Singapore Election Watch

By: solidghost

On the issue of foreign labour, PM Lee said foreign workers are willing to work longer hours to keep the airport, factories and hotels open 24 hours a day throughout the year. That gives Singapore a more competitive edge, he said, adding that keeping foreign workers away is not the answer.

"It's because we have the foreign workers here, that's why our economy has grown, that's why the employers, ...companies are here, and that's why Singaporeans have jobs. You send away the foreign workers,... a few hundred thousand (of them), Singaporeans (won't) go into those jobs, the companies will close or leave. I think the Singaporeans unemployment will go up, and hardship will go up," said PM Lee.

For those who have difficulty finding jobs, Mr Lee said there are many schemes to help them get employed. For example, the Workfare Income Supplement gave out S$300 million this year, benefiting some 300,000 low-wage workers.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/344943/1/.html

TS Comments: Yes, you guys are bitches who do nothing for the country. Foreign workers develop the Singapore's economy, foreign workers are the reason why there are companies in Singapore. Without them, you are nothing. Now go do NS and shut up.

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SINGAPORE (AFP) — Rising food prices are driving more people in Singapore, the wealthiest economy in Southeast Asia, to join the queue for free meals, charities said Monday.

Thirty percent more people are turning up daily to fill their stomachs at the Singapore Buddhist Lodge, which serves free vegetarian meals, the temple's president Lee Bock Guan said.

During weekends the figures are even higher, when about 5,000 people arrive for the free food compared to 3,000 three months ago, he told AFP.

"Food prices have gone up and for them, their wages have not gone up as much," he said, adding the needy are coming from all walks of life.

"Their income is not enough to cope with the higher food prices."

Lee said donations from some of the temple's wealthiest members are still strong, allowing it to handle the rising demand.

The Care Corner Seniors Activity Centre, which serves free breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea, said inflation has led 10 percent more elderly citizens to turn up for meals, compared with two months ago.

Some of them have started to take more food at lunch and bring the extra home for their dinner, said a centre worker who declined to be named.

The Young Women's Christian Association, which cooks meals and delivers them to the needy, said it is operating at peak capacity serving 200 people each day -- despite a drop in rice donations.

"One of the possible reasons could be the increasing price of rice," programme executive Han Shin Hui said, adding donations of other food items such as biscuits have increased.

She said the organisation has had to use its own funds to cover the drop in rice donations.

Singapore is an island state that imports virtually all its food needs.

Consumer price index inflation reached 6.6 percent in January-February, up from 0.8 percent in the first half of last year, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said last week.

MAS announced it had tightened monetary policy in a bid to address the price rises.

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By: Valentine Cawley

Foreigners can tell us more about a country than any native can. Foreign eyes see things in new ways, having evaluated them from a different perspective. That is why the wise listen to the comments of those from overseas: it is a chance to see one's country as it really is and not as it is said to be.

I have a friend from South America. He is living and working here, with his family. His attention is turning to the choice of schools for his daughter, since she is approaching that age. By chance, he visited my son's school (he lives in the same area as us), drank in the atmosphere, and had a look at the school rules. What he saw, surprised him.

The only type of school that bore comparison to the one in Singapore, that he saw, were MILITARY SCHOOLS back in Latin America. Only in such schools would there be so many school rules and so much restriction of behaviour. His first thought on entering the school was: "This is a military school". The strange thing is, it didn't call itself one: it is a typical Singaporean school.

The question is, therefore, are ALL schools in Singapore "military" by comparison to international standards of regimentation and regulation? Certainly, they seem so to South American eyes. They seem rather too regulated to my eyes, too.

Let us ask ourselves what is the purpose of a military school. It is to create absolute conformity of thought and action and blind, unthinking obedience to every command. It is to create little robots who won't mind getting themselves shot in the name of their country. Could it be, therefore, that the purpose of Singaporean schooling is to create absolute conformity of thought and action and blind, unthinking obedience to every command? What use would that be to a democratic society? None at all. However, it would be of great use if the purpose was to ensure that the population could never think for themselves and would be easy to manage.

