Jokes heard from the Parliament

Hri Kumar Nair, Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC

Mr Hri Kumar Nair (Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC) floated a radical suggestion aimed at getting the best talent into the Cabinet - allow the Prime Minister to appoint outstanding individuals from outside the ranks of elected MPs.

The suggestion has been made several times over the last 20 years by MPs and political observers, but has never been accepted by the Government on the grounds that unelected ministers would not be accountable to the electorate.

Revisiting the issue, Mr Nair argued that 'it may sound sacrilegious in a democracy to say so, but a person who is popular on the ground may not necessarily be the best person to run a ministry, or vice versa'.

Are we missing something here? With our parliament filled with ministers and MPs from the same political party, somebody is suggesting that the Prime Minister should be given the power to introduce even more people into it? Bypassing the voting system altogether? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I won't assume that the Prime Minister will introduce somebody who is not aligned with his policies. No, it is not sounding sacrilegious. It is sacrilegious.

PM's Driver: Sir, can you bring me into the Cabinet?
PM: Ali, do you know what are you talking about?
PM's Driver: Yes Sir, I heard that you now have the authority to appoint outstanding individuals from outside the ranks of elected MPs into the Cabinet.
PM: But Ali, did you study politics in school? Or even law?
PM's Driver: No Sir, I've only got an 'O' level cert.
PM: And you think this is enough? And you think you can stand next to my elites?
PM's Driver: But Sir, I've heard all your political thoughts and decision makings all these years while driving you from point A to point B.
PM: Hmm... so you think that by picking up bits and pieces of my thoughts, you can be a politician? That flattering, but still...
PM's Driver: Yes Sir, and I've also heard all your father's political thoughts and decision making for you...
PM: Okay. Report for work tomorrow.



Indranee Rajah, Tanjong Pagar GRC
Josephine Teo, Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC

Low Thia Khiang's claim that only an elected opposition can provide effective checks and balances and ensure a clean government was rebutted by two People's Action Party (PAP) MPs on Tuesday.

Ms Indranee Rajah (Tanjong Pagar GRC) said this assumption was not only simplistic, but also plain incorrect.

For if this were true, why is it that many other countries with multi-party systems still see deep-seated and endemic corruption, she asked.

More often than not, an opposition wins against a corrupt incumbent, and then itself becomes corrupt when in government, said Mrs Josephine Teo (Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC).

Ms Rajah's counter: Going by this argument, the logical outcome is that 'every other country with an opposition should be squeaky clean and Singapore should be the most corrupt country in the world'.

This is not the case, she pointed out. In fact, Singapore today is widely regarded as having one of the least corrupt systems in the world.

This, she said, is because MPs hold their positions in trust for the people, PAP leaders expect the highest standards of integrity, and there are inherent checks and balances in the system.

Seriously, the real reason why Singapore is kinda corruption free? Because our MPs and ministers are so highly paid that some ministers are even receiving bigger cheques than the President of the United States of America.

Who needs corruption when a Permanent Secretary is paid well enough to attend cooking lesson in Paris? Who needs corruption when a MP has the power to fire the guy who won a silver medal for the nation, instead of rewarding him and recognising his efforts, scorn him further after he left, and then keep quiet and pretend that nothing has happened? Who needs corruption when a terrorist head escaped and people had food poisoning from squalid food centre that was not cleaned for years, and yet no apology is expected from the responsible ministers and they could still draw the same high pay despite their mistakes.


Sin Boon Ann, Tampines GRC

Rising to speak when Parliament resumed its session after a short break on Thursday afternoon, Mr Sin Boon Ann said: 'On reflection I thought I should have sought some confirmation from the writer of the e-mail, or separately verify the contents of the e-mail since I believe the privilege of free speech in this House imposes the higher standards of diligence on the part of its members.

'But to that extent I have fallen short of these standards. I proffer my unreserved apology to those involved.'

Mr Sin referred to excerpts of the e-mail from a Cheryl Ng when he launched a stinging attack on the media's reporting of the recent Aware saga, and took The Straits Times, in particular, to task.

Among the accusations he made in Parliament on Wednesday: The Straits Times reporter covering the saga was 'hobnobbing with the homosexual fraternity at the extraordinary general meeting'; that members of the press were jubilant at the ousting of the new guard; and that there was a media cover-up of an amendment to give men full voting rights in Aware.

Mr Sin wondered if the press could be called on to report responsibly and impartially and to present the facts neutrally and objectively 'when some of its own members feel rather passionately about the issues in the public domain'.

The accusations brought into question 'whether there should ever be an unregulated press', he added.

When the PM said that the party was on the lookout for more MPs comfortable with new media, I was not expecting one MP to get so comfortable that he decided to believe everything that was written in an email sent to him from somebody he did not know. Not even a virtual friend. Now I'm worried. Could some kind soul check whether he is still waiting for that few millions promised by a terminally ill Nigerian royalty after he had transferred a few thousands for advance fee?

Has this MP also forgotten that the PM had once stressed that traditional media will always have a place in presenting trusted, unbiased and informed opinions? How dare he now says that PM's beloved traditional media is not reporting responsibly and impartially and not presenting the facts neutrally and objectively! How dare he even suggest that his boss was wrong!

Hri Kumar Nair,Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC,Indranee Rajah,Tanjong Pagar GRC,Josephine Teo,Sin Boon Ann,Tampines GRC

Damn! Those mollycoddled are spending too little!

On 21 May 2009, AC Nielsen released the report that Consumer confidence in Singapore has plummeted to a record new low. While Singaporeans are more concerned about their job security, they are spending less and saving more.

Consumer Confidence in Singapore - And Around the World- Continues its Downward Spiral: Nielsen
Source: ACNielsen.com.sg

Consumer confidence in Singapore has plummeted to a record new low in the past six months, falling a significant 12 Index points down from 92 to 80, according to the latest twice-yearly Nielsen Global Consumer Confidence Index which tracks consumer confidence, major concerns and spending habits among 25,420 internet users in 50 countries. This is Singapore’s third consecutive decline from its all time high of 114 recorded in late 2007.

...In fact, Singaporeans are now second among global consumers, after the Arabs, who are most concerned about their job security. While only a quarter (26%) of local respondents cited job security as one of their top concerns six months ago, one in two (49%) Singaporeans are now reportedly losing sleep over the prospect.

“We are currently seeing the worst decline in Singapore employment in the last six years, and since the commencement of the Nielsen Global Consumer Confidence study,” noted *Mr Richmond. “Things are definitely not looking good on the job front, not just in Singapore, but also everywhere else in the world.”

