TR EMERITUS

OPINION Since a 52 year old relief cabby was charged in court two weeks ago for offending his "higher mortal" holier-than-thou and whiter-than-white PAP MP Lee Yi-Shyan during his Meet-the-People session at Bedok, we have received a deluge of letters from concerned readers expressing their worries and fears that they may end up in the same predicament if they have an unfortunate slip of tongue when meeting their PAP MPs. For the welfare of our readers, we have compiled a simple guide for you to follow if you need to meet your PAP MP at his/her Meet-the-People sessions in the future. 1. Prepare yourself mentally: Have ZERO expectations Before you meet your PAP MP, you should prepare yourself mentally that whatever request you asked for is unlikely to be granted. Contrary to popular belief, your PAP MP is not there to "serve" you at all. He/she is only the "Tua Pek Kong" of your constituency. In other words, he/she is just there for the purpose of formality only and is NOT obliged to help you in anything. Do not expect any help from your PAP MP. You are just there to try your luck, get it? 2. Jot down your requests on a piece of paper Please do not overwhelm your PAP MP with endless questions, complaints and requests for assistance. Jot them down in point form one by one so that you will know exactly what to say when you meet him/her. Please spare some thought for your poor PAP MP who still have to meet countless lesser mortals like you after a long day work. He/she is probably too tired to remember the details of your complaints, so keep whatever you have to say short and sweet. 3. Bring along your NRIC and a book: Registration for most Meet-the-People sessions begin at 7pm. Please remember to bring your NRIC for registration and any other relevant documents. Your PAP MP will usually arrive only one to two hours later and so bring along a book or newspaper to spend the time there when waiting. Patience is not a virtue of many Singaporeans, but please bear in mind that you are there because you are in need of your PAP MP's help and not the other way round. 4. Do not expect to meet your PAP MP Do not be surprised or angry if your PAP MP is not on duty or he/she is unable to make it for the session in the last minute and is replaced by a senior grassroots leader. If you die-die have to meet the MP, then return another day or otherwise you can reflect your concerns to the grassroots leader. After all, the typing of the letters and liaison with other government agencies are usually done by the grassroots leaders. All the PAP MP does it to sign his/her name on the paper. 5. Basic etiquette when you meet the MP Do not kowtow to your ultra-sensitive PAP MP in case he/she thinks you are up to something funny. On entering the room, give a deep bow and greet him/her before taking your seat. Try to avoid eye contact when in front of the MP. Some people have a fierce gaze and the MP may mistake that as a sign of intimidation. Your PAP MP may sound curt, rude or even downright callous in his/her tone. Regardless of what he/she says, you should nod your head in agreement and not respond.  The session will usually end in a few minutes and you should stand up and bow to your MP again before taking your leave. Remember: don't open your mouth unless it is really necessary or your MP may misinterpret your intention and feel threatened. Lastly, please keep in mind (print it out if you have to) the three PAP mantras before you decide to jeopardize your livelihood by meeting your PAP MP: 1. Singaporeans are champion grumblers. 2. You die your business! 3. We are deaf to all criticisms!     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 →

As public suspicion continues to linger over the objectivity of the recently released Town Council Management report, PAP MP Grace Fu has stepped forward to debunk rumors that the report was a ploy to discredit the opposition. The six-month assessment conducted by the PAP's Ministry of National Development grade all the town councils in Singapore in various indicators such as general maintenance and collection of arrears. Not surprisingly, the two opposition wards of Hougang and Potong Pasir are ranked below the PAP constituencies with Tanjong Pagar outperforming the rest. The GRC is led by PAP octagenarian leader Lee Kuan Yew. Speaking to reporters during a community event, PAP MP Grace Fu rebuked earlier claims by opposition MPs Low Thia Kiang and Chiam See Tong that the report is "unfair" and "subjective". She claimed that the data collected for half the indicators came from the town councils themselves while others were collected by HDB officers during inspections. In response to protests from the opposition MPs that they do not receive funds from the PAP to upgrade their estates, Ms Fu said all town councils are provided funds including flats in the opposition wards which are eligible for the Lift Upgrading Programme. "The operating funds, the grants, are exactly identical.....There will be flats which are eligible for LUP, including the opposition wards. So all the divisions who are eligible for LUP will get their LUP done.  As for other upgrading, for example Neighbourhood Renewal Programme or Home Improvement Programme, that's actually depending on our available resources, and then the allocation will also depend on the needs of the local areas," she was quoted as saying in Channel News Asia. With the next election around the corner, it is hard to believe that the timing of the report's release has little political motives or implications.     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 →

