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Tag: SDP

  • SDP: Government Must Stop Excuses, Give Singaporeans Timely Information

    SDP: Government Must Stop Excuses, Give Singaporeans Timely Information

    The attempted clarifications by Minister for Health Gan Kim Yong and other Ministry of Health (MOH) officials about the outbreak of the 41 Zika cases in Singapore raise fresh concerns.

    The first case was detected on 31 July 2016. MOH had preliminary results before this was confirmed on 27 August 2016 but decided not to inform the public because it did not want to “create a false alarm”.

    Given the seriousness of the disease and the ease of which it is transmitted, it behooves health officials to alert the public about the possibility of its transmission as early as possible.

    The government has to stop its excuse of not wanting to cause alarm or panic (as in the case of the defective trains sent back to China for repairs) to keep vital information from the public. It must trust Singaporeans to react rationally and provide full information in a timely manner.

    Medical professionals do not withhold information from their patients even when illnesses are only suspected but need further testing for confirmation. In such cases, patients are given the full account of the situation rather than kept in the dark.

    Similarly, the public should be kept fully informed even if a matter is still in the developing stage.

    The provision of complete information is a practice that must be the norm. Withholding information for fear of creating “panic” or “alarm” is a dangerous practice that can be abused to keep important facts that the government finds embarrassing or inconvenient from the public.

    Already, this government has a poor track record in as far as transparency is concerned, the Hepatitis-C outbreak tragedy and the defective MRT trains fiasco are but the most recent examples.

     

    Source: http://yoursdp.org

  • Chee Soon Juan: PAP Running Scared, Doesn’t Want Genuine Political Contest

    Chee Soon Juan: PAP Running Scared, Doesn’t Want Genuine Political Contest

    I have often pointed out that the PAP is never sincere in ensuring that there is genuine political contestation, it always raises the bar just when its opponents come close to beating it at its own game (think GRC, Cooling-off Day, Public Order Act, etc).

    The most recent example is the tweaking of the EP. Ostensibly, it is to ensure minority representation in the presidency. The reality is that alarm bells went off when Dr Tony Tan won by just 0.34%-point over Dr Tan Cheng Bock.

    As usual, the government goes through the exercise of conducting a “study” of the issue. “Expert” views are then sought to substantiate the recommendations in the study. http://www.todayonline.com/…/mixed-race-teams-presidential-…

    The process goes like this. Step 1: Frame the issue, set the parameters. Step 2: Gin up debate in the local media and through various panels (within prescribed parameters, of course). Step 3: Legislate it.

    Much time, effort and money is expended to legitimise a course of action on which the PAP has already decided. Remember the discussions about whether to have 9 or 12 NCMP seats or 3- or 6-member GRCs or which race Singaporeans prefer their presidents?

    As Noam Chomsky points out: “The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum.”

    What is troubling in this instance is that at a time when our country faces complex and enormous challenges – challenges where open and intelligent debate is so desperately needed – the PAP devices yet another scheme to further control the political process.

    There is a price, a steep one, to pay for all this.

     

    Source: Chee Soon Juan 徐顺全

  • Mohamed Jufrie Mahmood: We Want Justice For Zulfikar Shariff

    Mohamed Jufrie Mahmood: We Want Justice For Zulfikar Shariff

    Justice for Zulfikar.

    The government detains him for his opposing views, portraying him as someone who supports terrorism but at the same time it keeps a blind eye to the terrorism, murder and genocide committed by its friends in Israel. What hypocrisy!

    In actual fact the atrocities committed by Israel are the major contributing factor for the rise of extremists and terrorism that we are witnessing today.

     

    Source: Mohamed Jufrie Mahmood

  • Damanhuri Abas: The Turkey Failed Coup Exposes Western Hypocrisy On Democracy

    Damanhuri Abas: The Turkey Failed Coup Exposes Western Hypocrisy On Democracy

    The failed coup in Turkey exposes again (but conveniently ignored in mainstream discourse) western hypocrisy. It can be deduced from western mainstream media as the coup unfolds, their inclination to see Erdogan go. Shamelessly discarding their mantra of the defender of democracy. They were probably hoping that like Morsi in Egypt, to just let another of this ‘Islamist’ disappear ‘into the night’ quietly.

    By the Grace of God, the people of Turkey unlike the Arabs in Egypt, stood together as one united people in denouncing the Military (most probably western backed) coup. Even the so-called secularist had the integrity to see through the game being played and stood by the democracy they believed in where differing opinions are discussed and debated and where disagreements do not mean hatred for each other.

    This coup also exposes the conniving hypocrites in the ranks and file of state institutions in Turkey who instead of addressing grievances through the ballot box, had the audacity to resort to non-constitutional means to overthrow an elected government.

