Grab app and outdated warnings

 I booked Grab to take me from Forest City to 2nd link CIQ.

A driver took my booking and the app said that she would appear in 4 mins. Later, it was changed to 8 mins and, after waiting for 5 mins, the pick up time was changed to 15 mins. I cancelled the call.

I made another booking. The app said that the driver was nearby, in Forest City, but he took over 10 mins to arrive. It should take only 2 mins.

I learned later that he was living in Forest City and had rented an apartment for RM 500 a month.

The Grab app sent me warning a message several times that it was compulsory to wear a mask. I searched for a mask that I carried in my bag.

When the driver arrived, he was not wearing a mask. I left the mask in my pocket as it was not necessary. The app was clearly outdated, and it continued to impose a useless and troublesome requirement.

Most people do not wear a mask in Johor now. I hardly see anyone wearing a mask in the malls or buses.

It is easy for the government to issue the mask mandate, but they do not seem to be taking the trouble to remove the mandate when it was no longer required.

I wondered why the IT developers in Grab continued to keep the useless message in their Malaysian app.

Tan Kin Lian

All reactions:

1Tan Kin Lian

Wisdom of the Crowd - New Issues

1. Are there many issues that need to be fixed in Singapore?
2. Will things get better when there is a change of prime minister?

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

WOTC - Retaliatory sanctions

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 70% of respondents said that China should retaliate against sanctions by western countries in a reciprocal manner.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2871

Wisdom of the Crowd - New Issues

1. Should COE system be maintained?
2. Should land cost be removed for pricing new HDB flats?

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

WOTC - Presidential election in Taiwan

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 73% of the respondents said that the people of Taiwan will vote for a Kuomintang candidate (who advocates reunification with China) at the next presidential election

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2869

WOTC - Treatment in Beijing

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 54% of respondents said that Anwar Ibrahim received better treatment on arrival in Beijing, compared to Lee HL.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2868

Wisdom of the Crowd - New Issues

1. Will Donald Trump be found guilty and jailed?
2. Will Donald Trump be the Republican candidate for the 2024 presidential election

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

How to solve the HDB problem

 I offer this solution to solve the HDB problem. 
https://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=5702

WOTC - PM Lee arrive in Beijing

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 80% of the respondents said that the China foreign service did not regard PM Lee as a VIP, so he was taken on arrival into Beijing in a bus.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2867

Wisdom of the Crowd - New Issues

1. Should China retaliate against sanctions imposed by western countries.
2. Was Macron's visit to China a success?
3. Will China be able to help to achieve peace in Ukraine?

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

WOTC - Western leaders visit Taiwan

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 54% of the respondents said that China should ignore the visits of western leaders to Taiwan and avoid creating tension with western countries.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2866

Use Whatsapp Business to provide good customer service

 I shared my positive experience about getting a quote to install invisible grill in my apartment in Forest City.

The website provided a link which allows me to assess the WhatsApp business account of the vendor. I was able to make my enquiry and the vendor replied immediate. We went through a few rounds of conversation.

It was extremely easy for me.

I shared my experience to encourage businesses in Singapore to adopt the same approach to communicate with their customers (for sales enquiries of customer service).

A few people replied that this practice has already been adopted in Singapore and implied rudely that I was outdated. I objected to these rude remarks.

I have contacted many businesses in Singapore on sales quotation and customer service, and my general experience is that these businesses make it difficult for their customers. They followed tiresome protocols. This applies mostly to large companies, but also to small companies as well.

I am sure that some businesses in Singapore do have good practices, but they tend to be an exception.

I shared my view to encourage businesses to adopt practices that are convenient for their customers. The modern platforms, such as Whatsapp Business, provide this facility for businesses to use.

Tan Kin Lian

https://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=5696

WOTC - South China Sea

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 67% of the respondents said that China should retain its claim over the South China Sea and negotiate with the neighboring countries.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2865

WOTC - Behavior of minister KS

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 93% of the respondents said that minister Shanmugam behaved in an oppressive manner and bullied Leong MW to withdraw some statements that were quite harmless.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2864

NRIC should be used as a public data

 From time to time, I share a post in Facebook that exposes my NRIC. Several people sending private message to warn me about this exposure. I asked them - what is the risk that someone knows my NRIC?

