The Ugly Singaporean Award

– that Lau Chee Ching, a 32-year-old woman suffering from a mental disorder, is a resident of a nearby block of Block 728, Clementi West Street 2. Ms Lau said that she had heard ‘voices’ telling her to put money into letterboxes. She proceeded to a nearby teller machine and withdrew $3,000, which she slotted into the letterboxes at Block 728. Two well-meaning neighbours who were aware of Ms Lau’s condition rushed to the block to try and retrieve the money. But they were shocked to find some residents not only unwilling to return the money, but so eager to fish out more $50 notes they tried to pry open other mailboxes. Only $550 of the $3,000 had been returned to the family when this news was published. (The remaining families of Block 728 Clementi West Street 2, O $ P $, geddit? You have the honour of receiving the Ugly Singaporean Award en masse.)

The Ugly Chow Angmoh Award

– that on Aug 05, along Collyer Quay, a chow angmoh tried to bluff the taxi driver into believing he is the person who has placed the booking, and actually used vulgarities on me and the cab driver when he’s confronted and proven to be a fraud. And all I did was to say to the driver, “Erm, can you check if the number on the satellite booking system is 9xxxxxx9?” (Balik kampong lah, you babi-putih!)

The World This Fortnight

– that after fake CDs, jeans and Rolex watches, organised criminals are turning to counterfeit medicines as the latest money-spinner, with potentially lethal results. (Hang these sonuvabitches along with drug traffickers.)

– that GWOT – the ‘global war on terror’ – is being replaced in senior U.S. officials’ pronouncements by SAVE, or the ‘struggle against violent extremism’. (Maybe they can try to find something for SHIT.)

– that workers who lose promotions to colleagues who sleep with the boss can sue for sexual harassment, the California Supreme Court has ruled. In a significant expansion of sexual harassment laws in California, the court decided unanimously that a worker can suffer sexual harassment even if her boss never asked her for sexual favours or made inappropriate advances. (Try and imagine the day this old lady sued her young boss because her younger colleague got promoted for sleeping with the boss!)

– that at a Congressional subcommittee hearing of the House Appropriations committee, which is considering a bill that would provide $50 million in direct aid to the ‘Palestinian’ Authority (PA) , Congressman Mark Kirk told special envoy General William Ward, “I worry that I’ve seen this movie before.” General Ward said he cannot account for thousands of M-16 assault rifles, which Israel gave to the PA. Another official offered no clear way to stop Hamas from getting American aid money. (To solve that predicament, give them NOTHING.)

– that drink companies in Britain have been ordered to hire paunchy, balding men for advertisements under new rules banning any link between women drinking and sex. It said that watchdogs have issued a list of male characteristics that advertisers should avoid portraying in alcohol promotions to comply with the rules aimed at separating the consumption of alcohol from perceived sexual success. (Doesn’t alcohol numb your nerves and make it harder to get an erection?)

– that over the past fortnight Israeli intelligence agents have noticed something distinctly odd happening on the internet. One by one, Al-Qaeda’s affiliated websites have vanished until only a handful remain, write Uzi Mahnaimi and Alex Pell. Someone has cut the line of communication between the spiritual lea-duhs of international terrorism and their supporters. Since 9/11 the websites have been the main links to disseminate propaganda and information. (It is an amazement that they weren’t already taken down for almost half a decade.)

– that fresh from the controversy over their shoot-to-kill tactics in the wake of the London suicide bombings, British police have sparked more furore over their latest policy to fight terror – ‘targeted searches’. Some Islamic groups have expressed anger at what they say amounts to a policy of discrimination whereby Muslims travelling on London’s mass transport system are targeted for searching ahead of other religious and ethnic groups. (The anger would be better expressed against those who called themselves your co-religionists.)

– that John Coward and a cleric have accused each other of inciting hatred as Australia debates new anti-terrorist measures against London-style suicide bombings. Coward lashed out at Melbourne-based preacher, Shit.. erm Sheikh Mohammed Omran, for his failure to denounce terrorism. It followed the Shit’s comments that Al-Qaeda mastermind Osama bin Laden was ‘a good man’ and that the American gover-min was responsible for both the Sept 11, 2001, attacks in the U.S. and the recent London bombings. (What really needs to be done is for ‘Shits’ like these to be rounded up and deported to the moon, without a vacuum suit.)

– that Benjamin Neyanyahu has announced his resignation from the Israeli gover-min in protest of the upcoming evacuation of Jewish communities in Gaza and parts of Samaria. Netanyahu’s move could precipitate a political crisis for Ariel Sharon, prompting other ministers from Sharon’s Likud to resign. (There are always those who can even sell their own mother to gain some political mileage.)

– that Pervez Musharraf said a ‘broken’ Al-Qaeda in his country could not have directed the bomb blasts in Egypt and London and called the terror network a global ‘phenomenon’. Musharraf rejected as ‘absolutely and totally baseless’ suggestions that Osama Bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda network had its headquarters in Pakistan and said their communications structure had been broken. (Mushy, peek-a-boo is for babies. You can take your hands off your eyes now because your Taleban friends and their Al-Qaeda buddies are always there.)

– that hundreds of Muslims in Pakistan’s staunchly conservative north-west set ablaze dozens of television sets following a cleric’s ruling that watching TV was a sin, police said. The men congregated in a park after prayers and piled up more than 20 TV sets, doused them with fuel and set them on fire, said witnesses in the Charsadda district of North West Frontier province. (Machines are only as evil as the people intends them to be.)

– that Pakistan said that 800 suspected militants had been arrested in raids following the London bombings, while Islamic groups rejected a move to expel 1,400 foreign religious students. Police arrested 200 preachers after these men gave Friday sermons which incited sectarian hatred. This raised the total arrested in the ongoing raids to 800, a gover-min official said. The arrests came as the authorities began checks as a prelude to expelling foreigners from Pakistan’s madrasahs, or Islamic religious schools. (These sickos should be marooned on some godforsaken rock in the Solar System so that they couldn’t harm anyone anymore.)

– that the U.S. should encourage China to move towards a freer system, Donald Rumsfool said, warning of inevitable tensions between its repressive political system and the demands of a modern economy. Rumsfool argued that if China fails to open itself politically its economy ultimately will stagnate, weakening it. But if it opens its political system, its economy will continue to flourish. (Take a look at Singapore, Rumsfool, and weep. Political freedom and economical success are two matters entirely. So quit talking cock lah.)

