Is LKY having a change of heart?

Quote: Lee(LKY) said the Chinese should learn to take the western media on the western media's terms. If protesters get into the Olympic stadiums waving 'Free Tibet' banners, China should shrug it off, he said. If I were them I would expect that and say 'So what?' Lee added. Unfortunately they are still in the old set way they react, but they're learning. Unquote Would LKY apply this advice to the Chinese govt to our local context? When there are demonstrators, would the authorities shrug it off and say, 'So what?' Now if this is going to be the things to come, it would be interesting.

The Mahathir Syndrome

When Mahathir was in power, everything he said and or wanted to do would be done. All his cronies who enjoyed all the perks would just joined the bandwagon, got fed and became fatter, without a single word of criticism or guilt. Now that Mahathir is out of favour, he is now free to crusade against all the wrong things done during his time. His former cronies too were doing the same. Suddenly everything seems so wrong. But when they were in positions of power, they cannot see anything wrong. What takes them so long to realise the wrongdoings? Why didn't they say anything or do anything when they were in a position to do so? Is it because they are no longer being fed, so nothing to lose now?

Move on and be forgotten

Imagine if there is no internet and blogs, every embarrassing episode will be forgotten and the people would have moved on. No more reminders of NKF and peanuts, no more high salaries to haunt anyone while the poor were asked to tighten their belts and eat potatoes, who is Mas Selamat or Selamat what? People have short memories and have many things to take care of. The internet will now be the mother of all memories, be there constantly, to remind people of embarrassing things, 24/7, 365 days a year. There will be no such things as move ons. The msm may not want to talk about some issues and events because of space contraints and the need to move on to new news. News have to be news, fresh and of current interests. In cyberspace, what is important is not currency but relevance and continuity. Things that are really important to the citizens, things that the citizens hold dearly and care about. And for some things, they will not move on but cling on.

Horrifying news

I read in the weekend papers of people commenting that they need a $1000 or $1200 pm income in order to get married. What were this people thinking? Still living in the 60s when a 4 figure salary is a big deal? Even if both are earning $1200 pm, it is a big drag. They will barely get by on their own. No more free school fees, free medical, free tuition, etc. Correct me if I am wrong on these. Some may be getting a lot of freebies from Community Welfare Funds, and there are plenty of them if they are qualified. If not they could appear in TV Charity Shows to help to raise fund for themselves. Yesterday I posted about the guy with a $600 pm single income and two kids. He is brave enough to bring two innocent lives into this paradise when nothing is free. I do not know whether it is foolhardy or idiotic, whether he is doing a meritorious act to help in the birth of two human bean, or he is setting up for two tragedies to happen? With the high cost of living, a minimum combined income of $3000 may barely get by with one kid. People need a lot of education on the cost of living here and how much is needed to start a family. Long gone were the days where families lived off the land with 10 or more children, each with one pair of shorts and a singlet to live by. And where food can be found in the forests or hunted. Or where fire is free from fallen tree trunks and water free from the well. This is a big city and all facilities are world class with world class price tags. Want to have more world class facilities? Want to pay more?

The Dictation Culture

Over the years, this Dictation Culture, where people in position of authority will dictate to the people in the name of 'for the good of the people' has been part of the Singaporean psyche. Singaporeans grow up thinking that dictating to the people is an acceptable form of behaviour. And when in position to do so, they too will do it. And those at the receiving end will just accept it. Our CPF money is subjected to this Dictation Culture. We often hear people suggesting that Singaporeans should be subject to compulsory donation of their money to charities or special self help funds as if the money is there for the taking, and the owners have no right to them. Recently, the NTUC Income is in the news for 'arbitrary changing its bonus payout structure' to policy holders. This change was decided and done by NTUC Income and it then informed the customers of the change. Though the customers bought the policies under a set of agreed terms and conditions, this change came as a surprise to many, including former Income Chief, Tan Kin Lian himself. But all the protests will be useless if there is provision for Income to change the terms as it likes. The changing of the CPF withdrawal age and terms over the years, the compulsory Medisave Account, the CPF Life etc were all new terms that were decided and shafted it to the people. No choice. Compulsory and for the good fo the people. And since there were no public protest, it is settled, that the people approved of them.

Planting Trees

There is a Chinese saying that the present generation plant trees and the future generations will reap its benefits. What the govt is doing, in investing for the future is similar to planting trees and is a laudable initiative. A more short sighted govt would have used the money now and make many people happy and win many popular votes as well. The worst govt is to spend the future earnings now, like what the American govt is doing. They are bankrupting themselves into the future. We have seen a lot of our money, billions, being invested for the long term, and recently the buying of big foreign banks. The timing, a golden opportunity, also presents risks. The immediate short term losses have naturally invited a lot of criticisms. With hindsights, some were saying that it would be better if the decisions were delayed a little. And people would expect the professionals to do their sums right. In this case, it is easy to say we were a bit hasty. The loss is no small change. The other angle of unhappiness is that while we have so much money to invest for the future, we are seeing immediate pains and suffering affecting some of our less able citizens. It is a question of how much to invest and how much to share with the people. Admittedly it is very subjective and what one sees as right another will see it as wrong. While planting trees for the future is definitely a prudent move, it should not end up as an obsession as the present needs to be taken care of too. Many of the owners of this national reserves will not be around in the future to reap the fruits of long term investments. And when we have more than enough, a little more generosity for the present is most welcomed.

