Of Amy Cheong and the myth called racial harmony

The girl who single-handedly divided our little red dot.

SO a Malaysian born Australian, Amy Cheong had stupidly and tactlessly typed that status update on her Facebook account. We do not know if her account was a private one. Obviously, she has friends who do not like her very much and the screenshot went viral. Everyone in this little red dot has been affected. A lot of us were braying for her blood. Her then employers then swiftly gave her the axe to sever all ties. Subsequently, her job was placed on Jobstreet. She then flew her racist ass to Perth.

The stark reality that this issue has affirmed is that racial harmony does not exist in Singapore. On the Internet, some have taken it upon themselves to fight discrimination with discrimination. In theory, with a fight like that, wait for it...... discrimination prevails. First, they declare their own race. Then, they go on to describe the racism that they have encountered. What is this tit-for-tat thinking?

This is an unquestionable indication that Singaporeans are at best, racial tolerant. Call this the hard truth if you may. Racial harmony is but a beautiful and utopian label that our government has termed. We are no where near that. In fact, no countries can proudly claim that there is zero racism in their land. In our own shores, it is quite disheartening and frightening to know that one Amy Cheong has single-handedly caused such irreparable damages to our society. Somewhere out there, there are people who are keeping tabs on how many times people from the IJK race had been racist toward people from the OPQ race. There is also this possibility that somebody from another country creates a Facebook account, find a local e.g. Chinese, Indian, Malay looking profile picture, post racist updates, and, again, this tiny red dot will be burning with rage again.

We suggest that the government look into educating people on the uses of social media. What is meant for private space can be easily made available in the public space by simply taking screenshots. Yes, keep up with the racial harmony curricular. Introduce a social media awareness curricular. This is not just for the young. The aunty age Amy Cheong needs it too, as far as we can see. The racial harmony curricular can contain some chapters on social media awareness and vice versa. It should not be much of a chore since we are already, a very controlled country.

Some of us fondly remember our younger years when we cursed in colloquial while doing group activities and team sports. We will have Chinese, Indians and Malays in the group and we all curse "CHEEBYE!", "PUNDEK!" or "BUTOH!" with equal enthusiasm. Those were the days. These days, we say "FUCK!" and autocorrect turns it to "DUCK!" but that's another story, heh.

P.S. Meanwhile, it appears that another racist miscreant, Eve Tan is making her rounds on the Internet. Fuck you, Eve Tan. You should expect no mercy.

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Of CHC's fund raising for the 6 accused.

From AsiaOne

City Harvest Church warned over fund raising for accused 

Singapore's Commissioner of Charities (COC) has warned City Harvest Church about its employees' efforts to raise funds to pay the legal fees of the church's leaders facing criminal charges in court.

At issue is a donation form which surfaced this month seeking funds as a "personal gift" to the six people charged so far.

Commissioner of Charities' response

"The Commissioner of Charities' (COC) office had earlier issued a Restriction Order to the Board of City Harvest Church (CHC) to restrict CHC from paying the legal fees of the six accused persons and entering into transactions relating to payment of services to the suspended individuals and their related entities, without the approval of the COC.

The COC has informed CHC that the church and/or its employees should not be involved in raising funds for the legal expenses or setting up a specific fund for this purpose."
 

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Is this a good call by the Commissioner of Charities to stop CHC members for raising funds for the lawsuit? We cannot decide. Members will simply route their funds to a fellow member who is not part of the 6 accused. This "personal gift" is a major loophole. At the same time, it does seem that CHC has forgotten why they are in embroiled in a lawsuit in the first place. Seems like CHC is pretty recalcitrant.

What is even more disgusting, disappointing and appalling is this: CHC actually puts itself up as a recipient for donations in kind. NTUC FairPrice and the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) have a collaboration so that people who would like to donate food items or basic necessities to voluntary welfare organizations (VWOs) may do so via FairPrice's website. CHC is one of the VWOs listed.

 

How is this appropriate when church members are busy raising funds for their already very rich pastors and senior members of the church and leaving the needy people in their care to the public? Surely they should know where their priorities lie? Is giving to the needy less prosperous then giving to the pastors, you believers of the prosperity gospel?

This is not an attempt to penalize the needy. This is an indication that CHC members rather tithe upwards to pastors who can live in luxury appartments instead of giving meaningfully to those who need it more. We are even more convinced that somewhere during sermons and cell group sessions, CHC has not been sharing the right message.

Regardless of religion, God helps those who help themselves.  

