Home » Archive for September, 2008
Archive for September, 2008
Stand up, Singaporeans!
Sep. 30 | Cast off the slumber into which you have been led into for the last 10 years. Wake up to your rights as a human being, to your proper role as citizens of this country. JB Jeyaretnam, July 2008
A true son of Singapore
Sep. 30 | Facebook Group: In Memory of JB Jeyaretnam. Join the group here. The wake is at: Mount Vernon, Upper Aljunied Road, Funeral Parlour 1. Time: 7pm onwards. The funeral will be on Saturday. The editors and writers of The Online Citizen would like to...
Biggest hike in 8 years but “we’re better off”
Sep. 30 | In a market where oil prices are relentlessly moving up, by pegging to three-month forward fuel price, we have been better off by and large. Energy Market Authority (EMA) chief executive Khoo Chin Hean, on biggest hike in electricity tariffs in 8 years
Wall Street suffers biggest ever one-day fall – Dow Jones crash 778 points
Sep. 30 | Breaking News: Mr JB Jeyaretnam, veteran opposition politician, passed away from a heart attack earlier this morning. From CNNMoney NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Stocks skidded Monday, with the Dow slumping nearly 778 points, in the biggest single-day...
US Presidential Debate
Sep. 29 | Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) participate in the first 2008 Presidential debate. ———-
Population and national investments – missing numbers
Sep. 29 | Leong Sze Hian / Columnist I refer to the Department of Statistics’ reply “Number of S’pore citizens growing” (ST, Sep 20) to Michael Eng’s letter “Is the population of Singapore citizens shrinking” (ST, Sep 18). It states that: The number...
That’s life
Sep. 29 | But that’s life – if you want to have a good rewards, you’ve got to take risks. Otherwise, leave your money in your CPF. Goh Chok Tong, on investors of minibonds and high notes
It’s not just about Chee, but media lunacy
Sep. 29 | Terence Lee / Youth Editor Almost every student I spoke to agreed with me: censorship is outdated. In fact, when I wrote the article entitled ”NTU censors campus news coverage of Chee Soon Juan visit“, I had difficulty finding students...
A message from AIG (New York office)
Sep. 29 | The following is an email which TOC received from Mr Peter Tulupman of AIG (Media Relations), New York. I hope this email finds you doing well. I know you and The Online Citizen have covered quite closely the unfolding financial market news this past...
Whose home?
Sep. 27 | The number of non-residents grew by 19 per cent, while the resident population went up by a mere one per cent. Channel NewAsia
Pro-Singapore
Sep. 26 | I am neither pro-PAP or pro-opposition – and I am not interested in being partisan. Essentially, I am pro-Singapore. Rachel Chung, TOC columnist, on ST interview
The stork is still not quite convinced
Sep. 25 | This is the second of a two-part series in response to the marriage and parenthood package announced by the Prime Minister in his National Day Rally speech 2008. Read Part One here. Gerald Giam / Deputy Editor Among the goodies to be doled out by the...
Opening up through disobedience
Sep. 25 | The actions of the SDP and other pro-democracy activists, which included the use of civil disobedience, have led to the opening up of Speakers’ Corner for demonstrations, albeit in a very limited way. John Tan, S’pore Democratic Party
Changed Singapore Dream: Fleeing The City of Possibilities
Sep. 25 | Dharmendra Yadav / Guest Writer Get a good education, work hard, save money, get married, own homes, make babies, retire and enjoy the fruits of your labour – this was once the Singapore Dream. In the last 5 years, I know of several friends who...
A loss of $200 billion?
Sep. 24 | Nor did it reveal the total size of GIC’s portfolio, other than saying it was over US$100 billion. Morgan Stanley estimated it to be closer to US$300 billion before the recent global markets meltdown. TODAY, on size of GIC’s funds.
