Raffles Revealed – A lesson in history

Raffles Revealed is currently being run on Channel News Asia on the man himself and his role as an Imperialist serving the British Empire. It touched on Raffles ambition to wrestle Indonesia from the Dutch and French and bring it under the ambit of the Empire. The Dutch and French were fully in control of Indonesia operating from Batavia, present day Jakarta. Raffles was in Calcutta, the HQ of the British East India Company or front of the British Empire.

His strategy was to sow discord among the native tribal chiefs to rise against the Dutch. The natives were eager beavers, seeing the potential of an external power to assist them to overthrow the Dutch colonialists. But they did not realise that the British were doing it for their own convenience and their objective was to replace the Dutch as the colonial master and the native chiefs would still remain under another colonial power. Or the native chiefs might just play along, to get the British to fight the Dutch. They did negotiate with the British for their independence but was turned down. The British eventually attacked them as well and seized control of Indonesia for themselves.

The situation and the tactics used by the British then were similar to the situation in South China Sea. The Americans are here, sowing discord among the Asean countries against China. The difference is that China is not colonising any of the Asean states but with counter claims to the some of the islands in the South China Sea. But the Asean states are behaving like the native chiefs, thinking that they could invite the bigger devil to deal with a smaller devil, and thinking that at the end of the day the bigger devil will allow them to take control of the disputed islands.

The Americans today share the same strategic interests of the British in Raffles’ times. They are here for their own interests and carving out areas of influence and control. And the Asean countries are behaving like the native chiefs, thinking that they are wiser and could play the big powers against one another. The Americans seized the moment and the opportunity to agitate the Asean countries to rise against China.

In the narrative of Raffles Revealed, it was all about power and domination. There were no issues or concerns about human rights, national sovereignty and territorial integrity.  The Americans are here simply to guard their own interests and manipulating the Asean states to do their bidding but would be the ultimate winner and ruler of the region.

Eventually the use of force and power would rule the day. The Asean states, like the native chiefs of Indonesia, were just pawns in a bigger chess board. They are only to be used and to be controlled or dominated by either of the two super powers. Their silly dreams of taking advantage of big power conflicts to serve their interests would be like the dreams of the native chiefs, eventually still be conquered and ruled by the British Empire, now the American Empire.

Anything changed? History is a good teacher provided the students are not daft and willing to learn from it.

National Day – Food for thought

Watching the National Day Parade and reflecting on how far we have come gives one a sense of pride, a sense of achievement against all odds, and a sense of doubt of how long can we party before it is over? It took us 50 years to build this country by sheer drive and determination. Everything was so daunting, so defeating when we started. It was dark clouds all over, every endeavour was a challenge, a step into virgin territory. Everything was a new experiment, we had not done it before. With perseverance and dedication, and a big of luck, we built what we have today. The pioneer generation grew the trees, the children of today enjoy the shade and the fruits of their labour. 

It is so sickening to hear the Johnny come lately telling true blue Singaporeans that they are here to help us build this country. Who spun this silly myth? It is the greatest insult to our pioneers who sweat, cried and bore the burden on their backs with measly pay, to set the foundation and putting in all the right stones for the later generations to keep climbing higher, standing on the shoulders of the pioneer generation.

Some of the foreigners who are new citizens today even claimed they built this country. And no joker dares to dispute this kind of silly statements to put the newcomers in their right place. How to emigrate and take over a country without firing a bullet?

Many of the pioneer generations would shed tears of joy and contentment to see what Singapore is today. Many have benefited and left behind the early days of struggling to build a country and a nation. There is contentment to see the young enjoying all the good things in life of a prosperous city. Let’s celebrate more good years, let’s party. There is nothing wrong with that. It is our privilege to celebrate the good life. We worked for it. Our parents and forefathers sweated for it. I am sure the young are thankful to the early builders of our country.

Why worry? What is there to worry? Relax, and go and have a good time.  When everyone is in such a happy mood, that all is well and going forward everything will be better, tomorrow will be a brighter day, it is time to worry.  It is moments like this, when the guards are down, that things will start to go wrong. Too cautious, too paranoid?  We did not get here without being paranoid.

We used to have a govt that was paranoid over our survival as a city state. Has anything changed? Is it time to change, no need to worry anymore. Things can only be better. Sometimes one wonders why the head of a family is always frowning, with a perpetual unhappy and doubtful look on his face. The head of a family is always worried about the well being of the family and how to provide them with continuous wealth, security and well being.  He is the last one to party.

The tanks rolled yesterday to show our might. The fly boys and their sophisticated mean machine screamed through the sky to say they meant business. This is our country and we will do everything to protect it for our people, the Singaporeans, the children of the pioneering generations.

Would this country with its wealth, be given away to foreigners one day? Would it be taken over by foreigners one day, taken from the children of our pioneer generation? Or it has already been taken over by foreigners, or on the way of being taken over by foreigners? The foreigners are here, living among us, taking our jobs, our homes, our space, enjoying the fruits of the labour of our forefathers. Would they turn ambitious and vicious and want everything for themselves? We are very kind to the foreigners. Would they be kind to our children to reciprocate our generosity and hospitality?

