It’s the End of Many Things

It’s the last day of the year and of the decade. Just before the clock strikes mid-night, many us will try to take stock, review the decade and ponder the possibilities for the next decade. I’m no different and this process becomes a bit more intense for me as at the age of 45, I’m at sort of cross roads of not being young and sprightly but not old enough to collect a pension.

I guess you could say that this was an interesting decade. I enjoyed two of my working life’s highlights with the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) and Management (IIM) events in 2012 and 2013 respectively and then I moved into a regular job in the Insolvency Business where I ended up becoming a man holding down two jobs after spending a decade not being employable.

It was also a special decade in that I adopted a small girl. Thuy, or Jenny first came into my life when she was seven and returned when she was 13. While she didn’t cover herself in academic glory, it’s been my privilege to watch her grow into a very focused young lady. She’s started working with me in the Bistrot and then moved onto work at Ce La Vie in the Marina Bay Sands. My focus in life is pretty much trying to see if I can build something for her or at least to see that she can build something for herself.

This year followed on from the last when it came to travel. I went off to Bhutan with Mum and her side of the family. Bhutan is amazing – it is what you call life as it should be – peaceful and close to nature. The country got me to understand that I need to get back to a more spiritual way of life. While the country itself is amazingly beautiful, I found the philosophy of Gross National Happiness (“GNH”) to be an almost spiritual one. Bhutan has understood that development and prosperity involve more than money. Bhutan, for example, puts nature as one of the key components of happiness. I got to appreciate this when I returned to Singapore that was going through a bad dose of the haze.

The other trip was to Macau was the girl. It was first time in a long while where I was in a Cantonese speaking environment. It was also the first time in a long time that I got to eat the most amazing food – my kid who doesn’t go for hawker centre food in Singapore, gobbled up every morsel of beef brisket. Our first experiment in Daddy-Daughter travels was fun and I think it’s worth continuing.

This year was also significant in that I left the insolvency basis on a full-time mode. Although the job paid me fairly and I did get a few bonuses along the way, I realized that I had no passion for being behind a desk and losing the ability to see people beyond the letters of some legal script was not something I wanted in life.

I’m still doing things for my previous employer but working more on contract basis and while I collect less actual cash, I have more peace of mind, with more time to myself. I also got the managerial title that my CV so desperately needed.

I can speak with enough pride at my first stab of part-time employment. I recently took on my latest PR project, helping Tata Sons get publicity for the Tata Crucible, a quiz program designed to sharpen young minds. I enjoyed getting back to press work and getting to know the Tata Group – my last encounter with them being to shake hands with Mr. Russi Modi, the former Chairman of Tata Steel when I was 14.

As well as rekindling old friendships in the Expat Indian Community, I am building relationships with the Emeriti community in Singapore. I had the honor of being invited to the Embassy’s National Day function on 2 December 2019. Incidentally, this was the second National Day Function I attended – my first was the Vietnamese National Day Function on 2 September 2019. Huong, my better and ruthless half got the invite from a friend and saw to it that my family, namely my dad’s older and younger sister went along for a good selection of Vietnamese food (as an aside, the Kid cautioned me not to mention to the Emiratis that I had Vietnamese family, because Vietnam recently beat the UAE in a soccer match).

The final note for this decade is perhaps this very blog itself. I started out blogging without a plan. It was just a hobby and an act of wonton ranting. Today, I’ve managed to gain enough followers for other people to be willing to be published on it and while this is not a commercial operation, my advertising revenue is now counted in dollars rather than cents. Blogging may never feed me but at least I’ve managed to bring this blog to a better place. Of the few things I’m certain about in my next decade, it’s the hope that this blog grows into something that more of you can enjoy.

Its been a fairly stable decade for me. However, in order to fully enjoy the next forty odd years, I need to take a few leaps and do more away from my comfort zones. However, with good friends and the warmth of family, I believe that the future could be very beautiful.

What’s Wrong with Technology?

