Originally posted by robertteh:

MP Ong Chit Chung had been tested for his entrepreneurial abilities in private sector companies like Sum Cheong. Has he made a success of such companies like Sum Cheong.

Goh Chok Tong openly boasted about ability of his MPs like Wong Kwei Cheong whom he was sure would bounce back from his losses in jakarta venture. Has Wong bounced back?

Sum Cheong sufferred losses and was finally taken over by Oei Hong Leong and some others. So, moral of the story is whatever talents and leadership pap has been telling the people as possessed by its MPs and ministers they were purely conjectures.

If Philip Yeo is so sure about his entrepreneurial abilities he should have proven his worth in restructuring the singapore economy in the last three recessions instead of blowing his trumpet only after the world economy recovers.

Hear Ye! Hear Ye!
pappies always brag about top line; but it's the bottom line that matters... so ... all that glitters isn't gold...

Originally posted by Gazelle:

Maybe you would like to tell us in which country where the government will take care of its people without having to generate incomes from taxes.

So what if they have enough, that has got nothing to do with the people seeking medical treatment at polyclinic.

Maybe you should just start a thread talking about medical services in private hospital instead of criticising the government's effort to improve medical services to those lesser people.

from u, for u, because of u, for what... how much for consultation fee, leh?...

when did i? remind me? Gazelle, "...instead of criticising the government's effort to improve medical services to those lesser people."

Originally posted by Gazelle:
1) You still havent answer my question, name me a country in this world that provide free lunch. In this case, absolutely free healthcare. (cut that crap about free healthcare when you are paying 45% income tax)

2) I am sure your parents and relatives are all going to sleeping in the street when they get old if you consider that as free lunch.

3) Name me a country that 100% of the citizen are happy with the government policy and is willing to die for their country.

first, what u implied was neither my stand nor my words, so, answer urself, that is if you can answer it and I'm sure ur intelligence can't bring u to accept ur type of questionings urself even... (of course, failing which, u will ... as usual...)
second, so does it made u feel any more brilliant than u already r than throwing superlative teasers?
third, my parents and relatives...ha.. they are cared for by the countries they reside in, in any case, individually... there are enough, so don't need ur pretenses...

Originally posted by Gazelle:

You might want to name a few countries where they provide free lunch.

First, u missed my point about 'free lunch'.
Second, haven't u been getting 'free lunches' as u grow up from ur immediate family, relatives, even friends at times.
Third, wither state w/o families, so which countries don't required 'loyalties' from its people, isn't that 'free lunches' from the people to states or maybe u prefer 'nomads'. Haiz... saying the 'obvious'...

Oxford Mushroom: I am not an economist but as someone in the biomed industry, I would say yes, you can certainly get a job in this industry in 2 years' time but alot depends on your qualifications. It is going to get alot more competitive.

When it first started, Singapore was so desperately short of post-docs that anyone with a PhD in a relevant field can probably get a decent paying job. Now it is possible to get a Chinese post-doc with a year's experience in a reputable research lab who is prepared to take the job for S$3k...

Oh me God, that's a revealing RMB $15,160.07... why should FT Chinese mind a lower pay? whether they stay or leave Singapore, they have it 'tailored-made'... in any case ur salary's from taxpayers' coffers if ur 'company' hasn't any revenue yet... think about that...

Originally posted by oxford mushroom:

Biomedical is certainly a growth industry and will remain so for some time. With the aging population in developed countries and greater prosperity in developing nations like China, demand for new drugs and treatment will only rise.

Whilst China can make copies of everything under the sun, it does not have a reputation for quality in high value products like pharmaceuticals as yet. It is one thing to send back a consignment of poor quality garden tools, with medication, it's quite a different matter.

Singapore has the advantage in this area and it is not surprising to see pharmaceutical companies setting up shop in increasing numbers here and now contribute a significant amount to our economy. The sizzling growth rate of 30% is a reflection of the interest MNCs in our biomed industry and proof that we are on the right track. Of course, it is not sustainable anymore than a developed nation can expect double digit growth in GDP like China. As our biomed industry matures, growth will stabilize but that is a good thing.

