kueytoc

Bring the KAMPUNG SPIRIT back to KATONG: Chong-Aruldoss By ewenboey | SingaporeScene Tue, May 3, 2011 6:03 PM SGT Jeannette Chong-Aruldoss wants to revive the kampung spirit of Katong if she gets voted into Parliament. The National Solidarity Party's Mountbatten single member constituency (SMC) candidate unveiled a proposed five-year plan for the area that emphasises greater community engagement and bonding. "It is the 'kampung spirit' that we are trying to build. The most important aim is to foster a greater community spirit," she said. Katong had a reputation as a town with this strong spirit and sense of community which, according to Chong-Aruldoss, was killed after the constituency was subsumed under the Marine Parade group representation constituency (GRC). "Now, everybody only remembers Katong for the laksa," said Ravi Philemon, who is a campaign manager for Chong-Aruldoss. One part of the plan is to set up an alternative grassroots organisation called "residents connect" that will strive to work hand in hand with existing organisations like the People's Association, which are "politicised to a certain extent", she said. Chong-Aruldoss' five-year plan also proposes the introduction of 'town hall' meetings. Citing it as a way for residents' needs to be met, these meetings will not be a replacement for Meet-the-People sessions, but rather a supplement to it that is in line with fostering a more tight-knit community. She intends to hold these town hall gatherings on a regular basis of "about four times a year". When asked how much funding she would need to carry out her plans, she replied, "Why do you think we need funds? What we really need is enthusiasm, energy and the willingness to serve." Philemon said that some agencies and organisations, which he declined to identify, have offered to help in these initiatives if Chong-Aruldoss gets elected. "We wouldn't have put forth these ideas if we didn't already have the support of these organisations," he said. You can find out more about the FIVE YEAR PLAN.

Comment from CAGE 2 hours ago My vote will go to the party that can give me a good answer to the following questions. Why must I pay to get into Sentosa? I can understand it if I have to pay to get into the theme parks and private entertainment places to enjoy their private space. But why do I have to pay to get into Sentosa to sit along the shores of Singapore, which is a public space, to watch the sunrise and sunset over our Singapore horizon? Why? Why should a government be run Singapore like a private company? All over the world, in all of the world’s history, countries and even kingdoms and dynasties have been run on the premise of public and private sector dichotomy. If a government runs the public service as a private entity that is focused on profit making (it used to be just about cost-recovery but the line has now inched to cross over into profit making) – then who is going to take care of the interest of the public sectors like public healthcare, public transportation and education at affordable costs? The very basic needs of public consumption like education and healthcare must never be commercialized. But this is what PAP has been doing over the years. If a government does not take care of public sector interests then we have no need for a government. Especially, we have no need to pay for an expensive government that does not take care of basic public sector interests. If PAP MPs want to run a country like a private enterprise then they should join the private sector, not join the government. The line between the private sector and public sector must be distinct. By all means make your millions in the private sector, but do not exploit the public sector cost structure and use it as arbitrage to make a profit out of it. To do so is irresponsible, deceitful and immoral. The present government is good at listening with their ears. Why can’t they listen with their hearts? The present government is good at talking with their mouths. Why can’t they talk with their hearts? Desmond Choo, the PAP candidate for Hougang, spoke about the opposition parties doing the “wayang”. I advise him, and indeed all PAP candidates, to attend the opposition rallies and decide for themselves who are doing the wayang. They can then decide for themselves what are the hard truths, what are the half-truths, and what is hardly true. They can then get back to the basics of governing instead dabbling with the ugly showmanship of politics.

No small matter if we lose Aljunied: PM Lee By Jeffrey Oon | Yahoo! Newsroom – Tue, May 3, 2011 11:02 AM SGT PM Lee Hsien Loong says losing the hotseat of Aljunied GRC will be "no small matter." Appearing to contradict his father, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew -- who had earlier said that losing the GRC would not be "the end of the world" -- PM Lee said, "The Aljunied team is made up of very strong and capable people. So to lose such a team, with five fierce warriors, is no small matter." Asked for his views on MM Lee's earlier comment, PM Lee -- who is the PAP's secretary-general -- was quoted on The Straits Times as saying, "Well, I'm running the election, MM Lee is expressing his view. But my view is this an important fight." He was speaking during his Monday walkabout at Kaki Bukit market, his first visit to Aljunied GRC since campaigning began. Aljunied is seen as the key battleground for this GE with a strong team from the Workers's Party led by former Hougang MP Low Thia Khiang going up against the PAP incumbent team led by Foreign Minister George Yeo. At a separate conference later in the day, PM Lee also admitted that the PAP "doesn't always get things completely right, and that when things turn out unexpectedly or problems arise, I hope Singaporeans will understand this." He asked for the people's patience and faith and said, "I think we can fix the problems and we keep going in the right direction, I have no doubt that in five years' time, we'll have a Singapore which is much better than today's." As the GE fever heats up, PM Lee also promised to look into the "sandwiched middle-income class" in Singapore, acknowledging that the $$8,000-a-month income ceiling for young couples looking to buy new HDB flats may be too low. He said the review would be done after a study of the latest effects of the recently introduced property cooling measures. PM Lee also addressed the hot topic of ministerial salaries, an issue he said he would have to explain "again and again, during times when temperature is not so high." He said, "The last time we made changes was in 2006 and we had three days of parliamentary debate -- full debate... there was a full airing of the issues and explanations... not just ministers, but judges, civil servants, Singapore Armed Forces officers... all the public sector." "None of those arguments get rehearsed in rallies. When it comes to rallies, you just throw big numbers down and excite envy and disaffection. But I suppose that is the nature of the election campaign," he said, according to Today newspaper. At a separate event, Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong said the debate of ministers' salaries was the opposition's "favourite flogging horse." Speaking after a walkabout in his Marine Parade GRC, he said the "majority" of the population is not concerned about it. "All they want (to know) is: Have we produced jobs for them, can we look after their medical care, can their medical care be affordable, can we cope with the cost of living, can we deliver good housing at affordable prices?" said SM Goh. Although he acknowledged the issue has cost the PAP "some votes", he said, "You go and examine the pay of the chairmen, CEOs of the public-listed companies in Singapore... every CEO is earning twice the ministers' pay, even more. CapitaLand's (CEO) easily earns about S$10 million. Why should they come and join us in politics?" Foreign Minister Yeo, who is anchoring the PAP team contesting Aljunied GRC, also gave his take on ministerial salaries on the sidelines of a separate event. He told the same paper that while "it's an awkward question because I have a vested interest in this", he noted the country's key advantage was its public administration and that salaries had to be competitive. "If they are not, then the people whom they are regulating, managing or trying to attract to Singapore would be smarter and more able than they are."

