CPF – All talks lead to Rome

So many ministers have spoken about the CPF. They appeared to be saying different things. On close analysis, they all points to one direction, they are not going to return your CPF at 55 or 65 in one lump sum, or a meaningful sum. And what do these mean? Why are they so adamant to hold back your CPF despite the public expression of anger? For your own good? Or is it something else? The govt seems to be taking a stance of defiance, ears plugged and not wanting to listen to the angry voices of hte people. Kenneth Jeyaretnam has a long list of reasons why.

Look at all the schemes and changes to the CPF, and the answer is crystal clear. The minimum sums, the Medisave and Retirement accounts, the CPF Life and now the Medishield Life, what did they say? Be prepared for something like CPF AfterLife to complete the cycle of cradle to grave.

CPF is your money, so they said. So he’s a jolly good fellow, so he’s a jolly good fellow, so he’s a jolly good fellow, so say all of us.

It may be a difficult thing to determine who needs to leave their money in the CPf Board as they are weak in mind and ability to hold on to their money. But it is not difficult to pick up those who don’t need to leave any money in the CPF after 55. By this age the game of life is almost over and what a person is made of is fairly clear to see. Before we tread into this dangerous doctrine, that the govt can withhold a citizen’s money on the ground that the citizen is deemed stupid and irresponsible, the people must make it known to the govt that this kind of thinking and logic is flawed, unacceptable and a violation of an individual’s right.

All the rich and super rich, including those with landed properties worth more than a million do not need the CPF to hold on to their money. All those who have filial children supporting them do not need to leave money in the CPF. All those who are still working in self employed professions and likely to work till they die or willingly call it quits, no need the CPF. All those who never or would not go to Batam and Bintan are safe with their money. All those who are dying do not need the CPF’s caring hands.

Really, it is only a very small group of people that need to depend on the protection of kind, very kind and caring people in the govt to help them to look after their money passed 55. Even if they choose to let the govt manage their money, it must be voluntarily, not because the govt declared that they are incapable of looking after their money, not because the govt forecast that they would live to 100 years old. No where in the world can a govt hold on to the people’s money at will and at its own pleasure, against the will of the owners of the money.

Kopi Level - Yellow

Medical tourism can be a very good idea

Medical tourism is a big thing here. With our high quality medical professionals and facilities, and a very comfortable living environment for the rich foreigners to feel at ease and at home, we have many good things going to make the city state a successful medical hub. The private sector medical services are doing roaring businesses. There have been complaints that the govt private hospitals are also jumping into the bandwagon and forgetting that they have a mission to serve the needs of the citizens. This is unfortunate.

Medical tourism can be a good thing if probably structured with a bit of govt intervention to capitalize on the profits from rich foreigners with deep pockets to pay for quality services and sharing this with the citizens. Govt privatized hospitals can tap into this source of revenue but without going bonkers and neglect the citizens. By allocating resources and medical professionals to this rich sector of the market the profits generated could be shared between the specialists, to allow them to earn more and to stay in the govt hospitals, and the hospitals to lower costs for the citizens. How are these apportioned can be worked out without allowing greed to blind the lucrative process.

The private sector specialists could be encouraged to do some national service by offering a little of their time and expertise to govt private hospitals and the revenue be used to subsidise and lower the cost of patients in govt hospitals. With their comfortable income in their private practices, some could be persuaded to offer a couple of days in govt private hospitals as their contribution to community services, to share their good fortunes with the people.

An initiative from the govt with this line of thinking would make medical tourism a very attractive business and with a lot of goodwill when the benefits could reach down to the citizens in govt privatized hospitals. The govt could promote and institutionalize this as a public service system, benefitting the professionals and the citizens and make all parties happy with the system. It calls for a bit of sacrifice on the part of the private practitioners who are doing very well to do a bit of charity at the same time. It also allows those in govt privatized hospitals an avenue to raise their income level while still in govt service. And the cost in govt private hospitals can be lowered, subsidized by medical tourism. 

Oh, don’t forget to provide for additional beds and staff for the tourists that came along and add demands on the system.

Kopi Level - Yellow

I thought driving taxis only for Singapore citizens

I saw this post in Hardwarezone about Pinoy taxi driver in Sin City. It was accompanied by a photo of the inside of the cab with sever Pinoy flags in it.

‘Dear The Real Singapore,
I took a cab from my office to ubi this morning and I encounter a Pinoy driving taxi in Singapore.

.Isn't it illegal?....

