The Online Citizen misses the point Dear Andrew LohIn the article Why proper oversight of police powers is important you have pointed out that our new Public Order Act as well as the amended Films Act will allow police abuses to go unchecked. This is a gross misrepresentation of the facts. First off, we are the People's Action Party and the right term to describe such acts is Police Action, not Police Abuses.Our country is a world class global city. We are also a small island. WE have no natural resources. WE are delicate and fragile, the slightest hint of dissent and we could very possibly descend into racial rioting and anarchy. This is a threat to us the PAP for without social stability there can be no investment in the pseudo private corporations we hold well-paying board positions in.As such, do not worry for you will never face such a situation where such police action is necessary. We are more than capable of stopping you lesser mortals from even starting a protest. We have laws against you, we will break up your little gathering before you gather more than 5 people together, we cripple your potential base of support by re-educating school kids with our National Education program, we instill fear in you by making an example of Chee Soon Juan once in a while but most importantly, we will raise ERP prices if you try to protest so everytime you drive to Parliament House to raise your pathetic placards, we will make sure that little device in your car goes BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP. (And yes your placards are pathetic. Just look around you, we the PAP have those nice banners everywhere with our pretty MPs' faces on them)By the way, if you insist on protesting, our police force, unlike the Brits can outnumber you easily, box you in and prevent you from going anywhere. Dr Chee and his sister should know how that feels.And now for the deceptively benign smiley face. :)Yours Truly,Your Mother We will be away for some time Sorry dear readers, But the Secret Political Blog will not be updating for a week or so due to exams.Cy and I have exams soon =/Don't worry! We will be back! =D Merlion kena struck by Lightning: Ministers express their opinions Part of Merlion's skull fell apart after a Lightning Bolt struck its head on Saturday. (See above picture)Following the strike, an emergency cabinet meeting was organized as ministers tried to make sense of what is going on. Minister of Home Affairs, Wong Kan Seng, was however not present as he was still hiding in a small corner of his home hoping that no one will notice that the one year anniversay of The Great Escape had recently passed. He, however, sent a written note to the meeting asking if he will lose his job over the Lightning Bolt.Another notable figure missing was President Nathan, who is currently in hibernation. Nathan claimed that he needed to hibernate for he over-exerted himself recently following his landmark decision to turn over the key to the reserves and holding a press conference to explain his landmark decision to turn over the key to the reserves. He was heard whining: "When they gave me this job, they assured me that I had to do nothing at all except to appear on national tv once a year during the NDP! Then now they make me do so much work! Whats next? Maybe next time they might even force me to actually campaign to get elected! Atrocious!"Meanwhile, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew was convinced that the attack on the Merlion was the work of foreign forces. "See? I told you all along that the foreigners and human right groups were always in a 'conspiracy' to 'do us in'. And that is why, we must be steadfast in celebrating our independence from the evil ang mo influence by continuing to abuse human rights." said MM Lee in the middle of writing a lawyer letter to be mailed to Chee Soon Juan.When pressed for comment, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong expressed his opinion. "The Merlion is a national icon. In light of this unprecedented crisis, Singaporeans must stay together. We must be optimistic during this crisis. Remember! We can Upturn the Downturn, Spur ourselves on, Build and Boost our workforce, and there is no need to lose hope during this...." For the full details of what PM Lee said, please tune in to a state television channel around National Day to hear the 2009 NDP rally speech.Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan used the opportunity to praise the work ethic of the Merlion. "Just look at the Merlion," he said, "After being struck by lightning, it is still working and spewing out water! That is the work ethic that I want Singaporeans to develop. Use the Merlion as your role model. Even if you kena lightning strike, and part of your skull fall out, don't look to the government for a crutch. Go back to work instead!"On the other hand, Conspiracy Theorists online discussed the uncanny resemblance between the shape of lightning bolt which struck the Merlion and the PAP party's lightning bolt. "Look. Both have the same zig zag shape. How can this be a coincidence? Could it be that our leaders are actually behind the attack on the Merlion?" wondered a Mr Tan aloud before he was knocked out and dragged away by masked ISD forces. His current whereabouts remain unknown.Another credible rumour on the internet is that the government has hired a top team of geomancers and fengshui masters to correct the disturbance in the fengshui force field caused by the lightning strike to the Merlion.The Merlion struck was but one of the five Merlions originally placed around Singapore in strategically important positions to ensure the smooth flow of chi around Singapore and to create an atmosphere conducive for earning money. As such, the team of geomancers and fengshui masters will be given pay pegged to the top earners of the public sector to compensate them for their great service to Singapore's economy.- Reporting,The Secret Political Blog Mas Selamat Kastari - A Grim Reminder for us all Exactly one year ago, Mas Selamat Kastari escaped from the Whitley Road Detention centre under circumstances that were hugely damaging to the Home Affairs' Ministry's reputation. Just to recap, this is a brief summary of what happened. (see here for a beautiful poem)Gross oversight by the ISD - Limping Mas Selamat escaped because the window grill wasn't locked, because there was plenty of toilet paper to cushion his landing, because the guards on duty were negligent and because no one was informed until it was too late.Minister Wong Kan Seng refuses to accept responsibility, Minister Wong Kan Seng blames others, Minister Wong Kan Seng redefines the concept of responsibility and accountability.PM Lee keeps silent for 11 days, PM Lee changes topic to Singaporeans' complacency in general (and this I feel is a very sneaky tactic)Committee of Inquiry is set up, Committee of Inquiry is very independent, Singaporeans who question don't know betterWhile this is not the only incident where our dear PAP has been responsible for such a catastrophe, it is particularly important that we take this as a grim reminder. Never trust your government wholeheartedly. This disaster demonstrates the fact that immune as the PAP may be to the power of the vote (33% voted Opposition, but they only got 2 seats), they're still not infallible.And as with all situations where there is no guarantee that things will not go wrong, we need some form of check and balance. In most democracies, we call that the ballot box. In our democracy, you would have to toss a coin each elections because you never know how the boundaries would be drawn this time and if you happen to fall under a walkover ward (50% chance) you'll have to wait another 5 years before you can cast your vote on that serial-numbered slip of paper which will not be burned until 6 months later.In our democracy, don't expect a strong opposition party when their leaders are bankrupt, where no one dares to be an opposition party member because they don't want to become bankrupt or find out that half the businesses in Singapore don't want to hire them because some PAP party member is sitting on the board.In our democracy, remember that when the opposition wins, it's a "freak election" worthy of some undemocratic intervention.That said, this is why I appluad Chee Soon Juan for supporting democratic ideals. (Even though I think he could obviously afford to tread a little more carefully.) The Picture That Spoke A Thousand Words In November last year, three people - John Tan Liang Joo, 47, assistant secretary-general of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP); activist Isrizal Mohamed Isa, 33; and full-time national serviceman Muhammad Shafi'ie Syahmi Sariman, 20 - were sentenced to jail for the crime of contempt of court. The reason given - they wore T-shirts depicting a kangaroo dressed in judge's robes. However, many of you do not know the real reason. The real reason is this - it was the "worst insult possible" - says Justice Judith Prakash. (See here) But nvm the fact that this reminds me of petty little kids' squabbles, this picture - - has in fact been interpreted to mean the following things. 1) It implied that Singapore courts are 'kangaroo courts' 2) This is therefore a serious and scurrilous insult that struck at the foundation, the body and the spirit of the justice system (powerful kangeroo picture indeed, able to strike at the holy trinity of the judicial system all at once) 3) It was designed to degrade the administration of justice 4) It sent the message that justice cannot be obtained in Singapore's courts and that Singapore's legal proceedings are a sham 5) It is the "worst insult possible" It is amazing how one simple picture like this can inspire the judiciary to infer the above meanings. It is even more amazing that the judiciary is so sure that the trio intended to - "strike at the foundation, the body and the spirit of the justice system". I'm sorry but perhaps that would be giving the trio too much credit. I mean, if they wanted to strike at the foundation, the body and the spirit of the justice system, surely they would have done something more drastic. More amazing still is the fact that the judiciary can only draw inferences that the independence of its courts is being questioned from the picture of a kangeroo. Well, I think they need to wake up. If the reputation of the judicial system is truly of great concern to them, they should at least look at what kind of accusations people other than these three have been leveling at them. And let's not look local, let's have a look at the international consensus. International Bar Association In the resolution Speak up on Singapore, endorsed in 11 Oct 2007, calls were made for Singapore's judiciary to maintain it's independnce. (You can find it here) One of the clauses contained within it was, ALARMED at the award of summary judgments to the PAP plaintiffs in defamation lawsuits in 2001 and 2006 involving Chee Soon Juan, Chee Siok Chin and the SDP, and the con-sistent and repeated awarding of cases to the Singapore Government and the PAP in court cases by the Judiciary;This resolution was signed by over 20 organisations. They include, a. World Movement for Democracy b. Council for the Community of Democracies c. Liberal International d. National Endowment for Democracy e. Club of Madrid f. Democracy Coalition Project g. Reporters Without Borders h. Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats i. and many prominent lawmakers and democracy advocates from various liberal political parties around the world and independent committees. Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} An IBA report (can be found here) has also questioned our judiciary's independence. Australia Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} On the trial involving student leader Tan Wah Piow, Australia’s Queen Counsel Frank Galbally had this to say In Australia, the case would be laughed out of court...the evidence and procedure...would have aborted any trial in Australia...The three accused persons did not get a fair trial... In my opinion, it is just a political trial.New York Bar Association New York Bar Association after a fact-finding mission to Singapore led by the late Robert B. McKay, then dean of the New York University Law School, observed, What emerges...is a government that has been willing to decimate the rule of law for the benefit of its political interests. Lawyers have been cowed to passivity, judges are kept on a short leash, and the law has been manipulated so that gaping holes exist in the system of restraints on government action toward the individual.Amnesty International Civil defamation suits are being misused by the Executive to intimidate and deter those Singaporeans holding dissenting views…In fact the government's resort to civil defamation suits to intimidate and deter those Singaporeans seeking to dissenting views may well have a more subtle and insidious effect than the ISA, in that such suits are not so likely to provoke domestic and international protest. Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} The International Commission for Jurists [Singapore's judiciary has] done little to overcome the courts' reputation as improperly compliant to the interests of the country's ruling People's Action Party (PAP). United States of America (Land of the Free!) The American state department, which is in rather less danger of being sued by the PAP than are the opposition or newspapers, has expressed concern about judicial independence in political cases in Singapore. In its latest human-rights report, in March, the department noted that the PAP's consistent success in defamation suits against critics "led to a perception that the judiciary reflected the views of the ruling party in politically sensitive cases." Quite clearly, the Singapore judiciary has been a bit slow in recognising that it's independence is already being questioned. Ultimately, it would do the judiciary good to be mindful of the fact that this incident doesn't just show that there are people who are willing to question the judiciary's independence, but that a portion of society possibly agrees with these views. If the judiciary is truly concerned about the respect it commands, it has to do something about this lack of respect that it currently commands. Lesser Mortals: Get your news from The Straits Times today!!! The most read stories for the Straits Times online!!!Most read online prize goes to...SEX with teen sister-in-lawMost blogged about prize goes to...This is why people continue to buy expensive items - they can still afford it!!!Singapore Seen prize goes to... (I have no idea what Singapore Seen is)Intense drama as foreign worker that we really shouldn't be xenophobic about plays cat and mouse with men in blue who used brinjals as guns! (no they didn't really use brinjals, but that's the only reason why I'll read such a thing)Amazing isn't it, our mainstream press really does a good job of informing us lesser mortals about what we need to know. The farce of the Foreign talent scheme: Another Foreign Athelete leaves ONE of Singapore's rising foreign badminton talents has quit the national team, complaining that he was told to either take up citizenship or go.Doubles specialist Riky Widianto, 17, who has been here since 2005, flew home to Indonesia yesterday after tendering his resignation to the Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) earlier this month.Badminton officials had wanted him to become Singaporean in time to represent the country at this year's South-east Asia Games, but Riky said his parents felt he was too young to make the move. 'I wanted to stay and fulfil my dream as a badminton champion for Singapore,' he told The Straits Times. 