Kelvin Teo, 'Increased focus on recruiting matured applicants into civil service in a move away from a scholarship focus?'
There is a wide debate over the effectiveness of our scholarship system. Basically, the scholarship boards of our government attempt to identify talented students straight after “A” levels. They are sponsered for their studies at top universities, and come back to serve their bond at various government bodies. The question with admitting these fresh out of “A” levels students is – 1) are they even sure of their choice to take up the scholarship and enter public service? 2) have they gleaned enough experience of their world around them, thought over what they have been through and then make an informed choice to enter our government service? The first two questions, these prospective scholars should be asking themselves. The third question is a relevant one that deals with their life experience – 3) have what they experienced thus far really prepared them for life in the work place of our government ministries?
Solo Bear, 'Gays and Gay Activists, You can't have your cake and eat it'
Looks like Sorry Rony is being scapegoated the way Thio and Josie were. Gays and gay activists simply cannot let go the ghost of Sorry Rony. One of the latest salvo from the gay camp is that since religion is protected under the Sedition Act, why not sexual minorities?
Here is the latest call from the gay community - "Equal treatment" of gays, under the Sedition Act.
E-Jay sees that the Sedition Act protects the sensitivities of the religious. Correct. What he does not see is the same Act prevents religionists from preaching their religion in such a way it offends people from another religion. For example, Christians cannot express their belief that Buddhists are not saved because they do not take Jesus as their Lord, in such a way it offends Buddhists (as in the Sorry Rony case).
Now if gays want to be in the league of religions, they have to accept ALL TERMS that come under the Sedition Act. That will also mean that gays must not preach their ideals such that they offend non-gays.
A2ED, 'To the 'Opposition' : The meaning of 'maintaining harmony''
In the days following the 3 Chinese teenagers and the Rony affair, there’s much that’s been said about the need ‘to maintain religious and racial harmony’.
To all those whom are inclined to make such a statement; or to observe that the government has done an admirable job in maintaining it; or that the harmony that’s been for quite a while must be ‘maintained’ - all of which i’ve come across amongst ‘neitzens’ - remember this, there is a great difference between maintaining a harmony despite the religious and racial status quo and maintaining it in respect of an egalitarian religious and racial status quo, just as there is a great difference between tolerance-cum-sensitivity and appreciation-cum-respect. Till the latter is proven to be true, the former can serve to maintain a fascist and racist state of a affairs.
The Secret Political Blog, 'De-constructing PM Lee Chinese New Year Message 2010'
What better way to mark an occasion so steeped in superstition than a message filled with mythology? In PM Lee’s Chinese New Year Message 2010, enough falsehoods have been weaved into a few hundred words that can rival two thousand years of Chinese civilization. Let us de-construct some juicy bits below:
"We are at a turning point in our economic development. We cannot continue importing foreign workers as liberally as before, because we will run up against space constraints. This means our total workforce will expand more slowly, which by itself would imply slower economic growth. To make up for this, and achieve the 3-5% growth target, we must raise productivity much faster, and do more with the resources that we have."
Space Constraints? What a euphemism; a term that grossly glosses over all the controversies of our liberal immigration policy; two words that make it sound like the only objection we have to foreigners is their uncanny ability to occupy space. What of the dilution of our culture, of second class citizenship, of sports medals won but lost forever, of the implied superiority of foreign talents, of a lost sense of entitlement, of pink ICs doled out freely, of the insulting depiction of the new hard-working migrant pitted against now-lazy Singaporeans with their thick hides un-spurred? Two words. Space Constraints. What a judicious economy of words, what un-paralleled summarizing skills.
The time has come to wrap up the site. The reasons are as stated in the 'notice' by MM, and we have not been directed to shut it down by 'higher beings';)
However, the additional reason which is not stated, but which we have discussed from the start, is that our sole purpose was to stimulate mutual consideration amongst bloggers of each other's viewpoints. That was not encouraged by SGdaily's approach. That is also one of the reasons we started the 'singazine feature' section at the top so that people can consider opposing views by bloggers instead of just TOC or TR. You can call it the 'madison square garden tag team championship' if you like, except that everyone can be part of either team. The whole structure of the site, such as the said 'singazine feature', 'blogger spotlight', and giving prominence to the daily blog lists above news articles, was for the purpose of elevating the value of the singaporean blogger as opposed to the TOC or TR. We recognise that TOC or TR are just a small part of the aggregate of the value of all bloggers. Hence, our elevation of the status of the humble blogger in our structure.
