PAP minister equates gays to paedophiles and psychopaths!

An SAF paper general turned politician suggested this when asked about decriminalising homosexual acts specifically Section 377A.

This paper general Lui Tuck Yew (below left), if you remember, is one of those new PAP MPs or new blood from last year's GE. He is under Old Lee's Tanjong Pagar GRC and was famously quoted saying he has not watched porn before in his life. Amazing isn't it? What kind of weirdo is he?

'Main society not ready'
Minister says he is 'not ready to move' on homosexuality

Derrick A Paulo
derrick@mediacorp.com.sg

If Minister of State for Education Lui Tuck Yew has his way, there will be no changes to Section 377A of the Penal Code, which makes homosexual acts a crime here. "I'm not ready to move, and I don't think a major section of society is ready to move," he said.

Rear-Admiral (NS) Lui gave his personal views yesterday at a dialogue session for the annual Pre-University Seminar at the Nanyang Technological University. The issue cropped up when a student asked RAdm Lui how the Government will reconcile "ideas and ideologies" that will be increasingly in conflict as Singapore "opens up to the world and becomes more liberal". She was referring to Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew's comments at a forum last month in which he said the Government is not the moral police on the homosexuality issue.

In response, RAdm Lui said: "Yes, there will be different tension points, maybe what some would characterise conservatives versus liberals. We can't be stiff-necked. We need to be open to ideas but we have to come to our conclusions through the framework in Singapore. That's why it's important to have our own deep convictions and beliefs."

While acknowledging Mr Lee's comments on the possible genetics of homosexuality, RAdm Lui said he does not subscribe to the theory that it is a "medical condition".

"Do you excuse paedophiles or psychopaths because of a medical condition?" he asked.

He is also not swayed by arguments that homosexuality does not affect others in society, that it is just between two people. "There can be lots of relationships, like between a person and an animal, or a person and another person, but which is incestuous. There are norms in society."

The Government will move at the pace at which society "allows us to move", RAdm Lui said.

This kuku minister talks about the need to be open to ideas and having deep convictions and beliefs. But in one fell sweep he who "is not willing to move" has lumped homosexuals together with paedophiles and psychopaths! What an incredible thing to say from a minister? I have never seen anything like it! Truly uniquely PAP and Singapore! Will Lui Fuck You next asks that all homosexuals be put away in concentration camps?

This is what SAF and being in a military organisation can do to you. It fries your brain and logic and turns one into a high IQ idiot and moron like Lui Fuck You.

The old and uneducated in Sg...

So this is PAP's vision of working longer in order to survive in Sg....

http://willythecop.blogspot.com/2007/04/no-annual-leave-and-no-sick-leave-for.html

My mom is working at the Tuas South Incineration Plant as a cleaner under the contract of a private cleaning company. The company pays her S$700 a month for a 5-days work week. The pay is not high, but at least reasonable.

Now, the cleaning contract has ended for this cleaning company and the contract has been given to another new cleaning company. And so my mom's new boss had a meet-the-people session to tell the cleaners his rules:

1. The pay is reduced to S$500
2. Now it has to be a 5.5 days working week
3. There will be a cut in manpower as there should not be more than 3 people working at an area, regardless how large the area space
4. No annual leave and sick leave for the first year

And there was where my mom and all other old uncles and aunties got a shock... NO ANNUAL LEAVE AND SICK LEAVE FOR THE FIRST YEAR?!? Hello? These are not hyperactive teenagers we're talking about! This new boss is expecting all his 50-60 years old cleaners not to fall sick for one year? How realistic is this?!? And so what if they DO fall sick? Pay cut! Not a difficult guess right?

Meanwhile the emperor and his eunuchs continue to dance and make merry...

A worried Singaporean

This SGian call Jonathan Cheng Hern Sinn is worried wor... My comments in blue.


May 1, 2007
ISSUE OF HOMOSEXUALITY
MM's comments have me and family worried

I AM writing about the review of the criminal code. Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew's recent comments about liberalising laws regarding homosexuality have got my family and me very concerned.

My expatriate friends find Singapore a conducive place in terms of its low crime and cleanliness. More importantly, they comment that it is a wholesome place. One does not find pornography sold openly in a neighbourhood shop. Having lived in the West myself, this down-to-earth wholesomeness is what makes Singapore special.

Like this i'm sure he will find living in North Korea or Afghanistan under the Taliban also very special, HAHAHAHA! KNN wat a fucktard!

Singapore today faces the challenge of a declining birth rate and families are breaking down at the same time. To legalise homosexuality will compound these problems, given that homosexual couples do not reproduce.

This fucker dunno got brain one or not? Declining birth rate of heterosexual couples got anything to do with gays meh?? Why not blame gays for every fuck shit thing also? Wah lan eh... *shake head*

The homosexual lobby in the West is extremely aggressive. It is the same here. Observe how it is now considered intolerant when one criticises them.

Intolerant?? So what does this make Jonathan Cheng, tolerant? Oh no he is just worried... Hahaha!

What would it be like to have a homosexual teach our children that it is normal to be gay? You might scorn the idea but this is what is happening in the West.

Well i am not gay but if one day i become a teacher and my students ask me whether being gay is normal or not my answer will be in the form of a question, "Do you think it is normal to have black, yellow, white skin? Is it normal to have green and blue eyes instead of brown or black eyes?"

Homosexuals lead a promiscuous and hedonistic lifestyle. What else can you expect when you do not have children to live for or be in a loving and committed relationship? This increases the risk of STDs, Aids, etc, further increasing the risk to the general population.

WAHAHAHA!!! Jonathan thinks that gays cannot be in loving and committed relationship wor. *shake head* I sense that he is going to kana jialat jialat liao from people writing in to flame him, and he deserves it.

Homosexuality is not going to go away. All I am saying is that we do not make it easier to be a homosexual by legalising their activities. Singapore is our home and I am proud to be Singaporean. Let us keep it a wholesome place.

Jonathan Cheng Hern Sinn


This fucker is don't know crawl out from which hole one? This must be the most ridiculous, stupid, not to mention offensive, letter i have seen in the Straits Times this year. With people like Jonathan Cheng around i guess it is no wonder i don't feel proud to be a Singaporean, unlike him.

A vindictive man and a coward!

Just go to google video, do a search for "Zahari's 17 Years" and you can find this documentary that has just been banned by the PAP gahmen.

I have watched it twice and found it very moving. It is not some dramatic movie. Instead it is just a very simple and crude video of an ordinary interview with an old man, the ex-political detainee Said Zahari who was in prison for 17 years. It is very important to note that Zahari was never charged in a court of law or put on trial.

What makes it riveting viewing for me is Zahari himself. He is very eloquent and speaks very well. Not in the airy fairy cheem cheem england way, but very simple and direct. He can even speak good mandarin (he learned it from his fellow political detainees in prison) the kind very proper and zhun type. Wah respect man! I can see why LKY wants to put people like him away, because LKY will not be able to take him on politically one on one!

Watching it makes me feel sad for S'pore and a lot of things start to make sense. Why LKY behaves the way he does, and why some people of the older generation tells me that LKY has never fought for independence and the PAP cannot be trusted.

What is truth? Truth is when both sides can tell their stories without hindrance. They say history belongs to the victor not the vanquished. That is not true. Sooner or later the vanquished will get their side of story out, it just takes a while longer that's all. And when they do we owe it to ourselves to pay equal if not more attention to their side of history.

LHL self pwns again

No matter how hard the PAP tries to twist and turn their way in selling their koyok and senseless logic behind raising their salaries, the people just don't buy it. Increasingly this is turning into quite an ugly episode. International media has reported on it, and a White Official was said to be stunned by LHL's new salary amount.

