Welldone on spotting the sleight of hand by Khaw and bringing it to our attention. The MSM in Singapore are a bloody joke and we all know it.

To cite the World Mental Health Survey (WMHS) 2004 when Singapore is not one of the countries mentioned in the WHO WMHS is a serious case of mental illness. I hope it is one of those “honest” and “lets move on” mistakes.

Should just let them eventually make an ‘Honest and Let Them MOVE OUT Mistake’..

Should let them make an ‘Honest & Have Them MOVED OUT’ mistake…

What ministers say is Gospel truth, you have to believe. What lesser mortal say has to be fact checked and if necessary debung. Uniquely Singapore.

S’pore Main Stream Media (MSM) should consider write Fiction stories instead.

Read MSM with a Micron pinch of salt. MSM has No sense of ethics, liability, etc. No wonder former ISA jokers can worked in MSM (SPH) with no background in journalism, always do a fake write up for PAP.

Comparative to “PAP singing the lyrics & MSM will do the chorus”. But if you are on the opposition sides, you are a dead meat.

Unlike CNN, BBC, Al-Jazeera, Phoenix Satellite Television Holdings. These stations even send their own reporters to war torn zones for coverage.

S’pore MSM will Never be respected in this field.

MSM always treat whatever PAP says as gospel truth. The reporters working at MSM are just that….reporters…..they just report whatever PAP says.

Don’t expect any journalistic professionism from them.

6) tom on September 17th, 2009 2.48 pm

Read MSM with a Micron pinch of salt. MSM has No sense of ethics, liability, etc. No wonder former ISA jokers can worked in MSM (SPH) with no background in journalism, always do a fake write up for PAP.

I beg to differ on the point about the sense of liability. I think MSM has an exaggerated sense of liability.

6) tom on September 17th, 2009 2.48 pm
S’pore Main Stream Media (MSM) should consider write Fiction stories instead.

Please tom… this might be an insult to the art of fiction. Our local novelists shouldn’t have to put up with any more trauma!

Strange that the more you pay them, the more we see such antics in Parliament.

Khaw – trying to pass off data from 2 different studies as one. At least have the decency to declare it as such. Otherwise, it is intellectually dishonest.

Tharman – I’m not telling you why Chip left even though there is public interest.

The problem with our MSM is the belief that they have no problem. It does not recognize that its biggest problem is believing every word uttered by the PAP as the absolute truth.

The investigation that Lui speak of is targeted at anyone who does not wear white. We must be aware of the exceptions whenever anyone from the PAP says anything.

You guys are certifiable…

;)

Here’s the latest

Temasek Holdings says net profit down 67 percent
(AFP) – 1 hour ago
SINGAPORE — Singapore state investment firm Temasek Holdings said Thursday its net profit plunged 67 percent to six billion Singapore dollars (4.25 billion US) in the year to March.
Net profit fell from the record 18 billion dollars achieved in the previous financial year ending March 2008 as a result of the global financial crisis.
The value of its worldwide investment portfolio also fell by 30 percent to 130 billion dollars as of end-March this year from 185 billion dollars the previous financial year.
Temasek chief executive Ho Ching said the firm was building up liquidity to prepare for a possible downturn.
“However, we did not anticipate the speed and ferocity of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression,” said Ho, wife of Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
Temasek chairman S. Dhanabalan said that the steep drop in net profit “reflected the generally weaker operating performances of our portfolio companies as well as realised gains and losses from our divestments during the year.”

They seem to enjoy COMBINING surveys together and present as ONE results.

Maybe they should consider COMBINING their salaries together with other countries and present it in ONE table, front page of the Straits Times.

This would allow apathetic Singaporeans to have a good sense of how well paid our PM Lee is.

Very well written article, like many others in this site that I enjoy reading because of its critical analysis and substance. Professionals check sources and scrutinise info and know what they are talking. TOC seems to get the right expertise and is getting better and better everyday. Keep it up! I have just visited p65, its like a ghost town there. They deserve it as their articles are so childish and boring.

Well well, even after the warcry by Lui, it seems to be so empty without substance….when the MSM that he claims to have “taken the position that they will investigate thoroughly before they publish.” failed to do so when publishing. or do they take it that what Khaw said is the truth and thus there is no need to investigate.

Thus, with such complacency Lui, your justification of MSM against the New Media doesn’t ring true.

