Home » Archive for October, 2010
Archive for October, 2010
From gang fights to mentor
Oct. 31 | David is a student of the Singapore Management University (SMU), with a double major in Psychology and Human Resources. He was the recipient of the Youth Shine Award 2010, which celebrates youth achievement. He has appeared in newspapers, his success...
Goh vs Obama – worlds apart?
Oct. 31 | In the 30 October, Saturday, edition of the Straits Times (page A14), it was reported that NTU student Lim Zi Rui was telling SM Goh about how younger Singaporeans no longer feel a sense of belonging to the country. Here is the exchange, as reported by...
Elections just weeks away?
Oct. 30 | From Channel Newsasia: Singapore’s Electoral Boundaries Review Committee convened By S Ramesh HANOI: Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong says the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee has been convened. Typically, the prime minister...
Casino entry fee – pay at AXS machine
Oct. 30 | “Wah… Spotted at an AXS machine! Hassle free and convenient way to purchase 1-day or annual entry into casinos of Marina Bay Sands… At $100 and $2000 respectively.” Member of the public posting on Facebook ——————– Singapore...
Singapore: why innovate in utopia?
Oct. 29 | From Tech Crunch: It’s hard to find any corner of chaos in Singapore. The system is engineered with one outcome, Chan says: “Making people good economic units for society.” Is there room for a high-beta version of good economic units of society–...
Singapore is 17th most prosperous country: 1st or 3rd world?
Oct. 29 | By Leong Sze Hian I refer to the article “S’pore is 17th most prosperous country” (Today, Oct 28). Since Malaysia is the only other country in Asean that is in the top 50, at 43rd, I think it may be interesting to compare Singapore and Malaysia,...
Nourishing the people
Oct. 29 | By Dr Wong Wee Nam “Virtue is seen in the goodness of the government, and the government is tested by its nourishing of the people.” Yu the Great 禹曰：“於！帝念哉！德惟善政，政在养民。 Mr. Lim Swee Say, Minister without Portfolio...
Cheaper, better, faster till 70 and beyond?
Oct. 29 | Andrew Loh - It is little wonder Singaporeans are anxious. Despite the government trumpeting that we have arrived as a “first-world country”, and boasts record GDP growth this year, and how “if Singapore Inc went for IPO, this is a $4 trillion company”...
George Yeo says Burma election is a “major step forward”
Oct. 28 | Ravi Philemon - The Philippine Foreign Secretary has already blasted the elections in Myanmar as “a farce to democratic values of transparency, fairness, provision for ‘level playing field’, credibility and all-inclusiveness[i]”. On that...
The relentless rising cost of living in Singapore
Oct. 28 | In 2009, Mercer ranked Singapore as the 10th costliest countries in the world (see here). The following is a collated list of price increases which TOC could find – from various news reports, blogs, websites, forums, etc – since Jan 2006 to the present. If...
Unapologetically Socialist – Goh Meng Seng (Part Two)
Oct. 27 | In Part Two of an hour-long interview, Goh Meng Seng talks about giving up politics, engaging people online, and his influences. You can read part one here. Assuming you do not win a single seat this coming elections. Are you going to quit politics and...
Wee Shu Min, PMETs and cohesiveness in our society
Oct. 27 | From Diary of a Singapore Mind: I’m overseas and getting access to the Internet is not so easy in some places. A few days ago on the 19 Oct 2010, I wanted to post something on the 4th anniversary of the Wee Shu Min incident [Link] but couldn’t...
Triple whammy – inflation, ERP, credit cards
Oct. 26 | Leong Sze Hian I refer to the article “Inflation at highest level” (ST, Oct 25). It states that “Inflation in Singapore rose to its highest level in 20 months last month as housing, transport and food continued to become more expensive”. 25...
Unapologetically Socialist – Goh Meng Seng (Part One)
Oct. 25 | In an hour-long interview National Solidarity Party secretary-general Goh Meng Seng shares with TOC the illegal hawking episode, taking on the housing issue, and why he’s a socialist at heart. By Joshua Chiang Recently you were summoned by the National...
Joo Chiat fire – an old issue surfaces
Oct. 25 | Andrew Loh Following the fire which broke out at a restaurant at Joo Chiat Place last Thursday, several residents from the area have written to their Member of Parliament, Mr Chan Soo Sen, to raise certain concerns. Besides the issues of the accessibility...
Nobel for Liu “inherently political”
Oct. 25 | Dear editor, I am a regular reader of TOC. I felt compelled to write the following response after reading the justification given by the Nobel Committee which was posted on the website a few days ago. [See here: “Why we gave Liu Xiaobo a Nobel”] I...
The importance of listening to your emotions
Oct. 25 | Dr Martha Lee If you accidentally touched a hot stove, the nerves in your skin would shoot a message of pain to your brain. The brain then sends a message back telling the muscles in your hand to pull away. Is that a bad thing? No, you would answer. What...
