The TRE posted this on Edwin Tong with the heading “Minister Tong: Singaporean will become lazy if we give more.”
“In a state media interview with CNA, Senior Minister of State Edwin
Tong said that the government is not giving more to Singaporeans because
the people will become lazy:
“I’ve seen the experiences of the Western countries where the more you
give, the more one asks and I think that’s really the start of the
erosion of the work ethic that Singaporeans have. Once we start giving,
we can’t scale back. You look at our country. We have nothing but our
people. If we erode the competency of the workforce and we introduce a
policy that undermines the work ethic, I think that’s going to be a big
problem for us as a country.”
The corrupted millionaire PAP Minister who drew an undisclosed amount
from a S$20 million lawsuit defending City Harvest Church fraud pastor
Kong Hee, concurrently sat as the Deputy Chairman of the Government
Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Home Affairs and Law. The GPC
recommends only a heavier sentencing for senior management of charities
after the sentencing of Kong Hee ended. Thanks to his minister-lawyer,
Pastor Kong Hee ended up with only a 3.5 years jail term despite
misappropriating S$50 million for his wife’s doomed singing career…”
I disagree with TRE on two points. Firstly, Edwin Tong is not a
‘corrupted millionaire’. He is very rich because he is very hardworking
unlike the lazy Singaporeans waiting for govt handouts. Just imagine how
hard this Edwin Tong is working, being a very busy MP/minister having
to attend Meet the People’s Session, Walkabouts and attending Parliament
Sessions, he is also a highly demand lawyer with many court cases to
attend. And I am very sure he also has tens of hats to wear as heads of
this or that company or organisations or association.
Edwin Tong and his kind are role models for lazy Singaporeans to emulate
if they want to become millionaires without being corrupted.
Edwin Tong’s ‘millions’ earned from the City Harvest Church lawsuit is
entirely due to his expertise and he deserved every cent he earns from
being Kong Hee’s lawyer. And he has done well to keep Kong Hee’s prison
sentence to only “a 3.5 years jail term despite misappropriating S$50
million for his wife’s doomed singing career…” This is money well
earned. There is absolutely nothing wrong with earning this kind of fee.
You pay for quality like having Susan Lim as your medical consultant.
If only all lazy Singaporeans could work as hard as Edwin Tong, and be
as clever as him, the govt would not need to give them any handouts, and
no one would be accusing them of being lazy. They will all be as rich
and successful as Edwin Tong. And for his piece of good advice, Edwin
Tong has just been rewarded with a promotion to Senior Minister of
State.
Those who have will be given more, so says the bible. Stop being lazy
and start to work hard and become like Edwin Tong. Then you can also
advise the lazy Singaporeans to work hard.
7/04/2018
7/03/2018
Exposing how China manipulates other countries
The Straits Times gave Bilahari Kausikan’s article on the above topic a
full coverage on 1 Jul with a full page including a picture of China’s
aircraft carrier Liaoning in a major naval exercise in the South China
Sea. This full page article appeared a second time within a week which
is a way of saying how important is Bilahari’s view on China as a bad
guy.
What is Singapore trying to say to China or what was the Straits Times editor trying to tell China with this article is clearly nothing pleasing to China. Is Singapore sending a message to China that it should not trifle with Singapore, or is it telling China that Singapore would not be cowed or pressured by China, or is it saying that unless China treats Singapore kindly or else Singapore would take a hostile stance towards China?
The intent and purpose of the article were simply to badmouth China as a trouble maker, a bully, as if China is the only big power that is doing what Bilahari said and no other country is doing the same, all angels. While saying that all countries adopted a series of legitimate or covert activities, persuasion, inducement and coercion, China was unique in the following, ie other countries would not do what China is doing:
“First, the nature of the Chinese state; second, this holistic approach which melds together the legal and the covert, and persuasion, inducement and coercion; and third, the aim of such operations which is not just to direct behavior but to condition behavior.”
The message that Bilahari was putting out is that China is not only unique as a state, a civilization state, but doing all the bad things to influence and manipulate other states and this is very bad as other big powers are nothing doing these bad things. That is why he said it is unique only to China. Singapore was never pressure to do the biddings of the American, including sending its soldiers to support the American wars in the Middle East. Singapore did it willingly without being coerced into it.
