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.