Satanic Verses

[Erudio]

SG fake terrorist expert Rohan Gunaratna ST 27 Feb 2009 :

"When the public is vigilant, someone like Mas Selamat cannot operate here. It was an important lesson. Since the escape Singapore has invested significantly in improving security. Post-Mas Selamat, Singapore has become a very hostile environment for terrorists."

:oIo: Public very vigilant, only the dick-brain Wong Cunt Head's police n ISD sleeping !!! SG very hostile place fer terrorists, but very comfortable place fer petty crooks like robbers, snatch thieves, rapists, murders, swindlers, loan sharks, corrupt policemen, n PAP politicians who need 2b legally corrupted to avoid being illegally corrupted!!!

 

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ST 27 Feb 2009, Lim "Only a few black ship FT" Wee Kiak when 4800 people turn up fer 3000 job offer by North West CDC :

"We were a little surprised by the response. It's a weekday...it's not somewhere in town, yet we are enjoying an overwhelming response. It is a worrisome sign as well."

:oIo: Worrying? He worry abt too many unemployed rioting at the venue, or worry dat his pervert mind is ENJOYING seeing so many people unemployed ???!!?!

 

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ST 27 Feb 2009 Act ministar of manpower Gan "evil liar" NiNa 1 day aft DBS predict 99,000 jobs loss by end 2009 (2010) :

"My concern is what we can do to minimise it, rather than worry about whether it's going to be 99,000 or any other number."

:oIo: Oh yeah !!! When number not in yr favor, pretend u dun care. Otherwise, peasants must endure MOM brag of how many focking jobs created !!! Focking cowardly cunt !!!

 

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ST 28 Feb 2009 Sissy Lim "Joker" Sweet Say :

"As I said many times before, if we try to cut jobs to save costs, then obviously the numbers will be very high. But if we work very closely together, to cut costs, to save jobs, then I would say that we can hopefully keep the level of losses as low as possible."

Tripartism ....

Employers : "Ay gabramen, i wanna cut jobs to save costs...."

Gabramen as represented by Sissy Lim : "Wait wait wait, let me consult my chief of all unions ..."

(hat changing .....)

Chief of all Unions representative (oso) Sissy Lim : "Calling me? Can't lah !! Dun cut jobs to save costs lah! I lose vote u oso can't survive! The Oppo garment will hunt down the PAP cronies! How abt cut cost instead?"

Employers : "Like dat ah? To cut cost means cut jobs n cut corners, like dat OK?"

Chief of all Unions representative Sissy Lim : "Let me ask the gabramen rep..."

Gabramen as (again) represented by Sissy Lim : "Gd idea !!! Cannot cut jobs to save cost, but can cut cost by cutting jobs to save whose jobs??"

Employers : "MY jobs!!!!"

Gabramen represented by Sissy Lim : ""OK !! OK !!!!"

Poor workers outside tripartism : "KNN!!!! Lampar parlan!!!!!"

 

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CNA 1 Mar 2009 Satan Spawn "I see Phantom MRT along CTE" Loong tock abt his vision of wat is "good things" :

"Everyday we see bad news, another 50 (retrenched) here, another 100 there, and such and such job cuts. After a while, even if you were not depressed, we become depressed. There are things happening which are positive, there are things which will turn good in time, there are things in the pipeline - the IR (integrated resort) is coming along, two IRs are both coming along. Every time I drive past the Marina, I watch to see whether another level has come up or not and it has nearly reached the top now."

:oIo: So the salary+bonus = over $4m annual pay PM of SG think the best way fer his puny brain to cope wif the "depression" of REAL news on his citizens losing jobs to his FT policy is drive to Marina to look at his pet project Casino Royale being built 1 level up by 1 level while jobless Q in vain at job fairs ......

 

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ST 2 Mar 2009 Teo "Bootlicker Hip Hopster" Sir Fock asked if he worried YPAP associating with a (China) Communist organisation thru learning leadership development and political education fr China Communist Party :

"We're not worried because it's the governing party and Singapore-China relations are so close. We don't talk about political philosophy."