Wednesday April 11, 10:38 AM
Singapore PM's salary stuns White House official

A senior White House official on Tuesday admitted he was floored by the news that Singapore's prime minister earned five times more than US President George W. Bush.

"I'm going to emigrate and run for office in Singapore," the official said on condition he be identified only as "a senior administration official who sits in disbelief after reading that story."

On Monday, the Singapore government had announced a fresh 25.5 percent pay hike for Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, boosting his salary to 2.05 million dollars per year.

Bush gets paid 400,000 dollars per year for doing his job, according to the White House.

Combined with personal investment income, he and his wife Laura reported 618,694 dollars in taxable income in the 2005 fiscal year. They had to pay 187,768 dollars in federal taxes.

But maybe Bush shouldn't feel so bad. The Singaporean's paycheck is eight times fatter than Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's.

The latest wayang came yesterday from LHL himself who has so far kept very quiet letting his father and other ministers do the mixture of hard sell tinged with heavy dosage of fear tactics. LHL announced that he will "freeze" his own pay and donate the 80% increment he will get to charities. Awwwwwwww... S'poreans will be so touched! Nice mix of hard sell and soft approach from the PAP, well orchestrated and choreographed, hahaha!

From Today:
In a speech that was at times emotional and peppered with anecdotes from his own 23-year career in politics, Mr Lee spoke about his fears of Singapore getting a corrupt premier in the future. "I'm worried about somebody wanting to be Prime Minister, hoping to be paid not a single cent but still collect $400 million — under the table ..."

Apple's Steve Jobs takes a annual token salary of just US$1. Of course Steve Jobs must be collecting US$400 million under the table and Apple the world's foremost computer company must be suffering from a dose of corrupt management according to LHL and PAP's logic.

Not only that I think LHL has just undermined the entire system past leaders including his father have built up. Is he saying under the present system it is possible to collect $400 million under the table? HAHAHAH!! Mo matter how hard they try, it is time they realise the more they argue the more ridiculous they look to the whole world.

Happy until like kena strike Toto!!!

You see them laughing until so happy u would be forgiven for thinking that they tio 10 million toto! This is web banner from asia one website. But guess what the picture above is no longer there, SPH has changed it to something more sombre below...



Wah piang! What a big difference! Hahaha! Suddenly all so sad liao especially the Teo fella kena look like someone died like that. Tio toto still look so unhappy??? Money still not enough ah?! KKNBCCB!

There isn't much for me to say about the ministers pay raise that have not be spoken of in other blogs by bloggers with better articulation.

The Hen says this...
"We know financial rewards cannot and should not be the main motivator of those in the Public Service. However, that does not mean we do not need to pay them market-competitive salaries. We don't want pay to be the reason for people to join us, or to leave after joining us."

What a load of contradictions and BS. End of the day despite all the smoke and posturing the fact is they paid themselves the best and the mostest and have lost all sense of proportion. 60% raise is simply out of this world!

I read even MPs get a raise too, even walkover MPs who don't represent the people, and their performance is tied to GDP. Again this strange obsession with GDP. What about the soft indicators such as income gap, freedom of speech, political openness and so on? Will MPs now push for even more pro-business policies (not that they haven't been) at even greater expense of those who are left behind?

I notice also the PM is strangely quiet. The GST hike and budget speech was handled by Tartman. Now the unpopular issue of minister raise is thrown to the Hen. Even MM has to come out on the son's behalf to ram down the logic, not that MM is anymore convincing. This is not the way for leaders to lead. It reminds me of last yr's GE where LHL as so-called 'commander-in-chief' of PAP's election campaign was largely absent and ineffective, with the whole PAP campaign in disarray with u-turns and hiccups right down to polling day. This is the kind of paper general that is leading Singapore now and it doesn't look good. I suspect the father knows that too, which is why he die die cannot let go.

Where is the sense of proportion??

Can you imagine an 84 year old retiree who pays himself $2.7 million a year? And this amount is before pension! And he has the cheek to tell S'poreans to have a sense of proportion! KNNBCCB!!

Talented M'sian

This rap song damn good leh ~




An earlier video, 麻坡的话语 ~

[Link] Patients now have less protection!

Something we should know...

"Dear Friends,
This is not a sick April Fool’s joke.

I found out about this from an email sent to SMA's members only last night and it is all in the papers today..."

Although I saw the news in the papers, I didn't really give it a read. The doctor here has summarised the gist of the matter here.

China TV programmes

China, an authoritarian state not unlike SG, has a more liberal and progressive media that puts Mediacorpse and the MICA to shame.

Don't believe? Just watch the clips below taken from a talk show call '鲁豫有约' on Phoenix TV or 凤凰卫视. It is a heart warming story of a gay couple in China. Other than the taboo subject itself, the show displays great understanding of the universal human condition of love and yearning which applies to both gays and straight people. I think such shows are wonderful becos it reaches out to people and helps improve understanding of our fellow human being and remove prejudices.

Btw i find the female host 陈鲁豫 is quite cute and pretty leh hehehe...

Part One

Part Two

凤凰卫视 is available on Cable but i dunno whether this episode has ever been shown here. But for sure you will never see such programmes on our local channels. And that says a lot about the close mindedness of those people up there really.

What do you call such behaviour?

Today reports the following. It is the latest chapter in the rise and fall of PY. And I simply has to put the whole article here for my own keepsake hehe.


A loaded farewell
Philip Yeo uses MM Lee's name to assure scientists and put things on the record

Tan Hui Leng
huileng@mediacorp.com.sg

SINGAPORE'S biomedical research champion Philip Yeo bid farewell to his yet-to-be-realised dream, but not without making clear that there is no change in the Government's thrust despite a high-profile debate sparked off by neurologist Lee Wei Ling.

That storm, as Mr Yeo described it, shocked not only local scholars but also the big-name scientists wooed, and sometimes cajoled, by the man himself to do research here.

He also invoked the stature and clout of Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew to send this message to the whales (brand-name scientists) and guppies (younger Singapore scientists).

"Let me quote Mr Lee: 'This issue has been deliberated over a period of several months in Cabinet and decided by Mr Goh Chok Tong and his Cabinet. The policy has been continued by Mr Lee Hsien Loong and his Cabinet. We have made significant investments in time and resources. We have to get the most out of what we have put in,'" said Mr Yeo, the outgoing chairman of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star) in a thank-you lunch hosted by Trade and Industry Minister Lim Hng Kiang on Wednesday.
Mr Yeo — who was quoted as saying in December that he would have liked to continue with his A*Star mission for two more years — will step down as chairman at the end of this month to head Spring Singapore

That Mr Yeo chose to invoke the Minister Mentor's name to reassure the biomedical community was not surprising, a source close to A*Star told Today.

After all, when Dr Lee fired the first salvo in the big biomed debate in February, she told Reuters that she had raised her concerns about Singapore's biomedical policy with her father, Mr Lee.

And in a reply to a question on whether the Government was listening to her concerns that Singapore's biomedical sciences might be heading down the wrong road, Dr Lee told the news agency: "All I can say is that maybe they are having a rethink."

A*Star later said in a statement that "there is no rethink or change in the Government's biomedical sciences policy".

Still, the debate continued.

The source said: "The (Yeo-Lee) debate has spooked the top names who gave up their bright careers in their countries to come to Singapore. They were upset and uncertain.

"The use of Mr Lee's quote by Mr Philip Yeo has to be seen in this context. Who else can allay the fears of the 'whales' and bring this debate to a close?"

When asked to comment on Mr Yeo's latest remarks, Dr Lee, who is director of the National Neuroscience Institute, told Today: "I stand by my views ... Sometimes, the observer on the ground has a truer picture than the observer from the helicopter."

Apart from hoping to have the last word on the debate, Mr Yeo's speech was also notable for what he was trying to say in between the lines.

