The Most Funniest Letter of the Week!

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>Top dollar for star talent
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->WATCHING events unfold this week is like watching Halley's Comet, a rare occurrence which is nerve-racking for those in the finance industry but also a great learning experience for all mankind.

While the world is gripped by fear of a global financial meltdown, United States Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson has yanked the financial market from near death with a huge adrenalin injection by proposing a trillion-dollar rescue plan.
Few know that Mr Paulson's net worth is more than US$600 million (S$860 million) and at one time he earned more than US$34 million a year from Goldman Sachs. At the age of 62, he really does not need to spend many sleepless night trying to fight bureaucracy and save the world.
Mr Paulson not only had a clear understanding of the situation, but also had a firm grip on the assets available to him to tackle the problem. He is legendary in his ability to take any problem head on. In this case, he not only roped in the bi-partisan US Congress to work together but also almost made them pee in their pants as he and Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke gave a no-holds-barred report on the situation.
It is unlikely that Singapore will ever have the good fortune of Mr Paulson or someone of his calibre in our Ministry of Finance. Singapore's small pool of people and Singaporeans' pragmatic attitude have seen few top earners willing to sacrifice millions in pay to join government service. Not many are like Education Minister Ng Eng Hen and Law Minister K. Shanmugam who took a $2 million to $5 million pay cut to serve us.
It will always be a challenge for any government to fill its posts and we should not skimp on paying the right people to do the job. Many of us accept the need to spend more than $2 million to train a fighter pilot to defend our country. We must also understand that having the right person doing the right job at the right time is critical to the survival of our country. We always need talented people to defend our society and country. The contribution and sacrifice by these people to Singapore is priceless.
Syu Ying Kwok

I don't think there is such a way of structuring your sentence in The Most Funniest Letter.

Funniest means funniest. No more MOST Funniest

makapaaa said:

It is unlikely that Singapore will ever have the good fortune of Mr Paulson or someone of his calibre in our Ministry of Finance. Singapore's small pool of people and Singaporeans' pragmatic attitude have seen few top earners willing to sacrifice millions in pay to join government service. Not many are like Education Minister Ng Eng Hen and Law Minister K. Shanmugam who took a $2 million to $5 million pay cut to serve us.

Syu Ying Kwok

Click to expand...

What proof has this sew kok have that they took $2 mill to $5 mill pay cut? Just because these two said so?

silverfox@ said:

I don't think there is such a way of structuring your sentence in The Most Funniest Letter.

Funniest means funniest. No more MOST Funniest

Click to expand...

no... it should be the MOSTEST Funny Letter...

falling like hailey's commet--my we have taught our citizens well.

