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Tag: opposition

  • SDP Working The Ground In Sembawang GRC

    SDP Working The Ground In Sembawang GRC

    “I thought Lee Kuan Yew said nothing is free?” an elderly resident pointed out when we visited the Sembawang GRC on Sunday. “Then why Lee Hsien Loong giving out this and that? Like he’s very scared like that.”

    He was referring to the recent announcements of goodies that the Government made.

    “Yes,” we agreed, “the Government is obviously feeling the pressure. But it’s important to remember that it is the opposition that is constantly speaking up that the PAP feels it has to react.”

    It is certain, however, that after the elections the PAP will find ways and means to collect back what it gave out before the elections.

    The only way to stop this is to ensure that the next Parliament has SDP MPs in it. We will ensure that the Government genuinely takes care of the people rather than employ such cynical and unworthy ploys.

    The SDP will be vigilant and push for policies that will make life for the people less stressful and enhance the quality of life in Singapore.

    The PAP must not continue to squeeze Singaporeans just so that it can boast that we have huge reserves and then pay its ministers million-dollar salaries.

    The greater the strength of the SDP, the less the PAP will bully the people.

    On the matter of the MPs in the GRC, a few residents told us that they hardly see their MP Mr Ong Teng Koon. “He’s not very involved with us,” one commented.

    On the other hand, residents’ reactions to our work and presence has been encouraging.

    This is because the SDP has been visiting these constituencies consistently in our walkabouts, house-visits and kopi sessions since the last elections in 2011.

    The exciting news is that we will increase our tempo in 2015 as the next GE draws nearer. We will be announcing our plans soon.

     

    Source: http://yoursdp.org

  • DAP: Toll Hikes Reap Exorbitant Profits for Malaysia Resource Corporation Sdn Bhd

    DAP: Toll Hikes Reap Exorbitant Profits for Malaysia Resource Corporation Sdn Bhd

    Toll concessionaire Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad (MRCB) will reap “exorbitant profits”, Malaysia’s opposition said on Monday after the government revealed that 1.5 million paying vehicles crossed the Causeway in August after a toll-hike that has begun to hit Johor’s economy.

    Malaysia’s works ministry revealed in Parliament last week that in the month following the August 1 hike, 729,657 paid the toll to enter Singapore while 721,384 shelled out the increased fare going the other way.

    Malaysia added RM6.80 (S$2.63) each way to the existing RM2.90 to enter Johor from Singapore for cars, while buses saw a RM5.50 increase in both directions on top of the RM2.30 already paid heading north.

    According to opposition Democratic Action Party (DAP), this totals close to RM11 million per month, the same as the compensation paid by the government to MRCB since 2012 when the toll hike was to come into effect but was delayed ahead of last year’s closely-fought general elections.

    DAP assistant publicity chief Teo Nie Ching said yesterday this would mean that the government-linked MRCB would rake in RM4.3 billion by the end of its 34-year concession, despite the Eastern Dispersal Link (EDL) highway – which terminates at the Johor Baru immigration complex – only costing RM1.2 billion.

    “The profit that they are going to make from toll collection is still exorbitant and astronomical,” the Johor-based MP said, adding that this was before taking into consideration future toll hikes written into the concession deal and increasing traffic volume over the next three decades.

    Singapore matched Malaysia’s collection on Oct 1, bringing the cost of a roundtrip to $13, from just $2.35 as recently as July.

    The double hike caused alarm over the chilling economic impact especially to the Iskandar region – crucial to both nations – in Johor, which has just begun booming in the past two years after a quiet start.

    Even Malaysian ruling party leaders were critical of the hike, such as Public Accounts Committee chief Nur Jazlan Mohamad who told The Straits Times “both governments have to decide if they want Iskandar or not because instead of promoting it, they are imposing a de facto tax.”

    MRCB has insisted that the financing cost incurred to build the EDL – an elevated highway connecting the Johor Baru immigration complex to the North-South Expressway – alone is RM11 million a month, with an additional RM1 million needed for operations and maintenance.

    It also claims that it only collects RM6.80 upon exit and entry at the immigration complex (and not the existing RM2.90) but that up to 200,000 motorists use the EDL for free within Johor without crossing the border.

    Ms Teo added that Kuala Lumpur “should immediately declassify concession agreement with MRCB so that Malaysians will know if our government has again abused its power to enrich its crony.”

