Category: Rants

Commentary – Fare Hikes & Little India

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Seems like I have been blogging for a while. A really long while, because I have been lazy. But there are finally some things that compelled me to put down in wrting. Let me start with the fare increments.

As far as I am concerned, I am neutral about this increment split into two stages over 2014/15. However, it annoys me to see how the government controlled media tried to spin it as either as something positive and welcomed by everyone or that we are resigned to it. I get a little sick and tired when I see on TV the views of certain commuters saying – “I hope the increments won’t be too much.”. Thank you, you stupid feth. You made it sound like we accept fare increments as a norm when most of us really don’t. And many of us object to constant fare increments for good reasons and not because we are stingy about our money.

We all know (and not just feel) the traditional media is biased because we will never see on television the person who cursed and denounced any fare increments, or the person who talks about why he objects to the increments. The state of Singapore’s public transport certainly isn’t the rosy picture the government painted in spite of the S$1.1 billion BSEP (Bus Service Enhancement Programme). The spate of MRT breakdowns, and shitty train intervals constantly remind us the service of the SMRT remained deplorable. The waiting time of the buses too. So the Ministers for Transport, the ministries and the PTC (Public Transport Council) can quit trying to make us accept things as is, but really get down to do something effective to remedy the situation. If you are scratching your head wondering why we are angry, you might be better off finding another job where you know what you should be doing and why. Finding a new job maybe something the people of Singapore can help you with in a few years.

Anyway, I wouldn’t call this a hike. I am not against it because of the further concessions given to the handicapped, the elderly, the low income and to poly students. These are some of the things that I wanted to see since 2010 (or perhaps even before that). Above which, for some regular travellors the $120 monthly pass is good for them even though a friend has raised the question of how many people actually benefit from this. In any case, all these new concessions are way overdue. About damned time, you know?

The traditional media clearly tried too hard to give this a positive spin, and they have “overcooked the meat”. They should have simply make this as neutral as possible, but instead those who are dead against any fare increments regardless of the concessions are now provoked, and they now turn up the volume to remind everyone why they should object to the fare increments. I do not necessary disagree with some of their views. For example, one of my friends mentioned the formula to work out how much fare increment the PTOs (Public Transport Operators) will get has something to do with wage increments. It seems like by default PTOs are now entitled to fare increments as long as wages have increased acorss the board. Too bad for those who got zilch for increments over the last few years.

Now try and imagine how the average worker feels about that when they are repeatedly told that their wage increments are tied to their productivity! The fare increment formula is completely absurd because I am also in the opinion that the transport operators’ exisitng profits are enough to pay for the additional concessions. That alone is the main reason why I am not for any fare increments at all. It doesn’t matter whether some of their profits are from their operations overseas. The excuse fares must increase because their local operations isn’t making enough money is completely unacceptable. Not only has our public transport not been catching up with the demand over the years, the service standards has gone way south. The regular breakdowns of the MRT, and the long waiting time for the buses continued to plague us remained to be fixed. One of my friends lamented that she is wasting her life away waiting for buses in a bus stop everyday!

That said, please object to the fare increments in good order. Burning effigies and spitting on an Ezylink card is not the way to do it. I certainly need not caution everyone on why we shouldn’t play with fire in our own homes, especially for those of us who lived in HDB flats. I also think it is really unhygenic to spit on the Ezylink card, not forgetting it is rather rude and unsightly to do so in the public. Where are we going to wipe our spit or phlegm from the card after that? Perhaps those who heed Gilbert Goh’s call can do so for a limited period as long as the chap promises to provide them a supply of clean tissue paper, and agree to pay on your behalf when you are fined for spitting.

Next, the so-called “Little India drunkard Riots”…

I get a little sick and tired of hearing about how alcohol was solely to be blamed for the entire fiasco at Little India. But I’ll come back to that later.

First of all, we are repeatedly told not to speculate what was the true cause of the Little India Riot. I even seem to recall one of the PAP’s own back benchers got smacked down by the Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hian for bringing up the concerns of her own constituents. I personally won’t “speculate” what caused it but I agree with this ex-police officer that it could have been contained.

