TR EMERITUS

Despite the massive outcry among Singaporeans at the YOG food poisoning scandal affecting some 26 YOG volunteers last Sunday, PAP leaders and YOG officials have sought to downplay the incident which is hardly reported in the state media. Though it happened last Sunday, it took more than three days for the authorities to inform the public about it with no official statements released by both NEA and MOH on their websites. [Get instant updates and discussions about the YOG on our Facebook page here] Not a SINGLE word of apology or regret about the food poisoning outbreak was heard from the PAP minister in charge of the YOG, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan and his deputy Mr Teo Ser Luck or YOG officials Mr Ng Ser Miang, Chairman of the Singapore YOG Organizing Committee (SYOGOC) or Mr Jacques Rogge, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) who ironically pay tribute to the volunteers in his speech made during the YOG opening ceremony. In an interview with Straits Times, Dr Vivian appeared more eager to exonerate himself from any blame in what is possibly the BIGGEST food poisoning SCANDAL in the history of the Olympic Games: "In a massive operation like this, from time to time, problems will arise, but we will be completely forthright about it," he said rather nonchalantly as if he has nothing to do with it. If Dr Vivian and SYOGOC are "completely forthright" about the food poisoning outbreak, why did they take THREE DAYS to inform the public about it? Shouldn't the volunteers be told immediately and allowed to bring their own home-cooked food to YOG venues? Dr Vivian added that the investigations will take "some time" to complete without even revealing a single detail such as the identity of the food caterer responsible for preparing the food which the victims ate. The callous behavior of Dr Vivian and his entourage towards the welfare of the YOG volunteers not only betrays the spirit of the Olympian Charter, but demean the value of volunteerism altogether by showing scant regard and respect for those who have offered their precious time and energy to the YOG out of good will. As one angry parent Kelvin Aw commented on TR Facebook: "Minister VB, what if your kids were under that makeshift tent at *scape? Minister VB, what if your kids were those "volunteers" who ate the packets of tainted food? How can you as a minister be so flippant about these mishaps?" Since the exact cause of the food poisoning outbreak remains unknown and investigations will take "some time" to complete, then it is only fair and reasonable for parents to pull their children from the YOG completely till there is proper accounting done to the public by the organizers.   EDITORS’ NOTE: Singaporeans, please feel free to email us to share your frustrations, anger and grievances against the YOG. Your views matter alot to us. You are a citizen of Singapore and as a citizen, you have the right to speak up. Let us be your uncensored voice and fight for your rights. Foreign journalists, please stay tuned on our site and Facebook for the latest updates on the ground about the YOG. You can never get any authentic or accurate news from the Singapore media which is ranked a pathetic 133th in terms of press freedom by international media watchdog Reporters without Borders last year. All the papers in Singapore are owned by a single media company – Singapore Press Holdings whose Chairman is a former PAP minister Dr Tony Tan.   Related articles: >> Why Ng Ser Miang should resign as Chairman of SYOGOC >> Dr Vivian: probe into YOG food poisoning scandal will take time >> PRC photographer fell down from temporary platform at YOG venue >> Cover-up of YOG food poisoning scandal? >> NEA, MOH to probe YOG mass food poisoning outbreak  >> Singaporeans “enslaved” by YOG organizing commitee >> Kuo Chuan Primary School students forced to pay $5 to attend YOG >> Singapore students forced to welcome YOG torch rally >> Mass food poisoning outbreak at YOG venue yesterday? >> YOG! What YOG? >> Canvas roof at YOG fell apart >> Zaqy Mohd defends MCYS >> Singapore students “invited” to attend YOG event >> Singapore volunteers forced to work long hours without rest for YOG >> PM Lee caught napping at YOG opening ceremony? >> Disaster at YOG opening ceremony >> 8 reasons why I am disappointed with YOG opening ceremony >> Netizens lampooned YOG opening ceremony >> No news of YOG opening ceremony in rest