TR EMERITUS

Controversial YPAP leader and new citizen from India Mr Sinha Shekhar now wants HDB to forbid home buyers from selling their subsidised flats in the open market at higher prices. Mr Sinha Shekhar sparked a massive outcry among Singaporeans last month when his comments on the YPAP Facebook calling PAP critics as "DOGS" were reported in the media: [Source: YPAP Facebook] Mr Sinha Shekhar had initially said he would clarify his infamous "DOGS" remarks to the public, but has yet to do so. After "hiding" for a month in the hope that his misdeeds will be forgotten, he now makes a "grand" appearance on the YPAP Facebook again with a different profile picture: Mr Sinha Shekhar is writing in response to PAP National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan's recent comment that a "HDB flat is for long-term homeownership. He probably mooted the idea as he had bought a resale flat at a high price a few years ago and the rent he is collecting now is insufficient to pay for the bank instalments, in his own words: [Source: REACH Facebook] In the above exchange, Mr Sinha also revealed that he owns a private property, implying that he bought the resale HDB flat NOT for staying but for renting and making money. His admission prompted one netizen to write in to HDB which replied that it has granted Mr Sinha Shekhar "special permission" to rent out his flat, infuriating the latter who threatened to sue the whistle-blower for slander. Strictly speaking, a person living in a private property is NOT allowed to sublet his HDB flat. However, Mr Sinha Shekhar may be given preferential treatment as he is a YPAP and grassroots leader. A speech therapist by training, Mr Sinha Shekhar obtained his Singapore citizenship in 1994 at 25 years of age. He joined the PAP four years later, rising fast high up its rank to become its most prominent face in cyberspace. He is currently the Head of Rehabilitation at Ang Mo Kio Community Hospital. He did not serve a SINGLE day of National Service. Despite his callous remarks against fellow Singaporeans, he remains influential in the YPAP and continues to enjoy tacit support from YPAP Chairman Teo Ser Luck and his deputy Zaqy Mohamad who are strangely silent on his latest outburst in cyberspace. Faced with fast eroding support from native Singaporeans, the PAP has no choice but to rely increasingly on the new citizens like Mr Sinha Shekhar to shore up its support base.       Please join our Facebook page here and invite your friends to do so to create awareness of the current affairs affecting Singaporeans. Please use our online web form to contact us.     Related articles: 1. YPAP leader Sinha Shekhar blamed Singaporeans for misunderstanding him 2.YPAP leader Sinha Shekhar threatened to sue whistle-blower for slander 3. YPAP leader Sinha Shekhar complains about low rent of his resale HDB flat 4. YPAP leader Sinha Shekhar described PAP critics as “DOGS” 5. YPAP leader Sinha Shekhar urged CDCs to reach out to immigrants 6. Indian new citizen Sinha Shekhar scolds unemployed Singapore NSman  Read More →

On 14 July 2010, I read a tiny article on the New Paper titled, 'No more exams for Primary 1 and 2 students from 2013'. MOE targets that in 3 years time, P1 and P2 students would no longer have mid and end of year exams. They will apparently be assessed through methods like "show and tell" and keeping of journals. If this is so, why should we have kindergarten and P1 and P2? Children should just stay at home and study what they need to then, why waste time and money in school studying when there is no exam to chart their progress? Does MOE realize the problem could be more than whether we have exams or not? Is this happening throughout the world, or only in Singapore? And is there another reason for it that we are not being told about? Could this be happening because there are too many foreign children here now, and they can't cope up with the P1 and P2 syllabus? Are they still behind Singaporean kids and failing all the exams? If that is what is really happening, the new citizens, PRs and other foreigners who are sending their kids to study in Singapore schools are not going to be happy. Does our Senior Minister of State for Education, Grace Fu think that this is the right thing to do? To bend our entire education system backwards just to accommodate these new children of foreigners who can't do well in P1 and P2? It is highly likely that the parents of these kids (especially those in the RCs, CCs and PAP) have been complaining to them about this issue. So this idea has been cooked up, and made to look like the Government cares about stressed out students. Some new foreigners come in with kids who are aleady 5 years old, and they may have to start with Primary school education straight away. This scheme may be engineered to help them "catch up". Our Singaporean kids have, for better or for worse, been coping with this education system for decades. So when we see such a move happening only now, we can't help but wonder why. Has it taken the highest paid Government in the world 50 years to figure our that their education system doesn't produce results? If students are really stressed out by the system, its not having exams thats the problem, its the entire methodology of teaching and learning. Its the rigid, stifling social setting at Singapore schools that should be looked at. Right now MOE seems to want to treat a mentally ill patient with a few anti-depressants rather than giving any real therapy.   SINGA BALA    Read More →

