The Workers' Party

[sengkang]

Pritam Singh

Happy Mother's Day!

 

[sengkang]

Yee Jenn Jong, JJ (余振忠)

Selling Hammer on Mother's Day with the mother-to-be MP of Punggol East at Rivervale Plaza. This year is also the 100th year since U.S. President Woodrow Wilson declared the 2nd Sunday of May as a national holiday to honour mothers. Happy Mother's Day to all mothers and mothers-to-be!

 

[sengkang]

Yee Jenn Jong, JJ (余振忠)

We refer to the Kaki Bukit Citizens Consultative Committee’s letter dated 28 Apr 2014 which has been put up on People’s Association noticeboards in the Kaki Bukit ward of Aljunied GRC. The letter states that the Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council (AHPETC) did not nominate any blocks in the Kaki Bukit ward of Aljunied GRC for the HDB Home Improvement Programme (HIP) for 2014.

In nominating clusters of blocks for the HIP, AHPETC considers the age of the blocks as well as the need to ensure that, over time and in the interest of fairness to all residents, all wards across the Town Council are nominated for such upgrading projects. As a mature town with in excess of 700 blocks of flats, AHPETC hosts many old blocks of flats in addition to those in Kaki Bukit. The exception is Punggol East SMC, which has newer blocks that do not qualify for HIP.

For the years 2012 and 2013, AHPETC nominated various clusters in the Eunos, Hougang, Paya Lebar and Kaki Bukit wards for the HIP program. The Kaki Bukit cluster (Blocks 533 to 536) was eventually selected by HDB for 2013. For 2014, the Town Council nominated clusters in the Bedok Reservoir-Punggol, Serangoon and Paya Lebar wards for the HIP. HDB selected the clusters in Bedok Reservoir-Punggol and Serangoon wards for FY 2014.

HIP is a national programme that commenced around 2008. When the current TC management took over in 2011, many HIP-eligible blocks including those in Kaki Bukit had not yet been nominated nor chosen for HIP. The HDB has since announced that it would ramp up the HIP project, increasing the number of eligible units per year from 28,000 units to 35,000 units. Next year, we will nominate more clusters for HIP and look forward to HDB’s fair consideration of the nominations.

ALJUNIED-HOUGANG-PUNGGOL EAST TOWN COUNCIL



Spreading the Benefits of HIP | AHPETC
[url]www.ahpetc.sg

We refer to the Kaki Bukit Citizens Consultative...

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[sengkang]

[URL="https://www.facebook.com/workersparty"]The Workers' Party

[/URL]“For the Workers' Party, in particular, it's not opposition for the sake of opposition. There is another opinion out there that should be aired and needs to be aired.

"And that's the purpose of putting your opinions out there and being vocal about it when you need to be and being focused on what your end objective is.

“The end objective isn't to fight with anybody but to say that ‘hey, there's a better way out of this and have we really explored those areas?’."



First-term MPs take stock of their work so far - Channel NewsAsia
[url]www.channelnewsasia.com

Singapore's Parliament will reopen on May 16 after a traditional mid-term break. For the 29 first-term elected MPs, it is also their halfway mark. Channel NewsAsia...

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[sengkang]

Pritam Singh

Spent the evening at the Mangala Vihara Buddhist temple at Jalan Eunos observing and participating in the solemn prayers. Met some new friends of different faiths and some residents from Eunos and Bedok Reservoir-Punggol, who were an absolute pleasure to speak to and chat with. Although late in the day, here is wishing all Buddhists and Singaporeans who commemorate the birth, enlightenment and death of Gautama Buddha, a Happy Vesak Day!

 

[sengkang]

Spent the evening at the Mangala Vihara Buddhist temple at Jalan Eunos observing and participating in the solemn prayers. Met some new friends of different faiths and some residents from Eunos and Bedok Reservoir-Punggol, who were an absolute pleasure to speak to and chat with. Although late in the day, here is wishing all Buddhists and Singaporeans who commemorate the birth, enlightenment and death of Gautama Buddha, a Happy Vesak Day!

 

[sengkang]

[h=5]Daniel PS Goh[/h]
Spoke at the book launch yesterday (as a sociologist). I said I thought the book was an excellent study in the sociology of social movements and a must-read for anyone interested in Singapore politics. I raised four sets of questions for discussion:

1. This is the first book-length work on social movements in Singapore. Why? Is this the only social movement that has happened in Singapore? Were other movements nipped in the bud, neutralised or co-opted by the state?