– that Japan says China should disclose more information about its defence policy and military capabilities. In its annual report released, Japan’s Defence Agency voiced concern over Beijing’s rising military spending. It said China’s military expansion, including apparent plans for a deep-water navy, had to be monitored closely to determine whether it exceeds national defence requirements. (Tell that to the Americans too, will you? But a freaking dog seldom knows how to bark at its own master.)

– that some 300 Japanese lawmakers urged Junk-ichiro Konkz-umi to visit a shrine for war dead on the 60th anniversary of Japan’s defeat in World War II, saying he should not bow to pressure from China. (The other countries shouldn’t give a hoot about Japan’s feelings and celebrate VJ day 3 times every year on Aug 6th, 9th and 15th.)

– that Kim Jong-il has supernatural powers including his ability to do 11 holes-in-one on the first round he ever played golf, remembering the achievements, characteristics, tastes and bereaved family members for hundreds of the dead by a quick glance at the names on tombstones, and the telephones numbers of all his officials. He is also known to remember every line of computer code and pilots jet fighters, pens operas and produces movies. (What’s next? Walk on water? Part the minefield in the DMZ with a staff?)

– that Taiwan, Japan and the U.S. must cooperate militarily against China to prevent the Taiwan Strait from becoming a ‘Chinese sea lane’ and thus closed off to Japanese ships, Chen Shui-bian has said. Should the strait fall to the Chinese, it would be a crisis especially for the Japanese, as it has always been their economic lifeline, he told Japanese weekly Shunkan Shincho recently. (And why would that matter to you, you traitorous dog? Are you Japanese?)

– that the former CEO Proton was ousted after he rejected a new contract that offered him ‘inferior’ conditions, revealed Mama-thir Mohamad. Mama-thir hinted Mr Mahaleel Ariff’s criticism of the gover-min’s automotive policy hurried his exit from Proton, but said he agreed with his protege Proton is struggling against unfair foreign competition. “I have been suspicious of such a move for some time,” said Mama-thir, who started the national car project more than 20 years ago. “It’s not because Mahaleel had failed in his job. He was dismissed because he did not agree with the terms offered to him … The terms, according to him, are inferior,” he said. (Can’t expect everyone to be as ‘generous’ as you to your own pet project, Mama.)

– that a pig’s head drawn on the breakfast vouchers of 344 mainland Chinese tourists in Malaysia may have been intended to distinguish them from non-pork-eating Muslims and was not meant to cause offence, Abdul Aziz bin Harun, the Malaysian Consul-General in Hong Kong said. He also said that the incident was likely to be a misunderstanding. The tourists had staged a protest  at the First World Hotel in Genting Highlands to express their anger over the ‘demeaning’ drawings on their meal vouchers. “My good guess is the hotel staff were using the sketch to distinguish halal Muslim diners from non-halal diners,” he said at the launch of a Chinese-language website to promote Malaysian tourism. (Lame. Is it not easier to denote that with an alphabet or a really simple symbol like a cross or a tick?)

Singapore This Fortnight

– that when the gover-min announced policy changes for the property sector, Mabok Tongue emphasised that the aim was to ensure a stable market and not to boost values. (What’s so unstable about the property market before that, huh?)

– that after spending $400,000, the best name found by the URA for Marina Bay is indeed… * trumpet fanfare * MARINA BAY! (Reminds me of the other disaster: DBSBank – Development Bank of Singapore Bank. Good thing they never called it DBankS, or else it would sound like Dumb-Ass.)

– that organisers of Singapore’s next major charity show have taken steps to assure the public that every cent donated will go where it is supposed to. Television trailers for the President’s Star Charity show now include a voice-over that says: ‘All proceeds from the phone lines will go directly to the beneficiaries of the President’s Star Charity.’ (That probably won’t include the charges to SingTel.)

– that from August 1, the LTA will implement evening ERP on the northbound CTE. This will apply from Mondays to Friday – except public holidays – during the evening peak period between 6pm and 8pm. (AYE, PIE, ECP, you are NEXT!)

– that whether the North-South Expressway will be built depends on how effective the new evening ERP charges on the CTE will be in reducing congestion. The charges kick in from August and will affect motorists heading north on the CTE between 6pm and 8pm. (Was the ERP ever effective at all?)

– that evening ERP started along the CTE led to some congestion along alternative routes heading north. (More exciting evening ERP ‘magic wand’ treatment coming up to these alternate roads.)

– that LEE SENG LUP, the head of the Erections… sorry, Elections Department wrote this in reply to a letter questioning the need for the incumbent President to apply for a certificate of eligibility: “The Presidential Elections Act requires every person who desires to be elected to the office of President to apply to the Presidential Elections Committee for a certificate of eligibility. As all persons are equal before the law, no person, including the incumbent President, is exempted from having to apply for a certificate of eligibility to contest the presidential election.” (The public should stop pressing them for an explanation why is there a need to do so. It’s not very often there’s something for the Elections Department to do. So let the poor man do his job.)

– that a 32-year-old engineer who used a camera phone to snoop on his landlady having an intimate moment with her boyfriend was jailed for two weeks and fined $2,000. Chin Yaw Kiong admitted he had intruded on the 36-year-old woman’s privacy at her Hougang flat on the night of Feb 23. (The landlady has never heard of budget hotels?)

Trivial, Jokes and Thought from Discussions

– that the name for the next generation of Windows is called ‘VISTA’. (Apt. VISTA is an acronym for the top five Windows problems: Viruses, Infections, Spyware, Trojans and Adware’.

– that a Gary McKinnon, 39, is accused of accessing 97 U.S. gover-min computers, causing damage estimated at US$700,000 and is charged for ‘the biggest computer hack of all time’. McKinnon is accused of 20 counts relating to the American army, navy and air force, Nasa and the Department of Defence. One allegation is that he deleted files and logs from computers at the U.S. Naval Weapons Station Earle at a critical time after the Twin Towers attacks, rendering the base’s network of 300 computers inoperable. (All hail McKinnon! King of Hackers!)

– that the Church of England is to allow gay clergy to enter into civil partnerships but only if they promise to abstain from sex, according to guidance issued. It has been drawn up to clarify the Church’s position on the Civil Partnerships Act, which will offer same-sex couples a legal status similar to marriage when it comes into effect on Dec 5. (“Hey kitty, I’ll let you be with the fish as long as you don’t eat it, ok?” And then the kitty said, “I didn’t eat leh, I yawn and it swam inside.”)

