Sing dollar very big or very small?

Singaporeans are so happy that Sing dollar is appreciating against the ringgit, S$1 to MR$3. This is very good news for those spending money across the causeway, those who frequent the shops and restaurants and recreation facilities in the north, enduring the long jams and hours wasted in the queue, going in and out of Singapore. To some it is worth it, so some, the little savings does not justify the time wasted in the jams. And there are others buying properties in Malaysia. The properties are getting cheaper with the stronger Sing dollar. But what is the bottom line, did they make money from their property investments or end up losing more despite the advantageous of a stronger Sing dollar?

Strong Sing dollar mainly benefits those who work here and remit their money back home, convert to their home currencies and spend on things that are cheaper due to their lower cost of living, buying properties, cars, and whatever. The Malaysians working here are the biggest beneficiaries to the strong exchange rate. So are the Indians, Chinese, Myanmese, Pinoys, Bangladeshis and others.

How many Singaporeans really benefit from the strong Singapore dollar? If they spend their money here, actually their money is getting smaller and smaller, not bigger. When citizens of other countries could buy a car for $10K or $20k equivalent, Singaporeans need to pay more than $100k to buy a car, a few hundred thousands to buy a bigger car. This is how small the Sing dollar has become to the Singaporeans. And this same principle applies to all other purchases. A $500k ringgit is good enough to buy a landed property of more than 2000 sq ft in Malaysia. A $500k Sing dollar could only purchase a 4 or 5rm HDB flat at most, for 99 years. That is the purchasing power of the Sing dollar. Don’t be conned, the Sing dollar is losing its value at home. A Sing dollar today is worth very much lesser than yesterday in purchasing power.  A $1 bowl of noodle is now $3.50.  Public transport used to be less than a dollar, now $2 or more daily.  Taxi fare used to be less than $10, now can be $50 or more.

This is how big the Sing dollar has become. So, are Singaporeans benefitting from the strong Sing dollar? Only if they spend it outside Singapore. The majority of the average Singaporeans are not benefitting from a stronger Sing dollar but a Sing dollar that is losing its purchasing value.

So, should Singaporeans be happier with the higher income they are getting today? It used to be pretty comfortable living with a $1000 household income. Today, a twin income of $4,000 is struggling to get by. Definitely cannot afford a car, maybe a bicycle for the new quality lifestyle.

While the paper income is more, but the purchasing power is so much lower today than yesterday. Imagine a $3,000 pm income and how much luxury the family could afford to buy then and how a $3,000 income today is making ends meet?

Is the Sing dollar bigger or smaller today?

Now the Malaysians would be laughing and saying, my $500k ringgit can get me a landed property, what can your $500k Sing dollar get you? My $30k ringgit can buy a car, what can your $30k Sing buy, a motor bike? Can’t even buy a piece of paper called COE.

Singaporeans who can afford it, would enjoy a few trips overseas to spend their strong dollars but will return home to spend their shrinking dollar at home for the rest of the year.

The politics of non interference – A New World Order

The politics of non interference – A New World Order
By Chua Chin Leng (chinadaily.com.cn)Updated: 2016-01-25  
The world has lived through a period of incessant warfare under Pax Americana when interference in the domestic affairs of countries in the disfavored nation list of the Empire is the norm. Regime change, false flag incidents, support of terrorists aka freedom fighters or vice versa were the key features of a World Order that was in disorder.

Has the world grown tired of wars and looking for an era of peace when warfare under whatever pretext or provocations be condemned? President Xi Jinping has gone on a tour of Africa followed by the Middle East with a mission of peace, commerce and economic development under the guiding principle of no interference in the domestic affairs of nation states.

After his African trips last year, Xi' s latest schedule included the visits to Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Iran in one week. Only a major power with good relations to countries locked in a conflict would be welcomed by the warring states. Egypt' s relation with the two economic powers of the Middle East is at best tentative and measured.

China did not visit these countries to sign military alliances or to engage them by taking sides in their conflict. Xi' s trips were purely for economics and economic diplomacy. Though nothing much was revealed in the visit to Riyadh, Xi was warmly received by the House of Saud and the King himself. There were hints that both countries would ink a comprehensive strategic partnership during the visit.

In Egypt, the two countries signed economic agreements involving US$15b in investment projects. Similarly, several billions of contracts were signed in Tehran. Xi was warmly received equally in Egypt and Iran despite the rivalry and tension in the region.

