Comment on Youth leaders from S’pore & Malaysia condemn attacks on Malaysian churches by Peace I agree with Jumbo that the word allah belongs to the muslim.It is the name of their god .Before islam there was no allah until mohamed created allah out of the many ‘lahs’ in existence then. Eg. to mean god there were words like ilah, elah and other variations used by different people of that time.Another evidence of the existence of the similar sounding word to mean god was mohamed’s uncle whose name was abdulah means servant of god. This is a strong evidence of the the existence of ‘lah’ before islam. Allah was created by mohamed and Allah was to be the name of his god and therefore exclusive to muslim. Christain’s god is NOT allah. He didn’t change his name and no man can his name too. The malay word for god is tuhan and this should be the word to use for god in the bible and NOT allah. The catholics should re-examine and should not insist on using word special to others otherwise they will be seen as hijacking for ulteriro motives. Comment on Youth leaders from S’pore & Malaysia condemn attacks on Malaysian churches by Peace I agree with Jumbo that the word allah belongs to the muslim.It is the name of their god .Before islam there was no allah until mohamed created allah out of the many ‘lahs’ in existence then. Eg. to mean god there were words like ilah, elah and other variations used by different people of that time.Another evidence of the existence of the similar sounding word to mean god was mohamed’s uncle whose name was abdulah means servant of god. This is a strong evidence of the the existence of ‘lah’ before islam. Allah was created by mohamed and Allah was to be the name of his god and therefore exclusive to muslim. Christain’s god is NOT allah. He didn’t change his name and no man can his name too. The malay word for god is tuhan and this should be the word to use for god in the bible and NOT allah. The catholics should re-examine and should insist on using word special to others otherwise they will be seen as hijacking for ulteriro motives. Comment on Youthquake 6: Alternative media can’t replace traditional media by wakemeupearly Wow, TOC is finally back up after Hilary Clinton made the speech that her USA govt is willing to sponsor high tech tools to enable sites like TOC & TR to be up & running from PAP or hackers attacks. Come on TOC go & get the money from USA govt to beef up security! Comment on It is affordable – Mah Bow Tan by cat ////FaceTheFact Another indicator: even MBT tell people to buy HDB flats with their means. He knows there are flats which are completely out of reach by locals or rather S’poreans. It will be interesting to ask Jimmy Roger what he thinks about our flats. For one, he mentioned that without a household income of 7k, it is not sensible to get a car. The reason he mentioned was there won’t be enough retirement monies. Is it sensible to have a flat with a household income of 3K? Would there be retirement monies left. We all know the answer: Singaporeans rank very low in terms of retirement monies despite saving and working hard all our lives ++ we complain very little. When HKers complain, they march on the streets. We don’t do that. Comment on It is affordable – Mah Bow Tan by cat //FaceTheFact Remember MBT asked 7 people to stay in a 3 room flat. ok… maybe 5 or 6. IS this reasonable for modern S’pore? That’s how the govt jack up the household income portion. If we are so well off, we should all be buying private property. But private property is 40% lower in price in 2009 compared with 2008 or 2007. Also, the rush to buy HDB resale could be due to another source of buyers. Those people who got burnt in private property and is rushing to buy HDB to at least have a place to stay. We never know the exact picture because apparently even the MBT didn’t know and was caught off guard. One thing for sure, HDB flat is unaffordable. Comment on It is affordable – Mah Bow Tan by cat //FaceTheFact You should be asking how realistic are the numbers you get from HDB. And yes, it is definitely getting unaffordable the HDB flats. Just like numerically, it makes no sense to buy lottery because (how else the lottery company makes money) the probability of winning given the size of the price is very very small, but you still see people flocking to spend a fortune on these things especially the poor. Seeing a lot of silly people spending a fortune on lottery and not wining doesn’t disprove the fact that the odds are against you when you bet in lottery. Same thing with gambling. And that bring me to the point that this govt is only interested in making money out of doing very little and they are creating a huge problem for S’poreans in the future when the immigrants walk away from their HDB flat loans. Comment on It is affordable – Mah Bow Tan by cat //My Views //Why then are HDB flats still being sold like hot cakes? Many chose to buy in the open-market which are much more expensive than those sold directly by HDB! In case you did not do your homework, many paid a huge sum of cash above valuation! You mean to tell me that these SIngaporeans are more fool than you? I thought everyone knew that the rapid increase in prices from 2006-2009 was because of the huge influx of immigrants coupled with the rapid approval of citizenships and PR-ship. Add in an initial reduction of downpayment from 20% to 10%. All these fueled the hdb price jumps. You want a time when HDB prices went down: 2000-2005. It is the same flats. Comment on It is affordable – Mah Bow Tan by cat //My Views People make mistakes even your million dollar ministers make mistakes (We can list a long one). that doesn’t mean we will continue making the same mistake of voting in your pigs. Even LHL is worried. Comment on It is affordable – Mah Bow Tan by cat //Pimps and Prostitutes The way these pigs run the show… there is not much difference from pimps running a brothel. Great comment. Comment on City Harvest Church acquires land for S$310m in central-south Singapore by pat Nick, I’m not sure which god you are referring to when you say “god says”…but as far as I know, all the major religion emphasize helping the poor and needy, and not giving money to the poor. In this regards, CHC has a team of 8 full-time staff and more than 700 volunteers going their rounds in helping the poor and needy in the society. It is in fact, a bigger welfare organization than even many government or government –related bodies. The size