http://www.yoursdp.org/ Fri, 10 Sep 2010 04:54:31 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.3 http://www.yoursdp.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2517#josc14123 Russell Heng could not even get his facts right. He called the 1987 detainees working class people.All the detainees had some form of tertiary education.2 or 3 were top students in their time. Certainly as young adults they were not working class at all. In any case white collar all of them. The forum was another example of idle time. Good for a laugh, I suppose. Nothing serious! Simpang Bedok Tue, 07 Jul 2009 08:41:32 +0100 http://www.yoursdp.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2517#josc14112 http://singaporerebel.blogspot.com/2009/07/police-retracts-licence-request-after.html Police retracts licence request after Minister queried quantum Mon, 06 Jul 2009 21:03:41 +0100 http://www.yoursdp.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2517#josc14097 I wonder if such a forum would have been permitted many years back. The fact is that the forum went ahead with any overt action taken against organisers by authorities to purportedly induce fear in others. John Tan has gotten what he wants - "to remove the fear that grips Singaporeans when it comes to citizen participation". In that light, what Russel Heng said is also ironical. The fact that he attended and spoke up (bravely) contradicts his point that he is "unsure if civil society has evolved to become less afraid of the threat of the ISA being used on them". Is he not less afraid? As to Alex Au's request for the ex-detainees to write about their arrests. One wonders why that they have not spoken out after all this while (if that is indeed the case). If they were so upfront in standing up for their cause then, why not speak up now? Is that not tacit agreement that perhaps there is some truth in the official storyline. We should also ask Michael Fernandez whether if he repeated what he did in 1964 to champion workers' right, would he expect to be arrested again, under the current climate. I believe civic society has evolved partly because the government has allowed it to. If that is the case, we must give credit where credit is due, even if it is minuscule still. I believe this - if the opposition and civic organisations speak rationally and demand responsibly, the space for debate will be allowed to widen even if not at the pace desired. BryanT Sat, 04 Jul 2009 09:07:29 +0100 http://www.yoursdp.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2517#josc14071 Martyn See should try to invite the current Dir ISD (a scholar high-flyer) to address the attendees in the next forum. He's likely to decline as he would not want to answer questions amongst other things. But we should have it on record that we did invite him to hear the ISD's side of the story. If they have convincing reasons for the arrest and detention of the 22 do-gooders, why not let us hear them now. Convince us the way your predecessor Mr Tjong Yik Ming and his deputy Mr Sim Poh Heng convinced HomeAffairs Minister Wong Kan Seng and the then PM LKY! maxchew Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:35:48 +0100 http://www.yoursdp.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2517#josc14070 The low standard of the discourse, attendance and hence failure of the REVISITING HISTORY-Operation Spectrum - Breaking The Ice After 22 Years event yesterday is important to note. It captured the complain culture that sucks the time of civil society activists too much. These arrests as done in Op Spectrum and others over the decades post-death of Barisan Socialis were meant to “cut a chicken to frighten 10 monkeys” especially among the English Educated. No point keep complaining most of the detainees were social activists but not out to subvert the system. It was meant to be that way for maximum effect of raising the fear levels. Wallowing in self pity without offering any proactive strategies to combat the lost of our political and civil rights puts people off more and more from the political struggle against the PAP oppression. I do feel sitting there in the forum we really cannot afford such a misjudgement on the part of the organisers of the forum. zah Mon, 29 Jun 2009 09:13:56 +0100