...Being the avid savers that they are, this current period of economic uncertainty is providing Singaporeans an even more compelling reason to save, and Singaporeans now make the world’s greatest savers! The intention to save is now seen in three out of four (75%) consumers here—the highest record so far. At 42 percent, holidays/vacations continue to take second priority where it comes to allocation of spare cash.

*Note: Paul Richmond, Managing Director, Consumer Group, The Nielsen Company Malaysia and Singapore.

On 25 May 2009, again we are seeing evidence that Singaporeans are indeed more prudent with their money now. They are saving more by cooking at home rather than dining out, and spending more on essential grocery items instead of treats like chocolates.

Spending on groceries rises as Singaporeans eat out less
Source: Channelnewsasia.com

SINGAPORE : A recent survey showed that Singaporeans are turning to home cooked meals and eating out less, due to economic reasons.

Households are now spending an average of 14 per cent more a month on overall expenses compared to last year, in part due to higher food prices.

So more are choosing to eat in to cut down on the high cost of dining out.

...Seven in 10 Singaporeans said that they are altering their spending habits to save more.

They are cutting down on treats like chocolates and carbonated soft drinks, and buy only essentials.

But alas, despite all the effort put into making changes to their lives, despite doing all they could to stay afloat during this economic crisis, they are still being chided. "Mollycoddled", they were called.

We're too mollycoddled
Source: Straitstimes.com

DOES a father of an eight-year- old learning to ride a bike line the streets with cushions so the child will not hurt himself if he falls?

Answering his own question, MP Sam Tan (Tanjong Pagar GRC) felt it is best for the child to take the knocks as they come.

'A boy who is mollycoddled is a very different person from the one who is physically tough and takes spills without fear and whining,' he said on Monday.

This, too, can be the approach in helping Singaporeans during tough times, he told Parliament.

Noting that Singaporeans are continuing to spend amid the recession, he said this was good as it had a multiplier effect. But what concerned him was that they may be spending out of a false sense of security.

Mr Tan also noticed that some citizens - including the elderly who in the past relied on their children - are starting to zoom in on Government help, regarding it as an entitlement:

'Today, many see Government help as an entitlement, something that they should tap on as a first port of call, rather than a last resort,' he observed.

The elderly tell him they want to spare their children the 'burden' of caring for them. But Mr Tan is astonished and dismayed, and sometimes tells the supplicants: 'You should let your children care for you, not the state... because it is the right thing to do.'

Filial piety, he said, is one of the most fundamental values of the human race.

The reality is that the Government is now practised in the craft of 'recession-cushioning', he said as he questioned the true impact of this largesse and efficiency.

Are we missing something somewhere? While AC Nielsen was reporting that Singaporeans are spending less and saving more, MP Sam Tan rebuked them for spending out of a false sense of security. Either the International marketing research company or the honourable MP is wrong. But since you get what you pay for, maybe we should trust the one who is paid more. The MP has to be right.

MP Sam Tan was especially annoyed by the elderly for putting the burden of caring for them on the nation, which is a terribly wrong thing to do especially when they are no longer contributing to the growth of the country's economy. The right thing for them to do, as advised by the MP, is to ask their children to care for them. Even if their children could be jobless and struggling themselves. And for those without a child to rely on, oh well, that's too bad. Regardless, it is not the nation's job to take care of the elderly. Apparently.

Consumer Confidence,job security,mollycoddled,Sam Tan,Tanjong Pagar GRC

Are our civil servants overly bureaucratic? Nah, these are just the minorities

INT.OFFICE - MEETING ROOM IMMUTABLE- MORNING

Susan held the meeting door open as an alluring young lady walked in gently and slowly. Wearing a neat little black jacket with a tight and short black skirt, she smiled and bowed slightly as she walked towards the front of the meeting room, and stood next to Mr Teo. All the men in the meeting room were still gawking lasciviously at the young lady when Susan handed the wireless microphone over to Mr Teo.

MR TEO (clearing his throat): Gentlemen...

Mr Teo's voice pulled the men abruptly out of their daze. They then sat up straight and tried to look smart.

MR TEO (continuing): Gentlemen, we're very pleased to have Miss Keiko here with us. Miss Keiko is working for the Japan Department of Agriculture as a public relations officer. She is here today to share with us about her work and how we can foster good relationship with the public. Okay, let us give Miss Keiko a warm welcome!

Before Mr Teo could finish the word "welcome", all the men shook the room with thunderous applause. With a wild grin, Mr Teo handed the microphone towards Keiko. Sheepishly, Keiko took the microphone over from Mr Teo's open palm.

KEIKO (bowing slightly): Thank you, Teo-san. Good morning, everybody. I'm Keiko Yukari and I work for the Japan Department of Agriculture. I'm a public relations officer and my job is to talk to the public and understand their problems, so that I can help them. It's a very interesting job and I really love my job!

AH LIM (whispering to Ah Tan): Talk to public and listen to their stupid problems very interesting meh?
AH TAN (whispering back to Ah Lim): She's a Japanese what. Japanese gals can be amused by anything.

Keiko went on talking about her role and responsibility with the enthusiasm of a MLM salesperson who is selling a super water filter that can purify sewage water to a state which is fit for drinking.

ALI (whispering to Ah Tan and Ah Lim): Wah, the way she talks, machiam she loves her job so much its like a hobby like that!
AH LIM (whispering back): They must be paying her good money loh!

Keiko then paused and looked at Susan. Taking the microphone away, she muttered something to Susan, smiled and bowed slightly. Susan then walked to towards the wall and pulled down a white screen while Keiko plugged the projector's video cable onto a notebook. A few seconds later, Quicktime application appeared on the white screen. Keiko smiled and bowed slightly again to Susan to thank her.

KEIKO: I will now show you how we can improve our service quality and standards, okay?

With a few clicks on the notebook, a video was shown on the Quicktime application. It showed a woman sitting behind a desk with neatly arranged stationery. A man walked towards the desk and sat in front of her. He handed over a little piece of paper with a number on it and the woman then asked "Yes?". At that point, Keiko paused the video.

KEIKO: Ah, can anyone tell me what's wrong with the lady's response?

All the men in the room stared at her blankly, some even lasciviously.

KEIKO: She should have greeted the man, you know? Like 'Ohayou gozaimasu', or 'Good morning' for your country, oh but of course, 'Good afternoon' if it is in the afternoon! Hahaha... And after that, she must tell him 'Welcome' to her department, you know?

Keiko was nodding her head as she tried to search for any sight of acknowledgement in the crowd, where there was none.

