TR EMERITUS

News today that Tin Pei Ling was joining Grab as Director of Public Affairs and Policy. TPL was last seen spreading disinformation and fake news during the pandemic. She misleadingly claimed using what she said were back-of-the-envelope calculation that. the Government had spent $100 billion on helping Singaporeans.and that on a per capita basis this amounted to about $23,000. However I showed that the true figure was about $44 billion but even less if one subtracted the portion of the Jobs Support Scheme going to state-owned companies as that was just moving money from one pocket to another, a time-honoured tradition of PAP finance ministers, and should have been included within the wider government surplus. In fact even before netting off double counting the actual deficit for 2020 was only around $34 billion on the Government’s own fake definition once top-ups to endowments and trust funds were subtracted. As for the per capita figure I showed that actual support for Singaporean citizens and PRs was about $600 on a per capita basis, miniscule by comparison with what other much less wealthy countries. I called for TPL to be issued with a POFMA notice saying: If you ignore my letter and refuse to issue a Correction Notice then it will be plain to Singaporeans that POFMA was never intended to deal with the problem of fake news but on the contrary to allow the PAP Government to present its own false facts secure in its monopoly of information and in the knowledge that this new piece of repressive legislation will even further deter ordinary citizens from challenging them. Like other PAP MPs and wives and offspring of Ministers for whom, despite being paid hundreds of thousands up to several million dollars for very little work and enjoying complete job security, “money no enough”, TPL has now been rewarded by being hired for a no doubt highly lucrative position with a company in which Temasek and possibly GIC hold significant stakes. Being an MP at the same time raises several conflict of interest issues since she will presumably be expected to lobby for Grab in Parliament and seek to influence legislation. Will she be referred to the Committee of Privileges if she has? At the same time surely her new position is a full time one so that the interests of her constituents will be neglected. In countries like the UK being an MP is a full time job because Parliament sits most of the year and while MPs can be paid as consultants or for giving speeches or writing articles they cannot be in full time employment. Of course in Singapore, just as in Communist China, the lines between public and private are blurred, and all large companies, and especially those which are technology unicorns and fly the flag for Singapore, can be described as PAP-controlled and -influenced organisations. With Grab it is difficult to determine the extent of surreptitious PAP control but it is likely to go well beyond the public shareholdings of Temasek and possibly GIC. We should have a public register of Minister’s and MP’s interests, rather than the “ownself check ownself” of PAP Ministers and MPs being merely required to declare their interests to PM Lee. But in a country where the PM can appoint his own wife to head Temasek and his son to be head of the Technology Agency, it is natural that those further down the food chain will want to get their snouts in the trough. TPL’s good fortune reminds Singaporeans that for those lacking natural talent being a member of the PAP or better still being selected as an MP is a smart career move. She will now be able to upgrade from Kate Spade to Hermes. By grabbing whatever she can get, like so many others in the PAP elite, she serves as the best advertisement for her new employer.   Kenneth Jeyaretnam   About the author: I’m a Singaporean economist who became an opposition activist. I blog to provide an alternative to the porkies that the Pinkies tell. It just so happens that my alternative is the truth. That’s why I’ve never been sued in any civil or criminal court no matter how hard hitting my criticism. I’m quoted and interviewed and asked to speak across the world but largely censored in Singapore in an effort to silence my political opinions. The left hate me because they think I split their vote and because I eschew their outmoded economic models. Models that don’t work. The Right and the Conservatives hate me because I’m a liberal. I’m not sure what the middle think of me. I don’t think there are more than a handful of people in the middle, here in Singapore. I’m a Singaporean born and bred, dual heritage, my parents Singaporean established here before the State of Singapore was created. I’m not Eurasian. I read economics at Cambridge and could be broadly described as from the Keynesian school but I believe in interventions. I was formerly a successful hedge fund manager. After economics and politics my greatest interests are history, film and Makan. I run but I run so I can eat like a Singaporean.      Read More →

