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Geek.Mythology
journey of a geek exploring the matrix of life
Clever distraction by our Water Polo Team?
via straitstimes.com
Hmm I’m not sure if the design of the trunks constitutes disrespect to the State Flag, but I’m quite sure this could be a ploy by our Water Polo team to distract their opponents! :p
An alternative commentary on the disclosure of Mas Selamat’s escape
Andrew Loh
It is shocking – the way the entire Mas Selamat Kastari escape is being painted as a racial-religious issue by the Government and Members of Parliament.
While trying to assure Singaporeans of our peace and harmony between the races, the Government may, inadvertently or ignorantly, be stoking unhappiness among one particular group of Singaporeans – Malay-Muslims.
It would seem that the way the Government is painting the picture, and with a lap dog media going along with its dictates, the Mas Selamat story is no longer about Government incompetency, which really is what the whole fiasco is truly about.
In 2008, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, in defending the then Home Affairs Minister, Wong Kan Seng, from calls for the minister to resign, said:
“Singaporeans need to know what went wrong, and what the Government will do to fix things… While the minister is ultimately accountable for the policies and operations of his ministry… this does not mean that if a lapse occurs down the line, every level in the chain of command, up to and including the Minister should automatically be punished or removed.” (Straits Times)
Recent disclosure by Wong’s successor, K Shanmugam, has shed light on how Mas Selamat managed to escape – and it is not improbable that it was a direct failure of Wong that may have allowed Mas Selamat to do so.
Shanmugam revealed that investigations have shown that Mas Selamat had taken refuge at his brother’s home and that Asmom (Mas Selamat’s brother), his wife Aisah, their daughter Nur Aini and son Mahadir “have all independently admitted to the fact that Mas Selamat had stayed overnight in their home between 29 Feb and 1 Mar 2008.” (See here)
The obvious question, which Nominated Member of Parliament, Viswa Sadasivan asked, was: “On the day of the escape, shouldn’t it have been standard operating procedure for the security forces to actually go down to the homes of the immediate family members?”
Shanmugam’s reply: “[The Member] will remember that I have said taking into account his family members, which numbered more than a hundred, and with contacts they number many more. I don’t want to go into details on what surveillance was done because they are really operational security matters …”
And then Shanmugam added: “[It] is not in the interest of our country for us to disclose these matters. However, Member can be assured that what was done has been reviewed and I’m satisfied that all the necessary steps were taken.”
Well, the fact is that Shanmugam’s explanation, if you can call it that, is plainly unacceptable.
For first, it is Mas Selamat’s immediate family which should have been monitored as they would be the most probable people that he would seek help from. And they certainly do not “number more than a hundred”? Or is the minister claiming otherwise?
Mas Selamat had taken shelter in his brother’s home.
As someone said on TOC’s Facebook, “He didn’t go hide with his mother’s fourth cousin’s third uncle’s sixth auntie.”
One can only conclude that Shanmugam was being facetious in cleverly avoiding answering Viswa Sadasivan’s question.
Secondly, the Government had mobilized the police, the army and volunteers, and conducted what the media termed “an island-wide manhunt” for the suspected terrorist. And this manhunt took place over several days. Surely, the massive employment of manpower would be capable of monitoring Mas Selamat’s family – even if they “numbered more than a hundred” – if the authorities thought this should be a priority, which apparently they didn’t.
Were members of Mas Selamat’s family called in to the police station to be interviewed, or did investigators pay visits to their homes? How does one explain the fact that Mas Selamat, who hid in his brother’s HDB flat in Tampines, went undetected?
It would not be hard to find someone hiding in a flat. Or would it?
Alas, the minister chose not to divulge “operational security matters” because “it is not in the interest of our country for us to disclose these matters.”
So there.
That Mas Selamat was able to stay overnight in his brother’s home between 29 Feb and 1 Mar 2008 shows that someone was clearly sleeping on the job, and I am not referring to the alleged terrorist.
