I read in the main media of this great opportunity to become hawkers in
Singapore’s famous hawker culture business. ITE has started a new
hawker course to teach and train aspiring young people, very likely
armed with degrees or diplomas to become hawkers. This new profession is
about the best thing that has happened in Singapore for the young and
entrepreneurial Singaporeans since getting a permanent job is quite
difficult as most of the jobs were taken up by the 2 million foreign
talents working here, and with more coming in to become locals and
Singaporeans. New Singaporean graduates are finding it tough competing
with these new talents, or is it that employers for some reasons, prefer
to hire foreigners instead of Singaporeans, and other than becoming
taxi drivers, it is better to become hawkers.
The ITE course, Introduction to Managing a Hawker Business, has
attracted 25 aspiring young people to learn this new trade. Among the
things that they would learn other than managing a hawker stall would be
things like how to source for suppliers and yes, how to formulate a
business plan. This is serious business.
I am calling my grandfather to apply to be a lecturer for this course.
His experience as a hawker for 50 years, from the time he arrived in
this island, with out a penny, with no education, would be very useful
to the new trainees that have no clues about running a hawker stall. My
grandfather would be able to teach them all the tricks of the trade,
including sourcing for suppliers, how to cut operating cost, how to work
from 6am to 12 mid night, how to stand frying char kway teow for long
hours without going to the toilet.
But there is a caveat. My grandfather would not know how to teach them
how to write business plan. Also he would have to conduct his course in
Hokien. He had never been to school. He learnt his trade the hard way or
what they called, OJT. There was no one to teach him how to be a hawker
then, and no hawker courses to learn how to be a hawker.
Hope if he got the job, the highly educated trainee aspiring hawkers
would bear with him and be willing to learn from him. Hawker business is
not so easy and they don’t teach them in schools or the universities.
So my grandfather and his peers would be the best lecturers/trainers for
such a course. They had been there and done it, no pure reading by the
books.
This poses a new query in my mind. Who are they getting to train these
aspiring hawkers, people with experience in being hawkers or text books
academics? I am still puzzled by the availability of such experts in the
hawker business. Would a Mat Salleh help?
Ok, ok, I am kidding. My grandfather must be 150 years if he is still
alive. But hawker business is going to be a new profession for our young
people since they no longer can become IT professionals or other
professionals in Singapore. This is their best hope to earn a decent
living and have a permanent job or profession. Otherwise they would
likely be unemployed or underemployed.
The caring govt has come forward to give them a helping hand by
initiating such a great course to train them to be hawkers. If not they
would not have a clue how to become a hawker. Singaporeans must be
taught or they would not be able to do anything on their own. This is
like they said, no initiative, cannot think, cannot find out on their
own, a product of Singapore’s tuition culture.
My grandfather did not need any tuition or training to become a
successful hawker. He would faint if he knows that his class would have
highly educated young people with no ideas about how to be a hawker. He
would like say, seow.
10/12/2018
10/11/2018
Oxfam’s finding on Singapore’s inequality ‘simplistic and prescriptive’
SMU don Eugene Tan commented on the Oxfam report on Singapore’s income
inequality that the ‘methodology was simplistic and prescriptive’. It
ranked Singapore 149 out of 157 nations, just one notch above Laos.
Singapore’s position fell from a high of 86 last year to near rock
bottom, a ranking comparable to the ranking for Singapore’s main media.
How atrocious! Would the comments be more friendly if the rankings were
like those for our world class universities? Incidentally the rankings
for our world class universities have received a few condemnations and
they have started to think of a more realistic and relevant way of
ranking our world class universities, ranked in the same ethereal realm
of existence as the top universities of the world.
With such bad ranking on income inequality, this report rightly deserves to be rejected and dismissed. How could Singapore be lying so low down there in the company of Laos and not right up there with the top European countries? Must be very biased, or yes, simplistic and prescriptive. And Minister Desmond Lee was also unhappy with the report and was offended. He said, ‘We think it is more important to look at the outcomes achieved instead.’ Yes, agreed, these people coming from nowhere, never lived here before, making such unruly comments on our domestic affairs and so critical and simplistic some more.
Let me just make one quote from the Oxfam report as reported in thenewspaper to support a case against the unstinting and unfair criticism of this best run state in the world. ‘Singapore could tackle inequality at home by spending more, strengthening labour rights and enacting anti discrimination laws.’
