Potty-mouth Politician-wannabe Extraordinair

Here's something that Alex Tan Zhixiang (currently the Admin of States Times Review and living in Sydney) doesn't want the average moderate Singaporean to know.

In July 2012, Alex sent a vulgarity-filled email entitled "An angry Singaporean commuter's complaint against SBS" to then Minster for Transport Lui Tuck Yew and various government agencies. It wasn't long before the email started to make its rounds on the various social media and online forums.

The shocking part is NOT the fact that he sent a complaint to the Minister (As LKY succinctly put it, "Singaporeans are champion grumblers".) but that Alex Tan, an "aspiring" politician then (He was a Candidate in GE 2011 for the Ang Mo Kio GRC under the Reform Party) would send such a email that was filled to the brim with a certain four-letter expletive.

Image: SG Club Forums

Now let's just put aside the fact that there were many things in the email that didn't make much sense. (Like the part where he whines about how he couldn't exit the bus via the front as the EZ-Link machine only showed "Entry" - which was how it was then.)

While he may have been justifiably upset over the crowded public buses, there is simply no reason why he should have to resort to such colorful language.

Besides, is this how a person who wanted represent Singaporeans in Parliament, should behave?

What happens if another country's politician says something rude about Singapore? Is Alex Tan going to show them the full extend of his potty mouth powers? Do we really want such a character to be in Parliament?

In any case, despite his strong words of "...I have no apologies for my language...", Alex had to eat his own words in the end.

Here's a summary of what happened from an AsiaOne news report.

SBS Transit had asked a Magistrate's Court for help after Alex Tan Zhixiang sent them an expletive-filled rant in an e-mail about his trip on one of its buses. When such a complaint has been lodged, the Magistrate will assess the case and decide if the police should proceed with the investigation.

In an e-mail interview with TNP, Mr Tan said he made the apology as he claimed SBS Transit had "promised not to (proceed with the complaint) if I apologise immediately".

Mr Tan added: "I am so regretful, I didn't know a feedback would land me in a lawsuit."

SBS also confirmed that it had received two e-mails from Mr Tan "expressing remorse".

"We have since accepted Mr Tan's apology and understand that he will be retracting his earlier comments," added Ms Tan, who is the senior vice-president, corporate communications at SBS Transit. "We will keep the Magistrate's Court informed of this latest development."

See the full news report here: http://transport.asiaone.com/news/general/story/blogger-apologises-sending-e-mail-rant-sbs#sthash.enfh5MR1.dpuf


But why is this important now in 2015? This happened in 2012. Surely we should all move on now?

Well, here's the thing. Alex Tan is still spreading his nonsense online via the States Time Review. So it's important that Singaporeans and his readers see him for the kind of dubious character he is.

"Financial Expert" tries to alarm public with incompetent research

Image: Fabrications About The PAP

What do you think "Dr" Leong Sze Hian, a Harvard alumnus with 3 Masters and 2 Bachelors degrees but no PhD, is trying to do?

Yesterday (30 Nov 2015) Dr Leong wrote the article quoting a HK's publication dated "Jul 15" that requested Moody's credit agency downgrading the outlook of 3 main Singapore's banks from "stable" to negative.

But a search on Moody's website showed an announcement on 16 Jul 2015 that says the opposite of Leong's preposition:

" Moody's Investors Service has revised its outlook for Singapore's (Aaa stable) banking system to stable, reflecting the domestic property market's soft landing, and moderating domestic and cross-border credit growth. The outlook was previously negative since July 2013."

Moody's Investors Service, 16 Jul 2015

Here's the Moody article below:

Moody's: Singapore's banking system outlook stable, as property market eases and credit growth moderates Global Credit Research - 16 Jul 2015

Singapore, July 16, 2015 -- Moody's Investors Service has revised its outlook for Singapore's (Aaa stable) banking system to stable, reflecting the domestic property market's soft landing, and moderating domestic and cross-border credit growth. The outlook was previously negative since July 2013.

Moody's analysis is contained in its just-published report "Banking System Outlook: Singapore", by Eugene Tarzimanov, a Moody's Vice President -- Senior Credit Officer.

Moody's rates Singapore's three major banking groups—that account for around 60% of domestic system assets at end-2014—DBS Bank Ltd. (Aa1 stable, aa3), Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited (Aa1 stable, aa3) and United Overseas Bank Limited (Aa1 stable, aa3). Moody's also rates Bank of Singapore Limited (Aa1 stable, a3), the private-banking subsidiary of OCBC.

