Home » Archive for August, 2009
Archive for August, 2009
Thousands of Burmese flee into China
Aug. 31 | Ethnic Chinese refugees camp on the border with Myanmar to escape fighting between Burmese troops and local militia groups. (Reuters video)
Low-skilled, low-wage workers an “economic problem”, says Lim Swee Say
Aug. 31 | If we have workers who continue to be trapped in the low-productivity job, in the low-wage jobs, in the low-skilled jobs, whether the worker is a local worker or a foreign worker, he is still an economic problem because Singapore’s economy in certain...
Goodbye, Abu Sama
Aug. 30 | The Online Citizen reported the case of Bangladeshi worker, Abu Sama, in May this year. We gave him the name of “Asmad Kadir” in that report. See here for the story. Abu Sama left for his home in Bangladesh last Friday. The following is an update...
Film censors behaving like bullies
Aug. 30 | My friend asked: So, if we cut out these parts, we can submit again? Yes, she said. Fine, then, we’ll do that. But where’s the film? You can’t have it, she said. It’s been rejected, so we’re keeping it. Alex Au, Yawning...
Is the Public Assistance scheme adequate for elderly folks?
Aug. 30 | Breaking News: The Democratic Party of Japan has won a landslide victory in the country’s general elections, ousting the Liberal Democrats which had ruled the country for most of the last 54 years. (CBC News) Report by AFP, earlier this year,...
The times they are a-changing
Aug. 30 | Bob Dylan’s call to arms for a whole generation. (Lyrics below)
Why report on Viswa Sadasivan’s speech was removed from TOC
Aug. 30 | On Friday, 28 August, The Online Citizen published a report by Fang Shihan on NMP Mr Viswa Sadasivan’s speech at the Lee Kuan School of Public Policy. On 29 August, we removed the report from our website after being contacted by Mr Viswa’s...
The Singapore Story – A failure of pragmatism
Aug. 29 | Note: We have removed the earlier report on the IPS forum on NMP Viswa Sadasivan’s speech. We will publish further clarification later today, together with Mr Viswa’s letter to The Online Citizen. The Current Affairs Desk In his inaugural...
SDP member calls for a more equal and caring S’pore
Aug. 29 | Singapore Democratic Party member Wong U-Wen highlights the difficulties and discrimination faced by the disabled and deaf communities in Singapore. Read: 10 years and still no public transport subsidy for disabled. Read other reports here, here, here.
Be “faster, better, cheaper”, says Lim Swee Say
Aug. 29 | We must become cheaper not by cutting wages but by improving productivity…. As we go into the second half, the only way to win is to focus on the offensive… The downturn is not over yet. We are at half-time now… We want to make the changes ahead...
Foreigners? “We have been calibrating the inflows,” says NPS
Aug. 29 | The following is a letter by Ms Quah Ley Hoon, Director, National Population Secretariat, to questioned raised in the media about the influx of foreigners. (Straits Times Forum Page, 29 August 2009) I REFER to the letters on the subject of foreigners...
Higher incentives do not necessarily lead to higher performance
Aug. 28 | Financial incentives can result in a negative impact on overall performance. “Too many organisations are making decisions – their policies about talent and people – based on assumptions that are outdated, unexamined, and rooted more in folklore...
When the economy dives, the GST must too
Aug. 28 | Imran Ahmed / http://imranwrites.blogspot.com/ It is time for the government to consider lowering the GST rate in light of how it hurts the poor more than the rich. RECENT reports in the international media suggest that the US tax collector has received...
$30 billion in taxes collected
Aug. 27 | THE taxman collected almost $30 billion in taxes from individuals and companies in the last financial year… a 2.4 per cent rise on the previous financial year. Straits Times
Ministry of Finance replies to WSJ article
Aug. 26 | From The Wall Street Journal: Your editorial “Temasek and Transparency III” (Review & Outlook, Aug. 20) makes unfounded claims on disclosure regarding Temasek. The government takes a principled approach in what it discloses on Temasek,...
SIM is “private institution”, so no fare concession
Aug. 26 | Students from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and LaSalle College of the Arts are eligible for the concession card as these institutions are government-aided; whereas students from the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM) are not eligible for the...
Deja vu – lapping it up, again
Aug. 26 | Andrew Loh Remember that time in the 70s and 80s when our mainstream media, playing lapdog to the government, exhorted all Singaporeans to not have too many babies, that “Two Is Enough”? It is testament to the effectiveness of the campaign that...