:oIo: U know there's no bigger proof dat a man has no brain substance than when he say he's not eating dairy product but only eating cream biscuit ... Yes fock head P65 all brawn no brain hip hopster Teo!! Peasants heard U !! U dun tock abt CCP political philosophy, u just mimick their communist policies which R base on their communist political philosophy !!! Y do I despise yr IQ so much ??

 

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ST 4 Feb 2009 Lim "Upturn the Football" Swee Say :

"Jobs Credit is a very strategic move because it will create the effect of more than a CPF cut. But more important, it actually further strengthens the trust among the tripartite partners, and the trust between the Government, the union, the employers with the workers .... We cannot stop retrenchments from going up."

:oIo: Tk u fer admitting dat the Jobs Credit is to save the employers ($$) (in tripartite partnership), save the gabramen (votes) (in tripartite partnership), save the unions (credibility) (oso in tripartite partnership). Peasants always know employees (NOT in tripartite partnership) r after thoughts ....... n aft all the tock cok abt Jobs Credit n tripartite cockroach shit, cannot stop retrenchment ....

Burn in Hell u focking satanic booger !!!!

 

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ST March 5, 2009
Don't expect Asia to pick up the slack

PUNDITS who expect Asia to pick up the slack in global consumption should not get their hopes up, said Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew yesterday.

He said his experience with the Chinese has shown that they will not become free-spenders. Their heritage has taught them to always put something aside for a rainy day.

'They have lived through floods, famines, pestilence, wars, devastation and they know when those things happen, government falls away and you depend on yourself, your clan, your village. So you have to be self-sufficient. You got to put something by,' he said at a dialogue with business leaders organised by Thomson Reuters.

:oIo: As usual, when Satan Lee desperate, make others look bad to make him look like saint, tis time insult China gov as irresponsible bo-chap u die yr biz thugs. Wat aby SG gov ??

MM Lee added that Singapore similarly shied away from free-spending, which is the reason it has been able to accumulate large reserves. The country, he said, set aside half its earnings during good years when there was double-digit growth.

:oIo: There u go, the SG model in flower language ... SG gov hoard $$$ n waste it away in doom foreign banks n foreign CEO salaries while the people kena scolded fer having crutch mentality. In SG, the gov oso "falls away", in fact their integrity oso "falls away", in fact, they disappear n divert attention on bullshit like Marina casino, downtown MRT line, n some nonsense stabbing in NTU !!!

'That's how we got here. We saved for the rainy day and the rains have come,' he said.

JEREMY AU YONG

 

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ST March 5, 2009
GIC assets down 25% from peak
UBS, Citi stakes bought too early, says MM, but 'we can tough it out'
By Fiona Chan

THE investment portfolio managed by the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC) has lost about 25 per cent of its value from its peak last year, Minister Mentor and GIC chairman Lee Kuan Yew revealed in a Reuters interview yesterday.

:oIo: N exactly how much is dat ???

Putting a figure to GIC's losses for the first time since the financial crisis started, MM Lee also acknowledged that GIC had bought shares in global banks UBS and Citigroup 'too early'.

'We expected the market to go down in equities,' he elaborated at the Thomson Reuters Newsmaker Event after his interview. GIC thus reduced equity holdings by 15 per cent to 16 per cent, making it cash-rich and able to pick up stocks like UBS and Citi when the market fell.

'But we went in too early,' he said. 'That's part of the ride. We can tough it out for 10 years, 15 years.'

:oIo: Meaning it takes 15 yrs to recover the $$$ loss ????

Last month, the Government disclosed that Temasek Holdings saw net portfolio value drop 31 per cent between March 31 and Nov 30 last year. Senior Minister of State for Finance Lim Hwee Hua said the Government assesses the performances of GIC and Temasek on an 'overall basis' rather than on individual investments.

MM Lee said in the Reuters interview that if GIC had not gone into banks and had held on to its equity investments instead, these would also have lost value.

