“Pledge ourselves as one united people”
August 27, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Written by Ng E-Jay, for the Online Citizen
06 Aug 2009
Original TOC link
What does it mean to be “one united people”?
Does it mean forging a national identity that can be shared by all Singaporeans regardless of race, language or creed? Does it mean accepting and respecting all our differences, whether in terms of political affiliation or sexual orientation? I can certainly agree with this.
Or does it mean adopting an unquestioning attitude towards Government policies and social issues, and agreeing to make personal sacrifices whilst the PAP reaps the benefits, in the name of “staying together, moving ahead” (PAP’s 2006 GE slogan)?
Why the Singapore Democratic Party deserves our support
August 12, 2009 by admin · 2 Comments
Written by Ng E-Jay
30 July 2009
The first SDP event I attended was the gathering at Hong Lim Park on 01 May 2007 welcoming Dr Chee Soon Juan and Ms Chee Siok Chin after they had completed a 2-day, 120km walk to mark Labour Day and to highlight the plight of Singaporean workers.
Looking at the exhausted but determined faces of Dr Chee and Ms Chee, and hearing the short but edifying address Dr Chee made left me with the impression that perhaps, unlike the terrible vibes that the party constantly receives from the mainstream media, the SDP was a party of substance, that perhaps it was a party with a message worth listening to.
I was not wrong.
Grossly inadequate protection for credit card users
August 12, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Written by Ng E-Jay
29 July 2009
If consumers have their credit cards stolen or used fraudulently, they may be liable for all transactions made even though they may have done nothing wrong.
This is yet another sorry example of how the Government proudly sells the image of Singapore as a world-class financial hub, yet fails to offer consumers even the most basic protection against theft and fraud.
Is Singapore really in a better position to survive economically?
August 12, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Written by Ng E-Jay
28 July 2009
The Straits Times Forum (online) letter penned by Mr Tay Xiong Sheng on why Singapore is in a better position to survive economically compared to Malaysia makes for an interesting, but lop-sided read.
In his letter published online on 28 July, Mr Tay argues that Singapore’s sovereignty was born out of principles and confidence, having refused to compromise on racial equality.
Ignoring the spirit of the law: Woman fined $30 for eating sweet on MRT to relieve motion sickness
August 12, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Written by Ng E-Jay
22 July 2009
A lady commuter was recently fined $30 for eating a sweet during an MRT train ride to relieve motion sickness (see embedded video below).
Eating and drinking in the MRT carries a maximum fine of $500. However in this case, common sense has been completely thrown out of the window in what is apparently a silly over-reaction by the authorities.
STOP THE WAYANG, just return us our CPF!
August 3, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Written by Ng E-Jay
22 July 2009
More twist and turns have appeared in the CPF Life scheme, an annuity scheme to be administered by the CPF Board that promises to give lifelong payouts to CPF members.
On Monday in Parliament, Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong found himself clumsily trying to reassure Singaporeans that monthly payouts from the CPF Life scheme will continue as long as the CPF member is alive, despite a provision allowing the CPF Board to stop payments in the event that the Lifelong Income Fund becomes insolvent.
Madam Halimah, chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Manpower, had earlier noted that she found this clause “quite disturbing“.
To fight for bread and butter issues, we need democracy
August 3, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Written by Ng E-Jay
20 July 2009
In the article From Stifled Dissent to Managed Dissent, I discussed how the “hard repressive” tactics of the PAP Government such as the use of ISA on political opponents was being slowly replaced by “soft authoritarian” strategies that give the people a semblance of political space but without actually returning them their constitutional rights.
Part of the strategy of “managed dissent” involves allowing citizens to express themselves freely on issues that do not threaten the ruling elite’s grip on power, such as bread and butter issues, but clamping down severely on activists and politicians who challenge the very basis of our political system and the undemocratic ways of the PAP. Think Dr Chee Soon Juan and the late J.B. Jeyaretnam.
Campaign against bottled water borders on sheer idiocy
July 30, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Why is there no mention of soft drinks, the manufacture and disposal of which poses the same or even greater environmental risks as bottled water, and which, unlike bottled water, is genuinely unhealthy to the human body?
