Of Parliament and debates

Of Parliament and debates For those who are casually following the happenings in Parliament, it is excusable to think that the opposition in Parliament is the PAP. Where were the Cheam See Tong, the Low Thia Khiang and the Sylvia Lim? Never seen and never heard of in a Parliament that is most of the time 75% empty except for the first few sessions. They must be among the absentees. That is the impression if one watches the TV news coverage. Quite natural when the opposition does not really have a role to play in a Parliament that is overwhelmingly dominated by a ruling party. And quite natural that the debate in Parliament is just debate. Nothing happens after that no matter how much the speaker said. Everyone who bothers to be in Parliament, made their few comments and asked a few questions and things just 'move on.' Their comments and questions were answered, and that's it. Scanning through the main stream media and the TV, which rightly allocated about 10 minutes of their precious time to Highlights in Parliament as they have more important programmes to broadcast, tells how important were the proceedings in the house. And the camera cheekily showed the 3/4 empty Parliament every now and then to tell the audiences how heated and thoroughly engaging the debates must have been. With the impression that the opposition were non existence, at least from the reports available in the MSM as a measure of their contributions, the floor was all for the PAP MPs. And the notables who spoke passionately, and at times aggressively on the issues that they pursued were the likes of Inderjit, Lily Neo, Ong Kian Min and Sin Boon Ann. They were convincing in wanting to put their points across strongly. But despite all that, the greatest victory goes to Lily Neo. In her quest to help the poor and needy living on government handouts, she succeeded in getting another $1 a day for them. That was the greatest achievement that no other MP could ever think of doing. Halimah is the most persistent fighter for the working class on record. She practically spoke on every issue that affected the workers and plea after plea for the government to spare a thought for them and their plight. So far she has not won her $1 worth yet. Maybe she will get her desserts as events unfold in the years to come. But one thing for sure, as against all the cynicism by Seng Han Thong, the ERP is going to be more expensive and hopefully more effective. Definitely not more effective and less expensive.

myth 121

Ang Pow is an acceptable customary practice Giving ang pows (red packets with money inside) is a traditional Chinese practice. During the Chinese New Year, the Chinese parents will give ang pows to their children, unmarried ones, for good luck. And they extend this by giving it to the children of all visitors to their homes or neighbour's children. This practice is further extended to workplace where employees are given ang pows too by their bosses. Nowadays, ang pows are also given to friends in the business circles as a show of appreciation. It used to be $1.10, then $2, $4, $10, and now $20,000! I will be deeply moved if anyone were to give me a $20,000 ang pow. It is just a customary practice.

futuristic singapore

Then we have countdown at traffic light junctions. I supported that. It is not only a convenient and useful information, it is also a safety feature to cut down on unnecessary risk taking and accidents. Then we have road signs telling motorists how low it takes to reach certain roads. Dunno for what? Then we have satellite technology to tell bus commuters when the next bus will arrive at the bus terminals. Great piece of information. Then we have signs telling passengers when will be his turn hop into the next taxi or he can change his mind and join another queue somewhere. Now we are going to have signs at all bus stops, did they say all bus stops?, to tell commuters when the next bus will arrive. Too much money to spend? Like Sam Tan raising the issue of a small length swimming pool in a public hospital for the benefit of patients to admire and relax. Something like the beautiful marine aquariums in NKF for the dialysis patients. No cost is mentioned as they were paid for by donors. So nothing to worry about. As long as someone else is paying for it, it is ok. The bus commuters are likely to have all the signs paid for by somebody else for their convenience. Great idea. At the rate we go, we are going to be an ultra modern, technologically advanced and futuristic island. World class facilities and leading edge technology on the road side. Somebody needs to pay for it, surely.

parliament - i scratch you, you scratch me

The MPs have done their part to praise this 'Made in Heaven' budget. It is time to reciprocate and praise the MPs for their angelic chorus. The quality of debate has been good beyond recognition if we are to learn from Kan Seng's summation of how good parliamentary debate is today. But he also dropped a hint that time and effort should be apportioned to more important issues and not wasted on issues that are of lesser importance. That is as frank and honest as Kan Seng can be. Now what after the great debate? Is there anything that is going be changed or all the papers submitted will be passed lock, stock and barrel? Are we going to have our 6.5 million population, increasing ERP charges, higher cost with world class facilities and infrastructure, or spending more money on not so important mega projects and lesser on the bread and butter issues facing the pathetic poor by giving them another $1 a day for a meal? Will our MRT go the Tokyo way to be world class and be packed 100%, 20% more than the current under utilisation? It must be a great sight to see MRT staff shoving and pushing commuters into an already 100% sardined pack carriage so that we will be more like Tokyo! The 6.5 million population is a very serious proposition that no one, no matter how conceited he is, is in a position to guarantee that nothing can go wrong. For when it does, it will go drastically wrong. We have made all these great plans only seeing it from our own point of view and interest. I cannot imagine the conditions at the causeway and second bridge every weekend and how our neighbours will react to the massive jams. Maybe next time not only no sand or granite, but no causeway as well. Who knows, as the problem that a 6.5 million population can contribute to our slow and leisure pace lifestyle of our neighbour is yet to be fathomed. A Richard Lim Siong Kheng wrote to the ST, 'There ought to be smarter ways to grow our economic pie, for examples, through increasing productivity...In other words, emphasise quality rather than size in the Little Red Dot. Let us do things the smarter way and leave something for posterity.' This kind of problem solving is nothing different from increasing ERP charges. Like Ong Kian Min said, '...there is a "psychological limit" to how high the ERP rates can go before drivers "will be up in arms". When there is only one aorta in our system, all the blood must go through it no matter how hard one squeezes it. And this is elementary and does not need supertalents to see the problem and does not take so long for anyone to realise why increasing ERP is not the solution. Or as Seng Han Tong said, 'lets make ERP more effective and not more expensive.'

