Citizzen

Is Goh Chok Tong worried now?

2006-11-09T09:12:00.000-08:00

" Singapore economy created record 81,500 jobs in H1" Link

"Retrenchment is good for singapore. If there is no retrenchments, then I worry for Singapore." Link

All One Big Famileeeeee......

2006-11-07T17:45:00.000-08:00

"I make no apologies that the PAP is the Government and the Government is the PAP."

- PM Lee Kuan Yew, 1982, Petir (in 'Parties and Politics,' Husin Mutalib)

Elite Talk.........

2006-10-30T21:01:00.000-08:00

"They are polemics dressed up as analysis, blaming the Government for all that he is unhappy with. He offers no alternatives or solutions."

"I think if you cut through the insensitivity of the language, her basic point is reasonable, that is, that a well-educated university graduate who works for a multinational company should not be bemoaning about the Government and get on with the challenges in life." Link

2006-10-02T13:27:00.000-07:00

During the Elections, 5th May, 2006

'Old people, the disabled, the wheelchair-bound. I saw many of them in Hougang... I feel we should help them. This is not politics. Whether Eric Low wins or Low Thia Khiang wins, we are going to help the old people in Hougang. They deserve our help. They struggled with Mr Lee Kuan Yew, they struggled with me. Today, they're in their 70s. Without them, we won't have today's Singapore for the young, Internet-savvy Singaporeans. So we never forget them. We will help them regardless of the outcome.'

After the elections

"No $100m Upgrading For Hougang"

2006-09-29T06:28:00.000-07:00

"Singapore has managed this relentless flood of information not by blocking the flow but by stating its point of view in competition...We defend our position in open argument and let our case stand on its own merits."

"Govt revokes permit for circulation, sale of Feer"

"THE Far Eastern Economic Review's (Feer) permit to be sold and circulated here was revoked yesterday (Sept 29, 2006) after it failed to comply with the requirements for foreign newspapers in Singapore."

Straits Times, 30 sept 2006

2006-09-27T23:38:00.000-07:00

“One does not develop a conviction and commitment to a society without first questioning and pushing the boundaries”

2006-09-19T21:30:00.000-07:00

"I don't see police permits being the big issue it is being made out to be: I doubt if the Government would want to play the Big Brother oppressively, not in this information age."

A Little Diversion.... Not really....

2006-09-18T20:58:00.000-07:00

"We need a new vision for Singapore, an ideal, a fresh mindset. We need to move beyond material progress, to a society which places people at its very centre . . . . a Singapore where people make the difference, in which each citizen is valued . . . .We have to move beyond tolerance, to respect the different cultures in our midst, and to gain strength from diverse ideas.”

2006-09-14T04:52:00.000-07:00

Asiaweek : There is an ongoing controversy over the high salaries for cabinet ministers and civil servants. Is there a time table for the restoration of the Central Provident Fund contrinutions, which were reduced during the crisis?

Lee Kuan Yew : Yes, there is.

“But sometimes, if we cannot fulfil a promise like restoring the cpf rate to 40 percent, it is because of compelling circumstances. To keep the promise we might do more harm than good to Singapore. Even the people would not want us to keep the promise.

Only a naïve person or a knave would argue for the promise to be kept.”

2006-09-14T04:37:00.000-07:00

"Singapore's parliament has approved an increase to the president's annual salary for the 2005 financial year bringing Mr S R Nathan's total pay to S$2,507,200"

The increase is $114, 900

2006-09-14T04:23:00.000-07:00

“I can say this with a clear conscience because I have been in the private sector and come into government, and I will tell you squarely in the face that you’re getting a bargain for the ministers you get.

I worked half as much and earn five times more when I was in the private sector and no one grumbled. Show me any other system that is as efficient, as clean, as transparent, and I will sit with you and we can debate it.

But I have heard this long enough, it’s a convenient whipping boy. Civil servants get whipped but I will tell you if you compare any other systems in the world, I am willing to defend it.”

2006-09-14T04:13:00.000-07:00

"The CPF cut will most likely be from the employers' side. I hope the cut will come as soon as possible to minimise the pain."

2006-09-14T04:09:00.000-07:00

"I don't think the civil service is fat. But if we find fat beneath the waste, we can set up a Cut Fat Panel."

