- PAP does not or half-hearted about fighting back Aljunied GRC/
-
Semantics of all GRCs outside Aljunied GRC is that it is the Opposition’s Job to place a strong team to wrest control of the GRC from the Minister’s grasp.
-
All Ministers pray that strong Opposition GRC will not choose his/her GRC leaving the Minister no option but to fight.
-
Hence no Minister wants to find trouble by taking initiative to take on Aljunied GRC, not even retiring Ministers like KBW and GCT who wants to retire with a 100% win track record and nothing to sully their reputation.
http://theindependent.sg/govt-reveal...ack-is-lauded/
Govt reveals Singhealth data hack half a month after discovering breach, yet SPH says Govt’s response to hack is “lauded”
By Jewel Stolarchuk - July 21, 2018
The Business Times, a publication by Singapore Press Holdings (SPH), cited just two sources and claimed that the Government’s response to the massive Singhealth data breach has been “lauded”.
This, despite the fact that the breach that affected 1.5 million patients was only announced yesterday – 16 days after unusual activity was first detected on Singhealth IT databases on 4 July; 10 days after the Ministry of Health was given confirmation that the unusual activity was due to a cyber attack on 10 July; and 8 days after the authorities made a police report.
In making the point that the Singapore government has been praised for how it has handled the breach so far, the Business Times cited two sources.
The first, PwC partner Tan Shong Ye, noted that the government “responded swiftly” to the incident and said that it is “good that action was taken immediately after the threat was detected to minimise the risk of further data exfiltration.”
The second source, cybersecurity company FireEye’s Asia Pacific branch president Eric Hoh, said that he hopes more governments would follow Singapore’s lead in disclosing breaches.
Considering the scale of the breach, the time it took the authorities to disclose the breach and the fact that the two sources simply noted that the Government’s response is “good,” Singaporeans responding to the Business Times’ article were puzzled over why the publication angled the story as such:
COMMITTEE OF INQUIRY TO BE CONVENED AFTER CYBER-ATTACKERS TARGETED PM LEE AND STOLE 1.5 MILLION SINGHEALTH PATIENTS’ RECORDS
“I DON’T KNOW WHAT THE ATTACKERS WERE HOPING TO FIND,” PM LEE SPEAKS ON SINGHEALTH’S CYBERATTACK
Quote:
How well is well-paid?
By Tan Hui Leng and Jasmie Yen, TODAY | Posted: 10 April 2007 1028
They expressed support for the need to pay top dollar for top talent in the public sector.
But Members of Parliament (MPs) who took part in yesterday’s parliamentary debate on the pay hike also spoke passionately about what many Singaporeans believe to be the heart of the issue: The benchmarking formula used to determine ministerial pay.
Ang Mo Kio MP Inderjit Singh noted that Singaporeans could not expect their leaders to serve based on altruism alone. “Are we willing to leave the future of the country to chance, that we will get good people who will give up their competence without caring about their salary?” he asked.
Some MPs, however, saw problems in benchmarking ministers’ pay to the private sector, pointing out to disparities in the risks taken by company chief executives and ministers and top civil servants.
Marine Parade MP Lim Biow Chuan said:
“I struggle to understand what a top Admin Officer aged 32 at grade SR9 has to worry about that will justify him receiving $363,000 a year … From many people’s perspectives, they take no personal risk and are at best, paid employees.”
Opposition MPs Mr Chiam See Tong (Potong Pasir) and Hougang’s Low Thia Khiang took issue with the fact that Singapore’s ministers are paid more than their counterparts in developed countries.
MPs like Bishan-Toa Payoh’s Mrs Josephine Teo, however, pointed out that ministers in other countries may make more money after their term in office ends, such as through public speaking.
Some MPs voiced concerns about the timing of announcing the pay revisions, especially with the Goods and Services Tax (GST) due to rise to 7 per cent in July.
Mr Singh said: “How do we answer the man-in-the-street when we’re told that about one-quarter to one-third of the expected revenue increase this year from the GST is going to be for the proposed ministerial and civil service salary increases, about $240 million, I was told?”
Mr Low also referred to the recent debate on increasing the amounts for public assistance. “It’s also ironic that we are consuming taxpayers’ money and … discussing how much more of a fraction of a million to pay civil servants and ministers while we haggle over additional tens of dollars to hand out to our needy and disadvantaged citizens,” he said.
Some MPs who supported the pay hike also suggested that the salary benchmarking could be finetuned, such as pegging ministers’ salaries to more realistic markers such as top men in private equity firms and top companies based on market capitalisation.
