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Choo Zheng Xi
NMP’s views at odds with AIDS relief research paper
Oct. 27 | By Jinesh Lalwani and Choo Zheng Xi Safe sex awareness pamphlets censored as pornography. Information booths closed down for distributing “illegal” content. Awareness outreach funding stifled by choking off of charity fundraisers by homosexual groups. The...
Parliamentary petition to repeal 377A: not just any other petition
Oct. 12 | By Choo Zheng Xi In the most formal challenge to Singapore’s gay sex laws yet, Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) Siew Kum Hong will be sponsoring a petition in Parliament calling for the repeal of section 377A of the Penal Code. The petition was...
TOC Breaking News: Singaporean graduate student files application for Burma protest
Sep. 29 | The remark on Andrew Teo’s online application form to protest the violence in Burma is simple: “Free Burma. General Than Shwe: Stop the killing”. This afternoon, Mr Teo, a graduate student at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and telecommunications...
TOC Opinion: PM Lee at NUS: Where’s the substance?
Sep. 22 | By Choo Zheng Xi The Kent Ridge Ministerial Forum was a surreal experience. Throughout the forum, I had trouble believing that this event was being held the day after one of the most contentious Parliamentary sittings I had ever followed was concluded....
TOC Breaking News: Police allow SDP march to Parliament
Sep. 16 | The police have allowed a protest march by Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) activists to take place without incident. At 3.10 pm this afternoon, a group of six SDP activists turned up at Singapore’s Speaker’s Corner at Hong Lim Park to commemorate...
TOC Exclusive: Otto Fong’s Open Letter
Sep. 10 | Theonlinecitizen has obtained a copy of the original blog entry by Raffles Institution teacher, Otto Fong. It also includes comments which were originally posted by readers of his article. The original posting on his own blog has since been taken down....
TOC Breaking News: Gay teacher deletes his “coming out” article
Sep. 10 | Latest Update (10 Sept, 20:00 hours): TOC understands that Otto’s case has attracted the attention of the Ministry Of Education. We expect both MOE and Raffles Institution to release a press statement on the matter very soon. Otto Fong is a gay teacher...
TOC Report: annuity protest draws small crowd
Sep. 9 | A protest against the government’s move to introduce an annuities scheme was held at Centrepoint on Saturday afternoon. Around 30 people were spotted wearing black throughout the five storey shopping mall, but it was unclear how many of them were...
In Parliament: government’s reply poorly reasoned, insulting
Aug. 28 | By Choo Zheng Xi The Worker’s Party MPs asked why their party was not allowed to hold a cycling event at East Coast Park as part of their 50th anniversary celebrations. If Minister of State for Law and Home Affairs Ho Peng Kee’s answer is any...
WP Youth Wing elections set new tone for youths in politics
Aug. 22 | By Choo Zheng Xi It was not so long ago that the single most familiar refrain of opposition politicians was a constant complaint about a ‘climate of fear’ surrounding politics. If the Workers’ Party Youth Wing (WPYW) elections were any gauge, this...
How Do I Love Thee, let me (not) count the ways
Aug. 9 | This article was first published by the TODAY newspaper. See below. By Choo Zheng Xi Question: Why do you feel patriotic? Answer: Well I recently went to country XYZ (fill in name of Third World country or dysfunctional First World one) and realized...
Diplomacy – a la MM Lee
Aug. 1 | By Choo Zheng Xi Imagine a senior western dignitary visiting Singapore to lecture us on electoral and constitutional reform, claiming our legislators lack legitimacy because of the constitutional quirk that is our GRC system. And after that he asks us...
Minister’s blunder a cause for concern
Jul. 20 | By Choo Zheng Xi Our writer Leong Sze Hian recently pointed out that numbers for the proportion of foreign students in local varsities given by Minister of State for Education Gan Kim Yong in Parliament did not add up. Mr Gan had said in Parliament that...
The Li Hong Yi saga: the blogosphere steps up to bat
Jul. 13 | By Choo Zheng Xi Reuters, when reporting on the Li Hong Yi saga, credited the blogosphere’s work in publicizing the issue: “Li’s letter — totaling 2,000 words according to the Today newspaper — has been posted online by several Singapore...
Award winning local playwright fired from teaching position
Jun. 11 | TOC report Alfian Sa’at, one of Singapore’s most illustrious playwrights, was recently fired from a relief teaching position by the Ministry of Education (MOE). The reason for his dismissal? In the words of the Ministry, he did not ‘best meet the...
Auditor General’s Report – Millions Missing
Jun. 1 | TOC Exclusive The original Auditor General Office’s (AGO) audit of 12 Ministries and associated statutory boards has revealed irregularities to an extent not fully revealed by the recent Public Accounts Committee (PAC). According to the AGO, losses...
Foreign Talent policy: of principle and practice
May. 25 | By Choo Zheng Xi The government’s defense of its foreign talent policy follows a familiar pattern. The government rolls out a policy and frames it within unobjectionable truisms that few can disagree with. In the foreign talent debate, the truisms are...
UNSW closure – some tough questions
May. 24 | By Choo Zheng Xi A friend of mine (let’s call him James) made the decision a few months ago to enroll in the University of New South Wales (UNSW) campus in Singapore. He had taken a gamble and given up his place in NUS’ Business faculty for a chance...
JBJ’s Return To Politics: Method In The Madness? (Commentary)
May. 20 | By Choo Zheng Xi Before JB Jeyaretnam’s press conference today, there was much speculation in opposition circles about his political future. It was widely rumored that the veteran politician was ready to throw in the towel. At the age of 81, he has...
Beware the Slippery Slope!
May. 9 | By Choo Zheng Xi What do Yoda, Vivian Balakrishnan, Yvonne Lee, and ex-CJ Yong have in common? No, this isn’t the opening line of a dirty joke. All of the abovementioned characters are guilty of having used a form of logical deduction known as the...
Justify why gay acts should remain criminal
May. 1 | This is a letter written by one of our writers, Choo Zheng Xi, to the Straits Times forum page. The letter is published on May 1, 2007 I REFER to the letter from Ms Agnes Chai, ‘Are homosexuals truly born gay?’ (ST, April 27). I think this...