But Singapore has been spending a lot more to help the poor students, including many from other countries to study in our world best schools, polytechnics and universities, with scholarships covering fees, living expenses and housing. This is in the tune of several billions over the years. How much more must Singapore spend before Oxfam is satisified? The govt even legislated to spend the poor people’s life savings, otherwise they would not spend, to protect them from health and life expectancy problems. This money spent the Oxfam sure would not know. They must add this as part of the social spending to help the poor, to level up the income inequality.
As for strengthening the labour movements and labour rights, how much more is needed when the govt assigned the PM to be to head the labour movement? This is damn powerful ok, to protect and to fight for the workers’ rights and interests. No country would put such a high power minister to work for the workers. So the comment by the Oxfam report is too simplistic or ignorant.
More anti discrimination laws? On what, sexual inequality or wealth inequality? Ok, sexual inequality is now gaining support, especially for the LGBTs. Give the govt some time and all sexes and bisexuals will be equal, no more discrimination. Oh wait a minute, I read about this on sexual inequality, ‘Singapore has no equal pay or non discrimination laws for women, its laws on rape and sexual harassment are inadequate and there is no minimum wage except for cleaners and security guards.’ Holy cow, where did this come from? See how many women ministers we have and think the top salary earner in Singapore is a woman. Ok, I have no statistic to back this up. Caveat.
Laws on rape? Come on, Singapore is virtually free of rape crimes against women. Why do you need more laws on this when it is quite irrelevant? You need more laws on rape if the country is infested with rapists, not safe, safe Singapore.
As for wealth inequality, the best legal provision is the abolishment of estate duty so that everyone can inherit their homes after the death of the owner of the estate. Rich or poor, all are treated as equal. Poor Singaporeans need not lose their estate as a result of death, and can pass on their HDB flats to their descendants forever.
See how simplistic is the Oxfam report? They did not know that our poor are so rich and happy that all the poor in the whole world would want to be poor in Singapore. This is a fact, a spoken fact. Why is it a spoken fact? Because no one in Singapore dispute this fact when spoken.
Whew. I said my piece for Singapore. I defended Singapore’s integrity.
With such bad ranking on income inequality, this report rightly deserves to be rejected and dismissed. How could Singapore be lying so low down there in the company of Laos and not right up there with the top European countries? Must be very biased, or yes, simplistic and prescriptive. And Minister Desmond Lee was also unhappy with the report and was offended. He said, ‘We think it is more important to look at the outcomes achieved instead.’ Yes, agreed, these people coming from nowhere, never lived here before, making such unruly comments on our domestic affairs and so critical and simplistic some more.
Let me just make one quote from the Oxfam report as reported in thenewspaper to support a case against the unstinting and unfair criticism of this best run state in the world. ‘Singapore could tackle inequality at home by spending more, strengthening labour rights and enacting anti discrimination laws.’
But Singapore has been spending a lot more to help the poor students, including many from other countries to study in our world best schools, polytechnics and universities, with scholarships covering fees, living expenses and housing. This is in the tune of several billions over the years. How much more must Singapore spend before Oxfam is satisified? The govt even legislated to spend the poor people’s life savings, otherwise they would not spend, to protect them from health and life expectancy problems. This money spent the Oxfam sure would not know. They must add this as part of the social spending to help the poor, to level up the income inequality.
As for strengthening the labour movements and labour rights, how much more is needed when the govt assigned the PM to be to head the labour movement? This is damn powerful ok, to protect and to fight for the workers’ rights and interests. No country would put such a high power minister to work for the workers. So the comment by the Oxfam report is too simplistic or ignorant.
More anti discrimination laws? On what, sexual inequality or wealth inequality? Ok, sexual inequality is now gaining support, especially for the LGBTs. Give the govt some time and all sexes and bisexuals will be equal, no more discrimination. Oh wait a minute, I read about this on sexual inequality, ‘Singapore has no equal pay or non discrimination laws for women, its laws on rape and sexual harassment are inadequate and there is no minimum wage except for cleaners and security guards.’ Holy cow, where did this come from? See how many women ministers we have and think the top salary earner in Singapore is a woman. Ok, I have no statistic to back this up. Caveat.
Laws on rape? Come on, Singapore is virtually free of rape crimes against women. Why do you need more laws on this when it is quite irrelevant? You need more laws on rape if the country is infested with rapists, not safe, safe Singapore.
As for wealth inequality, the best legal provision is the abolishment of estate duty so that everyone can inherit their homes after the death of the owner of the estate. Rich or poor, all are treated as equal. Poor Singaporeans need not lose their estate as a result of death, and can pass on their HDB flats to their descendants forever.
See how simplistic is the Oxfam report? They did not know that our poor are so rich and happy that all the poor in the whole world would want to be poor in Singapore. This is a fact, a spoken fact. Why is it a spoken fact? Because no one in Singapore dispute this fact when spoken.
