Originally posted by Poh Ah Pak:

So PAP can stay in power forever?

GRC system pui!

Bullshit system.

Is the SDP going to hold a demo at Hong Lim Park to demand for by-election?

Originally posted by lotus999:

Politics
Growing restiveness
With the changing voter, the ping pong saga revisits the question: How long can the PAP carry on selecting MPs from elites with little political acumen or sensitivity and not pay a price. By Seah Chiang Nee.
Aug 30, 2008

IN SINGAPORE today where diversity is growing and young Singaporeans are becoming more opinionated, almost everything touches on politics, including table tennis.

It is the sign of the times. An educated post-war generation is slowly taking over that is better informed, helped by the powerful reach of the Internet.

More than ever, Singaporeans are speaking out their minds on many subjects – sometimes vociferously – and shedding the reticence of their parents.

Even the Republic’s first medal win in an Olympic Games in 48 years has produced a heated controversy that is rubbing off badly on the government.

Singapore’s three women table tennis players, all naturalised, China-born citizens, lost to the Chinese in the finals in Beijing to win the team silver medal. But the fourth player, who is ranked 12th in the world for men, got the short end of the stick when it came to support and attention.

While the attention of the team was riveted on the medal-winning women players, Singapore’s sole men’s representative, Gao Ning, went into battle without the support of a coach.

The idea of a coach-less competitor in an Olympic tournament is inconceivable. Gao went down to a shocking 4-0 defeat to an unfancied player from Croatia. Alone, he wept afterwards.

The fiasco started when a livid People’s Action Party MP chastised and sacked the team manager over national television without holding an inquiry.

She not only fired the manager, Anthony Lee, without telling him but also hinted that the future status of the popular head coach was being considered.

Many Singaporeans reacted angrily while players were upset – not by the idea of disciplining wrongdoers – but by the summary, arrogant way it was done.

The MP, Lee Bee Wah, who hails from Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s group constituency, was president of the Singapore Table Tennis Association, a post she assumed only a month earlier.

The mistake in Beijing, said Lee, a Malaysian-born engineer, required accountability of the officials.

The issue attracted a deluge of letters – both on and offline – mostly condemning Lee’s “high-handedness”. Some Singaporeans, however, praised her for her speedy response to what was obviously a terrible dereliction of duty by officials or coaches.

Such debates are normally confined to the English-speaking world, but the ping-pong saga is an exception.

The game is widely played and loved by the Chinese-educated, so the arguments were not just an Internet phenomenon. It spread through the heartland coffee shops.

The non-English heartland ripple worries the ruling party since it still holds the majority of PAP supporters. The conflict may even affect PM Lee’s political fortunes.

Lee is one of six Members of Parliament in the Prime Minister’s Ang Mo Kio group constituency.

Unless the conflict is resolved and tempers cool down, its overall vote can be dragged down in the 2011 election.

“ I’m bruised,” Lee admitted but insisted she did no wrong.

Her many detractors think differently, with some calling on her to resign as president of the table tennis body to take responsibility.

“She should have waited for the team to return and carry out a proper investigation before taking action,” said a more polite critic.

Other criticisms are stronger. “Her behaviour was a typical PAP representative – elitist, arrogant, overbearing.

“ Only a month into the job and knowing nothing about the sport, she acted as though she knew everything by firing people,” one fan said.

In a move to control damage, the Sports Minister promised a full review of the episode.

“I am very concerned with the way it is spinning out of control because I don’t want a situation where people say things or do things which destroy relationships,” he said with a hint of criticism of Lee.

Having a second controversial MP in his constituency is something the Prime Minister doesn’t need.

Another member, Wee Siew Kim found himself in the centre of a storm when his daughter, Shu Min posted elitist views that supported the principle of the survival of the fittest. Singaporeans who fail to make it could only blame themselves, she added.

The father criticised her strong language but supported the message in principle.

These controversies could drag down the vote for Lee.

In the 2006 election, a team of unknown young candidates from Workers Party shocked the PAP by polling 33.86% of the votes.

