Singapore asking the citizens for feedback on a cooperation pact between SIA and Vistara

SINGAPORE - Singapore's competition watchdog is seeking public feedback on whether a proposed cooperation pact between Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Vistara for flights to and from India could adversely affect passengers.

The application for collaboration between the two airlines, submitted to the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) in November, could merge 16 routes that the two airlines now ply separately, including flights from Singapore to Indian cities including Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata and Hyderabad.

Concerns that the reduction in flights could affect ticket prices and seat capacity can be submitted to the CCCS till Dec 21. ST

If this pact is seen as important enough to ask the public for their opinions, not just for show, do you think the bailing out of a failed Indian bank, Lakshmi Vilas Bank, involving at least $460m is more important and warrants a similar opinion from the citizens whose money are at stake? Don't say it is not the people's money, any big losses someone has to bear and it will go down to Singaporeans bearing it. And Singaporeans are feeling cheated when their CPF savings did not seem to belong to them when all kinds of schemes, supposedly good for the Singaporeans, are introduced to take money from their CPF accounts, by legislation, without their consent or even asking them if they agree to it like this SIA Vistara pact.

We are all watching how the bailing out of the failed Indian bank going to turn out and how much of public money is going to go down the drain if it fails. Looking at all the sharks lining up to make claims against DBS India is frightening and shocking. Were these claims and lawsuits taken into consideration before plonking $460m into the exciting deal? If the creditors succeed, is there a bottom line to pay for the debt of Lakshmi Vilas that have nothing to do with DBS?

Why no asking of public opinion on such a big sum of money being spent? Oh, ok, commercial decision. But then, how much time were put in before this decision was made? How much due diligence? 

Do you think the people should be consulted?

No Country In The World Can Be Corruption-Free

 

 1984 George Orwell said... No County In The World Can Be Corruption-Free

There is no such a thing as a corruption-free country. Corruption is free, yes. Not corruption-free.

Not a single country in the world is not corrupted in one way or many ways. Most of them are corrupted in many ways and many forms.

Even the US system is a corrupted system through and through. Lobbying by itself is already a very obvious form of direct corruption - using donations (as an alternative word to "bribes") in exchange for a favour.

Corruption is not just about taking bribes. It permeates much deeper and wider in the daily life and running of the country.

Doing something for someone as a favour, or as a result of fear,and threat, coercion, or own ill-will, is actually a corrupted mind working in the devil's workshop.

Corruption encompasses anything that affects our life, our living conditions and our living environment.

It encroaches into the political system, the economic system, the education system, the financial system, the social system, the cultural system, the civil service system, the legal system as well as the parliamentary system.

No sub-system can be free of contamination if the overall system of the country is already corrupted in one way or another, in one form or another.

As long as human beings are imperfect, as long as humans have very strong desire and ambition, as long as humans have greed, and the desire and tendency to want to control others, to subordinate the masses to their will, as long as we have leaders who are only interested in their own high pays, by hook or by crook, as long as we have leaders who raise their sons to White Horse status and given preferential treatment, we will not be "corruption-free" but "corruption-is-free"!

Yes, corruption is free, free to practice freely, but don't get caught!

Anyone thinks or believes that Singapore is really corruption-free?

1984 - George Orwell

Wolf Warrior Diplomacy too rough for the West to handle?

A speech by vice-minister of foreign affairs Le Yucheng at a Beijing forum over the weekend looks to be one of the most important references in gauging the guiding principle of future Chinese diplomacy.

Le addressed a key talking point regarding China’s international relations – its “wolf warrior” style of diplomacy. To many analysts and experts, including scholars within China, Beijing’s diplomatic apparatus is sometimes too confrontational to be constructive – there must be more sophisticated ways to engage than yelling at each other in the public domain.

The argument often goes that, if China wants to win respect in the international community, Chinese diplomats must be, well, more diplomatic. As such, the recent quarrel with Canberra seems unnecessary.

The above is from a post in SCMP by Zhou Xin. The argument, China is undiplomatic, not diplomatic enough, China is yelling, China needs to be more diplomatic. How true or justifiable are these comments? 

Just compare to what Trump and that ugly fat slob called Pompeo and their diplomacy or undiplomacy, what China is doing in reaction to these thugs is child play. China has been on the receiving ends for centuries, derided by the West, oppressed by the West, contained and isolated by the West, demonised and smeared by the West. Till today, and everyday, the West is still attacking China daily using all kinds of lies and disinformation.

Why is it that no one is commenting or critising the rogue and aggressive and lying behaviours of the West, the regular provocations and intrusions into Chinese territorial waters in the South China end, challenging the Chinese navy to a war? In the case of the silly brat called Australia, the 14 sins of Australia were accepted as normal behaviour against China when what China did was to trade and to invest in Australia, sending billions of dollars to Australia, did nothing to criticise or attack Australia.  The same also applies to the evil Empire. China is playing by all the rules set up by the West, in the WTO, but being accused of violating these rules when the Americans violated everyone one of the rules it set up to contain China and disadvantaged China.

