Honest dishonesty at work

I saw this runner on the TV screen. ’99.9% O level students passed at least one subject’. Wow, what a great achievement. Our education system or the teachers have done well, very well. Or is it the students have done exceptionally well? 99.9%  passed! Wait a minute, passed at least one subject? What does this mean? Passed one subject also passed? I have left school for so long and I know that in my time passing one subject is as good to repeat in Sec 4. Passing 3 subjects also considered failed in my time. You need to pass at least 4 or 5 subjects and with some decent grades to pass and get a Grade 3. Now passed one subject can already, passed?

I am out of touch. Is this the reason why the employers have no faith in our education system when passing one subject is considered passed and something to rejoice, to shout about? What is the truth? Would the student with one or two passes go home and announce to papa and mama, ‘I passed, one subject’ and get rewarded?

The statement is very honest or very dishonest or honest dishonest? Ok, there was another banner that stated something like 84.3% passed at least 5 subjects. Though we must not embarrass or discourage those that did not do well, but we must be honest with them, that one pass does not qualify to pass the whole examination. Or maybe nowadays there is no such thing as pass or fail an examination. Just count the number of passes good enough. What a merry world of semantics and make beliefs. Yes, say the right things and hear the good stuff.

The world’s Number One nuclear power threatening North Korea

The world’s Number One nuclear power, with more than 7,000 nuclear warheads that can turn the world into Stone Age, is threatening North Korea for wanting to test fly an ICBM. It is saying that they can have all the nuclear weapons but no one else can. They murdered Saddam Hussein and burnt down the whole country of Iraq, on the excuse that Iraq had WMD. Now it is alleging that the North Koreans are dangerous because they had a handful of unsophisticated nuclear weapons and demanding the world to take action against North Korea, claiming that North Korea is going to throw their nuclear weapons at everyone, including Singapore. And many silly bananas believe this myth. Why, because the Americans told them so.

Do they know why Iraq was invaded but not Iran? Because Iran has nuclear weapons and can hit back with nuclear weapons. That is why Iran is safe but not Iraq. Iraq could not hit back. Now North Korea too has nuclear weapons and is safe from being attacked by the Americans. Any country that wants to be safe from American attacks must possess nuclear weapons.

And what is Trump saying despite having a monopoly of nuclear weapons? The combined nuclear weapons of the rest of the world are not even half of what the Americans have. And Trump is saying that because of North Korea, America must ‘greatly strengthen and expand’ its nuclear capabilities. What kind of American silliness is this?

What kind of shitty heads did the silly Asians have to accept this kind of cowboy logic? Americans have the right to own all the nuclear weapons and to threaten every country with nuclear weapons and the rest of the world cannot have nuclear weapons and no one is telling the Americans off for threatening smaller countries with war and destruction?

No wonder the Americans are ruling the world. The silly Asians accept this as the inevitable reality, to be ruled and controlled by the Americans. And the best part, they love it, and happily accept this state of affair. But not the North Koreans, they are going to show their middle finger to the Americans.

Who is the stupid one? Who is the mad one? When is the UN going to tell the Americans to reduce their nuclear arsenal for a nuclear free world that Obama was talking about? Or a nuclear free world is one where no one can have nuclear weapons except the Americans, to rule and threaten everyone with nuclear annihilation?

Ask the Americans what is the purpose of having 7,000 nuclear warheads and increasing? For peace?

Singapore is the beacon of political honesty

As I said, I am going to write something honest about Singapore. I am going to say the darnest thing about political honesty. Tharman has said his peace and everyone is aroused by what he said and getting very excited. If you missed it, here it is, ‘To tackle social and political issues, return to 'honest politics’. The whole social media is abuzz by this statement. This is the most politically honest statement coming from Tharman.

And I agree with Tharman that we must return to ‘honest politics’ when tackling social and political issues. Singapore is what it is today because of such honesty. Singapore moved from Third World to First World because our politicians and political system are honest.  Wait, wait, don’t throw eggs at me so early. Let me justify my case ok?

Honesty is an inherent trait in Singaporeans and more so in our politicians. Some may say not so sure about opposition politicians. My claim is based on a few assumptions, oops, a few fundamental facts. We have the most well educated population, not counting the foreigners who came here with degrees from genuine degree mills and well respected and recognized as genuinely good. The system has acknowledged their goodness that now they are saying degrees are not important. Honesty is infectious and the foreigners have also become honest like us, and for that we accept their degrees with grace and generosity. No need to check any more to embarrass them.  Also our educated population is educated from world best universities and world best education system, so must be good and can tell the difference between honesty and dishonesty.

With such a clever population, there is no way dishonest politicians can bluff the people unless the people are really daft, a congenital defect. Being dishonest is bluffing, lying, cheating and even conning the people. The very fact that the people continued to vote the politicians into power speaks for itself. The people, all so well educated, cannot be so stupid and cannot tell the difference between honesty and dishonesty. They believe in an honest govt made up of honest politicians saying and doing all the honest things. The whole world must be envious of our politicians. The only element that could undermine an honest govt, money or corruption, has already been taken out from the equation. For that, the people or at least 70% have voted and confirmed that we have an honest govt and honest politicians. This is an indisputable fact.