Lest Singaporeans forget, Mr Yeo, 60, reminded his audience that he had played a key role in developing Singapore's "second wing", which saw the development of the Batam Industrial Park and his "favourite", Bintan Beach International Resorts.

In 1998, he also had to put aside a joint industrial project with China in Wuxi to "assist in turning around the China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park", which was not progressing as fast as its planners had initially hoped.

The source told Today: "I think Mr Yeo was using the occasion to put on record his achievements and possibly to show that if, for some reason, there is a departure from his thrust, then it was not his decision."

Mr Yeo also gave his audience an insight into just how close he was to the Minister Mentor. More than once, Mr Yeo made a different career choice because of Mr Lee's intervention.

In the mid-1980s, for example, Mr Yeo said he would have joined Singapore Airlines if not for Mr Lee's advice for him to move to the Economic Development Board (EDB). In 2000, when he was mulling over a lucrative career as chairman of a Singapore-based holding company, it was again Mr Lee who asked him to stay on and "carry on with my life-sciences pursuit" at the EDB.

And last year, after Mr Yeo announced that he was leaving A*Star, Mr Lee "asked me to help out with international projects as Special Adviser for Economic Development at the Prime Minister's Office".

As Mr Yeo looked back at his years in the civil service, he seemed to have one regret: Not spending enough time with his family.

He quoted a "rebuke, albeit a respectful one" from his son, Gene, who sent him this message:

Daughter's doing great at Brandeis
Son's slogging at Salk
Both missing dad
Did not spend as much time with family.

"In this Year of the Pig, I intend to reserve some time for my family," Mr Yeo said as he ended his speech on a wistful note — so atypical of the hard-driving, hard-talking untouchable star.

Destination SIA?

At his farewell lunch, Mr Yeo wondered aloud if an offer made over 20 years ago for him to lead SIA was still valid.

In August 1985, Mr Goh Keng Swee, then the chairman of the Monetary Auth-ority of Singapore, had advised Mr Yeo not to join the EDB. But then-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew told Mr Yeo that he should join the EDB "as I was needed there".

"Mr Lee also said that I could go to SIA at a later date. I wonder if the offer had an expiry date," Mr Yeo quipped.


As usual PY makes a lot of noise. Except this time it sounds like ITE – It's the End! Hahahaha!

1. The fact that PY is to leave sooner (end of this month) than the two more yrs he hoped for says a lot already. And joining the relatively obscure SPRING Singapore is a big step down and confirms the decline in his fortune.

2. Bringing out LKY’s name and throwing it around is quite shameful. It is not unlike the behaviour of a eunuch in an imperial court. The eunuch has lost power and is now bawling out loud trying to get as much attention as possible for himself from anyone who cares to listen.

3. Today calls it a loaded farewell. Very true! When no one bothers to listen to a eunuch anymore what does the eunuch do? That's right, go public and play to the gallery. Bringing out his son’s email is downright cringing and shameless. Actually it reminds me of TT Durai whose daughter wrote a letter that was read out in parliament. You know one’s time is up when they have nothing else more to say other than start talking about past glory and inconsequential family matters.

4. Today writes, "It is not often that a Singaporean civil servant uses a farewell lunch to talk about his successes. But then again, Mr Yeo is no normal civil servant." Today is being very polite. (Must be polite lah wait PY threaten to sue then how?) Certainly PY is no normal civil servant; he is an abnormally arrogant, ungracious civil servant who should have retired a long time ago.

5. Going on and on endlessly about Mr Lee this Mr Lee that sounds like the tune of a desparate sycophant. To top it off PY brings in the SIA offer (20 yrs ago) that has obviously lapsed a long long time ago. Oh my god this is getting so embarrassing. If I am Mr Lee I will be very put off and embarrassed... one of my eunuchs is begging in public using my name! Quick put it down before it turns rabid!

Preventive Detention

Other than the ISA, looks like there is this other law that allows for detention without trial in SG. A letter from the MHA appeared in the ST forum today which got me to go dig up the original letter to see what it was about. The original letter is below followed by MHA's reply.

In the original letter, Mr Daud asks two important questions which I have bolded out.

March 7, 2007
Ensure due process of law for accused persons

THE pilot project mentioned by Senior Minister of State (Home Affairs and Law) Ho Peng Kee to allow an accused to see his lawyer before investigations are over is a step towards ensuring fair prosecution and due process of law for all Singaporeans.

Due process places requirements and limitations on legal proceedings to ensure fundamental fairness and justice.

It is based on the principle that the Government must respect its citizens' right to life, liberty and property and must make a substantial effort before these rights can be taken away.

Under the Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions) Act, if the Minister for Home Affairs is satisfied that a person has been associated with activities of a criminal nature and it is necessary that the person be detained in the interest of public safety, the minister may detain the person for any period not exceeding 12 months. The accused can also be detained for multiple consecutive periods of 12 months. This power of preventive detention seems to go against ensuring the right of every Singaporean to due process of law.

While Singaporeans trust the Government to prosecute fairly, must it be without checks? Why not ensure a full due process of the law as a check on this trust?

Do we want a system that might fail to prosecute some guilty persons or one that could wrongly prosecute an innocent person?

As the Act has to be renewed by Parliament every five years to remain law, I hope our elected leaders will deliberate if it is in the public interest to renew the Act or have a system to ensure every accused Singaporean his or her right to a fair prosecution.

If our leaders do renew the Act in 2009, I hope that they will explain the rationale.

Ahmad Firdaus Daud


The MHA’s reply.

March 14, 2007
Safeguards in criminal law Act prevent abuse

I REFER to the letter by Mr Ahmad Firdaus Daud, 'Ensure due process of law for accused persons' (ST, March 7).

While our law-enforcement agencies always endeavour to prosecute criminals in court, there are situations where this is not possible. This is the case when key witnesses fear to testify in open court for fear of reprisal against them or their loved ones.

The Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions) Act is then used, as a last resort, to place dangerous criminals under preventive detention to safeguard public safety and good order. The Act has enabled us to deal effectively with secret-society members, drug traffickers, and organised-crime and loan-shark syndicates. Other societies without similar powers face great difficulties dealing with such organised crime syndicates.

But this does not mean that there is no due process under the Act. Indeed, the Act sets out many safeguards to ensure that the powers that it provides are not abused. Hence, the Attorney-General's consent, in his capacity as the Public Prosecutor, is required before a case is sent to the Minister for Home Affairs for his decision on whether to issue a detention order.

The detainee is informed of the grounds for his detention and is given the opportunity to make representations. These representations, either made by him or his lawyers, are then put before an Advisory Committee - comprising prominent private citizens such as Justices of the Peace, senior lawyers and community leaders - which will study them as well as all the evidence before making its recommendations on the order to the President, who may confirm or cancel the order.

If detained, his continued detention is subject to the Advisory Committee's review on an annual basis.

The Act remains a temporary provision with a five-year sunset clause. This approach ensures that the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), in exercising powers under the Act, is mindful that preventive detention is a departure from the normal process of court prosecution and should be used sparingly. In Parliament, when seeking its renewal, MHA has to convince Parliament of the need for its continued use.

MHA will continue to judiciously use the Act to deal with dangerous criminals and to ensure that the crime and drug situation in Singapore remains under control.

Ong-Chew Peck Wan (Mrs)
Director
Corporate Communications Division
for Permanent Secretary
Ministry of Home Affairs

From my lame understanding of law, due process means when a person gets accused of wrong doings the burden rests on the prosecution to prove guilt and conviction in court. Until that happens the accused is only a suspect and not a criminal.

The MHA person says that a due process (in this case a trial in court) is sometimes not possible because "key witnesses fear to testify in open court for fear of reprisal against them or their loved ones". She then goes on to justify the law saying that it is "a last resort, to place dangerous criminals under preventive detention to and good order."

