The USA’s 21st Century joke – Do little, spend little, achieve big results

The US$350b BRI project by China has stumped the Americans and the rest of the world for its massive infrastructure development, and in monetary terms even bigger than the American Marshall Plan after the end of WW2. Where did China find the money to finance such a mammoth international cross continent project?
After the launching of the BRI, according to Dr Bharath Gopalaswamy, director of the South Asia Centre of the Atlantic Council, “…the rest of the world was watching for America to articulate a vision and come up with a big idea, and Secretary Pompeo outlined what a big idea could look like.”
 
And this is America’s joke of the 21st Century. To counter or compete with China’s BRI, in a Straits Times report by Nirmal Ghosh, “The United States on Monday sent a strong signal of more robust economic engagement in the Indo Pacific, fleshing out a previously announced strategy for a region described by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as stretching from India’s west coast to America’s west coast – with Asean ‘literally in the middle’.”
 
What is this grand strategy and how many billions would it cost to rival the Chinese BRI? “The US pledged US$113 million (S$154 million) to support initiatives in the digital economy, energy and infrastructure in the Indo Pacific region, describing these as ‘foundational areas of the future’.”
 
What? S$154m! This is barely enough to buy Lim Kim San’s bungalow going for sale at S$100m! How is this going to compete with China’s US$350b BRI? Not to worry, leave it to the word’s craftsmen to tell you that this is really big and really a rival to China’s BRI. Before I list out the supporters of this grand American 21st Century initiative, let me ask the same question that was posed on the Trump Kim Summit in Singapore. Where is the meat, where are the details of this grand scheme of things? Or it is just words and pipe dream? KNN, what can $154m do?
 
According to an admirer of this grand American scheme, a Dr Aparna Pande, director at the Hudson Institute, it is about a targeted approach. “The US knows that it does not have the money to compete dollar for dollar with China,…What Pompeo has offered is that through a variety of measures…the US will provide targeted assistance to countries in the region and hope that those countries will then use that aid to build their capacities.” Huh, what’s that? See how clever is the use of words here to make a mountain out of a mole hill? And you know who are the admirers of the Americans and are in cahoot with them.
 
Another great words craftsman, a Nisha Biswal, president of the US India Business Council, said the US move was “a hopeful sign of a sustained strategy for engaging the region.” With S$154m to sustain a regional strategy? The amount is barely enough to buy a landed home in Singapore!
 
Another great words craftsman and supporter of this American joke, Singapore’s Ambassador Ashok Mirpuri said, “This was what was needed to complement the (US) security strategy.” He added, according to ST’s Nirmal Ghosh, “the US plans fit in with much of what the region, specifically Asean, was trying to do, including connectivity, energy infrastructure and smart cities. Anyone see how could this fit in?
 
This is the wonder of words craftsmen, on how a mere S$154m could do so much, could achieve so much, to be praised sky high, to rival China’s US$350b BRI projects. And of course Pompous, oops, Pompeo concurred, “This is a big one.” Yes, I concur, a big big joke.
 
If words or speeches can win a war, these words craftsmen would win every war they fought without weapons but words. See the joke and who are the die hard supporters of the jokers?
 
The Americans have no money and wanted to do a lot with a few penny?

Singapore’s new social classes – Natural artistocrats versus 3rd,4th and 5th raters

Singaporeans have heard of the birth of a new social economic class of Singaporeans called the natural aristocrats. Knowing the background and ancestry of Singaporeans, mostly from peasant stock in southern China provinces and poor corners or India, and mostly coming here to eke a living as coolies, it has been commented by some eminent leaders that Chineses Singaporeans comes from poorer IQ stocks. Not so sure about those from the sub continent. The so called natural aristocrats are unlike the purple blood Europeans descended from royalties, also mostly descendants of peasants and coolies.
 
This fact does not make them feel as lesser beans as they have elevated themselves to be aristocrats, like the Europeans. Not only that, their esteemed social status has recently been given a boost and confirmation by a local academic Derek da Cunha. Cunha used the occasion of ex PAP MP Tan Cheng Bock’s appearance in a meeting with opposition leaders to press his point that the people Tan Cheng Bock were meeting were lesser beans, of 3rd, 4th or 5th rates, and Tan Cheng Bock would tarnish his reputation for being in the company of these lower rate people in our society. This is the real and unspoken secret of the natural aristocrats.
 
