Global Voices » Singapore

Southeast Asia: ASEAN Committee on Consumer Protection Website

Mong Palatino — Sun, 20 May 2012 09:33:49 +0000

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations committee on consumer protection has launched a website to inform consumers in the region regarding banned or recalled products.

China, Singapore: Reaction on Ferrari Crash

Oiwan Lam — Thu, 17 May 2012 06:57:00 +0000

Recently a rich Mainland Chinese man killed three persons (including himself) in a Ferrari car crash in Singapore because of drunk driving. The incident has resulted in anti mainland Chinese sentiment in Singapore, Peter Barefoot from ChinaSMACK translated netizens' reaction from China.

Singapore: Importance of the Hougang By-Election

Kirsten Han — Wed, 16 May 2012 09:15:17 +0000

After Singapore's Worker's Party expelled its member – and Member of Parliament for Hougang Single Member Constituency (SMC) – Yaw Shin Leong, earlier this year, the residents of Hougang have not been represented by an MP. Come 26 May, 2012, they will have the opportunity to elect another.

A writ of election has been issued, naming 16 May as Nomination Day, with Polling Day to follow ten days later. Both the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) and the Worker's Party quickly announced their nominated candidates: Desmond Choo for the former and Png Eng Huat for the latter. Although this can only be confirmed on Nomination Day, it is likely that there will not be a multi-cornered fight in the by-election.

Choo contested Hougang SMC in the 2011 General Election, losing to Yaw. Png stood as a candidate in Nee Soon Group Representation Constituency (GRC) during the 2011 General Election.

Hougang By-Election. Photo from The Online Citizen

WK writes in The Blue Sweater that the Hougang by-election could be used as a litmus test of Singaporean's support for the PAP – the party which won majority of the votes in 2011 General Election, as it has every elections since 1959:

One might question the fairness and objectivity of using an opposition stronghold as a litmus test, but the results will demonstrate whether the government's promises for change following the previous election has been acknowledged. If the WP wins by a wide (or even wider) margin, it demonstrates that there is a fundamental rejection of the PAP's governing philosophy. Not to mention that this is an election that the whole country is watching. The results matter as much to the residents of Hougang as it is to us.

In response to comments made by Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam – who said that the by-election would solely be on local issues rather than national policy – Jackson Tan points out that Singapore is too small for elections to only focus on local issues, and that Hougang voters are affected by the same policies as the rest of Singapore:

…given the fact that Singapore is really a ‘small red dot,’ even by-elections on a constituency level can be viewed as a national election. This is because elections don’t come often (in fact, it’s once every five years or so), thus the chance to vote may indicate voters even consider national issues such as public transport, education and costs of living. In addition, the extent to which policies by the ruling party affects people cuts across all constituencies, be it GRCs or SMCs. The ongoing train breakdowns, for example, also affect Hougang residents, thus it is definite that they take it into consideration when voting. Perhaps the term ‘local election’ is more appropriate in bigger countries such as the US where states are governed differently.

On Twitter, H.Y. agrees:

@tanhuiyi: I don't see the logic of #HougangByelection focusing solely on local issues. Local issues are related to national issues. No?

A publichouse.sg editorial predicts that the Worker's Party will be able to hold on to Hougang, as it has done for over 20 years:

The PAP thus faces a daunting task of trying to reverse at least 15% of the vote in Hougang in order to wrestle it back from the WP. Even if the PAP sent out its big guns ministers to the ground to canvass for its likely candidate, Mr Desmond Choo, they would not carry much weight, especially in the prevailing political climate. In fact, the ministers themselves are seen as the causes of the ills which Singaporeans perceive in matters such as housing, jobs, wages, and the frequent breakdowns of the transport system.

The PAP’s battle encompasses a wider national sentiment of unhappiness with these bread and butter issues. One would think that it is no different in Hougang, and the WP can be expected to play these up to deflect attention from the Yaw saga.

…

It would thus seem that the WP will have a relatively comfortable victory in Hougang, its integrity intact.

Some Singaporeans are distrustful of the state-owned mainstream media's coverage of the by-election:

@sochris: and so the propaganda starts #HougangByElection

A photo posted by Channel NewsAsia, a mainstream media network has gone viral, shared by Singaporeans who found it hilariously ironic:

@mrbrown: PAP's tagline for #hougangbyelection is “Always Here for You”. This CNA photo captures it.

