In the 90s, the economy soared, and it was all about the 5Cs – cash, credit card, car, condo and country club membership. 20 years on, Mr Goh said this dream is within the reach of young Singaporeans, so long as they work hard for it. But the question is, should Singaporeans still be chasing this same dream today? Mr Goh said: “My own dream now is not about my own future. It is about the future of Singapore. If I have to reinvent the 5Cs, my dream is to help create the conditions for a generation of Singaporeans to have a good Career, live in Comfort, surrounded by Children, and be Considerate and Charitable.”

Source: CNA

Why have it as a dream?  The PAP should make it part of their manifesto and work towards attaining these 5 Cs.  Certainly we want good careers for ourselves (yep, it’s not only foreigners who want good jobs), comfort (no flood water in our homes please), children (how to if cost of living is high?), be considerate (the government included – be emphathetic to the businesses that lose money during ego events like YOG) and be charitable (don’t ill-treat the YOG volunteers please).

Human rights groups say Singapore uses criminal defamation laws to silence critics. “Free speech is an endangered species in Singapore,” Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement. “It’s sadly predictable that the government did not hesitate to threaten prosecution, fines, and imprisonment against an author whose views run contrary to its own.” Singapore applies capital punishment by hanging for offenses such as murder, drug trafficking and unlawful use of a firearm. The island nation at the southern tip of the Malay peninsula is one of the world’s richest and has a very low violent crime rate.  The People’s Action Party has held power since 1959.  “I would never apologize and I would never say sorry,” Shadrake told reporters as he left court Friday. “I didn’t do this to grovel to them like Singaporeans mostly have to do to lead a normal life.”

Source: AP

 

linbei:  Aiya, nowadays ang mo really pathetic . Jobless and unable to surivive in their own countries, so they have to come singpaore to write “stories”.  How cum so stupid? Publish this kind of stories also must go neighbour countries mah? Purposely one, cos his stories no body will buy, and he know PeeAndPee will help him on this…

 

 

grov·el  (grvl, grv-)
intr.v. grov·eled also grov·elled, grov·el·ing also grov·el·ling, grov·els also grov·els

 

It’s interesting that Westerners like Robertson and Shadrake should be so concerned for us.  That is why lawyer M Ravi is helping Shadrake in return, I suppose.  

We must be clear though, that these foreigners are not family.  Some of them use our predictaments to claim credit or brownie points for their respective organisations.  They operate like private enterprises – no results, no funding.

Alan Shadrake must have been referring to the 66.6% of Singaporeans as ‘grovellers’.  That is an insult to our fellow Singaporeans.  They made their decision at the ballot box in 2006 and we respect them for it.  We who seek alternative voices in parliament still see them as our fellow-countryfolk and will continue to work to impress them on the values of having a more robust check and balance for the ruling Party.

His comments shows how opportunistic foreigners are and we cannot depend on them.  Shadrake can say what he wants as we value free speech too.  But it pays for us to be aware of where his loyalties lie – predictably on his book, his career, his name.

Source: Today

Some things in life started as good things. Then some of them become rotten to the core.

If we do not have the heart, or the courage to get rid of them, they may eventually harm us.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong chided Singaporeans lately for having “unrealistic” expectations. According to him, it is “impossible” to expect Singapore to be completely flood-free, yet the floods have been occurring on a weekly basis for the last two months or so.  In Singapore, political leaders and senior civil leaders expect and demand to be paid astronomical salaries pegged at market rates, but refused to accept the same level of scrutiny and accountability.

Source: Temasek Review

These floodings are serious, they cost businesses money and many households too.  The impact is no less serious than that of the escape of Mas Selamat Kastari.  The peoples of Singapore need to know what has happened – has anyone been negligent, what has been done and what more will be done.  And no, we do not want a Commission headed by civil servants.  Unlike the MSK incident, there is nothing confidential in our drainage systems and plans.  Let private individuals helm this Commission.  If the government truly believes that it has done all it can, it shouldn’t hide.   Make this a People’s Commission of Inquiry.  PUB and its Ministry are accountable to us.  Convince us that spending $387 million on the YOG (it’s not even the Olympics) makes more sense than using it to improve what really matters to Singaporean businesses and residents.

