Happy Lunar New Year to everyone

祝大家新年快乐

These are two of my rar arts from the Bloodline Series. Both are untitled. Maybe I shall call them Chinese New Year Celebration I and II.

PM Lee: We are all in this together

The Parliament has passed the White Paper for 6.9m population in 2030 with all 77 PAP MPs voting yea. And Hsien Loong proudly said, 'We are all in this together.' Do the people have a say or a choice not to be part of this madness?

I think Hsien Loong forgot to complete his sentence, 'We are all in this together, all 77 of us.' Did he know that the opposition MPs and the NMPs +NCMPs are not in this together? Did he know that the majority of the citizens are not in this together with his 77 MPs? According to the mini poll conducted in this blog, 97% were not together with him. And this can be confirmed by the number of people that have indicated that they will be attending the protest rally on 16 Feb at Hong Lim Park.

The attendance in this rally is probably one of the most important event in the history of this island. The cramming of additional 2m people into the island in the last 10 years went on sneakily without the consent of the people. The influx of foreigners were allowed in by the Govt and causing a lot of hardship, dislocation and disruption on the lives of the citizens. High cost of living, high property prices, high COEs, congestion, competition for space and services and straining of the infrastructure, transport systems and facilities, are getting on the nerves of the people. The patience of an otherwise very kiasu, kiasi and kiachenghu people has reached a BTH state, beh tahan liao.

And Hsien Loong said 'We are all in this together.' Really? This statement is going to rile more angry protestors. We are all NOT in this together. Wait for the voices of the people at the protest rally to be heard.

Gilbert Goh, the organiser of the protest is overwhelmed. He thought it would be the usual 200 crowd. Now the feedback is not even 2000 but many times more. The news of a massive turnout has wetted the interests of the international media and all the big guys will be there to report on this event.

The Singapore Spring has finally arrived, prompted or initiated by courtesy of the Govt through the highly unpopular White Paper.

77 MPs voted in favour of the White Paper

The very unpopular White Paper on future population in the island was passed yesterday with 77 for, 11 nay and 1 abstained. At least two PAP MPs were not present, LKY and Inderjit Singh. PAP has 80 MPs in Parliament. 79 PAP MPs were counted, 77 +2. Who is missing? All opposition MPs and NMPs voted against except for the diplomatic Eugene Tan who chose to abstain. The house is divided with PAP against the others on this population issue.

It is clear that the only way for a PAP MP not to vote along party line is to be absent with valid excuses, like LKY and Inderjit. Those who are present in Parliament would have to vote accordingly no matter if they agree or disagree with the motion or even spoke against it. Is this enough to confirm that no PAP MP can be an independent MP, to vote according to his belief and conscience, or be his own man or woman, to take a stand against the party position?

The fate of this island having 6.9m population is sealed. We are going to get more foreigners into the country to maintain a strong Sinkie core. They are here for the good of Sinkies. ‘We are doing it for Singaporeans…’ I got goose pimples hearing these words spoken by politicians.

The attractiveness of Singapore as a production and business centre

Singapore is what it is today not just because of cheap labour. There are many factors that make Singapore a very attractive and business friendly country. Thanks to the Govt, we have a very pro business climate, good infrastructure, good govt rules and regulations, ease of doing business with negligible corruption, transparency, good labour, govt and business relations and a highly educated workforce. English is the common language for govt, business and social activities. The legal system is based on the British model that many developed countries are familiar with. There is hardly any restriction on the transfer of money, ease of transport and communication system, good international connectivity and a very safe and clean and liveable environment. It is so easy to just move in and live in this city. The tax rate is about the lowest in the world.

With so many advantages, even the high cost of living is not too much an issue. We have full employment. There is really no need to create more employment unless the Govt is thinking of increasing the population/workforce which means more jobs are needed. If the population is more or less capped at the present level, even with some leaving, the employment situation is unlikely to be seriously affected. Any company that leaves will likely to be replaced quickly by more productive and higher value added companies. 

The Govt could use this opportunity to restructure the economy, allow the less productive and labour intensive companies to leave. Those that need cheap labour and could not live without them can also leave. Those companies that think they could operate in this city will still come. With our highly educated workforce, the high value added companies would not have problem fitting in to benefit from all the first class facilities and advantages this country is providing. The country should keep upgrading, keep the population at the current level without straining on the infrastructure and resources, and raising the income level of the workforce at the same time.

There is no need to keep relying on cheap labour industries that are not paying well. That is an area that the country has moved away from and should not return to. The jobs and pay they are creating are worthless numbers that we can do without. Whatever residual companies, let them be, and if they are not competitive, let them move to neigbouring countries to tap on their cheaper workforce and infrastructure if they find it difficult to get cheap labour. 

We need to attract good quality companies with high paying jobs for our graduates from the universities and tertiary institutions. Otherwise these graduates will be competing for lower and cheaper jobs with cheaper PMETs with lower quality papers and qualifications. We have world class universities churning out quality graduates not to be cheap labour.

By keeping the population at this level, many of the land and facilities can be improved without straining them and without incurring huge infrastructure development cost. The large reclamation of land and housing may not be necessary or less will be needed. This is also in a way a chicken and egg situation, one feeding on the other.

Singapore is a very attractive place to live and do business without being cheap. We don’t have to sell this country as cheap and good. We are good and very good. Many rich and famous would want to be here and live here. Let’s throw away the mantra of CBF. Lets be expensive and good and high paying. We are already expensive in many ways and the businesses are still coming. We can be selective, not grabbing the cheap and less productive ones. Does this argument make sense?

What do you think?

Hong Lim Park Protest

I just like to have a feel on how many people may be attending the Hong Lim Park Protest on the White Paper. The rally is on Sat 16 Feb 13 at 4.30 pm. The Poll is on the right.

And also click the advertisement for my breakfast. Thank you.

Redbean

What makes a citizen Singaporean?

This has never been an issue, but it is now. The amount of privileges and public money given to new citizens as subsidies and national bonuses, the priority in housing when some true blue Sinkies are not even allowed to buy, is becoming a big pain in the neck for the real citizens of the country they built and they sacrificed for. What the fuck is happening to my country? Why are citizens, the original citizens being treated as second class citizens, being disadvantaged by new citizens and even PRs and foreigners? Does the Govt know this, or does the Govt know that it is the cause of all these unfair treatments against its very own citizens it is supposed to look after?

The facetious remarks made by some MPs and Tan Chuan Jin are rude and offensive to Singaporeans, I mean the true blue Singaporeans. The examples raised of Amy Khor, Chen Show Mao and some ministers were selective examples that evade the angst and anger of the people. Don’t evade the main issue, the real pain the people are feeling. It is the new citizens that the people are fed up with when they are given so many privileges at the expense of the true blue Singaporeans.

You are not a citizen like one of us if you don’t serve NS when you could. You are not a citizen when you evade NS. Don’t come up with craps that you are saving babies and helping the economies by working in your profession. NS is the rite of passage to citizenship for male citizens. NS is the badge of honour, the common path that all male citizens will have to take as their contribution to nationhood. Do not degrade and abuse NS as something else when you have not donned the uniform, to train, to defend and to be maimed or die for this country.

All new citizens, using an arbitrary figure of 5 or 10 years, must not receive the same subsidies and handouts as true blue Singaporeans. All male citizens that are eligible to do NS but did not is not deserving to be a citizen and must not be allowed to hold senior positions in public office, especially to be seated in Parliament.

Our little island is now flooded with millions of new citizens and the number is going up. If we do not make a difference between the new citizens and true blue citizens, we will be short changing ourselves, selling our rights away.

White Paper – Don’t listen to snake oil salesmen

The debate on the 6.9m population is getting heated up in Parliament. The position of the PAP is that without the more than 1m foreigners coming into the workforce, the city will sink and Sinkies will really be sinking. Our reputation will be impaired, MNCs threatening to pull out, hundreds of thousands of jobs lost, standard of living will go down, and they forgot to add that our women folks will all become maids in foreign countries. What else is new? Crying wolf to little children?

