Hiatus

Those who have been diligently following the Singapore blogosphere in the last few weeks will have noticed a marked proliferation of content both on blogs and in the news. Today alone (Sat Sept 30), there are somewhere near 15 pieces worthy of attention.

The aggregation work of IS on the wordpress platform is running into serious limitations in terms of effectiveness and efficiency.

As such, IS will be taking a hiatus and exploring options to upgrade and develop into a more powerful aggregation platform to better serve the SG online community.

Until then, do start your day with Singapore Surf, or with your very own feed reader.

Friday

LKY’s Comment/M’sia

• Singapore Should Apologise Over LKY’s Remarks, Says Syed Hamid
• Singaporean Malays Oppressed By Kuan Yew’s PAP, Says Former Singapore Politician
• Malaysia Summons Singapore’s Ambassador (Star)
• Malaysia demands apology over Singapore remarks (AFP via Yahoo! News)
• Johor UMNO fails Economics (Legal Janitor)

IMF/WB

• IMF Meeting Shines Light on Singapore’s Rigid Ways (World Politics Watch)
• NGOs to Sue S’pore, IMF-WB for Abuse at Airport (Inter Press)
• IMF and World Bank Meetings in Singapore: The Extent of the Public Relations Fallout over the Protest Issue (SA)

Legal

• A major change in philosophy (Mr Wang)
• Great Move, but One Hand Cannot Clap Alone (KTM)
• Change is Coming (Kitana)

Other

• From selective wisdom to selective folly: Why the future does not belong to bloggers (YB)

S’pore government revokes FEER’s permit

Far Eastern Economic Review (FEER) can no longer be sold or distributed in Singapore from today, as the government has revoked the permit given to the Hong Kong-based monthly magazine.This follows the failure by the publisher of FEER to comply with the conditions imposed under the Newspaper and Printing Presses Act (NPPA), said the Ministry for Information, Communications and the Arts (Mica). Full Story (Submitted by Samaryn)

FEER Response

• Statement on Singapore Banning the REVIEW (FEER Blog) 

Related

• Singapore bans Far Eastern Economic Review (AFP via Yahoo! News)
• Singapore Revokes Far Eastern Economic Review’s Sales Permit (Bloomberg.com)
• Singapore bans Far Eastern Economic Review (Japan Today)
• Far Eastern Economic Review banned – in Singapore – Bangkok Post

Thurs

Indonesia summons Singaporean ambassador over Lee Kuan Yew’s remarks JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia has asked Singapore’s ambassador to explain remarks by the city-state’s founding father that ethnic Chinese were “systematically marginalized” in the sprawling archipelago, an official said Wednesday.

LKY’s Right and Anwar Confirms It (M’sia Kini) “an excerpt of Malaysiakini’s interview with Anwar Ibrahim recently:”

An Old Malaysian Debate that Refuses to Die (M’sia Today) “ON MONDAY, Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak made it a point to specially thank the country’s two main Chinese-based parties for rebutting Singapore Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew’s comments on the Chinese minority in Malaysia.”

Doubts Raised about Singapore Legal System (Epoch Times) “The Singapore legal system is unreasonable and unfair, says respected human rights lawyer Theresa Chu, after witnessing the latest court hearing into the Falun Gong case, in which the accused are charged with “harassing” the Chinese regime.”

Please stop publishing issues pertaining to MM Lee’s comments about Malaysian Chinese (SEW) “I do not cc to Straits Times as they do not publish letters of this kind.”

Singapore is Liberal (BDTB) “I believe that Singapore is a liberal state, or is becoming a liberal state. I say this because most of the civilised world is liberal, and we will follow suit.”

Wed: Even more on LKY

Apologise? But LKY was defending his race (Malaysiakini) “Amid calls from Umno leaders for Singapore’s Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew to apologise for his remarks that the Chinese minority in Malaysia and Indonesia are systematically marginalised, Lee may want to rely on the premise that ‘there is no need to apologise if I am defending my race.’

“Malaysian Leaders in self-denial mode (M’siakini) “I refer to malaysiakini’s Malaysian leaders: Kuan Yew must apologise.”

Other

The new taboo (Kitana) “I was talking to a friend, who was telling me about a person he was working for at his new job in the government service. Apparently, this person – his superior – was not a very good boss; to put it lightly. He made my friend and his team do most of the work that he himself was supposed to do, and he just sat back and relaxed. With a naggy compulsion in the back of my mind, I asked my friend the dreaded question: “Is he a scholar?””

Interesting Reads

Casual Sex is for Sissies (Mercer Machine)

Corporate Junk, Again (Cobalt Paladin)

Tuesday

IMF/WB – A Pseudo Govt Perspective (Thrasymachus) “The 61st IMF/World Bank meeting has just concluded couple of days ago, in our little island. While there are much breakthrough on the IMF/World Bank policies and voting rights, I guess most Singaporeans can’t be bothered by it. Perhaps the issues that interest most is the CSO – Civil Society Organization matters and what is the government’s take on these CSOs’ protests. This is just a pseudo-government’s perspective on what was possibly the sentiment on the government.”

Our Differences (Xenoboy) “To make a difference. To make a difference. Must make a difference. Must. Stay. Difference.”

Teeny-Weeny Tiff? (Blowin in the Wind) “Former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad was right when he described Singapore as “tiny”. … But I can’t understand why he said, “The country is tiny, don’t be too proud”, unless he was thinking like an army general, a business tycoon or a boy bragging, “Mine is bigger than yours.” “

New Brand for our REBRANDING campaign!!! (Lucky Tan)

Mon Evening

How the government is ruining Singapore’s cultural evolution (twilight) “Every year a locally produced film about coping with life in Singapore’s materialistic society hits local cinemas, and invariably it is hailed as a critical success. It is either convincing evidence that Singapore is at the global pinnacle of film making, or convincing evidence that local film critics are too mired in an idiotic hubris. The latter is the more likely.”

