Politics

Tan Kin Lian was once the CEO of Fairprice and a part of PAP for about 30 years. He then left the party due to inactivity and disagreement with the party's value system. He then ran as a presidential candidate in 2011. Back then he only achieved a 4.9% and lost his $48,000 deposit.

On 31 Mar 2019, Tan posted on his Facebook page 'If you want me to contest in the general election, give a Like and Share. Let us make it to 1,000 Likes.' With all the buzz about the next elections nearing, it appears from this post that he might be considering to run for the general elections again.

The post currently has 870 likes and we are all on the edge of our seats to see if it will hit 1,000. And if it does, which party will he join? Or will he be running independently? Exciting times are coming.

https://www.facebook.com/kinlian/posts/2594226813983288?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARDHueW9OVLPE5KpUP9riPvBoZpYYqRf4bRqJmEK58AzEXn8TCz7RFIMvNziF7sbGhl4eCcec_mZX9_a8q37yoPlVCV0XIIxjwAE-vc74mq-tUukJ6fgXL1CyrfpBdGxYYI-cjVnkao9V589cqw1s1lCRy9_zeRcV-TQxKy5v6CmLTWUy98Dm4gm5-L-q5eM8PBq7JHAxcsPvq5tpI5TOY8IVKTA7J-1PUKOpTLL2_n1MnYhVISW1l5XR2UE1HapPtl2pkiNjzPv_YIYm6iRJFwMzDkhYMpmThkAqellGxW9Up75gdqnz6ScvlPDr37YpgEaAgjYC64xgjerkiAW_A&__tn__=-R

Minister of Law and Home Affairs K Shanmugam reiterated in Parliament that it was in the public's interest that the driver who filmed PM Lee's son Li Yipeng had his criminal past revealed. This is so that the public would not misunderstand why the police would spend time investigating the matter.

Shanmugam also said in a written statement in reply to Sylvia Lim that the public deserves to know the background of this case, and that he had instructed to police to reveal the criminal record of the man, but not name the man, so that the public will have a fuller explanation for the actions taken. 

This issue came about after the 31 year old Singaporean man had given Mr Li Yipeng a ride in a private car and had circulated the video online. Mr Li was also asked several uncomfortable questions. Mr Shanmugam said that proper police actions will be taken against others involved in similar cases, and not just because for this case as it was PM Lee's son. 

Netizens did point out that this was probably the first time that a criminal record of a person was made public in a case such as this. 

International acts and fan favourites Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga, Hozier and Nine Inch Nails have all been called out in a Parliament handout for having offensive lyrics. A picture of the handout was posted by WP's Chen Show Mao on his Facebook page.

This was apparently a handout that is part of Ministerial Statement that Minister of Law and Home Affairs K Shanmugam delivered in Parliament on April Fool's Day yesterday. Obviously, this was serious business, and not an April Fool's prank pulled by the Minister. The four international artistes and their songs were cited for offensive lyrics. 

And what was the offensive lyrics? Here you go:

Ariana Grande

God Is A Woman by Ariana Grande.

It contained the words: “You love it how I touch you/ My own, when all is said and done/ You’ll believe God is a woman”.

Lady Gaga

Another was Judas by Lady Gaga.

The lyrics said: “I am just a Holy Fool, oh baby… I wanna love you/ But something’s pulling me away from you/ Jesus is my virtue and/ Judas is the demon I cling to/ I cling to”.

Nine Inch Nails

Heresy by Nine Inch Nails had the following lyrics:

“He sewed his eyes shut because he is afraid to see… He dreamed up a god and called it Christianity/ God is dead and no one cares/ If there is a hell, I’ll see you there.”

Hozier

Take Me To Church by Hozier had the words:

“Take me to church/ I’ll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies/ I’ll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife.”

Offensive or not?

Leong Sze Hian has officially joined the People's Voice party as a Shadow Finance Minister. 

Leader of People's Voice, Lim Tean, announced this in a Facebook post yesterday. He was delighted that a finance veteran has joined forces with him to fight along the opposition. 

