Full trust in the PAP

Mr. Tan
The Singapore Democratic Party and Dr. Chee Soon Juan have put in many man years of efforts to present alternative policy papers for the future of Singapore. It seemed that the voters do not care about them.

They only care about the SG50 goodies, and the PGP goodies. What are your views on this question?

REPLY
I agree with you. It reflects poorly on the maturity of the Singapore voters. We have to be ashamed of this state of affairs.

This situation is brought about by 50 rules of PAP rule. They do not want Singaporeans to be mature. They only want to remain in power.

The 70% are willing to put their full trust in the PAP, without any checks and balances. They may have a rude shock when the entire system collapses one day.

But, maybe, it will never happen? Meanwhile, they are happy to live in their comfort zone.

Pioneer Generation Package

Is the Pioneer Generation package a good scheme? Give your views here.
http://www.sg-pulse.com/Crowd/issue_det.aspx?ID=24

Last hope for Singapore

Hi Mr Tan,
I couldn't message you on facebook. Hence, I decided to message you here. I have some questions to ask you.
1)What exactly is the role of a NCMP?
2)Should Dr Chee Soon Juan be nominated as a NCMP?
3)Do you think that Presidential Elections in 2017 is our last hope for Singapore?

REPLY
1) The position of NCMP (Non Constituency MP) is given to a certain number of candidates (between 3 to 9) from the opposition parties who scored the highest votes in the general election. They attend Parliament and exercise the duties of an elected MP, except that they do not represent any constituency and cannot vote on certain legislation.

2) The candidates from the opposition parties who scored higher than Dr. Chee Soon Juan are:
Lee Li Lian, WP - Punggol East
Dennis Tan, WP - Fengshan
5 candidates from WP, East Coast
Dr Chee will not make it to the list.

3) There is a chance that the Presidential Election may be scrapped (this is just my opinion). If it is conducted as before, do you see the person elected as President to be "the last hope for Singapore?".
Can you be more specific on what are the actions that you expect the President to take to "save Singapore?"

General election is over. Here is another place for you to vote

The general election is over. For many people, the actual results do not reflect their views or the ground sentiments. This could be a "freak result".

Here is another chance for you to express your views directly on the issues that concern our lives. Take some time now to vote on these issues. By increasing the votes, this website can be more credible.

www.sg-pulse.com/crowd/register.aspx

What if the PAP is voted out of power?

Mr Tan
Suppose the nightmare scenario happens and the PAP is voted out of power, how will the coalition government find the capable people to form the government? The alternative parties do not have candidates who can fit into the roles of ministers.

REPLY
I have anticipated this problem earlier. My answer is given here.
http://tankinlian.blogspot.sg/2015/08/my-top-wish-for-general-election-2015.html

All the best for Chee Soon Juan

Five years ago, when most people consider Dr Chee Soon Juan to be untrustworthy, I wrote a blog to present a positive view of him.

One of my friends, who is working for the establishment, wrote to say that I was "brave" to express this view, but he supported my view.

Today, the public perception of Dr Chee has changed tremendously. He is now seen in a positive light. Many people hope that he will be elected into Parliament. I agree with this view.

I wish all the best to Dr Chee and his family.

The citizens have to play their part

Dear Mr. Tan
I saw that you were trying hard to promote the Wisdom of The Crowd website.
It is a good platform to get the views of ordinary people on the issues that you have created.

However, the website still gets insufficient response.
By now, you should know that Singaporeans like their views to be heard, but they are too lazy to express their views in a responsible manner.
Do you agree?

REPLY
I have to agree with you.
It is a bad culture that our people has developed over the years.
But I have to blame the PAP for creating this bad culture.

However, we have to remain positive and confident.
Maybe, by being persistent, more people will realize that they have to come forward and cast their votes on these issues.
More people will make the website more credible in conveying the wisdom of the crowd to the people who from the next government.

Register here to cast your vote
http://sg-pulse.com/Crowd/Register.aspx

Direct Democracy - Wisdom of the Crowd

Singaporeans have a chance to cast a vote only once in 4 years, and they are asked only one question - who do they want to be their Member of Parliament?

The person that they voted may not even attend Parliament regularly or speak in Parliament. This person, who is supposed to represent the views of the citizens in his constituency, may not even meet the voter for four years.

Surely, this is a very poor system?

There is another choice for citizens. You can give your vote directly on issues affecting your life and the future for you and for your children.

You can give your vote on the issues in the "Wisdom of the Crowd" website, sg-pulse.com/crowd.

Here are the issues that you can vote on. These are the hot topics not only for the general election but also for our future.

To give your vote on these issues, you can register here:
http://sg-pulse.com/Crowd/Register.aspx

After you have registered, you will go directly to a page. When you select "Vote", you will be shown all the issues that you can vote on.

You can read the reason for and against each issue before you cast your vote. You can also give your reason for your vote.

BE EMPOWERED AS A CITIZEN.

Join "Wisdom of the Crowd" and let your vote count. And you can vote on specific issues.

Prohibition on Cooling Off Day

Mr. Tan
The prohibition of campaign activities during cooling off day and election day DOES NOT APPLY to "the transmission of personal political views by individuals to other individuals, on a non-commercial basis, using the Internet, telephone or electronic means".
Does this apply to Facebook?

REPLY
My interpretation of this rule is that it is okay, so long as you are
"an individual" and not a candidate.
But I am not sure about "other individuals". If A send to B, it is okay. But if A publishes in Facebook and it is ready by the general public, it is not clear whether it is still okay.
Anyway, since it is unclear, let the police decide. If they tell me that it is not okay, I will ask them if they are acting against a few hundred thousand people in the same category.
This law is badly written. It is not clear.

