Singasingapore

The Pimary Six Day of Reckoning

2005-10-25T20:33:00.000+08:00

If you have a copy of today's Straits Times (25/10/2005) read the article by Assoc. Professor Teo Chung Piaw on page 23, entitled 'The Primary Six day of reckoning', where she suggests that the matching algorithm used by the NRMP should be adopted by the Singapore Ministry of Education for use in the allocation of seconday schools to primary six students.

This is an excellent idea; the professor is absolutely accurate in her characterization of the current new system as the progenitor of unnecessary stress for primary six students. Indeed, the match algorithm manages to put this stress on the individual schools instead - but they are in a better position to handle it.

I suspect that this will not reduce the necessity for multiple entrance exams, but unless the PSLE itself is massively overhauled, this will be a requirement in any case. Also, given the recent rate of change of MOE policy, changing the policy for next year should not be an issue.

For more information about the matching algorithm used by the NRMP, click here.

Oops. I should have looked at my "sister" site.

2005-09-18T05:18:00.000+08:00

I must say that the best coverage of the third seditious blogger is singabloodypore. I had neglected to look at that site. And when I say "best coverage," I mean that Steve has kindly copied all the relevant news articles. Hurrah!

The best information about the reaction of the blogosphere is (as always) at Singapore Angle.

Sedition Act to be Reviewed

2005-09-18T02:55:00.000+08:00

The Government is reviewing the Sedition Act to see if it needs to be strengthened or renewed.

Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng, who is also the Home Affairs Minister, said the Government had to take anyone who tries to stir racial, religious hatred against one another very seriously.

Mr Wong said: "The MHA would be reviewing, together with the Law Ministry and the Attorney-Chambers on the various legislations that we have, that will deal with situations where racial, religious hatred will be incited, where invocation of acts of terror, for example, can be said in the net or anywhere."

He said the penalty in the Sedition Act might have been outdated, as it was last reviewed many years ago.

[Source: Channel NewsAsia, 17/09/2005]

Singapore reviewing the Sedition Act is scary, particularly because of the accompanying comments. While I suppose "penalty in the Sedition Act might have been outdated" is neutral, and means that the penalty may be increased or decreased, the latter seems unlikely - apparently a maximum sentence of a fine or S$5000 and 3 years imprisonment is not particularly scary. Taken together with the first portion of the statement, that " the Government had to take anyone who tries to stir racial, religious hatred against one another very seriously," things don't look good.

Of course, it might that Singapore is bowing to "pressure" to charge suspected criminals under appropriately named Acts.

In any case, because Singapore really respects the rule of law, these three bloggers (and anyone else who makes racist/seditious comments before the law actually changes) can take heart that their maximum sentence will be a fine or S$5000 and 3 years imprisonment. Of course, because the courts have discretion within that range, it makes it rather likely that something near the maximum sentence will be imposed.

All links in this post (apart from the CNA link) point to Mr Wang... he's got the best coverage of the third seditious blogger available. [and Mr. Wang - you know that you can change your web address if you want to right? I know you think Commentary Singapore is rather boring, so why don't you go ahead and do that :D]

MP3's and Singapore Law

2005-09-15T23:47:00.000+08:00

Update: See conclusion, before endnotes.

Q. How do I know whether the songs in my computer or MP3 player are legal?
A. If you didn't buy it from a legal site like Soundbuzz, it is probably illegal. Plus, when you buy a CD, the rights only apply to the CD; this means you cannot rip songs out and make them into MP3s for your player.
Generally, it's advisable to check the terms and conditions of use before you make a copy of the songs. -- SOURCE: INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OFFICE OF SINGAPORE"

[Source: Mr. Brown (blog), 25/08/2005]

Of course, this was first published in the Straits Times around that date. Mr. Brown says that it's originally from the IPOS site, but I could not find it with a search for "rip".

In any case, while IPOS is not wrong, it's not necessarily right, either. This is simply the conservative approach. It's likely that the terms & conditions of that kanYeWest album you just bought did not authorise you to take any actions except to listen to the CD. Copying the CD into mp3 format is undoubtably copying, and therefore you have to fall into one of the defences - this is basically called fair dealing.

Traditionally, Anthony Lim is correct when he says: "the fair use defence in Singapore is limited to very narrow circumstances (reporting news, private study etc)" However, in Singapore the term which has traditionally been used is fair dealing rather than fair use, ("fair dealing" is the term used by the UK, "fair use" is used for the same type of defence in the US) and as a result of the Singapore-US FTA there have been significant changes to copyright law in Singapore.

One of these was the Copyright (Amendment) Act 2004. ¹ This Act created a new section 109 in the Copyright Act, which came into force on 1/1/2005, and reads as follows:

109. —(1) Subject to this section, a fair dealing with an audio-visual item for any purpose other than a purpose referred to in section 110 or 111 shall not constitute an infringement of the copyright in the item or in any work or other audio-visual item included in the item.

(2) The purposes for which a dealing with an audio-visual item may constitute a fair dealing under subsection (1) shall include research and study.

(3) For the purposes of this Act, the matters to which regard shall be had, in determining whether a dealing with an audio-visual item, being a dealing by way of copying the whole or a part of the audio-visual item, constitutes a fair dealing with the audio-visual item for any purpose other than a purpose referred to in section 110 or 111 shall include —

(a) the purpose and character of the dealing, including whether such dealing is of a commercial nature or is for non-profit educational purposes;

(b) the nature of the audio-visual item;

(c) the amount and substantiality of the part copied taken in relation to the whole audio-visual item;

(d) the effect of the dealing upon the potential market for, or value of, the audio-visual item; and

(e) the possibility of obtaining the audio-visual item within a reasonable time at an ordinary commercial price.

[Note: Sections 110 and 111 confirm the traditional "criticism", "review" and "reporting news" exceptions.]

This is what will most probably have to be interpreted by the courts if a case of a person ripping a CD he owns into a digital format for his personal use ("simple CD ripping") comes before it today. The portion which we're most concerned with is s109(3), which sets out five factors which the court is to give consideration to. You will note that (a) to (d) are taken almost verbatim from the US Code ² - (e) is novel. While there does not seem to have been any case involving simple CD ripping, it was recently said by MGM³ in MGM v. Grokster that "at the time the iPod was invented, it was clear that there were many perfectly lawful uses for it, such as ripping ones own CD and storing it in the iPod."

However, the reasons behind that are probably more practical than legal. Prior to this new section 109, it would have been very difficult to fit simple CD ripping into any one of the categories of fair dealing (research, study, criticism, review, news) and the ground was ripe for recording companies to complain that ripping mp3's in Singapore was in contravention of copyright. However - they didn't. This is especially true because a Singaporean firm (Creative Technology) was in fact the first company in the world to create a hard disk based mp3 player. (The Creative Nomad Jukebox; of course, the iPod has eclipsed it, and the newest iPod nano sets new standards.)

Quite apart from the idea that companies might now be prevented from claiming such a right⁴, the new section 109 makes it harder for them to claim that simple CD ripping contravenes copyright. In my opinion, (a) and (b) allow for simple CD ripping, while (c), (d) and (e) argue against it; but the courts decision is not some mathematical formulation, and I feel that it would be most inequitable if the courts did decide in favour of recording companies. Indeed, possibly the highest barrier against bringing such a suit would be the public relations nightmare it would create.

In any case, I think what might be more of an issue is the new Part XIIIA of the Copyright Act, which has anti-circumvention provisions similar to the much ballyhooed US-DMCA. In brief, this would mean that if a CD was manufactured such that it was not possible to rip it in the usual fashion, it would be illegal to rip it because to do so would be to circumvent the technological measure used prevent ripping. Of course, recording companies don't seem to be releasing corrupted CDs much any longer.