'But I had no choice because the association told me I had to become a citizen now, or quit. When I read this article, I grew increasingly convinced that the foreign talent scheme for sports is just a whole bunch of hogwash.We are told that the foreign athletes are our countrymen, and that we ought to support them because they are Singaporean. However, we see this statement:Badminton officials had wanted him to become Singaporean in time to represent the country at this year's South-east Asia GamesWhat is the meaning of this?How can one gain Singaporeaness "in time" for the SEA games? Does Riky's coach make Riky eat chicken rice for 3 meals daily, listen to the national athemn 24/7 a week and kowtow to a statue of PM Lee 365 times a year?How does one gain the Singaporean Spirit within just four years (Riky arrived in 2005), despite training in some badminton hall isolated from the larger part of Singaporean society and staying in the hostel from Sunday night to Friday night as dictated by the Sports School rules, and flushing down a frog or two down the toilet bowl when they have free time?But of course, the officials involved care nothing about the Singaporean Spirit. Their definition of Riky becoming a Singaporean is the precise moment when Riky get his hands on a pink IC and a red passport - that alone is their required proof of being Singaporean. And that is the proof that they desperately seek, so that they can win another medal, regardless of how Singaporean the medal is.Afterall, paper citizenship is the only requirement of the SEA games competition rules.Nevermind if you don't even know the deep symbolism behind a tissue paper packet lying on a hawker center table. As long as you can win a medal we will be more than happy to give you as many passports as you need.The article continues: It is not unusual for promising foreign athletes to be fast-tracked for citizenship. National table tennis player and Olympic silver medallist Feng Tianwei, 22, arrived from China in 2007 and became a Singaporean less than a year later. Can you believe Feng Tianwei's Olympic silver medal win was truly for Singapore? That she has somehow in the space of a single year became imbubed with enough "Singaporeaness" to be fit to qualify for citizenship?It seems as though our officials only care about the superfical, about the medal count, that they are more than happy to dispense Singapore Citizenship freely over the counter like Subutex before it was banned.As for Riky, I feel sorry that our Singaporean officials has made a mockery out of the foreign sports talent scheme. He could have become another Ronald Susilo, a fellow Indonesian, who first came to Singapore in 1993, gained citizenship only in 2002 and has generally been accepted by the Singaporean public, and perhaps, a successful model of what the foreign sports talent scheme should be?Instead, Riky was forced to "become Singaporean" in only three years.ConclusionMeanwhile, at the Youth Olympics, an interesting development is happening.Perhaps it is difficult to convert foreign youths into Singaporeans easily at a young age, so more attention is finally paid to local youths for the YOG.I received this interesting bit of news from a friend in Judo, that the sports council is trying to train local Judo students in the sport of Wrestling to compete in the Youth Olympics. This is because there exist no Wrestling cca in Singaporean schools, ergo no local talent pool for Wrestling, forcing the council to train Judo students in Wrestling for the two sports bear some resemblance.Now, that is what I call a creative solution, it shows that there exist local solutions.The sports council should really think twice next time, before trying to peddle Singaporean passports to foreigners whom have barely set foot on Singaporean soil. Lets take our Old on a trip to Malaysia - One which they will never forget SINGAPOREANS could consider living in nursing homes in neighbouring Johor Baru, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan suggested yesterday....It would be cheaper, yet be near enough to Singapore for family members to visit and for residents to return for medical care if necessary, he said.For most Singaporeans, visiting a relative in a Johor Baru nursing home would not pose significant difficulties, he said....Mr Khaw added: ‘Of course many visit daily, but quite a significant number visit only during the weekends, so what is the difference in putting them in Johor Baru?’- The Straits TimesAfter reading news articles like this which feature the thoughts of our ministers, I will close my eyes for a while and wonder, really wonder:Why are we paying him this much money? Lets say you paid a million dollars to hire an employee.Surely you will expect the million dollar-salaried employee to possess not only a brain, but also with a heart left whole and intact in his ribcage?Will you not feel cheated if the employee you hired is defective, lacks a heart, and is an emotionless robot?Mr Khaw seems to lack the profound ability to empathize with others, and now I will answer his rhetorical question:"What is the difference in putting them in Johor Baru?"1) The DistanceAlthough Mr Khaw said that JB and Singapore are near, I highly suspect that he was only looking at the raw statistic provided to him which says that Singapore is merely about 20 km away from Johor Baru.Have Mr Khaw ever drove across the causeway to buy some chewing gum or to refill his fuel tank (before the ban) like Singaporeans do? Perhaps he has not even stepped onto the soil of our neighbor for such a long time for he has forgotten about the dreaded causeway jam.Imagine it is a weekend, and you want to visit poor old granny across the causeway. Competing with you, jostling for space, bumper to your bumper, is the flood of Malaysian foreign workers, students, Singaporean shoppers and chewing gum addicts all trying to go North.In the backseat of your car are your kids, crying and complaining about the slow moving jam, the need to pee, the incessant honking, and the computer games they could play at home. In short, they do not like to visit Grandma, and the long trip is only making it worse.Perhaps, you think to yourself, that you will stop the weekly visits and make the visit forthnightly.Very soon, the fortnight visit becomes a monthly one.Eventually, the visit to Grandma's JB nursing home will become something like the Hajj Prigrimage, something that your children will have to do, if they are able-bodied, at least once in their lifetimes - to visit the old relic in a foreign country.Granted, one argues that the same can happen even when Grandma is still in Singapore. But surely, surely, the added distance will add an additional strain on fillal piety.And of course, if you happen to be too poor to own a car and drive to the causeway, which necessiated you having to put Grandma in Malaysia in the first place, you will have to take a bus to get to JB.And taking an about 4 hour bus ride just to visit Grandma in JB will surely deliver a crushing blow to fillal piety.2) The living standardsLets face it. The pollution and crime rate in Malaysia is a lot worse than that in Singapore.Will Grandma be happy breathing in polluted air and wondering about when burglars armed with parangs will barge into the nursing home?Or will the facilities be decent? Will non-chinese/dialect-speaking Malaysians be hired in the nursing homes and the old folks cannot even chat with the employees?3) The ethical issueThere is the attachment old folks will have to Singapore, the land where they spent, most, or bulk of their lives in.The old folks contributed to Singapore,laid down the foundations for the future generations,worked, slugged and toiled.Even though they are not the ones reaping the benefits of their hard work - the younger generations are the ones who are - many of them are still patriotic and have come,to love Singapore in ways that we cannot imagine.And how do we even dare, to suggest, to deny them the soil underneath them,to banish them from the land which they shaped from dust and clay in the olden days where Singapore was nothing?What is the point of being patriotic if you cannot even be assured that you will be able to stand and die on the soil which you enriched when you grow old and useless? Conclusion: Running away from the problemIn the end, the suggestion to relocate our old folks up north is just running away from the real problem.True. the cheaper nursing homes in Malaysia will provide a great deal of financial relief to families who are genuinely pressed by monetary issues to send their grand-parents overseas.However, lets think of a solution. Local in nature. One which does not break my heart like this.If one thinks about it, the only reason why nursing homes in JB are considered over Singaporean ones is due to the low cost.In short, the problem is due to money. And money problems can be solved by money.And who is the entity in Singapore with the most amount of money...?The best solution I can think of is for the government to provide cheaper HDB flats - that way, the healthy old who are able to live without the medical facilities of a nursing home can live with their familes, or by themselves, without the indignity of being in a home or in Malaysia.Lets not talk about "Studio Apartments" the government has been touting as homes for the old. A quick check on Google revealed $2500 for monthy rent, and $ 360 k for the apartment itself.Also, "Studio Apartments" are also aimed at foreign expats who live alone, whose additional demand could drive prices up.Instead, the HDB could perhaps have some fairer pricing policies, and price its HDB flats closer to cost price to reduce the cost of housing our grandparents. Instead, we still do not know the cost of building a flat as well as the profit which HDB earns from the sale of flats.Lets make this clear. A HDB flat is not just a bedroom, kitchen, living room, toilet.It is a home.It concerns the lives of real people.So could Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan, look to the HDB for solutions to the problem of housing our aged? The answer can be found right here, not up north.One that does not involve driving them to some distant land? The Stomp out STOMP movement The good folks over at Stomp Out STOMP movement sent me an email asking for help in publicizing their cause. They have compelling arguments which can be found here and they also created a facebook group which has 430 members who feel the same way about STOMP - that it is basically a trashy web-tabloid which should be Stomped out of existence.Let me explain to readers what STOMP is, for those who are fortunate enough to have never had chanced upon the hideously frightful entity known as STOMP. (For those lucky readers, a trip to the website of ridicule will be useful)STOMP stands for "Straits Times Online Mobile Print" and its intended purpose is to bring the online world under the control of the state media to provide an avenue for readers to contribute content, and for others to participate in a discussion as a part of the Straits Times' strategy to reach a larger online audience.The Straits Times Editor Han Fook Kwang explained, "In the new media environment, newspapers have to be more than just passive providers of news. They have to engage their readers in areas which appeal to them. We have to provide readers with new avenues to express themselves, to enable them to interact with us, and among themselves.""STOMP will enable us to do this. We want STOMP to become a forum of lively discussions - whether the topics are weighty national issues or where to get the best bak chor mee." - STOMP About usStaring at the preceding two paragraphs for an hour, I suddenly realized one thing -The Mr. Han guy wants news "which appeal" and cause "lively discussions". That is the vision of STOMP, and that is why it is destined to remain as a web-tabloid. Why?Notice that Mr. Han opts for news "which appeal" as opposed to news which are actually newsworthy and important, and he wants "lively discussions" as opposed to discussions which are insightful and possess an intellectual dimension.To show that STOMP is in fact an online tabloid which feature the most astoundingly un-newsworthy content on the internet, let me ridicule some of the articles contributed by the so called "citizen journalists":A drain is filled with leaves and an article is posted about it:STOMPer Littlebabe is appalled at the sight of this drain all filled up with dried leaves. She says:"Look at the drains outside Block 358 Clementi Ave 2."The whole stretch is filled with dried leaves."I have noticed it for days, probably months."But the sweepers or Town Council are not doing anything about it."Is Singapore really a clean country?"Okay... This is hard for me to digest. This girl sees a long kang filled with leaves and she goes:"OMG, I SEE A LONGKANG!OMG THATS NOT ALL, THE LONGKANG IS FULL OF LEAVES!OMG I MUST POST AN ARTICLE ON IT ON STOMP FOR THE WHOLE WORLD TO SEE!".And the STOMP article which you just read is the result of shrieking OMG at anything you encounter in life.However, the most appalling thing is that a grand total of two thousand seven hundered and fifty (2750) people viewed the article. Yes that is right. 2750 people read about leaves in a drain, which gives you a mindboogling idea of how many people actually use STOMP and bother to read about leaves in a drain.Oh wait hang on.A ant just crawled across my table.Be right back. I am going to write a STOMP article which is going to be the next big thing.(You can be the 2751th person to view the article here)A company flag is spotted and an article is posted on it:Why so blur, wonders a STOMPer, who spotted this flag outside the Goldbell building. At first look, it appears as if the flag was hung upside down. But on closer scrutiny, one can see that the flag itself may have been wrongly printed.Said Bala:"These pictures were taken in front of Goldbell Building. "The flag itself is hung upside-down. If they can do this to a company flag, what would they do to a State flag?"- STOMPThe first thing is that I don't care about a bloody corporate flag, even if it is hung upside down.The second thing is that the logic in the sentence in bold is seriously flawed. Stare at it if you missed the fallacy.And how many people read the article? Two thousand four hundered and thirty three viewers.TPJC students petting in bus back seatThese two Junior College students were heavy petting at the back of bus number 12, says STOMPer EnG. The girl even moaned and screamed at certain points. Here's what the shocked STOMPer had to say: "I witnessed these two young Junior College students having fun at the back of the bus number 12. "They got on at Tampines JC bus stop. "Throughout the ride, soft moans were heard being made by the girl. At certain times the girl actually screamed. "The girl was even lying down at times. "I don't know what were they doing, but the guy looked like he was really enjoying it. "They were touching, heavy petting, groping. "it was so unsightly as they were not shy at all about displaying such affections in public."- STOMP And alas, far from limiting themselves to posting about leaves in drains or other uninteresting stuff, the STOMPers have degenerated into being tabloid reporters in this article titled:'TPJC students petting in bus back seat: 'Girl moaned and screamed at times'Does it "appeal to readers"? Check.Does it excite viewers enough for a "lively discussion"? Check.This is the ideal STOMP article, one which generated over 100, 000 and 382 comments, demostrating both appeal and excited commentators.And is the content similar to articles in tabloids? Check.The couple in question did not escape being featured on the tabloid unharmed.A few days later, another headline on STOMP screams:'JC takes action against petting students: Both stripped of council title'The two TPJC students earlier caught petting in the back of a public bus have since been stripped of their student council titles by their school. Earlier, EnG had alleged that he had seen the students petting in the back of bus service number 12. Shin Min Daily News subsequently carried a story on the incident, also made available on www.asiaone.com, that said that both students had been stripped of their posts on the student council by their school.According to Shin Min Daily News, the 18-year-olds were not in a romantic relationship. Instead, they are reportedly god-siblings - godchildren of each other's parents. In addition to being stripped of his title, the male student was suspended for sneaking out at 2 am during a school camp over the weekend to purchase a copy of Shin Min Daily so that he could read about the report. He maintains that they are both innocent and had not done anything wrong, and that he was merely consoling her over her recent move to another class. In fact, he says it was the girl's mother that had asked her to send her home. His parents have also filed a police report, claiming that their son's life has been disrupted due to this incident.Meanwhile, the female student was reportedly detained in school for 3 hours and instructed to write a statement of repentance for her "wrongdoings". She refused, and was allegedly told that she was not allowed to leave school until she had written it. When her father found out, he was outraged by the school's actions and made a police report. He then went straight to the school and demanded that his daughter be allowed to go home. The vice-principal of TPJC said however that she had been allowed to go home at around 1pm but remained as she did not have the keys to her house.The VP also said that the decision to fire them from their positions as student councillors was based on the fact that they did not maintain good conduct. Because of the incident, an ambulance was summoned for the female student by her parents at around 6.24pm on Monday, but her condition was deemed not severe enough to warrant hospitalization.