I worry, therefore, for my children, receiving such regulated schooling. It is quite stifling to see the burden of rules under which they labour. Surely, there are better ways to educate children than to tie them down, too restrictively - so much so, that, to an outsider, they look like cadets in a military school?

Nothing is accidental in Singapore. I have come to learn that these past nine years. It is no accident, therefore, that Singapore's education ministers come from military backgrounds. They are all former staff of the armed forces. Clearly, they have been chosen for a reason. Clearly, they are expected to bring their military experience to bear on the task of guiding the nation's education. A military man is not to be put in charge of education, unless one wants that education to have a military flavour. That military men are always chosen, to be education minister, rather confirms the impression of my South American friend, that Singapore's schools are rather like military schools from overseas.

Indeed, it is most telling that the new education minister, whose name eludes me right now (he has just been appointed), is also, as I understand it, 2nd Minister for Defence. The connection between education and the military could not be more explicit, therefore.

There is, however, a problem in all this. Military people generally don't think too well. They act. In fact, thinking too much is counter-productive in the heat of battle: it might bring hesitation and that brings death. So, any school system which is militaristic in any way, would tend to suppress thinking in its people. Singapore's system is doing just that.

This is a foolish long term strategy for Singapore. Without a thinking people, Singapore is reliant on overseas talent. Yet, overseas talent will only come here so long as the offer is more attractive than the next place. That is an unsustainable situation, in the long term, because Singapore always has to fight to be more attractive than the next place. There are over 200 other places people could go. I don't see the odds being in Singapore's favour, in the long term. Other places will overshadow it. Other places will be able to offer more.

The answer is, of course, to encourage thinking in its own native population. To do that, one should drop the militaristic style of education here. A good start would be to begin to appoint education ministers who have actually been teachers - and good teachers at that. Preferably teachers who were not trained in Singapore, to teach in a Singaporean way. Then one might begin to get education that is actually about education - and not education that is about absolute conformity of thought and action and blind unthinking obedience to every command.

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By: Scroobal

1. Use your votes wisely. Votes are to send a clear message to the government. If you think that your current PAP MP is the greatest thing since sliced bread but the PAP government itself is looking after itself and not the citizens cast your vote for the opposition.
2. Practically all countries in the democratic world have serial numbers on voting slips to prevent electoral fraud. This includes Britain, Australia, Canada and NZ. Your vote is secret. The PAP only benefits if people continue to conjure up big brother effects.
3. Focus on the PAP and its form of governance and nothing else because they have been in control in last 48 years. Only 1 bill has been raised by a non PAP member and its was by Walter Woon as NMP on Looking after old folks. Only 1 bill though raised by PAP actually originated from opposition - Chiam's proposal to make Education compulsory.
4. Most people will agree that PAP has crippled any form of meaningful opposition by formation of GRCs, high fee to stand for GE, law suits, tax examinations, and monopolising new talents by offering rich carrots and golden parachutes from tax coffers, unfair use of tax paid PA directed grassroots to favour the PAP etc.
5. Don't expect sterling opposition candidates because PAP uses obstacles and barb wire fencing. If a significant number of candidates are returned, it will send a clear message to the PAP on its performance. The GE is the only mechanism left to register your opinion on the PAP performance, its interpretation of nepotism, cronyism and other practices that the PAP seem comfortable with.
6. Be bold in putting your views and opinions across. Don't waste precious bandwidth about your personal and ego problems with selected opposition members and parties.
7. Lastly, my favourite strategy - start growing some balls now for the next GE. If you don't do it, you expect Malaysians to do it for you?