97% of Sinkies have said no to this outrageous scheme of turning our country into a foreigners hub. Are the 97% population so stupid and the handful of snake oil salesmen genius, the white knights that are here to save the people and country? I have written a piece about the restructuring of our economy in the early days when many of these wise men were still playing golies or flying kites. Didn’t they know that we have gone through a very critical phase of skills upgrading to high value added jobs to raise the income of our workers? When has this country turned into another cheap labour joint?

Restructuring the economy…if you can remember

Many seniors would remember how Jurong Industrial Town started. It was primary industries, some heavy industries and many were labour intensive industries. When we started to industrialise, labour intensive industries were the only thing available even if the pay was low. There were plentiful of not well educated workers available and needed jobs. We were competing for investments by being cheap and good.

This went on for a decade or two before China opened up. Our immediate neighbours too were encouraging low cost industries to locate there. The writing was on the wall. We could not compete based on cheap labour. Productivity was the key to lift the economy and industries to the next level. The Govt consciously allowed, or no choice, when many labour intensive garment and electronics companies uprooted to cheaper sources of labour. We have the National Productivity Board, famously known as NPB, to boost productivity.

The Govt went on to attract high value added industries here. We promote ourselves as a hub for knowledge based industries. Highly educated and high quality workers and higher pay. We have to compete at a different level to survive. No more cheap labour!

Some years ago the NPB’s name was changed to Spring. I am wondering what the hell that word meant. It cannot be an Arab Spring or Singapore Spring. But what was clear, Productivity is no longer the key word. And the productivity of the industries and economies actually got buried and forgotten. Productivity has gone to sleep. Whatever GDP growth there was is now directly related to the number of workers, skilled, unskilled and low skilled, that are brought into the country. There is nothing to do with productivity but low cost.

Since when have we become a low cost production centre and cheap labour joint and trying to compete with our neighbours and giants like China, India and Indonesia, and even Malaysia? And why are there so many low cost industries here today and now trying to blackmail the Govt not to restrict the inflow of cheap labour? Why is the Govt not doing the same as in the early 80s, to shift out the labour intensive and cheap labour industries? Or how did so many of these industries creep into this knowledge based economy in the first place?

Would the Govt got weak knees and beg the MNCs to stay put? Please don’t go, we will obey and let you have whatever you want. We will import more cheap labour?

What is happening?

When we were all Sinkies

There was a time when we were all Sinkies, some like to call themselves Singaporeans. Every Sinkie was equal in many ways. The males got thrown into the back of 3 tonners and taken to some God forsaken place they had never been in their lives, put on some green uniforms and went charging up Pengkang Hill, with gusto, sleeping in grave yards and in the mud, under rain or shine. There were complaints of tough training and all, $90 allowance and meals that were churned out by cooks that barely knew how to boil water. They were lucky when the Inche in the cook house did the real cooking to have something nicer to fill their stomach. But they went home and slept well. They were later discharged after completing their NS, ROD and so happy.

They accepted their duties to serve the country, to die for the country. Many unfortunate parents did not see their sons any more. They gave up their lives for the country while training to defend the country. Some came back unrecognizable, with parts of the body missing. And many continue to serve the country as reservists. There were still complaints, but all took them in their stride. They were NS men, the country and the people depended on them should the day come for them to be at the front line.

Those were the days when everyone was a citizen, and everyone was equal.

Today they are still serving NS but less equal than foreigners that are called FTs and PRs, or new citizens. While they are slogging in the fields, in the jungles, in some foreign lands, the foreigners are taking over their jobs, some even taking over their wives and girlfriends or girls that could have been their wives. Foreigners who took up citizenships need not serve NS but got all the perks and handouts like the NSmen and the native citizens. And foreigners could even be ahead of the queue for public housing. And many of these shitty NSmen are not even eligible to buy a public housing flat. And they are to protect the country, the new citizens and the PRs and what not.

Why are the NSmen not complaining, or why are they complaining? Why are they feeling disillusioned or cheated, short changed, or being less equal in their country compare to new citizens and PRs? Why are the NSmen angry?

Why like that?

An ageing population is a triumph of development.

‘We should stop seeing elderly Singaporeans as just a drain on our economy and as a hindrance to our goal to keep Singapore dynamic. Older Singaporeans have much to offer us, and not all of it can be measured in economic terms.

In fact, our elderly Singaporeans are essential to maintaining a Singapore core. Older Singaporeans are custodians of culture and, as some have suggested, can be employed in schools to teach subjects such as social studies and national education, or encouraged to volunteer to do so. This is also a way of encouraging cross-generational sharing and learning, particularly in a society where family trends are shifting and there may be less opportunities for inter-generational sharing within the family.’….

I like this part of Chen Show Mao’s paper. The senior citizens are not a waste or rubbish waiting to be thrown away. Many are a store house of information and history. The accumulated experience in them is wisdom that cannot be found in the text books.

And with today’s medical advancement and the quality of life, many are very healthy and can go on till 70 or 80. I see myself going on to 70 without much stress. And many of the seniors are in such shape but thinking that their days are over, as society or govt has so fixed, and thus wasting their times in club houses or playing golf. Many can still be gainfully employed if they so choose.

The employment policies of the govt and private organizations, public and private institutions, should cater for this mindset change to welcome more seniors back to the work force. Many are financially sufficient and do not need abundance of money to work. A decent salary will be enough to keep them happy. By so doing, the labour cost could be lowered and more seniors would be independent instead of being a liability. And there is lesser need for foreigner to support a bigger ageing population when more are supporting themselves. When seniors are working till 70 or 80, they are economically active and contributing and supporting the economy as well. Isn’t that good?

There must be a serious conviction and commitment to restructure the workforce, to retain more people in the workforce for as long as possible. After all we have become an economic animal and working to death is our new mantra. Just look at the cleaners in the foodcourt will do. This, couple with the savings in their CPF or in their bank accounts or assets, the data on ageing population to be supported by a bigger and younger pool of workforce, particularly the PMETs, and that’s what our seniors will be as we move ahead, is thus misleading. There are many PMET jobs that are not directly related to ageing. The new seniors are knowledge based seniors. Many are armed with professional and tertiary degrees and wide ranging skills and knowledge. They are no longer the artisans or coolies of the past.

Think sinkie first and as the WP suggested, think of tapping the pool of the seniors and those females that can participate in the economy. Cut down on the one track mind of relying on foreigners. It is a drug, a bad habit. Kick the habit. Don’t be lazy, think harder.

Pro Sinkie or pro foreigner policies better

The WP proposal put up by Chen Show Mao came under immediate attack by the PAP bench. The WP’s proposal is basically to tap on the big pool of unemployed or underemployed Sinkies to the sum of 1.2m people. These people can go to waste, remain unemployed or underemployed but could be economically productive if they are returned to the workforce. What is so wrong with this? Why ignore them totally?

The PAP’s White Paper is about bringing in more foreigners, diluting the Sinkie element to about 50% by 2030. Between the two proposals, which one is more pro Sinkie and which is more pro foreigner?

Can the WP proposal work, fully, partially, it would mean more Sinkies in the workforce and lesser need to import more foreigners. Why can’t the PAP look into it to see if there are some merits and useful recommendations that can be incorporated into the bigger plan? Why must it be rejected lock, stock and barrel? NG!

Can the PAP proposal be moderated? Is it a no way out option that without the huge influx of foreigners, it cannot work? The foreigner content seems to be the core of the future workforce. And the foreigners are really here to improve the core of Sinkies by reducing the percentage of Sinkies in the country? I have a bit of problem trying to disentangle the logic or fallacy of the arguments.

The wayang in Parliament

The WP has stoically spoken against the White Paper but still conceded to 5.9m people. Several PAP MPs also spoken against the 6.9m population. Among the notables who were not in favour are Christopher De Souza, Arthur Fong and Seah Kian Peng who spoke out strongly about the population projection. Inderjit Singh also wanted the Govt to take a breather to solve the present cumulated problems before embarking on such an ambitious projection. There are more than 40 PAP MPs who are scheduled to speak on the subject.