Mostly, they are not able to give me a credible reason. They just think that it is risky to let other people know the NRIC.

To me, the NRIC is a public data, just like my name. 

Some people said that the NRIC could be used by a borrower to borrow money from the loan shark.

I do not think that the loan sharks are stupid. They will not lend a few thousand dollars based on a false NRIC. The loan shark may insist on viewing the physical NRIC and will verify that it belongs to the borrower. Maybe a few loan sharks are stupid. But most of them are not.

Throughout the first 60 years of my life, the NRIC is a public data. It is used widely to identify a person.

This practice changed when one person, who happens to hold a senior position in a government agency, decides that it should be a private data. This person also happens to be related to a prominent government leader. I shall call him L.

L was responsible for the SingPass database, which used the NRIC as the ID and password for access. When a fraudster (say F) uses the NRIC of another person to access the SingPass database and gives the wrong password three times, L locks the account "for security reason". This caused inconvenience to the NRIC owner , who has to take a lot of trouble to unlock the SingPass account.

This probably happened to many people, causing a lot of problem to countless NRIC holders and the agency that manages the SingPass database.

To overcome this problem, L then decided that the NRIC should be a private data and not used publicly. 

I consider L to be an idiot. He does not need to lock the account. It would take F a few million tries to guess the correct password. Does F has so much time to waste? Even if F manages to have access, he cannot really do much harm.

L should learn how the big social media platforms, like Google and Facebook, manages this issue. They use the email address as the ID to log into the account and alert the account owner if there is a wrong password is used. They do not lock the account.

I use Google and Facebook frequently and do not have any problem with unauthorized access by other parties.

Now, I return to the use of NRIC.

I cannot see any harm that my NRIC is known to the wider public. I do not see how anybody can use the NRIC to access my private information, either from SingPass or other databases that use it as an ID.

It is a common practice for all accounts have to be accessed with an ID and protected by a password and sometimes by a 2FA PIN.

Many accounts use the email address or phone number as the ID, and these are widely know. Actually, the email address or phone number is more risky than the NRIC as marketers can send marketing emails and SMS to the owner. They cannot do anything with the NRIC.

It is clear to me that the NRIC can be used publicly. I am puzzled why so many people worry about the NRIC being known widely. Even if one idiot called L says that it is risky, the people should think and access if it is really the case.

Tan Kin Lian
http://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=5695

WOTC - Leong Mun Wai's statements in Parliament

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 100% of the respondents said that the statements made by Leong Mun Wai did not make allegations without checking the facts. His statements were largely correct, except for the use of the word "guilty" which he had withdrawn.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2862

Wisdom of the Crowd - New Issues

1. Will the people of Taiwan vote for a presidential candidate that advocate independence?
2. What do the ordinary people of Taiwan prefer?

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

WOTC - Pension age in France

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 64% of respondents said that it is unfair for the French government to increase the pension age to 64 years as they had promised a lower retirement age earlier.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2860

WOTC - Presidential election

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 92% of respondents said that Lee HY should be allowed to contest the presidential election in 2023.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2854

WOTC - Double standards

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 86% of the respondents said that double standards were applied in the treatment of the KOM and LHY issues.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2855

Wisdom of the Crowd - New Issues

1. Why was PM Lee taken from Beijing airport in a bus?
2. Did China gave different treatment to Lee HL and Anwar Ibrahim?

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

WOTC - A new BRICS currency

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 50% of respondents said that it is better to use the Chinese yuan, rather than introduce a new BRICS currency. 43% said that a new BRICS currency is useful to reduce reliance on the US dollar.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2858

WOTC - Pension scheme and higher life expectancy

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 91% of respondents said that the pension age should not be increased with longer life expectancy. The working population should pay higher taxes to support the pension scheme.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2859

Wisdom of the Crowd - New Issues

1. Should China give up its claim on South China Sea?
2. Should China object to western leaders visiting Taiwan?

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

Letter to China's ambassador to Singapore

 27 March 2023

Excellency Sun Haiyan

Chinese Ambassador to Singapore

Dear Excellency

I have read your article dated 23 March 2023 posted in your website (think.sg). You have addressed your remarks to Singapore’s public and asked the question “What should we do?”