:oIo: Meaning better to lose a lot of $$ than to earn a little lesser ???

Just last week, GIC converted its US$6.88 billion (S$10.6 billion) of preferred shares in Citigroup into common stock at US$3.25 per share. This pared its paper losses on the investment from 80 per cent to 24 per cent, reports said.

GIC also invested 11 billion Swiss francs (S$14 billion) in UBS in December 2007, a stake that was diluted when the Swiss government pumped emergency cash into the faltering bank last October.

Still, MM Lee said GIC's performance was 'slightly better than Harvard'. Harvard University's endowment fund likely fell about 30 per cent last year, while Yale University's endowments have seen double-digit declines.

:oIo: Since when GIC benchmark bcum Harvard Uni Endow fund u old focker!!!??

GIC has 'well over US$100 billion' in investments over several asset classes in more than 40 countries, according to its first-ever annual report released in September last year. The exact value of GIC's portfolio is not publicly known.

:oIo: Then ask u kam lan reporter !!!!

About 44 per cent of it is in equities, 26 per cent in bonds, and 23 per cent in 'alternative' classes such as real estate and private equity. The rest is in cash.

Fund managers yesterday said GIC's performance was reasonable, although its asset mix makes it difficult to draw comparisons with benchmark indices.

'It's tricky to measure GIC's performance but I wouldn't be alarmed by that return,' said Mr Wong Kok Hoi, chairman of APS Asset Management.

 

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Job losses this year expected to exceed 29,000, says SNEF
By Asha Popatlal, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 10 March 2009 1921 hrs

SINGAPORE: This year's retrenchment figures are likely to bust the record of 29,000 jobs lost in 1998 during the Asian financial crisis, according to Singapore National Employers Federation’s (SNEF’s) president, Stephen Lee.

Mr Lee was commenting on a survey finding by HR firm Manpower Staffing Services where 636 employers across seven industry sectors were polled.

The survey found that 50 per cent of employers anticipate a cut in headcount, 29 per cent expect no change, while only seven per cent expect to increase staff strength in the second quarter.

On an industry basis, the survey found that the bleakest prospects are in the transport and utilities sectors, followed by public administration and education.

Hiring prospects are also weak in the trade and retail and services sectors, although quarter-over-quarter, there has been a slight improvement in the outlook for the finance, insurance and real estate sectors.

One emerging trend is more contract hiring, which gives more flexibility to employers.

SNEF has seen such numbers growing from 172,000 in 2006 to 190,000 last year and expects it to strengthen further.

SNEF says the silver lining here are the few sectors that are still hiring like the integrated resorts and start-ups, and encouraging take-up rates for training.

13,000 workers from 30 companies are taking up the national training programme SPUR.

But the job situation is likely to get worse before it gets better.

Mr Lee said: "NTUC's secretary-general Lim Swee Say had already said most likely in the first quarter, retrenchment figures will hit 10,000. So if we work on that sort of figure, then I anticipate that in the second quarter, it (retrenchment figures) will continue to escalate. I don't think we have seen the worst yet. Hopefully it will peak out in the second quarter of this year."

- CNA/yt

Sissy "Joker" Lim : "Oi KNN !!! U on my side or Mas Selamat's side? I said (CNA 28 Feb 2009) "From the Labour Movement's point of view, we're not going to be preoccupied with ourselves, in terms of what will be the likely number of job losses in the coming year." ..... Y u cum n hamtam me like dat !!!! B careful how u treat a mighty PAP ministar !!! U try to b funny, chances are yr jokes will hit u back like an oncoming train !!!!!!!"

 

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ST March 11, 2009
MM clarifies remarks on Temasek

MINISTER Mentor Lee Kuan Yew has clarified remarks that he made last week about succession planning at Temasek Holdings.

During a dialogue with business leaders last Wednesday, he said that Mr Charles W. Goodyear, a 51-year-old American, was picked as Temasek's next chief executive officer as 'there was nobody inside Temasek equal to the job'.