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  • Chee Soon Juan: Policy Alternatives in Parliament Only Possible With The Presence of Opposition Parties

    Chee Soon Juan: Policy Alternatives in Parliament Only Possible With The Presence of Opposition Parties

    Minister Lawrence Wong has called on Singaporeans to be active in seeking solutions to improve Singapore. This seems a curious statement given that many have been suggesting ways only to be met by a deaf ear.

    The SDP, for example, has been coming up with alternative policies. And whenever we launch them, we invite the relevant ministers and their officials to attend (for example, see here, here and here).

    They have consistently declined to attend. And now the Government pretends that there has not been alternative voices coming up with concrete proposals on how we can better manage Singapore’s affairs.

    In addition, following the launch of the papers we sent the documents to the ministers. We even sent our healthcare paper to the Medishield Life Review Committee, saying that the SDP “look[ed] forward to contributing to the review of our healthcare system.”

    In fact, the SDP has drawn up comprehensive policies in key areas:

    Healthcare. The SDP National Healthcare Plan: Caring For All Singaporeans

    Housing. Housing A Nation: Holistic Policies For Affordable Homes

    Population. Building A People: Sound Policies For A Secure Future

    Education. Educating For Creativity and Equality: An Agenda For Transformation

    Ministerial salaries. Ethical Salaries For A Public-Centred Government

    Malay community. A Singapore For All Singaporeans: Addressing The Concerns Of The Malay Community.

    (We will be launching our policy on the economy in the near future.)

    In fact, the Government has been adopting some of the measures that the SDP has proposed. (Read PAP should acknowledge SDP’s contribution)

    Singaporeans should note that even though the Government knew that the SDP had drawn up our policies, it refused to invite us to attend the National Conversation even as it extended the invitation to other opposition parties.

    In the past, the Government accused the opposition of not coming with better ideas to run the country. Now that the SDP has drawn up our alternative policies, it tries to hush them up and continue to paint the opposition as not being constructive.

    This is why Singaporeans despair at the type of politics that the PAP plays.

    In a recent Parliamentary sitting on the debate on constructive politics, PM Lee Hsien Loong said: “In a serious parliament, the Government presents its policies. The Opposition presents its alternatives.”

    Let’s give PM Lee what he wants and get the SDP into Parliament.

     

    Source: http://yoursdp.org

  • MND Targets Aljunied Town Council Again

    MND Targets Aljunied Town Council Again

    SINGAPORE: The Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council’s (AHPETC) “persistent poor performance” in several areas is of “grave public concern”, the Ministry of National Development (MND) said.

    The comments were made in the annual Town Council Management Report, released on Tuesday (Nov 4), which assesses the 16 town councils on five indicators – estate cleanliness, estate maintenance, lift performance, service and conservancy charges (S&CC) arrears management and corporate governance. The town councils’ performance is rated in three bands – green, amber or red.

    In the latest report, the MND said most town councils performed well last year, although some “could do better” in certain areas.

    Estate maintenance remains an area for improvement, with 11 town councils scoring “amber” in this category. The obstruction of common areas was the topmost observation, accounting for 32 per cent of total estate maintenance observations, the report said.

    AHPETC BANDED “RED” IN TWO CATEGORIES

    On AHPETC’s performance, MND said this is the second successive report that the Workers’ Party-led town council has been banded “red” for corporate governance, and the third successive report it has been banded “red” for S&CC arrears management.

    Under corporate governance, the town council’s independent auditors for Financial Year (FY) 2011 and 2012 have reported various legal and regulatory contraventions, MND said.

    “Unfortunately, the town council has not shown that it has rectified them. In fact, it has not submitted its FY13 financial statements and its self-declared corporate governance checklist,” MND said in the report.

    Additionally, the sharp decline in AHPETC’s S&CC arrears management is of “grave public concern”, MND said. Aljunied’s S&CC arrears rose from 2.6 per cent in FY2010 to 8.4 per cent in FY2011 and FY 2012 – after Aljunied merged with Hougang – significantly above the national norm of about 3 per cent, the report said.

    In December 2012, the town council committed to improve its arrears situation. However, its S&CC arrears rate had further increased to 29.4 per cent as at end-April 2013, the report said. It added that the town council stopped submitting its monthly S&CC arrears report from May 2013, despite repeated reminders.

