Chee Hong Tat - Test balloons are false and vicious

SINGAPORE: The Workers' Party could have used its "test balloons" allegation on the timing of the Goods-and-Services Tax (GST) "to great effect for political attacks", if the Government had not challenged it in Parliament, Senior Minister of State Chee Hong Tat has said.

"Had the Government not pursued the matter in Parliament, most people would have overlooked Ms Lim’s 'test balloon' comment.  However, the WP could later use it to great effect for political attacks, including during the next general election," he wrote in a letter addressed to all Singaporeans published on the People's Action Party (PAP) website on Saturday (Mar 10)....

Mr Chee said in his letter that her allegation was "false and vicious" and "goes to the heart of the Government's integrity".

"The underlying sting of that allegation was that the Government was being dishonest with the people," he wrote.

The WP could then repeat the allegation at election rallies and claim that since the Government did not rebut it in Parliament, "it must be true", he said.

Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/test-balloons-allegation-if-not-refuted-could-have-led-to-10032354

I thought after Sylvia Lim refused to apologise to Grace Fu's threat to file a complain against her this silly chapter on the test balloon allegation would have been closed and forgotten. The above is another report in Channel News Asia on Chee Hong Tat's public letter to the people to tell the people how dangerous is the test balloon allegation.

For goodness sake, testing the ground before implementing or changing policies or laws have been a standard practice by almost every govt all over the world. There are times when policies are unpopular or controversial or simply bad for the people and govts need to be very careful of the backlash if introduced. They would adopt all kinds of tactics to test the ground, soften the ground, creating fake news and misinformation to distract or convince the people to believe the policies are good and not bad for the people. Some govts may even tell lies to get the people to believe in their bad policies.

Test balloon is just another different expression of such govt tactics. It is nothing new or abnormal. What is the farce all about? Test balloons are false and vicious? 

I give up. It is a waste of time and resources like crying wolf or throwing a red herring to confuse the people. Oops, is crying wolf false and vicious, is throwing a red herring false and vicious, like test balloon?

What do you think?

PS. I think the people would be better educated and entertainment reading my rubbish in mysingaporenews.

Driverless trains need drivers

Below is a comment by a Stupida posted in TRE.

“After spending a fortune on driverless trains,
we will now have drivers in the trains becos the
tech is not working. However, we are going to go
ahead with being a cashless society – and do it
Overnight, rather than ease in – and there’s no
backup in place when the machines break down. “

Stupida has a point. Driverless trains come with a technology to save on manpower, thus more expensive than trains that need drivers. Now driverless trains need drivers to be more efficient and safer. This is really stupidity has no cure.

And it reminds me of not just going cashless and when the system goes bonkers, everyone must make sure got money in his pocket, but driverless cars. They are testing driverless cars and if the above case of driverless trains is what is coming, driverless cars would still need drivers to be safe.

What’s new, kopi O kosong with sugar? Saving a life time with money in the CPF for retirement but not enough money for retirement? Still need to save more and have more insurance policies. Having compulsory medical insurance and still needs to have minimum sum in Medisave Account to be doubly sure got money for medical?

Got PM, 2 deputy PMs, still need more ministers in PMO? Got MPs still need mayors?
Alamak, susah lah. Not only susah, anyone think this is a big waste of money?

Post by Concerns of a Heartland Sinkie - Part 3

As mentioned before, pls edict/ amend any error you may deem fit. Thank you.

"Generally, wages in the labour market are determined in the below simplified algebraic equation:

W = PeF(u,z)

On the other hand, prices that producers charged to consumers can be determined by the following equation:

P = (1+Tgst) (1+m)W

Substituting the first equation into the second, we get:

P = Pe(1+Tgst)(1+m)F(u,z)

Further simplifying the factor “u” and converting it to output (Y) yields the following relation:

P = Pe(1+Tgst)(1+m)F(1-Y/L, z)

Given LHS is P (price level) & RHS contains Y (national output), this relation can be plotted in a Price Level – National Output space.

At any given aggregate demand, when the term “Tgst” is increased, say eg from 7% to 9%, at each and every national output level, P would be higher translating to a decrease in the aggregate supply.

Thus, the effect as shown (Mathematically) above implies that at a given aggregate demand, an increase in Tgst would lead to the double-whammy pernicious effects of a higher price level and a reduced national output."



NB: Above formulations are “clobbered” together during lunch break hours (on 9 Mar 2018) amidst gobbling down of a take-way sandwich in a crowded “chairless” stand only tall tables eatery in town area. The “inspiration & motivation” (to “clobber” above-mentioned formulations) came from reading Uncle RB’s post while walking to buy a quick lunch. Thus, there may be oversight in the formulation. If there is any conceptual “discrepancy”, would humbly and highly appreciate any learned economist working near Uncle RB’s office in MBFC, RP or any Economics Professor teaching in the Unis to share their insights. Thank you so much in advance.

A childish parliament versus an adult parliament

How can there be a childish parliament? You are right, all parliaments are for adults, national leaders, men and women and some very young men and young women. There is no parliament for children. The only parliament that is for children is a moot parliament that sometimes the schools would organize to educate the children and let them do some role playing to experience what the lives of adults would be like.

In a childish parliament, you can expect them to speak childishly and behave childishly as it is only natural for children to do so. And the language used would be childish as well. Any bad words used would not be tolerated and they would squirm and report to the teacher in charge. In a childish parliament, you would not expect them to be rude or to talk nonsense, oops, maybe children will do, occasionally as they would not know the difference.

