Andrew Situ

Fremantle, Western Australia, AUSTRALIA


Joined March 11th 2010

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Of late, politicians in Singapore have taken to sending legal memos to bloggers whenever a defamatory comment or article appears on their websites.

First, Law and Foreign Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam, a partner with Allen and Gledhill, sent a letter to Alex Au, webmaster of Yawning Bread after a user allegedly hinted at Shanmugam having an extramarital affair. The user, who goes by the name Scroobal, had commented on a blog entry regarding Hougang Member of Parliament Yaw Shin Leong’s relationship with a married female member of the same party. Yaw, who won the Hougang seat for the Workers’ Party in May 2011, had slept with Angela Oon and supposedly knocked her up. This was initially reported by prominent dissident website the Temasek Review Emeritus. Mainstream media outlets soon picked up this juicy piece of news and this subsequently led to Yaw’s expulsion from the Workers’ Party. The seat of Hougang thus fell vacant under the Constitution. Scroobal commented that Yaw was given undue attention by various media outlets, while Shanmugam, a member of the ruling People’s Action Party, received little notice despite being intimate with fellow member of parliament Foo Mee Har of West Coast GRC. This comment led to Au being served a memo by lawyers from Allen and Gledhill. He was told to remove Scroobal’s comment and duly complied.

This action was followed by Senior Counsel Davinder Singh of Drew and Napier, himself a former PAP MP, sending Temasek Review Emeritus editor Richard Wan a similar memo for an article that claimed that Ho Ching, the wife of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, secured the job of Chief Executive of sovereign fund Temasek Holdings because her husband pulled strings for her. Wan pulled the article offline and issued an apology. Meanwhile, Temasek Holdings’ chairman S. Dhanabalan and PM Lee came out to say that Ho’s appointment was based purely on merit. Still, this has not managed to convince the sceptical public who have seen Temasek Holdings make one bad judgement call after another, losing huge sums of money as a result. The company’s reluctance to open their books does not help make things any better.

In the first case, it can be argued that Shanmugam’s alleged affair with Foo can be proven by physical means. As for the second, the idea of appointing Ho based on merit and not due to nepotism is highly subjective. Both Shanmugam and Foo are married. We can say Shamnugam and Foo are guilty of adultery with one another if there are photographs of them behaving in an intimate manner or if a steamy video of them is uploaded. However, since nothing of that sort has been discovered as yet, we cannot make any judgement on that issue. Scroobal’s comment is at best one that has no basis and therefore defamatory. The fact that it was even published would imply a certain level of negligence on the part of Alex Au. He should learn from this experience and screen users’ comments more thoroughly so that no libellous material gets uploaded.

With regards to Ho Ching being the CEO of Temasek Holdings, her appointment is seen to be highly controversial. Many netizens have mentioned that she used to be the head of a Singapore Technologies unit that went belly-up, which means she may not be suitable as a business person. Yet she was appointed to be in charge of an organisation that invests the taxpayers’ money. Several decisions, including the purchase of Thai telecommunications firm Shin Corp – former owned by disgraced Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s family – have proven to be disastrous. For PM Lee to silence those who even dare to question the rationale behind Ho’s appointment, it shows that he may be trying to control the way people think. Shanmugam’s marital infidelity can be verified by fact, but not the reasons for Ho Ching’s appointment as Temasek CEO. The allegations of nepotism will remain popular opinion and nothing more. Still, it is impossible to stop anyone from holding such opinions due to the circumstances that Ho was given the job. What PM Lee is doing is tantamount to thought policing. He is trying to change the way people think by using force, which is unworkable. After all, we cannot interfere with others’ free will.

The question of merit itself is highly questionable. Many human resource managers send out rejection letters saying that after due consideration, they have awarded the job to the best candidate based on merit. The question is what defines merit? Two things come to mind. One is paper qualifications, another is working experience. Paper qualifications represent the theoretical side of things, while working experience would signify practical knowledge. In recent years, employers have shied away from paper qualifications in favour of working experience when hiring. The candidate’s character is also important, as someone of bad character could drag down the organisation.

