1/31/2020

Hsien Loong - "We are open, but this is our home."

"We have to bring this down in terms which individual Singaporeans can relate to, in terms of their lived experience – at work, in the community spaces, in the crowd which they meet, in that they feel that they are taken care of and in Singapore, this is a Singapore for Singaporeans," said Mr Lee.

"We are open, but this is our home."....

"Many companies which are breaking new ground, which are at the leading edge, are like that, and we want them," said Mr Lee.

"But when they come to Singapore, and they employ 40 per cent of Singaporeans, or even 60 per cent of Singaporeans, and you will see that many of your colleagues are not Singaporean. Your boss may not be Singaporean, certainly, your owner may have been a Chinese or Vietnamese or Thai or Indonesian start-up, then you will say, 'why is it here?'," said the prime minister.  CNA


After so many years of silence and taking the Singaporeans for granted by flooding the island with foreigners and allowing foreigners to determine the fate of Singaporeans in employment with many now jobless or under employed, and with the opposition parties bringing this up as a major source of unhappiness, the govt is now trying to control the damage. Question is whether the damage has gone too far and too widespread that it is too late to do anything meaningful.

Based on the above comments that foreign companies are employing 40% or 60% foreigners and the rest Singaporeans, I think Singaporeans could accept this. The truth is that many foreign and local companies are filled with foreigners, some more than 80% and nothing is done about it.

The govt must act and not just use words to appease the badly affected Singaporeans. This is our home, our only home, and we must not lose it to foreigners under stupid schemes and excuses. Most Singaporeans would have no where to run, cannot afford to work overseas to earn cheap pay and cheap currencies.

So, is the stupid 6.9 million and more population policy still business as usual? Is Singapore going to be the home of foreigners called new citizens or new Singaporeans?

1/30/2020

Another fake news opportunity for the Americans

A US military jet crashed in mountainous territory in eastern Afghanistan, where there is a heavy Taliban presence, the Pentagon confirmed Monday, rejecting the insurgents' suggestions that it was shot down.

Afghanistan US Forces spokesman Colonel Sonny Leggett confirmed in a statement that the aircraft was a US Bombardier E-11A, a type of jet used as a military airborne communications node in the region.

"While the cause of crash is under investigation, there are no indications the crash was caused by enemy fire," Leggett said.

Leggett gave no information on casualties in the crash.

Earlier, a Taliban spokesman said the plane had crashed and there were no survivors, but another version of the statement from the insurgents said they had brought the plane down.  Yahoo News


Which part of the above is true and which part is fake?

Was the plane shot down by the Taliban? The Americans said no, probably fell off the sky by itself. The Taliban said they shot it down.

Were there any Americans killed? American version likely no casualties. The plane is a drone, no pilots, no aircrew and no passengers.

The Taliban said no survivors, all on board killed.

So, who is lying and who is telling the truth? Can Pofma be issued?

PS. Latest, two bodies were found on the wreckage.The Americans killed in the Middle East and West Asia deserved to be killed. They could have a good life in their homeland but chose to go to war to kill the poor people in these regions. The more Americans got killed the better, to teach them that there is a price for waging wars and killing other innocent people.

1/29/2020

Wuhan Virus - Singapore's vulnerability

SINGAPORE — Singapore’s economy will definitely be impacted by the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak, with the tourism-related sectors being of immediate concern.
In a multi-ministry press conference on Monday (27 January), Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing said that this includes travel agents, as well as the food and beverage, retail and hospitality sectors.  Yahoo News

The Wuhan virus must have rung a bell in many people's head. Obviously it didn't. Singapore is still thinking it is a small matter. Well, our tourist industry will be hit and some people's jobs and business may be impacted. This kind of thinking is similar to the desire for nuclear energy, nuclear power station. It is small problem and should be ok. The Fukushima disaster, not fully disclosed and many serious consequences covered up, also did not ring a bell. If Fukushima meltdown would be to happen in Singapore, where would Singapore and Singaporeans be?

The closing down of Wuhan and several major cities in China, including Shanghai and maybe Beijing is small matter. What would happen if Singapore has to close down? Small matter, only the tourist industry be affected?

What lessons can Singapore learn from this Wuhan virus incident? Would Singapore still be happily opening up its legs wide wide and inviting everyone from all the dirty corners of the world to come here and reside and sleep and play and work with fellow Singaporeans? Not to worry, nothing bad will happen to Singapore. All the bad things can only happen in other countries, especially in China, never in Singapore. All the viruses would die after their carriers drink our shit water, oops, Newater, our cure all for everything. See, the facts have proven that Singapore is safe and clean after so many millions of potential deadly disease carriers have come and gone. No contagious disease or virus dare to attack Singapore and Singaporeans.

Can Singapore afford a slip, an unfortunate incident like the Wuhan virus or some slum virus from remote villages in some third world countries and think life will go on as usual? Anyone ever ponder what would happen if another virus or disease that spreads as easily and quickly as the Wuhan virus find its way here and Singapore has to close down?

Our health checks at our entry points have been so casual and relax, so easy to move in and out to the credit of our open leg policy. Just keep the fingers crossed and all will be well. There is nothing to worry about. It will not happen to Singapore.

What would it be like if someone with a very infectious disease travels in our very crowded trains?

1/28/2020

Silent Cultural Revolution in Singapore

What was the Cultural Revolution in China in the 1966?