- STOMPSo much for "Citizen Journalism" indeed.All I see are people getting excited over the most minute matters in life and future talents for tabloid newspapers.The folks at the Stomp out STOMP movement have it right, and you can see more of their eloquent arguments against STOMP here as well.Meanwhile I feel wasted that the State Media has managed to launch yet another elaborate scheme to distract the online community from the real matters which concern Singapore today.Sad day it is. The New Paper: Think of Faceless Online Critics as Bacteria Sitting on my toilet bowl one Sunday morning reading The New Paper, I came across this article with this headline:Think of Faceless Online Critics as Bacteria Needless to say, I was outraged. Since my blog criticizes both online and anonymously, I have qualified for the criteria to be compared to a microbe by The New Paper.And this is the first time I have been insulted that badly before.People have insulted me before, but never in my life had I ever suffered the indignity of being called a bacteria.Those sons of Salmonella scum at The New Paper....Back to the main issue.I will now proceed to teach Mr Eugene Wee, that E. Coli low life at The New Paper, why his arguments are flawed.THE online flaming brigade was certainly busy over the last two weeks. The target was senior civil servant Tan Yong Soon who wrote about his family holiday in Paris. Then Pasir Ris-Punggol MP Charles Chong became a target when he was quoted as using the term ‘lesser mortals’ to describe Mr Tan’s critics.Online comments typically are hard-hitting and vulgar at times. Everyone, it seems, gets a big dose of courage when they wear a Harry Potter-style invisible cloak. Hiding behind fake names and untraceable e-mail addresses, it’s easy to act like a warrior.See? The article was written in defense of the now infamous duo - Mr. Yong-can-cook and mightier-than-thou Greater Immortal Charles Chong, and bashes the anonymous commentators who flamed them. This shows that even The New Paper, a tabloid, is under control by the government and reiterates the long held government stand that anonymity in the internet is bad.Ironically, Eugene then proceeds to lecture to us about courage.Look here. If you have courage, you won't be working in a Press rated 144th out of 173 in the Reporters without Borders Worldwide Press Freedom index.And is the courage you gain from anonymity a bad thing as Eugene derides?The courage from being online and anonymity merely enables you to say what you withhold in real life. In Singapore, the offline world has historically been a repressive place unfit for freedom of expression and people know instinctively that it is better to say less.So what is wrong with giving courage to people who have been deprived of it?Anonymity itself is not the enemy. In the case of corporate or government whistleblowers, anonymity encourages people to come forward with essential information that may reveal wrong doing . The media, too, sometimes relies on anonymous sources when reporting sensitive stories. This usually happens when these sources agree to give up important information, which is otherwise unavailable, only if their names are not revealed due to fear of reprisal or embarrassment. But a crucial point is that these anonymous sources are known to someone, like a reporter, and efforts are made to verify the information supplied. Pssssst. You yes you. Come closer. I got something to tell you. I just heard something and I swear that is true. You know who Lee Hsien Loong is? Yes, that big guy running Singapore now. You know what? He is secretly a woman.Kuan Yew had always wanted a male heir to suceed him and his empire. But his wife gave birth to a girl. Desperate, Kuan Yew proceeded to cover up Loong's gender and even brainwashed Loong into thinking that he is male, just lacking balls and equipped with a concave lanjiao.This lie has always continued until now. Nah just kidding. But the point is this. If you see somebody posting such comments online, will you believe them?People online who read alternative media are discerning people. In fact, I will venture that they are more discerning than the average people who absorb the mainstream newspapers uncritically.Bearing in mind that online viewers are critical people, they will attempt to verify information posted by anonymous viewers themselves, either through reason or research. So don't assume that we are unable to digest anonymous information ourselves, Mr Euguene.Don’t blame ‘Big Brother’ for not identifying yourself. Then who do I blame? Honestly, without the threat of "Big Brother" watching me I will now be posting using my real name. Heck, I will even tell my GP teacher about this blog so that she will excuse me from doing pathetic reflections on newspaper articles since I blog about ST articles all the time.But the threat is real.Gopalan Nair has reported that during CSJ's court trial, Mr Lee said that he will sue any Blogger who defamed him if the Blogger's identity is known. Gopalon Nair is quoted below:On day 2 of Lee Kuan Yew and son verses Dr. Chee Soon Juan case, Lee senior had said in answer to a question by Dr. Chee, that if he, Lee Kuan Yew, knew the identity of bloggers in cyberspace who defamed him (defamation being used of course in the Singaporean sense), he will sue and bankrupt them. - Gopalon NairSadly, Gopalon Nair proceeds to post his identity online, together with his exact address, and even telephone number to see if Mr Lee sues him.The result? He was sued. Although Nair was sued for other content posted on his blog which was "Contempt of the Court" and not sued for "Contempt of the Lee", his example still shows that the specter of Big Brother is real. Frighteningly real.So Mr Euguene. You sitting down in a comfy chair in an office in a press, which is arguably an extension of the government, which arguably makes you a civil servant. You. How can you understand the fear of us online bloggers who remain faceless if only to protect oursevles?But online critics are largely faceless. You can’t tell if it’s just a small group or an individual kicking up a storm, or if there is widespread discontent.Let us pretend that there are 100 different comments all posted anonymously in reply to this blog post.Which is likelier? That there are 100 different commentors or that 1 person posted 100 different comments just to create the disillusion of widespread discontent?Granted, the real answer is somewhere in between - some anonymous people might comment more than once. But massive uproars cannot be faked and the recent uproars do serve as a rough guage about how much discontent there is.See the punchy comments in the letters to newspapers. These readers have the guts to speak their minds openly.Lets keep in mind that if the letters punch too hard they will be rejected by the SPH which is adverse to people punching the government.Second, since only letters which punch below a minimum threshold are published beforehand, the authors of the letters are able to identify themselves for their letters have already been certified as politically harmless, and hence legal, by the SPH.To paraphrase, I will dare to send a letter and identify myself, to the SPH about how kangaroos have broken out from the Mandai Zoo and invaded the Supreme court of Singapore - Because I know that even if the content is illegal, it is politically-incorrect so it won't be published due to self-censorship by the SPH, and hence I will not get sued.Many bacteria are harmless when they are contained. For example, the bacteria, E. coli, live in the intestines of people, helping them digest food as well as producing vitamins.But when E Coli escapes, it can contaminate water and food. The same can happen when the wild comments of faceless critics get into the mainstream.They can wind up leaving nothing more than a pile of s***.Woah. A swear word.Ha! Since you are in the offline world working in one of the world's most repressive newspaper company, you can only post censored vulgarities.So let me, the faceless online critic express my freedom of expression which you do not possess on your behalf.S-H-I-T In Singapore, even Buddha loses to the power of money I came across this extremely intriguing article in the Straits Times:Temple doors locked over unpaid rentIN AN alley behind the San Bao Jing She temple on Lorong 39 Geylang, Ms Seah Ah Gek, 43, lights a joss stick for her dead mother. Normally, she would be inside the temple, but since Saturday, the temple's doors have been shut. A pink notice out front says: 'Closed. No activity.' Over the weekend, dozens of Buddhist devotees were locked out of the temple, also known as the Triple Gems Buddhist Society, which occupies four shophouses along Sims Avenue. Its abbot, Venerable Chen Wei, has failed to pay nearly $60,000 in rent which has been building up since October last year. The monthly rent is $15,000. 'My ancestors are locked up,' said Ms Seah when The Straits Times visited the temple yesterday. Her mother's and various family members' shen zu pai, or ancestral tablets, are still in the temple. 'It's as if they're sitting in prison,' she said. Devotees close to the abbot said the temple had been given notice to clear out by Dec 31 but that the abbot had requested that the eviction be postponed until after the Chinese New Year. Several Buddha statues have already been moved to a warehouse in Tampines but more than 400 ancestral tablets remain inside the temple. ...Many families who visit the temple once a year were upset that they were not notified earlier, although a few did defend the abbot despite the eviction. Devotee Ang Peck Sze, 34, and her mother Madam Seah Ah Suan, 59, said the abbot would often perform rites for free if devotees could not afford to pay. When contacted, the abbot was distressed that he had been evicted two days shy of the Chinese New Year. He said he had been looking for months to rent a smaller, alternative venue, but had not been successful. He had hoped the landlord would wait until after the holidays before locking up the temple. 'I can't put the ancestral tablets in a warehouse. I've been here for 20 years, these families depend on me to do the right thing,' he said. Efforts to contact the landlord were unsuccessful. The temple has been in financial difficulty in recent years. According to the abbot, donations have gradually declined in tandem with the ever-decreasing number of devotees. He said donations had gone from thousands of dollars to only $200 a month sometimes since the economic downturn. Devotees said the ageing population and migration of families to new areas had contributed to the decline. The temple will be open on Saturday between 10am and 2pm for families who wish to take their ancestors' ashes and tablets elsewhere. Otherwise, the ashes and tablets will be moved to the Memorial Hall of the nearby Budi Centre, on Lorong 4 Geylang, this Saturday. Families will be charged a one-time placement fee of $800 by the Budi Centre.- The Straits TimesThere is a Chinese saying 有钱能使鬼推磨. The direct translation of it will be "If you have money you can make the Devil push the millstone for you". This is the Chinese counterpart of "Money makes the world go round".I suppose that money has now gained the power to make Buddha move house as well, and so the Singaporean experience can now add on to the original Chinese wisdom:有钱能使鬼推磨,有钱能使佛般家(Money can make the devil push the millstone, Money can make the Buddha move house)The power of money is absolute in Singapore.Additionally, I was wondering why the government is not stepping in, or why such affairs do not seem to be under the purview of the government. Most probably it is due to Singapore being a secular society.Providing funds to any religious organization could endanger the division between church and state. Also, it could perhaps cause squabbles among the various faiths over their entitlement to funding.However, that is only in theory.In reality, helping out a small poor struggling temple might not lead to immediate dire effects. The only real danger it seems to pose is to set a precedent towards religious groups looking to the government for help.So should the government help the temple which is also a victim of the recent financial crisis as well? PM Lee Hsien Loong's Chinese New Year Message Recently, to encourage and motivate Singaporeans to brace for the recession ahead, PM Lee Hsien Loong has recently issued an imperial edict.Bow down and receive the edict you lesser mortal! (Commentary included)The Year of the Rat ended on a difficult note for Singapore. The global financial problems have precipitated a worldwide recession. The last few months have brought a steady stream of worsening news in the US, Asia and Europe. With all our major markets in decline, our exports are falling sharply. We have had to revise our growth estimate for 2009 down to between -5% and -2%, the worst economic outlook since independence.Remember, the recession is world-wide! It is not the government's fault! Please do not be unreasonable and blame us!The Government has just presented its 2009 Budget, and delivered a “Resilience Package” to help Singaporeans in this difficult period. On top of tax measures and business grants, we have announced two special schemes to tackle the crisis – a “Jobs Credit” to help companies with their wage costs; and a “Special Risk-Sharing Initiative” to help them keep their access to much-needed financing. These measures will help businesses to stay afloat, so that they can continue to provide jobs for Singaporeans. We will also give additional support to households, with more for low and middle income families. Hopefully, with some Government help, Singaporeans can continue to provide for themselves and their families.Look. We have decided to help you this time round because your pleas for help have gotten irritating and we cannot ignore it any longer. BUT do not think that we will help you again the next time round. You won't be so lucky next time. The crutch we have given you has been programmed to self-destruct as soon as the recession is over. After that you are on your own two feet again. Do you get it? Do I need to repeat it again? Listen. You MUST NOT think that I will help you again. Right? Right.All Fear the Crutch Mentality!To tackle this unprecedented economic crisis, we are for the first time seeking the President’s approval to draw on our reserves. This is a major decision, which the Govern­ment has thought over very carefully. Our reserves are a key asset for Singapore. We have built them up patiently over the years, so that in a critical situation we have the wherewithal to mount a vigorous response. The present crisis is clearly such a moment. By using our reserves for the two special schemes, we are making clear that we intend to respond to the crisis decisively and with all means at our disposal.Oh yea. I almost forgot that we had a president. Mr. Whats-his-name again? Oh yea. Nathan. And I almost forgot that he is the guardian of the key to our sacred reserves and has the constitutional power to approve and reject any requests to tap into them.Well, I sure hope that Mr Nathan will not exercise his independent mind and actually reject our approval. After all, Mr Nathan was elected by the masses, and definitely not selected by the PAP in a walkover election.So who knows if Nathan will actually go "You can go eat my Prata. I am not going to approve your request."So yes. Let us all hope that Nathan will not deviate from the party stand.Hee Hee.We are able to do this unlike most other countries, because we have prudently saved and invested our surpluses over many decades. We must therefore maintain these critical instincts. When things return to normal, we must resume our habit of putting something aside in the reserves whenever we can. Then when we next face a serious crisis, which is bound to happen one day, we can again meet it with confidence.See Singapore's government is better off than other governments! This is a validation of our world class leadership.These Budget measures will mitigate the downturn, but they will not instantly lift the economy from recession. No government package can do that. The recession is a global one, and we must expect to see exports contract, unemployment rise, and growth remain negative for more months, and perhaps for the whole year. Although I have