I like to marvel at old photos especially those in the 60s or 70s and to see the stark differences of the then Singapore and what we have today. While at the Marina Barrage on a weekend, I come across a series of old photos which set me thinking. I saw old pictures of PAP ministers and MPs sweeping floors in some campaigns or at the beach picking litters with their entourage of supporters.
I also noted that most of the ministers and MPs were in their white and white signature color of PAP. They stand out among the entourage of people and very clearly, I supposed that whiteness shined through the masses. Whiteness signifies purity and integrity and it is on that platform the Party stands firm on. In the period of late 50s and 60s, the distinction to PAP is important as we need to carve a mental impression in the mind of the electorate as these were turbulent times, with literal mess and corruptions, and that PAP must prevails against all other distractions of the times.
As we become the incumbent party in the national politics, we are seeing less and less of the white and white because we do not wish to be seen. Some claims that the Party White made them look like school boys, while other shied from the white-white because it is uncool. Probably, I am reminiscent of the past but I think white-white is the best signature of our Party and it should be visible every time we are in our rounds - be it in market or house visits and key functions. The clutters and distractions are even more in this era of internet connectivity and the more the Party should take one of the many avenues to show the constituents that we are after all still the same party, holding the same values of purity and integrity.
Let us stand up in white and be counted.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Do We Really Want to Help All in the MPS?
Meet the People Session is really for PAP to have an outreach to its constituents. For the politicians who is manning the Meet the Peoples' Session, as long as they are our constituents in the division, an extended hand is also given - sometime given in clenched fist, sometime open but never to push away a hand. Clenched because the constituents are asking with unreasonableness.
I have seen cases where a man of 50s asking for more social benefits as he claimed that the $250 a month is not enough for him since he has to smoke a pack a day. How is the case dissimilar to the middle class man asking to keep his maid and car. Only in magnitude but the same unreasonableness prevails.
We try to help each night a week, cases, some of which are very genuine and really in need of help, some of which are really mundane, petty requests and some totally unreasonable. We'll deal deal with them, one on one, case by case - with empathy.
I have seen cases where a man of 50s asking for more social benefits as he claimed that the $250 a month is not enough for him since he has to smoke a pack a day. How is the case dissimilar to the middle class man asking to keep his maid and car. Only in magnitude but the same unreasonableness prevails.
We try to help each night a week, cases, some of which are very genuine and really in need of help, some of which are really mundane, petty requests and some totally unreasonable. We'll deal deal with them, one on one, case by case - with empathy.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Our Future, Our Dreams, Our Hopes
Though our economy is set to flow
Today’s grim state made people’s morale low
In the PAP, each plays our part
At MPS, we go console the hearts
Telling the broken hearted
Or those with visions shrouded
That help will be rendered
Surpluses, O’ our treasury cannot be plundered
just to save the few
but help is rendered to those deserving their due;
Homeless and those who are ill
will not be burdened with high bills
Mean testing or not
Singaporeans will not be forgot
At rising tide,
And rising above the hillside
A dragon lies along its slope
On his ascent, giving new rays of hopes
Then the dreams of men of herds
with hopes like the soaring birds
will pray and wish
That our sea of opportunities is filled with fish
Enough for all
Striving and thriving for more
For we shall build, a cosmopolitan and a great city
Away from the gloom, doom and self pity (of today)
Today’s grim state made people’s morale low
In the PAP, each plays our part
At MPS, we go console the hearts
Telling the broken hearted
Or those with visions shrouded
That help will be rendered
Surpluses, O’ our treasury cannot be plundered
just to save the few
but help is rendered to those deserving their due;
Homeless and those who are ill
will not be burdened with high bills
Mean testing or not
Singaporeans will not be forgot
At rising tide,
And rising above the hillside
A dragon lies along its slope
On his ascent, giving new rays of hopes
Then the dreams of men of herds
with hopes like the soaring birds
will pray and wish
That our sea of opportunities is filled with fish
Enough for all
Striving and thriving for more
For we shall build, a cosmopolitan and a great city
Away from the gloom, doom and self pity (of today)
Singaporeans' Cries
Singaporeans’ Cries
O desolate!
