PR's health subsidies to be cut

By Dawn Tay

HEALTH-CARE subsidies for permanent residents (PRs) are set to be cut further, in line with the Government's bid to boost the distinction between citizens and foreigners here.

Currently, PRs get subsidies for class B2 and C wards in public hospitals and specialist outpatient clinics that are 10 percentage points lower than those given to citizens.

The Health Ministry will widen the difference to 20 percentage points by 2012, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan said yesterday after donating blood at the Health Sciences Authority.

This will be carried out in two stages, in January and July next year, to make it easier for PRs to adjust to the cuts.

From July next year, a PR will have his bill for a class C ward subsidised by up to 60 per cent, compared with up to 80 per cent for citizens.

Subsidies for PRs in nursing homes and community hospitals will also be cut, with the first 5-percentage-point reduction to take effect in July next year, and the second in January 2012.

In December 2006, the Government had announced subsidy cuts for PRs, while foreigners had to pay medical bills in full at public hospitals.

Mr Khaw called the latest move a "meaningful refinement" of current policy that would save the Government about $7 million a year. The money can instead be used to subsidise citizens.

However, he said the Government will ensure that health care remains affordable for PRs.

About 6 per cent of all subsidised patients are PRs, he said.

Latest official statistics show that 533,200 PRs live here.

The move comes on top of recent government measures to further distinguish between PRs and citizens.

On Wednesday, the Housing Board said that it is considering whether to introduce a separate ethnic quota for PRs to prevent them from forming enclaves in public housing estates.

And last month, the Education Ministry announced that school fees for the children of PRs will be raised next year.

Some PRs, like Ms Susan Lee from Malaysia, were disturbed by the subsidy cuts.

Said the 29-year-old civil servant: "After all, we pay taxes, just as citizens do. Aren't we allowed to enjoy similar benefits?

And health care is something basic and important."

Other PRs - like lawyer Judy Yeo, 46, from Malaysia - said they understood the Government's need to take care of its citizens first. The cuts would not affect them much as they frequent private hospitals and are covered by company health insurance.

However, Mrs Yeo said: "Unless there is really a need for the cuts, it should not be done for the purpose of differentiation or to make citizens happy."

Yesterday, Mr Khaw also revealed his plan to set a 10-year roadmap for the development of Singapore's health-care system during next month's Budget session.

A possible change is an increase in Central Provident Fund Medisave contributions, to ensure that Singaporeans have enough money for longterm care as the population ages.

The current rate of 6.5 to 9 per cent is for acute hospitalisation and may not cover big medical bills and long-term care, said Mr Khaw.

In the future, lower-middle and middle-income patients may be allowed to tap Medifund for expensive drugs. Medifund is normally reserved for needy Singaporeans to help them pay medical bills.

Instead of subsidising these drugs, the Health Ministry is exploring this option for such Singaporeans, whose monthly salary may easily be wiped out if they require expensive drugs such as those used in cancer treatment, Mr Khaw said.


From: The Cynic
Subject: Re: PR's health subsidies to be cut

This is an indication of an approaching general election. The health-
care subsidy reduction for PRs comes in the heels of a statement from
a very senior man who said recently that the number of foreign workers
will be reduced in the coming years. At last the PAP hierarchy has
finally woken up to the widespread resentment among locals against
transplanted parasites. In the recent past, some overly paid smart
alecks, in trying to defend their foreign import policy, gave
ridiculous justification, eg foreign mei meis created jobs for locals,
PRs cannot buy HDB flats.
There will be soon other measures wooing the electorate to vote for
the PAP. Let's wait and see.

More Bad News For Lexus Car Owners

From: Dänk 1010011010

Subject: Re: Calling all Lexus owner...Do you know how to stop your car..when its computer floor the gas pedal ?

On Jan 28, 10:47 pm, baldeagle wrote:
> Lexus owners:
> By now I think you know that when you step on the gas pedal, you
> instruct the computer to open the throttle (the fuel valve.) You
> assumed that when you step on the brake pedal, the braking system will
> over-ride the gas pedal and it will stop the car. Lexus does not work
> this way.

> There is a flaw with design of your Lexus. The computer could mal-
> function, and continue to feed maximum amount of fuel into the engine
> and worse still, it over-ride the brake pedal.... In other words, the
> Lexus will not respond to your instruction...on its own it shut down
> the braking system, and dump max fuel into a furious engine. Suddenly,
> as if a ghost has taken over the control of your Lexus !

And like almost all other auto parts, the computer control system in
the Lexus and other automobiles is manufactured in China, a country
which would benefit if 300 million American drivers suddenly lost
control of their vehicles and died in fiery crashes.

But Communist China would never sabotage the products it exports,
would it? Poison dog food, poison milk, poison infant formula,
defective computer chips, and so on.

baldeagle wrote:
Good try ! But you are and ignorant wrong as usual.

Who made the car parts in the accelerator system in
the Luxus?
If you had read TimesOnline website, you would have
known, and not made a fool of yourself. The deadly part
was made by US automotive group CTS, in Indiana,
USA. (see below).
Obviously, Toyota has quality control problems over the
car parts used in Lexus car. One would expect them to
test and retest ALL parts use in their cars...like Benz and
BMW. Lexus owners were fooled by Toyota..

For you information, products made by US factories
in China are usually of superior quality...
Quality is one of the reasons why USA and the rest of the world
imported trillions dollars worth of goods from China. Quality..
GOOD quality..is what importers paid for. Smart importers of
China made goods are NOT stupid like you.

Only stupid fools would pay top prices for a unsafe car like
Lexus.

Minister Mah challenges Opposition to fight in Tampines GRC

From: OngBak3

SINGAPORE: National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan says he welcomes
an electoral fight in Tampines GRC, where he is the anchor MP.

He was speaking to reporters at a community event earlier on Saturday
evening.

Mr Mah has been MP in Tampines since 1988. The area has long been an
election battleground.

Recently, three opposition parties expressed their interests to
contest the ward in the next general election, with the plan to turn
growing concerns over the affordability of public housing into an
election issue.

Mr Mah said the key lies in how the People's Action Party gets its
message across to the public.

He said: "The opposition said they want to target Tampines because of
me. I think what I can say is that in a general election, it's not
about me, or an individual minister or an individual MP. It is really
about the people, the residents themselves.

"So I offer myself up for elections because I believe I can do the
best, I can do the most for them. But ultimately, it is for the
residents, the people to decide."

The key reason is Mr Mah. His ministry oversees public housing, an issue they hope to exploit by attacking the affordability of HDB flats, whose prices have been rising. The minister acknowledged some people may be adversely affected by the housing policies. But he pointed out: 'There's no question that our policies are designed for the good of the people.

'While there may be certain parts of the policies that are not favourable, overall, I think these policies are for the well-being of the people and are good for the country.'

Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew had weighed in on the issue last week. He said at a housing conference that if Mr Mah was unable to defend his housing policy, 'he deserves to lose' at the next GE.

baldeagle wrote:

Ma Bow Tan talks big. He is a coward, hiding under the
skirt of GRC...without protection of which, he will lose
his seat...lose his well paid job as minister.

If he was brave and has a backbone, at the next election,
he should stand in a single ward.
At the current mood of unhappiness against him, he
will not stand a chance...any one of the new guys in the
opposition... will give him a thrashing.

PAP will lose votes, because brainless idiots like
him...boastful, obnoxious, cowardly and useless....
Few people like such characters in our leaders.

PAP have too many such idiots around....they will
bring down PAP sooner or later.

US dogs didn't like human rights Singapore style - Too bad

From: baldeagle
Subject: US dogs didn't like human rights Singapore style. Too bad.

On Jan 24, 11:54 am, prophet Muhammud the Child Fucker wrote:
> "Singapore is no more REPRESSIVE than Saudi Arabia."

If you are an Islamic terrorist or a drug trafficker, Singapore
is much MORE repressive than the Saudi.
Singapore lock you up in jail, without trial, and throw away
the keys.

We like our way of locking up suicide bombers... We never
treat terrorists ...as normal healthy good citizens.
We treat them the way they should be treated...ie under
quarantine, like people with deadly contagious disease....

If you are a drug trafficker, we hang you....we DO NOT
give you the rights to kill our kids.
To us, drug traffickers are the most dangerous
kind of murderers, .. they murder our kids. We hang
them.
In Singapore, our kids have more rights to live ...than
the drug traffickers.

We are proud of our ways...To us, suicide bombers
and murderers (traffickers) hove no human rights.

Of course, if you are a US dog, you will certainly
find Singapore most oppressive ....

Too bad.

SHAMmugam contradicted by Lee Kuan Yew

From: "cluedo"

Subject: Re: SHAMmugam contradicted by Lee Kuan Yew

LKY is right to say it was the huge influx of PRs and FT that caused the
surge in HDB price.

