TR EMERITUS

作者:冀居·谢 写这篇文章之前，我要表明我是半个淹水专家的身份。我有三十多年的时光生活在本岛低洼地区的一间旧房子，我们家的前门和厨房进中厅的石灰门槛都有一尺多高，此外在门槛之上还有两个铁槽，在大淹水的日子再加一块一尺高的木板挡水，四周用美术泥加固防漏。楼下的家具都是买高脚加砖块垫高，实行坚壁清野的措施。 我们一家子都养成在半夜或黎明下雨就起身察看动静的习惯（雅国博士养成了没有？），什么大水患没看过？年初一淹水、出外旅行头一天家里就淹水、大雨连下三天三夜，结果我们全家在大门舀水的的情境都被当时的第八波道新闻收入镜头，对于雨势的评估十拿九稳，什么百年难遇的大雨，我操他祖宗十八代！ 七十年代我们家还买有一架电水泵，逢淹水天派上用场的，后来这架水泵没了，是因为政府宣布水患已经“彻底”解决了。由于这个“专家”的身份，我对国内任何治水、水患的消息从来都不会放过，这也许就是所谓的“专业”执着。 这次主流媒体对于水患的报道，有许多处真的太扯： 要是说这些的大雨是百年难遇、五十年难遇，那么我少说也有几百岁啦。 1.台风“康森”登陆的海南岛是在东北亚的边陲，我们则是在东南亚的南端，并且风势是向北吹去，这样也可以牵拖，实在是“蝴蝶效应”说什么都可以啦。 2.从李光耀做总理的年代已经跟我们描绘二三十年后的美景，整治武吉智马河、新加坡河和加冷河，本岛低洼地区“将不再淹水”，经过吴作栋，到了他的儿子，竟来说不淹水将不可能！？ 3.报纸标题《多亏滨海堤坝排水不然最近水患会更糟》，其中最好笑就是连一张现场照片和一则视频都没有，报纸报道这则新闻的时候还得用绘图的，证据在哪里呢？新闻内还有一处破绽，就在乌 节路大淹水时，滨海堤坝的管理办公室在到达平时水平的时候就停止泄洪，这些人一点常识都没有吗？同样隶属环境水源部，大家在面对灾难时竟不能沟通或者合 作，这是什么毛病？ 我看民间与政府在这次的过招较量中，显然是有了长足的进步，虽然还是没有任何专业团体敢公然指责是政府过度发展市区的结果；为了外滩，很多人的商店和家里都成了浅滩。但是有了互联网，讯息是掩盖不住了， 接下来就是如何在这场博弈之中，除了口水之外，要怎么找到他们的软肋？不改进、不改善、一味否认、指责别人就给予致命一击，那才最重要，所有民主之路的发 展，不都是这样的模式吗？ 大马论坛  Read More →

Former journalist Mr Robert Ho was arrested by the Singapore Police in late 2001 for "criminal defamation" against PAP leaders on a blog post, representing the first-ever case of its kind. Ho was accused of posting "inflammatory" articles online during the general elections alleging electoral fraud for the Cheng San GRC Constituency in 1997. The article wrote that 2 eye-witnesses, a retired Police Inspector and a practising Lawyer had "inadvertently witnessed election rigging during the ballot counting for the Cheng San GRC Constituency of 5 MP seats......taking place in the Anderson Junior College Hall." The witnesses claimed that they saw a closed box van being driven into Anderson Junior College Hall (after couting had started) to unload 7 to 8 ballot boxes which were brought into the counting hall.  The newly arrived ballot boxes were added to the pool of already opened boxes undergoing counting. The scrutineers and the opposition candidate in the counting hall at that time also said they checked the unopened boxes and found that the opposition party seals were not in place. This was reflected to the Returning Officer who then said that the absence of the opposition seal did not render them invalid as the responsibility for having the seal in posiiton was that of the opposition party. The PAP candidates, led by Lee Yock Suan went on to win the GRC by 54.8% of votes over the Workers Party's team led by Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam. Following his arrest, Ho was immediately charged in Court for "incitement to violence" and ordered to be remanded at IMH for observation. The Prosecution subsequently dropped the charge and he was warned not to speak to the Press upon release. Barely eight months later on 3rd July 2002, he was arrested again by the Police for another 2 similiar postings he made in his blog and on soc.culture.singapore. The Police also took away his personal computer and every single computer-related device from printers, floppy disks, CD-ROMs [and] modems to cables. He was not charged in Court this instance for "criminal defamation", which the Police is investigating him for. He was allowed to leave after giving his statement.  He never heard from the Police again until 26th July 2002, when he was again arrested by the Police. No statement were taken from him and he was immediately sent to IMH and admitted against his strenuous objections. He was discharged from IMH a week later with no further action taken. Eager for the result of this pending investigation against him for "criminal defamation" and the return of his personal computer, Ho repeatedly tried to contact the Investigating Officer for further information but he was repeatedly ignore, citing "investigations are still ongoing". When Ho was interviewed by Martyn See in 2007, his case remains “Investigation are still ongoing”  and his personal computer not returned. It was only around 2008-2009 (exact date can't remember) that his personal computer was returned to him and the case officially closed.      by Forecaster Extraordinarie II   What is criminal defamation? It’s considered an archaic law in most countries that still have it, in that it has historically been used to silence speech inconvenient to the powers that be. In Singapore, it is found in Sections 499 and 500 of our Penal Code, which say: 499. Whoever, by words either spoken or intended to be read, or by signs, or by visible representations, makes or publishes any imputation concerning any person, intending to harm, or knowing or having reason to believe that such imputation will harm, the reputation of such person, is said, except in the cases hereinafter excepted, to defame that person. [.....] and 500. Whoever defames another shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 2 years, or with fine, or with both.  Read More →

