We’d be glad to publish a consolidated list of letters rejected by the Straits Times or TODAY. Of course, if the number of such letters become too many, we too will have to be selective of which ones we publish.

For a start, we’ll publish such letters every Monday.

So, please help us spread the word and let all your friends know that we can publish their letters (original or rejected ones).

Thanks for the suggestion!

Andrew Loh

Frankly I wont know why they rejected some but published others. I guess they have their selection criterion. Sometimes they editted alot but often, at least for my case, they did not really remove out alot of the points that I raised.

For your info, my first letter was published about 6-7 years ago after three months of fruitless writing. I must have written at least 20 times before they decided to publish one letter! After that, I managed to get more letters published but I wrote alot so they may have cast compassion on me I guess to publish my letters at least once a month!

For a start, it may be good to write topics that interest the public. However, as interesting hot topics are also picked up by other writers so I guess you may have to compete. It may be good also not to write too long as ST forum pages sometimes can only fit not more than 5 letters a day. ST online Forum is an easier place to start with and I have a lot of letters slotted there. Of course, compared to the print section where everybody can read, ST online forum does sound secondary compared to the forum print page section.

If you write just to complaint against the govt, it may also be a bit difficult for the paper to pick it up unless it is really very well written. It may be good to self moderate a little and still manage to get your valid points across. That probably may be the key to getting your letter published but I am merely speculating here.

For starter, do try out the free My Paper “I Say” column. They are very supportive of letter writers and generally will print what you have sent to them. I must have at least 20 letters published there.

I still feel the law of average will take care of things here. If you write alot and reasonably well, I don’t see how you can be ignored for too many times. So never give up! Your next try may be your first letter that they will publish!

Hope this help.

Tan Kin Lian – you should just disregard statements made that has no basis, and not waste you time attending to such letters especially if such people cannot differentiate the difference between an Income policy and these structured products, and the core of the issue in the minibond saga which is mis-representation. I believe you are already busy following up on the minibond issues for the unfortunate investors.

Cowboy – the ST calls to check your identity but it does not gaurantee that they will print you letters. No courtesy call afterwards even if they do not print your letter. They have no obligation to print your letter and can throw it into the trash can on the basis that they have too many letters to print and yours is not selected. However if you write propoganda for the government you can be quite sure you will get it printed.

It highly likely since ST says it collecting 70 letters daily, and perhaps many may be repetitious, or can only select those few to make their masters happy. Nonetheless, TOC can consolidate those letters into a single post or download zipfile by week , rather than do it daily because that will be awful lot of work. Most letters are very well-written and well-summarised. Those letters might turn up to be a good source of information and discussion, as TOC can leverage on the reader who read the letters,

If TOC do this well, those who post to ST Forum will soon see it as viable alternative to MSM and help spread the word. Infinite storage versus limited Paper space, and that is where TOC can compete against MSM.

Thats seems like a good suggestion.

It’s up to TOC to take up the idea though logistically it will be overwhelming I guess.

You will be surprised that majority of citizen think that Singaporean is stupid, apathetic and ridiculous when the STForum tends to show complaint of Singaporean over mundane thing. Little did these majority realize that ST intentionally and selectively choose those letters that will not anger their pay political master.

Most meaningful letters go into waste because these letters sent to ST Forum get downplay or never get publish, perhaps the letter will be much appreciated here in TOC instead.

I wrote to ST forum at least thrice a week and so far on an average I got a letter published in print edition per month. This is the average I think most writers will get unless they are daily writers. Many of course went to the online forum section. Many more were discarded.

I believe that ST forum receive hundreds of letters each day and frankly they need to be selective on what they could publish.

If you want your letters to be published I guess the key is to write more and the law of average will take care of itself.

I thank Oscar Choy and smallvice585 for presenting the situation quite fairly.

Before you continue to make sweeping statements, I stress you should go and do your own independent research instead of qouting on Elfred from YPAP. This is equivalent to depend on Straits Times on domestic political development in Singapore.

Your entire argument in #29 is completely self-defeated by your first sentence: Both the income policy and these investment products are the same. This is because Income policy and investment products are not the same.

The former is capital-guaranteed and returns is still dependent on market condition. The latter is capital-protected and returns is also dependent on market condition. When market condition is bad, the return on both products is inherently slashed.

The issue with the recent saga of failed structured products is mis-representation. Whether the structured products were bought in good times or bad times is actually immaterial to the case of mis-representation because they are not related.

Please panter92, do not just sweep the dust under your “bundak” only? Do not just laugh off lightly? Be an adult. Wake UP.

Both the income policy and these investment products are the same. Please compare them before you go about contradicting yourself.

Your income policy was sold much earlier, before the Asian financial crisis or the dotcom bubble. You also claimed it was safe am I not right? At least, your sales agents did. So why were the returns slashed then? Everything was in black and white wasn’t it?

As for these current failed structured products, aren’t they almost exactly the same? They were bought when times are good.

So since you’re at Hong Lim Park protesting about the failed products with alleged mis-sellings, what about your agents? Can we protest against you?

*laughs*

Btw, this argument isn’t mine. It’s from an Elfred in YPAP. I won’t take credit for his work, but I think in his life so far, he did do or write something worthwhile.. at last.

haha…

I need full kit of solar energy complect for my home, Where I can look at thechnical specifications and examples? We search on internet and not find this. :( Please if you have some instruction please post.

The bonus rates of Inome was reduced during the Asian financial crisis in 1998 and the dotcom crisis in 2003. They were nencessary due to reflect the drop in asset values.

In subsequent years the bonus were partially restored in 2004 to 2006. In fact the excellent investment yield in 2007 justify a further restoration of the bonuses, but this was not carried out by the new management. Instead, they restructured the bonus and reduced the guaranteed portion. This was the source of my protest.

I believe that it is the duty of any life insruance company, not just a cooperative like NTUC Income, to give a fair return to its policyholders for their many years of savings. They should treat their policyholders fairly.

I normally do not reply to statements that are intended to mislead. In this case, I wish to give a reply to put the record straight.

i sent in a letter on wednesday but all i got was a call to confirm that i’m a real person. no other news so far.

He is the CEO of a Co-Op. How to give higher returns if the investment pools are not functioning well?

You represent one of the many Singaporeans with a very forgetful memory. Have you forgotten how Tan KL slashed the return rates for Income policies that many workers applied for? He was CEO at that time and he agreed to it.

Now, after his ouster, he complained here and there. But how many people who remember past history would trust him? Unfortunately, many Singaporeans forget easily and will turn to anyone when they’re in trouble. Even if that someone may make matters worse. And I’m not talking about the mis-selling issue.

~sigh~

If not, can you ask him why he said what he said? Also, why TOC reader forum letter not published when his was ?

While I partially agree with you and like what you say,
the fact is many still Pay And Pay for printed news daily.

Reading something day after day has a few effects on the person. eg. they cannot feel normal without it for 1 day. The others I am not at liberty to say.
But you can guess.