Merlion struck by lightning – Video report

EDITORS’ NOTE: Just when you think things cannot get worse, our tourist icon – the Merlion was struck by lightning ! In ancient China, natural disasters are usually a harbinger of a change in the “mandate of heaven”. A devastating earthquake flattened the Chinese city of Tangshan in 1976 just a month before Mao Zedong’s demise. Is this Heaven’s “warning” to our leaders ? Or it is a sign that somebody may pass on soon ?

Also read our exclusive news coverage here

A blatant LIE by TODAY to split the opposition and smear Dr Chee

By Eugene Yeo

In a previous article, I wrote about how the Singapore’s media had the uncanny ability to sugarcoat the truth to make bad news sound good. Now let me showcase another classic example of the unique “Asian spectacles” of Mediacorp to distort reality and perpetuate an outright blatant lie in order to serve the partisan interests of the PAP.

TODAY published an article by Loh Chee Kong entitled “A politician who hates politics” in which the gist of it is to provoke disgust and repungance against the “betrayal” of his mentor Mr Chiam by Dr Chee:

“Fresh from leading the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) to three parliamentary seats in the 1991 General Election, Mr Chiam soon found himself ousted from the very party he had founded in 1980.

The long-drawn saga — set in motion after Mr Chiam brought his one-time protege Dr Chee Soon Juan into the party — had obviously scarred him. Said his wife Lina: “He would have nightmares and wake up suddenly … he doesn’t talk about it but it’s hurting him inside.” (Read full article here)

An unsuspecting reader who do not know the full facts behind this episode will have the misperception that Mr Chiam has been traumatized by his “ouster” from SDP which was “engineered” by Dr Chee. Nothing can be further from the truth. Chiam was never “ousted” by Dr Chee. He resigned on his own accord.

For over 15 years, the PAP and the state media have been propagating the myth of Mr Chiam See Tong’s “ouster” from SDP by Dr Chee Soon Juan to drive a wedge between the two and to smear the character of Dr Chee.

They are well aware of the fact that Mr Chiam is an established opposition icon who has won the respect and love of many Singaporeans even from those not living in Potong Pasir. By spinning a tale on how the popular Chiam is forced out of SDP by his protege Dr Chee, it would deal a mortal blow to the image and standing of the latter.

For those of you who are aware of the truth, what exactly transpired between Mr Chiam and Dr Chee in 1993 was elucidated clearly on the SDP website here.

In summary, Chiam was not “ousted” by Dr Chee. He first resigned as SDP’s Secretary-General after failing to obtain the CEC’s support to censure Dr Chee for his hungry strike. In fact, Dr Chee had tried in vain to persuade Mr Chiam to stay on. Mr Chiam subsequently resigned from SDP and form the Singapore’s People Party in 1997.

It is not for us to judge who is in the right or wrong. The pertinent question to ask is: why is TODAY dredging out the saga now again after so many years ? After all, it has already achieved its insidious motive of misleading the majority of Singaporeans about Dr Chee’s moral character.

What does this irrelevant article serve really when we have more pressing concerns such as the investment losses incurred by our SWFs ? Mas Selamat Kasteri is still missing after a year and there is no mention of it.

It is likely that the PAP internet brigade has detected an increase in support for SDP and Dr Chee amongst young IT-savvy Singaporeans who may not know about the saga in 1993 and therefore TODAY find it timely to drag the “dirt” out again to smear Dr Chee.

Loh Chee Kong of TODAY even has the temerity to write to Dr Chee asking for his response to Mr Chiam See Tong’s criticisms about the SDP. He said that he had interviewed Mr Chiam on Wednesday in which Mr Chiam said that the Singapore Democrats had engaged in “conspiratorial and destructive politics.” (Read Dr Chee’s reply to him here)

It is so obvious that Loh is trying to sow discord between the two men and to stir a hornet’s nest. A journalist is supposed to be neutral, balanced and objective in his reporting. What is Loh trying to do ? Why didn’t he include SDP’s explanation of the saga to allow readers to judge for themselves ?

Mr Chiam See Tong had asked the Today newspaper to stop publication on his interview. Mr Chiam told Today’s senior reporter, Mr Loh Chee Kong, that his remarks about the SDP were “off the cuff”. Mr Chiam had told Mr Loh — twice — not to publish anything he said about Dr Chee Soon Juan and the Singapore Democrats.