A FILM on a former leftist leader and political detainee, Dr Lim Hock Siew, will be banned from tomorrow, for being “against the public interest”, said the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts yesterday.  It said that the film by Martyn See, 41, “gives a distorted and misleading portrayal of Dr Lim’s arrests and detention under the Internal Security Act in 1963″.  “The Singapore Government will not allow individuals who have posed a security threat to Singapore’s interests in the past, to use media platforms such as films to make baseless accusations against the authorities, give a false portrayal of their previous activities in order to exculpate their guilt, and undermine public confidence in the Government in the process,” it added.

Source: Asiaone

The film has been banned under Section 35(1) of the Films Act. Those who own or distribute a prohibited film can be fined up to $10,000 and/or jailed up to two years.   I suppose YouTube Singapore, if there’s such a local office, runs the risk of prosecution. 

Anyway, compare the ban with this (from ST):

A CHINA historian is here to offer reasons why the once-powerful leftist movement Barisan Sosialis disappeared entirely from Singapore politics.  Dr Cheng Yinghong’s thesis is that China’s Cultural Revolution of 1966 influenced the Barisan movement significantly, causing it to become more extreme.  The change led eventually to the Barisan’s decision to have its remaining seven Members of Parliament stage a walkout from the House in October 1966, so as to launch an extra-parliamentary struggle.  Dr Cheng, 51, an associate professor of history at Delaware State University in the United States, will present his theory in a lecture at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies tomorrow.  What may prove controversial is his stance that while the massive security crackdown of 1963, codenamed Operation Cold Store, seriously damaged the leftists, it did not lead to the Barisan’s demise.  ‘I’m not defending the PAP, but you have to compare (the reasons why the leftist movement in Singapore disappeared),’ he said in an interview with The Straits Times.

It goes without saying that this talk wasn’t banned.  Clearly, what is ‘right’ for Singapore and her history is very one-sided.  The government’s side.

 PEKAN, July 4 (Bernama) — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said he leaves it to the authorities to take action against blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin.  The prime minister said the people should not believe the claims made by the blogger who has fled the country to London.  “If Raja Petra is funded by the opposition, it means that his statements are politically-motivated. We should weigh them carefully and not merely accepting them,” he told reporters after opening the Pekan Umno meeting here Sunday.  He was asked to comment on the statement by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz yesterday that the government had proofs that Raja Petra was funded by Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR).

Source: Bernama

It’s an interesting position by the M’sian PM, one that is likely taken in Singapore too (can anyone recall a similar incident here?).  The premise is that if someone is financially obligated to the opposition, he or she is not speaking in a bona fide capacity of a concerned citizen.  In fact, the title of this report in Bernama is “Don’t Trust Raja Petra – Najib”.   What’s the difference if a blogger or entity is funded by the government, wouldn’t his/its statements be politically motivated and ‘untrustworthy’ too?

Aung San Suu Kyi turns 65 today.  Civic Advocator wishes her health and strength to fight the junta.

Downloadable here (in English and Mandarin).  Contributed by a reader.

In brief, the author argues that the notion of productivity to the government  is to maximise profits at the expense of the citizens.

We help ourselves. Don’t expect others to help

Tom Wright painted a bleak picture of Singapore’s property sector going forward at The Wall Street Journal. His article ended with the following:
“I’m yet to see the light at the end of the tunnel [for Singapore],” says Mr. Tan, the high-end broker.
We would expect people to continue to dig the dirt and tell it to [...]



Our skin isn’t as thick as it should be

The Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) organised a seminar on March 4 to discuss Singapore’s political blogosphere.  Tan Tarn How, Senior Research Fellow and Research Assistant Tan Simin presented their paper on trends observed in the blogosphere.  As reported in the TOC, the researchers identified the following limitations:

The online-offline firewall, while somewhat alleviated by offline [...]



Singapore and Lee Kuan Yew – The answer to the African problem?

Recently, I followed a thread “Democracy and Economic Growth” which started in PoliticsForum.org.   Apparently, members there often question the role of democracy in a developing nation. “During the wave of democratization in Africa during the 90s, many people had renewed hope for the continent, immediately equating newly established democracies to economic growth. Are these democracies [...]



Tell Singapore government: Ask them a question or give a suggestion

We informed people about the “Tell Singapore Government” subsite and have received some interesting reaction at some forums.
See: 3in1 Kopitiam, Sam’s Alfresco Coffee, Singapore Kopitiam, SgForums
Our responses to some of the comments are listed below. If we are not answering some other specific questions, that is because we do not know how.
 

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Our Singapore

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To observe, analyse, present our position, and call for action. Read our articles, give your views, and learn together with us.