Lightning struck the crown of the Merlion at around 4.30 p.m. yesterday when it was raining and cement scraps could be seen falling from where it was struck. The Merlion has been shifted to its present site at the mouth of the Singapore river in 2002.
The Merlion symbolises Singapore and what omen does ther lightning incident convey to the Minister Mentor and the Singapore government who are not immune to feng shiu or the Chinese form of geomancy? For the next few days there are bound to be speculations among the more religious-minded Chinese whether this is a sign of good or bad omen for Singapore. There is bound to be some disfigurement where the lightning struck but one observer who was looking at it from a favourable angle interpreted this lightning strike as taking the brunt of disaster meant for Singapore and could be a good omen. Others may think it sounded a bit far-fetched and may see it as a sign of bad omen coming at a time of severe economic recession.
It is interesting to see how MM Lee or other members of the Singapore government interprete it. Or they may think it is a meaningless exercise which may lead to unrealistic optimism or a feeling of pessimism depending on how the lightning incident is interpreted. Withholding of official comments may lead to a plethora of bizarre interpretations by interested parties which may not reflect kindly on the government.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
A cynical view of the government's rescue efforts
There is a Chinese saying : "In adversity one sees true friendship." It applies equally to the present economic adversity as one sees the true countenance of the so-called benefactors.
Of course one cannot be oblivious to the massive activity put in by every member of the government with the noble objective of giving succour to the people worst affected by the recession. The government deserves the accolades that go with such an outstanding display of humanitarian service to these people who are acutely affected by the present economic crisis.
Without attempting to splash any cold water on the government's over-hyped rescue efforts and detract from the government's excellent motives by any unintended cynicism, there is a possibility that some of those who have been badly affected might have missed the rescue net. Conversely, it appears that a number of business concerns have received rather generous largesse from the government when they were in no danger of business contraction. In fact, they have even been contemplating staff retrenchment when they had no need of it.
The Prime Minister is reported to have said at a grassroots gathering that in the present recession he and the government ministers are suffering together with the people who are badly affected. It escapes our comprehension to know what the PM and his ministers are suffering from. Certainly not from the recession! Even with the insignificant self-imposed pay cut, the PM and his ministers are filthy rich with their astronomical salaries of close to two million dollars for the ministers and over three million dollars for the PM each year! Like the businessmen who received largesse when they had no need for it, the ministers were given hefty increases when they were already overpaid. It would be the height of irony if they had to tighten their belts like the suffering plebeians badly affected by the recession.
The plight of the government pensioners of the early seventies period in the last century is not a public attention-grabbing topic in this economic crisis and is not even given lowest priority in the government's consideration. Their attitude towards this group of ex-loyal civil servants; some of whose contributions to the security and prosperity of Singapore were no less significant than some of the past and present eminent ministers; is nothing short of pathetic. And whether the government's aloofness to their plight is an indictment of their callousness is left to the conscience of the PM and his ministers.
It is more than thirty years since their retirement and the barely surviving pensioners are expected to weather through this crisis with a pension fixed more than thirty years ago. A Malay police pensioner wrote in the Berita Harian forum that he was receiving a pension of $300 a month, a sum even less than that paid to those on public assistance!
It brings to mind a Chinese parable which says that whilst the ministers tuck in to delicacies of "big fish and meat" for each meal, the poor plebeians and destitutes subsist on a starvation diet of just "plain rice with soya sauce".
Of course one cannot be oblivious to the massive activity put in by every member of the government with the noble objective of giving succour to the people worst affected by the recession. The government deserves the accolades that go with such an outstanding display of humanitarian service to these people who are acutely affected by the present economic crisis.
Without attempting to splash any cold water on the government's over-hyped rescue efforts and detract from the government's excellent motives by any unintended cynicism, there is a possibility that some of those who have been badly affected might have missed the rescue net. Conversely, it appears that a number of business concerns have received rather generous largesse from the government when they were in no danger of business contraction. In fact, they have even been contemplating staff retrenchment when they had no need of it.
The Prime Minister is reported to have said at a grassroots gathering that in the present recession he and the government ministers are suffering together with the people who are badly affected. It escapes our comprehension to know what the PM and his ministers are suffering from. Certainly not from the recession! Even with the insignificant self-imposed pay cut, the PM and his ministers are filthy rich with their astronomical salaries of close to two million dollars for the ministers and over three million dollars for the PM each year! Like the businessmen who received largesse when they had no need for it, the ministers were given hefty increases when they were already overpaid. It would be the height of irony if they had to tighten their belts like the suffering plebeians badly affected by the recession.
