University rankings good but not the key objectives

Hsien Loong said this at the Nanyang Technology Institute’s reunion dinner, ‘The key performance indicators (KPIs) of universities in the Republic should not be about how high their rankings are, but how well they serve Singapore.’ This is like what is so good about high rankings if they did not serve the interest of Singapore and its people? And what are these interests, jobs, skill sets, building a Singaporean core in all fields and industries.

What if high rankings lead to a hollowing of the quality pool of Singaporean academics and university students? What is the point to providing so many good paying employments to foreigners at the expense of Singaporeans, of providing good university places to foreigners instead of to our children? A good comparison is the ranking of our media by foreigners. Never mind if we are ranked 146, a few notches from the bottom, if the media are serving national interests, the good of people and country.

He then reiterated the importance of university KPIs as: "Rather, the KPI should be how well the universities serve Singapore. Whether they are academically and intellectually rigorous and vibrant, yet develop an authentic Singaporean character. Whether they give Singaporeans a good education, not just academically but holistically, building skill sets relevant to the economy so that people can get good jobs and fulfil their aspirations….’

It is sad that the Prime Minister had to say this to remind our supposedly very intelligent academics in the academia not to waste money on superficial rankings, on providing good jobs to foreigners and hollowing our academic talent and resources. Isn’t this a crime against the people? Using public funds to feed foreigners and replacing our own academics in the universities? Get your priorities right!

Would Tharman stand up and say ‘Cheap, we have no local talents in the universities and we need 30 years to get it right again like not Singaporean bankers and finance talents?’ Shit, I shouldn’t use the word ‘local’. It should be ‘Singaporeans’ and not meant to include PRs. We need to grow our own timber if we are going to survive as a people who called ourselves Singaporeans and this island home. If not, yes, we would be just a hotel for foreigners and we become the prostitutes servicing them and saying thank you to them for patronising us, and we pay them for it.

Is this not what Hsien Loong meant when he said, and I quote: “(While) at the same time, imbuing in students and alumni a sense of loyalty and belonging to Singapore, a sense of purpose in their lives, so that people are rooted here - with networks, friends and family - and want to give back to Singapore." You don’t expect foreigners to sink roots here and be one of us, to give back to Singapore when they are here for the good time and waiting to make their pile to return home. A few foreigners would be good, but we can’t expect too many to stay, and it is also no good if we have to depend on foreign talents to stay. This is an easy way out to increase our talent pool but would discourage the growing of our own talents. And what is there then for our own people if this is the case?

Don’t give me that globalisation and borderless shit. Treason is the word for these naive terminologies. The quitters and nomads like to use them to rubbish the citizen’s right in their own countries. If not careful, and still blindly going down the road of bringing in more foreigners, one day the daft Sinkies would be like the refugees marching to Europe, people without a place called home, kicked out from their countries they once called home.

GE2015 – Triumph versus Despair 塞翁失马，焉知非福

The PAP and its supporters had cause for celebration with the shocking victory in the GE 2015 results. On the other side of the fence there was shock, despair and hopelessness. Not even the most optimistic supporter or analyst of the PAP camp could envisage the kind of success and margin of wins. 10% swing, many winning more than 70% of the votes, closing in to the 80%, taking one SMC back, not losing new GRC and almost taking back Aljunied, were too good to be true.

Contrary, it was a debilitating blow to the opposition camp and those expecting a further weakening of the PAP’s grip onto power and the impending loss of at least one more GRC to the opposition. The shock wave was too shocking for anyone to bear. There was an unusual quietness on the morning of 12 Sep. You could see it on the faces of many citizens. They were lifeless, something really horrible had happened the night before and no one was in the mood to talk about it.

The contrasting mood could not be missed by anyone. The GE and its results were furthest from anyone’s lips. They were in no mood for anything and talking about the GE was the last thing in their minds. All the hopes and expectations of a rubbing for the PAP camp and the resurgence of new faces from the opposition camp in parliament went up in smoke.

What should the PAP read of this unusual reception of its stunning landslide victory?  They have won 70% of the popular votes is the truth. No one can deny that. But why the gloom and doom among the electorate? No doubt the PAP would be gloating, the best result ever happened and it was the sign of a better future for the people and country. SG100 would be good, can only be good, with the majority of the people putting the cross of approval on the PAP’s box.

To many, the GE was a non event, did it happen, was there a GE? Life goes on as if nothing had happened. This must be the strangest thing to happen after the routing of the opposition camp. The absence of people on the streets in celebration and the joy of a hard fought victory were not there.

What is happening? The people in despair, the losers, must be in the minority, 30% or lesser. Why is the mood of despair and despondency so infectious, spreading across the population even into the victor’s camp?

I am still trying to figure out this phenomenon of a victory without the spirit of joy and jubilation. All those who were talking to me excitedly before the GE were wearing  a face of stony silence, still in a state of shock I supposed. Maybe I am just paranoid, seeing things that no one is seeing. Can anyone explain this? Is it real or am I imagining, that everyone is celebrating except me, and jumping in joy,  I am the odd man out? Must be another uniquely Singapore thing.

Shinzo Abe’s mischievous intent

The Japanese govt is on the verge of passing the new security Bills to allow Japan to go to war. Abe and his supporters’ reasoning, China is getting stronger and more aggressive, it is thus necessary to rescind the pacifist Constitution so that Japan can now go to war with China. Is this reasoning real, valid, logical and sound?