AH LIM (whispering to Ah Tan and Ali): 'Good afternoon' still okay lah, but 'Welcome'? Serous or not? We're not some Japanese departmental store leh!

Keiko then clicked on the notebook to un-pause the video. The video continued with the man asking "I want to downgrade to a smaller flat." With which the woman answered with a question "Have you talked to any of our financial assistance staff?". The man then answered "No". "Okay, then you need to go upstairs and take a queue number. And you need to have your documentary proof of financial difficulty and monthly income of family members ready", said the woman monotonously in a single breathe. The man looked baffled but left anyway. At that point, Keiko paused the video again.

KEIKO: I'm sure now you can tell me what's wrong with the lady, right?

Again, all the men in the room stared at her blankly.

KEIKO: Oh, you can't tell? She did alot of wrong things yeh, very wrong. Firstly, she cannot answer his question with another question. That's very rude. She should first answer "Yes" to acknowledge his question, so that he knows that she understands him, yeh? And she cannot just ask him to go away, to go to another place by himself. It's very rude also. In my department, we will walk with our customers, and guide them to the correct place, so that they don't get lost.
ALI: Har? Apa ini? Still must bring them to the other department? Alamak, then we'll be too busy entertaining these people to do our work!

Keiko looked towards the direction of Ali. Ali covered his mouth and smiled at her sheepishly.

KEIKO: Yes Sir, do you have a question?
ALI: Eh... no, no. Sorry.
KEIKO (smiling): It's okay. But please feel free to ask me any question, yeh?

Ah Tan nudged Ali lightly with his elbow.

Keiko clicked on the notebook again to un-pause the video. The video continued with the same man going to the desk of another staff in another department, where he was asked some more questions before he was yet directed to another department, where his application was rejected because a piece of the required document was missing. In between, Keiko paused the video to ask more questions, only to be returned by yet more blank faces. But as polite as she could be, she would always provide the correct answer patiently with a sweet smile.

When the presentation finally ended, Mr Teo took over the microphone from Keiko, who again bowed slightly.

MR TEO: Gentlemen, I'm sure you've heard complaints that our public service's service quality is not up to standard. With such myriad of complaints deluging the various ministries, something has to be done. That's why we need to work with experts like Miss Keiko to train our customer facing staff and also continue to work with Quality Service Managers to improve the implementation of the 'No Wrong Door' policy. So gentlemen, please tell your guys not to apply for any leave for the next one month so that we could have full attendance for the trainings.

Some of the men scrambled into their pockets for their pens to take note as Mr Teo continued.

MR TEO: Another thing. Apparently some people thought that we are overly bureaucratic, but I'm very sure those they encountered are in the minority. I do not see anyone in this room who has a rigid attitude, do we?

ALL (almost together): No Sir!

MR TEO: See? These people are definitely talking without facts! Compared to how it used to be, we are now more understanding of the common people! Let's be practical. Of course officials need to follow policy guidelines, or else there will be anarchy! What is the purpose of us writing so many policies and guidelines when nobody is following?

Almost all of the men nodded in agreement, with a few still busy stealing stares at Keiko, who was standing attentively by Mr Teo's side.

MR TEO: Let me tell you what's really wrong. Those who approach government departments for help may already have in mind what kind of help they want. So when officials are unable to give these people exactly what they want, they think that these officials are inflexible! How ludicrous! So, next time someone accuse you of binding red tapes, tell them these red tapes are necessary to keep things in order!

All the men clapped to support what Mr Teo had said.

MR TEO: Okay, gentlemen, we've come to the end of today's session. Let's all give Miss Keiko one more round of applause!

All the men clapped again, with Keiko bowed slightly to the audience again. While everybody started to leave the room, Keiko walked towards Mr Teo.

KEIKO: Mr Teo, I'll be going over to the Ministry of Manpower tomorrow. Could I borrow that video to present to the staff over there?
MR TEO: Hmm... I don't think you could do just that because it's our internal video. You would need to write to MICA with a copy of this video and get their approval first. Oh, and when I said 'write', I meant with pen and paper, not email. You have to go down to MICA personally. And after that, you'll need to hand the approved video over to MOM's PR department for review. Only upon their approval, you could use the video for your next presentation.
KEIKO: Oh... I see... then I can use the video for presentation tomorrow?
MR TEO (chuckling): Hahaha... you must be kidding! You need to wait about 5 to 10 working days for MICA to approve, then another say, 3 to 5 days for MOM's PR to approve, and maybe the department you're going to present to may need another 1 to 2 days to review the video first. So that's about 12 days give and take.

Keiko stared at Mr Teo blankly.

civil servants,bureaucratic,MP,ministries,government departments

So you thought you can represent the majority of Singaporeans? Think again!

When I heard that a group of self-declared representative of the conservative majority of Singaporeans, who believe that our children should be educated in accordance with the mainstream values of our society, had started a petition to command AWARE for Public Apology and Disclosure, a little voice in my head grunted "Not again! Conservative majority of Singaporeans? Who are these people to claim that they are the majority of Singaporeans?"

With the intention of making them aware (oops, the pun!) that not all Singaporeans are conservative, and they are definitely not representing the majority of Singaporeans (at least they could not represent anyone that I've known all my life so far), I started another petition. A petition against their petition. A petition to wake them up from their delusion and shout into their ears "Hey! You're not the majority! And you sure don't represent Singapore!"

I have no idea when was their petition started, but I read about it on Wayangparty.com on May 19, which was when my petition started. Considering that about 60 signatures had already been collected when my petition started from zero, I was taken by a pleasant surprise that at this present moment, my satire has gathered more signatures than them. All in 2 days' time.



"So what's your point?", some may ask.

Besides the fun and laughter? Okay, seriously, there are three.

Firstly, and the essential point, for all to see that these group of people do not truly represents Singaporeans. At least not the majority. In a nutshell, we could say there are three groups of Singaporeans:

• "I've got more important things to worry about" - People who are struggling everyday to make ends meet, especially in an economic crisis as now. They could belong to the lower income group, or have been recently retrenched. To them, the money they bring back home is their top priority. Obviously.


• "It doesn't really bother me and I don't care" - People who are apathetic to issues that do not affect their lives. To this group of people, the government could implement any policy as long as they are not required to make any changes in their lives. They could belong to the mid income group. To them, making more money is top priority and as long as they don't have to pay more taxes, they don't care about anything else. They might grumble a bit now and then, offline and online, or voice their alternate views on policies, but that's only for leisure.


