Vote for candidates with good credentials

This seems to be on the minds of many thinking Singaporeans. They want good candidates to serve them in Parliament, no matter which party. How to fault such thinking?  So many candidates, including those of the opposition will be credibility tested, maybe even mentally tested if they could run a town council as a prerequisite to run a govt. This type of things only happen in Uniquely Singapore. Running a town council means can run a country. George Bush ran a football club and was good enough to be Presidente USA. Ronald Reagan was an actor.

Apologies, I got carried away. Where was I? Oh, good candidates. What is a good candidate? A medical degree, a lawyer, a general or a police commissioner or a civil servant or a corporate executive or someone early million dollar salary? Where is the relevance, where is the skill set? Would an animal lover make a good politician to run a govt?

What if a team has all the right qualifications, the good looks, the desired qualities that would make them good enough to run a govt? Ok right?

What if they come from a party with a manifesto that is bad for the country or people? What if, hypothetically, the party boss is a mafia boss or a loan shark or a drug lord incognito, would the credentials and qualifications of the individual candidates be important?

What should the voters be looking for? Should they not also be looking at what the party stands for, what kind of leadership is behind the party and then the individual candidate’s character and qualifications?

A good candidate, a highly qualified candidate, is not the only thing that the voters be looking for. Look at the whole picture before deciding. Do not vote for an angel hired by the devil to show that he has a team of angels when the devil is calling the shot.

The voters must be savvy and street wise, to know what they really want. A very good example is the by election of Punggol  East or for that matter Aljunied GRC. In both instances, there is a bigger objective to determine who they should vote for.

What is the bigger objective in this GE? It is not individual candidates, it is not about municipal matters or about town councils. It is about Singapore and Singaporeans and their well beings. It is not about a 50 year dream and a promise of mansions in the sky. It is about the real things, about the livelihood of the people, now when they are living and trying to survive and make a good life for themselves and their families.

Who cares about 50 years time when one is struggling to live today and putting food on the table tomorrow?  Look at the whole picture and understand what this GE is all about. The voters of Punggol, Hougang and Aljunied GRC were very clear on what they want. 

Do you know what you want and what would you be voting for? A highly qualified candidate with a strong heart? Or a candidate with a good heart in the right place?

Chok Tong is shaping up very well as the new Oracle

After the original Oracle left the scene the last thing people could think of is another Oracle to take his place. That is a very big shoe to fit and fortunately Chok Tong also a very big man, physically, and wears a pair of very big shoes. Just as everyone has given the idea a slip and this great city is going to move on without the Oracle, a new Oracle is easing himself into the chair.

Actually the sign was there just before the announcement of the GE. Chok Tong divulged that some of his friends had been encouraging him to retire while another group was telling him he had many more good years to stay in politics and wanted him to continue to serve the people of Marine Parade. This kind of information is vintage material and often associated with great leaders like the Oracle and Mahathir. There is subtle hint of indispensability and popularity, a leader that the people have grown dear to.

And Chok Tong’s reply was that he would decide if he would stay on or to retire. Another vintage reply like the Oracle and Mahathir. True leaders in charge would decide when to stay or quit in their own terms. Who would dare to tell the Oracle or Mahathir to retire? No big no small. And soon after Chok Tong shared his two hour meeting with Hsien Loong and revealed that Hsien Loong had asked him to stay to stay, maybe to give a bit more ballast to the Marine Parade team. In other words he is indispensable or at least still useful. He decided to stay.

Having secured his position as a candidate for the next GE, Chok Tong is now the most senior statesman in the PAP team, and the most experience. Now is his turn to carry the party along, to share his wisdom and his weight in wherever he is needed. And Chok Tong is finding it a piece of cake to fit into the vacuum left by the Oracle.

In a way he is looking and acting every inch like the Oracle, strutting around like the Oracle. His first piece of advice to his Marine Parade residents is not to be seduced by the WP’s offer to be the checks and balance on the govt. And if the voters are seduced, they would pay a price for it.

Reflect on this for a moment, to the pre GE time in Aljunied GRC. What did the Oracle told the voters there? If I remember it correctly, it was something like the people of Aljunied would repent for the next 5 years if they voted out the PAP team.  Does Chok Tong’s advice to the Marine Parade voters sound similar, instead of repent, he used the word ‘pay a price’? Very Oracle like.

