TR EMERITUS

When I first took on work as a waiter in 2012, one of the people I hung out with told me that I should ensure that I was not paid CPF because it would reflect badly on my work history. This friend of mine also got upset when I told him that I did do things like use newspaper to clean the class door and he said that it would upset my family that I, as a graduate Chinese, was doing menial task. I bring up this conversation I had all those years ago because many people assume that because I had no qualms taking on a “menial” job in my late thirties, that I am not class or status conscious. As is often said, I clearly didn’t have the pride not to want to be seen doing “menial” things. This impression about me is actually wrong. I am exceedingly class and status conscious. I actually believe that there are “high” class, “low” class and “no” class people in. I can’t say that I don’t get impressed by external factors like how someone is dressed (“Cosmetics count” as an uncle and former boss used to say), wealth (who doesn’t like being around the guys who have a “good” life) and education (who doesn’t like being around witty people), the biggest differentiator of class is in one’s behavior, particularly in how they treat those they perceive to be of a “lesser” social status. I live in fear of being thought of as a “low life pariah.” So, I am extra conscious of being polite to the point of being meek whenever I speak to people like construction workers, street sweepers and maids. I believe that if I ever spoke like an “overlord” people around me would cringe in embarrassment of being in my company. He said it Best. One of the best impressions I had was of a former colleague. This colleague of mine is one of those chaps who is happily laid back and chilled out. His idea of “formal” dressing is a polo-t-shirt and he has no qualms about being known as “low-life-scum” (which he proudly told me was one of the email addresses he had). Yet, whenever I was around him, he was always polite. When we were served lunch at the client’s location, he made it a point to wash up (or in his words “don’t want them to think we’re animals”). His behavior was such that I understood him to be a high-class, well brought up person. By comparison, I have met people who have everything that I don’t have like money, brains and hair. Yet, instead of feeling envy, I’ve been so repulsed by them that I’ve been praying for the opportunity to take a baseball bat to them and then to myself because I wouldn’t know how to clean of being contaminated by them. I meet a lot of such people in the liquidations industry. One of the very worst were a group of directors of a former listed construction company (the type that gets government contracts). Everyone in the group was well to do (the least paid was the finance manager on a small salary of $8,000 plus a month). Yet, they were repulsive and I cringed every time I was in their presence. You’re talking about guys who thought were pretty cool to be able to feed the 60 over construction workers they had not paid for several months and left on the construction site with no food, running water and a generator for electricity – which only had fuel for a few days by the time they went into provisional liquidation (and they only paid the said $600 because we advised them that they needed to get the workers off their payroll). Working a “menial” job in my late thirties helped propel me into the leagues of the “class-sensitive.” I would notice that people who were nice to me but rather less so to my Pinoy or elderly colleagues, who were actually doing the same job as me. Unfortunately, there seems to be a casual acceptance of what you’d call “pariah” behavior in Asia, especially if the pariah in question has a bit of money to throw around or comes from a prominent enough family. I remember an Italian colleague at the Bistrot getting the shock of her life when one of our customers, who happens to be from a wealthy enough family and a good friend of the Bistrot owner, slammed her class on the table in her direction. This girl’s sister used to think it was a point of generosity to invite the chef out to drink her left over wine. It was, as they say, acceptable behavior because she had money and came from a “good” family. You could say that this is life. When dealing in business, you want the people with money to spend it with you, so you do what you need to do. However, that doesn’t mean that such pariahs need to be respected as anything more once they are of no use to the people who know how to speak human to each other.   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 →