Yet, the reporter emailed Dr Chee and quoted Mr Chiam’s remarks, wanting a response from the SDP secretary-general. Dr Chee replied to Mr Loh and refused to respond, saying that the intended report is a PAP ploy to put SDP in a bad light. As expected, Loh went ahead and publish the interview anyway though he did not quote directly from Mr Chiam, his intention was clear.

I would suggest Mr Loh spend his time more productively on other important issues such as finding out the extent of losses incurred by Temasek and GIC NOW instead of regurgitating a stale grandmother story that few Singaporeans are interested about. Or if he is really so keen to write up on the “dark” side of politics, perhaps he should interview the old associates of Lim Chin Siong to find out how he was fixed by his own trusted comrade in 1963.

Also read Mr Ng E Jay’s commentary on this matter here

 

Chiam: I am still lucid will not retire till I win a GRC

Translated from Lianhe Wanbao

Singapore People Party’s Secretary-General Mr Chiam See Tong lashed out at talks of him retiring by retorting that he will only consider doing so after he wins a GRC.

A few days ago, a reader wrote in to The Straits Times Forum expressing his concern that SPP MP Chiam See Tong is still actively involved in grassroots work in spite of his health.

This reader said that he felt Chiam should retire soon after seeing his photo in the papers.

“Chiam has served his constituents well for so many years and is a legendary figure. Nobody can doubt this political integrity and contributions. He is an example to all aspiring politicians in the future. Though it is a difficult decision for him to take to call it a day, it may affect his reputation later on.”

The above letter received a barrage of criticisms on the papers and in internet forums.

Mr Chiam also refuted of talks that he should retire. “I still have many work to do. I may consider retiring only after I win a GRC.” He challenged those readers who encouraged him to retire to come and join him together in his grassroots work and witness for themselves how he is still serving the people.

“Just like what Mao Zedong said – ‘How can I reach a conclusion without first analyzing?” I can still provide good service to the people and I do not have to be apologetic to any person or matter.”

He said, as long Potong Pasir residents still need him, he will not retire. “If you ask them, a majority want me to continue as their MP.”

“I am still lucid and can continue to serve the people.”

EDITORS’ NOTE: If there are few Singaporeans who feels Chiam should retired because of his age and ill health, what about the old man in PAP who should have retired a long time ago. Judging from his thoughts and words so far, the greatest contribution he can give to Singapore right now is to step down with IMMEDIATE EFFECT !!

Debunking the “constructive opposition” illusion

By Eugene Yeo

A reader posted a comment on our site lately castigating us for only knowing how to criticize without coming up with any “better solutions”. Another emailed us imploring us to offer “constructive criticisms” instead of ranting relentlessly at the government.

What exactly is “constructive criticism” ? I have searched through all major dictionaries and can’t seem to find a definition for it. The term itself is an illusion concocted by the PAP to limit the boundaries in which they can be criticized and to preserve and perpetuate the myth about their “capabilities”.

In the PAP/SPH, jargon, “constructive criticism” must fulfil the following criteria:

1. The identity of the critic must be known so that: he or she can be easily threatened, sued, bankrupted or fixed into submission which will take the sting out of the rest to exercise ’self-censorship’ when criticizing the establishment.

2. Criticize them in subtle / diplomatic / friendly manner in order not to make them look bad so that they can continue to justify their exorbitant high salaries simply by proclaiming themselves as the best talents that Singapore will ever produce. Have a live debate in public between PM Lee and Dr Chee and the fake aura of invincibility which the PAP has so cleverly enshrouded itself will vanish into thin air instantaneously.

3. Offer better alternatives and solutions so that they are able to demolish you if your proposals are unsound or steal your idea to become theirs in the future without giving due acknowledgement or recognition.

An old dog is incapable of new tricks. It is the same old “divide and conquer” strategem employed over the years to split and weaken the opposition camp.

Opposition politicians who give the PAP a “passing grade”, defend its laws as “fair and just” and express their pride in voting for them in previous elections are “constructive opposition” to be given a positive spin by the state media to increase support for them amongst unsuspecting opposition supporters.

