Saturday, March 25, 2006
The week has been rather a tense one for me. It has been rather hectic, especially when my office is shifting to a new location. Sorting through the classified documents has been a mammoth task, let alone shredding much of the archives in my office. I've seen directives and doctrine which were produced before I was even born. It is of good riddance that we destroyed them all, as I joked with my Ops Spec that we should put all of these old classified stuff into a capsule and donate them to the future Commando Heritage Centre. (Of course MSD would not approve of this.)
Anyway, the election fever has been on the rise ever since the PAP started its introduction of its new candidates. I cannot wait to see which rookie is going to reveal himself/herself in Tampines GRC. My MP intends to retire soon, and I'm feeling abit sad that he is leaving the political scene. He is the only MP that I've ever got to meet face-to-face. I've shaken his hand many times, and I tend to meet him in the same place. (As a high-flying mugger you would roughly guess where and how I would have met him.)The first three PAP rookies are as usual, the Rafflesians and the Hwa Chongnians, all acting as 'mavericks' despite dressed in the clean and uncreased white shirts. I wonder when we can have another 'green'horn, let's say, another Inderjit Singh (He's from the pioneer batch of TJCians).
Back in 2001, I thought that the new PAP candidates were merely a farce and puppets of the old guard. However, my perception of these new candidates were proven wrong when I first heard them in Parliament. They were a very passionate and idealistic lot. They would not hesistate to challenge their own party ranks (even if it means having to apologise to a senior minister). I was most impressed with Irene Ng, Tharman Shamugaratnam, Vivian Balakrishnan and Amy Khor. I think these two ladies deserve ministership just as these two men are. Amy Khor's environmentalist views somehow has inspired me to pursue a future career in the environmental sciences, even though I did not have any prior environmental-related work experience. I may have searched for the interest myself, but her voice is enough to assure me that I do have a say in the near future when I attempt to work my ladder up (assuming I get to work in an environmental association). I remembered listening to Mr Tharman and Mr Vivian back in my JC days, and I find them one of the more approachable ministers when discussing current affairs.
As the election draws nearer, I wonder how the new PAP and opposition candidates will turn out to be. As almost all of them will attempt to act out as the 'maverick' and 'rebellious' kind, I ever wonder if their attempts would that be of a sincere one. More so, I ever wonder if the ageing electorate will accept the views and opinions of that of these new blood. For example, both the ages of Mr Eric Low and Mr Low Thia Khiang are in their 50s. They're able to charm the residents of Hougang well, partly because it is an ageing constituency where a significant number of them converse in Teochew rather than in another tongue. Let's say they choose to contest in a relatively younger constituency, will they've a good chance compared to Hougang? I don't know. Perhaps we should clone a Sitoh and put him at Hougang. (joking anyway)
This election is not just an ATEC-style evaluation of PM Lee's government. Instead, I feel that this election would be the battle between the First and Third Generation, where politicians and voters in both generations fight with one another to determine Singapore's fate for the next two decades, given that we have an ageing population as well as a rise of a new pragmatic class of my generation. This election will see which generation will prevail over the other. This is the battle between the pre independence and the post independence voters.
If wanna know more, check out the Young PAP forum. The level of maturity in an online forum of a ruling party is of the level that it would really shock you. I cannot wait to see who's the next group of PAP rookies to be introduced. Good night.
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zeligdhilee breaking the MUSIC.
22:55
Saturday, March 18, 2006
The dry spell in Singapore has been unbearable these few days. The Science journal has just published a paper saying that the sea levels has been rising at a rate faster than what scientists have expected. Somehow one would wonder whether humans can really stop the flow of such a potential natural disaster of a scale in which one is unable to control.
Anyway, the heat is rising on. The endless protests in Thailand continue to rage on against Thaksin and Temasek Holdings, yet Singaporeans seem to be lucky not to be the prime target of the angry Thais. I wonder what is the Thai definition of a 'good' government. I wonder what do Thais look at when they examine their democratic and governmental system, being a constituitional monarchy. Economists and businessmen accredit Thailand's economic resurgence to that of 'Thaksinomics', in which the rural people get the lion's share of the various economic policies that the Thaksin government has implemented. The rural residents tend to be appeased simply by these social policies, which in one way helped them to ease any financial problems. Hence, they show strong support for the ruling government.