cpf top ups

Changes of CPF rules for top ups Why would people want to put in money into CPF for top ups of relatives when they could simply put the money aside or into their savings account? For the 2.5% or 4% interest? Is that good enough to put give up good money which one has full control and put into a fund that one loses complete control over the money? Once the money is in the CPF, CPF is in full control of the money and any changes to the rulings, if unfavourable, cannot be reversed. Once in, that's it. But it is a great scheme for Singaporeans who cannot manage their own money.

nkf story- chap 3 part 2

Richard Yong and Loo Say San were charge for failure 'to exercise "reasonable diligence" and casued the charity to pay excessive fees to an IT company.' The IT company wanted to charge NKF 9,219 man days spent. But the IT department disputed the claim and NKF agreed on a new figure of 5,310 mandays, a savings of nearly 50%. Under normal circumstances it should be a great job done. But in this case the former IT head of NKF, Jayaraman, actually computed the number as only 538 mandays. But after that Jayaraman was out of the negotiation when the final number was accepted, ie 5,310 mandays.

good employment opportunties for singaporeans

Enough jobs for Singaporeans Lets look at some of the numbers quoted by Eng Hen in the Today paper. 173,000 new jobs were created last year. And another 90,000 jobs will be created annually over the next 5 years. Singaporeans could only filled 30,000 jobs annually. And for every 'additional foreigner brought in has resulted in three jobs being created for Singaporean workers.' What does all these mean to the employment of Singaporeans? If Singaporeans can filled in 30,000 jobs annually, then out of the 173,000, 143,000 must be filled by foreigners. Am I right or wrong? And for the next 5 years we will need to bring in 60,000 x 5 foreigners or 300,000 foreign workers to fill all the new jobs created. Correct? So from last year, 143,000 and another 5 years, 60,000, we will have brought in 203,000 foreign workers. Now comes the happy part. For every foreign workers brought in 3 more jobs will be created for Singaporean workers. So how many jobs will be created for Singaporeans as a result of this 203,000 workers? 609,000 jobs! Wow, we will have more problems don't we? Singaporeans can only filled in 30,000 jobs annually. I am just drawing a simple computation from the numbers and reasons given. It is a happy problem for Singaporeans. No Singaporeans will be unemployed. Employers will be begging Singaporeans to work. There will be more pay rises when demand exceeds supply.

it will come, an economic slump

The Straits Times editorial raised a very pertinent question today as it discussed about the reemployment of the aged workforce. While the govt is planning to revitalise the employability of Dad's army, if another economic slump hits us, the first to go will still be the aged. And if we have 6.5 million people, the problem will be multiplied accordingly no matter how much assurance we are going to get. And with the world economy going in cycles, it is only a matter of when it will hit us again and how serious.

over supply of HDB flats good

Over supply of HDB flats is a good thing The building of HDB flats should be treated slightly different from commercial properties. The original objective to provide a roof over the head for all citizens is still relevant today. Too much speculation in these flats, if it leads to everyone making money will be the best. But when wild speculations lead to people losing their homes, then it can become a negative event. The appreciation of flat value should be allowed to take place gradually and not be left to the mercy of speculators. And building flats, and with some excess capacity for those needing one, should be the main objective of HDB. Not too obsessed with profits as the reason to build. People who really need a place to live and are not fuzzy about location will then be able to get a HDB flat without having to pay a ransom. Those in choice areas will fetch better value depending on market demand. Of course the over supply should not be over excessive to cost a big overhang and tying down too much capital. Let there always be flats available to the people without having to push the price beyond their means.

Medisave, a stubborn question

Until today, I am still not convince why people covered by Medishield or their own medical insurances must still have a large chunk of their money locked in Medisave. Can someone enlightened me on this? If a citizen has provided himself adequately with medical coverage, even setting aside a sum in the Medisave in case he cancels his insurance coverage, would that not be enough? Why forced people to leave excessive money in the Medisave?

national education in cyberspace

National Education in Cyberspace 40 or 50 years ago, life was simple, at least for the children. Go to school and home to play. Not many would even consider tuition. The schools were there to teach the children everything that was needed to know. And parents expectation were simple. Learn to read and write and make sure that there was no red ink in the report cards. A pass was a pass and was good enough. Today we want the teachers to become magicians, teaching the children more knowledge than ever before. Other than the 3Rs, there are the languages, the computer knowledge, the ECA, social works, how to do business, how to gamble in the stock market, how to have good EQs and IQs, how to be the best by having straight As, how to be a star sportsman or sportswoman or a musician. In other words, a supertalent in all fields. They don't even have time for their pimples. Today they need to be politically aware of national affairs as well. National education will be taught. What, from the angle of the children, would they want to spend their precious time on while growing up? Play, play computer games, hip hop dancing, dating, sports and fun. Do they have the time to do all these wonderful things that children are supposed to do? It is tough to be a child today. As for national education, why not let them go into cyberspace or visit sites like this and they will stand to learn a lot more and more interesting than what the teachers can teach them? The schools should allocate an hour a day for the students to surf the nets and explore the social and political discussions taking place, and discuss about the issues that are being posted. Now would that be far more interesting than the regurgitation of teachers from prepared text? Bring the children into cyberspace is like going live, be there and experience it.