Msm and political parties

The Malaysian system allows for political parties to have their own mouth piece in the form of commercial papers. PKR is going to have its own paper to be sold to the public with a political view that is PKR's. Umno of course has its own papers. With political parties owning their own newspapers, it is normal and acceptable to have such papers towing the party lines and saying good things about the party and defending the party. What is the status of our msm? Are they owned by political parties or are they strictly private organisations? My understanding is that our msm are commercial and privately owned enterprises, not owned by political parties. Not even own by the govt, not a statutory board, or is it? I read somewhere that the local msm's stance is to be pro govt. So whichever party comes to power, they will have the support of the msm. Is this support unquestionable or unconditional, under all circumstances?

No subsidised petrol

There is no difference in the definition of subsidy between what we know here and what it is known in Malaysia. Both subsidises by making the buyer pays less from the market price. The Malaysians subsidise their petrol and we subsidise our flats and hospital bills. The difference is that the Malaysian petrol subsidy also allows foreigners like Singaporeans to take advantage of them. (We don't regard PRs as foreigners.) Now the Malaysian govt is thinking of abolishing this ruling. And foreigners buying petrol in Malaysia will have to pay non subsidised prices. That will make the petrol buying trips to JB unnecessary. It will also put an end to the Uniquely Singaporean 3/4 tank rule. So no one can continue to joke about it anymore. The best thing is that the jams at the causeway will be a thing of the past. It may be a little tough to the shopkeepers and restaurants that benefitted from the Singaporeans going over for petrol and at the same time enjoying the cheaper food and groceries. When the incentive of cheaper petrol is over, the hustle and the little savings may not be attractive enough anymore. Only genuine visitors going for holidays will be seen crossing the Johore Straits.

Living on bread alone

A family of 4, with two young children, survives on bread for lunch and inner. Didn't know what they take for breakfast. Maybe skip breakfast too. And compare their plight to the destitutes in charity homes with 3 proper meals, I think the homes are a luxury. His income is $600 pm. Unbelieveable, but it happens. He probably earns less than a foreign worker or cleaners in the food courts. Some may want to throw the brutal truth at them, that they are to be blamed for being useless and unable to earn a decent living in paradise. With cost of living skyrocketing, life for those in this category is going to be tough.

Next Parliament sitting

The last sitting was overshadowed by the escape. Even the high cost of living were not touch on, or was it skimmed through? With the Mas Selamat issue as water under the bridge, and with everyone moving on, we can expect more outstanding issues to be tabled. Many ministers were significantly 'absent' or unheard of in the last sitting, all taking a backseat and quietly watching the spectacle of Kan Seng under the spotlight. Raymond would surely be in the picture with his seat belts buckled tightly. Boon Heng may do an update of his oldies ministerial portfolio. Eng Hen could continue to take a break after solving the annuities for the oldies problem for Boon Heng. Now where is Mah Bow Tan? I think he can relax a little with all the backlog HDB flats sold or nearly sold and with HDB prices going to seventh heaven due to rising demands. Good job done. And Boon Yang, is he in Trade and Industry? Tharman should be a happy minister with so much money in hand and happily giving them away. Hopefully Chiam See Tong would not tell him not to kill the goose and only giveaway the drumstick will do. Bloggers should be waiting in anticipation of what new laws will come out from Shanmugam. Oh, Boon Wan has solved the high medical fees problems. Everyone now can afford to pay their medical fees to the 80s. Looks like the only major thing in the next sitting is not even ERPs or high profits of privatised public transport system but seat belts for school children.

Happy news for retirees

HDB rental market remains strong with high demands from foreigners. The median rents for 2 rm is $1,000 pm and 3 rm is $1,400. Now, that will take care of my retirement surely. No need CPF Life or buy back schemes. If people can start a family with a $1,200 income, $1,400 will be too much for a retiree who is happy with instant noodles and 3 in 1s. And for the bigger flats, 4 rm can fetch $1,600 while 5 rm can get $1,800. Singaporeans who own a HDB have it made. No more worries. Just pray hard that more foreigners will come to our shore and continue to drive up rental demands. Now I am fully convinced that we need more foreign workers, foreign talents or anything, as long as they are foreigners and can afford to pay more for renting HDB flats.

MP pushing for new laws

Finally there is an issue grave enough for the MPs to speak up strongly in Parliament. The high cost of living, minister's pay, and the Mas Selamat escape were not able to kinder the fire in the belly of the MPs. It is reported in the front page of the Sunday Times that several MPs would lobby for new laws to make seat belts in school buses mandatory. Enough is enough and they want it implemented immediately. They would even question Raymond Lim 'What's next?' since he has not spoken a word on this earth shattering issue. There will be sparks in Parliament on May 26. Just wondering, is Raymond running out of favour?

Compare prices and save

'Consumers can save money if they shopped around, Case said, noting that there were variations in prices across supermarkets, even for the same item.' And when I study the price comparison table carefully, I am fully convinced. And I am going to put this great saving idea into practice today. I will buy canned luncheon meat and eggs from NTUC Fairprice, canned sardines and baked beans from Shengsiong, condensed milk and toothpaste from Giant, shampoo and soap from Shop N Save, dishwashing detergent from Prime, and bread from Jasons. Wow, I am starting to count my savings from buying the cheapest from all these supermarkets. And don't worry about my petrol and time. I have plenty of spare time, and I can walk.

