Home » Archive for May, 2009
Archive for May, 2009
Indranee Rajah and Sylvia Lim on political changes
May. 31 | PAP MP Indranee Rajah and WP NCMP Sylvia Lim discussed the electoral changes introduced this week. They were on Channel NewsAsia’s Talking Point programme.
Tweaking back to time…
May. 31 | Our forefathers fought for Singapore to be freed from the shackles of colonialism and for us to be able to run this country for our own interests instead of those of our colonial masters. Two generations later we find ourselves struggling again to restore...
More people apply but less people get help?
May. 31 | Leong Sze Hian I refer to the article “NTUC speeds up aid to workers” (ST, May 31). It says; “The labour movement is moving speedily to help 194,000 members affected by the recession this year with $23.2 million worth of cash, vouchers...
Aware coverage – Straits Times defends itself
May. 30 | If Mr Sin is accusing The Straits Times of being in favour of some religions against others – a very serious accusation against a newspaper with 1.4million readers of every religious shade – he should substantiate his complaint. The personal...
Is the HDB profiteering from flat owners’ woes?
May. 30 | Leong Sze Hian One out of every seven HDB flat owners have problems paying their mortgage loans. This seems to be what the statistics have revealed. Last year, the HDB visited 60,000 flats which had problems paying their loans and gave financial counseling...
PAP understands opposition more than opposition understands itself?
May. 29 | Opposition parties & their leaders must beware of such ‘Greeks bearing gifts’ situations. This is especially so when the PAP seemingly understands the entire opposition camp much better than the fragmented opposition camp understands itself. Yaw...
In unity for her liberty
May. 29 | Message from Maruah, which is organising a peace vigil for Aung San Syu Kyi on May 31. This is a peaceful rally to ask as many people in Singapore to give two hours of their time to show support to a courageous women – Daw Aung Sung Suu Kyi –...
No need to vote tactically, says Vivian Balakrishnan
May. 29 | What we are trying to tell our people is that in future, you don’t need to vote tactically. We will guarantee a diversity of views in this House, but focus on choosing candidates who can form a government, focus on choosing someone who will run your...
Christian couple guilty of sedition
May. 29 | A CHRISTIAN couple who mass-mailed evangelical tracts to the public for many years were on Thursday found guilty of distributing seditious or objectionable publications to three Muslims. Straits Times
Victims of reverse tactical ploy or party political opportunists?
May. 29 | Announcement: TOC is relaxing its moderation policy. As most of you can see, your comments are allowed to be posted immediately. However, we are still keeping an eye on the comments, and will not hesitate to remove those which are personal attacks, racist...
Shame on you TNP! Shame on you!
May. 29 | From the blog, DK Dot As Gee: I don’t buy The New Paper on a regularly basis. But I purposely went around searching for a copy of 28 May 2009 issue of TNP after hearing from someone on twitter saying that TNP published the name of the first Singaporean...
The fallacy of “growth at all costs” (part four)
May. 29 | Rajiv Chaudhry / Writer In this four-part series, Rajiv contends that Singapore’s current economic model of high growth, which has served the nation well in the past, is unsustainable for the future as it will undermine Singapore’s ability...
Change you can believe in? (part four)
May. 29 | Photo: A church service at City Harvest Church. Most Christians in Singapore are adament that homosexuality is a condition that is changeable. Courtesy of Liu Kam Kit / Creative Commons Terence Lee / Deputy Editor In this four-part series, the writer...
A mockery of Parliament – appointed MPs, Loser MPs, Walkover MPs…
May. 29 | Andrew Loh In a democracy, the people elect its representatives to Parliament. That is the purpose of having elections. Any schemes which go against this principle should be rejected. Why? The idea of having citizens elect their Members of Parliament...
Singapore’s security and evolving the political system
May. 28 | H1N1 Flu Update: Singapore confirms 3 more H1N1 flu cases. Not local transmissions. Confirmed cases returned from the U.S Worker’s Party NCMP Sylvia Lim addresses in a parliamentary speech the incoming electorial changes. At this late stage...
The Emperor’s new clothes
May. 28 | KJ In a letter that appeared in the Straits Times forum online (“Whatever the issue, let’s learn to argue well”, 27 May 09), Ms Lisa Li, a GP teacher, made the case for arguing well. She says: “… given that Singapore will always have a diversity...
