Here's proof: Section 377A being enforced

A man has just been charged under Section 377A, our anti-gay law. This, barely months after the prime minister suggested that gay citizens have nothing to fear from the law. Full essay.

In the eye of the cyclone stands immobile the junta

Two kinds of shocking news are coming out of Burma: the scale of the disaster in the wake of Cyclone Nargis, and the slowness and resistance of the military regime to outside help. Full essay.

IDAHO - International Day Against Homophobia, 17 May 2008

MICA acknowledges the internet proposals submitted

K Bhavani, the Press Secretary for Lee Boon Yang, the Minister for Information, Communication and the Arts, sent an email in reply to the group of bloggers who had submitted a set of proposals for internet deregulation, on 5 May 2008. She said:

Dear Mr Au

My Minister would like to thank you and your blogger friends for the effort in putting up the proposals for Internet deregulation which you had emailed to him on 20 April 2008.

MICA is well aware of the fact that Internet and new media technology have evolved by leaps and bounds since we introduced our light-touch approach in 1996. Back then, MICA had recognised the potential growth and impact of the Internet, and the tremendous opportunities and benefits that it will bring to all of us. We were also wary of its negative aspects. Hence, our response to the Internet was to take a balanced light-touch approach. Our intent with this light-touch approach was to foster the growth of the Internet and to enable us to exploit its vast potential while safeguarding our society from its undesirable aspects. That 79% of our households subscribe to broadband and many Singaporeans especially the younger citizens own a blog or participate in some form of new media clearly show that the light-touch approach had not been without merit.

To keep up with the fast-evolving new media landscape, we have been reviewing our light-touch approach and are considering how we could take a lighter touch approach. We have appointed the Advisory Council on the Impact of New Media on Society (AIMS) in April last year to study the new media and how best to refine our regulatory framework.

We will consider the views expressed in your proposal and other feedback in our review.

Yours sincerely

K.BHAVANI (Ms)
Press Secretary
to the Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts

The pigeons are among us already

What is the point of having rules and penalties governing internet speech relating to race, religion and sex, when the technology is borderless? In any case, why SHOULD there be all these rules? The case for more free speech. Full essay.

Guilty until proven innocent: the case of William Ding

Characterising the prosecution's case as "fraught with serious internal inconsistencies and irreconcilable material contradictions" an appeal judge acquitted William Ding of molesting 2 teenagers. But why was such a weak case even launched, dragging on for 3 years? Full essay.

Packable politics and its press

On command, the issue of the alleged terrorist's escape was packed away from the mainstream media. This ability of a government to manipulate headlines leads to great risks for the country. Consider, for example, the question of Singapore's 11 billion Swiss Franc investment in UBS.... Full essay.

HIV hits new high. Solution: punish

Singapore's HIV rates are high compared to neighbouring countries with similar standards of living. Even as infection rates climb, the government has no new ideas. Full essay.

China and (inter)nationalism

More protests and scuffling as the Olympic torch is run in Seoul. Yet another issue is brought to the fore. China's view of the international order is out of date. Full essay.

Watch it! Part 2

Part 1 discussed some TV commercials that used the gay angle in offensive ways. Here in Part 2 are examples of advertisements that are much better. Full essay.

Rice price as capitalism's vice

The current problem with high food prices is not just a supply and demand problem, but also a symptom of the ills of global capitalism without sufficient social conscience. Full essay.

Upholding our 'fine city' reputation

A TV station is fined S$15,000 for "promoting" homosexuality because a reality show had a gay couple in it, while in Japan, public broadcaster NHK breaks its taboo. Full essay.

The great hunt: more management failures than guards' lapses

Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng gave a detailed and well-prepared account to Parliament of Mas Selamat Kastari's escape from detention... until the questions came. Full essay.

Bloggers submit proposals to government

Further to an open call issued on Yawning Bread and The Online Citizen late last year, a group of bloggers came together in December 2007 with the aim of submitting proposals to the government on the deregulation of the internet.

The 20-page submission was sent to the Minister for Information, Communication and the Arts on 21 April 2008. Click on the graphic to download.

It calls for sweeping changes to the regulatory system, in order to bring Singapore in line with international norms and fundamental principles of free speech. What regulation that remains and are justifiable should be through clear laws rather than administrative discretion. It should also be realistic with regard to the borderlessness of the technology.

