Are Singaporeans still relegated on home ground?

For all CNY (Chinese New Year) festive breaks, I always stayed home. When most activities come to a standstill, it's a great time to catch up with family members, relatives, friends and those with stories to tell. It's a time to listen in, discuss, debate and argue to seek out gems.

This year needs no provocation. The consistent rumbling was with the Population White Paper. Instead of white, it was bloodied. The 66 pages, feature rich with explanations and statistics, were completely obliterated by people fixated with this magic 6.9 mil population, crystal balling 18 years down the road. Most people have to navel gaze, concern with the immediate and now, be it housing, transportation, healthcare, child care and yes, jobs.  I am merely going to focus on jobs.

In the PME (professionals, managers and executives) space, I learned people are job displaced at a younger age, often times by non citizens. Just weeks ago, I persuaded a friend to be interviewed for a CIO (Chief Information Officer) position with a foreign MNC (Multi National Corporation). He said this: "Most will position younger folks and this is truly the biggest challenge for many middle age professionals. Such jobs have been going to foreign talent and our country men are seriously at the losing end. This Chinese New Year alone, I came across a number of friends and relatives in such situations".

Last May 2012, I wrote a piece entitled “three stories, same tale”. This same person gave me one story back then. Within weeks after being hired, his foreigner boss forwarded some CVs of fresh graduates from France with "highly recommended" ratings. So what would you do if you were in his shoes? To keep his own job, he did the “politically right thing”; hired some fresh French legs.

At one CNY dinner, I was seated next to a well-regarded lady banker who retired early. She was overseas trained, tertiary educated at London School of Economics, worked in London, came home and then rose to a senior position in a local bank. She witnessed the sea of change in the banking sector in the past 15 years. In her words, our own chaps were "hollowed out", posted overseas for experience but never make it back to shore.

Why? Whilst they were away, their positions were back-filled with many from abroad. Bring in one bright chap and half the village presents itself as brilliant too! And it comes as no surprise that “birds of same feather, flock together”.

This same person tells me that on weekends or long weekends, the banking sector these days would empty out by early evenings, thanks to pubs and low-cost carriers. Assembly in pubs is now classified as good work-life balance. Thanks to low-cost carriers, we now have a segment of people having their families rooted outside Singapore, 4-5 hours away. I personally met a Brit working for a local telco company in Singapore with family based in Perth. One of my staff relocated his family back to India, citing high cost of living here. While such arrangement is not for every family, with LCC, it becomes viable. So here is another category of mostly white-collar PMEs with virtually no chance of planting next generation Singaporeans here.

Turn the clock back 12 years. Western talent back then in the local banking sector was “flavour of the month”. Starting from foreign talent CEO, it cascaded down to many levels including many technical positions. After 50 years of computerization and a good head-start with National Computer Board, I am baffled we cannot produce CIOs for the banking sector?

Some of our brightest were schooled in top notched universities in the US and UK. We use the same western computers, the same programming languages, the same databases, the same working language (English) and probably the same banking solutions. Yet none could cut it. I thought we short changed ourselves.

Do allow me to cite a more recent example. As part of global grooming/training, a large IT MNC seconded a European lady to head the Singapore office displacing a local incumbent. I am told there is at least one other local who could cut it.

Of course, one can argue this is a global company. Then again, what special skills, technical or otherwise, is she able to bring to the table? What local knowledge does she possess? What new know how can she bring to her local team?

In another situation, I got to know the head of Asia Pacific of an MNC with operations in Singapore for many years. The company has significant presence including manufacturing, R&D and marketing. After years of operating here, the role of local MD (Managing Director) vacillated between foreign and local talents and eventually disappeared. Given the present local sentiment, there is recognition that having a qualified local face is good for the company. As part of HP Alumni, I was asked if there are suitable candidates within our flock.

