What to do with the taxi drivers?

Singapore is testing the use of driverless taxis this year when a fleet will be launched to ply the streets. If successful, more will be put on the road and they could be a hit among the commuters.  Socially and security wise driverless taxis would be the preferred choice than walking into a taxi driven by a stranger. And if unlucky, bad things could happen, not talking about some rude and nasty ones.

If this driverless taxi project is a success, where would all the taxi drivers going to find another job?  This is a new competition and eventually driverless taxis will be replacing those driven ones. The change could mean several thousand of taxi drivers going out of job, or at least a majority would be out of jobs, leaving only a few diehards to serve those that could not use mobile apps.

Are we looking at a game changer, a new lifestyle to getting use to? Whither the last bastion of jobs for Singaporeans? Hurry, think of more training courses for the taxi drivers that would be looking for new jobs, or to retire for good. Upgrading courses should be aplenty as taxi driving is not that much high skill compares to PME’s jobs. It is not easy to design skill upgrading courses for experienced and highly trained PMEs and to convince them that after upgrading their skills they can look forward to a low paying job that may not pay enough for their day to day living. For taxi drivers, any job would be a skill upgrade and could be paying more.

With driverless taxis, the taxi driving vocation could join the dinosaurs or the dodo birds.

Why Redbean did not reply?

 

Cynical Investor wrote an article in the TRE titled ''The truth about a China apologist'' and asked why redbean did not reply to him and a few others as well. The answer, why redbean did not want to reply is the same as why Confucius did not want to explain but agree with a 3 season man that there is no winter. Confucius knew that he could not convince the 3 season man that there was really a season called winter that the 3 season man had not known. How so?

A 3 season man is like some insects with lifespan of only 9 months, from spring to autumn. By autumn the insect would have outlived its life and be dead, never would it have a chance to experience and know what winter is like. To such an insect it is true that there is no winter. And the insect would be so convinced that he was right and would not want to understand or listen to people who lived long enough to tell him that there was winter. The discussion would be a waste of effort and time and it was better to agree with the 3 season man or let the 3 season man to believe he was right. Let the 3 season man be happy in his own truth.

There are many kinds of truth depending on the subjective biases of the individual. Some would believe that their beliefs are the truth. Some would believe that their facts are the truth. Some would believe that the fabricated facts are the truth just like the WMD in Iraq or Osama was the master mind behind 911. Some would believe the Americans are the most peace loving people despite being at war for the last 6 decades and killing hundreds of innocent lives. Some would also believe the Americans practices rule of law and accept and abide by international laws.

Just leave the 3 season man to their own thinking and logic. No need to sweat the small stuff.

Singapore, rock solid partner of USA rewarded

During the heydays of the British Empire, they rewarded their subjects with OBEs, KBEs or GCBEs and a chance to kneel before the Queen of England to be knighted. In modern day diplomacy, Empires still reward their allies and individuals for their contributions to the Empire but in different ways. Singapore has just been rewarded by the USA with a state visit and with the President of the USA hosting a state dinner to our Prime Minister in all pomp and pageantry.  Many countries, especially those in Asean would be green in envy for the kind of honour and reception Hsien Loong was getting at the White House.

What is this rock solid partnership all about? It is all about shared interests and common mission for a peaceful and prosperous Asia Pacific and a more secured world backed by the American military pivot in the region, with military bases and weapons to make sure there is peace and security. What have Singapore done to deserve this honour apart from hosting US military personnel and equipment here, like airbase for the P8 Poseidon spy planes and littoral combat ships?

Singapore’s unstinting support for the TPP is another big act that is most appreciated by the Obama regime. Not sure if this would turn bad when Trump or Hillary takes over. Singapore’s support for the US military pivot and the military intervention in the South China Sea need no further explanation. Not sure if Vivian’s absence as the co chairman of the China Asean Summit during the final briefing with Wang Yi is also part of this rock solid partnership. But Singapore’s undying and continuous call for the Americans to remain in the region to balance the growing influence of China is sweet music that the Americans would love to hear, being invited to dominate a region by the countries in the region.

There are many other cooperation and support that Singapore offered to the Americans, like being part of the Coalition of the Willing and sending military personnel to Iraq and other areas of military operations that the Americans are involved, for peace and security of the world of course.

Asean leaders that want to be invited to the White House and to be honoured and feasted like Hsien Loong sure have a lot to learn from Singapore and a lot to do to deserve such a great honour. Malaysia can count itself out for a long time or at least until Najib is removed and a more amicable PM that enjoyed being invited to the aircraft carriers takes over. Philippines would stand a good chance to be the next guest of honour in the White House. Unfortunately the chance has diminished without Aquino. Aquino would definitely be invited after The Hague Tribunal Show and would be greatly appreciated and honoured if he remains as the President.

