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Tag: opposition

  • Opposition Heavyweights Lend Support To Dr Tan Cheng Bock’s Constitutional Challenge

    Opposition Heavyweights Lend Support To Dr Tan Cheng Bock’s Constitutional Challenge

    Lim Tean, Tan Kin Lian, Syafarin Sarif and I had started the initiative to publish a Non-Partisan Joint Statement in support of Dr Tan Cheng Bock’s challenge of the Constitutional change to enforce Reserved Elected Presidency based on dubious grounds.

    We wanted a Non-Partisan Joint Statement basically because we feel that this is an important matter which should include private individuals, other than politicians.

    You can add your name to this Joint Statement by sharing it in your Facebook. Let the Force be with us.

    Please join us to stop the emasculation of our Constitution! To support please like, share & comment. Also message me if you want your name added to the bottom of the statement and I will do so.

    JOINT STATEMENT MAY 11TH 2017….
    The written Constitution of Singapore should be a repository of the most cherished values we hold as a people and also a bulwark of our venerable institutions.

    Sadly, our Constitution has been subject to numerous attacks over the years .The recent episode over changes to the Elected Presidency Scheme is the latest demonstration of such an attack.

    There was never a call by any Singaporean of any ethnic group for our next President to be a Malay. If race is an important element in the choosing of an elected President, it beggars belief that it did not surface as an issue during the period when the time scheme was first conceived and the interlude of almost 7 years until it was passed into law. The scheme was not cobbled together hurriedly as has been suggested, thereby necessitating substantial changes at this time. The scheme was first mooted by Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew as far back as 15 April 1984 during a walkabout in his Tanjong Pagar Constituency, and again brought up by him during his National Day Rally speech on 19 August that year. There was intense media and public interest in the issue. On 29 July 1988, then First Deputy Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong introduced the first White Paper on the proposed scheme in Parliament. There were changes and amendments made and a second White Paper was introduced on 27 August 1990. Following a lengthy debate during the second reading of the resultant Bill on 4 October 1990, a 12-member select committee, which included key cabinet ministers was appointed to look into issues and make recommendations. The committee’s report was presented to Parliament on 18 December 1990 and, on 3 January 1991 the Bill was passed into law .

    Moreover, by 1988, the PAP had introduced the Group Representation Constituencies ( GRCs ) into the Parliamentary electoral system in Singapore. Race is the very foundation of the GRC system, as all Singaporeans are aware of.

    In the years following the last Presidential election of 2011, no PAP member ever expressed any concern that too many years had passed without Singapore having a Malay President until the issue surfaced in the President’s speech, opening Parliament in January 2016. If this issue is of such grave national importance as the PAP and the Prime Minister have made it out to be, why was this issue not put before the Singapore people in the last General Elections held in September 2015? And why has this issue not been put before the Singapore people in a referendum?

    The PAP euphemistically termed the changes made as a “refreshment “of the Scheme in the President’s speech. In reality, they amount to an over-arching arrangement to kill off competition so that the favoured candidate of the PAP will triumph at the next Presidential election. It tarnishes the institution of the Elected President which is supposed to be part of the “two-key “mechanism designed to safeguard Singapore’s financial reserves and the integrity of our civil service. It is a betrayal of their proclaimed ideal of meritocracy which calls for the best person to be elected to the position of President, and it is a desecration of the Singapore pledge penned by one of their founders S. Rajaratnam – in which Singaporeans pledge themselves as one united people regardless of race, language and religion to build a democratic society.

    We have come together as a group of concerned Singaporeans, from diverse walks in life and from a wide political spectrum, to ask Singaporeans to stand up and to protect our Constitution from constant manipulation by the PAP government to suit their selfish political needs.

    We are pleased to note that Dr Tan Cheng Bock has mounted a judicial challenge to the constitutionality of the next Presidential Election being a reserved election. Even if it is now the law that there must be a reserved election for a particular racial group if no one from that group has been President after 5 continuous terms, it is clear to everyone of us that only the Presidential election of 2023 need be a reserved election. The next Presidential election in September this year should be an open election as there have been only 4 elected Presidents since the Elected Presidency scheme came into effect, with Mr Ong Teng Cheong being our first elected President. We do not know of any ordinary Singaporean who has taken an opposing view.