It does not need much intelligence for anyone knowing how evil the American Empire and the western powers were and are, to know that they have been doing the same as China and many times worse than China for centuries. But what Bilahari was trying to do is to manipulate the readers’ thought into thinking that China is the only bad guy doing these bad things. And he is given the licence, the encouragement, the space to have this anti China view published in the main media, the Straits Times.
What do these mean in Singapore’s relations with China? Was it not in the recent past that Singapore leaders have been bragging that relations with China is very good? Teo Chee Hian is still in China and saying the same thing, relations very good. If that is so, would the publishing of such anti China articles be conducive and favourable to good relations between the two countries? Or is Singapore confirming that relations between the two states is going downhill and Singapore is hardening its position towards China and is coming out openly to criticize and attack China, to badmouth China, to influence and manipulate the readers of the Straits Times to think badly about China?
What do you think? Would a good friend of China be so eager and pleased to publish such articles in its main media that would put China in a bad light?
Bilahari concluded his article by asking “what is the point?” and answered himself by saying, “The point is – exposure is therefore the best countermeasure.” In diplomacy, when a country exposed negative things about another country in the media, it is as good as saying, this is the end of the relationship and it is time to burn the bridges.
Is this the case in Singapore’s relation with China?
What is Singapore trying to say to China or what was the Straits Times editor trying to tell China with this article is clearly nothing pleasing to China. Is Singapore sending a message to China that it should not trifle with Singapore, or is it telling China that Singapore would not be cowed or pressured by China, or is it saying that unless China treats Singapore kindly or else Singapore would take a hostile stance towards China?
The intent and purpose of the article were simply to badmouth China as a trouble maker, a bully, as if China is the only big power that is doing what Bilahari said and no other country is doing the same, all angels. While saying that all countries adopted a series of legitimate or covert activities, persuasion, inducement and coercion, China was unique in the following, ie other countries would not do what China is doing:
“First, the nature of the Chinese state; second, this holistic approach which melds together the legal and the covert, and persuasion, inducement and coercion; and third, the aim of such operations which is not just to direct behavior but to condition behavior.”
The message that Bilahari was putting out is that China is not only unique as a state, a civilization state, but doing all the bad things to influence and manipulate other states and this is very bad as other big powers are nothing doing these bad things. That is why he said it is unique only to China. Singapore was never pressure to do the biddings of the American, including sending its soldiers to support the American wars in the Middle East. Singapore did it willingly without being coerced into it.
It does not need much intelligence for anyone knowing how evil the American Empire and the western powers were and are, to know that they have been doing the same as China and many times worse than China for centuries. But what Bilahari was trying to do is to manipulate the readers’ thought into thinking that China is the only bad guy doing these bad things. And he is given the licence, the encouragement, the space to have this anti China view published in the main media, the Straits Times.
What do these mean in Singapore’s relations with China? Was it not in the recent past that Singapore leaders have been bragging that relations with China is very good? Teo Chee Hian is still in China and saying the same thing, relations very good. If that is so, would the publishing of such anti China articles be conducive and favourable to good relations between the two countries? Or is Singapore confirming that relations between the two states is going downhill and Singapore is hardening its position towards China and is coming out openly to criticize and attack China, to badmouth China, to influence and manipulate the readers of the Straits Times to think badly about China?
What do you think? Would a good friend of China be so eager and pleased to publish such articles in its main media that would put China in a bad light?
Bilahari concluded his article by asking “what is the point?” and answered himself by saying, “The point is – exposure is therefore the best countermeasure.” In diplomacy, when a country exposed negative things about another country in the media, it is as good as saying, this is the end of the relationship and it is time to burn the bridges.
Is this the case in Singapore’s relation with China?
7/02/2018
Singapore universities - Stop wasting funds and resources on dubious international rankings
"SINGAPORE: An international panel of academic experts and industry
leaders has recommended that Singapore should develop a holistic
evaluation framework for its universities instead of being fixated on
international rankings.
The three-day International Academic Advisory Panel (IAAP), which started on Wednesday (Jun 27), was themed The Role of Universities in Defining Singapore’s Future....
Education Minister Ong Ye Kung, who attended the discussions, shared with the media on Friday that a new assessment model was needed, considering the differentiated university landscape in Singapore.
"At the minimum, it has to reflect our three major emphases. One, the value of education; two, how we are doing in terms of lifelong learning; and three, research, and not just research in terms of publications and patents but how it translates into impact - whether it's in improving lives or creating jobs.
