Category: Singapuraku

Strong Hints From Lee Hsien Loong That Elections Are Coming Real Soon

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday gave the strongest hint yet that the General Election (GE) is imminent, and could be held before it is due by January 2017.

During a radio call-in programme on Chinese-language station Capital 95.8FM, Mr Lee was asked by presenter Gao Yixin when the next GE will be held. In response, Mr Lee used the analogy of a pregnancy, and said the timing of the GE is unlike giving birth where there is some predictability when the child will be born.

Borrowing Mr Lee’s analogy, Ms Gao asked if “a baby has been conceived”. To which, Mr Lee said, smiling: “The baby has already been conceived earlier on.”

Turning to his message to voters, Mr Lee said leadership renewal has always been an important issue raised during previous GEs and the coming elections will not be an exception, which is why Singaporeans should not take the elections lightly.

To vote based on the assumption that the People’s Action Party will form the Government, and, therefore, think about giving away some seats to the Opposition “is a dangerous thinking”, he added.

Reiterating a message to party activists at the PAP60 Rally in December that the next GE will be a “deadly serious fight”, Mr Lee said: “I think the Opposition will contest in every GRC in the upcoming elections, unlike in previous GEs where many areas were not contested. In such a situation, every vote is important, every Singaporean’s decision has an impact, we have to consider it carefully.”

Asked if a new batch of leaders will be introduced at the coming polls, Mr Lee said about half of these leaders have been introduced in the 2011 GE. More potential candidates for ministerial positions will be among the newcomers introduced at the next elections, he added.

Mr Lee also noted how the times have changed and Singapore can no longer be ruled under a “parenting-style” leadership. Instead, Singaporeans should be involved and discuss national issues, he said.

He also said the Government had not expected the outpouring of grief when founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew died in March.

In particular, he said he was surprised at the reaction from the younger generation, given that they did not have as much interaction with the late Mr Lee as the older generations did.

During the one-hour radio show, Mr Lee took questions from eight callers on topics ranging from parents’ stress about the PSLE, to ways to change society’s mindset about pursuing degrees and graciousness in Singapore.

Mr Lee’s hints of the timing of the next elections come after two research firms released reports last week, saying a GE is likely to be held this year.

BMI Research said the People’s Action Party may look to hold elections before the next Budget is introduced and possibly before the end of the year.

Blackbox Research also said in its bulletin last month that “there has not been a better time for the PAP to begin planning for an early election”, reporting that overall satisfaction with the Government has risen eight points from a year ago.

Source: www.todayonline.com

May 20, 2015
New Stadium Pitch Unveiled By Singapore Sports Hub

The Singapore Sports Hub on Tuesday (May 19) unveiled part of its brand new pitch at the National Stadium, just in time for the 28^th SEA Games, which kicks off on Jun 5.

The Sports Hub said it has named Australia-based company HG Sports Turf as the official supplier of the Eclipse Stabilised Turf for the National Stadium for three years.

The technology combines natural grass with artificial grass – but is recognised by FIFA as a 100 per cent natural turf, Sports Hub said. “The reinforcement of the artificial grass combined with the open-weave backing guarantees stability and an even playing surface” when installed, it added.

How does the new National Stadium turf technology work? Find out: bit.ly/1dh0Aon

Posted by Channel NewsAsia Singapore on Tuesday, 19 May 2015

The pitch installation comprises 8,000 square metres or 800 rolls of Eclipse Stabilised Turf, each weighing 750kg. These will be transported from the nursery to the stadium with 40 flat-bed trucks within 48 hours and can be used immediately after installation. The turf has an expected lifespan of 15 years in Singapore.

How can we have an Opening Ceremony for the SEA GAMES 2015 at the National Stadium, and still maintain a quality pitch for the subsequent competitive events? In most countries, they solve this problem with two different stadiums. We don’t have such a luxury of space in Singapore. So the Singapore Sports Hub has introduced a “lay and play” solution, where the grass is grown elsewhere, and then transported and laid onto the Stadium right after the Opening Ceremony. They tested this out today to make sure everything will go well for the Games. Here’s a video of how it works!

Posted by Lawrence Wong on Tuesday, 19 May 2015

Singapore Sports Hub chief executive Philippe Collin-Delavaud noted that “HG Sports Turf have had success in stadia and events under challenging conditions and bring with them a highly trained and experienced team of professionals to install and maintain the turf at the nursery and at the National Stadium.”

To date, HG Sports Turf has supplied turf solutions to world-class sporting venues such as Etihad Stadium and Melbourne Cricket Ground, as well as at events like last year’s AFC Football Cup and ICC Cricket World Cup in Australia.

“We will continue to closely monitor and test the quality of the pitch before, during and after each event to ensure it is performing to our expectations of delivering a world-class facility,” Mr Collin-Delavaud added.

