Category: Singapuraku

Aljunied Residents Lauds Area’s ‘Human Touch’

Since Aljunied Group Representation Constituency (GRC) came under Opposition rule four years ago, some residents interviewed have noticed fewer grassroots activities, and a handful felt that there were fewer large-scale estate upgrading projects, and repairs for town amenities seem to take a longer time.

But with parts of the constituency currently undergoing the Neighbourhood Renewal Programme, and with the blocks of flats recently given a fresh coat of paint, the 50 or so residents interviewed by TODAY — which spent several weeks visiting the GRC — were hard-pressed to cite any material differences in their lives since the GRC changed hands.

The biggest change, they felt, was the greater human touch by the town council and Members of Parliament (MPs). Anecdotes abound of how the town council employees are prompt in attending to issues and MPs being more visible and approachable, with most residents interviewed able to tell who the MP looking after their estate is.

Shopkeepers interviewed also preferred the more laid-back approach in terms of enforcing regulations — for example, the town council usually closes one eye when they flout the regulations on how much space they can use outside their shops to display their wares.

In the 2011 General Election (GE), the Workers’ Party team won 54.7 per cent of the vote, defeating the People’s Action Party (PAP), which garnered 45.3 per cent of the vote.

The financial management lapses at the Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council have dominated headlines, particularly since the hustings started last week. By and large, however, the residents TODAY spoke to were not seized by the issue.

The general consensus is that as long as their basic needs are taken care of, and the constituency is adequately maintained — corridors are kept clean, rubbish is cleared, lifts are working, as several residents put it —they said they did not understand the town council’s complex financial details.

They also noted that four years might be too short a period to judge the performance of the WP in running the estate.

Still, Mr Alex Toh, 37, who has stayed in the Serangoon North precinct for close to two decades, said there was a stark difference in the responsiveness of the town council when the constituency changed hands after the 2011 GE.

The town council officers are friendly and responsive, he said, whenever he calls them — be it to highlight a lighting problem or enquire about other municipal matters. He added that he would frequently see Ms Sylvia Lim, who is the sitting Member of Parliament for the Serangoon Division, in his neighbourhood — sometimes as early as 7am, and in the evening on the same day. “I thought she stays in Serangoon because I see her around often and she is in the estate so early in the day,” said Mr Toh, who was surprised to learn that Ms Lim resides in the western part of the island.

Madam Ade Huang, 59, who has been staying in Bedok Reservoir for the past eight years, said that the town council would clear the rubbish in her estate quickly whenever she calls to complain about it. “Last time … (the town council) didn’t even pick up the phone,” said Mdm Huang.

Madam Yeo Ah Gek, 47, who stays opposite the Hainanese Market and Food Centre, noted how the town council installed lifts at the food centre — which was built without government funding, Ms Lim had said at a recent election rally — after some issues that elderly residents faced with the escalators. Mdm Yeo said: “At least now with the lifts, I don’t have to worry about my elderly mother falling down if she goes to the market.”

Nevertheless, residents said they have felt the impact of having their estate run by a town council that has fewer resources compared with its predecessor. A Serangoon North Avenue resident of 10 years, who only gave her name as Mel, said she noticed that repair works seemed to take longer compared with the past. Referring to a mini exercise park in the constituency, she noted that the restoration works took at least six months. “I am not sure why it took so long to complete when it was just minor repair work and they blocked up a large portion of it, so residents could not use (the facility) for quite a while.”

Another long-time resident, who declined to be named, felt that upgrading work has been slower since Aljunied GRC came under the Opposition. “I don’t see a lot of upgrading work here compared with my friends staying in other estates such as Marine Parade,” said the part-time worker, who has been staying in Kaki Bukit for four decades.

In terms of the general maintenance of the estate, residents interviewed said they do not have any problems with the cleanliness, although some noticed that the washing of the corridors are less frequent.

Sprawling across several mature estates, Aljunied GRC is well-served by roads and public transportation. Facilities and amenities are also abundant, residents said.

RESIDENTS SUGGEST IMPROVEMENTS

Nevertheless, some residents suggested certain improvements to the amenities. Madam Serene Chai, 49, who stays along Bedok Reservoir Road, noted the lack of a bank branch near her home, with the nearest one located at Bedok Bus Interchange.

