thank You much for the encouragement.

TOC and all the people here and many at other sites have given me much opportunity to learn, to interact and draw some consolations.

Thank You all !!!

From: patriot

You’re absolutely correct that these people who call themselves leaders cannot contiunue to have the best of both worlds. When things go well, the take credit and reward themselves. When things go wrong, the citizens get the blame and they ask for rewards to see us through, even before they lift their first finger to show us they can do the job. Either way, their pockets are fattened.

What has our country, our beloved homeland become?
What I cannot understand is why do we continue to live helplessly when we know we have the power to bring about change?
Why have we become the cowards that we are, and are now so famous for, not only here in our backyards but all over the world?
When will we realise that we are the laughing stock of the world?
When do we want to decide that we have to get out of our bondage?
Why are we so happy to continue to embrace our captivity, our slavery?

I am honoured, very honoured that my contributions have given you the stength to strive on. For a while back then, I thought you had lost your drive to fight. I am glad that your spirit has been rekindled and I hope to learn much from you.

Yours truly indeed,
Gemami

Dear Gilbert
Yes, I piety them and it is time for our Singapore government to get tough and bring their employer to court so that in future this will not happen again.

Regards
Andrew Chuah

Where $$$ is concerned and when people start to get desperate…anything is possible.

I will have to say that I feel better after having said that damning statement, at least it allows me to relief myself of a mad feeling. Maybe I just feel that the Ten Commandments, the Great Flood(Noah’s Ark) and the Recent Sichuan(China) Earthquake were events that resulted in awakening and rekindling mankinds’ conscience. I cannot help believing it to be so.

When the majority is powerless against a powerful few and tried very hard to plead with the Latter to no avail, Nature has to give a helping hand. I know some of us have been doing our utmost, we reason, we plead and even begged for understandings from our leaders, some even suffered gravely been made bankrupt and character assasinated. But, we see that not only our wishes and hopes fell on deaf ears, livings and survivals are made more challenging as time progresses. The worst and most shameless deeds of our leaders were the ways they self awarded their World Record remunerations in contrast to the stagnant and falling incomes of their subjects on top of constant raising of the costs of livings. Structural unemployment has plagued us for over a decade since the 1997 Asian Financial Meltdown, one man was credited to have brought us out of that doldrum, did he? Just the opposite is what I see, don’t You?

Without the Internet, I would have ceased participating in any discourse for I would have thrown in my towel and raised up both my arms. However Blogs like TOC and people like You and others here re-ignited my hope. HOWEVER, I SEE NO CHANGE IN OUR LEADERS’ IDEOLOGY AND IT APPEARS THAT THEY WANT ABSOLUTE CONTROL OVER THE PEOPLE NOW.

My sincere apology to all for this personal rant.

Yourstruly: patriot

Once I had a Bangladeshi cleaning my office. He was a strong looking chap. But turned out to be slow and lazy. After two other Bangladeshis the contractor gave up hiring Bangladeshis. He hired a small-looking lady who got the job done much faster and without fuss.

This is the experience of Malaysia. Malaysia has since banned Bangladeshi workers sometime back. We welcome foreign workers who can contribute but judging by the Malaysian experience we should be very careful and not be taken in.

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/southasia/news/article_1362274.php/Malaysia_re-imposes_ban_on_hiring_of_Bangladesh_nationals

Very kind of you for understanding.

I am one who is always on the lookout for your posts especially, as they never fail to teach me a thing or two (I have said this before). I know also that sometimes emotions can get the better of us (see post #85), but we must at all times fight back the urged to wish evil (I am guilty too sometimes), even on enemies, let alone families and friends.

Thank you for apologizing. You have shown you are wise, once again.

Thank you for the kind reminder and thank you for holding highest regards for both of us. Appreciate it. My sincere apology to readers here for those negative views. Please disregard it. Thanks.

Sincerely,

Observer (SG-HK)

Things may not look so bad afterall.

I am sure the labour law may improve hopefully with the current crisis looming over us. For a start, FWs will decrease due to the deepening crisis.

For minimum wage implementation, this won’t happen at least not under the current regime – sad to say. For reasons best known to them, they choose not to do so as employers may fled (remember the story?). Our locals will continue to be screwed here and I foresee more young people fleeing the country to stay elsewhere in future.

We may see a very bad year come 2009. Many workers, both white and blue collared, will be jobless. As mentioned before, retraining can only benefit the blue collared workers more. The professional jobless will feel very left out and demoralised. I am sure there will be some vote swing going on here.

I last remembered I had a change in my mind about which party I want to serve when I was jobless and feeling helpless, more so when the state has nothing much going for me then. When I went down to the CDC, they refered me a part time cleaner job that pays $300 a month! I have to drop by for an interview also to qualify for the job.

As the economy worsens, there will be more people getting demoralised and disheartened. Hopefully, this will bring about change at the polls and affects politics at he the high places. There is no other way for change I am afriad.

I believe this has everything to do with the world economies going global. The global economy concept, although a good initiative, especially for resource scarce Singapore which happened to be tiny as well, and for which it puts us on a level playing field to compete with bigger economies, has blinded us into a one-track approach to survival.

