TR EMERITUS

MSNBC News, 27 Decembe 2009 Tiwari, a veteran governing Congress party leader at the national level, sent his resignation letter to the Indian president on Saturday, citing health reasons, a state official said on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to talk to reporters. "The news channel report is fabricated, false and malicious to tarnish the image of the governor," said a statement issued by Aryendra Sharma, an aide to the governor. The three women were brought to Hyderabad by another woman who was allegedly promised a mining lease by the governor in return for sexual favors, ABN Andhra Jyoti News reported. The woman said she decided to expose Tiwari through a sting operation after he did not keep his promise, the channel said. A court stopped the channel from broadcasting the tape again later Friday after a petition filed by Sharma, who argued the video was "likely to demean and denigrate his office." Tiwari earlier served as the top elected official of northern Uttar Pradesh and Uttrakhand states and as a federal minister. -  MSNBC News  Read More →

Written by Our Correspondent It seems that Singaporeans can do nothing right and are blamed for every problem big and small in their country. According to figures from the Juvenile Court, the number of parents seeking a Beyond Parental Control order increased from 720 last year to 744 this year. Parents haul up their children for suspected gang activity, substance abuse or running away for weeks on end and loanshark activities lie on the top of the list. As expected, the state media lays the blame solely on Singaporeans while exonerating the government from all responsibilities: "During tough times, parents may neglect their children to clock in more hours at the office. And being cash-strapped, they are also less able to give their children that latest flashy iPod or PlayStation Portable." Though parents must bear some responsibilities for neglecting their children, the government is ultimately in charge of the nation's economy. Singaporeans have to work longer hours to earn the same amount of money because of wage freezes and cuts taken out by companies during the global financial crisis last year. They also have to contend with the relentless influx of foreigners whose easy availability to employers help depress their wages. Furthermore, the cost of living has increased over the years, especially that of public housing and the average wages have not kept pace with it. The starting monthly pay of an engineering graduate is between $2,400 - $2,600, about the same as 10 years ago. Without basic legislation to protect their rights, Singapore workers are forever at the losing end. One government minister even have the dearth to exhort Singaporeans to work "cheaper, faster and better". The median pay of an ordinary Singapore worker is only $2,600 a month, hardly enough to support a family. It is little wonder that many Singapore couples have to spend a large part of their time working with little to spend with their children. With the two IRs opening next year, loanshark activities are bound to see an increase, especially in the youth. According to Mr Dominic Lim, founder of Splat!, a community arts movement helping at-risk youths and former youth offenders, loan-shark running is appealing because of its attractive rates: $80 or thereabouts just for scrawling 'O$P$', $150 for splashing paint, $200 for harassing one household. The government has predictably resorted to harsh punishments to clamp down on all levels of money-lending syndicates, including the runners, but fail to address the root cause of the problem. A 16 year old Malay girl was sentenced to 4 years imprisonment lately for splashing paint onto a household. As usual, Singaporeans will again be blamed for the problems brought by the IRs as if they are the ones who clamor for them to be built in the first place.  Read More →

Dear Citizens,   There are many outstanding articles and comments made in TR and other notable sites like TOC.   Much has been said that trenchantly and incisively debunk fallacies of askew policies, truculent, emotively powerful in conviction.   Some expressing dejection and despair; craving and wishing for redemption from their state of helplessness and hopelessness.   We must now NOT be swayed anymore by the PAP “rationale” of policy sensibility or their “carrots” to buy votes.   Our voices need to unite on one powerful Vote in the coming Election.   Defining Moment Whatever sense and sensibility that can be made out of all these net forums, whatever the rhetoric and irrationalism charged by PAP and YPAP, one THING is definite:  The growing uproar of vitriolic sentiments, deep-seated angst and bitter distrust against the PAP is real.   We must NOW do serious soul searching and ask ourselves: Do we want as stake in our Nation Destiny for our next generation sake?   Do we want back our Citizen Dignity and Right back?   Do we want ourselves to be subjugated by PAP?   Do we want a sustainable lower cost of living commensurate with our salary?   Sense & Sensibility The web of issues on nationalism, equality, justice, livelihood sustainability, cost of living, citizen privilege and right, governance policies and political voice suppression and etc are wrapping around, putting stranglehold on lives of many citizens.   Many issues are multifarious, interrelated, and conflated with fabric of Nation-hood, encapsulating emotive essence and sacrosanct being of Citizen, which cannot be resolved by economic rationale alone. The fabric of the nation is not just woven purely through economic growth. It is interwoven with collective heart and soul of the citizens-the Nation-hood.   