This sounds logical at first, all the talk of safeguard public safety. But notice the use of the word 'criminals'. Now this is a big jump from being just a suspect or an accused. Becos how can an accused become a criminal especially since there is no court trial and conviction? So preventive detention is really on suspects and not on criminals. There is a big big distinction here. Hence Mr Daud’s point of the law infringing on human rights.

The MHA person then goes on to stress that there is indeed due process. A detainee (the accused who has overnight becomes a criminal) "can make representations to an Advisory Committee... which will study them as well as all the evidence before making its recommendations on the order to the President, who may confirm or cancel the order." This again does not sound logical becos all of a sudden now we have 'evidence' - Evidence that earlier is not strong enough to stand in an open court but now strong enough to put a person away for detention! Now this is definitely a much weaker due process than a trial in court, becos I think making representations is a much simplified procedure that is not transparent. It is not the usual rigorous process where prosecution and defendant have the opportunity to openly engage in argument, cross examinations and fighting it out in court. Also the person now playing god is the president, someone who is neither a trained lawyer nor possess legal knowledge, and who furthermore is beholden to the executive and hardly independent.

So it seems the system is stacked heavily in the prosecution’s favour. It is almost like giving the prosecution a second chance. "Oh you know we don’t have enough evidence to go to court and we may lose, but hey we could resort to this to tekan him anyway, muahahaha!" *evil laugh* Why should the prosecution’s job be made easy and the defendants' so much harder? If the prosecution does not have enough evidence, then go out there work some more to get stronger evidence! Earn your bloody paycheck! Otherwise there is no ground for detention. And some more detention for 12 months? That's a long time and as good as destroying a person's life, becos once you are detained they will make sure your crime sticks and even if you are innocent you will still end up "guilty". (Re: Chia Tye Poh) Becos there is no way for them to admit making mistakes as they will lose face and face justice.

Foreigner backstabs SGian!!!

Yes let's increase foreigner population!
Total ownage...


Dispute between 2 staff at restaurant ends in death of 25-year-old
By Julia Ng, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 10 March 2007 2257 hrs

SINGAPORE : A fight between two staff at the Soup Spoon restaurant at Raffles City Shopping Centre resulted in the death of one of them.

Police said they received a call at 7.05pm that a fight had taken place at the restaurant located at the basement of Raffles City.

When they arrived, they found a 25-year-old Singaporean lying face down on the kitchen floor, with a stab wound on his back.

A 43-year-old China national, also a staff of the restaurant, was arrested at the scene.

Police are currently investigating the incident. - CNA /ls

The Lives of Others

I just watched this German film that won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film. It has an interesting story. Without giving too much away the story is set in East Germany or GDR (German Democratic Republic) in the 1980s before the fall of the Berlin Wall. The totalitarian state routinely spies on its own citizens, encourages confessions for "crimes against the state", and jails people at will. Needless to say it was a dark period in Germany’s history.

An agent, Hauptmann (Left), working for the Stasi or East German secret police has been assigned to wiretap a playwright, Dreyman, to look for incriminating evidence that will put the artist away for the "good of the state". However as Hauptmann's mission progresses and he listens in to every intimate detail in Dreyman's life, he begins to empathise with the unsuspecting Dreyman...

What I liked about the movie is the depiction of hypocrisy of a dictatorship that calls itself a democratic republic. The ideals and values of socialism are perverted and abused by the rulers over the ruled. Suicide statistics are state secrets, and harmless jokes about the party chairman can jeopardize the career of civil servants. There is no freedom and human rights... in other words it is a sad and ridiculous state of affairs. At times I find myself with a knowing smile, I guess dictatorship comes in all forms but its traits are universal.

Early on in the movie there is this dialogue between the Cultural Minister and Dreyman where the Minister tells Dreyman to "write whatever he wants, bcos people's mind won't be changed so easily". He then promptly puts Dreyman under secret surveillance. Dreyman too believes that people won't be changed so easily, but his belief stems purely from having faith in humanity, almost naively if you ask me. The great sadness here is that they are both right. At one end the dictatorial state doesn't trust the people and believes in the worst possible, and they are not wrong – see how swiftly the wall crumbled overnight. At the other end those like Dreyman are too trusting... maybe bcos faith is the only thing they have got. Meanwhile the majority of the people in between just don’t care and this allows the dictatorship to carry on. People like Hauptmann, a kind of anti-hero, does not exist in real life. Most people are seduced too easily by money or material rewards, while people like Dreyman are just too few to make a difference. It is depressing if you think about it.

But it is only a movie, and quite a good one too. I recommend it!

Another MRT "accident"!

This afternoon! Confirmed plus chop! At either Kranji or Woodlands station!

NS discriminates SG Males

A while ago I chanced upon this blog. The blogger is a nominated Member of Parliament. He shared with me his brief and generally sitting-on-the-fence views when I posted a few questions about NS and reservist to him.

A fellow male SGian saw his reply and wrote back to him. You can follow this link but I have pasted the reply here.

I disagree with your [i.e. Siew’s] views about NS call-up. I was with IBM (prettyenlighten MNC) some years ago. As consultant, part of our performance indicator was the "Billable hours" we clocked.

120 hrs lost a year (ICT) shows up clearly on graphs & charts, especially when 60% of the group were non-Singaporean. We were band in the lower percentile and not only loose out in increment, bonuses, but also in promotion opportunities.

In order to minimise that, some of us choose to take long overseas projects to stay ahead of competition and avoided ICT (not always successful).

Now that I'm making hiring decision, I realised it's cheaper to hire Indian consultants even when they are asking for the same pay as Singaporeans just because of the employer CPF contribution. I'm referring to pretty entry level job, when a local fresh grad is asking for the same salary as an imported Indians with a 3-4 yrs of experience, a MBA or Master in IT and no ICT liability.

Why should any truly enlighten employer give chance to locals when they can get better employees at the same price? Shouldn't an enlighten individual threat everybody the same and give equal opportunity to the best talents?

Deprived of the experience, the local fresh grads will loose out in the long run (not talking about the top 25% of each class who should not have problem landing on good jobs). When these imported talents decides to return home or find better opportunities in US, the cumulated knowledge goes with them and Singapore loose out. It's a lost-lost to both Singapore companies as well as citizens.

Think about it. Most of our Ministers are too short-term minded. You cannot govern just looking and numbers.

Siew disagrees with the above and responds saying that

"An enlightened employer is one who will recognise that NS is an obligation imposed on all Singaporean males, and that an employer located in Singapore should support that. This is especially so when the decision-maker is Singaporean himself.

It is a short-sighted, dollars-and-cents kind of guy who just looks at numbers, who would give a job to a foreigner simply because he does not have NS liability and is cheaper since employers' CPF contribution is not payable. And what is particularly disappointing is that Kevin, after having been at the receiving end of discrimination due to NS, turns around and discriminates against locals due to CPF."

Actually I dunno what Siew is trying to say. Words like "recognise" and "support NS" are the usual rah rah sounding and politically correct things to say. But they don't address the specifics of the problem at all. Siew says that it is short sighted if an employer just looks at numbers. That may be well and true. But the undeniable fact is that everything being equal, i.e. same asking salary, same qualification, same expertise, a male Sgian having reservist liabilities is straight away crippled compared to a foreigner or PR who does not cause such disruptive problems to his employer. And if it is a foreigner, lagi better bcos for foreigner the employer does not have to contribute to his CPF! Siew says there are other factors to consider. But with due respect to him, there isn't any point going into other blah blah factors when one is already crippled at the start by this basic fundamental disadvantage.

