ELECTION DAY !!! Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̄&#8

[kueytoc]

Huge Uproar over PM LEE's Comments

By Faris Mokhtar | SingaporeScene Wed, Apr 6, 2011 2:19 PM SGT

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's open admission that PAP wards are favoured for HDB upgrading exercises has touched a raw nerve among netizens.

His admission came as a reply to a university student living in the Hougang Single-Member Constituency (SMC) ward who asked if he could pay less tax since the opposition-held ward does not enjoy upgrading programmes.

Since this story was first posted, reaction has been swift with over 1,500 Facebook shares and 150 comments. The majority were highly critical of PM Lee's stand.

The highest-rated comment came from Yahoo! user Chia, who posted, "Upgrading is not delivered solely based on policies. It is driven by money from the reserves. The money comes from the people and not from PAP."

He added that, "It (upgrading) is a national building programme. A nation does not belong to any party but the people."

Another Yahoo! user, Davido, said, "I can't believe the PM said that, my only respect left for him is that he is candid enough to admit not all wards are treated equally."

User VKH was also appalled at the PM's comments.

He wrote, "I thought that as PM, he was there to represent ALL the people, without favour or preference. He is not the PM of just those he voted for, but for each and every Singapore citizen, including those who did not vote for him or his party... How can the PM say that if you vote for PAP, you get nice chocolate cake and coffee, but if you vote for other party you only get water and biscuit?"

The furious reaction comes a day after fourth-year engineering student Seah Yin Hwa asked PM Lee why residents living in Hougang SMC are penalised for picking "a 'Teochew nang' (dialect for Teochew person) who doesn't wear a white uniform"

When asked by PM Lee on how he was penalised, the 25-year-old Seah said, "When it comes to upgrading, what is being told to us is that we don't have the funds to actually go ahead with lift upgrading, as well as shelters to the bus stops. When I look across the road to Aljunied GRC, they have everything, " reported The Straits Times.

Paraphrasing the question posed, PM Lee said that what Mr Seah meant is why opposition wards are not treated at least as good, or maybe even better than the PAP wards.

PM Lee's reply was, "The answer is that there has to be a distinction. Because the PAP wards supported the Government and the policies which delivered these good things."

He said that while basic goods such roads, transportation, housing, healthcare and defence apply to Singaporeans, the extras which come down to the upgrading programmes is a national programme.

"Between the people who voted and supported the programme and the government, and the people who didn't, I think if we went and put yours before the PAP constituencies, it would be an injustice," PM Lee told the 1,200 students who were attending a Ministerial Forum organised by the National University of Singapore (NUS) Students' Political Association. .

In response to PM Lee, Seah cheekily asked if he could pay less tax and maybe "take one or two years off my NS?", which drew laughter and applause from the audience.

But PM Lee said that this is not possible because the SAF, defence, taxes and all the facilities which have been provided, are enjoyed by every Singaporean.

Rounding off his reply, PM Lee said, "But you can do something about it, you know. You don't have to keep voting for people not in white-on-white."

PM Lee explains ministerial salaries

The contentious issue of ministerial salaries was also discussed at the forum after a Nanyang Technological University (NTU) accountancy student brought it up, comparing the salaries of leaders from Singapore and the United States.

"The US president is actually paid less than a Cabinet minister in Singapore. I'm sure we agree his job is a lot tougher than our Cabinet ministers," said the student.

In his response, PM Lee said that US President Barack Obama may be earning less than a Singaporean minister, but the American system is not without its flaws.

For example, he highlighted that the US had different ways of rewarding its presidents and that the low salary of the president had suppressed salaries down the line.

Explaining his first point, PM Lee said that former US presidents are involved in money-spinning book and lecture tours after they step down.

"Retired US presidents go on book tours, they write books, they are paid US$10 million (S$13 million) advance, they get somebody to help them write a tome and they make a lecture tour…Every lecture (by former president) Bill Clinton: US$100,000 to US$200,000 for half an hour.

"That's the system. I think that's not a good system for us. We don't want ministers to retire and go on lecture tours."

Touching on his second point, PM Lee said the low salary of US presidents adversely impacted the rest of the civil service down the line.

"Because the president's pay being set at a level which is not quite right, all the rest of the civil service and government pay in the US system has to take dressing from there and come down…and come down," he said.

PM Lee stressed that Singapore's ministerial pay structure was one that works.

But when asked if salaries should still be pegged to the private sector given the many candidates taken from the civil service and unions, he replied, "The reason I can get good people from the Government and the unions is that I have a pay system which is working properly.

"People do not enter politics to get rich but neither will they enter politics and as a result, they and their family will become poor."

He added, "It is something which is not easy to accept emotionally but is the right thing for Singapore. If you want the system to work for the long term, you must be honest about it. What do I pay for? I pay for the importance of the job and how difficult it is to do."

[kueytoc]

PAP should stop ‘belittling’ Opposition: CHIAM

By Faris Mokhtar | SingaporeScene – 1 hour 43 minutes ago

Veteran opposition Member of Parliament Chiam See Tong has called on Singapore's ruling People's Action Party (PAP) to stop "belittling" the opposition.

Speaking at his Meet-the-People Session (MPS) at Potong Pasir on Thursday, the 76-year-old said, "Ever since the PAP got into power, they have always been belittling the opposition."

“I think we have about enough men in the opposition to field two A-teams. They (PAP) always think that they have the monopoly of talent, but I think it's incorrect.”

Chiam who is the secretary-general of the Singapore's People Party (SPP) was referring to recent statements made by PM Lee Hsien Loong that a two-party system is "not workable" because there is simply not enough talent to have two top "A-teams" govern Singapore.

"In case something happens to the so-called PAP 'A-team', what will Singapore be left with? We will be left in a lurch and sometimes it is too late to assemble another 'A-team'," Chiam added.

Turning to the General Election, which is expected to be held soon, Chiam shot down suggestions that his party, the Singapore People's Party, tie up with the National Solidarity Party (NSP).

Chiam, who will be contesting the Bishan-Toa Payoh group representation constituency (GRC) said, "We have our own team."

The MP also said the SPP is set to unveil a "big surprise" this coming Sunday, when it is expected to reveal its line-up of candidates that will challenge the PAP team led by Ministers Wong Kang Seng and Ng Eng Hen.

Yahoo! Singapore understands that the "big surprise" refers to the introduction of two potential candidates who are currently based overseas. A party source said that the two men had been courted by the PAP before but turned the ruling party down.

Other potential candidates who may be fielded include 38-year-old Juliana Juwahir, a member of the party's woman wing committee, as well as SPP's first assistant secretary-general, Wilfred Leung.

'Positive feedback on Lina'

While Chiam will be running in Bishan-Toa Payoh, his wife, Lina Chiam, 62, will be going up against PAP's likely candidate Seetoh Yi-Pin in Potong Pasir.

While the latter has lost in the last two elections, the margin won by MP Chiam hovered around the "just pass" mark of 55 percent, perhaps a sign of his diminishing influence.

When asked whether the statistics bothered him, Chiam simply said, "To me a win is a win. The main thing in an election is a win, whether it's by 2 per cent or 3 percent or whatever. As long as you win, it's good enough. I am not worried about the percentages."

