vietnamese boat people. Thousands of them were fleeing Vietnam and landing on our shores and the shores of neighbouring countries. We were caught between being merciful to the refugees or caring for our people. We have unemployment problems in the 70s. But more important, we knew then that we were only a tiny red dot and could not allow the refugees to flood the island. There were big countries that had the land to accommodate them. So we did the painful and morally difficult thing, by shoving them off our shores. We did our best to provide them with food, water and fuel and sent them off to their destiny.
 
We are a different kind of city. Today we are a big country, we can build and build, we can take in 10m or more people. Jobs are aplenty. We have full employment and we need manual workers. Now we are presented with a second chance, to save the new boat people, the new refugees, the Rohingyas. They are fleeing Myanmar, Bangladesh and India, in rickety boats like the Vietnamese in search of their promise land.
 
Many have died in their dangerous journey at sea, like the Vietnamese boat people. Many can be saved if the big countries are willing to take them in. Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia and Australia are all closing their doors to these boat people. They are so hear heartless. They don’t care.
 
Now we are given a second chance to show that we care, we can be generous. We have jobs for these people, we have land to house them, on the ground, above ground and underground. And one thing for sure, these people do not come with fake degrees and CVs. They come as they are, to fill the labour shortage in the construction industry, to be cleaners and sweepers, and maybe security guards. The only problem, they will provide more competition for our PMETs in these vocations, and don’t have to pay levies. They could not afford to.
 
So how, shall we bring them in since no countries want them and we need more labour and our country is so big, no longer a little red dot for $2m people. We will hit our 6.9m target faster and then go on to 10m and our economy will definitely boom again. So will demand for housing which is good for property prices. More demand for hawker centres and food courts and more shopping centres.
 
What do you think?

Monroe Doctrine in the South China Sea

The gist of the Monroe Doctrine is this, copied from Wikipedia, ‘The three main concepts of the doctrine—separate spheres of influence for the Americas and Europe, non-colonization, and non-intervention—were designed to signify a clear break between the New World and the autocratic realm of Europe. Monroe’s administration forewarned the imperial European powers against interfering in the affairs of the newly independent Latin American states or potential United States territories.
 
The Americans have been guarding their backyards, South America, as their special sphere of influence and no European countries or anyone else should be allowed to interfere in both North and South America. After its ascendency as the Number One Super Power, it has extended this to cover the whole world as its area of influence. No country can interfere in South America, but the Americans can poke its dirty fingers everywhere, and now they are going to poke in the South China Sea.
 
It is about time China follows the Indian Empire by declaring the East and South China Sea as its zones of influence, like the Indian Ocean to the Indians. It is only a matter of time before China pushes the Americans out of these two seas as it regains its military clout. The Americans would not want out and would want to extend the Monroe Doctrine to cover the rest of the world. They can only do it when it was the only Super Power and can use its military to coerce other lesser powers.
 
The geostrategic balance has changed. China is no pushover and has core interests to protect in the East and South China Seas and would put up a fight if forced to. The Americans have been provoking the other littoral states to confront China, but no one is stupid enough to want to engage in a war for the Americans except the semi colonies of the Empire. Japan is very eager, and so is the Philippines and to some extent Vietnam.
Who would be the cannon fodder should war break out between the US and China? Where would be the battle field of destruction? Most Asean states know it too well and would not want to be the proxies of American military aggression in the region. They can see how destructive a war can be if they got involved. And why should they be made used of by the Americans to fight and die for the Americans and get their countries and economies blasted to Stone Age?
 
In time, China would impose its own Monroe Doctrine on the Americans and tell the Americans to piss off to the Americas. The Americans don’t own the world and they should know that the world has changed. But the Americans would not go away without a fight. And this trip by John Kerry is to give notice to China that it wants to stay, and throwing its weight at China. China would have to say a firm No and to say it would fight if pushed to the wall. China would protect its core interests in its backyard just like the Americans would.
 
Who is the aggressor and the war monger? A thief calling China thief! The first time the Americans were kicked out of Asia was in Vietnam. Now it is going to be kicked further away by China. Would the average American boys and girls be willing to die for the islands in the South China Sea? What interest or relevance has these distant islands or rocks to their good life that they need to fight and die for half way round the world?
China has been trying to appease the Americans by saying the world is big enough for both of them. The Americans wanted the whole world for themselves and would not want to share with any country, not China.
 
It is Redcon One now. Don’t be deceived by Kerry’s smiling face in Beijing. He came with a sword. China got to thank Qian Xuesen and his good friend nuclear scientist YouLai that it too has the magical sword to prevent any adventurism by the Americans. Without the deterrence of the nuclear umbrella, you can bet the Americans will be running not only all over the South China Sea but also inside China and burning down Zhong Nan Hai.
 
The evil Empire is showing its hands.

The Rape of Amos Yee

The episode of Amos Yee is like a public trial by a hypocritical and unthinking mass of adults, the Rape of a Boy, in full daylight. Ok, before anyone jumps to conclusion again, I used the word ‘rape’ in a figurative sense, not the physical raping of the boy. In a sense it is used in the same way that Amos used the word ‘molest’ but more in the context of harassment, bullying, bashing and threats to his psychological and emotional state. You don’t have to touch another person all over to molest or to rape him/her. Likewise you don’t have to do horrible things like animals did.

