TR EMERITUS

By Eugene Yeo, Senior writer With the economy expected to remain in doldrums in 2009, Singaporeans are bracing up for another round of wage cuts and posssible retrenchments. The spin doctors of SPH have quickly moved in to offer a silver lining in the midst of the gloom which has developed to enshroud the entire island. In an article published on page 2 of The Straits Times on the first day of 2009, the incorrigible PAP spin doctor Chua Mui Hoong waxes lyrical over the PAP's accomplishments for the past 50 years which transform Singapore from "poverty to the bustling metropolis that it is today". She went on to illustrate why Singapore will survive the downturn because "the traits that helped it get to where it is today are precisely the same traits that will get it back on a firm footing in the current crisis." The comparison is both inappropriate and irrational as past accolades were never an ingredient for future successes. The nature of the crises Singapore face is completely different then and now. 50 years ago, Singapore is a developing economy where plentiful cheap labor enables it to attract MNCs to invest on the island with the electronic and manufacturing sector leading the way to double digits growth for more than a decade in the 1970s and 1980s. In recent years, the government had diversified the economy to reduce its reliance on manufacturing, branching on to new sectors such as the pharmaceuticals and gaming industry which are closely linked to the global economy. The traits of our parents and grandfathers which propel Singapore from a Third to First World country today - namely thrift, industriousness, stoicism and tenacity to endure hardships are not reproducible in a younger generation brought up in the midst of material comfort. Chua Mui Hoong's explanation that Singapore's economy could be the first to recover because it is "small and open" is even more baffling. The reason for Singapore being the first Asian country to enter recession cannot be applied on the converse because it will take some time for us to feel the impact of a global recovery. Some economists at Wall Street have already predicted that this current crunch may rival the Great Depression in the 1930s and it may take more than a few years for the world economy to see positive growth again. Though Singapore's macroeconomics are strong, our heavy dependence on trade and foreign direct investments will see us lagging behind the United States and Europe. Unless conditions improve over there, we are unlikely to see an influx of expats and FDIs anytime soon which will have trickle-down effect on the retail industry, property sector and labor market. Lastly, Chua quoted Singapore's "strong" one party state government as a positive "trait" to bail out the flagging economy with its "healthy reserves". The problem is, we aren't quite sure how much of our much vaunted reserves we still have after reports of Temasek and GIC losing in excess of S$40 billion dollars in ill-time purchase of foreign banks. A strong government may be an asset in ensuring social stability and spurring the fledging nation on during early years of independence, but it is now an hindrance to our developed economy. State -owned companies such as SingTel, DBS, Capitaland, SIA and NTUC Fairprice dominate the domestic economy leading to the stifling of the growth of private enterprises. The lack of meaningful competition at home has curtailed the potential of Singapore companies and brands making a name for themselves in the world. Finland with a population of 3 million, has "Nokia", what about us ? Again, recycling the track record of the PAP isn't going to help feed the mouths of those who have been retrenched. Just as Singaporeans are blessed to have a good government when it gained independence, the PAP must be gratified to have such an easy-going, docile and hardworking population to govern for they will not last so long in office had they been in Thailand or Taiwan instead. The pessimist's view of 2009 is that more bad news lies ahead. The PAP spin doctor, looking at the things that have gone right over the past 50 years, will be confident that this small, open economy with a strong government, will have the resilience to pull through in tough times. The pragmatist's view, however, is that Singaporeans need to be more proactive and contribute to nation-building instead of leaving the governing solely in the hands of the government which as its past records as shown, is not infalliable after all.  Read More →

Dear readers, We would like to dedicate two songs from the local movie "12 Lotus" to you, wishing you good health and happiness in the new year ahead. It has been a fulfilling year for us. In 2009, we have made the following resolutions to become the fastest reporter of all major headline news about Singapore, to continue to be a thorn in the asses of SPH exposing their spins and propaganda and to reach out to a wider audience especially the tertiary institutions and HDB heartland. We look forward to your continued support and participation. THE EDITORIAL TEAM   ONE PERSON, ONE HALF [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cv9A--9UN0&hl=en&fs=1]   IF I HAVE ONE MILLION DOLLARS [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FotwuG4p9cY&hl=en&fs=1]  Read More →

By Fang Zhi Yuan, Chief Editor According to SDP's website, Mr Tan Kin Lian will be gracing its event at Hong Lim Park on 31st December 2008 with a speech. SDP will be holding a New Year Eve Countdown at Hong Lim Park where it will be lining up a panel of speakers to honor the memory of the late J.B. Jeyaretnam. While fellow opposition leaders Mr Low Thia Kiang and Mr Chiam See Tong have been avoiding SDP as a plague, it is indeed gentlemanly and courageous of Mr Tan to accept SDP's invitation to speak at their event. Undoubtably, SDP is the only true blue opposition party left in Singapore which dares to confront the ruling elites heads on. On principles and paper alone, Dr Chee Soon Juan should have become the de facto opposition leader in Singapore. Though I do not consider myself a SDP supporter, I will gladly cast my vote for them should they contest in my constituency in the next General Election, but with an impending bankruptcy suit looming over their heads, will SDP still be in existence by then ? While I respect SDP for their conviction and determination, they remained unelectable at the ballot box. In fact, Dr Chee has already given up on the electoral process as a viable route to effect much needed changes in the system. In spite of the controversies enshrouding the non-violent activism it espouses, SDP did force the government to yield some ground in the recent token permitting of outdoor protests at Hong Lim Park. Unfortunately in the long-term, SDP is unlikely to win any more new fans. The crowd attending its countdown at Hong Lim Park will indicate how far it will go in the next few years. By associating himself with SDP, Mr Tan is sending out the message that he does agree with some of the political methods being employed by the SDP. Will this be an asset or hindrance to Mr Tan's own political ambitions in the future should he decide to run for public office ? What Mr Tan needs now is both a political vehicle and a grassroots machinery to lay down the ground work for him. Being in the PAP for 30 years, he should be more aware than anybody else of the importance of having grassroots support to organize an election campaign. There is already a "Volunteers for TKL" group which is charged with collecting signatures for his petition to run for public office from which he can build and expand upon. As for the political platform, Mr Tan could well afford to set up a new party on his own or join an existing one, perhaps the now rudderless Reform Party founded recently by J.B. Jeyaretnam before his untimely demise with little or no political baggage. Mr Tan is one of the few high-profile establishment figures who have crossed over to the "opposition" in recent years (if opposition is the correct word to use). It is a coup for SDP to have him speak at their event. However, will Mr Tan's urbane middle class supporters continue to stick with him if he continues to lean further towards SDP ? If Mr Tan has indeed set his sights on running for political office, he must remove all possible obstacles in his path on the parliamentary route. Unless he intends to stay an activist all his life, it is neither pragmatic or wise to be labelled as part of the "SDP gang" by the state media. Both the electoral process and extra-parliamentary activism play equally important roles in breaking the PAP's political monopoly and they are not mutually exclusive of each other. Without civic consciousness and activism, an uninformed and naive electorate will always be swayed by the carrots and stick approach adopted by the PAP. With no MPs in Parliament, there will be no independent voices to provide an effective check and balance on the government. To put it bluntly, SDP needs credible moderates like Mr Tan more than Mr Tan needs them. Mr Tan's kind gesture to SDP will surely win him the support of hardcore opposition voters, but he needs to ensure that he does not ailenate the middle ground at the same time in doing so.  Read More →