A pathetic existence of a life gone drastically wrong

I truly admire, and even envious, the old hags that sit in the board of directors or even as chairman of huge conglormerates and actively employed even in their 70s or feeble 80s. These are the men and women who have a good life. After toiling for half a life time, they ended in a job that demands them to attend a few board meetings and being paid in the millions or at least a few peanuts. And in between board meetings, maybe once a month, and a few corporate functions to grace the occasions, the rest of their time is for their own enjoyment. They can go travelling or spending quality time with friends, girlfriends, boyfriends or grandchildren. It is a life worth 'working' and living for. Anyone in such a privilege position will want to 'work' till death makes them part.With plenty of money and plenty of free time at their own disposal, 'working' for a life time makes a lot of sense when 'working' is once a month to attend board meetings. 'Working' really makes sense to these privileged individuals but not to those who have messed up their lives, wittingly or through a spate of misfortunes. No judgement here as many got into their predicaments through many reasons, self inflicted, environmental or circumstantials. It is a very sad state of affair to see a different set of old hags wiping tables and clearing plates in kopitiams or high end food courts. These octogenarians are a frail presence of their exuberance youth. Now their presence in stark contrast to a new generation of affluent young that have everything that they did not have in their life time. And the new young are enjoying every minute of their time in luxury while these old hags are told to value and treasure their economic independence and dignity, to earn a living at a time when they should be lying beside the boxes and waiting to be carried them home. Is this what life should be in a rich beyond belief first world paradise? That the oldies must toil to the last day of their pathetic existence? That this is called dignity and pride of living? Strongly encouraged by the state! I think this is the most shameful thing to see, and to believe that it is good. Don't we have any better options, a new thinking on what life should be for the oldies? A little tropical paradise as suggested by Boon Wan is not a bad idea as a choice, no compulsion and with true subsidies, to allow the oldies to retire in grace, comfort, stress free and with dignity. Walking the aisles of kopitiams and foodcourts can never be something to be proud of or to look forward to in one's twilight years.

And now I understand

I happened to step into Robinson last week and, to my amazement, the store was so crowded. I didn't know there was a sale on. I picked up a couple of items and headed for the cashier. I almost dropped what I was holding. There were something like 50 people in the queue. I looked around for other cashiers and the same picture struck me again. It might be a big sale. But hey, that's Robinson, and every item there is not cheap ok. And the customers were just grabbing, each with a few items in the hands and under their arms. Easily every customer would be hanging on to a couple of hundred bucks of items. Now this is also a part of paradise. While in the NTUC Fairprice the same crowd was there. But you could notice that price checking seems like a past time. The customers were checking and rechecking the prices and comparing similar items. If one patronises stores like Robinson, it is very excusable to exclaim that the good times are here. What is a few hundred bucks? It is good time and spending is a good distraction to the boring life. What a different world! Please forgive me if I don't have the same world view as you.

Different style

Below article was posted by a blogger in Tan Kin Lian's blog. It presented a different style on the issue of responsibility and accountability. I am not making any value judgement here as it is not a matter of right or wrong. It is just a style, and people do it differently. (Former President of India APJ Abdul Kalam at Wharton India Economic forum , Philadelphia , March 22,2008) Question: Could you give an example, from your own experience, leaders should manage failure? Kalam: Let me tell you about my experience. In 1973 I became the project director of India 's satellite launch vehicle program, commonly called the SLV-3. Our goal was to put India 's 'Rohini' satellite into orbit by 1980. I was given funds and human resources -- but was told clearly that by 1980 we had to launch the satellite into space.... By 1979 ...I went to the control center for the launch. At four minutes before the satellite launch, the computer began to go through the checklist of items that needed to be checked. One minute later, the computer program put the launch on hold; the display showed that some control components were not in order. My experts -- I had four or five of them with me -- told me not to worry; they had done their calculations and there was enough reserve fuel. So I bypassed the computer, switched to manual mode, and launched the rocket. In the first stage, everything worked fine. In the second stage, a problem developed. Instead of the satellite going into orbit, the whole rocket system plunged into the Bay of Bengal . It was a big failure. That day, the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization, Prof. Satish Dhawan, had called a press conference....Prof. Dhawan, the leader of the organization, conducted the press conference himself. He took responsibility for the failure -- he said that the team had worked very hard, but that it needed more technological support. He assured the media that in another year, the team would definitely succeed. Now, I was the project director, and it was my failure, but instead, he took responsibility for the failure as chairman of the organization. ...in July 1980, ... and this time we succeeded. The whole nation was jubilant. Again, there was a press conference. Prof. Dhawan called me aside and told me, 'You conduct the press conference today.' I learned a very important lesson that day. When failure occurred, the leader of the organization owned that failure. When success came, he gave it to his team....

The new battle on foreign workers

We have discussed this many times over. Though some were more against foreigner workers, many narrow down to foreign talents that are not really talents but cheap white collar workers. And the gripe is that they are taking away these jobs from Singaporeans who are just as well qualified. Reading the msm today, a new battle is being fought between the govt and the opposition parties even to the extent of ridiculous challenge asking Worker's Party to just hire Singaporeans. This is the same kind of challenge asking Singaporeans to come up with alternative solutions when it cannot happen simply because the one being challenged is not in a position to carry them out. Ya, hogwash. So now we have the trade unions and the govt strongly for foreign workers. On the other corner, the natural opponents, the opposition parties. As far as workers are concerned, it is now an established fact that many jobs are shunned by Singaporeans and only foreigners are willing to accept them. So there should be no question as to whether the employers should or should not employ foreign workers for these jobs. What is needed is in jobs that Singaporeans want and are qualified to do. If these jobs are lost to Singaporeans, with so many things stacked against them, we are going to see many educated, qualified and angry Singaporeans hogging the net and kpkb.

Mahathir into blogging

Mahathir has joined the blogging world to say his piece. And this is a world that he had no special liking for when he was in power. For then, the msm was his mouth piece, saying and printing what he liked and his fancy. Things have changed when he lost power. He lost his voice in the msm. They no longer say or print what he likes. And knowing that he has no other choice by cyberspace, he accepts what he thinks is best. Now he has cyberspace to thank for in giving him a voice. Whether people listen to him is another thing. But at least he is talking again He is using his pen name of Che Det. Welcome to the world of talking nonsense, or saying what you feel, Che Det. No one is going to censor your free speech now.