On the other hand, the opposition stalwart said that he is encouraged by the positive feedback given by the residents about his wife standing in as a candidate.

"The feedback has been very good and I am very encouraged by the feedback. The feedback has been very consistent, up till today. Everywhere we go we are welcomed with open arms," said Chiam, who has been the MP of the single-member ward since 1984.

His wife, who was also at the MPS session, told Yahoo! Singapore, "I wouldn't want to rate my chances. I'm just trying my very best to campaign for this election. This is up to the people of Potong Pasir, it's up to them who they want to vote (for) and I respect their wishes."

"Having said that, I will try my very best to win their hearts and minds, that they should vote for me because I will be able to carry on the work of my husband," she said.

When asked on her thoughts of going up against Seetoh, Lina said that each of them have a different brand of politics but said that they shared a cordial relationship.

"Mr Seetoh and I are sociably very good friends, we have no quarrels, I wish him the best. Each one of us have our own brand of politicking and we will congratulate each other whoever wins".

[kueytoc]

I am my own person: Lina Chiam

By Alicia Wong | SingaporeScene – Thu, Mar 31, 2011 1:02 PM SGT

Her husband may be an icon for opposition politics, having helmed the Potong Pasir single-seat ward since 1984, and she may have worked alongside him all these years, but to some residents, she is still a 'new face' who will have to prove herself to win their vote in the coming General Election (GE).

Lina Chiam, 62, who will contest in Potong Pasir under the Singapore People's Party (SPP), recognises this.

Her husband, five-term Member of Parliament (MP) Chiam See Tong, 76, has expressed interest in contesting in the Bishan-Toa Payoh group representation constituency (GRC).

"It does help that you're Chiam See Tong's wife," she admits in an interview with Yahoo! Singapore. "But in the end, you still have to prove yourself, your brand of politics."

Chiam, who is the SPP's second vice-chairwoman, tries to do house visits up to four times each week: "(The) walkabout is important for me, because I need to let them see my face and who I am."

Contesting in Potong Pasir is not an act of "nepotism", she stresses. "I'm willing to serve, take care of the residents. It's not because of money or power or prestige."

She cites a multi-story carpark, fitness centres for seniors, a polyclinic and children's library as some amenities she will lobby for as an MP.

Chiam's brand of politics

To Chiam, "Politics is serving people, the interest of the country — economically, socially. I'm in opposition politics and I want to ensure (there is) democracy. It's very important and it must survive."

"I'm a woman so my working style might be more gentle, more motherly, more understanding," said the former nurse, comparing her working style to that of her husband.

Yet she also describes herself as a "very forthright" and "very strong-willed" person.

Drawing from her nursing experience, Chiam said,"Even my husband, when I'm taking care of him when he's sick, I have to be very strict with him, if not, they are being mollycoddled. They don't get well."

Addressing the news reports of disputes between the SPP and Singapore Democratic Alliance, Chiam reflected, "It's just one part of political life."

"It's just like a family, you have quarrels then you get back. We learn to be forgiving and compassionate and have graciousness."

However, she declined to comment on the relationship between the Chiams and Mr Chiam's former protegee Desmond Lim, who recently quit the party after a much publicised disagreement with the couple.

"I want to focus on the elections now and how to win the hearts and minds of my residents. I think that is past already," she said. "I believe all of us are able to have our own objectives and agenda, and move forward from there."

Why not retire?

In moving forward, some residents and observers have wondered if Mr Chiam should retire as the long-reigning MP for Potong Pasir, rather than contest in a GRC and possibly lose.

"If Singapore, by chance, had a lot of opposition members, I think my husband would have retired. As it is, he is already not that well," responded Chiam, referring to the mild stroke Mr Chiam suffered in 2008.

"But as you can see there is still two. ... So somebody has to take the sacrifice, who better to do (it) than my husband, who is a veteran," she said, adding that he is "mentally prepared" for the challenge.

She knows this will be "one of the toughest" elections the couple will face, since both are contesting, but she believes their years of election experience will help.

"Whether we win or not, we don't know," she said. But the risk is "worth it".

"At least my husband can say 'I've tried'.'"

[TayHongSiang]

you're a political reefer...but i am myself

[cedricang]

As the saying goes, "Politics are dirty", am sadden that it seems to me that such truth not only happens within the political arena but has resulted in sacrificing certain general public as a result.

I am truly very sad that our highly respected PM has now openly admitted about using his people's money to for his party very own supporters.

I think this is not right and will not goes well with many singaporeans.

If the money comes from his own party to reward his supporters, well and fine. But that's not the case.

May the voters send a clear message to such unjust disperity in this coming election.

May the system be cleanse with true and fair justice to the Singaporean people.

[TayHongSiang]

As the saying goes, "Politics are dirty", am sadden that it seems to me that such truth not only happens within the political arena but has resulted in sacrificing certain general public as a result.

I am truly very sad that our highly respected PM has now openly admitted about using his people's money to for his party very own supporters.

I think this is not right and will not goes well with many singaporeans.

If the money comes from his own party to reward his supporters, well and fine. But that's not the case.

May the voters send a clear message to such unjust disperity in this coming election.

May the system be cleanse with true and fair justice to the Singaporean people.

Same sentiments....I like yr perspective. I think SRC should have a thumbs up n thumbs down function...haha

[cedricang]

Thanks Siang for sharing the same sentiment towards our current pathetic political situation.

Frankly, I am sure many fellow Singaporeans agrees that our current government has done a lot of goods for our people. I am a great admirer of our nation founding father MM Lee, and equally important people like Mr Goh Keng Swee and many others who has built this nation to what it is right now.

whilst let's not dwell too much about the minister pay and the likes, i believe the government do has a good reason for keeping what works for this nation and ensure the vital core value is tightly guarded.

However, i have a strong feeling that certain part of our government seem to have detached from the ground. Think about the national pledge that we have long recited during our younger school days "We the citizen of Singapore, pledge ourselves as one united people...to build a democratic society, base on justice and equality..."

How then can we say about unity, when not all citizens are treated equally due to their differences in political inclination ?

How can we pride ourselves as a truly democratic society when our very own electoral system is not exactly one ?

How can we uphold justice and equality when our very own people who brave themselves to serve the nation in the form of opposition parties are not having a fair and level playing field ?

Yes, perhaps there is too much at stake as far as the ruling party is concern...and hence certain sacrifice must be made at the expense of such virtue to some extent. But is it really true that only PAP can produce the right candidate to propel Singapore forward, and that only PAP has the best answer for our economy in this world filled with uncertainty ?

Every election, I hear of messages which explicitly speaks of how impressive the PAP candidates and supremacy their policies are and how without them, the nation will surely goes downhill and the likes...No humility, no self-reflection. All that PAP could do is just to belittle the oppositions at best.

I am sadden that PAP thinks that the people are so afraid that what has been achieved will be gone without them in power. Unfortunately such fear seem to have certain degree of existence in the past and many have buy in such believe. Such fear has been further fuel by the so call upgrading program, taking our very own fellow people hostage in return for support.