I was put in touched with a HR director for details. He is from the Netherlands. We corresponded and sometime later, another person popped up. A newly recruited Brit, put in charge of talent scouting for Asia Pac. His last posting was in the Middle East. I scratched my head (got to be careful not to do so on same spot!) and ask myself aloud. Could such positions be filled by locals (Singaporeans and PR)? I mean those who lived here for some time and probably have better understanding of the landscape here and of neighbouring countries. What special skills do they possess? What knowhow can be transferred? What domestic knowledge do they possess to manage these jobs?

All the same, I tried to be useful seeking someone from within our flock to be more than mere 'mascot'!

This story came from a school mate who already made his money. He would be classified in the super league. Even he lamented saying the super rich we attract do not understand our culture. He was pissed with another neighbour from afar in a high-end condo. Apparently, both were entangled in a parking incident where many fingers were shown and things nearly came to a blow. He said: “these new migrants have no respect for our bumiputras". Then, he added. Maybe the Malaysians are smarter than us since day one! Then he checked himself and said no, no. He then advocates every foreigner working in Singapore should be given a booklet that spells out our local norms.

This reminded me of a simple encounter with an overseas neighbour two years back. In measured tone, I pointed out to this bloke who plunged into our communal swimming pool without a wash. It was no surprise he talked back with a stiff upper lip. I smiled, pointed out specific clause from a prominent notice next to the pool.

Saving best for last, there is hope still. The most heartening story came from a HR Director of a large educational institution. She promises a level playing field for Singaporeans, PR and overseas talents. She said: “I came from Malaysia, my husband from Hong Kong. We met in the UK as students. We got married, worked in HK and had our first child in Hong Kong. After some time, by choice, we relocated to work in Singapore. My children grew up, went to local schools. My boy chipped in, served the nation. We too were migrants. While I do have many relatives in different parts of the world, I now call this place home”.

She summed up her mantra succinctly saying: “All things equal, if we are not willing to take care of our Singaporeans first and then our PRs second, then which country will?” Putting one’s citizens first is nothing new. Upon graduation in 1979, I was offered a two year London posting with ICL, UK. Coincidentally, Margaret Thatcher came into power that same year. I was booted out of UK without working a day. Trust the Brits to be gracious. They paid me one month salary; no hard feelings.

I had wanted my piece to end here. However, I am cheered to add this extension, contributed by a Dr X in childcare. Ironically, it took a foreign talent to prick a local to wake up, stand up, and speak up if something is amiss. She offered this famous quote and I like it. 

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out--

Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out-- 
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out-- 
Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me--and there was no one left to speak for me.

Martin Niemöller (1892-1984)

Of golf balls, pebbles, sand and beer

As Chinese New Year comes round the corner, I am feeling all fidgety, looking forward to having my daughter back for the festive season. She already missed 3 consecutive Chinese New Years. When you are an empty nester, you learn to count the days using the Chinese character 正 (zheng, thanks to google translate) consisting of 5 strokes to strike off the week days. Weekends are led, so it's easier! My domestic boss keeps me quite distracted; be it plants, flowers, laundry, fruit vendor, shopping, gym and yes, photo taking. Both my kids are away so having 1 back for CNY is half a bonus. 

Anyway, having a weekly chat over Skype sure beats writing snail mail of yester-years. I know an empty-nested friend on WhatsApp. He gets 20 photos from his daughter seeing snow for the first time. I get 3 photos from my son, also on WhatsApp! After two years, he is fatigued with snow, snow and more snow. He is now hardly excited about the cold. It's amazing how technology has changed our connections and how fast information gets from one point to the end of the globe in seconds.

UK suffered one of the worst winters in years. Railway lines were cut off in varies cities. Who wants to take photos when it is this cold?

The world famous Clifton Suspension Bridge was designed by the great Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, although he never lived to see his creation finished in 1864. 

I read tech-savvy Thaksin uses Skype and various social media applications, including WhatsApp and Line on multiple smart phones, to keep in touch with the leaders of the Pheu Thai Party. SMS is passe. 

So back to the purpose of this story as we approach CNY. I read this piece weeks ago. I hope you like it too and please reward yourself with a beer after reading. 干杯 Gānbēi. Here are 2 photos from my daughter before the article.

