The first part of the quote spells out what will attract legal action, "If you make a personal allegation of fact, if you say I took money, I am corrupt, I will then sue you and ask you to prove it."
The skin is an ever-changing organ that contains many specialized cells and structures, most of it between 2–3 mm thick. It functions as a protective barrier that interfaces with a sometimes-hostile environment. If any of the structures in the skin are not working properly, a rash or abnormal reaction is the result. That's one good reason when a lawyer's letter of demand is in the mail.
When Lee Hsien Yang was once asked about criticism over the excessive goodwill paid to acquire Optus - SingTel paid $13 billion for Optus in October 2001 and most of the acquisition was goodwill worth $11.4 billion - he mentioned something about a thick skin. Recently his brother boasted, as one blogger put it, he is a thick-skinned prime minister who is “flame-proof” to cyberspace vitriol against him. ("When you are in the public eye, you flame me, I'm flameproof."). Before you jump to the conclusion that thickness of the epidermal layer is a genetic trait, remember the father has bankrupted many an opponent who dared suggest something negative about his person or office.
"I have sued 15 or 20 times over the last 30-odd years and they come back with the same story that I have been plundering the place, I've enriched myself, and if I had not stopped it each time on its tracks, I would not have survived or enjoyed the reputation and that I think I do enjoy, that I'm prepared to stand up and be scrutinised." (Interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation, 4 June 1995)
For someone who talks much about digging spurs into the hides of Singaporeans, the thickness of his own epidermis measures quite differently:
"Every morning, my task begins with reading five, four now, newspapers. It can be tiresome. I note the scurrilous, the scandalous. I can live with that. But when any newspaper pours a daily dose of language, cultural or religious poison, I put my knuckle-dusters on. Do not believe you can beat the state." (speech to the Singapore Press Club, Nov 15, 1972)
The moral of the story is to take Shanmugam's words with a large pinch of salt. The proof of the pudding is always in the eating.
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Eating that man, I thought oral sex is a no no in Sinnerland? The mind boggles and the body shudders. What a saga.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if old fart would want to sue FT and BoAML for have the audacity to print the following financial vulnerability chart. India of course feature prominently on the most likely to crash list, but there is one red dot that is in far greater peril. Now BoAML is not you neighborhood Obasan which old fart can sue, if anything, its probably old fart having to kowtow to the gods who dictate where Obummer will wage his next war. Anyway I confess I hold no Sing dollar loans or deposits with any red dot banks... Have fund panicking you real estate junkies ...
ReplyDeletehttp://ftalphaville.ft.com/files/2013/09/Screen-shot-2013-09-02-at-2.57.55-PM.png
HK just reported they are thinking of tapping into their $1.2trillion reserves for healthcare. If I'm not wrong, both countries started their sovereign wealth fund about same time...now they are in trillions, and we are still in 400billion range?
DeleteThey wont reveal the exact amount, only can guestimate,easily 800-900 billions.Bulk of the reserves are in MAS&GIC,lesser in TH.You should also note that HK doesnt have GST and their proceeds from government land sales go their budget unlike our greedy gahment, straight into the reserves.
DeleteGood guess, ooops! that would mean red dot's reserves is 50% behind HK, who holds mainly plain old govt bonds (and lots of HK shares and gold)? Now that means you are insinuating that old fart and his cronies have either been grossly incompetent or have been corrupt, so that surely will deserve a law suit right?
DeleteThe PAP wants to blur the distinction between what can or cannot be sued so that it instills fear among Singaporeans to keep their mouths shut.
ReplyDeleteNotice that the distinction between what one can or cannot be sued for by the PAP is very nebulous.
Among the new cabinet that has just sworn in since GE2011, Tan Chuan Jin is the only Minister who has sued SDP's Vincent for defamation. Tell me, how has that worked out for his untainted reputation so far in the recent appointments?
DeleteYaacob has the 'right' things to read.
DeleteSham has the 'right' ways to insult.
Then ask yourself why are you paying them more money than the world's most powerful man, Obama :
"As president of our country, and commander in chief of our military, I accept that people are going to call me awful things every day, and I will always defend their right to do so."
IF one were to look at the history of ALL their legal suits, it boils down to this.
ReplyDeleteCall them any of these "deceptive, liar, dishonest, untruthful", you will get a lawyer's letter.
LHL is flame-proof? Ha, try calling him Liar Liar, Pants on Fire. I guarantee it will be your pants that is on fire.
A good guess is, soon the MAN himself will be on fire, unless he choose to be eaten by maggots.
