Singapore China relations – who is being simplistic

I read this first paragraph from an article by Dotseng aka Darkness in his blog titled “Why Mr Chee Hong Tat is simplistic and flawed in his conclusion”.

Chee Hong Tat recently blasted critics who suggest that Singapore should align more closely with China so it would stop investing in competitive projects in neighbouring countries are drawing “a simplistic and flawed conclusion”, Mr Chee pointed out that Beijing is making investments in the region to enhance its connectivity and energy security, and that these decisions are based on China’s own national interests. What is your take on that?

Darkness went on to ask many more questions and provided his own answers on why it was Chee Hong Tat that was simplistic and flawed rather than those who wanted Singapore to align closer to China to benefit more from the better relationship.

In Chee Hong Tat’s comment that China was doing it all for its own interests as if this is something unusual and unacceptable. It also kind of implies that other countries were doing things not for their own interests and securities but more for altruistic reasons or for the interests of other countries. And I presume it also applies to Singapore, that Singapore did things, said things not for its own interests or security? Do I make sense?

What is so wrong about China or any country doing things for their own interests and security? And for all the projects that China has embarked, be they bilateral trade agreements or investments or the OBOR and AIIB, the countries that participated in these agreements or in OBOR and AIIB cannot be doing them for the sake and interests of China but definitely more for their own interests.

Would Singapore be silly enough to participate in such ventures and agreements not for the interests of Singapore and for Singapore’s security? Did Singapore built Suzhou Industrial Park, Tianjin Eco City and now another city in Szechuan not for Singapore’s interests? Should Singapore be chided for doing all this for the interests of Singapore?

What is new? What is new is to say something that is nothing new as if it is new. What is new is to say something that is the norm and to put a slant into that it is not right to do so.

What do you think?

Trump – North Korea showing disrespect to China?

This was what Trump said about the recent spate of North Korean missile tests. So, is Trump trying his boyish trick of driving a wedge between China and North Korea? What is so wrong or so provocative of the North Korean testing their own weapons to defend themselves against the constant provocations by the Americans, the biggest bully in the world? Who is threatening or provoking who? Is testing missiles provoking or threatening or conducting wargames at a country’s border simulating an invasion more threatening or provocating?

With only a first strike capability, the war mongers spreading fake news are claiming that North Korea is going to strike the USA with its few pieces of nuclear weapons. The Chinese and Russians also have first strike capability against the US and likewise the US against the Russians and China. But all three parties would not risk a first strike knowing that all have the capability of a second strike when hit. The deterrent is the second strike that keeps these nuclear powers from hitting at each other. North Korea does not have a second strike capability and only fools would try to demonise them to strike the US first. But these fools are making fools of everyone else by telling them that this is real when it is all American propaganda, fake news, misinformation.

Never mind, what is this disrespect shown to China that Trump was trying to say? What truth is there to say that the North Korean testing of missiles is showing disrespect to China? Or were the North Koreans showing disrespect to the Americans? Could it be that they already got approval from China to conduct the test to tell the Americans what can you do about it? Want to start a war because of the testing?

What about sailing warships in the South China Sea, a few thousand miles away from the American shores and sailing to within the 12 nautical mile territorial limits of China? Is this kind of act hostile, showing disrespect to China? What would China consider to be more disrespectful, testing missiles or Americans sailing warships under the guise of freedom of navigation into Chinese territorial waters?

Trump, I am asking you. Are you not showing disrespect to China while you are uttering the same thing about North Korea? Hope China would lay a few mines in the sea surrounding their islands and tell the Americans, you come in at your own risk. Then we will know who is not showing respect to who. The big bad wolf is every where provoking and inciting war.

I am quite sure Chinese leaders are smiling every time Kim Jong Un fires his missiles and the Americans and Japanese start to just up and down furiously.

PS. It would be interesting when the North Koreans also develop anti aircraft carrier missiles that would put a serious threat to American aircraft carriers entering the region. The concept would equally apply and be as effective to the North Koreans as to the Chinese to deny American aircraft carrier access to the surrounding seas.

And this would be good in complementing what China is doing, to have more of such missiles aimed at the American carriers, not forgetting that they could be just as accurate against American and Japanese military bases.

Slap stick comedy accused of being racist

A Singaporean Indian actor was disgusted over his role as an Indian NSman in Jack Neo’s ‘Ah Boys to Men 4’ comedy. He was told by the director that he was not Indian enough, without the Indian accent that the director wanted in the comedy production.

This is from a post in the statestimes.

‘A Singaporean Indian actor was told by the casting director of a new conscription-themed movie by Jack Neo, that he is “not Indian enough”. Actor Shrey Bhargava took to Facebook and said that he put up with the director’s request and felt “disgusted” playing the role of an Indian Singaporean with thick Indian accent. The actor wrote his thoughts about why the state propaganda movie emphasize the need to play on racism to create jokes, and questioned the morality of the Chinese Singaporean majority who find these jokes funny.’

Jack Neo’s comedy is what it is, catering to the masses with the kind of stereo typing not just for Singapore Indians, but for Singapore Chinese, the Chinese educated and the bananas speaking in a contrived English accent that most Singaporeans don’t speak that way. To the little group of baba English educated Chinese, mostly bananas, that is the correct way to speak baba English, oops, that is Queen’s English to them.

