Stop Whining and do Something

I’ve been reading article after article on how screwed up the ministers are for extorting money from the people and not listening to your opinions and seriously, I’m sick of it.

There is a reason they don’t care about all your whining. Its the very simple fact that they don’t have to because honestly, what are you going to do about it? You vote them back and give them power every time they screw you over, yes, that’s you, the pap bitch.

Yes I know I’ll get lots of flak for this but the truth hurts. Its time to take a long hard look at ourselves and ask ourselves why we are where we are. This is not the first time we have been screwed over but why are they in power?

Why can they censor what we read and say, pay themselves obscene salaries after raising taxes, throw our men into slavery (yes conscription ablbeit in the guise of its euphamism NS, is slavery,ask the great economist Milton Friedman),  misappropriate our money ( Bet you didn’t know CPF is a good way to get money to finance short to medium term needs with low interest) and brainwash our children with history textbooks skewed to their side and yet stay in power(yes I bet all communists were evil people trying to kill us all)? Because we voted them back, election after election. Yes, that’s our responsibility, so stop whining.

The fact is, even if this is a Potemkin democracy, we have little excuse to sit on our butts and whine and do nothing else. Its no wonder they have no respect for Singaporeans. I have little respect for Singaporeans after seeing such behaviour.

So if you still feel anything for Singapore, please educate those around you about the role of the government(eg. not ripping its people off) and do something about it. Whining will not help.

The Difference Between Capitalism and Extortion

I haven’t written for months now because I’ve been lazy, but the recent furore over ministerial pay in Singapore has forced me to defend capitalism once again. Not content with abusing the concept of Democracy, the paps have decided to mar the name of capitalism.

What happened is that they have decided to raise ministerial pay from $1.2 million to $2.2 million because the top few earners in the private sector earn that much.  This, according to them, will help attract talent and reduce the temptation to accept bribes, after all, we don’t want them to be underpaid and act like the directors in Enron now would we?

The fact is, capitalism cannot be used to explain what is happening here. In a capitalist society, consumers get to choose what they want. Investors get to choose what they want as well, as they buy and sell stocks. Neither situation is happening here. The elections were a farce, the fact is, with most of the voting districts unable to vote, Singapore wouldn’t qualify as a Potemkin Democracy.

So without the freedom of choice, the Capitalist argument cannot be applied here. This isn’t Capitalism, it’s extortion. In a Capitalist society, activists would give such leaders would get the boot and not fear imprisonment. Right now, there’s nothing Singaporeans can do.

The only purpose of this entry is to defend Capitalism. I am not as naive as to think that anything will stop our coffers from being raided.

State of the Propaganda Machine

I know just how sick most of you must be of me writing about the state of the media in Singapore but the Singapore Press Holdings has been generating more news than what it is allowed to report after all that censorship. Throughout the past week, I’ve read article after article of how they plan to control every single thing that Singaporeans have access to. They either throw money at them and buy them over like Hardware Zone, or they get them banned for reporting news, which of course they can’t, like FEER. And in a spectacular display of stupdity, they have turned against one of their own, the National Arts Council. I wonder what they are going to do next.

Time and time again, I have written about how stupid it is to try to shut your critics up by banning them. Most of the criticism is due to them trying to shut people up and the best way for the critics to prove their point is to get themselves banned. Duh. Ah well, that has proved be beyond the reach of the puny minds of the government cronies. The fact is that they seemed not to have learnt their lesson after the IMF meeting earlier when they were forced to back down on their stand against protesters. While they can oppress the 4 million people who stay here, they will not be able to control the whole world. Meanwhile, they are wondering why expatriate Singaporeans, who they say are assets to the country, are unwilling to return. Once again, Duh.

Anyway they decided to pay millions of dollars to buy an online forum, months after they tried to set up their own. This seems to be a tacit admission of failure. Well actually it screams to me that STOMP sucked, big time. Consider this, STOMP had a large advertising budget. Hardware Zone did not. While Hardware Zone moved a few years earlier online, Straits Times had a presence decades before it. There is a reason why Hardware Zone succeeded and STOMP failed. No one goes online to be brainwashed. Having SPH control what is supposed to be an independent forum means that people will have doubts about being watched and feel dirty for collaborating with them. Sure there will still be gossip mongers there and it is true that there is not much political talk that could be censored there. But think about it, would you prefer using a forum controlled by SPH or one that is not?

Their latest move against their own comrades at the National Arts Council has been the most spectacular and arguably most successful move of the suicidal monkeys in charge at SPH. For some reason, the editors at the Straits Times have released an article criticising the Arts Council, who have for some reason, bothered to respond. I wonder if they know that no one really takes the Straits Times seriously anymore. Then again, I’m not really sure if I should take the Arts Council seriously.