It has become the sole purpose for this govt to find it wise to place all our eggs into this global economy concept and basket. The difference here is that, should this concept fail, as it is being seen and felt worldwide now, we have nothing to fall back on unlike the bigger, land rich and natural resource rich countries who can fall back on these productions to see them through.

Singapore is as doomed the moment the global concept fails. It is very irresponsible of this government to do what they are doing and continuing to pursue this end without any regard for the only resource we have – us – the people.

Patriot & Observer, I understand exactly how you guys feel when you suggested the extreme hope of misfortune or calamity befalling us. As patriots and lover of the land we call home, and no matter how disillusioned we have become, it is best not to express such thoughts in public spaces. These thoughts are best kept within the walls of private discussions. I have the highest regards for both of you and it is quite sad to hear these words coming from both of you. I feel I need to express myself here, hope you understand.

IMHO, I feel we do not need to look at extremes and hope for an overnight change. This is unreal and wishful thinking.

We can however, work towards gradual change. We can, in our own personal way, commit ourselves to spreading the lies of this government and making the people around us see these lies and how we have been cheated from God knows when.

When all of us start doing this and make the extra effort to proselytize and convert people’s belief, in time we should be able to effect some changes in bringing in more alternative voices into parliament. Remember how we were treated better after we voted in 4 opposition MPs? This ought to be our aim for the short term. We cannot even think long term for now.

the following should read “…world leaders will wake up and come to their senses and have the drive to save our one and only home EARTH.” instead of …”same…”. and “…we and no one should suffer under the name of progress.” instead of “…we and no one should not suffer under the name of progress.”

My sincere apology.

It is so sad isn’t it? To see all these unveil before us day in and day out (never mind where you are). This is really a very twisted world now. The fact that WE the HUMAN kind, the one with all that thinking power…..(sigh)..just so very sad. For all my fantasy, how I wish I have a magic wand on hand that can change the world at will.

I really hope the world leaders will wake up and come to their senses and have the drive to same our one and only home EARTH. If this home of ours is destroy in the name of progress, the trade off is really a heavy price to pay. But then again, natural disaster cycle is every 75 million years according to experts analysis. No one can tell whether this cycle is nearing. If you watch NGC regularly, you will know what I mean. It is no joy to witness natural disaster happening before our eyes albeit everyone of us will someday pass on. We should all pass on peacefully. Very negative view isn’t this? But that is part and parcel of the reality.

Coming back to the current real world. On a serious note, I really hope our fellow citizens (whether they are FWs or not), we and no one should not suffer under the name of progress. Man made problems can be resolved. It is with the will and determination in us to all bind our hands together to find a solution to it.

For the 179 FWs affected, I really hope they are given a fair treatment. They are afterall our fellow earth brothers and sisters. Some of us may not like FWs or FTs and blame them for the sufferings of our very own fellow Singaporeans, they (this group) and others yet to surface are having a hard time surviving as well. They too have their families back home to support as well. I only hope the relevant authority will step in proactively and do something good. While you are at it, do also think of your fellow suffering Singaporeans. All they are asking for is a peaceful decent living, a roof over their head and have some quality time to spend with their families. If our older generations can go through the transformation 40 some years ago, I am sure we can do it again if you do it with conscience and with the citizens at heart. Search within you, there is still some good inside you dying to be set free. Bless you all and may we end 2008 with a good note. 2009 is not rosy but we all can weather it togethre gracefully if you leaders set a good example. Quality and happy living is not all about wealth.

may I say that I too have wished that a natural calamity befalls on us.

But it was not because I see Singaporeans suffering badly in survivals, we do see that there are so much cars and the roads are congested, carparks are hard to find. Shopping complexes are everywhere and plenty of useable items are thrown away comes every Chinese New Year and Hari Raya. Singaporeans are too wasteful and living spiritual-less(humanities/emotions/non religious) material live. Upmanship, showmanship, boastfulness and material pursuits seem the only purpose of being.

There are much relationship breakdowns in marriages, families(between parents/child, siblings), neighbours, employers/employees, superiors/ subordinates and citizens/leaders. It just reflects a sick society.

The policies and directions that our leaders have set contribute much to the situation I described above. And the worst, in my view, is the Leadership developing this tiny dot in a one direction expressway to a materialistic rotten culture that will soon take away the human-ness(feeling of benevolence) of the people. In this case of the abandoned workers, which is not the first case of abuses nor will it be the last, we witness first hand, how some of us including our leaders are callous and unfeeling in treating fellow beings.

It is not hard to see and understand how bad we have progressed over the last two, three decades. If a person has little or no feelings of love and sympathy for his/her kins, kiths, neighbours, friends and fellow beings but attach him/herself to material wellbeings, the society is heading for doom.

And my thinking is that a fast doom is preferable to a slow excruciating one and of course the end will results in a new beginning which hopefully will redeem the conscience of man. Lost and found always brings joy.

patriot

1)MINIMUM WAGE with people friendly policy.

Will minimum wage, I do not think we will have problems like this to being with.