WikiMe, My Job and What I have said as your MP

GE2011 Rally - Ms Lim Hwee Hua and her definition of personal attack

2011-05-04T16:49:00.002+08:00

"Is it just messy or are they holding back till after the elections so that whoever wins Hougang will then inherit the accounts?"

Second Finance Minister and adviser to Aljunied grassroots organisations, Mrs Lim Hwee Hua said her comments above on the finances of Hougang Town Council were not meant as a personal attack on WP chief, Mr Low Thia Khiang.

So, Mrs Lim, teach us then what is considered a personal attack?

What has SM Goh been busy doing during GE 2011?

2011-05-04T15:39:00.003+08:00

Throwing another minister under the bus to protect another

“What mistake has he made? You can take a minister and criticise him for not delivering on perhaps housing and transport. Like Wong Kan Seng you can say he let Mas Selamat escape. George Yeo, what has he done to deserve this? And he is a core member." -- SM Goh.

Having hallucination that majority not concerned about ministerial pay

Describing the issue of ministerial salaries as the Opposition's "favourite flogging horse", Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong said that the "majority" of the population were not concerned about it.

"All they want (to know) is: Have we produced jobs for them, can we look after their medical care, can their medical care be affordable, can we cope with the cost of living, can we deliver good housing at affordable prices? These are the issues that are of concern to them and these are the issues the Government is addressing."

"But, by and large, the people understand," said Mr Goh.

Complaining not able to feel and understand the young ones

"The thinking of the younger ones, they are not at home even during house-to-house visits, which I have done. In Marine Parade, most of them are not at home. So for them, their thinking I'm not too sure. That group they are open, they assess the candidates and their policies before they decide, and they probably will decide at the last minute."

Giving nickname and laughing at other parties

Mr Goh about NSP: "My sense is that it is a "No Substance Party".

"They have just one attraction, the rest are just being carried along. So, am I worried? If the people in Marine Parade GRC vote for that team and I'm out, I think Singapore will be in deep trouble, as simple as that."

GE2011 Rally - PAP's Desmond Choo all out to anger Singaporean women

2011-05-03T14:21:00.000+08:00

"If your wife is unable to cook, there’s no point. You must choose a wife who is able to do things for you" -- Desmond Choo, PAP Hougang candidate

After starting the flame in Hougang residents' eyes by commenting that their houses, the place they live in, are slums, Desmond Choo upgraded his insulting skill to piss off all Singapore women.

Nice move to win the election.

GE2011 Rally - PAP's Teo Ser Luck and his auction

2011-05-03T10:27:00.002+08:00

My advice to Mr Teo Ser Luck: At least have a heart and try to write a speech with real content.

You meant it is against the spirit of democracy to vote against you?

2011-04-29T11:08:00.003+08:00

"THE Workers' Party (WP) is making use of Aljunied GRC voters by placing on them the burden of pushing the opposition cause. It's an emotional dilemma for many people,' said George Yeo. 'I get many people (writing) on my Facebook wall who feel very uncomfortable about this. They said, because of this, even if they vote for WP, please do not feel that we have anything against you.'

He added: 'I find that it's against the spirit of democracy.'

Just when the whole of Singapore (well, almost) has finally gotten a taste of democracy, the freedom to choose, the chance to vote, Mr Yeo feels that it is against the spirit of democracy to vote for the opposition.

Does Higher bus, LRT frequencies come with Higher fares?

2011-04-29T10:38:00.003+08:00

"Higher bus, LRT frequencies if you vote for me" -- Lam Pin Min

People's Action Party (PAP) candidate in Senkang West Single-Member Constituency (SMC) Lam Pin Min has promised his residents he would fight for higher frequency in bus and LRT services if he were re-elected.

Wondered how can Mr Lam make such promise...

Did he recently treated the SMRT CEO for lunch? Or did he recently played golf with the SBS Transit CEO and won the bet so the SBS Transit CEO has to pay with more buses?

And if he did managed to get these money-making public transport CEOs to promise higher buses and LRT frequencies, was there a fine print stating higher fares are required for that promise?

Vivian Balakrishnan - punching below the wrong belt

2011-04-27T17:14:00.004+08:00

The PAP statement, undersigned by Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and candidates Liang Eng Hwa, Christopher de Souza and Sim Ann, reads as follows:

"A video has been posted on the internet showing Vincent Wijeysingha participating at a forum which discussed the promotion of the gay cause in Singapore.

"The discussion at the forum also touched on sex with boys and whether the age of consent for boys should be 14 years of age.

"In the video, Wijeysingha was introduced as being from the SDP.

"In addition to other comments, Wijeysingha stated: 'I think the gay community has to rally ourselves. Perhaps one outcome of today's forum would be, for those of us who are interested, to come together to further consider how we can address the 377 issue as well as further rights issues in relation to gays and lesbians.'

"We believe that candidates should be upfront about their political agenda and motives, so that voters are able to make an informed choice.

"The issue is not Wijeysingha's sexual orientation. That is a matter for him.

"The video raises the question on whether Wijeysingha will now pursue this cause in the political arena and what is the SDP's position on the matter."

And the video actually says...

So for most of us without hearing problem, ask yourself this: Did Vincent Wijeysingha himself ever so briefly mentioned anything about sex with boys or lowering the age of consent for boys? Because I didn't. So if like me, the rest of you did not hear anything, either Vivian Balakrishnan was hearing things or he had accidentally shouted his deepest desire out loud.

Of course, with such accusation, the national newspapers is quick to top its headline with "Is Singapore Ready for Gay MP?". If this did not boost sales for the day, I don't know what else will.

As a result, majority, if not all, of the netizens in Singapore were disgusted by Vivian Balakrishnan. But so what? Vivian Balakrishnan still had the upper hand because majority of the conservative Singaporeans will now vote for him instead of the opposition because they are not "ready for a Gay MP".

Lui Tuck Yew - walking around without listening

2011-04-26T18:17:00.004+08:00

Lui Tuck Yew Shocks a Citizen During His Walkabout

Resident: Could you please tell me why I should vote for you?

Lui Tuck Yew: You should NOT vote for the Opposition because they ...

Resident: The Opposition? No, I want to know about you. Please tell me why I should vote for you.

Lui Tuck Yew: You should vote for the PAP because we ....

Resident: The PAP? No, no. I'm not interested in the PAP or the Opposition. I'm interested to know about you. Why should I vote for you?

Lui Tuck Yew: We could spend all night talking about me! (pointing to the newsletter) It's all in the newsletter!

Either Lui Tuck Yew is not listening, or perhaps to him, we are just noises that can be ignored.

Chan Chun Sing - When you selected an ah beng to be your candidate

2011-04-21T22:46:00.004+08:00

http://www.razor.tv/site/servlet/segment/main/specials/General_Election/62556.html

Former Army Chief Chan Chun Sing. Would really like to write a transcript of his speech here, but have problem understanding his ah beng accent.

