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 Wow” session to “[catch] up with friends, meeting new faces, engaging in power talk or just eavesdropping on the latest gossips.”
Everyone is invited. The session will take place as follows:
Where: Old Town White Coffee at Blk 190 Toa Payoh Lor 6 (above KFC)
When: 7pm – 10pm, 21 August (every 3rd Friday of the month)
Who: You, and bring a friend.
Visit: FS Facebook Group.
Saturday, 22 August
In the morning, starting at 8.30am, Maruah (Singapore Working Committee for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism) will kick off its workshop to raise awareness and make recommendations on the functions and roles of the ASEAN Inter-Governmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR).
The AICHR is to be formally installed this October at the ASEAN Summit in Thailand.
For more information on registration and the programme for the workshop, click here and here.
In the afternoon, from 2pm – 4pm, the Youth Wing of The Workers’ Party engages the public in a Town Hall Forum. Titled, “The Road Less Traveled: How youths are taking an alternative route to nation-building”, the forum will see the party’s youth wing members share their thoughts and aspiration “in an open and frank town hall dialogue”.
To register, send your Name/Email to 9162-6801 or email the Workers’ Party Youth Wing at youthwing@wp.sg.
Visit the website for more details.
Finally, at 5pm this Saturday, Mr Tan Kin Lian will take to Speakers’ Corner in a gathering for investors of failed structured products. The event is also to gather signatures for a petition which Mr Tan hopes to send to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
The petition calls for the Pm “to ask the Monetary Authority of Singapore and/or other relevant body to request the financial institutions to make a similar offer of compensation to the investors who are still pursuing their claims for compensation for being ill-advised and/or misrepresented on these products.”
More details on Mr Tan’s blog here.
On Sunday, 23 August:
TOC columnist, Leong Sze Hian will be speaking at Invest Fair ’09, this Sunday, on Managing Wealth in Turbulent Times: Implications from an Islamic perspective. Mr Leong is the President of the Society of Financial Service Professionals.
The event is as follows:
Date: 23 August, Sunday
Time: 5.45pm to 6.45pm
Venue: Suntec Convention Centre level 4, Seminar Room 3
Admission: Free, no registration is required
Website: http://www.investfair.com.sg/seminars_22aug09.html
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Before attending, I like to seek Mr TKL’s stand on the problem of Apathy:
In your opinion, are Youths AND singaporean adults in general mostly apathetic in terms of social-political issues ?
Singaporeans are not Apathetic in ALL aspects. True.
But what about social-political issues?
To me, this IS The problem. The Root.
Mr Tan, if you can clarify your stand.
The investors in these products are so apathetic , that were it not for TKL, they would hve done nothing further after the govmin said.,”Move on”. They would not have moved on, juz nurse their grievances silently or moan anon on the Internet.
There seems to be a sense of entitlement that someone has to do something for them. Someone except themselves.
They are so mean that the petitioners contributed an average of $1.14 each when TKL asked for donations to organise the rally. Only one generous person donated $500 and I exclude his contribution from the $800 raised.
And volunteers from petitioners seem scarce.
How can they expect any public sympathy? They lost mine and I had helped out earlier.
Yes I am this A Tan mentioned in TKL’s blog today.,”A Tan, who is helping me in FISCA, keeps complaining that if the investors are not willing to step forward, why should Tan Kin Lian take the brunt of the personal attacks and sacrifice? He compared the docile attitude of the Singapore investors, with the bravery of the Hong Kong investors.”
How will our future be affected by APATHETIC people?
1. do they QUESTION when necessary, at all?
2. do they CHALLENGE ditto?
3. have they asked PERTINENT social-political questions ?
4. do they know what are the on-going issues like TH, TC, Marital Rape etc issues sufficiently?
5. do they know their mentality can affect the future of the nation?
#3 Ai Wun Der
They are the living dead. Zombies.
can i say something that may not go down well with someone & not be accused of personal attacking?
////The petition calls for the Pm “to ask the Monetary Authority of Singapore and/or other relevant body to request the financial institutions to make a similar offer of compensation to the investors who are still pursuing their claims for compensation for being ill-advised and/or misrepresented on these products.”////
go ahead & ask, but like PTC’s officialdom’s reply to concessionary fares for the elderly, “we cannot force…”.
I am happy to see activists helping singaporeans focus on human rights etc.
But I wonder does singapore have an opposition leader as garang as this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sStDekhgKVg
watch 5min 49th second to 6min 39th second.
If have, also not exactly a bad thing for singapore.
Not quite the weekend but on Thursday evening The Reform Party will be holding its regular meet and greet session – Open House. It is our aim to be approachable in real life and not just in cyber space and to this end we hold meet the people sessions twice a week. Tuesdays for the Youth Wing and Thursdays for everyone else. I attend both personally whenver I can. JBJ’s books are also available on the night. Refreshment of the physical kind is also provided and we are open to all (whether members of a political party/group or not.) . See you there KJ.
I thank KJ for his efforts in reaching out to the people.
I have a humble suggestion.
I have talked to young people I come across and the situation seems to be still the same on the ground – youths are either showing little interest in social-political issues or they seem to be ignorant of issues that exist.
