The Prosperity Problem

What does the government of a country which has reached most of its economic and social goals do further for its people ?

How does a government address the problems which come as an aftermath of prosperity ?

How does a government satisfy what appear to others as too much of a demand from a satiated populace ?

These are some of the problems and issues which arise in a country like Singapore or Hong Kong (to a certain extent), which have already comfortably crossed a GDP per capita of USD 50,000. Singapore’s economic output is not much lower than that of its large neighbour, though its population is only one-sixth. It is one of the top 10 most prosperous countries in the world today. Its wealth is not based on natural resources like some of the countries in the top 10. It is a result of serious planning and very hard work.

Of course, an inflexion point is reached some day which challenges the planners. Both in economic and social terms. And, that is the situation in Singapore.

While the citizens are wealthy enough to afford housing (the home ownership is probably the highest in the world) and other things necessary to lead a very comfortable life, the challenge is for the government to handle increased expectations of the people.

People who have reached this kind of prosperity also want the society to be more refined, culturally advanced and provide a mechanism for airing their wishes so that the government could hear them and provide solutions.

While such mechanisms are available in Singapore, and the government seems to be listening, people seem to be having short fuses and getting disenchanted on small things like the traffic and the immigrant crowds.

I believe that growth and prosperity are not entirely problem-free and people have to accept there will be some attendant issues which are obvious for most countries around the world. The government here fully understands these problems and is trying to address the same. But traffic is the result of more cars or more people trying to use public services. People have to accept there will be some delays……..other nations and people will die for what is considered normal livelihood in Singapore.

I see that the sensitivity of folks is becoming high and worse at public places, indicating a mild intolerance to others. This should not develop into a discrimination or anger at others. I see people do not follow the queues while boarding the MRT and sometimes one get pushed in or out of the train. People are becoming impatient…….

I don’t think it is government’s entire responsibility to fix such problems – people should take ownership and address these issues via forums available to them.

Food for thought…….

Cheers

Vijay Srinivasan
15th June 2013

Data Privacy and Government Intrusion

The recent incident of a contractor from NSA (National Security Agency) of the U.S. almost defecting to Hong Kong / China throws open a very relevant and rather interesting topic: the intrusion into the privacy of citizens by “Big Brother” or the Government.

There are arguments (mostly) against and for the government oversight affecting the privacy of millions of citizens and other nation states. How can one government (though the most powerful in the world) intrude into the private lives of other countries’ citizens and most clearly, into other governments’ secrets ? Under what laws of the land are these actions being taken ? Does it mean that the U.S. is not respecting the other countries’ laws on privacy, though often claiming to be the torch bearer of freedom and democracy, often accusing other countries of trampling on their citizens’ rights ?

Many, many questions and the blogosphere and the traditional / electronic media are full of such types of questions and interviews with prominent folks from society and government.

Let us look at this matter very objectively.

First, is anyone around the world so naive that he or she can assume that nobody is watching the goings on in the society in which they live, given all the terrorist attacks around the world ? Is it not the responsibility of the government of the day and law enforcement agencies to track what is going on ? How can anyone assume that all is hunky dory in their own society ? That is rather stupid, to say the least.

Second, look at examples of how criminals and terrorists are getting caught via data crunching of emails and webcam / video camera images, without even shedding a drop of blood in some cases ? Are we not reading newspapers and the electronic media to take note of the enhanced intelligence of law enforcement agencies ?

Third, the NSA mainframes and arrays of computers don’t “see or hear” anything – they just simply analyze the petabytes of data collected from a million sources and derive nuggets of actionable information, which can then be studied and actions taken. Who is listening to your conversation, or reading your emails – think about it for a minute. If you are not a targeted individual, why would a government waste thousands of dollars of computing time and analyst time on you ? You have no name in the computer !

Fourthly, if the U.S. Congress bans domestic eavesdropping by NSA (very unlikely), then NSA and FBI would have to move to conventional means of tapping phones which would then potentially “target” anyone – even the normal guy – around. Think about it – do you wish to return to the Cold War days ? Surely not.

There are many other reasons why the NSA mechanism is a better way of analysing the “Big Data” collected from various sources than the older ways of James Bond days.

Let us not raise a hue and cry. This is what has been happening for the past 7 years by NSA and several decades before that as well. If you have nothing to worry, then you will have nothing to worry, right ?

Let the criminals and terrorists worry, right ?

Cheers,

Vijay Srinivasan
15th June 2013

Welcome the Rains !

I was in Mumbai as well as in Singapore recently.

Both cities had their first big rains recently – Mumbai last week and Singapore earlier this week.

While Mumbai rains are well known for bringing the city to its knees every year, what was surprising to me is that the Singapore rains almost managed to do that in a city which always works. There was an incredibly long line of people waiting to get taxis, the vehicular movement on the roads slowed down, and most surprising, the MRT system got clogged.

There were hundreds of people waiting to get into the next train at MRT stations, which I personally witnessed. This was most unusual, I have never seen that kind of situation in the past. The trains were completely jammed with people, with no space whatsoever even to stretch one’s hands.

Well, well, such situations were unthinkable in Singapore in the past. I guess one reason is that the city has grown very fast, with more people utilizing public services than in the past. There are now more migrants than ever, and there is obviously a strain on all public services.

Notwithstanding the same, I was surprised that systems could get slowed down by just one single big rain.

I don’t understand, this is very unlike Singapore that I had known in the past. Things always work in Singapore for everyone. It is the most efficient city in the entire world. There is not even a close competitor, Hong Kong comes in at a distant second with regard to operational efficiency and execution. There is no city in the Western world which can compete with Singapore.

I am still trying to understand, and will closely watch the next time there is a massive rain.

