A strange assurance from the MOE

MOE assures a concerned parent that creationism ‘is not part of syllabus’

BY ARIFFIN SHA ON APRIL 23, 2016

In a series of sermons addressed to the megachurch Faith Community Baptist Church, Pastor Lawrence Khong launched a tirade against the Theory of Evolution. In one such sermon, which you can view a snippet of here, he argued that Darwin's brainchild was "a real deception from the Devil."

“Every day we are subjected to a worldview that is a real deception from the devil. For example, I mean the world is telling us that evolution is a fact, undisputable. It is taught in schools. But the fact of the matter is I will be exploring with you that you could hardly find any evidence of true evolution. And in fact, evolution is based on faith and not facts.  In fact, if we study the different theories, we find that creation has the most evidence to show us that indeed there is a God who created us.”

-          Lawrence Khong

The above quotes were from TOC.

I am not sure why MOE has to assure the parents that creation is not part of the syllabus in schools. For MOE to state this implies that this must have crept up somewhere in their discussion or creation has been discussed by some quarters.

A truth is a truth. A scientific truth is a scientific truth and can be verified. If it is not it is not. If a scientific truth cannot be verified, I can say for sure, the scientist is the wrong that is making the wrong assertion, not the devil.  

A belief is a belief. No need any verification. Just belief. That is why it is called a belief. That is why it will always be a belief and subject to controversies and discussions with one side trying do shout down another in order to claim that it is the truth. A scientific truth is just that. No need to shout at everyone and forcing others to believe that it is the truth. Is that simple enough to separate truth from a belief?

I have no quarrels or issues with people who want to spend their lives fearing the Devil and loving God and explaining everything in life as a tussle between the Devil and God. These two beings have been fighting since time immemorial and will still be fighting in the lives of those who chose to take sides and think everything in life is either the work of God or the work of the Devil.

I think there is more to life than just fearing the Devil and loving God. Let the two giants fight their everlasting battle of existence. The small little human beans have a life to live, to make meaning of live, to experience and grow, to feel the goodness, the bad, the pain, the sorrows, the joy and ecstasies of life, of being alive, to have a chance to live to know what life is and being alive is all about.

For those who chose to live life fearing the Devil and loving God, as long as you are happy that that is the meaning of your life, good for you. Do not impose or expect others to live your life and your beliefs. It is a choice, a personal choice, to live one’s life the way one wishes.  If your belief is the truth, after so many millennia, the truth should become unquestionable, and not still a controversial belief.

1 + 1 = 2. That is the simple truth. If people are still not sure and just believing that 1 + 1 = 2, then it cannot be the truth. If 1 + 1 is not equal to 2, I will not believe that it is the work of the Devil for being so. If my life is not going the way I want it, I will not blame the Devil. Neither will I thank God if my life is a little better than it should be. My life, how I live my life, has nothing to do with the Devil or the God. I don’t have to blame the Devil if things did not go well, and I don’t have to give credit to God if things go well. If the belief is what it is, the two would be too busy fighting each other in their unending battle of Creation.

Bukit Batok By Election – One simple question

Bukit Batok residents should ask the two MP wannabes one simple question. We are going to pay you $16,000 a month, plus bonuses and other tangible and intangible perks. Would these be good enough for them to serve full time?

If the answer is yes, good. Vote for him. If not, ask him why? Money not enough? $16,000 plus plus not good enough for an MP to serve the people full time? Hey, $16,000 is a lot of money you know. The cleaners only earn less than $1000. The sweepers also earn less than that amount, so do the toilet cleaners and security guards. Even an estate manager in any big development would barely be paid half of this sum.

$16,000 not good enough? How much do you want to serve full time? $20,000, $50,000 or $100,000? An MP’s job is very important you know. You don’t think an MP job is masak masak, can do part time, walk about only on weekends and at night.

With $16,000 we want a full time MP. Take it or leave it. We want full commitments and conviction and dedication to do the job, as an honourable MP. We are voting for more than just an estate manager, an MP that looks after us and national issues and represent us in the Parliament, not absent from Parliament. An MP’s job is not chasing after soiled pampers or kissing dogs and cats, or kissing babies only.

The people of Singapore must raise their expectations of what an MP is all about if they are going to be paid $16,000! Of course lah, to some $600,000 also peanuts and would not be able to appreciate how much is $16,000 or $1,000.  Such amounts are small change, not worth a second look, not worth a full time devotion to the job, got more important things to do to make more money. When people look down on $16,000, you know what kind of people they are or what is in their minds, what is more important to them.

Who would you vote for, an MP who would serve you full time or one saying he could only spare you some of his time, part time? Just ask, $16,000 full time, want or not? If not, next please. Have you heard of people sneering, ‘What is $10 million?’

