Andrew Loh /
In the last five years or so of being involved with The Online Citizen (TOC), I have had the opportunities to meet with and work with many people. It is privilege indeed. These are people in flesh and blood who have taught me many things. Their situations, predicaments and plights have been instructive to me and those at TOC.
As I ponder on the General Election, I recall these people whom I met, the stories they told me, the looks on their faces, in their eyes, the children whom they have. The helplessness they felt, the indignity they were subjected to. How the sense of abandonment was so acute for them.
There are many policies and practices of the People’s Action Party Government which directly contribute to these. The Government is not unaware of these faulty and discriminatory policies and practices, yet it has either dismissed these out of hand or has plainly ignored them even when they were brought to their direct attention.
In 2009, I was attending a funeral at Lim Chu Kang cemetery. While the rituals were being performed, I noticed a row of buildings at the other end of the cemetery. A curious sight. I made a mental note to return the next day and find out what those buildings were. As it turned out, they were dormitories for foreign workers. I was truly shocked when I found this out. My friend Damien and I wrote a report about this: Social isolation – left among the dead.
I wondered in that report: “While one can understand the shortage of space in Singapore to provide housing for these workers, one wonders if siting their living quarters in an isolated area of Singapore and within a cemetery with little amenities and with the nearest bus stop some 5 km away, is a “humane” solution…”
While the Government insists that foreign workers are crucial to our progress, the treatment of these workers, who are paid as little as S$2.20 an hour for heavy menial work, is tantamount to the treatment of slaves. Indeed, some have called such treatment modern slavery. TOC has highlighted and reported numerous stories of the abuse of these foreign workers in Singapore, the policies which contribute to these and the lack of Government action to correct them.
Foreign workers are but one community of people for which the Government has abandoned its responsibility. Another group is homeless Singaporeans. Spread out across the major parks in Singapore in 2009 and 2010, these tented communities were made up of people who got into such predicament for various reasons. Some had lost their flats, or had run out of money, or lost their jobs. They had children with them. Some had been homeless for months, living in the only area they had, our public parks. Yet, they too faced problems with the authorities for doing so. They were shouted at, told to pack up and leave. Their appeals for rental flats were denied until we broke the story. Yet, not all of them were given these flats.
When we followed up on the issue of the availability of such flats, we found that there were indeed flats available. But because of HDB’s stringent qualification criterias, many of these did not qualify. Where else could they go? Instead, these available flats were rented out to foreigners.
What about the poor, old and sick, those on Public Assistance? PAP MP Dr Lily Neo had to fight tooth and nail for just a few dollars more from the Minister for Community, Youth and Sports (MCYS) in Parliament. Even so, she was given a terse and insensitive response by the minister. From S$260 for each recipient, it is now S$400 – after five years of Dr Neo’s request for more.
And then there are the disabled. Many of them are in lowly-paid jobs. The community has been campaigning for 12 years now for the government to provide subsidies for their public transport needs. They even went to Speakers’ Corner to do this. And each time, all these years, the government has flatly refused.
Foreign domestic maids are at the mercy of their employers. There is no provision in law, for example, to give them the right to even a day off per month. Non-governmental groups have been campaigning for this to no avail. How is it that in a supposedly first-world country, a day off in a month is something which is evidently considered anathema?
You might say that these issues do not concern most Singaporeans. You would be right if our society were based on starkly demarcated lines of black and white. But it is not. What happens to another community affects all of us. Giving more allowances to the elderly and sick and poor educates our younger generation about what it means to care. Giving maids a day off is, if you need a reason, simply the humane thing to do. For which of us Singaporeans would want to be on employers’ beck and call virtually 24-hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year – and be paid peanuts for it? Giving homeless Singaporeans priority in housing is also the humane thing to do, especially when such families consist of children.
We may be proud to call ourselves “first world” but it is but only a superficial meaningless title if we do not also care for the less fortunate in substantial ways.
