tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18213036804139785592012-02-17T03:45:35.920+08:00Unfortunate Singaporeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480759824855534106noreply@blogger.comBlogger161100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1821303680413978559.post-49963817927213717212011-04-29T23:58:00.004+08:002011-04-30T00:07:57.516+08:00

GE 2011 kicked off with much fanfare and excitement built on a more vocal opposition that deployed social media to successfully increase their collective profile. From A-teams to suicide teams, star candidates to secret weapons, the voting population certainly seems spoilt for choice when it comes to opposition candidates to choose from.Having myself attended the WP rally at Hougang on 28 April,

Unfortunate Singaporeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480759824855534106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1821303680413978559.post-19540703666681283212009-06-26T15:20:00.002+08:002009-06-26T15:38:05.109+08:00

The word “lapse” – made almost fashionable since the escape of Mas Selamat Kastari (MSK) – has become heavy weighted with the tinge of bureaucratic incompetence. In the wake of the Committee of Inquiry findings on the lapses that led to MSK’s escape, I forwarded the notion that the ISD, like all its government agency buddies, suffered from a crippling bureaucratic culture that in their case led

Unfortunate Singaporeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480759824855534106noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1821303680413978559.post-23281261419265403782009-05-08T09:26:00.004+08:002009-05-08T10:10:13.478+08:00

When news broke of Mas Selamat Kastari’s (MSK) escape back in February 2008, I, and I thrust many others, was left in utter disbelief. This dramatic Richard Kimble-nesque event set the scene for Act I of a play which threatened to have no conceivable end.With the main character established, Act II brought the first turning point in this saga as an outraged populace grabbed pitch forks and sought

Unfortunate Singaporeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480759824855534106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1821303680413978559.post-26198228664942641042008-07-28T11:16:00.006+08:002008-12-09T09:02:01.895+08:00

The title of this entry is clumsy play on Barack Obama’s “The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream”. A wave of new found optimism is gathering strength in the United States as Barack Obama’s campaign steamrolls along. Emblematic of this movement are energized youths, engaged and interested in reclaiming a piece of the American dream - not their forefather’s dream, but

Unfortunate Singaporeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480759824855534106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1821303680413978559.post-78729355747746166952008-06-14T17:38:00.007+08:002008-12-09T09:02:02.019+08:00

I had previously written on the responsibilities of government’s and security agencies’ responsibility in maintaining a balance between being protective and intrusive. In lieu of Mas Selamat’s escape from the Whitley Road Detention Centre, I had argued that perhaps the personnel, those whom were empowered with custodial responsibilities, were found lacking on the latter front. I had also posited

Unfortunate Singaporeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480759824855534106noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1821303680413978559.post-65265083715380953542008-04-21T21:52:00.005+08:002008-12-09T09:02:02.214+08:00

The ISD has over the years accumulated a reputation for no-nonsense conduct with regards to ensuring the security and sovereignty of Singapore. In our imaginations, their work is steeped with intrigue, skullduggery and secrecy. As such, the ISD unavoidably becomes associated with conspiracy theories ranging from privacy infringements to political manipulations.Regardless of the outlook one may

Unfortunate Singaporeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480759824855534106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1821303680413978559.post-69185442779248711982008-04-03T18:02:00.006+08:002008-12-09T09:02:02.568+08:00

These days, it seems any amount of verbal putrescence can be passed off as individual expression. The recent distasteful production "Fitna" by Dutch right-wing politician Geert Wilders is an excellent case in point.While the right to freedom of speech, as a concept, is easily digestible to all, people oftentimes forget that it is not an absolute right. The right to speak freely without censorship

Unfortunate Singaporeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480759824855534106noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1821303680413978559.post-84185201328276923412008-03-06T10:55:00.014+08:002008-12-09T09:02:08.225+08:00

Questions? It has now been four days since Minister Wong announced the setting up of a three-member Committee of Inquiry (COI) to investigate the escape of Mas Selamat from the Whitley Road Detention Centre. Bloggers, such as Mr Brown, Mr Wang, Mr Giam and Mr Sai Kor, have weighed in on the composition of the committee and provided diverging but equally reasonable