Anyway, I’m tired of writing. What I see now is that Singapore’s propaganda machine is falling apart and the apparatchik controlling them are trying in vain to hold it up. I can scarcely contain my glee as it the machine comes tumbling down. For Liberty!

Straits Times on the News Again

The Straits Times has managed to get itself on the news again. The recent cases where they labelled thousands of schoolgirls in Singapore as “easy” and insisted on revealing the retirement of the CEO of some government linked organisation makes it seem like they have nothing left to write about and are making news up.

You can argue that’s all the Straits Times have been doing but they usually make things up at the request of the government, not against their paymasters. These two incidents seem to suggest that things are changing there.

Maybe it’s because they are losing readers and have no good writers anymore. The solution to this, to report the truth and keep the increasingly well-educated readers and journalists with souls, is blindingly obvious but obviously could not be done with their current masters. Since the last time they raked in money was from a lawsuit, they seem to think that libel was the way to sell newspapers. Pardon me when I say this because I seriously doubt that the courts would actually allow anyone to suggest that Singapore’s ministries run schools that turn girls into whores, even if, and I do not think this is the case, that it is true. We all know how the legal system here works. The editor would probably burn in hell for the balsphemous statements about Catholic schools but then again he’s probably headed for it anyway.

If that was misguided, the other step they chose was simply stupid. First off, I seriously do not think anyone would care about the CEO whose name I can’t remember wanting to retire. Going against the wishes of a CEO who blogs to write about something no one really cares about, is plain stupid. That’s how you tell the whole world about your lack of journalistic integrity and get nothing out of it. The issue on IJ girls might have attracted some readers but the only news here is about Straits Times. It screams to me saying Straits Times has no news left to write about because all the real and interesting stuff has been censored. Seriously, is 2 weeks too long to wait?

If the Straits times wants to keep its readers it has to wake up and smell the broadband connection. Without giving accurate news and good analysis, they would just send their readers to bloggers. Surely that’s not how you are going to brainwash future generations now is it?

Busy Busy

I’m really so very sorry for neglecting this blog for so long. I’ve been really busy. It’s been seven weeks (yes I counted) since I really went out to enjoy myself as well so you are not alone. This is all for the greater good, I hope anyway, as I will be able to critique from a different angle. I shall attempt to write something that will be enjoyable for all of us. Let me tell you a little about my life now.

I’m living in a dormitary where social interaction has been plentiful and has stopped my from referring to myself as thid person. Of course, another effect is that I’ve been pretty shut off from the rest of Singapore. This has been detox for my mind. My primary source of news has been Reuters and the BBC so you can imagine my surprise when I picked up the Straits Times the other day. It’s really hard to imagine how they spin pages and pages of propaganda saying how everyone loves us when the rest of the world is talking about the the ban on protests for this year’s IMF gathering here. This topic has been discussed to death though so let’s get back to me.

As you have probably guessed, I’ve been up to my eyes in work. That’s a heck of a way to shut me up I guess, and it’s actually pretty satisfying, but I will not stay quiet. Enough about my work, I will have to get back to it as soon as I finish this so I really do need my break. Let’s talk about the people who have been driving me nuts with their endless nagging about getting a girlfriend. Pardon me but I’ve just moved into a new environment and I really want to do well, I’m not really receptive to new challenges especially when it will not directly contribute to my networth in the next few years. I did not call myself The Capitalist Infidel for nothing you know. And in any case, is it that unreasonable to be quiet on this particular front for now when there really isn’t anyone who suits me? And why must the rumour mongers link me to different girls? I’m not even interested in playing the field. Stop messing with my head.

Enough about girls. Lets talk about project teams. I’ve haven’t exactly had the best of luck with my teams. Some are good but some have been horrible. The Capitalist Infidel does not like whiners. It really doesn’t help when we are stuck and people spend the time whining and complaining about how things are unfair. I know this sounds like what i’m doing now but hey, I’m not talking about how things are unfair I’m talking about how pissed I am about things like this. However, Kudos to me for jumping out of a potentially disasterous team earlier this week. I can’t release details, however, as there is a chance that one of them may end up reading this article but I can scarcely contain my glee. Humour me.

And finally, I will be having a week’s break soon. It’s just a break from lessons but I’ll probably have time to write a bit more, and maybe even have the luxury of going for coffee again. Let’s hope I get lucky.

The Continued Terrorist Attacks

United Kingdom Airports had their security levels raised to the highest level yesterday as the police foiled an attempted terrorist plot to blow planes up in mid air. This resulted in many travellers being allowed only to bring their most personal belongings on their flights, things like their passports and credit cards, all of which had to be carried in transparent plastic bags. Contact lens cases were allowed but not with any solution in them. Spectacle cases were not allowed.

