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Letter of complaint against TOC on Today
Jun. 18 | Our reply (view original letter here): I refer to the letter of Mr Lionel De Souza on 15 June. The Online Citizen (TOC) consistently practices a policy of community moderation, which relies on a process of reader feedback and moderator responsibility....
Low-wage workers better off, now everybody worse off?
Jun. 18 | Leong Sze Hian / Columnist With the Labour market still weak, it is time to question the effectiveness of th Jobs Credit Scheme. WHILE the Ministry of Manpower may claim that low wage workers are better off, it seems like the economy is still in the doldrums...
Report: Private educational provider threatens online forum with defamation
Jun. 18 | Choo Zheng Xi / Editor-in-chief Despite claiming to provide accreditation to the UK Institute of Linguists, the private education provider does not seem to know how to spell. This article will be progressively updated. Check back at a later time for more...
Singapore — the modern middle kingdom?
Jun. 17 | From Mahathir’s blog: 1. Ancient China considered itself the centre of the world and called itself the Middle Kingdom. And well it should. It was far more advanced in every way than Europe of the Dark Ages. Maybe China is thinking of making a...
Report: Unpaid internships — exploitation of free labour?
Jun. 17 | Darren Boon / Reporting Head A win-win situation in this worsening economic climate: companies reduce labour costs by hiring unsalaried interns while these intern hopefuls seeking industry experience learn the trade and may actually get their big break. MAX...
Create “Economic Recovery” jobs
Jun. 17 | Tan Kin Lian / Columnist Just pumping funds into the economy will not do. It is also important to curb unemployment, and Singapore can do this by creating new “Economic Recovery” jobs. Being an open economy, Singapore has been badly affected...
Learn from Singapore
Jun. 16 | There is, of course, no need to ape everything Singapore does. After all, according to a former president of Indonesia, it is no more than a red dot on the map! Besides, there is no way Malaysians or Penangites can pay the chief executives of the government...
Legal recourse for foreign workers
Jun. 16 | Jonathan Koh / Reporter Wallace Woon/Photographer Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics (HOME’s) opening of its new resource center and legal helpdesk promises to give the pursuit of justice for migrant workers a more forceful legal bite. 13...
Sending Ah Gong back to the children
Jun. 15 | Ng E-Jay / Current Affairs Desk With contributions from Gerald Giam and Ravi Philemon Recent proposals to amend the Maintenance of Parents Act suggests an act by the government to pass the buck of caring for the elderly to their children, but this puts...
Another day, another accusation
Jun. 14 | At the ST, we value constructive criticism. It drives us to keep getting better. Sometimes, though, all we ask for is fair shake. Carl Skadian, in response to accusations against the Straits Times about unbalanced coverage.
How the lack of common sense can destroy a faith
Jun. 14 | By Terence Lee / Deputy Editor Muslims as hateful bigots? The Pope as the antichrist? Dungeon & Dragon games as a tool of Satan? Read about a litany of horrifying accusations and more on Chick Publication’s tracts. A LACK of knowledge should...
The cost of Singapore’s heavy export reliance
Jun. 13 | From AP: This speck on the map leapt from poverty to First World riches in a generation. Now its halcyon years of breakneck growth may be over. Ask none other than Lee Kuan Yew, the authoritarian statesman who oversaw Singapore’s transformation...
Singapore Technology blacklisted by India in corruption probe
Jun. 13 | Source: Businessworld India Singapore firms Singapore Technologies and Media Architects are two of seven companies banned in a corruption probe against India’s former Ordnance Factories Board Director General Sudipto Gosh. CRACKING DOWN on...
Family suspects interference in David’s case
Jun. 12 | From the Jakarta Post: The family of David Hartanto Widjaja, an Indonesian student who died at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU) on March 2, and a local verification team doubt the Singaporean court process of his death. The coroner...
Perdition and sedition
Jun. 12 | News Alert: Operation Spectrum forum cancelled due to venue problems. Current Affairs Desk The invoking of the Sedition Act in the prosecution of the Christian couple for distributing offensive tracts may seem overly harsh – setting a dangerous precedent...
‘Need for perspective’ on H1N1 influenza
Jun. 11 | From BBC: To put the scares in perspective, about half-a-million people die from common flus in an average year. More than a million die on the roads. But governments are often more easily moved to tackle a short-term crisis than a long-term crisis, and...