‘What’s Eating Singapore' Data Visualizer

Mong Palatino — Sun, 13 May 2012 02:21:06 +0000

Singapore's Health Promotion Board uses the What’s Eating Singapore? data visualizer to survey the five most popular foods in Singapore based on social media posts. It's updated every three days. This week's most popular food items are pizza, curry, and sushi

Singapore: Birth Control and Low Crime Rate

Mong Palatino — Sun, 13 May 2012 01:27:52 +0000

Furry Brown Dog tries to determine if Singapore's birth control policies in the 1970s are also responsible for the country's low crime rates.

Singapore: Population, Migration, and Women

Mong Palatino — Sun, 13 May 2012 01:13:02 +0000

Syahidah Ismail provides an overview of various issues faced by Singapore women in the past half century. The author discussed some of the controversial population and migration policies adopted by the government in the past decades.

Singapore: Remembering the 1987 ‘Marxist Conspiracy'

Mong Palatino — Sun, 13 May 2012 01:02:17 +0000

Several Singaporean groups will commemorate the 25th anniversary of a government crackdown of suspected destabilizers in Singapore. They are accused of being part of a ‘Marxist Conspiracy.' Human rights groups claim that more than 2,500 people have suffered detention without trial since the ruling party came to power in 1959.

Singapore: Netizens Reject Proposed Code of Conduct

Kirsten Han — Tue, 01 May 2012 13:10:50 +0000

As a country with a high level of Internet penetration, a vibrant online community has sprung up in Singapore over the past few years. Blogs such as The Online Citizen, publichouse.sg and Temasek Review Emeritus have sprung up to counter traditional mainstream media outlets such as The Straits Times and Channel NewsAsia.

After the General Election of 2011 – the first elections in which blogs and social media made a huge impact – the government is now proposing an Internet Code of Conduct to combat issues of anonymity, false rumours and even extremism and terrorism. Government ministers are calling on prominent members of the online community to come forward and create a code of conduct to regulate the Internet.

Most socio-political bloggers, however, have come out against this proposal, asking that the government leave the Internet alone. Many feel that the government's constant harping on this issue betrays a desire to control Singaporeans' freedom of expression online just as they do offline.

: No to Internet Code of Conduct image

Ng E-Jay is unconvinced of the logic or feasibility of a Code of Conduct:

How is anyone going to enforce such a code of conduct given the free-wheeling nature of the internet that knows no geographical boundaries? How is any organization supposed to develop a code of conduct that will reflect the overall sentiment of netizens without incurring vast skepticism pertaining to their political neutrality or lack thereof?

And what is the purpose of it all, when there are already adequate laws in place to deal with destructive behaviour like incitement to violence, sedition, sowing racial hatred, defamation, or spreading malicious rumours?

Siew Kum Hong writes that those who want to make their views heard online should also be ready and willing to stand up against any potential onslaught, just like those who have spoken out against the establishment in the past:

Yes, I fundamentally believe that it is better to have more voices speaking up than less. But people have to be willing to stand up for their views — and I have to question the commitment of anyone who thinks that being flamed and criticised is too high a price to pay, and that growing the thick skin that is really just the ante for online participation today is too difficult for them.

Those of us who have stood up and spoken up on views deemed anti-establishment and anti-Government bear our own risks in doing so. Defamation lawsuits, sniping and flaming, cyber-harassment, invasion of privacy, police complaints, possible threats to employment prospects, and yes the Internal Security Act — these threats and risks all come with the territory.

An online code of conduct will do nothing to protect us from those risks. And yet we continue to do what we do. I cannot speak for others, but I have very limited sympathy for those with such thin skins that they shy away from speaking up just because of the risk that they may be flamed. Compared to what some have experienced and undergone, that almost sounds trivial.

Andrew Loh asks the government to leave the online community alone, explaining that there is a lack of trust between the bloggers and the government:

It is woeful that, after 5 decades of this so-called “nation building” mainstream media, Singaporeans feel more disenchanted with it than ever. It can laud itself with all the (in-house) awards it wants, or even win international awards for design and paper quality, the truth is that our mainstream media lacks the kind of top quality journalism a first world country like ours desperately needs.