Of course a childish parliament would not stand up to the adult’s expectation of honesty, integrity and truthfulness, at best like a debate. Oh yes, a childish parliament would have all the rules like in a debate. Everyone would be allowed to speak with a limited time and in decorum, speak good English, no Ingrish or Singlish. And no telling grandfather and grandmother stories.

Why, because time is precious in a debate. Each one is only given a limited time and they cannot afford to waste time telling grandfather stories. In a real adult parliament, you can imagine how much time is wasted if a parliamentarian wasted one hour telling grandfather stories. Not only he/she would waste her/his one hour, but the one hour of the PM, the ministers and all the MPs. And if this is broadcast over TV, it would waste the time of millions of viewers. Time is precious even in a childish parliament.

Actually, I think, an adult parliament has a lot to learn from a childish parliament. There are good things, good rules to learn from a childish parliament. Those good debaters should conduct lessons on how to speak well, speak eloquently in an adult parliament, even conduct good Ingrish lessons.
Another important thing about childish parliament is that they would not allow anyone to talk cock. The girls would be blushing. And if a boy were to get angry and shout, fuck you, the girls would be running out to hike in the toilet, some would faint. That is what childish parliament would be like.

Teacher, teacher, he cannot say like dat, cannot use bad words.

Chan Chun Seng just gave me a reason to support GST hike

Read the extract of an article posted by Augustine Low in the TRE below.
 
‘Forgo the GST hike and Singaporeans could end up finding imported goods and holidays less affordable. This was the warning given by Chan Chun Sing at a Lunar New Year dinner.
 
The pain of having to contend with price hikes and tax hikes is bad enough. But politicians like Chan have the habit of making it worse by giving excuses and rationale which shows a disregard for Singaporeans’ common sense and intelligence.
 
Defending the GST hike, Chan Chun Sing somehow managed to turn it into something which simply had to be done, otherwise Singaporeans would lose their privilege to continue enjoying imported goods and cheaper holidays.
 
How he got from GST hike to imported goods and cheaper holidays is a classic case of taking the argument to the extreme in order to convince Singaporeans that a GST hike is the only way out because the alternative is far worse.
 
To sum up Chan’s argument: without the GST hike, the government would have to draw from reserves and the world would surmise that Singapore has a weak fiscal policy. Forces at large would therefore collude to weaken and destabilise the Sing dollar, and after the Sing dollar comes under attack, Singaporeans’ savings and spending would be negatively impacted. The result: less money for imported goods and holidays.
 
Wow! And just like that, Singaporeans are supposed to buy into his argument that a GST hike is preferable to none?’


I state categorically that the above is not written by me, but appeared in the TRE.
I am truly convinced by such clever argument. Our PM in the making, more good years coming with more GST hikes. Oh, there is another reason to support the GST hike, it will help the poor, for the good of the poor. Now, how not to support the GST hike, you tell me lah.

PS. Below are some not so complementary and hilarious comments on our future PM in Ausgustine Low’s article. Please don’t take them seriously and treat them as fake news or comments of the losers.


 
Samuel S:
March 5, 2018 at 9:38 pm (Quote)
For once if we have chance to choose our PM, we will 100% write CCS off the the list! Just dont understand why our current PM think he is suitable choice because PM Lee himself is not qualified to lead the country. The reason he is here is because of his father LKY.
 
oxygen:
March 5, 2018 at 10:18 pm (Quote)
4th GENERATION “GET SINGAPORE THINKING” aka GST have all run out of ideas of how to govern LEE-jiapore.
The art of governance is reduced to simplicity of CHICANERY including floating the trial balloon and accusing others of working up on suspicions AFTER they had tabled falsity statistic to advance their wicked plots of accusing WP of municipal accounting fraud that never existed.
We don’t want the PAPpys around anymore. They are all failed apprentices whereever they go.

NotMyProblem:  
March 5, 2018 at 11:05 pm (Quote)
I am not sure if Chan Chun Seng actually takes Singaporeans as some kind of an idiot.
Idiot politician is not the problem, the problem is we have idiot voters keep voting for them. That’s the reason, Chan Chun Seng treats Singaporeans as idiot.
Singaporeans, we have been called daft by the PAP, are we going to prove that they are right!!!
 
doggie:  
March 5, 2018 at 11:19 pm (Quote)
No worries, gong gong sinkies are very forgetful.
Once GE comes, dangle some goodies, add in some threat if miw gets voted out housing price will fall and our women have to work as maids
gong gong sinkies will vote against pee and poo.
add in the new citizens, it will be 80% next time
hahahaha
 
opposition dude:  
March 6, 2018 at 1:10 am (Quote)
Keechiu was never very bright so the things he says are absurd at worst and good for a laugh at best.
This goes to show that ministers do not think before they talk. I’m sure we all remember Josephine’s forever unforgettable you don’t need a big space to orh ee orh or Zorro wanting to upturn the downturn or even once in 50 years.
Just wait for the next time kee chiu speaks, it will be another lightbulb going off moment.
 
kenny:  
March 6, 2018 at 7:14 am (Quote)
CCS is an ABSOLUTE IDIOT of a politician ! ! !
Three words for him ” OHHH SHUT UP ! ! ! !”