Home » Archive for August, 2011
Archive for August, 2011
Behind every dark cloud, there is a silver lining
Aug. 31 | Ghui / The Presidential Elections are now done and dusted. Singapore has a new President, Tony Tan, or TT as he is commonly dubbed. Scraping through the elections, TT will be the seventh President of Singapore. When the election results were first announced,...
Tan Kin Lian ‘gave courage to other candidates’
Aug. 31 | The following article was first published on leongszehian.com __________________________ ~By Alex Lew~ ~Photography by Shawn Danker~ I refer to Mr. Belmont Lay’s article describing the failures of the recent Presidential Election Candidate Mr. Tan...
New media engagement may have given Tony Tan and Tan Jee Say the edge
Aug. 30 | ~by: Ravi Philemon~ ~pictures: Shawn Danker~ ‘Change’ was the theme of the 2011 Presidential Election. All four candidates tried to articulate and win over the electorate with their version of change. For Presidential candidate Mr Tan Kin...
Can a politicised President’s Office truly unite Singaporeans?
Aug. 30 | Joshua Chiang/ The first time I learnt that the head of state of Singapore is the President, he was already dead. I was six years old when Benjamin Henry Sheares, our second President passed away. I remembered watching his funeral procession on television....
A lapse not befitting
Aug. 30 | By Howard Lee/ cartoon by Joshua Chiang I have always had faith in institutions of public service. To me, the public service has always represented the very best of human nature – service to fellow citizens. Yes, some would call it the iron rice bowl,...
A Nostalgic Hari Raya
Aug. 30 | A poem by Raymond Anthony Fernando/ Photos by Joshua Chiang Listening to keronchong music of the 60s’ The melody gently flowing with the breeze Oh how it bring back fond memories! Listening to the lyrics of Dondang Sayang A nostalgic celebration is...
Dolphins and captivity don’t mix
Aug. 29 | ~by: Elisabelle Aruldoss~ In 2008, Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore bought 27 wild bottlenose dolphins from the Solomon Islands to be placed in a dolphin exhibition in their Marine Life Park in 2012. Nine of the dolphins were then transported to...
Ministerial Salaries – can economics explain?
Aug. 29 | ~ by Dr Ivan Png ~ Since 1994, when they were first pegged to the pay of the highest local earners in six professions, salaries of our government ministers have been a very controversial issue. But while listed companies benchmark their executives’...
Elected Presidency may be Tony Tan’s toughest challenge yet
Aug. 28 | By Joshua Chiang/ I ran into an academic/blogger at Toa Payoh Stadium in the wee hours of Sunday morning. The recounting was ongoing, but by then it was becoming clear that Dr Tony Tan would win the Presidential elections by the narrowest of margins....
Presidential Election Polling Day – A photo story
Aug. 27 | Pictures: Terry Xu, Shawn Danker and Chong Woon Hian/ Results of the Presidential Election 2011: Tan Cheng Bock – 737128 votes Tan Jee Say – 529732 votes Tony Tan – 744397 votes Tan Kin Lin – 103931 votes Rejected votes –...
Hastily scribbled anecdotes of an overseas voter
Aug. 27 | by: HYY/ I awoke excited by the prospect of voting for the very first time! In previous years, my constituency had always been a walkover. I was travelling over GE 2011 and missed my opportunity to vote then. I had embarked on a last minute scramble...
The Online Citizen A Fully Fledged Citizen
Aug. 27 | Ms Melanie Alfred a mass communications undergraduate at RMIT recently interviewed Ravi Philemon, the interim chief editor of TOC. We reproduce here Ms Alfred’s report from the interview. _____________________________ “When you go to TOC (The...
Tony Tan: one man who cannot be overlooked
Aug. 25 | by: Ravi Philemon/ picture: Shawn Danker/ There are many reasons out there in the online world detailing why one should not vote for Dr Tony Tan. I am writing this note to say why he may not be half as bad as most of the online world makes him out to...
Second Chances’ Open Letter to All Candidates
Aug. 25 | The following was first published on We Believe In Second Chances. Dear Presidential Candidates, My name is Kirsten Han, and I am one of the co-founders of We Believe In Second Chances. I was very encouraged to see my fellow campaigner Priscilla present...
Tony Tan promises to not be a ‘Super MP’
Aug. 25 | by: Jewel Philemon/ The 2011 Presidential Election’s first lunchtime rally was kicked off by Dr Tony Tan, yesterday at 12.30pm. A crowd of two-thousand over people gave up their lunch hours and battled the hot sun as they gathered at UOB Plaza to...