• "I'm too intelligent to have my thoughts suppressed and I want to change the world, or at least my country!" - People who typically have all the time and money in their hands. They are highly educated and so believe that their worldviews have to be the world's views. Yes, I believe that those who started that petition against AWARE belongs to this group of people.

So... at best, they could only represent a third of Singaporeans. Definitely not the majority, if my maths does not fail me.

Secondly, to prove that this particular platform for online petitioning is unreliable. Aside from duplicated entries (which could be detected and removed manually), the signatures are authenticated solely by email addresses. This means that if I've got three email addresses (perhaps office, personal and another just for fun?), I could sign three times. If somebody is real determined on amassing as many signatures as possible (say, 7200?) to prove that a petition is legitimately advocated, he/she could just get his/her friends and relatives to register multiple email addresses for the purpose of signing the petition. Time consuming? Yes. Difficult? Definitely no. Just send some emails to tell others to email. So should MOE take their petitions seriously then?

Thirdly and lastly, I'm nauseated of the term "conservative majority of Singaporeans" and would like to see how many people out there are as sick and tired as me.

No matter, I'm thrilled to have received more than a hundred signatures within two days. Even if their petition should amass more signatures than mine by May 31 (which is their petition's deadline), at this point in time, I've already proven my three points. And no, I'm not going to really send this petition to the Ministry of Home Affairs, though they are indeed planning to harrass the Ministry of Education.

Lastly, I would like to thank all who have signed and supported the petition. Thanks for joining in the fun!

conservative majority Singaporeans,petition

Two petitions from two group of people claiming to be "Majority of Singaporeans"

A group that claimed to be representative of the conservative majority of Singaporeans, who believe that their children should be educated in accordance with the mainstream values of their society, has started a petition to request AWARE for Public Apology and Disclosure.

Petition AWARE for Public Apology and Disclosure

Meanwhile, another group has claimed to be the real representative of the majority of Singaporeans, who believe that their identiy has been stolen and misleadingly represented without their permission. They have created a petition against the group of people above.

Petition Fake Majority of Singaporeans for Apology

conservative majority Singaporeans,petition

Some topics raised by President Nathan at the opening of the second session of the eleventh Parliament

President Nathan says govt's immediate priority is to see S'pore through crisis
Source: Channelnewsasia.com

"Opening the second session of the eleventh Parliament on Monday evening, he said the best strategy is still to help companies to stay viable and continue employing workers."

How to help companies stay viable? Give them more money like the highly-rated Job Credits scheme? Reduce their CPF contributions for their employees further? And by adding dollars to the companies they will continue employing workers instead of retrenching them?

Extract from G.M. Seeks More Imports From Low-Wage Regions
Source: The New York Times

General Motors is engaged in negotiating a reorganization that could increase vehicle imports from its plants in Mexico and Asia while closing factories and cutting the work force in the United States.

That approach drew a sharp rebuke from the United Automobile Workers union on Friday. In a letter to each member of Congress, the U.A.W., which represents G.M. factory workers, argued that to qualify for more government assistance, the auto giant should be required “to maintain the maximum number of jobs in the United States.”

The administration, however, appears to accept the proposition that to return to profitability as quickly as possible, G.M. must import a significant percentage of cars from its plants in low-wage countries, like Mexico and China, or low-cost countries, like Japan.

G.M. already imports a third of the vehicles that go to showrooms in this country. That percentage would not change in the plan that G.M. is preparing to submit to the administration to justify billions of dollars in new loans to stave off collapse. G.M. would emerge a smaller company, with fewer employees and less output in this country and abroad. But imports would rise from low-cost countries, particularly Mexico and China, and that would be offset by fewer imports from Canada and Europe.

G.M. is asking Washington for billions of dollars more in federal loans to survive, on top of the $15.4 billion already borrowed. In a presentation to Congress, the company laid out the plan for the shifts in production to lower-cost countries. In the United States, G.M. would close 16 of its remaining 47 plants and eliminate an additional 21,000 jobs. The company also announced on Friday that 1,100 dealers would be eliminated from its American network by the fall of next year.

"Singapore must also keep up the effort to up-skill and re-skill workers to become more employable and productive in a changing economy."

For these trainings to be really effective in helping our workers, I would assume these two essential prerequisites are inevitable: Firstly, the workers are still holding a job and getting paid so that they and their families do not get starved to death first. Secondly, the companies do not hire foreign workers to fill up the positions while the locals are happily receivng training. So who is there to ensure that these prerequisite are met?

"President Nathan said for lower-skilled, less-educated workers, the government will continue to help them and their families. They will be trained, while their children will get every opportunity to reach their full potential in education."

And perhaps we could start by making the Meet-the-People Session (MPS) more friendly? And if possible, at the same time, the MPs could learn to be more empathetic?

Teen arrested for violence at MP's office
Source: Asiaone.com

A YOUTH with low IQ has been arrested by police after flying into a rage at a Meet-the-People Session (MPS), upset at what he felt was his MP's cold-shoulder treatment of his mother's financial plight.

The 17-year-old boy hoisted an aluminium foldable chair over his head and slammed it against a glass door seconds after walking out of MP Cynthia Phua's Serangoon North office with his mother.

The boy, who has been released on bail, has been told to report back to the police on 12 May, where he may be charged with committing a rash act.

The offence carries a jail term of up to six months and a fine of up to $2,500.

This is the third incident in recent months involving MPs and their constituents.

The boy and his mother, 53, are familiar faces to the grassroots volunteers at the MPS.

The unwed mother with Primary 6 education gets by on a $400 monthly salary as a part-time cleaner.

He attended a special school and suffers from thalassemia, a blood disorder that renders him weak and sickly.

The mother said that things went from bad to worse in November 2004 when the boy's father disappeared and stopped paying the $300 monthly maintenance due to her.

As a result, she visited the MPS about once a month for the past few years to request for various kinds of financial aid.

January this year saw a crisis unfold in their lives, when the mother broke her wrist after falling off a chair while cleaning a fan. She hasn't worked since.

She said the HDB was then in the middle of repossessing her flat and giving her a rental unit, but she was unable to pay the $138 in rental deposit and stamp duty.
So last Monday, she went to the office at Block 125, Serangoon North Ave 1, where MP Lim Hwee Hua holds her MPS, hoping to have her sign an appeal letter for HDB.

But that day, Mrs Lim, who is also a minister in the Prime Minister's Office, was abroad. Fellow Aljunied GRC MP Cynthia Phua stood in for her.

The mother's request was granted - Madam Phua signed the letter - but mother and son left fuming, claiming that Madam Phua had put them down.

