Comment on A load of crap from the education minister by Vince Cool!.. Nice work… Comment on The poor prostitutes of the media & a fumbling AWOL PM by Talented Ministar Apparently the million dollar ministars are not paid enough. Pay them several hundred million dollars each I say. Who runs Singapore anyway? Lee Kuan Yew is in the headlights so often nowadays you’d think he is the prime minister all over again. O what will Singapore be, once he is gone? Comment on The poor prostitutes of the media & a fumbling AWOL PM by Well said I like your tone. Very well said. Fuck the media! The poor prostitutes of the media & a fumbling AWOL PM So, after 11 days of total, complete and utter silence, our dearest AWOL prime minister has come out and said something about Mas Selamat Kastari’s escape. (I wonder if it had anything to do with TOC’s counting down the days he’d been silent. Great work, TOC!) And what did the good dear prime minister say? “This was a lapse, what to do, it’s happened.” The words are so simple, yet they are so so poignant. So poignant in letting us all see the hopeless PM that we have. Totally incompetent. Completely unempathetic. Utterly useless. That is all the PM can say. “This was a lapse, what to do, it’s happened.” Remember this too: This is the same PM who justified his own salary increase of millions of dollars. Look out for the THIRD MINISTERIAL SALARY INCREASE THIS YEAR. It’s unbelieveable to me that we’re paying these idiots so much money. Unbelieveable. Mainstream scramble to cover up Thanks again to TOC, the Straits Times Online report carried those words of the PM. (See screenshot above). BUT the printed version of the ST conspicuously omitted the quote, as one reader said on Molly Meek’s blog, besides others who have also noticed it. I guess it’s not the first time that the media has scrambled to cover-up a foul-up by the prime minister. Remember “Mee siam mai hum” which, through the media, became “laksa mai hum” and later “mee siam mai hiam” – “hiam” meaning spicy in dialect speak. And in the 2006 elections, the media downplay of PM Lee’s “fix the opposition” and “buy my supporters votes” remarks. And more recently, the media’s absolutely hopeless coverage of the JI escapee Mas Selamat. How our lapdog media of poor prostitutes willingly fall over themselves to make their pimp look good is amazing to me. It also makes me sick that in this day and age of the 21st Century where we boast of a well-educated populace and a “Global City” and what not, that there are such Singaporeans in the media who think nothing of lowering themselves in order to suck up and worship government officials as if they’re gods and demi-gods. Nah, I shouldn’t compare them to prostitutes. Prostitutes have more dignity than these immoral, pathetic and well, these fucks in our local media. To the reporters who happen to read this, we are tired of your propaganda and your groveling at your master’s feet. When will you have some sense of dignity? PM Lee Hsien Loong has gone f#*# AWOL On November 12, 2007, PM Lee Hsien Loong accused the Workers’ Party Aljunied team of going “AWOL”. (See Straits Times report). “Our (People’s Action Party) five men are working hard, but the opposition’s five have scattered like monkeys when the tree fell.” Mas Selamat Kastari escaped from detention on Wednesday, Feb 27. It’s now March 6 – 9 days since. And where is our dear prime minister who made fun of others for being “absent”? The fucking PM himself has gone AWOL! Not one single word about the escape. Not one single picture of him in the news. Not a single murmur from his gold-plated mouth. And yes, we are paying him $3.4 million a year. PM Lee, where the fuck are you?? Is this how the highest-paid leader in the entire world behaves? Run and hide, act blur, cower and scatter like a fucking monkey when the tree falls??? Come out and take responsibility and show your fucking face! Be a fucking leader, for goodness sake! Why Wong Kan Seng is incompetent – and not just for the JI escape Lets not mince words. Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affairs minister Wong Kan Seng should resign. I say this not just because of the monstrous security lapse which resulted in JI leader Mas Selamat Kastari’s escape from detention. If you think this is the first time that he has completely embarrassed Singapore on an international scale, think again. Wong Kan Seng’s incompetence Number One First of all, as everyone is asking, how does a limping man escape from the Internal Security Department’s detention centre, which is guarded by elite Gurkhas? Second, with all the attention and money and effort spent since 911 on beefing up security procedures, manpower and processes, how is n alleged terrorist, named as “Singapore’s Most Wanted” at one point, able to escape through a toilet window? I think I will leave all the other questions to everyone else. Wong Kan Seng’s incompetence