This White Paper is a good test case to see how independent PAP MPs could be from party stand and whether they can be their own men or women, to speak and vote against party position. The proof is in the pudding. If they are only able to speak but still got to vote along party line, then in the future no PAP candidate should feel so free to declare he is an independent man and would stand on his beliefs, values and principles, even voting against the party if he feels strongly against an issue.

We have seen four PAP MPs so far, and may there be more to come, and the findings could be based on a larger sample size.

97% responded to Poll on the 6.9m population

621 bloggers have voted in the one week Poll on whether they are for or against the 6.9m population in the White Paper. 604 said no, 15 said yes, and 2 said dunno. If this sample is a true representation of the people’s feeling against the population increase, it means an overwhelming majority of the citizens opposed such a big population for the country. And the respondents here are not the unthinking and uneducated Ah Pek and Ah Mah but well read and mostly well informed PMETs.

From feedbacks in cyberspace, not much in the main media, and even from what some MPs in Parliament said, including those from the PAP, the majority of the citizens is against this move. Would the Govt take heed of the citizens’ position and make amendments to the White Paper? Though the Govt is claiming that this is only a number for the planners, it has not come up with a target population size for the people to take note. What is the number that the Govt is working on?

The WP has spoken that it does not support 6.9m but maybe 5.9m. What Govt is avoiding to say is the optimum population size that it wants for the island. The undertone in the White Paper is that 6.9m is workable even if it is the worst case scenario. The infrastructure is being prepared for 6.9m.

Can the people have a say in the final number? Would the Govt want to ask the people, in a referendum perhaps, on what is the number that the people want and abide by the wishes of the people? Be it 5m, 6m or 7m, these are numbers that can be workable and can be the parameters for the restructuring of the economy and the lifestyle and quality of life of the people. Any number would have its pros and cons. It is not an absolute good or bad number, but the bigger number is seen as being too crowded and undesirable. The final number must be what the citizens want and be comfortable with, not what the Govt wants.

Would the Govt seek the people’s view and consent? Or it is already cast in stone?

Repost from TRE, article by Mr N D

I have reposted this article from TRE which I think many Sinkies are in the same fate, victims of the Govt policies.

HDB unfair policy: I’d rather trade places with PRs


HDB

There is something seriously wrong with a country that penalises its citizens and fawns at foreigners. One such flawed policy which clearly demonstrates this is HDB’s policy on the eligibility to buy new flats.

Under HDB’s policy, a family nucleus consisting of at least one Singapore Citizen is eligible to buy a flat direct from HDB. This means that a family nucleus consisting of PRs can effectively buy a direct HDB flat as long as one of them is a citizen.

This is an unfair policy that allows foreigners to exploit loopholes in the system. A foreigner who buys a flat direct from HDB (with another citizen) effectively enjoys the subsidy which a citizen enjoys because he buys the flat at a subsidised rate. In addition, he enjoys the novelty of owning a brand new unit.

I am a citizen in my twenties. I do know of university peers who are permanent residents. They are two years younger than me because they did not have to do national service. Now, they are the future co-owners of HDB BTO units because they applied for BTO units with citizen counterparts. Also to note, their income was beneath the income ceiling, one of the eligibility criteria to buy a flat. I myself with my partner, also a citizen, are not eligible because our combined income is higher than the income ceiling. Even in the HDB resale market, we are not eligible for any subsidies.

This is great injustice. While I have spent 2 years of my youth in NS and am saddled with ongoing NS reservist liabilities which is disruptive to my career, I am worse off than a free-loading foreigner. The foreigner pays less taxes because of his lower income but is unreasonably rewarded simply because he meets the income ceiling criteria. He enjoys the full subsidy and perks of buying a flat direct from HDB which only a citizen should enjoy. The foreigner did not have to provide any service or commitment to this country to earn this subsidy.

Singapore is now facing a shortage of housing supply. This policy has to be reviewed to put as many citizens first, and to prevent the wrongful disbursements of subsidies to undeserving persons.

I read with interest about suggestions by the Ministry of National Development to raise the income ceiling for buying of HDB flats. However, this must be complemented with more stringent criteria of disallowing PRs from being co-owners of direct HDB flats. Otherwise, the raising of the income ceiling would also mean more foreigners unjustly enriching themselves through this loophole.

In that case, I would rather trade places with my PR peers. Singapore citizenship would be nothing but a liability.

Mr N D

How can there be a worst case scenario of 6.9m?

Our current population is 5.3m. How can this population shoot to 6.9m? The local population of 3.3m is unlikely to double by 2030. At less than 2.1% fertility rate, or 1.2%, the local population can hardly replace itself and likely to be not more than 4m. So where is the 2.9m coming from? It must be from immigration, the new citizens, the PRs, the E pass holders etc.

Only by import can the population grow to 6.9m. Now who controls the import of foreigners to add to the population? Every foreigner coming into the country must be approved by the Govt. The only reason for foreigners to increase sharply is by sheer design, by the Govt approving it. Thus a worst case scenario is either caused by the Govt blindly approving the influx or sleeping on the job. The foreign composition of our population cannot increase without the Govt’s approval or consent.

That is why I say that there cannot be a worst case scenario. If the govt has capped the population at 6m or whatever, it is in full control to turn off the tap of immigration. What is this talk about a worst case scenario? It is an unnecessary preoccupation or concern.

Citizens of convenience

Legally when a new citizen is given his pink IC and citizenship certificate he is a citizen of the country. There is no dispute to that. But emotionally, psychologically, intentionally, socially, how many of the new citizens are really the citizens like the true blue local citizens? Or when will a new citizen be really like a local citizen, emotionally and psychologically embracing this country as his country, his home? How many are just here for economic gains, for economic expediency, citizens of convenience, and planning another foot to get out at the next opportunity when this place is no longer useful or as attractive as before?

Over the last ten years or so, we may have given at least half a million citizenships to new citizens and many more as PRs. The statistics in favour of citizens in jobs and employment, in housing allocations etc are misleading in this sense as many went to new citizens at the expense of true blue citizens. This is a serious matter that must not go unnoticed and unspoken of. What are the real benefits and disadvantages that have befallen our native citizens?

Of the 5.3m population now, how many are true blue citizens if we exclude those new citizens that are less than 5 or 10 year old? Where are the statistics on this?

If Sinkies are now the absolute minority or going to be, then why should Sinkies be made to do NS to protect a country of foreigners? Should not the pay/allowance of NS men be raised to market value as they are now more like mercenaries hired not to serve country and people but foreigners and their assets? Why are Sinkies slogging and suffering in the field doing NS while foreigners are taking over their cushy jobs and speculating in properties to make money from Sinkies?

Has anything changed? Are the fundamentals of nationhood and national defence changed?

Population Poll

One day left for you to make your voice heard on this issue. 512 have voted. Keep it coming. This is important.

Thank you.

And don't forget the advertisers : )

Strengthening the Singaporean core

This is one of the major objectives of the White Paper that aimed to have 50% foreigners and 50% Sinkies. What is the percentage of Sinkies in the population today? 3.3m out of 5.3m works out to be 62%. And we used to be more than 70% or 90%.

So, with the dwindling percentage of Sinkies in the whole population, is the White Paper strengthening the Sinkie core or weakening the Sinkie core? And don’t forget the fact that many of the Sinkies are actually new citizens, actually foreigners with very shallow roots here. So, at 50% in 2030, what is the real true blue Sinkie core, 30%?

The preponderant maid/servant mentality

The employment of maids here is becoming a national preoccupation, a sign of affluence, a statement of having arrived. Everyone of any social standing would want to have a maid to tag along wherever they go. The maid/servant concept is now a necessity and the importance of maid/servant in a household is growing in importance. In many cases, the maid/servant has become indispensable and a must have. And the maid/servant knows the importance of their role in the household. Many have assumed the function of the butler and rule the house like their little fiefdoms. And the masters of the households are hapless as they have got too used to the whims and fancies of the maid/servant. They think they cannot do without the maid/servant running the house.