Consider the following scenario. In Perth, there is a famous hospitality chain founded by Scandinavians. They need to fill the vacancy of restaurant manager at one of their branches really urgently. The HR department has received the resume of two very prominent individuals. One is a metrosexual auntie-killer in his late 30s who has a flair for public relations and was last employed by renown publicity firm Hill and Knowlton as an agency manager. The other is a 20-year-old woman who has worked in fast-food and related businesses for the last 6 years, most recently helping her husband operate an insanely-busy five-star Indian restaurant. The former speaks in a gentle, charming manner that is atypical for a male. He has a sweet disposition and cheerful smile that endears him to all his subordinates and Hill and Knowlton. In short, he is something of an emotional magnet that oozes charismatic authority. The latter is known for her extreme work ethic. She takes complete ownership of all tasks assigned to her. All employees who have served under her are required to meet sky-high expectations from the first day. The workplace under her charge is nothing more than a cheerless environment where everyone works just to fill their stomachs.

Both candidates have stellar results under their belts. After all, they are managers and their job is to motivate subordinates to do better than they are naturally born to do. One knows how to play nice; the other uses brute force. One portrays a humble and down-to-earth appearance; the other comes across as too big for her boots. One seems willing to share credit; the other monopolises it. Choosing the right candidate is enough to give any selector a major headache. It is like watching a Cup final between Manchester City and Manchester United. There can only be one winner, but both teams are equally tough. When there are two strong candidates and only one position up for grabs, the selectors would need to apply great discretion to select the right person based on the highly-debatable issue of merit. Someone who believes that work should be enjoyed would go for the former, as he is able to create a fun and happy environment where everyone puts in their best effort because they feel passionate about carrying out their duties, thus boosting productivity. However, if the recruiter happens to be very forward-looking, she might go for the latter on account of her youthfulness and flawless track record of professional competence in a pressure-cooker environment, never mind her lack of humour. After all, she is able to meet sky-high expectations the moment she commences full-time work and produce results for the company quickly. Whatever methods that are deployed, questionable or otherwise, mean nothing.

Now put yourself into the shoes of the recruiter. Choosing the right person for the job is a dilemma of ethical proportions. The right person could mean higher profits, improved staff morale and better customer satisfaction. The wrong person could mean poor corporate leadership, low staff morale and decreased sales. What would you do? Would you have made the same mistake that Temasek Holdings made or would you be able to do better?
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It is sad when someone we have elected to do the job of protecting our interests has decided to sell us out to foreign nationals who are in Singapore on a Government scholarship.

Chinese national Sun Xu, an undergraduate at the National University of Singapore and Government scholar, made comments on his microblog that “There were more dogs than people in Singapore”. This sparked outrage from many Singapore citizens, with many posting online that Sun’s scholarship ought to be revoked and he should be sent home immediately.

While NUS announced that they would summon him for a disciplinary hearing in the coming week, Tampines GRC Member of Parliament Baey Yam Keng of the People’s Action Party told the press that while he understood the reaction from Singaporeans who were likened to dogs, there was a need to reflect on why it even happened. Baey’s words served only t o add fuel to the already raging fire.

The metrosexual auntie-killer is no stranger to controversy. Back in 2007, when Baey was representing the Queenstown division of Tanjong Pagar GRC, he said that he would support attempts to legalise anal sex, currently prohibited under Section 377A of the Penal Code. As a result he was slammed for advancing his personal opinion over that of his party. More recently, he came out in support of Abercrombie and Fitch’s advertising campaign featuring a poster of a shirtless man. He claimed that there was nothing indecent about this advertisement, and that some lingerie advertisements were in worse taste. This prompted one netizen to flame Baey on Facebook, saying that he had low morals and was unfit to be a member of parliament. These incidents gave the impression of a forward-thinking liberal stuck in a party dominated by old conservatives.

Baey also brought with him an air of charisma when he entered politics in 2006. This was unmatched until the arrival of Chen Show Mao of the Workers’ Party and Nicole Seah of the National Solidarity Party during the 2011 general elections. Both of them are capable of giving Baey a run for his money, especially the former, who contested and won in Aljunied GRC. The fact that he is also managing director of the Singapore branch of public relations firm Hill and Knowlton adds another layer of aura to his persona. His famous smile charmed the ladies off their feet when he was on the campaign trail in Tampines GRC last April. He made a promise to visit one apartment block a week until every one of them in his division has been covered, and most recently completed a visit of Block 462 in Tampines North.

The public persona of Baey Yam Keng is complex indeed. It is hard to tell if his support for gay rights is genuine or merely a smokescreen to steal the gay vote from the opposition. Baey has also complained about female clients wearing revealing outfits and showing too much cleavage when they come see him. This, along with his support for Abercrombie and Fitch’s shirtless man campaign, sends out confusing signals. His colourful fashion sense and gentle voice have led many to suspect that he could be really gay, even though he is married with three children.

