A Merry Christmas and A Blessed New Year!

Wishing one and all a Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!  May the God of power and wisdom be your Refuge and Guide at all times!!!

The Year of Jubilee.

The Year of Jubilee is an important and meaningful year of consecration, redemption and restoration for the Israelites as commanded by God in Leviticus 25 of the Bible.  It is the year of God's righteousness proclaimed throughout His land - debts are to be forgiven; slaves are to be set free; the return of the exiles; owners and sellers of land are to deal rightly and justly, no one shall take advantage or exploit one another.  In essence God is a God of righteousness and His people in their words and deeds should reflect this Truth.  This is the true significance of the Jubilee celebration.

Singapore will officially celebrate its golden Jubilee next year.  A SG50 Committee has been set up by the Government to spearhead the organizing of the celebratory activities.  A budget of $5 million dollars was allocated.  In fact some of the activities had already kick-started.  The Community Chest had already raised $90 million dollars at at 6 June this year to help the needy and boost the social service sector.  The Government has in addition pledged to match dollar-for-dollar up to $250 million dollars for donations made until the end of the year.

SG50 is a joyous occasion.  May I suggest that a one-time token sum of $50 be given to the 3000 odd of our fellow citizens who are recipients under the Public Assistance Scheme.  The $50 means a lot to this group of people.  The calculated total sum of $150,000 dollars is only 3% of the $5 million dollars budgeted. By extending a helping hand Singapore and Singaporeans reflect what is in God's heart.

                                    HAPPY JUBILEE YEAR, SINGAPORE!!!

BOOK READ NOTE:  The "one" book all Singaporeans need to read to understand politics and public policies in Singapore - "Hard Choices.  Challenging the Singapore Consensus" by Donald Low and Sudhir Thomas Vadaketh with contributions from Linda Lim and Thum Ping Tjin.

Telling Moments.

Greed and Exploitation

Runs in this Nation ours

Where is Salvation!

Laws and Lawyers

Sinful nature overwhelms

Justice cries out loud!

Spin and spin doctors

Hijack the conversation 

Will people wake up!

Lunatic fringe

Endless tirade unending

Falls into the trap!

Prediction is dangerous

The sage says so

Knowledge is quiet!

Volatile markets

Bear tide is coming in

Carefulness required!

Change hardly coming

It's in the family gene

Like father like son!

Different sirens

Manipulative noise

Plug your ears to them!

See No Evil, Hear No Evil And Speak No Evil.

I am interested in determining whether the above stigma (Hokkien parlance - "Bochap" attitude) still prevails in our nation's psyche after half a century of nation building.  Two news items in the media - the CPF Scheme and the escalating health-care costs - direct me to the conclusion that nothing much has really changed.

1) Our CPF Scheme - It takes a blogger's critique of the Scheme to  make it come to "life and light".  The Government has to step into the conversation as the issues are controversial and causing a lot of angst among the people.  It subsequently announced the formation of a Committee to look into the matter.  But, it is common knowledge that 50% of the cohorts retiring cannot fulfill the minimum sum (supposedly allowing retirees to draw a monthly payment of $1200 per month in CPF Life at the draw down age). It is discovered that this 50% of retirees can only manage to enjoy an average payout of about $500 per month only corresponding to their actual savings. 

2) Our escalating health-care costs - It takes a private hospital specialist to highlight this problem before anyone wakes up.  This doctor has the conscience to raise this matter as he witnesses the obscene escalating costs keep going up by leaps and bounds on the basis of who can set the latest bench-mark price to be surpassed.

Of course questions come quick and fast.  Where are the gate-keepers, professional bodies and interested parties in all of these:-

1) Our MPs (Government & Opposition), NCMPs and NMPs in our Parliaments have not taken cudgels in such bread-and-butter issues more often.  It is a reflection of them for the PM to say "they do not themselves know much about the CPF Minimum Sum Scheme".

2) Our professionals like doctors, lawyers, engineers, professional bodies, etc. - Keeping quiet when there is rampant abuse of charges, fees, etc. is a sin.

3) Our academia and think-tanks - Their professional inputs and studies will greatly help to educate and benefit the citizenry.  Addressing complex and controversial issues will manage the citizens' expectations and anxiety better.  It is no use discussing the issues when the horse has broken out of the stable.

4) Our mainstream media - It will be doing a disservice to the nation by "wanting to be politically correct" in its reports.  It will have failed in its duty if it has failed to educate and nurture a more matured citizens for the country.

My prayer and hope is that this stigma will not accompany us as we venture into the next 50 years of our nation building.  This work is cut out for every one of us!

The Singapore Garden Festival 2014

I was at the Garden Festival last week.  Above are the photographs I have taken of some of the exhibits. They are beautiful, aren't they?  Nature is always pure and innocent. Just like the Sun that rises every morning and though the clouds may hide it, its presence to give life to nature is never in doubt.  In our very short life on this earth, let us look for our God Almighty in our daily going-ins and going-outs.  In this way, our lives will be meaningful and blessed. To the proud, the arrogant and the wicked hear what the Lord says in Psalm 75:4-5 "To the arrogant I say, "Boast no more," and to the wicked, "Do not lift up your horns.  Do not lift your horns against heaven; do not speak with outstretched neck."   

