Ahmad in Taiwan

君子和而不同，小人同而不和

2011-10-21T12:52:00.005+08:00

Link to full speech: Chen Show Mao's speech (Debate on President's address)An impressive maiden speech by Chen Show Mao, especially the Chinese part, which I imagine must have left not a few "effectively bi-lingual" PAP MPs not catching the proverbial ball that Chen has thrown at them as his opening salvo in parliament.While his references to profound sayings by dead Chinese philosophers and

Healthcare insurance - The view from Taiwan

2011-06-03T12:47:00.000+08:00

Of all the many rally speeches I've heard over the course of the 2011 GE, one that stands out for me is that given by NUH Senior Consultant Paul Tambyah at the SDP's downtown lunchtime rally on May 5, where he points out the dire inadequacies of Singapore's healthcare system and how ordinary Singaporeans fall through the cracks in the events of major illness and disease, due to inexorably costs

The perfect ending to the 2011 General Elections

2011-05-26T16:55:00.007+08:00

Original article by Lianhe Zaobao, May 25 2011. Photo taken from Pritam Singh's FB album.The perfect ending to the 2011 General Elections"May we take a photo with you?" When former Minister Mentor Lee Kwan Yew heard the request from opposition party leader Low Thia Kiang, he gladly agreed, even exchanging a few words with him.This was after last Saturday's Cabinet Swearing In ceremony, in which

Reform starts at home

2011-05-26T11:54:00.004+08:00

Barely a fortnight has passed since the end of the elections, that two PAP MPs have made a fool of themselves for making inappropriate comments, one on Facebook and the other on mainstream media, no less. Obviously not taking a lesson from Tin Pei Ling to be careful of what to say on social media, Tampines MP Irene Ng made a comment on Facebook complaining about the extensive media coverage of

Taiwan talk show on LKY and Singapore politics

2011-05-23T11:09:00.004+08:00

A recent Taiwanese talk show devoted an entire program to cover the recent 2011 General Elections, the Lee dynasty and Singapore politics. Although there are some inaccuracies in the commentary, it is an interesting look at Singapore from a Taiwanese perspective.Part 1Part 2Part 3Part 4Part 5Part 6Part 7

China misreads Singapore model

2011-05-20T11:36:00.003+08:00

Interesting article in the Hong Kong based Asia Weekly magazine on the 2011 General Election, see through the eyes of a Chinese political academic. The original article (in Chinese) can be found here.=================================================================Retuning to Beijing from Singapore to observe the 2011 General Election, Chinese political academic Li Fan remarked: "The Chinese

I hereby present to you - The New Cabinet!

2011-05-19T09:13:00.006+08:00

PM Lee presented his new cabinet lineup yesterday. Some highlights:Teo Chee Hean replaces Wong Kan Seng as Minister for National Security, perhaps a taller guy can better look for escaped fugitives?Lim Swee Say remains in the Prime Minister’s Office, happily counting the zeroes in his CPF account"Yakult" Ibrahim is now Minister for Information, Communication and the Arts because he has the most "

Chen Show Mao on cover of Asia Weekly

2011-05-17T09:46:00.007+08:00

"Singapore's political breakthrough""The opposition's elections Great Leap Forward"The Worker's Party, Low Thia Kiang and Chen Show Mao were featured prominently in the article, the focus being the political tsunami that was the fall of Aljunied GRC to the WP and subsequent retirement of George Yeo. Praise given to LTK for his "mission impossible" gamble to leave Hougang to contest Aljunied.Also

Yam Ah Mee iPhone ringtone

2011-05-10T08:38:00.007+08:00

This must be the best Yam Ah Mee music mix around, practically begging to be made into an iPhone ringtone. So I made two versions, and you can download them here and here.After downloading, just double-click on the file to add it to iTunes and sync to your iPhone. Go to Settings > Sounds > Ringtone > Select ringtone under "Custom", and you're done! Enjoy!

My thoughts on GE 2011

2011-05-09T11:28:00.001+08:00

The people of Singapore have spoken, and the voters of Aljunied GRC have opted to repent for the next 5 years, a fitting end to the most exhilarating elections in memory, and sleepless nights catching up on election news and rally videos on the Net. Finally, life can return to normal in Singapore. Or can it?GE 2011 marks a watershed event in Singapore politics, that much is obvious. Besides the

Vote wisely. Vote for Change.

2011-05-05T23:55:00.003+08:00

Dear fellow Singaporean,I know you will do the right thing. Vote wisely. Vote for Change.See you again on May 8.

