I was on my way to work this morning. ..and something caught my eye….a student from one of the international school in Singapore was participating her school P.E lesson and guess wat she wearing Hijab…
I am happy and at the same time confused. ..
International School in Singapore allowed her student wear Hijab which I am happy to see but our normal school in Singapore prohibited it…..
Shame on you MOE….n also Yacob Ibrahim. ..
Source: YatiMimi Black
To:
United Nations Bangkok
12th Floor, United Nations Building,
Rajdamnern Nok Avenue, Pranakorn
Bangkok 10200, Thailand
Dear Sir/Mdm,
I want to formally lodge a complaint to the United Nations for our country’s recently-held general election.
For the record, I also stood for general election twice – Tampines GRC in 2011 and Ang Mo Kio GRC this year.
For the recent election, the ruling party PAP won by a landslide majority percentage of 70% – a huge increase of 10% over the previous GE 2011 result of 60%.
Many opposition parties suffered from bad losses – right down to the unprecedented 20s percentile mark.
My fear is that if the following unfair unethical practices are to go unchecked, it will be the accepted norm and we may see a one-party rule for a very long time – something which many Singaporeans are uncomfortable with.
Many are willing to accept the mandate of the majority but if the ruling party won it unfairly then the international community such as the United nations needs to step in so that future elections can be conducted ethically and above board.
We hope that independent assessors be sent in by the UN so that the population is ensured of a fair and ethical election from now on.
Moreover, Singapore is a internationally-renowned economic powerhouse with a huge multi-national presence but it is seriously lacking in democratic rights and freedom of speech.
Those who spoke out against the authorities were frequently questioned by the police with some facing lawsuits and jail sentence.
I have listed down the following unfair unethical ways in which our government has won the recent election:-
1. Injection of new citizen voters
New citizens were injected yearly so that they can usher in to vote for the ruling party out of loyalty.
They were mostly hailed from third world countries such as Philippines, Malaysia, China, India and Indonesia and know no other party besides PAP.
An average of 25,000 new voters are added in annually since 2006 and by this election, more than 200,000 new citizens are eligible to vote – mostly for the first-time.
Though we acknowledged that voters are swayed by the SG 50 jubilee celebration and the death of patriach Lee Kuan Yew to vote for the ruling party, new voters from third world countries will be the new force to be reckoned with.
New-citizen voters is the main reason why our government allows in so many foreigners on the pretext of economic expansion but behind there lies a more sinister motive to stay in power forever as they are loyal to the ruling party.
We urge the government to consider that new citizens can only vote after staying with us for 5 years and beyond so their votes can never be manipulated at the onset to help the ruling party.
2. Boundary changes
Boundary changes is the norm of every election but for this recent election it is more pressing as the ruling party faces some unresolvable national issues such as transportation and over-crowding.
It’s share of the crucial majority votes have been slipping since two elections ago.
For this election, boundary changes is also more critical as it allows the government to flood certain opposition-held wards with new citizen voters. It is almost a sure-win way to ensure that they can hold on to their own constituencies and yet able to possibly remove a opposition-held ward or reduce its winning margin.
WP’s Aljunied GRC is one such ward as it saw the winning margin reduced from a five-figure majority victory in 2011 to a narrow 1900 votes (50.95). There is a 3.7% swing against the opposition giant.
In 2011, Aljunied had 143,000 voters whereas for the recent election it has 148,000 voters – an increase of almost 5000 voters.
In 2015, it polled 70,000 votes against the 2011 election’s 72,000 causing it to slip 3.7% to 50.9% of majority votes or 12,000 winning votes in 2011 to the current 1900 votes after counting in the PAP’s share of the votes.
The PAP’s share of the votes, on the other hand, jumped from 59,000 to 67,000 – probably a combination of new citizen voters (5000) and swing voters (3000).
There is thus this fear that WP may not be able to hold on to Aljunied GRC in 2020 when the ruling party pours in more loyal new citizen votes with all things remaining equal.
The government roughly knows whether certain precinct is pro-government or pro-opposition according to the polling station and this is public knowledge by now.
By removing or adding certain precinct from a constituency, it can ensure that the area has a majority of government voters with the awful unfair boundary change that comes with every election.
We urge that any boundary changes in future be effected in consultation with the opposition to ensure that the playing field is levelled.