It has also raised questions about the suitability of selecting scholars with no political acumen or articulation skills to stand in elections.

The Olympics ping-pong success also produced another controversy: should Singapore resort to the use of foreign talent to win medals.

While the win has stirred a general sense of pride in this migrant society, whose people’s forefathers had also settled here from abroad, it was not shared by a large minority.

“They were not true Singaporeans. It was like a China ‘A’ team versus China ‘B’ team,” said a fan.

The resentment partly reflects the public unease over the large influx of foreigners into the city out of fear of losing jobs to them.

The increasing diversity in this land, marked by people speaking out more often, is slowly changing things.

For one thing, the consensus society that Lee Kuan Yew had long worked to establish is fast fading.

“Is this good or bad?” Some are fearful it will bring chaos, while others cheer diversity as bringing new hope.

diversity can be a rainbow but we have to deal with the rain also.

I think the PAP leaders themselves are disconnected with the people.

Originally posted by lionnoisy:

Qantas planes experienced 9 incidents in 7 weeks.

Many of u may not know the aircraft engineers just finished

some strikes .I am not saying the strikes cause incidents.

But u cannot turn the blind eyes to strikes and say just bad lucks

causing the incidents!!

I find Oz international passengers increase from 16.5 m in 2000

to 21.5 m in 2006,increase of 30%.

But the increase of Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers cannot match

the passengers volume.I estimated engineers increases from 5800

in 2000 to 6400 in 2006.It seem short of 15 % from the required 7600.

 

Now Aussie Aviation Authority :

pl read the Transcript of announcement

It is interesting one reporter compares current Qantas with

''what we saw with Ansett in the last 18 months of Ansett''

http://www.alaea.asn.au/

read the news then u can know what have happened

http://www.casa.gov.au/media/2008/08-09-01a.htm

references

Passengers volume

http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/bb8db737e2af84b8ca2571780015701e/83370CA43C85CE6ECA2573D20010BE45?opendocument

http://www.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/abs@.nsf/Previousproducts/8FEAD57E30A62B60CA256CAE0016268C?opendocument

Licensed Engineering no.

http://www.alaea.asn.au/

read the news then u can know what have happened

Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association

 

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24272263-662,00.html

Qantas flight QF31 diverts to Frankfurt as 747 engine shut down---01 Sept 2008

mmmm

 

mmmm......... you very diligent in digging up info to bash Oz. Your energy could be spent on brushing up your england.

Originally posted by LifeIsBeautiful:

In singapore, if u throw litter or do some minor stuff, u get jail sentence and fine of up to $5000 dollars. But if u r a foreigner tricked or lured into singapore to be a prostitue, the singapore government doesn't seems to find that as a problem. This suggest that singapore government finds that littering is a much bigger problem and a bigger criminal offence compared to pimps robbing away a lady's life, having them to work as sex workers in singapore.

Source: http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/20080901/tap-singapore-philippines-prostitution-w-06f3cb7.html

i too feel that our govt never really come down hard on those involved in prostitution.

Originally posted by eagle:

ERP reduces traffic therefore less chances of accident

but but but...

reduce traffic means faster driving speed mah

and faster driving speed means increased chances of accidents mah...

 

so final result I still blur... increase + decrease.... how?

They even claimed that increased ERP in Chinatown area will bring more business to the shops there. But it is now confirmed that business has reduced by almost half.

Originally posted by PRP:

LHL & GCT need not be PM.They can have good lives in the private sector.

GCT once seemed to regret to become politicians. But when they have become PM,they wouldn't want to step down.

Goh Keng Swee & Tony Tan stepped down willingly.But they were just DPM.

LKY is another former PM who seem unable to retire from ploitics.

 

 

 

 

 

Not many emperors retired voluntarily you know?

Originally posted by FireIce:

peace protest is so oxymoron

Peace protest is grammatically wrong. It should be peaceful protest and it isn't oxymoron at all.

Originally posted by charlize:

We need more babies to replace this 60%.

 

Who is going to top up CPF when these people leave?

 

Who?