I wish to respond to your question and give my personal views as a member of Singapore’s public. My views are not the views of the Singapore government, but they do reflect the views of a large number of people that I interact with in social media platforms.

I have followed closely the impressive progress made by China over recent decades on its internal development and its diplomatic activities with countries around the world.

Global Security Initiative

I am impressed with China’s proposal of the Global Security Initiative, as set out in the GSI concept paper, and believe that it is a good framework to achieve peace around the world.

I also support China’s efforts to seek a political settlement to the Ukraine crisis and hope that it will eventually be accepted by the parties involved in the conflict.

I do not share the skepticism expressed in some quarters about the GSI or China’s approach to resolve the Ukraine crisis. These efforts will take time to be realized, and I am confident that the goals will be realized with patience and untiring effort.

I believe that the positive role and contribution by China can be appreciated more widely, if China takes steps to address the concerns of countries and peoples (who are otherwise positive towards China) on two issues, namely the South China Sea and Taiwan.

South China Sea

On the South China Sea dispute, many countries in the region (which are generally positive towards China) have concerns over the “nine dash line” and its impact on the UN convention on the law of the sea (UNCLOS).

There are different views about the legitimacy of the claim by China on the areas covered by the “nine dash line”.

Rather than continuing with this dispute, I would suggest that China takes a magnanimous approach by allowing the neighboring countries to claim their exclusive economic zones within UNCLOS, in return for recognition by these countries for the China's right to retain control of the islands occupied by China for its military facilities to protect its trading routes (e.g. from being blocked by unfriendly powers).

If the neighboring counties accept the arrangement on these islands, China will recognize their right to develop the fishing, mineral and other resources within their exclusive economic zone for the benefit of their national development.

China has now reached a stage of its development that it can generously give up the rights to these resources to the neighboring countries.

Taiwan

Some countries, rightly or wrongly, hold the view that China is impatient to take over Taiwan within the near future. This appears to be the source of the tension over Taiwan and could be the excuse for some countries to engage in unfriendly activities towards China.

I would suggest that China remove this “excuse” by taking a more patient attitude towards Taiwan, as it has done in the past.

There is no need to allow other countries to harbor the impression that China aims to take over Taiwan in the new future. If political and military leaders from other countries wish to visit Taiwan, let them do so. They cannot do much harm (over and above what they have already done) and their visits may help the Taiwan economy to a small extent.

I hope that the people in Taiwan will realize that it is foolish to spend a lot of money to build a military capability against the mainland, when the money can be better spent to improve the living standards of the people.

As China continues to make good progress in its development and governance structure, many people will realize that China has a better governance model compared to the liberal democracies in western countries (which are falling apart and getting worse over the years.)

Given time, the people of Taiwan will also realize the advantage of the China governance model. I hope that the day will come, in the near future, that the people in Taiwan will elect a government that seeks to integrate with the rest of China.

Conclusion

I hope that the leaders in China can consider my suggestions regarding the South China Sea and Taiwan.

Tan Kin Lian

WOTC - Ukraine war

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 87% of respondents said that America and Europe wants Ukraine to fight Russia to the end.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2853

WOTC - Ukraine War

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 53% of respondents said that Russia will win the war in Ukraine within the next few months. 47% said that there was be a peace settlement.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2852

WOTC - Recent failures of banks

Wisdom of the Crowd: 69% of the respondents said that the recent failure of a few banks will cause a major problem as other banks in America and globally are likely to follow.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2850 

Wisdom of the Crowd - New Issues

1. Should a country increase its pension age in line with increase in life expectancy?
2. Is it fair for the government of France to increase the pension age from 62 to 64?
3. What is a better way to save for retirement?
4. Did Leong Mun Wai made allegations without checking the facts.
5. Did Leong Mun Wai act irresponsibly in Parliament?
6. Did minister Shanmugam acted fairly and objectively?

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

Tik Tok in America

 The US Congress is currently scrutinizing Tik Tok's operations to assess whether the app poses a security threat that warrants its prohibition in America. The concern is that the data collected by the app could be accessed and used by the communist regime of the People's Republic of China (PRC).

In response, Tik Tok has clarified that the information belonging to American users is stored in the US, beyond the PRC government's reach. Tik Tok is a commercial enterprise that provides a valuable service to its users.

