Xia Xue brand of 'freedom' of expressions....

Don't blame me for being highly critical of Xia Xue. I had posted a critical comments about her views regarding the use of toilet meant for handicapped in the comments column. And guess what? It was 'moderated'. My comments did not even contain four letter words or any words that you cannot find in children's read. Somehow my critical comments was just not acceptable to her and it got 'moderated' (aka censored). I am writing this not because she 'moderated' my comments but to show people that whatever comments you see about her blog must be highly skewed as majority of comments seen are in agreement with her. I find it hard to believe that there are so many people who would agree with her opinion and hence my own entry.

On comment left by Dennis says ".... IS JUST EXPRESSING HER VIEWPT, SO STOP CRITICISING HER...TO BE A SOME1 GREAT, U HAVE 2 POSSESS BRAINS, BUT GUTS IS SOMETING TAT MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE..." which I'm only in half agreement. I am totally in agreement that she is just expressing her viewpoint and to be someone great, you have to possess brains but guts make the difference. However if she has a gut to write what she wrote, she must also have the guts to face the consequences. She cannot just gets feedback that she chooses to support her and not the rest. This is especially so after she wrote her take on students being suspended because of blogs critical of their teachers. And I quote, "...... Why, scared people find out the truth about your actions is it? Wanna fight back? You fucking fight like a man, and go set up your own blog and defend yourself. What is with this "suspending" and commanding people to close down their blogs? What gives you the rights to threaten people like that? It is clearly an abuse of the power you have. ...." I had left my comment on her blog then, and I was lucky. Only my IP was blacklisted, but my comments stayed. Not sure if it is still there though... Further she commented that "... I've gotten many mails from my teenage readers, telling me what their schools did to them when they wrote some stuff about school on their blogs...." One wonders if this is the whole truth as she showed signs of wielding the censorship whip. I wonder how many more comments that got censored off or should I say moderated in order to garner so many comments that is not critical of her.

I just wonder why she cannot write her comments without using four letter words, foul language and being just so arrogant!

Wendy Cheng aka Xiaxue in limelight again!

Xiaxue is in the limelight again! Again for the wrong reasons. Why is it I am not surprise that she had lost her sponsors? In fact what surprises me is why people want to sponsor her in the first place. Reading her blog, I find that she is foul mouthed, lack of respect for authority and downright arrogant at times. Maybe this is her way of generating traffic to her blogsite. That is fine with me because it reflects her opinion and her character. Why would respectable company wants to sponsor this type of blogsite - antiestablishment, use of four letter words, insensitive and now uncaring! Looking at the comments she gets, I noticed most of the people who supported her are teenages and that is worrisome. How much bad influence will she rub on to the rest? One day when she is a parent, I wonder whether she will let her children read her blogsite? Good luck to her!

Spying on the maid....

Categories: Wormie Says

It was reported that more and more maid employers are installing camera to monitor their maids in Singapore. [The Sunday Times, October 30 2005]. Employers interviewed felt that this is a form of safety measure as they can monitor to see if their had been any wrongdoing on the part of the maid when the employer is not at home. Apparently one of the maids was caught handling a child roughly and another was found to be wearing the the employers wife clothings. A social worker with the Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics, which promotes welfare of foreign workers, said such measure is wrong because it is telling the maid that the employer do not trust them.

It is very sad if the employer have to resort to such tactics to keep an eye on the maid. I can understand the need to keep the family safe, and like it or not, a maid is an 'outsider'. Therefore fear of abuse by the maid is 'real' and this is amply highlighted by the recent murder of the employer by maids. However here lies the irony. If you do not trust your maid, why not change a maid or forgo a maid all together? If you do not trust a person will you still invite him into the house? There are currently alternative arrangements which can be used to take care of the child. As for housework, there is always a part-time cleaner. Maybe a maid is just a luxury?

