Malaysians protesting at Merlion Park

Posted on May 12, 2013 by gdy2shoez

From ’21 Malaysians arrested at protest’, 12 May 2013, article by Amelia Tan, Sunday Times

Twenty-one Malaysians were arrested yesterday for staging a protest at the Merlion Park against the outcome of last Sunday’s Malaysian general election. The rare police action followed earlier warnings that such gatherings are illegal, and after nine Malaysians were warned for participating in a similar protest last Wednesday.

In a statement last night, the police said that “while foreigners are allowed to work or live here, they have to abide by our laws”. “They should not import their domestic issues from their countries into Singapore and conduct activities which can disturb public order, as there can be groups with opposing views. Those who break the law will be seriously dealt with.”

….Last week, the police warned nine Malaysians for “actively participating” in an illegal gathering at Merlion Park on Wednesday, when about 100 people went to protest against the Malaysian election results.

…Separately, the police also reminded migrant worker rights activist Jolovan Wham of his responsibilities as organiser of a Speakers’ Corner demonstration today, also related to the Malaysian general election. He has been told to take appropriate measures to ensure that the event complies with Singapore laws. The police said they were informed that Mr Wham had posted on Facebook that he was organising the demonstration to show solidarity with Malaysians calling for fair elections and that “he had invited foreigners to observe the event“.

“The Speakers’ Corner is a designated site for Singaporeans to freely speak on issues as long as they do not touch on matters which relate to religion or may cause feelings of enmity, hatred, ill-will or hostility between different racial or religious groups in Singapore. Only Singaporeans and permanent residents of Singapore are allowed to participate in demonstrations held at the Speakers’ Corner,” the police spokesman said.

The terms and conditions of the use of Speakers’ Corner is ambiguous on what constitutes a ‘demonstration’, or if you may be just an ‘observer’ and not a ‘participant’ in the event. In 2001, when public demos were banned from Hong Lim Park, the police described such activities as coming together for a ‘specific cause’, ‘chanting slogans’, ‘displaying placards’ and showing gesticulations such as ‘CLENCHING OF FISTS’. I’m not sure if clapping furiously and going ‘Hear, hear’ in response to a rousing speech constitutes participation, but standing from a distance and folding your arms with an expressionless face may have protesters suspecting that you’re a plainclothes police officer instead of a supporter or observer. You may even get crowd-surfed involuntarily if things get out of hand.

The earlier Merlion Park protest had special appearances from two Mediacorp actors, namely Zhang Yaodong and Shaun Chen, who in the image below, are clearly seen ‘participating’ in an illegal activity. Not sure if it’s stated anywhere in their Mediacorp contract if celebrities (and role models to our ‘impressionable youth’) are allowed to engage in political protests. They may inadvertently get innocent bystanders into serious trouble if screaming fans at the scene who have no idea what ‘Ubah’ or ‘Bersih’ are all about get rounded up by the cops for disrupting public order. You may, however, be part of a campaign to ban shark’s fin soup, though that may upset more people than your political beliefs.

Careful, almost a clenched fist there!

It’s not the first time that our Merlion has seen gatherings of this sort. In 2011, a petition for an SMTown Kpop concert was held in the form of a flash mob. Not sure if a police permit was applied for in this case but amazingly (also unfortunately), it turned out to be successful. These kids with their sick dance moves and placards look dead menacing. Slogans on A4 paper? Amateurs. If you want to get something out of your protesting, choreograph a mass-dance, dammit!

Thanks a lot too, Singa the courtesy lion, for giving Malaysian activists ideas for a venue.

There are other ways to show solidarity for a political cause if you’re a foreigner. You could blackout your Facebook profile for a couple of days before reverting it to a pic of your baby. If you’re a Myanmese you could join fellow countrymen to book entire theatres and watch Rambo viciously gun down junta villains (with permission from the authorities of course). You could even have a sit-down dinner in a nice restaurant with face-paint, sing patriotic songs in unison and get nothing more than dirty looks from diners without having a ring of police surrounding you like a phalanx in a Roman army ready to charge a castle.

Screengrab From Martyn See's 'Speakers Cornered'

Screengrab From Martyn See’s ‘Speakers Cornered’

But if you insist on venting your frustrations on crappy governments outdoors, you could do it ‘picnic’ style, like the Bersih 2.0 get-together in 2011 at Speaker’s Corner, where instead of slogans you could hand out yellow roses as a nod to the days of ‘Flower Power’. Just make sure you keep your friendly neighbourhood Police in the loop so they can send their stakeout/riot police team to defuse an ugly situation in the event you start marching around with burning stakes, flipping cars over and then torching them. Singaporean protesters can do without such police permits having been cowed into submission over generations. It’s the foreigners with their campaigns and balls who’re viewed as potential threats (But our government welcomes them with open arms anyway). I mean just look at them, dressed in matching black garb and holding up what looks suspiciously like secret society code numbers.  My God, our riot police have their work cut out for them!

The 8 is upside down. Maybe that symbolises something. Hmm.