Another blogger Molly Meek wrote a wonderful response to Siew on her blog. Considering Molly is a female and doesn't need to do NS and reservist I would say she sees the whole issue a lot clearer than Siew. 'Institutionalised Disadvantage' is what it is but the gahment in ivory tower just turns a blind eye and does not listen. As much as I love my country, and try very hard to find something likeable about it. I can no longer find any reason to. Is it therefore any wonder that a recent survey finds 37 percent of Singaporean youths say they are not patriotic and more than half want to migrate overseas if given a chance?

Scrap Reservist Training!

Fellow reservist Abdul Salim suggests doing away with NS and implement voluntary reservist instead. And i agree with him 1000%!

His blog is here.

Another post about No Action Talk Only and broken promises...

More opting out

In the news this morning, more people are seeking organ donation opt-out forms since the organ "robbery" incident some weeks back. I myself have sent in my opt-out form a week ago.

Meanwhile a relative of the Sim family involved has provided some information to this blogger on police behaviour during the incident. It doesn't surprise me considering what i saw first hand at Hong Lim Park.

Foreign undergrads' English not up to par

This is rare but a HR manager pointed out the obvious in his letter to the papers.

Feb 21, 2007
Foreign undergrads' English not up to par

AS A human resource practitioner for more than 10 years, I have interviewed a number of foreign undergraduates from our local universities for part-time employment. Their command of our working language, which is English, is not up to my expectations of an undergraduate studying in an institution that teaches in English.

I have also had feedback from Singaporean graduates that they had trouble understanding what their foreign counterparts said during presentations at university.

Why is this so if these foreign students passed their English Language (EL) tests before admission to local universities? Are the minimum EL standards set by our universities too low for admission of international students?

At the National University of Singapore, if a foreign student applies for undergraduate admission, the minimum EL requirement is a C6 in O-level English or an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score of six. However, for Singaporean students, a pass in General Paper (GP) at AO level is the minimum requirement.

Why do local students need a pass in GP if an O-level English standard is sufficient for admission to local universities?

Many foreign students are offered permanent residence in Singapore once they secure a permanent job within a certain period after completing their degree. What is worrying is whether they have a competent grasp of English to function professionally in a mostly English-speaking work environment, given the minimum EL standard set for university entry.

Australian universities are thinking of pushing their EL requirement higher. Should our tertiary institutions do the same?

Rick Lim Say Kiong

Where I am studying now, doing a private degree. More than half of my class are foreigners from China, India, Vietnam and so on. And it is true their English simply cannot make it. The Indians fare better but their accent are so thick and I can see even the lecturers have trouble understanding. Class participation becomes a joke.. The SGians naturally are the most vocal ones and contribute to class participation.

It is true the gahment wants to attract foreigners to study here, and are desperate to make money from education. But along the way standards are diluted. The foreigners also do not integrate. Not all are like that of course but majority keep to their own circles. Sometimes when I go for lessons I feel like a foreigner in a foreign country.

Indian FT conman let off!

Why is this man so happy? Because it pays to be a foreigner in Sillypore, that's why! (Even when you fake your credentials)



Feb 17, 2007
MD who lied about degree let off with fine
MBA from India, but he claimed in EP application it was from US varsity
By K.C. Vijayan

COMPANY managing director Mahesh Narayan, who lied several times that he had a degree from a top US university, was originally facing up to five years in jail and a possible $20,000 fine. But he was yesterday let off with a $6,000 penalty after pleading guilty to two of the five charges.

Senior Counsel Philip Jeyaretnam, arguing for Narayan, said he had been hired for his work experience and not his degree, and that where the degree was actually obtained from did not result in any loss to his employers.

The prosecution also did not press for a jail term.

Why not? Double standards??

Contacted by The Straits Times after sentencing yesterday, Narayan said: 'The judicial process has been very fair and I am just relieved it is finally over.'

Narayan, who heads a business management and consultancy firm here, said: 'Our projects are here, and our commitments, both personal and professional, are here, too.'

Is he threatening to take his business somewhere else if he is handed a heavier sentence??

Asked repeatedly why he lied, the Indian national declined to answer.

Why didn't the prosecution follow up?? Note that Narayan was not even remorseful or the slightest sorry for lying.

He was accused of falsely stating, since 2000, in his Employment Pass (EP) applications to the Ministry of Manpower that he had a master's in business administration from Syracuse University.

He does have an MBA - but from Osmania University in southern India.

But this lie would have made no difference to MOM or the firms which hired Narayan, argued Mr Jeyaretnam.

He pointed out that three of his employers had emphasised his 'work experience and exposure' in justifying his employment. In April 2000, MTV Asia - where Narayan worked as a consultant - cited his 'extensive consultancy experience and in-depth knowledge of the television broadcast business in Asia' in its supporting letter.

Moreover, the MOM did not insist on seeing his educational certificates, claimed Mr Jeyaretnam, saying that this shows 'that the particular educational institution from which Mr Narayan obtained his MBA was not decisive or even especially material to MOM'.

District Judge Toh Yung Cheong - noting that there were no forged documents and that the prosecution did not ask for a jail term - imposed a $3,000 fine on each of the two charges Narayan pleaded guilty to.

The other three charges were taken into consideration. Each of the five charges carried a fine of up to $4,000 or a maximum jail term of one year, or both......

Narayan's case is different from others of a similar nature, said Mr Jeyaretnam, because he did not actually submit a forged certificate.

In January 2005, South Korean sales manager Kang Seong Yong, 40, was jailed for two months for lying that he had a university degree, which was key to him getting a job.

A total of 68 people were convicted each year in 2002 and 2003 for falsely declaring their educational qualifications.

The defence lawyer did a good job and make the offence sounds like a trivial one. The judge obviously agrees and the punishment is a gentle tap on the wrist of the conman. However if everything is as inconsequential as it looks, why even bother to prosecute him in the first place? Why waste everyone's time? Why have a law on such offences in the first place? If "this lie would have made no difference to MOM or the firms which hired Narayan" then why is Narayan being charged in court in the first place? This is a contradiction. And who exposed him? I guess we are not seeing the full picture.

Hahahaha

saw this pic in a forum..
its juvenile but so what? funny can liao hehehe

Organ robbery?

I am generally disappointed with my fellow countrymen. The election last year said it all. Despite the countless "broken promises" and "u-turns", 66.6% remain idiots. And the PAP gahmen just continues to push its luck, 得寸进尺. It is testing our OB markers, see how far Sgians can tahan.

The news story about the "organ robbery" saddens me further. This blogger has the details...

But what can i do to protest against this system? I am not as courageous as Chee Soon Juan and let myself get arrested, fined and jailed. I can't migrate bcos i got no money. And soon they will call me up for reservist. In the short term I am stuck here and there is nothing i can do about it. Most of all I am disappointed with myself.

But i am going to do one thing next week. I am going to opt out. My organs are not going to benefit any 66.6 Sgians, PRs, foreigners or PAP dogs. They say if you opt out, next time if you kena any problem yourself and need organ transplants, you will not be on the waiting list. In other words you are as good as dead if you disagree with the gahmen's opt in policy. This is a threat.

And if there is one thing i can do, that will be refusing to yield to this threat. So i am going to opt out. Who wants to live forever? Not me. When my time is up, just go... like the wacko in Prison Break who just wanted to go to Holland. In the end he jumped. The world is fucked anyway.

Dr Lee Wei Ling vs Philip Yeo

While i may seem harsh on Dr Lee in my previous entry, the truth is i listen to the message and not the messenger. Today Dr Lee gets my support for her stand in her "feud" with Philip Yeo in the current Biomed debate that is getting Yeo all riled up and making all sorts of uncalled for remarks against her which has led to some stinging response from Dr Lee herself. Yeo has the support of an ex-SAF general and heavy weight PAP minister Tony Tan no less. But Dr Lee is a member of the untouchable family, the daughter of LKY.

