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Straits Times lies to cover up OA's lies Print Email
Wednesday, 13 August 2008
Singapore Democrats

The Straits Times covers up the lies from the Official Assignee's office with another (and even more preposterous) lie. The newspaper says that it has rejected Ms Chee's reply to Mr Malcolm Tan's letter to its Forum page because it was already posted on this website.

"We are unable to publish your letter as the Forum page does not carry letters published elsewhere," Mr Yap Koon Hong, the editor, said.

The matter concerns Ms Chee's application to the OA's office for travel to the US to attend a Summer Fellowship Program at Stanford University.

The OA first rejected the application because Ms Chee's trip “would not benefit her creditors” but later changed its story saying that Ms Chee was not cooperative.

The Straits Times reason for not publishing Ms Chee's letter doesn't hold water. This is because on 29 May 08, Dr Chee Soon Juan had written a reply to Tunku Abdul Aziz's letter over the Transparency International-Malaysia's award to Mr Lee Kuan Yew. Dr Chee's letter was posted then on this website the same day. The Straits Times nevertheless published Dr Chee's letter the following day, 30 May.

Obviously the newspaper is not telling the truth because it has published letters first posted on the SDP's website.

So what could be the real reason for not publishing Ms Chee's reply? Could it be because the newspaper is helping to cover up for Mr Malcolm Tan because the assistant Official Assignee was caught playing fast and loose with his “facts” and now finds himself in difficulty answering Ms Chee's rebuttal?

Rather than prolong the OA's agony, the Straits Times decides to cut losses by censoring Ms Chee's letter. But what reason does it give for not according her the right of reply?

Answer: By giving the cockamamie excuse that the letter was already posted on the SDP's website.

We remind readers that Mr Tan's letter was published in the print version of the newspaper whereas the Singapore Democrats' website exists only online. The readerships are vastly different.

It is also interesting that it took a full week for the editor to decide not to publish Ms Chee's missive which was sent to Mr Yap on 6 Aug but rejected only today. Why the delay in the response?

But such is the shameful practice of the Straits Times that Singaporeans have come to expect. The tragedy is that most Singaporeans will only get to read the PAP's side of the story.

And that's the only way that the PAP can beat the SDP, not by fair means but foul. Given an open and fair debate where Singaporeans can read both sides of the story and make up their own minds, the Singapore Democrats will emerge on top.

This is one more reason to work for media reform in Singapore.


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Comments (25)
  • ahsayman
    A propensity towards lying invites the same consequences as that of the proclivity for crying wolf. Loss of credibility.
  • maxChew - Liar, liar, pants on fire!
    Telling lies and covering up for each other is now the norm for our PAP loyalists and apologists.
    Honesty and professional pride no longer matter.They now subscribe to dishonesty and hypocrisy believing them to be ok as long as it helps the ruling party maintain/retain their power....shades of Malaysia!
  • a
    They were looking to cover it up but with the advent of the internet it's inevitable that this gets out..
  • seebeng - How to reform?
    You can only reform if there is something that needs to be reformed. How to reform the "media" when there is none in the first place?

    What we have is a propaganda mouthpiece that is staffed by "poor prostitutes and running dogs of the PAP".
  • sinPAPoor - sin on the left, poor on the right, this is PAP .
    The Shameless LIAR in Youtube:

    1-The Shameless LIAR - LKY
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRteulDRrlk


    Movie moved, but still witin Youtube:

    晴空万里 失血至死
    Shine for Singapore
    Bleed to Death
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drvTBvmRIOA
  • singing the same old tune - more of his relatives
    [b]Dirty old Harry started his crusade on singing the same old tune about voting for Division one top talented PAP otherwise Singapore will DIE W/O THEM!!

    Like as if we are not dying already!

    What he meant we need more of his relatives like WKS TO DO JOBS IN STINKAPORE![/b]

    GO TO HELL!!
  • kicked out -PAP - GOOD RIDDANCE
    [color=blue][b]These *B* are never going to change unless and until they are all kicked out - all 81 bloated cabinet Papee !!

    Wasting pp'le's time and monies - big show only![/b][/color]
  • Good Luck - Take Care Mr Nair
    Whatever has happened to Mr Nair's comments Blog not updated?

    I am sure it has bloated by now - not standstill!

    Best of health to Mr Nair too! Take Care Mr Nair!
  • BRAVO MS CHEE - WELL DONE
    [b]Ms Chee keep on the fight!

    Not even Ho Ching has the damn guts that you have! Has to be cushioned by father-in-law and loads and loads of public monies!

    You are all fighting w/o a dime unlike the rotten evil devils Papee!

