15/11/2012

Watz Buzzing - 15 Nov 2012

AUSTRALIAN REVEREND'S BAN FROM SINGAPORE DUE TO 'INTERFERING WITH SINGAPORE'S POLITICS'



The Australian reverend James Minchin who was last week turned back at Changi Airport for ‘unknown reasons’ was barred from entry into Singapore for “Interfering with Singapore’s Domestic Politics” confirmed the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) today. 

Mr James Minchin arrived in Singapore from Australia on Nov 7, and was turned back at Changi Airport. 

The offence he had commited happened in August last year, while on a social visit to Singapore. He spoke at a political forum "where he alleged that the rule of law was bypassed and corrupted in Singapore, and questioned the independence and integrity of the judiciary," He apparently did not have a permit to speak at the talk show “Let’s Talk”. The talk show and the initial story can be seen here.

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Neither priest nor philanthropist welcome here


Father James Minchin arrived from Australia around midnight between November 7 and 8 and was told that he has been barred from entering Singapore. Immediately, one associates this turn of events with his appearance on a video talk show produced by the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP):

Minchin was held inside a room, his phone taken away, with no access to the internet. Since there were no flights back to Melbourne till around 10pm the following day, he was thus confined for nearly 24 hours.

It is one of my regular themes that on the matter of political reform, the People’s Action Party (PAP) government is resistant to any change. This stands in contrast to their more flexible position (relatively speaking) on economic policy and bread-and-butter issues. The refusal to admit Jim Minchin last week is a case in point.

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Trouble With Foreigners



Not all foreigners are treated equal. You can cuss like a Frenchman ("Chinese f**cking animals" - Olivier Desbarres), bite the hand that feeds you ("I will NOT pay a SINGLE CENT to NUS if I am expelled and what can they do to me?" - Alvin Tan), but never, never, critique the judiciary.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has barred Australian clergyman James Blundell Minchin from entering Singapore as he allegedly "abused the social visit pass privileges previously extended to him while he was in Singapore by interfering in our domestic politics and mixing religion with politics". His cardinal sin, we are told, was commenting at a Function 8 forum in August 2011, where he supposedly "alleged that the rule of law was bypassed and corrupted in Singapore, and questioned the independence and integrity of the judiciary". For his troubles Minchin was locked up for 24 hours at a Changi Airport holding room.

Dr. Christopher Lingle was less fortunate. After he wrote a response to a previously published editorial comment that appeared in the International Herald Tribune, where he was alleged to infer that some regimes in East Asia are able to thwart criticism by relying on a compliant judiciary, he was sentenced him to jail in absentia and his property in Singapore was seized. High Court Judge Goh Joon Seng said in his ruling that the October 7, 1994 opinion article's reference to "intolerant regimes" and a "compliant judiciary" could only refer to Singapore, and therefore "scandalized the Singapore judiciary."

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Rev James Minchin - SDP whores itself to yet another foreign party

James Minchin, the Australian clergyman who is interested in Singapore politics, has been turned away at the airport. The SDP, which always pimps and whores itself to foreign parties, is not one bit impressed.

James Minchin refused entry to Singapore



Dr Wijey (left) representing SDP, welcoming James Minchin to the talk show.
Given that Fr Minchin has never faced any problems entering Singapore, this recent prohibition may well be attributed to his interview on Let's Talk. If so, this move on the part of the Government is petty and small-minded. Does the PAP want to punish Fr Minchin for appearing on the SDP programme

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Making a Martyr of Minchin?



Who is James Minchin? If you’d asked me the above question last week, the answer I’d have given you is: “I have no idea”

Obscure as the reference to Thomas Becket might be, there’s a good chance  more Singaporeans knew who Becket was than the Reverend James Minchin.

That was before the Ministry of Home Affairs’ (MHA) decision to detain Reverend Minchin at Changi airport and put him on the next plane to Oz.

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Two handsome Singapore boys hoard nursing room from breastfeeding mum

Watch and be enraged, especially parents with babies like myself:



These two handsome Singapore boys want fame very much, so please send this picture to everyone you know to make them famous:


We want to be famous – please ID both of us!

If you are able to ID both of them, please leave a comment on this post and I will update accordingly.

My parents very important people! Na - give you middle finger!

Otherwise, I think we should just call them Singapore Breastfeeding Boys since they like to stay in the nursing room so much. Please use the hashtag #SGBreastfeedingBoys when referring to them on Twitter or other social media to make them happy.