3.85 million S’poreans have visited the casinos so far?
Oct. 25 | Letter by Leong Sze Hian to the Today newspaper, published on 25 October 2010. I REFER to media reports about Singaporeans visiting the two casinos here. If Singaporeans reportedly make up about a third of the 55,000 visitors to the two casinos, does...
Burma elections – a campaign and a demonstration at Speakers’ Corner
Oct. 24 | MARUAH (Working Group for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism, Singapore) had on 8th September 2010 raised our concerns over the upcoming multi-party elections called by the Union Election Commission in Myanmar/Burma, with the Representative of Singapore...
Are you angry at social injustice and inequity?
Oct. 24 | From Maruah; Dear all, Have you ever felt angry at social injustice and inequity? Are you an aspiring activist, an educator or a curious student? Ever felt that you could contribute more? Following the success of last year’s “whose Right is...
Why we gave Liu Xiaobo a Nobel
Oct. 23 | The chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Thorbjorn Jagland, responds to China’s criticism of the Nobel Peace Prize being awarded to Liu Xiaobo, who is currently serving an 11-year jail sentence in China. Jagland’s response was first...
TOC columnist voted “Best Speaker” at media conference
Oct. 23 | On 1 and 2 October 2010, our columnist, Leong Sze Hian, represented The Online Citizen at the Asia Chinese Media Conference held in Kuala Lumpur. Sze Hian gave two presentations on Press Freedom and the Development of Alternative New Media in Singapore,...
Meet Danny, the SDP’s latest addition
Oct. 23 | The Singapore Democratic Party recently unveiled its latest addition, Danny the Democracy Bear, at a walkabout at Bukit Panjang on 17 October. The Online Citizen speaks to the new party mascot. TOC: Is your name really Danny? Do you have a surname or...
Sky high HDB flat prices
Oct. 23 | By David See Leong Kit Editor’s Note: This letter was submitted to the mainstream press, but rejected for publication. We reproduce this letter with the kind permission of the author. I refer to the commentary “Buying a flat? Choose wisely”...
Ever bigger financial deals: how does it benefit S’poreans?
Oct. 23 | Leong Sze Hian According to The Australian, “The stock exchanges of Australia and Singapore are preparing to unveil a historic $14 billion alliance that will accelerate financial links into Asia.” When the The Online Citizen’s Chief Editor,...
Flawed argument on YPAP website on death penalty
Oct. 23 | Kirsten Han I have just read an article on the death penalty by Mr Michael Rebaczonok-Padulo on the Young PAP website, entitled ‘WHAT ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS FOR VICTIMS?‘ I suggest you read it; it is a piece that provokes a very strong response from...
S’poreans to speak up against Burma’s sham elections
Oct. 22 | As Burma prepares itself for its General Elections, which have been criticized worldwide for being neither free nor fair, the Free Burma Campaign (Singapore) is lending its voice to the criticism with an event at Speakers’ Corner on 30 October. From...
Silence of the dissenters: How south-east Asia keeps web users in line
Oct. 22 | From The Guardian: Governments across south-east Asia are following China‘s authoritarian censorship of the digital world to keep political dissent in check, the Guardian can reveal. Vietnam, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia and the Philippines have...
Smog hits “unhealthy range”, NEA website down
Oct. 21 | It’s been a hazy week so far and I am not just referring to the smog which has engulfed Singapore. The website of the government agency which is responsible for dealing with the haze, the National Environment Agency, has been inaccessible since Thursday...
VegVibe – a platform for green advocates
Oct. 21 | VegVibe's founders, Ganga and Halimah, being interviewed by the press at the launch event - By Stephanie Chok - The time is ripe for VegVibe, a bi-monthly magazine covering “anything and everything that is vegetarian and vegan”. Launched as an...
PUB to prove MM Lee wrong
Oct. 21 | Andrew Loh “Some things are beyond (being perfect); it’s an act of God unless you want to lose half the roads and have canals.” This was what Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew was reported to have said on 21 July this year, when giving...
HDB should focus on building basic, functional flats
Oct. 21 | Minister for National Development, Mah Bow Tan, in a letter published in the Today newspaper on 15 October, touched on several points about public housing. One of these was that “some may overstretch their budgets to buy these flats.” Gerald Giam,...
Temasek, in review
Oct. 21 | Howard Lee This has the makings of a David vs Goliath saga. The nimble and fiery Temasek Review (TR), championing the rights of the people at all cost, rose in defiance against the behemoth Temasek Holdings (TH), which through its lumbering public relations...
No reason to depart from Inherent Tendency Test – DPP
Oct. 21 | Singapore’s multiracial make-up requires that the rule of law to be taken seriously, and that would mean keeping the Inherent Tendency Test as a yardstick for determining contempt, Deputy Public Prosecutor Hema Subramanian argued in her closing submission...