MP Low Thia Khiang’s speech on the Presidential Address
May. 28 | Translation by Donaldson Tan / Head, TOC International / London This is a non-verbatim translation of the original Mandarin speech. The videos of Mr Low’s speech can be viewed here. You can find the Mandarin Transcript here. Mr Speaker Sir, For...
Blogging seminar this Saturday
May. 28 | Jointly-organised by the Institute of Policy Studies and The Online Citizen, the full-day Blogging Seminar takes place this Saturday. If you would like to participate, please do email the persons in charge (see below) or visit the website for more details. The...
ERPs but still congested
May. 28 | Highways are always congested, regardless of whether Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) is there or not. Jeremy Leong, Straits Time Forum Page
TOC Analysis: PM’s gambit is manufactured dissent par excellence
May. 28 | Choo Zheng Xi / Khairulanwar Zaini In chess, a gambit is an opening move which sacrifices a minor piece for a stronger strategic position later in the game. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s recent changes seem to have answered the opposition and the...
TOC apologises to Ms Stephanie Chok
May. 28 | Mr Alex Au, in his blog, has highlighted what he termed “an ill-judged and irresponsible scoop”. Mr Au was referring to the letter written by Ms Stephanie Chok on the Chinese worker who was sentenced to jail for attempting suicide at the Ministry...
Political changes are for “long term strength and stability”, says PM Lee
May. 27 | Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced changes to the political system in Singapore in Wednesday’s session of Palriament. Here are the videos of PM Lee’s speech:
Breaking News: 9 opposition MPs, including NCMPs, to be allowed
May. 27 | You can read the full transcript of PM Lee’s speech here. Watch the videos of PM Lee’s speech here. From the Straits Times: NEW changes to Singapore’s political system will lead to non-People’s Action Party members taking up at...
Chiam asks for two-member GRCs
May. 27 | Bigger GRCs are not needed because two-member GRCs can produce the optimum number of minority race MPs, while maximising meritocracy in the Singapore electoral system. Chiam See Tong
Govt appoints 7 gatekeepers to vet political films
May. 27 | Extract from Martyn See’s blog, Singapore Rebel: After you make a film in Singapore, you are required by law to submit your film to the Board of Film Censors (BFC). If your film has political content, you have two choices – to declare that it...
Fallacies of the boon of PAP dominance
May. 27 | Breaking News: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announces changes to electoral rules. Parliament to have at least nine opposition MPs, including NCMPs. Breaking News: Mas Selamat Kastari, suspected terrorist caught by Malaysia, has been put on a two-year...
Don’t turn my country into an administrative state
May. 27 | Breaking News: Singapore confirms first case of H1N1, Influenza A. She is a 22-year old woman. She was in New York from May 14 to 24. She arrived in Singapore on 26 May and her GP sent her to the hospital on the same day. Gerald Giam / Senior Writer I...
Political changes – what about the media?
May. 27 | Andrew Loh Singaporeans wait with bated breath the announcement of changes to the political system in Singapore. According to a Straits Times report, SM Goh mentioned three considerations before such changes will be made: “One, they must be fair to...
Scene reconstruction: David Widjaja’s last moments
May. 27 | Khairulanwar Zaini and Jonathan Koh The coroner’s inquiry into the death of NTU student, David Widjaja, resumed on Tuesday with Dr. Christopher Syn, a senior forensic scientist with the Health Sciences Authority, and Ms Lim Chin Chin, HSA’s forensic...
PAP MPs “work for it”?
May. 27 | If the Opposition wishes to have a geographical constituency, then like the PAP they must work for it and they must earn it. Many people ask the PAP government for many things but surely here a line must be drawn. PAP MP Indranee Rajah
Change you can believe in? (part three)
May. 26 | Photo: The Aware saga revealed how certain religious groups perceived homosexuality and the notion of whether change is possible. By Damien Chng. Terence Lee / Deputy Editor In this four-part series, the writer explores the idea of conversion therapy...
ST letter in response to China worker jailed for 10 weeks
May. 26 | The following is a letter sent to the Straits Times forum by Ms Stephanie Chok in response to the report, “Jailed for 10 weeks“. Dear ST Forum, I refer to the report ‘Jailed for 10 weeks’ (ST, 25 May 2009), in which a Chinese national...