– that Turd Blossom is said to be one of several nicknames Warmonger Bush uses for Karl Rove, who is widely credited with the former’s election in 2000 and re-election last year. (Turd Brain to Turd Blossom… how’s my chances in getting re-elected going?)

– that Barney, a five-year-old macaw, has been put in isolation and made to listen to the radio after swearing at distinguished visitors at the Warwickshire Animal Sanctuary in Britain. He told the mayor to: “F*** off,” before turning to a woman vicar and saying: “You can f*** off, too”. The bird is thought to have learned the expletives from its former lorry driver owner. (Can someone send me a recording of that so I can send it to some scumbags?)

– that Zoe Tay clarified her position on recent endorsement deals and her confinement practices after a letter published in the Stooge Times Forum page, sent by reader Teo Yan Ping, wondered why Tay was endorsing slimming product Extrim X if she was still breastfeeding her baby, Brayden. (Some people, like this Teo Yan Ping here, are really too free.)

– that Prolacta Bioscience has opened the first large-scale breastmilk processing facility. The Monrovia facility will accept donated milk from milk banks around the nation and use various pasteurization, formulation and filling processes to produce high-quality donor milk with specific calorie, fat and protein content meant for premature babies. (So now Zoe Tay has a new avenue to deal with her excess milk.)

– that Japanese scientists have unveiled the most human-looking robot yet devised – a ‘female’ android called Repliee Q1. She has flexible silicone for skin rather than hard plastic, and a number of sensors and motors to allow her to turn and react in a human-like manner. She can flutter her eyelids and move her hands like a human. She even appears to breathe. (Coming up next, AV-01, complete with simulated female moans and groans. Yes, the new dawn in Japanese adult video is nigh.)

My friend and I tried sending this to the Stooge Times but they both ended up in the ’round file’ aka recycle bin.

Personally speaking, it is not a surprise that our letters end up unpublished. NKF and charity transparency is stale news and the Singapore People’s Daily aka Stooge Times would not want to beat the dead dog anymore. And of course, there are those who are convinced that T.T. Durai is only a sacrificial lamb and all these about the NKF is nothing but a charade.

Sent mine on July 30th, after some modifications.

I refer to the article “NKF must be ‘pace-setter’ in good governance, transparency” (ST, July 22), and I have a few suggestions to make. In recent years, there have been some charity-related serials and fund-raising shows. Personally, I have always wondered whether these local and foreign celebrities are paid for their performance. I am very impressed that they are doing so much for charity, sometimes even putting their own lives at risks and getting injured in the process. In the spirit of setting the pace for transparency and accountability, I propose that the NKF publicise the amount paid out to MediaCorp and/or other related parties. Assuming the maximum of 30% of the funds raised are used in expenses, including paying the fund-raisers, it means that NKF only received $7 million from the recent NKF fund-raising show which raised around 10 million over 2 weekends. Also, I would also like to revisit the matter of SingTel collecting $0.21 per call. The NKF Charity Show 2004 had a record 3.2 million calls, i.e. $672000, all charged directly to the callers. If these were to be included as expenses, would the full appeal expenses thus exceeded the 30% allowable by law, even though this amount isn’t actually payout by NKF directly? Furthermore, with the frequency of the charity shows on television, the amount of revenue at $0.21 per call would be quite substantial. As many low income people are donating their hard-earned money, such costs and charges should be made known for their benefit. This should be done so that the public are made aware of all these surcharges, which will go forward to assist them in evaluating if they can more effectively contribute to the beneficiaries via the other means available. Interestingly, I saw on television the other day that “All proceeds from the telepoll campaign will go directly to the beneficiaries”, something not seen before in other fund-raising shows. However, it would be best if someone can actually tell us if “proceeds” mean gross proceeds or net proceeds. The figures I have stated above are estimates from the figures I have gathered on the mass media. These figure might be inaccurate and they are not meant to scruntinise any particular organization or individual or to portray them in a bad light. My main intention is simply to allow the public to be better-informed in the future so that Singapore will become a better place for charities, fund-raisers, beneficiaries and donors alike.

Sent July 24th, by my friend Peter Ng.

MP Halimah Yacob’s speech printed on Page H9 of the Straits Times on 21st July 2005 was a wake-up call for me, particularly the following two paragraphs. How many of us must have felt somewhat uncomfortable with the glitz and gloss associated with the NKF fund-raising efforts, including the television shows? We must have wondered and asked ourselves many questions but never took the trouble to seriously articulate them. I am one of those who has been uncomfortable with the fund-raising serials and variety shows for years and I would like to take this opportunity to articulate them now and have some of my questions and doubts clarified. In recent years, the charity-related serials and fund-raising shows have almost become a regular feature on television and that has bothered me quite a bit. Some of the people I talk to think that the local and foreign celebrities perform for free and have been very impressed that the celebrities are doing so much for charity. Some even think the foreign celebrities flew in on their own expense. I do not know whether they perform for free or for fees, or who pays for the costs of bringing in foreign celebrities, but I doubt that MediaCorp would absorb the costs, given the frequency of the fund-raising shows. Apart from the time the crew and celebrities would need to sacrifice to prepare for the fund-raising shows, MediaCorp would also need to sacrifice potential advertisement earnings during the times the shows were shown, not to mention the amount of money that would have to be spent producing and advertising for the shows. In the spirit of seeking transparency and accountability for the good of the public, I hope either NKF or MediaCorp would clarify how much of our donations actually go to NKF and how much go to MediaCorp and/or other related parties. From what I know, the law allows for up to 30% of funds raised to be used for appeal expenses, including paying the fund-raisers. Taking the recent NKF fund-raising show as an example, approximately $10 million was raised over 2 weekends. If 30% was used to pay fund-raising partners like MediaCorp, it means that NKF only received $7 million, and if NMP Steve Chia’s figures were right, only about $700000 actually went to help the patients. I am aware that MediaCorp is a private limited company and is thus not legally bound to reveal any figures to the public, but because they appealed to our compassion and took money from the public who thought their money would go to NKF and the patients, it becomes a moral and ethical issue that must be worked out. Interestingly, I just found out that Mr. Ernest Wong, Group CEO of MediaCorp, has just been appointed to the board of directors in NKF. I hope it means that the commercial relationship between NKF and MediaCorp will become clearer to the public and the synergy will lead to greater efficiency. I am also particularly concerned with SingTel collecting $0.21 for every call that was made. The 2004 NKF Charity Show had a record 3.2 million calls for that show alone. That means that in one show alone, it earned $672000, more than the peanuts that Mr. Durai earns in a year, and slightly less than the $700000-odd that directly benefited the patients. What is more interesting is that this amount was charged directly to the callers, and hence need not be accounted for. If it were to be included as expenses, it would have accounted for almost 7% and for all we know, the appeal expenses may have exceeded the 30% allowable by law. Furthermore, with the frequency of the charity shows on television, we can safely assume that SingTel has collected at least a few million just by charging $0.21 per call. SingTel and MediaCorp are businesses and have operating costs as well as shareholders to answer to, so I do no think it is wrong to charge. However, as it is a charity effort in which many people with low income are donating their hard-earned money, I believe there is a need for such costs and charges to be made known. It would also be good for these companies to lead the way in giving to the charities as well. This is not to say that MediaCorp and SingTel are not doing anything. I know for a fact that SingTel does waive its charges for certain fund-raising events and activities, like the President’s Charity Show and the tsunami rescue effort. Incidentally, I just saw on television that “All proceeds from the telepoll campaign will go directly to the beneficiaries”, something we have not seen in other fund-raising shows, and I think this is a good move by MediaCorp. Anyway, since we are in the wondering mode, I wonder what “proceeds” really mean. Does it mean gross proceeds or net proceeds? At the end of the day, if fund-raising shows means that less of the donations are going directly to the beneficiaries, the giving public should donate via other means like giving through GIRO or sending cheques which would not incur such high expenses. However, if the relevant parties can work together to raise more money while keeping the costs low, I am sure fund-raising shows will still prove to be an effective fund-raising channel. In closing, I need to state that I am not writing to slander any individual or organization but to raise questions and provoke more questioning so that ultimately, we will all become better-informed and Singapore will become a better place for charities, fund-raisers, beneficiaries and the public alike.