I’m not a “techy” type of guy and it took a while for me to onto certain social media sites. My 20-year old often despairs about my lack of willingness to spend time on the phone. To a certain extent, I do believe that we can get too dependent on technology and one of the highlights of this year was getting myself to a place where I literally shut down my social media contact and enjoyed peace and nature. If you think about it carefully, humanity has survived and thrived without all sorts of gadgets, so there’s no reason to assume to that certain things are essential to our daily lives.

Having said that, I find it very unusual when people take pride in not using technology when the technology clearly benefits them. This is particularly true when it comes to finding your bearings in a different place and let us not forget that I am the man who came bottom of his Company during my Section Leaders Course in basic navigation.

For someone like me, apps like Google Maps are a God-send. The app finds you and tells you where to go. Only a deaf and blind person (as far as I know, apps don’t work in braille) would not be able to find their way with the app. Yet and yet, there are people who insist on not using the available tools to get them out of their predicament.

My most recent foray overseas was to Macau with the kid. Our tour guide didn’t know where to go and insisted on asking for directions in a language that a good portion of the population chose not to speak (English). It reached a stage where I told the kid to use her GPS as her overseas roaming plan offered her cheap data options despite being overseas. Needless to say, we had to sack the tour guide.

Technology does make life easier. While I do believe that it is necessary to be able to live without it, we shouldn’t ignore it especially when it’s in the palm of our hands and enables us to cut through the chase. In a time-starved world, shouldn’t we value the things that save us time?

I once went out with someone who got lost. We were going around in circles until I turned on Google Maps and proceeded to follow instructions. Didn’t please my travel companion but we got to the intended destination.

We have the tools to make life simpler. We should use them.  

The Place Where the Crusades did Not Happen.

Earlier this month, I bashed out a piece on the “Year of Tolerance” that was being promoted by the Federal Government of the United Arab Emirates (“UAE”). The piece, which can be found at http://beautifullyincoherent.blogspot.com/2019/12/in-praise-of-tolerance.html, argued that the UAE, had realized that in order to prosper in the post-hydrocarbon age, it would have to be open to the world and that would require tolerance. Hence, this collection of absolute monarchies took the brave step of promoting tolerance in a region not known for tolerance and just when tolerance was going out of fashion in the Western Democracies.

There were the big showcase events to show that the UAE had gotten “tolerance.” The year started with the UAE becoming the first nation in the Arabian Gulf to host a Papal visit. The main players of the UAE political scene took their chances to ensure that they were photographed with the Pontiff.

While the high and mighty of the UAE had their photo opportunities with the Pope, the question does remain – is there more to the UAE’s promotion of tolerance beyond the photo opportunities. The UAE is located in a part of the world which is not known for tolerance. Neighboring Saudi Arabia (which is one of the UAE’s closer allies in the region) for example, only just allowed women to get behind the wheel of a car and allowing cinemas became a sign of major progress. Across the Gulf, you have Iran, the world’s most famous theocracy, where a priesthood dominates society. How different can the UAE be?  

The answer is – very much so. Dubai is famous of the emirates is famous for being very open about many things. While the other Emirates are more conservative, they are also opening up. What was most interesting for me was to click onto the website for Gulf News (Duabi’s National Daily), which had a section dedicated to the photos of Christians celebrating Christmas at Churches in Dubai and Sharjah. Dubai is known for openness – Sharjah is not. The fact that the article mentioned that there are “Christian Communities throughout the UAE,” indicates that the UAE is more open to “other” religions that their geographical location might suggests. The Christmas pictures from Gulf News can be found at:

https://gulfnews.com/photos/news/in-photos-christmas-eve-mass-in-dubai-and-sharjah-1.1577206392077?slide=1

While the systems both Saudi Arabia and Iran might suggest that Islam is somehow the antithesis to having a tolerant society, the truth is less so. Mohammed, Islam’s prophet did not see himself as being the ONLY prophet of God. In fact, Islam recognizes the prophets of the Old Testament and Jesus is regarded as one of the main prophets. Mohammed did accord Jews and Christians privileges and protections in lands that he ran.

When the Crusaders marched towards what we call the Middle East, they found that it was the Islamic world that had tolerance for others and it had innovation and economic prosperity. Its only in modern times that the roles have reversed.