However, it seems that the majority of the anti-Thaksin movement seem to be urban residents as well as the Muslims living in the South. They are the ones which tend to be more better educated and more aware about the fundamentals of economics and politics. They may not study theories like myself back in school, but they are aware of the practical application of the microeconomic theory of the firm to a large extent. It is unfortunate that they take offence with Thaksin's social background, where he was a successful businessman and CEO. He rose up from being the CEO of Shin Corp to that of the CEO of the Kingdom of Thailand. May I ask if it is an offence to run a country like a business/firm? It is saddening to see that the urbanised Thais are interpreting Thaksin's attempts of washing his hands off his business assets as not being morally responsible. May I then ask, who is the ideal person to run the most important firm in the state, ie. the state government?
All governments need politicans who are business-like in nature. We need such 'extraordinary' and 'corporatised' politicians, because they're the running the country's biggest company (ie the state economy). They have the necessary experience and leadership to run the state's economy. We need to accept the reality that underhand corruption and 'immoral' practices will always be prevalent in any government. The thought of 'zero' corruption and 'zero' presence of foreign monopolies taking over a local monopoly is absolutely utopian. Looking at Singapore, we may sigh at the dominant presence of Temasek Holdings and lament that the CEO of Temasek Holdings is the wife of the present Prime Minister. We may whine that there is nepotism in our country. However, we need such a company like Temasek Holdings, just as Thailand needs Shin Corp! They're the companies setting the cue and paving the way forward for their fellow corporations of their own countries, so that they can so reach out to the world with greater confidence no matter how unfair and uneven the playing field is. The only thing that we as society at best to do is to minimise the level of corruption, but not to the level that the company is hampered by 'moral' and 'protectionistic' obstacles rather than 'economic' obstacles.
Wake up, Thailand. Please learn to embrace the effects and realities of globalisation. Please learn to accept the realities of market economics. By causing troubled in your own country, you'll be bringing not just your country's economy and crediblity to ruin, but also the whole of ASEAN with you. As a fellow South-East Asian, I do not want this region to get itself into disrepute, when Myanmar is already giving us problems too much trouble.
P/S: I wonder how my peers are coping in Sai Yok Camp. They might do well in securing the Best Combat Unit Title, but at the very end, are they able to have a positive impression of the country right there, given the tense situation?
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zeligdhilee breaking the MUSIC.
00:45
Sunday, March 12, 2006
Confused
My mind is currently in a rather confused state. I spend a rather monotonous Saturday in my camp. You might ask that being a weekend duty clerk is rather a blessing cos' you are allowed to eat, sleep, watch TV and play internet games without getting scolded by your duty officer. However, I beg to differ. I spent the whole day destroying the 'archives' of my office for my branch is going to move to a new place real soon. Hence, I had to clear the old documents and pack up the newer documents where necessary. Any admin clerk will know how boring and mundane it is to spend hours facing the office shredder, especially when they're doing it alone in the hot corridors.
When I returned home today, I was rather tired. I slept from 11am to 2pm, and when I woke up I shoved aside my plans to visit the NUS Open House. More importantly, my mother flooded my mailbox with all sorts of links to environment courses / readings worldwide, which hence explains why my mind is in a rather confused state. I just wonder if we have too many choices in our lives.
The past week at work wasn't right for me. My colleagues chose to disappear (MC) when I really needed their kind assistance. My mind was full of anxieties regarding my future, as well as the tauntings of my superiors. It seems so weird that I couldn't get things right in stuff where I was typically good in. In the end, my superior sighed, telling me to take a good rest over the weekend. Unforunately, I do not think that I have a good weekend especially when I spend Saturday in the dreaded camp. I badly need a break, yet as a second-year NSF, I would rather keep our leave till the very end for the month before ORD. Our 12-14 days are very precious this time round.
I think I'm going to reflect about my career and my personality trait this week. This is very important because I feel that how one's personality trait is can significantly affect one's performance in the near future, being studies or career. Hence, as a faithful reader of my blog, I'd appreciate very much if you can tell me more about what you think are my
positive and
negative traits. May you have a clear state of mind in the midst of the hot and stale week ahead.
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zeligdhilee breaking the MUSIC.