Secondly, Khaw is a minister and he shouldn’t have compared two different type of survey result and present it. It is inaccurate as the standard of the surveys differentiate. He could have stated clearly that singapore was not in the survey etc instead of omitting out the part that would have bring his answer into question. This somehow implies that the person will only reveal stuff that puts them in a better spotlight and not reveal those that contradict…

Just like the case of our SWF funds. Instead of comparing against the best or moderate, it is compared to something else that makes them look good….

Lastly, if our MSM failed to even verify what this minister has said, how can we continue to trust it

“However, we did not anticipate the speed and ferocity of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression,” said Ho, wife of Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

They hit right into the wall, and yet they still retain the person who led them right into the wall…. is it because they want the thrill of hitting a wall again?

“we did not anticipate the speed and ferocity of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression”

I am sorry HC, but I think, you didn’t even anticipate the event at all…don’t even talk about speed and ferocity

Mental health care will be a topic of concern as cases of depression and Alzheimer’s disease increases in future.

I do not check sources all the time but when the ‘truth’ does not seem to tally with reality, or the truth is too good to believe and esp when the person telling such good ‘truth’ has a very big axe to grind. Its like the chef telling you his curry chicken scored tops in the world survey of freshness, but omiting to tell you that his little restaurant was not featured in the world comparison, but he used his own definition of freshness to put a score and then compare to whats in the world.

I can only see one reason for him doing this – to show that everything is well and save the Govt expenditure and save himself work and that his dept is doing well. If a Minister can be so dishonest and let to get away with it (I don’t see the PM will question and scrutinise his staff), what else do you think he cannot do? The whole cabinet and the whole country is rotting away along with all our money!

Well Done Li Bihui.

It is time for the highest paid Health Minister in the World to realise that :

“You may fool all the people some of the time, you can even fool some of the people all of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all the time.”

Abe Lincoln.

Wa piang… Like that combining 2 reports into 1 also can? I really learn something today… too bad it came a bit too late for me to put that into use in school… hahaha!

This is called intellectual dishonesty. BTW, IMH is run by an ex-engineer.

Please remember that our Health Minister Khaw is a self-declared pious man

and is quite respected by some netizens here in TOC and other sites.

The Mistake maybe an oversight and a genuine reason.

Let’s not doubt his integrity.

As for Minister Lui; he can get the MSM to investigate and verify their Reports, if he wishes and feels responsible to do so, it is not wrong to make belated correction and apologize for oversight.

As it was not ascertained an intended ommision or deletion of information, let us give our leaders some leeways.

patriot

patriot

Oh! Forgot to mention that there might be some complacencies in both Ministers in their works.

patriot

Yes, a pious man…sending parents to JB nursing home….yes….

100 marks for The Citizen Online journalism and zero marks for The Straits Times and other SPH newspaper.

Now that the only “credible” person in the PAP has been exposed, the whole of PAP has lost all moral authority to govern Singapore and should in all honesty step down or reduce the pay of all ministers, President by 80%.

Good investigative and thorough job by Li Bihui. Must have had some secondary school level teaching experience since students are known to clobber together different sources, picking only the details that suit the topic without too concern for authenticity. (Joking) But at the minister level? C’mon, where is the integrity? We are talking serious national level issues, not mickey mouse stuff. So what is presented to the public should be credible.

Anyway, regardless of this “minor oversight” by HM Khaw or MSM, 2004 is very different from 2009. I also understand organisations like WHO uses data that are usually 2-5 years from the date of report. So, we are presented with a picture that is 8-10 years ago! If presented in 2004-2005, can still say someone is working. But after 5 years …. what is the value or intent? Delay due to IMH “calibrating” its input??

Great job Bihui. : ) Skepticism should be the first and foremost quality of any journalist–unfortunately, in Singapore, being skeptical is equated to being ‘adversarial’. We need to challenge this kind of Newspeak every time it crops up, before it gains traction with the public.

Dear All,

Agent008 on September 17th, 2009 5.53 pm:
‘I can only see one reason for him doing this – to show that everything is well and save the Govt expenditure and save himself work and that his dept is doing well. If a Minister can be so dishonest and let to get away with it (I don’t see the PM will question and scrutinise his staff), what else do you think he cannot do? The whole cabinet and the whole country is rotting away along with all our money! ‘

Assuming our very naive PM Lee did not see through this story, I strongly suggest that someone email lhl about this! Remember, Lehman Brothers was brought down by folks who are yes-man to the boss. Remember, the boss for the pap regime is lky, not lhl, although constitutionally, lhl should have exercise his muscles rule this kingdom and not his senile dad. Remember we have a duty to our country, not to our mini-star, who are only concenrned with chasing the GDP so that they can increase their salary.