Don't worry, we have plenty of rice stockpile

This is a very comforting message. And then there is NTUC Fairprice advising people to switch to housebrands that are cheaper or go for special discount promotions. And the govt has assured the people that they will help those who need help, directly. A Lily Cheong wrote to the ST complaining, yes, complaining that 'A 10kg bag of rice rose from $17.50 or $18.50 to $20.80 one week ago. On Tuesday, the price rose to $26.80.' Using the $17.50 as base, this is more than 50% increase in slightly more than a week. She added that for low price cooking oil, 'For a 2kg bottle, the price rose from $2.35 to $5.25 or $5.35 a week ago. On Tuesday, the price spiked again to $5.90...for cooking oil sold under Fairprice's house brand, labbeld a low price item.' Total increase is more than 150% from $2.35. At the rate this is going, the people better be afraid. Be very afraid. There will be plenty of rice and basic essentials available. But money will not be enough.

The fascinating world of internet

Blogs and forums are sprouting out daily in cyberspace. There must be several thousands of local blogs and forums out there, from students talking about their school and social lives to hobbyists, food and gourmets, pornography and social political sites. It is blossoming with each day passing. There must be plenty of interesting and exciting things said or happening in cyberspace. OK, I shall not deliberately avoid mentioning Stomp, CNA, P65s and other sites that are being promoted by the msm. All of them are competing for readership. With such a vibrant community existing in cyberspace, the strange thing is that there is no interest in the msm to cover this ground. All we get to hear occasionally is a brief mention of Mr Brown, Yawning Bread, Mr Wang and maybe TOC and no more. Oh, maybe about someone selling food or comics. And if there is any article on internet and cyberspace, it is about something that not many people will not bother, or about blogs existing in Siberia or Timbuctoo perhaps. I read something in the ST talking about starving a dog in Nicaragua and Bonsai Kitten where kittens are stuffed in bottles by Tan Shzr Ee. To be fair, she was skirting around to talk about the meaning internet rants and kpkb. She said people argued that internet activism is ineffective because it was easy and cheap, and would be ignored. She disagreed. She said 'internet furores create a sense of greater awareness, or at least an opportunity for one to find out more.' Views in cyberspace are intentionally and deliberately ignored for obvious reasons. They present a serious challenge to not only the approved truths, but also posed as a serious challenger for readership with the msm. No business enterprise will promote the interests of their competitors or give credits to them. That is expected. Will msm give greater coverage of cyberspace one day, devote a page or a column for it? Not much of a chance if they can help it.

SMRT profit soars to $150 mil

Full year profit soared despite higher fuel and operating cost. Profit rose by 10.7% due to higher ridership and other incomes. So will fare price come down? I don't think so looking at oil prices. I think more increases are likely if the mindset and past precedence are to go by. And the reasons of the past can always be pushed out again and again. And don't forget that they are answerable to the shareholders to bring in ever increasing profits.

The internet revolution

Imagine all these years when the supremacy of the press was unchallenged. The editors, the journalists and reporters were in such a comfortable and commanding position to write whatever they want in the press. And the masses just had to read whatever that were in prints. Internet is such a revolution as far as spreading news and information is concerned. And the coverage of internet is world wide. Its readership can only keep on going up while the printed media is limited to a paid readership, and shrinking. China alone has 220 mil net users, surpassing the US. The talk back process, the challenge to official views, the cynicism and criticism of tooth and half truths must be quite a shocking experience to the editors and journalists. Suddenly the comfort zone vanishes and they have to face judgement day for every piece of article they write. No longer untouchables. And if they write nonsense, they will look nonsensical. It is a brave new world.

Appalled by the state of corporate governance

Theresa Goh was so appalled by the reports on corporate governance at CAO that she wrote to Today with 7 pointed questions. 1. Is it right For CAO not to appoint a CEO after the fiasco 3 years ago? 2. Is it decent for the Chairman to be given an above average remuneration in director's fees, assuming that he is de facto CEO? 3. Is it right for the CEO to appoint independent directors from his network? 4. Is it decent for Wang Kai Yuen to accept more than 14 directorships? 5. Is it right for David Gerald, Chairman of SIAS, to endorse CAO's governance standards, based on seemingly misleading statements given by them... 6. Is it decent for him to say 'There is no law that prevents them from taking up more positions so long as they can discharge their duties and make sure that the shareholders are not disappointed? This is the sad state of affairs of corporate governance.

I am so angry....and so helpless

I used to be the one that called the shot. I decide what people should read, should know and what I think they need not know. I set the agenda on what people should be thinking about, should be talking about or should not be thinking about. You see, I decide what is in the people's mind. And sometimes I tried to be generous and invite people to say what they want to say. Then I went through them and chose what was agreeable to me and allowed it to be said. And those that I did not like, I threw them in the waste paper basket. And they were so helpless. Some felt very frustrated as their pet topic would not be given a chance to be aired. Whew! I was that powerful. Not that I could not do the same things now. I am still doing the same things. But people are not listening to me anymore. They simply ignore me. They went to cyberspace and say whatever they want and to whoever they want. Things that I do not want them to say they keep on saying. And I can't do anything about it. They now set their own agenda. They think what they want to think and decide want they think is important and what is not. And there are things that I do not want them to talk about for good reasons but they keep talking about them, and fanning them. And I am powerless. I cannot throw them into the waste paper basket any more. Neither can I ignore them. It is they who are ignoring me. And they even criticise me. They dare to criticise me. My god! What is happening?

