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作者：林明华 2010-05-13 新加坡也有一个“演说角落”，设在芳林公园，一个在新加坡的政治史上曾经风云际会的地方。 今年母亲节，有人在这里举办了一个主题为“为母语请愿，为母语签名”的请愿签名会。短短2个小时，2500多人签了名。签名会结束之际，现场响起了久久不息的掌声，人群还传出了“华文，加油！”的口號。 彼岸的朋友，用“十分感动”和“万分感慨”来描绘他们的心情写照。 他们说，感动，是因为在如此压抑的氛围底下，还有这么多人用行动来展示“我们爱母语，就像爱我们的母亲”；感慨，是因为在一个华人佔了人口的三分之二的国度里，华人竟然还要为自己的母语而签名请愿。 2天后，彼岸传来了好消息：“李显龙总理明確表示，政府无意降低母语的社会地位，也无意削减母语在小六会考中的比重，但会不断更新母语的教学法、课程內容和考试方式。” 彼岸的朋友说，很久了，华文只有节节败退，没有打过一场胜仗。这一次，好像胜了，但“欣慰”之余，他们却不敢盲目乐观。心情之所以如此矛盾复杂，是因为他们担心，虽然“考试的比重不降”，但华文的程度，却可能为了“因材施教”，而一降再降。 新加坡曾是东南亚华文教育的第一重镇，拥有小学至大学的完整华文教育体系。然而，隨著南洋大学被关闭，最后几所华文小学也走入歷史，华文在新加坡的地位就一天不如一天，甚至回天乏术了。 谈起华文教育在岛国由盛而衰，却在马来西亚逆流而上的强烈对照，彼岸的朋友每每感慨万千，却又百般无奈。 也许是基於危机感日深，甚至已有“最后一道防线”也面临存亡之虞的忧虑吧，当“政府正在探討减 低母语在小六会考总分中的比重”的议题被拋出来之后，一直乖乖沉默的他们，终於一个个站了出来，反应之强烈，抗议声之大，不只令我吃惊不已，借用李显龙的话，这也完全出乎新加坡政府的预料之外。 那天，通过电视，我看见他们的总理一再重申“政府无意降低母语的社会地位，也无意削减母语在小六会考中的比重”，教育部长也罕见的公开对他“之前的谈话所造成的错误印象道歉”，我为彼岸的朋友喝采，很想告诉他们：加油！华文会笑到最后！ 来源：星洲日报／云淡风轻  Read More →

Former Deputy Prime Minister Goh Keng Swee died early Friday morning after battling a long illness. He is survived by his wife, son, daughter-in-law, two grandsons and three great grandchildren. Goh Keng Swee (Christian name: Robert, 6 October 1918 - 14 May 2010), was born in Malacca and was the second Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore. Goh was a son of a rich Malacca family. Although his father, Goh Leng Inn, was a manager of a rubber plantation, his mother was from the family that produced famous Malaysian politicians Tun Tan Cheng Lock and his son, Tun Tan Siew Sin, who would someday be Goh's lifelong political opponent. After studying at Anglo-Chinese School (ACS) in Singapore, Goh went on to graduate from Raffles College (today the National University of Singapore) with a Diploma in Arts, and entered the Civil Service to focus on social welfare issues. Shortly after the start of the Second World War, Goh joined the Singapore Volunteer Corps, a local militia, but after the fall of Singapore he returned to his previous work. In 1946, he joined the Department of Social Welfare, and was active in post-war administration. During the Japanese occupation in 1942, Goh married Alice Woon and they had a son. Following the Second World War, Goh won a scholarship, which enabled him to pursue a degree at the London School of Economics (LSE). Goh graduated with first class honours in economics and with the help of a University of London scholarship, awarded in 1951, was able to continue with doctoral studies. Goh completed his Ph.D. in Economics in 1954, and returned to the Department of Social Welfare, where he served as the Director of the Social and Economic Research Division. During his time in London, Goh met fellow students that were seeking independence for Malaya, including Lee Kuan Yew and Toh Chin Chye. A student discussion group, the Malayan Forum was organized with Goh as the founding chairman. Following his return to Singapore, Goh detached himself from active politics, but retained ties to the People's Action Party (PAP), of which he was a member. In August, 1958, Goh resigned from the Civil Service to work full-time for the (PAP), and was a key member of the Central Executive Committee. He was later to become its vice-chairman. On a PAP ticket, Goh successfully contested the Kreta Ayer seat in the 1959 Legislative Assembly elections, and joined the first government of Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew as Minister of Finance. In this role, he was to assume stewardship of Singapore's economy, and in the following decade, Goh was to serve as the chief architect of the country's economic development. He came to believe that capitalist principles, properly nurtured, was efficacious to the generation of wealth. Hon Sui Sen succeeded him as the Finance Minister