It’s untrue! Tan Jee Say did not gatecrash SPP’s National Day party
Aug. 25 | by: Ravi Philemon/ There are rumours circulating online that Presidential candidate Tan Jee Say gatecrashed Singapore People’s Party’s (SPP) National Day dinner last Saturday (see HERE). A Workers’ Party member Melvin Tan who contested...
There Can Only Be Wan (Tan)
Aug. 25 | If you’re old enough to vote, you should be old enough to remember The Highlander! To celebrate an election that is likely to be immortalized in the history books, TOC is organizing a small fundraising get-together for friends and fans of TOC....
One-Stop Guide to 2011 Presidential Election
Aug. 25 | this post first appeared on New Asia Republic (NAR). We thank NAR for allowing us to reproduce it in full here. – NAR One-Stop Guide to 2011 Presidential Election – Rev01
I am not a hooligan: Presidential Candidate Tan Jee Say
Aug. 25 | Interview by Elliot Aruldoss and Jewel Philemon/ Videography by Joshua Chiang In this interview, Presidential Candidate Tan Jee Say talks about his brush with Dr Tony Tan at TOC’s Face to Face 2 forum, the public perception of him as a confrontational...
Tan Kin Lian the voice of the lives he has touched
Aug. 25 | A commentary on Presidential candidate Tan Kin Lian’s rally last night. – by: Yvonne Ho/ pictures: Shawn Danker/ Men and women of various backgrounds spoke at Tan Kin Lian’s Presidential Election rally on Wednesday evening at the Yio...
Tan Jee Say is the most popular candidate according to F2F2 survey
Aug. 25 | by: Jewel Philemon/ On 24th August, we asked our readers who had watched our ‘Face to Face 2: Presidential Forum’ (F2F2) videos to take a survey which asked three questions. The 3 questions being: Did you decide who to vote for before watching...
Dr Tony Tan’s sons: We are proud to have served Singapore during our National Service
Aug. 25 | this is a media release by the sons of Presidential candidate Dr Tony Tan: – The allegations concerning our National Service — circulated on the Internet and reinforced by Dr Tony Tan’s opponents — are lies. Like all other Singaporeans, we...
MND and PA bankrupt on ideas says WP
Aug. 25 | the following is a media release from the Workers’ Party on untrue claims of curtailment of PAP Grassroots activities in Hougang SMC: – In 1991, when the Workers’ Party (WP) took over the management of the Hougang Town Council (HGTC), the...
Presidential thought process
Aug. 25 | by: Choo Zheng Xi/ I’ve lost count of the number of times my friends have asked me how I’m voting on Saturday and why, so I thought I’d set out my thought processes here to spark debate and discussion. The short answer is I am leaning in a certain...
Tan Kin Lian’s PE rally highlights
Aug. 25 | Video by Joshua Chiang/ Photos by Shawn Danker (unless otherwise indicated) We will update this post as soon as the latest videos get uploaded, so do check back every once in a while. Crowd at Yio Chu Kang Stadium at 8:17pm on 24th Aug 2011 from...
WP alleges that key government agencies are mobilised to advance PAP’s political interest (update)
Aug. 24 | Update: Grassroots Advisers of Hougang SMC and Aljunied GRC have responded to the latest media statement by WP: We have shared with the public the obstacles encountered by the Grassroots Organisations in Hougang and Aljunied in working with the Town...
TAN JEE SAY GOES ALL OUT
Aug. 24 | A commentary on Presidential candidate Tan Jee Say’s rally last night. – by: Ellery A/ Hungry for rallies akin to this year’s General Elections, the crowds once again gathered in Toa Payoh Stadium to witness yet another milestone political...
“I was cheering, not booing” – letter to TNP
Aug. 24 | The following is an unpublished letter sent to The New Paper last Sunday. The writer had requested that TOC publish it unamended. Dear Editor,I refer to the Subject with 2 attachments. On Thursday 18 Aug 11, your paper carried a report on the front page...
A note to donors
Aug. 24 | Dear Readers, Firstly we would like to thank you for your kind donations to help us cover some of the costs of our recent Face to Face 2 forum. At the same time, we have received some enquiries as to why the name on our Paypal account is to ‘Joshua...
Tan Jee Say rally highlights
Aug. 24 | Photos by Terry Xu (except main photo of crowd) /Video by Joshua Chiang From other sources: Watch the rest of the rally here. Read the transcripts the rally speeches by clicking next to the names below: Tan Jee Say President –...