Moody's expects that Singapore banks will continue to benefit from healthy—although lower—economic growth both domestically and in their regional operations. While real GDP growth in Singapore will slow to around 3% in 2015 and 2016 as a result of slower growth in China, this will be offset somewhat by the recovering US economy.

"We expect moderate credit growth for Singapore banks in the next 12-18 months, which will help to regulate household and corporate leverage," says Tarzimanov. "But problem loans will increase somewhat during 2015-16, mainly from foreign loans, while the quality of domestic loans will remain stable."

Singapore's domestic property market is undergoing a soft-landing; regulatory steps and new housing supply have moderated prices for public and private housing by about 5%-7% since 2013. Moody's expects this trend to continue as additional housing supply comes online, interest rates gradually increase and current regulatory measures remain in place.

Capital buffers will stay strong, unaffected by credit costs as recurring earnings will cover gradually increasing loan-loss provisions, and risk-weighted asset growth will be in line with internal capital generation, says Moody's.

The rating agency expects Singapore banks to maintain stable loan-to-deposit ratios of around 90% in 2015-16, but profitability will decline as higher credit costs and slower loan growth weigh on margins. While higher interest rates will provide support to net interest margins, Moody's expects improvements to be very gradual and offset by these higher credit costs.

Systemic support for Singapore's large banks is very high, given their importance to the banking system and overall economy. In addition, the Singapore government's recently proposed bank resolution regime is among the most investor-friendly in the world, notes Moody's.

Moody's subscribers may access this report here:
https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1006062

Source: 

Moodys -  https://www.moodys.com/research/Moodys-Singapores-banking-system-outlook-stable-as-property-market-eases--PR_329464

Liar liar .... pants on fire.

Image: Fabrications About The PAP

Image: SG Infernal Affairs

Image: Fabrications About The PAP

Image: Shutdown TRS

[Defending the Lion City] One SAF Clerk's opinion

By Mark Farha Kon, November 27 at 11:59am

I'm no warfighter. I think many of us serving our two years in the army aren't. But I know of a good number of people who, at moment's notice, are more than willing to get up, put on their Full Battle Order, and defend Singapore.

Because we know what is at stake. Because we know that the peace we enjoy is not free. Because we know how much blood sweat and tears was poured into the building of this miracle nation.

When we leave home everyday and tell our family we love them, we look in their eyes and we know what we fight for, what we defend. We know we have the luxury of coming back home to a house intact, a family intact. Many people in war torn zones don't get this chance we take for granted.

When we walk past a mosque next to a temple next to a church, we know this is something completely inorganic. That it took and still takes effort, understanding, racial harmony, to enjoy such things as non-event.

You type from your office chair in your 8-5 job in your air conditioned room, which you drove to in your air conditioned car, and mock the preparedness of the SAF in the event an incursion occurs.

But you forget, not everybody passed out a lance corporal like you, unfulfilled and bitter that the government "stole" two years of your life. And whilst everybody counted down to their ORD the same way you did, they didn't waste their two years lamenting the fact.

"And they all learned things you complainers and naysayers of the SAF never will : purpose, camaraderie, drive, determination, grit, sacrifice."

They learnt to accustom themselves to communal living, they lost their hair, wore the same number 4 as everyone else, ran in the same PT kit as everyone else, and learnt that in the army, there was no strata. The bungalow kid and the HDB kid all slept on the same beds, ate the same food, got punished all the same. Army was and still is the great equalizer.

The Haircut that marks the sometimes emotional transition from civilian to soldier

Then some went on to go through 9 months of vigorous training, many attritioning throughout the course. Those that made it, we call them officers. Others went on to don three chevrons, spending 6 months in the grueling hell they call Sergeant Cadet School. 

Most get sent to the Infantry Regiments, 1 to 12 SIR as riflemen, and as they say, life for them is 2 years of Tekong. Not to forget those that got sent to commandos, guards, naval diver unit. They all became more comfortable in the humid forest, drenched in perspiration, long 4 covered in mud, than you ever will be in your crisp white shirt and business pants.

And they all learned things you complainers and naysayers of the SAF never will : purpose, camaraderie, drive, determination, grit, sacrifice.

You pay 200 a month for a manicured gym to go to with towels provided, protein shake bars, steam and shower rooms. The jungle is their gym. Flipping tyres, running in the full heat of the sun.

