TR EMERITUS

According to feedback from on an Online Forum “zaobao luntan”, the SNOC has rejected the application of the National WeiQi team to compete in the forthcoming Asian Game 2010 to be held in GuangZhou – China. The Singapore Weiqi team performed extremely well in past competitions in both regional and international settings. In the 2007 SEA Games, the Singapore team has proven to be the strongest among all Southeast-Asian countries: they clinched a total of 3 medals, 2 gold and 1 silver.  According to the China Weiqi Association and International Go(Weiqi) Federation, the Singapore team is ranked 6th in the world. More recently, in the World Amateur Go Championship held in Hangzhou-China in May 2010 in which 71 countries took part, Singapore players proved their mettle, impressing the rest by winning 6 out of 8 games. This put them on par with players from Japan, Hong Kong and Chinese Taipei. Thus far, only players from China and South Korea have ever managed to win 7 and 8 games respectively. Even with these excellent results, SNOC (Singapore National Olympics Council) has rejected the application by the Weiqi team to compete for the upcoming Asian Games based on their guidelines that a team must be among the top 6 in order to qualify for a place to represent Singapore. However, all competitions joined previously by the players were on an individual basis as there was almost no team event (for the uninitiated, a team event consists of 5 player a side; the team wins when 3 or more of their players win) organized for Weiqi. Given this lack of chance and opportunity, SNOC’s rejection is unfair as the team has not been given a chance to prove their prowess in a team setting. In fact, SNOC’s rejection serves as a double whammy as it implicitly disregards the stellar performance of individual players previously and withholds a precious opportunity for the Weiqi team to unite and gain exposure as a team at the Asian Games. Despite support letters from the Chinese Weiqi Association and International GO (Weiqi) Federation stating that the Singapore team will be able to get into top 6 in Asian Games, their appeal for Asian Games has been rejected. The team’s offer to pay for all their own expenses has also rejected by SNOC. How can the players gain experience and learn from sparring with better players if SNOC does not let them take part in this once-in-a-lifetime competition? Applying parallel logic to the Chinese saying that unity is strength, the excellent past records of individual Weiqi players are likely to translate into an amplification effect where the sum surpasses the parts; this has been affirmed by support letters from experts in the sporting arena. With the massive support for the Table Tennis teams and the YOG which is upcoming, it is unthinkable why is the lack of opportunity used as a penalty for the Weiqi team? Shouldn’t the authorities assist the Weiqi team in providing them a rare and valuable chance to work as a team at the upcoming Asian games? This rejection is disparaging and does nothing to encourage the Weiqi team in their immense effort invested in pursuing continued excellence at their sport.      Mark Wu   A quote from SNOC's website: “The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.” - Pierre de Coubertin  Read More →

By Adib Zalkapli from The Malaysian Insider Datuk Seri Najib Razak today reminded Umno leaders not to ruin his efforts to lure Singaporean investment into Iskandar development region in south Johor. The Prime Minister told the Pulai Umno division assembly here that the country’s improved ties with Singapore would bring in a lot of investment to the state. “Our ties with Singapore have improved a lot and we must see Singapore as a country that can benefit both Johor, Malaysia and Singapore through investments,” he said  when opening the Pulai Umno annual assembly. “The Iskandar development region that I co-chair with (Mentri Besar) Datuk Ghani Othman will ensure all investments would benefit both Johor and Singapore,” he added. Since assuming power last year Najib has met with his Singapore counterpart Lee Hsien Loong three times and managed to solve one of the major bilateral issues when Malaysia agreed to relocate the KTMB’s Tanjong Pagar railway station in a land swap deal. Najib however is facing a growing demand from the state Umno leaders to revive the crooked bridge project to replace the Causeway, which has been strongly opposed by Singapore. Late last month the Pasir Gudang Umno led by Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin passed a motion to call on the government to revive the project which was cancelled during the administration of Tun Abdullah Badawi. Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and the Sultan of Johor have also expressed their support for the project to be revived. “So I hope I won’t hear any statement from any branch chief against Singapore investment. Don’t do that,” said the Umno president. “Singaporeans are sensitive. They wait for signals. They may think that they have received positive signal from the top, but the signs from grassroots may not be so good. Our signal must be consistent,” said Najib. He added that investments from the neighbouring republic should not be seen differently from other countries. “What is the difference between American investors and Singaporean investors, you tell me. There is no difference. As long as it benefits us, brings high income, we will benefit,” Najib told the party loyalists. “We cannot be emotional, too parochial. We are in the 21st century, I want Malaysia to be a 21st century nation,” he said. - The Malaysian Insider  Read More →

Only one in three foreigners pass the Service Literacy Test (SLT) started by the Manpower Ministry in May this year to "improve" the standards of spoken English among foreign workers in the service industry, according to a Sunday Times report. The test is not compulsory and its standard is pretty low compared to internationally recognized English proficiency tests like TOEFL and IELTS. Sparked by massive outcry from Singaporeans and foreign visitors alike at the inability of some service staff to communicate in English, the SLT was launched to "show" that something is being done. Unlike other countries like Australia, New Zealand and Canada, English is not a pre-requisite for foreigners seeking work in Singapore though it is the country's lingua franca. The PAP has been mass importing foreigners to keep labor costs down in recent years, especially those from mainland China, many of whom are unable to speak or comprehend English. Singapore's immigration criteria is so lax that even construction workers, cleaners, masseurs and prostitutes are given Singapore PRs and citizenships by the PAP. As too many non-speaking foreigners are accepted within too short a period of time, the PAP now has problems integrating all of them and as such it has splurged $10 million dollars to organize free language courses for the newcomers. A MOM spokesman told Sunday Times that "there were no plans to consider refinements or to apply the test to other industries."     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 →