SGPolitic’s Video: Sink-A-Poor

Source: http://www.youtube.com/user/sgpolitics

Martyn See’s Video: Nation Builders

Martyn See’s Video: Nation Builders

A PAP minister’s retort to a member of parliament’s request for more Public Assistance for needy Singaporeans:

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?

Singapore PM’s Son’s Email Leaked

From: 2LT Li Hongyi, _____ PC, _____
Sent: Thursday, 28 June 2007 9:36 AM

To: ___ ____ ____, Minister, MHQ; MG ______ ____, CDF, CDF Office; BG -___ ____ ____, COA,
COAOFF; COL _______, CSO, _______; zz All in ____, _________

Cc: zz All in ________, _____; zz ALL IN ____, _____; zz All in _____, _____; zz All in ______, ______
Subject: A complaint about the quality control of SAF officers
Dear Sirs and alI,

I am about to disrupt my national service to pursue further studies, and this will likely be my last email sent out for the next half a decade. Unlike the common “ORD letters” that you read, this letter unfortunately cannot be as cheerful. I am using this last opportunity to issue a letter of complaint against the quality control of officers in the SAF, more specifically against LTA X. During my time as his subordinate, LTA X was AWOL on at least 2 counts, attempted bribery, and lied to his subordinates and his superior officer. The battalion HQ has effectively given no punishment, and has not even made these infractions known to the rest of the battalion.

E-mail by Singapore PM’s son backfires

Source: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/7b578e20-3160-11dc-891f-0000779fd2ac.html

E-mail by Singapore PM’s son backfires
By John Burton in Singapore
Published: July 13 2007 18:02 | Last updated: July 13 2007 18:02

A son of Singapore’s prime minister has been reprimanded for e-mailing a complaint about a fellow army officer to the country’s defence minister and hundreds of other military personnel. The case involving Li Hongyi has served as a lightning rod for criticism on the internet of his family’s political power.

The defence ministry said on Friday it had issued the reprimand against Mr Li, 20, after his 2,000-word letter of complaint was posted on the internet and drew widespread attention.

Working Class Singaporeans Continue To Get Poorer

Source: http://news.asiaone.com.sg/st/st_20070604_125579.html

Future not so rosy for working-class S’poreans

 

Jun 04, 2007
The Straits Times

MANY Singaporeans must be celebrating at the moment, with the buoyant economy, high employment, higher salaries and, for private home owners, skyrocketing property prices and ‘en bloc’ frenzy.However, is the current state of the economy and future as rosy as it appears for most working-class Singaporeans?

According to data published in a report on the wealthiest cities in the world by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) on March 11, Singapore ranks 36th out of 70 cities based on gross domestic product (GDP) in 2005.

A look at the rankings will reveal that, apart from Singapore, all the cities in the bottom half are in Second and Third World countries.

Singapore Auditors Find Irregularities In Ministries

Source: http://sg.news.yahoo.com/070525/3/48tvq.html

Friday May 25, 9:01 PM Reuters
Singapore auditors find irregularities in ministries

SINGAPORE, May 25 (Reuters) – Several high-profile Singapore government departments have committed financial and accounting irregularities, a parliamentary report said on Friday.

The report by the parliament’s Public Accounts Committee highlighted procurement irregularities, unfair payment practices and circumvention of internal controls at key departments in the Singapore government, which has repeatedly topped polls for being one of the least corrupt regimes in the world.

The accounts committee said that the Economic Development Board (EDB), the city-state’s powerful economic agency, had shown lapses in its governance structure, financial operations, procurement and accounting systems.

JBJ Calls For Political Reform In Singapore

Source: http://in.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2007-05-20T145423Z_01_NOOTR_RTRJONC_0_India-299094-1.xml

Singapore opposition veteran to form new party
Sun May 20, 2007 3:02 PM IST143

By Sebastian Tong

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Singapore’s veteran opposition politician J.B. Jeyaretnam said on Sunday he plans to form a new political party to push for reform of the city-state’s authoritarian political system.

Jeyaretnam, who led the opposition Workers’ Party until 2001, was discharged from bankruptcy earlier this month after paying off damages in defamation suits brought by government leaders.

Singapore’s Unemployment Rate Rises But Not Reported In Local Papers

Source: http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/04/29/ap3666144.html

Associated Press
Singapore’s Unemployment Rate Rises
Associated Press 04.29.07, 11:37 PM ET

Singapore’s unemployment rate jumped to 2.9 percent in the first quarter, even as the economy added 48,000 new jobs, the Ministry of Manpower said Monday.

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose from 2.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2006, according to the ministry’s preliminary estimate.

The number of jobs created in the first quarter was down from 51,500 in the fourth quarter but higher than 45,000 a year earlier, the ministry said in a statement.

Danish Citizen Disputes MM Lee’s “Mediocre Government” Comment

Source: http://www.mrbiao.com/blog/danish-citizen-responds-to-mm-lees-mediocre-government-comment.html
Danish citizen responds to MM Lee’s “mediocre government” comment

April 23rd, 2007 by mrbiao

Today, I received an interesting comment from a reader all the way from Denmark. Here is his well-researched and insightful response, reproduced in full.

————————————–

I read with interest Mentor Minister Lee Kuan Yew’s remark in Singapore’s Parliament that Denmark, Finland and Switzerland can afford mediocrity in the remuneration of their ministers.

Singapore’s 45 Senior Counsels Declines To Fight Case Against Lees

Source: http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2007/04/28/2003358589

Magazine asks to use British counsel in defamation case

AFP, SINGAPORE
Saturday, Apr 28, 2007, Page 5 A leading Asian business magazine has applied to the Singapore High Court for permission to use a British Queen’s Counsel in a high-profile defamation case, its lawyer said yesterday.

The monthly Far Eastern Economic Review filed an affidavit arguing that it needed libel specialist Gavin Millar because of the complex nature of its defense in a suit filed by the city-state’s top leaders.

No local counsel

Peter Low, a Singapore-based lawyer for the magazine, said it could not find a local senior counsel to argue its case.