An Open Letter to President Xi of China

致中国国家主席公开信
尊贵的习近平主席先生

贵国最近通过香港扣押了九辆我祖国新加坡最先进的装甲车。据说这些装甲车里包含了世界级的高科技装备，是我祖国自行研法生产的骄傲。

无论这是否是贵国刻意使计由香港扣押我祖国的这批装甲车，我本身也意识到这整件事都是我们国防部的疏忽才导致这事件的发生。无论贵国是否决定归还这九辆装甲车，我们在国际社会里和军备市场中都已经是损失惨重。这是因为就算贵国没有趁此机会去对这批装甲车进行军事科技研探，国际社会的准军备购买者的脑子里都会对这军备的可靠性暗存疑问。

无论如何，我本人觉得这次事件的确是我祖国犯了低级错误，如果军备被贵国没收，也是无话可说的。于情于理，我们都输得彻底。我也认了。

从一个新加坡反对党的角度看这件事，我也只能对我祖国的领导鞭笞，追究责任，也无法理直气壮的对贵国指骂。

如果这真是贵国以计谋导致事件的发生，我本人不得不佩服为贵国出谋献策的智囊团的高明。可是，贵国如此做，也必须付出一定的国际政治代价。没有一个泱泱大国会喜欢国际社会在明或在暗批评以大欺小的。更何况是中国，一个打着和平崛起的旗帜发展经济与周边国家发展政治与贸易联系的大国。更重要的是您本人伟大的政治策略，“一带一路”不只是要靠金钱去发展，还要靠国际政治信誉去赢得参与国的信任。为了新加坡这个小国而冒着国际社会的不良反应，您认为值得吗？

再者，贵国对于我祖国新加坡在台湾进行军事演习提出抗议，我想我祖国的人民肯定感觉到非常反感。就连身为反对党人的我，也不得不站出来对贵国的抗议表示不满。

在贵国邓小平同志领导的时代，他展现了一个大政治家的洪量与风范，确实将心比心，以事论事，站在其他小国的角度看问题。他也谅解新加坡有土地的局限，到台湾借用地方做军训，是形势所逼，并非是要针对中国做出任何军事威胁或卷入贵国的内政。我们小国寡民，就算是真要与贵国搞军事对抗，也没那种能耐！那岂不是白痴说梦话？说了也不会有人相信的！

现在贵国要以这个借口要挟我祖国，打压我们，国际社会里，明眼人一看就知道贵国是故意刁难新加坡，以大欺小了！试问，这样一来对贵国有什么好处呢？

再说，如果贵国要是打算以这做借口开始对新加坡进行经济制裁，这更说不过去了！试问，谁才是真正对贵国进行军事抗争的？或防止贵国统一台湾的？那当然首推台湾人民嘛！但是贵国竟然没对台湾进行经济制裁，反而给台湾人台胞证，让他们到台湾去投资发展，您说，如果贵国要制裁新加坡，国际社会上说得过去吗？

对一个所谓军事反叛岛屿省份的人民给予优待，到大陆去投资发展，反而对一个只为了解决本身土地不够而到台湾军训的友好国家进行打压，经济制裁，这怎么能说得过去？

再说，要是新加坡没有跟台湾打交道，打好关系，政治上我们也没法有效的当大陆与台湾的桥梁了。试想想，为了一个不是理由的理由对新加坡打压，硬要把新加坡切断与台湾的关系，这符合贵国长远的政治利益吗？

说穿了，我们大家都必须务实一点。没有人想在东亚再打仗，因为这对所有东亚国家都不利。维持和平现状，各国为自己的人民福祉努力发展经贸，才是所有国家人民的真正愿望。

我在此恳请习主席，念在我们两国以往都是以互惠互利和务实的原则发展彼此深厚的关系，仔细的思量彼此的立场，核心利益和观点后，才做出谨慎的决定。

我本人身为新加坡反对党人，对本国的领导最近的表现都非常不满，对这次事件的发生，也觉得是我方之错。贵国要如何处置那批装甲车，我都无异议，认了。我相信我祖国对这笔损失千万或甚至几亿的军备收入，还是负担得起。钱输了换来一个刻骨铭心的教训，那也罢。钱可以再赚回来。高科技产品失去了，还可以再研发新的。

但要是贵国如要以不是理由的理由继续打压我们，针对我们国防的核心利益进行攻击，这个我相信所有新加坡人都不会容许发生的。

我更相信这对贵国也会是有伤害。我们两个友邦，以往都是以互惠互利与务实双赢的原则共存共荣，为何如今要以双输的形式自残？

尊贵的习主席，我相信以您的睿智，您必能理清这种种的利害关系。

吴明盛敬启

Why Singapore PM Lee is so concerned about TPP?