When will our shivers abate?
O desolate! Is this the same of 1929?
80 years on, the financial meltdown of 2009!
How much cringes and pains we can endure further?
One infliction after another
Unemployment reigning high
So many of our unemployed cry and sigh
Reform, we must and be amendable
Our frame of mind, attitude must now be flexible
Expectations must be managed and be ready to spur
Upgrade for long term and not short spurts
Otherwise, we’ll be blown with the dust.
I see showers bringing rainbow
though strong winds still coldly blow
Most of us standing quivering
with fear of unemployment or how we are recovering
Sing nothing of good old days
Because seasons come and pass away
It is easy to pile up sorrow new
And cry of days now out of view
Crying with our voice shrill and high
And strain all days our eyes
What can we do from day to day?
But to chase our fears away
The fickle wind still blows
Confidence in ourselves must silently grow
2009: Singaporean Fresh Graduates Face Grim Prospect in Global Slowdown
1. Fresh graduates face a grim and uncertain job market as a global slowdown seizes the worldwide economy. Increasingly companies are taking a wait-and-see attitude and pending how the first half of 2009 will turn out, many positions are either frozen or curtailed for austerity and cost cutting reasons. For those fresh graduates, the buffet of job choices will also be limited since many industries are going into tailspin especially the manufacturing and financial industries.
The retrenched workers under 30s are not unique. We know of companies doing top rightsizing at the senior management level to drastically cut cost leaving their subordinates to take over role which may cost less than half what their bosses used to be paid. Hence for this season of job losses, the collateral damages is more widespread and deep and it cuts at all levels. Non-performing individuals will be cut and those holding on to their jobs will see themselves embracing more roles, functions and responsibilities.
To get a job is difficult and the job search can last between 1-3 months now especially in the first quarter because of Chinese New Year effect (general slowdown in businesses and lackadaisical work pace) and how the last quarter of 2008 has affected the overall mood of business. On a seasonally adjusted, annualised quarter-on-quarter basis, real GDP fell by 12.5 per cent in fourth quarter of 2008 which is a serious dampener.
The slowdown in manufacturing and financial sectors coupled with the credit crunch will spread to the domestically-oriented segments of the economy, such as property, retail, service and business service leaving job seekers with poorer prospects. Sectors which are hiring are in the transport service sector, offshore and marine and some niche R&D engineering areas as far our order books are concerned. Rest of the industries are in limbo state.
Pay and employment terms will see some adjustments and job-seekers should be more amenable to such changes as the absorption of such job-shock will bridge them to another possibility and opportunity. Job seeker can consider cross industry move or functional role change.
2. Increasingly companies are also hiring on temporary basis even at management level since they want work done but stay clear of further commitment to workers in uncertain times. Temporary and contract job generally will increase as this is a natural way to steer clear of entitlements and benefits costs at such uncertain times. Job seekers should not see this as an assault to their professionalism or that such interim job arrangement will not lead to any good. They should consider them as long as the job contents fit their skills.
3. The shoot up of unemployment for those in the 30s should not be exceptionally high as I see a more broad level cut which will be wide and deep and will cut through many levels including senior management. Hence it is not age specific.
4.Having more restive young who are unemployed will be disastrous like China with its billion population is struggling with their unemployed graduates. The impacts will be both at the societal and political dimensions. China has more than economic reasons to fear surging graduate unemployment which at the end of 2008 about 1 million of that year's graduates had not found work. In Singapore, the effect is somewhat lessened but nonetheless painful. The government encouraged the embarkation of tertiary education and many paid steeply for their degrees especially those private students. Graduating without a prospect of job will be exasperating for them.
