Guaido, a traitor walking with his foreign collaborator in Pompeo

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on Monday for cooperation in the struggle to remove Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from office amid a long-running crisis in the South American country.

The appeal came as Pompeo met with Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido for strategy talks.

"We must put an end to Maduro's tyranny which harms Venezuela's citizens and has an impact on the entire region," Pompeo said after meeting with Colombian President Ivan Duque in Bogota.  Yahoo News

What is a traitor, how to identify a traitor? In the case of Guaido of Venezuela, it is easy. But no leader from any country outside Venezuela would dare to condemn him as a traitor in cahoot with the Americans in trying to bring down a legitimate elected govt. What is the rule of law when foreign country openly interfered and agitated for the removal of a leader of another country and supporting an opposition leader, trained and finance him, to overthrow the legitimate leader? 

This cannot be legal, the rule of law, international law and practice. This is a violation of the rule of law, against international law and human decency. This is lawlessness and what Guaido is doing is obviously an act of treason, a traitor to his country.

Imagine if a Singaporean would be in the shoe of Guaido, what would happen? Would the Americans one day do the same to Singapore, supporting an opposition party leader to bring down the govt of the day? This is a principle that must be protected and Singapore must speak up against it. Where are all the big mouths in Singapore that were very loud in shouting the rule of law and objecting on the grounds of principles and international law?

Does Singapore support such traitorous act, support the American interference in the domestic politics of another country?

Mysterious Wuhan virus - who planted it?

Virus Alert!

China has officially reported only six deaths caused by the new mysterious strand of corona-virus. The mysterious new corona-virus has spread to the US, Japan, Thailand, Hongkong, Taiwan, Vietnam and Singapore. And perhaps also Malaysia, Indonesia and Australia. The number of affected and death is growing and could be a world epidemic.

China was the first to report this incident to WHO on 31 Dec 19. On the same day the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention identified a seafood market suspected for the outbreak. Why are the Americans so smart and so well informed that they could immediately identified the source of the outbreak from far away America when China was still trying to find where it all started?

China today is not a dirty and filthy third world country like many parts of Asia, Africa and SE Asia. The farms in China are modern and scientific and clean. Why is it that most outbreaks of Swine Fever, Bird Flu and this mysterious virus always happened in China and not in dirty and filthy third world countries? Think? China a natural and fertile bed full of lice, fleas and viruses?

Is it that white gods did not like China and always inflict China with things that they would weaken China, to create problems for China? Notice white gods hardly put such diseases in white countries and also in filthy and unhygienic third world countries?

The moment China alerted WHO of this virus, there were continuous reports in the western media that this thing is dangerous and would spread like SARS even though China was able to contain its spread at the early stage and death toll was only a handful. Why was it that the western media were so sure that this is a serious and contagious virus in the first place? Why was there so much hysteria even before this thing spread? Did they know something in advance that China and the rest of the world did not know? Did they know that this is highly contagious and would spread from human to human even before it spreads?

Heard of biological and chemical warfare? It is good that this thing is spreading and starting to reach the countries of the white gods. What goes around would come around in this highly connected small world. If this virus is planted by some white gods, let it return to the source and spread among the white gods like they spread it among the native Americans in the greatest genocide in human history a few centuries ago.

PS. The rate that this thing is spreading despite all the control and preventive measures suggests that this is a very sinister and mean act of someone or some organisation. It is almost uncontainable once it is let out of the bottle. It is unlikely to come from a wild animal source that immediately becomes so deadly and spreading so quickly.

Ramesh Erramalli - So serious meh

SINGAPORE — Ramesh Erramalli, the condominium resident seen verbally abusing a security guard in a viral video last October, has been warned by the police over his behaviour.

In a statement on Friday (17 January), the police said that a “stern warning” had been issued to the 44-year-old, in consultation with the Attorney-General’s Chambers, for intentionally causing harassment to a security officer who was deployed at Eight Riversuites Condominium.