Even if due to circumstances beyond control and the maid is a must, if you are to install the security camera, is it right to install it without telling the maid? The maid has a right to her privacy when at 'home' although 'home' here is just a shelter in most cases. Imagine you have a tenant whom you think is up to no good, but you need make some side income. You install a security camera and spy on him. Is this right? Is his privacy being invaded? After all his 'home' is the space you rented to him. Similar situations but I am sure evoking different reactions. Maid, after all is hired by you and you are paying her, whereas a tenant is a fellow human being who is paying you. Therefore the former is 'justified' and the later not.

Granted security camera is here to stay and maids will be monitored. But if you really wants to install such a camera, I think it is only right for the maid to be informed. Because if you really wants to make sure that they 'behave', then the mere knowledge that her every steps is monitored is enough to make anyone toe the line.

I wonder what those employers who install the spy camera will say if their own bosses install similar cameras in the work place. Will they feel that the boss has every right to monitor them while they work or will they feel betrayed and let down because the boss do not trust them?

Maybe a good thing that may come out of this spy camera issue is the fact that maybe maids who had been abuse can use it to prove such abuses. Double edged sword.

And finally, few months ago when the police use stealth instead of speed camera with a warning signboard, to book speeding car, what happened? There was a great uproar with the police being called 'sneaky'. People felt that it is not fair for the police to book them without any warning. Sigh! Maybe they should retake their highway code, because somewhere in there is a signboard with a red circumference and big number in the centre. This signboard, to recapitulate, gives you the maximum speed limit! And what was the police response to the uproar? The start to publicise where they are going to monitor and book speed offenders on the police website! I just wonder whether maids here have such recourse?

Links #001

Categories: Do You Know?

<0> Used of metoclopramide had been linked with severe reaction in patients with history of phaeochromocytoma, a tumourous condition where excessive chemicals that support the body's blood pressure are secreted. In patient with such condition, its use is associated with sweatiness, severe hypertension, and sometimes death. Although rare, physicians had been adviced to use metoclopramide with care is patient with hypertension and those with labile blood pressure.

<0> Studies had shown that the humble ginger, Zingiber officinale, is useful in early pregnancy. It had been used as a form of alternative medicine. Ginger got its name from the Sanskrit word stringa-vera, which means “with a body like a horn”, as in antlers. Ginger is also a nickname given to a new invention by Dean Kamen. Kamen's vehicle mimics the human body's ability to maintain its balance. It has no brakes, no engine, no throttle, no gearshift and no steering wheel. And it can carry the average rider for a full day, nonstop, on only five cents' worth of electricity. The commercial name for this incredible vehicle is Segway.

<0> This was a treatment option in the late eighteen and early nineteen century. Together with blood-letting, intestinal purging, profuse sweating and blistering, these techniques were known as 'heroic medicine'. This techniques were rooted in the notion that the way to exorcise one set of afflictions from a patient’s body was to subject it to a considerably more violent set of afflictions. The heroics were entirely on the part of the patient: for even the mildest ailments, one could expect to be bled, leeched, cupped, blistered, amputated, sweated, trepanned, scourged, and purged and flayed to the fare-thee-well.

<0> This humour site is dedicated to this condition. To the uninitiated, this site might be downright revolting. There is a story section where the mechanics of this condition is described in detail. If you are not the imaginative type, maybe the photo section will make you join in the act. For those interested in descriptive words, there is a section on thesaurus for your much needed vocabulary. As for those who are keen to do research on this topic, there are numerous links to get you started. Oh, before I forget, this site is called The Vomitorium.

Todays links:
<0> metoclopramide is used to stop vomiting
<0> ginger, used in alternative medicine, had been known to reduce vomiting in pregnancy
<0> vomiting, together with purging had been used to clean the bowels in Heroic Medicine
<0> The Vomitorium as the name suggest is a website dedicated to all things associated with vomiting
.

History of the humble adhesive tape

Categories: Do You Know?