Way back in 2004/2005, HDB selling price was still reasonable since
Singapore was coming out of a recession. In Jurong, Sengkang and Puggol,
many new flats are empty. Likewise, some newly built SERS HDB block was
empty too. Hence, HDB decided to slow down its building programme in order
to clear some excess housing stock.

However, after the opening of the low budget air terminal in Changi, there
was a huge influx of foreign tourist, as well FT looking for jobs and since
the govt like these FT so much, they decided to grant a record number of
citizenship (14,000 in 2005) and PR.

Once these FT became PR, they stopped renting HDB flat or condos and decided
to buy them instead. In addition, they started to bring their own family
members to Singapore. Suffice to say, HDB resale price start moving up.

LKY only mentioned there are presently 50,000 HDB flats out of 1 million
owned by PR. This is a very number. But, he failed to mentioned there are
also 250,000 HDB flats owned by FT whom are now Singapore citizens. From
2004-2008, 30,000 new FT citizens have already bought their 1st HDB flat.

In the end, why do some Singaporean keep complaining they can't get a new
flat despite constant balloting ?

The answer is quite simple. If Sg govt keep approving record number of PR
and Singapore citizenship, realistically HDB need to build 25,000 HDB per
year. But why is HDB building only 1/2 that number every year ?

Singaporean should know the answer very well.

"truth" wrote in message

news:3Au8n.4161$pv.1529@news-server.bigpond.net.au...

> Ha ha ha.
> I told u this SHAMmugam is a liar.
> Now the old man has publicly contradicted him.

--- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: n...@netfront.net ---

Toyota Lexus accelerator kills.....

From: baldeagle

Apparently Lexus is no where near the class, the quality...of fine
cars like Cadillac, BMW, Mercedes-Benz... In fact it is an unsafe
car...not unlike the cheap models manufactured by Toyota.

Toyota launched the Lexus, as an advertising strategy ... to fool
those who think that the high price of a car equal excellent
quality...

In subtle advertisements, Toyota encouraged Toyota owners, who cannot
afford the high price, to feel that Toyota in the family of Lexus.
This strategy works like magic,....the sales of Toyota top all
Japanese brands in the USA and in the world.

A few month back, Toyota was forced to recall 4.2 million vehicles
(the cheaper model) because of gas pedal problems...a serious safety
problem. Toyota assured Lexus owners and owners of high end Toyota
models..their cars were safe.

Then...the roof caved in... when an off duty California US Highway
Patrol officer and his family members were killed when the accelerator
in the 2009 Lexus ES 350 he was driving got stuck.
Police said, just before the crash, someone in the car called 911 just
after 6:30 p.m. to report that the car’s accelerator was stuck.

There was NO DOUBT, the tiny flaw in Lexus killed him and his
family...Is the fatal flaw an isolated case ?
NO. an follow up investigation revealed ALL expensive Toyota models,
including Lexus, Camry, the Highlander have flawed gas pedal system.
Another 2.3 millions vehicles (high end model) had to be recalled.

A total of 6.5 millions Toyotas are to be recalled, because of safety
defects.

A few year back, there was a heated discussion in this forum on...
whether or not the Lexus measure up to the quality of fine cars...
Lexus owners and those paid by Toyota claimed, it is better than
Mercedes-Benz and BMW.

Unfortunately, Toyota failed to measure up...it is NOT a fine
car...only the price could match the best vehicles in the world.

Singaporeans worked world longest hours

From: "truth"
truth comment: the senile old fart still dares to speak as if
singaporeans are not working hard enough. they don't have
spurs stuck in their hides, that is what he actually said.

http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/sub/news/story/0,4574,370179,00.html?
By ANNA TEO

(SINGAPORE) Here's a world-leading pole position for Singapore that probably
explains quite a bit of its dismal productivity record of late.

Beavering away doggedly, Singaporeans may not be aware that they have, for
the past two years, overtaken the industrious South Koreans in notching up
the highest number of hours worked per year, worldwide.

Clocking 2,307 work hours in 2009 - a number that apparently has stayed
constant since 1992, according to The Conference Board's data - the average
Singaporean surpassed the other East Asians, the most hardworking globally.

Going by The Conference Board's Total Economy Database - which carries
'annual working hours' for 51 countries dating from 1950 - the South Koreans
had been the undisputed workhorse world champions for three decades, ever
since they overtook the previous leaders, the Taiwanese, in 1975. The
Koreans and Taiwanese were clocking well over 2,700 hours a year for years.

But - as is the trend worldwide - annual working hours have fallen over the
decades, including Korea's.

Singapore's 'constant' 2,307 annual hours exceeded Korea's in 2008. For
2009, Korea's 2,259 work hours fell behind even Hong Kong's 2,287 hours.
Taiwan clocked in at 2,156 hours, while Japan's 1,722 is close to the US
level (1,742 hours).

Apart from the East Asians, virtually everyone else (except Greece, Chile
and Mexico) put in fewer than 2,000 hours a year, with many well under.

For Singapore, the long hours - especially in a year of poor output such as
2009 - would explain its recent poor productivity figures.

The Conference Board study - which covers various economic indicators for
more than 120 economies - tracks productivity by two measures: GDP per
person employed and GDP per hour worked.

The Conference Board - a Washington-based research organisation - says GDP
per hour is the preferred measure of labour productivity because it measures
labour intensity more adequately.

With productivity 'growth' of minus 14.2 per cent in 2009 (in GDP per
employee terms), Singapore has the poorest number not only in Asia but
worldwide. Average productivity growth across East Asia and the Pacific in
2009 was 2.4 per cent, and minus one per cent worldwide.

The global decline in productivity in 2009 is the first negative in almost
two decades, The Conference Board notes.

Still, Singapore's 2009 labour productivity level is 75 per cent of the US
level in the same year - below only Australia (84.5 per cent) and Hong Kong
(90.5 per cent) in Asia.

Meanwhile, the qualitative measure - total factor productivity (TFP) which
takes into account not just labour inputs but also workforce skills,
machinery and IT capital - is no better for Singapore.

After some fairly good strides over the decade - as high as almost 7 per
cent in 2004 - Singapore's TFP growth plunged from 3.9 per cent in 2007 to
minus 4.9 per cent in 2008.

Still, just on the working hours measure, Singaporeans can have some
consolation. Apparently, back in 1950, people here used to clock 2,520 hours
a year, when total output was far lower. Annual work hours have fallen
steadily through the years, down to 2,307 by 1992.

Top lawyer stole iPod and other items from HK hotel room

yap ah loy Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2010 9:46 pm
27 Jan 2010
Source: The Straits Times
A LAWYER convicted by a Hong Kong court for stealing from a hotel room will have to face a Court of Three Judges here for professional misconduct.

A two-member disciplinary tribunal presided by Senior Counsel Sarjit Singh held the matter was serious enough to go before the court – the highest body to deal with lawyer misconduct – which can either acquit, suspend or strike him off the rolls.

The lawyer pleaded guilty before the tribunal, which decided to refer the matter to the court instead of imposing its own punishments, like a fine or censure. Industry players said the case made clear that misconduct overseas would not excuse lawyers from facing disciplinary action here.

Choy Chee Yean, 43, once a high-flying partner in Rajah & Tann, had stolen items from a neighbouring hotel room while on a business trip to Hong Kong in January 2008. He was found with electronic goods, including a mobile phone, charger and an iPod worth a total HK$9,500 (S$1,650), under his bed. His actions were caught on closed-circuit TV camera and, at the police station while undergoing a body search, he also produced a mobile phone SIM card that he said was taken from the room.

Choy pleaded guilty but the Hong Kong district court sentenced him to a year’s jail, suspended for two years as he was suffering from major depression at the time of the offences.

At the tribunal hearing, Choy, defended by Senior Counsel Sundaresh Menon, explained he had pleaded guilty to the offence in Hong Kong as he did not wish to prolong his stay out of fear it would aggravate his medical condition.

But the tribunal noted that he had not produced any evidence on this from his Hong Kong psychiatrists or lawyers. Choy was “clearly aware of the repercussions of pleading guilty”.

“Given that (Choy’s) plea of guilt was unequivocal and he had expressly admitted to the elements of the offence, (his) guilty plea and conviction clearly cannot be taken lightly and disregarded.”

The tribunal, in its report published yesterday, also took issue with the way the question of Choy’s dishonesty in relation to the offence was addressed before the tribunal by his defence and the prosecuting Law Society represented by Senior Counsel Michael Khoo. Any evidence of dishonesty is expected to be key in deciding the extent of the penalties Choy stands to face if convicted.

The tribunal said that while the evidence provided by his psychiatrist – that he was not a dishonest man – was flawed and weak, the Law Society had also failed to show he was one. It “has not proved beyond reasonable doubt that (Choy) was dishonest at the time of committing the offence.”