The World This Week

– that Warmonger Bush said he would fire anyone in his regime found to have committed a crime in connection to a leak that may have unmasked a covert CIA agent in 2003. Warmonger seemed to be raising the bar for punishing aides involved in leaking that Valerie Wilson, also known as Valerie Plame, worked for the CIA after her husband accused the regime of exaggerating the case for war in Iraq. (Will this promise be like Iraq’s ‘Weapons of Mass Disappearance’?)

– that British soldiers are facing the undignified prospect of being forced to shout ‘bang, bang’ on military training exercises after an admission by the Army that it is running out of blank ammunition. The shortage is also likely to result in a large number of important training exercises being cancelled or severely restricted. (What so undignified? The SAF’s almighty ‘universal round’ has been in use for ages.)

– that Dutch police and park rangers have admitted they are powerless to stop a growing trend of outdoor sex orgies. Police called to the scene admitted they were powerless to act despite numerous complaints from other beach users, and could only give the naked orgy lovers a verbal warning. The head of one of Holland’s biggest national parks says the problem is getting worse and has called for the gover-min to make clear guidelines on outdoor sex orgies to allow police to act. (Somone should record it all down and distribute it on the Internet. That might even bring a recession to Japanese porn industry.)

– that the father of Mohamed Atta, one of the hijackers who commandeered the first plane that crashed into the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, praised the recent terror attacks in London and said many more would follow. (Will you be joining you son soon, sir?)

– that China cannot be certain that its military, while steadily strengthening, is capable of conquering Taiwan, thePentagon said in a new report on Chinese military power and strategy. Over the longer term, however, an increasingly modern Chinese military could pose a threat to U.S. and other forces in the Asia-Pacific region, it said. (Doesn’t really matter when the U.S. military poses a threat to everyone in the world.)

– that Hong Kong’s gover-min proposed a raft of measures to overhaul the city’s health-care system, which it said were vital to cope with an ageing population and ballooning public health costs. Under the plan, public hospitals will raise charges in a bid to get citizens who are better off to switch to private doctors, reducing the burden on public resources. Hong Kong’s public hospitals charge relatively low fees and many who can afford private doctors have been using public services instead. By raising fees, the difference will narrow and hopefully this will encourage the more affluent to go private. (And God bless the less affluent who now has to pay more.)

– that Chen Shui-bian said the U.S. defence department’s assessment of China’s military showed Beijing was a threat to world peace. An annual Pentagon report to Congress released said China’s military is developing new capabilities to deter Taiwan from declaring independence and to project its power elsewhere in the region. In his first public comments on the report, Mr Chen described China as a threat with malevolent aspirations beyond Taiwan. (How long more do we need to put up with the antics of this Chen moron?)

– that the decree giving Thaksin Shinawatra absolute powers is a double blow to Thailand, say senators, opposition politicians, academics and the media. It would both aggravate the crisis in the south and erode constitutionally guaranteed freedoms, they said. (Maybe Thaksin can learn a thing or two from Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sidious.)

– that Malaysia said it would stick with a controversial permit scheme for car imports despite criticism it is unfairly enriching ethnic Malay entrepreneurs and undermining national automaker Proton. Badawi’s office issued a list of recipients of the import permits which were launched in 1970 as a way to help ethnic Malay businessmen who were lagging behind the minority Chinese. (So it becomes unfair when it enriches only certain Bumiputra. How funny.)

– that the Malaysian gover-min sets a limit on APs at 10% of the local car production that year, with an incremental 10% each year to fulfil its requirement to open the market. Rafidah Aziz said only 17,455 permits were issued to import cars of between 1,500cc and 1,800cc last year, the only category of cars in direct competition with Proton. This comprised only 3.2% of the total car production of 530,035 vehicles that year. (Sini kereta Proton banyak lempek lah.)

– that Abdullah Badawi told Malaysia’s majority Malays – pampered by a decades old affirmative action policy – that the gover-min cannot ‘play the role of Santa Claus’ forever, saying they must eventually learn to fend for themselves. But the gover-min has no immediate plans to dismantle the New Economic Policy, which has given privileges to the economically laggard Malays since 1970, he said in a speech to the annual congress of the ruling dUMNO party. (Someone should tell Badawi, there’s really no Santa Claus.)