China too has something to learn from this American diplomacy to honour its allies and rock solid partners. China may want to invite Hun Sen and wife and host an equally big dinner in Zhong Nan Hai with all the pomp and pageantry to reward Cambodia for the behind the door support in the last Asean Foreign Ministers Meeting in Vientiane. Hun Sen would feel better even if he is called a Trojan Horse by those in the American camp. Trojan Horses enjoyed being rewarded when the contribution is significant and to the interests of China. The Chinese must learn to be suave and savvy in black tie diplomacy as well.

The Americans dropping out of the computer race

After bragging for several decades as the most advanced country in super computers, the Americans have unashamingly bowed out of the race. They could not compete with the Chinese anymore with the Chinese claiming the bragging right for having the world’s fastest and second fastest super computers built in China. The Americans have fallen to a distant third and knew that they could no longer catch up with the Chinese and even declared that it was a race for nothing.

Is it really nothing to talk about? There have been talks in some corners of the military circle that the super high speed computers could have military applications like decoding the ICBMs or cruise missiles in flight, capture them and turn them around to where they came from or to where the Chinese wanted them to hit. This is ground breaking computer technology that only super speed computers could do to capture an ICBM in flight within minutes.

If China can perfect this technology, the US ICBM arsenal as well as those in the nuclear submarines and cruise missiles is as good as belonged to the Chinese and part of the Chinese intercontinental nuclear arsenal. The Chinese Anti Access and Area Denial strategy backed by their anti aircraft carrier missiles was a breakthrough in changing the military balance vis a vis the Americans.

The super computer technology would change the game of intercontinental and space based ballistic missile warfare.The deployment of super speed computers to capture ICBMs in flight would turn the table around against the Americans rendering all the American ICBMs impotent, afraid to launch for fear of being turnaround.

The military war game is changing rapidly in favour of China and the Americans are losing their grip on this hi tech warfare with computers fighting computers. The Americans have given up the race to the moon and space with the mothballing of NASA. Now this super computer race is another race that they have given up.

The end of the RAHMAN prophesy

The RAHMAN prophesy is coming to its end with Najib fulfilling the last alphabet N. For the uninitiated, the alphabets of RAHMAN spell out the first letter of the names of the Prime Ministers of Malaysia starting with Tengku Abdul Rahman where the RAHMAN originated, the following PMs were Abdul Razak, Hussein Onn, Mahathir, Abdullah Badawi and now Najib. 

 

The question is that we are now at the end of the RAHMAN prophesy, then what? Is Najib going to rule forever so there is no need for another formula to replace the RAHMAN formula. And by the look of things, Najib is going to rule for a long time to come. Whatever, Najib cannot be an immortal and it will come to an end. So, what is the next change? Would a new formula be found and how would it take shape?

 

The short 6 alphabets may be a sign that Malaysia will have only 6 PMs and subsequently there will not be any more PM. It could mean the end of Malaysia, with Malaysia breaking into different states and new countries. This is not far fetch given the artificiality and superficiality of the Malaysia concept. The two east Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak are all itching to break away from the Malay/Islam dominated country. They just don’t fit in given their population and religious profiles. And there is Johore that is increasingly losing patience with the Federal Govt meddling and messing up its development plans. Kelantan and Penang have different reasons to want a different formula or status quo.

 

There could be another possibility, that Malaysia will become a dictatorship, ruled by a dictator and no need for a PM. The possibility of Malaysia breaking up is high, but a dictatorship, mmmmnn, what do you think? Najib a dictator?

 

Look at another possibility of the RAHMAN formula being recycled with Malaysia remaining as it is. If this be the case, the next PM would be one whose name starts with the letter R. Tengku Razaleigh’s name came up immediately. Though ageing but still going strong and why not? Who else that are in the political limelight today with a name starting with R? What about newly appointed Economic Minister Abdul Rahman Dahlan, same name as Tengku Abdul Rahman to start a new cycle? He is young, only 50 years old and fit in nicely to succeed Najib in another term. There are two more ministers with names starting with R in Richard Riot Jaem and Rohani Abdul Karim. But both are light weights and unlikely to be PM material.

 

The RAHMAN formula would rule out many of the close contenders like Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Hishammudin, Khairy etc.  If this formula is going to be repeated, a new R must be found that is very influential and powerful to fit the role of a PM. I have one more R in mind and this candidate has a very high chance of taking over the rein from Najib.

 

Still guessing? What about Rosmah?