In any other country with a free press, the media would not only be praising the authorities on how well and fast it responded. While we should be glad no shots were fired and that bloodshed was kept to the minimal, that will not be the only thing we read on the papers. We will also not be hearing a pack of wolves howling a chorus from our highest offices in government that alcohol is solely to be blamed. Sadly, we do not hear much about the other side of the story. What other side of the story anyway when a number of them were simply deported without due course of justice?

Also, no one from the local media so much even visited the dormitories of the poor deceased man to speak to his co-workers. No one told us what his fellow workers think about him and such. Beyond that, no one talks about the treatment these workers are getting, such as their wages and working conditions. Oh, I guess that would be speculating that they are unhappy and their unhappiness being a reason for their rioting. I am sorry.

Yes, I am pissed off that a bunch of foreigners come and make part of my country a mess. That they even dared to create trouble to our peaceful “utopia” is an affront to us all. The photo of a police woman in riot gear makes me swell with pride, and another photo of police officer, bleeding from his forehead makes me even angrier with the rioters. A few of us even wished we were out there with these fellow sons and daughters of Singapore, to take back our homes and restore the peace we knew. Yet, this is where I can understand why the rioters did what they did, seeing their fellow countryman lay dying, trapped under the wheels of the bus.

I will not forget that we have build our city upon the labour of these workers. In some ways I would say, we build our nation by exploiting these workers who would accept wages that a Singaporean would be laboring in vain. While the perpetrators of the scene at Little India that night deserved our ire, the rest stood by and did not participate. Those who helped those in the ambulance get away, and especially that unknown hero who defended the lady which the mob wants to get to, truly deserved our respect. Much more, way much more, than the likes of brotosaurus-breath economic parasites like Anton Casey and some of those so-called “foreign talents” ever deserved.

I remembered one of the ministers once said if we do not want this foreign workers, we must expect that our living standards drop a little. I don’t know whether it is a warning, or a threat. But this is my response, I would rather I live in a little less luxury, and not build it upon the misery of another human being. No, I am not that noble. If I agree to treating another human being as nothing more than some kind of livestock, then one day I would be treated the same way myself. Call it self-preservation, if you will.

Now, back to the matter of alcohol. Finding a scapegoat is easy. But there is no way the government can find someone to blame in this case. It cannot say that the police mishandled the situation, because there will be denunciation of their incompetence. It cannot and will not say allow the speculation that the workers are mistreated and thus angry because that would make us focus on our labour policies and the Ministry of Manpower. So, alcohol is an easy scapegoat. It is a liquid that cannot talk back and cannot be brought to stand trial. Legislations can easily be made to control that “guilty, evil liquid”. And hey look! Our efficient government has taken swift, effective action to ensure that never again will this happened.

Yet, are the lessons learn? Or are they swept under the carpet with the hope that this unhappy episode will be quickly forgotten?

Singapore deserved better. God bless Singapore.

Current Affairs – Indonesian Smog

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Indonesia.

Right now, it is synonymous with a lot of unpleasant things and words in my mind. That is the result of some of the idiotic and insensitive things said by their so-called leaders in government, and my annoyance towards an annual problem that has gone for almost 20 years since 1994. I really have a lot to say in response to those idiotic swines, so forgive me for not being able to keep it short.

First of all, I have to say I often felt a pang of guilt for not making any donations when natural disasters struck Indonesia. Now I felt “vindicated” for my decision because Minister Agung Laksono from Indonesia is saying that it can fend for itself and deal with it from its own national budget unless it’s more than a million dollars. Frankly, I can’t even made anything close to 1/20th of a million dollars every year so I should not feel any guilt for not giving. Furthermore, Mr Laksono expects us to not complain because this accursed smog originating from Sumatra is the work of nature. I take it that his country is made of sterner stuff and they will suck it all up when natural disasters struck. If Indonesia see less donations for any future natural calamities, I fully expect Mr Laksono to obtain the shortfall from the national budget.

