Are We All Becoming Pauline Hansons?

Surf anywhere on the local blogosphere, forums and alternative news sites, you'd find an article or more regarding the unhappiness with foreign immigration or as the laughable misnomer by the PAP goverment calls them, "foreign talent".

The government's badly managed PR push to get Singaporeans to welcome these "necessary talent" is met with a rising tide of scorn and cynicism from a populace long assumed to be apathetic or even guileless to the self entrenched ruling parties ham-handed way of pushing unpopular policies through. For years, the smug "men in white" were able and grew accustomed to
steamrolling national initiatives (increase of GST from 5% - 7%, constant revision of public transport fares etc.) with nary a peep or murmur from the usually pliant citizens. But with the ascension of Lee Hsien Loong to the foregone conclusion of Prime Minister-ship and his opening of the floodgates *snicker to allow unrelenting streams of foreigners, particularly the ones from China and India, the administrations usual tactic of issuing positive-sounding-but-devoid-of-substantive-measures sound bites don't seem to be playing out well anymore.

The rising resentment stems from the fact that most Singaporeans have or are realising that these so-called talent are often just a convenient label for importing cheap labour for menial work. The chorus of dissent sings out that these foreign workers are taking up jobs that could and should be filled by a Singaporean. The evidence is as plain as PM Lee's pink shirt during his National Day Rally; foreigners have now taken up work in coffeeshops, retail outlets, bus captains and so many more. A fawning article by our state press helpfully points out all the other menial work currently being carried out by the so-called talent that the government claims Singapore needs in order to grow the economy and create jobs.

Way I see it, call a spade and a fish a fish. Have the balls to step up and admit that Singapore needs cheap foreign labour to take up jobs that Singaporeans have no interest in filling. Cut the crap with calling them "talent". The initial perception of an influx of well-educated and well heeled foreigners here to do some much-needed technology transfer were quickly dispelled when the first of many pei-du mamas started showing up in the press, arrested for moonlighting as "masseuse" and what not.

Next on the resentment list is the fact that these same 'talents' now strain our national infrastructure to the point where it's bursting at the seams. Other complaints point out that these new immigrants evince no interest in learning our language, leading to many a frustrated encounter in local shops and restaurants. Others point out that the practise of offering cheap citizenships to foreigners led to a bull run on the property market and more importantly, the government subsidised housing apartments. Housing prices have soared to astronomical heights. Foreign students are also offered scholarships and take up places in our local schools and universities. The list could go on and on.

The unhappy truth of course (though no one in the government would have the balls to come out and say it) is that capitalism at the end of the day wins. Many companies take advantage of the foreign-worker-to-locals quota wherever possible to hire cheaper skilled labour. All businesses exist for one reason and one reason alone - to make money. To claim otherwise is a crock of bullshit. As they say, money saved is money earned.


So are we in danger of becoming Pauline Hansons with this rising tide of hysteria over foreign workers coming in to steal our jobs, our homes, our childrens' places in schools? Pauline shot to international fame when she espoused a no-immigrants policy when she was running for elections. Her diatribe over "Asians" taking up jobs, homes and places in school now sound eerily familiar.

Truth is, I personally don't believe that the government owes its people long term job security or first priority in landing a job for that matter. It should however be responsible and oversee other factors that makes Singapore a great place to set up business in i.e. office rents, tax rebates. Instead of giving out lame handouts like GST Offset Package, set aside a real fund from which citizens can draw from to further improve themselves via training courses or the like. Grants for a worker to upgrade himself should be accessible to the individual himself, not dependent on a company. Artificially depressing wages by not implementing a minimum wage and making it so easy for a foreigner to find work here is just plain wrong.

That said, I think it sucks that I have to compete unfairly with a foreign worker for a job. But how I choose to deal with it is to make myself the best candidate possible. I do believe in being hired for my skills and knowledge, not because of my nationality. I have had to interview candidates for positions within my team or department before and the appalling examples of ill-prepared applicants are usually the local ones, whereas foreign applicants come across as earnest, hardworking and sometimes eager to please. Coupled with a "lower price tag", how can one blame local employers for choosing to hire "outside" help then?

Thanks For Making Me Believe

Dedicated to that very Special Someone. Thanks for being there, for loving me the way you do, for never giving up on me.

Happy anniversary.

