tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9780042348330000762024-03-13T14:00:32.806-07:00Stand Up for SINGAPORESG is my homehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08393932088440298808noreply@blogger.comBlogger229125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-978004234833000076.post-88060170637239334532015-02-02T02:39:00.002-08:002015-02-02T02:39:40.352-08:00Medishield Life - Truth Vs Hype“Universal and basic coverage for all”, “reducing out-of-pocket
payment”, “look at ways to help the elderly”. These are some of the
buzzwords that the Government has used to sell its Medishield Life Bill.
Now let's take a look at the reality.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_wrGmIordUPUTRk_ZyadPHbzUwJDXpF6cJm6WMBZq5qr8vnftAy0X3L6ExciEA3S4F25XBHvrEqGykS89HlErg2VdCxlaWKqRkP5sU1atyyn60fb59s_HepBj1f4afo0gpngGptl15V0/s1600/Medishieldhype.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_wrGmIordUPUTRk_ZyadPHbzUwJDXpF6cJm6WMBZq5qr8vnftAy0X3L6ExciEA3S4F25XBHvrEqGykS89HlErg2VdCxlaWKqRkP5sU1atyyn60fb59s_HepBj1f4afo0gpngGptl15V0/s1600/Medishieldhype.png" height="167" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Essentially, what Medishield Life has done is to take a portion of funds
from your Medisave to pay for bills of patients who end up with
catastrophic or chronic illnesses which require expensive treatments.<br />
<br />
Many of these patients cannot afford to pay these bills and the
hospitals end up having to write these debts off. In 2011, Singaporeans
owed $110 million to public hospitals.<br />
<br />
This presents the PAP with two problems: One, the Government is unable
to collect the money because many of these patients genuinely cannot
afford to pay the bills and, two, it makes the Government look heartless
by making Singaporeans go into debt because of medical expenses.<br />
<br />
The introduction of Medishield Life will allow the Government to take
the Medisave funds from Singaporeans through Medishield Life premiums to
pay for these debts. It will top up the shortfall of funds by about
$800 million a year.<br />
<br />
In principle, this is a step in the right direction. It is what the SDP
proposes – everyone shares in the stake of the health of our fellow
citizens by pooling the risks in a national healthcare insurance scheme.<br />
<br />
The difference between the SDP's plan and the PAP's Medishield Life –
and it's an important one – is that the PAP continues to place the
burden of paying for healthcare on the people.<br />
<br />
While the SDP proposes that Medisave be scrapped and the funds of
$43,500 be returned to our CPF, the PAP insists that the Government
retains this amount to pay for our healthcare expenses.<br />
<br />
On top of this, Medisave payments are restricted, making the people pay even more from out of our pockets.<br />
<br />
Also, the deductibles – the portion of the hospital bill that must be
paid out of pocket before Medishield Life will pay the remaining expense
– remains unchanged between $2,000-$3,000. Most routine
hospitalisations fall into this category.<br />
<br />
What's more, the Government claims that it subdises medical expenses.
The SDP has questioned the Government's prices because subsidy of
inflated prices is a gimmick (see <a href="http://yoursdp.org/publ/sdp_39_s_alternatives/healthcare/is_this_why_healthcare_is_so_expensive_in_singapore/31-1-0-966">here</a>). By doing this, the Government not only makes the people pay more but also inflates its subsidy levels.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja0jNxkkDPVEtNcpPxF_wxFCqO35ROJ1199MlCQ2mT71_x4iHFkZGyq9D5juCPKg6kRu9a94kZFzEexoV1TkmbgLm23zSN_Rre9teVWkUTgmhmRfQSEVBfD9s7cvcYU9v5EDT98Etcw5o/s1600/healthcareexpenditure.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja0jNxkkDPVEtNcpPxF_wxFCqO35ROJ1199MlCQ2mT71_x4iHFkZGyq9D5juCPKg6kRu9a94kZFzEexoV1TkmbgLm23zSN_Rre9teVWkUTgmhmRfQSEVBfD9s7cvcYU9v5EDT98Etcw5o/s1600/healthcareexpenditure.png" height="298" width="320" /></a><br />
Such practices has allowed the PAP Government to shirk its
responsibility and use public funds to do business all over the world
through Temasek Holdings instead of focusing on the people's health.<br />
<br />
The chart on the right says it all. While governments in most
industrialised economies pay about 70% of the country's total healthcare
expenditure, our Government pays only 30%.<br />
<br />
Even with the added $800 million a year, its portion comes up to only
40%. The Government collects this amount in road tax alone.<br />
<br />
<b>Stop profiting from the people</b><br />
<br />
Another point that Singaporeans must remember is that our public
healthcare system is still a profit-making one. The PAP euphemistically
calls this approach “cost recovery”.<br />
<br />
This is consistent with its philosophy that nothing in Singapore is
free, meaning that this Government considers itself more like a
corporate entity than a steward of public interests and monies; it
treats the people more like customers rather than citizens.<br />
<br />
And because it thinks like a business, it will recoup whatever costs it
lays out. This can easily be done by raising taxes or levies at some
later stage.<br />
<br />
The end result is that Singaporeans still end up paying the bulk of
their healthcare expenses through their Medisave and out-of-pocket
payment, leaving little in their CPF savings for retirement. This is not
the right thing to do.<br />
<br />
The <a href="http://yoursdp.org/_ld/0/5_sdp-national-he.pdf">SDP's National Healthcare Plan</a>
proposes that the Government increases its portion of the country's
total healthcare expenditure. This can be paid for through a combination
of paring down the Ministry of Defence's budget, levying a tax of
luxury goods, abolishing GST for medical expenses, etc.<br />
<br />
Only when the PAP stops trying to make money from Singaporeans in
healthcare can it truly say that the Medishield Life is “universal and
inclusive”. Until then, it will just be buzzwords that Singaporeans will
see through.<br />
<br />
For this reason, the SDP would have voted against the Medishield Life Bill in Parliament and tabled our alternative.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Article from: </i></span> <a href="http://yoursdp.org/news/the_reality_behind_the_medishield_life_hype/2015-02-01-5948"><span style="font-size: x-small;">http://yoursdp.org/news/the_reality_behind_the_medishield_life_hype/2015-02-01-5948</span></a>SG is my homehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08393932088440298808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-978004234833000076.post-70698172619038652872015-01-27T23:18:00.002-08:002015-01-27T23:18:58.848-08:00City Harvest Church "scam" case - latest updateIn the continuing trial of the 6 City Harvest Church (CHC) leaders,
Chew Eng Han (left), the former investment manager for CHC, took the stand
today (26 Jan).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtY2d6bBdkdw0EMlYoS_39czTW90YBoRReHEzVNxmKUWcUXEAz-6xlpfyP9C0n8zkIArnjKtZBlHIVUykTCKG2qe7x2953OubJe3wz7sU8GXbTxVZxAHz_avnX0VnAffZwf4XOEmQ9Fyc/s1600/kong-hee-chew-eng-han-300x168.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtY2d6bBdkdw0EMlYoS_39czTW90YBoRReHEzVNxmKUWcUXEAz-6xlpfyP9C0n8zkIArnjKtZBlHIVUykTCKG2qe7x2953OubJe3wz7sU8GXbTxVZxAHz_avnX0VnAffZwf4XOEmQ9Fyc/s1600/kong-hee-chew-eng-han-300x168.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
Pastor Kong Hee, Chew Eng Han and 4 other CHC leaders are accused of
allegedly channelling $24 million of the church’s funds into sham bond
investments to further the career of Pastor Kong’s wife, pop singer Sun
Ho, between 2007 and 2008. 4 of them are also accused of later allegedly
covering their tracks by devising transactions worth $26.6 million,
known as “round-tripping”, to “redeem” the sham bonds.<br />
<br />
Mr Chew is the 4th accused person to give evidence, and is the only one defending himself without a lawyer. Speaking in court, he said he broke away from the church in 2013 as
he believed that his co-accused had chosen the “most convenient way” of
defending themselves. He said that the 5 co-accused, including Pastor
Kong, claimed they did not know about the legalities concerning the
bonds, and had pointed to him as the brains behind these bonds instead.<br />
<br />
“The only reason I broke away was that the story being cooked up was
not the truth. Why is so much responsibility being placed on the
investment manager?” he asked. “I’m not going to be united with a team
that chooses the most convenient way to defend themselves.”<br />
Mr Chew said that the “first wake-up call” came in May 2010, after
the Commercial Affairs Department had questioned the 6 accused.<br />
<br />
“When the fire broke out, I didn’t see any leadership, I didn’t see any shepherds. All I saw was fear,” he said. Mr Chew said that contrary to what his co-accused had testified
earlier, Xtron Productions which is the artist management company for
Sun Ho, was indeed controlled by the church, and that Pastor Kong and
Deputy Senior Pastor Tan Ye Peng controlled the decisions made at Xtron. “Why would anyone divest so much money into a vehicle (Xtron) and not control it?” he asked. He added that such an arrangement was common in the financial world.<br />
<br />
Xtron Productions had issued $24 million worth of alleged sham bonds
to CHC to “invest” in. When Xtron could not redeem the bonds, another
$26.6 million from CHC was allegedly injected into Xtron in a roundabout
way to enable it to redeem the first $24 million bonds issued to CHC
earlier. In fact, CHC was using its own money to “pay back” itself, the
prosecution charged.<br />
<br />
<strong>Kong claims Xtron is independent from CHC</strong><br />
<br />
Last year, during the trial in August, Pastor Kong claimed that Xtron Productions was independent from CHC. Pastor Kong then argued that as CHC’s founder and senior pastor, he
was an “invisible patron” to many organisations and Xtron could be
another instance. He added that he was not aware of the details inside
Xtron. However, Pastor Kong admitted that he had kept CHC’s investment in
Xtron from church members during a 2008 general meeting of the executive
members. But he said this was to “protect the church”, since
information given to the members “very quickly goes into the public
domain”. If the public had known that Ms Ho’s career was being financed
by the church, Pastor Kong said, she would be labelled as a gospel
singer. This would affect the church’s mission work – which used her
secular music career to evangelise (or so he claimed) – in countries
like China that frowned on public preaching, he said. “I’m sure if I had told the members (earlier) they would gladly support it,” Kong said.
<br />
<br />
The trial continues.SG is my homehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08393932088440298808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-978004234833000076.post-9830298928083013022015-01-27T23:07:00.001-08:002015-01-27T23:07:42.364-08:00Are PAP grassroot leaders above the law?A video posted on the Internet is currently gaining momentum and starting to go viral:
<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nhO9eUOquE">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nhO9eUOquE</a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFuTqYoF2nFunHmlB_is1QUsbB6-orbPgECgcats4Kx2j2vW4qPZQIdvmOkSa_YBH-QNq9oMwLSzRY6737a8XtrEbK98Zm34TdfGuYNu-RyhMwfj5OwqnXFIHmkbEEaUDcOGT3iCE_tK4/s1600/Capture113.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFuTqYoF2nFunHmlB_is1QUsbB6-orbPgECgcats4Kx2j2vW4qPZQIdvmOkSa_YBH-QNq9oMwLSzRY6737a8XtrEbK98Zm34TdfGuYNu-RyhMwfj5OwqnXFIHmkbEEaUDcOGT3iCE_tK4/s1600/Capture113.jpg" height="320" width="178" /></a> <br />
It shows a member of the public angrily asking an LTA officer why he
refused to “summon” or fine a number of cars that were parked illegally
outside the Siglap South Community Centre along Palm Road at East Coast. Apparently, there was, at the time, an event held inside the community centre attended by a PAP MP.<br />
<br />
The LTA enforcement officer told the member of the public that his
superior had instructed him not to issue any summons for those illegally
parked cars which purportedly belonged to PAP grassroots leaders.<br />
<br />
Whether or not the illegally parked cars belonged to PAP grassroots
leaders, from the video, the fact that they were illegally parked was
obvious. There are double yellow lines along the side of Palm Road and
the cars were parked smack on them.<br />
Despite the LTA officer sheepishly admitting to the angry citizen
that the cars were illegally parked, he did not issue any summonses
because he said he was instructed not to.<br />
<br />
Transcript of video:<br />
<blockquote>
Member of public: Ok, u call ur boss?<br />
LTA officer: Yes called already.<br />
Member of public: What did they say?<br />
LTA officer: He said take picture to send to LTA.<br />
Member of public: Ok so are you authorized to give them fine?<br />
LTA officer: Yes, but now I inform to my boss already.<br />
Member of public: No, are you authorized to give them fine?<br />
LTA officer: Yes.<br />
Member of public: Ok, you are authorized to give them fine right, is this illegal?<br />
LTA officer: Yes.<br />
Member of public: Are you going to give them fine?<br />
LTA officer: Yes.<br />
Member of public: Ok fine, go ahead.<br />
LTA officer: But I follow my instruction lah, sir.<br />
2nd member of public: You don’t mind I record this on video<br />
Member of public: There is no instruction, there is no instruction, this is very simple, we gonna take this in record.<br />
2nd member of public: We gonna send this to STOMP.<br />
Member of public: I want to know what’s your job?<br />
LTA officer: My job is issue summons lah, sir, but I informed already, this one MP.<br />
Member of public: No no, no need to inform anybody, outside you see you all give fine?<br />
LTA officer: Yes.<br />
Member of public: Fine, carry on give the fine, please.<br />
LTA officer: I inform already.<br />
Member of public: What is there to inform? You mean outside you see illegal parking you inform your boss?<br />
(Video shows a silver colored Nissan MPV illegally parked along double yellow lines.)<br />
LTA officer: Yes I ask first, the situation I ask first, can issue or not.<br />
Member of public: How come I park double yellow lines nobody ask, anything just fine, you know?<br />
LTA officer: See the serious of the obstruction lah, sir.<br />
Member of public: No, is not serious or not serious, what does the…<br />
(Video ends.)</blockquote>
Do you think the owners of these cars, whoever they may be, are above the law?<br />
When was the last time you were able to park on double yellow lines
with impunity and were not summoned? And yet protected by LTA officers
further?<br />
<br />
We certainly need to learn from these privileged and powerful car owners how to infringe the law without being summoned.<br />
What do you think?<br />
SG is my homehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08393932088440298808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-978004234833000076.post-70193291493836269772015-01-27T22:53:00.000-08:002015-01-27T22:53:19.763-08:00Is Singapore really a democratic country?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqSmSAlCvFgi_V4HCkV0qA8BV2FhM1R4vR4RZrhiMs1vyOXt6GnZqtvGWeKJr0ZnZYMP9AFNNvAUrxQ4Fx2LfE0J_L40M1hRnqNQUCgL0TOATS7YwaPow6K6UfGnUe_5yEjEe37gg3HHw/s1600/Your-vote-is-your-voice-300x234.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqSmSAlCvFgi_V4HCkV0qA8BV2FhM1R4vR4RZrhiMs1vyOXt6GnZqtvGWeKJr0ZnZYMP9AFNNvAUrxQ4Fx2LfE0J_L40M1hRnqNQUCgL0TOATS7YwaPow6K6UfGnUe_5yEjEe37gg3HHw/s1600/Your-vote-is-your-voice-300x234.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
Dinesh Dayani wrote an article in TRE about a comment made by Leung Chun Ying, Chief Executive of HongKong, <strong><em>‘Democracy would see poorer people dominate Hong Kong vote.’</em></strong><br />
In his concluding paragraphs he wrote:<br />
<blockquote>
Did the last 10 years benefit all Singaporeans even
though we collectively built or accepted the MBS & IR, saw our asset
prices balloon and built a whole other financial district during the
time? I’m not so sure.<br />
What I am sure of however is that we are a democracy. It is in our
power if we do not like the direction of where our country is headed.</blockquote>
Dinesh is sure that we are a democracy and we are in control of our
own future unlike HongKong and the reason for the students’ street
demonstration. In a way we are, but sometimes we wonder if we are a
demoncracy. ‘It is in our power if we do not the direction of where our
country is headed.’ Really?<br />
<br />
Do we like the influx of foreigners that made Singaporeans a minority
and can we do anything about it? And it is going to be worse with the
6.9m PWP. Can we do anything about it?<br />
Can we do anything about the huge number of PMEs being replaced by foreigners? Yes, no, are we a democracy?<br />
Can we do anything about our savings in the CPF? Do we have the power
to do anything about it? Can we stop and rescind the CECA now that we
know what it is?<br />
There are many things that the people did not like, did not like the
direction that they are heading. So? Can we do anything within our power
to change them as a democracy? Or has our democracy been hijacked? Or
we are not really a democracy and have no say in the direction our
country is heading?<br />
Can politicians democratically elected to serve the people, to listen
to the people and represent their interest, turnaround and proudly
declared they chose to be deaf frog, refused to listen to the people and
did what they thought best? Can the politicians ignore the people that
elected them to power and expect to be elected? Yes, in Singapore always
re-elected. What kind of democracy is that?<br />
Is our democracy a farce and everyone pretending that we are a democracy?<br />
<em></em><br />
<strong>Chua Chin Leng aka redbean</strong><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>* The writer blogs at <a href="http://mysingaporenews.blogspot.sg/">mysingaporenews.blogspot.com</a>.</em>SG is my homehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08393932088440298808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-978004234833000076.post-10986525012544113062013-08-27T06:56:00.000-07:002013-08-27T07:01:56.025-07:00DO YOU TRUST PAP TO RUN SINGAPORE AFTER HOW THEY MANAGED THE RICH-POOR GAP?<div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item even" rel="og:image rdfs:seeAlso">
<a href="http://therealsingapore.com/sites/default/files/field/image/elderlypoor-balaveniseflickr.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Poor Singapore" height="240" src="http://therealsingapore.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/elderlypoor-balaveniseflickr.jpg?itok=AYJMMCId" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="field field-name-ad-box-in-article field-type-ds field-label-hidden">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item even">
</div>
<div class="field-item even">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><b>Gini Ratio from 1980s to now.</b></span></div>
<div class="field-item even">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<span style="font-size: 14px;">Pap Finance Minister, Mr Tharman noted that the Gini Ratio was 0.44 in the 1980s and escalating until 0.48 in the 2007 [<a href="http://www.tremeritus.com/2013/08/25/tharman-govts-not-to-blame-for-rich-poor-gap/">link</a>].