Approximately 150 million people in the US, representing almost half of the population, use Tik Tok, with most of them belonging to Gen Z, although there are also older users and small business owners. These entrepreneurs have found Tik Tok to be an effective and affordable tool to promote their services to customers.

If Tik Tok were to be banned, the users would likely feel angry towards the government and their representatives. They argue that the purported security risks are unfounded, and that those responsible for the decision are disconnected from the reality of modern technology. Many of them do not use Tik Tok anyway.

Tan Kin Lian

WOTC - China's role in Ukraine

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 56% of the respondents said that China will fail in its effort to find a peace settlement in Ukraine because the western countries would not allow this outcome.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2851

Wisdom of the Crowd - New Issues

1. Should a country increase its pension age in line with increase in life expectancy?
2. Is it fair for the government of France to increase the pension age from 62 to 64?
3. What is a better way to save for retirement?

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

US stock market and economy

 I share my perspective on the US stock market and economy.

https://fisca.sg/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ID=1317

A new currency for BRICS - Rix

 In this article, I suggest how the BRICS can introduce a new currency, called the Rix, to be an alternative to the USD for international trade and by used as a reserve currency by other countries.

I invite comments.
https://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=5682

Wisdom of the Crowd - New Issues

1. Which name do you prefer for the new currency introduced by BRICS nation
2. Should the BRICS country introduce a new currency as an alternative to the dollar?

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

Credit Suisse AT1 Perpetual

 An investor bought the AT1 perpetuals issued by Credit Suisse. It offered a coupon of 5%.

His broker told him that, following the forced sale of Credit Suisse to UBS, the Swiss regulator exercised the non viable clause and wrote off these AT1 perpetuals to zero. Currently the value of the AT1 perpetuals is zero and illiquid so cannot be sold.

Shareholders also could not vote on the merger with UBS. They saw the value plunge from $1.86 to $0.72 overnight. It is unprecedented and that’s why there is talks on legal action as stated in the article https://fisca.sg/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ID=1315

Expense ratios of sovereign wealth funds

I obtained these figures from ChatGPT. The ratio of management expense is about 0.06% of investment funds for Norway and Saudi Arabia.

The ratios are much higher for GIC and Temasek, being 0.17% for GIC and 1.9% for Temasek.

http://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=5679

Wisdom of the Crowd - New Issues

 

1. Should Lee Hsien Yang be disqualified from contesting the presidential election.
2. Is there double standards in the authority treating the KOM and LHY issues?
3. Will Xi Jinping be able to help find a solution to the Ukraine war?

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

WOTC - Interest rate hike in US

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 64% of the respondents said that the US Fed should continue its interest rate hike to bring down inflation.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2848

WOTC - President of Singapore, LHL

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 83% of respondents said they would not vote for Lee Hsien Loong as president of Singapore.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2846

WOTC - President of Singapore

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 94% of respondents said that they would not vote for Ho Ching as president of Singapore.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2845

WOTC - Silicon Valley Bank

 79% of the respondents expect the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank to spread to other banks and the wider economy.
https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2847

Wisdom of the Crowd - New Issues

1. Will China be able to help a peace settlement to the Ukraine war?
2. Will Russia win the Ukraine war?
3. Will America and Europe support a peace settlement in Ukraine?

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

WOTC - President of Singapore

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 93% of respondents said that they will vote for Lee HY as president of Singapore.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2844

Tiresome to register a warranty

 I install a new air conditioner from Mitsubishi Asia.

My contractor asked me to register for a warranty.

I have to scan the QR code on my mobile phone and went to their website. It was the home page, and not the registration page. I had to go through the website and finally found "Register your product".

Why can't the use a QR code that lead directly to the registration page?

It was difficult to submit the registration details using a phone. The process was interrupted by many popups, which make the submission quite difficult. After trying it a few times, I gave up.

I went to the website (by reading the website address from the phone).

It was much easier to submit the registration details from the website. I manage to complete it, but still with some trouble.

Mitsubishi should have just directed the customer to register on their website on their laptop or desktop. By providing a registration through the phone, with a small screen, they made the process quite complicated.

Finally, before confirmation the registration, I have to agree to allow my private data to be used for marketing, etc. This was supposed to be an option, but I could not uncheck it. It was mandatory.