The plight of the government pensioners of the early seventies period in the last century is not a public attention-grabbing topic in this economic crisis and is not even given lowest priority in the government's consideration. Their attitude towards this group of ex-loyal civil servants; some of whose contributions to the security and prosperity of Singapore were no less significant than some of the past and present eminent ministers; is nothing short of pathetic. And whether the government's aloofness to their plight is an indictment of their callousness is left to the conscience of the PM and his ministers.
It is more than thirty years since their retirement and the barely surviving pensioners are expected to weather through this crisis with a pension fixed more than thirty years ago. A Malay police pensioner wrote in the Berita Harian forum that he was receiving a pension of $300 a month, a sum even less than that paid to those on public assistance!
It brings to mind a Chinese parable which says that whilst the ministers tuck in to delicacies of "big fish and meat" for each meal, the poor plebeians and destitutes subsist on a starvation diet of just "plain rice with soya sauce".
Sunday, February 15, 2009
The Seng Han Thong Conundrum
Any right-thinking Singaporean will sympathise with the burn sufferings endured by Mr. Seng Han Thong, arising out of his unfortunate fiery attack by an assailant.
From the government's standpoint, Senior Minister of State Lui Tuck Yew quite rightly condemned in Parliament what he described as adverse postings on Mr. Seng, calling them outrages. But he omitted, for probably some ethical reason, to give details of some of the so-called outraged postings which leave some independent-minded Singaporeans wondering if there was not substance to some of these postings.
If there had been only one or two postings, one could have safely dismissed them as ill-intentioned. But when you have a massive number of critics, is it not proper to look further into it? Also in the Chinese radio programmes where questions were invited from listeners, one could detect some rumblings about Mr. Seng's character.
In fairness to Mr. Seng, there is no doubt that he is an exemplary MP but there may have been some moments in his dealings with his constituents which may not have passed muster. There is a saying that to err is human, to forgive divine. It is not too late to re-examine and re-evaluate if there is any public relations problem in order to serve the constituents better.
From the government's standpoint, Senior Minister of State Lui Tuck Yew quite rightly condemned in Parliament what he described as adverse postings on Mr. Seng, calling them outrages. But he omitted, for probably some ethical reason, to give details of some of the so-called outraged postings which leave some independent-minded Singaporeans wondering if there was not substance to some of these postings.
If there had been only one or two postings, one could have safely dismissed them as ill-intentioned. But when you have a massive number of critics, is it not proper to look further into it? Also in the Chinese radio programmes where questions were invited from listeners, one could detect some rumblings about Mr. Seng's character.
In fairness to Mr. Seng, there is no doubt that he is an exemplary MP but there may have been some moments in his dealings with his constituents which may not have passed muster. There is a saying that to err is human, to forgive divine. It is not too late to re-examine and re-evaluate if there is any public relations problem in order to serve the constituents better.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
A Political Shadow-play
The late US President Abraham Lincoln once said :"You can fool some of the people some of the time but you can't fool all of the people all of the time." Whether this saying is relevant in this case is for the informed Singaporeans to decide.
The Ho Ching saga has been the subject of speculation for politically-conscious Singaporeans since she was appointed as chief executive officer of Temasek Holdings more than six years ago. Although it was strongly speculated at the time that it was a political appointment (due to the fact that she was the wife of the then Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong), Mr. Dhanabalan, Temasek's Chairman, vehemently denied it and maintained that she was appointed solely on her merits. The debatable question is would she have been appointed over other equally or more qualified candidates if she had not been the wife of DPM (now PM) Lee Hsien Loong?
Of course, Mr. Dhanabalan had such singular foresight of character and Ms. Ho Ching subsequently proved to be so efficient that she incurred losses of hundred of millions of dollars for Temasek, which has been well recorded. It was obvious that there could not have been any official inquisition for these losses. And so were they written off and was it taxpayers money?
Now after a prolonged period of honeymoon, there now seems to exist a change of heart. Ms Ho Ching has suddenly decided that she has rendered more than sufficient meritorious service to Temasek and is content to find someone to inherit the depleted Temasek portfolio. The lucky successor and the man of the hour is none other an American,a Mr. Charles W. Goodyear (not a fall guy), who is a former CEO of BHP Billiton, the world's largest mining and resources company based in Melbourne and London. He will take over officially on October 1.