In other words, the problem is not new. Yet, there was never a
deliberate attempt by pap to correct or even mention the problem until
the 2011 elections. I am unsure how the the Gini Ratio is done, but the
website Heart Truths has done an outstanding analysis of the Gini Ratio [<a href="http://thehearttruths.com/2013/02/21/singapore-has-the-highest-income-inequality-compared-to-the-oecd-countries/">link</a>].</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><b>Good Governance Vs Bad Governance</b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 14px;">An outstanding government is one who is
able to recognize imminent issue and prevent it from become full blown.
It is like the head of the household noting that a flame in the kitchen
is a fire hazard. A good governance will noted that there is an oncoming
issue, attempt to solve it, but is only able to reduce the damage. An
average government fails to notice the upcoming issue, but is able to
solve to quickly when the issues become full blown. A bad governance is
one when the issue is presented, is unable to deal with the issue. A
terrible one is one that fails to solve the issue and blames it on
everyone else. This is akin to blaming the household members for not
noting the flame when it eventually becomes a fire that engulf the whole
house (and it is worse when the household members are already making
feedback on the flame in the 2000s, but was ignored!)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><b>Leadership of current pap government?</b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 14px;">There are 3 generations of pap leaders [see <a href="http://www.tremeritus.com/2013/06/24/rebuttal-to-sgthinker-who-is-labeling-sgs-daft-and-hazy/">link</a>
for definitions]. From the 1980s till 2010s, pap failed to recognize
the polarization of the rich-poor gap. Instead, pap was concerned with
the economy and importing more FTs to sustain the economy. At a recent
survey, 50% of the respondents wanted less FTs even if it meant a slower
growth compared to 28% wanting the opposite[<a href="http://www.tremeritus.com/2013/08/26/can-the-peoples-action-party-rest-on-its-laurels/">link</a>].
As the rich-poor gap is now causing issues in our daily life, all the
current pap leadership seemed to do is blame the past leaders for not
identifying the Gini ratio problem earlier. It is like the head of the
household blaming the grandparents for not noting the flame which
eventually become a fire! Likewise, they have mentioned once again that
Singaporeans have been living in such problems since the 1980s! Once
again, this is like the head of the household telling Singaporeans that
the flame that burnt down the house is our fault as we have been living
with the flame for a long time.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><b>Top dollars for such Leadership?</b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 14px;">The pap ministers are the highest paid ministers in the world [<a href="http://sg.news.yahoo.com/singapore-slash-ministers-million-dollar-pay-055002881.html" target="_blank">link</a>], even after the so called pay cut. Was the pay cut a wayang just like Prince William visit [<a href="http://www.tremeritus.com/2012/09/13/did-pap-stage-the-visit-for-prince-william-and-kate/" target="_blank">link</a>] or their own crowd at the election rallies [<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ9fHdAi6rQ" target="_blank">link</a>]?
Eventually, it is undeniable that they are the highest paid. As such,
it is inevitable that with such a pay, an acceptable quality of service
and solutions are required. Otherwise, why pay top money for poor
leadership and a lack of therefore?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><b>Conclusion</b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 14px;">Has pap identified the social impact of
the rich-poor divide? What other issues have they missed? Are they
concerned about the living conditions of the Singaporeans or rather
their votes in 2016? Will you trust a government who will only look into
existing issues only when Singaporeans threaten with their votes? Will
you prefer alternative parties who are already raising the issues before
elections and coming with plausible solutions? Who is more sincere and
genuine in wanting to solve the rich-poor gap? With our highly paid pap
ministers, and claiming that they are the chosen from the best, will
they be looking after Singaporeans or their votes?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14px;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14px;">Do you still trust pap?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 14px;">I leave it to Singaporeans to decide.
Please vote wisely in 2016 or it may be Singaporeans last chance to do
so as the 6.9 million- population will change the demographics of the
voting citizens.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 14px;">Time for a regime change in 2016?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14px;"> </span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: 14px;">Source: Anson Be</span></b>SG is my homehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08393932088440298808noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-978004234833000076.post-22886675171746665972013-08-27T06:52:00.000-07:002013-08-27T07:02:27.620-07:00SINGAPOREANS IS DOOMED UNLESS WE DO SOMETHING BY 2016<div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden">
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<span style="font-size: 14px;">We have read and experiences all sorts of problems besetting Singapore. It is not a matter of if but when Singapore will fail.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14px;">All previous PAP policies have lead us
to the state we are in now. And the present PAP leaders are coming up
with hare-brain stop gap solutions to plug up these policy failures;
These failed policies which has in fact been ingrained and inculcated in
all of us true-breed Singaporeans, especially the baby-boomers and
those who are now in their 50s and 60s.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 14px;">The notable doomed to failure major policies unilaterally imposed on us by PAP’s LKY are;</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14px;">1) The stop at two policy – this needs
no further discussion, except to add that our fertility rate is a mess
now because of this hare-brain policy.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 14px;">2) The Graduate Mother Policy – Another
hare-brain policy by LKY – who does he thinks he is – GOD! Perhaps he
can make his son marry whom he chooses but marriage is Made (or broken)
in Heaven. It was a failed policy from the word go by an atheist.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 14px;">3) Meritocracy – The first question we
need to ask is – ON whose merit? Of course by PAP’s definition its – on
PAP Merit. Every dumb hare-brain soul knows that for a certain job the
person chosen is based on the merits required by the job. The PAP merit
is anyone who can score straight As in the exams is merited to be able
to do anything and everything in high office -BULL SHIT!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 14px;">4) Meritocracy has lead to Autocracy –
When the Study smart (merited) person is placed at the top of the
pyramid. He automatically thinks he is the best brain to run the show,
the people below him will perpetuate this believe. And so only top knows
what to do and what is best. And because he doesn’t really know what
everyone believes he knows; he uses wayang and cronies to show him to be
what he is not. In the end the company or department he runs is doomed
to be inefficient and ineffective – what we are all seeing now.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 14px;">5) Creativity will never bloom in an
autocratic organization because anything out of the box makes the boss
uncomfortable because they become more insecure. It not in the rules and
regulation. Its not possible. Its a stupid idea. This is the reason
Singapore’s Economy is not able to ride the creative bandwagon like
South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, even Malaysia ..I dare say.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 14px;">6) Controlling the ability of
Singaporean to upgrade to Degree level and making it very hard for
capable Singaporean to upgrade their educational qualification within
Singapore. Yet we know for a fact that Singapore needs to capitalise on
its human capital to the maximum.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 14px;">7) Last bit not least, the hare-brain
mass importation of FT to boost the economy, a very myopic stop gap
solution that will cause massive non-repairable and irreversible damage
to this beloved country of ours Singapore. Damage will make this Nation
of ours FAIL BIG TIME.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 14px;">For that good citizens of Singapore – Singapore will be Doomed to failure…unless we collectively do something by 2016.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 14px;">I implore all Voting Singaporeans to
think hard for the sake of out future collectively to DO THE RIGHT THING
FOR OUR BELOVED HOMELAND – MAJU LAH SINAGPURA!</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 14px;"><b>Source: VJ Kumar</b></span>SG is my homehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08393932088440298808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-978004234833000076.post-8327897697942267832013-08-24T00:52:00.000-07:002013-08-24T00:52:10.745-07:00SINGAPORE’S MIRACLE IS NO MIRACLE<div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden">
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<a href="http://therealsingapore.com/sites/default/files/field/image/sgmiracke.PNG"><img alt="Singapore Beautiful" height="320" src="http://therealsingapore.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/sgmiracke.PNG?itok=Pgr-MK4a" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14px;"> </span></div>
<div class="field-item even">
<span style="font-size: 14px;">Books
about Singapore usually praise its achievements or criticise its
authoritarian rule. But few ever probe its widely publicized claims that
it is a brilliant success that other countries should follow.</span></div>
<div class="field-item even">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"> </span></div>
</div>
</div>
<span style="font-size: 14px;">Singapore’s workforce productivity is often mediocre and well below that of the West and Asian economies such as Hong Kong.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 14px;">The so called Singapore miracle was not
due to creativity and innovation but based on manpower mobilization and
brilliant marketing to attract foreign investment during the early days.
As any detailed economist can see, this is no miracle, but basically it
was about “getting the house in order”. Unlike elsewhere in Europe or
any Nordic countries, creativity and innovation is not found in
Singapore</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14px;">The city state also displays endemic
inefficiencies and mediocre performance at both macro and micro economic
levels. The performance of financial, research, education construction
and service sectors is second-rate compared to the west.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 14px;">The entire Singapore economy is “run
like a casino”. A “Gambler’s Economy” where price inflation,
manipulation of demand and supply, low wage labor exploitation money
laundering and socio economic ponzi schemes fueling profits rather than
innovation and creativity. With such setup, unscrupulous or mediocre
enterprises have crept their way into Singapore’s economy further
fueling socio economic problems.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 14px;">Singaporean workers work the longest and
are most stressed in the world. In Singapore, the cost of living which
is a expensive as some western countries is not proportional to one’s
income and working hours. In other developed countries, one can easily
afford a car and home even if she or she is a cleaner.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 14px;">Singaporeans students one again come up
top as the most stressed students in the world according to certain
indicators but. The education system puts emphasis on rote learning and
paper qualifications rather than critical thinking. It also does help
one realize their own dreams and aspirations but follow the state
economical ideals. Many Singaporeans even though hardworking are unable
to secure a place in university due to overwhelming completion and
limited places. Moreover, Singapore’s educated are unfit for employment
any creative or innovation driven enterprises.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 14px;">Singapore’s Economy as one may call is a
“freak” economy. It does not have natural resource input and depends on
the tide of world economy. Singapore has gone through various economic
recessions in the past years. Lack of laws regarding employment results
in unfair termination and wage payments by companies resulting in grief
even for competent workers.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 14px;">Today’s problems have their roots in PAP
decisions made decades ago. These decisions were made on the run with
Yes-men with group-hugs under an illusion that it is one solution that
fits all problems</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14px;">Scholars and highly paid mandarins
prized their pride and status above nation progress. Any criticism by
commoners about their failures are constantly downplayed, and polticial
critics of the government are sued for defamation or locked up in
prison.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 14px;">A closer look as Singapore is a country, one may notice the city state has 2 systems.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 14px;">1) The leadership work under a system
that are designed to protect themselves and in the process, deadwood and
weeds gather and clot the oxygen needed for advancements.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14px;">2) The masses work in an exploitative system that keep the leadership fat and bloated.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14px;">As one can see this system is based on stone age medieval or dynasty rule where peasants serve the rulers, elites and kings.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 14px;">However in recent years the two systems
had been marred with problems like corruption, inefficiency, social
problems and unfairness. The effect of this is far reaching often
reaching the capability to completely screw the whole setup. Everyone is
seeing the clear effects of this in today’s Singapore.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 14px;">There are other countries, committed to
open, democratic processes that have been spectacularly successful in
creating economics that are both dynamic and fair — with far less
inequality and far greater equality of opportunity than in the United
States.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 14px;">The economic achievements of the Nordic
countries are in large measure a result of the strongly democratic
nature of these societies. There is a positive nexus not just between
growth and equality, but between these two and democracy (the flip side
is that greater inequality not only weakens our economy, it also weakens
our social stability). Many countries that have such problems have
fallen into social anarchism where the system has failed and skewed
towards a favoring single side.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 14px;">Singapore is still living in the past
and would slowly fade into oblivion as the developing countries progress
and overtake it. Its best days are over and certainly not a miracle as
they would want you to believe.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span><strong>Source: Wee from Down under</strong></span></span></i><br />
SG is my homehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08393932088440298808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-978004234833000076.post-60615524521234867712013-08-24T00:32:00.000-07:002013-08-24T00:32:13.084-07:00Education Minister Heng Swee Keat shifts education blame to parents<strong>What this article is about</strong> -<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.channelnewsasia.com/image/684084/1369450195000/large16x9/768/432/heng-swee-keat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" class="alignright" height="179" src="http://www.channelnewsasia.com/image/684084/1369450195000/large16x9/768/432/heng-swee-keat.jpg" style="border: 0px none;" width="320" /></a>This article takes a look at the Minister of Education’s advice to
parents to have “mindset shift” towards education. Little does he
realise that it is PAP’s policies that sets the tone of the mindset of
parents today. Shouldn’t he address the ailment (ie PAP’s policies)
instead of the symptoms (parents’ mindset) instead?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>Heng advises parents without looking at the root of the problem</strong> -<br />
<br />
Isn’t this so typical of PAP? When their past policies don’t work out
well, and when it starts to affect citizens adversely to the point the
feedback isn’t good, the PAPpies do what they do best – shift the blame
back to the citizens. As always.<br />
<br />
In the latest fiasco, we have the Education Minister who is
apparently oblivious to the stress students and parents face. Heng tells
parents to moderate their expectations. Never mind that it was past PAP
policies that led to the high pressure mode in the education system,
expecting the best out of students, that’s the cause of the high
expectation among parents in the first place. What crap talking this
minister now?<br />
<br />
<br />
Heng Swee Keat, Minister for Education. Tells parents to moderate
expectations, but is totally oblivious to the fact that it is PAP’s
policies that started the high pressure cooker system in the Ed system
that is the cause of the stress and expectation in the first place.