"We started off with (the name) and after looking at everything, the name that really tugged at the heartstrings was in front of us. The name itself is not new, but what has been used informally so far has endeared itself to all parties."

Mah Bow Tan on the $400,000 exercise to rename Marina Bay as Marina Bay.

2006-09-14T04:00:00.000-07:00

“People support CPF cuts because there are no protest outside parliament."

2006-09-14T03:56:00.000-07:00

"I belong to the old school. I believe that it is better to be feared than to be loved."

http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/printfriendly/0,4139,82490,00.html

2006-09-11T21:42:00.000-07:00

"No, get up, do it. Nike says, "Just Do It". Engage your ideals, your ideas, your energies, build a new generation, build tomorrow's . Don't wait or depend on the Government. Find your own leaders, organise your own solutions, move."

Lee Hsien Loong, 2005 National Day Rally

http://www.getforme.com/pressreleases/leehl_220804_nationaldayrally2004.htm

"As for the gay forum, I do not believe that a single group of people in Singapore has the right to publicise its lifestyle and impose it on others. I am an avid golfer, but I do not hold a forum on golfing to say how much I love golf and convince others it is good."

http://www.plu.sg/main/quotes_02.htm

2006-09-11T21:36:00.000-07:00

"SENIOR Minister Goh Chok Tong wants Singaporeans to help the Government solve the puzzle of missing babies. "

Straits Times, Aug 20, 2006

"For us, the gap is too large to fill with resident births. We have to top up our population and work force with migrants,"

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060806/hl_afp/singaporepopulationbabiesmigration

2006-09-07T21:18:00.000-07:00

"I regret making the decision because, in the end, the baby continued to be in intensive care and KKH now runs up a total bill of more than $300,000."

2006-09-07T21:17:00.000-07:00

"I will not hesitate to confront businesses but if I can't solve the problem through barking, I will do it through biting.."

Yeo Guat Kwang

Head, CASE

2006-09-07T21:10:00.000-07:00

"I started off by saying that this fight for Hougang was uphill, and it was uphill for a while. "I have now come to the conclusion based on the places I visited and the people I met. We are now on a tipping point ... Eric has a chance of winning this constituency."

2006-09-07T10:22:00.000-07:00

"Now that the elections are over, we should come together again as one people. Our unity and cohesion has been one of Singapore's key strengths and you must continue to make it so.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/206988/1/.html

"No $100m Upgrading Package For Hougang"

2006-09-07T10:14:00.000-07:00

"We must not allow ourselves to be divided between haves and have-nots, or winners and losers … if we let a politics of envy drive a wedge between us, our society will be destroyed, and all will suffer. That must never happen,"

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/211213/1/.html

"No $100m Upgrading Package For Hougang"

2006-09-05T02:44:00.000-07:00

"Every Singaporean who owns a flat can double his value in today's terms within the next 15 to 20 years. In other words, in the next 20 years, we can make everybody worth twice as much, at least."

PM Lee Kuan Yew, National Day Rally, 1990

2006-09-05T02:32:00.000-07:00

"Some people are afraid to speak up for fear of saying the wrong thing, or being taken to task. But for debate to be fruitful, it has to be rigorous and not held back out of concern for egos and sensitivities."

- DPM Lee Hsien Loong's speech at Harvard Club, Straits Times, Jan 7, 2004

S'porean blogger Mr Brown's column suspended by Today free newspaper

The move by the free sheet, published by the MediaCorp group, comes in the wake of government criticism of his latest satirical piece about high living costs.

http://www.asiaone.com/a1news/20060706_story7_1.html

2006-08-13T23:28:00.000-07:00

"Some of them (PAP ministers) cannot hang on to the coat-tails of the senior ministers anymore."

http://www.straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/sub/singapore/story/0,5562,369579,00.html

'Without some assurance of a good chance of winning at least their first election, many able and successful young Singaporeans may not risk their careers to join politics..."

Straits Times, June 27, 2006

2006-08-13T23:21:00.000-07:00

"Sometimes as parents we have to let go a little. Take some risks as parents so that the child can also learn. Let them take knocks and scrapes as they grow up."