Under Dr Lee's microscope
Letter from Associate Professor Lee Wei Ling
Director, National Neuroscience Institute

THE official stance by the Government is that there is nothing wrong with its biomedical research strategy. It justifies that it is on the right track by the fact that the biomedical sector now makes up a quarter of Singapore's Gross Domestic Product generated by manufacturing.

Output by Singapore's drug factories jumped by over a third last year, pushing overall biomedical production up by 30.2 per cent. This robust growth puts biomedical output at a record $23 billion, almost four times the production in 2000. More than 90 per cent comes from pharmaceuticals, with the rest from the medical technology sector.

To attribute the investment by biomedical companies in Singapore to our multi-billion dollar research drive is inaccurate. Numerous news agencies and newspapers have reported the reasons why these biomedical companies decided to set up in Singapore. The generous help from the Singapore Government, the strict enforcement of intellectual-property (IP) laws, proximity to new major markets in Asia, Singapore's efficiency, educated workforce and English-speaking environment are the incentives for investing in Singapore.

Singapore's own huge biomedical research initiative is not an important consideration, except in the few cases where the pharmaceutical companies have joint research ventures with the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star) or the Biopolis. This is not surprising. Research groups doing similar research are all competing with each other to make breakthroughs — only then do they get the IP rights. So, how would having competing groups in Singapore be an incentive for biomedical companies to come and set up shop here?

Mr Philip Yeo described me as "a voice in the wilderness", noting that I have not been in the Biopolis. But I have received more fanmail than I can remember from Singapore doctors and researchers, thanking me for pointing out the obvious mistake in the way the biomedical drive has been carried out.

I would challenge that, having never practised as a doctor, Mr Yeo is strategising about biomedical research directions in an ivory tower. He has been very successful in selling Singapore in the past, but biomedical research is a different ball game. The fact that he dismisses the importance of Hepatitis B and head injury shows how out of touch he is with reality.

Yes, Singapore is immunising its children against Hepatitis B, but immunisation does not help someone who is already a carrier for the Hepatitis B virus. What is more significant is that 5 per cent of all ethnic Chinese are Hepatitis B carriers.

Head injury is the major cause of disability in children and economically-productive adults. The cost to the patients' families and to society equals, if not exceeds, that of cancer. Head injury is not particular to Singapore, but it is an area where not many research centres have chosen to concentrate on. At the National Neuroscience Institute, we have a good research track record and will continue to pursue this area of research.

Lieutenant-General (NS) Lim Chuan Poh said "you have to give it time to show success. Some of these things cannot be done in a matter of three or five years; we are going to stay the course".

If A*Star believes this, why did it sign an agreement with Johns Hopkins that had a five year timeline?

In fact, Professor William Brody from The Johns Hopkins University alluded to this when he was asked about biomedical research in Singapore. Prof Brody also pointed out the fact "that research is not linear, or predictable — it's unpredictable".

Can Singapore afford to continue to pour in huge sums of money for 10 or 20 years in the hope of eventually yielding results, yet knowing that there is no certainty of success?

Lt-Gen Lim goes on to ask: "Why must it be that Singaporeans cannot be world-beaters?" My answer to that is: Singaporeans can be world-beaters — if Singapore has the appropriate research strategy and concentrates effort and resources on the areas where we have a competitive advantage. The Singapore Olympic Council seems to understand this simple concept which escapes the highly intellectual officials determining the direction of Singapore's research strategy.

A*Star dismissed any suggestion that the Government might be rethinking its strategy to develop the biomedical research sector. However, Dr Tony Tan seems more open-minded about this issue. Dr Tan, who is the Research, Innovation and Enterprise Council's deputy chairman, said he was sure the biomedical science executive committee will consider all input: "If there is any change in direction or emphasis necessary, I'm confident they will take the appropriate action."

In the same article where he was featured opening the new National University of Singapore Centre for Life Sciences, it was reported that "several cancers, the ones more common in Singapore and the region, will be put under the microscope". This is in line with the concept of niche areas that I have been advocating.


From my feeble knowledge of economics in JC, it seems that Tony Tan's use of GDP to proclaim Biomed a success is misleading. (What's wrong with him anyway? I would think he should do some homework after making that classic remark about Sg workers costs more than American and Australian workers)

The components of GDP, which comprise of investments, private consumption and net exports, does not take into account R&D. The KPI for R&D should be patents and breakthroughs. To date the Biomed has failed in this aspect which was what led to the termination of the tie-up with American John Hopkins after just 5 years. There was a big public relation exercise by Philip Yeo when the tie-up ended some 2 years ago. So for Philip Yeo and gang to now proclaim that "research needs more time" (10 to 15 years) sounds like going against their own justifications in ending the John Hopkins venture. Their position in this saga is riddled with u-turns and flip flops. I wonder if they realise it themselves.

Billions poured into Biomed may not be recoverable. But is it too late or too costly to change track now? Perhaps this is the reason why Yeo and gang is standing their ground. But why then is high-flying Yeo (mostly self-proclaimed) jumping ship to let an unproven and untested SAF general take over? That to me is a clear sign of abandoning ship, a standard SAF procedure to protect their prized officers and scholars.

I think observers may point out that perhaps Dr Lee has a hidden agenda here. Perhaps she is so vocal now becos she hopes that research money go into areas under her purview. Of course this is just speculation. But i won't be surprised this will be what the Yeo camp will suggest in the days to come in their counter-offensive. Yeo has been very defensive and exceedingly arrogant and rude in his remarks so far. When one deals with a monstrosity like the SAF or someone with ego so big that it blocks out the sun and blinds him from reality, for sure they are not going to lie down without a fight even if it means dragging the whole ship down with them.

Dr Lee on organ trading

A few weeks ago the ST printed some letters about supporting organ trading. Personally I am against it. Mainly because of the potential abuse and profiteering it can lead to. Besides who is going to look after the organ trade? The gahment? MOH?? Haha they have already failed with NKF, so what makes anyone think they can handle something that is as murky (and lucrative) as organ trading. In fact i think they will have problems with the casino... but i digress.

Today Dr Lee, a proponent for organ trading, has this to say.


Feb 6, 2007
An organ is no different from a life-saving drug

THE debate about allowing the sale of organs has revealed an amusing aspect of human nature: 'If my welfare is not compromised, I can afford to espouse the politically correct view', human organs are sacred and should not be traded like a commodity.

Hmm I find her tone a bit hao lian leh...

However, the cold reality is that there are people suffering and dying because no organ is available in Singapore. These patients do not think it wrong that they buy an organ.

A similar situation is where pharmaceutical companies require strong laws upholding their patents to survive and make a profit. This is a major incentive for them to set up factories and do

R & D in Singapore. They spend millions, and sometimes billions, to create new drugs. Patents allow them to make back their money. Otherwise, new cures may not be found.

On the other hand, the patients who can benefit from but cannot afford these new drugs which are still protected by patents rant, rave and, in certain countries, riot because they feel their health is more important than economic justice.

But organ trading is in fact very different from a drug. It is just harvesting instead of creating, manufacturing or finding a cure.

I suggest that we be cool- headedly but compassionately logical. What makes an organ more sacred than a medical device or medicine that can save a life? The supplier of the organ or the pharmaceutical company producing the new drug must be appropriately remunerated or there would be no incentive to part with the organ or undertake the R & D required to produce a safe and effective drug.

She seems to be saying that those who disagree are illogical and not cool-headed or compassionate.. wah lao eh...

Whether the public and patients like it or not, these are the facts. Everyone stands to lose if we choose to ignore these facts and use arbitrary moral arguments to support a certain stance and enforce the illogical stance by law.

