High Ministerial Salaries: Wrong Assumptions For Wrong Pay?

 否极泰来 means when misfortune reaches the limit, good fortune is at hand.

Selected old postings for GE 2015 旧论新报 2015大选  19

http://pijitailai.blogspot.sg/2011/12/high-ministerial-salaries-wrong.html

{The art of making yourself rich, in the ordinary mercantile economic sense, is therefore equally and necessarily the art of keeping your neighbour poor.  ….. John Ruskin}

The reasons for paying very high salaries for Singapore ministers are based on various wrong assumptions.

They assume ministers are super human beings that can work 24 hours a day 7 days a week. They assume these political holders are productive and efficient every seconds, no sick leave, no emotional problem, like machines operating without any maintenance.  Furthermore, they assume these people are as enterprise as entrepreneurs, risking and scarifying their carriers, family and friends.

The PAP government got the assumptions so wrong that they pay the wrong salaries to their ministers.  If you examine the reasons and assumptions, they are all wrong.  Why wrong?

Perhaps only a robot can justify for the assumptions of the working conditions described above.  Even that, a robot still needs some maintenance and definitely, a robot will not have the enterprise spirit of venturing out and risk powerless to function effectively and efficiently.

Hence, if you can’t fulfill these assumptions, it is better not to assume high salaries for the wrong reasons.  You have overpriced your intelligence, capability, productivity, judgments, body and mental condition, and most importantly your power base.     

  

This is like the corporate world.  The top corporate leaders are pricing themselves above the market rate, especially in the financial and property sectors.  They think that they are top talents in the world and so they demand top world class salaries. However, they create crisis after crisis, debts after debts, and so we see the results of ‘Occupy Movements’.   

To protect themselves and justify for their top salaries, these CEOs, CFOs, Chairmen and Presidents have to engage in many PR activities which are not productive in their works. 

To be fair, we have to differentiate business corporate managers and entrepreneurs.  There are justifications for entrepreneurs getting high rewards and compensation.  Entrepreneurs are taking risks and they may end up as a bankrupt.  This is why people are admiring entrepreneurs like Bill Gate and are not so against their richness. 

The government is paying high salaries to our ministers. They are only able to do it because they assume that they have the mandate from the people.  However, the mandate is not always in your favour, and it is subject to change.  Even there is a review in the ministerial salaries; it may still keep and continue with the wrong assumptions.  As a result, the old problem of high and wrong salaries is still there. 

Who know one day more and more will see the wrong assumption for the wrong pay. When more and more people disagree with the wrong assumptions of the PAP, more will like to see the change to take place. 

老弱残兵雷声大 收拾失地雨点小 谁在为正义而战？

否极泰来 means when misfortune reaches the limit, good fortune is at hand.
Selected old postings for GE 2015 旧论新报 2015大选  18

http://pijitailai.blogspot.sg/2011/12/blog-post.html 

行动党自从在5月兵败阿裕尼后，沉静了6个月后，最近在党大会上，才再提要收拾失地。不过，看起来是雷声大，雨点小。自从工人党联军登陆行动党的“诺曼底”后，行动党除了前方吃紧外，连后方也出现问题。根本的问题是派不出一员猛将，说服勇敢和有智慧的志愿者，收复已经被敌方攻克的“诺曼底“.

“诺曼底“失守，真的这么重要吗？是的。不只”诺曼底“已经失守，连东部的德国坦克部队，也将在苏俄的攻击下，全部失守，形成两面受敌的局面。行动党的结局是否如此，这就要看选民如何定义下一届大选，是否是正义的选战？

现在突然跑出一个林文兴，说要领军收复失地。林文兴何许人也？行动党前主席，工会前秘书长，内阁前部长，今年大选，贵为党主席，却没有上阵，好像许子根，贵为党主席，已经宣布不参加下一届的马来西亚大选，可想而知，他已经知道自己的下场了。

林文兴很可能是行动党历届主席中，最没有势力和分量的人。那么，我们看看什么人曾经担任过行动党主席呢？杜进才，陈庆炎，甚至现在的许文远，不用多说，林文兴和他们一比，斤两有多重，一看就清楚了。这样的人，即不是武将，也不是文才，你说他能做些什么。

