Singapore’s Court of Appeal reserves judgment in Vui Kong’s appeal hearing BREAKING: The Court of Appeal has heard Yong Vui Kong’s appeal. After hearing submissions from Mr M Ravi, representing Yong, and the response from Attorney-General Walter Woon for the prosecution, the Court has reserved judgement for a later date. From Jacob 69er The appeal hearing for Yong Vui Kong ended a couple of minutes ago. After two stays of execution, the 3-judge Court of Appeal has reserved its judgment after hearing the arguments put forth by Vui Kong’s lawyer, M Ravi. The judges thanked M Ravi for updating them on the current international practice with regards to the death penalty. [My thanks to Seelan for this update] I was at the hearing today which began at 10am. The Court of Appeals chambers was as cold as the mandatory death penalty which the Singapore government so efficiently practices. Over 50 people were squeezed into the small public gallery. I saw Vui Kong escorted into the chambers by four police officers. He followed the proceedings via the mandarin translation by a court interpreter. He seemed just like any other 21 year old with his spiky hair and the sides shaved. But unlike any other 21 year old, he’s facing the hangman’s noose. Unfortunately, I couldn’t stay longer. When I left about an hour into the proceedings, i looked at Vui Kong who was seated behind a glass partition with two police officers on his left and right. I wondered what was going through his mind knowing this hearing was all about, to put it bluntly, to hang or not to hang and if it’ll be the last time i’ll be seeing him….alive. Here are two flyers on Vui Kong. Thanks to Rachel and Seelan for uploading them here and here. PAP nervous about New Media, introduces "guidelines" Singapore Democrats The proposed changes to the election rules announced in Parliament yesterday are just another ploy by the PAP to instill fear in the people. As far as the Internet is concerned, citizens should be free to campaign for whichever party and candidate they choose. The “advertising guidelines” introduced is clear indication that the PAP is running scared of the New Media and how it is a leveler of information flow. The ruling party also knows that because of its control of the traditional media, more and more Singaporeans are turning to the Internet for information. The overwhelming sentiment in cyberspace is for the opposition and against the PAP. The Government is thus desperately trying to regulate cyberspace during the elections even though it knows that it is near impossible to do so given the nature of the beast. The Singapore Democrats has been actively working online through the years to garner support. Even then, we will not rest on our laurels and we intend to bring up the level of our Internet presence and campaigning during the elections with or without the changes to the Internet guidelines. This is where our strength lies and the PAP is obviously feeling nervous about the use of the Internet by the Singapore Democrats. The cooling-off day is obviously one such weapon that the PAP will employ to counter the SDP's use of the Internet. While specifying that no new material can be uploaded online during this cooling-off, the traditional media that the PAP controls will not come under such restrictions and this will be used against the opposition. As for the tweaking to allow for up to two NCMPs from one GRC, it is important for Singaporeans to remember that the scheme is meant to distract voters so that they feel that opposition MPs are elected when in fact this category of parliamentarians have little or no legislative power. Singaporeans have to understand that they need to vote for the opposition in numbers that will surpass the 50 percent mark in order that we enter Parliament to represent the people. John TanAssistant Secretary-General Singapore Democratic Party Yong Vui Kong     Please forward this information to your friends. The Court of Appeal (Supreme Court) will hear Vui Kong's appeal this coming Monday, 15 March at 10am. Encourage your friends to come for the hearing and invite them to join this Facebook group for updates. Link to the large flier to be printed out and passed around.   The Story of a Boy Yong Vui Kong’s appeal hearing takes place at 10am on Monday, 15 March 2010. By Andrew Loh Yong Vui Kong was 12 when he left his grandfather’s palm oil estate “deep in the forests of Sabah” in Malaysia to strike it out on his own. He had had enough of watching his mother being abused by his grandfather and her relatives. He wanted to help her escape what he now calls “that place of pain”. And so, he made up a story. He told his mother that he had found someone who would take him in as a godson. But the truth was, his “godfather” ran an illegal gambling business. Vui Kong went to work for this man, hoping to save up enough money so he could rescue his mother. He was eventually thrown out by his godfather. Vui Kong thinks it was probably because he was too small and skinny to be of any use. He ended up washing cars to survive, making about RM$3 a day. It was hardly enough to pay for food, let alone accommodation. He would often pester his friends to put him up for short periods of time. He lived like this for three years. At 15, he made his way to Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, hoping to find a better job. But things didn’t turn out the way he planned. He faced discrimination because he came from a small town and was often beaten up. He found work in a Chinese restaurant but was paid far less than his colleagues. A local gang recruited him to hawk illegal video compact discs . Soon he was told to help collect debts. He was later given a more “important” job by his “Big Brother”, who promised to pay him handsomely. The man had treated Vui Kong well – feeding him, clothing him and taking him out to fancy restaurants. Vui Kong felt compelled to do anything “Big Brother” said. More importantly, he needed the money. His mother was suffering from severe depression and he wanted to help pay for her treatment. He started delivering“gifts” to various clients. He did not know it initially, but the colourfully gift-wrapped packages contained drugs. In 2007, Vui Kong was caught while making a delivery in Singapore. The police found 47.27 grammes of heroin on him. A judge eventually handed him the mandatory death sentence for drug trafficking. Harsh Reality In Singapore, hangings take place at dawn on a Friday. Prisoners are only told about their impending execution on Monday. Vui Kong broke down when he was informed that he would be put to death on 4 December 2009. He hadn’t seen his mother in more than two years. She was still battling depression and all through this time, the family had decided to keep the truth from her. But the thought of not saying goodbye was too much for Vui Kong to bear and his siblings decided to fly her to Singapore. They