Read more about BG Chan Chun Sing in "Wake up Chan Chun Sing!"

Yaacob Ibrahim - Always ready to shove aside his own mother tongue as a foreign language

2011-04-21T10:58:00.000+08:00

"Teaching Malay as a foreign language rather than a mother tongue could be one way to halt the decline in fluency among the community"

Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs, Yaacob Ibrahim. The same man who ignored the old canal that was too small and called the Bukit Timah flood a "freak" event.

Read more about Yaacob Ibrahim in "Yaacob Ibrahim - Is this guy worth his million dollar salary?"

Indranee Rajah - Who believes in fast policies, not sound policies

2011-04-20T23:18:00.001+08:00

WP's fictional First World Parliament
Source: Straits Times

MS SYLVIA Lim's attempt to explain what the Workers' Party is saying exposes the inconsistencies in the WP's position ('What First World Parliament means: Sylvia'; April 15).

Ms Lim, astonishingly, says that WP's vision of a First World Parliament has no reference to any particular developed country! It is obvious why she refuses to name any specific country - there is no successful model that she can point to.

On the other hand, there are numerous examples of multi-party legislatures stuck in gridlock and engaged in political theatre, while governance, the economy and the people suffer.

The WP paints a picture of a Parliament in which it would simply act as a check on the Government, in order to help it govern better. The WP would, so it says, act only in the national interests, leaving aside party interests.

No such opposition party exists anywhere in the world, because any party with such an agenda is effectively resigning itself to never being in power or forming a government.

Indeed this is contrary to what the WP says it eventually wants to do, and to the stances its MPs have taken in Parliament up to now.

If the WP really only wants to speak up in Parliament and question government policies, and act as a check on the Government, then the Non-Constituency MP scheme provides for exactly that. But in truth, the WP wants more MPs in Parliament to form a base for greater electoral success in the future.

They will act as a bloc to bargain with the Government. They will also seek to block constitutional amendments - thereby again preventing effective governance. Ms Lim has said as much publicly.

This is exactly what we see in the United States, Taiwan, Belgium and other similar systems, which the WP claims it does not have in mind.

The result? Policies which would benefit the people cannot get passed. Many thoughtful American observers lament that this is happening in the US right now. In reality, the WP's vision is a 'Fictional World Parliament'.

"They will act as a bloc to bargain with the Government. They will also seek to block constitutional amendments - thereby again preventing effective governance."

MP Indranee Rajah. Like the rest of her comrades, having opposition in the parliament will bring down the productivity of the whole government. Instead of blindly signing off policies efficiently, the government will have to waste time "fixing" opposition, elaborating on empty policies and finding excuses for flaws that were brought up. And the worse scenario she could imagine is how the opposition can have the power to block fishy constitutional amendments.

Read more about Indranee Rajah in "Why MP Indranee Rajah needs a class in elementary logic".

Lim Swee Say - Not sure what is the party's direction for the country but we'll get there. I guess.

2011-04-19T23:45:00.003+08:00

"Along the way there will be uncertainties, there will be unexpected events and so on. If we are to jump over the wall, we'll jump over the wall. If we have to go around the wall, we'll go around the wall. But what is important is that, yes, we may adapt to situations in the short term, right, but in the long term, over the next three years, five years, the direction must be very clear"

Labour Chief Lim Swee Say attempting to explain why the PAP's manifesto appears to be missing the "micro" details and policies addressing hot-button issues. And while trying to follow him on his explanation on his party's direction, I got lost along the way. Perhaps due to an unexpected wall which I do not know whether to jump over or to go around.

A reminder of why you should vote for them - Pasir Ris - Punggol MPs

2011-03-30T13:55:00.003+08:00

"It will be sad if people vented their frustrations on other new Singaporeans who are here to find a better life. As a politician, I can stand the heat. When you ask Singaporean residents for feedback, they will complain that they have to wait more than 15 minutes for the bus. But when you ask new immigrants, they are happy that the bus comes in under 30 minutes."
-- Charles Chong, Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC MP

“Frankly, I think you give me more credit than I deserve, but I’m very comfortable in a GRC.”
-- Charles Chong, Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC MP, when a resident at Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC had suggested during a dialogue session involving Law Minister and Second Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam and some other PAP MPs that a single seat be carved out from the GRC so that his Member of Parliament, Charles Chong, could “fight solo“.

"Maybe it made lesser mortals envious and they thought maybe he was a little bit boastful...would people have taken offence if his wife (a senior investment counsellor at a bank) had paid for everything?"
-- Charles Chong, Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC MP

But all these are nothing as compared to the majestic screw up of YOG and one of its honorable parent - Teo Ser Luck.

A reminder of why you should vote for them - Marine Parade MPs

2011-03-25T11:23:00.002+08:00

“First, we need to make sure that they are called new Singaporeans rather than new migrants. They are not even new migrants – they are an old hand at migrating, and want a new life.”
-- Seah Kian Peng, MP of Marine Parade GRC

"The figures may be right, but the conclusion could be wrong."
-- Seah Kian Peng questioning The Prices and Earnings 2009 survey by the Swiss bank which stated that the Singaporean worker’s wages has decreased over the past 3 years, while the cost of living has shot up.

And the biggest shocker...

"I was an employee of GIC in 1999. I was offered by Ren Ci Hospital and Medicare Centre to be Director, Medical & Paramedical Services in January 2000.

However to leave GIC, I had to pay S$560,000 to settle my outstanding staff housing loan. I agreed to join Ren Ci on condition that I received a loan of S$60,000, to pay off in part the amount of S$560,000 and I paid the remaining S$500,000 from bank loan.

When I borrowed the sum of S$60,000 from Ren Ci, I was not an MP. It was lent to me as staff, and was part of the terms on which I agreed to join Ren Ci. I have since repaid the sum fully."
-- Dr Ong Seh Hong, MP for Marine Parade GRC and COO of Ren Ci Hospital

A reminder of why you should vote for them - Holland-Bukit Timah MPs

2011-03-24T13:13:00.002+08:00

"We may be the highest paid, but at the same time it is also important for them to understand we're probably the most effective, the best civil service in the world. And this came about because AUPE and PSD (Public Service Division), we work hand in hand, so on the one hand, we negotiate for fair terms, for good terms, for responsive rewards for civil servants."
-- Labour chief Lim Swee Say

"It's a solution (that) looks easy... but actually we don't believe it will serve the interest of low wage workers of Singapore."
-- Labour chief Lim Swee Say on why minimum wage will not work in Singapore

"All except one frog who did reach the top. And when asked afterwards why he ignored the crowd, the frog said: 'I'm deaf. I can't hear them.' We never give up. We are like the little frog. We are deaf to all these criticisms. So instead of telling us that low-wage workers are having problems, why not be part of the solution?"
-- Labour chief Lim Swee Say