The Victoria Theatre & Concert Hall.

The Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall was re-opened to the public after a four-year S$180 million refurbishment.  I managed to book myself for one of the Open House conducted tours.  It afforded me the chance to snap the many interesting photos of the Grand Old Dame.  Its rich history is closely intertwined with that of our beloved Republic.  If you have the time, you may want to take a look-see.

My reflection:  Our Almighty God has been faithful to our nation for the past 50 years of our nationhood and will continue to do so for another 50 years and more.  Let no mortal man tells you otherwise.  Praise be to Him!  He is our strong Defender, our Refuge and our Strength!

FIFA World Cup 2014 - The Ecstasy & Agony.

It has been a "samba" soccer so far in the FIFA World Cup 2014.  There are goals galore - that is why fans have unequivocally endorse it as "the beautiful game".  The "knock-out" stage begins on 29th June 2014 12am.  The top news of the day is that Uruguay's striker Luis Suarez has been suspended from four months of football-related activity and nine-game ban for his " infamous bite"of Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini's shoulder. Controversies of such behaviour are not unheard of if you will only recall instances like Maradona's "Hand of God" goal and Zidane's head-butt.

It is interesting to note that five South American countries - Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Uruguay, Argentina - are playing in the "knock-out" round.  Nigeria and Algeria are the only African countries left standing tall.  I admire the African teams including Cameroon and Ghana for their spirited and passionate style of playing - never-say-die attitude and "playing like men possessed".  Consequently the referees may interpret their actions as intimidating and aggressive.  I have witnessed instances of their players being wrongly "red-carded" for their enthusiasm and high-energy playing.  There is talk and rumours of "conspiracy theories" and favouritism.

Towering  above Rio De Janeiro watching all these activities and going-ons is the statue of Christ, The Redeemer with his outstretched hands saying to one and all "Come to me, cast all your cares and burdens on Me; fear not, I will prevail; I am your Refuge, your strong Tower; I am the Sovereign Lord, everything will be alright."  Yes, He sees and knows all things; man may plan and contrive but it is the Lord's will that will be done!

Well, coming back to World Cup 2014, I foresee a Brazil versus Argentina Final playoff.  What is your prediction?  All predictions are as Singaporeans like to say are "tikam, tikam, only".  Ha, Ha!  Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole......................................................................Ole, Ole!

World Cup 2014 - The Beautiful Game.

The Fever is already in the air.  If you are clueless, let me enlighten you.  Yes, the once-in-4 years World Cup Soccer is now being played in Brazil up to 13th July 2014.  It took a whopping $13 billion dollars to organise the fiesta.  In Singapore you can watch all the games for free in many of our Community Centres. In my constituency the residents are privileged to be served by the staff and volunteers of the Fengshan CC - above are photos of the good samaritans.  At the CCs drinks, beverage. cakes, buns, biscuits ,etc are provided fob while you watch the live telecasts.  It is not surprising crowds are packing the halls on mornings when exciting teams (like the contest between Spain and Netherlands) are playing.  Here are my first impressions of the some of the Teams I have watched so far:-

1) Brazil - favourite to win this World Cup as they are the host country.  Just watch Oscar as he is my-kind-of- player.

2)  Spain - the 5-1 drubbing by Netherlands must be very humiliating for the current World Champion.  The  team is aging and it needs new blood.

3) England - It is nice to see many more young players in the team.  Many of the senior players are over-rated and overpaid because of the English Premier League.

4) Italy - The maestro of the team is Pirlo.  This team is now playing a more attacking game as opposed to a more "defensive" style of yesterdays.

5) Argentina -  Their star player is of course Messi - I am always mesmerize by his acceleration speed; although he stations himself in the half-line, he can accelerate himself to a menacing forward in a twinkle of an eye.

6) Germany - A very tactical and compact team.  When they attack they move in formations - like armoured tanks.

Hope you enjoy and are inspired by this World Cup.  Ole Ole Ole!

Hong Lim Park Rally "Return Our CPF"

I was at the Rally on 7th June 2014.  Above are some of the photos I have taken .  As they say, a picture is more than a thousand words.  According to the organizers there were 7,000 attendees.  This is not surprising as every citizen has a CPF account.  How monies in the CPF funds are managed and invested is a concern for every one.  It took the self immolation of Tunisian Mohamed Bouazizi to be the catalyst for the Arab Spring Uprising on 18.12.10,  Will a defamation suit ignite a "new political awakening" in the Singapore scene?  It is everyone's guess.   It is imperative for the Government to deal with the "CPF issue" fairly and competently.  Otherwise, it is not inconceivable for a "tsunami" effect to take place in the 2015 General Election.