Those who dare to “call a spade a spade” and criticize them are hauled up in courts, sued for defamation, bankrupted and demonized by the state media as “destructive opposition” bent on destroying the nation.

How can an opposition politician destroy the nation by shouting ‘where is the money’ in public ? Or does one do so by really losing tonnes of money overseas and still dare not account to the public ?

The primary purpose of an opposition is to check on the ruling party, not to make life easy, nice and cozy for them to run the show with impunity. In fact, they are supposed to make life difficult for them to ensure that they are accountable to the people.

The opposition exists for the sake of opposing. This is the eternal truth everywhere else in the world, but under the distorted “spectacles” of the PAP and the state media, it is wrong to “oppose” for the sake of “opposing”. Then what is the role of the “opposition” ? To be a flower vase to wayang in Parliament so that the PAP can continue to masquerade Singapore as a democracy to the world ?

Under the PAP dictionary, the word “opposition” has become a dirty word because they do not like to be opposed. The Longman dictionary defines the word “oppose” as “to regard a suggestion or planned course of action with strong disapproval.” Is there anything wrong in disagreeing with the PAP ? Must we always see eye to eye with its actions all the time ? If what they have been doing are perfectly free from blame, will there be any grounds for us to oppose them ? Is the opposition opposing them because of their party’s name or logo ?

It is not the duty of the opposition to come up with alternative policies to challenge the government for it does not have the manpower, finance and most importantly, the necessary information made available to them in order to do so.

Can anybody tell me there is any opposition in the world, be it the Conservatives in the United Kingdom, the Republicans in the United States, the BJP in India or the Pakatan Rakyat in Malaysia which exists to not to oppose the ruling party, but to be a “constructive opposition” offering alternative policies without embarrassing the government?

If the PAP government, with the entire civil service at its disposal still needs a “constructive opposition” to help them in policy-making and formulation, then perhaps they are redundant after all and undeserving of their high salaries.

An opposition leader who dare not confront or challenge the ruling party out of fear of offending them and yet call on Singaporeans to vote him into Parliament to be a “watchdog” of the PAP is in fact a “running dog” which has betrayed the trust of the people !

Over here, we do not mince our words when we criticize the establishment and it is for our readers to judge for themselves the merits of our critiques, not the PAP, the media or its proxy blog TOC to pass summary judgements and teach netizens a lesson in “credibility”.

If what we post here is complete hogwash without any meaning, you can be sure that our faithful and astute readers will cruxify us immediately on the spot without mercy.

A real tested political leader will be able to pass through the baptism of fire and withstand any bullets shot at him by his detractors. If you cannot take the heat, for goodness sake, just leave the kitchen !

Nobody force you to be in politics. You are in the game because you claim you want to serve your family…oops, I mean the people and so stop whining like a faggot and threaten to fix your opponents when they expose your inadequacies because they are just doing their job.

A “constructive critic” if there is such a term, is one who points out the follies, mistakes and oversights of the government directly and fearlessly so that it is held accountable for them.

Very soon, the state media will come up with a new definition for “credible bloggers”, those who are known in real life, plays around with semantics to attract official attention and prostitute themselves for cheap media publicity. You bet that these shenanigans will be constantly promoted, appraised and adulated to dilute the influence of vocal blogs which dare to criticize the establishment.

In my humble opinion, a “constructive” opposition / critic / blogger should posses the following attributes:

1. Courage to criticize, challenge and confront the establishment based to the best of one’s knowledge reasonably and truthfully as far as possible.

2. Magnanimity to concede and admit one’s mistakes if proven wrong.

3. Fortitude to withstand barrage of counter-attacks and to inspire others to join in the fray.

Critics exist to criticize the government, just like the opposition exists to oppose the government. If the government wants us to based our criticism on substantial evidence, then it must be forthcoming with the information in the first place. It is ludicrous to expect ordinary citizens to spend time doing “proper research” before they are allowed to criticize. Maybe MICA should consider muzzling every citizen with a dog mask and only allow those with a “permit” to open their mouths.

This “constructive” opposition / criticism is an illusion which only exists in the dreams of the PAP. They can only play such tricks on the minds of the electorate in Singapore where a majority of the populace has been brainwashed after 40 years of “national education”. If they try to repeat the same bullshit in other modern democracies, they will be jeered, ridiculed and lampooned till they climb of out of their toilet windows and disappear without a trace like Mas Selamat.

