One can understand why withdrawal from the nation's reserves during tough times need to be returned to keep the reserves healthy and strong. Some may think this is not necessary and to allow the reserves to be rebuild over time the natural way. To expect the reserves to be rebuilt and to return the sum withdrawn are two different things.
During this crisis, Heng Swee Kiat spoke about $52b being withdrawn from the reserves. How should this be returned to the reserves? $52b plus whatever that due from the country's surplus as before? If this $52b is treated as a separate and specific item to be returned in addition to the normal process of transferring surpluses to the reserves, this could become an additional burden on the tax payers. Would this lead to higher taxation to cover this hole? What the govt gave, the govt must take back?
What about individuals and their savings in the CPF? Must they return what they withdrew for housing and other essential expenses when they are nearer their death beds? The nation is a going concern, an entity that theoretically has a life span in perpetuity. In the case of an individual, every day or year passes, his remaining life span is shortened. An individual does not live in perpetuity and some may live a far more shorter life span than another. The argument or rational to keep building up the CPF with no limitation on the age of the individual is a very flawed policy.
CPF savings are meant to provide for retirement when one is no longer able to work due to age, to provide some form of income during the golden years of retirement. The concept is to save when young and spend when old. It is ridiculous to demand an aged individual to save more when he has very few years or days to live. There must be a cut of point when one does not need to put more money into the CPF. This includes returning what they withdrew for housing and others in his younger days.
The cut off point could be age and sufficiency of fund in the CPF. Under the present unthinking and one rule fixed all policy, many would die leaving behind a small fortune in the CPF. This is not the intended objective and also a very bad policy when the money saved by the individual could be put to better use when he is alive, to enjoy life better. It is his money to spend not to pass down to people he might not know or meaningless to him, or to the state. The people's life saving is not a debt to the govt.
There is no good reason to demand an old individual to continue endlessly to put money into the CPF without exception, without a cut off point. The policy makers may choose to look stupid and continue to bully the people into putting more money into their CPF indefinitely. The people affected must not choose to be stupid as well, to remain silent to allow this to go on unchecked. This is another form of discrimination ala white supremacy in the USA that was allowed to go on without any protest or objection. It does not need a George Floyd equivalent for a public outcry to demand for change to a stupid and unfair system.
Change is needed to allow the people to enjoy their savings while they are still alive and can use them. Money in the CPF is useless when the person is dead. No one lives forever. In fact after 60, one must expect to die any time, any day. How ridiculous it is to demand a 60 year old, 70 year old or older person to still put money into their CPF for retirement? This is another 'stupidity has no cure' mentality that must be checked.
You do not ask a 70 year old or 80 year old to save for the future! Assholes!
You do not ask a 70 year old or 80 year to put back what he used from his CPF to pay for his homes.
Desperate US is determined to take down China. War with US is now inevitable. China and the Chinese people must now be fully prepared to fight and destroy the the aggressive warmongering American imperialist and be confident to achieve final decisive victory.
The United States has for decades been bullying and making wars on weaker countries all over the world in Africa, Middle East, Asia and South America. So far it got away scott free for their crimes against mankind on unnecessary illegal wars against others just to rob them off of their wealth and resources and causing millions of innocent people's lives which they dismissed as collateral damage and thus feel no remorse. Now the US is heavily in debt to the tune of about thirty trillion dollars and as part of this debt they owed China over three trillion dollars. And as China also invested heavily in the US economy for hundreds of billions of dollars the US is trying to loot this Chinese investments plus the hijacking of the trillions of dollars they owed to China by making war on China.
China should not waste any time now but should immediately repatriate all Chinese citizens be they students, scientists, engineers, technocrats, scholars or businessmen back to China. China should dispose all her investments in the US and sell all the US treasury bonds to prevent them from being taken hostage and hijacked by the Evil Empire once they declare war on China officially. All Chinese companies listed in the US Stock Exchange like Ali - Baba, Tencent and hundreds of others should delist themselves and bring back the money and capital to relist in China in Shanghai, Shenchen or Amoy. If they don't do it their companies will be held hostage and they will lose everything if USA starts a war on China. All Chinese people should not deposit their money in American banks like Citi Bank, Bank of America, Chase Manhattan, Goldman Sachs and the UK bank Hong Kong & Shanghai Bank and Standard Chartered Bank. Also do not insure with American insurance companies as the risk of losing your money is too great. Take your money out and insure with your local insurance companies. During the First World War and the Second World War Chinese people in China who insured with a well known American insurance company lost all their money to the tune of a few hundred billion dollars.
