TR EMERITUS

PAP MP Christopher De Souza said during a two-hour dialogue - "2010: How Can Our Youths Serve Singapore" organized by the Young PAP that there is more robust debate from the PAP MPs than the opposition MPs in parliament. He was responding to a question by Project Engineer Alex Tan who blamed the PAP's dominance for the apathy of Singapore's youth. Mr de Souza extended an invitation to Mr Alex Tan to attend Parliament to see how PAP MPs speak their mind. "If you'd heard Denise Phua speak on, say special-needs kids, you will think she is an opposition MP," he said. Mr Tan also said the PAP may feel it is helping the people but the people feel disadvantaged by its policies, from foreign talent to national service. A fellow participant shot back at him: "'If you're so disenchanted, why not leave Singapore?" The dialogue is part of the YPAP's series on social and political issues to better engage a younger, more outspoken generation, with the aim of renewing the party's ranks and support. The event was attended by 150 youths and 2 PAP MPs, Mr Sam Tan and Mr Christopher De Souza. In reply to Mr Alexa Tan, Mr Sam Tan said the fault does not lie with the system, but that "it all boils down to individuals making their own choices." "If people feel they want to exercise their will and choice and want to serve, there are many ways they can do so. (The issue) is not the system, it is us," he added. Mr Sam Tan also reminded young Singaporeans not to run down Singapore when abroad or with foreigners: "People will have less respect for us and our dignity will be dented," he said. He quoted the example of opposition MP Mr Chiam See Tong during a trip together to Kuala Lumpur who was asked by him "if he would speak in a different language from the PAP MPs". Mr Chiam's reply was: "When I'm outside Singapore, I speak as a Singaporean because Singapore is my country." Mr Tan agreed with Mr Chiam: "'Singapore is also my country. Let us speak in one united voice." Mr Chiam is one of the only two elected opposition MPs in parliament. The other is Hougang MP Low Thia Kiang. While both men are considered veteran MPs, they seldom dare to challenge the ruling party or take them to task in parliament. Some PAP backbenchers like Inderjit Singh and former NMPs like Siew Kum Hong and Eunice Olsen are even more vocal than them raising important, sensitive and difficult questions in parliament which embarrassed the ruling party. When asked point-blank by PM Lee during a parliamentary last year if he felt DPM Wong Kan Seng should resign over the escape of Mas Selamat Kasteri, Mr Low Thia Kiang was stunned into silence. Like many others, Mr Sam Tan appears to be confused over the separate roles of the party and state. Singapore is not the equivalent of the PAP and criticisms towards the party should not be misconstrued as an attack on Singapore. While Singaporeans should stay united as one nation, there should be ample room for differing political opinions to be expressed in Singapore. Due to the dominance of the PAP and its control of the mass media, only its voice is heard and permitted in the public domain which is unhealthy for the nation in the long run.  Read More →

After lecturing China on how it should continue to grow and develop, Singapore's MM Lee Kuan Yew now turns his attention to Japan. During a speech to more than 1,000 Japanese businessmen and guests at the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry Singapore's 40th anniversary celebrations, MM Lee urged Japan to learn from the Singapore's experience and rethink its longstanding reservation towards foreigners. "There is a reluctance on the part of both leaders and people to dilute or to complicate the society by bringing in people of different cultures, different races. It's not just bloodlines but also language, culture, the way you communicate with each other. I think Japan faces a difficult choice here," he said. MM Lee said he is aware that the foreigner versus local issue is a sensitive one which even Singapore is have difficulties in dealing with. He quoted the example of the recently opened foreign worker dormitory in Serangoon Gardens: "When we had to put work-permit holders in Serangoon estate, there was tremendous unhappiness. But in fact, we've fenced it off, made a different entrance, and I think it will work out. But nevertheless there is a certain amount of discomfort," he added. Though he is aware of the unhappiness of some Singaporeans at the relentless influx of foreigners into Singapore, he continues to reiterate just how important immigrants were: "Supposing we remove 1.2 million of our foreigners, we'll find suddenly, all the restaurants, theatres, everything is one-third empty. Some will close shop." Singapore is able to implement such a liberal immigration policies to mass import foreigners from elsewhere because its government is dominated by a single party with no opposition to check on it, unlike Japan's. If the Japanese ruling party - the Democratic Party of Japan were to adopt MM Lee's suggestion and open its doors to immigrants, it will soon be booted out of office in the next election. Singapore's ruling party does not have such worries or fears as it is in firm control of the electoral process as well as all institutions of the state which enables it to manipulate the system grossly in its favor. MM Lee should realize that the world does not revolve around Singapore and what works here is seldom applicable elsewhere before he dishes out his usual "dose" of wisdom to others. Japan will have to find its own way of dealing with the aging population and though immigration is a plausible solution, it should be tweaked so as to serve the interests of the native Japanese instead of foreigners like in the case of Singapore.  Read More →

Agence France-Presse, 10 December 2009 One of Tiger Woods’s alleged mistresses has told how she had “wild” sex with the wealthy American golf star, including during 10 visits to his home, British newspaper the Sun reported Thursday. Twenty-six year-old model Jamie Jungers recounted how their relationship started in Las Vegas eight months after Woods married, and continued despite Woods telling her that his marriage to Swedish wife Elin Nordegren was fine. “The sex was amazing, just crazy. It got better the more we saw each other. And the more we saw each other, the more we had sex. He was amazing in bed,” she told the tabloid. They began their affair in June 2005, when he introduced himself at the exclusive Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, she claimed. “Tiger and I went back to the room and just started making out,” she said, in some of the lurid revelations so far about Woods’ alleged extramarital affairs, exposed following his mystery car crash outside his Florida home last month. “It just went from one thing to the next. We ended up having crazy sex for two hours. I remember him picking me up and putting me against the wall. And that’s when it turned into wild sex. It was really good. “Later I said to him, ‘I don’t know a whole lot about your marriage situation. I know it is very fresh. I know you just got married. I mean, is it going okay?’ He said, ‘Yes, it’s fine, she’s in Sweden with her family’.” He subsequently invited her to join him at a golf tournament near Chicago, and then to his family home in California – which she claimed she visited 10 times. By that time she had strong feelings for him, and was upset by pictures of him around the house with his wife. “It was heartbreaking. I imagined how she would feel if she knew I was in her house,” she said. She eventually ended the affair after 18 months, she said, adding: “People are getting to see he’s not the great family-orientated guy everyone thought he was.” Woods, 33, has gone underground since he crashed his car just outside his Florida mansion on November 27, allegedly after an argument with his wife over a reported affair with a New York night club hostess. He did however apologise for “personal sins” and “transgressions” in a Dec. 2 statement. - AFP Republished from AFP on 10 December 2009  Read More →