The Talk City

...talk is cheap but you may need to pay for opinions 

$50,000 - that's what you may need to deposit with MDA if you express too many opinions or your website or blog becomes too popular

To date, more are said than done
Plentiful of promises are said but few, if any, delivered
Funnily, what is said and what is actually done more often contradicts

What is correct & what is wrong seems to have merged and grey (outcome) is an acceptable result.
What is legally correct may not be morally correct; possible? Well, guess its not impossible as the Laws lag behind reality and practices.
合法; literally to mean comply legally, 合情; comply with culture & practices, 合理; comply with reason or reasonably correct
The Rule of Laws must be fair and equitable and the outcome must be consistent as in Case Laws but where the human hand is involved, the weight of Laws can be skewed towards a desired outcome.

As harmless as it may be, respect for the Laws of the Land will erode over time.

The mass are, by and large, indifference and live a 'carefree', non-politisize lifestyle, building upon their own dreams, chasing their dreamed rainbows and running round their own 'Garden @Eden' with lots of space for ventilation, complaints, controversies and self-worthy opinions. In simple term, its a 'world of their own'； the 'Gamers world', where reality and fantasies merged seamlessly.

There is no need to control nor regulate the 'Gamers World'; a world where fantasies and realities merged with plentiful of ideals but few ideas...ideals that float and change with time.

When Mao tried to immotalize his ideas and flood his thoughts throughout the populace with unquestioned authority, the country suffered (economically). Deng swung the pendulum to the other end and free the 'minds and thoughts' of the people and let 'free play' dictates the pace of the future. China enter an era of peace, prosperity and status few can challenge.

Let there be free play of ideas and ideals. There is no monopoly of ideas and wisdom.

If Martin Luther King didn't speak out, today's world may still be clearly black and/or white. For Singapore to breakout into a new era, a new paradigm must be allowed to manifest.

ERP; It's Costs & The Spy Traps

Whatever GNSS & ERP x; its a revenue chaser.


Car ownership has been, and will always be, expensive in Sgp. Apart from the variety of taxes currently in place, throwing-in 'charge by usage' will only further burden the users, minus the wealthy.

From experiences, the current system (or any new measures) are revenue centric; why disallow car pooling, car sharing & the likes. If every cars on the roads have four or more passengers (two in the case of two-seaters), half the car population will be parked at homes. What traffic jams?

With GNSS and ERP3 and a whole gamut of devices installed in-car, drivers are deprived of freedom, choice & privacy. Monitoring your movements, knowingly or unknowingly, becomes the norm. What's there to prevent a rogue government (if an evil group seizes power through the box) from misusing these for their selfish purposes?

Control at extremes will breed resentment and rebellion against the system and paralyze initiatives.

At the rate we are introducing, and passing more costs, to consumers/citizens, Sgp is a pressure cooker waiting to explode. The mounting stresses will create more zombies & cracks on the roads. The health costs of a stressful citizenry outweighs economic gains.

What's wrong with traffic jams? Economic costs? Sure, but if the health of the general citizenry is cracked or collapsed, what price are we paying?

Singapore is an experimental bed for many policies but our citizens must not be sacrificed like guinea pigs.

The Country That Got Stuck In Her Path

...paralysis by analysis

“By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.”  -  Confucius

Sir Stamford Raffles probably foresaw and reflected on this trading post islet and trust that it will be a great
trading point between East & West.

Mr Goh Keng Swee and his team strongly believed that we can transform this sunny island into a gem-of-sorts. There must have been a success story somewhere on Earth that whatever we want to do and forge ahead, we can imitate, adapt and create our Destiny.

In the early days, there were few educated men and information were not readily available. Who would have believe that there is, and will have, such easy access to info via www.?

Singapore started as (and progress):
- a trading post - 1800s
- an entrepot point - 1900s
- a labour intensive hub - 60s-70s
- mechanisation, automation, financial and value-add centre 80s-90s
- technology, knowledge-base, financial, leisure & value-add metropolitan - 2000s

With progress, comes costs.

Our strings of disillusions, disquietness and discontent is not without reasons; many were left behind in the name of progress and (GDP)growth. Our Gini-coefficient widens by the year reflecting our gapping income disparity.

The untame influx of foreigners seeking fun, abode, fortune & jobs took their toll on infrastructure, space, income and citizenry rights & privileges. Income were suppressed and jobs became scarce while costs of housing, medicine & medical care, transport, education, food rose in general.

Dissenting voices (often heard in alternative media/www) became louder but their cries were dismissed as noises.

Knowingly or unknowingly, Singapore had moved towards labour intensive industries like hospitality, medi-care, education, tourism and the likes; we have come 'one full circle' by experience.