Singapore This Week

– that ex-Regent Goh said Mrs Gold Peanuts regrets the remarks she made that the $600,000 annual salary of Durai was ‘peanuts’ for an organisation that had millions in its reserves. Lao Goh revealed that when his wife told him at home of what she had said, “I told her immediately: ‘You are in trouble. There will be negative reactions’“. Gold Peanuts explained to him that she was thinking of the organisation and the point she was trying to make was that ‘the right person must be paid the right wage’. (At least have the moral courage to apologise.)

– and Lao Goh said, “And, of course, to educate her, I showed her the letters and e-mails. And she now understands better that what she said was not quite in order.” (A-P-O-L-O-G-I-S-E.)

– that one wonders why the overall average subsidy level is only 23% when the NKF has managed to raise large amounts of funds and amass huge reserves of $262 million. Also NKF patients had to pay an average of $16,138 a year for treatment while those with KDF paid only $9,195. (And now all the skeletons dance out of the closet.)

– that student volunteers raising funds for voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs) have been facing a backlash of the NKF saga. One was even shoved in the face by a member of the public, while others had their honesty questioned. (Please learn to bark at the right tree. But is there any tree left to bark at?)

– that the cap of 80% for bank financing has been raised to 90%. The HDB, too, is raising its loan limits along similar lines. Mabok Tongue said the remaining 10% to be paid by the borrower would limit over-borrowing and act as a safeguard against potential losses by banks from loan defaults. (Whatever makes Mabok thinks people can’t already be over-borrowing with a 80% cap?)

– that the number of youths turning to crime has almost doubled from 2001. According to statistics released by the police, some 2,428 youths — between the ages of seven and 19 — were arrested between January and June this year. This is the highest number since 2001, when 1,224 youths were nabbed in the same time. (A particular 1WO in one of the SAF’s Fitness Conditioning Centre is dead right when he said, “Youths these days are very unbecoming.”)

– that the flexible approach to learning Chinese which Nan Hua Secondary School offers its students shows that the standard of the language has not diminished among the young here, Baby Lee said. (As if Nan Hua Secondary School is representative of all young Chinese. Get out of your ivory tower, dude.)

– that a road divider installed recently at the junction of Cecil Street, Robinson Road, D’Almeida Street, Finlayson Green and Collyer Quay has provoked an outpour of complaints to the LTA on the papers with some insisting that the road dividers are creating more problems instead of improving traffic along that area. (The problem is not with the divider. It is with Singaporean drivers who never uses their brains.)

Trivial, Jokes and Thought from Discussions

– that high earners of both genders boast an increased libido but only the wealthy men end up having more sex, the largest survey of its kind has indicated. As their incomes rise, both men and women are more likely to have a higher sex drive, according to a study of almost 30,000 people from 170 countries. Only among men, however, does this translate into more frequent sex: male high earners have sex significantly more often than those on lower salaries, but income makes little or no difference for women. The findings, from an online survey conducted by the BBC, offer fresh evidence for the theory that women tend to be more attracted to men with money and resources, but that a woman’s wealth does not much affect her sex appeal to men. “Men accumulate resources, which they use to attract women,” John Manning, Professor of Psychology at the University of Central Lancashire, who analysed the results, said. (Bullshit lah. Confucius said 饱食思淫欲。 It literally means when you are well fed you think about sex. And that was 2500 over years ago.)

– that Eminem feels burned out by his success and will probably make his final concert appearance in Ireland on September 17, associates told a U.S. newspaper. (Good riddance to bad rubbish.)

– that the IOC session here earlier this month put Singapore on the world sporting map, declared Dr Mohd Maliki Osman in Parliament. It registered the fact that the country can be a ‘compelling hub’ for international sports federations and sporting companies, said the Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Community Development, Youth and Sports. (Yep, we should set up a Singapore Athlete and Sportsman Exchange – SASE – to trade and speculate in them. Imagine the day that you can buy and sell David Beckham and make a neat profit.)

– that the blogs belonging to popular local blogger Wendy Cheng, who writes under the pseudonym Xiaxue, have been hijacked. Their contents have been deleted and a rude message has been left in their place. (I am no fan of xiaxue. But as a fellow blogger I have this to say to whoever did this: Associating your mother with the canine species would be a grave insult to man’s best friend. And while Tuna and a Singh in themselves are good, I can’t say the same for combination of both, which happens the best greeting for you at this moment, you lily-livered, chicken-hearted, dork! How would it feel if I lock you out of your own house after I empty out everything in it?)

The Stupid Singaporean Award

– that someone mentioned in a casual conversation that some lady of height 1.6m, weighing 45kg signed up for slimming sessions. Meantime, desperate mothers are feeding their children grass and leaves in a bid to keep them alive. One of the world’s poorest countries, landlocked Niger has been hit by recurring drought. Failed rains and locust invasions last year left 3.6 million people – a third of the country’s population – facing severe food shortages. (There’s aesthetic needs but some people are really overdoing it. Just imagine what this poor kid would pay to be 1.6m and 45kg heavy. Some people should really ‘wake up their ideas’ lah!!)

The World The Past Fortnight

– that support for Osama bin Laden and suicide bombings have fallen sharply in much of the Muslim world, according to a multi-country poll released. The survey by the Pew Research Center examined public opinion in six predominantly Muslim nations: Morocco, Pakistan, Turkey, Indonesia, Jordan and Lebanon. It also examined views in nine North American and European countries as well as in India and China. In all, more than 17,000 people were questioned either by telephone of face-to-face. (The last time some joker said something about Osama being irrelevant, Madrid happened. Some of these people should really just shut the hell up and let sleeping dogs lie.)

– that Martha Stewart says house arrest is ‘hideous’. In an interview with Vanity Fair Magazine, Stewart says her nickname in prison was ‘M. Diddy’ and that her prosecution was all about bringing her down to scare other people. She says she agrees with others who say her crime – lying about a personal stock sale – is far different from massive corporate scandals like Enron, WorldCom and Tyco. (So? It’s still a crime. Be glad you didn’t end up ‘MC Hammer broke’, Martha!)

– that Warmonger Bush collided with a British police officer during a bike ride, suffering scrapes on his hands and arms that required bandaging, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said. (Does Warmonger really think he could fool us into underestimating him as a bungling clumsy nincompoop with his seemingly random clumsiness?)

