New Cabinet line-up throws up some surprises

The new Cabinet announced by the Prime Minister’s Office on Saturday evening unveiled some surprises in both promotions and non-promotions. Nobody was dropped from the Cabinet, and in fact the size of the Cabinet increased by one to 36 men and women, with six promotions.

From backbencher to Minister

The most significant promotion was that of MP for Sembawang GRC K. Shanmugam, who has been appointed as the new Law Minister. That he was appointed as an office holder at the Ministry of Law was not unexpected. He had been mentioned in the press quite a few times as a likely successor to Prof S. Jayakumar, who has been the Minister for Law since 1988.

However, Mr Shanmugam’s hop-step over many rungs of the political ladder comes as quite a surprise. Into his fifth term as a backbencher, he skipped over the offices of Parliamentary Secretary, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Minister of State, Senior Minister of State, Second Minister and Acting Minister, to be appointed immediately as a full Minister. Not only that, he was given a double portfolio. He will also be the Second Minister for Home Affairs, a heavyweight ministry that is often seen as second in importance to only the Defence Ministry.

Reshuffle at MICA

Many had anticipated a leadership change at the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts (MICA). Dr Lee Boon Yang was expected to step down as Minister into retirement after 17 years in the Cabinet. Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, the Second Minister, was widely regarded as almost a shoo-in to replace him as Minister. Instead it was Dr Balakrishnan who was dropped from MICA. (He retains his appointment as Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, though.) It is unclear why he was not promoted to full Minister at MICA, nor why he had his ministerial portfolios reduced from two to one.

Senior Minister of State Balaji Sadasivan will also be leaving MICA. Singaporeans would recall that it was Dr Balaji who announced just before the May 2006 General Elections that websites which “persistently propagate, promote or circulate political issues relating to Singapore” will be required to register and will thus be prohibited from engaging in election advertising. This directive was largely ignored, and it led to the creation of a series of “persistently non-political” podcasts by mr brown, including the famous “Bak Chor Mee” clip.

While there was no replacement for Dr Balakrishnan at the Second Minister’s post, Dr Balaji’s position will be filled by the newly promoted RAdm(NS) Lui Tuck Yew, previously the Minister of State for Education. Speculation will be rife as to whether the former Navy Chief is being tested out as the next potential successor to Dr Lee Boon Yang.

It should be noted that the senior management at MICA has recently also seen some changes. Mr Chan Yeng Kit, the former CEO of the Info-Comm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA), took over as Permanent Secretary at the start of this year. Last week, Mr Lock Wai Han, the former Director of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) was appointed as MICA’s Deputy Secretary.

The effect that these changes (and non-changes) will have on the government’s approach to the old and new media is something that many will be watching with baited breath to unfold. Will Singapore beat Sudan and improve on our 141st ranking on the press freedom index? Will the “light touch” approach to the Internet become lighter or heavier? And will “party political films” ever be allowed in Singapore, like in virtually all other democracies in the world?

It is difficult to assess what the rationale for these recent leadership changes at MICA were, but I would not be surprised if the “political tsunami” in Malaysia fuelled by independent Internet media was factored in the decisions. We have seen the stepping down of an office holder who was seen as resistent to the tide of the new media, to be replaced by another who is prepared to go in there “listening, learning, and then contributing”.

Still waiting for Madam Minister

The much hoped-for appointment of Singapore’s first female Minister was not to be in this Cabinet reshuffle. The most touted candidate, Minister of State for National Development Grace Fu, was promoted to Senior Minister of State and given another portfolio in the Education Ministery. However, she did not make it to full Minister this time around. While gender equality champions are bound to be disappointed, this outcome was unsurprising.

Ms Fu is only a first-term MP who did not face an election fight during the last elections. (Her Jurong GRC team received a walkover.) It would be premature to promote her to Minister so soon, as this could raise questions about whether her gender played an “affirmative” role in her promotion. Besides, the most likely ministry for a first time minister, the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS), is still being helmed by Dr Vivian Balakrishnan. Nevertheless, one could expect that MCYS will eventually be headed by a female minister, possibly by the next reshuffle.

Where is our Fourth generation PM?