Choy has stopped practising since April 2008 and is now a legal executive in the same law firm.

HDB considering imposing a quota on PRs in resale flats

tomiyaki wrote:

finally Sir Lee has spoken, he should have said that earlier...... stop influx of foreigner becoming Singaporean.... but hope his words still stand..., last time he did say ONLY 35% ...but FT exceeded and turn 36% and if the liberal policy of allowing FT turn PR continues, it is going to be very bad....... i respect him and will always be, hope his integrity is intact.... and stop more FT.....good job.....
-------------------------

SINGAPORE: The Housing & Development Board (HDB) is considering imposing a quota on Permanent Residents buying resale HDB flats. This could be done in the same way that racial quotas are imposed to prevent ethnic enclaves.

The issue came up in a dialogue session on public housing with Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew where questions on affordability and aspirations were brought up.

Public housing has come a long way from where it started 50 years ago. Still, issues remain. This includes how foreigners are perceived to affect pricing of flats.

Mr Lee said over the next five years, the intake of foreigners will slow down but that meant Singaporeans would have to increase their productivity.

Going further, dialogue moderator Professor Tommy Koh asked if more could be done to integrate those already here, in much the same way that the Ethnic Integration Policy was introduced in 1989 in public housing estates to get races mingling.

MM Lee said: "Could the same approach be adopted towards integrating new Singaporeans? We are not allowing new Singaporeans whether from China, India, Malaysia or whatever to congregate in the same tower blocks which they are already beginning to do. They buy second hand flats and they congregate. So we have a record of how many new citizens living where and we keep their numbers dispersed. It's a very valuable tool of communal harmony."

HDB later clarified that a quota policy on PRs for resale flats was being considered.

One other issue that came up during the dialogue is that of affordability which has come up repeatedly. One suggestion was to have HDB provide more rental housing units.

MM Lee said: 'I completely disagree with that policy. It will lead us into all kinds of problems. You are getting a dependency group - dependent on the government on constant subsidies, whereas our philosophy is ‘I give you this asset, I will increase the value of the asset as the economy grows but it is yours and you look after it. And we do not have run down public housing like other countries which are rental.’”

Mr Lee was also asked for his take on a recent media report that at least three opposition parties were eyeing National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan's ward with the aim of making public housing affordability an election issue.

He explained: “What is affordabilty? From the point of view of the buyer? And the government that is subsidising you? The government has to price it at a level that is fair to the revenue it is collecting and fair to the individual, not only the present buyer but past and future buyers. If Mr Mah is unable to defend himself, he deserves to lose.

“No country in the world has given its citizens and families an asset as valuable as what we have given every family here. And if you say that policy is at fault, you must be daft."

Mr Lee was speaking before some 500 delegates from 20 countries at a housing conference. - CNA/vm

The most appropriate religious belief is...Taoism

From: yansimon52
Subject: The most appropriate religious belief is...Taoism......Why issit so?

Have we ever come across taoist as sucide bomber?....No
chance!....Why?

Simple reason is......Taoist followers accord the proper respect to
spirituality when praying.The other thing is....when taoist mediums
are in spiritual trance.......none of these Taoist medium dare to lay
claim that they were interacting with the Heavenly God. They only
claimed that they were interacting with Dieties....that's all.
Taoist followers did the rite thing by giving proper respect that is
why we see Taoism is a very peaceful religious belief. No doubt their
temple medium did prayer session during nightfall but its all for good
purpose....helping those that were interfered with naughty spiritual
forces/elements that turned them sickly (its followers). Cos,
according to the 'Law Of Nature'...Dieties are 'guardian' for all warm
blooded living beings, helping those that need their help in fighting
off undesireable elements/spiritual forces.

Its been donkey years or since the beginning of mankind.....every
human has the potential to interact with any Diety or other spiritual
forces BUT certainly not the Heavenly God....cos, the understanding of
the Heavenly God is beyond all human imagination. If the Heavenly
could be understood by human or any special human...then look likes
the Heavenly God got to close shop.

Unfortunately, all these while we been hearing certain ppl from a
certain religious group claiming that their prophet was able to
communicating with the Heavenly God.....sigh....sigh who is he
conning?

As I said in the spiritual world......we mankind is a 'Nobody'....and
we has alimitation in understanding spirituality.....as far as in the
spiritual world is concern...I am a Nobody....Osama is also a
Nobody.......Dalai Lama is also a Nobody....Obama is also a
Nobody......needless to say...the so-called prophet muhamad is also
another Nobody...afterall all these ppl that I mentioned are just
human....and having an average life span of about 70 to 90 yrs
old......Halo.....what is 70 to 90 yrs in this planet earth?.....Mind
you this planet earth existent is about 20 billion years....so, what
is the big deal about us as human.

So, what Islamic scholar we are talking about...I think they can 'fly
kite' with their story book.....cos, this story book confused alot of
its followers turning them into sucide bombers...causing unnecessary
killing among bros....confused story book created confused ppl....and
did confused thing...
No wonder in this present time.....we see most of the world 's trouble
spots are alll connected with the islamic movement....sigh...sigh.
when were they ever learn.?

LHL spoke as if he OWNs Singapore

From: "truth"
Subject: LHL spoke as if OWN Singapore

http://singaporedissident.blogspot.com/
Monday, January 25, 2010
Lee Kuan Yew's son wants to "update the system"!
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Singapore's official newspaper the state owned and controlled Straits Times
on line edition of Jan 26, 2010 has this story "Updating the system takes
time". The Straits Times is the principle propaganda department for
Singapore's strongman Lee Kuan Yew.

Lee Kuan yew's son whom his father appointed Prime Minister some time ago
said at a conference in Singapore recently " the most difficult challenge
facing Singapore is finding a political system that works for generations to
come"! Is he not being a little too presumptuous or can it instead be a case
of total ignorance.

If we had to remind him where is he living, he has to be told that he is in
Singapore, and not North Korea. And in Singapore the system of government
has already been decided and which is found in a document called the
Constitution. And this document it so happens tells us how Singapore is to
be run; which by the way is through democracy.

And there is no need for his unsolicited plan for any change because we
don't want any.

The arrogance of this father's son is simply outrageous. He talks as if the
entire island of Singapore belongs to him! He has to be reminded that
Singapore is not his to play with. It has a Constitution which has to be
obeyed, which up till now both father and son totally disregard. And
according to it, it is supposed to be a parliamentary democracy with a free
press, with rights such as free speech and expression and with an
independent judiciary with the rule of law.

The son in cohorts with his father has been denying the people each of these
rights turning them into nothing more than slaves.

And not satisfied with the universal control over the people which he
already has, he intends to control even more.

It is this arrogance on the part of father and son that chases away educated
people from Singapore's shores, silences criticism or opinion entirely
within the island turning the people into nothing better than robots.

No wonder father and son are struggling to keep going with every department
of Singapore society steadily declining.

Thinking people are not going to help you if you treat them this way, which
is something both father and son simply do not understand.

Lee Kuan Yew and Ong Beng Seng

From: "truth"
Subject: Lee Kuan Yew and Ong Beng Seng


It is now very clear that Lee Kuan Yew and Ong Beng Seng
are very close.

Way back in the 90's they are so close that Ong Beng Seng
gave $million discounts to the Lees for purcase of luxury
apartments in Scotts 28 and Nassim Jade. There was a huge
scandal. The Lees returned the discounts and parliament voted
to exonerate the Lees. What took place in the three meetings
between Lee Kuan Yew and then then PM Goh Chok Tong
we can only speculate on.

Now fast forward to the present. Lee Kuan Yew push really
hard for the F1 which were brought in by Ong Beng Seng. The
government subsidised this event which was priced to restrict
enjoyment to the rich locals and foreigners. Much inconveniences
were caused to those who worked and have businesses around
the circuit.

Now Lee Kuan Yew has been spotted being given a guilded
tour of the casino in Sentosa by Ong Beng Seng.
I don't like the smell of this whole development. Lee Kuan Yew
changed his position on the casino and pushed very hard to
have two casinos. What is going on behind the scene between
Lee Kuan Yew and Ong Beng Seng ?

Singaporeans with informations and photos of these two old
kakis please post them on the internet.

Military Police called in for Geylang Operations

From: Tanki <5191 ...="" gmail.com="">

nasi wrote:
first time seeing this.
is the police force is short handed? or
the police themself lacks the skill/courage for unarm combat when face
with violence men? (recent shooting case of 3 vs 1)

gkk wrote:

Military police more well train in handling violence and arm combat?
i though military police is meant for military only, have come can use
for civilian

Sharkula wrote:

They are "Stingers" Laughing Hong Kong call 放蛇
放蛇 was God's invention he was the 1st to 放蛇 to catch Adam and Eve
You think lar....when you raid a ktv...by the time the Police go
inside the rooms....everything will be back to "normal" liao....charge
the girls what? Sing KTV with friends on social visit pass is not an
offence wor...got evidence they are working there meh? got payslip
ah?

