Daily Lessons from Life 28 February 2017 - Myanmar's Struggles

Wham! n 1/6th of 2017 is gone!! Is it true as u get older times pass faster? It should does despite the science!!

"Myanmar accuses UN envoy of bias over Rohingya violence - CNA 28 Feb 2017

YANGON: The Myanmar government has hit out at UN Special Rapporteur Yanghee Lee's latest comments on people who have fled Rakhine state, saying it disagrees with her statements and finds them "unfortunate".

Responding to Channel NewsAsia's queries, Myanmar Foreign Ministry Deputy Director General Aye Aye Soe said Ms Lee appeared to be defending the rights of only one group of people and to appease this group in the community, without referring to the Rohingyas.

Ms Aye Aye Soe said this shows Ms Lee's "bias" as she was not speaking for both Rakhine Buddhist and Rohingya Muslim communities affected by the Oct 9 attacks in Maungdaw, Rakhine."

A wee bit troublesome this Rohingya thingy for Myanmar. After the great fanfare n euphoria of a democratically elected government when everyone expect things to be right n just always suddenly confronted reality!! Reality of religious war"!! Conflict of cultures that defied rational thinking!! 

Can the Myanmar government n people overcome this? Will a religion other than supposedly Buddhism be acceptable n trusted? How do the Buddhists reconciled killing a Rohingya who just happened to be a Muslim, assuming a non-radical n nonviolent type, with the preserving life teaching of Buddhism as I know it? Or there is a school of Buddhism like Islam that advocate killing of all non-believers?

May they find the solutions since outsiders really has no biz to sermonise to the Myanmar people.

May there be peace thete eventually. Quickly is better! Allah is great. Buddha be happy to.

Daily Lessons from Life 27 February 2017 - Present n dangerous!

1st of all, glad to read the DPM Teo's written interview with the Chinese that all is well between Sgp n China.

"Bandung blast suspect dies after police gunfight: Report - CNA/Reuter 27 Feb 2017

JAKARTA: A terror suspect died on Monday (Feb 27) after being shot in the stomach by West Java police in the city of Bandung, said national police chief Tito Karnavian in an interview with local news channel Metro TV.  

The suspect, who died on the way to Bhayangkara Hospital, had engaged in a gunfight with security personnel after allegedly detonating a pressure cooker bomb in Pandawa Park.  

West Java police spokesman Yusri Yunus, in a live Metro TV interview, earlier cited eyewitnesses as saying that they saw two people on a motorcycle at around 8.30am in the park looking suspicious. One of them reportedly carried a backpack.

The same suspect then put the bomb on the ground and after it exploded, the two were chased by members of the community. The eyewitnesses said the driver of the motorcycle rode off, while his passenger ran into a nearby government building.

The suspect allegedly set a room on the second floor of the building on fire and after firefighters attempted to put out the blaze, the suspect went down to the first floor where a confrontation with police occurred."

Another terrorist attack foiled n with no collateral damages besides the perpetrator himself. Kudos to the local community folks who chased the suspect right after the bomb went off. Must dangerous n risky. m glad that the subsequent supports helped nabbed the suspect though a pity he died on the way to the hospital. 

This is clear n present danger for Sgp too. Keep up our alertness n watch out for any familiar tell tales signs. May such attack never happen in Sgp. Peace to the nation so that stability n prosperity can be created!!

Daily Lessons from Life 26 February 2017 - Keeping one's awake at night...

1st of all, puzzled to read the no. of Hkgers migrating to Taiwan is at a 16-yr high. If it is for the climates n better living environment, probably can understand. If it was for the political ambition of President Tsai's to make Taiwan an independent nation, it will b most misguided n will be met with disappointment. Yet, one must not say it will never happen. All the best.

"PM Lee on remaining honest to himself and what keeps him up at night - CNA 26 February 2017

Q. how to keep self fr being honest?
Ans: 1st. No " yes men n women" 2nd. breakout of the "circle" i. e. connect with others who r different from u. 3rd. personally behaves like: humility, could other be right n I m wrong?

Q. what keeps u awake at night?
Ans: 1st. changes beyond my control equipment. e.g. USA turning inwards (n China asserting itself more!?). 2nd. Sgp declining population. 3rd. public housing for married couples."

My input:

1. appearance of "No yes men n women" must be seen by the public too!;

2. Hard to be humble when u r right  in everything! That kills my input no. 1 above dead in its track as any disagreeing men n women would had been casted as "incompetent" or "with ulterior motives"!!;

3. relying on self-check is always risky as one develops narcissism. The democratic GE once every 5-yr is helpful to keep people honest. A critical, n been seen as impartial, media by the public should help too.

4. sweating over things we hv no or little control over is waste of time n efforts. Planning on possible responses r more productive. Convincing the skeptical public on many of the mindset n painful transformation would keep me awake at night! Especially looking at the resistance or reluctance to change like: re-embracing productivity, clean after ourselves, accepting maybe the oppositions may hv some good ideas, etc.

I will stop here as I m not the million dollar government officials. 

Sweet dreams n keep yr honesty if nothing else.

Daily Lessons from Life 25 February 2017 - Back to Normal!

1st, sad to learn Leicester City FC has fired their manager who led the team to a fairy tales EPL Championship title last season!! It pains u when fairy tales don't last. Yet? it is how the real world is. Perform m all r good. Otherwise, just business n nothing personal.

2nd, After the strange Teerex Tanks incident, China n Sgp get back to normal. The more constructive way instead of playing with egos n pride. It is business. Nothing personal. Just be mindful who has more power.

"Singapore and China to hold top-level bilateral forum in Beijing on Monday

SINGAPORE: The Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) - the highest-level bilateral forum between Singapore and China - will be held on Monday (Feb 27) in Beijing. 

Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean will make a three-day official visit to Beijing from Sunday at the invitation of China's Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli. Both leaders are co-chairs of the JCBC, which provides a platform to discuss ways to deepen cooperation between Singapore and China.