 

 

Didn't MM said that there are more foreign talents staying than locals leaving?

Originally posted by drawer:

When PAP tells you to execise regularly,dont execise at all.

When PAP tells you to eat more vegetable,you eat more meats.

When PAP tells you to adjust your air-con 1 degree higher,you adjust 1 degree lower.

When PAP tells you to be patriotic to this country,you try to be a traitor.

When PAP tells you to welcome foreigners,u welcome them but also tells them alot of sh!tty stuffs about Lee Kuan Yew,Lee Hsien Loong n boot-licker Goh Chok Tong.

Always do the opposite of what PAP tells you,and you will live happily ever after.

Can not for they will then play reverse psychology and we'll get trapped all the same.

< This answer was most common in the youngest group of respondents who are between the ages of 21 to 24, with 75 per-cent having thought about migration.> If i don't remember wrongly, in a previous survey only about half of the youthful respondents want to migrate. Now another 25% more want to leave.

Originally posted by freedom4ever:

for me i dont mind waiting. no medal then no medal lor. worse come to worse is dun participate in olympic if we dont have the people to participate. our country is study first place, the rest is not important. with good education then will have good career and good life in the future.

That's the trouble with our system. We're only concerned with paper qualifications as that will ensure a good career which pays well. All other matters such as sports and culture are secondary.

Originally posted by lotus999:

this is for the benefit of those don't subcribe to the safe times:

The world doesn't dislike Singapore

I REFER to last Saturday's commentary by Ms Chua Lee Hoong, 'Why they hate Singapore'. Singaporeans celebrated National Day last Saturday and deserve the world's congratulations.
Trying to describe why Western democracies may 'not like' Singapore is absurd and na�ve, and is probably based on a lack of general understanding and knowledge of how most of the Western world perceives Singapore today.

Western perception
Trying to describe why Western democracies may 'not like' Singapore is absurd and na�ve and is probably based on a lack of general understanding and knowledge of how most of the Western world perceives Singapore today.

The world has other problems and people elsewhere simply do not care about having Singapore on their radar screen of dislike
... more
I was born in Belgium, lived in four European countries, the Middle East and Hong Kong.

I have worked and lived in Singapore for the past 10 years; my wife is Singaporean, and so are my two youngest children. Yes, Singapore is a very good place to live and work in, probably one of the best globally. Singapore is very well 'managed' and that's where its difference from many other countries lies. Singapore is not governed, but managed as a company with 4.7 million shareholders.

You have a vision and you have good managers who understand how to implement that vision and its strategies.

You hire the best to ensure you remain competitive and highly profitable in order to secure the future of your citizens.

Singapore's business model achieves its aim, and I am sure many of its achievements can be 're-packed' into potentially highly successful export products.

Success is the creation of balance, stability and prosperity between the managers, employees and shareholders or citizens. Western democracies, on the other hand, have their successes too.

Luxembourg, Switzerland, Austria, Norway and Finland - as well as some Middle East countries - are all worth studying and emulating.

Putting China and Singapore on the same page because both are so-called authoritarian states is wrong. There is nothing common to both, except for the ethnic origin of the majority race.

China is a country of 1.3 billion, pushed into a highly regulated, market-driven economy at lightning speed, causing lots of collateral damage.

We all know what Singapore is. I am sure Chinese and Russians, and many other nationalities, visit Singapore to study and learn its best traits.

They also visit many other countries - as do Singaporeans- which do certain things better than the Republic.

It's na�ve, (or arrogant?), to think that the whole world visits only Singapore.

The meaning of the word, 'hate' should be carefully weighed before using it. There are two meanings to hate: intense hostility and aversion usually deriving from fear, anger, or sense of injury; or extreme dislike or antipathy.

I have travelled the world for the past 32 years. I have never encountered or heard a single person or group who hates Singapore - or even dislikes the Republic. At most, Singapore is criticised for banning 'chewing gum' and for its lack of freedom of speech.

Mostly, however, and especially among Westerners, Singapore is praised for being clean, affordable and secure, and for its wonderful food.

