Satisfaction Level Up for MRT Service - Sure or Not?

Saw an interesting article in the Singaporean newspaper, The Straits Times yesterday. Apparently, despite experiencing train breakdowns every other day, "consumers have grown more satisfied with the MRT as well as the overall land transport sector in the past year."

Here is the report:
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/satisfaction-level-up-for-mrt-service-survey

I have never trusted surveys, that has anything remotely anything to do with the the Government, conducted by 'independent' organisations such as universities, the Institute of Policy Studies etc. This is because these people know which side their bread is buttered on. 

In this case, just imagine what they are trying to tell you: a service provider inconveniences you often but yet, you become more satisfied with their service. Simply wow. If this is not a royal load of bullshit, I do not know what is. And, judging by online comments in various forums and websites, I am not the only one who thinks so. 

Apparently, the people in charge think that Singaporeans are dumb enough to believe everything that they are told and, sad to say, I think they are right or at least, 70% of Singaporeans are.   

These People are Running Singapore into the Ground

I read this piece news recently, that Singapore’s Neptune Orient Lines (NOL), had been sold to French container shipping firm CMA CGM, the world's third-largest container shipping company, and will be delisted from the Singapore stock exchange. NOL was once ranked among the five largest carriers in the world.

The current CEO of NOL is Ng Yat Chung, who was a career soldier and former army general. As you can see, he has no practical knowledge of finance or shipping prior to his leadership appointments in Temasek Holdings and NOL.

Among the reasons that Mr Ng had given for NOL’s sale, one of them was especially interesting, he said that NOL was "a bit slow and reluctant to change". So since he knew that NOL needed some changes, and quickly, in order to survive, why didn’t he make them happen instead of just going with the flow? As the CEO, he would certainly have had the power and authority to do so.

Despite his failure, it is noteworthy that he had received millions in remuneration in his few short years at NOL.

Actually, his failure comes as of no surprise at all. Singapore has a practice of putting its scholars (who had received scholarships from the Singapore Armed Forces or the Civil Service) and other individuals it wants to groom into leadership positions in government ministries, government linked companies, and organisations in the civil service, even though they often do not have the relevant knowledge or experience needed for their jobs.

For example, here is a list of former leaders in the Singapore Armed Forces and where they ended up after their retirement:

Chiefs of the Singapore Air Force

Chiefs of the Singapore Navy

Chiefs of the Singapore Army

Chiefs of Defence Force - Singapore

There are many more of such examples in the Civil Service as well as in Parliament. In these days where a person is required to have relevant experience before they will be accepted for an entry level position or even a part-time job, it is scary to think that there are individuals such as these, who do not have the relevant knowledge and experience needed for a job, but are yet parachuted into management positions and are in charge of making policies that affect the lives of countless people and their families. As such, it is of no surprise that many fail, screw up the organisations they were asked to helm, and screw up millions of the lives in the process.

And, judging by the take up rate, these people are obviously not shy or embarrassed about getting on the gravy train (often at taxpayers expense) and get paid so much for doing so little (or for screwing up). 

Words of Wisdom from the Management of Singapore Inc.

Infamous Quotes From Singapore Political Leaders

I just came across the post above today. It is so good that I simply had to share it. It is a choice pick of some of the most famous (or infamous) sayings from the current batch of Singapore's political leaders.

Singapore's political leaders are all highly educated and I have no doubt that they are smart. But then again, book-smarts is different from street-smarts (as well as common sense) and these comments show it clearly.

With these people in charge, does Singapore have a future? What do you think?

The Last Nail in the Coffin for True Blue Singaporeans

And here it is, the final nail in the coffin for true blue Singaporeans. Over the weekend, the ruling party, the People’s Action Party (PAP), defeated the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) in the Bukit Batok by-election with 61.21% of the votes. Although not wholly unexpected, the result was nevertheless very disappointing.

Making the defeat harder to stomach was the fact that the SDP actually stood a very good chance of winning – the people had the assurance that the ruling party will remain in power regardless of the result, many of them are unhappy with many of the Government’s policies and the PAP candidate was inarticulate and ineffectual – he could not speak without putting a foot in his mouth. Here was a golden chance to make their displeasure seen and heard and 61% of the people blew it. Brainwashed beyond redemption, they showed their ignorance, myopia, cowardice, selfishness, and greed at the ballot box.

• ignorance - of current affairs and who was really working in their best interests.