And our politicians are so honest that they often spoke their mind, honestly. They did not have to hide or lie to tell people they are more than the lesser mortals. They believe that dignity comes from having a big salary. See how honest they are, no need to bluff. They honestly said they need millions or their lifestyle would be affected and would not want to sacrifice their privacy to be politicians. They also believe that if the govt pays good salaries, in the millions, you will have honest politicians or at least no politician will be dishonest with money matters. Town council management or some town council management may be an exception. At least they all started as angels but they cannot be angels all the time. This is honesty.

And honesty is how all the social and political problems are solved here. The latest is the amendment to protect children under police investigation. There is also the urgency to have a minority president and this is done quickly and honestly.  It has absolutely nothing to do with Tan Cheng Bock. The Terrex Incident is also a good case of honesty and how it should be handled honestly for the good of everyone. I am waiting for them to produce the declaration forms in the media as proof on what was actually declared. Honesty will dispel all the speculations and guessing, everything will be transparent and honestly declared.

And honesty means that when they made mistakes they own up. Even when mistakes of hundreds of millions of dollars or billions of dollars were made, they put it on public records.  Our govt is so clean and so honest. This is something the people must be proud of. When they want to fix things they also said so. This is true honesty of the highest level in politics.

I dunno when they said Singapore belongs to everyone is an honest statement or not. But when they said Singapore needs 6.9m population I am sure they are honest about it, that it is only a planning parameter.

I can go on and on about political honesty with many more examples. Singapore would not have come this far if politics and social problems were tackled  dishonestly. It cannot be. Anyone or any politician that is dishonest would be caught with his pants down in an honest system. 

It is time to return to honest politics. What, have we gone somewhere or fell asleep and must now return to honest politics? My apologies, just a Freudian slip. It is good and an honest thing to do to return to the right path should one go astray.

Another Little Brown Brother got insulted

It has to take a Duterte to wake up the Pinoys that no matter what, they are just Little Brown Brothers to the Americans, to be used to serve the Empire’s business, to fight proxy wars, to challenge the enemies of the Empire with the masters shouting from behind, providing arms and vocal support.

Indonesia just found out, my goodness, they haven’t woken up yet, that the literature and military doctrines of the Australians used them as enemies and were insulting their Pancasila, including their belief in God and inciting Indonesian Papua to be independent from Indonesia. Quoting an Agencies’ report ‘Indonesian military spokesman Major General Wuryanto said, “all forms of cooperation”, including military exercises and education and exchange programmes, have been suspended indefinitely.’

Who do the Indonesians believe were the ‘enemies’ in the Australian military exercise materials? China? The Australians rehearsing all their military exercises in anticipation of a Chinese attack on their territories? But it is not all in vain. Indonesia has started to question the increasing presence of American forces stationed in Australia, for what purposes, to prepare for an invasion of China?

Little Brown Brothers must always remember that they cannot morph into anything else, not into white brothers. The historical experience of the Australians meddling in Indonesian affairs, particularly in Timor, in Papua New Guinea, would not go away and would be repeated at the opportune moment.

This little deputy white sheriff is meddling too much in a region that it should not and is not behaving like a little sheriff, thinking that it is a big regional power. One day it would be overrun by Indonesia to put it in its rightful place.

Behind the headlines, looking inside the skulls

How  would Trump deal with a trigger happy North Korea? Jeremy Koh

To tackle social and political issues, return to 'honest politics': DPM Tharman

Above are two headlines in Channel News Asia on 8 Jan 17. In the first headline, the mindset of the author, Jeremy Koh, is that Kim Jong Un is a trigger happy man, or the North Koreans are. How did he come to this conclusion? What did the North Koreans did to be branded as trigger happy? Did they go to war, commit terrrorist acts? Or they were testing their missiles and nuclear weapons? If testing missiles and nuclear weapons are considered trigger happy, would the USA be branded as trigger happy, the most trigger happy as they have tested the most missiles and nuclear weapons and possessed the most and threatened to use them in the most occasions? Or is conducting military exercises considered trigger happy? Which country is conducting war games all over the world? North Korea?

What about countries engaged in wars under the slightest provocations or fabricating false information like WMD, would they be considered trigger happy? Which country has been conducting wars all over the world? Not trigger happy?

Or North Korea is trigger happy because the Americans said so? A little critical thinking and common sense would easily identify who is the real trigger happy country. No prize for the correct answer.

Singaporeans are not called daft for no reasons. Their daftness is legendary.

 

The second question is an eye opener. Returning to honest politics. Who have been indulging in dishonest politics and who needs to return to honest politics?  See the halo over my head?

Ok, let’s not engage in speculations, allegations or name calling. Let those honest people engaging in dishonest politics to start to change to honest politics. No need to ask them to own up and confess that they have been engaging in dishonest politics. That would be asking too much.

All those engaging in dishonest politics please kee chiu.

Thank you Tharman for saying the darnest thing. I know that you are referring to the international players and this is not meant for domestic consumption.

PS. Any cat wants to declare it does not eat fish and wants to turn vegetarian?