Hawker's big(-hearted) portions to NSmen

I love this story. To me this is true power, the sort even the powerful government do not possess. It is just extra special when a citizen does something like this. Previously I only had an American example and I would remember that forever.

I hope to see more of such and I know we must give ourselves enough time for them to grow. Help from the government doesn't have the same sweetness and power as sharing and giving among ourselves.

Not many of them make it to the media but I hope ST would be more predisposed to sharing them. May be Yahoo can offer some competition here. After all for only $50K you have been elevated to the high table.

Update: 8:15pm

I didn't have the time to complete the above post earlier. Continuing now.

I think the economic and labor policies of this government had created greater economic insecurity among the people making it harder for more people like Mr. Tan Bee Seng. Only exceptional people are still able to give when they have little or are insecure themselves.

Look at what the concentration of wealth had given us? Who doesn't know we have the highest density of millionaire households in the world?

What ESM Goh said is true but also wishful. After we have prioritize the economy at the top, most other priorities no longer get the attention they deserve.

No to MOE scholarship tea session

MOE really want to make sure we receive this. Sent a card to my daughter last week and email me this week.

Given her experience with most teachers and the system, she never wanted to become one of them. Of course there were exceptional teachers but they were extremely rare. When we come across them, we went out of our way to support such gems. We managed to help one of them to receive the highest award for the profession : The President's Award for Teachers.

The bureaucracy needs to do something about its overwhelming inertia to change. I think many bright young kids do  not want a career with the civil service. Many families these days don't need government money to go to university either. Increasingly they are losing the war for talent.

They must not confuse rearranging the furniture with true reforms.

Update: June 13, 3:50pm

My daughter just shared this with me. They are pulling out all the stops to get students interested to join them.

She added that those who are interested do not get invited, whilst those who aren't keen are keenly pursued. I thought to myself, this is must like the banks trying to sell loans and products. This is how the world is run.

Dengue is an incomplete story around numbers

To me this is a story of numbers that is not completely told. Two dengue deaths out of nine thousand cases and this is not counting those who had the fever but no measurable fever. Simple probability of no worse than 0.02% How do you think most people would think?

He would think the chance of falling ill to Dengue is small and it is likely that someone else who would die rather than him. To me this is what make the problem so difficult to eradicate. We have a false sense of safety.

What mozzie wipe out? The story and danger must be much better told.

And my simple probability calculations is wrong because it grossly oversimplifies the story. We are actually looking a situation with a potential of going exponential or in layman's terms ballistic. This risk is not widely made know to the population. Not a bad idea to frighten people a little with the truth.

We can't win this one unless we work together.

Update: June 11, 12:35pm

Heard on the radio this morning. The doctor advised drinking lots of water. The facts of Dengue infection is such that you can't confirm you have it until some days later and for some this is just too unfortunately too late. Also unless you are so sick to need equipment in ICU or high dependency, a hospital stay is not necessarily better than remaining at home. In the end, taking care of yourself is the best defense.

Others envy our healthcare system

One of those who has openly envied our healthcare system is the heavy weight journalist writing in Financial Times, Gillian Tett. This must have made our civil service leaders and ministers very pleased. But as we all know many of us worry about our future healthcare. TTSH CEO Philip Choo says it is unaffordable. Dr. Tan Cheng Bock is openly worried about its high cost. It is an excellent healthcare system for the likes of GillianTett and her friends. This is a system good for foreigners, the new global citizens who can afford it. It is also good for us if we can pay too but the prices are inflating.

Ms Tett is not a credible observer. Many of them write with authority on subjects beyond their ken. They bestride the world loving to tell others what to do. She ought to stick to financial matters and be more humble sharing her very good personal experience here; so good that it saved her life. She might not have lived to write this even if she were treated in America.

Meanwhile I am still hearing from lots of people that in Singapore that it is better to be dead than sick because healthcare is too expensive. Such misfortune hasn't befallen my family. End of life care for my parents weren't unaffordable but it had required my parents to make very brutal choices to had kept it that way. Although prices have escalated since my late parents' time I wonder to what degree patients and their loved ones were often asking for a level of care beyond their ability to afford. If too many of us approach healthcare with this attitude, it will never be cheap enough. Unfortunately we are no wiser from the OSC on something as basic as this. Meanwhile the right, important and influential foreigners continue to sing our praises; the government think us ungrateful and impossible to please. How are we going to get better?

MDA new rules: The Hong Lim event

Approximately 1,500 people showed up. Not bad if the number is correct but the number seems many times more online. Naturally.

In other pics, I see many middle aged and older folks. That is quite unexpected. Were they care free retirees? More there to observe than to stand up for this cause?

What happened to an aerial shot which they had in previous gatherings? May be that would suggest that far fewer than 1,500 people.

Personally I feel the government is not going about the licensing correctly. Neither are the protesters wise to organize this event. Stay online and you can still appear like an inflated puffer. Now that's too late.

Better to stop reacting and start strategizing. And remember majority of Singapore isn't with you. Not yet anyway.

Update: June 9, 10:30

CNA suggested 2,000 turned up.



And ST I assume when MICA did not intervene also do not try to show an unflattering pic of the event.

Specialists Leaders in the Civil Service

I think this is an improvement over how the civil service think and craft policies presently. There are better ways but the service like the oil majors like to play it safe. This will not take them ahead of the curve. Just narrowing the gap if the leading edge is not running away faster. To lead you often have to break molds.

Spend more time with the people and you will find that a lot of data you are collecting are easily prioritized and even discarded. Too much love for the intellectual challenge of policy making and too little concern for the people. Many of your ministers in charge also suffer from the same ailment. Even George Yeo admitted as much when he left politics. How can the service not get more and more disconnected from the people?

WP troubles from cleaning hawker centres

I haven't been following this story very much beyond the headlines, which is nothing but allegations of wrong doing, negligence or mischief. In fact, this wouldn't be newsworthy if it were a PAP town council.

Just as MSM had shown unusual interest in the first WP MPS after they won Aljunied GRC, it is consistent and right that this issue is given prominence too.

So who is in the wrong? I don't care now but I am recording it here (click on graphic to read the story) to review when the time comes. I would need to also refer to other stories I have missed.

Politics is dirty but let's not pretend to be cleaner than what we truly are. These men and women are chosen among us and we hope they are our better selves. Nevertheless the Whites are not whiter than white and as a matter of course I expect eventually learn that the Blues to show themselves less bluer than blue.

We must remember that a democracy do not guarantee superior governance. Its great strength is in checking the worst of behavior of those in authority and the peaceful transfer of power. In fact, democracy can often be an impediment to superior governance but that is akin to speeding down the freeway without regard for traffic rules, seat belts, air bags and even proper brakes. Do we need to assume absurd risks to survive and thrive in Singapore? The PAP urged us to trust their driving and navigation skills, which is not that good in recent times. The politicians never want to discuss such important issues with us. For our own and children's sake we must have this discourse away from the political arena. Shouldn't the President guide this if it isn't happening spontaneously from the ground? Not as a constitutional but moral imperative.

Few people judge leaders by what they chose not to do than do. Those who do find the characters they need to appraise very revealing.