– that Senator Marilyn Trenholme Counsell, in comments made during debate of the impending same-sex ‘marriage’ legislation, made the astonishing claim that Jesus Christ would have voted in favour of the legislation as she did. “As a Christian, I often ask myself ‘what would Jesus do?’” she said, reiterating a maxim often heard in Christian circles. She answered her question with, “In this case, in this time, I believe he would say yes.” Trenholme Counsell, as LifeSiteNews.com learned from the Senator’s assistant Rebecca Menard, was originally Baptist but converted to Anglicanism when she was married. “After all,” the Chrétien-appointed Liberal from New Brunswick claimed, “we have come a long way from Old Testament days when adulterers were put to death; and we have come a long way in our understanding of human sexuality.” (There is no doubt that God would say accept them and let them come to Him. But will the same LORD who says in Leviticus 20:13 “If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.” would actually encourage and tolerated their actions? Senile-ator Counsell must be senile to believe that God is schizoprenic.)

– that for the better part of two years, the word coming out of the Bush White House was that presidential adviser Karl Rove had nothing to do with the leak of a female CIA officer’s identity and that whoever did would be fired. But spokesman Scott McClellan wouldn’t repeat those claims in the face of Rove’s own lawyer, Robert Luskin, acknowledging the political operative spoke to Matthew Cooper of Time magazine, one of the reporters who disclosed Valerie Plame’s name. McClellan repeatedly said he couldn’t comment because the matter is under investigation. When it was pointed out he had commented previously even though the investigation was ongoing, he responded, “I’ve really said all I’m going to say on it.” (It is highly unlikely they would do anything to the person who is instrumental in Bush’s second election victory.)

– that Warmonger Bush expressed solidarity with Britain over the London bombings and said terrorists would try to break the will of democracies by killing innocent people. “They are mistaken. America will not retreat in the face of terrorists and murderers,” he said. (Why, would people give their lives to try and ‘break the will of democracies’ when they will not be around to enjoy it if it ever happens? Don’t talk cock lah, Warmonger!)

– that football hooligans communicating over the internet have spoken of the need to put aside partisan support for teams and unite against Muslims. Hooligans from West Ham, Millwall, Crystal Palace and Arsenal are among those seeking to establish common cause. (It is a pity that the bombs of the terrorists didn’t take out these bastards instead. That would have been an economical use of bombs to wipe out two groups of assholes in one go.)

– that hundreds of Church of England clergy doubt the existence of God and fewer than two thirds believe in miracles, a study says.The report, published on the eve of the General Synod, refers to ‘very fragile faultlines along which the Church of England could be torn apart’. Congregations are much more conservative than most of the comparatively liberal clergy preaching to them. (Actually, it is no surprise. The actions of some churches already manifested the godlessness in their lives.)

– that Tony B-liar has refused to be drawn into a diplomatic row after the French president reportedly made insulting remarks about British food. Jacques Chirac joked with German and Russian lea-duhs: ‘One cannot trust people whose cuisine is so bad.’ (It was once a joke among friends that people with the worst cuisines are also the ‘best’ colonialists. The reason being they can’t wait to get out of their home country to get better food. And it is no wonder the British built an Empire that put even Genghiz Khan’s and Alexander’s to shame.)

– that Tony B-liar said it is crucial to address terrorism’s underlying causes, which he identified as deprivation, lack of democracy and ongoing conflict in the Middle East. (B-liar, you are still not getting it!)

– that the BBC has re-edited some of its coverage of the London Underground and bus bombings to avoid labelling the perpetrators as ‘terrorists’, it was disclosed. Early reporting of the attacks on the BBC’s website spoke of terrorists but the same coverage was changed to describe the attackers simply as ‘bombers’. The BBC’s guidelines state that its credibility is undermined by the ‘careless use of words which carry emotional or value judgments’. Consequently, “the word ‘terrorist’ itself can be a barrier rather than an aid to understanding” and its use should be ‘avoided’, the guidelines say. (What is there to understand about these murderous beasts?)

– that the London bombings occurred exactly six months after an extremist cleric based in the capital declared that Islam was at war with Britain. Investigators are examining their limited records on the followers of Omar Bakri Mohammed to determine if any have been recently recruited into an active terror cell. (Anyone who preaches the idea of religious murder is an enemy of humanity.)

– that a group calling itself the Organisation of Al-Qaeda Jihad in Europe claimed the attacks in London and threatened similar ones in Italy, Denmark and other countries with troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. “Heroic mujahedeens carried out a sacred attack in London, and here is Britain burning in fear, terror, and fright in the north, south, east and west,” said a statement posted on the Internet, which could not be authenticated. (Heroic? Sacred? ‘Mujahedeen’? Don’t make me puke, you forked-tongue, incestuous muth@fuck@s. London has defied Hitler’s Luftwaffe and the IRA. So will it outlast you.)

– that Tony B-liar vowed to bring to justice those responsible for the carnage that killed at least 33 people in packed underground trains and a bus in central London. (Go ahead as long as such ‘justice’ do not come in the form of lies and the invasion of another innocent country.)

– that the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which groups Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, urged a deadline be set for withdrawal of the foreign forces from its member states in light of what it said was a decline in active fighting in Afghanistan. The alliance’s move appeared to be an attempt to push the U.S. out of a region that Moscow regards as historically part of its sphere of influence and in which China seeks a dominant role because of its extensive energy resources. The U.S. rejected the call for a deadline. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the U.S. military presence ‘is determined by the terms of our bilateral agreements, under which both countries have concluded that there is a benefit to both sides from our activities’. (Some ‘guests’ tends to overstay their hosts’ hospitality, and will continue to shamelessly stay on unless you drive them out with a broom.)

– that a university in south-western China has barred its students from engaging in escort services, having affairs with married people or one-night stands. Anyone found to be ‘escort girls, mistresses or gigolos’ would be expelled from the school, according to a regulation posted by Chongqing Normal University. One-night love affairs are also banned, said the university. It said that the new regulation, which was introduced in May, was aimed at safeguarding the school’s image, according to a Chongqing Evening News report. (There’s nothing to stop them from becoming ‘friends’, is there? And as one of my friends say, “‘Occasional f*cking’ friends.”)

– that ahead of a sensitive war anniversary today, Chinese state media blamed the Japanese invasion for setting back China’s modernisation drive by 50 years and causing damage of up to US$500 billion. For the Chinese, July 7 marks Japan’s full-scale invasion of their country in 1937, an anniversary which will be more closely watched this year for fresh anti-Japanese protests. (What about the ‘Cultural Revolution’ and also the ‘Great Leap Foward’, dudes?)