and magnitude of the organization is still growing day and day, and if CHC does not have a passion in serving the poor and needy, would it plough and contribute so much in terms of money and efforts to our poor and needy? You might also like to know that beyond Singapore, they had also contributed greatly to the relief efforts of the tsunami victims (in terms of money, manpower and time), and they are doing the same now for the Haiti’s earthquake victims as well. So, while CHC is doing their silent part, what have you been doing, our dear Nick? Just sitting back in your nice armchair and being a cyber critic will not help the poor! And if you are not contributing anything, then at least don’t hypocritically criticize on matters that you yourself do not even have a conviction in, OK? Comment on Homeless in the parks – a symptom of flawed housing policies? by Terence Goh I hope HOTA staff are not waiting nearby Sembawang Park for one of the homeless to drop dead due to living stress, and harvest their organs. Sounds far fetched? I don’t know. Anything can happen in Singapore as long as money is involved, there is no morality anymore. BTW, I saw some pictures of the Toa Payoh flats rented out to CFL (cheap foreign labour). They have been spruced up and looks even nicer than our flats. Maybe PAP can rename itself to FPAP? Foreign People Action Party. Comment on City Harvest Church acquires land for S$310m in central-south Singapore by Nick I thought god himself said to give money to the poor, all talk only…spend on themselves Comment on Homeless in the parks – a symptom of flawed housing policies? by despair sporean If this homeless news was real. I think this present govt has failed terribly. And it seem very norm to hear or read govt comments about: 1: Spore kids less striving… 2: Dont blame foreigners for jacking up the house price 3: Spore is not a nation yet I find the above rather worrying and disturb for not whether the comment deem to be truth but our leader kept slamming its home ground. For whatever reason, i personally feel for my point 1, they are getting the brightest from other country and usually having the age gap advantages. This doesnt conclude our kids are not striving enough and in many instances, we have some are equally well. For point 2, they have not realise that it home grown males were never place in a same level fields as PR in terms of national service obligation and that 2-3 yrs lost of income can translate a big different for the intial home affordability. 3: It seem that our forefather or at least my forefather has wasted their time here Sigh……….. Comment on TOC Polling Day – final poll to pick your favourite representation by Donaldson Hi Hum #4, does that mean you like no. 6 in the top 10 logos? Comment on Deep sympathy and solidarity with the people of Haiti by andrew leung 35) Kenz on January 19th, 2010 10.20 pm I did not say only christian groups are making all the effort : ) I believe Pat Robertson is entitled to his own views. I donated through compassion.com Comment on Raiding the homeless – in the middle of the night by liberty isn’t this illegal or unlawful detention? Comment on City Harvest Church acquires land for S$310m in central-south Singapore by Jing Just my 2 cents worth.. Any church or organisation that is big, requires suitable land and property size in order to function. A small building like Jurong West – which according to my sources, can only sit 2,000 has caused many problems such as traffic jams, not enough parking lots, not enough F&B places for the members to go to. Previously when they were at Jurong West only, the 27,000 membership were spread over back to back services, rushing off when one service ends to rush in when another starts. I’m talking about 6 English services packed into one weekend, and other ministries such as the children church, the dialect church, the mentally disabled ministry, the Indonesian church etc etc. There is virtually no room in the building for fellowship or simply for people to hang around and enjoy their own church premises, or even use the packed toilets. If you were part of a big organisation with such a small building, who suffers? Everyone, from the Pastor who preach the same message 6 times a week to the members who are consistently rushed from one hall to the next holding area, fighting over the limited amount of seats in the main hall. To me, the desire for a bigger place is only reasonable. its a 12,000 seater hall, what do you expect? the price tag to be a mere 1 million? Yes, its a tad pricey for the average Singaporean.. but we’re talking housing about close to 30,000 people in a single seating. City Harvest is amazingly bold for a church.. I wish I was part of them, and the magnificent building they are going to have. Jealous, much? (: Comment on The science of motivation by Local talent - pap supporter wow… very motivating. can someone please send this video link to LKY the old fart and his people in his regime? Comment on Raiding the homeless – in the middle of the night by Dumb and dumber Well done TOC. Comment on Raiding the homeless – in the middle of the night by 1967 I feel so so sad for the campers, and so so pissed with the Govt. CPF: the risk of living too long In this 6-part video, Leong Sze Hian gives his take on the CPF Life scheme which will become mandatory in 2012. You can download the powerpoint slides for his presentation here. Related Posts MAS never said products are risk-free – MAS Dep Chairman Risk-free nest eggs The relentless rising cost of living – the video YouthQuake 6 – The Influence of Online Media on Singaporean Youths The Central Executive Committee of the Worker’s Party’s Youth Wing.  