Enbloc profit maximisation technique, Robocop OCP style.

• People are angry that the little India riot has blamed alcohol as the cause.  Why? Because according to Robocop OCP plan of urbanisation, a chaotic and crime ridden city is needed to undervalue properties so that enbloc and sales profit is maximise.
• More than meets the eye, geylang and serangoon are suburban shophouses near the city east,marina bay sands, prime property development hotspots. it is no wonder if the shophouses valuation potential are undermine with high crime statistics. makes it cheaper to enbloc for the developers. 
• GDP and greed remember?
  

What is Corporatisation?

It is when 30 years ago, a taxi driver's pride and joy is owning and driving his very own taxi to earn a living.  Now its renting a cab at $90 a day, die die must pay whether you drive or not?  The commitment is monthly rental.  Lost pride and joy there for taxi drivers.

30 years ago, a hawker's pride and joy is being able to hawker his food in pasar malam, five foot way or from his own shophouse.  Now its renting from HDB, or JTC or some giant mall or foodcourt conglomerate, renting $3,000 a month or depends on location, die die must pay whether you open shop or not.  Lost pride and joy for the simple hawker.

30 years ago, a small business' pride and joy is being able to offer goods and services by arbitrage at the merchant's wits in importing goods overseas, or configuring locally, with a selection of customers that can support his business.  Now its complex regulations, GST reporting, high rentals for new startups, and manpower crunch.  Cut-throat business shark if you will be or be side-lined to die on your own.

30 years ago, a household's pride and joy when one of their own made it to local university, or be able to afford overseas university education, and come back Singapore, the metropolis, secure a cushy job with their acquired skills and knowledge.  Now its just a piece of paper that seems to pale in comparison with cheaper, desperate PMETS from 3rd world countries, and once they secure the HR department, invariably, the doors to Singaporeans are narrowed to strike toto chances of success.  And to top it off, taxpayers' monies is used to provide free tetiary education to foreign students!!!  

Is it no wonder where you can find unhappiest people in the world?  They are found in cities where there is no more pride and joy doing what they choose of their own free will.  What the corporatisation dictates, they have to conform, or they will be side-lined and left to fend for themselves.

Now this is corporatisation.

HDB profiteering mechanics - layman's POV

Always start with questions.Why lessees need to pay for landlord's building upgrading works?
Why lessees are made to pay landlord's property tax? Confirm HDB profitable.

Its a question of ownership, would you a tenant pay for landlord's renovation works? Why would landlord want to upgrade? Because they still make from future resale market, if they dont renovate, the poor resale response to non-lifts estates would pull down the valuation average of the resale market. And indirectly also the BTO pricing of new flats.By making tenants pay for big ticket items like lift upgradings, yearly property tax, HDB technically save a whole chunk of operating costs of a bunch of lease public housing.  Can you believe it they tell you they make losses selling BTO flats???

|If HDB owners are owners, why are they not consulted on SC&CC charges when they are raised, as subsidiary proprietors of their property, shouldnt they hold AGM for all residents for consultaton?

And to make things easier, CPF even allowed to pay for HDB flat mortgage, now how easy a sale can that be?  But do you know by allowing CPF to be used, that create another set of problems with your retirement funds?  And when HDB flat market fluctuates out of control, it also affects your retirement funds even more?  But that is another set of problems, which you can read in my other notes.

Ambulance is not public service

This post started from a fb pal's comment.

Chris Ho

I called for an ambulance the other day. It's $120. Is that the normal rate or did I call an expensive one?

Ambulance is not public service, its private service like all things in Singapore.

This price excludes A&E charges $95? Total >$220 for one emergency call!!!! Let's reverse engineer the logic, just by privatising this public service, instead of tax payers money, consumers foot the bill for their health emergencies. Its no wonder the govt have surpluses and surpluses, and medical costs keep inflating, inflating, inflating.  Top three questions comes to mind.

1. What happen to the CPF medisave we have been contributing all along?  When does that comes into the picture?  People dont ask for emergencies every month you know.  
2. Why so expensive?  Is it because of the inflated high COE, ERP, gas, and costs of living incorporated into the vehicle costs pass down to consumers?  
3. Is that the reason why privatise most public service in Singapore, because they refuse to take responsibility of their self inflicted policies?
4. How much would it costs to call a fire engine next time?

Alright folks, hopes this simple question from Chris Ho sets you thinking too.

Singapore lodge itself into a dead end!!!

Looking at URA's masterbed plan and the residential buildings on the island, there is no more space for factories.  All residential and offices, and 2 casinoes!!! You call this a country???

Oh yeah that gets me thinking why M'sia is so slow to take up Iskanda, cause compared to Singapore, its a tortoise, and Singapore is leaping like a hare.  The sultans probably have the best economic advisors on their board: " Oh yeah, let Singapore leap and run first in this race, no matter how we try, we are gona fall behind anyway.  But we have one advantage over them, that is undeniable, abundance land space."  "And with their ministers talk big and poof up inflated ego, its a matter of time they used up everything they have on one purpose, hot money and run out of space for anything else!"So now what is the scenario now that we used up everything?  Current building technology is steel and concrete buildings?  And 90% of our buildings are base on this one era of building technology!!!  And China construction company some more!!!   Lets say 5 years down the road, and realise like the abestos scare, what if some ingredient used in these batch of buildings are a total write-off like the absestos scare!!!  You think these outdate buildings have value?