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/102455/1/.html

"Police act to keep teens off streets after 11 pm"

Straits Times, 16 Feb 2006

"Teens' white elephant T-shirt venture gets police attention"

"In view of the nature of the event, we had advised the organisers that they should be aware that the wearing of T-shirts en masse may be misconstrued by some as an offence under the Miscellaneous Offences (Public & Order & Nuisance) (Assemblies & Processions) Rules."

S'pore Police spokesman

2006-08-13T23:17:00.000-07:00

Petir - PAP magazine

"Over the years, we have evolved a media model for Singapore , which presents the news and reports on events at home and abroad accurately, factually and responsibly."

http://www.pap.org.sg/articleview.php?folder=PT&id=220

Singapore Press Freedom

Ranked 140th out of 167 countries in 2005.

2006-08-13T23:12:00.000-07:00

2001

"Investments may not yield the jobs immediately but next year, the year after, you may see jobs being created. That's the way to create new jobs,"

http://www.sfdonline.org/sfd/Link%20Pages/Link%20Folders/01Pf/afp011101a.html

2003

"S'pore unemployment rises to 17-year high"

"Singapore's overall unemployment rate rose to a 17-year high of 5.9 per cent in September.The total number of unemployed residents was at 95,500."Business Times 31/10/03

http://forums.keeptouch.net/showthread.php?t=14840

2006-08-13T08:32:00.000-07:00

Why is our media 140th in the world?

Sept 13, 2003

The next day -

Sept 14 2003

2006-08-13T08:24:00.000-07:00

Lee Hsien Loong, 2005 National Day Rally Speech
http://www.getforme.com/pressreleases/leehl_220804_nationaldayrally2004.htm

"THE police are looking into a gathering of 30 people who turned up wearing brown to support blogger mr brown at City Hall MRT station yesterday afternoon.

A spokesman said:

'The police are aware of the incident and we are looking into it."

http://www.asiaone.com/st/st_20060710_30234.html

2006-08-11T20:14:00.000-07:00

"Let us get down to fundamentals. Is this an open, or is this a closed society? Is it a society where men can preach ideas - novel, unorthodox, heresies, to established churches and established governments - where there is a constant contest for men's hearts and minds on the basis of what is right, of what is just, of what is in the national interests, or is it a closed society where the mass media - the newspapaers, the journals, publications, TV, radio - either bound by sound or by sight, or both sound and sight, men's minds are fed with a constant drone of sycophantic support for a particular orthodox political philosophy?"

2006-08-11T20:06:00.000-07:00

“One does not develop a conviction and commitment to a society without first questioning and pushing the boundaries”

"Teens' white elephant T-shirt venture gets police attention"

Film Maker Martyn See Threatened With Prosecution

"Singaporean film maker Martyn See is under police investigation for making a short documentary film about an opposition politician in the city state."

2006-08-11T19:56:00.000-07:00

"But what we are doing as a government is to leave people to live their own lives so long as they don't impinge on other people. I mean, we don't harass anybody."

"I am often accused of interfering in the private lives of citizens. Yes, if I did not, had I not done that, we wouldn't be here today. And I say without the slightest remorse, that we wouldn't be here, we would not have made economic progress, if we had not intervened on very personal matters - who your neighbour is, how you live, the noise you make, how you spit, or what language you use. We decide what is right."

"Never mind what the people think."

2006-08-11T19:53:00.000-07:00

"This is not an election budget."

"This budget makes the right long-term commitment so that the government not only wins the next election but also has the mandate to govern successive terms."

2006-08-11T19:51:00.000-07:00

"We are open and transparent...we cannot hide what goes on in Singapore"

"...the Finance Ministry 'does not intend to disclose the salaries of individual Cabinet ministers'."

2006-08-11T19:48:00.000-07:00

'The PAP Government has always thrived on its ability to anticipate problems."

"We are not able to be everywhere as a government to know everything in Singapore"

2006-08-11T19:40:00.000-07:00

"The (Singapore) government has been on the defensive in recent weeks after Ho Ching, the wife of Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and daughter-in-law of Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew, was named as head of the powerful state investment vehicle Temasek Holdings."

Reuters, 1 Jul 2002

"It is awkward. We know that... There is some conflict of interest, but you know, we work for the larger good."

"There's no conflict because neither of us is working for ourselves, Temasek on behalf of the Government and GLCs, the Finance Ministry is also on behalf of the Government of Singapore - so we're actually both working on behalf of the Government so there's no conflict of interest, like if I'm regulating someone doing business."

