CONDOLENCE LETTER FROM PRIME MINISTER LEE HSIEN LOONG ON DEMISE OF JB JEYARETNAM
30 September 2008
Mr Kenneth Jeyaretnam Mr Philip Jeyaretnam
Dear Kenneth and Philip Jeyaretnam
I was sad to learn that your father, Mr Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam, has passed away.
Mr JB Jeyaretnam was a Member of Parliament for Anson constituency from 1981 till 1986, and a Non-Constituency Member of Parliament from 1997 till 2001. He used to engage in heated debates in the House. Perhaps it was because he and the PAP never saw eye to eye on any major political issue and he sought by all means to demolish the PAP and our system of government. Unfortunately, this helped neither to build up a constructive opposition nor our Parliamentary tradition. Nevertheless, one had to respect Mr JB Jeyaretnam’s dogged tenacity to be active in politics at his age.
However, our differences were not personal. In 1993, one of you (Kenneth) wrote to Mr Goh Chok Tong, who was then Prime Minister, to say that you found employers in Singapore reluctant to offer you a job, and your only explanation was that the employers felt the authorities would not welcome your employment because of your name. Mr Goh replied with a letter which could be shown to prospective employers, to say that the government did not hold anything against you, and that employers should evaluate you fairly on your own merits, like any other candidate, because Singapore needed every talented person that it could find. Mr Goh had previously made the same point to your brother Philip, whom he had invited to lunch. I am therefore happy that both of you have established yourselves in Singapore.
Please accept my deepest condolences.
Yours sincerely
Lee Hsien Loong
could pm lee at least spare some decency to write jbj a proper letter? it is an insult to any person, a opposition mp regardless, to kick a person while he is dead, then glorify your own exploits. it is not like pm lee cannot write a proper letter. compare this to the letter he wrote for jurong mp, ong chit chung.
i am appalled really at the way pm lee (or his script writer) has crafted this letter. it is downright disappointing for a person in his position and stature to do such a thing. absolutely disgraceful.
Dear Mrs Ong,
1. I was shocked and deeply saddened when I received news this morning that Dr Ong Chit Chung had passed away suddenly. I had just had lunch with him a fortnight ago, to bounce off some ideas for my National Day Rally speech, and found him as committed and engaged in his work as a Member of Parliament as ever. My fellow Ministers and MPs are equally stunned and dismayed by the news. Some had played golf with him just on Sunday, and recall how Chit Chung was his usual jovial self, bringing cheer to those around him. We all find it hard to accept this loss.
2. We grieve over the passing of a valuable son of Singapore who made many contributions in his 20 years as an MP. Chit Chung was first elected in 1988 as MP for Bukit Batok, and remained in this ward when Bukit Batok became part of first Bukit Timah GRC, and then Jurong GRC. He worked hard to improve the lives of the residents under his care. He was an effective organiser and brought in many professionals and businessmen to contribute and help run the town council.
3. One important project was the Bukit Batok Community Club. Chit Chung helped raised funds to build it in 1992 and again in 1995 for its upgrading. Another yearly project was the fund raising for the Citizens' Consultative Committee (CCC) Community Development and Welfare Fund which provided financial assistance and free meals to needy students and residents in Bukit Batok.
4. Chit Chung was a strong believer in efforts to promote inter-racial harmony in Singapore. He was close to the Malay ground in his constituency and set up a Malay Family Service Centre to provide counselling, tuition and other programmes to help Malay residents. He even appointed "penghulus" from among the Malay residents, in an effort to revive the kampong spirit.
5. Chit Chung's diligence and sincerity drew him close to the voters of Bukit Batok. He remained their MP through five terms - three of them contested, which he won. In the last contested election in 2001, his Jurong GRC polled nearly 80% of votes cast. Chit Chung was a strong member of a strong PAP team, which scored a decisive and important victory which had national significance.