This would be the 13th JCBC meeting which has been held every year since 2004, with the exception of last year. Channel NewsAsia understands that it had to be postponed as Vice Premier Zhang had to attend an important domestic meeting."

If we want economic opportunities, China is definitely one of the must be places. Build on the hard work done in the last 2-3 decades. The Chinese has grown much after it was awaken by Chairman Deng re-engaged with capitalism.

In the process it has created tremendous wealth in abt 10-30% of its people. Some r rich by world ranking m definitely beyond their wildest dream n imagination! The breakneck growth also means poisoning of its environment re air, water n soils. It also means a portion of its business people r so focused on making money that ethics n decency are casted out of their minds. 

Many of their better educated wealthy comrades r migrating. Yet, no country in the world can take in these 10-20% fairly "good people" without making their own local 2nd class citizens as they numbered in the tension of millions. 

So the key is to hv a China Dream where No Chinese will leave China as they develop it on a sustainable basis. 

As for Chairman Xi's One Belt One Road vision, there will be trade offs Sgp need to make. In fact, some r darned direct competition with some of our traditional strengths. We will want to negotiate the treacherous n VUCA period to stay connected n be relevant as much as possible. 

We want to be equal partner in the growth. At the same time, we will be realistic to promote revelance. Make the best of whatever gov-to-gov projects going as best as possible while the private sector be linked to Chinese global companies' network a such as we linked with the Western allies of USA, UK, EU n ANZ; not forgetting Asean, especially Indonesia!

Daily Lessons from Life 24 February 2017 - Cheats in Sgp!

"Manager jailed 34 weeks for exploiting more than 100 foreign workers - CNA 24 Feb 2017" and
"Action taken against 4,400 who submitted false claims for SkillsFuture credit - CNA 24 Feb 2017"

A bit sad to read of such news in a developed 1st world nation. Sure it is unrealistic to expect even the proclaimed most advanced and developed country in the world to be free of cheats, it is still disheartening to read of such cheats in our own nation.

The 'Manager' who exploited more than 100 FWs deserved the punishment. Hopefully more will be prosecuted to send the message that 'crimes do not pay' in Singapore. If you do it, you will be found out. You will be, it is a matter of when you will be and NOT if you will or not!

SkillsFutureCredit frauds and cheats after the PIC frauds and cheats. These people just want to try their luck don't they. May they be punished severely to set an example. Hopefully none of them were doped by 'devious consultants' who claimed to be 'doing them a favour' to complete these SkillsFutureCredit claims! If so, hope the laws can make the distinction between the 'mastermind' and the 'unknowing accomplices'.

Fight cheats we must!!

Daily Lessons from Life 23 February 2017 - Nothing could be done really?

"Vulcan Post 23 February 2017

Malaysia was recently caught up with the unfortunate news of 8 young boys aged from 13 to 17 passing away due to a tragic road accident. A 22-year-old woman had rammed her car into them while they were cycling. She couldn't brake in time and the victims were killed on the spot.

Many Malaysians had a lot of things to say about this. There were those who immediately found fault with the driver, claiming that she wouldn't have been able to mow down 8 cyclists if she wasn't already driving fast to begin with.

There were those who placed fault on the guardians of these children, reprimanding them for allowing these young children to leave their home during odd hours and not monitoring their behaviour properly. Some have even suggested a punishment for guardians who allow their young children to roam the streets at night.

There were also a fair few who brought up authorities and their stance on this. Some questioned on why there was no action taken if this was a problem to begin with.

This has led to a Facebook user by the name of Zulhazri Abu Bakar to share an opinion of a policeman on the matter. The post highlighted the efforts that the police force have taken before to stop these teenagers from cycling dangerously on the roads during late hours.

The policeman who wishes to remain anonymous speaks of other incidents prior to this. He says that these children were not just from the main Johor Bahru area but came in a group of 30 to 40 from areas such as Plentong, Pasir Putih, Masai, Tampoi, Kempas, Skudai, and Tiram. They were frequently seen not just once or twice but almost every weekend.

"It's not that we did not warn them, we have even used a megaphone to do so. Some of us have even lost our patience and threw their bicycles away not because of any ill intentions but as a reminder so they may feel afraid to repeat this dangerous act," said the post.

"Whenever you headed over to them, they would start screaming and taunting the police by lifting their bikes to the opposite side of the road. This is how it was like usually," said the post. To prove his point, there were two videos attached with the post depicting these teenagers cruising down the roads and doing dangerous acts where they would not have been able to steer away from danger if there was any. They also ignored the sirens of the police officer and kept cycling away. The usual locations these children cycled at were not just at the shoulders of roads but also right in the middle.

He also listed a few hotspots around the area where you would catch them cycling around with no concern on their safety even though 95 per cent of their bicycles were middle-sized and had small tyres. "With every warning, they continued to not heed our words. So when these incidents happen, who's to blame? Of course 50 per cent of us policemen are placed at fault for not taking the right action but where is the role of the parent or guardian that should have been more alert?" questioned the policeman. He ended the post with saying that although he understood that young children would want freedom and have fun, parents should be monitoring their behaviour to not have this kind of incident repeated as most of these children are as young as 10."

Did not pay much attention to the news when it 1st broke except to feel very sorry for the deceased. Not sure if I would have blamed the driver or the guardians/parents of the young kids had I read a bit more about the tragic accident initially.

Am glad to come across this piece of news anyway as it truly helps us to navigate HOW TO PROVIDE appropriate comments on 'the 1st instance' or '1st impression' properly!

1. we usually use OUR assumptions, based on our past experiences and HOW we would have acted, to JUDGE the what actions HAD caused the tragic consequences of 8 young boys age from 13 to 17 years old killed by a car!

