When meritocracy is stupidity

The problem of highly qualified Singaporeans unable to find employment is not only serious but politically unacceptable to a Govt that has responsibility to its people first and foremost. Silly politicians that keep harping blindly on meritocracy need to be voted out from Parliament. Meritocracy and the practice of meritocracy as a country are very different and complex from practising meritocracy in a well of frogs. In the well, the frogs are safe from intruders and have only among themselves to see who is more meritocratic. In the land of the blind the one eye frog shines.

Singapore only has a population of 3.3m, citizens and PRs. An open door policy to invite foreigners here to work, with only meritocracy as the criteria, is simply insane, stupidity at its peak. There are 6 or 7 billion people out there and if being more talented, or merits, is justification to work here, to replace another Singaporean, the whole 3.3m people should be replaced, from the President and PM and to the low down beggars on the street. Sure you can find millions of people out there that are more meritocratic than a Singaporean or the PM.

Just because the frogs in the well are protected from competition, they can throw the meritocracy card at everyone, not good enough get out, there is always a better foreigner to replace another Singaporean. Why don’t the frogs allow fair competition and let the more meritocratic foreigners to replace them? Never, they know too well that there will be many many out there that will be better than them, every one of them.

In practice, many jobs can be done by a Singaporean. The education and skill level of many Singaporeans are more than adequate to do the job. You don’t need someone with 3 degrees or a master’s to be a middle executive doing administrative work. You don’t need to drive a sports car to get from point A to B when any good decent car will do. It is a fallacy to pick the best when the best is ten times over qualified for the job that a Singaporean is qualified to do? Does this sound complicated?

Who are we kidding, that Singaporeans are not good enough to fill all the middle management positions with the qualifications they got from our world class education system and universities? Who are we kidding when many are employed instead of Singaporeans for all the wrong reasons except being meritocratic?

The nonsense that is happening in the employment scene must be made right and it is the duty and responsibility of the Govt to put it right. It is the Gov’t’s thoughtless policy of opening the door widely to foreigners with little due consideration to the employment needs of the citizens that is the problem. Meritocracy without due recognition to country and citizenship is simply crazy, madness, and idiocy. The whole population should be moved out and replaced by more meritocratic people from all over the world. Yah?

Advertisements are news too

For Singaporeans who have been away for too long, migrated or simply working overseas, the reading of advertisements in the blog is also keeping in touch with home. The types of advertisements, the jobs available, the qualifications needed, the salary offered, the type of companies placing the adverts, tell a lot about the happenings in the country.

This is also applicable to foreigners who want to have a feel of the social and economic developments taking place in the country. The advertisements tell a lot of what is happening here, particularly the job opportunities and income level of the people, the quality of life and the vibrancy of the economy.

There are more things to see and understand from just flipping through the advertisements other than jobs or entertainments or food etc etc. You will be surprised how much information can be deduced from just reading the advertisements. So when there are no fresh postings, take a peep into the adverts.

Chinua Achebe - A tribute to a Nigerian nationalist and hero

‘He also addressed corruption head on, teaching younger Nigerians not to be hungry to the point of selling our birth rights. His soul and conscience were non negotiable. He turned down Nigeria’s national honours twice because he was one who believed an elder should not eat his meal atop a heap of malodorous rubbish.

He was a gentle rebel who refused to shake the necrotic outstretched hands of corrupt leaders.  He was an old breed, a wise man from a different generation who could not stand the wanton looting of Nigeria’s public coffers.

Achebe would have loved to spend his twilight years among his own people instead of in America.  With the bastardisation of a nation he was once proud of by kleptocratic military and civilian rulers, the old man had no country to return to alive.’  

The above quote is by a Victor Ehikhamenor in his article on his Nigerian hero and nationalist, Chinua Achebe. The article is reproduced from the New York Times in the ST today.  Reading the article allows me to reflect on the situation in Singapore and I conclude how lucky Singaporeans are for not having the kind of leaders the Nigerians were blessed with. Our leaders don’t eat their meals atop a heap of malodorous rubbish for sure. And Singaporeans are definitely not selling their birth rights away as they are not that hungry. And our nation was not bastardised by kleptocratic military and civilian rulers and looting the public coffers.