She claimed that shortly after they had entered the office, Madam Phua asked her son a series of questions:

'She asked him, 'Who are you? What are you doing? Why aren't you working?' she claimed.

The mother said she wanted to explain her son's condition, but wasn't given a chance.

'I felt like we were being scolded,' she said.

The meeting ended after two or three minutes, she said.

During the one week after the incident, the mother pondered what to do.

Two days ago, she returned to the MPS again alone and clutching a handwritten letter of apology from her son.

'Please fodgive me for what I dad I am sinelely truely I'm sorry (sic),' the teenager had written in big, neat handwriting.

The apology, however, was not acceptable to Mrs Lim, who was back chairing the MPS after returning from abroad.

'I made it very clear to (the mother) that this is unacceptable behaviour. It is not justifiable in any circumstance. There's no excuse to be violent,' Mrs Lim told The New Paper.

She also explained that she was not in a position to excuse or forgive the boy.

'I was not present and the police are investigating into the matter. I believe the police will take into consideration the mitigating factors,' said Mrs Lim.

'From what I understand, Madam Phua was being very motherly and very helpful inside the room with them.'

Mrs Lim's response surprised the mother, who had spoken fondly of her throughout the interview with The New Paper just a day before.

"Two new institutions will be created. The first will be a new institute which will partner foreign universities that offer degree courses to open more direct routes for polytechnic graduates to obtain degrees. The second will be a new university, which will be set up in close partnership with one leading university each from the US and China."

Instead of opening yet another two new institutions in addition to SMU, why not just increase the number of seats in NUS and NTU opened to polytechnic graduates? It has always baffled me on why is it so much easier for JC and Pre-U students to get into our local universities than those from the polytechnics. Even foreign students with dubious academic level are more welcomed.

And what after graduation from these two new institutions? With most statboards and GLCs still holding the bigotry that only graduates from NUS and NTU are "real" university graduates worth employing, while degrees from any other universities, even far more well-known ones in UK or Australia, are dubious, will the graduates from these two new institutes then have the guarantee of fair competition?

President Nathan,Parliament

Where are the employee benefits at times like this?

It is a fact that whenever a company is not making enough (no, let's not go to the "losing money" stage) the first to take the hit is its employee.

For local SMEs, the common practice is to start delaying the workers' pay. Like how those cleaning companies had bidded a few bids too low for the project and had to resort to paying their cleaners once every few months, or preferrably a year. As for MNCs, their best practice would be retrenchment, or in a more pleasing terminology, restructuring.

When retrenchment is not adequate to keep the company in a still-making-good-money-in-bad-times state, a company could actually turn to making the most unreasonable changes. And apparently when times are bad, even the best could turn to worst.

In one particular MNC which won the 2008 HRM awards of Number One Employer of Choice in Singapore, its CEO went up a hill in the Silicon Valley recently and came back to its people with a set of Ten Commandments...

1) If thou art a full time staff, thou shalt take a 5 percent pay cut, 10 percent if thou art a manager
2) If thou art a contractor, thou shalt not have your contract extended
3) If someone in the department left, it shalt not hire a replacement, but to divide the tasks, not necessary equally, among those left behind
4) Thou shalt take more leaves, no-pay ones of course
5) Thou shalt not travel. If thou have to attending a meeting across the globe, use the phone. Even if it means staying awake at 2am
6) Thou shalt not have a toll-free number. All conference calls will now be conducted on paid numbers, and of course thou art paying if thou work from home
7) Thou shalt work from home more often because instead of a personal desk, thou will be sharing a hot desk if thou comes to the office
8) Thou shalt pay for parking now, at the rate of $3 to $4 per hour, even though the office is nowhere near CBD area or anywhere where land is expensive
9) The department shalt stop all form of monetary awards but instead just sing hollow praises to the employees who worked off their asses for thou
10) The department shalt not have any fund for team building activities

This may looks cruel, but hey, at least these people are still holding a job, which would be considered the best blessing they could get! What more can they ask for when at this present moment, only the politicians, statboard people, teachers, policemen and soldiers are the only ones still holding a more-than-decent job with can't-be-better pay and benefits! It is just pure coinicidence that their pay comes from taxpayers like us. Really.

job,employee benefits

More fun in REACH's "New NMP candidates Nomination" forum

Like an energizer rabbit, the heter vs homo war in REACH's "Singapore on the lookout for new NMP candidates" forum is still going strong, with more posts coming in, none related to the topic of new NMP candidates nomination!

With the lack of juicy news (yeh, we lost a few billions, but we're talking about Temasek, so we'll just have to get used to it huh?), I went back into the forum to have some pick-me-up for the morning. And so I posted...

Tan Ah Beng
17 May 09 , 12:14 PM

futurisic: "If Lesbian Gay Bisexual Trans-gender is going to be visible and vocal to infiltrate the society , then the whole world should wake up now before it is too late to do something about it. Start a pro-heterosexual movement, start a IT"S normal and right not to be involved in any LBGT relationship.

Advocate more laws to protect the human rights of the normal mainstream to live a traditional lifestyle without harrassement from LBGT people.

If LGBT movement is planning to invade the space of the normal mainstream and NOT taking a "live and let live" attitude, then the normal mainstream should speak up and tell this LGBT movement to back off."

Can't agree more! Build an underground city and keep them in it for life! Keep them away from our life and make believe they don't exist! Out of sight, out of mind! While we're at it, we should also keep those old people away from the street, especially those poor ones staying in rented one-room flats! Such a disgrace for the world to see that Singapore has poor old people too!

thatwhy: "The problem of this gays and lesbians is that. They impose to change your thinking and want to have sex with you. Like a disease H1N1, SARS infecting anyone near it. Those who are weak end up dead"

Then what are we waiting for? Send these gays and lesbians to help fight the war against the Taliban! Infect all the terrorists! Weaken them and kill them! Save the world! Obama will thank us!

Oh pardon me, did I sway away from the topic of heter vs homo, to talk about other less crucial issues like feeding the poor old people and global terrorism? Me bad.

Anyway, it warms my heart that, while our country is losing money by the billions, we should spend our time fighting a heter vs homo war here. Thanks for the entertainment.

Sorry guys, couldn't help it. But I promise to post about less preposterous stuff in the next post.

REACH,NMP candidates,Siew Kum Hong

Funny posts you find on REACH about the new NMP candidates!

I've heard so much about REACH, but have not been very enthusiastic to pay it a visit, probably because I've heard enough from the mainstream media bragging about what the country has done for me.