Level the playing field for locals and foreigners in employment
Aug. 25 | Announcement: We apologise for not updating this website the last couple of days. TOC is taking a few days’ break. We’ll be back soon. Leong Sze Hian was invited by BlogTV to pen an article for them. We publish it below. Before we talk...
NUS students disagree with PM Lee on threats
Aug. 25 | From The Campus Observer: The weakening economy, rather than race and religion, is the greatest threat to national harmony, according to NUS students. In a non-scientific poll of 30 students from various academic disciplines conducted by the Observer,...
Temasek’s revised charter downplays Singapore links
Aug. 25 | From Reuters: SINGAPORE, Aug 25 (Reuters) – Singapore state investor Temasek Holdings [TEM.UL] on Tuesday issued an updated charter that described the fund as an investment firm managed on commercial principles, dropping a reference to its role...
“Why won’t they give me an opportunity?”
Aug. 25 | 13th Death From H1N1: Singapore’s Health Ministry reported on Tuesday the country’s 13th flu A/H1N1 related death case – a 80-year old Chinese man. (See MOH website) Andrew Loh The worst is over for the Singapore economy and the labour...
That speech – highfalutin, over-analysed? Or the hopes of a nation?
Aug. 25 | After all the reaction, condemnation and praise, what is it that NMP Viswa Sadasivan said in Parliament about the Pledge that was so controversial? We hope you will take another look at the following videos of Mr Viswa’s speech again – and decide...
“Singaporeans are a happy lot” reports CNA – using 3-year old survey results
Aug. 24 | Singaporeans are generally a happy lot, especially when compared to people in countries such as China, Vietnam, Korea and Japan. … While Singaporeans are generally a happy lot, this survey was done in 2006… Channelnewsasia. (Why would CNA report...
Tan Kin Lian leads investors in National Pledge
Aug. 24 | Mr Tan Kin Lian leading investors in the recitation of the National Pledge at Speakers’ Corner on 22 August 2009.
A long wait for certainty
Aug. 24 | Andrew Loh Mr Joseph Lee (not his real name) had his bi-annual medical check-up on 13 February this year. The doctor, a general practitioner (GP), found blood in his urine and scheduled him for a second test – on 27 February. Thereon, he was asked...
PAP pondering how best to fight to stay in power
Aug. 24 | The following article is by Seah Chiang Nee, first published on The Star Online. The Government appears to be telling young Singaporeans that if they want debate, the government will give it to them and if the youngsters want parliamentary democracy,...
Academic talks sensibility in Parliament
Aug. 24 | Announcement: DO NOT post quotes from the Bible or other sacred texts in your comments. These will not be allowed and will be removed. Also, do not use caps for your entire post. These too will be removed. Donaldson Tan While the public debate on “highfalutin...
Once upon a time in Singapore
Aug. 24 | KJ Fulfilling the ideals of the Pledge that we hold so dearly is also a brazen act of high treason. No wonder then, we dare not pledge ourselves too seriously. There was a time not too long ago, when we clenched our fists upon our hearts, and pledged...
HDB prices keep rising – even in worst recession
Aug. 23 | The HDB resale price index has surged relentlessly since 2007. Since the first quarter of 2007, the index has increased 35.3 per cent and is now at a record high, even though the economy is still recovering from downturn.This is an anomaly the Government...
Obama reaffirms commitment to “new beginning”
Aug. 23 | United States President, Barack Obama, reiterates the US’ commitment to a “new beginning between America and Muslims around the world” in his greetings to Muslims on the holy month of Ramadan. ”Today I want to wish Muslims across...
“Only I can talk bad about government”
Aug. 23 | Comedian Kumar. “Only I can talk about politics. You all cannot. Because I indian what. Taking over Jeyaretnam.” (Part 2 & 3 below)
What sort of government is this?
Aug. 23 | Why does the Government say it is open, and then come down hard on views that are not their own? They only prove themselves to be closed off to anything remotely different or divergent from their own views. How tragic for Singapore that true debate never...
Lee Kuan Yew – The modern Malay pahlawan
Aug. 22 | Greetings: The Online Citizen wishes all Muslim Singaporeans a blessed holy month of Ramadan. Khairulanwar Zaini The Malay community has found its new defender – Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew. Usually the community’s harshest critic, Lee invoked...