The world has other problems, and people elsewhere simply do not care about having Singapore on their radar screen of dislike.


Bruno Serrien

i wonder if Ms Chua would write a sequel "Why Bruno Serrien Hates Me". Anyway, i do agree that 'hate' is the wrong word to use.

Not say i want to say, but why our student like that one? Can not get cans only cry. Hope our boys and girls here are not like that.

Originally posted by maurizio13:

Are you sure those statistics are correct, because according to LKY there are no poor in Singapore.

 

Don't know leh. Never studied statistics in school because teachers said statistics all bluff.

Originally posted by hisoka:

Just wondering, if they are criticising that the government wants singaporeans to have more kids just to fuel the economy and sustain growth/ the society. Then what do they think other governments are thinking of when they try to or want to increase the birth rate?

You don't seem to get the point. What they are trying to say is that Singaporeans are not reproducing because they don't feel they are treated like human beings. While other govts try to increase birth rate also for economic reasons they do treat their people as human beings with all the inalienable rights.

i thought Sg is in golden period? How come our old folks still have to work 7 hrs every day to earn $10 to $20 a week?

Our undergrad’s priorities is also worrying. He thinks it is more important to complete some silly assignment than to be bothered about others’ livelihood!

Originally posted by Fantagf:

MM Lee says Singapore has shock absorbers to buffer setbacks

Channel NewsAsia - Thursday, August 14

SINGAPORE: Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew has provided some assurance as the country faces a bumpier road ahead with slower growth and soaring inflation.

Speaking to his constituents at the Tanjong Pagar National Day celebration dinner, Mr Lee said Singapore has some shock absorbers to buffer the setbacks. For the needy, the government has put aside over S$3 billion this year in various support schemes.

He added that Singapore could grow 5 to 6 per cent or even 7 to 8 per cent if there is no long—term recession in the United States or EU, but should the giants go into a recession, then growth may be at 3 to 5 per cent.

Mr Lee said Singapore has massive investments with long—term implementation periods. When the integrated resorts are completed, there will be demand for workers, softening the impact of retrenchments.

"We have an economy which is diversified. We have a workforce that we have upgraded year by year, better educated, better able to earn more because we are connected with the world and our incomes can rise because of our higher skills and higher technology," said Mr Lee.

He said work—permit foreign workers will take the brunt of any lay—offs, saving many Singaporeans their jobs. And due to the fact that the country has been increasing its investments with China and India, the impact of the slowdown in the US and EU will be buffered.

Mr Lee also noted that the government is taking care of the lower income. "We have succeeded so far in housing, in health, in education, in job facilities.

"We will do our best to re—train people who are being retrenched to upgrade their skills. But we must face facts, this gap is going to remain for five, ten or more years."

In the region, the minister mentor pointed to the political flux in Malaysia and Thailand, and said that money politics is at the heart of problems in many Asian countries. The good thing for Singapore, he said, is that there is no money politics.

He also highlighted Singapore’s political stability, saying the frequent chop and change in governments and policies have caused instability in countries like Thailand and Taiwan.

— CNA/so

He really sounds like an old broken record! Making u turn, blowing his own trumpet and disparaging other countries. He doesn't seem to know or care that now we listen to MP3 and not gramophone record.

Originally posted by SPLIT SECOND:

The thought scares me. I may end up like the cardboard and tin collecting old people i see almost everyday, and difficulty of finding wive and starting a family due to the materialistic girls..nightmare.

 

 

You must make lots and lots of money when you are young cos if you're rich growing old in Sg is not a problem at all!

Originally posted by Stupid Guy:

 

Gambling in Singapore can only be illegal or regulated by the government.However, the consequences of gambling is the same. Gamblers lose wealth, interest in the world and most importantly, their loved ones! Legaling it wiil only encourage more people to gamble. If they cannot gamble at legalised places, they would resort to gambling at illegal places, etc. For example illegal bookies. Therefore, I feel that it is better to discourage gambling totally by making it illegal.

    

How can, it is good money for the govt you know?