Number Two In 2006, to reverse the falling birth rate, Wong Kan Seng was put in charge as “Minister-in-charge of Population Issues”. His task was specifically to do this – bring up the birth rate. His handling of the issue leaves much to be desired. After trying out various schemes, Wong Kan Seng finally threw in the towel and decided that the task was a hopeless one. In its place, he – along with his colleagues, I am sure – decided that the solution was to bring in more foreigners. Doing so has resulted in so many problems for Singaporeans – such as security issues, transport issues, housing, healthcare, wages, etc. Wong Kan Seng’s incompetence Number Three During the World Bank and IMF meeting in Singapore, Wong Kan Seng threatened foreigners who wanted to protest with not just caning but also being shot! Wong Kan Seng then compromised and allowed “indoor protests” during the meetings. This was carried by international news wires and agencies. It made Singapore look stupid, intolerant and barbaric. Yes, it was a national embarrassment for all of us Singaporeans. Having threatened foreigners, Wong Kan Seng then turned his attention to Singaporeans, particularly the members of the opposition Singapore Democratic Party (SDP). Instead of allowing the SDP to go ahead with the protest, as many other countries’ governments did during the meeting, Wong Kan Seng sent his goons down to Hong Lim Park. They physically surrounded and restrained Chee Soon Juan, Chee Siok Chin and the other SDP supporters. Never before have I seen such total incompetence. What transpired was a 3-day stand off between Singapore Police and the SDP. It was a huge miscalculation by the Home Affairs minister as pictures, videos and news reports of the stand-off were publicized throughout the world. Again, it caused Singapore a huge amount of embarrassment. And not to mention the other inconsistencies in granting permits for public events. Why Wong Kan Seng must resign In any other country, so many instances of inept and woeful incompetence would result in not just the minister resigning but also those immediately below him. Now with the escape of the number terrorist IN CUSTODY from Singapore’s detention centre, Wong Kan Seng should and must come and accept total responsibility. Anything short of this is unacceptable.   And remember this: This is not Kastari’s first escape from Singapore. According to AFP, “Kastari had fled Singapore in December 2001 following an Internal Security Department operation against JI, Singapore’s home affairs ministry has said.” Someone just reminded me that Took Leng How and Richard Yong also escaped in the beginning before being handed back to Singapore by other countries – Malaysia and Hong Kong, respectively! It’s the same for Kastari, according to AFP again: “He was later released but arrested again by Indonesian authorities in January 2006 before being handed over to Singapore.” It seems like Singapore under Wong Kan Seng is like a bloody leaking sieve, in spite of all the media spin about how great our security forces are! We allow detainees to escape and then wait for other countries to capture them and hand them back to us! I truly truly truly hope that as a minister and deputy prime minister, no less, Wong Kan Seng will not start finding scapegoats and assigning blame to one and all except himself. When others fall short, especially opposition members such as James Gomes, Chee Soon Juan and JBJ, the PAP government holds nothing back. Their merciless attacks and abuse of their political opponents is known to all. It is legend. Thus, forgive me if I show no mercy to Wong Kan Seng. He has failed on at least three occasions – mentioned above. And the minister has embarrassed the country on an international scale on at least two of those three occasions. Mr Wong, please do the right thing as a man of honour. Resign! Singapore Rebel - Censorship under the PAP : 1959 - 2008   Ban taxis from midnight Ok. As I said previously, I am going to offer out-of-the-box ideas to problems. And the first problem I will deal with is about taxis disappearing around midnight. We all have experienced this before. The government and the taxi companies have tried to solve the problem through all sorts of schemes, ideas, incentives, etc. To no avail. Why don’t we consider banning taxis from operating from midnight onwards? I mean, if taxi drivers are going to play hard and fast with commuters, then they shouldn’t be in the business of providing a “service”. I don’t know but I remember sometime back that the govt was going to spend $45 million on raising the service standards in Singapore. That was only 3 years back or something, I think. Obviously taxi drivers were not included in that ‘service improvement programme’ – else we would not be talking of this problem now. Lets ban taxis from operating after midnight – until say, 6am. In its place, extend bus and trains’ operating hours. To justify these longer operating hours, fares after midnight to be doubled for the buses and trains – and drivers’ salaries increased as well. The reason for doubling fares is simple: If you want to go out so late (which means you are probably out spending money partying and so on), you should be prepared to pay a higher fare. Besides, even a doubling of the fares for buses and trains are cheaper than to take a cab, right? So, you should be able to afford it. Buses and trains’ frequencies should not be the same as during day time – maybe also double the time for each train or bus’ arrival. That is, if it is now 10 minutes for a bus/train to arrive, after midnight it should be 20 minutes. This is the gist of my suggestion. Of course, it will have to be further detailed and worked out. The point is: If one group of so-called “service providers” are exploiting commuters, such as taxi drivers, then something drastic should be done to remove the opportunity for exploitation. I contend that banning taxis from operating from midnight onwards will solve this pain-in-the-ass problem once and for all. Commuters are paying customers - not hostages. I am going to offer constructive criticisms and out-of-the-box ideas I am going to offer constructive criticisms and out-of-the-box ideas This is a challenge to myself. I may fail miserably or succeed wonderfully. What am I talking about? We bloggers are mostly complainers – complaining after the fact. So, I will try to stop doing that. But I know I will not be able to resist complaining. Heck, what will  I do if I can’t complain, right? So, what I will do is to try and post constructive criticism and out-of-the-box ideas and suggestions to problems we face, along with the complaints. This is a personal challenge to myself – to see if I have better ideas and solutions to problems. Shoot me. Criticise my ideas. Lambast me. At least I try. Singapore needs a Wee Kim Wee in politics In recent weeks, the Prime Minister, Senior Minister and Minister Mentor all spoke about finding the next generation of leaders. What is conspicuously missing in all that they said are the details – or pre-requisites – that they would be looking for. But being the PAP, it is not hard to fathom or guess what kind of a new leader he/she will be. Probably one with a hard nose for the economic, business, finance, a management genius, and of course one who can be politically ruthless. It would be extremely sad if our next prime minister were someone like that. Personally, I’d like to see a more human leader – one schooled in the humanities, philosophy and who has had a true humble beginning, one whose empathy for the masses (especially the poor and struggling) is not disguised in political polemics and wayang kulit. A person like our former president Wee Kim Wee. President Wee was no white horse. His father was a clerk. According to Wikipedia, “Wee studied at Outram School, and he started out as a clerk working for The Straits Times, before becoming a reporter focusing on political issues.” President Wee then worked his way up – all the way to become one of the most respected and most loved president of our land. And even in his death, he chose to be with the common folks – having his ashes interred at Mandai Columbarium with those of ordinary citizens instead of Kranji War Cemetery, where late dignitaries are usually buried. He not only symbolized but also lived his life with humility, friendliness, empathy and with always a smile on his face. Singapore needs a leader such as President Wee in this time of constant change and uncertainties. We are tired of the calculative, so-called “top talents” who take years to decide on whether our old folks deserve a mere $30 and then another $40 increase in public assistance. And all this while paying themselves hundreds of thousands of dollars in pay rises amounting to millions and millions of dollars. A leader such as President Wee will be a rallying point for Singaporeans who are fearful, anxious and uncertain about the future. We do not need another emperor’s son, a prince whose screw-ups are painted over by a run-dog media. We need a leader of genuine compassion, who does not hide behind a wall of bureaucrats and grassroots eunuchs. A leader who wears his heart on his sleeves. The irony is that the PAP has become so devoid of such qualities that a person of President Wee’s personality and character would not be caught dead wearing the white of that lightning party. It is an irony which, if you think about it, results in Singapore being the lesser for it. I, for one, am not holding my breath that such a person will appear from the PAP. The party’s machinery and inner-workings simply will not allow such a person to rise to the top. Nah, what I hope to see is such a person coming forth from another quarter. And perhaps this is exactly what Singapore needs – a fresh face, a new beginning, a