Prosecute or nothing

What's rotten about the regulation of speech in Singapore is not just a question of this rule or that rule, but the entire way it is done. The process, or the system, is the bigger problem. Full essay.

Watch it! Part 1

It is rare for commercial advertising to depict gay (and racial) minorities, and when they do, it tends to be a poorly thought out job. Full essay.

Political activism, cyber or otherwise

A private forum was organised last week featuring a Malaysian opposition activist and the founder of online newspaper Malaysiakini. Some thoughts following that event. Full essay.

Lee Hsien Loong calls on world to kowtow to China

The protests around the Olympic torch relay are counter-productive, he says. People should be sensitive to the nationalistic pride felt by the Chinese. Full essay.

Ban-happy Singapore

A cable TV operator is fined S$10,000 for airing a scene in which 2 women kiss. More about 3 of the 4 films banned from the Singapore Film Festival. Full essay.

The mathematics of elections 2

Data from the last 4 general elections support my thesis that GRCs have a homogenising effect on electoral outcomes, effectively disenfranchising many voters. Full essay.

Why the Films Act should be trashed

This piece of sweeping legislation makes criminals of all of us, yet in practical terms is pointless in the digital age. Full essay.

The children we leave behind

So many children in this world are hurt needlessly, traceable to unthinking habits of thought on our part. So many more would have loving homes if we'd only get our moral dogma out of the way. Full essay.

Cinema: Lion City

This 1960 production was the first Chinese-language film ever made in Singapore. The streets, the clothes that the characters wore, their concerns... they're so strange. Full essay.

Hotel Singapore now officially gay-friendly

Kerry Sieh, a gay American, was convinced enough by Lee Kuan Yew's words to take up a new job in Singapore. Full essay.

Improving the Internal Security Act

This law gives the government wide discretionary powers to detain people without trial. We can either abolish it or create a mechanism for oversight. Full essay.

What to do with the Tibetan question?

Monks and lay people planned a series of marches in and around Tibet this month. These were promptly met by security forces in China and India. China is, as usual, cracking down brutally. Time for a closer examination of the issue. Full essay.

Cinema: Slam and Bangkok Love Story

Two films as different as night and day, one agile and unceasing, the other rather flatfooted. And quite loses the plot. One worth watching, the other not. Full essay.

The mathematics of elections

Suppose a vote shift happened in Singapore at the next election similar to what happened recently in Malaysia, what will the resulting parliament look like in terms of political party representation? The mathematics of it explained. Full essay.

Street work ain't for us

It's interesting to see migrants do entrepreneurial things that Singaporeans don't do. What does it say about us? Full essay.

Any lessons from the Malaysian general election for us?

The ruling Barisan Nasional's loss was greater than anyone expected. The key issues in Malaysia in the run-up to their 8 March election seemed to be unhappiness among the Chinese and Indian minorities. Is this pertinent to Singapore's domestic politics? Full essay.

The great hunt: bunker chaos

Here's an alternative explanation for why information about Mas Selamat Kasteri's escape came out in ribs and drabs. Full essay.

Sex is all around, get over it

A Lim Soo Hoon complains that a shop handed her son a condom and sold him a kamasutra chocolate. A Bennie Cheok complains that a TV show had a same-sex couple living with a son. Meanwhile, strippers make it big. Full essay.

The great hunt limps along

It's six days since Mas Selamat Kasturi escaped from Whitley Road Detention Centre. The longer he stays undiscovered, the more likely he is getting help and someone is concealing him. Full essay.

Be meek and be dispossessed

Service quality is rarely good in Singapore. But bad service and bad behaviour persist partly because we ourselves don't speak up. Full essay.

Of airports and demonstrations

In airport surveys, Singapore comes out near the top. In press freedom, near the bottom. Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng says the question of allowing demonstrations at Hong Lim Park is being reviewed. Full essay.

From my mailbox 1

More on the (secret) survey on reasons for emigrating. Mediacorp TV censors gay speech (again). Why censorship matters. Full essay.

Slam the odds

Jonathan Lim and Christian Lee wanted to chase their dream - to make a feature film in China - and found themselves facing obstacle after obstacle. Full essay.

Daydreams of a way station

How is Singapore going to become one of the great capital cities of the world when we keep losing talent? Full essay.

Media silence and the cultivators of hate

An inexplicable, senseless killing hogs the news for days. Another horrific killing is hardly mentioned. Why? Full essay.

Safety on trial

Do Singaporeans care enough about public safety? Why have we not provided paths for bicycles, separate from pedestrians? Full essay.

