TR EMERITUS – Untold Hard Truths From Around The World – 淡马锡评论 – formerly Temasek Review

Imperial College plans its first overseas institution

By Sean Coughlan, BBC News education correspondent Imperial College is going to open a medical school in Singapore, in partnership with a local university. This will be the first time that the London university has delivered a course overseas. The medical course, which will accept its first intake in 2013, will teach about 150 students a year. Financial pressures have restricted the expansion of universities in the UK - but there has been a steady growth in overseas operations. The medical school in Singapore - which will become the third in the country - will be run jointly by Imperial College London and Nanyang Technological University. Read rest of article here. Read More →

Yong Vui Kong’s appeal set for Jan 2011

January 2011 – that’s the date the Registrar of the Supreme Court has set for the Court of Appeal to hear Yong Vui Kong’s appeal against the High Court’s decision on his judicial review application. Vui Kong’s lawyer was today informed that the appeal hearing has been set “for the week commencing 17 January 2011”. “This early notice is to give sufficient time for parties to be ready for the hearing, though we are aware that the record of appeals and cases have still not been filed,” the Registrar’s letter said. The High Court had, on 13 August, dismissed Vui Kong’s appeal for judicial review concerning the authority to grant presidential clemency. Justice Chong ruled that the power to grant clemency “rests solely with the Cabinet” and that the President has no discretion in this. Justice Chong also laid down that the courts have no power to review the clemency process. The court was asked to adjudicate on Law Minister K Shanmugam’s remarks made in public before Vui Kong had filed his appeal for presidential clemency and while the Court of Appeal was deliberating Vui Kong’s appeal against his sentence. Vui Kong’s lawyer, Mr M Ravi, argued that the minister’s remarks had prejudiced Vui Kong’s appeal. Justice Chong, in his ruling, said he saw “nothing objectionable about the Minister’s statement”. Mr Ravi later submitted a notice of appeal to the courts informing them that he intends to appeal Justice Chong’s decisions. Vui Kong was originally scheduled to be hanged on 4 December 2009. The original deadline for Vui Kong to submit his presidential clemency appeal was 26 August. The Singapore Prison Service has since informed Mr Ravi that it has extended the deadline until after the Court of Appeal’s hearing. In the meantime, the Malaysian government sent a letter of appeal for clemency to the Singapore government on Vui Kong’s behalf on 29 July. The Singapore government has yet to respond to the letter. On 26 August, a group of Malaysian lawyers and parliamentarians handed a memorandum to the Singapore High Commission in Kuala Lumpur asking for Singapore to show mercy to Vui Kong. Vui Kong’s family, together with MP for Sabah, Datuk Chua Soon Bui, and supporters, paid a visit to the Istana on 24 August to plead for Vui Kong to be given a second chance. The family members handed over 100,000 signatures collected in both Malaysia and Singapore in support of the plea. (Read TOC’s report here.) The campaign to save Vui Kong has gathered pace in recent weeks, with many non-governmental organizations, politicians (both from the ruling party and from the opposition), Buddhists associations and youth groups, giving their support to the clemency request. Singapore’s President, SR Nathan, has never granted any clemency appeals in his 11 years in office as Head of State. * Reproduced with permission from The Online Citizen Read More →

冰冻三尺非一日之寒

多年来，老一辈的新加坡人为了改善家人的生活，忍气吞声地在执政党的高压下过活。对社会上许多不公平、不道德的事情都不敢啃声。近年来，政府以一贯不透明、不咨询的态度急速的让大量的外劳与移民涌入，但年薪猛涨到两百万美金的部长们却不能有效地预测到所带来的各种后果，让老百姓的日常生活如工作、收入、孩子入学、交通、就医、社会风气、家庭和谐等等都受到严重的影响，破坏了国人与执政党多年来心照不宣的无形契约。政府部门对各种管理不当的事故却继续采取一贯不承认、不重视、不说真话及不道歉的官僚应对态度，这更激起国民的怒气，一夜之间，怨声四起。大选将近，年轻选民更在意执政党会利用改变选区范围及操纵媒体的不公平手段来保护政权。以目前的情况来看，即使今年的国内生产总值会回弹到双位数以上，政府大概不敢在今年内解散国会进行大选。因为GDP的增长已不能确保普罗大众会继续支持目前的执政党。李氏政权即将成为过去，正如前政府高官严崇涛先生日前的谈话，李光耀作风如果继续被延续将很大程度的威胁到新加坡长远的兴亡。当今国家急需的是政治生态上的大革新。执政党中不乏智者，应以国家为重，对选民更有信心，以公平、谦卑的作风与选举途径从新赢取国民的委任，即使输掉几个议席也未偿不是一件好事。人民行动党到目前为止是功大于过，但历史潮流、中庸之道，顺者苍，逆者亡，屡见不鲜。如果坚持不改，最终一定会同台湾的国民党一样，被选民所唾弃，丢了政权、害了国家，成为历史的罪人。 NGIAM THONG YOK Read More →