• myopia - they are not just voting for themselves but for the future of their children and grandchildren as well. 

• cowardice - fear of being found out that they had voted for the opposition, fear of the unknown, fear of changing the status quo. 

• selfishness - not in my backyard syndrome. They want a better life but want someone else to undertake the risks involved and to do the hard work. A vote is needed for the opposition to do this? Let someone else vote for them. 

• greed - they fell for the upgrading carrot/threat, they want more amenities in their estate for more convenience and also for boosting the value of their properties. 

What’s more, the SDP candidate was going to be going to be working at his MP job full-time if he got elected (the PAP candidate was going to be working at it part-time) and he could be counted on to speak up in Parliament for Singaporeans (the PAP candidate had been silent as a mouse all of these years he had been elected, if he had really wanted to speak up for the people, he would have done so a long time ago).

Despite all of these, 61% of the voters in Bukit Batok voted for the PAP. They must be very pleased; they got themselves a part-time MP and a yes-man who works only for his boss. Little do they know that they are in trouble; this man is not going to speak up for them when they lose their jobs to foreigners, when their children cannot get into local universities (while the places are given to foreigners), or when they run into financial difficulties and their money is locked up in the Government pension fund. Neither is he going to speak up against the unsustainable increase in the population, ever increasing taxes, or the high cost of living. They are like frogs in a pot with water that is coming to a boil and they do not even know it. Those who see the boiling water might even think that this is ultimately for their own good.

For those who sneer at North Korea, laughing at how its citizens exalt their leaders while being oppressed, the joke’s on them as they do not realise that they are actually living in another version of it. They are actually trapped in a modern form of slavery as the Government has artificially raised the cost of living on one hand while depressed the wages of Singaporean workers through the import of cheap foreign labour on the other. Many Singaporeans will ultimately die without any assets to their name or to leave to their children.

Unfortunately for the 30% of Singaporeans that have wised up to what is really happening in Singapore Inc, the support of these daft Singaporeans and newly minted citizens is going to ensure that the ruling party is going to stay in power for a long, long time.

Singaporeans have been Brainwashed

I was reading the Forum section of the Straits Times newspaper today, where readers comment on various issues, when I was struck by a realisation that Singaporeans are so brainwashed by government propaganda, and that the propaganda is so deep-rooted, that they do not even realise it.

Thinking back to my initial talks with some friends about my intention to emigrate to Thailand, a few of them had expressed surprise at my decision. Specifically, they were surprised at why I would want to emigrate to a backward Third World country, to a house in the middle of a swamp, when Singapore has all of the best (supposedly) the world has to offer?

I would understand if the question had come from someone who had never been to Thailand but many of the people asking these questions are young, educated individuals who had been to Bangkok, the City of Angels, for holidays and had gone crazy over the nightlife (for the men) and the shopping (for the ladies). They are also IT-savvy and have access to the Internet. So they know exactly what Thailand (or Bangkok) is like, i.e. a modern, bustling city that is not unlike Singapore.

But when something comes along that challenges their pre-conceived notions, i.e. that Singapore is one of the best (if not the best!) and modern countries in the world, their mental faculties and reasoning abilities shut down and suddenly they think of Thailand as a Third World country with villages and kampungs of attap huts located in the middle of in swamps (kinds of remind you of the double-think at work in Aldous Huxley's novel 1984). Questions that I have been asked include, what if you fall sick? Can you get hold of medicine there? Are there hospitals there? Are you sure the houses are safe to stay in? Will it collapse? Is it safe to go out? There are robbers everywhere on the streets, even in broad daylight. Do you have to bribe the policeman to report a crime? For someone to install a water heater?

Perfectly laughable questions, I know, especially coming from people who had travelled here, moved around here, and stayed in the hotels here before. But this is just one example why Singaporeans are so severely brainwashed that they do not even realise it. Many have received tertiary education but desperately lack  critical thinking skills. But then again, one shouldn't be surprised by this, as the Singapore education system has always been one that emphasises rote learning and not critical thinking; students are taught to follow and not question, it's focus has always been one that produces workers for the economy's needs and not education for pure education's sake.

As a result, many Singaporeans have the belief and will still believe, to their dying day that, when they have nothing left to their name in their twilight years (all their money and assets have long been sold off to pay for their living expenses), it has all been worth it, all for the privilege of being to stay and die in Singapore Inc.