Would our young let their guards down and lose the country without knowing what happened? Would our tanks and mean machine be taken over by foreigners and turn the guns at our own people instead of defending them? The foreigners are here, in hoards. There are more foreigners here than true blue Singaporeans today. Is that a comfortable and safe equation? Don’t ask the fools please.

Why worry, be happy. Today our govt does not need to be paranoid about our security like the first generation leaders. We cannot see any danger and know no danger. Beware of the gift bearing Greeks! The Trojans celebrated and got themselves drunk while the Greeks were in their city preparing to take over. The rest of the story can be found in history books.

Have we done enough to give our homes and country away without knowing it?

Gardens By The Bay - Architectural Structure

I have never been to this famous and one of the most expensive artificial gardens in the world. While I was at the Marina Barrage shooting the Black Knights, I took some time wondering around admiring at the beautiful structural features of the two domes housing temperate plants from other parts of the world. The plants are enjoying some of the finest facilities and climate controlled environment that the average citizens could only envy. If not because of the prohibitive construction and maintenance cost, the Gardens would be better received by the more cost conscious people. The maintenance cost comes to tens of millions annually, if I can recollect the sums quoted, that the critics are still very unforgiving in their views on the money spent . The only great value of the Gardens so far are the miracles that are happening inside the domes that led people jumping for joy.

Below are some of the photos that I took with a bridge camera, an old favourite of mine.

Roy Ngerng – Son of Chai Tau Kuay versus natural aristocracy

Can you believe it, it is happening. Earlier I made a post about this election turning into a contest between the ordinary average Singaporeans against the nobles and aristocrats, now we have a Chai Tau Kuay hawker’s son taking on the son of the aristocracy.

Roy Ngerng has announced that he is joining Kenneth’s Reform Party and he is going to contest in Ang Mo Kio GRC. He is bringing his fight to Hsien Loong’s home base, the unshakable fortress of PAP, the seed and source of PAP’s power as my gemancer friend told me. To shaken, loosen or to remove Hsien Loong from Ang Mo Kio will be a deafening blow to the story of the PAP. 

The issue now is what kind of team would Roy be able to garner to fight along his side to take on Hsien Loong’s team that are likely to be the best Hsien Loong could get. Oops, Ang Mo Kio is for once going to face a serious challenge and it is no longer a safe ward anymore. Light weights would not be allowed as they would weigh down on the sampan. Everyone in the team must now be able to carry his own weight. No more home run free.

And how would the battle be fought between one that has nothing to lose and one that has everything to lose? For sure, Hsien Loong would have his hands full and would not have the privilege to grace the rallies of weaker PAP teams. He is going to fight for his life, to be elected and to remain the PM. Losing Ang Mo Kio is unthinkable. It would likely be the turn for many ministers to take time off to speak in Ang Mo Kio’s rally to give him a helping hand.

And the issue will be Roy’s favourite topic, your CPF money. This will be the most uncomfortable and difficult topic for Hsien Loong to defend, if it is defendable. It hurts the people’s pocket, really painful. And the power logic used to lock up people’s life savings, to be spent on the miraculous Medisave Life, would be put to the severest test. Can power logic holds against the simple logic of my money, my pocket hurts? Power logic loses its power during an election campaign. It is a time of ‘boh cheng hu’ or no govt, no power. The logic of persuasion will be the logic that the voters will be listening to and to believe. No more, I think it is right so I just do it. It is time for the people to think if it is right and to vote accordingly.

The voters will also exercise this same logic, I think it is right so I vote for it. I vote what I think is right, not what you think is right. And many will vote with their pockets.

Just this issue itself will make many voters think very carefully, even emotionally, and illogically. Who doesn’t want to have his own money back, in his own pocket to do as he likes, to go to Batam, to find mei meis or good company, or to start a new biz? Seriously, many would know what they want to do with their life savings.

The GE will be the time for Roy to persuade them to vote for the return of their money and Hsien Loong would have to convince the people who badly need their money not to vote for their money, to vote to let the govt keep their money.

Which argument will be more persuasive? The Chai Tau Kuay son may not be of noble birth, but he has a simple argument, a simple logic that is hard to beat. The ordinary people will understand his simple logic and be on his side. Who does not want to have his own money back in his pocket? The nobility and noble logic of leaving the money in the CPF for the future, forever, will not have the kind of appeal to the people hard on cash.

This will be an uneven contest and will have an unusual ending.

PS. SingFirst and Reform Party are negotiating to contest this GRC. My guess, a combined team is very likely.

SDP at Marsiling Yew Tee

I delivered some Red Bean Soup to a few friends and bumped into the SDP Team preparing for their evening home visit to the residents of Marsiling Yew Tee. They were organised and enthusiastic in volunteering their time to the party, no free transport, no free chicken rice. The mode was optimism, joyful and all for a good cause.