Nobody doubts that there will stumbles along the way but if history is any guide, the UAE’s efforts to promote tolerance and openness are correct. Islamic Societies lead the world in modernity back in the 14^th Century when they were beacons of tolerance. It’s worth celebrating the fact that the Arab World is looking back to its history and trying to learn the right lessons and if the Arabs can look back and understand that they were most prosperous when they had tolerance, the Western Democracies would do well to understand that they prospered because they have tolerance.

Stille Nacht

Christmas has come early – especially to people with more than one brain cell and a molecule in their hearts. Donald Trump, America’s favourite news-hog became the third president in history to be impeached.

While the odds of him being removed in office are unlikely (no Republican has indicated they’ll abandon ship) and his election victory looks likely, it’s good to see America’s system of checks and balances finally doing what they’re supposed to be doing – keeping a check on each other.

I’ll never get tired of saying it but my loathing for Donald Trump has nothing to do with being left wing or right wing, nor does his personal life really trouble me (a man who is on his second marriage should not cast judgment on a man on his third). I loath the fact that Donald Trump came into power by invoking the worst in people and has governed accordingly. I grew up believing that there were limits to certain things and the Nazi’s and the Ku Klux Klan were as bad as it got. I grew up in a world where the Americans saved the world from the Nazis. So, to have an American President fail so miserably to even condemn either the Nazis or the KKK goes against everything that I was brought up to believe.

While the man has been wonderful fodder for late night comedians (if comedy was the sole criterion in judging a presidency, I’d do everything possible to see that he gets elected in perpetuity), he’s tried to run an otherwise decent superpower like a thug. If Bill Clinton could get impeached (four charges) for “misleading” people about a blow job from a young girl – surely Donald Trump should be impeached for trying to strong arm a leader of a vulnerable US ally into investigating a political rival (two charges). The fact that he’s not denied it (remember, after the Ukraine, he asked the Chinese to investigate Bidden) should make this an open and shut case to any sensible human being. After all, the US constitution is pretty clear – the President should be removed for “Treason, high crimes and Misdemeanors.” If you can argue that “Misleading” people under oath about a blow job is breaking the law but can’t see that asking a foreign power to investigate your fellow countrymen (even if you don’t particularly like them) is treason, I’d suggest that rationality has escaped you.

The sweetness of his impeachment was further strengthened by the fact that “The Christian Post,” an evangelical publication actually called for his removal from office. The evangelical community, which has been a strong supporter of Trump for his appointment of “conservative” jurist and “anti-abortion” legislation looked like it was suddenly discovering what was like to be Christian. One of the articles from the Christian Post can be seen at:

https://www.christianpost.com/voice/convict-trump-the-constitution-is-more-important-than-abortion.html

Another article from the “The Gospel Herald” can be found at:

https://www.gospelherald.com/articles/62611/20160301/the-christian-post-editorial-donald-trump-is-scam-evangelical-voters-should-back-away.htm?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIlJCAxv7K5gIVmQVyCh2-zg_KEAAYASAAEgLaUfD_BwE

Reading these articles in these publications gives me hope that Christ, whom I argued was “God from the Gutter”, and stood by the poor andoppressed were finally discovering Christ and what he stood for.

Donald Trump, who is as elite as it gets and who has governed to enrichen the elite (tax cuts) and crushed the poor and downtrodden (who gives a shit about Brown kids at the border) has successfully conned the Evangelical Community (or the Evangelical Community has not actually been Christian) into believing he promotes Christian values. It was refreshing to see some Evangelicals starting to recognize that their so-called champion was as unchristian as it gets.

I have written on many occasions of the “Silent Night” incident during the First World War, when British and German soldiers stopped shooting each other across the trenches, crossed the lines and celebrated Christmas, before resuming the killing the next day.