I happened to read about an article on TPP posted on TOC (The Online Citizen) website
but I found it has misrepresented some of the things on TPP. I have written the following in response on my Facebook:

There are some erroneous or inaccuracies written in this TOC article. Apparently, it is not written by someone who is well verse in Economics.

First of all, TPP is not just about Trade. It is about Free Market Globalization. i.e. Besides the free trade of goods and services, it also includes free mobility of capital as well as labour.

The reason of "Protectionism" vs such Free Market Globalization is not only because it protects companies and their products, but it also protects its wages for the labour as well as certain sovereignty issues in prevention of critical assets of a country being acquired by foreign countries.

While the article is right to say that most of the time, it is the more well off countries which will resist such agreements, but there are also costs to poorer countries. For example, there is "Economic Colonization"; i.e. all critical resources would be exploited or plundered by the richer countries.

As for wages, it is not a guarantee that workers will benefit from TPP just because companies can sell to a larger market or consumer base. In fact, more likely so, workers will be exploited by wage suppression as they could be replaced by a larger and cheaper source of workers among the countries. i.e. supply of workers suddenly increased many thousand folds. This is actually what is happening right now in Singapore.

Moreover, bigger companies benefit the most as compared to the local companies. All these will result in great wealth and income disparity. i.e. Big companies shareholders will be richer while workers suffered lower wages.

There is also an issue of structural immobility. In Keynesian Economics concept, Free market is good as the invisible hands will solve everything. But the truth is, this doesn't take into considerations of many things. Product life cycle is becoming shorter and thus, we see a lot of structural displacement of skilled workers who will suddenly find themselves irrelevant. Talking about re-training and restructuring is easy but execution will be difficult.

The only reason why Singapore needs TPP badly is due to the fact that it is a small open economy without much agricultural sector. Not even much organic industrial sector to start with. We all depend on MNCs and GLCs. MNCs needs mobility of funds. GLCs and our sovereign funds like Temasek and GIC, needed ease of mobility of capital to effect greater returns with less cost in capital investment. These are the main REAL benefits for Singapore.

Small and Medium companies may benefit from bigger market but the truth is, as stated in the article itself, we already have quite a lot of FTAs with most of the individual countries listed in TPP!

But the cost to us, Singaporeans, in return for GIC, Temasek and all those big GLCs to have more investment opportunities, is continued suppression of our wages. Income and wealth disparity will continue to be widen and only those ruling elites and their cronies in these GLCs will earn higher exorbitant bonuses and salaries.

On top of that, as the article says, we will face HIGHER cost of medicines with the elimination of generic drugs.

BTW, when Japan can sell more cars to USA, it doesn't need to use our port facilities. That's utterly wrong to say that. They could well ship direct to US across the pacific. (For anyone who want to doubt me on this point, please refer to this website on a freight forwarding shipping company specialized in car-cargo transhipment)

In short, the reason why our PM Lee is so concerned about TPP is not about Singaporeans'  well being; in fact, TPP will make most Singaporeans worse off, with bigger wage suppression from a larger pool of foreign labour from the Third and First World countries. Singaporeans will face higher healthcare cost and we will face a deepening of income and wealth disparity in Singapore.

The only reason why PAP wanted TPP so badly is because TPP could enhance its GLCs, Temasek Holdings and GIC investment opportunities overseas. We have seen this in CECA which we have signed with India in which we promised easy access and migration for Indians to come to Singapore and work, in return for investment opportunities in Indian's financial industry and such.

This will only help to enhance the ever rising salaries and bonuses of the top management of these entities, the elite cronies of PAP.

These are the crux of the matter, not so much about "free trade" alone, lest about jobs creation for Singaporeans.