In summation, IPOS does not know if simple CD ripping is actually illegal, contrary to their claims, because until a case comes before the court, both opinions might be valid and nobody knows. So - Rip on! (Only if you want to, this does not constitute legal advice, please make your own decision and go and consult a laywer or call IPOS or mail IPOS or something.⁵)

Update - 18/09/2005: (Due to a comment by Ivan) I suspect I might have been a little unclear - in each case above, when I referred to a recording company bringing a suit, I was referring to the process in which a recording company might complain to the authorities that an individual is ripping mp3s, and the Prosecutor then deciding to prosecute on the basis that such act is illegal; being an offence according to the Copyright Act. As Ivan rightly pointed out, if the terms and conditions of an album prohibit simple ripping, then you will be in violation of your agreement with the recording company.

I would suggest, however, that being in violation of your agreement with the recording company would have almost no legal effect in the case of simple ripping - a recording company would be mad to bring a civil action in Singapore, because damages would be minimal and even if costs were awarded it is likely that the recording company would be out of pocket by a substantial amount. Unless, of course, they want to make an example.

Also, I just had a peek at the offences under the Copyright Act, (section 136, I hadn't before) and in general they all require some element of trade; unless the extent of the infringment is significant (section 136(3A)). Unfortunately, simple ripping means that the entire work will be copied, so it may be regarded as such. The maxium penalty applicable is a fine of $20,000 and 6 months jail.

End Notes:
1. Singapore seems to have recently decided that suffixing a year to the names of Acts is a good idea. I agree, because then it makes it easier to distinguish which particular Act you're referring to; although I'll admit in most circumstances it qualifies as unnecessary veribiage. Much like this note! In case you're -really- interested, section 27 of the Copyright (Amendment) Act 2004 is the one which repeals and re-enacts section 109 of the Copyright Act.

2. While the new section 109 is most similar to Title 17, Chapter 1, § 107; it must be noted that for a long time those factors (except (e)) were used in section 35 of the Singapore Copyright Act to determine if something was "research or study". However, because it had to be "research and study," the factors were of far more limited use than they are today.

3. This was said by MGM; and while the author of the piece I linked suggests that MGM will be bound to this, that's probably true only for proceedings resulting from MGM v. Grokster.

4. This is the legal concept of estoppel, but for it to apply in these circumstances would probably require some judicial innovation.

5. I suppose I should support soundbuzz.com, but really, the real problem with almost all mp3 download sites nowadays is that their quality leaves something to be desired. Except perhaps AllofMp3.com, but the legality of that site is... questionable.

World Bank: Singapore is second easiest place to do business

2005-09-14T22:40:00.000+08:00

THE WORLD Bank has released data and tables showing how easy it is to do business in different countries around the world.
Entrepreneurs in Sierra Leone are likely to have a problem because if you pay all the business taxes you ought to, it will consume 164 per cent of your company's gross profit. ...

A league table of countries reveals that New Zealand is the easiest place to do business, followed by Singapore, the US, Canada and Norway. The UK is number nine in the table...

All this, and a heap of very useful information cann be found on the World Bank's Doing Business site.

[Source: The Inquirer, 14/09/2005]

The World Bank's Doing Business link for Singapore is here. I think that it highlights one key areas where Singapore can improve - Singapore needs a public credit rating agency - Singapore has none, and the private ones only cover 39% of Singaporeans.

It might also be nice if the "Difficulty in Firing" index was something other than 0. 0 is the best, but... Comparatively, the score for the region is 23.3 and the score for OECD countries is 27.3.

Anonymity and your IP address

2005-09-13T17:08:00.000+08:00

As I'm sure everyone is well aware, going online means that you require an IP address. For the average user, this means that they are required to purchase an internet account from an ISP (in Singapore, mainly either Pacific Internet, Singnet or Starhub).

These ISPs then, can track where you go and what you do. Unless, of course, you use an independent proxy server or an anonymizer, and even in those cases if they're -really- interested in you they can still look at the data packets you send to figure out what you're doing. The only way prevent your ISP from figuring out what you're doing is to additionally encrypt all the data. Anoymizer actually povides such a service, albeit at a price.

However, most people aren't going to be paying for that, (and won't have looked around for free options) and therefore whenever someone is caught doing something naughty on the internet, with it's oh-so-thin layer of anonymity dust surrounding him, the immediate reaction is: "Oh! The ISP's are in CAHOoOTs! with the GAHMEN!"

An example of this is the recent seditions blogger case. I'm quoting elia diodati here (look under the second heading): "Yet how on earth did the police find out their true identities? Did the accused blatantly advertise their real names online, or was some kind of cyberskullduggery successful in tracing down their IP addresses? ISPs are supposedly only allowed to reveal such data with the sanction of court action, so the idea of a liaison with GLCs is unlikely, albeit not inconceivable."

While accusing the ISPs might be accurate for something like file-sharing, in the present situation this is not necessary. Apply Occam's Razor.

Taking the more difficult case first, the forum site was www.doggiesite.com. Getting an IP address would already require the support of the forum moderator, and apart from that the moderator would almost definitely have a working e-mail address. Even if that was insufficient, perhaps the other members of the forum had information regarding the identity of their fellow.

All the above points apply in the case of www.upsaid.com, except that because that service is not free (since Mar 23) and so there might be an additional credit card (or other) trail via paypal. I somehow don't think that blogger sent money by post to Belgium.

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Having said all that, I would also note that it is true that "The ISP's are in CAHOoOTs! with the GAHMEN!"

I suspect that the idea that "ISPs are supposedly only allowed to reveal such data with the sanction of court action" is related to the much publicized RIAA cases. Note that here it is the State which is bringing the complaint. (As opposed to the RIAA which is a private citizen.) Insofar as any ISP is required to obey the laws of the jurisdiction, the ISP is obliged to assist as far as it is able.

Stahub, for example, states this explicitly in it's Info-communication Services General Terms & Conditions at 24 (b): "We may use the Customer Information for the purposes of: planning, provisioning and billing for the Services; managing bad debt and preventing fraud; facilitating interconnection and inter-operability between Service Providers; rendering assistance to law enforcement, judicial, governmental or regulatory agencies and/or complying with any regulatory requirements imposed by IDA authorising the use of Customer Information."

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In conclusion, note the many ways your information may be revealed online. Remember that when you sign up for a forum site, even if you're using the full anonymizer service, your e-mail is still with the moderator! And that it's very easy to unintentionally leave details of who you actually are online.

The Seditious Bloggers - The Real Story?

2005-09-13T02:52:00.000+08:00

The backstory according to the report is that on June 14, ST Forum Page published a letter asking if "cab companies allowed uncaged pets to be transported in taxis, after she saw a dog standing on a taxi seat next to its owner." The concern is that the animals pay "drool on the seats or dirty them with their paws"--and for most of the Muslims in Singapore (which subscribe to the Syafie school of thought on the issue), they are prohibited by religion "to touch dogs which are wet, which would include a dog's saliva".

Enter the duo Nicholas Lim Yew, 25, and Benjamin Koh Song Huat, 27. The first "allegedly responded [to the Forum Page letter] by twice posting anti-Muslim remarks on an online forum for dog lovers, www.doggiesite.com," allegedly criticising "certain aspects of Islamic law." The latter "was said to have made similar racist comments on his blog, Phoenyx Chronicles, on www.upsaid.com on three occasions."

Interesting. Note that there may be further updates to this post by HuiChieh Loy. If you have a look at the links above (all courtesy of Singapore Angle), it appears that the object and intent of the posts was racist in nature, and as such I think this issue is done; all that really remains is to see what was actually said (no doubt this will be stated in court).

[Source: Singapore Angle (blog), 12/09/2005]

Re: The Sedition Act

2005-09-12T21:38:00.000+08:00

Miyagi and Singapore Ink have suggested that the relevant definitions (see below) of seditious tendency in the seditious blogger incident are "ambiguous and nonstandard" or that "there are a variety of things you could do on your blog that might be construed as an act with a seditious tendency."

Part of the problem might be that I only cited the portions which seemed relevant to the details at hand; in full, s3(1) of the Sedition Act reads:

3. —(1) A seditious tendency is a tendency —

(a) to bring into hatred or contempt or to excite disaffection against the Government;

(b) to excite the citizens of Singapore or the residents in Singapore to attempt to procure in Singapore, the alteration, otherwise than by lawful means, of any matter as by law established;

(c) to bring into hatred or contempt or to excite disaffection against the administration of justice in Singapore;

(d) to raise discontent or disaffection amongst the citizens of Singapore or the residents in Singapore;

(e) to promote feelings of ill-will and hostility between different races or classes of the population of Singapore.

