The Yawing of Yaw

The rumour of Hougang MP Yaw Shin Leong bonking someone other than his wife is whetting the appetite of some newshounds. The latest I read [Link] shows that Yaw Shin Leong has maintained his silence over an alleged extramarital affair.

In recent years, there were prominent figures in politics and in industries who were rumoured to be involved in extramarital affairs. A prominent MP lawyer and a CEO of telco was rumoured to be bonking around too. Surprisingly, msm reporters then were not that aggressive in their digging to unearth the truth. I'm not aware of any reporter/journalist especially from msm approaching the MP or CEO for any comment on their alleged flings then.

Could it be due to their connection and/or the political party they belonged to?

Fair is fair, if investigative journalism is what is should be, why is handbrake applied on some while the the accelerator pedal stepped so hard on another? If they did not let the hounds out then, why let the hounds out now?

In nautical and flight dynamics, even in exquisite physical fitness training, we learn of yawing. If WP Hougang MP Yaw continues to yaw, he may, like the lawyer MP and the telco CEO before him, get out of this unscathed. That is, if he and/or his party members do not blink first  ;)

If the privacy of a minister is so entrenched in our system that his actual salary and bonuses cannot be revealed [Teo Chee Hean's parliamentary reply on why revealing a ministers' exact salary is an invasion of their privacy], who are we to question a minister's libido or who he bonks? Or that of any MP? Who are we to defend or condemn the bonker and/or bonkee)? Not unless the woman he bonked happens to be a wife, mother, sister, daughter or a close friend or relative. Even so, if the bonk was consensual, does one grit the teeth and pretend it never happen?

I believe the distinction between right and wrong, good and bad, ethos and ethics are fundamental values peculiar to a specific person. It depends also on the family upbringing, culture, beliefs (religious or otherwise) and even the political party that the specific person belongs to. To each his/her own.

In the mind of many Singaporeans:

• Is it ethical for so many members and relatives of one family to control so much of the wealth of Singapore? [Link]
• Is it ludicrous of PAP in insisting that HDB flats are subsidised?
• Is it right to use ISA to lock up political opponents for decades?
• Is it moral to lock up the money of people through CPF and force them to pay a processing fee when they need it to pay medical fees to heal themselves in polyclinics and hospitals? [Link]
• Is there ethos in jacking up ministers' salary then giving it a 40% discount to show their self-worth and sacrifice?

Is there such a thing as 'Meritocratic Corruption'?

Meanwhile, you may want to get yourself a 6-pack abs by eating right and yawing your core muscles.

feedmetothefish

It Isn't The Pay, Stupid, It's The Flaw In Character!

It is interesting to note that after Singaporean journalist Seah Chiang Nee's piece on "PAP mood turns sour over pay cuts" [Link], Singapore High Commissioner to Malaysia Ong Keng Yong had to play defense and refute Seah's remarks [Link].  Just why did he do it?

• To prove Seah Chiang Nee wrong?
• To protect the integrity of PAP?
• To show that he is working to protect his rice bowl?
• To help Seah get more eyeballs in Little Speck [Link] and Star [Link]?

Apart from the mistake in MsGraceFu's designation, is there anything wrong in the opinion piece? If "Mr Seah is also incorrect in claiming that previous salary revision in 2007 gave ministers in Singapore an average pay rise of 60%", would it not be helpful for the High Commissioner to enlighten us on the correct percentage of the pay rise?  Or does he know?

One man's opinion piece can be another man's headache or "kay kang" (Hokkien for "extra/ unnecessary work") in preserving a highly paid position.

Sometimes, silence is golden. No matter how you cook it, the damage is done! The Ministerial Salary Review is a futile 'exercise in fooltility' that makes fools of many! 

A spade is a spade and here is my take.

Having lost Aljunied GRC and many votes in other constituencies in 2011 Election, PM Lee directed Gerard Ee to do Review on Ministers' Salary - hopefully to win more votes in the future. In his enthusiasm to wash the sin he committed in 2007 (paying himself and his ministers $millions after raising GST to 7%!), he created a greater sin by offering terms of reference that was ludicrously condescending and elitist to boot! "A compensation that shows discount on what private sector is getting"? Yes, the shame word is "discount" that denotes "sacrifice", "ethos" which means, "I'm fooking better than the $millions that you miserable commoners pay through your taxes, levies and GST. So be grateful for the sacrifices I'm making!" He may even add, “Please, get out of my elite uncaring face!”

Sadly, the sense of loss and unhappiness of his ministers was confirmed by the belly aching of MsGracefu [Link], the sordid sacrificial parliamentary performance by BG Tan Chuan-Jin [Link] and the reluctance and refusal of Lawrence Wong to let it rest [Link]. We cannot taste but, I'm sure by such outbursts, we can sense the "sour mood" in PAP !

The absurdity of Teo Chee Hian in saying that the 'c' word "corruption" was not even mentioned during the Salary Debate (meaning high pay =incorruptibility) is now a 'Sick Joke' that is puke inducing! The fact that he knew then about the arrest and bail of the SCDF Commander and Narco Chief on “allegations of serious personal misconduct"[Link] and still make a song and dance of the word "corruption" shows the pretense and the character that he is.

It isn't the pay, stupid, it is the flaw in the character of the avaricious that breeds corruption! 

By the way, anyone knows how much did the Narco and SCDF pay for their bail?

By now, the 'sour' that Chiang Nee mentioned may have turned 'Chow Sng'.

'Chow Sng' in Hokkien = 'Stink Sour'= "Putrid or Rotten"

feedmetothefish

The Sin Of CPF

I am sick. I'm very sick of the continual submission, gratitude and fear that PAP expect of us, the poor commoners of Singapore.

I just read about the sinful extortion of $3.14 on the poor sick by CPF here. [Link] Being an old fogey with a heart condition who visits Polyclinic regularly to stay alive, I too am a victim of such humiliation and financial loss. When I asked the the Polyclinic staff why I'm being penalised, she told me that it's CPF, not MOH, that gets to keep the admin/processing fee. Whoever gets to keep the $3.14 does not matter.

Imagine: I have been beaten up with parangs by CPF and/or MOH. They have chopped off my legs and left me incapacitated. (Make me pay CPF and Medisave). With no legs, I cannot walk. (I withdraw the $100 from Medisave to pay for my Polyclinic charges)  CPF/MOH then forces me to rent crutches from them so that I can walk (Pay admin/process fee of $3.14). Yes, I may sound like a Drama Grandpa, but baby, the truth hurts!

When I started worked in the 60's, I was told that I had to surrender 25% of my hard earned salary to CPF. Likewise, my boss bitched that he had to part with the same 25% too. However, we were comforted in knowing (then, not now!) that I'd be receiving and enjoying a lump sum in saving when I retire at age 55.

Fat Hope!

From the 1960's till now, the leeching CPF has changed the goalpost so many times that most Singaporeans (apart from Lim Swee Say [Link]) do not know where their CPF saving is going to. It used to be 'getting it all when you retire at 55' but now we are fooked by the following scamming schemes (or is it scheming scams? ):

1. Ordinary Account:
2. Special Account: (You Can't Touch This Till They Say You Can!)
3. Medisave Account: (You Can't Touch This Till They Say You Can!)
4. Retirement Account: (You Can't Touch This Till They Say You Can!)
5. Minimum Sum:  $131,000 (1 Jul 2011)  (You Can't Touch This Till They Say You Can!)
6. Medisave Required Amount: $32,000 (1 Jan 2012) [Link]  (You Can't Touch This Till They Say You Can!) When can, you fooking pay them a processing fee of $3.14!

