Build Back Better, Fairer
General Category Archive
Reforming National Service
As a young Army officer in 1994, I had the opportunity to be attached to a National Service Company as a platoon commander for a military exercise. The Company consists of “reservists” or National Service men (NSmen). The Company Commander (a NSman in his late 40s) instructed me to be strict to these NSmen in … Read more
A National Day Message from the Reform Party
Dear Fellow Singaporeans, On Monday we will celebrate our 45th National Day since the break with Malaysia in 1965. Most Singaporeans justifiably take pride on this day in our country’s economic achievements since independence. Indeed the PAP government uses this day to peddle its version of history and contrast what is presented as their achievements … Read more
GDP growth & the living standards of average Singaporean
By Kenneth Jeyaretnam Singapore’s per capita GDP is one of the highest in the world but at the same time Freedom House rates Singapore as near the bottom of the partially free countries with a score of 4 (where 1 is most free) for civil liberties and 5 for political rights. However what is noteworthy … Read more
Domestic Costs Drive Inflation, Not Imports
By Kenneth Jeyaretnam I read Alex Au’s article today at www.yawningbread.wordpress.com titled, “Domestic Costs Drive Inflation, Not Import Prices” and thought that it encapsulated much of what I feel is wrong with the current government’s economic policies: http://yawningbread.wordpress.com/2010/08/03/domestic-costs-drive-inflation-not-import-prices/ I remember learning about the Swedish model of inflation from the 1960s in which rapid productivity growth … Read more
Housing Prices Vs Household Income – Alternative ways of viewing the statistics
(This was first posted on Hazel’s blog http://hazelpoa.blogspot.com/ on 20 April 2010) With reference to today’s Straits Times article where Mr Mah Bow Tan said it is not true that HDB resale prices have outstripped income growth. He supported his statement with the following statistics: This is the data behind the graph: I would like to … Read more
Building a more people-oriented, diverse, inclusive, participatory and freer Singapore
By Alec Tok I have been making a living, since 1990, as an actor, producer and director in Singapore’s theatre and film scene. In the year 2000, I left for the US to pursue a Masters degree in Fine Arts at Yale University. I graduated in 2003. Thereafter I stayed on in the US, to … Read more
Call for transparency in election boundary
In a recent interview with Channel News Asia’s Talking Point, Kenneth Jeyaretnam, the Secretary General of Reform Party again called upon the government to announce the electoral boundaries early and give adequate time for the oppositions to prepare for theire election campaign. He stressed that announcement of the electoral boundaries and the due process should … Read more
Tony speaks to TOC
TOC: Why did you join politics? TT: There are numerous reasons, but with one purpose – the hope of being able to make a difference to the people in the street however small it is. I am concerned what the government’s vision for Singapore is. I am also concerned with what ordinary Singaporeans want Singapore … Read more