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From the Political Desk
SDP Proposes a Universal, Affordable and Sustainable Healthcare System
Mar. 17 | ~By: Kumaran Pillai~ Dr. James Gomez, head of the policy unit of the Singapore Democratic Party introduced the panel of doctors at the Launch of the SDP National Health Care Plan. It was a culmination of efforts and an enhancement of what the...
Impose moratorium on death penalty and review position on mandatory death penalty – MARUAH
Mar. 15 | ~by: Braema Mathi / President, MARUAH~ MARUAH registers its deep concern that, for the second time in recent months, but for the timely intervention of the Court of Appeal, another man would have been hanged. [“Man on death row for trafficking...
5 Safeguards under the ISA
Mar. 14 | ~By: Teo Soh Lung ~ My last response to Minister Teo Chee Hean’s speech in parliament that was reported in The Straits Times of 20 October 2011 was made on 9 November 2011. The sub-title to that reply was Making use of the Church and it...
Some small countries do it better. Really?
Mar. 14 | ~By: Kumaran Pillai~ We do it better. I used to sing to that when I was a kid – “good, better, best. Never let it rest.” After singing it a dozen times, I belived it, wholly. Despite the lack of natural resources, Singapore has...
Rewarding good character with hard cold cash. No Kidding!
Mar. 13 | ~By: Jen~ I am very disturbed by the new Edusave Character Award scheme by the Ministry of Education to reward good character in students with hard cold cash. This award according to MOE’s Minister Heng Swee Keat, is to recognise students who exhibit...
By-election in Hougang in end March or early April?
Mar. 12 | ~by: Jewel Philemon~ Reliable sources tell us that plans are underway to call for a by-election in Hougang towards end March or early April 2012, and that Serangoon Junior College has been earmarked as one of the polling statons for this by-election....
PM Lee: The Workers’ Party has caused this situation to happen
Mar. 10 | Workers' Party Chairman Sylvia Lim, "does the Prime Minister not agree that with the Hougang SMC being vacant, there is actually an under-representation of the Hougang voters in this House?" "If that is an issue, I would...
Income Disparity and its Perilous Inequality
Mar. 10 | ~By: Ghui~ In the latest string of debates on the Budget, much focus has been placed on the war of words between Mr Chen Show Mao and Mr Vikram Nair. In his speech on Tuesday, 6 March 2012, Mr Chen said that the government “should not see...
PM will call by-election in Hougang, but have not decided on timing yet
Mar. 9 | the following is Prime Minster Lee Hsien Loong's reply to the Parliamentary question on calling for a by-election in Hougang SMC: The Hougang Single Member Constituency (SMC) seat is vacant after the Workers’ Party expelled Mr Yaw Shin Leong,...
By-elections: By The Book, The Constitutional Way
Mar. 6 | ~ By: Gordon Lee ~ The constitution is clear that the PM has sole discretion in calling (or not calling) for a by-election. There is no legal way this can be interpreted any other way and the affidavit recently filed in the high court is bound to fail. But...
Refrain from using defamation lawsuits against political opponents and critics
Mar. 5 | ~by: Braema Mathi / President, MARUAH~ MARUAH is troubled by the recent incidents of politicians threatening defamation lawsuits against internet blogs and forums, and calls on our political and corporate leaders to refrain from using defamation lawsuits...
TOC writer – Thank you for correcting me Hri Kumar
Mar. 5 | the following is a statement by TOC's writer Gordon Lee: On 4 March 2012, an article of mine "3 predictions on Hougang" was published on The Online Citizen – and can be found here: http://theonlinecitizen.com/2012/03/3-predictions-on-hougang/ In...
3 Predictions on Hougang
Mar. 4 | ~ By: Gordon Lee ~ Prediction 1 – The affidavit will fail As I mentioned in another article, the affidavit in the high court (which deals with the letter of the law) is bound to fail because the law is absolutely clear about the discretion of the...
TOC invites Mr Nair to write to us
Mar. 3 | ~by: the core team of TOC~ In an article of 2 March 2012 on Singapore news tabloid News.insing, PAP MP for Sembawang GRC Mr Vikram Nair floated the possibility of taking legal action against TOC. This arose out of an article written by a TOC contributor,...
Prejudice and Discrimination – Xenophobia
Mar. 2 | ~ By: Ng Yi Shu ~ We see it all around us. On the Internet, where nationalistic netizens insult invading immigrants to go back to where they came from; more subtly in real life where petitions are signed by residents protesting foreign worker dormitories...
Vikram Nair compares Chen Show Mao’s proposals to a Nigerian scam
Mar. 2 | ~by: Ng E-Jay~ No, you did not read the headline wrongly. When WP MP Chen Show Mao proposed in Parliament that the 2012 Budget should do more for vulnerable groups, PAP MP Vikram Nair attacked Mr Chen’s proposals as being akin to a Nigerian money...