You haven't seen the Master Warrant Officers who have badges so plentiful, they run out of space on their uniform to sew it on. The ones with ranger and guard tabs. The ones who went to America, trained as navy seals, and passed out navy seals. Yes, we have navy seals in Singapore, and they are Singaporean.

The ones who everyday, hold themselves to the highest standards in the execution of their jobs, because they know, they're not just doing a job for a pay : they're keeping Singapore safe.

So that naysayers like you who passed out lance corporal with neither testimony nor combat skills badge can mock the very system and organization that allows you the safety and peace of mind to even think of mocking them.

I know these soldiers, I know these men, I've seen these enciks. They might drink beer and talk nonsense while off duty, and you dismiss and discount them, but inside they possess the grit you never will. They are proud to be part of the SAF, and their stories, scars and experiences they will forever carry with them as badges of honor. They've done much and gone through much worth remembering, i can't say the same for you complainers.

A Master Warrant Officer who is a special ops commando once told me this : "why 国家 and not 家国? Because if there is no country, can you even have a home?"

These people who do, and not just talk, have all my respect.

Yours sincerely, a clerk in the SAF.

Source:

Mark Farha Kon Facebook 

https://www.facebook.com/mark.f.kon/posts/10207459751625289

hahaha.... Reform Party Chief claims that declining productivity will lead to a full blown recession!

Image: Shut Down TRS

Look at Kenneth Jeyaretnam trying to pull a fast one by claiming our declining productivity will lead to a full blown recession!

Come on leh, there are many economic factors that causes full blown recessions and declining productivitiy isn't one of them!

FYI based on our lastest MTI report, productivity have actually stabilized at 0% which fared must better than the past and our economic outlook isn't as bleak as this Kenneth made out to be!

[Labour productivity, as measured by value-added per worker, was unchanged (0.0 per cent growth) in the third quarter compared to the same period a year ago. This represented an improvement from the five consecutive quarters of negative growth.]
Source: https://www.mti.gov.sg/ResearchRoom/SiteAssets/Pages/Economic-Survey-of-Singapore-Third-Quarter-2015/FullReport_3Q15.pdf

Source

Shut Down TRS 

https://www.facebook.com/shutdowntrs/photos/a.1438069629738857.1073741828.1437466759799144/1682971321915352/?type=3&theater

Ensuring there's enough water - always

The Linggiu Reservoir in Johor is FIVE TIMES LARGER than all of the 17 reservoirs put together. It was constructed by the PUB following a 1990 treaty supplementary to Singapore's 1962 Water Agreement with Malaysia.

Image: Singapore Matters 

By Ng Joo Hee, 27 Nov 2015

Not many people know that there are 17 freshwater reservoirs in Singapore, or that we have a large reservoir across the Causeway in Johor.

Constructed by the PUB following a 1990 treaty supplementary to Singapore's 1962 Water Agreement with Malaysia, the Linggiu Reservoir dwarfs them all. In fact, with an 18km girth and 55 sq km in area, Linggiu is five times larger than all of Singapore's other reservoirs combined.

RESERVOIR STOCK RUNNING LOW

Two weeks ago, my boss, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli, made the bumpy trek to Linggiu. He did so with one aim: to tell the Singaporean public that - because of persistent dry weather - Linggiu Reservoir is more than half empty and that, while water supply in Singapore remains steady and resilient, the dry weather may eventually also affect us.

As I write, several parts of Johor Baru are well into the fourth month of water rationing. Many of Johor's own reservoirs are at critically low levels and a "one-day-on- two-days-off" scheduled water supply has been in operation since early August. The water authority there has asked PUB to augment its supply during this period with an additional five million gallons a day (mgd) of potable water from our treatment plant in Johor, which we readily agreed to do.

Imported water - which can meet half of Singapore's daily demand for drinking water - is under threat and steadily depleting, but the taps continue to flow for consumers here. This is an unappreciated blessing. For sure, this outcome is not in any way due to good fortune. It stems from long and careful planning, and conscientious implementation by PUB and other parts of the Government.

Singapore's continued ability to ensure water security and sustainability guarantees our national survival and economic prosperity. This was the case at Independence and it remains so now, when Singapore has turned 50.

Singapore's current demand for water is approximately 400 mgd, roughly 730 Olympic-size pools full of the life-giving stuff, with each person using an average of 150 litres a day.

As industry and commerce grow and our population increases, the demand for water can only rise. We expect total demand to double by 2061, to 800 mgd. This is also around the time our 99-year water agreement with Malaysia will end.