We are such peaceful blokes that we do not question the actions but it is kind of jarring to note that decision makers in CPF simply suka suka decide the amount and time when we can enjoy what is due to us. It is only when we read in msm (usually in December) that we know that we've been fooked! Just who the fook are these decision makers anyway?

They tax you through your income, GST, ERP, levies on maids and what-have-you! They belly ache and make a song and dance of their ministerial salary "sacrifice" [Link]. Isn't that enough? Why the need to tax on the sick?

I may be wrong but this #$3.14 Medisave Outpatient Treatment Processing/Admin Fee can be a scam to discourage us from using CPF Medisave, hence prevent us from depleting lee funds that lee investors in Temasek and GIC can play with.  Possible?

If Health Minister Gan or any of his cronies is reading this, please be kind. $3.14 may be chicken shit to you but it means much to others! I hope you can hear the people sing. [Link]

Looking back, it was this CPF "unreasonableness" and the contemptible character of Ng Eng Hen  *[Link] in 2007 that got me started in blogging. Time flies!

feedmetothefish

UPDATE:
# If CPF Board is operating like bank or credit cards companies to maximise its profits, just who is benefiting from it?  Below extracted from Health Promotion Board [Link]
Q22.Will I have to pay a fee for using Medisave for my treatments under the Chronic Disease Management Programme?
Ans: You may be charged a fee for the processing of each Medisave transaction by the CPF Board. As with all billing, credit card or banking transactions, it costs money to process each Medisave transaction. This fee is levied on all institutions, which may choose to absorb them as part of their running costs. If they are charged to patients, CPF Board requires that it be itemised clearly in the bill. This processing fee has to be paid in cash and is not deductible from Medisave. For more information, please check with your clinic.

* For the benefit of non-soccer fans, the last para of [Link],"My problems may have been less if the returns in my CPF had been on par or better than Malaysia’s EPF. Maybe part of the interest that could have been mine has ended up in the purchase of Manchester City Football Club. Am I a co-owner now?" please note that Temasek Holdings lost much in ShinCorp and this was followed by then Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra buying Manchester City Football Club.

Corruption? What's That?

The MHA has stated that Commissioner of the Singapore Civil Defence Force, Peter Lim Sin Pang, and Director of the Central Narcotics Bureau, Ng Boon Gay, have been relieved of their positions and were being probed by the CPIB over “allegations of serious personal misconduct” though a Chinese daily has reported it as a case of "money and women" or "greed and sex".

Just what is corruption in Singapore?

• Is it succumbing to an uncontrollable greedy itch caused by the perceived lack of remuneration that one must scratch to line the pockets with more illicit money? 
• Is it surrendering to an uncontrollable libido caused by excess of power that needs to be satisfied by unlawful sex?
• Is it accepting 'special' discount given to one and his familee members by luxury condo seller? [Link]
• Is it accepting an additional egg given by char kway teow hawker because one is a poleetician of regal position? Or
• Is it merely a case of "personal misconduct"?

It can be one, none, some or all of the above. As mentioned by DPM Teo Chee Hean in the ministerial salary debate, it may just be a "judgement call". But who makes the call? When to make the call and when to announce the call?

If the Commissioner of the Singapore Civil Defence Force and Director of the Central Narcotics Bureau lost their lucrative jobs because of mere "allegations", they deserve my sympathies. Not unlike the sympathies I have for the "Marxists Conspirators" like Vincent Cheng and Teo So Lung and other political detainees like Chia Thye Poh, Lim Hock Siew, Said Zahari and others for being "not agreeable" and victims of ISA. However, if Peter Lim Sin Pang and Ng Boon Gay are investigated and found to be guilty by a court of law to be guilty of "alleged personal misconduct" (whatever that is), then both Peter Lim Sin Pang and Ng Boon Gay deserve their just deserts!

In view of the recent Parliamentary debate of the Ministerial Salary Review, I am less than hopeful of knowing the reasons why the Commissioner of the Singapore Civil Defence Force and Director of the Central Narcotics Bureau were relieved of their positions. In replying to why the exact figures of ministers salary should not be revealed, the DPM & Minister of Home Affairs said that he is all for transparency but he could not be too transparent as he has to respect the privacy of individuals. In other words, transparency sounds good but privacy of ministers must be protected at all cost because of the cost! 

With that, what will come out of the investigation is anybody's guess. The respect for ex-Commissioner of the Singapore Civil Defence Force and Director of the Central Narcotics Bureau's privacy may override the transparency that we hope to see.

Till then, we can only guess the color of white. I doubt it can be any 'whiter' or 'shadier' than the absence and delay of this "Breaking News"! Why this "Breaking News" did not break during or before the Ministerial Salary Debate is telling!

feedmetothefish 

Could A Public Figure Figured It Wrong?

Poor Sod. The decision by his boss to appoint Gerard Ee to do a "Capable and Committed Ministers' Salary Review may not be something he figured when he quit the Energy Market Authority to become a politician. Pay Cut!

I thought I had my last words on the "Capable and Committed Ministers" Salary Review and am looking forward to welcome the Dragon Year with a sense of joy, peace and gratitude for another 'bonus' year lived - without major hiccups to my health.

However after reading of Straits Times' report for 2 consecutive days, "PAP: Further shift in Workers' Party's stance" [Link] on Lawrence Wong's unhappiness and refusal to accept closure on the subject after the parliamentary debate, I thought I would share some to end the year.

The parliamentary debate is over and I would thought that politicians especially ministers would start working for their money and stop arguing and lamenting their financial losses and self-perceived sacrifices. What's worse and more deplorable is trying to "play politics" and get more "political mileage" out of it, as condemned by none other than Teo Chee Hean.

After reading about this young "public figure" [Link], I perceive that some people may believe that they are god's gifts to mankind. They are the "chosen ones" and they deserve better. They should not deserve a pay cut!

On this last day of the lunar year of the rabbit, I offer my condolences to PAP ministers and MPs for their loss. I'm sorry for your loss. As some of you may go through the 5-stages of grief namely, denial; anger; bargaining; depression and acceptance. I do hope that you'll reach the 5th stage of 'acceptance' very soon.

Remember, you still have a job to do. To build and inclusive society with your heart and make a better life for all Singaporeans. However, if you think that it is a thankless job, I humbly suggest that you plan your exit by volunteering to be selected as PAP candidates in Aljunied GRC in the next election. Meanwhile, just grin and bear.

I'd like to dedicate Eagles's "Get Over It" [Link] to help some of you overcome your sorrow.

For whatever that's thrown at us

We can choose to be bitter

Or choose to be better

Better is the only option

I choose to be better by not moaning and bitching about the "Capable and Committed Ministers' Salary" anymore. Not till the next review and I hope Lawrence will do the same ;)

Last words:

PM Lee must be congratulated for having kicked the ball to Gerrard Ee and can now have the "moral" high ground to say that the fat pay came from "Review Committee" and not from him as in 2007!

Happy Chinese New Year & Happy Holidays!

feedmetothefish

PAP's Debacle - An Exercise In Fooltility.

If they are not going to let it rest, they will embarrass and hurt themselves further.

The Ministerial Salary Review followed by Parliamentary Debate recently is a debacle for PAP. It shows that PAP members, especially the newer ones, did not do much except to "make an appearance" to be seen and heard. Most of them, not all, tried to defend the indefensible; to say what is expected to be said; to defend one's boss and party for self-preservation!

In saying that it is a privilege rather than a sacrifice to serve the people of Singapore, regardless of the salary, Workers' Party's Chen Show Mao hammered home the excesses, arrogance, callousness and hubris of PAP. In highlighting the stupidity of "inflating a minister's salary, then giving it a discount of 40%" to show the artificial "graciousness" and "sacrifice" of PAP Ministers, Chen Show Mao has put PAP to shame; to silence! It is dense, damn stupid, of PAP MPs and Ministers to not (or try not to) understand where Chen Show Mao is coming from.

