Another National Day Celebration

One day after National Day the people were greeted by the news that NSP had withdrawn from Marine Parade GRC and MacPherson SMC to pave the way for a straight fight between PAP and the WP. NSP would now concentrate its fire power in Tampines and Sembawang GRC and Pioneer SMC. The most dreaded 3 corner fights in MP and MacPherson have been avoided by this announcement. SingFirst had also announced that it would pull out of Ang Mo Kio to let Reform Party take on the PAP in a straight fight. Reform Party must put up a good and strong team to stand in Ang Mo Kio and not to disappoint the voters with this privilege. Any half past six team would be unforgiveable given that SingFirst is likely to put up a serious team.

The dark clouds have disappeared and the sky is brightening up in the political horizon. The battle ground has more or less defined and all parties are ready to go for D Day.

The most heart warming development in the pre GE tussle is the sense of urgency and purpose, unity and the generosity shown by all the opposition parties. There is now a higher level of maturity, sensibility and cooperation to give confidence to the people that they are not there to contest for the sake of contesting and to be spoilers in multi corner fights. There is reason to hope that they would cooperate more closely and improve their respective chances of making inroads into Parliament.

The flutter of a butterfly set in motion a series of event that could lead to a storm. SDP made the first move by withdrawing from Sembawang. This allowed NSP to secure a firm GRC to contest and made it easier to withdraw from Marine Parade without sacrificing too much ground. If SDP would to stand firm in Sembawang, NSP would have to wrestle with two uncertainties. It is now a case of one bird in hand better than two in the bush. SingFirst must have seen light in generosity to give way to Reform Party in Ang Mo Kio and the goodwill that follows NSP’s move.

With this latest development, all the opposition parties could now concentrate on how to fight their biggest opponent in the PAP instead of fighting among themselves. And it is good that their differences could be settled so quickly and early and with magnanimity. There is a sense of déjà vu in cyberspace with critics closing ranks to support all the opposition parties and praising them for their sensibilities. Kind words were spoken for Hazel’s leadership in NSP as well as Chee Soon Juan and Jee Say.

There is a discreet understanding and common mission to do battle in a way never seen or felt before. Opposition unity is found at last and most likely none will have to lose their deposits except for a few wild horses in the SMCs. Sylvia Lim has thanked NSP for its generosity. There is so much goodwill going around in the opposition camp and among opposition supporters.

This is indeed something to celebrate for in this National Day. The days of bungling and naïve opposition parties running in circus fighting a losing battle before the start of a GE is over. They are appearing more credible just by virtue of this ability to agree and to reach a consensus in a common united front that they were never able to do so before. And with several parties showing promises of rolling out good men and women to pose a serious contest, this is a GE worth watching and waiting for.

A confluence of factors is taking shape.

Lui Tuck Yew resigned

Latest news, Transport Minister LuiTuck Yew has resigned and would not stand for election in the GE. He has served two terms and in the hot seat of public transport with frequent failures and stoppages of the MRT. Though not entirely his fault, he was the minister in charge and cannot escape from being blamed for it.

His resignation was not due to his performance as the Transport Minister and Hsien Loong has revealed that they tried to ask him to stay on. He resigned for personal reasons.

PM Low Thia Khiang

Many would find it strange and uncomfortable hearing or reading this, Prime Minister Low Thia Khiang or Prime Minister Sylvia Lim. There seems to be something missing, not the right mold, doesn’t sound right. Singaporeans have been so use to a PM from the PAP that anyone from anywhere would not be comfortable. PM Chee Soon Juan, PM Tan Jee Say anyone?

There is fear of a big change for the worst. The question is whether Singapore has reached a point that we are already at the worst. Many would not agree when we are celebrating SG50 with plomp and plenty. Look ahead, with the population size and growing, with so many foreigners that would change our identity and demography, our way of life, with so many of our locals being sidelined from the main stream of activities, discriminated by foreigners in job opportunities, with the high cost of living and housing, with your CPF being turned into another form of taxation, with university places going to foreigners instead of Singaporeans, top jobs going to foreigners with funny degrees from funny universities despite our top students graduating from the best universities in the West, what is the future for Singaporeans? No problem, the foreigners will be Singaporeans overnight by issuing them pink ICs!

Today we are starting to hear the Govt acknowledging that the population is too big to handle, but still many are talking of 10m and more. And knowing that there is no other formula for growth except population growth, you are not too far wrong to expect the population to keep increasing at an intolerable rate after the GE. We are also hearing the lost of a Singapore identity and Singaporean core? Did these things happen yesterday? Who caused them? Nobody knows, I bet you, nobody knows how and when did they happened, just like nobody knows that we are marching towards the cliff. Everyone will swear they did not know.

Can a new party in power with a new PM be worse than the direction we are going? At least there is hope in a new party and a new PM to change course, knowing that the cliff is just ahead. And why should a PM Low Thia Khiang or PM Sylvia Lim or PM Chee Soon Juan, or PM Tan Jee Say be a problem? They will inherit a system with some of the best men we have in the govt service, in all the services. These bright men and women will still be there to serve the new govt and PM. What is needed is a new direction with new emphasis on Singapore and the well beings of Singaporeans.

With a new govt and a new PM, the script will be rewritten. The population growth with be halted, the number of foreigners in high places will be monitored and reduced, Singaporeans will be favoured and in charge, not discriminated brazenly. The new govt will run the country for Singaporeans. And the formula, instead of going all around the world to hunt for foreigners when a problem pops up, the new govt will rely on our own top talents to deal with the problems. The new PMs will get the best men and women to assist him in the execution of his pro Singaporean policies.

Is this different from what the present govt is doing? Got problem, set up a committee, pay for expertise. Go to the whole world to find the experts to solve our problems. Our million dollar employees only need to manage and know how to find foreigner talents to solve their problems. The new PM can do the same, but with the heart in the right place, to think Singaporean first. We are Singaporeans, we are good enough to solve our own problems, especially problems that we created for ourselves.

What is the point of having so many top talents from the best universities of the world for? To collect money and not to solve problem, cannot solve problems and needing foreigners paid a fraction of their pay to solve problems for them? I believe we have the best talents to look after our own problems, to solve our own problems like we used to do to build this great city and home before it is turn into another 3^rd World slum, run down by 3^rd World talents and 3^rd World mentality. Lee Kuan Yew said we must have the confidence to look after ourselves, not everyday looking for foreigners to help us solve our problems.

Singaporeans better get used to PM Low Thia Khiang or Sylvia Lim, or Chee Soon Juan or Tan Jee Say and look forward to a better future for themselves and their children. The people in the eastern part of the island have seen the light and know what they want and are voting for their future in a new hope. Going forward is a treacherous affair if things are not going to change for the good of Singaporeans but for the good of foreigners.

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?