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Of Mentos' National Night

CNN reports on how Mentos hopes to get Singaporeans to get busy and start making babies starting this National Day!

The video is well worth your time. In our opinion, it beats any national day songs that have been written in recent years. Get busy Singaporeans! Own this National Date Night!


P.S. The comments on the CNN article are mostly idiotic. Perhaps, most of the commenters are not Singaporeans. The ones on Youtube however, are more encouraging. It shows that Singaporeans have a sense of humour too.
 

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Video urges Singapore couples to make babies - like, now

By John D. Sutter, CNN

(CNN) - This week's over-the-top marketing campaign is a YouTube video from Mentos that hopes to convince Singaporeans to get busy. Like literally. It asks them to "make a little human that looks like you and me" and "make Singapore's birthrate spike" on National Day, a Singaporean holiday, which will be celebrated on Thursday.

"This August the 9th, it's time to do our civic duty," a deep-voiced man says in the video, produced by an ad agency on behalf of Mentos mints. "And I'm not talking about speeches, fireworks or parades." (Woman in the background: "But I like that stuff.") "I'm talking about the stuff after that stuff. I'm talking about making a baby, baby. You ready?"

Just watch the thing:

 

It turns out that the country has a "problem" with population decline. Fertility rates are going down. The population is aging. Growth of the small city-state's population was 1% in 2010 and shrank to 0.5% in 2011.

From a government report on the issue (PDF):

Like many developed countries, Singapore’s key population challenges are our low fertility and an ageing population. Our aim is to achieve a sustainable population that supports both economic growth and social cohesion, so that Singapore remains vibrant and liveable.

Oh, yeah. And the country also runs a dating service, called the Social Development Network.
That government group is referenced (of course, right?) in the "National Night" song:

It's National Night and I want a baby, boo. I know you want it. So does the S.D.U.

(The S.D.U. was renamed the S.D.N. in 2009. But "U" apparently rhymes better.)

Just FYI, new parents in Singapore are offered thousands of dollars ($18,000 for the fifth child!) for having children, according to a government site.

It's unclear if the government was involved in the Mentos have-sex-now-and-increase-our-population video campaign, which also has a related Facebook page. The ad firm Bartle Bogle Hegarty developed the the video. A spokesperson told the Financial Times that the government of Singapore did not request to approve the campaign.

It's unclear, of course, if this will actually work. But it certainly has people in Western media circles talking.
From James Fallows at The Atlantic:

The Singapore government has often been criticized for being too Grandgrind-like and strait-laced. So, no joke, congrats to whoever broke the stereotype by doing this. And ... ummm, Happy National Day!

And it's resulted in plenty of funny/bossy tweets. Like this one:

 Perhaps the most striking thing about the video is its lack of subtlety. Here are a few lines:

"Let your patriotism explode. Because it's National Night."
"Put this track on repeat. Let's put a bao (bun) in your oven!"
"We gotta go all the way for Singapore, you know what I'm sayin?"

Yes. Yes, we do.

Let us what you think of the video and Singapore's birthrate issues in the comments.

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Of the Tey-Ko sex-for-grades scandal

Another sex scandal in incorruptible Singapore!
Is Singapore so tiny and not happening that the citizens have nothing to do but each other?

Presenting defendant, former NUS law professor Tey Tsun Hang.

Before he joined NUS, Tey was a district judge with Singapore's Subordinate Courts, and had even spent time as a state counsel at the legislation division of the Attorney-General's Chambers. Currently, he has been charged with six counts of corruption in a sex-for-grades scandal. Tey is 41 years old and married.

Since it takes two hands to clap, this is the student who allegedly offered sex-for-grades. Presenting Darinne Ko Wen Hui, who at 23 years old, already know that brains can only take you so far. Oh wait, she was even younger when it happened..

It appears that Ko had told a friend about her little secret with Tey, thinking that it had blown over. However, the authorities took action and Tey was formally charged last Friday. She has, very impressively hired Subhas Anandan and Sunil Sudheesan as her defence lawyers. (Hmm, Mr Subhas seems to be taking on all the sex-related cases this year). It appears that Ko had been arrested in April, about the same time when Tey was investigated. She is currently out on police bail


Students sleeping with professors or professors sleeping with students is not new. Yet, conflict of interest remains of little concern to the general public. Hell if alcohol can cloud your judgement, we are pretty sure that sex can too. Will this end student-professor sexaships? We doubt so. Lianhe Wanbao claims that Ko had only been given a B. So even it there was no corruption, there were indeed, improper and unprofessional conduct.

