Home » Archive for October, 2008
Archive for October, 2008
The “R” word – and it’s not “technical”
Oct. 31 | In fact, you could feel the impact of the ‘R’ word everywhere you went. Even with sales promotions, shops were rather quiet and very few people actually bought anything. At one time, I was one of only two customers at the Charles & Keith...
Abdul Razak Baginda acquitted
Oct. 31 | With special thanks to Malaysiakini.com: S Pathmawathy The Shah Alam High Court today acquitted political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda of abetting the alleged murder of Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu. Justice Mohd Zaki Md Yasin ruled that the...
Unwrapping the global financial crisis
Oct. 31 | Donaldson Tan / Writer Although the immediate outlook for the world economy looks grim, the historical experience of the emerging markets pulling the world economy along will point the way forward when recovery gets under way. As the global financial...
Town Councils investments – be accountable to constituents
Oct. 31 | Lim Chih Yang / Writer The on-going financial crisis seems to claim victims in all shape and sizes, from all walks of life and from even the most unlikely of organizations. Even as the various banks and financial institutions rush to contain the public...
MP wasn’t aware of herb garden removal
Oct. 31 | This is a copy of an email which was sent by Mr Rafiz, the person who brought the removal of the herb garden in Yishun, to TOC’s attention. In it, Mr Rafiz gives an account of the meeting he had with the MP for the area, Ms Lee Bee Wah, on Thursday,...
Stricter standards for operators
Oct. 30 | Passengers at busy stations will not have to wait more than two or three minutes during high peak periods. Channel NewsAsia, on stricter standards for transport operators
Town Council explains herb garden removal
Oct. 30 | The following is a comment posted on The Online Citizen by Mr Goh Juak Kin, the General Manager of the Ang Mo Kio-Yio Chu Kang Town Council, in response to media queries about the removal of the herb garden in Yishun. TOC has confirmed with the Town Council...
“Losses not substantial”? Then tell us…
Oct. 30 | Perhaps it is timely for these TCs [town councils] who have invested and lost in the Lehman products to account for the investment in full – how much were purchased, what is the extent of their exposure, and what they potentially have lost. Singapore...
Xtra-insights: Talk the talk or walk the walk?
Oct. 30 | Rachel Chung / Columnist In order to make a difference in the climate of socio-political awareness, we do have to question ourselves too – are we opposing for the sake of opposing? Recently, two incidents made me think about how much our average...
TOC Exclusive – Agnes Lin: a victim of the ST?
Oct. 30 | By Choo Zheng Xi With additional reporting by Terence Lee Ms Agnes Lin was featured in last week’s Sunday Times in an article entitled “Mom and Dad will provide”. The article was part of a set on how Singaporeans are coping with the recession. Twenty-...
FairPrice extends discounts
Oct. 29 | Andrew Loh / Deputy Editor Supermarket chain NTUC FairPrice is extending its 5 percent discount on 500 essential housebrand items till end March 2009. Its Chief Executive Office, Mr Tan Kian Chew, says this is to “make sure that essential goods will...
The fear of the opposition
Oct. 29 | Gerald Giam / Senior Writer I happened to sit next to an older relative at a wedding dinner recently, when our conversation turned to politics. My relative wondered why I had not followed my parents to Australia, and mused that he was considering moving...
Worthless
Oct. 29 | Unfortunately the worst-case scenario has materialised and the majority of High Notes 5 investors will not be receiving anything back. DBS spokesman
Should the Government guarantee bank deposits?
Oct. 29 | TOC EXCLUSIVE: Is Agnes Lin a spoilt brat or a Straits Times victim? TOC speaks to Ms Lin and ST reporter Nur Dianah Suhaimi. Coming next on TOC. Read the controversial Straits Times report here. Tan Kin Lian / Columnist The Singapore Government has guaranteed...
In safe hands
Oct. 29 | Maybe a couple of percentage out of the total investment portfolio (were used in those investments), so the exposure will not affect the overall investment portfolio or the sinking funds per se. There’s definitely no fear that any of the PAP town...
Nation-building or party-building?