China should tell the American gangster to ‘Fuck Off’

China used its military plane to ferry some injured workers from the South China Sea. And the American gangsters think it is their right to demand an explanation from China as if they own the islands and China is one of its colonies. China should simply send them a letter with two words, ‘Fuck Off’.

Who do the Americans think they are? The Empire of the world and can go around demanding other sovereign countries to explain what they do in their own countries? China and countries of the world should not fall into the trap of responding to the demands of the international gangsters. By replying and explaining what they are doing is in de facto acceptance of recognizing the power of the Empire and to submissively try to explain and justify their actions. Malaysia did the right thing by telling the Americans, yes, fuck off, on the American reports on human rights abuses in Malaysia.

China and countries of the world might as well start to question the Americans for everything they did inside America, like the silly presidential candidates meddling with other countries domestic affairs and criticizing and attacking the rights of other countries and the wars all over the world, the killing of Saddam Hussein and Gaddafi. The thing is that most countries did not have the time to bother with this international gangster and just let the Americans behave like rogues all over the world.

How about China and Russia conducting freedom of navigation around Guam, Diego Garcia, Hawaii and the Carribeans?  Of course they are not so silly to want to waste their resources and tax payer’s money on such silliness. Both did not have wild ambitions to want to rule the world. Only the Americans can make their tax payers pay for such nonsense and counterproductive acts, freedom of navigations, conducting war games all over the world, raising tensions and inciting wars.

Rail Academy to train more rail engineers

Former NTU president Cham Tao Soon has been appointed to assist in the setting up of a Rail Academy to train rail engineers. He said we have lost time and needed to catch up to train rail engineers and develop a workforce for the industry. This new approach of planting our own timber instead of hiring ready made talents from other countries would also serve the goal of building a Singaporean core in the industry.

The SGX also set up a SGX Academy to train better remisiers and specialists for the stock broking industry. Hopefully after all the training the remisiers will be earning more than the cleaners. It would be funny if remisiers have to attend so many courses and training and acquiring so many certificates and qualifications to become specialists and earning just as much as a cleaner. The effort would be a big waste of time and resources, might as well enjoy the more easy and carefree life of a cleaner, no need to attend courses and worrying about the punitive fines for making trading mistakes or violating trading rules and regulations. Anyway it is always good to go for training when one has nothing better to do.  Oh today they call this upskilling. Maybe remisiers should be encouraged to upskill, to multi task and multi skill and acquire a taxi driving licence as well.

With this great interest in training as if training is the solution to all our problems, it is strange that the banking and finance industry is still not moving to set up a banking and finance academy to train bankers and finance specialists. Isn’t Singapore experiencing a dearth of good bankers and shouldn’t the banking industry exercise some initiative, be pro active and join the academy bandwagon? At least it cannot be accused of not doing anything after being found sleeping for the last 3 decades. Or the industry is still thinking of hiring the best foreign talents regardless of nationalities?

Oh, Yaacob should think of setting up an IT or Infocomm Academy with the big budget at his disposal. Academy trained graduates would sound so much better. It just sounds right. At the very least their certificates would be more useful than the degrees that cannot be eaten.  They should convert all the universities to academies that are producing graduates with the relevant and not irrelevant skill sets.

Articles on LKY in social media

Many articles on the commemoration of LKY were posted in the social media and their contents were mostly negative. These articles would not have appeared and the fond memories and dignified final journey would have been etched deeply in the minds of the Singaporeans forever. The appearance of these articles is starting to cast doubt and prompted people to question the contributions of LKY as a pioneering leader of Singapore. Like it or not, the debate would definitely create distortions in the minds of some and make some converts to rethink in their beliefs.

The articles appearing in the TRE, ‘Lee Kuan Yew was only human, should not be revered like God’, ‘Hard truth that PM and sis must obey’, ‘Lee Wei Ling kena Davindered into sllence’, ‘Lee Wei Ling versus Janadas on Facebook’, ‘Lee Wei Ling: The editors in SPH are too timid to disobey’, ‘Why doesn’t Harry’s daughter objected to this?’, ‘Be wary of nimcompoops and sycophants’, ‘Are Dr Lee’s concerns about ‘Pa’ being venerated?’, ‘Ho Ching apologises for ‘rude monkey’ posting’, ‘LKY glorification is not about LKY but about those who try…’, all invited a lot of comments and many from negative to very negative about LKY as the founding PM of the island.

There are many more articles floating around in other sites in the social media, and mostly did not have much good things to say about LKY and with ugly commentaries. All this is so unnecessary, the consequences of the ‘ground up’ exuberance to want to commemorate LKY’s first anniversary in a big way. Like Wei Ling said, the memories, all good, were still vivid in the minds of many Singaporeans, but now so many articles have been written about the event and tarnishing an otherwise fine ending to a long and good journey of a statesman.

What a pity. Doing so much for so little, and some turning out so bad.  In politics, a good feel of the ground is very important.  Never listen to eunuchs.