Difficult to run a small business

My friend, who run a small business said. It is difficult to be a boss of a small business. When he falls sick, he still have to come to work. His workers will be happy to send in their MC and take the time off.

He does not make enough profit. The expenses are high. The revenue is difficult to come by. He has to compete hard to get the business and his margin is small.

This year, the "stupid" government gave two extra holidays to celebrate SG50 and for polling day. It is okay for them to give holidays, because they have plenty of money. But, he has to pay his workers for the holidays. Where is his business coming from?

I agree with him. It is tough to run a small business. 

Swing of votes - general election 2015

This article shows the votes for the PAP in each constituency in the general election held in 2015.
http://sg-pulse.com/Party/PDF/2

When the results are announced for each constituency from 11 pm tomorrow, I will be able to calculate the swing of votes and predict the number of seats that will be won by the non-PAP parties, i.e. the alternative parties.

I will post my findings in my blog and Facebook. Watch my "prediction" here.

How to participate in a "mini-referendum"

The Wisdom of the Crowd website allows you to vote on issues affecting our future and the future of our children. This is similar to the referendum that is carried out in Switzerland every three months. Take this opportunity express your views, so that the collective view can be viewed by the policy makers.

You can register  here:
http://sg-pulse.com/Crowd/view_issue.aspx

If you registered earlier, you can sign in here:
http://sg-pulse.com/Crowd/Login.aspx

If you forgot your password, you can click on"Forget Password". You can get an email to reset your password.

After you sign in, you can click on "Vote". This shows all the issues that you have not yet voted. So, you can vote for them one at a time.

Please cast your vote now, and also encourage your friends to cast their votes on these issues. We need more votes to give stability and credibility to the results show in this website.

You can view the pie charts of the issues here:
http://sg-pulse.com/Crowd/view_issue.aspx

Issues affecting our future

Look at the pie charts of the votes for the various issues here:
http://sg-pulse.com/Crowd/view_issue.aspx

Register here to cast your votes and win an e-book worth $4
http://sg-pulse.com/Crowd/Register.aspx

Today is cooling off day. No rallies to attend. So, it is time to hear your views on the important issues facing our future.

Wisdom of the Crowd

The "Wisdom of the Crowd" website contains several issues affecting our lives and the lives of our children.

You can view the pie charts of the votes from this link
http://sg-pulse.com/Crowd/view_issue.aspx

To submit your vote on these issue, you can register here
http://sg-pulse.com/Crowd/Register.aspx

After voting on 5 issues, you will get a free copy of the e-book on medical bills for the elderly

Cooling Off Day

Cooling-Off Day 

The eve of Polling Day is designated as Cooling-Off Day, a day when election campaigning is prohibited. This 24-hour campaign silence period is to give voters some time to reflect rationally on issues raised during the election before going to the polls. 

There are some exceptions to the prohibition of campaign activities on Cooling-Off Day: 

1. Party political broadcasts on television;
2. Reports in the newspapers, on radio and television relating to election matters;
3. Approved posters and banners that were already up, and lawful Internet advertising that was already published before the eve of Polling Day;
4. Books previously scheduled for publication;
5. The transmission of personal political views by individuals to other individuals, on a non-commercial basis, using the Internet, telephone or electronic means; and
6. Such activities or circumstances as may be prescribed by the Minister.

Minimum wage and minister salaries

Should we have a minimum wage in Singapore? Should we pay high salaries to ministers?

These are two new issues for you to vote in "Wisdom of the Crowd".
http://sg-pulse.com/Crowd/view_issue.aspx

Stranded with wine investment

Dear Mr Tan,
I am a stranded wine investor with Assets Wine Management (AWM) and Australian Wine Index.
I am served a Writ of Summon from the lawyer of CWT for the outstanding payment for the storage of my wines under AWM.
I would greatly appreciate if you can advise me of what I can do.
Thank you for your kind attention.

REPLY
You can sell off the wine investment and take a loss. Or talk to other investors and see what you can do collectively.

Policyholder was shocked to see the high distribution cost

Dear Mr. Tan,
I would like to seek your advice on personal finance.

Recently i met up my insurance agent to discuss about long term investment ( retirement, education for kids).  I was offered something like, save for 10 years, pay out at the age of 65 years old for 20 years.

The return is guarantee 3% plus bonus add up to total of 4.75%. When i look at the product info, what caught my eye and surprised me is the distribution cost. For total premium paid of around 200k, the distribution cost is around 13,000, which is around 7%! I think it is way too high!

When i showed this concern of high fee to my agent, she sort of like saying, dont envy of what they are paid, cos of the effort and trouble they all experience as agent ( which i do not totally agree).  And she is saying this is the norm and what is available in the market.

I believe what she offered is not the only option. I was considering DIY regularly purchase ETF. I only worry if i could consistent have the return of 3%.

What do you think about my situation? Is there anything I can do? Thank you very much.

REPLY

I have seen many benefit illustration of this type of product. The product is bad for consumers.

I agree with your that the distribution cost is too high. If you study the effect of deduction, you will be shocked at the amount that is taken away from your accumulated premium.

Read this book to understand what this "effect of deduction" means.
http://c-pearl.com/cart.aspx?ID=19

We need a fundamental change in the old policies

Question
Over the past week voters have heard the various rallies by the parties, most have proposals unlike the PAP as they only focus on local amenities etc.