I think it can be safely be said that these are, in general, reasonably clear. Whether they are non-standard requires a study in comparative laws which I can't be bothered to do, but Miyagi helpfully has stated (and given examples) that Singapore is not alone in enacting anti-racism laws. So we only have s3(1)(d) left.

This is what Miyagi is referring to when he says that there is a huge risk of writing something which may be regarded as seditious under the Act. He further suggests that even the anti-racism portions be expunged from this statue - "Enact an anti-racial vilification law, fellas. Leave the Sedition Act for specific seditious acts against the State."

I humbly suggest that this is unnecessary, for the following reasons:

1. Sedition is generally defined as an act against the state; Singapore is in a specific position (in terms of racial structure, geographical location, etc.) which makes racial harmony of utmost importance, and it is obvious that any disruption might be fatal.

2. Parliament has better things to do - I could name 10 other statues which need more clarification (or could do with recodification).

3. Related to point 2 - this is basically just labelling; perhaps it is a public relations issue, but reading anything more than the bare facts of the seditious blogger incident makes it clear that Singapore is not using it's Sedition Act in the supression of free speech.

The only problem left, therefore, is whether you or I could be rais(ing) discontent or disaffection amongst the citizens or residents of Singapore via our eloquent discourses upon the nature of the universe (and other peripheral matters). The answer to this is pretty simple - when is the last time anything anyone said qualified under this heading? (and remember the exceptions, in s3(2), see my previous post)

Indeed, having s3(1)(d) in the Sedition Act instead of the Discontent or Disaffection Act might even help; surely something which is considered to raise discontent or disaffection would have to be similar in at least some respects to the other limbs of s3(1).

Two bloggers charged under Sedition Act

2005-09-12T16:24:00.000+08:00

For the first time in Singapore, two bloggers have been charged under the Sedition Act with making racist remarks.

Twenty-five-year-old Nicholas Lim Yew faces two charges and 27-year-old Benjamin Koh Song Huat faces three. A subordinate court was told that both their blogs had racist content, which sparked off a heated discussion online.

The charges read that Lim had, on 16 and 17 June 2005, posted racist remarks on a web forum.

Koh was alleged to have done the same on 12, 15 and 17 June on another website.

In doing so, they are alleged to have committed an act which had a seditious tendency.

Another singaporean blogger, Coybow Cale b says: "The Intarweb is a public place, and as such if you have nothing nice to say then shut the hell up." No other singaporean blogger seems to have commented upon this as yet.

For my part, I have no idea what the comments were, but I can bring you through the legislation: (irrelevant portions deleted)

s4 of the Sedition Act (the "Act") states that any person who to does any act which has a seditious tendency; utters any seditious words; or prints, publishes, sells, offers for sale, distributes or reproduces any seditious publication shall be guilty of an offence and liable on conviction for a first offence to be fined up to S$5,000, or jailed up to three years, or both.

s3(1) of the Act defines seditious tendency as a tendency to raise discontent or disaffection amongst the citizens of Singapore or the residents in Singapore; or to promote feelings of ill-will and hostility between different races or classes of the population of Singapore.

The bloggers might be saved by s3(2), which states that (this is set out in full) any act, speech, words, publication or other thing shall not be deemed to be seditious by reason only that it has a tendency
(a) to show that the Government has been misled or mistaken in any of its measures;
(b) to point out errors or defects in the Government or the Constitution as by law established or in legislation or in the administration of justice with a view to the remedying of such errors or defects;
(c) to persuade the citizens of Singapore or the residents in Singapore to attempt to procure by lawful means the alteration of any matter in Singapore; or
(d) to point out, with a view to their removal, any matters producing or having a tendency to produce feelings of ill-will and enmity between different races or classes of the population of Singapore,
if such act, speech, words, publication or other thing has not otherwise in fact a seditious tendency.

I'm sure that in the course of time someone will point to what exactly these seditious comments are: except that they might have already been deleted, because under s4 of the Act it is also an offence to publish or reproduce (see above). If I owned the site that comment was pasted on, and in view of the charges against the commentees, I would delete the comment as soon as possible.

Of course anyone who reproduces the comments of those charged are probably saved by S3(2) of the Act.

[Source: Channel NewsAsia, 12/09/2005]

Singapura This Week

2005-09-12T15:43:00.000+08:00

Singapura This Week covers all activities that happen around Singapore. More importantly we get to know but the not so well publicised events which are fun and interesting.

That sounds great. Unfortunately, a blog format really does not do justice to the site, because it makes it AWFULLY difficult to find information. I heartily recommend that they check out the CMS being using by tomorrow.sg, Drupal: The basic installation of this has an events calendar which would suit their needs perfectly.

[Source: Tomorrow.SG (meta-blog), 12/09/2005]

Singapore Policy Wiki

2005-09-12T15:23:00.000+08:00

This wiki hopes to aggregate the diverse opinions of people who wish to offer policy proposals for Singapore, so that readers can compare and decide for themselves which policies they think would be best for Singapore's future.

Emphasis mine. This is a good idea in theory, and indeed if properly fleshed out it has to potential to add true value (to Singapore as a nation), but I think it does suffer from a chicken-egg issue, which might be systemic because of the platform chosen. The chicken-egg issue is that there is no impeutus for submission, because it is unknown. This is compounded by a lack of recognition for participation - it is a wiki and hence serially anonymous.

This model has worked in the past, but with a far larger target audience. Time will tell.

[Source: Wannabe Lawyer (blog), 18/08/2005]

Singabloodypore in Singapore!

2005-09-11T23:29:00.000+08:00

Steve McDermott has indicated in his latest post that he is in Singapore, "having passed through immigration freely."

Yay!

In other news, Steve's last post is odd: he posts information that Yap Keng Ho has filed a police complaint against MediaCorp, and cites Agence France Presse as the source. A google search, however, uncovers no such Agence France Presse release, but only a couple of interested blogs. This is especially wierd considering that sources such as news.yahoo.com publish AFP releases. (Searching news.yahoo.com was equally useless; for 'Yap Keng Ho' I found three irrelevant hits.)

Maybe it was censored from the InTArWeB!

Thomas Friedman: Singapore has advantage in 'flat' world

2005-09-11T23:08:00.000+08:00

"You are blessed that you have no natural resources, which is the single best advantage in the flat world. You have what I call a very high coefficient of flatness. The flatter your country is, the more you have to build up your people, their energy, their activity, entrepreneurship, in order to advance your standard of living."

[Source: Channel NewsAsia, 09/09/2005]

Singaporean defers army service to play computer games

2005-09-11T23:06:00.000+08:00

20-year-old Stanley Aw was allowed to postpone national service by nearly two months so he could compete in the World Cyber Games.
"In line with the Government's support for sports, culture and the arts, the Ministry of Defense will consider granting one-time deferments for pre-enlistees who are selected to represent Singapore at prestigious international sports and cultural events," the Straits Times quoted a spokesman as saying.

Unimaginable - but a clear sign that the government is "softening up."

[Source: Reuters, 06/09/2005]

Singaporean emerges top at Johor Institute of Islamic Studies

2005-09-11T23:04:00.000+08:00

A SINGAPOREAN was the toast of the Johor Institute of Islamic Studies (Marsah) Sixth Convocation here today. Shahida Johari received the Menteri Besar’s award for best overall achievement in academics, extra-curricular activities, discipline and virtuous living.

She was also the best student in Usuluddin Studies Department (Islamic Theology).

[Source: New Straits Times, 11/09/2005]

Singapore carves niche in stem cell research

2005-08-28T22:26:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - South Korea stole headlines after creating the world's first cloned dog, but the tiny city-state of Singapore is quietly preparing to take the fruits of its stem cell research straight to the market.

Steven Fang, chief executive of Singapore-based CyGenics AX> , said more Singapore-based firms are taking the greenfield research of U.S. and Korean scientists and turning it into marketable technology safe for human use.