Not surprising to read many contributors blamed the woman driver without asking for the FACTs like: how fast was she driving? was she intoxicated? any faults with the car re: brake, lamps, etc., etc.?

2. as for those who blamed the guardians/parents for not properly supervising the kids, except maybe for boys that are pass 16 years old are probably beyond parents' control, and let they out at such late night, there may be needs to find out about: who are these kids? where are they from? why are they doing these dangerous acts in such a place and time? who are their parents? how have they been supervised before this tragedy? did the parents try and fail to get them off the roads? etc.

3. as for those who blamed the authorities for not taking actions as such kids had been doing this for a while. An accident waiting to happen! Why aren't the police doing anything? Again, a legitimate reaction. Yet, there is a need to check IF indeed the authorities had not done anything to get the kids off the streets. Which in this case, the anonymous policeman's post and videos, assuming they are authentic, had done their bits and could not really be faulted.

All these 3 responses tell me one thing: CHECK your assumptions with facts before stating your opinions STRONGLY. If you must let it out of your chest asap, then precede with 'qualifications' e.g. assuming that the police did not take any actions despite the kids' repeatedly putting themselves in danger doing these 'tricks', etc...

Or simply, just hold your tongues and your fingers typing!!

RIP to the dead kids. Condolences to the family and friends. And may justice be served for the woman driver if she is or she is not negligent. A sad tragedy!

Daily Lessons from Life 22 February 2017 - The end matters...

"Convicted ex-Hong Kong leader Donald Tsang sentenced to 20 months in jail

HONG KONG: Former Hong Kong leader Donald Tsang was on Wednesday (Feb 22) sentenced to 20 months in prison after a high-profile corruption trial found him guilty of misconduct during his time at the helm of the city.

Tsang, 72, held the leadership post of chief executive for seven years from 2005 and is the most senior city official ever to be convicted in a criminal trial.

The sentence brings to an ignominious end what had been a long and stellar career for Tsang in the Asian financial hub before and after the 1997 handover to Chinese rule, and reaffirmed what some observers said was Hong Kong's strong rule of law in bringing even the most powerful to justice."

This is a very very sad ending for Donald. He of Citigroup fame before being roped into the politics of HKG n then Hkg SAR. Though he must hv felt pretty good with being the Chief of HKG SAR, hopefully. 

Anyway, the point is he supposedly saved only a few bucks vs. the very high pay he was getting for the corruption charges he was sentenced for. Surely a highly educated n world-wise guy like him know it is not worth the risk. So, what could hv driven him to commit this silly act? Probably this thing called: "Entitlement" mentality!! 

This is the risk I feared most when Sgp government firmly believe only when we pay high pay (fixed pay is what I hv a serious problem with while unlimited object variable pay can be an issue too) so we will not get corrupted monkeys as the monkeys may not get corrupted but developed entitlement mentality!!

Is there a way to prevent this? Besides the integrity of the incumbent, the anti-corruption regime Sgp government put on place should work well. The obvious charges r unlikely to happen here too though the almost unprovable playing favorites may still exist. Hence the need to "appear to be impartial" too!!

All the best Donald. Hope you r kept separated from many u put away in the same prison!!

Daily Lessons from Life 21 February 2017 - Sgp Buuct8vitudget FY2018

Still a bit blur abt the budget except the water rates will go up by 30% over the next 2 July.

Dropping productivity for digitisation is another word for productivity right? I hope so as if we r not going to look at the cost of doing business n cost of living raising at a rate higher that revenue growth, we will miss the big universal obstacles!

The capping of the government expenditure by a reduction of 2% is hopefully going to be productive.

The continuation of denying normal young couples cannot afford to buy HDB flat- resale or new - means there is no desire to let the "market price" drops by the sum provided through subsidies.  No? Of course, this is a way to keep the resale HDB flat prices STABLE as we hv more, I believe, holders who can't maintain the mortgage if the valuation dropped!!

Targeted industry help is definitely welcome. Yet, construction sector not moving fast or could not as it SIMPLY cannot get the required Sgp workers to work on the mega public infrastructure projects will mean problem remained unsolved. Again, if these mega projects r won by foreign companies, especially China ones, they can bring in project-specific Chinese workers m bring them back when the projects r completed. Very much like when the Koreans built the then tallest hotel in the world, Stamford Hotel.

This government still has the mindset that costs can only go up but prices cannot come down. A fallacy that had been repeatedly smashed in the semiconductor industry where immediately following every introduction of new n more power IC r coat reduction programs with anticipation the prices will drop!

I hope seriously that when MPs meet to debate this Budget, more thots can be spent 9n defining what is "reasonable profit after Selling Price minus Costs".

Daily Lessons from Life 20 February 2017 - Religious Power vs. Gun Powder?

Finance Minister Heng just presented the FY2018 Budget this afternoon in Sgp. The press dubbed it as: 'Comeback Budget' with reference to his recovery from a scary stroke last year after his maiden Budget speech. Will need to read more before commenting.

In the meantime, looking at the unenviable task of the almighty Thai Junta's police and military personnel testing the power of religion vs. their gun powder in the standoff in Bangkok is enough to remind EVERYONE that messing with religious group can be pretty frightening, especially if you are NOT prepared to go ALL THE WAY. By that I mean, using brute forces on the peaceful, until they got hit, protesters who are of that particular religious faith.

Of course, strictly speaking, from a layman point of view, Buddhism is never a religion but a way of life or philosophy of life as Buddha never claimed to be a God. The ultimate is supposedly for each mortal to attain nirvana or enlightenment himself or herself. There is no life after death or some heaven thingy. Alas, some, or many, will contest my 'poor understanding' of Buddhism. So, be it.

The point is this: religion is powered by emotion and not rationality. When the devoted is prepared to DIE for that religion, the usual weapons to scare people into submission are totally useless!