– that a group of teachers and translators in Japan sued Tokyo’s governor for calling French a ‘failed international language’, a report said. Twenty-one people filed the lawsuit at Tokyo District Court, demanding that Tokyo Governor Shit-taro Eat-shit-hara pay a total of 10.5 million Yen compensation for insulting the French language in remarks last October, national broadcaster NHK said. In their suit, the plaintiffs accused Ishihara of saying, ‘French is a failed international language because it cannot be used to count numbers’. “It’s natural for different languages to have different names for numbers and different ways of counting them, so it’s unacceptable for him to insult French in this way,” Malik Berkane, who heads a French-language school in Tokyo, told reporters at a news conference. (Eat-Shit-hara might want to know that Japan’s a ‘failed colonial master’ or a ‘failed empire’ because of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Ouch!)

– that Gloria Arroyo has asked her entire cabinet to resign, amid continuing calls for her to quit. Arroyo, who has been accused of trying to unfairly influence her re-election, said a new Cabinet would give her gover-min renewed momentum. “I am asking my entire cabinet to tender their resignations in order to give the executive a free hand to reorganize itself,” she said. She also said that the Philippines’ system of gover-min needed to be reformed. “The political system that I am part of has degenerated to the point that it needs fundamental change, she said. (Same goes for a lot of vociferous democratic nations with really nothing better to show except a messed up economy and their combative politicians.)

– that legislator have criticised the gover-min for allowing foreign observers into Aceh ahead of a possible peace deal despite parliament’s opposition to turning the province into an ‘international issue’. They are angry over a two-day trip by 12 observers from the European Union and Asean that recently ended. (Just solve the @#$% problem and stop whining, alright?)

– that nearly a third of Malaysian teenagers would take a bribe if offered, a gover-min survey has shown, but officials say the problem of corruption is not widespread among the nation’s young, news reports said. Mr Sulaiman Mahbob, chief of the integrity institute said his officials were ‘concerned’ about the findings – which showed 30% of those surveyed would take a bribe – but said corruption ‘is not widespread’ among the country’s youth. (Perhaps they need to drive some big shots to suicide to teach a lesson.)

– that Najib Tun Razak told dUMNO members who are punished for money politics to come back after serving their punishments. “Such members are still eligible to contest and they can take part as a delegate in the party elections once they have served their sentences,” he said. “I hope they will not shy away from Umno and continue to make contributions for the sake of the party,” he said of the action taken against several dUMNO figures for money politics. (Najib should read the story about leopards not being able to change their spots.)

– that Mama-thir Mohamad is on a collision course with Trade Minister Rafidah Aziz over his claims that official policies were hurting the national car Proton. Mama-thir said certain decisions had created unfair competition for the home-grown car-making industry. (Whining must be one of the ways to make cars more sellable in Malaysia. In fact, when even your own people wouldn’t buy the cars you produced, then it’s high time you buck up!)

– that Abdullah Badawi defended his gover-min’s decision to reduce protection for national carmaker Proton as he stepped into a roiling controversy between Trade Minister Rafidah Aziz and Mama-thir Mohamad. Urging the carmaker to become more competitive, he emphasised that the gover-min was not working against the company’s interests. “Proton is our car. We want Proton to succeed. We have been protecting Proton. The protection is being reduced gradually because that is the right thing to do,” Datuk Seri Abdullah told reporters. (Maybe Abdullah Badawi should just send this Mama crybaby a big gold-plated pacifier.)

Singapore The Past Fortnight

– that Lao Lee said there was something missing in Singapore’s system and the country’s best often did not go to the universities here. More needs to be done to recruit high calibre students and faculty, he told guests at the Medical Centennial Dinner at the Istana. (For starters, maybe some of the mini$ter$ own sons and daughters should step out and help. Or is there no sons and daughters of mini$ter$ who can help?)

– that in a joint statement, Baby Lee and Warmonger Bush acknowledged the progress made in the war on terror. The two lea-duhs also welcomed the successful election of the first Iraqi National Assembly, with Warmonger expressing appreciation for Singapore’s contributions to Iraq’s reconstruction and stabilisation. (What progress? The situation now is ‘反恐，反恐。越反越恐。’- “The more they anti-, the more the terror.”)

– that only three out of 24 Singapore teenagers The Stooge Times approached on Orchard Road knew what the acronym Asean stands for and could name the countries in the grouping. The rest, including two students from a top junior college, were stumped. (They probably couldn’t name the entire team of MPs in their GRCs too, if they are from a GRC.)

– that Pacific Internet required all those applying online for a job to declare they are not communists or fascists. Law undergraduate Mok Cuiyu stumbled across the unusual line on the application form about two weeks ago, when she was doing some research online. The form, which could be found on www. pacific.net.sg, ended with the statement: ‘I am not a member of or associated with the Communist Party or fascist organisation.’ PacNet has since changed the declaration to: ‘I am not a member of any unlawful organisations.’ (There aren’t many Communists left these days. They sugar-coat themselves as capitalists because one of the ways to paralyze the people is with the pursuits of material gains.)

– that charity commercials these days focus very much on the great prizes to be won by dialling in one’s donations. (Maybe it would have been so much more acceptable if they made the 2 caSINos they are building sound like another charity.)

– that in a statement released, the NKF board said it wished to ‘reiterate its wholehearted support’ for Durai as its chief executive, adding that the foundation ‘looks forward to carrying on all its life-saving activities with full vigour and strength’. (Their lapse in judgement is gonna cost.)

– that NKF is again making headlines again as it commences, along with its chief executive T T Durai, 57, a libel suit against SPH and Ms Susan Long, 32, ST senior writer and author of the April 19 report, The NKF: Controversially ahead of its time?. In the first six paragraphs of the report, Ms Long set out that her source, ‘a retired contractor… known only as Mr Tan’, told her of a ‘gold-plated tap’ costing ‘at least $1,000’, as well as a glass-panelled shower and a ‘pricey German toilet bowl’, that he had to install on the ’12th floor of the $21-million building’. She recounted how the contractor had ‘scream(ed) his head off’ on learning of the assignment at the NKF’s ‘new headquarters at Kim Keat Road in 1995’, but was told to ‘just do’ his job. According to the report, the taps he eventually installed were ‘scaled down’ to an ‘upmarket chrome-plated model’. These allegations implied that the NKF had, under Durai’s management, misused public funds, said the NKF in the Supreme Court. It is arguing that the newspaper had an agenda against it. (Can we put a face to this elusive ‘retired contractor’?)

