TR EMERITUS

Written by Our Correspondent In a sign that the winds of change may finally be arriving in Singapore, the " Vote PAP out" Facebook started barely three months ago by a 22 year old project engineer Alex Tan has garnered more than 4,000 members so far in support of change.   A quick glance at its members show that the majority of them are young Singaporeans in their 20s and 30s including a 15 year old teenager Kenneth Lin who started a petition a few weeks back calling for an apology from Singapore's octogenarian leader Lee Kuan Yew for his callous remarks made about Singaporeans during an interview with the National Geographic magazine. Its membership has already far exceeded that of the YPAP Facebook which has only 2,600 plus members despite being in existence for a far longer period of time. With public sentiments against the PAP at an all-time high due to some disastrous and unpopular policies it forced down the throat of Singaporeans over the last few years, the party is facing an uphill task repeating its 2006 performance again in the next general election. According to some online pundits, the PAP is expected to obtain less than 60 percent of the popular vote and may end up losing one GRC in addition to a few single seats. It is quite obvious from the postings made on the "Vote PAP out" Facebook that an increasing number of young Singaporeans are becoming peeved off with the PAP and are dying for genuine change. Despite being one of the most economically advanced nations in the world, Singapore has an archaic if not oppressive political system dominated by the PAP which has governed the nation since 1959. The entire electoral system is engineered to keep the PAP in power forever with rampant gerry-mandering done to the electoral boundaries to dilute bases of opposition support, the use of the mass media discredit the opposition and implementation of repressive laws to curtail the civil and political rights of Singaporeans. It remains to be seen how much longer Singaporeans, especially the younger generation, are willing to put up with the PAP's repressive rule which led Human Rights Watch to comment lately that Singapore is a "textbook example of a politically repressive state." As the Chinese saying goes "Family wealth will never pass beyond three generations." Change will eventually come to Singapore sooner rather than later. Resistance is futile.  Read More →

Written by Our Correspondent In a sign that the PAP will be tightening the electoral rules to prevent the occurrence of a "freak" election, the display of "any badge, symbol, set of colours, flags, advertisement, handbill, placard or posters as political propaganda" - on Cooling Off Day and Polling Day have been made seizable offences. This means the police can make an arrest without a warrant. The Cooling Off Day was proposed by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong last year to enable voters to make a "rational and informed" decision on the eve of the polls. With public sentiments against the PAP at an all-time high, there is increasing fear that voters may be swayed by the opposition at the rallies which are usually emotional affairs, to cast a protest vote against it. The additional day gives the PAP-controlled media time to react to "unforeseen mishaps" occurring in the heat of the electoral campaign such as a possible faux paus made by some senior leaders within the party. The rule will also apply to any election advertising, online or offline. Those who break the law can be fined up to $1,000 or jailed up to 12 months or both. Political websites are required to register with the Media Development Authority to engage in election advertising on the behalf of candidates during the campaign period. So far, only two NGOs - Singaporeans for Democracy and Think Center have registered with MDA. Further restrictions are also imposed on public assemblies at Speakers' Corner which will now require a permit from the Commissioner of Police from the time of Nomination Day to Polling Day. Public gathering or protests involving even a person is now outlawed under the Public Orders Act implemented last year. Though the Singaporeans are guaranteed basic rights such as the freedom of speech and assembly under Article IV of the Constitution, a series of repressive laws were promulgated over the years by the PAP to curtail the civil and political rights of citizens so that it can perpetuate its political hegemony. The PAP has governed Singapore for 50 continuous years since 1959. While elections are held on a regular basis, Singapore lacks the other pillars of a functioning democracy such as a free press, a robust civil society and active citizenry. International NGO Human Rights Watch described Singapore as a "textbook example of a repressive state" in its annual report released lately. The next election may be the last chance for Singaporeans to reclaim their ownership of the nation after which they may soon find themselves being relegated to second class minorities, swarmed by the relentless influx of foreigners that the PAP is mass importing to shore up its eroding support base.  Read More →

