Water hike protest at Hong Lim

Last Saturday’s protest at Hong Lim was reported in the Straits Times not because of the protest but because Reuters gave the wrong and misleading reason for the poor turnout. Reuters said it was fear that kept people from attending the protest. The SPF objected to the argument of Reuters, claiming that it was misleading and untrue.

I think there could be some element of truth in Reuters’ point but how much was due to fear is debatable. Who is able to quantify this data? What I think could be one of the major reasons for the pathetic turnout of 100 was the lack of publicity on the event. How many people really know of the protest to even want to attend the event if they did not even know of it?

What I think organizers of future events at Hong Lim should take note of is to at least create more publicity and awareness of such protests. Don’t expect people to know if very little is said of it. Even poor Donald Trump must go down to twitting to get his message to as many people as possible. Organisers must know that they are not Donald Trump and only need to hold an event and expect everyone to know and to want to attend.

Organising an event with little or no publicity, with little or no notice, is as good as not organizing it at all. When failure or poor turnout is assured, what is the point? Are the organizers trying to prove that Singaporeans are not interested in such protests and let the attendance speaks for itself? What kind of impression are the organizers going to create with a 100 attendance?

My advice, do it properly, seriously, and no effort should be spared to inform the public of the event. Make use of all the options like social media, twitter, youtube, google, facebooks etc etc to get the message across. It must be quite disheartening for the speakers and those attending the event last Saturday to see the handful of attendance.

Want to hold more protest at Hong Lim again?

USA, the solution or the problem?

The USA has been meddling with the Middle East and the Palestinian/Israelis problem since the end of WW2. Till today, it is still claiming that it is the only country able to resolve the Palestinian/Israelis conflict and the state of Israel/Palestinian. Until today, 70 years after the USA created the State of Israel in the heart of Palestinian and Arab land, it is still pretending that it is the solution to the problem when it is the problem from the very beginning.

Read this state from the American Office of the Historian to understand how it all started. The Americans, against the wishes of the Palestinians, created the present state of Israel by transporting millions of displaced and stateless surviving Jews from Europe after WW2 to where it is today.

‘Creation of Israel, 1948

On May 14, 1948, David Ben-Gurion, the head of the Jewish Agency, proclaimed the establishment of the State of Israel. U.S. President Harry S. Truman recognized the new nation on the same day.

Although the United States supported the Balfour Declaration of 1917, which favored the establishment of a Jewish national home in Palestine, President Franklin D. Roosevelt had assured the Arabs in 1945 that the United States would not intervene without consulting both the Jews and the Arabs in that region. The British, who held a colonial mandate for Palestine until May 1948, opposed both the creation of a Jewish state and an Arab state in Palestine as well as unlimited immigration of Jewish refugees to the region. Great Britain wanted to preserve good relations with the Arabs to protect its vital political and economic interests in Palestine.

Soon after President Truman took office, he appointed several experts to study the Palestinian issue. In the summer of 1946, Truman established a special cabinet committee under the chairmanship of Dr. Henry F. Grady, an Assistant Secretary of State, who entered into negotiations with a parallel British committee to discuss the future of Palestine. In May 1946, Truman announced his approval of a recommendation to admit 100,000 displaced persons into Palestine and in October publicly declared his support for the creation of a Jewish state….’

 

The Americans planted the seed of conflict and division in the heart of the Middle East and in the pretext of negotiating for the two conflicting parties, grew the seed to an impenetrable military fortress know as Israel today. The several wars fought over the years were not just wars between the Arabs against Israel but wars against USA/Israel with the full military might of the Americans at the disposal of the Israelis. There is no way the Israelis could withstand a combined attack by the Arab world alone or even an attack by Iraq or Iran or Eygpt. It was the Americans fighting on the side of Israel that kept the Israelis invincible.

And the farce of being neutral and playing the neutral negotiator in the dispute was only accepted by the militarily weak and divided Arab nations that could not do anything about it. And periodically the Americans would close an eye to allow the Israelis to attack and destroy any Arab states that have built up a strong enough military force that could threaten Israel. The Arabs are not stupid that they did not know what was happening but their inability to unite as a force to face a common enemy and without the military clout, they could only swallow the pretentious act of the Americans, to be dominated and controlled by the American/Israeli alliance and to keep the status quo going, with the state of Palestine forever a fleeting dream that would not come true as long as the American Empire is ruling the world.

The farcical fight against the ISIS after the devastating destruction of Iraq, Eygpt, Libya and nearly Syria with the creation of the ISIS by the Americans is the biggest wicked joke of the century. It was like fighting the ISIS and feeding it at the same time to keep the game going endlessly and the Arabs being the sacrificial lamb and the Palestinians forever a homeless, weak and disintegrated people, without the resources to determine their own future.