For me, Baey was regarded as one of the better people in the PAP, which took a huge beating at the 2011 general elections. He came across as a different sort of MP, one who was not cocky, unlike many of his colleagues. Baey, along with WP’s Chen and NSP’s Seah, was seen as one of the most charismatic leaders of Singapore. I personally would have voted PAP if my district was part of a single member constituency and Baey was being fielded there. As I have posted on Facebook, the only reason for me to vote PAP would be Baey Yam Keng and the only reason why I liked him was due to his charisma. His recent comments on the Sun Xu incident, however, have left a bad taste.

As an elected representative, Baey is supposed to protect the interests or ordinary Singaporeans. The citizens have elected him to do a job, and his duties include standing up for Singapore and its citizens. Sun Xu is undoubtedly an ingrate who has bitten the hand that fed him and deserves to face disciplinary proceedings. The Chinese embassy did the right thing in scolding him when he sought its help after learning about the consequences he would face. Baey, however, seems to be siding with Sun when he called on Singaporeans to reflect why they were being called dogs. He has done Singaporeans a disservice, especially those who have had to be drafted for military service. Knowing what sort of legislators we have in parliament, it would seem like our years of full-time national service followed by reservist training are quite futile. Not to mention the dodgy knees that result from too much strain as a result of the training methods.

From what has transpired, it may be right to conclude that Baey Yam Keng is a traitor among us. He has sold out the interests of Singaporeans to mainland China when his job is to protect us citizens from exploitation and insults. Sun Xu’s actions are a form of defamation and people like Baey are not helping in any way, but making it worse. Some netizens have condemned Baey for his comments and remarked that it makes him a dog too. His Facebook post that he was visiting Block 462 in Tampines North attracted replies that he should be visiting kennels instead.

Seriously, Singapore is better off with less of his ilk holding public office. The NSP has always had an eye on Tampines GRC since the creation of this seat. At present, the 5 MPs from this area are walking on really thin ice, having only won 57% of the votes. If the NSP can manage to win in Tampines GRC in 2016, it would be poetic justice for those who have been sold out by Baey and others. The icing on the cake would be having the “charisma queen” Nicole Seah representing the Tampines North division in the chamber.
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At the opening of the Twelfth Singapore Parliament, Workers’ Party Member of Parliament Sylvia Lim (Aljunied Group Representation Constituency) raised the issue of the National Happiness Index. One of her party members and fellow legislators, Yee Jenn Jong, had recently returned from Bhutan where he had been doing volunteer work. He had noted that the people may be poor, but they loved their king and were happy with their lot in life. Ms Lim noted that the citizens’ happiness index was important for the government. They could not simply focus on how well the economy was performing or the national gross domestic product figures alone. Rather, they had a responsibility to look after the citizens in order to win their continued support and respect.

This prompted a response from National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan that Bhutan was not a “Shangri-La paradise up in the mountains”. In a way, Mr Khaw is right. Bhutan and Singapore are leagues apart. The Bhutanese live in relative isolation, tucked away in the Himalayas Mountains northeast of India. Singapore, on the other hand, is located at the crossroads of the main shipping routes. It would be inevitable that Singapore would be richer and more well-developed. The standards of living would invariably be higher in Singapore too. In that sense, Singaporeans are luckier than their Bhutanese counterparts. However, when it comes to happiness, they fall short of the benchmark.

How is this possible? A few reasons can explain it. The cost of living in Singapore has gone up over the past 12 years, but jobs have become more scarce and real salaries have also fallen. The government has remained oblivious to such bread-and-butter issues affecting the ordinary Singaporeans. Worse, they have tried to squeeze more money out of the already-struggling population in the form of increased public transport fares and hospitalization fees. They also control access to the city-state’s employees’ superannuation funds. In one way it is a good thing as it makes it compulsory for all companies to contribute to it. The downside is that these funds may be invested in risky ventures, not to mention that citizens are not allowed to withdraw their superannuation when they turn 55. This creates a “work till you drop dead” situation as many people do not have the means to retire early.

It is thus inevitable that many citizens see the government – which is dominated completely by the People’s Action Party – as a greedy institution. Their widespread resentment boiled over in May during the general elections when they started turning against the PAP and voting for the opposition. The WP captured Aljunied GRC, the first time the opposition has won in a group seat. Five PAP legislators, including high-flying foreign minister George Yeo, lost their seats to a WP team led by secretary-general Low Thia Khiang, who was formerly the elected member for Hougang. Overall support for the PAP fell to 60.1%, the lowest since independence. The cocky attitudes of the PAP has won them few admirers, but the lack of depth shown by many opposition party members during previous elections played right into the hands of the government. The focus on pressing issues during the most recent election campaign helped the opposition win over the hearts of many citizens, as the results of the polls have shown.