We, the citizens, are the “hearts and souls” of Nation. We are not mere automatons to subject to relentless slavery to economic growth and to PAP.   Economic Rationale of Nation-hood itself will fail without symbiotic or mutualism of Hearts and Souls of Citizens.   Our collective sense is seeking an expression of an identity for Nation-hood “lost” , citizen rights displaced, in the relentless midst of GDP pursuit as reflected in many core issues vehemently voiced in many forums.   We are confronting and questioning the sensibilities of government policies which critically affect our current lives and future generation in many ways.   Just to list a few of critical issues that impact citizen lives largely: Affordable HDB housing ·         What is the ultimate price to pay in debt for all citizens to have stake in the Nation? ·         What is the limit and validity of HDB “affordability argument? ·         By limiting supply of land and HDB apartment, isn’t PAP playing dice with citizen debt, and lives, by forcing upon citizens who have no other avenues but to buy HDB at the artificial inflated sky-rocketing prices? PR and New Citizens ·         Why is PAP going to such extent of ingratiating with new citizens and PRs using public funds at the expense of true-bred citizens and Nation-hood? ·         Why is the HDB allowing excessively liberal policy for PRs to own HDB flats that rightfully are meant for the citizens? ·         Why has the Government not anticipate the adverse impact of the huge limited supply of HDBs?·         Why is there absurdly minimal distinction between citizen and PR benefits? ·         Why is marginalization of wages and employment due to manpower policy allowed without little regard to citizen concerns? ·         Why is the lax immigration policy allowed to the extent of flooding with the Nation with low quality PR and Citizen? High Cost of Living ·         Why the incessant coordinated government efforts resulting in ever-increasing escalating costs of services, living and housing in times of worst recession?   We are hungry for answers to our endless list of queries of government policies and motives. None of the answers provided by PAP satisfies collective sense, collective consciousness and logic of reasoning. Many queries were snubbed, stonewalled and unanswered. Some were answered with cloak of obfuscation.   Our collective sense of the Nation-hood is in stark conflict with “sensibility” of present government policies regardless the PAP’s explanation and underlying rationale or the absence of it.   Dawning of Truth The current sentiments reflect the collective want of the Nation, the collective sense of inadequacies and deficiencies present policies of governance.   There is growing nationalistic conviction that the “Nation lost” is covertly being supplanted by a “New Order”, amorphous in identity, socially and politically engineered and creatively crafted into guise of “sensible policies” for perpetuity of PAP and its kind. The “seeking hearts and souls” of the citizens, are finally awakened with realization of the urgent need to change the institutions and policies of governance. True-bred citizen interests should not be subjugated to any policy, any elitism, any government and party   The “sensibility” of policies cloaked with half-truths and hidden motives are drawing upon many citizens, distilled from the existential experience with the government over the years.   The subtle motives of the elite in power are now confronting of us with the realization that the national interests and citizen rights are subjugated to money politics and elitist interest and power.   We are confronting our nation which is fast losing its identity. Our Nation is becoming nothing more than “a place”-a place only to earn money, not to live as true-bred citizens.   PAP claims with parvenu it is THE ONLY PARTY capable to deliver. PAP proclaims arrogantly that our Nation will degrade or fall without it.   Unless PAP is Omnipotent, Saint of Our Nation, such self-canonization of ABSOLUTE RULE is an serious affront to sense and sensibility of citizens. We must not be it allowed to happen.   In the latest interview with National Geography, MM said it is good thing to welcome China immigrant as Singaporeans are “less hard-striving and less hard-driving”, in essence “less hardworking”, and Singaporeans need “spur in into their hides’’ to work harder.   MM perverse logic of observation is unfounded. It is an effrontery to the many citizens who strive hard constantly to upgrade skills and productivity for better earning commensurate with higher living standards. Many citizens work dual jobs to survive, while keeping up with demands of family needs.   Many foreign workers have made a lot of monies through appreciation of properties bought by earning made working Singapore as PRs. Their income relative to their home base is high. Their drive to work harder will naturally be greater than many true-bred citizens who merely eke out a living.   Moreover, “Hardworking” does NOT equate to productivity and quality. They are many China workers and other foreign workers who are hard-working, work more hours for some productive output of Singaporeans. Naturally, they can do so without many other financial and family commitment which an average citizen faces.   MM declared to the world the unwarranted damnation of citizens for being “less hard driving” and “less hard striving’ than the China workers but does question their own policies that degenerate the Nation to this state.   