正如坊间传言的，行动党将会派老弱残兵来充充面子。前部长，前副总理，前国会议长，再加一个前部长和新兵，凑成5人，前往“诺曼底“应战。这样的架势，超级前部长团队，不能不说，阵容强大，雷声很大。明眼一看，就知道这是虚张声势。但是，我们实在不能怪行动党，过去几年，行动党根本没有培养出可以上战场的武将，甚至连出策献计的文才也没有。

因此，行动党现在说要听基层的话，不要空降候选人，要选有贡献的人，早一点推出候选人，早一点做准备等等。因为，正如在行动党大会上说的，下次大选，没有安全的选区，没有包吃得榴莲。行动党候选人要有求胜之心，各自守好本身的阵地，不要让俄美英联军攻陷。

怎么我们的常胜军，突然会变成哀兵上阵，害怕上战场，害怕真枪实弹了。原先的保护网，50年后，竟然越来越无效，不中用了。

谁在为正义而战？

春秋无义战，虽然在历史上，春秋没有正义的战争，但是，往往站在正义的一方，会有一些优势，人们也会同情具有正义感的一方。春秋五霸的出现，也显出他们是比较有正义感的。

事实上，杨荣文领军的行动党阿裕尼团队是一支很强的队伍，在正义感方面也比其他行动党组合好。即使吴作栋也认可，为何偏偏是他们这组人遇上工人党的联军。他虽然认为可惜，但是，也要承认和接受在正义面前，选民的最终选择。

阿裕尼选民为何要冒着没有提升机会，没有优先权，失去部长，组屋价值下跌的风险，而要选工人党呢？他们这么做，是不是把正义放在金钱之上，牺牲杨荣文的行动党团队，就是要让正义(或让更高的正义队伍得胜)得以伸张呢！注意，这不说其他选区的人没有把正义放在金钱之上，因为选民的最后选择还是要考虑候选人的素质，政党的背景，才觉得值不值得投下正义的一票。事实证明，也只有工人党的阿裕尼联军获得选民认可，可以完成伸张正义的任务。难怪，他们工人党在国会会提出魏征之说。

从全国范围看，陈庆炎在总统大选得票如此之低，不也在在说明，选民如何看待陈庆炎的正义感，他以鲜明的行动党背景参选，投他一票，不是等于投行动党以金钱为利益前提的一票。大多数的人认为在正义面前，陈庆炎可能做得不够，做得不完善，甚至不尽力维护正义。

新加坡独立以来，虽然走得都是经济之路，但是，大富大贵的人毕竟还是少数，经济的金字塔是不可能倒过来的 - 富人比穷人多，没有一个制度，不论资本主义还是中国的共产主义能够做到。因此，最后还是要看这个政党，有没有正义感，责任心，是否以民意为先。这就是得民心者得天下的基本道理吧！而民心就是正义的标准。

Long-term planning – I thought we always had it in Singapore!

 否极泰来 means when misfortune reaches the limit, good fortune is at hand.

Selected old postings for GE 2015 旧论新报 2015大选  17

http://pijitailai.blogspot.sg/2011/11/long-term-planning-i-thought-we-always.html

Singapore is a planned country - from the day of our independence or even longer than that from the day Sir Raffles Stamford found it.  Sir Raffles wanted to make Singapore a trading hub in the Far East and skilfully and strategically planned a successfully ‘take over’ of Singapore.

So, planning is not a strange word for Singapore.  In our early history, we built our economy based on suggestions and planning from United Nations (Dr. Albert Winsemius). In 1960, Dr Winsemius led the United Nations team to examine Singapore’s potential in industrialization. …... He presented a 10-year development plan to transform Singapore from an entrepot trade port into a centre of manufacturing and industrialization. (wikipedia).

And now, suddenly we hear that we need to have a long-term planning for flood control. Don’t we ever have one? We have long-term plan for water requirements even long before our independence (the water contracts with Malaysia) and now PUB is telling us there is no long-term plan for flood control. Have we already forgotten the story of once in 50 years – the force of nature?

