TR EMERITUS

EDITORS’ NOTE: Abhisit is only half right. Singapore is not just a one-party system, it is fast becoming a ONE-FAMILY system if not already one ! A one-party system is DETRIMENTAL to Singapore in the long run because it is completely devoid of any internal checks and balances. All we need is a nutcase like Hitler... 

By Fang Zhi Yuan, Senior writer It was supposedly an innocuous travelogue about his family holiday in Paris, France. When Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources Mr Tan Yong Soon accepted the Straits Times’ invitation to write about his experiences at the prestigious french cooking school,... 

By Fang Zhi Yuan, Senior writer The recent Tan Yong Soon fiasco has drawn polarizing opinions from two different camps. While the majority of netizens lampooned and condemned Tan for being insensitive and callous in flaunting his wealth in a national paper, some defended his travelogue as an innocuous sharing of one’s... 

By Eugene Yeo and Jeremy Koh PRIME Minister Lee Hsien Loong has described the $20.5 billion Resilience Package as a ‘very decisive Budget’ that aims to help see Singaporeans through the difficult economic times ahead. Much has been said about the Budget lately with most PAP ministers and MPs, labor union leaders,... 

By Fang Zhi Yuan, Senior writer I am heartened by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s  call for families to draw closer together during these hard times. For far too long, we have been so pre-occupied with the rat race that we have neglected our families and friends. (Read Prime Minister’s speech here) In order... 

By David Wu, Guest Columnist ‘What is Singapore’s national costume?’ I could not think of a satisfactory answer to my friend’s question, since there are so many types of dress that Singaporeans can identify with. Then came the perhaps unsurprising answer: ‘The defamation suit of course!’ Chee... 

By Eugene Yeo I read with amusement this letter written by Mr Peter Ho, Head of the Civil Service purportedly to Singaporeans which was published in the Straits Times Forum today. Mr Ho wrote: ” Mr Tan has apologised to me, acknowledging that his article was ill-judged and insensitive to the feelings of Singaporeans.” May... 

By Fang Zhi Yuan, Senior writer In an extensive interview given to The Straits Times last Saturday, Home Affairs Minister Mr Wong Kan Seng revealed that his ministry is currently reviewing public order laws to give the police greater powers to enforce them. (read the full article here). According to Mr Wong, Singapore’s... 

Today I wrote my Opinion about a article Unionists, economists hope Budget will do more for sandwiched class in my own post @ Good Times maybe a Bad Time for Some. And I realise that maybe it’s time to move on. I do not mean that I should quit blogging or give up trying to effect a change. What I mean is that I think... 

Translated from Lianhe Wanbao (20 Jan 2009) by Cheng Siew Peng: Permanent Secretary Tan Yong Soon spent $40,000 for a family trip to France to learn cooking, triggering a polarizing response from ordinary Singaporeans. While older uncles and aunties criticize him as “hao lian” (hokkien for arrogant), the...