No beatings and torture under ISA
Jun. 11 | There are no beatings or torture. There have been no deaths. Ambassador Chan Heng Chee, Embassy of Singapore in Washington, defending the ISA
PM Lee displayed false humility
Jun. 11 | Ng E-Jay and Leong Sze Hian / Current Affairs Desk Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s uncharacteristic comments about flying economy class as a way of leading by example cannot be taken seriously. The only way for him and his senior ministers to gain...
Jobseeking for PMETs — handle with care
Jun. 11 | A truncated version was published on the Voices section of TODAYonline. Gilbert Goh / Writer The current retraining scheme by the Workforce Development Agency has failed to help more sophisticated jobseekers. I refer to the article “There’s...
PM Lee doesn’t take private jet
Jun. 10 | Mr Lee said he did not think Singapore was an affluent country, the Korean daily reported. ‘Besides, as a government official, I have to lead by example. Singapore’s senior officials fly economy class, not first class, for flights under...
State raps Singapore on ‘hasty’ travel alert
Jun. 10 | From The Australian: The Brumby government has accused Singapore of acting prematurely in issuing a travel warning about visiting Victoria because of the swine flu outbreak in the state. DESPITE the number of Victorian swine flu victims topping 1000 in...
Is Animal Farm relevant to Singapore?
Jun. 10 | Tan Kin Lian / Columnist Are we seeing a modern Animal Farm happening in Singapore, where corruption and propaganda are used to control the populace? ANIMAL Farm is a novel written by George Orwell in 1945. I studied this book for Literature when I was...
MP recounts fiery attack
Jun. 9 | From The Straits Times: MR SENG Han Thong was about to have his lunch when he felt something like cold water trickling down his neck. The next thing he knew, he was ablaze. Only when the Yio Chu Kang MP was being taken to hospital in an ambulance did...
Charting a brave new world
Jun. 9 | Current Affairs Desk The government’s latest exercise in newspeak. NEWLY-minted acting minister for Information, Communications and the Arts, RAdm (NS) Lui Tuck Yew, has announced the formation of an inter-agency steering committee to “take stock”...
Low-wage workers better off – really?
Jun. 7 | Leong Sze Hian / Columnist The Ministry of Manpower has published a 74-page press release detailing significant progress in the welfare of low-wage workers. But a closer scrutiny of the report finds that the picture may not be so rosy. (Read the Straits...
Help stem the spread of H1N1 influenza
Jun. 7 | (Graphic: Want to help stop the spread of H1N1 influenza? Yes, you can! Courtesy of Ben Heine) 21,940 infections worldwide. 125 deaths. The H1N1 influenza has gone pandemic, and with no sign of abating. There is no known cure for it, but you can play...
Signs and symptoms
Jun. 6 | (Photo: The mask is back in vogue as the H1N1 virus rages across much of the world. Courtesy of Surihuella / Creative Commons) Influenza-A is a virus that has been transmitted from infected pigs to humans. It is a respiratory disease with flu-like symptoms....
H1N1 prevention tips
Jun. 6 | (Photo: Washing your hands is important to help stem the spread of the H1N1 influenza. Courtesy of Kathea Pinto / Creative Commons) Cover Your Nose and Mouth - With a tissue when you cough or sneeze and dispose the tissue properly in the trash after use. Wash...
TOC editorial: Temasek’s non-answer
Jun. 6 | Temasek’s evasiveness is only going to fuel speculation and ire. The tide of Temasek-related bad news seems almost interminable. Weeks after reports that the government’s main holding company had to endure a huge write-down after selling its stake...
Most efficient civil service
Jun. 5 | From The Straits Times / Reuters: SINGAPORE’S civil servants are the most efficient among their Asian peers, a business survey on 12 economies released on Wednesday showed, but they tend to clam up unhelpfully when things go wrong. The Republic...
Latest updates on H1N1
Jun. 5 | (Photo: Fever is one of the symptoms of the onset of H1N1 influenza. From sxc.hu) From CNA: Singapore has confirmed 106 new cases of H1N1 flu, bringing the total to 1,217 so far. The Health Ministry said of the 1,140 cases investigated so far, 702...
Letter of clarification: Leslie Lung of Liberty League
Jun. 5 | To The Online Citizen: I refer to your astutely titled, four-part article “Change You Can Believe In?” and applaud you for taking on this difficult, controversial and often highly-charged topic. In Part One, which opened with details regarding...
Vocalness – An effective tool in the battle of belief systems
Jun. 5 | Ravi Philemon / Head, Current Affairs Desk Critics will accuse Christians like Thio Li-Ann of pushing their own agendas in public space. But perhaps their views on homosexuality are not so different from the Singaporean majority after all. Nonetheless,...
