Saturday, September 15, 2012

Loading The Dice

Responding to queries from the state media on the glaring omission of opposition politicians, civil activists and prominent bloggers, Education Minister Heng Swee Keat, who was asked by PM Lee to chair the "National Conversation" committee, had said:

“This is not a partisan exercise….every Singaporean is welcome to provide their views, including members of the Opposition, and the committee will be happy to receive their feedback and ideas.”

It just happens that some are more welcomed than others. (Thanks,  Anonymous @9/15/2012 11:10 AM )

Hougang by-election, circa May 2012
CNA forum "A Conversation with PM Lee", Friday 14 Sep 2012

47 comments:

  1. Tattler:

    it is oni fair to have the Alternative Parties and Bloggers excluded despite the Conversation being a National Forum. How can anyone expect our high and mighty to be seeking opinion and help from the Opposition? Would it not cause them to lose lot of face(credibility). Hence, shooting at their own feet.

    As for bloggers, those like You; how many of the People In White will be up to the challenges?

    Me had watched and read some of the sessions; they were so careful. Worse, they were filled with deference, diplomacy and wordy delicacy. Where are the candidness, cross examination and concern??? There was no spontaneity.

    patriot

    ReplyDelete
  2. As usual these bunch of PAP stooges are just talking to themselves albeit costing us millions of dollars. For how long Singaporeans are going to tolerate this wayang at expense of tax-payer's money ?

    A National CONversation turns out to be nothing but National Lecture and National CONversion.

    Are we still kidding ourselves that PAP can change ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Besides,
      where is the change on political freedom , isa removal, issue of gerrymandering, and electorate department and cpib tied to political will, loss of investment of TH/GIC and putting them into more accountability and transparency, moral corruption of PAP and where is the sacred cows ?

      Treating Singaporeans as moron again. Typical of PAP.

      Delete
  3. Opposition Parties represent 40% of Singaporeans.
    If Opposition Parties are excluded, then this is not a National CONversation.
    It is a PAP CONversation.

    And PAP should pay for the cost.
    Not the Singapore tax payers.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hahaha.. this is wayang conversation! PAP is good at wayang only. Taichi at 345pm. Ultimate wayang. LOL

    ReplyDelete
  5. I am sure a few of the spectators may be real, but how many of the rest are "exhibits" like the tai chi uncle & school children during the royal visit huh?

    ReplyDelete
  6. PA is non-partisan.
    NatCON is a non-partisan exercise.
    Ya, sure.
    Even my uneducated mother knows they are lying.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Change? This is gonna drag on for more than a year. Then they will write a big report, before they start talking about Change. But all the major Changes needed are their Sacred Cows. Changing these will go against their ideological grain. I don't expect any major changes any time soon.

    Happy 89th Birthday lau Lee. My one wish on your birthday: Call It A Day.
    Maybe then we will see some changes, because junior don't have to always look over his shoulder.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I voted an Opposition Party to represent me in Parliament.
    So my Opposition Party represents me.
    I will not undercut their authority by speaking directly with the Pro Alien Party in this CONversation.

    When Singaporeans were being bullied by the Pro Alien Party,
    Who stood up for us at GE 2011?
    Our Opposition Parties that's who.

    So now the Pro Alien Party wants to bully our Opposition Parties by excluding them?
    I say let's stand up for our Opposition Parties.
    Just like they stood up for us in GE 2011.

    BOYCOTT NATIONAL CONVERSATION.

    ReplyDelete
  9. The Oppositions have their privilege to speak at Parliament House, did they speak for us much ?

    The Taichi Uncle had his right not to taichi under the Sun, but, he might had been happy to show off,
    who knows?

    Singaporeans refuse to speak when it is their duties to do so. Singaporeans show off and got shamed by their fellow countrymen. And all these going go to show how sick the average Singaporean have become.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Afraid that the reasons for our sad state of affairs, can be be traced to the various questions posted.

      Then again, if no Alternative Parties were invited to be part of the Conversation Committee, we can quite rightly coinclude that it will be a futile attempt to have a "national" and "real conversation ".

      More of a one-party national vision educational talk.

      Delete
    2. Conversation means you talk, I listen only. You don't agree with me, I don't need to do anything. It is stupid to waste your time talking to PAP. All the information and unhappiness is available everywhere but they pretend to be blind, dumb and deaf to the alternative opinions.

      Hence the whole National Conversation is a WAYANG as it is held to prove that they are right all along. It would have been better to have a National debate on the foreigner employment policy.

      Delete
    3. @9.10pm dude

      How much allotted time is really allowed to the Opp Party?
      If PM knows he needs to take 1 freaking year to cover all the conversations he wants, how much do you expect Opp party are given in parliament?!! And even then, with 12 months to go, PAP don't even want to get into the crux of the real issues!! I am sure there are many are happy to taichi and show off their textbook skills. But this is not a show for foreign guest or international audience. The people are the legitimate citizens of this country whose lives and welfare are in the dominance of this party. If they refuse to engage openly and directly, they can go and serve on the united nations for all I can, but don't waste our time and taxpayers money for a futile exercise just to produce a fancy marketing site/report to add to archives.