If PAP thinks that our people are a mature bunch, such tatics should stop, as it will not work for them in the long term, such tactics will only build resentment and back fire. No one wants to be held hostage, that's for sure. I personally hold very high regards for the Potong Pasir and the Hougang people who has demonstrate such spirit.

The last thing we want is to be taken hostage or be treated as an idiot. No one likes that.

[Guest]

Same sentiments....I like yr perspective. I think SRC should have a thumbs up n thumbs down function...haha

Although there is no "Thumb up" or "Thum down" function, you can "like" the post by using the facebook function found at the bottom .

[skinbone]

If they want to have a level playing field, each constituency should have a fixed budget allocated before elections. The parties in contest will then put up their best proposals on how they can better the residents' lives with the budget. The residents can vote for the better proposal and the government must be committed to disburse the funds to the winning party ;no questions asked.

I would like to bring to your attention a book titled 'The Animal Farm'. I did that for literature and i feel there are lots of similarities. Almost like De ja Vue.

Story starts with animals on a farm terribly oppressed by human beings. They never have enough to eat and they are worked hard and deprived of rest. As soon as they are old and too weak to work, they are slaughtered. One day the animals revolt and throw out their human oppressors. The pigs(considered smartest of animals) take upon themselves to be the leaders of the animals.

It was all equal at first. Everyone works for the better of the farm and every animal has a equal share of the harvest. They then set the ten commandments and every animal is supposed to follow that.

Things change very quickly and the pigs(leaders) start to heap upon themselves luxuries and comfort that they are not supposed to. They soon live the ways of the human beings. They form propaganda teams that preach about a good retirement land for all those that worked hard for the farm. No such land exists. They set retirement age which is postponed again and again. The propaganda team uses the scare tactics. They tell the animals that human beings will come back if the pigs are not given the fullest support. When the pigs heap upon themselves luxuries, it is for the good of the farm .

They form police teams to scare and intimidate animals(non pigs) that appear smarter and seem to question their policies. They sabotage and run down the credibility of these smarter animals. If all else fails, exterminate the opponents.

Lots of other similarities.......please read the book at least once. I believe you will feel the same as me.

Animal Farm by George Owell.

[tunicate]

Wah...if words got out, this book will be banned on this island.

[kueytoc]

New WP candidate breaks down at unveiling

By Liyana Low | SingaporeScene – Sun, Apr 24, 2011 11:45 PM SGT

Worker's Party new candidate Watson Chong broke down during a press conference on Sunday, saying he was afraid joining the opposition would "bring his family down".

The 53-year-old aviation consultancy managing director said that his wife, 41, afraid of trouble caused by lawsuits, once threatened to divorce him after he joined WP in 2006. His father-in-law was also worried for his safety.

With two children aged 10 and 12, the MBA holder, who is likely to be fielded in Nee Soon, said, "It took a lot of courage for me to join because it's not about me, it's about my loved ones, and how they would suffer if I were to go down."

"My wife objected to it. Why is it so? Because of fear of getting involved in lawsuits and such things like this," he said.

He recounted how his father-in-law had questioned him and, with his voice breaking, said, "Watson, you know, you're a married man. You have two young children. Why don't you spend some time with them?"

After composing himself for a few seconds, Chong said, "If I fall, I will drag them down. I'm emotional not because of (my own fear). If I had fear I wouldn't have joined... but seeing my family go down with me makes me cry, you know? It's not about me, but my loved ones and how they would suffer."

Chong said his family had eventually come round to his decision. In fact, he even feels that with the increase in the number of qualified people joining the opposition, the political scene today has "progressed and matured."

But he remains cautious.

"We won't know... How hard is the lightning bolt going to be on me? We have some taste of it already with our Mr Chen (Show Mao)," he added.

However, unlike Chong's initial family fears about joining the opposition, the family of another new candidate Png Eng Huat, was very supportive of his plans.

In fact, the former Raffles Institution student, whose father was an ex-gambler, "Even my 10-year-old daughter went 'Vote for my dad!' and told her friends that her father was running for the elections."

Chong and Png -- who joined the Workers' Party after donating his growth dividend shares from the government to Low Thia Kiang in 2006-- were two out of the five new candidates who were unveiled at a press conference on Sunday.

The other three are Sajeev Kamalasanan, 41, Frieda Chen, 35, and Mohamad Fazli Bin Talip, 29.

Kamalasanan, who owns an interior design company, together with both Chong and Png, are the entrepreneurs in the group of five newcomers.

Chairman of the WP, Sylvia Lim, said that one of the reasons that the party was able to attract entrepreneurs was because they had more freedom with their time management.

Semi-retired businessman Png, who grew up as the youngest in a family of six, feels that having an entrepreneurial background helps in being more resourceful on the ground, especially when it comes to organising grassroots events without funding from the PA.

"We are actually able to have Hari Raya Puasa and Lantern Festival events through raising funds from donors," Png, who used to work as a cook in a Chinese restaurant during his student days in university.

Where businessmen are able to bring to the party their resourcefulness, Frieda Chen feels that her 15 years as a social worker has helped her in understanding the social problems faced by many families who fall through the gaps in the system.

On why she wanted to run as a candidate, she said, "Politics and social work are closely-knit. I've seen how government policies have affected families whom I've worked with, and I hope that future policies can get translated into practical help for these families."

[kueytoc]

WHITE SHIRT GOOD...RED SHIRT BETTER !!!

SDP, PAP clash over Mystery Video

By Faris Mokhtar | SingaporeScene Sun, Apr 24, 2011 10:11 PM SGT

A mystery YouTube video has become the centre of focus of a raging war of words between Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) Dr Vivian Balakrishnan and opposition candidate Dr Vincent Wijeysingha.

The amateur video, which Yahoo! Singapore has seen, revolves around a casual talk given by human rights lawyer M Ravi discussing Section 377A of the Penal Code, which criminalises sex between gays

It's shot in a casual setting with about 20 people in attendance. It was uploaded less than two weeks ago and has received about 5,000 views so far.

Halfway through the six-minute video, M Ravi calls on a person that looks and resembles like Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) candidate Dr Wijeysingha and introduces him by saying, "Introducing Singapore's first gay MP from the SDP..."

Without referring directly to the video in question on Saturday, Dr Balakrishnan said the SDP is "trying to suppress" the video and that it "raises awkward questions about the agenda and motivations of the SDP and its candidates."

However, during a Sunday press conference where the SDP unveiled its team for Holland-Bukit Timah group representation constituency (GRC), Dr Wijeysingha shot back and asked Dr Balakrishnan to specify which video he was referring to.

"I'm aware of several videos that have raised our party's agenda...I'm not sure what is the video you are referring to. We've been a very open party and we're very clear."

Dr Wijeyasingha, 40, who is the son of former Raffles Institution principal, Eugene, added that Dr Balakrishnan is "very, very rattled" by the challenge from his party.

On Saturday, Dr Balakrishnan had described SDP's candidates as "a team of strange bedfellows" and that the party was trying furiously but unsuccessfully to change its public image.

"If you look at the statements principally of Dr Vivian in the last few days, you would recognise that he is very, very rattled," said Dr Wijeysingha.

"The fact that a highly trained opthalmologist hides behind the newspaper and issues these comments shows a man running scared," said the civil society activist, who joined the SDP last July.

