Watch this video (put up by Seelan Palay on YouTube) about the 18 Singaporean activists charged for protesting outside Parliament House in March this year aka the Tak Boleh Tahan! trial.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Why Treat Them Like Lepers?
This letter by S. Murali was published in The New Paper on October 24, 2008.
ALL RIGHT, here we go again.
Bright ideas to house foreign workers:
Put them on a floating platform, or perhaps a floating island.
Build separate roads for them. Provide them with their own shops, so that they don't have to mingle with the rest of us.
Hey, why stop there?
Why not dig underground and build them some tunnels to live in?
Better still, to save cost, just build extensions to existing MRT tunnelling.
Then we won't have to look at these workers at all, only when they come up for air and to do our dirty work.
Are you people listening to yourselves?
These are HUMAN BEINGS we are talking about.
Some of you won't even treat your precious pets this way. Is this what it means to become a 'first world' nation?
That you treat everyone else from the 'third world' like lepers?
I'm sorry, but some of the ideas that have been 'floated' on this issue make me nauseous.
Get off my sky-high horse and provide solutions, you say?
Here's a novel idea: Let them live amongst us.
Build good quality dorms in housing estates, so that they can get a good night's sleep and still be near amenities such as shops and post offices.
How would I like it if they built a dorm next to my house? Come do, I say.
There is an open field in front of my house at Block 261, Bishan Street 22, which is earmarked as a possible site to build another condominium.
Build a dorm there.
Could there be inconveniences to me and the others living there, as a result? Sure.
More people in a small area is a hassle.
But it is people that we are talking about here.
And I am okay with people.
It's bigots that I have a problem with.
ALL RIGHT, here we go again.
Bright ideas to house foreign workers:
Put them on a floating platform, or perhaps a floating island.
Build separate roads for them. Provide them with their own shops, so that they don't have to mingle with the rest of us.
Hey, why stop there?
Why not dig underground and build them some tunnels to live in?
Better still, to save cost, just build extensions to existing MRT tunnelling.
Then we won't have to look at these workers at all, only when they come up for air and to do our dirty work.
Are you people listening to yourselves?
These are HUMAN BEINGS we are talking about.
Some of you won't even treat your precious pets this way. Is this what it means to become a 'first world' nation?
That you treat everyone else from the 'third world' like lepers?
I'm sorry, but some of the ideas that have been 'floated' on this issue make me nauseous.
Get off my sky-high horse and provide solutions, you say?
Here's a novel idea: Let them live amongst us.
Build good quality dorms in housing estates, so that they can get a good night's sleep and still be near amenities such as shops and post offices.
How would I like it if they built a dorm next to my house? Come do, I say.
There is an open field in front of my house at Block 261, Bishan Street 22, which is earmarked as a possible site to build another condominium.
Build a dorm there.
Could there be inconveniences to me and the others living there, as a result? Sure.
More people in a small area is a hassle.
But it is people that we are talking about here.
And I am okay with people.
It's bigots that I have a problem with.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Singapore's Press Freedom Ranking Drops From 141 To 144
The World Press Freedom Index 2008 has ranked Singapore 144 out of 173 countries. This is a three point drop from last year. Among the countries ranked below Singapore are Rwanda (145), China (167), Myanmar (170) and North Korea (172). The African nation of Eritrea is bottom of the list. Countries slightly above Singapore in the ranking include Cambodia (126), Malaysia (132), Sudan (135), Nepal (138) and Philippines (139).
The Reporters Without Borders index measures the state of press freedom in the world. It reflects the degree of freedom that journalists and news organisations enjoy in each country, and the efforts made by the authorities to respect and ensure respect for this freedom.
The Top 10 countries:
1. Iceland
2. Luxembourg
3. Norway
4. Estonia
5. Finland
6. Ireland
7. Belgium
8. Latvia
9. New Zealand
10. Slovakia
Read the Reporters Without Borders report and view the World Press Freedom Index 2008 at www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=29031
The Reporters Without Borders index measures the state of press freedom in the world. It reflects the degree of freedom that journalists and news organisations enjoy in each country, and the efforts made by the authorities to respect and ensure respect for this freedom.