This damnation with provides more justification for employers not to employ citizens or employ with lesser salary.   The industry clusters keep changing, shifting faster that the hardworking citizens can upgrade skills. With vast cheap manpower resources and FT overseas, it is always cheaper and swifter to employ foreign workers to fill up any gaps. While the cost of living goes up, citizens are made to work faster, cheaper and better.    We, citizens, understand the changes happening around the world that will impact us. But blaming squarely on citizens, stymieing citizens as “quitters”, now calling citizens as “less hardworking” to the world is serious flaw of judgment.   There is fundamentally serious flaw in the government policies in creating sustainable productive employment market.   MM is playing “dice of debt” with citizen lives. PAP “perverse logic” of HDB affordability is another telling evidence there is far-reaching implications in government policies that will affect many lives.   Is the “spur in the hide” push to make Singaporeans work harder, the ulterior motive behind the sky-rocketing HDB prices to make Singaporeans in bigger debt to have higher stake in the Nation?   This includes the revised CPF policy and many recent policies which are counter-intuitive to our collective sense.   Or there is something more ominous, a financial “black-hole” in making, sucking the monies from the system, from the citizens, to fuel its ever-glowing denseness?-until one day it becomes so dense that the financial system will implode. But the MIW and its kind are unscathed, while our breed will vanish in oblivion.   The government has not been candid with the citizens. The cases of Goodyear and HDB 2 billion deficit divulge the stark reality there is something lurking behind the “reality” or policy “sensibility” as propounded by PAP.   We confront now with stark reality of inner motive of MM, his party and its kind: Is there an eventual displacement of majority of true-bred citizens with “new citizens” mainly from China to sustain perpetuity of their rule and humongous wealth?   As one Minister said recently, the local citizen stock needs to be improved with infusion with more foreign stock. Its seems there is a subtle “eugenic” in process applies only to certain groups of true-bred citizens, NOT with PAP stock and its kind.   They have created a system in place that “whips and milks” the money, life and soul of the citizens and, money out of the Nation at the expense of next and future generation.   Even in the twilight years, citizens will have to work without social welfare and care in contrast with the twilight years of the PAP Ministers and its kind. We are becoming a state of Serfdom.   If PAP is truly for the citizen they should work harder with much lesser pay. The nobility and virtues of leadership for selfless interest of citizens is absent. The policies are elitist-centric and PAP-centric.   PAP is disconnected with citizens. They fail to empathize with the bleeding Heart and Soul of the Nation.   They have alienated the trust of the citizens through their dereliction of social pact implicit in the Cachet of PAP: People Action Party, that citizen interests must come FIRST   In times to come, the New Citizens will be subject to the same brutal grinding mill. Majority of citizens and their generations will not see their fruits of toils.   Yes, the dawning of the truth of the motives of PAP has confronted us. It is NOW an imperative duty of true-bred citizens to take ownership of our Nation. The Nation future destiny is in our hands.   We need surgical and clinical cleansing of governance and polices for future well-being and survivability of next and future generation.   Peril of Denial The rebuttal to PAP and YPAP, many in anonymity in TR and other sites, is counter-productive.   We need to express cogently and vehemently when it warrants but ignores those YPAP provocateurs whose purpose is to mislead, distract, obfuscate and stultify.   The PAP can ignore our true-bred citizen issues and growing bitter sentiments, dismissing our collective conviction of Voice of Citizens for change at their own peril.   They will reason against the growing undercurrent of sentiments with their “rationale”.   Let them be.   We have not much time left:   We have long hurdle to cross, we need to UNITE, all opposition parties alike, to empathize, garner and reinforce the collective sentiments, collective voice of all true-bed citizens. This is the only leverage for change to happen.   Ownership of Nation at stake With our conviction for better “Singapore for Singaporeans”, let us ALL UNITE, opposition parries alike, for common cause to correct the flawed polices and redeem our privileges ,liberties of political space and stake in deciding the course and destiny of our future:   Let be collected in thoughts, conserve energy and work collectively for common goal.   Let enjoin everyone member of your families, relatives, friends, colleagues and contacts to vote for Change for Better Singapore for Singaporeans.   Let each of us own the responsibility to reach as many as possible to join in the trumpet of change, to thaw the apathy of many who are not aware of the potential danger lurking ahead.   This may perhaps be OUR LAST CHANGE, last hope of deliverance, of redemption from our present state, to have more opposition in the Parliament, to ensure our present Government change or we VOTE PAP out. Voice of Citizen  Read More →