It will be interesting to see how this case develops. Given Tey's background, he should have powerful friends. Consider the fact that he was first investigated in April, surely he would have taken time out to plan his defense should shit hits the fan. Yet when he is charged, he would only say that he is known to speak about the system and attribute his writings to why he is being prosecuted. Unless the system planted Ko...

Also, Ko's engagement of Subhas Anandan speaks volumes. Considering that her lawyers are suppose to defend her, why did she withhold the fact that she was arrested in April from them?

Hmm. Let's wait and see how this unfolds.

P.S. Someone said that regardless of the grade e.g. A, B or C, corruption is still corruption.

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Of changes to the mandatory death sentence

Here's a very short note on how we feel. Many will disagree.

It is scary to realize that even a mandatory death sentence does not deter people from committing serious crimes. If death doesn't stop you, what else can?

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Of City Harvest & good intentions gone awry

Yes, one more blog that writes about the City Harvest Church (CHC) saga. We hope this is well worth your time.

To begin with, there is nothing wrong with a project that seeks to extend the Christian faith. Obviously, the faith (Christianity, Buddhism, Islam or Hinduism for the matter) is good and it should be shared. To bring the secular over or "Crossover", to what extent should the religious give way to the secular in order to reach to the masses? Feel free to watch Sun Ho's China Wine and Mr Bill videos. When one watches these videos, surely there is an inner voice of reason that says, "something is not right. How does gyrating in skimpy clothes draw one closer to God?" Even the members of the popular Planetshakers band, the music arm of a popular youth movement are appropriately dressed.

Then there are even more disclosures. Even without the charges being brought to light, we have all heard of how CHC members "snap up" Sun Ho's CDs. Sure, showing support for the Pastor's wife involved in Project Crossover is absolutely legit. Buying CDs to support your church's effort is perfectly legit. It becomes questionable when one has to buy x number of CDs in exchange for points or a poster, or a t-shirt etc.

At the same time, it is hard to digest the fact that since the implementation of Project Crossover, Kong Hee and Sun Ho have upgraded from a flat in Tampines (bought SGD 127 000, sold SGD 420 000), to a unit in Horizon Towers at River Valley (SGD 1 million) to a penthouse in Sentosa Cove. This begets another question. We could say that they made shrewd investments or perhaps, won the lottery. Or that their staunch belief in the prosperity gospel have paid off. Even in Hollywood Hills, Sun Ho lives in a posh neighborhood which count Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie amongst other celebrity neighbors. We sure know what Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie do for a living. As far as Hollywood is concerned, who is this Sun Ho? What does she do for a living? Being a pastor is not a high net worth career. So what else do Kong Hee and Sun Ho do to generate so much income?

Yes we are naturally kind-hearted. We should not judge, just like how we thought we were giving wholeheartedly with good intentions to NKF only to find that we were contributing to a toilet fitted with a golden tap. Yet, there are some issues that cannot be ignored.

While we do not speak for the masses, we all have to agree that somehow there is a large degree of inappropriateness in this.


Since the secular approach works for Crossover, it seems appropriate to quote Jules from Pulp Fiction who appears to be paraphasing Psalm 23 and the last line is from Ezekiel 25:17:
"The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of the darkness. For he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know I am the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon you." 


Yes Project Crossover began with good intentions. Does it still function with those good intentions?

For some, the stark realization that you have actually become a better person than the supposed servant of God who was supposed to help bridge you towards God can be frightening.

Fret not, sometimes even the best of us get lost. It is now your turn to shepherd the weak home.

* For those who are offended by the Pulp Fiction quote, have a think about the prosperity gospel.

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Of shaming high ranking horny person and punishing the creative vandal

Update as of 19 July 2012:
Ex-CNB chief Ng Boon Gay to claim trial

Update as of 6 July 2012:
Peter Benedict Lim Sin Pang claims trial

Of high ranking horny people...

The higher the rank, the higher the salary, the more inclined you are to have sex in public places.

OR

The higher the rank, the higher the salary, the more cheapo one becomes.

OR

All c wanted was to add "THRILL-SEEKER" to his already outstanding resume. He brought his scandal home!

What's amazing is that the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) have decided to release a full disclosure of who he had sex with, what kind of sex, the number of times, with who and where. I do not remember reading anything this detailed and salacious in the 154th media at all. The women involved were  named along with their organisations. Lim is charged for 10 counts of corruption. If convicted, he could be jailed up to five years and fined S$100,000 for each charge.