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RH:
1. By now, now that we all have more time to think, no one except the feeble minded would believe that Mr Mat Selamat bin KASTARI escaped on his own. Evading the carefully chosen and trained handpicked guards, guard dogs, numerous steel doors and gates, cctv cameras covering every square centimeter, double perimeter fencing, heavily cctv-ed and guarded single entry/exit points, etc.

2. HE WAS DELIBERATELY ALLOWED TO ESCAPE TO CREATE GEOPOLITICAL PUBLICITY TO DAMAGE MALAYSIAN AND INDONESIAN INTERESTS AS MALAYS AND MUSLIMS, TO DAMAGE THEIR RELATIONS WITH THE AMERICANS, TO FORESTALL RESUMPTION OF ARMS SALES TO INDONESIA NOW THAT INDONESIA [AND MALAYSIA] ARE PROVEN MORE DEMOCRATIC THAN SINGAPORE, TO REINFORCE IN THE PARANOID BUSH MIND THAT LEE KY LHL PAP ARE GOOD ANTI-TERRORISTS AND MALAYSIA AND INDONESIA ARE DARK SKINNED BAD, BAD MUSLIM TERRORISTS OR SYMPATHETIC TO TERRORISTS.

3. To waste some sentences in a necessary reply to No One, A TERRORIST IS DANGEROUS ONLY WHEN HE IS IN A GROUP AND UNEXPOSED, WHEN HE HAS THE MOST CHANCES TO CARRY OUT DANGEROUS ACTIVITIES. ONCE EXPOSED AND KNOWN, HE IS NO MORE DANGEROUS THAN MY 78 YEAR OLD ILLITERATE MOTHER IN LAW, JUST ADMITTED TO N.U.H FOR HEART DISEASE. This is true of all terrorists. They are dangerous when secret, anonymous and moving freely to carry out their plans. Once exposed and/or monitored, they are just very ordinary humans, this 1 so frail and limping, that it is mind boggling that so much hooha is made of this poor, lone, isolated, frightened human being who was probably innocent, like all the other ISD political prisoners, to start with, like the 22 Roman Catholics, lawyers and abused maids champions in 1987/8.

4. Since Mr KASTARI has been cynically and deliberately allowed to escape, THE LEE-GIME KNOWS WHERE HE IS EVERY SINGLE MOMENT, EVEN NOW, AND WHEN TIME COMES TO END THIS HUMONGOUS PUBLICITY STUNT AND CHARADE GAME, THEY WILL SHOOT HIM TO DEATH ON SOME PRETEXT TO PREVENT QUESTIONS AND TRUTHS BEING REVEALED. This is why nepot WONG Kan Seng, related to LEE Hsien Loong [LHL is WKS wife cousin] can declare in Parliament that Mr KASTARI is no threat. He is no threat because they know where he is and will murder him when time comes.

5. That is, if he is not already dead, as Dr CHEE Soon Juan asks. Probably incinerated alive so no body will ever be found.

6. Mark my words. All this is just 1987/8 ‘marxist conspiracy’ all over again. For political gains, as always. ALWAYS FOR POLITICAL GAINS. THE MOST POLITICAL LIEGIME IN HISTORY

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Yes, this is about the World Class Joke by a self proclaimed World Class Government in Singapore. And it is indeed a VERY SERIOUS and DANGEROUS WORLD CLASS JOKE ever made in Singapore's history.

It is indeed still fresh from our mind that the ministers had just have their pay raised by more than 14% overall but yet it seems that there are more and more "honest mistakes" made along the way. But never before has such a BIG HONEST MISTAKE has been made in Singapore's short history.

The Home Affairs Ministry has a annual budget of more than 2.4Billions last year (revised, see Budget Link), about $400million more than the Ministry of Health and yet, there are such security lapses for a wanted man for murder just walking across the causeway to Malayisa and the most important LIMPING terrorist detainee making a "World Class Prison Break"!