PAP leaders have, in the last few days, admitted shortcomings and that they are not perfect. The truth is that no one expects them to be. What one expects instead is that they are open to hearing views which they would not normally hear – views from well-meaning individuals and groups which dedicate time and effort in raising these issues.
Issues such as the discriminatory government policies such as HDB ethnic quotas for minority races, admissions to tertiary institutions for locals, employment policies for those above 40 and the elderly workers, practices such as the Group Representation Constituency (GRC) system which has been perverted to serve the selfish agenda of an incumbent political party, breaking up communities at each general election and dividing Singaporeans with its threats and carrots approach in trying to win votes.
Our politics have descended to the level of gutter politics. Petty, personal and prejudicial. A distinct example of this is the fact that both our elected opposition Members of Parliament – Mr Chiam See Tong and Mr Low Thia Khiang – have had and is still having to conduct their Meet-The-People sessions with nothing more than makeshift offices – just a table and some chairs – at the void deck. Where is the respect which a government should accord to elected representatives of the people?
Yet, the PAP government garlands itself with laurels, calling it and its ministers “unique”, “special” and “extraordinary” – when justifying its multi-million salaries for each of its ministers. It has not subjected itself to scrutiny, transparency or accountability.
Instead, it has ever so flagrantly and blatantly turned the spotlight on Singaporeans – and derided them, labeling them with derogatory terms. “Mollycoddled”. “The spurs are not stuck to their hides”. “Champion grumblers”. “Complacent”. “Not productive”. “Lesser mortals”. “Whiners”. Even our less fortunate were not spared such derision. “How much do you want? Do you want to have three meals in a hawker centre, a foodcourt, or a restaurant?” one minister said in the august chambers of Parliament, when asked to provide more for them.
Catherine Lim’s 1994 article, The Great Affective Divide, rings so true at this time.
Government policies matter. They matter because they affect real people. They affect families, mothers, fathers, children. And policy-makers must not be entrenched in the ivory tower, oblivious to the cries of the common man and woman. To be so is to shield oneself from the truth of what ordinary Singaporeans face and are going through on a daily basis.
In these last five years, no other issue has made me more determined to vote for an alternative than the issue of the mandatory death penalty. Some may and will say that this issue does not affect most Singaporeans and therefore it is not something which we should care about. But such thinking belies the fact that how a government implements a law which takes away a life represents how much a government value human life. And by extension, how government policies are formulated and based.
If a government is cavalier and callous about how it snuffs out human life, then it is a government which needs to be checked, and if it continues to do so, removed.
The mandatory death penalty is a terribly flawed practice. The provisions in the Misuse of Drugs Act are against best practices adopted by countries around the world. It firmly and unreasonably places the burden of proof on the accused who many a time are young drug mules who come from disenfranchised, poor, and illiterate backgrounds.
The PAP government, through its ministers, have stoutly defended this practice – of putting to death those as young as 18 – without so much as a detailed explanation of the facts, or provided statistics or studies to back up its stance.
As a result, many have been hung.
With a system that is viewed as flawed, or at least which needs a serious re-look, can e be sure that no one has ever been hung wrongly? Why is the government so afraid of being open and provide information about such executions? Or commission independent studies to ascertain the effectiveness of the mandatory death penalty? Why does the government feel that our esteemed judges, in the High Court and the Supreme Court, unfit, unable and untrustworthy to be able to mete out alternative sentences?
The turning of the deaf ear to the views from lawyers, the Law Society, Parliamentarians, non-governmental organizations, international rights groups, activists and ordinary Singaporeans, shows that this is a government which indeed, as one minister put it, “deaf to all criticisms”. And I might add, perhaps suggestions as well.
The Prime Minister has apologized, on behalf of his government, for mistakes made. It is all well and good, although the timing of his apology leaves questions about why it is only offered now, days before Singaporeans go to the poll. Is the Prime Minister sincere? Are all his ministers truly behind the apology?
The PAP will most probably be returned as the government after the polls close on Saturday night. What it does in the next five years will determine if the PM’s apology is genuine, or just a cheap desperate stunt to win votes.
