Oxford Dr. Thum on the Lees family legacy

It feels like everyone is going to view this interview clip. Below was my emailed response when someone pointed me to this interview:

Oh yes, I caught it earlier today courtesy of Tan Kin Lian on Facebook. What a clear thinker! But he was only looking at it from the slanted western point of view. We have to understand given Singapore's society what would not just work but also works best for us. That would on a risk adjusted and practical basis be modifying what we have bequeathed from LKY instead of a complete overhaul which we do not have the brain trust or leadership to carry.

What we can be sure of is that a two party adversarial system would not work here. As LHY as pointed out, we would need a better check on the abuse of power. Look at Tony Tan, he is useless for this (why is Lucien Wong the AG now?). In a few months the PAP will get a wake up call from voters if their preferred candidate loses in the prezzie elections.

38 Oxley Road: A Desperate PAP Party Newsletter

ST made a damaging mistake to publish a letter by a foreigner on LKY's house without first proving this person is qualified to do that i.e., the writer must show he understands Singapore and not just admire and be in awe of it.

If LKY had not asked for his house to be demolished, most of us would be happy to see it preserved. But he hadn't and instead asked for it to be torn down. How could we say no to him after what he had done for us? We KISS i.e., keep is simple, stupid. I am shocked the PAP government wants to go lower than stupid. ST has recently started to do the same and obviously acting the part of the PAP party newsletter.

But we are not so stupid, and they better heed Viswa Sadasivan advice above.

Google: Whatever happened to "Don't be evil"

That was taken from Bloomberg story: Why the EU Will Slap Google Over Product Searches.

The EU just announced that it is slapping Google Alphabet with a 2.4 billion euros fine.

If you are ang moh then these big US companies are just like Gremlins. They were innocent, cute and useful when much smaller and monsters when they become big and powerful.

If you are Chinese then this is even clearer, all these Internet giants are Goujians. That pretty much says it all about them. Of course the biggest Goujian of all is when China becomes the largest economy and a military power. Those who preached a peaceful rise of China are naive by ignoring basic human nature. Just stay around and watch Alibaba, Tencent, Baidu etc., also like Google becoming "evil".

I bet they didn't expect to get hit by the EU competition commission when they were planning their strategy for global conquests. This is the Anglo Saxon values up against European values. What is fair is not a helpful or practical way to approach such matters. After all it isn't about fairness but contesting value systems asserting themselves. 

38 Oxley Road: The PAP ministers and PM will lose

The PM and his ministers know they are going to lose to Hsien Yang and Wei Ling. At least they are clever enough to pull out a new score and sing a different song. The chorus will have this line repeated ad nauseam: we are not insisting on keeping the house. And at the end of the day that is what LHY and LWL want to secure. The end result would be as good as all the work of the committee gone down the drain, a shameful waste of time.

These PAP ministers must know by now the public sentiment is turning against them. Even the PAP internet brigade members are no longer left alone but receiving insults from others on Facebook. Just as we don't fight the market, you don't fight the voters. LKY carried the voters with him because a true leader is one who lead the people to a place where they would not on their own go. Since the current generation of PAP ministers are more managers than leaders, you better pay close attention to where the electorate is leaning. At least it appears you are smart enough to do that but I fear you are not good enough for the future of Singapore and you are only in government because we have no choice.

Link to article.

Update: 10:00 pm

Lee Wei Ling basically expected this. She has confidence in the people her late father helped shaped when he took us away from the natural and disastrous path of poverty and conflict to the modern Singapore of prosperity and harmony.

I bet Wei Ling always knew because she was a caring doctor speaking to so many ordinary folks through the years.

The whole Singapore is the true No. 38 Oxley Road. Get it?

Update: June 28 7:40 am

First thing I saw this morning on Facebook. Then on Whatsapp I received this pic. 

I wouldn't be surprised the public mood is turning against the PM and his involved ministers.

I hope they are not so naive to believe the internal poll.

Nitcharee is "back"

I first blogged about Nitcharee in 2011 and stopped following and writing about it after her family sued SMRT over the accident. Now she is back in our papers.

Then to raise $400K was a miracle. Today you will see quite a few crossing that amount at GiveAsia. We have become richer or more philanthropic. Maybe both.

Schools against helicopter parenting

Good thing my daughter is out of primary school. Her primary school years were very difficult. If a special teacher and I had not offered her a temporary crutch I can't imagine how she might have turned out.

That is taken from ST Wednesday edition. DAS is many years behind the curve. If I had relied on them, it would not have worked. No way she would have finished her A levels with perfect scores. As extremely careful observers we learn first hand dyslexia could come other vulnerabilities. Such kids need to be equipped and nurtured differently. They start slow but if you do it right they eventually catch up and can join the rest. 

38 Oxley Road: LKY was flexible

The PAP can have its point of view and with its control of the government is the most powerful voice save a spontaneous self organized voice like we saw which rose against the inane population white paper a while ago.

To me, I keep it simple and just simply put in my bit as an individual. It is not my job to ensure outcomes but to give voice to my rights as a citizen.

The late LKY was simply being pragmatic and practical. If the Cabinet had been supportive of his wish to demolish the house, there would be no second part about preserving the house especially that it only be accessible to his descendants. The Cabinet is chosen to represent us but it might not always reflect our wishes. If they fail to do that in important ways, the next elections results will tell. We might not even have to wait for the next general elections. It would already be indicative at the upcoming presidential elections especially if the PAP preferred candidate lost or were elected with a razor thin margin like Tony Tan.

So try us.

Update: June 24: 1:35 pm

On Wednesday the veteran journlist Han Fook Kwang wrote a story highlighting three key points of the Lee's bungalow. 

He suggested that there should not be a ministerial committee to look at this and on the same day got a rebuttal from Teo Chee Hean the chairman of the committee. I wanted to blog about it but was too busy. That was his second point

Today I want to highlight Han's third and final point seeing how the public kerfuffle has developed into the PAP government pushing even harder and the MSM supporting them to consider preserving 38 Oxley Road. 

The authorities did not like Han's views. I was told he was often dissenting and that is why Yes-man Warren Fernandez is doing his job now and he in turn got kicked upstairs. Look at what I have highlighted above. I agree with him and Han should know since he had interacted with LKY extensively over such issues preparing his books. 

Han's view has disappeared and what is published today are either questioning if LKY was unwavering in demolishing the house and the arguments favoring keeping the house as a national monument. Have they done a thought experiment trying to present such arguments to LKY had he been still with us? I imagine he would give them an unforgettable lesson. 

Even in the Forum pages they have decided not to pick a for and an against demolishing the house views. They only print a letter that is for preserving the house. 

It tells me that the government is wagging their finger at ST telling it to behave. 

Let's see who are the candidates for the upcoming elections for president and decide accordingly who I should vote for. No Yes-man or woman for the PAP which is what we now have in the Istana.