19:45
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Fighting Fire with Ideas
It has been a long time ever since I've updated my blog. Yes. I realised that I do not have time to blog especially when I've so many personal matters and tribulations to settle on my own. This has to do with my future, beyond NS, beyond uni, beyond life.
Anyway, the weeks which saw the end of Febuary till now has been very fiery for me. I felt somehow very 'affected' by the events taking place each day. I worried for my father's safety when Phillipines was put in a state of emergency for a week. He is working there as a sales supervisor, helping to manage his company's overseas branches. Thankfully things were calm and as he managed to quell any concerns that I had. People Power may be non-violent in nature, but you'll never know when it'll become bloody. With thousands of Filipinos out in the streets out there challenging the establishment, one can never predict how hard the establishment can come down on its subjects. My father told me that the important thing that one must take care of when dealing with a Filipino is not to offend or criticise their opinions and way of life. He said that they are a very emotional lot and that enforces their beliefs and values. However, as they chase their personal agendas, they tend to neglect the importance of the brain, allowing the heart to take control of the body and actions.
I just wonder why Filipinos are so loyal to their country. I just admire their sense of national pride and faith despite the numerous corruption scandals, natural disasters and terrorist attacks that plague the country. Thousands of Filipinos work overseas, faithfully remitting money back to support their family and country as much as they can. They retain their Filipino citizenship even if they become a PR in their host country. The Phillipine economy would have collasped if not for the overseas Filipinos. If Singapore was ever to degrade into such a miserable state, would Singaporeans bother to help Singapore buil up again? Somehow I wonder if our Total Defence policy will sucuumb to the 5'C's ideology should a major calamity hits Singapore. Will we see the Singaporan 'stayer' or 'quitter'? The Filipinos are no quitters even when they're far from their homeland.
Somehow I wonder how it is like to chase dreams that may not have a significant footing in the environment that we're in. I remembered first telling Mr Bala about my interest in enivronmental studies. He laughed it off with a few jokes, trying to envision me as an idealistic suicide bomber blowing up a facility deemed to be damaging the earth. I remembered Mrs Lokman's simple reply that I should play to my strengths and do what I really enjoy doing. I just met Jeffrey on the train yesterday, where I shared my thoughts with him. He replied that he didn't really see the environmental industry as very prominent in Singapore. I shot back simply that it'd be in shape by the time I graduate. Singapore seem have woken up just recently, as supermarkets band together for the first time to campaign for the reduction in the use of plastic bags. My mother felt that we're lagging behind Europe when it comes to environmental awareness. Now I wonder where is the best place to study, and which organisation will hire such an idealist like me.
Somehow I just regret not studying Geography. Certain UK universities require that their prospective environmental students study Geography and even Biology! I wonder how it'd be like being a Geography student. I loved the subject as much as I loved History. I even represented my secondary school in the SPH Geography Challenge and to our surprise, progressed to the semi-finals. Geography is both a science and an art. Physical Geography allows us to appreciate the scientific reasoning about our earth's natural features while Human Geography allows us to appreciate the social issues brought to attention by agriculture, industry and population policies. I just realised that many Singaporeans do not really have a firm interest in History and Geography, dismissing the study of these two subjects as 'boring' and 'muggish', even to the extent of dismissing it as 'no future'. This has hence led to Singaporeans having a rather inadequate understanding of the environment as well as our national history.
It takes a death of a great man for Singaporeans to understand the essence of our pledge and to appreciate our cosmopolitan society. It takes a devastating hurricane in an oil-rich region in the US for the world to understand the consequences of global warming. I just wondered when we'll realise that one must have a broad-based appreciation of both the humanities and the sciences. The PAP government has been overly pragmatic in its relentless pursuit of the sciences, and yet the opposition has failed to capitalise on it, when the humanities has ever been used as a 'propaganda tool', albeit in O Level Combined Humanities.
Well, issues affecting my future continue to whirl around my head. I worry about how I fund my university studies, being local or overseas. I worry about whether I can get a good job with my degree. I worry about whether I have really made the right choice when I switch sides from being an Arts to that of a Science/Engineering student. Will I be able to cope? Well I shall continue my thoughts another time. I just hope I don't need to fight so much fire this week in camp compared to the past month when we wasted too much time in handling too many training incidents. I have my own fire to fight so thank you very much and train safe.
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zeligdhilee breaking the MUSIC.
20:00
