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Heng Swee Kiat
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Chan Chun Sing
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Ng Chee Meng
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Desmond Lee
Quote:
Originally Posted by
nitecrawllerr
Try telling that to the 69.9% Sillyporean.
I guess the 69.9% Sillyporean are happy and contended with all the mrt disruptions ; lift breakdowns ; high medical cost ; can’t get jobs that we want ; water pipes bursting ; high cost of living standards ; and the list goes on . Feel free to add on.
SPH and MRT: Two sinking ships?
Sense And Nonsense - by Tan Bah Bah
October 15, 2017
Two very troubled Singapore institutions have been hogging the news the last week. Both have a direct impact on the lives of Singaporeans. One – Singapore Press Holdings and its jurassic Pyongyang Times-era newspapers – we can live without in the age of social media – but the other – MRT – we can’t.
Let’s look at SPH. It just went through another round of staff spring-cleaning. The 10 per cent trimming exercise was already anticipated way back last year when the media conglomerate announced a review of its operations across various media platforms. This was the then CEO Alan Chan’s farewell “gift” (or slap) to loyal workers before he made way for Ng Yat Chung. What the new CEO, the wunderkind former captain of the sunken NOL, has just announced as his nice-to-know-you hello present – the laying off of 230 people – was practically non-news.
SPH goes through such exercises periodically. As a big company with a staff strength of 4,000-5,000 at any one time, these self-renewal acts are necessary and many large corporations do the same thing.
For SPH, however, these attempts at so-called self-renewal do not tell the real story. It knows full well that print newspapers are a sunset industry, with some exceptions in the US because of Donald Trump who has been at war with the media elite and been giving the New York Times and Washington Post and maybe even CNN a fresh lease of life.
Being a savvy media company with strong resources, the company has been trying out all types of platforms to test and carve out niche markets at every segment, especially those aimed at millennials, otherwise known as the HENRYs (high earnings, not rich yet), who are replacing the fading babyboomers as the next big democratic group.
SPH has not been idle. Here is a small list of such efforts: Project Eyeball (a defunct “serious” morning tabloid at $1 per copy!), STOMP (still around), AsiaOne (about to disappear into thin air), Streats, My Paper (merged with The New Paper) and The New Paper as a younger brother of the forcibly closed down spunky New Nation.
continue reading here :
http://www.theindependent.sg/sph-and...sinking-ships/
Heard that after firing some workers , SPH went and hire some foreign workers to replace them . Is this true ? So you still want to vote for PAP ?
‘I am not sure that it is solved’: PM Lee on dispute with siblings
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong briefly touched on the Oxley saga during an interview with CNBC.
20 Oct 2017 08:23AM (Updated: 20 Oct 2017 08:30AM)
SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Thursday (Oct 19) that he is not sure if the dispute with his siblings over plans to demolish the home of Lee Kuan Yew has been solved.
His comments, made in a wide ranging interview with CNBC, comes four months after a rare feud between PM Lee and his siblings, Mr Lee Hsien Yang and Dr Lee Wei Ling, spilled over into the public domain.
The interview with CNBC comes ahead of PM Lee’s official working visit to the United States from Oct 22 to 26 at the invitation of US President Donald Trump. PM Lee will meet Mr Trump on Oct 23 at the White House.
Mr Lee Hsien Yang and Dr Lee have alleged the abuse of his political office in moving to prevent the demolition of the family home at 38 Oxley Road, as last willed by their late father. PM Lee has denied the allegations.
PM Lee later addressed the allegations in Parliament in July, and the siblings agreed to manage the disagreement in private.
“The matter is in abeyance. I am not sure that it is solved,” PM Lee said in response to a question on whether he and his siblings have resolved the issue.
He also revealed that he was “of course” sad about the falling out and that he and his siblings had not “recently communicated”.
Read more at
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/...magnus-9325772
Sure or not ?
S’pore’s next PM ‘very likely’ already in Cabinet, but ‘clock is ticking’: PM Lee
By Kenneth Cheng
Published: 8:30 AM, October 20, 2017
Updated: 8:42 AM, October 20, 2017
SINGAPORE — The Republic’s next Prime Minister is “very likely” already in the Cabinet, but picking him from the prospective candidates will “take a while”, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has said.