The Top 10 countries:
1. Iceland
2. Luxembourg
3. Norway
4. Estonia
5. Finland
6. Ireland
7. Belgium
8. Latvia
9. New Zealand
10. Slovakia
Read the Reporters Without Borders report and view the World Press Freedom Index 2008 at www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=29031
Two Fined For Taking Part In Protest
Ng E-Jay has revealed his reason for pleading guilty to the illegal assembly charge on his blog at www.sgpolitics.net.
Dr Chee Soon Juan applied in court on Friday to the trial judge to dismiss the charges brought against the 17 activists because these charges go against the Singapore Constitution. He made these points to District Judge Chia Wee Kiat. Read his arguments at yoursdp.org.
Channel News Asia ran this story on 24 October 2008:
Two men involved in a protest against recent price hikes have been fined a total of S$1,800.
31-year-old PhD student, Ng E-Jay, and 44-year-old freelance offshore engineer, Jeffrey George, admitted to taking part in an unlawful demonstration dubbed the "Tak Boleh Tahan" protest near Parliament House on March 15 this year.
They, together with 17 other similarly accused persons – including Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) Secretary-General Chee Soon Juan, his sister Chee Siok Chin and lawyer Chia Ti Lik – turned up in full force at the Subordinate Court on Thursday with their supporters.
While nearly all of them claimed trial, Ng and George did otherwise and threw in the towel.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Isaac Tan said the two men took part in the rally even after they found out from the SDP website that a permit was not granted for the event.
In his mitigation, Ng's lawyer, Dennis Chua, said his client took part in the protest as he was "very passionate" about issues on how the rising cost of living affected the average Singaporean.
He told District Judge Ch'ng Lye Beng that Ng was an "offender of conscience" and had no intention to cause any mischief during the rally.
Ng was fined S$600 for taking part in the illegal assembly and George was fined a similar amount for the same offence. At a separate hearing later in the evening, the latter was fined a further S$600 for taking part in an illegal procession.
DPP Tan informed District Judge Liew Thiam Leng that on that day, George had walked from the driveway of the Parliament House towards the nearby Funan DigitaLife Mall.
Police ordered George and the other alleged protesters to halt, but they refused to do so. The authorities arrested them after repeated warnings, said DPP Tan.
The remaining 17 accused persons intend to proceed to trial on Friday.
Dr Chee Soon Juan applied in court on Friday to the trial judge to dismiss the charges brought against the 17 activists because these charges go against the Singapore Constitution. He made these points to District Judge Chia Wee Kiat. Read his arguments at yoursdp.org.
Channel News Asia ran this story on 24 October 2008:
Two men involved in a protest against recent price hikes have been fined a total of S$1,800.
31-year-old PhD student, Ng E-Jay, and 44-year-old freelance offshore engineer, Jeffrey George, admitted to taking part in an unlawful demonstration dubbed the "Tak Boleh Tahan" protest near Parliament House on March 15 this year.
They, together with 17 other similarly accused persons – including Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) Secretary-General Chee Soon Juan, his sister Chee Siok Chin and lawyer Chia Ti Lik – turned up in full force at the Subordinate Court on Thursday with their supporters.
While nearly all of them claimed trial, Ng and George did otherwise and threw in the towel.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Isaac Tan said the two men took part in the rally even after they found out from the SDP website that a permit was not granted for the event.
In his mitigation, Ng's lawyer, Dennis Chua, said his client took part in the protest as he was "very passionate" about issues on how the rising cost of living affected the average Singaporean.
He told District Judge Ch'ng Lye Beng that Ng was an "offender of conscience" and had no intention to cause any mischief during the rally.
Ng was fined S$600 for taking part in the illegal assembly and George was fined a similar amount for the same offence. At a separate hearing later in the evening, the latter was fined a further S$600 for taking part in an illegal procession.
DPP Tan informed District Judge Liew Thiam Leng that on that day, George had walked from the driveway of the Parliament House towards the nearby Funan DigitaLife Mall.
Police ordered George and the other alleged protesters to halt, but they refused to do so. The authorities arrested them after repeated warnings, said DPP Tan.
The remaining 17 accused persons intend to proceed to trial on Friday.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
MM Lee On "Assortative Mating"
Singapore's Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew first brought this up in the early 1980s but it is possibly the first time he gave it a fancy name: "assortative mating".
According to Channel News Asia, LKY explained to the 700 delegates at the Human Capital Summit in Singapore yesterday that "assortative mating" means "finding a spouse that is at your level".
