Singapore caught between the US and China

Linette Lai, political correspondent, posted an article in thenewpaper on Hsien Loong’s National Day Rally speech on relations with the US and China. Below are a few points on the article.
 
Hsien Loong emphasized that ‘We must always be principle in our approach, and not swayed by emotions…When we agree with either major power, we will do so. When we cannot, we must maintain and explain our stand.’ This looks very simple and straight forward, a matter of principle. Unfortunately it is very hard to put to practice when the evil American Empire is violating all international rules and laws and fabricating fake news and false flag incidents to provoke and incite wars, conduct regime change and imposed unilateral sanctions like a terrorist against its chosen enemies. How could Singapore slitter through the American treachery without being entangled and looked like another evil little USA?
 
Relations with China is complicated by our Chinese majority with Singapore suffering from the hangover that it cannot be seen to be too close to China and offend the neighbouring countries, sensitive to domestic racial minorities and the Americans for being so. ‘If we support China, the US and other countries may think we do so because we are a majority-Chinese country and therefore accede to China.’ This view was in vogue in the days of Cold War rhetoric and propaganda when China was the enemy.
 
This legacy of the past when China was smeared as the devil, the threat to the region by the Americans and the West and gobbled up by the silly neighbouring countries as the unquestioned truth is becoming less credible given a stronger Chinese involvement in international affairs except for the incalcitrants that would not change the anti China programme implanted in their heads after a life time of reading American and western propaganda against China.
 
If Singapore is true in maintaining a principle position and relation with China, then there is nothing to fear. The Cold War mentality is over. The anglophile mentality is losing its grip. China is not the devil made out to be by the West. Singapore must be brave and strong enough to take its stand for or against China based on principles and not on fear and deference to the irrational emotions of its neighbours and the evil Americans and their anti China agenda.
 
Singapore is still beholden to the Americans if you understand what this meant. ‘The US is a major security partner, he said, noting that Singapore buys advanced military equipment from the US, trains with its troops and cooperates with its troops and cooperates with it on counter terrorism. (Why not the US be beholden to Singapore for allowing it to base its military forces in this strategic region to protect American hegemony?) On the economic front, the value and scale of US companies’ investments in Singapore outstrip those of any other country.’ So, would this position change when Chinese investments outstrip those of the Americans one day and Singapore be free from getting its armed twisted by the Americans and flirted with the Americans in regime change?
 
Unlikely. ‘We hope the US will continue to remain engaged in the Asia Pacific, and continue to safeguard regional peace and stability.’ This can be read by China as anti China, and American presence to safeguard the American Empire and hegemony and to cause instability for the interest of the American Empire… This ensures the security and prosperity of the whole region.’ Or to ensure the security and prosperity of the American Empire. Singapore has this blind spot about the Americans and could not see the evilness and mischiefs the Americans are doing in the region and the world. This position of Singapore is by choice.
 
If Singapore continues to take this position, it cannot blame others for seeing Singapore as the little USA and Singapore may have to pay a heavy price one day for siding with the Americans while proclaiming that it wants to be friends to both the US and China. Singapore cannot be neutral in its relations with the US and China as the US regards China as enemy. The same dilemma is affecting India and Pakistan’s relations with the US and China. Both want to have good relations with both but unable to do so.
 
Can Singapore do it, be friends to both the US and China without offending either one of them, without compromising its positions by siding with one against another? Singapore may want to have the cake and eat it but not so easy. And this would be more difficult if you have a foreign minister that is an anglophile, pro West and anti China. We have seen how disastrous the result would be when this happened.

Hsien Loong's National Day Rally- Protecting people's livelihood

Two points were quite new in this rally other than climate change. One is lowering education cost for Singaporeans and the second, concern of workers who want to work longer with longer lifespan.

The lowering of education cost is not something new as it has been flogged like a dead horse for the last couple of decades with the govt turning a deaf ear and chose to throw more money, in the billions to educate children of foreigners. The numbers kept piling up and the Education Minister must be quite embarrassed reading the numbers in Parliament, hundreds of millions every year, and double the amount in the last couple of decades at the expense of Singaporean children in education. But I am wrong, for the govt said all the money spent on foreign children, including university places for foreigners were not done at the expense of Singapore children. No Singapore children has lost out, lost their university place because of the foreign students paid to study here. OK, I admit I am wrong, no point arguing about it as the coin has two sides and I and many Singaporeans are looking at the wrong side.

Hsien Loong in his rally speech has made right this annual grouse by lowering university and polytechnic tuition fees quite considerably especially in medicine. Students now need to pay only $5000 a year instead of &29,000 to $35,000. And poly students could pay as low as $150 per year. These are good news to the students and their parents. And to make it sweeter and to show that the govt is not wayanging, it takes immediate effect in the next academic year and for existing students unlike past policies that would take place a year later. The kpkb against the grotesque sum given to foreign children may not elicit any response from the govt, or meant nothing to the govt, nor affect a govt that would do the right thing by being deaf. But this change in govt policy should help many families in lowering their financial burden paying for their children's education.

DBS the best bank in the world

The next important point is working longer for Singaporeans that are living longer. DBS was singled for praise for job restructuring and reskilling to enable its employees to work in new jobs and to work longer. Piyush Gupta was in the audience and beaming with pride for the good job done.

The best bank in the world is not for nothing if it does not show care and concern for its workers. Not sure if this include its business partners and agents that lost their livelihood in DBS's restructuring exercise to make the bank trimmer and more efficient. DBS has a big reputation as a national bank, a national icon and cannot do otherwise. Everyone is watching DBS, including Hsien Loong on how DBS contributes positively to create employment in Singapore not just for foreigners but also for Singaporeans and not to destroy their livelihood.