    There is a lesson in all this for everyone who shout so much about rule of law, that when it comes to their own interest/preference (even in Singapore), they are likewise guilty of fanning this hypocrisy by rooting the illegal coup ‘quietly’ wishing for the overthrow of Erdogan. When will we grow up to behave like mature adults to debate and discuss and differ too but respect the rule of law to ensure justice for all within the democratic process. Or are we in truth only pretentious and not so civilized after all.

    Integrity is the true test of character and sadly in the aborted coup event in Turkey, in our instinctive response, exposes our severe lack of it. Failure in our collective consistency to always follow agreed rule of law (local or international) but instead flip-flopping shamelessly, has led to the mess in the middle east when western powers since the time of colonization until today, deemed it their strange privilege to decide leaders of countries justified by their own self-interest ignoring the wishes of the indigenous population.

    We will continue to allow this injustices on earth through our selective conscience so long as we choose to look the other way when our comfort zone, our people, our religion, our heritage, our civilization, our guy is doing the bad thing.

    Instead we who claimed to be educated, modern and the so-called proud believers in democracy must raise our collective voices in praise of the success of the people of Turkey in fighting back and defying rogue elements of the Turkish military with their lives. In truth, the Turks in the streets of Ankara and Istanbul last Friday are fore runners in moving humanity forward in the spirit of defending civilization than all of us put together.

    Walk the Talk people!!!!

     

    Source: Damanhuri Abas

  • Damanhuri Abas: Be Those Who Champion For The Weak And Oppressed

    Damanhuri Abas: Be Those Who Champion For The Weak And Oppressed

    In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Dispenser of Grace.

    Neo-Khawarij… an Islamic historical reality undead and simmering. A chronic parasite unleashed by the invasion of Iraq. Less we forget, an invasion that opened the pandora box and killed thousands of Iraqi citizens on a lie to stop Sadam’s non-existent weapons of mass destruction.

    In truth the invasion and the war on terror are crafty invocation of a perpetual threat designed to allow for a methodical and systematic destruction of the Islamic middle east for the black gold it has.

    A massive energy grab now fully underway with a full checklist after Iraq; Libya, Yemen, Syria, and eventually the Gulf States, Iran and Saudi Arabia. All scripted by the new great game for the middle east that began in the modern era.

    Collateral damages are small prices to pay in Iraqi, Palestinian, Libyan, Yemeni, Syrian, Iranian, Saudi, and the occasional western blood to sustained the self-serving blood-lust imagery. The compliant media will continue spewing the scripted deception and exhaust the Islamic blame-game. Focusing on symptoms but never the cure for the disease.

    Isis or more accurately known as Daesh is good currency for now, the latest priceless premium brand that encapsulate the ultimate fear invoking terror bogeyman, ever-ready to brutally kill under self-proclaimed divine order texted and received from their social media savvy gods on Instagram, Facebook and Tweeter to the tune of their pay-master.

    The Afghan Mujahideen, the Taliban, Sadam, Daesh aka Isis and their lookalikes or wannabes world over are mere black pieces, while the Bushes, the Blairs and their present heirs are the white pieces in the grand chessboard of the neo-colonial project for full economic control of world resources that began in the modern era.

    The endgame has only begun for full spectrum dominance and control of energy and world economy by the powerfully rich, the same group that brought millions of death upon death in the 2 world wars not too long ago. The same preachers with blood still dripping from their hands and now owners of nuclear weapons that can destroy the world many times over, are preaching their lies and fooling mankind again.

    Humanity is now ever polarized and poised to pit themselves against each other to their total and ultimate destruction. An ordained everlasting cycle of battles between the good that wishes to care, partake and share equally from God’s earth, loosing to an evil wanting to wrest and hoard the temporary riches from the Maker of the world only for themselves and Satan, their vindictive Master. A narrative scripted since times of old found in all books of ancient wisdom, sadly much lost in contemporary translation by the mainstream media through misleading labels and superficial journalism.

    Patient is a virtue in this time of spell-binding deception. Institutionalized religion has all but abandoned the Prophetic driven project of action for mankind and sadly outsourced their relevance to melodious rhythms for self delectable pleasure sold for mere pittance. A leader to exit mankind from their impending doom must be at hand. The Word of God will return to fulfill and complete his Divinely disrupted mission. A missing earthly piece to be Divinely returned seeking justice and championing the oppressed on earth.

    The Messiah will unite mankind in a new peace to reign again on earth albeit for a moment before another cycle repeats itself and will end with the final destruction. The book mentioned of our beautiful earth to one day mirror the parched desolation of Mars. A testimony of abandoned past Divine theaters with the show long ago ended. The scripts were Divinely written and the inks are all exhausted. The actors and audiences are judged and resides forever justly in their deserved eternal abode. A lesson for mankind today that seemed long forgotten.

    God is the Greatest. I am a mortal witness. Let me be among those who will walk in life in the ranks of the champions for the weak, the powerless, the oppressed and the down-trodden. May God have mercy on us all.

    End Ramadan Self-Reflection
    30 Ramadan 1437H

     

    Source: Damanhuri Bin Abas