Quote:
MINISTER Mentor Lee Kuan Yew called for a sense of proportion yesterday, pointing out that the annual wage bill for ministers and all office holders is $46 million - or just 0.022 per cent of Singapore’s total economic output.
It was an ‘absurdity’, he said, for Singaporeans to quarrel over whether ministers collectively should be paid $10 million or $20 million more, when an economy worth $210 billion was at stake
‘The cure to all this talk is really a good dose of incompetent government,’ he said in his first comments on impending salary increases for ministers and top civil servants. ‘You get that alternative and you’ll never put Singapore together again.’
Singaporeans’ asset values would also disappear, he warned, adding that ‘your apartment will be worth a fraction of what it is, your jobs will be in peril, your security will be at risk and our women will become maids in other people’s countries’.
He said the present system of benchmarking ministers’ pay to top private sector salaries was ‘completely above board’ and allowed the Government to recruit ‘some of the very best’ to lead the country
When it was put to him that people hoped for leaders who were willing to make sacrifices and who were not there for the money, he replied that these were ‘admirable sentiments’. But he added that ‘we live in the real world’.
His bottom line: if the Government could not pay competitive salaries, Singapore would not be able to compete and ‘we’re not going to live well’.
http://theindependent.sg/new-pap-can...-past-conduct/
New PAP candidate Ivan Lim bows out following controversy over past conduct
http://theindependent.sg/wp-content/...0.55.02-AM.png
Singapore — A new People’s Action Party (PAP) candidate at the centre of controversy online over his past behavior withdrew from the General Election on Saturday night (June 27), hours after he issued a statement saying that he could “do better” and that he was “willing to learn”.
In an announcement, the PAP said that Mr Ivan Lim had written to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, the party’s Secretary-General, about his withdrawal from the polls and that Mr Lee had accepted his decision.
In his letter to the Prime Minister, Mr Lim wrote:
“Following my clarification this morning, further allegations have emerged against me. These new allegations are baseless.
“I recognise that the controversy over my candidacy has eclipsed the core issues of what this election should be about — Singapore’s future and the difficult steps we have to take to recover from Covid-19.
“The controversy has also caused intense pain and stress for my family. I cannot put my family through this. I thank the party for giving me this opportunity to serve.”
Earlier that day, Mr Lim wrote in a statement that it was important for him to “state his position” since his family, especially his mother, was getting affected by the controversy.
First, Mr Lim, a General Manager for Specialised Vessels of Keppel Offshore & Marine, denied allegations of any involvement in the company’s bribery case in Brazil. He wrote: “I was not involved in any of the Brazilian projects.”
Secondly, he addressed the stories circulating around social media regarding his allegedly condescending and elitist behaviour during National Service that had reportedly come from people who were under his command at that time.
According to Mr Lim: “People can have different perspectives of the same incident.”
The statement added: “For example, it has been suggested in one of the posts that I was harsh for recording the man to book-in at 2200 hours when the norm was 2359 hours. I should explain that on that occasion the men had a move-out time early the next morning at 5 am. It was important to ensure, and the rules required, that the men get enough rest. As such I asked them to come back at 2200H and not 2359H. As the story notes, I came back earlier myself as well. I set high standards for the unit as a CO. I believe in working together and I did not ask the men to do something I was not prepared to do myself.”
Mr Lim addressed two other items in his statement, one concerning Keppel and the other regarding a post wherein he was described as not smiling at a neighbour.
He ended his statement by saying he knew politics would be “tough” but that the test that he was facing had “come sooner than” he expected, but that he could “always do better”.
Mr Lim added: “I wish to say that I am determined to stay the course and to serve if I am elected. I accept that I can always do better and I am willing to learn. I will take this experience to heart and do my best to prove myself to voters and all Singaporeans.”
However, there was a groundswell of opinion against Mr Lim, as indicated in a petition started on change.org to remove him from the General Election.
Mr Lim, 42, was introduced on Wednesday (June 24) by Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, who is the PAP’s First Assistant Secretary-General. However, after his introduction, posts emerged on social media questioning whether Mr Lim was fit to be one of PAP’s candidates due to previous negative attitudes and behaviuor. The PAP was urged to look into his background.
About 22,000 people had signed the petition by Sunday afternoon, with more signing by the minute. The petition was put up around noon on Friday (June 26).
Some of those who signed the petition have given their reasons for doing so.
http://theindependent.sg/wp-content/...PM-768x284.png
/TISG
Read also: Netizens question whether new candidate Ivan Lim is fit to contest in the GE, but PAP stands by their man
http://theindependent.sg/netizens-qu...-by-their-man/
Quote:
How well is well-paid?