When Education Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam was recently appointed Finance Minister, it set tongues wagging as to whether he might be a possible successor to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Some had expected that this Cabinet reshuffle would give a clear signal of who the anointed leader would be. That clear signal would have been the appointment of a new Deputy Prime Minister. Some had wondered if Prof Jayakumar would step down to make way for a new DPM.

This was not to be the case. Prof Jayakumar remains as DPM and Coordinating Minister for National Security. Even the other DPM, Mr Wong Kan Seng, held firmly to his position as DPM and Home Affairs Minister, despite calls from some quarters for his resignation after the embarrassing escape of alleged terrorist Mas Selamat Kastari.

Singaporeans will have to wait a bit longer to get a sense of who may succeed PM Lee.

Conclusion

In keeping with Singapore’s tradition of predictable succession planning, this latest Cabinet reshuffle had a few eyebrow-raisers, but on the whole steered away from any radical departures from the status quo. Therefore, in the remaining three years of this Government’s term in power, we can expect more of the same old politics and policies.

This piece first appeared in theonlinecitizen.

Consumers the losers with Virtual Map shutdown

Virtual Map, the company that runs StreetDirectory.com has shut down its website after losing a lawsuit to the Singapore Land Authority (SLA).

According to the Straits Times, SLA, which originally issued Virtual Map a licence for its maps of Singapore, sued the company in January 2007 for continuing to use the SLA maps even after the licence had expired. Virtual Map lost it case in the District Court, and was ordered to stop using the infringing materials. It appealed to the High Court, but lost again.

The company is now considering quitting its business in Singapore and focusing elsewhere. It also has online maps in Indonesia and Malaysia.

I am shocked and disappointed to learn that things have turned out this way. I use StreetDirectory.com all the time to find directions, usually from MRT stations to my point of destination. It isn’t the most fantastic online map I’ve used, but it’s certainly by far the best in Singapore.

In contrast, SLA’s StreetMap is pathetic. There are so few details in SLA’s maps I just gave up after using it once. Unlike StreetDirectory.com, StreetMap does not provide a facility to search for bus and driving directions to that location.

There was another map website that ST highlighted, but when I visited its site, it said, “ShowNearby is on debugging mode. During this time, users may undergo a bumpy surfing experience.”

In any case, those maps have even less detail than SLA’s maps.

I really don’t understand what SLA was trying to achieve by suing Virtual Map and forcing them to stop using the maps. I mean, at least let them pay for the license and continue using it right? Now not only is a budding local startup forced to shut down its core business, but thousands of consumers like me who rely on online maps are going to be, literally, lost.

So much for promoting entrepreneurship. So much for consumer rights.

There is one sliver of hope though. They are considering making a final appeal to the Court of Appeals. Let us, powerless consumers, keep our fingers crossed.

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Wanna be PM? Here’s the criteria

Straits Times reported Wednesday that PM Lee said that the search for his successor is still ongoing. He is seeking political talent in their 30s and early 40s, one of whom he hopes will emerge as his successor. The ST reported:

He looked at recent data on the 600-odd students who score four As in their A levels each year. About two-thirds pursue university degrees here, and one-third go overseas.

Of those who go overseas, at least 100 are not on scholarships. About half of these non-scholarship holders do not return but work abroad after they graduate.

In addition, another 100 of those who get their degrees here go overseas to work. They may come back one day but there is no guarantee.

‘This flow is going to continue,’ Mr Lee said. ‘So it’s a big challenge to find successors, particularly for politics.’

Now I see the No 1 criteria for Prime Ministership: You must get 4As in your A Levels! Everything else is secondary, I guess.

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How did LTA manage to tai-chi away the blame?

TODAY, 27 March 2008

Paralysed cyclist gets $800k

MORE than two years after he was left paralysed from the neck down after crashing into a metal barrier at an overhead bridge in Tampines, a cyclist has finally been awarded nearly $800,000 in compensation.

Mr Koh Liep Hang, 43, had earlier sued the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and barrier contractor Koh Brothers for negligence, resulting in his injury and wanted about $1 million in compensation.

Last August, Mr Koh dropped the lawsuit against the LTA, and agreed to bear 35 per cent of the responsibility for the July 2005 accident, with Koh Brothers bearing 65 per cent, reported Lianhe Zaobao yesterday.

