Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Singapore Government
Pastor Tan's comments were highly inappropriate and unacceptable as they trivialised and insulted the beliefs of Buddhists and Taoists. They can also give rise to tension and conflict between the Buddhist/Taoist and Christian communities. ISD told Pastor Tan that in preaching or proselytising his faith, he must not run down other religions, and must be mindful of the sensitivities of other religions.
Straits Times
Home-grown supermarket chain NTUC FairPrice has applied for extensions to its liquor licences, to sell alcohol after midnight at two of its 24-hour supermarkets.
Grace Chua, Straits Times
The Singapore Buddhist Federation said senior pastor Rony Tan's act of apologising was the right thing to do - for a start. But it will still approach the authorities and have its voice heard in order to prevent similar incidents in future, it said last night.
Icarus Flew Too High
It is about time for the citizens of Singapore to start thinking about life beyond the PAP.
Leong Wee Keat, Today
The founder and senior pastor of a Christian church here publicly apologised last night for being "offensive" and "insensitive" after three video clips of him questioning Buddhist and Taoist beliefs sparked outrage among many Singaporeans. Pastor Rony Tan from Lighthouse Evangelism church posted his apology on the church's website after being called up by the Internal Security Department (ISD).
ANTARA
Deputy attorney general Darmono said Singapore had remained the favorite haven for wanted corrupters from Indonesia. "Singapore is the favorite place to hide for wanted corrupters," he said after meeting with House Commission III here on Monday.
Ng E-Jay, The Online Citizen
The government appears to be sending out conflicting signals over its foreign manpower policy, a possible indication that rising concerns over the liberal import of foreign workers in recent years are starting to overwhelm decision makers in the PAP cabinet.
Monday, February 8, 2010
AFP
Illegal loans rose almost 60 percent last year as Singaporeans reeling from the economic crisis turned to loan sharks to tide them over the tough times, a senior police official said Monday.
DPA
Taiwan's defence minister made a secret visit last week to Singapore, signaling the resumption of unofficial ties, which were derailed by Taipei's criticism of Singapore in 2004, a newspaper reported Monday. The United Daily News quoted an unnamed official as saying that Defence Minister Kao Hua-chu went last week to Singapore to attend the Singapore Airshow.
The Temasek Review
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Leong Sze Hian, The Online Citizen
Edwin S Anthony, The Online Citizen
The Sedition Act can be a dangerous stumbling block in the progression towards egalitarian harmony. It can keep people quiet whilst one culture and associated ‘race’ is allowed to gain prominence and dominance over all others.
Lim Wei Chean & Jessica Lim and Tessa Wong, Straits Times
Tenants and staff at Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) told The Straits Times that they have been gearing up for the big opening at the end of this week. When asked to confirm the dates, RWS spokesman Robin Goh only said: 'We will announce when it's time. We are still on track for the soft opening in the first quarter of 2010.''
Andrew Loh, The Online Citizen
The truth is that there is no shortage of rental flats available. TOC has shown that the HDB has converted and reserved two blocks of flats in Toa Payoh, at least one block in Havelock Road, five blocks in Bedok and five more blocks in Tiong Bahru as rental flats for foreigners.
The problem is that the HDB is not only the sole provider of public housing flats in Singapore, it is also a player in the rental market. As we have shown, the HDB acquires old flats through the SERS programme, and through its subsidiary, EM Services (the HDB owns 75 per cent of the company), refurbishes or upgrades the flats, and lets them out for rent. Perhaps this is one way the HDB circumvents its own rules which say foreigners are ineligible for rental flats offered by the HDB.
Now, the question of conflict of interest arises – would the HDB rent out these flats to those such as the homeless at rents of between S$26 and S$120 and play its role as public housing provider, or operate as a private company (via EM Services) and rents out the flats to foreigners for profit, fetching anywhere from S$450 per tenant (as in the Havelock Road hostel) to S$5,000 (as in the Global Residence case)?
LMC In The World
J. Michael Cole, Taipie Times
At first glance, Hong Kong and Singapore could be twins, but the manner in which the authorities handled political dissent led to very different results. What happened?
严孟达, 联合早报
新加坡在许多方面的成就证明了“事在人为”，如今说要致力成为“亚洲的城市典范”，这样的口气也许会叫许多亚洲邻国不爽，况且任何人要挑我们的毛病也是很容易的。作为一个小国，新加坡人要展示足为“亚洲典范”的人文素质不能光靠硬体实力，我们在国际上要有一个定位，这个定位是什么？
李慧敏, 联合早报
联合早报
新加坡近年大量引入外来人口，坊间不时听闻国人埋怨岛国越来越拥挤，造成生活素质下降。一些国人甚至认为外国人推高了物价和房价，叫苦连天。外国工人和新移民流入，真的导致新加坡人钱不够用，空间也不够用吗？
Kelvin Teo Writes
It is indeed a worrying trend if fewer young scholars desire ground level postings and Eddie’s concern about this potentially leading to a divorce with ground realities resonates with that of the many observers who are interested in the topic. Yet, his concluding statement about the Public Service correcting the trend can be seen as a form of admission that reforms to the Scholarship system are long overdue.
LankaWeb
Poor Dr. Chee was caught for $20 taxi fare. Why cannot Sri Lanka catch and jail thieves who claimed much bigger taxi fares?