<TABLE id=msgUN cellSpacing=3 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD id=msgUNsubj vAlign=top>Coffee Shop Talk - WP rebuts Syu Ying Kwok's letter to ST</TD><TD id=msgunetc noWrap align=right> Subscribe </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=msgtable cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="96%"><TBODY><TR><TD class=msg vAlign=top><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgbfr1 width="1%"> </TD><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgF noWrap align=right width="1%">From: </TD><TD class=msgFname noWrap width="68%">MoLanYong <NOBR></NOBR> </TD><TD class=msgDate noWrap align=right width="30%">5:54 am </TD></TR><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgT noWrap align=right width="1%" height=20>To: </TD><TD class=msgTname noWrap width="68%">limtuakang <NOBR></NOBR></TD><TD class=msgNum noWrap align=right> (2 of 4) </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgleft width="1%" rowSpan=4> </TD><TD class=wintiny noWrap align=right>5771.2 in reply to 5771.1 </TD></TR><TR><TD height=8></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgtxt>Syu Ying Kwok should do some fact-finding before shooting off her mouth
Posted on September 27, 2008 by wayangparty
By Fang Zhi Yuan
I am most flabbergasted by Mdm Syu Ying Kwok’s feeble attempts to justify the exorbitant pay of our PAP ministers in her article to the Straits Times Forum today titled ”Top dollar for star talent“ and the atrocious journalistic standards of the Straits Times to publish her article without first verifying the basic facts.
Using the example of U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson who took a pay cut of an annual salary of US$35 million in the private sector to a miserable US$183,000 to join the Federal government (read report here), Ms Syu lamented the lack of top earners in Singapore sacrificing millions in pay to join government service.
Next, she added a most astonishing spin to her story by praising Education Minister Ng Eng Hen and Law Minister Shanmugan for taking a “$2 million to $5 million pay cut to serve us.”
According to the latest data released by the Prime Minister’s Office in this press release, a cabinet minister is expected to earn on average, an annual salary of S$1.94 million dollars. If we include bonuses and perks, which can range from 3 to 9 months, a minister can take back more than S$3 million dollars a year.
Based on Mdm Syu’s calculations, Mr Ng and Mr Shan should be earning between S$5 to S$8 million dollars a year in the private sector before joining the government.
I wondered how Mdm Syu arrived at her figures without quoting any reliable sources. Mr Ng was a breast surgeon with the National Cancer Centre while Mr Shan ran his own law film before “sacrificing” their careers to “serve” us.
From a survey taken from ”Best paying jobs in Singapore 2008“, the top specialist surgeon in Singapore is expected to rake in a monthly salary of S$30,000 (or S$360,000 a year) and a lawyer (advocate and solicitor) about S$7,500 (or $90,000).
Assuming that both Mr Ng and Mr Shan are the best talent we can ever find in Singapore in their respective professions, they can earn up to an artificially inflated figure of $300,000 a month which sums up to S$3.6 million dollars a year. Still, it does not quite add up to the pay cut of “S$2 to 5 million dollars” quoted by Mdm Syu.
I agree with Mdm Syu that it is unlikely that Singapore will ever have the good fortune of Mr Paulson or someone of his calibre in our Ministry of Finance to manage the biggest economy in the world together with its multiple globlal and political intricacies. However, I am pretty sure we should be able to find the right talent in the private sector to govern a small country like Singapore.
The reason why the government, or rather the PAP, is encountering so much difficulties finding talented Singaporeans to join them to the extent of roping in Malaysian-born Singapore citizens to become their MPs is due to the general political apathy amongst Singaporeans generated in part by years of adverserial politics propagated by the PAP and its brand of pragmatic materialism which has seeped into the conscience of our nation.
In many first world countries, politics is considered a career by many aspiring young men and women to serve their fellow citizens. Not so in Singapore where politics is dominated for years by the PAP.
Bright, creative and passionate men and women shun politics because they realize their abilities will not be put into good use by a rigid political entity which prefers conformists to mavericks while joining the hapless opposition which will never be able to challenge the PAP under an electoral system tilted to the advantage of the incumbant serves little purpose other than to fritter one’s precious years in the wilderness and worse still, financial ruins brought about by defamation suits if one is not careful with his or her words.
In the United States, there are many wealthy billionaires giving back to society because they feel they can contribute to the ideals and values embodied by the American spirit. The richest man in the history of the U.S.A, Bill Gates, set up a Foundation to fight HIV and AIDS in the developing countries. The second richest man after him, Warren Buffet, donated almost his entire fortune to Gates’ Foundation. What value, ideal or spirit does Singapore have other than the 5Cs ?
If the government wants Singaporeans to emulate the United States and promote public service and philantrophy amongst its citizens, it must first set an example. Empty words will not get us anywhere. How can Singaporeans be convinced of the need to give back to society when our ministers are earning much more than us in this period of economic uncertainty and when our sovereign funds Temasek and GIC are splashing billions of U.S. dollars to bail out distressed U.S. and European banks ?
We, the ordinary citizens of Singapore, look up to our most esteemed elected leaders for guidance and example. I hereby call on our honorable Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to lead the way and donate a year of his annual salary to set up an “Elderly Fund” to help those poor old folks picking up cardboards and used bottle cans for a living along the streets of Chinatown, wet markets of Ang Mo Kio and the rubbish chutes of polyclinics.
I am sure many Singaporeans will be touched and inspired by his generosity to start loosening their purse strings to help our less fortunate brethen. Don’t you agree with me ?

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silverfox@ said:

I don't think there is such a way of structuring your sentence in The Most Funniest Letter.

Funniest means funniest. No more MOST Funniest

Click to expand...

obviously he knows. just that it even funnier than funniest, then how. most funniest I also think so.

