Home » Archive for May, 2007
Archive for May, 2007
Report of the Public Accounts Committee
May. 30 | The Public Accounts Committee comprises a group of Members of Parliament and acts like the “Audit Committee” of the Government. It considers the Auditor-General’s Report, and examines the Government Financial Statements and other accounts...
Singapore-Indonesian treaties: Is the light at the end of the tunnel a train?
May. 28 | By Gerald Giam Indonesia has been seeking an Extradition Treaty (ET) with Singapore for the past 34 years. However, since the 1997-98 Asian Financial Crisis this issue has risen to the top of Indonesia‘s foreign policy agenda with Singapore. During...
Foreign Talent policy: of principle and practice
May. 25 | By Choo Zheng Xi The government’s defense of its foreign talent policy follows a familiar pattern. The government rolls out a policy and frames it within unobjectionable truisms that few can disagree with. In the foreign talent debate, the truisms are...
The Work Holiday Programme: an undergraduate’s concern
May. 25 | By Ned Stark Singapore’s open door policy rolls on. The government’s stated goal is to bring Singapore’s population up to the 6.5 million mark. Unless we drastically increase our birth statistics, it is clear that many of these 6.5 million residents...
UNSW closure – some tough questions
May. 24 | By Choo Zheng Xi A friend of mine (let’s call him James) made the decision a few months ago to enroll in the University of New South Wales (UNSW) campus in Singapore. He had taken a gamble and given up his place in NUS’ Business faculty for a chance...
The Byzantine oracle on the PAP
May. 23 | By Ned Stark As a fan of history I subscribe to the view that “history repeats itself” (this post is spurred by LCC’s comment on Aaron Ng’s blog.) A prominent American academic (I believe it was Samuel Huntington) had said: “The democratic...
Singapore’s healthcare system – uniquely Singapore? (Part 2)
May. 21 | This is part 2 of a 3-part focus on healthcare in Singapore. Part 1 can be viewed here. By Leong Sze Hian F4.April 2007 – FEES COMPETITION: In April 2005, 22 clinics that were willing to charge the same $8 fee as polyclinics were told by the Singapore...
JBJ to set up “The Reform Party” (Report)
May. 20 | Video of the press conference is at the end of this article. Recently discharged from bankruptcy, former Workers’ Party chief JB Jeyaretnam announced that he is registering a new political party. Wearing a polo shirt with the words “The Truth Will...
JBJ’s Return To Politics: Method In The Madness? (Commentary)
May. 20 | By Choo Zheng Xi Before JB Jeyaretnam’s press conference today, there was much speculation in opposition circles about his political future. It was widely rumored that the veteran politician was ready to throw in the towel. At the age of 81, he has...
Singapore’s healthcare system – uniquely Singapore? F1 or F9? (Part 1)
May. 18 | By Leong Sze Hian This is part one of a three-parts chronological treatise on healthcare issues over the last 2 years or so, like means-testing, non-priority for subsidised rates healthcare, wards down-grading, medical fees competition, costs of medicines...
The next step – “proactive blogging”?
May. 16 | By Benjamin Blogging is a medium of communication. Web logs were once little more than online diaries, for people to write about their daily lives. Now, even these personal blogs can gain international attention and recognition. Xiaxue is one. Other,...
World class? 15 dimensions to ponder on
May. 12 | *This is an update on the previous article “The first tier of the first world – beyond the bottomline“ By Leong Sze Hian Singapore has been voted as the top choice of location for expats in the world and also the best asian city in the...
A personal reflection on the gay issue
May. 12 | By Anonymous I had a friend in secondary school once. He was a very good friend of mine. We were both interested in more or less the same stuff, hung out a lot together. He was one of those types who didn’t seem to need to study too much to get...
Beware the Slippery Slope!
May. 9 | By Choo Zheng Xi What do Yoda, Vivian Balakrishnan, Yvonne Lee, and ex-CJ Yong have in common? No, this isn’t the opening line of a dirty joke. All of the abovementioned characters are guilty of having used a form of logical deduction known as the...
Artificial Dynamism?
May. 7 | By Ned Stark “It’s not possible for us to be hermetically sealed and to close out to the world, and this is just a jewel box by itself because our people travel, millions of people come to Singapore, and even if you don’t travel, you’re...
Is this the start of Singapore’s decline?
May. 4 | Article and open letter to our government by an ex-journalist By Yeo Toon Joo If the People’s Action Party were to call a general election now, chances are it would lose a good number of seats to the opposition, that is, if you could find able candidates...
Decriminalising homosexuality in Singapore
May. 3 | By Koh Jie Kai The purpose of this letter is to address two arguments which homophobes frequently make against decriminalising homosexuality in Singapore. Let’s take a typical example of a homophobic point of view, written by a Mr Jonathan Cheng...
National Ed vs Moral Ed
May. 1 | This excerpt is from Trisha Reloaded’s blog: I’m not talking about my school environment. I’m talking about the larger society, where the ministerial salary hikes, the political strutting of people puffed up with a sense of their own self-importance,...