Ms Ho Ching has not indicated any future plan but said she felt relieved, which is quite understandable considering her distinguished career. We wish her equally eminent success in any future endeavour.
The Ho Ching saga has been the subject of speculation for politically-conscious Singaporeans since she was appointed as chief executive officer of Temasek Holdings more than six years ago. Although it was strongly speculated at the time that it was a political appointment (due to the fact that she was the wife of the then Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong), Mr. Dhanabalan, Temasek's Chairman, vehemently denied it and maintained that she was appointed solely on her merits. The debatable question is would she have been appointed over other equally or more qualified candidates if she had not been the wife of DPM (now PM) Lee Hsien Loong?
Of course, Mr. Dhanabalan had such singular foresight of character and Ms. Ho Ching subsequently proved to be so efficient that she incurred losses of hundred of millions of dollars for Temasek, which has been well recorded. It was obvious that there could not have been any official inquisition for these losses. And so were they written off and was it taxpayers money?
Now after a prolonged period of honeymoon, there now seems to exist a change of heart. Ms Ho Ching has suddenly decided that she has rendered more than sufficient meritorious service to Temasek and is content to find someone to inherit the depleted Temasek portfolio. The lucky successor and the man of the hour is none other an American,a Mr. Charles W. Goodyear (not a fall guy), who is a former CEO of BHP Billiton, the world's largest mining and resources company based in Melbourne and London. He will take over officially on October 1.
Ms Ho Ching has not indicated any future plan but said she felt relieved, which is quite understandable considering her distinguished career. We wish her equally eminent success in any future endeavour.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Prominent controveral leftist of the fifties Lim Chin Siong
There is a prominent news item in the Lianhe Zaobao today on the establishment of a
historical section in the National Museum of Singapore to commemorate Mr. Lim Chin Siong,
a controversial leftist hero of the fifties.
Not many people of the present generation are familiar with this name. His name was a
household name in Singapore in the fifties even before Mr. Lee Kuan Yew had become
slightly known. Mr. Lim emerged from obscurity in 1953 to become the unchallenged leader
of the pro-communist movement aimed at overthrowing first the British colonial government,
after that the David Marshall and Lim Yew Hock governments.
Mr. Lim was secretary-general of the massive Singapore Factory & Shop Workers' Union
with is headquarters in Middle Road which became the nerve centre for anti-government
activities. Mr. Lee Kuan Yew was legal adviser to this and many other unions under Mr. Lim's
control. Mr. Lee had lofty political ambitions but he lacked the mass base necessary for the
realisation of such ambitions. Mr. Lim chin Siong had the mass base. Mr. Lee recognised
this and he shrewdly hanged on to Mr. Lim for mass support.
Mr. Lim was a charismatic pro-communist leader and was able to hold his audience spellbound
with his consummate Hokkien at mass rallies organised by the Communist United Front (CUF).
When he entered the Happy World Stadium where CUF rallies were held, Mr. Lim was
invariably greeted by a standing ovation. Mr. Lee used to tag along and could not have missed
the overwhelming response Mr. Lim received.
After Mr. Lim was detained in October, 1956, Mr. Lee very cleverly portrayed himself as a
champion of workers to try to fill the vacuum left behind by Mr. Lim's detention. And I must say
he succeeded to a certain extent. It is true to say that it it had not been for the mass support
from Mr. Lim Chin Siong, Mr. Lee Kuan Yew's path to the prime ministership in May, 1959
might not have been that smooth sailing.
Mr. Lim Chin Siong was released from detention following the PAP's victory in the general
election in May,1959. He enjoyed his freedom for a few years but could not refrain from going
back to his old ways by being involved in CUF activities, especially in opposition to the
formation of Malaysia. He was again detained in February,1963 in a security operation
code-named "Coldstore". He was released in 1969 and resigned from the Barisan Solialis.
He proceeded with his family to UK for study and returned to Singapore in 1979. He kept a
very low profile and succumbed to a heart attack in February, 1996 at the age of 62.
He was a personable pro-communist leader who, it cannot be denied, contributed immensely
to the history of Singapore and it is appropriate for the National Museum to commemorate
Mr. Lim Chin Siong.
historical section in the National Museum of Singapore to commemorate Mr. Lim Chin Siong,
a controversial leftist hero of the fifties.