Assoc Prof Lee Wei Ling

While she talk about facts, she completely or conveniently ignored the arguments and points of views from the other side. What about the perils and potential loopholes if organ trading is legalised? She should at least address those views if she is so passionate about her cause. But instead she just keep drilling into her own points and bulldoze them across. I think she has the makings of a dictator! Hahahah!

Wah lucky she is not going into politics. So unlikely she will have her ways. But then she has her father's ears, so maybe i speak too soon...

BGR issue

Recently i got to know a charbor. Ok not say very chio, mai hiam buay pai type, can say slightly above average. Anyway after some initial chit chat here and there we went out twice. Also not say dates lah, just go out makan, watch a movie and walk around orchard road like thousands of other couples or couples-to-be... you look at me i look at you, checking each other's couple out hahaha.

So i admit a bit interested. Then i got her MSN and once a while we will talk cock on MSN. She already graduated and started working. Then recently on MSN the topic went into politics...

on NKF and Temasek...

Me: it is very unhealthy when the wealth of a nation is concentrated in the hands of one family, worse they seem to have something to hide, so unwilling to reveal anything
Her: as long as our cpf is there, with good interest rate, that's good
Me: isn't it better to be transparent if there is nothing to hide
Her: well if they r not public they r not oblige to give full report
Me: exactly like nkf isn't it? these r warning signs lor
Her: if u ask me, i think a corrupted govt eg philipines if they have a chance to have a company like gic, sure all the money will be gone and they will blame the downturn and say something they can't help it but i can see gic is continually making progress with new people and new investment opportunities
Me: .........
Her: i think i trust the lee
Me: right now no one even knows how GIC is doing, whether they r making or losing $$
Me: same goes for temasek
Her: true there is lack of transparency but to infer there is something to hide like nkf, that's very mean thing to say
Me: again if there is nothing hide, defend yourself, open your books for sgians scrutiny
Her: maybe they take high salaries and are not making money, and too embarassed to show
Her: they dont want people to be worried and disappointed
Me: rubbish then they r treating us like kids
Her: but you know gic is really run by top people from different discipline, not like nkf
Me: accountability means if u r not up to the job, u quit and someone else better do it
Me: i dun see ho ching quitting after all the bad biz decisions
Her: and let who take over? who can guarantee 100%?
Her: with such huge reserves, only can trust the elite and the honest
Her: i think that's why lky makes himself the chairman
Me: plse lah where got guarantee 100% profitability in the universe?
Me: let who takeover? how about george soros? how about waren buffet? they are world best and all proven men
Her: but those on board are also proven man
Her: tony tan is, so is dhanabalan
Me: (really buay tahan liao...) hey i go take shower liao :)
Her: ya sure
Me: bye
Her: yep bye
(end of session)

another time, on LHL...

Me: without his daddy he will never be PM
Her: well he is quite capable lah
Me: maybe capable as a bureaucrat, but as a politician and leader he cannot make it
Her: u sound like anti pap leh
Me: of cos i am, i belong to the 33.3
Her: what's that?
Me: the 33.3% who voted opposition
Her: oic
Her: with philip yeo in charge of biomed, the govt should have no worries
Me: philip yeo? HAHAHA!
Her: philip yeo is very capable leh, see what he did with edb
Me: i think we change topic lah, some things no point talking about
Her: what's wrong with philip yeo?
Me: oh many things wrong with him
Her: why he stepped on your toes izit?
Me: he stepped on all male sgian toes when he said male sgians are wimps! fuck him lah
Me: ah forget it lah
(end of 2nd chat session)

Last week we chatted on msn again and she wanted to come out watch movie, but i gave some excuse say not free. Then recently whenever i see her online i quickly go hide and put my status to offline. Dunno why all of a sudden very sian, no mood to talk to her liao. I dont think i want to take this relationship any further lor... I don't think I can carry out a normal conversation with a 66.6 anymore. Its really just a waste of time. And Derrick says the scary thing is dat many Sg gals are lidat... ignorant about current and world affairs. And most of them will vote for PAP. Progress Package can sponsor their latest dress and makeup they damn happy liao... fucking hell!

NUS don slams new media

This is an excerpt from a news article in the nation-building newspapers.


New media: Why young can't tell good from bad
Critical thinking skills lag behind speed of tech changes: NUS don
By Ken Kwek

When young Singaporeans surf the internet, many are unable to discern the good from the bad and ugly, said a media lecturer.

Often they are also ill prepared to defend what they post on the Internet, said Miss Lim Sun Sun, an assistant professor at the NUS.

This inability to process and analyse the content of new media such as the Internet can be traced to one factor - their critical thinking skills.

While many know how to use the Internet, many have not learnt how to think critically of the flood of information they encounter daily on the worldwide web.

The job of improving media literacy, she felt, should be a focus of the Government, the media and schools.

A member of the audience asked why there was a particular need for such instruction now, more than in the past. Prof Lim's reply: because there is a "growing atrophy" in students' critical thinking skills, a situation which suggests media literacy lags behind development of new media technology.


I don't know what they are teaching students at NUS, but this Ms Lim does not sound like a lecturer who knows how to teach.

1st of all, media literacy is always going to play catch up with media technology. This was the case 1000 yrs ago and this is the case today. The media puts something out, people consume it. That is the nature of the media, you become more or less literate as a result of media, not the reverse. Therefore I think it is more accurate to say that media literacy is dependent on the state of the media. This is especially so when the media in Sg is a tighly controlled and regulated one. However Ms Lim does not seem too concerned about this.

2ndly Ms Lim says that many "young sporeans are not able to tell good from bad" when it comes to the internet. I wonder how she makes this conclusion. Becos the same could be said for older sporeans too who can't tell the good from bad, the truth from the half-truths in traditional media. Are the old anymore media literate than the young? Here Ms Lim seems to imply traditional media is naturally credible and good by default - a standard PAP gahment view...

Then the question from the member of the audience to Ms Lim is a very good one: why all of a sudden this concern with critical thinking skills now? Why not in the past? Ms Lim's 1-line answer "because there is growing atrophy in critical thinking skills" sounds really lame to me & doesn't say anything. She does not attempt to justify herself neither does she explore the underlying reasons behind this atrophy thing that she invented. Being an educator shouldn't she be asking these questions? So if we take a step back and look at what she says... do we see any signs of critical thinking skills in all she said? Where is the analysis and defending of her own statements? I dun think she really understands what critical thinking skills is about.

Well maybe Ken Kwek the reporter was not given enough space to write a fuller article that gives a more complete picture of what Ms Lim said. But hey that would mean this traditional media is far from 'good' and credible right? Hahahaha!

The overall impression i get is a familiar one, that once again some people are trying to paint the new media as a threat. That instead of letting you think and decide for yourselves what is good and bad, they feel the need to dictate and decide what is good for you. Keep going on like this how not to atrophy critical thinking skills.

Thoughts on Ah Gayle

Gayle Goh's language skills put me to shame. She is also a debater. Once a while i will pop over to her blog to see see look look. Wah lan she is not that much younger than me, but makes hell of a lot more sense than myself and all those sillyzens out there. I think NS and SAF really screws up a person's brain and thinking. Just look at those jiat liao bee paper generals now masquerading as politicians and CEOs. No wonder PAP wants more women in politics. Of course our PM is an exception.. bcos his NS is not really the same NS that ordinary Sporean males go through... hehe.

Anyway back to ah Gayle. Recently she appear on a mediacock show call BlogTV. I only knew about it (and the show) bcos i also drop by Mr Wang's blog, otherwise wtf is BlogTV who knows or care? Which goes to show how successful the TV show is, hahaha. To cut a long story short, Mr Wang declined to go on the show but Gayle did. And then Gayle wrote in her blog the reasons she did so which sounded to me like she tried to defend her actions, also at the same time she gave Mr Wang her opinions why engaging the enemy is not such a bad thing and so on, which in turn attracted replies from other bloggers, some agreeing with her and others don't. There is just too much blogs to read and comments to go through. But it got me thinking about people like ah Gayle and Mr Wang.