What has now become a new reality is that the maid/servant has usurped the power of the household and started to run the household to their likings, feeding the masters on what they thought or decided would be good for the masters. Some hold the purse strings, sort of, and buy what they wanted and dispense away with what they did not fancy. The masters are comfortable to return to a home as long as the home is kept tidy and in order and dare not ask for more. They just turn a blind eye to the growing power and control of the maid/servant.

Some maid/servants even have the audacity to bring in their friends to the homes. It started stealthily but it is now done in bright daylight. The households are frequented by guests of the maid/servant. They even occupied the guest rooms and would soon be using the master bedroom as well. And when the master protests, the maid/servant insists that their friends were there to help out to look after the house. Without the friends presence, the household will run down and turn into a mess. The master of the household sheepishly accepted the arrangement with little protest.

When will the maid/servant take over the household and drive the master out of the house? As it is, the children of the master have left as the house is either too small or getting undesirable for them to stay anyway.

PAP could have won Punggol East

There were two articles in the Sunday Times by Warren Fernandez and Han Fook Kwang analysing the Punggol East by election. Warren’s comments could be summarised under the following points, The writing was on the wall for the PAP, There’s no winning without a fight, Politics may be local, but all elections are national, Voters want ‘someone like me’, and Politics contrains policies. In these headings he more or less explained why the PAP lost Punggol East. If only the PAP could read his analysis before the by election, it would have won. There are so many enlightening comments and strategies which would help PAP in the by election and may be in the next GE.

Han Fook Kwang’s recommendation was simpler. He suggested that the PAP needed ‘to relook is the type of candidates it fields for elections….Get the right people in its leadership and the right policies will follow.’ What Han Fook Kwang did not say is that the PAP had been recruiting the wrong people that came up with the wrong policies. This is just what I read between the lines.

To me there were many issues facing the PAP then and going forward. The quality of its candidates, some were good, left much to be desire. It was so obvious to the voters but not to the PAP. Even some ministers are doubtful starters in the GE. They were the ones who formulated all the policies that were not only unpopular but seen as against the interests of the citizens. And obviously they did not get it and quickly propounded this great theory of a 6.9m population without highlighting the consequences of such a crowd but only economic growth. And we know what the PAP wants is not what the people want. And trust me, they are going to vote for the White Paper in Parliament with overwhelming majority. And they will proclaim that it was approved in Parliament.

Will a change in the type of candidates work? It is not just because they were elitist, not because they were parachuted down in the last hour, not because they could not connect with the people, I think there are more to it. It is history at works.

White Paper on population in Parliament

The MPs have probably one week to read the White Paper before debating in Parliament. I am sure many are very well prepared to debate this Paper by looking at the report that said 42 MPs will be talking on this issue.

One question that comes to mind is the position of the MPs. Will they be speaking for or against the 6.9m population? And the follow up question, how did they come to their final position? Did they talk to their constituents to seek their views on this crucial issue? How many of the constituents did they speak to in less than one week?

Or maybe they know what their constituents want and simply walk into Parliament to speak on their behalves. Or maybe there is no need to talk to their constituents as they have given them the full mandate as their representatives to say what, being the talented knows all MPs, they think is good for the constituents?

And I am sure they will vote for the interests of their constituents. And I am sure each one will be their own man or woman, to think and speak independently, and to vote independently with their conscience, and of course for the good of their constituents.

The people’s interests are in good hands. Trust me.

Time to bring back Stop At Two Policy

The Stop At Two population control policy was effective and needed in the 70s as our economy was underdeveloped and could not provide the jobs needed with a rapidly growing population. Then the economic boom came but the Govt fell asleep on this policy and let it dragged on when it should have been stopped. An expanding economy needs more workers and Stop At Two was obsolete, with hindsight. But there was no natcon to tell the Govt so. A loosening of this policy could have revived the slowing birth rate or at least reignite the sexual urge to reproduce and have more babies.

Rip Van Winkle continued to sleep when he was paid to think, to plan and to work. Maybe he was happily dreaming about the fortune he had been paid or enjoying his Karaoke sessions. And the Govt went on a buying spree, importing millions of foreigners dressed up as foreign talents. And now the population hits 5.3m and being unprepared for it, the infrastructure is straining. The most obvious are the public transport system, the hospital beds and housing.

Rip Van Winkle continued to sleep or high on drugs. The first neglect was forgetting to turn on the tap for the babies to start flowing. Now it is compounding the mistake by falling asleep again and wanting the tap to keep flowing when the bathtub is overflowing. The Govt does not know that there are now too many people in the island and it is time to turn off the tap. Instead it wants more, a population of 6.9m!

What is really needed now is to cap the population at 5.5m or thereabout. Over the last ten years our population growth was way beyond 3% annually, like on steroid. We have out grown and overshot the replacement rate.  It is time to recalibrate the population, resize and moderate and adjust the mix between citizens and non citizens. By adopting a national policy of 5.5m population, the rest of the Govt policies could then be fine tuned to this new target and status quo.

As the local bred and born citizens start to reproduce, more and more foreigners can then be allowed to leave. Let the locals replace the foreigners systematically and not the other way, and all the time keeping in mind the 5.5m population target. By doing so, there is really a need to reintroduce the Stop At Two policy again without letting the population size run away to 6 or 7m. Not only that the influx of foreigners needs to be stopped, the growth of the local population has also to be managed to keep it at 5.5m.

Don’t fall asleep and let things run uncontrolled to create another crisis. The island cannot afford to let the population grow unchecked, and from the general conversation, the citizens are more comfortable with 5.5m population. High population is a double edged sword and can cut both ways.

Please, no more sleeping and no more over killed or over blown. It is very difficult to have faith in a govt that did not know when the population is too small or too big.

6.9m is like acquiring a nuclear reactor

Once our population hits 6.9m, the need and call for a nuclear reactor to provide the energy will no longer be an option but a compulsion. The price of oil by then will be so expensive, and other forms of energy will not be efficient and are also likely to be just as expensive. So tak dah choice, mesti pergi nuclear. And we will be living with one nuclear reactor underground and a nuclear reactor on the surface.

A 6.9m population is not a joke. It needs to be fed, to be housed, it needs jobs and all kinds of goods and services, and everything is a cost. Another 1.7m mouth to feed and house is not ‘main main’. My God, any crisis will turn this population into a nightmare. When things are good and rosy, when the economy is good, there is nothing to worry about, who cares, trust me. When there is an economic downturn, the 7m is not going to go away overnight. And when their needs are not met, they are going to implode.

The nuclear reactor underground is less of a worry than the one above. The 6.9m is ticking and kicking and will not go to sleep. It is like keeping pets, dogs and cats and now big cats. The bigger the more to feed and the more dangerous when food runs out.

Don’t pray pray. It is not masak masak. You want 6.9m, and when you don’t want just flush down the toilet. They are intertwined and attached with the whole economy and infrastructure. It is not easily unwind like our housing prices. The difference between a genius and a berserk is only a fine thin line.

And I am not talking about water and reservoir and all the rest that are needed.

Enlightening speech with a Foreign Talent

 

 Enlightening speech with a FT citizen

I was in a remote western region in China and we were stranded at this small lousy airport. And there is only 1 Indian man (age 59, I found out from him later). No one could help him and I knew I was the only one and of course being kind hearted, and naive Singaporean, I voluntarily went. I saw his "RED passport" and we connected!!! Then we started to discuss the Punggol East By-election, the government and the policies. (Please do not assume a RED passport is automatic bred and bornt in Singapore... I was lambasting how Singapore has transformed from a lovely state to a state where everyone has become emotionless and working round the clock to pay for everything and to survive.) 15 minutes into the discussion, he told me he is FT who came to Singapore 10 years ago and quickly offered PR and new citizen in less than 2 years. By the way, this guy is not Foreign Trash, he is Senior Management in Fortune 500 (the ranking is below 50) and paid over $20,0000++ a month. Below are questions from me and answers from him:-

Me: The government is doing a bad job and people are suffering.