With the prevalence of online media on political parties, this topic takes on special significance as the role of online media vis-à-vis print media will come into prominence in the coming elections, much more so than in the 2006 elections. The Workers’ Party Youth Wing (WPYW) invites you to attend this sixth installment of the YouthQuake series of forums. This forum will bring together four young Singaporeans who will share with you their unique insights and experiences in the online media scene. It promises to be an engaging and enriching session for everyone! Date: Saturday, 16 January 2010 Time: 14:30 – 17:00 Location: 216G, Syed Alwi Road, #02-03 Speakers Profile & Speech Synopsis Making Sense of Virtual Reality – Agenda, Audience, ActionBy Elvin Ong, 24, SMU Business Undergraduate Elvin will explore the question to what extent can online media in the virtual world motivate people to take action, in particular, political action, in the physical world? Fighting in the Trenches: The New Media JungleBy Terence Lee, 23, NTU Communications Undergraduate & News Editor of The Online Citizen Having served as a writer, reporter, and editor of The Online Citizen, Terence will share unique and penetrating insights of his dip into the public sphere, some which he picked up the hard way. Implications of Singapore Law on Online MediaBy Sangeetha Yogendran, 23, NUS Law Undergraduate Sangeetha will be examining the rights one has regarding online media, focusing on censorship and defamation laws. She will also examine the potential implications of the cooling-off day and talk about whether the current laws should be changed in this new online era. Too Much of Anything is PoisonBy Ruth Komathi, 19, TP Psychology Student Ruth will be exploring the increasing usage of online media and its detrimental effects when used in excess. To register your interest, please contact Bernard Chen at bernardchen [at] wp dot sg. Related Posts YouthQuake – Transportation road map by youths Youths call for right to vote at Youthquake forum Should Singaporean youths be allowed to vote at 18? Rebutting Law Minister K Shanmugam Donaldson Tan Sometimes, one can’t help wondering if the Law Minister K Shanmugam is eyeing the the Education Minister Dr Ng Eng Hen’s job. After all, the Ministry of Education is seen as a crucial stepping board to senior ministerial position within the Cabinet, such as the positions of the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister. In a recent PETIR editorial, K Shanmugam suggested to introduce comparative political system to the classroom, further blurring the line between state organ and party organ. Already the line is blurred in Singapore. Blurring the line between state organ and party organ For starters, the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) is a party organ that performs a function of a Select Committee. The GPC is not qualified by the Singapore Constitution and it was introduced 2 years after the then MP for Anson JB Jeyaretnam first mooted for a Select Committee to examine the decision and processes of each government ministry, in 1985, in order to balance the powers of legislative branch with that of the executive branch of the government. While the GPC performs the role described by JB Jeyaretnam, it forms a hurdle for the Opposition to become an alternative government as the Opposition cannot participate in GPCs. In the editorial, K Shanmugam emphasised the agenda of maintaining PAP’s hegomomy in Singapore. He wrote, “One could conclude as long as PAP stays true to its principles and deliver progress, it should remain the dominant political force. But the conclusion is not so clear cut.” He goes on to say, “One factor which may potentially weaken its [PAP's] appeal is its ability to communicate its fundamental message to a younger electorate.” Are we in the danger that a state organ such as the Ministry of Education is morphing into a party organ? Another striking example of the diminishing distinction between state organ and party organ would be the setup of the HDB and People’s Association. A familiar complaint among opposition political parties is that the HDB does not consult the elected MP of the Opposition constituency on issues of estate management and HDB upgrading but the looser candidate from the ruling party who failed to win the ward. Meanwhile, the resources of the People’s Association are only available to the looser PAP candidate who acts as the grassroot advisor for the Opposition constituency to the People’s Association. The Singapore Armed Force is also playing to the ruling party’s tune. A friend told me during his recently concluded reservist training, he had to attend a National Education talk by a retired colonel. While dismissing the reservists’ complaints of rising ERP charges, the speaker emphasised the government’s line that Singapore need foreigners because Singaporeans refused to bear more children. The speaker also said if the Singapore government becomes corrupt as in the case of the Phillippines, Singaporeans would have to become domestic maids abroad. PAP knows best In the same editorial, K Shanmugam emphasised the wisdom of PAP. He wrote, “It [PAP] understands how vulnerable Singapore is in many respects – size, geographical situation, racial make-up, regional political, economic, military and social situations.” As if the collective wisdom of the PAP is invested in the Cabinet, but in fact leadership renewal within PAP appears at best, to be of form but not substance. While the leadership figures in the party have changed from one generation of cadres to another, party stelwart Lee Kuan Yew remains at the forefront as the ruling party’s human face and source of credibility. The current and previous Prime Ministers Lee Hsien Loong and Goh Chok Tong have failed to grow beyond his shadow. During the 2004 Singapore Airlines Saga involving labour dispute between the pilot union and management, it was the then Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew who interfered in his ministerial capacity. There are 4 pillars in a typical discourse of politics and public policy – state, market, society and geography. While the PAP has emphasised Singapore’s small size for its more authoratarian approach, the fact is the highly urbanised nature of Singapore actually facilitates for democracy. High population density provides the environment for natural conversation while high literary rates and high internet penetration facilitates the flow and exchange of ideas. It is not so much that whether democracy delivers good governance but actually urbanisation has lowered the barrier to participation in the public discourse of politics and public policies. Geography can impose barriers to participation. For example, the more prosperous cities of China demonstrated democratic trend such as greater participation in civil society and more voices representing special interest groups in policy making while the rural areas of China are governed with a commutarian slant as the rural population is not only poorer but also much more vulnerable to mother nature. Deference to authority is not due to choice but rather natural circumstances. In restropect, barrier to political participation in Singapore is artifically