"Even the newspaper report, I didn't even know about it until I read about it in the papers. It shows that I almost didn't care. I had more important things to do, I had good feedback and good suggestions from so many people, and I focused on that. I didn't lose sleep about that."
-- Vivian Balakrishnan, when everybody was trying to tell him about the screw-ups in YOG

"To deny them the right to call themselves Singaporean is very, very selfish. It's very unsportsmanlike... They have made great sacrifices to be here."
-- Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Vivian Balakrishnan

“How much do you want? Do you want three meals in a hawker centre, food court or restaurant?”
-- Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Vivian Balakrishnan on why we should not increase the monthly PA allowance so that its recipients can have three basic meals a day

“I want to clarify that the mayors do not decide on the salaries, the increments, the bonuses of all our staff at the CDC. The mayors are political appointment holders. We chair the CDC to spearhead the CDC, to build a social safety net and help the people. That is our job. If you ask me, I do not know the salaries; I do not know the bonuses of all my staff.”
-- Dr Teo Ho Pin when questioned about two staff member of Northwest CDC receiving 8 months bonus

“They (residents) should thank the Town Council for working hard to come up with a diversified portfolio to generate income so that residents do not have to fork out more money.”
-- Dr Teo Ho Pin about why it makes sense to invest constituency’s funds in high risk funds

A reminder of why you should vote for them - Aljunied MPs

2011-03-23T13:32:00.003+08:00

"There would be a group who currently, the ones who are travelling single trips and shorter trips who are not benefiting, but we hope that if they review it say on a weekly travel pattern basis instead of looking at it on a per-trip basis ... look at it as a weekly travel pattern and sometimes also in terms of what is to come later on, more choices ... in due course, I am sure they will benefit as well."
-- Lim Hwee Hua, Second Minister for Transport and Finance

"Singaporeans' concern over immigration issues is understandable but they must avoid developing irrational fears toward new immigrants."
-- Lim Hwee Hua, Second Minister for Transport and Finance

"We will not introduce new cross-country services, because those are really legacies of the past. But we will review every (existing) one to see whether they need to be sustained."
-- Lim Hwee Hua, Second Minister for Transport and Finance

And here's the most interesting piece: Vote Zainul Abidin Rasheed Out Facebook group.

Singapore civil servants should have no shame in getting the highest pay

2011-01-10T10:56:00.003+08:00

Labour chief Lim Swee Say said Singapore should not be shy about having one of the highest paid civil services in the world.

He said this is because Singapore's civil service is the world's best and most effective and part of the credit must go to the public sector's biggest union, The Amalgamated Union of Public Employees (AUPE).

"We may be the highest paid, but at the same time it is also important for them to understand we're probably the most effective, the best civil service in the world. And this came about because AUPE and PSD (Public Service Division), we work hand in hand, so on the one hand, we negotiate for fair terms, for good terms, for responsive rewards for civil servants.

"And yet at the same time, we mobilise our ground to ensure that the civil service always move ahead, stay ahead to do their best for the citizens of Singapore, because that is our purpose, our mission."

And this is from the man who wants Singaporean to work "Cheaper, Better, Faster".

I'm not sure where did he get that hunch that Singapore's civil servants are really that good and best in the world, but this does helps to prove his point that he is but a deaf frog at the bottom of the well.

Now they suddenly realised there are shady real estate agents in Singapore!

2010-12-08T14:28:00.003+08:00

"Since this is the first time we are regulating in a formal way, I would expect a lot of pent-up demand for such an avenue for them to vent their complaints ... I would expect this to taper off over time."

- National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan, who was not surprised by the deluge of complaints on real estate agents. Within five weeks of operations, the nCouncil for Estate Agencies (CEA) launched to regulate the real estate industry has already received about 150 complaints.

The question then is, what took them so long to set up the regulator?

Nevermind the rest of the world, we'll still get 2.5 months of bonus for doing nothing!

2010-12-03T10:04:00.005+08:00

Labour Chief Lim Swee Say said he would not be pushing for every company to match the two—and—a—half months year—end bonus for civil servants. He explained performances across different industries would be different.

Well, of course. Just listen to what Lim Der Shing, CEO of JobsCentral.com.sg was saying.

"There are still many economic trouble-spots around the world and there's always a danger of pullback for Singapore. Even in Singapore, not all sectors have rebounded evenly, and I suspect some SMEs and industries may have difficulty giving good bonuses even this year."

And apparently it must have sounded perfectly logical and seemed totally fair for these buggers to receive 2.5 months of bonus for doing nothing. Oh wait. I must apologise for not being fair there. To be fair, we should pay them for the effort in screwing up YOG and keeping the flood water in Orchard.

If Singapore is attacked by terrorists, you know who to blame

2010-11-11T13:32:00.003+08:00

"Singapore boasts one of the lowest drug abuse rates in the world, and its streets are 'now safer than they ever have been'.

And despite its status as a 'prized trophy target for terrorists', Singapore has yet to be hit by such an attack."

-- Law Minister K. Shanmugam

We can understand it is human to carry your predecessor's balls when he hand over the burning torch to you, especially when he has done quite a job in keeping the fire burning.

But saying publicly that Singapore is a 'prized trophy target for terrorists' that is yet to be hit by any attack is like announcing in a hacker forum that your company's security system is unbreakable.

Only at 75% best? He must be talking about statboards

2010-11-01T08:55:00.002+08:00

“There are not that many people in Singapore who really want to be extremely good at what they are doing.

We are always in danger in Singapore of mistaking excellence for competence. Most people in Singapore are happy to be competent, above average than exceptional,” he added.

I half suspect that once we get to 75 per cent of that level — which is quite good — you think that’s good enough, you’re already better than the rest in Singapore.”

-- Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Finance Minister

Our minister must be looking at his department when he made this comment, as we all know how statboard workers will make 100% effort to taichi their jobs to the guy next table/door/department so that they only have to do 75% of their work.

Someone please take this minister to a field visit to the nearest factory/MNC office/SME office to have a feel of what it's like to be working at 110% effort. Can Mr PM please sign the approval slip for him to go out of the office?

The only thing we want to hear about the YOG are positive comments

2010-08-27T14:42:00.005+08:00

"Even the newspaper report, I didn't even know about it until I read about it in the papers. It shows that I almost didn't care. I had more important things to do, I had good feedback and good suggestions from so many people, and I focused on that. I didn't lose sleep about that."
-- Vivian Balakrishnan, a Minister

"More people would learn from their mistakes if they weren't so busy denying them."
-- Harold J. Smith, a Canadian Mohawk Indian actor

Oh how highly we have positioned ourselves in the name of YOG!