DeleteDoes not matter what old fart has chosen, I hope he suddenly becomes alive and awake while being consumed by either......
DeleteDoes not matter what old fart has chosen, I hope he suddenly becomes alive and awake while being consumed by either......
DeleteI'm happy he has thick skin.
DeleteI'm more concerned that he has thick skull.
If he claims that he didn't mind the naysayers, and that he has confidence of majority who back him, then why is his admin people deleting and censoring comments on FB?
Anon 9.27pm. Some may call that justice of the poetic kind, but I wouldn't, scared of police.
DeleteThick-skinned people don't cry. So admitting he is thick-skinned, and still cry, would mean that it is crocodile tears - the tears were fake, just wayang, to get votes.
DeleteConversely, if his tears were genuine, then he is more thin-skinned than he is willing to admit. You key-board warriors better watch out or your pants will be on fire.
Let's light a fire in 2016 and see if he is flame-proof. Maybe then his eyes will really shed a river of tears.
A man died and went to Heaven. As he stood in front of the Pearly Gates, he saw a huge wall of clocks behind him. He asked, ‘What are all those clocks?’
ReplyDeleteSt. Peter answered, ‘Those are Lie-Clocks. Everyone who has ever been on earth has a Lie-Clock. Every time you lie, the hands on your clock move.’
… ‘Oh’, said the man. ‘Whose clock is that?’
‘That’s Mother Teresa’s, replied St. Peter. ‘The hands have never moved, indicating that she never told a lie.’
‘Incredible’, said the man. ‘And whose clock is that one?’
St. Peter responded, ‘That’s Abraham Lincoln’s clock. The hands have moved twice, telling us that Abraham told only two lies in his entire life.’
‘Where’s Tony Blair’s clock?’ asked the man.
St Peter replied, ‘We are using it as a ceiling fan. ‘
----
How would you finish the joke on LKY ?
LKY's clock works like a gyroscope. It works only when the spin is on.
DeleteSt Peter replied, "He's whipping at the Inferno gate, handpicking his successors to put spurs in everyone's hinds to manufacture the "truth-clocks" at cheaper, better, faster rate, with a vision to turn hell into heaven within 50 years."
DeleteSt Peter replied "The hands have not stopped spinning since he published his latest book."
Delete"Where's LKY's clock ?" asked the man.
DeleteSt. Peter replied, "LKY is beyond redemption, so it's kept in hell for their amusement."
I take it with a pound of salt.
ReplyDeleteThis is the only country where politicians sued and bankrupted oppositions, threaten bloggers and cartoonists, and now, even a stat board can sue for defamation. It warrant a long entries in the wikipedia so that our future generation can learn to see the ugly sides of our state of affairs.
Not to forget, it is the only country where a DPM and main Opposition Leader have openly said they are not interested to take over the PM jobs.
One of a kind democracy!
As it is drummed into every child by every parent; 'wait police catch'.
DeleteThat's how a timid society is created.
Did you say democracy? Don't anyhow say, wait kena rottan.
DeleteThe Constitution is a delusion and a snare if the weakest and humblest man in the land cannot be defended in his right to speak and his right to think as much as the strongest in the land.
Delete1. “Individuals within government who are personally defamed can sue – for example when you say someone is corrupt. But if you say the government is made up of idiots no one can sue you because that will be considered an opinion, and you are entitled to that opinion, based on your assessment of government policies. If you say the policies are incompetent, anti-Singaporean, you can't be sued.”
ReplyDelete“If you make a personal allegation of fact, if you say I took money, I am corrupt, I will then sue you and ask you to prove it. But if you say I am a stupid fool who doesn't know what I'm talking about, and the Government comprises ministers who don't know what they're talking about and you criticize every policy of the Government, no one can sue you."
Wow..that must be the new abnormal that he's alluding to, going forward.
In other words, if I can't say a certain CEO of SWF is corrupt (since I have no proof nor the resources to prove it), but I will be safe to call her incompetent. And even if I eventually could prove it, the "corruption" can easily be made to look like 'incompetence".
Now, Mr Kong Hee, that's an idea for you!!
I like Chinese New Year. Always ang pow and of course, Kong Hee Fatt Choy. I like too much.
DeleteIt is plain that the Rulers are incompetent
ReplyDeleteand the people are suffering from the incompetency.
Comes the Next General Election and it will be self
evident.
can one be sued because a certain political VIP doesnt like certain relatives making known the association? come to court and see 19-21 nov
ReplyDelete