Oct. 28 | Andrew Ong / Writer Last Saturday, I came out from a Grassroots Induction Programme feeling intoxicated after being overly-fed with PAP-ganda. This was a session organised by the People’s Association (PA) and I was there to discover more about the...
Culture of fear
Oct. 28 | It is up to the people who fear, to get rid of the fear itself. Cynics may again say that culture is impossible to change. But how do you know unless you try? And it all starts with something small – talk. Da-Phish
Destruction of herb garden contradicts active ageing message, says resident
Oct. 28 | This is a follow-up to TOC’s earlier publication of an email from Mr Rafiz Mohyi Hapipi about the destruction of a herb garden in Yishun. Teng Jingwei All that remains of a 21-year old herb garden is a patch of carelessly levelled soil and several haphazardly...
Fear, apathy – and being interested
Oct. 28 | Andrew Loh / Deputy Editor This article is prompted by this blog entry, “Talk is cheap?”, by blogger da-phish. Having been involved with The Online Citizen (TOC) for almost two years (we’ll be two on December 1st 2008), I have come across several...
Silent fast for Tamil Eelam
Oct. 27 | A silent fast on Monday 27 October 2008 from 9am to 7pm at Speakers Corner for those innocent and helpless children, women and men who are dying in Tamil Eelam, Sri Lanka. Below is BBC’s report on what is happening in Sri Lanka: ——–
A sleeping authority
Oct. 27 | MAS was asleep at the wheel when they allowed these products to be sold in Singapore, they then denied responsibility for the mess, initially distancing themselves then reactively taking action as the protest grew. Lucky Tan
Undergraduates help married couples bond
Oct. 27 | Lee Yen Nee / Writer Instead of helping the elderly, a group of undergraduates decided to engage in a different sort of community service – helping married couples bond. Held last Saturday, “Project M” is an event organised by six first-year students...
“Non-vulnerable” deserve a chance at pay-out
Oct. 27 | Liyana Low / Writer Investors who do not fall under the “vulnerable” group should have a chance at getting their money back from the financial institutions. This was the sentiment at Speakers’ Corner last Saturday where about 500 unhappy investors...
Calls are a-ringing?
Oct. 27 | Leong Sze Hian / Columnist Charity calls ringing? I refer to the President’s Star Charity Show on 12 October. When the show was nearing its end, just minutes before 10 p.m., the amount of donations from calls from the public shown on the screen was...
Govt in no position to guarantee what is safe, says PM Lee
Oct. 26 | Speaking for the first time on the issue of structured products and the losses of investors who invested in them, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said: “The government is not in a position to guarantee what is safe and what is not safe.” ———
Perks cut
Oct. 26 | Company-paid perks from S$25,000 (US$16,919)-a-month housing allowances to country club memberships may dry up for Singapore’s expatriates as the financial crisis heralds new austerity measures by the country’s richest employers. Sin Chew
The Elected Presidency and future non-PAP govts
Oct. 26 | Gerald Giam / Senior Writer If the most important position in the world – the US Presidency – can be left to a democratic vote by citizens, I don’t see why Singapore cannot do the same. The debate about the relevance of the Elected Presidency...
How can “Lui Kong” be so prejudiced?
Oct. 26 | Ho Cheow Seng / Guest Writer My father has incomplete Secondary Education in English. He speaks better Mandarin than he does the English Language. So he’s an anglophone at the mesolectal level. My mother, like my father, came from China when she...
Investors to submit fourth petition to MAS
Oct. 26 | Mr Tan Kin Lian revealed at the Speakers’ Corner event yesterday that he will be asking for 1,000 signatures for a petition – the fourth so far – which he will submit to the Monetary Authority of Singapore. The petition will namely call...
Going to Speakers’ Corner? Inform the Hong Lim Gardener
Oct. 25 | From The Hong Lim Gardener: In his 2008 National Day Rally speech, PM Lee announced new rules governing the space for political engagement and activism in the country. Part of these changes includes the opening of the Speakers’ Corner at Hong Lim Park...
Turning 21 – what next?
Oct. 25 | Eddie Choo / Writer Turning 21 in Singapore means a lot of things – one of which is that I have the right to vote and the ability to choose the political leadership that I want for the community and the country. On another note, it also means that I...