Hence it is important for the PAP government to pay attention to the citizens’ happiness index if they want to stop losing more seats or to win back seats they had lost. They should stop paying ridiculously high salaries to the ministers and see what can be done to protect the most vulnerable citizens from exploitation, instead of exploiting them. The PAP should do whatever it takes to win the hearts and minds of its citizens by doing what is right for them. Whoever that is the Prime Minister would need to muster all the charisma that he has in order to make himself popular with the people. He must show his genuine concern for his fellow citizens and appeal emotionally to them. In turn, he gets the support and respect from the grassroots, which strengthens his position at the top. After all, respect is given to the person for what he is rather than what position he holds. There is no point being the leader if one lacks popularity with the masses, because he will not receive the moral support he needs. Such a leader does not deserve to achieve anything, as there is no good reason to do his bidding. Whatever authority he has is not real, as it is built from fear (and loathing). He needs to use his charisma to exert authority and make himself likeable before doing anything else. For him to unleash his emotional magnetism he would need very high emotional intelligence.

Having said that, it is quite possible that the Bhutanese king has a high level of emotional intelligence considering how much his citizens love and revere him. For the king to be so admired by his subjects, he must have been a really caring monarch. This is a stark contrast to Singapore’s leaders who are more self-serving. The idea of a happiness index came about in the 1970s when the fourth King of Bhutan decided to implement it. In 2008, the country became a constitutional monarchy after the king, following a public outcry over his decision to abdicate, agreed to retain the post. His son later became the head of state following his father’s abdication, and is considered a revered figure along with the Chief Abbot, the Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader.

For a country with such low GDP, it would seem odd if the citizens are happy as it might mean their quality of life is compromised. However, there seem to be little such worries due to Bhutan’s relative isolation. Most of the people are self-sufficient and the ups and downs of the world economy do not seem to affect them badly. Medical care may not be as advanced but it is likely that the air up in the Himalayas is less polluted and therefore the population is healthier. The Bhutanese seem to take pride in simple desires and that could be a reason for their happiness. Their reverence for the monarchy borders on the divine even though the country has embraced parliamentary democracy.

The king himself also plays a part in the whole picture. When the previous ruler announced his decision to abdicate, many of his subjects begged him to stay on. However, his mind was already set but he made a compromise. The monarchy as an institution would remain, but there would be parliamentary democracy. The royals would no longer play an active part in governing the country, a responsibility that the Prime Minister and his cabinet would undertake. Even so, should the elected government experience a confidence crisis, the king might step in to stop the situation from spiralling out of control. The fact that the citizens were so upset when the king announced he wished to stand down is a testament of how deep his concern was for them. The people feared that they would no longer be so well-cared for if their beloved king decided to scrap the monarchy and abdicate. For the king, his people’s emotional well-being mattered more than the nation’s GDP. To feel that way, it would take a lot of emotional intelligence. Having such high levels of emotional intelligence also boosted charismatic authority (turning him into an emotional magnet as a result). This in turn pushed the citizens’ happiness index up as they loved the king for the type of person he was, rather than the position he held in the food chain. To take it a step further, the citizens’ high morale could spill over into their day-to-day jobs, meaning they would feel motivated to produce more and increase the country’s GDP. Having more GDP translates into more wealth which opens up the possibility to an enhanced quality of life in the form of better healthcare, sanitation and education for the least privileged group.

In view of this, corporations should draw some lessons and hold back on their greed. Life is not just about making profits alone. It is good to have strong sales, but not at the expense of employee morale. When recruiting managers, headhunters should try and single out those who have shown high levels of emotional intelligence. Such people are most likely to have charismatic authority and carry with them a kind of emotional magnetism. They may not get things done the conventional way (think “cheaper, better and faster”), taking more than expected to achieve stellar results. Even so, what they achieve provides satisfaction to all levels from the chief executive to the pantry maid. This is because they draw the best out of every rank and file employee by creating a fun and happy environment where each person throws himself into his work for the pure enjoyment of it. The pure display of passion by the whole team thus gives productivity a huge boost, increasing company sales and bringing in more revenue and therefore, the much-needed profits to let the corporation run as a going concern. The manager also has the respect from the floor not because of the rank he holds or the results he has produced, but because of the very character he personally is. Anyone who uses ruthless tactics to rise up the food chain should be cut down to size for being dishonourable. Whatever respect he gains is through fear and not love. Hence, his authority only exists as a veneer and is without substance. He is inevitably unpopular with everyone and the target of office politicians. Morale will naturally be rather low and the lowest-ranked staff members will jump ship whenever they get the chance, creating unusually high turnover. This may eat into sales and drag down the company by creating capital losses.