Dear Singaporeans, Many of us have seen how PM Lee has tried to appease our desire for greater voice in parliament by increasing number of NCMPs. What we really need is not that but for PAP to remove all the obstacles that hinder political participation by other political parties. What each one of us should do is write to or email or MP and demand that there must be no walkover in each of our constituency and that no PAP MP must get elected by the back door. COLONIAL BRITISH DIDN'T OBSTRUCT US Singapore was a city up to 1959 with a large number political parties and independent newspapers. There was freedom to start political parties, freedom to organise politically, freedom to communicate ideas, freedom to express disatisfaction in a civilised manner and so on. All this was possible under the colonial British. The British did not obstruct us like the way PAP is doing today. It is a shame that foreign imperialists did not put us to such condition and yet our own people are refusing to let us be independent. Whoever thinks Singapore got its independence in 1965 is naive. It only got its independece from British then. It however remained till this day under the subjugation of PAP. Singapore will only be independent that day when it is free from all forms of autocracy. WE TRADED OFF FREEDOM FOR ECONOMIC SUCCESS YESTERDAY, BUT WHAT ABOUT TODAY? We accepted PAP's repression and autocratic methods naively believing that it is a tradeoff for the economic success PAP will bring us. We did that tradeoff for 50 years. However today we are still giving up our freedom but we are not receiving economic success in return. We are indeed shortchanged. When we look at Taiwan and South Korea, we must feel ashamed that we have been short changed. Those countries, including one which is a Chinese country, did not give up freedom and have managed to reap greater economic success than us, even leapfrogging us in the last two decades. Let us just look at Indonesia. There was a time General Suharto, a close friend of Lee Kuan Yew, ruled Indonesia as a dictator for 3 decades. He deprived Indonesians of every freedom that PAP denied us. Yet Indonesia was an Asian Tiger and everyone thought freedom over autocracy cannot bring greater economic success. After the fall of Suharto and the gradual increase in democracy has proven today that is not true. Indonesia is enjoying far more economic success than during Suharto's era. In fact in the earlier teething years of transition after Suharto, critics (mainly Singaporeans) were claiming Indonesia need to go back to be an autocracy to enjoy economic success. Today they have been proven wrong. SINGAPORE WILL REAP GREATER ECONOMIC SUCCESS IF PAP FALLS Undeniably Singapore will reap greater economic success if PAP falls. What is keeping Singapore from reaching the economic heights of South Korea, Taiwan, Japan is really the system PAP has built and maintains. It cannot bring change to that system without removing itself from power. It is pure naiveness and even stupidity to believe that PAP can rejuvenate itself and change itself therehence change the system. It has tried for last 20 years and it has failed. Even in another 100 years, it will not succeed. No autocratic party ever succeeded in changing itself. Hence if PAP falls, Singapore can indeed reap greater economic success. The transitionary years may be teething but within 5-8 years after fall of PAP, Singapore will reach a higher economic height that PAP cannot offer today or tomorrow. Stop asking who will bring about greater economic success after fall of PAP. When Suharto was overthrown, who imagined about Susilo Bambang Yudoyuno or Yusuf Kalla? All the options available was Habibie, Megawati, Abdur Rahman Wahid and Amien Rais. They could not give people the promise of what Indonesia has achieved today.Tomorrow even if SBY goes, there are other titans to replace him. Likewise we will get our SBYs and Yusuf Khallas tomorrow if PAP falls. Singapore is a do-or-die place. Hence at any moment, no matter if PAP is around or gone, it is one system nobody can sit back and be complacent and instead everyone will be stepping forward to give their best. If we dont we cannot survive nor sustain. In fact we may already have our SBYs and Yusuf Kallas in the opposition parties. Even if you believe there is none, there is nothing to worry because they will come tomorrow. PAP always talks about how the opposition will destroy Singapore if it comes to power. That is the stupidest remark because that can happen elsewhere. Mugabe can destroy Zimbabwe and remain in power full of riches. That cannot happen in Singapore. We dont have farming nor fishing to survive a single day unlike Zimbabwe. We import everything unlike Zimbabwe. We have no natural resources like Zimbabwe. No oppposition party can plunder any natural resources. Even if any opposition head steal from our financial researves, he cannot even run far. Our situation is so unique. Everyone has to work hard to survive. Even LKY cannot rob this country of its riches and run away scot free. That is why he has to work such long hours at his old age or else his political empire will fall.     A Concerned Singapore  Read More →