The nitpicking and bullying of less experienced by PAP is not putting PAP in a good light. However, Gerald's and Jenn Jong's baptism of fire has put them in a good stead with their sincerity and honesty and respect for the house. Pritam was unshakeable and was able to paint himself out of a corner even the mean DPM (watch his face in the video [Link]) and Puthucheary tried to corner Pritam simultaneously [Link] shows that there is hope yet for a 1st World Parliament in the country I was born in and too poor to get away from.

However shamed and silenced, PAP had to make some noise to salvage some respectability. In so doing, we see PAP MPs like Puthu [Link] and Vikram going through the motion in parliament to justify their annual allowance of $192,500. For the effort that Gerald Giam puts in, though he's a NMP (NCMP?), please note that Gerald Giam is only paid a $28,900 annual allowance. Compared this to the 'sacrificial belly aching' of BG Tan Chuan-Jin [Link], you'll be stumped!

With all that has happened so far, PM Lee may be regretting the futility of it all. In one fell swoop, he reduced members of his cabinet members to "poorer millionaires". Worser (thanks to what I have learned from Lim Swee Say), he has made them "lose face" especially MsGraceFU and BG Tan Chuan-Jin.

We now have Lawrence Wong, PAP Publicity and Publications Sub-Committee Chairman, calling on Workers' Party to explain to the public its change of stance on ministerial salary [ST 21 January 2012]. Pardon my language but I can't resist my alcohol spirited retort. "Yo, what about the fooking change of stance of PAP? You Pappy fookers paid yourselves millions (plus added obscene pensions to boot) since 2007, after increasing GST, to hurt the poorest of the poor. After saying sorry and all that shit, why the fook did you change your stance, after 2011 Election, to ask Gerrard Ee and Co. to come up with a Salary Review with fookin' restrictive terms of reference?. Bro, never throw stones whilst living in a glass house! You on grass, Ecstacy or what?"

Now having got it off my chest, I must say if Loong is not going to reign in his barking/lapping dogs like Lawrence, he is going to pay and pay (PAP) big time! Singaporeans are fooking sick and tired of the deprecating and patronizing attitude of the Pappy leeders and their cronies.

Baby, we are 'daft' no more! We are sick and tired, very very sick and tired of the game you are playing on us. A good example is the bleeding belly-aching of your fookin' sacrifice [Link]. It has reached the point of causing nausea and ulcerative colitis to many Singaporeans!

If PAP is not going to resist and desist in its hypocrisy, its bullying and "cho hee" [wayanging/play acting], the Chinese saying of: "A fortune will not last 3 generations" will come to pass. In PAP, we had Lee Kuan Yew, we had Goh Chok Tong, we now have Lee Hsien Loong - Father, Son and Holey Goh? Sooner or later, 2016 or after, the Lee Marble Dynasty [LeeGohLee Dynasty], like all dynasties, will disintegrate.

Meanwhile, for the benefit of Lawrence and his ilk, may I humbly suggest that an exercise in futility is a fools' work. Like the Review of Capable and Competent Ministers' Salary that has come to naught, we now know that ministers are losers for having earned less than previously and commoners are losers for having learnt that there is no minimum wage for themselves but a maximum wage for PAP ministers!

Instead of scoring points to please ourselves and our boss, would it be more fulfilling to do what is right, what is honest, what is truth, what is pure, what is charitable to one and all, especially our fellow citizens?

I don't know.

But we can try in the year of the dragon!

But will the hubristic PAP try?

Your guess is as good as mine.

May the Dragon of the Year Love And Take Good Care Of You!

feedmetothefish

The Mother of All Sacrifices?

Seriously, I think most MPs and ministers of PAP are making a sacrilege of the word "sacrifice"! The latest came from a Brigadier-General. It's profane! It's sad to see the word "sacrifice" so badly hacked and desecrated.

When Minister of State Tan Chuan-Jin, choking over his words said: "I'm pained by the knowledge that I'll miss the many moments when my children are growing up and time with my family. My parents are not getting any younger. Those moments missed do not return. Ever... In time I will look back and there will be gaps. But that's life. I'm not sure how one considers it a privilege to miss these precious moments. It trivialises all of us who do cherish these." [Link].

So bloody sad! Blind me! For a moment, I thought he was describing the job of the Security Guard who works 12-hour shift followed by another 6 hours washing dirty dishes at the hawker centre just to make ends meet. Or was he talking about the sacrifices made by foreign domestic helpers who come to work in this 'red dot soon to be a black spot'? No, my dear readers. He was lamenting the job he's holding!

To be paid millions and have the privilege to serve and to come up with a rhetoric like, I repeat,

"I'm pained by the knowledge that I'll miss the many moments when my children are growing up and time with my family. My parents are not getting any younger. Those moments missed do not return. Ever... In time I will look back and there will be gaps. But that's life. I'm not sure how one considers it a privilege to miss these precious moments. It trivialises all of us who do cherish these." almost takes my breath away.

Such rhetoric does trivialise real work done by real people. Get real, man! Worse, it denigrates all hardworking men and women who work long hours, missing their children and neglecting their aged parents, just to put food on the table, pay the bills and put their kids in school. Do these poor souls consider it a "sacrifice"? I doubt so. They are merely doing what needs to be done to survive without an inkling of what high-falutin' sacrifice is about!

It is often said that PAP ministers sit in their ivory towers unacquainted with the harsh realities of commoners. It is sad to know that newly minted Minister of State is also ignorant of commoners' daily struggles. Or has this "callous sickness" affected top elites and honchos in the Armed Forces too?

I'm at a loss for words to describe the hubris and audacity of the Brigadier-General. Some English vulgarities come to mind but I shall desist using them. However, a Hokkien "KNNBCCB" and/or a Mandarin "Neow nee ma de chee pee" (I learned from a Nanyang graduate while serving NS in 1969) does help to lift the pain off my chest.

I just don't get it. Why the PAPies keep harping about their sacrifices is really beyond me. They are, even after the salary cut, still the highest paid in the world. Yet, they are still belly-aching that their sacrifices are not recognized. To bitch that he misses his mama, papa, wife and kids while he works to earn his millions is no better than Wee Shu Min, daughter of ex PAP parliament member Wee Siew Kim saying, 'Get off my elitist uncaring face"!

Denise Phua, one of the more decent PAP MPs whom I respect for her guts and candour, did a Drama Mama with a glass half filled with water. She was driving the point on "perception" and I caught her drift. I'm at a loss at just what Brigadier-General Drama was trying to prove with his Thank You Card. That we should appreciate his "SACRIFICE" by sending him more cards? Thanks but no thanks. Self praise leads to much disgrace. No?

Lee Hsien Loong and his team decided in 2007 to pay PAP ministers millions. In so doing, they made a mockery of National Service and Reservists' Training. They killed the sense of service and loyalty to one's country. It left a bitter taste in the mouths of millions of $ingaporeans. In trying to mitigate the "Mother Of All Excesses", he directed Gerard Ee (was it Gerrard's privilege or sacrifice & was he paid?) to do a review.

Wise after te Event:

I, like everyone else, have a 20/20 vision after the event. So does WP when they improved on Gerrard's recommendation. Likewise, PAP's sight was on the target trying its best to humiliate WP for its genius.