of the world >> MOE teacher: How students can stay out of YOG >> YOG Webcast server crashed >> SFI promises to improve “DOG” food for volunteers >> Primary school students stand in the rain to welcome YOG torch >> Plight of Singapore volunteers at Youth Olympic Village >> JC students forced to attend YOG events >> Dr Vivian: Singaporeans are proud of YOG >> PM Lee: YOG has struck a “chord” with our people >> Dr Vivian: YOG venues will not become “white elephants” >> Online pressure forced SFI to provide better food for YOG volunteers >> Improved “DOG” food on 14 August 2010 >> PAP provides three daily buffet meals to YOG athletes and officials >> YOG volunteers complain about being given “DOG” food >> Civil Service Club offering free YOG tickets >> Journey of YOG flame costs Singaporeans $7 million dollars >> Corny YOG propaganda in Straits Times >> Tharman: YOG enthusiasm is real >> Polytechnic student: I don’t care about YOG >> JC students being “volunteered” for YOG >> YOG: What the HELL is that? >> PAP provides YOG athletes and officials three daily buffets >> YOG students being given “dog food” >> Singapore students forced to volunteer for YOG >> Poor ticket sales forced closure of YOG gallery section >> PM Lee calls on Singaporeans to support YOG >> Young Singaporeans hurl vulgarities at YOG >> Dr Vivian wants Singaporeans to celebrate YOG >> NTU students complain about YOG >> Dr Vivian: Sports is not about “petty politics” >> More than 300 Singaporeans joined “I hate YOG” Facebook >> CNA poll: 90 percent of Singaporeans “not interested” in YOG >> Slovak YOG Ambassador slams YOG venues of “school standard” only >> Two Facebook groups calling for boycott of YOG >> Free condoms for YOG officials and athletes >> Singapore helping to repair Jamaica’s stadium in return for YOG marketing >> Former stripper to choreograph opening ceremony of YOG >> Desperate PAP wants Singaporeans to get “passionate” about YOG >> PAP to Singaporeans: Give way to YOG vehicles or get fined $130 >> PM Lee wants Singaporeans to do their part for YOG >> Only six teams in YOG soccer tournament Please join our Facebook page here and invite your friends to do so to create awareness of the current affairs affecting Singaporeans. 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A deluge of letters were published in the Straits Times Forum today lambasting the YOG organizers for the mix-up in the ticketing which caused many genuine fans to miss out on tickets for the event. The Singapore YOG Organizing Committee (SYOGOC) had earlier announced triumphantly that the "majority" of the YOG tickets have been sold. It turns out that the Ministry of Education "bought" 80,000 of the 100,000 tickets in the open market for sale using taxpayers' monies. The tickets are subsequently "distributed" to students who are either strongly "encouraged" or coerced directly by their teachers to attend the events to generate fake support for it. However, as many of them either did not bother to turn up at all or left early after signing their attendance, it resulted in a strange phenomenon in which there are plenty of empty seats seen at the Games even on screen though the tickets are technically "sold out". Instead of focusing on yet another major screw-up by the SYOGOC, the state media cleverly chose to divert public attention to the frustrations of Singaporeans who are unable to obtain YOG tickets to create a false impression that the event is highly sought after when in fact, the majority of Singaporeans are not interested in it at all. Debra Tan wrote: "A half-empty venue was evident even to Youth Olympics fans watching it on television. That was my observation too as I caught the highlights of the badminton preliminary rounds on television on Monday." Alan Hart asked: "Why were the venues almost 60 per cent empty? Empty venues send the wrong message that no one is interested." [Source: Straits Times Forum, 19 August 2010] SYOGOC is now rectifying the problem by releasing the unoccupied seats for sale to the public, prompting some netizens to query if it is making a "double" profit from the new sale since the seat may have been bought by MOE already. Even if the tickets are re-sold to the public, it is unlikely to lift the lukewarm interest which has plagued the YOG from Day 1 which is now being dubbed the "Youth Arirang Games" by Singaporeans after it was revealed that students are being forced or even extorted by their teachers to attend the games just to fill up the empty seats.  Read More →