Richard G. Drew (1899-1980) invented masking tape and clear adhesive tape (also called cellophane tape or Scotch tape). Drew was an engineer for the 3M (Minnesota Mining) company.
Drew's first tape invention was a masking tape made for painters in 1923 (this tape was designed to help painters paint a straight border between two colors). This early masking tape was a wide paper tape with adhesive on only the edges of the tape - not in the middle. Drew made an improved tape called Scotch (TM) Brand Cellulose Tape in 1930. This tape was a clear, all-purpose adhesive tape that was soon adopted worldwide. The first tape dispenser with a built-in cutting edge was invented in 1932 by John A. Borden, another 3M employee.

My other ambition....

Always wanted to write, I guess blogging is the closest to writing seriously. Anyway this is not my first blogsite, the rest having died a natural death after only two to three blogs. Hopefully this site will see better times and is truely a journey of discovery for me as far as blogging is concerned. Always finding new 'add-on' and utilities for blogs.

How charity organisations may win back potential donors...

Categories: Singapore

Tonight's charity show for the Singapore Cancer Society is the first charity drive show to be shown on national TV after the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) saga. Every one will be interested to see whether the NKF fiasco has any effect on tonight's charity drive. Therefore I think it will be timely for us to reflect what charity organisations perhaps should address to gain back the confidence of the donating public.

Maybe the charity organisation which canvas for funds should publish in the newspaper about financial reports before their drive. This is especially so for those that hope to canvas for donations more than say S$1 million. This should be done as per any public listed company. This way potential donors will have a chance to gauge how much is spent and how the money was spent. This is important because unlike buying a product where the buyers can decide whether to patronise again by the product sold, charity organisations generally gain their donations based on goodwill. And how else can goodwill be earned?

Next the organisation's budget should be clearly projected as such and such amount and how it will be spent if possible. Budget in running the organisation, I feel, should not be based on the amount of donation gathered. This is because in a for profit company, any redundant income after deduction of expenses will be considered as profit and this is taxable. However in a charity organisation, there is no such thing as profit. Moreover the money gathered is tax-exempt. If there is not fixed budget, what is there to prevent the organisation for spending unnecessarily? Therefore I was shocked to see that the National Council of Social Service's budget is based on the amount of donation gathered.

It is never wrong to pay good salary to the CEO etc even if he is running a charity organisation. This is because if he can canvas and raise huge amount of donations, then I think he deserved the money. But given 'unrealistic' bonus is another matter. This is a gray area and if bonuses were to be given out, then I think they should be based on the government guidelines and not on the 'profit' from the donation drive. This brings back my previous point, if there is no fixed budget, extra money will usually be siphoned to somebody or somewhere which may be questionable as far as a charity organisation is concerned.

Only time will tell how tonight's charity drive will fare. I only hope that people will still donate generously and the money obtained will go to the people that needed them most. Maybe this will bring back faith in potential donors

'Zombie worms' found off Sweden

Categories: Do You Know?

A new species of marine worm that lives off whale bones on the sea floor has been described by scientists. The journal the new species has been named Osedax mucofloris, which literally means "bone-eating snot-flower". [BBC Online News World Edition]

Well done President Musharraf

Categories: Wormie Says

Well done President Musharraf! In spite of animosities, distrust and national pride, you have agreed to open up the Line of Control in Kashmir for the Indian authorities to bring aid to the earthquake striken areas. You clearly put your people before yourself, you showed that Pakistanis are more important than your own political career. By showing your preferrence for human life, I am sure your people will give you more support. You demonstrated what a good leader should be like. How many other leaders will do the same because of national pride? People usually suffers because of selfish political leaders and unjustified nationalisms.

President Mussharraf, I salute you.

Glacial melt in Peru

Categories: Do You Know?

Glaciers in the Peruvian Andes could disappear within a decade. Within the lifetime of local residents alive today, the effects of Global Warming have become a daily reality. Source

Do you know..........? (Environment)

Categories: Do You Know?