2010-08-25T23:16:00.005+08:00

"I think this is not a trifling amount. But it is an amount that will give us value for money in terms of positioning ourselves, in terms of marketing ourselves, in terms of making sure we are on everyone’s radar screen the next time they make an investment decision."
-- Community Development, Youth and Sports Minister Vivian Balakrishnan

So let's see where are we positioning ourselves and find our spot on the world's radar screen...

YOG food poisoning - 21 volunteers, 16 from East Coast Park and five from the Singapore Indoor Stadium, were hit by food poisoning after consuming their meals while on duty.

Food fit-for-maids for YOG volunteers - Change in caterer for meals provided to Youth Olympic Games (YOG) volunteers after a volunteer took a picture of the meal he was served and posted it on his Facebook page, igniting a furore. The meal, served in a plastic box, comprised a mound of rice, a meat fillet and six pieces of long bean.

Half-empty YOG venues with tickets sold out - Organisers were forced to correct a ticketing problem that has seen scores of empty seats at the Games although tickets have been sold out.

YOG blackout - A circuit trip at the Toa Payoh Swimming Complex during an evening saw the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) boys’ 10m platform finals delayed for close to 15 minutes. The incident happened while China’s Qiu Bo jumped off the platform in his fourth round dive. While those who were at the venue managed to catch his dive live, TV viewers at home could only see the floodlights going black in the background of their screens when Qiu made his dive.

Dumb and Dumber YOG commentators - Over at the forum of reputed gymnast magazine “International Gymnast“, angry and bemused fans took turns to take pot shots at the two commentators for the gymnastics events. Even former national gymnast champion Mr Alex Liang had to let it out on her Facebook page.

Adidas and Nike not allowed in YOG venues - MOE issued an advisory to schools that students going to watch the Games should not bring water bottles with the Nike or adidas logo, only to back off after much complaints from the Internet.

Arrested for hating YOG - 27 year old project executive Mr Abdul Malik Mohammed Ghazali was arrested by the police for his criticisms of the PAP minister in charge of the YOG Dr Vivian Balakrishnan on the “I hate YOG” Facebook. He had written that it was time to “burn the sports minister and the PAP” and to “rally together and vote them out”.

So Mr Minister, are we in the correct position now?

The people were never blaming the athletes and volunteers

2010-08-19T10:06:00.005+08:00

"I wish the cynics would just focus their negative energy on me, and let the athletes and volunteers have the time of their lives."
-- Community Development, Youth and Sports Minister Vivian Balakrishnan

Hang on.

Mr Minister, let's just step aback and take a look at what the people have been unhappy about...

How the government now expects to spend S$387 million on the inaugural Youth Olympic Games (YOG) - a three-fold increase from initial estimate of S$122 million in 2008, when the republic won the bid to host the Games.

How the volunteers were fed sub-standard food, and worse, even escalated to food poisoning.

How school children are warned not to bring any branded water bottle to the venues, particularly from Nike and Adidas.

Ho the parents of Daryl Tan, Singapore's first YOG medalist, missed his parents at the match because they could not get any ticket, when the venue turned up half-empty because many of the empty seats were tickets that were allocated to schools.

How the government suggested and insulted Singaporeans that they are not gracious enough to give way to YOG vehicles, and thus a fine has to be in place.

Seriously, the list could go on, and none of the criticism was ever vaguely related to the athletes and volunteers.

No sir, it is the authority that the people are unhappy with. Not the athletes and volunteers.

The YOG venue may be half-empty, but sorry, tickets sold out!

2010-08-17T18:00:00.003+08:00

When asked about the situation of the embarrassing YOG ticket sales, this is what Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, Teo Ser Luck had to say...

"I wouldn’t say we are disappointed, I think we are quite happy with the ticket sales so far but I also hope more Singaporeans will also support the games and Team Singapore."

But when Singaporeans decided to be supportive, all tickets to the half-empty venues are sold out.

'Toughest fight of my life'
Daryl is Singapore's bronze-medal hero
Source: Todayonline.com

SINGAPORE - Daryl Tan thrilled a nation when he secured Singapore's first medal yesterday in the inaugural Youth Olympic Games.

The taekwondo exponent reached the semi-finals of the 55kg division and was guaranteed a medal, with no play-off for third place.

His bout in the last four against Iran's world junior champion Kaveh Rezaei was watched by many VIPs, among them Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean and Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Vivian Balakrishnan.

But not his mum and dad, Amy Yeoh and Raymond Tan, who were unable to get tickets.

It was a shame, especially when Hall 401 at the International Convention Centre at Suntec City, which holds a capacity of 840, was half-empty when Daryl took on the Iranian star. According to a source close to the event, many of the empty seats were tickets that were allocated to schools.

The schoolchildren missed out on a special occasion for Singapore.

If this is not a number game, I don't know what is.

We must robustly defend the integrity of our institutions of justice and law enforcement. Start by finding it.

2010-08-04T11:06:00.005+08:00

"We must robustly defend the integrity of our institutions of justice and law enforcement when anyone maliciously attacks and undermines the public confidence and trust which have been earned over the years."

-- Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng

And that is with the assumption that the integrity of our institutions of justice and law enforcement is indeed sound and effective. But is it? Let's check...

Former MOM officer jailed six months for corruption
Source: TodayOnline.com

SINGAPORE - A former senior investigation officer with the Ministry of Manpower was sentenced to six months' jail yesterday for corruption.

Gordon Tan Hock Lye, 34, who pleaded guilty, was also ordered to pay a penalty of $1,000.

In January 2006, Tan told a female Chinese national who had been caught by the police for working at a massage parlour that he could help close the case for $3,000.

On Jan 23, 2006, he contacted Ms Wu Huixia and arranged to meet her at a coffee shop along Joo Chiat Road for the money.

Ms Wu said she only had $1,000. When the two met at the coffeeshop, Ms Wu passed Tan the cash. He kept the money and was arrested by Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) officers soon after.

Unknown to Tan, Ms Wu had approached the CPIB the previous day to lodge a complaint.

Yesterday, District Judge Jill Tan asked the prosecution why there was a delay in bringing the case to court.

The prosecution said investigations were ongoing all the time and cited Justice V K Rajah's comments that the CPIB had taken four to five years to complete investigations in an appeal case that was heard before him in June.

DJ Tan said later in her judgement: "Given that you (Tan) were caught red-handed, I'm unable to see why this case has taken so long to come to the court."

Tan had previously been charged with computer misuse for allegedly helping two Chinese masseuses modify the renewal of their special passes in 2005.

The court agreed to the prosecution's application for a discharge not amounting to an acquittal for the two charges. It was not explained why this was agreed upon.

A former MOM senior investigation officer told a female Chinese national who had been caught by the police for working at a massage parlour that he could help close the case for $3,000. Enough said about his integrity as a member of our institutions of justice and law enforcement.