By 2030, 15 years from now, total demand would have reached 560 mgd, or a third more than today's.

This is water that we do not have now - water that we will need to find and treat.

Image: Fabrications about the PAP

There is just not enough space in Singapore to collect and store all the water that we need. 

Although right on the Equator and in the tropics, Singapore is actually a severely water-challenged country. We spend a lot of time and devote a lot of resources in planning for the future. PUB always builds ahead of demand. Construction of Singapore's third desalination plant will soon commence. Plans for a fourth have just been announced. And you can be sure that we are busy working on the one after that.

Water security is a matter of life and death for us in Singapore. Our existence as a sovereign nation is directly contingent on enduring water security. The late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's first Prime Minister, recognised this fact from day one, and worked tirelessly throughout his life to secure our water future. He once said: "Water dominated every other policy. Every other policy had to bend at the knees for water survival."

Singapore's water strategy comes in three parts. First of all, we have to maximise our own yield. So we strive to collect every drop of rain that falls here. This means turning as much of Singapore as possible into a water catchment, and keeping our drains, canals and waterways pristine.

Second, we have to think of water as an endlessly reusable resource. In our minds, the H2O molecule is never lost. Water can always be reclaimed and re-treated so that it can be drunk again.

PUB is a world leader in this. Today, we are able to turn wastewater into sweet water for very little money. We reclaim every drop of sewage and turn much of it into drinking water again.

And third, because Singapore is surrounded by sea, we turn seawater into drinking water. When membrane separation technology made desalination economically viable, PUB adopted it with great zeal. And we continue to research better desalination technology to find less expensive ways of desalting water.

Our plan, in the long run, is for fully 80 per cent of Singapore's water needs to be met by desalinated and recycled water.

TECHNOLOGY, INNOVATION, INGENUITY

The future of water security in Singapore may lie with desalination and reuse, but we also know that if we just do more of the same, the next drop of water will always be more expensive to collect, to treat and to deliver. So, PUB is always looking for new ways of doing things, new innovations that will let us produce water cheaper, and in an easier way.

Because the heavens do not give us enough water or the space to keep it, we have looked to clever science and high technology, and to human ingenuity, for improvements... It will be technology and innovation that will allow us to collect and clean our wastewater, and continue to keep our soil, rivers, lakes and seas clean and hospitable.

We are crystal clear about achieving three outcomes for research and innovation in the water sector: to increase water resources; lower the cost of production; and improve security and system resilience.

In order to achieve and sustain these outcomes, PUB has invested and continues to invest a lot of money in water-related scientific research, in nurturing human talent in water technology and engineering, and in actively developing a thriving and globally competitive water industry.

Water R&D is an exciting and fast-moving area. The cutting-edge science that PUB is supporting in research laboratories all over Singapore suggests that we are on the cusp of realising some truly game-changing technologies. Let me provide a few examples.

• Desalination may be weather- resistant, but it is energy- intensive and a costly means of making seawater drinkable. Working with collaborators, PUB is ready to demonstrate electro-deionisation - the use of a new separation technology - as a far more energy-efficient way of taking salt out of seawater. But why stop there? Mother Nature, as always, does it best. Mangrove and fish in the sea need fresh water too, and they are able to remove excess salt with minimal effort. Biomimicry offers great promise and is another area of research that we have devoted considerable resources to.

• PUB engineers who have made wastewater treatment their life work will tell you that there is "gold" in sewage. Sludge, an inevitable by-product of sewage treatment, is concentrated organic material. Energy can be readily recovered from sewage sludge in the form of methane gas. Because sludge management technology is advancing by the day, modern sewage treatment facilities are fast becoming waste-to-energy plants. PUB's planned Tuas Water Reclamation Plant will be just that. To be developed jointly with the National Environment Agency's Integrated Waste Management Facility, this combined unit will be a world first, bringing unprecedented synergies in terms of land use, energy savings and operational efficiency.

• Leaky pipes are enemy No. 1 for water network engineers. It is quite senseless to expend effort and energy in making water potable only to lose it through leaks in the water transmission network. Losses because of leaks are a perennial challenge for water utilities the world over, and the water systems in some countries can lose as much as half of their production due to leaks. Despite fastidious attention to finding and plugging pipe leaks here, keeping our losses at the current 5 per cent is a daily challenge for our engineers and technicians. Again, technology offers a solution. PUB is busy fitting out our extensive water conveyance network, most of which is underground, with sophisticated pressure and acoustic sensors. These not only detect pipeline ruptures, but careful study of sensor data will even help us predict imminent leaks before they happen, allowing us to do pre-emptive repairs.