A similar warning was also given to two men, aged 41 and 47, for causing intentional harassment to Erramalli. The police have also administered a 12-month conditional warning to two other men, aged 19 and 56, who threatened Erramalli and his family with death and violence. Yahoo News

Wow, the police is so serious this time when a foreigner threatened, oops, I don't think this is the right choice of word, must be accurate and quote the news report, he did not threaten, he 'verbally abusing a security guard only. And some, I think Singaporeans, not sure about this, were also given the same serious warning 'for causing intentional harassment to Erramalli', some 'threatened Erramalli and his family with death and violence'.

See, the act of Erramalli against the security guard was definitely not so serous, just verbal abuse. The threats against him was very serious, mind you threatening him and his family with death and violence. Given the two facts as reported, think the punishment for a foreigner like Erramalli is really serious.  This may be a bad signal to other foreigners that are here providing and creating jobs for daft and jobless Singaporeans. What happens if all the talented foreigners pack up and go, many Singaporeans would be jobless and many properties would not be sold and many Singaporeans would not be able to rent their flats to them.

Initially I also agree with many angry Singaporeans that he should be sent home, not welcome here to bully Singaporeans. On second thought, I must agree with the police for such a serious warning and close the case. And better still, warned the Singaporeans not to be rude and fierce with foreigners, not to threaten these foreign talents. They must be reminded that their rice bowl depends on these foreigners. Be kind and gentle to the foreigners like the taxi drivers. When they beat you, do not hit back, call the police and the attackers would likely get a serious warning from them. Or they may then advise you to find a lawyer to take a civil suit against them, if you have the money. Very likely these foreign talents would have more money than you and can afford to pay for more expensive lawyers.

Anyway, it is good that the police is serious this time and this could be a good signal for the foreigners. If they harass or abuse Singaporeans, they would get a serious warning from the police. But their jobs would be safe, their PR status would not be affected and they could continue to earn big bucks in their high paying jobs here in Singapore, the city of foreign talents. Nothing to worry about.

Thank you very much.

Welcome to compassionate and caring Singapore, when no one is left behind

Single mum with 16 year-old son stayed in police lock-up for 10-hours for not paying accumulated S&CC bills of $2150

Felt shocked to realise that a single mum with a school-going 16-year-old son was arrested at her office for not paying accumulated S & CC bills of $2150. She stayed in the police lock-up for close to ten hours before being release.

The S & CC fees were unpaid for 18 months since April 2018.

I told her that she is fortunate they didn’t put her in jail outright. Prolonged non-payment of S & CC bills can land a person in jail here and she still has to pay up the default after the prison discharge. It’s probable that the single mum may have ignored numerous court orders triggering a warrant of arrest as a result.

Out of the total default owed, a massive 40% or $937 went to other miscellaneous costs such as penalty charge $310 and legal fee $627. The town council is willing to waive the penalty fee of $310 but not the legal charge.

The single mum, who is working as a promoter with a monthly salary of $1000 plus, told me that each time she couldn’t pay the monthly installment of $159, the town council will send in a legal reminder which costs about $200 – further aggravating the S & CC default. It’s akin to paying a loan shark but this time it’s a legalised one.

With such atrociously high legal charges levied on errant defaulters, the law firm representing the town council must have racked in tens of thousands of dollars each month on legal fees alone.
Moreover, besides paying the monthly installment of $159 for the default owed, she has to cough up another $78.50 for fresh monthly payment for S & CC charges. This is on top of the many other bills Singaporeans are currently paying.

Our town council sinking fund has reached close to $2 billion and some estate has pooled resources to derive benefit from economy of scale but none of the savings have being passed to the residents so far. Residents also are rather clueless as to how the town council uses the S & CC fees collected which could run into millions for each estate per month.

We also realized that in the past, some town councils used the excess sinking funds to dabble in risky financial investments but they have now stopped.

As for the single mum’s financial trouble, I asked her why she didn’t rent out one of her room to alleviate the situation – she told me that she is uncomfortable living with strangers under the same household.

The small single-parent family does not receive any maintenance from the ex- husband and the mum is working 12-hour shift for seven days a week trying to keep up with all her bills especially the S & CC one which may invite a jail sentence if not properly paid.