Not many people of the present generation are familiar with this name. His name was a
household name in Singapore in the fifties even before Mr. Lee Kuan Yew had become
slightly known. Mr. Lim emerged from obscurity in 1953 to become the unchallenged leader
of the pro-communist movement aimed at overthrowing first the British colonial government,
after that the David Marshall and Lim Yew Hock governments.
Mr. Lim was secretary-general of the massive Singapore Factory & Shop Workers' Union
with is headquarters in Middle Road which became the nerve centre for anti-government
activities. Mr. Lee Kuan Yew was legal adviser to this and many other unions under Mr. Lim's
control. Mr. Lee had lofty political ambitions but he lacked the mass base necessary for the
realisation of such ambitions. Mr. Lim chin Siong had the mass base. Mr. Lee recognised
this and he shrewdly hanged on to Mr. Lim for mass support.
Mr. Lim was a charismatic pro-communist leader and was able to hold his audience spellbound
with his consummate Hokkien at mass rallies organised by the Communist United Front (CUF).
When he entered the Happy World Stadium where CUF rallies were held, Mr. Lim was
invariably greeted by a standing ovation. Mr. Lee used to tag along and could not have missed
the overwhelming response Mr. Lim received.
After Mr. Lim was detained in October, 1956, Mr. Lee very cleverly portrayed himself as a
champion of workers to try to fill the vacuum left behind by Mr. Lim's detention. And I must say
he succeeded to a certain extent. It is true to say that it it had not been for the mass support
from Mr. Lim Chin Siong, Mr. Lee Kuan Yew's path to the prime ministership in May, 1959
might not have been that smooth sailing.
Mr. Lim Chin Siong was released from detention following the PAP's victory in the general
election in May,1959. He enjoyed his freedom for a few years but could not refrain from going
back to his old ways by being involved in CUF activities, especially in opposition to the
formation of Malaysia. He was again detained in February,1963 in a security operation
code-named "Coldstore". He was released in 1969 and resigned from the Barisan Solialis.
He proceeded with his family to UK for study and returned to Singapore in 1979. He kept a
very low profile and succumbed to a heart attack in February, 1996 at the age of 62.
He was a personable pro-communist leader who, it cannot be denied, contributed immensely
to the history of Singapore and it is appropriate for the National Museum to commemorate
Mr. Lim Chin Siong.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Mr. Wong Kan Seng's convolution
The name Wong Kan Seng translated phonetically in Cantonese means certain to succeed. But
three confidence-shaking events this year which rocked public confidence in his administration
of his ministry are hardly a denotation of success.
First, the Houdini-style disappearance of Singapore Jemaah Islamiah leader Mas Selamat bin
Kastari from the security-tight ISD detention centre on 27-2-08 was the subject of prolonged
public controversy on the strict adherence of protocol in the administration of the centre which
afforded an opportunity for Mas Selamat's mysterious flight from the centre. Mas Selamat's
present whereabouts are the subject of much speculation. Meanwhile, security at the ISD
detention centre has been tightened to prevent a recurrence of the Mas Selamat fiasco.
Hardly had the furore over the Mas Selamat saga subsided, the public was shaken a second
time by another escape this month, this time by two remand prisoners who broke out of the
subordinate court lock-up and made an attempt to flee. They were fortunately promptly
recaptured. Again it was discovered that protocol of the lock-up was not strictly adhered to
which showed clearly that lesson from the Mas Selamat saga had not been learned.
True to the saying that trouble never comes singly, the public was again shaken by this morning's news that the much-vaunted Home Team had committed another booboo by
allowing a Singaporean to pass through allo the security checks at the airport armed
mistakingly with his son's passport who landed safely at Ho Chi Minh airport after a smooth
air journey. DPM Wong Kan Seng was naturally livid and appalled at this gross and inexcusable
slip-up and promised to punish the officer or officers responsible for this booboo.
There is a Chinese saying that there will be a third escape saga following the two earlier
incidents - that of Mas Selamat and the subordinate court lock-up. Well, Mr. Wong Kan Seng
should now be at his wit's end trying to think of a way to pre-empt such a possibility as
otherwise the public might want to know if he justifies his whopping $2 millions annual
salary with all the booboos happening under his watch.
three confidence-shaking events this year which rocked public confidence in his administration
of his ministry are hardly a denotation of success.