To maximise the potential of the Eclipse Stabilised Turf, Sports Hub said it has put in place growth lights, additional fans for air movement and made improvements to the pitch irrigation system. It has also installed moisture and temperature probes to manage the climate in the stadium. If there is a non-sporting event in the stadium, protective covering will be laid over the pitch as well.

Sports Hub has yet to cover the entire stadium with the new turf, but enlisted the help of a few of Singapore’s Under-23 footballers, including Irfan Fandi, to test out the grass.

The previous hybrid turf at the National Stadium was subject to scrutiny because of its poor condition, drawing criticism and concern from international sporting heavyweights Juventus and the Maori All Blacks, among others.

Last October, Sport Singapore took issue with the “sub-standard readiness” of the pitch which appeared sandy and patchy during a Brazil-Japan friendly, and urged the Sports Hub management to “do everything necessary” to ensure the pitch meets ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) requirements.

To preserve the pitch for the AFF Suzuki Cup, Sports Hub took a number of drastic measures, including cancellation of an international rugby match between the Maori All Blacks and the Asia Pacific Dragons, postponed a Jay Chou concert, and moved the stage for Friday’s Mariah Carey concert away from the pitch.

Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

May 20, 2015
Tharman Shanmugaratnam: We Cannot Be Complacent With The Harmonious State Of Affairs

As a young nation, Singapore should avoid the mistake of being complacent when it comes to being a harmonious society, said Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam at a fellowship gathering by the Inter Religious Organisation (IRO) on Tuesday evening (May 19).

Singaporeans becoming more aware and concerned about problems in the world is a positive development, as it shows a strengthening of the society, Mr Tharman said.

“We want to keep reminding ourselves that keeping our society resilient and harmonious is continuous work. It’s not about doing things when problems happen, but it’s about strengthening our society upstream, particularly when the kids are young and growing up, and through a whole range of fundamental policies, education, housing, no discrimination at work and of course the good work of our IROs and our Inter-racial and Religious Confidence Circles (IRCCs) throughout the island. That’s really what makes us Singapore,” said Mr Tharman.

The gathering at the Inter Religious Organisation headquarters at Palmer Road was themed “Compassion Across Religions, Around the Region”.

At the event, Mr Tharman also received a S$100,000 donation on behalf of the IRO for quake victims in Nepal. He added that when it comes to emergency relief, Singapore has a range of avenues available for help, such as the Singapore Red Cross, Singapore Civil Defence Force, Ministry of Defence and the private sector.

The S$100,000 donation was from one of the council members of the IRO who wished to remain anonymous.

The IRO will partner Singapore’s Corporate Citizen Foundation, which was in Nepal two days after the devastating earthquake of Apr 25 to support the rescue and relief operations there. The funds will be used to provide shelter to the victims, in particular, the affected children.

Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

May 20, 2015
Tharman Shanmugaratnam: Most Unusual If LKY’s Family Always In Charge

“The St. Gallen Symposium is a global gathering of Leaders of Today and Tomorrow that takes place annually in May at the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland,” the website of the symposium says. “It is organised by the International Students’ Committee (ISC), a team of students from the university.”

The 45th St. Gallen Symposium took place from 7–8 May 2015 at the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland.

Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, was one of the guests invited to share their views at the symposium.

The topic of Mr Tharman’s address was titled, “An investigative interview: Singapore 50 years after independence – a success story at a turning point.”

It was hosted by the BBC’s Steven Sackur, who is also the host of the popular TV programme, Hard Talk.

During the session, Mr Tharman spoke of verious constants in how Singapore stay ahead of the competition.

“There’s some advantagein being constant, in keeping to your promise, sticking to the contract, and building confidence amongst every investor, that in 20 years’ time, in 30 years’ time, the rules are not going to change.”

This prompted Mr Sackur to ask if one of these constants was that “Lee Kuan Yew’s family will always be in charge”.

Mr Tharman replied:

“No, I think that will be most unusual. It’s a meritocracy. It will be most unusual if that was the case. Certainly, it’s not the way in which – I can’t speak on behalf of them – it’s not the way most Singaporeans would expect it to be. And certainly, you wouldn’t want it to be a situation like… I mean to be frank, if you look at parliamentarians below the age of 30 in India, every single one of them is a member of a political dynasty. Every single one of them. So, we believe in meritocracy, it’s hard work, sometimes it’s imperfect. There’s always advantage in family connections and wealth but we got to keep working against that.”

Source: www.theonlinecitizen.com

May 19, 2015
Cherian George: Running To The Police Not A Mark Of Committed Citizenry

On 15 May, Dr Lee Woon Kwang wrote to the Straits Times’ Forum page to lament if the “population at large [is] mature enough to handle” what academic Terence Chong called for – “open discussion in a frank and adult manner.”