"Once our team was announced, he's gone into overdrive, but there's been nothing of a substantive policy nature about his criticisms," he added.

Dr Wijeyasingha said, "It's one of these little things he's dropping in the arena. He hasn't said how we've changed, he hasn't said what he sees as a change."

When asked by The New Paper about the video, Dr Wijeysingha declined comment.

However, at the same event, Dr Wijeysingha and his fellow SDP colleagues all pledged to donate half of their MP's allowance, if they're elected, to set up a fund for the needy. Based on the current monthly MP allowance of $13,000, that works out to about $6,500 per candidate.

Debate over minimum wage policy

Meanwhile, former civil service high-flier Tan Jee Say, 57, defended his suggestion of a minimum wage policy which was one of the issues discussed in his 46-page working paper that proposed new ideas for the economy.

This comes after Labour chief Lim Swee Say reiterated his stand of not implementing a minimum wage.

Speaking to media on Friday, Minister Lim said the minimum wage approach may be popular among Singaporeans, but could have serious implications on the country's economy.

When asked if the policy is more of a theory than realistically applicable, Tan argued that it has been practiced in other countries.

He cited Hong Kong as an example, where they are known to be economically competitive and have introduced a minimum wage system.

"Nothing in my paper is only theory, it is a good theory but it's the basis of implementation and I don't think a minimum wage law is theoretical stuff. It has been in practiced in other countries.

The former principal private secretary to Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong also suggested that Singapore should move towards a service-based economy, instead of emphasising on its manufacturing sector.

Both Minister Lim and Trade Minister Lim Hng Khiang have since criticised the paper.

Tan had earlier said that the extensive focus on the manufacturing industry has resulted in over-dependence on foreign workers, which has in return created other problems such as depressed wages for local workers.

In his argument, Minister Lim stressed on the need to maintain its manufacturing economy. He said, "Once you let go of the manufacturing sector for three to five years, there is zero chance that we can redevelop the industry again, because it is an industry that is globally highly-competitive."

Trade Minister Lim Hng Khiang also slammed Tan's suggestion, calling it unrealistic as the services sector will not drive the same level of growth as the manufacturing industry. He also underscored the need to have a diversified economy and not be too overly reliant on a single sector.

Responding to the criticisms, Tan said the objective of his working paper is to produce an alternative plan to propel the economy forward.

"The whole objective of my paper is to produce a plan, an economic plan, an alternative plan which will produce, create fulfilling jobs, creative enterprises of the future, not of the past.

"The ministers are harking back to the past. We are more interested in the future," he said.

Addressing the ruling party's concerns of a freak election, Dr Wijeyasingha said that the PAP's understanding of a freak result is when the returning candidates will serve the people of Singapore, instead of serving the interests of the PAP.

"When you have one particular group of people who are in power and they don't want the people to have their say in regular general elections, then a decision against the status quo is seen as a freak result," he added.

[kueytoc]

It’s about who can do better for S’pore: PM Lee

By Alicia Wong | SingaporeScene – Sun, Apr 24, 2011 7:51 PM SGT

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has urged voters to look beyond the arguments and debates that have ensued during the General Election (GE).

The GE, which will be held on 7 May, is about "who can do better for Singapore", said PM Lee, who was speaking at the Chong Boon Market and Food Centre 30th anniversary celebration on Sunday.

"Who can look after your future better and make this a place with more opportunities, with more secured lives, with more prosperous economy and with a more stable society for you and your children," he continued.

"It's worthwhile remembering, ultimately, it's not over who wins the argument," added PM Lee, pointing out that arguments and debate are "the nature of the contest".

"It is a matter of choosing and choosing wisely, and then having chosen, working with the leaders we have chosen to make it work for Singapore," he said.

"That's how we make Singapore what is it today ... and that's what we should do if we want to continue to thrive and prosper for years to come."

PM Lee pointed to the changes at Chong Boon over the last 30 years and the work of the market association in bringing about improvements, commenting on the favourable results for lift upgrading at blocks 446 to 453.

Such improvements, said the Prime Minster, came from years of consistent work, building up grassroots networks and government leaders who know what programmes Singaporeans need.

New People's Action Party candidate for Ang Mo Kio GRC Ang Hin Kee also announced two more improvements to the area this year.

Following the tragic accident where a Thai girl fell onto the tracks at Ang Mo Kio MRT station, safety screen doors will be installed in June, ahead of schedule.

SBS bus service 265, a loop service from Ang Mo Kio depot, will also make an additional stop at the bus interchange from next month, at the request of residents.

Fellow GRC candidate Inderjit Singh also said on Sunday that the PAP is "completely ready for a contest" even though stallholders have told him they have not seen any opposition party walking the ground around the market area.

"The ground (at Ang Mo Kio GRC) is very warm," he said, referring to residents' support of the PAP.

He advised voters to study in depth the proposals put forth by opposition parties and understand "what's the implication of some of these things".

Earlier on Sunday morning, PM Lee also launched the Community Sports Festival 2011, targeted to promote community bonding through sports, at the Yio Chu Kang Stadium.

[kueytoc]

GST will not go up in next 5 years: Finance Minister

By Ewen Boey | SingaporeScene – Sun, Apr 24, 2011 1:31 PM SGT

Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam has dispelled rumours of a goods and services (GST) hike after the General Election on 7 May.

Speaking to reporters, he said, "We have got a solid Budget, we have got a disciplined Budget, and there is absolutely no reason why we should raise the GST."

The MP for Jurong GRC added that "at least for five years there is absolutely no reason to raise the GST" so "let's put that rumour to rest".

Introduced in 1994, the GST is a broad-based consumption tax which started out at 3 percent, and is now set at 7 percent.

It contributed S$7.9 billion, or about 17 percent of tax revenue for the 2010 financial year.

This is not the first time the issue has been raised in recent months.

On 12 April, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, responding to a TV forum viewer's concern that the GST will increase after the elections, said, "I very much doubt that. Unless we go wild on our spending plans, then of course we will run out of money, and then you will have to raise the GST."

Workers' Party chief Low Thia Khiang called for GST to be reduced to 5 percent in the Budget debate last month.

At that time, Mr Tharman called it a "wrong solution", and added that the tax helps the government to fund various bursaries and grants -- workfare bursaries, housing grants, subsidies -- to help the lower- and middle-income groups.

Lowering the GST may mean taking away these initiatives, he said.

Opposition parties have also been discussing the issue of a GST raise.

In a video released last week, Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) leader Chee Soon Juan gave a speech in Hokkien and said that in no uncertain terms that "GST will go up after the elections", The Straits Times reported.

The National Solidarity Party (NSP), which has confirmed its contest in Jurong GRC, also called for a GST reduction in its election manifesto.

Mr Tharman explained that the tax should be seen in the context of workfare and other bursaries and subsidies that Singaporeans get.

"When you add up what the lower-income group has received after we raised the GST from 5 percent to 7 percent, the low-income group received S$5 back for every extra dollar they paid in GST," he said.

"So, the GST is actually a way in which we are helping the poor and helping the middle-income group as well, to some extent. It is actually a very fair scheme," he added.