More foreigners, down the spiral
Oct. 25 | If we’ve more foreigners than Singaporeans, then the Singaporeans will become like the foreigners, and we lose our basic attributes. We’ll be down the spiral. Lee Kuan Yew
MM Lee on “assortative mating”
Oct. 24 | Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew: “That is the way the world is. I have explained this. I think I lost votes after I explained the awful truth. Nobody believed it, but slowly it dawned on them – especially the graduates – that yes, you marry a non-graduate,...
Misled into attending ceremony
Oct. 24 | I have thus been misled into attending the ceremony on Monday. MP Chan Soo Sen, in a letter to the Straits Times
Amnesty Int’l calls for support for “peaceful activists”
Oct. 24 | Read also: 19 in court to face illegal assembly and procession charges. From Amnesty International: Once again, trials against dissidents are taking place in Singapore. Some nineteen government critics and human rights defenders are facing criminal...
19 in court to face illegal assembly and procession charges
Oct. 24 | Rachel Zeng Two plead guilty while rest claim trial Subordinate Court 5 was packed with familiar faces from the civil society yesterday. 19 activists and members of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) began their trial at the Subordinate Courts on Thursday...
Sudden removal of herb garden heartless, says resident
Oct. 24 | We received this email from Rafiz Mohyi Hapipi which he wrote to the Ang Mo Kio-Yio Chu Kang Town Council. I am writing to express my deepest regret and unhappiness over the sudden destruction of the herb garden surrounding block 819 Yishun Street 81....
Some lives are not worth living?
Oct. 24 | Ravi Philemon / Writer “Do we allow euthanasia or assisted dying?” asks the Health Minister, Mr Khaw Boon Wan when he spoke on challenges in the healthcare sector recently at the Institution of Engineers’ annual dinner and dance. A Straits...
TOC welcomes new members
Oct. 23 | Dear everyone, The last few months have been very eventful for The Online Citizen. We have virtually doubled our number of visitors, been featured more in the news, organised public events, have had many emails of encouragement, support and criticism,...
Why the discrimination?
Oct. 23 | The main account holder must be 62 years or older at the time of investment, with not higher than a primary school education. The joint account holder, if any, must also not have higher than a primary school education. Hong Leong Finance, on buying back...
损失血汗钱
Oct. 23 | Tan Kin Lian / Columnist (Chinese translation by Teng Jing Wei) For the benefit of our Chinese-speaking readers, we have translated Tan Kin Lian’s earlier article titled “Loss of hard-earned money”. 10月20日的国会，提出好些和雷曼兄弟有关的结构性产品的亏损的问题。财政次长林勋强的答复如下：...
TOC Youth Week: Get out of town
Oct. 23 | Joel Tan / Writer The minute something interesting and distinctive begins to develop in the heart of town, we pull out our guns and go “shoot the eyesore”. A few weeks ago, I opened up the Lifestyle section of the Straits Times on Sunday to read...
Cool and funky… remember “hip & happening”?
Oct. 23 | Singapore must be a “cool” place, a “funky” place… SM Goh
TOC YOUTH WEEK: Don’t blame the education system – speak up!
Oct. 23 | Thank You: We would like to thank all our visitors for the record number of hits yesterday here on TOC. We breached the 20,000 hits for a single day mark on 21 October and overall, we are crossing the 2 million hits mark as well. We thank you for your...
Breaking News: Proposals to restructure minibond notes received by MAS
Oct. 22 | Breaking News: Two international financial institutions have submitted proposals to MAS to restructure the Lehman minibond notes to run to maturity. The MAS says the details of the proposals are confidential but will be made known to investors “once...
WP concerned about “class action suit” by investors
Oct. 22 | Andrew Loh / Deputy Editor In a press statement released by the Workers’ Party on the possibility of investors of structured products staging a class action suit, its secretary-general and MP for Hougang, Mr Low Thia Khiang, said that he is “concerned...
MP Chan Soo Sen’s Uni presence sends wrong signal
Oct. 22 | Choo Zheng Xi / Editor-in-Chief The Straits Times today ran an article exposing unaccredited Panama based university West Coast University (WCU): a dubious outfit that sells degrees with little or no corresponding obligation on its students to clock class...
