Bits and Pieces

Peter Lim’s gambit

So billionaire Peter Lim has gone to Johor to build its motorsports hub. He’s not putting his money in the Singapore version in Changi. Today has the best story on this, focusing sharply on the difficulties the stalled Changi motorsports is facing. So another tender is going to be called.

When Peter Lim said that costs were prohibitive in Singapore, I wish he hadelaborated on it. Did he look at the Changi project, did his sums and said no? If so, what were the sums like and what did Johor offer? Nobody is going to fault him for going where the money is, but it would be instructive for others who want to do a similar business. Now that there’s a competitor in Johor, are we waiting to hear the death knell of the Changi project? Or not.

Manufactured meritocracy

This phrase by an ST Forum Page letter writer today encapsulates most of the feelings that have been expressed so far on Singapore’s system of meritocracy. We are not against meritocracy, but how having accumulated merits once, the system is geared towards ensuring that you will always succeed.

So a “scholar’’ seems to think that his life’s path should be strewn with roses, and society bends backwards to make sure it is. I see this all the time – when people expect a constant stream of rewards because of one big achievement in an examination hall.  And worst, how companies and organisations work stuff to make sure they are too smart to fail. But you know something? A scholarship is pretty passé these days. As undergrads now tell me, almost everyone is on a scholarship of some kind these days.

Dealing with ghosts

In this day and age, I never would have thought that someone would think up a con job using ghosts. Imagine picking up the telephone and moaning into the receiver to scare someone out of his wits’ – and then demanding payment for a “cure’’ or exorcism.

So this woman did this to her “friend’’ – who fell for it. The “ghost’’ got six months jail, for witching $14,000 from her poor hapless “friend’’. I wish we were told how the “ghost’’ got found out? Did the “friend’’ decide to have it out with her, after losing everything? Did the “ghostly’’ phone calls stop after she had no money to pay? How was the “ghost’’ busted?