Also, shouldn’t the campaign be FOR water coolers to be installed all throughout the island and for people to bring their own reusable containers?
Written by Ng E-Jay
15 July 2009
It was reported in the Straits Times article “Bottled water: People should be told the facts” that the Australian town of Bundanoon, south of Sydney, voted to ban bottled water last Wednesday, and that two individuals here are keen on campaigning for a similar move in Singapore. I was nothing short of flabbergasted when I read this.
New NMP Calvin Cheng’s reply to TODAY betrays his lack of sense of accountability and political acumen
July 30, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Written by Ng E-Jay
14 July 2009
New Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) Calvin Cheng has written an atrocious letter to TODAY newspaper betraying not only his absence of a sense of accountability, but also his complete lack of political acumen. I am truly shocked by his letter.
In his online letter entitled “I am curious all the time“, Calvin Cheng attempted to rebut TODAY journalist P.N. Balji’s assertion in a column published on 11 July that he had joined the YPAP in a rather cavalier and whimsical manner in 2006.
Abortion and Comprehensive Sexuality Education
July 30, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Written by Ng E-Jay
13 July 2009
It was reported recently in Channel News Asia that around 12,000 foetuses are aborted every year in Singapore, with doctors claiming that not enough people are using contraceptives, or are using them incorrectly.
At face value, the number of 12,000 abortions every year must lead some pro-life pundits to claim that our family planning policies have gone astray and perhaps to even question whether our social norms are degrading. Over the years, there have been repeated calls for Singapore’s relatively easy access to abortion to be examined with the view that it should be tightened.
MAS bans 10 firms from selling structured notes, but is this merely a slap on the wrist?
July 30, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Written by Ng E-Jay
08 July 2009
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has announced that it has imposed temporary bans on the sale of structured notes by 10 financial institutions (FIs) which had distributed toxic structured notes linked to the collapsed US financial institution Lehman Brothers.
The bans, which took effect from 01 July 2009, apply to ABN Amro Bank, CIMB-GK Securities, DBS Bank, DMG and Partners Securities, Hong Leong Finance, Kim Eng Securities, Maybank, OCBC Securities, Philip Securities and UOB Kay Hian.
Thoughts on Singapore politics: The road ahead
July 8, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Written by Ng E-Jay
03 July 2009
In my previous article From stifled dissent to managed dissent, I discussed how the ruling PAP is gradually adapting to an approach of soft authoritarianism, replacing blatantly oppressive tactics like the use of the ISA on political opponents with the subtle managing of dissent through token liberalization of the rules that gives the people a semblance of political space but without actually returning them their full constitutional rights.
The liberalization of Speaker’s Corner for public demonstrations whilst denying Singaporeans the freedom of peaceful assembly via the Public Order Act, the tweaking of the Films Act to give more room for political films whilst denying Singaporeans the freedom of speech through the constant threat of defamation suits, and the new NCMP scheme which gives the opposition a greater voice in Parliament but in no way makes elections free or fair, are prime examples of the way the PAP unconstitutionally maintains its grip on all the key levers of power whilst pretending that there is greater freedom and political rights.
Standing up for the people on bended knees
July 5, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Written by Ng E-Jay
23 June 2009
In his no-holes-barred masterpiece Requiem for an unbending Singaporean, former President C.V. Devan Nair recounted how, after J.B. Jeyaretnam had won the 1981 Anson by-election, the then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew said that he would make him “crawl on his bended knees, and beg for mercy“.
But the former Worker’s Party leader was made of far sterner stuff, and in Devan Nair’s own words, “he never did crawl on bended knees, or ever begged for mercy, and it is to Lee Kuan Yew’s eternal shame that Jeyaretnam will leave the political scene with his head held high, enjoying a martyrdom conferred on him by Lee.”
Today, it still remains to be seen whether the Worker’s Party is able to live up to J.B. Jeyaretnam’s principles and embody the same kind of moral rectitude and courage so consistently displayed by its former stalwart.
A nation of foreigners in 11 years
July 1, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Ng E-Jay / Current Affairs Desk, The Online Citizen
Monday, 22 June 2009
Half of Singapore’s population could consists of foreigners in 11 years time, if the government continues its current plan of attracting foreigners to feed its “growth-at-all-cost” economic model. This, couple with the low birth rate among locals, may result in unprecedented stress on our social fabric.