作者：Dr Wong Wee Nam 译者：新加坡文献馆 “当你还未完全剥夺一切，你可以用权力控制人民。但是当你完全抢夺了一个人所拥有的一切，他就再也不受你控制 – 他已经重获自由。” –亚历山大 索尔仁尼琴 ( Alexander Solzhenitsyn ) 林福寿医生 2002年7月在已故李绍祖医生的守灵之夜，我第一次遇见他。这时已经是他获得释放之后的第20个年头，前此，他被囚禁了近20年之久。我看到坐在另一张桌子边上的一位朋友于是上前向她打个招呼。他正好就坐在旁边，于是她介绍我们认识。 那是我首次见到他的面貌长相。 我在孩童年纪时就已听说过有关他的事迹。他是我居所左近的一个菜市场里一位著名鱼贩的儿子。他的父亲之所以出名是因为他有一个很聪明的儿子。在那年代的穷人群里很难会有做医生的儿女。 我在孩童时知道他也是因为他是名医生。他的医务诊所不单为有困难者提供免费的医疗，也使用真材实料的药剂。他甚至于会给予他们回家的车费。这不足为奇，他相信疾病并不是单纯的由于人体缺乏铁质而是因为贫穷。 我没有认出他是谁，这是情有可原的，那是因为他的照片从未在报章上刊登或出现在电视上。当他被囚禁时没有任何有关他的状况报导，他在释放后亦没有任何相关的消息。 虽然面对新闻上的封锁，以及他本身的低调姿态，他依然是政治界的传奇人物，他是续谢太宝之后的第二位最长期拘留者。因此，在将他介绍给我认识的当儿，我的反应是极其的兴奋，并夹带着惊奇和不安。 他以十分温和与友善的语调使我安静下来，问我是否就是那位给报纸写信的书写者。他的诚恳与谦虚让我感动。 之后，我偶而在一些医学会议与讲座上见到他。我们只是打个招呼相互问好，从来没有谈论时事。他告诉我他在我的博客上阅读了我的文章，但他从未尝试和我就这些议题进行讨论。到了人生的这个阶段，我认为他已经跨越了这些世俗。 很不平常的，在我和他的会面中他从来没有，即便仅仅一次，表现出任何的怀恨抱怨，那些剥夺了他生命中最宝贵的20年人生，不论是对他们中的任何一个人或者机构。 1963年他遭逮捕因为他被视为是一名危害新加坡治安的人物。要被关押在监狱里20年，他在被捕前的生活必然是那么样的多姿多彩，或者至少会等同那位默.沙勒末。然而，在我翻阅了许多有关那个年代的书本后（包括他当年的同志所撰写的），只找到很少的有提及到他的事项。 必然的，作为一名危害治安而要遭受20年长期囚禁者，必定会有许许多多的公开档案记载着他的种种活动，足以让电影导演去拍摄相当长度的政治悬疑剧。或许，有那么的一天，档案局可以让我们知道他干过那些勾当，如果有这些活动的话。 最 近，在《华惹那一代》新书发布会上，电影制片人施忠明录制了他的演说，并在YouTube上播放。这个记录片如今已经被禁播。不可能是因为影片危害了治安 而遭禁止。那段演说并不激烈，里边没有谴责政府的气愤言词，没有鼓动暴力，没有呼吁武力对抗，没有呼吁推翻任何人，也没有呼吁团结鼓舞听众起义。诚然，这 远比竞选群众大会还要来得更为温和。 在这段影片制作和播放后的好几个月里，并没有投资者因为治安而从新加坡撤资，事实上，经济出现了复苏回弹。然而，在无法解释的情况下，禁止了这套录像影片。 或 许这其中是有个原因的。这套影片很可能会改变人民对林福寿医生的印象。他给人的感觉是一个稳重和有尊严的人。没有展示任何愤慨和怀恨之心。他的智慧完好无 损，他有着清醒的思维。在柔弱的身躯里包裹着一个坚强的个性。他看来慈祥，具父辈的形象，这个形体很难让人把他当成是一个有能力拍打苍蝇或者打死蚊子，更 何况会伤害另一个人类生命。在一个谦逊君子的外表下人民可以感觉到那是一个不屈不挠的无比勇敢者。 观看他的演说让我回想起庄子《秋水》里的一篇寓言故事。 孔子在周游列国时，宋国的军队把他团团围住。但是他还是继续高歌和弹奏琵琶，无视眼前的困境。子路，他的弟子问道：夫子，为何你还是玩得如此的快乐？ 孔子回答说：长久以来，我一直尝试避开困难但皆失败了。这是因为命运的缘故。我亦努力去取得成就但亦失败了，这是由于时代的因素。 “在尧舜时代，那时没有困难，这无关乎一个人的智慧。在桀王与纣王时代，人们没有获得成功并非因为没有智慧。那是由于受制于年代和环境。” “要穿越河川而不惧怕海上蛟龙需要有渔夫的胆量。在陆上行走而不惧怕老虎猛兽需要有猎人的勇气。面对锋芒的利刃而不惧怕死亡需要有烈士的豪气。” “体会困境是命运的安排，而成功则是时间的恰当安排，在面对巨大的困难时毫不恐惧或胆怯就需要有圣人之勇。 知穷之有命，知通之有时，临大难而不惧者，圣人之勇也。 林福寿医生或许是亦或许不是一名圣人，但是，他必定是一名很了不起的君子。他被人冷藏了20年之后，他又静悄悄的活了28年。然而，他在新书发布会上的演说，还是引发了足够的焦虑以至于要禁止那套录影片。 那真是匪夷所思！ 文章来源：http://www.sgpolitics.net/?p=4214  Read More →