finally met three days before the scheduled execution. It was an emotional reunion. Vui Kong knelt down before his mother, bowing to her three times. He then begged for her forgiveness and told her he had to “go away forever” to do “penance” for all the bad things he had done. He told her she would never see him again. Did she understand the meaning behind his words? Perhaps we will never know. What must have been clear to her though was that her son had undergone a dramatic transformation. He had embraced a new way of life in prison and was now a devout Buddhist. He would wake up at 4am every morning to meditate and he eagerly sought the advice of the Buddhist monks who visited him regularly. For the first time in his life, he was taught to discern right from wrong. He also realised that contrary to what he was told as a child, cigarettes were not the same as drugs. “If I knew they would harm anyone, I would surely not do the job,” he said in his clemency appeal to the President in 2009. He found a friend in prison – a 22-year-old from Malaysia, who was also received the death penalty for drug trafficking. The boy would die just three months before Vui Kong’s scheduled execution. He was a trembling mess the day before the hanging. Vui Kong would later tell his brother that he stayed up all night comforting his friend, urging him to meditate so he could face his final moments with inner peace. The next morning, the boy had to be dragged from his cell to the execution chamber, crying, wailing and begging to be freed and to be forgiven. For himself, Vui Kong continues to hope for a miracle. He’s even started to learn English so he can better communicate with his lawyer. “He is remorseful and feels he should be severely punished,” his brother Yun Leong explained, “but he wants to live so he can continue seeing us, seeing our mother again. He wants to keep learning and meditating and being a better person.” When the court granted him a stay of execution in December, one of the first people to pay Vui Kong a visit was his lawyer. During the meeting, Vui Kong presented him a gift – a picture that had taken him weeks to complete. “He would kneel for hours as he drew,” his lawyer said. The picture is a colourful interpretation of one of the manifestations of Lord Buddha – he is standing at the gates of hell, saving souls from eternal damnation. Debate on Singapore's Casinos Al Jazeera's video debate on Singapore's casinos   PAP member lodged false police report against opposition From YourSDP Louis Tay PAP member, Mr Louis Tay Bok Hock, had called the police in 2006 to lodge a complaint against the opposition for selling newspaper in the Bukit Panjang Constituency just prior to the general elections. Mr Tay revealed this when he testified as a prosecution witness in the on-going trial of Dr Chee Soon Juan in which the SDP leader is being charged for speaking in public without a permit in April 2006.   Even before he could finish serving his one-week jail sentence for a protest during the WB-IMF meeting in 2006, Dr Chee was dragged from prison to answer the public speaking charge. Mr Louis Tay said on the stand last week that he had received information through an SMS text message from a Bukit Panjang “volunteer” on the morning of 15 April 2006, telling him that “members of the SDA party had set up tables and were distributing flyers.” Mr Tay claimed that he could not recall who this “volunteer” was.  He then immediately called Assistant Superintendent (ASP) Manoharan on the officer's cell phone, expecting the ASP to investigate the matter. Even though Mr Manoharan was off duty that day, he nevertheless immediately called his station to alert the Jurong Police Division. Within minutes the police despatched a team to the location to investigate the matter. Foreign funding a necessary antidote in authoritarian states From Yawning Bread What's wrong with foreign funding for political parties? This was the question in my mind that cried out for discussion when I read the Straits Times' story of 1 March 2010, about an interview the Chinese-language newspaper Zaobao did with Chee Soon Juan, the leader of the Singapore Democratic Party. In the interview, the reporter appeared to have pressed him about how he managed to feed his family and carry on political work despite having been declared bankrupt, raising again the issue of foreign funding. See an excerpt of the Straits Times' story at right. Why is it an issue? We seem to be using as a starting point, a line in the sand: that political parties and leaders should not accept foreign funding. Suggestions of having done so quickly become implied accusations of either disloyalty or unfitness. It is this unexamined association that bothers me. This link has become so internalised that even non-governmental organisations are queasy about accepting foreign funding. Their leaders are fearful that such a financial relationship can be used against them whenever the government wishes to crack down on whatever the NGO does, or stands for. to continue reading Nair's Hoax Well that's April Fools Day taken care of...       RUMOUR:"Lee Kuan Yew - massive heart attack" From Gopalan Nair Before reading this keep in mind that Gopalan Nair has not revealed his sources nor has anyone been able to verify these assertions. Claims that Singaporeans are gathering on the streets in protest sounds like an early April Fools joke. Ladies and Gentlemen, According to latest reports received from Singapore a few minutes ago, the 87 year old Singapore strongman, Lee Kuan Yew, had suffered a massive heart attack at 9.34 pm yesterday Singapore time.  He is reported to be presently in the Intensive Care Cardiac Unit of the Singapore General Hospital under sedation and respiration, carefully watched by a team of doctors, with his son whom he appointed the Prime Minister and his 2 other children beside him.  It is understood his wife is also in the same hospital in a coma now for several years.  It is uncertain if he can recover at his age, and the pacemaker which he has in his heart is believed to have contributed to it. According to reports, the pacemaker malfunctioned triggering this massive heart attack.  With the entire country run by this one man, the fear that business leaders and bankers had for very long may have finally come true; that such a happening can destroy the business confidence and cause total destruction in the small island city state.  The reason for the lack of confidence is due to the general lack of confidence in his son's, the prime minister's capacity to govern thereby creating a power vacuum with no single person able to assume control in the island.  In fact reports have been coming in that some investors have already started transferring their funds overseas creating a fear there could be a run on the banks.  