Is there a disconnect?

Just a few months before the Malaysian GE, UMNO did not see any disconnect with the people. UMNO believed that it was in an unassailable position, that the bumiputras would be strongly behind them and the opposition could not do anything about it. They kicked their BN partners on their arses. They kissed the keris in a threatening manner. They tore down temples and places of worship of non Muslims at will. They cut down education grant for schools for the non Malays, and they took and took, to fill up their bank accounts. They never saw it coming. They believe there was no disconnect. Is there a disconnect south of the causeway? No, no signs of any disconnect. The govt is with the people and the people all behind the govt. All the decisions and policies and explanations were well received by the people. So where got problem? The third pay rise for the ministers will be coming soon. All is well.

Corporate Governance raising its ugly head again

Lee Suet Fern resigned as independent director of CAO. She was unhappy about how decisions were made. It was more like a fait accompli according to a report in Today. And the Chairman doubles up as the CEO and paid an undisclosed sum. And 'the firm is said to be in contravention of the Corporate Governance Code, which requires that at least one third of the board of the directors are independent.' How could a public company be in violation of the Corporate Governance Code when there are so many eminent and highly honourable people in the board? Don't these people know that their actions are illegal? They are the cream of our society, the role models, the people that the public look up to. So what is at fault, the system or the people? A primary school kid will give you the answer immediately. And if Lee Suet Fern would not have resigned, the issue would not have come out in the open and everyone will be so happy continuing what they were doing without any sense of wrongdoing. Another point which I think is very wrong in our culture is that independent directors are there to make sure things are done right and legally. They are not supposed to run away when they see that things are going wrong or when things got foul with the law. Why would our world class infrastructure and system of transparency and accountability allow such things to get by without putting a stop to it? Are independent directors appointed only to collect money when things are ok and quickly runaway when things are going wrong, and thus absolve their responsibility? When will there be a major revamp of the independent directors system to make sure that everyone in the board of directors are held accountable for wrong doings? A parallel report by Esther Fung said SIAS 'did not determine any obvious flaws in CAO governance standards following concerns raised by Mrs Lee Suet Fern in her resignation letter last week.' The report also said CAO board 'comprised 4 reps from CAO's parent company, two reps from oil giant BP and 3 independent directors.' And that this is unprecedented. Now who is right?

Myth 179 - PAP and people disconnect

The disconnect is due mainly to the PAP government’s failure, or refusal, to understand the importance of the affective component in a government-people relationship. Indeed anything outside their sternly pragmatic, rationalist, functionalist framework is viewed as just so much unnecessary emotionalism or ideology. Catherine Lim The above quote from Catherine Lim came about after the Mas Selamat escape. Catherine concluded that the way the govt handled the issue showed that there is a disconnect between the govt and the people. It seems that what the people expected of the govt have not been met. I think this is only a single issue and is not sufficient to say that there is a disconnect. Furthermore the escape is not even crucial if a journalist's comment is to be taken seriously. So my view is that there is no disconnect. The people will likely return the govt to power in the next GE and with bigger majority. That will be the best proof that there is no disconnect between the people and the govt. And the party will go on and on. You want more proof? See, no public demonstration. And the online petition calling for Kan Seng's resignation is not even receiving any support. Neither were there a flood of letters in the ST forum page criticising the way the govt is handling the case. Case proven. Case closed.

Investigative journalism

If our journalists are running out of ideas or what to write, do a little investigative journalism on this case. Many things could be revisited. Many people could be interviewed. And we will have a great strong from another dimension.

Put frugality into practice

Why must people be made to pay for more luxurious things that they do not want? The current mindset is that if you have money, you must spend, pay for comfort or eat sharksfin even if you don't want to. This kind of prodigous thought must be abolished. Frugality is a virtue, thrift is a virtue. There is nothing wrong for people who want to save. Lily Chan-Wong Jee Choo, Acting Dep Director, HDB, replied to a Song Yee Soon who called for a revision of the $8000 income ceiling for HDB buyers. She said there are many choices available to high income earners in the resale and open market. Yes, sure. But why should these people be penalised just because they are earning more? Penalised for being more able? What if they are first time buyers? When the housing problems are almost solved, it is timely to doing away with this policy of higher income must buy bigger and more expensive flats. Why can't higher income earners choose to live in smaller flats? Why must spend everything or hang a millstone over one's neck?

Sorry not enough

Several UMNO Youth Branches are calling for Hishammuddin to resign for his keris kissing antics and causing the lost of confidence from other BN supporters. Kadar Shah Sulaiman Ninam Shah said about 90 branch and 25 divisional leaders made the call after Hishammuddin's apology and admission of his mistake. Actually Abdullah is paying for the sins of Mahathir, Hishammuddin and Khairy. The poor PM is being asked to resign for inheriting problems caused by other UMNO leaders. Now this is definitely unfair. Abdullah is a moderate leader, not an extremist. Given a chance, Abdullah could bring Malaysia forward in a more democratic way. It is time the wrongdoers be made to pay for their sins, not Abdullah.

Looking for a closure?

BN Balji wrote a piece titled, 'Looking for closure in Mas Selamat case.' Many would like a closure quickly. But many more will want to see more if the mood in cyberspace is to go by. Princess Diana's death has still yet to see a closure after so many years. And with so many questions unanswered or unsatisfactorily answered, would a closure now be acceptable? Balji answered his own question. 'That will come when fugitive is found and the issue of culture is dissected.' What does he meant by issue of culture? Actually the issue of culture today is money culture. If one is prepared to demand to be paid in millions, the expectancy of the people is equally high and unforgiving for mistakes of such a nature. Many are now obsessed by the equation of responsibility and money. The more the money, the higher the responsibility. It cannot be otherwise. We need to address this issue of money culture thoroughly in order to appease the angry people. There is no free lunch.