imposed and not imposed by geography. According to K Shanmugam, deviating from the Singapore model of democracy, which has delivered stability and rapid progress, will lead to trade-offs. He also said that Singaporeans are entitled to choose what trade-offs they want. However, Singaporeans have been administratively denied from choosing given the extensive walkover of GRCs in Singapore. Will the government put up the issue of political representation for public referendum? Calling Singapore model of governance a form of democracy is an act of milking the legitimacy of the word “democracy” Unsurprisingly, this has been done by national leaders of other countries. Examples include Surhato’s “Pancasila democracy” in Indonesia, Vladimir Putin’s “managed democracy” in Russia and Than Shwe’s “discipline-flourishing democracy” in Myanmar. One only needs to prefix democracy when there is deviation from the principles of democracy. More interestingly, K Shanmugam has failed to substantiate the trade-off of the Singapore model of governance, including but not limited to, the lack of accountability of the spectacular losses of our sovereign wealth funds, the market failure of the Singapore’s real estate sector whereby a single player dominates 80% of the market and the lack of competition in domestic markets, leading to escalating costs for the consumer in areas such as public transport. Even the banking sector is exempted from anti-trust laws in Singapore. Political education Last but not least, do we need political education to become politically aware? Is knowledge only attained through schooling? If the purpose is to gain political awareness to make informed choice over the type of government, then what is really needed is political participation in student governments to experience and understand the process and constraints. However, if there is no opportunity to make the choice in the first place, then political education in school is in fact political indoctrination. Extrapolating from current circumstances, the younger electorate will not have the opportunity to vote on this issue unless the government opens up the issue to a public referrendum. Prescribing an academic approach towards comparative political system is a distraction because politics is driven by aspiration and shaped by processes and constraints. More importantly, the point of having political education is to prepare students as future voters and not political scientists. Politics should not be simplified into abstract notions taught in the classroom, but rather political education should increase students’ awareness of political strategies and channels to communicate their thoughts related to policy-making and partisan politics. Worst of all, it will be the dearth of political ideologies should students are only trained to evaluate political thought according to this prescribed framework. In conclusion, there is no need for political education in the classroom. Instead, student governments should be liberalised to provide more opportunities for participation by the student population. Opportunities include, but not limit to, forming special feedback group within the student union to advocate or reform school policies, participating in union campaigns. Related Posts Law Minister defeats “Reporters without Borders’” straw man Home Affairs Minister to table Public Order Bill in Parliament Memo to the Prime Minister People of the tents Joshua Chiang   The campsite had a holiday feel to it. Clothes hung on makeshift clothes-line. Small stoves and barbeque pits occupy the floor around the park shelter. There were fishing rods, crab traps, guitars, styrofoam boxes, unwashed plates and utensils as well. At one of the shelter, there was even a table on which were two containers of syrup. People – mostly Malays – sat in the shelter, chatting, laughing. A couple arrived with their kid pushing a small shopping cart of groceries. I counted 23 tents pitched on a grass patch about 50 meters long. The kampung spirit certainly lived on in these people, one would assume. Except that most of them would rather not be here at Sembawang Park. They were here because they had nowhere else to go. You could say they are homeless, but you would be wrong. The homeless do not exist in Singapore. They are merely ‘temporarily displaced’. Andrew (Chief Editor of TOC) and I spoke to a couple seated inside one of the shelters. The male – his name is Zazali – had a place to stay, but he came on weekends to see his friends staying here. He was a very friendly chap, but as he spoke about the people living here (he claimed there were about 15 households), you could sense the frustration in his voice. When it rains, he said, the tents became flooded, even with the extra layer of canvas on top of almost every single one of them. (Next time you want to know if the campers are merely here for a day or two, or much longer, look at their tents). So what happened to the people inside the tents? I asked. They come to the shelter, Zazali replied. I looked around at the open shelter and asked how would it stop them from getting wet in a heavy storm. “Like this,” said Zazali standing behind one of the pillars. “And when there’s a strong wind, everything fly,” he continued, gesturing at the items around him. “Everything.” I imagined a whole family huddled behind one such pillars, most likely with a huge plastic sheet wrapped around them, pelted by the rain with the wind billowing around them, and wondered how anyone could live like for months at a stretch. But apparently they did. Somehow living like that had become the norm for them. Every eight days, they would go to the nearby AXS machine to re-book the use of the grass patch for their tents. (Legally no-one can camp at the place for more than eight days a month, but they somehow managed to get around it by getting their friends or older family members to take turns registering) But there were a few who had smaller networks of friends and family members, and they were fined up to $200 when they couldn’t re-book the turf. They showered and washed their laundry and dishes, and got their drinking water at the nearby toilet. “At least here, it is free,” Zazali noted. “At East Coast (Park) you pay 20 cents per entry.” They cook their meals on portable gas stoves. Sometimes visitors would offer them their leftover barbecued food. Didn’t any organizations come to donate stuff, I asked. He shook his head. It appeared that the only