Hong Lim Affair – What do you think, how do you feel?

So many things have happened since the last Hong Lim Protest Rally on 27 Sep. So many things have also been said and done, from the moment the NPark Director and Police officer approached Han Hui Hui to the protest march around the YMCA tents, the jeering at Teo Ser Luck, the heckling accusations, the midnight calls and the investigations at the police station of protesters, including Hui Hui for illegal assembly. And then the confistication of Hui Hui’s note book, the legal letter by her lawyer Ravi and the return of the note book, what do you think?

How many of you think that the police and NPark Director were doing the right thing? How many don’t think so? How many are feeling very comfortable, joyous and confident that our country is in good hands? How many are shaking their heads in disbelief and bewilderment? How many are proud of what had happened, how many would like to hide their heads in the sand in shame?

How many feel that it is all about rule of law and justice? How many feel that it is all about the abuse of rule of law and injustice?

I am very sure many people are upset, disappointed or elated and encouraged by what had happened over the Hong Lim Affair. Is it a good thing to have happened like it happened that way? Do you have confidence in the govt or otherwise?

Is the hierarchy of the govt in jeopardy as a result, caused by the social media, protesters or civil servants/police?

Kopi Level - Yellow

The Desired Outcomes of Singapore Universities.

Ignored and Sacrificed by Global Universities Ranking Standards

By MIKOspace

Singapore Universities are acknowledged as among the very best in Asia and the world institutions of higher learning and research.

A great University is committed to organizational excellence at all levels and in all the Departments providing professional support to sustaining excellence in teaching, research and professional service to the Community and Society at large. Through its research and educational programs, as well as various campus activities, a great University must also develop leaders for all sectors of the society and prepare them to address the challenges facing the community and nation.

The Ministry of Education unveiled in 1997 and defined the specific outcome of Singapore Education System for Universities. According to our Ministry of Education, the Desired Outcomes establish a common purpose for educators, drive our policies and programmes, and allow us to determine how well our education system is doing.

The person who is schooled in the Singapore Education system embodies the Desired Outcomes of Education. He has a good sense of self-awareness, a sound moral compass, and the necessary skills and knowledge to take on challenges of the future. He is responsible to his family, community and nation.

He appreciates the beauty of the world around him, possesses a healthy mind and body, and has a zest for life. In sum, he is:

1. a confident person who has a strong sense of right and wrong, is adaptable and resilient, knows himself, is discerning in judgment, thinks independently and critically, and communicates effectively;
2. a self-directed learner who takes responsibility for his own learning, who questions, reflects and perseveres in the pursuit of learning;
3. an active contributor who is able to work effectively in teams, exercises initiative, takes calculated risks, is innovative and strives for excellence; and,
4. a concerned citizen who is rooted to Singapore, has a strong civic consciousness, is informed, and takes an active role in bettering the lives of others around him.

Our Universities students would be further strengthened in their belief in Singapore, and develop a profound understanding of what matters to Singapore in the global context. Our universities curriculum make explicit what we aspire to develop in our young so as to empower their strong foundations for them to thrive and achieve success in life as active and contributing members of Singapore.

NONE OF THE OUTCOMES of our Education System was addressed by the Global Universities Ranking vendors.  And they were therefore NEVER measured or evaluated among and with the other Universities.

It is baffling why Singapore Universities would want so desperately to subscribe to dubious Universities ranking standards of dubious excellence. It is even more disturbing that the Ministry of Education would have allow them to expend public funds to woo and court the Global Universities Rankers when it was so blatantly clear that NONE of their Criteria even remotely measure or evaluate our own Outcomes of Education. 

Singapore Universities should no longer participate in any Global Universities Ranking scams, no matter which other “famous” Universities had been included.  All Marketing collaterals making references to the bogus University Rankings should also be cleansed of the lie and return our Institution to our Authentic levels of transparency and integrity.  

Kopi Level - Yellow

Read More here:

Desired Outcomes of Education Sacrificed in Universities Ranking

LKY to Yong Ying I , Permanent Secretary PSC

“It is in our interest to show that under the system of ‘one man, one vote’ there can be an honest and efficient govt which works through an efficient administration in the interests of our people.

If we do not do our best, then we have only ourselves to blame when the people lose faith, not just in you, the public service, and in us, the democratic political leadership, but also in the democratic system, of which you and I are working parts…

I am confident that … you will respond to the urgency of the task. The mass of the people are not concerned with legal and constitutional forms and niceties. They are not interested in the theory of the separation of powers and the purpose and function of a politically neutral public service under such a constitution.

As far as they are concerned, in May 1959…they did elect their own govt in order that there might be a better world for them and their children.”

The above appeared in the ST today as comments by Yong Ying I on LKY’s book on Big Ideas. Look at the above statement carefully and decipher what are the important points and in what priority. To me, the importance of the points raised should be read in reverse order, from the last to the first.

The most important thing is that the people ‘elect their own govt in order that there might be a better world for them and their children.’ And if the govt can achieve this, the people would not be too concerned with ‘the theory of the separation of powers and the purpose and function of a politically neutral public service under such a constitution’.

And if the govt failed in creating a better world for the people and their children, then they will ‘have only ourselves to blame when the people lose faith, not just in you, the public service, and in us, the democratic political leadership, but also in the democratic system, of which you and I are working parts…’

And to achieve a better life for the people, ‘It is in our interest to show that under the system of ‘one man, one vote’ there can be an honest and efficient govt which works through an efficient administration in the interests of our people.’

It is all about an efficient govt serving the interests of the people and to provide a better life for the people and their children. If the govt fails to understand this, they only have themselves to blame.