Though no official statements or commitments were made concerning the relations between the three countries, there were expectations that China could be attempting to be a bridge for the rival states to sit at the negotiating table to avoid an outbreak of hostilities.

China’s policies of non interference and of encouraging peaceful settlement of interstate problems are starting to be welcomed by the Middle Eastern states.

Iran would stand to benefit from the Chinese initiatives in infrastructure development that it urgently needs coming out of sanctions by the western powers. The One Belt One Road project would suit Iran and other land locked countries very well with its greater reliance on land transport than the sea.

Both Iran and Saudi Arabia would be less suspicious of China' s economic initiatives in both countries when political meddling is not on the cards.

China’s approach in diplomacy by emphasizing trade and economic development instead of military intervention, military alliances, selling of weapons of war, would be a new feature in the New World Order.

The western policies of military intervention and regime change as the only way to resolve inter state relations are passé. The world needs a New World Order of stability and peaceful economic developments, not more wars and destruction.
China' s diplomacy will gain more ground and acceptance by the international communities and nation states that want peace and not war.

The author is a political observer from Singapore.

Hiring Singaporean first policy – the tale of two farmers by Dotseng

Below is an article by Darkness that is a good read for those who are concerned with the plight of Singaporeans in their own country before they become marginalized by the influx of foreigners.

January 25, 2016

Once upon a time, there was a greedy farmer in nearby village who believed it was a jolly good idea to bring in workers from a faraway land to earn more money – the greedy farmer had many reasons to bring in foreigners – firstly, they were all younger and fitter than those in his own village, hence they could work faster and longer and even offer better, betterer and betterest results for much less.

When villagers asked him pleadingly – why don’t you give us a chance to earn a living? The greedy farmer would often be heard recounting in the kopitiam, ‘I get a bigger bang for my buck by hiring these foreigners stupid! Besides you should not have such an entitlement mentality! Didn’t you know…no one owes you a living! Hahahahahahahaha!’

As these foreign workers swarmed the village, many of the villagers found themselves slowly displaced and marginalized.

Since many of the villagers could no longer find jobs, their skills slowly frittered away. And since without a job it was virtually impossible to pass on skills under a master and apprenticeship arrangement to the youths.

Eventually even the young started to leave the village for the cities. And since all the foreigners much preferred to repatriate 80 cents out of every dollar they earned back home rather than spend it in the village. Soon the local economy began to shrivel up as the shops closed down one by one. Eventually even the merchants packed up and moved along like a traveling circus. One by one the villagers began to leave for the city till eventually the village began to resemble a ghost town.

One day when the economy of the country collapsed due to the mismanagement by crooked politicians who claim to have received anonymous donations which are not actually donations….but I rather not write about it. As I don’t ever want to end in up in block 7 of IMH…..Dowan lah!

The currency of the country began to collapse in earnest. Soon the foreign workers began to demand higher wages from the greedy farmer. They would often be heard complaining, ‘now that your money is so small, it’s not worth it for us to work here any longer. As every time we send money back our wife’s and relatives complain no end that it is so little – so eventually even they decided to pack up and leave for greener pastures. And since there were no locals in the nearby village which had long since turned into a ghost town…no one could be found to work in the estate of the greedy farmer. As time went by the jungle overran the estate and it was no more….only to disappear like a piece of shit on a hot scorching day.

On the other side of the valley was another farming hamlet – there lived a wise farmer. This farmer did something very different when he brought in new migrants from other parts – for one he made sure every villager was first employed, unlike the greedy farmer who was only driven by the profit motive of always chasing the biggest bang for the buck.

The wise farmer valued relationships, so it was not unusual for him to even give out work to the locals even though he knew they were in some cases slower and more expensive when compared to foreign labor.

He would often be heard saying, ‘We are investing in the future…so we cannot measure progress in just monetary terms – after all if skills are not passed down from father to son, if they are not retained and sharpened in our community, then how will we harvest fruit in the future? How will we perpetuate our way of life? Besides we are a family, we must all take care of the old, young and the stupid. We cannot just leave them to fend for themselves – even animals don’t that.’

In this way, he was able to maintain the peace and harmony in his village and everyone, including the new migrants were happiest with the farmer – as even they despite their strange foreign ways were most welcomed by the villagers as since everyone was gainfully employed, the foreigners never once posed a threat to either the villagers way of life or their livelihoods.