Madam Atmi Hamid, 57, who stays along Hougang Avenue 1, also felt there are insufficient Muslim food options. “Sometimes, you need something last-minute and it can be quite hard to get something ‘halal’ nearby,” she said.

Some residents said there was less buzz in the neighbourhood, even though they acknowledged that WP’s grassroots volunteers have been organising community activities.

A resident, 60, who only gave her name as Madam Low, remarked that the Serangoon area where she is living in “just doesn’t seem as lively anymore”. In the past, there would be more activities during festive occasions and the PAP MP would visit the neighbourhood with much fanfare, she recalled.

Shopkeepers lamenting the tough business environment, due to the proliferation of online shopping as well as new supermarkets and malls sprouting up in the area, said they were grateful for what they described as the town council’s “more relaxed approach”.

For example, the town council would not come down hard on the shopkeepers when new goods arrive and are temporarily placed outside the shops beyond permitted limits. A hardware shop owner, who wished to be known only as Mr Goh, said: “Last time, the PAP town council people always came and took photos, and threatened to issue me a summons when I put my things outside … Now, they don’t bother me as much … We are all happy.”

Other shopkeepers interviewed expressed the same sentiments. “(They) used to come almost every other day to tell me I cannot put my things outside,” said another shopowner, Mr Ho.

The town council was also responsive to their needs, the shopkeepers said.

Mrs Anchelly Devi, who owns a minimart selling Indian goods and spices, remembered calling the town council to ask to use the space outside her shop to sell some goods.

The officers came to her shop the very same day to look into the matter. “When business takings are already low … it is really nice when the town council is efficient,” she said.

Source: www.todayonline.com

September 7, 2015
WP’s Leon Perera – He’s Immensely Awesome

So, previously, when we covered the Workers’ Party’s final candidate introduction, where Leon Perera was unveiled, attention was regrettably drawn away from him and to (what else but) AHPETC.

We now regret this unfortunate event, for my, were we impressed with Perera’s latest speech at the WP’s East Coast GRC rally on Sunday night.

Perera was the eighth speaker to take to the podium that evening, following candidates from Nee Soon and Jalan Besar GRC, and also after running teammates Daniel Goh and Mohamed Fairoz Shariff — but what he said in his speech made any concern about him being dwarfed by Goh or his succeeding speaker Gerald Giam combust quicker than a cartoon character being fried to a crisp.

Now, the Oxford double-first-class degree-holder spoke for 15 minutes, so we understand it might not be easy to sit through it all. But just like how we said DPM and Finance minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam’s video was totally worth watching (and it’s double the length), we’re going to strongly recommend you hear the words directly from him too.

(He even calls you “friends”; wouldn’t you want to be his friend too?)

Perera (far right) with his teammates (R-L) Daniel Goh, Mohamed Fairoz Shariff and Gerald Giam. Photo by Gerald Chan

Nonetheless, we shall once again be helpful (as always) and share the key points he made in his speech:

1. He said the PAP needs to stop praising itself.

– He said in the numerous countries he’s been to (especially for his company, which is based in eight countries), he never hears

“a never-ending barrage of statements about how superior they are to everyone else, about how things are so much better than everywhere else. But in Singapore, we hear this, all the time.”

– Sharing a story about how he heard a Korean documentary presenter say their state of tourism is something to be ashamed of, he said it’s rare to hear such talk here.

“Has anyone in the PAP ever said that we should be ashamed that so many elderly Singaporeans have to work in food courts, or collect cardboard boxes and that we should solve this problem?”

– He said even when it seems like there are problems with something, the party’s way of “admitting” it is by saying it’s good, but they will make it better.

“We hear statements like for example the CPF is a good system but we are going to make it even better. Our education is among the best in the world, but we’re going to make it even better. Do you think that the PAP admits frankly when it makes a mistake?”

2. It also doesn’t know how to admit it made mistakes, he says.

– He said they attempted to explain away the resale market rocketing out of control as “unanticipated” and us being “in a bad place in the property cycle” and the government’s foreign manpower policy as being “right for that era”, with the current measures to tighten inflows being “right for today”.

