The unthinking bananas can only parrot the western narrative

CNA Insider - China's chequebook diplomacy in Cambodia a double-edged sword creating resentment By Desmond Ng and Elizabeth Zachariah

Tensions rise as locals worry about the threat of Chinese-owned businesses and enclaves to their livelihood, homes and rights, as the programme Insight discovers.

SIHANOUKVILLE, Cambodia: Billions of dollars have been flowing from China into Cambodia, turning parts of the once war-stricken country into modern cities. The economy is booming, jobs have been created and the market values of land have gone up.

All of these should make tuk-tuk driver Ngieb Rem a happy man. Instead, he finds himself working harder than before in port city Sihanoukville, as an influx of Chinese tourists has driven out many local and Western holidaymakers.

“We can earn about the same amount, but we’d spend longer hours,” complained the 38-year-old. “They’d surely ride with their own people (Chinese-run tuk-tuk). They won’t ride with us.”

Transformed by Chinese investment, the pace of development in Cambodia has left many locals like him reeling from shock and anger in several ways, as the programme Insight discovers. (Watch the episode here.)

A country that had once struggled to keep up with its Southeast Asian neighbours is now one of the world’s fastest-growing economies. But has it truly prospered from China’s money?

Or will the investments trap it in a debt that would turn it into a client state? (The authors must be thinking this last sentence is a very clever statement to make.  A politically correct statement and music to the westerners. Sooo clever, sooo intellectual! To me totally lack or orignality, just like unthinking parrots of the West.)

Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/cnainsider/china-chequebook-diplomacy-cambodia-investments-resentment-debt-11311662

The first thing that came to mind when I read this article in CNA is this, is this article necessary, what is the intent or agenda of this article? Why would our jornalists be writing this kind of article that badmouthed China instead of talking about the benefits that Chinese money is bringing to help the development of poor and developing countries? The thinking process is western, banana like, that everything China did is bad. This is the western narrative to smear anything the Chinese do and our silly bananas just swallowed hook, line and sinker, thinking, oops, they cannot think, that this how to view Chinese investments, they called it FDI, that is being courted by every country. Without the Chinese contributing to their FDI, they were be trapped in their poverty trap, no money, no know how to uplift their economies and the lives of their people.

The West have been writing barrage of articles to smear Chinese development in Africa in the same vein, bad. China has poured in billions and trillions of good money into Africa unlike the colonialists that went there to conquer and loot the countries. The white colonialists simply took everything from the African countries and also Asian countries like the IndoChinese countries and countries in Southeast Asia, includingSingapore. But the westerners and the bananas never say anything bad about the exploitation of the white colonialists.

China is now seen as a first mover in Africa and taking advantage of this move to gain influence in Africa by investing in infrastructure development. Why is China the first mover and not the Europeans that were there colonising the continent for the last few centuries? Why the colonialists did not have first mover advantage to gain influence in Africa. Because they were there to exploit the Africans and after taking all they wanted, they left the African countries like the skin of squeezed oranges. China only moved into Africa recently, and into Cambodia, Laos and Vietnem to invest, not to conquer and to loot.

Hey bananas, can you tell the difference between colonialism, conquest and looting vis a vis foreign direct investment, FDI, invited by the countries that needed the money and know how to build their countries left in a pathetic state after centuries of colonialism, exploitation and wars?

The only light in this article is that Singaporeans can write if given a chance, but are not given the opportunity to write about Singapore but about other countries. And Singapore news and interests are written by foreigners in our editorial pages. We give foreigners the right to write about us and to influence our people's thinking with foreign agenda and the end result is how bananas think like in the above article.

Why aren't our local journalists, shit, I am using a bad word, I mean Singaporean journalists, be given a bigger role in writing about Singaporean affairs, not about dogs and pets and hawker foods, or children formula milk powder,but serious political and economic issues in our main media? Use the talent of our journalists expeditiously to foster good relations with our neighbours not to parrot the western narratives.

It is in the interest of Singapore to stop badmouthing China to please the West or to speak and think like the West to smear China. It is for our own good to shut up and go quietly doing our things and not being busybody unless Singapore wants to make an enemy out of China. In that case, keep doing this kind of things and have more anti China articles written by the West and our very own bananas in our main media, written or visual.

When are the bananas going to grow up and remove the colonial yoke and western coloured lenses and start to think for themselves.

PS. The more Singapore media publish this kind of anti China articles, the more would China distance itself from Singapore. The latest report by CNN on why Singapore is buying the F35s is the American way to undermine Singapore's position vis a vis China and the USA. Singapore is cooked.