– that after being grilled for two full days, Durai was asked by senior counsel Davinder Singh: “Are you willing to dispose of your claim?” A little haggling and some objections by the lawyers followed but after a few minutes, Durai told the stunned courtroom: “Yes, I withdraw my claim.” (Good choice. Fortunately, Durai didn’t suffer a nervous breakdown with all that dirty linen being washed in public.)

– that some 6,800 donors have cancelled their contributions to NKF. At the same time, some 37,000 people signed an online petition calling for Durai to step down. (There’s no difference between dying, taking a shit and an unpopular CEO. – ‘When it’s time to go, it’s time to go.’)

– that Durai will foot the bill for the defamation suits against the SPH and one of its writers. This means he pays the legal costs for both the SPH and the NKF. It is understood that in such a matter, legal costs are expected to come up to a few hundred thousand dollars. (Not many people have the courage to bow out honorably and gracefully. Let’s give some credit to Durai.)

– that after ensuring ‘all the clinical services continue undisrupted’, the board will turn its attention to NKF’s financing, subsidy policy, pricing policy and reserves. “Let us objectively, independently, take a good, hard look at this data. If indeed it’s in a happy position whereby funds are so healthy, then we don’t have to raise any more funds,’ said Cow Bey. “If need be, the funds can be diverted to other causes.” (Wait a minute!!! What causes might that be? And who decides?)

– that the police are widening their efforts to combat the rising spate of mobile phone thefts. For starters, they are exploring the idea of setting up a database containing the ‘identity card’ numbers of stolen phones. The International Mobile Equipment Identification (IMEI) number, comprises 15 digits, and is unique to each phone. Once a phone is turned on, the number is transmitted, allowing it to be tracked and disabled even if the SIM card is changed. (In fact, they should even use the IMEI number to track down the next user and see if he’s the thief himself.)

– that airfares are cheaper these days, but prices have not come down as much because fuel surcharges are rising. (It’s a smart way to pass more costs to the commuters without making yourself look bad.)

Trivial, Jokes and Thought from Discussions

– that one of the most irritating things your boss and colleagues could do to you is to forward you a long exchange of emails, with a simple ‘FYA’ or no comments. You have to duplicate the same work he has done to understand what the ongoing issue is about before you can take action. And sometimes you even wonder, just which action is the appropriate one to take. (One of the best action to take is to simply ignore and delete the blasted email, and sit on the problem until a reminder is sent. Just say, “I was having a bit of a problem understanding the issue reading the email exchange, and to decide on what is the appropriate action to take. I have shortlisted [put favorite number here] actions and am evaluating on the best course of action.”)

– that two teenagers were under arrest on suspicion of killing another teen for his iPod portable music player, police said. Police also have reported a wave of iPod robberies on city subways, saying in April that 50 iPods had been stolen this year, compared to none over the same period last year. (Creative should be an utter bastard and put this on their commercials: ‘Don’t sign your own death warrant. Don’t be a target of crime. Buy a Creative Zen.’)

– that Zoe Tay revealed that she had so much breast milk after she gave birth to her son Brayden, she would offer her friends’ children some. At a rehearsal for the NKF Cancer Show, she said that she once called her doctor, asking if the hospital wanted any of her milk. When the doctor told her that she could use it as a facial mask, shampoo or shower gel, she did as she was told. (Now some kids have got some more things to show off. “I drank Zoe Tay’s milk, you know?!’ But again, wouldn’t it turn sour after awhile?)

– that Britney Smears’ friends are worried about the pregnant pop tart. Apparently, her husband Kevin Federline constantly chainsmokes around his wife. (Well, has he already bought her an insurance policy with himself as the beneficiary?)

– that Dakota Fanning’s role in War of the Worlds when fleeing from the alien life forms is being the little screaming machine. She screeches loudly in the movies continually. (It’s a miracle Tom Cruise didn’t deck her somewhere in the middle of the movie with a punch to the face.)

– that Earth’s bacterium and virii not just attack alien life forms, but also the shields of their tripods. (What do you know? After all, the Macintosh comes complete with alien compatible networking protocols in ‘Independence Day’)

– that Internet users worried about spyware and adware are shunning specific Web sites, avoiding file-sharing networks, even switching browsers. (Finally waking up already?)

The Ugly Singaporean Award

– that while guiding his girlfriend through the steps of setting up Internet banking, 20 year-old Yang Yingze memorised her PIN and used the same ruse on her 15-year-old brother. This sick sack of shit then stole $34,490 from the 4 bank accounts held by his girlfriend and her brother, whose 47-year-old mother mother was a joint holder. He was jailed for 21 months after he pleaded guilty to four charges under the Computer Misuse Act and one charge of giving false information. Another 29 charges were taken into consideration. (Actually, even sentening him to 34,490 hours of hard labour in a Siberian gulag isn’t enough.)

The Brain-Dead Singaporean Award

– that brain-dead VEDHA GIRI SOUNDARATHIAGARAJAN suggested that to avoid call bookings, thus ensuring that there are more taxis on the road and discouraging ‘disappearance acts’ by taxi drivers, commuters should be detered from doing so by increasing call booking charges to $8. (Singapore are full of such brain-dead people around thinking about nothing but just more ways to rob others of their money and to punish them. When will it be the day singaporeans can come up with ideas that actually really works WITHOUT increasing the cost for everyone?)

July 14th, 2005, will forever be an unforgettable day. This is the day Singapore, for once (and probably for the first time), stood up as one and voice out to put an end to a grievous and outrageous injustice.

And July 14th, is Bastille Day in France. On July 14, 1789, a large number of French citizens gathered together and stormed the Bastille, a royal prison in which the French royalty often used to lock up the people that did not agree with their decisions. We now share in that tradition, in which people’s power brought down those who tramples on our feelings.

For once, your voice is heard and have made an impact, Singapore! And you have done it with less violent means than Bastille.

Relish and revel in your victory Singapore, for this is an achievement. We have achieved something peacefully, simply by coming as one and voicing out our desires collectively. Let this be a model on what we want to achieve in the future.

Let this be the example of the maturity of our society.

Let the ex-NKF board and Durai take the first step to restore confidence in the NKF by donating their bonus since 1997 back to the NKF. Lead by example and not empty words.

This is the one final act of good will they can do for an organization they have given so much to built.

Is that too much for Singapore to ask of them?

PS: And don’t forget to 24打 the number 0714 this weekend, ok?