6/22/2013

My advice to Vivian Balakrishnan



Ever since his infamous reply to Lily Neo in Parliament, ‘You want to eat in hawker centre, in food court or in restaurant’, these words have been carved in the stones of cyberspace, Vivian seems to be having a pretty rough time. These words were the beginning of his seemingly unending problems as a minister.

While as a minister of Youth and Sports, he chalked up an excess bill of several hundred millions during the YOG held here, for under budgeting or overspending. The netizens were not kind to him and would remind him of these hundreds of millions overspent for some children against the $50 requested by Lily Neo for those dependents on public assistance scheme.

Thank God, Hsien Loong quickly moved him out of the ministry into a safer ministry like Environment, now called Environment and Water Resources. Things should be quite safe in this new ministry with flooding happening only once in 50 years. It turned out not to be the case and flooding has been mischievous and hitting places most unthinkable and in the most unlikely time. But the flooding is only flooding and should not be too big a problem to mess around with.

Vivian must not have thought that dengue and chikungunya will be his new nightmares. The virus carrying mosquitoes are breeding quite freely, maybe flooding has something to do with it, and dengue has hit an epidemic level. As they said, when they breed you bleed. And yes, Vivian is the Minister of Environment and is expected to tackle this mosquito breeding problem. This ME and ER is not going to be a honeymoon posting after all.

And while struggling to contain the dengue epidemic that seems to be getting from bad to worse, our air quality is hit by a haze problem that has reached hazardous level and life threatening to some of the more vulnerable citizens. It is the worst haze problem we have seen for 50 years. And the people are expecting Vivian to tackle this as well. And poor Vivian already got his hands full with mosquitoes and now the haze is going to engulf him like smoke grenades.

He is now in Jakarta with a personal letter from Hsien Loong to Yudhoyono pleading for help. From this comments and expression seen over the news, this messenger boy role is not smooth going. And nothing is likely to come out of it.

Those who believe in fortune telling and geomancy will be saying that Vivian is hitting a bad patch. Troubles seem to be visiting him more than other ministers. The first thing I would recommend to Vivian is to go bathe in a bath tub fill with flowers. The next thing is to find a good geomancer and shift the furniture in his office and also his home. And finally, carry a lot of one dollar coins to ward off the bad feng shui following him around.

Try it and pray for all you can. This is better than just talking and do nothing.

39 comments:

Anonymous said...

PAP Minister's Indonesian name:
Peh Million StillDono

Anonymous said...

Seems that the haze has solved the dengue problem. No more the No. 1 headline on MSM.

But hor, be careful next year because the dengue mosquitoes would have developed another immunity to haze and smoke and will become even stronger.

Die, die must die lah!

WB said...

It is not only poor Vivian who is suffering. Did I say "suffering"? Who suffers with a good pay package? I don't mind "suffering" like him.

I am also suffering and lots of others. The share market is down, I get into a tizzy with every gulp of enriched air, I become paranoiac with each little mosquito bite. I step into an MRT train and wonders whether I will reach my destination 3 hours behind schedule or in one piece.Going to a restructured hospital is a no no. You may be warded in a hospital corridor because there are no beds as it's all taken up by the foreign talents and their aged dependents. If you want A1, also don't have because the rich Indonesian medical tourist is recovering in it.

Everyone is having a stroke of rotten luck in 2013 so just give Vivian some slack willya?

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

Inasmuch as I can't stand the bugger, I'm prepared to put my own biased feelings aside and cut him some slack.

SOMEONE had to hire him and appoint him. When he messed up badly, SOMEONE could have fired him but no, SOMEONE just keeps giving him new commissions.

Vivian is a talented medical specialist and surgeon. He's obviously worked hard at his craft over the years. IMO he is best suited to going back to medicine full time where he can make real changes for the betterment in the lives of people who are unfortunate enough to suffer the adversity of impaired vision.

I think his "minister fetish" is a manifestation of ego gone crazy.

Great doctor. Bum-fuck LOUSY minister.

Anonymous said...

"Everyone is having a stroke of rotten luck in 2013 so just give Vivian some slack willya?"

Why should we?
Did Vivian cut any slack for the poor families of Singapore?

Vivian gave no quarter to the poor families of Singapore in 2007.

PAPigs will give no quarter to Singaporeans. Don't fool ourselves anymore.