Asked about Singapore’s leadership succession in an interview with CNBC ahead of his official working visit to the United States from Sunday (Oct 22), Mr Lee said the process was underway and that the younger ministers will have to establish themselves and eventually reach a consensus on who would lead them.
However, he cautioned that the clock was ticking.
“(The leadership renewal process has) advanced, we’d continue to bring people in, to reinforce the team. But who’s to emerge? Well, time will tell. It cannot be a very long time, because the clock ticks and waits for no man,” Mr Lee told CNBC on Thursday (Oct 19).
When pressed a second time by CNBC anchor Christine Tan to name his successor, Mr Lee said: “There are people in the wings. The question is, who it will be, and that will need to be decided.”
PM Lee has said on several occasions that he intends to step down some time after the next General Election (GE), which is due to be held by 2021.
Asked if the election could take place in the next two years, he said “yes, of course, any time”. Mr Lee did not elaborate on potential GE dates but added that “we always need to be prepared”.
Looking ahead to the challenges facing Singapore in the coming decades, the Prime Minister said the Government’s job is in helping the country stay at the top amid technological and economic challenges.
Pointing to the various measures introduced by the Government to date, including the setting up of a Committee on the Future Economy to develop new strategies as well as plans to roll out “industry transformation maps” for 23 sectors, Mr Lee said Singapore did not agree with a laissez-faire approach.
“We think that the Government has a constructive and active role to play, and we will do that – working with the industry and fostering the change rather than obstructing it,” he added.
His response prompted Ms Tan to ask about Singapore’s reputation as a “nanny state”, and whether the Republic still needed a “babysitter” given its developed economy.
Mr Lee said a balance has to be struck, as Singaporeans have high expectations for their Government even as some will say they want to tackle challenges on their own.
He added: “No government prospers by saying I do not need to do anything and just by being there, we have made the country thrive. You have to have an idea of what you need to do, what needs to be fixed, what can be improved, what we should now imagine together, which we did not previously imagine, and having thought of it, decide to do it. That is the government’s role.”
continue reading here :
http://www.todayonline.com/singapore...ticking-pm-lee
Will there be a reserved selected PM ?
PM Lee made ‘no attempt’ to resolve Oxley Road dispute privately: Lee Hsien Yang
By Cynthia Choo
Published: 7:40 PM, October 20, 2017
Updated: 8:05 PM, October 20, 2017
SINGAPORE – Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has made “no attempt” to resolve the Oxley Road dispute privately with his younger siblings, his brother Mr Lee Hsien Yang said on Friday (Oct 20).
PM Lee said in an interview with CNBC that was posted online on Friday that the Lee siblings’ public spat over their 38 Oxley Road family home was in “abeyance”.
“I am not sure that it is solved,” he told the business news outlet, adding that he had not recently communicated with his siblings, Mr Lee and Dr Lee Wei Ling.
Mr Lee responded in a Facebook post hours later on Friday, writing: “Our brother says he is unsure that the feud is solved. Notwithstanding his public statements, Hsien Loong has made no attempt to reach out to us to resolve matters in private.”
The feud over their family home became public on June 14 when Mr Lee and his sister, Dr Lee, posted a six-page statement to their Facebook accounts, alleging that that the PM was misusing his authority to prevent the demolition of their father and founding Prime Minister Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s Oxley Road house.
PM Lee denied the allegations in a two-day parliamentary debate in July, where he took Members of Parliament through the events that led up to the dispute erupting in public.
In his Facebook post on Friday, Mr Lee Hsien Yang also made reference to the ongoing legal proceedings against his son, Harvard academic Mr Li Shengwu, saying “the Attorney General is busy prosecuting Hsien Loong’s nephew for his private correspondence”.
In August, the High Court gave the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) the green light to launch contempt of court proceedings against Mr Li, after he had allegedly criticised the Republic’s court system in a private Facebook post.
continue reading here :
http://www.todayonline.com/singapore...lee-hsien-yang
Here we go again on the Oxlegate affair.