Don’t PAP ministers and MPs say the darnedest things?<br />
<br />
<strong>The ‘shift the blame to parents’ report</strong> -<br />
<br />
Here is the report from the Straits Times.<br />
<a href="http://wbrf-notes.blogspot.sg/2013/08/parents-mindset-key-to-education-change.html">Parents’ mindset key to education change: Heng</a><br />
<em></em><br />
<blockquote>
<em>THE shifts in education policy announce in last
Sunday’s National Day Rally (NDR) must catalyse mindset changes among
parents or they will have no impact, Education Minister Heng Swee Keat
said last night.</em><br />
“If parents’ mindsets don’t change, whatever changes we make will not
have any impact,” he said, rounding off a public forum on the Rally
held by government feedback unit Reach.<br />
About 180 people – ranging from grassroots leaders and unionists to
business representatives and students – attended the forum at Rendezvous
Grand Hotel.<br />
Some of the 21 participants who spoke were sceptical about the
effectiveness of proposed moves, such as replacing the T-score for
Primary School Leaving Examination results with broader bands of grades.<br />
…snip…<br />
<span style="text-decoration: underline;">Though Singaporeans are
used to thinking about schools only in one dimension – grades – being a
good school is about helping children develop in their areas of
strength, which might be in arts or sports. Parents cannot expect all
children to leave their schools with all As, he said – and if that is
the measure, then not every school can be a “good school”</span>.</blockquote>
<br />
Note the expectation of a “good school” tied to grades. So Mr Heng
wants parents to moderate that and extend the definition of “good
school” to go beyond good grades. Wait a minute here… wasn’t it because
of MOE’s policies that caused parents and students to link good grades
to good schools?<br />
<br />
Didn’t MOE announce the top students of PSLE, O levels, A levels
annually etc? Don’t we have top elite schools for top elite students?
Don’t we have the situation where PAP keeps saying that the education
system is one of meritocracy, then they put top grades as the Number One
criteria that is measured to gain entry to top schools?<br />
<br />
So when students and parents respond to all the above yardstick and
benchmark, set up by none other than the PAPpy guys, this minister now
says that we need to “shift mindset” of parents? Hellooooo? Shouldn’t it
be the PAPpy guys who need to shift their policies to make it less
stressful for students and parents in the first place, if they truly
want to make it less stressful?<br />
<br />
<strong>Real goal is the coveted Uni degree</strong> -<br />
<br />
There are so many points that could be talked about in the education
system that puts on the pressure for both students and parents. But
let’s for the moment just talk about the final goal every student and
parent would like to see – a uni degree. Isn’t that what the real chase
is about?<br />
<br />
There lies the problem. We have had PM saying that we can’t afford
too many grads, lest we end up with unemployed grads in the streets.
Funny thing that doesn’t jive with the govt’s idea that we need “foreign
talents”, such that we accept them in droves due to labour shortage. I
mentioned that ridiculous contradictory argument over here – <a href="http://wherebearsroamfree.blogspot.sg/2012/10/pm-lee-if-we-need-to-control-varsity.html">PM Lee, if we need to control varsity intake to prevent jobless grads, why then the liberal immigration policy?</a><br />
So fine, PM wants to limit the varsity intake. Never mind that they
have allowed many foreigners into uni placements, depriving our own
citizens. Funny he expects us to believe there would be “many unemployed
grads” then.<br />
<br />
<strong>Trickle down effect of restricting varsity places</strong> -<br />
<br />
Now comes the rat race. To get into the limited varsity places, you
need to be in the top JCs because it is shown that most of the unis in
Singapore accept top students. By statistics, it is shown you stand a
better entering university if you are from top JCs.<br />
<br />
The trickle down effect goes further. To stand a better chance to be
in top JC, you need to be in top Secondary Schools. Better still if you
get into the through train IP schools.<br />
<br />
The trickle down effect does not stop there. To be in top Secondary
Schools, you will stand a better chance if you are in top Primary
Schools. Again, the stats prove that. That about explains the mad, mad
rush by parents to get their children into top Primary Schools. That’s
because the chances of getting into top Secondary Schools will be
higher. Which will mean that the chances of getting into top JC will be
higher. Which will mean that the chances of entering uni will be higher.<br />
<br />
Isn’t all this because of that one silly PAPpy policy, that is to
DELIBERATELY restrict the number of varsity positions for locals?<br />
<br />
I don’t buy the argument that we would have to end up with jobless
grads in the streets. If that is the case, the govt would not liberally
take in so many immigrants to “fill up the shortage” as what the PAPpy
always claim. So what now, Mr Minister for Ed?<br />
<br />
<strong>High MOE standards only top 5% can achieve</strong> -<br />
<br />
Let us take a look at the ridiculous gargantuan task a Sinkie student
has to go through in order to get that coveted place in the uni. You
must be:<br />
<br />
1. Be effectively bilingual in both written and oral skills. This is a
MUST. Fail your Mother Tongue, and you can kiss your uni dreams
goodbye.<br />
2. Be good in your academic subjects.<br />
3. Be able to take contrasting subjects. That means, you must be good in the hard sciences and the softer humanities subjects.<br />
4. It would be good if you have CCA to support your wonderful academic results. Especially sports.<br />
<br />
Now how many students can achieve all the above? Many a time, we have
students who are good in all subjects except Mother Tongue. Or maybe a
student is good in the hard sciences but weak in humanities. Or the
reverse. Or perhaps weak in CCA. Too bad because somehow if you are weak
in one area, your chances of a uni place is adversely affected.<br />
<br />
<strong>But the bar is lowered for foreign students!</strong> -<br />
<br />
The most ridiculous part of this high standard set by MOE, which only
about 5% of the top achievers can attain, is that when it comes to
foreign students, the PAPpy govt is so relaxed on them. Many can’t even
write or communicate in English well enough to be in an English stream
uni in the first place. Many of them also struggle in JCs and secondary
schools. But not to worry, mad PAP, who have set a gargantuan task for
local students are so quick to help these students with tuition funded
by tax payers’ money!<br />
<br />
Say…. why must such a high order be expected from locals, yet the bar
is set so low for foreigners, and that too, the foreigners are given
funds from tax paying citizens? What is this nonsense which PAP claims
we can’t afford to have too many grads lest we end up with jobless
grads, but at the same ridiculous time, PAP is so liberal in accepting
immigrants, on top of funding their children’s education right up to
uni?<br />
<br />
<strong>Quick wrap up and conclusion</strong> -<br />
<br />
Mr Heng advises parents to have a “mind shift”, whatever that means.
He expects parents and students to moderate their expectations. He
expects them to emphasize less on academic results. But little does he
realise that it is the current education system that stresses so much on
academic results.<br />
<br />
At the same time, while a huge humongous task is set as a benchmark
for local students to gain entry into unis, the bar is set so low for
foreigners it makes a mockery out of our education system the govt is so
proud of.<br />
<br />
In the end, what Mr Heng is asking is that you should not think too
hard about going to the uni. Perhaps he is hinting that the uni places
are meant for foreigners and not for locals.<br />
<strong></strong><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong> </strong><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>Source: <a href="http://wherebearsroamfree.blogspot.com/">Barrie</a></strong></span><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<em> </em><br />
SG is my homehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08393932088440298808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-978004234833000076.post-22600730592789073212013-08-21T22:56:00.000-07:002013-08-21T22:56:03.756-07:00Not a word uttered on Job SecurityThis year <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Day_Rally" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="National Day Rally">National Day Rally</a> was conducted in <a class="zem_slink" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=1.37016666667,103.845619444&spn=0.1,0.1&q=1.37016666667,103.845619444%20%28Ang%20Mo%20Kio%29&t=h" rel="geolocation" target="_blank" title="Ang Mo Kio">Ang Mo Kio</a> ITE, with the focus on the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Singapore_Conversation" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Our Singapore Conversation">Our Singapore Conversation</a>
(OSC) which just started more than a year ago. I believe everyone was
looking forward to it. For me, I was looking forward to announcements
on what the government will do to help <a class="zem_slink" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=1.28333333333,103.833333333&spn=10.0,10.0&q=1.28333333333,103.833333333%20%28Singapore%29&t=h" rel="geolocation" target="_blank" title="Singapore">Singaporean</a>.<br />
<br />
In summary of the rally speech, the government is looking to enhance
three areas which are Health Care, Education and Housing. These three
enhancement would probably bring cheer across the board. Although PM Lee
admit that there is no fool proof to enhance the three shifts, but the
government is still trying to get the best out of it. I felt that this
is a step forward to change the way the things are going.<br />
<br />
Although much cheers have been given to the rally, I am very
disappointed about the one shift of government policy which is missing
in action – <b><a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Job_security" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Job security">Job Security</a></b>!<br />
<br />
Prime Minister <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Hsien_Loong" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Lee Hsien Loong">Lee Hsien Loong</a> had just clarified that the government is not decreasing the number of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_worker" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Foreign worker">foreign workers</a> but
they are just slowing down the increment of the foreign workers. That
is to say, more foreign workers are expected to land on our shore amid
slower increment. PM Lee also highlight that the government will do its
best to help <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_and_medium_enterprises" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Small and medium enterprises">SMEs</a> to tackle the labour crunch.<br />
<br />
PM Lee had stopped short on how the government are going to do to
help workers in the following problems that we as employees are facing:<br />
<ol>
<li>Low wage workers – how are the government going to support this
group of workers? How the government going to increase the wages of
these workers?</li>
<li>PMET – How can the government do to prevent job replacement by
foreigners? What can the government do to help those jobless PMET regain
employment?</li>
<li><a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.livepositively.com/balanced-living/" rel="cokepositively" target="_blank" title="Balanced Living">Work-Life Balance</a>
– Not mention a single word by PM Lee during the rally. Is he still
trying to fix the issue or do not know the to fix the issue? This is
everybody’s guess.</li>
</ol>
Job Security remains as one of the main concerns of every Singaporean
yet nothing is mentioned at all on this issue in this rally. Without
job security, all other things are just lips services including paying
for your <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.hdb.gov.sg/" rel="homepage" target="_blank" title="Housing and Development Board">HDB</a> flat for 25 years.<br />
<br />
I feel quite disappointed with this National Day Rally. This Rally is all about one word: <b>Image of Singapore</b>.