Following The Bible

Now before you think this is going to be a preachy Christian post by me, worry not. It is a preachy historical post instead. The religious reference is important for the fact that well, modern society these days derived its moral authority from religion, which back in ye olden days provided for a mostly civilized setting for the people back then.

One of the things that infuriate me when it comes to the discourse of any issue is when the person goes into ideological mode and starts to quote the Bible as a justification for his/her very flawed beliefs. From capital punishment ("an eye for an eye") to condemnation of homosexuality, these ostrich-people (cos' they stick their head in the sand) simply parrot back that it's wrong and it says so in that oh-so-very-flawed book.

Well it says in the Bible, Deuteronomy 21:18-21, "If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who does not obey his father and mother and will not listen to them when they discipline him, 19 his father and mother shall take hold of him and bring him to the elders at the gate of his town. 20 They shall say to the elders, "This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious. He will not obey us. He is a profligate and a drunkard." 21 Then all the men of his town shall stone him to death."

That is but just ONE example of the many outdated "teachings" from that book. It also says that thieves should get their right hand lopped off, if a woman loses her husband, his brother should take her in along with any surviving children, polygamy is approved of and oh by the way, so is slavery! if one was caught doing work on the Sabbath,

This next one is hilarious. Deuteronomy 22:11 says "Thou shall not wear cloth of wool and linen mixed together."

I believe that the Bible reflected the thinking of times back then and it served its purpose. But for modern day context, a lot of it is just plain wrong. As thinking and feeling humans, to blindly follow the words from a book reproduced from over 2,000 years back is not just wrong, it's intellectual abdication.

And for the fundamentalists who cherry pick and choose which "teachings" they wish to follow and which ones to rabidly espouse, evangelise and advocate, it's moral hypocrisy.

The Singapore Hotel

So by now the internet and local media is abuzz with the latest National Day Rally by PM Lee Hsien Loong. The state press in its usual oh-so-North Korea style has nothing but plaudits and heavily laden praise for his speech, while the local netizens have been nothing but scornful and cynical.

Personally, my reaction (after reading the bullet points on the PMO website) was more "meh" than anything else. Uneventful as my Sunday was, I didn't wish to further bore myself by watching crap. And the next day's headlines totally justified it.

Let's see, "$9000 to be given to NSmen" reads like a good soundbite, until you realise that most of it will be locked up in CPF i.e. going back to the government anyway. Yeah sure, tell us it's for housing and crap when all along prices have been elevated beyond any reasonable levels. It's like selling rice at an over-inflated premium and then giving you a 10% voucher for it.

What else? Oh yeah, a feeble acknowledgement of how public transport is so over-crowded and how they're going to spend BILLIONS fixing the problem?! Sure, jack up transport costs and then tell us you're looking into adding trains and extending platforms. Thing is, after all these are done, how much MORE are we going to be charged, AGAIN?

One line made me snigger though. He said that if you were not able to get into the first train, be rest assured that you should be able to board the next one. What happened to that joke of a SMRT CEO saying crap like "People can board the trains, it's whether they want to" ? Did the camera pan to her reddened face in the audience? Did she even get an e-invite in the first place? ROFL.

Usual drivel on how foreign talent is here to stay and create more jobs. What's really laughable were the examples he chose to employ. The bus captain who touched lives and sparked off the flood (yeah guess what I'm gonna rant on next :P ) of sentimental letters made me laugh. Maudlin as it sounded, it really begged the question of "Is that it? Bring on the foreigners because we're going to get better bus service!" The way he talked about it, you would have thought the decades of local bus captains prior were all a sullen lot.

I could go on picking his speech apart but let me sum it up. It held N-O-T-H-I-N-G of interest to me as an ordinary citizen. No mention or acknowledgement was given towards the very real fears and dreams of Singaporeans. Nothing substantial about managing the cost of living or base wages. Not a peep about how the government realizes how certain policies may have NOT worked and are looking to address them. Not even a blush on the Orchard Road floods debacle nor an apology the very-real on the ground anti sentiment towards the recently concluded YOG. Forget about the lapse in security in the Mas Selamat or MRT vandalism cases too please. Housing costs have risen at such an astronomical rate it's laughable how young couples are able to afford one, much less consider having babies, so now we finally get a "We're looking into it" a little too late. Seriously, the list could go on and on. Instead we were treated to a rambling monologue more focused on patting himself and his gerry-rigged Cabinet on the back.