I am shocked that some Taxi companies are breaking laws by hiring Pinoy to be working as Taxi drivers. Are our local taxi drivers going to be displaced as well?
The pinoy speak with a very strong accent that I couldn't understand properly and he was also extremely rude to Singaporeans like me.
.
I won't be surprised next time the whole country gets displaced with foreigners and that even our ministers are foreigners.
.
Can LTA please clarify why are these foreigners welcomed into our country as 'Foreign Talents' but work as cab
drivers? Are we in shortage of cab drivers?’

Can this be true? Maybe the Pinoy taxi driver is now a citizen, a foreign talent with a string of degrees. Taxi driving is the last bastion that is protected and reserved for jobless Singaporean PMEs. If this is violated, where would the jobless unemployable Singaporeans going to find a self employed job? Cleaning tables in hawker centres? Or someone going to ask, you want to clean tables in restaurant, foodcourt or hawker stalls?

Oh, the trick now is to recruit foreign talents, make them citizens and by passed this protected profession. Is this the case now? Yes, LTA, please confirm that this is not true. I hope this is just a mistake, an oversight. Or we are now recruiting foreign graduates to compete with our PMEs in driving taxis? We have many graduate taxis drivers, including a PhD.

Kopi Level - Yellow

The next big bet

The National Council of Problem Gambling ad that went like this, ‘I hope Germany will win. My Dad bet all my savings on them’, is the best ad so far in terms of getting notice. It is value for money for an ad to be getting so much positive attention. It has also propelled NCPG into the top forecaster of all bets. It has beaten the octopus, the parakeet, the turtle and the fish for picking the winners of soccer bets.

The next big bet will be the General Election. It could go like this, ‘I hope Hsien Loong will win. My Dad bet all my savings on him’. This could be the next big thing in the next GE for the bookies and also the citizens, gamblers or non gamblers. And NCPG would be the toast of PAP if it lives up to its reputation as the top oracle, and if it is cheeky enough to put up such a bet.

Someone may be motivated enough to place a shrine outside NCPG’s office for people to pray for 4D/Toto numbers. Didn’t Germany won the game against Brazil? Didn’t dad make a killing and the boy had his savings returned safely to him plus bonuses as well?

Anyone wanna bet who would win in the tussle between the pro LGBT group and the conservatives in the NLB book burning case?

Kopi Level - Yellow

The changing geopolitical game

The American Empire rules the world after its victory over Germany and Japan in WW2. It then went on to dictate the terms and rules of engagement in international affairs with the Americans as the judge, jury and executioner. It was field days for the Americans to do as they pleased and how they liked. Branding nations as rogue nations, imposing sanctions, supporting anti govt forces, inciting and arming of resistance forces to overthrow govts, sending American advisors to work with anti govt forces in civil wars, invasion and regime change, were all part and parcel of the American game plan. Countries not on the American side would either end up in perpetual warfare, divided or constantly under harassment of sanctions and threats of war.

Up until Iraq, all systems go. There was no resistance to the military might of the Empire. Then came Libya and a slap on the face of the Russians. It forced the Russians to stand up and said this is one step too far and if not stopped, the Russians would be booted out of the Middle East.

The Americans tried the same game plan again in Syria. Incite a small resistance movement to go against President Assad. This was followed up by military aids and sending in of military advisors to overthrow Assad’s govt.  This time the Russians were prepared for it and Putin said no. The Russians went in to support Assad with military aid, advisors and a political will to keep the Americans out of Syria. Obama was surprised by the strong stand of Putin and got to think very hard to risk a war with the Russians. Any American move to support the resistance would only escalate the civil war. The Americans turned chicken and an uneasy civil war failed to break out. Assad is safe and the resistance movement would have to remain a resistance movement with limited American support.

Syria is a stalemate. The turning point came in Ukraine. Now the whole American game plan is turned against the Americans. The Russians incite and support a resistance movement against the Ukraine govt. The Russians sent in their military advisors and aid to boost up the strength of the resistance. 

This is American military intervention instruction 101. The Americans and their European allies could only scream and shout and threaten retaliation but all sounds and fury, like the Russians used to do. The Russians have taken the initiative and the offensive. The American Empire has never found itself in such a situation and could only hold their breath and watch the developments in Ukraine with no answers.

Under the dominance of the American Empire, Germany and Korea were divided. China and Taiwan was also divided. Now it is the turn of Ukraine, but the call is by the Russians. The Russians are throwing the book back at the Americans, following every word and page of the American book of war.

Ukraine is the beginning of the changing fortune of the American Empire. Ukraine is the beginning when the table is turned against the Americans. The fall of the American Empire is getting real.

