The Changi Jewel soon needs to be pawned - Aziz Kassim

 'The Changi Jewel soon need to be pawned but what jewels the structure having , lol' 

This quote by Aziz Kassim posted in his article about the insanity of buying electricity from Malaysia and laying pipelines all the way to Australia are signs of a bridge too far. The euphoria of good time never ends and keep on building and keep on increasing the population is beginning to sound more insane. And if the lunatics are not listening, Covid19 makes it a point that they cannot ignore the debt traps of mindless expansion for the sake of economic growth at all cost without thinking of the downside.

Changi Jewel is not the only crown jewel to be pawned. Think about the useless grandiose and meaningless structures in the Garden by the Bay that cost hundreds of millions to build and many millions to maintain. In a lockdown or semi lockdown situation like this pandemic, they stood up like sore thumbs and looked unbelieveable to waste so much money on them.

Then look at the optimistic plan for Changi with Terminals 4 and 5, both going to look like two big white elephants.  Ok, ok, it is unfair to criticise such ambitious plan as no one would expect Covid19 to come along and turn the movie into slow motion and many frames frozen in time, with economic activities and flying and tourism like history lessons.

What looks no longer funny is the selling of strategic assets like power stations to foreigners and now wanting to import electricity from Malaysia and Australia. Are they going to be cheaper than what we had before?

Or is the unplanned population growth towards an increasing population that could go bigger and bigger, with no effort to restrain or to put a cap on it a natural progression that is unavoidable? Where would all these lead to? And how would things look like if there is another major crisis like Covid19 or something more serious? There is planning to grow but  are there contingency plans when growing becomes shrinking?

If the world economy is not going to recover soon, or going to be in a limbo for a long time, I think we would only need one terminal at Changi and the rest can be mothballed. And SIA, what would happen to all the brand new aircraft? Lelong also no body wants.

Oops, maybe the magic cure in times like this to grow the economy is to bring in more bodies to increase consumption, ya? Bring in more bodies to create demand for more flats and more shopping centres and foodcourts and hawker centres...and more income from levies?

Singapore, what do you really Stand For?

 SSO said...
 

Singapore, what do you really stand for?
I do not understand you at all.
When confronted, you say, "abide by rule of law".
But all this while, we feel like being ruled by law.
Now, I think we're ruled by the Minister for Law.

Singapore, are you rule of law,
Or rule by law,
Or ruled by the Minister for Law?

Singapore, if you are rule of law,
Then you should not have
a Home Affairs Minister
who is also a Minister for Law.

Singapore, if you are ruled by law,
then you should not be quarrelling
with your sister-in-law,
'cause she's part of your own flaw.

Singapore, if you are ruled by the Minister for Law,
Then you must have lots and lots of flaw,
So much so you are blind, deaf and mute to our call -
The loud screaming call for justice for all.

A confused Singapore citizen like all.
Happy birthday to me from my son-in-law.
This is my birthday gift to you all.
My dearest beloved Singapore, stand tall.

Please don't collapse and fall.


SSO - 14th November, 2020.

Happy birthday SSO.  Will put up the other article tomorrow.

Pax Indo-Pacifica and the Quad - Implications for Asean

 

Jag Singh 2 weeks ago

Regarding Ladakh conflict, PM Modi already admitted at his congress speech on Jun 19, 2020 that China did not enter into territories of India but Indian soldiers entered territories of China in Jun. That is why in June Indian soldiers were beaten by China soldiers (about 23 Indian soldiers fell into the river so died of coldness). India invaded China's territories so started the conflict. This was the truth. 

 

In the same way as the Americans spreading wild and baseless lies against China as expansionist and aggressive to stoke hate against China and Chinese, and using it as an excuse to smear China and incite fear of China, India is copying the same trick to smear China to cover its aggressive nature and intent to covet Chinese land. By pointing an accusing finger at China, the Indians took the opportunity to send more troops and tanks into the border area, attacking Chinese positions when China did nothing and said nothing.