"I think we need a much more holistic view of a very complex function that universities are now performing," he said...." Channel News Asia
After wasting so many years of resources and pubic funds to provide more jobs for foreigners and university places and scholarships to foreigners to score in controversial western designed ranking systems, it is high time that the unthinking be kicked in the butt and think about the fundamental reasons for university education. Our university should not, never, be a job provider for foreigners and neither should it be using public funds to educate other countries' young at the expense of our very own academics and the children of our citizens.
The craze for high rankings in dubious international ranking systems at best is to provide lucrative jobs to foreigners against our national interests in developing our very own academic talent. We become job providers for the unemployed academics of other countries. We also provide university education to foreigners instead of our children. This is another way of selling out the country to foreigners.
Just take a look at the universities and see the number of foreign academics replacing our own academics and the number of foreign students on paid scholarship, taking the places that should go to our own children is disgusting. This is a betrayal of our own people. Period.
So what if you are ranked highly when it does not benefit our own citizens, when the universities look like some foreign land, invaded, occupied and colonised by foreigners.
The three-day International Academic Advisory Panel (IAAP), which started on Wednesday (Jun 27), was themed The Role of Universities in Defining Singapore’s Future....
Education Minister Ong Ye Kung, who attended the discussions, shared with the media on Friday that a new assessment model was needed, considering the differentiated university landscape in Singapore.
"At the minimum, it has to reflect our three major emphases. One, the value of education; two, how we are doing in terms of lifelong learning; and three, research, and not just research in terms of publications and patents but how it translates into impact - whether it's in improving lives or creating jobs.
"I think we need a much more holistic view of a very complex function that universities are now performing," he said...." Channel News Asia
After wasting so many years of resources and pubic funds to provide more jobs for foreigners and university places and scholarships to foreigners to score in controversial western designed ranking systems, it is high time that the unthinking be kicked in the butt and think about the fundamental reasons for university education. Our university should not, never, be a job provider for foreigners and neither should it be using public funds to educate other countries' young at the expense of our very own academics and the children of our citizens.
The craze for high rankings in dubious international ranking systems at best is to provide lucrative jobs to foreigners against our national interests in developing our very own academic talent. We become job providers for the unemployed academics of other countries. We also provide university education to foreigners instead of our children. This is another way of selling out the country to foreigners.
Just take a look at the universities and see the number of foreign academics replacing our own academics and the number of foreign students on paid scholarship, taking the places that should go to our own children is disgusting. This is a betrayal of our own people. Period.
So what if you are ranked highly when it does not benefit our own citizens, when the universities look like some foreign land, invaded, occupied and colonised by foreigners.
7/01/2018
Why KMT, a legitimate govt, lost China to the CCP
Some commentators here, and also elsewhere, have been cursing at the Chinese Communist Party, CCP as a bad govt, anti people and all kinds of presumed crimes while holding up the Kuomingtan, KMT, as a good and deserving party to rule China and that China would be a better place under the KMT.
Just ask a simple question. How could a legitimate govt, with all the resources in its hands, with more and better equipped armies, lost its control and right to be the govt of China? Or how could a peasant army, poorly equipped militarily, no finances, no taxes to feed on, managed to drive the legitimate and more powerful KMT out of China? Is this not clear that the KMT has lost its moral authority to rule China?
Chiang Kai Sek inherited the KMT and govt of the Republic of China from its founding fathers led by Sun Yat Sen. And in double quick time he turned himself into a dictator, surrounded himself with corrupt rich officials, cronies and realtives. They made themselves very rich at the expense of the people, levying taxes on the people, forcing the people to become soldiers by conscription, feeding on the gentry and exploitative landlords. The rich just bear with the corrupt govt and pass the burden of their financial burden on the poor peasants and farmers.
The CCP were poor, but they helped the poor peasants and farmers. They siezed the lands of the landlords and distributed to the peasants and farmers. It is no surprise that the peasants and farmers, being forced into poverty by the KMT govt through taxes and the landlords with higher dues and rentals would throw their support with the CCP.
Why would a poor population, heavily taxed by a corrupt govt that only thought of enriching themselves, support such a govt and not the CCP that were robbing the land from the corrupt govt and exploitative landlords to give it to them? Any corrupt govt that continuously taxed the people recklessly and irresponsibly would end up in the same fate as the KMT even if they were legitimate, have control of all the govt machinery, and even with American support and a big and well equipped armed forces.
