Going Up In Smoke

During the Hungry Ghost Month (鬼月) and Qingming Festival (the annual ritual of tomb sweeping), the burning of paper construction offerings is a symbolic act of respect and filial piety to one’s ancestors. The superstitious believe that by burning them, it teleports the items from the material world to the spiritual realm of the afterlife. If mama is feeling lonely, you can dispatch papa and boy-boy facsimiles over to keep her company.

Unfortunately, that's not how it works. Also, the 50 people who were protesting outside the Singapore Consulate in Hong Kong on Sunday were expressing wishes of another kind. The South China Morning Post reported that the protesters were burning effigies of a horrible pair. When a similar incendiary exercise was once attempted at Hong Lim Green, the mata-mata said it's illegal in Singapore. Later a lawyer would point out it is not so. The discussion stopped there, since our cops are apparently licensed to shoot first, debate later, and damned be the safety lock built into the weapon by the Taurus manufacturer.

Thanks to the fiery message sent by the 50 strong, plus the Hong Kong University (HKU) Students' Union, the Taiwan Association for Human Rights, the Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and many others who saw through the perfidy of a flawed justice system, Monday 6 July 2015 will be a day to be remembered.

Like the Greeks who refused to be cowed by the ‘Troika’, consisting of the IMF, European Commission and European Central Bank, one should not be deterred by the challenges ahead. Gallagher wrote that the Greek debt swindle is similar to the TARP scam foisted on the American people, “Its political perpetrators are the same huge banks, and the European Central Bank working with the Federal Reserve.” Our nemesis is the MAS, the GIC, the Temasek Holdings and our swindle involves the CPF.