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Singaporeans First Party Hold First Walkabout In Tanjong Pagar GRC

SINGAPORE – More than 20 members and supporters joined Singaporeans First (SingFirst) on Sunday morning as the new political party held its debut walkabout in Tanjong Pagar GRC, a stronghold of the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP).

Among them were six of the party’s 10 founding members, including its secretary-general and former presidential candidate Tan Jee Say.

SingFirst also launched its website, http://singfirst.org, on Saturday as it gears up for the next general elections, which must be held by January 2017.

Announced in May and officially registered in August, the party has received more than 100 applications from people keen to become members, Mr Tan said at a press conference held after the walkabout.

He added that the party has plans to contest “maybe four” constituencies, and reiterated its intentions of working together with other parties to avoid splitting the opposition vote.

“If they have a stronger team, we’ll make way for them,” said Mr Tan, an investment advisor who ran for the 2011 general elections under the Singapore Democratic Party’s banner.

He added: “The whole idea is to win. We are all in favour of opposition unity. We will respect other parties. The real objective is to defeat the PAP.”

SingFirst has spoken to the National Solidarity Party and the Democratic Progressive Party, Mr Tan said. The Singapore Democratic Party have waved away the need for a formal introduction, while the Singapore Malay National Organisation and the Singapore Democratic Alliance have said they need to hold internal discussions before agreeing to work together.

The Reform Party, the Singapore People’s Party and the Workers’ Party – the only opposition party with elected MPs in Parliament – have not responded to SingFirst’s overtures, said Mr Tan.

But he is not worried: “We still have time. No need to rush. Election is not around the corner so there’s still some time. We’ll work something out.”

Dressed in royal blue shirts bearing the party’s red-and-white logo, SingFirst’s members and supporters visited areas around the Holland Drive Market and Food Centre for close to two hours, shaking hands and giving out pamphlets explaining the party’s objectives.

Explaining why the party chose to visit Tanjong Pagar GRC, Mr Tan said residents in the constituency have not had the chance to vote for more than 20 years.

The constituency has been won by the PAP in walkovers since it was created in 1991. In 2011, a group of independents led by businessman Ng Teck Siong – chairman of the Socialist Front – made a last-minute bid to contest the GRC, but was disqualified after submitting their nomination papers too late.

SingFirst plans to visit various constituencies in the coming months to drum up awareness about the party – a strategic move as electoral boundaries have not been set in stone, said Mr Tan.

The party’s chairman Dr Ang Yong Guan also added that SingFirst is hoping to make a shift away from “personality-based politics”, where political parties are associated with certain key people.

“We want to move away from that and tell Singaporeans that political parties in Singapore need not be linked to any person. It needs to be for all. Anybody interested can come and join,” he said.

Source: www.straitstimes.com

November 10, 2014
SMRT Train At Bishan Bus Depot Vandalised

SINGAPORE: Bishan train depot has been hit by its third case of vandalism.

The Land Transport Authority said graffiti was discovered on the exterior of an SMRT train early Saturday morning (Nov 8). It is the second incident to take place at the depot, in just over six months.

Staff discovered that a train was spray-painted with graffiti, before it was put into service. Police said they were alerted to the incident at about 6.40am. LTA said it takes a serious view of the matter and is working with the police and SMRT on the investigations.

The latest incident comes on the back of a similar case in May this year. Back then, a red scrawl with traces of white – measuring three metres long and one metre high – was found on a train’s middle carriage. In August 2011, a train at the depot was also vandalised.

“I feel quite annoyed. I think security at train depots must be tightened up. This is not the first time, it has happened so we need to understand why – despite the increase in security, the vandalism still took place,” said Lim Biow Chuan, member of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport. “What actually is of concern is that people can break in and we do not know whether there can be sabotage of trains or not. So we are not just talking about vandalism, but potential breach in security.”

“I think SMRT should be able to react fast enough to make sure the culprits are apprehended from doing more than what they have done,” he added. “And I do hope the culprits are caught because I do not agree with this kind of behaviour. Vandalism is absolutely not acceptable.”

The latest incident marks the fourth vandalism case involving the train operator. SMRT has stepped up its security measures at its depots since the first case of vandalism in May 2010, in which vandals cut through a fence and left their mark on the trains at the depot in Changi.

Since then, the number of security personnel and frequency of patrols were increased. The train operator has already been fined a total of S$250,000 for the first two breaches in 2010 and 2011.

The Land Transport Authority said following earlier incidents of security breach, the public transport operators have taken steps to enhance the security at the train depots. These include increasing the number of security personnel and frequency of security patrols at the depot, as well as installation of concertina wires to reinforce certain stretches of the perimeter fencing.

LTA added that the latest incident shows that security threats continue to evolve and agencies will continue to work to address security challenges faced.

Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

November 9, 2014
Private Toilet For PM Lee At Clean And Green Singapore Week

Dear The Real Singapore,

I am a member of public who attended the Clean & Green Singapore 2015 event at CCK Lot1 on 8/11/14, organised by NEA. The event was graced by none other than our own PM Lee, as well as various other ministers and MPs. PM Lee then left the area after launching the event and taking a short tour around.

