TR EMERITUS

[Comments from 'Roy’s legal defense fund hits $70K target in 4 days'] PM Lee vs blogger Roy NgerngI support ROY!: June 3, 2014 at 8:07 am  (Quote) Roy deserves our very last ounce of support as he fights for Singapore and Singaporeans. Yes, he may have erred in some of his comments but who hasn’t ? The gist of his writings all four hundreds were really sound and supportive of an open And transparent society not one run by families or elites. If he gets fined $300k more, more of us will give to ensure he is free from external threats and every dollar we pay, we make sure the PAP loses ten votes. Majulah Singapura! BK: June 2, 2014 at 9:15 pm  (Quote) Outstanding. For probably the first time, Singaporeans are supporting a cause that is more than just political. Many Singaporeans feel that it is outright bullying. And although Roy was wrong to suggest impropriety by PM, most of us know that it is more over exuberance than malicious. Some stupid PAP IBs have suggested that Roy funds will dry up after $15k. I have my apprehensions. But thank God it was overwhelming to say the least. I hope that as Singaporeans get used to the idea of donating, and as political consciousness take hold more such money will move into constructive politics to support alternative voices including TRE. This culture will take time to come about. But perhaps Roy’s fracas has finally provide us with the tipping point. Roy just stick to your facts. As you can see, many Singaporeans have taken you as a symbol of the ordinary guy that fights the big bad wolf. We have been the underdogs, and you represent us. But stay cool, be calculative. Don't be moved to exaggerations or unwise moves. Keep us in your heart but think like LTK. Good Luck!! webex: June 3, 2014 at 1:46 am  (Quote) I am pretty fed-up with this nonsense that I must pledge my property to secure release of the extra CPF. I have to send in forms, copies of identification including marriage cert etc. And this day of advanced IT, they still need to charge for Title Search…it is all rubbish bureaucracy. If they want to release, they already have all the documents. Just release the money. No, they act as if they are still back in the 1960s where documents are scattered and so make the applicant put it all together for their convenience again. I am fed up with all this silly paperwork just to get some of my CPF released. And yet if they want to investigate something or pursue something, they can find all the documents themselves…it is in their system digitally..and probably all in a single folder per person. Fed up. Quanxi: June 3, 2014 at 6:38 am  (Quote) Ravi may hv my now created Roy Trust account. Defendant if bankrupted by the court needs to pay court fees n his lawyer before paying Plaintiff (LHL). Ravi will get pay n LHL may end up getting nothing. In any case you still can fight Bankruptcy Order by offering to pay installments or go on long haul fight all the way to Court of Appeal exploding with CPF/GIC publicity n damaging LHL politically. There is good chance LHL will settle outside court as his anus will be painful/constipated with so much online publicity worldwide. Another keynote: New citizens from India/Pinoys are slowing converting to see our views as they are familiar with PEOPLE POWER in their home countries.  Read More →

