Leong Sze Hian
The foundations of a democratic society, arguably, are transparency and accountability.
Can we build a democratic society when there is a lack of these ?
The answer is no.
Whilst Singaporeans have over the years called for the government to be more accountable on various issues, perhaps the most contentious is that pertaining to our reserves.
In the reports, “CDCs urged to enlist more helping hands” (ST, Jun 30) and “Temasek helps local needy” (ST, Jun 26), the number seeking financial assistance has increased by 40 per cent, and those seeking help with jobs doubled, from October last year to April this year.
In May 2007, Temasek launched the Temasek Foundation with an initial endowment gift of S$500 million.
In June, Temasek announced the establishment of Temasek Cares CLG Limited (Temasek Cares), an Institution of a Public Character that will focus on supporting the community in Singapore.
Temasek Cares said that it has received a S$100 million endowment from Temasek Holdings, and hopes to spend about S$2 million a year.
Temasek’s funds and assets are originally derived from the Singapore Government, and these indirectly belong to the citizens of Singapore.
Do other Government entities create philanthropic activities?
The answer I believe, is no.
Why? Because in my view, money which belongs to the government and the people, must be accountable to the people. Thus rightfully, only governments can make decisions of philanthropy as governments would be accountable to the people through Parliament.
In the case of Temasek, not only are its returns somewhat lacking in transparency, there is also a lack of accountability to Singaporeans in respect of its philanthropy.
Temasek’s chairman, Mr S Dhanabalan, said in June, ““To-date, we have committed and contributed around S$1 billion directly and indirectly to the communities in Singapore and around Asia over the 35 years since our inception.”
According to its web site, 11 of its past 12 programmes were focused primarily on citizens of countries other than Singapore.
Why have almost all its projects in the past been focused on citizens in other countries, and why did it take so long for it to start helping needy Singaporeans?
This begs the question – why set aside $500 million for foreign projects and why is only $100 million set aside to help Singaporeans? And even this is limited to S$2 million a year.
How much of the approximate $1 billion that Temasek Holdings has committed and contributed to the communities in Singapore and around Asia since it was set up in 1974 was used to help needy Singaporeans?
By the way, according to the article, “Sovereign wealth funds suffer sharp falls” by the Financial Times, on 21 July, Singapore’s Government Investment Corporation (GIC) has an estimated US$350 billion under management, and sovereign wealth fund portfolios have contracted 18 per cent since the end of 2007.
If Singaporeans have to rely on foreign newspapers to guess the amount of our reserves and its losses (note : Temasek’s last reported returns was only until November 2008), we “sure have a long way to go”, to becoming a democratic nation, with transparency and accountability!
Finally, I would like to agree with the Minister Mentor’s recent remarks that Singapore is not yet a nation.
For a nation to not know how much and what constitutes our reserves is one thing. Not being able to question how they are used and to what extent to help needy Singaporeans, vis-à-vis foreigners, is something else altogether.
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i tot is obvious why Temasek Cares mainly help foreign countries and their poor people. basic PR exercise to pave way for corporate investments in those countries wat.
so in fact Temasek Cares is not a philanthropic organisation. is Temasek PR department with a massive PR budget! :)
Temasek Holding have no right to spend MOF money (belonging to ALL Singaporeans) this way.
It should be ploughted back to Ministry of Finance and sent to help our needy poor.
Or enhance the returns on our CPF.
Why is Temasek holding all these monies while CPF is insufficient for our retirement??????
The only help is when PAP help themselves to the people’s money. But it seems 66.6% dont mind.
Don’t be fooled by the headline news of how much $$ temasek has given out for charity purposes. They say “committed”, but only god knows how much they ACTUALLY gave!!
There are so many areas where the PAP government has shown disintegrity as far as the national pledge is concerned. For example transparency in Temasek business dealings etc…. PAP government do not feel ashame to make the millions of school students recite the pledge everyday while they themselves are not following.
Temasek Holdings is government PaP controlled, taxing the citizens’ sweat money but not giving back to assist the destitutes of Singapore. Losing Billions in oversea debacles and now just to soothe the general public because PAPpy
is not very popular with all the failed ventures, forced to take out 100 million to help Singaporeans. How? more red tape and later on again squeeze the average
S’porean dry by increasing other taxes ?
The most farcical happenings in Temasek is the reinstatement of Ho Ching.
What can S’poreans say or act under a nepotic rule ?