Yesterday, in a statement issued by his press secretary, MM Lee said the Government-owned investment company 'has since corrected me. This was not the case'.

:oIo: Dat means yr words got no credibility lah !!! Say 1 thing today, say another tomorrow ......A focking demonic liar !!!! U Satan Lee R a liar, a cheat, and altogether an unscrupulous man. I could also add that I've had several of my own doctors who are familiar with such conduct... tell me that u r near-psychopath !!! So fock back to Hell n burn !!!!

'They stated that Temasek updates its CEO succession options yearly,' he said.

'Their list includes Singaporeans as well as non-Singaporeans, both inside and outside of Temasek, categorised for various timeframes from immediate to a three- to five-year horizon.'

Temasek selects new chief executive officers who have the experience and energy to lead the firm for a good five to 10 years, he added.

MM Lee said: 'External names considered by Temasek include experienced business leaders or promising candidates who are doing well in their careers. They would be in their 40s to early 50s.'

He added that there were capable candidates within the organisation too.

'Internally, Temasek has several potential CEO candidates, mostly between late-30s and mid-40s. Several have better investment nous than some of the external candidates. They are capable and can be considered for the CEO job at various timeframes.'

Ultimately, Temasek picked Mr Goodyear on merit. Said MM Lee: 'A key consideration was his affinity for Temasek's values and its position as a long-term investor, committed to delivering sustainable returns.

'His leadership capabilities, experience and track record will be complemented by the strengths of the current team. The Board was also satisfied that Mr Goodyear has a strong interest in developing people for the long term.'

Temasek chairman S. Dhanabalan announced last month that Ms Ho Ching, its chief executive since 2004, would be stepping down. He also said the company had been mulling over the succession question since early 2005.

Mr Goodyear was, until January last year, chief executive of BHP Billiton, the world's largest mining and resources company based in Melbourne and London.

He became Temasek's chief executive-designate at the beginning of this month and takes over officially on Oct 1.

Ms Ho, 55, has said she will decide on her future plans after October. But she will end her official association with Temasek and will not be on its board.

 

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Vivian "Turncoat Eat at Restaurant" Balakrishnan ST 18 Mar 2009 :

"The economy and credit crunch has had an impact. Whilst I am confident we will build the Sports Hub, I am flexible on time. My main interest is we do not overspend taxpayers’ dollars because we are over hasty in trying to rush through a project when the climate is not suitable ... The completion (date) could change. But I do not want to be rushed into making a decision that will entail unnecessary expenditure.”

:oIo: Fock U lah evil hypocrite !!! Tock so much cock !!! Over budget no enuff $$ say so lah, wat care fer taxpayers bullshit !!! So caring Y even build the hub at all when so many people r struggling to even stay alive ?? I dun c u donating yr salary to the poor !!! Focking liar who walks behind the con !!!

"When times are tough, you see who are the die-hards, who are the people who truly believe in sports."

:oIo: U mean in gd times, people who do sports may not like sports?? N in bad times, those who do sports to stay mentally n physically healthy considered "die-hards" ??? Wat kindda of fock up logic is dat fr he who walks behind the con !!!!????

 

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ST 2 Mar 2009 Teo "Bootlicker Hip Hopster" Sir Fock asked if he worried YPAP associating with a (China) Communist organisation thru learning leadership development and political education fr China Communist Party :

"We're not worried because it's the governing party and Singapore-China relations are so close. We don't talk about political philosophy."

:oIo: U know there's no bigger proof dat a man has no brain substance than when he say he's not eating dairy product but only eating cream biscuit ... Yes fock head P65 all brawn no brain hip hopster Teo!! Peasants heard U !! U dun tock abt CCP political philosophy, u just mimick their communist policies which R base on their communist political philosophy !!! Y do I despise yr IQ so much ??

CNA 18 Mar 2009 praising Chinese volunteers at the Beijing Olympics :

"In Beijing, you realised that these volunteers, no matter (how) big or small job they do, they are the ambassadors. Although the scale of Youth Olympic Games in Singapore in 2010 is nowhere as big and large scale as Beijing 2008, we must have the same type of enthusiasm and commitment from the volunteers because each and every one of them represent Singapore."

