This is a sensitive issue, so I am just going to make a single statement only. Leong Hwa Chan Si Temple’s Reverend Meow Ee earns peanuts too! For the uninitiated, the value of a single peanut is pegged at S$600,000 (S$1.35 = US$1 at present exchange rates). This came about because Mrs Goh Chok Tong, wife of Senior Minister Goh and patron of the NKF commented that "$600,000 per year is peanuts compared to the reserves the NKF has"; sparking The Peanut Controversy, in which the public was irked by this comment (Source: Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T._T._Durai).

It’s always the nifty gritty details that get people into unwanted limelight. If the monk is doing a good job and managing everything well and above board, would it be right for people like me to judge him? What rights do I have to say that he can’t indulge in life’s finer things (referring to his Mercedes-Benz) and that he can’t be paid more just because he is a monk?

Reading the article, I also wonder how does his pay come into picture - although it’s all about money. If money is indeed the root of all evil, and if owning more of it makes one more evil, then Singapore is quite filled with evil people. =)

Sorry, just a cheek-in-tongue.

AN ONGOING legal battle between a Buddhist temple and its former business partner has thrown light on the big pay cheques and business interests of its top monk.

A court was told that the Venerable Meow Ee, 41, of the Leong Hwa Chan Si Temple in the Novena area, had been earning $100,000 a year in the last few years; his bumper year was 2001, when he took home $660,000.

The monk and his family are also said to own several businesses and properties.

He took the stand last Thursday in the suit filed by construction firm United Fiber System (UFS) in 2005 against the temple and other parties - Hok Mee Property, Hok Chung Construction and a Mr Kek Kim Hok - over a payment dispute.

UFS is seeking, among other things, compensation for an unpaid $13.3 million loan to the partnership.

Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao reported that the Venerable Meow has stakes in four companies under the name Chia Eng Soon.

Under cross-examination, he admitted setting up a company with his brother to help the temple sell covers for columbarium niches, but denied profiting from the business.

Asked about his Mercedes-Benz, he denied indulging in life’s finer things and said he bought the car while in his previous job as an army regular.

The temple’s dispute goes back to 1999, when UFS - then known as Poh Lian Holdings - financed a project with the temple and Hok Mee Property to build a columbarium.

The construction company handed out advances of $15.6 million and stood as guarantor for a $24.8 million loan, but the debt repayments went unmade.

Hearing resumes today.

Article obtained from straitstimes.com on 20th May 2008

I’m not sure if I should spill the beans or should I just let you guys read the letter first. So, the easiest thing is to let you guys read it for yourself and when you are ready to look at all the self-pwning statements, you can continue to click to read more. =)

First, the original complaint letter.

Insert graciousness into URA’s grace period

RECENTLY, I was taught the realities of official graciousness by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA). On April 23, in response to a request by Singapore General Hospital (SGH) for blood platelets, I went to the hospital about 11am. To my chagrin, my usual EPS (ERP Payment System) Carpark H was undergoing some work, and the other carparks were full.

After circling for a while, I was lucky to get a lot in Carpark B, a coupon carpark farthest from my destination.

The donation was not routine either, through no fault of SGH staff. For the first time in my donation record, there was a hitch and I was stuck with tubes in my arm. I was in no position to return to my car to display fresh coupons.

I was hesitant to ask SGH staff to help with my parking situation, for I knew I should not take them away from� more important matters. At the end of my donation, two machines later, I asked for an SGH excuse chit, and went on my way.

I did get a parking ticket, and wrote in to appeal. My friends and I were confident the URA would let me off.

A $10 fine is not a large sum, but I hoped for some graciousness. Last Thursday, the URA wrote to tell me I had exceeded the ‘grace period’ and had to pay up within the next seven days.

What is a ‘grace period’, I ask, for a person tied up in tubes, or for a dialysis patient hooked to a malfunctioning machine?

Is the ‘grace period’ different in different circumstances? What is the grace period for someone who parked his car, dove into traffic to save a child, and slipped into a coma for a week? Are the grace periods all the same?