    Just feel sad that you are up against such monsters![/b]
  • KILLING OPPOSITIONS - FIXING THEM
    AS WE SAID EARLIER AND WE SAY AGAIN:


    RULING REGIME OUT TO KILL AND FIX ALL OPPOSITIONS IN STINKAPORE!

    ONLY THEY CAN HAVE THE PIE FOR THEMSELVES LAH!

    ALL UNDER THEIR POWER EVEN CITIZENS!
  • Well written - Quote
    [quote]PAP does not treat citizens as shareholders or partners, but as mere employees in a corporation whose sole purpose is to beef up the company’s profit statement and balance sheet.

    Singapore citizens are treated no better than second class employees, but expected to repay their dues to the nation as first class citizens. It is this disparity that concerns me gravely.

    “Singapore without Singaporeans”.-We have even a FT flag bearer -WHY dont we have local born singaporean in the olympics squad to hold our flag? why cant they hold our flag ? why everything is given to FT? our jobs have been taken, our peace is gone. now our pride is gone. Is any other countries doing this kind?

    our Citizens should wake up now-… question now is, how to arouse them from their slumber?”[/quote]

    Sgpolitics.net

    [b]Well written [/b]
  • Tan Tai Wei
    There are two ways of seeing this.

    First, is ST run by honourable people, led by an honourable management board chaired by an honourable former deputy prime minister of morally upright Singapore?

    If so, then we can accept the editor's rejection of Chee's reply to Malcom in good faith.

    That would mean the editorial board took a whole week agonising over Chee's right to reply, and ST's policy of not publishing a letter already published elsewhere, and at long last had to decide, with heartthrobbing regret, that, for the sake of the longterm interest of the readership and Singapore's developing into a great, brave and informed people, it would prove a lesser damage to uphold the policy of not publishing something published elsewhere, rather than fulfil ST's moral obligation to Chee to let her reply to something ST had published.

    However, if we can't assume that ST is indeed run honourably, and has that honourable a sense of mission, then this is probably what transpired within the editorial board.

    Chee's letter arrived, and quite clearly to them, they could not publish it (because of dishonourable conscious or subconscious fears of all sorts, eg. selfish regard for personal career paths, power-worship or subjection to power, etc.)

    But they had also (because of the same fears) to appear honourable (the powers-that-be would also require that for good PR and political creditability).

    So, they spent the whole week trying to concoct some excuse in order to rationalise (and not seriously justify) their denial to Chee her moral right to reply.

    To their great relief, someone among them, who had dared to see the SDP website, said "Hey, technically, the appearance of Chee's letter on that webpage already counts as its publication. So, we can pretend and use that as our reason not to publish Chee's letter".
  • AnnA - Are You Ready?
    It is not the matter of when...

    It is the matter of you dare do it...

    We are living with lesser space to breathe normally each day...

    Are we ready to lose everything?

    Can we not worry about what we will lose for the time being for the sake of standing up for our country?

    But the question is,

    ARE YOU READY???
  • Foreigner PR - Cite the source, Whats the big deal ST!
    ST should know that there is an english word known as 'citation'. Even if the letter is published elsewhere they can publish it and atleast cite its source. They could have probably come up with a better excuse.

    "Politics in Singapore is a game with SDP and PAP as players. Its unfair that PAP has cheat codes" - Foreigner PR
  • President Bush
    Why should i care about the SDP? I need a naval base for the 7th Fleet Logistics unit and they have given it
  • Anonymous - re:
    [quote=President Bush]Why should i care about the SDP? I need a naval base for the 7th Fleet Logistics unit and they have given it[/quote]

    Precisely, Singaporeans should not waste any time waiting for countries such as the USA to 'help' us. What they can do is to put pressure on the PAPies not to go overboard with their treatment of activists. The PAPies are still particular about 'Face'. The job of encouraging democracy is the job of Singaporeans themselves. WE have to do it ourselves. You can support either thru the forums or opposition parties or speaking out and questioning the MIW.
  • Shi yun
    I wonder why Ms chee still wanna challenge those people who can't take the truth , and will only do more to spite those who speak the truth.

    Don't we all see that the Sg govt wanna be worshipped like God ? They are always the honourable ones, the righteous ones, the decent ones, and blah ...(yeah they will always play and put themselves in such roles ) whereas the normal peasants in this [i] "pea- size"[/i] land are most often associated & regarded as filthy , unappreciative, sinful, indecent, and blah ....

    See what LKY termed others ... "The rapists, the robbers, the thieves and child molesters...." *tsk .....tsk ....*shakes head in disgust*

    How ironic! Who are the ones who always imposed their stuffs even when they are not welcome ? Who are the ones who violate all the way into other's spaces when it's not their territories when they have no permissions and yet they force all the way in and violate people's rights? TaLK about human rights and I bet LKY and his Lee gang sure has got their superior views on it.