If Christmas had the power to unite people in the most horrible of circumstances all those years ago, surely its time for us to ignore our differences and focus on our unity. Let us cast out the demagogues and at least pretend we care about goodwill to all mankind for a better world

God from the Gutter

In a few days, we will be celebrating, Christmas, the birthday of Jesus of Nazareth, who is the historic founder of Christianity. Of all the festivals in the world, Christmas has long since outgrown its religious origins and is perhaps the most universal of all festivals, celebrated throughout the world. One of my greatest Facebook postings is that of Buddhist monks wearing Santa hats in celebration of the festival.
I don’t really celebrate Christmas, unless I’m in Germany with my mother. However, that does not mean that I don’t appreciate its significance – which is the fact that we’re celebrating the birth of God from the Gutter.

Jesus was perhaps the first “God” in human history, who came from the gutter. Although we’ve attributed glory to him for the last two thousand years, his entire life story, was about suffering and misery. We are, as they say, talking about a man who was born with the animals in the stable.

Anyone who has ever read the Gospels, will see very see very clearly that Jesus stood with the poor and the downtrodden. He’s interest was never in one’s material possessions he made it clear that the only way to follow him was pick up the cross (crucifixion being an exceedingly painful way of death). Unlike Buddha, who was a prince and Mohammad who was a businessman, there is no record of Jesus enjoying any luxury nor did he engage in anything that might give him any form of profit. God, as Jesus taught us, lived in the gutter with the downtrodden.

It’s worth remembering that Jesus was God from the gutter, especially in this day and age where the poor and downtrodden have shown themselves willing to throw “political Molotov cocktails” at the system. Donald Trump, who brags about how rich he is, was brought to power by a group that felt disenfranchised and downtrodden.

The downtrodden have always been with us. In many cases, there are people amongst the poor and needy who actually deserve to be where they are. I think of my so called “poor” friends who have begged me for a few dollars to take the bus to work because they’ve spent what they had on smokes and drink. There are people who would bitch and moan about how unfair life is and get drunk over it but they are not willing to take a simply job because it’s beneath them.

Yet, having said that, Jesus did have a point. Those of us who have “made it,” were blessed in more ways that we realise. I, for example, am not rich or even well to do by any means, but I’ve been really blessed. I’ve never gone hungry or have I been truly homeless. While I’ve never had a big salary, I’ve had the good fortune of having done interesting things. I live in a place where there’s basic law and order and safety. These things may seem small but they actually make a lot of difference to one’s life and you are, as they say, lucky you were born where you were born.

These blessings had to come from somewhere and I’ve found that you get back when you look after the downtrodden. I remember giving five bucks to an old man who was hungry and helpless. Turned out, it was a very good investment. That very evening, I got a night gig and previous clients started to entertain me again. If there is a God out there, he finds a way of paying back those who show mercy and compassion to the less fortunate

Jesus was a God from the Gutter. He taught us that divine glory was often found in the worst of places. This man, who wasn’t even able to be born with humans, ended up giving glory to millions. He was right – God is with those from the Gutter.

Good friends

By Miss Vee

Everyone, the center, always has lots of relationships around. There are people, fleeting relationships, but there are also people or relationships attached to us that follow us throughout our lives. Friendship is such a relationship.

In my life, everyone has at least a few friends. Friendship does not come from one person, it is sharing, understanding, understanding about each other. A beautiful friendship must stem from sincerity, innocence, carefree and trust. These may seem simple, but they are the deciding condition to start a beautiful friendship.

People are always afraid of loneliness, always want reliable people to be able to share and talk but also have to be alert and alert to those who want to touch their emotions. Well, it's bad if a friend sees you, listens to what they have to share, and then turns your joke into a joke. Friendship cannot be maintained without being pure, purposeful, or advantageous to one another. We can't call someone friend, we have to be alert to them.

Having two different people becoming friends with each other requires a lot of understanding. Because each person will have a different personality, although there may be similarities, the difference will still be huge. Understanding each other is not easy, it takes time to cultivate, there are difficulties to challenge and mature. Need to share, sympathize and help each other between two friends to make them understand each other better.

It is peaceful to have difficulties and there is always someone willing to help or when there is a silent person to listen and listen. It's also fun having the confidence to share simple things with us. And it's warm when someone always remembers our little habits so that when we go, they will care and be reminded again. If you find such a friend, you will feel happy and contented because you will not have to worry or face loneliness or fear before a boring life.