With a global unemployment of 200mil and more, we must seek to protect the interests and well being of our citizens, not out of selfishness but, by necessity; Singaporeans are citizens and PRs & others are foreigners. To anyone who thinks and says we are xenophobic, please show me a country, preferably yours, that practices such liberal 'open door' policies to allow foreigners to work and reside here.

It's time to move upward & forward. But, please, Do Not leave our citizens behind.

For a start, all the leaders & leaders-to-be must step forward to serve and fight for the people's rights, well being and put 'Singaporeans First'. 

A good leader leads his men. An excellent leader leads his men and share his dreams, aspirations and fears. 

Singapore; My Country, My Home

The toughness of being ...

There are cries about the tough lives and living conditions in Singapore.
Does anyone bothers or its just 'noises'?
Why & how did we reach this stage and how long can the people hold before they act to change their destiny?

Education, health costs, housing, transport and, to some extent, food are getting expensive and becoming less & less affordable to the poor, less able and bottom half of the population.

The stagnation of wages resulting from the onslaught of inflows of cheaper substitutes (foreigners who cannot find jobs back home & global unemployment, coupled with favorable exchange rates) have caused undue depression and stress to the body, the mind & the pockets. Statistics released showed that unemployed PMETs figures were higher last year.

When the economy was smaller, the pace was slower yet everyone was happy. Or at least, not unhappy.  Life & living were stress-free. The corporatisation of Singapore Inc had monetize everything; land, labour, capital including emotion - 'no money, no honey'.

Class division is a norm despite denials.

The elites & the mandarins get choice deals and jobs.
The entrepreneurs grease the economy while the working class work support the system & feed themselves. Many dread the possibility of displacement.
The poor, less able, less fortunate and the fallen ones pick up the crumbs. Worse hit are those who are geared; living on borrowed time & resources.

What has become of our sunny island nation?

Boys at their economically & educationally prime are conscripted to serve & defend the country while foreigners their age are en-route to finish their Uni education. By the time our boys finish their education, the foreigners are, and have, already gained two years or more of working experiences.

Jobs are hard to come by; good paying jobs are the exclusives of the elites & the 'connected'. Alas! Our boys fight, defend & die for the nation while the elites & foreigners feast. I pray this is fiction!

The rich cannot live in a sea of poor. Similarly, the hungry soldiers cannot win any wars. No generals, leaders & tycoons can be an island unto themselves.

I am born, live (& will die) here. I love my country & this is my home. I will not allow my country to go down the drain. If words & cries fall on deaf ears & nothing changes, we must act to save our little sunny island-nation called Singapore for our future generations.

Saying "You are free to pack & go", "It's cheaper to have retirement homes in JB", "Gang rape, afterall, is democracy in action" or "That welfare will breeds dependency & it's some form of scam" may mean well, or nothing, to some but these statements are very short on EQs, care & concern.

Again, I pray that whatever I have written is fiction & my understanding of the real situation is completely different; how silly & shallow I was - still deep in my dream?

The Enemies From Within

Nobody should underestimate the enemies...

What's our defense strategy? What's total defense?

We are always ready to defend and fend off attacks by enemies. But, who are our enemies and where will they come from? Our nearest neighbors are Malaysia & Indonesia and  there are no reasons for them to conquer our tiny, sunny island.

With our arsenal of offensive weapons (air, sea & land) and our 'offense is the best defense' philosophy, our neighbors are the unlikely contenders. The damage will be too big and the tiny island is too small a prize for land-grab.

But, then its because we had built up an attacking force, with the ability to dish out maximum damage that deters potential enemies. Are we safe? Guess, we are!

But, the 'real enemies' are within.

How do you identify the enemies in a sea of foreigners co-mingling in Singapore? What if the million or so foreigners decided to gang-up and stir trouble with a view to create economic sabotage or to destabilize the country especially if Singaporeans are depress, demoralize and unity is lacking due to no income (jobless or unable to make ends meet) and no sense of belonging? Its not impossible.

By then, can we send them away by the boatloads?

Our country better stop importing foreigners and start to groom locals. We cannot deny that many Ops, Admin and white-collar jobs went to foreigners while our young grads & PMETs remain underemployed or unemployed.  The provision of equitably paid jobs to Singaporeans is a necessity as our youths loss out two years (serving NS); ever wonder why many are questioning the purpose of NS nowadays?

If a leader cannot, or do not, care for the average man, the commoners and the soldiers, how do you expect them to support you in times of need? No general has ever won a war without soldiers! Care & share. The laymen are not begging for food nor welfare but asking to be treated equitably, fairly and to have a level playing field.

A good leader leads his men; an excellent leader eats with. and share, his men's dreams, fears & aspiration.

A wealthy man cannot live in a sea of poor.