Dr Lee was responding to an earlier article in the same paper on “a deepening conflict between freedom of speech and Singapore’s OB markers of race and religion”, and how the Government has over-reacted to instances where these so-called markers were breached.

The article cited the examples of cartoonist Leslie Chew and blogger Amos Yee.

In both instances (and others as well) the two were arrested and investigated after complaints were filed with the police by members of the public.

This default reaction of petitioning the police reveals “Singaporeans are over-dependent on the authorities for maintaining social peace”, said Cherian George, associate professor at the Hong Kong Baptist University.

“Institute of Southeast Asian Studies sociologist Terence Chong said the over-reaction – and the willingness of the authorities to act on it – would ultimately result in a certain cultural bankruptcy,” the Straits Times said.

“If censors take their cue from the most conservative or sensitive members of the public, then “art in Singapore is done for”, Mr Chong said.

The two academics’ remarks prompted Dr Lee to write to the Forum page, where he said that “freedom of speech, as inspired by the West, has not brought much benefit to its people.”

“Just look at the mess it created there with the free expression of anti-Islam sentiments,” he added.

He cautioned that “[it] does not take much to destroy inter-racial and inter-religious trust and harmony, but it will take a lot of hard work and time to build these up again.”

Dr Lee also referred to Dr George and said it was “easy for people outside Singapore to make such comments, as they do not have to live with any adverse consequences.”

“Indeed, had Singapore listened to their advice in the past, it would not be what it is today,” Dr Lee said.

On 18 May, Dr George wrote to the Forum page to respond to those remarks.

He said that Dr Lee’s view “betrays the kind of attitude that would endanger the very harmony that he claims to prize.”

“First, it is precisely because we treasure peaceful, respectful coexistence that Singaporeans should not automatically delegate disputes to the Government to mediate,” the associate professor said.

“The instinct to lodge police reports instead of first trying to work through our differences horizontally is hardly a mark of a committed citizenry.”

Dr George said such behaviour “does nothing to develop the social capital that is ultimately the best source of national resilience.”

As for Dr Lee’s description of Dr George as part of the “people outside Singapore”, Dr George had this to say:

“I remain a citizen with a home and family back in Singapore, and my current inability to work as an academic there is hardly due to a lack of emotional investment in the affairs of my country; quite the opposite. Thinking of the thousands of Singaporeans working overseas,

“I hope Dr Lee’s remark is the kind of divisiveness that would be rejected by our public.”

Dr George said it would be “fatal hubris” if Singaporeans thought that there was nothing they could learn from outsiders.

“The challenge of balancing freedom of expression with other societal interests is eternal and universal; and the specific dilemma of dealing with racial and religious provocation is something most societies continue to grapple with.”

The original letter by Dr Lee Woon Kwang is available on The Straits Times’ forum page. Dr Cherian George’s response is appended below.

Tackling freedom of speech issues a universal challenge

DR LEE Woon Kwang’s letter (“S’pore not ready yet”, last Friday) took issue with my comment that Singaporeans are over-dependent on the authorities for maintaining social peace.

His response betrays the kind of attitude that would endanger the very harmony that he claims to prize.

First, it is precisely because we treasure peaceful, respectful coexistence that Singaporeans should not automatically delegate disputes to the Government to mediate.

The instinct to lodge police reports instead of first trying to work through our differences horizontally is hardly a mark of a committed citizenry.

Furthermore, it does nothing to develop the social capital that is ultimately the best source of national resilience.

This is not even a controversial view. Government ministers and grassroots organisations such as OnePeople.sg have repeatedly emphasised the need for Singaporeans to step up and take a stand, and not over-rely on the state.

Second, Dr Lee dismisses views such as mine as the “easy” comments of “people outside Singapore” who “do not have to live with any adverse consequences”. For the record, although my quote reappeared in The Straits Times last week, the columnist got it from an article I wrote in 2011, before I moved to Hong Kong.

But that is beside the point. I remain a citizen with a home and family back in Singapore, and my current inability to work as an academic there is hardly due to a lack of emotional investment in the affairs of my country; quite the opposite. Thinking of the thousands of Singaporeans working overseas, I hope Dr Lee’s remark is the kind of divisiveness that would be rejected by our public.

Third, even when faced with non-Singaporeans’ comments, we would be indulging in fatal hubris if we duped ourselves into thinking that we had nothing to learn from outsiders.

The challenge of balancing freedom of expression with other societal interests is eternal and universal; and the specific dilemma of dealing with racial and religious provocation is something most societies continue to grapple with.

Nobody has found the answers, and everybody – yes, even Singaporeans – can learn from developments elsewhere.

Cherian George (Dr)

Hong Kong

Source: www.theonlinecitizen.com

May 19, 2015