Covid19 - Big disaster to some, big profit to others

Covid-19 has proved to be the greatest humanitarian and economic disaster of the century. A reported 2.7 million people have already died from the pathogen. Its recession is estimated to be twice as deep as that associated with the 2008 crash. Ultimately, the only way out of the pandemic is to vaccinate the world. Yet there has been an alarming outbreak of a “my country first” approach to vaccine allocation. In February, the US announced that it would not donate any doses to poor countries until it had a plentiful supply. Fewer than 10 days later, India cracked down on vaccine exports. theguardian.com

Below comments also from theguardian.com.

The arrival of Covid-19 vaccines promises a return to more normal life – and has created a global market worth tens of billions of dollars in annual sales for some pharmaceutical companies.

Among the biggest winners will be Moderna and Pfizer....

Pfizer, which splits costs and profit margins equally with BioNTech, expects $15bn in 2021 sales based on current deals. The final number could be twice as high, as Pfizer says it can potentially deliver 2bn doses this year. Barclays analyst Carter Gould is predicting sales of $21.5bn in 2021, $8.6bn next year and $1.95bn in 2023, on the assumption that the jab is given as a one-off shot....

Moderna has said it expects 2021 sales of $18.4bn. Barclays analyst Gena Wang forecasts sales of $19.6bn, $12.2bn in 2022, and $11.4bn in 2023, assuming recurring vaccinations....

 J&J, The company aims to deliver at least 1bn doses this year, which would generate $10bn

Analysts at SVB Leerink are forecasting sales of $1.9bn this year and $3bn in 2022. The 2021 figure could be far higher if AstraZeneca achieves its ambitious target of 3bn doses

The above explain what this pandemic is all about, big suffering for many countries, probably millions would die. On the other hand, a few companies were well placed and supported by the American and British govts to reap humongous profits arising from the tragedy of others.  And not only they are not sharing the rights to make the vaccines for others to make them cheaper and easily available, they are forcing govts not to use other vaccines from China and Russia. They just refused to approve them for use in their allied countries and their crony countries.  All have been pressured not to use China and Russia vaccines. This is how they control and monopolise the use and sale of the vaccines.

Only countries outside their influence and control could break this iron grip to get cheaper and readily available vaccines from Russia and China. 

Now who is the devil that is reaping the poor as well as rich nations out of this pandemic? One might question whether this is all pre planned. Moderna was a new company, set up 10 years ago and did not make a cent of profit until this pandemic. It was as if it was set up in anticipation of the pandemic and now laughing all the way to the bank for years to come as long as the pandemic continues. And you may also wonder why the rush to reopen their economies to let the infection grows and grows.

The whole pandemic is looking so unnatural and so sinister...all for money and profits. Another unending war for profits.

PS.  Making patents for Covid virus is illegal. Virus has only one major use, to cause sickness and diseases like the current pandemic.  Why would people make virus patents? To make money by spreading virus and then sell antidotes which they also have patents for them. This is the same modus operandi for computer viruses and anti virus softwares.

Why did Bill Gates own so many patents of virus secretly? What is his intent for owning virus patents? To save the world?

US China rivalry - How they treat their partners is important

Ardern said how China treats its partners is important.

"We hope that China too sees it in its own core interests to act in the world in ways that are consistent with its responsibilities as a growing power, including as a permanent member of the UN Security Council," she added. 

The above is quoted from Reuters and you cannot fail to notice the one sided biased perception of the Anglo Saxon countries towards China. They could not see how evil, assertive and aggressive they have been all the years. China is not treating its partners fairly, that is the message. On the contrary, the US is treating its partners fairly and a saint, all goodness. What crap!

Talking about treating partners, China has never asked or threatened its partners to take sides against the US, either with us or against us. Whose policy is this belligerent policy? Who is forcing China or other American allies and cronies to take sides? China was only interested in trade and development, no political leverage in its relations with friends and not so friendly countries. The belligerent and vicious and bickering country is the USA and its 5 eyes countries. 

And what is their problem? A different political and social system. Any country that adopts a different political system is seen as enemy, unacceptable. Every country must adopt their full of farce democracy and full of lies human rights system. Did China demand that the Anglo Saxon country or any country to adopt China's social and political system? No! China respect every country to have their own system.

It is the intolerable and hypocritical Anglo Saxon countries and the West that are putting demands that other countries must be like them or else not acceptable to be countries and cannot be friends or even trading partners. Stop imposing unreasonable and stupid demands that other countries must accept your hypocritical democracy. You continue with your so called democratic system, others can continue with their chosen systems. You go your way, others have a right to go their way. Why is this so difficult to reconcile? There is no need to reconcile as the Twains shall never meet. Just accept this as a fact for peace sake.