The retrenched workers under 30s are not unique. We know of companies doing top rightsizing at the senior management level to drastically cut cost leaving their subordinates to take over role which may cost less than half what their bosses used to be paid. Hence for this season of job losses, the collateral damages is more widespread and deep and it cuts at all levels. Non-performing individuals will be cut and those holding on to their jobs will see themselves embracing more roles, functions and responsibilities.
To get a job is difficult and the job search can last between 1-3 months now especially in the first quarter because of Chinese New Year effect (general slowdown in businesses and lackadaisical work pace) and how the last quarter of 2008 has affected the overall mood of business. On a seasonally adjusted, annualised quarter-on-quarter basis, real GDP fell by 12.5 per cent in fourth quarter of 2008 which is a serious dampener.
The slowdown in manufacturing and financial sectors coupled with the credit crunch will spread to the domestically-oriented segments of the economy, such as property, retail, service and business service leaving job seekers with poorer prospects. Sectors which are hiring are in the transport service sector, offshore and marine and some niche R&D engineering areas as far our order books are concerned. Rest of the industries are in limbo state.
Pay and employment terms will see some adjustments and job-seekers should be more amenable to such changes as the absorption of such job-shock will bridge them to another possibility and opportunity. Job seeker can consider cross industry move or functional role change.
2. Increasingly companies are also hiring on temporary basis even at management level since they want work done but stay clear of further commitment to workers in uncertain times. Temporary and contract job generally will increase as this is a natural way to steer clear of entitlements and benefits costs at such uncertain times. Job seekers should not see this as an assault to their professionalism or that such interim job arrangement will not lead to any good. They should consider them as long as the job contents fit their skills.
3. The shoot up of unemployment for those in the 30s should not be exceptionally high as I see a more broad level cut which will be wide and deep and will cut through many levels including senior management. Hence it is not age specific.
4.Having more restive young who are unemployed will be disastrous like China with its billion population is struggling with their unemployed graduates. The impacts will be both at the societal and political dimensions. China has more than economic reasons to fear surging graduate unemployment which at the end of 2008 about 1 million of that year's graduates had not found work. In Singapore, the effect is somewhat lessened but nonetheless painful. The government encouraged the embarkation of tertiary education and many paid steeply for their degrees especially those private students. Graduating without a prospect of job will be exasperating for them.
Hopes
Like dreary dreams or rude awakenings
What is really happening?
The night seems so long; many a dream wreaked
Hoping for a light; when will the day break?
To this mad, mad world
Turning all so cold.
Jobs are scarce and fears run wild
Trepidation made confidence turned sour
Will it be me?
Or when will my turn be?
Preemptive retrenchment or whatever it will be
Pray it will not be me.
My Singapore dream has slide from hill to hill
Falling so low and falling still
Will the end be near?
I feel so sad and drear.
Be not afraid so the guru said
In hard and harsh time, heroes are made
The world still belong to those who can adapt fast
This time is bad but it will not last
Unlearn, adapt and relearn new skills
That will lead you to the new hills
Where you can see that the sky is still vast
Over the low hill there are still green grass
As in all new year, I'll get contemplative and reflective and I like to share my musings on what came and what is to come.
I have a favorite song by Baz Luhrmann - Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen) that almost always inspire me whenever I hear it. It talks about walking the journey and not regretting. We are at a times when the world is looking bleak and everyday when we flipped the newspapers, it made us worried about tightening credits on car loans or some large car companies in US imploding big time. Or you walk around seeing people sighing about the bad economy or pundits quoting that our Singapore economy will contract 2% in 2009 and daylight will not be seen through the year.
Click here to see the video.
Click here to see and listen on youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTJ7AzBIJoI
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, wear your sunscreen and sit tight would be it. Enjoy the moment where oil price plunge to below $40 a barrel and your electricity bill to be cut by 25% next January. Your package of rice may not be as expensive as 6 months ago and that you can buy a COE for $2. This are unprecedented times and we are living in the age where many years later, generations will talk about this like in 1929. Wear your sunscreen and do not look at the glare of bad and sad news because that will only bring you down.