If I do not agree, I could not submit the registration. I think that Mitsubishi is breaking the law.

Anyway, I am used to bad business practices in Singapore. I am tired of lodging a complaint, when the authority does not care. Businesses are treating customers unfairly and get away with it.

Tan Kin Lian

WOTC - Lee Hsien Yang

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 94% of respondents have a positive opinion of Lee Hsien Yang.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2843

Digital display of stop number

 I suggest that the bus should have a digital display of the stop number, 

https://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=5678

Wisdom of the Crowd - New Issues

1. If US stops importing from China, which country will suffer more?
2. How will the failure of a few banks recently impact the financial system?

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

WOTC - Presidential election 2023

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 94% of respondents said that they will vote for Lee Hsien Yang if he contests in the presidential election.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2842

Large losses on mortgage loans

 American banks may suffer large losses on the mortgages, due to the sharp rise in interest rate.

This is explained here.

I expect US bank stocks to fall sharply in value.

https://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=5676

Penalty on early withdrawals

 Silicon Valley Bank faced a "run on the bank". Due to premature withdrawals of deposits, they faced a liquidity crisis and had to sell their bonds, ahead of maturity dates, at a loss.

Their planned to raise additional capital to cover their loss of $1.8 billion USD. Given some time, and with the right price, they would be able to raise the additional capital.

They did not have the time. Their customers panicked and withdrew their deposits. They could not meet all the demands.

One problem faced by a bank is that they have to invest the deposits to earn revenue to pay the interest on the deposits and have a margin to cover their expenses and leave a profit.

To prevent a "run on the bank", the bank should be allowed to impose a penalty for early withdrawal. Currently, the penalty is rather small (e.g. forfeiture of interest for the current period).

While this forfeiture may be adequate under normal times, the bank should be allowed to impose a large withdrawals to prevent a run on the bank. For example, the bank should be allowed to impose a penalty of, for example, up to 30% of the deposit.

If depositors have to pay a high penalty for premature withdrawal, especially at a time when the bank faces a liquidity crunch, they may decide to keep their deposits until the maturity date. This would give sufficient time for the bank to raise additional capital and prevent a collapse.

If the customer does not wish to face this penalty, they can keep their money in the current account and earn no interest.

Another arrangement is for the central bank to provide liquidity to the bank (at the market rate of interest) to meet withdrawals.

Maybe, it should be a combination of both measures, i.e. tap on central bank for emergency funds and impose a sufficient penalty on premature withdrawals.

Tan Kin Lian
https://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=5675

Wisdom of the Crowd - New Issues

1. Will the collapse of the Silicon Valley Bank lead to more problems?
2. Should the US Feb cause its hike of the interest rate?

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

Messy system of business mail

 I sent this suggestion to the Smart Nation Office and the Minister to clean up the messy system of receiving business mail.

https://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=5674

Feedback on SP Group

 I sent this feedback to SP Group.

Feedback
I log into your app to see my bill. I wanted to see how much I paid for electricity and water.

I could not find this information, after going through all the screens of your app several times.

It was confusing.

Instead I get all kinds of irrelevant information, popup (which refuse to close).

It was very tiring.

Finally, I went to your website and managed to retrieve the bill.

Please do not waste customer's time with irrelevant information. If I want to know about how to participate in your green campaign, etc (and frankly I do not have the free time to spend), I would have sought the information in your website.

Tan Kin Lian

Their feedback form has 10 items (maybe more) of data for me to complete before I can submit the feedback. It is a big waste of my time.

Pricing of HDB flats (2)

 I propose this new approach to pricing HDB flats to remove the impression that the flats are unaffordable. 

http://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=5672

Pricing HDB flats

 I suggest a new approach towards pricing HDB flats

http://www.tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=5671

WOTC - President of Singapore

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 59% of the respondents said that Ho Ching is likely to stand for election as president and will win.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2840

WOT C- US debt limit

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 64% of the respondents said that the US Congress will increase the debt limit at the last minute, avoiding a debt default.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2839

WOTC - 2024 US Presidential election

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 83% of the respondents said that Joe Biden will not stand in the 2024 election or he will lose if he stands for re-election.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2838

Wisdom of the Crowd - New Issues

1. Will you vote for Lee Hsien Yang as president of Singapore?
2. Will you vote for Ho Ching as president of Singapore
3. Will you vote for Lee Hsien Loong as president of Singapore

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

A poem to support Lee Hsien Yang

Lee Hsien Yang, a name so well known,

A leader of Singapore, now he's shown,

That he is frugal, humble, and wise,

Down to earth, and affable in our eyes.