Mr Goh Meng Seng Ever since I revealed that I will be leaving my beloved birth place SG soon, quite a number of people, some are just FB friends whom I have not met before, private messaged me. Some are curious where I will be going and whether it is for good? Some had tried to persuade me to stay or at least continue to do my Thrice weekly GMS Live Policy Chats. Some even ask how can they leave SG without being Vax....Some even ask me whether I will contest next GE. I have been in opposition politics for 20 years, having another 8 additional years of policy study, analysis and commentary. I have basically given all my prime years to policy and politics. It is about time to reset my priorities shifting away from public to more personal and family focus. Whether we like it or not, the political landscape is extremely limited and only PAP LITE/Like opposition parties are acceptable to majority Singaporeans' appetite. Singaporeans are after all, trained to focus on economic materialistic gains and stability rather than more ideological pursue of a vibrant diversity with vigorous checks and balances supported by effective institutional Separation of Powers. Token opposition to make meek noises in Parliament is all they need. As Singaporeans are not trained in critical thinking from young, even less on politics other than PAP's self glorification propaganda, group thinking is the main stream in Singapore. Everything will work perfectly well in normal prosperous times but when a great crisis just befallen on us, even the supposed Ruling Elites wouldn't know how to react and handle. This is because, this is something "out of the norm", not something taught in text books or with any viable SOP. PAP is extremely good in politicking and tweaking the laws by never ending tightening its grip on power. They are even better in propaganda and manipulating public opinions. However, when the imminent enemy is not human but a microscopic virus, no amount of propaganda or gripping of power via manipulation of laws will help them. The incompetency will just be exposed numerous times throughout this period. The more threat PAP faced from this tiny virus, the more anxious they are in tightening their grip on power by destroying all adversaries from individual dissidents, activists, alternative social media and eventually, the opposition politicians. When PAP slowly lose their credibility and public trust by their incompetent mismanagement of Covid crisis, the more they will need to destroy their adversaries, so that whoever left to contest against their power, will be mediocre or mild players with no alternative media to help them in next elections. Although I have made progress in upping my own political profile during this period of time but it will be just a matter of time they will turn their guns against me. They have strengthen their legal ammunition with POFMA, FICA and if these are still insufficient, ISA will always be the last resort. On the other hand, Singaporeans will forever that docile. I love my fellow Singaporeans but I will never put any hope on them to stand up against PAP's tyranny. Thus, I do not think there is any meaningful reasons for me to continue in opposition politics unless I am prepared to sacrifice my political principles and vision, just play along as a court jester by being just a meek voice in Parliament. In Chinese, that is called 政客混饭吃. I can only see decline in Singapore as the system has failed to produce the vibrant environment necessary for real good leaders to nurture. Rent Seeking is just too rampant which will turn meritocracy into a mythical bluff of delusions. The current leaders' mediocrity is just the beginning of the great decline. I may continue to do Live Chats in future but will refocus to things from my other interests, beside policy and politics. I may even give Dharma or Spiritual talks if I have the time! But the main priorities will be starting new businesses, earning more money, traveling more to see the world etc. The World is my oyster. I shall no longer restrict myself to this tiny Red Dot anymore. Hopefully before I reach 70, I can enjoy my last golden period fullest and retire with greater wisdom to achieve Nirvana. Living a life once is good enough, don't want to live any more lives in this universe anymore.   Goh Meng Seng      Read More →

Singaporeans have been groomed by the system to submit to anything. The system is designed to nurture Singaporeans into YES-MEN and take everything without questions. We can see from daily examples how many Singaporeans will accept everything without any kind of critical thinking. The worst ones even defend lousy policies and insist Singapore is better than Malaysia. Don't you think this is a very strange country? Our leaders paid themselves astronomically while citizens struggle and we are told to keep cost low for business. We accept this to help the country but why do they pay themselves this much? We were told we need foreign talent as we are not as talented, in come all kind of third world inferior talents coming from unknown schools taking up good jobs and locals are told to downgrade and retrain as PHV driver, food delivery and hawker. We also accept this policy and many local PMETs are forced to downgrade to menial jobs after 30s and 40s. We were told every school is good school but no minister send their kids there, they are sent abroad to prestigious college or top schools in Singapore. We were told CPF is amongst best fund in the world but ironically we were told we cannot count on it to retire. We were constantly reminded to top up ourselves or ask our kids to top up. We were told HDB $1000 can buy HDB but $1000 can't even secure a loan. We were told HDB is for living and not speculation but BTO prices are pegged and forever escalating. There are thousand of such samples, but Singaporeans accept the ironies and hypocrisy and vote for the incumbent again and again.   Reboot      Read More →