TR EMERITUS

For the second time in less than a month, Singapore was hit by flash floods again which was unreported by the mainstream media to save the "face" of the PAP regime. Just two weeks ago, parts of Singapore's Central Business District were submerged in flood water after a heavy downpour. (read more here) According to some readers, some parts of Bukit Timah, Jalan Besar, Newton and Novena were flooded yesterday, much to the embarrassment of the PAP regime which is fast running out of time to control the recurrent spate of floods. Photos of the flooding were taken by a netizen who uploaded it to STOMP here. PAP MP Dr Teo Ho Pin said during a recent interview with the media that the flash floods is one of the many issues that the PAP regime must tackle before the coming general election. When the floods first hit Singapore last year November, PAP minister Dr Yaacob Ibrahim claimed that they are "freak events which occur once in fifty years." Less than one year later, Singapore has been flooded so many times now that NEA has to issue a flood alert everytime it rains. Much to the chagrin and disbelief of Singaporeans, PAP leaders downplay their concerns and blame them for "complaining" too much. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that flooding is "inevitable" in "tropical" Singapore while his father PAP strongman Lee Kuan Yew chastised Singaporeans for wanting "everything to be perfect" and proclaimed that the floodings were "an act of God" which "no amount of engineering can prevent." Singaporeans, especially those living in the flood-prone areas should heed the advice of Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong to stop "griping" and start taking "action" soon in the coming general election.     Related articles: >> Seletar Airport hit by flash floods >> Singaporean kayaking in flood waters at Jalan Besar >> Near complete news blackout of flash floods at Novena and MacPherson >> PUB Chairman given National Day award >> Flood prevention measures taken by Hong Kong govt since 2009 >> What are the KPIs for Environment Ministry? >> Yaacob: flash floods are caused by “intense storms” >> Yaacob: impossible to keep Singapore completely “flood free” >> Lui Tuck Yew blames PUB for frequent flooding >> Businesses in Orchard suffer heavy losses from second flooding in a month >> PAP MPs want answers for recent floods >> Singapore hit by floods again and again >> Singaporeans asked to prevent flooding themselves >> PM Lee to Singaporeans: impossible to expect flood free Singapore >> Singaporeans take PAP to task for latest freak flood >> Yaacob Ibrahim and the art of shirking responsibility  Read More →

作者:费言 记得读初中的时候，我们有个老师常常说：这是一件令人辣手的事。。。。 从这时开始，我们就习惯用“辣手”而不知道什么叫“棘手”了。 据坊间人说，圣淘沙云顶赌场派了免费大巴，在柔佛新山周围的大小市镇，到处免费载送柔佛甘榜里的Uncle、Aunty到圣淘沙IR去消费，不知道这种“非法”到邻国鼓励乡下人赌博的作为，是不是得到我们尊贵的新加坡陆交局的批准呢？ 而这种不公平，公然破坏市场，抢夺人家饭碗，如SMRT的巴士地铁、新加坡德士司机，新加坡对马来西亚长途旅游巴士，新加坡国内旅游巴士的无法无天作为，为什么新加坡陆路交通局竟然会为虎作伥呢？难道，云顶赌场的法力真的这么高强？ 你看，“正义”一下子没有得到伸张，问题不就很快越演越烈了吗？ 我们PAP杨木光那些消费人协会的人一不小心，没有为弱势族群出来带头抗争，（对SMRT或者新加坡的任何交通业者来说，陆交局是他们的老板，所以，许多事 他们也不敢吭声，就算是弱势族群吧），所以，陆交局就越来越食髓知味，竟然为了维护“赌场”的利益，胆粗粗让赌场直接把免费巴士开到我们组屋门口，把我们组屋楼下玩纸牌的Uncle、Aunty们直接载到赌场去消费了。 说实在的，这里面也许还是有冤屈的，谁能证明，这免费上车的一车 Uncle、Aunty们，有多少巴仙是真的去赌博的呢？还是真的到IR去健康消费，欢度晚年呀？其实，陆交局要脱罪的话，很简单嘛，搞个调查报告，就说，这免费坐车的人，里面有80%去健康消费，只有20%是去赌钱的，这不就可以把罪名轻轻放下了吗？ 免费小巴载送公众消费，古已有之，各组屋的购物中心都有，十几年来，旧马场的Giant超市，都有从新加坡各地的巴士站提供免费载人到哪里去购物，这有什么需要大惊小怪的吗？ 咱们的部长们，可能还会在国会辩解说，把在组屋楼下的Uncle、Aunty载到赌场，这是用心良苦呀，一来，组屋区的人天天在组屋楼下赌钱，这对我们的下 一代耳濡目染，会造成不良影响，容易让我们的下一代成为赌鬼，二来，我们的警察天天还要去追捉这些组屋赌鬼，弄得我们不够警力去对付大耳窿，不够警力去对 付毒品份子、恐怖份子，你看看，SMRT的车厂，不就弄得没半个警察去巡逻，才会让那两个小洋鬼进去胡乱涂鸦吗？你知道，我们内政部每年需要花多少警力和开销去对付组屋楼下那些组屋赌鬼吗？下一个财政年，内政部的预算又要增加多少呀？ 唉，时代不同咯，真是命水不同呀。。。。。大陆人家说呀，现在已经从“民不聊生”逐步进入到了“官不聊生”的时代咯！ 一架开往赌场的免费小巴的小事，就已经成为政府“辣手”的问题了，看来，我们李资政真的不可轻言退休咯！ 大马论坛  Read More →

