WOTC - Vote on world leaders

 Here are the results of the votes on world leaders.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/view_perf.aspx

Wisdom of the Crowd - New Issues

1. Why were there protests against the covid lockdown in China?
2. Will Anwar's government be stable?

Vote in
https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/vote.aspx

WOTC - Food court

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 59% of respondents prefer Kopitiam, followed by Food Junction (22%) and Koufu (17%).

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2760

WOTC - Supermarkets in Singapore

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 49% of respondents preferred to shop at Fairprice supermarkets, 40% at Sheng Siong and 12% at Cold Storage.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2759

WOTC - Harmful content on social media

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 60% of the respondents said that harmful contents on social media should not be moderated as it is difficult to make a judge what are harmful and the content should be left to the discretion of the reader.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2758

The dangers of Decentralized Finance (DeFi)

 I read a chapter in the book Megatrends by Nouriel Roubini. Here are his key points about cryptocurrency:

1. The rush to DeFi (decentralized finance) is premature and ultimately misguided. The rush to bitcoin, ethereum, dogecoin and thousands of fledging cryptocurrencies since 2010 expose our collective wilting faith in fiat currencies.

2. There are no signs that crypto-assets are performing any useful social or economic functions. They are not generally used for retail or wholesale payments and do not fund consumption or investment.

3. The blockchain alternatives are not able to perform five essential functions of a currency - unit of account, scalable, stable store of value, stable value relative to prices, be a benchmark to compare value of goods and services.

4. Cryptocurrencies are subject to risks that can become systemic. They are widely used for criminal and terrorist activities and to hide income from tax authorities.

5. One study suggests that 80% of ICO (initial coin offerings) were scams in the first place that flouted security laws.

6. There are evidence of widespread market manipulation - pump and dump schemes, illegal wash trading, fake transactions and front running.

7. Unlike regulated banks, the purveyors of cryptocurrencies furnish almost no protection. If private keys are forgottoen, lost, hacked or stolen, crypt wealth can vanish with no way to recover it.

8. Free riding DeFi flouts the supervision and regulation that traditional financial institutions face, such as AML (anti-money laundering) and KYC (Know your customer) tracking that impose heavy compliance cost. This is unfair competition. 

9. A regulator said - DeFi is most certain illegal. It flouts securities laws, lacks investor protection, preys on regulatory arbitrage against regulated financial institutions, fails to provide the essential services that financial intermediaries provide. Decentralisation is more a myth than reality.

10. If we want to revamp a centralized financial system with safeguards and supervision, we don't need crypto or blockchain. There are tools that the firms can use to collect and process financial data at blistering speeds without the use of blockchain.

TKL has been skeptical of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies right from the start. But the experts in MAS held a different view and were optimistic about the future of decentralized finance and blockchain technologies.

Several cryptocurrencies and crypto exchanges have collapsed due to unsustainable values of the tokens and to fraudulent operations.

The view held by Roubini and TKL have proved to be correct. 

https://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=5550

WOTC - Trust in government

Wisdom of the Crowd: 68% of the respondents said that they do not trust the government to act in the best interest of the people. Instead, they act in the best interest of the wealthy and themselves.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2756

WOTC - Freedom of speech

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 53% of respondents said that it is important to have absolute freedom of speech. 47% said that it can lead to harmful content and should be controlled.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2757

WOTC - University education

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 68% of the respondents said that university education should be subsidized and made affordable for all students.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2755

Wisdom of the Crowd - New Issues

1. Which is a better vaccine against covid?
2. Will the mRNA vaccine have long term harm?

Vote in
https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/vote.aspx

WOTC - Book on the economy

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 78% of the respondents prefer my book on economic strategy to be 100 pages or 200 pages. They do not like a longer book.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2753

WOTC - Price of major medical procedures

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 97 % of respondents said that the govt should publish the recommended rates for major medical procedures, based on supply and demand in the market.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2754

WOTC - President Biden talks with world leaders at G20 Summit

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 84% of the respondents said that President Biden held few talks with world leaders at the G20 Summit in Bali.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2752

Wisdom of the Crowd - New Issues

1. What is the best way to fight the rising cost of living?
2. Will Anwar be able to help the people fight the rising cost of living?

Vote in
https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/vote.aspx

Is Tharman Shanmugaratnam too old to take over as prime minister?

Senior minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam is now 65 years old. He is 5 years younger than the current prime minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Is Tharman too old to take over as prime minister?

