TR EMERITUS

Even as the next election is looming near, Workers' Party Chairman Sylvia Lim is still able to find time to learn "White Crane" boxing or "Yong Chun Quan" in mandarin which has quite a large following in Singapore. The origins of "White Crane" boxing is sketchy as it has historically been passed from teacher to student verbally rather than through documentation, making it difficult to confirm or clarify the differing accounts of Wing Chun's creation. In an interview with Shin Min Daily, Ms Lim revealed that her interest in the martial arts was sparked after watching the Hong Kong movie - "Yip Man" depicting the life story of the teacher of Bruce Lee. Yip Man was the first Wing Chun master to teach the art openly in "Hong Kong" on a school fee basis. His students and their students therefore make up the majority of the practitioners of Wing Chun today. Ms Lim had already attended two classes, but according to her, she still have not got the basic "posture" right and her knees hurt after the sessions. Ms Lim is a NCMP in parliament after her credible debut performance in the last elections when her team garnered a respectable 43.7 per cent of the votes at Aljunied GRC. Though many had placed high hopes on her initially, her performance so far had been mediocre compared to her predecessor Steve Chia. Being overly cautious and conservative, Ms Lim dared not raise difficult or sensitive questions in parliament which might rattle the ruling party. Ms Lim has largely eschewed adopting a more confrontational stance against the government in a style similar to her fellow colleague Hougang MP Low Thia Kiang. During the International Bar Association Conference held in Singapore in 2007 where Ms Lim was a panel speaker, she spoke up in defence of Singapore's laws, describing them as "fair and just" when criticized by the Secretary-General of the Singapore Democratic Party Dr Chee Soon Juan. Earlier media reports suggest that she may be contesting in a single-ward seat in Nee Soon South in the next election against PAP's Lee Bee Wah if the seat is craved out from Ang Mo Kio GRC. Despite her relatively low-profile, Ms Lim is one of the more credible opposition politicians in Singapore and she appears to have won the respect and trust of many Singaporeans. Under the new rules which allow for more alternative voices in parliament, Ms Lim is likely to serve another term in parliament as one of the "best losers" even if she does not win her second election.  Read More →

OPINION In a feature article published on Malaysia's leading internet newspaper Malaysiakini as part of its 10th anniversary celebration, Singapore veteran journalist Cherian George lamented that Singapore's new media is stuck in the "kampung"era and wondered why there is no "Singaporekini" here. The Malaysian new media is at least 10 years ahead of Singapore if not longer. In the last two months alone, two news sites have emerged in Malaysia, adding to an already crowded landscape dominated by big players like Malaysiakini, The Malaysian Insider, Malaysia Today and Merdeka Review (Chinese). One of them, the Malaysian Mirror is founded by a group of former journalists who are working on it on a full-time basis. The other - Free Malaysia Today, appears to be run by bloggers affiliated to the famous blogger Raja Petra Kamarrudin of Malaysia Today. After the new media was credited with triggering the political tsunami which hit Malaysia last year, some Singapoeans have harbored the hope that the feat can be replicated in Singapore in its next election. Being culturally and strategically linked to each other, it is inevitable that comparisons will made between Malaysia and Singapore, both of which are briefly united as one single country between the years 1963 to 1965. The Malaysian online news sites can be roughly divided into three categories based on their level of professionalism: 1. Professional sites run by full-time journalists, e.g. Malaysiakini, Merdeka Review and The Nut Graph. 2. Semi-professional sites helmed by a few full-time journalists and supported by a large team of freelance columnists, e.g. Malaysian Insider. 3. Amateur sites maintained by bloggers which republish news from other sites, e.g. Malaysia Today. In order for  news sites to survive, grow and expand in any country, they must fulfill three basic criteria: 1. Sufficient resources for long-term sustainability. 2. Large enough readership to influence the public. 3. Managed by trained journalists. Unlike Malaysia, Singapore simply does not have the necessary conditions for such internet newspapers to develop let alone flourish which explains why there will not be a Malaysiakini in Singapore at least in the near future. There are three key differences which account for the wide disparities in the new media landscape between the two countries. 1. Size of population: For a site to generate sufficient revenue from advertising to sustain itself in the long run, it must have a sizable readership. Malaysia has a population of 26 million compared to Singapore's 5 million out of which 36 per cent are foreigners who have little or no interest in its affairs. That's why though Singapore is more highly wired than Malaysia, its new media industry is still languished in the infantile stages of development. Though Malaysiakini is a subscription-based site, it can easily attract 2 million readers a day, a readership which even the Straits Times will find it difficult to achieve. Malaysiakini is the top internet newspaper in Malaysia with an Alexa ranking of 16 followed by the Malaysian Insider at 61 and Malaysia Today at 69. Singapore has no news sites in the top 30 ranking including those run by the mainstream media. The alternative news sites like ours are way behind out of the top 100. With such pathetic traffic, it is impossible for owners of news sites to survive on their advertising revenue alone unless they have big sponsors supporting them. 2. Political maturity of citizenry: In any country, the percentage of the citizenry who is interested in its current affairs and will surf news sites on a regular basis in search of news and opinion pieces amount to no more than 10 per cent. Politics is seldom a hot selling topic except perhaps during election times or when there is a major scandal involving government officials. Judging from the enthusiasm and support shown by the Malaysians towards their internet newspapers, it does appear that they are politically more aware and mature than Singaporeans. Malaysiakini will not have come so far without the support of ordinary Malaysians. Though it is a subscription-based site, it still has a higher readership than free sites run by the major news agencies like The Star and New Straits Times. The Nut Graph, founded by a group of young Malaysian journalists including the award-winning journalist Jacqueline Ann-Surin who received the Excellence in Opinion Writing Award from the Society of Publishers in Asia in 2007 launched an online appeal for funds to keep the site afloat lately due to the pullout of its sponsors. Many Malaysians donated generously to The Nut Graph which helps to sustain its operations for another year or two. The site is run by a team of full-time paid journalists ably complemented by a business development team. Such a level of support is not possible in Singapore where its citizens are either not interested in the nation's affairs altogether or continues to believe that the state media is a credible source of news. It is impossible to maintain an internet newspaper run by paid staff like Malaysiakini or The Nut Graph unless one has deep pockets and do not mind losing money continously for the next few years. Malaysiakini has been running in the red for 8 years before it managed to turn a profit. 3. Leadership: Journalists should be at the forefront of the new media revolution as is the case in Malaysia. Malaysiakini was founded by Steven Gan who was a former editor with The Sun. The Malaysian Insider was started by two journalists from NTV7 as is the same with the Merdeka Review, Malaysian Mirror and the Nut Graph. More importantly, these journalists are able to commit themselves full-time to build and develop their internet newspapers instead of blogging on it on an infrequent basis. Without the leadership provided by trained, experienced and passionate journalists, is it a surprise that there is no Malaysiakini in Singapore? The senior journalists in Singapore are too ensconced in their positions to ever think of venturing out into the new media. Many are former SPH journalists who do not see the necessity of providing an alternative voice for Singaporeans. As for the journalists fresh out of school, they lack the gumption, courage, creativity, passion and belief to spearhead an alternative news site to challenge the mainstream media. Perhaps on hindsight, we have been too fixated on the Malaysian new media. What works for them may not be applicable in the Singapore context. We have to cast the net far and wide to reach out to the average, apathetic and inactive Singaporean instead of waiting for them to come to us. In the next few weeks, the Temasek Review will be undergoing a series of major changes. We will be adding three new sections - sports, entertainment and technology. We are still looking for writers who can write the about the last two sections especially on showbiz and computer games. If you are keen to contribute, please contact us at [email protected]  Read More →

