20th Asian Masters Athletic Championship, Rugao - photo essay

Waiting to enter the stadium for the opening ceremony. It was raining

Team captain Jason and Andy Foo, our sponsor and our beautiful guide from China

In the stadium for the opening ceremony

The other teams

The Chinese team

Carrying the Singapore flag after the swearing ceremony

4x100m relay - Paul passing baton to Kim Seng at the last leg






Ansgar on his way for a silver medal

Lawrence running in the same event as Ansgar

4x400m men above 70 bronze medal winners Kannan and his team

Ansgar winning the silver medal for 5000m

PS. Unable to post more pics due to technical faults.Will try to post more.

Why was Wee Kim Wee called the people’s president?

Other than his easy ability to connect with the average Singaporeans, Wee Kim Wee was acknowledged to be the president that open up the Istana ground to the public on public holidays. The people held him dearly for this act of generosity and sharing with the common folks. Yes, giving the people more open space and offering the Istana, once the privilege of the president and the natural aristocrats, to the average Singaporeans to roam was admirable.
 
How is Halimah going to do better than Wee Kim Wee, to connect better with the people and to be accepted as another people’s president? For one, instead of opening up more space for the average Singaporeans, her choice of resident as the EP, to remain in her HDB flat, is doing exactly the opposite. The HDB estate that she lived in is a public area where people can move about freely.
 
Her assumption to the presidency has resulted in her neighbourhood being locked down in a way. The police and security people are all around, around the clock, to check on visitors and even the residents living in the same block as her. For security reason, for protocol and the privilege of being the head of state, many things have to make way for her. Car parks are reserved for her and the police.
 
People, relatives visiting people in her block would be subject to rude and uncomfortable checks and scrutiny. Yes, the vicinity of her Yistana is no longer a public place where people have free and easy access. How’s that for depriving the people from their small comfort of freedom of movement but instead turning her neighbourhood a restricted area?
 
I think she should think carefully about the inconvenience caused to her neighbours and move into the Istana instead of turning her Yishun flat into another Yistana for the good of her neighbours. After all as president of the state, she deserves to be living in the Istana. No one else deserve more to live in the Istana than the President and her family.
 
Come on get moving Halimah, and be a real people’s president, to give the people more space and convenience than inconvenience, for the sake of the people. You can’t put the blame on the police and security people for doing their jobs to protect your safety and convenience. And you can’t blame your neighbours and the public for being annoyed, burdened and subject to checks and the watchful eyes of the police. When such interference in their lives becomes excessive and daily, it is no fun anymore no matter how much they like you and respect your new status.