It wasn't that long ago i was in JC too. Family is middle class, no worries of the future. And then i sat for my A levels, didn't do too well, couldn't get into the local unis, so now have to look for study opportunities in private education providers. Of cos before that i kena conscripted into the CCB NS for 2 fucking yrs. I can say in the past 3 yrs i have "grown up". My thinking now compared to JC and pre-NS days are almost 180 degrees different. NS and working part time now shows me the kind of lives other sporeans lead other than my privileged one. Some things i witnessed myself also played a part in this "growth". So idealism is still very much in ah Gayle and this is what makes her attractive to the PAP who is now going all out to recruit and co-opt people like them.

Ah Gayle is not wrong to think that engaging the enemy is a constructive way to make changes. In fact her thinking is probably very close to political parties like the Workers Party and people like Chiam See Tong. Their approach is to try to survive within the current PAP-set system no matter how bad the odds are stacked against them and how ridiculous they are made to look. 忍辱偷生 comes to mind. The threat of unjust legal actions and invisible OB markers made them self censor and not say too much. I personally think in the long run such an approach will do more harm than benefit to the political health of this country. If today you cannot stand your ground and say what is on your mind and you back off half a step, it is only a matter of time before the day comes when you totally shut up. Maybe they dangle some carrots to make it easier for you to swallow. It is what some people call the slippery slope. The gentle and reasoned approach does not work with the PAP, which is a party founded on pragmatism and not ideology. The history and actions of PAP tells us that it only listens to those who has a bigger fist and heavier punch than them. LKY himself, whenever he is confronted with charges of authoritarianism and draconian acts, will not try to reason things out but instead just deflect them by saying "hey! get organised and challenge me, i'm not stopping you am i?" Of course if you take that bait u give him reasons to humtum you with his despotic ways. So i really do not think engaging the PAP, under the current political and social circumstances imposed by the PAP, will amount to effective changes. In fact if u engage them u risk losing credibility and let them run you down. Why play a game that is defined and set by them? Why not play your own game instead. I only agree with LKY on one thing and that is yes get organised, do something, but do something of your own and not the something they want you to do. The new media is forcing the PAP to bend to it, but the PAP is very smart and resourceful and it is now trying to subvert or control this media.

Mr Wang on the other hand is an interesting case. He is obviously much older, has more life experience and appears to hold a good job that pays very well. He is also a lawyer and ex-public prosecutor. His profile fits that of an elite as defined by the PAP. I consider him a moderate. And most of the time I agree with Mr Wang's take on things. But like an older person Mr Wang is also harder to read. One can only judge such a person by their actions. Same as how one should judge the PAP. By their actions and not their pretty and high sounding words.

Mr Wang is right not to attend the show. There is just too much to lose and nothing to gain. The time for engagement has past long ago. If you put something in place, then you also have to be the one to undo it. This is what the PAP has to do before people will come forward. It has to undo what it did in the past. Otherwise you cannot move forward in a meaningful manner. This is call accountability - a word i really like though i hate A level accounting hahaha! Going forward without facing up to the past, sooner or later the past will catches up and undo all your good work. I consider LHL no different from LKY, so in this sense Spore is still stuck in the LKY era. This is another reason why the PAP is targeting the young, bcos the young does not know and remember the past. So it is easier to co-opt them without having to be accountable. In Spore there is no lack of old or elderly people who are capable and can contribute to either politics or society. But why is the PAP sidelining them? I think the answer is obvious.

So all i can say is ah Gayle is young and no different from any 18 yr old. Too much is expected of her. If today she appears to have gone over to the dark side bcos she sincerely believes that is the way to make changes (and not bcos of carrots and goodies) or maybe she jus wants to have a bit of fun on TV, than so be it. Her actions in the future remains to be seen.

Another eat shit letter...

from the usual por lumpar sillyzen. Here is how the fuck face look like. Don't know why but all PAP types really cannot make it. Like my mum always say 全部贼头贼脑，祖宗背景不好 hahaha! Anyway the issue is about the lack of enforcement on smoking at coffeeshops brought up recently by the papers.


Consider suspending the licences of coffeeshops that let customers smoke
Letter from Ace Kindred Cheong

Two months ago, I was having supper at Henderson Coffeeshop and was disappointed to find many diners violating the smoking ban.

I was even more disappointed to see parents smoking while their children, some as young as six or seven, were seated and eating next to them.

I agree that there are not enough NEA officers to enforce the anti-smoking laws at every coffeeshop.

But to send a strong message to errant coffeeshops that conveniently turn a blind eye to violators, why not consider a suspension of their business licences if warnings and fines fail?

Doing so will shame and educate those who do not abide by the law.


Anyone who takes public transport will also know that smoking is banned at bus stops even before the ban at coffeeshops took place, but today we still see people puffing away without a care. Personally I think the law is a good thing except for the part on enforecement. If the gahment wants to come up with a new law it should also have the means to enforce it. Otherwise it is just all sound and fury，虎头蛇尾，a half fuck measure typical of the SAF. But the most ridiculous thing is they play tai-ji and pass the buck to the coffeeshop owners, saying it is the owners' responsibility to enforce on customers. And here our shit brain Ass Cheong chipped in as usual to agree. KNN if not enough NEA officers is it the fault of NEA or the fault of the coffeeshops? Why is the gahment passing the buck to others and expect others to do the job for them? Like that coffeeshop owners need to employ more staff, overhead goes up, then how? You going to pay for that Mr Ass Cheong? Don't make any fucking sense.

What about people smoking at bus stops? Why not talk about fining and shaming LTA since LTA as owners also do nothing and turn a blind eye to smokers? LTA didn't enforce leh, so how Mr Ass Cheong??

Stupid Grace

Sometimes I wonder at the amazing stupidity of some S'poreans...


Jan 4, 2007
No cause to doubt credibility of HDB

I do not think that it is justified to press the Housing Board for its land and construction costs or doubt its word that the flats are subsidised.

In the first place, Singaporeans are not obligated to buy HDB flats. If they suspect that the flats are not 'at market price', they can buy private apartments.

She reminds of Marie Antoinette. "Oh you are without food? How about some cakes then?"


However, the ongoing demand for the flats speaks for their market value. If a comparison were to be made, private apartments are still beyond the reach of the majority of Singaporeans.

Secondly, in view of the subsidy, owners should sell their flats back to HDB if they want to upgrade. However, HDB is good enough to allow owners to sell their flats in the open market and make a tidy profit.

What the fuck is she talking about? Anyone think she is making sense here???


Thirdly, the flats have improved in design and size since they were first built. If the flats are not 'at market price' and therefore unattractive, why are some Singaporeans using the names of their siblings, aunts and uncles who are still single to purchase these flats with the intention of selling them later?

I voted for a government which is trustworthy, honest and capable in every sense of the word and I have no cause to doubt the credibility of the HDB.

In fact, I appreciate what the Government has done to house poor Singaporeans like me in the 1960s when we were desperate for a roof over our heads during the Indonesian Confrontation.

Today, our housing system is a pride of the nation. It is unfair to throw brickbats of any kind at the HDB when it deserves bouquets.

Grace Cheah Gek Neo (Miss)


People like Grace Neo who is so trusting of everything, is like an ostrich with its head in the sand. I wonder is she just another elite who is out of touch with the real world? No one doubted Durai and his NKF, but look what was really going on? Grace Neo is what my friend Derek will call a 愚民 (stupid citizen), or a sillyzen. These people will be death of this country.

2007 is here

Happy new year!

ORD is sibei song! But it is also the beginning of reservist... fucking hell the system really makes a slave out of the s'porean male. Go die lah chao cheebye...