Apart from age, we have to consider his credentials, experience and capability.

Tharman entered politics in 2001 and over a period of 20 years, he held the office of minister of education, minister of finance, deputy prime minister and now the senior minister.

He had also served with distinction as Singapore’s representative in several international bodies, including the G20 Eminent Persons Group, the International Monetary Fund and in the United Nations. He is well known and respected internationally.

He is not a newbie politician who needs several years to learn the ropes of leading a nation.

What about his age? At 65, is he too old to take over the reins of power?

Heng Swee Keat, who was 4 years younger than Tharman, was earlier selected to take over from Lee Hsien Loong. Heng entered parliament in 2011, 10 years later than Tharman.

If Heng was suitable at 61, would 4 years make a lot of difference in considering age?

Donald Trump became President of the United States at the age of 71 years. Joe Biden took over this office at the age of 78 years. Ronald Regan was 69 years when he became president in 1981. He was considered to be quite old then, but he served two terms and retired at 77 years.

Xi Jinping was elected in 2022 to serve the 3rd term as leader of China at the age of 69 years. He will continue as president of China and may serve another 10 years in this office.

By the standards of the presidents of the two most powerful nations in the world, Tharman can hardly be considered as too old to take over from Lee Hsien Loong.

We should rule out age as being an important factor. If Tharman takes over, he should be able to serve at least 10 years as prime minister of Singapore. He looks healthy enough.

The other reason given by the ruling party, that Singapore is not ready for a non-Chinese prime minister, has already been debunked by several public opinion polls.

The current leader selected by the MPs of the ruling PAP party is Lawrence Wong. At the age of 49 years, he is 16 years younger than Tharman.

While we cannot diminish Lawrence Wong based on his younger age, it is generally accepted that he has less political experience and lower international stature, compared to Tharman. For a small country, the international stature of the leader is important.

Was it a wise decision for the ruling party to bypass Tharman as the next leader, in favour of a younger minister? We will know in a few years time.

https://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=5549

Prime Minister for Singapore

 Is Singapore ready for a non-Chinese prime minister? The answer is "yes" among the ordinary people, not "no" among the PAP.

https://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=5548

Is Singapore ready for a non-Chinese prime minister?

In 1988, Lee Kuan Yew revealed that minister S Dhanabalan had been a possible candidate to succeed him as prime minister but then concluded that Singaporeans were not ready for an Indian prime minister.

Several people had privately expressed the view that Lee Kuan Yew had in mind a certain person to be a future prime minister. The reason that Singaporeans were not ready for a non-Chinese prime minister did not pass the test of credibility.

I personally was sceptical of the reason. While 75 percent of the residents of Singapore were of Chinese origin, they had lived for several decades under the colonial rule of the British until self-government in 1959.

In April 1955, a non-Chinese lawyer, David Marshall, led the left-wing Labour Front to a narrow victory in Singapore's first Legislative Assembly elections. He formed a minority government and became Chief Minister.

Clearly, the majority race in Singapore had accepted a non-Chinese as the government leader three decades before Lee Kuan Yew expressed that astonishing opinion.

Furthermore, Singaporeans had for several decades been imbued with the concept of meritocracy and to select the best people “regardless of race, language and religion”.

Singaporeans had seen the success of this approach in building a harmonious society that achieved remarkable social and economic progress.

I held an immense respect for Lee Kuan Yew for his foresight and insight on international affairs and for his approach in running the government of Singapore. There were however a few matters that I differed from his views. This was one of them.

Goh Chok Tong succeeded Lee Kuan Yew as prime minister on 28 October 1990. He was later succeeded by Lee Hsien Loong (eldest son of Lee Kuan Yew) on 12 August 2004.

The question of the successor for Lee Hsien Loong came up in December 2017. Goh Chok Tong, who held the position of emeritus senior minister after retiring as prime minister, said that it was urgent for the leadership of the ruling party to identify the next prime minister to take over from Lee Hsien Loong before the end of 2018.

Many people among the general public were in favour of senior minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam to take over this position.

An economist by profession, Tharman served in the private and public sectors for several decades, before entering political life in 2001.

He subsequently became the minister of education, minister of finance and deputy prime minister.

He had also served with distinction as Singapore’s representative in several international bodies, including the G20 Eminent Persons Group, the International Monetary Fund and in the United Nations.

The decision to select the next leader for Singapore was not taken by the people at large. It was decided in secret by the elected members of parliament from the ruling People’s Action Party.