Addressing higher payments instead of cost

By 1 Dec the basic Medishield premium will just go up. It will just go up, like it or not, object or not. It has so been decided. And it is so cheap, $1 more a month for the young and only $40 a month for those above 80. Hey that is $480 more a year above what they are paying now. This is what happens when you have no control over your CPF or Medisave. A ruling, and your money disappears. No one is interested in addressing the cost of medical fees but on how to make you pay. How much will Medishield be expected to pay out? ICU claims from $200 to $900, surgical implants like pacemakers and hip replacement form $2,500 to $7,000. Or not happy can opt out. Can anyone afford to opt out and risk being bankrupted with this kind of medical fees? The increase premium also means that the patients are now able to afford to pay more. This also means that hospital can also afford to charge more. But no sweat. According to one reitiree who was so glad, he said he did not feel any pinch because the premium was paid by his Medisave. My 85 year old mum was even happier. She said it was free. No need to pay because CPF was paying. But for the millions of CPF account holders, millions were paid from their CPF, like it or not, use it or not. Everyone is paying in advance. So cheap.

The new agenda

Worst recession is coming, tighten belt, prepare for more retrenchment. And the new catchphrase is frugality. The Ah Sohs have been interviewed and appeared on TV talking about cutting down on their expenses, checking prices and go for the cheapest food stuff. Everyone is worried and is saving every cent they could. What, a few months back we were clapping and cheering that we are living in our golden years. Or was it a golden mirage? Why everything is so gloomy and dark? Don't be deceived by such thoughts. Many are still buying the new Ferrari or Lamborghini or the new pleasure boat just because it is a new model. And they already have a few in their garages or in the marina clubs. Many are living the Swiss standard of living and all these little increases in petrol or rice is of no significance. It only affects the Ah Peks and Ah Sohs in the hardlands. While we should be happy for those who are having a good time, lets do something for these hardlanders when living is really going to get worst. What is the point of saving a few cents or a few dollars when one admission into a hospital could wipe out their life savings? Why still insist that people must pay for the most expensive wards that they are deemed to be able to afford? Lets be frugal. Frugality is good. Lets put it into practice. People who want to save every cent must be encouraged to do so. Provide more C wards and do away with the mean thing.

Defending Kan Seng

The divide between cyberspace and msm is stark. One is outright in demanding that Kan Seng accepts full responsibility and resign. The other is saying that he should not take the blame and should stay on, be given a second chance. I just did a straw poll on ST readers and 78% supported Kan Seng to stay on. 11% said he should do the honourable thing to resign. And 11% said someone should resign but not necessary Kan Seng. My straw poll is from the comments of 9 people appearing in the ST. Take it with a pinch of salt. What about the kopitiams and the private talks? Generally many were very cynical about the whole affair and their stand, though not saying much, is more for someone high up to take the rap. What is surprising is that in Parliament seatings, no one spoke out in defence of Kan Seng except for Hsien Loong. Other than those who asked uncomfortable questions, the rest were just too shock to take a stand. From ministers to MPs, their position as to whether Kan Seng should or should not resign was a complete silence. Perhaps some of you may read somewhere that there were MPs or Ministers who spoke out for Kan Seng. No one seems to be able to 'cho swee swee' and come out with an amicable position to please the public outrage, I mean the internet outrage, and at the same time leaving Kan Seng where he is. The position of msm at this point, when the heat is at its worst, to come out with a stand like Chua Lee Hoong, only helped to antagonise those who want to see Kan Seng's resignation. It is better to let the heat subside a little, when tempers are less likely to flare before saying something to the contrary. Sometimes not saying anything is better than adding fuel to the fire.

Hishamuddin apologises

After one and a half months of soul searching, think he found his soul, Hishamuddin apologised for his antics in keris kissing. He could not believe that kissing a keris can be so deadly, that it will cause the downfall of UMNO. He explained that his apology to the non Malays, 'for being frightened of a symbol, which was not my intention.' And to the Malays, 'for not being able to defend a heritage symbol.' So the reason for the kissing of the keris was only to defend a heritage symbol and nothing else. And when asked if he will kiss the keris again, he said he could not guarantee that he would not do it again. Next week 100 Malay organisations will hold a conference to defend Malay rights in Johore Bahru.

We cannot raise your salary

I mean we cannot raise the workers' salary to meet the rising cost of living. Everything is going up but your salary cannot go up. We will lose our competitiveness. The no jobs how? And your problem? What's your problem? Oh, money not enough. Then you should think of ways to make money enough. Buy cheaper stuff, tighten belt, eat lesser, spend lesser, stay at home, don't bathe and save water. Or learn from Redbean, eat instant noodles and 3 in 1, housebrand is better and cheaper.

Diversity is bad at national level

I notice this interesting quote in the ST this morning. 'The incongruity of posting an apology in Chinese to viewers of a wholly Tamil programme appears to have been lost on the service provider.' Narayana Narayana was reacting to Starhub's apology in English and a translation in Chinese for a breakdown of a Tamil programme in SunTV Channel 29. I agree that Tamil do not read Chinese and it is nonsensical to use a Chinese translation for this. Of course the stubborn would argue that some Chinese also watch Tamil programme. The point I am pushing is that in the future, any breakdown of programme in Channel 8 will be accompanied by apologies in Hokien,Cantonese, Hakka, Teochew etc etc. if we are not careful. And as we bring in more foreigners, they too will demand to be recognised. This is the problem that we must be careful not to for into. It would be better to have lesser differences and seek a common ground than to accentuate our differences and pander to ethnic and racial emotions and sympathies. It will lead to greater problems in the future. We must put an end to all the calls to cater for all the differences of ethnic groups. Staying on with 4 official languages is already too much of a problem. Anything more is like opening a can of worms. Just keep such interests within talking cock sessions at home or in private. The individuals can do what they want at their own time and expenses. The state shall not be a party for such digression.