Al Jazeera on financial crisis
Sep. 24 | Al Jazeera special on how the financial turmoil on Wall Street has affected Asian markets and economies. The panel includes TOC’s columnist Mr Leong Sze Hian. Part One:
Group of Singaporeans organize meeting to discuss collective action on Lehman Minibonds
Sep. 23 | A group of Singaporeans, who invested in Lehman Minibonds, is organizing a meeting on Wednesday (24 September) at the National Library to “discuss collective action and to sign a petition for submission to the authorities,” according to a notice posted...
Bad for F1
Sep. 23 | Going forward with these circuits heralds a bad future for Formula One. Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo (Sky Sports) on new race venues.
Flawed statement of an opposition politician
Sep. 23 | Ravi Philemon / Writer After the 10-minute demonstration against maid abuse by a not-for-profit group, Singapore People’s Party chairman Sin Kek Tong was asked for his comments on the necessity for protests and he responded, “Maybe one day, if...
Protecting the small investors
Sep. 22 | Tan Kin Lian / Columnist Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy on 15 September 2008. Together with the problems faced by Merill Lynch and AIG, this event caused a sharp drop and turmoil in the global stock markets. Many conservative investors in Singapore...
The power of the Internet
Sep. 22 | For the first time in its experience, it would seem that the powerful PAP government stands nonplussed before an adversary. Catherine Lim
Consider…
Sep. 20 | You cannot stop people from putting prohibited content on YouTube, you can’t do that unless Singapore decides to shut down YouTube, which is not going to happen because the damage for Singapore will be a lot worse than just a repeal of the act. Cheong...
Set higher standards for foreign sports talent
Sep. 20 | Matthias Chia / Guest Writer Singapore has just celebrated its recent success at the Beijing Olympics, with our first medal since independence coming from our team of foreign sport talents. Yet, with the ongoing debate on whether or not we should accept...
Paranoia misplaced
Sep. 19 | In Singapore, it seems, we’re more panicked by politics than near homicide. Alex Au
A child is a child
Sep. 19 | Tan Kin Lian / Columnist I find the incentives implemented during the past years to encourage procreation (i.e. Singaporeans to have more children) to be unnecessarily complicated and discriminatory. Each time that the Government implemented a new package...
Does globalisation encourage rational extremism?
Sep. 18 | Cheong En Min / Writer The notion that the world is metamorphosing into a single global milieu of interconnected and mutually-dependent constituents is as popular as it is biased. Taken from the perspective of benefactors of globalisation, the theory’s...
Recognise and reward paralympians fairly
Sep. 18 | Dharmendra Yadav / Guest Writer This week, a disabled athlete ensured that the national anthem of Singapore was heard for the first time at the Paralympic Games, held in Beijing. The Paralympic Games shares the same international status as the Olympic...
Anachronism
Sep. 18 | The sooner we are rid of it, the sooner Singapore can move ahead and develop into a truly democratic and confident nation. Gandhi Ambalam, SDP Chairman, on the Internal Security Act (ISA).
NTU censors campus news coverage of Chee Soon Juan visit (updated)
Sep. 17 | Updated: This is the updated version of the earlier report. Terence Lee / Youth Editor Dr Chee Soon Juan created a whirlwind when he paid a surprise visit to NTU, but left behind only a whimper as the university censored all campus news coverage of his...
The day we went offline (video)
Sep. 17 | Andrew Loh / Deputy Editor When I first broached the idea of holding an event at Hong Lim Park to my fellow editors and senior writers, they were very keen on it. I myself, on hindsight, really had no idea what that would entail. My thought then was:...
Yip Pin Xiu, an awesome achievement!
Sep. 17 | Andrew Loh / Deputy Editor The Paralympics has never really interested Singaporeans – until now. Yip Pin Xiu, the 16-year old with muscular dystrophy, has made sure that the nation took notice. Yip won the gold medal in the 50m backstroke and the silver...
AIMs seeks feedback on New Media
Sep. 17 | The Institute of Policy Studies and the Law Faculty of the National University of Singapore will be organising the above forum to gather feedback from members of the public on the recently published consultation paper by the Advisory Council on the Impact...