What transparency and accountability are we talking about? PAPpy is too powerful to answer to anyone. I am the law, the order, the destiny of your life?
SO CAN WE STILL BE SO BLINDED TO STILL LET PAP’S OBSOLUTE POWER
RULE S’PORE AND ENRICH THEMSELVES WITH HUGE PAYCHECK WRITTEN BY THEMSELVES.
A MINISTER EARNING $150,000 a mth, a worker earning $1000 a mth. The worker will need to slot and slot 12.5 years to draw that $150,000.
This is the power we citizens gave the PAP and they are enriching themselves,
their relatives and cronies with all the “LEGAL” ASPECT OF WEALTH.
MANY SINGAPOREANS ARE SUFFERING. WAKE UP! WAKE UP CITIZENS.
TO MANIPULATE OUR LIFE AND DESTINY AND ENRICH THEMSELVES WITH
indeed, we are suffering……..pledge? i think money is more than important right now then pledge.
7/8/09
Our Modern Singapore is already a modern democratic nation, yes there are restrictions and who are we to blame-blame the PAP government of the day or ourselves. To me, we must first blame ourselves especially our fathers and grandfathers who continuous voting in the PAP government since our independence (Dark Ages) and today, we are no longer in the Dark Ages, and we must use the Ballot Box if we want changes, no matter how difficult and long our road is and we must succeed and to do so, we must have a Singapore Anwar Ibrahim who must be a Chinese and not an Indian (our Modern Singapore is majority Chinese and not all will support an Indian Anwar Ibrahim-he being Indian will never understand our Chinese Society and their needs, and the same applies when we had an Indian Educaion Minister and I had written on Discuss-Singapore earlier, he would never understand our Chinese Society needs especially education. Thank God, he has been replaced with an Education Minister who is a Chinese. Now, we have an Indian Finance Minister, I doubt he really understand our Chinese Society and their needs.)
Does our Modern Singapore really needs an Indian Anwar Ibrahim who is highly educated from a Top Gun university-can he really understands the majority Singapore Chinese and get their support and my answer is a BIG NO, perhaps he may get all the votes of non Chinese especially Indians, a big portion of Malay and other ethnics and their votes). The late JBJ did not receive full support of the Chinese votes and their support.
Yes, Modern Singapore is a democratic nation and their are flaws in our laws and public institutions which need to be fine tune, and not totally replace and we can do this by exercising our votes in the coming General Election ie votes in as many Oppositions regardless whether they are equal or better than the PAP, or morons which don;t matter to me (take a good look at our neighbour Malaysia, the Malaysian voters voted in many Morons MPs and State Assemblymen and in the state of Perak, three of them sold their fellowmen out, to the Barisan-UMNO government which is now the state government of the day in Perak).
There are more transparecies and accountablities in our Modern Singapore unlike in other Asian nations especially Malaysia where billions had been pocketed by the ruling Barisan–UMNO since independence in the so called development plans, and what had they produce and bunch of good for nothing Malay graduates who are unemployed (yes there are a few good ones only).Hence let us value what our Modern Singapore has under the PAP since our independence and accept that there are only flaws in our laws and public institutions which can be fine tuned and not totally replace and to do so, let us as fellow Singaporeans use our judgement and if we feel there is a need for more oppositions in our Parliament, let us vote them in and give the PAP governemnt a run for their money. I am all for good for our Modern Singapore which must never become like Malaysia where people taking to the streets in protest like last week we saw both Anti-ISA and Pro-ISA (ISA is still very relevant in our Modern Singapore, perhaps, it must be fine tune. The PAP government has not abuse the use of ISA on Opposition politicians for more than 20 years, correct me if I am wrong, like in Malaysia where the Barisan-UMNO government has been using ISA to silence the opposition politicians and MPs, now they are using the Malaysia Anti Corruption Commision which we saw the murder of a DAP poltiical aid the late Teoh Beng Hock, perhaps his death is a good cause for the opposition come next General Election which we can see the Pakatan Rakyat being voted in as the next Federal Government.
I welcome feedbacks on this posting of me as I write as I see it.
Regards
Andrew Chuah
Pledge! what kind of pledge do we singapore have today? wonder if those army military knows what is the meaning of taking the singapore pledge today or they just bla blab bla . . . . . blind following the blind.
let’s pay out the money to all singaporeans and start all over again
This is our pledge:
We, the Ah Bengs of Singapore,
pledge ourselvs as one united punters,
to strike the 4D, Toto and Singapore Sweep,
based on good luck and fengshui,
so as to achieve richness,
wealthyness and happiness for our family.