Chinese say "catch chickens have to be on the bed" mah....with Army
boys acting as customer....the KTV will be raided from within and not
from outside
--------------

170 people arrested in multi-agency operation at Geylang
By Claire Huang/Cheryl Lim, Channel NewsAsia

SINGAPORE : Some 170 people were arrested in a multi-agency operation at Geylang on Friday night.

The operation involved Home Team officers from the Singapore Police Force, the Central Narcotics Bureau and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority.

They also joined hands with officers from Singapore Customs and the SAF Military Police Command to conduct the raids.

The 14-hour operation was led by the Criminal Investigation Department and it deployed more than 200 officers.

The raids were conducted on Friday afternoon and ended early Saturday morning.

The people were arrested for a host of criminal offences including illegal gambling activities, secret society involvement as well as peddling of contraband cigarettes.

Officers said the operation on Friday also uncovered persons who were wanted for other offences.

More photos at http://singapore-scandals.blogspot.com

Elections not so soon yet : SM Goh

From: Tanki
SENIOR Minister Goh Chok Tong welcomes the entry of young Singaporeans
into the ranks of the opposition but says the People's Action Party is
out to attract even better young people.

Singaporeans should also not start getting excited about a general
election as the Government was still focused on the economy, he told
reporters at a Marine Parade constituency event on Sunday.

The Straits Times reported last week that two ex-government
scholarship holders had joined the Reform Party. Several young,
tertiary-educated individuals have also joined other opposition
parties. The Workers' Party said it recruited 50 young people this
past year, many of them graduates and professionals.

Said Mr Goh of these developments: 'It's not a bad sign because
politics in the future should be contested by able people, especially
those with good character. And young, able people do not have to agree
with the PAP.

'Of course, we hope they would join us, even though they disagree with
us, so that we can have disagreements sorted out within the PAP, and
then we have a policy manifesto for the public.'

But he added: 'If they choose to contest against us, but they are
decent people with good views, I think it is to be welcomed. Of
course, I'd be happy if they were to join us, but let it be. Then, if
you move into the future, there will be a better contest of ideas in
the political domain.'

Johor Sultan Funeral - All must wear black armband no-shopping for 7 days

From: Tanki

Subject: Re: Johor Sultan Funeral - All must wear black armband no-shopping for 7 days

On Jan 24, 9:03 pm, Tanki wrote:

> If not you will be fined from RM70 for not showing respect with
> armband,
> to RM300 for shopping and eating in Citi-Square Mall. Many have got it
> already, including Singaporeans. So becareful.

And if you argue with the enforcement officers (whoever they are) you
pay RM500. All shops are forced to close compulsory.

From: yansimon52
These 'special people' are always creating trouble.....what to
do.....if they got no one to find trouble they ultimately fing trouble
among themselves.

From: "Alexx"
To nab people so that government can profit from the sultan's death.

Female Model Alicia Liu Exposed as Transsexual

Look like there are simply not enough quality women to go around with. Modeling is running short of natural talent, we need talented men to masquerade as women to make up the demand for such hot activity.

Female model, 劉薰愛 who has recently become popular due to her appearances on a parody show, has a face as innocent as an angel, sexy curves, and a sweet voice. However, another student who attended her senior high school has recently revealed her as being a transsexual. This is because though she was a boy named Liu Zi-hua in senior high school, she has now become female.

When faced with queries from reporters, Liu neither denied nor admitted these sex change rumors. She simply took out her ID card to prove that she is a girl right now. She also stated that she has liked being a girl for as long as she can remember, and that she really likes the way she is now. She stressed that the past is not really important at all.
-----------------------------
Taiwanese model Alicia Liu (Xun Ai) has admitted that she is a transsexual.
The 24-year-old model-cum-actress, nicknamed Xiao Ai, said she underwent sex-change surgery at the age of 18.

"My ex-boyfriend paid for it," she said in an interview with a Taiwan magazine on Friday.

Liu, whose original name was Zi Hua, became popular following her appearances on a parody television programme.

Liu's agency also issued a statement saying that when the company signed a contract with her, they already recognized her as a female model. As she has been very professional and dedicated in her work performance in the past year, the company does not care about her past.

Hijacked Indonesian plane to crash into Singapore

From: "Alexx"
Subject: Re: Possible : Hijacked Malaysian/Indoneisan plane to crash into Singapore ?

"truth" wrote in message

> It is a scary scenario. A plan hijacked in Indonesian to land in
> Batam. Then diverted into tall buildings in Singapore.
> This scenario is entirely possible.
> There is little Singapore can do. It takes minutes to strike.
> Not enough time to send fighter up to intercept.

Targeting 'pariahment house' when all the cabinet ministers were inside
having their ideas rubber stamped?
----------------------
FEARS that Islamist terrorists plan to hijack an Indian passenger jet and crash it into a British city helped to prompt this weekend’s heightened terror alert.

MI5 was told by the Indian authorities early last week about a suspected plot by militants linked to Al-Qaeda in Pakistan to hijack an Air India or Indian Airlines flight from Mumbai or Delhi.

The warning, which came after the capture of a suspected Islamic leader, was contained in a detailed “threat assessment” sent to MI5 by the Indian Intelligence Bureau. It did not state that Britain was a specific target. But police security sources said it had raised fears in London that a British city might be attacked.

George Yeo changed his stand on political debate

> In Feb 1994 George Yeo said:

> "Remember your place in society before you engage in political debate...
> Debate cannot generate into a free-for-all where no distinction is made
> between the senior and junior party... You must make distinctions - What
> is high, what is low, what is above, what is below, and then within this, we
> can have a debate, we can have a discussion... people should not take on
> those in authority as 'equals'

> In Jan 2010 this is George Yeo position:

> IN THIS Internet age, the Government is still 'experimenting' on the best
> way to lead and interact with Singaporeans, Foreign Minister George Yeo
> said on Friday.

> Leaders have to possess a certain 'programmability', he said, and know
> when to become students again so that they can pick up the right skills in
> areas such as social networking to connect with the people.

> The world is very different from previous times, when information was less
> freely available, he noted. Today, there are a multitude of sources
> available, as well as a variety of avenues such as Facebook and blogs, for
> people to get themselves heard.

> 'The fact now is that hierarchies are breaking down, dissolving into messy
> networks,' he said at the inaugural Fullerton-SJI Leadership Lectures.

> The series will features outstanding St Joseph's Institution alumni who
> have played significant roles in various aspects of Singapore's
> development.

> Said Mr Yeo of the new environment: 'It affects the relationship of
> teachers to students, of parents to their children, of employers to their
> employees, of ministers with ordinary citizens.'

LKY earns over $30 million a year

From: yansimon52
Subject: Re: The multiple sources of income of LKY

On Jan 19, 11:14 am, "truth" wrote:
> LKY draws a salary of over $3 million a year.
> He also draws a pension. Until not too long ago this
> is secret to average Singaporeans.
> He earns director fees for sitting on many corporate boards.
> He collected $millions from his royalties from his writings
> including feature articles for world media.
> He collected huge rentals from his massive property portfolios.
> He also collected lots of dividends from his massive share,
> bonds and other financial instruments.
> As Chairman of GIC with a portfolio of over US$300 billion
> I am sure they rewarded him in the $millions.
> LKY is raking in well over $30 million a year.
> He is a very very rich man.
> So a low income tax is very much in his favour.
> Cutting the inheritance tax to zero is very good for his children.
> So less transperancy is also good for him. The less Singaporeans
> know of the extent of his richness, the less they will be unhappy
> with his broken promise to give poor and average Singaporeans
> a decent life and a secure retirement in return for keeping him in
> power for so long.
> He has forgotten about his promise. These are things furthest
> from his mind. How can Singaporeans ever trust him again ?

Jack Neo taught him....'money not enough'.....

Casino Staff rejected by CRA (casino authority of Singapore)

Look like casino will be opening only next Christmas.

Applications to work at gaming tables rejected by the authorities

By Jessica Lim & Lim Wei Chean

IT WILL be months before the first cards are dealt at Singapore's two casinos, but several employees have already been fired because of stringent rules that dictate who can work there.

Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) has fired more than 30 casino employees, while Marina Bay Sands (MBS) has also told an unknown number of workers to go.

The Straits Times understands that the workers' applications to work at the gaming tables were rejected by the Casino Regulatory Authority (CRA).