But hang on... the offense was committed in January 2006, yet the CPIB had taken four to five years to complete investigations on a man that is caught red-handed. That illustrates the efficiency of our institutions of justice and law enforcement. They certainly need to get better and betterer.

And here's the best part. This former MOM senior investigation officer is not new to breaking the law. He had previously been charged with computer misuse for allegedly helping two Chinese masseuses modify the renewal of their special passes in 2005. One may really wonder, how did someone with such record stayed on as a senior investigation officer?

Letting 100,000 extra foreigners conquering Singapore is a good sign

2010-07-22T13:20:00.004+08:00

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that more than 100,000 extra foreigners are set to enter the workforce this year.

Commenting on this, labour chief Lim Swee Say said: 'It's a good sign, because it shows that at a time when many countries are having a shortage of jobs, we are having a shortage of workers.'

Regardless how many locals are going to lose their job opportunities to the cheaper foreigners.

Regardless how much the cheap labor is going to drive the country's average wage further down.

Regardless how much more overcrowded the public transport is going to get.

Regardless how much more difficult it is going to be for the locals to get housing, or even places in schools for their children.

So how is this a good sign? I suppose Mr Lim is clueless.

Do you want cleaners going into your household to do the cleaning?

2010-07-14T13:30:00.005+08:00

"When we have a littering problem and we have a cleanliness problem, the conservancy costs will go up because the workers will have to come in more regularly.

That would increase the cost because from a normal cleaning situation where you just clean the common corridors and the lift lobbies, now you have to go into the individual households to try and clean it.

This is unnecessary for the residents because the higher the cost, it will be transferred to the residents. We do not want that to happen.

We want them to try and minimise the need for them to pay extra just because of irresponsible behaviour. At this point in time, we have not raised the conservancy charges at all because we have been able to manage, but I think we can continue to contain it even better if residents take responsibility.

The chances of increasing costs will be there if we do not contain this, because the idea is to look at the natural situation where previously you will not need workers to go into individual households."

-- Dr Maliki Osman, Parliamentary Secretary for National Development

Workers to go into individual households to clean? I have read the passage over and over again and still got no idea what he is trying to say. To stop high-rise littering, cleaners will go into the individual households to try and clean it? If high-rise littering were to continue, the rubbish will still end up at the foot of the blocks, which is already been cleaned by the cleaners. So where is this "going into individual households" coming from? My guess? Dr Osman has no idea what he is talking as well because most probably he don't stay in a HDB flat.

And is raising the service and conservancy charges the way to deter high-rise littering? Are we getting to the root of the problem? Is it fair to make the rest pay for the littering few? This is exactly why chewing gum is banned in Singapore. Because of the irresponsible minority.

All will benefit from distance-based fare system. Eventually.

2010-07-12T09:39:00.004+08:00

"There would be a group who currently, the ones who are travelling single trips and shorter trips who are not benefiting, but we hope that if they review it say on a weekly travel pattern basis instead of looking at it on a per-trip basis ... look at it as a weekly travel pattern and sometimes also in terms of what is to come later on, more choices ... in due course, I am sure they will benefit as well."
-- Lim Hwee Hua, Second Minister for Transport and Finance

Apparently the public has mistaken the goodwill of the authorities again. Apparently they must benefit from the new distance-based fare system. As advised by Ms Lim, if not per trip, then daily, or weekly, or monthly, or even yearly. If they still don't see their savings in one year, they should look at it in a long term perspective, like 10 years. Somewhere down the years, they must benefit. That is how far ahead the transport authority has looked and planned.

Still not convinced? Then take and swallow the second reason from Ms Lim. They are paying ahead for what is to come later, like more choices of trains and buses. So they will benefit. Eventually. Really.

Singaporeans who don't support foreign-born athletes are small-minded, unfair and very very selfish

2010-06-24T14:01:00.004+08:00

When asked about his views on the need to engage foreign talent in local sports, particularly that from China, Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Vivian Balakrishnan said: "I believe that the survival and prosperity of Singapore depend on our remaining an open society - a society able to attract and absorb and integrate talent of all shapes, sizes, races, languages, religions, countries. In other words, do not judge people simply on where they are born."

Dr Balakrishnan went on to refer to those who view Singapore's foreign-born athletes as 'less of a Singaporean, or less of a champion', as 'small-minded', 'unfair' and 'very, very selfish'.

"To deny them the right to call themselves Singaporean is very, very selfish. It's very unsportsmanlike... They have made great sacrifices to be here," he added.

How touching. Rather than investing on developing local sportsmen, Singapore has taken the short cut by buying sportsmen off the market. And sure these foreigners did make great sacrifices. Like sacrificing their little pay and no fame in their countries to come all the way here to make big bucks and be famous. And of course they will stay in Singapore and contribute to the country after they have achieved fame and money, right? Er... right?

Orchard Road flood is another freak event that occurs once in 50 years?

2010-06-16T11:40:00.005+08:00

In November 2009, heavy rain submerged parts of Bukit Timah and Minister for the Environment & Water Resources Yaacob Ibrahim said it was a 'freak' event that occurs once in 50 years.

"What happened was very unusual. The intensity was tremendous.", he said.

Fast-forward to 2010, not 2059. In fact, less than one year later on 16 June 2010, Orchard Road becomes Orchard River.

Interestingly, even earlier in 1999, the Ministry of Environment said that for a flood to hit anywhere in Singapore, it takes a combination of high tides and about 100mm of rainfall within an hour. And Orchard Road is protected by its mighty rain drain - the Stamford Canal.

Why Orchard Road will never flood…

Less is the new more for Singapore Arts Festival

2010-06-14T14:30:00.002+08:00

When closing the Singapore Arts Festival, Acting Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts Lui Tuck Yew noting that there was a growing interest in the arts, even though fewer people are attending ticketed productions.

Attendance for this year's 29 ticketed productions had not matched last year's 'exceptional' numbers, but about the same amount of revenue was collected from this year's ticketed shows. Meaning, the fewer people who still have vast interest in arts are made to pay more.

So... more expensive tickets -> fewer attendees -> more successful?

Which means next year we should have even more expensive tickets for the Singapore Arts Festival so that we are even more successful?

Interesting elite logic.

Singaporeans should vote for PAP because they know which direction they want to take Singapore to?

2010-06-11T09:14:00.004+08:00

“People should decide what kind of government they want for the next five years and not just base their votes on seasonal topics. We have a tried and tested short- and long-term plan, and know which direction we want to take Singapore to.”

-- Michael Palmer, Member of Parliament (MP) for Pasir Ris-Punggol

Let's look at the recent example of a mistake made in a tried and tested short-term plan:

After Education Minister Dr Ng Eng Hen spoke to Singaporeans nonchalantly that "high weighting given to mother tongue languages in the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) is now under review and could be reduced", the minister accidentally triggered public rage and a gathering of two thousands over people (including some big shots in the Chinese society) at the Speakers' Corner to sign a petition. Finally the Prime Minister had to come out to cover the mess he made and assure the people that what Dr Ng said was not true.