Don't worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as wishing that it does not rain after you give your car a nice wash. Start to be prudent now and you may pick good bargain prices now with some equities or things of value which may make you richer when the times improves. This is like mah-jong game where the wealth at the table is being redistributed at each throw of dice. Sometime you win, sometime you lose but the money moves around. Probably to the smarter ones who know when and where to buy and wealth will go their way.
There are not many windows of opportunity to strike it. Most of us probably have never seen Citi's price hitting at $3.77 or GM trading at $2.79. These are trying time and to the braves, this is the time to charge.
Do one thing everyday that scares you
Don't waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind…the race is long, and in the end, it's only with yourself. Take this time to reflect, re-organize and map out your life. 20 years later, you may regret that you did not capitalize this moment to do sometime big.
Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life now…the most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 60 year olds I know still don't.
Congratulate yourself that we are born in a momentous times - with the financial melt-down that equals if not worst then 1929 and that US has its first black president Barack Obama.
Brother and sister (I learn this from Lim Swee Say) together we'll make it through and 10 years later when we look back, at least we can say that we are a part of this important tract in history.
This is the season to get to know your parents, you never know when they'll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.
Understand that friends come and go,but for the precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.
Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old, and when you do you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable and cheap, politicians were noble and children respected their elders. Even if this nightmare of a financial meltdown is affecting us, it can only be a long nightmare. Day will break and when we open our eyes, the sun will still rise and we'll realize that it will be a beautiful day as long as we can always have a beautiful mind.
So take this new year to love your elders, siblings and friends.
I have a favorite song by Baz Luhrmann - Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen) that almost always inspire me whenever I hear it. It talks about walking the journey and not regretting. We are at a times when the world is looking bleak and everyday when we flipped the newspapers, it made us worried about tightening credits on car loans or some large car companies in US imploding big time. Or you walk around seeing people sighing about the bad economy or pundits quoting that our Singapore economy will contract 2% in 2009 and daylight will not be seen through the year.
Click here to see the video.
Click here to see and listen on youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, wear your sunscreen and sit tight would be it. Enjoy the moment where oil price plunge to below $40 a barrel and your electricity bill to be cut by 25% next January. Your package of rice may not be as expensive as 6 months ago and that you can buy a COE for $2. This are unprecedented times and we are living in the age where many years later, generations will talk about this like in 1929. Wear your sunscreen and do not look at the glare of bad and sad news because that will only bring you down.
Don't worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as wishing that it does not rain after you give your car a nice wash. Start to be prudent now and you may pick good bargain prices now with some equities or things of value which may make you richer when the times improves. This is like mah-jong game where the wealth at the table is being redistributed at each throw of dice. Sometime you win, sometime you lose but the money moves around. Probably to the smarter ones who know when and where to buy and wealth will go their way.
There are not many windows of opportunity to strike it. Most of us probably have never seen Citi's price hitting at $3.77 or GM trading at $2.79. These are trying time and to the braves, this is the time to charge.
Do one thing everyday that scares you
Don't waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind…the race is long, and in the end, it's only with yourself. Take this time to reflect, re-organize and map out your life. 20 years later, you may regret that you did not capitalize this moment to do sometime big.
Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life now…the most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 60 year olds I know still don't.
Congratulate yourself that we are born in a momentous times - with the financial melt-down that equals if not worst then 1929 and that US has its first black president Barack Obama.
Brother and sister (I learn this from Lim Swee Say) together we'll make it through and 10 years later when we look back, at least we can say that we are a part of this important tract in history.
This is the season to get to know your parents, you never know when they'll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.
Understand that friends come and go,but for the precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.
Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old, and when you do you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable and cheap, politicians were noble and children respected their elders. Even if this nightmare of a financial meltdown is affecting us, it can only be a long nightmare. Day will break and when we open our eyes, the sun will still rise and we'll realize that it will be a beautiful day as long as we can always have a beautiful mind.
So take this new year to love your elders, siblings and friends.
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