By the way, does anyone have lhl email address?

29) PAP SUPPORTER on September 17th, 2009 7.29 pm

LEE Hsien Loong 62358577 lee_hsien_loong@pmo.gov.sg

http://app.sgdi.gov.sg/listing.asp?agency_subtype=dept&agency_id=0000000014

aiyoyo,

Tsek lost so much $$$, believe these $$$ can help so many people in this

red dot liao, but do you see commoners benefit?

cpf $ stuck, flat prices sky high, jobs difficult to find etc…

aiyoyo

bunch of bootlickers! time is bad, should retrench some ministers, always look down on her own ppl, are they afraid we can know more?

Its very very tired listening to all the lies from those MIW. They still think that the citizens are still believe every words they actually making them up to fool the people? stop wasting time and get in a new team to replace them asap before they even sell away the country to the foreigner, gets the billions and wash their hands off after that.

In the not so distant future (perhaps another reality), a group of brilliant singaporeans, decided to put a stop to all the lies splitting out from MIWs and their wifes.

They constructed the Ultimate Nullifier which completed engulf the whole of singapore in a sphere of true light. The true light seeks out any targets, probing the minds for great lies to the citizens. Once identified, the Pinocchio Anti Particles (PAP) are unleashed on it target. PAP mutated the target nose, lengthening by an inch for each great lies.

It is said to be most sensitive to white clothing.

I hope CNN , BBC , CNBC etc world class news talent scouts from democractic countries are taking note of this highly analytical writer who is able to perform investigative reporting and write so well. This writer has potential for world class news.

Such an issue presents and reflects the ministers integrity very well. Though the extent of it’s damage isn’t particularly detrimental to the society, I’m glad that the episode brought something to light: the credibility of our state media.

Keep the articles coming!

MSM and report might be too strong a word to use here when it comes to government events. What usually happens is that the government department corp comms will give them a copy of the Minister’s speech in advance and a press release and what they need to do is to ask a few questions that they already know the answer to.

Reporting implies that some work has to be done.

23) patriot on September 17th, 2009 6.41 pm

The Mistake maybe an oversight and a genuine reason.

It is most probably his speech writer’s oversight but still a parliamentary speech has no room for mistakes.

Here’s a sampling of how our mainstream broadsheet spins dry and crinkles out the bad news. Different headlines derived from the same data as put out by the Straits Times and Forbes.

Straits Times, 17 Sep 2009
Headline: Singapore August exports up 1.3 %

Forbes.com, 17 Sep 2009
Headline: Singapore exports fall 7.1 % in August .

My comments :
Consensus from economists was for a 5 % decline from a year earlier for Singapore’s non-oil domestic exports. Actual decline was 7.1 % which was worse that the economists’ projections and our press brazenly proclaims that exports are up 1.3 %. What our propagandists did was to highlight August 2009 against the previous month July 2009 whereas the standard practice is to compare year-on-year ie. August 2009 against August 2008. Even for August 2009 over July 2009, the consensus was for a 1.5 % change so the 1.3 % was actually an under-performance.

For oil exports which make up 31% of all exports, the year-on-year decline was a whopping 45%.

The overall news is worse than it is better. It’s not a question of whether the cup is half full or half empty. There’s clearly less water in the cup but the boys and girls at SPH want you to believe that the cup has started to overflow.

Read the approved local media at your own peril.

I always find our journalist and reporters were living in a very complacent jobs. They simply wait for instructions from pap and photocopied words-by-words, no stress at all compared to foreign journalism. Thereafter, their master will give them a good rating for being “objective”. That casted the end of true journalist etique.

I hope #39 aim for post of Auditor General.

[...] & Healthcare Providers – TOC: Where is MSM’s thorough investigation? – The Secret Political Blog: Mental Illness in Singapore – A Cause for Concern? – Civic Advocator: [...]

I am very happy to get minus 14 points at this moment.

Hope the minus score will go higher.

I sincerely thank those who bother to read my comments #23 and 24.

May I say that i do not, absolutely do not condone the FAILURES of the MSM and the MINISTERS mentioned. Their complacencies are a disgrace to the Leadership.

I like to express my heartfelt appreciations to Yamamoto #25 and Smallvice585 #38 for their responses.

patriot

愚民政策 (Obscurantist policy)?
What do we expect the performance of MSM under this policy?

3 Legs Good 2 Legs Bad ,
you can imagine the amount of creative accounting goes into Temasek and GIC based on their own set of assumptions which give give them the leeway to embellish their figures for hoodwinking and feeling good. No surprise that they cannot afford to open their book for scrutiny and transparency.