More instant trees needed in Singapore football

'But Singapore-based AFC Pro Diploma holders have, rather ironically, moved on to other Asean countries, probably because of a lack of home-grown appreciation, such as Micheal Wong (Technical Director, Laos), V. Sundramoorthy (Head Coach, Laos), P. N. Sivaji (Technical Director, Hantharwady United FC, Myanmar) and Robert Lim (previously, youth development in Thailand & Vietnam). Other prominent names out of town are AFC “A”-Licence holders Aidil Shahrin (Head Coach, Kedah, Malaysia) and Stephen Ng (Head, Youth Development, Brunei)...

Another former national coach, who declines to be named, says the “top-qualified coaches should be pushed to the S-League clubs which is the pinnacle of Singapore football”. He adds: “The answer is not always with foreign coaches as we’ve experimented with so many from Trevor Hartley, Micheal Walker, Burkhard Ziese, Jan Poulsen, Barry Whitbread, Raddy Avramovic, Bernd Stange, Slobodan Pavkovic and Michel Sablon”.

Jan Poulsen, the ex-Denmark coach who was with the Danes’ Euro 1992-winning team, says: “Basically I agree with Vincent Subramaniam. In order to get football to progress you must have a good infrastructure, good coaches, a good youth development structure (competitive leagues) and a common philosophy – the Singapore way...'

Oops, I think the above is from thenewpaper or Today.  Misplaced the source.

What is the Singapore way? More Singaporeans or more foreigners, more instant trees? By the look of it, the Singapore way is about replacing Singaporeans with foreigners. They are now looking for another national coach. Are they going to bring in another foreigner to do the same again? For so many years, have they not wasted enough money on the foreign myth, that a foreign coach could turn Ah Meng into a football star? Stupidity is about repeating the same mistake over and over again.

Very likely until today they still have no clue why the Singapore football is in the current state of affair, going no where. And they are desperately hoping that a foreigner could tell them what is wrong and how to turn half baked footballers into world beaters.

Bet you, another foreigner is likely to be on the way here to collect his big fat pay for another few years and Singapore football would be where it is from today until he left laughing to the bank.

The football fraternity are completely lost in coming out with a solution other than repeating the same old trick over and over again. In this case, perhaps you need to bring in a bunch of system engineers, completely clean heads, with no historical baggages, to take a fresh look at the problems and try something new. The same old heads and minds would not be able to see through the veil they covered themselves and no breakthrough is likely to come about.

Maybe a super talent politician could do the trick. It is possible to spend a few billions, like buying the F35s, to buy a complete international team to win football matches. Or at least it would awe the competition that we have the best money can buy.

Mahathir trying to influence Duterte against influx of foreigners

Mahathir went to the Philippines to teach Duterte to such eggs, warning ‘the Philippines against letting in foreigners who could “disturb” the country’s domestic political stability’ in view of the influx of Chinese workers.  During an interview this is what Mahathir said, ‘Foreign direct investment should not involve brining huge numbers of foreigners to live in the country, because that might disturb the political equations in the country,…If huge numbers of any foreigners (come) to live and stay in the country…you have to do some rethinking as to whether it is good or bad, of the limits that you have to impose on them.’

Duterte has different considerations based on the Philippines own situation. Last month Duterte said that ‘Chinese workers should be allowed to continue staying in the country as Beijing also hosted hundreds of thousands of Filipinos.’ This kind of reciprocity is not in the thinking of Mahathir. To Mahathir it is one way, can only benefit Malaysia and not the other party, like China pouring money into Malaysia but must be according to Malaysia’s term and interest and China must be the Santa Claus. Duterte sees it differently, win win for both parties.

Why doesn’t Mahathir share his warning with the Singapore govt but only to the Philippines? Singapore would likely show him the middle finger, other than telling him to mind his own business, not to influence Singapore's policy making, Singapore would tell him that the more foreigners the better, and Singapore woud be most happy to give citizenships to foreigners, not just staying and working here. Mahathir probably did not know that Singapore is now not a country but a hotel for everyone who wants to be here. Everyone can come here and own Singapore, no problem. A hotel is not a country and has no misgivings about losing a country to foreigners. Singapore is happy to share this piece of rock with anyone that comes here to work. Citizens are now called locals, just like the foreigners living here as PRs, NOT citizens. In fact citizen is a bad word, 'local' is the new favoured word for those living in the island.

This is a new model of state corporation, not nationhood, except that it has not been officially spoken in this way. All the sensitivities and things like disturbing the political equations in the country are none issues here. Singapore does not see any problem with changing the political equation or demography of the country.  There is no race issue here, everyone is Singaporean. Any race can become the majority and become the Prime Minister or President. Singapore can be taken over by any race, no problem. 

This is better than the theory of black cat or white cat as long as it can catch mice it is a good cat. I am waiting for our political leaders to utter this great catch phrase as the new Singapore slogan to the locals. Singapore simply loves to have foreigners, the more the merrier, wildlife also can.