Government want to get rid of the Kiasuism of Singaporeans, become a
logistic hub that everyone goes to (International airport & ports),
and how to beautify Singapore. But it seems that the most important
message hidden in this rally speech is: <b>Preparing for the increase of population to 6.9M.</b><br />
<br />
Note: Special Thanks to ” <a href="http://www.onlinecitizen.com/" target="_blank" title="Online Citizen">The Online Citizen</a>” editor, Terry Xu, to edit my languages and make the post more interesting.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h5 class="uiStreamMessage userContentWrapper" data-ft="{"type":1,"tn":"K"}">
<span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}"><span class="userContent">Source: <a href="http://mrnewbird.wordpress.com/2013/08/20/not-a-word-uttered-on-job-security/">William Lim</a></span></span></h5>
SG is my homehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08393932088440298808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-978004234833000076.post-19359229391076065872013-08-02T01:27:00.006-07:002013-08-02T01:27:55.076-07:00Refusing to fly the National Flag: the snub continues<br />
<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">
<img alt="" class="alignright size-full wp-image-69928" height="225" src="http://www.tremeritus.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/No-flag-in-sight.jpg" title="No flag in sight" width="300" /></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
In 2011 I wrote about how Singaporeans snubbed the ruling PAP regime by refusing to fly the National flag on National Day.<br />
<br />
<br />
Two years on, Singaporeans are still in a snubbing mood. With less
than a fortnight to go before National Day on 9 August, most people in
the heartland and private estates still refuse to fly the National flag.<br />
<br />
Two years after the 2011 General Election and Elected Presidency
Election, the Prime Minister and Elected President have gone back on
most of their pledges made during their swearing-in ceremonies.<br />
<br />
In the two years since 2011, much has happened to demoralise Singaporeans.<br />
The mass imports of foreign workers continue unabated. The proposed
6.9 million population White Paper was rubber-stamped by a PAP-dominated
Parliament.<br />
<br />
Bloggers received lawyer letters threatening legal action ( the
default course of action against dissent). A film-maker, a graffiti
artist and a cartoonist were charged in court under a variety of laws
including one of scandalising the judiciary through cartoons.<br />
<br />
To curb dissent further the PAP regime, without public or
Parliamentary debate, hastily made it mandatory for online news sites to
be licensed. The “noble” objective is to ensure that we read the right
thing.<br />
<br />
Salaries remain stagnated, housing and car prices have sky-rocketed,
overcrowded trains and buses, frequent train breakdowns are some the
issues that have bedevilled society and kept most people awake at night.<br />
<br />
The ruling PAP has ripped apart the social fabric of Singapore
society with its mass imports of cheap labour and liberal immigration
policy.<br />
<br />
Housing values were increased on the grounds that rental values had gone up. This means households now pay more in property tax.<br />
<br />
No doubt the regime gave the people the GST Offset Package but in the same breath it has increased ERP fees.<br />
<br />
National Day (or Independence Day in some countries) is a day of
celebration. However, many have made plans to escape from the oppressive
atmosphere by taking a short break overseas.<br />
<br />
What’s there to celebrate?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong> </strong><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>Source: <a href="http://rogerpoh.wordpress.com./">Roger Poh</a></strong></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong></strong><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><em></em></span>SG is my homehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08393932088440298808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-978004234833000076.post-52691530914320210412013-08-02T00:59:00.000-07:002013-08-02T00:59:51.931-07:00Leong Sze Hian analyzes the latest Govt’s unemployment figures<strong>Unemployment rate increase?</strong><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.tremeritus.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Leong-Sze-Hian51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" class="size-full wp-image-69638" height="218" src="http://www.tremeritus.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Leong-Sze-Hian51.jpg" title="Leong-Sze-Hian5" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leong Sze Hian</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I refer to the article “<a href="http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/singapore-jobless-rate/761502.html" target="_blank">Singapore jobless rate rises to 2.1%</a>” (Channel NewsAsia, Jul 31).<br />
It states that “Singapore’s overall unemployment rate was 2.1 per cent in June 2013.<br />
It was 1.9 per cent in March 2013 and 1.8 per cent in December 2012.<br />
<br />
This is according to the Manpower Ministry (MOM) in its report on the employment situation for the second quarter of 2013.<br />
<br />
<strong>Resident unemployment rate increase more?</strong><br />
<br />
The resident unemployment rate rose to 3.0 per cent in June 2013 from
2.9 per cent in March 2013 and 2.7 per cent in December 2012.<br />
<br />
<strong>Singaporeans’ unemployment rate increase the most?</strong><br />
<br />
The unemployment rate for citizens increased to 3.1 per cent from 2.9 per cent in the preceding two quarters.”<br />
<br />
Reading the above gives you the feeling that things have gotten worse on the unemployment front.<br />
<br />
However, when you read that the unemployment rate for Singaporeans
has risen from 2.9 to 3.1 per cent, it probably does not register much
as to how bad things are, because the mind generally perceives a 0.2 per
cent increase as perhaps “not very much”.<br />
<br />
<strong>No number of unemployed?</strong><br />
<br />
I was curious as to why the media report did not mention the actual
number of unemployed Singaporeans (only the increase in the unemployment
rate was mentioned) or the non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rates.<br />
<br />
So, I went to the Ministry of Manpower’s (MOM) web site to look at the <a href="http://stats.mom.gov.sg/Pages/Employment-Situation-Second-Quarter-2013.aspx" target="_blank">full report</a>.<br />
<br />
<strong>83,000 residents unemployed?</strong><br />
<br />
The report does give the number of unemployed – an estimated 83,000
residents including 72,700 Singapore citizens were unemployed in June
2013.<br />
<br />
Again, I found it rather strange that even the report does not give
the number of unemployed a quarter ago (March 2013) – it only gives the
unemployment rate in June and March.<br />
When I read this, my sixth sense told me that perhaps the number (for March compared to June) may not look good.<br />
<br />
<strong>Simultaneously 2 media reports – one not so good, one not so bad?</strong><br />
<br />
Also, on the same day, there was another article “<a href="http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/s-pore-in-relatively/762186.html" target="_blank">S’pore in “relatively healthy state” with regards to jobs: Tan Chuan-Jin</a>”
(Channel NewsAsia, Jul 31), which said “He said Singapore will need to
continue to create good jobs and opportunities by having quality growth
and keeping the labour market diverse and dynamic. He added that <strong>at the same time, the playing field has to be kept level</strong>.<br />
<br />
Mr Tan said <strong>tensions pull in different directions, but the
balance needs to be managed so that things are ultimately better for
people and society</strong>“.<br />
<br />
Reading between the lines (of so many words) and from my experience –
when two news reports come out almost simultaneously – one say not so
good (unemployment up) whilst the other says actually not so bad
(“relatively healthy state with regards to jobs”) – my sixth sense told
me that maybe its quite bad.<br />
<br />
So, how do I satisfy my sixth sense to see whether I’m right or wrong
– kind of like are Singaporeans being fed with the “right” kind of news
which a Minister said recently in an international news TV programme
that when Singaporeans read the news, we need to ensure that they read
the “right” things (something along this lines)?<br />
<br />
Well, I try to find the March unemployment number in the MOM web site lah!<br />
<br />
<strong>22,700 more unemployed Singaporeans?</strong><br />
<br />
Lo and behold, the March number of unemployed Singaporeans was 50,000
(non seasonally adjusted). So, the number of unemployed Singaporeans
increased by a whopping 22,700 or an alarming 45 per cent in the last
quarter!<br />
<br />
Why is this number so alarming? – Because if you look at the
employment change in the last quarter – “employment creation, it
increased to 32,500 in the second quarter from 28,900 in the previous
quarter”.<br />
<br />
<strong>32,500 jobs created, but 25,300 more unemployed residents?</strong><br />
<br />
So, does his mean that we created 32,500 jobs and yet another 22,700
more Singaporeans (25,300 in total if you count PRs – there were 57,700
and 83,000 residents (Singaporeans and PRs) who were unemployed in March
and June, respectively), were unemployed?<br />
Does this mean that only about 22 per cent of employment creation went to residents (only about 14 per cent for Singaporeans)?<br />
<br />
<strong>Only about 1 in 10 jobs created went to Singaporeans?</strong><br />
<br />
So, does it mean that the bulk of employment creation went to foreign workers?<br />
<br />
<strong>Tightening on foreign labour?</strong><br />
<br />
If so, then all the recent rhetoric about putting Singaporeans first
and tightening on foreign labour do not seem to gel with the
unemployment statistics.<br />
<br />
As to “MOM said the tight labour market showed signs of easing as
layoffs rose amid business restructuring and consolidation” – if the
labour market is really tightening (in addition to healthy employment
creation) – shouldn’t it be reflected in better unemployment numbers?<br />
<br />
<strong>No logic?</strong><br />
<br />
In other words, it may defy logic that whilst employers find it
harder to get Singaporean workers (as well as a lot of new jobs were
created) – a lot more Singaporean workers have become unemployed?<br />
<br />
<strong>Why not breakdown the statistics?</strong><br />
<br />
Of course, the easy answer to give us a clearer picture may be for
the breakdown of the employment change to be given for Singaporeans, PRs
and foreign workers.<br />
<br />
<strong>Singaporeans’ unemployment rate increased a lot to 4%?</strong><br />
<br />
The fact that the non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for
Singaporeans has increased much more from 2.8 to 4.0 per cent, compared
to the residents (including PRs) and overall unemployment rate
(including foreigners), may give us a clue as to how bad things are on a
relative basis for Singaporeans relative to PRs and foreign workers.<br />
<br />
<strong>Damn hard to try to figure out what’s really happening? </strong><br />
<br />
(Note: You won’t be able to find the non-seasonally adjusted
unemployment rate for Singaporeans in the subject media reports or the
subject MOM Employment Change Second Quarter Report which talk about the
seasonally adjusted unemployment rates only – you have to search and
find it in the MOM web site – Perhaps another example of reading the
“right” things, is it?)<br />
<br />
<strong>“Relatively healthy state”?</strong><br />
<br />
In the final analysis, is “Singapore is in a “relatively healthy
state” with regards to jobs for its people” or arguably “more hazy with
the PSI level getting higher”?<br />
Uniquely Singapore!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>Leong Sze Hian</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
<em>Leong Sze Hian is the Past President of the Society of Financial
Service Professionals, an alumnus of Harvard University, Wharton Fellow,
SEACeM Fellow </em></span>SG is my homehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08393932088440298808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-978004234833000076.post-83519097997585011052013-08-02T00:34:00.000-07:002013-08-02T00:34:18.554-07:00PAP, shame on you!!<br />
Never has the author ever felt so ashamed of calling himself – Singaporean.<br />
While others are dying from Dengue breakout and the haze is invading
into our clean air space, a bunch of power hunger ruling party
politician spent hours debating on a hawker center “clean”.<br />
<br />
It is as though such “cleaning” post an immediate health hazard to
Singaporean in the same seriousness of dengue mosquito’s bites or haze.<br />
<br />
Yet with such gusto and arrogant the mouth uttered “Politics is about
power” and the master behind “it was approved by the government and
cabinet.”<br />
<br />
How should one make out of this?<br />
<br />
In fact the author is not the least surprise for previously in the
case of Toh Yi SA (Studio Apartment) Saga he had witness at first hand
the low caliber and uncaring attitude of the government of the day. Why
so?<br />
<br />
<strong>1) </strong><strong>Attention and time strictly reserve for rubbing shoulder with the rich and powerful? </strong><br />
<br />
When the SA saga took place, the MP with a popular “female” name was
nowhere in sight, action or words though he was always keep in the CC
list of all emails dealing with the PMO, HDB, URA and MND. Being a
Minister of Environment and Water resource he is found to be missing in
action. But this is quite the contrary when it is the case of Toh Yi’s
rich neighbor Maplewood condo residents’ petition, immediately our
female named minister and his rookie MP team mate sprung into action.<br />
<br />
<img alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-69886" src="http://www.tremeritus.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/ty1.jpg" title="ty1" width="550" /><br />
(From the state media Straits Times)<br />
<br />
Where was Bala during Toh Yi SA Saga, has the minister forgotten that
the location where the park used to stand was opened only barely a year
ago after spending hundreds of thousands before the 2011 GE (perhaps
for the purpose to garner votes). Did he find it awful having to explain
to the Toh Yi residents why a park has to be removed only after GE? Or
as a Minister of Environment and Water Resource he is incapable of
facing the music that Toh Yi does not have a green lung and while the
government keep humming to the tune of “environment friendly and going
green”.<br />
<br />
However, we should not be surprise or disappointed with him as to him
“politics is about POWER”, thus it explained why attention and time
should only be reserve for the rich and powerful. Or maybe his rookie
GRC team mate “cow slayer” wonder women is one kind of rare talent that
does not need any hand held guidance from a senior minister. Why short
changed ordinary residents from some unknown estate? Ordinary people do
not deserve your attention and time?<br />
<br />
<strong>2) </strong><strong>Failing to walk the talk and insincere appeal</strong><br />
<br />
Not long ago a certain person in high power once called out to
Singaporean “I cannot do it alone I need your help to make Singapore
better” but last minute call did not impress approximately 40% of the
population which resulted in a boot kick for a minister class MP and
losing another single seat constituency later on.<br />
<br />
This is also the very person who told us via national media that he
backed and endorsed the debate on hawker center “cleaning”. While a
group of residents pleaded with him to come walk the ground at the
estate to take a stand if the location is indeed suitable for the said
studio apartment construction. Not only he ignored them with absolute
silent but he went on to attack the residents with name calling rewarded
them with a negative naming – “nimby”. When asked to help but when help
was rendered the reward ended up as such. Perhaps the last minute stunt
pulled together for the GE was with hypocrisy intended? It must be so!!
For even their grassroots leaders go around telling residents that
consultation with the residents is unnecessary in anything the
government will to do.<br />
<br />
<strong>3) </strong><strong>Only care for the rich?</strong><br />
<br />
On the other hand, his Dad after the 2011 GE walkover declared “I
will continue to take care of you” but who would have thought that “you”
mentioned is perhaps only referring the rich. How did the author arrive
at this conclusion one may asked. Again it is none other than the Toh
Yi SA, while the poor have to make do living up the hilly slope up where
the fragile legs would have to endure the rich is entitle to live on
flat ground with the luxury of the bus stop right at it’s footstep.
Just months after the Toh Yi saga, MND announced bidding for a piece of
land along Jalan Jurong Kecil, just a few hundred meters along the road
where Toh Yi estate is located. In its bidding material the location is
taunted as excellent location for retirement homes.<br />
<br />
<img alt="" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-69887" src="http://www.tremeritus.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/ty2-640x408.jpg" title="ty2" width="550" /><br />
<blockquote>
“The site is an ideal location for retirement housing as
it is situated within an established residential area and next to the
tranquil enclave of the landed housing area at Chun Tin Road/ Lorong
Pisang estate. This is especially attractive to residents with
preference for a quiet ambience. This site is also close to nature
reserve and at the same time enjoy the convenience of having buzzing
commercial activities nearby.”<br />
(<a href="http://www.ura.gov.sg/sales/JalanJurongKechil%2813.11.06%29/MA/JJK-main%28T%29.htm%29">http://www.ura.gov.sg/sales/JalanJurongKechil(13.11.06)/MA/JJK-main(T).htm)</a></blockquote>
<br />
So should we not raise the question to the pair of father and son,
would they continue take care of ordinary folks like us and not shelved
us up the hill out of sight and buzzing activities? Would our
self-motivated participation in nation building be ridicule as some
psychopath freaks? Last but not least, we should also ask to the all
righteous wannabe $8 heart bypass MP obsessed with asking others to come
clean when the $2 company issues went into hiding.<br />
<br />
In conclusion, the seduction of power and money is a horrible thing,
one would only lose his bearing or moral compass but would sell his/her
soul to be with it. Remember they told us “million dollars salary” is
sort of compensation for “losing their privacy” and “it would be a shame
to talk to a million dollar private company CEO”.<br />
<br />
Shame on you PAP, is this the best you can put forth before your
fellow country man to serve them in your so called hypocritical
“integrity and clean politics”??!! While you are the real devil selling
the illusionary GDP numbers (according to Uncle Leong how they would
draw down reserve to fuel the GDP numbers to pocket indecent bonuses)
that does not necessarily equate to raising the standard of living for
the present and future generations.<br />
To all true children of the lion city!! Let’s redeem your country
from this madness and build make a stance for the future of our beloved
children!!<br />
<br />
Come GE2016 make the right choice of voting out PAP, as would the man
on the street would say voting a dog or cat is better than voting for a
PAP candidate!<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Toh Yi Resident</strong>SG is my homehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08393932088440298808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-978004234833000076.post-6005461306620209252013-07-20T23:39:00.002-07:002013-07-20T23:39:52.018-07:00What exactly determines a foreign talent?<a href="http://www.tremeritus.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/foreign_workers-300x225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" class="size-medium wp-image-54849" height="225" src="http://www.tremeritus.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/foreign_workers-300x225.jpg" title="foreign_workers" width="300" /></a>A Foreign Talent is one who contributes to the economy, who initiates
ways and means to sustain the economy and to further expand it by their
initiative,talent, creativeness,ideas,suggestions, implementations, and
make critical decisions regardless of what trade or profession they are
in.<br />
<br />
There are only two talents that all countries have either it is manufacturing or services.<br />
Decades ago we had these foreign talents most were Caucasians, and all had disappeared, one by one.<br />
<br />
These FT’s were not as what we have today, they were the highly educated ones with experience in their various fields.<br />
<br />
They had never given us many or no problems in social issues, and were in fact well behaved.<br />
<br />
They were not elites, or rich but who wanted to make a living and an
impression as they were highly qualified. They had all gone for good.<br />
<br />
The elites will only come here to invest only if they are rich and connected or invited.<br />
So ,what really happened to these qualified FT’s is anyones guess?