There are reports that several top officials who have amassed fortunes under Lee Kuan Yew's patronage and connections have begun to have the jitters and started moving their funds overseas.  A few high ranking civil servants and judges who were responsible for human rights abuses against his political opponents have also been on alert ready to leave the island any minute.  Reports have also been coming in that peaceful protesters and demonstrators have begun assembling in small pockets at the Geylang and Mountbatten Road junction and the Orchard Road and Patterson Road junction holding placards reading "Democracy" and "Down With the Dictator" and chanting slogans. The situation is very fluid and I will be reporting on the situation as it unfolds. There have been numerous telephone calls to the Prime Ministers Office and the Singapore newspaper the Straits Times for information. Gopalan Nair Fremont, California March 06, 2010 “Productivity” minister Teo Chee Hean caught sleeping in Parliament A photo of Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean sleeping in Parliament during the speech made by another DPM Wong Kan Seng has been circulating around in cyberspace with many netizens questioning DPM Teo’s “productivity”:   Hardwarezone forumers took turns to poke fun at DPM Teo with some coming up with “excuses” in defence of him. 168168 wrote cheekily: “He is only trying to be as productive as possible. attending parliament and sleeping at the same time. “     Singapore's Chee Soon Juan: We must believe Video of The address of Singapore Democratic Party's Secretary-General, Dr Chee Soon Juan, given at the SDP's 30th year anniversary dinner at Concorde Hotel on 27 Feb 2010.   Nobel Winner Slams Singapore Over HIV Treatment Costs   By Simeon Bennett March 5 (Bloomberg) -- Singapore’s insistence on charging for HIV tests and treatment is hindering progress on controlling the spread of the virus in the city-state, said Francoise Barre- Sinoussi, winner of the 2008 Nobel Prize in Medicine for her co- discovery of the virus that causes AIDS. New HIV infections in the nation of 4.6 million people rose to 456 in 2008 from 242 in 2003, according to the health ministry. Barre-Sinoussi, 62, said the burden is probably greater because people may be dissuaded from getting tested. “The stigma, the fact that they have to pay for everything, it’s the worst conditions for stimulating people to be tested and treated,” she said in an interview at the French embassy in Singapore yesterday. “The numbers they announce are probably much lower than the numbers they have.” Singapore’s government has opened more anonymous testing clinics, boosted HIV education programs and produced a soap opera to curb new infections of HIV, which have doubled in the past 10 years, even as the spread of the virus slowed in neighboring Malaysia and Thailand. Treatment can cost as much as S$1,500 ($1,073) a month in Singapore and most insurers don’t cover the costs, said Stuart Koe, chief executive officer of Fridae.com, Asia’s largest gay Web site. Generic versions of AIDS drugs aren’t available in Singapore and doctors in the city-state often advise patients to buy cheaper, copycat pills in Malaysia or Thailand, he said. “It’s a shame because Singapore is considered by many to be a developed country,” Koe said in a telephone interview yesterday. “The HIV-AIDS community here is way behind most of the neighboring countries as a result.” The health ministry didn’t respond to requests for comment. The government said in January it would subsidize HIV treatment for patients who can’t afford it. ‘Difficult to Accept’ An anonymous HIV test costs S$30, according to Action for AIDS, which runs Singapore’s biggest anonymous testing clinic. “Coming from a country where everything is free, it’s difficult to accept,” said Barre-Sinoussi, who is head of Institut Pasteur’s regulation of retroviral infections unit in Paris. “The situation is even worse than in developing countries not far from here. In Cambodia, everything is free.” In France, which has 64 million people, new cases fell to 6,940 from 8,930 over the same period, data presented at an AIDS conference last month show. In 1983, Barre-Sinoussi co-wrote a report with Luc Montagnier in the journal Science that detailed the discovery of the pathogen that later became known as human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV. HIV-AIDS is the world’s deadliest infectious disease. About 33 million people were living with HIV, 2.7 million were newly infected with the virus and 2 million people died from an AIDS- related complication in 2008, according to the World Health Organization’s latest estimates. --Editors: Phil Serafino, Jason Gale To contact the reporter on this story: Simeon Bennett in Singapore at sbennett9@bloomberg.net To contact the editor responsible for this story: Lena Lee at llee42@bloomberg.net.   Anti-Death Penalty in Singapore You can stick your chewing gum...   Anti-Death Penalty in Spore Yong Vui Kong's appeal is going before the Court of Appeal this March. It seems that Singapore cyberspace is pretty much silent on the issue except for The Online Citizen who have continued their coverage on the death penalty debate with some very thought-provoking articles. In my must-read list would be TOC's interview with Prof Michael Hor of NUS Law School and Law Society's President Michael Hwang's address in 2008.  These two legal heavyweights have brought up many interesting points in the death penalty debate, and specifically the debate on the mandatory death penalty in Singapore. I have said earlier that I would support a movement that removes the mandatory death penalty and I hope with this case and the coverage by TOC, the government would entertain the thought of a public debate on the issue.  Michael Hwang puts it most eloquently in his address to Law Society in 2008, "The extent to which an offender ought to be punished cannot be determined solely by the need to stamp out future repetitions of the same offence; there is a moral limit to the law’s power to make an offender an example for others to fear." It resonates as I read it because I can imagine someone receiving a heavier sentence as a deterrence but I cannot fathom a person dying to act as a deterrence; not to mention the many petty drug traffickers.  Michael Hor, on the other hand, points out succinctly the problematic mandatory death penalty: Perhaps the most prominent aspect of a mandatory death penalty is the absence of a judicial discretion in relation to the most extraordinary sentence in our criminal law. The judge trying the case can only determine guilt or innocence, and once that is done, the death penalty automatically follows. This goes against the grain of modern penological thinking that the punishment ought to fit not only the crime, but the criminal. It means that the judge should have the power and the duty to take into account the personal circumstances of the offender. But Michael Hor was also quick to point out that in Singapore's case, the prosecution and police does mitigate the eventual punishment meted out to offenders in terms of going for a reduced charge. But like Hor, I agree that there is no harm in also allowing the judge to be part of this mitigation process and in fact, it might provide greater transparency and oversight to the criminal law process in Singapore.  