Wildlife attacked 77 year old man in nursing home

A 77 year old man with dementia was punched up several times by a wildlife, Bernardo JR Perdido Ramos, 36, when the latter knocked into his bed accidentally. The older man sat up from his bed and asked who had disturbed him. It was reported in the ST that Ramos replied, ‘Why? Me!’ ‘The older man responded by hitting Ramos once on his chest and Ramos retaliated by punching the man ‘four or fives times on the face’.’ After another nursing assistant intervened, Ramos hit the old man at least one more time as reported.
 
Oops, I used the wrong phrase again. It should be foreign talent attacked 77 year old man in nursing home. These wildlife aka foreign talents are very nice people, really. It is so surprising that this one was so fierce, not hiding his wild character and hitting a 77 year old man to show off his brutality.
 
The court gave this wildlife 12 weeks of jail sentence for hitting ‘a vulnerable victim with severe dementia and Ramos had abused the trust placed him as a nurse’. I am just wondering whether the sentence is too harsh for such a nice wild animal that discredited the good name and profession of nursing. I am also wondering how many such nice wildlife are hiding in nursing homes and yet to shower their basic animal instinct on the patients. Come to think of it, if there are such wildlife in nursing homes, nursing homes can be a very dangerous place for their patients.
 
Would they do more screening, with more cameras to monitor the wildlife in the name of safety for the patients? Just because a person puts on a uniform be it a nursing uniform or a security guard, it is not automatic that that person is a changed person, becoming a nurse or a security guard as expected of the uniform. We must also accept the fact that it is very difficult to verify the character and nature of the wildlife as they came from places that made verification difficult. It is something that we have to live with if we want to welcome more wildlife here as if they are indispensable to our life and economic well being. Suffer a bit at the hands of the wildlife is tolerable, bearable. Let it be, never mind, we need more wildlife to help us. No need rethinking.

MD said he did not need remisiers to trade

Waleed A Hanafi, a MD of Aleviatec, wrote to Business Times that he needed to contribute a rebuttal to an article in Hock Lock Siew praying that DBS would be third time lucky to get it right in its disruptive model in share trading. He claimed that he did not need the services of a remisier to trade as he could do it himself simply and happily.
 
I also cannot tahan him and must also contribute my rebuttal to his rebuttal. If only every employee has a title like MD of a company or equivalent, he can trade for all he wants in his office, using office time and computers and watching the share movement without a care. No one would be there to tell the MD that he cannot use office time to monitor and trade in shares. I am not sure how he would view his employees doing the same during office hours. Would he be giving them the marching order out of his office?
 
Incidentally, how many employees are so fortunate to have a boss, a MD that would not mind if they switch on their computers to monitor and trade shares in the office, during office hours? Or how many employees would have to look over their shoulders if they want to take a peep at the share market or make a trade, or be sneaking around to a dark corner, or to do it in the toilet, not to be seen?
 
There is a place for online trading without the need for the service of a remisier. There is also a place for the service of remisiers for traders that are in a different position. My big traders would not have the time to waste to switch on a computer just to make a trade or the time to monitor the market. And some of them are busy travelling and doing business all over the world. They find the services of a remisier very useful and convenient to their lifestyle and busy schedule.
 
Oh, for the retirees or those in the jobless statistics and have all the time in the world staying at home and sitting in front of their computers, I fully agree that online trading is the most appropriate past time for them. Save a lot of commission and can trade at their own sweet time. For those who did not have the pleasure of staying at home or holding the position of MDs or CEOs, let me be very diplomatic, they would know best whether they need or do not need a remisier that is only a phone call away, to check on their stocks and to execute a trade, without the bosses breathing down their necks, and not having to sneak around to find a safe place to switch on their mobile or PC to peep at the share market.
 
Not everyone is a MD for sure, who could do as he pleases in his own office, not only trading stocks, even practicing putting or having a really good time as and when he likes it. It is the privilege of the position.
 
Oh, I have a personal question to this Waleed. Is this Aleviatec your own company or your father’s company? I would not be wrong to say that you are not an employed MD. If it is, you would not be bragging in public about trading shares during office hours. Your Chairman and board of directors and shareholders would be speaking to you in the next board meeting or AGM.
 
My friendly advice to those that do not hold the title of a MD not to do what a MD do in the office, like trading stocks. In this case, do not follow the leader if you want your job.
 
As for those who could not trade online during office hours, you would be like calling a Call Centre to make a trade. And the party on the line, you would not know who or whether it is a robot or human bean, would be asking you about the name of your mother or girlfriend to authenticate that you are who you are before taking your order. They would not entertain you with stock prices or stock news like a remisier.
 
By the way, how many people would be comfortable placing a $50k or $100k order to a stranger like ordering a pizza on the phone? And would you be comfortable and confident that the trade is done even after the stranger told you so? That would be the new model of trading by phone, calling a Call Centre to trade unlike calling someone you know and trusted on the phone to execute a trade.