It's my gay uncle who takes me to school every day

Gays are out to destroy the "traditional family", the religious nuts claim. They can't be too happy then, with the science that is emerging. Full essay.

Inflation has hurt poor more than rich

Everybody in Singapore has seen significant price increases, but poorer households see more of it, according to statistics. In promising to do something about price trends in the upcoming budget, the government should bear this in mind. Full essay.

Berlin's Erotik Museum

Berlin lives up to its liberal reputation with a sex museum. Two floors of precious art pieces from around the world. Photo essay.

Keeping schools safe from religion

A headmaster tried to make his canteen all-halal, violating a fundamental principle of a secular state. Full essay.

January potpourri

My Kissing photos, banned in Singapore, are on show in Melbourne. Plus more news bites. Full essay.

Leaving Singapore for pinker shores

Jason was happy to be posted to Singapore, but after just one year, he quit. Here's one MBA and PhD holder in the biotech line that Singapore couldn't convince to stay. Why? Guest essay.

Are the planned bus and rail improvements enough?

The Transport Minister recently announced new plans and changes to the public transport system. While the direction is sound, don't expect things to improve greatly. Full essay.

A reason to complain

The Complaints Choir was refused a licence to perform in whole. Is this another example of "ceremonial censorship", with all its implications for the rule of law? Full essay.

Inside and outside the human zoo

How do you feel about gawking at hill tribes dressed in their "exotic" costumes? Do people who perform their roles always do so unwillingly? Full essay.

Coming and going and coming back to haunt us again

How many of you remember the novel Peculiar Chris? After 15 years, the author has published another book. Full essay.

The healthcare funding gap

Is there a healthcare safety net or not? We have all these various schemes from Medisave to Medifund, but do they provide comprehensive coverage? Full essay.

Seelan Palay's 5-day fast

He's fasting 5 days to draw attention to the 5 men detained by the Malaysian government without trial. Yet another young Singaporean rekindling the spirit of outdoor protest. Full essay.

Blogging is a criminal hobby, part 1

There are so many laws and regulations, the average blogger must surely be violating one or more of them. And they are vague too, so you can never be sure. Full essay.

Happy to eat apart

Have you noticed that at some food courts, there are no more halal-certified stalls? Full essay.

Supreme Court victory in Nepal

A gay group in Nepal obtained a favourable ruling from the country's Supreme Court, but what effect will it have? Full essay.

DIY self-portraits, part 2

Why it is important to zoom in, and why the camera shouldn't be closer than 2.5 or 3 metres. Full essay.

Tips for the vision-impaired

How to enlarge text and graphics to make it easier for yourself. Full essay.

My mother's Christmas

Earlier this week, my mother was rushed, again, to hospital. I was prepared for the worst. Full essay.

Futsal on International Migrants Day

A number of non-governmental organisations organised a friendly futsal competition for foreign workers and Singaporeans. Photo essay.

New highs in ministerial salaries, new lows in media credibility

The second phase of salary increases for ministers and top civil servants kicks in next month. What a relief it's finally done, says a letter writer to the Straits Times Forum. Full essay.

After 24 years, passing through, speaking up

A former expatriate who helped grow the Singapore Arts Festival 24 years ago, came back for a visit while the gay debate was in progress. Guest essay.

Christopher de Souza's four rebuttals

Even though the parliamentary debate about Section 377A is over, it is necessary, for the record, to point out how poor are the arguments some MPs made, starting with Christopher de Souza. Full essay.

Hady did Singapore proud, part 2

Interesting political angles from Hady Mirza's Asian Idol victory. Full essay.

Hady did Singapore proud

Hady Mirza represented Singapore at the inaugural Asian Idol contest in Jakarta. With our small population, his chances may well be the slimmest, but he performed admirably. Full essay.

DIY self-portraits

How to take some nice pictures of yourself, entirely by yourself, with an inexpensive camera. Full essay.

What lurks beyond globalisation and capitalism

Driven by higher pay for the already well-off and flatter taxation, the income gap has widened across the world. Will this trend continue without end? Full essay.

A skipped floor

Some years ago, I met this guy at a convention. His room was 2 floors below mine in the same hotel... Full essay.

Who shall watch the Watchmen?

A young man is killed in a hate crime. But how is a hate crime (as distinguished from hate speech) defined? Does Singapore have a law against hate crime? Full essay.