But after reading about how the "majority" had given the feedback on REACH that NMP Siew Kum Hong and Beatrice Chia are both No-No's for the Parliament, I was tempted to find out how the "majority" that posted on REACH had represented me.

And upon reading the postings on Singapore on the lookout for new NMP candidates, boy was I excited! Intuitively, I know there is a hypocritically conservative bunch of people in the country who do not make common sense at all, but damn was I overwhelmed!

isay:

The AWARE saga has uncovered questionable (public) behaviour of prominent figures of society, for example ex and current NMPs (eg Mr Siew who had contributed actively to the whole fiasco rather than encourage reconciliation & peaceful resolutions) and CNA newscasters & ST reporters who showed their true colours in bias reporting.

That's quite alot of people to accuse in one sentence. Anyway, our DPM Wong has already chided the CNA newscasters and ST reporters, hasn't he? To remind them to report “dispassionately and impartially", so that our media could keep its 154th place in the Freedom of the Press ranking!

GET THE FACT RIGHT:

NMP should be one with respect and integrity. How can one to be NMP when he does not even respect Singapore law and continue pushing homosexual lifestyle against Penal code 377A and against the wish of majority Singaporean. This pro-gays activity is destroying Asian values, family values and creates tension and crack in harmony of the multi-racial and multi-religious Singapore.

Pro-gays activities are destroying Asian values, family values and creates tension and crack in harmony of the multi-racial and multi-religious Singapore, and funding terrorism, promote global warming, causing funds to fail and banks to collaspe, encouraging retrenchment and hey! Could they be also responsible for the Geylang rojak poisoning?

Rob:

I say NO to Siew Kum Hong as well who was flouting the law and promoting non-mainstream values.

Care to elaborate on which law has NMP Siew flouted? When I last checked on my dictionary, flout means to deliberately and openly disobey a law, order or rule. Did he flouted the law when he supported the repeal of Section 377A of Penal Code? Geez, did I also smoke when I told my friend I've got no problem of him smoking around me?

Thots:

I wish to register my disapproval of the NMP, Mr Siew Kum Hong.

I do not know him personally. But, his recent and past activities (ie. as an official NMP) are clearly unacceptable to many Singaporeans.

Again, I see myself represented here, among the many Singaporeans, without asking for my permission.

VERY WORRIED!!:

Concerned Parents, we all NEED to sit up, pay ATTENTION, and take ACTION!

This is far more serious and worrying than Siew Kum Hong being re-nominated!... Beatrice Chia has submitted to be nominated for NMP (Nominated Member of Parliament.

Beatrice is extremely vocal, daring and controversial and she is actively involved as PRO-Gays, Lesbians, and Homosexual Activist. I understand you can find her in Lesbians / Gays site www.Fridae.com.

She has directed and acted in many movies and mostly, if not all, are extremely provocative, dark and controversial, and many based on theme on Homosexuality, Sex, Lusts, and even Sado-Masochism (enjoyment of hurting and being hurt, especially during sexual activity).

Please ALL write in to this and other sites to make sure our Government wakes up and do NOT put her and such people with such backgrounds and hidden agendas into our Parliament to do MORE HARM TO OUR CHILDREN AND CONSERVATIVE SOCIETY!

Such passion! I could actually feel her wrath as she writes! I would recommend this writer to Beatrice Chia for her next play. With such profound passion, she sure could play the role of a parent who found out all her children are gays. And the best part is, she really knows the director and can fully understand what Beatrice wants, as she went on to list down all the plays written by Beatrice! Too fine a potential actress to pass!

Nicholas:

i believe the ugly, polarised opinions here are an appropriate illustration of what mr siew has accomplished in his short 2.5-year term as an NMP.

If you renew his term, I believe it will effectively destroy Singapore and the 44 years of hard work put in to build up the nation.

One man has the ability to destroy the 44 years of hard work put in to build a nation? NMP Siew is so evil and powerful that he could destroy what MM Lee had built? Wow.

NoTo SKH:

A NMP who thinks he can assume the identity of a private citizen at a public meeting and behave like a hooligan is either very naive or lying. Either way he is not suitable to be an NMP.

I would have thought that it would be kinda impartial for a NMP to assume the identity of a NMP at a public meeting to start giving comments and commands. Silly me. And I would have actually thought that sitting in a conference room watching others shouting around you also makes you a hooligan. Silly me again.

Rehabilitating the Homos and Lesbians:

Like people with violent streaks, drug addicts, smokers, even sex addicts, so as not to appear discriminatory, these gays and lesbians ought to have a rehabilitation program to kick the habit.

If our dear SKH is not discriminating them as well as claiming that he is also NOT supporting them, then he should not waste his time to call for a repeal of 377A. Instead he should call for a National Rehabilitation Centre to be built with a rehab program for Homosexual and Lesbians.

At least it can be seen SKH helping the gays and lesbian by rehabilitating them and probably go down well with the majority of us.

Sorry, as soon as I start reading this post again, I'll laugh hysterically again. Can't comment on this post with this state of mind. Gotta skip.

Jason:

If the Govt is serious about pro-family and wanting Sporeans to have more babies.
I sincerely hope the govt don't appoint a pro-gay/lesbian NMP. We don't need them to preach and impose the homo lifestyle and culture to corrupt the basic foundation of our society.
For society starts with the basic Family nucleus.
Without Hetrosexual, there will be no society and no country.
Let the hetreosexual rule Singapore.

Should we make abortion illegal in Singapore too, since we're at it? Oh I know what! We should legalise polygamy as well! That will definitely gives us more babies! I've got no problem with that! Really!

CH Fong:

As I read the comments of the pro-Siew group, I am convinced the gay minorities are "forcing down the throat" their lifestyle to the mainstream Singaporeans. I personally have never ostracised any homosexuals before and I do know a few who are openly gay. If the gays are so concerned about their so-called infringed rights, they should have the courage to start their own lobby group instead of hijacking other groups to legitimise their stand. All Singaporeans who are from a heterosexual family unit regardless of their religion, race, social status that I have spoken to are apalled by the poisoning of our children's minds through AWARE CSE programme. Mr Siew has now blown his cover for his pro-homosexual agenda and should not be allowed to propagate this deviant view at the national level. If we need a neutral NMP from the Arts fraternity, why do we need to choose one who has an obvious affiliation for homosexual lifestyle. Therefore I am against someone like Ms Beatrice Chia and Mr Siew to be nominated for this post. Why don't we consider someone like Mr Gurmit Singh who is definitely one of the minority ethnic group who has more moral credibility.