Mr Tan, just wonder what is your objective view of GE15?  Will it be good for Singapore if PAP win all the seats?

I hope that opposition will get 40 seats as PAP need to get the message that citizens come first and their leaders need to be 100% hands on.

REPLY
It will be good for the alternative parties to win 15 to 20 seats, maybe more seats.

We need an active Parliament where the law makers meet regularly to discuss and debate the concerns of the people.

There are many issues that need to be addressed. We cannot have a Parliament that meets only occasionally to rubber stamp the decisions of the cabinet. We cannot have law makers who do not attend Parliament and who hardly spoke in Parliament.

We need more law makers who will treat this job as their full time job.

It is important for voters to vote for the alternative parties, so that the wish of an active Parliament can be achieved in this general election.

There is very little risk of a change of government in this general election. We can only aim for a change in the composition of Parliament.

A stronger representation of the alternative parties in Parliament will pass a strong message to the incoming government that the people want to see a fundamental change in the old policies.

To LHL: That's what you have done!

It is ironic for Lee Hsien Loong to tell the voters - "Don't write cheques that your children must pay".

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/…/if-you-belie…/2111534.html…

This is precisely what he has done over the past ten years. By increasing the price of housing and the cost of living, he has made the next generation of Singaporeans pay for the wealth of the current elites in Singapore.

We must VOTE FOR CHANGE.

Your Life and My Life/ Too Many foreigners

Someone sent this email to me.
From a friend, true story, like to remain anonymous:

GLC appointed foreigner as CEO.
CEO appointed his fellow foreigners as senior management.
Singaporeans forced to resign or sacked.

Senior management (foreigners) engaged his fellow foreigners as employees.
More Singaporeans edged out.

Most foreigners employees are underqualified but got his PR or even
citizenship easily from MOM with middle management (foreigners) help.

Singaporeans that stay, dare not to take sick leave when sick and
annual leave. They suffered low annual wage increments.
Difficult jobs assigned to them, credits goes to foreigners.

The same story are repeated in many GLC, MNC and many private firms.
This is your life and my life.

VOTE FOR CHANGE

Wrong to describe LHL as PM Lee

Lee Hsien Loong. If you believe in me, support my team. Link

Reply - sorry, I don't!

It is wrong for Channel News Asia to refer to him as PM Lee, when he is not acting in the role of the caretaker prime minister. In this situation, he is just one of the candidates in this general election.

Vote for change - our goal is to have alternative voices in Parliament

This PAP candidate warns that opposition parties can't get along. Link

He is missing the point. The alternative parties are not aiming to form the next government.

They want to be represented in Parliament to voice the concerns of the people and to debate and pass laws that reflect these concerns.

We need to change the system of governance in Singapore. We need to have a Parliament that is more active in discussing and debating government policies and passing the laws.

We need law makers who are able to spend more time in their work in discussing issues in Parliament and in discussing the concerns of the people. Preferably, they should be full time law makers. At the least, they should not have a busy full time work.

It is time to vote for a change, for the future of Singapore, for the future of our children.

Register - Wisdom of the Crowd

You can register here to submit your votes for the Wisdom of the Crowd website:
http://sg-pulse.com/Crowd/Register.aspx

After you sign in, you can vote on the issues by selecting the "Vote" menu.
After you have voted on 5 issues, you will receive the e-book "Medical Bills for the Elderly". This book sells for $4, so you earn a prize of $4.

You can view the pie charts of the votes on the various issues from this link:
http://sg-pulse.com/Crowd/view_issue.aspx

Dr Chee Soon Juat should be voted into Parliament

40 people submitted their vote on Dr. Chee Soon Juat. 90% said that he should be voted into Parliament.
The public standing of CSJ had increased significantly in recent years. He is more popular than Tan Jee Say or Kenneth Jeyaretnam.

http://sg-pulse.com/Crowd/view_issue.aspx

Unreasonable requirement for a travel insurance claim

The policyholder bought a travel insurance policy. He was pick pocketed in St. Petersburg, Russia. His hotel helped him to lodge a police report. The report was written in the Russian language.

When he submitted the police report to support his travel insurance claim for the loss of his belongings, the insurance company required him to obtain a translation of the police report into English to be made by a "certified Russian translator".

He was not able to find this expert. He was also unhappy to bear the cost of translation (if he could find this expert). He felt the requirement was unreasonable.

I agree with him. He has fulfilled the requirement to obtain a police report. The insurance company, which was an international company, could have access to their own translators. If they needed an external expert to make the translation, they should bear the cost.

The standard of claim handling in Singapore is deplorable. I am helping the policyholder to find a Russian national to make the translation. If this is rejected, I will help the policyholder to file a complaint.

All political parties are now at par

Channel news Asia has the headlines: Highlights: Opposition rallies on Sep 6

This is not acceptable. Does this media know that Parliament has dissolved. There is no government now (only a caretaker government), and no opposition? All political parties are at par.

A government and an opposition will only be formed after the general election on Sep 11.

The headline of "Opposition Rallies" is not fair, and is not correct. This kind of unfair labeling has to stop.

Swiss standard of living - not about money

30 years ago, the first deputy prime minister promoted the vision of “The Swiss Standard of Living”. He was thinking about the material aspects – about money, about GDP.

We did not achieve this goal. Instead, we got a high cost of living, but not a good standard of living.

But, there is another aspect of the Swiss way of life that is not about money. They have a government that truly listens to the people, that truly respects the views of the people.