Without the intervention of the Russians, the ISIS would be growing from strength to strength and with more fighters from all corners of the world believing that ISIS was really a rising force in the Middle East, without knowing that its existence was the grace of the Americans, financed, kept alive and fed and armed to keep the Middle East in flame, in conflict, at war till kingdom comes, to secure the security of the state of Israel.

Now that the Russians are in the game, the fake military prowess of the disorganized make shift ISIS force became apparent and real. It is only a matter of time before the ISIS be destroyed and become history once the American’s hand behind the whole game of treachery is exposed.

The Americans were the main problem to the Palestinian/Israelis conflict from day one and it is their intent and in their political and military strategic interest to keep the Arab world in constant and unending turmoil, to keep the Arab nations forever hapless and unable to challenge the little state of Israel, the thorn in the heart of Arab land.

The game is up for the evil Empire. The truth has surfaced, that the Americans are the problem and never the solution to the Palestinian/Israelis conflict and the creation of the state of Palestine and peace in the Middle East.

Game over for the Americans is around the corner.

Are NSmen a strategic and scarce resource?

Some of you have raised a good point about this new catch phrase called strategic resource and scarce some more. Using this genie or demon of make an argument, to justify a wrong is like raising race as a factor in our politics in the Elected President scheme. It is also like the raising of Syonan and backfired badly.

With some clever twits thinking that using the term strategic resource and they would be able to get away with murder, now everyone is going to look at everything using this very same term. It is only right that you people asked the same question, are NSmen a strategic resource and deserved to be accorded the same importance to be paid the respectful and deserving salary.

Ask a simple question, can this country survive without NSmen like without water? Which is more important, NSmen or water? Can this country do away with NSmen? What would this country be without the service of NSmen to protect this country? Some say yes, this country has gone to the dogs. It is gradually being taken over by foreigners, given to foreigners, there is no need to defend anything anymore. Just invite the foreigners to come and take over. There is a point in this argument.

But before the foreigners take over this island and drive out the original Singaporeans as mismatch, misfits, some may still want to hope that this country still belongs to the original Singaporeans and they can do something to prevent it from happening, and there is a role for NSmen to protect this island. If that is the case, then NSmen are indeed a strategic resource. No one, no foreigners would die fighting for this island. Ok some may, but in a matter like the defence of the country, when one is allowed to bear arms, to carry arms and use arms, there is no room for error. How daft can one be to trust that all foreigners turn new citizens would die defending this island?

The probability for errors, the bad apples is very high. Even a 1% error can be devastating. In the Australia murder case, we lost two of our bright young scholars. A simple can turn out to be a grave mistake. And with so many new citizens joining NS, you can expect worms among them.

NSmen, our Singaporean sons, are a strategic resource and a scarce resource. Should not they be priced for the true value of their worth? Are they being shortchanged? Are they being made to protect a population when more than half are really foreigners and taking their jobs and making them redundant, misfits, mismatch and useless in their own country?

In today’s Today paper, First Warrant Officer(Retire) Ali Pawiro said this about Japanese soldiers barging into his house to raid everything in sight. ‘Who were they? How could they just come in and take our stuff?’ Today would Ali Pawiro be shocked to see the two million foreigners here not just taking our stuff but taking our jobs, university places, and occupying our homes and beating up our taxi drivers and cyclists for fun or just to show their anger? And the two millions are invited here!  Any difference?

How to compensate this scarce and strategic resource like the NSmen?  No need because there is nothing to defend anymore? The NSmen must be paid well to make the people understand their true value. The people must be made to bear the real cost of NSmen. At least this would also give them some dignity instead of the paltry sum they are getting unbefitting of the important and strategic role they are performing. Or should they still be sneered as the lowly paid, cheap NSmen, with money not enough and with little dignity as far as their pay is concerned?

What do you think? Water more important, more strategic than NSmen?

PAP will get 75% in next GE

Some critics are saying that this PAP govt is looney. Look at the slate of increases in taxes, fees and more to come and how well they are received by the citizens and you will know how popular is this govt and how strong is the support from the people. After raising education fees, SC&C charges, water fees by 30%, transport fares going to be next and the most comprehensive tax of all, the GST, you can only expect more as the govt is so confident that the people will accept them as gratitude to the good and incorruptible govt and their good policies. It is ok if a few Singaporeans are unemployed, underemployed or forced to retire, they know that it is their faults for being so, unable to compete with the influx of highly talented foreigners, so they will happily go for retraining to take on less skill jobs.

