July 10 2020. Singapore Decides

On July 10th, Singapore goes to the polls for its elections held once every 4 to 5 years as mandated in the Constitution. 

We are just coming out of this terrible world pandemic called COVID -19 which as at the time of writing 23rd June 2020 has infected over 4 million worldwide and impacted 400,000 deaths. Singapore has over 40,000 cases with the great majority from the Foreign Workers in the dormitories getting it and passing it to their colleagues. 

Our survival rate is one of the highest in the world, with 26 deaths directly attributed to COVID and another 9 attributed it to be a 'contributing factor' but not the main cause of death.

We have just opened up the economy, Phase 2, so we can now go for a swim, use the gym. and have meals in many dining establishments. However, each party should not be more than 5 per table.we are no where close to what life was before this pandemic, which I think will change life and social norms irreversibly.

So, in 17 days time, Singapore votes. We have more and credible opposition like never before. 2 to 3 parties really stand out. 

My personal desire is to have more checks and balances of the Government, but this should never degenerate into a mockery like what you see in US ; to be fair, the ruling party has done moderately well. The Government has dipped into the reserves and come up with close to S$100 billion to help the economy and assist many people to tide through. These in my opinion are stop gap solutions, not long term solutions.  

There are several burning issues ordinary people will find very difficult to continue to accept in the light of what has happened recently : 

High salaries of ministers - from the true test of COVID 19, what has our response and recovery to this massive challenge ?  We failed badly on the issue of overcrowding of foreign worker dormitories leading to daily infection rates of high hundreds to over 1000 one day alarming the world community for sure. Our million dollar ministers come out with mediocre solutions. Exceptional ? The answer is obvious.  "No". 

Are they really exceptional and deserving of that salaries ? 

Too much dependency on foreign 'talent'  at both the top and bottom strata which was making many locals very unhappy before this crisis. Many people were already retrenched in the 2nd half of 2019 and resorted to being Grab car drivers or taxidrivers while the foreign workers merrily continued in their jobs. Its the perception that many foreign white collar workers get an easier ride (perhaps they are more competitive in salaries)while the poor locals suffer with retrenchment, high costs of housing, NS obligations and the costs of starting families while the foreign contingent work hard (no issue there), save, pay their rent, and bring all their money back home when their contract expires. Many go home with a 'king's ransom' when they convert their S$ salaries to their home countries in Malaysia, Philippines, India, Myanmar, Vietnam and even China.

2 countries closer to home Australia and New Zealand have more balanced lifestyles and the blue collar workers are paid very well compared to the white collar workers.However, the jobs go to the born and bred citizens who have no qualms about dirty hands, feet, and laboring in the hot sun. They will be paid $6,000 in salary (yes a big chunk goes to taxes) but then it is the citizen who earns the honest day's work. 

Entitlement ? No, we men have gone through army and can put up with all the hard long hours in the sun, sweating and the unconfortableness. Its an excuse that Singaporeans prefer cushy jobs when it comes to survival. Just make it worth our while (like S$ 4,000 starting salary) and see the lines queueing for these jobs.

Just give us a fair deal in the construction sector. Costs will expectedly rise, but we will need to work these into the existing system. 

NZ and Australia did far better (by the way) at managing COVID - 19 than our Singapore. 

Sad and embarrasing. 

Some of my humble layman suggestions we need to look into and implement :

a)  Universal basic wage implementation ; 

b)  Poverty Line 

c) Singaporeans working in all sectors of industry with clear markers for results and 

    most of all

d) Accountability at all levels 

If the current administration carries on, it is better to have strong opposition in parliament to ask these questions and have proper debate before deciding, rather than just passing every legislation having gone through a 'think tank' team and decide it is for the greater good. 

Question, ask, debate, and rethink before finally doing.  

These are hallmarks of an established democracy. 

CARPE DIEM.

 

Sweet Home Chicago - the epitome of Cool

Listen to this soundtrack of the Blues Brothers. The bass guitar is so cool, transposing the tune and holding it all together. Then there is the vocals, harmonica, brass sections, lead guitar, keyboards so many instruments 

Pity the lead singer, John Belushi, if it is indeed him, has passed on many years ago. Such a talent. 

Such an amazing piece. 

The epitome of Cool. 

Homer's Illyad

I am listening to the audiobook by the Greek Poet Homer. Set in 340 BC, it tells of the challenges the gods of Greece had and their squabbles amongst themselves (Zeus,Apollo,Athena and Achilles to name but a few) about glory and honor. I can't help but chuckle at how human like they are just like the bickering humans, amongst husband and wife and also of their subjects. The gods were supposed to be immortal and their children if they were consumated by ordinary humans were mortal. So Archilles knew he was mortal and was not going to live long. So he aspired to live a glorious life and die fighting. 

Surely these gods were created  again by the overactive imagination of Homer, who wrote this epic Illyad about the fight over a woman, Helen, who was the wife of one Agememnon, the king of Greece. Helen had eloped with her lover, the pitiful Paris to Troy and that started the war between the power hungry Greeks and the peace loving Trojans.

This story highlights the Trojan Horse idea where the enemy gives the opponent a 'gift' which is actually a decoy to get into their home ground and ultimately lead to the sacking and conquering of Troy. 

Achilles died in that fight, being shot first in the heel by Paris, and then more times by Paris.

  

What Values Made Singapore what it is today - answer from Mr. LKY

I am currently listening to an amazing audiotape of the book Up Close with Singapore's 1st Prime Minister after separation, the brilliant Lee Kuan Yew.

When asked in the late '80s about what made Singapore what it was then and now (I would assume) he simply stated these 4 values ; so simple yet so profound :

1. Good Governance.

2. Meritocracy

3. Anti-Corruption

4. Pragmatism.

In 4 points, he encapsulated so brilliantly Singapore "TODAY" to the person who asked him point blank.

A foreign reporter.

Singapore was very blessed and ridiculously fortunate to have such a leader of immense stature, iron will and vision.  

We should not let his legacy down. 

Dante Aligieri - Divine Comedy

Stalactites in Guilin Cave 

The Poet Dante Aligieri in his magnus opus Divine Comedy writes about a man who followed an angel into the 9 caverns of Hell, I listened to the audiotape with interest and can conclude that this guy has an overreactive imagination, but it makes for good reading and listening. He also lists the 7 deadly sins which are considered worth an eternal damnation. They are :

a) Gluttony

b) Pride

c) Lust

d) Envy

e) Sloth

f) Greed

g) Wrath

Of course these are all the human emotions which sometimes we are not aware of. The logical mind in me would raise the following doubts ; 1. When you are a child, you would not know that these are evil, and if you had the misfortune of not having parents, or a broken home, or worse still being caught up in armed conflict, then your actions cannot be faulted, if to save your life. Can they ?

2. We see all these acts in many forms in society today. The streets of USA are a battleground of wrath and anger for an innocent black man being choked to death at the hands of the Minneapolis Police force. So, do 2 sins make a right ? Obviously not !

3. Prideful people are everywhere, show -offs, greedy people, people who eat till excess and the list goes on. How does a person know where the limits are in life, if he so unfortunately ends up with the 'wrong crowd', born in a place of armed conflict and he or she has to do any or all of the above just to survive. 

I would say, that we must keep all these emotions under control. However, circumstances sometimes override our emotions that we may be caught up in a 'Fight, Flight, or Fright' situation and wrath unfortunately gets the better of us.

To err is human. But to forgive divine.

One More Time this Year End ; I have 3 more left in Me.

Woody Boogie

Woody Boogie - Baltimora.