Do we care ?

By Dr Wong Wee Nam
23 Feb 2009

Three recent issues cause me great discomfort. The first is the topic of euthanasia, the second is the sale of organs and the third is the suggestion of sending our elderly to a neighbouring country to save costs.

The issues give me discomfort because they would have a great impact on society should such ideas form the basis of healthcare policies.

To me the formulation of policies must not just be based on cold and hard financial mathematics. There must also be a generous dose of compassion, idealism and love. A policy must come out from a good head as well as a big heart. This is more so when the policy concerns health, the poor and the elderly. In this area, policy-makers must not only be competent and intellectually skilled, they must also be able to love and show compassion. They cannot have too big a head and too small a heart.

In Singapore, sad to say, the measure of success has been money and material possessions. As a result, our values, behaviour and attitudes have been tempered by this yardstick of success. Because of this obsession, people complain about lack of fulfillment from work. At the same time they feel passive, hopeless, helpless, apathetic and display a lack of concern for their country and fellowmen. KIASU is not just a joke. It is a symptom of our distorted goals.
In a materialistic society, there is more reason why we should make sure that there is more compassion for the sick, the poor, the dying and the elderly in our policies. This is to ensure that there will be compassion to balance the materialism in order to keep our society whole.

Read rest of article here

Looking for a writer to translate selected articles into Chinese

Dear readers,

We are urgently looking for writers to help us translate and summarize  selected articles on this site into Chinese in order to reach out to the Chinese-educated readers.

We are willing to pay a honorarium of $5 per article translated ONLY for students. Payment will be via bank transfer.

Please email us at wayangparty@hotmail.com if you are interested.

 

THE EDITORIAL TEAM

Toll hike for North-South highway and other 4 highways call off

Excerpts from Malaysiakini

In a dramatic reversal, the government has decided to suspend toll hikes of up to 33 percent for five major highways in Klang Valley announced yesterday.

The decision was made by the cabinet at its weekly meeting today chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak.

Outgoing Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had yesterday called for the cabinet to reconsider the toll hike. 

Abdullah, who is attending an Asean defence ministers meeting in Thailand, said he was concerned that public anger over the latest hike could affect BN’s popularity, especially ahead of three crucial by-elections.

The five affected highways are North-South Expressway (Plus), Sprint Highway (Sprint), Ampang Elevated Highway (Akleh), Sungai Besi Highway (Besraya) and New Pantai Expressway (NEP).

In an announcement yesterday, Works Minister Mohd Zin Mohamed said that toll rates in these five highways would go up on Sunday.

In a dramatic reversal, Mohd Zin said that the toll hike has been “deferred” in view of the public reaction and the ailing economy at a press conference at 4.30pm today.

“With that, my statement yesterday on the toll hike is cancelled,” he said.

Mohd Zin said that the toll increase will be postponed to after Dec 31 this year.

With the 10-month delay, the government will have to pay RM287 million in compensation to the five toll concessionaires.

This is the second delay in toll hike for some of the highways.

The toll rate for Plus, Sprint and Akleh highways was supposed to have been increased on Jan 1, 2008 but this was deferred.

For that, the government to pay compensation totalling RM245 million – RM177 million to Plus, RM38 million to Sprint and RM30 million to Akleh.  

EDITORS’ NOTE: Phew,  Luckily the toll hike was not implemented or Johor will see the number of Singapore visitors drop ! With both economies in the doldrums, raising the toll fees by such a substantial amount will do little to encourage consumer spending. Malaysia Boleh ! Another beautiful U-turn by Badawi ! He should seriously consider imparting his “skill” to some of our leaders after he steps down.

Edison Chen changed flight schedule in the last minute to evade reporters

Translated from Lianhe Wanbao

Edison Chen changed his flight from Hong Kong to Singapore in the last minute to evade reporters in Singapore !

Local journalists first got wind of Edison Chen’s flight a few days ago when he was still in Canada. He was supposed to arrive here at 12.50pm in a Cathay Pacific flight.

Just when everybody thought they will meet Edison Chen, he changed his plan secretly and cause the journalists from Singapore and overseas to wait for him for naught !

Fearing for his personal safety, Edison Chen employed additional security measures to protect himself.