<TABLE id=msgUN cellSpacing=3 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD id=msgUNsubj vAlign=top>Coffee Shop Talk - WP rebuts Syu Ying Kwok's letter to ST</TD><TD id=msgunetc noWrap align=right> Subscribe </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=msgtable cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="96%"><TBODY><TR><TD class=msg vAlign=top><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgbfr1 width="1%"> </TD><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgF noWrap align=right width="1%">From: </TD><TD class=msgFname noWrap width="68%">MoLanYong <NOBR></NOBR> </TD><TD class=msgDate noWrap align=right width="30%">5:54 am </TD></TR><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgT noWrap align=right width="1%" height=20>To: </TD><TD class=msgTname noWrap width="68%">limtuakang <NOBR></NOBR></TD><TD class=msgNum noWrap align=right> (2 of 4) </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgleft width="1%" rowSpan=4> </TD><TD class=wintiny noWrap align=right>5771.2 in reply to 5771.1 </TD></TR><TR><TD height=8></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgtxt>Syu Ying Kwok should do some fact-finding before shooting off her mouth
Posted on September 27, 2008 by wayangparty
By Fang Zhi Yuan
I am most flabbergasted by Mdm Syu Ying Kwok’s feeble attempts to justify the exorbitant pay of our PAP ministers in her article to the Straits Times Forum today titled ”Top dollar for star talent“ and the atrocious journalistic standards of the Straits Times to publish her article without first verifying the basic facts.
Using the example of U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson who took a pay cut of an annual salary of US$35 million in the private sector to a miserable US$183,000 to join the Federal government (read report here), Ms Syu lamented the lack of top earners in Singapore sacrificing millions in pay to join government service.
Next, she added a most astonishing spin to her story by praising Education Minister Ng Eng Hen and Law Minister Shanmugan for taking a “$2 million to $5 million pay cut to serve us.”
According to the latest data released by the Prime Minister’s Office in this press release, a cabinet minister is expected to earn on average, an annual salary of S$1.94 million dollars. If we include bonuses and perks, which can range from 3 to 9 months, a minister can take back more than S$3 million dollars a year.
Based on Mdm Syu’s calculations, Mr Ng and Mr Shan should be earning between S$5 to S$8 million dollars a year in the private sector before joining the government.
I wondered how Mdm Syu arrived at her figures without quoting any reliable sources. Mr Ng was a breast surgeon with the National Cancer Centre while Mr Shan ran his own law film before “sacrificing” their careers to “serve” us.
From a survey taken from ”Best paying jobs in Singapore 2008“, the top specialist surgeon in Singapore is expected to rake in a monthly salary of S$30,000 (or S$360,000 a year) and a lawyer (advocate and solicitor) about S$7,500 (or $90,000).
Assuming that both Mr Ng and Mr Shan are the best talent we can ever find in Singapore in their respective professions, they can earn up to an artificially inflated figure of $300,000 a month which sums up to S$3.6 million dollars a year. Still, it does not quite add up to the pay cut of “S$2 to 5 million dollars” quoted by Mdm Syu.
I agree with Mdm Syu that it is unlikely that Singapore will ever have the good fortune of Mr Paulson or someone of his calibre in our Ministry of Finance to manage the biggest economy in the world together with its multiple globlal and political intricacies. However, I am pretty sure we should be able to find the right talent in the private sector to govern a small country like Singapore.
The reason why the government, or rather the PAP, is encountering so much difficulties finding talented Singaporeans to join them to the extent of roping in Malaysian-born Singapore citizens to become their MPs is due to the general political apathy amongst Singaporeans generated in part by years of adverserial politics propagated by the PAP and its brand of pragmatic materialism which has seeped into the conscience of our nation.
In many first world countries, politics is considered a career by many aspiring young men and women to serve their fellow citizens. Not so in Singapore where politics is dominated for years by the PAP.
Bright, creative and passionate men and women shun politics because they realize their abilities will not be put into good use by a rigid political entity which prefers conformists to mavericks while joining the hapless opposition which will never be able to challenge the PAP under an electoral system tilted to the advantage of the incumbant serves little purpose other than to fritter one’s precious years in the wilderness and worse still, financial ruins brought about by defamation suits if one is not careful with his or her words.
In the United States, there are many wealthy billionaires giving back to society because they feel they can contribute to the ideals and values embodied by the American spirit. The richest man in the history of the U.S.A, Bill Gates, set up a Foundation to fight HIV and AIDS in the developing countries. The second richest man after him, Warren Buffet, donated almost his entire fortune to Gates’ Foundation. What value, ideal or spirit does Singapore have other than the 5Cs ?
If the government wants Singaporeans to emulate the United States and promote public service and philantrophy amongst its citizens, it must first set an example. Empty words will not get us anywhere. How can Singaporeans be convinced of the need to give back to society when our ministers are earning much more than us in this period of economic uncertainty and when our sovereign funds Temasek and GIC are splashing billions of U.S. dollars to bail out distressed U.S. and European banks ?
We, the ordinary citizens of Singapore, look up to our most esteemed elected leaders for guidance and example. I hereby call on our honorable Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to lead the way and donate a year of his annual salary to set up an “Elderly Fund” to help those poor old folks picking up cardboards and used bottle cans for a living along the streets of Chinatown, wet markets of Ang Mo Kio and the rubbish chutes of polyclinics.
I am sure many Singaporeans will be touched and inspired by his generosity to start loosening their purse strings to help our less fortunate brethen. Don’t you agree with me ?