President guards Reserves: Really?
Aug. 24 | Leong Sze Hian/ I agree with Presidential candidate Dr Tony Tan’s remarks (“PE: President’s custodial responsibilities are important: Tony Tan”, Channel NewsAsia, Aug 19) that the custodial responsibilities of the president...
Political gridlock or sterility, PM?
Aug. 24 | Howard Lee/ It would not likely be the last comment from the ruling People’s Action Party leading up to the Presidential elections, but the latest comments from Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong just happen to strike a raw nerve. For your benefit,...
After watching Face to Face 2, who do you intend to vote for now?
Aug. 24 | This survey is now closed. We will have the results of the survey up by later today. – The Online Citizen’s Face to Face 2 was a studio discussion with the four Presidential candidates. TOC made a special effort in selecting the audience for this...
Ministry of National Development and People’s Association respond to AHTC
Aug. 24 | Joint Statement from MND and PA on Leasing Sites on HDB Land within Aljunied Town – At the request of the People’s Association (PA) in May, the Housing & Development Board (HDB) has leased 26 sites on HDB land within the Aljunied Town, to...
What do you do, Mr President?
Aug. 23 | by: Jewel Philemon and Justin Tan/ Photographs: Terry Xu/ Maruah (working group for ASEAN human rights mechanism), held a public forum,’ What do you do, Mr President?’, discussing the key roles and functions of the President, on Saturday 20th August....
Face to Face 2 challenged all preconceived beliefs
Aug. 23 | by: Siew Kum Hong/ Viswa Sadasivan asked me if it was ok to start. It was 8.35pm, about 15 minutes ahead of the scheduled start-time for filming. The four Presidential candidates were seated, the crowd had introduced themselves, and Viswa the moderator...
Chen Show Mao/PA dispute: Presidential candidates weigh in
Aug. 23 | Update: Mr Tan Jee Say has responded this evening at Toa Poyoh Stadium before his rally. He said that the PA should not be partisan and that it should be fair to everyone, be they PAP or opposition MPs. he also added the 7th Lunar Month festival is...
Singapore People’s Party stands in solidarity with Workers’ Party
Aug. 23 | from: Singapore People’s Party/ – The SPP (Singapore People’s Party) read WP’s (Workers’ Party) media release on HDB transferring prime event locations to PA with disgust It is a dirty tactic characteristic of the PAP and...
Leopards and spots
Aug. 23 | by: Siew Kum Hong/ It is as if the PAP is determined to prove that leopards cannot change their spots. The People’s Association can try its best to spin the truth, but the latest revelation from the Workers’ Party completely destroys any...
Do we still want a Nathanesque president? part 1
Aug. 22 | The following is an excerpt of an article on Yawning Bread Alex Au/ I was speaking at an event organised by Maruah about the upcoming presidential election. Law professor Kevin Tan was the first speaker, giving a detailed run-down of the relevant constitutional...
Use of Public Sites at Aljunied GRC
Aug. 22 | from: Workers’ Party/ – This release seeks to enlighten the public about what transpired in the weeks after the May General Election, which has led to the current controversy about use of public spaces by residents of Aljunied GRC to organise...
Transparency on our Sovereign Wealth Fund
Aug. 22 | by: National Solidarity Party/ The National Solidarity Party (NSP) regrets the continued lack of transparency surrounding our sovereign wealth funds (SWFs). The NSP believes that sufficient public information in the internal workings of GIC and Temasek...
PE: An Unsatisfactory Election
Aug. 22 | by: Jen Tai/ Photos: Shawn Danker/ There are many things that are Uniquely Singapore, some of which are not positive. One of these things is taking part in highly unsatisfactory elections. For many Singaporeans, we didn’t get to vote for years/decades...
TAN JEE SAY – A MAN WITH THE PASSION TO SERVE
Aug. 22 | excerpted from Jeannette Chong-Aruldoss’ blog ‘In My Own Words‘: – I hear that some people who saw the exchange (between Tan Jee Say and Tony Tan on Face to Face 2) are saying that it was “unpresidential” for TJS to have “lost...
TOC photographer hauled to police station by SBS Transit staff
Aug. 22 | by: Jewel Philemon/ On 17 Aug 2011 at about 9.30am, one of our photographers noticed an accident along Marine Parade Road and started taking pictures of this incident involving two SBS Transit buses (one double-decker and the other a normal one). A staff...