FT: I read the Straits Times and every survey is indicating good, I dont agree what you said is true and today. (I said, you really believe that BS? You did not have time to browse the web than to believe the propaganda...I went on to tell him many examples like AIM etc, he was shocked... but the newspaper version is so different.... but anyway he said he did not have time, working very long hours every day)

Me: Well, do you feel we imported too many FT, especially low quality ones from neighbouring regions.

FT: Yes, totally agreed, its getting too crowded and also the pay for average guy is getting lower but living expenses are sky high. (But he was a FT himself but of course this man used to work in the US and UK for many years before arriving into SG, probably what they called a real FT)

Me: If Singapore is so good, are you going to retire in Singapore?

FT: Retire in Singapore? (shrugs with a laugh)

Me: Why? You said Singapore is so good etc.... And you said those surveys damn good.

FT: Honestly speaking, my pay is crossing $20,000 a month but I wont retire here. First, our CPF is trapped and the medical cost and daily expenses are so high. I am going to renounce and take all the cash and move back to India. Anyway, I also dont want to die in a foreign land.

Me: Arent you one of us?

FT: In a way but I still need to go back, this place is getting too expensive to live and I dont want my body to be resting here, I am not bornt here.

Me: $20k a month you telling me this? How about those making $5000 or ....

FT: Dont pretend you dont know, they work and pay all their lives until they die. And I am not going to be in that position.

Me: Your kids in Singapore?

FT: I sent them to UK and US and told them not to come back.

Me: Singapore is such great place, you told me and why.... ahhhhh (cynicism)

FT: I could not imagine that they be paid $2500 after their graduation, compete with millions of foreigners and pay a debt of 30 years for that million dollar HDB. And education in US is more prestigious and they can get into Fortune 500 companies easily and they buy houses and drive cars etc. And if they really return to SG (which I doubt so.. because they are originally from Calcutta and honestly, they dont really like Singapore), they will be Foreign Talent and be paid very high like me, no need to fight with those foreigners.

Me: They did not serve NS huh?

FT: You asking me silly questions, I did not convert them PR before 18... I found way to go around it (laugh very hard)

Me: Warao (Singapore style). You enjoy so much from Singapore and how you going to thank us?

FT: I voted PAP every GE, and that is thank you. And they gave me PR, new citizenship and also my HDB (I sold at record profits and now living in nice condo in Jurong East). When I retire, I will sell and take all the CPF to India. I really appreciate Singapore.

wah piang eh...... i am really that daft and naive like most Singaporeans.

What we need is more space

What we need is more space and not more people. When we were 2m, life was definitely much more comfortable with lesser congestion and more space for everything. We have bigger homes, more room for cars and car ownership did not cost a leg or an arm. We have many parks and land for recreation and simply running around.

We now have more than 5m people. We are digging out our ancestors’ graves, doing away with cemeteries and sending our old folks to homes across the causeway. And we keep on building skyscrapers that cost a lifetime to pay when better and bigger homes could be had at cheaper cost if we have more land.

What I thought would be better is to reclaim more land and provide more living space instead of stuffing them up again with people and concrete. I believe the quality of life will be much better for young and old when the island is less congested instead of all cramming up in little pigeon holes in the air, and the roads so congested with cars. The quality of life cannot be better with more people squeezed into this piece of rock. This is not progress but regression.

We do not need more people for some economic growth numbers. We need more space to live and play and a more leisure and less stressful environment. Would it not be better for a family of four living in a 1,500 sq ft flat, where one does not need to knock into each other or against the wall or furniture? Would it not be better if there is more private space for everyone in the homes and outside the homes?

What is so good or great to squeeze with 7m people? What is so good quality to be crammed up in hard concrete and all the artificialities that cost a bomb, like the Avatar Garden? There is nothing better than having more natural space to live and for recreation. It is so silly to reclaim more space only to stuff them up with more people, provide more public transport only to make sure the commuters are packed like sardine again. Whose great idea is this? Better quality of life Ya?

We must be responsible to our future generations by leaving them enough room/space to grow. We cannot be so irresponsible as to build up every inch of land in the island.  The White Paper is to exhaust every land and space we have with more people. The citizens must decide on the number we want and work around it. We should not go the other way, letting the dubious economic growth numbers to dictate our fate and the number of people on this island.

White Paper - The nonsensical arguments so far

We must plan for the worst than to underprovide. This is what Boon Wan said about the 6.9m population projection. I dunno if he knew what he was talking about. He quoted the example of wedding dinner guests and not sure how many would eventually turn up. Hello, the population of a country is not a wedding dinner. The number of people in the country can be calibrated and controlled especially when a big chunk is made up of foreigners. When the number is reaching the target, just turn off the tap. It is so easy, unlike the fertility rate of the citizens, more or less, the govt would have to accept. Is this simple enough illustration to say there is no necessity to plan for the worst when population number is concerned?

Boon Wan also said that he was confident that he would be able to ‘calibrate its plans,…adding that the housing supply will be paced “accordingly, a little bit ahead of demand.’ He should have taught his predecessor this and there would not have been any housing problem today.

The next thing I heard is that Lim Swee Say said that we would not have all the problems associated with the 5.3m population if we have had the national conversation yesterday. This is so as the natcon would have raised the problems of the need to upgrade the infrastructure before the population surged from 4.1m to 5.3m. Uhhhh…., beg your pardon? Did he mean that the govt would only be able to avoid all the overcrowding and lack of infrastructure problem if there was a natcon, and that the govt is incapable of planning ahead, lack of foresight?

I am so terrified. Do we still want to believe that the White Paper is carefully thought out? So scary isn’t it?

Protest at Hong Lim Park on 6.9m population

Protest at Hong Lim Park on 16 Feb (Sat) at 4.30pm  This event is organised by Gilbert Goh of Transitioning.org blog. Please note the change of date as it was supposed to be held this Sat 2 Feb.   Would the Sinkies feel strong enough to make a strong presence for this event?

So far 415 people have voted in the Poll. Please keep it going. 4 more days to go before the poll closes.

And don't forget to click on the advertisers. Cheers.

2030 the Good Year for Sinkies

In the year 2030, with 6.9m rich and prosperous Sinkies, PRs and foreigners, Sin City will be the crown jewel of the world. Sinkies will still be the richest people in the world, enjoying world class facilities and all the material comfort available. All the PRs and foreigners will be living happily and in harmony with the Sinkies, something like the paradise where lions and lambs will eat and play together.

Are there any conditions attached? This is too good to be true. And anything that is too good to be true deserves a second thought. The recent cases of gold trading companies paying out 2% monthly interest and all the great profits of toxic notes and bonds were also too good to be true. What is the catch? Can all the Sinkies be PMETs and earn half a million or more in annual income to live it up with the great life? How much will it cost to buy a HDB flat or a COE? How much will a plate of char kway teow or a ride in a taxi or any form of public transport? What will be the cost of living like for such a grandiose lifestyle? Would it be only for the rich or for the average Sinkies?

I dare not ask about hospitalization and how much the Medisave Minimum Sum would be or the CPF savings. All I know is that nothing is for free. There is no free lunch, even today.

One condition for this happy dream to come true is to continue to vote PAP into power to carry out this plan all the way to 2030.

Is PAP commiting hara kiri?

Shortly after the debacle in Punggol East, the PAP lost no time to push out a very controversial White Paper in favour of a 6.9m population in the island. The negative sentiments and all the problems the people are facing are perceived as caused by the 5.3m population. The people are angry, very angry. Why would the PAP think it appropriate and timely to rush through a White Paper that is going to be badly received by the people? Why the urgency? Is it political naiveity, or are there more extenuating reasons that not pushing out this 6.9m population idea now would lead to some irreparable damages or grave consequences? Or as Vivian Balakrishnan said, ‘we are facing the crisis of our lifetime’?