    Since the PAP Government insists that the upcoming Presidential election is a reserved election under the Presidential Elections (Amendment) Act 2017, the burden was on them to explain to the Singapore people the basis of their decision. It was incumbent upon them to produce the advice which they said they had obtained from the Attorney-General, which formed the basis of their decision. This is no different to a judge having to give his reasons for a decision made by him. It was important for the Government to have made known the reasoning behind the Attorney-General’s advice because the Attorney-General’s advice does not constitute the law of the land and is open to challenge by way of Judicial Review.
    Finally, we note from Dr Tan Cheng Bock’s statement issued after he had filed the proceedings in Court that Lord Pannick QC, the most renown British Constitutional lawyer of his generation, whom Dr Tan consulted, is of the opinion that section 22 of the Presidential Elections (Amendment) Act 2017, which makes the upcoming Presidential election a reserved one, is unconstitutional . That means that in Lord Pannick QC’s opinion, the advice of the Attorney-General was wrong. We must now await the determination of this issue by the Supreme Court.

    11th May 2017
    Lim Tean, Goh Meng Seng, Syafarin Sarif, Tan Kin Lian. Dolly Peh, Firros Rajah, Steven Goh, Brad Bowyer, William Wallace, Robert Teh, Jafri Basron, Sukhdev Singh Gill, Michael Dorai, Singaram Padmanathan, Mohammad Saqib, Hong Ht, Sohibo Netads, Kelvin Law Chee Ming, Leslie Terh, C Sing Ow, Kenneth Chan, Simon Lim, Abdul Salim Harun, Soonkin Chew, Roy Boey, Ng Fark Yew, Kelvin Ong, Bernard Riio, Derek Tan, Danny Ng, Raymond CH Chan, Keith Ong, Lee Anthony, Anne Lim, Andrew Wong, David Koh, Niki Ng, Yeu Yong Teo, Stanley Goh, Ricky Lim, Richard Sim, Michael Wong K E, Sarah Lim, RockinAngels Patrick, Gloria Siew, Tan Seng Hoo, Mani Maran, Robert Teo, Simon Chong, Sue Ryan, Goh Chok Chai Ricky, Low SK, Ravi Velu, Kelvin Cheong, Wong Sunny, Alvina Khoo, Liao Bo Tan, Wong YY, AK Tan, Sandra Goh, David Wee, Ashura Chia, Alan Anthony, Issaro Poh, Hmy Shaharudin, Gillian Chan, Cheyenne Cherokee Sioux, Raymond Tham, Sajeev Kamalasanan, Johan Teh, Abdul Kadir Md Noor, Henry Tan, Christopher Chin, Andre l,Chia, Ronald Koh, Gilbert Louis, Robert Guo, Oh Bock Thin, Simon Loke, still updating….

     

    Source: Goh Meng Seng

  • Ismail Kassim: Stop Spread Of Fake News Belittling Or Inciting Hatred Towards Islam

    Ismail Kassim: Stop Spread Of Fake News Belittling Or Inciting Hatred Towards Islam

    I am relieved the case of the Imam’s controversial remarks has been settled with the minimum pain to all involved, but it does leave a bad taste in the mouth that will linger on.

    There are still a number of unanswered questions such as the agenda of the whistle-blower and his accomplice. His diatribes – past and present – against the Malay Muslims and the religious authority – have shown that his motives are less than pristine.

    What the Imam said was beyond any doubt wrong and he should not have uttered it, not in Singapore, and not under the present ‘’fear of terrorists’’ climate, here and elsewhere.

    But I don’t think he meant to incite violence against Jews or Christians member. It probably stems from an indulgence in religious rhetoric that has become habitual among some unenlightened preachers.

    My regret is that the whole episode could have been avoided by a more pro-active and constructive approach on the part of the powers-to-be.

    Like the Bible and the Torah and other holy texts from the Abrahamic faith, the Quran too has passages that to some extent incite the faithful to violence against unbelievers, hypocrites, homosexuals, gays and so on.

    While there were reasons for such verses at the time of the revelation, they have lost their meaning in the present world, and should not be uttered by anyone in public, least of all by an Imam in a mosque.

    I do hope that there will be the appropriate follow-up measures.