just said in the preceding paragraph that our government is better than other countries, we must still know that no government in the world can do something that is impossible. So don't blame us!We must brace ourselves for a challenging Year of the Ox. But there is no need to be despondent. Singapore has strengths which will let us outlast this recession. We have the resources, the programmes, and the tenacity to ride the storm. In the Chinese zodiac, the ox symbolises fortitude and hard work. It is not a fast or aggressive animal, but is strong and completely dependable. In the same way, we can see through the year with quiet resolution.Let me refer to Ancient Chinese Mythology in order to distract you from the fact that we cannot do much except brace ourselves for impact. I hope this works...For all that the Government is doing, we must remember the important roles that the community and family play in helping us weather the crisis together. Community and welfare organisations are expanding their schemes to help more needy Singaporeans. Grassroots organisations are also coming up with new and innovative ways to help residents. In Yio Chu Kang, grassroots leaders regularly organise “Rice Parties” to provide needy residents with rice, rations and NTUC vouchers. Other constituencies provide free hawker meals, or run “Sunday Markets” where unemployed and low-income residents can set up stalls and earn some money for themselves. The Government will support such community efforts. We are giving voluntary welfare organisations and self-help groups more funding to do more good work. We have also increased tax deductions for charitable donations, to two-and-a-half times the donated amounts. I encourage Singaporeans to continue giving generously to worthy causes in this downturn. With many helping hands, every Singaporean can survive the storm.In a Tea Party you drink tea. In a "Rice Party" you get free rice, rations and NTUC vouchers.Does that make any sense? Nevertheless, I am sure that giving such activities a fancy name qualifies as "new" and "innovative".The family is our most important life-raft in times of crisis. When we face difficulties, families give us comfort, hope and practical help. In these hard times families must draw closer together, including our extended families.Remember! The family is your MOST important source of help. So before you look to the government for help, turn to your family first!All Fear the Crutch Mentality!Singaporeans instinctively understand this. A recent survey by OCBC found that this year the top three Singaporean dreams were starting a family, settling down and buying a home. In contrast, last year’s top three dreams were seeing the world, self-improvement and making money. Amidst uncertainty and turbulence, priorities have shifted from personal wants and ambitions to home, relationships and family.So during times of good, Singaporeans are selfish individualist prigs but look to the family for help during times of crisis.Indeed, the family unit is the bedrock in all communities, whatever their race or religion. The world may have changed drastically, and Singaporeans may be better educated and more affluent. But the family will always be core to our human instincts and our social fabric. In this festive period, let us remember that Chinese New Year is a time for togetherness. It is the time for families to come together to rejoice in the company of their loved ones and to build lasting memories and bonds. Oh I finally managed to insert the perfunctory line "whatever their race or religion". That is very important. Every major speech must contain such a line.Even in hard times, we should not neglect the need to bring up a new generation. At the National Day Rally last year, I showed a chart of Singapore’s total fertility rate over the years. If you remember, every time there was a recession, birth rates went down. But I hope this time we can buck the trend and keep the birth rate steady. We have implemented many measures to encourage marriage and help you in supporting and bringing up your children. There is also a lag time in procreation, so with luck your babies will arrive in time to enjoy the upswing. What really matters is the prospects in Asia and in Singa­pore over the next decades, which I believe are still bright despite the current gloom.Geez. I sure hope that I don't seem like a lunatic. I feel as though I am on board the Titanic sinking, and when everybody is yelling out "Woman and Children first!", I am yelling "Please make more children! Please I beg you, make more children!"But no matter. Singapore's fertility rate is extremely important. And even during times of recession when people have no money to raise children, such an appeal is very important.Meanwhile, let us be grateful for what we have in Singa­pore – a stable society, a sound economy, and a reputation which draws talent, investment and jobs to our shores. We must continue building on these strengths, so that we will emerge stronger from this crisis, ready to thrive in what will be a very different and more challenging world. Yes. Be grateful. Remember all that we have done for you lesser mortals. I wish all Singaporeans a Happy Chinese New Year.Now excuse me while I give ang baos to pesky old folks...A word from the Secret Political BlogHAPPY NEW YEAR!I am not going to be lame and say HAPPY NIU YEAR! like everybody does nowadays =PAnd as a side note, something is wrong with the commenting system.The comment form in Blogger has an error right now. You will get "Your request could not be processed. Please try again" the first time you try to submit your comment. This is a Blogger error, and it is not a sign that the PAP is intercepting your comment. I am still waiting for Blogger to resolve the issue. Meanwhile, you can continue commenting.Just click the "Post comment" button again after your first try.All comments appreciated. Happy commenting!AND HAVE A HAPPY NIU YEAR! =D I am a Lesser Mortal! ."Maybe it made lesser mortals envious and they thought maybe he was a bit boastful. Would people have taken offence if his wife (a senior investment counsellor at a bank) had paid for everything ?” - Charles ChongHello everyone! I am your typical Lesser Mortal!I am rather surprised actually that I can hit the keyboard in a synchronized fashion to produce words despite my inferiority.Oh oh I just saw an ant scurry across my keyboard.Hang on while I kowtow to the ant for the ant is a superior being compared to me.How I envy the ant!Of course, Envy is the main emotion I feel because Lesser Mortals are not able to experience other more complicated emotions such as Outrage, perhaps because someone has been flaunting off his wealth recently.No no. Those complicated emotions are not intended by the Powers above for Lesser Mortals like me. I can feel only Envy.Speaking of Envy, Me being a Lesser Mortal am so Envious of Mr. Yong can Cook.After all the only thing French I can cook are French Fries. And the only time when I got 5 weeks off from work happened when a car ran over both my legs and I had to spend some time in hospital.See? Its not that hard for a Lesser Mortal to get 5 weeks off from work like Greater Immortals do.You just need to walk into a road, and BAM. You get 5 weeks off from work. Easy as that.But of course a Lesser Mortal ought not to compare himself with a Greater Immortal.Such comparison is futile because there is too great a distance between us and them.Besides the income gap of a million dollars, there exist even greater distance.Greater Immortals live amongst angels in heaven, dining on French cuisine while discussing how they ought to from time to time remind Lesser Mortals of what a pathetic life they lead.Lesser Mortals spend their time staring at the light bulb in their home, wondering when the light may go off and read in the newspapers of how they are being outspent by Great Immortals and being insulted every now and then.That seems to be the way it is.How can the Greater Immortals understand the lives of Lesser Mortals? Harry Lee - I love You ! POLICE yesterday arrested a man in his 40s for vandalism, after a wall outside Parliament House was defaced at lunch hour. Scribbled in black marker on the top right corner of the wall were the words: 'Hi Harry Lee. I love you.' Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew is called Harry by some of his family and old friends. At about 1.30pm yesterday, uniformed guards were seen running out of Parliament House to nab the man while he scribbled on the wall. They wrestled to the ground the medium-built man, who was wearing a red T-shirt and brown trousers. It took three guards to subdue him as he refused to be pinned down and tried to wriggle free. As he was led away, a guard held up a piece of cardboard to cover the scribbled words. Soon after, other security personnel brought a canvas sheet and draped it over the wall. Pictures were taken of the graffiti, which was wiped off by 2.40pm. In response to queries from The Straits Times, a police spokesman said a man in his late 40s was arrested at about 2.20pm. The matter is being investigated, added the spokesman.-The Straits TimesThere you have it. The greatest Forbidden Love story ever in our time.The epic Love Story betweenOne Man and One Man.One King and One Peasant.One Old man and One Young Man.Will they be able to overcome 377A and income inequality to become lovers?Brokeback mountain II now showing in Singapore.Well, as they said, love knows no bounds. It is sad though that MM Lee is unable to accept such a show of the man's passionate love and arrested his lover. Maybe MM Lee is unable to accept such love in public having rejected the repeal of 377A recently. Tsk tsk MM Lee, we won't mind actually. Everybody loves a good love story.Maybe it qualifies as the crime of "Contempt for the Lee" if I continue casting doubt on MM Lee's sexuality, so lets move on to the larger significance behind the story.The main question which penetrates our minds right now, the stiff and rigid question we have to ask is:Why did the man do this?Well, the answer is a long one. But lets try looking at the symbolism of such a message."Hi Harry Lee. I love you" appears to be a clear and transparent message. But to me, the important bit was that the arrested man called MM Lee "Harry Lee". Maybe it is because the man and MM Lee are actually on intimate first name terms, but it is more likely that another message was intended.MM Lee was given the english name "Harry" by his grandfather and "Harry Lee" brings to mind MM Lee's elite western education which he received from young. Such an education will inevitably create barriers between him and and the masses - the mere fact of his family being able to afford such an education already meant he is not ordinary. Indeed, MM Lee's ability to speak Chinese, the language of the Chinese-speaking commoners is lacking.Lee only started learning Chinese when he was 32, and Hokkien at age 38. As a result, when he first started spiting out a phrase or sentence of Chinese, every member of the audience gives him a standing ovation like parents marveling at their babies' first words.Hence the man whose wrote the message of adoration could actually be intending sarcasm on how Harry Lee, and other PAP ministers, has lost touch with the people as evident by the (postponed) pay rises.Conspiracy theory number two is that the man really loves Harry Lee. But not in a hot sweaty passionate way of course. Rather, he loves Harry Lee, who in his youth known as "Harry" to his friends in Cambridge, who before becoming MM Lee said this:“But we either believe in democracy or we not. If we do, then, we must say categorically, without qualification, that no restraint from the any democratic processes, other than by the ordinary law of the land, should be allowed… If you believe in democracy, you must believe in it unconditionally. If you believe that men should be free, then, they should have the right of free association, of free speech, of free publication. Then, no law should permit those democratic processes to be set at nought.”- Lee Kuan Yew in his Youth April 27, 1955And I love this Harry Lee too.I want Harry Lee back, Mr Lee.Can you help me fulfill the greatest love story ever, Harry Lee?(PS: I am good in bed) Youth Vibes: The Government's Pathetic REACH to "Apathetic Youths" REACH - the agency created to engage citizens - launched a youth-oriented, interactive website yesterday. Designed to get young people more involved in shaping government policies, the website - Youth Vibes - is 'by youth, for youth'.... Youth Vibes will include feature stories and journal articles by young people, and allow participants to blog, discuss issues and make comments.- The Straits TimesThe most significant message behind such a move is that the government deems "Apathetic Youths" to be a problem. And why is Apathy thought to be a problem?Because the government has realized that if you don't really care about what is happening in Singapore, it roughly equates to you not caring about Singapore, which then roughly equates to you emigrating from Singapore.That will cause the PAP ministers to weep for all the money that they have spent bribing your parents to produce you and subsidizing your education while the money will have been better spent upsizing their salaries instead.However, the problem for the government is that worldwide, youths have traditionally been recognized as vanguard for political change, but change that comes in a radical form which frequently opposes the establishment which is already in power.This creates a dilemma for the government:The government needs to break youth apathy to encourage patriotism, but the youths must not enthusiastically oppose the PAP.Does that sound impossible to achieve?Nope. Not if you make the Youths "aware" of only the good things in Singapore. Which means that the Youth will only see Singapore through rose-tinted glasses, and they will be force-fed drugs everyday to make them hallucinate a halo over MM Lee's head.So there will not be any news about our troubles and the heartbreaking state of democracy we have, the most recent disappointing case will be that of the arrest of two Singaporean protesters protesting for two Burmese Protesters who had their working passes refused renewal after protesting for their fellow Burmese still left in Burma.As evidence, one only needs to see the depth of discussion in the Youth Vibes website, as well as the topics chosen for discussion thus far by the editorial team:(You can visit the website on your own here) To avoid talk about serious Government policies, Point to the trees Brought to you by the resident tree-hugger of the editorial group, the following quotes of pure distilled intelligence:Save the Earth!What will you do if the Earth is being attacked by aliens because we, humans, do not want to change to assist in saving the environment, like what happened in the movie “The Day the Earth Stood Still”? ... I am pretty sure that Aliens will not attack Earth just because we don't hug trees. You shouldn't believe what you see in movies actually.