2. Is pragmatic resistance unique to Singapore or does it describe the beginnings of all social movements everywhere before they evolve into rights-based or radical resistance movements? Could "the Christian Right" be said to be engaging in pragmatic resistance too and therefore a social movement?

3. The government often describes itself and is often described as pragmatic. The prevailing "rule of law" exercise of power is also pragmatic. If power is pragmatic, then what does it mean for resistance to be pragmatic? Is pragmatism itself the problem?

4. This is a great story of a minority coming out of the shadows, bravely challenging norms and finding itself starting to be accepted as normal. Would Gay Singapore find the banality of normalcy oppressive? Where would the movement go, post-Pink Dot?

NUS Press is publishing the Asia-Pacific edition: http://www.nus.edu.sg/nuspress/subjects/SS/978-9971-69-815-7.html

This was reported in Today today, nothing from above, of course:

"... an audience member asked how local political parties could take a stronger stand on the LGBT movement. In response, Assoc Prof Goh said political parties have to be pragmatic to remain in the game and cannot be the vanguard of a movement that is about minority rights."

My point is that in modern democratic states, a strong civil society and competitive political parties are needed for social movements championing specific causes to get the causes translated into rights. We can't expect parties and even civil society organisations to be vanguards of a movement.

http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/law-prof-launches-book-gay-movement-spore



Lynette J. Chua: Mobilizing Gay Singapore
[url]www.temple.edu

For decades, Singapore's gay activists have sought...

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[sengkang]

[h=1]Visiting the real Joo Chiat[/h]Updated <abbr title="Saturday, May 17, 2014 at 10:20pm" data-utime="1400336440" class="timestamp">51 minutes ago</abbr>

Visited the real Joo Chiat which was moved out of Joo Chiat SMC at the last GE. Many are long-time residents who had been voting in the Joo Chiat SMC in the prior 2 elections until the last minute carving out of this historical and actual Joo Chiat out into Marine Parade GRC just before GE2011. Discovered some interesting road names in quiet corners which I have never been to before despite living nearby in Telok Kurau for over a decade.

 

[sengkang]

[h=1]Visiting the real Joo Chiat[/h]Updated <abbr title="Saturday, May 17, 2014 at 10:20pm" data-utime="1400336440" class="timestamp">51 minutes ago</abbr>

Visited the real Joo Chiat which was moved out of Joo Chiat SMC at the last GE. Many are long-time residents who had been voting in the Joo Chiat SMC in the prior 2 elections until the last minute carving out of this historical and actual Joo Chiat out into Marine Parade GRC just before GE2011. Discovered some interesting road names in quiet corners which I have never been to before despite living nearby in Telok Kurau for over a decade.

 

[sengkang]

[URL="https://www.facebook.com/workersparty"]The Workers' Party

The team was grateful for the warm reception in the cool weather this morning at Aljunied GRC[/URL]

 

[sengkang]

[h=1]14.05.18 Paya Lebar Division Kopi with Show Mao @ 249[/h]Updated <abbr title="Sunday, May 18, 2014 at 8:05pm" data-utime="1400414758" class="timestamp">on Sunday</abbr>

Photo Credit: Adrian Sim & Ryan Sim

 

[sengkang]

[h=5]The Workers' Party Youth Wing (WPYW)[/h]
Our monthly online poll for May is out! Click on the link below to participate:


Online Poll for May | The WP Youth Wing
wpyouth.sg

Drive pageviews to your website with Shareaholic's...

 

[sengkang]

Daniel PS Goh

At the five foot way of the shophouse row at Serangoon North Village, a quaint neighbourhood centre with a charming and friendly character ...

(in Chinese) "Good morning ma'am, would you like to get a copy of the Workers' Party Hammer newspaper? Only a dollar!"

(Auntie, probably in her late 50s, smiles and digs into her coin purse) "Elections already ah?"

"No lah, we do this regularly, thank you for your support, you going marketing?"

"Haha, no lah, old already, nothing to do, very free, better don't sit at home, come down and walk walk a bit. Is that Sylvia Lim? Can talk to her or not ah?"

"Oh yes, go over and say hello lah, take a photo, definitely can talk one, haha!"

Smiles without taking her eye off Sylvia, takes the Hammer, folds it in half, and walks towards Sylvia with a spring in her steps ...