new possibility. All this talk by the PAP ministers about finding a new leader is thus nothing new. The important thing is that there will not be a “new” leader – or a “new” type of leader. Whatever the PAP throws up, you can be sure, will be the same kind of leader from the same mould of leaders which the PAP has given us so far. We need a new kind of leader in politics in Singapore. Sigh. How I wish Singapore was different enough to give us another Wee Kim Wee. NOPE. NONE. ZILCH. NATTA. So, The Online Citizen is caught in a controversy – or is it? Controversy, by its very nature, is a devious animal. To get to the bottom of it, one would have to be patient, meticulous, and critical enough to sieve out the chaffs from the wheat. Distillation of the truth from the bullshit, to put it bluntly. And so, lets look at the comment by “Jasper”, posted on Singabloodypore and which started the whole witch-hunting and frenzy feeding - well, at least by the rabid motley crue of anti-PAP Nazis which includes the rather dubious blog which names itself “Wayang Party Club of Singapore” (taken, obviously, from the comments of a PAP minister during 2006 GE about the WP). “Jasper” comments: Jasper’s comments themselves, if you are critical enough, are based on nothing substantial. Lets see what these are: “they are the results of a years work of quiet counter insurgency” Erm… does Jasper have anything to offer to back this up? NOPE. NONE. ZILCH. It’s pure rhetoric with nothing concrete. “andrew loh, remy choo, ephraim loy, gerald giam have all at one time or another been or still is very partisan. what are the common partisan links? gahmen, pap and wp lor.” This is so out there in left field that I am still wondering what Jasper means. Again, does Jasper have anything to offer to back this up? NOPE. NONE. ZILCH. NATTA. “the funny thing is that some of them switch between wp and pap youth organisations like changing underwear” Does Jasper have anything to offer to back this up? NOPE. NONE. ZILCH. NATTA. “andrew loh - pap turned wp remy choo - pap youth executive committee, grassroots leader emphraim loy - young pap gerald giam - ex mfa and mda. there we have it, editors mired with the establishment.” Oh, so many holes in this one. Andrew Loh has since clarified that he never were a PAP member. Remy Choo has since clarified that he is not a grassroots member and that he left the YEC 6 years ago! Gerald Giam yes was ex-MFA and MDA. But come on, so what? Is he still in those 2 orgs? Nope. So, the same question: Does Jasper have anything to offer to back this up? NOPE. NONE. ZILCH. NATTA. “TOC? the online cons, selling token critiques of gahmen and policy, but sneaking in subliminal weasel messages of how great experience it is working in yec.” Subliminal messages? “How great it is working YEC”? Ok. Having gone through all of Remy Choo’s postings/articles on TOC, I see no “subliminal messages” not any article he has written trumpeting how “great experience it is working in YEC”. So, Does Jasper have anything to offer to back this up? NOPE. NONE. ZILCH. NATTA. “this toc chief is paid by a pap mp out in the west of singapore to write. PAID BY PAP TO WRITE. and paid quite well so its said. with all the pay increases in gahmen, he probably got a pay rise too.” Oh, malicious. How subtly Jasper inserts an allegation with mere hypotheticals and conjecture. “Paid quite well” and “probably got a pay rise too”. Well, Remy Choo has since clarified that he is paid $500 per month for two things – helping MP Ho Geok Choo gather materials for her Parliamentary speeches and for writing for the newsletter Boon Lay Diary. Divide that by two - $250 each way. “Paid quite well”, you say, Jasper? “Probably got a pay rise too”. Does Jasper have anything to offer to back this up? NOPE. NONE. ZILCH. NATTA. “wonder how much of this moola is spread among the other online cons. or maybe remy swallows this whole.” This sort of comment, if expressed in public, would have gotten Jasper’s ass burned – and burned totally. But of course, he hides behind his anonymity and that’s why he dares to make such allegations. Again, does Jasper have anything to offer to back this up? NOPE. NONE. ZILCH. NATTA. “well the only definite thing is, you’ll see more written on this constituency and of course, it’ll be glowing.” Ok. And so I go to TOC again. After searching through the entire archive of articles ( a few hundred, I think), I find no mention of Boon Lay Constituency, or West Coast GRC in “glowing terms”. Does Jasper have anything to offer to back this up? NOPE. NONE. ZILCH. NATTA. “sneaking around with your hidden agendas against the true opposition.” This is the hilarious part of Jasper’s entire diatribe and garbage-spewing. “Hidden agendas”? Erm, pray tell, Jasper, what is that? The best part is this one: “true opposition”. Erm, pray tell again, Jasper. What is “true opposition”??? I am still trying to