TR EMERITUS

作者: 洪艺菁, 联合早报, 11 April 2010 他追她的时候，使出浑身解数、用尽心思，天天把她挂在嘴边，并向全世界表态，非她莫属。他的热情、他的细心，感动了大家，也赢得了芳心。 然而，把她追到手之后，他态度明显变淡了。 这故事的“他”和“她”，说的是“新加坡”和即将在本地举行的“第一届青年奥运会”(Youth Olympic Games)。 回想2007年底至2008年初期间，学校、社区基层组织、邻里商家、私人企业、政府各个机构，都自发地主办一连串表示支持新加坡申奥的活动。印上“我支持新加坡2010”等标语的汽车贴纸、布条、海报，琳琅满目的各种纪念小饰品百花争艳。组屋外墙挂起的整齐红色布条迎风飘扬，展示居民支持申办青奥。 2008年2月21日，成绩公布当天，政府大厦草场上出现了新加坡版本的“红衫军”。5000多人身穿红衣，兴奋地等待申奥成绩揭晓。现场洋溢着激昂的爱国气氛，甚至比每年的国庆庆典现场还热情澎湃。 获悉新加坡在最后的投票中，以53票对44票击败了莫斯科，成为首届青奥运的主办城市，那一刻，我眼眶湿了，脑海里响起本地爱国歌曲“there was a time when people said that Singapore won't make it; but we did......” 我还记得当时台上，李显龙总理、国际奥委会执行委员黄思绵、张志贤、维文、张思乐及多位申奥幕后功臣的灿烂笑容和雀跃表情；台下，现场人群爆发出如雷般的欢呼声，人们互相拥抱、击掌庆祝。 Read rest of article here.  Read More →

Written by Our Correspondent Despite all the sound and fury spewed forth from the embattled Singapore government over the last few days, it appears that it is powerless to bring former Romanian diplomat Dr Silviu Ionescu back to Singapore to stand trial after all. Dr Silviu Ionescu was accused of being the driver behind a hit-and-run traffic accident in December last year which robbed the life of a 31 year old Malaysian. For some inexplicable reasons, he was allowed by the Singapore authorities to leave the country for Romania three days after the accident much to the chagrin of many Singaporeans. Neither did the Ministry of Foreign Affairs apply for a waival of Dr Silviu's diplomatic immunity. Foreign Minister George Yeo commented on the case only a month later in which he told the media that "what happened was very bad". The Singapore Attorney-General Chambers had slapped 13 charges on Dr Silviu Ionescu and sent a request via Interpol to extradite Dr Silviu back to Singapore. The Straits Times carried a series of reports yesterday to exert pressure on the Romanian government to compel Dr Silviu to return to Singapore to take some heat off the Singapore government which has received much public flak for its ineptitude and inaction. Romanian news agency Mediafax.ro reported today a statement from the Romanian Justice Ministry which said that "Ionescu cannot be placed under provisional arrest to be extradited to Singapore, as Romania did not lift the former envoy’s diplomatic immunity." It added that according to Romania’s Constitution, Romanian citizens cannot be extradited or expelled from their country and that since both Romania and Singapore joined the Vienna Convention regarding diplomatic relations, the investigations into Ionescu’s case must be carried out by Romanian authorities. Though the press statement was released on Friday, the Straits Times did not feature it on Saturday and instead chose to highlight how "co-operative" the Romanian government had been in the investigations. Till today, Dr Silviu is only suspended and not sacked by the Romanian government. He lives freely in Romania where he had given a dozen of interviews to the media criticizing Singapore and of all things, accusing the Singapore government of "framing" him. All these would not have happened had the Singapore authorities been more vigilant and took active measures to prevent Dr Silviu from leaving Singapore in the first place.   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: >> 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 >> Quietor”wayang”diplomacyintheescapeofDrSilviuIonescu >> 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 a letter published in The Sunday Times today, the Director of Corporate Communications from the Ministry of Manpower Ms Farah Abdul Rahim reiterated the government's committment to encourage employers to re-employ older workers.   "Re-employment legislation is slated to come into force by 2012 to allow employers to put in place systems and processes for re-employment....Re-employment will help workers aged 62 to 65 remain employed. To better assist all mature job seekers, including those below age 62, MOM, the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) and the unions have been working closely with companies to help them find suitable jobs," she wrote. [Source: Sunday Times, 11 April 2010]   She is writing in response to an earlier letter by Ms Jeniffer De Souza who related her difficulties of finding a job. Though Singapore is the second richest country in Asia after Japan, its citizens enjoy few social welfare benefits from the government. Singaporeans are expected to work for as long as possible to support themselves without becoming a burden to the state. There is a Public Assistance (PA) scheme which offers a paltry $360 monthly to Singaporeans who are certified medically unfit to work for life and are completely destitute with no living relatives to support them. While the efforts by MOM are commendable, they do not solve the root cause of the problem - the easy availability of cheap foreign workers in Singapore give employers more options in hiring and help depress the wages of ordinary Singapore workers, especially the elderly. Unlike most other advanced economies, there is no minimum wage system in Singapore which safeguards the livelihoods of Singaporeans. Having a job nowadays may not enable one to earn a decent wage to support oneself and family in Singapore. According to official statistics, the wages of the lower income group have remained stagnant for the last decade and the real earnings of Singaporeans have decreased by 3.2 percent in 2009. Without concrete measures taken to stem the continued inflow of foreigners into Singapore, older workers will forever be at an losing end, exploited by greedy employers eager to keep their labor costs low. PAP MP Madam Halimah Yacob said in Parliament lately that the greatest "dignity" the government can give Singaporeans is to give them a job, never mind if it pays well enough for one to survive in Singapore. What human dignity is there to speak of if Singaporeans have to slog like dogs for the rest of their entire lives just to make ends meet?   EDITORS’ NOTE: Please join our Facebook page here and invite your friends to do so to create awareness of the current affairs affecting Singaporeans.  Read More →