I as a Singaporean always scold Singaporeans, especially those of 66.6%, why they pay and pay without knowing they pay for what?
there is a campaign come this national day at about 20.20 hrs, we suppose to
stop what we are doing to recite the Pledge, understand KFC and Pizza Hut
staff are following suit. Hands up who else would?
7/8/09
Hi Nothoodwinked
Good to hear from you. Taking a pledge is one thing but whether one is sincere to honour it is another, and no point being a hypocrate reciting the pledge loudly infront of hundreds of people.
Our Modern Singapore is a multi racial ie the majority is Chinese, Malay, Indian and others, and we cannot run away from this fact and there is no such thing as a Singaporean race (similar with our neighbour Malaysia ie Bangsa Malaysia). Inshort, to me a Singaporean race is a big myth, perhaps outside the country or overseas, we all call ourselves Singaporeans but when we are back home, I am a Chinese, You are a Malay, He is an Indian and She is a Eurasian. This is the reality of our Modern Singapore society.
Regards
Andrew Chuah
7/8/09
Hi Nothoodwinked
I heard there is a vacancy for the next future Prime Minister, perhaps our front line of Singapore Opposition parties especially those with Phd and from a Top Gun unversitiy can submit their application as tmany of the present PAP MPs, do not live up to the expectation of Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew.
All the best. to them.
Regards
Andrew Chuah
We can scream all we want for all the garhem heck care. A vast majority of the “66%” KNOWS what they are into — the elite, those with secured jobs by merit of being GLC, those not wanting to rock boats, etc. This is increasingly being reinforced by the fast-tracked FTs/new citizens. So, the percentage of authentic “yes-men” is in truth pretty substantial, I believe.
Per my previous postings, our electoral mechanism is such that they only need 30% of votes (massaged until yr 66.6% figure) to get 98% of parliament. This fact alone makes a total mockery of our Pledge, so no need to go into line by line analysis — as many in TOC and other blogs are doing. Just a dilution of our energy. We should channel it into thinking what we can really do to change things. Sure, I admit I’m whining like everyone else. But hope the facts are clear to everyone whining for a change. Otherwise, we are like lottery putters — LPPL for 29 days every month but living only on false hope for 1 day. BTW: Gambling can make up significant revenue for govt, you know, so yeah why not give citizens false hopes? Like a flicker of light at end of TH management woes by hiring (then bye-bye) Mr Chips GY?
Anyway, Temasek Cares is clearly just a PR-damage control scheme over the negative image of TH over the past months. They blew billions in months and thinks dishing out $2m YEARLY is big deal?! That is what, 0.005% of the just annouced $40b loss? Didn’t think S’poreans can be that gullible, but then, we do have that “66.6%”.
Guys,
Check out the official website for NDP where people say what the pledge means to them. Very fake and weird….becos all the comments sound so patriotic. I suspect they are all grassroot leaders and PRs.
YOu can add your comments at:
http://www.ndpeeps.com/reflections.html
[i]nothoodwinked on August 7th, 2009 1.16 pm there is a campaign come this national day at about 20.20 hrs, we suppose to
stop what we are doing to recite the Pledge, understand KFC and Pizza Hut
staff are following suit. Hands up who else would?[/i]
wei wei
so kiasu har
2 mins earLEE hor
20:22
you know what is the worst part of the prororganda clip?
i see so many mucho machiam polo team swimmers takin the plunge/pledge
what make me puke is their headgears
it looked liked teddytubbies…………
I remember being taught in primary school that Singapore was a social democracy. Guess they took away the social bit without our realising it, same as what they have done with the state crest (look at your coins to see what i mean).
“To-date, we have committed and contributed around S$1 billion directly and indirectly to the communities in Singapore and around Asia over the 35 years since our inception.”
Wow, that certainly puts the size of Temasek’s recent loss in perspective. Thanks Dhanabalan, for the transparency and accountability.
Hmm, if I were to pay each of the, say 300?, talents in Temasek an average of $200k a year, then I would have paid at least $2 billion over the 35 years since Temasek’s inception. OMG, and they managed to commit and contribute around S$1 billion. LOL.
For the last few years I’ve been ashamed of displaying our flag and reciting our pledge, the reasons mentioned above.
But I am confident this time round the votes will swing against the PAP, Majulah Singapura!