Medisave versus Medishield

Medisave versus Medishield Would any MP raise the necessity of having Medisave and Medishield at the same time? Why is there a need to keep so much money in Medisave when people already opt in to for Medishield? Shouldn't this be an either or option? And many even have their own medical insurance in addition to Medisave. Do the people need to be covered 2 or 3 times over? Isn't it a waste of money kept in the unproductive care of Medisave? The people must be given a choice to decide which option they so desire, Medisave, Medishield or Private Medical insurance. Surely one should be more than enough.

Of Living Hell and Paradise

Of Living Hell and Paradise I was in Chinatown during the CNY to take in the sight and I strayed into the little corners around Sago Lane. The very old of Chinatown are there. Many of them. Yes they are alive, heart pumping and breathing. But are they living? There are many of these pathetic souls that can be found in all corners of the heartland. Sitting in the void decks or some little corners oblivious to what is around them. They have defied nature, humans have distorted the course of nature, when they should have moved on and be in paradise. Many still cling to the idea that keeping people alive for as long as they can is a good deed. Life must be preserved on this living hell for as long as possible. And now we have created this enormous problem of the aged, not knowing how to deal with them. For nothing can be done unless youth can be restored and vitality returned to their fading lives. What could have been done is to make them live the last leg of their lives with dignity and with peace and without pain. The latter medical science can do quite a bit. For them to live with 3 decent meals, without worries should be the minimum the country can do for them. What is the cost of 10 packet of 3 in 1 coffee or tea a day? Or 3 meals of sweet potato porridge and vegetables or beancurd? For the lonely and destitute and unable to work, shouldn't they be taken care of by the state? Or shall we say that they deserved to be where they are? It is very cheap to provide some free meals and coffee for those above 60 or 65s in the citizen's corners. It would not cost more than a couple of hundred bucks per head to do it. Not all senior citizens will need them. Only a handful will. Welfare state? It is welfare in a way and a necessary one. Whose fault to keep them alive for so long when their bodies are no longer useful for work to pay for their own living cost?

babies are national assets

Medishield to reach newborns This is another very good scheme. Babies are national assets, boys or girls. The country must give them the best medical care to raise them into productive adults. This is like organisations calling their human resource as the most important asset of the company but...treating them like shit. The country has been encouraging the people to produce more children in a declining birthrate. And without the children coming, the country will perish unless replace by foreigners. If the country treasures these babies, shouldn't their health at these early stages of their precious lives be the concerned of the country and the little cost of insurance be paid out by the state? If we can pour in so much money on beautifying the parks and canals, don't these babies deserve better?

Celebrating Singaporean - John Chen

John Chen the Singer I take my hat off to John Chen for doing something he loves. He was an academic turned politician and now turns singer. Go for it John, do the things that make you happy and enjoy life. Don't be a slave to money. How many people can take such a dramatic turn in life? Ok, he has made his dole. And that is exactly what making money is for, to earn enough to buy oneself the freedom to be what one wishes to be. I can see John Chen a happier person, more joyful and younger even. He is now sporting a new celebrity look, so different from his past expressionless, dull academic and politician image. Let's see more Singaporeans follow his happy path.

china less attractive with higher corporate tax

China is raising its corporate tax on foreign companies from 15% to 25% while lowering the local companies' tax from 33% to 25%. This would make Chinese corporate tax very much higher than our 18/20%. Would this make us now more competitive than China? No doubt China has other comparative advantages like a huge market and a huge labour pool and can afford to raise its taxes. MNCs will have to make their assessments as to where will give them the best value. And Bintan/Batam with their own sets of problems that make operating there unprofitable, Singapore will now be slightly more attractive as a preferred destination. Oops forgot to mention India as another choice market. But we still have to lower everything to make ourselves competitive, except wages. But we have comparative advantage in having a big pool of local and foreign talents that can command higher wages. So not a problem there. Oh, workers level, that is another story.

an act of war?

An act of war? Banning sales of sand is a commercial decision, an unfriendly one at worst. Banning granite sales is similar in nature. All these are within the rights of a sovereign nation. Indonesia can choose to sell or not to sell to us. We can negotiate for a fair price, even make them an offer that they cannot refuse. But when all else fails, we find alternative sources for our supply. Then it was reported that 12 barges and 12 tugboats were arrested for carrying granite from Indonesia. And with the Indonesian Foreign Minister and Trade Minister confirming that there was no ban on granite, the cargoes were legitimate and with legal papers. They cannot be breaking any Indonesian laws. And they were carrying our flags. This wrongful seizure of our shipping vessels is a very provocative act, an act of hostility. Many countries have gone to war for such a hostile act. And this is repeated 24 times, with 24 of our boats arrested while conducting legitimate activities. Singapore cannot take this quietly. We must demand their immediate release with compensation. We must demand an apology. We must demand that the commanders involved in such hostile acts between two friendly neighbours be sacked. These are the least Singapore should do to remain a respectable sovereign nation or be forever compliant. Forget about all the acts of kindness and offering of help. These are never appreciated and regarded in most instances as acts of pretension. They are seen as an appeasement by a small nation trying to curry favours from a big nation. Singapore should reassess how it conducts its relations with its neighbours. It should be on an equal basis, cordial, friendly and mutual respect. No necessity to run like a eager beaver to offer help when help was never seen in that light.

40 looking at 80

When you are 45 or 50 and staring down the future and knowing that you have possibly another 30 or 35 years to go, and you are jobless and unwanted. My god, is this the fate of older Singaporeans? And what can one look forward to if the likely jobs available are menial or manual works like cleaners and sweepers. And what if the whole country's infrastructure is being upgraded to world class with world class facilities, luxuries and world class price tag? The Age Committee would have to come out with a miracle, like a wonder drug that can make old people younger and marketable.

what a powerful committee!