10 BRAIN FOODS for increased Intelligence Certain foods can boost our intellectual performance. Discover your brain’s best friends and add them to your diet in your quest to become the next Nobel Prize winner! Doctissimo - Monday, 2 May 2011 12:00 BST © Thinkstock Although it accounts for only 2% of your total body weight, the fact remains that the brain is a food-hungry organ with ten times the appetite of other organs. In order to function, it uses up a minimum of 20% of your daily calorie in-take. In addition to calories, you should also make sure you get good nutrients for your neurons through a balanced and varied diet. To ensure your brain gets what it needs there are certain foods you should add to your diet. 1. Oily fish (mackerel, sardines salmon…) for brain maintenance More than 50% of brain mass is made up of lipids, and over 70% of these are fatty acids that belong to the well-known Omega 3 group. These fats are crucial to the production and maintenance of brain cells, preserving the fluidity of cell membrane. They also play a part in neuron activity. Weakening brain function and memory trouble can often be traced back to a deficiency in Omega 31. Oily fish are one of the best sources of Omega 3, but if fish isn't to your taste, consider nut oils and rapeseed oil as equally rich alternatives. 2. Pulses (lentils, chick-peas...) for brain energy The brain is said to be glucose-dependent, which means it uses only glucose to function. It consumes more than 5g an hour, but doesn’t know how to store it. It therefore has to be regularly supplied your diet via the circulatory system. It has long been proven that the most difficult task within intellectual performance, the capacity to memorise, depends on the level of glucose in the blood2. But beware of indulging in sugary foods and confectionery; though easy to snack on, they can lead to such strong fluctuations that your system can react violently and reduce blood sugar to below its normal level. The brain cannot tolerate this and the drop in blood sugar leads to fatigue and a shorter attention span. The sugars that are said to be ‘complex’ and which have a low Glycaemic Index (GI) are therefore crucial. Pulses are rich in these ‘complex’ sugars, and their GI is one of the lowest. This really works to allow the regulation of glucose in the blood and its supply to the brain without creating a reaction of hyperglycaemia. If pulses aren’t to your taste either, consider wholegrain foods, especially cooked ‘al dente’. 3. Bananas for a calm brain Rich in magnesium, which is essential in the transmission of nervous impulses, bananas are equally a source of Vitamin B6 (just one banana holds practically a quarter of the recommended daily amount). This vitamin is not only involved in the assimilation and use of magnesium in cells, but also in the metabolism of amino acids and the functioning of the nervous system through enabling the production of certain neurotransmitters, notably Serotonin and GABA (Gamma-amino butyric acid). These two molecules seem to create the right state of mind for prudent, calm and measured behaviour. If you don’t like bananas, consider prunes or dried fruit instead. 4. Liver (veal, beef, chicken…) for intelligence The brain accounts for around 20% of the body’s oxygen needs, and iron is needed to get oxygen to the brain by means of the blood’s haemoglobin. Liver is one of your diet’s assets guaranteed to contain this valuable metal. Equally, liver is one of the most important sources of Vitamin B. Since the mid 1980s, it has been shown that these vitamins, mainly B9, B12, B1 and B6, improve cognitive function and the results of intelligence tests. If you don’t like liver, consider ham, beef or nutritional yeast as a supplement. 5. Red berries for happy brain cells All edible berries (blackcurrants, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries etc.) are veritable mines of Vitamin C (blackcurrants have twice as much concentration in Vitamin C as kiwi fruit, and three times as much as oranges). They have antioxidant micronutrients that make up their colour (anthocyanes, polyphenols, flavonoids…) Together, they not only fight against free radicals which can affect nerve cells, notably brain cells, but also improve circulation and strengthen blood capillaries, which enable the best oxygenation of the brain. If you don’t like red berries, then go for kiwi fruit or garlic. 6. Shellfish for brain function Though rich in Vitamin B12 and in protein (notably lysine, a precursor to dopamine, a powerful neurotransmitter), it is mostly the oligo-elements in seafood and crustaceans (oysters, clams, shrimp etc.) that are good for brain function. Oligo-elements are crucial in order to fight and prevent stress and its inconveniences. Some of these can be described as ‘therapeutic weapons’ as they have a hand in fighting anxiety, mental fatigue and nervous disposition. Manganese, copper, lithium, zinc and iodine have this effect too and can also be found in seafood. If you don’t like shellfish, consider eating wholemeal bread, algae (which has iodised salt as in table salt) or wheat germ. 7. Eggs for brain connectivity Eggs contain lecithin and phospholipids, integral to the construction of brain cell membrane. In terms of feeding intellect, their value lies mainly in the quality of their proteins. Long used as points of reference when analysing the quality of other dietary proteins by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FOA), eggs are actually rich in amino acids, essential in the production of the principal neurotransmitters. This is also the case with acetylcholine, a synthesis made from methionine and serine used in the process of memorisation, where noradrenalin (which stimulates learning) and its production rely on the presence of tyrosine and phenylaline, which are again found in the proteins in eggs. If you don’t like eggs, consider white fish as an alternative. 8. Spinach for good memory All leafy vegetables share a richness in Vitamin B9 (or folates), which is known to play an active role in the development of a foetus’ nervous tissue and also in the renewal of blood cells. One of the signs of Vitamin B9 deficiency is reduced awareness and memory deterioration3. This phenomenon, observed in people of advanced age with folate deficiency, can probably be explained by the fact that Vitamin B9 is needed for the maintenance of dendrites (arborisation of neurons, where B9 levels are high). If you don’t like spinach, go for watercress, lamb’s lettuce, iceberg lettuce, broccoli or different types of herbs. Of these, rosemary is worth noting as it has certain flavonoids (notably apigenin) in its aroma, which possess stimulating properties affecting concentration and memory through encouraging cerebral blood flow. 9. Cocoa for brain stimulation In Aztec times, cocoa was already considered a medicine. Later, Casanova, the legendary seducer of women, used chocolate as an aphrodisiac with the kind of effects we know well! Since then, the chemical analysis of cocoa paste has revealed many surprises; besides the important calorific benefits, the presence of molecules similar to caffeine (theobromine, theophylline) and amphetamines (phenylethylamine, tyramine) give chocolate its true power as a tonic and psycho-stimulant. At the same time, chocolate’s high magnesium content (330mg per 100g), and the molecules it contains which are similar to serotonin (the ‘relaxation’ hormone), account for its ‘anti-stress’ and anti-depressant effects. But that’s not all! Scientists have demonstrated the positive role flavonoids present in cocoa play in encouraging better dilation of blood vessels4. These antioxidant compounds help fight free radicals and guard the brain’s activity. Beware of over-indulging, however. If you don’t like chocolate, drink tea (which also contains antioxidants) and weak coffee (for its caffeine and its psycho-stimulating effect5), but being mindful of excess and without indulging too much at the risk of cancelling out or even reversing the effects. 10. Avocado to keep the brain young The avocado is exceptionally rich in Vitamin E. This vitamin constitutes one of the most powerful antioxidants and protects the fatty tissues of the brain from ageing. If you don’t like avocado, consider oleaginous fruit instead (nuts, particularly hazelnuts etc.). And don’t forget that, in order to become a real intellectual athlete, you must equally train your brain with special exercises (cerebral games, memory puzzles…). And you mustn’t neglect rest either (sleep is crucial for the brain’s regeneration…). In following this advice, you may not pick up that Nobel Prize, but you will have a brain that’s at the top of its game nonetheless! 1. Neurology. 2004, 62(2): 275-280 2. Psychopharmacol, 1993, 113: 83-8 3. JAMA, 1983, 249: 2917-21 4. J Hypertens. 2003 Dec; 21(12): 2281-6 5. J Psychopharmacol, 1991, 5: 120-8 Damien Galtier

Woman BARES ALL for detained Artist Press Association Mon, May 2, 2011 A yoga teacher gave visitors at one of London's best-known art galleries a naked surprise as she dropped her clothes in support of a detained Chinese artist. A yoga teacher gave visitors at one of London's best-known art galleries a naked surprise as she dropped her clothes in support of a detained Chinese artist. Charlotte Eaton, 32, decided to walk naked across missing artist Ai Weiwei's "landscape of sunflower seeds" after being inspired by his work when she first visited the exhibition on Wednesday. Ms Eaton, from north-west London, threw caution to the wind as she undressed at Ai's Sunflower Seeds exhibition at London's Tate Modern on Monday afternoon. Ai, an internationally famed avant-garde artist, who is also an outspoken critic of the Chinese government, was last seen in police custody in early April. The Chinese government confirmed that it had detained Ai and was investigating him for economic crimes. After being captivated by Ai's exhibition, Ms Eaton emailed Tate Modern to request the opportunity to be photographed naked among the seeds as a way of reflecting the "playfulness" of the artwork and to give the silenced artist a voice, she said. Ms Eaton, a laughter yoga teacher who runs her own business, had painted a sunflower and the words 'thank you Ai Weiwei' and 'freedom' on her body. "I didn't want to be removed by security so didn't stay long. I heard someone shout 'bravo', which was very nice," she said. She said her show of support was witnessed by around 40 bystanders who were visiting the exhibition. She said that she was watched by Tate Modern staff members and security but no-one stopped her. "No action was taken against me by security guards, and a member of the Tate's press smiled at me as I winked at her and left."

Osama bin Laden: 9/11 Author who defied BUSH By William Maclean | Reuters Mon, May 2, 2011 1:32 PM SGT LONDON (Reuters) - Challenging the might of the "infidel" United States, Osama bin Laden masterminded the deadliest militant attacks in history and then built a global network of allies to wage a "holy war" intended to outlive him. The man behind the suicide hijack attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and who U.S. officials said late on Sunday was dead, was the nemesis of former President George W. Bush, who pledged to take him "dead or alive" and whose two terms were dominated by a "war on terror" against his al Qaeda network. Bin Laden also assailed Bush's successor, Barack Obama, dismissing a new beginning with Muslims he offered in a 2009 speech as sowing "seeds for hatred and revenge against America". Widely assumed to be hiding in Pakistan -- whether in a mountain cave or a bustling city -- bin Laden was believed to be largely bereft of operational control, under threat from U.S. drone strikes and struggling with disenchantment among former supporters alienated by suicide attacks in Iraq in 2004-06. But even as political and security pressures grew on him in 2009-2010, the Saudi-born militant appeared to hit upon a strategy of smaller, more easily-organised attacks, carried out by globally-scattered hubs of sympathisers and affiliate groups. Al Qaeda sprouted new offshoots in Yemen, Iraq and North Africa and directed or inspired attacks from Bali to Britain to the United States, where a Nigerian Islamist made a botched attempt to down an airliner over Detroit on Dec 25, 2009. While remaining the potent figurehead of al Qaeda, bin Laden turned its core leadership from an organisation that executed complex team-based attacks into a propaganda hub that cultivated affiliated groups to organise and strike on their own. With his long grey beard and wistful expression, bin Laden became one of the most instantly recognisable people on the planet, his gaunt face staring out from propaganda videos and framed on a U.S. website offering a $25 million bounty. Officials say U.S. authorities have recovered bin Laden's body, ending the largest manhunt in history involving thousands of U.S. troops in Afghanistan and tens of thousands of Pakistani soldiers in the rugged mountains along the border. Whether reviled as a terrorist and mass murderer or hailed as the champion of oppressed Muslims fighting injustice and humiliation, bin Laden changed the course of history. ASYMMETRIC WARFARE The United States and its allies rewrote their security doctrines, struggling to adjust from Cold War-style confrontation between states to a new brand of transnational "asymmetric warfare" against small cells of Islamist militants. Al Qaeda's weapons were not tanks, submarines and aircraft carriers but the everyday tools of globalisation and 21st century technology -- among them the Internet, which it eagerly exploited for propaganda, training and recruitment. But, by his own account, not even bin Laden anticipated the full impact of using 19 suicide hijackers to turn passenger aircraft into guided missiles and slam them into buildings that symbolised U.S. financial and military power. Nearly 3,000 people died when two planes struck New York's World Trade Center, a third hit the Pentagon in Washington and a fourth crashed in a field in rural Pennsylvania after passengers rushed the hijackers. "Here is America struck by God Almighty in one of its vital organs," bin Laden said in a statement a month after the Sept. 11 attacks, urging Muslims to rise up and join a global battle between "the camp of the faithful and the camp of the infidels". In video and audio messages over the next seven years, the al Qaeda leader goaded Washington and its allies. His diatribes lurched across a range of topics, from the war in Iraq to U.S. politics, the subprime mortgage crisis and even climate change. A gap of nearly three years in his output of video messages revived speculation he might be gravely ill with a kidney problem or even have died, but bin Laden was back on screen in September 2007, telling Americans their country was vulnerable despite its economic and military power. MILLIONAIRE FATHER Born in Saudi Arabia in 1957, one of more than 50 children of millionaire businessman Mohamed bin Laden, he lost his father while still a boy -- killed in a plane crash, apparently due to an error by his American pilot. Osama's first marriage, to a Syrian cousin, came at the age of 17, and he is reported to have at least 23 children from at least five wives. Part of a family that made its fortune in the oil-funded Saudi construction boom, bin Laden was a shy boy and an average student, who took a degree in civil engineering. He went to Pakistan soon after the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, and raised funds at home before making his way to the Afghan front lines and developing militant training camps. According to some accounts, he helped form al Qaeda ("The Base") in the dying days of the Soviet occupation. A book by U.S. writer Steve Coll, "The Bin Ladens", suggested the death in 1988 of his extrovert half-brother Salem -- again in a plane crash -- was an important factor in Osama's radicalisation. Bin Laden condemned the presence in Saudi Arabia of U.S. troops sent to eject Iraqi forces from Kuwait after the 1990 invasion, and remained convinced that the Muslim world was the victim of international terrorism engineered by America. He called for a jihad against the United States, which had spent billions of dollars bankrolling the Afghan resistance in which he had fought. TRAIL OF ATTACKS Al Qaeda embarked on a trail of attacks, beginning with the 1993 World Trade Center bombing that killed six and first raised the spectre of Islamist extremism spreading to the United States. Bin Laden was the prime suspect in bombings of U.S. servicemen in Saudi Arabia in 1995 and 1996 as well as attacks on U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998 that killed 224. In October 2000, suicide bombers rammed into the USS Cole warship in Yemen, killing 17 sailors, and al Qaeda was blamed. Disowned by his family and stripped of Saudi citizenship, bin Laden had moved first to Sudan in 1991 and later resurfaced in Afghanistan before the Taliban seized Kabul in 1996. With his wealth, largesse and shared radical Muslim ideology, bin Laden soon eased his way into inner Taliban circles as they imposed their rigid interpretation of Islam. From Afghanistan, bin Laden issued religious decrees against U.S. soldiers and ran training camps where militants were groomed for a global campaign of violence. Recruits were drawn from Central, South and Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Africa and even Europe by their common hatred of the United States, Israel and moderate Muslim governments, as well as a desire for a more fundamentalist brand of Islam. After the 1998 attacks on two of its African embassies, the United States fired dozens of cruise missiles at Afghanistan, targeting al Qaeda training camps. Bin Laden escaped unscathed. The Taliban paid a heavy price for sheltering bin Laden and his fighters, suffering a humiliating defeat after a U.S.-led invasion in the weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks. ESCAPE FROM TORA BORA Al Qaeda was badly weakened, with many fighters killed or captured. Bin Laden vanished -- some reports say U.S. bombs narrowly missed him in late 2001 as he and his forces slipped out of Afghanistan's Tora Bora mountains and into Pakistan. But the start of the Iraq war in 2003 produced a fresh surge of recruits for al Qaeda due to opposition to the U.S. invasion within Muslim communities around the world, analysts say. Apparently protected by the Afghan Taliban in their northwest Pakistani strongholds, bin Laden also built ties to an array of south Asian militant groups and backed a bloody revolt by the Pakistani Taliban against the Islamabad government. Amid a reinvigorated al Qaeda propaganda push, operatives or sympathisers were blamed for attacks from Indonesia and Pakistan to Iraq, Turkey, Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Spain, Britain and Somalia. Tougher security in the West and killings of middle-rank Qaeda men helped weaken the group, and some followers noted critically that the last successful al Qaeda-linked strike in a Western country was the 2005 London bombings that killed 52. But Western worries about radicalisation grew following a string of incidents involving U.S.-based radicals in 2009-10 including an attempt to bomb New York's Times Square. In a 2006 audio message, bin Laden alluded to the U.S. hunt for him and stated his determination to avoid capture: "I swear not to die but a free man." (Editing by William Maclean)