All the best to the stand-off. Hope no serious damages will come from this.

p/s: Does anyone care if the Head Monk had amassed large sum of money and live in an 'oxygen rich' chamber? Nah!! Not the faithful. Only the doubters, who are not to be trusted anyway! LOL!!

Daily Lessons from Life 18-19 February 2017 - How dictators get started?

"Suppressing free press is 'how dictators get started': US Senator McCain - Reuter 18 Feb 2017

MUNICH: U.S. Senator John McCain, defending the media against the latest attack by President Donald Trump, warned that suppressing the free press was "how dictators get started".

The Arizona Republican, a frequent critic of Trump, was responding to a tweet in which Trump accused the media of being “the enemy of the American people”.

The international order established after World War Two was built in part on a free press, McCain said in an excerpt of an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press" that was released in advance of the full Sunday morning broadcast.

"I hate the press. I hate you especially," he told interviewer Chuck Todd from an international security conference in Munich. "But the fact is we need you. We need a free press. We must have it. It's vital."

"If you want to preserve - I'm very serious now - if you want to preserve democracy as we know it, you have to have a free and many times adversarial press. And without it, I am afraid that we would lose so much of our individual liberties over time. That's how dictators get started," he continued.

"They get started by suppressing free press. In other words, a consolidation of power. When you look at history, the first thing that dictators do is shut down the press. And I'm not saying that President Trump is trying to be a dictator. I'm just saying we need to learn the lessons of history," McCain said.

U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat from New Hampshire, told the conference on Sunday she was also concerned about Trump's comments."

Senator McCain is one of the "good" decent politicians. A rare breed for sure. By most reckoning.

He is right that dictators start with muzzle-ing free press. This is especially so if the free press is for truth n not another instrument by other oppositions of the incumbent government or President. 

In Sgp, we would add: a responsible free press that present facts without fear or favour letting the readers reach their own conclusions.

President Trump has to deal with the established "free press". He will not hv his way of shutting out the reporters who may be hostile to him n his ideas of what make good policies. These reporters unfortunately r expected to play, as mentioned by Senator McCain, an adversarial role! An idea that I disagree. 

We need fearless responsible free press. That's all. N it is very hard to get in the USA now; n in Sgp too, sometime! Yet, we must insist n encourage for democracy to prevail. 

Daily Lessons from Life 16-17 February 2017 - AVA Chickens n Syonan Gallery

Was on the plane for New Zealand last night n did not blog.

Interesting news today on Minister Yakob's apologies n change of Syonan Gallery name.

He n his ministry hv acknowledged the outrage by some n generally negative comments that the Syonan name implied endorsement of the Japanese occupation during WWII.

He did say at the opening that it was the furthest from their intention. The gallery is really to remind Singaporeans to remember the pains n atrocities a nation n its people might endure when it is been invaded n ran by uninvited foreign forces.

Still, the name Syonan Gallery is inappropriate. Hence, after further checking with the public, he acknowledged the oversight of the hurt feeling of the surviving descendants of those killed in that period. It was insensitive upon deeper reflection. So, the change n dropped "Syonan" from it.

Fine n good that he n his team acted n righted the mistake. Let's move on.

It would hv been to my liking if it is named: "Madness of War - Surviving the Japanese occupation".

On the troublesome culling of noisy chickens at a HDB housing estate, the AVA gave a total of 3 reasons at diffetent point un time for the killing: 1. due to complaints of been very noisy by some residents there; then 2. the culled chickens were not endangered spices; then 3. the head of AVA said it was to protect the people from bird flu!!

A case of the more you explained, the murkier the water becomes!! It either reflect poor understanding of why they culled the chickens or the worst case of "telling a lie to cover an earlier one told"!!

It would hv been more acceptable if the AVA head acknowledged the earlier 2 clarifications as inaccurate before offering the 3rd n final "explanation". Something it can learn from MCI Minister n his team. It is OK to make mistakes n own up. Just avoid making the same mistake next time. Some may say it is OK to be thick-skin while I see it as a very simple act of: be honest n sincere. Take responsibility, correct n move on!!

All the best moving forward. 

Daily Lessons from Life 15 February 2017 - 75th Anniversary of Fall of Singapore

Before I comment on the 75th Anniversary of the of the Fall of Singapore, I must expressed the enigmatic assassination of the North Korean guy in KL. Bizarre is the word n yet that's how the North Korea regime is all abt. Unpredictable, maniac n totally deadly ruthless!

Now the main headline: the 75th Anniversary of the Fall of Singapore to Japan.

Passed the war memorial this morning on a bus n saw the assembled crowds. There were 2 curious looking Japanese ladies on the bus n I could not bring myself to tell them what the fuzz was all abt.

Today supposedly is the Total Defence Day too. Or was it yesterday. Anyway, it seems the government is trying hard to let us remember how miserable life can be if u r ruled by some invaders from foreign forces. That Singaporeans must practice the 5 pillars of total defence to keep our nation safe. Not sure we will face external aggression but definitely possible to be attacked by some radical fanatic terrorists. This is probably the biggest threat as it is hard, though we can never ruled it out since war is insanity, that neighbours can be aggressors.

May there be peace forever. If not, our armed forces r ready for combat to defend against enemies at the doors!!

Make peace not war is the ultimate objective. Yet, preparing for the most improbable is needed.  

Daily Lessons from Life 14 February 2017 - Deaths

1. 32, mainly elderly folks died after the bus they were travelling in plunged into a deep valley in Taiwan while retuning from a cherry blossom watching trip.

Investigation on the causes of this deadly accident is still ongoing.

RIP to the dead n condolences to the surviving family n friends.

2. A 77-yr old woman died while the maid was detained for questioning. Not the 1st case n neither will it be the last.

I wonder if there are common threads that can help the employer, n the maid, recognise a breaking point so that such violent n tragic incident can be avoided?

Summarising from my own experience n verbal sharing from friends who hv elderly being taken care of by maids, it is not easy on the maid as elderly, especially those who r frail n sick, can behave rather harshly towards the maid.