------------------
Dr Lily Neo:

Sir, I want to check with the Minister again when he said on the strict criteria on the entitlement for PA recipients.
May I ask him what is his definition of “subsistence living”?
Am I correct to say that, out of $260 per month for PA recipients, $100 goes to rental, power supply and S&C and leaving them with only $5 a day to live on?
Am I correct to say that any basic meal in any hawker centre is already $2.50 to $3.00 per meal? Therefore, is it too much to ask for just three meals a day as an entitlement for the PA recipients?

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan:

How much do you want? Do you want three meals in a hawker centre, food court or restaurant?

Anonymous said...

Calling everyone to contribute your ideas to overcome the haze problems.

Anonymous said...

You must understand that just as it is not easy to get a stronger and better party to replace PAP, it is also not easy to get a better minister to replace Vivian, you know.

And of course not easy to get Indonesia to be even bothered (I mean really do something, not do wayang) to fight the haze, you know?

Anonymous said...

The only thing easy to do and even do well is to blog and comment and even be a warrior, I mean behind keyboard lah, of course.

Anonymous said...

Did you also know taiwan has just discovered first victim of a new strain H6N1?!!

Wow, can you imagine a triple scenario for VB?

But since nobody can mess with nature, better to snap up all the 9 million N95 masks , be safe than sorry, no matter what those 'experts' including ass doctors trying to tell you not to panic.

Anonymous said...

"Calling everyone to contribute your ideas to overcome the haze problems."

Sack the Minister?

Anonymous said...

Hey redbean
You still think we should look to China for leadership and hope for the Chinese race?

"We Want Fairness. There Is No Fairness If You Do Not Let Us Cheat"

http://www.zerohedge.com/node/475531

oldhorse42 said...

There is a comic character called Jonah. He seems to attract trouble or problem what ever he does or where ever he goes. I guess this minister must be the Jonah of PAP. He is a blessing in disguise. People no longer talk about dengue or obsess with foreigner issues or rally at Hong Lim Park. The bad guys are no longer MIW but our neighbour who chided us childish. PM Lee is now praised for his great statemanship for handling provocation in a cool, calm and collected manner. At the end of it all, PM may decided to give this minister with a girlish name a medal for handling the haze and dengue and chiku issues!

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

Anon 1:23,

How old are you? For those in the 50s and above, they lived thru an era where the Chinese race was seen as a useless people, good for nothing except to be spat and smacked at, or sneer at.

Whether China and the Chinese race will lead is a different thing. But as someone belonging to a Chinese race, you do not want to be spat at and spitted at wherever you go because of the stereo typing that you belong to a pariah race. Why, because all the Chinese, more than one billion, are living in poverty and cannot produce anything of value.

Today, the stereo types may still hate you, but they would not dare to despise you, not because you are looking smarter, but because as a race, the Chinese people have stood up as equals to the other races.

The western countries are laying down the red carpet to attract rich Chinese tourists to their countries.

I hope this is a good enough answer for you.

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

Oh, how many of you want to provide solutions to help our ministers? Ask yourself one question first. Are you more talented than them? Just check your pay check and you will get the answer.

So you want to teach the supertalents to do their work so that they can collect their millions and do nothing, while you scrap for a living?

The said...

/// PAP Minister's Indonesian name:
Peh Million StillDono //

And the Indonesian Minister who wanted to extort money from him:
Ah-gong-kia Laksa-also-dunno.

Virgo49 said...


Mr RB,

These jokers still think PRC low class.

Did not realised that one fine day, they may come and save their arses why the ang mo pluck them whole sale.

See the visting VVIPs that came to see Xi in China??

He just stand there and they rused to greet him with handshakes.

He looked at them head tilting up a bit with a slight scorn like a real towkay.

Even Obama sits uncomfortably facing him.

See our VV in Jkt rushing to meet his Indonesian counterpart to shake his hands first like a pariah.

Hey, we are in our Embassy, you are a Minister, let the other party come to greet you not otherwise.

He goes there like as though we are pleading them for our mistakes.

You vreated the problems of butning the forests, not acts of GOD man, and now we have to clean your SHIT.???

Anonymous said...

Perhaps he's jinxed because of his arrogant attitude??
If its true, then he should leave politics and govt as whatever portfolio he's given, people will still be adversely affected

Anonymous said...

Sinkieland is a price taker where the haze is concerned.

Sinkies are price takers where choosing the best party to rule them is concerned.

Sinkie opposition are price takers where winning elections to form govt is concerned.

Sinkie ministers are price setters where minister pay is concerned.

Sinkie govt are price setters where policies badly affecting Sinkies are concerned.

So you see, Sinkies are price takers for almost everything, except for Sinkie ministers, their minister salary and their policy.