Clearly, if searches had been conducted at the homes of Mas Selamat’s immediate family members, the Minister of Home Affairs would have been informed. And he would have asked for details of how such searches were conducted. Indeed, he may even have instructed how these were to be carried out, leaving, as it were, no stone unturned.
And I would imagine that one of the first, and most important, questions he would have asked is whether these searches were conducted in person, that officers went into the homes, looked into each room and possible hiding places.
While the Prime Minister tried to “tai-chi” away the blame and responsibility from Wong, it is quite clear that Wong had failed, and this failure contributed to Mas Selamat being able to get away.
Instead of admitting its shortcomings and failures, the Government instead seems to be laying the blame on the Malay-Muslim community as a whole, even as Shanmugam gave assurances that the community is not to be blamed.
But why should Shanmugam (and MPs) even mention the Malay-Muslim community, as if it is somehow complicit in Mas Selamat’s escape, or that there is a potential of it doing so, just by being of the same racial or religious affiliation as he?
Why is there a need for Deputy Mufti Fatris Bakaram to say that the act of harbouring a known fugitive from the authorities “is against Islamic principles”?
Would we have Christian or Buddhist or Taoist leaders having to do the same if one of their own committed a similar offence?
One of the most insensitive, besides being totally irrelevant, questions asked in Parliament was by the MP for Hong Kah GRC, Zaqy Mohamad. He had asked the minister:
“Given the fact that Mas Selamat did escape in a tudung, will the Ministry assure the Malay community that there won’t be unnecessary scrutiny on Malay women wearing tudung in security areas and when they seek appointments for jobs.”
It is such a stupid question that it leaves me speechless.
One would urge the Government and MPs to be careful, and sensitive, when commenting on this matter.
And to realize and recognize and accept that the escape of Mas Selamat is not one of race or religion but simply one of incompetence by a Government minister.
To say otherwise is to cloud the issue.
As the Prime Minister said in 2008:
“’Based on the facts, we have to decide who fell short in performing his duties, and what is the appropriate disciplinary action for each officer involved…. This same principle of responsibility and accountability also applies to Ministers.”
Related posts:
- Lipstick Jungle: Why we might have helped Mas Selamat escape
- The Workers’ Party press release – Escape of Mas Selamat
- “Regardless of race, language or religion”
- Ministerial statement on Mas Selamat’s escape
- Home Affairs Minister’s explanation on terrorist escape
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Bus overcharging, profits, ERP: A triple whammy? (via The Online Citizen)
By Leong Sze Hian
I refer to the report “Bus commuters overcharged S$300,000“, (Channel News Asia, Nov 22).
According to the report, commuters can visit bus interchanges, most rail stations and selected bus stops to obtain refunds. They can also check online at www.publictransport.sg for refund eligibility.
I visited the website and discovered to my horror what I and other commuters may have to go through, perhaps just to get a few cents refund.
I clicked on “Bus stop distance corrections”. I was taken to the following page:
So, can you imagine the ridiculousness of it all, to expect most of the millions of commuters who travelled on buses from 3 July to 25 November, to try to remember every bus number that they had taken, and key them in, one at a time, and then use the search button.
Well, I keyed in one of the usual bus numbers I take -73, and ‘lo and behold”, I was taken to the next screen.
I clicked on the link which took me to the next screen:
So, not only have I to remember the bus numbers I took in the last five months, but also which bus stops I passed as I travelled too!
To top it off, I will have to wait until 18 December, to find out what is the process that I have to go through to get a refund! I have to go queve at ” bus interchanges, most rail stations and selected bus stops to obtain refunds”!
Can you imagine the millions of man hours wasted by commuters trying to navigate the refund “maze”.
No wonder Singapore’s productivity has been falling in recent years
Given the above ‘pretence” of refunds, perhaps the obvious question to ask, which should have been addressed in the announcement on refunds, may be – Will there be an accounting after six months as to how much was refunded? What happens (which is almost surely to occur) if the refunds are less than the $300,000 overcharged?