As the senior statesman and party elder, this must be his role as the new Oracle, to give advice, warnings, and maybe a subtle threat to in favour of the party if needed. Yes the PAP has a new Oracle, one that is walking around and throwing his weight around to support the party.

Without FTs our economy will tank – Hsien Loong

In an article in the TRE with the above title, Hsien Loong was quoted to say this, ‘If we close our doors to foreign workers, our economy will tank.’ Is this a myth or is this real? As far as the govt is concerned, this is as real as it gets. No FTs, no open door policy, we will be finished. With this kind of thinking and planning parameters, you can expect the influx of foreigners to continue as long as the PAP is the govt. The question is how many more foreigners? And there will be many reasons for more foreigners.  If the economy expands, there will be cries for more foreign labour. If the economy tanks, there will be more cries for foreigners and population growth to generate economic growth. Either way, the one trick pony can only resort to this trick.

If this trick is the only trick in the books of govts and economists, why wouldn’t other countries jumped into it to generate growth for their people? There are many big and bigger countries that can take in more and more people for growth. Why are these countries and govts refusing to take this path? They cannot be stupid or less clever than our politicians. They must know what this solution entails. They must have seriously deliberated over it and come to the conclusion that this trick will cause more harm than good. Europe is going to pay a price it cannot afford to pay for their silly immigration policies. They are regretting today but too late. It’s a done deal.

What harm? There is nothing harmful in this trick? If it does, the govt will tell the people surely, and unlike Greece, will not hold a referendum to pass the buck to the people. There is absolutely no harm and the deaf frogs knew it is the best solution and the right thing to do. So they will pursue this policy at all cost, like zealots.

Did anyone say taking drugs is bad? Ask the drug addicts and they will tell you there is nothing wrong. Drug is good. Steroid is good.  Ask the drug lords they will tell you taking drugs is like heaven. Where got problem? Where got side effects?

But we are an immigrant country! We are today because our parents were immigrants. If they did not come, we would not be here and there would not be a prosperous Singapore today. Tiok. In the past the policemen wore shorts. In the past Two is Enough. In the past there was no country. The island was more or less seized by the colonialists, like a no man’s land to them. Then the immigrants were imported as labourers to serve the Empire.

Then we got independence. Does anyone know the meaning of independence? Does anyone understand the meaning of the song ‘Home’? This is our Home. This island is no longer a no man’s land. It belongs to us, to every Singaporean, not to everyone from anywhere. We built it from nothing, oops, from a fishing village, to a jewel of the East.

Today everyone wants to come here to make his fortune. There is no objection to that. But be careful. This is our Home. We the Singaporeans own this piece or rock. We welcome foreigners for as long as our existence is not harmed or compromised. When it does, when our well being, our children’s future is in danger, we must say No. We must not sell out or give away our island to foreigners. We earned the right to this island and our children must be the beneficiaries to our hard work. Remember the saying, ‘the pioneers planted the tree, the future generations enjoy the fruits’?

There is just so much foreigners that we can take in. We must never lose our country to foreigners, NOT by giving them pink ICs. This is betrayal of the people, some may want to call it treason, if we ever got booted out from our Home. Do not just blindly fill the country with foreigners without knowing the consequences.

What are the risks? Got harm or no harm?

Population growth is not the only trick to our survival as a country. Period.

Economy will tank? Whose belief is that?

Chok Tong – PAP’s new oracle has spoken

For being in politics for nearly 50 years and at a ripe age of 74, Chok Tong is speaking with wisdom and authority. And for once I can’t really disagree with what he said. What did he say? He is asking the people to give the PAP a strong mandate but conditional. Very wise. If Singaporeans are happy with what the PAP has been doing, has done and want the PAP to continue what it is doing, they must give the PAP a strong mandate. What the PAP has been working so hard over the years for the interests of Singapore is well known and legendary. The CPF, Medishield Life, Population growth, economic growth, more universities and university places, they even solved the housing problems and brought down the cost of living. COE prices also come down recently and prices of train fares were reduced without the people asking for it.