Age Committee The most powerful committee yet formed today is the Age Committee to tackle unemployment among the senior citizens. 4 ministers, 5 ministers of state and a parliamentary secretary. Singapore and the senior citizens' problems are in good hands.

housewives debate

The housewives or homemakers issue is going to be another hot debate. Read several letters in Today paper in response to a writer, Siao Kian Kiong, who said that homemaker is a self centred decision. Working or doing part time work is also a self centred decision. The interest is in the self and also benefits the family. And just as working is an economic activity, so is being a housemaker, which is everything a maid is doing and many things more. The value of a housewife or housemaker is not something to be trifled with. Looks like many people, after being looked after by their mother, have already forgotten the sacrifices of their mothers.

branding in singapore

Branding Singaporeans We have heard the familiar quitters and stayers descriptions of Singaporeans. Then the local talent and foreign talent, the pro govt and anti govt, the whiners, the complainers, the insurgents, the dissidents, the anti establishment, the disloyal citizens etc etc In cyberspace, there is one group, the pro govt, versus the rest, ie the anti govt, the whiners, the complainers, the insurgents, the dissidents, the anti establishment, and the disloyal citizens or whatever negative words that can be used to describe them. Why can't bloggers and forumers be concerned citizens, interested citizens, politically aware citizens, political/social observers, people who just want to have a say about our national affairs, people with an alternative view, a different perspective etc? When the govt talks about the light touch, it reflects the kind of mentality behind the statement. It is control and punishment, light or heavy as it deems fit. It is the stick that rules. Compare this with the BBC's tie up with YouTube and you can straight away see the stark difference in the approach. I quote: "As the BBC has acknowledged, I think it;'s better to embrace it and jump in," said analyst Chris Lake. "That way, you can monitor the quality and the content." Mr Ashley Highfield, the BBC's director of future media and technology, said the BBC would not hunt down all BBC-copyrighted clips already uploaded by YouTube members, but would reserve the right to swop poor quality clips with the real thing, or to have content removed that had been edited or altered in a way that would damage the BBC's brand. "We don't want to be overzealous, a lot of the material on YouTube is good promotional content for us," he said. This right to alter is similar to the govt's stand on the right of reply. The govt is free to reply in cyberspace on any misinformation put forward to clear the air. There is no need to always think of using the stick. It will also generate more healthy debates on issues and better understanding. Did I hear a renaissance? What renaissance if the mentality is to curb and control, and to use the stick? Or anyone with a different view will be branded as anti govt, anti establishment, dissidents or insurgents?

watch out swee say

Lim Swee Say on sensitive ground The TV camera showed Swee Say expounding the virtues of housewives as the pillar of our society, praising housewives as a noble thing and cannot be compared with low wage workers. But the long and short of it all was that housewives will not get anything extra from the 2007 budget. If they want workfare bonus they must go out and get a job. And there are organisations out there helping and training them to get back to the job market. Housewives are as noble as the virtues of honesty, loyalty, pillars of society, mother etc, and just that. Good to see but cannot eat. Then the camera switched to a few faces, presumably housewives. And their expressions said it all. And if that was what they were thinking, Swee Say better stay clear of the path of housewives for the time being. Housewives love what they are doing. Housewives enjoy the pleasure of looking after their children and watch them grow. That is the most important reward for them. I agree. But when money is being thrown around, public money, the pillar of society also wants to be recognized and wants some too. Words are just plain words. The Ah Huays and Ah Lians may leave him alone. Not sure about the Ah Sohs and the aunties.

pay rise for civil servants

Ministerial, civil service salaries expected to go up Chee Hean made this belated announcement yesterday. It is high time that a salary revision takes place before they lose more talented people to the private sector. I bet with the kind of starting salaries for new job entrants they are definitely having difficulties recruiting or at best getting the leftovers. The resignation at entry grade is a startling 25% while the overall number has risen from 4.8% to 5.7%. But no figures were given on the resignation rate at the senior civil servant level. Can't recollect any resignation at these levels except for retirement. Chee Hean also said that the increment will not be across the board but be determined by performance and those jobs that have been lagging behind the private sector. A good measurement of this is the resignation rate. It will be interesting to know the number of senior civil servants who have resigned to join the private sector voluntarily.

middle income earnings

Lag in middle income growth These are the statistics on income per household member per month published in the ST today. 31st to 40th percentile $960 41st to 50th percentile $1180 81st to 90th percentile $3190 91st to 100th percentile $6990 A family of 4 with a $6990 per household income will be getting a household income of $27,960 per month. Not bad at all. What about those with $1 million annual household income or more? The 100th percentile gives the impression that the richest Singaporean earns a household income of $27,960 per month. Off hand I can think of at least a handful of people earning $2 million and above per annum. This will give a per household member income of $500,000 each per annum or more than $40,000 per household member per month. Official numbers in the ST has reported that there are several thousand millionaires in our midst. Looks like all the millionaires are not included in the numbers. Or the numbers are strictly just on middle income earners.

6.5 million in 2030?