6. Chit Chung held deep convictions as a PAP stalwart and fought hard for what he believed in. During elections, he was an indispensable member of the PAP team. Not only did he campaign hard in his own constituency, but he mobilised his branch to help other candidates print and distribute materials, often working round the clock. He was totally dependable. After elections, Chit Chung would mentor the new MPs, showing them the ropes and helping them to settle in.
7. Chit Chung has served the country well in Government and Parliament. He was appointed Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs and Labour from 1991 to 1993. He was the Deputy Government Whip from 1994 to 2002. He was appointed the Chairman of two Government Parliamentary Committees (GPCs): for Education, and for Defence and Foreign Affairs. As a back-bencher, he spoke often and passionately on a wide range of issues, especially those close to his heart - education, or help for the socially disadvantaged. He empathised with the poor and had a strong desire to uplift them.
8. Chit Chung also had clear views on defence. He staunchly advocated a strong defence force and whole-heartedly supported National Service. This is perhaps not surprising: he had done his PhD on Operation Matador, the failed British plan to defend Malaya against a Japanese invasion in World War II, and published a book on this, to his great satisfaction. I remember the pride with which he showed me around the Battlebox at Fort Canning, which he had played a leading role in restoring. But he was not a hardline hawk; he was also active in efforts to help improve Singapore's relations with our neighbours, using his position as GPC Chairman to good effect.
9. I will remember Chit Chung as a steadfast comrade who held true to his values and beliefs and spoke frankly because he cared. I also remember him as a family man with a loving wife constantly at his side and children they were obviously proud of. Chit Chung leaves behind many friends who will mourn his sudden loss. But he lived a full life, made significant contributions to the party and to Singapore, and had ample reason to be satisfied in what he had accomplished. My wife and I sincerely hope that these fond memories of Chit Chung will bring you strength and solace in your bereavement.
i read in the papers over the last weekend about an advertisement by dunkin donuts that raised controversy. interested in what might have cursed such a furore, i did a bit of research into the issue at hand. for the low down, here is a quick summary by new york times.
New York Times - 30/5/08- On May 7, Dunkin’ Donuts began running an ad on its Web site and others, featuring the celebrity chef Rachael Ray holding a cup of the company’s iced coffee while wearing a black-and-white fringed scarf. In the ad, which was shot in a studio, she is shown standing in front of trees with pink blossoms and a building with a distinctive spire.
On May 23, the conservative blog Little Green Footballs posted an item that likened Ms. Ray’s scarf to the type typically worn by Muslim extremists. The blog said that the ads “casually promote the symbol of Palestinian terrorism and the intifada, the keffiyeh, via Rachael Ray.”
Later that day, the conservative blogger Michelle Malkin chimed in, likening the scarf to a keffiyeh and calling it “jihadi chic.” Then the story, as they say on the Internet, went totally viral.
in short, conservatives in america are upset over the keffiyeh (its has not been conclusively proven it is a keffiyeh, but thats beside the point) and they say that dunkin donuts (which is an american donut brand for crying out loud!) is promoting muslim extremists. that is like saying al qaeda endorses living in caves, since their videos seem exclusively shot in them.
in a move i feel was unnecessary, dunkin donuts pulled the ad due to the criticism that was raised. after that, malkin 'praised' dunkin donuts for removing the ad. she further added:
“The keffiyeh, for the clueless, is the traditional scarf of Arab men that has come to symbolize murderous Palestinian jihad.”
might as well write "the us army uniform, for the clueless, is the traditional symbol of america that has to come to symbolize the senseless war in Iraq"
it is not fair to equate clothing to ideology. and it is worse to think that a scarf looks anything more than a scarf. its clutching at straws, trying to find fault in everything around you. while yes the palestine people may say that that piece of cloth represents their solidarity, its just a piece of cloth! i can respect your views as a conservative, but the moment you see flaws and condemn every other world view but your own, you basically lend no credence to your train of thought.
its almost scary for one how a simple fashion choice in an advertisement for one of america's favourite foods can turn into a pr disaster for dunkin donuts. but i am quite amused at the things people can nitpick on. likewise for another coffee chain.