3. Demarcation of PA from PAP
The heavily-funded People’s Association (PA) is the arm and leg of the ruling party and its reach into the masses is one main reason why it won so handsomely.
It is also unfair as PA is a statutory board which is supposed to be non-partisan but its activities is all along very pro-PAP.
It has a yearly funding of $500 million and its budget is going to be ballooned to $1 billion soon. Its accounting practice is also suspect and is one of the many statutory board that is flagged by our Auditor-General’s office for malpractices.
This is unfair to the opposition as the government is using our tax payer money to fuel it’s own campaign by using unethical means.
Moreover, the chairman of PA is none other than the Prime Minister himself.
We urge that the PA be disbanded or distance itself from the ruling party in everything that it does to ensure that the playing field is levelled.
4. Election Department falls under the Prime Minister Office (PMO)
The Election Department now falls under the jurisdiction of the Prime Minister Office (PMO).
This is most unfair as it gives the ruling party a huge advantage especially when the ED can influence significant boundary changes and when it can call for a election after consulting the PM giving little time for the opposition to prepare it’s ground.
We urge that the ED will be independent of the PMO so that it is impartial and just.
5. Control of mainsteam media during election
Our press rankings have been slipping down yearly with the latest rating at a historic low of 153 out of 180, according to Paris-based watchdog Reporters Without Borders.
The government has controlled our press and TV so that it can influence the masses especially during the crucial general election. Information is mostly slanted to benefit the ruling party and this press behaviour is not unlike that of communist bloc countries like China or Russia.
Propaganda messages were played and re-played again during the recent election so that the large middle ground is influenced to vote for the ruling party.
We urge that the government frees up our mainstream media so that the population has a balanced access to information on a impartial basis.
Let the public decide what kind of government they want without improper propaganda through unfair means.
Conclusion
I am willing to speak with the United Nations personally on all the above mentioned matters so that our country can have a fair and ethical election in GE 2020.
We also welcome independent assessors into our country for the next general election to ensure that the best political party wins – on its own merits!
Thanks & Warmest Regards,
Gilbert Goh
Source: www.transitioning.org
The motor industry has found ways to get around car loan curbs – a development that is keeping vehicle demand and certificate of entitlement prices buoyant.
Checks revealed that used car dealers, parallel importers and credit companies offer financing that is effectively 80 per cent to 90 per cent of a car’s purchase price, with repayment of up to 10 years.
This exceeds the Monetary Authority of Singapore’s (MAS) 2013 curb, which restricts loan quantums to not more than 60 per cent of the purchase price and a repayment period of up to five years.
The curb is breached by offering one or more of the following:
• Overtrade – a practice of offering a buyer substantially more for his trade-in vehicle. This is practised mostly by authorised agents.
• Disguised leases – in a lease agreement, the car is registered under the lessor’s name, and the monthly rental is substantially higher than instalments in a hire-purchase. But dealers are readily offering “leases” that allow the car to be registered under the end-user’s name and with relatively low monthly payments via a buyback offset.
• Invoice inflation – if a car costs $170,000, the seller will inflate it to, say, $270,000, so as to secure an 80 per cent loan from the bank.
• Balloon scheme – a seller subtracts the car’s scrap value from the instalment calculation, resulting in lower monthly payments. At the fifth year, the consumer “scraps” the car to settle the outstanding amount, or refinances the car.
All the schemes come with higher interest rates, but consumers who cannot afford to fork out a hefty down payment under the MAS ruling have been snapping them up.
An MAS spokesman said: “As part of MAS’ supervision of financial institutions (FIs), we check on their compliance with the rules. If an FI breaches the rules, MAS will not hesitate to take regulatory action.”
The MAS, however, would not say if any lender has actually been taken to task for any of these schemes. It added that it expects lenders “to take reasonable steps to ascertain the veracity of the purchase prices of cars quoted in loan applications”.
Mr Ron Lim, general manager of Nissan agent Tan Chong Motor, said the various schemes that bypass the loan curb show that “there is a lot of grey areas”.
“We hope MAS can enforce it better,” he added. “Then we can have a more level playing field.”
A businessman who bought a used Bentley Flying Spur recently told The Straits Times that the invoice for the car – which was selling for $400,000 – was inflated to $700,000. Mr Y.Z. Liu, 66, said: “It was blatant cheating. If the car was indeed $700,000, then the first owner should be compensated.”