Goh Meng Seng

A Lesson from US Presidential Contest - A Robust Democracy

Thought of the Day

Folks, it is NOT END OF THE WORLD to have President Trump! Unlike Singapore, US has a more ROBUST Democratic political system with Separation of Powers institutionalized and embedded to effect REAL Checks and Balances. No matter how moronic or idiotic the President is, he or she will be checked and prevented from doing too much bad!

An idiotic or moronic President may not do much good, but at least for the next 4 years, he or she won’t do too much bad as well. 4 years later, if he could not perform or basically screwed up, the voters will just kick him out!


So instead of feeling devastated for Trump victory, we should learn something from this saga: It is more important to build a robust political system which has Separation of Powers institutionalized to effect Real checks and balances instead of betting on the hope that we could always choose wise and good guys into government!

Goh Meng Seng

The Rubbish Bin and Aim-less Standards

Thought of the Day

The Rubbish Bin and Aim-less Standards

To Opposition Supporters, especially people like Gilbert Louis

Politics is not just about Anti-Whichever Party. It is the selection of both parties and individuals who are relevant to our ideas of how the country should be managed and run. It also involves in choosing the parties which will set up a proper system which we desire.

In short, whichever political party we support, it must perform the two basic functions:

1) Safeguarding Public Interests
2) Performing Public Service

In the Democratic system we desire, we would understand that nobody is perfect and thus, proper Checks and Balances should be installed, in whichever means. For me, I chose to believe that Separation of Powers is paramount in effecting Checks and Balances.

What WP has erred, is a serious breach of my belief and I hope, it is your belief as well. It is ok to make mistakes as in our belief of Democracy, we expect human beings as imperfect and the tendency to make mistakes is perfectly normal.

However, WP has shown that it refused to admit the fact that what they have done is a serious breach of trust and Democratic principles. They are recalcitrant in every aspects. Do I want to show any support to such a party which does not even know where it had done wrong or plain refusal to admit its own wrong doing? Nope. Not for me.

Can you defend WP in any way? Yes, you can, but only when you throw away your Democratic belief, throw away any high expectation of Moral standards and Integrity. You can do that by using the Rubbish Bin Standards to justify the over payment of consultancy fees to their own people, FMSS. You can justify their massive conflicts of interests by using the AIM-less Standards.

However, what will that make you to be? You are lowering the standards which we expect any political administration to maintain, to such despicably low standards. The Rubbish Bin and Aim-Less standards. You have to give up the higher moral grounds which we depend upon to keep PAP in checks, just to defend WP.

What will that bring us to? We will degenerate into a dysfunctional Democracy whereby both ruling and opposition parties are as filthy as the shit hole. There are many such dysfunctional Democracies around the world and we won't even be unique in any sense. We will be spending time to hurl insults of "You also like that!", "You are corrupt too!" etc etc and nothing gets done, and Public Interests will definitely be compromised in the end.

Each and everyone of us will have to decide for ourselves, whether do we want to accept the Rubbish Bin and Aim-less Standards as the norm or we have to get it right, do it right from the start. I for one, will refuse to be dumped into the Rubbish Bin standards.

The implications of discarding the Moral High Ground and adopting the Rubbish Bin and Aim-less standards are really vast. It is not just about WP anymore. It is about your life, my life, our future generations' lives.

You may think that we should save WP's seats in parliament is something we must do at all cost. You may think that this is the only way to save whatever little "Democracy" we have, as in having an opposition in parliament. But I guess we must first understand the FULL Cost of doing so. The Full Cost, is the Total destruction of our Democracy development process, ironically speaking. It will derail our aim of building a functional Democracy. It will encourage crooks and charlatans to infiltrate into our political system because they see that they can just get away with their greed EASILY just because they have this little label "Opposition " put on their foreheads.

If you wanted that to develop, that's your choice, but not mine. I would rather we have a proper cleansing and rebuild everything proper right from scratch again. It is painful in the short term, but at the very least, we can be sure whatever fruits we will get later, will not be toxic, not only for us but also for our future generations.

I take my Mission and Vision very seriously in opposition politics. These have never changed from the very day I decided to step into it. But I won't stop anyone to disagree with me nor my methodology. Each of us will always have the choices to make. You may disagree with me and I don't intend to have everyone to agree with me, but I only ask for your understanding.

Ultimately, if you don't clear off the rubbish, you will always stuck sleeping with the rubbish dump. I chose to clear the rubbish, no matter what it costs.


Goh Meng Seng