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Aliens 1 Dogs 0

The non-destructive tirade as transcribed by The Times
“I’m gonna go after you. I’m gonna burn your f**cking house down,” he shouts in the video. “You have no respect. You know what? You’re f**cking animals. Chinese f**cking animals… I have a life. I have a family. You break that, I will find your f**cking family. I can find it very easily — I’m a man with resources.”
The encore from the French frog after sighting the video recording equipment:
“You’re filming me? You think that’s good? Put your phone down so I can f**cking wait for you to come out of it take that phone and f**cking shove it up your  ass..”
Since construction site hires are dominated by Indian nationals, mostly from Bangladeshi labour pool and the like, it was curious that “Chinese f**cking animals” were targeted in the verbal volley.  The Straits Times (ST) report provided some clues.  The Incredible Hulk wannabe had been rattling the iron gate of a 60 year old neighbour because his dog barked. Another neighbor actually made two police reports against the foreign talent for threatening her family over, again, barking dogs.
Action speaks louder than f**cking words!

TOC thanks TR Emeritus for allowing to republish the article. It first appeared here.

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If Singapore aims to attract best students with help of foreign universities, why are we still sending our Govt scholars to study overseas?

Gulf Times, 11 Nov 2012
More and more foreign universities are opening branches in Singapore as the Asian city-state pursues efforts to become a centre for higher education.
There are nearly a dozen universities with foreign branches in Singapore, and an equal number with cooperation agreements, which allow students to obtain Singaporean and international qualification when they graduate.
Major US institutions such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Stanford and Duke universities are among those represented, as well as the business schools Essec and Insead.
Singapore is not only looking to attract the best students from around Asia, it is also hoping to stop the stream of local students heading to universities in Britain, the US and Australia. Full story

Related:
Wikileaks: MOE does not encourage more Singaporean students to get a tertiary education 

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Just Who Is Entitled To Entitlement Mentality?

So how has the NATCON progress? Poor sod, ST Editor reminds all that NATCON needs to focus attention on critical issues at hand. He has now set an agenda on what we should 'con' about. ST Nov 11, 2012 Think Page 45

Sadly for him and PAP, the way things are, it's degenerated into a self-talk between PAP and mainstream media.

The lastest charm offensive was at the Singapore Children's Society where the Prime Minister said, "The government cannot, and should not do, try to do everything. It is too impersonal. It can be bureaucratic and help then becomes a matter of social administration, not of care and compassion. And eventually, this fosters an entitlement mentality, instead of a sense of mutual obligation of and of gratitude between the helpers and the helped." [Link]

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Singapore to amend death penalty for drug-trafficking

SBS.com.au, 12 Nov 2012
Known for its tough stance on drug-trafficking Singapore is one of the few developed countries with a mandatory death penalty. Now the country is the verge of easing its stance.
Since July 2011 the Singaporean government has suspended all executions as part of the law's review. Draft amendments were announced in parliament this July and final changes are expected this week.

Former attorney general Walter Woon, says compassion has nothing to do with it. “It apparently seems to be the intention to encourage drug mules to give information that can be used by drug authorities around the region… There is zero tolerance amongst the population for drug offences, I haven't been able to detect any sympathy for drug traffickers,” said Woon. Full story


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Real salary increase in S’pore among lowest globally next year



Companies in Singapore are forecasting a 4.5% salary increase in 2013 – the same increase to have been awarded this year and lower than the regional average, according to ECA International, the world’s leader in international assignee management. This is the first time since 2009 that the rate of salary increase in Singapore has not been higher than the previous year.

“The fact that proposed salary increases in 2013 mirror those awarded in 2012 reflects the uncertainty many companies have as to which way their financial performance will go next year,” says Lee Quane, Regional Director, Asia, for ECA International. “However, while there is apprehension about the future, most companies in Singapore remain less cautious now than in 2009 in the aftermath of the global financial crisis when they were granting increases of just 2%.”

According to IMF forecasts, inflation in Singapore in 2013 is anticipated to be 4.3%, so in real terms the 4.5% wage increase will only just offset the inflationary impact. Once this inflation is taken into account, Singapore employees can anticipate the lowest real salary increase in the region and some of the lowest globally. This continues the pattern already seen this year whereby employees in Singapore have, on average, experienced no increase in real terms.

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