in 1970. In the 1960s, there were great pressures from communist agitators working through the Chinese-medium schools and trade unions. Divisions existed within the PAP as well, with the pro-communist faction working to wrest control of the party from the moderate wing, of which Goh and Lee Kuan Yew were key members. A key source of division was the issue of merger with Malaya, to form a new state of Malaysia. Goh and the moderates believed that this was a necessary condition of Singapore's economic development because Malaya was a key economic hinterland; merger would also provide an alternate vision against communism for Singapore's Chinese majority. In July 1961, sixteen members of the pro-communist faction broke away from the PAP to form the Barisan Sosialis, and captured control of the main trade unions. The Singaporean government won approval from Tunku Abdul Rahman for a merger in 1961, with the Tungku being motivated by a desire to stabilise the security situation in Singapore, and notably to neutralize the perceived communist threat. Singapore merged with Malaya and the British Borneo states in 1963 to form the Federation of Malaysia. Merger however proved to be problematic for the Singaporean leaders. There was a clash of fundamental principles, both political and economic; notably on the issue of Malay dominance. Communitarian violence in 1964 was inflamed in Singapore by Malay and Chinese activists. Goh played a crucial role in orchestrating the subsequent secession of Singapore from the federation in August 1965. He would later claim this was the "best thing that ever happened to Singapore". Upon independence in 1965, Goh also became Minister for the Interior and Defence until 1967, assuming responsibilities for strengthening Singapore's military and domestic security capabilities. A key policy was the creation of National Service, a mandatory conscription system for able-bodied young males. In 1979, Goh moved on to the Education Ministry, where his Goh Report greatly influenced the development of Singapore's education system, introducing key policies such as streaming and religious education. Goh retired as Deputy Prime Minister in December 1984, due to personal reasons.  Read More →

Dear Government, Having lived in Toa Payoh for just 3 short years, I would like to request that our little town be renamed China Town. You see, thanks to the easy migrating criteria that we have for "Foreign talents", I'm now proud to say that every other chinese that you come across in Toa Payoh, is a PRC. And I'm by no means exagerrating, because right down to the "foreign talent" that makes my teh(tea) to the one that cooks what used to be my favourite hokkien prawn mee and chow kway teow, are all PRCs. My daily meals have never been more bland. While i am all for foreign talents contributing to our economy and society(as is the model template answers always given), I have to question what these "talents" bring to the table when they gather nearly everyday and night at the void decks talking loudly and crudely in their native tongues, cook our very bland and DISTINCTLY singaporean dishes and of course occupying our flats. While the prices of HDB increases like our foreign talents, I would like to know if there is anyone governing rogue real estate agents as well as landlords who lease out brand new flats to such beloved talents? Toa Payoh is no longer the place I call home, but a squatters' paradise. Of course you do not have to take my word for it, just do a random SURPRISE inspection on these flats, namely the new blocks, Block 79A-E of toa payoh central and you will agree with me. Heck, just take a walk aound toa payoh central please. And you wonder why people are leaving Singapore? Leonard Lim A Concerned Singaporean  Read More →