It is also true that with time, China will build up its own reputation and one day will be able to compete us in the biomed industry as well. That is only to be expected. When that happens though, we must have progressed to higher value products. Whilst the Chinese may make cheap paracetamol generics, we should be making biologics and bedside diagnostic kits by then.

Pharma giant will spend $100 million on R&D in China. November 6, 2006.
By 2010, China will be a top-five pharmaceutical market. By 2050, this nation is projected by some to be the world's largest market for pharmaceuticals. The question is: Can China become not just the world's largest consumer of medicines, but also, its pre-eminent power in medical innovation?...
http://www.asiawind.com/pub/cmi/-1996
u make me

Originally posted by AndrewPKYap:

Put 1% of the $10,000,000,000 into my pocket and I will vote PAP if I have a chance.

In fact just don't take away my hard earn money is good enough! PAP give people money?

Which planet you live in ah?

People's money is PAP's??? First time heard this!!!

fmyk: Problems with hubs is that the government focuses on the latest tech and forget the rest of the darn hubs. Biomedical is a long term hub which needs alot of money development, and alot of focus -takes about 10 years to get a yield. So far I seen none on Singapore's side - the government just jumps onto the next bandwagon of money yielding hubs.

Jack of all trades - master of none. Familiar there?

Some people can't handle the truth. The truth sometimes hurts and few business or personal relationships could survive the harsh reality of total honesty. During the selling process, some people have difficulty saying "no" and will actually tell you that they are interested in order to avoid potential conflict. As the pressure of making a decision builds, prospects will frequently use half-truths or whatever to either stall or disengage from the selling sequence.

If you are running a business, how long can you bleed? In this development as in many others who are the ones bleeding?; in this case, the jobs are for the 'specialists' to wash test-tubes.. the rest, eat ur heart out, find something lower n upgrade... never mind, let the ministerial pays... come with their consciences... 'using far water to douse near fire' plans as 'long term' (stop at two; quotas, etc) yet they are fire-fighting in practice. get a job and no life for ABC gardens, that's ur life ...haiz....

Tuntan8888: Being watching Henry M Paulson interview on CNCB recently. This guy is impressive. He was the Former Chairman & CEO of Goldman Sachs before he became US Treasury Secretary. His former pay was US$37m in 2005 and would have doubled easily by 2007 had he remained in Goldman Sachs that is one of the World's largest & most successful investment bank. Anyone know what's his present pay as US Treasury Secretary, I believe it's only a few hundred thousands - so much less than US$1m. By comparison, How could Pappies justify their grossly overpaid remuneration that is only sustainable because of the low grey matter of 66.6 Sinkee.

Oxford Mushroom
On the contrary, it is the bigoted who cannot see the progress this government has made over the last forty years. Even David Marshall, founder of the Workers' Party and a robust critic of the government had to admit the achievements of this government:

"When I was Chief Minister, there were men dying of starvation and because of ‘beri-beri’. I took my PA [personal assistant] and an Inspector of Police for night at midnight. For two hours, we toured Singapore and we estimated there were two ten thousand men sleeping on the pavements. No homes.

Today - no unemployment, no homeless. I started this business of building homes for our people. Compare the puny work I achieved and the fantastic HDB homes that are available today for our people. I am deeply impressed and I take off my hat to this very able honest government. Dedicated!"

err... when was that... today? Leaders like DM are genuinely for the people then but now, today, TODAY.... u haven't seen yet, after 40 years, old ladies pushing empty cartons, old men sleeping in void decks, fishing for emptied cans from the rubbish chutes, selling tissue papers competing with the visually handicappeds, 'vagabonds' waiting at hawker centres waiting for u to leave some leftovers... n >40s in structural unemployment... people livin' in borrowed monies, thousands in debts, increased bankruptcies... excuse me these r not rampant yet?...we shall see the next 'more good years' to come, k?