My observation:

1. The Review hurts PAP bad. Very bad. Having reduced his and his "kah kia's" salary, Lee Hsien Loong must be very 'hsien'. He should have let the old salary ride and not try to be a "popular" politician. PAP has prided itself in not succumbing to the popularity poll for decades and now PM Lee has gone against the grain. Instead of healing the nation and make people understand (so as to have more dragon babies, pun intended), he has wreaked havoc. Throughout the 3-day debate, after Chen Show Mao's speech, PAP was on the defensive. The silly attacks they made on WP especially on Gerald, Pritam and Jenn Jong shows the bully that PAP is. Instead of scoring brownie points, PAP has scored its own goals.
   
   
2. Workers' Party is no longer OMO (one man operation) and PAP knows it is a Party to be reckoned with. WP has shown through Chen Show Mao, Pritam Singh and others that PAP does not have the exclusive hold of political talents and leaders of Singapore. It proves that talents with passion and willingness to serve Singapore need not be bought with million dollars salary. In fact, many more may be willing to serve without being affiliated to or tainted by PAP. The cross may be too hard to carry as shown by George, Hwee Hwa and Zainal Abidin.
   
   
3. 1st World Parliament: The performance of the PAP Ministers and PMs left much to be desired. The jibes and insinuations on the opposition's "insincerity" and making "political mileage" out of the debate shows the quality (or lack of) of PAP members. After decades of watching the bullying tactics against gentlemen like JB Jeyaratnam and Chiam See Tong by PAP, it's neat to note that such tactics do not work anymore. It brings shame and disrespect to PAP. It's tiring to see such stupidity at work and hopefully we'll see less.
   
   
4. Lee Kuan Yew had to write a letter to msm, "Don't underpay our ministers" [Link] to defend the high salary. His son, the Sec-Gen of PAP spoke. DPM Teo Chee Hean spoke. So did other top guns from PAP. So far, not a word from the Sec-Gen Low Thia Kiang and Chairman Sylvia Lim of Workers' Party. It is enlightening to note that the top 2 in WP need not involved themselves in this debate while PAP needed all the support fire, including that of ex-MM Lee, to flog a dead horse. Does it tell you that "A rose by any name smells as good"? OR , a greedy self serving deed, no matter how revised, stinks to high heaven?
   
   
5. My most striking observation is the fact that PAP members do not see (or purposely refuse to see) Chen Show Mao's distinct differences from Gerard Ee's recommendation:
   
   WP recommends a base pay instead of artificially bringing it up and giving a 40% DISCOUNT. Thus not having a charade of putting up ministers on a pedestal and showing their sacrifice and graciousness of accepting a pay cut. Worse than hubristic stupidity, it is a 'mootherfooking disgrace' to upsize the pay, then give a 40% Discount to make the ministers look good!
   
   As much as Loong said that he never mentioned pay when he recruited his "kah kia's", his subordinates may be in pain. If not, words from MsGraceFu and BG Tan Chuan-Jin on (pardon my expression) his childrenless. wifeless and parentless sacrifice would not have seen the light of day.
   
   When a DPM can say something like, "We need transparency but we must respect the privacy of individuals" Singaporeans know we are pwned!
   
   
6. However, let's take the glass from Denise Phua and see it as half-full instead of half-empty. With PAP's continuing "don't get it" or "refuse to get it", we know they will pay dearly for it in the next election. Hopefully, in 2016, we'll have more leaders and less Sacrificers!
   
   
7. Worrisome thought: Now that the deed is done - ministers' pay cut - will my mother, wife, sister, daughter and grand daughter end up working as maids in foreign countries sacrificing like Brigadier General Tan Chuan-Jin does without the million dollars salary? Heaven forbids.

Yeah, I'm sitting here typing away on my keyboard, tickling my brain to come up with something good, neglecting members of my family, writing this blog without a single cent in financial reward . . . So is it my Sacrifice or Privilege? Neither.

Therapeutic, may be.

feedmetothefish

Note:

"KNNBCCB" = Go check with any Hokkien Peng for this vulgarity.

"Neow, Neow, Neow nee ma de chee pee" was the favourite phrase used by my NCO colleague (Nanyang University grad) when we did NS in '69 . He loved to used it on arrogant recruits who talked cock and complained often. The words in Mandarin means something like "disturb/complain/tickle, mother, female genital skin". It sounded classier and more refined than the ubiquitous and harsh "KNNBCCB" .

The Demise of Incapable and Uncommitted Ministers in Singapore

So what good has come out of the Debate on Salary Review so far? How has it impact Singaporeans, the taxpaying paymaster of so called "servant leaders'?

I guess most of us are not blind and we would not spend time touching any of the 8 parts of a male elephant: body (wall), leg (tree), trunk (snake), tusk (spear), ear (fan), tail (rope), penis or testicles. [Link] But lift we must the elephant with a salary based on the top 1000 in the private sector with a 40% discount. If that is not bad enough, we have to listen to crap of poor elephant (highest paid in the world) lamenting his lack of a White House and Air Force One. I thought being 'different' in a little red dot, he should be grateful that he has his 'Istana' and his SIA first class which he may convert to an airbulance should there be an urgent need.

The whining justification of the loss of salary is a 'rallying call' by LHL gone awry. However, with a whip and a house majority and the princely position of deciding the size of the bonus of those working under him, the recommendation of mintsters' salary in Parliament will come to pass.

It's been a ruckus but I have learned some.

1. There is no "right" pay for minister, not even a ball park figure. It's a "judgement call" said the PM and DPM. You can pay millions and still get a lemon. That is why some PAP ministers were put down, some self-destructed and others demoted in 2011.
2. If the purpose of PM Lee for this review is to get people to understand and support him and his PAP and to show how transparent they are, they need to do and not just talk. Opening a can of worms can lead to shit hitting the fan! It is a shame that he has now caused the drop of salary of poor MsGraceFu and her ilk and done zilch in "healing the land", "Come What Pay" - Quotes stolen from Denise Phua's speech.
3. $3.7million or $2.2million for PM. $1.5million or $1.1million for others. Who cares? Except for ministerial recipients and Grace Fu who's standard of living may drop (but will definitely be able to afford $10 XO sauced Chai Tow Kway) [Link], who cares? Commoners like us just get a little wiser in knowing that the ivory tower is for real and not a figure of speech. Whatever money from our taxes that's paid to the elitist ministers is no different from the money we have in our CPF. We can't touch it, but they play with it, one pocket to another!
4. The wrapping up by Teo Chee Hean is nothing more that another "run down the oppo" rhetoric in nitpicking CSM's proposal and other opposition members' remarks. He 'don't' get it or does he? Why can't those PAP numbskulls understand that WP's position is not to make a "song and dance" about DISCOUNT and SACRIFICE! It is the PRINCIPLE of paying it like it is and not artificially putting minister on a pedestal with a HUMBUG DISCOUNT due to their BLEEDING SACRIFICE! [Link]
5. Don't do half-arse. If transparency is what it is about, simply list the pay and pension (if any) of each and every minister and MP annually. Do not come up with vague range of salary figures that serves no purpose other than spicing up the wayang. And the mother of all reasoning is: "We want to have transparency but we must respect the privacy of individuals". Is this the position of a self-respecting minister who sacrifices himself? Who can have the cake and still eat it? Another pathetic case of "Chui Kong, Lumpar Song" = "Mouth Talks, Testicles Thrills" = "Talk cock sing song"
6. The fact that Teo C H went to the extent of priding himself and PAP that no mention was made of corruption is amazing. The "silence of corruption" is so deafening that it is puke inspiring. Self praise is such a fooking disgrace!
7. His attack on Pritam Singh that Pritam was making a "political speech" when speaking about "dental benefits" shows the hubris of Teo C H. With his derogatory and sarcastic laughter at Pritam's comment (why PAP leaders have such crafty laughs is beyond me), the little respect I had for him is going to the lokang. Do not throw stones at glass houses if you live in one. Holy smoke! With his long yapping up the debate, if he is not making a "political speech" to up PAP and run down WP, just what was he doing? To nitpick Lina Chiam's increasing numbers is another venom that is uncalled for hit under the belt. Was Teo C H making a "political speech" or is he only working hard for his money!