Fear of TECH helped Betray bin Laden By Chris Lefkow | AFP News – Tue, May 3, 2011 5:24 AM SGT In a high-tech world where just about anyone who can afford it has a telephone or an Internet connection, Osama bin Laden's decision to shun the communications tools helped contribute to his demise. Despite years of speculation that the Al-Qaeda leader may be living in rough conditions along the Pakistan-Afghan border, he turned up in a well-appointed villa in a military cantonment town north of the Pakistani capital Islamabad. But the mansion in Abbottabad where the 9/11 mastermind was killed by US Navy Seals on Sunday did not have telephone or Internet service, according to US officials, presumably to prevent detection through electronic eavesdropping. The absence of the basic tools of modern communications in a luxury home was cited by US officials as precisely one of the things that aroused their suspicion that the building was being used to house the Al-Qaeda leader. Briefing reporters on the intelligence that led to the raid on bin Laden's hideout, a senior US administration official who requested anonymity said it was "noteworthy" that "the property is valued at approximately $1 million but has no telephone or Internet service connected to it." "Everything we saw -- the extremely elaborate operational security... and the location and the design of the compound itself was perfectly consistent with what our experts expected bin Laden's hideout to look like," the official said. "Intelligence analysts concluded that this compound was custom built to hide someone of significance." While bin Laden was betrayed in part by his decision not to equip the villa with something as simple as a telephone, the United States on the other hand deployed some of its most sophisticated high-tech assets to track him down. The Pentagon on Monday released a series of satellite photographs of the bin Laden hideout and a diagram of the premises which included such details as the precise heights of the various walls surrounding the complex. Central Intelligence Agency director Leon Panetta specifically cited the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) and the National Security Agency in a message to CIA employees marking bin Laden's death. The NGA is the US government's main mapping agency responsible for satellite and other imagery while the NSA is its super-secret electronic eavesdropper, tasked with monitoring and intercepting communications around the world. "We applied the full range of our capabilities, collecting intelligence through both human and technical means and subjecting it to the most rigorous analysis by our government's leading experts on bin Laden and his organization," Panetta said. US officials said what initially led them to the compound was discovering the identity of a man known to have served as a courier for bin Laden. From there, US intelligence analysts were able to "build a body of evidence that suggested, circumstantially, that bin Laden was at that compound," said John Brennan, US President Barack Obama's anti-terror advisor. That included the curious lack of telephone or Internet service.

Bin Laden DEAD, Obama says JUSTICE IS DONE By Stephen Collinson | AFP News – Mon, May 2, 2011 1:04 PM SGT Al-Qaeda mastermind Osama bin Laden was killed Sunday in a firefight with covert US forces deep inside Pakistan, prompting President Barack Obama to declare "justice has been done" a decade after the September 11 attacks. The death of the reviled US enemy, after a massive manhunt, sparked jubilation across the United States, with a huge crowd gathering outside the White House just before midnight, chanting "USA, USA" and waving American flags as Obama made a sudden and dramatic nationwide address to Americans. "Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of Al-Qaeda, and a terrorist who's responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women and children," Obama said. Obama said in the historic speech from the White House that he had directed US armed forces to launch an attack against a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan on Sunday acting on a lead that first emerged last August. "A small team of Americans carried out the operation with extraordinary courage and capability. No Americans were harmed. They took care to avoid civilian casualties. President Obama's statement on bin Laden's death "After a firefight, they killed Osama bin Laden and took custody of his body," the US leader said. "Justice has been done." Bin Laden's demise marks the biggest triumph yet in the 10-year US war against terrorism launched after the September 11 attacks, which saw America embroiled in two wars, and changed many aspects of US life. Related article: Osama bin Laden put 'holy war' on global agenda The operation will also likely go down as one of the most spectacular intelligence operations in US history, and provide a huge morale boost the oft-criticized US covert community. Former US president George W. Bush who was in office at the time of the September 11 attacks said bin Laden's death was a "momentous" achievement and congratulated Obama and US intelligence and military forces. "This momentous achievement marks a victory for America, for people who seek peace around the world, and for all those who lost loved ones on September 11, 2001," Bush said in a statement. "The fight against terror goes on, but tonight America has sent an unmistakable message: No matter how long it takes, justice will be done." Pakistani intelligence officials also confirmed bin Laden's death. Obama said he had called Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari after bin Laden's death and said cooperation with the uneasy US anti-terror ally had helped lead American forces to bin Laden. US armed forces have been hunting the Saudi terror kingpin for years, an effort that was redoubled following the attacks by hijacked airliners on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon which killed nearly 3,000 people in 2001. Osama bin Laden in his own words A fourth passenger jet crashed in a remote area of Pennsylvania, apparently brought down after passengers revolted and tried to prevent it from reaching its target, assumed to be Washington. Until Sunday, bin Laden had always managed to evade US armed forces and a massive manhunt, and was most often thought to be hiding out in Pakistan and Afghanistan border areas. The death of bin Laden will raise huge questions about the future shape of Al-Qaeda and also have steep implications for US security and foreign policy 10 years into a global anti-terror campaign. It will also provoke fears that the United States and its allies will face retaliation from supporters of bin Laden and other Islamic extremist groups. Bin Laden's demise will also cast a new complexion on the increasingly unpopular war in Afghanistan, where 100,000 troops are still battling the Taliban and Al-Qaeda after a decade of war. Bush first said he wanted bin Laden "dead or alive" in the weeks after the September 11 attacks. Bin Laden was top of America's most wanted list, and was blamed by Washington for masterminding a string of other attacks, including the attacks on US embassies in Kenya and Africa in 1998. He frequently taunted Bush, and Obama after he took office in 2009, with taped messages. The US dollar rose against the euro and the yen when it emerged that Obama would announce bin Laden's death. The dollar went up against the euro, which fetched 1.4764 dollars from 1.4864 in earlier trade. The dollar was at 81.66 yen from 81.19 earlier. Related article: Dollar rises on reports Osama bin Laden is dead The news was welcomed by Americans across the country, even though bin Laden's death was only confirmed shortly before midnight Sunday. "I'm proud to be an American tonight," Kenneth Specht, a New York firefighter on 9/11, told CNN, paying tribute to the victims of the attacks in New York and Washington. "Tonight they are first and foremost in our minds," he said. Amid fears of retaliation by Al-Qaeda or other groups, the US State Department issued a global travel alert to all US citizens. "The US Department of State alerts US citizens traveling and residing abroad to the enhanced potential for anti-American violence given recent counter-terrorism activity in Pakistan," it said in a statement. New York's police chief Raymond Kelly meanwhile called the killing of bin Laden a "welcome milestone" for the families of the victims of the September 11 attacks.