Finally, Dr Ng gave a typical half-hearted bureaucratic reply: "But I should have chosen my words more carefully and apologise for creating that wrong impression."

And not forgetting a rare example of a mistake made in a tried and tested long-term plan, by the honorable flawless MM Lee:

Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew said his insistence on bilingualism in the early days of education policy was “wrong” which caused many students to give up learning the Chinese language.

"We started the wrong way. We insisted on ting xie (listening), mo xie (dictation) – madness! We had teachers who were teaching in completely-Chinese schools. And they did not want to use any English to teach English-speaking children Chinese and that turned them off completely."

Coincidentally, both tried and tested short- and long-term mistakes impacted the education of our young. The future generation of Singaporeans.

Why should Singaporeans vote for the PAP again?

Sure you can pay the elderly cleaner $300 a month!

2010-05-26T11:37:00.005+08:00

"We don't have a minimum wage for Singapore, whether local workers or migrant workers."

-- MOM permanent secretary Loh Khum Yean, when migrant welfare group Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) asked for a minimum wage for domestic workers.

And how poorly paid are low wage workers in Singapore? Find out the truth from the mouth of an ex-CEO of NTUC.

It is just novelty factor at play and the IRs are not turning Singaporeans into gamblers

2010-05-19T09:15:00.005+08:00

It is reported that Singapore's two casino operators have collected about $70 million in entry levies as of May 10. While it may be apparent that many of the casinos' patrons so far seem to be Singaporeans, and that more Singaporeans are becoming gamblers, Mr Iswaran responded that the "novelty factor" was at play and may not accurately reflect the situation one or two years down the road.

"The agencies are monitoring the situation closely, and once we have a better sense of the patterns and trends, then I think we'll know how the measures (against problem gambling) we've put in place are working,"

-- Minister of State (Trade and Industry) S Iswaran

We should see.

But on the other hand, at least we know the casinos are not gonna lose money, like what some western press predicted, because hey, we've got enough Singaporean gamblers to support them!

Dummy is the new Layman

2010-05-13T14:28:00.004+08:00

“If I was calling them idiots, I would have used ‘idiots'"

-- Philip Yeo Liat Kok, chairman of Spring Singapore and Special Advisor for Economic Development in the Prime Minister's office, who definitely has problem in the English language. He explained that in his remarks about people who buy applications for Apple products, he used the word “dummies” to mean “laymen, which is the major market” and not as an insult.

According to Dictionary.com:

Dummy –noun Informal . a stupid person; dolt.

Idiot –noun an utterly foolish or senseless person.

Apple applications are for dummies

2010-05-12T18:10:00.003+08:00

"So there is where people buy 99 cents, 1 dollar, all kinds of useless applications but they like it. You know, you need gullible customers to make money... I always tell my daughter, try to make a product to sell to the dummies, because there are 99% dummies, maybe 1 or 2% genius."

-- Philip Yeo Liat Kok, chairman of Spring Singapore and Special Advisor for Economic Development in the Prime Minister's office, who obviously has problem in grammar and.. oh, counting.

No funding for you if you're criticising instead of praising the Government

2010-05-10T15:00:00.002+08:00

"We will not fund projects which are incompatible with the core values promoted by the Government and society or disparage the Government."

-- NAC arts development director Elaine Ng,
when asked why local theatre company Wild Rice has had its annual grant from the National Arts Council cut by $20,000.

More raids with more prostitutes nabbed, but don't worry

2010-05-04T10:14:00.004+08:00

Member of Parliament Christopher de Souza (Holland-Bukit Timah), who previously raised the issue in Parliament of the rising number of arrests of women soliciting, told MediaCorp that recent raids are more of a "deterrent" than anything else.

The cat-and-mouse game of vice crackdowns
Source: TodayOnline.com

... There have been no less than 10 raids on different days reported in Today and The Straits Times, in operations carried out between January and April by law enforcement agencies. These include landmark anti-vice operations online.

In contrast, there was just one raid reported on during the same period last year.

Even as the crackdowns have taken on a higher profile this year, the number of foreign women nabbed for vice has been climbing since 2006, when 4,310 were arrested. In 2008, the figure was 5,047 and last year, it was 7,614...

... Joo Chiat's Mr Chee believes "our social visit pass process is too liberal". "It was set out with the objective of driving up tourist numbers, but it has also served as an open though unintended invitation to women who ply the trade," he said.

During a recent raid at Orchard Towers, one woman who was not arrested told MediaCorp: "Yes, there are a lot of raids now, so we have to be careful. But a lot of girls still prefer to come to Singapore ... Places like Hong Kong turn us away at immigration."

Best quote of the year - "Why am I here?"

2010-04-30T23:49:00.003+08:00

"Why Am I Here?"
-- President SR Nathan

If you run a company and your million dollars worker asks you "Why am I here?", and upon hearing that you didn't fire him... you must be a Saint.

But seriously, since last two President elections were walkovers with absolutely nobody else in the whole country who is more suitable for the position (as you see, talent is scare in Singapore, that's why we need to bring in more new immigrants), I believe quite a number of Singaporeans are eager for the answer too.

You must pay for the quality of the person you want

2010-04-16T16:59:00.001+08:00

"Our attitude is: you must pay for the quality of the person you want, and pay for the responsibility of the job which you want the person to do.

And what can be more responsible than running a central bank or running an economy or running an education system, where you're not only dealing with billions of dollars but where you make a mistake, the livelihoods and the futures of millions of people will be at stake.

You want the best person and you want him to be properly motivated and focused on his job and not based on a revolving door."

-- The Prime Minister, when asked about the high salaries paid to top government officials in Singapore.

Not true that employers prefer foreigners over Singaporeans though the government is hiring big time in Taiwan

2010-04-08T16:19:00.005+08:00

Investigations by a tripartite panel that looks at work discrimination issues found that the accusations that employers prefer to hire foreigners over Singaporeans were invariably unfounded.

"In the cases we have intercepted, employers say this is based on the qualifications of the person and not nationalities."

-- Madam Halimah Yacob, MP of Jurong GRC, also co-chairman of the Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices (Tafep)

It is not easy to keep a straight and innocent face and convince the locals that employers really prefer them over foreigners, when on the same day the Taiwan press decided to report that Singapore is employing big time in Taiwan and willing to pay thrice what the Taiwanese are getting to lure them over.

Will Singapore adopt new political attitude? Yes, our teachers lacked confidence

2010-04-06T12:44:00.002+08:00

Responding to a student who asked if Singapore would adopt a new political attitude or stick to its Asian values stance, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean said: 'We need to be more self-confident.'