In this particular case, the director could not understand that time has changed and the Singapore Indians no longer speak with the Indian accent of olden days or like the Indian Indians that arrived here recently. The 50 years of social integration and growing up together has evolved a generation of new Singaporeans that speak in a common accent, be they Chinese, Indian or Malay. They have a similar accent, very Singaporean and only Singaporeans can undertand and identify with.

The director of the comedy is still stuck in the past, playing on the queer accent and mannerism of the various races as humour. Suck slap stick humour has its own audience and attractiveness, maybe just to churn up the ticket sales but may, like in this case, becomes unpalatable and even be seen as being racist.

Jack Neo and his team should change with the time and reflect the real or new Singaporean mix, the new Singaporean young are different from their parents and grand parents. They have all acquired the Singaporean accent. The new Singaporeans are a new breed from our rojak society. Maybe the director may want to cast the new citizens with their queer accent from their motherland and how they cope with being the minority among the Singaporeans in NS.

There is definitely a distinct difference between the new citizens and the original Singaporeans, Singaporeans born and bred in our multi racial society. When the new citizens open their mouth, it tells instantly. This could be the next theme of Jack Neo in ‘Ah Boys to Men 5’. But beware of being accused of racism as playing up on the new and strange accent, behaviour and mannerism may not go down well on those who are more sensitive than the norm, especially the new citizens who have this obsession that Singaporeans are racist. Do not give room or reason to be accused of racism even if it is a comedy for commercial interests.

Ooi Jin Teck as CEO of Singapore Sports Hub?

Lee Bee Wah is rooting for Jin Teck, the current COO and now acting CEO with the resignation of Sawhney to be the next CEO. Jin Teck has all the credentials to helm this position, a Singaporean, an Olympian, represented Singapore in swimming and won many medals for the country. Why not?

When you read the names of the who’s who in the Sports Hub and those who have left, resigned after Sawhney became the CEO, one would be wondering why all the top management posts were held by foreigners and Jin Teck is probably the odd Singaporean man out? Don’t we have any Singaporeans good enough to be CEOs, or are we waiting to groom the next generation of CEOs in sports so that they would be ready to become CEOs in 50 years time?

I think Jin Teik’s weakest point is that he is a Singaporean, Singaporean is read as stupid, no talent and not good enough. If Jin Teik is a foreigner, his chances of being the next CEO would be much higher.

Would the Sports Hub be asking a foreign recruitment agency to go around the world to hunt for another foreign trash to be the CEO of the Sports Hub and Jin Teik, being a daft no talent Singaporean, is only a seat warmer, waiting to be replaced?

I know where they should be looking for another talented foreigner to be the CEO of the Sports Hub. Go to the little villages in the third world countries. They have all the talents that Singapore needs to run sports hubs and sophisticated modern businesses with skills honed from their little villages. Singaporeans like Jin Teik are just not good enough to be CEOs though they lived in a modern first world city. They just did not have the exposure needed to run modern facilities compare to the villagers.

What do you think?

Milk powder – Remember, you want quality, you pay

This mantra of everything must be expensive and priced accordingly is
probably the biggest culprit in the milk powder controversy. Actually it is
wrong to call it a controversy. The prices of milk powder, especially the
branded ones, have reached the roof and priced like the Mercedes and Rolls
Royce, like luxury items, to be worn on the sleeve.


How could rich parents not give their children the best, the most expensive
brand of milk powder with some even claiming to make the child more
intelligent? With only one child, many parents would give everything they
have to the precious child. Even the not so rich would be hard pressed to
want to give their children the best formula milk to compete with the
children of the elite. And so goes the merry go round and branded formula
milk keep raising their prices to be better by being the most expensive
brand.


And how to tell the mothers that the most expensive brand may not be the
best milk powder for their children? Is milk powder just milk powder
regardless of brand? How to convince the mothers that cheap is also good
when they have always been saying, you want good stuff, quality stuff, pay for
it?


Maybe the govt must start to sing another song, price does not matter and
price is not equated to quality. But what about the high prices of
education, of medical services, of expensive goods and services, are they
really good or no good? All politicians are politicians, sama sama, $200k
or $3m also politician.


Milk powder is just milk powder? How to tell the mothers to go for the
cheapest brand, the house brands of some super market chain? They are
equally good. This really needs a lot of convincing to do to tell the
people that cheap is good, that cheap can also be good quality.


During my time, many of my generation’s babies grew up on condensed
milk like Blue Cross, Mermaid, General brand, if I could recall. What milk
powder, branded ones some more, never heard of. Then again, maybe that was
the reason why they are so daft today and unable to see shitty situation
they are in. If that is so, there is more urgency and need for branded milk
powder to make the next generation cleverer and able to think a bit better
than their unthinking parents.


What do you think, higher price, higher fees better or not?


This milk powder crisis is another unbelieveable story that went unheard,
unnoticed while the price of milk powder shot through the roof. Perhaps
everyone was thinking, you must pay for quality what. Obviously this has
reached a beh tahan point and there is political anger to demand the
situation be righted before it becomes another dangerous asset enhancement
thing when at the end everything becomes nothing.