I have recently received an article from some one in What's App the contents of which is clear and self explanatory that the United States is desperate and is intent on making war on China. The article is now reproduced below for everybody's information and warning. Please forward the article to as many friends and relatives as possible irrespective of whether they are in Singapore or abroad so that they may be warned of the danger of travelling to America or Canada in this perilous times of high tensions of US aggressions globally especially against the Chinese people now.
"The United States has initiated five sensitive incidents . How should China respond?
Original : Li Guangman
Zhang Shengli
The United States has continuously produced sensitive incidents against China recently, which has led to a comprehensive breakdown of Sino-US relations and fierce conflicts.
The first sensitive event :
On May 14, the US Senate passed a Xinjiang - related bill aimed at stigmatizing and interfering in China's Xinjiang affairs.
The second sensitive event :
On May 15, The US Department of Commerce's Bureau of industry and Security announced a targeted rule revision aimed at taking advantage of the US monopoly in the chip field to completely cut off Huawei's global supply chain and wants to defeat Huawei in one fell swoop.
The third sensitive event :
In an interview with reporters on May 14, Trump stated that he would sever ties with China as a whole. Require Wall Street to treat Chinese companies listed in the United States more severely and "respect" the "Accountability China" bill proposed by US lawmakers.
The fourth sensitive event :
Recently, many Chinese scholars have been arrested or sentenced with harsh penalties in the United States. On May 15, Wang Qing, a well known Chinese scientist and a scholar of China's "Thousand Talents Plan", was arrested in the United States, a few days ago the famous Chinese physicist Li Xiaojiang was severely sentenced in the United States : he was a tenured professor of Neuroscience at Emory University and did not fully disclose his connections with Chinese Research Institutions through the 1,000 talents program and was fined US$35K for under reporting his income with one year probation. On May 11, a famous Chinese scientist Hong Sizhong was arrested in the United States.
The fifth sensitive event :
The United States is negotiating with Japan to deploy land-based medium-range missiles . This is different from the previous deployment of Japanese anti-missiles. Land-based medium-range missiles are offensive weapons.
The above five incidents belong to different fields, but they are all sensitive incidents, indicating that the United States has begun to adopt offensive strategies against China in all fields and levels, interfering in China's internal affairs, provoking Sino-US conflicts, intensifying Sino-US conflicts, and curbing Chinese development.
These incidents are not only sensitive, but also of bellicose nature. This gives us a deeper understanding of the seriousness of the current Sino-US relations and raises more concerns about Chinese future.
1. An anti-China trend is forming in the United States. Not only the Republican Party and Trump, but also the Democratic Party and the presidential candidate Biden have shown strong anti-China ideas in the campaign. The United States is forming an anti-China consensus of American society.
2. Trump is using all means to fight against China. These means are very brutal, and they are not normal competitive means at all. These means of the United States are shocking and worrying, and their severity is no different from waging war.
3. The strategic level of Sino-US Relations has broken down. In the future , the US's suppression of China will become more severe, the tension between China and the US will become more serious , and competition, confrontation and even war will become the main form of Sino-US Relations.
4. We must be sober-minded. The current international situation is undergoing major changes. Sino-US relations are no longer of a cooperative and win-win nature. China needs to reposition the relationship between China and the United States as a major power, and shift from a Sino-US cooperation strategy to a Sino-US competition strategy. Only when the strategy is determined can we gain strategic initiative and initiate strategic counterattack.
5. All the current US strikes against China reflect the US's strategic anxiety against China's rapid development , and its extreme hatred of China overtaking the US. This is the inevitable state of the transition between rising and defending powers and the future of Sino-US relations. The inevitable trend is that the United States chooses to confront China and even chooses to wage some form of war against China. We should realize that this will be the new normal of China-US future relations.
6. In the face of the increasingly fierce attacks by the United States, China mujst maintain a strong strategic determinatiion and does not need to dance to the rhythm of the United States. It must do a good job in domestic affairs, accelerate industrial restructuring, and strive for major breakthrough in high-end chips and lithography machines. Breakthrough in the two battlefields of high-end chips and lithography machines will inevitably break the US strategic blockade of China, and China will be able to highlight its encirclement and achieve a strategic counterattack.
7. You must never passively defend against the United States. This will only increase the arrogance of the United States. If you dare to fight back against the United States, you must dare to fight to win a strategic initiative , stop war with war and strive for peace. Important choice.
8. The fierce blow by the United States against Huawei shows that the United States is determined to defeat Huawei, thereby defeating China's high-tech , so that the United States can continue to maintain technological monopoly and technological hegemony. China should defend Huawei as a national strategy. Keep Huawei and China. High-tech will preserve China's future and hope.