There seems to be a paradigm shift in vaccine (V) narratives since late last year. Some of the most prominent "Ex-Pro V influencers" in the past months and years have started to U Turn on their position over the past few months . Dr Aseem Malhotra - A prominent cardiologist in UK who had appeared on BBC before to urge people to take the V. His dramatic shift in position happened when his father died suddenly from cardiac arrest a few months after taking V. He read the same article from Circulation (which I have posted in late 2021) making a glaring stance that the V will cause a dramatic rise in cardiac illness in the next 5 years. On top of that, he received information from whistleblowers that accused a prominent University of suppressing unfavorable research findings on the V due to the fear of losing research funds from big pharma. He had done his own research and published it. He is now calling for the Halt of the V program and to carry out further investigations on the safety aspects of the V. Dr John Campbell - A prominent YouTube medical educator who is a professional trainer of nurses. He came into prominent with huge following because he could give very clear presentation of various research findings. He was convinced by the various research findings and believed in the integrity of their data and took the position that the official narrative that "Benefits outweigh the Risks". However, the forced revelation of the Pfizer documents showing a whole list of 1291 serious adverse side effects has started to shaken his confidence and position. The evolving data of consistent high Excess Deaths in the past year has further convinced him something is not right with the V. He was once the most quoted source of information presenter by Pro V people, including Ho Ching, Tan Kin Lian in SG. But when he started to question the official narratives of the V based on the emerging evidences we started to see, he was quietly dropped and even YouTube censored him. Ironically, such censorship has strengthen his belief that something is really wrong with the whole V program. He has finally literally apologize for not being more discerning in scrutinizing the early research findings which resulted in making unwarranted recommendation on taking of the V. Scott Adams - he was a very strong proponent of V using data analytical skills to support his position. He was one of the most outspoken and aggressive Pro V person among the three I have named here. I don't know exactly what changes his position but the emerging data on consistent Excess Deaths must have shocked him as well. Anyone who is well verse in Data Analysis and honest to themselves will find the Excess Deaths trend happening and replicating in highly V countries exceptionally alarming. He finally conceded that he was wrong and now he is paying the price for making the wrong decision. I have said this before: Dead Body Counts tell no lies. Truth is absolute and eternal, it will always prevail.   Goh Meng Seng      Read More →

The world of sports is a global phenomenon, with fans from all over the world following their favorite teams. Asia is no exception, and there are some teams that have especially large followings in the region. Manchester United, the Los Angeles Lakers, and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) are three of these teams whose fan bases span across Asia. Indeed, it could be argued that the rise of sports betting and the ability to use 最佳在线博彩平台 whenever these teams are in action has also helped to build the fanbase that each side has. Asians are continuing to engage in online wagering on the world’s biggest sports teams more than ever, and with the use of bonuses now available, many more are engaging and participating, thus building the support of these clubs further. However, with these three teams in mind, let’s take a closer look at what it is about these teams that make them so popular in Asia. Manchester United One of the most successful football clubs in the world, Man Utd has legions of loyal fans across Asia. The team’s long history of success on the pitch combined with its big-name players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, and David Beckham have helped to create a huge following in Asia. There was huge fanfare around the continent when the Red Devils signed Park Ji-sung in 2005; this naturally helped to build the club’s appeal around South Korea and the rest of Asia as a result. Additionally, Man Utd has strategically targeted Asian markets through sponsorships and partnerships with companies, further increasing the team’s reach in the region. Los Angeles Lakers Basketball is one of the most popular sports in Asia, and many Asian fans have made their allegiance to the Los Angeles Lakers clear. This basketball powerhouse has won 17 NBA championships since its formation in 1947, cementing its status as one of the top teams in league history; the joint-most with the Boston Celtics. Many Asian fans have become passionate supporters of Kobe Bryant during his time with the Lakers (1996-2016), while LeBron James has also helped to grow their already sizable fan base even more across Asia. Royal Challengers Bangalore Cricket is another sport that draws heavy interest from Asian fans, and RCB has been able to capitalize on this enthusiasm for cricket within India and throughout South East Asia by establishing itself as one of India's top cricket franchises. With stars like Virat Kohli leading their team among many other icons of the game to have played for them over the years, RCB has quickly become an incredibly popular choice among cricket-loving Asians who cheer them on every year during IPL season. It is perhaps a shock that they have yet to win an Indian Premier League since the competition began! Verdict These three sports teams - Manchester United, Los Angeles Lakers, and Royal Challengers Bangalore - have all managed to develop strong followings among Asian fans. Whether it is down to their success on the field, the presence of their superstar players, or strategic marketing campaigns that have targeted Asian audiences, all three teams have built up a strong fan base in Asia. Whatever the reason may be, these sports franchises have managed to capture the hearts and minds of many Asians around the world.      Read More →