Seeking a fair settlement
Aug. 22 | Andrew Loh Eleven months after US investment bank, Lehman Brothers, collapsed, some investors of failed structured financial products in Singapore are still hoping for the authorities to help them recoup their losses. Their latest attempt at doing so...
“Young bloggers” irks Ms Chua
Aug. 22 | IT IRKS me that young people blog negatively about the Singapore Government. They live in an era where there is peace and harmony, they have a roof over their heads, plenty to eat and so much to enjoy. There is a need to realise that all these good things...
Swiss banking secrecy crackdown: Singapore next
Aug. 22 | From The National Post: The Swiss sting The Swiss have been surrounded for decades by mountains of snow and dirty money. That’s why it is indeed welcome news that Washington has been able to pry open Switzerland’s bank secrecy laws this week. UBS...
RP ND Message – The devil is in the details
Aug. 22 | Andrew Loh / With contribution by Ravi Philemon Singaporeans do not need to choose between prosperity and freedoms, declared Mr Kenneth Jeyaretnam, secretary general of the Reform Party (RP). “The Reform Party’s message continues to be that this...
The Singapore of our National Pledge
Aug. 21 | Choo Zheng Xi / Editor-at-Large / New York The Singapore we know will change. This revelation wasn’t immediately apparent to me, reading reports of this Parliamentary session’s debate. A continent away, the anger and helplessness I felt at our Finance...
God sneaks into our classrooms – Part Two
Aug. 21 | Lim Say Liang In “God sneaks into our classrooms” (Part One), we raised the spectre of stealth religion in our schools. In particular, Creationism. The Online Citizen has managed to interview the following people for their views, including Kenneth...
Stop nannying Malay-Muslims and discard old suspicions
Aug. 21 | Abdul Gafoor I read with pleasure that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, in his National Day Rally speech, has come to acknowledge that Singapore Malay Muslims have developed an unique identity for themselves, and instead of withdrawing the community...
Make mandarin compulsory for all
Aug. 21 | Imran Ahmed Immigration into Singapore has become a hot button issue among ‘born and bred’ Singaporeans. As typically happens during recessions, there is a sense that ‘foreign talent’ is taking away jobs from indigenous Singaporeans....
Proselytisation – should it be allowed?
Aug. 21 | Should proselytisation by religious groups be allowed in Singapore? The following is a letter to the Straits Times forum page (21 August 2009). WRITING this letter has weighed on my heart for a long time, and I cannot agree more with Mr Harvey Neo (‘Timely...
Online space “abuzz” with PAP sites, says Teo Ser Luck
Aug. 21 | Three years on, the online space is abuzz with the People’s Action Party’s main and youth wing websites… The beauty of the new media is that it promotes diverse views and interests. Teo Ser Luck, ST Forum, replying to Choo Zheng Xi’s...
NSP ND Message – Seeking solidarity or sympathy?
Aug. 21 | Donaldson Tan The first thought in my head after watching National Solidarity Party’s National Day Message video (transcript available here) is whether the key theme of the message is solidarity or sympathy. The only tangible difference between...
MM Lee brings the House “back to earth”
Aug. 20 | Minister Mentor’s speech in Parliament on Wednesday, 19 August. Video source: Channel NewsAsia. Watch Part Two below.
This weekend – Pow Wow, Human Rights, WP Youth Wing, Tan Kin Lian & Invest Fair
Aug. 20 | Two public forums, a “pow wow”, a petition-signing event at Speakers’ Corner and Invest Fair 09. This Saturday, 22 August, looks set to be a busy day for civil society. On Friday, 21 August, the Friends Of SDP has its monthly “Pow...
Tharman’s “public interest” remark removed by Straits Times
Aug. 20 | “Volkswagen and The Straits Times are brands with a successful history and a reputation of trust.” – Mr Leon Gumpert, general manager, Sales Singapore, at Volkswagen Group Singapore. (its Times, 15 August 2009) “So they have to adapt but they...
Singapore’s loan sharking problem
Aug. 20 | You shouldn’t criminalize people who have no choice but to turn to the loan sharks to buy food and clothes for their families. Ravi Philemon, interview with Asia Sentinel
Where’s the compassion in our “fine city”?
Aug. 20 | Leong Sze Hian I refer to the article “Jailed for living in illegal tent” (ST, Aug 18). It reported: “Homeless and unemployed, Noor Mohammad Yassin Ismail pitched a canvas tent at East Coast Park in May, 2007, and lived there for almost a month...