“The Earth does not belong to us.” This quotation is taken from the movie, movie “The Day the Earth Stood Still” Yes, we do not own Mother Earth. Since we are staying on Earth which is currently the only planet that can support human life, we should even more protect our Earth from being damaged even more. Maybe you should not get drunk at midnight even more before typing out this post even more? Or maybe you should use Microsoft Word to check your errors even more? What kind of editor are you if you don't even bother to double check even more? (I don't normally care about such errors, but lets get this straight. This is a government blogger on an official goverment website. What kind of bull is this?)The concerns of global warming are rising. Now, the weather is getting hotter in Singapore. Compounding to this, the ice caps in the North Pole are melting rapidly. If all the ice bergs melt away, polar bears will be in peril and sea level will rise even more. We have to take actions to save the Earth, if not we have to bear the consequences. Wrong. If icebergs melt, sea levels will not rise significantly. This is because icebergs are floating masses of ice, which means that they have already displaced their weight in water. However, sea levels will rise slightly due to the difference in density of freshwater ice and seawater.I have seen youths litter when the rubbish bin is only a short distance away from them. Actually, littering saves the environment. If you throw away things into a rubbish bin, they get incinerated in Singapore which pollutes the air. A piece of rubbish on the ground is more beneficial to the environment if it is lying on the roadside instead of being reduced to floating ash. Throwing away your litter properly is for your environment's hygiene sake and not the general environment. Don't confuse the two.Saving the environment is not only the adults’ roles but we, as youths, also have a part to play. If adults and some youths are trying their best to save our Mother Earth, we should even more render our help and stop harming the Earth. By saving the environment, we can ensure that our next generation has sufficient resources to survive. The matter lies in us, whether we want to change. We just have to kick off our bad habits (habits that will harm the environment). Youths, let us start saving the environment now!Woohoo! I feel motivated now and I am extremely sure that I didn't just read some girl blabbering bull about saving the environment, telling us extremely basic information which is exceedingly simple.Lets move on.When in doubt, sound really excited!YOUTHS - THE DIFFERENCE MAKERS So let us not hold back any further and equalise the expectations of us youths and what we are worth. Many a times, youths have splendid ideas which are truly mind-blowing but what stops them is the lack of support they might encounter at times. One thing that we as youths have to stand up against is the tribulation of dejection. Singapore wouldn’t be a world-class metropolis if the People’s Action Party (PAP) had just given up every once in a while when they meet with a setback. Shocking. So it is all due to the PAP's resilience? I am sure the blood and sweat of the commoners didn't factor in at all. Now you can see how he got into the editorial team.Let us not be afraid to venture into the unknowns for all we know, we might just be greeted with splendour reaping. Any ideas or innovation which you have, do not be afraid to raise them up as what do we have to lose? We are youths and have a bright and adventurous road laid down for us! Oh Oh I have just invented something. It is called multi-party democracy.What do I have to lose if I raise this idea up? I think I will lose a lot of money in legal fees!Indeed, youths have a bright road laid down for them as long as they do not become members of the opposition party.YOUTHS ARE THE DIFFERENCE and it’s up to us all to turn all our hopes and dreams into reality.As if to convince himself in his head that he actually matters, he just has to type that statement out in caps.Closing thoughtsREACH is not some minor government initiative. Its importance can be seen by the government in the AIMS report claiming the following:The Government will require a huge amount of resources to e-engageon a multitude of online platforms. This would not be realistic or efficient. Inview of these concerns, the Government has decided to channel its resourcesto the dedicated REACH portal for e-engagement. Which means the main online medium for the government to interact with the masses is through REACH. Yet as you can see, the quality of this interaction is clearly lacking.All in all, I feel rather empty after reading the posts on the Youth Vibes website. It reeks of slogans which ring hollow and youths licking the government's ego.Worse, it is designed to give you a false notion of empowerment to deceive you into seeking none at all.Do you actually think that Youths (or any normal people) in Singapore are empowered?If you think so, pick up a placard, go outside the Istana and shout some slogans. Lets see what happens next. Vote Wisely. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? When Dheva Rajan asks us to vote wisely in his article on the TOC, I try to picture myself comparing the merits of the PAP against the WP, SDA and SDP as I walk to the polling booth. Alas, I soon realise that, hey wait a minute, there's no polling booth for my constituency to speak of in the first place!Hence, I ask this question, ARE YOU KIDDING ME?Singapore's electoral system is designed to keep the PAP in power. It is thus no wonder that half the population of Singapore never gets to vote during election time. In 2006, 37 out of 84 seats were not contested, while in 2001, 51 out of 84 seats were not contested by the Opposition. So it seems like an improvement over the years right?Well you're wrong. Maybe more people are getting to vote, but does your vote really matter? Just look at the election results for 2006.With only 66.6% of the electorate voting for them, the PAP grabbed 82 out of 84 seats. Compare this to the 2 seats, one to Low Thia Khiang and one to Chiam See Tong, 2 out of 84 is a miserable 2.3%. That's almost one-tenth of the number of seats they deserve if you look at the proportion of votes they won. Sure, this may be a feature in other Westminster style democracies, but surely other democracies do not gerrymander as blatantly as the PAP does.Regardless of whether this occurs in other democracies, the extent of this underrepresentation of the people's vote is alarming. It simply points to a flaw in the electoral system - the concept of GRCs. These are inherent flaws in the electoral system that prevent your vote for being of any real consequence. Until these flaws are dealt with, I really wonder whether there is a point in voting wisely at all.However, the solution to all this is difficult to think of. The simplest is to put more hope in our vote, the alternative, to pressure the PAP-government to reform the electoral system, by rallying help from the international community as Dr Chee does. If I were as busy as you though, I'll simply vote for the opposition, just to keep the PAP on its toes. Maybe this would be voting wisely. New Health Threat: Third-Hand Smoke and the Smoking Campaign Debate Scientists have recently discovered that a ball of cigarette smoke can not only grow two hands as previously thought, but as many as three hands.[Third-hand smoke] is the term being used to describe the invisible yet toxic brew of gases and particles clinging to smokers’ hair and clothing, not to mention cushions and carpeting, that lingers long after smoke has cleared from a room. The residue includes heavy metals, carcinogens and even radioactive materials that young children can get on their hands and ingest, especially if they’re crawling or playing on the floor.- The New York TimesYep so that is right. Even after you puff in your home and use a hairdryer to blow all the smoke out of the window before your kids come home, the third hand of cigarette smoke will still strangle your kids.Perhaps after hearing this news, the government might even consider smokers to be walking health hazards as well due to the toxic smoke particles sticking to their hair and clothing.That will require us to stay five meters away from smokers and hurl stones and abuses at them from afar.After all, smokers are portrayed by the government campaign to be the modern-day lepers of society. They are undesirable and ridden with diseases, and worse of all, smokers are cold-blooded murderers, killing us innocent bystanders at the cellular level, cell by cell, without mercy.This has always been the portrayal by the government of smokers, characterized by heavy-handedness and scary images shown on TV, images which scare little kids to pee in their pants whenever they see the poor ex-smoker woman with mouth cancer.Granted, a smoke-free Singapore is a noble goal, and I despise tobacco corporations who enslave the millions worldwide and peddle death to them. I too am happy that the Singaporean government does not mind the decrease of tax revenues when less people buy heavily taxed cigarettes.So why am I criticizing the government? Well, lets start off by looking at another anti-smoking campaign which is the first ever anti-smoking campaign in modern history:Translation: He does not devour the cigarette. The cigarette devours him.Do you notice anything else about the poster? The text is in GermanThat is right. The world first modern anti-smoking campaign happened in Germany, and it was not any Germany.It was Nazi Germany. And the biggest advocate of the anti-smoking campaign was none other than Adolf Hitler himself.Strange? That a good initiative can come from a man thought to be wholly evil?Far from it. The anti-smoking campaign, though having good results, stemmed from slanted motivations. Namely that of racial purity and eugenics.The Nazis believed that the pure Aryan race ought not to let themselves be tainted by cigarettes, and that smoking decreases the fertility of women, and hence affects the future of their race.Therefore, they launched the anti-smoking campaign, to aid Aryan superiority over the world.The point about this Nazi story is to establish that an anti-smoking campaign can be misguided as well, in spite of the end result of less people smoking.Now lets look again at Singapore.Despite noble intentions, has the campaign here been misguided?Right now, the government has mainly focused on the health effects of cigarette smoke, which divides into two categories.The first is the effects of smoke on the smokers themselves, which lead to gory images of the various cancers being shown.The second is the effects of smoke on other people, which leads to shaming of smokers by highlighting their role in causing the death of cells within their loved ones or unknown strangers.But the problem is that such a campaign, though admittedly effective (Singapore's smoking rate is only 14%, while in developed European countries, the rate is about 20-25%), it is heavy handed, and nanny-state like. Meanwhile, some smokers are also complaining that they are being shunned by others.Considering that the remaining 14% or so smokers are have also grown immune to scare tactics, and are able to stare at images such as below without wincing:How can we persuade the rest of the 14% hardcore smokers to stop smoking? While at the same time preventing us from being ridiculed as a nanny state?Well, we can always learn from other countries. You will be able to look at their anti-smoking campaign posters without feeling the need to wash your eyeballs in acid.From Australia:Refreshing and creative isn't it? It does not take much effort to produce a scare poster but takes some to produce an inspiring one such as the above.And here is one from America that avoids ostracizing the smoker:Taken From here.My Dad used to be a smoker. How he quit was inspiring to me.He told me that he stood on the highest cliff, faced the roaring ocean, and threw his packet of cigarettes and lighter into the ocean waves.Then whenever he felt like smoking and the urge kicks in, he punches himself in the face till he bleeds. (Okay he slapped himself)But anyway he didn't quit because the government scared him to it - the anti-smoking campaign didn't exist in the past yet.He quit because he had a vision of himself being healthy and free, instead of being a coughing addict chained to a packet of cigarettes.Perhaps our government should start giving smokers a vision instead of thrusting in their face the gaping mouth of mouth cancer. It might even work better.Don't you think so? The World and Singapore: Top 5 international events in relation to Singapore Our leaders always tell us about how great Singapore is, with our high standards of living and many dictatorships countries, such as China and Russia, trying to emulate our "successful" model of dubious democracy based on the ancient sayings of Confucius.However, we must not forget that Singapore is just one tiny island, and we are not the world. So lets not ignore some particularly salient world events which are relevant to Singapore that have happened:5) Barack Obama electionAlthough it is not clear how new US foreign policies will affect Singapore, one thing is already clear.Americans have chosen Barack Obama, and recognized him as the legitimate agent of Change.But what about John Mc Cain? He too promised Change to the American people. And so did every other presidential candidate, like Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Ron Paul, Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee - They have all promised Change and reforms of some sort.So, what sets Barack Obama apart from them? What makes Barack Obama's Change so special? Why did the American people prefer Obama's Change?The answer is that Obama portrayed himself as a new face, away from the old establishment. His being relatively young, and not being from the Republican Party helped in the portrayal of him being a fresh face to politics.Obama's campaign promoted the message that legitimate change can only happen when it is brought in by a new outsider untainted by the failed politics of the "Old boys network".A favourite joke of him was this:"The old boys network? In the McCain campaign that's called a staff meeting."And the relevance to Singapore?The PAP had recently claimed that Change cannot be brought in by the opposition, but rather Change has to come through the PAP itself:'Change has to take place in Singapore but change must take place not (between parties) but within the PAP - PM LeeThis runs contrary to Obama's message that Change cannot be achieved by the "Old Boys Network".The American People have voted against Pm Lee's claim. Lets watch what happens next.4) Beijing OlympicsWe or perhaps they, depending on how you look at it, won a silver medal for Singapore, or themselves, again depending on your worldview, in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.The only certainty is that not everybody in Singapore are happy that We/They won, because nobody knows who really wins. I myself have things to gripe about too.Particularly about Feng Tianwei, one of the three players, whom only moved to Singapore in March 2007, gained Singaporean citizenship in January 2008 and ostensibly wins a Silver Medal for Singapore, and not for herself, in August 2008.Giving benefit of the doubt to Li Jiawei and Wang Yuegu who came to Singapore in 1995 and 2004 respectively, it is possible for them to have acquired some Singaporeaness (whatever that means), despite their packed scheduled training in some remote table tennis room isolated from the larger part of Singaporean society.But definitely not Feng Tianwei.I am not really against the three players, and have nothing against them personally - They just want to compete, it is their athelete's instinct. I am against the Singapore's govenment for allowing such a dubious moment to happen when many Singaporeans do not feel any joy from the medal win.The moment when Singapore's 48 year medal drought gets broken should have been magical, not murky and mired in controversy.3) Robert Mugabe's ursups power in rigged electionOh, it's a dictator! This is nothing new for Singapore I suppose.But in actuality, though we sometimes jokingly call MM Lee a dictator, MM Lee is more of a benevolent dictatorial figure while Mugabe is a filthy low-life tyrant.What is happening in Zimbabwe is saddening, and Singapore needs to learn a lesson from this.Mugabe is the living example of the saying: "Power corrupts, and absolute Power corrupts absolutely"Mugabe used to be a half-decent leader, he was the one who won independence from the British and was even knighted by the Queen of England, with the fancy title "Knight Grand Cross in the Order of the Bath".But in his rise to power and holding of power, he crushed his opposition, intimidated and killed them and rigged elections, even prior to the 2008 election with Tsvangirai.Right now Zimbabwe is becoming a failed state due to Mugabe's violent attempts to cling on to power despite losing to Tsvangirai in the first 2008 election, with the health infrastructure collasping resulting in an outbreak of cholera and hyperinflation at 231 million percent.The question is, will Singapore ever come to such a sorry state?I see some disturbing parallels.Like Mugabe, who stated that:Only God who appointed me will remove me [from power], not the MDC, not the British - Mugabe Our leaders seem to feel the same way: that PAP possess the divine right of kings to rule Singapore.Without the elected president and if there is a freak result, within two or three years, the army would have to come in and stop it. - MM LeeWhat does this mean? It means that the transition of power in Singapore will be rough when the PAP eventually loses to the opposition in an election as they believe that they have a divine right to rule. If MM Lee's threat holds true, an election in which PAP loses will be considered a "freak result" and the army will then subvert the will of the people, and restore power to the PAP who has been annointed by God to rule Singapore forever. Which is what that is happening in Zimbabwe currently.Like Mugabe's information minister who claims that the current cholrea outbreak is due to