Long-term plan and nature

<Dr Balakrishan noted that Singapore is at a point where it needs to develop a long-term plan for flood control infrastructure.

But even as he outlined plans to review and improve the flood control system, he was quick to set expectations right.

"Nature is a very, very powerful force ... there will inevitably be some episodes of flash flooding, despite all our best efforts ... what we will commit to, is making sure that everything we can do to prevent it, to mitigate it, and to keep you informed, we will do so."> (Today, 16 Nov 2011)

Since there is no long-term planning for flood control, it can also mean there is no long-term planning for migration, MRT/Bus, foreign workers, housing, hospitals, doctors, education, etc. What a surprise!

When everything moves smoothly, there is a planning and when things are not OK, it can be the force of nature or there is no planning.

Only short-term businessmen or speculators will not have long-term planning. Our GIC and Temasek Holdings, when they made losses, they will tell you they are looking at the long-term and not short term.

Is this a long-term planning?  People are told we may need 10, 20 years to recover the losses and this is planning!

Wait a minute we have to admit the force of nature too as suggested by Dr Balakrishan. Not only for flooding, but also for all other social and economic areas, natural force or market force is very powerful.  We did not expect the population to be increased by so much, so the trains, buses, housing, hospitals and many infrastructures are facing pressure to meet the demands.

We have economic forecast every year.  We even are happy if we can achieve 3-5% annual growth in the coming 10 years. So, there must be a planning, especially water is money and flooding is causing money.

Are all these problems caused by nature or lack of planning?  Or our economic development and planning is so successful in the past 50 years that we overshoot our target and land us in a situation of planned development higher than planned infrastructure.

So, don’t blame the nature? The nature will grow on its own speed and human beings have to adjust the change of nature. Perhaps, we have moved so fast that the nature is not able to cope with it.  This is especially true for Singapore.  Limited by land and nature resources, even with reclaimed land, there is a limit and constraint for Singapore to grow.     

Of course, if you look at the money, the GDP, the profit, you will consider less of your physical constraint and look more on how to maximise profit. 

This perhaps is the result of using GDP as a measure of happiness.  

Lee Yuan Tseh, the first Taiwanese Nobel Prize (chemistry, 1986) laureate, in a recent interview (see below) pointed out that blindly emphasizing the growth of GDP is not equal to happiness. In the process towards globalization, we need to look at the relationship between human beings and land.  Only considering this, then the growth will be a healthy one.     

Man and land, development and nature, will PUB consider more human touches and nature elements in their long-term plan for flood in Singapore?

*

http://iservice.libertytimes.com.tw/2011/specials/interview/news.php?no=539078

联合早报的尴尬地位，反映了华文华语在新加坡的处境；不久后早报很可能要和八卦报纸争老大

 否极泰来 means when misfortune reaches the limit, good fortune is at hand.

Selected old postings for GE 2015 旧论新报 2015大选  16

http://pijitailai.blogspot.sg/2011/11/blog-post_11.html

这是一个让人感慨的调查统计数据，早报读者人数又再下降了。尼尔森（Nielsen）媒体调查公司公布的数据显示，早报的读者人数只比新明和晚报多一个马鼻。


这是早报自己的报道：


‘每天阅读《早报》的人数大约有50万4000个，但如果把范围扩大到一周内至少曾读过一天《早报》的读者，渗透率则达17.6%，或69万4000人。同样由新加坡报业控股出版的华文报章《新明日报》和《联合晚报》，渗透率分别增加到12.6%和11.5%。每天读者人数分别是49万7000人和45万2000人。’


有关报道加上将‘范围扩大到一周内至少曾读过一天《早报》的读者’的数据，其实是有一点要误导读者，不小心细读，还真以为早报的读者人数，高达69万4000人。作为新加坡第一大华文报，早报大可不必如此。

上网看了一下早报的读者数字介绍：

‘《联合早报》的平日发行量约为20万份，星期天22万份，新加坡读者人数约75万。除了在新加坡发行之外，也在中国大陆、香港特别行政区和文莱等地少量发行。’

http://www.zaobao.com.sg/pages/aboutlhzb.htmlhttp://www.zaobao.com.sg/pages/aboutlhzb.html

