All the signs of an impending GE is there. The PAP MPs and ministers are starting to be seen walking around to show their faces. The electoral boundaries are under reviewed. A few opposition parties are stirring and also been seen and heard. Cheng Bock is reported today to be walking around, all 29 constituencies. But there is something amiss. Where is the buzz? Any Singaporean talking about the GE? Any Singaporean getting excited that there is another chance to make a difference or a dent in the PAP armour?
Are there issues that are closed to the hearts of the Singaporeans that they want change or want to remove? Apparently no. Singaporeans are going about their lives as if nothing is happening or nothing is going to change. The govt continues to blare about raising transport fares and GST to help the people, a few months to a GE and confidently think that these are non issues. The govt also showed its report card on the increase in population to 5.7m and the increase in foreigners becoming citizens, and increase in PRs as if this is an achievement that the people welcomed. Any reaction from the people? Nil.
There is no more political issues in Singapore that Singaporeans are interested in. Perhaps they have accepted all the changes and just moving on in their lives. The insidious CECA with the flooding of people from India becomes a new way of life. The CPF savings being held forever with withdrawal date a moving target is just part and parcel of being a Singaporean. Losing jobs to 2.5m foreigners and accepting the fate of being replaced by them is another of those things.
Life is good in Singapore. Singaporeans are barely affected by any of the above. Singaporeans are all united behind the govt and supporting the govt in everything it is doing. So no problem or issue is there to bother them? Would the opposition parties be able to set an agenda for the people to want to go with them? Would there be any issue that is dear to the hearts of the Singaporeans that they want an opposition party to fight for them in the next GE?
I am trying to put my fingers on the pulse of Singaporeans but it seems that the pulse is not there, dead, numbed or boh chap? The coming GE is looking like a non event and the PAP is likely to walk over with the 4G leaders taking over the leadership as planned.
Am I holding the hand of a Singaporean or a foreigner turned Singaporean? There are so many of them here that you don't know who is who. Turn around and everyone looks like a foreigner and also looking like a Singaporean. The foreigners turned Singaporeans are having a great time and great life here, busy chasing their dreams. The Singaporeans are busy doing what, working to make ends meet or enjoying themselves with the wealth they have accumulated over their life time with many living in million dollar HDB flats and multi million dollar private properties that can be converted into cash to fund their life styles in their retirement, or to pass down to their children that do not need to work anymore?
Where is the buzz of a GE?No buzz, no issue? This is a wonderful state of affair for the PAP, the ruling govt.
9/30/2019
9/29/2019
Happy DBS employees
This is a picture of the happy long service employees of DBS Bank. The best bank in the world, also honoured recently by Hsien Loong for looking after the livelihood of its employees, especially the seniors that have been affected by job disruptions. These people would not be worried about losing their jobs or livelihood in DBS to foreigners waiting to replace them.
9/28/2019
CECA is a national security issue
The Trump Administration can be accused of over hyping the Huawei 5G technology as a national security issue. Their main reason for objecting to using Huawei equipment is based on what if, what can be, not that it is. Of course there is the fake element of competition with China, not allowing China and Huawei to take off into the future with Huawei as the main equipment supplier and technology leader in communication technology.
The use of national security in this case could be just an excuse and also not something to be trifle with. The security of a nation should not and cannot be compromised by superficial and short term economic trickery or benefits. Here comes the question if the CECA poses an existential threat to Singapore. Singapore history and demographic make up have propel the nation to high economic growth, political stability and development befitting of a first world developed nation.
Increasingly, with the economic growth rate declining and getting higher growth rate more difficult, the Singapore govt has dropped all its guards against existential threat to grow the economy the cheap and easy way by importing all the rubbish from around the world disguising as foreign talents. This reckless and indiscriminate importing of wildlife with suspicious and unknown backgrounds, some very dangerous to our well being, without the ability to vet their security threat and political inclination is getting to a level that is ringing a bell.
Some of the minorities are increasingly getting more vocal and naked in their intolerance to the Chinese majority in the island and calling for this to change towards a level when the Chinese majority is less pronounced, maybe even become an absolute minority to appease their anger. The new citizens and even foreigners employed to work here, paid by the public and private sectors, thought it their right to question this balance and even to champion this cause.