It is a fundamental democratic precept that we are not only made stronger in the consideration of the views of others, but in that act itself, we practice the valuation of the significance of each other whatever their status. That is why we frequently put opposing views on singazine feature, not because we support either viewpoint, but because we support the value of debate and mutual consideration amongst bloggers. We view bloggers as the real TOC and TR, amongst others, and we wanted to promote that view so as to temper the consequences of just waiting on the words of the prominent. The value of this lies in the opportunity it presents for truly discursive interaction between bloggers whatever their political inclinations. To date, unfortunately, quite a few seem to be operating as separate 'triad societies' whom are mutually antagonistic, ignore each other, whilst faithfully abiding by the dictates of their respective leaders. That's not democracy sir. That's popular fascism.
The point of the whole operation was to illustrate to local bloggers the value of being representative, encourage them to consider each other's views, and to stimulate change in existing blog aggregators - particularly Singaporedaily. We wanted to see as many 'views' of bloggers' articles and as many comments as one might see in TR on the sites of bloggers. In fact, the 'thank you' note we put out at each blogger's site before posting their article link at one time was in a way an invitation to them to come to singazine to consider the views of others and to appreciate true representation. We are not out to destroy or compete with other blog aggregators, but to illustrate the value of representation. It wasn't a 'war between blog aggregators' as it was the intention from the start to shut down Singazine once the stated message had been transmitted. If local bloggers are not going to learn from the example we put out and check on their own, then they truly deserve the government they get, and the type of 'opposition' that it produces.
As for Ng E-Jay's views on Singazine, it is ill-argued. Being pro-opposition does not have to come at the price of censoring out those who disagree with us. They really have to consider the value of constructive criticism, or are they against it just as the government has been in the past? He speaks about the need to censor opposing views so as to maintain unity in the opposition. Isn't that the same as having one race as a majority so as to bring about 'unity' amongst the people of singapore, or promoting one culture over others so as to engender cultural unity, or the PAP keeping their supporters from being too oppositional for the sake of 'unity'? It is worrying indeed that he thinks along lines that is identical with that of the party in power. if oppositional elements think along such lines when they aren't in power, what do you think we can expect when they are?
But then again, now, the PAP themselves seem to be considering oppositional opinions, such as that claimed by TR, Chua Chin Leng, amongst others, and which has seen them caving in on some issues. When are oppositional bloggers, or pro-PAP ones, going to start doing that amongst themselves? In our representation of all bloggers, and giving prominence to, amongst others, Not My SDP and Where Bears Roam Free, we took the first step. They are valuable in their proffering another take on things. And we appreciate that even though we might not agree with some of their views.
Secondly, singaporedaily, by purporting to be representative of singapore bloggers, is duty bound to represent all relevant articles. They may be 'privately-run', but they present themselves as a pro-democracy, anti-censorship, political site, and as implied in their name, representative of singapore socio-political bloggers - which they verifiably aren't. Being 'privately-run' is no defence for not being representative when you present yourself as a vehicle of change in the political milieu. For instance, some of the team has noted that they do not often, if at all, link the likes of Gopalan Nair, Solo Bear, Not My SDP, amongst others. If they believe that they are aggregating blogs with discerning taste, that cannot be assumed, it has to be proven. To date, they've done a regrettable job.
Singazine's purpose from the start was to represent all bloggers and illustrate the value of representation even if it doesn't agree with our personal views. For myself, I had initially refused to have my name associated with singazine as i was aware of much bias against myself amongst some bloggers and oppositional elements, and didn't want this to affect bloggers' objective appreciation of the representative nature of the site. If anyone was to ask you, Senor Fifi, who MM Sz is, tell them, s/he is the totality of all democratically-inclined bloggers and thus is not inclined to go against her/himself by censoring any part of her viewpoints, and considers all. There will be some whom might speculate whom MM might be, or what the agenda is and so on. But what is most important here is the points raised in this closing summation. We, as part of the Singazine team, are of no consequence. All that matters are the points discussed.
be well, and i'm sure I speak for the rest of the team, including yourself, when I extend those wishes to all Singaporean bloggers.
a2ed, for Singazine
NOTICE
We regret to inform all readers that Singazine will not be operating as a blog or news aggregator anymore.