In an earlier Today report, the LTA had been quoted as saying that the contractor did not follow proper procedures when installing those barriers.

Mr Koh, a father of two young children, told the Chinese newspaper that it had been depressing period for his family. While he is able to lift his hands, communicate and eat normally, his fingers and legs have no strength.

When contacted, Member of Parliament for Tampines GRC, Mr Ong Kian Min, told Today that he was happy that the parties “have come to an amicable settlement”. The “unfortunate incident” serves as a lesson that such barriers have to be carefully designed so that they will not harm the public.


I was surprised to read that the plaintiff dropped his suit against LTA and that LTA managed to tai-chi (push) away the responsibility to the contractor that they engaged to erect the barrier. LTA said that the contractor “did not follow proper procedures” when installing those barriers. I believe the LTA has blamed the contractor for not erecting the barriers on both ends of the bridge at the same time.

Tampines MP Ong Kian Min, himself a lawyer, said that the barrier was not “carefully designed”. Back in July 2005 when the incident happened, Ong called it “stupidest device I’ve ever seen”. He described the design as “very poor and dangerous”.

So who designed it? LTA or the contractor?

While the contractor may be partially at fault for incorrect installation procedure, it doesn’t absolve LTA completely, does it?

Ong Kian Min had said previously, “I’m insisting the LTA change the design. They should be held responsible.“

So why was the lawsuit withdrawn? Was the victim’s lawyer not doing his job or did the victim get pressured to drop an embarrassing lawsuit?

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Malaysia govt reaching out to bloggers, will S’pore do the same?

Malaysia govt changes policy, reaches out to bloggers
from Channel NewsAsia

KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s government has said it will reach out to bloggers, dropping threats of arrest in a major change of policy triggered by a shock election loss that has raised calls for reform.

The nation’s mainstream media is mostly part-owned by parties in the ruling coalition, and what was seen as biased coverage in the run-up to last month’s vote has boosted demand for alternative news sources including blogs.

After being hit with the worst results in its half-century history, including the loss of its two-thirds parliamentary majority, the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition now says it wants to listen to dissenting voices.

Newly appointed Information Minister Ahmad Shabery Cheek said he is keen to meet bloggers.

“I am trying to build a bridge between the government and the people so that we can have a two-way dialogue — and bloggers are a key part of this,” he told AFP.

“I am planning on meeting them soon,” he said.

But prominent bloggers have questioned the commitment of the government, which until recently had accused them of spreading lies and threatened severe punishment including detentions without trial.

“We welcome the government’s move to engage bloggers but we are not in any hurry to meet them,” said National Alliance of Bloggers president Ahiruddin Attan.

Ahiruddin, who met with Ahmad Shabery on Friday, said the offer of talks with bloggers needed to reflect the political will of the government.

“The success of the talks will depend on what kind of mandate he has from the Cabinet,” he said of Cheek’s proposal.

“He is going to be acting against the popular stand of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi that bloggers are a nuisance.”

Media analyst and blogger Nuraina Samad said bloggers have changed the face of Malaysian politics, becoming a vocal group that the government has to deal with.

“Many bloggers who turned to opposition politics before the last elections won the seats they contested,” she told AFP.

“You look at the issues people were talking about before and during the elections — many of them were raised by bloggers, and you did not see them raised even once in the mainstream media,” she said.

“Despite this, the points raised became major issues among the people during the election campaign, with the government parties forced to address these issues that had been blacked out in their media.” – AFP/ir

This is an interesting, though not totally surprising development. Following the unexpected opposition inroads made in the recent General Election, the Malaysian government has realised that it can no longer afford to just ignore bloggers, as they have proven their ability to swing votes away from the ruling party. (Some like Jeff Ooi and Tony Pua have even run for office and won.)

In Singapore, while the government-controlled media has occasionally interviewed bloggers for their opinions, there is still a reluctance on the part of the government to acknowledge the credibility of bloggers. Will we, for example, ever see political leaders granting interviews with citizen journalists? Or will citizen journalists be given press passes to cover events first hand, instead of having to rely on reports from the mainstream media? So far, the government has never responded to articles published on blogs, as if to do so would lend them more credance than they deserve.