DPP’s statement “a serious imputation on my character” – M Ravi
Oct. 20 | Tensions arose midway through this morning’s proceedings on the Alan Shadrake case when defense counsel M Ravi made an application for Deputy Public Prosecutor Hema Subramanian to withdraw a statement. At issue was the following portion of Ms Subramanian’s...
“This proceeding itself scandalises the judiciary” – M Ravi
Oct. 19 | Defense counsel for Mr Alan Shadrake, Mr M Ravi, said in his conclusion that the contempt of court proceedings were “a sure wastage of the Court’s resources” and “entirely contemptuous”. Mr Ravi was speaking on Tuesday in defence of the...
Singapore Justice in the Dock Indeed
Oct. 19 | The following is an excerpt of an article published in Asia Sentinel. You can read the rest of the article here. If the past is any precedent, Alan Shadrake, who wrote Once a Jolly Hangman: Singapore Justice in the Dock (reviewed here in Asia Sentinel)...
“We shouldn’t be so hypersensitive in reacting” – M Ravi
Oct. 18 | “The public should decide at least for once,” said Mr M Ravi, defence lawyer for Mr Alan Shadrake. Mr Ravi was responding to a question from Justice Quentin Loh about who should decide on whether statements from Shadrake’s book Once A Jolly Hangman:...
Shadrake’s book a “blatant, contemptuous attack against the judiciary’ – DPP
Oct. 18 | Alan Shadrake with defence counsel M Ravi outside the Supreme Court by theonlinecitizen ‘Once A Jolly Hangman – Singapore Justice in the Dock’ is “a broadbased attack on the entire judiciary system that can never be justified,”...
Getaways for couples in Singapore
Oct. 18 | Dr Martha Lee Loh Lik Peng. Does this name sound familiar? If you are any Singaporean worth your salt, you would know that he is an hotelier and restaurateur with not one, not two, but three boutique hotels located in Singapore. What may be lesser known...
Alan Shadrake Trial – “Live”: Day 1
Oct. 18 | (Photo credit: Reuters) The Online Citizen team attempts to bring you live updates straight from the supreme court. Please refresh your browser to get real-time updates on the trial of Alan Shadrake. 9:46am: Shadrake arrives in court wearing blue shirt...
TOC Latest: TR accedes to Temasek Holdings’ demand
Oct. 17 | Netizens see broader political significance in TH’s demand Citing a desire not to waste the Singaporean tax payers’ money in legal wrangling, website Temasek Review (TR) has complied with Sovereign Wealth Fund Temasek Holdings’ (TH) demand that...
Latest report on GDP raises questions
Oct. 16 | By Leong Sze Hian I refer to the report “Singapore’s GDP expands by 10.3% on-year, contracts by 19.8% on-quarter in Q3″ (Channel NewsAsia, Oct 14). It state that “On a quarter-on-quarter basis the economy contracted by 19.8 percent,...
Temasek Holdings’ Letter to Temasek Review
Oct. 16 | The following letter was sent by the Senior Managing Director and Head of Strategic Relations Mr Goh Yong Siang, Head of Strategic Relations to Dr Joseph Ong Chor Teck. A New Paper report on 9 October 2010 fingered Dr Ong as the founder of Temasek Review. Dear...
TIONG BAHRU goes global
Oct. 15 | - By Ho Rui An - The community of Tiong Bahru gathered early last week at their local multiplex to see themselves on the silver screen. TIONG BAHRU, the short film by Irish filmmakers Joe Lawlor and Christine Molloy as part of the CIVIC LIFE project,...
TOC pays tribute to soccer legend, Dollah Kassim
Oct. 15 | In the 70s and early 80s, he was known as the “Gelek King”. It was a term of endearment which Singapore football fans gave him for the way he swaggers on the pitch with the ball at his feet. Indeed, when Dollah Kassim is in possession of the ball,...
Photo Exhibition: Table for One by Samantha Tio
Oct. 14 | - By Ho Rui An - Singaporean photographer Samantha Tio, whose works have been collected by the Singapore Art Museum, will be showcasing a new body of photographs entitled Table for One as part of the Singapore International Photography Festival 2010. Table...
Ex-SDA asst sec-gen responds to Straits Time’s article on his removal
Oct. 14 | This morning, TOC received a press statement from ex SDA Asst Sec Gen Desmond Lim, meant to ‘clarify several omissions and even mis-representations’ in a Straits Times article published on 12 Oct. We also learnt that the press statement has...
Assistance for elderly and poor – whither our priorities?
Oct. 14 | by Andrew Loh Reading the Lianhe Zaobao article on Dr Lily Neo is indeed heartwarming. It seems there aren’t too many Members of Parliament like her. And that is a shame. In the article, Dr Neo when talking of the struggles some of the elderly in her...