Temasek losses – Enough is enough
Jun. 4 | Straits Times, Front Page, 29 May 2009 Leong Sze Hian Both the Merrill and BoA losses came to light only after securities filings in other countries or when international news agencies reported them – and were not voluntarily disclosed by Temasek...
TOC editorial: Electric dreams
Jun. 4 | The government has been too slow in pushing for greener land transport The government recently announced that it would make S$20 million available for a trial programme to encourage the adoption of electric vehicles on the roads beginning in 2010. It...
Reform the Internal Security Act
Jun. 2 | By Donaldson Tan / Head, TOC International / London The ISA still serves an important function in ensuring Singapore’s security, despite the potential for abuse by the government. The author suggests four reforms that will help guarantee that...
The art of blogging
Jun. 2 | Jonathan Koh / Photos by Damien Chng. While most blogs thrive in the Internet’s unbridled nature, credible blogging is an art that needs to be mastered, so says the speakers at a blogging seminar held last week. 30 MAY, 2009 — BLOGGERS...
The fallacy of “growth at all costs” (part four)
May. 29 | Rajiv Chaudhry / Writer In this four-part series, Rajiv contends that Singapore’s current economic model of high growth, which has served the nation well in the past, is unsustainable for the future as it will undermine Singapore’s ability...
Change you can believe in? (part four)
May. 29 | Photo: A church service at City Harvest Church. Most Christians in Singapore are adament that homosexuality is a condition that is changeable. Courtesy of Liu Kam Kit / Creative Commons Terence Lee / Deputy Editor In this four-part series, the writer...
Singapore’s security and evolving the political system
May. 28 | H1N1 Flu Update: Singapore confirms 3 more H1N1 flu cases. Not local transmissions. Confirmed cases returned from the U.S Worker’s Party NCMP Sylvia Lim addresses in a parliamentary speech the incoming electorial changes. At this late stage...
The Emperor’s new clothes
May. 28 | KJ In a letter that appeared in the Straits Times forum online (“Whatever the issue, let’s learn to argue well”, 27 May 09), Ms Lisa Li, a GP teacher, made the case for arguing well. She says: “… given that Singapore will always have a diversity...
Change you can believe in? (part three)
May. 26 | Photo: The Aware saga revealed how certain religious groups perceived homosexuality and the notion of whether change is possible. By Damien Chng. Terence Lee / Deputy Editor In this four-part series, the writer explores the idea of conversion therapy...
Growing the economy – Indian style
May. 26 | Fang Shi Han / Bangalore, India Despite many bureaucratic inefficiencies and a lacking infrastructure, India is fast emerging as an economic powerhouse that poses a serious challenge to rising China and the West. Much has been said about a ‘rising...
TOC Editorial: But butterflies are free
May. 26 | Singaporeans should question the relevance of the Internal Security Act Invoking the memory of the so-called “Marxist conspiracy” of 1987, in which more than 22 citizens were detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for supposedly conspiring...
Change you can believe in? (part two)
May. 23 | Photo: Many gays who went through Choices Ministry gave up the pursuit of opposite-sex relationships. Courtesy of Mumblegum / Creative Commons Terence Lee / Deputy Editor In this four-part series, the writer explores the idea of conversion therapy and...
The fallacy of “growth at all costs” (part three)
May. 21 | Rajiv Chaudhry / Writer In this four-part series, Rajiv contends that Singapore’s current economic model of high growth, which has served the nation well in the past, is unsustainable for the future as it will undermine Singapore’s ability...
Change you can believe in? (part one)
May. 20 | Photo: Pink Dots particpants forming the word 'love' at the Speaker's Corner. Courtesy of Pink Dot. Terence Lee / Deputy Editor Some religious leaders preach it, but psychologists deny it. The word is change, and the subject is homosexuality....
The fallacy of “growth at all costs” (part two)
May. 14 | Rajiv Chaudhry / Writer In this four-part series, Rajiv contends that Singapore’s current economic model of high growth, which has served the nation well in the past, is unsustainable for the future as it will undermine Singapore’s ability...
Say ‘yes’ to transport concessions for the handicapped
May. 14 | CAN!, an advocacy group championing the cause of disabled people, is calling for support for the ‘Petition for Public Transport Subsidy’. They will be meeting at the Speaker’s Corner on 23 May 2009 from 5pm to 7pm. Despite many of the...