In tandem with the mandatory death penalty and the absence of discretion on the part of judges' sentencing, the legal process under the Misuse of Drugs Act contains presumptions which shifts the burden of proof to the accused. Hence, he is not granted the principle of innocence until proven guilty. He has to prove that he either did not know he was carrying drugs - failure to do so will, in the current system, most probably result in sentencing him to the gallows. An eye for an eye, but Jesus shed his blood on the Cross at Calvary just so we can have a chance to repent.   Growth must improve welfare of Singaporeans: Sylvia Lim This was the speech Non-constituency MP and Workers’ Party chairman Sylvia Lim delivered in Parliament yesterday. From Gerald Giam ———– Each year, the government has certain GDP growth targets and plans the Budget and policies around it.  This year, the government has put in place a productivity target recommended by the Economic Strategies Committee. Whatever measure is used, the ultimate aim of growing our economy must be to forge a higher quality of life for all our citizens.  Though not everyone has the same talents and capabilities, our growth must provide every person with a good standard of living and a sense of physical and economic security.   We may be a small country geographically, but within our borders, citizens should feel at home and valued as persons and not just for economic contributions. Limitations of GDP as an indicator There has been growing expert opinion that GDP does not measure social progress adequately.  In 2008, French President Nicolas Sarkozy appointed a Commission chaired by Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz to identify the limits of using GDP as an indicator of economic performance and social progress.  Additionally, they were to advise on what alternative tools or information should be used which would be more relevant and helpful. The Commission noted that GDP measured market production, but a larger GDP figure did not always mean that people were better off.  For instance, more traffic jams would lead to higher consumption of petrol and increase GDP, but the quality of life would have actually deteriorated due to pollution and inefficiency. Secondly, it was important to look not just at the headline GDP figure, but to analyse where the benefits of GDP were going.  If GDP is ultimately for citizens’ welfare, then one important question is how much the local population benefitted from the GDP versus foreign persons.  To measure this, the Commission advocated tracking how much of GDP was made up of net national disposable income. In an article in July 2009, entitled “Reassessing Singapore’s economic future”, economist Manu Bhaskaran noted that Singapore had one of the highest per capita incomes in the world, at US$37,597 in 2008. But Singapore also had a very unequal distribution of that high income — profits took about 46% of GDP, which was very high in comparison with most developed economies. The available data also showed that foreign-owned companies received almost half of the extraordinarily high profit share. That left “an unusually low share” of the GDP cake for the average Singapore citizen, whether he is an employee or a businessman. Third, the Stiglitz Commission recommended a shift of emphasis from “production-oriented” factors to focusing on the well-being of current and future generations, i.e. toward broader measures of social progress.  In this light, other important factors to track include living standards for families, environment (present and future conditions), and the levels of economic insecurity in the population.  How unequal a society was must also be watched seriously. Sir, in our quest for economic growth, we should also really reflect on what has happened to Singapore over the last 5 years. SDP's 30th Anniversary Dinner Video of Singapore Democratic Party Anniversary dinner... Dr Chee takes issue with Zaobao and ST's reports Singapore Democrats On Sunday, 28 February, Lianhe Zaobao reported an interview with SDP Secretary-General, Dr Chee Soon Juan, which was also reported subsequently in the Straits Times on 1 March 2010. According to Dr Chee, there are issues in the reports, which he would like to address. However, because of his current imprisonment, he is unable to do so. Assistant Secretary-General, Mr John Tan, writes to the press to alert them that Dr Chee will be responding to the articles after he is released this weekend. 2 March 2010 The Editor Lianhe Zaobao via email at zaobao@zaobao.com.sg The Editor Straits Times via email at stonline@sph.com.sg Dear Editors, I am writing on Dr. Chee Soon Juan's behalf in response to your reports (in Lianhe Zaobao, dated 28 February 2010; in the Straits Times, dated 1 March 2010) on Zaobao's interview with him.  I wish to give you the heads up that there are several matters in the reports over which Dr. Chee takes issue with. For instance, the articles appear to suggest, inaccurately, that Dr. Chee was evasive when touching on questions about foreign funds. As he is presently in prison, he is not able to respond in details to the articles. He will write to you after he is released at the end of the week. Sincerely, John Tan Assistant Secretary-General Singapore Democratic Party Ruling will go down as one that ignored common sense: Tian Jing Singapore Democrats Two days after the Singapore Democrats commemorated our 30th anniversary dinner, Mr Gandhi Ambalam, Dr Chee Soon Juan, and Ms Chee Siok Chin are being imprisoned again.  They are serving a one-week imprisonment after they were found guilty by District Judge Toh Yung Cheong for attempting to participate in a procession during the WB-IMF meeting in September 2006. The three SDP leaders recently served a one-week jail term for distirbuting flyers that were critical of the PAP Government. The Defendants pointed out in their closing submissions that it was illgeal discrimination by the police to prosecute them for illegal procession when the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) had conducted a similar activity involving hundreds of people.  During the trial, the Licensing Officer testified that the police will not issue permits for all outdoor political activities. He added that this was because potential law and order problems might arise from outsiders even if the organisers did not intend to cause trouble.  