I have paid my fine, to avoid this being seen as just of self-interest, but would like to hear the URA’s point of view, or what graciousness it can show.

Tan Tatt Si

Now, the reply from URA.

Grace period given, but one hour is too long

I REFER to last Wednesday’s letter, ‘Insert graciousness into URA’s grace period’ by Mr Tan Tatt Si.

Mr Tan said he parked his car at Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) Carpark B when he went to Singapore General Hospital (SGH) on April 23 to donate blood platelets. He said he was delayed in the donation process and was fined $10 for overparking. He felt URA should be gracious and waive his fine.

We appreciate that Mr Tan is a blood platelet donor. This is admirable. In reviewing appeals for waivers of parking fines from motorists, however, URA takes other factors into consideration, besides the fact that the motorist is a blood donor.

First, URA is sympathetic to motorists using this carpark. We understand motorists visiting SGH may be delayed for reasons beyond their control. URA gives a considerable grace period in this carpark to allow motorists to return to their vehicles to drive off or renew their coupons for extended periods of parking.

At the same time, we must ensure that motorists park responsibly, and comply with parking regulations so as not to inconvenience other motorists. We also have to verify any justifications furnished by motorists when reviewing their appeals.

In Mr Tan’s case, he had overparked for more than one hour, which far exceeded the usual grace period there.

We understand a hospital visit for blood platelet donation process normally takes two to three hours. This is made known to the public on SGH’s website and is known to regular donors. Mr Tan displayed a $1 parking coupon with a start time of 11.20am for a one hour parking duration. The carpark is a 10-minute walk from the haematology centre. Based on the record of his visit to the centre, Mr Tan arrived and registered at the centre at 11.15am and completed the process at 2pm.

A parking offence notice was issued to Mr Tan at 1.23pm, after the parking coupon displayed had expired for more than an hour.

In reviewing appeals from motorists for waivers of fines, URA also takes into account the track record of the motorist. If he has a number of parking offences, we tend to view the appeal less favourably. Taking in the circumstances of the case and Mr Tan’s track record, we could not accede to the appeal. Nonetheless, while the fine should be $20 for more than one hour of overparking, we factored in the grace period and fined him only $10.

Lim Eng Chong
Deputy Director (Land Administration, Carparks)
Urban Redevelopment Authority

Read the rest of this entry »

Mrs Lee had been admitted into hospital since last Monday due to a bleeding in her right brain. She has since been transferred to a general ward but is still in serious condition. I guess this is the time to put aside all political agenda and crosses and really wish her a speed recovery.

MRS LEE KUAN YEW, who suffered a stroke last Monday, underwent surgery on Saturday and is under close observation, a statement from Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew’s office said last night.

A brief statement providing an update on Mrs Lee’s condition said that since her transfer to the general ward last Wednesday, she remains in a serious condition.

‘Although her vital parameters have been stable, she lapses into long periods of unconsciousness,’ it added, before disclosing that she underwent surgery on Saturday. No other details were available.

Mrs Lee, 87, had experienced sudden weakness in the left side of her body and slurring of speech last Monday.

She was taken to the National Neuroscience Institute for an urgent brain scan, which revealed bleeding in the right side of the brain, and was subsequently admitted to the Neurointensive Care Unit at Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

The haemorrhage stabilised after two days of close monitoring and treatment, and she was transferred to the general ward on Wednesday.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong spoke publicly about the incident for the first time.

He thanked Singaporeans for their outpouring of support and concern since his mother’s condition was made known.

He said their good wishes and support had helped the family through ‘a difficult period’.

‘I’d like to thank all the residents who asked after my mother, as well as the Singaporeans who have sent us e-mails, cards, flowers, fruits and wished us well,’ he said.

PM Lee said this at a community event in Nee Soon South after MP Lee Bee Wah used part of her speech at the event to wish his family well.

They were there with fellow Ang Mo Kio GRC MPs Lam Pin Min and Wee Siew Kim, and Yio Chu Kang MP Seng Han Thong for the ward’s 20th anniversary celebrations.