9. Accelerate the development of weapons and equipmment, improve preparations for combat readiness, and be able to respond to wars of provocations initiated by the United States at any time. In the future, Taiwan and South China Sea will become the main battlefields for military and political struggles between China and the United States. China should dare to take strategic initiative on the Taiwan issue, liberate Taiwan in one fell swoop in the form of a blitz, and clear the military siege that the United States has imposed on China. This will be a great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
Strategic key notes :
10. Make the worst scenario plan for the struggle against the United States. The worst case plan is to deal with what Trump said is the complete cessation of Sino-US relations. Although the possibility of severing relations and the complete decoupling of China and the United States is very small , this possibility is not ruled out . From the US attack on Huawei , it can be seen that the US is hostile to China and confrontation between the two countries may lead to conflict and even war.
11. Forming a broad international united front and strategic alliances will be an inevitable choice for China to cope with major US provocations in the future. Strengthening Sino-Russian strategic cooperative relations, dividing the alliance between Europe and the United States , strengthening Sino-European cooperation and improving relations with Japan and South Korea will be China's diplomatic and geopolitical inevitable choices.
12. The Sino-US confrontation will be a protracted war. We do not expect the result of the US election to change the state. We must prepare for long term operations , as well as make ideological mobilization and strategic arrangements for major conflicts and even war between China and the United States. The people's sense of crisis, anxiety and war, unite their thoughts and control public opinion well.
13. Do a good job of opening up to areas outside the United States, especially to the financial opening of the United States, make arrangements for the return of Chinese companies listed in the United States to the mainland and Hong Kong, and plan to sell a large number of U.S. debts purchased by China to prevent China from being held hostage by the United States. After decoupling the US will loot China and it should mobilize as soon as possible to arrange for the return of famous Chinese scholars and scientists in the United States to work in China. Large-scale arrest of famous scholars and scientists in the United States and desperate sanctions against Huawei have been carried out in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Xinjiang and other places. They have interfered in China's internal affairs , have continued to provoke China in the Taiwan Straits and South China Sea and have deployed land-based medium-range missiles in Japan. Spreading rumors , discrediting and blaming China . We can all smell the smoke of war. Now is the time to change our thinking, adjust our national strategy, and prepare for war preparations.
As Huawei said after knowing that the United States increased sanctions: "We have no way out except for victory . The same is true in China except for victory, we have no retreat."
"Maybe! we will have a hard time for a while. Maybe! We will suffer a certain strategic loss. However, as long as we maintain a strong will, dare to fight, unite as one, work together to develop the country's various constructions in all directions, China will definitely be able to defeat American hegemony, and we will definitely be able to make the choice of "War between China and the United States" and "Kingdom and Hegemony." The final victory is ours. China and the Chinese will prevail and defeat the evil warmongering satanic imperialist hegemonic empire of the United States."
NBC News’ legal analyst Danny Cevallos details the latest developments in the George Floyd case with new details emerging that rookie officers on the scene reportedly issued cautions about the way Floyd was being detained.
In the above clip the NBC News' legal analyst was on air discussing about how the prosecution and defence lawyers could make their arguments on the murder of George Floyd by Derek Chauvin. He did not seem to be bothered by the Contempt of Court Act whereby what he said could influence the case. Though he could fall back on the American First Amendment that protects freedom of speech, but this would not rule out the possibility of sub judice and had the case thrown out by the court. One wonders if such high profile discussion in the news was done with good or bad intention. Is there a deliberate attempt to discuss this case in great details and risk it being thrown out by the court and thus setting the crooked cops free? Or were they just exercise their rights to freedom of expression? What is sure in the Singapore context is that the NBC legal analyst would be charged for contempt of court. We have freedom of expression but not the same version as the USA. So, what is the real intent and purpose of publicly discussing this case?
Below is quoted from Wikipedia on Sub judice or Contempt of court
Prior to 1981 in English law the term was correctly used to describe material which would prejudice court proceedings by publication. Sub judice is now irrelevant to journalists because of the introduction of the Contempt of Court Act 1981.
Under Section 2 of the Act, a substantial risk of serious prejudice can
only be created by a media report when proceedings are active.
Proceedings become active when there is an arrest, oral charge, issue of
a warrant, or a summons.
In the United States, there are First Amendment concerns about stifling the right of free speech which prevent such tight restrictions on comments sub judice. However, State Rules of Professional Conduct
governing attorneys often place restrictions on the out-of-court
statements an attorney may make regarding an ongoing case. Furthermore,
there are still protections for criminal defendants, and those
convicted in an atmosphere of a media circus have had their convictions overturned for a fairer trial. One example is the murder conviction of Sam Sheppard.
'The “String of Pearls” refers to the Chinese sea lines of
communication which extends for over from the coast of mainland China to
the Port of Sudan.