或许，早报应该及时的更新上述数据，就像读者要知道，和有权知道最新消息一样。不然，恐怕会被人误会数据造假，误导广告商和热爱早报的读者。

万万没有想到权威的第一大新加坡华文报，在新加坡特殊的语文环境下，竟然面对这样的尴尬场面，严肃看报的人每况愈下，喜爱八卦新闻的人却有增无减。不久后，新明读者再增加，早报读者再微降，新加坡第一大华文报，竟然要和八卦新闻竞争老大的地位。这也没有什么好说的，看看苹果日报在香港和台湾的地位就知道了。

从南洋商报，星洲日报，新明日报，民报（还有人记得这份报纸吗？）到联合早，晚报，新明日报；这一路走来，也见证，反映了华文华语的崎岖之路。报业合并，也改变不了这个命运。越来越少人对权威的早报有兴趣，语文水平的降低，也只能看看八卦新闻比较适合。


不对，早报不是说在国外，尤其是中国大陆有一定的影响力。受到很多网上读者的欢迎，认可，肯定，甚至是每天必读的网上报纸。不知道这跟中国官方特别融通，让早报可以在中国随便上网查阅，在一些地方可以买到有关。


说到权威性，我们在早报网上，看不到博文部落格。凤凰网，中国网，华尔街日报，甚至中国时报网，都可以看到不错的文章，唯独早报网没有。哦，不过，在类似八卦新闻的‘omy’网上，却设有博客栏目。或许，这也是配合新明晚报的演出。


早报的尴尬命运，对于新加坡受过华文教育的人来说，即是事实，也是不可逃避的命运，早报不高兴，难道华校生会高兴吗？只是在国内外一片华文华语有商用价值的呼唤声中，这个语文越来越受到世界重视的时候，我们却开了倒车。


不论早报将来的命运如何，我们自己活得快乐最重要。我们心中的那把尺，自然会衡量出自己的幸福指数来。

Don’t Stop At Six. More Voices Are Needed In The Parliament For The Oppositions

 否极泰来 means when misfortune reaches the limit, good fortune is at hand.

Selected old postings for GE 2015 旧论新报 2015大选  15

http://pijitailai.blogspot.sg/2011/10/dont-stop-at-six-more-voices-are-needed.html

[First published Oct 2011]

The long awaited Parliament has finally opened and everything is planned by the ruling PAP, including the election of the Speaker of the house, the seating arrangement and the President’s address for the next five years.

However, the first thing the oppositions ask for is to have more time to speak to voice out for the people. The opposition Workers’ Party chief Low Thia Khiang has to urge the Speaker for more opportunities for opposition MPs to speak. 

Why is there a need or urge to request for more time and opportunity to speak if we have more opposition members of Parliament?  So, don’t stop at six, in the next election, we should elect more opposition MPs to truly represent us in the Parliament, or even forming the alternative government.

NCMP is a short term solution and we should make it irrelevant in the next election.  In order to do that we need more people to come forward to represent and support the oppositions. 

As Chen Show Mao said, “I hope that by the small examples of more and more people around us taking small steps forward,  Singaporeans will be more encouraged, will be less fearful, will find it more normal, to speak up, ask questions and become more actively engaged in politics.  And he stressed that “At this point in our nation's history, the act of coming forward is an act of public service.  Taking the first step forward makes half the journey.”

Six opposition MPs is really a under representation for the oppositions.  It is even not enough to form a shadow cabinet and so how to have a full debate on every issue.  There is also a lack of resource support and think tank advisory.  Hence, we may not have the opportunity to see high quality debate in other major democracies, perhaps, not even the standard of the Malaysia Parliament debates.  

Simply because it is a PAP “controlled’ parliament due mainly to the overwhelming number of PAP MPs in the Parliament. WP MPs will need some good strategies to break the monopoly and control.