The same minister even called us children and chided us for protesting about the smog. He seems to even suggest we should be thankful for our fresh air, as if Indonesia supplied it free to us. I wouldn’t go into the details to educate this moron about the relationship between the Earth’s supply of oxygen and plankton, but whatever his political agenda was, his words will do nothing to achieve them. Be it the extradition of corrupted officials of former regimes or tax-evading businessmen, or even ratifying border treaties, it is my considered opinion that Singapore should not bow to such blackmail regardless we are in the wrong or not. Two wrongs won’t make a right and this is simply environmental terrorism. For Indonesia to allow its own people to suffer even more in its attempt to force us to capitulate on those issues tells us a lot about the priorities (or the lack thereof) of their current political leaders. It is beyond a shadow of a doubt that Indonesia, which is almost as populous as the United States, failed to reach greater heights due to the lack of vision of its leaders. It definitely deserved better.

As if one moronic minister isn’t good enough to demonstrate the wrong priorities of the Indonesian government, there is also a Hadi Daryanto who tried to deflect the issue by saying that Singaporean and Malaysian companies are also responsible. This useless chap isn’t even a minister to begin with and is just a secretary in the forestry ministry. To put it in analogy, what good is accusing your neighbours of arson when the fires rage in your own house unabated? Regardless whether the allegations are true, what needs to be done is to put out the fire. I am quite sure when I am already feeling quite miserable and angry where I am, then the people at “ground zero” – regardless whether they may or may not be guilty of setting the very fires that brought this calamity upon themselves – are having it even worse. Strangely, even when I can remind myself of this, and finally set aside the hatred and anger I have felt in the past three days, Mr Daryanto is incapable of coming to the same conclusion. He even asked us to pray for rain, which I will do not only for our own sake, but for the people in Sumatra. It really says a lot about the caliber of some of those in the Indonesian government!

That being said, I am rather curious whether the management of those Singapore-based companies in Sumatra allegedly responsible for this man-made disaster are Singaporeans or Indonesians. It is my considered opinion that any company accused and found guilty should also end the employment of their regional managers responsible to show no tolerance to such nonsense. I sincerely hope that the minister in-charge of the Indonesian labour ministry will not be unhappy when some of his fellow countrymen lose their jobs. After all, companies do have their corporate image and name to maintain and they should justifiably take swift action according to the feedback of the Indonesian government! On top of which, I would expect some concrete action from Indonesia itself, to put these criminals on trial and put them away in the darkest jails in Indonesia for the longest time. Hopefully, no one will make a mockery of their country’s laws and also its resolve in tackling the issue by making a scapegoat out of some poor farmers while the real culprits go scot-free.

If we think that there are just two morons in the high level of Indonesian government, we can’t be more mistaken. Even their own foreign minister joined the fray to convince us just how grossly incompetent and lacking in direction the Indonesian leadership is. Mr Marty McFly Natalegawa says Indonesia will not be apologising to Singapore for the haze pollution. Well, Mr Marty… I personally certainly don’t want any of your stinking apology. I just want your country to fix the problem. Which part of that is so difficult to understand, because it appears that even your esteemed colleague Mr Zulkifli Hasan from the forestry ministry was more sensible in his response. If I heard it correctly on the news, Mr Hasan asked for patience because Indonesia is doing whatever it could to put an end of this problem!

From the looks of it, we will probably have to live with this nonsense for many years to come. Indonesia will certainly be the least of my choice as a location for holiday, even though I understand that punishing its people will not bring about any change in the attitude of its retarded leaders and officials. Nevertheless, we must take collective action against any Singapore based companies which have been named as partly responsible for this. Even when I personally do not think boycotts will work, I will start to avoid buying or using products and services from not only the companies named but also their partners. That is perhaps the best we could do right now because I doubt there’s much Singapore’s government can do against them in spite of all the strong words. After all, legislation must first be in place before judicial action can be taken and I am unaware or ignorant of any of such laws in place. It is my personal opinion that the government should seriously consider environment protection laws to punish such companies. I am quite sure when we have laws to punish even individuals who consume narcotics overseas, we can have laws to deal with companies committing environmental offences overseas.