This looks to be the Ministry of Home Afffairs' (MHA) strongest showing of shaming. Is the Ministry looking to take the lead from internet vigilantes by adopting this naming and shaming tactic? Only a few weeks ago, Xiaxue had taken to task, the identifying and shaming abusive netizens who had at Temasek Review's invite, provided abusive captions to photographs of Xiaxue and her friends. You can read her entry here (warning, contains expletives).

Then, we have the arrest of Sticker Lady. Sticker Lady is Samantha Lo aka SKL0. She is a content curator with the National Art Gallery's Canvas project and the founder of online magazine RCGNTN dedicated to local artists. Lo has been arrested on the charge of vandalism after allegedly spray painting "My Grandfather Road/Building" on roads and walls around Singapore. She is also believed to be behind the stickers with quirky slogans such as "Press Until Shiok".

If convicted, Lo will be punished with a fine of up to S$2,000, or jailed up to three years and caning.

Why are we putting these two issues together, you may wonder. For us, we see a common point. It is precedence. Precedence is an ugly word. Since we are a nation that lacks creativity, we can only be sure that there will be copycats. This means there will be more Peter Benedict Lim Sin Pang and Samantha Lo to come. Obviously, MHA would not want more high ranking officers to be charged for corruption in cash or kind since it so defeats the sole purpose of their high salaries. Neither would MHA want more Samanthas who would stick stickers on every traffic light and spray "My Grandfather's Road" on every single road in Singapore. Frankly, we wouldn't want to have our fingers on traffic light buttons which has layers of sticky stickers with dirt if everyone wants to make an aesthetic statement.

Perhaps, MHA's heavy-handedness has something to do with its incumbent Minister who had shown himself to be quite a character since the by-elections and the recent Pre-U seminar. 

Interestingly enough, "My Grandfather Road" has sparkled quite a number of heritage tracking events. The New Paper has started a series which traces the descendants of some prominent people from Singapore’s past, whose names adorn road signs around the island. The same goes for Bukit Brown.

We have to concede that "My Grandfather Road" makes a great Arts Festival / National Heritage slogan. How about we give Lo a light smack on the hand and in return, let her helm these festivals as community service?

As for Lim, he should get the highest possible punishment ever. Take it that the State is punishing him for infidelity and deceiving his employers, which is in this case, the State.

* All you thrill-seekers be warned. I am sure the carparks near the indoor stadium, Big Splash, Marina Bay Golf Course are no longer ideal for public displays of passions unless you would like an audience from the men in blue.

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Of Vienna/Singapore: The city that loves to grumble

If we just strike out the word Vienna and replace it with Singapore, I am sure the sentiments will hit home. A great article for Cooling Day, no?

"If you live here all the time, you have nothing to compare it to - and you don't know how good you've got it."

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18036009

Vienna: The city that loves to grumble

For a number of years Vienna has scored top marks in international surveys for safety, cleanliness and public services, but while many Viennese are fiercely proud of their city, there is also an unexpectedly strong tradition of discontent and complaint.

The Volksgarten in central Vienna is a particularly beautiful spot.

The public garden, with its fountains and shady chestnut trees, is surrounded by some of Vienna's most magnificent buildings: the neo-Gothic town hall, parliament with its classical columns, and the baroque splendours of the Hofburg Palace, once home to the Habsburg Emperors.

And in May and June, its formal flowerbeds are filled to bursting with a riotous display of multi-coloured roses.

Once, as I was wandering through the rose garden, I fell in step behind a couple of elderly Viennese ladies, who were taking their two small dogs for a walk.

There had been a storm the night before and the grass was scattered with rose petals, although most of the flowers had survived well.

But one of the ladies shook her head dismally.

"Look," she said in strong Viennese dialect, "Alles schon vorbei." "It is all over now."

Her companion sighed. "Ja, ja, leider." "Unfortunately."

The Viennese tendency not to look on the bright side of life still catches me by surprise.

Perhaps it is a sign that I am still a foreigner - even after living here for more than 10 years.

To be discontented is, of course, human - the motor, some would say, of progress.

But in Vienna, many people seem to cultivate and even wallow in their dissatisfaction.

They have a special word for it, "raunzen" - which roughly translates as to grumble, moan or whinge.

It is all the more remarkable to an outsider - when you consider how good life is for most people here - not just for the city's wealthy and middle-class, but for its poorer citizens as well.

Vienna is one of the best-run cities I know.

It is, in comparison to many other European capitals, a safe place. Most of my female friends think nothing of walking home alone late at night.