"It is an exceptional family.....Do we discriminate against them just because they're related?"

2006-08-11T19:37:00.000-07:00

"If I were in authority in Singapore indefinitely without having to ask those who are governed whether they like what is being done, then I would not have the slightest doubt that I could govern much more effectively in their interests."

Lee Kuan Yew, 1962

2006-08-11T19:33:00.000-07:00

"And the Lee family is quite an exceptional family. If you get to know the family members, Mr and Mrs Lee, the children of Lee Kuan Yew, the grandchildren.

"It's quite a remarkable family. So they are in many places but they are there on their own merit. Nonetheless it creates an impression that the Lees are controlling Singapore."

2006-08-11T19:25:00.000-07:00

"In a global economy, we are not trendsetters. We follow what others do."

Straits Times, Jul 2003

2006-08-11T07:38:00.000-07:00

"Well, you have the Internet - put up a website. You know how to put up a website? If you don't, I know a friend who can help you."

"There are also some well-known local blogs run by private individuals who have ventured into podcasting. The content of some of these podcasts can be quite entertaining. However, the streaming of explicit political content by individuals during the election period is prohibited under the Election Advertising Regulations. A similar prohibition would apply to the videocasting or video streaming of explicitly political content."

2006-08-11T07:35:00.000-07:00

"It's premature to release details about our manifesto but I would say in the case of the PAP, our loudest manifesto is our actions. Judge us by what we have done, judge us by how consistent we are and what we actually do."

'We are not asking Singaporeans to vote for the PAP at the next general election because of our track record.

2006-08-11T07:31:00.000-07:00

"You have a choice - if having opposition is more important, then vote opposition - but if there is a way to get my views put to parliament to somebody, then vote for your interests, vote for upgrading - and your views can be put across in Parliament and if you vote for Eric Low, I can tell PM to let him be the opposition in Parliament."

"To us, alternative voice doesn't mean alternative voice in Parliament. Therefore alternative voices can be heard and will be heard outside of Parliament. We must do it outside of Parliament, inside of Parliament is only one, two voices at the most."

2006-08-11T07:27:00.000-07:00

'The whole thrust of our health-care system is really largely aimed at the elderly because the younger population do not have health care problems."

'The general consensus is that senior citizens have been paying taxes all their working lives...yet when they are retired and when their needs for medical care is the greatest, the Government is miserly in dishing out social services and health care."

2006-08-11T07:25:00.000-07:00

2006-08-11T07:19:00.000-07:00

"But what we are doing as a government is to leave people to live their own lives so long as they don't impinge on other people. I mean, we don't harass anybody."

"Singapore film-maker says again questioned by police"

SINGAPORE (AFP) - A Singapore film-maker says he has been questioned again by police over his documentary about an opposition politician.

2006-08-11T07:12:00.000-07:00

"All the greatest leaders in the world did not grow up in a conformist system. They were people who themselves grew in freedom. Gandhi was a man free to follow his own conscience. Nehru, an intellect, a liberal...And they were under the British colonial setup, which despite its many shortcomings, left people quite free to develop in their own way. Free development, from within and without, is critical to the development of leaders."

"We have a different culture, a different way of doing things. The individual is not the building block."

2006-08-11T07:08:00.000-07:00

"I welcome every opportunity to meet members of the opposition, and so do members of my party, over the radio, over the television, university forums, public rallies. We never run away from the open encounter. If your ideas, your views cannot stand the challenge of criticism then they are too fragile and not sturdy enough to last."

"Why should I debate on CNA? I'm giving them publicity and attention that they can't get by themselves.... After the vote has been cast, we are happy to meet anybody."

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/205785/1/.html

2006-08-11T07:00:00.000-07:00

"Many other sins you can plead to your God and say, sorry, I repent...but lack of filial piety, dumping your parents is inexcusable. Straight down to the 18th level of hell!"

"My personal view is, our land is expensive. But we have nearby neighbours in Johore, Batam and Bintan. The elderly want to reach their doctors within half to one hour. So retirement villages in neighbouring countries is possible, barring the cross-border hassle. It is best to find cheap land on short leases."

2006-08-11T06:49:00.000-07:00

"PM Lee willing to be cross-examined in court over NKF issue."

"Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong says he is more than willing to be cross-examined in the courts of law to prove that Dr Chee Soon Juan's allegations in the SDP's newsletter are false and amount to grave defamation. "

"PM, MM to apply for summary judgement against Chee siblings.

SINGAPORE : Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew have decided to apply for a summary judgement from the High Court in their defamation case against Singapore Democratic Party's Chee Soon Juan and Chee Siok Chin.

If the court grants a summary judgement in their suits against the Chee siblings, the matter won't have to go to trial."

2006-08-11T06:43:00.000-07:00

"What is most impressive to me is that he (PM Lee) always promises us that no one will be left behind and I'm very interested in this. I hope to be able to contribute to this end as part of his team."

"This time around, I think it was a clear signal that 'yes, even those who are unable to make it will be helped', and to remain as a cohesive society we should help one another."

"No $100m Upgrading Package For Hougang"

2006-08-11T06:38:00.000-07:00

"It is not our objective to increase the level of censorship in Singapore. Just maintaining the existing level of censorship is difficult enough."

"Podcasting will not be allowed during elections as it does not fall under the "positive list" which states what is allowed under election advertising. Senior Minister of State for Information, Communications and the Arts Balaji Sadasivan added that streaming of videos during campaigning would also be prohibited."

2006-08-10T07:50:00.000-07:00

"If you don't include your women graduates in your breeding pool and leave them on the shelf, you would end up a more stupid society...So what happens? There will be less bright people to support dumb people in the next generation. That's a problem."

2006-08-10T05:10:00.000-07:00

"I still affirm that any man whom I call a liar, dishonest and dares not sue me, is a liar and dishonest. I'm prepared to repeat that and be sued."

2006-08-10T04:51:00.000-07:00

"If for some strange reason, they do not want the plan, then they cannot blame the Government for not giving them the $80 million. Chiam never asked for a budget of $80 million for Potong Pasir. It's not a matter of carrot. It's my vision for Potong Pasir. It's entirely fair. It's morally principled."

2006-08-09T22:02:00.000-07:00

*$400,000 was spent on re-naming marina bay "Marina Bay"

2006-08-09T21:56:00.000-07:00

“For a person who runs a million-dollar charitable organisation, S$600,000 is peanuts as [NKF] has a few hundred millions in reserves.”

Hairdo Lim

2006-08-09T21:50:00.000-07:00

'Save on one hairdo and use the money for breast screening.'

2006-08-09T06:19:00.000-07:00

"THE National Kidney Foundation (NKF) spends more than 80 per cent of its funds on its beneficiaries."

"I look silly myself..."

2006-08-09T06:16:00.000-07:00

"I would want to form an alternative policies group in Parliament, comprising 20 PAP MPs. These 20 PAP MPs will be free to vote in accordance with what they think of a particular policy. In other words, the whip for them will be lifted."

"If you sing Jailhouse Rock with your electric guitar when others are playing Beethoven, you are out of order. The whip must be used on you."

2006-08-09T05:57:00.000-07:00

"We are open and transparent. We cannot hide what goes on in Singapore"

MHA Minister Wong Kan Seng (ST 18 May 2003)

"Once we accept that, we should have an implicit trust and confidence in how the Government manages our reserves. It is not in the interest of the country to have the specific allocation of the reserves subject to public scrutiny,"

PAP MP Ong Kian Min, Government Parliamentary Committee for Finance and Trade & Ind

2006-08-09T05:38:00.000-07:00

"I just set out to make Singapore gentler. I believe a lot in a gracious society.
Courtesy to me is a very important virtue and if I could contribute to making Singapore a more courteous, gracious society, well, that is what I had wanted to do."

http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/printfriendly/0,4139,49328,00.html

"I can assure you that in , when we decide that they are breaking the rules of the game, the unspoken rules as to how we survive, how we have prospered, then either their head is broken or our bones are broken."

2006-07-20T08:46:00.000-07:00

21st Jan 2006

"But the Police also advised the organizer that wearing of the T-shirts in large groups may be misconstrued by some as an offence. And that, to me was perhaps overly cautious and unnecessary. Police will learn from this and bear this episode in mind in future.

"When I read about it, I thought that the Police was being overly cautious. They should have just let things be. My thoughts were : "what is the harm?"