On August 18th, 2010, Temasek Review reported that students from Kuo Chuan Presbysterian Primary School were "blackmailed" into paying a $5 deposit to watch the YOG Preliminary swimming competition at the Singapore Sports School on 19 August 2010. The $5 deposit will be returned to them if they turned up on the actual day and confiscated if they do not do so. (Kuo Chuan Primary School students FORCED to pay $5 deposit to ensure they watch YOG games) The high-handed and arbitrary manner in which this school is forcing their students to support the YOG has peeved many Singaporeans off with many condemning the school's actions and calling for the MOE to take appropriate action. [Please sign the petition demanding a public apology from Dr Vivian Balakrishnan for mismanaging the YOG here.] Responding to enquiry by MediaCorp, Kuo Chuan Presbyterian Primary principal Clifford Chua said this was not an attempt to coerce the pupils to support the Games. Mr Chua said it was “never the school’s intent, nor is there such a necessity”; there was such “overwhelming response” that pupils had to ballot for the 100 tickets the school got for five YOG events. However, as the school gave out the tickets for free, the intent was to ”ENSURE THAT OUR CHILDREN LEARN THE VALUE OF RESPONSIBILITY AND NOT TAKE TAKE THIS RARE OPPORTUNITY AND NOT FOR GRANTED, by wasting the ticket and depriving others of the chance”, he told MediaCorp. The refundable deposit, he said, was only for games that fall on non-school days, to “reinforce this message”. This was explained to parents and pupils, “and they have expressed support”. Despite the scheme, pupils who fail to turn up, even without a valid reason, will eventually get their deposits back, added Mr Chua. “Children are children. They tend not to value things that are given to them free. But really, the intention is to teach them to commit yourself and to behave responsibly,” he said. Parents of Kuo Chuan pupils had mixed views about the school’s move. Technical support officer Md Alkaf, 32, said: “It’s not the right way because if the student is really interested, he would turn up.” Housewife Michelle Bellido, 43, felt otherwise. She said: “Children may not realise it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It wouldn’t be nice if someone who gets the tickets backs out when others … are desperate to go.” Netizens were less forgiving and minced no words. peanuts600K: Why must those who do not like the YOG be forced to watch it. Isn’t there anything better to do? Who give the school authority to enforce such a law to students to literally forced the students to attend such unmeaningful event. The Ministry of Education and the school should be ashamed of themselves to come up with such lame method to booster the attendance for such a lousy event. KNN: Huh?!? Is this even legal? Why not charge parents $110/month to ensure their kids attend school — to be refunded if kid does not play truant? PAP smear :I notice that while it says ‘consent form’ at the top, there’s no indication of whether parents can refuse to let their child attend. Means that the school has already made up their minds the ALL their students will attend regardless of parental consent. IMO, they wouldn’t even bother giving out the form if they didn’t need to collect ticket fees. omg: OMG! What has our MOE turns into ????? With our Education Minister said our students will be benefiting from the YOG but gotta resort into ‘DEPOSIT’ to secure attendance for YOG games ??? this is outragious: Is this really happening in Singapore? Are our professionals from the education fraternity truly doing this? My god, is this true? Do they actually have brains to decide to resort to such low acts? Luckygirl: I thank my lucky stars that I’m not a student anymore. Otherwise I wud be facing the same predicament as the students. Life is getting harder for students nowadays. While Kuo Chuan Presbysterian Primary School requires a $5 deposit to "instill the value of responsibility" in its children to watch the YOG, other schools contacted has no such practise. Netizen Lex sums it all up with a valid question: I believe the school has no right to collect $5 deposit. I believe it is call EXTORTION which is an offence under the penal code? As for this writer, blackmail would have been a more suited word. Forecaster Extraordinarie II  Read More →