Next, Singapore should re-evaluate our energy dependency on Indonesia since it supplies the natural gas used to generate electricity in this country. If going nuclear is the only way to go, I am even willing to bear all the associated risks of having a nuclear reactor. Energy is a strategic resource and having just one source of energy supply can be fatal. Imagine Indonesia turning off the supply of gas which brings our power plants to a halt. Just how much damage would that be to our global reputation and a safe haven for investments and business? There is no point to even bring Indonesia to justice in an International Court and obtain compensation when the damage has been done.

Even though there is not much the government can do at the national level other than ensuring a supply of masks since this problem is likely to be ongoing annually, I am in the opinion that the reaction of the government has been too slow. For comparison, the Human Resource department of my employer announced that N95 masks are being flown in from Hong Kong at the company’s expense and they will be distributed by Friday to every employee. I would have expected the government with the highest paid ministers in the world to not only have more foresight, but also be more proactive than my HR colleagues. In other words, the plans to bring in more masks should have kicked in by Thursday after the PSI hit 321 on Wednesday evening, so N95 masks would have been readily available by the weekend. That said, I am glad that the government did take action and is proud of the Singapore Armed Forces in playing a part to increase the availability of N95 masks the public. Note, I am not asking the government to deliver the masks free to my home. I am just asking for them to be readily available so I can buy them when I needed them!

On top of that, the Singapore government should perhaps review some of its contingency plans, such as reviewing its ‘Total Defense’ policies. Since we already have plans in place to ensure the supply of basic foodstuffs and to prevent profiteering in the event of war (as a reaction to our forebears’ experience during World War II), the plans should also be revised to cover the outbreak of diseases and ecological / environmental disasters. It is clear that some unscrupulous people have profiteered from the current smog crisis by jacking up the prices of N95 masks, and there is no reason to believe that the same wouldn’t happen to other medical supplies during epidemics. If our leaders have more sense than their counterparts in the Indonesian government, they should be aware disease, and ecological / environmental disasters can destroy our country too.

Let this crisis strengthen our people and make us more united as one nation. I do hope the government learn some valuable lesson from this instead of portraying the impression of being caught with their pants down whenever this smog problem gets worst. Before I end, I want to point out that this thrice-damned “haze” should be more aptly called smog. The current, unfortunate and politically-correct misnomer is used thanks to our local media which only presents the “right” news with the “right” choice of words. When some Indonesian leaders do not believe in playing nice, there is no reason why we should mince our words. Let’s us call a spade for what it is.

Random Discourse – #FreeMyInternet

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I was at Hong Lim Park last Saturday for the above event. The turnout wasn’t really spectacular, but at least healthy. There were about 1500 ~ 2000 people there even though I did not expect this to attract a crowd as big as the protest against the Population White Paper. In fact, there was a carnival feel about it and at some parts of the park it even looked like a picnic.

I went not because I agreed with all the points raised by the organisers and the speakers. I went because I felt no one should decide for us what “the right news” should be. Whether that refers to doctored, or accurate news reports is moot. What truly offended me is that not only does the government treat us like children who aren’t capable of making the right decisions, it actually had the audacity to believe it had the moral authority to decide what is “right” for us. I felt strongly no one should modify our input in such a way whereby it affect our ability to come to an informed decision, or to “guide” us to only one particular conclusion about a matter. To but it very bluntly, that is simply mild or subtle brainwash.

So, my presence at Hong Lim was merely to make myself counted. However, I have to point out that the organisers may have missed one important point because I wasn’t really paying attention. While it is true the expansion of these regulations to cover online media can be used to stifle free speech online (and Tan Chuan Jin’s response that blogs which carries news can thus be covered by the expanded regulations clearly enforces that opinion), the fact is that the pre-existing regulations are already insidious on their own.

We are all aware that before the Internet came along, it was way more difficult for us to obtain counter opinions apart from that of the government, much less a detailed and well thought out one. Clearly, governments all round the world realised a long time ago it is far better to be able to affect how another think, than to control what he can or may say! Thus, media control is put in place because when counter opinion or another point of view is overwhelmed and drowned out, the public is left without enough information to decide, much less say, otherwise!