Look at how the Americans are treating its allies, and cronies as well, Japan, South Korea, EU and the 5 eyes countries, all must be in the same gang and to treat others as enemies. Such a hostile policy of not accepting other countries to choose their ways of lives is unacceptable to the farcical freedom to choose one's way of life, to choose one's religion or social and political system.  It is oppression, it is totalitarianism, not democracy.

What is so good about the farcical democratic system of the West? Practically everyone one of these countries is in a state of decline and lawlessness. All the crimes against humanity, all the wars, all the oppression and sanctions against countries were committed by the Anglo Saxon countries and the West in the name of hypocritical democracy and human rights.  They are the worst violators of human rights in the world.

A hypothetical case, even if all the countries were to embrace the western so called democratic system that is being forced to the rest of the world, the West and the Americans would continue to find other excuses to start wars to oppress and suppress other countries for their world hegemony and dominance.  Democracy and human rights were just tools to make enemies of other countries.

Australia and the other 5 eyes countries are making China their enemy just because China chose to live under its own social political system. China did not make enemies of these countries. Why blame China when they themselves are the belligerent and warmongering countries, fighting wars, starting wars and fighting endless wars, when China is the most peaceful country compare to these evil warmongers and criminals, killing innocent people everywhere in the name of democracy and human rights.

Ask a few simple questions.  Who is picking a fight with everyone? Who is starting all kinds of wars and hate propaganda, spreading lies and fake news to demonise other nations? Who is the provocateur in all the hot spots? Who is the aggressive one?  China assertive? Why is China assertive? Expect China to turn the other cheek to the aggressive Americans and Anglo Saxons who openly announced that they would stop China from becoming a richer and stronger economic powerhouse?

Remember the bombing of Chinese Embassy in Belgrade? Who blew up the Chinese and Russian satellites? Remember the provocations of sending warships into the South China Sea. Who is sending warships to the front yard of China? Hope China will sink the British aircraft carrier QE II.

Stop the farce, stop the white lies. Have respect for your partners and cronies and allow them the freedom to choose their way of lives and their friends. The world has no place for white gangsters and murderers and criminals.

Hope the warmongering and troublemakingAmericans and Anglo Saxon countries would be more responsible and behave in a more civilised way consistent with big powers and permanent members of the UN Security Council.

PS.  The country that is breaking all international rules and laws are the Americans, not China. The Americans do not believe in a rules based international world order.  This rules based world order is for the rest of the world to follow.  The Americans are above this rules based order. They can lie, cheat, steal and kill and no one can say anything or to judge them or to punish them. Anyone attempting to bring the Americans to the International Courts to be charged for war crimes against humanity would be destroyed by the Americans. If you need any proof, ask Saddam Hussein, Gaddafi or Assad.

Gilbert Goh - One man illegal assembly or what?

 

Activist Gilbert Goh is currently being investigated by the police for partaking in a public assembly without a permit after holding up a placard outside the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) building.

The placard read, “Please ban all flights from India we are not racist! Just being cautious”, referencing the astronomical spike in the number of daily cases in the South Asian nation and the discovery of a highly infectious COVID-19 strain with double mutations originating from the country.

Above copied from TOC. 

Gilbert now under police investigation for holding a one man public assembly with a placard, without police permit. He would need a police permit to carry that placard or else it would be illegal, a public assembly.

What was he protesting, or what was his message? Ban all flights from India because of the Covid19 crisis there. This event was on 1 May.  Think the govt already announced the ban, or is it? Why is Gilbert still protesting if the ban is already in force? Cannot be that the ban is not be in force right?

Still puzzling, did Singapore ban all flights from India?

Anyway, Gilbert is keeping the police busy for this protest. 

PS. A commenter posted this.

'However several commenters criticised his decision to only call for a ban against those travelling from India.

“No one was holding up signs asking for travel bans from the US. No one was striking a pose with signs rallying against travel from London,” one commenter said.'

Singapore is a democratic country.  Singapore is a rule by law country.  Every law must be obeyed to the t.

Below is quoted from TOC

No pre-departure PCR test needed

Presently, not all travellers arriving in Singapore need to take a pre-departure Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test in the country they travelled from (‘ICA officer infects 7 family members with COVID-19; No pre-departure test needed for SC/PR‘).

According to ICA website, no approvals or inbound pre-departure COVID-19 PCR Test is required for entry into Singapore for Singapore citizen and PR.

“There is also no need for returning SC/PRs to take an inbound PCR test within 72 hours before arrival in Singapore,” ICA said.

Indeed, a PR recently arrived from India confirmed this. He said he did not need to take any pre-departure PCR Test for COVID-19, before arriving in Singapore through Air India.

