TR EMERITUS

[Parts in bold were removed] Mr Patrick Tan's idea that my style of politics is a confrontational one not suited for Singapore is most ironic. (Confrontational model not ideal for S'pore) Let's check the facts: The People's Action Party (PAP) imprisoned [and tortured] its Barisan Socialis opponents in the 1960s. This they did with the cooperation of the British colonial government, using the Internal Security Act (ISA) – a law originally introduced by a Western democracy. [The PAP uses lawsuits to financially cripple the opposition using defamation laws derived from England.] Mr Lee Kuan Yew uses imagery of knuckle-dusters on critics like Dr Catherine Lim and meeting the late Mr J B Jeyaretnam in cul-de-sacs with hatchets. Such PAP actions and words are, apparently to the writer, not confrontational politics. But when I speak up and organise to claim back our rights of freedom of speech and assembly guaranteed under Article 14 of our Constitution, I am being confrontational. I agree it does not matter what system we adopt as long as it works for Singaporeans. The question is: Is the current arrangement working for Singaporeans? [The people cannot hold the PAP Government accountable when it lost $140 billion in 2008 through bad investments by the GIC and Temasek Holdings in Western banks such as Merrill Lynch, Citigroup and UBS. That's $50,000 per citizen that went down the drain. Neither can we stop the PAP from allowing foreign workers into the country by the millions and who take away jobs from Singaporeans, suppress wages and contribute to the skyrocketing of HDB prices. Under the PAP system, we are also helpless when the prime minister pays himself $3 million a year while working Singaporeans queue up by the thousands to get free food at temples or become homeless because they cannot afford paying their loans for their HDB flats. Many end up committing suicide. Because of the high cost of bringing up children and a stressful environment, young couples put off having children.] With the exodus of Singaporeans leaving for other countries, we have a serious brain drain. Productivity is at an all-time low. Is Mr Tan sure the PAP system works for Singapore and enables us 'to achieve its best potential'? Experts have repeatedly warned that without opening up the current system, Singapore will not be able to innovate and develop an entrepreneurial culture to compete with the rest of the world that is racing ahead. Massachusetts Institute of Technology economics professor Huang Yasheng - an Asian - visited Singapore recently and pointed out that the 'entrepreneurial culture is about challenging the authorities, questioning the existing ways of doing businesses, moving away from the routines and norms. It's about the unconventional, rebellious and diverse'. Yes, Mr Tan is right, let us not get bogged down by whether it is Western or Asian style of politics. Let us go with what works for Singapore and our future. Right now, the PAP system of authoritarianism and top-down control looks decidedly obsolete for our future needs. It is time for change. Chee Soon Juan (Dr) Secretary-General Singapore Democratic Party   Source: SDP website  Read More →

Written by Our Correspondent In a most amazing U-turn, the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) now told the Romanian government that its former diplomat to Singapore Dr Silviu Ionescu does not enjoy diplomatic immunity for his alleged offences in December last year as he was using the embassy vehicle for personal purposes. Dr Silviu Ionescu was found to be the driver behind the wheel of the Audi A6 belonging to the Romanian Embassy in Singapore which was involved in a hit-and-run traffic accident, killing a 31 year old Malaysian in the process during a Singapore Coroner Court hearing lately prompting the Attorney-General Chambers to press 13 charges against him. For some inexplicable reasons, though Dr Silviu was a prime suspect in the case, he was allowed to leave Singapore three days after the accident. The Singapore authorities later said they were unable to prevent Dr Silviu from leaving as he enjoys diplomatic immunity under the Vienna convention. The Temasek Review has pointed out in an earlier article that diplomatic immunity does not apply in this case because Dr Silviu was not on official business when the accident occurred, but our reasoning was decried by PAP supporters as being "naive". In our article "From Romania with Love: The great Singapore escape by Dr Silviu