OPINION Speaking to the Malaysian media last week, former Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi commented wryly that "Malaysians do not need advice from Lee Kuan Yew on how to manage their country" in response to Lee's latest criticisms of Malaysian politics in a recent interview with New York Times. Similarly, Singaporeans also do not need advice from him on how to manage the country. Lee has been dispensing his usual "pearls of wisdom" to his subjects lately to teach his son the Prime Minister on how to run Singapore. In the same interview, Lee played up the spectre of race-based politics again if the repressive political system promulgated by him is liberalized and dropped yet another hint that he is not quite ready to retire. At 87 years of age, Lee is probably the world's oldest living MP and minister, his only "feat" which deserves to be recorded in the Guinness Book of Records. Based on his latest public statements, it is quite obvious that the octagenarian Lee has lost touch completely with the ground, especially the concerns, worries and aspirations of young Singaporeans which is not surprisingly given his long years at the apogee of power in Singapore. When one stands way above others cocooned in one's own ivory tower and hearing nothing but generous praises from sycophants, it is only expected that one will fail to empathize with the predicament of the common man in the street. Lee implores Singaporeans to work for as long as they can till they drop dead and die and uses himself as an example. However, he fails to realize that very few Singaporeans earn as much as him for "doing nothing much except forecasting". It is both a mental and physical torture to continue working to support oneself after slogging hard day in and out for the entire life. What's the meaning of life if there is nothing to look forward to except lifelong work to add to Singapore's GDP growth? After fifty years of nation-building, native Singaporeans have begun to see themselves as one united people instead of one divided by race or religion. We no longer see ourselves as ethnic Chinese from China, Malays from Malaysia or Indians from India. Singapore is our home and we are all Singaporeans. Unfortunately, Lee's mindset remains stuck in the 1950s and 1960s and has no qualms playing the race card to accentuate the differences between the various ethnic groups in Singapore which is undermining one of the few achievements of the PAP regime in forging a common national identity. Lee wants to attract the best talents around the world to settle in Singapore, but genuine talents do not relocate to a place purely out of economic reasons. Few talented immigrants will want to start a family in a country which does not respect the basic human rights of its citizens and often goes out of its way to interfere in their private lives. That's why the PAP regime has little choice but to keep importing uncouth and uneducated peasants from the inner provinces of China and India to make up the numbers including cleaners, construction workers, masseurs, and bus drivers, one of whom was even held up as an example of a "foreign talent" by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong during his recent National Day Rally speech. These are not "global talents" but economic refugees who flock to Singapore in search of better lives. For Singapore to attract the real talents from First World countries, we need to liberalize our archaic, outdated and repressive political landscape to make it a more conducive place for creative individuals to flourish. Singapore is much larger than the PAP regime, let alone Lee. The blind worship of a cult figure is unhealthy in any country. Lee's stature has grown so much in recent years due to some clever marketing and propaganda by the mainstream media that he is now synonymous with Singapore. A true leader knows when to step down and make way for others like former South African President Nelson Mandela who retires after only a single term in office. All leaders will come and go, but the country must still go on without them. China survived Mao, Taiwan is now free from the clutches of the Chiang family and even the succession plan of North Korea has now hit a snag. If Lee truly has the interests of Singapore at heart, he should retire completely from politics in the next general election and leave the next generation of Singaporeans to chart their own collective destinies ahead which will turn out to be quite different from what he envisioned. It is time for us to let go of the historical baggage and move on as a nation. Singapore belongs to all Singaporeans and not the PAP regime or a single family.   Please join our Facebook page here and invite your friends to do so to create awareness of the current affairs affecting Singaporeans. Please use our online web form to contact us.  Read More →