I cannot put into words why I am fascinated with ships. Perhaps it all started when Dad brought both JJ and I on that naval ship docked in the harbour.  

Mom may not like it because of the sun. But after slapping on a lot of sunblock, even after 7 days of Canary islands sunshine, I am still white and pasty!

That's a long way down. 60 m to be precise. 

Dad, I think you should try ship life. Another Tall ship comes by Singapore. 

The professor stood before his philosophy class with some items including a huge empty translucent jar. He proceeded to fill it with golf balls to the top. He then asked his students if it was full. Everyone nodded.  

He then picked up a box of pebbles and started pouring into the jar. His students shook their heads. He shook the vessel a couple of times and the pebbles roll into the open gaps between the golf balls. He then asked his students yet again. And all concurred it's full. 

Next, he lifted a box of sand and poured into the jar. The class gawked in total silence. The sand filled up, he gave a few shakes and again asked his students. By this time, his students were feeling restless. All the same, it was a unanimous yes. 

From under his table, he pulled out two cans of beer and promptly poured the entire content into the jar. By this time, all his students were laughing thinking what a nut this Prof is. 

As laughter subsided, the Professor said: "I want you to recognize this jar to represent your life. The golf balls are the important things--- your family, your children, your health, your friends and your passions. If everything else was lost and only the golf balls remain, your life would still be fill. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your home, your car, maybe your bicycle! And as for the sand, it is everything else....the small stuff." 

If you proceed to pour in the sand first into the jar, there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend your time and energy on the small stuff, there will be no room left for things which matter more. 

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness, he added. Spend time with your parents, your children. Visit your grandparents. Take your spouse out to dinner. And my favourite is "there will always be time to clean the house or re-pot the plants!" Take care of the golf balls first and set priorities. The rest is simply sand. 

One brave student raised his hand and asked: "Prof, I don't get it. What's up with the beer?". The professor smiled and said: "I am glad you asked. The beer just shows that no matter how full your life may be, there is always room for a couple of beers with a friend". 

Please don't tell you spouse you are heading to the golf course this CNY to purchase 'golf balls to fill your jar'. Especially so when you are needed to chauffeur your family or visit your relatives. Worst still, drive to the golf course and have a couple of beer with your friends. Happy Chinese New Year.   

Rules for Happiness: something to do, someone to love, something to hope for.” ― Immanuel Kant

On-road cycling more dangerous than skydiving

On the evening of 18Nov12, Sunday at a remote round-about along Tanjong Rhu, I almost ran into a heavy chunk of metal, a white taxi. Instead of tailing full-circle behind my bicycle, the taxi driver took a short cut and drove in front of me. Fortunately, I was not riding fast or furious.

Strangely, he stopped a short distance away then after. I rode alongside and tabbed on his side screen. He was oblivious, fiddling with his hand phone. I said: “Can you have some respect for a cyclist. You cut into my path”. He said: “I saw you what!” I replied: “What you did was wrong” and he waved me on saying “I have no time for you”.

Well, I had time for him. Thanks to an old smart phone, I took a photo of his cab. He shot out yelling and I scoot off using the park connector, a safe haven from motorised vehicles. If I have to pull him by the ears to a court hearing, I would. Given our zero tolerance on road bullies, I reported and left this in the good hands of our traffic police.

Parliamentary Secretary for Transport Assoc Prof Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim on 10Sep12 in Parliament said: “The number of cyclist fatalities averaged 18 per year over the same period from 2008 to 2011. Cyclists were found to be at least partly at fault for about half of these accidents. Since the beginning of this year, there have been 11 cyclist fatalities”.

It is no joy to read: “Cyclists were found to be at least partly at fault for about half of these accidents”. A bicycle or, for that matter, a motorcycle is most vulnerable on the road in relation to a motor vehicle. The de facto engagement rule on roads must be that the fast and well-protected keep a look out for the slow and less-protected. In any accident between a motor vehicle and 2-wheelers, the latter are always worst off, never mind who is at fault.