The terrorist detainee was detained WITHOUT TRIAL for the simple reason that he IS a DANGEROUS man that has planned terrorist attacks on Singapore. How could the minister for Home Affairs says that alarm was not sound initially because they think this DANGEROUS man pose no "immediate harm" to people living nearby? And the fact that the alarm has only been put up FOUR WHOLE HOURS AFTER he escaped! Didn't they listen to MM Lee that you would only need 20 minutes to travel to anywhere in Singapore?

The ironic thing is that if this man is truly posing NO DANGER to anyone, why would the authorities mobilize a whole battalion of military guardsman to help in the search thereafter? Does the minister of Home Affairs really understand the seriousness of the escape of Mas Selamat Kastari? It is not merely about Singapore's security anymore but the safety of all our neighboring countries! Or rather, the WHOLE World's security and safety is at stake! This is precisely why the Interpol has raise the alert a notch higher after Singapore announced his escape!

I seriously doubt the self proclaim World Class PAP government really understands World Class politics at all. They have already made the grave mistake of letting the man escape and the most serious mistake is to hold on to this piece of important information for FOUR SOLID HOURS which most probably allow the man to flee the country by the time such information are made available.

We may not fault the minister of Home Affairs directly for the prison break although some bloggers do, but for the crisis management thereafter, the minister of Home Affairs MUST be responsible! Pushing such decision to the "security analyst" or judgment of others, is truly lame indeed! The decision on whether to announce the prison break earlier lies on the minister himself and I think for such bad decision made in view of the seriousness of the issue at hand, I think any minister in the world that is in charge of internal security should and would resign.

For a small island state like Singapore, there are no room for mistakes like this one. This is not China nor USA where escapees would need days before they could reach international borders. You could travel to any coastal area within half an hour. You could even swim across to Malaysia if you want to. It only take less than an hour boat trip to any of the Indonesian islands. For the minister of Home Affairs to take FOUR SOLID HOURS to make that "difficult" decision to make public of such important information, is truly a WORLD CLASS JOKE and this joke is not funny at all!

The most ridiculous thing that is happening right now in Singapore is that the PAP government controlled mass media tries to "soften" the impact of this WORLD CLASS escape. In any normal democracy around the world, many tough questions would be raised against eh authorities as well as the minister in question. But instead, they run stories like how this terrorist has attempted many escapes or prison breaks before, thus, subtly "normalized" such escape by Mas Selamat Kastari and implying that if he escape, its not about the incompetency of our "Home Team" (i.e. police force) but because he is good at it. Such utter rubbish is totally unacceptable because the detention centre that caged Mas Selamat Kastari is no ordinary detention centre but the "Famous" Internal Security Department (ISD) detention centre which has underground dungeons and heavily guarded by Gurkha! We are not "Third World" countries but "First World" country with "World Class " government, for goodness sake! Such apologist stand made in the local media will further dent our international reputation as an island of competency and efficiency! Why? They are comparing and making us look like a third world country!

Some heads must roll from those who are in charge of the ISD detention centre. And the Home Affairs minister must go too! We cannot allow a man that cannot make sound and critical decision at the such a high crisis level to stay on as minister of Home Affairs. We cannot allow a man that will only know how to push responsibility to others for such bad decision made to someone else instead of assuming ALL the responsibility, in his capacity as the highest command, for whatever happens in his very own ministry.

Instead of questioning how such escape could be made successful, why the FOUR HOUR delay in the public announcement and questioning the ability of the minister and his ministry's ability to handle such big crisis, the local mass media goes on to paint the "bright" side of the whole issue. e.g. how Singaporeans responded with good unity...etc.

When a country that show too much leniency to those in power that make such grave mistakes one after another, we will only breed complacency and incompetency. We have MADE to pay WORLD's HIGHEST SALARY to politicians, in the hope that they will make good judgment and decisions, not merely on daily routine management, but also for their ability to handle crisis. It seems that despite of the multi-million annual salary that Singaporeans are paying, we are getting people that could not really understand the bigger picture and handle such crisis well! If we cannot demand or pressure this minister of Home Affairs to resign over such gross display of incompetency, then we could only hope and depend on our citizens making the right choice in voting him out.