If Only The US, UK, Canada and Australia Could Behave Normally Like New Zealand, The Human Race Is Bound To Be More Progressive And Peaceful

A few months ago, New Zealand's Trade Minister, Damien O’Connor, urged Australia to show more “respect” to Beijing.

Last month, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta expressed unease about the Five Eyes alliance — comprised of the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand — for moving beyond its objective of intelligence-sharing.

Recently, under undue and uncalled-for pressures from the US and other Five Eyes members, New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, tried to reassure the other Five Eyes members that New Zealand shares their concerns on China, but she made it clear that New Zealand would continue to chart its own course and not feel obliged to make joint statements.

“I’m often asked which lane are we swimming in — we swim in New Zealand’s lane,” she said.

Unlike the trouble-makers US, UK, Canada and Australia, New Zealand has not in interfered in the internal affairs of China, nor being jealous of China's expanding influence in the Asia-Pacific region. This is only a natural decency that all peace-loving nations should abide in.


In contrast, Australia's active and aggressive interferences in China's internal affairs on Hong Kong issues and the need to investigate the origins of COVID-19 has understandably incurred China's response to stop Australia from dumping excessive wine and barley into China.

Likewise, the US, UK and Canada have been actively creating obstacles, road-blocks, lies and animosity against China and the Chinese race on all fronts - from politics to technology, from finance to culture, from science to sports, etc.

Our human world can be a much better and more peaceful place to live in if only the US, UK, Canada and Australia can learn from New Zealand.

ABC

Ng Chee Meng - Just do it

'NTUC will consider ‘ring fencing’ certain jobs like HR to help local Professionals, Managers and Executives (PMEs) – Ng Chee Meng....

Ng Chee Meng’s announcement will probably pacify Singaporean PMEs for a while and make those simple-minded ones happy, however, I do not hope that ring fencing talk is a mere symbolic rhetoric, a flash in the pan thing.

Ring fencing certain jobs such as Human Resource is but a start only and much serious hard work need to be done behind the scene.

They include a holistic relook and review of employment cost structures between local PMEs vs foreign ones, relooking whether our polytechnics and our tertiary institutions are offering relevant courses and are producing Singaporean graduates relevant to what our industries and economy need, whether our Government Linked Companies (GLCs) are leading examples of nurturing our own local talents to take on bigger and heavier responsibilities or guilty of liberally employing foreign PMEs at our local PMEs’ expense and if MOM’s granting of employment passes is too liberal etc. I am sorry to say that I consider advertising in the job bank requirement to be a book-smart joke and a big one.'

 

The plight of Singaporean PMETs is being raised again in Simon Lim's article in the TRE following Ng Chee Meng's red herring of ring fencing certain jobs, in particular HR jobs. I have written about this many times and have almost given up talking about it just like the CPF. 

Now, why would I call this a red herring? Haven't enough been said, haven't enough damage been done, haven't enough Singaporeans suffered from the reckless and indiscriminate importing and hiring of foreigners to replace our very own people and leading to grave injustice and suffering of our young? If Ng Chee Meng is still considering this issue, then what is it if it is not a red herring? Is this something important enough and must be done?

Haven't the govt think it has done enough harm to the Singaporeans and it is time to do away with the bad policy and to save the Singaporeans from further harm and financial difficulties? Obviously the govt does not think so and that is why they still think it is not time to do something and Ng Chee Meng is still considering what to do.

For goodness sake, the govt has destroyed a whole generation of Singaporeans by this silly open leg policy. What is the govt waiting for? What is Ng Chee Meng waiting for before to protect the livelihood and well being of Singaporeans? Have they not heard enough painful stories of the pathetic Singaporeans and their families and children while the funny and fake foreign talents are laughing all the way to the banks?

I just have one thing to say, just do it.  What are you waiting for?  Ng Chee Meng is fortuitously placed in a strategic position to do something for Singaporeans and to earn his spur as a politician, as a political force to be reckon with instead of another one that came and went.  What Ng Chee Meng can do, and do it fast, can make a huge change to the lives of many Singaporeans beyond his imagination.

And he is still considering? Ng Chee Meng is given a chance to do something that is good for Singaporeans. He could be that someone that could make a difference to the lives of many Singaporeans that are begging for help and mercy. Don't dilly dally and miss this chance to do something meaningful and impactful. Show the Singaporeans that you have the conviction to fight for the good of Singaporeans, to stand up for the good of Singaporeans.  This is something that is lacking, awfully, among the political leaders today. This is a tough and selfless call, a cause waiting for a tough and strong leader to push this through. He would have won the hearts and minds of the workforce, the Singaporeans, if he could carry this through. Making tough calls is easy. But making tough calls that would benefit Singaporeans is another matter.

Is Ng Chee Meng up to it?