The Boreal forest is an awe-inspiring and diverse wilderness of lakes, forests, rivers and marshes. It is the largest intact forest ecosystem in North America. Source

Islamic militant or deviationist?

Categories: Wormie Says

I find it interesting that current terrorist which claimed to be associated with the Islamic faith are variously called Islamic militant, fundamental Muslim, Islamic cells etc. It is indeed unfortunate that the terrorist claims to be of the Islamic faith. But does Islam condone terrorist act? Does Islam urge its members to kill innocent people? Although I am not Muslim, with only limited knowledge of Islam, I am sure I am not alone to say that this is not true. Muslim leaders had been quick to condemn any terror attack - be it in the United States or in Indonesia. This shows that killing is not wrong even in the eyes of Muslims. Since terrorism is not condoned in Islam why should the terrorist be called Islamic militant? Clearly the terrorist had be mislead by a self-professing leader - that is deviated from the true Islamic teachings. Therefore a better term to called such terrorist should be Islamic deviationist terrorist rather than Islamic terrorist because clearly they had deviated from the true teachings.

On the same note, it is interesting that Irish Republican Army is not called Catholic militant and the Israel resistance during their fight for independance was not called Zionist militant although such groups also carried out terrorist act of bombing civilian facilities and killing innocent civilians.

How should the soul be 'saved'?

Categories: Singapore

There had been a flurry of letters to the forum regarding evangelical activity by teachers to their students and doctors to their patients. This happened despite the clear directives to the teachers and doctors in the public sector. A lot of people felt that such activity should not happen as the evangelist is in a position of power and therefore there is an undue pressure on the student or the patient to accept it. Some doctors says that sometimes it is important to treat the disease and the soul. Some doctors says they do it after their official duty. I will not condemn such activity but suffice to say any evagelical activity if not done properly will create a sense of discomfort and however nobel the evangelist maybe the soul may not be helped. Being a practicing doctor myself, I do agree that sometimes the soul needs to be treated as well as the disease. However I feel that this should only be done if the patient feels comfortable about it. And comforting the soul need not necessarily be done through evangelical work. If the patient is of other faith, then encourage him to seek 'salvation' through his own faith. I believe all the religions in the world are good and none is better than the other. What ultimately matters is the mind. Researches had shown that the mind can 'alter' the outcome of a disease to a certain extent. Therefore if the patient feels good after enhancing his own belief then this may act as an adjuvant 'treatment' for the disease. And if there is conflict between one's own religion and what is introduced, then these adjuvant 'treatment' may be negated if not detrimental.

So to all doctors out there, if you need to 'treat' the soul, please do some soul searching and place you patient's interest first.

Mahathir shirking responsibility?

Categories: Malaysia

Dr Mahathir is at it again. He had said that the approval of according the Naza cars the national car status was not done by him but by the International Trade and Industry Ministry and not by him. [The Star Online Oct 10, 2005] He was then the Prime Minister. This is like slapping himself in the face as being the Prime Minister, he has the ultimate responsibility. If he disagree with any of his cabinet minister, then he should have stopped them. If he did not stop his minister then, a tacit agreement is implied. He cannot says that he is not responsible.

This brings back memories of the spat between Singapore and Malaysia some years ago regarding the railway land in Tanjung Pagar in Singapore. That negotiation was carried out by Datuk Daim, his trusted man back then. It was agreed that Malaysia will relinquish the Tanjung Pagar site and in return given a piece of land of the same value in Bukit Timah. A MOU was signed by Datuk Daim on behalf of the Malaysian government. However a year later, Dr Mahathir claimed that any document not signed by him does not stand. What a joke. A highly respected leader making such a childish comments!

Well, in the current spat, I think Dr Mahathir is only expressing his anger and frustration because his pet project - Proton - had to be partly sold to a foreigner, in contradiction to his "Malaysia Boleh" slogan.