But we cannot wait another five years to see if his apology is genuine. For in those five years, the people mentioned in this article – the poor, elderly, children, maids, foreign workers, those on death row – do not have five years. Their needs are immediate.
Just like Yong Vui Kong.
19-years old when he was caught for drug trafficking in 2007, he has been sitting on death row for close to four years now. In that time, he has repented, availed himself to studies, and has embraced the teachings of Buddhism. He has counseled his fellow inmates on death row, those who were sent to the chamber to be hanged. Each time one is dragged out from his cell, each one of them that he tried to console, is a terribly tortured reminder that he would be next at any moment.
PM Lee asks for another five years to correct the mistakes his ministers and government has made.
Who then would give the homeless, the poor, the sick, the elderly, the disabled, the domestic maids, the abused and exploited, lowly-paid foreign workers a second chance or afford them basic human decency?
Who indeed will give Yong Vui Kong a second chance?
To my mind, the only and best way to keep an all-powerful, all-controlling government from either running amok with unbridled power, or to segue back into complacency and arrogance, is to have another group of people in Parliament to truly keep it awake and on its toes.
Indeed, a first world government in a first world country requires also a first world Parliament.
And no single party can ever claim to be first world-anything all by itself, no matter how much it claims it can.
This is an opportunity for Singaporeans to claim back their power which has been lost in helplessness these last five years.
So when you vote on Saturday, do think of those who are struggling and suffering in silence.
Your vote will speak on their behalf.
And as Singaporeans, this is what we must always remember – to care for one another, especially those whom you may not see in your midst, but whose pains are nonetheless real.
HELP keep the voice of TOC alive!
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we are citizens of the Singapore we love
Vote with you heart.
………..live!!!!!!!…….
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/ge-01
Recent events just goes to show 1 Hard Truth i.e. we MUST vote for Opposition Parties. It’s proven that our cries have only been heard yesterday after the Oppositions shouted out loud on our behalf.
We need Opposition Parties voted into parliament to keep PAP on their toes at all times for the next 5 years and ensure that PAP don’t dare to lie or brush us aside again.
VOTE for Opposition Parties!
REMEMBER THIS – our solemn national pledge was “rubbed” out as a highfalutin hoax. This is a serious matter.
We like Singapore to be what we pledged solemnly to strive for, both in words, political thoughts and action – tolerant inclusive and respect for truly democratic values and institutions regardless of who you are.
BUT ALL THESE WERE TRAMPLED ON WITH ARROGANT CONTEMPT IN THE LAST 5 YEARS arguably worse than the criminal shameful history preceding.
If we don’t turn our back on these failings, we are not likely to survive economically as a nation – the economics won’t gel with the incapacitated politics of strangulation.
Yong Vui Kong’s only chance is a change in government. Won’t happen imho but the opposition like M Ravi has done as much as it can (and more).
Do watch the speech of Hazel Poa at Whampoa rally on 30 April available on GE.SG
She spoke the truth straight from the heart.
Do not live in regret after May 7.
Food for thought from Michelle Lee of the SDP. “Before I went to university, I was very Pro-PAP. But my eyes were opened. I would not be able to live with myself if I join the PAP.” Over the last 5 years, many Singaporeans have also opened their eyes to the fact that the government had failed to give them a better life. The tens of thousands of Opposition supporters at all the rallies must have rocked the confidence of the PAP. In a desperate last ditch effort to regain some ground, Pinky has made a rather belated apology to the citizens. It will certainly cut no ice with the electorate who is not prepared to forgive a party that has betrayed their trust. The PAP will learn to eat humble pie when it is knocked off from its pedestal.
Hi my friends,
I read the ST and Zaobao everyday.
Compared to the people who write to the ST forum, those who write to the Zaobao forum seem to be speaking up much more for the Government. They argue that the Government has done well, that it is important to keep the big picture in mind, that we should show gratitude, that harmoney is important, and that the young people who wants to vote for the opposition ‘ain’t see anything yet’.
