TR EMERITUS

This statement by Heng Swee Keat offends the constitutional right of Tharman to be treated equally under the equality clause of the constitution though Mr Tharman has abdicated his constitutional right to be treated equally if he has been considered by the Cabinet for the post of Prime Ministership and denied to such position on the ground of colour. Any other considerations like race, religion and language will be considered discriminatory and will offend Article 12 of the Singapore constitution that governs our right to equality and equal treatment under the law.If Tharman does not fight for his rights and let this pass, he has failed all Singaporeans and is not worthy of leading the nation. I say this because I take my National Pledge and National Anthem.. "We the citizens of Singapore .....regardless of race language and religion..." very seriously.....And I mean it!! It is the respect I accord to my National Flag is one of the main reasons why I continue to remain in Singapore committed to fighting for the constitutional rights of all citizens as a human rights lawyer despite the odds stacked against me. Even in America, Obama, a Black was voted as the President. Hence the statement below by Heng Swee Keat has institutionalised racism at the highest level and needs investigation by the police as it offends section 298A of the Penal Code for causing enmity between races let alone the constitutional right of Tharman to be treated equally. The Attorney General has a duty to act equally in all cases.The fact that certain segment of society does not like someone for his colour is plain racism. Let us not forget that David Marshall, a Jew( a double minority) was elected as the first Chief Minister of Singapore in 1955 and JBJ was the first opposition MP , who happened to be a non- Chinese Singaporean to break the stranglehold of the 100 percent PAP dominated Parliament after 16 years in 1981 and was elected to parliament by his constituents in Anson, majority of whom I understand were ethnic Chinese Singaporeans. Let us stand together as one united citizens regardless of race language or religion to debunk this nonsense perpetuated by Heng Swee Keat and the PAP by sending the opposition in droves to Parliament to reinstate our national pride which is justice, equality and meritocracy as enshrined in our National Flag. MAJULAH SINGAPURA " A segment of Singapore’s population is happy to have an individual from a minority race as their prime minister, but the older generation is not ready for that. Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat, who is expected to succeed Prime Minister (PM) Lee Hsien Loong, said this during a forum at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) on Thursday (March 28). He was replying a question posed by a member of the audience, who noted that Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam was a popular choice to take on the top job. “Is it Singapore who is not ready for a non-Chinese prime minister, or is it the PAP (the ruling People’s Action Party) who is not ready for a non-Chinese prime minister?” Asst Prof Walid asked. While Mr Heng noted that many among the 700 students who attended the ministerial forum organised by the NTU Students’ Union were happy to have a prime minister who is not Chinese, he said that this was not the case for all of Singapore."   M Ravi      Read More →

For GE2020, we are electing parliamentarians who will form the most expensive cabinet in the world, our ministers being the highest paid by a mile. Thanks to them and their ingenuity, we boast the world’s only Group Representation Constituency (GRC) system. Unlike other countries, we have a system that enables the election of a team of candidates rather than individual candidates. We also have the world’s only Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) scheme. This is much touted by the ruling People’s Action Party in in GE2020. We have to wonder, if the GRC and NCMP are such brilliant inventions, why is it that other countries have not rushed to copy them? Yet another unique feature is the use of the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA). Correction orders have already been instructed by the POFMA office multiple times this GE. It’s set to be a key feature of every GE henceforth. We are also having an election amidst the pandemic. While we are not the first country in the world to have a COVID-19 election, we hold the record of having the most COVID-19 cases in Southeast Asia hands-down, and that’s really quite something. If we were to put everything in perspective, this is how we could sum up GE2020: In Singapore, the world’s highest paid politicians, who have conceived of the world’s first and only GRC and NCMP and POFMA, as well as conjured up the highest number of COVID-19 cases regionally, are seeking a strong mandate for GE2020 and if Singaporeans reciprocate, they could secure a record breaking 93-0 victory at the polls come July 10.   Augustine Low      Read More →

Dear Residents of Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, We refer to the letter you received from the PAP. This is our e-letter response. The PAP is trying to steal this election by deliberately calling an election during the present COVID-19 pandemic. Since Parliament was dissolved from 23 June until today 7 July, there have been 2,670 total cases (200 imported cases, 72 community-linked cases, 66 community unlinked cases, 2,512 dorm residents). The COVID-19 pandemic is far from over. This election needs to deliver a robust set of opposition MPs in Parliament to steer Singapore’s response to the COVID-19 which has been mismanaged by the PAP. The PAP talks about jobs but in the wake of COVID-19, what are the jobs available for our graduates and unemployed apart from temporary assignments taking temperature, safe distancing and traineeships? Traineeships are not jobs. The PAP team speaks of a green lung in Holland Bukit Timah, yet they distribute their candidate booklets placed in plastic bags! How environmentally friendly is that? They say one thing and do another. Now they are sending you a letter, while trees in the neighbourhood are being pruned to the limbs by the tree cutters. The SDP will accelerate the installation of solar panels in public spaces, and significantly increase R&D funding on solar projects. We will incentivize our residents in Holland-Bukit Timah to recycle and reduce waste so that we can significantly upgrade our commitment to reaching the targets signed by Singapore at the Paris climate agreement in 2015. Our Jewel Changi is an expensive investment in terms of construction at 1.8 billion, but also in terms of consuming excessive amounts of energy. The SDP and PAP differ in the type of society each party envisions. The SDP believes in helping the marginalised, the poor in society especially during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. The suspension of GST, the RESTART (Re-Employment Scheme and Temporary Assistance for the ReTrenched) and $500 as retirement income for those aged 65 years and above are a key part of our campaign. In suggesting these proposals, we have made it clear that there is no need to increase tax or introduce a new tax to fund SDP’s initiatives costing $16.1 billion as there is at least $18.6 billion of unused income from investment returns on our reserves. They politicized the management of COVID-19 task force by appointing themselves and promoting themselves in front of the media. Now they have called for an election to legitimize their own missteps. It appears that POFMA has emerged as a means of political distraction to mask PAP's inexperience and poor track record. But what is happening is that the PAP indulges in hate speech against those who hold different political views - something that has been built up over many decades via PAP propaganda and the media framing of its critics. This negativity has been internalized by many of its supporters and contributes to their rabid tone both offline and online. SDP’s Holland-Bukit Team is qualified and will be effective in carrying HBT constituency’s voice into Parliament. When in Parliament, we can help steer the response to COVID-19 and also the economy for a safe and prosperous Singapore by ensuring robust checks and balances. Yours faithfully, Dr James Gomez, Alfred Tan, Min Cheong, Tan Jee Say Team Holland-Bukit Timah .  Read More →