determine that. And, is TOC opposition at all? Who is this “true opposition” of which speaks the great but anonymous Jasper? Again, does Jasper have anything to offer to back this up? NOPE. NONE. ZILCH. NATTA. And thus we come full circle to the so-called controversy. It is nothing more than malicious imagination, stoked by nothing more than a rant, backed up by nothing than rhetorical diatribe, borne out of probably a personal vendetta of sorts – or maybe just plain ole jealousy. So, my friends, I leave you with this: If we expect the internet to be entirely anti-PAP and insist and dictate how an anti-PAP or “true opposition” should be, then surely and sadly, we are no better than the PAP which we so detest. Indeed, we would be even worse than them. And freedom of expression and democracy do not condone slurs and smears – as Jasper has so eloquently taught us all. TOC, trust in the wisdom and intelligence of your readers. We are not fools who swallows everything whole – whether pro or anti-PAP or opposition or whatever kettle of fish. As for Remy Choo being paid for his work, I say well done! In fact, he should be paid more! It’s sad that there are people who have swallowed everything that Jasper said without even a second thought. No wonder the blogosphere, and the Internet, have a bad name. People like Jasper give the internet a bad name. Jasper, I don’t buy your attempt at discrediting TOC. NOPE. NONE. ZILCH. NATTA.     Is the Prime Minister seriously out of touch? In a Straits Times report, “PM: Let’s tackle cost fears together”, the prime minister was quoted as saying: No need to buy branded bread. Bread is bread, rice is rice. The report also said: Consumers can also go for supermarket house brands, which are cheaper. The PM seems to be saying that “non-branded” bread are cheaper. Perhaps he is right but if you think about it, when has “non-branded” bread been more expensive than “branded” ones? The question is not whether “branded” breads are cheaper than “non-branded” bread. The issue here is that branded or not, prices of bread have increased – as it has with everything else. This is confirmed by an earlier Straits Times report, titled “100 bakeries to raise bread prices by up to 20%”, which said: Over 100 bakeries have indicated that they will be raising bread prices by up to 20 per cent, following a jump in flour prices. The bakeries, many of them small family-run shops, are members of the Singapore Bakery and Confectionery Trade Association. It represents about a quarter of the estimated 400 bakeries here. Three significant points here: One, a quarter of the 400 bakeries here indicated that they would raise bread prices. Two, they would raise it by up to 20%. Three, “many of them are small family-run shops” – which would mean they produce non-branded bread and which would prove PM Lee’s assumption wrong. For even the small bakeries have raised their prices. Now, of course I know the gist of what the PM said – which is that we all have to make adjustments in order to manage the spiraling inflation. (By the way, “spiraling” is a word the media seem to avoid using at all cost.) The point I am trying to make is that the Prime Minister may be hopelessly out of touch with the masses. For how could he not know that flour prices have increased and that this affects all sorts of bakeries and both branded bread and non-branded bread. The PM seem unable to understand what people are saying – which is that prices have increased and it is getting unbearable! We might not be able to afford ordinary, non-branded bread, let alone branded ones! Here is a list of headlines in the past 6 months or so, with regards to food prices: Oct 28: Singapore Raises Noodle Prices Oct 30: 100 bakeries to raise bread prices by up to 20% Nov 5, 2007: Grocery bills increase as prices for foodstuffs go up Dec 20, 2007: Expect to pay more for food from next month Jan 14, 2008: Prices of CNY goodies to go up Feb 2, 2008: Vegetable prices rise Now, will some highly-placed civil servants or minister please tell the PM to come down from his princely throne and stop chewing statistics? Come down to the real world, for once, for goodness’ sake, for crying out loud! YAY! No more blood will be shed for skimpily clad women! This is so hilarious I almost fell off my chair. The police has given the green light for “skimpy servers” (New Paper) at 2 out of 7 entertainment outlets. This brings back a dash of nostalgia vis a vis MCYS’ minister Vivian Balakrishnan’s fears about allowing bar top dancing. Balakrishnan had said: “If you want to dance, some of us will fall off that bar-top. Some people will die as a result of liberalising bar-top dancing, not just because they have fallen off the bar-top. Because usually a young girl, with a short skirt, dancing on a bar-top, may attract some insults from some other men, and the boyfriend starts fighting. Some people will die. Blood will be