Frankly, knowing anything in Singapore governance is always a mystery.<br />
<br />
All Singaporeans know that unless you are daft.<br />
Fast forward today, we have foreign talents, but, they do not possess all the credentials of the former. They are simply employees with no teeth. They surely lack all
creativeness or initiative but, are all employees willing to work their
ass out to make a living for themselves only, in Singapore and for their
well being back home.There is totally no contribution to the economy to the citizens well being at all except for the MIW, only.<br />
<br />
Otherwise why are our jobs had been taken by them so easily when Singaporeans are highly educated till this day? They do not even speak our languages, their English is horrendous, so how did they became a FT.<br />
<br />
Today, we have 25 of them being caught with their pants down with fake documents (‘<a href="http://www.tremeritus.com/2013/07/17/25-fts-charged-for-submitting-forged-academic-certificates/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to 25 FTs charged for submitting forged academic certificates">25 FTs charged for submitting forged academic certificates</a>‘), which we never had such incidences decades ago.<br />
<br />
Singaporeans do not brush this aside as another 6.9 millions FT’s are on the way to our shores. Mr Ministers could you please explain to the citizens what is really
going on in your heads and the ministries governing Singaporeans well
being.
Thank you.<br />
<strong></strong>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong> </strong><br />
<br />
<strong>Dead Horse</strong><br />
<br />
SG is my homehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08393932088440298808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-978004234833000076.post-79457130820846862582013-07-20T23:36:00.001-07:002013-07-20T23:36:42.585-07:0025 FTs charged for fake certs – go after employers and HR agencies too<img alt="" class="alignright size-full wp-image-66506" height="160" src="http://www.tremeritus.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/mom.png" title="mom" width="320" /> <br />
<br />
25 fake FTs, 21 from Myanmar, 3 from India and 1 from the Philippines
have been charged for forging certificates to get employment passes and
very likely all will be jailed as none will be able to pay the $5000
fine. The jail sentence is for 4 weeks while those unable to pay their
fines will be jailed for 20 days. The difference in the days for the
jail sentence could be due to the cases being different.<br />
<br />
These FTs were caught after being employed for less than a year. They
are new applicants. Many enraged Sinkies are calling for tougher
measures as the sentences were just too insignificant for the risk and
reward considerations. It is a good start for the MOM and people are
expecting more to come as this is only skimming the surface of a problem
of several hundred thousands of FTs here.<br />
<br />
To mean business, MOM should go after the employers and the
recruiting agencies as well. They have to go for the source of the
problem and not the foreigners that are trying their luck. And worse,
they are not going to pay the fine and the govt would still have to feed
and house them for the duration in jail.<br />
<br />
Go for the jugular, and employers and recruiting agencies that failed
to do the due diligence or actually in cahoot with the job applicants
should be severely punished. And the employers and recruiting agencies
are likely to have the finances to pay up and would avoid repeating the
act.<br />
<br />
Hope this is not just a show and the reaches of the MOM should extend
to all the existing EP holders under employed and eventually even to
new citizens who have gotten away. It is a long and tedious process and
it is best that MOM signals its intention and how far it will go to nab
the culprits and the cheats.<br />
<br />
MOM must issued a stern warning to all
employers and recruiting agencies. In that way it could be seen as
giving them a chance to get out while they can and for employers to
clean their own houses before the net closes in on them.<br />
<br />
By placing the responsibilities on the back of the employers and
recruiting agencies will shift the burden to them as well. MOM just does
not have the manpower and resources to deal with the few hundred
thousand FTs here. Leave it to the employers and recruiting agencies to
do the vetting and checking. MOM should just take on one company at a
time starting from the big ones to send the message across that it means
business.<br />
<br />
The citizens are demanding that the govt must act thoroughly and
seriously on such violations of the employment law and cheating the
deserving citizens of their right to employment. Also it will save the
embarrassment of being seen as a silly govt that claimed to be
intelligent and sophisticated first world talents but got cheated easily
by third world half baked non talents and fraudsters.<br />
<br />
The Sinkies are not daft and are watching carefully to see how real
is the effort of the MOM. There are many fakes hiding deeply in the
banks and financial institutions and some may be holding very senior
positions for many years here. It is also good that MOM has asked the
public to whistle blow, to feed back on suspected cases to their
hotlines.<br />
<br />
MOM said it will not condone such acts of false declaration, and will take severe actions against offenders.<br />
<br />
Members of the public who have information of persons or employers
who contravene the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act should report the
matter to MOM at Tel: (65) 6438 5122 or email mom_fmmd@mom.gov.sg. All information will be kept strictly confidential.<br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong> </strong><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>Source: <a href="http://mysingaporenews.blogspot.com/">Chua Chin Leng aka redbean</a></strong></span></i><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<em></em>SG is my homehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08393932088440298808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-978004234833000076.post-8160889295372304612013-06-25T05:48:00.001-07:002013-06-25T05:48:13.854-07:00The Art of throwing Smoke<a href="http://www.tremeritus.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Haze-in-Istana-300x222.jpg?9d7bd4" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" class="size-medium wp-image-67560" height="222" src="http://www.tremeritus.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Haze-in-Istana-300x222.jpg?9d7bd4" width="300" /></a>He was silent when the freedom of the internet was threatened by the
likes of Yaacob Ibrahim. He was just as quiet when the number of dengue
cases crept past the 10,000 mark. He did not chime in when Vivian
Balakrishnan waded into the hawker center scaffolding dissertation. So
what keeps our prime minister awake at nights? Nobody would have guessed
it was the beautiful view of the skyline from the Istana’s manicured
lawn, a sight none of us will ever get to see at the crack of dawn. Lee
posted a Facebook photo of the haze taken at the Istana, commenting:
“The city in the distance is barely visible. We are all affected by the
haze.”<br />
<br />
At stake, of course, are the tourist arrivals, who had not planned to
travel all the way to see the Merlion engulfed in smoke. Said national
icon is permitted to spit 24/7 to its heart’s content, but smoking is
strictly prohibited. Some laws are simply not allowed to be applied with
a light touch. Too bad the peasants have to put up with watery eyes,
and coughing fits.<br />
<br />
Instead of dialling up President of Indonesia Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono direct – and remind him how little he is paid for running a
country of 247,496,843 people – Lee deputised Minister for the
Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan and Foreign Minister
K. Shanmugam to call their Indonesian counterparts to register
Singapore’s “serious concerns” about the situation and to offer help to
fight the fires there. Someone expressed hope that the experts can get
together soon to compare notes on “what’s happening and where, and
what’s being done.” Every schoolboy in Singapore knows what’s happening
(farmers burning crops), where (Sumatra and <em>akan datang</em>, Kalimantan) and what’s being done (zilch).<br />
<br />
Balakrishnan, fresh from calling the Aljunied town council to name
cleaning contractors, said in his own Facebook account that he asked
Indonesian Minister Balthasar Kambuaya to name the companies responsible
for the fires there causing the haze. For a guy who flopped at floods,
danced around with dengue, the only thing he knows about clearing the
haze is, as expected, pointing fingers at someone else.<br />
<br />
The Asean Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution was signed in
2002, but Indonesia has yet to ratify it. Also not ratified is the
extradition treaty with Indonesia, signed in 2007, because their House
of Representatives refused to approve both the treaty and the defense
agreement as a package. Indonesia’s House Speaker Marzuki Alie had
complained loudly about Singapore’s request to be allowed to conduct
military training within Indonesian territory in exchange for the
extradition treaty. While the politicians quibble, the fires of Sumatra
rage on.<br />
<br />
<br />
.<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>Source: Tattler</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>The writer blogs at </em><a href="http://singaporedesk.blogspot.com/"><em>http://singaporedesk.blogspot.com</em></a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>.</em></span>SG is my homehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08393932088440298808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-978004234833000076.post-15639015502714861732013-06-20T23:29:00.000-07:002013-06-20T23:29:00.243-07:00WHY THERE IS NO STOP-WORK ORDER FROM MOM DESPITE HAZE AT HAZARDOUS LEVEL?<div class="field field-name-post-date field-type-ds field-label-inline clearfix">
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<div class="field-item even" rel="og:image rdfs:seeAlso">
<a href="http://therealsingapore.com/sites/default/files/field/image/crane0205e.jpg"><img alt="" height="273" src="http://therealsingapore.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/crane0205e.jpg?itok=3fcLAUrC" width="480" /></a></div>
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<div class="field field-name-ad-box-in-article field-type-ds field-label-hidden">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item even">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"> </span></div>
<div class="field-item even">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span>Dear Mr <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TanChuanJin1?directed_target_id=0" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-family: 'lucida grande',tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;">Tan Chuan-Jin</a>,</span></span></div>
<div class="field-item even">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span> </span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span>I am writing to you as a deeply
concerned Singapore citizen, and also as the daughter of a crane
operator. I have some burning questions and I ask for your response with
utmost respect.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span>The haze in Singapore has hit a
historical high with the PSI reported to have reached 321 at 10pm, 19
June 2013. Air quality is considered to be ‘unhealthy’ when PSI is above
100, ‘very unhealthy’ when above ‘200’ and ‘hazardous’ upon hitting
300. However, my father and his colleagues were still working at a
construction site well past 10pm. The workplace did not carry out a risk
assessment although the PSI has hit a record high; employees were not
issued masks and were even asked to work overtime despite the worsening
haze.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span>It is apparent that for construction
work to be carried out in an environment where the PSI has soared beyond
300 is extremely unsafe. Employees are performing physically strenuous
tasks and the hazardous air quality is detrimental to their health.
Furthermore, the smog creates visual impairment. As visibility is
compromised at the workplace, the employees’ safety is put at risk,
especially in the building and construction industry where lifting
operations are integral. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span>I quote the Workplace Safety & Health Act (WSH Act), </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span> </span><br /><span>“In
situations where haze poses imminent danger to the safety and health of
workers and measures have not been taken to mitigate those risks, the
Ministry of Manpower (MOM) may order the affected work to stop. If any
person (individual or corporate bodies) fails to comply with a stop work
order, under the WSH Act he shall be liable on conviction to a fine not
exceeding $500,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12
months or to both.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span>However, there was no stop work order
issued yesterday, even when the PSI has indicated that the haze was
‘hazardous’ at 321. My questions to you sir, is to ask at what point
does the Ministry of Manpower determine that the haze is posing a threat
serious enough, such that a stop work order would be issued; what
exactly are the indicators that the ministry consider when making the
decision? Are there any other indicators besides the PSI? Is there any
measures taken to ensure that employees involved in outdoor work have
their health and physical safety taken care of in a hazardous
environment like what Singapore is currently having?</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span>As a human, it is my wish to see that
everyone has access to care and protection in the workplace, and not to
be asked to work in a hazardous situation. As a daughter, my wish is to
see my father return home safely each day. I am sure that there are
many, many more sons and daughters who feel the same way that I do. We
need transparency in this hazy situation; it is not safe to work
outdoors in the thickest smog that Singapore has seen. I want to know at
what point MOM deems a stop work order necessary. I genuinely hope to
receive your response soon. Thank you for your patience.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span>Yours sincerely,</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span> </span><br /><span><strong>Chun Kai Xin</strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span><em>*</em></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span><em>Article first appeared on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/kaixinchun/posts/10151494556088193">https://www.facebook.com/kaixinchun/posts/10151494556088193</a></em></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
SG is my homehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08393932088440298808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-978004234833000076.post-68335387697146295942013-06-15T00:07:00.002-07:002013-06-15T00:07:37.546-07:00Mindef discriminates “part-time” degree officers, but nobody knows?<span style="font-size: small;">Captain Shaun has served as an officer in the army for about 10 years.</span><div id="article_content" style="color: black; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">He signed on as a regular during his National Service. After about 3 years into his service, in 2003, he successfully applied for a Local Study Award (LSA) from Mindef. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>Graduated with “honours”, but get “pass”pay?</strong></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">He graduated form a local university in 2007 with a Bachelor of Science (2nd Class Honours (Upper) and notified Mindef accordingly.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">He was subsequently informed by Mindef in December 2007 that “the Scheme B Salary Emplacement Board held on 26 Oct 07 has found you suitable for emplacement onto Scheme B with effect from “1 Dec 07″.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">He discovered by accident in Nov 2011 (as part of a new salary review process at that time for all officers of his grade – new MDES service for military officers) that he was paid the salary and placed on the wrong salary scale of an emplaced officer with a pass degree, instead of that for a 2nd Class Honours (Upper) for the 4 years since his graduation in 2007.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Conservatively speaking if the shortfall in pay is about $200 plus a month, that works out to a total short-payment of about $11,000 for the 4 years.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">He then sought clarification from his Unit Manpower Officer (MPO) who eventually referred the matter to the Head of Manpower (HOM).</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>All the correspondence</strong></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">In the interest of and to facilitate total transparency of what transpired, all the email correspondence (without the names, except Captain Shaun’s) are transribed below [link]:</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<a href="http://www.theonlinecitizen.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/mindef_transcript.pdf"></a><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.theonlinecitizen.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/mindef_transcript.pdf" style="color: #0171d0; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">mindef_transcript</a></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"> As a last attempt, Captain Shaun contacted the department which administered his LSA. Below is the department’s reply:</span></div>
<blockquote style="color: #555555; font-style: italic; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 10px 30px;">
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">From: Hd PMB</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Sent: Tuesday, 7 February 2012 6:56 PM</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">To: ME4 Shaun Fernando</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Subject: Pay issue / R</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Hi Shaun,</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Thanks for taking time off to come to JMPD this morning.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Initially, I thought we had a case to fight since there was approval for you to do the course on a part time basis. However, when I studied the issue deeper, I was not sure what was asked of MPPD back then, in 2003, when the check was done. For example, Did LTC G specifically asked that you be allowed to do the course on a part time basis even though you were awarded an LSA to do a degree course on a full time basis.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Back in 2007 when the board was held, we had already check with G if she could remember what did she ask of MPPD. She could not recall anything, and neither could we find anything in the files to show that approval was given to do the course on a part time basis.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">MPPD honoured the deed which was changed (by JMPD) to show to show that the course was done at SIM Open University, by allowing you to be assessed by the Sch B Board. So, while the board cleared your emplacement, it was not to be on Honours starting pay, but on a general degree (based on subsequent checks with MPPD). There was no reason given back then, and I do not think MPPD would be able to give a reason now. But they did have an issue with doing the course part time. Of course, we do not have any documentation to show that they were indeed the ones who approved the study on a part time basis.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">As such, I would not be pursuing the matter further. If there is anything else that I can do for you, do give me a call. Have a great week!”</span></div>
</blockquote>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>Everybody in Mindef trying very had to help?</strong></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>Comments</strong>: You can see from the above that everybody was trying very hard to help Captain Shaun on his pay issue, but after about 12 months of umpteen emails – still no conclusion!</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">After he resigned from the service in March 2012, he waited until November 2012 to seek advice and assistance from his MP as there was still no conclusive response from Mindef.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>MP write – then response very fast?</strong></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">His MP, the Right Honourable MP for Teck Ghee constituency wrote to Mindef on 28 Nov 2012. Mindef replied on 18 Dec (21 days later – wah! quite fast leh – response this time – not like the above after 12 months still nothing!)</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">The reply was</span></div>
<blockquote style="color: #555555; font-style: italic; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 10px 30px;">
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">“We have reviewed your case and ascertained that you had been emplaced on the appropriate salary scheme throughout your regular service”.</span></div>