“That’s the way the world is. If I have explained this, I think I will lose votes after I explain the awful truth. Nobody believes it, but slowly it will dawn on them, especially the graduates, yes. You marry a non-graduate, then you are going to worry if your son or daughter is going to make it to the university,” added MM Lee.
Watch the MM Lee speech on Channel News Asia (thanks to Wayang Party for putting this up)
Also from the Wayang Party website, past reminders that LKY always held this belief (as evidenced by his past National Day rally speeches):
“If you don’t include your women graduates in your breeding pool and leave them on the shelf, you would end up a more stupid society… So what happens? There will be less bright people to support dumb people in the next generation. That’s a problem.” - 1983 National Day Rally speech
“We must encourage those who earn less than $200 per month and cannot afford to nurture and educate many children never to have more than two… We will regret the time lost if we do not now take the first tentative steps towards correcting a trend which can leave our society with a large number of the physically, intellectually and culturally anaemic“. - 1967 National Day Rally speech
After the then-Prime Minister's speech in 1983, the government set up the Social Development Unit (SDU) in 1984 to “promote marriage among graduate singles".
According to Channel News Asia, LKY explained to the 700 delegates at the Human Capital Summit in Singapore yesterday that "assortative mating" means "finding a spouse that is at your level".
“That’s the way the world is. If I have explained this, I think I will lose votes after I explain the awful truth. Nobody believes it, but slowly it will dawn on them, especially the graduates, yes. You marry a non-graduate, then you are going to worry if your son or daughter is going to make it to the university,” added MM Lee.
Watch the MM Lee speech on Channel News Asia (thanks to Wayang Party for putting this up)
Also from the Wayang Party website, past reminders that LKY always held this belief (as evidenced by his past National Day rally speeches):
“If you don’t include your women graduates in your breeding pool and leave them on the shelf, you would end up a more stupid society… So what happens? There will be less bright people to support dumb people in the next generation. That’s a problem.” - 1983 National Day Rally speech
“We must encourage those who earn less than $200 per month and cannot afford to nurture and educate many children never to have more than two… We will regret the time lost if we do not now take the first tentative steps towards correcting a trend which can leave our society with a large number of the physically, intellectually and culturally anaemic“. - 1967 National Day Rally speech
After the then-Prime Minister's speech in 1983, the government set up the Social Development Unit (SDU) in 1984 to “promote marriage among graduate singles".
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Illegal Assembly Trial Begins
The Straits Times ran this story about the Tak Boleh Tahan! trial:
It was a lively start to the first day of court proceedings for 19 people accused of demonstrating in front of Parliament House in March.
The 19, who include Singapore Democratic Party chief Chee Soon Juan and his sister Chee Siok Chin, have been charged with taking part in an illegal assembly and a subsequent procession.
The group piled into Court 5 of the Subordinate Courts at 9.30am on Thursday, and extra chairs had to be put in place to accommodate all of them.
The public gallery was filled with about 20 people, including supporters of the SDP and those on trial.
Amid the noise and commotion as the defendants were taking their seats before proceedings started, one of them, blogger Yap Keng Ho, 45, remarked to the rest: 'This is the largest pasar malam in the history of Singapore'.
During the course of proceedings before District Judge Chia Wee Kiat, several of those who were charged rose to ask questions or make applications.
There were requests for copies video clips taken by the police of the March 15 event; one accused sought an adjournment as he wanted to get back to his job; and one asked for the Court to observe a minute's silence for the late opposition politician JB Jeyaretnam, who was to have represented several of the activists.
But the first order of formal business on Thursday morning for District Judge Chia was to deal with the decision by one of the accused, blogger Ng E-Jay, 31, who said that he was pleading guilty.
He told The Straits Times that he had decided to do so just on Wednesday.
Proceedings were then adjourned so that his case could be dealt with before the trial of the remaining 18 accused could continue.
Ng was fined $600, or six days in jail in default, after he admitted to the charge.
From sgpolitics.net: Ng E-Jay wrote that he will be writing a personal statement soon on why he pleaded guilty to one charge (the procession charge was stood down in his case).
It was a lively start to the first day of court proceedings for 19 people accused of demonstrating in front of Parliament House in March.