For those who are still blindly cursing at the Communists ruling China, they should simply look at the history of China and see how corrupt the KMT were, thinking only of enriching themselves at the expense of the poor peasants and farmers.
Tan Kah Kee, the richest Chinese man in Singapore visited China and wanted to donate his fortune to the KMT. He was invited to all the wasteful parties organised by the KMT and witnessed how they splurged the donations by their supporters on themselves. Tan Kah Kee was so disillusioned that he took all his money and gave them to the Communists. He knew that the Chinese Communists were the real nationalists and the people that were fighting hard to rebuild China for the Chinese people, unlike the corrupt KMT, enriching themselves and without a care for the people and the country.
I hope this would put right the farcical perception of some commentators here that China and the Chinese people would be better off under the KMT. What China is today, the growing middle class in China, speak for themselves.
PS. Can any govt acting like the KMT, only think of taxing and robbing the people to enrich themselves think they would not suffer the same fate as the KMT?
Just ask a simple question. How could a legitimate govt, with all the resources in its hands, with more and better equipped armies, lost its control and right to be the govt of China? Or how could a peasant army, poorly equipped militarily, no finances, no taxes to feed on, managed to drive the legitimate and more powerful KMT out of China? Is this not clear that the KMT has lost its moral authority to rule China?
Chiang Kai Sek inherited the KMT and govt of the Republic of China from its founding fathers led by Sun Yat Sen. And in double quick time he turned himself into a dictator, surrounded himself with corrupt rich officials, cronies and realtives. They made themselves very rich at the expense of the people, levying taxes on the people, forcing the people to become soldiers by conscription, feeding on the gentry and exploitative landlords. The rich just bear with the corrupt govt and pass the burden of their financial burden on the poor peasants and farmers.
The CCP were poor, but they helped the poor peasants and farmers. They siezed the lands of the landlords and distributed to the peasants and farmers. It is no surprise that the peasants and farmers, being forced into poverty by the KMT govt through taxes and the landlords with higher dues and rentals would throw their support with the CCP.
Why would a poor population, heavily taxed by a corrupt govt that only thought of enriching themselves, support such a govt and not the CCP that were robbing the land from the corrupt govt and exploitative landlords to give it to them? Any corrupt govt that continuously taxed the people recklessly and irresponsibly would end up in the same fate as the KMT even if they were legitimate, have control of all the govt machinery, and even with American support and a big and well equipped armed forces.
For those who are still blindly cursing at the Communists ruling China, they should simply look at the history of China and see how corrupt the KMT were, thinking only of enriching themselves at the expense of the poor peasants and farmers.
Tan Kah Kee, the richest Chinese man in Singapore visited China and wanted to donate his fortune to the KMT. He was invited to all the wasteful parties organised by the KMT and witnessed how they splurged the donations by their supporters on themselves. Tan Kah Kee was so disillusioned that he took all his money and gave them to the Communists. He knew that the Chinese Communists were the real nationalists and the people that were fighting hard to rebuild China for the Chinese people, unlike the corrupt KMT, enriching themselves and without a care for the people and the country.
I hope this would put right the farcical perception of some commentators here that China and the Chinese people would be better off under the KMT. What China is today, the growing middle class in China, speak for themselves.
PS. Can any govt acting like the KMT, only think of taxing and robbing the people to enrich themselves think they would not suffer the same fate as the KMT?
6/30/2018
Singapore: China fabricate lies and fake news
After wrecking bilateral relationship with Malaysia, Singapore’s
diplomat Bilahari Kausikan now hit at China and accused the Chinese of
fabricating lies and fake news to establish diplomacy:
“Beijing uses a mix of persuasion, inducement and coercion techniques to create a psychological environment which poses false choices for other countries. This technique of forcing false choices on you and making you choose between false choices is deployed within a framework of either overarching narratives or specific narratives… The purpose is to narrow the scope of choices and they are usually presented in binary terms. The intention is to stampede your thinking so that the critical faculty is not fully engaged and to instill a sense of fatalistic inevitability of the choices forced upon you.”