All this time wasting wayang which PAP hopes will put them in a better light is has unfortunately worked to their own detriment. They have sunk deeper in the quagmire. With all their expressions and justification of their selfless sacrifices for Singapore, they have become a joke.

After all is said and done, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Talk is cheap. There are those who are willing and there are those who are not. There are those who join PAP for the money. There are those who already have enough materially but join PAP for the power, status and grandiosity, running with the self-deluding idea that they are sacrificing themselves and members of their family because they are earning less.

Truth be told, I do not know if Chen Show Mao joined Workers Party for the same reasons. All I know is Chen Show Mao and others in opposition parties take the road less travelled and stand up, without fear, against a callous and arrogant party of elites. I honour and respect him for that! He has proven that talents do not belong only PAP alone. He and other members of his team has shown the 'quitting' qualities of PAP with the giving up of politics by George, Hwee Hua and Zainal.

The speech by Chen Show Mao is is my favourite. It was short, sharp, succinct and put some to shame.

The debate got tiring and I'm glad it over.

Enough of moaning, mourning and demise.

Whatever hit or hurt us,

We can choose to be bitter,

Or choose to be better,

Better is the Only option.

To all, have a good one this dragon year!

feedmetothefish

Another Day of Mourning in Parliament.

I just saw PM Lee's *"bway ko yok" speech [Link] & [Link] in defending Gerrard Ee and his committee's recommendation on "competent and committed" ministerial salary and I am sad. Serious. Very sad.

At the end of his long long speech, he said he hopes Singaporeans understand what he's doing. Sorry, as a Singaporean, I don't understand. I'm 60% dazed and 40% confused by this waste of time.

All in all, Lee's speech is nothing but a rehash of of what his deputy Teo Chee Hean said yesterday, albeit, with more venom and sarcasm (both in words and facial expression) when he remarked: "And I'm encouraged to see the Workers Party also accept these basic principles although they have a different formula and a different notion of what the number should be, in the same ball park as what the committee has recommended but of course slightly lower 'cos having looked at the committee's report, they decided that as an opposition party surely they must recommend something a bit less"

In justifying what he and his team gets (clean or dirty millions), he went about saying, "no one owes Singaporeans a living" and "we are different from them". Without any sense of "decorum" but same sarcastic tone and face, he went about denigrating systems of Italy, Japan, and other ministers, presidents and MPs of UK, USA and countries in EU like Finland and Belgium.

His grudge on the money earned by USA ex-presidents as public speakers was damning. Why he mentioned examples of "revolving system", "conflict of interest" and "gesture politics" of others is amazing. HIs remarks were so cringe-making that I had to rewind the video and see it again, to make sure that this guy said what he said. He did. What about his dad who wrote memoir after memoir? I've been told he's paid pretty well as a public speak especially in overseas circuit? If I've been told lies, please correct me.

• Does Singapore has the "revolving system" of directorships and other cushy positions for MPs and ex-ministers?
• Is there "conflict of interest" when father, son and daughter-in-law, each holding the highest positions in Temasek, MAS and PM's office simultaneously?
• Damned! If this Review of Capable and Committed Ministers' Salary is not "gesture politics", then what is?

This "gesture politics", a "public spectacle" or what most of us prefer to call Wayang to LHL may be an earth shattering sacrifice, an altruistic performance to ensure that capable leaders will come forward to serve as ministers in this generation and next, but . . . but . . . but . . . To poor commoners like us, it just another whitewash to appear whiter-than-white and win more votes in the next election!

Other cringe making quotations from our dear PM Lee:

• "Singaporeans have reaped a Singaporean dividend . . of carrying a pink IC", like the shirt he was wearing during the speech, "And therefore your value in the world has gone up . . people want to hire you". But we are losing jobs to FTs!
  
• "We should be careful not to lose what we have already gained." PAPay Govt?
  
• "We are different from them." They have complicated wage system we have "clean wage" But leeders get more hum when when they buy Char Kway Teow. So said One. No?
• "... on the opposition side, Mr Chen Show Mao has come in, aged 50 after a successful career, now he is ready to do public service. . do pro bono work . . they can serve 1 or 2 term years . . ." But there's One in Singapore who served since 1965 and still refuse to give up!

Poor PM Lee. He found it difficult to recruit "top lawyer Shanmugum" who took substantial pay cut and "Ng Eng Hen, a successful surgeon" and had to "raid SAF and the Civil Service" to get his prize catch.

Sheesh, was it difficult for WP's Low Thia Khiang to recruit politicians like Sylvia Lim, Chen Show Mao, Pritam Singh, Yaw Shing Long, Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap and Gerald Giam? Money, money, money, it is a (rich man's) PAP's world!

Duh . . . how much is enough? Enough for What?

"Men, the don't get it!' Heard that before? I must add that neither does the PAP! From PAP's Amy to Alvin to Sam to Zagy and others, they harped about WP's Chen Show Mao's, "WP plans differ little from recommendations: PAP MPs", Straits Times [Link]. Please read Chen Show Mao's and you will understand why those in PAP don't get it. Don't they know the difference between privilege and sacrifice? Don't they understand that you do not have to give a DISCOUNT to ETHOS? Which I last checked means: character, moral nature.

Duh . . .

Read Chen Show Mao's speech here. [Link]

feedmetothefish

*"bway ko yok" in Hokkein = "sell medicine"= "sell snake oil"

Mourning in Parliament

Oh Blimey! Or is it blind me? It's only the 1st day of debate on the Review of the PAP's "Capable and Committed" Mintsters' Salary and it sounds like a bloody funeral for some in the PAP camp.

PAP MP Lee Bee Wah said in Parliament, "The salary cut should not be in anyway be viewed as an indication of demotion or penalization or an admission of anything amiss. Dedication and service to the country and its people is priceless. Such service can never be measured let alone be equated to a monetary value. Rather this pay reduction should be regarded as a pledge of further sacrifice that the leaders are willing to commit in the interest of our country and our people." [Link] With such high falutin' altruism, how dare an old bent jackknife cleaner with a bad back at the hawker centre complains that her salary was cut from $750 per month to $600 due to competition from foreign talents! Geez, I'm reminded of "Pledge" = "Aspiration" again! Thanks Viswa!

Denise Phua of PAP says the perception of each individual on the salary of the "committed and capable mintsters" is like any one of the "6 blind man and the elephant". I must agree: To each, his/her own! [Link]

Poor me, I'm the 7th blind man holding on the penis of the elephant and thought I "giok tio gu lan" when the PM apologised, promised to be a "servant leader" and commissioned a PAPay Review. Blind me, with the latest "clean wage" hype and the talents of Gerrard Ee, Mercer, et al, why does the simple proposal from Chen Show Mao of WP makes more sense to me? [Link]

No, it is not because CSM is in WP and I'm biased against the PAP. It is because I'm so sick and tired of being sick and tired of the PAP's "DISCOUNT'! Please see blind-man-holding-the-prick-of-elephant examples below:

