Opinions

The police are currenty investigating a 32 year old India national in relation to an alleged offence under the Public Order Act.

The said man was apparently unhappy with the Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019 that was recently passed by the Indian parliament. To protest against the amendment, he then allegedly participated in an illegal public assembly at Marina Bay.

The amendment has split opinions in India. The move to allow for citizenship to be granted to non-Muslim minorities fleeing persecution from Muslim-majority countries such as Pakistan and Bangladesh, has been criticised as discriminatory towards Muslims. 

The police have advised that it will not grant any permit for assemblies that advocate the political causes from other countries. It also urged foreigners living here to abide by local laws.

It is important that free speech is not eroded in Singapore.

Foreigners taking part in such illegal political assemblies here are not doing Singaporeans any favours. Any increase in such transgressions can be used by the government to further restrict the already-limited political space for Singaporeans. 

Dear Santa,

In the past year, I have been nothing but a good boy.

I know you grant the wishes of people who have been good. So I hope you grant me these wishes.

You see I live in Singapore. Great place - safe, clean, progressive in many areas. Many foreigners want to live, study, and work here. 

Yet, some Singaporeans themselves feel like they don't belong. 

There are things that we are lacking. These things, some would argue, can be partially attributed to the naughty people that have led the country for very long. You can't miss them. They wear white uniforms, and possess an elitist mindset. 

I want to see a change.

The elections are coming. We don't know when. Next year year, or the year after. 

I wish that after the elections, the naughty people in white are no longer in government.

I wish that when this transition happen, everything will be peaceful and that people respect the outcome of the elections.

I wish that after the elections, Tharman Shanmugaratnam will become the Prime Minister. Everyone loves him. He is capable and respected by his peers. He would be our very first minority PM.

I wish that Dr Tan Cheng Bock and Pritam Singh will become the Deputy PMs. They may not be experienced in the office but they are more than capable of filling that role.

I wish that Dr Chee Soon Juan, Dr Paul Tambyah, Lim Tean, will be part of the Cabinet. There are others but we need to see them in action first.

I wish Singaporeans will embrace the new government with an open mind.

I wish that post-elections, the new government will build a Singapore that is economically successful, and social inclusive and progressive.

Oh dear Santa, please grant me these wishes.

Son of Singapore 

Professor Tommy Koh previously stirred debate when, during a conference, he remarked that Singaporeans are Third World people, even though the country itself is deserving of its first world status.

Explaining his remark, Koh suggested 5 tests that Singaporeans must pass to be considered a First World people.

These five tests have to do with the every day habits and outlook that we have:

1. Do you litter?  
2. Do you keep public toilets clean?
3. Are you civic minded and polite?
4. Are you a culture-loving person? 
5. Are you loving of nature and do not waste energy, water and food? 

Koh acknowledged that the use of the term 'Third World' is unfair to those who live in those countries but display 'First World' habits and tendencies.

He however stood by his comments that Singaporeans are not First World people - not yet, at least. He thus encouraged more Singaporeans to do more to pass these five tests.

What do you think of these 5 tests proposed by Koh?

People's Voice Party (PVP) member, Kok Ming Cheang, slammed Ong Ye Kung, the Education Minister, for his latest response on the ministry's practice of witholding result slips in lieu of unpaid school fees.

Kok pointed out that the Ministry did not show any empathy in their responsem, when the plight of the students were brought to the attention of the public by Gilbert Goh. They stood by their longstanding practice.

“MOE’s consideration stems from the underlying principle that notwithstanding the fact that the cost of education is almost entirely publicly funded, we should still play our part in paying a small fee, and it is not right to ignore that obligation, however small it is.

Kok pointed out that Ong's statement to review the practice undermines the longstanding practice that they stood by. 

Besides this, Kok also felt that the Ministry's handling of the education grants and scholarships have not been satisfactory.

It seems clear that he didn’t agree when he ordered the issue of a POFMA Correction Directive to Lim Tean to correct his posting to reflect that MOE is spending more than the $167m for grants and bursaries to Singapore students. Education Minister Ong asserted that Lim Tean’s posting contained falsehood as he didn’t mention the $13b education budget which was mostly spent on Singapore students. But Lim Tean was merely comparing the $167m spent on Singapore students grants and bursaries to $238m spent on scholarships and grants for foreign students. It was an apple-to-apple comparison. How could a Minister misread it? It reflects a shallow intellect. I think he should reflect on his decision to issue a POFMA directive to Lim Tean. If he can’t see that the granting of $238m to educate foreign students is wrong in principle, I think the Education Ministry is not in the right hands. This sum is sufficient to send 100-odd outstanding A-Level students to medical schools abroad annually.

SMRT has lodged a police report after a viral video showed one of its staff allegedly involved in an altercation with a motorised-wheelchair-bound elderly man. The confrontation reportedly took place at the Bugis MRT station.

According to SMRT, the staff in question was doing his routine rounds when he came across the elderly man. He notified the elderly man that it was not permissible for him to peddle his wares there.

This riled up the elderly man, who was seen in the video subsequently charging at the staff member using his motorised wheelchair.

Many supporters have asked the same question - where will Dr Tan Cheng Bock contest in the next GE?

Well, from a recent Facebook post, Dr Tan gave an indication that he was likely to contest in his old haunting ground - West Coast. 

Dr Tan and his fellow party members and volunteers were greeted warmly on their walkabout. Many of whom they met asked if Dr Tan was coming home.

His reply? He never left.

West Coast residents know who and what they vote for if they vote for Dr Tan.

He served them with distinction at the constituency level. In Parliament, he was a voice of reason and was not afraid to offer view points that ran contrary to the PAP's party stance on issues, including those deemed more sensitive or difficult to discuss.

Dr Tan contesting in West Coast is surel a sure-win seat for the opposition.