Friendship is a sacred and noble gift that we need to cherish. It has friendship to make our lives really meaningful. friendships, a spiritual pill that helps us stay strong in life or when we are having difficulties, please respect what you have and have.

The Words We Use

PN Balji, my former boss at BANG PR and the founding editor of Singapore’s Today Newspaper, used to advise me to “look at the choice of words.” His advice was based on the simple premise that you could tell a lot about a person’s intention and mentality by the words they used in their communication. He argued that any semi-educated person with a normal vocabulary would be able to express themselves in a reasonable manner unless they chose not to.

This topic always came up when it came to dealing with a client of ours that used to be owned by a monopoly. Their quarterly media and analyst briefings were inevitably about “educating” the media and the analyst community. Balji would consistently tell us – “Educate” means “Me, teacher – you student.” My mother, would add the cynical line of “Me, right – you, wrong.

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I have unfortunately come across more examples of the “choice of words.” Most recently, I tried and failed to explain to a colleague that the use of “Your Country,” was not the best way to talk to her junior, who happened to come from the Sub-continent. Perhaps it’s a sign that I’ve been out for the PR game for a while, but it was virtually impossible for me to get the message across that “Your Country,” was in fact offensive.

English isn’t the only language where people make unfortunate choices in the words they used. About a decade ago, the North African community in Paris blew up and rioted. When asked why, they’re reply was they were tiered of being addressed as “tu” or the informal French for you, a form which you use when addressing your junior.

The best part about observing the “choice of words,” is the fact that many people don’t realise the implications of the words they use. I remember my colleague who used the phrase “Your Country.” Her argument was simple – there is the country you are from and the country I am from. I suppose this is a reasonable argument made by someone who is from the ethnic majority.

However, it’s a different story when your part of the ethnic minority. I remember helping out an old lady when I was living in Petersfield. When she thanked me, she said, “I had lovely holidays in your country.” She meant well and I didn’t notice it but a friend of mine, who is half Nepalese said, “Gosh – that’s racist – how does she know what “Your Country is?”

I didn’t take offense. I may have lived in England for many years but I’m not an Englishman and I can accept that people assume that I am from another country. However, to my friend who is born and bread in England but looks different (he’s part Nepalese), being told about “your country” is offensive. His country is England and why should anyone else think so.

The words we use reveal a lot about us and the way we view our context. When you talk about “educating” people, you automatically assume yourself to be in the position of the teacher. When you talk about “Your Country,” you put yourself in an us versus them. One should always be mindful of the words that one chooses.

In Praise of Tolerance

About a month ago, I had the honour of meeting the ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (“UAE”) at function held at a law firm. The ambassador was on a mission to “sell” the UAE as an investment destination and as part of his presentation, he reminded the audience that this is the “Year of Tolerance” for the UAE.

I highlight this because “tolerance,” particularly when it comes those who are different from us, has been going out of fashion around the world. This is particularly true in parts of the world that used to pride themselves for having an abundance of tolerance. The Americans voted for Trump, the British voted for Brexit and here in Singapore, we’ve seen a growing intolerance against people from elsewhere, specifically proverbial darky professionals from other parts of Asia.

So, in this spirit, it’s very refreshing to have a country, based in a part of the world that is not known for having tolerance to be celebrating tolerance. The “Year of Tolerance” started off in February 2019 when the UAE became the first country in the Arabian Gulf to hosts a Papal Visit. Interestingly enough, in the preceding year, the UAE celebrated the “Year of Zayed,” which was the centenary of the founding President, Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan, who was known among his people as an exceedingly generous spirit.

While one might inevitably question whether the “Year of Tolerance” is anything more than a PR exercise, I find it refurnishing that a country based in a region that is not known for its tolerance, is actually going out of its way to celebrate tolerance, particularly in an era where the countries famous for tolerance are rebelling against being tolerant.