people who visited them were the park rangers. And it was usually to ask to see their permits. We were joined briefly by a young teenage boy who introduced himself as Sulaiman. His family of five – minus his father – had been staying here for four months ever since their uncle decided not to shelter them. His mother was in her 40s. Until recently, she was the only one in the family working. His eldest brother, who was sleeping in one of the tents, just found a job in the shipyard nearby. They had tried applying for one of the HDB rental flats but were told the waiting period was 13 months (and even then it was on a case-by-case basis, and also subject to an income-cap regulation). They were told the same thing when they approached their MP, or more accurately, the MP’s assistant. I forgot to ask if they had tried the open market (after all, if two people were working, they should be able to afford to pay the rental of $500 a month – which is the usual rate now), but I guessed having helped a friend find a room to rent before, most landlords would not want a family of five to share a room when they could offer the same room to a single person who is bound to be less of a hassle) We found out later that Sulaiman and his siblings had stopped schooling. Whatever the reason, we made a mental note to find out more when we return. Poverty should not be an excuse for stopping people from getting a decent education if they want to. (We also found out much to our astonishment that Yanni – the girl with Zazali- had been suspended from school for seven months – an awfully long time for whatever offenses she had committed) “You go talk to them ,” Zazali said, looking in the direction of the tents . “They get to know you more, then you will see them cry sometimes.” Pretty soon it was time to leave. We shook hands and gave our word that we would highlight this issue in whatever ways we can. “Thank you for listening,” was Yanni’s parting words. I felt the urge to tell her that many times that was all we could do, but held back. I guessed she knew as much. But at the same time, that was what the tent people needed at the very least. For someone to listen. For people to know. On our way out, we passed by a piece of land designated for the building of eighty houses. There is little doubt that there would be a mad rush for these units when they’re completed, even if each unit costs two millions. After all, it is next to a beautiful park, and faces the sea. If you’re lucky, your house might be the one getting the best view of the rising sun at dawn. There is little doubt too that the tent people would trade all these for somewhere they can sleep without getting wet whenever it rains. You can join this group to see more photos, or if you know people with similar stories to share: Happy Campers Related Posts More people apply but less people get help? 100,000 signatures so more people will step forward Reform Party: We shall liberate the people The tabernacle of respect Tng Ying Hui Recently the internet has been abuzz with news of a scantily clad woman who was molested at Sentosa Siloso beach party by four men. Bystanders, instead of taking action whipped out their phones for an exciting scoop (Read more here), mistaking such pejoration for a vignette. There has been speculation that the ‘woman’ in question was in fact, a transvestite, but this would be to gloss over the real story. First truth : Video voyeurism The truth is that we are increasingly obsessed with digital media. The hours spent on internet increases drastically with each generation, with online social networking through Youtube(ing) and Facebook(ing) becoming part and parcel of our lives. These habits are supplemented by our increasingly sophisticated handphones, which unfortunately have also been increasingly abused to exploit the vulnerability of others. Perhaps it is time to pause and reflect on the decadence that has plagued our society. Addiction to video voyeurism masquerading as affirmative “citizen journalism” is a reflection of a distasteful social psyche. Our privacy, once sacred, now trembles on the precipice. Guard the new age weapon – camera phones! Erratically alive with a variety of clips, the internet has become a platform to upload anything of interest to us, but we abuse it by neglecting the feelings of those involved in the clip. We should be prudent in our decisions, bearing in mind the decency and privacy of the subjects of our impromptu videos before we unveil them for all to see on the internet. An unwise decision could outrage another person’s fundamental right to privacy. Citizen journalism in Singapore plays an extremely important role by expanding our civic space, especially since the mainstream media and the government are engaged in a dysfunctional embrace that has stifled freedom of expression. Being a journalist is about doing Journalism, but mere voyeurism will only stultify the maturation of real journalism. Through such instances of video voyeurism, it is revealing that our right to privacy has been increasingly infringed upon and respect trespassed. Technology advances were meant to increase the convenience of our lives, but instead we suffer from the inconveniences when it is abused. Second Truth: Victims are not culpable In this particular case, outrageously unwarranted attention has been on the woman. Party goers have claimed that the woman was a willing party; she had no modesty and so this case cannot be considered an outrage of modesty. Regardless of what really ensued, the comments made by interviewees (before the rumour that she is actually a transvestite circulated), such as “She deserved it”, “It’s normal”, have reflected the worst of Singapore youths. (I breathed a sigh of relief when there was one guy who commented: “It’s disgusting”). Hefty censorship by Razor TV cannot be neglected. By editing the video favourable to them, they are able to elicit certain impact, making it newsworthy. But regardless, the words were not a fig of anyone’s imagination, they were real. From the comments, it implied that despite her vulnerability having been exploited, she was deemed culpable as a victim. I am not contending that her decision to dress skimpily was wise, but the focus of attention should have been on the men who groped her, the lack of respect and dignity from those who choose to engage in video voyeurism and those who blamed her entirely for the unfortunate incident. Her situation as a victim has been consigned