[Source: Reuters, 28/08/2005]

Singapore President has rejected death row appeal

2005-05-06T01:05:00.000+08:00

Singapore's president has rejected an appeal by the teenage children of a 38-year-old man on death row, saying he would not receive clemency and underlining the country's tough stand on drugs trafficking.

(Source: Reuters, on tvnz.co.nz)

This is not entirely unexpected, and means that Shanmugam Murugesu will be hung for trafficking about 1 kg of cannabis.

As noted a few days ago by serialdeviant, in a post which was chronicled on tomorrow.sg, "Does Singapore needs to reform its policy on the death penalty? Hell yes. Is he the best person to be the poster boy for the ills of the system? No. He is guilty of the crime, there’s no frame-up, there’s no mistaken identity here. He doesn’t have a legal leg to stand on. True, he has young kids who will practically be orphans if he is executed, but he should’ve thought of that before he agreed to smuggle the drugs."

Repeating what I said in the comments section of that post:

I suspect that the reason Shanmugam Murugesu is being used as a "poster boy" is not so much because he has a "legal leg to stand on" (serialdeviant is right; he doesn't) but rather because it gives those who have a vested interest in reform an excuse to trot out all their arguments once again.

So, it's utterly unsurprising that he has been used, because at least in his case there are other factors which make it seem rather inequitable that he is to be executed.

I'm unsure if he should be given a chance. My gut instinct is that he should, but the question is: what sort of 'chance' could this be? Would his children truly be better of with a father in jail (which is, I think, the extent of any possible pardon) rather than one who has been executed?

I disagree with the idea that Singapore's death penalty should be "reformed". Perhaps someone would point me to cogently held opinions which elucidate why Singapore in particular should remove her death penalty?

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I suppose that the list posted by Mc Dermott probably constitutes such an opinion. In response:

Fact #1 : Drug abuse is not the only social ill that destroy lives. Addiction to smoking, gambling and alcohol kill as many, if not more, people in Singapore than drug abuse. Should we also prosecute and hang directors of tobaccco companies, casino operators and alcohol maufacturers?

No, for the same reason that gambling is now going to be allowed in Singapore.

Fact #2 : Drug couriers like Shanmugum often take on such jobs because of economic hardship. Syndicates who want to ship drugs into Singapore often use decoys to distract the police. Shanmugum was likely deployed as such a decoy. At the time when Shanmugum was caught at the causeway, there may have been 4 or 5 more other couriers who had escaped the custom. This is one way in which drugs continue to flow into Singapore.

and is your claim, sir, that reducing the penalty will help matters? The fact that there continue to be drug couriers suggests that the penalty actually needs to be increased; but that is hardly possible. Our only option, therefore, is to maintain the penalty.

Economic hardship cannot be a consideration in sentencing; that is discrimination in it's purest form. Each courier makes a personal decision, not based on coercion (otherwise defences would be available to him), to take the risk.

Fact #3 : Despite the use of the death penalty as a deterrent to would-be-criminals, prison population in Singapore is one of the highest in the world. "Singapore locks away more people than over half the nations of the world, a British survey on prison population shows. For every 100,000 people, 359 are in prison - above the sum total of Cambodia (46), Malaysia (121), Brunei (120) and Indonesia (29). It also exceeds those in developed countries such as Japan (48), France (85), Britain (139) and Australia (116).

And again, I must ask, is the logical result of this fact that a reduction in penalty would be salutary? I suppose the alternative argument is that the death penalty is not useful, and the interests of preserving human life are paramount, but that is a policy decision which has been made by our Government.

Fact #4 : While we hang small-time drug couriers, the Singapore Government invests in companies owned by Burma's most notorious druglord, Lo Hsing Han.

Whether this is true, or not, this has nothing to do with the law in question.

Fact #5 : Currently, more than 100 countries have abolished the death penalty either in practice or in law. Singapore is one of 25 countries that are still carrying out executions. Not only that, we have the highest per capita rate of executions in the world.

This is similarly irrelevant. As stated above, this is a policy decision which has been made by our elected Government.

Fact #6 : There is a lack of safeguards in the judicial system to ensure that no innocent men or women should be executed. In an exchange during the final appeal of Malaysian trafficker Vignes Mourthi, when asked by the defence counsel if the public prosecutor was still maintaining that an innocent person be hanged because of legal procedure, Chief Justice Yong Pung How replied, "Yes. The answer is yes."

While it is possible that some reform in this area might be necessary, the response to even an absolute lack of safeguards is not to remove the law, especially where the situation under the law (as highlighted in previous "Facts") is such that there continue to be drug couriers. This claim may be meritorious, but it's conflation with calls for removal is unhelpful, and will probably cause it to be dismissed without consideration. Perhaps a more detailed analysis could be undertaken by interested parties.

Of course, I agree with the suggested response, which is to encourage open debate. I quote:

Think Centre, with the support of concerned members of civil society and the arts community, is organising a candlelight vigil for Shanmugam Murugesu. He is expected to be hanged on the morning of this day. The evening will involve a series of candlelit music, performances and readings by concerned, non-partisan individuals as an expression of our 3C's:"Compassion", "Care", & "Concern" .

Fri 6th May 2005
Time: 7 – 10 pm
Venue: The Substation arts centre garden,
45 Armenian Street
(Back Entrance by old National Library carpark)

Please come and participate. Admission is free.

This event will hopefully be the start of a public awareness campiagn to get Singaporeans to talk openly about the pros and cons of capital punishment in their country.

The Sad State of the "Stupid Dumbass Party" (lets googlebomb them)

2005-05-04T17:10:00.000+08:00

Wannabe Lawyer claims that the Singapore Democrats are better known as the Stupid Dumbass Party.

The Stupid Dumbass Party
1. consists of opportunists, lunatics and morons

2. is run by clowns (”Show-me-the-money!” Chee!)

3. have no economists (as evidenced by the extremely cock-up policy suggestions)

[Source: Wannabe Lawyer, 3/5/2005]

Reading his post, I remained unsure. Yes, suprious claims were made, yes, they were made without any substantive proof, yes, they are of such nature that would make any logical being very unsure of voting for them. But singabloodypore fulfills the first two of these and I've never felt it necessary to call him Steven McDumbass. I watch That '70s show, and I feel that "dumbass" and "foot up your ass" are overused.

Then I read this. [via Wannabe Lawyer] Gilbert Koh has had his posts copied by the Stupid Dumbass Party, and says: "mysterious-SDP-person-who-has-been-reading-my-blog-&-copying-from-it, please remove my posts from your website immediately."

Stupid Dumbass Party, stop being so freaking imbeclic. Unless copyright is specifically waived, it applies so everything, and copying posts without consent is also really bad manners. (Fair Use exceptions also probably do not apply.) I hope you get the PAP's foot up your ass, you Stupid Dumbass Party.

Now, this is the interesting bit. I don't know if shianux intended it, but I think that we (bloggers) should demonstrate our power. I think this is best achieved through a googlebomb, the seeds of which have already been planted by shianux. Basically, lets make a google "I'm feeling lucky" search for "Stupid Dumbass Party" return the Singapore Democrat website. The method for achieving this madness is simple: Simply link to http://www.singaporedemocrat.org/ whenever you say "Stupid Dumbass Party."

:D :D :D

Perhaps not as much of a classic as "french military victories," but still fun. (for the full effect, open a new browser at google.com; type in "french military victories," and click "I'm feeling lucky.")

RSF Annual Report 2005

2005-05-04T00:33:00.000+08:00

... Singapore's low ranking was due to the complete absence of independent newspapers, radio stations and TV stations, the application of prison sentences for press offences, media self-censorship and the opposition's lack of access to the state media...

For several decades, the government has had a very sophisticated strategy for silencing Singaporean and foreign journalists who wrote stories that are embarrassing for the political elite. The threat of heavy fines or distribution bans have sufficed to bring press groups to heel. The British news weekly The Economist was punished in this fashion in 2004...

(emphasis mine)
[Source: RSF Annual Report 2005, 2/5/2005, via Singabloodypore]

I had read about this earlier, and was going to comment upon it, but Singabloodypore beat me to the punch. In any case...

