Cheng Bock, why took so long to speak up?

Cheng Bock, why took so long to speak up?

Cheng Bock held a press conference on 31st Mar to question how the govt compute the qualifying period for the election of a minority Elected President. The points he raised were sensible and logical as the way the govt calculate the 30 year/5 term to start from Wee Kim Wee is apparently controversial and kind of contrived. Even the brightest legal mind would have problems accepting the logic and trying to explain it legally as sound and constitutional unless one is prepared to content with funny explanations.

This move by Cheng Bock is drawing flakes from some quarters criticising Cheng Bock for being silent for too long, that the rice is cooked and it is now too late, water under the bridge. The question is that is this really too late and nothing can be done about it? Looking from another angle, what Cheng Bock has done, by waiting for all the nails to be struck into the coffin and then raised ruckus about it is a very sound strategy. It is a strategy that said, now that every is done it could not be undone except to pull down the whole scam.

Let me use the analogy of some foreign talents engaged to build a house using farcical or unsound formula for the foundation. If someone would have jumped the gun at this point to point out the glaring error, it could be corrected immediately, rectified and the building built on sound foundation subsequently. But if the questionable foundation was allowed to go undetected, no alarm raised, the whole structure built would not stand when the fault is pointed out and has to be demolished totally. You cannot fix an unsound foundation structure, say if the piling was shortchanged, or very poor material were used or inadequate support material was used. It must be pulled down, there is no two way about it.

Ok, back to Cheng Bock's objection on the computation of the 30 year/ term qualifying period, is it sound and logical? If not, if it is flawed, it must go back to the drawing board to start a new jiggle. How reasonable and logical was the use of Wee Kim Wee as the first Elected President, and from when? Is this another case of stuffing round pegs into square holes? And who is to decide whether it is sensible and constitutional if not the court of law? Some jokers said there is no recourse and if need to it should go back to Parliament. But Parliament also had a round of 'robust' debate on this issue, so everything cannot be changed. Really, is this what the legal fraternity thinks so?

I am not sure if Cheng Bock could take the case to the 'UN backed' Hague Tribunal, the one that ruled that island without its own fresh water is not an island, but surely Cheng Bock could file for an interpretation in our courts of law. This is not a lawless country. If a case like this cannot be heard in our courts of law, then it would mean that we are a lawless country, not 'boh cheng hu' but 'boh huat teng', Parliament is the law and above the law, the final say in making laws and changing the Constitution and no court of law can hear or challenge the Parliament?

My only misgiving about Cheng Bock's press conference is that it is just a press conference and the only outcome is for people to talk about it in the kopitiams. If the govt does not want to talk about it, does not want to engage, then what? Yes, Cheng Bock should do the necessary and bring the case to the courts of law for a decision. Period. If Cheng Bock's interest is only to raise awareness and start a round of public buzz, then it would be just a public buzz. The press conference is just that and nothing more and the EP would be held in September without him.

What's next Cheng Bock? Is this the end of the story? If Cheng Bock is serious and meant business, this must be a new beginning.

PS. I have a suggestion for Cheng Bock if he is not taking up the case himself. He can always ask a cleaner to take it up and have Ravi to represent her again.

Boao Forum – New paradigm and new direction for Asia and the world

Since the end of WW2, the world economies have seen a good solid 70 years of economic growth and prosperity under a world system that encourages free trade and globalization. Though growth was disproportionate and not every country could maximize the benefits from the free global trading system, still every country was progressing in a peaceful environment other than those bogged down by wars.
 
The economic developments of post war years are a stark contrast from the pre war years marked by unequal treaties and brutal exploitations of colonized nations by the powers of the day. Trade agreements were anything but fair. Many colonized Asian, African and Latin American countries bore the brunt of colonial conquest and looting of their natural and national resources and were forced to accept one sided trade agreements dictated by the colonial powers leading to an imbalance in the growth of colonial economies against the deprivation and depletion of colonized economies.
The world has since benefitted from a fairer global system as it enters the 21st Century. This era of peace and free global trading system is now facing mounting challenges, from the threats of war and anti free trade led by the USA. The USA is on a path of self isolation and threatening to disrupt and destroy the free global trading system that it helped to build as the undisputed leader of the free world and free economy after WW2.
 