Whew. I said my piece for Singapore. I defended Singapore’s integrity.
10/10/2018
The AHTC case and the flaws of switching management
It is so obvious that the problems facing the AHTC case need not arise
and must/would not be allowed to be repeated if the management of town
councils remains with a statutory board or ministry ran by civil
servants. The management of a town council, the complexity and
operational details involved, and the importance of such services
remaining in tact and continuou, demand that it must be run by a
permanent body of staff. It cannot be otherwise.
The AHTC case highlighted the problems and flaws and unnecessary troublesome administrative handling over of funds, records, duties and responsibilities that could not be efficiently transferred from one management to another over a short spell of time. Such procedures and processes, the involvement of funds and monetary matters, necessitate very careful, arduous and detailed scrutiny and inspection before a transfer can take place. And worse, under the politicized nature of the system, when a different and often unfriendly party won an election and having to take over the function and running of a town council, in a way exposing the predecessor’s work to be scrutinized for wrongdoings, make the transfer of responsibility a hostile takeover with both parties placed in a very difficult and confrontational position. How could such a belligerent and antagonistic system be to the interest of the residents that expect a public service to continue to run efficiently, smoothly and without disruption?
When a political party takes over the running of a state after winning a general election, all the staff of ministries and stats boards remain in tact, with all the systems and procedures, including software and hardware, remain practically unchanged until such time when the new govt is ready to make changes. The services of the respective ministries and stats boards will not be affected in anyway or in any serious ways. Assuming the same terms of changing all the staff and systems in ministries should take place like the changing of the guards in the town councils, there is no way the new govt can start to administer a country and all its ministries and stats boards given the time constraints.
The expectation of a new town council management to start operating and running a town council almost immediately is insane. An incoming town council could insist that all the documents, accounts and system be proper and free from errors before taking over and this would lead to an endless explanation and bickering of what is being handed over. This is simply plain impossible and unacceptable.
It is time the town councils be returned to be managed permanently and continuously by a stats board with permanent staff and system for the good of the residents. No one or party or politician need to be put through running a town council to prove themselves to be able to run a country. This is a red herring, a myth. It does not happen in any other country and historically, new govts are form in democratic countries after winning an election with people that came from all walks of life except running a country and they ran the country and doing no less better than people who had the experience of running town councils.
One does not have to run a small company to run a big company or organization. Running a small company or organization like a town council has very little relevance to running a country. If that is the critical experience to run a country successfully, then the first generation of leaders would have failed or must fail. They did not, without the experience of running town councils. So did the leaders of all the countries in the whole wide world.
This town council thing must be put right for the good of the people and country. All the political bickering is unnecessary, stressful, silly and a waste of public funds and resources that could be put to better use and more important things.
The AHTC case highlighted the problems and flaws and unnecessary troublesome administrative handling over of funds, records, duties and responsibilities that could not be efficiently transferred from one management to another over a short spell of time. Such procedures and processes, the involvement of funds and monetary matters, necessitate very careful, arduous and detailed scrutiny and inspection before a transfer can take place. And worse, under the politicized nature of the system, when a different and often unfriendly party won an election and having to take over the function and running of a town council, in a way exposing the predecessor’s work to be scrutinized for wrongdoings, make the transfer of responsibility a hostile takeover with both parties placed in a very difficult and confrontational position. How could such a belligerent and antagonistic system be to the interest of the residents that expect a public service to continue to run efficiently, smoothly and without disruption?
When a political party takes over the running of a state after winning a general election, all the staff of ministries and stats boards remain in tact, with all the systems and procedures, including software and hardware, remain practically unchanged until such time when the new govt is ready to make changes. The services of the respective ministries and stats boards will not be affected in anyway or in any serious ways. Assuming the same terms of changing all the staff and systems in ministries should take place like the changing of the guards in the town councils, there is no way the new govt can start to administer a country and all its ministries and stats boards given the time constraints.
The expectation of a new town council management to start operating and running a town council almost immediately is insane. An incoming town council could insist that all the documents, accounts and system be proper and free from errors before taking over and this would lead to an endless explanation and bickering of what is being handed over. This is simply plain impossible and unacceptable.
It is time the town councils be returned to be managed permanently and continuously by a stats board with permanent staff and system for the good of the residents. No one or party or politician need to be put through running a town council to prove themselves to be able to run a country. This is a red herring, a myth. It does not happen in any other country and historically, new govts are form in democratic countries after winning an election with people that came from all walks of life except running a country and they ran the country and doing no less better than people who had the experience of running town councils.
