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| The numbers keeping changing, as does the storyline |
“Without the elected president and if there is a freak result, within two or three years, the army would have to come in and stop it” - Lee Kuan Yew on what would happen if a profligate opposition government touched Singapore’s vast monetary reserves. (Straits Times, Sept 16 2006)
We had sneak preview of how the generals would be deployed on Saturday December 1st, when the Ministry of Manpower announced in a statement that 29 Chinese national drivers' work permits had been revoked and immigration officials "will be repatriating them" for involvement in the 26th and 27th Nov two-day work stoppage to demand better pay and working conditions.
Brigadier-General Tan Chuan-Jin (wearing the hat of Acting Minister for Manpower) first declared on Tuesday 27 Nov that the no-show at work by SMRT PRC bus drivers was an “illegal strike”. Earlier on Monday, even The Economist picked up the local media's reluctance to use the word "strike" and said, "... the Straits Times, a pro-government daily, termed it an “action”, “protest”, “episode” and “wage dispute”. Asked if the workers will be sacked or sent back to China, BG Tan refused to answer by saying police investigations are going on and the matter should be “left to due processes”.
Lieutenant-General Desmond Kuek (wearing the hat of SMRT President and CEO) in his first public appearance on Friday 30 Nov after returning from a nice holiday, said that if the drivers' action had been confined to Monday, there would not have been a police probe, implying that a one-day strike is not illegal in Singapore. Kuek did not confirm who in SMRT actually filed the police report, unless he did it via remote control since he claimed "I was constantly updated and made decisions collectively with my management team." He probably would have conducted a war similarly if he was still in uniform.
On Black Saturday the PRC bus drivers were rounded up from both the Woodlands and Serangoon foreign worker dormitories and escorted by police officers to Admiralty West Prison for immediate processing of their deportation on same day. As on Sunday morning 2 Dec, they are still locked up in the prison compound without due access to legal representation.
Brigadier-General Lee Hsien Loong is the current Prime Minister. Other ex-army officers and two Rear Admirals are also in the existing Cabinet, ever eager to be called to duty and flex their muscles. Only one brigadier-general decided not to go against the flow after he met his Waterloo at Aljunied.
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Strange that only now that you see the planning of one man who constantly boast that he plans for 30 years or more.Did he not evade the question from Catherine Lim whether he would call in the army if he lost the election? Is a cabinet chockful of (some say) paper generals good for the country?
ReplyDeleteGood grief!
DeleteThe cabinet is already full of ex-army men.
And you guys still ask whether he would call in the army if he lost the election?
ANSWER:
The army has already been called in for many years now. Just in case he ever loses an election.
He does plan very far ahead.
We are all just too stupid to see it.
yes we are pretty daft.
Deleteanyone noticed that HDB property tax has soared around 120% for Everyone, becos a few pple rent out their flats and rents have gone up arnd 10%?
this tax rise has been snuck in while we're all distracted by The Strike.
I wonder if it's akin to the military junta of Burma? So many ex-generals ranging from one star to three stars, even our PM also general! They can just change into army uniform easily even though they in civilians. You notice that this crisis is entirely handled by the generals - swift and merciless! Highly efficient. That will serve as a warning to future strikers. I prefer to strike 4-D or Toto lah!
Deletewe can fight paper wars lor...
ReplyDeletearen't we all doing that now?
Deletethere is also a war of words
and wordings going on...
Maybe when a country declare war on Singapore, the generals would also spend one day to decide whether to call it an illegal war or err, fight, conflict, skirmish, confrontation. Like that we would have been overrun before our troops can be mobilised. Paper generals indeed. And some say LHL is the only general to lose his entire army in a tabletop exercise. Epic fail.
ReplyDeleteDo provide some details on how he lost the table top war! All I know is that he missed all the targets at a Brunei firing range, while his non-NS trained father did much better. His explanation? "I was aiming at something else." Peter Lim lost his job for reporting on the shameful episode.
DeleteVery interesting! More details please.
Delete“Without the elected president and if there is a freak result, within two or three years, the army would have to come in and stop it”
Delete>And some say LHL is the only general to lose his entire army in a tabletop exercise.
So we have the elected President to stand-in when the PM decide to send in the lost army?
This is episode 1. I'm afraid the generals will not be prepared for the next episodes.
ReplyDeleteThe next episode will feature real generals from China! Don't play play hor
DeleteIsn't it a joke that a minor wage dispute like that can end up becoming such a PR disaster for SMRT ? It is as if they are asking for the moon like what our PAP Ministers obviously did and yet it seems the whole might of the forces are there to intimidate them into submission.
ReplyDeleteIs this not a form of modern slavery, Singapore style ? Why do our leaders need to be so cold hearted in our relentless pusuit for more wealth ?
Slavery?? No no, this is a thoughtful effort to keep the cost of living down.
DeleteSince rentals, property prices, COEs, ERP, and other minor and trivial taxes are rising, together with the prices of goods and oil etc, Spore has to keep the lid on Something. And here you have it, voila, workers' wages.
After all, no one's gonna say or do anything isnt it? And if they do, you just sack them if they're Singaporeans, deport them if they're foreigners - and get some more foreigners you can fool and lure in.
Our leaders are cold hearted because they are "machine men with machine hearts and machine minds."
Delete2 minute video "The Great Dictator"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IvPIWzQcUY
While you are not legally slaves, the amount of loans and cost of living have left us with no breathing room. Once you are retrenched, you are finished.
DeleteThis event exposed the deep trouble in Singapore. While the top guns make millions a year, lower rung people struggle to survive. With housing, COE, property tax, and cost of living going through the roof, not many would be able to live comfortably on retirement.