Bureau-crazy
Sep. 17 | Jack Sim / Guest Writer If you are an innovator and you require government help (it is easier if you don’t), you may first need to prepare and train yourself to master “The Fine Art of Vomiting Blood”. You know what I mean. But don’t...
Beyond managing homelessness
Sep. 17 | Ravi Philemon “Meet Singapore’s Nomad Families”, a recent Sunday Times article welcomes the average Singaporean. Homelessness is a major issue in all large cities. The numbers of homeless people worldwide have grown steadily in recent years. A recent...
Mind-twisting
Sep. 17 | Since the PCF is affiliated to the PAP, it is ‘quite natural’ for its services to be withdrawn when a ward goes to the opposition, replied Assoc Prof Ho, but the services themselves ‘are surely unpolitical in nature’. Today
Ho Peng Kee: PCF activity different from PAP activity
Sep. 16 | From Channel NewsAsia. SINGAPORE : There is no change to the government’s position on political parties organising outdoor activities. Senior Minister of State for Law and Home Affairs Associate Professor Ho Peng Kee made this clear in Parliament...
The blogging revolution
Sep. 16 | The following is taken off the Guardian website. The author, Antony Loewenstein, is a freelance journalist and author based in Sydney, Australia. Read more about his new book, The Blogging Revolution, here. You can also watch him on Youtube here. Beating...
A truly proud moment
Sep. 16 | What’s amazing about all this? She is just a 16-year-old girl, who studies at Bendemeer secondary. She suffers from muscular dystrophy, which affects her muscle movement. Yog2010
Anwar: We’re ready to form new gov’t
Sep. 16 | TOC thanks Malaysiakini for allowing us to publish the following report here. Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim told a 25,000-strong rally tonight in Kelana Jaya stadium that he had the numbers to form a new government tomorrow. “Tonight on the eve...
Films of demos and assemblies approved by the authorities
Sep. 15 | Andrew Loh / Deputy Editor It took five months before the Board of Film Censors (BFC) approved six films submitted to it by filmmaker Ho Choon Hiong. Four of the six films, of various public demonstrations and public assemblies, were given PG ratings...
Democracy and Elections: The Impact of Online Politics in Singapore
Sep. 15 | The current electoral system in Singapore is impervious to the impact of the internet. James Gomez Aim of study The main goal of this study was to evaluate the impact of alternative online political content on Singaporean multi-party democracy. Ever since...
Bloggers speak up against public transport shortcomings at Speakers’ Corner
Sep. 14 | Selene Cheng Following the news that public transport fares are to go up on Oct 1 this year, six bloggers spoke up against the fare hike at a one and a half hour forum at the Speakers’ Corner last Saturday. The event, which started at 5pm, attracted...
Symptomatic
Sep. 14 | I think this whole reason for the fare hikes is symptomatic of a lot of other issues, for example, the lack of government investment in the public transport system in Singapore. Gerald Giam, Channel NewsAsia
Good crowd turns up for TOC’s first public event
Sep. 14 | The following is the news report from Channel NewsAsia on TOC’s event at Speakers’ Corner yesterday. A crowd of between 150 to 200 people turned up. TOC will have its own report and video published here by Monday. We thank everyone who took the time...
Much ado about nothing, PTC?
Sep. 12 | Leong Sze Hian / Columnist Senior citizens and poor may be hit most by fare hike I refer to the Public Transport Council’s (PTC) press release on the increase in public transport fares from 1 October 2008. The question that may perhaps be foremost on...
Bus rides are unpleasant nowadays
Sep. 12 | Selene Cheng, Tan Jian Wei Public transport companies SMRT and SBS Transit have applied to the Public Transport Council (PTC) to raise train and bus fares on October 1 2008, citing higher fuel, energy, and operating costs from more trips and asset upgrading....