One does not have to run a small company to run a big company or organization. Running a small company or organization like a town council has very little relevance to running a country. If that is the critical experience to run a country successfully, then the first generation of leaders would have failed or must fail. They did not, without the experience of running town councils. So did the leaders of all the countries in the whole wide world.
This town council thing must be put right for the good of the people and country. All the political bickering is unnecessary, stressful, silly and a waste of public funds and resources that could be put to better use and more important things.
10/09/2018
Abuse of power and the media to maintain dominance
The Evil American Empire has been abusing everything under the law, with their superior military power and control of the western media and media of little USAs to accuse, demonise and attack their enemies just to hold on to their position as the unchallenged dominant world power.
The strategy is very simple, just keep on accusing the enemies, demonise them using the main media, and attack them with their superior military might to destroy their enemies. These are the things the Americans are doing. The world's biggest war criminal, killing hundreds of thousands all over the world, but accusing every country they regard as enemies of war crimes, in Eastern Europe, in Africa, in Sri Lanka, in Myanmar and in Latin America. They also accused all these countries of violating human rights when they were the one that were the worst violator of human rights in the past and in present times. And sickeningly they awarded themselves under the slightest pretext with Nobel Peace Prize while conducting wars, escalating wars, and starting wars.
They blame other countries of militarisation, like China in the SC Sea when they set up more than 1,000 military bases all over the world, militarising the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean with nuclear bombs and sending warships, warplanes and Special Forces to threaten other countries. They accuse others of currency manipulation, of money laundering, when the American govt and American banks were the biggest culprits of such criminal activities.
They accuse China of settling Asian and African countries with debts when they were the ones that were doing so and with higher interest rates than China through IMF and the World Bank.
For decades they have been conducting world wide espionage, spying and eave droppings of communication lines, and cyber attacks and accused others of doing it as if they are innocent of such covert operations.
They support, finance, arm and train terrorist organisations and accused others of doing so.
They coerce, pressure, threaten countries all over the world with military invasion, regime change, trade sanctions and everything you can name of but accused other countries of doing so.
They meddle and interfere with the domestic affairs and politics of every country but accusing others of meddling with American domestic politics.
They conduct smear campaigns against countries and their leader when they and their leaders were the worst scoundrels, groping women, sexual harassment, sexual violation, misconduct, blow job in the White House, violence etc etc.
I could go on and on. The main purpose of this dirty strategy is to attack and keep the enemies busy defending and have no time to hit back or to expose the dirt and shit of the Americans. The enemies would be so bogged down trying to clear their names and have no time to attack the Evil Empire on all their crimes against humanity, abuse of power, disregarding the rule of law and using the media to spread fake news and false news and disinformation about their enemies.
The Evil Empire is the Evil Empire and it is a matter of time before the wheel of fortune turns against them and bring them down on their knees. You can bluff some people some of the time but not all the people all the time. When the Evil Empire loses its power, it is a matter of when, they will pay for their abuses of power and media and for crimes against humanity.
The strategy is very simple, just keep on accusing the enemies, demonise them using the main media, and attack them with their superior military might to destroy their enemies. These are the things the Americans are doing. The world's biggest war criminal, killing hundreds of thousands all over the world, but accusing every country they regard as enemies of war crimes, in Eastern Europe, in Africa, in Sri Lanka, in Myanmar and in Latin America. They also accused all these countries of violating human rights when they were the one that were the worst violator of human rights in the past and in present times. And sickeningly they awarded themselves under the slightest pretext with Nobel Peace Prize while conducting wars, escalating wars, and starting wars.
They blame other countries of militarisation, like China in the SC Sea when they set up more than 1,000 military bases all over the world, militarising the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean with nuclear bombs and sending warships, warplanes and Special Forces to threaten other countries. They accuse others of currency manipulation, of money laundering, when the American govt and American banks were the biggest culprits of such criminal activities.
They accuse China of settling Asian and African countries with debts when they were the ones that were doing so and with higher interest rates than China through IMF and the World Bank.
For decades they have been conducting world wide espionage, spying and eave droppings of communication lines, and cyber attacks and accused others of doing it as if they are innocent of such covert operations.
They support, finance, arm and train terrorist organisations and accused others of doing so.
They coerce, pressure, threaten countries all over the world with military invasion, regime change, trade sanctions and everything you can name of but accused other countries of doing so.
They meddle and interfere with the domestic affairs and politics of every country but accusing others of meddling with American domestic politics.
They conduct smear campaigns against countries and their leader when they and their leaders were the worst scoundrels, groping women, sexual harassment, sexual violation, misconduct, blow job in the White House, violence etc etc.