1. They insult us when they raise the price of HDB flats and still say we are getting it at a "subsidy", a "DISCOUNT".
2. Even way back in 2007, it was contemptible of them to raise the GST and then offer us a relief package as a "DISCOUNT" to help us get by.
3. It is a joke when they pay themselves millions for years and now come up with a new "DISCOUNTed" Salary and make a song and dance about it!
4. To add insult to injury, they peg the "New Normal" "Judgement Call" Mintsters salary and give a it a 40% DISCOUNT for it to appear all prim and proper because it came from Gerard & Gang and not PAP's Ministers. The "ETHOS Of POLITICAL SERVICE" [Link] so mentioned by DPM Teo Chee Hean may be the taller 8th blind man touching the balls of the elephant's perception of what "Ethos" may just be balls!
5. They "DISCOUNTED" us when we should be "Better, Faster and Cheaper" when the FAT CATS (that's you, ministers!) need a Committee to take 7 months to justify the 'new normal' salary. Hey! It just go to show the stupidity, greed and shame of the prior payout! Painfully, the poor Aunty with a bad back may think she'll at least get a "Minimum Salary" if the rich MIW ministers' pay has been "justified". My heart goes to the Aunty but I possess only DISCOUNTED optimism where PAP is concerned!
6. A spade is a spade and it is a shame that the PM had to waste the time and consciousness of so many to help put himself and PAP in a good light! Being the mathematical genius that he is, he should have come up with something as good if not better than Chen Show Mao's recommendation and get the house to approve it without any "discount". With the Whip and the seats that they own in Parliament, it's "Pow Chiak!" But no, the wayang goes on and the result is still: What he wants is what he gets! Albeit the song and dance! Servant leader indeed!

Fair is fair and I admit I'm guilty of moaning and bitching too. And why not? With the msm doing whatever it takes (holding the trunk, tail and all 4 legs of the elephant) to paint a whiter than white picture of the ruling party's "Clean Wage" and sacrificial DISCOUNT, this blind old man holding the prick of the elephant has to do some to level the playing field.

Holy phoenix, may the "loong" year bring more love and sincerity and less hype and contempt to loving citizens of Singapore!

Cheers,

feedmetothefish

PS: "giok tio gu lan" in Hokkien = "picked a bull's prick" = "found something precious"

"Pow Chiak!" in Hokkien = "sure eat" = "sure win" or "sure tasty" as used by durian sellers

“bo tua bo suay” in Hokkien = “no big no small” = “showing no respect”

.

PPS: Denise Phua, I love you in “healing the land” and “Come What Pay‘! Your Drama Mama holding the glass of half full water [Link] may seem corny to some but your thanking the PM for his pay increment to charity sounds a little upsucking There are many like Sister Theresa who do “good in secret”. I’m not a fan of PAP but I’m with you on the crazy tuition industry showing how ‘fookup’ our education system is. Yes, the 3rd and 4th Casino may be as good as Vui Kong bringing drugs to Singapore! Vui Kong must die but Resort Sentosa and Marina Bay Sands??? The perception of sin is as good as the each of the 7 blind men touching the elephant.

Pardon my “bo tua bo suay” to a PAP MP but I’m just the blind man touching the prick of the elephant.

I appreciate and respect your taking the road less travelled, as a PAP MP, in telling it like it is but then again, I’m just the 7th blind man touching the prick of the elephant living with “come what may” perception of my truth.

PPPS: "In fact, if the maximum bonuses were awarded, the reduction in entry grade minister pay would be 8% and not the 31% calculated by the committee." Chen Show Mao [Link]. Thank you Show Mao. It's worth "regretting and repenting" when we learn how white the "clean wage" can be.

PPPPS: If the 8 blind men were touching a female elephant, then it's not the Ministerial salary that we are talking about.

Friday 13, 2012 - TOC 5th Birthday & Awards Night

The above video shows the intro of Catherine Lim's speech after receiving TOC Lifetime Achievement Award from guests of honour Mr & Mrs Chiam See Tong.

Wearing a black cheongsum with white trimming laced with beautiful flower over her bosom, Catherine Lim looked gorgeous. Looking good is only a minor part of her forte. If you enjoy Catherine Lim's writing, you've got to hear her speak!

That's the highlight of an evening well spent. Speaking off the cuff, without any prepared note in front of her, she spoke of the "political fatigue" of PAP. A friend of mine once told me years ago, she was a student of Catherine Lim. All I know is when you are with Catherine, you learn English, the language! Or at least, where I'm concerned, she reminds me of words that I've almost forgotten. Until you see her on video, I'd like to share some:

• "Oxymoron" - when she described PM Lee Hsien Loong's proclamation of being "servant leeder" and asking his PAP followers to do the same and not "lord over us". LOL! Yes, we (the audience) did laughed out loud, very load!
  
  
• It was "touche!" when Catherine said that PM Lee and his PAPies missed the opportunity to "come clean" when he and his cronies rejected a petition by 16 ex-political detainees to have a COI on their detention. According to her, the Commission of Inquiry on Mas Selamt jalan; the MRT Fiasco COI; and even the Ministerial Review, though helpful, cannot match the importance of a COI on Political Detention. If done properly, it was a chance for PAP to regain its reputation and, more importantly, to demolish the 'divide' and hopefully build a more united people based on justice and equality.
  
  It is a shame that due to the fear of losing their power and their disrespect and/or inability to accept the citizens' intelligence (no, we aren't 'daft' after all), the ruling party is adamant in not opening up and be transparent of their 'mo ngan thye' [no eyes see] doings, past and present.
  
  
• Her reminder of the scare tactics of ISA and defamation suits used by PAP and how it may not work anymore
  
  
• Her gut feel that the young with the new normal mainstream media of internet and facebook etc. (no longer Straits Times or CNA,) will be a force to be reckoned with.

It's an evening well spent. Apart from being in the good company of Mr Chiam See Tong and his dear wife Lina, History making personalities including Teo So Lung, Gerald Giam, Tan Jee Say, "Aspiration" Viswa, Rachel and lawyer M Ravi who do much for 'dead man walkin' recipients of mandatory death sentences.

Though the crowd wasn't anything like what you see in a WP's election rally, it was an entertaining and enlightening evening.

With Joshua and his band playing for Vui Kong to end the evening's gathering, let's be strong at Speakers' Corner this Sunday at Hong Lim Park at 4pm for a decent cause of lovin' life! [Link] & [Link].

Watch out for TOC [Link] posting of Catherine Lim's awesome speech in TOC and/or youtube.

feedmetothefish

Sense of Proportion? Sense Of Justice? Sense of Equality?

Anyone read , "Apex court clears air on A-G's power"? If not, please check this out [Link].

Extract from [Link]:

"IT IS not unlawful for the Attorney-General to artificially reduce the amount of drugs specified in a trafficker's charges, to differentiate from those of his accomplice.

Nor is it unconstitutional, the Court of Appeal ruled yesterday, in dismissing the case of Ramalingam Ravinthran, who faces death for trafficking in cannabis.

His accomplice, Sundar Arujunan, escaped the same fate because he was charged with trafficking in a shade less than the quantity that brings the mandatory death penalty. He was sentenced to 20 years' jail and 24 strokes of the cane.

Ramalingam, represented by lawyer M. Ravi, had accused the Attorney-General (A-G), as Public Prosecutor, of violating his constitutional right to equality before the law.

Even though they were involved in the same crime, he was prosecuted for capital offences whereas Sundar was accused of non-capital offences.

Ramalingam wanted his charges amended so there would be no difference in their punishment.

On July 13, 2006, the two men met at a temple in Sungei Kadut Avenue. Sundar placed a sports bag on the back seat of Ramalingam's car. Both were arrested separately shortly after by Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) officers. The bag was found to contain 5,560.1g of cannabis and 2,078.3g of cannabis mixture.

Sundar was charged in June 2007 with two offences of trafficking in not less than 499.99g of cannabis and 999.99g of cannabis mixture. Those quantities were about 0.01g below the mandatory death penalty threshold. He pleaded guilty.

When Ramalingam was dealt with later, the quantities of drugs in the charges against him meant the death penalty on conviction.