A Singaporean genius in our midst

Brochez was just an unfortunate scapegoat among the millions that have come to our shore to test their intelligence against the daft Singaporeans and was caught. With every Brochez there are hundreds of thousands out there that are still happily employed by the daft to work here and be paid handsomely to do jobs they are not qualified to do. But never mind, in Singapore’s new culture encouraged by the top leaders, no need qualifications, can do the job would be good enough to be employed. Fakes, fake certificates, well, not really an issue as long as you are clever enough to fake it real good. Even if you are caught, they would find excuses to excuse you for cheating.
 
Singapore knows that this is the Achilles Heel but is willing to live with it. If not they would have taken serious measures to stop the big gap, like the gap between two outstretched legs. This is the new normal in Singapore, all foreigners that claimed themselves to be talented and can cheat, and lie and fake would be welcomed with open arms with good jobs to replace the daft Singaporeans aka PMETs. Cheating with fake certificates and credentials are par on course for foreigners here.
 
The geniuses, aka the cheats and fakes, used to be foreigners. Today we have a Singaporean, yes a Singaporean that had got away with engineering jobs in 38 firms with forged engineering certificates when his highest standard passed is PSLE. If this is not a genius, what else is? And think of all the daft armed with degrees from world best universities could be conned by a PSLE graduate cum laude, is something that Singapore can crow about and be proud of. Obviously this Singaporean genius passed with flying colours during the numerous interviews with our highly qualified engineers, proving that he was indeed a civil engineer with wide experience for the jobs. Oh, I nearly forget, he claimed to have a certificate for First Class Civil Engineering from NUS! I think it is this certificate, first class and from NUS that must have really impressed the interviewers.
 
Now that he is caught and charged, all he got was 2 years 11 months jail. Maybe the heavy jail sentence was because he is a Singaporean. What message would the 2 years 11 months be sending out? This must be most encouraging news for the fakes and cheats of the world to come here to try their luck to outwit the daft Singaporeans. Cheating, faking certificates or forging certificates are not serious crimes. And the trade off for this little risk are free food and lodging and free medical care in the biggest landed property in Changi instead of good jobs that could pay $9,000 pm. This is what this genius Chin Ming Lik was paid by some of the 38 companies he worked in.
 
This guy is so brilliant, must respect him for impressing the daft and highly qualified graduates and employers. His name must be engraved in the Hall of Fame of the Cheats, Fakes and Liars. Going forward he should apply for engineering jobs but declared that he has no qualification but can do the job of civil engineers. And with his record of working in 38 companies, that would be enough proof that without an engineering degree he is just as good as any engineer. Get it?

Singaporean core

Strong core of Singaporean academics needed to ask ‘critical questions’: NMP
 
“Singaporeans must be in charge of asking the critical questions about who we are, what the problems in society are, and how to solve them. We have always said that no one owes us a living. But no one owes us an answer either, about the key questions of our society and economy," said Associate Professor Walter Theseira. Today paper
 
What did Walter Theseira mean by this? Singaporeans must be in charge and asking critical questions about who we are, what the problems in our society and how to solve them?
 
Look around you will know that many foreigners are in charge in the govt and in govt linked companies. And when they asked critical questions or tried to solve our problems would they be thinking about the interest of Singaporeans or about their comrades in their homeland, especially for the new citizens? How many of these foreigners turned new citizens are using the power given to them to hire more and more of their former countrymen to replace Singaporeans? Are they solving Singapore’s problems or the problems of their former countries?
 
What about asking critical questions? Look at the editorial pages, the supposedly important pages that dealt with serious issues, domestic and foreign news, and who were the writers, Singaporeans or foreigners with their biased and mischievous agenda and thoughts that may be actually undermining the interests of Singapore and Singaporeans. Yes, they are foreign agents trying to influence our minds and policies and paid knowingly or unknowingly by Singapore to influence Singaporeans and even govt policies.
 
Why must the serious pages of our main media be written by foreigners with their agenda that may not be to our national interests? No one owes us a living, would these foreigners think they owe it to us to think in our interest? We don’t owe these foreigners a living to pay them to write and think for us. And looking at their biased views, and often western tainted views or propaganda, it is money wasted that could be put to better use paying our Singaporeans to write and think for us. Though many Singaporean writers may still be young and lack the depth, if we don’t give them the opportunity, how are they going to earn their spurs?
 
This is like the banking industries, if we don’t give Singaporeans the chance to be CEOs and keep on giving such chances to foreigners, how are Singaporeans to be CEOs of our local banks? Give foreigners Singapore citizens to call them Singaporeans is a farce, a sell out of Singaporean interests.
 
Theseira has a very serious point to make. Singaporeans must think for ourselves and not allow foreigners to think for us. Singaporeans must be in charge, not fake Singaporeans, not instant Singaporeans whose loyalty is questionable.