"I was wrong" says ex-PAP supporter

2011-05-05T09:36:00.006+08:00

I came across this post in Facebook, and would like to share it with everyone here, because the original post cannot be accessed anymore. Originally from here.=============================================================‎"I was wrong" by Rena TanSunday, May 1, 2011 at 3:16pmFor the most part of my life, I see myself as a conformist. A traditionalist. A conservative. I believe strongly in the

Dear Politically Apathetic Voter

2011-05-03T08:36:00.011+08:00

Dear Politically Apathetic Voter,In case you haven't noticed, the Singapore General Elections will be held on May 7, and chances are you will have the chance to vote this time around because 82 out of 87 parliamentary seats are being contested by the opposition.If you couldn't care less about the election, and don't wish to bother yourself with the headache of choosing which candidate(s) to vote

Some useful quotes for GE 2011

2011-05-03T00:57:00.004+08:00

"If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by

GE 2011 Rally Venues

2011-04-29T05:37:00.002+08:00

View on a larger map Singapore GE 2011 Rally VenuesI've combined the list of Election Meeting Sites published by the Singapore Police Force, with the opposition parties and candidates contesting for the 2011 GE. Hopefully this will be a useful guide for all of you wanting to check out an opposition rally near you.Update: Added nearest MRT station and bus services for all venues.Update 2: Added

Vivian Balakrishnan : How low can you go?

2011-04-26T10:50:00.010+08:00

The Limbo must be the dance of choice among the PAP recently, as each candidate tries to outdo each other's attempts to attack the opposition candidates personally, instead of focusing on the real issues at hand. How low can you go?Ignoring SM Goh's call to "have a clean fight", Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Vivian Balakrishnan stooped to unprecedented lows by making a

Only weaklings suffer no criticism

2011-04-26T09:00:00.001+08:00

I really like Audible, the grand-dame of audiobooks on the Internet, because it helps me get my reading done on the go, listening to them on my iPhone while driving. Best of all, it allows me even try to tackle such monumental works as William Shirer's "The Rise And Fall of the Third Reich"- which weighs in at more than 1200 pages in print - without having to lug around a brick all the time.A few

About the election deposit

2011-04-20T12:35:00.006+08:00

So Parliament has been dissolved by the Grand Prata Man and polling day for the General Election set for May 7. Looking at the press release from the Elections Department reveals several interesting points about the deposit that must be paid by each candidate standing for election:According to the Parliamentary Elections Act, the deposit per candidate is 8% of the total allowances payable to an

Taiwanese press predicts a "landslide victory" for the PAP

2011-04-20T08:46:00.005+08:00

A look at how the Taiwanese media views the coming Singapore GE. Ask any Taiwanese about Singapore and they envy our growth and prosperity. But few people are aware of what is going on in Singapore beyond its polished global image marketed to the rest of the world...Original version here: http://news.chinatimes.com/world/50406039/112011042000163.html5/7 Singapore election - Lee Hsien Loong

GE May 7, 2011. Don't forget to vote.

2011-04-20T08:30:00.005+08:00

Election day will be held on May 7, 2011 (Saturday). Don't forget to vote. At least do it on my behalf, ok? All the best to Singapore!

12 steps on the path to losing power

2011-04-18T08:24:00.007+08:00

I'm a great fan of This American Life and listen religiously to their weekly podcasts over iTunes. This week's episode "Know When To Fold 'Em" producer Nancy Updike observed the recent uprisings in the Middle East which resulted in the toppling of dictators in Egypt and Tunisia, and came up with a list of 12 steps that dictators take on the path to losing power.Shut down the InternetSend thugs (

A little grassroots incident

2011-04-07T10:39:00.015+08:00

As I'm not in Singapore most of the year, I've not had much experience with any grassroots activities going around my residential area (unlike my Mum who frequents the various Karaoke competitions and CNY dinners organized by the nearby CC).But during a recent trip back home for Chinese New Year, I became part of a little "grassroots incident", which, in a small way, reflected on how in touch the

Still can't vote, again.

2011-04-06T17:35:00.009+08:00

I observed with interest the online proceedings building up to this year's Singapore General Election, and upon doing some research found out that for the first time in my adult life, my constituency did not have an automatic walkover and I was eligible to vote!So imagine my excitement at finally being able to exercise my constitutional right as a Singapore citizen and vote for the better party/

Chinese New Year - Singapore vs Taiwan

2009-02-06T13:36:00.001+08:00

Having been in Taiwan for the past eight years, I confess to have celebrated Chinese New Year here twice here in that period (this year included), the rest spent on extended overseas trips to take advantage of the long holiday. This year however, due to an extension to the family, I've decided to stay put in Taiwan for the celebrations.Of course, being over 70% Chinese (in more ways than one),

Wang Chien-Ming on the iPhone

2007-06-14T11:20:00.002+08:00

Not too sure if it lives up to the hype, but great ads all the same.June 29 will be a day to remember, can't wait to see how it turns out.