The PAP elite who was the former permanent secretary for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said China keep issuing “falsehoods” like having a better relationship during Lee Kuan Yew’s times:
“Several examples of falsehoods that have been put forth by Beijing when dealing with Singapore, include how relations under founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew were much better as compared to now because the current Government does not understand China. These discourses are powerful because they are not entirely fabricated. They do contain a kernel of truth. But they are either extremely simplistic… or leave out vital facts. Mr Lee went against the Chinese-supported Communist united front in the 1950s-60s and prevailed. Other examples of untruths, include how Washington represents the past while Beijing stands for the future, as well as suggestions that those who are close to the United States will find it hard to have close economic ties with China.”
Bilahari Kausikan continued his anti-China speech calling it “self-deceptive” and manipulative:
“Other vulnerabilities in the Chinese approach, include cultural altruism as well as a tendency towards self-deception… and rigidity. Even when China’s intentions are exposed, the other parties may opt to play along due to genuine sympathy towards the Chinese position, cultural affinity or to ensure that bilateral relations can be kept on an even keel. This may also be due to transactional reasons – for hope of reward or fear of sanctions.”
The above post is from thestatestimesreview. Bilahari’s anti China speech was prominently published in the main media. What was the intent to give this hate speech so much publicity when it could only create more animosity between China and Singapore? Is this diplomacy or a declaration of hostility with China? Is Bilahari going to say that this is his personal view and he is no longer a govt official, so what he said has no bearing on Singapore’s official position. Likewise, what the official media printed is not the official voice of the govt. This is freedom of speech.
If that is the case, more anti China and hate speeches against China is fair game in Singapore’s main media and not done with ill intent to provoke or attack China. They would not affect Singapore’s good relations with China. China would be wise to see that there is no linkage in such hostile media reports against China with Singapore’s intent to have good relations with China.
What do you think?
PS. Some may be wondering if Bilahari was given a licence to attack China. Can Singapore hope to improve its relations with China with this kind of comments coming from its ex top officials that were involved in making govt decisions and repeatedly published in the main media?
“Beijing uses a mix of persuasion, inducement and coercion techniques to create a psychological environment which poses false choices for other countries. This technique of forcing false choices on you and making you choose between false choices is deployed within a framework of either overarching narratives or specific narratives… The purpose is to narrow the scope of choices and they are usually presented in binary terms. The intention is to stampede your thinking so that the critical faculty is not fully engaged and to instill a sense of fatalistic inevitability of the choices forced upon you.”
The PAP elite who was the former permanent secretary for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said China keep issuing “falsehoods” like having a better relationship during Lee Kuan Yew’s times:
“Several examples of falsehoods that have been put forth by Beijing when dealing with Singapore, include how relations under founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew were much better as compared to now because the current Government does not understand China. These discourses are powerful because they are not entirely fabricated. They do contain a kernel of truth. But they are either extremely simplistic… or leave out vital facts. Mr Lee went against the Chinese-supported Communist united front in the 1950s-60s and prevailed. Other examples of untruths, include how Washington represents the past while Beijing stands for the future, as well as suggestions that those who are close to the United States will find it hard to have close economic ties with China.”
Bilahari Kausikan continued his anti-China speech calling it “self-deceptive” and manipulative:
“Other vulnerabilities in the Chinese approach, include cultural altruism as well as a tendency towards self-deception… and rigidity. Even when China’s intentions are exposed, the other parties may opt to play along due to genuine sympathy towards the Chinese position, cultural affinity or to ensure that bilateral relations can be kept on an even keel. This may also be due to transactional reasons – for hope of reward or fear of sanctions.”
The above post is from thestatestimesreview. Bilahari’s anti China speech was prominently published in the main media. What was the intent to give this hate speech so much publicity when it could only create more animosity between China and Singapore? Is this diplomacy or a declaration of hostility with China? Is Bilahari going to say that this is his personal view and he is no longer a govt official, so what he said has no bearing on Singapore’s official position. Likewise, what the official media printed is not the official voice of the govt. This is freedom of speech.
If that is the case, more anti China and hate speeches against China is fair game in Singapore’s main media and not done with ill intent to provoke or attack China. They would not affect Singapore’s good relations with China. China would be wise to see that there is no linkage in such hostile media reports against China with Singapore’s intent to have good relations with China.
What do you think?
PS. Some may be wondering if Bilahari was given a licence to attack China. Can Singapore hope to improve its relations with China with this kind of comments coming from its ex top officials that were involved in making govt decisions and repeatedly published in the main media?
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