THE NATIONAL Population Secretariat announced on Wednesday that Singapore’s total population grew to 4.84 million in 2008, with the proportion of foreigners increasing to 25 percent.
Noting the challenges faced by families during the current downturn, the Secretariat reiterated the need to encourage marriage and parenthood, attract foreigners, and foster naturalisation and integration of new immigrants.
Birth rate continues its downward trend, a fresh look at our population problem is needed
June 23, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Quick Snippets from the Editor
18 June 2009
It was reported in the Straits Times that Singapore’s birth rate dipped slightly to 1.28 last year, down a notch from 1.29 the previous year.
At the same time, the proportion of elderly folk aged 65 and above rose to 8.7 per cent last year, up from 6.8 per cent a decade ago.
These twin trends of low fertility and an ageing population were updates provided on Wednesday by the Government’s National Population Secretariat, which explained the need to continue working on long-term strategies to boost the population, including getting more Singaporeans to marry and procreate, and attracting foreigners here and helping them integrate into the society.
New policies, not new parks, needed for social harmony
June 23, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Written by Ng E-Jay
16 June 2009
It was reported in Monday’s edition of the Straits Times that a new park in Bishan, called the Bishan Harmony Park, has been created to allow residents to mingle with each other. The park includes an inline skating court, skateboarding ramps, a skating bowl, a garden maze, fitness corners, and barbecue pits.
In his speech to residents, Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng, an MP for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC, said that as their community grows, they can expect to see more new neighbours, local and foreign, hence the creation of the park to forge neighbourliness.
Sending Ah Gong back to the children
June 17, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Ng E-Jay / Current Affairs Desk, The Online Citizen
15 June 2009
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 an inconsiderable strain especially on lower-income groups.
PROGRESSIVELY encroaching on the private lives of citizens under the umbrella of public interest is a constant refrain of our paternalistic Government.
The recent proposal to amend the Maintenance of Parents Act to allow third parties to invoke it is a case in point.
PM Lee displayed false humility
June 15, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Ng E-Jay and Leong Sze Hian / Current Affairs Desk, TOC, 11 June 2009
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 greater respect would be to lower their own salaries to more acceptable standards.
A SOUTH Korean official got it all wrong when he called Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s decision to fly economy class “praiseworthy” and “pragmatic”.
The Chosun Ilbo, a leading South Korean newspaper, reported that when Finance Minister Yoon Jeung Hyun asked Mr Lee “why the leader of an affluent country (doesn’t) use a private or charter jet”, Mr Lee responded by saying that he did not think Singapore was an affluent
country.
Mr Lee also reportedly said: “Besides, as a government official, I have to lead by example. Singapore’s senior officials fly economy class, not first class, for flights under six hours.”
Singapore — the foreign worker abuse cum human trafficking hub
June 14, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
EDITOR’S UPDATE: A recent BBC News report includes a video on some china workers in Singapore who are working at Marina Bay Sands IR project striking over pay and working conditions: see here.
Written by Ng E-Jay
09 June 2009
Human trafficking is one of the worst human rights abuses in the globalized world. Has Singapore done its part to crack down on organized groups forcing foreign women into prostitution in Singapore? Has Singapore done its part to ensure that employers who abuse workers, cheat them, or deprive them of their rights to proper living conditions and a fair wage are promptly dealt with? Sadly to this day, the answer is no.
From stifled dissent to managed dissent
June 11, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
A brief look at the PAP’s evolving strategy of “soft authoritarianism”
Written by Ng E-Jay
05 June 2009
On 21 May 1987, 22 Singaporean citizens, including young social workers, lawyers, businessmen, theatre practitioners and other professionals, were detained under the ISA on the accusation of being members of a dangerous Marxist conspiracy bent on subverting the Government by force and replacing it with a Marxist state. None of them were ever given a fair trial, and to this day, no evidence exists to support the accusations levied against them. Mr Francis Seow was also detained when he tried to provide these “Marxist conspirators” legal aid.
Other notable examples of arrests of political activists under the ISA include that of Chia Thye Poh who was detained without trial for 23 years and Said Zahari who was similarly detained for 17 years.