The problems cited in the first paragraph and the first section of the second paragraph largely refer to the effect of provisions in the Newspaper and Printing Presses Act. This is the main means through which legitimate publications may be legally censured. This is achieved through two methods, first: Every periodical must be licensed; this license lasts for only 12 months, and may be revoked. Second, every periodical may be subject to a distribution limit. Apart from this, to publish, sell or distribute any periodical is an offence punishable with a fine of up to SGD 50,000 and 2 years imprisonment.

Allegedly, this is the cause of all the other problems; because any publishing business may effectively be rendered illegal, or become severely constricted by circulation limits which will have a negative impact upon advertising and hence render the business unfeasible.

Whether or not this is true, the bolded allegation is erroneous. Mr. Brown links to what really happened. ;) (short version - they were sued for defamation and settled.)

A note of about unemployment rates (3.9% in Q1!)

2005-05-04T00:05:00.000+08:00

Singapore workers yesterday celebrated May Day facing the prospect of increased unemployment after the government reported that the jobless rate had unexpectedly risen to 3.9 per cent in the first three months of 2005.

[Source: John Burton, Financial Times, 2/5/2005 via Singabloodypore]

I knew about this as early as April the 28th, but neglected to blog it because the change seemed rather small; the Channel NewsAsia headline was: "Singapore's Q1 jobless rate rises to 3.9% from 3.7% in previous quarter" (plus, I'm a little biased. Can you tell? )

Also, I have no idea how variable wage schemes help employers to fire employees without retrenchment benefits, unless the employee's basic wage is ZERO, which is hardly likely. Variable wage schemes are generally used to reward employees during good times, while allowing employers the ability to reduce wages during hard times without the stigma of a "pay cut."

I will note, however, that because the employment laws (particularly executive employment) in Singapore are so business friendly, it is far easier/cheaper for a company here to fire a worker than, say, in Europe.

Wee Kim Wee, a People's President, dies at 89

2005-05-03T06:33:00.000+08:00

Said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong: "Most of all, we will remember him as a true Singaporean, who, in his own life, experienced the many facets of being a Singaporean, having been a worker, a sportsman, a public officer, a corporate leader, a Samaritan, a husband and a father."
.
Dr Wee, he said, was completely lacking in self-importance or stiff formality.
.
"He was unassuming, interested in people, and at ease interacting with one and all, from the highest in the land to the humblest," said Mr Lee in a letter to the widow, Mrs Wee Sok Hiong.

[Source: Clement Mesenas and Wong Fei Wan, Today, 2/5/2005]

Is the Epoch Times a real news network?

2005-05-03T05:21:00.000+08:00

they used the excuse of “assembly without permit” to prosecute these two innocent housewives.

Organizing an assembly without a permit happens to be against the law in Singapore, and it is a rule which has been established according to all Rule of Law principles - it is a just law. Hence, it is not an "excuse", nor can the housewives properly be called "innocent." I doubt there were only two people on the scene, though, which is what is implied.

Later, the judge in the Singapore court used reasons such as “freedom of speech is not absolute” to give an unjust verdict.

There is no absolute freedom of speech, nor can there ever be. It is always bound by other laws, such as defamation. The use of the word "unjust" in this sentence is misleading; it implies that the judgment was not in conformance with the law in Singapore, and this has yet to be determined. (I am assuming that the convicted persons have appealed.)

The unjust verdict against Falun Gong practitioners may be an opportunity for the world and international human rights organizations to review Singapore’s legal system and institutions, especially Singapore’s practice and protection of United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Again, it is not unjust. Fact 1: The "world and international human rights organizations" have no right to review the laws of any sovereign state. Fact 2: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is not a treaty, and suggestions that it's provisions constitute binding international law are hilarious in reality. (No matter how convincing the theoretical arguments are, and even theoretically, there is a lack of any broad consensus amongst the academics.)

I am surprised that what purports to be a legitimate news network, "The Epoch Times," has seen fit to publish what can be regarded as nothing more than inflammatory nonsense. I refer only to the portions I quoted; I agree that the fact that the Falun Gong has appealed to a working group in the UN is newsworthy.

The Epoch Times might have been adhering to a press statement issued by the Falun Gong, but that is simply bad journalism. Indeed, this sort of journalism is utterly unconvincing; what is needed for an informed public to make a decision is a rendition of the facts, and the list of charges. This has been lacking from all of the Epoch Times coverage of the matter. Indeed, there is no flaw in coverage which is opinionated, as long as the basic facts are also present.

This was, of course, covered (by quoting) in singabloodypore.

[Source: The Epoch Times, 2/5/2005]

Singabloodypore.blogspot is leaving!

2005-05-01T03:20:00.000+08:00

On the right column of singabloodypore, Steven McDermott writes: "I will be closing down the blogspot site in the near future, but will continue to post on both sites for the time being." (click for larger view)

In case anyone was unaware, this site was created as a deliberate copy of singabloodypore.

This was done for two reasons: to act as a balance and demonstrate the mediocrity of analysis singabloodypore regurgitated, and because of a deep concern for, and a desire to reach out to Steven, to possibly help him obtain a more balanced view of Singapore and perhaps resolve what seems to be unmitigated hate. A secondary reason, of course, was that I found the entire exercise enormously entertaining.

For whatever reason, singabloodypore is now moving to civiblog; and while I suppose I might follow, the default layout of that service is -ahem- rather bland (and singabloodypore.civiblog has not deviated much from it.)

While Steven has definitely read this blog (singasingapore was also graciously linked by singabloodypore), I note with regret that he has never engaged me in any sort of reasoned debate upon any issue. This might be due to the fact that I have not been around for long (and yet he's already leaving!!!) or because the blog "was and is a means for [Steven] to collect articles on Singapore that [he] could not read in the Singaporean national press." (link - search for the words "could not") but surely the standard should be that the articles collected (and presumably endorsed) must be worth reading, and not simply sycophantic. Indeed, that is why I read singabloodypore at all.

I do admit that I have not responded to certain seemingly substantive articles, particularly the Acidflask post, but I plead lack of time. Regarding that post, actually, even if the key fact quoted was true: "In the years 1999-2003, Singapore scored below average in terms of impact factors in 19 out of 21 fields tracked by Thomson ISI;" this does not support many other assertions made; such as "the conclusion is crystal-clear: we are very good at producing unstimulating scientific research" or "Singapore is not a major contributor to the physical sciences, even in per capita and per paper terms" at least in the way the author implicitly asks us to accept them.

They are only true (for these cases) provided we accept that citations-per-paper is the overwhelmingly important factor in deciding contribution to physical sciences, or how stimulating the scientific research Singapore has produced is.

This cannot be the case. Perhaps a better test of academia is peer review; as adopted by the Times World University Rankings (mirrored here) which ranked the NUS 18th worldwide. And remember that 20% of that result was based on citations-per-paper from ISI, and 50% on peer review.

In any case, singabloodypore is leaving blogspot, and it is unlikely I will follow. I could, of course, maintain this blog as it is, and trackback to the civiblog site, but it's just not as fun!

*childish pout*

Singapore's tourist arrivals up 17 percent in March

2005-04-30T20:51:00.000+08:00

tourism revenue was up 19 percent for the month.

surge in arrivals from Hong Kong, India and Thailand.

top five countries were Indonesia, the UK, China, Japan and Malaysia, accounting for 49 percent

[Source: Loh Kim Chin, Channel NewsAsia, 29/04/2005]

My national pride (cup) runneth over

2005-04-29T14:27:00.000+08:00

After years of being forced to read funny deviant crap like sexylosers [NSFW] I'm pleased to note that Singapore has it's own range of comic/strip/websites/titles.

Have a look at Squarebrain, and Daniel Seng's Comic One and Comic Two.

There was also some other comic I remember reading ages ago, written by some (at that time) girl in SCGS?/RJC which specifically had a character (presumably) modelled upon one of my real-life friends.

Oh, well. Later.

