Masters Athletes – Selection to represent Singapore

 In all sports, representing Singapore is a big thing, an honour that every athlete would cherish to do Singapore proud. In most instances the athletes would be chosen by a team of experts from national bodies like the Singapore Athletics Association and the various sports councils. The involvement of such national institutions reflects the importance of the sports and representing Singapore in the international arena. There are also stringent criteria and objective rules and regulations to abide by before an athlete is selected to represent Singapore.
 
In the case of Masters athletes, this task is not the responsibility of any national body at the moment but assumed by the Singapore Masters Athletes, a sports club. Some may think that this is a national body, in a sense it is as it has Singapore as part of its name. But this is unlike other national bodies and institutions that were sanctioned and supported by the govt financially and with govt appointees. In other words, Singapore Masters Athletes is a private club in every sense, I stand corrected. I can’t say that mysingaporenews is a national media because it has Singapore as a part of its name.
 
There are historical reasons for SMA to assume the role of selecting athletes to represent Singapore. For many years, masters athletes were a loose grouping of senior athletes competing casually and donning the Singapore colours in international events with only scant recognition and acknowledgement that they represented Singapore for merely being Singaporeans and carrying the Singapore flag on their attire. Did the governing sports authority officially sanctioned their representation?
 
There are obvious reasons why athletes representing Singapore are normally selected by national bodies with experts sitting in the selection committees. There are also good reasons why private sports clubs would not be delegated the responsibility to select representatives to represent their respective clubs especially when they also have club members vying to represent Singapore in competition with other club members.
 
The time has come for the Singapore Athletics Association, a governing body, to step in to select athletes to represent Singapore in international masters athletic events if masters athletes representing Singapore is to be taken seriously. The days when anything goes need to be formalized and officially sanctioned by a national sports organization to avoid conflicts of interest, to ensure fair play and to prevent inter club rivalry. Maybe the sports governing body does not think much about masters athletes representing Singapore. If that is the case, then every club should have a free hand to send their athletes to compete in international masters events and not be left to a single club to dictate the terms and rules for participation and representation. It is unhealthy for any private club to have the de facto power to dictate to other clubs.
 
The choice is between representing Singapore seriously or let it be a laissez faire activity, and participating and representing Singapore in such events be less exacting and more for sportsmanship and enjoying the sports. If representing Singapore in international sporting events is a serious matter, even in masters athletics, then it is highly desirable and necessary that a national body be in charge, be responsible in the selection of masters athletes to represent Singapore, done officially, objectively and fairly.
 
What do you think?

When Malaysia thinks business, Singapore will be in trouble

KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia will implement six short-term measures to handle the congestion at checkpoints especially at Bangunan Sultan Iskandar (BSI) Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complex and the Sultan Abu Bakar CIQ (KSAB) complex in Johor.
Also decided was extending the use of autogate for all foreign visitors; increasing the number of Customs scanning machines, increasing the number of lorry counters at KSAB on par with Tuas; usage of hybrid counters; and the development of immigration integrated system (IIS) with automation features....

Above are a few paragraphs of a post in theindependent.sg on Malaysia's move to make moving in and out of Malaysia easier and to cut down on the jams that are affecting visitors going to Malaysia. This kind of thing was unthinkable in the past. The thinking then was don't come if foreigners think it is a big hassle to queue up at the Causeway. It was a kind of visitors/tourists and business transportation were not really wanted. Malaysia did not want them and the visitors would have to live with the inconvenience and long wait at the immigration.

The sudden change to want to free up the Causeway and to facilitate entry and exit into and out of Malaysia is a big change in the thinking in Malaysia. It is all about business and revenue from the visitors. The choke points are bad for business and detrimental to more money coming into Malaysia.

Now all the lanes are to be open, immigration staff are to work overtime if necessary. When Malaysia is thinking of money and business, Singapore is in for big trouble. Malaysia would pose a big and powerful challenge to bring in the visitors and their money. And this is just the beginning. When all the ministries and officials are thinking this way, Malaysia would pose a very serious threat to Singapore for attracting business and tourists into Malaysia.

Singapore can only hope that this is a passing craze and Malaysia would be back to its old normal self soon, tiada apa, money not important, want to come, come, don't come, never mind. Malaysia does not need the tourists nor the business nor the money.

Would Malaysia gets its acts right and pursued this for the long term, be persistent and consistent in wanting to change to bring in more growth and development and revenue for the country and not be bogged down by petty political squabbles and agenda?

China should leave Hong Kong alone

Protesters want to "reclaim" a park in Tuen Mun where so-called "dancing aunties" have sung Mandarin pop songs through loud microphones and danced for generally older men who give them cash donations....

Saturday's rally had a much more local cause, but feeds into Hong Kongers' anxieties that the city's unique freedoms and culture are being eroded by a resurgent Beijing.
 

Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/hong-kong-protest-dancing-aunties-extradition-bill-china-11697514

The recent massive rioting in Hong Kong has been seen by the West as the manifestation of the virtues of western form of freedom of expression aka lawlessness. This has encouraged more to the unthinking Hongkongers to think that it is their day, it is their courage to confront authorities and to to turn themselves in ugly and destructive mobs.  Now they have attacked the China train station and in the above articles, against anything related to China.

While the West are eagerly waiting for China to bring in the PLA to quell the mob, China is patiently holding back from taking actions to stop the mob. Actually the best thing for China is to do nothing. The Hong Kong govt should go ahead and pass the Extradition Law, a criminal law that should be enacted to address crimes committed by Hongkongers. And the mob should be allowed to let lose their 'freedom of expression', their mob democracy, and run wild, and burn down Hong Kong.