For the mean time, I hope that all Singaporeans would raise their awareness and look out for the limping terrorist that has made a joke out of our country. Hope we could catch him before he could do anything harmful to all mankind.

Goh Meng Seng

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Investor Jim Rogers says Singapore to lose money on US banks
Wed Mar 5, 2008 1:48am EST

SINGAPORE, March 5 (Reuters) - Investment guru Jim Rogers believes that U.S. bank stocks could fall further and predicts that Singapore's state investors will lose money on their multi-billion dollar investments in Citigroup and Merrill Lynch.

"I'm shorting investment banks on Wall Street," the long-time commodities bull told reporters on Wednesday at a launch event for ABN AMRO certificates linked to commodities.

"It grieves me to see what Singapore is doing. They are going to lose money," he added, referring to investments by Government of Singapore Investment Corp and Temasek [TEM.UL] in Citigroup (C.N: Quote, Profile, Research), Switzerland's UBS (UBSN.VX: Quote, Profile, Research) and Merrill Lynch (MER.N: Quote, Profile, Research).
Rogers, an American who co-founded the Quantum Fund with billionaire George Soros in the 1970s, now lives in Singapore as he wants to raise his four-year-old daughter in an environment where she can learn Mandarin Chinese.

Rogers, who also writes investment books, said Wall Street had to work off 10 years of excesses and predicted that losses linked to risky mortgages will eventually spread to credit card bills, student loans and other debt.

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Singapore Democrats
5 Mar 08

Is it possible for a leader of a country to go missing in the midst of a national outcry?

Yet, this is what Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has managed to do. He has not uttered a single comment about the "escape" of ISA detainee, Mr Mas Selamat Kastari.

In a situation that has caused great concern to Singaporeans and one in which his Home Affairs Minister has turned into unfunny comedy, it is imperative that Mr Lee steps up and takes charge.

He must assure the public that action will be taken to resolve the situation, demand answers from those responsible, and provide these answers to the public in a timely fashion.

It has been one full week since Mr Kastari's uncanny disappearance and, amazingly, the nation has not heard from the PM.

At times such as these people look for leadership. The leader has, however, gone AWOL.

Even the father, MM Lee Kuan Yew, who does not easily pass up a chance of offering a sagely word or two, solicited or otherwise, is strangely quiet.

The question that is screaming to be asked is: Why? Why have the PM and MM steered clear of making public statements on the issue?

Why are they not publicly backing Mr Wong Kan Seng in his utterances? Has the PM met Mr Wong and is he satisfied that the Minister has discharged his ministerial duties in a responsible and forthright manner? If not, what course of action does he recommend?

Most important, why has PM Lee not come out and unequivocally tell the nation that the Government will present clear evidence to show that the detainee has indeed escaped and how he managed to do it?

Whatever the case, Mr Lee Hsien Loong must provide the answers. That's what leaders do. His silence is not only deafening, but also very eerie.

The more-than-strange responses coming from the authorities over the past week indicate that there is much more than meets the eye.

This is not helped by those in charge of the government who act like they are tip-toeing through a minefield.

The media and parliamentarians have not covered themselves with glory either. At a time when hard questions need to be asked, they have been singularly negligent.

If this is the sign of things to come for Singapore, we are in more trouble than we think.

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Singapore’s emigration rate, one of the highest in the world on a per capita basis, is a blow to the government.

INSIGHT DOWN SOUTH
BY SEAH CHIANG NEE

YEARS of strong economic growth have failed to stem Singapore’s skilled youths from leaving for a better life abroad, with the number topping 1,000 a year.

This works out to 4%-5%, or three in 10, of the highly educated population, a severe brain drain for a small, young nation, according to Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew.