the work of the British and has no direct link with people forced to drink from open sewers:[The cholera in Zimbabwe resembles] a serious biological chemical weapon.... calculated, racist, terrorist attack on Zimbabwe... genocidal onslaught on the people of Zimbabwe by the British - Sikhanyiso Ndlovuour government too creates an imaginary foreign enemy which threatens us:There is a conspiracy to do us in. Why?... They see us as a threat - MM Lee referring to human rights OrganizationsLike Mugabe, MM Lee won us independence from the British, and started out as an activist for freedom. Though it is unlikely that MM Lee will turn into Mugabe, considering his age, it is an open question as to whether Singapore will become Zimbabwe in the long run, when the opposition wins and the PAP is faced with a choice to concede power gracefully... or call in the army.2) Proposition 8 succeeds in California Proposition 8, though sounding like an innocent and minor amendment, actually concerns the fate of many who oppose and support gay marriage. The full text of the Proposition is as follows:Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in CaliforniaPretty short isn't it?However, it will effectively terminate gay marriage in California, which was legalized in mid-2008 by the state Supreme Court.In the end, Proposition 8 managed to win by only a slim majority of voters (52% to 47%), which meant that gay marriage has been banned once more.However, those opposing Proposition 8 have decided to file legal challenges questioning the ability of the public to impose such a measure and hence the ban will be challenged once again.The question this presents to Singapore is whether the Court will be able to ignore the will of the majority.If the American challenge to Proposition 8 succeeds, then the PAP's reason to uphold 377A, that the majority of Singaporeans still do not view gay sex favourably hence we should keep 377A, will be less compelling.Will a repeal of Proposition 8 prompt the government to review a possible repeal of 377A?But then again, Singapore can ignore what happens in the liberal western countries and stick to our ancient Confucian sayings instead.1) Global Financial CrisisBesides the usual retrenchment, shrinking wages, harsher economic climate, doom and gloom, the lack of money can reveal serious flaws in a system.In the US, due to the lack of money, hitherto unnoticed problems have emerged:The un-sustainability of Sub-prime mortgages,American home owners failed to pay mortgages. You should be familar with this by now.The un-sustainability of Credit Default SwapsBasically, insurance for investors should their investments fail. Due to all the failed investments in Sub-prime mortgages, the insurers were unable to pay up. This was what happened to AIG and also Lehman BrothersThe Madoff Ponzi SchemeA Ponzi scheme dies when there is a lack of new investors, as a Ponzi scheme depends on money from new investors to pay old ones. Madoff was always thought to be a wizard in investments, and his investment fund a legitimate one. However, his fund was revealed to be a Ponzi scheme - Madoff had to confess that due to the Ponzi scheme collapsing as less people dared to invest in a crisis. An estimated US$50 billion was lost. Some Singaporean investors are hurt too.And in Singapore?Two major ugly problems have surfaced due to the lack of cash sloshing around:Town councils' lack of transparencyWe never ever ever knew that 2 Billion dollars are managed by town councils. We have always always thought that they were just innocent people whom clear our garbage and sweep the HDB void decks. It is only due to the financial crisis and our loss of 12 million in failed investments which forced the government to confess to this. Yet, transparency is still lacking and the government refuse to reveal to us the risk that our money is exposed to.Ugly treatment of Foreign workersIt has been revealed to us that our government has no safety plan, even to accomodate foreign workers and provide them with 3 basic meals a day, should their employers abandon them due to lack of money. 179 Bangladeshi workers have been abandoned and our government, who are best equipped to help, are not the ones who are helping. Instead, workers have to depend on NGOs to feed them. The workers helped us to build up Singapore, surely they do not deserve this?White collared foreign workers are also abused, though in a different manner:"We're talking about [foreign] rank-and-file workers who are, by and large, replaceable. Our message is – give priority to the local workers. Not only will you help us minimise unemployment in Singapore, but more importantly, it makes business sense for your company."- Labour Chief Lee Swee Say asking companies to retrench foreign workers instead of Singaporeans.In a stunning turnabout to the foreign talent scheme, the government suddenly turns on foreigners. It is as though the government attracted them here with honeyed words before turning about and slapping them in the face. Will any foreigners ever dare to work in Singapore anymore?And does this reveal that the foreign talent scheme is unsustainable? ConclusionThis concludes the international events that have happened in 2008.The extent to which these events will impact us remain unclear.For now, lets have a Happy New Year, and hope for a better 2009.Cheers! New Layout In order to confuse PAP spies, we change our layout every now and then.The changes may look only cosmetic, but it will be enough to confuse the mindless drones brainwashed by the PAP.We are proud to now announce that the Secret Political Blog has a new much more professional looking layout.Go Us! The 5 Top Under-reported Stories of 2008 2008 is coming to a close.Instead of focusing on the big issues and arming ourselves with dangerous knowledge which could potentially turn us into dangerous activists and destabilize the nation, lets be good law-abiding, government-fearing citizens and take a look at some interesting, under-reported stories of the year!==========================1) The Straits Times becomes more humorousLook carefully at the screenshot above and find out what is wrong with it.Do you get the pun? Hahaha It is so Punny!Either the above article is a seriously misguided attempt at humour or the Straits Times indeed has some issues with quality control to let such a typo appear in a headline.Anyway, why will we be concerned about a truck tipping over on its side due to sacks of flour, especially when no one is injured at all? The Straits Times should come out with better stories instead and follow the model of Investigative Journalism.By only allowing state newspapers, it is not only free speech which suffers - with the lack of competition, the quality of reporting suffers too. In related news, 2008 marks another year in which Singapore has been ranked miserably low in the Reporters without Borders Worldwide Press Freedom index. 2008 ranking? 144th out of 173 countries/entities considered.Being ranked below the likes of Russia, where journalists have gained the uncanny ability to vanish into thin air is of grave concern indeed.==========================2) Posters depicting the likeness of Mas Selamat disappearWhen was the last time you saw this poster or its variants?Am I the only one, or have you too been noticing that there seem to be less and less of Mas Selamat staring at you wherever you walk?Months after The Great Escape, when it seems more and more probable that Mas Selamat can never be found, the posters only served to remind Singaporeans of the government's embarrassment.So silently, the posters started disappearing one by one.So slow that we never noticed.So if you see any posters still around, tear one down and keep it as a memento to remind yourself that no government is omniscient, before the lesson you learn slip slowly away to the recesses of your mind.I have already gotten mine by tearing it off a bus door.==========================3) Seriously ill patients get to see doctors first Now half-dead patients only need to wait fifteen minutes at a polyclinic before they get medical attention. Hip Hip Hooray! What an achievement! We are progressing as a society!Lets just ignore the fact that a year earlier, patients had to wait for a full hour while their brains are frying about 38 degrees.==========================4) Singapore wins a small rock from Malaysia and thinks about building a nuclear plant on it.When MM Lee discussed the location of a potential nuclear plant on our island, he revealed that a potential location will be Pedra Branca:Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew had also revealed that the Government had thought about possible locations for such a plant: Pedra Branca island east of Singapore, or on a floating platform out at sea. - The Straits Times And all along we were wondering what grand plans Singapore has for the grand rock. Turns out it is a nuclear plant. Sheesh.You can read more about Singapore's nuclear ambitions here:Singapore's Nuclear Plan==========================5) Kangaroos sighted in SingaporeOf course kangaroos don't exist in Singapore. Only silly people think that they do. People who claim to see them in Singapore are really silly and ought to be thrown into jail and isolated from society lest they let their kangroo rubbish affect the rest of us good citizens.They also ought to be deprived of their money too because silly people are crazy and will grab dollar bills by the handful and attempt to swallow it down their throats. So for their protection, it is best that they are deprived of all monetary possessions.And if you ever think that you seen a kangaroo here, kindly check yourself into Woodbridge. The worst thing you can do is to wear a kangaroo tshirt and strut about with your kangaroo nonsense.Oh. And ignore what others say about kangaroos in Singapore, even if they are independent NGOs with fancy detailed PDF report. Remember, like MM Lee said, they are in a "conspiracy" to do us in.==========================And so that concludes the top 5 most under-reported Singaporean Stories of 2008.2009 awaits and exciting prospects abound! Google Trends - What do Singaporeans think about? Definitely not politics Google Zeitgeist 2008 released a list of the most searched Google terms from Singaporean users. Such information provides us with a useful guide as to what are on the minds of Singaporeans, especially Singaporean Youths who are more comfortable with computers. You can find the list hereFrom the top 10 of each category provided, not a single political figure or party is listed, showing that politics and political figures do not feature prominently in the minds of general Singaporeans. This once again points to the existence of a Singaporean population apathetic to Singaporean politics.This is in contrast with other countries, where 이명박 meaning Lee Myung-bak, the President of South Korea, Anwar Ibrahim, the Malaysian opposition leader, and 馬英九, Ma Ying-jeou, president of Taiwan, have made it to the top google search terms in their respective countries. So what do Singaporeans care about?Besides one of the number one concern of Singaporeans, which is the Edison Chen sex scandal, Singaporeans are generally concerned about Bread-and-Butter issues, with the terms "Chicken rice" and "Punggol crab noodle" surpassing Chee Soon Juan in search popularity. I firmly believe that when a politician is less popular than Chicken Rice, he will need to reflect on his own behavior and outreach efforts. The names of various hawker centres such as "Maxwell hawker centre"and "Newton hawker centre" are also top searched terms, together with the "Singapore Recession", which confirms our suspicion of Singaporeans being concerned about basic issues and not politics. The only search terms which have a hint of politics are "Singapore Terrorist" and "Mas Selamat", however the Great Escape has not been politicized since for the sake of the greater good as well as Wong Kan Seng's job security, our state run media does not politicize such issues. What does all this mean for our opposition? Our opposition will need to gain greater relevance and connect to more people via the internet. They will need to establish a better presence online - Chee Soon Juan currently has only 227 friends on Facebook while Facebook is currently an increasingly important networking community for Singaporeans (Facebook has made it as a top searched term). By contrast, Lee Kuan Yew has a politician Facebook account (Facebook recognizes the accounts of politicians to distinguish them from mimics) and has 4421 supporters.At the same time, the opposition will also need to get better websites. The SDP website is decent - SDP websitebut others like the WP and SPP websites are hideous and have no platform for interaction - you cannot even post comments - WP website and SPP websiteAlso, the opposition may need to adjust their current strategy. Instead of directly seeking to uphold human rights which Singaporeans think they do not deserve, the opposition can position themselves as the champions of Bread-and-Butter issues and campaign more on these platforms instead. Tan Kin Lian is a good model for this approach, he did gain popularity through the mini-bonds saga for it is fundamentally a bread-and-butter issue.It is not as though human rights aren't important, but Singaporeans care more about Chicken Rice than them.Am I right to say that? Christian Extremism: Comic books of hate - "The Little Bride" and "Who is Allah" [The couple] are accused of distributing comic tracts - titled The Little Bride and Who Is Allah? - which prosecutors say promote feelings of ill will and hostility between Christians and Muslims.The couple in question will be sued for sedition.And boy, I was about to scream "FREEDOM OF SPEECH! STATE CENSORSHIP! OPPRESSION!" but then I looked at The Little Bride and I realized that it was indeed Anti-Muslim. And it is not implicitly Anti-Muslim, but explicitly so.For some background information, the comics are published in the US by Chick Publications. The full comic can be obtained at the website www.chick.com BUT it is blocked by the MDA. Trying to access the site will only give you this message:The site you requested is not accessible.For more information please check Media Development Authority.By the way, if you thought that www.chick.com was a porn site blocked by MDA, then you are wrong. That was what i thought in the past when i randomly entered urls Chick Publications and www.chick.com are owned by some one named Jack Chick who brought to us the two comic books in question.While I do condemn the two comics in question, I do not support MDA's decision to ban the site in order to prevent the circulation of the comics.The reason? Because the comics are so laughable due to their idiocy that the only people it can brain-wash are five year old kids who will readily believe anything that they see in a comic book. Other people like you and I, whose ages have reached double digits, will find the comics disgustingly hilarious. == Review of The Little Bride ===For education purposes, I easily found the comic The Little Bride on the web, and I will be posting here. If it is illegal to post seditious content on my blog even though I am criticizing it, even when one can easily find it elsewhere on the web, and you happen to be a Supreme Court Judge, please email me to take down the comic. (Contact information @ About Us page). Suing me for sedition will only waste public resources and be against the public good. Muslims reading, please don't be offended, I am on your side. Christian viewers, please find heart to laugh at your extremist peers. Without further legal disclaimers, lets read the seditious comic book. Yay! Honestly, we are going to enjoy laughing at the bad drawings a lot.So the story starts off with our three heroines. Notice how an African-American has been included to make the Anti-Islamic message more palatable. The message can be summed up as such: We hate Muslims, but hey, at least we aren't racist! The two girls claim to have exciting news. News that are important enough to be in both bold and italicized in a world where a Micheal Jackson lookalike is your primary school teacher must be exciting news indeed.So the African-American points to herself and says "us". I think that you qualify as a retard if you say "us", and point to only yourself.See? If you hate Muslims, you are probably racist too.Honestly, if my grandfather is a bloody pirate, I will be more concerned about him and not about finding out what a Muslim is. And no, I am as clueless as you as to why Susy's grandfather wears a bloody eyepatch.Maybe one day, when Grandpa was frying chicken at KFC, a Muslim stabbed him in