The team was grateful for the warm reception in the cool weather this morning at Aljunied GRC

 

[sengkang]

Yee Jenn Jong, JJ (余振忠)


One of the things that struck me when helping out with house visits during Hougang By-Election 2012 was the many 'cosy corners' there. These 'cosy corners', typically established through ground-up initiatives are where we can find the modern-day kampong spirit in our concrete jungle country. I even found a karaoke and TV set in one such 'cosy corner'.

These are the places where we can find active aging, where the community bond together, perhaps even more so than in the CCs. These are the places where community leaders can really interact in genuine ways with the elderly residents.


Town council asks seniors to remove chairs from 'cosy corner'
news.asiaone.com

He had just suffered a stroke, and made it a point to walk every day for exercise. When he is tired, Mr Tan Chew Lim would sit near the HDB staircase to chat with his friends. Soon, people started donating and bringing along their own chairs. And then, a "cosy corner" was born....

 

[sengkang]

[h=2]Yee Jenn Jong, JJ (余振忠)[/h]Visited a home in Siglap today with 6 adults in the household. Half support WP and half support PAP. Hence the head of the house explained that they have both Parties' flags in the living room.

What's more important is that they all support Singapore, hence the Singapore flag is side by side with the other flags. We heard recently of talks of constructive politics. This family lives in harmony despite differences in political views. Whatever the colours and views on how Singapore should progress, we are all Singaporeans.

 

[l_march_2000]

Is it true that Chen Show Mao has been sidelined in WP as he has been in a low profile for many years?

 

[sengkang]

[URL="https://www.facebook.com/workersparty"]The Workers' Party

The team was out bright and early to different parts of Singapore for our Hammer outreach. Next week will be our last Hammer outreach for this issue.

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[URL="https://www.facebook.com/workersparty"]

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[sengkang]

Yee Jenn Jong, JJ (余振忠)

Great weather today to do Hammer sales. Went to many of the eateries from Siglap to Kembangan to Marine Parade to Haig Road, many of these which I also typically patronise as a customer. Lots of good food in this stretch. Check it out!

The team was out bright and early to different parts of Singapore for our Hammer outreach. Next week will be our last Hammer outreach for this issue.

 

[sengkang]

[h=5]The Workers' Party[/h]
"When the Minister responded to questions and calls to consider setting up a poverty line to guide policy making with the Kueh Lapis graph showing multiple lines of assistance provided by the government to needy and vulnerable Singapore, he has also set in my mind and in many Singaporeans’ mind a very real image that there is now a social safety net in place.

Is the social safety net doing its job? Is the social safety net performing to help Singaporeans pick themselves up after a fall? Is the social safety net pulling families out of the poverty trap? How do we know that the temporary poor are indeed temporarily poor and are moving up the government’s different scales of help closer to median income self-sufficiency?

Madam Speaker, the Prime Minister may be right to say that there are no dead poor in Singapore because no one here lives under the World Bank’s extreme poverty line of $1.50 a day. But as he acknowledges, there are the relatively poor and the temporary poor. These are Singaporeans who are experiencing a fraction of the standard of living enjoyed by the average Singaporean. We need to know whether the government’s multiple lines of assistance, the social safety net, is helping them and whether the overall situation is improving year on year." - MP Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap



MP Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap’s speech (Debate on President’s Address 2014)
wp.sg

 

[sengkang]

[URL="https://www.facebook.com/workersparty"]The Workers' Party

[/URL]"Mdm Speaker, Yes, this is what the Workers’ Party and I believe. This is the thought behind getting every candidate of the Workers’ Party to recite the National Pledge at the end of our final rally in General Election. It is to remind us that despite our differences, we are all Singaporeans. The recitation of National Pledge has now become a tradition of the Workers’ Party.

Politics comes in many shapes and forms. One can describe politics by adding different adjectives in front or at the back of the word “politics”. In the President’s address, the phrase “constructive politics” is used, I assume to be contrasted with “destructive politics”. To me, in whatever way “politics” is described and coloured, it is still politics.

To me, what is important is the outcome of the political process. Here, what the President has described as the desired outcome of Constructive Politics is moving ahead as one united people. We must all remember constructive politics does not happen by the order of the government, nor does it happen through a national conversation or public consultation.

To achieve the outcome of constructive politics in a diverse and open society like those in mature democracies and to nurture an environment conducive for it requires much effort, and everyone across society has their part to play. There are three aspects to this: political values, political culture, and impartial institutions trusted by the people." - MP Low Thia Khiang



MP Low Thia Khiang’s speech (Debate on President’s Address 2014)
wp.sg