</blockquote>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>Got discriminatory policy or not?</strong></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">From the above, it would appear that there may be a discriminatory policy against officers who took a “part-time” degree course, as they will only be emplaced on the “pass degree” salary scale, instead of the “honours degree” salary scale, when they pass with “honours”.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">If this is the case, why is this so?</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">What kind of a message are we sending to the officers – no need to study so hard because even if get “honours” – also get “pass degree” pay scale.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">So, full-time course get honours get honours pay, but part-time course get honours get pass pay only?</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Full-time course get pass get pass pay, and part-time course get pass get pass pay?</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Where’s the logic?</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>How many affected, how long, how much?</strong></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">How much is the difference in the 2 pay scales in a typical lifetime of an officer?</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">How many officers have been affected by this over the years?</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">According to Captain Shaun, the reason why he ended up with a course which was apparently defined by Mindef as “part-time” (which from the above email correspondence – it would appear that nobody knows – MPOs, HPO, CO, and of course Captain Shaun)</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>Discrminatory policy that nobody knows – until its too late?</strong></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Why didn’t the relevant department in Mindef inform Captain Shaun (or for that matter have they ever informed any other officers in its history) that a “part-time”degree course (as defined by Mindef which apparently nobody knows about this policy) would result in a lower salary scale, even if they graduate with good honours?</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">If officers like Shaun had been informed, why would anyone choose a part-time course?</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">In this case, Shaun selected a course which was approved by Mindef – which the local university decided to run classes on the average of about 4 nights a week to accomodate learning adults. So, Shaun was none the wiser to the predicament which he found himself in, when he graduated (which fortunately he discovered almost by accident oniy 4 years later).</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Shaun had initially applied for a full-time course which was validated by a foreign university (approved by Mindef), but his admission was not successful. Then, he was transferred to the subject 4-year course (also approved by Mindef in a new deed issued to Shaun)</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">In fact, he lost out in pay for 1 extra year, because the course he selected ended up to be 4 years, instead of the normal 3 – officers on the Local Study Award only get an allowance of $9,000 a year during the period of studies.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>MOE – Your view please?</strong></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">What is the view of the Ministry of Education on the above apparent “discriminatory” policy?</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>Universities – Your view please? </strong></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">What is the view of the local universities on the above apparent “discriminatory” policy? Are part-time degrees from UNISIM worth less than a full-time degree?</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>“Care for soldiers”?</strong></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">In this connection, according to Mindef’s <a href="http://www.mindef.gov.sg/imindef/mindef_websites/atozlistings/saftimi/units/cld/keyideas/corevalues.html" style="color: #0171d0; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;"><b>core values</b></a> (the last out of 7 core values) is “care for soldiers”.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>Civil Service core principles?</strong></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">According to the Civil Service’s <a href="http://www.challenge.gov.sg/2012/09/dog-pile-rubbish/" style="color: #0171d0; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;"><b>7 core principles</b></a> – maybe 4 of them may well apply (or arguably was not applied well enough) in this case – “Responsiveness and Effectiveness, People-Centricity, Mutual Courtesy and Respect, and Shared Responsibility for the Public Good”.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>ASEAN Human Rights Declaration?</strong></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">The subject issue of “discriminatory” policy (if indeed there is one as I have asked above) may also need to be seen with reference to and in the context of Article 7 and 9 of the <a href="http://www.asean.org/news/asean-statement-communiques/item/asean-human-rights-declaration" style="color: #0171d0; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;"><b>ASEAN HUMAN RIGHTS DECLARATION</b></a>:</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">“7. All human rights are universal, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated. All human rights and fundamental freedoms in this Declaration must be treated in a fair and equal manner, on the same footing and with the same emphasis.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">9.In the realisation of the human rights and freedoms contained in this Declaration, the principles of impartiality, objectivity, non-selectivity, non-discrimination, non-confrontation and avoidance of double standards and politicisation, should always be upheld. The process of such realisation shall take into account peoples’ participation, inclusivity and the need for accountability.”</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>$12.3 b not enough is it?</strong></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">According to the article “<a href="http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Singapore/Story/A1Story20130315-408910.html" style="color: #0171d0; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;"><b>Hard truths about Singapore’s defence</b></a>” (Straits Times, Mar 17) – “Singapore’s defence budget, at a projected $12.3 billion this year, is the biggest in South-east Asia. And it is an open secret that Singapore has one of the highest per capita defence spendings in the world, after countries such as Israel. It possesses a highly-advanced “third generation” fighting force built on the principles of “see first, think quicker, kill faster”.” – So, maybe $12.3 billion may not be enough – such that have to stinge on not paying “honours” degree officers “honours” pay! And as to “”see first, think quicker, kill faster” – how come one simple pay clarification can take 12 months without any conclusion!</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">May God help us – if war really comes!</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><b>Source: <a href="http://leongszehian.com/?p=5143">Leong Sze Hian</a></b></i></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
</div>
SG is my homehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08393932088440298808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-978004234833000076.post-51366031848164017552013-06-08T22:38:00.004-07:002013-06-08T22:38:52.093-07:00The fall of Singapore inevitable?<span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Is the Fall of Singapore Inevitable? This question may have many different</span> <span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">response, there may be a majority that says 'No, its not possible!.' But in</span> <span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">my opinion it will be a yes, reason being?</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="say no to an overpopulated singapore" height="273" src="http://therealsingapore.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/protestsg17022013%285%29e.jpg?itok=L8ClScaz" width="480" /> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">1) The PAP government is no longer capable of ruling Singapore, yes we can</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">agree, Lee Kuan Yew did a pretty much good job in building up Singapore, but</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">as time progress, they have changed. The citizens are starting to lose trust</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">in the government. Moreover with the recent new ruling by MDA to control</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">internet, white paper for 6.9 Million population, new ruling by MAS to curb</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">cars in Singapore, rise in cost of living, rise in elitism in Singapore</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">lastly rising number in the number of foreigners. These has already brought</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">about much unhappy towards the government.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">2) Opposition, I am not trying to say that the opposition party are useless</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">and unable to garner votes nor control Singapore, but by the time the PAP</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">government are thrown down from power, and the oppositions are to take over,</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">it will be not easy for them to regain control of Singapore, what we may see</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">everyday are protest, strikes and riot. This can be easily related to many</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">countries around the world in the past century, with a tyrannic government it</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">will bring about resentment. Some may say there is still another General</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">Election we can change the government the government will be constantly</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">changing, each time the government is changed, each time things will get</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">messier and messier, as new policies and change does not have enough time to</span><span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;"> take place. Thus the government themselves will cause the fall of Singapore.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">3) The number of foreigners in Singapore is constantly increasing, and the</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">number of Singaporeans leaving are also on the rise, we may see a time where</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">there is only foreigners in Singapore, and the big question is what does</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">Singapore has to offer for them to stay here permanently? So after sometime</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">the population will start shrinking once again.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">4) Sustainability of our population, Singapore has no natural resources, some</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">main sector which makes up major part of our economy are medical equipment,</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">SMEs and tourism. Main question, should we depend on tourism? Singapore is a</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">very small country what that is interesting for tourist can be easily be seen</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">in less than a week, and out of 10 how many will come back again? Is tourism</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">sustainable in Singapore? You say for yourselves. With the current policies,</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">will many people start their business here? Lastly medical equipment, my</span><br /><span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">opinion is we should actually focus in this sector, why you may ask? During a</span> <span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">economy slowdown, which will you save on? Going on a holiday or taking care</span> <span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">of your health? </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">My prediction would be that come 2018 Singapore economy will</span> <span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">crash badly from the economy crisis.</span></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span>Look at the pattern since Asia started booming.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">1988: Crisis started from the West</span><br /><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">1998: Crisis started from Asia</span><br /><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">2008: Crisis started from the West</span><br /><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">2018: ?</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">So we should start preparing and brace ourselves for it. As based on my</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">prediction, once Singapore economy crashes, the government will fall as well</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">in the 2021 election and on a side note, the economy crisis this time will</span><span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;"> not be of anything minor, it may be worst than the Great Depression in the</span> <span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">1930s.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">All these are only my prediction, who knows it may not goes as what I have</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">predicted? But one thing that is for sure the government will soon lose its</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">power. Nothing stays in power all the time. Only time will tell.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">“Be the Change you wish to see in the World.” ~ Gandhi</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong style="line-height: 1.6em;"><span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Source: <a href="http://therealsingapore.com/content/fall-singapore-inevitable">Chloe</a></span></span></strong><a href="http://therealsingapore.com/content/fall-singapore-inevitable"><em> </em>Junior TRS Editor</a></span></i><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><em style="line-height: 1.6em;"><span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;"></span></span></em></span>SG is my homehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08393932088440298808noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-978004234833000076.post-77300148727674336672013-06-07T21:41:00.000-07:002013-06-07T21:41:16.066-07:00MDA – Loosening the G string<a href="http://www.tremeritus.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/936906_356763884445752_1974702271_n-300x220.jpg?9d7bd4" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" class="size-medium wp-image-66873" height="220" src="http://www.tremeritus.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/936906_356763884445752_1974702271_n-300x220.jpg?9d7bd4" width="300" /></a>I sat through the live telecast of Talking Point on the issue of new
licensing of online news sites. The most unbelieveable thing to happen
in the programme is that the MDA personnel was not there, not Yaacob or
Koh Lin Net but the Minister of MOM, Tan Chuan Jin. Isn’t this odd?
Don’t tell me the new regulation was initiated and approved by Chuan Jin
and he has to kuai kuai come out to explain his stand? Quite possible
isn’t it? If I were Yaacob or Lin Net, even if my name is named after
internet, I would not want to explain anything so unpopular if I have
nothing to do with it. Your guess why Chuan Jin has to front this show.<br />
<br />
What came through very clearly was that the regulation was rushed out
without much thought, with many blanks left unanswered. Now they are
going to relook at the details and to fill in the blanks. The main
purpose is to target sites that are reporting on Singapore news and not
so much about the right news. But right news still came out for some
discussion and by the end of the show, no one really knows what is the
right news or what is the right news all about.<br />
<br />
The other point that came out clearly is that bloggers or individual
websites will not be targeted. Then why was this not spelt out in the
first place? Or is this an after thought, that bloggers were originally
in the scheme of things? Imagine how much venom would have been taken
out from the bloggers if from the first move the MOM clearly said
bloggers will not be affected by the new regulation. It is still not too
late to make an amendment to make it official that bloggers will not
come under this regulation. Will the MOM just do that?<br />
<br />
The truth is that MOM was not sure how things would develop and they
wanted the provision that when blogs take on the characteristics of news
site, reporting on Singapore news, then they will come under the
regulation. Then I must say many bloggers will eventually come under the
regulation despite the denial. Don’t trust me, let me explain. What if I
keep reporting on the number of crocodiles in Sungei Buloh Wetland? Is
that not reporting on Singapore news? What if I keep reporting about MRT
jams or breakdowns as I take the train daily? Is that not reporting on
Singapore news? There is no where to run when the definition of news is
everything under the Singapore sky. Would MDA want to make this
‘Singapore News’ more specific?<br />
<br />
Bertha Henson kept asking the minister what was the real intent of
the regulation. And some callers asked a very simple question, ‘Is there
anything that is not covered by existing regulations that made the
rushing out of this new regulation that necessary and urgent?’<br />
<br />
Anything
criminal, defamatory or inciting violence on racial and religious issues
are fully covered by existing laws. Then why ah? Why in such a hurry to
rush out this regulation without making sure that the G string is
properly tied and in the right place. Now the G string is found to be
too tight and a lot of loosening and readjusting will need to be done,
exposing many embarrassing holes and parts that should not be exposed.<br />
<br />
What is the real intent of pulling this G string?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>
</i></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><strong>Source: <a href="http://mysingaporenews.blogspot.com/">Chua Chin Leng aka redbean</a></strong></i></span><br />
SG is my homehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08393932088440298808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-978004234833000076.post-39951680171167567942013-06-03T23:53:00.000-07:002013-06-03T23:53:13.848-07:00Singapore Bloggers Rebel Against New Law<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img alt="" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-66695" height="210" src="http://www.tremeritus.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/singapore6-300x210.jpg?9d7bd4" title="singapore6" width="300" /> </div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<em><strong>Call for rare protest rally in government - approved “Speaker’s Corner” next Saturday</strong></em><br />
<br />
Singapore’s blogging community is rebelling against a stringent
new law that requires online news sites to put up a performance bond of
$50,000 and to submit to government censorship, calling for the general
public and bloggers to rally next Saturday against the measure.<br />
<br />
Last Tuesday the Singapore Media Development Authority issued the new
regulations, which it said were designed to place the websites “on a
more consistent regulatory framework with traditional news platforms
which are already individually licensed.”<br />
<br />
The protest group, calling itself “Free My Internet,” is asking
Singaporeans to rally in Hong Lim Park, the site of Singapore’s
speaker’s corner, where a May 1 protest drew 3,000 participants
protesting the government’s plans to let in vast numbers of new
immigrants. It was said to be the biggest protest crowd in Singapore in
modern times.<br />
<br />
“We encourage all Singaporeans who are concerned about our future and
our ability to participate in everyday online activities and
discussions, and to seek out alternative news and analysis, to take a
strong stand against the licensing regime which can impede on your
independence,” the organizers said. “We urge Singaporeans to turn up to
send a clear message to our elected representatives to trust the
Singaporeans who elected them.”<br />
The message was signed by 35 bloggers, who asked all Singapore bloggers to go black for 24 hours from midnight June 6.<br />
<br />
“You can choose to create your own blackout notice, or use
www.freemyinternet.com we have created for your convenience,” the group
said. “When you reopen your blog, write your account of the protest,
about the new regulations and censorship, or anything related to media
freedom in Singapore. Share your thoughts. Share your hope that the
light that free speech provides will not go out on us.”<br />
<br />
The Speaker’s Corner, modeled after London’s free speech site of the
same name, is hardly free. Demonstrations are allowed only by Singapore
citizens and attended by Singapore citizens. Banners, films, flags,
photographs, placards, posters, signs, writing or other visible
representations or paraphernalia containing violent, lewd or obscene
material must not be displayed or exhibited, the government says. Events
must not deal with any matter that relates directly or indirectly to
any religious belief or to religion generally, or which may cause
feelings of enmity, hatred, ill-will or hostility between different
racial or religious groups. Events adhering to the regulations are not
immune from other existing laws such as those relating to defamation and
sedition, which in Singapore can be extremely broad, especially when
the Lee governing family is mentioned.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>More in: <a href="http://www.asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5465&Itemid=195">http://www.asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5465&Itemid=195</a></em></span><br />
SG is my homehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08393932088440298808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-978004234833000076.post-34131010412870340292013-06-03T23:49:00.000-07:002013-06-03T23:49:04.075-07:00Singapore bloggers to protest Internet restrictions<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.tremeritus.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/protest121-300x199.jpg?9d7bd4" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" class="size-medium wp-image-65176" height="265" src="http://www.tremeritus.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/protest121-300x199.jpg?9d7bd4" title="protest12" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">May Day Protest at Hong Lim Park against 6.9M Population White Paper</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Singapore bloggers are planning a rally and an “Internet blackout”
this week to protest controversial new rules they say will muzzle
freedom of speech, organisers said Monday.