Not to worry..they have created antother avenue to say that money has been lost due to foreign charities. Well done.
It is time to kick most of the guys out and just put in opposition to question, at least we get to know the truth.
During election time, opposition candidate have always wakeing U people.
PAP give U a Chicken Drum Stick inreturn they con back a Whole Chicken.
U Goon-Doo People.
To take a pledge everyday in school or else where, Why? Singapore is not yet a nation!
Winston Churchill always love to said these words “The truth is always protected by whose “Body Guard of Liar”
Wake up U people before it too late.
The pledge is flaw, that is why I don’t read the pledge
anyone know how to get out of singapore?
“Check out the official website for NDP where people say what the pledge means to them. Very fake and weird….becos all the comments sound so patriotic. I suspect they are all grassroot leaders and PRs.”
those in the media industry in some other freer countries can do even better than that – so common that it is no longer an art …… only those cocooned for too long will believe in this kind of BS.
we see the return of andrew chuah
he clamed that he was ill treated by his family in malaysia and teh justic system there.
all he said here is nuisane, ARE WE A MODERN DEMOCRACY NATION ?
what is modern democracy ? GRC ? SWF run by incompetent people with no accounatability ?
I ureg Andrew Chuah goes back to Malaysia to fight for justice !
Pledging and regurgitating something when in reality its substance is absent in whole or in part is farcical.
This is really a simple question of
whether no one in the public , i.e non-insider, will EVER know what EXACTLY happened in there? No one outside will know for ETERNITY?
What does this mean or imply if that is the case, educated and 1st world stedi bom bi bi singaporean?
I mean IF indeed for eternity no one will know.
I am not very well or highly educated but even I can ask this kind of question. What about those of you who regard yourselve highly? What do you think?
regards
Trust and trust until cannot
3 days ago at my block, there were only 2 household displaying our national
flags. But when I got home 2 nights ago, hey pristo, every unit was hanging
one outside the common corridor. We all know who did this.
Just like this silly campaign to say the pledge, like someone says, the
Govt has to use tax monies to fake citizens’ patriotism.
After so many years in Govt , the PAP still doesn’t get it.
Citizens patriotism should be SPONTANEOUS.
You don’t need to spend multimillion dollar every year to hold the
repititious and equally nauseauting NDP or to decorate the streets with
giant billboards and banners to show the world.
Until this Govt change the way they govern this country in accordance to
the spirit of the pledge , patriotism would be the last thing on our minds
because many of us still see the equation of Singapore = PAP.
I hope we see the day we celebrate ND like the Canadians and Americans
where citizens call the shots and Govt just lay low.
9) Andrew Chuah
Some posters here ranting for political leadership change will grab anyone for their new leader, black, white, yellow, green, purple.
A drowning man will clutch at a straw.
“For a nation to not know how much and what constitutes our reserves is one thing. Not being able to question how they are used and to what extent to help needy Singaporeans, vis-à-vis foreigners, is something else altogether.”
Well said Mr Leong! Bravo.
The strange thing is that people may get an impression that the 1st world People here accept. I mean based on the fact that the majority never protest on this publicly or officially, at least not that i know of.
All, feel free to show 1 example to debunk me if possible. i beg you.
“To build a democratic society”
How does the ruling party define”democratic”?Does it have its own brand of democracy that is “pragmatic”?
The government only pays lip service to democracy whilst doing all it can to prevent Singapore from becoming another Taiwan.It will point to the political turmoil of this country to prove to Singaporeans that western liberal democracy might not be pragmatic and workable for us.So be content with pseudo-democracy or their own brand of democracy,in order to keep the peace and stability here.
hello andrew chuah
don’t compare singapore to malaysia … there are good things up north, at least they have free elections
try visit USA, Australia, Japan, and take a look at their social structure and democratic system, then you may start writing sometjing sensible… maybe you can match with Dr Lee Wei Ling ‘s long stories in ST.
9/8/09
Hi Super GRC
Good to hear from you and I am unlike you who hides behind a name called Super GRC. I write using my real name ie Andrew Chuah (also in Discuss-Singapore since 2001)
I don’t negotiate, compromise and reconcile with my family in Malaysia as they are criminals and evil and involved with international drugs sydnicate and paying off the authorities in Malaysia. We must always put our nationa above everything, not our family (we must expose them and show no mercies or second thought or IFs or BUTs, no such thing). Let me ask you can you do this……..I doubt so. Come clean and use your real name on this Forum
Let me again write there is Democracy in Singapore and there is a good degree of transparencies and accountablities in Sngapore, and we must blame our fathers and grandpas for voting in the PAP come every General Election, and don’t blame the PAP. I am all for a good Opposition in our Parliament and I can live with Morons-Stupid MPs should one day they are voted into Parliament but not half baked and quarter baked who can be bought with money which we have seen in our neighbouring countries ie Thailand and Malaysia.