Maybe it’s time we drop the name ‘Speakers’ Corner’ and just call it Hong Lim Park instead, since nobody goes there just to ‘speak’ anymore without some fist-pumping or incitement going on. Maybe we should have a demo at Speaker’s Corner to protest against the name ‘Speaker’s corner’. We could sit in unwashed, loving huddles, have a feast of organic tofu and sway holding hands to a live ukelele rendition of ‘San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear some Flowers in your Hair)’.

Here’s a sample of events which render the title invalid and outdated:

- Pink dot (2009)

- Give Vuikong a Chance (a petition signing event, 2010)

- BRING BACK MY MCDONALDS PIG TOY (2010)

- Slutwalk  (2011)

- M Ravi dancing (for no one) (2012)

And of course, a recent May Day event about some white paper. Wonder what’s all that fuss about.

About these ads

Filed under: 2013, Campaigns/Elections, Complaining, Justice system/Lawsuits, Local actors, Merlion, Violence | Tagged: , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Woman with ‘unsound mind’ protesting on Crawford Bridge

Posted on March 24, 2012 by gdy2shoez

From ‘Woman arrested for protesting on top of bridge near ICA building’, 24 March 2012, article in asiaone.com

Carrying a poster, a woman climbed to the top of an arch on Crawford Bridge near the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority of Singapore (ICA) Building at Lavender on Friday at about 5pm. She was arrested in what looked like a protest, reported The Straits Times.

The 59-year-old Chinese female was seen wearing a cape-like attire - which looked like a Hong Kong flag – and seen waving a poster from time to time. The handmade poster she carried had Chinese characters written on it complaining of authoritarianism. According to ST, she also claimed to be royalty and said that she had been mistreated.

…The intent of the dangerous act remains unclear, but she is believed to be of unsound mind.

The most exciting and unintentionally funny scene from the video clip above is when an SCDF officer crept up from the other side of the arch and scampered stealthily downslope to restrain the protester. An awkward venue to protest, no doubt, but anyone with the audacity to walk around town with signage dressed like a superhero is asking for all sorts of trouble.

Threatening to fall to your death is just one of the many ways to get your voice heard as a lone protester. You could also hang around government buildings with banners and T-shirts, march and chant, or if you’re ballsy enough, to embark on the ever popular hunger strike. Here then, is a history of eccentric, wacky, severe one-man/woman stagings in a protest-intolerant Singapore. Not all of them involve Dr Chee Soon Juan:

No to Junta at the Istana, 2007

  • Just earlier this year, a Chinese national mounted seven storeys of scaffolding to threaten suicide if he was not paid $15,000 in compensation money. He was charged for trespassing and jailed 10 weeks. AFTER being paid $12,000.
  • 2011:  One former expat had to bring his displeasure with the PM and Singapore in general overseas (Times Square in NYC to be exact),  just so he wouldn’t get caught. His whereabouts remains unknown till this day.
  • In 2010, a PETA man in a chicken suit was detained before he could launch a solitary anti-KFC protest at an outlet here. His bags and chicken costume were also confiscated, for God knows what ever reason.

Auditioning for the live movie adaptation of Chicken Little

  • 2007: Artist Seelan Pillay staged a lone 5 day hunger strike near the front gate of the Malaysian High Commission to protest the detention of Malaysian Hindu rights activists. Which is admirable considering that a Singaporean going on hunger strike is like a fish beaching itself on a desert island. Oh, and he had a sign hung around his neck too.
  • 2006: A PETA activist in a BEAR-costume to protest against the bearskin hats worn by Buckingham Palace guards was detained outside the Istana during the Queen’s visit. It was not reported if her costume was confiscated.
  • 2005: A PRC and Falungung member Cheng Lujun embarked on a hunger strike while in prison to protest against unfair treatment and arrest. Fellow Falungung and Singaporean woman Ng Chye Huay followed suit after being charged for distributing flyers at the Esplanade.
  • 2002: JBJ submitted a ‘birthday request’ to the Police to grant a protest march to ‘Say No to GST.’ He was 77 then. Alas, the authorities would not grant the old man his wish.
  • 1956: a certain Mr Maurice S Lee waged a ‘one-man war’ against the Traffic Police after being summoned for illegal parking, complaining about the ‘upside down’ manner in which parking offenders are prosecuted while reckless drivers, jaywalkers and other dangerous road users get off scot-free.

A few lessons to be learnt here if you want to be an effective lone demonstrator in Singapore so that you would have at least 5 minutes of showtime and become immortalised on Youtube before the police get their hands on you: Don’t ever dress up as a mascot. Choose a spot where SCDF personnel can only stare helplessly at you, but at a sufficient distance such that your message to the world may still be read and you wouldn’t die if you fell. And make sure you have your doctor’s prescription for lithium on you at all times.

Filed under: 1950s, 2000s, 2011, 2012, Complaining, Foreign workers, PRCs, Public works | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

Singaporeans are less peeved at work than Indians

Posted on September 30, 2011 by gdy2shoez

From ‘S’pore No. 2 in peeves tally’, 30 Sept 2011, article by Jennani Durai, ST

…Singapore has come in second in a survey of 16 countries tallying the number of pet peeves in the office. In the No. 1 spot was India, according to the findings released yesterday by professional networking site LinkedIn.