In a short off-the-cuff speech, PM Lee said: ‘She is 87 years old, and many families will know that when you have old parents at home, we worry for them and we do our best to take good care of them.

‘And it’s a heavy responsibility for the family, and you always think and worry about what will happen next.

‘But we do our best, and I think we make sure we take care of them.

‘Mrs Lee is still in hospital. Your good wishes and your support have helped us and helped all of my family go through a difficult period. So thank you very much.’

jeremyau@sph.com.sg

Article obtained from straitstimes.com on 19th May 2008

The authors at Simply Jean made a couple of oversights in the blog posts that were being made public over the past 2 weeks. In part 1 of a 2 part series, we will address the first oversight - which was the post on Myanmar’s cyclone situation, where Myanmar’s effort was compared against China’s in the post dated 13th May 2008. We felt that the statement "to Myanmar: What use is a country when eventually people go against you? Or are you planning to suppress them regardless?" was rather unfair to the junta in Myanmar.

Firstly, Myanmar, being a sovereign country, has their own constitution and ways to run the country. The cyclone was indeed a sad incident that left many people in the country homeless, hopeless and hungry. While other countries may offer food and financial aid, doing so does not mean that Myanmar has to abide by the wishes of the helping countries. I’m sure Myanmar is trying to help those whom they have access to. While it had been reported that many are not receiving help, I would like to quote Foreign Minister George Yeo that "countries which want to help others struck by disasters must respect their autonomy" and that "(Yangon) have been quite clear about their policy that the rescue effort will be principally their own". I’m not sure if this meant not responding to any call for aid since rescue effort will be principally their own. For a moment, I thought this means that Myanmar have their own means of printing more money and growing more rice. Overnight.

While most of us feel for the hopeless victims, we have to understand that just as we do not want the United States government to come in and decide how much aid each destitute gets, the junta will not be happy if they allow every Tom, Dick and Harry to go into their country and creating a mess out of everything. Remember, mess is relative.

For this oversight, the authors of Simply Jean will like to apologise to the junta in Myanmar and the people in the country for being insensitive to their constitution by joining in the condemnation of the rescue efforts. Or the lack of it.

Beijing - Countries which want to help others struck by disasters must respect their autonomy, said Foreign Minister George Yeo yesterday.

He was speaking to Singapore reporters about the ongoing relief efforts in earthquake-hit Sichuan and cyclone-battered Myanmar, at the end of a four-day official visit to China.

While China has shed its traditional reluctance and welcomed relief teams from Singapore, Japan, South Korea and Russia in recent days following the 7.9-magnitude quake on Monday, Yangon is still turning away international aid agencies from Myanmar and keeping foreigners out of the disaster zone two weeks after Cyclone Nargis wreaked devastation.

But any outside help is always going to be supplementary only, since the key responsibility lies with the government of the affected country, said Mr Yeo.

‘We must respect the autonomy of countries and accept the fact that they know local situations better than foreign people ever can.’

Tomorrow, Asean’s foreign ministers will meet in Singapore to hammer out ways in which the regional grouping might help reclusive Myanmar in the aftermath of the cyclone, which has left at least 133,000 people dead or missing.

Playing down expectations ahead of the meeting, Mr Yeo said: ‘I don’t think the outcome will be a dramatic one because they (Yangon) have been quite clear about their policy that the rescue effort will be principally their own.’

Since Myanmar has been tight-lipped regarding the scale of destruction inside its borders, Asean needs to wait for Yangon to lay down what help it needs, he added.

‘We’ve extended our hands out to them and I’m quite sure that what they ask us to do, we will try to meet as much as we can.’

When calling on Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi yesterday, Mr Yeo briefed him on tomorrow’s meeting and raised the possibility that Asean and Beijing could look for ways to jointly help Myanmar, which is an ally of China’s.

Mr Yang welcomed Asean’s moves, said Mr Yeo.

Myanmar has accepted material aid but only a handful of aid teams from neighbouring countries - China, Bangladesh, India and Thailand - and nothing more, noted Mr Yeo.