Thank God we are Singaporeans and we need not have to run away to live out the twilight years in America. Singaporeans better be grateful.

Why are Sinkies so sick and shameless?

I read this comment from a Sinkie in TRE about racism. The way he put it was really so disappointing. He was unhappy about racism against Asians, but unconsciously he was practising racism against Asians without knowing it. Too many kantans and hamburgers I supposed, or too much deference to the Westerners that subconsciously he felt and acted inferior to them. This is what he wrote,

‘Honestly, how are we the natives expected to react? Smile and behave happily and accept things as they are.

I was in Perth on holiday and my wife was stunned when a white lady ticked her off at a supermarket queue for no reason. She just doesn’t like us I supposed and was mumbling some rascist remarks starring hard at us. I can assure you she is not mad. In Paris in a lift, I witnessed a well dressed white lady yelling at a meek Asian woman asking her to pack off and go back to where she comes from. I can assure you she doesn’t look mad either. What do you make out of these situations?

I guess it is the sense, the feeling of being displaced and having your place taken over that led people to behave this way.’

You notice that he addressed those racist pigs as ladies and their Asian victim as woman. What was so ladylike about those racist bitches to be called ladies? And what was so unlady like for the Asian woman not to be called a lady but just a woman? Too use to call them sir and ma’am and ladies and gentlemen, and too use to be called just man and woman?

This kind of inferior mentality has been subplanted in the mediocre Asian mind that it has become habitual, second nature. Yes Sir, Yes ma’am, but turn around and shout at the Asian women like inferior stocks. If Asians are not going to respect themselves but the West, they deserve to be treated like shit. And if Sinkies could not stand up to foreigners and allow foreigners to ill treat them or discriminate against them in their own country, they deserve it, every little bit of it.

The Europeans are xenophobic for ages. They conquered, robbed and killed the coloured races all over the world and are still stinkingly racists like the examples given. Of course they claimed that the racist bitches are a minority, and they are exceptions. Xenophobia is not a Singaporean thing. And I find it ludicrous for a Tessa Wong to write in the ST today calling for restraints against Singaporeans becoming xenophobic. And Singapore for Singaporeans slogan is xenophobic? Who taught her that?

Xenophobia is practised by foreigners in the work place in Singapore against Singaporeans. Does she know this? If not, go ask Tan Chuan Jin or read the parliamentary reports. The most important issue today is to get rid of xenophobia against Singaporeans in Singapore. The Govt has a duty and responsibility to Singaporeans to stamp this outrageous behaviour out immediately and ‘burn a few on the stakes’. I put this phrase in inverted commas so that no donkeys will take it literally and think it is a call to burn people. It is just an figurative expression ok?

If the govt fails in doing so, and xenophobia continues against Singaporeans and silly Sinkies still think it is the fault of Singaporeans, the anti foreigners cry will get stronger and may get nasty. It is time to nip the problem in the bud by kicking a few foreign butts to mean business. Singapore is for Singaporeans first. There is nothing xenophobic or shameful to say this. There is nothing to be apologetic about it. Or shall we call female Sinkies ‘woman’ and foreign women ‘ladies’ to be respectful and less xenophobic?

US flying B2s over Korea

Those of you who know what B2s are capable of doing will behave exactly as the North Koreans. These are stealth bombers with the capabilities of sneaking through radar surveillance and defence system, and to drop nuclear bombs on the enemy, in this case, North Korea. By flying over South Korea, a change of heading will see them over North Korean in minutes and there is not way to defend before they drop their nuclear bombs. The Americans denied that they were nuclear armed. Who in his right mind will believe the Americans? As for the North Koreans, a mistake is all it takes to see their country going up in smokes.

The flying of B2 over the Korean peninsula is not only provocative but a hostile act. The North Koreans should declare a no fly zone and any B2 crossing that line, which can be 200 km inside South Korea is an act of war and will be shot down. That is a reasonable thing to do in the defense of their country.

The Cuban crisis was caused by the Soviet Union trying to station some nuclear tipped missiles in Cuba which put the missiles within range of the US mainland. The US took that as an act of war, cordoned off the access by sea and air of Russian ships and aircraft into Cuba and demanded the removal of the missiles or war.