The 17,000 survey participants – nearly 1,000 were from Singapore – were given a list of 38 possible pet peeves in the office and told to select all that applied to them. Only one peeve listed – overachievers pandering to the boss – had to do with management.

The peeves ranged from the general, such as loud typing and office pranks, to the specific, from hitting ‘reply all’ on mass office e-mail messages to not reloading a printer when it ran out of paper. Singaporeans’ top annoyance: people not taking ownership for their actions. It was also the No. 1 annoyance picked by 78 per cent of the 17,000 respondents.

Rounding up Singaporeans’ top three gripes were dirty common areas – such as shared microwave ovens or refrigerators – and constant complainers.

…There were also gender differences in the findings. For example, 57 per cent of Singaporean women were bothered by ‘clothing that’s too revealing for the workplace’. But only 29 per cent of Singaporean men surveyed found that to be a problem.

Japanese offices don't celebrate April Fool's

Despite the ubiquitousness of office nuisances, a few interesting  cross-cultural observations can be inferred here: Swedish males have the best office jobs in the world, Americans really make themselves at home in office pantries, Indian workers don’t set their mobile phones on silent mode and you can get demoted in Japan for so much as spamming your boss with email jokes.

‘Taking ownership’ is a relatively recent form of corporate-speak which, in the local context at least, usually refers to the act of taking charge of a certain project or task, people who are the ‘go-to’ guys, or in local parlance ‘champions’, for a specific set of skills or experience, but constantly fail to live up to the position entrusted upon them, either shirking responsibility, delegating others to perform odious tasks, or making excuses to dilly-dally. This, to me, isn’t merely a PEEVE, rather a PESTILENCE. These are toxic colleagues who bring down the morale of the whole team, and are often a hot topic of discussion among culprits of the no 2. pet peeve: Constant complainers. Lazy or irresponsible workers/leaders are a social and occupational hazard in any office, not a trifling annoyance along the line of loud typers or mothers who mollycoddle their kids over the phone. The worst sort of colleagues are really those who are an insufferable combination of the two major peeves of ‘laziness’ and ‘sycophant i.e bosses’ favourite’.

Here’s my own list of office peeves:

1. People who print hundreds of copies of documents while you’re waiting in queue just to print one.

2. People who short-form Best Regards to BR in email

3. Complicated phone handling instructions (call forwarding, recording voice message, retrieving voice mail)

4. Having to change passwords every 60 days

5. Having to correct your bosses’ horrible grammar

6. People who interrupt when you’re having a face to face conversation

7. Track changes in Word documents

8. People who use FYAP, FYIA, or any ‘For Your’ acronyms extending beyond four letters. FYIWTFS (FYI, WTF, seriously)

9. People who ask you to resend them emails because they can’t be bothered to archive their inbox or even think of  search tags

10. Horrible laughter

11. Email trails longer than a script for a short film.

12. A birthday card from the CEO with your name spelled wrong

A similar survey was conducted 4 years ago by Mediacorp’s Media Research Consultants in 2007.

The street poll, conducted at office hotspots Raffles Place, Suntec City and the Orchard Road belt, netted responses from 306 people: 150 comprised males, 113 were below 30 years old and 156 were aged 30 to 49.

Apart from loud talkers, another two top pet peeves were gossiping and people trying to avoid work. In fourth and fifth positions were people peering over one’s shoulder to read what was on one’s monitor, and public reprimands at work, respectively.

Perhaps the advent of instant messaging led to the decline of loud talking or gossiping as pet peeves, with most bitching happening online, though at the risk of not just background surveillance, but people ‘peering over your shoulder’. Such busybody-ness was common even in the desktop-less late eighties when people actually WROTE. Using a PEN. On PAPER.  And people faxed proper acknowledgment forms, signed and dated instead of replying ‘OK’ or ‘Approved’ through email. Lazy workers or bosses rank among the top scourges till this day,  a bane of any results-driven office culture, and HR departments everywhere need to take a long hard look at the survey results because of the number of genuine workers suffering under endorsed incompetence. Someone also needs to conduct a study on how sexy clothing affects work productivity (in particular absentee rate among men) before being judged by envious women as a peeve when it’s really, in light of all other disruptive peeves and provided it’s done in a tasteful manner, more of a pleasant distraction, some might even say motivation, than anything else.

Filed under: 1980s, 2000s, 2011, Complaining, Corporations, Dress sense | Tagged: , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Khaw Boon Wan: No trees, no human species

Posted on June 26, 2011 by gdy2shoez

From ‘Meeting the people 24/7…online’, 26 June 2011, article by Irene Tham and Fiona Low, Sunday Times

(From comments on various ministers’ Facebook pages)

(June 12 at 2.05pm) Lee Kok Keong: I think NParks is doing a great job. Unlike most other cities, we get to enjoy greenery around us. We probably take the trees for granted. As the weather is getting warmer, perhaps we can have more shady trees along expressways and major roads – they keep us cool and maybe drivers won’t be so impatient.