In May 2018, the party decided on another Chinese, namely finance minister Heng Swee Keat.

In March 2019, Heng Swee Keat defended the party’s decision to select him, in favour of the more popular non-Chinese candidate, in a university forum. He said that the people would still prefer a Chinese to be the prime minister and made this statement “I can tell you that it is not easy because it triggers all the feelings about race, which are not obvious. But for an election, it becomes an issue.”

A few days after this assertion, 19,900 individuals responded to a viral Facebook poll and 92 percent voted for Tharman Shanmugaratnam to succeed Lee Hsien Loong and become the
next prime minister. This poll did not have any binding power.

A more scientifically based Blackbox survey commissioned by Yahoo Singapore found that 69 per cent of 897 respondents said they would prefer Tharman to become the prime minister.

The choice of the people, if these polls were to be believed, was clearly in favour of a nonChinese to take over as the next prime minister.

This issue of racial pre-requisite for the head of government came up for discussion in 2008, when Barack Obama became the first black person to be elected as President of the United States of America. Prior to his election, the office had always been held by a white person, who formed the majority race in America.

If America could elect a minority as the president, and one who came from a community had served as slaves in America, why can’t Singapore?

I recalled that Lee Hsien Loong gave a weak answer to his question. It was never debated actively anyway.

This question of the racial prerequisite came up again recently, in November 2022, when Rishi Sunak was elected by the ruling Conservative Party to be the prime minister in the United Kingdom. This was the first time that an Asian was elected to the top office in the UK.

The election of the prime minister was decided internally by the ruling party and not the country at large. (Singapore follows this practice).

If a former colonial power, who ran an empire that “the sun never sets” for two centuries, could accept a non-white, and one whose grandparents came from a former colony, to lead the country, why can’t Singapore.

This time, I did not see any active debate, so far.

Let me give an answer to the question – is Singapore ready for a non-Chinese prime minister?

My answer is – the people have been ready for many decades. But the ruling People’s Action Party is not ready yet.

Tan Kin Lian
Retired chief executive of NTUC Income Coop

WOTC - Unlicensed exchange

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 71 % of the respondents said that the regulator should act against the promoters and marketers for promoting an unlicensed exchange. 29% prefer to focus on educating the public.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2750

Wisdom of the Crowd - New Issues

 

1. Which supermarket do you prefer
2. Which food court do you prefer?
3. Which pharmacy do you prefer

Vote in
https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/vote.aspx

Know your customer requirements

 I find it troublesome and useless to spend time on the anti-money laundering requirements of our financial institutions.

https://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=5547

Pick the capable leaders to run the country

 China focus on developing the quality of the officials running the country, instead of picking leaders through political elections.

https://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=5546

WOTC - War in Ukraine

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 50% of the respondents said that America wants Ukraine to continue the war. The other 50% said that America wants Ukraine to negotiate for peace.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2748

Allow developers and engineers to work from home - Twitter

 I offer a practical solution to Elon Musk to allow their developers and engineers to work from home and still achieve a high level of productivity.

https://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=5545

Wisdom of the Crowd - New Issues

1. Should harmful content on social media be moderated?

Vote in
https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/vote.aspx

WOTC - Harmful content on social media

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 59 % of respondents said that a panel that is independent of the platform owner and the government should decide on harmful content on social media.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2747

Wisdom of the Crowd - New Issues

1. Do you trust the SG government to act in the best interest of the people?
2. How important is freedom of speech?

Vote in
https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/vote.aspx

WOTC - Harmful content on social media

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 60 % of the respondents said that social media platform should not be asked to take down harmful content as it will harm freedom of speech as the relevant authority may be politically inclined.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2746

End of the Ukraine conflict

 I give this suggestion to a possible settlement of the Ukraine conflict.

https://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=5544

WOTC - Prime minister of Malaysia

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 67 % of respondents expect Anwar Ibrahim, PKR, to be the next prime minister of Malaysia.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2744

WOTC - General election in Malaysia

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 53 % of respondents said that Pakatan Harapan (Anwar Ibrahim) is most likely to win the general election. They have the highest score.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart.aspx?ID=2745

Set a fair wage for each occupation

 The government should set a fair wage based on market data

We cannot rely on the market to fix wages. The market wages depend largely on bargaining power. The worker is at a weaker position relative to the employer and has to accept a wage that is lower than a "fair rate".

To overcome this weakness, the workers have to join a trade union and bargain for better wages and working conditions. In some cases, they have to go on strike. This is a destructive process.