The foreign talent and 6.5 million population issue were raised in Parliament. The reply, as often repeated over the MSM was regurgitated. We need the huge population to ensure vibrancy and our viability. We need all the talents that we can get. We need to compete with the giants like China the US and Australia for the rare talents. And our birth rate is slowing down and we will not be reproducing ourselves. Giving this kind of explanations, looks like all the small little rich countries in Europe are destined to perish. And they better follow our example and start a frantic drive to recruit talents for their long term existence. Or is it that they have been doing it and we are following their brilliant examples? The population will decline if we add 8,000 new citizens annually in 2030. So in 23 years time, we will face a decline if we add in only 8,000 new citizens. It was also reported that we attracted 13,200 new citizens and 57,300 prs last year alone. Adding another 35,000 new births, we actually add on 105,000 in a year! Knock off 30,000 death rate, it gives a nett gain of 75,000. At this rate, in 20 years we will add 1.5 million to our population or we will hit above 6 million in 2030! It will be even more if the momentum is kept up at this pace. Is the 6.5 million figure just a planning figure for the next 40 or 50 years? It will be realised by 2030 at this rate of growth. There should be a debate among the planners and intellectuals on the pros and cons on this big leap forward. So far the people are hearing only one side of the story. Without the population growth and foreign talents we will perish. And there were all kinds of assurances that nothing will go wrong and everything will be alright and we will have prosperity for everyone. It is important that the people hear the other side of story before we suffocate ourselves to death. I don't trust sales pitch.

myth 120

No need for caps Napoleon and his friends were having a great time in the animal farm after seizing it from the farmer. They were having a great time feasting and frolicking from the new wealth they they had inherited. Life was good, really good. From the outside, the sheep, the cows and horses and all the chicken and fowls watched in amazement. 'Wow that's what the good life meant.' They were probably wondering why couldn't they too partake in the frolicking and share the good time. One sheep ventured to ask. 'Why no caps?' 'No caps for us, caps only for sheep.' Came the reply. And the sheep nodded and walked away sheepishly.

best 2006 quote

"You know the world is going crazy when the best rapper is a white guy, the best golfer is a black guy,the tallest guy in the NBA is Chinese, the Swiss hold the America's Cup, France is accusing the U.S. of arrogance, Germany doesn't want to go to war, and the three most powerful men in America are named Bush, Dick, and Colon. - Comedian Chris Rock

more attractive estate duty laws needed

With the economy doing so well, with so many millionaires being made, with so many wealthy foreigners being lured to our shores, hopefully to become citizens, our estate duty laws are out of date. Currently the $9 million for one property and $600,000 cash that are exempted from estate duties are too low. A more reasonable and realistic number should be $20 million worth of properties, not limited to only one property, and $10 million worth of cash, would make citizenship or dying here more attractive.

quality does not come cheap

Letter from Lee kiao Hoong in Today paper '....My wife gave birth to twins at the SGH recently. They were born premature - at six months gestation - and thus admitted to the NICU. After a two and a half month stay in a B2 ward, the hospital bill for my elder daughter came up to a whopping $29,000, after government subsidies. As a result, the Medisave accounts that both my wife and I had built up over 10 years were wiped out overnight.... I also hope this serves as a reminder to couples who are planning to have a baby. The simple act of having your very own child could possibly turn out to be one huge financial nightmare.' World class facilities matched with world class bills. That must be expected. Nothing is for free. There is a price to everything.

happy opt in

MP Seah Kian Peng suggested that those who earned $100k or more should be opt in to donate the $100 they are receiving from the GST rebate the govt is giving out. I supported this definitely. I agree with Seah Kian Peng that they are so happily rich that $100 really mean nothing to them but a lot to those who need them. And I am very sure that those being opted in will be more than happy to do so. This is a happy opt in, though it violated their right from having the choice to opt in/out. What the heck? Can we just opt people into anything just because it is insignificant to them or useful to others?

without spirit we are nothing

'Without spirit, what is sport? You can have really nice buildings but without spirit, what use is the hardware?' Ang Peng Siong I like to borrow this statement by Ang Peng Siong and substitute sport with Singapore. Without spirit or passion, what is Singapore? We can have all the world best infrastructure and talents, but without spirit, we are nothing. Yes just a hotel.

between hell and paradise

Between Hell and Paradise Paradise is where everyone desires to be. It has the best of everything, world best! But paradise is only for the select few, the chosen few. Not many people can afford paradise. Many people will be in 'hell' in a way, the living hell. It is admirable for the govt of the day to want to build a paradise on earth, world best in everything. But can we afford it? How many can afford it? It is like the debate between Wei Ling and Philip. Philip operates on a huge budget and casts his net very wide. Wei Ling is talking about making choices with our limited resources. We need to be selective and spend cautiously. We want world best facilities in everything. Yes we must have them. But no, we cannot have all of them. Segmentation and allocation of our resources must take into account the reality. The 'we' is a very loose group of people stretching from the penniless to the super rich, including foreigners that we want them to be here to pay for world class facilities. National resources must be allocated to build or develop facilities according to the needs of the different segments of our society defined by financial affordability. We have to cater to the needs of all levels and our resources must be allocated proportionally. Ask anyone if they want world best facilities and I bet the answer is yes. But ask them to pay for it and the answer will be no. The govt will continuously be running on an ever expanding budget if it keeps on telling the people that it is striving to provide them with everything that is world best. And the govt will be perpetually coming back to demand more money from the people for their world best ideas. Why not just try to make 'hell' more liveable instead of building a paradise

nkf story - chapter 3

Chapter Three The criminal trial has started. And Durai is facing two charges which he pleaded not guilty. The charges are 'using false documents with the intention of deceiving the NKF into paying out $25,000-$20,000....' Are these all the charges that he is going to face?