 

The cockiness and aggressive Indians are best manifested by a stupid and brazen colonel marching into a Chinese camp, tore down the tents and burnt them.  Can you believe that? What was this Indian colonel thinking inside his head?  Behaving like English raj roughing up Chinese soldiers as if they were Indian subjects? This led to a brawl and many of the Indian soldiers were chased into the nearby freezing river.  They eventually died of cold, including the arrogant Indian colonel.  And despite such hostile behaviour on their part, they, like Trump, just spread lies about China as aggressive and wanting to conquer India.  As I said before, why would China want to invade this piece of shit land to invite more trouble? What is there in India that is worthy of invading when such an act would end up in endless warfare? China has enough land and does not need another inch of Indian soil. It is the Indians that think whatever the British rajs took from China during the height of the British Empire must also belong to India. They knew and the whole world knew that the British simply wrote away Chinese land as part of the British Empire when China was weak and powerless to object or to fight back.

 

The intent of the Indians were crystal clear. Such lies and allegations were just an excuse to cover their ambitious and aggressive designs. Their grand plan is not only about taking over Chinese land, also about making Nepal and Tibet their protectorates. And this is not all, think of the concept of Pax Indo-Pacifica. India thinks and wants to be a super power and think of a hegemonic empire with the US over the whole region from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.

India is now actively courting Japan, Australia and the USA to formalise a military alliance through the Quad. It regards itself as an equal partner among the four nations to rule the Indo Pacific region or Pax Indo-Pacifica. 

In pushing for this ambitious goal of regional hegemony, India totally ignores the existence of the Asean states. It sees itself as a big power and in collaboration with the US, Japan and Australia, the Indian will rule the two oceans, not just the Indian Ocean.  Indians have no respect for the Asean states, thinking and behaving like a big power.

Where would this put the Asean states? Asean, with big brother Indonesia, have been very quiet about the ambitious Quad hegemony, the new Imperial power to rule over them. Would Asean welcome a new military alliance as the regional power in the region, the heartland of Asean states? Did the Quad members ever consider the interest and feelings of the Asean states and whether Asean states would welcome the new overlord meekly and submissively?

What audacity for India to want to be the hegemonic power of the Indo Pacific region and inviting the Americans, Japanese and Australians to lord over the Asean states? The Indians are drunk by their deluded sense of greatness and completely ignore the existence and sensitivity of the Asean states and the Asean people as if they don't exist or did not matter.

PS.  Happy Deepavali to Indian brothers and sisters.

The Main Cause Of A Country's Collapse

 1984 George Orwell said...

People change as they get older. Everybody. Not even a single exception.

People with money, tons of them, crazy rich and filthy wealthy, change even more than ordinary folks.

People with power, prolonged power, unfettered power and absolute power, change beyond recognition and understanding by the common folks. Even their relatives and friends cannot recognise or understand them anymore. And even they are not able to recognise or understand themselves. Ultimately, they don't even know what they are speaking about, especially when they speak in public. Why?

Simple. After so long in power, the power becomes a form of opiat, a kind of drug even more powerful than the power itself. This power drug gets into their heads. They eat with power. They sleep with power. They dream of power. They even shit out power. Then they start to imagine and hallucinate that they are Gods, or Mini-Gods, or Sons of God, or God's right-hand and left-hand Angels, or God's annointed Saviours, or God's Appointees or at least God's Gifts to mankind.

That's where the downfall starts.

The rot starts with their inner selves. Soon it manifests outwards. Then it permeates into the society and environment, perversely and pervasively all-encompassing. Then the whole nation rots together. Majority of the common folks don't even know what hits them.

The ultimate collapse is inevitable. It is not a matter of if but a mater of when.

The power incumbents will try to delay the collapse as long as possible. Meanwhile, painting a rosy picture to the world, a fantastic too-good-to-be-true pseudo self-imagined vision of the future - for example, a smart city, an eco-city, Shangri-la or Swiss Standard of Living, etc.