According to reliable sources, the company which invited him to Singapore, Carl’ sJr specially recruited 6 security personnel to receive him at the airport. They will shadow him wherever he goes from the airport to the hotel till the event tonight at Grand Hyatt.

As for the second event, organizer Adidas Manager for South East Asia Mr Adrain Chia revealed that in addition to their security personnel, Edison Chen will also appear in the press conference with his own personal bodyguard.

When Edison Chen made an appearance in a Canadian Court a few days ago, it was rumored he spent over $20,000 to employ 5 foreign bodyguards to escort him in and out of the Court. It is believed the same team of bodyguards is accompanying him to Singapore.

EDITORS’ NOTE: Edison Chen must be misguided. This is Singapore, not Hong Kong or the states. Nobody will bother to harrass or attack him. They will at most curse him behind his back in the internet chatrooms.

The mortal danger of “self spinning” ourselves in delusion

By Fang Zhi Yuan

At the Singapore Tripartism Forum last Sunday, Prime Minister Lee was asked by a business leader to comment on the performance of Temasek and GIC in the wake of the stunning revelation of its recent losses.

He replied straight in the face that “these are very respectable figures” based on the annual returns quoted by Finance Minister Tharman.

“Some years it will go down, some years it will go up more. But on average it’s not bad. And we have to take a long-term view because this is not money for now, this is money for many years ahead. If you look at a long-term basis, on the overall on the way the government has managed the money, we haven’t done badly“, he said. (read the original report here)

I wondered if the journalist who wrote the report was equally as convinced as Prime Minister Lee. If the article was meant to allay the fears and angst of Singaporeans, it doesn’t sound reassuring at all.

In the first place, we are still kept in the dark over the real extent of GIC’s losses, which a Thai Daily put it at an estimate of over S$200 billion dollars. Then there is the danger of Citi Bank and Bank of America being nationalized by the United States government which will wipe out much of our investment.

Given the dire state the U.S. banks are in now, how long will we have to wait before we recoup our losses and we are talking about a mind-boggling sum in terms of billions. Even if the share prices do rebound in 10 or 20 years time, what is the opportunity cost lost when we could have grown the money by investing it in gold, bonds or fixed deposits.

I am not an economist and yet I am able to point out such glaring deficiencies in the news report. Surely there are financial professionals in the government and the media who being more knowledgable than me, are able to correct the Prime Minister’s mistakes and give the people a more accurate and detailed answer ? Why is there such a deafening silence ?

The culprits responsible for this devastating loss are none other than the wife and father of the Prime Minister. While Madam Ho Ching has stepped down from Temasek, Lee Kuan Yew is still the Chairman of GIC and a minister in the Cabinet. Which minister or MP in Parliament will dare to question the Minister Mentor’s judgement and authority?

The media has long ceased to be a genuine voice for the people and instead it has been deftly manipulated to serve as tinted glasses for us to view a distorted reality from the government’s perspective.

Seeing Singapore through this tunnel vision, we are trained over the years to believe that our leaders can make no mistakes. We are not allowed to question them or to demand for more information from them. Just keep quiet and let them run the country because they are the “best talents” tiny Singapore can offer.

Our leaders are surrounded by cronies and sycophants who dare not speak the truth out of fear of losing their rice-bowls or ruining their careers. The state media exercise stringent self-censorship to spin the news which sound pleasant to their ears. They live in ivory towers erected by their sense of pride, omnipotence and infallibility completely disconnected with the people they are supposed to serve. That is how the Singapore government has been treating us, like kids.

If Prime Minister Lee were to leave his ivory tower for an instance and venture into the “wild wild west” of Singapore’s blogosphere, he would be absolutely flabbergasted at what his citizens are speaking of him. Few were convinced by his lame defence of Temasek and GIC’s performance. Many more were angry and shocked by the loss of our precious reserves.

In an online poll conducted here, 98% of 500 netizens polled want a Commission of Inquiry to be set up to probe into the loss. 73% are “very unhappy” with the way the government had handled the fiasco while 22% are “quite disappointed“. And more embarassingly, 73% wants the Prime Minister to step down.

If our leaders come to know about the poll results, they will probably dismiss it as ”an online poll taken from a website devoted to anti-government invective.” We will be accused of spreading rumors and lies to provoke hatred against the government and soon another minister will threaten to arrest us.