How?

Every three months, the government in Switzerland organizes a referendum to ask the people for their views on several social and economic issues.

They study the votes of the people on each issue and take them into account when they formulate their government policies and pass their laws.

Do you want a government that listen to the people, like in Switzerland?

What type of government do we have now? We have a government that is not in touch with the people, that makes its decision in the ivory tower, and then push these bad decisions on the people.

We have a government that brought in large number of foreign workers and immigrants, and did not realize even the impact on the people, until much harm had occurred.

Many citizens have lose their jobs to foreigners. The cost of housing and the cost of living have increased sharply. Our trains and buses are crowded and break down often. There are long queues in hospital.

Do we still want to continue with this style of government? Or do we want to see a change?

Vote for change

Mr Tan,
Will Singapore get into trouble if the PAP lose this general election?

REPLY
If the PAP loses this election, Singapore will still get along fine. There is no need to worry. Do not believe the fear mongering that are passed by people with a vested interest to remain in power.

It is not likely that the PAP will lose power in this general election. This may take a few more years to happen.

But, if voters have the courage to vote for the alternative parties, we are likely to have a more diverse Parliament, comprising of MPs from many political parties.

This will encourage debate on the government policies and discussions on the issues facing the people This will produce better results over the long term.

While decisions will be made more slowly, they will be better decisions. The decisions made in a hurry without proper discussion have been bad for Singapore during the past years.

Have courage. Vote for change.

Wisdom of the Crowd - why this title?

Wisdom of the Crowd
The writer of a popular book by this title observed that the collective views of well informed people tend to produce the best decision. 

Swiss Referendum
The citizens of Switzerland are asked to vote on several issues affecting their lives every three months. The results of their votes guide their government in formulating its policies and passing the laws for their country. 

Website
We created this website to allow the people of Singapore to vote on issues affecting our lives and the future of our children.

Issues
You can view the issues, including the reasons "for" and "against" each issue. You can then submit your vote and give your own reason.

Please encourage your friends to give their votes as well. If more people vote on these issues, the results will be more credible.

How to vote
To cast a vote, you have to register in this website. Each person can only vote once for each issue. You can change your vote at any time.

Result
After submitting your vote, you can see the result of the votes on that issue. You can also read the reasons given by other people for their choice.

Intelligence Quiz Book

Mr. Tan
I remembered a few years ago, you wrote a book containing the puzzles called the Einstein Quiz. Where can I buy the book now? Is it available in the bookstores?

REPLY
You can order them online here. It is the book in purple color called The Intelligence Quiz. 
http://c-pearl.com/cord.aspx

Wisdom of the Crowd

The Wisdom of the Crowd website identifies issues affecting our lives and the lives of our children.
You can now vote on these issues and view the charts of the results on the same webpage.
http://www.sg-pulse.com/Crowd/view_issue.aspx

Guess the PAP share of votes contest has now closed

The contest to guess the PAP share of the votes in general election 2015 has now closed. We will now wait for the actual results to determine the winners.

The percentages with the highest number of votes are:

The average of all the percentages submitted in the contest is 56.5% (indicating a swing of 3.8% against the PAP.

Let us hear the wisdom of the crowd

Will you advise your friends in West Coast to vote for Kenneth Jeyaretnam? Or Tanjong Pagar to vote for Tan Jee Say? Or Holland Bukit Timah to vote for Chee Soon Juan? Or Marine Parade to vote for Worker Party?

Cast your vote here. We want to hear "the wisdom of the crowd".
http://www.sg-pulse.com/Crowd/issue.aspx

Vote on 5 issues and receive a free e-book

Register here, vote on 5 issues and receive the free e-book Medical Bills for the Elderly

http://www.sg-pulse.com/Crowd/Register.aspx

E-book is sent out automatically every night

Mr. Tan
I voted on more than 5 issues in your website and received the e-book on medical bills. It came on the same evening.Thank you for being diligent. It must have taken you a lot of trouble.

REPLY
Thank you for participating. I was able to set the website into automatic mode. it check the votes every evening and look for users who have passed the 5 votes and did not receive the prize previously.

It sends out the email automatically to the qualifiers. i do not need to monitor it.
Thank you for participating.

Please send emails to encourage your friends to join and give their votes as well. The website is www.sg-pulse.com/crowd (Wisdom of the Crowd).

Last two days to enter this contest

This contest will close tomorrow. You should submit your entry now. You stand a chance to win $500.
http://sg-pulse.com/Party/Contest.aspx

Difficult to get a job with a general degree and no work experience

Hi Mr. Tan,

I came across your blog and would like to share my thoughts and experiences with you.

I have a diploma in business (merit) from a local polytechnic. After NS, I was rejected by NUS for a place in Business School but was offered sociology instead. Because of my interests in business, I did a minor in management and realised to my shock that 30% of those in business school were foreigners – from Vietnam, China, Malaysia who don’t even understand business terms!

After a year, I lost interest in my course and just breezed through and scraped by with a basic pass degree. Although I admit this is my fault for not working hard and securing a comfortable government job like a few of my peers, but the whole idea is that the private sector is a completely different ball game although.

When I graduated, I sent in hundreds of resume but only got two interviews. The reality for fresh graduates is that unless you have a law, accountancy or medicine degree where you have secured a training contract of some sort then you are safe. Civil service aside, the private sector is very unwilling to take on someone with a general degree with no experience.

In fact, I have been unemployed for 2 years after graduating and helping our my mother in her restaurant. This has made me feel very inferior towards the S-pass holders from third-world countries! 