Unfortunate Singaporeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480759824855534106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1821303680413978559.post-16795178598184216602008-02-28T00:20:00.006+08:002008-12-09T09:02:08.447+08:00

The headline read “JI detainee Mas Selamat Kastari escapes from Singapore detention centre” and my jaw dropped to the floor.When I wrote about the recent arrests of 2 individuals for habouring plans to conduct acts of terrorism, I discussed the difference between being protective and intrusive. The argument was of course that the Singapore government had to adopt a stance dictated by the ideals

Unfortunate Singaporeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480759824855534106noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1821303680413978559.post-91078265989973120842008-02-21T11:28:00.006+08:002008-02-21T11:40:22.968+08:00

Myanmar and Pakistan not too long ago seemed to be diverging on two separate paths; the former towards democracy and the latter further into autocracy.The indicators were there. There were subtle signs that the Myanmese Junta was softening its stance with Aung’s NLD. And with intensified international and regional pressure, one was hopeful that incremental change was on the cards.On the flip side

Unfortunate Singaporeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480759824855534106noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1821303680413978559.post-21649101775714246182008-01-29T11:13:00.000+08:002008-12-09T09:02:08.815+08:00

I can only shake my head with bewilderment as I read of yet more Singaporeans being detained for harbouring plans to conduct acts of terrorism in the name of Islam. Although the Islamic world has indeed a great deal to be aggrieved for, all forms of violence (whether emanating from coalition forces, insurgent groups or self-styled mujahedin), is as far as I’m concerned, unconscionable. That

Unfortunate Singaporeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480759824855534106noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1821303680413978559.post-58935222251103641092008-01-14T21:34:00.000+08:002008-12-09T09:02:09.073+08:00

As rightfully observed by The Observer, the ailing former Indonesian President Suharto was a dictator. Under his reign, he oversaw communist mass-killings, suppressed secessionist attempts, outlawed civil activism and was unapologetic about it all. Why? Well first and foremost, such moves were dubbed necessary for economic development. Well, the Asian financial crisis came along and hit Indonesia

Unfortunate Singaporeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480759824855534106noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1821303680413978559.post-82343871174790441962008-01-08T10:46:00.000+08:002008-12-09T09:02:10.689+08:00

If a top-ten list of 2007 buzz-phrases were to be compiled, somewhere between “rising costs” and “enbloc fever” you would find “military junta” and “pro-democracy movements”. Thus, with our vocabulary extended and our eyes fixated on developments over the past year, this article explores the two most prominent and captivating pro-democracy movements of 2007; through the eyes of their disparate

Unfortunate Singaporeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480759824855534106noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1821303680413978559.post-64947995803644477612007-12-27T22:34:00.000+08:002008-12-09T09:02:10.817+08:00

When my piece was published on The Online Citizen, little did i know that it would function as a eulogy of sorts.Only a few hours ago, reports emerged of Benazir Bhutto's assassination. While taking her campaign to the heartland of Pakistan, Bhutto was mortally wounded at an election rally in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.Details are sketchy at this point, but emerging reports seem to indicate that

Unfortunate Singaporeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480759824855534106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1821303680413978559.post-70230459899874780552007-11-30T16:38:00.000+08:002007-11-30T16:48:16.035+08:00

I agree in principle (pardon the pun) with Rana’s assessment that “on the whole, Singapore has done well with Tharman Shanmugaratnam as education minister."However, I couldn’t help but feel bothered by his emphasis on Institutions of Higher Learning (IHLs) as the only marker of success. To be fair to Rana, he qualified that falling University rankings and the ability (or lack thereof) to attract

Unfortunate Singaporeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480759824855534106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1821303680413978559.post-32794764125673300382007-11-21T18:08:00.000+08:002007-11-30T16:47:19.098+08:00

What better way to start off this fledgling blog than to write a short random piece inspired by recent events surrounding violent crackdowns in Myanmar, resulting global condemnation, and the concluding ASEAN summit. My approach to this topic is a little more philosophical than socio-political, hence the seemingly illogical title of this post. For me, “Myanmar” represents the cold hard

Unfortunate Singaporeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480759824855534106noreply@blogger.com1