Alternatives

1. Fear - the government uses fear to knock down dissent for five decades through ISA and police intervention. But people are fighting back albeit cautiously. Dissidents are also often painted by the mass media as hooligans and trouble makers though some are beginning to see them as heroes.

I remember defending Singapore when friends studying overseas criticized the country for its many faults such as, the lack of press freedom, the near absence of an opposition party in Parliament, and its high costs of living. I was 19, idealistic, hopeful, and all I saw was a clean, safe, developed country, the country my teachers had shaped in my head over years of National Education. I remember feeling baffled whenever friends told me that they had voted for the opposition. I couldn’t, for the life of me, imagine living anywhere else in the world. But things have certainly changed over the last 15 years. As I grow older, I’ve become less certain whether I can continue living in this country, whether this is a place I will build a family in, and whether this is a place I will die in.

Not too long ago, there were heated debates and discussions regarding the meagre wages that construction workers in Singapore were paid. These debates even found their way to the front pages of our local newspapers. Some construction workers in Singapore earn as little as $1.50 an hour, so for 8 hours of work they earn $12 a day. I think most of us can agree that $12 a day is barely enough.

"Some time back, I had an Advanced Medical Directive (AMD) done which says that if I have to be fed by a tube, and it is unlikely that I would ever be able to recover and walk about, my doctors are to remove the tube and allow me to make a quick exit," he wrote in the book "One Man's View of the World". "There is an end to everything and I want mine to come as quickly and painlessly as possible, not with me incapacitated, half in coma in bed and with a tube going into my nostrils and down to my stomach," he wrote

We were furious. Furious at his family, and furious at ourselves. We were terribly mistaken in our hope that they would care at all for this animal that they had lived with for the last 14 years. We just couldn't fathom that a family could feel no love, no attachment to an animal they themselves had chosen to bring into their home 14 years ago. This animal that depended on them for his survival, that trusted them with his life and loved them unconditionally and faithfully. They didn't care about him at all. They really felt nothing towards Ah Boy. We couldn't believe that people could be this cold. But now we know better. We just wish that we had taken him in sooner. We should really have taken him when V first called.

TTSH is just about the worst hospital in the country, based on first-hand experience as well as family and friends who have been warded there. My father went in for a hand operation a number of years ago, and even after the operation it was still hurting him – so a complete waste of time and money.

A netizen made a police report against Mr Mark Franklin, MD of Piaggio Asia Pacific yesterday (14 May). In his police report, the netizen said that Mr Franklin, riding a red Vespa scooter with license plate number FBE197R, allegedly made an illegal U-turn and caused an obstruction. Mr Tay, driving the car behind Mr Franklin, horned at Mr Franklin. Mr Franklin then allegedly responded by flashing his middle finger and challenged Mr Tay.

“MFA has verified that a Singapore flag was burnt by demonstrators in the Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP) I on 13 May 2014. This is a serious incident. The flag is a sacred national symbol and should be treated with respect. The Singapore Embassy in Hanoi promptly conveyed our strong concerns over the flag burning incident to the Vietnamese government on 14 May 2014 via a diplomatic note, and also made representations to the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Public Security to ensure that such an incident does not happen again.

GIC Pte and Temasek Holdings Pte, Singapore’s state-owned investment firms, are set to lead global sovereign investors in acquisitions for a second year after emerging as the most active in 2013. The $15.7 billion spent by both companies accounted for about a third of direct investments by state investors globally last year, according to data compiled by the London-based Institutional Investor’s Sovereign Wealth Center. Temasek and one of its units announced two purchases in March that amounted to $8.9 billion, or 57 percent what the two companies invested last year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Since 13th May 2014, GATES PCM Construction Ltd has been cited by social media platforms and has had a few allegations of misconduct directed at us. This statement aims to dispel such false allegations laid upon the company. We would also like to take this opportunity to share with our stakeholders and any concerned individuals, the circumstances and truths behind the termination of Mr Muhammed Gani Bin Nazir. Firstly, GATES PCM Construction Ltd would like to express its deepest sympathies for Mr Gani and his daughter. It is unfortunate that during his tenure with us, he did not inform us about his family issues despite being given the avenue to do so through our open door policy that had allowed him to converse with our boss directly on several occasions since the date of his employment commencing 18th June 2012.