Ionescu" published on 30 December 2009 in which we dissect, study and analyze the Vienna Convention in detail, we wrote: "Article 30 of the Vienna Convention states: A diplomatic agent shall enjoy immunity from the criminal jurisdiction of the receiving State. He shall also enjoy immunity from its civil and administrative jurisdiction, except in the case of: (c) An action relating to any professional or commercial activity exercised by the diplomatic agent in the receiving State outside his official functions. This means the diplomatic immunity enjoyed by Dr Silviu covers only his official duties. Dr Silviu admitted that he had gone to a KTV for a “few drinks” with some friends on the night of the accident. Since he was driving the embassy car for a private function, his actions therefore do not fall within the ambit of the diplomatic immunity. The Attorney-General Chambers has the powers to prosecute Dr Silviu and charge him in court." [Source: Temasek Review, 30 December 2009] Now, it appears that MFA agrees with our stance too after its numerous attempts to get Dr Silviu back to Singapore to face charges were rebuffed by the Romanian government on the grounds of diplomatic immunity. In its latest press release on the case, MFA said: "Dr Ionescu was using the Embassy vehicle in his private capacity and for his private purposes. As such, with effect from Dr Ionescu's recall, he no longer enjoys diplomatic immunity for the acts in question." Since Dr Silviu was using the Embassy vehicle in his private capacity, why didn't the Singapore police detain him on the spot and prevent him from leaving in the first place? MFA should have informed the Romanian government of what happened immediately so that it could recall Dr Silviu from his position in Singapore earlier thereby enabling the Singapore police to arrest him. Singapore is being made a laughing stock in the world by the Romanian authorities which now insists that it cannot arrest Dr Silviu because he enjoys diplomatic immunity. Efforts to get interpol to arrest Dr Silviu were unsuccessful because Romania has no extradition treaty with Singapore. Dr Silviu is still technically a staff of the Romanian government. He is only suspended from work and not sacked. To add salt to the injury, Dr Silviu continues to take pot shots at Singapore from the comforts of his home in Romania. This time, he told the Romanian media that he will be hanged if he returns to Singapore. Singapore's naive MFA has only this to say: "The Romanian Foreign Ministry has told us that Dr Ionescu, as a Romanian citizen, has the right to say what he pleases and that they cannot stop him. We have to respect this position. And the Romanian government has quite properly disassociated itself from his comments. Dr Ionescu is not hurting Singapore. If you follow what Romanian netizens are saying, it is clear that even his own compatriots do not believe him. He is only hurting himself and embarrassing his own government and all Romanians." It is pretty obvious that the Romanian government will not arrest Dr Silviu or compel him to return to Singapore. The Singapore government only has itself to blame for the quandrary it is in now. If the PAP follows what Singapore netizens are saying, it is clear that even Singaporeans do not believe its crap that it had to allow Dr Silviu to leave because of diplomatic immunity. As expected, there were no immediate comments from Singapore's beleaguered Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo who has received much public opprobrium for his gross incompetence, ineptitude and impotence which were displayed in full in his handling of this fiasco. George Yeo did not even bother to comment on the accident till a month later when he told the Singapore media that "what happened was very bad." In contrast, he issued a call immediately on his blog asking for Singaporeans to rally around his good friend Jack Neo after the latter's unsavory affair with a 22 year old model was leaked to the press. George Yeo is the world's most expensive Foreign Affairs Minister. He earns about $2 million dollars a year, or more than 4 times the annual salary of U.S. President Barack Obama. He is expected to get a massive 8.8 percent pay rise or more this year, courtesy of Singapore taxpayers. Judging from his pathetic performance so far, he should consider himself fortunate not to lose his job in any other modern democratic state.   EDITORS’ NOTE: Please join our Facebook page here and invite your friends to do so to create awareness of the current affairs affecting Singaporeans.   