How would Singapore be in the next few decades if the population balance is changed with the Chinese no longer the majority? Would the new majority be as kind and magnanimous as the Chinese majority today towards a Chinese minority? Or would they shut the daylight out of a Chinese minority that stupidly allowed this to happen to seal their fate as a goner minority?
How and to what extent is the CECA with its loose and over generous provisions, a one sided agreement to allow India to flood this island with its jobless citizens and change the population make up of this island? Would Singapore be happy to be more like another Indian city in the future instead of what we are today, a modern cosmopolitan society, an advanced nation of clean streets and good amenities and infrastructure?
Would the intelligence and security agencies think about this existential threat in the way the Americans are looking at their national security and warn the govt in advance that going down this reckless road of importing so many foreigners to dilute the Singaporean core is a road of no return except down and out?
How serious is CECA as an existential threat to Singapore vis a vis the rhetoric against the opposition political parties? Would Singapore survive like it is today in the next few decades going forward? What are the threats to our national security and national survival with the input of so many wildlife into our midst with dubious backgrounds, qualifications and political beliefs and interests?
The use of national security in this case could be just an excuse and also not something to be trifle with. The security of a nation should not and cannot be compromised by superficial and short term economic trickery or benefits. Here comes the question if the CECA poses an existential threat to Singapore. Singapore history and demographic make up have propel the nation to high economic growth, political stability and development befitting of a first world developed nation.
Increasingly, with the economic growth rate declining and getting higher growth rate more difficult, the Singapore govt has dropped all its guards against existential threat to grow the economy the cheap and easy way by importing all the rubbish from around the world disguising as foreign talents. This reckless and indiscriminate importing of wildlife with suspicious and unknown backgrounds, some very dangerous to our well being, without the ability to vet their security threat and political inclination is getting to a level that is ringing a bell.
Some of the minorities are increasingly getting more vocal and naked in their intolerance to the Chinese majority in the island and calling for this to change towards a level when the Chinese majority is less pronounced, maybe even become an absolute minority to appease their anger. The new citizens and even foreigners employed to work here, paid by the public and private sectors, thought it their right to question this balance and even to champion this cause.
How would Singapore be in the next few decades if the population balance is changed with the Chinese no longer the majority? Would the new majority be as kind and magnanimous as the Chinese majority today towards a Chinese minority? Or would they shut the daylight out of a Chinese minority that stupidly allowed this to happen to seal their fate as a goner minority?
How and to what extent is the CECA with its loose and over generous provisions, a one sided agreement to allow India to flood this island with its jobless citizens and change the population make up of this island? Would Singapore be happy to be more like another Indian city in the future instead of what we are today, a modern cosmopolitan society, an advanced nation of clean streets and good amenities and infrastructure?
Would the intelligence and security agencies think about this existential threat in the way the Americans are looking at their national security and warn the govt in advance that going down this reckless road of importing so many foreigners to dilute the Singaporean core is a road of no return except down and out?
How serious is CECA as an existential threat to Singapore vis a vis the rhetoric against the opposition political parties? Would Singapore survive like it is today in the next few decades going forward? What are the threats to our national security and national survival with the input of so many wildlife into our midst with dubious backgrounds, qualifications and political beliefs and interests?
9/27/2019
October - Another financial crisis
For 5 days, the Fed was pumping US$75b per day into the American financial system to provide the liquidity that was drying up. Last night alone it pumped in US$110b. And this is more than a week of pumping the system.
The interbank lending rate has hot up to 10%, way above the 1.5% -2% that used to be the norm. The reason, the banks were afraid to lend money to other American banks for fear of bad loans, not getting their money back, insolvency. Yes, American banks are afraid to lend money to other American banks, did not trust their ability to pay back. And the Fed said it would continue to pump more money into the banking system at US$75b daily. This is another kind of QE but the reason behind this is very serious. The American banks knew that the other American banks are credit risk, not credit worthy. How's that for confidence in the American banks and how close are they edging towards another financial crisis?