Gilbert Goh
Editor’s note: If you wish to help the single mother by transferring funds directly into her AXS account, you may contact Gilbert at goh_gilbert@yahoo.com

PS. Just have to repost this in full to show how caring Singapore is as a country. And this practice, long standing practice of sending legal letters that cost more than the sum owed must be good practice and would not be changed. So if someone owes $20, he would still be issued with a legal letter that would cost $200 and this would add to his debt. Nice! 

In my business, when a client owes me a sum that is lesser than the cost of sending legal letters, I will treat it as bad debt and write it off instead of incurring more cost to myself and to the client.

Lessons from KMT losing the Republic of China

The KMT rode to power under the popular leadership of Sun Yat Sen, the father of modern China, from a colonial Empire. KMT became the ruling govt, the legitimate govt and the elites of the day were nearly all with the KMT. And the power of the KMT resided in the thousands of generals that they promoted to rule China. The reasons for KMT to lose power were unimaginable then when they were in power.  The CCP was too weak, peasants with little support initially and mainly from the farmers and workers, not highly educated elites and aristocrats. The businessmen, the landlords, the politicians and generals were all KMT or KMT supporters or sympathisers. But eventually KMT lost China to the supposedly very weak opposition, with few talents and no experience in running a country.

When the foreigners ie Japan and the West were carving out China, KMT did not see that as a problem. When the Japanese started to occupy the eastern part of China, the KMT ceded the territories to them, withdrew to the West. The main preoccupation of the KMT was not foreigners or foreign occupation of Chinese land, but the opposition, the CCP. They believed that as long as they were the govt, controlled the govt and the military, the business elites, intellectuals, aristocrats and landlords would be with them and they could rule China forever, even with foreigners everywhere.

So the KMT spent all its resources and time oppressing and suppressing the opposition while ignoring the growing presence of the foreigners. It was ok for foreigners to occupy parts of the country as they were seen as lesser threats than the local opposition. In many ways the KMT was colluding with the foreigners, even helping the foreigners to fight the CCP and ignoring the plight of the people. It was great time for the foreigners as they increasingly encroached into China, even when they were occupying all the major cities and eastern part of China, they were literally left alone to do as they pleased.

As for the people, they were treated as non entities, to be taxed and bullied, to be robbed of everything. The people of China then had nothing, no land, no homes, as land and homes were owned by the govt and the rich landlords. And they carried the burden of the KMT govt and their wars against the local opposition, not the foreigners.

The KMT also relied a lot on the Americans to protect their interest as the govt of the day. They thought that with the American support, they could continue to rule China and the poor and helpless and jobless Chinese people. And why not when the people were powerless and allowed themselves to be bullied and ruled by the KMT without resistance.

It took many years of abuses of power and corruption in the KMT govt before the people realised that the opposition CCP was their real saviour, not the corrupt govt of the day. And it took the full force of the foreigners and their intent to conquer and take over China before the KMT realised that the foreigners could not be ignored. By then it was too late. The foreigners had taken over nearly all the eastern part of the country and the people had fled to join the opposition.

The only thing left for the KMT, the legitimate and powerful govt with many incompetent generals and the corrupt administration and landlords was to run away. And they ran across the strait to Taiwan, with the loot and treasures of China, leaving China and the Chinese people ever poorer. The KMT warlords, generals and the rich businessman and landlords continued to enjoy their wealth overseas, in Taiwan and in the USA.

The big question, how could a legitimate ruling govt, with all the elites, rich landlords and businessmen and all the talented but corrupt generals and govt officials eventually had to flee China, and ran away in defeat? Did they not see their corrupt ways, their bullying and exploitation of the people leaving them homeless, with no land and no homes, poor, jobless and hapless, and also allowing the foreigners to enter China freely, with little resistance, and the people at the mercy of foreigners, would eventually lead to the lost of trust among the people and the people turning against them? Mind you, till today, the KMT still clings to the image of Sun Yat Sen as the father of modern China to lend them credibility. Other than the father of modern China, the KMT has no more legitimacy as an ex govt of China. There is a huge memorial in Taiwan of the father of modern China.

Can history teach us anything about powerful govts falling and having to run away with their loot? All corrupt govts that bullied and cheated their people and in cahoot with foreigners at the expense and well being of the people of their country would lose the support of the people and their right to rule.