2014-06-20

Source: The Real Singapore

10 COURAGEOUS SINGAPOREANS WHO DARED TO CRITICISE PAP (NON-POLITICIANS)
Post date: 20 Jun 2014 - 6:06pm

Yes. We are going into 2015 soon and we have only about 2 years before the crucial 2016 Election Year. Someone said that GE will be Dec 2015 after the SEA Games to capitalise on the SEA Games sentiment.

2016 will be a do-or-die year for Singaporeans like you and me.

If Singaporeans fail to take out PAP by 2016, it is likely that PAP will flood our country with more foreigners to make up 6.9 million and by then, the foreigners will blindly vote PAP for many more years to come and PAP will be invincible.

Ever since the Roy Ngerng incident, Singaporeans have hailed him as a hero for daring to speak out against CPF and PM Lee.

But then again, before Roy Ngerng, there are many courageous Singaporeans who opened the door for more Roy Ngerngs. By doing so, many passive Singaporeans have finally decided to awaken and realised that they have the power to hold the incumbent government accountable for the policies.

Today, we pay tribute to 10 Singaporeans who may have inspired Roy Ngerng to stand out.

10) Leong Sze Hian.

Quoted many times in media, a frequent writer to SPH, Mediacorp and his own blog, Sze Hian is the master of statistics in employment issues, public housing, national reserves, CPF and a frequent speaker in Speakers' Corner with Gilbert Goh on the White Paper 6.9 million.

He gave endorsement to Tan Kin Lian for his Presidential Campaign by speaking out in his rally.

He gave many free talks on retirement, CPF, housing issues and financial literacy through Chiam See Tong's SPP Financial Literacy Programme and not forgetting funding for Anthony Chen's Ilo Ilo movie project and probably taught Roy Ngerng on various govt issues.

9) Catherine Lim

In 1994, Catherine Lim was blasted by Goh Chok Tong for meddling with politics after her article was published in SPH and challenged Catherine to join politics.

Lim, who is a frequent critic of the government, is best known for her social commentary story in 1994, titled The PAP and the People – A Great Affective Divide, which sparked controversy with the ruling party. Since then, she has published numerous novels and political commentaries

Catherine Lim is more famous for her literary works but her involvement with SPP's Chiam See Tong is widely known among Singaporeans as well.

After GE2011, Catherine Lim said that the People’s Action Party (PAP) is incapable of reinventing itself.

Her view was in response to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s speech at a PAP convention last November where he said that the party has to reinvent itself to “build a new PAP for a new era”

Despite her great dissatisfaction with PAP, Catherine refuses to join politics and prefers to be at the sidelines.

8) M.Ravi

Kampong Boy, his autobiography, was a bestseller for a few weeks.

Netizens have said that he is just a human rights advocate and has appeared many times in the press and in the Speakers Corner.

But he may not have a firm understanding of our heartlanders' problems with CPF, HDB and domestic issues to vote for him.

However, I disagree. PAP likes to use their own legal system and policies and Acts to suppress Singaporeans. We need someone with a sound legal knowledge to challenge and amend Bills and Acts in Parliament, just like Sylvia Lim.

Many Singaporean Indians I spoke to see M. Ravi as a hero to the Indian community. If M.Ravi can be an opposition candidate in a Indian neighbourhood such as Yishun, he may have a strong fighting chance.

7) Siew Kum Hong.

Former NMP, many Singaporeans remember him as pro-gay activist who engaged with anti-gay Thio Li Ann in Parliament.

However, Siew has also done a good job in tackling issues on Mas Selamat escape and accountability, Ministerial salaries, Budget Speech and discrimination against males.

For some reason, he refused to be dragged into the politics and denied that he is a mole or a puppet for SDP's Chee Soon Juan in Parliament.

He is still active on his blog at http://siewkumhong.blogspot.sg/

Some netizens say that he is better off at being an NMP and being excellent at Parliament speeches as he lacked the people's touch to win swing voters over.

6) Kumar

The cross dressing comedian is a sure bet with the crowds. He has been criticising PAP's policies on immigration, Temasek Holdings and civil servants ever since he was a stand-up comedian since the 1990s with no apologies.

According to an interview, Kumar was quite scared about criticising the government and had to perform in front of the police during the 1990s to make sure his act can be approved.

Kumar disclosed that even the police laughed at this jokes about government so I guess to be able to push the envelope more with jokes about PM Lee is one courageous bold move from Kumar.

5) Vellama D/O Marie Muthu

Indian cleaner who filed a court case after Yaw Shin Leong was expelled and PM Lee refused to call a by-election.

Vellama challenged PM Lee's decision that he doesn't have the unfettered decision to decide.

According to M Ravi, her rationale is that she needs MP's help for her to get her financial aid and needs an MP urgently. Without an MP and with PM Lee brushing her concerns, she decided to take PM Lee to court and in the process of doing so, inspired other Singaporeans to challenge PAP.

4) Philip Pillai.

In Nov 2012, Former Supreme Court Judge Philip Pillai took a bold move by brushing aside AGC's demands that Vellama should pay for their legal fees.

Most of us know that the Court is always on AGC Office and PAP's side but in a surprise twist of event, Philip Pillai rebuffed AGC's effort to bankrupt Vellama and in doing so, probably ruined his own career.

Next month, Philip Pillai announced his retirement and many Singaporeans speculate it could be due to PAP's role in this.

Click on
http://therealsingapore.com/content/...becomes-vacant

3) Leslie Chew

Author of comic Demon-cratic Singapore.

The recurring theme of the comic strip is one of disapproval towards the policies of the Singapore Government, especially the Central Provident Fund, People's Action Party, and the Singapore Police Force.

In April 2013, the cartoonist behind the comic strip, Leslie Chew, was arrested and charged for sedition and contempt of court by police in Singapore, in the premise that four of the comics he drew and published on the Facebook page were seditious. He was released on a S$10000 bail after being questioned over a weekend.

2) Alex Au.

Author of Yawning Bread.

In the run-up to the 2006 Singapore general election, Au provided extensive coverage of the opposition parties' rallies which was attended by overwhelming crowds (see photo and whole report) photographed by Au.

Au used his connections with People Like Us and with leading practitioners in the local gay arts scene to organize IndigNation, Singapore's first gay pride month in 2005[8] and Short Circuit, Singapore's first gay film festival in 2006.

In July 2012, the attorney general's chambers wrote to Alex Au, a prominent blogger and gay rights activist, demanding that he take down and apologize for a June post in his Yawning Bread blog that criticized the judiciary for showing deference to the executive. Au removed the post.

1) Vandals of "Wake Up SG. Fuck the PAP"

The five teenagers climbed up to Toa Payoh and without any safety harness or safety nets, vandalised on the board on the top of a 20 storey HDB flat.

The symbolic act was in the heart of Hri Kumar's constituency who has recently been taking cheap shots at WP and incurring the wrath of many Singaporeans and facing HDB Hub which is the most hated organisation in Singapore.

Reagan Tan Chang Zhi and Chay Nam Shen both face 9 charges, Boaz Koh Wen Jie is facing 10 charges while Goh Rong Liang faces 5 and David William Graaskov faces 6 charges.

While we don't condone vandalism, this act shocks people beyond comprehension as they can throw everything away to endanger their lives to climb on to the roof.

CJ
TRS writer

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