Western media bias

‘Reactions to Russian View. Our last Readers’ Post page carried a view by the Press Secretary of the Russian Embassy in Singapore, Mr Dmitry Ryakhovskiy, who criticized the media for publishing biased accounts by Western news agencies about the ongoing crisis in the Ukraine. Below are the reactions via email, the ST Readers’ Post where the article was posted online, and in ST Facebook, to the Russian view.

Louis Tan: Unfortunately many have been indoctrinated by the American and Western brainwashing or simply just do not read or question what is being reported which is why Western press still holds sway.  It is time to turn back the tide and remove the stigma America and the West have painted of Russia as the ‘bad’ guy when they are far from ‘holy’. So, yes. More (such) reports should be presented in The Straits Times.’ ST

I sported the above in the ST on 12 May. It was like an advertorial or a paid advertisement. What was interesting were the views of some bloggers that the ST had been selling views of the Americans and the West, slanted in their favour particularly against the Russians, China and the Muslim world.

I have personally felt that many international articles published in reputable media around the world were actually as good as propaganda, very biased and unintellectual, more like the works of insurgents. And they were published in the main media and very likely the media even paid for the right to publish them. I hope I am wrong on this and it is the other way, that such propagandistic articles would only be printed with the author or source paying for the right to be given a space in the main media. The fee should be more than commercial advertisements as these are highly biased and distorted articles to serve a political agenda. The media could make a pile publishing such articles if they don’t mind the distortions and untruths as a source of income.

I often asked myself whether the media staff are so dull to be publishing other people’s poison laced political statements in the guise of journalistic or academic works when in reality they are politically motivated propaganda with a hidden and dangerous agenda? The source of such articles would be most willing to pay handsomely to be allowed to be published in reputable media. And the media staff are so eager and willing to even pay the source with good money to carry them in their reputable papers and undermining the credibility and reputation of their media.

It is quite ridiculous and stupid really if reputable media have to pay for the right to publish other people’s politically motivated articles, views or ‘news’.  So pathetic.

Kopi Level - Green

Return our CPF Petition by Roy Ngerng

Roy Ngerng has started a petition at https://www.change.org/petitions/the-singapore-government-return-our-cpf-2. He will also be holding a rally at Hong Lim on 7 June at 4 pm to call on the Govt to return the CPF to its rightful owners at 55 and higher interest rates for the CPF savings among other things.

The CPF is an issue that touches the pockets of every Sinkie and will affect those who have hit 55 recently, and those younger that will come along through the years. Millions of Sinkies will fall victims to the CPF Schemes with their life savings locked away by strangers who claimed to be doing it for their good. And not only will these strangers decide when and how much to return to the Sinkies, they could even decide how to spend it by their audacious compulsory schemes. Reminds me of the days of warlordism in China.

I hope Roy will monitor the progress of his petition. I have noticed that he is using a different platform from that used by William Lim calling for the PM to resign. That petition is so heavily rigged that it is going no where. If it is allowed to run normally, my estimate is that it could hit at least 20,000 or 30,000 signatures conservatively. It is still hovering around 2,000 signatories. Would this petition of Roy go the same way, to oblivion, through rigging and neglect?

I have yet to hear William Lim making any comment on the state of his petition. Maybe he has other reasons not to say anything. Maybe it was a spur of the moment to start that petition and it is as good as to let it die a natural death. Nothing serious, not meant to be serious.

How many Sinkies will sign Roy’s petition? How many Sinkies will think it important enough to attend the rally at Hong Lim? When times are good, when the people do not have to fall back on their CPF savings, when they have other sources of fund, they may be reluctant or lack the motivation to want to make their voices and grievances heard. This is bad as people in charge may say, see, no complain, no protest, only 200, so the people are happy and they can go on with more schemes in the future.

When times are bad, when the people are desperate to lay their hands on their CPF savings, the temperature would be different. They may tear down the walls of CPF to get hold of their money. Just hope that the people are not desperate enough. Just hope that the younger generations are as easy to manipulate and docile enough not to do anything when their money are locked away against their wishes, like the older generations.

Would the people rise and march to Hong Lim on 7 June to demand for the return of their CPF savings?