Anonymous said...

As a price taker, you must rush to meet and greet your price setter and shake his hand.

Anonymous said...

The price setter may even slap you, let alone shaking your hand. Or slap you after shaking your hand.

So pity the price taker. Got slapped and also got nothing except to pay whatever the price.

Anonymous said...

Pity the ordinary Sinkies. They can only take, but cannot set the price, not even any price.

Anonymous said...

Instead of offering thE Indons money, we should offer them some of the criminals and cash they would like returned to them.

We could start with those 2 jokers who own those oil palm companies that claim they dun do slash and burn. Or we could keep the 2 as the Final Gesture.

We could also tell the Indons we'll ratify that agreement on returning their cash and criminals, if they ratify the environment bldg agreement.

As the govt reminds us constantly, there are trade-offs for all actions, everything. Puzzles me why they don't practise this.

Anonymous said...

Where is LKY? Am I correct to say that he mentioned before that he will dig himself up when things go wrong?

These days, wind direction can be predicted way in advance. They started this fire knowing the wind direction going this way. They do that for some purposes.

The papayas did too much evil. This must be retribution.

Anonymous said...

It is the papayas that bought this upon the people. They harbored a lot of monies from the dirty rich elites of indon. These monies have to return to them so their people can have a better lives. Many of their people living next to garbage collection center who picked garbage up for food.

Anonymous said...

deeply disappointed for having such a leader in our country...am really worried about our future?

Anonymous said...

Will punishing Singaporean owners responsible for the burning solve the problem? If all the burning is only done by Singaporean owners, the problem is easier, but I doubt everyone having plantations over there are Singaporeans. So what is there to be done with those owners from other countries, or even from Indonesia itself. Sue them?

The way as things are, I am afraid we have to look at solving or mitigating the problem right here at home instead of at source, since the solution appears still far from obvious. After two decades of dilly-dallying, perhaps our talented elites should sit down and think of a better solution than asking the Indon Government for help to stop the burning.

Virgo 49 said...

One tycoon throws birthday bash at Marriott costing one million sin dollars.

Even buried in Sin with business at parlour in mount Vernon

SIN City anyone with plenty of cash welcomed here.

How can trade off these. Vvvvips????

virgo49 said...

Bro, dimple lay.

Bring matter to ICJ the UN.

Let Ban ki moon, (slow up moon,) settle the problems b4 he really go up moon

Cheers

Anonymous said...

Introduce sanctions against indonesia and indonesians loh. E.g. Cancel all the EPs and PRs of indonesians.

Anonymous said...

@ anon 3.28 pm:

If ever that was the case, to cause ordinary Singaporeans to suffer for it and worst still use tax-payers precious public funds to offer "$$$" aids to get people to "snuff" out the fire and smoke ( haze ) so that it would not "suffocate" our economy and damage people's health and long term well being is itself an even bigger "moral injustice".

How to justify such "deeds"?

Presumably, all these "filthy rich foreigners that some people are going after" get to enjoy the money and luxuries while all the average Singaporeans have to shoulder the burden for them? Worst still, the damage done now may only be manifested years later in the form of lung cancer etc .....Imagine the sufferings the masses have to undergo now, weeks and months ahead and in the years and decades to come when they succumb to all these incurable diseases and the likely medical costs ...... ?

It does not make any sense at all, does it?

Look at all the major pharmacies outlets! Ordinary folks, citizens and people are "frantically" sourcing and queuing for masks all over the islands for their loved ones especially their kids, parents and sicked and aged relatives and friends. Looking at the queues, you would think all the pharmacies outlets are selling "$1 Billion" Toto-draw tickets! For the snaking length of these queues "for face masks" by most count easily beats hands down those that one witnesses every Lunar New Year in the "$10 Million Hong Bao Toto Draw" queues.

"Panic buying"?

If people do not take care of their own health under such extreme unhealthy hazardous health condition, who will? Will anyone dare to stick his neck out, take responsibilities and underwrite for all the potential long term health problems and medical costs related to inhaling all these micron impurities and toxic into people's lung?

Where are the consistencies?

One week or so before, around the Tobacco Free Day, people all over were saying how bad for health smoking is and the long term effect!

Now, at the rate people are inhaling all these concentrated toxic microns impurities into their lungs each passing day, could it be worst than someone smoking 10,000 packs of cigarette over a thirty year period? Scientifically and medically, for the majority, having inhaled and having the micron toxic lodged deep in their lungs, how on earth can it be effectively removed, if ever, by any medically proven means?

