Dear Administrator

                                 Since last year oil prices had been raised 8 times. Two weeks ago they were raised twice.

                                 Raising pump prices when oil prices go up is fine, but they should be equally quick to lower pump prices when the oil price goes down, but they are not.

                                 Countries like the UK lower pump prices as soon as crude oil price goes down. Singapore should do likewise.

                                  Oil is a strategic commodity affecting the livelihoods of all and sundry. To the poor and the low income groups lives can be unbearable.

                                  We have just seen that light sweet has went back below US$100. Will the oil companies lower the oil prices as fast as they have increased? Where can riled Singaporeans turn to for answers?

                                    A few years ago we have our Singapore Petroleum Company (SPC) to rely on. It always displayed the highest percentage discounts forcing all the neighbouring Shell, Caltex, Esso and Mobil to scramble and follow suit resulting  a pump price 'war' erupted.

                                     I always think that I can look forward to our SPC (which our Government and Government linked companies are the majority shareholders) to act as a buffer against the quick price hike of other oil companies. But I am very disappointed as SPC nowadays also follow what other oil companies are doing. What happens SPC? And why? I do not want to speculate that a cartel has been formed.

                                     We do not ask for 'handouts'. We just want fairness vis-à-vis that pump prices should be lower as fast as they rise in tandem with the crude oil prices.

                                      We do not begrudge these gaint oil companies making millions of dollars yearly.

                                      Equally important is that, that they should be mindful of their social corporates' duties towards the society in which they make the money. SPC in its business's motto has avowed to be passionately reaching to the community and the environment.

                                       It appears that the company is not walking the talk!

WARMEST REGARDS AND A BLESSED HOLY WEEK.

I observe that the cost of food is going up at unbelievable speed. The humble mee goreng or nasi goreng has gone up from $2.00, then $2.50 and now it is $3.00. When asked, the stall holder cite that the price of gold has gone up, that price of oil has peaked to more than US$108.00 per barrel and that rental has also gone up.

I was wondering that the goreng is done with cooking oil, not petrol. So that rules out petrol as an ingredient for the mee goreng or nasi goreng. The price of gold has gone up. However, we buy the food with Sing dollars & cents, not in terms of gold units. So that rules out that gold is used as a unit of measure or exchange when buying mee goreng or nasi goreng. Has rental gone up this year? Obviously the answer is no. So there goes another reason that mee goreng or nasi goreng should not be priced higher.  

Looking at the ingredients of a mee goreng or nasi goreng, it is simple: rice or mee; sliced cucumber, fried egg plus tomato sauce or ketchup sauce, the dangerous ajinomoto with some gobis or leafy vegetable and a dash of ikan bilis. There is nothing great. The sign board says   $3.00 and I see a long queue of obedient office staff & workers lining up, paying and bringing their precious plate to the crowded dirty tables because the previous leftovers has yet to be collected by the slow cleaners.

A bowl of porridge cost $3.00 too and within half an hour later a visit to the loo makes one hungry again. To buy a bowl of porridge is not a good choice.

The prayer oil has also gone up all the way from $1.80 to now $3.40. Using the anology of the mee goreng, we can say that the rising petrol and gold has nothing to do to bring about a price increase. Even the transportation cost is not so great as to warrant such a steep increase. Normally transportation is done in bulk and manufacturing in bulk so as to enjoy the economies of scale.

Imagine wages are not going up for the many, the majority stuck in the lower level of income. The price increase is definitely hurting them, hurting them badly.  

If you have read to day 12/3 联合早报，you can understand how cabbies, commuters and tourists frustrated over the new regulation, did the Authority and their planner think about how inconvenience for those pregnant women, elderly, handicap, tourists who carry heavy luggage, shoppers who carry bulky item, walk a long distant to search for taxi stand or drive way of some building ,under the hot sun and during the rainy day?

The new regulation only create more misunderstanding between the cabbies and commuters, the cabbies dare not take risk to alight and aboard the passengers near  the roadside, in case they capture by LTA, fine few hundred dollars plus VLPS, demerit points, so they may not willing to enter CBD in future, normally passengers are in the hurry so they take cab, now they end up spend lots a taxi fare but can't reach their destination, somemore have to waste lots of time to search for taxi stand, this is what so called: spend money to buy inconvenience, it really ridiculous.

I suggest the LTA send their enforcement to carry bulky items to walk a long distant to look for taxi stand under the hot sun and during the rainy season then report to the relevant department and tell them how they feel?

LTA even never offer any opportunity for the cabbies, commuters or public to feedback their opinion pertaining the new policy, they only discuss among their own high level, so is that transparency?

I sincerely appeal to LTA, kindly take in consideration to nullify this new policy, otherwise will provoke lots of  passengers,cabbies and tourists,especially nowadays those cabbies are not easy to earn a living on the road, this new policy more or less will affected their income, if the cabbies refuse to enter CBD or even return their taxi to the Company, the passengers and tourists will more difficult to get a taxi.

Warmest regards

Nancy

Just a blog of my experience of the Malaysian elections 2008.

狮城不飘雪,

政风吹骨寒?

策策活鱼水,

民生铁算盘.

纵然锦添花,

非富不成杉.

屡屡造时事,

志短哀声长...

I have just read an article from Xin.sg, one of the viewer very obviously despise those Bangladesh, Indian workers by using the words: "very dirty and smelly".

I quite worry our nation rich and poor gap is getting wider and wider, if someone  who have the mindset of cleaners, Bangladesh, Indian workers are consider dirty and smelly, so how about our early batch of SomeShui Woman 红头巾, they work hard under the hot Sun and have a great contribution to build the majority houses for us untill they retired , so we should be appreciated.

Nowadays the differences are all these duties just replace by workers come from differt countries,Bangladesh, Indian or China.

Although investors are invest the fund to build the flat,the Architect draft the design building plan, but those construction workers also contribute their manpower, if they themselves also despise and reject the job, we can imagine, can we still enjoy in the aircon room to key in the article, may be we need to learn how to sweep the public area, or how to use the brick and cement to build and paste a wall if Singapore indeed shortage of manpower to do all these job.

More much important, those sarcastic words are very sensitive topic in our multi racial Society.

I hope the Government beside of island-wide searching for the dangerous terrorist criminal, more much important is to pay more attention for those who have network connection with the terrorist Organisation, because these members already "brain washed" ,no one can guarantee whether they are no longer pose any threat to the Society,they may set an evil plan in their mindset .

So not only this dangerous terrorist leader threat our Society, their members too, if the threatening always surronding us, our Singaporean will never feel security.

May be the Government can consider to arrange more divers to dive into the deep rivers to search for this dangerous criminal, don't forget this dangerous criminal is very skillful in swimming, he may escape from Singapore to other countries by this way.

But those divers must be well training army forces, if still can't capture him in the jungle, the department may take in consideration my suggestion.

I don't understand, why the relevant department release the news few hours later after Mas Selamat had escaped.

If the announcement start early, may be not so easy for him to escape, because one of the petrol station Manager ever see him, this information is  very valuable, enable the high Authority to capture him early, but our high Authority few hours later then announced the news already enough time for Mas Selamat to escape to somewhere else.

Sometimes, certain things must be transparency, especillay this kind of important internation news, must face it, no way to hide the true, now just like a fierce tiger escape from the Zoo, who can guarantee this tiger is harmless? When a fierce tiger is hungry, anytimes it will attack people, because wants to fill up it stomach.

So this wanted man is extremely dangerous, must arrest him as soonest as possible.