The 19, who include Singapore Democratic Party chief Chee Soon Juan and his sister Chee Siok Chin, have been charged with taking part in an illegal assembly and a subsequent procession.
The group piled into Court 5 of the Subordinate Courts at 9.30am on Thursday, and extra chairs had to be put in place to accommodate all of them.
The public gallery was filled with about 20 people, including supporters of the SDP and those on trial.
Amid the noise and commotion as the defendants were taking their seats before proceedings started, one of them, blogger Yap Keng Ho, 45, remarked to the rest: 'This is the largest pasar malam in the history of Singapore'.
During the course of proceedings before District Judge Chia Wee Kiat, several of those who were charged rose to ask questions or make applications.
There were requests for copies video clips taken by the police of the March 15 event; one accused sought an adjournment as he wanted to get back to his job; and one asked for the Court to observe a minute's silence for the late opposition politician JB Jeyaretnam, who was to have represented several of the activists.
But the first order of formal business on Thursday morning for District Judge Chia was to deal with the decision by one of the accused, blogger Ng E-Jay, 31, who said that he was pleading guilty.
He told The Straits Times that he had decided to do so just on Wednesday.
Proceedings were then adjourned so that his case could be dealt with before the trial of the remaining 18 accused could continue.
Ng was fined $600, or six days in jail in default, after he admitted to the charge.
From sgpolitics.net: Ng E-Jay wrote that he will be writing a personal statement soon on why he pleaded guilty to one charge (the procession charge was stood down in his case).
MOE To Curb Misleading Ads By Private Schools
The Ministry of Education (MOE) has finally come out to say it will have clearer rules in place to curb false and misleading advertisements by private schools.
Channel News Asia reported that the MOE said the rules will cover the proper use of quality labels, symbols and trademarks by private schools in advertisements and promotional material.
The institutions should also refrain from making untruthful claims about the school and its courses.
Education Minister Ng Eng Hen gave this update on Wednesday in a written reply to questions from Members of Parliament on the regulation and supervision of private schools.
This is part of MOE’s efforts to strengthen the current regulatory framework for private education.
MOE announced in March it will set up an independent Council for Private Education to enforce the enhanced regulatory regime.
Dr Ng said the Council will have the necessary powers to direct corrective measures if private school operators publish misleading advertisements.
The Council will also promote a better understanding of private education sector through consumer awareness and public education programmes to help potential students make informed choices when enrolling for private school courses.
News source: Channel News Asia
Channel News Asia reported that the MOE said the rules will cover the proper use of quality labels, symbols and trademarks by private schools in advertisements and promotional material.
The institutions should also refrain from making untruthful claims about the school and its courses.
Education Minister Ng Eng Hen gave this update on Wednesday in a written reply to questions from Members of Parliament on the regulation and supervision of private schools.
This is part of MOE’s efforts to strengthen the current regulatory framework for private education.
MOE announced in March it will set up an independent Council for Private Education to enforce the enhanced regulatory regime.
Dr Ng said the Council will have the necessary powers to direct corrective measures if private school operators publish misleading advertisements.
The Council will also promote a better understanding of private education sector through consumer awareness and public education programmes to help potential students make informed choices when enrolling for private school courses.
News source: Channel News Asia
Singapore Government: Defamation Suits Are Necessary
The Singapore government has defended itself against a charge of using defamation suits to stifle dissent, saying they are necessary for protection against unfounded allegations by political opponents.
In response to Human Rights Watch's appeal for Singapore's leaders to stop using libel suits to silence its critics, information ministry spokeswoman K. Bhavani said, "In Singapore, opposition politicians have the right to criticise the government and government leaders, but that does not entitle them to tell lies or defame."
He added, "If they do, the leaders must either sue to clear their names and be prepared to be cross examined in open court, or allow the lies to stand unchallenged and the public to believe that the defamations are true."
A judge this month ordered the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), its bankrupt secretary general Chee Soon Juan and his sister, a party member, to pay 610,000 dollars (413,000 US) for defaming the country's leaders.
Human Rights Watch said using defamation laws against critics "makes a mockery of Singapore's claim to be a model democracy."
In response to Human Rights Watch's appeal for Singapore's leaders to stop using libel suits to silence its critics, information ministry spokeswoman K. Bhavani said, "In Singapore, opposition politicians have the right to criticise the government and government leaders, but that does not entitle them to tell lies or defame."