So, is this Cunha saying that Tan Cheng Bock should associate himself with the likes of Cunha, presumingly he is a 1st or 2nd rate human bean, like the natural aristocrats and politicians from the ruling parties and protect his reputation as the sikit atas people? Now, extrapolating from this premise of Cunha, the rest of the population must also be 3rd, 4th and 5th rate human beans or even lower. And associating with these low rate human beans should be avoided so as not to lower once reputation or dignity. Show show, pretending to be with them once in a while for photo shoot may be alright, but not real.
 
Daft Singaporeans should seriously take recognition of this social divide between the 1st and 2nd rate beans and the rest of the lower rate beans that should be kept away with a 10 foot pole. This is the unspoken truth in the Singapore society that most Singaporeans would not get to know until this 1st or 2nd rate Cunha uttered it by accident to reveal their contempt for the lower rate Singaporeans.
 
Of course Tan Cheng Bock disagreed. He openly said that the men and women he met and associated with from the opposition parties and their supporters were good men and women, not low raters as described by the self confessed 1st or 2nd rate Cunha. A word of caution for the low rate human beans, please keep clear of people that are of 1st and 2nd rate or you can be accused of tarnishing their reputation. And if they come to you, it is only a pretense, for they held you in contempt. They would not want to be associated with low rate people, not want to be seen to be with them.
 
Get the point? Yes I am talking to the low raters, the no class or low class no dignity human beans of this little red dot. Next time if you see the 1st or 2nd raters like Cunha, please siam and stay away from them.

Najib’s letter to CIA – A letter of fear and obeyance

“I hope Your Excellency’s esteemed service would be able to report to the Secretary of State on the complexity of managing this election by Prime Minister Najib and the need to have US support for the present govt even if we are to win the election by a simple majority or just one seat.
 
Any indication that the US govt would continue to support Prime Minister Najib and his govt would definitely strengthen our stability and enhance the existing cordial relationship driven by the strong rapport between our two leaders,” read the letter signed by Mr Hasanah Ab Hamid, director general of the Research Division in the Prime Minister’s Department, an intelligence unit.
 
The above letter is reported in thenewpaper on 27 Jul 18.
 
There are many questions and implications on why a Prime Minister of a country would write a letter to the CIA, the intelligence agency of another country ie the USA, pleading for support for his govt. Why would Najib be so afraid of the Americans and begging and pleading for their support and approval? He must know something that we don’t know, that the Americans are meddling and controlling the fate of his country and his fate as the Prime Minister of Malaysia. The letter is like saying, the Americans are in charge of Malaysia and dictates who should be the Prime Minister of Malaysia. Without the approval and support of the Americans, Najib cannot be the Prime Minister for long.
 
Is this interference, influencing or manipulating the policies of a country like what Bilahari Kausikan was saying about China? Is this more serious than what he accused China of doing? This is not just trying to manipulate or influence the policies of an independent country. The Americans are interfering and deciding who should be the Prime Minister of Malaysia. And Najib knew and must seek the approval of the Americans. You can sense his fear of the Americans and volunteering to obey the master.
 
Najib does not have to fear China or else he would have written a similar letter to China to support his regime. China, like all countries, would want to be friends with Malaysia and would do things to influence Malaysia’s policies to be friendly with China, BUT not to interfere with the domestic politics of the country. Najib has no fear of China. He knows.
 
Now which is the more dangerous country to deal with, the USA or China? Why was Kausikan so appeasing to the Americans without breathing a word on their nasty interference of other country’s domestic affairs like regime change? Why would he single out China for doing things that all countries are doing and not pointing out the serious interference of the Americans in the internal affairs of a country? Why, why, why?
 
Would Bilahari Kausikan write something to warn the Singaporeans about how nasty and dangerous the Americans are in their interference of a country’s domestic politics, even doing regime change to change a leader elected by the people? No? Why not?
 