It’s very simple. Boycott all MSMs. Stop buying their newspaper or even patronising it.

Hit them in the pocket. There are so many good, accurate and truly balanced info in new media as it is.

After that, MSMs have two choices : continue to spew nonsense and become extinct (since no on bother to read and their advertising revenue decreases) or they have to earn a spine and start reporting truth.

Let’s use LKY’s own tactics against them. Hit their pocket.

Boycott MSM now!

Hi Patriot,

I thought your comments were made tongue-in-cheek. It is true that Khaw can be considered a pious man and a better-respected politician, but to reason away this blunder as an over sight is stretching it a wee bit too far.

Considering the way the PAP operates, one cannot but conclude that it is a deliberate attempt to deceive – using valid data and giving it an ambiguous twist – with the calculated intent to create confusion, in the hope that the deception will be sold to listeners. Only a conniving person can get away with it.

So no, my dear friend, I have to disagree. It is not an oversight.

Readers,
All your opinions, views, grouses no use wan.
There is only 1 way for the MSM to change. Real change.
You know it and so do i.

“Thorough investigation is only applicable to other than matters involving PAP. Do I have to spell this out to you, Singaporeans?” Lui’s thought.

“Please don’t blame us for not digging deeper because we are only suppose to report what the ministers said. No more and no less. If there’s any mistake, it’s the minister’s problem, not ours.” Journalists’ thought.

Therefore, Singaporeans are bombarded with advertisements everyday to make MSM palatable.

The Straits Times is no New York Times, they are not CNN, they are not BBC, they are the twin of or alike The People’s Daily in China.

Their job is to amplify tiny success of pap govt, blackout any dissenting voices and bad news.

For example, they published that Temasek Holding had recouped most of its loss, so we puzzled, we paid the TH execs million $ and they not only failed to capitalize the weak market with their massive fund, they infact chalked up huge loss as if that IT SHOULD BE the way

Straits Times is completely muted in presenting a balanced view, surely it is shameful, but what can Singaporean do when there is a SPH, first controlelled by a PAP former minister Lim Kim San then by a former DPM Tony Tan

People, cast your votes with foresights and be courageous !

Thank You Li Bihui…..I am sure you are a wonderful student with an eye for details.

The MSM again has shown that it is a joke and worst Khaw has given not wrong details but an inaccurate picture….and even worst No Body has questioned him on these details….shows how well they are all enjoying their salaries.

Wee done again Li Bihui and TOC for putting up properly diseminated information.

Is this the first in the 50 yrs, of messing with stats, rankings, reports and what nots? If not for the internet, LiBihui’s writing will never see the light, and we will never get to know about it. Do we not have the right to doubt or distrust the Govt?

If I accept Khaw’s report, my question to him will be what will the Health Ministry be doing since everything is fine? Is there any plan to improve mental health in Spore or is he saying there is NO NEED since we are ranked amongst the lowest in the problem. If there is no need, is there any plan to prevent any deterioration of the problem? Is there any plan to protect the patient and public’s safety with respect to mental illness?

Dear Gemami #47:

Four Parties were involved; Minister Khaw, Minister Lui and their MOUTHPIECES Straits Times and Channel News Asia.

The Self-proclaimed religious(Buddhist), the ‘better respected politician’ Minister Khaw mentioned a World Mental Health Survey(WMHS)2004, done by the World Health Organization, which did not include Singapore, to answer a question about the rates of mental illness in Singapore compared to other countries.

According to this Article by Li Bihui, Minister Khaw engrafted a IMH(Institue Of Mental Health) obtained figure of 5.6% into the WMHS 2004(which did not include Singapore) as the Answer in the Parliament Meeting. The MSMs; Straits Times and Channel News Asia, then published the Answer in their News Reports without verifying the Authencity of Minister Khaw’s Answer to the Parliament Query. Then came the Acting Minister Lui who pronounced that their MSMs were ‘thorough’ in investigating reports before publishing them. May i take it that he meant that his MSMs verify all facts before publihing them.

I connected the Piety to Religion(self-claimed) of Minister Khaw and the Self Confident and Self Righteous Acting Minister Lui as impeccable and unfailing leaders. And therefore, the MSMs and those Singaporeans who found, believed and respected the Ministers should not have doubted the integrities of them. What i was implying is that since the MSMs and some Singaporeans have such undying trust in the Ministers, causing them(amongst the parliamentarians and the MSMs) not to feel the neccessities to verify the correctness(political and factual) and truth of what came out of their (horses) mouths. That feeling of ‘not neccessary to check(verify) the facts was the cause of the Oversight that i wrote.