<br />
A coalition of 34 prominent bloggers called “Free My Internet” will
stage the rally on Saturday, a week after the surprise regulations
kicked in on June 1 requiring news websites — including one operated by
US-based Yahoo! — to obtain licenses from the city-state’s official
media regulator.<br />
<br />
The bloggers will also replace their homepages with black screens
featuring the words “#Freemyinternet” for 24 hours on Thursday.<br />
<br />
“There is a need for this physical protest because numerous dialogues
with the government over the last five years about liberalisation and
deregulating the Internet have actually concluded in the opposite,”
said Choo Zheng Xi, a spokesman for the group.<br />
<br />
“We want the government to know that the people need to be consulted,
and that parliament needs to be consulted before sweeping changes are
made to legislation,” said Choo, the co-founder of popular political
website The Online Citizen.<br />
<br />
Volunteer-run blogs have gained popularity as an alternative news and
opinion source in Singapore, where the mainstream media is widely
perceived as pro-government.<br />
The Media Development Authority (MDA) last week sought to allay fears
that the new rules were aimed at the city-state’s feisty blogging
community, pointing out that blogs were not considered news portals.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>More in: <a href="http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/2013/06/singapore-bloggers-to-protest-internet-restrictions/">http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/2013/06/singapore-bloggers-to-protest-internet-restrictions/</a></em></span>SG is my homehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08393932088440298808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-978004234833000076.post-38197821269493744672013-06-03T23:35:00.001-07:002013-06-03T23:35:46.137-07:00Who Deserves Our Wealth?<span style="font-size: small;"><span></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.tremeritus.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/whodeservesourwealth1.jpg?9d7bd4" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" class="size-full wp-image-66724" height="267" src="http://www.tremeritus.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/whodeservesourwealth1.jpg?9d7bd4" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">I am very pleased
that Jeremy has set out in writing his reasons why he disagrees with my
proposal for the privatization of Temasek and GIC and the distribution
of shares to Singaporeans. I hope we will see more of his ideas on
this subject or anyone else’s for that matter. Unfortunately Jeremy’s
disagreement seems to stem from a basic misconception and a failure to
grasp what the process of privatization and public listing of a
previously nationalized asset entails. As he has misunderstood the
process much of what he has written makes little sense.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Before we get into that mess let’s start with areas of common
agreement. Happily we both agree that there needs to be more
transparency. However Jeremy seems to accept the government’s own
figures for its budget surplus which I most definitely do not. Our
government’s budget figures are not set out in the format described as
‘best practice’ for governments by the IMF and in general use by
advanced democracies worldwide. As a result our budget contains
discrepancies which makes it impossible (even for me) to decipher and
gauge true values. I first alerted Singaporeans to these discrepancies
in 2012 <a href="http://thereformparty.net/about/press-releases/budget-2012-part-one/">here</a>.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;">Jeremy also agrees with me that one possible way to achieve
transparency without privatization and public listing and distribution
of shares is the Norwegian model, where the SWF is required to achieve
an extremely high level of transparency and is responsible to Parliament
for its performance each year. I’ll come onto Norway later because
Jeremy gets mixed up by that as well.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;">Jeremy worries that $6 billion a year of extra spending is being
unduly profligate and talks about finding savings in the defence budget
to pay for it. This is despite my pointing out that the true surplus in
2012 was at least $36 billion. I also pointed out that even the Net
Investment Returns Contribution of $7 billion which is supposed to be
allocated to current spending, in fact went straight back into the
reserves. The savings to be made in the defence budget are miniscule
compared to the surpluses and the amount MOF likes to give away to other
nations. In any case I contend that we should be increasing our
spending on defence in line with the rest of Asia not reducing it.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;">I was completely confused by Jeremy’s contentions that privatization
(allowing public listing and trading in the shares of our SWFs) would
not bring about transparency and accountability and wondered why he
brings up the global financial crisis of 2008 as having some relevance
to my proposals. I do not see how this is an argument that listing the
shares of our SWFs will lead to less transparency. Also why would
Jeremy would have brought up MERS as an example? MERS (which stands for
Mortgage Electronic Registry Service), is an electronic registry
operated by a <strong>privately </strong>held company (MERSCORP, Inc.)
designed to track ownership rights and mortgage loans in the United
States. Since this is a privately held company it is not listed on a
public stock exchange.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
Could it be that Jeremy simply didn’t know what is meant by the term
‘privatization’ when proposing that we allowing public listing and
trading in the shares of our SWFs. As his arguments make no sense I am
guessing that Jeremy has confused the process of ‘privatization’ with
privately owned or he may here be thinking of private equity buy outs.
Jeremy is fiercely refuting a proposal that was never posited in the
first place.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;">I don’t see how he could have made this mistake. I even give Warren
Buffet’s publicly listed company, Berkshire Hathaway as an example of
how transparency is a spur to better performance in my original article.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;">After mixing up private and publicly listed and so forth Jeremy says
that transparency did not prevent the global crisis of 2008. Here
Jeremy is correct. But did I say transparency would somehow prevent
financial crises? No, I make no claims for transparency by itself. I do
not say that it will prevent future financial crises. The cause of <em>that </em>crisis
was indeed not a lack of transparency. If anything there was too much
data, as Nate Silver makes clear in his excellent book, “The Signal and
the Noise”. The problem lay in the interpretation of that data and the
conflicts of interest to which certain key institutions like rating
agencies were prone. These examples of willful blindness to the
fallacies in the analyses by ratings firms were then compounded by the
mistakes of policy makers, at least in the initial stages, which almost
brought the global financial system to its knees.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;">There is no argument to be made that a public listing will <em>not </em>bring about a much greater level of transparency. Of course it will.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;">How about accountability? At present there is very little information
available to judge the performance of our SWFs. We do not even know
what the real level of assets is. What we do know is that historically
there is a strong statistical correlation between the level of secrecy
in an organization and the likelihood of mismanagement or fraud.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;">Privatization and the disclosures that would be necessary if the SWFs
were listed would make it much easier to identify underperforming
management. It would provide a spur in the side of management, to use
LKY’s favoured term. Accountability is like everything else- we have to
demand it.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;">By listing Temasek holdings and GIC, shareholders would be able to
vote against the re-election of the board or individual directors at the
company’s annual meeting if they felt that the company was
underperforming. It is notable that no heads rolled after both Temasek
and GIC lost a significant percentage of their value, even though they
claimed to have recovered their losses remarkably quickly.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;">Having to publish regular audited accounts would also allow a
spotlight to be shone on the way the management of these companies value
their positions. I believe that Singaporeans want to know how the PM’s
wife is doing and to be able to move her on if her and her team’s
performance is subpar.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;">Of course just as transparency doesn’t guarantee good governance so
even a public listing might not prevent fraud altogether. UBS, in which
GIC invested so much and lost most of its investment, is a good example.
On balance, if our assets are being squandered and lost through poor
investment decisions then I would rather know than not.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;">Nevertheless a system that allows the government and the managers of
the SWFs to transfer assets into the fund at grossly undervalued levels,
see “<a href="http://sonofadud.com/2013/04/29/has-temasek-found-a-cure-for-balding/">Has Temasek Found A Cure for Balding?</a>”,
is one where one should be suspicious of the performance claims by
management. Notwithstanding the fact that the current CEO of Temasek got
her job purely on merit, as our State-controlled media frequently
remind us, privatization would also ensure a separation between
management of our SWFs and the government, which is necessary to fulfill
any standard good governance requirements.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;">Jeremy agrees with me on Norway but after that his ideas fall down
because he has failed to grasp the fundamental difference between
Norway’s situation and that of Singapore. The Norwegian fund has been
built up by taxes and royalties on the earnings from the exploitation of
the country’s gas and oil reserves. As these are exhaustible resources
that, by definition, cannot be replaced, there is a strong argument that
they should be represented on the nation’s balance sheet as an asset.
They belong not just to the current generation of Norwegians but also to
future generations. As they are used up, they should be replaced by
financial or real assets such as infrastructure investment. The current
generation should only be able to draw on the income from those assets.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;">Singapore is a different case entirely. The assets of our SWFs
represent forgone consumption by present and past generations of
Singaporeans. There were no resources that were used up to earn those
assets only sacrifice and austerity by Singaporeans past and present.
In other words, the sweat of your grandfather’s brow, people being
denied medical treatment that is freely available in most other advanced
countries and our old people, the disabled and those in single parent
households having to live in hardship. I could go on but I have made the
point repeatedly that our people live in wholly unnecessary austerity
to accumulate surpluses that will never be spent even if they are not
frittered away through poor investments.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;">There is no obligation to pass on these assets to future generations
and it should be up to individuals to make their own decisions as to how
much they want to leave (in economics we call this their
intergenerational time preference function).</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;">One can say with certainty that with productivity growth averaging at
least 2% per annum in advanced countries like the US (though maybe only
half that in Singapore due to the PAP government’s preference for cheap
foreign labour over automation) that future generations as a whole will
definitely be much richer than current generations. Likely
technological advances may raise this productivity growth by several
orders of magnitude.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;">Thus it is difficult to make a case as to why the state needs to
maintain a reserve beyond what is needed for genuine emergencies or to
defend the currency. At the moment the MAS has to hold down the
Singapore dollar to prevent our currency appreciating too far and making
our economy even more uncompetitive, so arguably it does not need to
hold excess reserves. In a succinct and admirably clear article (see<a href="http://www.tremeritus.com/2013/05/19/we-need-to-talk-about-the-reserves/"> here</a>)
Andy Wong also supports the contention that the reserves are much
bigger than they need to be. Furthermore it has not been explained to us
why we need to go on accumulating assets at the same rate nor why the
PAP government is so anxious to keep postponing the CPF withdrawal age
and the minimum sum.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;">We can think of Singapore as being like an enormous hedge fund,
though apparently with only subpar returns. A few government functions
are added on, though one day a future government might want to divorce
itself from the people entirely and just keep the assets! As a hedge
fund, it is in an admirable situation compared to the rest of the
industry. This is because it can coerce its investors into keeping their
money in the fund and make withdrawals more and more difficult. I am
sure a lot of real hedge fund managers would like a similar situation.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;">This brings us of course to a further reason why the current
situation is so unfair to the present generation of Singaporeans. If
there were no immigration then future generations would be the
descendants of Singapore citizens today and one could argue that to
retain a substantial pool of assets in the state’s hands for the benefit
of future generations at least had some merit. As an economic liberal
who believes in individual choice, I would still prefer those decisions
to be made by the individual.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;">However, the PAP government seems determined to dilute the current
generation’s stake in the SWFs by enfranchising millions of new
citizens. It has been suggested that the underlying reason behind this
is to maintain its grip on power. While it still has control over the
people’s assets it has an enormous carrot to use to induce foreigners to
become citizens and to bribe them once they do so. We can already see
that happening in a limited way with the foreign scholarship programmes
that our SWFs have set up.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;">Thus, while I would support some form of progressivity in the
distribution of shares to try and ensure that more of the assets go to
those at the bottom of the wealth distribution in an effort to promote
genuine equality of opportunity, as opposed to the present fake
meritocracy, I do not see any rational argument why the bulk of the
assets need to be held back by the state as Jeremy advocates. His
self-confessed collectivist bent is not radically different from the
PAP’s and does not represent genuine reform. Despite saying he wants
more transparency he seems to favour keeping the status quo. While he
may feel that readers may be impressed by his knowledge of simultaneous
equations from O Level Maths, it does not really buttress his arguments
which have shaky theoretical underpinnings and some serious fundamental
errors.<br />
Nevertheless it is great that he has come forward to provide a rationale
and hopefully we can have more reasoned debate in the future. As
Jeremy is an SDP policy author, the more common ground we can establish
now the better.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://sonofadud.com/"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><strong>Source: Kenneth Jeyaretnam</strong></i></span></span></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>* As a blogger, KJ hopes to help imagine a model for a New Asian
Nation to bring about a free and fair future for Singapore. KJ is a
Cambridge trained economist who could be broadly described as from the
Keynesian school. He is also a successful ex-hedge fund manager and a
liberal opposition politician who contested in the 2011 General Election
with his party. He is currently the Secretary-General of The Reform
Party. </em></span><br />
SG is my homehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08393932088440298808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-978004234833000076.post-22865120204204152282013-06-03T23:29:00.000-07:002013-06-03T23:29:12.704-07:00Why it is desperately important for the PAP to do all it can to stay in power<br />
I have shared this before and i feel it is important to share it
again in light of the new licensing regime imposed on online websites.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.tremeritus.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/AFL_Logo_Clings_Port-300x293.jpg?9d7bd4" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" class="size-medium wp-image-66708" height="312" src="http://www.tremeritus.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/AFL_Logo_Clings_Port-300x293.jpg?9d7bd4" width="320" /></a>The PAP has to ensure that it stays in power by all means as it has
too much at stake. It is to them inconceivable, what the retributions
would be should they be overthrown from power…. For that would mean a
scrutiny of all that it has done over the years that it was in power.
There are just too many skeletons in the closets for them to be
comfortable with the handing over of power to another political party.
Just take a look at what Aljunied GRC has uncovered with the AIM
transaction.<br />
<br />
Imagine what else would be uncovered if an opposition alliance comes into power to form the next government?<br />
<br />
For Singaporeans, it would be good to take the chance by getting an
opposition government into power, at least, to take stock of what the
PAP has done in the last fifty years. In other words, we, the citizens,
take the chance to regain the power in our hands by voting for a
different government, to see what the PAP has actually done in the last
twenty years, at least.. We take it that the first thirty years were
good years.<br />
<br />
It is a small price to pay even, if say, the opposition government
fails us. At least we know that the next PAP government is going to be
more citizen-friendly than this arrogant one. Really, we have nothing to
lose.<br />
<br />
In my opinion, the WP and SDP are looking more and more like
political parties we can take a chance on. Ask yourselves, what can be
worse than having the new PAP running away with arrogance, disrespect,
and haughtiness?<br />
<br />
Singaporeans, we should stop considering what is at stake for the PAP.<br />
<br />
We have to start asking what is at stake for us and for our children.
