TR EMERITUS

If you have not, it's important you know. Article 5(2A) was passed in 1991 but has been held in abeyance since. This means that it is not in force yet and hence not binding on the Government. 1. What is Article 5(2A) about? Article 5(2A) states that a national referendum is needed if changes are to be made to the following sections of the Constitution: (i) this clause or Article 5A (ii) any provision in Part IV (iii) any provision in Chapter 1 of Part V or Article 93(A). (iv) Article 65 or 66 (v) any provision in the Constitution that authorises the President to act in his discretion. Key among the above is Part IV which enshrines our civil liberties including the freedom of speech, assembly and association. The Article also protects the Elected President's powers particularly in relation to matters relating to the budget. Principally, therefore, Article 5(2A) is designed to safeguard against the potential for a tyrannical or profligate government. Despite the importance of this Article to our democratic narrative, the PAP has again stressed last week that it does not want it to come into force yet. The reason? Because the PAP - according to Shanmugam - needs flexibility on bills relating to government spending as it foresees the need to make adjustments to the tax system due to increased social spending "To bring Article 5(2A) into force before that would otherwise potentially trigger a national referendum each time we needed to make a further refinement or adjustment," said Shanmugham. As to why the parts pertaining to our civil liberties could not be enforced first, Shanmugham said that "Article 5(2A) comes as a package". 2. More than Meets the Eye? When one takes a look at laws such as that on Unlawful Assembly which prohibits a gathering of 5 or more persons that violate our civil liberties, one can't help but wonder if there is more than meets the eye in the PAP's refusal to enforce Article 5(2A). 3. Should we be concerned? Yes definitely. As we all know, Singapore is at most a quasi-democracy in which the PAP has an overwhelming majority in Parliament and has put in place many anti-democratic mechanisms to prevent the Opposition from gaining ground. It has also used various laws like the Internal Security Act to silence and intimidate critics. This means that the Party can do as it wishes with very little accountability. In other words, the potential for tyranny is a very real one. The PAP's argument that Article 5(2A) can wait while it sorts out the intricacies of increased social spending is flawed because it is predicated on the flawed assumption that its politicians will always act in the interest of the people and respect our civil liberties. Who is to guarantee that in the near future, a Burnese military junta-like leadership would not take control either in the face of perceived or imagined social chaos or out of a desire to go back to the orderly days of Lee Kuan Yew when everyone was cowed by the Patriarch's absolute power? So in summary, the PAP's procrastination on Article 5(2A) is a threat to the well-being and integrity of our democracy. Then again, we should not be surprised; as history has shown that in its quest for permanent power, civil liberties rank low on the Party's list of priorities for it makes for complex and complicated politics that it's technocrats are ill-equipped to handle, as we are witnessing now.   The Alternative View [source]: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Alternative-View/358759327518739    Read More →

PM Lee suing blogger Roy Ngerng for defamation. The case to decide if PM Lee should be granted a summary judgment in his defamation lawsuit against blogger Roy Ngerng will be heard in High Court on 18 Sep. This was announced following a closed-door pre-trial conference, which lasted less than half an hour, at the Supreme Court yesterday (17 Jul). The Prime Minister's Office confirms that it will be a full-day hearing before a High Court judge. However, the hearing will be held closed-door in the Chambers. PM Lee filed a court application on 11 Jul for a summary judgement against Roy. This essentially means the PM is claiming that Roy has no case, and therefore wants judgement in his favour without the need to go through a full trial. In the application, Davinder Singh, PM's lawyer, sought damages and asked the court to stop Roy from publishing or disseminating allegations that PM Lee is guilty of criminal misappropriation of the monies in CPF. Roy will have to file his affidavit by 1 Aug and PM Lee will have up to 22 Aug to reply. Both sides then file and exchange their arguments on Sep 4, and then on Sep 11, exchange their replies before the court hearing on 18 Sep. In response to media queries on the case, the Press Secretary to PM Lee issued the following statement: "Mr Roy Ngerng has admitted that he has falsely defamed PM. As the legal process has commenced, the Courts will decide on the matter." Fight to resist summary judgement Meanwhile, Roy wrote on his blog yesterday [Link] that his lawyer, M Ravi, will fight to resist the summary judgment. "We hope for a favourable outcome where we would be able to go to trial to defend my position. Please pray for us, and for Singapore, for the truth to be known," Roy said. Supporters for Roy turned up in court yesterday too. "Thank you to friends, old and new, who had turned up to support today even though you couldn't enter the Chambers. (I couldn't too!) I very much appreciate you and everyone for keeping watch on this and making sure that things are fine on my side," he said. Roy said that he is doing fine and taking things positively. "There is strength in knowing that you've done your best to speak for what is right, and in knowing that we are standing in solidarity together in this. Our fight for justice and truth will prevail," he said. He said he will continue to speak up on CPF issues. In his blog, Roy also asked if Temasek Holdings used to invest with CPF monies even though MOF said only GIC does that now. "Indeed, a book by an ex-director of the Ministry of Finance exposed the truth - Temasek Holdings did use our CPF. Then when did they stop? Will they or the government tell us the truth?" Roy asked. He further asked, "If the government indeed uses our CPF to invest in the GIC and Temasek Holdings, then how much exactly did they take, how much did they earn from us which they did not return?" "Today, 85% of Singaporeans cannot meet the CPF Minimum Sum, Singaporeans have one of the least adequate retirement funds in the world and many Singaporeans cannot retire, and have to work in odd-jobs and as menial labour, as cleaners etc." "Singapore is the most expensive country in the world today. Yet Singaporeans earn one of the lowest wages among the developed countries and earn the lowest CPF interest rates in the world. Something is not quite right, my friends. Something is very, very wrong." "Change needs to come to Singapore. It's no longer enough for us to be angry and hope that things will change. Things will not change, unless we make change happen." Outside the chambers in the Supreme Court yesterday, Roy was swamped by reporters. He told them that he is now working part-time at his father's carrot cake stall in Ang Mo Kio (Roy was fired by TTSH after he was sued by PM Lee). The carrot cake stall is located at Block 107, Ang Moh Kio Avenue 4, #01-164, which coincidentally also resides in PM Lee's GRC. The stall has garnered many good reviews, for those who like "Chai Tow Kway": http://www.hungrygowhere.com/singapore/107_Carrot_Cake/ http://lifes-indulgences.blogspot.sg/2008/01/carrot-cake-from-makansutra-street-food.html http://www.soshiok.com/content/readers-choice-best-carrot-cake-stalls-part-1-2 http://www.makantime.com/indexbest.html    Read More →