The maid may not be properly trained, or learned enough, to handed "difficult" elderly n the immense stress that come with the job. This plus any unfortunate or unpleasant happening in the maid's home town, can triggered uncontrolled violent act that lead to death. Most r not premeditated though manslaughter still means someone died!! It is not much comfort.

May this tragedy be resolved quickly so that closure can be initiated by the family of the dead n that of the supposed killer!

Daily Lessons from Life 13 February 2017 - Rwanda: The Singapore of Africa

Glanced the headline on this piece of news: "Rwanda - The Singapore of Africa" a few days back but did not pay much attention to it till I watched the CNA program: "Finding Singapore" tonight n was most impressed!!

The Singaporeans who went over there to start a biz, help to establish the vocational educational institutions, the unfortunate "Suburna Jurong company that laid off staffs inappropriately" doing the town planning master plan, etc. really made me feel proud n positive abt Singapore's contribution to this country that emerged from a horrific genocide past 22 yrs ago!!

Of course the strong President, reputedly in the mode of our late PM/SM/MM Lee helped. Not forgetting his group of passionate n able cabinet colleagues. N the people of Rwanda.

While this documentary primarily showed the many positive progress made. It would hv been more complete if it had shown some challenges or issues with this breakneck pace of change.

Nevertheless, most impressive show by the Rwandans. Economic progress n lengthening of living age from an average of 28 to more than 60+ in 22 years!!

May they continue to be successful n avoid the mistake of overly dependence on a strong government that plans everything. It is effective for certain time. Yet it must changed when the population becomes more educated n can contribute their ideas m solutions. Keeping the nation whole is paramount.

Daily Lessons from Life 12 February 2017 - Give town councils back to the HDB?

"Give TC back to HDB? The Straits Times 12 Feb 2017

One thing that is clear from the proposed amendments to the Town Councils Act is that town councils are here to stay. But there is an alternative way in which they can be run properly. 

And that is to get the Housing Board to manage them again, say experts - a reverse of the current model which started in 1989."

Interesting that this topic was even published given that the Government is vehemently against it. It is strategic to hv the MPs be held accountable for estate management besides their other national duties n concerns for their electorates. 

The saga of the AHTC since GE2011 is still not ending even though the attacks on the competence n integrity of the opposition WP MPs hv not been in the news lately. Also the AMK-Bishan TC GM being investigated by the CPIB. Some wondered if they could be related. Or that we r so fascinated by the Terrex Tanks incident with PRC or the sudden re-application to review Pedra Branca by Msia lately.

Whatever. The points raised by the diverse experts will get no responses from the government besides it's official line since they changed the rules of the game - MPs must also be estate managers par excellence. 

They will be deaf n blind to valid concerns like:

1. why no established spin-off estate mgt companies fr HDB n PUB, etc. want the AHTC job when it paid the most?;

2. why no Big 4 auditing firms want their job until court assigned? n much later?;

3. why the TC Mgt Software was sold to a S$2 dollar company fronted by X-PAP members even though it is so-called legitimate?

Of course it will b wrong to only blame the government as since GE2011, the WP MPs hv plenty of time to help their electorates understand their difficulties CONSTANTLY while trying to still perform their duties in the area of estate mgt. They seemed to hv done well enough in non-financial governance bits though found wanting big time in the financial governance side. Notwithstanding none were formerly charged for frauds. 

So, this topic will still be hanging in the minds of the voters. Do we vote for MPs with all the experienced estate mgt companies n TC Mgt System or someone's who will help them to envision a brighter future n raise strategic issues besides just managing the real estates well.

Watch this space though keep yr expectations low seems the right strategy!!

Daily Lessons from Life 11 February 2017 - Abe n Tragic death at Botanical Garden

1. Abe's "awkward handshake" with Trump

Abe will hv to get use to this as Trump will be leaning on Japan to be the most useful tool n pawn to contain, irritate n tease China in his term, assuming he can last through it!!

Abe will enjoy it as he simply has to "avenge" the humiliation n unfair labelling of his grandfather's government in WWII as invaders of China. A most willing partner.

2. Tragic death at Sgp Botanical Garden

RIP to the dead n speedy recovery to the 4 injured. Killed by a falling tree while at an outing on a Saturday afternoon simply make no sense to the family n friends who survived it!!

Condolences to the surviving family n friends.

Hopefully the authority can find out what happened as the Tembusu tree that fell is a big one. Could the possibility been anticipated? Did anything change in the tree or surrounding area?

Peace on earth.

Daily Lessons from Life 10 February 2017 - CFE Report with a Bit More Thoughts

Good that the CFE Report has been released. Finally after the delay due to the unexpected and unwelcome hawkish, and sometimes perplexing, election of President Trump! What with his anti-trade stance and nationalistic 'Americans First' chest beating cries!

On the 7 “mutually-reinforcing” strategies for Singapore to stay ahead outlined in the report, some input from me are:

i) Deepen and diversify our international connections
This would entail Singapore boosting trade and investments by developing specific bilateral initiatives, working closely with multilateral institutions. The recommendation of forming a global Innovation Alliance to link tertiary institutions and companies link up with overseas partners was also raised.

LU: while it will be better for the business people to make these links, it invariably will depend on HOW GOOD is the gov-to-gov relationship! To this end, it is my sincere hope that Sgp gov will be BETTER at handling the relationship with PRC and that the 'mistakes' in the handling of the Teerex Tanks recently MUST NEVER happened again.
ii) Acquire and utilise deep skills
It was noted that both the public and private sectors ought to work towards hiring workers based on their skills and not just academic achievements, job matching also needed to be improved, and more study and training programmes rolled out to allow workers to acquire new skills.