ReplyDeleteMy fear is for our next generations. How are they going to cope?
Take care of the next generation by making changes now!
DeleteWorry about now.. take care of now and tomorrow will have less problems.. that is how we can help the next generation.
We cannot change the past.. its gone.
We can do somethings now... its here
and the future will be better.
Pig's Solution
Delete--------------
Yes, let's do something about the here and the now.
Let's NatCON each other for the next 2 years about the Singapore we want in 20 years time.
The next generations can try to be like the PM - without FTs' competition, they can get the highest pay in the world and don't have to worry a thing. Or you can get a wife to gamble with other people's money and get paid millions win or lose billions.
Delete29 sent back
ReplyDelete1 to be charged
4 already charged
150 given warning letters
29 + 1 + 4 + 150 = 184
So how come they said 171 participated in the strike? The generals are still not telling the whole truth.
Suggest you try using those numbers to STRIKE toto or 4-D lah! No point digging further cuz you will never get the answer or the complete truth. This is the way things are run here!
DeleteI hope their counting skills improve when it comes to safeguarding our reserves.
DeleteTony Tan - What do you think?
You're assuming every action is mutually exclusive.
DeleteBeware of Military Leaders and Leaders of military background.
ReplyDeleteHistory is replete with such leaders turning into abusive dictator, despot and tyrant.
Military Leaders are folks who only give order, command and demand, most do not treat fellow countrymen with respect and Human Rights because they command by power. Few know much about human relations and few care about it.
By now, many Singaporeans suspect that if our shore gets infringed, our leaders will be the First to leave for their own safety. ONLY THE SILLY SOLDIERS WILL BE DEFENDING AND FIGHTING.
THE QUESTION WILL BE DEFENDING WHAT AND PROTECTING WHO.
ASK YOURSELF.
patriot
Only rich people in Singapore own property.
DeleteSo we risk our lives to defend their landed properties lor.
1. There have also been benevolent leaders who were military commanders before.
Delete2. Most of the people (I know) who say they will flee in the event of war are actually the lowest ranked, ie riflemen and the like; in all my years of NS and reservist I've never heard an officer say that. If the highest ranked people really do flee as you suggest, then why would their subordinates stay and fight?
A despot and tyrant need not be be a military leader. You can learn to be one by working for one, like for example the Japs were good teachers.
DeleteBut the question is, who are THEY defending against? Why do we need so many arm-chair, pen-pushing paper generals and admirals, who later parachute into parliament and the cabinet? A military junta?
These bus drivers are handled like terrorists. They should have used the ISA. I guess if Sinkies are involved, they would.
Those who worked for enemies, liked those who worked for the Japanese, were traitors.
DeleteImagine the consequences of them becoming rulers.
And now we are facing the Consequence of being daft.
The fear of losing power has driven them mad. We are becoming a military regime. Get out before it is too late.
ReplyDeleteOr
Deleterid the Cabinet of paper generals.
Vote ONLY those that were not Ex-
carreer military representatives.
It is actually the fear of not having the power to continue locking the skeletons in the closet that is driving them mad; the fear of the day of reckoning.
DeleteHow come they are treated like murderers? US and China should come together and condemn them for treating people in such an inhuman way.
ReplyDeleteThis is how a fascist government treats people ... I mean digits.
Delete"There have been also benevolent military leaders who were military commanders before", unquote.
DeleteLiked Adi Amin, Marcos, Suharto, Gadaffi and the Burmese Junta?
Do be kind and name us some benevolent leaders that were formerly military commanders.
patriot
Deeming Kuek join SMRT on 1st oct this year and in dec, he is already having holidays overseas. What kind of multi million dollar job is this???
ReplyDeleteI had the same thot.
DeleteCan take holiday after 2 months on the job.
Not yet even serve out the confirmation period yet.
I guess elites don't have confirmation periods.
Since when do CEOs and Directors need to serve probation..?
DeleteThe issue is not his going on holiday when SMRT still has unresolved problems like faulty cables, but staying on holiday instead of flying back immediately to face the workers.
DeleteLike the Pro Alien Traitors, I think you mistake him for someone who cares.
DeleteHe is an elite
DeleteElites do not have real probation
Elites never ever lose their positions
Elites move laterally or upwards
never downwards.
He also thought his 2i/c had all the bases covered.
He did not realise that the platoon did not have standing orders to treat prisoners properly.
So now he will create standing orders and retro back to charge the WO1 for not following Standing Orders, or dig up standing orders that was already written but kept at Brigade HQ (MoM).
problem solved.Life goes on. all go back to barracks prepare for stand by bed.. look for bed bugs..
"and if I find 1 bed bug.. I will charge you!"
Quite funny isn't it ? GCT was performing fairly well at that time (before his wife's expensive peanuts) but had to step down in favour of LKY's son LHL but why is GCT still around now if he is incompetent as our PM then.
ReplyDeleteLikewise, isn't it time for LHL to make way for someone younger & more competent especially when under his PMship, his performance fared so much worse than GCT with so many problems of unaffordable public housing, skyhigh inflation, faked foreign talents, casino social ills, etc., still outstanding & unresolved.
What say you, LKY about your incompetent son ?
Why blame LHL?
DeleteHe is just following orders.
Cold and clinical. No legal representation and no talking to the press. Everything is based on what the Garment says without a court hearing.
ReplyDeleteNo doubts were raised over whether they were fairly accused.
That's the way how Singapore was run, and thats the way it will be.
Never mind lah.
ReplyDeleteSo long as the PRC Government accepts
the arrangement, we Sinkies should not
mind too much about the Strike and the
Result of it.
Let us focus on our bread, butter and
wellbeing.
patriot
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