In a study done in the UK by David Spiegelhalter, a professor of risk assessment at university of Cambridge compared 4 modes of movements and its associated risk. He used the term “micromort”, defined as one in a million chance of sudden death.

The distance travelled per micromort is 15 miles for walking; 20 miles for cycling; 6 miles for motorcycle and 250 miles for motor vehicle. It is, therefore, not surprising that motorcycles are riskiest and that cyclists in the UK fare slightly better than pedestrians. The stat showed motor vehicles to be 12.5 times better off than cyclists comes as no surprise. It’s glaring but true that speed on two wheels makes motor cyclists awfully vulnerable at 42 time’s worst off than motorists.  

According to a US skydiving site quoted by Prof Spiegelhalter, there were 20 fatalities recorded in 2010 over 3 million jumps. This works out to be 6.7 micromorts.

There are an ESTIMATED 25,000 recreational on-road cyclists in Singapore and assume they ALL take 1.5 trips per week for 42 weeks (take away rain and vacation). This works out to be 1,575,000 cycling trips. Assume recreational cyclist fatalities as 60% of the overall 18 fatalities per year. This works out to be 10.8 fatalities and translate to 6.8 micromorts. 

The remaining 40% fatalities attributed to foreign-workers, intra-town travel.  

Using these ball park numbers, on-road recreational cycling (6.8 micromorts) in Singapore is a tad worst than skydiving (6.7 micromorts) in the US!

Mangled bike following fatal road accident Courtesy: http://sg.news.yahoo.com

The month before parliamentary debate on this matter, the most horrific cycling accident involved a lorry hitting 3 cyclists one after another along Loyang Avenue on a Saturday morning at 6:50am. The first two riders escaped with injuries. The last rider, a banker of 48 years old with a pregnant wife and a young child, died on the spot. 

In the past months, it appeared accidents involving cyclists and motor vehicles last year have been expedited to be dealt with. Early last year, a hit-and-run driver, while under driving suspension, ran over a 58 year man. He died on the spot. It was recorded that the culprit stopped his van farther ahead, walked back to the accident scene before getting back to his vehicle and drove off. Thankfully, there were witnesses. He was eventually caught, sentenced to six months imprisonment and banned from driving for seven years.

Here is something to cheer about in justice delivered. In a drink driving case, the driver knocked down and killed a retiree cyclist. He was initially fined and banned from driving for 4 years. Culprit pointed out that an extremely broad tree obscured his view in that accident. Mercilessly, that tree was cut down! Latest development is that prosecutors lodge appeal with the High Court to enhance his sentence to six-month jail including an 8 yr driving ban. We will see what happens.

So back to the scene, 500 metres away from my run in with a premier taxi. A cyclist of 46 years old died from a hit-and-run that same evening. It was also at a round-about. Within a short 4 hour island-wide search, the police manage to locate vehicle and subsequently arrested the culprit, a 36 year driver. He is out on bail.

Meanwhile, there are no changes to our vehicular roads except for the usual signs posted on lamp posts to remind motorists to watch out for recreational cyclists. The emphasis seems to be on off-road cycling as stated in parliament recently. Summary include:

“LTA has taken active steps to facilitate cycling as a mode of transport, starting with a $43 million pilot programme in 2009 to construct dedicated cycling paths in 5 selected HDB towns – Tampines, Pasir Ris, Taman Jurong, Sembawang and Yishun. Now it is extended to include Bedok and Changi-Simei. LTA have provided 6.4 km of dedicated cycling paths in the first 5 cycling towns. By 2014, this will increase to well over 50 km in our HDB towns.

These cycling paths are dedicated off-road paths, allowing segregating cyclists from on-road vehicles. These are generally planned to cater to short intra-town cycling trips, for example to key amenities and transport nodes like MRT stations and bus interchanges”.

As for on-road cycling, next to nothing changed. Priority is given to off-road cycling despite calls for the authority to do more for on-road cycling. The common argument is that in land scared SG, adding a dedicated lane takes up precious land space.