Granted it is only those letters that pass the editor’s knife that get published, still it seems to me that the Chinese educated, epsecially the older generation, tend to have blind faith in the Government and are very suspicious of the opposition. If you can, please explain to your parents, older relatives, friends, etc that fall into this mould how the Government has erred in its policies, the role of the opposition in Parliament and why it is important that Paliament should not just consist of PAP MPs only.
It is important to get them to think a little, even if you cannot persuade them to change their mind.
Mr Ho Kwon Ping is absolutely right to argue that we should move towards a First World Electorate. That is only possible if fellow Singaporeans are better informed. Thank you.
@ Dan
Sad but true.. Indeed u can bring a horse to water.. But u can’t force it to drink.
I get the perspective of some of these voters who state rightly that we shld be appreciative of what the PAP has done etc.. Baring any serious incident in their life they want the status quo to remain. We cannot blame them for being satisfied with their lot in life.. But the problem I find hard to deal with is that they do not bother to hear or understand what are the problems & what are the credible alternatives; they simply put blind faith on the 1 party they answer to their whole life – the PAP.
In this respect they do not see the issues of accountability, a harder life, democracy, transparency as issues at all. Cos they do not bother to understand how it ultimately affects them in the end. It is simply living day by day.
It makes me feel that sometimes such people do not deserve to vote at all.. Cos even if they eventually vote for PAP, they do it simply becos PAP has been there their whole life & is all they know. Not bcos they truly support the PAP & it’s policies. Not bcos they believe the PAP can make Singapore into a better place for it’s citizens..
There is no informed decision, no reflection on what is happening & what are the issues at hand. Their vote is effectively wasted.
Everyone should watch live rally at serangoon stadium.
Every single person spoke so clearly and
are down to earth, singapore need them.
Foreign workers may be subjected to slave-like conditions working here. But Singaporean males are all forced to be slaves in the form of national service. Slavery = Involuntary servitude. Foreign workers chose to come here. Local males are forced to be enslaved by conscription against their own will. Even though some foreigners are cheated to come here, that’s another issue altogether, but something the government didn’t bother to solve, & instead, continue to bring them in by the hundreds & thousands, causing negativity to both cheated foreigners & locals with lowered salaries or lost jobs.
Conscription is a crime against human rights & so is mandatory death penalty against non-violent crimes. Elites, get out of my caring normal face!
One word comes to mind in the past 5 years of the incumbent rule is disappointment.
I will not be disappointed after the 7th Of May 2011
Tears rolled down my cheeks as I scrolled down the page. This is totally inhuman!!!
I really hope that 2011 marks the turning point in the world history on claiming back our Lovely Singapore!!!
Mr Chiam and Mr Low, you’ve proven to be our TRUE REAL LEADER of Singapore!!!
I felt ashame of myself on being shallow and listening to PAP all these years without knowing the truth! My altruistic apology for being ignorant. You’ve gained my respect sir!
Message to Voters:
“Needs which lacks a language adequate to their expression do not simply pass out of speech: they may cease to be felt” Michael Ignatieff, The Needs of Strangers.
“So guide us in the work that we do, that we will not do it for self alone but for the common good.” The Book of common prayer.
“What we have loved, others will love, and will share with them how” William Wordsworth, The Prelude
Like most people who grew up with the Singapore’s Independence, we are pro PAP.
Doubts began to surface when the Seat Warmer Goh took over, and then LSL took over, and the real picture began to unfold.
The last five years were really an eye-opener, shit, everything is a smokescreen. MM Lee found nobody wanted to join him in his party, and he hit upon paying huge moneys to attract greedy opportunistic persons to join, not for sake of public service, but for the money. Why not, if they do not perform they won’t be sacked, unlike CEOs in the private sectors. Easy job, easy money, why not? If MM don’t pay well, nobody would join him. So he has no choice, do everything to hang onto power.
This is the “Hard Truths” of the PAP of
today. So sleepy fellows, wake up and vote for your own future, before you wake up one day, and find our country has been sold. Remember, our Christmas Islands, which belonged to us once, sold by Lim Yew Hock Govt to the Australians.