If that is done very, very well, the powers-that-be can not just pay lip service to ensuring the right to so-called free speech, it can even enshrine it in the Constitution! So, the Media Development Authority [MDA] is not really a watchdog at all and is in fact trying to live up to its name of “developing” media – the way the government wants it. Since that is the case, the matter of “quis custodiet ipsos custodes” that often pops up in the ongoing discussion of the expanded regulations is completely irrelevant. Simply do away with the first watchdog (i.e. the existing media regulations) and there will be no need for more watchdogs to keep an watchful eye at all.

Anyway, I arrived late at around 5:30pm to meet my colleague and friend who was already there. I couldn’t remember much of what the speakers said between then to the time I left. The only thing I could remember was one of the speakers mention that the government continue to treat us as if we were still in the 60s or 70s, which went on to inspire this piece. My personal opinion is, regardless whether there are those who have failed to behave maturely, it is high time for the government to relax its grip on this area. Even parents need to let go and let their child fall when he learns to walk, though that fall may hurt, and is rather unpleasant to the child.

Current Affairs – New licensing requirements imposed by the Media Development Authority

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As long as they [the public] go onto online news sites to read the news, I think it is important for us to make sure that they read ‘the right things’…” – Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister of Communication and Information


Courtesy of Joshua Chiang

It is almost comical when Yaacob said the above in the BBC Video (at around 1 min 40s). It also reminds me of Dr Evil from Austin Powers, or the Cylon known as “Brother Cavil” from Battlestar Galactica.

It is my considered opinion that policies should be made with the sole objective of achieving a positive outcome that benefits the people. It is clear to me from Yaacob’s comment that there is no obvious benefit in these new regulations other than to further the ruling party’s agenda. Regardless whether this would control our freedom of expression on the Internet, what gave the government the right to decide what is the “right” thing for us to read? With Singaporeans being more educated these days, aren’t we more capable of discerning what is right or wrong regardless whether our society is more matured?

Those in support of these regulations said when Yaacob said “the right things”, he meant “accurate reporting”. Does the government believe those reports which put the various ministries in a difficult position or portray them as incompetent to be “inaccuracies”? Does it believe that new regulations enforcing that sites put up only “accurate articles” will make us believe Singapore to be a bed a roses, and that all the government ministries, departments and agencies are doing their job? If that is the case, then Yaacob is right to make quotation marks with his hands when he said “the right things”. Because it simply isn’t right at all! Anyone should rightly object to that because that means they are being fed only officially approved reports by the media. What is there to prevent us from being fed outright lies? If the government finds it difficult to convince the general public, then it is a crisis in trust and confidence where regulations will do nothing to improve.

Some people would say that the new MDA regulations are good, because it gave them confidence on what they read online. But they are missing the point. How can I have confidence in what I read when it forever presents a one-sided view – that of the government? For e.g. Am I to believe the bullshit that a person earning $1000 can indeed own a HDB flat, based on what the papers have shown me? Yet at the meantime it does not present the facts that this person will then be in debt, technically “enslaved” for at least two decades and by the time he finish servicing his loan there will be almost nothing in his CPF and on paper he still owe himself interest for the money he took out from the CPF? Am I to believe that we have a World Class Transport, when the experience of my daily commute says otherwise? Am I to believe that Singaporeans are given equal consideration when applying for a job if some so-called anti-government pages or sites did not expose classified ads where employers discriminate against Singaporeans by specifying that only Filipinos or Indian nationals need apply? In fact, if I wasn’t present at the Jurong East Stadium for Singapore Democratic Party’s Rally during GE2011, how would I know Dr Chee Soon Juan did not attempt to stage a march as The New Paper had reported? As far as I am concerned, regulation has not made our media any more truthful. In fact, not only has the “approved media” presented half truths, I would consider some of them to be blatant lies!

Considering all of the above, is it a wonder why our Press Freedom Index ranking is 149th, and also our Freedom of the Press ranking is 153rd? Not only am I against any further regulation of online news, I felt the pre-existing regulations should be lifted. To even accept that current printed media needs to be regulated would be to accept the argument that we need the thought control or even “approved news” in the first place. Frankly, why is there even a need for these new regulations, when the government already has in its arsenal so many tools to deal with rogue postings – from defamation lawsuits, to the Sedition Act and even the Internal Security Act [ISA]?