Won Kan Seng on the White Elephant T-shirts incident

http://www2.mha.gov.sg/mha/detailed.jsp?artid=1867&type=4&root=0&parent=0&cat=0

10 July 2006

"THE police are looking into a gathering of 30 people who turned up wearing brown to support blogger mr brown at City Hall MRT station yesterday afternoon. ...A spokesman said: 'The police are aware of the incident and we are looking into it."

http://www.asiaone.com/st/st_20060710_30234.html

In Their Own Words : Please Bring Down The Price Of Oil

2006-07-17T23:06:00.000-07:00

"Do they have solutions? Can they (the Workers' Party) bring the price of oil down? Can they stop factories from pulling out of Singapore and find you jobs? Can they bring down the price of rice, a loaf of bread, a cup of coffee?

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/206438/1/.html

June 28, 2006, Straits Times

Taxi fares likely to go up soon
"TAXI fares look likely to rise from as early as next month, as cab operators prepare to carry out the first major adjustment in years to counter the sharp rise in diesel prices."

June 28, 2006, Striats Times

"SP Services, the Singapore Power subsidiary that handles billing, said yesterday that power tariffs will go up by 0.66 cent per kilowatt-hour for the July-to-September quarter because of higher fuel oil prices."

In Their Own Words : Apocalypse Now....

2006-07-17T23:03:00.000-07:00

Denise Phua

"In this movie starring Singaporeans, called 'The Days After', based on what will happen if you put more and more opposition members into Parliament, this is what the scene will look like.

'The Days After' -the analysts will rate our political risk very high, it'll be negative; the stock market will tumble; potential investors will hold back their investments; current business will seriously think about moving business out of Singapore."

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/206154/1/.html

In Their Own Words : What Is "Not Boring At All"

2006-07-17T23:00:00.000-07:00

"If you want real excitement, go to Africa . In Rwanda, people are killing each other. Tribal wars. Little girls being raped. Absolutely not boring at all."

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/su...,385844,00.html

In Their Own Words: "People Of Substance" But Still Need "Assurance"...

2006-07-17T22:50:00.000-07:00

"We want people who think independently, who have their own minds, who are people of substance. And I think we have 24 people of substance."

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/204339/1/.html

'Without some assurance of a good chance of winning at least their first election, many able and successful young Singaporeans may not risk their careers to join politics..."

Straits Times, June 27, 2006

In Their Own Words : If Opposition Is In Parliament, The PAP Will "Fix" Them

2006-07-17T22:38:00.000-07:00

"Indeed to be a well-functioning society, we must have checks and balances. When there's something wrong, we must be able to investigate and put it right. Do we need an opposition? We need a good opposition, not 'any-old-how' opposition, not 'half-past-six' opposition. We need an opposition which will make our watch an expensive watch, a good watch, an accurate watch, not checks and balances which make our watch stop or go slow."

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/206580/1/.html

"Right now we have Low Thia Khiang, Chiam See Tong, Steve Chia. We can deal with them. Suppose you had 10, 15, 20 opposition members in Parliament. Instead of spending my time thinking what is the right policy for , I'm going to spend all my time thinking what is the right way to fix them, to buy my supporters votes, how can I solve this week's problem and forget about next year's challenges?

So, to summarise the PAP's stance:

A 'well-functioning society' must have opposition to act as checks and balances outside of Parliament, not inside of Parliament. Else, the PM will be too busy looking for ways to 'fix' his opponents and cannot solve the country's problems.

In Their Own Words : "Good Characteristics" But Punished For It...

2006-07-17T22:30:00.000-07:00

"To me, it's a good characteristic of Singaporeans. Rather than for them to be chasing after every goodie which we offer them or anybody who offers them."

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/207143/1/.html

"No $100m upgrading package for Hougang"

Straits Times, June 11, 2006

In Their Own Words : "A Bit Of Dance..."

2006-07-17T22:25:00.000-07:00

Michael Palmer, MP for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC

"We need to see how we can attract them, not always political dialogue or feedback, that is important too. We need to bring them in even if it means getting the MP to do a bit of dance to show that we are normal people as well, and you can always come down and talk to us."

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/212077/1/.html

In Their Own Words : Confucian Values... Compassionate Society... Gracious Society...

2006-07-17T18:57:00.000-07:00

"MM Lee said the Confucian concept of a good emperor or a good magistrate still holds as the leaders must set a good example for a country to flourish."