We started up this site to illustrate the value of non-discriminatory representation of all bloggers so that there can be mutual consideration of ideas despite it not being in agreement with one's own viewpoint. Singaporedaily was doing a censorious job in that respect. Hence, we were compelled to start up Singazine as a democratic response to their regrettable approach. We hope that we've set a higher standard in respect to that and it is now up to you to check on your 'own'. While we check on the government, let's not forget to check on our own as well.
For now, we would like to direct readers to sgbreakingnews.com. We would like to advise them to include a categorical section like our 'blogger selections' so that people might be able to access daily and weekly blog listings in relevant categories. They are doing quite a good job already and we applaud them for their efforts. Just some tweaking on their part with regards to the aforementioned and they'll do fine. We are not in this for competition, but for inciting awareness. We'd also like to add, to sgbreakingnews, that directing people to 'popular posts' is not such a good idea unless you can be certain that what's popular is always insightful. For that, you'll have to be certain of the astuteness of the people. That cannot be said of any people of any time. Insight, not 'hits', is that which matters.
And in the past couple of months, we hope that we have done a more than adequate job in illustrating these points through practice.
Singazine.com will stand pending evolution. Perhaps we might return as a group of writers with avant garde perspectives not generally considered by most. If that describes you, email us. Don't 'join us'. Let's 'collaborate'. We'd rather have pro-objective writers than pro-PAP or pro-Opposition. We are only biased toward truth wherever it lays its hat.
To all bloggers, have faith in yourselves as the forwarders of new ideas. Don't think that insight can only come forth from the 'new media'. You can be the humble blogger who can forward that which no overly-lauded politician, blogger or new media ever thought of.
You are singazine, singaporekini, and so on and so forth. Don't forget that. Democracy is based on the valuation of the single individual. When that is absent, everything else is a farce.
SINGAPORE, Feb 18 — An Indonesian man who lost about S$1,000 (RM2,400) — all the money he had with him — at Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) has become the first to resort to crime after a blowout at the casino.
The unemployed Indonesian tried to steal a Samsung Omnia handphone from an undergraduate at Changi Airport, in a last-ditch attempt to return home with some money.
Paulus Djohar, 49, had planned to sell the S$500 handphone.
Instead, the court jailed him yesterday for four weeks after he pleaded guilty to theft.
SINGAPORE - Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has called for the electoral rolls to be revised, exactly one year after the Elections Department was previously directed to do so.
An update now of the Registers of Electors would allow those who did not qualify to vote following the last revision, to have their names added to the list of eligible voters.
This would include, for example, those who have turned 21 or have become new citizens after the previous revision of the rolls was completed in March last year.
The Registration Officer will have up to March 31 to complete the latest update, according to the notice yesterday in the electronic version of the Government Gazette.
I REFER to yesterday's letter by Mr Dennis Lee, 'Distressed by divisions', and agree it is unhealthy to create an artificial divide between those who rent and those who buy an HDB flat.
The image of HDB rental flat dwellers has been created by the application criteria and the design of the flats, typically the one-bedroom type sharing a long common corridor. Apart from the HDB application criterion of a household income of $1,500, other factors can better describe the fabric of this close-knit group of citizens, which Mr Lee aptly describes: 'We knew our neighbours well and even exchanged gifts on festive occasions.'
THE enthusiasm about the opening of the casino at Resorts World Sentosa seems to have realised the worst nightmare of those who opposed the legalisation of casino gaming in Singapore. The proportion of Singaporeans to foreign visitors remains to be seen. But one thing is certain, the dress code requirements (no flip-flops) seems a better deterrent than the $100 entry fee. In fact, one Singaporean interviewed on television said he would be a frequent visitor. So I do not think the $2,000 annual pass has deterred him either.
In addition, I am not convinced by the assurances of the American Gaming Association ('No link between gambling and bankruptcy', Tuesday) of the relative harmlessness of gaming. Based on what it considers updated research, the association claims there is a negative correlation between gaming and bankruptcy.
DR YIK Keng Yeong's letter ('...As long as PAP remains incorruptible', Feb 9) alluded to the negative ramifications of political competitiveness and the positive prognosis of firm and decisive leadership.
Political leadership dictates that a government's overriding mandate is the welfare of the nation and the people it governs. And a corrupted government almost certainly leads to a decline in the nation's welfare.
However, incorruptibility alone is not enough. A government can be incorruptible but not infallible, simply because no human being is.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (CNN) -- For the first time, Malaysian authorities have caned three Muslim women under Islamic law for acts of adultery, the Malaysian national news agency Bernama said.