In short, the performance of a company (nation’s economy) depends highly on staff morale (citizens’ happiness index). This is dependent on the charismatic authority of the manager (ruler), which derives from his emotional intelligence level. A leader who is in tune with sentiments on the ground will do whatever it takes to maintain a high level of happiness all round, so as to keep the organisation running in peak performance. In fact, being a likeable person (and I do not mean having the most fans on Facebook) is the most important thing to anyone about to take over the reins of management.
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The final part of the Harry Potter movie franchise was released in midweek, a decade after the first-ever movie about the famous boy wizard opened worldwide.

It has been an amazing journey for the young cast, who were mere children when they were first cast in Harry Potter and the Philospher's Stone. Fans of the series have practically watched Daniel Radcliffe and his co-stars grow up before their eyes on the movie set. The story which was set in motion by Lord Voldemort's (Ralph Fiennes) murder attempt on Harry Potter (Radcliffe) finally arrives at its denouement.

[ Click here to read more ]
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A Perth-based film maker looks to have scored a big hit with her debut film Little Sparrows.

Taiwan-born, US-educated Yu-Hsiu Camille Chen's production company Bolderpictures was behind the production of Sparrows, about a mother's unconditional love for her three daughters. This film commenced filming in late 2009 and had the working title of Facade. It saw its world premiere at the Sydney Film Festival in June 2010. It later aired at the Melbourne International Film Festival a month later and also made it to the finals of the DigiSPAA digital film competition.

[ Click here to read more ]
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A Tale of 2 Telok Blangahs

April 11th 2011 03:53
The outcome of this year's general election in Singapore may result in the fate of Telok Blangah residents going in many possible directions.

Located in the southwest region of Singapore, this suburb is partitioned between the parliamentary constituencies of Telok Blangah (part of West Coast Group Representation Constituency) in the western half, and Radin Mas Single Member Constituency (formerly part of Tanjong Pagar GRC) in the east. The residents of Telok Blangah estate are predominantly from the public housing precincts built by the Housing and Development Board in the 1970s. A significant number of them are elderly and have lived most of their lives in the suburb.

[ Click here to read more ]
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As the Premier League survival race hots up, it's officially squeaky bum time!

With eight games left, the once-magic 40-point survival mark is likely to be blown away in the most exciting relegation scrap for years.

[ Click here to read more ]
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WA nobleman kicks the hornets' nest

March 28th 2011 14:55
Intellectually-disabled prisoner Marlon Noble's plight could not have been any worse.

After all, he has been described by crusading journalist Colleen Egan as a "second-class citizen" in her column in last weekend's edition of the West Australian. Noble may be lucky in a way, though, as other members of his community have suffered a worse fate than dogs after getting arrested.

[ Click here to read more ]
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Australian film-maker Ben C. Lucas explores teenage hedonism in his latest offering, Wasted on the Young.

Wasted follows the lives of a group of teenagers from Perth's most elite school and their wild partying ways that ultimately lead to a double tragedy after an incident at one such parties. It is a fable of what can happen when teens are allowed to get out of control. However, the setting does lack the realism in that adult figures such as parents or teachers are strangely absent throughout. Influences from Untraceable and the Millennium series add a disturbing element to the story.

[ Click here to read more ]
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Zynga, creators of the hit online game Mafia Wars, look to be shutting down their Cuba and Moscow servers.

However, they have promised more mouth-watering excitement with Brazil soon to be launched.

[ Click here to read more ]
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Recent Comments

TJ Hickey, Paul Doomadgee and Mr Ward died needlessly. Sure, they committed crimes, but there was no need to treat them that way. These men were victims of a racist system.

As for "handing Australia back", it is high time to elect our own President who could preferably be of Nyungar descent. It no longer makes any sense to celebrate the Queen's birthday.

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Comment by Andrew Situ
on HORRORPHILE VIOLATES GOOGLE CONTENT POLICY

May 25th 2010 07:38
This is pure madness. Google should look at itself in teh mirror before deciding what is worth endorsing or what isn't. You guys are discussing horror films as a matter of interest and I respect admire your passion for that.

It seems to me that censorship has gone over the top and the reasons behind it may be political.

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What is your stand on fan fiction being posted on Orble? Is that in breach of any laws or regulations?

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