What is a better way?

The government can use the data of the wage levels for different occupations fix the recommendation wage for each occupation and skill level. This is a "fair wage" and takes into account the supply and demand for the occupation. It overcomes the distortion caused by the relative bargaining power.

When I describe this system to a friend, he asked - are you advocating a communist system?

I replied - I am advocating common prosperity.

https://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=5543

Voting in a general election

 I suggest a secure and efficient platform to handle voting in a general election.

https://s3.tklcloud.com/T99/221118202556583_Voting%20in%20a%20general%20election.pdf

WOTC - Talk between Joe Biden and Xi Jinping

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 31% of the respondents said that Joe Biden and Xi Jinping will have a lengthy talk at the G20 summit in Bali.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2743

Chinese RMB as a reserve currency

 The Chinese RMB will become more accepted as a reserve currency over the next few years.

http://www.tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=5541

Marketing of FTX

 Why was an unlicensed platform allowed to market their platform to Singapore residents?

https://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=5540

Regulate licensed payment providers

 MAS said that they ensure that licensed payment platforms comply with anti-money laundering and terrorism financing operations and have risk management practices. However, MAS does not regulate these platforms for "safety and soundness".

I am puzzled by this stand by MAS.

Surely, the key duty of a regulator is to ensure that the platforms are operated safely and soundly?

For example, the platform should not use customers' deposits to pay their operating expenses or to invest the deposits in risky investments?

While the regulator cannot ensure that the investments are totally safe, it should carry out regular audits and inspections to ensure that the platforms comply with their internal standards (which they announce to their customers) and to regulatory controls .

https://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=5539

Wisdom of the Crowd - New Issues

1. Will Donald Trump win the 2024 Presidential Election?
2. Did Joe Biden hold talks with many world leaders?

Vote in
https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/vote.aspx

WOTC - Meeting between Biden and Putin

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 79 % of the respondents said that Joe Biden and Valdimir Putin will avoid meeting each other at the G20 summit in Bali.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2742

WOTC - G20 summit

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 57 %of the respondents said that President Putin will attend the G20 Summit and meet other world leaders.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2741

Wisdom of the Crowd - New Issues

1. What is the key roles of a regulator in a licensed exchange?
2. How can the regulator act against unlicensed exchange?

Vote in
https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/vote.aspx

Business prospects for Grab

 The business prospects for Grab is quite discouraging. The financials are worse than Uber.

https://fisca.sg/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ID=1260

My view on Uber

 I share my views on Uber (ride hailing and food delivery).

https://fisca.sg/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ID=1259

WOTC - Debate with Richard Branson

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 40% of the respondents said that Richard Branson does not want to waste his time in debating with minister Shanmugam over the mandatory death penalty. 33% said that he prefers to debate over social media.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart.aspx?ID=2740

My view on Netlink NBN Trust

 My friend asked for my views about this stock. It pays an attractive dividend yield of 5.85%.

I studied the financials of this stock at the Yahoo Finance website.

https://fisca.sg/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ID=1258

WOTC - Mandatory death sentence

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 65 % of respondents said that Singapoer should remove the mandatory sentence for drug trafficking and leave the discretion to the judge.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2739

Advice on a crypto investment

 Six months ago, a friend asked for my advice about a crypto product. He invested in the product and asked for my opinion if it is a good investment. 

https://fisca.sg/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ID=1256

Wisdom of the Crowd - New Issues

 

1. Is America putting pressure on Ukraine to enter peace negotiation with Russia?

Vote in
https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/vote.aspx

WOTC - Business mail

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 55 % of respondents prefer to register their mailing address in a platform to receive all business mail sent in PDF to this virtual address. 45% prefer to receive the physical mail sent to their home.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2737

My investment in Country Garden (2007.HK)

 The turnaround in the stock price of Country Garden (2007.HK) turned my loss of $61,705 SGD to a net gain of $43,620 SGD.

https://fisca.sg/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ID=1255

WOTC - US dollar

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 64 % of the respondents said that the US dollar is like a ponzi scheme because it pays a high return by printing more useless money.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2736

The Seven Years of China and the United States

 Thomas Friedman, a famous columnist of the New York Times, wrote an article titled "The Seven Years of China and the United States". It was published in The New York Times and shocked the White House !

https://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=5538

Voting in America

 The democratic process in America is quite backward and shameful.

The voting was closed more than 24 hours ago, and they have still not completed the vote counting in many districts.