You don’t want that to happen again.
We can hope for the best. I am not against foreigners, many come to our shores to make a living precisely because they can. But has life been any better both for Singaporeans and work permit holders? These so called WP holders are just as discriminated as us citizens. That is why a new citizen told me that his vote is for the opposition because he too got his blinkers removed whe he found out how much the ministers are paid.
Thank you Andrew, thank you TOC!
Thank you for all you have done for Singapore!
I am sure all will agree on the pivotal role you have played – in bring out the truths; in uniting Singaporeans; in bringing about fairness and humanity.
You are giants among men!
Variety is the order of the day.
Rojak is, by arrogance, a derogatory adjective for parliament. We need a healthy political variety in this House of the People. God moves the hearts of thepeople as one into this House so much so that people can solidaritily feel this Land is Our Home, Truly.
All but the poor cry differently. An emotional variety. Let’s together make the poor, the needy and our elderly smile as one big family of grace and dignity. The sun shall smile radiantly over a refreshingly new horizon of a nation’s upbringing.
MAJULAH SINGAPURA.
SAVE our next generation children from DEBTS.
Share with your friends the lyrics of the links is so heart warming
http://www.youtube.com/user/project2O11#p/a/u/0/p1tzIRkIFs0
A VERY BIG THANK YOU TOC..!
You certainly dont need datocship to steer the people in clear direction coz you are truly a people’s platform to voice out their plights.
We were so blind that we didnt even care to give a dime. You are indeed our STRAIGHT TIMES.
http://vimeo.com/13265669
Not just the last 5 years were hell for some Singaporeans. It was already hell for some people like Mr. Chen and his wife since the early 1990s.
Would the PAP relevant minister in charge investigate the following allegation that I was told as below?
A friend shared with me that her father Mr. Chen, an entrepreneur, was almost bankrupted in one incident sometime in the early 1990s because of Helen Yeo’s dirty job. Helen Yeo, a lawyer, is the wife of ex transport minister, Mr. Yeo Cheow Tong.
Mr. Lim, a partner of Mr Chen, engaged Helen Yeo who helped him make a false police report about the way Mr. Chen and his wife cheated him and the government of tax. The Police then convinced the CAD to raid Mr. Chen’s and his wife’s business premises one day after the police report was made, and took all their business records for an almost 6 months of investigation. Mr. Chen’s business came to a standstill for 6 months without the revenue to pay for the monthly overhead expenses and advertising cost incurred. Mr. Lim was earlier dismissed by the board after having been found to have secretly registered two companies under his brothers’ names and using them to solicit business from the company’s long-term clients. With his brothers’ help he also stole raw materials from the factory to produce product samples to send to the company’s clients and promising the clients that he could sell them at 30% less if they buy from his new companies instead of from the original company. Although Mr. Chen had also lodged a Police report of Mr. Lim’s raw materials theft case, the police, instead of carrying out a discreet investigation on Mr. Lim after evidences were shown to the police, the I/O called Mr. Lim and told him of Mr. Chen’s report and gave Mr. Lim time to produce evidences that he did not steal the raw materials. A week or so later, the I/O told Mr. Chen that Mr. Lim did show him his receipts of the raw materials purchase. Mr. Chen protested and showed further evidences that the receipt from Mr. Lim were dated later than the product samples he sent to the company’s long-term clients, thus the raw materials used to make those samples couldn’t be from his own purchase. A stock inventory made also found a huge amount of raw materials under Mr. Lim’s brother’s charge missing. Despite all these evidences produced to the I/O he insisted on dismissing the case. Was the I/O bribed???
Mr. Chen’s lawyer also discovered that the CAD had acted on the false police report that was sent to them by Mr. Lim just a day before the CAD’s raid.
Mr. Chen wrote to all 77 PAP MPs (and ministers) to complain and to ask for an investigation as to why Helen Yeo has such power to summon the police and the CAD to act so swiftly as if it’s a terrorist or life and death case.