Aljunied has Five Years to 'REPENT' if it chooses WP: MM By Ion Danker | SingaporeScene – Sat, Apr 30, 2011 11:58 PM SGT Speaking at PAP's Radin Mas branch on Saturday, Singapore's founding father said the PAP will not lose in this election, as the only hot-seat is Aljunied. But he said, "If Aljunied decides to go that way, well Aljunied has five years to live and repent." MM Lee added that he does not consider it a major setback if the People's Action Party (PAP) loses the the contest, that it would not be "the end of the world" as the PAP would fight to get the GRC back. "We accept the verdict of the people, but they must also accept the consequences of their actions. You must expect the PAP to look after PAP constituencies first." His latest comments come hot on the heels of another stern warning to voters on Friday, when he said Aljunied voters will "pay a price, the hard way" if they voted for the Opposition. His remarks then sparked a huge backlash online, with close to 3,000 comments on Yahoo! alone questioning MM Lee's motives. Netizens have also not taken too kindly to the 87-year-old's latest warnings, calling them a thinly veiled threat to voters. Yahoo! News reader Secret wrote, "Dear MM Lee, I am a resident of Aljunied... I do not need you to either lecture or intimidate me. You and your ilk may be the "CEO" of Singapore Inc now, but even the CEO has to answer to the stakeholders -- and we citizens are the stakeholders who have the right to either keep you employed or fire you." Another reader Jubilant said, "Voters of Aljunied GRC will be intimidated by your threats. Instead you should be the one to repent for insulting the intelligence of Aljunied voters." Users of micro-blogging service Twitter were also quick to criticise MM Lee. @SamanthaDelina said, "Quite disgusted by MM Lee's comments on WP. No matter how great PAP is, I don't see a need for them to put others down." Another user @duncanchew was also appalled and wondered, "How can those words come out from MM Lee's mouth?" On Saturday, MM Lee also questioned WP's real intentions. "It's not just to win one GRC. Let's have no hypocrisy about this, every political party sets out to win and win a majority and they are setting out from a single constituency to a GRC and then expand to more GRCs and then take over. It's up to you to decide whether they are capable of running Singapore," he said. The high-powered 'A' team from the Workers's Party contesting the Aljunied hotspot consists of former Hougang MP Low Thia Khiang, former NCMP Sylvia Lim, the party's "star catch" Chen Show Mao as well as family counsellor Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap and post-graduate law student Pritam Singh. They will be up against the incumbent PAP team fronted by Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Lim Hwee Hua, Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Zainul Abidin Rasheed, Madam Cynthia Phua and new face Ong Ye Kung, an assistant secretary-general of NTUC . Separately on Saturday, Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong also commented on the impact should Mr Yeo and his Aljunied GRC team be voted out of Parliament. Speaking at a rally in Marine Parade GRC, SM Goh said Mr Yeo has been handling delicate negotiations with Malaysia and Indonesia on border issues. Describing that Singapore has a "beautiful arrangement" -- with an Indian as President, a Chinese as Prime Minister and a Malay, Zainul Abidin Rasheed, as potential Speaker of Parliament -- SM Goh said that "on the basis of merit we ended up with this, a politically balanced, beautiful picture'. "You knock out George Yeo and Zainul Abidin. Well, you'll have to look for another Speaker on the basis of merit. Well, that person may not be Zainul Abidin once he's out, or another Malay MP. "These are the fine points of politics which we in PAP understand, which we try to manage quietly. But the opposition says never mind, George Yeo can be a diplomat. Come off it, that's not the way you build up a first-rate government."

Comment from Pasir Panjang Sun 01 May 2011 05:52 SGT Excerpt From hardwarezone forum. Opposition wards HDB prices.. interesting.. I got this interesting facts from another source.. i am find it strange pap keep harping vote in WP will result in HDB price to fall. But if want look at the HDB records on the HDB website, one can see HDB flats in Hougang Ave 5 which is the heart of Hougang SMC, the prices of the 4room flats that transacted there are not much different from Hougang Ave 8 which was run by georgie aljunied grc. The prices for the last 12 months are as follow: Hougang Ave 5 3rm flat : ranging from $245K to $330K (WP) Hougang Ave 8 3rm flat : ranging from $220K to $326K (PAP) Hougang Ave 5 4rm flat : ranging from $305K to $420K (WP) Hougang Ave 8 4rm flat : ranging from $290K to $420K (PAP) Hougang Ave 5 5rm flat : ranging from $340K to $527K (WP) Hougang Ave 8 5rm flat : ranging from $390K to $496K (PAP) looking at the above figure, i fail to comprehen how did PAP come up with the logic that WP run hougang HDB flat worth less than the same across the road in the PAP run estate. The figure above are not bull****, all taken from HDB resale e-service. On the whole, WP's Hougang worth more than PAP's Hougang. In fact, i use Hougang Ave 8 as comparsion place hougang ave 5 at a disadvantage as Hougang Ave 5 were built in 1983 while Ave 8 were built in 1986, some even in 1992. So can PAP explain why people are paying more to buy a older flat in a "slum" while pay less for the newer flat in a "world clas estate" run by the PAP?

Hougang has become a SLUM: PAP’s Eric Low By Faris Mokhtar | SingaporeScene – Sun, May 1, 2011 3:36 AM People's Action Party's (PAP) former candidate Eric Low fired the first salvo at the Workers' Party (WP) in the battle for the single-member constituency (SMC) of Hougang. Low was one of the ten guest speakers at a rally on Saturday evening in support of the party's candidate Desmond Choo, 33, who will be contesting in the ward. Choo will be going up against WP's candidate, 34-year-old businessman Yaw Shin Leong. Rebutting WP's chief Low Thia Khiang statements that the ward is not a slum, Low said that it is the contrary. "My answer to Mr Low Thia Khiang is yes, it (Hougang) has become a slum. The word slum means downgrading," he said to slight cheers from the 1,000-strong crowd. Low also made a comparison of the HDB flats of Block 1 and 2 to the ones in Block 20 and 21, saying that if residents could not see the difference, then "we are blind". "Let me share with you that for the last 20 years, your home, residents of Hougang, has been downgraded because of the poor maintenance and upkeep. "I have been here for the last 12 years and I know it, because you complain to me that certain rubbish stays for days before they are cleared outside your house. Is that not true?" he questioned. Adding that he had also received complaints that the car parks in the constituency are poorly maintained, Low advised residents in the ward to "make a wise move" come Polling Day, saying that "the time has come for the change". He also sent a warning message to voters of Aljunied GRC. "Before you vote, please take a walk in Hougang SMC and you will see the difference between what you are having now — maintained by the PAP town council — and then you may want to vote wisely," he said. In the last two elections, PAP's Low, 62, suffered defeat at the hands of WP's Low Thia Khiang, who this time has decided to contest Aljunied GRC. In January this year, Eric Low revealed his decision not to stand in the coming general election, citing age as the main factor. He added that a younger candidate would be better able to serve residents and has more time oversee longer-term projects in the constituency. In addition, two other guest speakers, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean and former Member of Parliament (MP) Yatiman Yusof also took aim at the WP. At the starting point of his speech, DPM Teo took a swipe at WP Low's analogy of his party being a co-driver, saying that the idea "does not work". "So you know that if you have two drivers quarreling with each other to drive the same bus or the same lorry, sooner rather than later, you're going to have a big problem... And a big road accident and a crash, (it) doesn't work," he said. On the other hand, former Tampines GRC MP Yatiman Yusof — who stepped down after the last general election in 2006 — questioned whether WP's vision of a First World Parliament is applicable in Singapore's context. "When you talk about First-Class World Parliament, I'm a bit puzzled. Is this concept something that is uniquely applicable, usable and beneficial to Singaporeans? We are not sure yet," he said Yatiman reasoned that the idea is not applicable due to Singapore's unique position as a "global city" and its policy of multi-culturalism, adding that the country is susceptible to changing global trends. "And for a very unique country, we need a very unique system which the PAP had evolved over the past 40 years. This is the system that has led Singapore to grow and grow, to prosper and prosper." Echoing Eric Low's views that for twenty years Hougang had been "relegated, downgraded", Yatiman also called on voters to scrutinise the WP's goal. "It is not easy to copy a first-class or first-world parliament system. When the Workers' Party talk about this, I'm not sure what they are talking about," he said. "But what I'm very sure is that in their mind, they have Australia, United States, Europe, UK and many other developed countries that practiced parliamentary democracy. But I want to tell you there is no single brand, single-type of democracy, parliamentary democracy that can be practiced, that can be copied and applied successfully."

Comment from ShortSingapore 7 hours ago Ok, in the old days when LKY was prime minister, Singapore was like a old style hawker center. LKY was a good and cheap PM. Value for money. So when he was rude and shouts at SIngapore, and on occasions causes food poisoning to his hated customers (opposition), we take it because like hawkers that serve good food, we will queue up and take all manner of abuse from the hawker to get great food at dirt cheap prices... So LKY and his team slowly upgraded the hawker into food court. Food more expensive but now got aircon. Hawkers still rude but we all still can handle the bad service for decent affordable and cleaner food. Then his son took over and decided change the food court into huge high class resturant. No more food court choices. The food became very expensive and the utensils and cutlery were designer stuff. THe food was no longer what the usual customers liked but they had no choice. Before you can even order, the peanuts and towels were charged. Then you order the food say roast fillet mignon but the food that came was over cooked char siew. You asked to return the charsiew but was told by the waiter in a beautiful uniform who insisted that the char siew was fillet mignon. But when angmos and foreigners come in, they get the real fillet mignon even when they order only salad. Their bill is always salad pricing. So you had to eat badly cook charsiew and was slapped a very expensive bill. You decided to complain and ask to see the manager. The manager is not around. Then one day, you found that a small hawker stall opened up next to the resturant. The food seems reasonable but you are not sure...The big resturant tells you not to go eat there because you will get food poisoning...SHould you risk it? Then the big resturant tell you that they will let you have fillet mignon at discounted price again...Do you trust this big resturant after your experience? If PAP wants us to endure their bad service and bad attitude, they must be like hawkers, cheap and good. If they want to operate like French resturant and charge us $$$$, then their service has to be perfect. No charsiew disguised as fillet mignon. Thank you.