By Tan Hui Leng and Jasmie Yen, TODAY | Posted: 10 April 2007 1028
They expressed support for the need to pay top dollar for top talent in the public sector.
But Members of Parliament (MPs) who took part in yesterday’s parliamentary debate on the pay hike also spoke passionately about what many Singaporeans believe to be the heart of the issue: The benchmarking formula used to determine ministerial pay.
Ang Mo Kio MP Inderjit Singh noted that Singaporeans could not expect their leaders to serve based on altruism alone. “Are we willing to leave the future of the country to chance, that we will get good people who will give up their competence without caring about their salary?” he asked.
Some MPs, however, saw problems in benchmarking ministers’ pay to the private sector, pointing out to disparities in the risks taken by company chief executives and ministers and top civil servants.
Marine Parade MP Lim Biow Chuan said:
“I struggle to understand what a top Admin Officer aged 32 at grade SR9 has to worry about that will justify him receiving $363,000 a year … From many people’s perspectives, they take no personal risk and are at best, paid employees.”
Opposition MPs Mr Chiam See Tong (Potong Pasir) and Hougang’s Low Thia Khiang took issue with the fact that Singapore’s ministers are paid more than their counterparts in developed countries.
MPs like Bishan-Toa Payoh’s Mrs Josephine Teo, however, pointed out that ministers in other countries may make more money after their term in office ends, such as through public speaking.
Some MPs voiced concerns about the timing of announcing the pay revisions, especially with the Goods and Services Tax (GST) due to rise to 7 per cent in July.
Mr Singh said: “How do we answer the man-in-the-street when we’re told that about one-quarter to one-third of the expected revenue increase this year from the GST is going to be for the proposed ministerial and civil service salary increases, about $240 million, I was told?”
Mr Low also referred to the recent debate on increasing the amounts for public assistance. “It’s also ironic that we are consuming taxpayers’ money and … discussing how much more of a fraction of a million to pay civil servants and ministers while we haggle over additional tens of dollars to hand out to our needy and disadvantaged citizens,” he said.
Some MPs who supported the pay hike also suggested that the salary benchmarking could be finetuned, such as pegging ministers’ salaries to more realistic markers such as top men in private equity firms and top companies based on market capitalisation.
Quote:
MINISTER Mentor Lee Kuan Yew called for a sense of proportion yesterday, pointing out that the annual wage bill for ministers and all office holders is $46 million - or just 0.022 per cent of Singapore’s total economic output.
It was an ‘absurdity’, he said, for Singaporeans to quarrel over whether ministers collectively should be paid $10 million or $20 million more, when an economy worth $210 billion was at stake
‘The cure to all this talk is really a good dose of incompetent government,’ he said in his first comments on impending salary increases for ministers and top civil servants. ‘You get that alternative and you’ll never put Singapore together again.’
Singaporeans’ asset values would also disappear, he warned, adding that ‘your apartment will be worth a fraction of what it is, your jobs will be in peril, your security will be at risk and our women will become maids in other people’s countries’.
He said the present system of benchmarking ministers’ pay to top private sector salaries was ‘completely above board’ and allowed the Government to recruit ‘some of the very best’ to lead the country
When it was put to him that people hoped for leaders who were willing to make sacrifices and who were not there for the money, he replied that these were ‘admirable sentiments’. But he added that ‘we live in the real world’.
His bottom line: if the Government could not pay competitive salaries, Singapore would not be able to compete and ‘we’re not going to live well’.
http://theindependent.sg/new-pap-can...-past-conduct/
New PAP candidate Ivan Lim bows out following controversy over past conduct
http://theindependent.sg/wp-content/...0.55.02-AM.png
Singapore — A new People’s Action Party (PAP) candidate at the centre of controversy online over his past behavior withdrew from the General Election on Saturday night (June 27), hours after he issued a statement saying that he could “do better” and that he was “willing to learn”.
In an announcement, the PAP said that Mr Ivan Lim had written to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, the party’s Secretary-General, about his withdrawal from the polls and that Mr Lee had accepted his decision.
In his letter to the Prime Minister, Mr Lim wrote:
“Following my clarification this morning, further allegations have emerged against me. These new allegations are baseless.
“I recognise that the controversy over my candidacy has eclipsed the core issues of what this election should be about — Singapore’s future and the difficult steps we have to take to recover from Covid-19.
“The controversy has also caused intense pain and stress for my family. I cannot put my family through this. I thank the party for giving me this opportunity to serve.”