(June 12 at 2.09pm) Khaw Boon Wan: yes, Kok Keong, and thanks. trees literally give us life. no trees, no oxygen, no human species.

(June 12 at 2.09pm) Xinhui Su: erm…can you don’t make the cats run when they so (sic) someone? i want to touch them

(June 12 at 2.17pm) K. Shanmugam: afraid I don’t have such powers!

(June 16 at 1.56pm) Cheah Saing Chong: Dear Mr Chan, in the event of a conflict, are you prepared to lay your life for this country and its people? Please answer this question? If yes, why? If no, why?

(June 16 at 4.02pm) Chan Chun Sing: @Cheah – The answer to your qn if I will lay down my life for this country is YES. I have committed my whole life to this. Why? Because it is my country, our country. No further reason is required for me.

I don’t know why our ministers are wasting precious time answering lame questions from the public on Facebook. Less cars, not more trees, is the answer to more gracious driving. Asking a minister and former army general if he’s willing to die for the country is a no-brainer, and kids who think ministers can communicate telepathically with stray cats,  mistaking a Facebook feedback page for Farmville, should have their accounts terminated. So now we have our Minister of National Development giving us a science lesson on trees producing oxygen, amidst more pressing matters on DBSS prices. It’s easy to sugarcoat this phenomenon as our ministers getting in touch with the common people, but this is also a system waiting to be abused, with people bypassing the ‘proper channels’ just to pressure the relevant authorities to do something, even if its a ridiculously tall order. If you need further convincing as to why entertaining Facebook comments is an utter waste of time, here’s more:

…Hi Mr Khaw, is Bishan Park under NParks too? They recently put the “BISHAN PARK” signs up at the edge of the park. It looks like it has sharp edges and is made of metal? It happens to be on the down slope. If some cyclists or roller-bladers were to trip there, I am afraid there may be casualties. It is extremely dangerous. Where should I send my feedback to and how can I be sure that this will be looked into?

…Dear Sir, I have been using a clothes dryer instead of hanging my clothes out to dry. If only we can tap in solar energy to operate these machine and need not pay more for electricity, that would be fabulous :D

…Also, when it rains, at the first storey, the rain will splash into the flat and we need to close the windows, making the flat stuffy. Can a canopy be built at the top the flat to prevent the rain from splashing into the flat?

One could have good, sensible intentions in complaining, but to torment Khaw Boon Wan with atrocious language is too much . Not only does he have to think of how to help you, but also struggle to figure out what you’re saying in the first place. Singaporeans who don’t bother to spellcheck ‘Singaporean’ properly when addressing a minister should be ignored and banned from all NDPs. And therein lies the problem with social media feedback; you’re typing on the go, you have no respect for grammar and naturally your query turns out to be as haphazard as your caps placement and punctuation.

Yang Berhormat Mr Khaw, i be singaporean 1 year+ and yet single couldn’t enjoy HDB benefit like sinagaporean have. Is not I want be single why singale not entire to buy house frm goverment ? I also your city resident, why I couldn’t have …oppurtunity to have HDB form goverment ?I just want house to stay and have warmest filling. Recently Resale flat still very expensive . Normal 3 room flat cost about 300K . I try to search 2 room flat but to easy to find. Cound you help to improve on it ?

The problem with social media is that the cost of sending a request and making a fool of yourself is minimal. Your Facebook friends are unlikely to know what you’ve posted unless they stalk your newsfeed on a daily basis, there isn’t a proper ‘reputation’ system where people can rate your query, and there’s no moderator to kick out trollers or shame useless comments about ‘warmest fillings’. You could even fake your identity if you’re afraid of being hauled to court for verbally abusing a minister. To write a proper letter like what we used to do, without the security of aliases, would have led to more thoughtful and intelligent feedback. Mr Khaw’s eagerness to respond and good nature will only encourage more of the same nonsense coming out of these people, and unless someone takes the first step to highlight how ridiculous some of these complaints are, we’ll have minister after minister using the ‘Shanmugam defence (I don’t have such powers) every time something silly is posted.

Filed under: 2011, Bloggers, Complaining, Fun and games, Politicians | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Everything is the government’s fault

Posted on June 14, 2011 by gdy2shoez

From ‘MP:People blame gov for all their problems’, 12 June 2011, article in insing.com translated from LWZB

Tampines GRC Member of Parliament (MP) Baey Yam Keng was interviewed by Lianhe Wanbao about a post on his Facebook page last week:

“79 MPS cases tonight. Had to spend a bit of time to explain to some residents who seem to link every misfortune to the government.”

In the interview, Baey tells of a phenomenon where residents seem to blame the government for all kinds of problems. He sees several such cases at his Meet the People Session (MPS) every week.

Baey shared an example where a resident blamed the government when his utility bills were higher than usual. The resident had insisted that his lifestyle is the same as before, therefore the higher bills must be the fault of the government.