Western countries feel much more should be done to help the victims, with some even suggesting that Myanmar should be force-fed aid, he added.

But he said: ‘I don’t see how this can be done because if we try to do that, it will only make the situation worse and it will increase the suffering of the people in Myanmar.’

Yangon is not the only country getting through a natural disaster on its own, noted the minister.

India dealt with the devastation of the 2004 tsunami on its own, as did Japan after the 1995 Kobe earthquake, he said.

Even as Myanmar struggles, the way Beijing is handling what’s been described as the country’s most devastating disaster since 1949 paints a contrasting picture.

‘You can see that they are completely on top of the situation,’ said Mr Yeo. ‘I believe they will emerge stronger, more united, more resilient.’

simcy@sph.com.sg

Article obtained from straitstimes.com on 19th May 2008 dated 18th May 2008

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has resigned from the ruling party as a protest to how his hand-picked successor had ran the party thus far. His successor, PM Abdullah Ahmad Badawi took over the helm in 2003 and since then, things had been going on a landslide. In the latest general elections, Umno did not manage to get the minimum majority in parliament and had to settle for less. This prompted a lot of displeasure from the former premier as well as some law makers in the party. He is also asking the rest of the party members to follow suit so that PM Abdullah will have no choice but to step down and for fresh elections to be called.

KUALA LUMPUR - FORMER Malaysian premier Mahathir Mohamad has quit the ruling party Umno in protest over the leadership of his successor Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, his son said on Monday.

‘Dr Mahathir has resigned from Umno in protest over Pak Lah’s continued leadership as both the prime minister and president of Umno,’ Mr Mokhzani Mahathir said, referring to Mr Abdullah by his nickname.

‘He will also write a letter to the Umno secretary-general to inform him of his resignation,’ he said, adding that Dr Mahathir announced his departure during a speech on Monday in Alor Star, the capital of his home state Kedah.

‘He made it clear at the gathering at Alor Star that he is resigning in protest over the current leadership,’ he said.

Dr Mahathir ruled Malaysia and the dominant United Malays National Organisation (Umno) for 22 years until 2003 when he handed over to Abdullah, his hand-picked successor.

However, in recent times he has been a vocal critic of Mr Abdullah’s administration and since disastrous March general elections, which produced Umno’s worst ever results, has actively campaigned for him to step down.

News website Malaysiakini quoted Dr Mahathir as urging all Umno ministers and party leaders to follow him by quitting the party, and return only when Mr Abdullah has departed.

‘I will only come back to the party when there is a change in leadership,’ it quoted him as telling the Alor Star gathering.

‘Wait till Mr Abdullah quits as the prime minister and party president and then we can return to Umno,’ he reportedly said.

Mr Shahrir Samad, a cabinet minister and senior Umno member, said Dr Mahathir’s surprise move could trigger a flurry of resignations from the embattled party that could force Mr Abdullah to hold fresh general elections.

‘By Tun doing this it could cause a situation where many other Umno lawmakers might resign,’ he said, using Dr Mahathir’s honorific title.

‘If this happens then the government has no choice but to form a new government or call a fresh general election,’ the domestic trade and consumer affairs minister said.

‘Certainly it is not helpful or constructive to the struggle of Umno right now,’ he said, as the party fends off a challenge from opposition figurehead Anwar Ibrahim who says he could soon seize power with the help of defectors.

Mr Shahrir said that while Mr Anwar was threatening to snatch lawmakers from the smaller parties with which Umno rules in coalition, Dr Mahathir could chip away at the ranks of the ruling party itself.

‘This will be a reduction of the number of Umno lawmakers which is the ruling party of the present government,’ he said.

‘I suppose it is Dr Mahathir’s way of trying to force a call for a referendum from the grass roots.’

The Star’s website quoted Umno information chief Muhammad Muhammad Taib as saying he was surprised at Dr Mahathir’s abrupt departure.

‘Every member has the right to join or leave the party,’ he said.

Asked whether Umno would convene an emergency meeting in response to the move, he said that ‘we will wait and see.’

