Home » Archive for October, 2009
Archive for October, 2009
Singapore neither a nation nor a country – Ministers
Oct. 31 | Here is a report by Channelnewsasia in July 2009 on MM Lee saying that Singapore is not yet a nation: Despite achieving harmony amongst all races in Singapore, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew said on Saturday that the country is still a work-in-progress...
Freedom Press Index divorced from reality?
Oct. 31 | Gangasudhan / Photo courtesy of Mark O’Brien under Creative Commons Singapore officials seem to have missed the point of the index by erroneously equating it with press quality. IN RESPONSE to the Freedom Press Index 2009 released last week by Reporters...
The Führer’s gnomes
Oct. 31 | KJ >> TOC Lifestyle Photos by Werner Scheuermann (with permission from Cornelia and Ottmar Hörl) THE LIGHT falls upon the great square, upon the rows and rows of barely discernible silhouettes, immaculate in their tight formations. There they stand,...
Human Rights in ASEAN: An Economic Perspective
Oct. 30 | Cheong En Min >> TOC International The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was inaugurated in 1967, during an era of regional conflict and political irascibility, when relations between the pre-nascent member-states were strained. Aside...
The Myth of Asian-style Democracy
Oct. 30 | Alastair Su In an interview with Fareed Zakaria in 1994, Lee Kuan Yew spoke of the notion of a distinct Asian culture and value system, and how this would cause many democracies in Asia to take a different form from their liberal counterparts in the West. Singapore...
SDP talks to Alex Au of Yawning Bread
Oct. 30 | On what the Loyal Opposition needs to do in order to become an effective force in Singapore politics, Alex Au said, “The first would be try to address issues more bread and butter. Ultimately, I think a lot of people are very concerned on such things....
VJ – Myanmar through the lens
Oct. 30 | Maruah is proud to present VJ – Myanmar through the lens, two evenings of powerful documentaries from inside Burma, including the internationally acclaimed Burma VJ. Admission is free, but prior registration is required as seats are limited....
YPAP Facebook War
Oct. 30 | so much energy for YPAP facebook forum. propagandize online? try harder. Utopia8787, on the YPAP Facebook War
ARTiculation: A Conversation with Jane Lee
Oct. 29 | Ho Rui An (Top: Denim III (2009), Oil on epoxy canvas, Photo Credit: Osage Gallery) In this exclusive interview, hear from Singapore visual artist Jane Lee, who was awarded the Singapore Art Prize for her work at the Singapore Art Show in 2007. Most...
Law Minister defeats “Reporters without Borders’” straw man
Oct. 29 | Pritam Singh In a speech on 26 Oct 2009 to the New York State Bar Association that covered the press situation in Singapore, Law Minister K Shanmugam did little more than to successfully tackle a straw man. Questioning Reporters without Borders’ (RwB)...
Whose Right is it anyway?
Oct. 29 | Dear Friends, MARUAH, a local human rights advocacy group, is organising a youth human rights workshop together with UNYAS on the 31st October 2009, 9.00am to 5.30pm at the Singapore Management University. Entitled ‘whose Right is it anyway?’,...
World Day against Death Penalty
Oct. 27 | On 10th Oct 2009, a collective of independent activists held a forum to commemorate the World Day against Death Penalty. Below is the 7-part video series of the forum. The speakers are the human rights lawyer M. Ravi, Alex Au of Yawning Bread, Sinapan...
Is Singapore = PAP?
Oct. 27 | Dr Reuben Wong believes that it is a conditional equation. When the economy is performing well, Singapore ≠ PAP. When the economy is performing badly, Singapore = PAP. Dr Frederico Ferrara, who appeared to be very critical of the PAP, said that if...
Civil Society, QUANGOs and ASEAN
Oct. 25 | Donaldson Tan >> TOC International Government intervention at the ASEAN People’s Forum (18-20 Oct 2009) was two-fold. ASEAN governments should have more faith in civil society. (Top: Burmese Opposition, Civil Society and Pro-Junta QUANGOs...
A peek into PAP politics – present and future
Oct. 25 | Fang Shihan >> TOC News Almost as an apology to the theatrical tragedy staged during the Kent Ridge Ministerial Forum (KRMF), the young PAP sponsored forum, tantalizingly titled “Straight Talk: Is Singapore = PAP?”, seemed like the Q&A session...