Maybe he should retire gracefully and let people remember him as the few Asian leaders who has the gut to stand up to the United States, and nothing less.

Is Mother Nature sending us a message?

Categories: Wormie Says

The last one year seem to have increase incidence of natural disasters. Tsunami in Asia in December 2004. Outbreak of bird flu in South East Asia. Hurricane Katrina in America. Earthquake in Pakistan and Landslide in Guatemala. In the mist of these calamities, there is a bright outcome. Nations big and small, of different political persuasion in varied religious belief will come together with the single purpose of giving humanitarian aid. There are no political or religious barrier. There is only the thought of helping a fellow human beings. This is indeed heartening and keep up our faith in the human-kind especially in these days of terrorists threat.

Is Mother Nature sending us a message? Is Mother Nature trying to show us that no matter what nationality, political persuasion, religious belief and skin colour, we are all subjected to the same treatment by a higher 'order'? When Mother Nature 'speaks' every human being will have the same experience. Is Mother Nature trying to tell us that we are all the same underneath the covering of the skin? Maybe we are more alike than we would like to believe. That skin colour, religious belief, political views and language are just environmental modification to the 'original' creation? Even the great religions of the world which seemed superficially different had one common teaching - to spread good and compassion but no hatred and destruction. If seemingly different religions have a common aim, why then the need for unnecessary man-made killings and destructions?

In the recent earthquake in Kashmir, India and Pakistan, traditional adversaries, had agreed to allow the military to cross the Line of Control in disputed Kashmir to carry out humanitarian aid. In itself is nothing remarkable. But when 50 years of trying had failed, then this cooperation is indeed remarkable. What an opportunity a few seconds of disaster can bring. Maybe Mother Nature had spoken. And maybe we should listen.

The White Elephant Saga

Categories: Singapore

Today brings the conclusion of the White Elephant saga. No party will be charged instead they will be let off with a stern warning. The culprit was said to have broken "a law requiring people to obtain a permit before putting up posters or exhibits for public display. The placard however did not cause public annoyance or a nuisance." The MP for the area was quoted as saying "There was no criminal intent. I'm glad the authorities decided to exercise discretion and not prosecute." [The Straits Times, October 7, 2006 print edition]. The saga started when white elephant placards was put up just before the Community Development, Youth, and Sports Minister passed by on a constituency visit to signal what residents felt about the unopened Buangkok MRT station. This prompted a police report to be made.

It is sad that the police were brought in because at a time when Singaporean were urged to make a difference and be heard, such symbolism was strongly discouraged. Such a "subtle" way of making statement when frowned upon is certainly regrettable. Must all discerning voice be made at the Speakers' Corner? Certainly we do not want any street demonstration - peaceful or otherwise. So what avenue of expression is left which can have an impact with the authority without any unrest? And the placard, if not for the hidden message, gives a nice decoration to the place too. One wonders if similar warnings be meted out if the placard were that of some political figure or party symbol.

However all is not lost. This being a test case of such protest, a line had been drawn. Future like-minded people who wants to stage similar protest will know where they stand as far as the law goes.

Laughing stock placard, next?

Linking image with Diarist from Dell v50x

Trying image link

Blogs - private or public?

Categories: Singapore

With so many letters to the forum pages regarding the flaming of teachers in blogs, it is interesting that whether you are for or against depends on you who you are - generally students are not against and teachers and those in position of authority are against. I think the arguments at hand had largely been sidetracked. What is important is not whether student can flame their teachers or whether the school had overstepped or over-reacted in suspending students. The most important thing is about responsible blogging.

I agree with some writers that student must be given an avenue to express themselves. This is good as a means to improve their English and sometimes gives the less expressive to make themselves heard through blogs without being overshadowed by their more expressive peers. I also agreed that bloggers should not flame anybody just because the internet is largely anonymous and is the "ultimate" democratic arena.