    Who are the real robbers that rob most of the poor and needy , even oppress the fatherless and the widow and even steal lots of things from them ? Just ask, who are the real thieves?

    Who are the real child molesters that scarr, confuse, traumatised and impede the normal psychological functionings of an innocent child coming from a broken family???

    Who are the ones that are the real bitter ones and can't even over see a child's or kid's mistakes while they are growing up and bear grave grudges over the small things others do and consistently set them traps and jest them ? Who are constantly playing mind games >??? JUST ASK WHO!


    SDP, Just let the PAP gang win lah, no point trying to speak up facts nor truth, they know what you guys are doing and perhaps, judging from their actions, ...who knows ?? they ...can be very much offended and what you have got to tell them and the people.

    Not everyone can take the truth nor bear with truth. SDP, perhaps you could immitate them slightly being just as superficial as they are, ....parroting their goodness and decency when most people in this "pea size" land can see their very rhethoric and lies, manipulations, vituperative accusations of their opposed counterparts,plus the rest who are not standing on their same level (if people bother to find and seek the truth of the LEES and gang ... they shall see the t and t will set them free)_,

    SDP, just relinquish all rights to gain the justice you wanted and the freedom which u guys wanted to liberate to the normal citizens in this "pea size" land, rather, let God uses other aspects in these self-righteous hippocrites' lives to reflect back their reaping and sowing, karma, as u called it, or plainly hippocrisy if you want to put it directly & honestly.

    Let God judge and to each his own, hell and heaven are both reserved. People think they can set up their standards of righteousness, decency, and good acts, are they really acceptable and honorable and holy ? let's just see who are the real ones chosen to go hell, time will reveal all mysteries - even hell mysteries and their accorded citizens.

    Dear SDP, if you guys does not favor the things the LEE and gang do, pack and leave this "pea-size" nation, no point allowing your toes or anypart of yourself to be still treading on their territory, tracking and sourcing or put it simply, taking things within their territory, thus & hence, THIS WILL MAKE YOU A LESSER HIPPOCRITE as Lee and gang. What the chinese says, you must have "ZHI QI" IF U R NOT IN FAVOR OF THEM, shown by your much condemnations of the things the PAP do and dwells , THEN DON'T STAY IN THEIR TERRITORY NOR SOURCE OR TAKE THINGS FROM THEM.

    Alot of Sg citizens are giving up their life here, for reasons God knows, why don't SDP heed a more wiser way? There is no way you can fight the Lee and gang except God shall raise another more powerful and deadly bunch to counteract them. "Yi Shan hai bi yi shan gao, qiang zhong ji you qiang zhong shou..."

    In terms of $ and manpower, I see that the Singapore Drama Party is really at a significant disadvantage. Let the Lees and gang fight among dogs of their clan, we normal peasants in this "pea size" land just live a peaceful & harmonious life.
  • Abraham Lincoln
    Let claim remedies for, civil wrongs that do not arise out of contractual duties
    back to me. Under Tort law the Strict liability. The straits time is liable, so give back every 70 cents I spent.
  • ac.
    Sdp is not a one stop miracle supermart.. it might not be able to change much (or anything).

    But i know sdp can make a difference.
  • Taxidriver - Not sure
    BTW sorry but what does "MIW" stands for?

    Very ignorant!

    Aiyah very simple - Must vote these S.O.B. PAP out! Thats all lah! And Soon!
  • narrow world view
    could it be they didn't want to be accused of subjudice since the case is already before the courts?

    or maybe they were concerned that since you accuse OA of being a liar in your letter, that they may be sued for defamation if they print it?

    No, no, you're right. those are lame excuses. Probably a wicked conspiracy.
  • Mask Suleiman Supporter
    All I can voice out is that the whole of ST and its main sharholders are absolutely disgusting, and they rightly deserve to stand in Geylang every nights.
  • Druid - Animal Farm Rules
    Thou shalt not lie
    Thou shalt not lie without cause la!
  • Anonymous - re: Not sure
    [quote=Taxidriver]BTW sorry but what does "MIW" stands for?

    Very ignorant!

    Aiyah very simple - Must vote these S.O.B. PAP out! Thats all lah! And Soon![/quote]

    MIW Man In White - PAP. We have to remember to speak out to more Singaporeans and remind them about voting the PAPies out or al least, reduce their majority in Parliment.
  • taxidriver - thank you
    Thank you!

    WELL SAID MUST VOTE THEM ALL OUT!
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