I doubt anyone was naive enough to think that our PM would have the guts or gumption to actually step up and say, "We need an open discourse. We know many of you are feeling unhappy and worried. There are bread and butter issues that bother us all. We also need a debate on the death penalty; so many developed countries have signed a moratorium on this. We also need to work towards recognising minorities in our society, racial, sexual and the disadvantaged." Was anyone actually hopeful that for once, our Prime Minister would say something that resonates? Yeah right, keep on dreaming Singapore.

While Singapore may be a great place to do business, it is a lousy place to call home. Because home is where you choose to make a stand and fight for if the need calls for it. Right now, this "country" is more like a hotel. It's run with a 5-star efficiency, with the best amenities and facilities you may ask for. Based on your means, you may live in a deluxe, suite or penthouse unit. The moment something goes wrong, you make a complaint to the management and hope they listen. You don't really have a say in how things are run or managed. Speak out and don't be surprised if security comes knocking on your door. If you don't like it and have the means, check out and book into another country hotel to live in.

I may rave about the good times I have in a hotel, but when it's on fire or worse, attacked by terrorists, hell if I'm going to do anything else other than grab my own stuff and run. Put out the flames and help out? That's what the management is for, man.

Living In A Cloud

Without my knowing it, I have totally shifted my computing habits to one that's very much tethered to the cloud computing system.

it started with mobileme a while back. The ease of having my browser bookmarks, emails and contacts synced seamlessly and more importantly, invisibly across 3 platforms was heavensent. And without realising it, I kinda took it for granted until one day I was rushing out of the office and wanted to read more on a link I had bookmarked, during the commute to a meeting only to realise that I hadn't allowed enough time for the "sync" to go through. Boy was I peeved. And then I began to laugh at how much I had taken it for granted.

I also began using Dropbox to sync work and reference files between my work laptop and home desktop. Thumb-drive to transport files? That's so archaic! And then yesterday my brother let me know that there was the iPhone version. OMG how could I not know this?!

These days with mobile devices stepping up and performing more functions beyond the intended "making phone calls", cloud computing has really come into its own. It's really easy to get into and the convenience it supplies to a busy individual's life is unrivalled. Thing is, how much of a crutch would this slowly become without us becoming aware of it? And what's worse, what would happen when one day something goes wrong and things fail as it inevitably would and should? Can you imagine the collective global scream of horror??



Anyway, here's an awesome website, the Expedition Titanic. What's it about? Well it's a pretty well publicized attempt (yet another) to raise and/or salvage the wreck of the RMS Titanic. Yes, THAT Titanic we all know and love (or hate depending on what kind of cold-hearted creep you are).

I'm mentioning this not because I'm a Titanic fanboy (though the nature of a world-famouse shipwreck DOES have its intrigue) but because of... the website itself!

It's an awesome concept, leveraging on the nature of a dive to have a website just scroll on downwards like seemingly forever. And done rather seamlessly too. But I have to say, using it is a tad of a chore on my Magic Mouse.

When A Family Has To Plead For A Loved One's Life

Yong Vui Kong's Family Plead for his Life from Lianain Films on Vimeo.

This is a damn heart-breaking video, all the more so because it's shorn of any special editing or effects. It's raw, it's real and it's happening whether we are aware or not.

To be honest, I was one of those who were initially cynical and dismissive over this anti-death penalty campaign. Or any of its predecessors for that matter. "Just another drug trafficker sentenced to die, so?" was my general attitude and one that sums up alot of Singaporeans I believe.

I was idly following the coverage that The Online Citizen provides regarding this affair when a sentence from a speech struck me.

"This is about mercy."

And yes, that's when I realised how far removed I was becoming from my own humanity. To be so innured to the thought of another fellow human being that it doesn't cause more than a moment's consideration or worse, a sneer. Is that the kind of person I have become?

To those who say that he was caught and found guilty of a crime, well let those who knows no sin cast the first stone then. If not, STFU seriously.

So yeah, if you aren't aware of this issue, do find out more and sign the petition if you can.

End rant.

OMG I'm Quoted

So a facebook rant of mine got quoted in a Temasek Review article. Woot?

Copied and pasted the article here. My quoted comment in bold.