to oblivion. By casting moral judgements on her, we are condoning molestation as the norm and implying that she ought to be blamed for unheeding it. But as Mathia Lee, social activist says, “The responsibility is not the victim’s to bear, because it is a basic human right to have a safe public environment. It is the responsibility of the state to ensure the environment is safe.” We all remember Tammy. Tammy from Nanyang Polytechnic, whose video of her boyfriend and her having sex was leaked, when her hand phone was stolen. It created such uproar, with unrelenting debates on pre-marital sex, but nothing much was said of the person who leaked the video. She was blameless, despite trampling on another’s privacy. The colloquial name conferred – “Tammy’s sex video” left her in the spotlight, alone, her other half blameless and nameless. We all remember Tammy’s act, but not her psychological state in the aftermath. What has happened to her? Do we even care? Third Truth: Patriarchy perpetuated This patriarchal society has percolated a mindset somewhat demeaning towards women, something which has seeped subtly into our consciousness. Nonchalance towards instances of molest in the clubs, by sadly relegating such instances as the norm, suggests a deeper problem of unbalanced power between the male and female entrenched within society. To focus a large amount of attention on the female club goers, construing them to stereotypes, would only further augment and canonize the power of the male. We are entrapped in the mindset that males should be given some slack as they have higher incidences of molesting, but the females are at fault for disregarding that “social norm”. Have we forgotten that as human beings we should always treat each other with dignity and respect? Meaning, in no circumstances should either gender be overstepping boundaries that make another uncomfortable. The environment of a club – alcohol, raging hormones, and suggestive signals – presents a complex issue here. But if we could treat one another as human beings, to love and respect, we will go the extent to prevent ourselves from denying someone else that. If there is even a slight possibility, that we may commit a mistake, should we not truncate all chances of that occurrence? And the fact that under the influence of alcohol our inhibitions are lessened is not an excuse for “mistakes”, but rather, to be more intentional in ensuring respect for oneself and others. Patriarchy has been perpetuated because we accept certain stereotypes about woman, and disrespectful behaviours of men towards woman as the “norm”. But when all abide by the most important norm – respect – social ills such as video voyeurism and unequal power between males and females will see a decline, achieving a mature society. “Men are respectable only as they respect” - Ralph Waldo Emerson Related Posts Care about AWARE: Leaders we respect Religion and the right not to respect it Singaporeans have no self-respect, says Jackie Chan Are evangelists religious extremists? Alvin Phoon Speaking at the TOC year in review, Miss Braema Mathi tells of her encounter with a religious group that showed up at her doorstep with the intention of spreading its gospel. Her opinion is that they should not have knocked on her door, as it was evident that she had identified herself as a Hindu with a picture of a Hindu deity on her front door. In her words, “How dare they?” It was, according to her, a deliberate intrusion of her personal space (“it’s my door”) and even though she told them politely (“did you not see the picture?”) that she wasn’t interested, one can’t help but wonder: Was her reaction absolutely necessary? Let’s assess the situation. Beginning with the evangelists, what exactly were their intentions? Evangelism is defined by the Oxford Dictionary of Current English as “the spreading of the Christian gospel by public preaching or personal witness”. Essentially, an evangelist who doesn’t preach is redundant – like a water bottle with its bottom cut out. Therefore, it should be safe to assume that their intention was to offer people insights into their beliefs. Carrying on from there, were those intentions good or bad? Should we assume that these evangelists are manipulative, with intention to wage an unspoken religious war against “the others”? Or do we give them the benefit of the doubt, and concur that their desire to spread what they perceive as good news is purely borne out of goodwill. I’ve dealt with my share of evangelists, and it always amazes me how wholeheartedly they believe in their religions. Despite my overwhelming cynicism, it is difficult to conceive of them having ill intentions, even if I disagree with what they have to say. Like kids sharing candy, one boy may like liquorice, and may offer it to the other kids because of what he perceives as an extraordinary flavor. The others have no obligation to accept the offer, and may even reject it. But when do evangelists cross the line? A Christian couple was convicted last year for distributing two anti-Muslim publications, The Little Bride, and Who is Allah? This was Singapore’s first sedition trial involving religious publications. I do not know if the couple had read it prior to its distribution, but the odds are they didn’t. The Little Bride is full of nothing but offensive, presumptuous statements. The fact that these inflammatory messages were displayed as a children-friendly comic strip makes it worse! Materials like these promote religious intolerance, and supply a one-sided view of religion. Were they correctly sentenced? Whether they were or not, they may have potentially ruined it for all evangelists in the country. Evangelists with the purest of intentions are now viewed as intolerant, religious extremists whose sole purpose is to rid the world of all opposing religions. Already, people like Benny Hinn have tainted the art of evangelism with their idiocy. The stereotype looks to be set in stone, and everyone is sold. Hence, when people feel that their personal space is intruded by evangelists knocking from door to door, are they already holding a biased impression that these well-meaning evangelists are religiously intolerant? Even if there were religious signage on the doors of these households, one wonders if the mere act of spreading the gospel constitutes disrespect for the religious choices of the households involved. Perhaps an actual, written sign would have worked better. “Beware of