Lee Hsien Loong’s younger brother’s hit back suggests that Lee family feud is far from being in ‘abeyance’
October 20, 2017
In his first public comments referencing the Lee family feud since August, Lee Hsien Yang has spoken out on Facebook, clarifying that his older brother – Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong – has not made any effort to reach out to resolve matters in private.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong revealed that the Oxley Road dispute between him and his siblings – Dr Lee Wei Ling and Mr Lee Hsien Yang – remains unresolved and that they have not communicated recently, in an interview to business news agency CNBC yesterday.
Describing the family feud as being in “abeyance,” the head of government said, “I’m not sure if it’s solved,” before adding that he was still saddened by the dispute over the siblings’ family home, but expressed hope that relations with his siblings will improve in future, when “emotions have subsided.”
He added:
“Perhaps one day, when emotions have subsided, some movement will be possible.”
Lee Hsien Yang took issue with his brother’s words in his first public post about the matter since August. He wrote on Facebook today:
“Our brother says he is unsure that the feud is solved. Notwithstanding his public statements, Hsien Loong has made no attempt to reach out to us to resolve matters in private.
“Meanwhile, the Attorney General is busy prosecuting Hsien Loong’s nephew for his private correspondence. The AGC’s letters make repeated reference to the family feud.”
continue reading here :
http://www.theindependent.sg/lee-hsi...g-in-abeyance/
Meanwhile if you are wondering what is the meaning of ‘abeyance’, this is how Merriam-Webster describes it:
“a state of temporary inactivity: suspension”
Last month, North Korean dictator Kim Jung-Un gave the internet a language lesson when he called President Trump a ‘dotard’.
In June this year, PM Lee’s wife used another old English word ‘dogsbody’ to describe the kind of work she had been doing since the demise of the family patriarch, Lee Kuan Yew.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
stardawn
The next possible Singapore PM come from this group of ministers .
However most likely another seat warmer . Will Lau Goh retire from polictics ?
Political analysts weigh in on potential PMs
FINANCE MINISTER HENG SWEE KEATPHOTO: MCI, MOE, PMO
Hariz Baharudin
Reporter
Oct 21, 2017 06:00 am
FINANCE MINISTER HENG SWEE KEAT
Since entering politics in 2011, Mr Heng has had together a comprehensive portfolio by taking the lead in ministries and national committees.
He was previously education minister.
Noting Mr Heng’s former role in the civil service, Singapore Management University Associate Professor Eugene Tan said: “He knows intimately the ins and outs of the Government.”
But he and Dr Gillian Koh, deputy director for research at the Institute of Policy Studies, also note Mr Heng’s health as a concern following his stroke in May last year.
But Prof Tan said this has not diminished Mr Heng’s visibility as a potential prime minister.
“Generally he is well-liked and is seen very much as a safe pair of hands,” he added.
MINISTER IN THE PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE CHAN CHUN SING
Mr Chan’s “interesting set of portfolios” has given him a good feel of the ground, said Prof Tan, who highlighted his time as National Trades Union Congress secretary-general, and the People’s Association deputy chairman. He also used to be minister for social and family development.
Prof Tan said: “I think the tenor of society has changed, there is a sense the fourth-generation prime minister needs to have a good sense of the vulnerable segments of society.”
Dr Koh said Mr Chan’s exposure to other institutions, such as serving as labour chief and the PAP party whip, gives him exposure that makes his case to become prime minister compelling.
Both experts pointed out Mr Chan’s involvement with Singapore-China relations.
EDUCATION MINISTER (HIGHER EDUCATION AND SKILLS) ONG YE KUNG
Dr Koh and Prof Tan agreed that Mr Ong’s leadership in the SkillsFuture initiative is a telling sign of his ability.
“SkillsFuture is a big-bang initiative,” said Dr Koh, who felt that Mr Ong has gained a lot of exposure from his efforts to promote lifelong learning.
Mr Ong might have entered politics relatively late (he first assumed office in 2015), but Prof Tan sees his current portfolios of Education and Defence as significant because they form about 40 per cent of the Government’s budget.
continue reading here :
Oxley Road saga shows Singapore has rule of law, responsible leaders: Chan Chun Sing
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Chan Chun Sing said that the Oxley Road Saga showed Singapore had leaders who tackled difficult situations head-on without dodging responsibility.