Singapore picks up several Cargonews Awards

2005-04-29T14:14:00.000+08:00

I read about this in the Straits Times, which is basically unlinkable because I will never subscribe. (and even if I do, I doubt you, the gentle reader, will have a subscription. There has been some discussion as to the effect of this, look at collision detection and Berkman fellow Ethan Zuckerman. Of course, since "blogging is serious stuff" perhaps now the Straits Times should be scared out of their money-grubbing? wits.)

In any case, the pertinent information is that Singapore has (once again) won lots of awards, this time at the The Asian Freight & Supply Chain Awards 2005. Unfortunately, The Asian Freight & Supply Chain Awards web team is rather less efficient than the awardees presumably are, and hence as I write their "winners" page remains a blank.

Here it is anyhow: http://www.cargonewsasia.com/afsca/winners.html

Oh, the pride!

"The Singapore Story"

2005-04-29T14:00:00.000+08:00

I'm not quite sure I agree with what Mohammed Galadari has written for the Khaleej Times:

Singaporeans have economic freedom, but no political freedom. It has its own style of democracy, with the opposition remaining as name-sake, and one party calling the shots all the time. There's a ban on assembly without permission; and curbs on political speech and action. But Singaporeans are not complaining. The social spirit there is such that the people have time only to work for the country (so much so, birthrates are falling); while the country does the thinking for them; how to make them live in plenty. So far, so good. And, creditably, this is one Asian country where politicians, or top executives, haven't failed the people.

Do you? Galadari seems rather blasé about the entire issue, which is surprising, assuming he's not Singaporean. Indeed, this reminds me of singabloodypore. I wonder how Galadari did his background work. Write to the Khaleej Times! (and please, do post what you've written in the comments ;) )

I wonder if this is cause for a defamation suit. To help you, the reader, answer this very important question, I link you to the now defunct Singapore Legal Mumbo Jumbo Demystified.

[Source: Mohammed Galadari, Khaleej Times, 29/04/2005]

Singapore Urged to Enhance Transparency of GIC

2005-04-29T13:55:00.000+08:00

Singapore has not acceded to the request.

International Monetary Fund acknowledged Singapore's efforts to increase transparency, but urged it to do more in an annual review of the city-state issued Thursday.

"Following Temasek's example, the staff suggested that the government could also consider publishing, without disclosing sensitive details, the aggregate assets of the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation, the broad elements of its portfolio and its overall returns," the IMF said in the report.

The government says there's enough internal oversight to ensure proper functioning. Singapore has a reputation for clean government.

The Government also claimed that since the GIC was free from debt, there was no need to improve investor confidence in this fashion.

[Source: Associated Press, via Forbes, 28/04/2005]

Piracy Pact Signed

2005-04-29T13:14:00.000+08:00

Singapore, Japan, Laos and Cambodia are the first among 16 countries to sign an agreement to combat piracy in the region.

The Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) was signed on Thursday by Acting Foreign Minister Raymond Lim and dignitaries from the other three countries....

... A key pillar of the agreement is the Information Sharing Centre (ISC), which will be an international organisation located in Singapore.

The ISC will facilitate communication and information exhanges between the member countries.It will also improve the quality of statistics and reports on piracy and armed robbery against ships in the region.

[Source: Julia Ng, Channel NewsAsia, 28/04/2005]

M1 snags RIM contract

2005-04-29T13:03:00.000+08:00

This is very surprising, because for the longest time Singtel Mobile has been a Vodafone partner. (in actions, words, and deeds, if not contractually) I wonder what this augers for the future? Note that both Starhub and Singtel already sell Blackberry phones, and Singtel in particular is carrying the 7290 model named in the press release. The 7100v is also very similar to the 7100g which both Singtel and Starhub are carrying. (I -think- it's merely a cosmetic difference)

M1 and Research In Motion have introduced the "BlackBerry from Vodafone" solution for both corporate and individual customers in Singapore.

As a Partner Network of Vodafone, M1 will have the exclusive rights to sell the "BlackBerry from Vodafone" solution to corporate, small business and individual customers in Singapore. M1's offering will include the BlackBerry 7100v and BlackBerry 7290.

[Source: TMCNet, 28/04/2005]

Singapore hopes Aust will join East Asia Summit

2005-04-29T12:59:00.000+08:00

Singapore is optimistic that Australia will be part of the East Asia Summit (EAS) when it is launched, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Thursday.

Speaking at a World Economic Forum meeting in Singapore, Mr Lee said Australia and also New Zealand would be able to participate in the summit once they had signed a Treaty of Amity and Cooperation with ASEAN, the 10-member South East Asian grouping...

... "I am therefore optimistic that both countries will be part of EAS when it is launched, and we will create a forum which will accurately reflect the emerging community of nations in Asia," Mr Lee said...

... The inaugural summit is expected to convene in Malaysia in December.

[Source: Reuters, via ABC News Online, 28/04/2005]

BusinessWeek weighs in on the Casino Decision

2005-04-29T12:55:00.000+08:00

The benefits could be substantial. The two casino resorts -- one on reclaimed land near downtown and the second on Sentosa Island -- are together expected to cost as much as $5 billion. The casinos would add 0.5% per year to Singapore's GDP during the three-year construction phase and at least 0.4% annually once they open, Merrill estimates. By some estimates, the casinos could boost government revenues by $1 billion annually within five years.

... Time will tell whether those fears are borne out. But perhaps the level of debate is the true sign that Singapore is letting its hair down.

Interestingly, the article states the opening year as 2008 instead of 2009. The faster the better, I say, since the decision has already been made, and there is a competitive advantage to opening early. Opening now would be best. Pity about the space-time continuum.

[Source: Assif Shameen, BusinessWeek, May 2 Edition]

MM Lee Kuan Yew speaks on Corruption

2005-04-29T00:58:00.000+08:00

This was the main thrust of Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew's keynote address on fighting corruption at the think-tank Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute (Asli) in KL on Thursday.

Corruption sets into every society, and it has to be purged continuously and at the highest levels to keep a society clean.

Singapore has been consistently ranked as the most transparent government in Asia. However, do not believe that there is no corruption in Singapore."

the anti-corruption drive had to come right from the very top and must not become systemic.

"When the core leadership is clean, corruption can be gradually diminished. Both must be prepared to take on the highest echelons of government."

[Source: Asha Popatlal, Channel NewsAsia, 28/04/2005]

Kaplan's opinion of Singapore [military and political stance]

2005-04-28T14:29:00.000+08:00

I first saw this on tomorrow.sg.

[Singapore is a] mixture of democracy and authoritarianism has made it unpopular with idealists in Washington, but as far as PACOM (United States Pacific Command) is concerned, the country is, despite its small size, one of the most popular and helpful in the Pacific. Its ethnically blind military meritocracy, its nurturing concern for the welfare of officers and enlisted men alike, and its jungle-warfare school in Brunei are second to none. With the exception of Japan, far to the north, Singapore offers the only non-American base in the Pacific where our nuclear carriers can be serviced. Its help in hunting down Islamic terrorists in the Indonesian archipelago has been equal or superior to the help offered elsewhere by our most dependable Western allies. One Washington-based military futurist told me, “The Sings, well—they’re just awesome in every way.”

[Source: Atlantic Monthly, June 2005 via Curzon, Coming Anarchy (Blog), 27/04/2005]

For a little more background information, Kaplan is a correspondent for The Atlantic Monthly (paid subscription req'd), and the best-selling author of nine books on international affairs. Read by Clinton and George W Bush, he has advised the current president in the White House, and served as a consultant to the U. S. Army's Special Forces Regiment, the U. S. Air Force, and the U. S. Marines.

Why Singapore is the "most globalized""

2005-04-28T13:46:00.000+08:00

The report stated several factors which contributed strongly to the win, but it is likely that a through analysis of the source data is probably necessary. Factors which were mentioned in the report include:

Increased contribution to UN peacekeeping missions by 41%

Singaporean general commanded the peacekeeping force in East Timor for much of 2003

Signed a bilateral trade agreement with the US in May 2003

Interestingly, the report also stated that generally there is a strong positive relationship between globalization and political freedom, but noted that Singapore was an exception to this, as a home to a modern, open economy that exists alongside tight government control over the media and limited individual liberties. Singapore, however, was the prime example for the adage that highly globalized countries are often less corrupt. The graph on page 59 of the report demonstrates this rather clearly.