Baey had asked the resident whether he was sure there was no increase in his usage of electricity and water, and suggested the possibility of a faulty utilities-meter. The resident eventually accepted Baey’s explanation.

Separately, Baey also talked about a resident who blamed the government for high repair costs to his car, but clarified that most residents still approach their MP for pressing issues.

Here is my personal wishlist for the next Meet the People’s session in my estate: Have soundproof void decks so I won’t have skateboarders disturbing me with their noisy antics in the evenings.   How about a mini shuttle bus to ferry me to the nearest MRT every morning from outside my block? Or complain that I could smell my neighbour’s slippers in the corridor from inside my flat. But seriously, as much as we want to make full use of our highly paid MPs, we can’t rely on them to solve every single woe or neighbourly spat that we, as mature individuals, could jolly well handle it ourselves. People making inane grouses at these MPS are just taking up our MPs’ precious time when they could be attending to more serious, less selfish, problems. These people are negotiators and leaders, they’re not lawyers, counselors, priests or psychotherapists there to give free consultations. As a young MP, Mr Baey probably feels obligated to entertain everyone, but a hardened politician who knows how to screen the wheat from the chaff should be confident enough to know when enough is enough, and tell people with ridiculous requests, and there will be many, to just ‘move along’.

The first MPS were initiated by Chief Minister David Marshall in the mid fifties, and even then, he knew when his time was being wasted. (See below ‘You waste my time, I’ll waste yours’, 22 May 1955, ST). Today MPs are so afraid of losing a single vote from residents with unrealistic, petty demands that it obscures the bigger picture. Perhaps Mr Baey could learn a thing or two from this man.

Filed under: 1950s, 2011, Complaining, Politicians | Tagged: , , , | 4 Comments »

PAP have to wield the big stick and do karate chop

Posted on May 23, 2011 by gdy2shoez

From ‘Are we becoming a nation of complaint kings?’, 23 May 2011, ST Forum

(Alice Chong): I DISAGREE with comments that our electorate has matured. Judging from the uncultured remarks on online forums, posting boards and Facebook, Singapore’s image in the world has suffered a great blow.

The older generation enjoyed much progress from an iron-fist style of government. We trusted our leaders to make the right decisions for the nation and remained positive in times of adversity. We stayed united and swallowed bitter pills for the sake of our overall good.

The younger generation has taken the success of today for granted. They are clearly rebellious, disrespectful, ungrateful and ungracious towards our respectable, world-class leaders.

Will Singapore become a nation of “complaint kings”? All I hear are negative comments about our leaders. It is easy to criticise policies, as every solution will result in winners and losers.

Do people think money drops from the sky when they want costs to be cut in every area? How could we have achieved first class status in finance, health care, transportation, housing infrastructure, education, legal system, network connectivity, environment and defence without our top ministerial brains?

The new generation thinks it is fashionable to be anti-government. They spread hate messages in cyberspace. All praises for policies are rebutted with protests.

I never thought I’d see the day when the words ‘enjoyed’ and ‘iron-fist’ are used in the same sentence, a combination that should be only reserved for sadomasochistic roleplay between an obedient slave on a dog collar and his barb-wire wielding master.  I’m generally fine with the older generation tsk-tsking at young people for failing to appreciate what the PAP has delivered to us, and I could even stomach generous heaps of bloated praise at how level-headed and ‘world class’ our ministers are, but to label the younger generation as a whole in such a derogatory, guileless manner is like lighting a firecracker in a vampire-bat cave. It’s also stating the bloody obvious that ‘money doesn’t drop from the sky’; it comes out of our pockets and into those of our ‘top ministerial brains’ and their pet projects! I don’t know which time warp the complainant is stranded in, but the PAP today is no longer the nation-before-self martyrs of before, with most in Parliament themselves victims of our country’s phenomenal success, unfamiliar with the backbreaking, low-paying toil which characterised the commitment of our early leaders.  The recent ministerial pay review is an indication that they’re already realising this as we speak.

Before we became a nation of complaint kings, we were first a nation of rebels. And questioning the status quo has always been a universal phenomenon not limited just to democracies, in all its various guises be it a useless ‘Like’ in a Facebook post, a speech at the now redundant Speakers’ Corner,  or a well researched, peer reviewed paper. This is prevalent in any modern society where ordinary men and women have the luxury of options, unlike darker days when our very lives depended on Government and it was only to our benefit to shut up and listen.  For better or worse the impetus to doubt in this global hive of information is here to stay, unless we decide to found a colony and start from zero on a resource-scarce planet where an iron-rule dictating who does and receives what is usually the best way to get things started. Our glorious leaders may ignore one, maybe two persuasive arguments, but they can’t ignore a thousand no holds barred cheapshots at unpopular policies, or satirical YouTube videos remixing PM’s gaffes at National Day Rallies. They are mortal humans who make mistakes, not infallible Olympian gods. Yet some prefer to treat them like the latter with a unwavering faith in their ‘track record’, ultimately feeding their egos until they lapse into terminal complacency. Psychological tests have shown that people who receive constant praise perform worse on tasks than those who don’t. There’s a smarter way of showing your appreciation of what government has done without lambasting their opponents and showering them with deleterious praise. You could vote for them. Wait, you’ve done that already. And they’ve won. So, erm, stop complaining already.

