TR EMERITUS

Yesterday, Minister Edwin Tong (“Edwin”) had to parry off a barrage of questions about the biggest catch of his ministerial career, thus far - Taylor Swift. But the bait to lure her in left some parliamentarians and citizens wondering if it is the right thing to do. It seems to smack of a-cloak and-dagger deal, where plausible deniability was the chosen pathway. The elephant in the room comes from Thailand. PM Srettha Thavisin said “he was informed by the promoter that Singapore Government had offered subsidies of up to US$3 million (S$4 million) for each concert, in exchange for Swift agreeing not to perform elsewhere in South-east Asia during the Eras Tour.” When a prime minister has to step in, and blow the bugle, you sort of get the feeling that things are more than meet the eye. What is the upside then? Well, Edwin quickly got his ducks in an economic roll with this assurance: “I can assure members of the House that the economic benefits to Singapore are assessed to be significant and outweigh the size of the grant.” Economists have in fact estimated that our economy will get a $500m shot in the arm in tourist receipts, ticket sale, flights, hotel stays as well as entertainment, retail and dining. It’s all good in the economic front. The downside? Well, it’s hard to say. Edwin defended his courtship of the superstar with this pitch: “This helps to brand Singapore as a fun, vibrant destination. Singapore faces intense regional competition for these concerts, and we will need to continue investing in our infrastructure and software to continue attracting marquee entertainment and lifestyle events.” He does have a point. It’s about branding, and we aspire to be the Pepsi-Cola or Nike of South-east Asia when it comes to top-notched, billboard-worthy star performances. Everytime the National Stadium or Sporthub remains vacant, we are bleeding millions. So you have to spend some to get some. Especially one this huge in stardom attraction, you need to get a bigger bait. And this requires daggling a fat carrot in front of the Tay-Tay’s team. That said, the exclusivity deal did strike a raw nerve with some leaders in the region. It is one thing to compete between businesses and private individuals, but it is quite another when it comes to competing between neighbours. It gets more complicated, and one has to question whether we have crossed the ethical line. Be that as it may, I should not be so naive to think that when nations compete, it is always a case of love-thy-neighbors, or offer them the other cheek. In the end, it’s still the unspoken Darwinian law of survival of the fittest, the fastest and yes, the swiftest. The prize goes to the one who knows how to cut a deal, a big fat one, even if it means under-cutting it to win. It’s just more complicated on that level of engagement, with million mouths to feed and a reputation to keep. Maybe my concern that this would set a bad precedent and sour the demonstration of public comity amongst nations is an exercise in vain hope and impracticality. But still, I feel more thought has to be given to this considering what the long run impact will be for such intensity in competition. Will it turn out to be a rush to the bottom of the barrel? Will there be boundaries that nations have to respect? Is there other ways of attracting superstars rather than paying them, and depriving others, all done with the knowledge that the ones laughing all the way to the bank are the superstars themselves? As a side note, it is said that the rich will grow richer, and the poor, poorer. Is this then one of the ways the top percentile amongst us add to their already overflowing wealth acquisition, and leave many earnest and talented seekers far back in the competition trail? Food for thought?   Michael Han    Read More →

Indranee Rajah has disclosed in Parliament that for the first time, our Total Fertility Rate (TFR) has fallen below 1.0 at 0.97, a historical low but she had also added that the pap government is determined to address the challenges lalala... I laughed and laughed when I watched that clip. As usual, pap ministars are so good at saying all the right things but year after year and even decade after decade, their best and even their steroid best efforts are just Not Enough. Don't believe, stare and swallow our 0.97 TFR! To those blind and unthinking suckerporeans and hardcore pap supporters who disagree with me, I want to throw our super sorry and extremely embarrassing TFR of 0.97 at their smirking faces. So, going forward, I wonder if the pap government has decided to suck thumb and quietly surrender reversing our TFR efforts to fate or will its ministars continue to put up a brave front and say things that suckerporeans like to hear in order to comfort, to pacify and to entertain them in their lala land? I don't know about others but it is very clear to me that the best pap days are over. Because of our small population, a falling TFR will impact us much more severely than South Korea or Japan for obvious reasons. And with the liberal importation of foreigners into Singapore to compensate for our native birth rate drop, the fabrics, the familiarity, the level of love, feeling, loyalty and commitment to this little island country that we call home must change and suffer, all thanks to their incompetence and unthinking continuous electoral support of suckerporeans. The drop and the rot of our TFR is just too deep already. Despite our great national wealth, as far as fighting a resolute TFR decline is concerned, we continue to have a financially very able but super unwilling to do more government. Think.   Simon Lim    Read More →

When I first watched the movie Gladiator, I was astonished by the amount of violence which was so much enjoyed, cheered and entertained by the Romans. One phrase from the Roman Senator, part of the ruling elites, really struck me hard, let the "mob" be entertained so that they would leave the politics to us. Bread and Circuses is a phrase coined by the Roman poet Juvenal. The Roman Empire ( Gaius Sempronius Gracchus 123BC) started to give out FREE wheat or grain dole (to make bread) to its citizens while organizing costly circus games where gladiators fought with great violence to numb the "mob" and keep them contented so that they would give the aristocratic elites the power to rule. In modern days, PAP is just giving out CDC Vouchers while spending millions to bring the Taylor Swift concerts to Singapore. Expect more Bread and Circuses coming our way as the GE is getting nearer. Of course, in modern days, there is one main difference here, remembering the famous words, "buy your votes and fix the opposition"! Poet Juvenal: "... Already long ago, from when we sold our vote to no man, the People have abdicated our duties; for the People who once upon a time handed out military command, high civil office, legions — everything, now restrains itself and anxiously hopes for just two things: bread and circuses." Roman philosopher Cicero: “The evil was not in bread and circuses, per se, but in the willingness of the people to sell their rights as free men for full bellies and the excitement of the games which would serve to distract them from the other human hungers which bread and circuses can ever appease.”   Goh Meng Seng    Read More →