Earlier that day, Mr Lim wrote in a statement that it was important for him to “state his position” since his family, especially his mother, was getting affected by the controversy.
First, Mr Lim, a General Manager for Specialised Vessels of Keppel Offshore & Marine, denied allegations of any involvement in the company’s bribery case in Brazil. He wrote: “I was not involved in any of the Brazilian projects.”
Secondly, he addressed the stories circulating around social media regarding his allegedly condescending and elitist behaviour during National Service that had reportedly come from people who were under his command at that time.
According to Mr Lim: “People can have different perspectives of the same incident.”
The statement added: “For example, it has been suggested in one of the posts that I was harsh for recording the man to book-in at 2200 hours when the norm was 2359 hours. I should explain that on that occasion the men had a move-out time early the next morning at 5 am. It was important to ensure, and the rules required, that the men get enough rest. As such I asked them to come back at 2200H and not 2359H. As the story notes, I came back earlier myself as well. I set high standards for the unit as a CO. I believe in working together and I did not ask the men to do something I was not prepared to do myself.”
Mr Lim addressed two other items in his statement, one concerning Keppel and the other regarding a post wherein he was described as not smiling at a neighbour.
He ended his statement by saying he knew politics would be “tough” but that the test that he was facing had “come sooner than” he expected, but that he could “always do better”.
Mr Lim added: “I wish to say that I am determined to stay the course and to serve if I am elected. I accept that I can always do better and I am willing to learn. I will take this experience to heart and do my best to prove myself to voters and all Singaporeans.”
However, there was a groundswell of opinion against Mr Lim, as indicated in a petition started on change.org to remove him from the General Election.
Mr Lim, 42, was introduced on Wednesday (June 24) by Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, who is the PAP’s First Assistant Secretary-General. However, after his introduction, posts emerged on social media questioning whether Mr Lim was fit to be one of PAP’s candidates due to previous negative attitudes and behaviuor. The PAP was urged to look into his background.
About 22,000 people had signed the petition by Sunday afternoon, with more signing by the minute. The petition was put up around noon on Friday (June 26).
Some of those who signed the petition have given their reasons for doing so.
http://theindependent.sg/wp-content/...PM-768x284.png
/TISG
Read also: Netizens question whether new candidate Ivan Lim is fit to contest in the GE, but PAP stands by their man
http://theindependent.sg/netizens-qu...-by-their-man/
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Tai_zi21
If they really Wan take back Aljunied why they didn’t put Heng Swee Keat in?
Because
2.No Minister Junior or Full wants to risk his salary, status and job for a larger chance to lose at Aljunied GRC.
http://theindependent.sg/netizens-qu...-by-their-man/
Netizens question whether new candidate Ivan Lim is fit to contest in the GE, but PAP stands by their man
Singapore—Trouble may be brewing for one of the new candidates presented by the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP), who was among the new faces presented by the party on the first day of candidate introductions.
Ivan Lim Shaw Chuan, age 42, was introduced on Wednesday (June 24) by Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, who is PAP’s first assistant secretary-general.
Mr Lim is the General Manager for Specialised Vessels of Keppel Offshore & Marine. According to Mothership, Mr Lim “wants to help elderly residents and children who have disadvantages, people with special needs as well as parents who have to strike a balance between work and family,” and “would like to focus on digitalisation and transformation of businesses and workspaces.”
However, since his introduction, posts on social media have emerged, questioning whether or not Mr Lim is fit to be one of PAP’s candidates due to negative attitudes he displayed in the past.
The PAP posted video clips of the different new candidates from the virtual press conferences held over the past three days. And while other candidates are receiving encouraging remarks from netizens, there have been warnings posted concerning Mr Lim’s character.
More than one netizen has urged the party to look into Mr Lim’s background.
One commenter called him a “potential lightning rod for opposition votes.”
http://theindependent.sg/netizens-qu...-by-their-man/
The Facebook page Temasek Review Daily posted a screenshot from a netizen named Bryant Wong Hai Chew, who wrote that Mr Lim had been the CO of his “ex-NS Combat Engineer Battalion.”
Another story from one of his former subordinates in NS came out in the page Sin Rak Sin Party.
One netizen named Laxton Yeo, who said Mr Lim has been the OC of his battalion, left this comment on a video posted by Channel NewsAsia (CNA).
Another post from Temasek Review Daily also featured negative comments from people who claim to know Mr Lim. The post read, “From polytechnic classmate, national service camp-mates to coworkers at Keppel, no one seems to like the PAP new candidate Ivan Lim Shaw Chuan. At least we now know that Ivan’s snobbish, condescending and elitist attitude did not changed (sic) over the years which fits perfectly into the PAP.”
