Roy Ngerng Case: PM Lee’s Press Secretary Response To Economist Article

[xingguy]

Source: Today

Blogger Roy Ngerng case: PM Lee’s press secretary issues response to Economist article
PUBLISHED: JUNE 19, 11:11 PM

SINGAPORE — The Economist has published a letter from Ms Chang Li Lin, the Press Secretary to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, which was issued in response to an online article on the publication’s website on the case of blogger Roy Ngerng, who is being sued by Mr Lee for defamation. The letter is as follows:

SIR – I refer to the article “A butterfly on a wheel” (June 13th). You referred to an “alleged ‘serious libel’” by Roy Ngerng. This is not an allegation. Mr Ngerng has publicly admitted accusing Lee Hsien Loong, the prime minister, of criminal misappropriation of pension funds, falsely and completely without foundation. After promising to apologise and to remove the post, Mr Ngerng did the opposite; he actively disseminated the libel further. This was a grave and deliberate defamation, whether it occurred online or in the traditional media being immaterial.

What is at stake is not any short-term positive or negative impact on the government, but the sort of public debate Singapore should have. When someone makes false and malicious personal allegations that impugn a person’s character or integrity, the victim has the right to vindicate his reputation, whether he is an ordinary citizen or the prime minister. The internet should not be exempt from the laws of defamation. It is perfectly possible to have a free and vigorous debate without defaming anyone, as occurs often in Singapore.

Chang Li Lin

Press secretary to the Prime Minister

Singapore

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End Of Article​

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Comment from reader "Jentrified Citizen":
PM's Press secretary says: "What is at stake is not any short-term positive or negative impact on the government, but the sort of public debate Singapore should have.".
Singaporeans say :"What is at stake is not any short-term positive or negative impact on our people, but the sort of government and the kind of country that we should have." Do we want a bullying Govt that thrives on fermenting fear among the people or a fair and just Govt that genuinely cares for the citizens and which will nurture a caring happy nation?

*Note: Those who are keen can check out the blog Economist article "A butterfly on a wheel” (June 13th)

 

[bakkuttay]

Pinky due for relapse.

 

[johnny333]

Unless something more embarrassing turns up I think the CPF will be the main GE issue. The majority in Spore are baby boomers & it's about OUR money.

 

[Leongsam]

An excellent response and straight to the point.

 

[frenchbriefs]

i remember a french prime minister or president calling lee kuan yew a baffling idiot and who he think he is and called singapore the equivalent of marsailles once.....can Singapore sue him for defamation of character?

 

[Leongsam]

i remember a french prime minister or president calling lee kuan yew a baffling idiot and who he think he is and called singapore the equivalent of marsailles once.....can Singapore sue him for defamation of character?

No because saying that someone is an idiot is totally different from saying they are embezzling funds from state coffers. One is an opinion. The other is an accusation of criminal behaviour.

There have been millions of posts in many platforms calling LHL, gay, looney, idiotic, spoilt, clueless, spineless and every other name under the sun but none of have been sued. There have even been posts wishing for the return of his cancer and nothing has happened to these people either.

 

[@rmadill0]

i remember a french prime minister or president calling lee kuan yew a baffling idiot and who he think he is and called singapore the equivalent of marsailles once.....can Singapore sue him for defamation of character?

I don't think can sue. The French fella is entitled to his opinion. If he thinks that LKY is an idiot, he has all the right to believe that he is.

 

[escher]

Pinky due for relapse.

Unless something more embarrassing turns up I think the CPF will be the main GE issue. The majority in Spore are baby boomers & it's about OUR money.

i remember a french prime minister or president calling lee kuan yew a baffling idiot and who he think he is and called singapore the equivalent of marsailles once.....can Singapore sue him for defamation of character?