Do you see the new PAP delivering to you what you want? Your CPF, your
home, your ability to move around with your car, your thoughts control
etc are questions you should start asking yourselves.<br />
<br />
Listen closely to what the other alternative parties are promising
you. Are you afraid to get some returns of what you and your parents
have invested in and worked hard for? Your parents sacrificed their
lives for your well being. They expected the PAP to deliver to you what
the PAP had promised them.<br />
<br />
Today, you are going through the same cycle for your children,
without any of the promises they made to your parents fulfilled. In
fact, your parents are still slogging away when they should be retiring.
They are slogging away to allow you to slog for your children. Your
twilight years is going to be worst than your parents’. They died
thinking the PAP would take care of you. Is the PAP taking care of you
as your parents thought they would? If you still don’t make the effort
to think rationally, you will surely end up like your parents while your
children end up worst than you.<br />
After you have asked yourselves these fundamental questions, the next
thing to ask yourselves is why it is so important for the PAP to make
sure it stay in power? Do you think their obsession to stay in power is
because it believes it has your best interests at heart? Or do you think
they have to stay in power because they need to prevent the things they
have done over the last fifty years from being exposed to public
scrutiny? Why are they so fearful of the truth? There is only one
answer; there are just too many things they have done wrong, so wrong
that they may even be criminal in nature.<br />
<br />
They are in so deep that any PAP defeat would immediately translate
to a PAP collapse. And the collapse would be quickly followed by
criminal charges for all the skeletons presently tucked comfortably away
in their closets. All in the white family would come under scrutiny and
anyone and everyone who had been appointed to positions of power will
be investigated for foul play and breach of any kind.<br />
<br />
It does not take a rocket scientist to follow the drift i am
presenting here. The stakes for the whites are simply just too high to
be left to chance. That is why, if it has to make every citizen pay to
talk, the PAP will do that without even blinking the eyes.<br />
<br />
<strong> </strong><br />
<strong> </strong><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><strong><strong>Source:</strong> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Alternative-View/358759327518739">The Alternative View</a></strong></i></span><br />
<strong></strong><br /> SG is my homehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08393932088440298808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-978004234833000076.post-44338339742927691722013-05-07T05:53:00.001-07:002013-05-07T05:56:04.203-07:00The Spirit of 1959 : Be Bold and Change Government<b>Tan Jee Say’s speech at May Day rally</b><br />
<br />
Good evening, fellow Singaporeans and friends.<br />
I wish we could all rejoice and celebrate Labour Day today. But alas
our labours for our country have been mocked and rubbished by a
government that rules to benefit the elite and the rich, people like
themselves. This comes out clearly in the recent White Paper on
population.<br />
<br />
<img alt="" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-65358" src="http://www.tremeritus.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/942582_459889190757028_2076065890_n-640x432.jpg?9d7bd4" title="942582_459889190757028_2076065890_n" width="550" /><br />
<div>
<i>TJS speaking to the crowd at the May Day rally in Hong Lim Park. (Photo by Wilson Wong of wilzworkz.)</i></div>
<div>
</div>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;">Future of the PAP</span><br />
<br />
The White Paper is not concerned about the future welfare of
ordinary Singaporeans. Instead the White Paper is all about the future
of PAP, about how they can continue to be very rich and stay in power.
They will bring in 90,000 foreign workers every year to depress the
wages of Singaporeans so that companies can make enormous profits and
pay huge salaries and bonuses to CEO’s and professionals. Ministers’
salaries will also go up as they are benchmarked against the total pay
of CEO’s and professionals, so ministers will continue to draw their
million dollar salaries even when the wages of ordinary Singaporeans go
down.<br />
<br />
But when Singaporeans want to register our unhappiness, the PAP
brings in new citizens to dilute our vote.130,000 new citizens voted
in the 2011 general election. Another 125,000 new citizens will be
brought in to vote in 2016. That’s about 12% of the total vote. I want
to emphasize that we are not against the foreign workers in Singapore.
You can’t blame them for wanting to seek a better life or career. It’s
the government’s policy of continually importing foreigners that we are
against. We can understand why new citizens are grateful to the
government. But gratitude is not servitude. It does not mean blind
loyalty. You work hard to earn a living. But you will soon discover like
all citizens before you that even then you have to struggle so hard
just to feed your family and barely so. So do not vote PAP just out of
gratitude because gratitude is about the past not the future. Vote for
the future not the past.<br />
<br />
Be clear that the White Paper is not about helping citizens
including new citizens. The White Paper is a plot by the PAP to tighten
its grip on Singaporeans with the help of new citizens. This is the
real objective of the Population White Paper. Make no mistake about it.
Have no illusion that PAP is looking after our interest. If they have
the interest of Singaporeans at heart, they will do what other cities
do in tackling the issues of an ageing population and low total
fertility rate.<br />
<br />
<img alt="" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/s720x720/946152_459892070756740_1165129387_n.jpg" width="550/" /><br />
<div>
<i>Well said!</i></div>
<div>
</div>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;">Different approach by other cities</span><br />
<br />
I visited Hong Kong and mainland China recently. They face the same
population issues as Singapore but solve them differently by tackling
the root cause directly. I had discussions with experts who are
professors at the University of Hong Kong. They told me Hong Kong’s
priority is to fix basic infrastructure first particularly in housing
and transport. At the same time, they seek economic growth outside Hong
Kong mainly southern China so that business firms can grow without
adding strain to public facilities in Hong Kong. Here in Singapore, the
PAP does the exact opposite – they bring in more people, 90,000 foreign
workers every year, before they have improved the basic facilities. So
there will be more over-crowding, not less. How can this be in the
interest of Singaporeans?<br />
<br />
DPM Teo Chee Hean visited Hong Kong last week, one month after my
visit to the city. He brought along officials from the National
Population and Talent Division to learn population planning from the
Population Commission of Hong Kong. One commissioner Mr Paul Yip told
them and I quote : “I shared how we might be obsessed with big numbers
for GDP growth, but we need to think of what people want and the need
to get their support.” Unquote. I hope PAP listened to what Mr Yip said
about the need to think of what people want. But don’t be too hopeful.
The PAP government only thinks of what they want for themselves;
whether they perform in their job or not, they take their million
dollar salaries first and leave you to pick up the crumbs. Have they
listened to your cries of despair over falling wages and rising costs
of living, and about the difficulties of bringing up a family? If they
had listened earlier and acted upon your worries, Singapore today would
not have the problem of low birth rates. Because the fundamental cause
of low fertility is the people’s lack of confidence in the future.<br />
<br />
<span style="text-decoration: underline;">Confidence in the future</span><br />
<br />
Which young couple will not think twice about having a child when it
costs $900,000 to raise the child from birth through childhood, school
and university including private tuition in their school years? Who
would dare to have a child when they do not have enough savings for
their own retirement? Singapore has the highest savings rate in the
world and yet 55% of CPF members do not have enough balances in their
CPF account to pay the required minimum sum. Which Singaporean couple
will be in the right frame of mind to bring up a family when they work
the longest hours in the world and are the world’s most stressed and
least emotional people?<br />
<br />
<img alt="" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/s720x720/941177_459890417423572_93326962_n.jpg" width="550/" /><br />
<div>
<i>Young parents worried for their kids’ future.</i></div>
<div>
</div>
These are not just excuses for not having babies but are real hard
truths faced by ordinary Singaporeans.Will they disappear? Not under
the PAP government because these hard truths are the result of PAP’s
core policies.The only way to remove these hard truths that affect
ordinary Singaporeans is to change the government. Are you ready for
change?<br />
<br />
<span style="text-decoration: underline;">Work experience in government</span><br />
<br />
The PAP will scare you and tell you that the opposition has no
experience and is not ready to form a government. The fact is that the
opposition today is more ready than the PAP was in 1959. How many in
the PAP then had any experience of working in government? Only one, the
late Dr Goh Keng Swee who was director of social welfare in the
colonial government. Today spread out in the opposition ranks, I can
count at least 9 individuals who have had many years of experience
working at senior levels in six government agencies including finance,
trade and industry, foreign affairs,national development/URA,
health/hospitals and defence. The PAP in 1959 had only one PhD, the
late Dr Toh Chin Chye who was a lecturer in the university. But we in
the opposition today have 7 PhD’s of whom 3 are associate professors
including one teaching in an overseas university. In addition, we have
several doctors,lawyers, economists, ex-bankers, ex-fund managers,
corporate executives and entrepreneurs.<br />
<br />
Together there are at least 25 to 30 of us with a wide range of
expertise to run an effective, competent and caring government. By the
time of the next general election in 2015 or 2016, more will join us
like many of you here in the audience who have the passion, courage and
desire to serve your fellow Singaporeans. Our team will be lean,
definitely not as bloated as the PAP one which has 18 ministers for 15
ministries, which means 3 ministers are redundant, with titles like
minister without portfolio, second minister here and there, but no real
responsibility. In the army, we call them GD officers, GD for general
duty, who are on call to do anything that no one else is available to
do or want to do like attending funerals or F1 races. What does this
tell us about the confidence of the Prime Minister in these redundant
ministers’ ability to head and run a ministry on his or her own? Are
they just there as tokens?<br />
<br />
<img alt="" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/482582_459891710756776_744115652_n.jpg" width="550" /><br />
<div>
<i>Spot on!</i></div>
<div>
</div>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;">Coalition government</span><br />
<br />
When the opposition forms the government, there will be no token
ministers. Every minister will carry his or her own weight because they
get in under their own steam and not under the coat-tails of some long
serving ministers. They will bring with them the most important
quality in a political leader, the passion to serve all Singaporeans
regardless of race, language, religion or social class. Can we work
together coming from different parties to form a coalition government?
Yes we can. Do not let PAP frighten you into believing that coalition
governments are unstable and life will be chaotic. Nothing is further
from the truth.<br />
<br />
Today life goes on in 75 countries that are governed by coalition
governments. Finland has shown the way. Coalition governments have ruled
Finland for nearly 100 years with their so-called “rainbow coalition”
of 5 political parties recently increased to 6. Finland, a nation of
about 5.5 million people, is a world leader in many fields. It has a
high quality of life and is the third most competitive nation in the
world according to the latest Global Competitiveness Index. So when the
PAP calls the opposition a “rojak” bunch, point them to the rainbow in
Finland. In fact not only is our rojak as multi-coloured and beautiful
as the rainbow, it is also delicious. So go for it Singaporeans, have
our favourite national dish; your life will taste much better under a
rojak coalition than under the bitter fruits of a self-serving
leadership.<br />
<br />
<span style="text-decoration: underline;">Be bold</span><br />
<br />
There is a saying :”Fortune favours the bold.” In 1959, Singaporeans
took the bold step of voting for a change of government and ushered in
a higher standard of living for many years up to a point. That point
of stagnation was reached about 5 years ago and more and more
Singaporeans are now experiencing a decline in their standard of
living. It is time to put a stop to this decline. Will you do so? We
are the Lion City – brave and strong. The Singapore Lion roared in
2011. Will you roar even louder in 2016? Will you be as brave and as
strong as the 1959 generation to vote for change? Will you vote out
the PAP in 2016?<br />
<br />
Yes, I heard your loud cheers, thank you. There is hope for a better Singapore. Majullah Singapura!<br />
<br />
<img alt="" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/s720x720/942093_459891450756802_321449660_n.jpg" width="550/" /><br />
<div>
<i>Placards designed by ordinary Singaporeans.</i></div>
<div>
</div>
<img alt="" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/s720x720/944564_459892220756725_294618090_n.jpg" width="550/" /><br />
<div>
<i>One of five bales of cloth with signatures of protest.</i></div>
<div>
</div>
<img alt="" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/s720x720/941202_459892447423369_178408766_n.jpg" width="550/" /><br />
<div>
<i>Getting the shot for posterity.</i></div>
.<br />
<b>Jee Say speaking at Hong Lim Park on May Day (from 07.02 minutes onwards):</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/WDabFH5ifxc?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<b>Tan Jee Say</b><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Source: Jee Say was a Presidential candidate in the 2011 Presidential
Election. The article first appeared on his facebook:
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/TanJeeSay">http://www.facebook.com/TanJeeSay</a>.</i></span><br />
<br />
<br />SG is my homehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08393932088440298808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-978004234833000076.post-25921471643471303862013-05-07T05:38:00.001-07:002013-05-07T05:38:18.837-07:00Singapore hits record low in World Press Freedom Index rankingSingapore fell 14 places to a record low of 149th position from the
previous 135th position in terms of press freedom index in the latest
annual ranking by Reporters Without Borders (RWB) [<a href="http://en.rsf.org/spip.php?page=classement&id_rubrique=1054">Link</a>].<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.tremeritus.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/The_Straits_Times.jpg?9d7bd4" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" class="size-full wp-image-46300" height="256" src="http://www.tremeritus.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/The_Straits_Times.jpg?9d7bd4" title="The_Straits_Times" width="320" /></a>It is Singapore’s worst ranking since the index was established in 2002.<br />
Singapore is even behind countries like Ethiopia (137th), Tunisia
(138th), Oman (141st), Congo (142nd), Cambodia (143rd) and Russia
(148th).<br />
<br />
In the past 1 year or so, there have been many instances where
letters of demand were sent to bloggers and websites, asking them to
apologize and take down postings which allegedly had defamed government
ministers or the court.<br />
<br />
Singapore’s rankings in the last few years:<br />
<blockquote>
<strong>WORLD PRESS FREEDOM INDEX</strong><br />
<strong></strong>2013 149th (worst result for Singapore)<br />
2011-2012 135th<br />
2010 136th<br />
2009 133rd<br />
2008 144th<br />
2007 141st</blockquote>
Since opening up, Myanmar, which is a country controlled by the
military, has jumped 18 places from 169th to 151st this year, just 2
positions behind Singapore.<br />
<br />
Turkmenistan (177th), North Korea (178th) and Eritrea (179th) stayed
at the bottom three, while Finland stayed on top of the list followed by
the Netherlands (2nd) and Norway (3rd).<br />
<br />
Malawi registered the biggest leap (71 places) in the index from
146th to 75th, almost returning to the position it held before the
excesses at the end of the Mutharika dictatorship.<br />
<br />
With such an ‘impressive achievement’, surely the Editors-in-Chief of
the various papers in Singapore Press Holdings must be busy patting
themselves in the back, looking forward to a fat bonus come Christmas.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>RWB was founded in Montpellier (France) in 1985 by four
journalists: Robert Ménard, Rémy Loury, Jacques Molénat and Émilien
Jubineau.</em></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>RWB believes that freedom of information is the foundation of any
democracy. It is registered in France as a non-profit organisation and
has consultant status at the United Nations and </em><a href="http://www.unesco.org/"><em>UNESCO</em></a><em>.</em></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>Source: <a href="http://www.tremeritus.com/2013/05/05/sgs-ranking-in-world-press-freedom-index-hits-record-low/">TRE web<span style="font-size: x-small;">site</span></a> </em></span><br />
SG is my homehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08393932088440298808noreply@blogger.com0