his right eye with the sharp point of a chicken wing, which reduced Grandpa to being an one-eyed Muslim conspiracy theorist for the rest of his life....If you look carefully, Susy in fact does not possess ears. LiarLook! A speech bubble with three words in italics and bold. I am sure this indicate extremely important messages!Wait. Look at the first frame. There is a freaking cloud right beside them. Either their home is built on a mountain top or clouds have descended to ground level.In unrelated developments, Becky and Tashana almost become Muslims, only to be stopped by Susy. Cool. I didn't know that you can convert and become a Muslim just by saying a simple sentence. Anyway, why isn't Tashana in the first frame, only to appear in the second? Ha! I knew it. Racist Bastards.Do you remember right at the start when Becky looks dreamily as though she is in love, and said that Asmir was cute, in both italics and bold? I guess having your facial features crunch up to form a ball of pure distilled hatred is the definition of cute nowadays.Asmir looks astounded that Susy knows something which can be checked up on wikipedia. Good for you Susy!So Amir's mom decided to ruin the climax by summoning Amir and his sister (who only appears in one frame and says absolutely nothing) to the airport. But why will one go off to the airport so soon after just moving in to a new neighborhood? And why does his mom summon him with such urgency that he cannot even say a single sentence more?Maybe they have a plane to catch hijack, since they are the god-hating bastards like Grandpa said.Susy looks angry that her friends exposed themselves to grievous mortal danger, while Becky looks as though she just popped an Ecstasy pill. See? Islam indoctrination is bad for you.Susy, my dear, if I have a real-life pirate for my grandfather, I will believe that anything is possible.At the mention of slavery, Tashana looks so overwhelmed that she is about to transform into the Incredible Hulk.And Christian Americans took slaves too, Susy!Turning some Jews into Apes and Pigs is still better than wiping out humanity with a great flood too you dumbass.Lets face it, there is no point comparing the deeds of your gods because back then, human lives were cheap and human rights have not been invented yet.Susy's eyes flare up with righteous fury. While Tashana's face crunch up into a ball of disgust for us to laugh at again.And do eight year old girls fully understand what that is yet? I guess that they watched porn already, so they don't have the right to criticize someone else's sexual preferences. Immediately after shooing away a competitor for her clients, Susy launches into her own sales pitch on how good her religion is. Remember how the girls cannot believe that Adam was 90 feet tall but believe that the Earth was created in 6 days?Susy suddenly looks visionary and gazes forward into the distant future, almost like Barack Obama.More of her sales pitch, I am not going to comment.So ironic. Becky and Tashana almost become Muslims, but became Christians instead, all in the course of a single day. Thought that they will at least display some healthy skepticism about religion.To conclude, WOW (in both italics and bold!). What can I say?Disclaimer: Sorry in advance if I offended people. If you find any part offensive, comment, and I will edit it if I can understand why you take offense.===End of Review ================So we have established that The Little Bride is indisputably Anti-Muslim. I am actually relieved that MDA banned it. Hooray for Censorship! (Although part of me thinks that allowing people to read the comic and find out for itself how biased and badly drawn it is might actually steer people away from extremism. However, 8 year old kids like Becky and Tashana might actually believe it)Who is Allah?, which is the other comic the Singaporean couple is charged with distributing is honestly a lot more offensive to Muslims. For a start, it features a Susy counterpart persuading a Muslim till he actually converts to Christianity, denounce Allah and prostrate to his new God. And it is difficult to find even a shred of humor in that comic. For that reason, I don't wish to link to it here, though you can Google it.Anyway, the Singaporean couple in question, claim not to know that the comics were offensive and did not even read them:Chan, an associate director with UBS, said in her statements that she did not read The Little Bride and was not aware of its contents. 'Neither of us has intention of hurting anyone with the tracts sent out. It was meant that the gospel of God is preached to all. It was meant with good intentions.'On April 14, in response to two of the charges, Ong wrote that he did not know there was offensive content in the publications, and that he had no intention of hurting anyone. My intention is to spread Christianity,' he said.I actually feel a bit sorry for them since they might really have not read the comics, thinking that it was for little kids, and not meant for adult reading. But then again, it is hard to believe that they did not read the comics at all, considering that they surely would have looked at the titles and seen the words "Who is Allah". Surely that should have prompted them to at least glance through the contents, it is irresponsible if they didn't. The trial resumes on 28th Jan, so we can watch out for the trial next year.Oh well, at least this incident have alerted us to the existence of Christian extremists, who reminds us that extremism belongs to every religion and creed, not only Islam. A Nuclear Plant in Singapore? SINGAPORE may consider using nuclear power and could even look into building an underground plant because of its limited space, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Friday. - The Straits Times Hmm... So Singapore may get to have a nuclear plant and we may get to enjoy cheap energy in the near future.Due to high oil prices, the world is on a trend heading towards the increased use of nuclear energy anyway; Take Europe, India and China which are seeking to open more nuclear plants, and *gasp* even Malaysia is considering nuclear power.There is also another trend which Lee is probably considering as well - Authoritarian regimes tend to like nuclear too. Just look at North Korea, Iran and Syria. How can Singapore lose to our totalitarian counterparts? I suppose that the primary concern about a nuclear plant built under us and our HDB flats is whether that plant will blow up and sink our tiny island.However, the entire Straits Times Report on this issue did not even mention the issue about safety explicitly at all, which leads to some rather alarming thoughts about our government as well as our media.Instead, the report mentions is that PM Lee thinks that the "the scale and output of a nuclear plant and the relatively small size of the domestic energy market" will pose difficulties to building a nuclear plant. Apparently, considerations of whether we will be blown up rank lower that considerations of how much nuclear energy can be sold to us before we get blown up. The PM, however, also thinks that "the bigger problem [is] where to locate a plant in the densely populated country". This can be taken as a vague admission of the dangers of nuclear plants, or whether our PM is just thinking about how to free up room to build a nuclear plant.But anyway, regarding our PM's dilemma on where to build a nuclear plant, I humbly suggest that we build our nuclear plant right under Hougang.THAT WILL SHOW THOSE REBELLIOUS RATS THE LINK BETWEEN THE LIVING CONDITIONS AND THE MPS THEY ELECT. HA! NOT UPGRADING THEIR LIFTS WAS ALREADY A CLEAR ENOUGH SIGN, BUT THOSE RATS STILL PERSISTED IN THEIR FOLLY. NOW I WILL BUILD A NUCLEAR PLANT RIGHT UNDERNEATH THEIR FEET AND THAT WILL TEACH THOSE BASTARDS A LESSON FOR NOT VOTING FOR ME! *Ahem* Anyway due to a lack of information provided, I decided to speculate on how safe an underground nuclear plant is. With some research, I found out that nuclear bombs detonated underground beyond a certain depth, around 270 meters, are entirely self-contained, with no nuclear fallout aka radioactive dust, being released to the surface. It must be noted however, that a nuclear plant is extremely unlikely to go BOOM and explode. Rather it will more likely have a nuclear meltdown instead. Why is this so? Well, because Wikipedia says:A nuclear explosion does not result from a nuclear meltdown because, by design, the geometry and composition of the reactor core do not permit the special conditions necessary for a nuclear explosion. - Wikipedia I don't have much idea what it means too. But I trust Wikipedia. Wait actually, I don't trust Wikipedia because the PAP warns us that nothing good and trustworthy can come out of a "Free-for-all" environment. So yea. DEATH TO WIKIPEDIA, THE EVIL PRODUCT OF ANARCHY AND THE LACK OF REGULATIONS! *PUI*Anyway a Nuclear Meltdown happens when the Reactor Core overheats and melts, and the sealed environment is broken resulting in radiation being released to an environment. A Nuclear Meltdown was what happened in Chernobyl.Since fallout can be contained if the plant is built deep enough, I suppose it is okay. As for earthquakes caused by an unlikely explosion, Singapore does not lie on a major fault line so I guess it is not a problem. Maybe our groundwater will get contaminated from the radiation, but water will not be a problem also. This is because by the time the plant is built, our brilliant Singaporean innovation will have invented a portable NEWater-making system complete with a hose connecting our mouths and our nether regions allowing us to drink as much NEWater as we want.And anyway, who cares about safety and the Hougangians? They deserve to die for not voting PAP and exposing our country to economic ruin, devastation, famine, droughts, earthquakes and hurricanes which will inevitably happen when PAP is ousted from power. Oh yea our women exported overseas to be maids too. So it is okay if the nuclear plant goes BOOM under Hougangians' HDB dwellings filled with hate and vice. They can die for all I care. *PUI*I suppose that is a rough overview of Singapore's grand nuclear plans. Please note that I am no nuclear scientist, and I am completely clueless about whether any of the scientific stuff I talked about is correct. So if any nuclear scientist is reading this, please feel free to correct me.=================EDIT: When I woke up this morning, I saw another ST article which provides a bit more detail about the plant and *gasp* it mentions safety too!International standards require a 30km-wide safety zone around a nuclear plant.This is an issue in small countries like Singapore, which stretches about 40km from east to west. I am about to cry from knowing how much our government cares for us.and another more interesting issue - Our nuclear plant may not need to be built underground at Hougang.Instead,Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew had also revealed that the Government had thought about possible locations for such a plant: Pedra Branca island east of Singapore, or on a floating platform out at sea. I can already guess the thoughts of our politicians:Why risk Singaporean lives by building a nuclear plant so near us? Lets build our plant on Pedra Branca where it is closer to Malaysia instead!If that happens, I won't be surprised if Malaysia makes some noise since Pedra Branca is nearer to Malaysia than Singapore. Maybe as retaliation, Malaysia will even build their nuclear plant right at the Causeway to endanger Singaporean drivers who hop over to Malaysia to buy chewing gum. Better yet, Malaysia can build its nuclear plant right next to the Singapore Embassy. So to avoid spiting our neighbor, I will still stick to my suggestion that we build our nuclear plant right underneath Hougang. ==============================You can also read the ST article here: (EDIT: article was shortened by the ST)http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_310812.htmland another ST article on it here:http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_311184.html old skool japanese monster finds love in singapore godzilla drools at the huge spikey rack . hawwttt ALERT: News about S.R Nathan - Never thought that there will be news about him? At a tea party in the Istana yesterday, President of Singapore S.R Nathan created earth-shattering news for he managed to convince Polytechnic student Far'ain Jaafar that his presidency plays more than a ceremonial role in politics. You can see the shocking account given below by the Straits Times Reporter:POLYTECHNIC student Far'ain Jaafar used to think of the President as a ceremonial figure who looked stern on TV. But not any longer. Student Far'ain Jaafar has seen the light and no longer thinks of our esteemed president as merely a ceremonial figure who look stern on TV.As the reporter continues,But yesterday, the 20-year-old was struck by the candour, friendliness and grandfatherly manner displayed by President S R Nathan at a closed-door dialogue he had with 65 young people.Yes. There you have it. Our President S R Nathan displays "candour, friendliness and grandfatherly manner" and is not merely a ceremonial figure who look stern on TV.In fact, the story continues, The 84-year-old head of state told them of how a Japanese military officer, during Japan's occupation of Singapore in the 1940s, saw the potential in him.His teachers then had seen in him only an unkempt boy. But the officer told him he was a bright child and suggested he learn Japanese. He did, and became a translator-interpreter attached to the top official in the Japanese civilian police. Indeed. From what we have learned so far, we now know that our President S R Nathan was in the past seen by his teachers as an "unkempt boy" but a Japanese military officer saw potential in him, additionally, Nathan displays "candour, friendliness and grandfatherly manner" hence he is not merely a ceremonial figure who look stern on TV.Wait wait there is more!Mr Nathan, then director of the Defence Ministry's Security and Intelligence Department, successfully negotiated the release of the hostages while promising the terrorists safe passage to Kuwait.He radioed the airport there to say the plane had little fuel left so he could get Kuwait to agree to let it land. Woah. The list continues: Our President S R Nathan, in the past operated a radio to communicate with a Kuwait airport and helped to free hostages, also in the past, he was seen by his teachers as an "unkempt boy" but a Japanese military officer saw potential in him, additionally, Nathan displays "candour, friendliness and grandfatherly manner" therefore he is absolutely not merely a ceremonial figure who look stern on TV.Kudos to Student Far'ain Jaafar from being freed from the chains of ignorance! And just how on earth did that silly little thought that President Nathan was merely a ceremonial figure who looked stern on TV get into her silly little head in the first place!Blasphemy!Thanks to the Straits Times for dispelling the myth of President Nathan being merely a ceremonial figure who look stern on TV!===========For extra information, the presidency itself is actually not a ceremonial role. In fact, the president is supposed to have powers to monitor the budget of the government and to approve requests for spending if the funding required was accumulated by the previous government. However, during President Ong Teng Cheong's term (1993 – 1999), the President insisting on fulfilling this role fell out with the PAP when they did not readily provide President Ong with the details of the assets controlled by the government. It is unknown if Nathan currently plays this role, and it is unlikely he does. This was because the PAP certainly did not expect President Ong to take his job seriously in the first place, and detested him when he did. It is hence likely that Nathan is in reality, as we all know, a ceremonial figure who look stern on TV. You can read about this issue in the excellent Yawning Bread article here:http://www.yawningbread.org/arch_2005/yax-444.htm=======Source: Youth see different side of President by GOH CHIN LIAN. The Straits Times. 