Kopi Level - Green

Littlespeck downs his pen - Seah Chiang Nee

‘A generation of Malaysians and readers around the world have grown up with Seah Chiang Nee’s columns on Singapore. Illness, however, has forced him to ease up and he has decided to stop being a columnist in The Star. In this farewell interview with Soo Ewe Jin, Seah gives his readers an insight into his illustrious career as a journalist.
FOR the past 28 years, readers of this newspaper have been given a weekly analysis of the goings-on in Singapore through the column of veteran journalist Seah Chiang Nee, Insight Down South.
 
Seah began his career in 1960 as a Reuters correspondent based in Singapore. During that 10-year stint, he was in (then south) Vietnam for 40 months to cover the war.
He joined the Singapore Herald in 1970, as Malaysia bureau chief and later as news editor, before it was forced to close after a run-in with the Singapore Government.
From 1972 to 1973, he worked for The Asian, the world’s first regional weekly newspaper, based in Bangkok, to cover Thailand and Indochina – Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.
 
He then moved on to be news editor of the Hong Kong Standard before returning to Singapore in 1974 to serve as foreign editor with The Straits Times.
 
From 1982 to 1985, he served as editor of the Singapore Monitor. And in 1986, he started writing for The Star. Seah also became the first South-East Asian to undergo a heart transplant at Sydney’s St Vincent’s Hospital back in 1985.
And he already belongs to that rare club of those who have lived for more than 20 years as a heart transplant patient.
 
Because of age and health reasons, Seah will no longer be writing his column. In an email interview, he reflects on this journey with The Star….’
 
The above is a piece in the Star Online written by Soo Ewe Jin in honour of this senior gentleman of the media. He lived through it, through the tumultuous period of Singapore as a young new nation, its flirtation with Malaysia and then independence as a new nation, prospered and be what it is today. Whether Chiang Nee would have the privilege of seeing the next change to this prosperous nation, or for how long more, only God knows.
 
For those who are unfamiliar, Chiang Nee is the first heart transplant patient and the longest surviving one, alive. May he enjoy his retirement and get a good rest watching from the safety on the sideline and also have the pleasure of time to reflect on the days gone by.
 
Best wishes, Chiang Nee, the grand old man of the media.

CPF becoming a hot potato issue

With the latest increases in the Minimum Sum to be retained in the CPF and Medisave Accounts, the CPF savings scheme is now a hot potato issue among the account holders. Many felt cheated while some felt glad that the govt is raising the minimum sum to provide for their retirement needs. Below are two comments from bloggers in the TRE on this topic.

1. Sperm:
Likely PAP squandered away all our CPF money , we become a country of bankrupts ?
 
2. Im a layman.
I dont concur because I ask myself a few questions first.
Did the CPF ever default since its inception in 1955?
The ruling party has a non nonsense reputation when it comes to credibility & integrity in finance.
It has fed this donkey (cpf) with a higher than bank savings rate since inception so that the people will have a bigger nest egg.
Which member upon reaching 55 and minusing the prescribed asset hasnt been paid back the balance?
 
Commentator Sperm belongs to one camp that is being troubled by this obsession and funny logic to keep raising the minimum sum. They are suspicious and worried that the CPF has not enough money to pay them and has to resort to locking away their savings by all kinds of schemes and means for as long as it can. How valid are their concerns and suspicions? At best it is only a gut feel as nobody really knows and the govt is not coming up with official statistics except statements to assure the people that their money is safe.
 
In the case of commentator ‘I m a layman’, he is a happy man. He is very confident that all the money is there and there is nothing to worry about. He even commented that until now, the govt has not defaulted in any payments to the account holders when they reached the retirement age of 55. And he is right. Those who had reached the age of 55 earlier had happily received their CPF savings in cash. Those that reached 55 in the last few years also had received some of their money in cash but with some of their savings lock up in Minimum Sums Schemes and Medisave. But they are not complaining much as they still got to receive a fairly substantial sum at 55.
 
Now this is a thing of the past. The new 55 can only withdrawal the amount after setting aside the minimum sums in the RA and MA, nearly $200k or $5k as many did not have enough to cover the minimum sums. The govt is not renegating on the payout at 55. The govt sure pay out if one has the money to be paid out. Just make sure your balances are more than the two minimum sums and you will receive your money.
 
