TR EMERITUS

Written by Our Correspondent In one of the few rare instances, the Straits Times Forum published today a letter by the much maligned opposition politician Dr Chee Soon Juan to rebut a critic who wrote in earlier slamming him for introducing "confrontational" politics in Singapore. (read article here) Dr Chee wrote that the criticisms directed at him are most "ironic" as the PAP itself had been guilty of practising "confrontational" politics as well: "The People's Action Party (PAP) imprisoned its Barisan Sosialis opponents in the 1960s. This it did with the cooperation of the British colonial government, using the Internal Security Act - a law originally introduced by a Western democracy. Mr Lee Kuan Yew uses imagery of knuckle-dusters on critics like writer Catherine Lim and meeting the late opposition leader J.B. Jeyaretnam in cul-de-sacs with hatchets. Such PAP actions and words are, apparently to Mr Tan, not confrontational politics." PAP leaders are well known for their intolerance of criticisms and often resort to using defamtory lawsuits to silence their opponents, thereby creating a climate of fear in Singapore. Dr Chee agreed that it does not matter what system Singapore adopts as long it works for Singaporeans and questioned if the current PAP system works at all. He quoted experts as warning 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," he added. Though Singapore is a democracy on paper, it is a de facto one-party state with all public institutions and state organs being under the control and influence of the PAP in one way or another. All the printed papers in Singapore are owned by one single company SPH headed by a former PAP minister Dr Tony Tan. The only legalized trade union NTUC is led by none other than PAP minister Lim Swee Say. Even the grassroots organizations are under the purview of the People's Association chaired by the Prime Minister himself. Repressive laws such as the Public Order Act are put in place to curtail the civil and political liberties of Singaporeans as guaranteed under the Constitution to pre-empt any possible challenge to the status quo. Being a small nation, human resource is the greatest asset of Singapore and without liberalizing the political landscape to harness the potential of its people, Singapore is likely to lose out to up and coming countries like China and India in a few decades' time. International NGO Human Rights Watch described Singapore as a "textbook example of a politically repressive state" in its latest annual report. It is time for Singaporeans to realize that the current system only benefit the PAP leaders and their associates. Without reclaiming their political rights as citizens of the country, we will never be able to obtain any economic rights.   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: >> 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 →

By Sheridan Mahavera from The Malaysian Insider Alexander Low dives into the files stored in his Blackberry when responding to the question “Do you believe that under the Prime Minister’s 1 Malaysia, non-Malays will be fairly treated?” “Wait ah, wait ah … Here you go. Paragraph 11, page four of the (GTP) Government Transformation Plan,” Low says showing me the text message. The message was from a friend and it was sent during a discussion on the “Malay first, Malaysian second” assertion by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin last week which created quite a stir. The passage Low’s friend was referring to was this: “The goal of 1 Malaysia is to make Malaysia … ultimately a greater nation: a nation where, it is hoped, every Malaysian perceives himself or herself as Malaysian first, and by race, religion, geographical region or socio-economic background second and where the principles of 1 Malaysia are woven into the economic, political and social fabric of society.” Low draws an obvious conclusion. “The GTP contradicts what Muhyiddin says about him being Malay first and Malaysian second. So Najib is trying to sell his 1 Malaysia but when his man says something wrong, Najib defends him. “You tell me. How am I supposed to buy what Najib is saying?” (The names of those interviewed have been changed as they requested anonymity). Low’s scepticism is such an unsurprising attitude among Malaysians working and living in Singapore that it’s almost a cliché. It’s a given that non-Malay Malaysians leave their homeland for the island state because of the exchange rate or because they are sick of not getting an equal place under the Malaysian sun. And it is this cynicism and a sense of hopelessness that the Najib administration will have to deal with if it wants to attract the nation’s best and brightest back from Singapore. At the heart of it, for Malaysians in the island state and those working but living in Johor Baru, Singapore has given them what successive Malaysian administrations have not and some say, would not. For them, the New Economic Model (NEM) and 1 Malaysia are just the latest slogans in a political history littered with them. But in reality, this is nothing new as the growth and social trajectories of both countries are more similar than their leaders and people care to admit. Read rest of article here.  Read More →

By Nick Allen from The Telegraph The beleaguered golfer's wife Elin Nordegren was said to be furious over a television advertisement he filmed for Nike which featured the voice of his late father. She was also said to have thought her husband would take more time off before returning to the course. Woods took an indefinite break from golf after details of his infidelities started to become public at the end of last year. He returned in the Masters at Augusta, Georgia last week, where he finished fourth, but his wife did not attend the tournament. At the weekend she was seen boarding a private jet alone after leaving their estate near Orlando, Florida. The television advertisement said to have angered her was broadcast on the eve of the tournament and featured Woods looking directly into the camera without speaking. A 2004 recording of his late father Earl saying "Did you learn anything?", was played over the footage. "Elin was violently angry over this commercial and thought it was a cheesy thing to do," a source told People magazine. "She wouldn't have gone near the Masters under any condition but that just made her madder. She is over Tiger. I wouldn't be surprised if she files for divorce sometime soon." Woods, 34, has committed to working at his marriage and so far talk of divorce is limited to friends. No legal papers have been filed and Miss Nordegren has not instructed a lawyer. Read rest of article here.  Read More →