During the pre-trial conference and the trial, Helen Yeo’s young lawyer dared even called Mr. Chen’s lawyer names, and the presiding judge did not object!
Why was the police force so obedient to Helen Yeo? and the CAD so obedient to the police? It was as if Helen Yeo owns the Police Force and the CAD! Even the judge was bias!
Despite that the CAD was informed with evidences that Mr. Lim was the company director, overseeing and in charge of finance, purchasing, marketing and the business entity operated by Mr. Chen’s wife, with another two of Mr. Lim’s brothers working in the factory, and that as such, Mr Lim’s claims that Mr. Chen and his wife’s hanky panky accounting to cheat him and the government could not hold water, the CAD insisted to press on charges. In the end, Mr. Chen’s wife was persuaded to plead guilty on the lawyer’s advice in order to save the running legal fees as CAD had the right to drag the law suit until they win because of face-saving, convincing Mr Chen and his wife that it was just like a traffic summon. The CAD could not have a case against Mr. Chen.
According to Mr. Chen, he wrote twice to all 77 PAP MPs and ministers but he received no response at all. In later years, Mr. Chen also spoke to one of the Straits Times editors and requested him to have the story of his plight published, but it was declined.
Mr. Chen is prepared to present himself again to help with the investigation if the Police and the CAD is prepared to dig up the dirt. If they are not, would our righteous PAP government press on the Police and the CAD to investigate this matter?
If someone in Helen Yeo’s law firm, or in the Police force or the CAD were doing Mr. Lim and/or Helen Yeo a big favor whether for personal gain or friendship, it is only fair to Mr. Chen and his wife that this person or persons be prosecuted.
Moreover, if someone who was in charge of filtering letters received for the PAP MPs and ministers he/she too must be probed into, as to why this was not brought up to the minister in charge, or the minister in charge also did a favor to Helen Yeo (Yeo Cheow Tong’s wife) to help them cover up?
After knowing what Helen Yeo has done as mentioned in that book, ‘Escape from Paradise’ there must be something not right with our judiciary system.
I think the people is also interested to know how could this happen in Singapore’s first world government.
Those involved must pay the price!
Hi,
In reference to this: “When we followed up on the issue of the availability of such flats, we found that there were indeed flats available. But because of HDB’s stringent qualification criterias, many of these did not qualify. Where else could they go? Instead, these available flats were rented out to foreigners.”
Just wondering if Andrew or anyone else care to clarify the pt on foreigners renting the flats. I thought only citizen are allowed to rent those 1 or 2 rm flats when they apply to HDB? or is this statement refering to something else?
I am keen to find out TOC’s plans for the next 5 years and also the opposition party’s plans.
Who is going to contest Tanjong Pagar in 2016. Can they do some horse trading now.
If after all ths massive and disgusting
misdeeds and abuse of power is read, widely known and spoken about you still think a last minute apology is a sign that they’ll make amends, you truly are
made of the stuff they think you are…
well deserving to be downtrodden and subdued till the rest of your days and thereafter. You deserve medevial governing!
Report Card of Ruling Administration …
Foreign Worker Housing
P6 – Just Pass .
Affordable Housing
F9 – Fail .
Public Assistance for Old , Needy & Disabled.
P6 – Pass . More Room for Improvement.
Slight Deafness & Mild Blindness noted for slow action on this.
Domestic Maids Rights
C7 – Borderline Pass
Housing Quotas
F9 – Fail
Senior Citizen employment
C7 – Borderline Pass
Carrots
A1 – Higher Distinction with Honours
Death Penalties
B4 – Pass since drug trafficking is low.
Opposition Discrimination
A1 – Higher Distinction
Curbing Rising Cost of Living
F9 – Fail
lolx
Andrew Loh,
I have deep gratitude to you.
You should stand for election in the next one.
Cheers!
Probably the author is not very well travelled. What is the problem about staying near a cemetary?
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/827/aiahongkong.jpg/