Conversely it is deemed that an “unprotected cycling lane” implemented by some countries (eg UK, US) is considered less safe. So meanwhile nothing changed and on-road cyclists are left to fend for themselves. Doing nothing is not an option and doing something can only save lives, especially for on-road cyclists.

The “otherness” of cyclists makes them stand out, and that helps drivers cement their negative conclusions. This is also why sentiments like “taxi drivers are awful” and “Jersey drivers are terrible” are common, but you do not often hear someone say “all drivers suck”. Quoted from “Why you hate cyclists” by Jim Saksa. 

I dropped that tissue, so what!

Thanks to an educated driver, it gave me an opportunity to pen this piece. Usually at year’s end, I like to summarise the happy occasions, count our blessings in the year and to share the good stuff. This year, I am doing the opposite, share the ‘ugly’ and count on the silent majority to help turn things around to make for a happy year. The important work of moving the world forward does not wait to be done by perfect men (George Eliot).

Some weeks back late in the night, I was behind a car at traffic junction waiting for light to change in my favour. A hand popped out, low behold a piece of tissue gently sailed onto the road. Instinctively, I honked a few times. The Wife rolled her eyes, quite used to my upping the ante.

The car in front turned, and then stopped. I pulled alongside. The driver rolled down his side window and shouted: “what you want!” I took a breath then said calmly: “I saw you throw a piece of tissue paper back there”. This cool dude replied: “I did not throw. I dropped that piece of tissue” and then inch forward, scoot off. My wind screen almost misted instantly from that nonchalant respond. I revved up, kept my line of sight shouting to my navigator to“take it down, take it down”! I meant the car number.

So it is that this episode became the 9^th incident for the year 2012 in which I reported to the National Environment Agency on littering by motorists. We pride ourselves as a First World Country. Unfortunately, we are still governed by Third World social behaviours. I take no pleasure in reporting such cases and I am no hammer looking for nails to pound!

I do not know about you but I am simply fed up with litter bugs, and as the new Chairman of Keep Singapore Clean Version 2, Liak (Group CEO for Alexandra Health System) puts it aptly: “We are not a clean city but rather a cleaned city because of an army of cleaners”.  Why can’t we take a little effort and responsibility to do what’s right by keeping clean in the first place? For years, we had this keep Singapore Clean and Green campaign. While we manage to be more green than clean, even frequented green places are usually not so clean; try East Coast park after a week-end. 

Recently, we revisited the issue of returning our utensils after a meal, starting at hawker centres. This is in line with keeping Singapore clean and cultivating a good habit in the interest of public health. Why is it so difficult to get people these days to return their utensils after a meal so it makes for a more pleasant eating experience? 

Even Cecilia reminded us in ST Forum of the good old days at Hewlett-Packard cafeteria. We were all required to return our utensils, meal trays after each meal onto a moving conveyor belt into the kitchen. It helps keep the place clean with minimal manpower. Likewise, all National Service blokes did the same years ago. You ate off a metal tray, then walk towards a collection point and deposit the empty tray on a tiered trolley. So why is it so difficult to return our trays after a meal?  

According to Keep Singapore Clean Movement V2,

Reality today is:

·         Singapore is a cleaned city, not a clean city

·         1st world infrastructure, 3rd world behaviour

·         Litters at HDB lift landings, neighbours quarrel over dirty corridors, dirty town centres

·         Beautiful parks, litters everywhere, piles of rubbish

·         Public toilets that we hesitate to use

·         Dirty tables in coffee shop, hawker centres, we share food with birds!

·         HFMD, dengue, food poisoning, SARS, Pandemic?

·         Army of 70,000 cleaners

·         2-3 rounds of cleaning a day

And the population can be classified into the good, the bad and the ugly:

The good (6 out of 10)

·         The majority

·         60% plus. Over 3 million

·         Considerate people. Never litter.

The bad (3-4 out of 10)

·         The minority 30% plus, nearly 2 million inconsiderate, poorly brought up.

·         Litter when convenient.  "Accidentally" drop litters

The ugly (3-4 out of 100), our nightmare

·         Tiny minority.