…

Yet, Yaacob Ibrahim, like ministers before him, continues to bury his head in the sand and praises the mainstream media to the high heavens.

It just tells me, and everyone else, how woefully inadequate his understanding of public sentiments is.

It is this which makes me reject any intrusion into the online space by the government, no matter how well-intentioned its purpose may be. There is a great distrust of the government among online practitioners.

Elaine Ee believes that the Code of Conduct will not be a solution. Instead, the government should free up the mainstream media:

What we need instead is a new journalistic environment, where the mainstream media are as free to tackle issues and make opinions as new media. Mainstream media needs to be allowed to move with the times, and be released from its public relations role of helping with “nation building” and social cohesion, which should never have been its job in the first place. Even if Mica stubbornly clings to this top-down media model it doesn’t mean readers will, and unless the mainstream media is opened up, new media will always have the edge.

This means both allowing existing mainstream media to cover things more openly and critically as well as allowing more mainstream media channels to emerge that represent different points of view. So we end up with a media landscape where there is space for, say, a range of newspapers that represent a spectrum of views, from conservative to liberal.

It does not seem as if the government is going to give up on its idea of establishing a Code of Conduct despite such resistance from the online community. But if they want it to be a project willingly undertaken by the online community, it seems like they have much more convincing to do.

Singapore: Train Breakdowns Becoming Part of Life

Kirsten Han — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 04:50:11 +0000

Once a symbol of pride and development, Singapore's Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) trains now come with a warning: ride at your own risk. Four breakdowns and assorted delays over the past week have left many commuters stranded, late for work and exams.

Lucky Tan describes getting stuck in the Circle Line breakdown:

I was on a Circle Line train when it broke down. My train which was very crowded stopped at one of the stations and there was an announcement saying that the train was delayed. 20-30 minutes later we were told the Circle Line was down and everyone scrambled out. I took a bus (not the emergency one but normal service) to a satellite town where I tried to get a cab at a taxi stand. Waited more than half an hour before I was able to get one. The train failed and the effects cascaded into the taxi system because everyone would be trying to dial for a cab and the availability falls to zero- I tried calling Comfort-Delgro but the system wasn't able to allocate a taxi after 20 minutes. Got to work about 1 hour 15 minutes late.

Overcrowding in a train station. Picture by Kirsten Han from The Online Citizen website

So many people have been affected by delays that SMRT has begun to issue train delay chits:

@sochris: LOL #SMRT issues timeslips for commuters caught in train disruptions! where else in the world will you find this?

@FakeSMRTCEO, a satirical Twitter account, compared riding the trains to current blockbuster The Hunger Games:

@smrtceo: I've decided to change #SMRT's motto from “Moving People, Enhancing Lives” to “May the odds be ever in your favour”

Some Singaporeans have also begun to crack jokes, making a pun out of the name of Land Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew:

@TheJohnnyBoy: Lui Stuck Yew #circlelinedown #smrt

The Minister has also announced that there will be weekend disruptions to train services from now on so that maintenance work can be carried out. Although the authorities have promised that measures will be taken to deal with these scheduled shutdowns, Alex Au thinks that we should look into alternative solutions:

I am not going to say that temporary closures should not happen. Experience in other cities shows us they are essential. Nor am I saying that bridging services aren’t part of the solution: they certainly must be. However, I am cautioning against an over-reliance on bridging services because it is user-unfriendly, and will still not be able to cope with heavy passenger loads.

He goes on to propose that there should be more duplication of routes between the buses and trains:

…the most natural way to obtain such redundancy, yet balanced with reasonable attention to cost and profitability, would be to have different companies run bus and train services. Let the bus company judge how much to duplicate the train routes, and therefore compete for the same traffic. The worst outcome would be for the same company to run both the train and bus routes through the same corridor. The result will tend to be a determination to maintain high load levels on the train by cutting away bus services. This may increase the company’s profitability, but it also increases social vulnerability.

The latest occurrences of train breakdowns are happening at a time when the bidding for the Certificates of Entitlement (COE) allowing people to purchase cars hits an all-time high: S$92,000. For many middle class Singaporean families, this makes buying a car simply too expensive to be an option.