The dispute between Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his siblings over the family house at 38, Oxley Road, also shows Singapore has leaders who tackle difficult issues head-on without dodging responsibility, he added, citing the ministerial committee set up to consider options for the house.
Mr Chan made these points at a lunch dialogue with members of the Foreign Correspondents Association, when he was asked by a journalist from The Nikkei of Japan for his views on the saga, which broke in June this year.
On the rule of law, Mr Chan said the incident showed “no man is above the law”.
“Not even our founding prime minister, the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, put himself above the law,” he said, adding this gave confidence that the rule of law applied to everyone - “regardless of your position in life”.
He was referring to how Mr Lee’s earlier wish of wanting the house demolished was not executed by default, as it was subject to due processes under the relevant laws.
“If Mr Lee had put himself above the law, I think it will send a very different signal to the international community on what you can look to Singapore for,” he said.
On those who ask why the Government could not respect Mr Lee’s wishes, Mr Chan said: “We have solutions to achieve both respecting his wish and also the longer-term national perspective.”
continue reading here :
http://www.straitstimes.com/politics...chan-chun-sing
Really ??? I wonder how difficult is it to respect his last wishes ??? Still want to vote for PAP ?
Continuity for Singapore regardless of who is PM: Chan Chun Sing
30 Oct 2017 10:20PM (Updated: 30 Oct 2017 10:20PM)
SINGAPORE: There will be continuity in Singapore no matter who the prime minister is, as the country is run by a team of leaders, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Chan Chun Sing on Monday (Oct 30).
“In Singapore, you are not going to expect, if person A becomes the Prime Minister versus person B, that the direction is going to be so diametrically opposite as to cause a huge discontinuity or disruption,” he said at a dialogue with foreign correspondents based in Singapore.
“In fact, whatever policies that we have in place now are thought through by the team, carried by the team, owned by the team.”
Mr Chan, 48, is one of a few Cabinet ministers, including Education Minister Ong Ye Kung and Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat, who have been tipped as future prime ministerial candidates.
He added: “I accept every leader has got his own style and personality … but by and large, those are not the determining factors. At the margins, the personality, style, all that makes a bit of a difference, but the central policy direction is determined by the team.”
When asked if he would like the top job, he said: “All of us have to be prepared to do the job when called upon. I will repeat what Minister Khaw Boon Wan has shared: ‘In Singapore, leadership is a responsibility to be borne, not a position to be sought.’”
Mr Chan also fielded questions ranging from foreign affairs to the public dispute between Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his siblings over the fate of their late father Lee Kuan Yew’s Oxley Road house.
When asked about how the Oxley issue was handled, he said that the most important thing is that it showed no man is above the law, not even the late Mr Lee.
Mr Chan explained why it was necessary for the Cabinet to set up a committee to consider options for the house. “People say: ‘Why did you set up a committee to examine the issue, perhaps in defiance of his wish?’ If Mr Lee had his personal wish and no one in the current or future cabinet has the sense of responsibility to think through the issue according to the needs of the society and the times, what would it speak about the quality of leadership in Singapore?”
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Chan Chun Sing said he is prepared to become the next PM if called upon
October 30, 2017
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Chan Chun Sing has told news agency Reuters that he is prepared to become the nation’s next Prime Minister if called upon.
According to an article released this evening, the 47-year-old Minister told journalists at a Foreign Correspondents Association of Singapore briefing that he had an obligation to be ready to take on the head of government role.
“All of us have to be prepared to do the job when called upon.
“In Singapore, leadership is a responsibility to be borne, not a position to be sought.”
The cabinet member added that the next Prime Minister, whomever he may be, was unlikely to drastically change the government’s policy direction.
Chan Chun Sing has been rumoured to be a frontrunner for the position ever since interest in PM Lee’s successor heated up when the PM repeatedly announced in recent years that he would step down some time after the next general election, which must be held by 15 Jan 2021.
continue reading here :