OPINION The Singapore media has gone on a "crusade" over the last few days against embattled movie director Jack Neo by digging out whatever "dirt" he had accumulated during his lifetime from as far back as 1988 about him being provided "special service" by a transsexual masseur. Jack was embroiled in a series of sex scandals lately which has captured the attention of the entire nation after his mistress alerted the media of their affair last Saturday. Even after calling a press conference to admit his fault, the media remained unsatisfied and continue to flame Jack mercilessly, lampooning him for lacking sincerity, wasting their time and staging the entire fracas to win public sympathy. Jack Neo must be cursing his luck that he is  only a PBM. If he were a PAP MP, his "dirty linen" will probably not be aired publicly and his "sins" will all but be forgiven and covered up nicely and neatly. It smacks of utter hypocrisy of the Singapore media to pursue Jack Neo with such vigor and persistence while not applying the same "standard" to the nation's political leaders. Chinese paper Shin Min Daily conducted surveys after surveys to solicit views from the public, the latest on whether they believe Jack deserves an apology. Why not conduct a poll among its readers about their thoughts on George Yeo's pledge of support to Jack Neo or Lim Biow Chuan's lame excuse that it is sometimes "unavoidable" for successful men to have extramarital affairs? In fact, Mr Lim had publicly cast doubts on the journalistic integrity, honesty and credibility of Shin Min Daily by claiming on his Facebook and STOMP that he was "misquoted" by it. Shin Min should have published a rebuttal immediately the next day to deny Mr Lim's accusations. Did it not do so out because it really did misquote Mr Lim or because it is afraid of stepping on the toes of the PAP? Too much attention was placed on the lurid details of Jack's sexual exploits while conveniently ignoring the fact that Jack is a PAP man. There were rumors circulating in some internet chatrooms that Jack Neo was involved in grassroots activities in Aljunied GRC and may be fielded as a PAP candidate in the next general election. How closely was Jack actually associated with the PAP? Why didn't the media investigated these rumors further and write an article on it? George Yeo's open call to Singaporeans to rally around Jack Neo and Lim Biow Chuan's indiscreet comments about successful men having extramarital affairs have sparked a massive outcry in cyberspace with many netizens flaming them for it. Yet the mainstream media chose only to report the reaction of netizens to Jack Neo's press conference and not their contempt for these two men. The PAP has always boasted that its ministers and MPs are "holier than thou" angels with flawless characters and so why didn't the media take Mr Yeo and Mr Lim to task for their highly inappropriate, insensitive and callous remarks? Did George Yeo mean to say that Jack still deserves the support of Singaporeans after what he has done all these years to hurt his wife behind her back? Is Mr Lim implying that it is acceptable for successful men to have other women outside other than their wives? As leaders of the nation, they should be put on a higher pedestal than Jack Neo. Why were they let off the hook so easily without having to explain themselves? The Singapore media should spend more time and energy scrutinizing the PAP ministers and MPs and holding them accountable to their words and actions instead of the hapless Jack Neo who had been punished enough already by having his moral deficiencies exposed publicly for all to see. For example, GIC suffered a disastrous "paper loss" of nearly $10 billion dollars when its stake in Swiss bank UBS was converted to shares last Friday. It was reported by Bloomberg that GIC took only 3 days to make the decision to invest in UBS way back in 2007. The Singapore media should have pursued the case relentlessly as it is a matter of public interest that the nation had lost so much of its reserves in such a cavalier manner. Shin Min Daily could have conducted a survey to ask readers if GIC's Chairman Lee Kuan Yew should step down to take responsibility for the loss or if they agree with PAP minister Lim Hwee Hua's assertion in Parliament that it is "not realistic" for GIC to avoid losses in its investments. Instead, the matter was papered over to downplay the loss incurred by GIC. One key reason why many Singaporeans still retain blind faith in the PAP is because the Singapore media is not exposing and highlighting its follies, incompetence and ineptitude such that even some PAP leaders themselves are taken in by the propaganda. Had the media dished out the same treatment to PAP leaders as they did to Jack Neo, the PAP would have been voted out of office a long time ago. The Jack Neo saga once again demonstrated the ability of the media to shape and influence public perception. If only Singapore journalists put their talents to better use by serving the interests of Singaporeans and not the PAP.  Read More →