Can we afford to do away with GRCs?

The relevance of GRC has been a perennial issue in all elections. We have been told of how important it is to ensure minority representation in the govt. Lately we have seen how useful it is for a constituency to continue to be served by other MPs in the same GRC when one has passed away. There is no need to run another costly election and wasting money and time of the people. And no lost of the quality of services to the residence. GRC has many other advantages. It allows a bunch of MPs to enter the Parliament in the same bandwagon, anchored by a strong candidate. Weak candidates need only to hang on tight to the tail coat and he is in. But of course, the sword can cut both ways. GRC can also relieve the hardworking ministers from the Meet the People Sessions if their schedules are too demanding. They can rely on the not so busy MPs to do the mundane tasks of solving residents' problems. I do not live in the GRCs of the ministers and do not know if they spend the same number of hours meeting the people as the MPs. Meeting the People is a very tedious and time consuming job and sometimes may not be too pleasant as well. Today such jobs may even carry the risk of personal injury. I think GRC will grow increasingly important as the ministers and MPs get older and less mobile or have less energy to walk the ground. Leave it to the young beavers.

Celebrating Singaporean - Professor Donald Tan Tiang Hwee

Professor Donald Tan Tiang Hwee In the company of Singapore's finest eye surgeons. That was the privilege I had yesterday when I attended a public awareness talk on cornea donation organised by the Lion's Club of Singapore. And the luminaries that graced the occasion, other than the senior Lions, were Professor Arthur Lim himself and Professor Donald Tan. A/Professor Heng Yim Jin and Dr Lim Li also made their presentation in the public seminar. Professor Arthur Lim has been an authority in eye surgery for many years and is probably the father of this field of medical science, and a mentor to the many fine eye surgeons we have here. It is heartening to know that he has a worthy successor to continue his great works and to make more progress and discoveries in this field. Together, they have made the Singapore National Eye Centre a top class eye clinic and famous around the world. They not only have a superb track record to their credits, including the highest success rate in cornea transplant, lowest tissue rejection rate, lowest cell loss rate, they are also constantly doing R and D to develop new methods and technology in cornea transplant. They improved on the technology and techniques being used, they also developed new techniques that are new frontier science and technology. Such achievements and track records need to be made known to all, especially Singaporeans that we are truly among the best. I have attached a press release by SNEC below to give more details of their achievements, including the technical jargons of cornea transplant and other surgical treatments by other equally great eye surgeons in the Centre. This press release is dated Sep 04 which is not too current, but good enough to so how much they had done since then. SNEC 15TH ANNIVERSARY INTERNATIONAL MEETING The Singapore National Eye Centre will mark another milestone as we celebrate our 15th Anniversary since inception in 1990 with a year-long programme beginning with the SNEC 15th Anniversary International Meeting which will be held from 3 to 6 September 2004. The Theme of the Meeting: Clear Vision for All Ages, represents the mission of every ophthalmologist. There will be a high quality scientific programme featuring symposia, updates, masterclasses, skill transfer courses and live surgery demonstration presented largely by our local ophthalmologists. Renowned ophthalmologists from all over the world are also invited to speak in this Meeting. SNEC will be uncovering some of our new and significant advances from our major subspecialties that will impact the practice of ophthalmology. New Advances in Lamellar Keratoplasty Assoc Prof Donald Tan Associate Professor Donald Tan is the Deputy Director of the SNEC and Senior Consultant and Head of Cornea and External Eye Disease Service. He is also Director of the Singapore Eye Research Institute and holds dual appointment as associate professor at the Department of Ophthalmology, National University of Singapore. A/Prof Donald Tan spearheaded the cornea development with the introduction of new techniques of ocular surface transplantation and amniotic membrane transplantation in Singapore since 1997. The SNEC is now the leading Centre in these techniques in Asia besides Japan. In collaboration with dental surgeons from the National Denetal Centre, A/Prof Donald Tan led eye surgeons in SNEC to successfully complete the revolutionary two-stage Osteo-Odonto Keratoprosthesis Surgery to enable a blind boy from Thailand to see. This is the first operations of its kind in South-East Asia. Lamellar Keratoplasty (LK) refers to a surgical procedure in which the anterior corneal layers, to a variable stromal layer depth are replaced with donor tissue. The lamellar keratoplasty is used for the management of various corneal disorders and it is fast re-emerging as a viable option for corneal replacement surgery. SNEC has achieved new and significant advances in the area of LK and recent innovative surgical techniques and tolls are now emerging which allow corneal surgeons to perform LK with excellent visual results. LK has distinctive advantages over penetrating keratoplasty: sutures can be removed earlier, risks for wound dehiscence and graft failure due to allograft rejection are reduced. The need for therapeutic lamellar surgery has become more pressing in Asia, where tectonic and therapeutic indications for keratoplasty remain major indications, and the ability of corneal surgeons to perform “match and patch” grafts of various sizes and shapes allows for treatment of complex disorders such as tectonic lamellar surgery in Mooren’s ulceration and scleral melting after adjunctive pterygium surgery. At the SNEC, a review of indications for lamellar surgery show that 40% of LKs are performed for tectonic indications, while a third are performed for optical reasons, and a quarter for therapeutic indications. Clinical Applications of Optical Coherent Tomography Dr Doric Wong Dr Doric Wong is a senior consultant ophthalmologist with the Vitreo-Retina Department and the Cataract and Comprehensive Department of the Singapore National Eye Centre. He also practises in the Department of Ophthalmology of the Changi General Hospital. Dr Doric Wong spent a year at the Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital, New York, where his focus was on medical retina. His practice encompasses most aspects of surgical retina, specifically retinal detachments, and PVR, diabetic retinopathy, macular surgery and trauma. In medical retina, his interest is on choroidal neovascular disease and polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy. Dr Doric Wong has been invited to lecture and to teach extensively in the region. A high-powered resolution imaging for retina, the Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), is now available at the Singapore National Eye Centre. OCT has matured as an investigative tool in ophthalmology over the last few years. It now provides a new and reliable and reproducible way of visualisng diseases of the retina, providing information otherwise not visible through other means. A highly detailed cross-section view of the retina can be recorded using infra-red light and special acquisition techniques. An image akin to one using a microscope to examine a slice of the retina is obtained from a patient’s eye without being invasive. Subtle changes of the retina, and its relationships with structures above and below it can be visualized and documented, helping doctors to understand disease processes which affect the retina and monitor changes with treatment. Femtosecond Laser Technology: Current Status and Future Perspectives The Femtosecond Laser Technology is fundamentally a new technology utilizing the fine precision of a femtosecond laser as a surgical tool and has applications in a host of eye surgeries including its ability to laser as a corneal flap for LASIK surgery to correct myopia, perform corneal transplantation with precise accuracy and also perform glaucoma surgery. The femtosecond laser system has the ability to perform accurate but gentle surgery on the cornea without fist having to apply heavy suction forces and deforming the natural shape of the cornea. The potential of this technology lies in the co-development of new corneal transplantation procedures which may result in improved safety and visual outcomes in patients blind from corneal diseases. For further information, please contact: Ravi Chandran Corporate Communications Executive Singapore National Eye Centre