Eventually, I decided to put my diploma as my highest educational level and secured a part-time job as an admin executive earning $1,200 a month with a local SME working about 20 hours a week.

I can tell you for a fact that the graduate employment surveys are bullshit! It is done on a voluntarily basis and only those who have secured jobs would have sufficient information to fill such as basic salary and so on. The reality is that the unemployed like myself are too ashamed to fill up the survey.

Even for those who do, what does 15% of FASS (faculty of arts and social science) graduates who are unemployed SIX months after graduation is no joke, considering the amount they spent on their education. I would personally estimate that around 30% of my peers are unemployed and another 30% are like me underemployed doing jobs like estate and insurance agents which do not even require degrees!

In my free time, I am also studying for an ACCA to enhance my future prospects after seeing how general degrees have no value in the job market while there are so many foreigners competing with Singaporeans who have served NS.

I have really really lost faith in our PAP.



Thanks,
FJ

Issues relevant to the general election

I have created four new issues for you to vote on. They are relevant to the general election that will be held on Sept 11.

www.sg-pulse.com/crowd/issue.aspx.

To vote on the new issues and the previous issues, you have to register here
http://www.sg-pulse.com/crowd/Register.aspx

If you have registered previously, you only need to sign in to vote on the new issues.

Let your voice be heard

Cast your vote on these issues and let your views be heard.
http://www.sg-pulse.com/Crowd/issue.aspx
Register here and win a e-book prize:
http://www.sg-pulse.com/Crowd/Register.aspx

Contest closing soon

This contest closes in 3 days time. Submit your entry now and stand a chance to win the cash prize of $500.
http://sg-pulse.com/Party/Contest.aspx

General Election 2015

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/nomination-day--who-s-standing-for-ge2015-033819605.html

Get this book for free

Here is an easy way to get a free copy of the e-book "Medical Bills for the Elderly" and save $4 and the hassle of making the payment.
http://www.sg-pulse.com/Crowd/Register.aspx

Will these factors affect your vote in the general election?

If your current MP voted in support of the population white paper, will it influence your decision to vote for this MP?

If your current MP is a part time MP, will you give preference to another candidate who will work full time?

Give your answer in this website
www.sg-pulse.com/crowd

Quality of service

Give your feedback on any 5 service organizations in Singapore and receive a prize - ebook on Financial Planning for Young People (usual selling price is $6).
http://sg-pulse.com/page/1

Pie chart of votes - Wisdom of the Crowd

You can now view the pie charts of the issues that contain 10 or more votes. So far, most of the votes are against the current policies of the establishment. I hope that more of the pro-establishment votes will come in soon.
http://sg-pulse.com/Crowd/pie.aspx

Swing against the PAP - my guess

Mr. Tan
What is your guess on the swing of votes for or against the PAP?

REPLY
My guess is stated here:
http://tankinlian.blogspot.sg/…/my-prediction-for-forthcomi…

I expect the alternative parties to win 15 to 20 seats. The swing against the PAP is 5 to 7%.

Anyway, this is just my guess. I have participate in this contest to start it off, but if I win, my result will be excluded.
http://sg-pulse.com/Party/Contest.aspx

Think "Win-Win"

200 people have voted in this contest.
http://sg-pulse.com/Party/Contest.aspx

I sent an email to ask them to get their friends to join the contest.

One of them replied,
"Mr. Tan. If I get other people to join the contest, I will have a smaller chance to win the prize".

I replied to him:
"Ask your friend to join and ask him to share the prize with you, if he wins - because you recommended this contest to him."

Lesson: Think win-win. There is always an opportunity to improve your expected gain!

"Wisdom of the Crowd" website

The Wisdom of the Crowd website allows the ordinary people to cast their votes on issues affecting their lives and the lives of their children.

It is somewhat similar to the Swiss referendum system. The Swiss are asked to vote on their issues every three months. The results of the votes guide their government in formulating its policies and passing laws for the country.

Here are the issues that affect the lives of Singaporeans. 
http://sg-pulse.com/Crowd/issue.aspx

You can register here and cast your votes now.
http://sg-pulse.com/Crowd/Register.aspx

After you have voted on 5 issues, you will receive a FREE copy of the e-book, "Medical Bill for the Elderly". It contains tips on how you can reduce the medical expenses for the elderly, including your parents.

Get your friends to cast their votes also. When an issue gets more than 100 votes, the results become more reliable.

Why is this website called "Wisdom of the Crowd"? The author of this famous book said that ordinary people, who are well informed of an issue, can collectively decide on what is the best solution for that issue.

So, this website allows ordinary people to cast their votes on these issue. Join "Wisdom of the Crowd" now.

President Obama is conveying my message

Mr. Tan
Which party do you endorse? Who will you vote for in your constituency?

REPLY
Here are my top wish for this general election.
http://tankinlian.blogspot.sg/…/my-top-wish-for-general-ele…

I will be voting in Ang Mo Kio GRC.
I will ask my friend to give you my message.
https://www.facebook.com/kinlian/posts/912141548858498

Guess the PAP share of vote in general election 2015

Here is an easy way for you to win a cash prize of $500 and it is FREE.

You only need to submit an entry to guess the percentage of the votes that will be obtained by the People's Action Party (PAP) at the general election on September 11, 2015.

TIP: The PAP won 60.1% at the general election in 2011. Will they have a higher or lower percentage of vote in 2015? See! It is easy to make your guess.

