TR EMERITUS

In a press release on Wednesday (4 Sep), the Elections department announced that the Prime Minister has convened the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC). The purpose of the EBRC is to review the boundaries of the electoral divisions before making recommendations. In the past, the ERBC has taken anywhere around 2 to 4 months to and will release its report to the Prime Minister. Thereafter, it is expected that Parliament will be dissolved and the next General Elections will soon occur. While most have speculated that the elections would take place in September, it is now likely that the elections could take place anywhere from November to March of 2020. In the meantime, the mood on the ground does not look too happy with the PAP government's performance over the past term with issues such as: - 'Broken' asset enhancement policies as HDB flats would now have a $0 value once reaching 99 years - Anyone earning less than $500,000 a year being described as "mediocre" by Goh Chok Tong - NSF/ NSmen deaths without any seeming accountability from the PAP Ministers - Increase in GST to 9% in the next term of government - Increased lawsuits of opposition figures such as Leong Sze Hian, Daniel De Costa, John Tan, Jolovan Wham Terry Xu - Increase in S&CC charges, electricity and gas tariffs, bus fares despite dim economic outlook - $130 million a year spent to foreign students while locals are saddled with student loans - Indian becomes Malay (S)Elected Presidency On the other hand, opposition parties such as Progress Singapore Party founded by Dr. Tan Cheng Bock has seen an incredible sign-up rate while there are also talks of an informal opposition alliance. Do you think the electorate will give the PAP another term?      Read More →

Even on a Sunday (1st September 2019) the press secretary to the prime minister had to work. And it was not even work for the country though the threatening three-page letter was written on official stationery. The prime minister is unhappy because of an article and a facebook post that allegedly repeated his siblings’ falsehoods and allegations of abuse of power. In his letter, the prime minister warned that his “restraint in suing his siblings should not be misinterpreted by others as free licence to repeat and spread false and defamatory allegations against him, as the Article and Post have done.” By issuing a letter to Terry Xu demanding that he removes the article and post and requiring him to issue an unconditional apology and undertaking not to publish similar allegations, we can take it that the prime minister has changed his mind about refraining "thus far" from suing his siblings. He is prepared to let Terry Xu call his siblings as witnesses or even bring them in as second and third defendants should he commence legal proceedings. As members of the public, we do not know who is telling the truth. The parliamentary session in 2017 which the prime minister claims had given a full explanation to the accusations of abuse of power by his siblings was a one-sided affair. It was a monologue and to me an abuse of parliamentary process and waste of public funds to conduct a special hearing for a private dispute. What was even more disturbing was the fact that Parliament did not give the prime minister’s siblings the opportunity to clarify matters. It is perhaps time to resolve matters through the courts.   Teo Soh Lung      Read More →

The Online Citizen (TOC) has on Wednesday (4th Sept) responded to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's warning letter which was sent to its chief editor Mr Terry Xu on Sunday (1st Sept). In his warning letter to the website accusing it of defamation, PM Lee had, among other things, demanded that TOC remove the supposed offending article immediate and issue an apology. In addition to the “full and unconditional apology”, PM Lee had also demanded an undertaking from TOC that it would not publish similar allegations in the future. The website was then given a dateline of Wednesday (4th Sept) to comply with PM Lee's demands or the matter will be handed over to "his lawyers to sue to enforce his full rights in law”. TOC will not comply with demands Although the supposed offending article entitled “PM Lee’s wife, Ho Ching weirdly shares article on cutting ties with family members” was removed from the website on the very day Mr Xu received the warning letter, TOC has declined to accede to PM Lee's other demands, namely to apologise by Wednesday (4th Sept). Responding to PM Lee's warning letter, Mr Xu said that he disagrees that the article in question was in any way defamatory and instead felt that it was fair comment. Mr Xu added that although he "do fear that the cost stemming from the possible legal suit from you may be hefty, that is a price that I am willing to pay to not only uphold my principles, but also to uphold my obligations to Singapore and my fellow Singaporeans." Concluding, Mr Xu said, “I stand guided by my love for Singapore and Singaporeans. It is my moral obligation to help dissipate the climate of fear that permeates discourse in Singapore to ensure a more open, vibrant and robust society for the future of Singapore.” TOC's response to PM Lee is reproduced verbatim below: 4 September 2019 Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE Orchard Road Istana Singapore 238823 REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE Dear Sir DEFAMATION 1. I refer to your letter to me dated 1 September 2019 (the “Letter”). 2. I have always been a firm believer in the values of accountability, transparency and the rule of law. Ibelieve it is my role as the Chief Editor of The Online Citizen, Singapore’s longest running independentmedia outlet, to always speak truth to power. 3. Having reviewed the contents referred to, at paragraph 1 of the Letter (the “Article”), I am of the opinion that the contents of the Article are not defamatory. Instead, in light of the public statements that emanated from members of your own family, who, presumably, would have been privy to the events that the Article refers to, and the issues of public interest that arise, I believe that the contents of the article constitute fair comment. For the avoidance of doubt, I was merely republishing the words uttered by your siblings. 4. However, I am cognisant of the possibility that one reading the Article may be open to the misinterpretation of the timing of your removal as an executor and trustee of the will of Mr Lee Kuan Yew. It was not my intention to suggest that your removal as an executor in the will of Mr Lee Kuan Yew occurred after 2011. Neither did I intend to suggest that your removal as an executor and trustee of the will was a result of the issue of the gazetting of the 38 Oxley. I certainly recognise the possibility of the misinterpretation, which you have pointed out at paragraph 4 of your Letter. In that regard, I offer my apologies. 5. It must bear noting that the intent of the article was not to raise doubts or misunderstandings about the technicalities surrounding the allegations – in this case, the exact time at which you were removed as an executor and trustee of the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s will. Rather, the focus of the article was on the bigger picture relating to the allegations of abuse of power and the state of the relationship between the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew and his son. I solemnly and sincerely believe that it is this aspect, and not the technicalities that you take issue with, that concern many Singaporeans as it relates to the values of Mr Lee Kuan Yew. 6. Although I do fear that the cost stemming from the possible legal suit from you may be hefty, that is a price that I am willing to pay to not only uphold my principles, but also to uphold my obligations to Singapore and my fellow Singaporeans. 7. I stand guided by my love for Singapore and Singaporeans. It is my moral obligation to help dissipate the climate of fear that permeates discourse in Singapore to ensure a more open, vibrant and robust society for the future of Singapore. 8. Accordingly, I will not be complying with the demands set out at paragraph 8 of the Letter. Yours sincerely, TERRY XU Chief Editor The Online Citizen With an apology totally out of the equation, will PM Lee keep to this promise and proceed to 'Davinder' Mr Xu or will he forgive and forget the matter considering that General Elections is around the corner. What do you think?   * The supposed offending article has been restored on TOC's website.          Read More →