The pacifist Constitution does not prevent Japan from building its so called ‘Defence Force’ to the current size that is second only to China but an even match in terms of technology and weaponry. The pacifist Constitution does not prevent Japan from defending itself against any attack by China or any country. The right and ability to defend Japan against a foreign invasion are never compromised under the pacifist Constitution.  In addition, Japan is protected by the American nuclear umbrella and defence treaty that should China or any country attempts to attack Japan, the Americans would be obliged to come in to defend Japan. China or any country is no match to the Americans and would be naïve to conduct such a grave act. Japan’s national security is never threatened under the pacifist Constitution. The Americans have all the reasons to want to stop China from attacking Japan in their own interest.

What is changed with the new security Bills is that Japan can now go to war anywhere in the pretext of defending an ally. In other words, Japan wants the right to go to war again, to conduct wars like it did in the past, not the quoted threat from China. The new security Bills will put Japan on the same war path as Imperial Japan, to be another aggressive country that would resort to war as another form of diplomacy.

The pacifist Constitution forbids Japan to send it soldiers to fight outside Japa when it is none of Japan’s busines. This is the intent and the motive of Abe’s new security Bills, that Japan will be like the Americans, free to go to war with any country under whatever excuses and pretexts. The blood of a warlike and aggressive people is showing itself in Abe and his supporters.  Japan wants to go to war, wants to conduct and engage in wars of aggression.

Are Singaporeans still migrants?

Are Singaporeans still considered as migrants? The next question, do they still think they don’t deserve to be owners of this island and willingly giving it away to foreigners? If Singaporeans today still think that they are migrants and do not own this country, they are a shame to their forefathers for giving them this island only to be taken away from them without resistance.

Are Singaporeans that daft to give their countries away just because they were told they were descendants of migrants and foreigners who are more talented than them should own this island, because Singaporeans are daft?

Why are foreigners given pink ICs so freely and given the right to take over their island home? Do the Singaporeans have a say in this? Do the Singaporeans think they should have a say to say No? Do Singaporeans think it is so easy to own a piece of island they can call home? Think how many Europeans died killing millions of Red Indians to call North America and Canada their homes? Think how the Australians and New Zealanders got to own their countries and called the new land home, I mean the European Australians and New Zealanders?

Think how difficult it was for the colonized countries in Africa and Asia and other parts of the world to take back their countries and fought for Independence? Look at how difficult it is for China to hang on to their claims to little pieces of rocks in the South China as their territories? Look at how the other Asean countries are trying to counter claim for these islands?

Are we giving our island home away to foreigners willingly, with our consent, or with ignorance? Do Singaporeans only regret when they are chased out of this island before they wake up to their stupidity? The signs are all there, foreigners coming to replace them in good jobs, to beat them, to fight for places in schools for their children, to gang up to discriminate against Singaporeans. And Singaporeans are so lame, not doing anything. Some foreigners even openly claimed to want to take over the island and chase Singaporeans out of the island.

Do Singaporeans understand what the meaning of country and home, your own country, your own home? Would Singaporeans have to fight for their independence from foreigners again? Would they stand a chance or would it be too late when that day comes? 

Singaporeans today take it for granted that this will be their home and their country. They take it so lightly even with half the populations making up of foreigners. Have they ever thought what would it be like when they become an absolute minority and with foreigners seizing power and taking control of their country and their lives?

No, it would not happen? It happened several times in the past. Not to happen again? Singaporeans better wake up, stand up and stop any govt from giving their country away to foreigners without a fight. The mindsets of the foreigners are not as naïve as the silly Singaporeans. The way they are protecting their own kind to exclude Singaporeans in jobs in a sign of worse to come. They are not as generous, magnanimous as the daft Singaporeans who stupidly think the foreigners would think and behave just like them, share their country, homes, jobs and wives. The foreigners would take everything and kick the Singaporeans out of the equation.

What do you think?

Tharman – Theoretically will never become the PM

In my pre GE article I put up a scenario that if the opposition could win 30 seats, there is this remote possibility of Tharman making a move to unseat Hsien Loong to become the first Indian PM of Singapore. That scenario is based on the assumptions that Tharman has an ambition to be a PM, that he would not be a PM as long as Hsien Loong is around and in the pecking order there is Chee Hean above him. In order for him to become a PM, he has to engineer a split in the PAP at its weakest moment, that is when its popularity is at its ebb when the opposition could win 30 seats. When that happened, Tharman would have a bigger bargaining power if he could win 20 or so PAP MPs to his side. He could then ask Hsien Loong to step down or he would take the break away group to form a coalition govt with the 30 opposition MPs.

With the landslide victory, the situation is totally changed. Hsien Loong has received the best endorsement he ever had, with a 70% popular vote and wining another seat from the WP. Also, the winning margins were huge and WP nearly lost Aljunied. With this convincing win, Hsien Loong’s position is strongly entrenched. No one can ever think of removing him. A split within the PAP is now even more remote.

Hsien Loong would be very comfortable sitting through this term for the next 5 year. By then Tharman would also be in his mid 60s, would be considered too old to be a PM and a younger PM would be in line should Hsien Loong decided to vacate the premiership. He could go one for another term.

Under the present scenario, there is no way for Tharman to be the first Indian PM of Singapore short of a miracle. Maybe that is the destiny of Tharman. Sorry Tharman, tan ku ku.