HDB resale prices hit record highs
Oct. 24 | [The 'cash-over-valuation' (COV)] – or the cash top-up payable by buyers – quadrupled from a median of $3,000 in the previous quarter to $12,000. Straits Times, “HDB resale prices at record high”
“We now have Ukrainians serving in the army” – Lee Kuan Yew
Oct. 24 | Straits Times censor Lee Kuan Yew?: Why did the Straits Times censor MM Lee’s remarks about Obama being a “very great” man? See TOC’s Facebook page here. Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew gave an interview with Charlie Rose on the...
S’pore govt refused to sanction NGO rep’s presence at AICHR launch
Oct. 23 | Excerpt from The Irrawaddy: Asean civil society delegates protest the exclusion of five delegates from a meeting with Asean heads of government. (Photo: Simon Roughneen) Sinapan Samdorai, the convenor of the Task Force on Asean Migrant Workers in Singapore,...
Fascism that works
Oct. 23 | KJ He was a leader who held a nation in his thrall. From the excesses of empire and occupation, he arose with a voice so clear it could not but give his people hope, give his people dreams. He arose and gave them such ravishings of riches never before...
Singaporean youths are apathetic about Singapore’s future
Oct. 22 | Ivan Chan Why, one may ask? Are we born to be apathetic? Or do we really not bother about what is going to happen to us in 20 years? Is the ruling party going to be in power? Are our policies sustainable in the next 10-20 years? Do our youth really care...
People and Power – Human Trade
Oct. 22 | People & Power uncovers the widespread and disturbing scams surrounding human trade in Singapore and Malaysia. A film by Lynn Lee and James Leong.
MM Lee confirms PM Lee’s fears in 2006
Oct. 22 | Andrew Loh Straits Times, 2009. Picture from Singapore Mind (click to enlarge) In 2006, after the General Elections, PM Lee Hsien Loong warned that Singapore society would be “destroyed” if S’poreans were divided between the haves...
Richard Magnus as AICHR representative
Oct. 22 | By Fang Shihan What is the AICHR? More information here. FORMER Senior District Judge, Richard Magnus is the new Singapore representative to the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission for Human Rights, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He is...
S’pore press freedom ranked 133rd – MP says this shows “our press remains credible” !
Oct. 21 | Mr Zaqy Mohamad, chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Information, Communications and the Arts, said the improved ranking “underlines that our press remains credible especially in the face of challenges like the new media”. Today
Foreign workers are akin to the lowest life forms in Singapore
Oct. 21 | Excerpts from Asian Correspondent: The argument is that Singaporeans either don’t provide enough talent for the higher-tier jobs that these foreign talent bring, or are too choosy to want to take on the menial jobs that these foreign workers do....
Petition against ‘marital rape’ off to slow start
Oct. 20 | Report by Wang Simin / Photo courtesy of Jolene Tan But organisers are extending campaign to 30 November to garner more signatures. RAPING YOUR wife is okay in Singapore, but while a petition was initiated to abolish this exception in the law, the response...
What Singapore can teach the White House
Oct. 20 | What makes Singapore’s health care work is that it is designed to swim with the market and not against it. In macro terms, that means Singaporeans spend only about 4% of GDP on health care—against 17% for the United States. At the same time,...
Celebpreneur Uncovered
Oct. 20 | Report by Jewel Philemon / Photos by Jeremy Philemon “THE PRESSURE to succeed is even higher because people are watching you every step of the way. People do notice you and they do judge you in a different scale,” says Vernetta Lopez when asked if...
Kent Ridge Ministerial Forum: The Lion, the Young and the Orchestra
Oct. 20 | Khairulanwar Zaini / Photos by Damien Chng They clamour for his wisdom: O Father, whither Singapore in 50 years? The patriarch smiles and holds up a mirror: the minds and hearts in the auditorium his masterpiece, the technocratic utopia will persist,...
25-year old collapses during football match and dies in hospital
Oct. 20 | Report by Terence Lee / Photo by Damien Chng IT WAS meant to be a momentous Sunday morning for the organisers and the people they were supporting – the homeless Singaporeans. But things took a tragic turn when Muhamad Nasri Kasbari, 25, collapsed...
NUS forum with MM Lee had “planted” questions for MM
Oct. 20 | 500 university students deserved better than 9 deliberately planted questions at the NUS Kent Ridge Forum with MM Lee Kuan Yew. Yes, the moderator made it explicitly known that the questions were screened and planted. This isn’t right. Nathaniel...