Sundar was called as a prosecution witness at Ramalingam's trial. Although he turned hostile on the stand, the trial judge convicted Ramalingam based on the men's statements to CNB officers.

Ramalingam's appeal against conviction and sentence was dismissed in September 2010. Although he had exhausted his avenues of appeal, he filed a motion in an attempt to reopen his case.

Yesterday, the Court of Appeal dismissed his motion in a 48-page written judgment delivered by Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong.

He said the court decided to hear out Ramalingam as the motion concerned a constitutional point that needed to be clarified in the public interest.

CJ Chan said the prosecutorial power vested in the A-G was constitutionally equal in status to the power of the court, and the courts were expected not to interfere with the A-G's prosecutorial discretion unless it had been exercised unlawfully.

In other words, the courts should presume that the A-G's prosecutorial decisions were constitutional or lawful until they are shown to be otherwise".

Having recommended this [Link] & [Link] to the Law Minister Jayakumar, I guess no one will be surprised by the latest judgement by CJ Chan.

Alan Shadrake's "Once A Jolly Hangman", Anybody?

And we

'pledge ourselves as one united people,

regardless of race, language or religion,

to build a democratic society

based on justice and equality"?

Oops, 'Aspiration' doesn't mean squat!

Oops again, "two offences of trafficking in not less than 499.99g of cannabis and 999.99g of cannabis mixture" Pardon my English but shouldn't "less" be "more"?

While I'm still learning, it is sad that Ramalingam may end up like Vui Kong [Link].

feedmetothefish

How Much Is Enough? Enough For What?

"IF SUCCESS could be measured, by any standards, Ms Teresa Hsu was one of the most successful persons anywhere ('Singapore's 'Mother Teresa' dies at 113'; Wednesday).

She achieved all she set out to do and more. She was a leader par excellence. She was a chief executive officer who was paid a pittance, had no car, posh office, a bungalow or a country club membership.

She may not have travelled first class but she was a first-class person. Her charity was immeasurable and crossed colour and creed. She is the role model for Singapore and I hope our children will read about her and emulate her selfless attitude.

She went as quietly as she arrived humbly into this world. She lived a great life and passed on in greatness.

She gave love, her example inspired many and her love changed lives."

Murali Sharma

[Link]

Someone once said that Singaporeans do not have a "sense of proportion" when they grudge their Ministers their million dollars salary.

"I say you have no sense of proportion; you don't know what life is about," he said last month. "The cure to all this talk is really a good dose of incompetent government," Lee said. "You get that alternative, and you'll never put Singapore together again."as reported in New York Times [Link]

What is this "sense of proportion'? Does Gerard Ee and his Committee for “Salaries for A Capable and Committed Government” have this "sense of proportion? By cutting the salaries of the mintsters, does the committee "know what life is all about"?

This "sense of proportion" got me thinking and comparing the work done by Sister Theresa Hsu [Link] & [Link] on one extreme and Grace Fu [Link] on the other. While one, without any fanfare, generated loving kindness, the other created unnecessary resentment.

Who did Sister Theresa worked for? Who does Grace Fu work for? Did Sister Theresa worked for the poor? Does Grace Fu works for the rich? Did Sister Theresa care for the down trodden commoners? Who does Grace Fu care for?

Before I get slammed and asked to "get off someone's elitist face" and get a life instead of getting the elephant off my chest, another thought came to mind.

Fans of PAP Mintsters Obscene Salary often state that PM Lee deserves 4 or 5 times President Barack Obama's pay because PM Lee doesn't have or use Air Force One. My question is: Does PM Lee pay for his 1st class air travelling out of his own pocket? If not, please make it clear that Air Force One doesn't belong to Obama. He's just using it like his predecessor did. Sure he can use it for medical emergency should any of his relative falls ill in London but hey, SIA can do the same for PAP politicians! A sense of proportion indeed!

Their thought that less than a king's ransom will lead to corrupt ministers in Singapore is awe inspiring! Shamefully no minister so far has come forward to challenge this denigrating insult! The thought that only the rich are incorruptible, committed and capable of good work may be leading Singapore to the road to Hell!

Then again, what the heck. The year is 2012 and some believe that time is nigh.

Thank Heavens for Sister Theresa and her ilk. How Much Is Enough? Enough For What? She wasn't rich like PAP elitists but Sister Theresa had Much More Than Enough. Enough for Everything to do peace, love, laughter, kindness and happiness!

"I hope our children will read about her and emulate her selfless attitude."

Aye!

feedmetothefish

The Fraud of Discount and Subsidy

Is a spade really a spade in PAP's Singapore?

There is always an element of "you are getting a good deal" from PAP. Aren't you lucky to have such altruistic politicians? That there is always a sacrifice on their part in anything that they do. They are always providing a 'subsidy' or a 'discount'. They always project themselves as altruistic, incorruptible 'sacrificial lambs' serving the nation but not themselves. But the truth is a leopard would not change its spots nor a tiger its stripes! For PAP, the inborn notion to 'buy and fix', come hell or high water, is and will always be the name of the game!

After reading the report of “Salaries for A *Capable and Committed Government” by Gerard and his committee, I'm tickled pink with this point: [Link]

63 We have noted the feedback that Singaporeans expect their leaders to demonstrate the ethos of political service and sacrifice. Similar to the discount under the current benchmark, Ministerial salaries should not match private sector levels fully. There is no scientific method for striking a balance between paying competitive salaries and taking a discount to signify the political service ethos. It is a judgment call. On balance, we recommend applying a significant discount of 40% off the salaries of the group of people we intend to benchmark against. The formula, which will be used to determine the salary of a new Minister who enters service at the grade of MR4, is thus as follows:

60% of the median income of

the top 1,000 Singapore Citizen income earners

This 'Judgement Call' is a humbug. It is such a fraud! A shell game to pull wools over the eyes of innocent commoners. Why the committee has to put up such disgraceful proposition is beyond me. Pardon my forthrightness but if you think the MR4 deserves $1.1 million, just go with the flow. Don't come up with the pathetic crap that they should earn more but have altruistically sacrificed 40% of what they should deserve. Such cheap self-glorification induces nausea!

They can come up with more ways to bankrupt Chee Soon Juan further and denigrate him as a 'psycho' or even a clown but any decent fair minded bloke would think that this article [Link] shows that the "40% DISCOUNT" is nothing but a fooking sham!

With thanks to Botak Siew Kum Hong, I've learned that the tricky self serving terms of reference was a nothing but a mee siam mai hum HUMBUG! [Link]

This crazy logic of 'discount of ministers' pay' and 'market subsidy of HDB flats' is a joke gone too far!

The *"Please Release Me, Let Me Go"-to-my-rightful-Owner-at-55 CPF is a crime committed against those who cannot get by and get a job at 55!

The "Admin Fee of $3 plus' for using one's CPF Medisave to pay Polyclinics for chronic illness consultation and medicines is so fooking sinful that it makes loansharks appear better than angels! Yes, $3 is chicken feed to some but to others, it's enough food to survive for a day!

No Sir, we are not 'daft'! We have enough of the' spurs stuck to our back'. We are sick and tired of being 'fixed' and though we do not have the millions that you have, you CANNOT buy us! Our worth and integrity is NOT FOR SALE!

*Capable and Committed Government that is responsible and accountable to:

• "Ponding" in Orchard Road and other parts of Singapore
• Mas Selamat jalan to JB
• Higher cost to public transportation that sucks big time
• Sucking commoners dry with expensive "affordable?" HDB pigeon holes
• Opening Gambling Dens aka Casinos in Sentosa and Marina Bay

Keep your subsidy, do away with your discount and please "Delay No More" (try reading out loud as it is in Cantonese) . . . STOP treating us like idiots. Sorry, we are not that daft after all!