One day when the economy turned to mud and all the foreigners left for greener pastures. The farmer gathered the whole village in the Padang. He told them all the brutal facts of life, we face very difficult times ahead….who will stand and fight with me?

The whole village told the farmer, ‘how can we not stand by you and fight… Where else do you expect us all to go? This is after all our home! If we don’t fight for home…..then what are we supposed to fight for!’

As for the foolish farmer he was last seen drinking himself blind while singing, show me the way to go home, like a broken violin…some say he was transformed into a frightened dog thereafter…if anyone knows or who has seen this dog…I mean person please drop me a line.

Dotseng aka Darkness

Elected President or Appointed President better bet?

The heat is on. Do away with the flawed Elected Presidency. How can we have a system where the electorate could vote in a rogue president? We must have a similar system like our GE where no matter how daft the electorate are, they would never elect a rogue govt to power. Our system is so well designed and tested, no rogue govt has been elected so far and would never will. 

Let’s work out another scheme to replace the Elected President scheme that would not end up with a rogue president. How about a new condition that all candidates for the Presidency must come from the ruling party? Why, because the ruling party has a very good tea session that would rule out any potential rogues into parliament or to become the president. Just a suggestion only ok, don’t get excited or angry can? Maybe all presidential candidates must be natural aristocrats. Natural aristocrats are incorruptible by nature.

Maybe an easier way is to revert to the appointed president scheme. That one was working until some smart alec said an elected president scheme is better. Since all the smart alecs now said elected president not safe, then go back to appointed president. When they panicked the last time, they forgot the principle that when something is not broken, don’t change it. But they changed it, to an elected president, and now they suddenly discovered that this is a bad scheme.

But before they go back to the appointed president scheme, let me quote a comment by an anonymous here.

‘Anonymous said... If a rogue regime chooses its own President and any Other Office Holders.  NAURALLY ALL WILL BE ROGUE.  Commonsense la.’

What do you think, does this comment make any sense? Which scheme will be more dangerous, an elected president when the mistake, if made, will be made by the electorate, or the appointed president where the mistake would be made by a handful of people? Should the election of a president be left in the hands of a rogue govt? A president can be a rogue, an elected govt also can become rogue right?

Should the govt take heed to the comments by this anonymous or to listen to the smart alecs? Is there a system that can guarantee a president that is not corrupt?

Najib negotiating for his exit?

I read a long report painting a very bleak picture of Najib’s political career and his impending exile but no country wanting to have him or to have anything to do with him. The report even mentioned his in laws in Kazakhstan had turned him down. I forgot the source of this report but it seemed so real, with suggestions that all the crimes of Najib are already on the AG’s table and waiting to be submitted to the court together with Najib in the dock.

In the media yesterday, Najib was all very well, seeking an audience with the Agung to remove the Chief Minister of Kedah who is none other than his nemesis’ son in Muhkriz Mahathir.  It was not Najib moving out but the Mahathir’s son, the last of Mahathir’s shadow in Malaysian politics. Najib is still on top of things and in full control of the mess he is in.

This political intrique is getting more interesting everyday. How could Najib being accused of so many wrongdoings and by the most powerful man in Malaysia even out of office, is still standing and kicking around, and kicking asses? In his heydays, a whisper from Mahathir would send everyone flying and the victims kissing dust. Why is it so difficult for Mahathir to remove Najib despite all the evidence he and his men had in their hands? And why is Najib getting stronger by the days and appearing to be the winner in this zero sum game?

Is it the Rosmah factor? Everyone has heard of how powerful Rosmah is and the infamous rumour of her dabbling with the occults. How much truth is there that the occults could have such a powerful influence in the politics and staying power of a PM painted into a corner?

Or are the days of the Mahathirs coming to an end? Could the past excesses of Mahathir be the main factor of his undoings, that the palaces are now more inclined to favour Najib than the man that clipped their wings and now it is pay back time for Mahathir? The ruthless and arrogant disregard of the dignity of royalties, no matter how well meaning, would still be regarded as an affront and an act of disrespect and insubordination. Now Mahathir is not going to get the support that he desperately wants from the Agung and the royal houses. It is game over for Mahathir. No matter what sins Mahathir wants to pin on Najib, no sin is greater than the sin of trampling on the dignity and power of the royal houses.

Now, who is fighting for his life, Najib or Muhkriz and Mahathir? The victor is not going to be kind to the loser this time as the stakes are really high and any softness could prove fatal in a rebound. Who shall walk again and who shall be in exile? The verdict would be out very soon.