corporate watchdog!

Many of us are privy to many wrongdoings in the corporate world. Some were first hand information and some from hear says that were mostly truth. It is not uncommon to see hotshot and prominent honchos and CEOs indulging in sleazy deals, unethical and immoral practices at the expense of organisations and employees. I have heard of employees being held at ransom, treated like chattels, exploited and abused by the management they trusted. Some were used for horse tradings, some threatened and prevented from leaving the organisation, or if they leave, obstacles were placed along their path. All these wrongdoings have not been exposed for many reasons. And many at the lower end of the pecking order do not have the resources, money or intellect to take on the bigshot culprits who could drag them to court. And these people would lose by default as they would not be able to engage a legal counsel to bring the culprit to justice. They just cannot afford the legal fee. The internet forum will be a good place to expose such wrong doings to give warnings to those wrongdoers that their wrongdoings did not go unnoticed. Just to mention them here without identifying them or the organisations will suffice to put notice that their game is up. I hope forumers can contribute to this thread with their own encounters. And if this thread proves popular, I will stick it up as a permanent feature here.

crying wolf once too many

Putin has slammed the Americans for trying to flame the North Korean issue by claiming that the North Koreans are planning for an underground nuclear test. Even the South Koreans are dismissing the claim as untruth. The more the Americans keep dishing out their 'intelligence' reports of threats from terrorism or the nuclear ambitions of Iran and North Korea, the less would the world believe in them. They have cried wolf too many times and too often. The Americans are losing credibility in the eyes of the world after Iraq's WMD. The latest terrorist threat claim at Heathrow has also raised many eyebrows as to its reliability. It is very likely another hoax originated from the White House but executed through White Hall. The wayang of Bush and Blair is now well known since the WMD debacle in Iraq. How much more would the world believe in the two of them? How much more would they keep on undermining the intelligence of their intelligence communities? The credibility of both services have plunged to the lowest level ever since their reports and assessments had led to the invasion of Iraq. Today we are hearing the Australians raising alerts to Batam and Bali islands. Are these also part of their scheme to raise the alarm on terrorism and indulging in more hoaxes to frighten the world and make them look right? Wolf, wolf, wolf!!!

the world can easily be turned topsy turvy

The world, especially in the air travel business, can be held at ransom, crippled, just by a phone call. Look at the panic stricken cities of the west. There is no need for WMD, no need for human bombs, no need for any complicated and expensive technology to disrupt the daily activities of any country. All that the terrorists needs to do now is to make a call to any airline or airports claiming that there is a threat or a bomb hidden somewhere and waiting to be exploded. Everything will come to a halt. All the security personnel will run around like bull arse flies trying to establish if the threat is true. And no want would risk taking any threat as a hoax. Fear and threats of sabotage will now be the most effective weapons of the terrorists. At their own time, and place of their own choosing, they could turn the world upside down. All life and economic activities will be disrupted at the mercy of the terrorists.

the mah chiam spat

Malaysia has the Mahathir Badawi Spat. Now we have our version of the Mah Chiam Spat. It all started with the light saga in Potong Pasir. Whatever Chiam said and did seemed to be wrong and will be commented upon as not doing his job or not serving his residents. Under such accusations, Chiam had no choice but to respond and rebut to level the ground. As the comments about Chiam came out in the media, Chiam responded through the media. From lighting a street path it goes on to the opening of the mrt station. (Where is Sitoh?) The latest reply from Mah is that he would not respond in the media but would want to answer Chiam in Parliament. Debating in the media would see both talking to the press and getting printed. In the Parliament, Chiam would have to speak to 83 MPs with one on his side and 82 on the other side, plus 10 neutral elected MPs. I think the laughters of 82 Mps will easily drown whatever Chiam has to say.

China told USA to 'shut up and keep quiet.'

China told USA to 'shut up and keep quiet.' China has finally stood up and tell the number one bully to shut up. After being humiliated and bullied for several centuries by the west and the last 50 plus years by the US, China is finally ready to take on the US in verbal battle in the world stage. China's ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Sha Zukang warned the US in no uncertain terms that the US should mind its own business and should not be the devil behind the Taiwan declaration of independence move. The US fingerprints are all over in the Taiwanese plan to break away from China and China has made it very clear that it will take the US head on if Taiwan declares independence with US support. And the US has been trying to brand the Chinese as an expansionist power for expanding its defence expenditure which is US$35 billion as against US$419 billion of the Americans. Such distortion of truth by the Americans is no longer tolerable and the Chinese are not going to take that lying down any more. The Chinese are going to call a spade a spade and that the Americans are the number one trouble maker in the world will be pasted and glued onto the American face. It looks like the Chinese are going to retaliate at every political polemics that the Americans are throwing at them. The world will now hear a different truth. The most dangerous and most hated country in the world is going to be the USA. They cannot run and cannot hide. They are everywhere, from Latin America, Europe, Africa, Middle East, South Asia and East Asia, trying to establish its hegemony over the world.

enough people to occupy these flats?

This is the threatening question about the overbuilding of HDB flats and how a good housing programme went wrong. And the rest is history. I will like to modify this statement to read, 'Enough people to buy these stocks?' The problem facing a glut of HDB flats and private properties in the market is the same as that facing the stockbroking industry. It is another case of oversupply and lack of participants. The stock indices are going up, other stock markets are going to the roof, but you can hardly hear a phone ring in the trading rooms of all the broking houses. A very similar situation as the housing market. Many flats were built. But where are the takers. In the stock market, there are many stocks and many derivatives, but where are the investors? There are many rich people in Singapore, but are they buying HDB flats or even private flats? Yes a few may buy the exclusive upmarket condo or landed properties, but the general market is silent. The same in the stock market. A few hedge funds and house players are in the market. And that is all. The whole market is deserted. The property market will suffer a fate of a slow death when the value just melt away. And so will the value of stocks when there are no buyers but plenty of stocks and other instruments available. The slow death has started. The holding cost for all the unsold flats is just too high. The overheads for running a broking house is equally high if there are no investors. And the funds will also have holding cost if what they bought cannot be sold, except from left hand to right hand and back.

bringing down cost of essential services

The Worker's Party has made it their key objective to fight for the lowering of public transport fare. And their reasons are very valid except that the ruling party could not see it that way. Public transportation is a vital industry and affects the economy of the country as well as the wellbeing of the people. It should be treated like education or defence, and made as effective, efficient and at the lowest cost possible without the profit motive. Choking up the transport system or parallysing it by continuously raising fare will affect the quality of life of the people and all other economic and social activities. Opposition parties should be very clear in their objectives and defend the interests of the poorer people by bringing down cost of essential items and services. Transportation is only one of the many essential services.