If you wish to be paid and treated like God

You had better have the power of God

If Singapore is anything less than Shangri La

You can't blame us for shaming and fooking you lah!

When in your job you slack

Don't expect us to cut you some slack

For the obscene pay you get

What do you expect?

feedmetothefish

Now We Know This Grace Fu

"When I made the decision to join politics in 2006, pay was not a key factor. Loss of privacy, public scrutiny on myself and my family and loss of personal time were. The disruption to my career was also an important consideration. I had some ground to believe that my family would not suffer a drastic change in the standard of living even though I experienced a drop in my income. So it is with this recent pay cut. If the balance is tilted further in the future, it will make it harder for any one considering political office." Grace Fu [Link]

This was followed in Today [Link] where she said, "I realise my last posting could have been misunderstood. The committee has done a thorough job with a substantial recommendation over a fairly emotive topic. I accept and respect the recommendations," she said, adding she is "honoured to be given the opportunity to serve the people".

"However, it may not be wise to call for the trade-offs to be tilted further to an extent that it dissuades good people from coming forward in future," she noted.

Dear MsGraceFu,

This is what I understand from your exposé.

1. If pay was not a key factor in your decision in joining politics, why write the above in your facebook?
   
   
2. If you wanted privacy for your goodself and your family members and fearful of public scrutiny, why did you jump into the 'pond' to be a politician? It's a no-brainer.
   
   
3. Loss of personal time? I'm at a loss as to how many hours you work a day. Ever try a 12-hour shift plus another 8-hour overtime as a Security Guard to earn less than $1500 a month?
   
   
4. I doubt the tilted 'trade-offs' will dissuade good people from coming forward. In fact, it will separate the dregs from the cream. The greedy scums who join politics for money, power and grandiosity compared to the real McCoys who truly serve with their heart. Heard of the lady who quit her lecturer's job in order to be fair to her employer as well as the constituents she represents? Loss of personal time? She's looking forward to be self employed so that she's in charge of her time.
   
   
5. Career disruption? So which lightning rod caused you to change job?
   
   
6. Drastic change in the standard of living? How much do you want? How much is Enough? Enough for What? Caviar, Champagne, Truffle for your pet dog/cat/chameleon at every meal?
   
   
7. The choice to be a politician was yours to make. For whatever reasons, you chose to give up your lucrative job to take the political path. Now that Gerard has jolted your rice bowl, it is good to know where you are at.
   
   
8. Seet Ai Mee left. Lim Hwee Hua left. If you want to, I'm sure you are free to go. With your talents (as endorsed by LKY's PAPgotTALENTs), I'm sure you'll easily get another job that will pay you millions! Don't worry, should you (and the rest of PAP mintsters) leave, I doubt that my mother, wife, sister, daughter and grand daughter will end up as maids in other country.
   
   
9. If you find it a chore and a loss of 'personal time' in bringing less privileged physically challenged people to places like Garden by the Bay, [Link] you know what you should do.
   
   
10. Whether you wrote above for your own pecuniary interest or for the benefit of others seeking political office is for us to wonder and for you to know.

Sorry for having taken your precious 'personal time' to read this.

Sleep well.

Goodnight.

feedmetothefish

Note: As I have stated often, the day they suka suka paid themselves millions (with dumbass justifications), they made a mockery of national service and nation building. They sold their respectability and honour and became a joke!. Sacrifice, my foot! Sadly so, the damage done is beyond redemption!

Sad

I felt a sense of loss when Jack Lalanne died. A fitness Guru who inspired me so much till today since black & white TV in the 60's. [Link]

I miss Sister Theresa Hsu when she passed on recently at 113-year-old. This selfless lady did not even want to have a funeral so as not to inconvenience those who love and respect her. The simplicity and humility of this angel knows no bounds! [Link]

The death of Christopher Hitchens shook me some. His use of the English language, his elephant memory and his integrity to stick to his guns (though I may not totally agree with him on some subjects) without fear or favour makes me think of him while I write this blog. [Link]

The death of these personalities (icons?) brings to mind service, discipline, kindness, integrity and even love!

And what have they to do with the Ministerial Salary Review?

Much.

• Service doesn't mean squat when leaders need to be kept upright instead of being upright
• Discipline doesn't mean much when suka suka pay was increased when prior salary was already astronomical
• Kindness to rulers at the expense of commoners is deplorable
• Integrity is fooked when one increases one's pay at his own pleasure but gets a committee to justify it (albeit a reduction) to prevent loss of future votes (fat hope?)
• With love in one's heart, would one condone racist remarks, detention without trial, and mandatory death sentence?

Yes, I've mentioned that poor Gerard is between the devil and the deep blue sea when he accepted the job in the Ministerial Pay Review Committee.

It's been said that if one cannot dazzle you with brilliance, he'll baffle you with bullshit. Not unlike the current taxi fare with all kinds of surcharges that confuses you but you must finally pay, the new mintsters' pay with all the confusing bonuses (without telling you the exact figures that was paid, being paid or going to be paid), we the commoners in Singapore are still treated as 'dafts' to 'regret and repent' for being peaceful and obedient subjects of the Party Against People.

With all the talk of transparency and all the accolades showered upon Gerard for his hard work, what I wish to know is: Is Gerard and his team paid for the work done? If they are paid, how much each? If they are not paid, I 'salute' them for being good servants of you know who.

It's delightful to note if after the PAPpy apologies, regrets and near tears, will the Wayang and Humbug continue?

Well, we don't know till we know.

To the highest political leeder in the world, I humbly ask these questions:

1. Just how much is enough? Enough for what? Enough to go against the grain of the people you lord over? After Gerard and his team's work, does it make you sleep better with your new pay?
2. Is it orgasmic to be the highest paid politician in the world?
3. With the power vested in you, why did you not cut the salary without making a song and dance about it?

We don't know but you must know.

Goodnight.

feedmetothefish

The Real Quitters!

The younger generation in Singapore have often been criticized and ridiculed for being spineless and taking soft options when faced with challenges. I think this general perception is not fair. Young or old; rich or poor, black, white, yellow or brown; people of different or no religion; there are those who are spineless wimps who quit easily and there are those with fortitude to take challenges and do whatever it takes to pick themselves up again whenever they fall. So that they do not fail themselves and forsake their faithful followers!

Remember the bloke who promised us Swiss Standard of Living? The same guy who insulted Singaporeans by calling them 'quitters' and 'fair-weather friends' because they decided to reside elsewhere. Funnily, this man was put to silence when he realised that he was putting his own daughter in a bad light!

If I were a PAP supporter in Aljunied GRC, I would be most dejected and disillusioned by the disappearance of George and his company of 'fair weather politicians'. What happens to the spirit of stand up and fight? They say, "old soldiers never die, they just fade away'. Sadly so, the Brigadier General, Minister and Mayor in Singapore are different. They simply throw in the towel after losing one round! They deserted their supporters by not sticking around and preparing for the next election in 2016. Are they wrong in abandoning ship? Are they right? I honestly don't know.

However 3 thoughts come to mind:

1. They are not really politicians
2. Their passion for politics has waned
3. They realised that they are in bad company and grateful for this escape route

What has happened tells me something about

• The culture of politics we have in Singapore
• The meaning of service and loyalty
• The Moral and the Compass that will detrimentally or positively impact us as a nation

My writing here is not to criticise George and his company for quitting. If I were him, I may just do the same if point 1., 2. or 3. of above applies.

So why did I write what I wrote here? To keep my brain at work and to find out if thoughts like mine are in the heads of others.

Thank you for sticking around and may 2012 bring you enough to be in flow!

feedmetothefish