      In short, don't turn stones for the sake of turning stones.

      Delete
  10. wah lao eh, 1st season 1st episode oredi kena caught kelong liao, how to continue? with this kind of credibility index and negative integrity, how to believe? let us call upon all singaporeans to expose those organisers who are in cahoots with participants to hoodwink us into believing that they honestly want a conversation with singaporeans. scrutinse all participants like what tatler had done. expose them and their lies one by one. as for the committee, it was started on a wrong footing. just look at the genetic makeup of that bunch of cartoons. can you believe it? for me, you can throw the whole committee into the rubbish bin and i'm not even bothered. really feel so sorry for all the players involved. either their bossess are stupid or they are stupid or they thought that all singaporeans are stupid.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hahaa.. This is not a national conversation.
    This is a NATIONAL JOKE!!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Why do we need a National Conversation?

    Isn't that what the Parliament is for?

    ReplyDelete
  13. Ok. I understand it. It is not a partisan exercise but a PAPtisan exercise after all in this wayang CONversion.


    So Moral of the story is,

    Just because you don't wear WHITE does not make mean you are not WHITE.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I like this new word "PAPtism".
      Like baptism.

      Delete
    2. Interesting word. So anyone who join PAP is said to be paptised .

      As long as there is money and benefit for these stooges to join the party, they will have PAPtism of Fire.

      Delete
  14. The guy in top right also is a PAP activist lah...

    https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=13025205&l=508aef4157&id=14440041382

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Can we assume they all are? Birds of a feather flock together, that kind of thing?

      Delete
    2. Talk, Puppet, Talk9/16/2012 1:51 PM

      And many more ...including that BS sushi boss who was also part of the audience. This entire exercise should be renamed National Convention of PAP. Or is this what LSS call the 'silent majority' ?!

      http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/eat-drink-man-woman-16/cna-forum-staged-audiences-been-selected-one-them-pap-activist-supporter-3895699-18.html

      Delete
    3. I am a fan of Sakae Sushi.
      After this.
      I'll stick to hamburgers.
      I intend to swear of sushi until I see a much higher Opposition presence in parliament.

      Delete
  15. PAP always score their own goal post, don't they ? Can't even wayang properly and still have audacity to preach us nonsense.


    But then some genes just can never be changed. PAP has proved to us that once a clown, always a clown.

    ReplyDelete
  16. It sure looks like a conversation among the 60%.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. leading to mass masturbation and fake orgasm... wtf!

      Delete
  17. How can they exclude Opposition Parties from the National CONversation?
    The CONversation is paid for using taxpayers money right?
    And Opposition Parties are taxpayers.

    Of course, if PAP is paying for the National CONversation using PAP money.
    Then they can invite whoever they want.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Did anything change after the "conversation"? Things had been slow since his famous apology and I have a feeling it is going to drag till the next GE. It has been a lot of hot air since, other than housing which saw some changes, which is not too difficult considering the previous inept minister. But the loss of 1 GRC did see some change in accountability on the part of the government. True democracy is wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Let a thousand flowers bloom.
    Lord knows, the weeds have been flourishing for the last 47 years.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Singapore Conversation In a Nutshell
    ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

    Millionaires-In-White: "Singapore does not owe you a living."

    Sinkies: "Yes. We know. We die it's our business. So what else is there to talk?"

    ReplyDelete
  21. Somebody should offer a contest.
    maybe prize money of $1,000.
    If anybody can identify 25 people from NatCON as PAP members.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Real SNAP-SHOTS9/16/2012 5:26 PM

      Very disappointed. I spent 3hrs researching and this is what I found..most of the speakers are all CCC/PA or GLC-related individuals, who are there to help PAP stage this entire wayang. They are the enablers who give the leaders a platform to "influence" and "shape" our views. CNA should come clean with their selection criterion.

      Link to the show & see speakers at pause
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqoBDpgilpA
      ----

      Chaly Ma @5:18 SLA Chairman
      http://news.xin.msn.com/en/singapore/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4175939
      ---
      Han Hwee Chin @6:40, ex-JTC, ex-MTI, current GIC Real Estate
      http://www.rst.nus.edu.sg/newsreal/newsreal_final_201110.pdf

      ---
      Marc Lim Kah Leong @10.50, Kampong Glam Club Youth
      http://projectsday.hci.edu.sg/2010/15-FinalsWeb/Cat-08/8-51/endorsement.html

      Hamidah Aidillah Mustafa @16:29, YP member & Mendaki
      http://www.mendakiclub.org.sg/about-mclub/our-exco-members/hamidah-aidillah-mustafa/

      ---
      Gopalan Krishnan @22.40, Fengshan CCC
      Devi Haridas seated in show, Telok Blangah CCC
      http://www.pa.gov.sg/volunteers-speak.html
      ---
      Daniel Ho, Student @32:00 Boon Lay CC YEC
      http://sg.linkedin.com/in/danielhosheng
      --

      Rolf Gerber @32:55 Chairman of LGT Leichentstein Bank.