Some Singaporeans that i have spoken to are still very trusting of our leaders, very much liked some older folks who rever MM Lee to the extent that the Latter can never be wrong or will forever a wiseman be, faultless. Such blind faith and trust are detected from time to time in the Blogosphere including comments made in TOC.

I doubt Singaporeans are all as discerning when it comes to ascertaining the integrities and respectabilities of our leaders, there are plenty of idolizing and blind faiths prevailing in the citizenry. Me said it before and will repeat the calling here again, let us pay our respects to anyone(regardless of the stature) after the person has no more capacity to do any evil, anyone kicking and breathing could do wrong anytime or be foolish for a moment. AND THERE ARE OTHERS WHOSE EVILS ARE ONLY DISCOVERED LONG AFTER THEY STOP BREATHING.

Let me say i meant it not just tongue-in-cheek, i did a digging too.

patriot

An apology is needed from Khaw. Years ago they grilled Chee in Parliament over one mistake, and since then labeled him as a liar, cheat. MIW is not so white afterall.

And you called those REPORTERS in MSM journalist? They only regurgitate, lock stocks and barrels. Superfiicial, shallow, stepping over one another to come out with the next piece to please the masters.

For me, Trust ended with the mini bon bons.
Trust has to be earned just like you cannot demand people to respect you or not to curse you in their minds or behind you or spit on your grapes.

Hi Patriot,

Excellently commented @ 53! I understood your comments in #23 & #24. They were meant to cut both ways too.

It is THE problem with our Singapore society. We have come to a point where we uphold the wisdom of people in authority without ever questioning them and the decisions they make.

We become unthinking citizens, constantly echoing their voices without truly understanding their meanings, especially the hidden ones. We become mouthpieces without realizing it.

The one most guilty is our MSM. Unfortunately, it is also the one with the strongest influence, so much so that each and every Singaporean has now become one big walking, talking and living MSM.

There is much work left for the few of us to break this norm.

Hi Gemami:

your rejoinder at #57 provides me much palliation and encouragement. The Reinforcement and the Clearer Deciphering from Your Comment#57 bring much joy and meaning for me to be a netizen.

“There is much work left for the few of us to break this norm”. Nothing can be more true than this conclusion of yours’. If only we have been less blind a follower, we would not have been led by the noses and be misled to where we are today.

Yes, admittedly it is not easy to see through the schemers of things, especially those exercise by professionals with authorities in high offices, however, we must ask ourselves should we not be objective. Blind faiths are like religiosity to an imagined perfect being which none exists. Neither should we be cowed into blind submissions or be forced to believe propaganda thrown at us from our leaders.

Gemami:

I must say that i have good companies in many of You in Cyberspace and You are one that i find most eloquent and your ability to reason truly admirable. Thank You much for the interactions.

From: Yourstruly patriot

Hi Patriot,

Thanks for the further reinforcement and the compliments too. The feeling is mutual and it is always a pleasure to share thoughts with you.

What Khaw said in Parliament is inconsistent with the increasing applications by the public prosecutors and complied with by our judges to commit accused to the Institute of Mental Health for weeks at a time unless the accused plead guilty even for minor charges.

Remember that Boon Suan Ban is being held at IMH for LIFE ( President’s pleasure) even though Boon had not been shown to have committed ANY crime. His defence in a criminal defamation charge against ex=CJ had been ordered SEALED.

The guy who torched MP Seng Han Tong is believed to be in IMH………and so is the teenager who threw a chair against a door at an MPS.

Last week the ST carried a report that a taxi driver who was ordered remanded at IMH had the sub-Court order discharged by the High Court, but he faced contempt of court proceedings, even though the sub-court judge had not even thought about accused being in contempt.

So in so far as what Khaw had said, the reality might be different………..at least from the point of view of the public prosecutor.

Getting back to the credibility of our MSM or the lack of it, once again, people should be reminded of what then Legislative Assemblyman Lee Kuan Yew had talked about the Press SINGING THE PRAISES of the (ABSOLOUTE) power in control of the govt. despite of the FACTS. (Perhaps someone who has the text of what Mr Lee had said then, could post it here for those who might not have read to acquaint themselves with reality)

People should get REAL about the role of the MSM……………which is being the MOUTHPIECE of the

Well, if anybody wants me give an example of groupthink and learning disability….i think i know what to say