Decades of Socialist-led administrations have brought in generous and affordable housing and other public services.

Turn on the tap, and you get mountain spring water, piped in from the Alps.

But to hear some Viennese, it would be easy to come away with the impression that the place is going steadily downhill. "Nix ist wie frueher," "Nothing's the way it used to be," is a constant refrain at the sausage stands and bars.

This month, while much of Europe is in the grip of austerity measures, Vienna permanently lowered the price of an annual ticket on its clean and efficient public transport system, from 449 euros (£371) to 365 euros - basically a euro a day. Thousands of extra yearly passes have now been sold.

However, this being Vienna, it did not take long for the complaints to start.

Some are upset because the price of individual journeys has now gone up. And over the past few weeks, I have been told time and again, that the underground will now be insufferably crowded - and no one will ever get a seat on a tram again.

"You mustn't take all this moaning too seriously," a friend told me as we sat on a tram on the Ring Boulevard. "It is just a way of letting off steam."

But another Viennese was not so sure. "Deep down, some of them do mean it," he said. "If you live here all the time, you have nothing to compare it to - and you don't know how good you've got it."

It is a bit of a problem for the Social Democrats, he told me. They have been losing ground to the far right in recent years.

He looked up from his coffee cup, smiling wryly. "It's hard for them because the one thing you must never do when someone is 'raunzing' is to tell them how well off they really are."

A few years ago, I arrived back in Vienna after spending a couple of months reporting from a conflict zone in the Middle East.

At the airport, I caught a taxi home. For the next 30 minutes, the driver told me in vivid detail how dreadful life in Vienna had become, how dirty, how crowded, how expensive, how rude.

Perhaps it was because I was tired - but I snapped.

"You have no idea how lucky you are to live in this place," I said fiercely. "It's beautiful, things work here, you have great hospitals, it's clean and it's safe!"

The driver did not bother to reply. He just snorted.

And I knew exactly what the snort meant: "Bloody foreigner!"

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Of that Ferrari and the so-called anti-foreigners sentiment

Update on 17 May 2012: In a rare move, the Chinese Embassy has issued a letter telling its citizens living in Singapore to be conscious of their conduct and abide by the laws here. Seeing is believing. See it for yourself here.
Update on 18 May 2012: Calls for curbs on illegal street racing 
                                        No airbags in most taxis?

This is the video of the accident that has claimed the lives of the driver of the Ferrari, 31 year old Ma Chi, from Sichuan. China, Shigemi Ito, a Japanese woman (passenger in the taxi which received a direct impact from the speeding Ferrari) and the 52 year old taxi-driver, Cheng Teck Hock.

Opportunists have used this incident to voice anti-PRC (People's Republic of China) and even anti-foreigners sentiments. It does not help that reports (here and here) seem to indicate that Singaporeans are up in arms over this. Yes, Singaporeans are angry. We are angry that lives have been lost. We are angrier knowing that the driver of the Ferrari is a China national. The reason is simple, we do not go to China and other countries to drive recklessly/live dangerously/disregard the lives of locals and others, so neither should immigrants or tourists from other countries come to Singapore to drive recklessly/live dangerously/disregard the lives of locals and others. Indeed, it is unfortunate to note that a string of accidents and incidences have involved China Nationals.

At the same time, let's not kid ourselves. In the still of the night, how often have we heard motorcycles and cars speed though the supposedly quiet roads? Can Singaporeans be sure that all these riders and drivers who have no regard for traffic rules in the "wee hours" of the morning are all foreigners? How often have we as pedestrians and drivers experienced dangerous driving? Was it always a foreigner? We do not immediate put the blame on foreigners unless the driver is really one.

We Singaporeans may be angry but we are not irrational. To the general media, please do not write like you fully understand us Singaporeans or fuel discontent amongst us. If you have not, thank you very much. If you have, fuck you very much lah.

P.S. The cabby's family has been assured by their MP,  K Shanmugam that they will be provided with all necessary assistance. The cabby was the sole breadwinner. He is survived by his wife and three children. For those of you who would like to help, do address you cheque/make it payable to "LIM CHOO ENG" and mail them to

 THE CHENG FAMILY
 c/o Comfort Transportation Pte Ltd
 383 Sin Ming Drive
 S 575717
 Attn: Customer Service Center

We Singaporeans may be angry. But we have hearts too.

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Of TRE, back to the days of the Wayang Party Club?