Is the present govt living to this wisdom of LKY?  Are the people losing faith in the govt?

Kopi Level - Green

International judges presiding in Singapore – What a foolish idea?

I hope readers will spend time to re read the serious implications of this silly idea that is submitted to Parliament for approval. Try to understand the thinking behind silly Parliamentarians, what is inside their numbskull, where are they leading us to, and how it would make Singaporeans irrelevant in their own country and would lead to their own self destruction and extinction.

‘(Oct 8, 2014) Singapore’s move to allow foreign judges to hear commercial cases may boost its standing against regional rival Hong Kong where concerns have mounted that its judicial independence is being undermined by China.

Judges from other jurisdictions will be able to hear cross-border disputes at the Singapore International Commercial Court, according to proposed changes tabled in Parliament yesterday. Singapore, which earlier allowed foreign lawyers to advise clients on its corporate laws, will also let them appear in the new court.’

The above is posted in TRE under the heading SG Welcomes Foreign Judges as H.K. Lawyers Fret.

I must say I have mixed feelings on this. And this is a very polite way of expressing what I am thinking. We have set up an international court to arbitrate over inter state/juridistiction issues and must have foreign judges? I remember that when the International Court idea was first broached it was the integrity and reputation of our courts that we were marketing. We were marketing the Singapore brand, the place where people can see justice done and served in a clean, incorrupt and fair environment by competent legal professionals. 

Litigating parties were looking for such a jurisdiction and judicial system where they could find justice when they could not find it elsewhere. And Singapore’s reputation was the key factor for such a court. And this reputation must have been derived from our clean govt and impartial justice system run by great legal minds with impeccable record for delivering justice when justice needs to be seen and done. And judges were honest, upright, not beholden to any party and very competent. It is the Singaporeans that make our system upright and desired by people that cannot find justice in other places.

Are people suspecting that our judiciary and judges are not up to mark that they need foreign judges to give the litigants a fair trial? Did anyone complain that our judges are not good enough and foreigners best? Or our judges are incompetent? Can our judges be trained in international laws to judge in the international courts? If foreign judges can be trained to handle international cases, why are our judges not capable of being trained to do so? Are our talented less talented than foreigners? Come on, our law students have proven themselves to be the best in many international moot courts over and over again. We are not inferior unless we believed we are inferior.  But these are secondary!

What is really important is the integrity of the system and the legal professionals. If litigants are looking for smartest and cleverest lawyers and judges, there is no need to come to Singapore, there is no need for an International Court here. They are coming here because it is Singapore, that they are confident of getting a fair judgement by the clean and no nonsense Singaporeans.

The international court is here most of all is because of our integrity. Once this premise is lost, once our competence and integrity are undermined, why would people want to bring their cases here for arbitration? They might as well go to countries where these foreign judges are presiding. They did not go to them because they don’t trust them no matter how smart they are.

If we are thinking along the lines that foreign judges should rule in our country, should we designate some parts of the island into foreign concessions like Old Shanghai where foreign laws and jurisdiction ruled? Then they can even bring in their police and soldiers to run the concession and Sinkies will be treated as foreigners in the concession?

If international arbitration business is so big, Should we turn the whole island into a foreign concession too to make more money from this business. How far are we prepared to go to turn our little island to foreigners for a little revenue? How far are we prepared to accept that we are not the best and the best are from elsewhere? Are we kicking our own backside?

Or is this part of the New Concept City State? We have made our Singaporean bankers obsolete, our IT professionals extinct, our professors in the universities have been replaced by foreigners. Our tertiary students are also being replaced. Now we also want to replace our judges and legal professionals in our own country with foreigners. Would they be thinking of replacing our men in uniforms too, because they could find better foreigners?

The people that really need to replace are the silly crackpots in Parliament who came out with this idea of foreigners are the best and Singaporeans are daft and must be replaced. We cannot continue down this slippery road to oblivion. We cannot let them bring in all the so called foreigners are betterer to replace us, the owners of this island and make us drive taxis and be security guards. This is our only place in the sun.

Are you thinking? What are they smoking? Look ahead 20 or 30 years and see what kind of Singapore will it be and where is the place for Singaporeans, your children and grand children.

Kopi Level - Green

Uniquely Singapore – A summary of the recent strange happenings

Many strange things or uniquely happenings are occurring in this island over the last few weeks. Let me just jot them down here for a good laugh or a good reflection of how unique Singapore has become.
 
1. Protesters protesting and jeering at a minister became of case of heckling Special Needs Children a distance away. Evidence, the Special Needs Children missed a beat in their performance. Wondering what that meant.
2. Protesters protesting against govt policies in a park(Speakers’ Corner like Hyde Park) designated specially for freedom of expression and assembly for such purposes are investigated for illegal assembly.
3. Elected Members of Parliament wanting to hold a community event to sell festival goodies to the residents need to get approval from grassroot leader that is a volunteer community leader.
4. Law Society confirmed that a lawyer charging a client $1.3m dollars for legal fee but reduced by the court after client appealed, is not overcharging.
5. Further to this, when a lawyer sent a bill to a client, client can appeal to a court and the judge will decide the correct amount to be paid. This is the right thing to do between a lawyer and the client on what is the final fee to pay.
6. A young foreigner, stranger with no relationship, could obtain a Lasting Power of Attorney to manage the assets of a very rich widow without raising any eyebrow. And the procedures to obtaining such LPA is claimed to be effective and nothing wrong that needs changes.

There are of course quite a number of others that are circulating in the social media. Anyone wants to add more to the list?

Kopi Level - Green