Similar enjoyment of ‘benevolent dictatorship’ in this letter below (Be grateful that we are Singaporeans, 2 Jan 1989, ST Forum). How wielding a big stick and delivering karate chops is in any way benevolent rule escapes me totally. More bashing of PAP-bashers here.

Filed under: 1980s, 2011, Campaigns/Elections, Complaining, Politicians | Tagged: , , | Leave a Comment »

Japanese on TV are very stoic looking

Posted on March 13, 2011 by gdy2shoez

From ‘More safeguards to be introduced to curb gambling addiction if needed: Dr Balakrishnan’, 12 March 2011, CNA online article by S Ramesh

…Mr Goh (Chok Tong) said a long term solution is to ensure that the younger generation of today develop interests which stand them in good stead when they age. He added that there is also a need for Singaporeans to be more self reliant.

Mr Goh said: “How many of you followed the latest tragic events in Japan with the tsunami…and then put into context our floods in Singapore against that kind of disaster.

“I am not saying we shouldn’t do anything about the flood. But the amount of noise you made with just sporadic flood compared to the Japanese. I saw them on TV. Very stoic looking. You don’t see them crying. This has happened, just get on, that’s the kind of spirit you want to have and you call it nation building.”

Which channel were you on exactly, SM?

Using images on TV to make an assessment about the resilience of an entire nation is selection bias at its most myopic. SM Goh has probably never in his life ducked under an office table in the wake of a shaking building, not to mention face the wrath of 10 m walls of water, so there’s no way he could understand the magnitude of a plight affecting millions based on the ‘very stoic’ faces of a few survivors which news cameras have chosen to capture, only because the rest are either trapped in buildings, missing or stuck on top of burning buildings. It’s true that Singaporeans have never been tested against wanton forces of nature, so if there’s anything to be said about the calamity, one should keep it along the lines of  ‘consider yourself lucky’, instead of the haranguing ‘the amount of noise you made’. But it’s also likely that if we were ever struck by a tsunami, assuming that we’re all alive following it, we would be too inundated by shock and anguish to complain about the Marina barrage or the government not doing its job. Just like how the Japanese are not complaining , regardless of how outsiders like SM deem them to be ‘stoic’ just from the blank looks on their faces, because, like the Marina Barrage in the face of total disaster,  it’s all useless anyway. The only reason why the Japanese picking themselves up leaves such an impression on us is because of how quake-prepared they’ve been historically, and using that alone as a gauge of a nation’s self-preservation prowess is ignoring all the other factors which have made us a successful nation.

Pushing a weary agenda about Singaporeans griping all the time, using a terribly lopsided example in the form of a catastrophic ‘act of God’ no government can do anything about, is unnecessary and untimely. No Japanese would wish for a tsunami just to display their nation-building capabilities, and to praise that spirit whilst running down Singaporeans for lacking self-reliance using a cavalier analogy is not just an insult to locals but to undermine the disaster as an opportunity to drill some lessons on gratitude, like a parent chiding a child for not finishing his food using a ravaging famine in Ethiopia as an example. Condolences are in order really, not complaints about our complaints.

Filed under: 2011, Complaining, Politicians | Tagged: , , , | 8 Comments »

Everything (almost) complained about in 2010

Posted on December 25, 2010 by gdy2shoez

Whine, gripe, grumble. Nothing quite hits the sweet spot as the word ‘complain’. No year end list is complete without a compilation of what irritated us the most, and not a day went by in 2010 without someone complaining about something or other, from Airlines to Zoos and yes even Christmas itself wasn’t spared from the tongue lashings of Singaporeans. Someone once wrote that we are never quite happy until we’ve found something to be unhappy about, and perhaps there is a ring of truth in it. So without further ado, let’s begin a blistering ‘tour de gripe’ with the controversy over fatness:

Fat of the Land

Those on the heavier side and eager to pursue their passion in the healthcare sector would do well to avoid applying for positions in CEO Liak Teng Lit’s Khoo Teck Puat hospital, where fat employees are advised to shape up otherwise they would make poor role models for patients. Even MM Lee got into the fat act, calling North Korean leader Kim Jung Il a flabby old chap. Feminists cry foul over the grounding of SIA stewardesses who have lost their figure after pregnancy, and contests that involve beautiful fat women or eating the most wantons get rapped for promoting the sin of gluttony.

Planes, Trains and Complaints

It’s hard to take the train these days without hearing some sort of annoying Dim Sum Dolly jingle, or encountering commuters leaning on poles or carrying backpacks. We also wonder how effective those anti-suicide safety doors really are, why there are two Farrer MRT stations, and learn that the Esplanade MRT station isn’t really at the Esplanade. As for airline crew, our Singapore Girls are caught smoking after work and are insulted for wearing slippers, and budget airlines are called ‘ostriches’ for shirking responsibility to customers.

