Tamils in Singapore

The recent Tamil Christian pair serving at Mr. Teh Tarik took turns the last couple of days attending church. Yesterday, Good Friday, the chubby; today the chap who communicates chiefly with the blocking of the turning ball with his straight cricket bat. (Tock! clicking of tongue for the point of impact between leather and willow. To which one naturally returns a hoick over mid-wicket for six. What else?) The lads of an age as well as size and feature. Chubby has perhaps a dozen English words; the other hardly a solitary one. Back home they are separated by an hour bus ride, making them near brothers far from home. Both speak only Tamil. Neither has even Hindi, it emerged. Chubby usually gives a bellowing HALLO from the side somewhere out of sight when you are least expecting; Cricketer relying on eye contact. Earlier workers would always be tutored by Mohammad or Ismail for the special treatment of this patron at the cash register. For the past few months Mohammad has done duty at one of the other outlets in the chain. Nevertheless, Cricketer has continued the arrangement off his own bat it seems—three dollars for five, six and even seven dollar high mounted plates. Naturally the presence of the CCTV over the till gives caution. When presenting the change Cricketer gives wary smiles and incomprehensible mumbles, looking left and right for the yakuza/loan shark GM in either the new black Saab or Honda. Unlike the other Indians at Mr. T. T. these lads have no Bahasa. They are Tamils pure and simple (though minority Christians), without a stint on the Peninsular. Recently and seemingly independently, both have taken to trying their hands at rudimentary circus acts with the dough for the pratas. Not a patch either on the standout showman originally at the front window of Tasvee down the road; since returning after marriage back home around the corner at Kampung Cafe. Catholic denomination this pair, both heartened when they were shown this morning's front page of the new Pontiff washing the feet of the poor. Aahh! from Chubby, and calling over Cricketer to share. Unavoidably a moment's impasse resulting when Chubby asks about his friend's position. But it makes no serious mind. The lads work with majority Muslims and nothing they cannot handle. Six/seven hours out of Chennai on what can only be bad roads. Married with a child each and parents to support, twelve hour days without overtime earning around S$1,200 per month, one Sunday free (strictly speaking against recent legislation). They will be surprised if someone translates for them the In-brief of the Hong Kong dock workers in the paper today striking for a pay rise from their base-rate of — could it be believed — S$256 per diem. 

N.B. 2 One should have known better than to place any credence in the S.T. figures. In fact the HK dockers, remaining on strike a week later, earn currently a base-rate of HK$55 per hour - S$8.80. Around $Aust7. Of course the stevedoring companies in Aust. could only dream of such coolie rates.

Nobels and Guns: run of days approaching the last week of March 2013‏

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Yesterday a piece by the Nobel winning economist Stiglitz, taken from a U.S. publication, where he marveled at some length at the Singaporean transformation in these forty years, understandably given prominence on the Op-ed page of the Straits Times. Per capita income, enviable sustained growth rate, impressive home-ownership, highly trained work-force, impeccably clean and transparent government (autocratically inclined though it may be, granted). One suspects a man focused on figures and seeing the cleanliness and orderliness on brief visits feels none of the chill of sterility and hollowness. You might get a look askance and turn of the head at the suggestion.
          Today more good news of the same sort: Singapore has broken into the global top twenty of military producers. The tiny Little Red Dot—the slighting moniker gifted by a former Indonesian leader and adopted defiantly by the roaring mouse—the Venice of the present day. Given its size a remarkable achievement indeed. This market product all from small-scale manufactures only. As the article reported, no submarines or other big-ticket items produced by the little minnow; the big production houses couldn't be challenged there. In recent days somewhere around Clarke Quay and Raffles the champers was popping. Floral tributes are popular in the city centre when a new eatery, a new hairdresser opens shop. Perhaps stands of roses and lei for the CEO's concerned here. The year before Singapore had stood at number 40 in these rankings of military production. Quite an eye-catching leap then. If it can extend the off-shore production facilities—word is large land-mine factories have long been established in Myanmar—who knows? One could not discount further surprises. Economists like Mr. Stiglitz could well be struck with more wonder and admiration in the not too distant future.
         Heat stoking up last week or two. The author striving to complete a round of revision and submissions to various magazines and journals, before hopefully getting off for a short look at Java Barat—West Java: Jakarta. The floods should be past; hopefully the volcano on the outskirts no more than keeping up the smoking.
          Watch this space.

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Money, murder, manipulation - The Straits Times, Saturday 16 March 2013 in rapido

Another accident involving a lorry carting foreign workers like logs or convicts in the rear tray led to again another fatality. Under the British the Coolies on the docks and in the mines must have suffered similarly. (Page 1 picture - the traffic delays on a major arterial no doubt the reason for the prominent notice.)
            Page 2. Another death suiting the Forces of Darkness (following Chavez recently): the crucial witness in the murder and attempted atomization of the Mongolian translator associated with the Malaysian PM Najib up for imminent re-election. Chap concerned a Private Dick who in 2008 gave a damning Statutory Declaration implicating the highest office-bearers in the crime, only to recant the following day. Finally silenced by a timely heart attack. (Unless he himself was the victim of the ray-gun loaned by Big Business/foreign capital that blasted Hugo shortly before.)
            Full page Hi-colour advertisement (page 7)  from Starhub, a local communication provider, head-lined: "Who says we are the unhappiest country in the world?" ....One of the richest per capita coincidentally the unhappiest according to recent troubling surveys. Difficult to believe when so well-connected by social media and communication networks. Thinking caps need tightening further...
            Mystery and machination on Page 12. Former ML PM Mahathir cagily suggesting the Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim may be behind the recent incursion into Malaysian Borneo by Filipino-based rebels. According to the Philippine Government the rebel Sultan is very poor. "So where is the money coming from?" wonders Dr. Mahathir pensively. (In Penang late last year whispers that this same former PM, a former kampung boy from the now transformed tourist island of Langkawi,  was one of the richest men on the planet.... Calumny in which direction?)
            Refrigerators, washers, TV's, cameras and Condos as usual in the big Saturday issue in particular burying everything else.
            Fine and sunny. Retreat to the air-con room as usual after lunch before re-loading.