Really? When you control the number of foreigners given work passes, when you own most of the land in the country, when most housing is public housing, when you know the rate of new household formation every year, is this the fault of the property cycle?? Or is it a failure of government-forward planning?

– Even the most clear “policy failure” on the part of the PAP that happened in what Perera calls “the lost decade before the 2011 General Election” was resolved with just one apology from PM Lee Hsien Loong at the party’s lunchtime rally, days before the end of the campaign.

“Did the PAP admit these mistakes squarely? did they explain in detail how such a massive failure of planning could happen? did they explain why the ministry in charge of granting permits to foreigners did not plan with the ministries in charge of building infrastructure? Did the ministries talk to one another or did they just bochap and do their own things? … Friends, up to today they ahve not explained how exactly they will ensure this will never happen again to the country that we love.”

3. He reminds us that the PAP likes to say things are “perfect or close to perfect, because we are in charge. So keep voting for us”.

My friends, this is going to breed complacency. Ultimately it will lead to the decline of Singapore… A few days ago I represented the Workers’ Party in a TV debate. I started by thanking the PAP for its contributions to Singapore.
Ms Denise Phua replied by thanking the WP for acknowledging the achievements of the PAP.

…

Friends, the PAP likes to accuse the Workers’ Party of claiming credit. But honestly my friends, they are number 1, they are the Olympic gold medallists when it comes to claiming credit! They have claimed credit for everything that goes right in this country. When something goes wrong it is airbrushed from history, or it’s the fault of the world economy or some other anonymous force, or it’s the fault of the Workers’ Party. The PAP slogan is “with you, for you, for Singapore”, but actually it’s all about them, not you!

4. The ever-accomplished student reminds us of his book-smarts by critiquing the PAP’s manifesto as “backward-looking” (because admit it, you didn’t read it, or at most skimmed through it.)

It’s not just the manifesto, the PM’s national day rally last week; the entire PAP campaign in this general election, friends, is all backward-looking, designed to make you think that this election is about the past 50 years. But you are voting for the PAP leaders today, not the PAP leaders 50 years ago.

What is the PAP’s vision? What is the PAP’s programme for the next 5 years? They have outlined no specific programme, they expect your blind faith. But the WP has a manifesto with a coherent vision and specific plans. You can disagree with our proposals, you can say it is boring. But when you look at the WP manifesto there is a vision and there are plans. What are their plans?

5. And here’s where he wins our vote (alongside that of possibly-frustrated mainstream media journalists): he talks about actual things the WP plans to champion in parliament.

Balance instead of dominance. Passionate striving for improvement instead of complacency, admitting mistakes and preventing their recurrence instead of pretending that there were no mistakes, humility instead of arrogance.

Our way is not to depend only on a strong state dominated by an entrenched party. It is to rely on a strong civil society, a strong private sector, an active citizenry, a strong responsible opposition.

Our way, my friends, is about all stakeholders in Singapore finding solutions together. Not just ramming policies down our throats through speed-reading bills in parliament. We want to ensure free and fair debate about Singapore’s problems and Singapore’s solutions, not a debate where we only hear the good stuff.

In our manifesto we propose a public consultation select committee and standing select committees in parliament to debate bills before they become law, and to scrutinise each ministry’s spending policies and operations. We propose freeing up our newspaper and braodcasting industry to open, regulated competition.

And we call for an end to the requirement that internet news websites need to comply with cumbersome registration requirements. (woohoo! -our addition)

From the looks of social media reaction, it seems like we aren’t alone in our assessment. Here are the top Twitter trends for the night, for instance:

Twitter trends don’t lie. (Screenshot from Twitter)

Sounds like a pretty solid team the WP is fielding for East Coast. Tough choices ahead, East Coast voters…

Meanwhile, watch his speech here:

Source: http://mothership.sg

September 7, 2015
WP Big Guns Steady But Newbies Uninspiring

I am a voter in Aljunied GRC and I will continue to vote WP. They are our real check against the PAP in the Parliament. Only they can voice the people’s unhappiness, unlike the PAP MPs who are nothing but paper tigers due to the party whip.