1 way to address this is to somehow make WEBSITES like TOC , Wayangparty.com, RP and WP websites more interesting enough for them to wanna visit it regularly.
1. Give youths what they want. They will come to your websites. This is one way to let them aware.
2. I am sure if a citizen has conscion in him, and knowing some of the main issues, they would have something to speak about it. The key is that they must 1st be aware of the problems in more detail than what they hear from gossips and chitchats etc.
eg. How much is in or left in the Reservoir (typo on purpose) ? A person not knowing what is the impact on his future will not be bothered to ask or seek more info on the matter. A person who knows it affects him will.
peace
Also, i suggest speaking to youths on the streets and getting their views on current affairs.
so many law grads and undergrads. Surely these are opinionated intellectuals?
So, where do we see they give their comments on national issues?
I expect them to be intellectuals and opinionated.
So, i hope to hear from them.
I second Chi Long Kong’s suggestion to reach out to the young Singaporeans. Most of the elderlies are busy fending for themselves and are struggling to cope up with livelihood to survive. Many have little time, money, energy to participate in socio-political matters and not because they are apathetic.
There were some young commenters in TOC sometimes back, now do not get to read their postings, wonder why. From those comments from our youths, I did find them reading the developments in our society very much like that of the Regular Commenters.
The disadvantages our youngs face are: lack of living experiences in the earlier days of Singapore and I think the most valueable culture they missed are the social compact amongst the older generations helping and taking cares of each others. Clans, Provincial(from the same provinces in China/India and elsewhere), Familial(same surnames) Associations and other locally set-up social recreation clubs were organizations that functioned like present day charities which caters to most needies. Those days there were hardly any inflexible procedures and redtapes. Even at Places of Worships, helps were readily available and some of them are presently doing the same giving free foods, cooked/uncooked and cash occassionally at festivals.
Free Chinese Clinics catered to those that needed medical attentions and up to the late sixties, most GOVERNMENT HOSPITALS charged only few Dollars for treatments and hospitalizations. Now, stays in hospitals could cost more than staying in five-star hotels.
From the early care-free, simple, traditional caring and low-cost livings to the present pressure-cooker, expensive, selfish and highly materialistic lifestyles, happiness has eluded many, even well educated and ambitious people. Indeed, we have to learn from the Bhutanese and measure the success of our existences with a Happiness Index.
patriot
Hi, Chi long gong and patriot. I second your comments but would wish to reassure you that the youth are one of the more engaged and politically conscious groups in our society. Every Tuesday evening we have an Open House specifially for our youth wing, The Young Reformers, which is lively and well attended and in fact I went there last night and I can attest to that. We have a design competition which is bringing in great entries and engaging the youth. Of course an active and exciting Website will attract youth but not necessarily in the right way. This is not a battle bewteen rival media corps wrestling for ratings or a majority share of the market. Blogs and online publications need to concentrate on their online presence and do not neeed to venture out of cyber space but we cannot operate almostexclusively in cyber space. Winning in cyber space will be an own goal in the end in our country where it is already so hard to turn discussion into action. On September 18th I will be a panel speaker for the SMU’s International peace day forum. I admit our website needs revamping ( so much else needed to be done first) but I hope engaging the students in our National Institutions will help them to be more actively aware. You made lots of other good points but I will stick with The Youth.
Dear KJ:
thank You very much for your personal response, there is no doubt that You will reach out to all fellow Singaporeans.
Our calls to consciously rope in the youngs, for me; is to let our youths know that the older generations are looking forward to their participations and for them to understand the needs for their involvements. As they are going to be our future leaders and pillars of society, imbueing them with proper virtues and values would greatly enhance the wholesomeness and ideals that all of us yearn for.
Personally, I have great respect for your Late Father, his deeds and sacrifices demonstrated the selflessness in him and I believe You will continue his good works to benefit your fellow countrymen.
Wish You will achieve our endeavour for a happy society.
Yourstruly: patriot
What if the CREW are there with all their tools and equipment ready on standby ?
will scarecrow meet mrs king?
Friends of SDP should send informative website links to their contacts in facebook, messenger group, email group etc.
TIME is running out.
I have decided to Voice Up after being a victim of life and the system.
IF i do not help myself by attending HLP session,
who am i expecting to help ME?
We live in singapore.
no one owes us a living.
if your porcelain is broken, not so good luck.
I do not expect another singaporean would help me if i am in trouble especially getting help from a stranger.
singaporeans even neighbors dont talk to one another.
in office, office politics, survival of the fittest.
low quality of life.
Till date, since i was born,
I HAVE NEVER SEEN WP COME TO MY HOUSE IN HOUGANG.
Why don’t you try knocking on all HG resident doors and maybe we can talk to you and see what you are like in order to vote for you or your part?
#18, my PAP MP also never knock at my door. If they knock, so what? I will not vote for them. At least u will always have a chance to vote while the rest of the Singaporeans at “”Walk Over” GRCs got no chance to vote.
So much for a democratically elected gov….
BTW, is there a website of the Speaker corner listing who speaking during which day? I remember searching at NPark website but cannot see any.