In 1966, China was engulfed with the fire of revolution with young Red Guards running wild all over the country attacking and arresting people, humiliating and punishing people branded as revisionists. The crime of the victims was mainly due to their intellect, the educated and worse foreign educated elites, the professors, engineers, academics, administrators, scientists, anyone with higher education was a target. It was destruction of everything related to knowledge, science and technology. It was the Road to Mediocrity when farmers and peasants were glorified. It was good to be poor. And China went back to Year Zero by the time the Cultural Revolution ended in 1976  with the death of Mao and the arrest of the Gang of Four.

Is Singapore also on the Road to Mediocrity? Is there a silent Cultural Revolution to frown upon excellence, to promote mediocrity, to encourage every student to be mediocre, be average is glory, top schools and top students should become unknown and unheard off? Do not mention about top schools and top students getting straight As. Popularise and glorify the average students as the good stuff, the way to be, be proud to be average and be ashamed if one is top of the class!

How long have the name Raffles Institution, Hwa Chong Institution been blanco from the media like it is a crime to mention them? When O level and A level results were released, not a whisper of the top students from the top schools? Why? Should these top talents be arrested, humiliated and send to work in the farms? Oops we don't have enough farm land to house them, maybe send them to neighbour countries? Send them for reeducation camps to tell them that to be good in their studies, to be top students, to be highly qualified graduates from the best schools and universities are bad, not to be seen, not to be heard.  Oh, we can send all our top graduates to become cab drivers and security guards as part of their reeducation stint like the intelligentsia of China during the Cultural Revolution. Can also become hawkers to learn what it is like to do manual work and to be poor.

Singapore does not need Singaporeans as top talents. We cannot offend the parents of the average students and the pride of the average students. We must make the average students happy, their parents happy by glorifying them and shun the top students. We can import all the top talents from third world countries to fill the top positions in the industries and govt ministries. Like that all the average Singaporeans would be very happy. See, no arrogant top students and their happy parents on the main media to make the average students and their parents unhappy.

Now when did I get this idea?  I came across this article in thenewpaper on 22 Jan titled, 'MOE launches pilot study to drop selection trials for CCAs'.  In the article there were a couple of phrases that prompted me to think again. The first paragraph of the article reads, 'In its latest push to encourage children to pursue their interests and focus less on performance, the Ministry of Education(MOE) will look at dropping selection trials for co-curricular activities(CCAs).  Another comment about the National School Games for young children, 'Last year, it tweaked the National School Games(NSG) junior division (for pupils aged nine to 11) to give children, even the less skilled, a chance to compete. Among the changes were removing individual events in some sports and rewarding participation instead of finishing first.  The bold emphasis were mine.

To reward mediocrity, reward communal activities, punish individual excellence are exactly what the Cultural Revolution of China was all about. Instead of in search of excellence, this is promoting mediocrity, levelling down to please the mediocres. Is this the road forward for Singapore?  Why is the MOE peddling to the cries of the parents of the average and in a way sidelining the talented and individual pursuits for excellence?  Is this what we get from the millionaires, brilliant ideas that millionaires could come up with?

What is wrong with excellence? What is wrong with wanting to be the best? Is it shameful to be top students, top talents? Should not then that the media stop glorifying our universities as world top universities, stop crowing how good we are and hide under the cloaks of mediocrity?

What do you think?

1/27/2020

Singapore's education conundrum- something is fake

Language aside, the general school facilities and resources in Indian government schools are not comparable to Singapore government schools, and Indian teachers and students often work and study under adverse conditions.

I have often wondered how Indian government schools, despite their inadequate and commonly antiquated education facilities and resources, can produce talents in demand by a first world country like Singapore. There must be something unique (almost magical) about the Indian government schools, their education administration and education Ministry, Ministers and their officials....

How much of the Indian talents are “real” talents that Singapore cannot survive without them? How can India produce the first world talent when Singapore cannot despite our good education facilities and model?....

Lastly, if a Third World country like India can produce First World talents which Singapore must have to survive, why can’t First World Singapore produce the talent investors require (though not in the same numbers)?
It is only when the PAP government is really taking serious actions (rather than their ‘fanciful talks’) to control the inflow of foreign talents especially from India can our well-skilled and educated Singaporeans remain in employment without fear of unfair competition.

Kok Ming Cheang

The above statements from Kok Ming Cheang's article in the TRE are something that I have been musing about and perplexing to many Singaporean PMETs that have lost their high paying jobs to foreigners especially those from India. Amusing to me is one thing, but pain and suffering to the affected PMETs and their families is another. And to those that paid lip service to the suffering of this group of Singaporeans and claiming that they understood their pains and empathise with them,with their lives while they live their lives of aplenty because of their million dollar salaries, is another.

This is very serious matter and should not be taken lightly.  The reason 'wayang' as some in the social media have said about the sudden interest in MOM to right the decades long wrong to the Singaporean PMETs and their families hopefully is not really just another wayang because election is around the corner.

Is there anything wrong with this education conundrum or something is wrong with the facts? Is it true that third world Indian education is producing all the talents that first world Singapore education is unable to produce? Or is it true that Singapore's first world education is not producing the talents that first world Singapore needs, ie failure in the Singapore education system? Something is very wrong. Something is fake, cannot be both. Either Indian education is really good and producing good talents for Singapore or it is not. Or Singapore's education is really producing duds despite its claim of being world class or it is not.

What is fake, which part is fake? Can Singapore, after spending so much money to have a world class education system is not really what it is, everything is fake, fake world class education therefore unable to produce the talents it needs?  Or India's third world education is producing fake talents that the stupids in Singapore cannot tell the difference and took them in as talents?  Which is which?


What is real and what is fake?