Resilience and Challenges

The West would not necessarily be unable to cope with changes in the future. Resilience of a society can be more important than its wealth. Wealth does fortify economic resilience but not necessarily on other fronts. Resilience can be strengthened in the way society is organised ( informally and formally); cultural attitudes; recognition of her Achilles heels and doing something effective about it; and having a foresighted leadership. Most nations are still reckoning with lack of pre-emptive planning, effective risk management, business continuity preparation and forward thinking. What happens when one loses demand for a produce or product which has previously built up a society? Are the key institutions in my country remnants of 20th century needs rather than tools for a changed future? Some nations used to rule the waves but have not fully embraced the realities of increasing competition. Some societies have been in the comfort zone for too long and perhaps lost the hunger to constantly improve. Yet others are obsessed with other drivers that distract with building up their resilience. What had made particular nations wealthy in the past may no longer be relevant. Failure in adopting sufficient technology, political willingness, independent security, investments and strategic advantage to propel forward are telling signs of national erosion. Leaving critical fronts like relevant education, ownership of vital societal assets and outsourcing to the so called free market forces can be a capitulation of governmental responsibilities to commercialisation. Growth of wealth also exposes a society to new vulnerabilities and dependancies. The sustainability and growth of wealth has a cost to pay for never ending GDP growth and consumer spending. I take for granted how my fast accessibiity to data and information or digital payments relies on the internet, data centres and wifi always working. Greater mobility in air, sea and land travel is paid for by environmental pollution. The energy grid breaks down when demand spikes everywhere all at the same time in a society. There is a hidden cost to upholding how modern societies work. Such dependencies are increasingly controlled by the growing few who and which can manipulate the world with greater ease, funding and connections. Humans cannot escape interactions with so called Nature. Technological advances seem to be the forte of the human mind and capability. Depletion of natural resources, climate change and biological interference are just some examples of the downside. Global wealth enhancement has also come from increased linkages in trade, finance, supplies and dependencies. Globalisation can be a two edged sword in all meanings of the phenomenon. Does it require a hierarchy of varying levels of development in different societies to sustain and drive the growth of wealth? Lower labour costs in less developed societies were what made massive manufacturing hubs work. With AI, robotics and advanced mechanics already working, the equation can leave out much of human input. Are extensive channels of migration revitalising Western societies? The lack of population growth in richer societies ( especially at below replacement levels) has had this matter mitigated partly by the arrival and settlement of foreigners. Overall, Earth has never been populated as before. At the same time, personal wealth is significantly concentrated in fewer individuals. We recall the collapse of empires, city states and nations in history due to catastrophic natural episodes, plaques, removal of trading advantages and unexpected Black Swan events. How societies are organised in governance have an impact on wealth and the ever assumed expectation of continued rise in prosperity. Politicians in most countries do not have to undergo a formal training certification or a rigourous regime of performance evaluations to reach the top. Is the contemporary state of so called Western civilisation nations ready to take on the challenges of the rest of the 21st century? The European states used the power of sailing winds to explore and utilise lands for resources, political control and cultural expansion. What is the equivalent of such sailing ships in this century? Is it a hold on modern weaponry, or holding on to an economic dominance? Is it as simple as being able to manipulate other countries as you have something that most other nations do not? #yongkevthoughts

Two Dominant Supermarts in Australia

 The ACCC complaint in 2024 echoes one of the reasons I hardly go to Coles and Woolworths for three years now....

these supermarkets now make net annual profits of at least around a billion aud.

In past 2 years, when I see their outlets, they have political like banners in big font shouting out 1/2 price, Down  Down Down and such stuff.

Is excessive corporate greed is so obvious from Coles and Woolworths?  Just check with our own gut feel.

The Australian government
mentality is as usual - wait for the matter to grow exponentially and then only point fingers.  Singapore has a different approach.

Coles and Woolworths have grown so market dominant they are too big to fail and are a duopoly, capturing 90 pc of the Australian retail market for groceries. Across Australia, we most probably and instinctively do not say "We are going grocery shopping" - we naturally say " We are going to Coles" ( or Wollies).