Such high-end emigration is usually associated with less better-off countries where living conditions are poor. Here the opposite is the case.

Last year the economy created almost 200,000 jobs, far in excess of the 38,000 births recorded.

The future doesn’t look better, either, despite Lee holding out promises of “a golden period” in the next five to 10 years.

Lee believes the exodus, which has been worrying him for two decades, could only grow because “every year, there are more people going abroad for their first or second degree.”

The emigration rate, one of the highest in the world on a per capita basis, is a blow to the government, particularly to Lee, who takes pride in building up this once poor squatter colony into a glittering global city.

They are people who abandoned their citizenship for a foreign one, mostly in Australia, the United States and Canada.

It is particularly serious for two reasons. First, Singapore is a young nation that is working hard to consolidate its nationhood and its people, and second, its defence lies in a reservist army.

This is made up of young men who have served two years of compulsory military training when they reach the age of 18. Any big outflow will badly affect security, not to mention the economy.

Adding to a declining birth rate, the problem of emigration, which appears to have worsened during the past few decades as people became better educated, will further reduce the base of this well-trained people’s army.

Hundreds of thousands of foreigners and permanent residents who have come to Singapore help make up the numbers, but they do not have to serve national service.

The emigrants, mostly professionals, don’t leave Singapore out of poverty but to seek a better, less pressurised life.

Lee recently said the brain drain is touching close to this family.

Lee’s grandson, the elder son of Prime Minister Hsien Loong, who is studying in the United States, has indicated that he may not return.

Over the years, the children of several Cabinet ministers have also made Britain or the US their home.

Lee, aged 84, has often spoken on the issue with emotions, once tearing when referring to the losses.

However, he has offered no reasons for the exodus beyond economic opportunities, although the government more or less knows what they are.

Singaporeans who have or are planning to emigrate are given a host of 10 questions and asked to tick the three most important ones. They include the following: -

> High costs of living

> Singapore is too regulated and stifling

> Better career and prospects overseas

> Prefer a more relaxed lifestyle

> Uncertain future of Singapore.

Some liberal Singaporeans believe Lee himself, with his authoritarian leadership and unpopular policies, is largely to blame.

Singapore’s best-known writer Catherine Lim calls it a climate of fear that stops citizens from speaking out against the government, saying it could eventually lead to the decline of the state.

She praised the government for its economic achievements but added: “A compliant, fearful population that has never learnt to be politically savvy could spell the doom of Singapore.”

Globalisation, which offers opportunities in many countries like never before, is a big reason for the outflow.

Many countries, including populous China, are making a special effort to attract foreign talent.

Others who leave were worried about the future of their children living in a small island, and look for security and comfort of a larger country.

The exodus is more than made up – at least in numbers – by a larger intake of professionals from China and India.

“The trouble is many of the Chinese then use us as a stepping stone to go to America, where the grass is greener, Lee said.

“But even if we only keep 30%-40% and lose 60%-70%, we’re a net gainer,” he added.

He believed, however, that the Chinese would cease to come in 20 to 30 years’ time, when China’s living standards rise to match Singapore’s.

Some feel the large presence of foreigners, and the perks they enjoy over locals in military exemption as well as in scholarships, are themselves strong push factors.

They see the foreigners as a threat to jobs and space, undermining salaries and loosening the nation’s cohesion.

“I just feel very sad to see the Singapore of today with so many talented, passionate Singaporeans moving out and being replaced by many foreigners,” said one blogger. “I feel sorry for the future.”

Others point out the danger of an easy fix in numbers without regard to quality.

“Foreigners treat this place as a hotel, when the economy turns they will leave,” said a teacher who is seeing more and more foreign students in his class.

Lee recently made a passionate appeal to youths to think hard about their country. He said they had received education and opportunities provided by Singaporeans who had worked hard for it.

“Can you in good conscience say, ‘Goodbye! Thank you very much?’ Can you leave with a clear conscience? I cannot,” he said.

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