MCYS has not been STINGY: Dr Vivian Balakrishnan By Faris Mokhtar | SingaporeScene – Tue, May 3, 2011 1:06 AM SGT Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) Dr Vivian Balakrishnan says that his ministry has not been "stingy" when it comes to public handouts, especially in helping needy families. In his speech at the People's Action Party (PAP) rally for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC and Bukit Panjang SMC on Monday evening, Dr Balakrishnan shared details of his ministry's budget and how money was spent to assist families in Singapore. Acknowledging that the budget for MCYS has increased "tremendously" since the last seven years — with this year's budget at an estimated S$1.9 billion — Dr Balakrishnan said that around S$700 to S$800 million was spent on providing subsidies such as the baby bonus policy, childcare and kindergarten subsidies. He added that around SS$500 million is also put aside annually, for needy families in Singapore, including those who are lower-income earners, disadvantaged or require social assistance. Dr Balakrishnan — who has been the MCYS minister for the past 7 years — also dismissed claims that his ministry tightens its belt when it comes to public assistance schemes, saying that the handout rate is now S$400, compared to S$260 in the past. "So this is not a stingy government. People said your public assistance rate is only S$400. Well I remind you that when I first became the minister for MCYS, it was only S$260. I have increased it steadily to S$400 but even S$400 is only the cash allowance. "If you actually ask a person who is on public assistance in Singapore and you compare this person with someone in America or UK or anywhere else in the world, I can stand here confidently and tell you the Singaporean is better off," he told the estimated 2000-strong crowd. Dr Balakrishnan also highlighted that a family with two young children, for example, will be able receive S$1350 in cash. Apart from paying low rental fees for housing, such families will also receive free education for their children and healthcare services. "And that's why I need to remind all of you, that we do care for our people and we do look after our people. "We will make sure that no matter what happens to you — between the government, grassroots organisations, the community support — we will look after you, look after your parents, look after your children," he said. At the rally, the minister also addressed concerns of the rising costs of living, housing prices and employment. Touching on inflation, Dr Balakrishnan said that being a small country which imports commodities such as food and oil, Singapore is not able to determine and control global prices. "So understand this is not something that the PAP has done to our people but something that happens as a result of worldwide developments," he said. Dr Balakrishnan also echoed Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's comments that the most effective long-term solution to deal with rising costs is to raise salaries. But this, he said, should be done by ensuring that workers are able to obtain better jobs with higher productivity especially in a competitive globalised world. "Let us understand that there are deep, fundamental global forces at play and it is not a political conspiracy to make life tough for Singaporeans." He added that there are measures in place such as the Grow and Share package, GST rebates and ComCare to help Singaporeans tide over the rising costs. "All these are big transfers of money from the government to the people who have less. Why do we do this? We do this because the people need it and we do this because we care. And that's the point you need to understand, this is a caring government," he said. Minimum wage not the way Turning his attention to employment, Dr Balakrishnan said that while he agrees with the opposition's intention to raise salaries, the minimum wage policy as they have advocated is not the solution. "I agree with their (opposition) intention to raise people's wages, people should have higher wages. The question is how do you raise people's wages? The opposition way with minimum wage will cost higher unemployment." By simply raising wages, Dr Balakrishnan argued that if the company is not as competitive, it will close down, leading to unemployment. He added that the minimum wage will also not help those who are self-employed. Instead, the minister said that wages should rise in tandem with the skills and training of workers and pointed out PAP's Workfare solution which tops up wages of workers. "So the point I'm trying to tell you is beware of people who sell you 'koyok' that, apparently makes the pain go away but doesn't actually cure you." Before he ended his speech, Dr Balakrishnan cautioned voters not to be swayed by quick-fix solutions. "Do not take what we have now for granted. We now have a strong, booming economy, we have a growing population, we have confident international investors in Singapore. But so easily, these can go wrong and when it goes wrong, you're at risk." "We must be concerned about the future, about our children's future. And we must remember to teach them the right lessons and even as we fight this political battle, do not get taken in by populist measures that will do long-term harm to our children," he said. A total of 13 speakers delivered their speeches at the rally, including MPs Christopher De Souza, Teo Ho Pin, Liang Eng Hwa and guest speaker, Minister of State for MCYS Mrs Yu Foo Yee Shoon, who will be retiring from politics.

Comment from PAPAYA has become rotten 3 hours ago In the first place, PAPAYA should not be able to punish non-PAPAYA wards, bankrupt Opposition members, imprison challengers. If these are not injustices and abuses, what are? Yet PAPAYA can keep perpetuating such abuses and even laugh about it and threaten loud and clear. Why? How come PAPAYA can change constituency boundaries, change election laws, change CPF rules, change immigration policies, change housing, transport policies, and anything and everything. Why? It is because election after election, we voters have handed PAPAYA unchecked, absolute POWERS. We were bullied into “fearing the consequences” ! We were bullied into becoming scared to become a non-PAPAYA ward !! On May 7th, if voters continue to fear and do exactly what the bullies want us to do, then there is NO HOPE for all Singaporeans. If we continue to think only about our own constituency and upgrading, we will continue to hand PAPAYA Unchecked, Absolute POWERS. Next, they will flood all constituencies with PRs, and let them vote. PAPAYA’s grip on ABSOLUTE POWERS will become complete and IRREVERSIBLE ! ! ! On May 7, think of all Singaporeans as we vote. On May 7, it is NOW or NEVER !!! On May 7, think about all the great risks and sacrifices made by Opposition members. They would have stood up for nothing if we continue to cringe on bended knees !!! Comment from PAPAYA has become rotten 3 hours ago PAPAYA keeps saying that if voters vote Opposition, Singapore will suffer. Actually it is precisely under PAPAYA’s rule that most Singaporeans’ standard of living has been going downhill. It is not because we are not hardworking or qualified enough (PAPAYA wants us to believe it is our own fault). PAPAYA DELIBERATELY brings in floods of new citizens so that most citizens, old and new, become poorly-paid debt-ridden servants. PAPAYA DELIBERATELY makes housing and all costs high, so that vast majority of citizens, some faster some slower, slide downhill and remain as servants. To PAPAYA, it is best that all servants are REPLACEABLE. Meanwhile, the high costs and GSTs support the SUPER-HIGHLY PAID, ALL-POWERFUL, SELF-SERVING PAPAYA and the ELITE class that they had always wanted. On one hand, they said “we must keep wages competitive”, on the other hand, they said “we must pay Ministers well” ! Do not be fooled. These are PAPAYA’s DELIBERATE POLICIES. They DELIBERATELY want to depress wages. They DELIBERATELY want to make costs high and continually higher. They DELIBERATELY want to make citizens REPLACEABLE. To new citizens, Singaporeans’ fate today will be your fate 5-10 years from now. You are also REPLACEABLE by even newer citizens. On May 7, think of all Singaporeans as we vote. On May 7, it is NOW or NEVER !!

SDP’s Vincent Wijeysingha: Vote without FEAR By liyana | SingaporeScene – Tue, May 3, 2011 4:52 AM SGT Singapore Democratic Party's (SDP) Vincent Wijeysingha has called for voters of Holland-Bukit Timah GRC to 'turn on the light in the dark rooms of their mind and vote without fear'. Speaking at a rally on Monday, he gave the analogy of how someone would mistake a coil of rope for a snake in a dark room and run out of the room in fear. He said that all it took was to turn on the light to show that there is no snake in the room. Said the leader of SDP's Holland-Bukit Timah GRC 'A team', which comprises educator Michelle Lee and ex-civil servants Tan Jee Say and Dr Ang Yong Guan, "The PAP's threats are like the coil of rope in the dark room and that they are frightened Singaporeans will put the lights on and will see that their threats are harmless." "The Minister Mentor told us that we are economic digits. If you continue to believe in the fear in your hearts then you will continue to be an economic digit," he said. His comments addressed the concerns of Singaporeans who are afraid that if they vote for the opposition, their livelihood will be affected. Over the weekend, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew said that Singaporeans "will pay a price, the hard way" if they voted for the Opposition. Wijeysingha argued that the PAP has frightened Singaporeans into thinking that without them, the value of their lives will go down. "Mr Wong Kan Seng cannot keep one man in a high-security prison, he cannot monitor two million votes," he told the crowd. At the rally, ex-Internal Security Act (ISA) detainee Vincent Cheng, who is currently an SDP member but not running for elections, said that the ISA was PAP's tool to demolish the opposition and to put fear into Singaporeans' hearts. Cheng, together with 21 others that included current SDP candidate Teo Suh Leng, were captured and put into political prison without trial in 1987. The natural health practitioner said that as a social worker trying to organise disadvantaged communities to help themselves 24 years ago, the government accused him of being a central figure in the Marxist movement, something that he said he had no connection to at all. Wijeysingha's Holland-Bukit Timah teammate Dr Ang Yong Guan said that fear is also present because there is a lack of facts clearly communicated to the voters. To allay fears about civil servants not being able to vote for the opposition because they are afraid that their jobs might be affected, the former army colonel said,"The civil service is there to serve Singaporeans, and that the PAP is just a political party." He told those at the rally that if anything, he would be the first get into trouble since he was an ex-civil servant and he joined the opposition. To him, he has got everything to lose and nothing to gain. But for the voters, he said, "By voting for the opposition, you have everything to gain and nothing to lose." In his speech, Tan Jee Say, the other former civil servant in the team, refuted comments made by Labour chief Lim Swee Say, who said that the opposition will form a 'rojak' government. Tan said that many countries in the world like Thailand and the UK have 'rojak' governments, and the reason why they are becoming more popular is that society's interests have become too diverse to be represented by only one party. According to Tan, there are many other issues such as environmental protection and women's rights that different parties are able to focus on. "I love to eat rojak, it is a healthy salad from Singapore. Why is the PAP not proud of it and instead makes fun of rojak?" he said.