He added, "If they do, the leaders must either sue to clear their names and be prepared to be cross examined in open court, or allow the lies to stand unchallenged and the public to believe that the defamations are true."
A judge this month ordered the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), its bankrupt secretary general Chee Soon Juan and his sister, a party member, to pay 610,000 dollars (413,000 US) for defaming the country's leaders.
Human Rights Watch said using defamation laws against critics "makes a mockery of Singapore's claim to be a model democracy."
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Tak Boleh Tahan!
The trial for the 18 activists charged for protesting outside Parliament House in March this year will begin this Thursday in the Subordinate Courts. It is scheduled to last till 7 Nov 08. Show your support by attending the trial at Subordinate Court No. 5 at 9:30am tomorrow.
According to the Singapore Democrats website, the hearing is the first in the history of Singapore where a group of activists defied the law prohibiting the gathering of 5 or more persons in public. The protest was part of the Tak Boleh Tahan! (can't take it anymore) campaign to highlight poverty in Singapore and the Government's greed in continuing to raise fees and prices even as wages of the people shrink.
The protesters had gathered outside Parliament House on 15 Mar 08 which is also World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD). They were confronted by the police whereupon 12 of them were arrested. They and six others were subsequently charged on two counts:
1. under Section 5(4)(b) Chapter 184 of the Miscellaneous Offences (Public and Nuisance Act) for participating in an assembly,
2. under Section 5(4)(b) Chapter 184 of the Miscellaneous Offences (Public and Nuisance Act) for participating in a procession..
The activists are not only challenging the law as unconstitutional but also the selective enforcement of the law by the police. The Consumer Association of Singapore (CASE) also conducted protests on the same occasion in 2007 and 2008 outside Parliament House but the police did not act against them. CASE is headed by PAP MPs Mr Yeo Guat Kwang (Aljunied GRC) and Dr Teo Ho Pin (Bukit Panjang).
To follow the trial proceedings, please log on to http://yoursdp.org.
The 18 activists charged:
Gandhi Ambalam
Chia Ti Lik
Chong Kai Xiong
Jeffrey George
Jaslyn Go
Chee Siok Chin
Govindan Rajan
Chee Soon Juan
Jufrie Mahmood
Jufri Salim
Surayah Akbar
Ng E-Jay
Seelan Palay
Shafi'ie
Carl Lang
John Tan
Francis Yong
Sylvester Lim
According to the Singapore Democrats website, the hearing is the first in the history of Singapore where a group of activists defied the law prohibiting the gathering of 5 or more persons in public. The protest was part of the Tak Boleh Tahan! (can't take it anymore) campaign to highlight poverty in Singapore and the Government's greed in continuing to raise fees and prices even as wages of the people shrink.
The protesters had gathered outside Parliament House on 15 Mar 08 which is also World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD). They were confronted by the police whereupon 12 of them were arrested. They and six others were subsequently charged on two counts:
1. under Section 5(4)(b) Chapter 184 of the Miscellaneous Offences (Public and Nuisance Act) for participating in an assembly,
2. under Section 5(4)(b) Chapter 184 of the Miscellaneous Offences (Public and Nuisance Act) for participating in a procession..
The activists are not only challenging the law as unconstitutional but also the selective enforcement of the law by the police. The Consumer Association of Singapore (CASE) also conducted protests on the same occasion in 2007 and 2008 outside Parliament House but the police did not act against them. CASE is headed by PAP MPs Mr Yeo Guat Kwang (Aljunied GRC) and Dr Teo Ho Pin (Bukit Panjang).
To follow the trial proceedings, please log on to http://yoursdp.org.
The 18 activists charged:
Gandhi Ambalam
Chia Ti Lik
Chong Kai Xiong
Jeffrey George
Jaslyn Go
Chee Siok Chin
Govindan Rajan
Chee Soon Juan
Jufrie Mahmood
Jufri Salim
Surayah Akbar
Ng E-Jay
Seelan Palay
Shafi'ie
Carl Lang
John Tan
Francis Yong
Sylvester Lim
Racism At Sarah Palin's Rally In Ohio
The US Presidential Election campaigning is heading into its final two weeks and racism is rearing its ugly head. Watch this news report by Al Jazeera.
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