Home » Archive for June, 2008
Archive for June, 2008
Making sense of HDB rejections
Jun. 29 | Leong Sze Hian I refer to HDB’s latest BTO, Straits Vista@Marsiling launched on 10 June. (“HDB’s challenge: low-cost housing, condo-like flats” (ST, Jun 11)) (“Marsiling goes BTO :Straits Vista project launched as HDB wins...
Crossing the line into vulgarity
Jun. 29 | Andrew Loh I would sincerely like to believe that this is the absolute lowest that the PAP government will go to attempt to destroy its political opposition – crossing the line into vulgarity. The first time I heard of Dr Chee Soon Juan was way back...
The Workers’ Party elects new CEC
Jun. 29 | The party elects 3 new faces, only one minority member in new CEC The Workers’ Party (WP) elected a new Central Executive Council (CEC) this afternoon at the party’s headquarters in Syed Alwi Road. The Online Citizen (TOC) understands that three...
Opposition member’s wife arrested for suspected murder
Jun. 28 | In a Channel NewsAsia report, a 26-year-old female Chinese national, believed to be the wife of National Solidarity Party member Tan Lead Shake, was arrested earlier today. She is suspected to be involved in the murder of Tan’s brother and is also...
Whose future is “shining”, really?
Jun. 27 | Andrew Loh Ministers scheduled to be given a third pay hike this year If you ask me, the future is really shining for us… We will survive; this is a red dot, which we can make redder and brighter. (MM Lee, 2006) We are into a period of good economic...
SYINC Connect 08 Youth Conference
Jun. 27 | Want to meet like-minded people who are passionate about making a difference? Want to learn from respected and experienced community leaders and social entrepreneurs? Youths in Singapore are engaging more with civil society on both a local and global...
An impassioned plea from a senior Singaporean
Jun. 26 | The following is a comment posted by ‘patriot’ in response to Tan Kin Lian’s article, “Give adequate wages to low income workers”. The comments are unedited and republished here in its entirety. Me dare not say any word before this because I...
Activists charged for protest
Jun. 26 | From the Singapore Democratic Party’s website: The group of activists who protested outside the Parliament House on 15 Mar this year have been charged for two offences: participating in an assembly as well as a procession without a permit in a public...
Vacuum cleaners and the financial service
Jun. 26 | Wilfred Ling One week ago, a salesperson came to my house to demonstrate and sell a vacuum cleaner. It was an impressive vacuum cleaner with many capabilities: The machine was highly sophisticated and her four hour demonstration was highly impressive....
Inflation drove this man to loansharks
Jun. 26 | Daniel De Costa and Glenn Tan Mr Sim Wee Lee, 37, has had enough of the vandalism done to his property. So fearful has he been for the past 2 years, wondering when the next act would be committed, that he resorted to installing a closed-circuit television...
公路电子收费，上！新加坡梦，破灭！
Jun. 25 | ●朱正熙 一次有关公路电子收费上涨的调侃。 如果你生来迷信，一个在中央商业区足足有五米直径的地陷，应该不是工程过失那么简单吧？它就发生在有关部门宣布有5处的新闸门将在7月7日起启用，使全岛闸门的总数增加到令人咋舌的65个。 ...
Give adequate wages to low income workers
Jun. 25 | Tan Kin Lian For many years, the Government has advocated a pro-business environment in Singapore. This is aimed at attracting foreign investors to set up businesses here and create more jobs for Singaporeans. This strategy has been successful. Singapore...
Responsibility, responsibility, responsibility!
Jun. 24 | Andrew Loh Yes, we are all appalled. In fact, we are more appalled than the Home Affairs Minister. Appalled at the “lapses” (if ever there was a euphemism for a screwup, this is it), appalled at the “complacency”, appalled at how our security...
Religious freedom and its discontents
Jun. 24 | Gerald Giam responds to “Religion and the right not to respect it“. Freedom of religion is one of the fundamental human rights that most of the world has agreed on — at least in principle. In practice, however, people in many countries...
5 Minutes With… Tan Kin Lian on gambling
Jun. 24 | TOC spends 5 minutes with former CEO of NTUC Income, Mr Tan Kin Lian, and asks him for his views on this Straits Times report – “Gamblers spent estimated $4.2b on 4-D” – about how more S’poreans are turning to gambling. TOC:...
The relentless rising cost of living – the video
Jun. 24 | Over the past two years, the cost of living in Singapore has increased relentlessly. Singapore is currently experiencing a 26-year high rate of inflation. The following video lists down the various increases from January 2007 to June 2008. For the full...