The govt should deploy the police and PLA soldiers just to guard buildings and vital installations. The govt can also switch off electricity and turn off the tap. Let Hong Kong become an island of anarchy.  Let the mob rule the streets of Hong Kong. Let all normal activities, commercial activities run to a halt. See how long can the mob run their madness and Hong Kong to the ground. Literally let Hong Kong burn and destroy itself. It may take a few months, maybe a year or two. China can play the patient game, and in the name of western democracy and human rights, do nothing, no need to use force to deal with the mob unless they attack govt and vital installations. Let the Hongkongers deal with themselves, deal with the mob.

And as Deng Xiaoping said, China can pick up the pieces after Hong Kong is ruined and rebuild Hong Kong again. Let the foreigners help the mob to destroy Hong Kong the way they like it, the way they plan for it and do it their 'democratic' way.

PS. China should expand its anti espionage forces to arrest all foreigners involved in anti China activities inside China and Hong Kong.  In the interest of national security, these elements must be arrested and lock up using an equivalent of ISA, no need any explanation. Create an atmosphere of fear and terror for the foreign operators like those involved in the Hong Kong mob violence. 

Oh, all the angmohs judges in the Hong Kong supreme court must be sent packing home. A sovereign country cannot have foreigners sitting as judges in its judicial system. This colonial vestige has to go immediately. Having them sitting in Hong Kong benches is another version of 'No dogs and Chinese allowed' in modern China. This is the time to get rid of such shameful colonial leftovers in China's Hong Kong.

Wildlife molested 6 young girls at Hougang Swimming Complex

An Indian national Job Mathew Panakkal molested 6 young girls between the age of 10-12 that were taking swimming lessons at Hougang Swimming Complex. He was jailed for 20 weeks after pleading guilty to charges of outraging the modesty of the girls.

Such cases of sexual offences by wildlife is a bit rare in Singapore despite the fact that India was notorious for more serious sexual offences. And this Panakkal is an active community and church workers involving children and has not received any complaints before. And according to his lawyer, ‘Pannikkal was deeply remorseful for what was a one off incident that was completely outside of his character and nature.

I have written a piece earlier on this and the rather clean record of Indian nationals here, with probably half a million in the island, you rarely heard of sexual offences committed by them. I concluded that it must be the Newater that they were drinking that kept them away from sexual crimes here.

In this case the chlorine in the swimming pool might have negated or neutralized the effect of Newater for the short period he was in the pool and resulted in him behaving not his normal self. Once out of the pool and away from the effect of chlorine and with consumption of more Newater, everything will be fine and he would be back to his normal self and would not be tempted while doing community activities involving children. Parents with young children under Panakkal's charge can feel very safe that by nature, when Pannakkal is in his normal self. Nothing to worry about with such good people taking care of their children.

This is the power of Newater, perhaps, an incidental phenomenal cleansing effect that was not established or proven yet.

China should start calling the Americans liars and gangsters

China's Global Times, a widely read newspaper published by the ruling Communist Party's official People's Daily, said on Saturday the world had to "contain capricious U.S. actions," pointing to examples like Trump withdrawing from the Paris climate accord.

"The world needs to rein in the U.S., although it's difficult," the paper said in an editorial. "The problem is that many countries have misgivings in expressing their opposition to U.S. bullying tactics out of fear for U.S. power, or hope to profit from the U.S. stirring up the global order through opportunism."....

The United States says China has been stealing U.S. intellectual property for years, forces U.S. companies to share trade secrets as a condition for doing business in China, and subsidizes state-owned firms so they can dominate both domestic and international business.

China says the United States is making unreasonable demands and must also make concessions.
"We feel the U.S. side is exerting extreme pressure," a Chinese diplomat told Reuters on Friday on condition of anonymity. "It is raising many demands but doesn't want to make concessions."

Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/business/trump--xi-set-for-high-stakes-trade-war-talks-in-japan-11672538

You don't read this kind of articles in the main media in the West or in crony countries of the West. You only read about the Empire accusing other countries of raising tensions, raising threats, threats to world peace and war. The truth is that the world's biggest bully is the greatest threat to world peace, the biggest bully that is threatening every country that would not do its bidding.

The Americans have been using its warships to go around the world to threaten every country, ally or foe, to impose sanctions on any country it likes to destroy their economy, to support and arm rebels and terrorists to start terrorist wars, to threaten regime change.

Why are the western media and American cronies not saying anything about the Americans as the main and major threat to the rest of the world but chose to be the mouthpiece to echo what the Americans accused and alleged against other innocent countries? The main media of American crony countries are accomplices to the crimes of the Evil Empire by being their choir boys and girls.

In a way they are helping the Americans to spread white lies, dangerous lies to support the Evil Empire and to badmouth other countries that are victims of the Evil Empire. They are in collusion, willing partners of crimes against humanity.

The other thing is that the American gangsters and liars are calling the Chinese thiefs even when in 5G the Chinese technology is light years ahead of the Americans and the Americans were trying to steal the Chinese technology. It is time that China starts to call the Americans liars, cheats, bullies, gangsters etc etc And Asian main media should start to publish more articles reflecting the evilness of the Americans instead.

PS. This is my Saturday post. Will be running at Home of Athletics, next to National Stadium, on Sat morning.