The world must stand together to protect his free global trading system where nations are free to negotiate bilaterally or multi laterally in trade agreements, on an equal basis, to benefit all parties. The current trading system is as fair as one could get without the use of force and threats. Multi lateral trade agreements have proven to be beneficial to its members, big and small. To change this arrangement and to revert to bilateral trading systems and isolationism is a regressive step backward that countries of the world would stand to lose and may lead to greater inter state tension and even trade wars.
 
The world has progressed and has developed many avenues for greater cooperation and integration as members of an interconnected and interdependent community for the benefits of all nations. Member countries attending the Boao Forum are testaments to the achievements and faith of a more interconnected world based on free trades and globalization. While the Americans are heading towards isolationism and giving up its leadership of the free global trading system, Asian countries should step up to continue the trend for free trade and globalization, to assume leadership for more freedom for nations to trade freely as independent and equal members of this brave and free new world. Nations must seek partnership and alliances for trade and peaceful cooperation, not military alliances for wars, for protectionism, to threaten other countries with military powers.
 
There is a need for a new leadership to advance free trade and globalization, with or without the USA, over countries that are seeking the isolationist path. Asia should take the lead in this new direction for the good of countries of the world.
 
At the Boao forum Xi Jinping said that the theme－’Globalization and Free Trade: The Asian Perspectives－reflected the keen attention on the issue from the international community, especially in Asia.’ He went on to laud ‘the role of the forum in building an Asian consensus, promoting Asian cooperation and upgrading Asian influence since its establishment 16 years ago.’ Asia’s role in contributing to a constructive dialogue and initiative in globalization and free trade would only grow as more Asian countries joined the journey for higher economic growth and development.
 
In the same forum, Nepal’s Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal said, ‘Asia is an ideal region to lead the next phase of globalization, and future efforts should focus on increasing inclusiveness to avoid dividing people into winners and losers.’ Asia would have no choice but to take the lead for a new paradigm in free trade and globalization in the face of new challenges as it enters the 21st Century with new dynamics and amidst rising tension and threats to the established free trade global system. There is no other option but to soldier on under a system that is free, fair and equal and proven to be functional.

Would Singaporeans love this dictator?

This is what he gave to his people.
1. There is no electricity bill in his country; electricity is free for all its citizens.
2. There is no interest on loans, banks in the country are state-owned and loans given to all its citizens at 0% interest by law.
3. Home considered a human right in his country – he vowed that his parents would not get a house until everyone in the country had a home. His father has died while him, his wife and his mother are still living in a tent.
4. All newlyweds in the country receive $60,000 Dinar (US$50,000) by the government to buy their first apartment so to help start up the family.
5. Education and medical treatments are free in his country. Before his rule only 25% of the citizens are literate. Today the figure is 83%.
6. Should his citizens want to take up farming career, they would receive farming land, a farming house, equipments, seeds and livestock to kick-start their farms – all for free.
7. If his citizens cannot find the education or medical facilities they need in the country, the government funds them to go abroad for it – not only free but they get US$2,300/mth accommodation and car allowance.
8. In his country, if a citizen buys a car, the government subsidized 50% of the price.
9. The price of petrol in his country is $0.14 per liter.
10. His country has no external debt and its reserves amount to $150 billion – now frozen globally.
11. If a citizen is unable to get employment after graduation the state would pay the average salary of the profession as if he or she is employed until employment is found.
12. A portion of the country’s oil sale is, credited directly to the bank accounts of all the citizens.
13. A mother who gave birth to a child receive US$5,000
14. 40 loaves of bread in his country costs $ 0.15
15. 25% of the citizens have a university degree
16. He carried out the world’s largest irrigation project, known as the Great Man-Made River project, to make water readily available throughout the desert country.
The treacherous Americans said this man was evil and had him murdered by invading his country and dethroned him, or was it the Europeans and the Americans. This man was a dictator and would be ruthless, like all dictators are to their political enemies. Dictators are dictators and often bullied their citizens. But was this dictator a better dictator to his ordinary people? Would the apolitical kiasu, kiasi, kia chenghu Singaporeans love to have a dictator like this man?
You can guess his name. The Evil Empire has terminated him and his country is in a mess.