At today’s virtual press conference wherein the ruling party introduced their final group of new candidates, Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli, PAP’s vice chairman, asked about Mr Lim’s character.
It seems that the minister, and the party, is choosing to stand by the newcomer.
“General Election is a time when people who have been introduced will elicit responses, which is not surprising.
But I think that it’s also important for the candidates who may have been alleged to be something or other, to also prove themselves,” said Mr Masagos. -/TISG
Read also: Singaporeans answer if they’ll be voting for PAP in the upcoming GE
http://theindependent.sg/singaporean...e-upcoming-ge/
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Zansara
PAP not only will stand by their man, they’ll stand by their dogs too
If the allegations appear after Nomination Day, you will be right. PAP has no choice but to defend Ivan Lim all the way. Turn black into white regardless the cost.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Zansara
PAP not only will stand by their man, they’ll stand by their dogs too
If the allegations appear after Nomination Day, you will be right. PAP has no choice but to defend Ivan Lim all the way. Turn black into white regardless the cost.
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/sing...020245855.html
NTUC youth wing leader drops out from GE race
SingaporeScene•27 April 2011
Rumours are making its rounds as to why a People’s Action Party candidate withdrew last minute from running in Tampines Group Representation Constituency (GRC).
Mr Tan said he had been discussing with his wife and cited “personal reasons”.
Speculations were posted on an online forum, saying that two woman working at the National Trade Union Congress (NTUC) umbrella union were sexually harassed by Steve Tan. The poster is an ex-colleague and mentioned that there were others who had similar experiences and they were all unreported and undisclosed.
It is also speculated that letters were sent to the Prime Minister’s Office to complain about the sexual harassment cases.
Mr Tan said that he “has not heard about the speculations and think that people are starting it because of the short notice of the withdrawal.”
When asked if he will continue to conduct activities under the PAP banner, Mr Tan has said that he has no comments for that. He will continue his work and daily life.
The vacancy was filled up last minute by Baey Yam Keng, previously running for Tanjong Pagar GRC that was announced to be a walkover on Wednesday.
“I was informed just yesterday, on Tuesday evening. I did a quick drive through last night and looked around the town. The profile of the residents here are different from Queenstown and Tanjong Pagar,” said Mr Baey.
He also added that he hopes to be given a chance to serve the Tampines community.
Young NTUC executive secretary Steve Tan said on Wednesday morning that he has dropped plans to run for a seat in Parliament.
“It’s a personal decision, and a hard one,” said the 37-year-old unionist, who was one of the new candidates presented by the People’s Action Party, according to The Straits Times.
Tan was supposed to be fielded in the Tampines group representation constituency (GRC), taking over from outgoing MP Ong Kian Min.
PAP Member of Parliament Baey Yam Keng, who was supposed to run for the party’s Tanjong Pagar GRC slate, has replaced Tan as the party’s candidate for Tampines GRC.
Replacing Baey, in turn, is Singapore General Hospital doctor Chia Shi Lu, who has worked on the grassroots level in Aljunied and Hougang.
Tan is a grassroots volunteer at Tampines East and helps out at Meet-the-People Sessions, among other activities. A business graduate of the Nanyang Technological University, he also helps to manage the community website, My Tampines.
When he was introduced as a PAP candidate last month, he said that he sees being an “ordinary guy” as a strength.
“When I’m doing my union work, this is one aspect I love: I hang out at the same places and do the same things as my workers… we eat roti prata at Jalan Kayu together,” he said. “It will make it easier for me to relate to voters.”
Meanwhile, on Thursday, independent candidate Andrew Kuan said he would not be contesting for the General Election, leaving the Joo Chiat single member constituency as a straight fight between the PAP and the Workers’ Party.
He made his decision after realising that the WP was adamant about contesting the ward, and that a three-cornered fight would benefit the PAP.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by
Fourswords
Baey Yam Keng is the nasi lemak man? Another white fxxker
90% of PAP backbenchers are redundant and doing nothing much but keeping PAP and Ministers in power.
Assuming PAP selection system is faulty, how many Ivan Lims already manage to avoid whistleblowing due to fear from whistleblowers and enter Parliament as PAP MPs. We dont know.
Most of the Ivan Lims PAP MPs only want Power, Money and Status to improve their own lives, not our lives.
Without strong Opposition and impartial Media to check/challenge on these Ivan Lims PAP MPs daily to make them reveal their fox tails, these PAP MPs will just enjoy the PAP gravy trains.