shed for liberalising this policy.” A short skirt, among other things, will cause all this according to the minister. Now, however, it seems that somehow such fears are well, being ignored. If the minister’s fears then were genuine, wouldn’t it also apply to skimpily-clad women at entertainment outlets? Hmm… lets see… maybe poor old paranoid Balakrishnan should step in and disallow these “skimpy servers” because.. “If you want to serve in bikinis, some of us will be tempted to touch them. Some people will die as a result of allowing skimpy servers, not just because they are skimpily-clad. Because usually a young girl, with a short skirt, and revealing cleavage may attract some insults from some other men, and the boyfriend starts fighting. Some people will die. Blood will be shed for liberalising this policy.” Now, apply such extreme logic to erm.. say a cycling event by opposition parties and you see the stupidity of such policies. Indeed, Minister of State for Law and Home Affairs Ho Peng Kee did just that not too long ago: “You may be well behaving, but there may be other people whom you come across when you cycle who may stop you, may want to debate with you and that may attract a crowd, therefore will result in problems the police want to avoid”. (TOC) Seriously, I really do not know what goes through the minds of our highly-paid ministers. Hypocrisy? Stupidity? Playing politics? And oh yes, who can’t forget the ridiculous ban on the Complaints Choir’s performance too. I bet the police would say the same: “If you want to complaint, some of us will become agitated. Some people will die as a result of allowing too much complaints. Because usually Singaporeans do complain but instigated by foreigners, such complaints may attract some insults from some Singaporeans, and they starts fighting. Some people will die. Blood will be shed for liberalising this policy. You may be well behaving, but there may be other people whom you come across when you complain who may stop you, may want to debate with you and that may attract a crowd, therefore will result in problems the police want to avoid.” But oh well, at least we now allow skimpy servers. Next up: Will we allow innocent, peaceful cycling at the park?     Please stop lying to us! In the past year alone, the Singapore government – through its investment arms of Temasek and GIC - invested a whopping $34, 560, 000, 000.00 in various investments worldwide. That’s $34.56 billion. GIC: UBS - $14 billion British Land - $388 million Citigroup - $9.8 billion US Hedge Fund - $429 million Temasek: British Bank Barclays - $4.3 billion Merrill Lynch - $5 billion Standard Chartered - $643 million And if you think the government is stretching itself too thin, no worries. GIC deputy chairman and executive director Tony Tan says the GIC has capacity to bail out another bank. (AFP) Now, government investments are not a bad thing, to be sure. Of course there are questions of transparency and accountability which some people have brought up. Be that as it may, what is even more troubling is another issue. This is the constant lament of the government about not having enough money or financial resources to deal with Singapore’s ageing population, helping the poor, providing subsidized healthcare and so on. Thus, the government has introduced the GST hike to 7% (“to help the poor”), and is introducing the Compulsory Longevity Insurance (for our ageing population), and Means Testing (for healthcare). All of these are paid for by Singaporeans, in some way or another. In raising the GST to 7%, Channel NewsAsia reported PM Lee as saying: “Mr Lee explained that the hike was necessary to finance the enhanced social safety nets, needed to help the lower income group..” (CNA) The extra 2% will give the government a further $1.5 billion to finance “the enhanced social safety nets, needed to help the lower income group”. Now, if the GIC and Temasek Holdings have $34 billion to bail out ailing foreign banks, why does the government not have the money ( a mere $1.5b) to help poorer Singaporeans, which it says it needs? Why does the government not have enough money to spend more on the aged and healthcare? Contrast the obscene spending by the GIC and Temasek with the pathetic excuse given by MCYS minister Vivian Balakrishnan about giving those on public assistance a further $23 increase, which some MPs have asked for: “The government is reviewing the S$290 monthly public assistance (PA) allowance for needy Singaporeans to see if it should be increased. It is also conducting a separate review on the qualifying income limit for assistance, which currently stands at S$1,500 a month. The review is expected to be completed later this year.” (CNA) (TOC) Why does the government need to have months of “review” to ascertain whether giving another $23 to those most in need is justified? If this is not the height of hilarity, then I don’t know what is. It would be funny if it weren’t so sad – that our government would not blink an eye in spending billions bailing out foreign banks in risky undertakings while being so hardfisted about giving a mere $23 to its most vulnerable and needy citizens. Something is just not right. How did the government suddenly make $34.5 billion appear out of thin air when they were just lamenting, not too long ago, that they didn’t even have $1.5 billion to help the poor? Now, the next time I hear the government says it does not have enough money and need to raise this and raise that to fund certain “programmes” to “help the poor”, I will tell them: “Please stop lying to us.”   