Focus on Png Eng Huat
Mar. 1 | ~by: Ravi Philemon~ This flyer was received by some residents in Hougang. Will Png Eng Huat be Workers' Party's candidate when a by-election is called in Hougang? Brief profile of Png Eng Huat Png Eng Huat, 49 Occupation: Businessman Marital...
Respecting citizen’s democratic rights is an important national issue too
Mar. 1 | ~by: Ghui~ In his article “The value of a by-election” (see HERE), Professor Eugene Tan states that by-elections should be called in Hougang within a reasonable time or without inordinate delay. In response, Mr Hri Kumar Nair asserts that...
The $1.1Bn quick fix
Feb. 27 | ~by: Kumaran Pillai~ "What Singaporeans want are quicker solutions. They don't want to wait so long, “said Minister of State for Finance and Transport Josephine Teo. The solution according to her (or them) is to buy more buses. Putting...
SDP unveils Shadow Budget 2012
Feb. 23 | ~by: Ng Yi Shu~ The Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) unveiled its new Shadow Budget at its headquarters yesterday as its alternative financial policy for the year 2012. Key principles in SDP’s alternative budget this year included alternative measures...
The accusation is the evidence?
Feb. 22 | ~by: Ravi Philemon~ TOC refers to the article published in TR Emeritus, 'Is PAP bankrolling prominent blogger Andrew Loh' (see HERE). The article has been taken off-line by TRE now. Although most of what was written in that article were...
TOC dismayed by apparent reversal of ‘light touch’ approach to internet regulation
Feb. 21 | ~Editorial~ February 2012 will be remembered as the month in which defamation lawsuits, or at least their threat, made their unwelcome return to Singapore’s political landscape. First, lawyers acting for Minister for Law and Foreign Affairs K....
Why the PAP was too clever by half
Feb. 20 | ~by: Chua Suntong~ In 1990, the now Emeritus Senior Minister, Goh Chok Tong became Prime Minister. The PAP (People’s Action Party) was determined to stop the decline in its share of the popular vote which had dropped from 77.7% in 1980 to 63.2%...
Budget 2012: Income growth in some sectors cannot be tied to productivity growth
Feb. 19 | ~by: Ravi Philemon~ The Government should be lauded for enhancing the schemes that cater to the people with lower-income, people with disability and the elderly. The increased budget for healthcare expenditure from $4 billion to $8 billion a year should...
Is the Goods and Services Tax really fair?
Feb. 19 | ~By: Ghui~ Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam has said that the purpose of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) is to ensure that the tax system is fair (see HERE). This statement certainly raises a few questions. GST...
WP – trading integrity for reputation?
Feb. 19 | ~by: Howard Lee~ Media stakeout at yaw Shin Leong's house Singapore now gears up for another round at the polls with the by-election of Hougang Single Member Constituency, the result of the Workers' Party sacking their own Member of Parliament...
Budget: TOC calls for a stronger community and robust economic performance
Feb. 17 | ~Editorial~ As the parliament reads the Fiscal Budget for 2012, the TOC weighs in on the issues that affect us and we hope that the parliament will deliberate on these issues in the coming days. Budget Surpluses from 2011 The government has about $3B...
Opposition parties response to by-election in Hougang
Feb. 16 | Singapore Democratic Party has issued a statement that they will not contest in the by-election. The following is SDP's statement: The Singapore Democratic Party's primary concern is that the constituency of Hougang must remain in the hands...
Does Shin Leong have a legal recourse?
Feb. 16 | ~by: Kumaran Pillai~ The Workers' Party (WP) has summarily expelled an elected Member of Parliament Yaw Shin Leong with immediate effect for refusing to attend internal Party hearings to account for the alleged indiscretions in his private life....
WP now Whiter than White
Feb. 16 | ~Editorial~ It was the move that no one was expecting, and understandably so. Mr Yaw Shin Leong’s sacking from the Worker’s Party is an unparalleled move in modern Singapore’s political history. It also has the potential to be remembered...
Breaking news: Yaw Shin Leong has been sacked from Workers’ Party
Feb. 15 | Our reporter Kumaran Pillai reporting from Workers' Party HQ confirms that MP for Hougang SMC Yaw Shin Leong has been sacked from the Workers' Party. We will bring you more updates soon. the following is a statement from Workers' Party on...
Jarrod Luo resigns from SDP
Feb. 14 | ~by: Cheong Yaoming and Ng Yi Shu~ Jarrod Luo Singapore Democratic Party's (SDP) candidate for GE 2011 and former Honorary Secretary of Young Democrats has resigned from the Party on 9 February 2012. A spokesperson for SDP in...
