Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Be A Man, Do The Right Thing



With the latest racial hullaballoo on smell and the subsequent apology [Link], I thought it'd be good to share the above video for all to see. According to this gentleman, it is the food that's is consumed, not the hygiene factor that caused the smell.

Regardless of race, nationality, gender, political party, culture or religion, there are the good, the bad and the ugly. Though there may be more of one kind (good, bad or ugly) in any group, there will always be a mixture in each. I'm a Singaporean of Chinese descent and I find Peter to be great a entertainer who lightens me up and makes me happy.



This just reminded me of Teo Chee Hean [Link] asking civil servants especially those expensive elites to do the right thing!

Mdm Vellama Marie Muthu of Hougang and her lawyer M Ravi has asked the court to declare if the Prime Minister has the option to decide on the by-election and when it is held [Link]. The judgement is reserved and I bet very soon our local favourite Kumar will crack a joke on it.

Meanwhile, instead of pussyfooting, PM Lee should 'do the right thing' and declare the date for the by-election in Hougang soonest possible. I just hope that the experts in the AG Chambers who are challenging Mdm Vellama will not come up with a letter like this to make more Singaporeans "buay song". The law? The logic? The self-preservation of one's position at the expense of one's honour and integrity? The right thing to do?

The Ministers' obscene salaries were raised to the millions after 2006 GE at their whims and fancy without any COI. Why the silly COI and wastage of $860,000 to pay Mercer to do Gerard Ee's job of recommending the right salaries is beyond me. If decision makers could bring the salaries up, why couldn't the same decision makers bring the salaries down. Why put on an expensive show?

I just hope the PM will 'do the right thing' this time by not outsourcing or abdicating his duty to the AG Chambers on the decision to have the by-election. Let's not waste peoples' time and money. Let's not neglect the residents of Hougang.

Yeah, be a man, "do the right thing and do the thing right" by having the By-Election soon!

feedmetothefish



Sunday, April 1, 2012

When The Trinity Gets Holy



I'm not writing about religion. This is about Singapore's Supreme Triumvirate of PAP, NTUC and Employers.

According to Ministry of Manpower, it is a Tripartism of MOM, NTUC and SNEF (Singapore National Employers' Federation. [Link]

Is the Trinity getting too 'holy'. No, not as in divine or sacred or worthy of worship but 'holy' as in having too many holes. Synonymous with 'leaking', 'damaged', 'disastrous', 'ridiculous' and 'untenable'.

When I read that "Ong Ye Kung said salaries for drivers [Linkhave to be fattened more if both operators are to attract enough people to drive the 550 buses funded by a $1.1 billion plan to improve bus services" , I wonder if Mr Ong was speaking as
  1. Executive Secretary of National Transport Workers' Union and Assistant Secretary-General of National Trades Union Congress (NTUC)
  2. Board Member of SMRT [Link] or
  3. Member of PAP Establishment [Link]?
The conflict that goes through his mind must be tremendous when he spoke of upping the salary of SMRT bus drivers who lagged behind those of SBS Transit. If he's the good guy (God?) to the workers, would he be considered playing the bad guy (Devil) to the board and shareholders of SMRT? Or has he the versatility to do both? Be God to both sides and Devil to none? Or has he to play both ends against the middle?

As much as some may claim that he's good enough to switch his hats to come up with win-win situation for both union and employer, I have my doubts. Something has got to give. The uniqueness of his position(s) leaves much to be desired. I'm not advocating that union and management must always fight each other but . . . to have one man playing at 2 extremes is unhealthy. It is detrimental to the union, to the management and with compassion, to the man himself. If one needs to sleep peacefully, it cannot, simply cannot, cut both ways.

Ong Ye Kung is also the head of SMRT's internal investigation team into the train disruptions over four days, affecting thousands of peak-hour commuters. [Link]

With so much prominence and highlight given to One Ye Kung after he lost at Aljunied GRC in GE 2011, I wonder, for lack of a better word, if "Pre-Nuptial Agreement" were signed between PAP and their new candidates? That they would not lose out if they fail to win in an election?

Or have they also to sign the 'Will-Not-Leak-PAP-Secrets Act' before they are put up as PAP candidates?

Doing the right thing? Doing the thing right?
Yeah, I wonder and so do many others.

feedmetothefish