Chee Soon Juan versus Low Thia Kiang: Who is a more effective opposition leader?
August 22nd, 2010 | OPINION

During a discussion on our Facebook, a netizen compared the contrasting styles between opposition leaders Chee Soon Juan and Low Thia Kiang, claiming that the public sees the latter as a more credible politician than the former.

“Take the case of CJS vs GOV, that guy keeps barking nonstop at anything and everything that the gov do without so much of any viable solutions. what do the general public see of him now? still credible? Take the other case of LTK vs GOV, he doesn’t bark like a mad dog. he criticizes, yet gives credit where its due, what’s the general public’s perception of him?”

It is a common misperception among many Singaporeans perpetuated by PAP leaders and the state media that Chee who minced no words in his criticisms of the PAP regime is a “destructive” politician while Low who almost never does, is a “constructive” opposition.

A real opposition leader should behave like Chee – keep asking difficult questions and take the PAP to task. That’s why the PAP and the state media tried so hard to demonize and fix him.

Chee is pretty mild compared to opposition leaders in other parts of Asia. Take for example the current Chief Minister of Penang Lim Guan Eng. He was jailed for 18 months under the Sedition Act in 1995 for distributing fliers calling for the arrest of Malacca’s former Mentri Besar Thamby Chik who was implicated in the molest of a minor. Lim also took part in several protests and rallies against the Barisan government. He “barked” much louder than CSJ and did not offer any viable solutions too. Now that he’s the CM of Penang, he introduced so many reforms such as calling for open tenders in public projects and releasing the salaries of public officials online.

Another example is South Korea’s former President Kim Dae Jung who was considered a “radical” in the 1970s. He organized a number of strikes and protests against the autocratic government of President Park Chung Hee and was almost assassinated by the Korean secret police in Japan. He did not offer any alternative vision for Korea either when he was lampooning the government. After he was elected the President of Korea, he dismantled the chaebols and democratized the entire nation. Korea is now a vibrant first world democracy.

Low Thia Kiang will be considered a stooge in other Asian democracies by cuddling up to the PAP leaders instead of taking them to task. When asked by PM Lee in Parliament if Wong Kan Seng should resign over the escape of Mas Selamat, Low dared not even make a single sound.

Singaporeans are getting more and more educated and exposed. Public perception towards Chee will change slowly and gradually. That’s what we have been trying hard to do – to expose the dirty tricks of the state media, to highlight the flaws in the PAP system and to educate fellow Singaporeans on their rights as citizens of this country.

Remember what Joseph Goebbels, the head of Nazi propaganda once said:

“Repeat a lie again, again and again several times and it will become the truth to the masses.”

That’s how Chee got fixed by the Singapore media. He may not be politically savvy, but that doesn’t mean we should dismiss all his criticisms about the PAP as mere “barking.”

Addendum by Nicholas Lim:

People who see Low Thia Kiang and Chiam See Tong as “credible opposition” just because they’ve been given the rubber stamp of approval by PAP are seriously deluded and need to get their heads cleared of the cotton wool so carefully stuffed in by the mainstream press.

Over the years the so-called opposition has been watered down and diluted into 2nd and 3rd class version of PAP or “PAP Lite” if you prefer. After all, what have they been able to achieve in terms of truly opposing the government WHEN IT COUNTS?

GST went up with nary a bump when the government wanted, Mas Selamat checked out and stayed out of the country, floods are now an expected feature with a National Day award as a pat on the back, the drastic increase of foreigners, the financial and international embarrassment of the YOG, wanton increase in fares despite the overcrowding of the public transport system, the need for a proper nationwide debate on mandatory vs judicial discretion on the death penalty, hell there was even a petition in Malaysia on highly probable serious miscarriage of justice: seriously the list can go on and on and just where is the “opposition” in all of this?

Oh sure Low Thia Kiang had his 15mins of fame over the SM&C issue and then? You mean that’s all they can do? Or is the the “you only elect me to Hougang hence I only speak up on Hougang issues” tactic?

I can definitely see how the PAP continually awards their “Preferred Opposition Party” status to the ilk of the Worker’s Party and the rest. After all who needs to worry about losing elections with such “foes” around?

Who is a more credible and effective opposition leader? One who dares to challenge the PAP leaders directly and exerts pressure on them constantly or one who works hard quietly in the background to serve his constituents, but seldom question the PAP over its national policies? Please share your views with us here.