     

    Source: channelnewsasia.com

  • Chiam See Tong Beat Mah Bow Tan at ‘O’ Levels and Other Revelations

    Chiam See Tong Beat Mah Bow Tan at ‘O’ Levels and Other Revelations

    Former Opposition MP Chiam See Tong’s reputation over the years has been recast to one of an elder statesman, well-respected by the ruling party and the opposition alike.

    One observed how Chiam is respectfully treated by the Prime Ministers this year.

    Chiam is indeed a politician of his time. As founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew observed in his memoirs, Chiam took the “shrewder line than Jeyaretnam, was more in tune with the sentiments of the population, that the PAP was doing a fair job, but could do better and should listen more to criticism”.

    Now there is a book that will set his life on paper.

    Let The People Have Him, a book by academic Loke Hoe Yeong that traces Chiam’s birth to his winning of the Potong Pasir seat in 1984, is a reminder that Chiam’s rise as a national opposition is no easy feat.

    Below are ten revelations from Chiam’s biography that will interest every well-informed Singaporeans about 1970s/1980s politics.

    1. Then PM Lee Kuan Yew compared the ‘O’ Level results of the two candidates for Potong Pasir – Mah Bow Tan and Chiam.

    Lee said, “Mah Bow Tan, age 16, took his ‘O’ Levels – six distinctions, two credits.

    Mr Chiam, age 18 – six credits, one pass.”

    The residents of Potong Pasir chose Chiam. Chiam won 60.28% of the votes, compared to Mah’s 39.72% in the 1984 General Elections.

    2. Staffers from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) apologised to Chiam for an error Mr Lee Kuan Yew made in a 1984 GE rally speech.

    The PMO also conveyed an apology from Lee himself for the error. Chiam had gotten seven, not six credits in his ‘O’-Level results.

    3. Chiam sued then Foreign Minister S. Dhanabalan and Defence Minister Howe Yoon Chong for defamation.

    Then Workers’ Party Sec-Gen and MP JB Jeyaretnam represented Chiam in filing a writ in the High Court seeking damages for slander made in the election speeches by Dhanabalan and Howe.

    Dhanabalan called Chiam “a two-bit lawyer orchestrating a three-piece band whose members only appear once every four or five years”.

    Howe called Chiam “a twice unsuccessful lawyer” and “a lawyer who is not even very good at law”.

    4. Both Foreign Minister S. Dhanabalan and Defence Minister Howe Yoon Chong apologised to Chiam.

    Howe: “I, Howe Yoong Chong, hereby unreservedly withdraw all imputations against the professional capacity and competence of Mr Chiam See Tong made by me on December 21 1980 and published in the issue of this newspaper on December 22 1980.” Business Times, 13 Feb, 1981.

    Dhanabalan: “I acknowledge that there was no foundation for any of the imputations and I sincerely apologise to Mr Chiam for having made them”. Business Times, 28, 1981.

    Chiam accepted the apologies and withdrew his lawsuits against them.

    5. The origin of Chiam’s name.

    The name See Tong roughly translates from Teochew Chinese as “timely” or “punctual”, given to him by his paternal grandfather.

    6. You are never too old for public life.

    In December 1976, Chiam entered politics at the age of 41.

    7. The distant family relationship between Chiam and Lee Kuan Yew

    Chiam has never met Lee in person until he was sworn into Parliament in 1985.

    However, other members of Chiam’s extended family were on cordial terms with Lee’s extended family. This relationship stemmed from the marriage of Chiam’s maternal grandfather Lim Liang Quee’s daughter to a member of the Kwa family, from which Lee’s wife was.

    8. Chiam thought of giving up politics.

    After losing three elections, Chiam entertained the thought of giving up politics. His friends and relatives had been coaxing him that he would be able to live a contented life as a lawyer.

    9. Chiam successfully sued the mainstream media for damages.

    Chiam sued the now defunct Singapore Monitor for damages when it ran a headline on its frontpage: “Chiam See Tong charged with criminal trespass”.

    10. When Chiam first met Lee.

    Chiam (extending his hand): “Mr Prime Minister, may I congratulate the PAP on winning the elections”.

    Lee (firm handshake): “See you in Parliament”.

    “Let The People Have Him – Chiam See Tong: The Early Years” is available for purchase online at Epigram Books. Check out Mothership.sg’ interview with author Loke Hoe Yeong tomorrow.

    Source: http://mothership.sg/