Chok Tong even said that the PAP has been its ‘own check’ and ‘For many years, the PAP was the only party in Parliament. Has the PAP gone corrupt in those years?’ My answer is a definite NO. PAP is NOT corrupt. But Chok Tong should put his ears on the ground to hear the noises. Though PAP is NOT corrupt, the ground noises are anything but NOT corrupt. But of course the daft did not know the truth and anyhow talked. Just a different in perception. These noises would not affect the PAP getting a strong mandate for More Good Years and More of the Same vintage PAP, maybe even the elusive Swiss standard of living.

Here is another interesting quote from Chok Tong reported in the main media. ‘They are seducing the people and if the people are not careful, they get seduced and you know what happens when you are seduced. You will pay a price.’  Immediately there were images of opposition politicians in the campaign rallies dancing on stage and performing strip tease shows to seduce the audience came to mind. But Chok Tong was not saying such crassy stuff. He was referring to the opposition’s call for more checks and balance in Parliament. What for when the integrity of the PAP leaders and MPs are impeccable, they are the best checks and balance on themselves. There is no need for more opposition members in Parliament. Short of saying a one party rule with absolute majority is the best, and I must agree also, PAP is the party that is always doing good for the people and doing self checks. Where on earth can you find such a dream party? It is unreal but it is real, only in Uniquely Singapore. The oracle says so, and the old oracle also said so. These are men of wisdom and words of wisdom. This is actually another miracle that the govt has not announced openly. A national secret.

Let me come back to the issue of seduction. Only daft and gullible people will be seduced by little goodies here and there. The PAP does not believe in small and little goodies. The PAP believe in doing good for the people in a big way, like upgrading programmes, lift upgrading, more playgrounds, more childcare centres, Pioneer Generation Packages, Baby bonuses, more subsidies for housing and everything, and big party bashes, and everything that it can do for the good of the people. Even unpopular policies like more foreign talents to grow the economy, holding back the people’s life savings in the CPF, compulsory Medishield Life etc etc they have no fear of doing when they think are good for the people.

Singaporeans who believe in the PAP as the miracle party that will bring More Good Years for the people and continue with what it is doing, Singaporeans who believe in the wisdoms of the oracles, old and new, must give the PAP a strong mandate, even if all 89 seats in Parliament lagi good. There is no need for checks and balance when you have good leaders with unquestionable integrity doing their own checks and balance. Who says power corrupts? Not in Singapore, the miracle state with miracles happening everyday and everywhere.

This new oracle is speaking in all humbleness. He asked the WP, 'Would that same arrogance be able to replace me and my team in Marine Parade? Let them try.' This is classic humbleness in action.

Celebrating Singaporeans – Tan Boon Hui appointed Asia Society Museum NY

I must congratulate Tan Boon Hui, former Singapore Art Museum(SAM) director on his appointment to the prestigious Asia Society Museum in New York as its new director and also as the vice president for global arts and cultural programmes. This is the type of Singaporean talent that we have and are being hunted by other countries. I am sure he does not need to take the e2i course in NTUC to prepare him for this job.

How did Tan Boon Hui got to be recognized as a global talent? He earned his spurs as assistant chief executive for museums and programmes at the National Heritage Board and from SAM. This is what our country must do, to give opportunities to our own talents to gain the experience before launching them into the international arena. If we don’t give them the opportunity and foolishly hire foreigners to fill top positions, we will never nurture our talents for the international market. I must say NTUC’s intention is good in the e2i, but is this the right thing to do, what credibility or value is added to compete in the international talent pool?

Now have we hired more foreigners to head he NHB and SAM, to train them to be internationally competitive and give a miss to our own talents? Have we been doing this silly foreign talent game in all the industries, particularly in banking and finance and leading to a hollowing of our talents in the industry?

Even an idiot could see the stupidity in the whole process. If we don’t train our own talents, if we don’t give them the opportunity but give them to foreigners, what would be the end result? Oh, we are giving our talents a lot of opportunities of be hawkers and bus captains. My apologies, we are taking good care of our local talents, nurturing them to compete in the world market, sending them out after they get their degree or diploma from e2i.

We are heading in the right direction with such great policies to train our talents or is it training foreign talents to be international talents?

No more Singaporean core? Why? Dunno leh. Oh, oh, we will issue pink ICs to the foreigners and called them Singaporeans and Singapore talents.