No only we need capable people to stand for the oppositions, we also need more voters to support the oppositions. 49.9% support will not win you a MP seat in the first past the post one to one election.  If you want to have more alternative voices, do as the Aljunied and Hougang voters do, vote decisively in the next election! 

不要把内安法当成一门生意来做

否极泰来 means when misfortune reaches the limit, good fortune is at hand.
Selected old postings for GE 2015 旧论新报 2015大选  14

http://pijitailai.blogspot.sg/2011/09/blog-post_28.html

从所周知，行动党是把新加坡当成一门生意来经营的。因此，在内安法的废除问题上，行动党也是采取这个态度，它没有说不废除，只是说现在还不是时候，仍然有存在的价值，我国仍然需要内安法这张纸老虎。

对 行动党政府来说内安法是无奈，不得已，同时也是鸡肋。的确如此，行动党知道内安法已经靠不住了，但是，有一张纸老虎皮，随时要穿上吓吓人民，还是有一定用 处的。只要它是一个法令，政府就可以灵活的诠释，利用内安法来维护本身的利益。这当然包括打击对手，妨碍反对党的势力增长。

行动党仍然是庄家，垄断市场

况且，现在，行动党仍然是庄家，发牌，出招，占有国会的绝对优势，做起事来还是很方便。并且，一直在嘴上说它在全国有60%的 支持票，仍然是大多数人的选择。所以，对于一个习惯垄断生意的人，一时之间，要想叫他接受竞争，挑战，改变生意手法，不是一件这么容易的事。要想告诉消费 者，垄断是不好的，垄断会抬高物价，一般消费者一时之间，还不能明白过来。况且，一般消费者，没有身受其害，还认为垄断是应该的。

因此，行动党才认为在五月大选中输掉一个集选区，不是个灾难，同时，也不必为此而讨好人民。这也意味着，在行动党的治理下，新加坡接下来将不会出现一个一味迎合民众要求的民粹主义政府。

市场力量，人民力量

但是，任何的机关算尽了，任何的垄断手法用尽了，到头来，吃亏还是自己。在生意场上，在股市，不是有一种力量叫着‘市场力量’吗？不然，政府投资公司，淡马锡控股怎么会把国库储备输掉，连账目也不让你看清楚呢？

既然在国际市场上，吃了亏，知道市场力量的威力，没有像新加坡一样的垄断条件，行动党政府就无能为力，国外的投资，真是无奈，不得已，又是鸡肋，看着UBS, Citibank, 还有好多的海外投资，不知何时回本。现在，只能说这是长期投资了。

虽然如此，在国外斗不过人，不要紧，只要在国内利用垄断地位，稳住外汇储备，依然还是可以利用人民的钱，再战国际市场。反正，内有内安法压阵，一时之间，也没有人敢跨越内安法一步，以身犯法。所以，这在算盘中，叫做‘买时间’，慢慢来，不得已的时候，再来废除内安法不迟。

时机未到，无需紧张

内安法的废除时机，在行动党的算盘里，现在还不是废除的时候。反正，在国际上，也没有人，尤其是我们的西方盟友，不会对新加坡是否会废除内安法大做文章。在国内，内安法这个法令还在，一般市民，已经习惯了，也不会起哄，而强烈要求废除内安法。

目前看来，内安法这笔生意，在行动党手中仍然是一门垄断性的生意。既然，垄断的生意这么好赚，为何要轻易放弃呢？能够赚多久就赚多久。反正马来西亚废除内安法，好处和坏处还看不到，说不定赔了夫人又折兵。不但内安法白白废了，国阵自己在选举中又得不到好处。

而且，现在离开下一届大选还有五年，这个时候出牌废除内安法，收到的效果，肯定不是很好。为何，不像往年一样，在选前大派红包，废除内安法在五年后也可以当成一个红包，送给人民，搞一个民主形象，那么，这个算盘，不是打得更响吗？

但是，世界上有永远的垄断吗？这个如意算盘永远都会在行动党手中吗？尤其是，行动党的所谓人才，将来的接班人，第四代领袖，能够继续垄断下去吗？他们能够继续利用旧方法，来垄断新加坡的政治吗？

机关算尽了，最后还是要输。政府投资公司，淡马锡控股的顶尖人才，你能说他们不会算吗？他们算到这样准，但是，怎样也敌不过市场力量，最后，还不是要被海外的市场力量所打败吗？回到国内，随着垄断地位的渐渐消失，人民力量的渐渐壮大，有一天，行动党也会被人民力量所吞没。

人算不如天算，行动党的命运，内安法的废除时间，只是时间未到，不是不到。耐心一点，不要操之过急，说不准，行动党比你还要急，只是苦在心里口难开。

Singapore Inc Is Built To Last or Built To Make Profit?

