Andrew Loh

    Always keeping tab of what's going on, appreciating the good and keeping an eye on the bad.

  • What does it mean to be ‘politicising’?

    COMMENT Lawrence Wong's outburst online, accusing some of politicising "every activity or conversation", is just the latest in the government's penchant for such accusations. "Politics is important," Wong wrote on his Facebook page. "But surely we do not want to … <a href="http://blog.tools.news.yahoo.com/singaporescene/2012/09/25/what-does-it-mean-to-be-politicising/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>

  • In search of the Singapore Soul

    COMMENT Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, in his National Day Rally (NDR) speech on Sunday, again spoke of what makes us Singaporean — the Singaporean Soul. It is a reiteration of what he said two years ago, also in his … <a href="http://blog.tools.news.yahoo.com/singaporescene/2012/08/27/empower-singaporeans-in-the-political-space/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>

  • Code of conduct ‘within the realm of possibilities’: MLC chief

    The chairman of the Media Literacy Council (MLC) says its members have not had any discussion on the merits or otherwise of a code of conduct (COC) for the Internet. However, he says that such a code "is within the … <a href="http://blog.tools.news.yahoo.com/singaporescene/2012/08/10/code-of-conduct-within-the-realm-of-possibilities-mlc-chief/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>

  • Bloggers question aim of Media Literary Council

    After months of trying to cajole and persuade Internet practitioners to create a "ground-up" code of conduct (COC) for online discourse, the Government has taken a tentative step towards making this happen, even as bloggers continue to reject such a … <a href="http://blog.tools.news.yahoo.com/singaporescene/2012/07/31/media-literary-council-formed-bloggers-frown-on-move/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>

  • I was under a lot of pressure: Ravi

    "Recently there were a lot of concerns expressed [about] my medical condition or my mental state of being. I wish to thank my friends [and] Singaporeans as well as friends overseas for being concerned about what has been happening to … <a href="http://blog.tools.news.yahoo.com/singaporescene/2012/07/27/i-was-under-a-lot-of-pressure-ravi/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>

  • A more nuanced and humane MDP?

    COMMENT The government's announcement of the proposed changes to the application of the mandatory death penalty (MDP), while falling short of outright abolition, is a welcome move. However, fundamentally the government continues to adhere to the rationale behind the MDP … <a href="http://blog.tools.news.yahoo.com/singaporescene/2012/07/09/a-more-nuanced-and-humane-mdp/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>

  • ‘Unacceptable nearly 40% of population is made up of foreigners’

    COMMENT Since the release of the first part of the video recording on the forum on xenophobia, some have questioned why the bloggers involved did not outright condemn xenophobic expression online and offline. The forum, called "Online|Offline", is an initiative … <a href="http://blog.tools.news.yahoo.com/singaporescene/2012/07/04/getting-to-the-root-cause/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>

  • Singapore can move forward on the road less travelled

    COMMENT Singapore seems to have sunk into lethargy. There is a certain sense of inertia, both in government and among its people. The focus is on what is wrong in Singapore. Complaints abound, finger pointing is the rule of the … <a href="http://blog.tools.news.yahoo.com/singaporescene/2012/06/23/singapore-can-move-forward-on-the-road-less-travelled/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>

  • Summons filed to order PM Lee to court hearing on by-election

    In yet another twist to the court case over the Prime Minister's (PM) discretionary powers to call by-elections, the Attorney General's Chambers (AGC) has filed an application to dismiss the application by Hougang resident Vellama Marie Muthu. Vellama had sought … <a href="http://blog.tools.news.yahoo.com/singaporescene/2012/06/02/summons-filed-to-order-pm-lee-to-court-hearing-on-by-election/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>

  • Hougang by-election: What it will really come down to

    COMMENT A by-election which was expected to be nothing more than a formality to fill a vacant seat has turned into something else. It all started earlier this year with allegations of personal indiscretions by the Workers' Party (WP) Member … <a href="http://blog.tools.news.yahoo.com/singaporescene/2012/05/23/hougang-by-election-what-it-will-really-come-down-to/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>

  • Will Workers’ Party pursue mandatory death penalty change?

    Singapore's mandatory death penalty for capital crimes is well known. Increasingly, however, critics of the law have been more vocal in recent years. Awareness of the death penalty has grown, albeit rather slowly, among Singaporeans as campaigners against this particular … <a href="http://blog.tools.news.yahoo.com/singaporescene/2012/05/07/will-workers-party-pursue-mandatory-death-penalty-change/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>

  • What’s the real plan for foreign labour, the economy?

    If you've been following the stampede of objections after one professor suggested "shock therapy" to up the wages of the lower income, you would have read that higher wages alone is considered a potentially "dangerous" thing. It can cause all … <a href="http://blog.tools.news.yahoo.com/singaporescene/2012/05/03/whats-the-real-plan-for-foreign-labour-the-economy/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>

  • Rediffusion: An unnecessary death?

    "Mrs Grace Fu, Senior Minister of State for Information, Communications and the Arts, said the closure of Redifussion will be a loss to many but 'demands are changing and it is a commercial decision'." — Straits Times, 10 April, 2012. … <a href="http://blog.tools.news.yahoo.com/singaporescene/2012/04/11/rediffusion-an-unnecessary-death/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>

  • ‘Address seething anger against foreigners’

    COMMENT Member of Parliament for Tampines group representation constituency Baey Yam Keng recently had to apologise for his comments with regards to Chinese scholar Sun Xu's remarks that "there are more dogs than humans in Singapore." Sun studies at the … <a href="http://blog.tools.news.yahoo.com/singaporescene/2012/03/05/address-seething-anger-against-foreigners/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>