TR EMERITUS

From our Correspondent During the Reform Party dinner anniversary 25 September 2009, diners were surprised when a photo of Singapore President Mr S R Nathan suddenly appeared on the screen in front of them. It turned out that Mr Nathan was invited for the dinner. As he was unable to attend, he sent his well wishes to the Reform Party: The dinner was attended by over 300 guests including representatives from various opposition parties. It ended with a toast on stage by Mr Kenneth Jeyaretnam from the Reform Party, Mr Low Thia Kiang from the Workers' Party, Mr Chiam See Tong from the Singapore Democratic Alliance, Mr Ken Sunn from the National Solidarity Party and Dr Chee Soon Juan from the Singapore Democratic Party: While it is heartening to see a rare sign of opposition unity, whether its leaders will work together in the next general elections remain to be seen. Besides such occasional social gatherings, the opposition parties have hardly organized any events such as forums and rallies together. MORE PHOTOS TO COME TOMORROW  Read More →

From our Correspondent The controversial temporary workers' dormitory in Serangoon Gardens which sparked a furore among residents living in the vicinity will be opened in November this year. Located in the northeast of the island, Serangoon Gardens is a sprawling private estate of bungalows, semi-detached and terrace houses some which hails back to the colonial era. The proposal by the National Development Ministry to local a foreign workers' dormitory there last year caused the residents to go up in arms and protest in unison. The MP in charge of the area, Lim Hwee Hua met up with the residents to hear their grievances, but the dormitory was still constructed despite security concerns. The National Development Ministry though did agree to suggestions put forth by residents over the building of the dorm, such as restricting mass activities after 10.30pm, putting plants to screen the site from nearest homes, and locating pick-up and drop-off points within the site. Serangoon Gardens lies in Aljunied GRC which was won by the PAP by a margin of 43.7% in the last general election. It is not known if this unpopular move by the government will have an impact on the results of the next poll to be held soon. The opposition Workers' Party which has been active on the ground lately, is likely to stake another claim on the coveted GRC. With the finalized electoral boundaries not declared yet, it is hard to predict if Aljunied GRC will still remain intact. During the 1997 general elections, residents of Cheng San GRC were promised a bag of goodies if they voted for the PAP. 4 years later, Cheng San GRC was craved up and absorbed into the neighboring Ang Mo Kio and Aljunied GRCs. The GRC system had allowed the ruling party to field weak candidates hiding behind the cloak-tails of heavy-weight ministers which artificially inflated the number of seats they held in Parliament. The PAP won only 66.6% of the valid votes in the 2006 elections, but has 82 out of 84 seats in parliament. The voices of the 33% of the electorate which voted for the opposition are not represented.  Read More →

From our Correspondent To foreigners who do not know Singapore very well, they may think of us as a petty, vindictive and shallow people from the way we harangue our Singapore ladies who come out tops in beauty pagaents. First, it was Rachel Kum who was criticized for her use of an "inappropriate" part of the male body to celebrate her birthday. Next, it was Ris Low who faced the wrath of Singapore netizens with her less than perfect English. Following the latest sensational revelation that she was once convicted for credit card fraud, she was lampooned once again for her dishonesty and pressurized to give up her Miss Singapore World crown. It is very easy for all of us to sit back in the comforts of our armchairs and type nasty comments about her in front of the PC under the cloak of anonymity, but how many of us even dare to show our faces to the public and take part in a beauty contest? It takes a lot of courage and self-confidence to reveal oneself in all its entirety in front of a thousand pairs of critical eyes out there ready to pounce on any slightest flaws one may display. Ris Low may not exactly be the most ideal and qualified winner for Miss Singapore World, but surely she deserved an applause for her bravery to step forward into the limelight. As for her past conviction, it is only human to err. Ris had already expressed her remorse for her mistakes. What is done cannot be undone. What else do we expect her to do? In her own words: "How many people out there, fully aware of their shortcomings, still dare to stand out to pursue their dreams - and will not back down despite so much pressure? If there are any regrets, I would blame myself for doing those things in the past..... Who does not have a past? Who has never done wrong?" Before we point our fingers at others, have we really taken a closer look at ourselves? Are we that infallible and immune from blame too? The only mistake made by Ris Low is that she kept her conviction from the public and the organizers before she won the contest. Had she been perfectly honest and upfront about it, she might have won more support and approval from Singaporeans. The journalists who spent time and energy to check on her background had an agenda to boost their flagging readership because such sensational news sell. Let us not join in the media witch-hunt of a fellow Singaporean. Ris Low is only human like every one of us. She did commit an offence, but she was already punished for it. While she may not deserve the crown, it's quite pointless to add on to all the flak she had received. Some Singaporeans questioned if Ris Low is fit to represent Singapore in the international Miss World competition given her imperfections and past conviction. Of course if the ultimate aim lies in winning, then perhaps there are better candidates than her, but then again, winning is not everything in life. It will be a good opportunity for Singaporeans to show their forgiveness and magnanimity by giving Ris Low a second chance in life to fulfil her dreams. For all the resources the government has spent on the "Yellow Ribbon campaign", it will be a massive PR coup if it can give extra leeway to Ms Low to enable her to travel to South Africa to participate in the competition. A gracious society is not simply about courtesy and social etiquettes, it is about understanding, forgiveness and compassion. What message are we sending to others if we continue to punish Ms Low unnecessarily for an offence she had already paid a price for? To err is only human. Life is never perfect. What is more important is that we learn from our past mistakes and pick ourselves up when we are down. By having the courage to take part in the Miss Singapore World competition, Ms Low has demonstrated an inner strength, tenacity and resilience seldom seen in young people. Is it right and fair for us to knock her down when she had just stood up? A little kindness goes a long way. Let us give Ris Low the benefit of the doubt and give our moral support and encouragement to her. She and her family must have suffered enough at the hands of the media during this difficult period of time. We should not continue to add salt to their wounds.  Read More →