Such measures really surprised The Capitalist Infidel. It also made me thankful that I wasn’t at Heathrow then. I would have hated to dump all my luggage just to get on a plane. This attack reminds us just how close we are to this war on terror, which is not just fought on front lines but historically safer places, like state capitals or other major, supposedly civilian cities.

This is right after the Israeli Security Cabinet voted to extend the operations in Lebanon, to flush Hizbollah, which has been raining rockets on Israeli cities, out of range of those cities. Meanwhile, the Western world has been trying to resolve the conflict in the UN, which is surely what the Lebanese people and apparently what the Lebanese government wants. So this attack, which would toughen the stand of the Western world to the situation in the Middle East, means that the terrorist network is very fragmented or Hizbollah wants to continue fighting.

Neither of these are unlikely. Terrorist cells take a very long time to plan operations, especially one of this scale and the timing of the attack could may be just a coincidence. Hizbollah may still be involved of course. The initial attacks on Israel were premediated and they had time to get things ready. The fact that they were caught may also mean that the cell was not ready for action and was rushed into the act to throw a spanner in the UN Security Council works. They have good reason to do this. After more than a month of Israeli attacks, they are still able to fire more than a hundred attacks into Israel every day. They have the military capacity to continue the operation and they may not be ready to stop.

But whatever it is, plot has reminded The Capitalist Infidel just how close we are to the danger and how it can affect our everyday lives at any time. The Capitalist Infidel fully sympathises with the Israeli sentiment that tough wars need to be fought against these terrorists. Israel are willing to risk the lives of their soldiers to wipe Hizbollah out. The Capitalist Infidel feels their pain and their desire for security.

I’m Back!

The Capitalist Infidel apologises for his long absence from this blog. Do not worry my fellow Infidels, for The Capitalist Infidel is alive and well and safe from the Right Wingers plotting against me.

In fact, The Capitalist Infidel has been pretty safe the past week, away at an Orientation Camp in a local university, which is where he learnt what has been holding international politics up for the past millenia. If the organisers of the camp are to be believed, the best way to get people to get together is to have them chant silly jingles, make mascots and posters, and roll about in the mud together. All this was done in a bid to bring the people closer together. How all this would make me feel greater bond with the people who made me roll in the mud in the first place still remains to be seen.

But they must be on to something with the mascot and poster making part, because the rest of the university has to been doing the exact same thing. Now we know what’s going wrong with the world. When was the last time the United Nations did something useful? The same time it last made a mascot. Never.  And if only we could get the Israeli Defence Force, hamas and Hizbullah to design a peace poster for the Middle East, the Holy Land wouldn’t need to be so bloody. See, the international community are all doing the wrong things.

Argh! I’m sorry, I just needed to rant a bit after I spent my last week discovering what I don’t like. The Capitalist Infidel will be back shortly with much higher quality posts. Right now, he just needs to sleep.

Singapore’s Transport Market Distortions

The Capitalist Infidel has been watching as people around Singapore whine about transport price hikes again. This annual exercise has been carried out for years and nothing useful has come out of it. This is mainly because Singaporeans are barking up the wrong tree. The hikes come because the market is distorted, not because of the belligerence of the companies involved.

The Capitalist Infidel would like to remind the people of Singapore that private companies exist for the sake of making a profit. They have a duty to their shareholders to maximise profit. That means increasing prices and lowering costs. In free market, they should be allowed to set whatever prices they wish. The market then decides whether they are willing to pay for it or if they will look for substitutes. Therefore, what they are doing, as profit seeking companies is correct.

However, Singapore’s market for Transport has been warped by government demands for the purchase of a Certificate Of Entitlement(COE) for the ownership of private cars. Private cars are the only reasonable substitute available for the consumers. All other forms of motorised transportation, the only means of travelling to work by most commuters here are controlled by two companies, both of which serve different areas of Singapore.

The COE was first introduced to control the number of cars on the road to reduce congestion. But we now have electronic tolls in the form of Electronic Road Pricing (ERP). Therefore, we have a new tool to deal with congestion on the roads. With COE, whoever paid for it could drive as much as they wanted anywhere they wanted without incurring extra costs. With ERP, we can control the traffic by having people pay toll, so that they have incentives for using alternate roads and are in fact paying for any negative externalities they cost.

And of course if there was still congestion, prices could be raised or we could allow it to sort itself out. After all, there is only that much money people are willing to pay to sit in a traffic jam and people should be allowed to do so if they so choose. The unhindered buses on bus only lanes and trains in the Mass Rapid Tranist (MRT) system will only look more attractive to the people sitting in jams then.