Associated Press, 6 December 2009 North Korea has ordered its border guards to open fire on anyone who crosses its border without permission, in what could be an attempt to thwart defections by people disgruntled over its shock currency reform last week, a news report said yesterday. The National Defence Commission - the top government body headed by North Korean leader Kim Jong Il - recently instructed soldiers to kill unauthorised border crossers on the spot, South Korea's mass-circulation Chosun Ilbo newspaper said, citing unidentified sources inside the North. It said the order could be an attempt by the communist government to stop members of North Korea's middle class, who are angry over suddenly being deprived of their money, from leaving the country. Thousands of North Koreans have defected to South Korea in recent years, most of them via China. Last year, about 2,800 North Koreans arrived in the South, up from about 2,500 in 2007. The reported move came amid signs of growing anger among North Korean citizens left with hoards of worthless bills. Last Monday, the government informed citizens and foreign embassies that it would redenominate the national currency, the won. But it limited the maximum amount of old bills that could be converted into new ones, telling residents to deposit the rest in government-run banks, according to media reports and diplomats. There are widespread doubts among North Koreans whether they would be able to get their money back, they said. Angry citizens burnt piles of old bills at two separate locations in the eastern coastal city of Hamhung last Monday, the Daily NK, a Seoul-based online news outlet that focuses on North Korean affairs, reported last Thursday. A separate report by the Joongang Daily yesterday said North Korea had closed down all shops and restaurants dealing in foreign currencies. The paper also quoted a North Korean businessman engaged in trade with China as saying that people were buying necessities to spend their old banknotes before the deadline today. 'People in Pyongyang are stocking up like mad on necessities,' he said. A kilogram of rice that used to fetch 1,700 won in the old won surged to 15,000 won as North Koreans scrambled to get rid of their old currency. 'Local officials were going around knocking on every door, urging people to exchange for new currency before Sunday,' he said. The overhaul of the won - the most drastic in 50 years - appears aimed at curbing runaway inflation and clamping down on street markets that have sprung up. The government is also retaking control of the economy from the hands of merchants, analysts said. Unable to feed its people, the government began allowing some markets in 2002, including farmers' markets. The markets have encouraged trade, but have also sold banned goods such as movies and soap operas from rival South Korea, posing a threat to Mr Kim's totalitarian rule, analysts said. The country's largest wholesale market in Pyongyang was reportedly shut down in mid-June. - AP Republished from Associated Press on 6 December 2009  Read More →