uninterested dweller” is subtle yet humorous, and also serves multiple purposes – it will repel salesmen, promoters and evangelists. If that doesn’t work, and they still come a-knocking, then Miss Braema’s sentiments would surely be justified. For now though, I’m not so sure they are. Related Posts Religious freedom and its discontents Time to take racial and religious harmony to the next level Religious harmony in Singapore – a façade? By: Mr.P Perhaps Janet Wee is another greenhorn lawyer, dreaming to get on board Lee & Lee? TOC Poll – Pick your favourite logo! The Online Citizen (TOC) has been online for 3 years but we’ve never had an official logo. So, we asked our fans on Facebook to help us design one – and they did. We thank everyone who took the time to create the following logos. We now need your vote to decide which one of them will be used as the official TOC logo. Please take some time to consider the entries and let us know your favourite. Polling closes on Sunday, 17 Jan, midnight. Thank you! Choose your favourite TOC Logo.(polling) Related Posts POLL – Singapore seen emerging as Asia’s weakest economy NMP Siew Kum Hong presents TOC’s poll findings to Parliament Poly students seek endorsements for fares campaign Discovering the Uncovered Fang Shiyuan and Jax Tan Uncovered is a temporary retail manifestation put up by Reckless Ericka in conjunction with ELOHIM by Sabrina Goh. This pop-up store retails for a restricted timeframe of one week starting from 7th Jan to 13th Jan 2010 at the Stamford House #01-13. Readers should note that the two brands are mutually exclusive and only share the same store, without collaborating for designs. Reckless Ericka In fact, exclusivity seems to be a recurring theme especially for Reckless Ericka’s “Escapism”. Their Spring/Summer 2010 (S/S 10) collection is so exclusive, some of their highly coveted pieces from their ladies collection have already been sold out or is on the verge of being so. And it is with no wonder why, considering the use of dream-like drapes as a general motif dominating the designs of S/S 10. The weight, texture and liberal amount of material allows clothing to hide flaws of the human body yet maintaining a suitable amount of classic tailoring, subtly creating a flattering silhouette for the wearer. The menswear collection on the other hand, veers more towards the feminine and takes a bolder personality to don the unisex designs for the casual wear. On the other hand, the suits for this season are marked by pastel designs that are certainly eye catching but hardly remarkable and reminiscent of the suit details and cut from their Autumn/Winter 2009 collection. Nonetheless, the impeccable tailoring is undeniable. “Escapism” aims to illustrate this particular state of the human subconscious through a color palette of cream, pastel peach, sea green, and black. It begins with the purest intentions, only to gradually stumble and to realize the other extreme of the mind – a wilder more complex side. The mind is forced to accommodate both sides, ending with a blend of both extremes to produce a color representing the uncertainty and confusion of the psyche. Environmentally friendly fabrics like Bamboo jerseys and Modal fabric were used to craft the unnatural and unique silhouette delivered by unusual draperies all about the body. Despite the organic materials derived from wood chips, the fabrics are surprisingly silky and soft to the touch, making for comfortable wear. This spring/summer collection is delightfully pleasing to the eye and luxurious to don, and is bound to be an easy seller. ELOHIM by Sabrina Goh Inspired by the idea of vulnerability under a strong façade, BOD MOD is ELOHIM by Sabrina Goh’s Spring/Summer 2010 collection. Derived from the phrase ‘Body Modification’, the designs make use of materials and details to portray clothing as an extension of one’s self. Literally, fringe details, leather braids and studs are frequently used in designs to depict hair and skin armour protecting the body. Lovers of fringe would adore this collection as much of it is adorned in the long swaying detailing. Less adventurous people may like to take caution however, as a few pieces have rather odd placements of it. Also, a generous amount of studs are used on many of the pieces as well, making this collection seem almost too trendy. Apart from that however, embellishments are few and arranged in more conventional ways. Staying true to the concept, clothes of the collection are in matte colours of white, pastel pink and blue and black while fabrics used give off an organic vibe. Seemingly to make up for the less attention grabbing colours, designs are rather structured and architectural, though not venturing far from the human body’s natural shape. Due to the form flattering nature and intriguing concept of BOD MOD, the collection is able to appeal to those with a strong sense of the aesthetic. Fans of Sabrina Goh’s previous collections will not be disappointed. For more information on both brands: Visit www.recklessericka.com for Reckless Ericka And www.sabrinagoh.com for ELOHIM by Sabrina Goh Pictures taken from the respective websites, as well as taken at the launch itself. Related Posts Celebpreneur Uncovered Back in fashion – The 90s The Uniqlo Experience in Suburbia Copenhagen: failure or success Eleina Eleina is a member of ECO Singapore. She was also a member of the ECO Singapore delegation that attended Copenhagen Climate Change Conference in December 2009. Assoc Prof Pauline Tay-Straughan had the following questions brought up to the Minister of Environment and Water Resources Dr Yacoob Ibrahim and the Parliament over the weekend. Response is to be expected at the Parliament session on the 11th January 2010. These questions from Assoc Prof Pauline Tay is timely with the recent conclusion of Copenhagen Climate Change Conference or COP15. It is necessary for us to engage and encourage the Government towards more sustainable development and promoting environmentally friendly policies. We look forward to Dr Yacoob’s response later today. ECO (Environmental Challenge Organization, Singapore) had attended COP14 in Poland (2008) and COP15 in Copenhagen (2009). For both, they’d had various members of the public actively engaged in the ECO blog. In this article, the ECO team shares civil society’s perspectives on the following: (a) What are the key achievements of the 2009 Copenhagen Climate Change Conference? Despite being a disappointment