 否极泰来 means when misfortune reaches the limit, good fortune is at hand.

Selected old postings for GE 2015 旧论新报 2015大选  13

http://pijitailai.blogspot.sg/2011/09/singapore-inc-is-built-to-last-or-built.html

The ultimate creation of the first generation leaders of the PAP to Singapore is Singapore Inc. It is not about the economic growth, housing development, jobs and other achievements that the current PAP government keeps on reminding the people.

Singapore Inc is built to last first and then built to make profit.  If we are to be built to make profit, then a colony status or a semi-independent status like Hong Kong with a big brother protection may be a better solution.

Another myth of Singapore Inc under the PAP government is the need to have great and charismatic leader. This is why they keep on stressing the A team. There is only one team of top class leaders is available in Singapore and this team is from the PAP.

Guarding and destroying

This great leader theory has been implanted and practiced in our business and commerce, especially in the government linked companies. The recent appointment of Wong Kan Seng and Dr Lee Boon Yang as the chairman of Singbridge and SPH respectively is a clear example.

This kind of practice is to guard the GLCs and prevent them to make creative moves.  It is to keep their operations in line with the Temasek and government polices that are engineered by the PAP. 

There are many similar appointments with ex-ministers, retired civil servants, former military and police personnel at GLCs inside and outside of Singapore.  These appointed chairmen or presidents are just blindly guarding and following the PAP’s instruction but not the Singapore Inc’s – the wishes of the people.

GLCs are not only controlling our economy. In addition, it has discouraged the development of entrepreneurship in Singapore.  These GLC enterprises have co-operated with each others to prevent competitions. Look at the telecommunication sector, the transport sector, etc; one will see the true picture.  And we should question their existence is for the people or the PAP.

Singapore Inc is an ultimate creation and within it, there is a part called GLCs and the PAP.  However, they are not only obstacles to the growth of the country, but also act as destroyers to creative ideas and alternative suggestions.

The PAP is OR but Singapore Inc is AND

OR: You are either following the PAP or against the state.   The PAP always projects a wrong OR thinking in Singapore.  If you oppose the government’s policies, you are wrong. If you go against the policies, you are trying to create troubles and you are against the law.

If you want to have high growth, you need to increase the immigrants.

If you are a female and want to have a PhD, you will end with no family.

If you want to vote for an opposition, you will be served last.

If there are two A teams, the country can not compete with other countries.  So, we can only have one strong A team.

The OR is dividing Singapore as a country and we should consider the AND under the Singapore Inc.

AND - Both the PAP and the oppositions are present under the Singapore Inc.  Each has their role and makes contribution to Singapore Inc and the people. 

If you want to have checks and balances, you need to have a strong and effective opposition in the parliament.

If the government is listening and wants to have the real feedback, it must treat the people with equal no matter they are oppose or support the PAP.

If you want diversity, you should not allow the government institutions to be used only by the PAP.

The resources must be shared by different camps and people.

The AND is uniting the people and will build a strong Singapore Inc.

First-rate intelligence with two opposed ideas

“The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function.” – F. Scott Fitzgerad.

May be the PAP is not able to produce the first-rate intelligent leaders with two opposed ideas.  However, Singapore Inc is a larger identity than the PAP.  It is able to have two opposed ideas and is still able to function effectively.

Or, perhaps, the day will come when the opposite camp is able to produce first-rate leaders who are able to handle difficult questions and opposed ideas from the PAP as well as governing Singapore effectively.

This is the hope and aim of Singapore Inc.