·         Litter wilfully. Create mess everywhere

And the solution should be:

·         Concerted effort by the good majority

·         People, private, public partnership

·         Make littering, dirty habits, as unacceptable as queue jumping.

·         The good to act, the bad to behave and the ugly to be punished.

In any good public policy, the following three pillars must work in tandem for it to be effective.

• Education (an ongoing process)
• Infrastructure (are there adequate rubbish bins)
• Legislation (as last resort to bring offender to task)

As part of enforcement to address our pathetic situation, various penalties were changed recently by NEA. As an example, first time litter bug is fine $500 instead of $300.

Strangely, that prompted a Mr Chua to write in with the title: “Tougher laws work only if they are enforceable realistically” to ST Forum on 22Nov12. He questioned whether a foreign worker from a Third World country is familiar with our culture and whether he can afford to pay revised penalty of $500. He further questioned why the punitive fines instead of trying to craft more creative ways to promote clean public spaces and discourage bad health habits. Why should we mollycoddle litter bugs, especially recalcitrant ones, in the first place?

The bad will be addressed by ongoing education hopefully to modify behaviour. And as for the miniscule ugly, I am glad for more bites than barks (including compulsory work order and community service) because their uncouth behaviours are to the detriment of the silent majority.

Was it not Edmund Burke 1929-1797 (statesman, author, orator, political theorist and philosopher) who said: “All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” So please help do the right thing when you see something amiss; act with a smile to make a difference.   

Change we can, timing matters

In the past 46 years, the dress code of the ruling party has been white-on-white on National Day. Thanks to a gentleman by the name of Ronald Seow who wrote in to the ST forum page last August 2011 suggesting “One people, one dress code, please”, this year’s National Day is a refreshing combination of red and white. One rotund politician came in light red (almost pink) chequered shape, prompting my son to exclaim: “dad, that looks like a walking picnic mat”. That was rude, I barked. Some appeared off-white. A handful stayed on well-tested white-on-white code.

Our national mascot, in a complete red T-shirt, received the loudest applause, beaming ear to ear, gunning two thumbs up. His presence was a sigh of relief to many despite rumblings from multitude of ill chatters in cyberspace leading up to National Day.

I was asked the same question multiple times prior to 9Aug. Has he passed on? I guess humans love gossips. My standard response is simply: "our practice has always been never to flinch or hide from any news". Someday, it will come to pass and we will know as sure as the sun will rise. 

We were watching the parade on TV and I witnessed the joy of my guests, especially the older ones, when LKY told measured steps toward his seat. They cheered, clapped as if on parade. A family friend sheepishly told me she cancelled her overseas trip just to ‘see for herself’ that LKY appears. All said, I guess he can only be as well as can be for a man almost 90 yrs.

When PM appeared in a stunning short-sleeve shirt of more red than white, it signals change is possible. It is a celebratory shirt, chic and suitable for any happy occasion.

Several years back, I wrote (in capacity as private citizen) to then President Nathan to consider wearing something ‘more comfortable’ and in line with the festivity of our National Day Parade. Furthermore, why not have his wife seated next to him to enjoy the proceedings. Everyone attending the national day parade is seated next to somebody and the President is all on his own!  

For those of us who have been around a bit, you may have recalled the late President Ong Teng Cheong and his many batik shirts. Back then, these were ostentatiously worn on special occasions and some considered ‘national costumes’ standing.

Gradually, these disappeared completely and we are back to wearing Western based suit. Having to wear a suit in our hot, humid climate with a silly tie is close to walking into a bikram yoga class fully clothed.

Apparently, my request to the President was referred to MINDEF. Some weeks later, an officer wrote back with a terse no. As parade organiser, they had the final say. So to this day, the President continues to suffer in that suit whilst the whole of Singapore celebrate in mostly red and white short sleeves. Looks like this practice is fossilized. 