(Straits Times, 19 May 2006, Multi-party 'not a mustfor democracy', by Peh Shing Huei)

"I belong to the old school. I believe that it is better to be feared than to be loved."

"I can assure you that in , when WE decide that they are breaking the rules of the game, the unspoken rules as to how WE survive, how WE have prospered, then either their head is broken or our bones are broken."

"When people say consult the will of the people, I say yes of course, but after we've done it."

"Mine is a very matter-of-fact approach to the problem. If you can select a population and they're educated and they're properly brought up, then you don't have to use too much of the stick because they would already have been trained. It's like with dogs. You train it in a proper way from small. It will know that it's got to leave, go outside to pee and to defecate. No, we are not that kind of society. We had to train adult dogs who even today deliberately urinate in the lifts."

"If I want to fix you, do I need the Chief Justice to fix you? Everybody knows that in my bag I have a hatchet, and a very sharp one. You take me on, I take my hatchet, we meet in the cul-de-sac."

"If I have to shoot 200,000 students to save China from another 100 years of disorder, so be it."

In Their Own Words : Gracious Society.... Compassionate Society.... Jun Tzu....

2006-07-17T17:46:00.000-07:00

"But I would say, he having apologised, we should move on and deal with the bigger issues...That's my own take of the situation."

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/205816/1/.html

"I reiterate what I have called him, a liar and dishonest, and that Ms Sylvia Lim and Mr Low Thia Khiang did not act honourably by shielding him....In other words, he's saying he's got brains. Well, what do you use those brains for?....These are an educated man's dirty tricks. It's a higher level of trickery.....So we say Gomez is a liar and dishonest. He can say its libel. He can sue Wong Kan Seng. He can sue me....Low (Thia Khiang), so far, I'm sorry to say, does not measure up to the standards of Chiam. He is still trying to cover up for James Gomez.....Sylvia Lim better come clean. Either she knew, and (should) say so, and say yes, I asked for the form and it's not true that Gomez handed it in to the counter, as Gomez claimed.....Gomez is a liar...Low decided to back Gomez. I thought Mr Low was politically smarter than Mr Chiam See Tong. .... . Mr Low appears to have lower standards of integrity compared to Chiam."

" Mr Lee said Mr Gomez had already destroyed himself, and he warned that Ms Lim would go down with him unless she came out clean on Mr Gomez and distanced herself from his "dirty trick".

In Their Own Words : Free Expression III

2006-07-17T16:56:00.000-07:00

"We encourage people to express their views and to have a view. Our problem in Singapore is that many people don't really have a view."

"mr brown's views on all these issues distort the truth. They are polemics dressed up as analysis, blaming the Government for all that he is unhappy with. He offers no alternatives or solutions. His piece is calculated to encourage cynicism and despondency, which can only make things worse, not better, for those he professes to sympathise with.

mr brown is entitled to his views. But opinions which are widely circulated in a regular column in a serious newspaper should meet higher standards. Instead of a diatribe mr brown should offer constructive criticism and alternatives. And he should come out from behind his pseudonym to defend his views openly.

It is not the role of journalists or newspapers in Singapore to champion issues, or campaign for or against the Government. If a columnist presents himself as a non-political observer, while exploiting his access to the mass media to undermine the Government's standing with the electorate, then he is no longer a constructive critic, but a partisan player in politics."

http://www.todayonline.com/articles/128181.asp

In Their Own Words : Free Expression II

2006-07-17T16:48:00.000-07:00

"Our people should feel free to express diverse views, pursue unconventional ideas, or simply be different...."

"If you sing Jailhouse Rock with your electric guitar when others are playing Beethoven, you are out of order. The whip must be used on you."

In Their Own Words : Mature Enough For Casino.... Immature For Bar Top Dancing...

2006-07-17T06:48:00.000-07:00

"My own sense of it is that is now a much more mature society and generally the vast majority of Singaporeans can be trusted to make up their own minds, exercise their choices and act responsibly.."

http://app.feedback.gov.sg/asp/mis/mis21.asp

“If you want to dance on a bar top, some of us will fall off the bar top. Some people will die as a result of liberalising bar top dancing .... a young girl with a short skirt dancing on it may attract some insults from some other men, the boyfriend will start fighting and some people will die.