Thus far the big guns of WP have been steadily whacking the PAP and offering alternative solutions for the future of Singapore. But the same cannot be said of some of the newbies. I have been observing the speeches of WP non big guns and find that they are very good with asking rhetorical questions: do you this? Do you that? Do you think? The answer is of course no and this tactic seem to be a big crowd pleaser.

But sometimes it is over-used, like last night WP candidate Terence Tan asked these rhetorical questions for almost half of his speech. The problem with rhetorical questions is it sounds good but when they come to the substance of their speech, like the policies, it becomes very visibly bad. On Terence, I thot was very aggressive with how he ended his speech by telling votes “You BETTER vote for Li Lian …”; as WP now its ok, but it was like demanding voters like dat, and honestly not very good.

Some candidates really cannot speak. If I am a Fengshan voter, I will be seriously worried with Dennis Tan’s Chinese speech last night. To say it was bad is an understatement. Honestly, it was atrocious. All I got out of it was that he does a lot of walkabouts and will do a lot of walkabouts and meet many people in coffeeshops if he elected. It got slightly better with his English delivery but by then, the damage done.

It is important for WP to continue to have their big guns in every rally: LTK, Sylvia, CSM and Pritam. But they also need to tell their newbies to be more constructive and bring the fight to the PAP. If they don’t, they might fall to the same PAP GRC trap where less credible candidates get overlooked because they have heavyweights around.

In this case, if you look at it, if lee li lian or the Sengkang West guy or the Bernard Chen in Macpherson do not have the big guns speaking for them, honestly I really think their chances are much reduced. Strangely if PAP rallies were to have their big guns like PM or DPMs talking in every GRC rally, they will be attacked. Strange but true in Sg.

Mr Ng
A.S.S. Contributor

Source: www.allsingaporestuff.com

September 7, 2015
Why Are The WP And SDP Rallies So Popular
News is probably trending about two rallies:
- The size of the WP crowds at WP rallies.
- Chee Soon Juan’s return after 15 years of not being able to contest in elections.
The crowds are huge and much has been said about them. Do the crowds translate to votes? Why are people so attracted to such rallies?

Here are three plausible reasons, though I will not qualify the robustness of these reasons from a logical perspective. After all, with such rallies, emotions tend to run very high. Here are three reasons, why they are not quite sound, and better suggestions (if possible) to achieve said objectives.

1.) I want to know what the opposition has to say; I’ve heard the ruling party too much.

The argument goes: The PAP has the MSM, so we had better go to the rally to listen first-hand to what the opposition has to say so that the media won’t perturb the message.

The issue: you get much more than what you attend the rally for. In rallies, it is a typical routine to get the crowd angry with the incumbent. (The incumbent clearly cannot do this.) With an angry crowd, the rally speaker then goes on to rattle about their suggestions and why said anger with be soothed. It could be about foreigners or political persecution to make people angry. Lines such as “why so many FT stealing jobs” or “why such a dominant party for so long unlike other countries” will anger people. Then even suggestions such as “zero foreign worker growth” and “abolish ISA” sound promising even if they were never actually discussed at the rally.

The solution: if you really want to know what the opposition wants to say, read the manifesto, don’t turn up for the rally. The emotional soundbites are slightly reduced.

2.) I really don’t like the incumbent.

The argument goes: Show support for the opposition by turning up for the rally! Let the incumbent know that we are really angry!

The issue: it would be quite inane to suggest that the incumbent doesn’t know about the anger. Certainly their volunteers, when scolded by irate citizens will know that. Political theory also states that voters can be divided in three blocs: hardcore incumbent, swing voters and hardcore opposition. Clearly the people who fall under (2) are the hardcore opposition.

The solution: Stay that way. Nothing this article will suggest will necessarily be of any impact.

3.) Actually, I don’t know about politics, neither do I know about policy, so perhaps I should go listen to find out what’s going on.

The argument goes: since I know nothing, and apparently this rally seems popular, so go for it.

The issue: in most rallies one cannot learn much about policy. It is simply not the place to have robust discussion over policy. Who uses statistics and charts to explain why a certain number is thought of? Is it arbitrary or derived? Who cares at a rally. The rally is fundamentally one to gather emotional support, not rational support (except if the speaker is very well-known to just put forth rational arguments). Thus if this is the objective, it will backfire.