    I also like to take this opportunity to remind all that there are fake news on Islam and Muslims that are circulated at regular intervals with immunity on social media.

    And what’s most unfortunate is that these people know that these stories have been made up to incite hatred against Muslims and belittle Islam, and yet they have no compulsion in spreading such news.

    They too deserve to get a warning.

     

    Source: Ismail Kassim

  • Founder Of Singapore People’s Party, Sin Kek Tong, Passed Away Aged 72

    Founder Of Singapore People’s Party, Sin Kek Tong, Passed Away Aged 72

    Opposition veteran Sin Kek Tong died on Monday evening (Feb 27) at the age of 72.

    Mr Sin was the founder of the Singapore People’s Party (SPP) back in 1994. The former SPP chairman first introduced Mr Chiam See Tong to SPP when the latter left the Singapore Democratic Party in 1993.

    Mr Sin last contested the 2011 Singapore General Elections, where he ran against People’s Action Party candidate Dr Amy Khor for the seat in Hong Kah North Single-Member Constituency and lost.

    The funeral procession will take place at 10am on Friday.

     

    Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

  • Gerald Giam: Neighbours Need To Live At Peace With Each Other

    Gerald Giam: Neighbours Need To Live At Peace With Each Other

    Had to mediate several disputes between neighbours on the same floor during house visits last night. There were four households in the fray! It was clear they were vexed over noise, smoking, rude behaviour and other issues. Even the police and HDB had been called in previously, but weren’t able to take any action.

    It took some time for me to hear out each resident’s complaints and convey their salient concerns to their neighbours, to try to convince them to see things from each others’ perspective, empathise with their neighbours’ concerns and change their behaviour.

    As with most community disputes, it helps if neighbours are considerate to each other in the first instance, but even when they are not, to be pleasant-mannered when communicating one’s unhappiness to neighbours, so as not to breed animosity.

    Easier said than done, but there is no better way for all of us to live at peace with each other.

     

    Source: Gerald Giam 严燕松

  • Political Activist, Uncle Yap, Gives Up On Selfish Opposition Politics

    Political Activist, Uncle Yap, Gives Up On Selfish Opposition Politics

    A well-known political activist, he had been seen by the side of leaders of various opposition parties for almost two decades, from the 1980s to mid-2000s.

    During the 2006 General Election, there was even talk of Mr Yap Keng Ho, better known as “Uncle Yap”, contesting under the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) umbrella.

    But little has been heard of this colourful character — who had been in and out of jail many times for breaking the law while participating in some political activities — for the past five years.

    In a recent interview, Mr Yap, 55, told TODAY that he gradually stepped away from the local political scene because he grew disillusioned with some of the personalities in opposition parties and the “selfish politics” that were increasingly being played out.

    “What we are seeing now is politicking for personal interest and freedom, it is not for the good of the entire nation … I was expecting to see more valuable voices and ideas by reversing the fear (of the establishment) … But what came out was not what I appreciated.”

    Mr Yap said he first entered politics in the 1980s with a desire to “lift the lid of fear” that many opposition politicians had towards the governing People’s Action Party (PAP) and Singapore’s founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.

    During the 2006 election, even though he did not contest as a candidate, Mr Yap took an active part in the hustings to express his support for SDP secretary-general Chee Soon Juan and veteran opposition politician J B Jeyaretnam, whom he described as the late Mr Lee’s greatest adversaries.

    The late Jeyaretnam could not run as a candidate in the polls because he had been declared a bankrupt for failing to pay damages from defamation lawsuits brought by several PAP leaders.

    While he still keeps in touch with SDP members, Mr Yap spends most of his time now caring for his elderly mother and drives a Chrysler limousine taxi at night.

    Two months ago, he was highlighted in the newspapers as the cabbie who responded more than 20 times to cardiac arrest cases, among the highest number under SMRT’s AED-On-Wheels programme. Mr Yap, who was an instructor with the St John Ambulance Brigade in his school days, said he volunteered for the programme because he wanted to refresh the life-saving skills that he had learnt earlier.

    Mr Yap is also interested in raising awareness about the rapid depletion of natural resources.

    “The globe’s resources are not able to withstand our living and consumption habits … We need to convey the urgency (of this challenge), adjust values to correctly influence lifestyles,” he said.

     

    Source: www.todayonline.com