As to “LTA says transport operators who don’t update bus-stop distances may face a maximum fine of S$100,000 in future”, sometimes I can’t help but laugh whenever I read about public operators being fined.
For example, one transport operator was recently fined $100 for failing to meet standards. A $100 fine for a transport operator that makes profits of up to $150 millions!
Public transport profits
While on the topic of profits, I find it rather strange, but not very amusing, that changing to a distance fares formula on 3 July, and assuring Singaporeans that two-thirds will end up paying less under the new formula, has once again resulted in record proftis for one of the transport operators.
SBS Transit’s Q3 net profit grew by 20.4 per cent from a year earlier to $12.7 million, due to higher bus and rail fares which boosted its earnings. (Channel Newsasia 11 Nov 2010)
At this rate of growth in profits, it may yet again be another record year of profits – more than the $54.6 million in 2009, having grown from $34.6 million in 2002.
For SMRT, its 1QFY11 after tax profit of $38.2 million, is a whopping 68 per cent higher than 4QFY10’s $22.7 million.
Although its profits grew at an annual rate of about 14 per cent per annum, from $56.8 million in FY2002 to $162.9 million last year, will it yet again make another record profit this year?
Malaysia vs Singapore
In contrast, against this relentless rise in public transport fares and transport operators’profits, Malaysia gives concessionary travel to disabled persons and the elderly.
In Johor Bahru, the JB Central line buses give free rides to disabled persons.
In Kuala Lumpur, bus and train fares ranging from RM0.70 to RM2.80 are about 50 per cent cheaper than Singapore’s S$0.71 (RM1.70) to S$1.94 (RM4.65).
Moreover, one can purchase a Rapidpass Integrated Pass for RM150, that gives unlimited travel for a month on buses and trains. In contrast, there are no bus and train integrated passes in Singapore.
By the way, in addition to transport concessions for the disabled, the Malaysian Government also gives a monthly allowance of RM1,050 to disabled workers.
In Singapore, the disabled get no concessions and no allowance, and the elderly only during off-peak hours.
Speaking of peak/off-peak hours, it brings me to my last point.
ERP rates
I refer to the article “Parliament Today: Why ERP rates go up” (ST, Nov 22).
It states that “Allowing a lower speed threshold because of population growth will simply lead to poorer service levels on roads and more widespread congestion, as the physical capacity of the roads remain unchanged”.
The logic of this argument may be somewhat flawed. Allow me to use an analogy – You are the CEO of a company, and you are faced with the problem of rising congestion as you have more and more customers using your services. So, some of the solutions that most may try could be – increase capacity, provide and encourage alternatives to customers, pay your staff based on the KPI of reducing the congestion, etc.
Instead, we keep saying that the ‘physical capacity remain unchanged’, ‘charges to customers have to be continually raised because service levels had fallen below the optimal range following a regular review’, the extra increasing millions of dollars of revenue will not be used to subsidise alternative channels (public transport), etc.
If we can’t effectively increase and improve transport infrastructure, and simply earn more whenever congestion gets worse, then what is the incentive to reduce congestion?
There may be an inherent bias and conflict of interest when the LTA is tasked with reducing congestion, and yet gets more revenue when there is more congestion. I would therefore like to suggest an independent inquiry and scrutiny process by ordinary citizens who take public transport, to montitor and review the practices and decisions of the LTA.
Maybe if the LTA is “fined” when congstion gets worse, it may improve traffic flow in Singapore!
Related posts:
- Triple whammy – inflation, ERP, credit cards
- New formula protects profits for transport companies
- Comfort Delgro’s profits rise
- Billion dollar profits but still axing jobs
- HDB: cannot withdraw cash profits anymore when you sell?
HELP keep the voice of TOC alive!
If you like this article, please consider a small donation to help theonlinecitizen.com stay alive. We thank you for your kind assistance. (All donors’ information will be kept confidential)
Mobile use is changing fast
By this time next year, the majority of mobile phones sold in the West will be Smartphones, ie. equipped with large touch screens and able to download apps, take photos and video, function as a Satnav, and much more. In addition, tablet device use is going to increase dramatically.
