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.

Powered by ScribeFire.

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.

Calvin & Hobbes by Bill Watterson

Calvin asks, "Dad, how come old photographs are always black & white? Didn't they have color film back then?"

"Sure they did," answered Calvin's dad. "In fact, those old photographs ARE in color. It's just that the WORLD was black and white then."

"Really?"

"Yep. The world didn't turn color until sometime in the 1930s, and it was a pretty grainy color for a while, too."

"But then why are old PAINTINGS in color?! If the world was black and white, wouldn't artists have painted it that way?"

"Not necessarily. A lot of great artists were insane."

"But... But how could they have painted in color anyway? Wouldn't their paints have been shades of gray then?"

"of course, but they turned colours like everything else did in the '30s"

"So why didn't old black ad white photos turn color too?"

"Because they were color pictures of black and white, remember?"

Later, Calvin says to Hobbes, "The world is a complicated place."

Hobbes replies, "Whenever it seems that way I take a nap in a tree and wait for dinner."

-----------

I like this story because it illustrates the point that truth is usually simple and lies are complicated. So the whole thing about Minister's salary - simply put, in black and white, is about greed and enriching the rich.

Or is it?

The explanation for why Ministers pay must go up is also simple: it's lagging behind the benchmark and if Singapore is to attract talent in govt, it must pay Ministers better.

Then all the arguments about why Ministers' pay must stay low are complicated explanations about altruism, sense of duty, national service, honour, privilege and all that.

Someone did an interview with David Marshall, former Chief Minister of Singapore and he denounced the high $60,000 and $90,000 monthly salary of the PM and the Ministers then (1994). See this link:
http://thinkhappiness.blogspot.com/2006/08/meeting-david-marshall-in-1994.html

He went on to say that he only made $8,000 a month.

But that was 50 years ago. $8,000 a month in 1957 dollars? Back then you could get a bowl of mee for 5 or 10 cents. Now the cheapest you can get is $2. That's 20 to 40 times more. Extrapolating from that, $8k then is equivalent to at least $160k now. And that's not too far off from the new pay.

So how should ministers be paid? Should they serve for the sheer "joy and excitement of public service" as David Marshall says?

Complicated.

I'll take and nap and wait for dinner.

What's the Best Government for Singapore

Where the Economy is run by the PAP, the trade unions is headed by the Workers Party, and the Town Councils are run by Chiam See Tong?



Just a question. :-)

Powered by ScribeFire.

MM Lee said that he understood the emotions associated with the issues, but that he found the fuss over the Minister's salaries "completely unreal", because there were larger issues at stake.

One might comment that MM Lee is out of touch with what's "real" if he found the "hoo-ha" unreal.

I think he moves and thinks at a level that most of us never reach. I say this with respect. But others would say the same with disgust.

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Bypassing Singapore

Malaysia is planning to build a 312 km oil pipeline to short cut travel through the piracy-prone Malacca Straits (Straits Times, 17 April). The pipeline would save about 2,000 km in travel. The plan is to build an oil refinery on the west coast of Kedah where crude oil would be received and refined, and then sent over the pipeline to the Kelantan coast where the oil will be distributed to other countries, notably China, which has an insatiable appetite for fuel as it develops.



Meanwhile, in another report (ST 17 April also), NTU researchers found that piracy attacks in the Malacca Straits have hit a 10-year low.



So... no need to build oil pipeline that would bypass Singapore, or refinery to take business from Singapore.



This is the Kra canal threat in another form.



Hmmm.... threat of pirate or terrorist attack on shipping, particularly oil tankers in the Malacca Straits, or threat of terrorist attack on oil refinery or a 312 km static pipeline? At least the oil tankers are a moving target, no?



Then again, Northern Malaysia borders Southern Thailand where there have been a lot of unrest. Again, a security issue.



And didn't Malaysia lose like million dollar shipment of Intel Chips in Penang to some daring robbers?



Then again, maybe it's best to spread the risk about. Maybe the terrorist will see Malaysian refineries and oil pipelines to be an easier target than Singapore's oil refineries and bunkers.

Powered by ScribeFire.