LU: some skills are universal and fundamental. e.g. effective interaction/communication/problems solving while some are specific and technical e.g. robotics 1 => 2 => => Nth!
If we ONLY want to produce WORKERS quickly- blue- or white- or gold-collar, then just teach the students the UNIVERSAL and FUNDAMENTAL skills at schools. By 18 years old, they should be ready to work in their SPECIFIC industry getting the 'specific and technical skills' from the companies!!
We have to be careful that we don't CREATE a BILLION dollar training industry REPEATING what could have already being COVERED by our 'world class educational system'!!
Also, to make sure that WDA-linked entities and personnel are NOT fronting the billion dollar 'training' industry!! PLEASE MAKE SURE OF THESE.


iii) Strengthen enterprise capabilities to innovate and scale up
The committee recommended strengthening the Intellectual Property (IP) ecosystem, better supporting entrepreneurs by creating new business opportunities and raising the profile of local start-ups. Introducing simpler regulations and incentive schemes were also suggested.

LU: again INNOVATION must come from the enterprises themselves! ONLY GLCs/TLCs/NTUC-LCs can benefit from this 'innovation by decree' approach as they are BASICALLY operating in a 'protected environment' for those in the defence, transportation, properties development and supermarket businesses! YES? WHY did SMRT and ComfortDelgro NOT seize on the 'hailing a tax' app? Why let Uber and Grab GRABBED their businesses? Simple, they have too much to lose! This is especially so for SMRT with that million dollar paid Group CEO who got paid MORE than the Group CEO of ComfortDelgro, a company that is MUCH bigger and MUCH MORE international than SMRT!!

As for HELPING local start-ups to raise their profile, this is totally do-able by the government. In a tiny little red dot of ours. Can we compete with Alibaba? Tencent? Netease? etc in PRC, hopefully, eventually.

iv) Build strong digital capabilities
It was noted that expertise in the areas of cybersecurity and data analytics needed to be built up, as these were high-potential growth industries. For this, it was suggested that the Government partner key industry partners. The authorities were also urged to come up with flexible regulations to enable the adoption of technology as well as to help Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) adopt digital technologies.

LU: This is clear for all to see. Robotics, AI, Big Data, Cybersecurity, drones, etc. Surely the government saw it coming. Surely it could have influenced, and it probably HAD, our WORLD ranking universities to focus on these SPECIALISED technical skills and courses. WHAT happened? Many of the top global companies were lured here. e.g. Lucas firm, Autodesk, IBM (e-government, e-city, etc), Salesforce, Google (search is using Big Data analytic right? algorithms development right?), etc. WHAT HAPPENED? no local talents to LEARN these QUICKLY?

OR Fintech!! Can we imagined AliPay and WeChat Pay been introduced in Sgp by Singapore companies? How can companies that are NOT banks be allowed to dabble in 'cash transactions' and 'having cash balances in their mobile phone accounts'?
Why is that ONLY in recent years that DBS, OCBC and UOB starts pushing e-banking? MAS over-controlled? or we don't like to TAKE RISKS?

 v) Develop a vibrant and connected city of opportunity
The committee shared that Singapore should strive to strengthen its status of being a global aviation and shipping hub, that it should leverage on the future Singapore-Kuala Lumpur high-speed rail, enhance its digital connectivity and create multiple clusters of innovation. Additionally, that the Government ought to partner the private sector to transform Orchard Road.

LU: Vibrant or not depends on if others want to deal with Sgp still. This may link to the strategic point No. 1 above. Of course, when the entrepreneurs themselves initiate these connections, it will be even MORE powerful! As for Orchard Road? More shopping and MORE expensive rental? LOL!!

vi) Develop and implement Industry Transformation Maps ("ITMs)
It was noted that industry-specific transformation maps should continually be customised to meet the needs of that particular industry. There was also the recommendation to group the various industries into clusters, so that the transformation of one industry will have positive spill-over effects on others. The roadmaps should also outline where opportunities lie in each of the various sectors. Further, the roadmaps should also entail strategies aimed at helping industries that require large numbers of low-skilled workers.

LU: This is SPECIFIC. Good. Once the ITMs are MAPPED, I hope the industry concerned MOVE FASTER and with FULL DETERMINATION before the macro-environment change again in 3-5 years time! This is a moving target and yet to truly benefit, it means the execution has to be DOUBLY FAST!
 
vii) Partner one another to enable growth and innovation
The Government needs to encourage an environment that supports innovation and risk-taking both in the public and private sectors. It also suggested that the Singapore tax system be reviewed. The committee also called for trade associations and unions to help workers and play their part in industry development.

LU: On the PUBLIC side, I DOUBT very much if this will EVER be happened judging by the recent exhortation by Minister Ong Ye Kun that Sgp has a better chance of success with a One-Party rule! When mindset at the TOP of the TOP Level think like that, it is very hard for anyone who advocate: "Embrace Diversity and Encourage Inclusion" to be successful. As for the PRIVATE side, if we have LESS GLCs, TLCs and NTUC-LCs and LESS real estate developers' lobby, maybe it is possible. Oh, the mindset of 'less is more' that is unpopular with the 'growth is the only way forward' school will not see the lights too though I always wonder: why should a nation with a lower and low cost of living be bad?

Thank you and all the best to the implementation of what had been cast in stones. And hopefully Newer and Bolder ideas will emerge later and continuously. 

Daily Lessons from Life 09 February 2017 - CFE Report

It is out! The CFE Report is out!!

Just in case u don't know what it is: CFE is Committee on Future of our Economy!!

PM Lee has already said the government accepted all the recommendations n will focus on hard-headed execution.

We will need to study it a bit more n hopefully if someone has some other ideas not covered by the CFE will get a hearing.

More to come...

Daily Lessons from Life 08 February 2017 - Expensive meal. Obama n Flash Floods

OK, 1st the gossip: a close to S$200k reunion dinner for 20pax by someone at a restaurant in RWS. Pretty expensive if real.