To conclude, I am an Ordinary Singaporean Chinese, born in Singapore and Modern Singapore is my Home, and I have the same rights as you have.
Regards
Andrew Chuah
9/8/09
Hi As One Over Taxed People
Good to hear from you. My answer is we need a Singapore Anwar Ibrahim to lead and win the hearts and minds of our fellow Singaporeans come next General Election and he must be a Chinese and not an Indian which we already have so many in the PAP (Ministers and MPs) and now looks like we have one Top Gun who inherited his late dad’s PAP (same as LHL coming from the the PAP).
Modern Singapore does have democracy and free elections-GRCs no problem and can be dismantle provided we have a Sngapore Anwar Ibrahim to lead and unite the Singapore Opposition.
Regards
Andrew Chuah
How could one talk about democracy without regards to what PM Lee had said about how to FIX the Opposition, absence of checks and balances?
Strange
By the way Andrew Chuah,
Malaysia has natural resources, land size etc and could afford such inefficiencies and lack of good governance you talked about.
Dangerous comparisons you make.
9/8/09
Hi Clouded Vision
Forget about PM LHS talk about fixing the opposition like what happend in Malaysia two weeks ago ie the BN-UMNO tried to get the late Teoh Beng Hock to turned against his fellow 5 State Assemblymen and he refused and they killed him and so-called he committed suicide. This can never happen in our Modern Singapore unless we have half baked and quarter baked MPs which can be bought (this is possible was we have seen in Thailand and Malaysia).
Malaysia and Singapor are brother-singapore or in Malay abang-adik, and Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew recent trip to Malaysia clearly showed the PAP government would rather “dance with the devil” than “dance with the angel should they come into power ie win the next General Election and forms the next Federal Government-very possible for the Pakatan Rakyat to win the next General Election, then the PAP Government has no choice but to dance with the angel.
What our Modern Singapore needs is a few Good Men in Singapore Opposition as MPs in the next Parliament.
Regards
Andrew Chuah
Mr Andrew Chuah,
It is good that you speak with rationale
To dismantle GRC or not, has nothing to do with Anwar-Sgp-version
GRC is simply a tactic to monopolize and undermine electroral system, a partial proportional seats system would do the job, it is there because the ruling party is losing Chinese votes and need other races’ vote to support so to lock up their support by GRC.
I have read your many writing, it was amazing in the bgining and it is getting amusing …
You like to use the word modern democracy, what is modern ?? democracy has a simple principle — that is people owns the governing, justice and equality… you seems to project yourself as a well travelled man, then buy a ticket to visit Jefferson memorial hall in washington DC, read his words engrave don the celling, then you come back and tell us, the USA founding fathers’ thinking is NOT ,modern and NOT democratic too ?
USA have not changed their system since 1779 when George Washington became first president, that says by your standard, they are outdated and need a Anwar there too ?
Absurd ! Amusing !
Andrew Chuah is your real name ? so u r brave, then write your NRIC, address, full Chinese name here
Hey, your mind need a CT scan, you keep using malaysia to project Singapore’s future and compare
Spend some time in Library to read the year book of tow countries and you would learn the demographic differences evolved since 1965
using a nick here is not hiding, what if i tell you that my name is George Yeo, well many George and many Yeo, does it make any difference ?
I agree with #44, your are amusing indeed
hello I am George W,
I use my real name, but well, I am George Wee Kiang, Yeoh, I am not George Yeo, Not George Washington nor George W Bush.
I m a Singaporean living in USA since 2004… there are good things and bad things in the US system, but, one point for sure, they don;t shout down the opposition voices and no political party can escape check and balance, especially come to appointment of public and important governemental position.
American can be naive at time about world affair, but they are dead serious about accountability of public figures, even a chief justice position need vetting, scruntiny of credential and past writing and subject to congress confirmation, they don’t appoint president’s brother to take charge of JFK airport, or they don’t have michelle Obama in Federal Reserve board…
it is early in the morning here, my mind is still half sleep, so pardon me if i offend any fellow Singaporean.