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

<TABLE id=msgUN cellSpacing=3 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD id=msgUNsubj vAlign=top>Coffee Shop Talk - The real face of Syu Ying Kwok</TD><TD id=msgunetc noWrap align=right> Subscribe </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=msgtable cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="96%"><TBODY><TR><TD class=msg vAlign=top><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgbfr1 width="1%"></TD><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgF noWrap align=right width="1%">From: </TD><TD class=msgFname noWrap width="68%">limtuakang <NOBR></NOBR></TD><TD class=msgDate noWrap align=right width="30%">4:36 am </TD></TR><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgT noWrap align=right width="1%" height=20>To: </TD><TD class=msgTname noWrap width="68%">ALL <NOBR></NOBR></TD><TD class=msgNum noWrap align=right>(1 of 5) </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgleft width="1%" rowSpan=4></TD><TD class=wintiny noWrap align=right>5773.1 </TD></TR><TR><TD height=8></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgtxt>I am sure many of you are familar with Madam Syu Ying Kwok whose articles adulating the PAP are published by the Straits Times Forum on a regular basis.
Yes, she was the one who stirred a storm in cyberspace in July with her rather unkind remarks about opposition politician Tan Lead Shake’s family problems in another “mouth-watering” letter here .
Is Madam Syu a PAP member ? Does she work in the civil service ?
We did a google search on the background of Mdm Syu and could only find the following:
Read rest of article here

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<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=wintiny noWrap align=right>5773.2 in reply to 5773.1 </TD></TR><TR><TD height=8></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgtxt>Face to face with PAP No 1 supporter Syu Ying Kwok

Posted on September 27, 2008 by wayangparty
I am sure many of you are familar with Madam Syu Ying Kwok whose articles adulating the PAP are published by the Straits Times Forum on a regular basis. Yes, she was the one who stirred a storm in cyberspace in July with her rather unkind remarks about opposition politician Tan Lead Shake’s family problems in another “mouth-watering” letter here .
Is Madam Syu a PAP member ? Does she work in the civil service ?
We did a google search on the background of Mdm Syu and could only find the following:
Mdm Syu graduated from NUS Accountancy in 1993 and is currently a member of the Business alumni:
http://bizalum.nus.edu/alumniroll/alumni_list.aspx?year=1993&degree=B.+ACC.
This is Madam Syu Ying Kwok up close and personal:

Well, to those fellas out there who wants to learn how show the PAP your most sincere “support”, you may like to contact Madam Syu at her facebook account here:
http://www.new.facebook.com/people/Syu_Ying_Kwok/526519044








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makapaaa said:

... It is unlikely that Singapore will ever have the good fortune of Mr Paulson or someone of his calibre in our Ministry of Finance....

Click to expand...

calibre lower, but pay higher ... :o