While GST by itself is regressive, GST plus, which is the motivation for the GST here, is a highly progressive scheme, he said.

"It's a redistribution scheme where we collect a very significant amount of revenue. It is a very efficient tax, from a large base with the bulk of it coming from the high-end companies and foreigners, and we use it to subsidise the poor and to some extent the middle-income group."

However, he did not rule out a GST hike in the long-term future.

"I don't think any Finance Minister worth his salt will say that 10 or 20 years from now, whoever is the Finance Minister should not raise some tax. That will be completely irresponsible," he said.

[kueytoc]

Mah: WP’s Low is ‘MISCHIEVOUS’

By Alicia Wong | SingaporeScene – 2 hours 30 minutes ago

In the latest exchange of words between the People's Action Party and Workers' Party, National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan called WP chief Low Thia Khiang "mischievous" for saying the government has been guilty of raiding the reserves.

Speaking to reporters after a youth dialogue on the proposed Tampines Town Hub and the soft launch of the Tampines Eco Green Park on Sunday, Minister Mah said, "This is a very fiscally prudent government."

The government has only drawn from the reserves once, in 2009, during the worst economic crisis in Singapore, Minister Mah was quoted by mainstream media as saying.

Last week, the Minister said WP's proposal to lower flat prices by lowering the cost of land would amount to an "illegal raid" on the reserves.

In response, Low said that going by the same logic, the PAP has been guilty of taking from the reserves for years and using the Grow and Share package to please voters.

Minister Mah said on Sunday, however, that the package was completely funded by surpluses from the government. The government has also returned the S$4 billion it took from the reserves in 2009, even though it was not obliged to do so.

He pointed out, "I remember Mr Low himself commending the government for that. Yet now he is saying that we are actually using money from the reserves."

Adding that he is not targeting the WP but pointing out serious flaws in its proposals, the Minister said, the WP was able to make its proposals attractive to voters in the short term because it does not "seriously believe" it is going to form the government and would not have to implement all these policies.

[kueytoc]

I took responsibility for Mas Selamat Affair: DPM Wong

Yahoo! Newsroom – Mon, Apr 25, 2011 1:18 PM SGT

Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng says he's owned up and apologised for the escape of terror leader Mas Selamat Kastari.

Speaking to media on the sidelines of a community event on Sunday, DPM Wong said, "Of course, the first mistake cannot be obliterated; it was there, I owned up to it, as a minister I took responsibility for it -- that's the right thing to do."

He added, "There was a lapse in the security and I apologised for that and I said we would do everything to find him."

When asked if the issue would cost him votes and be a "fatal blow" to his re-election campaign, the PAP MP for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC said he hopes people would see the mistake in context over the work he has done throughout his career.

"I think people will look at that and see... based on that I've done here for the last 27 years; and is that one lapse by a department fatal to their decision on electing me or not?" he said.

Mas Selamat escaped from the Whitley Road Detention Centre in Onraet Road in February 2008 and was recaptured in Johore Bahru over a year later.

Dismissing a claim by veteran opposition leader Chiam See Tong that he had not fully explained how the terror leader had escaped, DPM Wong said he had given a full public account in Parliament of the Mas Selamat security lapse on April 21, 2008, when he was Home Affairs Minister.

"I spent one hour detailing what the committee of inquiry found and I spent the next two hours answering questions from all the MPs, for those interested in asking questions," he said.

The Minister also questioned why Mr Chiam -- who is expected to contest the Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC -- had only raised one question in Parliament on security lapses in the aftermath of Mas Selamat's escape.

DPM Wong also said that residents in the GRC had not mentioned the issue of Mas Selamat when he made his grassroots visits.

"Nobody raised a question of Mas Selamat in any of these visits," said the Minister, who stepped down and made way for Law Minister K Shanmugam to take over as Home Affairs Minister in November 2010.

Meanwhile Potong Pasir MP Chiam said the public still had not been given a full version of the Mas Selamat debacle.

The leader of the Singapore People's Party said on Saturday, "I remembered I asked only one question, but that question was not fully answered."

"I asked whether heads would roll over the issue of Mas Selamat. They didn't give us a good answer... We believe in accountability. I want the minister to account to the people of Bishan-Toa Payoh over why heads have not rolled."

[gchoo]

No Money Like You

[kueytoc]

FB fans turn up for NSP's Nicole Seah

RazorTV Mon, Apr 25, 2011

By Cheong Poh Kwan

SINGAPORE - The upcoming general election's youngest candidate made her first public appearance at the National Solidarity Party's (NSP) walkabout at Aljunied Avenue 2 on Sunday.

NSP announced the 24-year-old advertising executive's candidacy on April 21.

She visited two wards in Marine Parade GRC with her four team members. With the NSP team expected to stand there, Marine Parade GRC will see the first contest in 19 years. They will take on the People's Action Party team led by Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong.

Besides her team members for the Marine Parade GRC, Ms Seah also had the company of her parents, brother, boyfriend - who is also her elections manager - and around 10 Facebook fans during her walkabout.

These fans found out about the walkabout from Ms Seah's Facebook page and turned up dressed in orange to show their support.

Said entrepreneur Carl Chung: "I'm quite impressed by this girl's political convictions... The odds are against her, but the 15,000 likes on her FB page [are] for real."

[allantang]

As the saying goes, "Politics are dirty", am sadden that it seems to me that such truth not only happens within the political arena but has resulted in sacrificing certain general public as a result.

I am truly very sad that our highly respected PM has now openly admitted about using his people's money to for his party very own supporters.

I think this is not right and will not goes well with many singaporeans.

If the money comes from his own party to reward his supporters, well and fine. But that's not the case.

May the voters send a clear message to such unjust disperity in this coming election.

May the system be cleanse with true and fair justice to the Singaporean people.

yo, bro.. cheer up. nothing is fair on planet earth. anywhere u go is THE SAME. Put 2 person on a island, unfairness starts. Look at a family, who spends more $, husband or wife? Are we going to fight over it? The point is, will the gap be so huge that the disadv is badly affected.

Look at our neighbours, no need so far. just nearby. you will realised we are much much better off.

My only concern is the future for our children and I'm growing old. I would like to have a good gov like today that can secures the sing dollars and equal opportunites for my children education. If we vote a lousy gov, we will pay the price. And how can we face up to our children by our lousy decision. Our fore fathers gave us what we have today. We MUST pass it down if not make it better.

Vote for a lousy gov, you can be very sure you can kiss your CPF n saving good bye.

[TayHongSiang]

yo, bro.. cheer up. nothing is fair on planet earth. anywhere u go is THE SAME. Put 2 person on a island, unfairness starts. Look at a family, who spends more $, husband or wife? Are we going to fight over it? The point is, will the gap be so huge that the disadv is badly affected.

Look at our neighbours, no need so far. just nearby. you will realised we are much much better off.

My only concern is the future for our children and I'm growing old. I would like to have a good gov like today that can secures the sing dollars and equal opportunites for my children education. If we vote a lousy gov, we will pay the price. And how can we face up to our children by our lousy decision. Our fore fathers gave us what we have today. We MUST pass it down if not make it better.