As they dull and lull the minds of the masses, they quickly hasten themselves to fill up their own bank accounts at all costs. Time is the essence. Time is $MONEY$. To them.

When the inevitable happens, the common folks are left to carry the babies. To suffer the unspeakable and unimaginable consequences. But those who have enriched themselves have already flown far away, together with their families, relatives and cronies - into another world, another dimension....

This is the irony of trust, of truth and of transient existence.

PS. Posted on behalf of 1984 George Orwell

Parti Liyani - Shanmugam has spoken

As expected, Law Minister K Shanmugam went to great lengths to deal with the obvious as well as unsaid issues – from his end of the debate, that is.

'Nine hours is lengthy, as parliamentary debates go. That was the amount of time spent in Parliament on the PartiLiyani case. But it will, by no means, settle the question of whether justice will ever be impeccably served, not if a substantial portion of the proceedings was taken up essentially by a detailed, if well-delivered, self-defence of the current system. Not by a long shot, I am afraid, if the government insists on believing that it can OwnselfCheck Ownself.'  Tan Bah Bah in Yahoo News.

 KNN, 9 hours still not enough ah? Still got doubts meh?

Shanmugam has spoken. The god of Singapore's law and enforcement system has spoken that there is no wrong doing, no favouritism for elites, all is fair and just. Singapore's legal system and the whole govt will not stand if there is biases in the legal system to protect a certain group of people, ie the natural aristocrats as some quarters seemed to suggest, or the social media seems to say so. For saying so in Parliament, just like Hsien Loong made his defence in many cases about the integrity of the system, the integrity of the legal system and Singapore's pristine incorruptible and fair and just system stay clean and above reproach.

' Shanmugam also reiterated a problem which he said he had brought up before – that of police officers working under tremendous pressure but which he nevertheless recognised as being part of a larger manpower shortage issue.' The pressure the police officers are facing is due to work overload not the kind of pressure that came from political interference or the heavy weights of the elites sitting on them. Get this clear. 'Equally important, there shall be no soft, less obvious,corruption where old school ties or family connections will grant one special dispensation.'

 'And he was satisfied from the ministry’s investigations that the AGC and police had not veered from their professional impartiality.

And Attorney-General Lucien Wong? Shanmugam: “I can be categorical; there was no influence by Liew MunLeong. It was treated as any other theft case and handled accordingly.”'

There shall not be any doubt that Singapore has an impeccable and unquestionable legal system and govt, or else Singapore would not be able to look at other countries and stand tall, full of righteousness and correctness. Everyone in Singapore is treated fairly and equally under the law, even for foreigners also.

So, Parti Liyani has been treated fairly in the Singapore legal system. Anyone that has done wrong, or done her wrong, has been checked and cleared. No one that has done her wrong is free or go Scot free under the Singapore law. 

Case closed. Let's move on. No more talks of whether justice is seen to be done. Singapore has a perfect or near perfect govt and justice system that will check itself, ownself checks ownself and beyond repute. 

Singaporeans are so lucky. This is like paradise. Parti Liyani can go home now, feeling good that she has been fairy treated in Singapore.

Tan Bah Bah ended his piece by asking, 'Will there be an end to the public disquiet? A big No, unfortunately.' 

Sob, sob. It's over. It's over.

PS. The moral of the story, natural aristocrats must not try to gain differential access to the judicial system or govt system for their own advantage.  Oops, thank God none of them ever try and get caught for it.  Heng ah.

What is this?

Lawyer M Ravi, who has been representing a number of inmates on Death Row lately, said on Wednesday (Nov 4) that he had filed a suit on behalf of Gobi Avedian against the Attorney General (AG), the AG’s office, Lucien Wong and eight other Public Prosecutors.

Mr Ravi wrote: “This suit is filed on the ground of abuse of power in the manner in which the 9 prosecutors dealt with Gobi’s case”.  theindependent.sg