After browsing the exhibits and games, I met up with my friend who was headed to the bus waiting area to wait for her transport. Now, after having had a long day walking and with a hip injury, she wanted to go to the nearest toilet. My friend headed to a small tentage area with a purple portable toilet inside, but was told by workers that they were locking up that toilet. It was meant for PM’s use only, and not for the public.

She was then directed to the bunch of public toilets on the opposite end, which were further away. She managed to snap a picture of the toilet in question, and it was far better than the one she ended up using.

From the photo, you can see that there is a beautiful potted plant, a mini-fan, full length mirror, air freshener, elevated seat as well as brand new toilet paper in the portable toilet cubicle.

So I would like to pose a few questions here:

1) Why does PM Lee require a special personal toilet all for himself when the other ministers, MPs and the public do not have personal toilets? You could say it is for his security, but then why is his toilet specially decorated and more spacious in contrast with the public’s?

2) Why is this toilet not opened up for public use as it is in a more convenient location when waiting for the bus? PM has already left and there is no reason to lock it up to prevent others from using.

3) Where is the funding for this personal toilet coming from? Is it worth the money to order a specially outfitted toilet for a single use? PM might not even use it at all!

Of course, the worker in question might have had some miscommunication and misunderstanding, and not being there to see it first hand I cannot confirm that this is really the case as well. However, the fact remains that there was a special toilet which was not opened up to the public at the event site.

Daniel L

TRS reader

Source: www.therealsingapore.com

November 9, 2014
Turkey Protecting The Al Aqsa Mosque

Turkey’s Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said on Friday that his country has already made moves to protect Al-Aqsa Mosque, news outlets have reported.

Davutoğlu said that he has called Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas Political Bureau Head Khaled Meshaal to discuss the issue. He pledged to do whatever it takes for Al-Quds and Al-Aqsa Mosque. “We have given the required orders; we will launch initiatives everywhere, the UN being the first place in the world for supporting Al-Quds,” he insisted.

“Al-Quds has been entrusted with us by Hazrat Omar [the second Muslim caliph],” Davutoğlu told the audience at the opening of public facilities in the north-western Anatolian province of Bursa. “Al-Quds has been entrusted to us by Ottoman Sultans Yavuz Sultan Selim and Süleyman the Magnificent. Al-Quds has been entrusted to us by the last soldier of the Ottomans and is our cause today. Even if everybody else forgets, it will continue being our cause for eternity. Nobody can turn to a Turk and say ‘Al-Quds is not your cause’.”

Defending the whole Middle East, he continued: “No one can say that the Middle East, which includes Al-Quds, Makkah, Madinah, Baghdad, Damascus and Cairo, is a swamp. If there are some people who have changed it into a swamp, they are the oppressive regimes and occupiers, at the top of which is the Israeli government.”

Addressing the Israeli occupation authorities Davutoğlu warned that they should not think that just because Muslims in the region are being suppressed by certain regimes they will not turn against Israel. “You have to know that there are some who defend Syrians and Palestinians, including the Turkish Republic. It will stand beside the oppressed everywhere and every time.”

Source: www.middleeastmonitor.com

November 9, 2014
S Iswaran: Exercise Restraint And Let Due Process Take Its Course

SINGAPORE – Some individuals have “gone too far” in their reactions against the unethical practices of the errant retailer at Sim Lim Square, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office S Iswaran today (Nov 8), as he said that police have begun looking into reports on the case, as well as a related report on harassment.

In a Facebook post today (Nov 8), Mr Iswaran, who is also Second Minister for Home Affairs & Trade and Industry, spoke up about the recent incident at Sim Lim Square. He urged people to “exercise restraint” and not to take matters into their own hands. “Let due process take its course,” he wrote.

Photo: Screengrab from Minister S Iswaran’s Facebook page

Mr Jover Chew, owner of the shop Mobile Air at Sim Lim Square, was in the spotlight recently following reports of Vietnamese tourist Pham Van Thoai going on his knees to beg for his money back, and that the shop refunded a customer more than S$1,000 in coins.

On Thursday, a T-shirt printed with an expletive was placed outside his shop, which was closed. Mr Chew’s particulars, which were leaked online, were also reportedly used to order three large pizzas to his home on Wednesday. His private photos were also leaked.

Mr Iswaran said that the Government is looking into measures to protect consumers better but this may “take some time”, especially if the laws require amending.

“More immediately, we are working with CASE and other stakeholders to educate consumers on their rights, so that they do not fall prey to such sales tactics, and know where and how to seek recourse when necessary,” he added.

Member of Parliament Vikram Nair also wrote on Facebook today of his interest in looking into Singapore’s consumer protection laws. Referring to an article by TODAY, he singled out the suggestion by a lawyer to give the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) additional powers to administer fines to errant businesses.

Photo: Screengrab from MP Vikram Nair’s Facebook page

“Although it is highly unusual to give a consumer association such powers, I believe the public expects CASE to not only be a consumer advocate, but also to intervene more directly in cases where consumers,” he wrote.

Source: www.todayonline.com

November 9, 2014