The solution: the rally really has no place for you. Three good starting points to read policy: IPS Commons, various intellectual thinkers, and the press releases of important documents such as the Budget, white papers and ministry press releases. From there, make a choice on the supplementary material to read.

Source: www.fivestarsandamoon.com
September 7, 2015
Yaacob Ibrahim: Semangat Ihsan Sumbangan Melayu/Islam Demi Masa Depan

MENTERI Bertanggungjawab Bagi Ehwal Masyarakat Islam, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, berkata pergerakan Rahmatan Lil Alamin (RLA) selama 10 tahun telah memaparkan semangat ihsan dan bergotong-royong sebagai satu sumbangan masyarakat Melayu/Islam demi masa depan Singapura.

“Saya rasa RLA ini menunjukkan kejayaan masyarakat kita kerana bukan hanya dari segi sumbangan kita terhadap prinsip berbilang kaum, malah pada masa yang sama, kepada ihsan – berperikemanusiaan, bukan hanya kepada masyarakat Melayu, bahkan di peringkat nasional juga.

“Sumbangan ini sungguh penting kerana ia membawa kebaikan dan kesejahteraan kepada semua lapisan masyarakat di Singapura.

“Selama 10 tahun ini menunjukkan bahawa RLA telah bekerja keras bukan hanya dengan masyarakat Islam tetapi yang bukan Islam untuk menunjukkan bahawa nilai Rahmatan Lil Alamin itu adalah nilai yang sejagat,” ujar Dr Yaacob ketika ditemui wartawan dalam majlis pelancaran Bulan RLA di ITE College East, semalam.

Majlis tersebut turut dihadiri oleh Perdana Menteri, Encik Lee Hsien Loong.

Kempen sehingga 26 September ini bertemakan ‘Semangat Prihatin-Masyarakat Berharmoni’.

Pelbagai kegiatan diatur di keenamenam kelompok masjid atau kesemua 69 masjid di Singapura sempena Bulan RLA 2015.

Senarai kegiatan termasuk program kesihatan, makanan dan ubah elok rumah bagi mereka yang memerlukan.

Relawan belia turut mengedarkan magnet peti sejuk dengan mesej ‘Fikir, Kata dan Amalkan Kebaikan selalu’ kepada orang ramai di stesen MRT Expo, Eunos dan Paya Lebar.

Usaha RLA diterajui oleh Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (Muis) dan kesemua masjid di Singapura itu bermula bagi projek kemasyarakatan di dalam dan luar negara sebelum dipertingkat menjadi sebuah yayasan pada 2009.

Sejak 2005, RLA telah mengagihkan lebih $4.8 juta kepada usaha kebajikan di dalam dan luar negara.

Pengerusi RLAF, Encik Mr Po’ad Mattar, semalam buat kali pertama mengumumkan bahawa yayasan itu akan mengambil Hospital Ren Ci dan Persatuan Ain sebagai Kebajikan Angkat mereka.

PERKEMBANGAN DI GRC JALAN BESAR

“Saya rasa apa yang selama ini kami lakukan adalah mengenal semua penduduk di GRC Jalan Besar. Penerimaan mereka begitu mesra dan ini satu tanda yang baik. Ini menunjukkan kerja keras selama empat tahun bagi menentukan keperluan penduduk Jalan Besar dapat dipenuhi sebaik mungkin. Alhamdulillah, apa yang kami dapati apabila kami berjumpa dengan pengundi, mereka berasa riang dan gembira bahawa kami akan terus bekerja bagi mereka kalau diundi sebagai pemimpin di Jalan Besar GRC. Harapan kami adalah untuk bertemu dengan semua pengundi di Jalan Besar sebelum Hari Bertenang. Saya rasa ini sesuatu yang kami perlu buat bagi memberitahu penduduk bahawa kamilah pasukan yang lebih cekap dan pengalaman untuk bekerjasama bersama mereka bagi masa depan mereka.”

– Menteri Perhubungan dan Penerangan Dr Yaacob Ibrahim ketika ditanya mengenai kempennya di GRC Jalan Besar di majlis pelancaran Bulan Rahmatan Lil Alamin (RLA) semalam.

Source: http://beritaharian.sg

September 7, 2015