What the Israelis are doing these few days would make the Americans more evil in the eyes of the Islamic world and the Arabs. The Americans are just folding their arms to let the Israelis blast the Palestinians out of their homes. They act daft, can’t do anything. But if it is against the Israelis or American allies, they will sail in their naval fleet and threaten to bomb whoever to Stone Age. The anger of the Arabs and Muslims would grow not so much against the Israelis but the Americans, the evil Empire behind the carnage. Israel could be so brazen and trigger happy because the Americans allowed them to do so.

The evil Empire is the source of all conflicts around the world.

Kopi Level - Green

When no meeting of the minds is intentional

There have been a lot of kpkb by the more vocal citizens about bad policies or policies they do not want to go along. The 6.9m PWP, the complaints about the influx of ‘foreign talents’ to displace local PMETs, the demand to return the people’s CPF savings at 55, the high property prices, the anger about throwing public money at foreign students, offering them scholarships and precious spaces in the local universities, etc etc. How did the govt respond to these challenges?

One simple straight forward tactic is not to talk about it, just remain silence and pretend there is no problem or they did not hear anything. Is any of these topics discussed in the Natcon? Other than the unavoidable issue of CPF linked to Medishield Life and the Hong Lim Protest, is any of the issues raised in Parliament? Let the anger and energy dissipated with time and soon the people would be too tired or even forgot about the problems. People have short memories and are not persistent enough to fight for what they think is right or to stop what is detrimental to their good and did not want to continue. As unorganized groups, they soon lost themselves, the issue lost steam, and gave up on their cause.

Another way to handle public anger or disapproval is to side track the issue or pretends to be working on it but on a different issue. The people are angry when good jobs are given to foreigners in the name of foreign talents. Does anyone notice that the govt is not saying anything about the continued influx of foreign talents but focused on reducing the intake of foreign workers instead? There seems to be no meeting of minds, the people talking about FTs and the govt talking about FWs.  Is this an intentional diversion from the main issue, ie foreign talents, pretending or ignoring them but working on reducing the FW intakes that the people knew are jobs that the locals did not want to take up? They did not understand what the people are kpkb about, the FTs and not the FWs?

Maybe it is about good communications or selective communications, talk only on topics that they chose to talk about and keep quiet on issues that they did not want to talk about. And there is no need to bother about a meeting of the minds. The meeting of the minds, if there is any, will be in the Natcon on select topics with the converts talking to the converts of the same religion.

Kopi Level - Yellow

Respecting Parliament and the trust of the people

The embarrassing revelation of Parliament having not enough MPs present to make a quorum for the passing of bills is not funny. It is not a small matter.
 
Our MPs maybe part time, some full time, but they are paid extremely well for being part timers. The people can understand that they are busy people with many hats to wear, many directorships and meetings to attend. But to skip Parliament is unacceptable.
 
The Parliament is the highest office of the land. It is not only an honour to be sitting in Parliament, it carries a lot of responsibility and prestige as law makers. It carries the hope and aspirations of the people. MPs are elected by the people to represent their interests in Parliament. And Parliament does not sit everyday.
 
When Parliament is in session, it must be the top priority of MPs to be in attendance. Any MP that thinks being present in Parliament is secondary to his other money making activities should not offer himself as a representative of the people. They are not only disregarding the interest of the people but showing disrespect to the highest institution of the land.
 
The Prime Minister and the Speaker of Parliament must impress upon the MPs that this is the highest duty, to be representatives of the people in Parliament. The MPs and MPs to be must commit to serve the people and be present in every Parliamentary sitting except for extenuating circumstances that they could not be present. How can anything be more important than a Parliament in session? How can MPs feel so comfortable and convenient to be absent from Parliament?
 
Maybe I am wrong. Parliament is not important. Being present in Parliament is a waste of time. Law making is not important, voting and passing of bills in Parliament are not important. If that is the case, by all means, no need to attend Parliament, or no need to have Parliamentary sessions to discuss national issues and make laws. What is the status of Parliament? A rubber stamping institution, be present or absent is not material?
How can there be less than 25% of MPs present in a Parliament session and how long have these been going on? $16,000 a month is a lot of money, teeny weeny peanuts to some, to at least make a show of face or sleep in Parliament. Anyone who thinks that $16,000 a month is not big enough and not justifiable to make a presence in all Parliamentary sittings must not stand for election as an MP. It is an insult to the Office of Parliament. It is not doing justice to the people that elected them to be in Parliament.
 
What do you think?

Kopi Level - Green