Going by that logic, then why did he allow CASE to hold its activity because CASE organisers would also not be able to foresee any potential law and order probmes that may arise. Singapore income gap, prison population high From Blowin' in the Wind Singapore has the biggest income gap among 23 rich nations surveyed in the book, The Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger, by Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett. This chart from the book shows the income gap between the richest 20 per cent and poorest 20 per cent of the population. The authors write: Within countries such as Japan and some of the Scandinavian countries at the top of the chart, the richest 20 per cent are less than four times as rich as the poorest 20 per cent. At the bottom of the chart are countries in which these differences are at least twice as big, including two in which the richest 20 per cent get about nine times as much as the poorest. Among the most unequal are Singapore, USA, Portugal and the United Kingdom. Singapore also has the second highest number of prison inmates per 100,000 people, according to the authors. Straits Times - British Kids Over-Exposed to Sex A report on the Sexualisation of Young People Review [pdf] - Published by the Home Office Violent Crimes Unit - In which I (soci) was the Research Assistant or External Independent Reviewer for Dr Linda Papadopoulos. From The Straits Times LONDON - CHILDREN in Britain are being exposed to too much sexual imagery through the Internet, music videos, computer games and magazines, a report commissioned by the Home Office said on Friday. The study called for a ban on 'sexualised' music videos being shown on television before 9pm and said 'lads' mags' - magazines for young men which feature pictures of scantily-clad women - should only be sold to over 15s. It also wants games consoles to be sold with the parental lock - which controls access to graphic violent or sexual content - turned on. 'Children and young people today are not only exposed to increasing amounts of hyper-sexualised images, they are also sold the idea that they have to look 'sexy' and 'hot',' said the report by psychologist Linda Papadopoulos. 'As such, they are facing pressures that children in the past simply did not have to face.' The report found girls are suffering particularly from the situation, which it links to depression, eating disorders and violence. But boys are also facing pressure to 'be macho, be strong, don't show your emotions'. Bratz dolls and stationery for school children bearing the Playboy logo are examples of how marketers 'are effectively encouraging young girls to present themselves in a sexual way', the report said. It also criticised how music videos often show women 'in provocative and revealing clothing and are depicted as being in a state of sexual readiness', while men were typically shown as 'hyper-masculine and sexually dominant'. -- AFP You can find out more by reading the Sexualisation of Young People Review.   MIT prof confirms what Chee has been saying Singapore Democrats Huang Yasheng There has been great emphasis on what is ailing Singapore's economy in the past several months.  Much of it has centred around the declining productivity of our workforce.  Professor Huang Yasheng from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) weighed in on this issue when he was recently invited to deliver a lecture at the Civil Service College here. In his presentation, Professor Huang gave his insights on how Singapore can go about tackling the productivity problem (see report below). A professor of political economy and international management, the MIT don has written extensive of the Chinese economy and he also runs a programme at the Institute to train entrepreneurs in management. In his address Professor Huang made the point that the top-down approach of running the economy in Singapore  through GLCs was causing much of the lag in productivity in our economy. This was because GLCs are largely staffed and led by civil service technocrats who lack the entrepreneurial and innovative drive seen in the private sector. Much of what Professor Huang said confirms what Dr Chee Soon Juan has been saying all these years in his various books.  Prof Huang: The new game is not about high averages, but outliers. Nor is it about size, but nimbleness. "This idea that size gives you advantage is an extraordinarily strange view. Was Microsoft a big company in 1975? Was Google a big company in 1998?" Dr Chee: In the US, it is the smaller companies that are more nimble and able to adapt to changes in technology. IBM, the once mighty giant in the industry, is now struggling to keep up with smaller companies like Microsoft and Apple. (Dare To Change, 1994) Prof Huang: But growing up in the big shadow of state intervention has dwarfed the entrepreneurial culture here. The 'orderly' environment here dulls the incentive to think out of the box. Everything is very well organised. Entrepreneurship typically happens in a more chaotic environment. Dr Chee: Such a system inevitably produces workers who may perform competently when society is well organised and structured but when spontaneity and creativity is of the essence, find it difficult to exercise an independent unfettered...Conformity has come second nature to the people. (Your Future, My faith, Our Freedom, 2001) Prof Huang: Even Singapore's top-down edcuation system gets in the way. "While producing excellent maths scores, it is not producing diversity in ideas and unconventional ways of soving problems."  Dr Chee: ...Singapore's educational system has emphasized rote learning and has graded students almost entirely on their perfomance in their year-end examinations...this form of schooling deprives society of entrepreneurial minds, resulting in the school curricular. (Dare To Change, 1994) Prof Huang: The private sector is the best way to grow the economy. It has the most productive, most innovative and entrepreneurial culture. The state-owned enterprise system doesn't give you that.' Dr Chee: With world markets becoming more diverse and integrative, private enterprises are better poised to capitalise on business opportunities than state-controlled companies. (A Nation Cheated, 2007) It seems that the PAP Government simply refuses to make the necessary reforms to ensure that our economy develops in a sustainable way that benefits all segments of society, not just the clique that surrounds it.  But the problems are just beginning to surface and there is absolutely no indication that the ruling party is willing to make the hard but necessary decisions to steer our economy on to the right path.  