Comments on: Bleeding all over the world

By: The Motivation To Work

The Motivation To Work — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 02:52:40 +0000

Improving hygiene factors like SALARY is NOT likely to Increase Motivation to work

because

Motivation theory guru, Herberg says so.

By: Fever Guy

Fever Guy — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 01:29:45 +0000

since Singapore Power is in great debt that explain why our utility charges keep gng up. Now 25cents for a kwh. They are milking money frm people when inflation is at a all time high. Oil has fallen by 22 dollars. I hope to see the same with our utility bills.

By: Not Learning

Not Learning — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 00:07:46 +0000

Lack of real investing experience is quite obvious. Oei Hong Leong should be consulted before future investments overseas even though OHL may not have an O level qualifications.
Investing in OZ is a difficult game to play to any win win situation as any season operator can tell you.
Indeed the sorry state of affairs is that they never learn from the past experiences.

By: ahsayman

ahsayman — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 09:39:40 +0000

But a ray of hope here. The ministers’ pay rise won’t be delayed?

By: ACACIA

ACACIA — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 09:35:20 +0000

Moral of the story is, government cannot and should not get into business.
Whether the 18% is fake or otherwise is not the issue.
It is very questionable more so until the figures are available and made transparent, figures do not lie but people do, and do it all the time.
Our investments are like a bottomless pit, so it seems, and we all hope come the day that this pit will not be too large that it drags the whole country into it.
It just might be after the next election!
The thing now is not the very long investment horizons but the losses that are coming to light all the time. It seems to me that they want to make a quick killing on the investments. Really frightening at how much we are loosing and I think the money cannot be recovered at all because the investment game is changing among the very big players. Some clear indications of our country loosing money are, the delay of construction projects and the high inflation rate ( bleeding us ) and government not doing much to help the situation, and slowing down of the circle / MRT projects. Even the sports hub is delayed!

By: Wizard

Wizard — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 09:03:29 +0000

Lets us not talk about GIC or Temasek. I am willing to accept what ever the reason the government in the name of the nation. If we want to talk of transparency and probity, then make is compulsary for everyone holding public office to declare the assets and value. There is no reason for them to hide this fact if there is nothing to hide. Until the day they do this, I will always have doubts in my mind about the true situation. Who are they trying to protect by not imposing this common requirement. The recent amendment to protect MPs and Ministers from any private investigation just adds to this doubt. Not to mention the abolishment isof the estate duty.

By: ironman

ironman — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 08:31:32 +0000

they will ask the people to view it in “perspective” – losing a few hundred millions is just less than 1% of our total portfolio – and it is within the “tolerence threshold” and this is just within a short time. We have a VERY VERY long investment horizon, so don’t get misled by short term “fluctuations” and move on!

another approach – “What to do? we couldn’t have foreseen all the events but we are unique, so let’s move on….”

By: ahsayman

ahsayman — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 07:11:20 +0000

My worry is that some people sees a billion dollars like Monopoly game money. I’m sure sure many of us can recall the times when we don’t have ten cents to our names.

By: Robert HO

Robert HO — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 07:00:25 +0000

RH: Stupid people are stupid in small ways. Clever people are stupid in big ways. Therefore, clever people are stupider than stupid people.

By: ahsayman

ahsayman — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 06:27:53 +0000

You know how gamblers fall into the abyss? Double the bet, double the bet . It must come my way, how many times can the ball fall on black? It surely must fall on red sometime. That’s why when mankind starts dying off on our abused planet, the last ones standing will Ah Longs.

By: Harrison

Harrison — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 05:22:45 +0000

Alan Wong,

Perhaps, LKY is referring to the 18% returns on what’s remaining in GIC & Temasek rather than on what they are supposed to have overall, accumulated and compounded.

Eg. 18% of $200 billion and $500 billion is a mind-boggling difference. No transparency means anything can be interpreted according to one’s flavour.

By: Harrison

Harrison — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 05:13:19 +0000

So, after all these lessons learnt, LKY and Ho Ching can go on the talk circuit. The whole world will be keen to learn from them on, “Pitfalls to losing billions and still retaining thy seat.”

By: Daniel

Daniel — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 05:12:29 +0000

“Has anyone ever thought whether the magical figure of an average 18% yearly returns on our GIC or Temasik investment is fake ? ”

If LKY can even lie under oath and get away, what cannot be done to statistic ?

By: Alan Wong

Alan Wong — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 05:09:49 +0000

Has anyone ever thought whether the magical figure of an average 18% yearly returns on our GIC or Temasik investment is fake ? As I have yet to see any substantiation from the Gahmen, my suspicion that it may be fake is without doubt a valid one.

Until and unless I am proven that my suspicion is baseless, I would actually believe it if someone were to tell me that all these figures have been massaged by those put in charge. Especially when we are so often kept in the dark about our losses, whether they are paper losses or actual losses.

By: Conjob

Conjob — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 04:57:14 +0000

PM Lee seems comfortable with GIC and Temasek bleeding, suits him in a way because father and wife have to be extra nice to him. LOL

We should view the investments by GIC and Temasek as very long term.
Only LKY and his daughter-in-law have such great vision to see so far ahead.
Our great grand children will be very thankful for such investment strategies. LOL

By: ahsayman

ahsayman — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 04:13:04 +0000

The day you hear the rumour that the daughter-in-law and her father -in-law are not speaking to eachother, all you rich people can pack your bags and fly out of here. As to the rest, put your head between your legs and kiss your a** goodbye.

By: Observer (SG-HK)

Observer (SG-HK) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 04:03:49 +0000

Don’t forget the $3.4+bln going into the sinking ML. Ah, then the logical argument will be we bought it at a bargain and when the market recovers in nYears time, we will reap huge profit or is it ‘puff!’. As if the common Singaporeans are idiots. God knows how much more. Citibank could be the next one? Then next could be UBS and on and on. It’s just mind boggling. If this is so the call Top talent strategy, then the street karang guni man can do better.

By: ahsayman

ahsayman — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 02:49:32 +0000

The power structure of the mafia and the triads is no different to that of a political party running a government. To retain power and to reinforce his legitimacy in the hierarchy, the leader need to satiate whatever is the primary motivation of his lieutenants to ensure unquestioning loyalty. Of course it would be much better if he has something on file about them which they would not want the world to see.
I would recommend the book, “Boss Of Bosses, The fall of the Godfather’, by Joseph E. O’Brien & Andris Kurins to illustrate the points I made.

By: Tew NS

Tew NS — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 02:33:06 +0000

If this investment still go on, without foresight, I am afraid in 5 years , sinpore will be ruined by the pap govt.

By: Tew NS

Tew NS — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 02:29:50 +0000

Ask Goh Chok Tong to monitor the acc of Temasek and GLC ? These are billions of dollars investment, whereas TC of Low TK is only a few peanut. Temasek and GLC can lose billions of our national reserves, and the CEO and the old man still can be the head, are they not at fault ? bad investment, wrong timing, they still want to go in, after 30 years, you can see the fruits, but two of you already in the grave, who is accountable ? your great grandson??