Hang those PAP maggots cockroaches with piano wires from lamp posts to make them dance before it is too late and we have no more CPF to get back.
BBQ those PAP maggots cockroaches before it is too late and we have no more CPF to get back.
Cut a few more arseholes into those PAP maggots cockroaches to let out their shit before it is too late and we have no more CPF to get back.
Make those PAP maggots cockroaches eat joss sticks and candle wax before it is too late and we have no more CPF to get back.

PAP is finished.
The stinking glue and terror that hold PAP together is that old fart smear of shit on sole of shoe LKY. LKY is about to die in days or weeks.
LKY will never allow good decent people into the PAP and good decent people will not want to get into the PAP. Those in PAP are the most corrupt and moral degenerates and moral bankrupts and moral filths that are being presented to stinkaporeans as moral compasses.
None of those in PAP work for anyone but that smear of shit on sole of shoe LKY, to help him hold down Singaporeans to screw and fuck hundreds of BILLIONs from us all into smear of shit on sole of shoe LKY stinkapore sovereign funds.
They are there in PAP because LKY know that they are a bunch of self serving greedy bastards and scrapings of scums of society. To call them maggots cockroaches will be to insult real maggots and real cockroaches.


WE ALL ARE NOW WAITING FOR THE DEATH OF LKY IN COMING DAYS OR WEEKS.
WE ALL WILL YUM SENG AND YUM SENG AND YUM SENG AGAIN AND AGAIN DANCING SINGING ON TABLE TOPS AND STREETS
WE THEN WILL SEE THOSE IN PAP WITH SHARPENED KNIVES HOOTING ARSEHLOON A DOZEN NEW ARSEHOLES AND THE DEATH OF THE ENTIRE LEE KWA CLAN
WE THEN WILL PICK UP PIANO WIRES AND HANG ALL THOSE REMAINING PAP AND THEIR COLLABORATORS FROM LAMP POSTS AND SEE THOSE BASTARDS AND BITCHES DANCE.
AND HAPPINESS WILL RETURN TO OUR LAND.
AND STINKAPORE WILL BECOME SINGAPORE ONCE MORE.
https://www.torproject.org/about/overview.html.en

 

[frenchbriefs]

No because saying that someone is an idiot is totally different from saying they are embezzling funds from state coffers. One is an opinion. The other is an accusation of criminal behaviour.

There have been millions of posts in many platforms calling LHL, gay, looney, idiotic, spoilt, clueless, spineless and every other name under the sun but none of have been sued. There have even been posts wishing for the return of his cancer and nothing has happened to these people either.

im no law expert but in order to sue someone for criminal defamation,doesnt one have to prove the extend of damages done by the defamation first?loss in business,or loss of job or financial loss suffered from negative backlash in order to come up with appropriate monetary compensation?

 

[laksaboy]

What is at stake is not any short-term positive or negative impact on the government, but the sort of public debate Singapore should have. When someone makes false and malicious personal allegations that impugn a person’s character or integrity, the victim has the right to vindicate his reputation, whether he is an ordinary citizen or the prime minister

Fuck off with that bullshit. The PAP govt has always used the kangaroo courts to silence dissenting views.

Vindicate the reputation of your arse! :kma:

 

[sense]

Singaporeans should welcome the PM vs Roy case because that is the only way CPF's can of worms (if any) can be spilled.

Without PM vs Roy case, it's just life as usual with daily weak claims and conspiracy theories that goes no where.

 

[virus]

Why is pinkie misusing state resources again. According to him it s a private case.

 

[Spock]

No because saying that someone is an idiot is totally different from saying they are embezzling funds from state coffers. One is an opinion. The other is an accusation of criminal behaviour.

There have been millions of posts in many platforms calling LHL, gay, looney, idiotic, spoilt, clueless, spineless and every other name under the sun but none of have sued. There have even been posts wishing for the return of his cancer and nothing has happened to these people either.