Home Minister Hishamuddin Hussein announced the canings Wednesday, saying the penalty was carried out February 9 at a women's prison near Kuala Lumpur.
The canings -- a punishment that persists across Malaysian society since the British colonial era of the 19th century -- have been denounced by one Amnesty International official, who says "caning is tantamount to torture."
SINGAPORE: Experts said they won't be surprised if the government introduces changes to land zoning policies as well as measures in the upcoming Budget that will enable the use of subterranean space.
Earlier this month, the Economic Strategies Committee recommended that Singapore explore the option of building underground cities.
With a rapidly growing population, Singapore's 700 square kilometre land area isn't enough.
So experts said digging down, like the underground networks in Japan and Canada is the way to go.
SINGAPORE : The demand for housing in the rental and resale markets is indirectly contributing to an undesired sight around the island: Illegal advertisements touting housing options that appear at bus stops, lift lobbies and on lamp posts. Notices are appearing faster than they can be removed, some causing paint to peel or leaving behind marks while others end up as litter on the ground.
Ang Mo Kio resident Martin Sim feels that the notices are "unsightly".
"Those who put up rental notices at bus stops don't care about what happens to the notices. They end up as a mess," said the 32-year-old.
The problem has caught the attention of the Land Transport Authority (LTA), which received 941 "feedback" reports last year about illegal ads on its street fixtures, up from 569 in 2008.
WASHINGTON: Tibet's exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Wednesday opened a visit to the United States to meet President Barack Obama, infuriating China as it tries to sideline the revered monk.
The Dalai Lama, who has tried to use foreign trips to throw a spotlight on China's treatment of his homeland, flew into Washington and headed to a hotel to greet fellow Tibetans for their Losar new year.
The 74-year-old will head on Thursday to the White House for a long-awaited meeting with Obama. Describing the encounter as private, the White House said Obama will receive him in the Map Room - not the more official Oval Office.
Beijing has opposed any meeting with the Dalai Lama, demanding that the United States reverse its "wrong decision" to "avoid any more damage to Sino-US relations."
BEIJING, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- Even as some Chinese women claim discrimination at the workplace, a government blue paper says education has been important in narrowing the income gap between men and women.
The blue paper, "China's educational development report 2009," released by the Social Sciences Academic Press at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, a major government think tank, says women who have received higher education suffer less gender discrimination at work.
"With the advancement of women's education level, the income gap between men and women has gradually narrowed," the blue paper said.
NEW YORK, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- It is "unwise" for President Barak Obama to meet with the Dalai Lama because the session would negatively affect American ties with China, says an expert on U.S.-China relations.
Instead, Obama should spend additional time with Chinese leaders and focus on more important issues instead of harming U.S.-China relations by meeting with the Dalai Lama, Fred Teng, a member of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, told Xinhua on Tuesday.
"We need more constructive relations between the United States and China and it will be in the best interest of both the American and Chinese people," said Teng, who also is president of the Chinese Community Relations Council.
FEB 17 — The ‘Allah’ decision back in middle January by the High Court of Malaya may include the subject matter of the word ‘Allah’ but the legal substance and principle matter in issue in that case is the extent of the Home Minister’s power to curtail the usage of a certain word.
I do not wish to bore the readers with a legal cross reference of this case and that statute, but safe to say, the High Court Judge in that case had to decide if a Home Minister can ban the word, like ‘Allah’, from being used by non-muslims. This is significant! For, if the High Court confirms that the Home Minister has such a power, then the next question to ask is ‘To what extent?’.
PUTRAJAYA, Feb 17 — The Umno Youth movement will hold meetings with the young generation to seek ideas on tackling current issues and find out their “wish list” with regard to government policies.
Umno Youth head Khairy Jamaluddin said the movement had been asked to do so by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak so that the ideas and aspirations of the young generation could be conveyed to and subsequently acted upon by the government.
On that fateful Friday, well against the tide of the general market, shares of Genting Singapore, the main shareholder of RWS, put on a strong showing. When contacted, an RWS spokesman had no comment, except to say that the casino was "on track to open in the first quarter of 2010".
Less than 24 hours later, on Saturday, RWS announced that it had received its casino licence from the Casino Regulatory Authority.
The day before, Genting Singapore shares rose more than 9 per cent in intra-day trade to a high of $1.18 with a hefty 276.96 million shares changing hands, three times the average daily volume of that week, making it the day's most heavily traded stock.