Why is the UAE going against the trend against tolerance? If you take the position that all governments act in their self-interest, you could argue that the UAE’s government has understood that its self-interest lies in being tolerant and open to the world. The key players in the UAE’s political structure, namely the Sheikh’s of Abu Dhabi and Duabi (the two key Emirates) have understood that they need to prepare their nations for the post-hydrocarbon world and the only way to do so is to be open to the world and in turn, the world will only deal with tolerant societies.

The UAE has some advantages in this respect. Within the Federal Structure of the UAE, there is Dubai, the second largest and second most prosperous of the Emirates. In a region where the economy is dominated by hydrocarbons, Dubai has prospered without much by way of hydrocarbon resources. Dubai is in trade terms “wide-open for business,” and is able to be an example of what happens when you are open to the outside world and have tolerance.

The second advantage that the UAE’s Federal Structure provides, is a certain amount of experimentation for policies and Emirati citizens have the right to live in the places that suite their nature. If you want plenty of hustle and bustle, there is Dubai. If you prefer somewhere less “brash,” there is Abu Dhabi. If you want to live in a place with mountains, there is Ras Al Khaimah. There is a variety of cultures within the borders of the UAE and people have the choice of living in a place that allows them that suites their nature.

How does this help “tolerance?” If you work on the principle that our values are personal and what we will or will not tolerate is different. If you want tolerance and you want people to have tolerance, you cannot force it upon people. You have to allow people some sort of comfort. In this respect, larger countries have a certain advantage in that they have space to accommodate different preference. People can develop at the pace that’s comfortable for them.

The UAE’s economy remains dominated by the hydrocarbon sector. However, it has also become the most successful economy in the region to diversify its economy without traumatizing its more conservative citizens. While the international media primarily focuses of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, the other Emirates have also managed to grow in this environment. In short, the rulers of the UAE have understood that tolerance is beneficial for society.

The UAE is right to celebrate tolerance and to grow it. While the UAE is by no means a perfect society, it has hit the nail on the head in its celebration of “The Year of Tolerance.” This is something that America under Trump would do well to remember. The parts of America that leads the world, namely on the West and East coast, have been able to be world leaders because they have tolerance and are open to the world.

A Singapore Terrorist or a Singapore Patriot?

One of my favourite internet friends, Mr. Gilbert Goh was called into questioning by the police recently. The reason was simple, Mr. Goh made the unfortunate mistake of allowing a “foreigner” (defined as not a citizen or permanent resident) to speak at a protest against “CECA,” a treaty which many Singaporeans feel puts them at a disadvantage when competing for jobs with professionals from India. Details of the story can be found at:

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/police-gilbert-goh-ceca-rally-hong-lim-ramesh-foreigner-12161404

I first met Gilbert back in 2012 at the launch of Publichouse.sg, a website that I worked for. While we’ve not met in person since then, we’ve followed each other’s posts. What I find particularly interesting is the fact that Gilbert had a fairly high-flying career in sales and when his career took a nosedive, he then switched and started helping those who had “lost” jobs and careers.

I don’t agree with all of all of his positions. I avoid viewing foreigners as a problem or blaming “too many” foreigners as a cause of social ills. I spent the better part of my life as a “foreigner” in someone else’s land and many of the opportunities I’ve had have inevitably come from someone from somewhere else. So, I don’t support things like the “Anti-CECA” movement that Gilbert champions. 

The problem for me is not the number of Indians or other people coming here – it’s the fact that our system has not trained people to find opportunities even in the bleakest of situations.

Having said what I’ve just said, I think Gilbert Goh is a good man, who is devoting his life to making life a little bit better for the less fortunate. He doesn’t limit his activities to Singapore. The man actually travels to Syrian refugee camps and does his part to make life better for the displaced. While I talk about things through my writing, Gilbert is actually on the ground trying to make things better.

Needless to say, this annoys the powers that be. My favourite Young Pork Guzzling Muslim Politician once said, “What is he trying to prove? The government is there to take care of the people and he’s just being a nuisance.” If you want to spoil the day of anyone overtly pro-establishment in Singapore, just mention Gilbert’s name and talk about the good things that he’s doing.