There is absolutely no reason or urgency for the PAP to discuss this unpopular issue at this juncture. It is political suicide to do so. And the reactions by the people have proven that this is so. A long term projection of the country’s population need not be talked about now, it can be discussed in a more congenial time and conducive environment later.

What can be the compelling reasons for doing so? Is it that the PAP thinks that the people will be happy to go along with this projection? Is it that not doing now, not getting it passed in Parliament now may not be able to do so later on? Or is it that it has already decided and the PAP is just going through the motion of getting it passed in Parliament?

I am still baffled by the decision to push out this White Paper now. I can’t think of a good reason to do so. Is it that a few hundred plane loads of FTs are already in the pipeline and a quick decision is needed to let them in? There is just no sense at all. What is happening?

Ah, maybe the PAP knows best. They know that this is the best way to go forward for the good of the people and country. The people must be mad for not seeing the great benefits of this plan. So just act like deaf frog. Just get it done and the people will appreciate it later. The Govt must lead, make tough decisions, even if they are painful for the people and the people disagree.

I don’t believe that having more foreigners and new citizens is to buy votes for the next GE. The PAP cannot be so desperate to take such drastic measures for self preservation. And the people should not take AIM at anything or try to find a reason for it. It is something that will come true in the next 15 to 20 years. Talking about it now or then is just like crystal ball gazing. But implementing it is very serious.

Australia is a continent about the size of the USA. It has a population of less than 22m. And it is very careful not to increase its population and to preserve it as it is for its future generations. We are not even a quarter of Tasmania and we are already 5.3m and wanting to go 7m?

What do you think?

Vivian Balakrishnan: ‘we are facing the crisis of our lifetime’

Hehehe, this is what Minister of Environment and Water Resources said. I am shivering in my pants. Pardon me Sir, excuse me Sir, who created this crisis of a lifetime? This crisis did not happen overnight right? This is the best run country in the world with super talented ministers and paid out of this world salary. How could they manage the country so well into a crisis of our lifetime? Now I am wondering who created this crisis? Who have been running this country for the last four or five decades? Did they not see it coming?

Do the people of this island want the same people who created this crisis to solve this crisis with another set of solutions that would create another bigger crisis in the future? By then I dunno what they will call it, a monumental crisis of several lifetime? Ya?

If there is a need for a natcon, this is it. This is the topic that affects every Sinkies. It can destroy their lives and the lives of their children and their children's children. Let this be the natcon of the people. The people are talking. The people want to tell the govt what is in their heart.

Uproar over 6.9m population

Less than a day after breaking news of the Govt White Paper on a projected 6.9m population in 2030 the internet was buzzing with cries of outrage. 5 articles appeared in TRE alone, 1. White Paper calls for up to 80% increase in foreign population in SG, 2. 7m population and the lack of foresight by Sorry Lee, 3. Govt White Paper plans for 6.9m by 2030, 4. Population White Paper projecting 6.9m. U-turn on influx…., 5. Poly student rebuts NPTD Population White Paper. And there were many articles posted elsewhere with the same view, against the huge population, Lucky Tan, Feedmetothefish, just to name a few. All says it is a crazy idea. Are the Sinkies that daft not to know what is good or bad for them?

The contents of these articles were similar, all were against the 6.9m population as unacceptable. And all received huge numbers of comments sharing the same unhappiness over this projected population in this little island.

What is very clear is that the clever thinkers and planners and the Govt are all marching to a different tune and in a different direction while the people are going the opposite way. Is there a meeting of minds? Nay is being too conservative. While the tone of the Govt is all in favour of this great projection to save Sinkies, and without the increase in population, the island will sink, the future will go kaput, the people disagree and do not think so.

With such a divergence of views, would this paper be pushed through in Parliament and the people just got to live with it? Would the outburst of anger and dismay lead to more serious challenges for the Govt to deal with? Or would the Govt, if it fails to convince the people, will simply ignore the people as lunatics, simple minded folks or daft, and that the Govt knows best and what is being done is for the good of the people? Would the people accept such a fait accompli given the admission of lack of foresight and the huge problems the country and people are facing due to the influx of so many foreigners here?

Are the foreigners the spice or the shit to the Singaporean’s life?

Poll - Do you support the 6.9m population

I have created this Poll on the right. Please vote and also ask your friends to vote. It is a yes or no thing. This is a very serious issue and the more the citizens make their views known to the govt the better. As for the internet brigade, please take it easy on this and don't mess it up with spurious votes as it will also affect you and your family and the future of your children.

Thank you.

PS. And while you are here, please click on some of the advertisements to pay for my breakfast : )
Thanks.

How has Boon Wan fared in solving the housing problem?

After the last GE the PAP took cognition of the housing problem and removed Mah Bow Tan, went in search of a minister that could rectify the problem he had created. Oops, my apologies to Mah Bow Tan, it was never a problem. Only some people saw it as a problem and the govt agreed to do something about it.

Boon Wan was brave enough to volunteer for the job. He was confident enough to take on this daunting task of a huge problem that was really not a problem depending on who you are. Of course he knew, and everyone knew it was a full blown problem and cannot be resolved overnight after so many years of neglect and mismanagement. I would presume, may be wrong, that Boon Wan would want to solve the supply and demand problem to ensure that all Sinkies can afford to buy a HDB flat and that the prices of flats would remain at least stable. And I think if anyone would to want to measure the performance of Boon Wan, these should be the two factors to look at.

Boon Wan started aggressively to ramp up the building or more flats, many more flats. Unfortunately this is not looking good enough as the number of Sinkies wanting to buy HDB flats are still forming a long waiting list and the new flats will take several years to come on line. And also many Sinkies that were unfortunate enough to fall victims to his predecessor’s policies are still unable to buy direct from HDB. They are still cursing at the govt for sure.

The other big problem of course is the price of HDB flats, the resale flats and private properties. Have the prices been stable, or have they shot through the roof, even at greater speed than under Mah Bow Tan’s time and to greater height?

Has Boon Wan solved the housing problem? Or has he revisited the history of HDB and asked why there was no such problem before and the people were happy and grateful for their HDB flats but now the big shit all over the place? Has Boon Wan achieved what he set out to do? Shall he be given a red card or a medal?

Would he do the necessary and do a major change by building public flats for all Sinkies instead of new citizens? Many true blue Sinkies have served NS, fathers, brothers and themselves but not eligible to buy HDB flats because of all the stupid rules and regulations. How could the govt do these to the true and original citizens while making things so good to new citizens at their expense? Pro Sinkies or pro new citizens who are really foreigners?

6.9m population – Would the Govt listen?

This is a queer question really. The Govt has been telling the people that it will listen to the people since the last GE. It even deprecated itself by calling the people as the masters and the Govt as the servants of the people. This means that the people should be telling the Govt what they want and what they want the Govt to do. And to make things look real, the Natcon is still in process where the Govt will talk and listen to the people. Now what is the purpose of talking to the people if the Govt does not listen to the people or listen but no need to register?

The Govt has come out with a White Paper detailing the whys and the needs for a 6.9m population. This Paper originates from the Govt and from its thinkers. And it seems that this is what the Govt has more or less decided, without consulting the people. Or maybe it is now going to consult the people. But would it listen to the people if the people decide otherwise, not to have 6.9m people by 2030? Would the Govt simply go ahead and implement the increase in population despite the protest and disapproval of the people? Has the Govt already unilaterally decided on this road and any discussion with the people is only cursory?

The Paper will be tabled in Parliament for discussion and a vote will be taken where 80 PAP MPs will likely to vote in favour of it. Technically the MPs represented the people. But what if the MP did not ask the views of the people and simply voted based on their own belief or party line? In such a case it is not representing the views of the people but the party. It is so easy for the MPs to have a dialogue with their constituents or in the Natcon and gather the views of the people that matter.