Originally posted by angel7030:

This is a global problems, in fact USA is in recession, all economy indicator shown a slow down in all countries and sectors, however our govt should be able to ride the tide as they still have lots of reserve, i believe the next 2 years will be all downhill, but it is a norm in economy cyclical trend, nothing can go up forever, its need to go down to recuperate and bounce back.

 

What is critical here is who can withstand this downturn and see it thru without much problems, i believe singapore can do it again as they have shown so much in the past that they can do it.

 

This is where singapore stand out among some countries.

Hope the "man hit train" tragedies wont be back!

Originally posted by Xcert:

For those interested in knowing what happened to Michael Fay after Singapore,

Source : http://lifestyle.msn.com/your-life/bigger-picture/staticslideshow.aspx?cp-documentid=8949504&imageindex=9

 

 

Michael Fay

Then: "Punishment of four lashes on the bare buttocks with a rattan cane," as The New York Times put it in 1994, hit Michael Fay, an 18-year-old American student living in Singapore. The city-state flogged Fay after he pleaded guilty (he later proclaimed his innocence) to spraying graffiti on cars and stealing road signs. He was jailed for four months and sentenced to six lashes, which was reduced to four following clemency pleas from President Clinton.

Now: Fay, who was living in Singapore with his mother and stepfather, moved to his dad's in Ohio. He shared the state of his tush with Newsweek: "Now on one side there are brown blotches, about 2 inches in diameter, where the flesh was torn. On the other side are four straight lines." According to The Christian Science Monitor, Fay has bounced between Ohio and Florida. He battled a drug habit, worked at Universal Studios, enrolled in college and last made news for a marijuana arrest in 1998. (A current photograph of Fay was not available.)

 

i really think that caning is excessive and even unnecessary for vandalism. As no one is being threatened or hurt physically, fine and imprisonment should suffice. i also think that teenagers shouldn't be tried like adults as they aren't adults yet. We all know that adolescence can be a trying time for teenagers. They are unable to handle their emotions and behaviour properly. We should give them more leeway when they make mistakes and help them adjust to adulthood. Harsh punishment could embitter them and cause them to view the world with hostility. They would then become ill-adjusted and could continue to cause harm to themselves as well as others in the future. It is very likely that Micheal Fay has been scarred by the divorce of his parents as well as the caning here as he has no one to guide him. To me he is a pitiful soul!

Originally posted by Melbournite:

Singapore needs the rich to come in and start businesse and investments . So i agree that taxing the rich is not the way. But certain things could be done like eg. the civil service salaries could be reduced. Taxing foreigners on their salaries to feed the local population . Maintain a fixed taxation on middle income workforce

I believe our revenue can only b earned from foreigners and at the same time giving them the same priviledges once they take up citizenship.

This is the only way S'pore can survive iin the next 50 years. IMO.

Did anyone ever say taxing the rich is the only way Sg can survive in the next 50 years?

Originally posted by xtreyier:

You and me. And any others who, like me, sick of paying more of our hardearned money for bus transportation and electricity to illuminate the night for rest after a hardday's work. As well as paying more for the kopi-o, bread. And more,etc,etc...

THE IRANIAN LEADERSHIP MUST PAY FOR OUR SUFFERING!!!!

Oh yah, i'm also very sick of paying more for basis necessities so i should go to war with our govt!

Originally posted by whiskers:

Refer to the article in CNA. Only 59% of child born are from both singaporean parents... the figure will probably only get lower as time goes by as we welcome more foreign influx.

This makes me wonder, does the gahmen welcome Fts frm PRCs, izzit purely due to economical reasons... or are there more unspoken reasons....

Singaporean women should be worried about the current situation.

What's there for Singapore women to worry about? From the article it seems that they themselves make the choice of career over family.

Originally posted by Fantagf:

It is confusing, Tharman said Singapore not headed for a recession, now ministers and MPs urge Singaporeans to take precautions in case there is a downturn.   

Even MM Lee and his son are contradicting themselves. MM said economy very good in the next 5 years, then barely a week later his son asked us to brace for a downturn.