Gurmit Singh! Please tell me you're kidding.

Pat C:

Though we wish to be an 'Inclusive Society', we must not include those who clearly will destroy the moral fabric of our society. Those who are bent on promoting homosexuality, if given enough airtime in parliament and in the media, will gradually fused into the mainstream and claim that 'homosexuality' is just another lifestyle choice. It's 'neutral', they would claim.

But 'homosexuality' is not something that is 'neutral'.

If you own a house, then you can paint the inside walls whatever colour you want. This is 'neutral' to others. The colour of walls inside your own house affects you and does not concern others. It is 'neutral', because others are not affected.

When a group within a community practises homosexuality, women having sex with women, men having sex with men, then the family values and the next generation of the same community will be affected. Such lifestyle is not 'neutral' to other members of the community, even though homosexuals confine their private acts within their own houses.

Hence, please do not have NMPs who speak up for special interest groups that advocate freedom of choice relating to homosexuality, drugs, terrorism and gender inequality.

She has totally lost me on the part about the house and neutral. Anyway, interesting that she commented that homosexual lifestyle is not 'neutral' to other members of the community, even though homosexuals confine their private acts within their own houses. How then could they be neutral? Move to other countries out of Singapore? Definitely, in the name of 'Inclusive Society'.

Muslim Reporter:

This is what happens when homos & lesbianism is not nipped in the bud. The govt should have done this a long time ago. Have people forgotten - they are the reasons why we have AIDS !!

The LGBTs are like a cancer - slow but sure death. Do we want S'pore to be become another San Francisco ? The govt MUST take a firm stand and cut & remove this cancer from our society once and for all.

FYI, under muslim law, it is the death sentence for homos & lesbians if they don't repent. Problem nipped in the bud before these people become a cancer to our society.

If we (muslims/christians/conservatives) don't unite and eradicate this cancer, then they will overwhelm society just like the many western countries we see now.

So what now? Need to call for Jihad?

Scums:

The responses to the media of these 3 hopefuls show that they are insensitive and arrogant to the views of the public. How can we expect them to represent the people. Let us not waste taxpayers money on them. I will be very disappointed and upset if they get appointed.

I agree! How insensitive and arrogant! Asking our old parents to shift to JB! Telling us to work on Saturdays because we're not producing enough babies! Saying that learning dialects is a waste of time! They are a waste of taxpayers money alright! Oh... wait... you mean I've got the wrong threes?

Mike:

It matters not what other good Siew Kum Hong had done in other areas in the past. His involvement in the AWARE saga and his shameless role in advocating gay issues even after the Government had made its stand on 377A after the 2007 debate shows he morally corrupt. Look at Durai, Glenn or any other good people who had fallen from grace. All it takes is one mistake and all your good works would be erased. Toast!

So... regardless of what DPM Wong has done in other areas in the past, we should always remember that its his fault that Mas Selamat ran away?

These are the more classic ones, there're more gems (or rubbish) on the site and you could go take a look for yourself.

Meanwhile, this was my post:

Interesting forum you guys've got here, now I know where to go when Sammyboy has no new topics!

Some of my 2cents, just to add more wood to the fire...

1) You guys only hear NMP Siew Kum Hong speaking up only on issues concerning the LGBT community? Didn't hear him on how the Jobs Credit scheme might not work as well as imagined? (Oh wait, you guys are still thinking that it works!) But then again, who cares about what he uttered regarding Budget 2009, Public Order Bill or even the Security Lapses that had caused Mas Selamat's escape! If nobody is listening to him at the Parliament, why should you guys! But when he spoke on issues concerning the LGBT community, it's different. You need to listen very carefully so that you can catch him if he is ever found trying to speak up for the minority!

2) Beatrice Chia's agenda is dubious because all her plays are controversial? Is this a nomination for Singapore Arts Festival or NMP? Oh wait. But I get your point now. We simply can't get ourselves a NMP in the Parliament when her whole mind is only focusing on fighting for the LGBT community and writing for the next controversial play, can we? That was probably how we had the rojak poisioning incident because someone from the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources had his mind fixed on passing the cooking test in Paris, and forgot to keep track of the cleaniness of our food centres!

3) The LGBT people are that evil huh? They'll destroy all the Asian values because of their unnatural doings, lead to the collapse of our conservative society, turn our sons and daughters to homos, and now they want their little voices to be heard! Totally agree that it's unforgivable! These people have voluntarily condemned themselves when they chose to be homo and they definitely have no place here in Singapore where we are trying to build a democratic society based on justice and equality!

You guys are funny!

In fact, you're such a hoot that I'm going to blog about you!

REACH,NMP candidates,Siew Kum Hong

Singapore and Malaysia newspapers reporting differently on Mas Selamat's capture

Ever been to a meeting where staff from department A said that the project scope was X but those from department B claimed that the project scope was Y? Would you not then wonder "Hey! Can't these guys sync-up internally to make sure they're on the same page before presenting to us?"

Won't you then assume that their differences in the same topic could be due to:

• one or both departments trying to snatch the credit


• one department did not do their homework and thought they could smoke their way through


• one department tried to deny effort from the other department so as it could look as if they owned all the credits

No matter, someone ought to be lying. For a reason.


Channelnewsasia said...

"The Malaysian police intelligence are now holding Mas Selamat for investigations.

They added that his arrest would not have been possible without the cooperation of Singapore and Indonesian counterparts

While Malaysia appears to be under no hurry to turn Mas Selamat over to Singapore, Minister Hishammuddin denied that the story was leaked by Singapore in order to put pressure on the Malaysian authorities to do so. If they were, Malaysia will stop cooperating with its southern neighbour"

However The New Straits Times said...

"Najib also congratulated the police for its success in apprehending Mat Selamat, described by the prime minister as an individual who is a threat to national security.

He said the successful capture was relayed to his Singapore counterpart Lee Hsien Loong in Pattaya, Thailand early last month.

“I’ve mentioned this to Singapore Prime Minister when we talked in Pattaya and he’s happy Malaysia had succeeded in apprehending Mat Selamat,” he said."

Channelnewsasia said...

"In a statement on Friday, Singapore's Home Affairs Ministry said: "Mas Selamat has been arrested by the Malaysian Special Branch (MSB) in a joint operation between the MSB and the Internal Security Department (ISD)."

Singapore's Internal Security Department (ISD) had worked hard and looked at every lead, sharing information with its Malaysian counterpart."

Yet The New Straits Times said...