SPP outlines plans for S’pore, Bishan-Toa Payoh By Alicia Wong | SingaporeScene – Tue, May 3, 2011 4:27 AM SGT To help voters better understand the Singapore People's Party (SPP) and its plans, party candidates outlined their proposals for Singapore and Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC at their rally on Monday evening. Party candidate Jimmy Lee, a former government scholar and senior civil servant, raised two proposals to tackle income disparity. Speaking to a crowd of at least 7,000 at Bishan stadium, he called for public transport to be deregulated and for companies to justify why they need to hire foreign talent. By allowing Singaporeans to operate transport services plying direct routes between housing estates and workplaces, profits can be shared among many people, said Lee, who runs a business management consulting firm. Mainline public transport should also be run as a cooperative and surpluses earned should be used to subsidise the needy, he said. "We want to democratise the economy, let small players, let individuals, let many people have a piece of this economy," he added. Turning his attention to the issue of foreign talent, Lee said companies should show that they have tried all means to hire a Singaporean, before they employ a foreigner. This means every foreign talent import will have to be case by case, he acknowledged. "But we believe this is what's needed to be done to protect Singaporeans." Lee's teammate, Benjamin Pwee, another former government scholar and administrative officer, added that companies should also pay a 17.5 per cent flat tax on foreign employees and the money should be used to train Singaporean employees in the firm. With its S$2 million funding from a donor, the party is also looking into starting a micro-financing revolving loan for small businesses. Responding to voters' fears that the opposition could overturn the government, Pwee stressed that the party does not want to "sink the ship" but to strategically partner the ruling party. He noted, even if the opposition wins three GRCs and two SMCs, the ruling People's Action Party will continue to "drive the car". "If you even give the opposition parties 20, 25 per cent, 30, 33 per cent of the Parliament, we are grateful, we will serve you and this ship will still not sink," he stressed. Lee and Pwee are part of the SPP's Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC team, together with SPP chief Chiam See Tong, Mohamad Hamim Aliyas and Wilfred Leung. On Monday, Leung reassured voters that the estates will not fall apart if they voted for the opposition. With the S$130 million sinking fund in Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC, all cyclical and maintenance work will be carried out should SPP be voted in, he said. Initiatives such as the lift upgrading programme have already been planned and will not be stopped, he added. Leong, who served as Chiam's campaign manager in GE 2006, also promised that the team will hold two Meet the People sessions each week, if voted in. "I assure you, everything will be fine," he said, adding that the party will also consult with residents to find out their needs before embarking on any five-year plan. Chiam, who arrived at the rally to loud cheers at about 8.30pm with his wife Lina Chiam, was the last speaker of the night. He highlighted the process of rejuvenation the SPP is undergoing and likened the fresh faces in his party to "new shoots and flowers" that grow during spring. Calling for support for the party candidates, Chiam urged voters to "show courage" on Polling Day, which is on 7 May. He said, "I have stood in seven elections and won them all, and have not got into trouble. And the people who voted for me, also did not get into trouble."

COMMENTS from Criticise 22 hours ago '"It would be a rojak government coming up with rojak policies. The government would a big bowl of rojak," he said to laughs and cheers from the audience of spectators, some of whom had followed him from the NTUC May Day celebrations at the Indoor stadium earlier in the afternoon.' Mr Lim, even with your PAP in power, the policies churned out are already rojak policies, and a foul-tasting bowl of rojak at that which gave us a tummy ache. 'He said in Mandarin, "Singapore is no ordinary bus -- in fact, it is an airbus. And if a co-driver of this airbus were to slap the driver simply because he doesn't like the driver, and if it were flying, the plane would certainly fall from the sky." Mr Lim, I suppose you're either no airline pilot or simply you're being selective in using the airliner analo----. There are always two sets of controls aboard the airliner, with the pilot having one and co-pilot having the other. Remember MM Lee said we've no autopilot, so now, the onus is on the two pilots. We cannot be sure if the pilot is always up the mark. That's why the airlines going by safety regulations will put two pilots in the cockpit. Look here, Mr Lim, this airliner is Singapore and we people are the passengers. If the pilot PAP gets disoriented then do we all die with pilot in the crash? Surely, since there's no autopilot, the co-pilot oppies has to step in to helm the plane to save the airliner. We people of Singapore does not want to die with PAP just because you helm the plane anyhow and risks an airplane crash. A co-pilot is a better safeguard against such an emergency more so than the air travel insurances we buy. Mr Lim, your analo---- of airliner is distorted and reflects your very scant basic knowledge of how an airliner works. Please try harder before you become another pile of jokes. '51-year-old salesperson Gina Lim, who travelled to Bedok stadium from her home in Jurong East, said she has attended every PAP rally that she can make it for. "I don't need to attend any opposition rallies; what I read in the newspaper and watch on TV is sufficient to show me that they are like gangsters," she said.' Well, then, if everyone thinks in such a shallow manner, perhaps we need to remind everyone here that PAP is probably worse than gangsters. They're just a bunch of mafias in disguise who suck our monies and if we don't continue to maintain their upkeep, they threaten us and our well-being. Sounds familiar? Please vote wisely, vote for more alternative voices.

Opposition will form ‘ROJAK’ Government: Lim Swee Say By Jeanette Tan | SingaporeScene – Mon, May 2, 2011 9:59 AM SGT If the People's Action Party (PAP) loses its majority in parliament in the coming election, Singapore's government will become like a big bowl of rojak, says Manpower Minister Lim Swee Say. Speaking at the PAP rally at Bedok stadium on Sunday, the leader of PAP's East Coast GRC team told the estimated 3,000-strong crowd that Singapore would become direction-less should the Opposition one day win the majority of seats in Parliament. Referring to the Malay mixed salad dish, Minister Lim said, "This would be something like a plate of rojak, where parties simply put their pet projects onto the table, without a single direction for Singapore." "It would be a rojak government coming up with rojak policies. The government would a big bowl of rojak," he said to laughs and cheers from the audience of spectators, some of whom had followed him from the NTUC May Day celebrations at the Indoor stadium earlier in the afternoon. Lim, who is secretary-general of the National Trade Union Congress, also joked to the would only be willing to give up his leadership of NTUC, as well as his seat at East Coast GRC, to someone who is "younger, smarter, and better looking" than him. "So far, looking at the opposition camp, I haven't found a better, younger Lim Swee Say yet," he added, tongue-in-cheek. During the three-hour rally, Transport Minister Raymond Lim also took aim at Workers' Party chief Low Thia Khiang's concept of co-driving. He said in Mandarin, "Singapore is no ordinary bus -- in fact, it is an airbus. And if a co-driver of this airbus were to slap the driver simply because he doesn't like the driver, and if it were flying, the plane would certainly fall from the sky." He then asked the crowd if they wanted a government like that, to a resounding "No!" from ardent supporters. Other speakers who were present at the rally that night included Senior Minister S. Jayakumar -- who highlighted the need for a "first world governance", instead of a "first world parliament" -- and speaker of Parliament Abdullah Tamugi, who told the crowd about the parliamentary system in Singapore. "Our MPs (members of parliament) are as rigorous as in any other parliament," he said. "In fact, I am more lenient to opposition MPs in terms of speaking time than I am to my own MPs," he added. For some East Coast residents, though, the comparison between the PAP rally and the Workers' Party one held at the same location the night before, was telling. Many residents Yahoo! Singapore spoke to said that the atmosphere at the Workers' Party rally was much more lively, and there were many more attendees. However, many were still ardent supports of the PAP. 51-year-old salesperson Gina Lim, who travelled to Bedok stadium from her home in Jurong East, said she has attended every PAP rally that she can make it for. "I don't need to attend any opposition rallies; what I read in the newspaper and watch on TV is sufficient to show me that they are like gangsters," she said. 70-year-old retiree S. Pillai was a Buona Vista resident who travelled to Bedok to support Lim Swee Say at the rally. "He's (Lim) been very good to us, and he looked after us and the constituency very well--that's why I still come here to support him," he said. Graduating student Wu Shi'en, 25, felt that the presence of heavyweights such as Prof Jayakumar and Abdullah Tarmugi also added credibility to the speeches, compared to WP speeches the night before. "Tonight's rally was more down to earth, with less fluff and more substance. The WP yesterday tended to play on human emotions without tackling innate issues," he said.