Singapore employers discriminate against their own
Oct. 19 | Li Bihui photos courtesy of Wilfred Wong It seems to be only fair that if two people are doing the same kind of work in the same institution, that they should be receive equal remuneration. Yet it is common in Singapore for employers to offer housing...
Life in excess: The works of Jane Lee
Oct. 19 | Report by Rui An This article was first published on http://opencontours.wordpress.com/2009/10/08/life-in-excess-the-works-of-jane-lee/. Jane Lee is an event of the Singapore Art Show 2009 and is currently on display at Osage Singapore from 26 September...
Back in fashion – The 90s
Oct. 19 | Ravi Philemon THE NINETIES were dark. It popularised the ‘heroin chic’ look, which was characterized by pale skin, dark circles underneath the eyes and jutting bones. Models that popularised the ‘heroin chic’ look like Kate Moss stood in direct...
GDP vs GNH (Gross National Happiness)
Oct. 19 | “Cheaper, faster and better”….its the same old story. The last time they promised Swiss cheese if we worked harder and faster but this time they don’t even bother to promise anything. All they can say is we will get to keep our...
High property prices cloud the view of a generation
Oct. 19 | Ian Choo AS AN exchange student many years ago, I was surprised to find that many of my Danish counterparts already owned the houses that they lived in – despite being single and all of 21 years young. I later found out that the reason was really one...
Journalist assaulted for work on foreign workers
Oct. 18 | Andrew Loh Assault is an attempt to silence journalists who expose abuses. Mohsin is the Chief Editor of Bengali newspaper Bangla Kantha, which caters to the population of Bangladeshi workers in Singapore. The paper has been pivotal in exposing agents...
Vietnamese brides
Oct. 18 | Vietnamese girls, as young as 18, are offered as brides to Singaporean men.
Greed that cannot be stomached
Oct. 18 | Lawrence Lin I’M SURE everyone has heard about the Sunshine Empire case. An excerpt from a Channel News Asia article says: “29-year-old Jackie Hoo Choon Cheat, 49-year-old Phang Wah and his wife, 46-year-old Neo Kuon Huay face 37 charges for...
Union chief wants workforce to be “cheaper”
Oct. 18 | From Channelnewsasia: Singapore’s labour movement is playing to win and the next two years will not be any less challenging. That is the view of the labour movement’s chief, Lim Swee Say, who has called on workers and employers to play their...
“We will agree to disagree,” says MND on lift upgrading issue
Oct. 17 | We do not expect the Workers’ Party to accept these basic facts, and we will agree to disagree. Lim Yuin Chien Press Secretary to the Minister for National Development
“We may be homeless but we are somebody!”
Oct. 17 | Singapore’s football team for the homeless to be officially launched on Sunday, 18 Oct, at Woodlands Sports Stadium. Here’s a clip, produced by the TOC team, of the people involved.
Youth in Politics – The Young Reformers
Oct. 17 | Fang Shihan >> TOC Review In this first installment of our “Youth in Politics” series, we speak to Justin Ong and Nicole Seah from the Young Reformers, the youth wing of the Reform Party. OPPOSITION party members seem to have it tough, especially...
World Day Against the Death Penalty 2009 – A Singapore Forum
Oct. 16 | Report by Ravi Philemon Photos by Jeremy Philemon THE Singapore Anti-Death Penalty Campaign, commemorated the World Day Against the Death Penalty by organising a forum on 10 October 2009, and calling on the Singapore government to join 139 states throughout...
GIC may lose big on investment in apartments
Oct. 16 | Another big player in the restructuring talks could be Singapore’s GIC. The fund owns a $575 million mezzanine loan backed by the property, according to people familiar with the matter. Also, GIC owns about $100 million to $200 million in equity,...
“If you want to do journalism, don’t do it in Singapore.”
Oct. 15 | Terence Lee Recently, Lin Junjie, the ex-Chief Editor of the Nanyang Chronicle, wrote a piece about the censorship of campus news media. This article is a reflection of a similar theme. ONE YEAR ON, it seems like nothing has changed. It wasn’t so...
WP’s Sylvia Lim rebuts ministry’s reply on lift upgrading
Oct. 15 | Sylvia Lim’s letter to the Straits Times: I AM responding to the reply from the Minister for National Development’s press secretary on Tuesday (‘Ministry: MP Low wrong on lift upgrading’), as the Member of Parliament for Hougang,...