With modern technology, it should be possible to count the votes automatically and transmit the results for aggregation within 1 hour of closing of polling station.

Some states refused to upgrade their vote counting process, so that they can continue to "control" the voting results. No wonder Donald Trump complained that there is cheating.

I do not agree with Donald Trump, but I do not agree with the outdated and inefficient process either.

https://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=5537

Wisdom of the Crowd - New Issues

1. Should social media platforms be required to take down harmful content?
2. Who should decide on what is harmful content on social media?

Vote in
https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/vote.aspx

WOTC - Surge pricing

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 56% of the respondents said that surge pricing for ride hailing is a bad practice, because it encourages the drivers to take advantage of the system to push up the price of rides.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2735

Pay to send out message

 If Twitter charges the sender 0.1 cent for each message sent to their fans, it will be a cheap way for politicians, entertainers and public figures to send their message to their followers. It also ensures that the messages are serious and genuine. https://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=5533

WOTC - Former president Hu

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 60% of the respondents said that former President Hu was sick and assisted out of the CPC Congress. The other 40% said that President Xi want to show that he was removed from power.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2734

WOTC - Different factions in a leadership

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 64 % of respondents said that it is bad for the leaders in China to come from different factions as it will lead to infighting and politicking, and will be bad for the country.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2733

Call someone by phone

 Be considerate when you call someone by phone.

https://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=5535

Wisdom of the Crowd - New Issues

1. Who is likely to be the next prime minister in Malaysia
2. Which political coalition is likely to win the most seats in Malaysia GE15

Vote in
https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/vote.aspx

WOTC: Promotions in e-commerce websites

Wisdom of the Crowd: 100 % of the respondents prefer to have lower prices, instead of many coins, points and other promotions when they shop at e-commerce websites.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2731

WOTC - Pricing for online purchases

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 100 % of the respondents prefer good quality products at low prices for their online purchases. They do not want to pay more to participate in contests and lucky draws.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2730

Wisdom of the Crowd - New Issues

1. Will President Putin attend the G20 summit?
2. Will Joe Biden and Valdimir Putin meet in Bali?
3. Will Joe Biden meet with Xi Jinping in Bali?

Vote in
https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/vote.aspx

WOTC - Shortage of hospital beds

Wisdom of the Crowd: 92 % of the respondents said that the government should set aside a special treatment center for covid patients, as they account for the increase in hospital cases.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2728

WOTC - Immunity for past presidents

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 83 % of the respondents said that a past president should be accountable for his past crimes like any ordinary citizen.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2727

WOTC - Governance of China

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 80% of the respondence said that the governance of China is better than the western countries.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2726

Wisdom of the Crowd - New Issues

 

1. Should Singapore abolish the mandatory death sentence for drug offences?
2. Why does Richard Branson decline the rebate with minister Shanmugam?

Vote in
https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/vote.aspx

WOTC - Travel through checkpoints

 Wisdom of the crowd: 50 % of the respondents said that the authority should segregate the daily travelers (who live in Johore and work in Singapore) to make it easy for them to pass the checkpoints.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2725

Review of PayPal

 I made a review of PayPal as Elon Musk wants to introduce a payment service in Twitter. This service will compete with PayPal.

https://fisca.sg/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ID=1253

Will Elon Musk sue Twitter board?

 Will Elon Musk sue the previous board of Twitter for damages, if he has prove that the bots represent (say) 25% of the reported users?

https://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=5530

Wisdom of the Crowd - New Issues

1. Which method do you prefer to receive mail from businesses
2. Should the NRIC be kept confidential?

Vote in
https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/vote.aspx

Receive business mail virtually

 I suggest that the IMDA set up a platform for recipients to receive their business mail virtually.

https://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=5528

WOTC - China's approach to regional countries

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 92% of the respondents said that China does not want to be bullied by America and seeks peaceful cooperation with other countries.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2724

NRIC as an identity

 Singapore had a good system to identify a resident using an identity card (i.e. NRIC). We should strengthen this system and use it to our advantage.

https://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=5527

Elon Musk takes over Twitter

 After completing the purchase of Twitter, Elon Musk removed 4 top executives of Twitter.