Related articles: >> Romanian Justice Ministry rejects request by Interpol to arrest Dr Silviu Ionescu >> Singapore issued arrest for Dr Silviu Ionescu >> Dr Silviu Ionescu: I was “set up” >> Dr Silviu on guilty verdict: “This is bull****” >> Dr Silviu Ionescu doesn’t think much of verdict >> Subhas Anandan wants $100K compensation for widow of deceased accident victim >> Quiet or ”wayang” diplomacy in the escape of Dr Silviu Ionescu >> Confirmed: Dr Silviu Ionescu is the driver >> Email interview with Yenny Young, wife of Mr Tong Kok Wai >> Dr Silviu Ionescu: fact remains that I was not in the car at the time of the accident >> Investigating or procrastinating: Dr Silviu Ionescu still holidaying in Romania >> George Yeo on Romanian embassy car crash: What happened is “very bad” >> Online petition calls on Romanian govt to make ex gratias payment >> Dr Silviu Ionescu: I took cab to notify car theft >> Eye witness saw driver quarreling with a young girl in the car >> Dr Silviu Ionescu: I have no connection with the case >> Dr Silviu Ionescu flagged taxi at Sungei Kadut >> From Romania with love: The Great Singapore escape of Dr Silviu Ionescu >> Singapore police has not ruled out Dr Silviu Ionescu as a suspect in its investigations >> Romanian diplomat suspected to be driver of Audi in hit and run accident at Bukit Panjang  Read More →

Written by Our Correspondent In the aftermath of media reports about anonymous anti-PAP fliers being distributed to residents of Seng Kang and Marine Parade, PAP MP Seah Kian Peng was quoted as saying in the Straits Times: "If (the author) is serious, he should be prepared to put his name to it and one can then engage in a serious debate." Mr Seah's public statement appeared to give one the impression that he will only engage in a serious debate with Singaporeans who are prepared to reveal their identities in real life. Two netizens Joel Kong and Li Zixu challenged Mr Seah to a debate on the YPAP Facebook: Mr Seah replied to the request only a week later and declined to engage in debate with netizens on the YPAP Facebook as social media is not his "preferred" way: Nevertheless Li Zixu went ahead and peppered Mr Seah with a series of questions:  Mr Seah did not reply subsequently. It is strange that Mr Seah did not engage in the debate proposed by netizens who have revealed their identities. After all, many political leaders kept a Facebook nowadays and interact with netizens freely on it including Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao. PAP leaders have always insisted that they will not engage anonymous netizens, but when genuine Singaporeans want to debate with them on issues affecting the nation, they decline to do so. It is even more ironical that Mr Seah chose to thank "Annie How", an anonymous netizen in person for his/her "support". "Annie How" is a notorious anti-opposition throll which has been harassing opposition supporters on Facebook. His/her identity is not known. Perhaps PAP leaders will only bother to respond to netizens who sing praises of them and not those who dare to confront them, regardless of whether they are anonymous or not. Mr Seah Kian Peng entered Parliament in 2006 without having to face an election in Marine Parade GRC which was a walkover. Maybe that's why he finds it uncomfortable to engage in a real debate with netizens as he has never fought a genuine electoral contest before.   EDITORS’ NOTE: Please join our Facebook page here and invite your friends to do so to create awareness of the current affairs affecting Singaporeans.   Related articles: >> Triggering the Singapore political tsunami >> Singaporeans think highly of opposition’s chances in next general election >> What will happen to Singapore if the opposition wins the next general election >> Dr Ng Eng Hen welcomes greater contest from opposition >> Chee slammed again for introducing confrontational politics in Singapore >> Lim Hwee Hua: opposition “trying” to work the ground for next GE >> Let the next GE be a primer for Singapore’s own political tsunami >> Are opposition MPs becoming redundant in Singapore ? >> Why do we need so many strawberry PAP MPs in Parliament? >> PAP MPs complain of fast-pace of parliamentary debates >> Why PAP MPs are no more but a “wayang” >> A disaster in the making: PAP’s “instant tree” mentality >> Yes-men PAP MPs embarrassed themselves by saying instinctively “yes” to wrongly reduce budget  Read More →