Give the PAP a wake-up call: WPs Sylvia Lim By Jeanette Tan | SingaporeScene 20 minutes ago Workers' Party chairman Sylvia Lim has called on voters to give the ruling People's Action Party a "wake up call" in this General Elections. Referring to the aftermath of the 1991 GE, when the PAP was "stunned" after losing four seats in Parliament, she said, "What happened after 1991... showed that the PAP takes election results very seriously. Poor election results... improve your life." Speaking before an estimated 12,000 people at a rally in Moulmein-Kallang GRC rally on Monday night, she added, "If you vote for the opposition, the PAP will wake up and take concrete steps to address your concerns." Besides the four seats lost in 1991, the PAP's overall share majority dropped to 61 per cent -- its worst electoral showing since independence. The results led to the PAP to form a cost review committee to study concerns about the rising cost of living, Lim added. Lim, who is part of WP's A team that is contesting the hotseat of Aljunied GRC, went on to say, "If you vote for the PAP and give them a high mandate, the PAP will take you for granted and ignore your concerns." Spirits and emotions ran high as the crowd erupted into a flurry of waving flags, clappers and whistles at every … At the same rally, WP secretary-general Low Thia Khiang also called for a change in the Constitution so that all male election candidates would have to serve National Service first before being eligible for election. Without naming any names, Low said the PAP should not field a candidate "who just became a new citizen without serving National Service." It's been reported that PAP new face Janil Puthucheary, 38, only became a citizen in 2008 and has not gone through NS. Low said even his party's star candidate, Taiwan-born Chen Show Mao, had served NS before taking up citizenship in 1986. He said, "This is only fair to us. We have all done national service, including myself, including Chen Show Mao!" to loud cheers and applause from the crowd. Low also picked up on his argument that the PAP government was abusing its power by employing public organisations such as HDB residents' committees (RCs) and the People's Association to assist them in their election activities. He shared an example of an Aljunied resident who told him that his RC chairperson had contacted him to inform him of the details of a PAP rally to be held that evening. He asked the crowd, "Why is the RC promoting the PAP rally?" to shouts of "Keylong!" from the audience. Low also shared that he had posed a question about the opposition's inability to build branch offices in parliament, asking why he had to sit at an HDB void deck to conduct Meet the People Sessions for the past 20 years. Mao, who also took to the stage to a standing ovation, questioned the discrepancy between the growth in Singapores' economy over the past year (14.5%) and the rise in median income (3%), asking why average income was only half of GDP per capita, and where the other half had gone. Chen also struck out at the rising retirement age, citing Minister in the Prime Minister's office Lim Boon Heng's comment that it may rise to 68 soon. Saying "man cannot live by GDP alone", the top corporate lawyer pointed out that while inflation for the year is nearing 5%, interest rates in CPF accounts remains at 2.5%, asking the crowd if it was a rate that provided good returns that were sufficient for retiring at age 62. Touching on the issue of foreign talent in Singapore, he said, "It's tough for the rest of us," he said. "The goal post keeps getting moved back, and we have to keep dribbling past young foreign players trying to take the ball away." Referring to Minister for Trade and Industry Lim Hng Kiang's earlier comment that keeping foreigners to one-third of the population is "a severe limitation", Mao asked the crowd: "Did he ask you if one-third is the right number? Why not one-quarter? One fifth?" To the crowd's loud bellows of "NO!", he said: "Perhaps we should send someone to parliament to ask him." Many in the audience felt WP's rally speeches resonated with them. Ms Tay, a Bishan resident in her 40s, told Yahoo! Singapore, I agree that CPF is an issue, as is housing, and its very true -- where did the other 11.5% go? I just came to listen to them speak. Sylvia Lim is very good and relevant, and so is Chen Show Mao. Married couple Michael, 34, scheduler and Lina Chan, 33, an oil and gas buyer, also travelled down from their home in Woodlands to listen to what WP had to say. Their verdict? Most of the proposals tabled are very feasible in the near future,' said Michael. "The atmosphere was very good, very exciting. We wanted to come to listen to them talk, to hear another perspective, because were both used to thinking that the PAP is the one we should vote. I now think otherwise, said Lina. Chimed in Catherine Yeo, 42, an East Coast GRC resident who arrived at the rally two hour early to stake out a front-row seat, "The topics that the WP candidates touch on are Singaporean voices. They are real and I support them.

Reform Party hits out at Mah Bow Tan By ewenboey | SingaporeScene Tue, May 3, 2011 3:52 AM SGT Housing will always be a make-or-break issue. Reform Party (RP) candidate Frankie Low made this point at the party's rally on Monday evening, slamming Minister for National Development Mah Bow Tan's remarks that housing will not be a make-or-break issue at the General Election. "How is housing not a make-or-break issue? HDB should be for Singaporeans. Many Singaporeans are not able to retire because their CPF is tied up in HDB loan," he said. The RP West Coast GRC candidate was not the only one who spoke on the issue of housing policies, which was the dominant topic of the night at West Coast Park, where an estimated 2,000 people gathered. Low's teammate Ho Soak Harn stressed that single Singaporeans should not have housing restrictions imposed on them as they also contribute to the country. She suggested lowering the age requirement of 35 for single Singaporeans to buy their own HDB flats, and for the government to build smaller, cheaper units so that new flat owners with smaller families can pay off their housing loans in 15 years. Another candidate from the West Coast GRC team, Kumar Appavoo, added, "Cost of living is up, standard of living is down." Turning his attention to the battle of words between Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong and Singapore Democratic Party's Tan Jee Say, he said, "Our Prime Minister, Mr Lee said that the General Election should not be fought on personal issues, but Senior Minister Goh criticised his former principal private secretary Tan Jee Say." The largely-docile crowd cheered the loudest when RP secretary-general Kenneth Jeyaretnam took to the stage. "I do not need the fame...I am entering politics to not make "democracy" a dirty word in Singapore," he said. "As an economist, if I am in Parliament, I can debate the national issues. It was the Reform Party that first pointed out that the economic growth record of which the PAP are so proud is actually hollow," he added. Some people Yahoo! Singapore spoke to said that they were glad that the party raised bread and butter issues at the rally. "The issues the candidates brought up were legitimate, and I'm glad Singapore has credible opposition to challenge the PAP policies which has made life hard for us," said 43-year-old landscaper, Roger Chew. "I knew Kenneth's father when I was a volunteer in Anson more than 20 years ago. It's true that he's not the best speaker, but he has the perseverance of JBJ and his intentions are well. He is definitely qualified to help Singapore manage her reserves," said 65-year-old retiree Paul Yeo. However, undergraduate Low Wee Kiat, 24, was a little sceptical of the party's intentions. "They criticised a lot of PAP policies, but it is easy to make promises at rallies. When the time comes, will they be able to carry out those promises?"

SDP’s manifesto dangerous: PAP’s De Souza By farism | SingaporeScene – Tue, May 3, 2011 5:17 AM SGT The People's Action Party's (PAP) Holland-Bukit Timah GRC candidate Christopher De Souza has called the Singapore Democratic Party's (SDP) manifesto proposals "dangerous". In his rally speech to an estimated 2000-strong crowd for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC and Bukit Panjang SMC on Monday evening, he said, "The SDP manifesto launched very late in the day is a rushed patchwork of ideas. Lose at its core, unviable in its implementation, dangerous to residents of Holland-Bukit Timah, across the board. "There are disconnects within the manifesto, not minor ones (but) major ones, major consequences, dangerous," he added. The incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) and lawyer took issue with SDP's proposal to increase personal income taxes to the 30 per cent mark for higher-income earners. "Did you know that the SDP wants to raise personal income tax to about 30 per cent?" he said, with the crowd responding with boos. De Souza argued that it would be unfair to tax higher-income earners, citing young families in his ward who not only live but invest in the private properties as a nest egg. "Many of the new condominium dwellers are young families investing in a private property as a nest egg and SDP wants to raise personal income tax to about 30 per cent, not by a small margin but by a fairly large margin," he said. He added that there is also a "disconnect" in wanting to increase income tax, supposedly to assist the poor as the SDP's proposal to divert the country's economy away from the manufacturing industry to a services sector would affect almost 500,000 blue-collar workers. "The SDP wants to increase the tax of the higher wage earners which will seriously affect the financial planning of this group of my residents. "But in the same breath, it also seeks to detrimentally affect the jobs of my blue-collar worker friends and residents who live in the HDB heartlands and they want to do so by dismantling Singapore's manufacturing sector," said De Souza. His comments come after SDP's candidate Tan Jee Say proposed in his 46-page working paper titled 'Creating Jobs and Enterprises in a New Singapore Economy' that Singapore move away from the manufacturing sector to a "full-fledged integrated services hub for the region". "Politics is about service, it's about applying heart and mind together. To assess, to understand, to deliberate what is in the best interests of our residents and Singaporeans. I consider it a scared duty. "The last 5 years have not been easy, the MPs, my fellow MPs in this team have been on the frontline, witnessing, dealing, understanding, responding to the worst financial crisis since the great depression. "We were on the ground, we were not giving speeches, rhetoric, high falutin ideas, no. We were banding together and overcoming one of the greatest economic obstacles the world has seen, and Singapore has seen," said De Souza. Meanwhile, his Holland-Bukit Timah GRC teammate Liang Eng Hwa also took a swipe at SDP, calling them to unveil plans for the constituency. Speaking at the rally, he said, "When I entertain the thought that (the) SDP team assembled two days before Nomination Day, and who are not interested in communicating with you face to face at your doorstep to understand your concerns, is to run this place, how will this town be like?" He also questioned whether the SDP team truly understands the sentiments and needs of the residents or are they using the constituency as a stepping stone "to make more noises in Parliament". "If they get in, there are no local plans for this town, simply because they did not bother to find out your needs and they have anyway a different focus. "This thought and these dreadful scenarios spur me to work very hard for this campaign because we owe it to our residents here, to build a better and secured home. "It is our responsibility and I will fight every ounce of my energy that I have, to make sure that our homes are secured and getting better. We are the team that feels strongly and emotionally attached to this place and we really want to make a difference here," he said. The PAP rally saw 13 speakers delivered their speeches including "new face" Sim Ann who is part of the party's Holland-Bukit Timah team and guest speaker, Minister of State for the Ministry for Community Development, Youth and Sports, Mrs Yu Foo Yee Shoon, who will be retiring from politics. Dr Vivian Balakrishnan also addressed three key issues — costs of living, jobs and housing prices, and urged voters not to go for quick-fix solutions as proposed by the opposition parties.

