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Posts tagged with "From the Political Desk"
The dirtiest words in the PAP vocabulary
Apr. 26 | The reason unfailingly given by the PAP government for any ruling that seems to put yet another curb on civic liberties is that there would otherwise be ‘disruption’. For instance, the Public Order act, passed in April in 2009, gives the police powers...
Burma needs a general election, not an election of generals
Mar. 30 | By Ivan Lewis, Minister of State, UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office The message could not have been clearer. On Armed Forces day, as soldiers marched through Naypyidaw, Burma’s Senior General Than Shwe set out his vision for “disciplined...
In pursuit of political truth at universities
Dec. 30 | Kelvin Teo Young Reformer Justin Ong (left) and Young Democrat Jarrod Luo (right) During the The Online Citizen’s Year In Review 2009, a member of the NUS Political Association (NUSPA) asked Young Democrat Jarrod Luo and Young Reformer Justin...
Loosen stranglehold before providing political education
Dec. 20 | Ng E-Jay In the latest edition of Petir, the People’s Action Party’s bi-monthly party magazine, Law Minister K Shanmugam warned party members that younger voters could erode the PAP’s political dominance if they are not convinced that...
Political repression – S’pore govt responds to Canadian law firm
Nov. 12 | The following are excerpts of the Singapore Government’s response to the “White Paper on the repression of political freedom in Singapore” by Canadian law firm, Amsterdam and Peroff. You can view the full text of the response here. —— ...
Political renewal – obstacles and sacrifices
Nov. 11 | The following is a Channelnewsasia Talking Point programme episode on political renewal, featuring the Workers’ Party’s Sylvia Lim and the People’s Action Party’s Lim Wee Kiak.
The Singapore Story – A failure of pragmatism
Aug. 29 | Note: We have removed the earlier report on the IPS forum on NMP Viswa Sadasivan’s speech. We will publish further clarification later today, together with Mr Viswa’s letter to The Online Citizen. The Current Affairs Desk In his inaugural...
Changes to S’pore’s political system afoot
May. 25 | Extracts from The Straits Times: CHANGES to Singapore’s political system are in the works and on Sunday, Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong spelt out three principles that will guide these amendments. ‘First, they must be fair to all contesting...
The PAP’s fascination with communists
Mar. 16 | Ravi Philemon Chairman of the People’s Action Party (PAP)’s youth wing – the Young PAP (YP) – Mr Teo Ser Luck, led a five-member delegation to Beijing and met with the First Secretary of the Communist Youth League of China in February, 2009....
Terms of engagement
Mar. 12 | The Government will “increasingly have to give space to citizens”, and it is in the hands of younger Singaporeans to “decide the terms of engagement”. Ng Eng Hen
Current system lacks accountability
Dec. 5 | Gilbert Goh / Writer Recently, I wrote an article on the reasons for a two-party democracy in reply to PM Lee Hsien Loong’s endorsement of a one-party system and it was published on Straits Times. In my letter, I argued that a one-party system allows...
Political openness – why are the fleas still dancing inside?
Nov. 19 | Alastair Su / Writer In his National Day Rally speech this year, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong promised a series of initiatives that would “progressively open up” Singapore’s political space, acknowledging the need for the government...
Our audacity to hope
Nov. 6 | TOC Op-ed Choo Zheng Xi / Editor-in-Chief “And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world – our stories are singular, but our...
Malaysia – UUCA: Gov’t stands firm on anti-politics stance
Oct. 22 | TOC thanks Malaysiakini for allowing us to publish the following article from its website. Rahmah Ghazali The controversial Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA) was in the spotlight again today when a deputy minister reinforced the government’s...
PAP makes no apologies for defamation suits, says Vivian Balakrishnan
Oct. 18 | Terence Lee / Youth Editor Even though Singapore is set to become a more open society in the future, the government is making no apologies when it comes to suing politicians for defamatory remarks, said Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Community Development,...
What we don’t need for exciting politics
Jul. 28 | Singapore does not need coups, demonstrations in the streets, people power, plots and conspiracies, wild allegations and uncalled for defamatory remarks to make our politics exciting. Goh Chok Tong
Reform Party: We shall liberate the people
Jul. 12 | Selene Cheng Cast off the slumber into which you have been led into for the last 10 years. Wake up to your rights as a human being, to your proper role as citizens of this country. - Mr JB Jeyaretnam, at the inaugural dinner of the Reform Party. About...
YouthQuake
Jul. 10 | 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....
Young and old in S’pore want more political openness
Jul. 8 | Gerald Giam I find it hard to believe that all the brilliant minds in the Cabinet haven’t figured out that Singaporeans are crying out for change. Fareed Zakaria, the editor of Newsweek, recently gave an interview with the Straits Times, which was...