A quick look at the source data shows that in the categories where Singapore had ranked first: Trade/FDI/Telephone (pdf warning) it had achieved quite remarkable gains from 2002 to 2003. This was most obvious for Foreign Direct Investment (inflows) - Singapore moved from $5, 729, 900,000 to $11, 408, 900,000; almost a 100% increase.

[Source: Fifth annual A.T. Kearney/FOREIGN POLICY Globalization Index (pdf warning), 26/04/2005]

Singapore - the most global of them all

2005-04-28T13:38:00.000+08:00

The United States broke into the top five for the first time in the annual ranking of the world's most globalized nations, rising to fourth place from its previous seventh in the 2005 A.T. Kearney/FOREIGN POLICY Magazine Globalization Index(TM). Singapore took the top spot, edging out three-time winner Ireland on the strength of its increased political engagement and foreign trade ties.

The entire report is available for download here. Exceprts from the report coming soon.

[Source: PR Newswire, 26/04/2005]

A US MNC's opinion of Singapore - most productive

2005-04-28T00:40:00.000+08:00

Sybase says it chose Singapore because of its IT-savvy population.

Sybase's chairman and CEO, John Chen, said: "The number of hotspots you have here, the attitude of the citizens regarding the use of technology, these were all major contributors to why we are here. This is not the cheapest place to be, but it's certainly in our opinion the most productive place."

Yay for us. I'm a little confused about the "number of hotspots" thing, though. Sure, we have lots, but they are all so terribly expensive for non-business use!

[Source: Loh Kim Chin, Channel NewsAsia, 27/04/2005]

Lee Kuan Yew: "India will shake the world"

2005-04-27T03:34:00.000+08:00

When it comes to crafting national economic policy, few political leaders in the world have had the perspicacity of Lee Kuan Yew.

Not only did he steer Singapore from the Third World to the First in three decades, he has written and commented on the economic problems of different nations with remarkable prescience.

... earlier this month on the occasion of the founding of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore, he predicted that India would be propelled into the "front ranks".

In this amazing speech, crammed with information and analysis, he argued that, over the next decades, "China and India will shake the world... In some industries, [these countries] have already leapfrogged the rest of Asia."

The question I want to investigate here is whether this optimism, which seems to be widely shared - from Martin Wolf in the Financial Times to Roger Cohen in the International Herald Tribune - is founded in facts.

Read more here.

[Source: Kaushik Basu, BBC News, 26/04/2005]

Singapore's Net Migration Rates dropping?

2005-04-27T03:25:00.000+08:00

This post from the SG_Review yahoo group was linked in a comment made in Singapore Serf's blog.

If there is any sure indication that all is not well within a country, then it must surely be that Net Migration rates are rising. Basic rational is that fast deteriorating living conditions will prompt a mass exodus of the local populace...

... Latest numbers from GeographyIQ.com, an online world atlas packed with geographic, economic, political, historical and cultural information basically confirm what the world already knows...

1. Singapore 26.45 migrant(s)/1,000 population
2. Qatar 20.12 migrant(s)/1,000 population
3. Anguilla 17.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population

Using the same data, Singapore's net migration rates appear to have dropped, drastically. Singapore is now 5th on the list, with 11.53 migrants per thousand.

At this point I have not formed an opinion on the post cited; this is simply an update as to fact.

UNIFEM Conference in Singapore draws to a close

2005-04-27T00:42:00.000+08:00

The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) has today concluded a three day conference entitled "Tackling the Demand for Child Sex Tourism & Sex Trafficking in East and Southeast Asia" in Singapore.

The press has belatedly caught wind of it, and Reuters is reporting that "Human rights activists called on Southeast Asian governments on Tuesday to crack down on sex tourism and child trafficking, saying the problem was becoming more rampant." (via Singabloodypore)

It is hoped that the conference was successful in exploring the key strategies which address the demand-side of sex trafficking and child sex tourism and offered opportunities to form and strengthen effective national and international networks.

Ms Indranee Rajah, Singapore Member of Parliament for Tanjong Pagar, was the Guest-of-Honour at the conference.

Singapore Shares End Higher On Positive Economic Data

2005-04-26T20:58:00.000+08:00

Singapore shares closed higher Tuesday after latest manufacturing data showed the electronics downturn may be shorter than expected...

... The Straits Times Index added 12.25 points, or 0.6%, to 2149.64....

...Singapore's March industrial output also provided more news for investors to cheer on. Manufacturing expanded by 8.3% year-on-year in March, thanks to a sharp rebound in electronics output....

[Source: Dow Jones, 26/04/2005]

Why Pranay Gupte admires Lee Kuan Yew

2005-04-25T23:14:00.000+08:00

Below is an email Pranay Gupte wrote in response to a message he received after the post regarding his dismissal from the Straits Times. It is quoted in full with names present and email address absent.

From: Pranay Gupte
To: Gopalan Nair

Dear Gopalan:

Thanks for your note. Let me emphasize at the outset that, as a foreign journalist, it's not my place to interfere in the conduct of domestic policy in Singapore. I am a professional observer, not a player, and it's my job to listen to all points of view and report as truthfully as I can. Whatever my private views as an Indian-born US democrat, these do not affect my journalism.

That having been said let me address your question as to why I am an admirer of Mr. Lee Kuan Yew.

I've long been an admirer of Mr. Lee because of the way he set about nation-building. As I see it, three things were emphasized right from the start: the rule of law; developing strong institutions of public governance; and a corruption free society. To this was added a vital element: secularism in what is a multi-racial society.

My admiration flows from how Mr. Lee stuck to this plan despite overwhelming odds. When Singapore began its nation-building experiment nearly 40 years ago, the fashion in the former colonial territories of the world was to pursue statist socialism. I have covered virtually all of the Third World's 135 countries during my four-decades-long journalistic career, and let me tell you that socialism did not work out. Hence, the sad, sad spectacle of dozens of failed states in Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America. Eastern Europe, of course, was sui generis, and its countries are still paying an enormous economic and social price for pursuing communism.

As I see it, Mr. Lee Kuan Yew's model of economic development and nation-building has worked out. Granted, Singapore's scale is small. But demography and geography have less to do with successful nation-building than skillful leadership in the public interest. Mr. Lee and his associates demonstrated such leadership; other developing countries did not have such visionary leaders.

I have learned during my lifetime in journalism that societies and nations take time to evolve. The sort of participatory democracy that many Singaporeans yearn for will undoubtedly come. It's bound to be a healthier system because of the foundations that were laid by Mr. Lee.

Thanks again for writing to me.

With best wishes,

Sincerely,
Pranay

[Source: www.pranaygupte.com]

The Singapore Police explains how to remain safe while driving

2005-04-25T16:02:00.000+08:00

S65B of the Road Traffic Act (CAP 276) [available at statutes.agc.gov.sg] makes it an offense for a driver of a motor vehicle on a road or in a public place to use a mobile phone while the vehicle is in motion.

The police has made available a FAQ for drivers. Unfortunately, this is less than clear. It makes it seem that "using one hand to hold on to the mobile phone and the other hand holding the steering wheel" is an integral part of the offence, and in particular it does not clarify the position regarding use the mobile phone while the car is not in motion, but only because of traffic signals.

The steps taken by the Government of Singapore to ensure a good road experience for all users are necessary, in the light of evidence that reaction times are considerably slowed while using a phone. Singasingapore advises all drivers to switch off their phones while driving.

Companies in the second round of bidding for Integrated Resorts

2005-04-25T14:13:00.000+08:00

Updated

This list is now fully confirmed, the Singapore Tourism Board has released information about the groups which are still in the running.

Tabcorp Holdings [Australia]
PBL/Melco [Australia]
Kerzner International [Bahamas]
Genting Berhad [Malaysia]
Guocoland [Singapore]
HPL Properties/Metro Holdings [Singapore]
Peermont Global [South Africa]
Sun International [South Africa]
Argosy [US]
Eigth Wonder [US]
Harrah's Entertainment [US]
MGM Mirage [US]
Las Vegas Sands [US]
Wynn Resorts Ltd. [US]

Hong Kong: New Century Group, and Macau: Greek Mythology, were unsuccessful.