PS. Najib wrote this letter despite being investigated and charged by the American courts for corruption.

Singapore National Games -Athletics

I ran for the Masters 100m men 65-69 years last Saturday at the Homes of Athletics next to the National Stadium. The afternoon heat was intense and quite unbearable for everyone.  Next Sunday I will run in the 4x100m relay at Bishan Stadium. Hope it rains a little or be cloudy with temperature a little more bearable. At 2.30pm, the heat is at its peak.

Other than the oldies, many primary school kids were also participating in the National Games and subjected to the same gruelling heat. I have written to the organisers to hold the games in the evening at least for the kids and the oldies. Imagine the runners were in their 60s, 70s and 80s, and children as young as 8 or 9 years old.  This is inexcusable if some of the very young or very old runners suffered from heat strokes.

Tan Cheng Bock and the birth of Singapore Harapan

This is the biggest piece of political news that surfaced over the weekend. SDP's Chee Soon Juan had rounded up the opposition parties to a meeting that sowed the seed of a united front against the PAP in the shades of Pakatan Harapan. For decades the Singapore opposition parties have been divided and factionalised into different tiny ineffective parties fighting hopelessly against the mammoth PAP machine. The quest was quite hopeless and very amusing if not silly to see them banging their heads against the wall. It was foolish and futile but they kept going at it as if a miracle will happen to change their fate.

The trumping of UMNO in Malaysia led by a 92 year old ex PM has been an eye opener to the conceited and hopeless party leaders of Singapore, like a mirror being held right in their faces to show their folly. It took Chee Soon Juan, the man that has been demolished and character assassinated as a lone ranger, fighting just for his own personal cause, to step up to dispel this myth. No other opposition party leaders was selfless enough to make this move, to bring in a third party in the name of Tan Cheng Bock, to unite the frail and fractured opposition parties together for a common cause, to bring down the PAP.  This move alone tells a lot about Chee Soon Juan, the man that they did not know or told to believe as otherwise. The real spoilt sport, those that would not want to be a team player, those who have selfish agenda, would not think of coming together in an alliance to be a real political force to be reckon with.

Tan Cheng Bock may not be a Mahathir, but he has enough respect from the people, conviction and commitment to do the necessary for the good of Singapore and the future of Singaporeans. It takes a lot of guts and conviction to want to do something like this, to bring down the ruling party, a once mighty political party that had done good for the country and people in the first few decades of its exixtencwe. Things must have gone very badly wrong for  an ex PAP stalwart to want to stand up to his old party that he once believed was the force of goodness.

The fear is gone. Tan Cheng Bock has taken a bold step that no ex PAP MPs or ministers dare to tread. The line is broken and hopefully this would encourage more ex PAP members to join the queue in this Harapan to do what is right. Many must have seen the rot and are fuming but for one reason or another, chose to remain in the dark corners of anonymity wallowing in self pity. The robbing of the people must be stopped. The selling out of Singaporeans to foreigners must be stopped. PRs are just passing by and will go when the time is right. Cheng Bock has lighted a match to show the way. It is time to make a difference, to do what they believe is right and good for Singapore and Singaporeans, not for locals and foreigners that are not Singaporeans.

Now where is that Chok Tong and his gang? Would he think or deem that it is time to join forces with Cheng Bock and the opposition before it is too late, before it is all over? All the ex MPs and current MPs that can sense a sinking boat should decide to abandon ship before it is too late like in Malaysia.

The seed for an uprising in the politics of Singapore has been planted on 28 Jul 18. It needs to be watered and nurtured to be kept alive and live another day. This is the hope, the day that all Singaporeans are quietly waiting for. Let not the light be snuffed out before it lives to see another day.

Singaporeans need a Singapore Harapan, not a local or foreigner infested Harapan to lead Singapore and Singaporeans to a better tomorrow.

PS. The parties that were present were Singapore Democratic Party, the People’s Power Party, the Democratic Progressive Party, the Reform Party, the National Solidarity Party, the Singaporeans First Party and the  People’s Voice Party. All the major opposition parties were invited.