Vote for a lousy gov, you can be very sure you can kiss your CPF n saving good bye.

i don't agree we are "much much better off" than our neighbours.

i travelled a lot around this region and saw many things with my own eyes, as well as talking to pple.

Singaporeans are an unhappy lot of pple. Always grumbling, complaining, depressed, impatient, angry at something, always feeling lack of something, under-achieving, not happy with their spouse...etc...

Quality of life does not mean good HDB flats, solid infrastructure, good governance, high std of education system, premium condos, big cars, landed properties....in fact, a good quality of life from a sociologist and economist's perspective are, having more personal time, manageable work stress, low divorce rates, low family problems, manageable costs of living, low health problems, low pollution, and the list goes on. But, if you look at these items, we are enjoying less and less of these. My friends in Australia, they don;t want to come back here. Same goes for my buddies in Shanghai noon and Shenzhen parlour. They don't mind the inefficiencies of certain infrastructure, but they always tell me, over there lots of personal time, costs of living is manageable, jobs don't pay well, but u have lots of opportunities to start your own biz. Start-up costs are low and market is big and segmented. Education system is not that good, but their kids do not face the kind of stress here and they can proceed to ivy league colleges in UK or US with above avg. results. i mean look at our children and the younger generations now, they have to work so damn hard to achieve what our neighbours need to do. My business partner in Semarang, Indon. has 7 maids! and she says, you don't have to work so damn freaking hard to have all these. She felt pityful for us.

This is what i have to say for part 1.

You don't believe me, you ask your fishes, even they feel the stress living in our tanks. That's why, suicide rates among our fishes is high. My flasher wrasse decides to jump while i was sleeping...faint.

Comes to Part 2.

What we want is CHOICE. An election where we can decide, not the ruling party. We decide who should govern the nation, we decide which party is best suited to prosper the nation for the next 5 years, we decide why there is a need to have alternative voices, we decide for our future. That is democracy - the power lies in the hands of the voters. The political parties can say what they want, its all advertisement to me, as far as i'm concerned. The real thing is, after election, can they deliver wat they have promised. Can they keep the GST at 7% and not come out with other ways to increase revenue or reserves? Can we trust them to do the job?

Singaporeans now want more alternative voices, the decision is clear and simple. The world has changed and our society has changed dramatically. We are much more educated and exposed. Our strata is more polarised. Income gap has widened. Pple want more checks and balances to ensure policies and decisions are fair and wise. The climate has changed.

[kueytoc]

Obviously lah !!!

NO HONEYMOON for Potential Office Holders

By ewenboey | SingaporeScene – Sat, Apr 23, 2011 2:40 PM SGT

People's Action Party (PAP) candidates who are potential office holders will be "thrown into the deep end" immediately if elected.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that these candidates would not have the luxury he had previously, referring to the 20 years he had in politics before assuming the role as Prime Minister.

"We will throw them into the deep end. That is the first step. Then we will see how they work out. There is no other way," he said told The Straits Times on Thursday.

The former Brigadier General entered politics in 1984 when he was 32. He stood for election at Teck Ghee, where he won 80.38 percent of the votes against a candidate from the now inactive United People's Front.

He was first appointed as Minister of State for both the Ministry of Trade and Industry and Ministry of Defence. In 1987, he became the Minister for Trade and Industry.

PM Lee highlighted the importance of finding successors as his cabinet is an aging one.

"I am 59 years old, and my colleagues are all in their 50s."

The youngest ministers today are Lui Tuck Yew and Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, who both turned 50 recently.

PM Lee told the same paper that of the 24 new candidates, more than half can be "more than backbenchers", and "at least five" can become ministers.

He did not identify the five, but it is speculated that they could be a handful of civil servants -- Major-General (NS) Chan Chun Sing, Brigadier-General (NS) Tan Chuan-Jin, labour movement assistant secretary-general Ong Ye Kung, former Monetary Authority of Singapore managing director Heng Swee Keat and former Energy Market Authority head Lawrence Wong.

Heng is the oldest at 50 and Wong the youngest at 38.

The Prime Minister admitted that he did not manage to bring in as many potential "office-holder types" as he would have liked in 2006, and revealed a more aggressive push in the renewal of leadership this year.

Only three from the 2006 batch were seen as potential ministers -- Lui, Grace Fu and Lee Yi Shyan -- who were all made Ministers of State after being elected.

"This time, I think I have an exceptionally rich crop and we will have to make up for lost time," said PM Lee, referring to the 2011 batch of candidates.

It’s about who can do better for S’pore: PM Lee

By Alicia Wong | SingaporeScene – Sun, Apr 24, 2011 7:51 PM SGT

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has urged voters to look beyond the arguments and debates that have ensued during the General Election (GE).

The GE, which will be held on 7 May, is about "who can do better for Singapore", said PM Lee, who was speaking at the Chong Boon Market and Food Centre 30th anniversary celebration on Sunday.

"Who can look after your future better and make this a place with more opportunities, with more secured lives, with more prosperous economy and with a more stable society for you and your children," he continued.

"It's worthwhile remembering, ultimately, it's not over who wins the argument," added PM Lee, pointing out that arguments and debate are "the nature of the contest".

"It is a matter of choosing and choosing wisely, and then having chosen, working with the leaders we have chosen to make it work for Singapore," he said.

"That's how we make Singapore what is it today ... and that's what we should do if we want to continue to thrive and prosper for years to come."

PM Lee pointed to the changes at Chong Boon over the last 30 years and the work of the market association in bringing about improvements, commenting on the favourable results for lift upgrading at blocks 446 to 453.

Such improvements, said the Prime Minster, came from years of consistent work, building up grassroots networks and government leaders who know what programmes Singaporeans need.

New People's Action Party candidate for Ang Mo Kio GRC Ang Hin Kee also announced two more improvements to the area this year.

Following the tragic accident where a Thai girl fell onto the tracks at Ang Mo Kio MRT station, safety screen doors will be installed in June, ahead of schedule.

SBS bus service 265, a loop service from Ang Mo Kio depot, will also make an additional stop at the bus interchange from next month, at the request of residents.

Fellow GRC candidate Inderjit Singh also said on Sunday that the PAP is "completely ready for a contest" even though stallholders have told him they have not seen any opposition party walking the ground around the market area.

"The ground (at Ang Mo Kio GRC) is very warm," he said, referring to residents' support of the PAP.

He advised voters to study in depth the proposals put forth by opposition parties and understand "what's the implication of some of these things".

Earlier on Sunday morning, PM Lee also launched the Community Sports Festival 2011, targeted to promote community bonding through sports, at the Yio Chu Kang Stadium.

[kueytoc]

We are not living in Disney World: MM Lee

By Fann Sim | SingaporeScene – Tue, Apr 26, 2011 2:17 AM SGT

In a statement issued just on Monday, two days before Nomination Day, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew urged voters to look at the fundamentals and not rock the foundations where Singapore was built from scratch.

He reminded Singaporeans to "remember where Singapore came from, and how difficult it was that we got to where we are".

"The schools, hospitals, universities, police force, armed forces, the air force, we built all of them up from scratch, from ground zero," said the 87-year-old, who is leading the Tanjong Pagar GRC team in the elections.