Temasek Holdings has appointed Mr Michael Lien and Mr Hsieh Fu Hua as non-executive directors of the Temasek Board from Jan 2 and Feb 1 respectively.
Mr Lien has been appointed a member of the Audit Committee and the Leadership Development & Compensation Committee (LDCC), while Mr Hsieh has been appointed to the LDCC as well as the Board Executive Committee.
Additionally, Mr Hsieh has been appointed Special Advisor to Temasek CEO, Ms Ho Ching.
Women in Singapore are having their first child later in life, according to a senior doctor with more than 15 years' experience in women's fertility issues.
"There has been an increase in age of first conception," said Dr Cheng Li Chang, the medical director of Thomson Fertility Centre, at Thomson Medical Centre.
But he added that he does not "notice a difference in incidence of infertility in young women" from when he started infertility work in the early 1990s to the present.
According to the latest available figures - 2008 statistics from the National Population Secretariat - the median age of mothers who are Singapore citizens, when their first child is born, is 29.4 years.
LONDON - Scientists have discovered the reason why women find it difficult to conceive later in life - they have used up about 90 per cent of their "ovarian reserve" by the age of 30.
While they may continue to produce eggs throughout their 30s and 40s, the reservoir of potential eggs from which they are taken has shrunk to almost nothing, it suggests.
As the body chooses the best eggs from the reserve, the likelihood is that the quality of the eggs will suffer as women get older, increasing the difficulty of conception and the risk of an unhealthy baby.
INGAPORE - The casino has been open for less than 72 hours and already several Singaporeans and permanent residents have tried to get in without paying the $100 levy, others who have overstayed their 24-hour entitlement and a pair of foreigners even tried to use their friends passports to get in.
These are just some of the bad apples in the barrel and Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) is taking a zero-tolerance approach to all of them.
The exact number of punters who had exceeded the 24 hours they were entitled to after paying the $100 one-day levy was not available at press time last night, but this much is clear: RWS is making sure overstayers pay an additional $100 levy.
LAST Friday, I queued up at Resorts World Sentosa to try and get tickets for the eight-day sneak-peek period. I had to wait nearly two hours in the queue before finding out that the tickets were sold out for all eight days.
The vast majority of people who had queued before me to purchase the tickets were foreigners. I am very disappointed that as a Singaporean, I am unable to get even a sneak preview of what is supposed to be a proud achievement for Singapore and Singaporeans.
Once the theme park is opened with all the rides fully functional, we are going to see a rush of hundreds of thousands of visitors wanting to get a glimpse of the first Universal Studios theme park in South-east Asia.
I READ the report, 'Uproar over new rental flats going up' (Feb 9), with great concern. Although Singapore is a developed country, we have somehow created divisions in our cohesive society.
People are now more self-centred. Some look at the type of flats they live in and conclude that having rental flats around theirs will lower the value of their property. Some assume that people who live in rental flats are trouble makers.
SINGAPORE: Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Sunday the country has a considerable way to go in its productivity drive, especially when compared with other countries which have achieved significant productivity growth.
He said Singapore’s productivity level is 60 to 70 per cent of what is possible.
Mr Lee’s remarks follow the release of the Economic Strategies Committee Report, which placed productivity as the key growth strategy for Singapore’s economy.
The Prime Minister made the assessment on the first day of the Year of the Tiger, as he visited a select group of workers who are keeping the country going during the holiday period.
We don't censor bloggers by playing favourites. You got something insightful to say, you're in - even if we don't agree with you, or think you're just full of sh*t. Do it in an academic style, kopi tiam style, or even broken Engrish, we don't care. All that matters is relatively unique insight, or, at least, a 'rant' that is 'for' or 'against' in various issues.
If we missed your blog or post, just email us. Singazine aims to be truly representative and needs your help for that. So you could say, YOU run this site, we just administer it. In other words, our 'team of writers' is you, and Singazine is the non-exclusive, all-inclusive offline citizen, online. Don't 'write for us', write for Singapore, and Humanity. We don't want to cramp your style or perspective.
And by the way, foreigners are most welcome here. You got any gripes or tales about us locals or your experiences here, let's hear it.
Only partial news articles will be published here in respect of copyright regulations.
This site is not sexist or bigoted, so to 'chiobu' you will have to go elsewhere. We don't mix the base and bias with politics.