The increase in population is going to affect everyone in the island. Should there be a need to hold a referendum on this? Or would the Govt simply go ahead with it as it has decided and whether the people is for or against it nothing would change the Govt’s mind? A protest rally is being organised by Transitioning.Org in HongLim this Saturday against the 6.9m. How many people will attend to make their views heard?

Would the govt listen to the people and let the people decide on this critical issue? There are more than 3 million citizens. The Govt is actually the 80 odd politicians in Parliament and why should they decide a matter like this without wanting to get the approval of the people? The Govt is listening, the Govt is the servant of the people?

What do you think?

Hsien Loong – an admission of incompetence?

At the conference on Singapore Perspectives organized by the Institute of Public Policies, Hsien Loong surprised the audience of local and foreign dignitaries by admitting that the govt was not perfect and had caused a lot of problems related to the influx of foreigners and the squeeze on building housing and infrastructure to cope with this high demand. This is the second time after the last GE that he has admitted to flaws in govt policies. This is reported in Channel News Asia, ‘Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has admitted the government did not have 20/20 foresight, resulting in problems with inadequate infrastructure in the country….’

What is Hsien Loong trying to achieve for this admission? For a govt that prides itself as the best in the world and paying itself out of this world salaries, will the people accept such a grotesque mistake when you don’t need a university professor to see the problems coming up? When the govt brought in 2m people in such a short space of time and neglected in ramping up the supporting infrastructure and housing to provide for such a huge number of people, is it a case of mistake, incompetence or something else? It is not unbelieveable. It is amazing!

The most horrifying part is the freeze in building housing when any idiot will know that 2 million people would need that much more roofs over their heads. And this 2m number is nearly a doubling the population of slightly more than 3m, bringing the population to 5m plus. This is not an elephant in the class room. It is a dinosaur and nobody could see it and to provide for it. And we paid millions for the super talents to at least do a decent job. Can we expect them to see the dinosaur? Hey, no rocket science ya?

So what, shall the people excuse and forgive the govt for this oversight? We are not talking about any third world govt that are paid peanuts. We are paying everyone of them, the crème al crème, according to their weight in gold and more.

What do you think?

Sinkies cannot afford to be CBF

The call for Sinkies to be cheaper, better and faster is running contrary to the high cost of living and high cost of everything. How can Sinkies ever think of surviving in a city when the cost of everything is going up and still expect to work to be cheaper, better and faster? This kind of combination can only work when the workers are foreigners who don’t have to buy expensive properties, provide for a family and may even need to buy a car for transportation.

The end result of this formula is to have very rich elite at the top and very poor foreign workers at the bottom. Those in between, the average Sinkies, will be squeezed dry trying to be cheaper but paying for everything that is getting dearer.

How, what do you think? Can Sinkies afford to be CBF?

Punggol East – We are not daft

Whoever thinks that the voters, in general and those in Hougang or Punggol East, are daft got to get his head check. The maturity of the voters, mind you they may not have first class honours or top doctors or scholars, but many are very well educated, with tertiary education. And many are definitely smarter and more qualified that the plane loads of FTs being unloaded to replace them. At least our local FTs are carrying genuine certificates and qualifications from world class universities and from our world best primary and secondary schools with very well qualified and trained teachers.

The pattern of voting in Punggol East was simply brilliant. It was reported that in every polling station, the WP won. There was no exception or enclave where there was stronger or weaker support for the PAP or WP. Translating this, it means the support is from the overall majority of the voters.

And the voters made every vote count. There was no significant wastage where votes went to the two minor parties. All the votes were either for the PAP or the WP. The voters were serious, very serious. They wanted to make a real difference, and they did.

The last Presidential Election could be a strong factor to remind the voters that anyhow vote could be a very costly mistake. This time they made no mistake. They wanted Li Lian earnestly and every vote for Li Lian was carefully considered, or in the same way for Koh Poh Koon.

The smart voters have arrived. The voters today are not like the illiterate uncles and aunties when a little last minute carrot or goodies could sway them. They not only looked at municipal or local issues, they also understood the big picture. You can’t con them anymore. Welcome to the new Singapore and a more intelligent electorate. They are simply saying, ‘We are not daft.’

Dr Paul Cheung - 8m population no problem

'Singapolitics.sg, 28 Jan 2013

Singapore can, if it wants, accommodate eight million people. That is Dr Cheung's belief.

The Hong Kong-born Singaporean, 59, spent close to 30 years monitoring the interplay between Singapore's population and economic growth, including 14 years as the Government's chief statistician.

"We must always plan for the upper limit. We have to be creative and have in mind urban infrastructure for a much larger population," Dr Cheung says….'

I think Dr Cheung is being too conservative. I personally believe that this island can take in 20m or more, if we want to. But prepare to live a life of a 20m population city in a little piece of rock. What is the problem if one is willing to adapt and pay the price for it? Sure can one.

The question is, why bring this Dr Cheung and a 8m number into the picture? Is this a case of if our properties are expensive, just bring in another country with more expensive properties to make people feel that we are still cheaper? And we can claim we are better off? So if we are planning to fill the island with 7m, bringing in 8m will make 7m looks like small change isn’t it.

What is the intention and purpose of all these, and the 7m White Paper?

Ok, Dr Cheung qualified by saying if we want. Do the Singaporeans want a 7m or 8m population? Who really wants such a population and do they mind ask the rest of the Singaporeans if they mind?

Koh Poh Koon waiting for Hsien Loong

After losing the by election, Koh Poh Koon is now waiting for Hsien Loong’s decision on what to do with him. Hsien Loong has said that he would field him in the next GE. All things considered, Koh Poh Koon is quite a likeable guy unless one belongs to those who just detest elite and elitism. He said he still wants to serve the people. That is the easiest thing to do. There is no need to wait for Hsien Loong to decide his fate.

Koh Poh Koon is his own man, or at least that was what he said. Even if the PAP did not want to field him, he can serve the people in many other ways. There is nothing to stop him from serving the people in the opposition parties. But there is this unwritten command that a PAP candidate can only serve the people as a PAP and joining the opposition parties is not serving the people. Why like that one?

Even if Koh Poh Koon is not fielded, and even if he does not want to join the opposition parties, there are thousands of ways he can serve the people either professionally by giving discounts or subsidies to Sinkies that need his professional help. Or he could join many of the charities to help out.

When the heart is there to serve the people, there are many avenues to do so. There is no need to wait for anyone or any party. Just do it.

Punggol East – Another statement for social media

Apart from reading the ground well, social media played a very significant role in the toppling of the PAP candidate in Punggol East. All the track records, more carrots and all the big gun, and another elite served on the platter were not enough. Ah Lian was seen as good enough, better than all the things the govt could offer, to serve the people of Punggol East. Isn’t this something?

The most important role of social media in this case was its call for the voters to vote wisely, not to split their votes in view of another two more opposition candidates. Votes going to SDA or RP will mean votes going to the PAP. As a result, the two candidates received abysmally small number of votes, RP with 1.18% and SDA with 0.56%. Thus they could not do any harm to the chances of the WP. The call for a better future for the children and their children given the extremely high cost of living and very competitive working environment were well received. And all must remember the call for SDP to withdraw, which they did, to pave the way for a direct fight between the PAP and the WP.

I credited this honour to the netizens simply because there was no such call in the main media. The people were voting in unison, as one single united force, to put up another opposition candidate into Parliament. The great credentials and reports of Koh Poh Koon were turned around as reasons to dump him in favour of Ah Lian. The calls to support WP were quite widespread in the social media and totally silence in the main media. And if there was no social media, these calls would not have gone far and wide to the ears of every citizen. Now the citizens understood why and how they should cast their votes to make every vote counts.

One has to admit that social media alone could not do much damage. There was a confluence of events that made the call that much more meaningful and effective. Social media and its direct readership could still be small. But the impact it carries is not something to trifle with.