Analysts asked - how is Musk going to manage Twitter? He already has too many matters that need his personal attention in Tesla and other companies.

https://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=5526

WOTC - Removal of term limit

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 90% of the respondents said that the removal of the term limit for Xi Jinping does not mean that China is becoming more authoritarian.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2723

WOTC - Queues at checkpoint

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 82 % of the respondents said that the Immigration and Checkpoint Authority (ICA) should improve the system to reduce the long queue, which is bad for travelers.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2722

WOTC - Prime Minister of UK

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 40% of the respondents expect Rishi Sunak to be the next prime minister of the United Kingdom. Although it is less than 50%, he has the highest score among the 4 potential contenders.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2721

Why does Xi Jinping remove his rivals?

https://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=5525

Drop in REIT price

 This article shows the drop in REITS prices for the past year to 26 Oct 2022.

https://fisca.sg/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ID=1251

Drop in bond and stock prices

 30 year US treasury bond yield 2% at the start of 2022.

10 months later, the yield jumped to 4.23%.
The bond price dropped by 38%.
For the same period, Nasdaq dropped by 33%, Dow Jones Industrial by 20% and S&P by 22%.

Bonds are not safe. They can drop in price sharply, due to higher interest rate.

https://fisca.sg/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ID=1250 

Wisdom of the Crowd - New Issues

 

1. Is the USD a ponzi scheme?

Vote in
https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/vote.aspx

Is the USD a ponzi scheme?

http://www.tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=5524

How does the Communist Party run China?

 In this short article, I describe how the Communist Party of China runs the country through its Politburo.

http://www.tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=5523

WOTC - General election in Malaysia

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 55.6% of the respondents expect a coalition to form the next government of Malaysia. The remainder expect the Barisan Nasional to form the government.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart.aspx?ID=2720

Alternative reserve currencies

 The role of the USD as the dominant reserve currency may change soon.

http://www.tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=5522

How to resolve labor dispute

 I disagree with the idea that organized labor can solve dispute with employers through strikes. It is a costly way to resolve disputes.

https://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=5521

Wisdom of the Crowd - New Issues

 

1. Why was former President Hu removed from the CPC congress?

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https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/vote.aspx

Is Xi Jinping getting rid of rivals?

https://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=5520

Premium for integrated plans - age 61 to 90

In this article, I compare the premium for integrated plan for private ward (public and private hospital) for policyholders from age 61 to 90.

https://fisca.sg/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ID=1249 

Premium for integrated plans (for non-subsidized wards)

 In this article, I compare the premium rate for the integrated plans for non-subsidized wards (in public hospitals and private hospitals).

https://fisca.sg/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ID=1248

Shortage of hospital beds

 What is the reason for the recent shortage of beds in the general hospitals?

https://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=5519

Wisdom of the Crowd - New Issues

 

1. Will Xi Jinping become a dictator and is a danger to China and the world?
2. Is it better for the top leaders in China to comprise of different factions?

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https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/vote.aspx

Sharp drop in Hong Kong market

 I bought more shares due to the sharp drop in the Hong Kong market. 
https://fisca.sg/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ID=1247

Integrated plan that covers private hospital

 Singaporeans are caught in a dilemma. They are advised to stay with Medishield Life, as the premium is affordable. Lately, Singaporeans read that there is a shortage of bed in public hospitals and it could take a few days before a bed becomes available.

https://fisca.sg/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ID=1246

Xi Jinping appoint his allies into PSC

 Many western media reported that Xi Jinping has consolidated his power and appointed his allies into the Politburo Standing Committee, which is the top decision making body of the Communist Party of China.

I find this narrative to be dishonest.
https://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=5518

Who sabotaged the Nordstream pipelines?

I have evidence

https://youtu.be/Kk-PImIEV7E

Wisdom of the Crowd - New Issues

1. Where do you prefer to buy daily necessities?

2. Which pricing model do you prefer?
3. How do you find the promotions in online websites?

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https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/vote.aspx

Shortage of hospital beds

 Here is my suggestion to cope with the shortage of hospital beds.

https://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=5517

Hyflux could have been saved

 Hyflux went bankrupt in 2019. 34,000 small investors lost nearly $1 billion in investing in their preference shares and perpetual bonds.

I gave many reasons in 2019 why Hyflux should be saved. They are stated in these articles:
https://tklcloud.com/Feedback/latest.aspx?idorg=294

If Hyflux was saved in 2019, they would have been a very profitable company today. Singapore would have retained a prized asset - a home grown company that is a world leader in water desalination.

34,000 small investors would have not lost their savings.

This episode is a sad reflection of the poor state of leadership by our ministers in charge.

Wisdom of the Crowd - New Issues

1. Should a past president be given immunity against past crimes?
2. What should be done about the overcrowding of hospital beds?

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https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/vote.aspx