Lucky Tan feels that the bidding system for the COE is tilted in favour of the rich:

The main problem with the COE system it allocates a scarce resource based on a person's ability to pay rather than his needs. A middle income parent who has to ferry his children to school and take his parents to hospital can be out-bidded by a multi-millionaires's son who uses the car for dates and clubbing. The disadvantage of such a system is it causes an ever widening gap of unfulfilled demand among those with the greatest need for a car. In Singapore, where the income gap is so wide, over time more and more COEs will just go the rich rather than people who need it.

In his letter to the Straits Times forum, Chan Tau Chou agrees, and suggests that a balloting system be adopted instead:

The number of cars sold can at most match the number of COEs available, regardless of the COE price. This means it is unnecessary to have a price beyond an administrative fee required to run the system, which is meant to control car ownership and not generate revenue.

If important aspects like housing and education can be subject to balloting, surely a system can be designed to ballot for cars.

Tracking the Location of Singaporeans in the World

Mong Palatino — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 13:57:24 +0000

Where Are We SG is a website which maps the location of Singaporeans around the world.

Singapore: If We Launched the Rocket…

Kirsten Han — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 01:15:21 +0000

Following North Korea's reported failure to launch their rocket, a hashtag popped up on Twitter: #ifSingaporelaunchedarocket.

In no time at all Singaporean tweeples began to contribute their observations of Singaporean culture and foibles.

Mr Brown refers to the expensive naming competitions Singapore had for the Budget Terminal and Marina Bay, which ended up in the two places being named the Budget Terminal and Marina Bay:

@mrbrown: #ifSingaporelaunchedarocket The rocket would be named, after a million-dollar naming exercise, The Singapore Rocket.

@jeffcheong: #ifSingaporelaunchedarocket & failed it will be known as air survey. Singapore never fail one. Like how ‘ponding' is used to cover ‘flood'.

@contrabandkarma: #ifSingaporelaunchedarocket that failed, Lui Tuck Yew would say that breakdowns are unavoidable.

@dingneng: #ifSingaporelaunchedarocket it would be near GE, so politicians can brag about it.

@kixes: #ifSingaporelaunchedarocket that failed, @STcom's headline would read, “Min of Defense says Singapore Rocket good first effort”.

JohnnyBoy refers to Yam Ah Mee, who shot to fame after announcing the results of the 2011 General Elections:

@MrJohnHoHoHo: #ifSingaporelaunchedarocket Yam Ah Mee will be the one to do the countdown.

@visakanv: #ifSingaporelaunchedarocket we would have a cheesy song with hand-gestures, like YOG's Oh Yeah x3

@weizhu: #ifSingaporelaunchedarocket Must get aunties to pat the launchpad first.

Adine refers to the Singaporean penchant for taking note of auspicious numbers so that they can bet on them in the lottery:

@axixe: #ifSingaporelaunchedarocket people would be asking if it had a number plate.. For auspicious reasons.

These tweets from Singaporeans are just yet another example of the Singaporean aptitude for trolling, turning events and memorable quotes into memes for satire and amusement.

Southeast Asia Digital Library

Mong Palatino — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 09:24:20 +0000

The Southeast Asia Digital Library provides educators and students with materials published in Southeast Asia. The online library contains digital facsimiles of books and manuscripts, as well as multimedia materials and searchable indexes of additional Southeast Asian resources.

Singapore: “Blackest Month for Bloggers”

Mong Palatino — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 16:09:40 +0000

Citing the numerous legal cases filed by Singapore public officials against prominent bloggers in the past month, Teo Soh Lung described the month of February 2012 as the “blackest month for bloggers and every Singaporean who treasures the right to free speech.”

Singapore: Keeping Internet Safe

Mong Palatino — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 15:12:09 +0000

Andrew Loh reacts to the proposal of the Singapore government to develop an Internet code of conduct. The blogger suggests alternative ways to keep internet safe for young people.

Unemployment Woes of Young Singaporeans

Mong Palatino — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 14:47:29 +0000

Gilbert Goh writes about the unemployment woes faced by young Singaporeans, in particular those who belong to the so-called Generation Y.