Madame Ho’s Temasek still in the firing line after Thai coup (Sydney Morning Herald) “The fallout from the Thai coup is yet to hit Singapore’s Madame Ho, writes Eric Ellis.”

Lessons from the Thai coup d’etat (YB) “Since I visit Thailand with some regularity, it is the neighbouring country that I have the most empathy for, and take the most interest in. It saddens me that their latest 14-year experiment with a democratic constitution has just ended in a military coup.”

Of Hearts and Minds, Hopes and Dreams (KTM)

Tan Kin Lian vs the Straits Times (ST Journalist) – I wonder what Andy Ho thinks of this ST Journalist who has crossed into the blogosphere. Unprofessional, perhaps?

More LKY

More on Lee Kuan Yew’s Comment

• DAP Agrees With Lee Kuan Yew, Slams BN Leaders (Malaysia Kini via pro mahathir)
• TVD’ Picks: Singapore-Malaysia Rumblings and Grumbling
• Better To Call A Spade A Spade(M’sia Today)

Other Comment

• Optimum Degree of Unhappiness (MM)
• From Singapore With Mixed Bag

Lee Kuan Yew and the Malaysians

News

• Malaysian Leaders Demand Apology from Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew (AFP)
  
• Malaysia demands explanation from Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew over race remarks (IHT)
• Malaysian Backbenchers Want Kuan Yew To Apologise (Bernama)

Comment

• Badawi: Nobody is marginalised in Malaysia (Star)
• Any Truth To Kuan Yew’s “Malaysian Chinese Marginalised” Statement? (Malaysian)

Other Comment

• A follow-up to “Why I want to Leave” (Kitana)
• Thinking Journalists and Editors? …Not (Gecko) “It is one thing to aggressively pursue a news lead and break it on your newspaper. It is another thing to disrespect the wishes of the person the article is about and shred whatever remnants of journalistic integrity there is left of your press holdings.”
• So, did they like it? (Elia Diodati) “So the IMF/WB conference has finally come to an end, and with it the associated panoply of hard work surrounding the need to get things running like clockwork. The million dollar question is: despite the PR fiasco, did the delegates at least enjoy themselves here?”
• Why the 100 flowers never bloomed (Kitana)

Saturday

Political & Economic Review of Singapore’s Failed Policies (John Murray via SG Review)

Modernisation of the PLA (Ringisei @ SA)

PAP’s Increased Engagement of Young Singaporeans: Sincere Desire or Enlightened Self-Interest? (Free Thinker)

At home to Mr Cock-up (Twilight)

Video: Empower Singaporeans Rally & March – Speeches (Singabloodypore)

Friday

Lee’s Comment Naughty (Star) “Malaysia can do without scathing comments from its neighbours, especially if the statements made are inaccurate and have political implications, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said.”

Mahathir Slams Kuan Yew as Arrogant (Bernama) “Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad Friday slammed Singapore’s Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew for his insulting remarks about Malaysia and Indonesia’s treatment of their Chinese minorities, describing him as arrogant and disrespectful of neighbouring countries.”

Manufracturing Consent (Xenoboy) “You wake up in the middle of a coup and the first thing that hits you is that its so quiet. Hushed. Tense. …”

Video Tribute to Singapore Police Force (Lucky Tan)

Temasek’s Hunger for Acquisitions Might Bight Back (Australian) “Singapore’s emergence as a financial player has raised the eyebrows of regulators across the region, write John Burton and Sundeep Tucker”

Who wants to be a Technology Entrepreneur in Singapore? (BL @ SGE) “There is a shortage of inventors/scientists/technologists and a plethora of business people in Singapore. The reason is simple. It is easier to do business than to be a scientist.

Singapore – Globalising on its own terms (SA) “This article first appeared in Southeast Asian Affairs 2006, edited by Daljit Singh and Lorraine C. Salazar, pp. 265-282, is reproduced here with the kind permission of the publisher, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore (ISEAS) where the author, Terence Chong is a fellow.”

Singapore Biennale 2006 Report (SA) “I hadn’t planned to see belief, the Singapore Biennale (pronounced ‘BEE-NAH-LAY’ according to the TV mobile bus ads) exhibits but was strongly encouraged to do so by an artist friend when on the penultimate day of my holiday back in Singapore.”

Thursday

Who owns the street? (YB) “It was supposed to be a lively, yet thought-provoking carnival, filling the Substation, its grounds, and bursting out onto Armenian Street.

The police killed it.”

IMF/WB: Singapore fails to Impress (Asian Banker) “Singapore was certainly a victim of its own ambitions to impress.

“Oh they’re gone? Gee, I hadn’t realised (Kitana) “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Unchanged”

Activists did not have a voice (Singabloodypore) Another reply to TODAY letter from Ministry of Home Affairs

Thailand’s Military Coup (ChemGen) “Pundits posit that Thailand’s rocky bumpy winding road to democracy has always been dependent on miliary intervention and deposing a democratically-elected PM, and the tacit backing of the Monarch. Strange but true.”

Police, State (MM) “The KTM asks in his entry, “Once Bitten, Twice Shy”: “can we please cut the police some slack?”

A great question, indeed”

In The End, (Xenoboy) “In the end, the sunflowers did not really die, the Cenotaph is still enclosed and many groups of people are unhappy over this event hosted in Singapore. The guests are not happy, the hosts are also less than pleased, local activists remain immobilised and the foreign activists keep their heads high and their beliefs intact.”