“Blood will be shed for liberalising this policy."

In Their Own Words: Unauthorised Entry Into A Polling Station

2006-07-17T06:23:00.000-07:00

In the 1997 General Elections in Singapore, The Workers' Party had complained to the police that Mr Goh Chok Tong, Dr Tony Tan and Brigadier-General (NS) Lee Hsien Loong had been inside a Cheng San GRC polling station on Polling Day.

But the Public Prosecutor advised the police that the PAP leaders had not broken the law.

Here is what the then Attorney General (now Chief Justice) said in his letter to Prof S Jayakumar

"Plainly, persons found waiting inside the polling stations do not come within the ambit of this section. Similarly, those who enter or have entered the polling station cannot be said to be waiting outside it. Only those who wait outside the polling station commit an offence under this section unless they are waiting to enter the polling station to cast their votes.

"Plainly, a person inside a polling station cannot be said to be within a radius of 200 metres of a polling station. A polling station must have adequate space for the voting to be carried out. Any space has a perimeter. The words "within a radius of 200 metres" ' therefore mean "200 metres from the perimeter of" any polling station."

"The polling station, as a place, is distinguished from a street or public place. It is not a street or a public place. Hence, being inside a polling station cannot amount to being in a street or in a public place. By parity of reasoning, loitering in a street or public place cannot possibly include loitering in the polling station itself and vice versa."

"Waiting outside a polling station is made an offence because it gives rise to opportunities to influence or intimidate voters: see paragraph 99 of the Elias Report. Hence, the Act has provided a safety zone which stretches outwards for 200 metres from the polling station. In contrast, the possibility of a person inside a polling station influencing or intimidating voters in the presence of the presiding officer and his officials, the polling agents etc was considered so remote that it was discounted by the Act."

"I therefore confirm my opinion that the Parliamentary Elections Act does not provide for any offence of unauthorised entry into or presence within a polling station. Accordingly, those unauthorised persons who only wait or loiter inside a polling station on polling day do not commit any offence under the Act."

http://www.singapore-window.org/ag0721.htm

In Their Own Words: HDB Upgrading

2006-07-17T02:09:00.000-07:00

"After the election, Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong said that Mr Low Thia Khiang could still ask for the money as the Government had been prepared to put up a budget for it."

Straits Times, June 14 2006

"But Mr Mah told The Sunday Times that since Mr (Eric) Low lost, Hougang will not get the money."

http://singaporeelection.blogspot.com/2006/06/pap-no-upgrading-package-for-wps

In Their Own Words : Cost Of Living

2006-07-16T23:13:00.000-07:00

"Retrenchment is good for Singapore. If there are no retrenchments, then I worry for Singapore"

"If for the next 100 years, nobody complains about the cost of living anymore, it means failure for Singapore , it means disaster. It means we have walked backwards."

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/206216/1/.html

In Their Own Words : Where & What Opposition Should Be

2006-07-16T22:45:00.000-07:00

"There is room for a credible, alternative voice in Parliament, despite the fact that the Opposition parties have little or no choice but to field "weaker" candidates in the elections, said Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong."

"When we take most of the best, then the other side will have the weaker ones. Can you have good people to form an opposition? The answer is yes - we can have honest people with some ideas," said Mr Goh.

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/060424/5/singapore204609.html

Alternative voices are good for the country - provided that they remain outside of Parliament, said Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong.

"To us, alternative voice doesn't mean alternative voice in Parliament...We want to hear all views....Therefore alternative voices can be heard and will be heard outside of Parliament. We must do it outside of Parliament, inside of Parliament is only one, two voices at the most."

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/206849/1/.html

In Their Own Words : Free Expression

2006-07-16T18:47:00.000-07:00

"Our people should feel free to express diverse views, pursue unconventional ideas, or simply be different. We should have the confidence to engage in robust debate, so as to understand our problems, conceive fresh solutions, and open up new spaces....Ours must be an open and inclusive Singapore."

PM Lee at his swearing-in ceremony

"Mr brown's comment was not posted in his blog. If he had posted the same comment on his blog, we'll treat it as part of the internet chatter and we would have just let it be! But he didn't post it - he wrote it and publish it in a mainstream newspaper! That's the difference!"

- Dr Lee Boon Yang on the Mr Brown issue