Only 210 entries have been submitted so far, so your chance of winning is quite good. Your entry can be submitted here:
http://sg-pulse.com/Party/Contest.aspx

HURRY. THE CONTEST CLOSES ON 4 SEPTEMBER, JUST A FEW DAYS AWAY.

After submitting your entry, tell your friends about it. If they win, ask them to give you a treat or share the prize - because you told them.

Good luck.

Swiss Referendum System

Mr. Tan,
You referred to the Swiss system of referendum. Can you explain how it works?

REPLY
I asked the same question to a Swiss professor last year. He told me the following:

1. The government organize a referendum every 3 months.
2. Several questions are put to the citizens to vote.
3. The government provides a booklet to explain the issues that they have to vote on.
4. The citizens go to the poll and cast their votes on each issue.
5. The results of the polls are used by the government to decide on their policies and to recommend the laws in the passed in their legislature.
6. The law makers are guided by the views of the citizens.
7. The citizens can also recommend the issues to be put to the referendum, but they need to have a gather a certain number of signatures.

My "Wisdom of the Crowd" website is a small attempt to allow the citizens of Singapore to give their votes on issues affecting our lives. It is similar to the Swiss approach. However, I am using an online platform, and it is conducted the whole year round.

Give your support to this website, sg-pulse.com/crowd. Get your friends to vote also. Our views can be credible if we can gather 1,000 votes, or better still 10,000 votes on any of the issues.

Scoot Airlines has a troublesome booking sysetm

I have given my feedback on my experience with booking a ticket with Scoot, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines. The experience is bad. They should simplify their website and reduce the number of steps. Here is my fuller comment.
http://sg-pulse.com/recent.aspx

Do you have any feedback to share about any of the service organizations in Singapore .You can give five feedback and win a e-book prize "Financial Planning for Young People".

My top wish for General Election 2015

What is my top wish for the outcome of the general election that will be held on Sep 11, 2015?

Active Parliament

I wish to see an active Parliament. I wish to see people elected into Parliament who can play an active role in

1) Discussing the issues facing the people.
2) Discussing the policies proposed by the government to address these issues
3) Pass laws that will provide the legal force to address these issues.

This requires members who are able to spend full time in this job.

We should not elect part-time MP who are busy in the private sector jobs, such as doctors, lawyers or corporate managers. If they are elected, they should be willing to give up their current jobs to spend full time as a MP.

Perhaps, as a compromise, they can part a part time job that do not occupy more than 50% of their time.

Diverse Parties

It is preferable, but not essential, for Parliament to comprise of members from diverse parties. The most important goal is to elect people who can spend at least half of their time, but preferably all of their time, in their work as MP.

Group Representative Constituency (GRC)

This structure is very bad. It is the source of many of the problems that we face today - the disconnect and the loss of trust between the government leaders and the people. We should remove this structure at any early time in the future.

Government Ministers

 We need to address the issue of getting suitably people to be government ministers. Our current approach is flawed in at least two ways:

1)  To get the "suitable" people to become ministers, the ruling party has to provide a safe way to enter parliament through the GRC.

2)  We still face the risk of losing the "suitable" people in the general election.

We have all along followed the UK system of appointing ministers from the elected members of Parliament. We should, however, recognize that our Parliament has only 89 members, compared to a total of 1,400 members in the UK Parliament, comprising of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The UK has a larger pool of people to select their ministers.

We have to change our constitution or practice to follow the practice in the United States. The President can recommend people from outside of Parliament to be ministers, but the appointment has to be approved by their Congress. In our case, the appointment can be approved by our Parliament.

How to vote

I recommend my fellow citizens to vote for someone who is willing to serve as a full time MP. It does not matter whether they person wear white, blue, red, yellow or any other color. Cast your vote wisely.

Invest in your future for only $6

Many people, especially those who just started work, are likely to buy a bad life insurance policy that will make them poor for a long time.

They can avoid this fate by investing $6 and 2 hours of time to read this book. This book is written in the context of Singapore and gives practical advice on what the young person should do, and should avoid.

Act now, and make the right investment for your future.

If you have children who are going to start work soon, you should buy this book for them. It could be the best gift that you can give to them, for only $6.

http://c-pearl.com/cart.aspx?ID=19

Request for advice

I receive regular requests to give my views on problems faced by consumers. They usually provide incomplete details and hide their personal identity.

I do not wish to reply to these cases. If they wish to consult me, they have to register here.
http://tklcloud.com/Consult/service.aspx?ID=3

They have to provide the actual name and contact and sufficient details. I will not charge any fee for the initial assessment.

I am willing to charge only on success, e.g. if a rejected claim is finally paid, or request for a donation to be made to the Financial Services Consumer Association.

Best wishes to the Reform Party

Mr Kenneth Jeyaretnam is providing soft but essential leadership to the alliance of the alternative parties.

His Reform Party was willing to step aside in Jurong and Clementi and give way to the other parties. He took out the challenge of fielding a team for the Ang Mo Kio GRC and did assemble a good team.

He is now willing to step in to contest Pioneer North, at short notice, if the National Solidarity Party intends to give it up.

He has clearly demonstrated the skill of give and talk and is unselfish in his approach.

His father, JBJ, must be smiling from heaven. I wish all the best to Kenneth. He deserves to win a seat in Parliament. That would be good for our Parliament and for Singapore.

Answers given to an international media

Dear Mr Tan, how are you?  Most grateful if you have some time to reply to a few questions given its election season.

1. What do you make of the state of affairs the opposition is in? And what's the impact to the ruling party? Can the opposition mount a convincing challenge? 