- The iPad has sold 7.5 million so far, but next year predicted sales are 48 million. Guess how many mobiles were sold in the last 24 hours? (*Answer at bottom of page)
There are a number of cheaper competing, mainly Android, tablets about to be released on the market. Expect the entire mobile device context to look surprisingly different by next year, with many more people having high/middle-end phones or tablets that can download Bibles, play video clips, and use apps. TechRepublic discusses your choices and options. For mobile Bibles in many languages (some can be downloaded and used offline), check YouVersion, which has just announced extra features.
Mobile Advance blog rounds up last week’s 10 best items of mobile news, as well as focusing on evangelism opportunities. 500 million Africans now use mobile phones, reports Africa News. And a new battery will help rural Africans stay connected by mobile. QR Codes (short for ‘quick response codes’) are very easy to generate. You can see one at the top-right of this page, which embeds the URL of this blog so that any mobile phone user with a camera, bar-code reader and browser can visit this site with a single click. Sign up for a QR code at Goo.gl and you’ll even get usage stats for click-thrus. Consider the many ways you could use QR Codes to attract people to a church/outreach site or Facebook fan page – for instance in printed leaflets, on business cards, adverts, car stickers, even on church signboards: ideas. Some QR generators allow you to embed a phone number, text, or SMS instead of an URL. *Answer to mobile sales figure: 1.29 million, yes million, phones were sold in the last 24 hours. Watch the ticker rolling up on our page about mobile phone outreach, with advice on buying a mobile phone including second-hand.
Disconnect to Connect
via youtube.com
This Disconnect to Connect commercial really hits the heart. Time to put down that phone and spend quality time with those close to us.
thanks Marcus (@greengeeek) for sharing!
We No Longer Live In Actual Countries But Digital Ones
A lot has changed since illustrator Randall Monroe drew up the original XKCD “Map Of Online Communities” in 2007. In testament to how far we as Internet denizens have come, earlier this week XKCD updated its beloved classic to more accurately reflect the rapidly changing online world of 2010.
From Monroe in 2007:
“I’m waiting for the day when, if you tell someone ‘I’m from the internet’ instead of laughing they just ask, ‘Oh what part?’“
Until that day is here (and it’s coming VERY soon, like tomorrow) here’s a quick state of the Internet union; In 2007 the most prominent digital countries were Myspace, Friendster, AOL, Live Journal and Xanga … In 2010? Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Skype, QQ, Happy Farm and Farmville. Plus ca change, plus c’est la meme chose?
Um, Happy Farm? Yeah that’s right, Chinese MMOPG Happy Farm has 228 million active users, making Farmville at 62 million active users the “second biggest browser based social networking centered farming game in the world.”
Zoom in for hidden gems like “Social Media Consultant Channel” and “Bieber Bay.” Double zoom in for the island of TechCrunch/Crunch Gear, off the nothern tip of the Tech Blog peninsula.
Original 2007 map for comparison, below.
via techcrunch.com
a glimpse of God’s affection
via youtube.com
Earlier this week I got a little nostalgic and compiled on my ipod a mix of songs from the 90s. Included in that playlist is this familiar number by Aerosmith, “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing”, from the soundtrack for the movie Armageddon.
While travelling to the workplace few days ago, this song came up randomly (my playlist was in shuffle mode). When it came to the bridge, I was struck by the depth of emotion expressed by both the lyrics and well, Steve Tyler.
“…I don’t wanna miss one smile, I don’t wanna miss one kiss
I just wanna be with you, right here with you, just like this
I just want to hold you close, feel your heart so close to mine
And just stay here in this moment for all the rest of time…”
You see, this song is obviously written by one person for another person. But what hit me that morning listening to it was that if humans are capable of displaying such depth of love, how much more, or how much deeper is God’s love for us since we are created in His image?
My eyes welled up at that moment, knowing that the display of even the deepest mortal love is merely a glimpse of God’s immense affection for us. And there is so much more He wants to pour out.
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