Dr Mahathir, 82, joined Umno at its inception in 1946 and he has weathered a number of storms including his expulsion from the party in 1969 and a 1988 crisis when Umno was declared illegal. — AFP

Article obtained from straitstimes.com on 19th May 2008

Indeed after 2 disasters, a midnight storm caught occupants unaware and killed 13 of them and injured about a dozen, all of whom were at a construction site. While the degree of destruction may not be as huge as the previous 2, still, lives lost are lost lives and these should be prevented. For people who have watched the movie - The Day After Tomorrow, they may be familiar with the story line that the planet is adjusting itself such that it’ll be in equilibrium again; equilibrium from what the planet’s occupants have taken away from it, and that this is happening way ahead of what anyone’s model can predict.

Are we ready for it yet? Is it really to late to start green campaigns?

CHANDIGARH (India) - A HOUSE collapse triggered by a storm in northern India killed 13 labourers and injured over a dozen on Sunday, officials said.

At least 13 labourers were buried under piles of rubble in Gurgaon, near India’s capital, New Delhi, after portions of a house they were constructing collapsed on them, police said.

Police said the collapse was triggered by a midnight storm that lashed Haryana state.

‘The victims lived in huts adjacent to a construction site,’ said Mr Srikrishan Murari, a senior police officer.

Around 16 injured labourers were being treated in a hospital, he added. — REUTERS

Article obtained from straitstimes.com on 19th May 2008

How many of you can remember the good old days of guessing the actual location of where the NDP tickets will be given out and queuing up overnight for the tickets with friends - which made a good catch-up session on top of everything else. Well, now that we have gone e-everything, there’s no need to do so - which meant having to look for alternative reasons for some of us to get together.

Well, the NDP tickets are back for grabs now!

Read the rest of this entry »

It’s quite sad that Chengdu had been affected by the recent earthquake, which measured 7.8 on the Ritcher scale. As the scale is logarithmic, that’s about 600 megatons of TNT, or 2.4EJ of energy. In layman’s term, it’s one helluva energy to be released. More facts can be found here. and death toll is expected to hit the tens of thousands if aftershocks create more damage.

This calamity happened shortly after Myanmar was hit by a cyclone. However, unlike Myanmar, there’s sufficient resources in China for the rescue missions. Myanmar, till date, has only shown concern with pushing its own propaganda to its people, with little regards to the pleas to allow UN aids to enter Myanmar. Due to the delay in delivery relief to the people, diseases are expected to be rampant, which will probably see a sharp increase in the death toll should the government remain stubborn in its stance. To Myanmar: What use is a country when eventually people go against you? Or are you planning to suppress them regardless?

While it’s only Day 1 of the aftermath, China has responded promptly on its rescue missions. While Taiwan has offered aid, China showed no resistance in accepting help from a country that it is still at loggerheads with. If indeed China accepts help from the Taiwanese counterpart, I guess it says a lot of how China is willing to put aside pride and politics and putting their people first.

It’s sad that the cyclone and earthquake happened back to back, and what saddens me more is how one country is unwilling to set aside its propaganda for the good of its people. The junta in Myanmar is having a wrong sense of priority and I hope the people can wake up eventually. To all the people who suffered in the calamity, I offer my deepest condolences and prayers.

This is an usual post because this is more of a notice looking for people. =) I am looking for graduates who have taken SC448 Bioinformatics in their 3rd/4th year and are now looking for some extra income - there’s a job waiting for you. If you managed to complete the SC448 assignment that was given to you, you’d probably have no problem for the job.

People who have survived the monstrous assignment includes Plaktoz, gnayenelrahc and Ryan, and they are still alive an in one piece. Oh boy, am I making this scary or what? So, yes, if you know that NCBI couldn’t possibly stand for Nasi Briyani, then you probably qualify too.

Drop me a contact or email for more details! =)

A 3 day court hearing will determine how much damage Dr Chee and his sister will have to pay PM Lee and MM Lee for defaming the latter duo. The defamation took place in their party newsletter just before the 6th May polls in 2006 (2 more years to go to next election). The Chees have long been infamous for throwing claims on Lees on how the latter were corrupt - without presenting anything substantial to back their claims.

