New rules for grassroot organizations

The popularity of grassroot organizations has taken an unusual turn for the better. Many are wondering how they could miss all the fun and happenings in grassroot activities. There are rumours that crowds and long queues are forming up, not to buy Toto but to join grassroot organizations and grassroot activities. And organizers of such organizations and activities are having a tough time trying to manage the crowd and the sudden surge in interest.

Because of exceptionally strong demand, new rules and regulations, new criteria are being mooted to limit and control the crowd. Among the new rules are things like female participants must be more than 60 years old. And for younger females wanting to join, for the singles they must get consent letter from their parents. For the more mature females they must get approval letters from their husbands. Oh, they must sign non indemnity forms as well as the organizers and organizations would not want to be liable for any mishaps or injury due to over zealousness and very hardworking members. Another condition is that all activities must end by 10 o’clock and office lights must be left on till morning daylight.

As for the manfolks, places are limited and will be on a first come first serve basis. It has also been reported that tussles and quarrels broke out in the queue because everyone is so excited and wanted to cut queue. Some have even paid their maids to queue for them overnight. Some more entrepreneurial foreign workers have been chopping places and selling them to the eager uncles for a good profit.

There is a new oomph in the air for grassroot activities. It is not just volunteering their time and services. People are paying just to be members and to participate in grassroot activities, locals and foreigners alike. And they are not asking to be rewarded.

Why not, many are using their skills future fund to pay for such activities so more.

The recolonisation of the Philippines and Asean

The Americans have just announced that they have reached an agreement with the Philippines to station American troops and weapons in 5 bases in the Philippines. In the 16^th century, the colonialists had to fight their way to colonise the Philippines. Today they are invited by the Philippines to recolonise the country.

The Americans now have bases in several Asean countries. The next American base would be in Malaysia. While the Americans are screwing Najib’s ass, his Defence Minister Hishamuddin has been sleeping with the Americans and talking about military cooperation with the Americans.  The Americans would be most happy to make him the next Malaysian PM in a regime change when they got rid of Najib. Then the Americans would have military bases in most of the Asean countries. The pivot to Asia would be complete.

None of the silly Asean countries are asking why is there a need for so many military bases when the Americans could use one carrier group to retake all the islands in the South China Sea?  What is the real intent and ambition of the Americans?  Do the silly Asean leaders understand the meaning of ‘pivot to Asia’? Put it simply, it is the recolonisation of Asia, starting with Asean.

The South China Sea is just a red herring, a convenient excuse to play up to deceive the daft Asean leaders who are scrambling to claim islands in the South China Sea in direct competition with China, claiming islands that China had claimed centuries ago, centuries before these countries were even countries, long before these countries regained their independence from their colonial masters.

Now, because of their wild ambitions, to claim little islands and rocks in the South China Sea, they are compromising their independence and inviting a colonial power to put soldiers in their countries. It is like inviting the wolves into the house to guard the chickens.

How daft can these Asean leaders be, wanting to fight for a bird in a thorny bush that was already claimed by someone else and risk losing everything, without getting the little bird?

MOM’s labour and employment data

What is MOM’s data on employment saying? Total growth in employment for 2015 is 23,300 compared to 131,300 and 122,100 in 2013 and 2014 respectively. Of these, local employment, or Singaporeans and permanent citizens took up 700 jobs compared to 82,900 and 96,000 for 2013 and 2014.

The data told of a shrinking economy with lesser jobs being created and lesser jobs going to Singaporeans and PRs. Of the 700 that went to Singaporeans and PRs, how many went to Singaporeans? 50% or less?

Each year’s citizen cohort by birth and coming into the job market is about 33,000. Even if only 50% of the cohort is seeking employment, that is 16,500. Add another 15,000 imports of foreigners, the total number of job seekers would be 31,500.

If the job market continues to shrink or remain at a level less than 30,000, many Singaporeans would have problem looking for a job. When job creation were in the 100,000s, things were ok though some Singaporeans were still finding it tough to land a job, especially the PMEs,  how bad would it become if job creation is in the 20,000 level?

Are we heading into a recession? Analysts are saying a recession is around the corner and the worse is yet to be.

Bukit Batok residents - Listen to him again

Chee Soon Juan may be the SDP candidate standing for Bukit Batok. I would advise the voters in Bukit Batok to listen to these two clips and hear him out once again in the quiet and leisure pace before the election campaign go into full swing. Assess this man and ask a few simple questions, is he a reasonable man, a sound man or as what people tagged him, a mad and rash man? Has this man grown up, mellowed and has he become a better man today?

The two clips were his speeches in the last GE. Make your own judgement and do not allow other people to plant their ideas and agenda on your mind. Be your own master. You deserve that, to judge freely on your own terms.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IkF7jZjNRU
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnJxdO-6nuQ

Animal Farm Revisited

One of the famous quotes of this classical political satire is that All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others. This state of affair came to passé when the pigs usurped the power given to them by default by the other animals in the farm. The pigs conveniently took over the farm and treat the farm as their rightful inheritance and the rest of the animals as their slave workers.

In our Constitution, every citizen is equal under the law, has equal rights to what everyone should have as a citizen of the state. No one is more equal than others unless one achieves greatness, or appointed/employed to positions of power and authority when the power and authority are vested in those positions. Before that, everyone is just an ordinary citizen, everyone is an Ah Kow, Ahmad or a Muthu, equal under the law.

There is now a Constitutional Commission to rewrite the laws and regulations on the eligibility to be a candidate to stand for election as the Elected President? Before this, it is already regulated that only some clever and powerful people have the right to be Elected Presidents, in other words more equal than other citizens. Is this a violation of the rights of the citizens provided in the Constitution?

So far no legal minds have stood up to say anything about this change, that some are more equal than others. Does this silence mean that it is legally right, constitutionally right, to legislate that some are more equal than others by virtue of wealth and position?

The Constitutional Commission is reviewing the eligibility criteria for the Elected President. Maybe, with the privilege of having two high court judges in the Commission, that this issue be aired and cleared once and for all. The privilege and rights of the people as equals provided by the Constitution is sacred and must not be violated and legislated away.

No, the Constitution can be changed and some should be made more equal than others? Would Singapore turn into an Animal Farm like the animals allowing their rights to be taken away without any resistance or protest?

What do you think? Anyone writing to the Commission wants to bring this point up? Non issue? Not important, no need to defend this right? Ok, I heard it, the legal minds and all the wise men and wise women have spoken, in silence. And they said silence is consent.

I rest my case. Four legs are good, two legs are better.