A long time ago (circa 2004 - long is relative over the internet), there was an online socio-politicial site that used unorthodox means to create awareness. The site would report news that were meant to be the heartfelt sentiments of people like you and I, i.e. we the people that the other people high up in the ivory towers who will conveniently forget for 4 years until the general elections are due. The site would report accounts of hard truths that no mainstream and other socio-political sites would even attempt to report on.

What OB markers? If you and the other Singaporeans feel it, we will report it! They had walked the ground with video cameras to ask for the sentiments of voters and reported the shortcomings of Ministers. They were the unsung heros of the local blogosphere.

Oh boy, the popularity of the site soared! It was not difficult to see why. Anyone could lend their voice to the site and be a contributor, ergo, everyone could be heard. The site posted accounts in both English (think tabloid) and Mandarin (think Lian He Wan Bao). It did not matter if the contributor's grasp of language was not strong. What was important was that the articles contained key issues that struck a chord with people like you and I. On top of everything else, the owners of the Wayang Party site promised that all commenters are anonymous. The site was hosted outside of Singapore. According to the site owners, they were untouchable. This was also one of the reasons why the site had to ask the public for monetary contributions so as to sustain the site.

Of course, the site also had it's shortcomings. Because everyone could be heard, it meant that any sort of article could be published. For that same reason, it meant that most of the articles were taken as it is with minimal attempts to verify its content. All the other more established sites were quick to disassociate from the site. Wayang Party lacked accountability and transparency, the same issues that they were accusing the government of. There were little credibility in their reports. Their reports were based on sensationalizing one single detail which were often snowballed to attempt to inflict an avalanche on the people in white (surely they know that snow blends with white). Worse still, Wayang Party operated as faceless site. The other sites did not even know who they were up against.

In short, it became a populist blog. The people behind the site were quick to rename the site after each significant political progression. It started as Wayang Party, became Temasek Review, and then the current, Temasek Review Emeritus (TRE).

Eventually, The New Paper revealed that a certain Doctor Joseph Ong was behind the site. Next, Richard Wan, moderator of TRE was reported as being involved with other faceless people based abroad.

In a quick turn of events (circa August 2011), after Richard claimed that he was "harassed by TR" and swore to leave the site, Richard is actually still with TRE in a recent forum that was held in conjunction with Social Media week (February 2012). Apart from Richard, the rest of the team remains faceless. We do not even know if the other five editors exist. Currently, this attempt to have be "accountable" does not seem to be working out well at all for TRE. Given it's gureilla tactics, Richard has opened up TRE to several potential defamation suits. Also, it is difficult to ignore the fact that TRE's rebranding was somehow in time to expose the Yaw Shin Leong's affair. With a supposedly pro alternative voices site like this, who needs the men in white to fix the opposition? Some say, TRE is now part of the men in white.

So is TRE back to the days of the Wayang Party Club with all these nameless shadows lurking in the dark? I think so. But this time around, they have a fall guy. why are these people opening TRE up to possible defamation suits? Only time will tell how far an apology can take TRE.

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Of the tactless speech by Education Minister of State Lawrence Wong

Here is another instance of how our ministers are so out of touch with the ground as they look down on us from their ivory towers.

In a dialogue on further education at ITE College East, Education Minister of State Lawrence Wong said, "That's what happens when you have a sort of heedless desire to get a degree or diploma without understanding the broader issues," he noted.

Obviously, Lawrence Wong does not understand that Singapore has been shaped to be a city where paper qualifications matter so much more over skills. Whenever possible, who would not follow the progression from a junior college or polytechnic education to a degree? Is it wrong for people to want to better themselves with skills and knowledge? If there are insufficient places, why are there so many foreign students in the local universities? Why do so many locals have to study abroad when their grades allow them to enroll in a local university?

What Lawrence Wong seem to be saying is that if you are in the lowest rung of the social ladder, just stay there and do not dream of climbing up that elitist ladder. That ivory tower is not for us, peasants.

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Further education hot topic at ITE dialogue

The move to increase the intake of Institute of Technical Education (ITE) graduates at polytechnics is underway, but the topic of further education still weighed on the minds of about 100 ITE students at a dialogue with Education Minister of State Lawrence Wong yesterday.

Several students from the three ITE campuses at REACH's Kopi Talk dialogue held at ITE College East asked if opportunities for them to upgrade after graduating could be expanded.

Mr Wong said he understood their aspirations but not everyone would be able to pursue a diploma at a polytechnic immediately after obtaining their Higher NITEC.

This was due to limited places at local polytechnics and employers' demand for ITE graduates. "If everyone can move up, we will not have enough ITE graduates out there in the workforce," he said.