The widening racial divide

The pain is hurting more with each day passing in Malaysia. The discrimination against the non Malays continues and will continue as a govt policy with BN in charge. Malaysia under the BN is determined to rule the country on the basis of Malay and non Malay. And the ethnic minorities suffer in silence, for too long. But the silence has been broken and they are standing up to say no to such discrimination. Hindraf is playing an increasingly important role in this fight against racial discrimination and suppression, against economic freedom and freedom to choose a way of life.And they are going to sacrifice for the cause with more martyrs to be imprisoned or to be harmed in the process. As the BN continues to build up its Malayness in a country when the Malays is not really an absolute majority, the ridiculous nature of this Malayness is now being exposed. Most of the champions of Malayness are not Malays themselves. Many are Arabs, Indians and Indonesians in orgins. And many have mixed ancestries. The point is more sore when many are new immigrants in the country compare to the ethnic minorities who have set roots here a few centuries back. The people are questioning this Malay formula. What is so Malay about being Malay? As long as the ruling BN continues with this half past six formula to cling on to power, Malaysia will continue to be divided as a country for years to come. Instead of becoming more Malaysian, it is becoming more Malay. Actually this is also a fallacy, it is not becoming more Malay but more rojak Malay. For the new Malays are not Malay in the strict sense but descendants of mixed ancestries. Who is a Malay? And the real bumiputras, the original natives of the land, were also beside sidelined. The Orang Aslis, the Dayaks, the Dusuns, the Ibans and the many tribes in East Malaysia, they do not enjoy the kind of privileges and attention the so called 'Malays' are enjoying. Would the real bumiputras stand up for their rights and rightful place in the country and chase away the pretenders?

HDB is a private commercial organisation, is a....

HDB is private, HDB is public, HDB is a commercial organisation, HDB is a govt organisation, HDB is to build flats for the people, HDB is to make as much profit for its shareholders.... What is HDB? What is the role of HDB? Oh it has been privatised, no longer a govt organisation or stats board. The govt has nothing to do with its policies. 'The Senior Minister of State for National Development, Ms Grace Fu, said yesterday that the HDB is "going to hasten the pace of the Lift Upgrading Programme (LUP) because we think this is a very good time....Ms Fu assured home buyers yesterday that HDB will "always price (the new flats) with the market price in mind.' This is quoted from the ST today. So is HDB govt or private? Also, this new pricing to the market must be a policy that every MP in Parliament also approved of. Was there any objection to such a policy or were there any question ask in Parliament? Objecting is a non existence word. Asking is the best that the people can expect from their representatives in Parliament.

Don't be stupid

'We have achieved progress with our bilingual education. It would be stupid for any Singapore agency or NTU to advocate the learning of dialects, which must be at the expense of English and Mandarin.' Chee Hong Tat, Principal Private Secretary to the MM. I cannot agree more with this statement. The romancing of ethnic, parochial and sectoral emotions and sentiments must not become a national preoccupation. Go on and cultivate, preserve and enjoy your personal romance with whatever holds dear to one's heart. But pushing such agenda is, yes, STUPID. It is stupid, it is stupid. Primordial instinct cannot be given too much of a free play and become a national agenda. The above quote is in the forum page of ST today. I am not sure if the stupid comment was Chee Hong Tat's comment or MM's comment. It is his letter, so it must be his. But the nuances and the familiarity of the stupid comment and its origin is well known. I thought only in cyberspace that such liberal use of the word stupid and expletives are common. I am glad that the main media is also feeling more free to express stronger feelings on issues. I am also glad that a PPS is also comfortable to use such terms in public statements.