starbucks also has made news. for the clueless, starbucks have changed their logo (not sure permanent or temporarily) in favour of a more retro looking sign. so whats the issue now?
now the issue is that the new logo is a 2 tailed siren which harks back to their original logo, without the bare chest this time. its supposed to represent how good their coffee taste: like a siren's song.
ok despite the ugliness of the logo (i hate it, prefer the old green one: charms the youth better then the new one), someone called mark dice (who after reading his website, i have decided is too full of himself) who leads a 'christian group' (no i don't think it is one.) based in san diego has found fault with this logo, claiming it "has a naked woman on it with her legs spread like a prostitute". please note that this 'christian group's' founder is an avid youtuber and sells his products on his group's website. (the media have been quoting the group as a christian group, but i beg to differ; its more conspiracy theory then anything else)
i agree that it looks really weird but its a mermaid with 2 tails - its pretty obvious right? its the same issue of trying to look too deep into things. and leave starbucks alone; i bet they will get enough stick from the world's youth to tell them the new (or is it old?) logo is ugly as hell.
but its funny people can cook up a storm in a coffee cup. --
a friend and i just had a crazy meal at botak jones. we ordered the most expensive fries item on the menu, costing 10.50 cents.
unless you are really hungry or you came with a party of 4, i do not recommend ordering this. unless you have sadomasochistic tendencies. it is as huge as a normal fish and chips order at botak jones. it may not seem like much, but consider the facts.
1. fries - thick crinkle cut - fill the entire plate. 2. this is then topped off with a huge goop of cheese - not cheese sauce in kfc- melted cheese, real mozzarella. 3. this is then further topped off with chili con carne - which has jalapeno peppers and beef 4. it came later then the fish and chips - meaning, we take longer to prepare. think about it.
it was good. but the more we ate, the fries slowly became more and more like a pie, due to the cheese and chili making the fries into a mashed like substance.
watching manchester united win the champions league trophy last thursday morning brought back some memories for me. it had been 50 years since the munich air distance and 9 years since the last european cup triumph. for one i remember vividly watching them beat bayern munich in 1999 at home.while not as dramatic as the final of 1999, this final was just as exciting.
when a football match has goals, yellow cards, balls hitting the woodwork, fantastic saves, clearances off the line and yellow and red cards, you know you have a gem. add penalty kicks into the mix, 1 missed kick and 2 saves and you have a classic. while liverpool fans may argue that the final of 2005 against ac milan is THE true champions league final classic, 1999 and 2008 will also be special in our hearts.
i mean seriously, when ronaldo missed, how many people thought john terry would miss too? my friends and i were watching the match at our old haunt of simpang and when we saw mr chelsea step up to take the kick, we were fearing the worst. of course, the fear gave way to jubilation when he missed the kick and the jubilation gave way to chair-waving jubilation when van dar sar saved anelka's penalty. the random chelsea fans seated among the mostly red supporting crowd at simpang bedok left silently, as the rest of the fans sang glory glory man united into the morning light. - indiana jones and the kingdom of the crystal skull was released on the 22 of may 2008 amidst high expectations. after all, it had been 19 years since the last indy movie. i myself am a huge indy fan. i always remember as a young boy having the classic scene from the lost ark etched into my memory; the giant boulder chasing after indy. with a bullwhip and fedora hat, you can't say no to indy.
for one i was slightly disappointed with the crystal skull. sure, ford is back. as well as karen allen who portrayed marion ravenwood in the lost ark. i was a bit let down when i heard that john rhys-davis who plays sallah, indy's digger friend in lost ark and last crusade would not be returning; i always loved his character.
ok enough digressing. what i loved about crystal skull? well, some of the old jokes. indy's fear of snakes, his ability to get out of ANY situation and his deadpan attitude to life threatening situations. what i didn't like about it? there seems to have been a certain amount of magic lost. cate blanchett, an australian playing a russian villian, doesn't seem a strong enough adversary for indy. indy also seems to have lost the knack to solve puzzles himself, unlike the 1st and 3rd film.