The CPF scam, controversy or mirage

Can one call the CPF a scam, or is there a better word to describe this scheme if it is not a scam? Can someone find a more suitable word instead of calling it a scam? It is definitely a big controversy over what it is and what it is not. It is in many ways like a mirage, like real but not real, like your money but not your money.

When we started joining the CPF scheme, I belong to the pioneer generation, things were very simple. Put aside some money as a saving for retirement. At 55 one will get every cent in the CPF account and nothing more to do with the CPF.

I just signed onto my account in the CPF and to my horror, I still owe the CPF several hundred thousand dollars, from housing loan, interest on housing loan and funds taken out for investments. Hey, I have passed the withdrawal age many aeons ago and should be getting every cent out from my CPF savings. I do not want to have anything to do with the CPF. Why am I owing money to the CPF or owing money to myself? What kind of trickery is this?

And why should I be owing money due to interest on my housing loans, fully paid, when it is my money? Should not my account be clean u, closed, leaving at most only the ransom that the govt has passed as law to hold on to my money, refusing to return to me fearing that I may squander them in Batam? What ransom? Oops, sorry, I mean the minimum sums that I cannot touch, and now not even sure if they are my money. Some people said money cannot use or not use is not your money.

Singaporeans are so daft that they did not know the money they saved in the CPF is their money, or is it the govt’s money? When an NMP said it is not the people’s money, nearly the whole Parliament nodded in agreement without anyone standing up to say she was wrong, that it is not the govt’s money but belong to the people that contributed as their life savings. Is this an implicit agreement that what the NMP said was true? Is this morally right to turn the people’s sayings into something else? And the daft kwai kwai let the govt decide what the govt wants to do with the money. They have no say to their own savings! And another compulsory scheme is on the way, to use the people’s life savings as if it belongs to the monkey proposing it.

My dream is for a new party to come into power and remove all these unjust and unfair laws to keep the people from accessing their money saved over a life time. This thing must be stopped one day and the money be returned to the rightful owners. No amount of ‘conmunication’ can change the fact that the money belongs to the people that contributed them. Monkeys, please keep your fingers off the people’s money.

This is uniquely Singapore. Communication should be spelt ‘conmunication’.
And the best part, at my age when I could be called to meet the maker any moment, I still have to contribute to my CPF in Medisave. What shit is this? Is this a kind of robbery from the oldies? No, no, it is compulsory, the law said so. It is legal. Not sure if I got the spelling right for the word legal. Then what is robbery? Robbery is the law did not say so.

US should stop its mischiefs in the South China Sea.

I refer to Today's paper report on page one " South China Sea isles 'ready for military use", information disseminated by an American Think Thank, " The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative ( AMTI ) part of Washington's centre for Strategic and International studies. "

This is yet another of the continuous intermittent American mischiefs of stirring shit in the South China Sea to suit its agenda of aggression and containment against China and its ultimate aim and ambition of controlling and holding hegemony over the East China Sea and the South China Sea.

The Paracel and Spratly islands are inherent Chinese territories. China is exercising her sovereign rights in building up defensive installations in her own territories to deter American and Japanese aggression. It should be of no concern to the Americans which instead should be ashamed of its huge sprawling illegal military bases in Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean and other military bases in Guam, Marshall Islands , Japan, South Korea and the Philippines.

It must be noted in the mid 1970s US had instigated Vietnam, Philippines and Malaysia to steal many of the Chinese islands at the time when China was militarily weak especially in naval defense vis-avis the Americans. Nevertheless there was a certain modicum of peace and tranquility in the South China Sea. It was only in 2010 when Obama and Hillary Clinton in their insanity and evil intent of pivoting to Asia to contain China that they created distrust and dissension among the countries bordering the South China Sea thus causing trouble and instability to eventually benefit US hegemony.

US should stop its mischiefs in the South China Sea and instead let the world have peace and security by dismantling all its military bases around the four corners of the earth.

US should stop complaining and accusing others falsely while as the Chinese have a saying " One is not aware of the shit in one's face but only the smell in others "  US fits exactly under that description.

Southernglory1

Wednesday, 29th March, 2017