Wait a minute, Johor is not up yet, thats when they engage gear and start leaving you behind.  M'sia is still an unpainted canvas, Sg is all clogged up with nothing but rubbish!!!

So are we in a dead end, one way street or what?  That's proof of your lacking 20/20 vision, full of hill billy analogy ministers.

BMW and coalition

Here's an analogy, by no means hill billy version!
 BMW is a very good brand, but being factory specs, it has limitations.  Perhaps BMW's forte is in speed (handling), but lacking in certain aspects like aircon has short life span of only 3 years, and exhaust doesnt bring out the best performance.  So for the discerning car enthusiats, these can be supplemented with aftermarket aircon that lasts 10 years and aftermarket performance exhaust system that boost performance and fuel efficiency.  However, the BMW agent is adamant that any integration of third party parts not according to manufacturer's specs will void its warranty.  So any buyer who wants to mod will not get BMW's warranty.  But do you know of any F1 race car is purely one manufacturer manufactured parts without third party parts???  Nope.  They are all coalition built for peak performance.

BMW agent knows its customers can be divided into 3 category, the showhand mega rich, who pays with cash, these are very mobile between brands, and needs to be paul lampard and bend backwards if necessary.  The middle class who pays with a 5 year loan, no need to paul since they even have to contemplate the price before applying the loan.  And the 10 year loan-sucker class, the BMW die-hards, who believe nothing else matters but must be BMW!!! 10 year loan until COE expire also nevermind, as long as screw until shiok!!!  So how the agent deals with these 3 categories of customers?  The mega rich, anything also can, wana mod, sure no problem, pay a mod premium to exclude claims to the mods only, will still take care of the rest of the car for them.  The middle class, same, no money to pay the mod premium?  No problem, apply loan lor.  As the for die-hards know nuts about car class, no money to pay mod premium, then suck thumb, every 3 year replace BMW's short life span aircon at sucker prices and suffer fuel inefficiency with BMW's exhaust system.

Luckily for the car market, these BMW customers are only 60%!

Now assuming the words BMW is PAP, aircon is to integrity, exhaust is to democracy.and the aftermarket solution to integrity is WP, to democracy is SDP.Now imagine a F1 as a parliament build up with PAP helm at administration, WP helm at integrity and SDP helm at democracy!!  This is how a coalition government works!

The Real Deal with the PWP.

The PWP set me thinking again, now that SME, individuals are dying out, because all businesses geared towards multi-nationals and big companies.  Its no wonder they hastily pass motion on the white paper.

When everything is corporatised and privatised, what is there left for individuals and small businesses?  Big business would do business with big business, not some SME or sole proprietor!  Big business would opt for the cheapest labour, not some graduate with a string of degrees. Who Cares?

Why big businesses in Singapore?  Because we have similar big corporations here to gain from doing business with MNCs, NTUC Comfort Delgro, Certic Cisco, DBS, NTUC insurance, NTUC Fairprice, CapitalLand, Fraser & Neave Properties, Temasek Investments, Keppel Corp, SMRT ..... too many to list, my brain cells are dying.  Just by looking at the mammoth names, do you think a meagre population of 3m Singaporeans is enough for them to make profit? So many companies to feed???

Some speculate the influx is vote buying, yes by a logical sense it is, but it takes time for new immigrants to takeup citizenship, and PR cannot vote.  So I find that argument still abit weak, but with justification still.  Looking at the big picture, I realised, its a matter of survivality of these mammoth privatised national industries of Singapore that is at stake.  Going by the size of these companies listed, leeching on a meagre population of 3m, they would make loses, they have to branch out overseas to keep their bulky size and keep their Balance Sheet in positive territory, otherwise their reserves would deplete just by maintaining their excessive assets and manpower.

So the question is, how can the govt make a business decision for privatised corporations at the expense of citizens!!!!

What Future is there for Singaporeans?

We all know, everything privatise, no more public service, medical self pay, transport up, utilities up, education self pay, housing too expensive, jobs precarious, do small biz squeeze out by GLC, MNC, NTUC, Temasek, cant even own a taxi, all privatise, what future are we talking about???

Even riots, and woodlands checkpoints, our policemen also dont feel like stepping up for the force, because they know their superiors will not stand behind them when shit hits the fence.

Even the iron ricebowl civil servants and GLCs staffs, they are just a cog in the machinery, there is no real career prospect out of the civil service.  Once they are ousted out of the public sector, in the private sector they are just like any other.  Its either they suck up for life in the service, or venture out.  Even so, its no smooth ride, you cannot be yourself, but what the machinery demands of you.

What future are we talking about here?

How to say NO to your child?

haiz, there are certain things made in this world, not all is for everybody.  For a child, is really hard to understand the costs of money, really very hard. Its even harder if you have material comforts at home like car, motorbikes and keep telling your child can't buy this, can't buy that!!! The trick is, its not about the money, its whether it is of value to him or not?

1. Having a toy, what is his level of happiness and comfort? Any other toy to compensate, or a movie, or a DVD can? 
2. Does having that toy cause suffering to others? Eg you, spending $80 could mean walking to school instead of taking bus, because the money could have been used for something else.
3.  Have to learn to give up some things in life, you cannot always have what you want, the world does not work this way.   Fact of life, like right and wrong.  Very important.