I could go on and on. The main purpose of this dirty strategy is to attack and keep the enemies busy defending and have no time to hit back or to expose the dirt and shit of the Americans. The enemies would be so bogged down trying to clear their names and have no time to attack the Evil Empire on all their crimes against humanity, abuse of power, disregarding the rule of law and using the media to spread fake news and false news and disinformation about their enemies.
The Evil Empire is the Evil Empire and it is a matter of time before the wheel of fortune turns against them and bring them down on their knees. You can bluff some people some of the time but not all the people all the time. When the Evil Empire loses its power, it is a matter of when, they will pay for their abuses of power and media and for crimes against humanity.
10/08/2018
AHTC lawsuit - A landmark case in the making
Multimillion-dollar civil suits against 3 Workers’ Party MPs go to trial
The suits were brought against three
Workers' Party MPs Low Thia Khiang, Sylvia Lim and Pritam Singh as well
as others, over alleged improper payments amounting to millions of
dollars....
An 'egregious, cavalier misuse of public funds': Town council lawyers rip into Workers' Party leaders
An 'egregious, cavalier misuse of public funds': Town council lawyers rip into Workers' Party leaders
Later
in the afternoon, lawyers for the three MPs and AHTC councillors Chua
Zhi Hon and Kenneth Foo stressed that at all times, the five were acting
honestly and in “good faith”. The five are represented by Tan Rajah
& Cheah.
“Various allegations have been made ... we have our responses to all those,” said lawyer Chelva Retnam Rajah in court. “At the heart of all our actions is the fact that at all times ... They were acting in good faith, acting honestly and for the purposes of the Town Councils Act in all their actions.”
Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/workers-party-trial-ahtc-prptc-lawsuits-low-pritam-sylvia-10793984
Three leaders of Singapore’s leading opposition party Workers’ Party will have to defend themselves in court today over (Oct 5) alleged mishandling of S$33 million in town council funding. The civil suit was lodged by the ruling party PAP-controlled town councils – through a fake “independent panel” filled with government cronies – after the police cleared the opposition MPs of criminal wrongdoings.
It is unknown who is sitting in the “independent panel” appointed by the ruling party dictatorship....thestatestimes
“Various allegations have been made ... we have our responses to all those,” said lawyer Chelva Retnam Rajah in court. “At the heart of all our actions is the fact that at all times ... They were acting in good faith, acting honestly and for the purposes of the Town Councils Act in all their actions.”
Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/workers-party-trial-ahtc-prptc-lawsuits-low-pritam-sylvia-10793984
Three leaders of Singapore’s leading opposition party Workers’ Party will have to defend themselves in court today over (Oct 5) alleged mishandling of S$33 million in town council funding. The civil suit was lodged by the ruling party PAP-controlled town councils – through a fake “independent panel” filled with government cronies – after the police cleared the opposition MPs of criminal wrongdoings.
It is unknown who is sitting in the “independent panel” appointed by the ruling party dictatorship....thestatestimes
Above are two quotations, one from Channelnewsasia and the other from thestatestimes.
Just reading them prompted me to ask a few questions. One who were the people filing the civil suits against the WP? What were the grounds that gave them the privilege or right to file a civil suit against a state organisation, a legal entity, constituted under a democratic system of govt? The AHTC may be run by the WP, an opposition party, but it is a legally constituted organisation, not a private organisation, not a social organisation or a NGO or a commercial organisation.
As this is allowed in this case, it is going to set a precedent for anyone to sue any govt organisations under the same pretext, especially town councils and more.
The second point that came out from thestatestimes is the ground for defence put up by the defence lawyers, ie 'They were acting in good faith, acting honestly and for the purposes of the Town Councils Act in all their actions.' This defence is against the charge for 'egregious, cavalier misuse of public funds'.
If this defence cannot hold, then in future, anyone being charged for the same egregious, cavalier misuse of public funds would also not be able to get away using this defence of acting in good faith, acting honestly and acting legally, as the WP representatives were acting legally too.
If this defence holds, then in future anyone acting in good faith, honestly and legally, could get away with 'egregious and cavalier misuse of public funds'.
The decision and judgement of the court would have far reaching consequences as whatever the court decides, it would become judicial precedents to be quoted in the future.
I repeat the three points being put before the court.
1. Anyone can sue any legally constituted state organisation, especially town councils...
2. For egregious and cavalier misuse of public funds
3. Acting in good faith, honestly and legally is or is not a ground for defence.
PS. I have not seen the names of the people filing the suit against AHTC. Have they been made public or is this not to be made public, anonymous?
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