TR EMERITUS

As we enter the new year, I wish the lives of all Singaporeans and friends are improving steadily. As we suffered throughout 2020, we have also been learning and we should have by now a better idea of how to deal with Covid-19 and the New Normal created by it. With more knowledge, economic activities will pick up from the bottom and we will experience a technical rebound soon. We, Singaporeans are a tough people. Tough times never last but tough people do so we are down but not out. We are ready to fight another day. But the way we choose to fight the next battle is also very important. If the Government really believes that we are in a New Normal, then it should review its policies and strategies in more depth because more of the same kind of policies is unlikely to help us breakout from the New Normal. This is because even before the outbreak of Covid-19, our economy and society is already experiencing structural problems. With limited alternative information, most Singaporeans have relied only on the Government’s narrative to grasp the logic of situation. However, that is constantly at odds with the reality around us. With a closer look, it is not difficult to see that our meritocratic system has changed drastically with times. The so-called foreign talent policy has exacerbated that. Now, our meritocracy is no longer a social equalizer but a social divider. There is a need to revamp the system. I hope to actively present my ideas in Parliament on how to do that. I also look forward to your feedback and guidance so that our collective wisdom can turn the New Normal into a New Era for our country. I have no doubt we can do it. Hope this is reason for a Happy New Year. Enjoy.   *Facebook post by NCMP Leong Mun Wai.      Read More →

The last election you can see WP 4G taking over and LTK himself stepping down to make way for the transition. And what happened? His 4G team won another GRC. Pritnam the 4G successor was shown to be above his league, guiding WP and making further inroads. Mr Low is like Zhuge Liang from ancient times, he always managed to out maneuver the overpaid same old mentality PAPPY. Long sighted, brilliant and always manage to outflank. 1. The white party believed if they clip the few leaders with law suit re AHTC, the party will disintegrate. Mr Low decided to step down with Png, paving way for younger leaders to emerge. So even if Pappy clips the few keys one, the younger leaders will take over. So how many can they continue to clip? 2. Staying close to the people. Mr Low started this visiting the wake at the neighbourhood and this has always worked. And not to mentioned, each week, you see how hard their volunteers and also candidates visit the estates getting to know the people and the voters. PAPPY candidates and MPs always missing at MPS and not to mention never really see them on the ground. 3. WP has been seen the party which is pro Singapore and Singaporean, PAPPY on the other hand is a party that puts foreigners as priority. 4. AH-TC saga is basically a political sabo, most Singaporeans know there is no corruption. The real corruptions in other Town Councils were not pursued by the so called self appointed “independent team”. 5. WP has proposed many pro Singapore and Singapore policies in parliament but had been shot down all the while, giving no chance to implement their policies. 6. WP has fought for Singapore and Singaporeans but lost on votes to these over paid white MPs. 7. Claimed 4G is dream team and now says they cant take over!!! Ownself bs ownself? 8. White PARTY is a party of self-centred and old men party with no fresh ideas except talk down, insults and belittle Singaporeans with different ideas. If Singaporeans want a better Singapore, we need to vote WP and other opposition parties than to stick with the overpaid, run out of ideas and sticking to the old ways of doing things ie overpaying themselves, their cronies and focusing on importing FTs to grow GDP and their own votes. They do not have innovations nor ideas to reinvigorate Singapore in the 21st Century. Honestly, do you see it and agree with me?   DuGu QiuBai      Read More →

The only real story of the new decade is Covid-19. This little virus, which started in Wuhan China (even if some segments of the Chinese Communist Party might beg to differ) ended up becoming affecting the entire globe. Life as we knew it ended and somehow in between the shut downs, protest and so on, something else emerged that might resemble a new normal. Countries around the world got shut down because of the virus. Economies got battered and lives were lost. America, the world’s most powerful economic and military power took the worst hit thanks for managerial incompetence. Covid-19 effectively that the aspiring Alpha-Males of the global order were the worst leaders and the countries that did best were those run by women. Singapore was not spared. The government was quick to implement safe distancing measures and temperature screenings. Our infection rate amongst the local population was low and the government enjoyed basking the glory of positive international headlines. Unfortunately, the virus didn’t care too much for headlines and proceeded to expose one of the most shameful aspects of Singapore’s society – the marginalization of the foreign labourers on whose backs much of the economy depends on. The unsanitary conditions in the dormitories where most of the workers are housed proved to be ideal breeding grounds for the virus. However, in the process of dealing with the foreign workers, a lot of ugly things were exposed. The government stepped in to assist the dormitory owners “upgrade” their premises, despite the fact that the dormitory owners had made vast sums from housing workers in poor conditions. It was perhaps something of a coincidence that some of the dormitory owners were connected. On a personal note, I did get a forum letter published on why the government was bailing out a business that added no value to society and had profited from what can only be described as exploitation. My letter was quoted by an opposition politician and the CEO of the largest dormitory operator wrote a reply. My take is that the virus has exposed an ugly underbelly of Singapore. However, more needs to happen for Singapore and Singaporeans to understand that prosperity and things like care for the environment and not locking people from developing nations are not exclusive to each other. It was good that people were forced to understand that poor conditions that the workers faced could put them at risk and therefore the welfare of the less fortunate was no longer a charity issue but a personal interest one. Unfortunately, as the threat of the disease has worn down, the lesson seems to be forgotten or has lost less urgency. On the personal front, it was a surprisingly decent year. Being forced to stay at home was actually good for me. I dropped quite a few kilos and based on my last visit to a medical establishment, my blood pressure is normal as opposed to high or hypertense. My belt is now a necessity rather than a fashion accessory. I like that and I make it a point of walking more and walking up stairs. I’m not a natural gym goer but I am enjoying being healthier than I have been in sometime. For yet another year, I was sustained by work in liquidations. Despite my distaste and aversion to files and paperwork, I actually did have a good time. The main part of this is due to working with a group that I had, until now, never dealt with on a business level – the Chinese Ah Peks in Shorts. This is the group that makes Singapore tick. These are the guys who know how to look for opportunities. They had perfected what one call the perfect collaborative business model where individuals came together for a project, contributing their individual talents and then sharing the profits accordingly. My other big triumph was managing a PR project as part of a consortium of other PR practitioners and consultants. While my bread and butter were in the corporate morgue of corporate insolvency, the cream I earned was helping promote start-ups in the birthing pod of venture capitalism. It was good to play a role in helping boost entrepreneurship and I am grateful to my new friend, Mr. Ha Vu Huang, who lead the consortium of consultants as well as to my team mates, Mr. PN Balji and Ms. Kavita Balakrishnan. The main project is, of course this blog. Isolation allowed me to produce more and I am pleased that Mr. Mark Goh of VanillaLaw LLC became the first person to purchase the rights of one of my postings. I believe this blog is something I can grow and get a few more eyeballs. There was, of course the start of the relationship with TRemeritus, which now picks up my pieces and spreads them to a wider audience. I’m sure having my name spread to a wider audience can only be a good thing, though I have as yet figured out how to monetize things. On the family front, my little girl turned 21 and is officially no longer a little girl. She remains the main blessing in my life. She’s been a big help to me and I believe that with her around, the future, come what may should be optimistic.   Tang Li *Although I’ve been based mainly in Singapore for nearly two decades, I’ve had the privilege of being able meet people who have crossed borders and cultures. I’ve befriended ministers and ambassadors and worked on projects involving a former head of state. Yet, at the same time, I’ve had the privilege of befriending migrant labourers and former convicts. All of them have a story to tell. All of them add to the fabric of life. I hope to express the stories that inspire us to create life as it should be.        Read More →