We got a mail from the opposition party!

We got a mail from the opposition party last week, which came far ahead of the nomination day (27th April). It was a booklet which details the backgrounds of its candidates, the party’s manifesto and most interestingly, what the candidates promised to do if they are elected. By the way, we are still waiting for mail from the other party.

It appears that this round, the opposition parties have clearer strategies and more qualified candidates. Whether that will translate into votes is hard to say. The stronger ones do offer some worthwhile ideas such as:

• Isn’t it better to go for ‘quality’ economic growth which is more sustainable than for ‘coarse’ growth which depends on huge influx of foreign workers (especially low-skilled) to achieve that ‘extra’ growth? What about the social cost involved?
• Do we have far too many political appointments (eg.MPs & ministers) given the size of the population?
• Is market-driven pricing for new HDB flats makes it still affordable for the first-time buyers? ‘Affordable’ is meaningless when one has to take on a 30-year loan, and probably has to depend on two persons’ combined income for low-income group.
• Policy for children to live near parents be extended to those live near siblings and close relatives.
• Promote first world parliament.

I find the opposition team contesting here’s ‘Constituency Plan: develop relationship & building bonds’ refreshing and enticing (can they deliver?):

• Each elected MP will conduct 4 meet-the-people sessions. For those who are physically disabled and sick, arrangement will be made for the MP to meet them at their homes.
• Each month, the elected MPs will conduct at least one outreach program weekly e.g. residents’ get-together.
• Each month the elected MPs will host and organise a policy discussion forum.
• Each elected MP will lead at least one support group to render assistance.
• There will be a contact number to lodge complaints which will be attended by elected MPs within 48 hours.
• Each elected MP will contribute at least 10% of MP’s allowance to fund the support groups and social assistance programmes.

Competition is good for voters as candidates will have to work harder to win votes. This is democracy all about. For me, it means that I have opposition team consists of scholar married couples to choose from. As for my close friend, she is so privilege to be in Aljunied GRC . For that, she saw her MP and his team going round the wet market on weekends at least 10 times for the past year. As for my brother and sister who are staying in Potong Pasir and Hougang, they have no complaint about how their places are maintained by their MPs.

I hope this time round no character smearing tactics will be used. I find strange that a candidate’s long absence from Singapore should become an issue. We should not question a person’s loyalty and motive unless proven otherwise. Many Singaporeans can be staying here for years but remain apathetic to national issues, only care for their self-centred concerns.

Meanwhile, my family and I have to bear the ‘social noise pollution’ now and then, especially over the weekends with the stepping up of all kinds of ‘feel good’ activities been carried out at the vacant state land next to our place late into the night. We will have to wait after polling day to enjoy the ‘peace’ again!

'Miracle'

"What is impossible with men is possible with God." (Luke 18:27)

A little girl went to her bedroom and pulled a glass jelly jar from its hiding place in the closet. She poured the change out on the floor and counted it carefully. Three times, even. The total had to be exactly perfect. No chance here for mistakes. Carefully placing the coins back in the jar and twisting on the cap, she slipped out the back door and made her way 6 blocks to Rexall's Drug Store.

She waited patiently for the pharmacist to give her some attention, but he was too busy at this moment. She twisted her feet to make a scuffing noise. Nothing. She cleared her throat with the most disgusting sound she could muster. No good. Finally she took a quarter from her jar and banged it on the glass counter. That did it!

'And what do you want?' the pharmacist asked in an annoyed tone of voice. ‘ I'm talking to my brother from Chicago whom I haven't seen in ages,’ he said without waiting for a reply to his question.

'Well, I want to talk to you about my brother,' Tess answered back in the same annoyed tone. 'He's really, really sick....and I want to buy a miracle.'

'I beg your pardon?' said the pharmacist.

'His name is Andrew and he has something bad growing inside his head and my Daddy says only a miracle can save him now. So how much does a miracle cost?'

'We don't sell miracles here, little girl. I'm sorry but I can't help you,' the pharmacist said, softening a little.

'Listen, I have the money to pay for it. If it isn't enough, I will get the rest. Just tell me how much it costs.'

The pharmacist's brother was a well dressed man. He stooped down and asked the little girl, 'What kind of a miracle does your brother need?'

' I don't know,' Tess replied with her eyes welling up. I just know he's really sick and Mommy says he needs an operation. But my Daddy can't pay for it, so I want to use my money.'

'How much do you have?' asked the man from Chicago .

'One dollar and eleven cents,' Tess answered barely audible. 'And it's all the money I have, but I can get some more if I need to.'

'Well, what a coincidence,' smiled the man. 'A dollar and eleven cents---the exact price of a miracle for little brothers.'

He took her money in one hand and with the other hand he grasped her mitten and said 'Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let's see if I have the miracle you need.'

That well-dressed man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon, specializing in neuro-surgery. The operation was completed free of charge and it wasn't long until Andrew was home again and doing well.

Mom and Dad were happily talking about the chain of events that had led them to this place.

'That surgery,' her Mom whispered. 'was a real miracle.. I wonder how much it would have cost?'

Tess smiled. She knew exactly how much a miracle cost...one dollar and eleven cents...plus the faith of a little child.

In our lives, we never know how many miracles we will need. A miracle is not the suspension of natural law, but the operation of higher law.