Security lapse at Changi airport – DPM Wong’s statement
Jun. 24 | Below is the statement released by Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister, Wong Kan Seng, over the security lapse yesterday at Changi airport’s budget terminal. Read about the story here. Minister Wong’s statement: ‘I AM totally appalled...
Coping with inflation – some free stuff
Jun. 23 | Leong Sze Hian I spoke on “Inflation : Issues and Implications”, at a free public forum, on 24 May 2008, organised jointly by MARUAH (Singapore Working Committee for the ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism), TWC2 (Transient Workers Count Too), the Society...
A nation of gamblers – or investors?
Jun. 22 | Lim Chih-Yang When I was in my teens, my family would go on travels together with several families. I had fond memories of those holidays where we could travel around the region taking in the sights and sounds of the various countries. During the night,...
Rise, ERP! Collapse, the Singapore dream!
Jun. 20 | Choo Zheng Xi An angry tongue-in-cheek critique of ERP hikes (TOC op-ed). If you are superstitious, a cave-in in the Central Business District (CBD) that left a 5m-wide hole in the ground could be more than bad engineering.It happened on the same day...
Why no international recognition for S’pore’s fighters?
Jun. 19 | A question sent to us from one of our readers: Just wondering if you would post a topic on why from US President Johnson to Bush, from UN Sec. Gen U Thant to Ban Ki Moon, Singapore has not been internationally criticised for its semi-authoritarian rule...
National service, national responsibilities
Jun. 19 | There is a saying in my office: the job of the Military Medicine Institute is to prove that you don’t have what you say you have. It began as a joke, based on observations that we have made during our time in Basic Military Training. Unfortunately,...
Suggestions are not welcomed
Jun. 18 | Tan Kin Lian During the past years, I have submitted many suggestions to Government agencies and commercial organisations in making simple improvements that cost little to implement and can add a lot of value to the public and customers. However, I get...
Give S’poreans more information – Seelan Palay
Jun. 18 | ‘The only boundaries that we have for self-expression are only the ones we set for ourselves,’ says artist and activist Seelan Palay. Andrew Loh ‘The police asked me for a permit, warned me and told me to disperse. But I am only fasting, why...
Your Voice on TOC
Jun. 17 | This website is about your voice, not ours. It would be ironic to talk about human rights and democracy without highlighting your involvement in shaping the discussion. This week, we will be publishing two full pieces consisting exclusively of a collation...
Govt’s graduate equation needs balancing
Jun. 17 | Gerald Giam The Government seems to be taking one step forward and two steps back on the issue of university education. During last year’s National Day Rally speech, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced plans to set up a fourth university in...
University admissions, employment and help for the poor
Jun. 15 | Leong Sze Hian I am somewhat puzzled by the statistics on university admissions. Surely, what is more important is the number of applicants, rather than the number of applications, since many may apply to all three universities. What is the break-down...
Letter to TOC
Jun. 15 | Letter from a Mr Ng. My friend (who is single, unemployed and illiterate) wanted to rent out one room in her HDB flat after her retrenchment in January this year as a source of income, since being single, she stayed with her niece most of the times....
Chee Soon Juan’s release from prison (video)
Jun. 15 | The Singapore Democratic Party’s secretary general Dr Chee Soon Juan was released from the Queenstown Remand Prison on 14 June 2008. He was incarcerated for 12 days after the courts found him guilty on a contempt of court charge. Two days earlier, his...
Sex and the seduction of money
Jun. 15 | This is a video of Alex Au, also known as blogger Yawning Bread, giving a talk as part of “interesThink 2: Asia – Stepping Up”, held in February 2008. Alex’s talk is titled: Sex and the seduction of money – the pros and pros of prostitution....
Human Rights Focus Week extended
Jun. 15 | Hi everyone, Just a short note to let everyone know that we are extending our Human Rights focus by another week. This is a request which some of you have made to us and the editors have unanimously agreed! Our intended “Wages & Inflation” week...
Religion and the right not to respect it
Jun. 15 | Joel Tan The hold of religion over law and policy creeps in like a thief in the night: once we lose sight of it, we afford religions a trump card, even above fundamental human rights, that they do not deserve. Human rights, civic rights, freedoms, rights,...
Human rights advocacy group disbands
Jun. 14 | Advocacy group SG Human Rights, formed in 2007, has announced that it is disbanding. The following is its statement posted on its website. We are “disbanding” but no, we are not giving up our fight for human rights. SG Human Rights (SGHR)...
