Dealing with Govt is a pain.

Bernie Ecclestone candidly said that he found dealing with the Singapore Govt, a pain. Mahathir had previously said that Singapore Govt is also inflexible.

A glimpse into the back stage negotiations was given when it was revealed that at all stages the govt kept raising operational issues and questions that had to be resolved. I think businessmen like Bernie Ecc and Ong Beng Seng were used to shaking hands on the deal in principle and sorting out the niceties and details as they arise. Their personal relationship and trust would smooth over any bumps.

However with govt personal ties only goes so far. Personality is not a good basis for business with the govt. Mahathir and Abdullah are a contrast in styles and approach and Singapore's relationship with Malaysia, is more dependent on the personality of the Malaysia leader than the shared economic interests and potential for collaboration.

Similarly, on hindisght, the security of Temasek Holdings investment in ShinCorp could also be said to be tied to the personal influence of Thaksin, rather than on indisputable legal foundations.

The fact is that govt leaders changed. Sometimes as a matter of succession, sometimes a little more forcefully, like Thaksin. Furthermore, there is a tendency to treat the govt as the safety net when things go awry. That's when the govt will see its commitment and expenses grow beyond the budget.

So it is good and prudent to spell out the details of any deals clearly. Good fences make good neighbours. Good agreements make good deals.

Blogging for Change

There's quite a bit of navel-gazing and meditation going on as bloggers asks, "What is the point?" This after all the sound and fury did nothing to change the govt's plans to proceed with the Minister's pay hike.

One suggestion is to stake out your battleground and build up your support:
http://theonlinecitizen.com/2007/05/16/the-next-step-proactive-blogging/

But that's just tactics. The lessons just doesn't seem to catch.

Bloggers and political critics don't seem to get it.

For years, the govt did not agree to casinos. It was only when the casino option was seen as being necessary for Singapore's economic success that the govt reversed its position.

The govt had stopped motor racing, and even rejected a bid to host the F1 in Singapore. It reversed that decision when it saw how much Malaysia was benefitting from the F1.

The anti-gay laws on our law books have been there for years and the govt is still defending their anti-gay stance. But there are some evidence linking creativity to the "gay index".
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/IE17Ae01.html

And Singapore sees creativity as a major ingredient for Singapore's future success, so that means we may be reversing those laws soon.

So go ahead and blog about man's inhumanity to man (or PAP's inhumanity to man), and human rights, and freedom, and justice, and human dignity, and ideals, and nobility, integrity, and sentimentality. It will make for great reading.

But if you want to get the attention of the government, you got to show them the money.

New Sand, New Maids, World's fastest walkers.

British researchers have concluded that Singaporeans are the fastest walkers in the world, which is a proxy measure of just how fast-paced life in those cities are.

How did Singaporeans get to be such fast walkers? Like all things, training.
First of all, our MRT train doors are times to close almost immediately after opening. This gives Singaporeans only a split second to get into the train, so they have to move fast! even as they sidestep the commuters trying to get out.

Second of all, our pedestrian crossing lights all come with a countdown timer so you'll be timed as you cross the road. Surprisingly, we have received reports that rather than increasing the walking speed, pedestrian crossings actually slows people down. Numerous drivers have cursed these slow-moving cattle that cuts down on their turning opportunity.

Pedestrians who are usually capable of walking far and fast, sudden come to complete stops when they get on escalators and travellators. This phenomenon is still being investigated.

Anyway, the jaded Singaporean asks, what's the practical use of such a finding? It's not going to change my life!

Ah but that's where you're wrong sir!

Think about it at about 20m per 12 sec (the study found that we cover about 18m in just over 10 sec), the average Singaporean covers up to 100m in 1 minute.

That means that if your home is now within 500m of an MRT, the town centre or other public amenities, you can now truthfully claim that it is just a "5 minute walk" from those amenities.

1 km away? Just 10 minutes walk!

Buangkok Station could have been open earlier!

Newsand

So after Newater, there is new sand. Fortunately we don't have to shit it out. New sand uses copper slag waste which is from our shipyards where the copper slags are used to blast clean vessels. The used slags are used to replace sand for making concrete. Eco-concrete is expected to be as strong as regular concrete.

There are also other advantages. The copper in the concrete may mean that lightning strips may not be needed for buildings constructed with eco-concrete. Of course it also means those metal thieves could leave a gaping hole in your wall. You would also be living in a Faraday cage and your cellular phone signals may not get through.

Hmmm eco-concrete may be the ideal material to build future cineplexes!