Until the day my younger graduates friends find their dream jobs (nowadays, getting an interview is almost impossible, not to mention securing the job) and PMETs employment improves, its all talks and NO actions.

The ivory tower is too tall and the messenger is dead; only good news, not necessarily accurate nor real, are couriered upwards.

Property Woes & Gains

Beware Of Tempering With The Property Market Once Too Often

The Government has recently tweaked policies through the budget to stem wide range of issues including vehicles financing, foreign workers, social assistances and possibly, housing with a view to make it more affordable.

I urged caution to further attempts to temper with the property market, especially private properties. In any event, engineering a soft landing of property prices, that is, say a drop of 20%-30%, is not quite possible. Property prices rise because of confidence in the market; similarly uncertainty albeit unconfidence, will cause a plunge in prices. Price is a function of emotion (confidence/unconfidence); any effects from mathematical formulae are incidental.

In such scenario, everyone suffers. It's just who suffer more or most. 

The top end suffers but they can take the punches. The lower end suffers but their exposure has been, and still is minimal to nil. The worst hit will be the middle-income group which incidentally form the large percentage of home owners.

Let me illustrate with the following example:

A working professional couple who have worked for ten years typically will have one/two school going-age kid(s), a flat, a car, a maid and a saving of S$100,000 to spare.

With the latest MAS directive on car loans, if they intend to buy a new car to replace the existing one, say costing $120,000, they will need to pay $60,000 upfront. Assuming their flat at time of purchase was $400,000 and they borrowed $300,000 over 30 years (estimated total amount payable equals $570,000 on a 3%pa interest). If any pricking of the property market by MAS resulted in a 30% drop in value, there is a likelihood of them having to top-up their loan.

With a stroke of pen, these 'asset rich, cash poor' class will be hardest hit as they have minimum savings to buttress  the changed environment. A whole host of problems, distress and pains will result.

Is this what the Government and/or the people want; beware of what you pray for as it may crystallize. Confidence is not something you cannot restore with a switch.  

There is a delicate balance between meeting expectations and reality. I can understand that those who have not bought property or intending to buy one will be happy to see a drop. The real issue are those middle-income bracket who have committed to a property; they can, and will, be the catalyst of change, for the better or worse.

Public housing should be kept affordable vis-a-vis income levels and make available only to Singaporean citizens. If need be, more restraints to re-selling should be imposed to decimate wild price fluctuation. A stable public housing program will go a long way to anchor family set-up and procreation, minus the stress and frustration.

There will be a two-tiered market; the Public sector and entry-level housing and the Private sector where 'let the buyer beware & be aware'.

Insofar as those who can afford and chooses to buy private properties, by all means go ahead. But, do not expect Governmental protection.

Exorbitant Maid's Placement Fee

It was reported in the press (1st Mar) that Manila ruled that the maid's placement fee of $2,000 (Peso 66,000) must be passed to employers besides insisting on 4-days off per month and a monthly salary of at least US$400. 

According to Ms Bridget Tan, chief executive of foreign workers' group Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (HOME), "any placement fees the workers have to pay are still illegal under Philippine regulations". If it is illegal, why are prospective employers forced to pay?

It is amazing that AEAS's (Association of Employment Agencies) president, Ms K Jayaprema, said she has written to the Philippine government to ask that employers bear only part of the fees. Is she not aware that, according to Ms Bridget, it is illegal to pay placement fees? Why is she condoning and supporting an illegal act?

Besides, I find it shocking that Ms K Jayaprema further mentioned that four big agencies under AEAS have already raised fees by $1,000 and urges others to follow suit from this month. Isn't this collusion and anti-competitive?

Will the relevant bodies care to comment and, where necessary, provide guidance to these misplaced actons.

Published in Today Newspaper

http://www.todayonline.com/voices/why-allow-maid-placement-fees-all

The Poor Will Rule Again

Fighting back is not about physique nor money ...


Working hard to achieve something
Looking for business to crystalize
Making money out of a deal
It all looks easy

The rich will not spare a dime for the poor
The elite will not lift a hand to help the downtrodden
The ruler will benefits his own men and cronies
The powerful, famous and wealthy will ringfence their positions

It is getting harder to make ends meet

I enjoy helping the less well-off, the underprivilege and the needy
Not that I have a flair for this but I cannot see them being 'bullied into submission'
With an ever increasingly materialistic world where everything is measured in terms of money, we have passed the point where 'decent living and dignity' can be had for a penny
I have long given up on fairness, justice and equality ... everything being equal, I'd like to have the upper half

The cries for help and assistances are dismissed as noises
The bare increments of wages for the lower (& lowest) strata must come with productivity
The need for welfare assistances and needy families are scorned
What has Society became with the Gini-Coefficient widening at every counts

The world evolves and revolves

It's either the pyramid shortens and lightens lives
Or when the top collapses, things will look more equal again

Some day, the poor will rule again

Empty Journeys

Walking towards a corner, cornered and no exit ; U-Turn is the only option ...