Nicole Seah apologises for MM’s Malay integration Comments By Fann Sim | SingaporeScene – Tue, May 3, 2011 3:08 AM SGT National Solidarity Party (NSP) candidate Nicole Seah delivered a surprise apology to the Singapore Muslim community when she apologised for the comments made by Minister Mentor (MM) Lee Kuan Yew in his book, Hard Truths to Keep Singapore Going. In her rally speech to an estimated crowd of 15,000 at Mountbatten on Monday evening, the 24-year-old said, "On behalf of the Chinese Singaporeans, I would like to apologise to the Muslim community for the comments that MM Lee made." In his recently published book, MM Lee suggested that Singaporean Muslims should be less strict in their Islamic observances in order to integrate better into the society. However, he later issued a statement and said that he stands corrected on how well-integrated Malay-Muslims are in Singapore. Seah, who is part of the NSP team contesting in Marine Parade GRC, also addressed the crowd in Bahasa Melayu, touching on the concerns of the Malays. "I would like you to know that my hopes are for us to progress as one Singaporean regardless of race or religion. I would like to build a community where no one gets left behind." Seah's words had one of her Facebook followers, Alfian Sa'at, posting a thank you note on her page. He wrote: "As Malay voter, I wanted to thank you for apologising for MM's remarks although it's not something you have to do. I keep telling my Malay friends that throughout Parliamentary history, the ones who really spoke up for the Malay minority were opposition MPs such as Chiam See Tong." Seah also touched on the general anger at foreigners in Singapore, saying it may have been "misdirected". She said that the influx of foreigners should not be blamed for Singaporeans' stagnant wages, packed MRT trains and ballooning housing prices. "No my friends, the real target of our anger is the PAP government," she said, to a thunderous round of applause. Seah criticised the government's policies for allowing foreigners into Singapore which led to a variety of problems. The advertising executive also shared the policies she champion when elected. She intends to review industries on a case-by-case basis and will continue to allow work permits for foreigners in industries that are unpopular among Singaporeans. She also plans to review the foreign worker levy to encourage businesses to hire Singaporeans. On a lighter note in her speech, Seah joked that supporters in orange were forbidden from using the toilets at the nearby Mountbatten Community Club. Taking a jibe at the People's Action Party, she said, "I wonder if it was a PAP rally, would they have let us in." However, there was some drama near the rally when a car with an NSP flag was found vandalised with white paint. Photos of the car has gone viral, with netizens speculating that the culprit could have been supporters from the "other" party.

COMMENTS from Darkest Knight 5 hours ago No disrespect to the MM, but frankly speaking he has not been saying too many bright things recently. the comments in hard truths were totally uncalled for. and if my memory serves me right, the GRC was precisely set up to allow minority representation in the parliament. why is it then that malays feel that mr chiam see tong is the one championing their cause? then, what's the point of keeping GRC?! even if u let this past, what abt the more recent comments threatening aljunied voters that they will need to REPENT for voting the opposition in. that's like saying, vote for PAP, all end up in heaven, vote for opposition, all ready to be condemned in hell. come on, the election is already so kelong. the GRC set-up, your re-zoning, your election dept over-riding the misrep that Dr Vincent has writely pointed out and of course the all-powerful media, all these are within your control. you even have to ban my account from placing any more comments after i have been so critical of govt's policies. with so many tools in place, you will think that the PAP has no problem squashing the opposition like a bug. then, why will u go and threaten the good people of aljunied? u see, while u so desperately try to rid the parliament of ALL opposition members, the opposition members are more gracious and kind. they are calling out, "president george yeo, president george yeo". 80 out of 82 seats no kick, now u want 87 out of 87 seats? seemed that PAP is addicted to power, that's why i feel an immediate rehab program is necessary! u see, why is is it i feel that PAP has completely lost the plot. they feel that aljunied is the ONLY hot spot and that's why they have sent in so many reinforcement. u think bt timah GRC not hot spot? the help from vivian for less fortunate families is pathetic, yet we are so "generous" with IOG spending, u think vivian does not have to explain this? ever since chok tong wife commented on the $600k peanut, he has been saying wrong things one after another. we didn't take it well with his tongue in cheek comment abt TPL, and now he has shown his ungratefulness by claming that Mr Tan was not a good secretary! with him and TPL in marine parade, u think that is not a hot spot? and of course our father of the opposition - Mr Chiam leading his team against MBT in Toa payoh. you claimed that our birth rate is low, so u need more immigrants.but how r we ever to start a family when a HDB flat costs so much? u start a family by squeezing with your parents?! so many hotspots, yet all attention only for aljunied. don't be shock on 7 may, when you find your rojak now has much much more ingredients in it. the simple reason is we LOVE ROJAK, but we r SICK of seeing so many CHINESE TURNIPS in it!

Aljunied Voters will regret choosing WP: MM LEE By Jeffrey Oon | Yahoo! Newsroom – Sat, Apr 30, 2011 11:49 AM SGT Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew has warned Singaporeans, especially those in Aljunied GRC, they will "pay a price, the hard way" if they vote for the Opposition. Speaking to reporters during a visit to Tampines on Friday night, MM Lee said, "If Aljunied decides to go that way, well Aljunied has five years to live and repent." The 87-year-old warned voters they would have to live with the choice they make come Polling Day on Saturday. "It may well happen that they win, in which case the people of Aljunied live with the results," he was quoted as saying on The Straits Times. "The only way people learn is when they have to pay a price. From time to time we may lose, and the voters pay the price, " he said. He further cautioned, "If Singaporeans are that fickle, they will have to pay a price, the hard way." He highlighted the example of opposition-held ward Hougang where, "If you have the wrong government, your property prices go right down. Ask why in Hougang the property is not as high as their neighbours." The high-powered 'A' team from the Workers's Party contesting the Aljunied hotspot consists of former Hougang MP Low Thia Khiang, former NCMP Sylvia Lim, the party's "star catch" Chen Show Mao as well as family counsellor Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap and post-graduate law student Pritam Singh. They will be up against the incumbent PAP team fronted by Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Lim Hwee Hua, Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Zainul Abidin Rasheed, Madam Cynthia Phua and new face Ong Ye Kung, an assistant secretary-general of NTUC . MM Lee also urged Aljunied voters to look at the track record of the different candidates. "Do you want a capable team that can look after your interests, or do you want a team with little track record?" he said. "At the end of the day, if you are in Aljunied, ask yourself: Do you want one MP, one Non-Constituency MP, one celebrity who has been away 30 years, and two unknowns to look after you?" Or, he asked if voters would prefer two ministers, one potential Parliament Secretary, one potential Speaker of Parliament and one grassroots MP? Cautioning voters against "trying their luck" when the value of their property and livelihood was on the line, MM Lee said, "Just think. Five years, they're in charge of your property and your lives... If you like to try your luck, well good luck to you. But I guarantee you, you will not do better than the PAP candidates." MM Lee, whose own Tanjong Pagar GRC went uncontested, went on to question the WP slogan of "Towards A First World Parliament." "Do you want a first world government or you want a first world opposition?" he asked. "And is this a first world opposition? Can they compare themselves to the senators in the US congress?... If you want a third world or even a second world opposition to come and create a bit of excitement, well that's your choice," he said. "But I do not consider them a first world opposition. I do not want to degrade them but you just look at their track record."

PM Lee: Gov't focused on tackling COST OF LIVING By Alicia Wong | SingaporeScene – Sun, May 1, 2011 7:10 PM SGT Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong says the best long-term response to the higher cost of living is to ensure that workers have jobs and enjoy a steady increase in wages. Addressing an issue that's top of Singaporeans' minds in his May Day Rally speech on Sunday, he acknowledged that in spite of measures such as the S$3.2 billion Grow & Share package, Singaporeans are still worried about the cost of living. "The government is very conscious of this and we will continue to focus on this," he was quoted as saying by Channel NewsAsia on Sunday. "And the ministers and I are personally very focused on this also, because we are very concerned that Singaporeans are worried and anxious and we want to be sure that whatever we can do, we will do." "So we are tracking very carefully what is happening elsewhere that can impact our prices and we are finding ways to buffer ourselves and to manage our domestic costs," he assured. In addition to the Grow & Share package, other short-term measures the government has introduced include keeping the Singapore dollar strong and targeting help to specific areas and groups. PM Lee was speaking to a gathering of 8,500 unionists, employers and government leaders at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. He pledged that the government would continue to use its successful formula to create growth, good jobs and steady increase in real wages for Singapore workers over the long-term. "This is what voters must ask any political party seeking their support -- how will they create growth and jobs for Singaporeans?" he added, according to The Straits Times. PM Lee also announced the setting up of a NTUC50 development fund, which will be used to build a three-generation membership base of 1 million and develop future generation leaders in the labour movement. In his Malay speech, PM Lee noted that the Malay-Muslim community is benefitting from Singapore's success. He said, Malay workers are doing well. Many have gone for upgrading and taken better-paying jobs. More Malay students are also going into university, while those in the polytechnics and Institutes of Technical Education are picking up strong technical skills. On Saturday, the Prime Minister also released his May Day message, where he dealt on the topic of politics. He said, politics in Singapore is not just about parties and elections. It is about "Singaporeans understanding what their future depends on, and supporting leaders who will work with them to secure their future". He noted, "Our politics have looked after the interest of workers". It is also about "upholding key institutions like the tripartite partners, so that we are resilient when confronted by challenges, and emerge from crises tougher and more united," said PM Lee. While he cautioned of "storm clouds" on the horizon, such as economic troubles in the European Union, Japan's tsunami and nuclear crisis as well as the upheaval in the Middle East, he expects Asia to remain stable and vibrant. However, the Prime Minister pointed out, "in the long term, how well Singapore does depends on our policies and politics." Singapore's success over many years due to a good government and good policies have led to better jobs and better lives, which in turn, consolidated support for good government and good policies, said PM Lee. "We have to keep this virtuous cycle going." The aim of growth is to raise Singaporeans' standards of living, and the government must "make a concerted effort" to allow all Singaporeans to benefit, he said. The most effective way to raise incomes is through upgrading skills and productivity, said PM Lee. The tripartite partners -- businesses, workers and government -- are focusing on this. 2011 marks 50 years of partnership between the People's Action Party and the labour movement, the National Trades Union Congress. Said PM Lee: "Let us continue working together to grow the economy, create more good jobs and secure a brighter future together for many years to come."