One advice, when we compare to other nations, to be world class nation, we must compare to those better and transparent systems, looking at Asean countries, we will not go far…
I missed mee siam and indian rojar, please give me the singapore style but not the malaysia versions…. Happy National Day my pals in the red dot
“it is early in the morning here, my mind is still half sleep, so pardon me if i offend any fellow Singaporean.”
Everyone sensible enough will not bash you when you are telling the truth since most of us here probably have travelled oversea frequently can resonate to your observation, but I can’t say the same for some dubious PAP supporters where just replying to them and reading their comment will insult your intelligence.
Millions spent on NDP propaganda every year.
Ten years of indoctrination for school children.Ask most Singaporeans studying overseas ,esp in US. At least 80% want to MIGRATE.
What a waste of money and time used in WW 2 type of propaganda.
Should we not put KPIs on the millions spent and the work of those people employed in the brain washing machinery.
If all your young citizens, including children of political leaders, think about is MIGRATION
your GOEBBELS MACHINE has FAILED MISERABLY.
‘WE ARE NOT A NATION YET’—-are we really surprised? Look into your own soul.
THAT IS WHY THE SMARTER SINGAPOREAN LEFT THEIR MOTHERLAND FOR A BETTER LIFE, TO LIVE and work overseas!
I cant stand the actual fact that other nation kids who cant speak proper BASIC English have their place in and uni fees in NUS and NTU paid or susidised. While poor unfortunate singaporeans who are not academic elites but still can study better and speak proper english have to borrow from bank just to study private.
No 43 Andrew Chuah
For you to say “Forget about PM LHS talk about fixing the opposition” in the context of this thread’s theme of to BUILD A DEMOCRATIC just show your deplorable attitude to those who have been FIXED in their quest for JUSTICE and trying to achieve a more DEMOCRATIC society. Remember that the pledge is BASED ON JUSTICE AND EQUALITY.
The PLEDGE is by SINGAPORE CITIZENS (as WE THE CITIZENS OF SINGAPORE) for THE CITIZENS OF SINGAPORE ( as the ending part of the PLEDGE is FOR OUR NATION which is meant to include ONLY the CITIZENS of Singapore)
Whatever happens in Malaysia is TOTALLY IRRELEVANT. (You might as well talked about the thousands who were shot to death at Tienanmen Square.
11/8/09
Hi Super GRC & Soviet Singapore- Good to hear from both of you.
Who would image the total collapsed of the Berlin Wall and the Soviet Union Bloc….please tell. me. SUPER GRC is nothing if the Singapore Opposition has the right numbers of candidates besides quality and able ones.
For Democracy, the Swiss Model is the best and their democracy has survived since 1818 and we Singaporeans have been promised the Swiss Standard of Living….which is a Dream. Perhaps time to tell the PAP to deliver their promise ie Swiss Standard of Living and their style of Democracy ie refereandum ie go back to the people and the Swiss has been very successfull. Its PM and Ministers do not have bodyguards and they take trams to work and travel by trains.
Both of you find my postings amusing…..I do write with my real name ie Andrew Chuah.
Regards
Andrew Chuah
11/8/09
Hi Clouded Vision
Read your posting. I don’t agree with you ie whatever happens in Malaysia is Totally Irrelevant, you are very wrong. Whatever happens in Malaysia is very relevant to Singapore, same whatever happens in Indonesia is very relevant to Singapore but not whatever happens in China or as quoted by you so called thousands who were shot to death at Tienanmen Square, is not relevant to Singapore. Malaysia and Singapore are Big Brother & Small Brother or Abang Adik. Let me take you when the late JBJ first entered Parliament, he questioned about our Modern Singapore huge Defence Budget and over the causeway, he was greatly praised by the Malaysia-UMNO lead government.
Today, we are facing a very big threat ie from the Islamic extremists who just recently bombed Jakarta and planned to bomb our Modern Singapore but failed and the recent caputre of our Singapore Islamic extremist in Johor and this does not mean that Singapore is safe.
The problem with this problem is many are young graudates who have not tasted life and advocating for the impossible 100% democracy (are we ready for 100% democracy like the Swiss Model since 1818 everything is based on refererandum and my answer is a BIG NO,abolishnment of ISA and my answer is ISA is still very relevant and the PAP government has not abuse this act ie use it to detain Singapore Opposition politicians, let us put Singapore and her national interests above all things and make our Modern Singapore a better home for all Singaporeans.
Regards
Andrew Chuah