New Maids
After Philippines imposed a minimum wage for their maids, Indonesia has decided to follow suit. At this rate we will have to come up with new maids to replace those.

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/robots/japans-makes-maid-robot-that-surprisingly-looks-like-gundam-not-a-sexy-lady-240846.php

Let's get some Japanese robot maids.

The worst investment ever!

Let's say you heard of a job opening up. It's contract work. 4 years. Pays $100,000 per year. Would you spend $10m to try to win that job?

Shift now to the US Presidential election campaign. The job is a four year term. It pays $400,000 a year. The two leading Democratic candidates are expected to raise and spend $500m each to win the presidency (ST 9 May 2007, "Cash fuels the race for the White House").

There are things not upfront in the picture.

Pipeline is a go

M'sia's PM has announced the $11b northern pipeline to shortcut travel through the Straits of Malacca is on. And this guy's not prone to saying one thing and doing another. Competition for Singapore is on!

But I thought I read somewhere that it takes 3 days to offload a supertanker (VLCC) and just 2 days to go down the straits. Well, it's an option.

I'm sometimes bemused by people's reaction to things that do not concern them.

Wong Li-Lin, a judge on "The Dance Floor" collected some money to give to a dancer she felt had talent, tho did not win, as the winner is determined by sms voting. (i.e. popularity).

She did no disparage the winners, but understanding the tough life of a dancer decided to encourage the one she thinks has the most talent.

That's like anyone of us giving money to a cause we believe in. Should you question the choices of someone who gives money to SPCA when there are elderly in need of food and shelter? Should you quarrel with people who donate to the arts when there are developmentally delayed children who could use the money for special education?

Choices.

So apparently, the blogosphere is dying.

http://diodati.omniscientx.com/2007/05/02/state-of-the-singapore-blogosphere-may-2007/

Must be the thinning Ozone layer.

Bloggers have bee closing down their blogs. The disappointment over the ineffectiveness of blogging as a way of changing the government's decision was the last straw, it seems.

It's unfortunate. Think global act local. Or in other words, give me courage to change what I can, serenity to accept what I cannot and wisdom to know the difference.

Too much courage, not enough wisdom and serenity.

So over lunch I was talking to my colleague about this. Perhaps, I said, this was all a conspiracy. By making such a big deal about this, and then dashing the hopes of the bloggers, the government had anticipated that bloggers would then curl up and die from sheer frustration and exhaustion.

Nah, said my colleague. The govt is smart, but not that smart.

Well, yah. Maybe not this time around, but the govt can learn. The next time it has a very controversial plan, it will first discuss another slightly less controversial plan, dash all the hopes and see bloggers die off. Then it will introduce the very controversial plan and not worry because all the critical bloggers would have died off! That's now a standard operating procedure for govt controversial policy announcement.

Those whom the govt seek to destroy, they first make mad with frustration.

Passion needs a climax to satisfy and sustain. Without a climatic resolution, there is dissatisfaction, frustration, and disengagement.

To endure in this, passion needs to be tempered with pragmatism, and wisdom.



Technorati Tags: singapore, blogs, singapore politics, conspiracy, minister's pay

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The influence of Bush

Okay, so George Bush is a lame duck president at this point in his presidency, but not even in the top 100? That's ridiculous!

Time Magazine list of 100 most influential persons in the world did not include Bush, but had Oprah and Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat) made it.

I may not agree with or like Bush. I question his intelligence and his religiousity puts him almost in the same fanatical league as the terrorists he is fighting, but as the president of the US, he still wields power and influence. Certainly as president of the sole superpower, his influence even at his lowest level is still higher than most people.

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You don't know what you're talking about!

http://singabloodypore.rsfblog.org/archive/2007/04/11/singapore-ministerial-civil-service-pay.html

Singaporeans will be Singaporeans. Whether in authority or fighting authority, they have the same response to foreigner's opinion that they don't accept.

When foreigners criticise Singapore's government or our way of doing things, the government responds by blocking the publication and telling them to mind their own business.

When a foreigner praise the PAP, anti-govt citizens tell the alien that he's just a visitor and don't know what he's talking about and to mind his own business.

I guess when you've become the thing you oppose (or use the same tools or weapons) they've already won.

And such ridiculous hyperbole: "People living on less than a dollar a day With no food, no home and no education is better than people living in social inequality with no justice, no freedom, no democracy, the rich will become richer and the poor will become poorer after
another 40 years of ruling."

It's only because you have food, a home and education that you can complain about social inequality, injustice, lack of freedom and democracy.

Or by social equality do you mean everyone is equally poor?

Youth is wasted on the young, and Singapore is wasted on the Singaporeans.