Let me jump into another story of change. This must have been more than six years ago. There were these distasteful ‘$1,000 fine’ signs at five underpasses along Singapore river. You are not supposed to cycle through these thoroughfares, each wide enough to take one MRT train and more. Often times, cyclists would simply cycle through, never mind the signs. Because of such explicit signs, pedestrians are more inclined to glare and reprimand cyclists resulting in tense situations.

 I wrote to one agency thinking they were in charge. Instead, it ricocheted twice before another Government agency grudgingly replied. They said no flatly to remove these ‘fines signs’. As it was not exactly a life threatening matter, I did not want to sweat the small stuff and let the matter rest.

Earlier this year, I was invited to the opening of Bishun-AMK park by NParks. During the break, I was cajoled forward to engage PM in small talk. Somehow, the conversation drifted to my peeve of six years ago. PM, I said: "the most scenic tourist route today along the Singapore river on a bicycle can set you back by $10,000". Why so, he asked? I related the details, he gave a suggestion and we all had a good laugh. I subsequently wrote “Humourously Serious” on my blog.

The relevant agency picked up this story and contacted me. We dialogued. They remain adamant in not explicitly allowing cycle through. However, after several months of huff-and-puff, those ‘$1,000 fine signs’ were finally removed. But the ‘cross out’ cycling signs remain. So I would argue that change is possible, timing matters.

Onto my final story on change, two weeks back, I was in the Old Parliament house listening to Quek Leng Joo, MD for CDL, presentation on his photo exhibition entitled “Flora Exotica”. He donated 18 photos for sale and raised $150,000 for charity.

The rare treat was his “black-and-white” photos of The Malaysian railway network (Keretapi Tanah Melayu) which ceased operation in Singapore on 30 June 2011 after 80 years service. It took him all of 8 months and was nearly run down by a train.

I was first seated at the fourth row and as usual the first row was empty. The organizer waved to us to move forward so the place does not look sparse. Several of us rumbled forward and to my right was an audit partner in one of the big 4. There was an empty seat to my left followed by Professor Karpal Singh.  

Towards the end of the presentation, I turned to the empty seat on my left and notice a small plaque. Under dim light conditions, I could still make up the name “Lee Kuan Yew”. Instinctively, I shifted my butt, turn around to read whose seat I took. It read Toh Chin Chye. So I turned to this gentleman on my right and said “LKY seat is empty”. He shot back readily: “why do you think it’s empty?” Trust an auditor to ask you a question when you needed an answer.

As we were about to leave, I jumped into LKY empty seat, stretched out, enjoyed the leather and muttered: “thank goodness for change”, our new Parliament house is now next door. It was momentarily surreal. 

As a student over thirty six years ago, I visited Stonehenge, a prehistoric monument located in the English county of Wiltshire. All these huge towering blocks of stone were accessible and visitors were even allowed to touch them. Today, the site is rightly cordoned off to minimise damage. So, I guess it is a matter of time before our historic front bench in Old Parliament house will be cordoned off as well. So what are you waiting for? 

A new migrant may well appear

Some years ago, while working in a hospital, I was informed by a nursing staff that a Ms Juliana asked to see me in the ward. Visiting patients (friends and relatives) comes with the turf. When I walked into the 4 bedder ward, I saw a familiar face, a lady with long hair in bed.

She looked gaunt with exhaustion, a face turned ashen. From her livid lips, she appeared next to death’s door. I was shocked. She whispered and said she was down with dengue fever. There is no medicine for dengue and while most victims recover, some do succumb to dengue haemorrhagic fever which can be fatal. Fortunately, she recovered although it took months to get back to her usual self.

Dengue fever is an illness caused by infection with a virus transmitted by the Aedes mosquito. There are four types of this virus (serotypes 1 to 4) which can infect you.

Dengue fever and dengue haemorrhagic fever (a more severe form) are the most common mosquito-borne viral diseases in the world. In Singapore, dengue fever has been endemic since the 1960s.