:oIo: Wat the fock !!! Focker LOVE China n their coercive system so much might as well migrate there !!! Focking evil satanic serpent !!!!

 

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Teo Serpent Luck : "i'm focking hugging my KPI !!! Watch me become a Ministar in 5 yrs time"

 

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Lee "What To Do? Mee Siam Got Hum" Loong ST 20 Mar 2009 :

"(Laughs) Life would be much easier for me if the Minister Mentor were not my father and Ho Ching were not my wife. But they are there. This is the way Singapore has worked. I think Singaporeans have understood that this is how the system works and they will render judgment when elections come."

Lay man term :

"Ha ha ha U focking morons listen up! Nepotism is the way of SG under PAP regime. U peasants shld know dat by now, n u will vote the PAP again in GE. Otherwise, it's Operation Cold Storage n Operation Spectrum again!!"

 

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How a more real professional reporters wld grill the hypocritical filial servant of Satan Cow Dung "Leave the sick n old in JB" Want :

ST March 21, 2009
Pairing of hospitals cuts bill size; more will follow, says minister
By Salma Khalik

PAIRING a government-run public hospital with a volunteer-run community care facility has worked well to cut patients' medical bills and free up hospital beds.

Two such pairs are already in operation: Changi General Hospital (CGH) and St Andrew's Community Hospital, and Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) and Ren Ci Community Hospital.

More will follow, said Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan at Ren Ci's charity dinner last night at the Orchid Country Club, which raised about $1 million.

He said such collaborations have benefited both parties.

'A patient with heart failure may previously stay in TTSH for say, 10 days. With closer collaboration, patients may stay the first four days in TTSH and the remaining in Ren Ci Hospital.

'This is good for patients, saving them money while freeing up costly hospital beds in TTSH for new emergency admissions.'

So the gov dun know how to cope wif demands? Or is gov only interested to reserve the expensive beds fer the rich?

Over in the east, 80 per cent of CGH patients who need further care before returning home move over to St Andrew's.

So SG hospitals hv been systematically evicting patients who can't pay the gold-plated hospital beds?

But CGH specialists will still see the patients on weekly ward rounds at the nearby community hospital.

So it's the policy of "U Die Yr Biz"?

St Andrew's staff can also access patients' hospital records so that tests do not have to be duplicated, said the community hospital's head, Dr Loh Yik Hin.

Although some community hospitals raised their charges recently, saying that treatment costs have gone up, patients still pay less than they would in a public hospital, said a Health Ministry spokesman.

1 cts less is oso called "pay less" wat, rite?

Addressing the financial difficulty some families may face with the current economic gloom, Mr Khaw added: 'My ministry will step in to help further. We will not let you down as we will not let your elderly patients down.'

But U'll let the elderly patients off, to JB?

Giving the example of Ren Ci, he said the Government paid 75 per cent of the $42 million in building costs, and half the $28 million it needs annually to run the place.

How abt telling us Y the cost to build n run the hosp? Kickbacks?

This allows poorer patients to pay less.

The minister recalled meeting a couple in their 70s when he visited the Ren Ci Community Hospital in January.

The bedridden wife could not be cared for at home, so her husband spends his days at the hospital to be with her.

Mr Khaw said: 'They are grateful for the care and the government subsidy, which relieves their financial burden.'

The husband dun wanna leave the wife alone bcus u will send her to JB when he's not looking?

But while there are nursing homes and heavy subsidies, he urged people to help the elderly continue to 'live in the homes they have grown old in'.

He promised to keep health care affordable 'so that all Singaporeans can age with grace, dignity and peace of mind, and in the company of their loved ones'.

'Among the seniors, loneliness is the greatest misery.'

So Y did u suggest sending them to JB to live alone?

The minister also praised Ren Ci's tradition of having many volunteers who add warmth and the human touch to the care of the elderly sick.