well, it is indiana jones. so if you are a fan of the series, i would recommend watching it just for indy. it does not fully capture the magic from 19 years ago, but you will appreciate it nonetheless.
sorry for infrequent posts. really tired these days cause of work...
the 48 hr film festival came and went. we made a hitman buddy film and guess what, we got selected for best of screening! maybe it isn't such a big deal here in singapore, with 14 teams competing and 7 shown in the best of, but i guess winning an award is better. went for the screening to find out that we won use if best prop. kind of a let down but i guess winning something is better then nothing right. haha
i think it is under the most ironic circumstances that i will go back to church soon again. no this time i am serious. and it is not just for my own good.
this will be hard but i have to and i can't just sit by and do nothing...
but i will just pray everyday....
john 1:6-9 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. --
full movies watched in the last 3 months (cinema, dvd, computer, tv)
shoot 'em up 3/5 - an action film no holds barred stardust 4/5 - a beautiful fairy tale told in a very modern way lust caution 3.5/5 - story ok, too much sex the holiday 3.5/5 - heart warming fare back to the future 1 4/5 - classic movie i am legend 3/5 - ending was a letdown 881 2.5/5 - could have been much much better, idea was there hairspray 3/5 - musicals not my thing, nice to see travolta in a fat suit back to the future 3 3/5 - wraps up trilogy nicely indiana jones and the lost ark 4/5 - classic movie indiana jones and the last crusade 4.5/5 - best of the three indys the nightmare before christmas 3/5 - tim burton fare dreamgirls 3/5 - possibly because watched it on crap quality dvd love actually 3.5/5 - sweet. stranger than fiction 3.5/5 - nice idea, feel sorry for the dude brokeback mountain 3.5/5 - cinematography excellent, story and acting good too schindler's list 5/5 - one of the best shows i have watched in a long while psycho (hitchcock) 3.5/5 - classic horror back to the future 2 3/5 - worse of the trilogy the last kiss 3/5 - not my thing i guess city of god 4.5/5 - dazzling insight into slum gangs in brazil. national treasure 2: the book of secrets 2.5/5 - the first was better blueberry nights 3/5 - norah jones first foray into acting lit by nice colours the number 23 3/5 - jin carrey can be psychotic yes hard candy 3/5 - i will never drink a screwdriver again adaptation 3.5/5 - who says a movie screenplay has to be great babel 4/5 - one of the best interconnected films i have watched michael clayton 4/5 - first true legal drama film i watched that highlights the seedy nature of it teen titans: trouble in tokyo 2.5/5 - who can't love beast boy, predictable though 27 dresses 3/5 - standard chick flick sweeney todd: the demon barber of fleet street 3.5/5 - tim burton strikes again sin city 4/5 - film noir violence i like kung fu 3.5/5 - comedy with hard kicks, can't ask for more shaolin soccer 3.5/5 - comedy with harder kicks. meet the spartans 1/5 - crap crap crap the leap years 3/5 - nice story, cinematography could be better cj7 2.5/5 - what happened to the real stephen chow
36 movies in the last 3 months. --
"high fives for the women, and open tongue mouth kisses for the men" - meet the spartans
a multi colour array of sparks that masks the night sky signals that yet another year, another 365 days have passed.
the fire hides the night sky, which we rarely gaze upon. their eternal residents, the stars, look down upon us year after year as the earth spins without fail on its axis. they see everything but people rarely look for them. and sometimes they hide from us, hoping that their absence will cause us to miss them. but we don't. because in the end they are of no importance to us. just pretty lights in the sky.
we are like the stars sometimes. we just want to be seen. but the world does not want to see us. we try to disappear, hoping that they will miss us.
maybe its time to stop disappearing, stop being so high and lofty. we should be like a falling star, coming down to earth. although we can see everything from up above, you will never know anything observing all the time. you have to be one with the people to know and to feel.
a falling star that will illuminate the night sky for a brilliant moment before being one with the earth. to announce that you are indeed here and that you have come to stake your place on this world too.
and perhaps i have observed too long. i have become lazy and jealous and cruel and cold. its time for change and resolution in my life.