CASINO CONTROL ACT
(CHAPTER 33A)

Investigation and determination of application
85. —(1) The Authority shall investigate and consider each application for a special employee licence, taking into account any submissions made by the applicant within the time allowed, and shall make an assessment of —

(a) the integrity, responsibility, personal background and financial stability of the applicant;

(b) the general reputation of the applicant having regard to character, honesty and integrity;

(c) the suitability of the applicant to perform the type of work proposed to be performed by the applicant as a licensee; and

(d) any other matter relevant to the application.

Cancellation, etc., of special employee licence
93. "grounds for disciplinary action" means any of the following grounds in respect of a special employee licence:

(a) that the special employee licence was improperly obtained in that, when it was granted, there were grounds for refusing it;

(b) that the licensee has been convicted or found guilty of —

(i) an offence under this Act;

(ii) an offence arising out of or in connection with the employment of the licensee under this Act; or

(iii) whether in Singapore or elsewhere, an offence involving dishonesty or moral turpitude;

(c) that the licensee has contravened a condition of his special employee licence;

(d) that the licensee has failed to provide information that he is required by this Act to provide or has provided information knowing it to be false or misleading;

(e) that the licensee has become bankrupt, applied to take the benefit of any law relating to bankrupt or insolvent debtors, has compounded with his creditors or made an assignment of his remuneration for their benefit;

(f) that for any reason, the licensee is not a suitable person to be the holder of the special employee licence.

Johor Sultan passed away

From: FairToAll <27w ...="" gmail.com="">

Subject: Re: A honest write up of his activities during his reign will be interesting reading.

This animal who killed a caddie for fun, and shot dead innocent people
for overtaking his car, is finally called to the Lord.

With all the violence he conducted before, he deserves to join Allah,
the master of all violence.

He will be taken over by the crown prince, another animal, who raped
any woman he saw and like on the streets.

On Jan 23, 7:16 am, "musa khalid" wrote:

> The Sultan of Johor, Sultan Iskandar ibni almarhum Sultan Ismail, 77, died
> tonight after ruling the state for almost three decades.
> Has anyone got the guts to table it?

Singapore rejects 'repressive state' labelling by rights watchdog

From: Tanki

"Singapore is a democratic state with a clean and transparent
government, whose public officials are held responsible against the
highest standards of probity and integrity," the Ministry of Law said
in a statement to AFP.

The ministry cited the latest World Economic Forum Global
Competitiveness Report which rated Singapore as "first out of 133
countries for public trust of politicians and transparency of
government policymaking".

Human Rights Watch in its annual report released Thursday slammed
Singapore for jailing critics of the ruling People's Action Party
(PAP) and hitting them with financially devastating libel suits.

The New York-based group also criticised the mandatory imposition of
the death penalty for certain crimes, legislation that permit caning
as well as laws that ban street protests and allow detention without
trial.

"Singapore remains the textbook example of a politically repressive
state," said HRW deputy Asia director Phil Robertson in a press
statement Thursday.

HRW's global report had a chapter on Singapore, a wealthy city-state
known for political stability, a low crime rate and a conducive
environment for global businesses to operate, but also criticised for
its little tolerance against dissent.

"Individuals who want to criticise or challenge the ruling party's
hold on power can expect to face a life of harassment, lawsuits and
even prison," Robertson said.

The Law Ministry rejected the allegations, and accused HRW of
recycling propaganda put out by opposition politician Chee Soon Juan
and other government critics.

Chee is a long-time critic of the PAP who has been jailed several
times in his struggle against the government.

"Human Rights Watch's approach seems to be that they can issue these
pronouncements and we should follow them," the Ministry of Law said.

"And their approach seems to be that before they issue these
pronouncements, they do not need an understanding of the facts or our
viewpoints -- what we think and why we have chosen a specific
governance model. These appear to be irrelevant to them."

The HRW report:
Singapore: ‘Textbook Example” of Repressive State

Recent Convictions of Democracy Activists Show Intolerance Towards
Pluralism

(New York) - As Singapore begins to emerge from the international
financial crisis and focuses on elections that are likely to be held
later this year, the government should act to improve its poor human
rights record, Human Rights Watch said in its World Report 2010,
released today.

The 612-page report, the organization's 20th annual review of human
rights practices around the globe, summarizes major human rights
trends in more than 90 nations and territories worldwide. Its chapter
on Singapore says the government fails to meet human rights standards
in a number of critical areas, including freedom of expression,
association, and assembly. While Singapore has touted its prowess as a
leading economic nation in Southeast Asia, it continues to falter in
respecting the rights of its own population, Human Rights Watch said

"Singapore remains the textbook example of a politically repressive
state," said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights
Watch. "Individuals who want to criticize or challenge the ruling
party's hold on power can expect to face a life of harassment,
lawsuits, and even prison."

Freedom to express views publicly continues to be largely limited to
the tiny Speaker's Corner in the city-state, while any procession or
assembly for a "cause-related activity" must have prior police
approval under the Public Order Act of 2009.

Draconian laws such as the Internal Security Act (ISA), Criminal Law
(Temporary Provisions) Act (CLA), Misuse of Drugs Act (MDA), and
Undesirable Publications Act remain available to the government to
muzzle peaceful critics. In December 2009, three long-time government
critics-Dr. Chee Soon Juan, Chee Siok Chin, and Gandhi Ambalam-were
convicted of distributing flyers critical of the government. After
refusing to pay fines, all three were sentenced to short prison terms.

But appearance-conscious Singapore sometimes forgoes criminal
prosecution in favor of other forms of harassment, such as defamation
suits seeking punitive damages that snagged the Wall Street Journal
and the Far Eastern Economic Review, restrictions on publication
licenses under the longstanding Newspaper and Printing Presses Acts,
and enforcement actions limiting rights.

Human Rights Watch called for the repeal of laws allowing corporal and
capital punishment, noting that the penal code authorizes caning for
about 30 offenses, and sets out more than 20 drug-related offenses for
which capital punishment is mandatory. Singapore resists all calls to
rescind arbitrary detention without trial, refuses to recognize that
caning constitutes torture or cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment,
and insists on maintaining mandatory death penalties for offenses such
as drug trafficking that are contrary to international human rights
standards, Human Rights Watch said.

Human Rights Watch criticized Singapore's continued legal ban on
private and consensual sexual relations between men and called for it
to be overturned.

"As Singapore looks to its future and new elections, the time is long
overdue for it to abandon its stubborn defiance of international human
rights standards," Robertson said. "Singapore should have the
confidence to trust its people with full freedom of expression,
assembly, and association, and recognize that their participation is
critical for the country's continued prosperity."

Singapore is now "Power-less"

Tanki:
Singapore sold away all its 3 power plants.

Power-Seraya to a unit of Malaysia's YTL Power International for $3.8
billion.

Tuas Power went to Chinese firm Huaneng for $4.23 billion.

Senoko Power sold to a consortium led by Marubeni Corp for $4 billion.

---------------------

WE HAVE NO POWER ASSETS LEFT.

SINGAPORE PETROLEUM COMPANY SOLD.

SINGAPORE PETROLEUM COMPANY sold to PETROLCHINA.

----------------------

HOUSING WENT UP DESPITE CRISIS but HDB Claims losing money.

Before the crisis, housing were lows but HDB dont have deficit.

In the crisis, housing went up by almost 30% within the year (directly
bought from HDB)

HDB CLAIMS $2 billion ($2,000,000,0000.00) deficit.

World Cup: No Live Matches in Singapore?

david222
Maybe this is just another childish ploy of our Singtel and Starhub to remind Football Fans that they worked so hard to secure this deal..... so now you guys should understand and pay them a little bit extra if we want to watch! Let me remind you that Singtel is supposedly at loggerheads with Starhub!!! And why on earth are they sending this news out together? This is so despicable! They are treating us like idiots being fooled by them!

impreza82
Indonesian can watch 62 matches live and 81 recorded matches free on RCTI and Global TV between June 11 and July 11 from venues in the nine South African cities. RCTI and Global TV would broadcast the Opening Ceremony of the 2010 FIFA World Cup on June 11th 2010. RCTI will be airing 29 matches live and Global TV 18 matches respectively at group stages. The exciting 12 matches from round-of-16 and semifinals will be aired live on RCTI, and the semifinals and finals will be simulcasted on both stations, RCTI and Global TV.

Look how crap Singapore can be. Lucky I'll be in Indonesia during that period of time. Crap Singapore.

Publeak:
I think dealing with FIFA's greed is the most important task here.
Starhub and Singtel should withdraw their bids and let MDA handle the
negotations. MDA should be held accountable as they continue to
collect TV licence fees and has control over the media companies. MDA
should change its policy on free to air TV reception and allow
satellite dishes for both private and public housing . HDB can also
boost TV signals for all free to air channels including both
indonesian and malaysian free to air TV channels. Developing
alternative sources is the best way to deal with FIFA.

truth:
There should not be any TV license fee at all.
Why should Singaporeans be slugged with another
fee when the country is so rich with US$600 billion
hidden away from them ?
This incident clearly showed the weakness and
danger of the papist model.
Their elites are so selfish in protecting their personal
turf to the detriment of the country and citizens.
All papist elites are suspect. Are they there to serve
Singaporeans or are they there to help themselves to
$billions ?
The papist elites screwed up and Singaporeans are
deprived of their rights to watch the world cup.
This is an absolute disgrace.
The papist elites screwed Singaporeans to benefit
foreigners.