Originally posted by the Bear:

one thing is.. the country is much much more important than mere gratitude to a party for things done in the past...

if they aren't delivering, they don't deserve your vote...

that includes the opposition.. doesn't mean that the powers are not delivering, you get a vote by default..

second that

Originally posted by robertteh:

Why were there so many failed mega investments by our Temasek as compared with our puny Oei Hong Leong who could take over many near bankrupt companies and turn them into great financial gains.

Let us analyse the strengths and weaknesses of temasek as a investors and understand whether it has what it takes to make the same kind of success as Oei Long Leong.

To many people in the outside world they already size up Temasek as white knight or sucker ready to listen to any scheme of turn around which will sit in with its own grand vision of regionalization.

Thus although there may be a lot of problems and even losses balance sheets would be presented in such a way as to entice and cajor such a potential suitor into a grand scheme of rescue with many technology entrapments.

Global Crossing has a perfect profile to fit with Temasek pride driven game plan to part with its multi-billion cash hoards belonging to the hardworking citizens due to toils with their sweat and blood for 40 years.

This is how because of ego and naivety billions of good monies have been parted from our national coffers of our hardworking citizens in exchange for bad monies in many past similar sham deals.

Souzhou investment has been such a perfect scheme from the start with its local authority able to sweet talk people with a lot of funds and looking out for seemingle attractive deals for long term investment. Temasek was the perfect suitor or white knight for such a schemer.

At that time when souzhou was being marketed no one wanted to take it with a 15 mile pole because it was no match for nearby Shanghai potong which attracted big investments due to its closer rail and port facilities.

But our leaders handling the Temasek had too much pride and because of that pride in negotiation, they lack the vision and ability to see the underlying motive of the real schemer waiting to ensnarl our rich temasek into investing in big township-like jurong good for the pride of creating a small singapor.

They lack the vision to see what went on behind the hungrier chinese mind who already had the vision of using LKY's naivety to market its own souzhou's local authority's underlying cheaper offers down the road.

So when Souzhou began its marketing to foreign companies, souzhou local authority came along to undercut the offers with its own cheaper alternative offers with greater profitability. LKY's original vision and plan for souzhou went haywire.

Shin Corp and Souzho were all cans of worms but our leaders only have limited visions and could not see what lies within the cans and went ahead with their own assessments in a daring manner without knowledge of what were in the can.

Thaksin was the victor in the whole sale of shincorp to temasek for he must have been hatching a certain scheme to get out of own sinking investment. So without revealing all the worms he got temasek interested in looking at the whole deal from outside the can but actually he had already emptied the assets transfer to family without prior tax clearance.

Now look at this Global Crossing, the various CEOs already knew the company was going under due to infringements and investments getting sour with the worms of law suits and alleged malpractices. How did the CEOs take advantage of a bad deal - get someone to talk to our naive Temasek CEO and get her to be interested in buying over the can of worms at full market realizable values - a win win situation for the seller.

Temasek stupidly accepted all the liabilities and take over the risk of having to clean up all the illegal deals and malpractices as has happened in shin corp.

If Temesek really must behave like a asset stripper or white knight to save any sinking venture and turn it around into great success, it must have not only macro view of the business. Most importantly it must have the micro view of all lies behind and below the surface and see through the scheme of the perpetrators.

Before even looking into the worth of the assets Temasek should have a total strategy what it could do to strip up or to re-inject or re-vitalise such a suiter.

How many brains can a person have who could read all the balance sheet correctly and able to strip the realizable, assets, and harness any unrealizable inner resources, hidden and unrealized potential.

Look again, without a master plan drawn up, Temasek has not been doing well and will not be doing its taxpayers any good if it continues to play the white knight to any damsel in distress.