Update: Minister of State for Finance, Mrs Lim Hwee Hua, said this in 2006: “In the case of Temasek, since inception, Temasek has delivered 18% total shareholder return by market value and 16% total shareholder return based on shareholder’s funds…. As for the exact size and returns of our investments, we have explained on numerous occasions that the disclosure of such information is not in Singapore’s national interest. Our financial reserves help to maintain confidence in the Singapore dollar and the Singapore economy. Any revelation would make it easier for currency speculators to target the Singapore dollar. Mr Chia can take comfort in the fact that there is full accountability for GIC and Temasek’s overall performance and risk management.” Now, even a fool will have to ask: Where has all that “18% total shareholder return” gone to? Gone to whom? Read this from a fellow blogger: Does any one local benefit privately from Temasek’s huge foreign investments? Where are the 84 MPs in Parliament? Why isn’t anyone asking such simple questions? Why do GIC and Temasek have so much to spend while our govt keep saying that they don’t even have enough to help the poor? An interesting note: The total spent so far by GIC and Temasek ($34.56 billion) exceeds our 2007 National Budget of $33 billion. Now, imagine that. GIC and Temasek Holdings are spending more on their shopping sprees than the govt spends on the entire national budget. So Mr Prime Minister, please stop lying to us that you don’t have enough money to help the poor. Is MM Lee still relevant? The other day I was asked a question – a question which is getting asked more and more nowadays. “Do you think MM Lee Kuan Yew is still relevant to Singapore?” It took me a while to ponder on it and come up with an answer. My answer is not one which is 100% against the man. After all, the guy, old as he may be (85 this year!), he still has a ticking brain and a ticking heart. My answer is this: MM Lee was – was – relevant. In my very humble opinion, I don’t think he is anymore. The reason I say this is, he is too old. In fact, some years ago he himself admitted that he is not as fast on the uptake, especially with young people. He also recently spoke about how physically weaker he felt. (more…) A load of crap from the education minister I haven’t been blogging for a while but I have to say something about this because it makes my blood boil when I see adults putting kids down. I was floored when I read what was reported in the Straits Times recently about a school principal’s “advice” to her students. “The Straits Times reported on Saturday that the principal of a girls’ school had told one of her Sec 5 classes they might as well apply now for places in the ITE because as they were unlikely to do well in the ‘O’ levels at the end of the year.” (ST) Imagine my horror when the Minister of State for Education, Lui Tuck Yew, defended the principal by saying: “Principals need to do their job to convey this message to the students and teachers to do their part to challenge them, set high goals and to help them achieve these goals.” Did anyone notice the double-talk by the minister? A deft sleight-of-tongue, if you will. (more…) Is it necessary to be confrontational in politics? There is nothing wrong with being “confrontational” in politics. Every politician does that – in varying degrees. So, why do Singaporeans have this aversion to it, seemingly, whenever the word “confrontation” comes up? Before we go into that, 2 things to keep in mind. First, the word needs to be defined properly. Second, confrontation must come with another quality – respect – unless the situation is an unique and special one, such as in Burma or Darfur. In the older days of Singapore politics, the style of political parties was more confrontational. One can almost still hear the loud noises, accusations, diatribes ringing in one’s ear. It was as if every politician truly hated the guts of his opponents so much so that they threw respect for the person out the window. Perhaps it was in accordance with the times – when life was hard, street gangs and secret societies were everywhere, crimes were rampant, people were less educated and so on. It was a more “uncouth” society. (more…)