He related how when he became education minister in 1997, he was surprised to find that teachers lacked confidence in themselves, even though they were doing a great job.

'Everybody was telling them that they were doing the wrong things,' he said. 'I said: How can this be? People are coming to learn from us, see how we teach, why we are successful. Yet our teachers don't have self-confidence.'

-- Teo Chee Hean, Deputy Prime Minister

What? You don't get him? Come on! You just have to use a bit of imagination and relate very indirectly his good old lim-peh-used-to-be story to the question! Don't be daft!

Don't develop irrational fears towards those who steal your job!

2010-04-05T09:46:00.003+08:00

Singaporeans' concern over immigration issues is understandable but they must avoid developing irrational fears toward new immigrants, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Lim Hwee Hua said.

She said Singaporeans ought to prepare for, rather than resist, an increased willingness among people worldwide to travel and relocate.

-- Lim Hwee Hua, Second Minister for Transport

It is easy for her to say that when her job is not threatened by cheaper (and not necessary better) foreign professionals, her kids don't have to compete with other foreigners' kids just to get into schools, she doesn't have to try to out-bid the foreigners in HDB resale flats and she doesn't have to take the public transport with whole lot of other foreigners.

I think obsoleting long haul buses is a great idea, even though I don't take buses myself

2010-03-28T19:01:00.004+08:00

"We will not introduce new cross-country services, because those are really legacies of the past. But we will review every (existing) one to see whether they need to be sustained."

Mrs Lim pointed out that as a bus journey gets longer, it becomes harder to accurately predict its arrival time. Small delays at each bus stop can snowball and lengthen the overall waiting time for passengers.

-- Lim Hwee Hua, Second Minister for Transport

This announcement came at the time when human congestion on MRT trains could not get worse. Interesting that Mrs Lim also pointed out that it is difficult to predict buses arrival time when the journey gets too long, though other countries have no such problem with their even longer haul cross-country services. One might wonder, when was the last time that she has taken public transport.

He might have hit on a 16-year-old, but let us support him because he is funny

2010-03-10T11:36:00.006+08:00

Life is a long and often difficult journey, and what Jack and his family are going through is what he might have presented in his own movie, except that this time it is about himself.

We are used to having Jack make us laugh, bring cheer to our daily lives, explain our trials and make them easier to bear. Let us rally around Jack, his wife and his children at this time.

-- George Yeo, Foreign Minister

You're a jerk, Jack
Source: Straitstimes.com

Maelle Meurzec, now 21, told The New Paper in an interview at her Upper East Coast road home on Tuesday night, that the 50-year-old movie director hit on her while she was acting in his movie I Do I Do in Nov 2004. She was then 16.

At least 10 more women are reported to have been linked to Neo since his affair with 22-year-old Wendy Chong first broke last weekend when the freelance model showed up at his Pasir Ris semi-detached house last Friday, demanding to see his wife, Madam Irene Kng, 46.

More readings on George Yeo
George Yeo forced to apologize to molest victim for curt reply on Facebook after TR leaked the story

Make it compulsory for new immigrants to apply for the PAssion card

2010-03-05T12:04:00.002+08:00

PERHAPS applying for the PAssion card, the People's Association's membership card, should be made compulsory for new arrivals. This could get more permanent residents and new citizens to participate in community activities

-- Dr Teo Ho Pin (Bukit Panjang)

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Dr Teo Ho Pin, where is our money?

Forget about Facebook, Blogger, Twitter and eBay, let's do WikiMe!

2010-03-04T15:28:00.003+08:00

I propose the we create another map, which I call 'WikiMe', where the govt create the infrastructure (like Wireless@SG) and templates, while people upload their own content, offering info about themselves, exchange triumphs and tribulations, and even offering a hand for free or for a fee

-- Penny Low, MP for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC

More readings on Penny Low
Rubbish? Look who’s talking

Oops, we forgot there should not be foreigner in the militray in the first place

2010-03-04T13:14:00.002+08:00

Mr Koo Tsai Kee claimed that SAF has been "practising productivity all this while” because “there are no foreign workers or foreign talent in the SAF, which is made up entirely of Singapore soldiers."

"The SAF, despite its manpower constraints, has been able to face up to a widening range of security threats in recent years under Defence Minister Teo….And I am not saying this because he’s my boss."

-- Koo Tsai Kee, Minister of State for Defence

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What are Singaporeans saying about Koo Tsai Kee on forums?

We are deaf to your criticism and please do our job instead of giving us problems

2010-03-04T12:54:00.003+08:00

"All except one frog who did reach the top. And when asked afterwards why he ignored the crowd, the frog said: 'I'm deaf. I can't hear them.'

We never give up. We are like the little frog. We are deaf to all these criticisms. So instead of telling us that low-wage workers are having problems, why not be part of the solution?"

With this tale, labour chief Lim Swee Say responded to opposition MP Low Thia Khiang (Hougang), who repeated his criticism of a day earlier that low- wage workers continue to languish, and that the labour movement ought to do better and work harder.

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“Cheaper, better, faster” may just break the camel’s back

Two years of NS for Singaporeans, a short 30-day holiday camp for new immigrants

2010-03-04T12:12:00.001+08:00

NS was a 'sore and critical milestone for many' and Mr Seah Kian Peng wondered if men who become new citizens should be called up for NSmen duties.

"This could be in the form of a short 30-day induction to Basic Military Training in the Singapore Armed Forces, he said.

We teach them to use rifles, fire weapons, basic physical fitness, or we put them into civil defence training where they could learn rescue techniques."

-- Seah Kian Peng (Marine Parade GRC)

Avoid falling sick on Mondays and Tuesdays

2010-03-04T12:09:00.001+08:00

Avoid Mondays and Tuesdays if you want to get a bed fast in a public hospital.

The reason: These are the days when bed occupancy rates are at their highest, when the number of people needing beds exceeds that available.

However, the quality of care is not compromised while patients wait for their assigned wards.

-- Khaw Boon Wan, Health Minister

Please call them new Singaporeans, not the rude title of new immigrants!

2010-03-03T14:43:00.001+08:00

"First, we need to make sure that they are called new Singaporeans rather than new migrants. They are not even new migrants - they are an old hand at migrating, and want a new life. They want to settle down and to make Singapore a new home"

-- Seah Kian Peng, Marine Parade GRC MP

With 20,000 migrants becoming new citizens each year, Mr Seah also suggested rewarding such parents with some form of baby bonus when they have a new Singapore baby.

We don't want to send wrong signal to our precious foreign investors and talents

2010-03-03T14:29:00.005+08:00

Although the rise in the levy is graduated over three years, there is concern expressed by some business leaders that this may impede the ability of companies to leverage upon and capture the opportunities of the recovery, as their capacity will be impacted.