"At the end, it's the number of places we can provide … I don't think we'll be able to satisfy everyone, frankly," he said.

By 2015, one in four ITE graduates will be able to make it to polytechnic, up from one in five currently.

Mr Wong also cautioned against a scenario where the industry is unable to cope with the number of degree or diploma holders seeking jobs. He recounted how on a previous trip to Paris, all applicants for a receptionist job at the Singapore embassy were degree holders.

"That's what happens when you have a sort of heedless desire to get a degree or diploma without understanding the broader issues," he noted.

On why ITE graduates could not opt for polytechnic courses unrelated to their area of study, Mr Wong said the ITE is meant to be a foundation for polytechnic education.

Other questions raised were about the upcoming schools catering only to Normal (Technical) students and on keeping school fees affordable.

Mr Wong said the Government recently enhanced bursary programmes and would enhance them again if necessary.

Specialised Normal (Technical) schools, which open in 2013 and 2014, would have the same programme as other schools but its teachers and a curriculum would be better catered to the needs of students, he explained.

ITE College West Higher NITEC business administration student Seri Nur Haziqah found the dialogue "engaging" as it touched on the importance of character, and felt Mr Wong's replies were "lengthy" but "relevant".

Separately yesterday, the North East Community Development Council announced its North East Education Awards - which awards two students from each eligible school with S$400 to S$900 - would be extended to all ITE campuses here.

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Of Yaw Shin Leong's resignation as WP's treasurer

Yesterday, the Workers' Party announced that Yaw Shin Leong, MP for Hougang has resigned from his position as the Treasurer of the Party. This comes after Yaw was embroiled in an online scandal which suggested that Yaw, a married man, was having an affair with a member of the WP cadre, Angela Oon, who is also married.

Yaw has chosen to keep slient about his alleged affair. However, this resignation speaks louder than words. Yaw and WP should step forward to explain this incident. After all, in the 2011 General Elections, the residents of Hougang who had vested their trust in Low Thia Kiang, showed their unyielding support for the WP by voting for Yaw. Whether the affair did or did not happen (this resignation is clearly an admission of guilt), WP owes the residents of Hougang an explanation. The residents have given him their vote of confidence for a 5 year term and months into his tenure, this happens. Indeed, this is a private matter; a domestic affair. However, as a MP, he should be prepared for public scrutiny into this allegation. As an opposition MP, many of his political rivals from both the opposition camps and PAP alike would enjoy watching him fall from grace. Sure, we could all give him the benefit of doubt but obviously, this does not look rosy at all for Yaw. Even without any statements from Yaw, WP has to work on their public relations to counter this alleged scandal. Personally, I am not sure if a MP can be removed from his position due to personal misconduct and the procedures after.

Yaw's ex-wife, Ng Mei Sze has decided to step forth and say that their marriage did not fail because of infidelity. Instead of relying on people in association to Yaw to speak up to attest to his "good character (that all MPs and human beings should have)", Yaw should really face the public and offer a good enough explanation. To have one more person speak on the current scandal is creating more room for gossip. One could easily speculate that Ng feels guilty for not having informed Yaw's current wife, Wang Lin about Yaw's tendencies. The probable gossips could go on and on.

This scandal has without a doubt, sullied the good work that WP and the efforts of all opposition parties in Singapore alike. Even the Singapore People's Party (SPP) is having it's fair share of woes with the resignation of 6 of its Central Executive Community (CEC).

More importantly, it brings to mind that one should vote for the party and it's ideals and not for one person, because the actions of an individual could easily cause a party to fall apart.

Other references:
Straits Times: Yaw Shin Leong was a star who rose and rose
Straits Times: 'Workers' Party ought to be more transparent'
Straits Times: Yaw Shin Leong's ex-wife sheds some light on break-up

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Changes In Workers’ Party Leadership

The Workers’ Party wishes to inform the public that at the monthly meeting of the Executive Council on Tuesday, 7 February 2012, the Council accepted the resignation of Yaw Shin Leong from the party leadership. Yaw Shin Leong will cease to be Treasurer of the Party with immediate effect.

The Council has also decided to appoint the Deputy Treasurer, Yee Jenn Jong, as the Party’s Treasurer.

Yaw Shin Leong will focus on his responsibilities as Member of Parliament for Hougang.

The Workers’ Party assures residents of Hougang of the Party’s commitment to the constituency and to supporting the work of their Member of Parliament.

EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
WORKERS’ PARTY

7 February 2012

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Of the passing of Dr Toh Chin Chai

The funeral of the late former Deputy Prime Minister Dr Toh Chin Chye was held on Tuesday at 11am at Mandai Crematorium.

Of late, the internet has been a-buzzed with stories on how Dr Toh was like. This striked a chord.

He retired from Parliament at the 1988 general election and spent his last years generally away from the public eye. In a rare public radio interview in 1997, Dr Toh passionately bemoaned the lack of idealism and creativity among the young and its implications for the future of Singapore. He said:

“I would say the generation of the ‘50s and ‘60s took the plunge into politics without ever calculating the costs of the risk and the benefits to be gained. They were driven by ideology. Today’s generation has no culture and averse to taking political risk. Really, an interest in politics is very necessary for the future.

But I cannot blame the present generations, because they see the heavy-handed response by the government to dissenting views, even though they know that these matters involve their daily lives.

So the result is that we have produced a younger generation who are meek and therefore very calculating. They are less independent-thinking and lack in initiative. It does not bode well for the emergence of future leaders in politics and business. Robots and computers can be programmed or if you like, can be trained. But the trouble, of course, is that computers lack soul and what we need in Singapore is soul. Because it is soul that makes society.”

Rest in peace, Dr Toh.

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Of the real Cecilia Sue

Update: The alleged Cecilia Sue Siew Nang

The mysterious woman in the corruption scandal has been unveiled! The real Cecilia Sue has been mosaiced??

According to inSing.com, this is how the lady looks like. This does fit the description of a "36-year-old, tall, slim, vivacious, and with shoulder length hair" woman.

Strange how the people who leaked the photo chose to mosaic her face and not her expensive looking bag. Cecilia 1 - Tin Pei Ling 0.

While there has not been any confirmation if the photo shows the real Cecilia, I would not be surprised if more photos are leaked over the next few days.

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Of high ranking horny people

Clearly, the year of the fire dragon has done some serious kicking of high-profile asses in the civil service early into its tenure.

[Left: Peter Lim Sin Pang, ex SCDF, age 51, Right: Ng Boon Gay, ex CNB, age 45,]

In case you have been caught up with the festivities and holidays and are lagging in what's happening in the local political scene, former Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) commissioner Peter Lim and former Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) director Ng Boon Gay are currently investigated by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) for "serious personal misconduct". Allegedly, a hot woman in her 40s from an American multinational firm is embroiled in this saga. "While Mr Lim and Mr Ng were both unaware of each other's dealings with the woman, they have both confirmed their relationship with the woman". She is assisting CPIB in their investigations. To make matters even more interesting, the investigations are being held separately.

Corruption through sex. Death by sex. Hmm...

Obviously, this indicates that even persons with good track records [1] [2] and high pay aside, one can never expect the dick other head to stay limp and contented. It seems logical to think that you cannot corrupt one who already draws a fat pay, but it doesn't mean you can withstand (for the lack of a better word) a pussy. One may laugh all the way to the bank, but who holds the other head? Oh by the way, a squeaky clean looking opposition MP Yaw was also alleged to be in an extramarital affair. Yaw, on the other hand has chosen to keep silent. In all honestly, mums hardly the word if one is truly innocent. The former SCDF and CNB officers have been advised to have a quiet, low-key CNY.

So what's with these horny people in high ranking positions? That money is not enough? That high pay and high rank do not suffice? That the other head prevails? Jokes aside, this issue must be really serious to warrant headlines on the second day of Chinese New Year. It does seem like no effort is spared in shaming these two former civil servants. On this note, at least CPIB or the Ministry of Home Affairs have taken the appropriate step in highlighting this matter to the public over a festive period. Hey, this is a good topic for CNY banter no? Did you hear about the commissioner.. Did you hear about the director....

What I do not understand is why the identity of the woman in the case hasn't been made known to the public yet. Even Jakarta Globe has reported that the woman is 36 years old. How is it that the local media do not have this information? Shouldn't all the parties get shamed?

Earlier this week, the Noose reported that the Army was considering to have a maid platoon to help its NS men cope with the daily stress of being a soldier. Perhaps, the civil service should consider a harem apart from the remuneration package to help them cope with the daily stress of heading a department. Well, everybody needs sex and Singapore doesn't need corruption since we might as well, compromise and score another world's first.

For the want of a pussy, respect was lost. My advice for all civil servants, and it comes free...
LOOK BEFORE YOU POKE!

It's going to be an interesting year of the dragon!

- ST Electronics steps forward to say that none of its staff has been called up by the CPIB.

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