Despite severely limiting geographic constraints, today's Singapore is not short of water.

As long as we at PUB continue to be smart and clear-eyed about our nation's water situation, and do our work well, there should always be enough water. This is possible only because we have used our imagination, researching and testing continuously, and have exploited technology to overcome our water challenges.

In this way, we have turned disadvantage into strength, and seemingly insurmountable vulnerability into endless opportunity.

Mr Ng Joo Hee, 49, leads PUB, Singapore's national water agency. In this role, he is responsible for the supply of potable water, the reclamation and treatment of used water, and the management of storm water in Singapore. He also holds a concurrent appointment as the Deputy Secretary (Special Duties) in the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources.

Source: 

Straits Times

http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/ensuring-theres-enough-water-always?utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook#xtor=CS1-10

[Defending the Lion City] US eyes Singapore-made troop carrier

The Terrex is being used by the Singapore Armed Forces to provide foot soldiers with added cover and speed in the battlefield. PHOTO: ST KINETICS

By Jermyn Chow, Nov 26, 2015, 5:00 am SGT, ST

The Singapore-made Terrex 2 armoured infantry carrier has been shortlisted by the United States Marine Corps as the war machine that could be ferrying the elite troops to war zones as soon as 2020.

If chosen, the eight-wheeled amphibious vehicle will replace the ageing and lumbering troop carriers that the marines have been using since the 1970s.

2 SIR in an urban operations exercise with the Terrex personnel carrier at the Murai Urban Training Facility

Today, the Terrex is being used by the Singapore Armed Forces to provide foot soldiers with added cover and speed in the battlefield. It also gives them invaluable near real-time updates of enemy and friendly troop positions.

Clinching the Marine Corps deal, worth some US$1.5 billion (S$2.1 billion), will be the biggest coup for Singapore Technologies (ST) Kinetics, which designed and built the Terrex 2.

The defence contractor also sold more than 100 Warthog - also known as the Bronco - armoured personnel carriers to the British military in 2008 for $330 million.

A ‘Warthog’ Fighting Vehicle is pictured on patrol in the Loy Mandah District of Afghanistan, during an operation to clear out an insurgent hotspot. - ThinkDefence.co.uk

ST Kinetics' rival in the two-year- long evaluation is British defence manufacturer BAE Systems.
The Pentagon on Tuesday said each firm will have to build 16 vehicles to be delivered from January till 2017 for field tests, with the eventual winner producing more than 200 vehicles by 2020.

For this project, ST Kinetics is teaming up with US defence firm Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC). The Fortune 500 scientific, engineering and technology company, based in Virginia, will be in charge of wiring up the Terrex's weapons systems, among other things.

The driver's console features increased digitisation, with two touch screen consoles facilitating speedy access to information and settings on the vehicle's health, driving configuration, and other critical functions. Instead of physical gauges located out of the driver's immediate visibility, dashboard information is overlaid on the LCD display immediately underneath the viewports to improve usability and driving safety. (ST Kinetics)

The Singapore-US consortium beat three other rivals, including industry heavyweight Lockheed Martin, to get this far.

Mr Jon Grevatt, Asia-Pacific defence industry analyst at military publication IHS Jane's, said it was an achievement for ST Kinetics to emerge as a serious contender for a major US military contract, adding: "Singapore's defence technology community is moving in the right direction and Singapore's continual investments in indigenous capabilities are paying off."

He noted that many countries, faced with shrinking defence budgets, want to get bang for their buck with customised, rather than off-the-shelf, capabilities.

"ST Kinetics knows it cannot just export now. It's about joining hands with foreign companies with local know-how to accurately meet the market's demand."



Sources: 

Straits Times
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/us-eyes-spore-troop-carrier?utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook#xtor=CS1-10

Read more about the Terrex 2 here:

IHS Jane's 360 - ST Kinetics unveils next-generation Terrex 2 amphibious armoured vehicle

http://www.janes.com/article/54107/st-kinetics-unveils-next-generation-terrex-2-amphibious-armoured-vehicle

FoxtrotAlpha - One Of These Will Be The Next U.S. Marines  Amphibious Combat Vehicle
http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/one-of-these-will-be-the-next-u-s-marines-amphibious-1746202361