Then the fun news of Obama kites boarding with billionaire, Richard Branson at a luxury resorts in the Caribbean.

Now the serious stuff:

Orchard Road finally get flash flood too! Thought it got resolved as other places were flash flooded in the last few weeks but not Orchard. Guessed I was wrong. The good thing is: We call a spade a spade, something Minister Vivian did not do when he was in charge of the Water Resources n Environment portfolio. I believed he n his folks called it: ponding!!

Anyway, the flash floods subsided after 15 mins as reported. No big deal really.

More thunder storms to come n get your gum boots ready!!

Finally, was heartened to watch the Chinese Money Mind program showcasing our local SMEs creating new ice cream flavours, innovating in boutique hotels n designing robots to improve productivity n reducing reliance on raw manpower. All the while getting grants n funds from the government agencies. While it is true those profiled here r the more successful ones, the fact that we hv them is something to celebrate. The cruel reality is that: only 1 out of 10 or even 100 startups survived. 

Daily Lessons from Life 07 February 2017 - Rats in Fire Rooster Year?

"Rats are back in Bukit Batok, raising fears of repeat of infestations in 2014 and 2016"

Does chicken fight rats? If they do, it would hv been a tragic mistake to cull those Sin Min estate chickens!!

I guessed I was unrealistic to expect no rats in a 1st world nation as New York has many rats for sure. Maybe Bukit Batok is like the ghetto of the great New York city? While the area where President Trump's old residence will hv no rats, other parts definitely hv many?

Regardless, since we r uniquely Singapore, we cannot n will not accept that this rats issue is something we simply just hv to live with!! No?

Let's hope the authorities concerned n those involved successfully to eradicate the problem can research on the root causes of the resurgence n fix it once n for all.

Surely we can get rid of the rats problem n truly claim the 1st world clean n hygienic country/city!!

Happy hunting.. 

Daily Lessons from Life 06 February 2017 - Next EP ...

Parliament sat n discussed or decided on how the 2017 EP, which is decided to be only for Malay candidates so as to follow the meritocracy principle Sgp has supposedly been known for while ensuring minority race has an EP, will proceed.

Doesn't sounds right or if it sounds contradictory with "meritocracy n need to ensure minority race has an EP", u probably r not listening or understanding the ruling party's MPs n cabinet ministers' clear understanding. Maybe u r not in the same league as them as they r clear there is no contradiction at all between "meritocracy n ensuring a minority EP"! LOL.

Glad that the WP MPs hv stated their ground for not supporting this particular EP process while noting the other only objection is from a NMP. Trust that that particular NMP future voices in parliament will still be respected by his parliamentary colleagues n not been rubbished.

The timing of the EP will be in September to avoid campaigning during the August national day period is reasonable.

The truth is there r doubters out there who still remained unconvinced for this particular minority EP thingy.

Suffice to note that the EP, whoever she or he may be, can be veto by the cabinet if it does not agreed with the EP's veto!! Confusing? Its ok. The government got our backs.

Happy campaigning when it comes around though it is best that we hv just 1 qualified candidate n save money n effort. We hv more urgent thing to convince ourselves that after 51 years of nation building, we still need a minority EP, or just appointed president to keep racial harmony. Whatever happened to regardless of race, language n religion?

Hmm...

Daily Lessons from Life 05 February 2017 - Excuse me. R u for real?

"A president for his backers rather than the country?"

I hv said President Obama n other Democrat n Republican politicians were encouraging the absolute wrong behaviors from President Trump to be trattoria what he has promised in his presidential campaign. How can they be right when they r encouraging him that "It is OK to lie when u r campaigning!"

Trump has encased this promises. Well done. Does he acts for the country? No. He can't as the country is divided almost down the middle on some fundamental issues. So, we just hv to accept it. The Americans hv to accept it.

If there is a chance to impeach him, do it!! Like the commentators said: he will make mistakes at this rate! 

When that happened, VP Pence will b the President. The more Republican one. Trump was never a Republican. He is just an opportunist.

Let the true reality show begin. And maybe someone can say: U r fired Donald!!

Daily Lessons from Life 04 February 2017 - PM Lee on China n Minister Chan on Sgp

PM Lee said we hv to watch closely what policies the USA is pursuing while noting Sino-Sgp relationship has grown with the 3rd gov-to-gov project in ChongQing.

Good that he looks past the recent Terrex saga with China.

USA will stay engage in Asia Pacific for sure as it needs to contain the emergence of China. How we balance between USA n China as the USA will surely want to continue to leverage on whatever they had built n developed with Sgp in the past decades, especially knowing that Sgp has got into  bit of a bother with China due to our supposed over friendliness with USA, us vital.

The main ally for the USA will be Japan, especially with Abe in charge, as this is the one that CAN match China with USA's help.

If the hawks r running Trump's foreign agenda, careless confrontation with China involving Japan n USA can't be discounted.

How we stay neutral n get the understanding of both USA n China is vital.

Minister Chan said Sgp has top educational system n etc. and we should be OK is OK only if we recognised that our local talents r no longer cost competitive (especially the gold collar n some white collar ones, against foreign talents). Without this realisation, no effort will be expanded on helping Sgp talents to realise the super high wages r no longer sustainable n we better learn to do more with lower pay n producing higher outputs!

If my learned friend's assertion that the recent Inchcape UK sending expats to take over regional roles by local because the expats will be even cheaper than the local regional folks is true n real, it is a big problem!!

Sgp can survive only if we acknowledged our deficiencies n areas for improvement, otherwise just keep saying united we go forward will be fine is delusional!!

To quote the misquoting FM Vivian: "We call a spade a spade" is needed here though not during the Terrex saga.

Majulah Singapura!

Daily Lessons from Life 03 February 2017 - Pedra Branca n Trumped

1. Malaysia asking ICJ to review the 2008 Pedra Branca decision!

This is a totally unexpected development!! Still fighting for the rocks!!