Amos Yee was persecuted by a large group of adults for his rant in the internet and some cartoons. Such horrible acts cannot be tolerated in a clean, sanitised and healthy society where crime is non existence, where chewing gums is a crime, where every man and woman put on a robe and have a halo over their heads. Of course I am exaggerating. Such scenes can only be found in paradise. Oops, I pun right?

If Amos were to say those things in less hygienic places like in Europe or the US, I think it will be perfectly alright for him to do so, just like any other teenager in those imperfect places. In Sin City where Sin is frown upon, where Sin is unacceptable, a little indiscretion is really horrible to accept by the monks and priests.

Did anyone say the foul mouth straight shooting guy is more angelic and real than those who sing hymns and play the harps and drink holy water under the sun? In the seemingly innocent and simple world of angels and immortals, things are also very simple to judge. They are either white or black. And the thinking adults will sing the chorus, Amos Yee is bad, Amos Yee is bad. Hang him, burn him. And they will throw stones at him. Bad boy! Bad boy! They have put aside their thinking caps for safe keeping in the bank vault.

And after they have put Amos Yee away safely in the dungeon, care for by the hunchback of Notre Dame, they will go back to sing their hymns and drink wines and play harps. Everything is just right again. No more bad boys, only good unthinking adults. Oops. No more horrible things anymore, no bad Amos, only beautiful things.

Who rape Amos Yee? Not me, not me….We did it for his own good.

At 16 and with only his mother on his side, this boy has proven to be a very tough kid. In the face of a hostile mob, he stood his ground and fought the unthinking crowd of mindless adults. Many children would have withered and withdrawn into their little holes in fear. Not this boy, He is really tough emotionally. He is NOT insane while others would have gone flying over the cuckoo nest. And he has the common sense not to see a shrink. You better know what this means to a boy like Amos. M Ravi did not know and dug his own grave.

The mindless adults could only see bad in Amos and nothing good in him. Did anyone see a very exceptional and bright kid that has a lot of potential to blossom as he grows up? Or should the laughing hyenas keep raping this kid as the right thing to do?

Garden By the Bay – Good value for money

I must say something good about this Garden or else people always say I say no good things. I will use the mathematical method to convince you people why this Garden is good value for the money spent.
 
There are many things in the garden that you cannot see here, and I am not just talking about miracles. Just take the average cost for a Singaporean travelling to Europe to have a look at the tulips or to the Mediterranean to see the olive. Instead of flying over there, you only need to pay $20, and you can walk in to the aircon comfort to see all the temperate plants and flowers right here.
 
How much would it cost to travel to Europe? Say $1,000. If 1m people were to travel to Europe to see the plants and flowers there annually, it will be $1b a year. Obviously the cost of maintenance for the garden would not be so costly, maybe $20m, or is it more? Immediately you can see the savings. Even if it costs $200m annually, there is still a $800m savings.
 
And think of the publicity generated by the Garden. If every now and then a miracle happens in the garden, it would appear on the TVs across the world giving free publicity, like the F1. The value is unmentionable. Just like the F1, it is money very well spent so that people around the world know that there is an island paradise called Singapore. There are still many people living in the deep of jungles and the hearts of deserts and did not know Singapore. Never mind if it is irrevelant whether they know or do not know of our existence. It is good for them to know. Maybe they can then come here as foreign talents.
 
We should have a few more of such gardens to show to the world and get free TV time. And our people can save their $1b and time without having to fly to Europe. Can take photos inside the domes to shoe they have been to Europe also. Just add a few cardboards of Eiffel Tower, Pisa Tower or London Bridge would be helpful.
$20 to see the flora and fauna of Europe in the comfort of airconditioning, like being there. So much money to be saved and more.
 
What do you think? My logic and arithmatic can jalan or not?

LKY legacies: This is my country

When ordinary people like us say this is my country we mean it simply that we are a citizen of this country. When LKY said this is my country, it took on a different significance. He meant it, every word of it. No one dares to dispute this statement. As he said so, he belonged to a special group of people that were founders of nations. Before Singapore became an independent state, it was a British colony. Before that, it was a part of changing empires. There was no Singapore as an independent state. The Singapore of Raffles was a piece of colony. Only in 1965 that it became an independent state and the citizens assumed the right to determine their own destiny as a new country.
 
LKY and a few young men and the people who were British subjects were the original people that turned this island into a republic. This kind of history brought along special privileges that were personal to holders. When he made the Istana, the office of the President into the office of the PM, who dared to say no? In the last Presidential Election, Tan Cheng Bock was the only candidate who made it an issue, that he would want to move in if elected and to move out the PM’s office.
 
There is proper decorum and protocol, just like Chok Tong revealing that LKY was ‘protocolly’ correct to arrive earlier than him in meetings to respect his office as the PM of the country. Tony Tan also confirmed this that instead of him visiting LKY, LKY would visit him as Tony was the head of state, ‘protocolly’ correct. No one say anything about being ‘protocolly’ correct for the PM to have an office in the Istana. No one question if the office of MM or SM should be at the Istana. No one question or wonder if it is ‘protocolly’ correct for an MP to sit and work in the Istana.
 
It was ‘correct’ only because an MP or SM, or MM or PM to occupy the Istana if he is the founding father. It is correct if one could proudly proclaim that ‘This is my country’ and meant every word he said.
 
This right to occupy the Istana and use it as the office of a MP,SM,MM and PM is a legacy of LKY. Would this legacy be extended to any other PM,SM,MM or MP in the future? Would there be another one to claim this right without being questioned in the future? Would this legacy be buried together with LKY?