We are in great danger of being fooled, misled and deluded by all these irresponsible and callous “self-spinning”. The citizens are taken in by the spin and remain contented to let their leaders run the show. The leaders believe the spin and continue to ignore underlying concerns and disgruntlement on the ground. What will this country become ?

I sincerely implore our leaders to stop hiding behind the spins of the state media and come forward to face the people;  fellow Singaporeans to stand up and give honest feedback to the government, and journalists to be report the truth fearlessly bearing in mind their obligations to society.

An open, accountable and transparent government should not fear its critics and treat them as enemies. In fact, it should be glad that there are Singaporeans who care enough to speak out. It will be a sad day for Singapore if nobody bother to question how the country is being governed for it would mean that it has ceased to become a home in our hearts.

Our country is facing the greatest crisis in its lifetime. There is no space and time for parochial and petty politicking to safeguard one’s vested interests and misplaced pride. Turning a blind eye to the problems and pretending all is well will only plunge us into a greater abyss.

The soul of a nation does not lie in GDP numbers, world class infrastructure or a first world government. It lies in a well-informed, socially active and politically mature citizenry which is able keep the nation together in spite of any internal or external threats.

If I do not love Singapore, I would not waste my time typing this article. As an ordinary citizen, that’s about as much I can do. I may not know enough to teach our esteemed leaders how to run the country, but I am concerned enough to express my misgivings about the direction we are heading now and in the future.

‘Stop the fighting, focus on economy’

By Elizabeth Looi, Malaysia Correspondent

Businessman publishes letter in newspaper ad, asking politicians to put nation first

KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysian businessman took out a full page advertisement in The Star newspaper yesterday asking Malaysian politicians on both sides to stop trying to topple each other, and to focus on the economy.

In his letter, published as a full-page advertisement, Mr Anas Zubedy, 45, managing director of a management and training development company, asked the politicians to ’stop the power chase, call for a truce and focus on the economy’.

He also hoped other entrepreneurs would join him and voice their concerns.

‘Our concern today is not who rules the country but the looming bad economy,’ he wrote. ‘Whether BN or PR leads, it is meaningless if Malaysians have no job to go to, no money to pay rent and no means to put food on the table.’

Mr Anas’ letter might be the first open letter to Malaysia’s bickering parliamentarians to plead for a stop in fighting and to start working, but it was definitely not the�first public outcry.

Last year, The Star carried a front-page story highlighting the people’s sentiment.

The ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition and the opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR) have engaged in what seems like the country’s longest political tussle since the March 2008 general election, when the government lost five states to the opposition.

Last month, however, the ruling party turned the tables on the opposition when it re-claimed Perak state, thanks to the defection of four Pakatan lawmakers.

Since then, the dailies’ headlines have largely been about the political parties going at each other’s throats. There is increasing concern that the government is now not only focused on fending off the opposition, but it is actively trying to topple them.

‘We should focus on economy. It feels like we have the longest general elections,’ Mr Anas told The Straits Times. ‘There are 27 per cent of Malaysians who earn less than RM1,000 (S$418) a month and if anything goes bad, they will suffer because they don’t have savings. Many in the middle class too, will be affected.’

Some government leaders acknowledged that the excessive politicking in the wake of the Perak crisis is detracting the government in its efforts to rule and run the country properly.

Speaking in London on Monday, Unity, Culture, Arts and�Heritage�Minister Shafie Apdal said the government ‘would rather devote our time, money and energy in facing the challenges than to be caught up in by-elections’, The Star reported.

He was briefing Malaysian students there on the country’s latest developments.

Deputy Premier Najib Razak, who is also the Finance Minister, is expected to launch a mini stimulus package on March 10, aimed at saving jobs and helping businesses. But the mere announcement�of the move�has already drawn endless criticisms from the opposition.

Mr Anas pleaded both sides to get together and compromise. ‘Someone has to give in. Or has hate consumed your heart till it blinds you? You can do it. You have enough intelligent people between you,’ Mr Anas pleaded in his letter.

‘I am sure you can find solutions. Take the nation to heart. That is why you are in politics in the first place. Focus on the people. Focus on the economy. Please.’

Source: Straits Times

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