Mas escape nothing crucial

Chua Lee Hoong's article this morning said that there were more crucial issues than the escape. So let's move on and stop bugging Kan Seng. She took to task all the abuses and indiscriminate and unwarranted calls in cyberspace for Kan Seng to resign. And this is how she justified her stand. The buck must stop somewhere, otherwise we will have no ministers left in no time. I must agree on this if the frequency of mistakes is going to grow. Or I can disagree as the ministers and all the supertalents will not allow mistakes like this to happen. 'But the Mas Selamat escape? What loss has there been, except that of face - mostly?' I never thought that people are seeing this from the angle of losing face. And no loss? Would the loss of a dangerous terrorist that wanted to bomb an SIA plane be something? According to Chua Lee Hoong, Mas is not a homicidal maniac, and would not be a danger to the Singapore public. OK I agree. Then he should not be in the detention centre in the first place. And there is no need to mount an island wide search for more than a month. How many manhours were involved, the cost of mounting the search and the collateral damage of inconveniencing people and businesses and the loss of businesses. The best part of her article is this para. 'The escape has been a big stain on the reputation of the MHA. But it has been a lesser stain on the reputation of Singapore. We hold ourselves as more infallible than the world holds us. If you talk to businessmen and investors, the escape has been no more than an interesting interlude, with no impact on their business decisions.' This I fully agree with her. It is so interesting and amusing. Now why is everyone getting so excited about this interesting interlude and went to Parliament to challenge Kan Seng, and so many red faces? I must call for an immediate stand down to all the searches and all the nonsense appearing in cyberspace. Should anyone blame the msm for making a mole hill out of this interesting and not crucial interlude?

An interesting discovery on the mysterious escape

One interesting point that I gather from yesterday's article by Teh Joo Lin and Chong Chee Kin is that they did not know which route he took to escape. There was no evidence in the scene to confirm anything. According to American crime scene expert Gary Rini, 'endless possibilities of forensic evidence could remain at a scene, including hair, fibres, fingerprints, DNA and footprints.' And he 'was puzzled by the lack of forensic evidence but said that the question was how soon the team had been called in.' So did he or did he not escaped? Or how did he escape? The CCTV, the silent sentinel could not say anything. The escape may be answered by the discovery of his baju kurung in the forest. So Mas Selamat first took out his pants, then his baju kurung. He must be running around naked. Could he be wearing two layers of clothing and the gurkhas or any of the officers could not notice this? Just try to put on two shirts and two pants and you will get an obvious answer immediately. Is this an exercise to test the gullibility of Singaporeans?

The fear of the uncertain future

'A Malaysian friend from the state of Selangor just told me that he had been pleasantly surprised at the way that the general elections had turned out. ”For years we were told that if the opposition came into power, there would be chaos and bloodshed, that they’re troublemakers,” he said. For fear of instability, he – and his family – had always voted for the governing alliance – Barisan Nasional (BN) – including in the most recent election. He had done so despite realising that BN was doing a lousy job, he added. “Fear of trouble made us shun the opposition. Now we know better.” The picture in the immediate aftermath has turned out surprisingly well. No one, of course, can predict the future, ....' The above are extracts from an article by Seah Chiang Nee in www.littlespeck.com. He was discussing the recent Malaysian GE and its aftermath. Singaporeans have also been told of a similar situation should the opposition wins and form a new govt. There will be trouble, investors will flee because of the uncertainties, instability will take over, Singapore women folks will become maids in other countries. And of course the unspoken, the opposition will be bad govt and will squander the countries savings away, ie our CPF savings. So the only right thing to do for kiasu and kiasi Singaporeans is to vote for the same party and govt to ensure continuity, stability and prosperity,...and no trouble.

Notable quote by Chua Mui Hoong

'Sometimes...the harder course is to face down the calls to resign, stay put - and win the war.' Chua Mui Hoong Chua Mui Hoong mentioned the above quote when comparing British Defence Secretaty Joh Nott who offered to resign during the Falkland War, actually recolonisation of the Falklands, with the call for Kan Seng to resign. All CEOs who are getting multi million dollar salary should frame this up and hang it in their offices just in case. It is a good piece of pragmatic advice.

Move over Mas Selamat

The most search name in cyberspace is now Wong Kan Seng. The name has knocked Mas Selamat to second place. And printing firms have been receiving orders to print photos of Wong Kan Seng onto T shirts and mugs for sale. We now have another cult personality that is bigger than mediacorp stars.

A little uneasiness

This is what I heard after a tree planting day. A little special tree would be chosen for a minister to hold a spade or a pail of water for photo shooting. After that a little plague would be placed beside the young tree saying, 'This tree was planted by Minister Bu Zhang on 25 April 2008.' Ah Goo actually dug the hole. Ahmad carried the young tree from the nursery and Muthu did all the watering. Now the three were unhappy. They want their names on the plague also. They want the plague to read, 'This tree was planted by Minister Bu Zhang and Ah Goo, Ahmad and Muthu on 25 April 2008.' They all want to share a little credit for doing the actual work. Never mind that their names come after the minister.