Emergency workers at the crash site. Plane carrying 295 people may have been shot down near Russian border but government and separatists deny involvement. A Malaysia Airlines passenger jet carrying 295 people from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur has crashed in an area of eastern Ukraine where separatist rebels have been engaging Ukrainian military forces in recent weeks. Ukraine's president, Petro Poroshenko, said the jet may have been shot down. "We do not exclude that the plane was shot down and confirm that the Ukraine armed forces did not fire at any targets in the sky," Poroshenko said in a statement. Dozens of bodies were scattered around the smouldering wreckage of the plane, near the village of Grabovo, about 25 miles from the Russian border, according to reporters at the scene. Emergency workers said at least 100 bodies had been found so far, and wreckage was scattered across an area 9 miles in diameter. "I was working in the field on my tractor when I heard the sound of a plane and then a bang and shots. Then I saw the plane hit the ground and break in two. There was thick black smoke," a witness, who gave his name only as Vladimir, told Reuters. In a statement, Malaysia Airlines said Ukraine's air traffic control lost contact with flight MH17 at 1415 (GMT) , approximately 50km from the Russia-Ukraine border. "Flight MH17 operated on a Boeing 777 departed Amsterdam at 12.15pm (Amsterdam time) and was estimated to arrive at Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 6.10am (Malaysia time) the next day. The flight was carrying 280 passengers and 15 crew onboard." The flight also had a Dutch airline flight number from KLM, KL4103. Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine's interior minister, wrote on his Facebook page that the plane had crashed in Ukrainian territory after being hit by a missile fired from a Buk launcher. Associated Press said one of its journalists had seen a similar launcher near the town of Snizhne earlier on Thursday. Leaders of the self-declared Donetsk people's republic denied any involvement, according to Interfax news agency. A member of the republic's security council said rebel weapons only had the capacity to shoot down a plane at 3,000 metres and blamed Ukrainian military forces for the attack. Poroshenko called for a commission to be set up to investigate the crash. "This is the third tragic incident in recent days after Ukrainian military An-26 and Su-25 jets were shot down from Russian territory. We don't rule out that this plane was also shot down, and we stress that the Ukrainian military didn't take any actions to destroy targets in the air," he said. In recent days the Ukrainian air force has lost planes in the area after they have been shot down by rebels. Earlier on Thursday, Ukraine accused Russia of downing one of its fighter jets inside Ukrainian territory. Russia's ambassador to the UN, Vitaly Churkin, rejected the allegation, telling reporters: "We didn't do it." The White House spokesman Josh Earnest said President Barack Obama had told his team to stay in close touch with senior Ukrainian officials. "We're aware of reports of a downed passenger jet near the Russian-Ukraine border. The president has been briefed on these reports," Earnest said. Earlier, Obama and the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, spoke on the phone about new US sanctions imposed on Moscow over its alleged failure to halt the flow of weapons and fighters to separatist forces in eastern Ukraine. The White House did not say whether the call occurred before or after reports of the crash emerged. However the Kremlin said Putin informed the US president of the reports on the call. Several airlines, including British Airways, Aeroflot, Turkish Airlines and Russia's Transaereo announced they would avoid Ukrainian airspace with immediate effect. Lufthansa said it would steer clear of airspace over eastern Ukraine. At least 30 Dutch-speaking passengers were on the plane, according to two travel agencies which sold tickets for the flight. According to Dutch newspaper websites, several Dutch passports were found near the scene of the crash. The Malaysian prime minister, Najib Razak, said via Twitter: "I am shocked by reports that an MH plane crashed. We are launching an immediate investigation." The country's defence minister tweeted that he was "monitoring closely" claims that MH17 had crashed, saying: "No comfirmation [sic] it was shot down! Our military have been instructed 2 get on it!" The crash comes four months after Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 vanished on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board, two-thirds of them Chinese citizens. It has yet to be found despite a massive international search, which is still ongoing, but Malaysia Airlines has said it believes everyone on board died when the plane crashed into the southern Indian Ocean. The cause of MH370's disappearance remains a mystery, with investigators suggesting the plane was deliberately diverted from its course, but there was no way of knowing whether the pilots were responding to an emergency or whether there was malicious intent. That aircraft was a Boeing-777 – the same kind of plane as flight MH17.   Source: The Guardian   Related videos: http://www.nytimes.com/video/world/europe/100000003006488/amateur-video-of-malaysia-airlines-crash.html?partner=rss&emc=rss http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=ea9_1405620477 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=a65_1405619765  Read More →