But first, what is a Shadow minister? The term "shadow" refers to someone with a political post but is not yet in Government. A group of Shadow Ministers can make up a Shadow Cabinet. This is mainly used when talking about the opposition.

Along with the good news, Lim Tean was in praises of Leong for his tireless efforts over the past 20 years and welcomed him to the political scene. He was certain that Leong will contribute a lot for the sake of Singaporeans.

Leong has, for many years, written pieces on Singapore's financial and labour market. He has been speaking out against the Government's lack of transparency. Some of his pet topics are on the CPF and Singapore's economic policies. 

According to Lim, Leong has provided financial counselling to many Singaporeans and have achieved much in helping them get back on their feet. 

Leong is also a defender of human rights, having been the President of MARUAH, a human rights organisation in Singapore. 

"Peoples Voice is the fastest growing political party in Singapore and we are attracting so many outstanding MP candidates from all walks of life . They come from the Creative industries, Finance and Securities, education etc. Our candidates never live in ivory towers. They live and work amongst ordinary Singaporeans, and are never dependent on the government for an iron rice bowl. We look forward to introducing them to you in the coming months."

The opposition in Singapore is slowly but surely growing. Let's hope it will bring good news.

https://www.facebook.com/PeoplesVoiceSingapore/posts/2242971449304382?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARA-2uHINI6zLqE3ZRkwFmlgJUfoyf8zXORRgXisdDdNoOwaSyD5z76rINqDHeSjwp4Yw3TYdNNs_LHsqqk1P29cxFbzEC59kghn9Ze3_nRrPDYEMP_-pJBSN2Wq72z1xRjx9nFoNuT7nhgsNvVZ82yC2zsXdlNwIOT7Vvi-vlVHUFxfCOJckOEMkGv4n0XtagOsWn16-3KU7zj7SG1wU-TaqpLqI0M7Mv-1qF4ibDhx0qvViCthZ_kupL_DOIams2Vhq5dqiG7PtaH5IA0-ZcIhz5Kznq8oojvfhse2sMf2_xcMj2osqMBt2euo1Vc3BikdE_VSTWvbyhj6V2OXPwvz1vuR&__tn__=-R

The Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) has released a summarised list of its plan for Singaporeans should they be chosen to lead the nation. So far, netizens have shown their support and were welcome to their ideas. The SDP plans to:

1. Cut ministerial salary
2. Tax the rich by 1% more
3. Have a revenue-neutral budget
4. Abolish GST 
5. Enforce a minimum wage
6. Reinstate estate duty
7. Make HDB cheaper
8. Make healthcare more affordable
9. Return CPF at 55 years old
10. Stop wasteful public spending

These points are all part of their policy A Better Life For All: Keeping The Cost Of Living In Singapore Affordable, which is available online. 

The SDP has been gearing up on its campaigning in hopes of being prepared for the next General Election. Prior to publishing its policy, the SDP was busy gathering people and keeping them updated on the party's happenings. 

"Remember, we are not helpless, let's create an unstoppable force for positive change for our nation."

#SDPNow #TheWayForward

https://www.facebook.com/cheesoonjuan/photos/a.10150092386688849/10158840410543849/?type=3&theater

Speaker of Parliament, Tan Chuan-Jin, got unexpectedly dragged into Malaysia's internal politics during his official visit to Malaysia's Lower House of Parliament while it was in session.

Tan and his delegation was there on a three day visit to meet Malaysian leaders and was in the Malaysian Parliament to observe an ongoing session. That was when the announcement of Selangor UMNO MP Noh Omar receiving a three-day suspension was made. Noh said that he was not aware of this, as the suspension was made when he was not present to defend himself. He called this unfair, and turning his attention to the visiting Singapore delegates, he asked the Speaker of Parliament if he ever suspended anyone from Singapore's Parliament before.

Tan's reaction was not recorded, nor were any answers given. It was assumed that if he had to answer this question, then his reply would probably be the MPs normally would absent themselves from Parliament without the need for any suspension.