The govt has taken the initiative to increase retirement and reemployment age and raising CPF for senior employees. This is a key message in this year's National Day Rally, providing employment for as long as possible for Singaporeans that want to work longer, not terminating their employment prematurely and killing their livelihood. As the population ages and with more living longer, building and protecting their nest egg is vital if the seniors are to enjoy a life of financial independence and to live with dignity.

Every employer especially GLCs and ministries would have to take note of this policy mission and not to put Hsien Loong in an embarrassing position by acting contrary.

The myths and hypocrisies of western rule based world and non belligerence

Watch this video and George Galloway saying what the western bourgeoisies refused to see in how belligerent they were but hiding under the fake image of peace loving and observance of rule of law in international relations.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcyfVLMWqFI

The Institute of Art and Ideas

Published on Apr 25, 2019

Could a belligerent approach to foreign policy make for a safer world? This debate is also now available as a podcast episode of Philosophy for our Times on all podcast platforms https://soundcloud.com/instituteofart... ‘patricia may -

Mr Galloway is great. I wish he was Prime Minister. Brilliant.’

See how shocked were the fake intelligentsia reacted to the truth that they did not want to see but chose to believe in their lies and fake truths. It is so painful for them to sit there to listen to George Galloway telling them right in their faces and tearing up their myths and hypocrisies into pieces.

Galloway’s comment is in the first 6 minutes of the clip. Then listen to how he destroyed a young man’s belief in the American rule of law, the fake western rule of law etc etc. Galloway was furious about the fake belief in the western international rule of law. What rule of law was there when there was no rule of law in the first place but the rule of belligerence?

After listening to Galloway, hopefully those people uttering about the rule based world would think twice before they opened their mouths. This is a very interesting anti populist fake western views of the rule of law.

Asians and bananas would benefit from the truths spoken by Galloway and hopefully make them less stupid in believing in the western lies.

Club Zoom Kindred Spirit Meet at Choa Chu Kang Stadium

I didn't know SMTFA was participating. Thought it was a family affair. Got there in time to catch Taka and Masashi in the 100m masters. Later got to capture the moment when Masashi, Taka, Khen Teen and Yew Yong ran a superd 4x100m with smooth passing to win the gold  with a 10m lead from the second finisher. Here are some pics taken for the day.

A group photo of the masters relay sprinters before the end of the meet

Taka and Masashi in the 100m masters

Yew Yong picking the baton from Khen Teen in the final leg of the 4x100m

The second and third finishers

And there was a SMTFA ladies relay team, new faces that I have not seen before

High jump

Next generation of SMTFA?

Brunei's mixed relay team gold medalists. While our masters are in Brunei, their National teams are here. The two guys are half of their 4x100m relay squad. The Singapore 4x100m and 4x400m squads were here too. Thought could see them compete with the Brunei national squad, but only the 4x400m team ran. The 4x100m did not start.

Faces of the young

Children everywhere

Young hurdlers

Hurray Trump has done it

The S&P 500 fell 85.72 points, or 2.9%, to 2,840.60. The Dow sank 800.49 points, or 3%, to 25,479.42. The Nasdaq composite lost 242.42 points, or 3%, to 7,773.94. The Russell 2000 index of smaller company stocks slid 43.05 points, or 2.8%, to 1,467.52.

The losses come a day after stocks rallied when the Trump administration delayed tariffs on about $160 billion in Chinese goods that were set to take effect on Sept. 1.

President Donald Trump took to Twitter to defend his trade policy Wednesday, saying "we are winning big time, against China." Yahoo News 14 Aug 19

I have always wrote in praise of Trump for his effort in bringing down the American Empire. And he has consistently and relentlessly been pushing his agenda his way that he thought would make America Great Again. He sincerely believed that he is godsend to do this job. He is the best man in the USA to make American great again.  ‘We are winning big time, against China’.  Oops, Dow fell 800 points or 3%. And the fear of recession is looming around the corner. Not to worry, Trump the Conman is in charge. He will continue to con the Americans all is fine, China is in deep trouble, America is doing very well. But he quickly reversed course and said the new tariff hike would take effect on 15 Dec. Otherwise all the imports for Christmas present would be much more costly to the Americans this Christmas.

Now look at the figures above posted in Yahoo News on 14 Aug and ask if you believe in them or believe in Trump the Conman. There were many indicators pointing to serious problems in the US economy, falling real income, employment numbers and the need to lower interest rates. But no one wants to believe but love to believe in Conman Trump. Now reality hits, bond market indicators showed recession coming and Dow plunged, 800 points. You cannot hide, cannot run, cannot lie.

In the meantime Trump and his gangsters are behaving like terrorists terrorizing countries all over the world with threats of war. The people in Iran and Venezuela are waiting being massacred by the Americans. Warships and warplanes are all over Iran. In the case of Venezuela, the Americans had stopped a ship carrying food to feed the Venezuelans. The Venezuelans can die as long as Trump and his terrorists try to do a regime change to force Maduro, their elected President to step down. If not, die shall the Venezuelans. The same goes to the Iranians. The North Koreans are luckier as China is just next door and food supply and essentials will not stop flowing into the country to feed the North Koreans despite all the sanctions and blockades by the Americans for the last few decades.

I digress. The most and immediate threat to the world economy and world peace is the Number One Terrorist of the World trying all ways to destroy the world. Trump is the leader leading a bunch of unscrupulous leaders in the White House doing just this, to destroy the world to make America great again, but not before destroying America in the process.

Well done Conman Trump. No more trade deal with China.

The children of the world that survived this madness created by Trump and his gangsters would remember how great America was, but then dead and gone.