And if the increase is not calibrated, it may send the wrong signal to companies looking to invest in Singapore or to foreign talent that Singapore is not as open as it used to be.

-- Jessica Tan, East Coast GRC

More readings on Jessica Tan
Can't afford HDB flats? You deserve it if you're poor

We don't want local workers who are old, we want young foreign workers

2010-03-03T11:52:00.001+08:00

I know of one family who complain the cleaners in their precinct are lazy and too old. They don't want local workers who are old, they want young foreign workers. To satisfy the demand, i changed the local workers to foreign workers. Foreign workers are not a burden to us. Their presence here is not negative. Without foreign workers, things will be worse.

-- Ong Ah Heng (Nee Soon Central)

Nevermind about feeding the poor, start a food museum first

2010-03-02T12:50:00.003+08:00

Singapore should consider setting up a food museum, as part of national effort to preserve its rich cultural heritage. Food is an important part of our rich cultural heritage - one which has been and will always been an attraction to locals and foreigners alike. The history of our food variety will highlight our links to the world.

-- Baey Yam Keng (Tanjong Pagar GRC)

More readings on Baey Yam Keng
PAP now says hiding behind pseudonyms to post online is ok?

Billions of dollars is invested in Singapore annually so we can't be ranked so low on press freedom

2009-10-27T13:25:00.001+08:00

Law Minister K. Shanmugam said rankings that place Singapore lowly on press freedom "struck him as quite absurd and divorced from reality".

"Our approach on press reporting is simple: The press can criticize us, our policies. We do not seek to condemn that.

But we demand the right of response, to be published in the journal that published the original article. We do not accept that they can decide whether to publish our response."

-- K. Shanmugam, Law Minister

More readings on K. Shanmugam
The thin line between education and propaganda

If the new immigrants are happy with a 30 minutes late bus, what's Singaporeans' problem?

2009-06-21T14:04:00.003+08:00

It will be sad if people vented their frustrations on other new Singaporeans who are here to find a better life. As a politician, I can stand the heat. When you ask Singaporean residents for feedback, they will complain that they have to wait more than 15 minutes for the bus. But when you ask new immigrants, they are happy that the bus comes in under 30 minutes.

-- Charles Chong, Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC MP

More readings on Charles Chong
PAP MP Charles Chong hides behind K. Shanmugam’s pants

It's not that civil servants are inflexible, but the people are more demanding

2009-05-07T13:38:00.005+08:00

MP Mr Teo Ser Luck said he has gotten feedback that there are bureaucratic people in his two ministries.

"And with so many civil servants around, it is inevitable that there will be some people who are less flexible. Also, as society's standards get higher and education levels improve, the people will demand more of government departments."

-- Teo Ser Luck, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports

More readings on Charles Chong
Call on YPAP Teo Ser Luck and Zaqy Mohamad to apologize to netizens over the”Eric How” fiasco

Foolish to advocate the learning of dialects

2009-03-07T13:45:00.000+08:00

To keep a language alive, it has to be used regularly. Using one language more frequently means less time for other languages. Hence, the more languages a person learns, the greater the difficulties of retaining them at a high level of fluency.

This is why we have discouraged the use of dialects. It interferes with the learning of Mandarin and English.

-- Chee Hong Tat, Principal Private Secretary to the Minister Mentor

Singaporeans should just send the elderly to nursing homes in JB

2009-02-09T13:50:00.001+08:00

Singaporeans could consider living in nursing homes in neighbouring Johor Baru. It would be cheaper, yet be near enough to Singapore for family members to visit and for residents to return for medical care if necessary.

-- Khaw Boon Wan, Health Minister

Since you are not producing babies, no Saturday offs for you!

2009-02-04T13:59:00.001+08:00

We should accept that as a people our procreation talent is not our forte - nothing to crow about. I urge the Government to take steps to determine whether our productivity and competitiveness have been affected by the five-day week and to review the policy, if necessary.

I have nothing against our young Singaporeans having fun and partying. But I hope they will work as hard as they play.

-- Loo Choon Yong, Nominated MP

The internet is not an effective self-regulated regime

2009-02-04T13:56:00.001+08:00

Contrary to what some may feel, Mr Lui Tuck Yew has said the internet is not an effective self-regulated regime. Mr Lui added that the internet community had not done enough to rebut some of the unhelpful comments delivered by fellow netizens.

He said bloggers and website proprietors need to maintain credibility, while netizens should do more to establish and enforce the norms of acceptable online behaviour.

"It is a squandered opportunity for a higher degree of self-regulation. It would have been an example of the genesis of the first step towards a more responsible, a greater self-regulatory regime. But many of those responses were not rebutted nor answered. And I think it is not healthy for some of those to remain on the net unchallenged, unquestioned, and unanswered."

-- Lui Tuck Yew, Senior Minister of State for Information, Communications and the Arts

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Singapore media and Alexa rankings

The lesser mortals get envious when MPs brag about their luxury lives

2009-01-20T14:09:00.001+08:00

Maybe it made lesser mortals envious and they thought maybe he was a little bit boastful...would people have taken offence if his wife (a senior investment counsellor at a bank) had paid for everything?

-- Charles Chong, Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC MP

More readings on Charles Chong
PAP MP Charles Chong hides behind K. Shanmugam’s pants

Cooking Up The Holiday Spirit with just S$45,000

2009-01-05T14:16:00.002+08:00

"We found out that Le Cordon Bleu Paris runs intensive courses in culinary and patisserie from mid-November to December. These are the regular three-month classes they run but compressed into five weeks, with no loss in content.

To my surprise and theirs, I told them I would sign up for the course with them. (Taking five weeks’ leave from work is not as difficult as one thinks. Most times, when you are at the top, you think you are indispensable. But if you are a good leader who has built up a good team, it is possible to go away for five weeks or even longer.)

It would be quality family time for the three of us. My daughter Yanying, 23, would join us in Paris in our last week, since she could not take such long leave because she had just started working."

-- Tan Yong Soon, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Water Resources

The Intensive Cuisine Certificate Programme:
Basic: 7,750 euros (S$15,500)
Intermediate: 7,600 euros
Superior: 7,700 euros

Three meals in a hawker centre, food court or restaurant?

2007-06-25T21:06:00.000+08:00

When reminded it is about time to increase the amount to give to the poor, the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports said...

Dr Lily Neo: Sir, I want to check with the Minister again when he said on the strict criteria on the entitlement for PA recipients. May I ask him what is his definition of “subsistence living”? Am I correct to say that, out of $260 per month for PA recipients, $100 goes to rental, power supply and S&C and leaving them with only $5 a day to live on? Am I correct to say that any basic meal in any hawker centre is already $2.50 to $3.00 per meal? Therefore, is it too much to ask for just three meals a day as an entitlement for the PA recipients?

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: How much do you want? Do you want three meals in a hawker centre, food court or restaurant?