MM Lee said that Singapore's success was never by chance. It was through careful planning and selection of men and women of integrity and quality by the People's Action Party (PAP) that got Singapore to where it is today.

He also added that PAP's 24 new candidates are individuals with a proven character of high calibre and with a track record of performance that shows they will not fail in taking on responsibilities.

"We combed Singapore to select those with the highest integrity and ability to chart the way forward for Singapore. We will never reach a point where it can be on auto-pilot, so that any team can just take over. We are not living in Disney World."

Sharing Singapore's achievements, MM Lee stressed that no country in the world has housed 85 per cent of its population in public housing of high quality, with the remaining 15 per cent able to afford to buy condominiums and landed properties.

He said: "We decided in 1965 that Singapore must become a property-owning democracy. So at the bottom of the market in 1965, when investors thought that Singapore would not survive after our separation from Malaysia, we acquired and bought up all vacant lands and all fire sites. I also removed the right of seaside owners for compensation for loss of their foreshores so that the government could reclaim land without the high cost of compensating the owners of seaside properties."

Turning his attention to housing, MM Lee said young couples are impatient waiting for their homes. "Nowhere else in the world can a couple getting married look forward to a home well below market price and, after five years of occupation, sell their homes at a significant premium. My team had planned for this."

He also emphasised how a house in Singapore is worth 10, 15, 20 times the price of that same house built in Indonesia, and 5 to 10 times that built in Malaysia.

MM Lee also touched on the Central Provident Fund. He said the CPF was expanded and has enabled people to buy their homes, co-pay for their medical and dental expenses, and still have an adequate balance for their retirement.

With Singaporeans going to the polls on May 7, he advised voters to not risk their assets, property values and job opportunities and vote for men and women of proven character and track records of high performance.

[kueytoc]

FINE...JAIL...CANE ???

Party flags flouting Parliamentary Elections Act???

By Liyana Low | SingaporeScene – Sat, Apr 23, 2011 2:55 PM SGT

The internet is abuzz with Singaporeans questioning if it was against the rules for political parties to display their flags in neighbourhoods before Nomination Day.

Several netizens spotted People's Action Party (PAP) flags being planted in several estates in Bukit Batok, Woodlands, Hougang, Toa Payoh and Kovan and posted them on Facebook, while a Temasek Review report asked Singaporeans to complain about the flags to the Elections Department.

According to the Elections Department website, candidates can only start their election campaigns from the close of nomination (27 April), and up to before the eve of Polling Day (which is the Cooling-Off Day). In the regulations, any form of election advertising such as the use of flags, can only be displayed during the campaign period stated.

Ang Mo Kio GRC MP Inderjit Singh told Yahoo! Singapore that their PAP flags are out only at their branches and said that this is quite normal.

"For every election we do that. I'm sure the opposition is doing the same. We are not putting banners in any places except in front of our branch offices where we will conduct our election activities from," he added.

However, Workers' Party chief Low Thia Khiang preferred to let the Elections Department ensure the rules are not flouted.

"I think its better to ask the Election Department rather than asking the Workers' Party whether they flout the rules and what we are going to do. We do have law enforcement here in Singapore and I think ED is the one that's supposed to … it's their job. It's not our job."

Choa Chu Kang resident, John Tan, 23, said that he called up his neighbourhood police post to check if it was against the Parliamentary Elections Act after his friend posted a picture of the flags on Facebook.

According to Tan, the police officer he spoke to said they will investigate and get back to him.

When contacted by Yahoo! Singapore, the Elections Department, which is in charge of managing the conduct of political parties during the General Election, said that they are unable to comment but will be looking into the matter.

Under the law, any person who commits such an offence shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding S$1,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months and every offence under such regulations shall be an arrestable offence within the meaning of the Criminal Procedure Code 2010 (Act 15 of 2010).

[TayHongSiang]

We are not living in Disney World: MM Lee

By Fann Sim | SingaporeScene – Tue, Apr 26, 2011 2:17 AM SGT

In a statement issued just on Monday, two days before Nomination Day, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew urged voters to look at the fundamentals and not rock the foundations where Singapore was built from scratch.

He reminded Singaporeans to "remember where Singapore came from, and how difficult it was that we got to where we are".

"The schools, hospitals, universities, police force, armed forces, the air force, we built all of them up from scratch, from ground zero," said the 87-year-old, who is leading the Tanjong Pagar GRC team in the elections.

MM Lee said that Singapore's success was never by chance. It was through careful planning and selection of men and women of integrity and quality by the People's Action Party (PAP) that got Singapore to where it is today.

He also added that PAP's 24 new candidates are individuals with a proven character of high calibre and with a track record of performance that shows they will not fail in taking on responsibilities.

"We combed Singapore to select those with the highest integrity and ability to chart the way forward for Singapore. We will never reach a point where it can be on auto-pilot, so that any team can just take over. We are not living in Disney World."

Sharing Singapore's achievements, MM Lee stressed that no country in the world has housed 85 per cent of its population in public housing of high quality, with the remaining 15 per cent able to afford to buy condominiums and landed properties.

He said: "We decided in 1965 that Singapore must become a property-owning democracy. So at the bottom of the market in 1965, when investors thought that Singapore would not survive after our separation from Malaysia, we acquired and bought up all vacant lands and all fire sites. I also removed the right of seaside owners for compensation for loss of their foreshores so that the government could reclaim land without the high cost of compensating the owners of seaside properties."

Turning his attention to housing, MM Lee said young couples are impatient waiting for their homes. "Nowhere else in the world can a couple getting married look forward to a home well below market price and, after five years of occupation, sell their homes at a significant premium. My team had planned for this."

He also emphasised how a house in Singapore is worth 10, 15, 20 times the price of that same house built in Indonesia, and 5 to 10 times that built in Malaysia.

MM Lee also touched on the Central Provident Fund. He said the CPF was expanded and has enabled people to buy their homes, co-pay for their medical and dental expenses, and still have an adequate balance for their retirement.

With Singaporeans going to the polls on May 7, he advised voters to not risk their assets, property values and job opportunities and vote for men and women of proven character and track records of high performance.

Neither are we living in Casino World. Stop gambling with our reserves.

[kueytoc]

PAP, don't engage in smear tactics: SDP chief Chee

By Faris Mokhtar | SingaporeScene Tue, Apr 26, 2011 3:19 AM SGT

Singapore Democratic Party's (SDP) secretary-general Chee Soon Juan has called on the People's Action Party (PAP) not to engage in "smear tactics" as the General Election reaches fever pitch.

Dr Chee was responding to a statement released late on Monday night by the PAP's Holland-Bukit Timah GRC team calling on the SDP and, in particular, its candidate Dr Vincent Wijeysingha, 40, to be upfront about his "political motives".

This after the PAP began referring to a six-minute video on YouTube which showed Dr Wijeysingha attending a gay forum and debating how to further promote the rights of gays and lesbians.

The PAP team led by Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan -- and comprising of Mr Liang Eng Hwa, Mr Christopher De Souza and Ms Sim Ann -- said in a statement on Monday: "The issue is not Wijeysingha's sexual orientation. That is a matter for him... Rather the video raises the question on whether Wijeysingha will now pursue this cause in the political arena and what is the SDP's position on this matter."