Some would quote the likes of The Real Singapore [TRS] as an example of why the Internet should be regulated. But the point is that if we have confidence in our “approve media”, what would provide the fertile ground for such sites to flourish? I know some of my friends still read the vitriol on TRS with a whole bucket of salt, if they have not stopped reading it already. As for those people who still believe the hatred or the so-called “outright lies” on TRS and hold it as the gospel truth, the fact is that such people exists in the form of those who consistently voted against the ruling party even before the advent of the Internet. Incidentally, that is also why I despise TRS, because it provided the perfect excuse for new regulations. Well done TRS, for an own goal!

Furthermore, there is a threat that these new regulations will now provide the legal framework to shut anyone down in the future. After all, it will only be a technicality to re-classify a blog or even a forum considered to be difficult and unfriendly to fit the description so that these new regulations would fit. There will be those who would say it is too far-fetched to imagine that it will be used to gag dissidents. My friend Roger Tan describes it best with this interesting analogy – “There is a reason why our officers punished us for pointing their weapons at another soldier during our National Service [NS] days, even when we know it is not loaded.”

If you need me to explain this analogy, then we are either on different channels, or you did not serve NS.

Before I end, a group of bloggers collectively called #FreeMyInternet, will be staging a peaceful protest at Hong Lim Park from 4pm to 7pm this coming Saturday. If you feel strongly about this matter and would like to be counted, please feel free to go and lend your support.

Random Discourse – Since the last post…

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Malaysian General Elections 2013

By 2pm on 5th May, I was in the opinion that it is unlikely the Pakatan Rakyat [PR] would win a simple majority. I am not making this up. The reason I said so was by 2pm I saw a number of photos of votes being posted online. A quick glance and I saw 75% of these votes were going to Barisan Nasional [BN] (see below).

I agree that just a few votes like these doesn’t mean BN is winning. But what caught my attention was that these are more or less tech savvy people which means it is not all pro-PR on the Internet. It also reminded me that while I have seen a lot of anti-BN videos or postings on Facebook, they are predominantly in Chinese (or some Chinese dialects). In particular, I had seen only one in Malay, with English subtitles. In other words, is the PR reaching out enough to the Malay majority? It might not have been a “Chinese Tsunami” but clearly the main bulk of opposition vote must have been Chinese. With the Chinese population mostly for the PR, I am not surprised that it actually provoked a reaction from the Malays – at the very least by turning out to vote for BN. Would they not be concerned the status they enjoyed would be threatened, when there seems to me the PR had done very little to reach out to them, and to assure them otherwise?

Malaysia, unfortunately remain segregated along racial lines. One part of it is caused of national policy, and the others because of history, and racial prejudice. Sadly, the parts themselves are not mutually exclusive. I need not elaborate much about the 13 May incident in 1969, and the subsequent New Economic Policy [NEP] that came into effect in 1971 for the next 20 years.

The racial divide is deeply rooted even though the PR leaders may not want to admit it. I came to this conclusion from a friend’s account. Being Singaporean Peranakan, he easily mixed with both Malays and Chinese and had friends from both sides in Malaysia. He understood the aspirations of the young Malay professionals, and also how some of these capable ones are themselves unhappy with the NEP. While we would look up to any Malay person who had done well here in Singapore, the Chinese in Malaysia would be skeptical regardless how capable those Malays are on their own merits. Many Chinese in Malaysia would have believed they got to their positions as a result of nepotism or national policies. Thus, even some of these young Malay professionals are in the opinion that UMNO and its racial politics are dated and has to go.

When this was discussed with a female Chinese Malaysian, my friend suggested that perhaps the Chinese can reach out to these Malays and work together for a better Malaysia. To his shock, the response was very negative (and I am being polite here) because the Chinese person considered these Malays to be hypocritical. She even insisted that there is no reason to work with anyone who benefited from the policies. She isn’t an isolated case, because among my Malaysian Chinese friends, a number of them often spoke of the Malays derisively. I personally felt it is racist and unhealthy, but I doubt if I openly correct their views it would be taken amicably. Incidentally, that is why when Amy Cheong made those comments about the Malay Wedding, my first response was that she must have been a Malaysian-born Chinese.