When asked if the flying of the B2s over the Korean peninsula was a provocative act, the US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel acted so innocent and replied that it was a normal thing that countries did to defend their homeland. No, no, they did nothing unusual. He did not see it as provocative. And as usual, the western jokers were claiming that the North Koreans were fetish with their power and wanted to hold the world hostage. They are totally blind to the provocations by the Americans and the South Koreans, and condemning the North Koreans as irrational people when the warmongers were the Americans.

The fact and truth, the North and South Koreans may not be on too friendly terms, but they were trying to cooperate and live as good neighbours. It was the continuous provocative acts of the US in connivance with the South Koreans to conduct war games simulating an invasion of North Korea at the Korean borders that raised tension. And now the US provocatively and threateningly flew the nuclear capable B2 in the peninsula and claimed that it was an innocent act.

Even an Australian professor could not resist commenting that such an act was definitely provocative. How about the Russians and the Chinese flying their nuclear capable bombers along the western coasts of the American homeland and see how the Americans would squeal their heads off that such an act is hostile? It is a case of the Americans can go provoking everyone and is ok but others cannot do so, it’s not okay.

The Americans are trying their best to raise tension in Asia and in the Korean peninsula in particular, to keep the two Koreans at war to be used as justification for the stationing of American troops in the Korean peninsula and also in Japan. The real losers are the stupid Koreans, being manipulated by the Americans and Japanese to be at each other’s throat, and the hordes of unthinking Asians accusing the North Koreans of being provocative and the bad guy. The real winners are the Americans and the Japanese. The real losers, other than the two Koreans, are the rest of Asia.

Kim Jung Un has signed an order authorising the firing of missiles on American targets in Korea, Japan, Guam and even the American mainland. And the Americans are worried of a misjudgement and the missiles unleashed. If it does happen, the Americans and the South Koreans have only themselves to blame. They have been the provocateurs of rising tension in the Korean Peninsula. They created it and asked for it.

What is so frightening about the White Paper

The indigestion caused by the White Paper is there for all to see. No to 6.9m population, no to bigger population. Is this so difficult to understand or can be plainly ignored by the Govt? The Paper was whitewashed by the Govt that has absolute majority in Parliament. A vote for such a Paper is really a non issue and to claim that it has been read, debated and passed by Parliament, I really dunno what to say.

Given the shocking opposition by an erstwhile docile people, with various polls conducted officially or unofficially, the Govt is still in a state of denial, that the people will agree and support the Paper if they have read the details in the Paper. Isn’t this dangerous?

What is more frightening is that many on the side of the Govt are saying, it is only a matter of communication. If the Govt could have communicated better, explained to the people better, there would be no issue. The people will go with the Govt. Really ah?

Such thinking is really lame. It thinks that the people are so dense and could not understand the implications and consequences of dense population.  It also reassures the Govt that actually the people are just angry for the wrong reasons, nothing to bother about. The people will get over it in time, will come to their senses. The Govt is always right.  Or it is only 4,000 or 5000 people that are not happy, never mind. The majority of the people will eventually agree to it, and if better communicated.

Is this frightening, or something else? What if the 4,000 people become 10,000, 20,000 and then more and more? Would it make any difference?

Raising children is a losing economic proposition

The cost of raising children here is easily half a million by the time the child graduated from university, and that is a local university. A foreign university could add a couple of hundred thousands more, depending on the type of courses and which country he went to. Just talk economics, as a digit in the GDP number game, the returns must be profitable for the whole process, minus all the emotional and other considerations.

For an outlay of half a million, the child must at least bring in an income of the same amount just to break even. Then include the cost he/she would need to incur, excluding his personal expenses to keep him alive, say housing and car, both items would cost him easily two to three millions more. Simply, the child must bring in an income of $2 ½ or $3 million to make the whole effort worthwhile.

Assuming a productive life is 30 years and additional work years are for retirement expenses, one would need an income of $100k on the average. Anyone earning less than this amount is a losing proposition, a losing investment. And not having a child, a couple could save a million or two for their own. Would that be a better option than to bring up a child or two? If one just thinks economic, the answer is obvious.