In 2005/06, my daughter visited Kerala, India twice as part of school community involvement programme. Back then, I first learn of chikungunya virus, also carried by mosquitoes. The symptoms are similar to dengue although in some serious cases, complication of encephalitis (swelling, inflammation of the brain) sets in, a dangerous situation. Chikungunya is fairly common in parts of India. As parents, you can imagine our anxiety.

The first outbreak of chikungunya in Asia occurred in Bangkok, Thailand, in 1958. Since then, outbreaks have been reported in Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia. In 2007, 10 imported cases were reported to Singapore’s Ministry of Health.

On January 14, 2008, a local case of chikungunya infection was detected through the general practitioners’ laboratory-based surveillance system. A total of 2,626 people who resided or worked within a 150-m radius of the index case-patient’s address were screened for chikungunya infection. The consequences of chikungunya are equally dreadful as is dengue.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2687008/

Last month, the US experience the highest resurgence of West Nile disease, another virus passed on to humans from mosquitoes.

Originally from Africa, West Nile virus first appeared in Queens, New York in 1999. Crows were dying in large numbers. It took weeks before officials found out the culprit.  This virus lives in birds. Mosquitoes biting infected birds are themselves infected. This virus is then passed on to humans when these pesky mosquitoes draw blood.

As of September 4, 2012, 48 states have reported West Nile virus infections in people, birds, or mosquitoes. A total of 1,993 cases of West Nile virus disease in people, including 87 deaths, have been reported to CDC. That’s a high mortality rate of 4.3%, much higher than dengue or chikungunya.

Like dengue fever or chikungunya, there is also no drug or vaccine to counter West Nile virus. The best we can do is to prevent mosquitoes from infecting us in the first place; never mind what kind of mosquitoes. This calls for vigilance especially in minimising breeding sites, be it in flower pots, pails and all vessels containing stagnant water. For the privileged few living on landed properties, your roof gulleys are the usual culprits for mosquito breeding.

http://www.dengue.gov.sg

In the case of the West Nile, the key culprits were infected birds in the first place. It begs the question whether West Nile will eventually find its way to Singapore. After all, we are a natural refueling stop-over for many migratory birds. Furthermore, we are a city state with a history of imported chikungunya and deadly SARS before.  Who knows? An unwanted migrant may well surface.

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/index.htm

http://www.latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-west-nile-virus-outbreaks-may-get-worse-as-planet-gets-hotter-20120910,0,4629323.story

Meanwhile, it is the stupid culex mosquito that is keeping me awake; better known as the common house mosquito. While not considered as much of a threat to our health as the Aedes mosquitoes, it is still an irritant we can do without.  

Side Notes:

No thanks to the Indons, the current haze makes it impossible to sleep without air-con. So while it is mosquito-free nights on air-con, their haze creates another set of hazards; respiratory associated problems. So now I am tearing from the haze and high electricity bill.

Web Site Tracks Mosquito-Borne Diseases Spread Globally by Air Travel

By Larry Greenemeier | October 1, 2012 |  1

The emergence of international air travel in the 20th century enabled an unprecedented spread of ideas, cultures and communication. Unfortunately, modern aviation has also proved an effective means of spreading diseases. Air travel didn’t introduce worldwide pandemics, of course, but with tens of millions of scheduled international flights annually and hundreds of millions of passengers en route from high-risk areas, health officials are often hard pressed to pinpoint the source and cause of an international outbreak……

The first step when using the VBD-AIR tool is to input the name of the airport to be investigated, the month in question and the disease to be tracked—current choices are all mosquito-borne and include dengue, malaria, yellow fever and chikungunya. …….

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2012/10/01/web-site-tracks-mosquito-borne-diseases-spread-globally-by-air-travel/?WT_mc_id=SA_CAT_TECH_20121002

H-P's CEO Strategy: From Platt to Whitman

A 6-min revisit on all past chiefs. Can Hewlett-Packard be turned around? Dan Gallagher joins Markets Hub with a look at the revolving CEO door at H-P and how different strategies worked out.

http://live.wsj.com/video/h-ps-ceo-strategy-platt-whitman/6F8E8061-D383-41AF-83F2-5E5027963120.html