By Mike Hollett from Reuters A shocking howler from England goalkeeper Robert Green gifted the United States a goal as the two sides tipped to qualify from Group C battled to a 1-1 stalemate at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium on Saturday. Green, 29, winning only his 11th England cap after being preferred to the vastly more experienced David James, will be haunted for the rest of his career by the mistake when he failed to routinely stop a low, bouncing 25-meter shot from Clint Dempsey after 40 minutes. He reacted in horror as the ball squirmed out of his grasp and bounced away from him as he tried to prevent it crossing the line, crouching in abject mortification as it rolled into the back of the net to cancel out Steven Gerrard's fourth minute opener for England. "It's one of those freak things that happens -- plenty of people have been talking about the ball this week. It shocked us a bit, but we'll get behind Robert," said Gerrard. "I think the most important thing in your first game is not to lose. Unfortunately, we let a poor goal in and we couldn't go on and get the win." It was the second time Green had endured a World Cup nightmare after becoming the first England goalkeeper ever to be sent off when he was red carded in a qualifying match against Ukraine last October. He slightly redeemed himself in the second half when he forced a Jozy Altidore shot on to a post, but is unlikely to live down a woeful piece of keeping that could not be blamed on the unpredictable flight of the much criticized World Cup ball. "Sometimes one player in front of the keeper misses a goal. Sometimes keepers make mistakes, that's football," said England coach Fabio Capello. However bizarre, the goal was one the U.S. deserved after battling their way back into the match after Gerrard gave his side a dream start in the first World Cup meeting between the sides since the U.S. stunned England 1-0 in the 1950 World Cup. EARLY BREAKTHROUGH Capello had told his men to attack the from the start and they did just that, making the early breakthrough when a Glen Johnson throw on the right set up Frank Lampard who switched the ball infield to Emile Heskey whose angled pass found Gerrard running into space. Gerrard evaded the efforts of Jay deMerit and gave goalkeeper Tim Howard no chance with a superb strike with the outside of his right foot. Instead of taking control though, England drifted into a spell of unconvincing football and the U.S., sparked by the lively Dempsey and Landon Donovan, enjoyed most possession. Altidore almost reached a cross from Donovan to equalize, but under pressure from Ledley King only skimmed a header wide. Their recovery led to James Milner being cautioned for a foul on Steve Cherundolo and five minutes later he was withdrawn by Capello and replaced by Shaun Wright-Phillips. Capello also replaced King, who has a chronic knee injury, with Jamie Carragher for the second half, and later said the defender would miss the team's next game. Although England tried desperately to regain the lead, the U.S. gave as good as they got. In stark contrast to Green, American keeper Howard, who has played in England for Manchester United and Everton for the last seven years, had an excellent match and was perfectly positioned to save well from a powerful Emile Heskey drive. With England's talismanic front man Wayne Rooney battling hard but making no impact in front of goal, England rarely looked like regaining the initiative, and their players slunk away, disappointed at the end. In contrast the U.S. team applauded their fans in the stadium, who, though vastly outnumbered by England supporters, were left cheering loudest at the end. "It was a great team effort to come back and equalize. At halftime we said we had a chance to win and at the end we took a point," said U.S. coach Bob Bradley. Despite the draw, both England and the United States will be confident of getting positive results against the two weaker Group C teams Algeria and Slovenia, who meet on Sunday, to ensure their progression to the competition's next round. - Reuters  Read More →