All Temasek is capable of is to be attracted to all the durai scheme and say that durai has done a good job deserving his peanut salaries without seeing his underhand cans of worms.

can't disagree with you at all, for that reason why scholars are valued in the gahmen coffers n r paid to the moon to make mistakes at the people's expense but when the very people make mistakes, they r suggested they do so by choice, no free handouts, no welfare.... gst hike, credit cards 'for the poor', etc to pay for the people's future... beautiful gardens planned for the next 10-15 years...

Originally posted by Gazelle:
Why should the government pay more to HOPE when they can pay less to be SURE?

since when gahmen pay anything for anything, they practise the no free lunch game, the only SURE thing is that they make SURE people pay for the policies... where got HOPE for anything LESS...

Originally posted by sunny6110:

he wants u to whine abt the pathetic cpf interests rate we having

Simply transfer your Ordinary Account savings to your Special Account
Every $100 transferred to your Special Account will double in 18 years. Hence, every $100 you transfer to your Special Account at age 26 will grow to $200 and $400 when you reach 44 and 62 respectively. For comparison, $100 would have grown to $156 and $243 had it remained in your Ordinary Account.

EPF declares 5.15% dividend for 2006

KUALA LUMPUR: The Employees Provident Fund (RPF)declared 5.15% dividend for 2006, which was higher than the 5% of the previous year.

This was due to increased income for most of its investments, the EPF said in a statement issued here on Monday.

Gross investment income for last year was up 1.45% to RM13.30bil, from RM13.11bil in 2005.

As at Dec 31 last year, total investment funds grew by RM25.57bil to RM285.45bil compared with RM259.89bil in 2005

http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/2/5/business/20070205183617&sec=business

At least she's living a lifestyle of choice instead of a choice of lifestyle.

Originally posted by oxford mushroom:
So you accept that the government should increase pay to public hospital doctors to retain more of them. But where is the extra money going to come from? You are saying the government should pay but the government's revenue ultimately comes from tax payers.

How many Singaporeans are prepared to pay higher taxes? On top of that, higher taxes will erode Singapore's competitiveness.

u mean GST hike is not higher taxes... isn't it a convenient truth that higher ministerial pays mean more taxes have to be collected too? water flows downward, right?

"Ten people who speak make more noise than ten thousand who are silent."--- Napoleon Bonaparte

Originally posted by lionnoisy:

i fail in PSLE... i dunt know what you are talking about--lionnoisy

that's ok... u r forgiven, it's no sin...

Originally posted by lionnoisy:

2.so quote here and there to express.pl speak direct.
i fail in PSLE.

"We spend too much time talking to ourselves in this industry, rather than getting out there and finding out what's really going on in the world," says DDB's Chief Strategy Officer David Hackworthy

A recent study showed that more than half of the food and beverage products that clearly have fruit pictured on their packaging contain little to no actual fruit in the ingredients list.

The study was conducted by the Prevention Institute, a Californian non-profit community health advocacy group. It found that in a survey of 37 heavily marketed foods with fruit on the packaging, 51 percent did not contain any fruit at all.

Another 16 percent contained minimal amounts of fruit – 10 percent or less – while the other 33 percent had an acceptable amount of fruit, but also high amounts of sugar.

“The packages might lead a parent to believe (these products) are a healthier option for their children, when many do not actually deliver any of the nutritional benefits of whole fruit,” wrote the authors of the study.

Researchers at the University of Rochester have predicted that the number of people in the world with Parkinson's disease will double by 2030.

Originally posted by lionnoisy:


[b]So the Aussie public debt is A$4500 billions or 40% of GDP.
When u get the Aussie passport,congra,u also incurr national
debt held by public of A$200,000.

At 5% interest rate,each Aussie citizen has to bear the interest
of A$10,000!!

3.There is no free lunch.Either u pay or someone else!!
But not me.I wont go to the place where huge debt of state
is waiting for me and my kids to settle.[/b]

"What is always speaking silently is the body."~Norman Brown

"Life is not a matter of holding good cards, but sometimes,
playing a poor hand well." Jack London, author, 1876-1916