Personally, I don’t understand why this man frightens the powers that be. He is essentially a “social-entrepreneur,” whom instead of creating a profitable business, he’s creating alternative venues for social help. Take his most recent cause of raising funds for students whose parents could not pay school fees and thus their kids were not issued the original copy of their exam certificates. Sure, it didn’t make the Ministry of Education look good (a case of whatever they say, they’ll look heartless) but he did help put money into the system and helped the less fortunate get to the next stage of life.

Gilbert Goh is, as they say, a good man trying his best to make the world around him a better place. Some of his tactics may not be refined but his heart is in the right place and he is trying to help make life a little miserable for the downtrodden. Rather than trying to suppress him, the powers that be might well do to find ways of working with him and people like him.

It’s Not My Fault You’re Funny

You have to hand it to Donald Trump for having the innate ability to be funny. He is without doubt the best President ever for anyone in the media, particularly those in the business of satire. Comedians have been given enough material to last a lifetime. He is like one of those magic pens that writes the script as he goes along. One event from the Trump White House produces fresh material for every comedian in America and beyond.

You have to remember; this is the man who won an election on the premise that he was going to stop the world from laughing at the USA. He told the ordinary American that he was going to ‘drain the swamp’ and that he would stop the world from trying to take advantage of America. The world that was laughing at America would stop laughing once he came to power.

The American voters loved it. Unfortunately, they forgot that there are certain things in life which should not be said out loud, unless you need to cover for something. I think of men who talk about their size as an example. Do you really need to tell anyone how well you’re built down there? Or, I think of restaurants that call themselves “delicious.” Why do you have to use such descriptions – unless ………

Somehow, the American voter in 2016 failed to understand that concept of not having to say something unless you were compensating. Here was a man who had to call himself a “stable genius” (with no record to show he was) and “very rich” (while at the same time refusing to release his tax returns). So, what made the voters think that he would stop the world laughing when he announced that he would?

Trump is funny and he doesn’t realise it, which is a shame. The most prominent instance could be found at the latest NATO Summit in the United Kingdom when a group of world leaders (The British and Canadian Prime Ministers, the French President and what appears to be the Princes Royal) were huddled in a group making fun of the Donald. The Canadian Prime Minister was particularly audible in his comments of Donald Trump holding a “40-minute” press conference. The clip can be seen at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hne29xkUPbg

As predicted, a being with the fabulous ability to come up with nicknames for other people (think of “Crooked Hillary” and “Shifty Shiff” as prominent examples) couldn’t handle it when he was on the receiving end, and fled back to Washington DC, but not before taking the time out to call Canada’s Prime Minister, “Two-Faced,:” at a press meeting.

One would expect the leader of the most powerful nation on earth, or “the most powerful man in the world,” to be above most things. It’s like this – who cares what people say about you when entire countries come knocking at your door.

Unfortunately, Americans don’t quite understand that they are the strongest nation on the planet. While other countries, particularly China, India and Russia have grown in power and stature, America remains by far and away the leading economic and military power (US military spending is greater than the next 26 nations, of which 25 are allies).

So, how did America get so blind to this and voted for a man who talks so much about projecting strength that they couldn’t see the obvious weakness in the man. When the world’s most powerful military runs out of Syria, which has people armed with pea-shooters to send their troops to the Mexican border to fight an invasion of poor and unarmed people, you know something is wrong.

America is a great nation, and in many ways, the greatest in history. It’s achieved this strength by basing its national foundation on individual liberty and happiness. America succeeds because it allows people from all over the world to come into America to succeed. A strong Germany and Japan did not subtract from America but added to it and the same will be true of a strong China and India.

It’s such a shame that America chose to be elected by a man so weak that he’s doing everything to trash the things that make America so great. This is actually quite sad but at least the comedians have helped us laugh out what should be an obvious tragedy.  

Why do we need to Protect the Powerful?

I’ve just read a letter in the Straits Times forum that argued against the concept of tagging fines against a person’s salary. The main thrust of the writer’s argument was the fact that the rule of law should be the same regardless of the offender’s social economic background.