I prefer to buy from several other sources like independent local shops, online delivery options, local fresh markets and small businesses.

The most insulting thing from Coles and Woolworths is that they underestimate the intelligence of their customers.

Most of their products are also manufactured processed food with unhealthy dosages of fat, salt, sugar and preservatives.

Coles has also bought into offering Malaysians their products.  My view is to avoid them.

#yongkevthoughts

Calling for a Rethink

 

Since Covid management began, with all its downstream implications for labour availability, logistics supply and customer service, everyone has come across disruptions in accessibility.

The rise of contactless transactions has encouraged scenarios where and when we receive no or little explanations for problems and poor service - and the frequent feeling that we just have to take it on the chin.

In Australia, the  occurence of confronting climate disasters has coincided with the downside of Covid management since 2020.  As a nation, we over depend on manufactured stuff mostly from overseas.
Although we have sufficient food production security, the society has only a few weeks of fuel supplies.  Over reliance on visitor and migrant labour for harvests also meant a  crisis when borders were shut down for months on end to minimise the spread of the Covid in 2020 and 2021 - but in 2022 most Covid infections spread like wildfire within domestic confines.

Lettuce is now down to one dollar from 12 dollars each in my local fresh produce markets, while bananas have risen in price per kilo.  The swings in supply and pricing seem to jump from one basic product to another.  They just amplify the vulnerabilities already existing in the way basic necessities are produced, acquired and brought to the ultimate consumer - and some of the causes and effects have nothing to do with Covid.

Many of the things we utilise and take for granted are distributed and controlled by duopolies - the serious lack of competition in business will undermine the quality and standard of life and economy for Australia in the years to come.

We also have too few big players in the banking, telecommunications, pharmaceutical, food retail, insurance, power utility, transport, infrastructure, media and airline sectors.  That virtually covers many requirements in our daily lives.

These really big players are becoming too big to fail and more of society's taxpayer monies are being fed to them.  The extent of choice for consumers continue to narrow. 

Federal government in Canberra has significantly outsourced services to commercial providers, consulting groups and grant recipients in aged care, education, national strategic processes and vital areas previously handled by a supposedly more benign hand of elected governance.

How the best interests of Australian individuals, communities and society are best handled by profit seeking market players give rise to serious questions.

So when society and her denizens continue to be fed and addicted to obvious negatives, it gets even harder to break the cause and effect cycle. Reflect on the push for opiods in the intricate web experienced by the USA.   Think of the continuing promotion of excess consumption of sugar, gambling, wifi and other dependencies.

The continuing Covid years on the other hand have awakened a level of personal and group consciousness as to how our society, economy and personal reflection can be better.

#yongkevthoughts

Thoughts on Singapore - On the Cusp of the Future

 

Every society has its
downs and ups. Do we recognise, sharpen and utilise our inherent advantages - and do we counter our disadvantages?

Size of territory, the lack of available natural resources and geopolitical risks can be set off by strategic planning and implementation, quality education for the public, technological value add and having an embedded practical vision for a nation.

Governance can be betrayed by divisive politics, short term manipulation, obsessive diversions, pervasive corruption and undue foreign influence.

Does your goverment cloud you with petty issues, falling standards, band aid solutions and lack of initiative?

Singapore is not just economically rich, but has societal attitudes borne out of its unavoidable deficiencies.
It has developed as a beacon of refuge from instability and as a captivator of talent ignored or under appreciated in other places. 

Singapore does walk on a tightrope between competing interests.  Its colonial heritage, future socio-political development and dependence on an open market are all two edged swords of opportunity and crisis.

Taxes can be low but costs of car ownership and properties prohibitively high.  Spatial freedom can be a challenge for visitors with loads of open space and lower populations from nations with too much land.   Singapore is a world critical transport hub by air and shipping, due partly to its location.
Will it be caught up in a war not of its making but due to its geographical and trading eminence?

#yongkevthoughts