The Capitalist Infidel supports the idea of public transportation because it reduces pollution and congestion but using COE not the way to go about it. COE does not discourage people from driving cars they already own. ERP does. And it is not the cars sitting in garages that cause problems, it is those on the road.

The Capitalist Infidel suggests that COE be scrapped and that the use of ERP be increased. This will let Singaporeans make better choices and no longer be price takers of public transport companies. It will allow Singaporeans a choice between having a car and paying to enter congested areas or taking public transport to avoid such charges and congestion.

Public Transport should still be subsidised, but in such a way that it helps them reduce costs and therefore prices so that they can attract customers. The way it should have been in the first place. Not what it is like now, when the prices of substitutes are increased which ends up in unfair prices from public transport companies, because they can.

This article is also posted on Honest Opinion

Racial What?

The Capitalist Infidel has been really tired of how Singapore keeps trying to force the concept of racial harmony down the throats of its people. The Capitalist Infidel is also tired of how brainwashed Singaporeans take such concepts in a textbook manner and repeat old war stories, which is the approach the administration here takes towards everything.

The administration here seems to think that they can brainwash everyone into their thinking and honestly speaking, they have good reason to. But racial harmony is not a set of rules you learn, or print behind every textbook to drill into the heads of schoolchildren. By forcing people into such matters, the administration could well be making things worse. And in any case, The Capitalist Infidel cannot accept such hypocritical practices.

All this is not because The Capitalist Infidel does not support the idea of different races living together but the fact that the direction of all this is wrong. Being a Liberal, The Capitalist Infidel firmly believes in embracing, or at least accepting differences between people. But forcing ideas into people is wrong and counterproductive.

Racial Harmony Day, an event in Singapore that is supposed to celebrate our differences is an excellent example of this. To be honest, The Capitalist Infidel does not really care about the race, religion or nationality of the people he interacts with every day and is effectively colour blind. There are many more people, Singaporeans included, just like that. Racial Harmony Day changes all that. It highlights the differences between us. It makes us remember that we are different. For what? The Capitalist Infidel feels that it is good enough we are all human. There is a reason we do not have Gender Harmony Day, such events point out differences that do not need to be pointed out and will end up polarising the different sides.

In any case, The Capitalist Infidel has reason to believe that the administration’s drive to achieve racial harmony is less than totally altruistic. The Capitalist Infidel has always been told about how we are surrounded by Muslim neighbours and are always in danger from their attacks. That doesn’t look like what say they want us to think. Add the well known fact that Singapore’s Armour (we don’t have tanks, just the miniature versions of it) divisions have no Muslims, and suddenly, a different picture emerges.

There is in fact a test case for whether Singapore truly believes that we should celebrate our differences and not doing it for more sinister reasons. The Jehovah’s Witnesses. Jehovah’s Witnesses refuse to bear arms, among other things, making them unable to serve in the armed forces, which all Singaporean menare forced to do. This has resulted in them being thrown in Detention Barracks, the military prison, all for their beliefs. It is not as if they could not be allowed to serve in the Civil Defence, the administration just seems to want to punish those whose views are different from it. The Racial Harmony drive is a sham!

And things like that do not happen just in the armed forces. After the September 11th attacks, Singapore started having people check the bags of people entering the Mass Rapid Transit(MRT), Singapore’s version of the subway. I was once approached by one of the guards who apologised while she was going through my bag, telling me that they had to check the bags of non-Malays sometimes so that the Malays will not get upset over it. While I appreciated the fact that people had their bags checked for security in times like that, I was appalled by such statements. I saw just how easy it was to walk right past them with a bomb(which really wasn’t hard anyway, the checks were random and few people got checked). Not just that. Racism could rear its ugly head so easily in Singapore, land of propaganda.

This shows how important it is to get the fundamentals right. We need to teach our children the importance and the significance of Liberty. That we need to accept each other’s differences and embrace the fact that we are all human. Liberty is what holds a country up in the end. Not propaganda.

Constructive Rogues

Scientific American has recently posted an article on How Rogue Captains Built The First Global Market. The article detailed how some captains of the ships ignored orders from England to trade in established markets and return straight to England and instead exploring new locations and trading there for their own profit.

Instead of hurting the companies that they represented, they, to quote Scientific American, “enabled the East India Company to completely dominate East Asian trade by 1760, they also paved the way for the Industrial Revolution and the rise of capitalism by illicitly creating the first modern competitive market.” They were able to find alternatives to the established markets and receive goods at better prices and in fact enlarged the market and therefore allowed market forces, rather than cartels to control prices.

This is one of the best examples of how less control helps you gain more rather than less. It’s counter intuitive, it’s hard, but it works. In any case, even if you do not let go, people will find a way to get around your control. And you would most probably like the results.