The article can be read at:

https://www.straitstimes.com/forum/letters-in-print/no-double-standards-mentality-have-same-penalty-for-same-offence

While I can sympathize with the writer in as much as I do believe that the “rule of law,” should be applied no matter the offender’s background, I do find it rather perplexing that calls to ensure the “rule of law” is fairly distributed inevitably comes whenever it involves giving the well to do less or making the well to do pay more. This particular letter wasn’t the only instance of this. I remember when there was a discussion on “means testing” government benefits. There was an almighty hue and cry over how means testing was unfair to the middle class.

As far as I know, Singapore must be the only country where people are worried about how unfair life is against the well to do. In just about every other country I’ve lived in (mainly well to do European ones), the idea of social welfare or government goodies is understood to be something that the less well-off receive because they are – well, the less-well off (polite term for poor).

Perhaps its just me but I’m with Warren Buffet, one of the richest men in the world. Mr. Buffet observed that although he paid a greater amount in taxes than his secretary, what she paid in taxes took more out of her salary that what his taxes were out of his. Mr. Buffet went onto argue that the rich and powerful like himself were the last people who needed protection from the government. I think this is something that our well to do need to understand.

I’m not against rich people or against people getting rich. Life is intrinsically unfair and there is in many cases a good reason why some people thrive and some people remain stuck. My “rich” friends are actually pretty hard working and relatively clever with money. My “basket case” friends are the type that seem more interested in self-indulgence than in feeding themselves. They’re the type that would rather spend their last dollar on a pack of smokes than on the bus fare they need to get to the job that could finance their own smokes.

So, I’m not for governments that like talk about “soaking” the rich as if the rich were a disease. Rich people, as the British discovered in the 70s, have a way of being able to move around and when you go after the rich or the people who want to get rich, they end moving elsewhere and the value and energy they bring to the table goes with them. For all of Mrs. Thatcher’s faults, she actually rescued the UK from the failed policies of the Labour Government’s of the 70s who made it their mission to tax the rich out of existence, thus causing anyone with more than a penny or anyone who thought he or she was worth more than a penny to pack their bags and leave.

Nor am I suggesting that society make it obligatory for people to support the less well off. The doll or the concept of “free money” robs people of the will to make something of their lives. I remember mentioning that I found it difficult to “look after myself,” and I was told by one of my best friends, “Why do you need to look after yourself when there are other people dying to take care of you.” Governments exist to provide certain services and to set and enforce certain rules. They should not be about doing for people what the people should do for themselves.

Having said all of that, there are times when a society needs to redistribute the goodies to keep the system healthy. There are people who need a helping hand and leg up to get out of a hole, which may not necessarily be of their own fault. There are also times when sanctions need to be meaningful.

Shouldn’t social well fare payments go to those who really need them rather than to people who don’t need them? Prudent financial stewardship has done Singapore well and having money in the bank allows governments to help those who need help without punishing the rest of us. There is no reason why the government should end up giving money to those who are capable of earning their own crust.

Then there’s the concept of fines. We fine people in society because they have committed certain transgressions. The fine should be a means of teaching the offender not to commit the offence again.

Setting a fine at a certain level in an absolute amount affects people in different ways. Take the example of traffic offences. The objective of say fining people for not obeying traffic lights is to teach them to obey traffic lights. It may sound fair if you charge a construction worker earning the princely sum of say $1,000 a month the same $100 that you would charge a Ferrari driver (Ferrari in Singapore is about S$500,000 and that excludes the costs of maintaining the car). Yes, you’ve charged both the same amount of money but you’ve only ensured that the construction worker learns from it (10 percent of his income). The Ferrari owner won’t feel it (I remember dealing with an Indonesian Chines guy who kept going on about why he’d pay the liquidation fees of a failed venture – “Oh, its just a speeding ticket to me – a small sum that while inconvenient is something that has to be done). The purpose of the fine in this case is no longer about teaching people to make them better but to inconvenience them once in a while to extract a few dollars more.

In a strange way, you need some form of redistribution to ensure healthy competition in society. It makes common sense to ensure that in order to have equality under the rule of law, you may have to look beyond the letter and towards the spirit of the laws and apply unequal solutions to achieve equality of outcome.