The FTA'ed World

2005-04-25T13:51:00.000+08:00

Prime minister Lee Hsien Loong, speaking in Bandung, Indonesia, has said that a Singapore/India Closer Economic Cooperation Agreement is due to be complete within a month. [Source: Reuters, 25/04/2005]

As is obvious from the website of the Singapore Ministry of Trade and Industry, this is merely one of the many free trade agreements in progress; and a number have already been signed, notably with the USA, Japan, and the European Free Trade Association.

This sort of bilateral agreements have gradually become more popular, in spite of claims that they have serious negative effects on any multilateral trade agreements. (e.g. under the WTO) The fact is that they provide some immediate benefit, and those multilateral trade agreements seem unlikely to be agreed upon in any foreseeable timeframe. Any prudent country would try to gain that benefit, and Singapore's speed is commendable.

Daring to Dream

2005-04-24T22:24:00.000+08:00

Young Singaporeans will not only play a crucial role in shaping the future of Singapore with their endeavours and accomplishments, but they will also help it to move forward as a nation.

I am confident that as long as we dare to dream, have the passion to pursue our dreams, hold fast to our beliefs and harness the heart and mind of every Singaporean, this Party, this people, this nation of ours can continue to grow and survive for another 50 years - and beyond.

Read more of this in the Petir Jan/Feb 2005 Edition.

NUS to embrace podcasting; IVLE a success

2005-04-24T18:38:00.000+08:00

It must be admitted that the technological prowess of the NUS is impressive. Before I went up to Oxford I had the opportunity to use their IVLE; and this capability was sorely missed afterward. While punting down the river Isis during a tutorial is a delightful luxury accorded to few (I recommend this boathouse for those who plan to go punting alone), I missed the ability to instantaneously access lecture slides and handouts online. The oxonian way is to distribute handouts before lectures, and while I had no problems, being horribly hardworking, some of my colleagues were often unable to receive these handouts; either because an insufficient number had been printed or because they had drank rather too much at Park End the night before. It was only in trinity 2004 that Oxford introduced a roughly equivalent system to the IVLE of yesteryear, called weblearn.

NUS has moved on and now apparently records lectures for transmission as webcasts. My friends would have been pleased. I thank Mc Dermott for highlighting this:

The threat of the evil-doers is now being used to invade schools and remove civil liberties from Singaporeans. Cameras in lecture halls, sounds like someone is frightened of what may be said in those rooms. The threat from 'terrorism' is the fear of an idea. When will the cameras be removed? Is there a timeline for installation and 'removal'?

Do forgive his blatant bias; while it is possible that the cameras are indeed being used for recording what is said, surely if the purpose was to weed out dissidents a hidden microphone would be more apropos. A camera may conceivably be used to deter upcoming dissident lecturers, but surely the application of occam's razor demands that their primary purpose must be to record lectures for the benefit of the students.

In any case, it has been brought to my attention that the NUS now has further plans to facilitate the distribution of knowledge, this time through the use of podcasting, a phenomenon which only started in October 2004. Taking steps towards implementing technology within a year is surely a record for what is usually an ossified institution.

CIT will provide students with an auditory avenue to access their lectures. Webcast lectures will be made available as audio clips for listening on their personal portable music players. Eventually, these audio files will be available via podcasts, as this push technology for audio content is popularly known.

I also note that NUS students seem to agree with me, in a 2004 survey 98% said IVLE was necessary. Of course, if my tax dollars go towards providing those in NUS with iPods as well as discounted laptops, I might have to stop being such a happy bunny.

National survey shows Singaporeans are healthier

2005-04-24T18:21:00.000+08:00

It appears that at least two things have improved here in the last seven years. The Singapore economy, which has rebounded strongly from the Asian Crisis of 1997, and the health of the average Singaporean. Perhaps we should pop a cork, but, of course, make sure that the vintage is red, and have only a glass a night.

Singaporeans are healthier compared to seven years ago, according to a National Health Survey, which found that fewer Singaporeans have high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels.

More are also exercising while fewer have taken up smoking, said the survey, held last year, which involved more than 4,000 people.

[Source: Hasnita A Majid, Channel NewsAsia, 24/04/2005]

CJ Yong: Subordinate Courts a global role model

2005-04-24T15:44:00.001+08:00

... Chief Justice Yong said, "The careful selection and training of our judicial manpower over the years have paid great dividends. In 2004, out of a total case load of 340,000 only 0.07 percent of all these cases went on appeal to the High Court. In hearing myself the magistrates criminal appeals from the Subordinate Courts, I have seen the quality of your judgements improve over the years."

Chief Justice Yong also noted that the quality of justice meted out by the Subordinate Courts and its system of administration have been held up as role models by the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the United Nations office on drugs and crime ...

[Source: S Ramesh, Channel NewsAsia, 22/04/2005]

Newsweek reports on the Casino Decision, says that others will follow

2005-04-24T15:03:00.000+08:00

This is yet another indication that the Singapore Government made the right decision, at the right time, for the right reasons, with their hearts in the right place.

... With personal incomes soaring and budget airlines crisscrossing Asian skies for the first time, sightseers are pouring out of China and India like never before. Singapore is geographically well positioned to draw visitors from both. "Much depends on the bundle [of new attractions] offered," says Rajeev Malik, Southeast Asia economist at JPMorgan in Singapore. "But you can trust the government that whatever they do here will be grand." ...

... Little wonder Hong Kong (along with Japan and Thailand) is mulling legalized casino gambling. "I'm actually disappointed that Singapore has moved much quicker than Hong Kong in approving casinos," said Liberal Party legislator Howard Young in a radio address last week. It's a safe bet that others could soon follow.

[Source: George Wehrfritz and Sonia Kolesnikov-Jessop, Newsweek International, May 2 Issue]

Sevens helps Singapore shed the strict, squeaky-clean image

2005-04-24T14:57:00.000+08:00

Further indications that Singapore is prepared to change. I quote from a report by a Malaysian newspaper:

There are clear signals that the republic does not want to make the same mistake of the 60s and 70s when it paid attention only to high-culture such as arts and neglected the revenue-pulling pop culture. ...

... Singapore is willing to play host even if it has to bend some of its strict rules.
Singapore made some leeway on its rules that disallow smoking and boozing in public places, including stadiums. IRB's stand is that “smoking and boozing” is part of enjoyment and entertainment linked to the sport.

It was this package deal that saw Singapore play host to the IRB Sevens series since 2002, except in 2003 when it was not held because of SARS.

And there was beer. Lots of it.

There was plenty of free-flowing beer at the 55ft Concourse which housed many of the invited guests from the corporate world. Beer was also sold freely at other levels.

The crowd turnout was not as big as last year but the event was still a runaway success for the city in terms of the tourist dollar. ...

... Nothing could have been a better showcase of Singapore as a very friendly place on earth. Gone was the strict, squeaky-clean image.

[Source: Rizal Abdullah, The Star Online 24/04/2005]

S'pore exports moving up quailty ladder: IMF Study

2005-04-24T14:24:00.000+08:00

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) will publish an in-depth analysis on Singapore's export performance next week. It will examine the quality upgrading of Singapore's exports to the US, compared with nine other developed and developing economies, by tracking price differences of more than 10,000 exported products. Price differentials for the same product made in different countries will be used as a proxy measure for quality.

It has been reported that the IMF has found that Singapore has been nimble in climbing the quality ladder, and that the results are an "encouraging sign for Singapore's future growth prospects."

Isn't it wonderful that we are such an economic powerhouse? Go go Lee go go!

[Source: Anna Teo, Business Times weekend 24/04/2005, p2]

2005-04-24T13:17:00.000+08:00

I'm pretty new to this blogging, i guess it will give me space to spread happiness and joy as much as possible. This is a good thing, in order to properly "turn the other cheek", and allow the steam to evaporate, even though nothing is actually achieved... NOT in the ethereal realm of the 'net. Here I shall practice the art of propaganda; the systematic propagation of information which reflect the views and interests of the independent political entity I am proud to belong to.