Mr Michael Lim, president of the Singapore Vehicle Traders Association, said the association of used car dealers and parallel importers has been appealing to the Finance Ministry for the loan limit to be raised.
He played down the high financing deals and said: “Most of these are rental and leasing packages.”
However, classified ads in The Straits Times and car portal sgCarMart are rife with offers of “low down payment”, “80 per cent loan” and repayment over 10 years.
One credit company, Century Tokyo Leasing, has been advertising a balloon scheme that promises a monthly instalment of about $800 for a Honda Vezel – nearly 40 per cent lower than the $1,250 required for a normal hire-purchase deal.
Mr Anthony Lim, a veteran car financier, said: “These companies are flush with foreign funds and they are eager to do business here. But… if a loan contract is in breach of the law, it is not binding. So the lender may have no recourse if the borrower decides to stop paying.”
Source: www.straitstimes.com
Two schoolboys involved in an apparent bullying incident at Shuqun Secondary School in Jurong have filed police reports, Channel NewsAsia has learnt. It is understood that the police are investigating the matter.
A video showing the two students being hit repeatedly on the head by a schoolmate went viral on Monday (Sep 21), sparking outrage. The school said the alleged bully deeply regrets his actions and has been counselled. It also said an adjunct teacher who was in class during the incident last Friday has been spoken to, adding that it takes all incidents of bullying seriously.
In the video clip, the two victims kept their heads down and did not retaliate.
Said Ms Iris Lin, head of the youth division at Fei Yue Community Services: “The physical pain may stop, but the emotional pain may continue on. And oftentimes it’s their view of themselves – ‘I must be lousy, I must not be good enough. That’s why people are doing this to me. And it’s my fault.’
When dealing with cases of bullying, Ms Lin said Fei Yue counsellors spend a lot of time listening to victims to ensure that they feel supported.
The Singapore Children’s Society said it handles about three or four cases of bullying each month. Most of these involve physical and verbal abuse. It added that the number of such incidents may well be under-reported, as many people may not be aware that they have been bullies or victims of bullying.
Said Ms Ann Hui Peng, director of the Singapore Children’s Society: “When we do extensive research right now of adults – when we talk to them about bullying episodes back in school, a lot of them came back and said, ‘Oh, I actually had such encounters back in school’. When we look at the current statistics, a lot of them did not know that there are avenues to seek help and did not come to us.”
Bullies pick on others for various reasons, but one thing stands out, she said. “We do know that in every bullying encounter, there’s one element that remains – which is that there’s a power struggle between the victim and the bully. Very often, a bully will look for someone who is isolated, who is often seen alone, very quiet – because they’re more vulnerable and an easy target.”
She added that it is important to recognise that like victims, bullies need help too and those who witness such incidents should alert agencies that can provide help.
Students of Shuqun Secondary School said their principal spoke to them about the bullying incident on Tuesday and urged them to show care to fellow students.
Source: www.channelnewsasia.com
Taxi driver Jin Lian Cheng was driving on the fast lane of the AYE early yesterday morning when he had the shock of his life.
He saw the bright lights of another car as it sped straight at him.
He did not have any time to react and crashed into it.
”There was no way I could have avoided it,” Mr Jin, 54, told Lianhe Wanbao from his hospital bed.
”I don’t know why the red car suddenly came from the opposite direction.”
The accident at about 6am near the south Buona Vista exit of AYE going towards Changi Airport, caused an eight-vehicle pile-up involving a motorcycle, lorry, two cars and four taxis.
There was a two-hour traffic jam afterwards.
Mr Jin had just picked up his first passenger at 5.30am and was taking the AYE for his regular drop-off at the airport when the accident happened in light traffic.
The cabby, his passenger, who is in his 30s, and the driver of the car, 63, were among the people taken to the National University Hospital (NUH) for treatment.
Mr Jin said he turned around after the accident and saw that his passenger’s head was bleeding. The cabby narrowly missed being blinded in the left eye after shards of glass from the windscreen hit his face.
He received eight stitches at the corner of his eye, from a cut 2cm away from his eyeball.
He also tore his left knee ligament and got his right lung punctured.
He is still undergoing scans for his lungs to further diagnose the problem.
The driver of the red Honda Airwave was sent for surgery at the hospital after suffering undisclosed injuries. His family told Lianhe Wanbao that he should have been driving to Jurong to start work and they had no idea why he was driving against traffic.
Source: www.tnp.sg