Hard Truths apply to WP too
Feb. 11 | ~Editorial~ The Yaw Shin Leong fiasco has the potential to do irreparable damage to the Worker’s Party (WP) if a full and frank accounting to the public is not done. Opposition sympathetic supporters online have attempted to shift the focus of...
It’s the voters who’ll have to judge Mr Yaw
Feb. 10 | ~by: Tan Kin Lian~ I agree with the decision taken by MP Yaw Shin Leong to resign as treasurer of the Workers Party and the exemplary approach taken by the leadership of the Workers Party in handling this difficult issue. I also...
Remembering Dr Toh Chin Chye
Feb. 6 | ~by: Dr Wong Wee Nam~ I cannot forget his kind gesture. It was the morning after the 1997 General Election. I had come back at 2 am after the results had been announced that my team had lost. I went straight to bed. At 8 am, the phone rang and woke me...
Toh Chin Chye and Lee Kuan Yew were cut from the same cloth
Feb. 6 | ~by: Ravi Philemon~ With the passing away of Dr Toh Chin Chye, many have come forward to express gratitude for his immense contribution to the country. Some from the opposition and the civil society also have expressed their admiration for him. Mr Chiam...
The PAP – A victim of its own success
Feb. 4 | ~by: Ghui~ In the 60s and 70s, we believed wholeheartedly in the PAP. They fought for our best interests and we supported them with unstinting devotion. The PAP led us through our separation from Malaysia and saw us through our turbulent years of nation...
Dr Toh Chin Chye – one of the architects of modern Singapore passes away
Feb. 3 | The following message is from the Prime Minister's Office: 1. The Prime Minister and his Cabinet colleagues are sad to learn of the passing of Dr Toh Chin Chye and wish to convey their condolences to...
Conversations on mandatory death penalty must be based on facts
Feb. 2 | ~by: Ravi Philemon~ On 1 February 2012, I wrote an article for TOC titled, 'Death penalty has contributed to low rates of drug use? Where's the proof?'. In that article I had said: I refer to the Law Ministry's media release refuting...
Chiam See Tong: We have no ill intentions towards the ex-CEC members
Feb. 2 | the following is a public statement by Mr Chiam See Tong: Some of the claims made in public against members in the SPP and myself have become so warped that I am now compelled to give a personal explanation. The six members of the CEC submitted their...
We wish SPP and Mrs Chiam all the best
Feb. 2 | the following is a media release by the 6 who recently resigned from Singapore People's Party: We are glad to hear that the recent SPP OPC elections was held constitutionally. Such public clarification and accountability bodes well for the SPP's...
Death penalty has contributed to low rates of drug use? Where’s the proof?
Feb. 1 | ~by: Ravi Philemon~ I refer to the Law Ministry's media release refuting Human Rights Watch's (HRW) country report for Singapore. In its media release the Law Ministry said, " HRW also made false assertions. For example, contrary...
The barren political landscape
Jan. 29 | ~by: Dr Wong Wee Nam~ The ominous forecast is if we don’t continue to attract a stream of good people into political leadership, we are doomed to become a little black dot. This statement is essentially true except that salary, however high, would...
The duo’s alleged misconduct and the sad state of Singapore’s mainstream media
Jan. 26 | ~by: Ravi Philemon~ “The New Paper had become aware of the investigation after Mr Ng was picked up in late December.” – The New Paper dated 25 January 2012 This comment from The New Paper seems to suggest that the mainstream media...
PAP supporters are the ‘silent majority’?
Jan. 25 | ~by: Ghui~ In the article entitled “Silent Majority is truly disturbing” (Yahoo! News, 19 Jan 2012), the differences between the supporters of opposition parties and PAP supporters were pointed out. While the supporters of opposition parties were...
Pay for Performance
Jan. 25 | ~by: Tan Kin Lian~ I wish to add my views to the big debate about the revised salary package for government ministers and other senior political offices. I find the basic salaries to be adequate for the office bearers and acceptable to me, and perhaps...
40% Discounted Ministers anyone? I’d say, ‘No thanks!’
Jan. 20 | ~by: Ravi Philemon~ “If the annual salary of the Minister of Information, Communications and the Arts is only $500,000, it may pose some problems when he discusses policies with media CEOs who earn millions of dollars because they need not listen...
The ministerial pay debate that will never be
Jan. 20 | ~by: Howard Lee~ With the long and extensive debate on ministerial pay – in traditional media, online media, and most recently in Parliament – the last thing I want to do is discuss whether the cuts that will most likely be implemented...
Ministerial Salary – It’s not (just) about the Money
Jan. 19 | ~by: Tan Yin Hoe~ The Ministerial salary issue, says PM Lee, should not be just about the amount of money. That is precisely the point – For as citizens of this nation, how many of us would be concerned about exactly how much our politicians are taking...