I don't have an issue with suing for defamation. What I take issue with is the persecution and punitive measures imposed. All that does is to instill fear of speaking up while hiding behind the facade of protecting your reputation. Besides, the PM is supposed to be a public figure by its role and such accusations and criticism form part of the hazards of the job. It is just like you accept that there will be a higher risk of mortality in certain jobs. If he can't take the heat without having to beat his own citizens into submission, he should not be there in the first place.

 

[frenchbriefs]

Singaporeans should welcome the PM vs Roy case because that is the only way CPF's can of worms (if any) can be spilled.

Without PM vs Roy case, it's just life as usual with daily weak claims and conspiracy theories that goes no where.

yes hopefully it will be the career ender for Loong and the sound of the piano wires coming.

 

[Spock]

Why is pinkie misusing state resources again. According to him it s a private case.

This case is very strange. Every cent that the PM earns comes from taxpayers, of which Roy is one of them. Roy is also not a politician and thus, not in direct contention with him for his job. It is obvious that he does not see taxpayers as his employers, only those who voted for PAP. In that case, he should not be leading the country, he should just be leading his own party. If that is not a sign of the contempt the leaders have for the masses, I don't know what is.

 

[frenchbriefs]

I don't have an issue with suing for defamation. What I take issue with is the persecution and punitive measures imposed. All that does is to instill fear of speaking up while hiding behind the facade of protecting your reputation. Besides, the PM is supposed to be a public figure by its role and such accusations and criticism form part of the hazards of the job. It is just like you accept that there will be a higher risk of mortality in certain jobs. If he can't take the heat without having to beat his own citizens into submission, he should not be there in the first place.

yes i watched a documentary once which said the freedom of speech forms the cornerstone for the foundation of democracy in Britain,it allows issues,and disagreements to be brought up and discussed at the table with words first in a civil manner before having to resort to more drastic and extreme measures.by refusing to allow freedom of speech and discussion of opinion,ASS LOONG has seriously undermined democracy in this country and turn it into a facist dictatorship.

 

[frenchbriefs]

This case is very strange. Every cent that the PM earns comes from taxpayers, of which Roy is one of them. Roy is also not a politician and thus, not in direct contention with him for his job. It is obvious that he does not see taxpayers as his employers, only those who voted for PAP. In that case, he should not be leading the country, he should just be leading his own party. If that is not a sign of the contempt the leaders have for the masses, I don't know what is.

delusional megalomania....just like his lao pei.

 

[greedy and cunning]

I don't have an issue with suing for defamation. What I take issue with is the persecution and punitive measures imposed. All that does is to instill fear of speaking up while hiding behind the facade of protecting your reputation. Besides, the PM is supposed to be a public figure by its role and such accusations and criticism form part of the hazards of the job. It is just like you accept that there will be a higher risk of mortality in certain jobs. If he can't take the heat without having to beat his own citizens into submission, he should not be there in the first place.

this is one of the greatest mystery of the world.
they kept saying the job is beri tough , the pay is beri low , the sycophant is hard to find ,
yet they keep changing rules , demolishing others just to stay in power.

why tiny island need 82 MP ? 52 is not enough meh ?
why got race limit restriction in High Density Building ? prevent voting on racial/religious line ?
why so many why ?

 

[tonychat]

The whole idea is not about getting a civilized debate, it is about a prime minister suing his own citizen... and the prime minister has something to hide about the CPF..

Don't try to make the whole fucking thing like it is a lesson to be proper.. Fuck you your whole family generation.. Is it proper to lock up the CPF of people? and you divert to whole thing about be proper??? Fuck YOU!!!!

 

[escher]

yes hopefully it will be the career ender for Loong and the sound of the piano wires coming.

PIANO WIRES GIVE A NICE HARMONIC HUMMMMMMmmmmmmm

LIKE A UNIVERSAL OMMMMmmmm OF OM MANI PADME HUMMMmmmm

THAT WILL SEND THE PAPs TO THE 7TH HELL TO BE TIEWED AND KANNED BY GHOULS AND DEMONS WIELDING CHAIN SAWS AND POWER DRILLS