What is important is that all of them would gratefully vote for the PAP in the next GE or in many more GE's to come. There is a very strong bond between the people and the govt. Some may question why 70% voted for the PAP in the last GE and still in shock, in disbelief. The Lee Kuan Yew effect was there and played a significant role to swing the votes. But what is more important and reliable is statistics.

By now 50% of the citizens are likely to be new citizens. This means 50% of the votes would go to the PAP from the new citizens. The balance of 50% could be divided into 50:50, for and against the PAP, ie 30% hard core and 20% swing votes. This would give the PAP another 25% of the votes to make it 75%. It was 70% in the last GE which was an indication that the full impact of foreigners turned new citizens was not enough and there was still a bigger swing votes for the opposition or against the PAP.

By the next GE in 2020 you can expect the new citizens, I don't use the word Singaporeans as it would put the original Singaporeans together with the new Singaporeans in one group, and very misleading. The new citizens are very appreciative of the good life given to them by the PAP, citizenship, cheap housing and good jobs that they could never find anywhere else, definitely not in their God forsaken home countries. And somehow their talents got raised to an unbelieverable level, all better than daft Singaporeans. How would they not vote for their benefactor, the PAP?

With the number of new citizens still increasing rapidly, the 75% votes for the PAP is a given in 2020. No amount of rallies and convincing arguments could change the statistical advantage of the PAP. More new citizens would mean more votes for the PAP. When more than 50% of the population is new citizens, translated to guaranteed votes, the battle is over before it even started.

Now you know why despite all the big increases and the cock thinking 30% water fee hike the PAP is still confident of winning the next GE hands down? And now do you know why there is no public protest for all the hikes? The original Singaporeans are now a minority and have resigned to their fate. Their only choice is to migrate or to be downtrodden by the new talents from little unknown villages. There is nothing they can do now. The PAP is double confirmed to rule till SG100.

Do not under estimate the power of mathematics and the magic of mathematicians.

Li Keqiang’s speech – What to make out of it?

Premier Li Keqiang has delivered his much awaited and most watched speech at the 12^th National People’s Congress and China watchers are busily trying to dissect every bit of his speech to understand what he was saying and where is China heading. The keynote address by the Prime Minister of China has gained stature internationally and would be closely watched by leaders of nations around the world wanting to understand China and its policies. Any analyst hoping and expecting something dramatic and earth shaking pronouncement in this speech is likely to be disappointed. Li Keqiang’s speech is best described by a few words, consolidation, stability and avoiding the risk that may come from domestic and external factors.

The tempo of the speech, covering almost every aspect of the Chinese economy and touching on the life of the Chinese people, is a sign of a leadership that is comfortable with what they have achieved and what they had set out to do. It is a speech that said China is on the right course and will continue to move ahead in a steady pace with not much haste.

China has initiated many big plans and projects internally and in the international arena in the last decades, particularly in the last few years. A distinct observation that everything is going on as planned, and doing well, is their absence from being mentioned in Li Keqiang’s speech.  What were not spoken were equally important if not more important like the AIIB and One Belt One Road international projects. The American rhetoric on the South China Sea were not worthy of mention as well. The anti corruption drive too did not find a place in the speech.

The whole emphasis of Li’s speech is about consolidation of what China has been doing over the years, economic development to bring about a prosperous China and better quality of living for its people. Improving the environment, clear sky, creating jobs and lowering unemployment and agricultural reforms to improve productivity took the main stage. The economy is targeted to continue to grow at a more leisure pace of 6.5%, a departure from the years of hectic double digit growth to ensure a more stable and sustainable growth.

The overall picture is a China growing at its own terms and dictates with no great concern or the need to take high risk. There is no worrying trends and development that could trip the progress of the Chinese economy and China’s growing prosperity. 

There are areas of concern but nothing unmanageable. Li Keqiang did raise the issue of independence movements in Hong Kong and Taiwan, and China’s sovereignty in the South China Sea. His message was simple, without being confrontational to unsettle the critics and doomsayers, that China would firmly and resolutely protect the One China policy, removing any doubts on what China would do when the One China policy and Chinese sovereignty are challenged.

Li Keqiang did not respond directly to the provocative rhetoric from the Americans and in a way keep the South China Sea on an even keel. The modest increase in the Chinese defence budget of 7% is also another statement that says threats to China’s national security would be taken seriously but not something the Chinese leader is unduly worried about. China is not in a hurry to over indulge in military spending or in an arms race with the USA to compete for military dominance and superiority. 

China has chosen the path of economic development, to continue to grow and develop in a measured and predictable manner to improve the lives of the Chinese people. Military adventure and supremacy are not China's cup of tea.

In summary, Li Keqiang's speech is all about economic development, prosperity and the well being of the Chinese people and for China to continue to grow as a sovereign nation.

PS. Posted this in China Daily