----------------------------------
A JOINT SingTel-Starhub bid has failed to secure them the rights to the 2010 Fifa World Cup, a joint press statement from them said.

The statement said that this was in spite the fact that the bid 'would provide Fifa with an increase in value from four years ago for the rights to the 2010 Fifa World Cup, while ensuring that it would remain affordable to the broadest number of our customers'.

'In an attempt to reach a value that is acceptable to Fifa to bring World Cup to Singapore, the price offered to Fifa would sacrifice all World Cup margins for both SingTel and StarHub while keeping the price affordable for consumers,' the statement went on to say. 'However, we have yet to reach an agreement with Fifa.'

Earlier this month, The Straits Times reported that at least 202 countries have received the green light from Fifa to beam June 2010's World Cup football matches in their territories, but not Singapore.

It was thought at that time that the two parties had submitted two rival bids but from today's press statement it is clear that it was a joint bid. There is big money riding on these broadcast rights.The matches are expected to attract a total of 29 billion viewers worldwide.

The only silver lining in the clouds for viewers in Singapore is Fifa's ruling to make four of the most important World Cup games free-to-air. The opening game between host South Africa and Mexico on June 11, the semi-finals on July 6 and 7, and the final on July 11 will be available for free.

Marina Sand is like a TombStone

From: yansimon52
Subject: Re: Singapore as a Tomb

On Jan 22, 12:09 pm, "truth" wrote:

> The way the casino is constructed is like three huge joss sticks.
> When these three joss sticks are completed it will finalise the
> completion of Singapore as a tomb to something great. That is the
> way I look at it.
> So something major will happen. Don't believe ? Just wait and see.

This is my advice to all would be gamblers to these 2 IRs
casino.....to choose between these 2 casinos........its safer to
patronise Sand than Genting.
Genting owned and operated by chineseeeeeeeeeee.....and they know how
to do those voodoo voodoo thing in their casino hall.......maybe
nowadays not-so extreme cos, Genting is a PLC....and who cares?
Comparing to Sand owned and operated by 'ang moh'.....the most they go
for is the adjustment of 'Fong Shui'....to the casino hall.

Singapore a paradise to Filipinos (Pinoys)

From: "truth"

There are many reasons why Pinoys choose to work abroad. But, why Singapore?
Here are the top 10 things why Singapore is the best place for you to work.

10. Going to Singapore requires no visa. If you are an American or even a
Singaporean, you can go to almost any country that you like and visa will
not be a requirement. Unfortunately, it's not the same for Pinoys. Luckily,
we are not required to get a visa if our point of destination is only within
ASEAN countries, and Singapore is one of those. You can go to Singapore
under a tourist visa (Social Visit Pass) and you will be allowed to stay in
the country for up to 30 days. This can even be extended for another 30 days
so that's almost 2 months in total. Use that time to find work and chances
are, you will find one.

9. Singapore is just close to Philippines. Even have same time zones. Why is
this important? Pinoys who will be leaving a family back in the Philippines
will definitely encounter some bouts of loneliness. Working in a country
just close to Philippines allows you to come and visit your family often.
Moreover, since there is no time difference, you and your family will be
sleeping and waking up at the same time. Talking on the phone or chatting on
the internet can be done at a time convenient to both of you.

8. Easy to adapt to local culture and language. Like in the Philippines,
almost everyone in Singapore knows how to speak in English. That means there
will be no problem communicating and moving around the country. Also, local
culture mostly follows Asian tradition so you will not be "culture-shocked"

7. Many Pinoys are working here already. According to information culled
from Wikipedia, there are currently more than 136,000 Pinoys working and
residing in Singapore. That number is definitely higher now. It's a common
fare to see a "kababayan" here whichever part of Singapore you go.

6. Very convenient transportation system. Singapore's transportation system
is considered one of the best in the world. From trains to buses to
taxicabs, no other word can best describe it but "convenient". Trains and
buses are fully air-conditioned, they come at the exact time as stated, they
are strategically located, almost no traffic for most of the day and drivers
are polite. Did I also mention that some taxicabs come in elegant white
Mercedes Benz?

5. Very low crime rate. Singapore is a first world country, that's already a
given. But how many first world country can boast of a very low crime rate?
Singapore may be the only one. In here, walking on the street at midnight,
even after you've just gone from an ATM machine and withdrew lots of moolah,
you don't have to keep looking over your shoulders for fear of getting
nabbed. I also know of a mother whose main reason she brought her kids here
is because safety is her primary concern.

4. There's discipline in everyone. Some say Singapore discipline is actually
getting overboard to the point that sometimes, there's not enough freedom
anymore. You really can't have everything of course but last time I checked,
order and discipline in Singapore is still the envy of the world.

3. Get Permanent Residence status easily. Getting a PR means you get almost
the same benefits as Singapore citizen without necessarily giving up your
Filipino citizenship. That way, you can reap the full benefits of both. If
you are a Singapore PR, you are allowed to stay in the country over a long
period of time, you can sponsor your family to come over and stay legally,
you can set-up a business here, and many other benefits. We will discuss
that in detail in separate article as well as the steps to become a PR.
Watch out for it.

2. There are MANY jobs available. Last I heard, there are about 1.5 Million
foreigners working and living here in Singapore. That's about 1/3 of
Singapore's total population. Reason behind that is Singapore is creating
more and more jobs because of its booming economy. Good news is local
population cannot sustain all the demand so they turn to foreigners to
provide the necessary talent and skill set. Needless to say, NOW is the best
time to work in Singapore.

1. The pay can make you RICH. As of this writing, the value of Singapore
Dollar compared to Philippine Peso is 1SGD = 30PHP. That's a lot,
considering salary range here for Pinoy professionals can range from SGD
1,800 - SGD 8,000. It can go lower or higher of course depending on several
factors but you get the drift. Use the money you earn to put up business in
the Philippines, buy a property or simply support your family and send your
kids to school. The point is, your earnings will be enough, use it wisely
and it can get you rich!

Source: sugarpinoy.com

Elections Propaganda?

From: "Alexx"

A "make-everybody-feel-good" propaganda. Election is comming. Junky minded
Singaporean should remember to vote for the PAP again and later got
themselves screwed and treated like second class or even third class
citizens.

Fri, Jan 22, 2010
my paper

IT'S good news for Singapore workers - 51 per cent of companies here surveyed in the latest Hudson Report said they would be looking to hire.

The quarterly survey of more than 400 executives by the global human-resource consultancy showed that employers are more optimistic, further confirming the rapid recovery in the employment market.

Across all key business sectors, 51 per cent of respondents said they will increase hiring in the first three months of this year - a significant jump from the 34 per cent in the previous quarter.


This is the greatest quarterly rise in expectations since The Hudson Report began in the fourth quarter of 1998. Except for health care and life sciences, all other industries expect positive headcount growth.

The banking and financial- services sector leads the field with the highest expectations, with 69 per cent planning to hire more staff, up from 43 per cent in the last quarter.

In particular, candidates with experience in private banking, corporate finance and commodities trading are especially sought after.

High growth is also expected in the field of information technology and telecommunications, with 60 per cent of respondents expecting to grow headcount in Q1, up from 36 per cent in the previous quarter.

The additional hiring is driven by demand for financial IT specialists, as banks undertake major projects again.

The largest rise in hiring expectations is, however, seen in the media, advertising and public- relations sector.

About 46 per cent of respondents plan to boost their recruitment this quarter - which is more than twice the figure in Q4 last year, which stood at 18 per cent.

This is the only sector where no respondents said they plan to reduce headcount this year.

The 51 per cent of respondents across all sectors who plan to grow headcount this quarter is more than double the corresponding figure of 23 per cent year-on-year.



The growing buoyancy in the job market means that most respondents expect to have to pay higher starting salaries to attract new managerial hires.

Across all sectors, only 8 per cent said they would pay no increment at all, while 42 per cent expect to have to increase starting salaries by more than 10 per cent to recruit the candidates they want.

According to the Hudson survey, most companies - 74 per cent - said they plan to pay discretionary year-end bonuses for last year, and also give out significantly higher payouts this year, particularly for the health-care and life-sciences sector.

More respondents are also very positive about their firms' performance this year.

Across all sectors, 14 per cent anticipate excellent performance - a higher proportion than in the other markets surveyed in Asia.