The term was first used in 2004 in a classified internal report to
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld titled “Energy Futures in Asia”
which was produced by defense contractor Booz Allen Hamilton. The report
which was leaked to the public by the Washington Times, stated that
China is adopting a “string of pearls” strategy of bases and diplomatic
ties stretching from the Middle East to southern China.
“China is building strategic relationships along the sea lanes from
the Middle East to the South China Sea in ways that suggest defensive
and offensive positioning to protect China’s energy interest, but also
to serve broad security objectives” [1] .
The “String of Pearls” is also described by Lieutenant Colonel
Christopher J. Pehrson in his study String Of Pearls: Meeting The
Challenge Of China’s Rising Power Across The Asian Littoral'
The above is quoted from UKessay.com.
This concept was first mooted by the Americans to describe the Chinese strategic plan to overcome the American plan to choke off Chinese shipping in the Indian Ocean through the Malacca Straits. The Americans have been carefully developing all the choke points along the Indian Ocean and the control of the Straits of Malacca and could cut off Chinese supply of oil from the Middle East by controlling these waterways.
China is the largest trading nation today and is heavily dependent on the sea lanes for its oil supply and to export its goods to the Middle East and Africa. The American control of the sea lanes is a serious military and economic stranglehold on Chinese shipping and could cripple China in the event of hostility with the Americans. It is in China's interest to secure the sea lanes and develop alternatives to move its goods/oil to and from the Chinese mainland. Developing ports in the Indian Oceans, in Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Myanmar is a matter of life and death to China.
The building of these port facilities is mainly to counter the Americans and has barely any direct consideration of controlling and competing with India. Similarly, the BRI, the development of rail and roads across the Central Asia to Europe has the same strategic considerations, to provide alternatives in case the sea lanes are blocked by the Americans.
For some egoistic reasons, the Indians chose to take this American concept as a direct challenge to their dominance in the Indian Ocean and sought to erect all kinds of barriers and resistance to the Chinese activities including refusing to be a part of the BRI. China's inclusion of a highway through the India subcontinent is the best proof of Chinese intention to bridge Asia and Africa for trade and communication and not to contain India in a strategic competition. India in all consideration is inconsequential to China's strategic thinking. The enemy of China is the Americans, not India. India and China could coexist and grow and prosper together by having more trading and economic relations. China does not harbour any ill intent to challenge or invade India. It is unnecessary and meaningless to do so for China.
Unfortunately this egoistic India, thinking too highly of itself as the next superpower, chose to interpret every Chinese action as aiming at India. And thanks to the fanning of the Indian ego by the Americans, they exploited this Indian weakness to drive a wedge between India and China, pitting India as a competitor to China and China's rise as India's fall. The string of pearl concept falls in nicely into the ambitious thinking of the Indian planners. They must oppose the string of pearls that China is developing in the Indian Ocean as a plan against India, not against the Americans. The Indians also include the BRI as against the interest of India as it promotes the interest of China.
Sino India relations thus keep going downhill with the Indians becoming suspicious of every China initiative north and south of India. India thus chose to continue to remain a slum country, refuse to join the BRI and prosper together with the rest of Asia by becoming part of this international trade road initiative. If Indian thinkers were more forward thinking than being consumed by their wild ambition of being better than China, instead of both developing together but seeing China's development as a threat to this backward country, India today could rebuild its infrastructure to mirror what is happening in China with Chinese assistance and cooperation to better the lives of Indians and at the same time push India faster into the ranks of developed nations.
But small minds would not see goodness in all the developments around them and chose to bury its heads in the sand, thriving in a mentality of enmity against cooperation with both parties moving ahead together.
At the rate India is going, on its own, with the Americans only able to sell it more weapons, its economic and infrastructure development would only be on a standstill and its big power dream only a fleeting dream. The only country that is very happy with this development is the USA, with India as one of its pawn and wasting precious little resources buying useless American weapons at the expense of its economic development and the well being and prosperity of its people.
India can continue to live in its imaginary fear of China that historically had not invaded any Indian territory and neither has any ambition to want to seize any Indian land. India can also continue to believe in its own lie that the 1962 border war was initiated by China to seize disputed territory despite China defeating India and withdrew to the original LOC. If China wanted to take advantage of the war, China could simply sat on the new land that it occupied after the war. This act of generosity did not sink into the heads of the egoistic Indians till today. The pride of the Indians would not allow them to admit their guilt, and chose to believe in their make belief, their own lie, that China was the invader and not India. Why would China want to invade a slum country and inherit all its problems?
It is so pathetic that India, despite having so many brilliant minds, could not face reality squarely and chose to continue to live in their own lies and myth of China. The string of pearl and the BRI are parts of China's strategy to break free from the American fence built to contain China, nothing to do with India. India should not think too highly of itself, its self importance that these are to contain India.