TKL: Several of the alternative parties (i.e. other than People's Action Party) are well organized. The Workers' Party is clearly a stronger party. The Singapore Democratic Party has also organized their strategy well and have issued several well written and convincing policy papers during the past two years. The new parties, such as the Reform Party and the Singapore First party look promising.

2. The opposition seems fragmented and the ambition appears not to run the country but to provide an alternative voice in parliament. Why is this so and does the current system of ncmp and nmp work? Is this real democracy?

TKL: It is a good strategy for the alternative parties to aim to provide an alternative voice in Parliament. We need policy issues to be actively debated in Parliament and for diverse points of views to be considered before the laws are passed. We also need the laws to be well thought through and clearly written.

The system of NCMP and NMP is not effective to provide the healthy debate. It is better to have law makers from several political parties that speak with the mandate of the people. I also hope that the ruling party will allow their MPs to speak freely from their own conscience and reflect the majority views of their constituents.

3. With Lee Kuan Yew no longer around, do you think more may be compelled to join the opposition or vote them in and why?

TKL: As Mr. Lee Kuan Yew is no longer around, there will be a small swing towards to alternative parties, but the impact will not be significant. Mr. Lee's influence had diminished somewhat over the years, as he had stepped down from active leadership for more than 20 years.

4. Is this election an opportunity for PM Lee to put in place the next generation of leaders? How crucial is it for the party's succession planning?

TKL: The system of self renewal adopted by the Peoples Action Party is not effective. If we are as the United Kingdom, there will be sufficient numbers of law makers to pick from, to form the next generation of leadership. I prefer the system in the United States where the President can pick his ministers from anywhere in the country, subject to endorsement of the Congress. This will provide a better choice.

5. Significance of this election as the first since the death of LKY? Will the Pap lose more seats or will it win more?

TKL: At the Punggol East by-election, there was a swing of 10% away from the PAP. At this general election, I expect the swing to be smaller, but there will still be a significant swing. The issues affecting the people, such as the high cost of living, the uncertainty over jobs, the over crowding of public transport and other public services, and the stressful life have not gone away.

I expect that the PAP will lose more seats in this general election, but they will be returned to power with a comfortable majority. My guess is that the alternative parties will win 15 to 20 seats.

6. What kind of role does social media play in the current election? In 2011, social media helped fanned tension and raised hot button issues such as immigration and transport congestion. Does legal action against bloggers Amos Yee and Roy Ngerng help the PAP's cause or not?

TKL: The social media continues to play an important role in providing alternative views and sources of information to the general public. However, some of the messages in the social media are extreme, so the public will have to be discerning about interpreting these views. Most of them are mature and know what information are reliable, and what are not.

Video on the Lehman Crisis

A company was engaged to make a video on the Lehman Crisis for a TV station. They must have received a handsome fee for the assignment.

They approached me to speak on the video. They offered a speaker fee of $200. I declined.

Stock broking firm cannot afford to pay a speaker fee

Dear Mr Tan
I read with regular interest your articles via your website.

As we provide our clients with regular investment education talks, UOB Kay Hian Investor Centre will like to invite you to give a special presentation on your views of the current stock market downturn.

We are unable to pay a speaker's fee for your appearance but hope that you will like to educate our clients on your views related to shares investing.

We schedule regular events and promotions for our clients on a weekly (smaller scale events) and monthly basis (larger scale events and seminars).
http://www.utrade.com.sg/page/site/public/english/utradeSG_prodBranchpromo.html


REPLY
Sorry, I wish to decline


MY COMMENT
Our stock broking firms make millions of profits each year. They should be able to afford a speaker's fee. I wonder if they also invite their foreign speakers to speak for free?

Stock market rout - impact on the general election

Will the stock market rout help the PAP in the general election? Will the voters vote PAP for an experienced government to steer the economy during the challenging times ahead?

My view. The stock market rout will add to the woes of the ordinary people who are now struggling with uncertain jobs, high cost of living, over crowding and a stressful lives. It will now impact more businesses who will now find it a struggle to stay profitable. There will be more retrenchment. More people will feel the pain.

But voting is on 9 September, before the pain comes in. Will people vote PAP for a steady hand in government? It is still too early for gauge the collapse of the stock market in their voting preference.

On balance, I think that the stock market rout will not have any serious impact on the voting pattern. The negative factors that impact their daily lives will continue to be a prominent factor. It will be bad for the PAP.

Learn to be an entrepreneur with business simulation

It is difficult to run the airline in the business simulation game. The market is more competitive and cut-throat. (Isn't it the same for most businesses?).

If you make a mistake, you can lose a lot of money. Half the airlines are incurring losses. But the red airline (me) is still making a profit.

Why? I learn the pricing and marketing strategy by playing the games many times.

You can also learn the strategy. tklcloud.com/best/guide.aspx

A wonderful mother

A woman telephoned my office and ask the difference between the financial planning book that cost $12 and $6. One is a hard copy book and the other is a PDF book. 
She told me that she has stopped working and is buying the book for her daughter who has just started working.
What a wonderful idea. What a wonderful gift for the daughter. What a wonderful mother. 
Her gift may save her daughter $100,000 to $200,000 by making the right investment.
I recommended the $6 Financial Planning for Young People (PDF) which is an updated version.
http://c-pearl.com/cart.aspx?ID=19

Use the term 'public' patients

At KTP Hospital, there were many patients waiting in the public waiting area. Round the corridor, there was another large waiting area that was empty.

