Haze: Shanmugam suggests stoicism

You can sense the minister's palpable frustration. If I may summarize him in one line his government is basically telling us to bear with this. That must be the meaning of being a price taker isn't it? I can't think of anything else. The citizens' response would be either to live with it or criticize him and Vivian B. for not doing an adequate job. For me? I just want the problem solved. If it can't be done today or tomorrow perhaps next year. The blame game is a fool's game played by idiots who don't know what this world is like.

We weren't always price takers e.g., New Water.

All problems can be solved with enough time, resolve and imagination.

In dealing with others in a world where only self and mutual interests matter, leverage is the most important asset. If you don't have it you are at their mercy.

How do we achieve leverage with the relevant local government in Indonesia is what me must do. This is the reality of the post Suharto regime. Why have we not learned?

Don't bother to take up Vivian B silly suggestion of shaming the companies involved. That's a ridiculous keen jerk reaction. Do you know these companies cost-benefit calculations of clearing land by fire? What if they don't directly make consumer products? Remember Singapore is a small market. I better stop here because I am starting to prove as per one of  my earlier posts that Vivan B is an under performing minister.

This year's haze season is in progress, we must cast our sight further and think of next year and beyond so that it does not happen again.

Meanwhile what ministers must do is tell us how long this will go on, how bad it might become and what we can do to mitigate the misery. To demand clear skies tomorrow is an impossibility.

Update: 8:50pm

Thanks David Low who left a couple of comments with the links which I pursued. He suggested that Vivian Balakrishnan to follow up on these information. Look at how the Internet have leveled the playing field between officials and the rest of us.

Link: http://regional.kompas.com/read/2013/06/19/17123823/Ada.26.Titik.Panas.di.Jambi

The red handed folks at the top. They should come over here and deeply inhale the air they sanctioned. We can stand by emergency respiratory facilities in case they fall sick. I am sure many people in bad health are suffering and some might even have died as a result.

http://barito-pacific.com/index.php/about/index/9

http://barito-pacific.com/index.php/about/index/8

Update: 9:05pm

PSI hit a record 290. I know there will be some people out there who feel like killing those responsible especially if they see how some of their loved ones are suffering. Sigh!