Seminar on Internet Regulatory Reform
Jun. 14 | Organised by the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, NTU “The job of a citizen is to keep his mouth open” – Gunter Grass Are Singaporeans satisfied with the state of Internet regulation as existing? If not, what changes do we...
Online Citizen: David vs Goliath in S’pore
Jun. 13 | TOC thanks Malaysiakini for allowing us to publish the following report which appeared on its website on June 11. Tarani Palani A fledgling website in Singapore hopes to emulate its counterparts across the Causeway in bringing democracy to the island...
Local vs foreign workers: Unravelling the debate
Jun. 13 | By not offering adequate protection to foreign workers, the government has created the conditions that make it advantageous and lucrative to hire foreigners over locals. Jolovan Wham Economic fears and resentment towards foreign workers usually rest along...
Gopalan Nair denies charges
Jun. 12 | Andrew Loh In a statement released to the press, lawyer Gopalan Nair rejected accusations that he had sent emails to Justice Belinda Ang and others. Nair was arrested and charged on June 4 for insulting a public servant. Nair is also facing a second charge,...
Human Rights activists – a bunch of ‘fanatics’?
Jun. 12 | The following are extracts of Attorney General Walter Woon’s speech at a Law Society gathering last Thursday where he touched on the topic of human rights. The event was to mark the launch of the Law Society’s Public and International Law Committee. The...
Human rights torch relay in Singapore
Jun. 12 | From SG Human Rights’ YouTube video: On 19 Jan 2008, a group of Singapore human rights activists and Falun Gong practitioners gather for the international torch relay to highlight human rights abuses in China, and in particular the ongoing harvesting...
The childcare teacher – not your high-class maid (Part 2)
Jun. 12 | This is a continuation of the article by Rache Zeng. Read Part One here. Rachel Zeng Parental involvement plays an important part in the early development and education of a child. To enhance what has been taught in school, it is best if parents reinforce...
Shouldn’t MINDEF be more transparent about servicemen deaths?
Jun. 12 | Breaking News: Another servicemen dies on Wednesday (Earthtimes). June 12 – SAF suspends physical training after two deaths in two days. (CNA). Singapore‘s Ministry of Defence has declared a three-day time-out (12-14 June) on all physical...
Public facilities need to be improved
Jun. 11 | Tan Kin Lian Singapore has an excellent living environment. We have trees, parks, clean roads, good drainage and fresh air. But we seem to lack certain public facilities, such as maps, signages and public toilets. I wonder – why are these essential...
S’pore needs human rights
Jun. 11 | Ng E-Jay Misconceptions about what human rights are allow the authorities to, from time to time, reinforce the perception that human rights are unimportant to Singapore. My first foray into the waters of human rights was as a speaker at a forum on an...
Human Rights in everyday life
Jun. 10 | Siew Kum Hong We have spent more than enough years hearing about our obligations as citizens without a corresponding discourse on our rights. I came late to activism, and later to human rights activism. Although I’ve always firmly believed in the importance...
Amnesty International Report 2008 – Singapore
Jun. 10 | Criticism of the government grew despite restrictions on freedom of expression and assembly. Suspected Islamic militants continued to be held without charge or trial under the Internal Security Act amid concerns that some were at risk of torture or other...
The Universal Declaration Of Human Rights
Jun. 10 | Former First Lady of the United States, Eleanor Roosevelt, presented the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to the United Nations in 1948. This year – 2008 – is the 60th anniversary of the Declaration. Below is a video and audio recording...
TOC Human Rights Focus Week
Jun. 10 | The past few weeks have seen the sensational public demolition of one of Singapore’s most prominent human rights’ activists, Dr Chee Soon Juan. Singaporeans have also witnessed the arrest of an idiosyncratic ex-Worker’s Party member, Mr Gopalan...
The integrity of the courts
Jun. 9 | Lee Weijia During the hearings for the quantum of damages between the Chees and the Lees recently, the Chees were cited for contempt of court by High Court Judge Belinda Ang. Subsequently, Dr Chee Soon Juan and Ms Chee Siok Chin were convicted of contempt...
Callous labelling of mental illness smacks of gutter politics
Jun. 9 | TOC Editorial The figure of speech “method in the madness” has taken on a decidedly less figurative connotation when used in relation to Dr Chee Soon Juan and his campaign of civil disobedience. In the latest instalment of Chee’s altercations with...