So, if smoking is bad, inhaling all these concentrated toxics is not bad? Logically, would a normal person not want to have a N95 mask asap especially when PSI are at very unhealthy and hazardous range?

It is "so sad and depressing to see this land descending to such state" ...... and still be chastised by those in authority that the lesser mortals are guilty of "panic buying" of masks for self protection ........ ( long sign )

Anonymous said...

"How old are you? For those in the 50s and above, they lived thru an era where the Chinese race was seen as a useless people, good for nothing except to be spat and smacked at, or sneer at."

Sorry to upset you redbean.
I am just trying to convince you.
The renaissance of the Chinese culture cannot be dependent or entrusted to China alone.

The vast diaspora of Chinese people living outside of China has as much legitimacy and claim on the leadership mantle of Chinese culture as China's Chinese.

After all, it's the Chinese diaspora who preserved Chinese culture. While China happily destroyed Chinese culture during the Cultural Revolution.

Anonymous said...

VB has the making of the best NATO supreme commander in history. No action, talk only. By virtue of all those hot air from him, it could have fan the dry wind even more resulting in the all time high PSI. Remember also the all time high dengue cases, the all time high YOG budget.

bond said...

With this kind of haze level, i doubt the water is drinkable. Anyone able to check the toxic level in the water? Of cos the gahmen will self proclaim they are drinkable. Just like they self proclaimed that they are effective leaders, the flats is affordable, the transport is world class, the air is clean etc etc.

Anonymous said...

With this kind of haze level, i doubt the water is drinkable.
bond June 22, 2013 9:33 pm

U can have all the doubts you want, but who cares?

In the long term, u may even get cancer from the haze, but again who cares?

And can you even care for yourself, even if u want to?

Anonymous said...

It's all fated lah, if Sinkies were to die from cancer in the long term due to the haze.

So don't doubt, don't think and don't care so much lah. Everybody will have to die, even if it is Bill Gates.

Anonymous said...

Ng Kok Lim's latest

[Singapore is testament to the vision of Sir Stamford Raffles and Dr Albert Winsemius, not Lee Kuan Yew]


"Dear Professor Simon Chesterman,

I refer to the 5 Jun 2013 Straits Times report of your speech
on the occasion of the conference of an honorary doctorate of laws to Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s [1].

Your assertion that Mr Lee’s vision of independence was sown during his time at Cambridge
contradicts our Chief of Government Communications Mr Janadas Devan’s article [2] in which he wrote:
'Every one of Singapore’s founding fathers began their political careers believing …
that Singapore couldn’t possibly be independent.'

If Mr Devan is correct, how could Mr Lee have envisioned Singapore’s independence if he didn’t even believe Singapore could ever be independent?"


http://trulysingapore.wordpress.com/2013/06/22/singapore-is-testament-to-the-vision-of-sir-stamford-raffles-and-dr-albert-winsemius-not-lee-kuan-yew/

Anonymous said...

Maybe they should remove vivian from the government, and all will be well...
what do you think..DPM TEO

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

Hi Anon 8:50,

Not to worry about upsetting me. I am more concern with the views of the younger generation who have been conditioned by western media that the Chinese is a sick race, evil, wicked, bloodthirsty, war mongering, always thinking of invading other countries, a big bully etc etc. The truth is far from it.

China and the Chinese were bullied and broken up by the west, robbed and bankrupted and lived in poverty for many generations. Many of its lands and treasures are still in foreign hands. But it is rediscovering itself and finding confidence as a civilisation.

The West is still trying its best to oppress the Chinese people daily in the media.

A Chinese renaissance is in the making but will come maybe in the next generation when they are more comfortable with sustained wealth and confidence. The contribution of the Chinese diaspora is important. In fact the seed of growth of a new China was planted and fertilised by the diaspora.

How much would the diaspora contribute to the Chinese renaissance is unpredictable. It needs only a handful of brilliant men,in China or greater China or from some corners of the world to bring about great change to the Chinese as a civilisation.

But the numbers do count and with more than 1 billion people, they have the advantage. Just in visual arts alone, there are now so many PRC artistes of international fame and commanding millions for their works. Their engineers and scientists are catching up fast with the west.

They are at a stage of copying and reinventing. Next will be original works and contribution in science and technology and the arts.

It is just the beginning of a new China that is 40 years old.

Anonymous said...

It's hard to leave a few million job behind plus with power and prestige. If u are a doctor though u earn the same money, when u are outside the clinic no one care a shit about u. But if u are a minister, hundreds gather around u mah. So very different lar