In fact, Dr Chee had a chance to face-off with MM Lee back in 2004. However, Dr Chee had a no-show for the court hearing. Needless to say, the results were not in his favour. One can’t help but wonder if he’ll pull a second fast one. I’m trying to look at things from the perspective of Dr Chee, but I am having trouble doing so - not because I am taking sides, but I find it hard to fathom his thinking process. If Singapore irks him so much, why won’t he spend the rest of his life peacefully elsewhere - since he probably knows that he’ll get nothing out of going against the system here. I’m not entirely supportive of the things that is being implemented in Singapore, but I can’t see how going against the system can help make lives better for everyone else. For ordinary people like me who are so comfortable with equilibrium, I only have time to care about my next bowl of rice, my next shelter over my head (metaphorically speaking).

Perhaps… just perhaps, he feels that it’s a calling for him; and maybe Dr Chee might gain more supporters if he’s able to show just a slight bit of evidence to support him. Too much allegations will just end up being noise - and it doesn’t help that, inferring from his arguments, the Singapore government is not allowing him access into his much-needed evidence. He’s a smart guy, but brute force isn’t always the way to go.

I’ve got so much things to say, but an entry isn’t sufficient. I wish him all the best.

THE Prime Minister and Minister Mentor are expected to go on the stand in a High Court hearing that starts on Monday.

The three-day hearing is to assess the damages Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) chief Chee Soon Juan, his sister and the SDP will have to pay for defaming Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew.

The two leaders are likely to be cross-examined by lawyer M. Ravi, who is representing the SDP, as well as Dr Chee and his sister Chee Siok Chin, who are representing themselves.

If that happens, it will mark the first time that any PAP leader has been cross-examined by a political opponent in open court.

The opposition party and the Chee siblings were found to have defamed PM Lee and MM Lee in articles in their SDP newsletter two years ago.

The case began in the run-up to the 2006 General Election.

About a week before the May 6 polls, PM Lee and MM Lee had sued Dr Chee and the party’s leadership for repeating remarks alleging that they were corrupt and had covered up wrongdoings at the National Kidney Foundation (NKF).

The suit stemmed from articles in the SDP newsletter, The New Democrat. It centred on the NKF saga and drew parallels between how the charity and the Government were run.

Six SDP central executive committee members apologised subsequently. But two others, Dr Chee and his sister, did not, and contested the suit.

In June 2006, the High Court ruled that the SDP - which did not file a defence in the case - defamed PM Lee and MM Lee.

Three months later, in September 2006, the Chee siblings were found guilty of defaming the two political leaders.

The Lees are seeking aggravated damages, which are exceptional awards made by the courts where the plaintiffs have been wronged severely.

The last time MM Lee was on the stand in an open court hearing was in 2004, in a separate defamation case involving Dr Chee, who failed to show up for the hearing.

PM Lee was last on the stand in 1997, in a hearing to assess the damages opposition politician Tang Liang Hong had to pay for defaming 11 People’s Action Party leaders.

Over the next three days, Justice Belinda Ang will hear both sides present their case and decide on the damages to award.

The amount may not matter to the Chee siblings as they have already been declared bankrupt.

But if the SDP is unable to pay up, the 28-year-old party faces the prospect of being wound up.

However, before the hearing starts, the Chee siblings intend to ask Justice Ang to disqualify herself from the case because she gave the Lees a summary judgment in 2006 after the Chees had walked out of court.

Another matter is also pending. Lawyers for PM Lee and MM Lee have applied to strike out the affidavits of Dr Chee, his sister and former solicitor-general and opposition politician Francis Seow, on the grounds that they are scandalous, irrelevant and an abuse of process.

If their affidavits are struck out, the Chee siblings will not take the stand and be cross-examined by the Lees’ lawyers.

sueann@sph.com.sg

Article obtained from straitstimes.com on 12th May 2008