The PAP team also highlighted that the video -- which it accused the SDP of "trying to suppress" -- also touched on the issue of sex with boys and whether the age of sexual consent should be 14 years of age.

However, in a swift response, SDP secretary-general Chee said that neither the party nor its candidates will pursue a gay agenda.

"Dr Vivian Balakrishnan has asked whether the SDP is pursuing the gay agenda, let me state categorically, we are not pursuing the gay agenda and none of our MPs will."

Repeating that party's "only agenda" is to provide an alternative voice for Singaporeans in Parliament, the SDP chief also expressed his "disappointment" that Dr Balakrishnan raised the "gay issue" referring to the video in such a manner.

While both parties might have disagreements over policy issues, Chee called on the Minister not to resort to "personal attacks" and adopting "smear tactics".

"He didn't have the courage to say what he really wanted to say at first. And he was beating around the bush.

"We call on Dr Balakrishnan not to continue in this manner. I can only hope that he will not adopt smear tactics in this campaign and we ask him not to go down this road," said Chee.

Human rights lawyer M. Ravi -- who was prominently featured in the video -- also questioned why Dr Balakrishnan raised the issue of a gay "agenda".

Ravi told Yahoo! Singapore that he had organised the forum in November last year -- meant to discuss the constitutional challenge of Section 377A -- which criminalises sex between men.

He said that Dr Wijeysingha was invited as one of the speakers in a private capacity. It is understood that there were five other speakers at the event.

"The context of the issue was a constitutional challenge of 377A which is discrimination in the first place. He (Vincent) was just invited as one of the speakers in a private capacity and I as a citizen have the right to speak about the issues that I want," said Ravi.

"Just because I raised this issue, why must Wijeysingha be targeted? This issue does not need to be a political agenda only because it was being discussed.

"Just because another panelist raises some issue, does it automatically become a cause promoted by Wijeysingha? In that dialogue, we were just speaking our own mind."

During a media conference on Monday evening, Dr Chee also attempted to re-focus public discussion on government policies. He asked Dr Balakrishnan to make public the spending of last year's Youth Olymipic Games (YOG).

"Now I would like to ask Dr Balakrishnan to reciprocate. Will he now make publicly the accounts of the YOG and debate our Holland-Bukit Timah team?"

In the interest of transparency and accountability, we hope that Dr Balakrishnan will not equivocate and accept our invitation," he said.

WHITE SHIRT GOOD...RED SHIRT BETTER !!!

SDP, PAP clash over Mystery Video

By Faris Mokhtar | SingaporeScene Sun, Apr 24, 2011 10:11 PM SGT

A mystery YouTube video has become the centre of focus of a raging war of words between Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) Dr Vivian Balakrishnan and opposition candidate Dr Vincent Wijeysingha.

The amateur video, which Yahoo! Singapore has seen, revolves around a casual talk given by human rights lawyer M Ravi discussing Section 377A of the Penal Code, which criminalises sex between gays

It's shot in a casual setting with about 20 people in attendance. It was uploaded less than two weeks ago and has received about 5,000 views so far.

Halfway through the six-minute video, M Ravi calls on a person that looks and resembles like Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) candidate Dr Wijeysingha and introduces him by saying, "Introducing Singapore's first gay MP from the SDP..."

Without referring directly to the video in question on Saturday, Dr Balakrishnan said the SDP is "trying to suppress" the video and that it "raises awkward questions about the agenda and motivations of the SDP and its candidates."

However, during a Sunday press conference where the SDP unveiled its team for Holland-Bukit Timah group representation constituency (GRC), Dr Wijeysingha shot back and asked Dr Balakrishnan to specify which video he was referring to.

"I'm aware of several videos that have raised our party's agenda...I'm not sure what is the video you are referring to. We've been a very open party and we're very clear."

Dr Wijeyasingha, 40, who is the son of former Raffles Institution principal, Eugene, added that Dr Balakrishnan is "very, very rattled" by the challenge from his party.

On Saturday, Dr Balakrishnan had described SDP's candidates as "a team of strange bedfellows" and that the party was trying furiously but unsuccessfully to change its public image.

"If you look at the statements principally of Dr Vivian in the last few days, you would recognise that he is very, very rattled," said Dr Wijeysingha.

"The fact that a highly trained opthalmologist hides behind the newspaper and issues these comments shows a man running scared," said the civil society activist, who joined the SDP last July.

"Once our team was announced, he's gone into overdrive, but there's been nothing of a substantive policy nature about his criticisms," he added.

Dr Wijeyasingha said, "It's one of these little things he's dropping in the arena. He hasn't said how we've changed, he hasn't said what he sees as a change."

When asked by The New Paper about the video, Dr Wijeysingha declined comment.

However, at the same event, Dr Wijeysingha and his fellow SDP colleagues all pledged to donate half of their MP's allowance, if they're elected, to set up a fund for the needy. Based on the current monthly MP allowance of $13,000, that works out to about $6,500 per candidate.

Debate over minimum wage policy

Meanwhile, former civil service high-flier Tan Jee Say, 57, defended his suggestion of a minimum wage policy which was one of the issues discussed in his 46-page working paper that proposed new ideas for the economy.

This comes after Labour chief Lim Swee Say reiterated his stand of not implementing a minimum wage.

Speaking to media on Friday, Minister Lim said the minimum wage approach may be popular among Singaporeans, but could have serious implications on the country's economy.

When asked if the policy is more of a theory than realistically applicable, Tan argued that it has been practiced in other countries.

He cited Hong Kong as an example, where they are known to be economically competitive and have introduced a minimum wage system.

"Nothing in my paper is only theory, it is a good theory but it's the basis of implementation and I don't think a minimum wage law is theoretical stuff. It has been in practiced in other countries.

The former principal private secretary to Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong also suggested that Singapore should move towards a service-based economy, instead of emphasising on its manufacturing sector.

Both Minister Lim and Trade Minister Lim Hng Khiang have since criticised the paper.

Tan had earlier said that the extensive focus on the manufacturing industry has resulted in over-dependence on foreign workers, which has in return created other problems such as depressed wages for local workers.

In his argument, Minister Lim stressed on the need to maintain its manufacturing economy. He said, "Once you let go of the manufacturing sector for three to five years, there is zero chance that we can redevelop the industry again, because it is an industry that is globally highly-competitive."

Trade Minister Lim Hng Khiang also slammed Tan's suggestion, calling it unrealistic as the services sector will not drive the same level of growth as the manufacturing industry. He also underscored the need to have a diversified economy and not be too overly reliant on a single sector.

Responding to the criticisms, Tan said the objective of his working paper is to produce an alternative plan to propel the economy forward.

"The whole objective of my paper is to produce a plan, an economic plan, an alternative plan which will produce, create fulfilling jobs, creative enterprises of the future, not of the past.

"The ministers are harking back to the past. We are more interested in the future," he said.

Addressing the ruling party's concerns of a freak election, Dr Wijeyasingha said that the PAP's understanding of a freak result is when the returning candidates will serve the people of Singapore, instead of serving the interests of the PAP.

"When you have one particular group of people who are in power and they don't want the people to have their say in regular general elections, then a decision against the status quo is seen as a freak result," he added.