3 November 2008 Shame on Singapore: North Korea and Singapore Currently, the biggest carrot which the United States hang out to entice North Korea to disarm its nukes is the carrot of "normalized relations" with the rest of the world. So occasionally, to show that North Korea is capable of ignoring that carrot, Kim Jong Il dispatches one of his cronies to an around-the-world trip; The goal is to pretend that North Korea enjoys diplomatic relations just like every peace-loving government which does not kill its own people on a daily basis.Unsurprisingly, Singapore is a favorite destination for North Korea, given that there are little distinctions between the two nations' treatments of dissidents:Kim shoots dissidents with a hunting rifle, while Lee sues dissidents with libel lawsuits.And the main difference? Kim Il ends up with a dead corpse while Lee ends up with a nearly-dead corpse plus wads of cash from bankrupting his opponent. No wonder North Korea seems so interested in learning from Singapore.The main purpose of this trip however is not for Lee and Kim to share fine tips on how to stamp out opposition, but for economic reasons:[The NK envoy] briefed Mr Goh on economic developments in his country and possible investment opportunities for Singapore companies there, Mr Goh's press secretary said in a statement yesterday. - The Straits TimesAppalling. I can already imagine Lee and the people at Temasek standing beside a mountain of notes, poised to dump in money into North Korea and exploit the situation at a moment's notice.Why am I not welcoming Singapore's investment in North Korea, given that the North Korean people are starving and in dire straits?The reason is fairly obvious. It is because the "investment opportunities" which North Korea speaks of translates roughly to "irresistible opportunities to exploit cheap labor". Currently, workers in the Kaesong Industrial Region, the location where South Korea are allowed to invest in, "earn" an average of $57 per month. How low is that? That is half of what Chinese laborers are paid.But that is not all. The $57 wage which the workers supposedly "earn" are paid by the South Korean companies to the North Korean government. The North Korean government is then supposed to redistribute the pay to the workers. But some of the $57 is then seized by the government, which claims that the money will be used to purchase "insurance" and "supplies" for the workers.However, whatever the pittance the worker is then left with, it is certain that working in the complex is still better than not:Company A at Kaesong Complex recently, in last May, retook the I.D. photos of their workers after 14 months. Back in the company headquarters in South Korea, they couldn’t believe their eyes at how much the North Korean workers had changed. When they first began their jobs, the North Korean workers’ faces were almost all dark and listless. However, just after 2-3 months, their faces began to lighten while their bodies regained mass. Young women experienced lightening of their skin discolorations and disappearance of sunspots and freckles. Among the citizens of Kaesong City, it is said that you can tell, just by their appearances, who works at the Kaesong Complex and who doesn’t. - The Peace Foundation If Singapore invests in North Korea, indeed, it will provide employment for thousands of workers and provide an immediate boost to their living conditions.And Singapore can benefit greatly from investing in North Korea. For example, MM Lee can employ a thousand North Koreans for just $ 57, 000 monthly to research into a potion for immortality. If that is a bit far-fetched, MM lee can also use the 1000 North Koreans as lab rats instead: He can split them into two groups, one control group and another group which breathe in nothing but pure oxygen from oxygen masks for the rest of their lives. Eventually, Lee will then be able to find out whether breathing in pure oxygen in his oxygen chamber really does prolong his life.But what is the primary motivation which our government will be considering?Is it an economic interest? Or a desire to help North Korea's economy?I have my own guess on that, but it is only a conjecture for it is impossible to guess what our politicians are thinking, even though we supposedly elected them there in the first place. Also, if our government invests in North Korea, that will entail fostering diplomatic relations with North Korea too. And this will lessen the attractiveness of the carrot which the US is enticing North Korea with now. Singapore will effectively be going rogue against the US and other countries aligned with the current US carrot policy if it invests. =========Anyway the Straits Times article on the visit did mention in an extremely vague manner the human rights records of North Korea, as seen below:'SM said that Singapore would be glad to explore ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation, including in the areas of trade and investment, once international concerns were assuaged and the environment improved,' said press secretary Ho Tong Yen. - The Straits TimesHonestly, that was the only reference at all in the article to North Korea's human rights record.And it is such a mild and round-about manner of touching on the human rights issue.It is just like saying:Yesterday, I visited the epicenter of Austronesian commercial transactions and bought soft material processed from pulp which intended purpose is to sanitize my primary body orifice.which translates roughly to:Yesterday, I went to the Malay Pasa Malam to buy toilet paper which I am going to wipe my backside with.And speaking of proper care of our rear ends, I wonder if our ministers use a piece of paper titled "Universal Declaration of Human rights" to...============Source: N. Korean official meets SM Goh. The Straits Times. 2 December 2008 A report on how the Kaesung Complex improves living conditions of workers:http://www.peacefoundation.or.kr/english/board/view.php?&bbs_id=tpf01&page=&doc_num=56A Newsweek article on Kaesung Industrial Region:http://web.archive.org/web/20060905224821/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9285506/site/newsweek/from/RL.3/ Thai-Style Scare Tactics - The Straits Times great attack on the "Protest Culture" It appears as though Thailand is becoming a failed state thanks to our government's 1.9 billion dollar investment in making Thaksin appear corrupt. So now we know why we pay taxes - so that Temasek can indulge in dubious deals overseas such as buying Shin Corp tax-free for the benefit of Singaporeans who can turn on the tv everyday and watch the Thailand political crisis for entertainment. No government has ever cared for its people so much.And indeed, what happening in Thailand now is truly disastrous. There are currently 300,000 tourists stranded in Thailand's airports now. The worst part is that many of these tourists are ah mohs who probably came to Thailand for the same reason Singaporeans go to Batam.....And having almost 300,000 sexually desperate men left stranded in your country, and crammed in your airport is lamentable indeed. Not to mention that many of them could be pedophiles or people who like BDSM. What goes on in the airport is probably unmentionable.Anyway, the less important details aside, what is our government doing now?Well... it is evident that they are thinking of something along the lines of this:"Ahh! Okay so we created this mess. Don't worry, we can still make something good out of this. Let us use the political turmoil in Thailand to show Singaporeans how evil protests are! Maybe then they will shut up for a while and decide to limit their protests to a corner of a park!"Sure enough, the Straits Times published this article:Just look at the title of the article above which is:"Protest Culture as a force in political change"and obviously, the political change in Thailand now is bloody, painful and dire to the economy. This association between political change and damage will impede the local opposition attempts to cultivate a "Protest Culture" here, albeit more peaceful, and shake Singaporeans out from political apathy.The article demonizes the protesters even further, as evident from the quote below:In a country where millions are impoverished, even in the capital city, protest culture affords a certain form of real political entertainment that is broadcast over the Internet and the global media.This paints a picture of people protesting merely for "entertainment", because they are bored at home and have nothing to do. I am quite sure that if you are bored at home, you will go berserk and run out to risk your life and a limb or two fighting police armed with grenades.it is not uncommon for improvised explosive devices to be set off by rival groups and those who are simply mischievous. Protest culture as a national pastime is about the articulation of political interests that are not limited to peaceful civil disobedience. So now you know what your primary school teacher really meant when she told your parents that you were "mischevious". She meant that you had a tendency to run about school detonating crates of TNT and blowing people up. Woah man. I always thought all along that the protesters were campaigning for a real cause. Turns out that they were just mischievous imps. ====================At any rate, it is important to note that the "Protest Culture" that opposition leaders are trying to create here is orientated about breaking the political apathy of Singaporeans as well as to question the government more about its actions. It does not contain TNT or bombs yet, and is nowhere near the more violent nature of the protests in Thailand. Of course, making the population more critical of the government is a slippery slope away to the violent protests in Thailand. At the same time though, an apathetic population is about as risky as a volatile one.Further more, it is also unfair to make the implicit attack on Democracy by highlighting that the voices of the people (such as that of the protesters) are evil and must be contained.This is because using Thailand as an example, the PDA (People's Alliance for Democracy) is in fact undemocratic, despite its name, for it represents the minority of the Thais seeking to topple the government which won the popular vote - Thaksin's government and Samak Sundaravej's coalition were in fact democratically voted in by the rural masses while the PAD is composed of the urban elites as well as the middle class.Hence what is needed is in fact more democracy (to let the choice of the rural voters to be legitimized) and to safeguard the democratic process, not less, as criticism of the "Protest Culture" implies.So don't be discouraged folks! Singapore will not end up in ruins just because we protest in our little private blogs, just like what I am doing now=============Source: The Straits Times. Protest culture as a force in political change By Antonio L. Rappa. 30 November 2008 Sinking funds Sinking I posted this screenshot of the Straits Times digital version of its highly-esteemed, consecrated, holy newspaper for two reasons.The first is to allow you to ponder why Mr. Tan Hui Yee, the journalist pictured, is looking at us with such deep, worried eyes. Why is he worried? Why is he looking at us? Why is he leaning forward in such a suggestive manner? Why is he photoshopped from another photo into a white background? And why is he even pictured in the first place???? By asking yourself such questions, you will find that reading the Straits Times actually becomes worthwhile.The second reason is that the screenshot captured some important information as seen below:"The wolves are out, baying for blood over the latest revelation that eight of the 14 town councils run by the People's Action Party have invested $16 million of their sinking funds in troubled financial products." - The Straits TimesEhh? Town councils and investment funds? Aren't town councils the people who throw away our garbage and sweep our void decks? Or the people that organize those silly walk-a-thons once in a while? What do they have to do with 16 million dollars?"The investments came from the town councils' sinking funds, which are amassed from residents for long-term cyclical maintenance, including lift upgrading.The Government stipulates that 20 to 25 per cent of money collected from monthly service and conservancy charges must go to a sinking fund." - The Straits TimesOhh okay, so part of the monthly payment we give to the town council is diverted to something called a "sinking fund" which the council then use to invest money.Hmm and so the town councils lost 16 million dollars of our money.But not to worry, for "the $16 million in question make up just 0.8 percent of the councils' investable funds" - The Straits Times Phew, that is a big relief to know. Just 0.8 percent, that is great. Hardly a scratch.Wait... if 16 million is just 0.8 percent of the funds town councils manage, how much exactly do they manage?Answer:"The town councils today are custodians of more than $1 billion in investable funds." - The Straits TimesAnd we all know that the Government can't count for nuts! (haha good pun) If $16 million is 0.8% of the sinking funds, 0.1% is $2 million and 100% would be $2 billion, NOT the dubious figure of "more than $1 billion"!!! So much for good reporting.=============================Wow.. okay so town councils have 1 billion dollars... we will just assume that our calculations lie and believe the credible Straits Times reporting that the town councils have a figure around 1 billion dollars instead of two billion dollars.and what exactly do they invest that 1 billion dollars in?No one knows.=============================Obviously, 1 Billion dollars is a lot of money.With 1 Billion dollars, we can afford to pay our dear Prime Minister Lee's salary for Two Hundred and Fifty Eight more years, including the cost of cloning him whenever he dies. That means that with a billion dollars, we can ensure that Singapore remains prosperous for the next 258 years and Singaporean women will not need to work as maids in other countries for 258 years. These 258 years of freedom will be looked back fondly upon by Singaporean maids after we run out of money to pay Lee.And if you are lucky enough to come across 0.9 billion dollars and add it to the 1 Billion dollars town council fund, you will find that you possess 1.9 billion dollars, which is the exact amount of money needed to topple a South East Asian country of your choice.Just look at what Temasek did by buying Thaksin's Shin Corp for 1.9 Billion tax-free which led to Thaksin being accused of corruption which led to his coup which led to the all the political turmoil that is happening in Thailand today.Oh oh, but I am forgetting that the town council only has 1 Billion dollars. But I suppose that is enough to topple a small Caribbean or African nation of their choice.=============================We really ought to know what exactly is happening in those sinking funds, not just because they are sinking, or because they could sink again in the future.But because we really need to know whether the town councils are plotting to overthrow one of the nations around us.=============================Sources:"Rethink how sinking funds are managed" By Tan Hui Yee. The Straits Times."It's town councils' duty to explain investments: Mah" By Tan Dawn Wei and Zureena Habib. The Straits Times. About Us We thank you for wanting to know more about us.The truth is that we suffer from extremely low self-esteem, and any interest you express in us boosts our egos a little bit and thus saving us from the pit of despair.So once again, thank you.We're really just a bunch of uninteresting people, banding together to post our most private thoughts on this extremely safe online getaway, the Secret Political Blog.On a more mundane note, we are a collection of individuals who have awakened to the political realities of Singapore. However, upon trying to tell our families and friends that we really ought to organize a protest at the Speakers Corner, they pointed their fingers at us and laughed, before banishing us to the very top of Bukit Timah Hill.So now, from a cave in Bukit Timah Hill, armed with a laptop and an electric generator powered by burning monkey dung, we present to you:The Secret Political Blogand since our founding in 2008, The Secret Political Blog has won critical acclaim from the authoritarian, opps, i mean authoritative newspaper, The Straits Times, as seen below: "The" - The Straits Times, Jan 1 2008"Secret" - The Straits Times, November 22 2003"Political Blog" - The Straits Times, March 6 2005"is an excellent" - The Straits Times, July 13 1997"Widely regarded" - The Straits Times, August 15 2006"source of" - The Straits Times, May 1 1999"Singaporean affairs" - The Straits Times, November 23 2008So there you have it, solid proof that the Secret Political Blog is worth reading and we hope that you will stay with us for the months and years to come! Also if you wish for any reason to contact us at all, whether for asking to become a fellow contributor to the blog or to send us an email about a secret medicine which can boost our sexual prowess, please send an email to secretpoliticalblog@gmail.com