Interbanking lending rate at 10% while Trump is asking the Fed to cut interest rates, even to negative interest rate! The big question, is the American economy as good as Trump was saying, the best it could be? On the other hand many analysts are saying recession is around the corner. Who is telling the truth and who is lying? The diversion in interbank interest rates and what the normal interest rate is frightening as it is telling something hideous going on behind the facade of normalcy.
The US economy is doing very well, collecting billions of tariffs. China's economy is faltering, China badly needs a trade deal. The Americans do not need and want only a good deal in their favour. Really?
No need to second guess who is right or wrong. Just watch what Fed is doing, what Trump is asking the Fed to slash interest rates and the interbank lending rate at sky high. The last two times when interbank lending rates hit this level immediately led to a recession the USA. And Trump, with all his salesman talks or lies, is panicking. How soon would it be proven that Trump has been lying through the skin of his teeth before the collapse comes?
October has always been a favourite month for such events to happen. Be careful.
The interbank lending rate has hot up to 10%, way above the 1.5% -2% that used to be the norm. The reason, the banks were afraid to lend money to other American banks for fear of bad loans, not getting their money back, insolvency. Yes, American banks are afraid to lend money to other American banks, did not trust their ability to pay back. And the Fed said it would continue to pump more money into the banking system at US$75b daily. This is another kind of QE but the reason behind this is very serious. The American banks knew that the other American banks are credit risk, not credit worthy. How's that for confidence in the American banks and how close are they edging towards another financial crisis?
Interbanking lending rate at 10% while Trump is asking the Fed to cut interest rates, even to negative interest rate! The big question, is the American economy as good as Trump was saying, the best it could be? On the other hand many analysts are saying recession is around the corner. Who is telling the truth and who is lying? The diversion in interbank interest rates and what the normal interest rate is frightening as it is telling something hideous going on behind the facade of normalcy.
The US economy is doing very well, collecting billions of tariffs. China's economy is faltering, China badly needs a trade deal. The Americans do not need and want only a good deal in their favour. Really?
No need to second guess who is right or wrong. Just watch what Fed is doing, what Trump is asking the Fed to slash interest rates and the interbank lending rate at sky high. The last two times when interbank lending rates hit this level immediately led to a recession the USA. And Trump, with all his salesman talks or lies, is panicking. How soon would it be proven that Trump has been lying through the skin of his teeth before the collapse comes?
October has always been a favourite month for such events to happen. Be careful.
9/26/2019
Minimum sentence for anonymous criminal intimidation
The high court has just passed a ruling that ‘Those who intimidate
others anonymously and inflict severe harm in the process could find
themselves liable to at least three years’ jail if they are found to
have a high level of culpability.’ Thenewpaper reported.
In the past there was no minimum sentence but with more and more cases of anonymous intimidation over social media, this law becomes a new necessity. So you guys please do not try to intimidate anyone in social media or mobile devices.
I was intimidated by a blogger calling himself Raymond a few years back in this blog. I made a police report and warning him that he better prayed that nothing untowards would happen to me. With the police report, if harms come to me, even a freak accident, the police is likely to look for him. Now with this new law let’s hope no one would dare to be so brave to go around threatening anyone with harm.
This law is to deter those that think they are above the law or with some connections somewhere to protect them when they bully or threaten people, or with the money to pay the lawyers and the courts and the fines. The minimum sentence means jail terms, got money no money, got connection no connection, do not apply. Jail you go.
In the past there was no minimum sentence but with more and more cases of anonymous intimidation over social media, this law becomes a new necessity. So you guys please do not try to intimidate anyone in social media or mobile devices.
I was intimidated by a blogger calling himself Raymond a few years back in this blog. I made a police report and warning him that he better prayed that nothing untowards would happen to me. With the police report, if harms come to me, even a freak accident, the police is likely to look for him. Now with this new law let’s hope no one would dare to be so brave to go around threatening anyone with harm.
This law is to deter those that think they are above the law or with some connections somewhere to protect them when they bully or threaten people, or with the money to pay the lawyers and the courts and the fines. The minimum sentence means jail terms, got money no money, got connection no connection, do not apply. Jail you go.
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