Such an approach will continue to be a drag on the nation's progress. Singapore's Budget 2010 exposed From YourSDP In his 2010 Budget Speech, Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam has announced that the Government will splash $5.5 billion over the next five years to help boost productivity and efficiency in Singapore. Throwing money at the problem and making the same proposals that have been tried and found wanting, but packaged differently, will not make the problem go away. Productivity will still languish. Let us compare what has been said and done before, with what has been proposed this year. Mr Tharman's basic approach is very similar to the strategies that the Economic Review Committee (ERC) led by Mr Lee Hsien Loong came up with in 2003: Tharman 2010: One, to “restructure our overall economy towards higher-value activities.” Lee 2003: “Our basic strategy is to upgrade ourselves” and “restructure our economy to strengthen our position.” Tharman 2010: Two, to “upgrade individual industries and enterprises." Lee 2003: Industries need to “upgrade themselves...to become more innovative.” Tharman 2010: Three, to “raise the skills and creative potential of every worker.” Lee 2003: “We need an environment that encourages creativity, intellectual curiosity and risk-taking...The aim is to bring out the full potential of every individual.” Clearly the Government is re-proposing what it has been doing all these years. If after all that the ERC proposed failed to boost productivity, what makes it different this time around? If truth be told, the productivity problem has been in existence for the past couple of decades, not just the one or two years ago. The PAP's refusal to acknowledge the root cause of the problem is the real reason why our productivity has been languishing all these years. These problems are: The over-dependence on MNCs so much so that wages had to be, and are being, actively suppressed in order to keep Singapore attractive to these companies; The channelling of resources to GLCs, whose performance are lamentable at best, to the point that local SMEs are crowded out and unable to develop; The continued autocratic system run by the PAP that pushes talented and skilled Singaporeans to leave the country, and cause a sense of alienation among those who remain behind. Blurring state and party lines Seah Chiang Nee The Star If China and Singapore can become twinned on the world state, they can promote a new global order that would blend authoritarianism and capitalism. Some of the brightest Chinese officials have been coming to study how the ruling party has achieved prosperity and won elections while retaining its one-party predominance. Such study trips – which cover the economic, social and political areas – have been reported occasionally. Some observers believe that Singapore’s politics, with its top-down system, may be of special interest to China’s Communist Party as it ponders over reform options. The latest comment came from Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, who said that many groups, representing different levels of the Chinese government, had been coming in recent years to attend study courses. On one visit – according to Lee – they showed interest in how his People’s Action Party (PAP), with a small suburban office, could reach out to its crowded heartland electorate. The answer they got would have given them a lesson on how the PPP can benefit from its incumbent power by blurring the line separating state from party. In his outspoken way, Lee admitted that all grassroots organisations (with nearly 30,000 community workers) which interact and organise activities in the estates were actually part of his party. It is used by the PAP to foster bonds with Singaporeans. Since they are publicly-funded and overseen by the People’s Association, a government statutory board under the Ministry of Community Development, the community workers are supposed to be non-partisans. “... Everywhere they (the Chinese) go, they see the PAP – in the RCs (residents’ committees), CCCs (citizens’ consultative committees), and the CCs (community clubs),” Lee beamed. The confirmation that these are part of the PAP could become an embarrassment to his younger ministers as the message sinks in. It may also come as a surprise to some of the grassroots volunteers who thought they were non-partisans working for their community. (Already the party recently announced it had difficulty recruiting enough volunteers, and grassroots bodies were some 35% understrength.) The critics don’t faze the architect of the scheme. Lee once said: “I make no apologies that the PAP is the (Singapore) government and the government is the PAP.” His remarks moved an online analyst to comment: “No wonder the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is so interested to learn from Singapore.” The furore shows how much Singaporeans have changed over a generation. In the 60s, when Lee was using these tax-funded grassroots organisations to combat pro-communists and racial extremists, it seemed natural and few people complained. But with many of today’s better-educated youths, the idea of the PAP using tax money against the opposition in a democracy has become unacceptable. If the Chinese visitors had probed further, they would have found that control of grassroots is merely one of an arsenal of weapons the PAP has to hold on to power. “If they did, the Chinese might be surprised by the reach of some of the PAP’s tentacles in the city,” a small businessman said. Over 50 years, it has built a whole network of top-level people to run the civil service, trade unions, the press, police, armed forces and state-linked corporations that control much of Singapore’s economy. The sheer number of people working for them – or associated with them – is large enough to make the party hard to defeat in an election. Even if an opposition party – or coalition – were to win enough seats to form the government, it may find itself shackled on the implementation level with such extensive PAP influence in state and community machinery. Keeping all these personnel could reduce the chances of smooth government functioning, at least for awhile, and quickly replacing a large number of them would be impossible. The city is too small to allow for such a massive replacement of experienced people. All these do not make the PAP undefeatable and irreplaceable, but they render the task extremely difficult. These “controlling” factors have led political analysts to regard Singapore as a role model for China to emulate, should it decide one day to introduce some form of democracy, without losing power. “Singapore has shown that its system, although criticised by the West, can preserve harmony and economic growth while giving people the vote,” said a PAP supporter. The relevance of Singapore’s political system to China still crops up occasionally. Most commentators say it is impractical given the vast disparity in size. One Chinese blogger wrote: “With all due respect to Singapore, I just don’t want to compare China and Singapore. You can compare Singapore (population: 5 million) and Shanghai (16 million), or Hong Kong (7 million).” Wang Jian Shuo added: “Politi-cally, to rule a city of several million is, of course, very different (from) ruling a bigger country (which) actually needs more wisdom in the political system. “For example, I don’t want someone in Beijing to make decisions for me about what my children should believe. So, there is a huge difference here between Singapore and China.” Singapore’s top writer, Catherine Lim, however, looks at the equation from another angle. At a university forum, she spoke of the emergence of a new breed of young, sophisticated Singaporeans wanting political freedom and forcing the PAP leaders to deal with their demands. “Not if China comes to their rescue,” Lim said. The outspoken author was referring to a possible 2030 scenario when China’s power rises, while the United States declines and is unable to offer an ideological alternative. Thus, she said, if China and Singapore could blend authoritarianism and capitalism and become twinned on the world stage, “the Lee Kuan Yew model of governance will have achieved an international acceptance that the PAP could never have dreamt of Democrats to launch landmark magazine   Don't miss out on getting a copy! The Singapore Democrats will launch our commemorative magazine at our 30th anniversary dinner next Saturday, 27 Feb 10.  This landmark publication is an 80-page glossy, colour-spread that harks back to the past, highlights our present and, most important, takes a peak into our future.   This is the first time that a political party in Singapore has come up with such a publication and it promises to be one for the record.  It has taken the party nearly one year to bring it to fruition and we are immensely proud of the final product. All our dinner guests will receive a complimentary copy.  So don't miss out on it!  Come and join us for An Evening of Dazzle with the Democrats. Apart from the launch of the magazine, there'll be a programme that promises an evening of fun and excitement.  In addition our dinner guests will be treated to a full cocktail dinner with a free flow of wine, and great entertainment.   Preparations for the dinner started last year and has been steadily increasing in pace.  Things are beginning to fall into place although there is still much work to be done.   In fact there will be a rehearsal next week to ensure that the elaborate programme goes off without a hitch.  What's more a professional team of lighting and sound experts will be on hand to add to the evening's excitement. What a way to kickoff the Year of the Tiger.  It's a great way to get to know better and support the people who stand up and speak up for you.   So bring along your family and friends, and join us for a once-in-lifetime event.  Tickets for the dinner are available for $50.  Please call Jaslyn Go at 9239-3133 or email us at sdp@yoursdp.org Welfare in Singapore   The stingy nanny The city-state stays strict with the needy Feb 13th 2010 | SINGAPORE | From The Economist online Over 60 comments FOND of having the last word, Singapore's government can nevertheless be flexible. Who would have thought it would be building casinos? But one policy that shows no sign of reversing is Singapore’s antipathy towards public welfare. The state’s attitude can be simply put: being poor here is your own fault. Citizens are obliged to save for the future, rely on their families and not expect any handouts from the government unless they hit rock bottom. The emphasis on family extends into old age: retired parents can sue children who fail to support them. In government circles “welfare” remains a dirty word, cousin to sloth and waste. Singapore may be a nanny state, but it is by no means an indulgent nanny. The aftershock of a deep recession, which pushed unemployment among citizens up to 4.1% in September—high for Singapore—has not altered the popular belief that the dole is bad for society. The casinos, which open on February 14th, have already helped reduce unemployment, which by December had fallen back to 3%, seasonally adjusted. The government does run a handful of schemes directed at some of the needy, from low-income students to the unassisted elderly. But these benefits are rigorously means-tested and granted only sparingly. The most destitute citizens’ families may apply for public assistance; only 3,000 currently qualify. Laid-off workers receive no automatic benefits. Instead they are sorted into “workfare” and training schemes. AFPCould really use a hand Applicants complain that the process of seeking help is made tiresome and humiliating. Indeed that could be the point, supposing it deters free-riders. Officials take a dim view of European-style welfare systems, which are said to beget laziness. The Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS), which administers the various schemes, says theirs are designed as a “springboard” to self-reliance. Getting people back to work takes priority over relieving any temporary drop in income. In a fiscal stimulus unveiled a year ago in response to the financial crisis, S$5.1 billion ($3.6 billion) was allocated for employment measures, including grants to companies to retain staff. Those who remain out of work can join a government training scheme; by December, 169,000 unemployed workers had done so. Many Singaporeans are wedded to their jobs and look askance at idleness of any kind. The government is leery of generous handouts, fearing they might undercut the work ethic while burdening taxpayers. But the thinness of the safety net also reflects a widespread article of faith, recited and reinforced over the years. Even among the social workers who work in hard-hit communities there is surprisingly little frustration at the meagreness of the handouts on offer or at the lengthy application process. One explains that Singapore needs to weed out undeserving claimants and shakes his head at the potential cost of a comprehensive welfare service. Yet in his next breath he mentions a number of local families who have been forced to sleep rough since mortgage lenders foreclosed on their flats. Nobody doubts that wealthy Singapore could be more generous. In 2008 the World Bank rated it the third richest country in the world, in terms of GDP per head at purchasing-power parity. And the idea that its Big-Brotherly government might be outfoxed by conniving welfare queens seems odd. When a visiting news crew filmed an elderly woman scavenging in Chinatown and bemoaning her homelessness, the government promptly identified her as a miserly flat-owner who did not need to beg. Indeed, acute poverty is hard to spot in Singapore. Public housing is in good shape; no slums are allowed to fester. Soup kitchens do exist, but foreign labourers are often first in line. But Singapore still faces the challenge of rising inequality in a society that is also rapidly ageing. By 2030, says MCYS, one in five Singaporeans will be over 65 (UBS, whose largest shareholder is Singapore’s sovereign-wealth fund, has estimated the date at 2020). Incomes have stagnated or even fallen at the bottom of the spectrum, as the rich pull further ahead of the middle classes. Long-term unemployment among middle-aged professionals, who do not qualify for workfare, is on the rise, says Leong Sze Hian, a financial expert and blogger. Native resentment is also growing against the influx of migrant workers: 35% of the workforce of 3m is now foreign. It is often cheaper for companies to import semi-skilled and unskilled workers—there were 680,000 at last count—than to hire locals, who require pension contributions. Official reassurances that migrants create growth do not convince those competing for scarce jobs. Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s founding father and still its "minister mentor" has maintained that ambitious migrants help to keep citizens on their toes. In an interview given to National Geographic last July he said that if native Singaporeans lag behind “hungry” foreigners because “the spurs are not stuck on [their] hinds”, that is not the state’s problem to solve. This nascent backlash may eventually soften the anti-welfare tone set by Mr Lee. The Economic Society of Singapore (ESS)—not exactly a radical cell—recently proposed to a government committee that it should build a more robust safety net, starting with unemployment insurance. This would promote social stability and help muster public support for Singapore’s open-door migration policies, it argues. Properly designed, such measures would not create disincentives to work and thrift. “While self-reliance is a good principle in general, it may be neither efficient nor just if taken to extremes,” noted the ESS.     Free Burma Campaign Singapore The Free Burma Campaign Singapore Today, February 12, marks the 63rd anniversary of the Union Day of Burma. To commemorate this important date, Free Burma Campaign Singapore (FBCSG) is issuing a statement with regards to the upcoming 2010 elections. We call upon the regime to respect the voices and choices of the people by carrying out a free and fair election. Before the elections take place, we insist that the regime meets three crucial benchmarks: The immediate release of all political prisoners, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. National reconciliation: Inclusive dialogue with key stakeholders from democracy groups and ethnic nationalities, including a comprehensive review of the 2008 Constitution. Total cessation of the systematic abuse of human rights and criminal hostilities against ethnic groups, political activists, journalists and civil society. These benchmarks must be fulfilled before the elections in order to provide equal opportunities for opposition politicians and Burmese society at large. The elections cannot be presumed free and fair without first meeting these conditions. We at FBCSG also express concern at the fundamentally flawed structure of the Constitution, which binds the electoral process and beyond. A high proportion of parliamentary powers is allocated to the military; any proper mechanism for the protection of human rights is lacking. Any election that takes place without a thorough review of the Constitution will not bring about any political and social change in Burma. Contact us at burmacampaignsg@gmail.com Nine girls rescued from being sold to Singaporean brothels VietNamNet Bridge Police of the southern province of Tay Ninh and guards at HCM City’s Tan Son Nhat airport on February 9 rescued nine girls who were about to sold to brothels in Singapore. Police arrested three people, Tran Thi Kim Ngan, 19 from Tay Ninh, Ly Thanh Mong, 25 from Vinh Long province and Do Van Thanh Nhut, 21 from HCM City when they were carrying out formalities for nine girls to leave Vietnam to Singapore at the Tan Son Nhat airport. Two others were arrested after that, Vo Thi Hiep, 46 from An Giang province and Tran Thi Kim Ngoc, 19 from Tay Ninh province. According to investigators, these people went to provinces in the Mekong River Delta to choose pretty rural girls at the age of 20-30 to sell to brothels in Singapore. Ngan and Nhut directly met girls to persuade them to go to Singapore to work for an “extremely high salary”. However, they were sold to brothels. Police are expanding investigations and cooperating with Singaporean agencies to detect and rescue other Vietnamese girls sold to Singapore by this ring. Pastor Rony Tan on gays and lesbians From Kennethism One video that was on the homepage — yes, the homepage — of lighthouse.org.sg has disappeared altogether. It features the testimony of a certain Cheryl Bachelor, a part-time employee of Lighthouse Evangelism who claims to have been healed from lesbianism. This video has been there on the website of Lighthouse Evangelism for at least months, but within a day of the ISD’s visit, the video was taken down. Fortunately when I saw it again on Monday night, I decided to rip it. Here it is in all its 80-minute glory:   What Pastor Rony Tan of Lighthouse Evangelism thinks about gays and lesbians from Kenneth Tan on Vimeo. Directions for SFD in 2010 Members of the SFD pro-tem committee held the association's first official meeting on Feb 6 2010, following its successful registration on Feb 3 2010. Below is a short video message recorded at the event from Dr James Gomez on directions for SFD in the year 2010.   SDP's Chinese New Year Message 2010 Dr Chee Soon Juan delivers the SDP's Lunar New Year message. He talks about the hardship of working Singaporeans and calls on the people to make Singapore a place where competition for jobs, especially with foreigners, is fair. Singapore remains corrupters` favored haven Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Deputy Attorney General Darmono said Singapore had remained the favorite haven for wanted corrupters from Indonesia. "Singapore is the favorite place to hide for wanted corrupters," he said after meeting with House Commission III here on Monday. Darmono, the leader of a team currently hunting fleeing corrupters said most of the 18 corrupters currently being sought are in Singapore. He said corrupters always seek countries where they can get a stay permit easily. "They are looking for a safe state to stay," he said. He admitted he had received information that one of the 18 corrupters now being sought after wishing to stay in the US and "therefore we will coordinate with the foreign ministry to check the truth of the information." He said the team would also submit the copy of the court`s ruling for the corrupter who wished to flee to the US. "The copy will be proof that he (the corrupter) is involved in a legal case and therefore his stay permit must be revoked and made invalid," he said. He believed the fugitives had manipulated the data. "We will coordinate with the international police," he said.  As has been known one of the fugitives believed to live in Singapore is Djoko Tjandra, wanted in connection with the Bank Bali cessie case.(*)