The question at hand is not about expressing a view but about responsible expression of a view. Everyone has a view on anything that happens in life. That is everybody's right. If you do not have a view then you are not living a full life as a human. This view can be expressed privately or publicly. In the old days, written private views tend to be written in diary which is explicitely private - that is nobody with good upbringing will open it unless it is his/hers. With the advent of blogging, the line has been blurred or even becomes non-existent. He you express you views or feelings on a medium which may be seen by the public. I used "may" because the blog is one in a myriad of pages, and unless you know where to look, it may be "lost" and therefore "private". Because there is a chance that it may be seen by any member of the public, there lies-in the problem - a "private" view becoming public domain. As it is public domain, anything written in it will cause a reaction and therefore our current situation.

If you feel unfairly treated and felt strongly that you need to write about it in your blog, by all means do so - but in a responsible way. You can write about what happened, what your teacher's reaction was and your feelings about the whole situation. And if your teacher or school principal read about it, then they can understand your feelings to the situation and then reflect on themselves so that they can change or have a heart-to-heart talk with the student. Confrontation only makes a person defensive and therefore a rational talk becomes impossible. By confrontation I mean flaming a teacher - criticising about looks, behaviour, dressing; things which are very subjective. The very thing that is sueable in the working world. Students must be taught that whatever is written or said even in private, if it somehow gets into public domain whether intentionally or not, must be held accountable. And accountability means being responsible - you do not say half-truth or non-truth and things that are not supported by facts.

Schools on the other hand who suspended the students may not be doing the "right" thing although I can understand the decision taken. It may be better to use the soft approach, give warning and councelling in the first instant with suspension as the last resort. By using the stick, some student may become more rebellious and with the current era of internet and "free" speech, who knows what and where they will write somewhere else. Using the carrot however, teachers and students can sit down and discuss the differences in views and hopefully they will meet halfway if not fully. This can only happen if the atmosphere is conducive, not threatening and not imposing so that the student is not put under duress or fear and so can speak her mind frankly. This is the preferred way. Not only will teacher-student problem be solved, they will be enhanced and the student will be taught the value of responsible writing and accountablility.

Bangsa Malaysia? Dream on........

Categories: Malaysia

Today I happened to watch a repeat of Debat Perdana on TV1. There were four panelist - one UMNO MP from Sarawak, one UMNO MP from Perak, one DAP MP from Wilayah and the President of Gabungan Pelajar Melayu Semenanjung (GPMS). What struck me most was not the "openess" in the discussions on Sekolah Wawasan or integration of various races but the animosity and the outright disrespect between the panelist! Except for the MP from Sarawak, it was very obvious that the Perak MP and the GPMS president are very "uncomfortable" sitting together with the DAP MP. They criticised - not the views by the DAP MP - but DAP policies at every given chance. The Sarawak MP however showed maturiy by not criticising the political party but really put forward opinions and rebuts any counter proposal. This is the type of political people we need - mature, able to debate arguments and accept alternative views; not one who is very emotional. If is sad to see our politician criticised for the sake of criticism just because the alternative view comes form the opposition. It is hilarious to see the DAP member loss her cool after her party was criticised for their position on the Sekolah Wawasan and the NEP issues. She rightfully pointed out that why are the two peninsular UMNO MP criticised her party when she have not even criticised their bias opinions! The chairman, in his feeble attempt, had a hard time stopping her. Maybe he felt the same as the opposition MP.

One of the topic touched upon is the bangsa Malaysia. I think this will remain a dream. After 40 years of independence, it is sad to see our politician of different ideology not mature enough to sit down together and have a good debate without being overly emotional. If you are emotional how are you going to discuss things over? When things got "out of hand" to the question what constitutes the Bangsa Malaysia, the Sarawak MP calmly interjected and said "Why don't the chairman ask me? In Sarawak we have over fourty races and tribes and we live together without any problem. You should have asked me."