'The patients I spoke to sang their praises,' he said. Staff and volunteers cared for and treated patients as if they were their own loved ones.

Among the volunteers he singled out was 75-year-old Madam Lee Chik, a housewife and retired hairdresser.

A volunteer for the past 13 years, she turns up twice a month to give the patients a haircut and keep them company.

In a passing reference to the criminal case against Ren Ci's former head, Mr Khaw said that problems such as less-than-perfect governance occasionally crop up.

We R tocking abt the head of Ren Ci, supported by U n PAP gov n cronies, collect millions fr innocent donors, n u say just a problem of "less-than-perfect governance occasionally crop up"? When was the last time U pray to Buddha?

Buddhist monk Ming Yi, 46, faces 10 charges of forgery, providing false or misleading information to the Commissioner of Charities, conspiracy to falsify a payment voucher and misappropriation of Ren Ci's funds.

Recognising the contributions of the people at Ren Ci who have continued their hard work despite the court case, Mr Khaw said: 'Let us not use a bamboo stick to knock the boatful of people off the boat.

On dat logic, the people shld demand fer yr resignation n not all PAP ministar rite?

'After the dust has settled and deficiencies corrected, the many should stand tall and continue the good work.

'Society in turn should support them and cheer them on.'

Excuse me focker! Society is questioning YOU n Ming Yi, not the Ren Ci volunteers !!! Pls dun focking divert attention!

[email protected]

 

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Satan Lee NUSS lecture on "Singapore and Singaporeans – Quarter Century From Now" 20 Mar 2009 :

"Why are we so stupid" in allowing this (migrant students using Singapore as a stepping stone to other countries)? Because more than half (of these students) do not make the grade to go to America, and the second tier is not bad for us."

:oIo: Meaning others keep the treasure while SG keep the trash!!!

"Would you want the pie to grow? You want a small pie with your children taking the last portion, or a big pie where you get a bigger portion, even though the talented person may get a bigger slice? That's life. If you are afraid of (foreign) talent, you will not succeed."

:oIo: Wif a small pie, I work n i keep wat i earn n my children get some. Wif a big pie, I work harder fer the FT to eat most of the pie !!

"Without new citizens and permanent residents, we are going to be the last of the Mohicans. We are going to disappear."

:oIo: N r we better off wif the new citizens n PRs u focking envoy fr Hell!!!??

"Society lives with the consequences it is making."

:oIo: U bet !!! 66.6% gave us this consequences !!!!

 

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Ministar of manpower-lies Gan Ni Na in parl 23 Mar 2009 :

On PMETS who lost jobs n got trouble getting new jobs :

"If (they) are more flexible...I think we will be able to help them find jobs faster."

:oIo: Blame peasants fer being stiff as usual !! I hope PMETS be more flexible n vote tis focker out !!!

"I would rather look at how we can help Singaporeans become more competitive, rather than stop foreigners from coming."

:oIo: In other words, more foreigners will b coming to compete fer jobs wif locals. In other words oso, locals can only compete by earning as little as foreigners !!!

On retrenchment figures :

"Take these figures with a pinch of salt."

:oIo: Wat more can i say !??

 

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Cow Dung "Send yr sick mother to JB" Want Parl 24 Mar 2009 :

"I know the controversial nature of paying donors...We are all disgusted with the exploitation of the vulnerable by unscrupulous organ trading syndicates. But we also realise that it's unfair to allow genuine donors to bear all the financial consequences of their altruistic acts."

+
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"Let us not grudge somebody who is able to secure an altruistic donor because once he is out of the waiting queue, he benefits everybody else."

+
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"In fact, I will not be surprised if many living donors continue (with) not requiring any reimbursements."

=
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:oIo: Focking satanic trash legalizing organ trading in a focking hurry !!!! Say it in any way u want u mother focker !!!! May some one some day tear the focking organs fr yr 3 precious daughters n trade it fer their lunch !!! Focking satanic evil fascist !!!