Will Mas Selamat would be handed over to the Singapore authorities?
"We will talk to the Singapore as well as the Indonesian authorities,” Hishammuddin said.

"Our ties with Indonesia are very strong and without Indonesia's co-operation, I do not think we were able to make the arrest after his escape from Singapore."

Mas Selamat,MSB,ISD

How an IT guy will teach school sexuality programmes

The Ministry of Education (MOE) has suspended the engagement of external vendors running sexuality programmes in schools, until it completes the vetting of their content. This could be an opportunity for external vendors, other than AWARE, to come up with their own sexuality education programme training materials and bid for the contract.

As such, this will be my proposed training material, as follows...

PROGRAMME TITLE: SEXUALITY EDUCATION

START OF SCRIPT

Set student_sexuality = UNKNOWN
IF sex(attracted_to) = sex(student) THEN
''Set student_sexuality = 'homo';
''GOTO FUNCTION homo_consult;
ELSE
''Set pre—marital sex = FALSE;
''WHILE (married = FALSE) AND (pre-marital sex = FALSE) DO
''''FUNCTION want_to_have_sex (sex_desire);
''''IF sex_desire = TRUE THEN
''''''IF (girl_on_pill = TRUE) OR (got_condom = TRUE) THEN
''''''''GOTO FUNCTION just_do_it;
''''''''sex = TRUE
''''''ELSE
''''''''IF take_chance = TRUE THEN
''''''''''GOTO FUNCTION just_do_it;
''''''''''sex = TRUE
''''''''''GOTO FUNCTION calculate_pregnancy_probability(pregnant);
''''''''''IF pregnant = TRUE THEN GOTO FUNCTION abortion
''''''''END IF
''''''END IF
''''END IF
''END WHILE
END IF

END OF SCRIPT

Ministry of Education,MOE,school sexuality programmes,sexuality education

How Twitter was used in AWARE EGM and how it could be used in political rallies

During the recent AWARE EGM, Twitter and specifically twIRC, had been effectively used by the members who were stuck for hours in a meeting room to communicate with those outside the room. Every explosive words like "shut up and sit down", every boo and jeer and every happening like "we're starting to vote now" was made known to the outside world in real time. One could be in Tampines, Shanghai or even London but still know within a few seconds that Dr Thio Su Mien has just uttered "I'm on page 73". And when words were not enough, photographs and even videos taken by Blackberries, iPhones or other Wifi mobile phones were rapidly uploaded.

Twitter is truly amazing, isn't it? Give a prisoner in Alcatraz an iPhone and he could know how his newborn looks like and talk to his wife who has just delivered in a hospital hundreds of miles away, then tweet about his joy to all his friends and relatives.

In fact, one could believe that without Twitter, the AWARE EGM could be a very different meeting. Definitely more boring and dragging. Now that the EGM was over, what if we were to apply the same in a political rally? What differences could there be?


Taking note of details

Without Twitter: I wonder how many members would still be awake in the EGM after say, two hours. People could start falling asleep, talking to the people next to them, etc. Of course, they could still be booing and jeering at the speakers. But they could be too bored and tired to take note of any details.

With Twitter: Members had paid attention to the surrounding, but not necesary to PowerPoint presentations that do not interest them, and they listened to every little detail like "I'm on page 73", even with all the noise around them, so that they could tweet about it.

In a rally: Politicians have to be prudent about what they are promising now. Every single promise they made could be spreading around in Twitter. He'd better mean every single detail that he said, including "the hawker center will be washed every Tuesday of the month". Yes, the audience will take note that he said "Tuesday", and not "Wednesday", once a month and not once every three years.

Recording what was discussed

Without Twitter: Though many may have spoken in the EGM, not all will be remembered, especially if one was an obscure speaker.

With Twitter: Interesting or meaningful speech were tweeted and shared, and these tweets were further RT or ReTweeted. Nobody remembered who said "Today is the time to speak out, not shut up and sit down", but everybody remembered it was said because it was tweeted and retweeted N times.

In a rally: Again, politicians have to be prudent about what they promised because whatever they have promised could be tweeted, retweeted and even later blogged about. All in Black and White. He'd better mean it when he said "the lifts will be upgraded by next year", and not just say and forget, hoping that the people will forget.

Sharing thoughts

Without Twitter: When a member did not agree with the speaker's gibberish, all she could do will be to grumble to the people sitting next to her.

With Twitter: When a member tweeted about her opinion, others heard her, some agreed with her and some even retweeted her. Subsequently, all in the meeting room and even more outside the meeting room have heard her.

In a rally: Among the rally crowd could be supporters of the other party, who could have tweeted "I'm sure the very little that he mentioned that we have to pay for the lift upgrading is not so little after all". This tweet could have spread and travelled all the way to the opposition party politican. On his next rally, he could add into his speech "Did they tell you how very much you have to pay for that little lift upgrading? Are you sure you want to spend that kind of money during such economic crisis?"

Spreading the words

Without Twitter: Anything that were said in the EGM would be reported by the Press on newspapers and TV, and members would share with their friends and relatives after the EGM. It could be safe to say that whatever was said would more or less stay within the country.

With Twitter: When members were tweeting on the World Wide Web, people from all over the world read about them. At the point when "#awaresg" became the number one trending topic, curious people around the world started to join in and ask what was it all about. I won't be surprised if some gal staying in California knows who is the "Feminist Mentor" of Singapore now.

In a rally: It is embarrassing to say stupid things in front of a rally crowd, but a monumental embarrassment to have it heard all the way in the United States or Finland. It is better for the politician to know what he is saying instead of just reading from a well-prepared script.

Remembering the event

Without Twitter: Again, anything that were said in the EGM would only be reported by the Press on newspapers and TV. So it would have been a smart move for the old-new exco to ban the Press from the EGM.

With Twitter: Too bad for the old-new exco, camera and even video recording are common features in today's mobile phones. After the event, photographs and video recordings were uploaded and URLs were shared on forums, blogs, and of course, Twitter. Better still, one could tweet about the video, and add in ones own comments. Guess the PR damage could be smaller if the Press was allowed into the venue and people just read the newspapers for info instead.

In a rally: The traditional mainstream media could continue to ignore rallies by the opposition parties, but these rallies could easily be recorded by the rallies crowd and uploaded onto Youtube, and people could share the links on Twitter. With more people logging into Youtube than switching on their TVs these days, it would not come as a surprise if more could have watched the rallies by the opposition parties rather than the governing party.


So, have you created a Twitter account already?

Association of Women for Action and Research,Aware,Twitter,rally,politics,GE,General Election