Punggol East – The big disconnect

The biggest statement of the result of this by election is the big disconnect PAP is experiencing without knowing. PAP claimed that it is doing everything for the people and is with the people. And all the policies are carefully thought out and implemented for the good of the people. Obviously the people in Punggol East did not buy it. And if this is what the people across the island are thinking, the days of PAP in power will be over very soon. How could PAP and all its pro people policies that are good for the people ended up in losing this by election? The PAP must believe that everything it did is for the good of the people, and it still believes so. But does the PAP know that the people do not believe so?

And the PAP is still believing that it lost because it was a by election and by election is always unfavourable to the ruling party. How wrong can it be and when is the PAP going to face the truth and see the ground as what it really is? The ground has changed, the people are unhappy with the policies and therefore the govt. Get it?

On the WP side, it has read the ground well and actually is connecting with the people, the citizens who wanted change. There is a big connect between the WP and the people in Hougang, Aljunied and now Punggol East. Where has the PAP been all these years to lose touch with the ground? What a statement! How could the PAP lose touch with the ground when it has so many grassroot leaders and institutions on the ground?

But surely something has gone wrong, something badly wrong. I try to figure out but couldn’t. I also cannot see anything wrong. So I rather believe that nothing is wrong. It is only a by election and in such election, the ruling party is always at a disadvantage. In the next GE the people will definitely vote the PAP back to power to ensure their own prosperity. Nothing to worry about.

As for Koh Poh Koon, he is likely to continue to serve the voters in Punggol East, and likely to be appointed as the grassroot advisor, to walk the ground, to connect with the people. He is still new and would want to hang around unlike some who quit politics immediately after losing an election.

Workers Party wins Punggol East

I dare not believe this will happen earlier in the week though I secretly hoped this would happen. My position then was a close fight, a 50:50 chance going either way. A two horse run by election. The strength of the ruling party was still too dominant for the opposition. And this by election was about a little girl facing a top notch elite supported by the ruling party, and in a 4 corner fight. It was too much to ask for.

Now it happens. At 2 am, I am still awake to the excitement of this game changing event. How could the PAP lose this by election, losing a very safe seat previously won by Michael Palmer with a clear margin in a 3 corner fight? This time the result, WP 54% and PAP 43%. The other two in the four corner fight were completely whitewashed. No need to mention about them. It is a good lesson to note that the voters today are very well informed and would do what is best for their own interests. Going forward, three or multi corner fight to disrupt a proper contest between two main parties will no longer be material.

The voters of Punggol East has rejected the PAP outright with a convincing victory that speaks more than just a by election. The repercussion is serious and the foundation of the PAP is rattling. The support of the voters can no longer be taken for granted. The claim that the party is for the people is rejected outright by the people. It also implies that the voters are rejecting most of the policies that the ruling party claimed to be good for them.

This victory in Punggol East is no joking matter. As I had posted earlier, this is a by election that the PAP cannot afford to lose. Losing Punggol East is the harbinger of more losses if the govt still thinks it can do whatever it wants and shafts the policies down the people's throats. It is as good as game over. The PAP's sure win formula is no longer working.

All the opposition will be gearing themselves up for the GE in about 3 years time. Punggol East has shown the way and they can see it coming now. The netizens were reading the ground very clearly. Unfortunately the PAP was not. It was a two horse race as the netizens have predicted correctly.

PAP is on the side of Singaporeans

This is the position of the Govt and spoken by Hsien Loong on Thursday to wrap up the by election campaign. Many Sinkies are startled into disbelief. But I tell you the truth, it is true. Look at all the living examples around you and you will agree.

First, the foreigner influx is a good thing. Wait for 7m population, it will be even better. Don’t believe me? Look at your property prices! Every Sinkie is now so rich, sitting on multi million dollar properties. This must be really good, extremely good.

Another example, crowded public transport especially the trains. Some are complaining. But only rich and fast growing countries would have such jams in public transport. Look at Japan, we are not even near there. The jams and the foreigners in the trains are signs of progress and they make the SMRT make very good profits too, and good for all kinds of businesses.

Some were complaining about giving university places and scholarships to foreigners while our own children were deprived of places and have to go overseas on PM’s scholarship, ie Papa and Mama Scholarship. But we need these foreign talents to boost our dying and degenerating gene pool. Think about it, these foreigners will enrich our lives and the quality of our future children. We will have a lot of kopi susu and tea with milk children growing up soon. And the foreign talents contributed to our economic growth too, when they stayed to work. And our boys can do NS happily while the foreign talents oil the economy.

No need to add more examples, the more foreigners here the more vibrant is our economy, and the value of things all go up to help our economic growth. And the Sinkies will benefit directly with all their properties going up in prices. No need to work, just sit on your properties and see them appreciate in values, and at the same time can collect rentals.

The prosperity of Sinkies can be seen by the amount of money they are willing to pay for a piece of paper, COE, to be allowed to buy a car. You think poor Sinkies can afford this?

Sinkies must see the good side of having all the foreigners here. They make us very rich or at least feel very rich. See, understand or not? All the policies are for the good of Sinkies. As for the money in the CPF, the minimum sums, it is all for Sinkies. All the Sinkies will be able to afford the world best medicare and world best prices. No sweat. And many will die very, very rich. There will be poor Sinkies alive. But all dead Sinkies will be very rich with the minimum sums they left behind.

I am sure you are now all convinced by my clear and simple logic. It makes cents right? Er, I mean sense.

SPH employee arrested for threatening Kenneth Jeyaretnam

This is the latest news on ST online that a 23 year old employee of SPH has been arrested for threatening Kenneth Jeyaretnam’s wife and son in London using emails. The administrative assistant with ST classified ad has since resigned and is out on bail.

The brave or provocative Philippines

Depending on how you look at it, some may think the Philippines are very brave to want to stage a fight with China. Some will think it is a very provocative thing to do. Anyway, the Philippines are taking the disputed island claims in the South China Sea to the UN International Tribunal for the Law of the Seas(ITLS) unilaterally as if it is a very brave act against China. And everyone knows that the ITLS has no jurisdiction over such claims if the interested parties could simply ignore its findings or recommendations.

So what are the Pinoys trying to prove? Or who is really behind this silly move, of a little mouse trying to pull the whiskers of the dragon? They have not forgotten how they threatened to arrest Chinese fishing boats only to flee when the Chinese wanted to sink their biggest antique called a warship. Or maybe they are still angry of that sheepish incident and wanted to prove that they are made of stronger stuff?

By making this provocative affront, it has forced Singapore which has always tried to be diplomatic, to take a stance to distance itself from the Philippines. Singapore has made an official statement that this is strictly a Pinoy initiative, nothing to do with Asean. And it added that such territorial claim can only be settled by the claimants and Singapore is not a claimant.

Singapore’s position would have undercut the Philippines if it ever thinks of using Asean to fight this spurious claim with China. And maybe the only country in Asean that would support such callous and silly move will be Vietnam. The rest of Asean would rather choose either to be neutral or to discuss with China through dialogue.

The Philippines have opened its cards, that it wants a confrontation with China, to provoke China, to raise tension, which is the last thing Asean wants with China being the biggest trading partners with several of the Asean states.

Is Lui Tuck Yew kidding?

‘Given Singapore's limited space for new roads, the government plans to further curb vehicle growth from next year, revealed Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew.’ This is quoted from Yahoo News.

We have just heard of a White Paper discussing about Singapore having a population of 7m from the current 5.3m. Can the island have enough space for an additional 1.7m people when it cannot find space for new roads and have to curb the growth of vehicles on the road? It is either the island still has a lot of space for more people or the island has not enough space. It cannot have more space for more people but not enough space for vehicles unless these people do not need the use vehicles in their lives, for private or public transport. The growth of road network will also be halved. Lui said, "You can't allow it (the vehicle quota) to grow at the rates in past years simply because the road networks are not expanding as what we have done before,"

It is getting very confusing. When population growth is concerned, we can grow and grow and build and build more housing to support the growth. Then we cannot have space for more roads for more vehicles.