How do you measure achievements and success? Is the monk or pope any more successful than the ordinary man or the wealthy tycoons? I don't know
From young to old, everyone is comparing as to how much one has achieved or attained

To the vagabond, the beggar, the down-&-almost-luckless lad, getting the next meal and warmth is an achievement
To the wealthy tycoon, making afew dollars more is not going to make his day
To the average Joes & Janes, making enough to feed the family and to provide decent, basic needs is the ultimatum


I have seen all


Achieving too much at too short a time may not necessarily be good
When your cohorts are not your competitors, you have to fight it out in a higher realm, the unknown, the untested; a realm that may not be what you want or look forward

You have arrived but at a different place

It's all about recognition; achieving something without recognition is hollow
I have come a long way, into the corner; a corner without exit
I have to make an U-Turn - with many lost journeys and efforts
Who is there to empathise with me? It's a tale of no return

I have, and will, walk backwards towards civilisation and recognition

There are many innocently spent journeys helping the world but no one will ever understand a lonely journey

My Country - Divided

From the land in the Southernmost tip of the Peninsula, an island remained but the fortunes changed...


We were not just a fishing village; we were a trading port
Our deep sea harbour was, and still is a cutting-edge advantage, sheltered by our huge neighbouring islands from the rough seas and seated neatly outside the volcanic straits
We shine like the lighthouse mothering to all ships calling ashore

The traders, the Sultans, the Temengongs, the Colonialists and locals were happily greasing commerce; sugar, rubber, silk, spice & everything nice
Living by the seas also mean abundance of seafood; the sun, the sea and the trades
Music soothes the souls and life was a breeze

When there is money, there is envy

Temasek, the island
Was traded; bought & sold
Singapore was a buzzling city, an entrepot; a no-man's island
From the Sultan to the British to the Japanese - this island is but a resort; a trading post at best
It was a bastion for Chinese immigrants living in harmony with the Bumiputras & All/Others who decided to stay and make it home; gaining independence was incidental

David Marshall, Lee Kuan Yew & Lim Chin Siong tried to built a Nation out of this island
Each has his own ideals but Fate wouldn't allow congruence of thoughts

Up to the 1990s, when it was a fairly homogenous "Guo Jia国家". With "Guo国“/country, then we have "Jia家"/home!

My country is divided:
'The Haves', "The Have-Nots' & those who thought 'They Haves'
'The Scholars', 'The Business People', 'The Ruling Elites', The Heartlanders', 'The New Arrivals' ... not forgetting "The Displaced'

For every Ten persons, only Three are true-blue Singaporeans today
Aristocracy impinge Meritocracy
Meritocracy is made easier and less robust as fame, money & power grease the flows

Guess, there is nothing wrong but part of social evolution; but at what price? 

The rich cannot live in a sea of poor
The screaming calls for attention to social demands and deficits were met with indifference
The push to dilute Singaporeans as a Nationality is in full gear & unabated
Nobody is against foreigners or immigrants but if we are not prepared nor ready, it can only sink the sunny island ... sinking the Soul called "Singaporean"

But, like all things, someday, somehow, somewhere, someone will save the island

And make it good again ...

Nobody Cares

Feeling down ...


Whether U are dead or alive, not many people bother except your love ones
U may feel ecstatic, miserable or lost but nobody's care
The world is filled with examples and U have met many
Why do U expect or need someone to care? When U were born, the doctor was hopeful U will cry
If U didn't cry or can't cry, his job is to pronounce U 'dead on arrival'

Will the wealthy and elite bother with the poor and proletariat? No, unless they need U or U are of value

Feeling down is not a sin
Feeling lost is simply directionless not desperation
As night will turn day, feelings do change
When U are down, lie low; many survive when bullets were flying by ...lying low
U are as good as when U have life; dead man tell no tales

Someday, somehow, somewhere everybody gets his due recognition

I saw this man with deformed hands
He was walking around the crowded food centre with a bag hanging around his neck, bowing to diners & wishing them well with a smile
Many gave him money; is begging his profession? He was smiling all the way to the bank

I saw another aunty asking for money from diners in another food centre
Many gave & when she approached me, I asked 'Are U hungry & I can buy U dinner'? She shook her head, walked away and continued with her begging
She didn't need the money, at least not so much, but she persisted
Hunger was not her problem; not having money is

Poor or rich, nobody really cares - everyday, someone is laughing to the bank as some will die along the wayside

Everyone, especially those higher up the food chain, will tell U 'what I am doing is good for U'

Forego your ego and U succeed better; Like the professional beggars