My guess is that the reason why the Malaysian government wants to engage bloggers is so as to tone down their rhetoric. Once bloggers are invited to tea with the minister, it will be much harder for them to make strident, personal attacks on that minister. For now, Singapore’s political leaders feel comfortable letting the mainstream media do their bidding. But this may not be enough not too long from now, with the influence of online media increasing day by day.

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The truth about pork barrel politics

Lucky Tan has highlighted this speech (in Mandarin) by a Malaysian politician accusing the ruling party of misusing taxpayer money by doing last minute development works just before the polls. The best snippet starts at 1:45.

I wish our own opposition had highlighted the PAP’s own pork barrel politics (votes-for-upgrading, New Singapore Shares, Progress Package, etc) in such a convincing manner during the last GE. Perhaps they didn’t need to, since Hougang and Potong Pasir voters soundly rejected multi-million dollar carrots offered to them in exchange for their votes.

p.s. If anyone can tell me who this politician is, I would be grateful.

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Obama talks frankly about race and politics

This is probably the most inspiring speech from Barack Obama I’ve watch yet. He was brutally frank about the most delicate issue of race and politics. While condemning the incendiary remarks his pastor made against white America, he honoured him as a man who has done much for the community and led him to his Christian faith.

This is a must-see for not just Americans, but all those who live in multi-racial countries, including Singapore and Malaysia.

I am now even more convinced that Obama is the best man to lead the US, not just because he could be unifying factor in America, but in the world as well.

A lesson in diplomacy

A year ago, a furious military government in Thailand cancelled all bilateral exchanges with Singapore because Deputy Prime Minister S. Jayakumar met up with his old friend Thaksin Shinawatra when the latter was on a “private” visit to Singapore. Fast forward a year, and now newly elected Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, who is on an official visit to Singapore, has immediately restored the Thailand-Singapore Civil Service Exchange Programme (CSEP) and the Singapore-Thailand Enhanced Economic Relationship (Steer) meeting.

Samak, who touted himself as Thaksin’s proxy, was recently elected by the people of Thailand, giving the generals who led the coup overthrowing Thaksin a big slap in the face.

Imagine for a moment, if Singapore had decided a year ago that since the generals were in charge, let’s not do anything that might offend them. Would Samak now be as friendly to Singapore as he now is? Cordial, yes. But friendly? Probably not.

Whether Jayakumar’s meeting with Thaksin was a calculated move is anyone’s guess. But knowing how our Foreign Ministry works, it probably was.

It is an important lesson in diplomacy that we should never write off anyone, because one day they may return to power and they won’t forget.

While Singapore may have played its cards right when it comes to Thailand, I fear it may not be the case for other countries.

With Myanmar, Singapore gave up the chance to take a more principled stand against the junta there while we held the ASEAN chair last year. Instead, we pushed this responsibility to UN Special Advisor Ibrahim Gambari. If Aung San Suu Kyi and/or her National League for Democracy were to ever come to power in our lifetime, would we regret not lending more support to their cause?

MM Lee Kuan Yew has not hidden his support for US Presidential hopeful John McCain over Barack Obama, on the basis that Obama lacks foreign policy experience. Going by opinion polls, it is likely that Obama will not only win the Democratic primary, but the November polls as well. Hopefully the President of the world’s only superpower will not be too small-minded.

On Taiwan, the Singapore Government and mouthpiece media keep rubbishing the aspirations of the majority of Taiwanese people to become a normal country free from Chinese threats. Is this how we bite the hand that has fed us with some of the best military training areas all these years?

Of course we all know that politics is unpredictable. Rather than bet on who will be the next leader of a country, it would be much better for Singapore to take a principled and balanced stand in dealing with such leaders, because one day, history, the people and future leaders of that country will judge us for what we stood for in the past.

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Transcript of New Paper Interview

The New Paper (TNP) contacted me two days ago to conduct an interview regarding an article on the Malaysian elections and their effects on our country. In particular, the reporter was hoping to examine whether local bloggers would be able to use this online platform to enter politics, just as political bloggers like Jeff Ooi have in Malaysia. I was asked to comment in my capacity as a blogger who frequently comments on political issues.