Growing the economy – Indian style
May. 26 | Fang Shi Han / Bangalore, India Despite many bureaucratic inefficiencies and a lacking infrastructure, India is fast emerging as an economic powerhouse that poses a serious challenge to rising China and the West. Much has been said about a ‘rising...
TOC Editorial: But butterflies are free
May. 26 | Singaporeans should question the relevance of the Internal Security Act Invoking the memory of the so-called “Marxist conspiracy” of 1987, in which more than 22 citizens were detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for supposedly conspiring...
President’s Address – Low Thia Khiang’s Parliamentary Speech
May. 26 | Part One (In Chinese): Part Two:
Political changes – be open to a hybrid system
May. 26 | We should also remain open to the possibility of a hybrid system, where the majority of seats are determined by a first-past-the-post system, but with a limited number of seats allocated by way of proportional representation. Siew Kum Hong, in Parliament
1987 “Marxist Conspiracy”? People are just “jealous”, says letter to ST forum
May. 26 | Letter to the Straits Times forum by Lionel De Souza: I READ last Friday’s report, ‘Ex-ISA detainees remember 1987 arrests’, with some consternation. I cannot fathom the necessity to resurrect and commemorate the arrest of members of...
“Operation Spectrum was political rape”
May. 26 | The Online Citizen officially ends its “Marxist Conspiracy: Truth or Government Propaganda” Special Feature Week with this article. We thank our readers for their patience and indulgence as we took the week to highlight the events of 1987....
We’re too mollycoddled
May. 25 | I would sometimes tell them ‘You should let the children care for you, not the state, not because this is a good public policy (although it is), not because society expects it (although it might), but because it is the right thing to do. It is...
Why there is no subsidy for the poor….
May. 25 | The CEO of SMRT goes to work in a Mercedes. She deserves it because the profits of SMRT has doubled in the past few years. Even as the economic crisis put thousands of Singaporeans out of the job, the SMRT’s latest quarter results show another...
Parents should not abdicate their responsibility to kids
May. 25 | Parents should take responsibility of their children and not abdicate them to the society or government or even use children as an excuse to forward their own agendas. Kenneth Lim Ming Jin
Changes to S’pore’s political system afoot
May. 25 | Extracts from The Straits Times: CHANGES to Singapore’s political system are in the works and on Sunday, Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong spelt out three principles that will guide these amendments. ‘First, they must be fair to all contesting...
Temasek: Lose so much, tell so little?
May. 25 | Leong Sze Hian / Columnist In the annals of investment history, perhaps never has so much been lost in so short a time! Will Singaporeans ever forget when they woke up on May 16 to discover that – “Temasek sells BoA stake: Move in line with fund’s...
Time for the government to re-look “no-welfare state” policy
May. 25 | Tan Kin Lian / Columnist For many decades, the Singapore Government has adopted a policy of a “no welfare state”. They have extolled on the population the risk of a welfare mentality – people get lazy and expect a good life without putting in the...
1989 – Lee Kuan Yew’s defamation suit against FEER
May. 24 | Nathaniel Koh This article consists mainly of excerpts from the Straits Times and the Wall Street Journal. Overview In September 1989, then-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew sued the Far Eastern Economic Review (FEER) over an article related to the “Marxist...
10 years – and still no public transport subsidy for disabled
May. 24 | Jonathan Koh Reena Rajasvari, 50, has been visually impaired for twenty-two years. Struck by glaucoma – a group of diseases that damaged her optic nerve – she gradually lost her vision in both eyes when she was 28. From afar, however,...
Change you can believe in? (part two)
May. 23 | Photo: Many gays who went through Choices Ministry gave up the pursuit of opposite-sex relationships. Courtesy of Mumblegum / Creative Commons Terence Lee / Deputy Editor In this four-part series, the writer explores the idea of conversion therapy and...
That we may dream again – book review by Chee Siok Chin
May. 23 | The following is a review of the book, That We May Dream Again, by Ms Chee Siok Chin in March 2009. The book is a collection of writings by several former Internal Security Act detainees, including some of those who were detained in 1987, about their...
Let the people judge
May. 22 | Andrew Loh / With special thanks to Martyn See On 10 June 1987, Mr Tan Wah Piow released a book, which few Singaporeans would have known or know about. It was called, “Let the people judge – Confessions of the most wanted person in Singapore.” The...
