Corporate/SAF/Civil service culture in Singapore.

But you know the mentality of Singapore corporate management (where face is concerned, it's frankly not that different from the SAF's). Since Changi Airport had (sic) lost, even a very little bit, therefore something - and someone, somewhere - needs to be blamed for the defeat.

-- Mr Wang Says So, My Book Launch ... and Some Reflections on Airports

Mr Wang has made yet another astute observation which carries a lot of truth in it. If you think about it, the pervasiveness of this corporate/SAF/civil service culture in Singapore is understandable because:

1. Continuation of a legacy. Many of the best brains in Singapore are absorbed by the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) through the offers of scholarships and the like when these people are very young.
   
   These 'scholars' are groomed for top leadership positions, then transferred laterally to civilian organisations to take up similarly high leadership positions when they ORD.
   
   So it would make sense that "the mentality of Singapore corporate management ... [is] not that different from the SAF's" - they are STILL part of the SAF, indirectly.
   
   
2. Perpetuation of a mindset. Besides, the civil service in Singapore practises this thing called 'secondment' among their top brass.
   
   Essentially, this means that their leaders are farmed out to other ministries or statutory boards to serve tenures in those organisations, on the pretext of learning how the other people/organisations work.
   
   In theory, as with everything else in Singapore, it is very neat and organised and beautiful. In practice, all that's happening is that the same people are shuttling around Singapore, teaching people the same practices.
   
   So even if there are good practices to be learnt, the bad ones will also be recycled - which could point to the continuation of this corporate culture mentality in Singapore.
   
   
3. Little or no distinction between civilians and soldiers. You may argue that my second point is moot. But you forget about National Service (NS), dear reader...
   
   The presence of NS means that a lot of the top commanders in the NS units are also leaders in their own fields in the civilian sector.
   
   The law of leadership states that you will choose people who most resemble you in the way you behave i.e. think, act, talk, etc.
   
   So leaders in the SAF will choose civilian unit commanders who behave like them - both the positive and the negative aspects e.g. making sure someone gets the blame.
   
   What makes you think these civilian unit commanders don't bring practices from the SAF back into their jobs?

So don't be fooled into complacency when the rhetoric of national defence is used when talking about National Service. There's a lot going on under the surface that we need to be aware of.

Looking for dedicated server hosting?

For those of you who have been following this site diligently since its inceptions, you would realise I've faithfully stuck with Blogger, because of its ease of use.

However, I'm exploring the idea of setting up my own domain so I have a bit more independence in managing things, from the layout of the posts to even editing post names, which Blogger doesn't really allow you to do at the moment (as far as I know). Nevertheless, as you can tell from the topics I write about, I always do my research before jumping into the thick of the action.

One good tool I've found is Web Hosting Geeks, which has reviews of different web-hosting companies that offer dedicated server hosting plans from as little as $10 per month. Their reviews lists the companies, their prices, and what they offer, which has helped make the search a lot easier. Take a look at one of the review pages for yourself if you don’t believe me!

In any case, don’t worry about me leaving just yet because I’ll let you know when my new site goes online. I’d strongly encourage you to consider Web Hosting Geeks when you decide to take your own site, online too.

We can be heroes...

...for just one day.

A man threatening to commit suicide by jumping from a Chinese bridge was approached by a passer-by who shoved him over the edge, local media say.

Lai Jiansheng, 66, said he was fed up with the desperate man's "selfish activity" which caused huge traffic jams in Guangzhou, southern China.

-- China bridge jumper 'gets a push'

In any case, this guy is my new hero! Wish I had his guts, although it seems he has a mental illness which might have predisposed him to carry this out.

Rapped for insensitivity, and it's all thanks to...

So it seems that Tan Yong Soon has officially been reprimanded for his recent misdemeanour in our local print daily. Readers can refer to the Straits Times article for more info.

More importantly, did anyone else notice this snippet of information that was silently slipped in?

Mr Tan's article has drawn criticism from bloggers and online chat forums.

I think this completely justifies the need for cyberspace as an alternative platform for critical voices in Singapore. If the blogs and forums weren't as active as they are, the Mainstream Media wouldn't even have brought the matter to light, as it usually does in most cases. As Yawning Bread notes,

I believe publicising it in the blogosphere makes a difference. It makes it impossible for the government department concerned to play delaying tactics. Once it is out in cyberspace, officials have to respond to mainstream media enquiries -- for otherwise they will not get their side of the story out at all -- thus greenlighting our newspapers and broadcasters to run the story.

-- Yawning Bread, Muddy Singapore swallows China workers, part 3.

Furthermore, it reiterates the fact that people achieve so much more as a collective than as individual voices. One more thing for the alternative political parties in Singapore to consider before the next GE hits our shores.

In sum: keep it up, Singaporean bloggers. Staying together, moving ahead and all that jazz.

Oh yes, one more thing. AIMS? Fuck you.

The 'why' and not the 'what'.

The blogosphere has been ablaze with the news of the firebomb attack on Mr. Seng Han Thong, and I, for one, am interested in finding out more about what happened and why. This matter interests me because I am both intrigued and concerned - concerned because a life was unnecessarily put at stake to satisfy a violent urge, and intrigued because there was a motivation behind this violent urge.

I do not condone this attack; rather, I condemn it outright, because any form of violence is anathema to me. Nevertheless, I hope the public doesn't take it as an opportunity to:

1. Violently lash out at government opposition. I am sure there will be a ultra-conservative portion of the citizenry that will SOMEHOW be able to use this incident as evidence for not having government opposition.
   
   
2. Mock the government Mr Seng as a representative of the PAP. Come on people - a life was placed at stake here. Mr Seng may be someone who represents an authority you may dislike, but that is no reason to make fun of the situation, is it?

More importantly, I am concerned that this incident will be blown out of proportion, thereby removing the impetus to investigate the heart of the matter, which to me is: why did the assailant do it? Was he unhappy about something (obviously, but what? E.g. overwhelming poverty, a feeling of helplessness, frustration at government indifference, etc.)? Did he have no alternative recourse other than to carry out a violent action?

I hope these questions will be surfaced so that answers to them will be uncovered, because these are the real answers that matter. Until then, I wish Mr Seng a speedy recovery. For the assailant, I expect s/he will receive her/his dues according to the law, but I hope the punishment will be commensurate with the action, not unnecessarily inflated - we don't need any scapegoats here.

(As a sidenote, maybe Mr Tan Yong Soon and his family might want to consider cooking for Mr Seng and/or his attacker for the next five weeks, to facilitate the latter's recuperation or to provide some cheer to the assailant while s/he is sitting in the lock-up? After all, it's not hard to take five weeks of leave from work, is it? :)