Cheers,

Vijay Srinivasan
08 June 2013

On Married Life

Courtesy: Shyam, my IIM-B Classmate

Man: Is there any way for long life?
Dr: Get married.
Man: Will it help?
Dr: No, but the thought of long life will never come.

———— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——

Why do couples hold hands during their wedding?
It’s a formality just like two boxers shaking hands before the fight begins!

———— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——

Wife: Darling today is our anniversary, what should we do?
Husband: Let us stand in silence for 2 minutes.

———— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——

It’s funny when people discuss Love Marriage vs Arranged.
It’s like asking someone, if suicide is better or being murdered.

———— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——

It is difficult to understand GOD. He makes such beautiful things as women and then he turns them into Wives.

———— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——

If u r married please ignore this msg, for everyone else: Happy Independence Day

———— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——

Before marriage, a man will lie awake all night thinking about something you say.
After marriage, he’ll fall asleep before you finish.

———— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——

There’s a way of transferring funds that is even faster than electronic banking. It’s called marriage.

———— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——

Q: Why dogs don’t marry?
A: Because they are already leading a dog’s life!

———— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——

There was this guy who told his woman that he loved her so much that he would go through hell for her. They got
married and now he is going thru hell.
———— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——

Fact of life: One woman brings you into this world crying & the other ensures you continue to do so for the rest
of your life!

———— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——

Q: Why doesn’t law permit a man to marry a second woman?
A: Because as per law you cannot be punished twice for the same offence!

———— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——
Here comes the Ultimate One

Prospective husband: Do you have a book called ‘Man, The Master of Women’?
Salesgirl: The fiction department is on the other side, sir.

Courtesy: Shyam, my IIM-B Classmate

Cheers,

Vijay Srinivasan
01 June 2013

Walk for Food

Today I decided it is better to take a long walk before I get to eat food !

One way of working out, right ?

Not that I did not work out today, I went for my usual early morning treadmill walk.

However, I thought it would be better to again take a natural walk and went looking for food.

It was a good long walk, to and fro. I did not feel tired at all. It was good to see many people walking around, and heavy crowds in the shopping area and food courts.

I realized one thing – sometimes it is better to walk around in the natural manner, though in a brisk way, rather than keep running/walking on the treadmill every day. I do not know what exactly is the difference, but I felt good taking a walk on the pavement.

I was surprised that food still remains quite affordable in Singapore, though all other prices seem to have gone up significantly. If one wishes, it is still possible to get decent food for around SGD 5 (INR 220), which is pretty good. Of course, a coffee can cost as much in a Starbucks or Gloria Jeans. Such prices are not out of the world in India as well.

Well, the key point here is that taking a long walk (say, at least 2 KMs) for getting food is a good exercise (even in hot weather). And then, walking back after lunch is even better for digestion.

Good stuff !

Cheers,

Vijay Srinivasan
26th May 2013

1000th Blog Post !!!

This is my Post #1,000.

Can’t believe it.

I started my blog in December 2005. It has been nearly 7.5 years !!!

Who would have thought that I would continue blogging almost at a regular pace ?

Almost all the weekends……..except in rare cases when I was not really able to do anything………

Amazing, isn’t it ?

But, I realized that I have a passion for and keen interest in writing something in a productive manner.

It was also a kind of stress-reliever for me.

I was in Singapore when I started the blog.

Within 5 months, I had moved to Mumbai.

Now, I am back in Singapore.

It has been a great experience writing about various affairs close to my heart, and issues that always bothered me, in and out.

I have received lots of comments and a huge amount of spam comments as well. My settings in the WordPress Blog ensures that the spam of most kinds are captured effectively.

Nevertheless, I have enjoyed most of the productive comments on my blog and specific blog posts.

It feels good to get feedback.

I continue writing blog posts almost regularly, almost in the same fashion. May be on different topics, may be on some of the older topics which I feel passionately about.

I have received advice on how to improve traffic on my blog and improve its ranking on Google searches. But, that is not of interest to me.

I am writing for myself. If incidentally, any reader gets a benefit or enjoyment then that is welcome.

I don’t have to be on top of searches, that is not my objective.

Well, let me hope for the next 1,000 blog posts !!

Thanks for reading my blog. I welcome your visit to my blog. And, thanks for your comments.

Cheers,

Vijay Srinivasan
25th May 2013

The Politics and Corruption of Cricket

Cricket is after all a game or whatever.

Yes it is an interesting game and millions of South Asians, Australians, New Zealanders, South Africans, and others watch it.

The IPL or the Indian Premier League put a spin on the game with heavy marketing and B2B style auctions for players. For the past over four years, it has been a sensation, with people looking forward to the next IPL series.

But now with the betting scandal (as if India needs yet another scandal), people are losing confidence in BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) and its evasive president.

While the stakeholders can always say that the investigations have just now started and no conclusions should be drawn prematurely, the internecine and huge conflict of interests that are pervasive in the world of cricket and specifically, the IPL, cannot be ignored.

How can the president of BCCI be also the owner of a cricket team in the IPL ? There are many things which are wrong with the management of the IPL and BCCI. There has been collusion all along and the Board has turned a blind eye towards illicit and incorrect happenings for a long time.

Quick action is required to restore the confidence of the people on the game. That can only be achieved by the current president stepping down, while his own son-in-law is getting interrogated and arrested by the Mumbai Police in connection with the betting scandal.

But then, in the world of greed, money, power and politics, anything passes for normalcy and the people in power hope that things will calm down eventually.

What a shame ?

Who will trust BCCI any more ??

Time for immediate cleanup action. May be the BCCI needs to be disbanded or brought under government control. There seems to be no other way to execute a clean sweep of the corruption.

Cheers,

Vijay Srinivasan
25th May 2013