      ---
      Trina Liang, MD @40:54 , one of speaker/supporter of TonyTan PE 2011
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tUQWzBPNf8--

      ---
      Enough said..not a shred of authenticity.

      15 or more audiences/speakers have already been identified in the show. That is 30% of the participants. Why bother to go on? Just have your own convention and save our money and time.

      Delete
    2. Re: Real SNAP-SHOTS9/16/2012 5:26 PM

      Good job. Extending your list, all from Hardwarezone CSI:

      Lawyer Devi Vasantha Haridas
      Member Publicity Publication Committee of Petir
      Telok Blangah Citizens’ Consultative Committee
      Dover Community Centre Management Committee
      Dover Road Residents’ Committee

      Malminder Singh
      PAP Member, Kebun Baru Branch

      Tay Xiong Sheng
      Activist, Woodlands PAP Branch

      Michael Rebaczonoc-Padulo
      The Ang Moh at Hougang By-election

      Budiman B Mohd Salleh
      YP Executive Member, Kaki Bukit Branch

      Jasmine Chua (the one wearing green)
      PAP connection: photo had lunch with George Yeoh

      Delete
    3. 14 seems to have been identified thus far;

      http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=17473688&postID=5629542248726329690&page=1&token=1347805363156

      Delete
    4. Update: 15 identified.

      Mr Foo Peow Yong, Douglas,
      PBM, CEO of Sakae Sushi.
      PAP connection: Patron of Siglap CCC 2011-2013.

      Delete
  22. http://singaporedesk.blogspot.sg/2012/09/of-hate-and-prejudice.html?showComment=1347169697501

    I'm ok with whatever conversations they want but just do us a favour, do it at your own time own target after office hours. Stop squandering and abusing taxpayers money doing all these during office hours. And never say I didn't warn you, don't let us catch you incurring consultancy fees like the ministerial salary review and the COI for SMRT/LTA.
    Thank you
    Xie Xie
    Kam Siah

    ReplyDelete
  23. Now when I think of Sushi, I no longer think of Sakae Sushi but Sakar Sushi due to the boot- licking stunt of their boss. So disgusting, embarrassing and shameful of him. Even if he want to sakar publicly, do it with fact, and not lies and half-truth like PAP. Now we finally find out why PAP is the way it is because that they can only solicit with people that sakar.


    Needless to say, I will never patron "Sakar Sushi" again.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singlish_vocabulary

    Sakar - To flatter, to lick one's boots. Derived from Malay meaning 'sugar', which may have been derived from Hindi 'sakar' or 'Sakkar' meaning 'sugar' and 'sweet words', and ultimately from Persian 'shakar' meaning 'sugar', 'sweet'.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. PAP-MIW Joke
      +++++++++++
      New sushi restaurant.
      Serves only Millionaires-In-White.
      Called Sosumi.

      Delete
  24. NatCON seems to have a lot of PAPies in the audience.
    At least 10(?) have been identified thus far.

    NatCON = PAP Mental Masturbation ?

    ReplyDelete
  25. This is all a charade and I want no part of it.

    This "national conversation" is nothing more than a thinly veiled propaganda exercise to spread the pap narrative.

    ReplyDelete
  26. After being exposed of a big wayang, then they try to salvage their face by saying they are there for exhibition only.

    But in the first place why they need to exhibit such wayang to showcase to the Prince & his wife and what is the significance to the Prince to let him know that we Singaporeans are engaged in such activities ... no other species in this world other than Singaporeans are engaged in such activities ?

    Come on PAP leaders, don't be such a smart arse even if you want to bluff other people!

    ReplyDelete
  27. This is becoming a PR disaster for the PAP.

    The fact that the audience includes so many PAP activists shows their insincerity about the NatCon. Haven't they heard enough from their OWN people with or without the NatCon?

    The last-minute disinvite to people with diverse and different opinions shows that they are uninterested in alternate views.

    What a Nation Con job!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Haha....

    The cynicism in Cyberspace
    is likely to cause some leaders
    to retire in foreign lands soon.
    And Sinkies do not just lose them,
    they will oso lose the fortunes
    these folks will take with them.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Michael Rebaczonok-Padulo is lecturer in Ngee Ann,he was from USA,guess he is now a loyal citizen.
    His most renowned works include the essay on 'Multi-Racialism and the Singaporean Identity', which won 3rd Prize in the PAP Youth Wing National Essay Writing Competition in 1988

    ReplyDelete
  30. Such insincerity, but hardly surprising coming from PAP, esp LHL, who's responsible for the extent of this overcrowding mess we're in now. To show some sincerity, PAP government should start by dismantling ISA first.

    I say vote more opposition into parliament, then we'll have a real conversation, in parliament, not a stage-managed one PAP is attempting to do now. Pay attention to what they do, not what they say.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Good thing I checked the blogosphere before wasting anytime watching the National CON.

    ReplyDelete
  32. This spectacular own goal by the pappies is getting better by the day... LOL

    ReplyDelete