at the policy level, this outcome was somewhat expected since the Bangkok and Barcelona intersessions. However, it ended with a sort of light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel where the bigger players came together to work out a Copenhagen Accord which aims to set some foundation towards the Mexico negotiations in 2010. Citing reasons of overcrowding at Bella Centre, access was restricted in the second week of COP15. This was a contributing factor to the civil society being significantly left out towards the high-level segment. However, contrary to most media reports that it had a negative impact, the civil society lock-out caused tremendous dissent among the NGO sector which resulted in motivation to do more. Fired up more than ever, they worked hard during the second week on “Beyond COP15″ strategies. Furthermore, dedicated individuals who gave up hope on the government to do anything tangible, looked onto themselves to harness on the network they have built with other delegates and NGOs within and beyond their nation. In addition, there has been some progress made in narrowing the divide between the developed and developing countries, in the sense that both parties have agreed to monitor the cuts they have committed themselves to, under the Copenhagen Accord. This is in contrast to the Kyoto Protocol, where only developed countries made commitments. (b) What are the implications for ASEAN and Singapore? South East Asia, consisting mainly of low lying states and small islands, is a region that will be impacted by climate change. While not significant contributors to carbon emissions, our deforestation levels are high and therefore we too, as ASEAN have a role to play against climate change. ASEAN is well known for its empty rhetoric- whereby ideals are stated, strategies planned but execution limited. Cases in the past such as the ASEAN Strategic Plan of Action on the Environment in 1994, along with the way it has tackled the haze crisis so far, reflects this. As mentioned by our PM Lee Hsien Loong, ASEAN states are different in terms of resources and interests. Having a common stand on this issue will be difficult. While this is the reality of the organization, let’s not discount the small steps taken by ASEAN in developing a common stand while at the negotiating table of COP15- where they stated being committed to ‘actively contribute towards a successful outcome’. Preferring an amended Kyoto-Protocol as opposed to completely new agreement, ASEAN called for a legally binding agreement in accordance to the Bali Action Plan with focus on adaptation, mitigation, finance and technology transfer, along with a distinction between developing and developed nations. Reflected in the ASEAN Joint Statement on Climate Change, it pushed for Annex 1 parties / industrialized nations to take deeper and early cuts on their greenhouse gas emissions along with financial contributions to assist developing nations in mitigation and adaptation efforts. ASEAN also agreed to limit the increase of global average temperatures to two degrees Celsius. However, true to its foundation on protecting sovereignty of member states, it emphasized that the implementations of mechanisms such as the REDD be left to the discretion of the state according to levels deemed appropriate. Document drafted and common goals stated. But once again, true to what it has been known for, actions were limited. Little was seen from ASEAN during the negotiation process at COP15. The resulting Copenhagen Accord, does little in protecting the environmental conditions ASEAN nations are vulnerable to in the future. While certain goals pushed for through the Joint Statement were mentioned in the Accord, it is hard to say if ASEAN contributed to the adoption. Reception towards the Accord, or the document of ‘promises’ was also mixed among member states with Indonesia and Philippines welcoming it, and Thailand openly calling it a failure. ASEAN has to come together as a strong organization to bring forth our cause as South East Asia nations. It has to recognize that the member states alone, including Singapore, are too small a player and cannot make an impact. Thus, there is a need for them to work closer while recognizing their differences- the very basis behind the formation of the organization. Just as they have done in the field of economics, we hope that the same effort will be taken in protecting our environment, our survival. (c) How should our government have policies to further environment-friendly practices in Singapore? We believe that Singapore is in an ideal position to lead the way in environmentalism by being an example of an economy and society that works on the values of sustainability. These are areas we believe have potential for greater government efforts: Further reduction of carbon emission growth beyond the 16% reduction from 2020 base year the Government has proposed and to peak our carbon emissions before 2020. To act on the above regardless the outcome of COP15 (i.e. action must be taken even in absence of a legally binding global deal). Introduce a regulatory framework – to promote minimum standards in emission reductions and increased efficiency, especially in key industrial sectors. Monitoring should be frequent and persistent, to ensure strict adherence. Funding assistance for green technology adaptation, for all key sectors of the economy. Regional support, especially for less-developed nations, in the form of technology transfer, training, collaboration in research, implementation of know-hows, etc. Mediate global discussions to ensure needs of small-island states are not drowned out by the bigger players, and follow-through to ensure such needs are clearly represented in the final text of the climate convention agreement. To catalyse the creation of a common voice among South East Asian states, so as to strengthen focus on our interests as a region during negotiations. Greater focus on technology research in the area of environment sustainability to adapt Singapore better against climate change. Raising awareness among the people, private and public sectors on the impacts and opportunities arising from climate change and to guide them in adopting greener standards. This article was first published at here Related Posts Philippines must demand deep and early cuts in GHG emissions from developed countries in Copenhagen The Singapore Story – A failure of pragmatism Can S’poreans conceive failure?