First, the Houdini-style disappearance of Singapore Jemaah Islamiah leader Mas Selamat bin
Kastari from the security-tight ISD detention centre on 27-2-08 was the subject of prolonged
public controversy on the strict adherence of protocol in the administration of the centre which
afforded an opportunity for Mas Selamat's mysterious flight from the centre. Mas Selamat's
present whereabouts are the subject of much speculation. Meanwhile, security at the ISD
detention centre has been tightened to prevent a recurrence of the Mas Selamat fiasco.
Hardly had the furore over the Mas Selamat saga subsided, the public was shaken a second
time by another escape this month, this time by two remand prisoners who broke out of the
subordinate court lock-up and made an attempt to flee. They were fortunately promptly
recaptured. Again it was discovered that protocol of the lock-up was not strictly adhered to
which showed clearly that lesson from the Mas Selamat saga had not been learned.
True to the saying that trouble never comes singly, the public was again shaken by this morning's news that the much-vaunted Home Team had committed another booboo by
allowing a Singaporean to pass through allo the security checks at the airport armed
mistakingly with his son's passport who landed safely at Ho Chi Minh airport after a smooth
air journey. DPM Wong Kan Seng was naturally livid and appalled at this gross and inexcusable
slip-up and promised to punish the officer or officers responsible for this booboo.
There is a Chinese saying that there will be a third escape saga following the two earlier
incidents - that of Mas Selamat and the subordinate court lock-up. Well, Mr. Wong Kan Seng
should now be at his wit's end trying to think of a way to pre-empt such a possibility as
otherwise the public might want to know if he justifies his whopping $2 millions annual
salary with all the booboos happening under his watch.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Mr. Lim Swee Say's regalement.
From time to time we are regaled with amusing tales to assuage the possible fall-out from any
new measures introduced by the government ostensibly for the benefits of the public, in this
case the ERP increases.
Mr. Lim Swee Say was reported in the Straits Times of 23-6-08 to have drawn laughter from
his audience in his two hour dialogue to his driving experience of getting car beeps four to six
times a day when he passed through ERP gantries on his way to and from work. The audience
would have laughed differently if they had realised that the minister was a person of vast
affluence drawing a whopping salary of over $1 million a year . Anyone with that kind of
affluence can well afford to be generous with not only four to six times car beeps a day but
many times more. The wealthy car-owners are not grousing about the ERP increases
including of course the honourable minister Lim. It is the run-of-the-mill type of car-owners,
the wage earners and the small time businessman, who will feel the pinch.
While Mr. Lim drives merrily through the ERP gantries without a care and hardly a dent on his
vast affluence, the social side effect that could arise out of the ERP ib-ncreases may have escaped his alert mind. In order to avoid the ERP gantries, the ordinary car-owners may
start to leave home early and return late. This may bring about a disruption of their social
lives which may have possible serious consequences to our population policy in that there may
be less tendency to procreate because there is neither the time nor the energy to engage in
such endeavour any more.
Mr. Lim and his fellow ministers should try to put themselves in the shoes of the ordinary
car-owners to empathise with them
new measures introduced by the government ostensibly for the benefits of the public, in this
case the ERP increases.
Mr. Lim Swee Say was reported in the Straits Times of 23-6-08 to have drawn laughter from
his audience in his two hour dialogue to his driving experience of getting car beeps four to six
times a day when he passed through ERP gantries on his way to and from work. The audience
would have laughed differently if they had realised that the minister was a person of vast
affluence drawing a whopping salary of over $1 million a year . Anyone with that kind of
affluence can well afford to be generous with not only four to six times car beeps a day but
many times more. The wealthy car-owners are not grousing about the ERP increases
including of course the honourable minister Lim. It is the run-of-the-mill type of car-owners,
the wage earners and the small time businessman, who will feel the pinch.
While Mr. Lim drives merrily through the ERP gantries without a care and hardly a dent on his
vast affluence, the social side effect that could arise out of the ERP ib-ncreases may have escaped his alert mind. In order to avoid the ERP gantries, the ordinary car-owners may
start to leave home early and return late. This may bring about a disruption of their social
lives which may have possible serious consequences to our population policy in that there may
be less tendency to procreate because there is neither the time nor the energy to engage in
such endeavour any more.
Mr. Lim and his fellow ministers should try to put themselves in the shoes of the ordinary
car-owners to empathise with them
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