 

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Singapore's in recession, thousands r losing their jobs, getting pay cut, graduating w/o jobs, suffering fr fee/fare hikes of previous yrs, defaulting on home loans, seeking psychiatric helps, tightening their belts ..... n wat does the caring PAP gov of SG do??

Raid the reserve, promote more of their evil scums to higher appointments wif higher salaries n allowances, generously paid fer by taxpayers $$$ in reserves robbed fr broken piggy-bank !!!!!

Fock the satanic PAP cult !!! Burn in eternal fire of Hell u mother fockers !!!!

ST March 27, 2009
Teo Chee Hean named Deputy Prime Minister
Jayakumar gives up the DPM job and becomes a Senior Minister
By Sue-Ann Chia

FROM next month, Singapore will have a new deputy prime minister, and for the first time, a woman as full minister.

The new DPM is Mr Teo Chee Hean, who will continue as Defence Minister. He will also be Acting Prime Minister in the absence of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

With Mr Teo moving up, Professor S. Jayakumar will relinquish his DPM portfolio. His new appointment is Senior Minister in the Prime Minister's Office.

Prof Jayakumar, 69, will continue to be the Co-ordinating Minister for National Security, and oversee foreign policy matters which cut across ministries.

The changes announced yesterday did not surprise political observers, who view them as part of Singapore's seamless leadership renewal process.

Mr Teo has been widely tipped to become a DPM for some years now. A former Navy chief and President's Scholar, he was appointed immediately to the frontbench after his election in 1992.

He has held portfolios in such ministries as Finance, Environment and Education.

'He has taken different portfolios and done well in all of them. We have a steady pair of hands to support the PM,' said veteran MP Charles Chong.

The move has sparked speculation on whether Mr Teo could be the next Prime Minister.

MP Inderjit Singh does not think so, saying: 'He is PM's contemporary. He's just strengthening PM's team.'

PM Lee turned 57 last month while Mr Teo will turn 54 in December.

The new Cabinet line-up is the second reshuffle since the 2006 General Election. The first was last year.

Most of the latest changes will take effect from April 1.

'These changes are part of continuing leadership renewal and testing out younger office holders for broader responsibilities,' said PM Lee in a statement.

Other than Mr Teo, three other office holders were promoted.

Mrs Lim Hwee Hua, 50, is appointed Minister in the Prime Minister's Office. She will also be Second Minister in Finance and Transport. She is currently Senior Minister of State in the two ministries.

Mr Gan Kim Yong, 50, moves up to Manpower Minister, after one year as Acting Manpower Minister.

Rear-Admiral (NS) Lui Tuck Yew, 47, is appointed Acting Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts (Mica), after one year as its Senior Minister of State. He will give up his portfolio as Senior Minister of State for Education.

RADM Lui is the star in the group of 24 who became MPs in 2006, the fastest among them to make it to the frontbench.

He succeeds Mica Minister Lee Boon Yang, 61, who will retire from the Government but remain an MP.

Dr Lee, 61, entered politics in 1984 and had asked to retire a few years ago.

'The Prime Minister thanks Dr Lee for his many years of service and contributions to the Government and the nation,' said yesterday's Government statement.

Other changes included current office holders being given more portfolios.

Mr S. Iswaran, 46, will be Senior Minister of State for Education, on top of his current post at the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI).

Mr Lee Yi Shyan, 47, will be Minister of State for Manpower, in addition to his present position at MTI.

Mr Teo Ser Luck, 40, Senior Parliamentary Secretary (Community Development, Youth and Sports, and Transport) adds a new role as Mayor of North East District.

He will succeed Mr Zainul Abidin Rasheed, 61, who will continue as Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.

In the new line-up is one new face.

He is Mr Sam Tan, 50, who moves from the backbench to the frontbench, with his appointment as Parliamentary Secretary in Mica as well as the Trade and Industry Ministry. He starts on July 1.

MP Ho Geok Choo said: 'Sam has a very strong influence on the Chinese-speaking ground. This will be good for the ground because we will have good representation from him on issues.'

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