I guess that the empty waiting area was for private patients.

I wonder if many of the specialists were set aside for private patients (but the demand was low) and the specialists allocated for public patients had to cope with many patients.

I have decided to use the term 'public' patient rather than 'subsidized' patients. I do not like the terminology created by the elites.

Visit to KTP Hospital as subsidized patient

I went to a polyclinic in June to do an Xray and consult the doctor on a growth in my foot. The doctor referred me to KTP Hospital.

I had to wait 2 months to get an appointment in KTP Hospital. I now wish to share my experience for this visit as a subsidized patient.

I spent the time as follows:
a) Wait to be registered - 15 minutes
b)  Wait for the specialist to be ready - 15 minutes
c)  Saw the specialist - 15 minutes. She saw my foot and arranged an appointment for an operation.
d) Wait to make payment - 15 minutes
e) Wait for "financial counselling" for the surgery - 30 minutes

There is something wrong with the workflow. The actual time spent by the doctor was only 15 minutes. The other non-medical work took 75 minutes. I thought that the operation could be carried out today, but it had to be done on another appointment in two weeks time.

I was annoyed with waiting so long for "financial counselling". This was a bad description. Apart from telling me how much the operation  would cost, the main purpose was to explain the preparation for the surgery. A better description is "medical counselling".

I received a bill of $75 for this visit. The government provided a subsidy of 50% and the Pioneer Generation card paid 50% of the balance. Still, I had to pay $17.50 and spent time just for the specialist to see my foot and arrange the date of the operation.

I get the impression that "money" was the main focus, rather than the medical treatment. I hope that a future minister for health will increase the focus towards the medical treatment, rather than worry about collecting money.

We need a new approach to governing Singapore

Should we give the PAP the mandate to take us into the next 10 to 15 years?
Link


My reply is - "No".
We need to send a strong message that the old style of governance, by people in the ivory tower, is not relevant today.
We need change.
We need a more active Parliament, where the law makers spend time to debate the key issues affecting our future.
We need a more diverse Parliament.
We need ministers who have spent many years on the issues affecting ordinary people before they are given the authority and trust to make decisions affecting our future. They cannot be parachuted into the position of important positions using the GRC system.

What is the best way to give this strong message? Vote for the alternative parties!

Use your database effectively

Many companies rely on their database, but they do not realize the following:
a) They are not processing the data efficiently
b) They are not realizing the full value of the data
I provide consultancy to improve your productivity and the value of your data.
http://tklcloud.com/Consult/service.aspx?ID=14

Leaders who know how to cooperate, rather than compete

Mr. Tan
In PM Lee's National Day Rally, he talked about the changes in our neighboring countries and how some of their officials expect Singapore to be "sensitive" to their concerns.
We need leaders with the special skills and experience to handle these expectations. Do you agree?

REPLY
I have heard this message many times over the past years. Our leaders used this message to scare the people into voting for them, based on their "ability" to handle these expectations.

The skills to handle these expectations do not come from people who were raised in the ivory tower, who think that they were "smart" and who treat other people with an arrogant attitude.

We need people who are comfortable in dealing with other people, have the skill to engage in a dialogue among peers and know to work in cooperation to find a "win win" solution.

We need people who know how to cooperate and do not focus only on competition. Sadly, our leaders do not have these skills - as they have done well by being competitive from their first year in school..

How to replace an insurance agent

hi mr tan
Wondering u can advise me on how to deal with my current agent from GE. He is totally not professional in his job and I would like to replace him. How can i proceed and what avenue do I have on agent like this ? Thank you sir.

REPLY
Please register here
http://tklcloud.com/Consult/service.aspx?ID=3

Do not allow an insurance agent to CON or CONfuse you

Many young people were misled into buying the wrong life insurance policy. Their future savings are destroyed by a careless decision. This can be avoided if they only some some time to learn the fundamentals.
http://c-pearl.com/cart.aspx?ID=19

You can't have your cake and eat it

The idiom “You can’t have your cake and eat it too” illustrates the concept of making trade-offs and realizing that you can’t have something if you have another.

The phrase is often used when referring to compromises and alludes to making a choice between two options that could never be reconciled. In other words, the two options that are mutually exclusive.

I learned this concept when I was in school. Strangely, our leaders in the PAP did not understand this concept.

Mr LKY proposed the office of the elected President. This person is voted by the people and is given wide power to block the use of past reserves. This power was useful in case an alternative government is elected into office in Singapore. 

He did not anticipate that the first elected President, Mr. Ong Teng Cheong, would carry out his duty diligently as spelled out in the constitution and question how the current PAP government was spending the government funds and reserves.

The problem became more complex because the concept of current and past reserves was not clearly defined. It was a very bad idea to start with. 

After President Ong, the next two presidents were more relaxed about allowing the government to do what it wanted. This did not solve the problem entirely.

Some of their actions taken by the government appeared to contradict what was stated in the constitution, especially in the role of the elected president. One concerned citizen and politician, Mr. Kenneth Jeyaretnam, brought up a case in court that the government was acting against in constitution in granting a loan to the International Monetary Fund without the approval of the President.

I hope that this embarrassing situation will teach our leaders about the concept of "you can't have the cake and eat it". If they want better governance and control over the use of the past reserves, they have to abide by the constraints and allow the elected president to do his duty. If not, it is better to remove the powers and responsibility from the elected president.

They cannot have a president to check an alternative government, and expect the president to close both eyes when the unauthorized spending is carried out by the current PAP government.