Alexis de Tocqueville

Singapore: The caning country

2010-06-27T04:42:00.000-07:00

So at the end the verdict is out. Oliver Fricker, the Swiss national who spray painted half of an MRT train a few months ago will be caned.
Indeed it was rather stupid, especially in a country like this, where the only 'graffitis" allowed must be first approved by a governement pannel and only made by good citizens with cropped hairs in governement approved areas....
But to sentence him to to be caned is barbaric and shows how narrow minded, third world country and hypocritical this place really is. Besides caning amounts to torture and is a violation of Article 1 of the United Nations Convention against Torture!
Shame on Singapore!
And just to remind everyone how barbaric caning is, just watch this video.

The great Singapore escape

2010-04-03T20:39:00.000-07:00

When opposition candidate in the last election James Gomez tried to leave Singapore for Sweden where he worked, he was stopped by the police at the airport and his passport impounded. The reason? Gomez was being “investigated” for “intimidating” a civil servant when he (wrongly) accused an election officer of misplacing his application forms. Gomez was never charged in court and was let off eventually with a “stern warning”.
If the Singapore police had been so vigilant and proactive in the dogged pursuit of such a trivial case, we should have expected them to be even more “on the ball” with serious crimes such as a hit-and-run accident...
One did not need to be a Sherlock Holmes to detect the glaring inconsistencies in Dr Silviu’s statement. With two eye-witnesses who were able to identify the culprit, the case could have been solved within 24 hours. Being the prime suspect in the case, Dr Silviu’s passport should have been impounded to prevent him from leaving Singapore until the investigations was completed.
As for the "diplomatic immunity", it applies only if you are in the "function of your duties"
Dr Silviu admitted that he had gone to a KTV for a “few drinks” with some friends on the night of the accident.... Since he was driving the embassy car for a private function, his actions therefore did not fall within the ambit of the diplomatic immunity....
Even if Dr Silviu was protected by his diplomatic immunity, the authorities could have applied for a waival directly to the Romanian government. They had more than one week to do so, but did not.
Sad sad story....and a lot of incompetence....

A typical Singapore sign

2010-02-02T19:41:00.001-08:00

Singaporeans are expected to fall in line neatly...
It is probably the most unimaginative, unquestioning, unthinking country in the world. For what I have seen so far, a rather sad country, very ugly with all these public houses dotting the horizon...

H/T: Theo

Living in Singapore and not loose your sanity

2010-01-30T17:20:00.001-08:00

What is it about this place that drives most of us, that is those with even half a brain, completely insane here? After all it is a very good place, clean, efficient, taxes are low, food is excellent, health care is good and the airport is the best I have seen in the world. But there is still that element of je ne sais quoi that drive westerners insane.
It is the narrow mindness, nastyness of the place. The lack of can-do-attitude. The hypocrisy of the system, the arrogance as if Singapore is the centre of the world.
The Gare de Perpignan is. Not Singapore!
There is also an eerie sense of being constantly watched. Everything is controlled.
Press, TV, there are cameras everywhere monitoring everything. You are constantly asked for your "I.C." (ID), even to go to the toilet. There is still censorship and any magazines or newspapers that dare to criticize the government, are simply banned....Not to mention movies and TV.
Wao! in the 21st cnetury. Medieval.
I think I am going to have fun here....