(shared by Teo Tiam/Fiona)

National Service in Malaysia

“Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance.” (Proverbs 1:5)

A famil friend (Malaysian) will be graduating from a local university soon. She is an extremely bright student and will be doing her pupilage under a top law firm here. She already made up her mind that she will apply to become a Singapore citizen once she commences working here. Later I came to know the main reason behind this is that she is afraid to be enlisted under the Malaysia National Service scheme.

She first received the enlistment letter when she was in Junior college. She wrote back to tell them that she was still studying and they accepted her explanation. She thought the case was closed, and then the letter came again when she was first year in the university. They have obviously treated her case as deferment, not exemption. Fortunately, she still had the excuse not to be drafted. Now that she is going to graduate soon, she is worrying the enlistment letter can come anytime, and this time she has no excuse to give.

The Malaysia National Service program (reduced to 3-month currently from the initial plan of 2 years) commenced in 2003 and conscripts 18-year-od youths that are randomly drafted. The objective is to foster friendship between young people of different ethnic groups, and develop patriotism among the young generation. It is also meant to address the concern that various races were increasingly polarized along the racial lines. Draft dodgers are subject to fine, and/or jail. As of June 2008, there have been 17 trainee deaths, one convicted rape case and one sexual assault complaint, besides other cases involving food poisoning, racial brawl, and harassment.

If I am in her shoes, I too will not want to be part of this program, especially as a woman, given lack of transparency and poor records of how they managed things over there. However, it is a loss to Malaysia if there are many people who are bright and talented like her choose to settle in another country for the same reason. Many Malaysian themselves are doubtful of the program and think that that it is a sheer waste of taxpayers’ money (about RM$500M per year) for it is impossible to achieve the objectives of the program by just putting the youths together for three months. It has to start from day one when they go to school. I understand from my friend who is teaching in a Secondary school in Malaysia that nowadays students of different races do not mingle with one another, unlike our time in the 70s where we enjoyed visiting each other during festive seasons.

Humourous clips-learn from the animals

Give lots of kisses

Laugh often

Hold on to good friends

Share with friends

Watch your steps

Seize moments

remain calm

Relax

Pray

(shared by Fiona)

'The Third Age'

“Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding?” (Job 12:12)

Everyone knows that our government is superb when comes to planning. Now there is this new statutory board called ‘Council for the Third Age’. Initially I couldn’t figure out what is it is about from its name alone until I saw its advertisement for its event, ‘Active Aging carnival, active living’ on the train. The baby-boomers are indeed going to be a huge financial burden for the country. The government is trying to mitigate the impact by postponing the retirement age. There are also more job advertisements recruiting health care staff to take care the medical needs of these folks.

Looking after aged people is seldom an admirable task. I can fully empathize with my youngest sister’s frustrations at times with my mum during those lengthy years that she had to take care of her. The failure rate for maids who take care of the aged is very high so much so that most employers would rather not to demand too much from their maids. At the shopping mall below my place, I often see maids hanging around with the wheel-chair bounded old-folks under their charge. Some of them even dressed smartly with make-ups, in contrast with those under their cares.

My recent short visit to a church-sponsored eldercare centre is an unforgettable experience. The place (HDB void deck) provides day-care services for the poor aged patients after they were discharged from the hospital. It is a bit too small a place given the number of patients the centre takes in. This is made worst by the fact that virtually all the old folks have to use walking frames to move about. We were there around afternoon tea time. A commotion broke out when patients started to find their ways to the tables for their tea breaks with walking frames got into the way of one another, as a result, grumblings and unkind words were murmured and the atmosphere became suddenly very tense. There were also squabbles among some of them when their favourite seats were ‘invaded’ by others.

I was saddened to witness such ugly scenes. Isn’t this place after all is not their permanent home? Why are they fighting over such trivial things? Their behaviours do not make sense to me but I guess when we are old, we will probably behave the same ways, stubborn and nagging over insignificant things in life. No wonder most people would rather do volunteer works at children homes than at places that housed the old folks.

90/10 principle

Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city. (Proverbs 16:32)

A close friend sent me an article about the 90/10 principle which basically says that 10% of our life is made up of what happens and 90% is decided by how we react. We have no control over 10% of what happens to us but we do have control over our reactions. How true it is that our days are often ruined by our own doings that lead to unnecessary stresses, hurting others and losing friends.

Our wrath tends to be revengeful and punitive in essence, coloured by our self-interest and gratification of our impulsive desires. Someone once says that the difference between a beast and a human being is that a beast lacks the faculty of reason. It is unable to stand outside itself to consider itself and its actions. An animal responds to any stimulus instinctively without any interval for thought. It failed to put an interval of thought between the stimulus and the response. So when we react instinctively and act immediately, we are actually no difference compared to a beast. Sometimes just a 5-second interval between our thought and action is all it needs to determine the outcome of a situation.

A change of mindset is a must in order to control over our reactions. I find people who are inclined to spiritual things and practised those values they learnt such as loving-kindness, inner peace, inner strength, tolerance etc, are likely succeed in controlling over their impulses. As in all things, practice makes perfect and self-control will just come naturally. Knowledge without actions is futile. Our pride and self-centredness are the biggest threats to achieve this.