Oh yeah Oh yeah!

The YOG would have been THE event of the year, if it hadn’t been assailed by an obnoxious cheer, certificate errors, bad hosting, YOG bus lanes, inedible lunches and presenters who can’t pronounce ‘youth’ properly. Meanwhile, the Shanghai World Expo introduced everyone to the anomaly that is Little Durian Star, this year’s poorly themed ‘Your Singapore‘ mascot. We’ve also realised this National Day that our citizens still can’t tell their Bersatus from Bersarus, and with the World Cup came the thankfully short-lived monstrosity that is the vuvuzela. The money-spinner of the year goes to the two integrated resorts, nevermind the lapses such as Tom Jones’ bad throat, MBS being labelled Construction Bay for its slipshod rush job and conference cock-ups, or the lack of plants on the Helix bridge. None of that stopped us from trying our luck at the tables of course, cabbies included.

Race, religion, sex

Racial and ethnic tempers flared this year, from racist Naan the Nay pastry at Breadtalk to accent mocking on the radio, dark-skin insults to drunk Sikh priests, biased holidays to Chinese policemen extras on TV. We uncovered a neo Nazi in our midst trashing the German World Cup team for not being of one ‘pure’ race, and our ambassador at large was cited on Wikileaks airing grievances against his ‘stupid Indian friends‘. Giving free drinks according to the size of a woman’s boobs or whether she wears lipstick is a bad idea. So is allowing men to poke your chest on a gags show, going ‘underboob‘ at a Star Awards ceremony, or making an artwork out of your buttocks on National Day. People are still uncomfortable with cross-dressing, soap-dispensing boobies, heartland R21 movies and suggestive water polo skimpy trunks. We’re also so squirmish about public displays of affection that we need to install ‘No kissing’ signs, and we boycott homegrown directors for fooling around with young stars half their age. On the other hand, nothing’s stopping uncles from slipping angpows into getai singers’ cleavages, or ordinary folks catching the nudist bug and just letting it all hang out.

Food glorious food

Perhaps second only to complaining as our favourite activity, it was a year of sellouts and ripoffs in the FnB scene. McDonald’s offended people born in the year of the Pig, KF Seetoh eats KFC breakfast, people get conned into buying lobster meepok, and bloggers get branded for throwing their weight around to get free meals.  Our iconic Singapore Sling was compared to cough syrup, mooncakes were deemed too wacky, and someone had a problem with the temperature that our food was served at in general. Vegetarians condemn eateries for not being sensitive to their dietary needs, while meat-lovers think having too many vegetarians will have negative impacts on the ecosystem.

Singaporeans are..

Champion grumblers, merely competent, ignorant, victims of their own success, spoilt princesses, wimpy NS men and drone like vuvuzelas. We also like to sue ministries for getting locked out in schools, sue airlines for eating our sweets, rally around contract breaking spas, and bring to justice people dressing up as scary looking grizzly bears. We aspire to be a sporting nation, but complain about our women’s table tennis players, Malays dominating sepak takraw, and how marathons are organised. We want to see our kids in kindergarten graduation gowns,  save them from the scourge that is Animal Kaiser and we hate to see them pick up Singlish despite using it ourselves. We get offended by being called uncles or aunties, use too many acronyms and don’t introduce ourselves properly. We need filial piety ads to remind us of our aged parents, people to tell us which which side of the street to walk, and just when you thought we would run out of things to complain about, we rant on about sandbags used to defend against acts of God, Ms Universe gowns and how there’s just too much slapping on TV.

And now, finally, the Griper awards.

1. Most Trivial complaint: This is a tough one, but if I had to settle for the most useless complaint of 2010, it would be

‘Bus stop benches are slanted’, from Ms Paula Tan, newbie to public transport in this post.

2. Worst. Suggestion. Ever: Without a doubt, paying for a seat on the MRT.

3. Most determined complainer: Thomas Lee Zhi Zhi, for waiting 3 years to push for new Chinese names for Dhoby Ghaut and Somerset MRT stations.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone.

Filed under: 2010, Complaining | 2 Comments »

Singaporeans are victims of their own success

Posted on September 5, 2010 by gdy2shoez

From ‘SM:We’re victims of our own success’, 5 Sept 2010, article by Irene Tham in The Sunday Times

(SM Goh Chok Tong): It is important that we do not complain too much when we can’t get the house that we want, we can’t get the carpark that we want, when the MRT trains are a little crowded.

We are in fact quite fortunate. These are problems created by our own success. There are many people who are not able to benefit from our overall success. Just remember them as we try to solve our problems at the top end.

…In a sense, we are victims of our own success.

…If you can own two cars, you are not really poor.

…It’s important for those who are facing the problems of success…to think of those who are struggling to make a living every day.