I am sad to say that if both races in Malaysia cannot see beyond their own prejudices and work together, then the road to political change will be long and even painful. Thus, the outcome of this election was fairly predictable regardless of all the fraud allegations.

~ * ~

Gang Rape is democracy in action?

A PAP MP quoted the following:

Since he has quoted it without any comment or input of his own, it is simply assumed he agreed (or even endorsed) whatever he has quoted. I am not surprised that denunciations and condemnation flew fast and furious there after, and he was ultimately forced to apologised for it. Whether he subsequently removed it from his Facebook account is immaterial because anyone who looked hard enough will still be able to find screen shots of it.

Zainudin Nordin hopes that netizens “will see the quote its in entirety”. And my question is, what is there to see?

Terry Goodkind “gang rape analogy” has no leg to stand on. First of all, it suggests to his readers that the plight of those who voted against the current government in power is caused by those who voted for it. It is nothing but divisive. Even if it maybe partially true that some people suffer because of the choices of the majority, it ignores that fact that political parties and politicians in a representative democracy can at times also have agenda of their own and take actions which may not be in line with the voters’ wishes. Thus, it might actually be a very small group of politicians screwing the people over. Let’s not forget political parties that wins simple majorities to form governments without winning the popular vote, or even governments that insists in pushing so-called “non-populist” policies “for the good of the most people”.

None of these is democracy in action. It is not much different from a monarchy, a feudal society or a dictatorship where everyone is raped by one or a collective leadership regardless they liked it or not. And it is of no wonder some Singaporeans often felt violated as well.

Talking about apologies, at times it is best for some people not to apologise at all if they do not already accept they are in the wrong. Maybe I am reading between the lines here but this says a lot about the earlier “apology” (see below).

It’s high time I read up on Freud and that bit about moral projection again.

And so… AIM good, FMSS bad?

I am more annoyed than surprised that instead of getting a detailed explanation on the entire AIM-gate matter, the ruling party tried to obfuscate and divert attention to other issues. A certain Teo Ho Pin made an issue out of the Workers’ Party [WP] awarding their management contract to FM Solutions and Services Pte Ltd [FMSS], and a whole lot of other matters as a result of that.

Teo Ho Pin isn’t exactly the paragon of virtue. I haven’t really forgotten his spectacular “fully answers” over the 8-month bonus received by one of the North West Community Development Council staff, and the losses Holland-Bukit Panjang Town Council suffered in their Lehman-linked investments. As far as I’m concerned, and even without considering the role he has in the sale of the Town Council Management System [TCMS] software to AIM, he’s the least qualified to raise the questions against the WP. For him to do so would be like a common prostitute questioning the chastity of the nun in the monastery. And that, would be an insult to prostitutes who are often forthright in declaring the price of their services instead of playing coy and act like a virgin.

From the release of Town Council Management Report [TCMR] to the whole lot of questions raised by the $8 Cow Khaw Boon Wan and Teo Ho Pin, the whole agenda appears to be to create the impression that WP is incompetent and has mismanaged the towns under its charge. Some might be fooled but as far as I am concerned, what exactly is there to complain about when the town council isn’t dipping into the reserves or making the resident pay more to cover the cost, and that service standards have been maintained?

In other words, whether public interest has been served is not in how the WP answered the questions but in the accounts of the town council itself, and whether services have been provided in good order to the residents. I would have preferred Teo Ho Pin should simply shut up and sit down and not waste precious time in Parliament. After all, I personally remain unconvinced that the deal with AIM had in anyway served public interest at all!

But on second thoughts, it is good he raised it because I also loved to see how this so-called “elites” shoot themselves in the foot. The residents of Tampines are now questioning why their conservancy charges went up while management fees are down, and Kim Jong-Un expressed my sentiments perfectly.

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