His presence brings a sense of calm,

A leader who's down to earth, with no qualm,

The people feel heard, and their voice is clear,

His leadership style is one to revere.

Frugal in his ways, he spends with care,

Ensuring the country's finances are fair,

His policies aim to uplift the weak,

And bring prosperity to those who seek.

Humble in his approach, he's not one to boast,

A leader who listens, and values the most,

The voices of the people, who he serves,

With his heart and soul, he never swerves.

Down to earth, he's a man of the people,

A leader who's relatable, never feeble,

He walks the streets with grace and poise,

And connects with the masses, with no noise.

Affable, his nature, is warm and kind,

A leader who's approachable, with a clear mind,

He understands the people's joys and fears,

And works to bring solutions that endears.

Lee Hsien Yang, a leader we admire,

A president who's values we aspire,

Frugal, humble, down to earth, and affable,

A leader who's approach is nothing but admirable.

Tan Kin Lian

With help from ChatGPT

WOTC - Budget 2023

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 84% of respondents said that budget 2023 did not address the real challenges faced by households and businesses.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart3.aspx?id=2830

WOTC - Flow of traffic across land crossings

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 82.6% of respondents said that the flow of traffic on the land crossing to Johor should be improved for the benefit of people in both countries.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart.aspx?ID=2827

WOTC - CDC Vouchers

 Wisdom of the Crowd: 65% of the respondents said that the CDC voucher is a costly and wasteful way to provide financial assistance to households.

https://tklcloud.com/Crowd2/chart.aspx?ID=2831

Wisdom of the Crowd - New Issues

 

1. Should Lee Hsien Yang attend the police investigation on the alleged perjury matter?
2. Will you vote for Lee Hsien Yang if he contest in the presidential election in 2023?
3. What is your opinion about Lee Hsien Yang

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

Review of China stocks

 I invested $12.4 million HKD ($2.1 million SGD) in 13 Hong Kong stocks (mostly of China companies).

I reviewed my investments in this article
https://fisca.sg/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ID=1314

Measures to increase the birth rate

1. Someone wrote an article stating that it is not possible to increase the birth rate as women today prefer to have a career and do not wish to bear children.

2. I disagree with the writer (and the conventional wisdom). My view is that some women (perhaps half) wants a career, but the others are willing to be a home maker, if they are paid as much as a working woman.

3. The mums at home have to be paid by the state for the work of raising a family. The pay should be similar to what they can earn by working in a retail shop, eatery or factory.

4. In the case of Singapore, a suitable pay should be $1,000 a month for each child up to age 12 years, and up to 3 child per family.

5. The better educated women will want to be professionals and managers. Many of them do not want to raise children, or will only have one child (and keep pets). However, not all women can achieve these careers.

6. In the past, the cost of living was low, so families can afford to have mums at home. But today, the cost of living is high, and many families cannot afford to have mums at home. They have to go out and work, and raise less children.

7. This problem is faced by all countries under the free market economic system, and not by Singapore alone. They all suffer the same problem, and have the same sickness (i.e. declining population).

8. Can the state afford to pay these mums at home? The state can, if they can get the high income people to pay more tax.

9. My proposal will attract the women that are not highly educated and do not mind being mums at home - if the get an adequate income for this "job".

10. I do not agree with the elitist concept promoted by the Singapore government, i.e. to encourage well educated women to produce more children and discourage the less education women from doing so. This is the source of the problem faced by Singapore.

Tan Kin Lian
https://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=5667

Wisdom of the Crowd - New Issues

1. Will Joe Biden win the 2024 election?
2. Will the US default on its debts?
3. Will Ho Ching stand for the Singapore presidential election in 2023?

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

Wisdom of the Crowd - New Issues

1. Is it acceptable for China to provide arms to Russia?
2. If America implement comprehensive sanction on China, what will happen?
3. Can China dump US dollars?

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