hota and 'phua park' business

In the early days of old Singapore, the locals dreaded being admitted to the General Hospital. Admission is as good as an acceptance of death. This is mainly due to the fact that many cases admitted were in a very bad state or in critical condition. Another fear is 'phua park'. In Hokien it means cutting up the body. This is taboo in the Chinese mindset. With the ongoing debate on Hota and how efficient the harvesting team is in going about their duties, would we see the same situation happen when Singaporeans fear being rushed to hospitals and line up for 'phua park'? For all the good intention and well meaning, a too efficient system in this, and an over zealous team of organ harvestors, would these present another kind of fear to the masses? Would the people become paranoid over hospital admission? We must respect the wishes of the dead. A dead person who signed the Opt In form is clearly committing himself into an act. How positive are we to know that the dead has such a wish if he did not opt in but was opt in by default? Without actually performing the act of opting in, did he or did he not opt in? This 'phua park' business is no small business to be dismissed away carelessly.

myth 119

Lower income group developing crutch mentality? Is it? In the land when nothing is for free, there is no free lunch, welfare state is taboo, when have our lower income group been depending on welfare and developed such a mentality? The Singaporean poor are the most independent and resilient part of our society. They either depend on themselves with pride, or if not possible, land themselves on the MRT track. It is those that earn millions that are developing a crutch mentality. To these millionaire employees, if they miss an increment in a year, they will suffer withdrawal system, they will become inefficient, refuse to work, they may go berserk. How can it be that they are not entitled to a well deserving increment cum huge bonus? How can they live without an increment? They would have trouble making ends meet. They will suffer a decline in their lifestyle, in the quality of life. Now that is the new crutch mentality developing in Singapore. A crutch mentality can only devlop over a long time of receiving goodies.

lesson from hongkong

The lesson from Hongkong Many have pointed to Hongkong as an example to what our lives will be with 6.5 million people. One thing for sure, our HDB flats are likely to shrink further. They have started to shrink in anticipation of the great and vibrant future of more talented people. Singaporeans looking forward to the great life in the future should imagine themselves cooping inside much smaller HDB flats. Oops, I mean the heartlanders. Those who have the dole can always enjoy the liberty of free space in their landed properties, with gardens and swimming pools. Definitely space is not a problem to them.

hota given a good airing in parliament

Hota is getting a good airing in Parliament. And hospitals are seeing an increase in people opting out of the scheme and forms are running out. One major consideration as pointed out by Loke Siew Meng is not to put the grieving family members in a sorry state to tussle for the body. He had opted out of the scheme. The recent case is troubling to many potential donors. The mental state of the family members is already in a very vulnerable state and to subject them to the more pressure from hospital staff who are over zealous in wanting to harvest the organs is appalling. The people have seen what could happen to them and their family members and it is normal for them to react this way. More PR works need to be done by the hospital to improve the image of the Hota scheme.

vibrancy in parliament

It is heartening to hear the views of MPs in Parliament yesterday. They are now more vocal and suggesting or demanding that the Govt consider the views put up by them for consideration. Hopefully there will be some changes to whatever that have been decided. It will be a very significant change from the past when any paper tabled will be passed lock, stock and barrel. The notable speakers yesterday were Inderjit Singh, Ho Geok Choo, Cynthia Phua and Ahmad Magad. Not to forget Lily Neo who had pushed for raising the legal assistance to the needy from $260 to $400. Now we are seeing some vibrancy in Parliament.

we need a referendum

The MPs are querying on the 6.5 million population and Mah Bow Tan now said that this was only for planning purposes and for the next 40 to 50 years instead of the next 20 years as reported in the paper. Mah Bow Tan also assured the MPs 'that the country's social stability would not be undermined, even as the Govt moves ahead to encourage more foreigners from diverse backgrounds to live and work here.' Can anyone really be in a position to give this kind of assurance? The issue of Singapore's future should be decided by the people and not by a few individuals no matter how wise and how good the intention is. To let in another 2.5 million foreigners into Singapore as citizens is a very serious change in our demography and social fabric and must not be taken lightly or concerns expressed by the people be simply brushed aside. I hope some MPs would view this issue seriously and call for a Referendum for the people to vote for their future and the future of their children. The present leadership will not be here to answer should anything go wrong. Remember the 2 child policy? It was too good and too successful then. But the negative aspects and consequences are now being felt today. A 6.5 million population is going to transform Singapore into a very different creature. Would the people agree to it?

myth 118

Myth 118 New HDB flats sure to fetch higher value in resale market HDB flats are sold at subsidised prices, whatever that means. For many years, all new HDB owners would be able to sell their flats in the resale market for a profit simply because of the subsidy. And for that, HDB flat owners are expected to pay a levy when they sold the flat because they made a clean profit. Leong Sze Hian's letter of his HDB friend in the Today paper tells a different story. Bought flat from HDB in 2000 at $416,000. Current valuation is now $338,000. Can't even sell it at $336,000, ie below valuation. And better still, needs to pay a $50,000 resale levy to be eligible for a second HDB flat. Oh, his neighbouring flat which has been vacant for 6 years has been put up for sale by HDB at $273,200. Even if this is affected by the racial quota, the value is indeed shocking.

hota debate is on

The Hota debate is still running Dr Arthur Chern and Assoc Prof Thomas Lew have replied in the ST forum to Andy Ho's article on brain death. They have quoted that so far, no brain dead person has ever returned to life. Quite a conclusive case that there is no hope. But they have also said that a brain dead person can have his heart continuing to beat and even some movements of the body parts/limbs. What is important is that the international medical community and all the authoritative medical sources have accepted brain dead as death and legally dead. These are very informative information that can help to educate the public on this very emotional and personal issues that can affect everyone. The debate is worthy to pursue and the masses will stand to benefit from it. My view on this is that though the medical profession and institution, including the law, have accepted that a brain dead person is legally dead, the people close to the person, or in some religious or cultural beliefs, they may not accept this truth. What is medically correct or legally right may not necessarily be acceptable to some people. The question is whether the medical profession or the law shall impose their truth and rights on the affected people. Can there be leeways to allow the griefing parties to have a say, right or wrong is a separate issue, when their loved ones are to be cut up and parts donated to other needy people? How could one imagine a situation when the medical team is harvesting the parts and the limbs are still twitching? Any anaesthesia? Any pain? It is like eating fish or animals alive for their freshness when they are cut up and still kicking.

