Feeding our babies to the economy monster

Andrew Loh / Deputy Editor

This article is inspired by what Mr Wang wrote on his blog – a very thought-provoking entry titled, “Human rights and the Government baby incentives, Part 1”.

It led me to wonder why exactly Singaporeans would want to have kids, if they are treated as merely an economic necessity.

Mr Wang argues that the Singapore Government’s motivation in wanting to raise the birth rate is “purely economic; the aim is to generate a steady stream of future workers for Singapore Inc” - if Singapore views human rights as an ‘invention of the West”, having no relevance to us in Asia. Mr Wang cites the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) to illustrate an interesting perspective on how human rights actually can inform national policies.

I agree with what Mr Wang says. Read more

Even if these men fail…

Andrew Loh

Reading about the Venerable Shi Ming Yi being charged for 10 counts of impropriety in handling funds collected through the Ren Ci charity organisation makes me very sad indeed. (Yahoo News)(CNA)

Venerable Ming Yi’s case follows that of Catholic priest Joachim Kang and the National Kidney Foundation’s (NKF) Chief Executive TT Durai. All three were trusted by members of the public and had collected millions in donations. Ren Ci and the NKF are two of the biggest and well-known charity organisations in Singapore.

While the monk’s guilt is yet to be ascertained, Durai and Kang were found guilty and were given prison sentences.

What is happening to our society, when even such men fail? Read more

YouthQuake

Andrew Loh

Youths volunteering as panelists and speaking up in forums organised by an opposition party?

That’s unthinkable, some may say, but that is exactly what the Workers’ Party’s Youth Wing (WPYW) is doing with its series of forums called YouthQuake. Targeted at young Singaporeans, the forums have so far seen a 17-year-old junior college student, a 20-year-old National Serviceman and a 23-year-old law undergraduate, among others, take the stage making impassioned speeches on youth-centric issues.

Are youths today less inhibited or fearful about participating in such alternative platforms, away from the usual government or PAP-sponsored dialogue and feedback channels? And aren’t youths supposed to be “bo-chap” (apathetic) about social and political issues anyway?

TOC speaks to the WP Youth Wing and three previous young panelists at YouthQuake. Read more

“Singapore upholds free speech” – MM Lee’s press secretary

Update (July 1): The Singapore Democratic Party has responded to Mdm Yeong’s letter. Click here.

Andrew Loh

“Singapore upholds free speech and the right to disagree, subject to the law”, Minister Mentor’s press secretary, Mdm Yeong Yoon Ying, said in a letter to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

She was responding to the WSJ’s article titled, “Democracy in Singapore”, published in the paper on June 26.

Referring to the recent court case brought against the Singapore Democratic Party, she said that “the case had nothing to do with political freedom”. Instead, “it was for defamation arising from the Chees’ false claims that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Lee Kuan Yew are criminals and corrupt.”

Saying that “Singapore upholds free speech and the right to disagree”, she explained that “many opposition politicians routinely criticize government leaders, but are not sued because they have not uttered slanderous falsehoods.” Read more

Crossing the line into vulgarity

Andrew Loh

I would sincerely like to believe that this is the absolute lowest that the PAP government will go to attempt to destroy its political opposition – crossing the line into vulgarity.

The first time I heard of Dr Chee Soon Juan was way back in 1992, when he first stepped into the political arena. Given the way the People’s Action Party ruled Singapore then – and even now – it was quite inspiring to see one such as Dr Chee stepping right into the cauldron of Singapore’s political minefield.

16 years have passed since then and many things have transpired – both with Dr Chee and Singapore as a whole.

As far as the Government is concerned, sadly, the changes have not been in tandem with the promises made. Singaporeans will still remember how the Government promised a “tolerant society”, a “gracious society”, a “compassionate society”, and even one which would allow space for “political dissidents”,as declared by Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong and Minister Vivian Balakrishnan. (See here: Protecting the sacred cows behind electric fences) Read more

Whose future is “shining”, really?

Andrew Loh

Ministers scheduled to be given a third pay hike this year

If you ask me, the future is really shining for us… We will survive; this is a red dot, which we can make redder and brighter. (MM Lee, 2006)

We are into a period of good economic growth and social development… If there are no wars or oil crises, this golden period can stretch out over many years… (Singapore in a golden period, says MM Lee, 2007),

Mdm Soh (not her real name) is more than 70 years old and has been working as an office cleaner for more than a year. Her daily routine starts at 7am and ends at 5pm, which means she puts in 10 hours of work, including a one hour lunch break. She works five and a half days per week – 55 hours in all.

She is paid $650 per month.

$2.95 per hour. Read more

Responsibility, responsibility, responsibility!

Andrew Loh

Yes, we are all appalled. In fact, we are more appalled than the Home Affairs Minister.

Appalled at the “lapses” (if ever there was a euphemism for a screwup, this is it), appalled at the “complacency”, appalled at how our security personnel are so lackadaisical about their jobs.

But most of all, we are appalled that the Home Affairs Minister still has a job.

Responsibility, responsibility, responsibility!

Where is it? Where did it go to? How is it that it can be avoided, side-stepped, blamed on someone else – not once, not twice, but three times! Read more

Give S’poreans more information - Seelan Palay

‘The only boundaries that we have for self-expression are only the ones we set for ourselves,’ says artist and activist Seelan Palay.

Andrew Loh

‘The police asked me for a permit, warned me and told me to disperse. But I am only fasting, why should I need a permit? They said it was under some public entertainment licensing law, and I said I was not here to entertain anyone.’ (TODAY)

While Singaporeans were celebrating the arrival of New Year’s Day 2008, one other Singaporean was just beginning a five day fast in support for five Malaysians who had earlier been arrested and detained in Malaysia.

Artist and activist Seelan Palay camped himself outside the Malaysian High Commission building in Singapore from 31 December 2007 to 5 January 2008. He was calling for a fair trial for the so-called Hindraf 5. Read more

Gopalan Nair denies charges

Andrew Loh

In a statement released to the press, lawyer Gopalan Nair rejected accusations that he had sent emails to Justice Belinda Ang and others. Nair was arrested and charged on June 4 for insulting a public servant.

Nair is also facing a second charge, this time for insulting a judge in the High Court, Justice Lai Siu Chiu.

He has since been released on bail of $5,000.

In his press statement, Nair said, “I did not at anytime send any emails to Judge Belinda Ang or anyone else as far as this incident is concerned.” He added that the authorities have seized his computer notebook as well. Read more

90 days since escape… no more information?

Andrew Loh

Mas Selamat Kastari escaped from the Whitley Road Detention Centre on February 27, 2008.

It has been 90 days since.

There has been total silence on what the government is doing to capture him since the debate moved into the sphere of responsibility for the escape and the expressed desire of the government to repair its reputation.

The last thing that Singaporeans learned of the plans to capture the escapee was that the government was now adopting a “targeted approach based on intelligence”. This was on April 11. Read more

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