Dolphins: cash for freedom?

Resorts World Sentosa and the Gentings gp have not been getting gd publicity on the dolphins’ issue. There was unfavourable media coverage from the local media, of all people and the govmin has weighed in stating that Gentings have to comply with all the int’l rules on captive dolphins. When these two disassociate themselves from a money-making machine like RWS, Gentings gp needs to take note.

The dolphins are now believed to be somewhere in the Philppines, having been quietly airfreighted ASAP from Langkawi. The int’l media and animal rights activists are trying to find out where they are. Now if one or more were to fall seriously ill or, worse, die, Gentings would face more bad publicity. And punters may think it bad luck to gamble at a place that hurt or killed Flipper’s friends.

Genting S’pore shld ask the govmin how much it will cost Genting to get the condition that it has to have dolphins in the IR removed. And if the govmin refuses or demands too much money, Genting can tell the world, “We tried.”

Whatever the outcome, institutional investors in the West will be more receptive to buying Genting S’pore shares. Now they run the risk of  being associated with a “Killing Flipper” investment. The other listcos in the Gentings gp also run the risk of being accessories to the murder of Flipper.

As to paying out money, Genting is rumoured to be used to it. It is widely believed in M’sia that the attacks by the Malaysian Chinese Association on the busing of M’sian gamblers to Sentosa, is motivated by money. With an election coming, the MCA wants money from Gentings. In return, the attacks will cease.

Casinos: Could there have been corruption?

I’m very cynical, but it only struck me this morning that the buses to heartlands fiasco could be more serious than the incompetency of VB and his ministry, and  the gambling and tpt agencies.

We now know that the tpt agency gave approval for the bus services, but we don’t know whether it consulted the ministry and the casino agency, and when they became aware of the services. From their swift cancellation of the services one gets the impression they only just knew. This in itself raises questions of why they didn’t know earlier.

I tot it was the usual govmin goof up like the failure to anticipate that FTs would need public hsing and tpt, or the insecurity at SMRT terminals, or boasting that they could control floods, when they couldn’t. I mean these things happen regularly now that LKY is no longer running S’pore. If on;y we could clone MightyMind and Dr Goh at their prime.

But could there be corruption at some level in the bureaucracy of one or more of these organisations?  Could MM and the “Old Guard” fear of corruption be correct.

I hope the PM will tell us if there is evidence of corruption, and if there is, what is being done.

BTW I’m in favour of casinos but I’m also in favour of govmin walking the talk. Here it clearly failed for many moons to protect S’poreans from the marketing of RW.

Casinos: Answers needed

After the Kiddie Games fiasco looks like Vivian Balakrishnan goofed again. It’s getting to be a habit — remember his tirades against the poor, and the homeless and the delay in building a new sports complex.

OK, I’m a bit unfair as the latest goof should be shared with the statutory agency regulating the casinos. And perhaps LTA as surely the bus service must have needed LTA approval?

VB’s ministry and the agency have implicitly admitted that they shouldn’t have allowed the bus service to the heartlands when the ministry said it  and the Casino Regulatory Authority would issue a directive yesterday to stop the shuttle services provided by casino operators.

What is worrying is that despite the service starting officially in June, the authorities only said a few days ago that they would investigate the service. They didn’t know earlier? Or they didn’t care?

If the former, there are all kinds of security implications. If the authorities didn’t know something that was openly done in  contravention of the law, this means that those who want to plant bombs can be reasonably assured they wouldn’t be detected.

If they didn’t care, waz all the talk abt protecting S’poreans against the ills of gambling worth?

And if they didn’t know until recently, why they  didn’t know? And what steps is the PM taking to improve open source and covert intelligence gathering?

And if some ministries or agencies knew, and others didn’t, why wasn’t info shared and why those that didn’t know,  find out. I mean the services were not covert.

I hope the govmin comes clean about when it knew abt the heartland bus service, and if it knew early, why it didn’t do anything for months?

Did some MasterMind realise what VB and clowns were doing or not doing, and break  skulls?

This after all has implications on S’pore’s image for being a gd place to do business because the govmin is efficient, something VB has tarnished with the Kiddie Games and the delay in building a national play pen.

Update 14 Sept https://atans1.wordpress.com/2010/09/14/casinos-could-there-have-been-corruption/

RW Sentosa yet to call in the bomohs or shamans

Some moons ago, I posted this when RW World ran into a spell of bad — Tom Jones falling sick at concert,and attraction (still) not working https://atans1.wordpress.com/2010/03/27/genting-spore-help-needed/ suggesting it called in the bomohs or Red Indian shamans.

Obviously my advice was ignored as there is a problem with another attraction.

Well my tot that if the bad luck continues, someone may break the bank at RW Sentosa, could come true.