MPs, please ask questions.

MPs, please ask questions. Inderjit wants more long term solutions to the GST and wants basic goods and services to be exempted. Any MP wants to raise the issue of housewives? I remember that during the last handouts, many MPs lamented that housewives did not benefitted anything and wanted to do something. Would they remember this time to ask more questions? Anyway it is too late. Nothing is going to make any difference. 1000 questions will be just 1000 questions and an after thought.

american version of freedom of expression

The ex chairman of Paramount Pictures was given an Oscar for her contribution to the film industry. In her acceptance speech she said that in America they honoured freedom of expression. People are encouraged to express their views and people need not have to agree. There can be disagreements. But that contributes to what America is today, innovative, creative, progressive and full of adventure and opportunities. America is the leading nation in practically all fields of human endeavours. We are talking about vibrancy. Can we be like America where people will come forward and express themselves freely without fear? But looking at how Singaporeans justify our special circumstances and be proud to say that this is what we should do with respect to freedom of expression, we can never be near to where America is today. We have to allow our people to feel free to express their views and ideas. Disagreements and contrary views are not necessarily anti govt or anti establishment. And we have all the laws to prevent excesses or defamation. I have seen an American putting on a mask of Bush and asking people to kick his arse on the street. Can we do that? Yes we can, as long as the mask is of Bush. Or to be safe, the mask of say some Kim Jong something. This is the freedom that American is unique and respected.

housewives not economically worthy

Housewives and contract workers Peter Fabian Andrew wrote about the budget not recognising the contributions of housewives and contract workers. Despite all the calls to honour mother and the importance of family, the housewives have been taken for granted. Recognition for them is at best lip service. Just like telling the unfortunate that we can empathise with them but it is their own funeral. In the last govt payout the housewives were not included. So is this budget. A family without a mother can never be complete. As Peter Fabian said, the contribution of the housewives towards the family, the children and society cannot be simply measured or ignored. But in our society that worships money, only money matters. Anyone who can work and generate a few dollars from society is considered worthy. The housewives that were given all the expense money by the family are not considered economic worthy to warrant any attention or handouts from the govt. This is the contradiction in words and deeds.

more vibrant singapore

More vibrant Singapore to come We are going to get a very vibrant Singapore thru globalisation, more FTs and a 6.5 million population and a caring and super efficient govt. We can see vibrancy in the economy, in the stockmarket, in property prices. We can see vibrancy in sports and international competition. We can see vibrancy in entertainment, more night life, resort style living and casinos. We can see people busy enjoying life, eating, playing and shopping. We can see more exchanges of views, discussions etc like the biomedical debate and Hota. I can expect many of the above to happen. I am wondering whether there will be more exchanges of ideas, alternative views and more discussions in forums, both MSM and cyberspace.

savings from shelved court complex

Shelving plan for an ultra modern Subordinate Court $462 million were returned to the govt when plans to have an ultra modern Judiciary complex at Havelock Road was shelved. How would this impact on the cost of living of the people? Havelock Road is prime land and the cost of such a complex will eventually lead to higher cost to the people. Even parking fees to attend court will be more expensive in the heart of the city. A fabulous looking building is not what the court and judiciary system is all about. It is all about justice as Subhas Anandan put it, 'I don't think lawyers care about the bearing of the buildings. The bearing of justice is what comcerns us.' I have a little suggestion. Convert a block of unsold HDB flats in Jurong West into a new Subordinate Court complex. As long as it is near the MRT, transportation should not be a problem for the ordinary people. And the over cost can be lower. HDB also can get rid of the unsold and unwanted flats.

Myth 117 Is CPF a saving scheme for retirement? After saving for a life time at between 33-50% of a person's income, many Singaporeans ended up with little money left in the CPF for retirement? How can that be? Where have all the money gone to? In the first place housing eg a 4 room HDB flat, will take away between $200k to $300 for a 20 year instalment plan. A person who contributes $1000 to the CPF a month will find the bulk of his savings going to the flat. How could there be excess savings when flats are priced according to affordability, which means how much the buyer has in his CPF saving. Now we have a better scheme called Medisave. But before anyone can save enough, there are all kinds of great schemes to spend this money. There are insurance schemes for self, for spouse and for children. This is another effort by the govt to plan for the people using their CPF money. Very laudable. But how much money will be left for retirement? Retirement is a time to spend money on self to live a more carefree life, not just about paying expensive medical fees to struggle to be alive. People will die and it is a natural way of saying that the body cannot take it anymore. Nothing to cry about when it is time to go. The artificial extension of life is not necessarily a good thing as it is against nature. What would be better is to make CPF and Medisave a voluntary contribution after 55. Medical insurance can be made compulsory up to 60. After that the people must have a life of their own to decide for themselves what is good for them. How can the govt compel the people with so many compulsory schemes even at their twilight years? Let the people be free to be themselves, to do what is right for themselves with their money when they are old and a little wiser. Can the people be allowed to be free during the last lap of the lives? Let's not treat the people as children for the rest of their life, to be managed, controlled and legislated on how to live their life. What govt control? Never heard of it. The govt is all doing for the good of the people, taking care of the people with the people's own money. Even after providing for their medical insurance, they still have to keep a large chunk of their money in Medisave till they die.