-- up above the world so high. like a diamond in the sky.
page 41: 19-21/21: in the last days we tread | we prowl the night
Sunday, December 23, 2007
mused @ 3:46 AM
i am back in singapore after spending 3 weeks in taipei. ok i been back 3 days already to be exact.
the last 3 days there i spent rather meaninglessly. just wondering around taipei myself. visited a few shopping locations like taipei underground station and xinmenting again. had a nice dinner organised by my dad's office here, to send him and the colleagues who were going home back.
on the 19th, i was priviledged enough to see my dad recieve a medal awarded by the taiwanese military to him for his efforts to bridge taiwanese and singaporean military forces. it was really a very special moment for him and for us. not everyone can receive such an award and it really made me quite proud.
at night, for the last time together with junming who happened to be in taiwan, went to miramar and shilin night market. for me, shilin is the heartbeat of taiwan. its something you really cannot get at home: rows and rows of stalls selling random items and the atmosphere is just buzzing. and for possibly the last time, ate the chicken and drank bubble tea. and then i looked back and said my goodbyes.
and so the 20th, i bid farewell to chengde road section 4 for the last time. i don't know when i will ever come back to taiwan again, if ever, but it was fun, at least on hindsight.
once i returned to singapore, it has been event after event. on 21st i went back to school to help hall one take pictures for the publicity sub comm, but sadly the softball team that was supposed to appear decided not too.... which made me rather upset for the wasted trip.
met pamy and her friends are passed her the stuff i got from taiwan for them after leaving school. after which, we went off for the blood donation at dhoby ghaut. it was my first blood donation ever actually. pamy couldn't donate (again) because of her low iron levels (again).
had to fill out a mandatory form to check if i was carrying any stds. after which a friendly doctor tests your blood pressure (mine is slightly low) and pricks your finger to test your blood iron levels. after that you are clear to donate blood.
they invite you to a nice chair to lean back and relax. when they bring the apparatus, i got a bit nervous. you know, i don't like pokey things enter my skin. things got pretty freaky when they inject the local anaesthesia, cause your skin balloons with white stuff when they inject it. of course, after it is injected, you feel nothing there... when they brought out the really really huge needle, i was like wtf, because it was really really huge (for a needle) but thankfully when they push it into your vein. it is completely painless. which thankfully made me less worried about my blood spraying into my own face.
according to the posters, 450ml of blood saves 3 lives. well, i guess i saved 3 lives this christmas. probably i don't mind doing it again... in the near future i guess. you never really know when something might happen to you and you blood you know.
22nd i went to meet the foc people to help them wash cars. some chap donated $200 to us for helping to wash his dog and his friends 2 cars. pretty loaded fella... hoho. must be the dog. and now, i just got back from the blue obsession party which was at mohammed sultan road area. it wasn't too fantastic..but the night rider trip back was.
as the bus passed through geylang, you could see the denizens of the night walking the streets. aside from the delicious food that geylang serves, it is of course a red light district. you see those women prowling the streets looking for potential customers. opportunists, probably the best in the world, the people in the world's oldest profession.
maybe i am not making sense anymore cause its 430 and i am blogging. but the underbelly of singapore is a side you don't see too often, in the squeaky clean state promoted image. gotta really open our eyes to see things we will never see. --
the last time i will ever set my eyes on you again.
been shopping and moving around taipei the last few days.
taipei 101 is currently the world's tallest building. went up to the 91st story outdoor gallery of taipei 101, 386m above sea level via the world's fastest elevator moving at 1,010m per second. it moved so fast, my ears 'popped'. first impressions in the open? the city line: absolutely stunning. its like a glimmering array of technicolour structures dotting the landscape, seemingly so tiny and insignificant. cityscapes are always fascinating to me. osaka, kyoto, sapporo... and now taipei. its how the buildings man have built viewed from an elevated position that one can actually fully appreciate how much work had to be done to build so much.
moved about the streets of taipei today again. went to the underground mall in taipei main station and ximenting again. got 'conned' into buying face care products and got a few shirts. the retail therapy helped to mask a bit of 'the void'.