Now who is accusing the govt for not being able to meet their obligations and not paying out the money when it is due? Not true right. So commentator ‘I m a layman’ is right. Do not underestimate the intelligence of a layman. He is clever like hell. You cannot cheat a layman unless he volunteers to be cheated, willingly, happily and gratefully.

Kopi Level - Yellow

Cherian George joining HK university

I just have to write about Cherian George. You know how difficult it is and how much resources are needed to produce a professor in this city? Do you know how much more difficult it is to produce a good professor that is worth his title? Cherian George is one of the rarity, an ex journalist who has earned his stripes and good enough to be ‘promoted to associate professor in 2009, the same year he won a teaching excellence award from the university (NTU)’. And he received his doctorate not from some funny university but from Stanford University. Stanford, my friend, is no funny university but among the best in the USA and in the world.

NTU did not seem to be flattered by his qualifications and his teaching excellence. Maybe it is a kind of policy to send our talents overseas and replace them with foreign talents from overseas to create the right kind of buzz and the right kind of vibrancy that local talents cannot offer. Maybe George will have a better chance if he takes up a foreign citizenship and return as a FT.

Cherian George is going to Hong Kong’s Baptist University’s School of Communication. I am wondering if this exchange is good for the grooming and nurturing of local talents. Or is it that instant trees are still the way to go, instant foreign talents are the best.

Best wishes to Cherian George. Hong Kong has gained a talent that we rejected. We should send more recruitment teams overseas to recruit Sinkie talents to come back home. Cherian, just wait, in a few years time there may be a Sinkie team going to Hong Kong to beg you to come back and tell you how good this city state is and how valuable you are and how much they missed you.

Kopi Level - Yellow

Food for thought – No security breach

When the bank manager arrived at the bank on Monday morning, everything was normal. The security guards were at their post. The security cameras were working normally. The doors were locked as usual and he had to unlock it with his bunch of keys.

He opened the vault to check everything was fine. Yes, everything was fine. The vault was all in order, nothing missing, except the money in the vault.

He called a press conference. During the briefing he told the media, there was no breach of security. All the locks and security apparatus were not tempered with and working fine. We have the best security system guarding the bank.

Only the money was missing.

Have a good Sunday.

Graffiti vandals – are they NSmen?

Many people are wondering if the 5 young men are NSmen given their newly shaven heads. The fact that they are 17 said no. But they could be preparing for their enlistment as 18 is just around the corner. Some said their heads were shaven after being arrested. This I find it difficult to believe. I remember clearly that the rioters I the Little India case were not shaven at all. Can anyone confirm this? I may have dementia you know. I am sure the police have SOP about when and how to shave the heads of people under their care. Innocent until proven guilty. The young men, or actually children as legally defined since they are below 18, have not been found guilty by the courts yet. Is there a procedure to shave their heads?

I am very sure that army boys when enlisted will have their heads shaven on the first day. I am very sure all convicted prisoners will also have their heads shaven on the first day in prison. The boys are not convicted prisoners yet. Who ordered their heads to be shaven and is it the proper thing to do? But we are presuming, the boys could have shaven their own heads to prepare themselves to be NSmen to serve the country.

Choo Zheng Xi, a lawyer, has quoted some legal provisions that protect the rights of minors or children under the age of 18. He also felt that the AGC should intervene to protect the interest of these boys from all the excessive publicity in this case, names and faces prominently flashed across the media. Not only that the law provides legal protection to the young, morally, the society too would want to protect the young, and the adults should have some decency to want to protect the vulnerable and still young in the head children.

These are our children. They are mischievous, outrageous, defiance, unruly or whatever, just like children. They are definitely nicer than the rioters in Little India. They did not pelt stones to hurt anyone or the police. They did not burn police cars. They are in a way playful and not knowing the consequences and the severity of the law.

Should they be dealt with just like any criminals? Shall they be whipped or shall they be made an example of to deter other youths from doing the same? Shall the adults behave like responsible adults and look at them as children growing up, in search of an identity, and identity crisis, a part of the growing up process?

It is so easy to throw the book at them and whack them as hard as provided under the law. Poor thing. Did I say poor thing? Or shall one blindfold oneself and say it without any passion, a crime is a crime? Compassion, kindness movement, forgiveness and acting like responsible adults, do these words mean anything?

Kopi Level - Green