The article came out today (12 March). I haven’t read it yet but here is the transcript:

TNP: Because of their highly-regulated media, many Malaysians have turned to political blogs such as Jeff Ooi’s as credible alternatives to mainstream media. Do you feel the same thing could happen with Singapore?

Gerald: The migration from TV and newspapers to the Internet is already happening in Singapore. I believe this is because there are so many ‘information and opinion gaps’ left by the mainstream media on local issues. Local media often fail to provide balanced reporting and commentary on events and issues that put the Government or the ruling party in a bad light.

Singapore’s media is as regulated, if not more so, than the Malaysian media. Is it any wonder that many Singaporeans are increasingly turning to socio-political blogs for news, commentary and analysis? And it’s not just young Singaporeans. I know of a number of older Singaporeans who are also regular readers of socio-political blogs.

TNP: M’sian bloggers like Jeff Ooi have managed to enter the realm of politics and even raise funds through their blogs. Do you see this happening in Singapore?

Gerald: If you survey the socio-political blogs in Singapore, you will find many bloggers who love Singapore and want to change Singapore for the better. I’m sure at least a few of them will be willing to take the next step to enter politics. That could only be good for Singapore.

As for raising funds, I’m not sure if Singapore’s electoral laws allow online fundraising. But I definitely think online fundraising should be allowed. Even Barack Obama, the US Presidential candidate, raised a large amount from grassroots supporters through the Internet, instead of relying on big businesses for his campaign donations.

TNP: How far would you go with controversial and possibly politically-sensitive comments on your blog? Where do you draw the line?

Gerald: I would draw the line on any comment that is illegal, which is not in Singapore’s national interests, or which could get me terminated from my job. This, of course, does not mean that I will refrain from from expressing my opinions on policies that I feel are wrong for Singapore. I think so far I have been extremely cautious in what I write.

Malaysian Opposition video that would be illegal in Singapore

A friend sent me this video produced by Malaysian opposition party, the Democratic Action Party (DAP). Save the minor typo in one of the captions, I thought it was a pretty meaningful video, telling Malaysians that the DAP will speak out for those without a voice.

My friend informed me that the tall building that the little girl is running towards is the Dewan Rakyat — Malaysia’s Parliament. The man in the suit receiving the baton from the girl is the Leader of the Opposition, Lim Kit Siang. With him are fellow DAP MPs Kula Segaran, Chong Eng (the lady with the streaked white hair) and Teresa Kok (lady with the red skirt).

But folks, don’t try making this at home. A video like this if made in Singapore would be illegal — yes illegal! It would be considered a “party political video” under Section 33 of the Films Act, which states:

Making, distribution and exhibition of party political films

33. Any person who —

(a) imports any party political film;
(b) makes or reproduces any party political film;
(c) distributes, or has in his possession for the purposes of distributing, to any other person any party political film; or
(d) exhibits, or has in his possession for the purposes of exhibiting, to any other person any party political film,

knowing or having reasonable cause to believe the film to be a party political film shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $100,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years.

Isn’t it good to know that our friends up north have more freedoms than we do in this respect?

But there is still hope. Foreign Minister George Yeo, who was Minister for Information and the Arts when Section 33 of the Films Act was enacted, explained on Channel NewsAsia on 9 January 2007 about the purpose behind this piece of legislation. He said that it was to prevent politics in Singapore from becoming “so commercial where it all depends on packaging and how much money you are able to put into producing a programme.”

He added that the Government at that time “did not reckon this new media which allows you to produce the programmes quite cheaply” and felt that the Government has “got to adjust that position”.

Even MM Lee Kuan Yew, when asked by TIME magazine in 2005 about a documentary made by filmmaker Martyn See about opposition politician Chee Soon Juan, which was banned, had this to say:

“Well, if you had asked me, I would have said, to hell with it. But the censor, the enforcer, he will continue until he is told the law has changed. And it will change…”

PM Lee is set to announce a Cabinet reshuffle soon. Dr Vivian Balakrishnan is expected to be appointed the new Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts. I hope one of the changes he makes as he takes up his new position is to repeal the laughable Section 33 of the Films Act from our statute books soon, and save our country from further embarrassment.

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