snippets on fts

Snippets of comments on FTs in Starblog appearing in ST. 'The main issue...is jobs. If every Singaporean is guaranteed a good job...do you think we care so much about foreign talent or immigration?' - Dawn. '...Yes they are from other countries and they may seem to be "infringing" on our "territory" but how many of us can trace our lineage back through the years to the local, indigenous people? Very few.' -Nick '...I was completely unaware that Singaporeans criticise foreign talent...' -Jaymee 'Hard as it may seem, we should try our best to be colour blind and learn from what expatriates can contribute to our society and nation...' -Maia '...I've always found the criticism of foreigners in Spore rather hypocritical. We are an island that relies on everyone else's trade to make our living...foreigners have been coming to Singapore and making a difference for a long time.' -Joe 'As far as I can tell, xenophobia doesn't exist here, in that Singaproeans don't really have a fear of things foreign,....' -Ju Len Simply put, Singaporeans are not xenophobic. They welcome foreigners. There are some concern when their jobs are affected. Otherwise everything goes. This is good and well without looking at the long term consequences of the existence of Singaporeans who have sacrificed for this island and called it home. When Singaporeans could not see the difference of being a citizen and a non citizen, cannot appreciate that the island belongs to them and they need to safeguard it for themselves and children, they are likely to give it away. And should the day come when the new citizens decided against their interests and sold this island away in whatever manner, it is only the Singaporeans to be blamed. Those who do not treasure their heritage deserve to lose them. I find this very disturbing, that a people is so careless about what is theirs and so unthinking about it. In politics, once lost, it is lost forever. You cannot hope that the victor or people in power will be generous or magnanimous to you. Neither can Singaporeans expect the power to be to run this place in the interest of the people. The future leaders can squander everything away. We have failed miserably in national education. At the rate it is going, Singapore is up for grabs by whichever group that has the patient, determination and purposefulness to take this island for themselves. Singaporeans could lose their homeland by default, for being too generous, and simply naive to the point of idiocy.

Ooooooh, someone changed my pic!

Ha, someone put his pic in my my blog. Luckily it isn't porno!. Hi your little one looks great. But I will have to replace it soon. Cheers

The Next Great Singaporean Debate

The Next Great Singaporean Debate The intellectual battle between Wei Ling and Philip Yeo was touted as the debate that could have the potential of generating great discussion in the MSM. Chok Tong also encouraged it to go on. But after staring down at each other from their respective corners, the fight fizzled off. No KO in the first round as it was discontinued. Now Stomp is heralding its greatest debate of all time in its forum, 'To fine or not to fine pedestrian using mobile phone.' It claimed that this is a hot issue. Fining is a great obsession in this island, bigger than Opt In/Opt Out. Both are our greatest problem solvers. Just fine the people and the problem will be solved, or simply opt them in. Would pedestrians be fined for using MP3, reading papers while eating as they risked being choked to death. Commuters in MRT could be fined for crossing the yellow lines or using mobile or listening to MP3 too. All acts that could endanger self or others can be fined. What about blogging and posting in cyberspace? A dangerous activity, really. Back to the great debate. Another one is really brewing. This time between people of the same profession. Not between a doctor and an engineer. No mismatch. The combatants are Dr Lee Wei Ling and Drs Patrick Kee Chin Wah and Wong Wee Nam. So no need to take snipe remarks about not being qualified to talk about the issue, Hota and Opt In/Opt Out. Drs Kee/Wong made this a public issue by discussing it in the MSM. For they had hit a wall when they appeared before a Select Committee. Any discussion in such circumstances, like within an organisation, will lead to a decision by the decision maker. Period. Not an issue of bigger right or bigger wrong. The one who calls the shot makes the decision. It is therefore appropriate that an issue where right and wrong are relative and subjective be discussed in an open forum, to be fully aired. After the first letter by the two doctors, Wei Ling replied. According to the last response by Kee/Wong, she made 3 assumptions. 1. 'given a choice, the vast majority of families would object strongly if they thought this could prevent their loved one's organs from being removed.' 2. 'the only incentive at present not to opt out is that those who opt out go to the bottom of the waiting list if they ever need an organ.' 3. there is 'a separate organ donor form where one can specify which or all organs one wishes to pledge....' Kee/Wong pointed out that based on the recent case, the families did not object to the donation of the organs. This proved that Singaporeans have accepted the fait accompli of donating the organs. The second, they believed that many did not opt out more of ignorance and apathy rather than fear of going to the end of the list when they need organs themselves. As for the third point, 'Amendments to Hota have already been made so organs other than kidneys can be taken. What we are seeing is the contest between being practical, pragmatic and functional as against being compassionate, feeling and emotional as human beings. We made rules for the good of the people at large. But should we make rules that are so clinical, mechanical, with no regards to feelings and emotions of the living? We are afterall humans with feelings, emotions and attachments. These are things that make us different. The ability to feel, to love and to care. The complicated thing in this debate is that brain death is still not conclusive and not necessarily accepted as death by the general masses. The medical profession may have its definition of biological death, the law may have its legal definition of death, the people may have their own beliefs of what is death. We are touching on a grey area that no one except God is the wiser. So, should one group of people pronounced their judgement on others? When there is room for doubts, or when there are strong emotions and pain on the living, can the law be more human, more compassionate? This is not a criminal case, or it maybe, if one day it is proven that a brain dead person could be revived and live again. In criminal cases, there is a term called 'beyond reasonable doubt.' Is brain death beyond reasonable doubt?