A further 64 per cent said performances will be good, while only 2 per cent thought it will be poor.

These figures also show that companies are considerably more optimistic than they were last year, when just 3 per cent forecast excellent performance and a further 44 per cent said it would be good.

Ex-MFA officer joined Workers' Party

From: "truth"
Subject: Ex-MFA officials joined Workers' Party

truth comment: these are the courageous young heros
of singapore. singaporeans pls give them your full support
and encouragement. the tide has turn. CHANGE is coming
to singapore.

Gerald Giam wrote:
It has been just over a year since I joined the Workers' Party (WP) as an
ordinary member. I must say that the past year has probably been the most
exciting and eventful year of my life, and there is every indication that
the year ahead will top that. Although I declared months ago in the "About
Me" section of my blog that I am a WP member, this will mark my first full
blog post about my involvement with the opposition.

I wasn't always an opposition supporter. I have no history of oppositionists
in my family and most of my friends and teachers from school days knew me as
someone who always followed the rules and did not question authority. Many,
therefore, have expressed surprise that I have taken the plunge into
opposition politics.

I first got interested in current affairs during my undergraduate days at
the University of Southern California in the United States in the late
nineties, where I majoring in electrical engineering. Although the level of
political apathy on campus was still high compared to that of previous
generations of students, it was enough to help me to see that what happened
in the political realm had a huge impact on everyone's life, including my
own.

I brought my interest in politics back to Singapore when I returned in 1999
to serve my National Service. Back then, I used to think that being part of
the PAP government machinery was the only way to effect positive change in
Singapore. This was a reason why I made a drastic career switch from my
first job as an IT consultant to work in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
(MFA) in 2005. It was also why I had volunteered for more than seven years
as a youth leader in South West Community Development Council, which I have
since resigned from.

Ironically, it was during my time in the civil service that my eyes were
opened to the reality that Singapore needs a stronger opposition in order to
ensure better governance for our future generations.

The civil service is generally a very well-run organisation, with many
intelligent, competent and committed officers at all levels of the
hierarchy. As a political desk officer in MFA, I had the privilege of
interacting with a diverse array of officials-fellow policy officers,
protocol officers, management support officers, permanent secretaries,
ambassadors, ministers, and officers from other ministries like the Ministry
of Trade and Industry and IE Singapore.

I made a number foreign visits during my stint in MFA, usually staffing
ambassadors and ministers in small delegations. This gave me an opportunity
to have lots of personal interaction with them and get a sense of how they
thought about issues away from the glare of the media. I remember
occasionally even getting into debates with them, sometimes over the PAP's
lack of commitment to democratic principles and fair play. During one such
debate, over drinks on evening in a foreign capital, I recall the wife of
the ambassador turning to my director and telling him, half in jest: "Don't
suppress that idealistic spark in him!"

Fortunately my director didn't suppress my idealism, not that I displayed
much of it after that-it is generally not career enhancing to have a
reputation for being too idealistic in the Singapore civil service, where
hard-nosed pragmatism is a prized asset. But I realised that despite its
efficiency and professionalism, the civil service can only help fulfil the
political objectives of the party in power. It cannot change those
objectives, because it has neither the power nor the mandate to do so.
Policy directions are set by politicians in the ruling party. (By policy
directions, I'm referring to issues like whether or not Singapore should
provide a universal social safety net for needy Singaporeans, not whether
the Public Assistance grant should be $360 or $400.)

My friends in the PAP tell me that it is more effective to change Singapore
from within the PAP than from outside. I believe that changes to the finer
details of policies are possible from within, but fundamental changes to the
way the country is governed can only come if the top echelon of leaders in
the party either radically change their mind, or are replaced. Neither is
about to happen anytime soon.

The pace of change from within will be too slow to meet the challenges of
this fast moving world. Our country cannot afford to allow our competitors
to pass us by or for our income divide to reach dangerous levels, while we
wait for some senior gentlemen at the top to pass from the scene.

The need for an effective opposition

The PAP has conditioned Singaporeans to see the political opposition as a
destructive force in society. They routinely accuse the opposition of
"playing politics", engaging in "unconstructive criticism" and "opposing for
the sake of it". These are very untrue and damaging characterisations.

In the United Kingdom, where we inherited the Westminster Parliamentary
system from, the official title of the largest alternative party is "Her
Majesty's Loyal Opposition". This implies that the opposition opposes the
government-"Her Majesty's Government"-and its policies, but not the state,
as represented by the monarch.

Even while the PAP remains in power, there is a useful role for the
opposition to play. The opposition can use its platform in Parliament to
apply pressure on the government to change policies which are not serving
Singaporeans well. As much as the PAP wants to portray itself as impervious
to public pressure, the reality is that when they know that there is a real
threat to their support at the next elections, they will have to bow to
public pressure built up by the opposition.

This is the beauty of genuine political competition. Just like how
commercial competition forces businesses to work harder, become more
efficient and provide better services to woo their customers, political
competition will force the ruling party to focus more on bettering the lives
of all Singaporeans in order to earn their votes.

I joined the WP because I believe Singapore needs an alternative leadership
that is capable of taking over the reins and steering our country to its
next level of development, should the PAP stumble. This will ensure that
Singapore will continue to prosper and thrive even without the PAP in power.
I believe the WP has the potential to be that alternative government in the
future, and I want to play my part to contribute to its growth and
development. I hope to be able to help my party sharpen its policy proposals
and broaden its outreach to Singaporeans who are not usually interested in
politics.

I am under no illusions that the road ahead as an opposition activist will
be long and fraught with obstacles, not to mention minefields. Many who have
gone before me have paid a heavy price for their ideals. Some have lost
everything they had, except their dignity. All Singaporeans are heavily
indebted to these heroes, whether or not they realise it.

I hope I will not have to suffer political persecution like these heroes
did, but I know many things are beyond my control. I therefore ask my
friends and readers for their prayers and support, as I take my first of
many steps in this long march towards building a better Singapore for all
Singaporeans.

Korean star Solbi Kwon Seon Mi in oral sex scandal

From: Tanki <5191 ...="" gmail.com="">

Subject: Korean star Solbi Kwon Seon Mi in oral sex scandal

Enjoy yet another Korean singer/actress got her home sex video exposed
into the internet. Well, she should never to leave anything tapes at
home. This long awaited tape is finally out in the open. There were only
pics circulating in the past.

http://koreanscandals.blogspot.com/2010/01/kwon-seon-mi-solbi-scandal.html

Solbi (Korean: 솔비and birth name 권선미 (Kwon Seon Mi), born September 30,
1984 in Seoul, South Korea) is a South Korean singer and actress, who
debuted as a member of mixed group Typhoon in 2006. On June 19, 2008,
Solbi released her first solo digital single, titled "Cute Love", the
lyrics in which she composed herself. The song is used as Andy and
Solbi's theme song for the show. An SM trainee before transferring to
Trifecta Entertainment, Solbi had been trained by songwriter Kim Se-
jin for more than 2 years before debut. However, due to her solo
activities, she left Typhoon in 2008.

Transport system set up to SCREW Singaporeans

truth View profile
More options Jan 21, 10:54 pm

Newsgroups: soc.culture.singapore
From: "truth"
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 2010 14:54:49 GMT
Local: Thurs, Jan 21 2010 10:54 pm
Subject: Transport system in Singapore set up to SCREW Singaporeans

COE @ $20K...rationing your dreams.

The COE for all categories of cars have breached $20K[Link] - car dealers
accurately predicted this in Sep 2009 when the govt cut the number of COEs
by 16%[Link]. Yes, what to do? More people want cars and Singapore has only
so many roads so we have to ration car ownership and control the use of
cars. The COE is a unique solution and the ERP is fairly unique - some
countries collect toll for the use of highways but the ERP is a finer
grained solution controling the use of stretches of roads that are
congested. If the COE system is necessary - we were told that we will have
crippling traffic jams without the COE, why haven't cities without COE
fallen apart? and why are we the only ones with COE?..I'll answer this
later.

In many countries, having a family car is very common if not a necessity but
in Singapore it is considered a luxury and owning one is dream for many
working class families. Because the number of COEs is fixed every year
depending on the number of cars deregistered and allowing for a small
limited growth, it is build into the system that many, if not most, families
will never own a car. By importing more people who also compete for the
limited number of COEs, even fewer Singaporeans can realise this dream.

The COE is allocated based on a bidding system i.e. it is allocated based on
ability to pay rather than a person's needs. A family with 3 children has no
priority over the teenage son of a tycoon - it is all decided based on who
can spend more money. Now superimpose this COE system on a society with the
highest level of income inequality in the developed world...hmmm what do you
get? Then you supplement this with a 'for profit' public transport system
which has shareholders to answer to. What you get is a transport system that
people are constantly unsatisfied with. Cars are not going to the people who
need it - families with children or individuals with disability but to
people with money ...and a public transport system that has to tradeoff
between service quality and profits for shareholders. Caught is this system
is the working class father who has to carry his baby's stroller up a
sardine packed bus and the mother who has to carry the baby and perhaps
control a toddler who can't get a seat because the bus is packed and the
tired Singaporean on the priority seat has closed his eyes and pretended to
doze off.