The Gurkhas

There is an article in the ST today about the Maoist govt in Nepal and a new policy on not allowing gurkhas to serve in foreign countries as mercenaries. It also told about the fearless, courageous and loyal traits of the gurkhas. One thing it missed is that gurkhas made poor guards. They are good fighting soldiers, but behave like school boys when on guard duties. When something happens, they will run to the teacher and ask what to do. They do not know how to react on the spot. They are unthinking, only good at taking orders. It is proven in the Mas Selamat case. They did not know that the basic rule in guarding dangerous prisoners is not to let them out of sight. Never. But they did. The gurkhas should be deployed only in the battle fields to do combat.

What is $5 mil?

Do we want Selamat back? Yes? Do we want him back badly? Yes...No? For a mere $5 mil, the whole world will be searching for him. Why are we stinging on this little money? Not our policy! We have not done that. It was not our policy to have casinos. It was not our policy to pay ministers in millions. It was not our policy to be a welfare state. What else is not our policy or was not our policy? I Selamat is that dangerous, think of the damages that he can cause. A mere $5 mil is small change and very good value for money. The two months of search for Selamat must have gone past that amount.

The sacrificial lamb

The COI Report is a statement of failure. It is an open admission that the people managing the detention centre are amateurish, idiots, untrained, unthinking and simply did not know what they were doing. And the centre is designed to assist detainees to escape. It is that bad. Why would such a blatant admission of fault be made public? Who is the one who paid the heaviest price as the guilty party? Who is the sacrificial lamb? Some called the report bold, some horrendous. It was a revelation of an unpleasant truth that is waiting to be told, of a system that is failing but still believes that it is the best. Like the NKF, it is a miniature replica of the failure of a larger system. A system built on the belief that everyone is supertalent and need to be paid like superman. Maybe I am wrong. There are many supermen and superwomen, but all flying around in the cloud nine. At ground zero, it is another world. The world of the peasants and workers who are good enough to tighten belt everyday and with a head that is as empty as their stomach.

Singaporeans are control freaks

We are crazy in this area. We want to control everything. And if we are not controlling others, we want others to control us. We cannot leave things alone. There must be rules and regulations to guide our life. The internet is formless and without boundary. It is literary in vitual space. It is only a little more than what is in our mind, our thoughts, because of the network it resides in, the server and memory disc. Why then should it be regulated? Why is it that Singaporeans expect that it should be regulated? And why ask for it? This is a wrong premise to start with. Asking to be controlled is conceding that it should be controlled. There are enough rules and regulations, laws etc to manage our life. Slanders, libels, mischiefs, frauds, vandalism, whatever, in cyberspace can land one in the court of law. Cyberspace should be left alone as it its. Caveat emptor, the bloggers or forumers are owners of their posts and responsible for themselves. Let the offenders and offended parties track down the culprits and bring them to the court. It will be another lucratic economic activity for the business minded. My view is to leave cyberspace alone. There is no need for additional rules and regulations. Cyberspace has no physical footprint, no territorial space, and should be that way. We must remove this control mentality in us. Why allow people to control us? Is it so good to be controlled? Actually cyberspace cannot be controlled. At best one can blog out the site or go after the owner by tracking him down if he violates any existing laws. Do we want people to control our thoughts?

What an Editorial piece!

TOC Editorial: Government’s lack of accountability bad for the PAP, worse for Singapore Posted by theonlinecitizen on April 23, 2008 The above TOC article is something that the msm cannot match. It has so much bite and so much common sense. If cyberspace is going to keep churning out articles like that, who would still bother to read the msm?

Crisis in leadership

We went through the NKF fiasco quite successfully. When the issue was in the open, Boon Wan quite decisively made a statement that no one will be spared. The message was clear that the wrong doers would be dealt with. They were dealt with. There were attempts to link it to the govt as a failure to prevent it from coming. But this did not hit off as the line was clear, a NGO charitable organisation. The current crisis is about the Home Ministry. There was a moment when no one was sure where it would lead to. Now the target is Kan Seng. There is even a petition calling for his resignation. A reminder of what happened in the NKF crisis. The subsequent events, the way the COI was delivered in Parliament, were not received well. It was the fault of the window, it was the fault of the Gurkhas, the poor design of the detention centre and many other lapses. Yes, a confluence of failures that led to the escape. It gave the impression that Kan Seng was a third party looking into the matter. And this was noticed earlier when the COI was formed. The Home Ministry investigating its own affair, unlike the Health Ministry investigating the wrongdoings of NKF. Wonder if it would help if Kan Seng had said, it was my men, my ministry that committed the lapses. Anyway, when Hsien Loong absolved Kan Seng and stopped the buck at the detention centre, the reaction was kind of a, what's that? The scene shifted. It is now a leadership issue. Would this issue develop into a full blown leadership crisis? The tension on the ground is simmering. This could be worst than the NKF crisis. I think damage control is in operation. I just browse through this morning's Today paper and there was not a single news on the issue. The silence is very telling.

A new era of cooperation

The wind of change is blowing strong, and positively. Abdullah is pondering on the possibility of cooperating with the opposition. Why not, 'If there is no clash in policies, then perhaps it opens the way to cooperate.' He said. This is in response to the opposition offering Gerakan's Lee Kah Choon to head two opposition run development and investment organisations in Penang. The conciliatory gestures are healthy for democracy and the increasing maturing of a polity and the politicians. Politicians can clash during election on issues, but can still work together. In fact this is the basis on which democracy is supposed to work. Confrontation and vindictive politiking belong to third world countries when the rulers are basically thugs or mafia chieftains.