What motivated this move? Did our neighbours find some convincing new facts that will turn the judgement to their favour? Why now when we r supposedly very kawan kawan?

Will be interesting to see how we respond. Hopefully not as bad as the way we handle the Terrex issue with China as Msia is our neighbours n we can always work it out.

2. "US judge orders temporary ban on Trump immigration restrictions

DETROIT: A US district judge in Detroit has issued an order temporarily restraining the Trump administration from carrying out immigration restrictions in a presidential executive order, according to a court document.

Judge Victoria Roberts issued the order on Thursday (Feb 2) in response to a motion filed with the US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan seeking a permanent injunction "that prohibits the denial of entry into the United States of legal permanent residents and those with valid immigrant visas" under President Donald Trump's Jan 27 order. 

She issued the order on behalf of the Arab American Civil Rights League, according to ClickOnDetroit.com."

Always believe that women hv more balls than men when standing up against men! 1st was the defiant Acting AG Yates who got fired by President  Trump. And now this Victoria judge!!

Will more defiant Americans realise that much evils were spread due to inaction in the ugly human history vs. just making noises.

It they think their democratically elected President is abusing his power, will they rise n take it down via people's power like in some other countries or it will find another way to take him down?

Most interesting to see where it ends! A less than 300 yrs old system fighting it survival? 

Daily Lessons from Life 2 February 2017 - Earning Power balanced?

"Swiss watchdog fines Coutts over 1MDB money-laundering breaches

SINGAPORE: RBS unit Coutts & Co was ordered to pay 6.5 million Swiss francs (US$6.57 million) for breaching money-laundering regulations in its relationship with Malaysian sovereign wealth fund 1MDB, said Switzerland's financial regulator on Thursday (Feb 2)."

The bank made US$6.57m processing the transactions! What did it actually produced? Nothing tangible though it made a lot of money!! Some of its employees raised the red flag on a few occasions but all overruled by top mgt as the money is too easy!!

Sad. For the bank n definitely more so for those oppressed "do the right things' employees. How they must hv been living in guilt n even some sense of shame for not bringing it to the authority earlier. Or risks of being called a traitor or spoiler!!

That brings me to another related matter: that of the need to pay our civil servants n "politicians" well so that we attract the BEST talents to run the country. The problem is: for some jobs that pay VERY VERY well, they produce nothing useful - tangible or intangible regardless! e.g. like this PRIVATE banking.

The elites, after getting used to million dollar packages, will do all means to keep the status quo. There lies the danger, when u r not paid million, u feel there is something wrong! Forget abt the mean or median national income maybe just a few thousand or 50k or 150k a year! The 'politicians' who r talented n can be in private banking or whatever high paying jobs will not go into politics n the nation will be led by lesser "talents".


Yet, when a bunch of similar background, thinking, motivation n behaviours folks r together, they r either very very good or they r very very bad singularly.

No diverse input, ideas, problems definitions n hence possible solutions. It is just too dangerous.

To believe the powerful will remain uncorrupted with absolute power is just delusional!!

Money is important n I m not asking talented people to go into politics get paid peanuts. A tax free S$500k/yr fixed salary is good enough for a decent living. Variable bonuses can be given as long as it is self-sustaining. Even that, to give a handful of persons a 0.01% of a GNP or GDP, the result of million of people's efforts, is just ludicrous! An absolute value has to be determined as "going beyond will b obscene n shameful".

May we hv 'educated' enough future generation of national leader that it is not just abt the money.

Daily Lessons from Life 01 February 2017 - Sgp Race, language n religion

"Singapore must guarantee equality to minorities: Shanmugam

Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam says the country must ensure the safety, security and freedom of religion to all, including the Muslim community."

There is no doubt in my mind that the peace n harmony we hv over the last few decades were carefully guarded, worked at n with lots of deliberate interventions by the government. N the communities responded positively to them. 

The principle of no criticism n negative comments abt other races, languages n religions is non-negotiable n always present!

Mixed schools r the standard without exception. The 4 official languages must also be present n inviolable. 

Any attacks on any race, language n religion must be punished with heavy penalties.

The USA n the West must not be the example for us as their press n people had overemphasised 'freedom of speech without responsibilities' while team better approach has to ensure "responsible free speech". Attacking someone or some religion is a big NO NO. 

Unfortunately, the recent mandating the next PE must be for the Malay candidates had signalled the equity is still fragile after 50 yrs of social engineering.

Maybe we need to promote intermingling between races n religious groups!!

Migrants must adopt the local practice n immersed in them instead of expecting the locals to adapt to them. 

May racial n religious harmony be with us forever and ever!!

Daily Lessons from Life 31 January 2017 - 1/12 of 2017 is GONE!!

Missed last night blogging due to a late engagement till past midnight. Lo and behold! 1/12th of 2017 is GONE!! Just like that! And President Trump has been true to his PE campaign words by shaking and SHOCKING the Americans and the world with a rapid fire of Executive Orders to revert/cancel/change some MAJOR policies in domestic and foreign affairs!

He, in fact, did get to utter his most memorable line in his Reality TV series 'The Apprentice' to his acting Attorney General: 'YOU are FIRED!' for doubting his legitimacy of his Executive Order of banning 'temporarily'(?) citizens from 7 major Islamic Muslim nations! He even got the CEOs of the many high tech companies to be so concerned that they are meeting to consider how to react/respond to this BAN as their companies have talents from these 7 nations. Of course, President Trump definitely enjoys the fact that some of the states of USA are suing him for this particular Executive Order!

Donald Trump is really pushing the envelop and testing the strength of USA's less than 300 years of democratic rules. Some doomsayers are comparing the current situation to that of Adolf Hitler's reign just before WWII! Will it go that far? Hopefully not though it is an intriguing scenario!

As 1 Feb 2017 dawned on us, let's see what else will come out from Trump's White House!!