NMP Euegne Tan said the lawsuit has a "David versus Goliath ring to it". News of blogger Roy Ngerng raising $72K - exceeding his target of $70K - in a mere 4 days was picked up by international news wire AFP yesterday (2 Jun). Roy is raising money for his legal defence. He is currently being sued by PM Lee for defamation, due to an article he posted on his blog The Heart Truths. AFP said ('Blogger uses crowdfunding to fight PM's defamation suit') [Link]: A Singaporean blogger sued for damages by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Monday he had successfully raised fees for his legal defence in just four days through crowdfunding. Roy Ngerng Yi Ling, a government health worker who posts comments on social issues, said 1,104 people had so far contributed more than Sg$72,000 ($55,700), exceeding his target of Sg$70,000 when he launched the campaign Friday. With 1,104 Singaporeans donating some $72K, this works out to be about $65 per donor on average. AFP further said: Many of the donors registered comments criticising Lee and opposing the use of libel suits to silence government critics. Singapore officials have long used defamation suits against printed publications to defend their reputations. Ngerng was the first online critic brought to court by a Singaporean leader. "Donations were mostly of small denominations, and ranged from one cent to two thousand dollars," Ngerng, 33, told AFP. "I think it reflects the people's frustrations with the current situation," added Ngerng, author of a blog called "The Heart Truths". Lee filed the defamation suit on Thursday in the High Court, where the typical minimum value of claims for damages is Sg$250,000. AFP quoted NMP Eugene Tan and Calvin Soh, an advertising industry entrepreneur: Eugene Tan, an associate law professor at the Singapore Management University, said the lawsuit has a "David versus Goliath ring to it". "There is a sense that the people who have contributed either identify with his cause or feel that the questions regarding the CPF Ngerng has raised is worth some support," he told AFP. Local media is tightly controlled, leaving independent bloggers as the strongest critics of the long-ruling People's Action Party. Calvin Soh, an advertising industry entrepreneur, said Lee's defamation suit against Ngerng was a "PR disaster" for the ruling party. "It's not just the sum; crowdfunding shows you market size," he wrote in a Facebook post. "What if you have turned Roy into a symbol of the ordinary guy being bullied because you've pushed too hard?" International human rights groups have accused Singapore government leaders of using financially ruinous libel actions to silence critics and political opponents, AFP said. AFP's report has subsequently been picked up by other media and is spreading across the world: Bangkok Post: Blogger uses crowdfunding to fight PM's defamation suit http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/413298/blogger-uses-crowdfunding-to-fight-pm-defamation-suit Malaysia Insider: Singapore blogger uses crowdfunding to fight PM’s defamation suit http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/world/article/singapore-blogger-uses-crowdfunding-to-fight-pms-defamation-suit Yahoo Australia: Blogger uses crowdfunding to fight PM's defamation suit https://au.news.yahoo.com/world/a/24085983/blogger-uses-crowdfunding-to-fight-pms-defamation-suit/ Geektime: Singaporean blogger uses crowdfunding for legal fees in defamation case http://www.geektime.com/2014/06/02/singaporean-blogger-uses-crowdfunding-for-legal-fees-in-defamation-case/ Business Standard: Blogger uses crowdfunding to fight PM's defamation suit http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/blogger-uses-crowdfunding-to-fight-pm-s-defamation-suit-114060201698_1.html Wn.com: Blogger uses crowdfunding to fight Singapore PM's defamation suit http://article.wn.com/view/2014/06/02/Blogger_uses_crowdfunding_to_fight_Singapore_PMs_defamation_/ Financial Express: Blogger uses crowdfunding to fight PM's defamation suit http://www.financialexpress.com/news/blogger-uses-crowdfunding-to-fight-pms-defamation-suit/1256687 Hindustan Times: Blogger uses crowdfunding to fight Singapore PM's defamation suit http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/blogger-uses-crowdfunding-to-fight-pm-s-defamation-suit/article1-1225343.aspx  Read More →

Three years after what was hailed as a “watershed” election in GE 2011, many Singaporeans are still wary of opposition politicians and afraid of voicing their views on political issues. In these past days, the subject of our CPF monies and the CPF Minimum Sum scheme has hogged the hearts and minds of many Singaporeans. Being keen to hear directly from CPF account holders themselves, NSP is hosting a public dialogue to be held this Wednesday evening, 4 June 2014. Details of the event are set out at this link: www.facebook.com/events/1493126197566828 Finding a venue to host our forums has always been a challenge for us. We have gotten used to organisations declining to offer their spaces to us once we identify ourselves – a non-ruling political party. [1] Of course, there are other organisations which are neutral towards us and have no issue offering their available space to us. Last Thursday, we found an available hall whose manager did not mind our status as a political party. But when we mentioned to the manager that our event was to discuss the CPF Minimum Sum scheme, the manager immediately declined to offer their hall to us, mumbling that the topic was too “political” and requested us to look for another venue. On Friday, we were relieved to find another available venue whose management had no issue with us being a political party. But to our dismay, the manager of this second venue called us the next day to cancel our booking and to refund our payment. They had misgivings about letting us use their premises for our forum. They were concerned that our forum is about CPF monies and cited what happened to the blogger, Roy Ngerng as a reason for their fears. Clearly, outside the MIW umbrella, public discussion of our CPF monies and the CPF Minimum Sum scheme has become taboo. We know that we will not be able to hire any commercial venue for our upcoming forum. Nonetheless, we are not deterred. We will carry on with our event and hold it at our Party HQ at Jalan Besar, though the seating capacity there is limited and the place is not ideally located. In 21 May 2014, MARUAH issued a statement[2] expressing their concern that the Prime Minister’s legal action against blogger Roy Ngerng would further shrink the space for public discourse in Singapore and limit the space for expression. The two rejections we have received from venue providers is proof that the Prime Minister’s law suit against Roy Nerng has instilled fear in the public and has caused a chilling effect on public discourse. How can that be good for Singapore? Jeannette Chong-Aruldoss Secretary-General, National Solidarity Party [1] In 2012, the management of the venue cancelled our booking because they were uncomfortable to rent their room to an opposition political party – see http://jewelphilemon.tumblr.com/post/87403305031/the-forum-that-almost-wasnt [2] maruah.org/2014/05/21/maruah-calls-for-rebuttal-of-blogger-roy-ngerngs-statements-on-singapore-pm-not-legal-action  Read More →