A ‘little’ crowded? Where was SM Goh when the Jurong East interchange fiasco happened where commuters had to run back down escalators because the platform was bursting hazardously at the seams? And why exactly is it important that we ‘don’t complain too much’? Does keeping mum mean that more will be done for the poor, elderly and impaired, or more done to curb overcrowding and foreigners tussling for elbow room? And he tells us to spare a thought for those less unfortunate than us, fine, but are we ‘victims of our own success’ not struggling to make a living every day ourselves, especially if we don’t have ‘two cars’ hence ‘not really poor’? A less inspiring rehash of the vuvuzela analogy, but still, a positive spin, or should I say euphemism, on what ‘victims of success’ really means, that Singaporeans are a spoilt, ungrateful lot who can’t appreciate what the government has done for them. I tend to agree, though, that this lust for carpark space is a result of our ‘autophilia’ and the government should pander least to car owners and megalomaniac hobbyists who can jolly well switch to public transport ( on second thought, maybe not) , cycle (if YOG lanes are converted to bike paths) and do the Earth a big favour. No mincing of words in this 10 July 1979 ST article ‘Hitting at S’poreans who grumble at slightest discomfort’. Seems like we were already ‘victims of our success’ long before the blueprints of the first MRT station emerged.

God only knows where Dr Ow is at this moment, 31 years later. It’s always easy to preach appreciation of the good things in life when you’re well-off yourself. Having an abundance of almost ‘anything and everything’ may have made life more comfortable then, maybe you would have been happy with a TV, a VCR, a stereo with not one but TWO tape decks, perhaps a typewriter to express some creative juice, but it remains to be seen if growing affluence makes us more ‘comfortable and gracious’ today. We still have an abundance of everything alright, 5 freaking million people included. I would think a more effective argument that Singaporeans are indeed a lucky bunch , whether it’s in the late 70′s or today, is that we’re relatively spared from natural disasters, that thousands of South East Asians could die from earthquake or tsunamis around us and all we’ll experience are nervous wobbles and flash floods to remind us not to take our charmed geographical location for granted.

Filed under: 1970s, 2010, Complaining, MRT, Politicians | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

Only cowards criticise YOG on Facebook

Posted on August 29, 2010 by gdy2shoez

From ‘Anti-YOG Facebook group members are cowards’, 26 Aug 2010, article in The New Paper

The anti-Youth Olympic Games (YOG) Facebook group that claims to have more than 2,700 members has come under fire.

Athletes, volunteers and fans whom The New Paper spoke to yesterday hit back at criticisms by the group, with one of them calling members in the group “cowards” for hiding behind the anonymity of the Internet.

A netizen also blasted the group – which calls itself “I hate the YOG organising committee” – for being a bunch of whiners.

…Netizen Wei Khai, 13, posted on the group’s wall that all they did was whine. He was unhappy that the group members had done their criticising while hiding “behind the anonymity of the Internet”.

…Another netizen, Nas Hakim, 21, posted yesterday afternoon: “Seriously, if you people think that you can do a better job, then why not organise your own YOG or be part of the initial organising committee?

“Please don’t be a typical NATO, No Action, Talk Only, and complain about everything under the sun!”

…Karleef Sasi Abdullah, 17, said: “The (anti-YOG) netizens didn’t see the time and effort we put into the Games. They didn’t see us training, getting home late and having less time with our families.

“They also don’t see how full the venues were, so how can they just criticise the YOG like that?”

Perhaps calling a 13 year old a ‘netizen’ is stretching it, but riddle me this: How is posting complaints on a Facebook page a ‘cowardly’ act of hiding behind the ‘anonymity of the Internet’, when you have the police going around arresting the very same Facebookers, with target precision I must add, for inciting violence? No details were revealed as to how a certain Abdul Malik was tracked down and I’m dying to see Crimewatch do a Facebook special on this. Big words from a mere kid, who can’t differentiate real anonymity i.e posting random insults on a forum under a pseudonym (but then again, not entirely foolproof either), from stupidity. Yes, the stupidity of posting inflammatory comments next to your face (duh..it’s Facebook after all), and with your real name too.

Really, can’t we all get along? The YOG is over and done with and telling detractors ‘you so clever you organise one yourself lor’ is pointless because those who argue from the tax-dollars point of view don’t see the need to have one in the first place. Such reactions from the YOG teamsters is akin to a trauma patient healing from wounds (of defeat perhaps) lambasting the social worker for complaining about the dressing skills of the nurses, which is, ironically, analagous to what most anti-YOG Facebookers are really complaining about: the lack of welfare for the volunteers. A case of biting the hand trying to feed them perhaps, since it’s the committee which anti-YOGsters have a beef with, not our local athletes/volunteers. Also, training hard for your event is a given and is more a concern of your coach and your beloved Minister and not ours really. But then again, kids being kids, it’s only natural that they’ll take the defensive against  mudslingers, fail to distinguish ‘committee’ from ‘YOG’, and impulsively fling themselves into friendly fire like how any kid would take a bullet for an abusive parent.  Anyhow, let’s just stop this childish turf war already (yes even if it’s indeed a youthful thing to mob and protest to no end) and get on with our YOG-free lives shall we? For those who want to relive the ‘Best Of’ YOG complaints to see how it all begun, go here.

Filed under: 2010, Complaining, Sports | Tagged: , , | Leave a Comment »

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