'the void': been have having this feeling of emptiness lately. this overwhelming crushing emptiness, vacuuming away at my insides. its a horrible horrible feeling. and this feeling is not new. i first felt it after i flunked my promos in the worst year of my life thus far (2003). probably was too distracted during my first year of national service trying to cope, world of warcraft distracted me in 2006. in 2007 till now, my internship kept me busy as well as school. but now... with nothing to occupy me.. its gripping.
its feeling of non achievement. its like i have not spent my time properly and thus i have no skills, no posts, no accomplishments to show for. its like everyone but me is doing something meaningful, something special, something earthshaking.... and i am not a part of it. and i would have probably felt worse.
but of all days, today strangely, i read the daily bread. and it made me feel better.
i guess even if i don't come to You, You still find ways eh.
thanks by the way.
but i still need to work things out a bit.
= 17/12/07 Daily Bread
Wall Street Journal columnist Jonathan Clements offered his readers “Nine Tips for Investing in Happiness.” Interestingly, one of his suggestions was precisely the same as that given in the favorite old hymn by Johnson C. Oatman, “Count Your Many Blessings.” Clements urges us not to brood over the riches of our neighbors but to focus on the many blessings we actually do possess. That’s wise counsel, provided that we realize our spiritual wealth in Jesus is immeasurably more valuable than any material possessions.
God didn’t give us the Bible as a guidebook for happiness. Yet it tells us how we can be eternally joyful and how we can experience joy on our way to that eternal happiness. So it’s enlightening to compare biblical truth with common-sense advice.
“Godliness with contentment is great gain,” Paul wrote to Timothy (1 Tim. 6:6). The apostle wanted his protégé to understand that being grateful for the basics of life would help keep him from the trap of covetousness.
So let’s focus on the wonders of God’s grace, training ourselves to make a spirit of gratitude pervade our lives. That’s the way to experience joy today and to be forever joyful. = --
he cut out his heart, put it in a chest, and hid it away from the world. and everything was a consequence of that fateful day.
i am legend opened in taiwan today, 11 days ahead of the christmas day opening in singapore. seeing the great hype and excellent trailer, i headed to the cinema with high expectations. we went to tianmu, the local expat area, where the cinemas have soundproof walls, unlike the usual taiwanese ones.
i am legend lives up to its billing, at least for half the movie, after which its collapses spectacularly into a heap of cliches. will smith plays the last surviving man on earth. what really comes through is his performance, it is hard to act when you are the only character on screen. but he brings out the solitude of robert neville, putting in a brilliant performance for the duration of the movie that is not crap. how he copes with his solitude and maintains his sanity is quite artfully portrayed acutally. the mental dams holding in his sanity are also underlined in the movie.
the movie's most thrilling parts consist of absolutely no visuals, just the effect of sound. and it is used to chilling effect. its amazing what the sense of hearing can do that the sense of sight can't.
however, sadly, the screenwriters for some unexplicable reason turned this great potential of a story into crap in the last half of the movie. i left the cinema will a bad taste in my mouth actually, which is a pity, because i thought will smith had put in a another stellar performance.
what if you were the last man on earth. what would you do? me? i would probably go to hugo boss and get myself a suit that i couldn't have done in my lifetime.
was it 8 years ago i watched a football match then slipped on a carpet and fractured my toe.
that seemed like ages ago.
it seemed ages ago too that i ran and ran and ran. but i don't know why.
in humankind, a war is fought with an ideology in mind. but eventually, that ideology is lost to the over riding greed of man.
similiarly, in our own personal struggles, we start with a sense of purpose. but as we fight on and on, we lose sight of what we intially fought for. and then we become lost.
i have lost myself a long time ago. --
to be or not to be: not a question, but an open ended riddle.