Today as I was getting onto the MRT, I noticed that they have hired a woman
wearing gloves at the platform. What are the gloves for? This woman will
instruct the people on crowded trains to 'move to the center'. If they are
too deaf or too stubborn, she will start using her hands to move them- that
is why she needs the gloves. Why can't a supposedly world class govt run a
public transport to maximise comfort for commuters without hiving it off to
profit-seeking shareholders who want passengers to be packed like cattle so
they can maximise their profits?

Now for the great mystery - why do we need the COE system when no other
city's transport system has collapsed without implementing it? Why doesn't
Seoul of pop. density double that of Singapore need to have COE? What about
Tokyo....why hasn't it collapsed from a traffic gridlock without COE? What
about Taipei which has a population density 1.5 times that of Singapore? We
ended up with this unique COE system that brought in more revenue for the
PAP govt from car ownership than any other govt in the world and we also
have the one of the most profitable, if not the most profitable public
transport system per capita (aka SMRT) in the world....actually the public
transport system in most countries lose money. So what is the explanation
for this great mystery?

The demand for cars depends a lot on the quality of service of the public
transport system. If you take 2 hours driving to work, you will switch to
the MRT if it gets you there in 1 hour. This is why most Tokyo residents
leave their cars at home and take the subway - 1 in 2 households in Tokyo
own cars[Link] but less than 10% use it to get to work. Most govt curb the
growth of the car population and usage by investing heavily in public
transport to make the network extensive and rides comfortable to lower the
demand for cars. The Taipei subway for example arrives at less than 1 minute
intervals during peak hours. In Seoul, the public transport network in up
and running before people start moving into new residential areas to
encourage them to use the public transport instead of buying cars.

By implementing its unique COE + ERP system, the PAP has been able to create
a new source of revenue. At the same time, there is less pressure to improve
the public transport rapidly now that the govt is able to control the
absolute number of cars - the shares in public transport company have been
sold to profit seeking shareholders and the public transport company now has
to generate profit to distribute as dividends to these shareholders .No
other city even those with far higher population density has needed to curb
car population using a vehicle quota system....and no other govt in the
world has been able to collect more revenue from car ownership than the PAP.

posted by LuckySingaporean

Singapore ranked 70 in world best place to live in

From: "truth"

Subject: Singapore ranked 70 in world best place, complete government media blackout

The Singapore media has imposed a complete news blackout on Singapore's
pathetic performance on the annual Quality of Life index compiled by
influential lifestyle magazine - "International Living" based in Ireland.

Though the rankings were released a week ago and circulated widely in
Singapore's blogsphere and forums, the mainstream media chose to turn a
blind eye to it.

Neither did any leaders from the ruling party, which is obsessed with
Singapore's international rankings in everything, respond to it.

However, when Singapore was ranked as the third least corrupted nation in
the world by Transparency International (TI) last year, it was splashed all
over the front pages of the major papers on the very same day and they
continue to harp on it ad nausem for the rest of the week as if they have
become the mouthpieces of TI.

Similarly, the news of Singapore being ranked as the most competitive
economy in the world by Political and Economic Risk Consultancy group (PERC)
also made the headlines with the mainstream media lavishing generous praise
on the ruling party leaders to justify (subtly) their astronomical salaries.

The findings of "International Living" were given extensive publicity by the
major newspapers in the world because of its significance. While there are
many international studies on economic indicators such as GDP, GNP and Gini
Coefficient, this is the only study which actually measures the quality of
life among citizens living in 194 countries around the world, a rather
subjective and soft indicator.

The 5 most desirable places to live in the world are France, Australia,
Switzerland, Germany and New Zealand. Singapore is ranked below Japan, South
Korea and Taiwan among Asian countries and the lowest among the thirty most
developed economies in the world below developing countries such as
Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia which does not reflect well on the performance
of the ruling party whose leaders have always boasted unshamedly about their
"world class" talents deserving the highest pay in the world.

The Singapore media has a propensity to publish only news which make its
political masters look good and censor those unpalatable truths which may
embarrass them.

While it may be relatively successful in the past, it is impossible to
practice that kind of gutter journalism in today's borderless world made
possible by the internet.

Their continued one-sided editorial policy slanted towards the ruling party
will probaby hurt them in the long run by diminishing both its credibility
and readership.

It is unlikely that the spin doctors at SPH remain unaware of this damaging
report by "International Living". Perhaps they are brainstorming of ways to
spin the study in a manner which favors the ruling party but even that may
be an uphill task for them - how can one sugar-coat Singapore's 70th ranking
in terms of quality of living to present to an citizenry increasingly
flustered, peeved and antagonized by the ruling party's policies?

Perhaps in a few months' time, long after the findings fade away from public
consciousness, we will have one minister stepping forward to denounce it as
quite "divorced fro reality" like what Law Minister Shanmugam said about the
Singapore media's 133th ranking in press freedom by Reporters without
Borders last year.

Universal Studios Singapore to open next week: Lim Kok Thay

Genting looking at investment opportunities in US
By LEONG HUNG YEE

KUALA LUMPUR: Genting Bhd, which has invested in US-listed MGM Mirage Inc’s bonds, is looking at a number of investment opportunities in the United States, according to chairman Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay.

He said the group was looking for “larger investments” as the global financial crisis which started in the United States had offered a number of opportunities. However, he declined to identify any investment target.

“If there are opportunities that offer good value for our investments, definitely the group will be looking at (them),” Lim said after the launch of the logo for the group’s 45th anniversary and a year-long celebration yesterday.


At the launch of Genting’s 45th anniversary logo are (front row from left) executive director Tan Sri Amin Osman, Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay, deputy chairman Tun Mohammed Hanif Omar, director Tan Sri Clifford Francis, (back row from left) Genting Sanyen CEO Ong Tiong Soon, Genting Malaysia president/COO Datuk Lee Choong Yan, Genting president and COO Tan Kong Han, director Gen (R) Tan Sri Mohd Zahidi Zainuddin, Genting Singapore MD Justin Tan and Genting director Quah Chek Tin.

MGM, listed on the New York Stock Exchange, owns and operates more than 15 properties in the United States.

Lim said the group’s investment in MGM bonds was considered a good investment in terms of value as it had registered returns in excess of 10% from the subscription.

Last month, it was reported that Kien Huat Realty Sdn Bhd, one of Lim’s family-owned companies, made a loan to the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe of Massachusetts.

To a question, Lim explained that it was a private loan to the tribe who wanted to set up a casino in Massachusetts and had nothing to do with the Genting group.

Asked if the group would be aggressive in its investment this year, he said the group this year would invest more in areas that would give optimal returns and fit well with its strategy.

“We have great financial strength, so we can take on large projects.

“Our funding needs are taken care of, we don’t have any need for any fund raising at the moment,” Lim said.

Meanwhile, Genting is also looking at setting up a hub comprising premium outlets, a theme park and hotels in Iskandar Malaysia, in a bid to lure visitors to its casino resort in Malaysia and Singapore.

“We want visitors to Resort World Sentosa to come to our Malaysian resorts as well,” Lim said, adding that the proposed hub in Iskandar Malaysia would act as a mid-point to draw visitors to both its resorts.

He said the development could attract millions of visitors each year. The group hopes to attract as many as 30 million visitors a year in five years’ time.

“We expect visitors to breach the 20 million mark this year. Hopefully by our 50th anniversary we will attract 25 million to 30 million visitors,” Lim said.

He said the hub would also complement its joint venture with Chelsea Malaysia LLC, a division of Simon Property Group, to set up a Chelsea Premium Outlet in Iskandar Malaysia.

Lim said the group via Genting Plantations Bhd would invest RM200mil to develop the premium outlet in Iskandar Malaysia.

Genting group, with a market capitalisation of about RM85.4bil as at Dec 31, 2009, will open the first part of its US$4.4bil integrated casino-resort in Singapore today, beginning with four hotels.

“The progressive opening of the resort began two weeks ago, with the completion and opening of Festive Hotel and Hard Rock Hotel Singapore.

“Last week, Hotel Michael was opened and tomorrow Crockford Tower will be opened,” Lim said, adding that by the end of next week, Universal Studios Singapore would be opened and Resort World Sentosa will be launched by this year.

Commenting on its casino licence for Resort World Sentosa, Lim said Genting had yet to be issued with the licence. “As far as we’re concerned, we’re ready to open,” he said.