Who is or are the real rogues in international relations and diplomacy? China's wolf warrior diplomacy is a response to the rogue and aggressive behaviours of the West. China does not engage in such diplomacy only till now.  The aggressors and rogues were the West led by the Americans and Australia. 

When they attacked China on a regular basis is a given, a normal behaviour and China has to accept the beating and not to retaliate.  When China hits back, it is unacceptable. What kind of rubbish logic is that? When you hit at China, you must be prepared to get a black eye in return. There is no such thing as a one sided diplomacy of aggression.  This is passe when China was weak and cannot hit back. Its embassy in Belgrade got hit by cruise missiles for no reasons killing several diplomatic staff. It is the victim of American unilateral trade war initiatives and all kinds of abusive attacks and prohibitions, tariffs, bans etc etc. 

SCMP, please grow up and stop accepting the bashing of China as a norm and agreeing that hitting back by China is unacceptable. China is no longer the Sick Man of Asia, to be kicked around by the West and still has to say thank you and sorry. When the rogues kick you, you have all the rights to kick back. Unless you are still living in a white man's world, under the rule of the evil American Empire and has to move around with your heads bent in the presence of white men.

Look at it the other way, if China were to do to the Americans and Australians what they were doing to China, would China expect them to sit idle and not reacting? They will hit back at China hundred times more than wolf warrior diplomacy. Just try sailing your warships into American islands to provoke the Americans using the scam called freedom of navigation or fire a cruise missile into an American embassy and see what happen.

China must be prepared to take the evil Americans head on, tic for tac, or forever be oppressed and ridiculed and attacked by them and still be called aggressive and belligerent. The evil Americans only respect one thing, might, military might is right.

What shall we call fat slob Pompeo's lying and gangster diplomacy? Wild Boar Diplomacy? China has called it 'Mad Dog Diplomacy'.

Huawei - Who is spying and monitoring your comms?

The Americans have been attacking Huawei furiously that its 5G network is comprising the security of user countries but till now has not a single proof of this. Britain and Germany have done their due diligence and came out with nothing on this to find Huawei guilty of this accusation. More than 170 countries are now using Huawei 5G and have no security problem with Huawei equipment. 

Who do you think is spying on you, listening on your comms and monitoring on you? Ask Julian Assange and Edward Snowdon. What was the new security laws after 911 in America about telco companies obligation to provide information to the American intelligence organisations?

There is one big reason, other than losing out in its technology and competition with Huawei to want to cut Huawei off from American soil, and this is the inability to monitor and spy on the users by the Americans.

Huawei is actually the safest equipment from spying and monitoring by undesirable agencies. It has been proven by many testings and checks by national intelligence agencies that Huawei equipment is safe and not as alleged by the Americans. To be free from American spying and monitoring, the safest equipment to use is, yes, Huawei 5G. 

This is what makes the Americans furious and so angry with Huawei 5G. Use Huawei 5G for your own safety and protection. The Americans can't get you, can't spy on you.

Income inequality or something more to it?

 

Singapore — There has been much concern about the plight of a frail, elderly cardboard collector after a photo was posted on social media on Monday (Dec 7) showing a luxury car reversing dangerously close to her.

Facebook user Vladimir Guevarra saw the woman stacking cardboard on a trolley as he was cycling along Eng Hoon Street in Tiong Bahru sometime last week. The pile of cardboard that had been collected was nearly as tall as the woman.

Just as he thought the woman was “too old and frail to be doing this”, he noticed that she was unaware that a Porsche SUV was reversing towards her....

He added: “I was stunned over how big her stack was, and I wondered how much — or how little — money she’d get for re-selling that, presumably, to a recycling shop.”

Using the hashtag “rich poor divide”, he wrote: “I approached her just to check she’s ok. Boy, she looked tired. I gave her the cash in my pocket and told her to have some dinner. SG friends, in case you see her, perhaps social services can help (?) She looked too old, and shouldn’t be doing this.”

 

The above is posted in theindependent. The stark harsh reality of Singapore is clearly described by the picture above. How old do you think this old lady is? 90? What do you think she is doing? Should she be doing this or be taken care of in her last few years of existence? 

That pile of cardboard, and a rubbish bin, beside that $400,000 Porsche, how much was the cardboard worth? $3?

Singapore is such a rich country, throwing millions and millions away in bad investment without blinking an eye, $460m to save a failing Indian bank and its hundreds of thousands of customers that have nothing to do with us. And we have this very very senior citizen struggling to earn a few dollars at an age that taking a step is difficult and a big effort to do so. She is not the only senior citizen doing this.

What kind of society have we become? Where is the compassion of our millionaire, multi millionaire politicians? Throwing millions, hundreds of millions, billions, to foreigners and so miserly to our senior citizens, our children in need of financial assistance. What the fuck?

Wait a minute, look at that poor dog and poor cat, so poor thing, let's do something about it. Cuddle, cuddle, cuddle, kiss, kiss, kiss.....