Sadly after he said this the broadcast was stopped for the afternoon news. Too bad I missed the rest of the program.

Bali bombing II

Categories: Wormie Says

Why are the terrorist bombing innocent people again? If they have no qualms on killing innocent people, do they have the moral authority to govern people when they are in power? It is sad that fingers are pointing at JI again. I am sure Islam is not the force behind this terrorist attack, like all other terrorist attack linked to Islamic militants. I have Muslim friends who also cannot understand the rationale behind the bombings. Now is the time for Muslims leaders to come out and condemn the bombings so that potential terrorist can be dissuaded from joining terrorist group under the guise of Islam. If Muslim leaders do not do so then some Muslim may think that the terrorist group are indeed representative of the "true" Islam, which everyone know is not. Therefore it is heartening that when the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) so swiftly denounced the bombings "as 'terrorist acts' which contradict Islamic teachings." Malaysia, a Muslim country, hopes that the previous two Bali bombing suspects will be caught soon. Its Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar was quoted to have said "These people may be Malaysian by citizenship but they are not with us."

Don't they know that the people who suffers are their fellow citizens also Muslims. Indonesians are currently facing a lot of challenges in their daily life and surely they do not need another complications in their life. Looked what happened 3 years ago during the first bombing. A lot of Balinese suffered because of loss in tourism incomes. Now that they are slowing gaining back their livelihood, these militants have to strike again.

I hope would-be terrorist will have a good look at some of the photos in the news and wakes up to the fact that the real casualties are fellow Indonesians and Muslims.

Wrong solution

Categories: Singapore

It is interesting to note that the food on wheels scheme may not be renewed after next year. One of the reasons given is the poor response as out of the original 30 or so licence given out only about 4 are still plying. This is not surprising as when the scheme first started, interested party were put to a ballot. This created a bunch of opportunist who don't have a business plan but just hoping to reap benefits from the predicted scheme, trying their luck with those with a business plan and strategies. A result of this that more than half who are lucky enough to get a licence did not even start their business. And it was reported at the time that the duo who first approached the authorities with the scheme did not even got a licence. Whether theirs was a successful venture unfortunately, is anybody's guess. On the other extreme, now we see more and more HDB shop space put up for balloting. In this scheme people with deep pockets will triump over the less fortunate. Hence now we see a 24-hour convenience store chain opening up in Hdb void decks where mamak stores used to be.

Two contrasting schemes for two contrasting business models. One a 'new' and untested business concept tied to a 'first-pass-the-post' selection system (food on-wheels); and another tried and tested conventional model tied to 'winner-takes-all' system (shop space). One would expect the former being a 'new' model be more suitable for one would good business plan since there is no model to guide or follow. In the latter however there are ample examples to follow hence the chance of success is higher even in the absence of sound business plan. Therefore the licencing selection process is highly inappropriate.

In a 'new' business model with no models to follow, a sound business plan is important. Every steps has to be planned from food selections, number of food vans, operating hours and operating sites, among others. Any of these factors can make or break a business and there are no examples to learn from. Therefore it would be more appropriate if the selection process is not based on luck but on business plan (ideal) or on commitment (bidding).

In the traditional tried-and-tested method of doing business where a person with a particular skill can ply his trade, bidding selection will not be ideal. This is because the small people would never be able to compete with the big boys when it comes to bidding. For most of the small people, the business is probably the first effort or even forced upon due to circumstance example retrenchment. Therefore their bidding effort must be necessarily disadvantaged. I do not blame private establishment for such selection practices but when it comes to the government agencies, something must be amissed. This is because it has been harping on helping the misfortunate. When previously HDB shops and void decks are a free-for-all for anyone who wants to set up shop, now it is bidding. Where does that leave the small people?

Maybe government agencies should relook into their primary role and not their bottomline. This may not be easy because of the current financial climate imposed by government. However, the small and common man must not be neglected. Otherwise they will forever be trapped in the cycle of despair and poverty.