Migrants should be required to take English courses

After 40 years of getting Singaporeans to accept English as a neutral inter-ethnic link language, this achievement is under threat from new migrants from China. Singapore's majority Chinese need to understand how alienating this is to our ethnic-minority fellow citizens. Full essay.

China's trade surpluses: disequilibrium and accommodation

China's trade surpluses are humongous, with both the US and the EU. Yet the solution is quite obvious, only difficult to implement. Full essay.

Asean still toothless after 40 years

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations did its already crumbling reputation no favor by stiffing UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari at the last minute after he was invited to brief the 10-nation group on his mission to Myanmar. Though the 40th anniversary summit did make a big show of unity and ballyhooing its new (ineffective) charter, it was clear that by kowtowing to Myanmar's junta it is likely to remain a paper tiger for many years to come. Asia Times article.

Fees or fines, we make it all the easier

The MDA is a blundering fool in making its rap video, but is also a sinister force in its attempts to massage the news. Full essay.

Enforcing racial and religious harmony

What are the laws in Singapore that can apply to inciteful speech related to race and religion? Do they have clarity? Full essay.

Taxi problem the result of 3 deadly sins

Why is the taxi problem so persistent? Why do passengers complain there aren't enough taxis, and taxi drivers complain there aren't even passengers to make a decent living? Full essay.

It's the principle, stupid

Guest writer John Toh ruminates on marriage and the values we imbue it with. Why adhere to traditional forms of marriage when we have the capacity to think? Guest essay.

Parliamentarians with nothing to say

Singapore boasts about being ahead in information technology. Funny, then, how few members of parliament maintain an active blog. Full essay.

Open call for a bloggers' meeting

A government-linked body is conducting a review of internet regulations. Word from those who have participated suggest that liberalisation doesn't seem to be its aim.

This is an open call for bloggers to come together to discuss this issue and organise a submission representing their views.

There will be a brainstorming meeting on Tues, 4 Dec, and a drafting meeting on Tues, 11 Dec, at the Substation, Armenian Street. Both meetings start at 7 pm.

For more information, see here. Please come. And help pass the word out.

When the wind blows, thank the government

Is there anyone left in Singapore who still feels that free speech is a fundamental right? Three examples of censorship, each fortunately reversed. Full essay.

A Rumsfeldian future

Singapore coasts along with a one party system. Our opposition parties have insignificant roles to play, and going by present efforts, won't be growing anytime soon. What if some unknown hit us in the future, and the government proves incompetent, or the unknown hits the government, paralysing it? Full essay.

Flat jokes and dumb remarks

The Prime Minister says, to his audience's delight, that some opposition party candidates have gone "Awol". Another minister says we shouldn't "dumb down" our political system. Full essay.

Minorities and state protection

How do we decide which group should receive state protection, or minority rights? And in any debate over this, what's wrong with identity politics? Full essay.

Towards a human rights mechanism, part 2

On human rights, the Asean Charter contains motherhood statements and a joke of a monitoring or enforcement body. Full essay.

Nasal straws in the wind

What does the threat letter to Thio Li-Ann really represent? What's the significance of 2 recent articles - in the Straits Times and Zaobao respectively? Full essay.

Too proud of our noose

Prof Michael Hor (NUS Law faculty) recently gave a talk, speaking out against the way Singapore uses the death penalty. Full essay.

Dispelling heat, light and smoke

A guest essay by Kyle the vampire slayer, in response to Thio Li-Ann's parliamentary speech on Section 377A of the Penal Code. Guest essay.

Ake Green and the freedom to monger hate

When preachers and like-minded religionists say gay people are out to muzzle religion, the case of Ake Green is one of the examples they have in mind. Full essay.

Robo Chan's short-lived happiness

Modern news is full of numbers and we are easily lulled into taking them at face value. Full essay.

The limits of civility

Who was the mystery guy who wanted to desecrate Thio Li-Ann's grave? Full essay.

Stockholm and Gothenburg

Oh no, not holiday pictures! Well, not, since I wasn't holidaying there. But just a few photos with tales behind them. Photo essay.

Non-repeal of 377A : Was it all a blunder?

The government hates having to wrestle with contentious issues, especially ones with religious undercurrents, yet it stumbled into a hot debate about Section 377A. Full essay.

The loonies are marching

The anti-gay lobby has set up not one, not two, but 3 different websites calling for action over 377A. The third summons the faithful to a march. Full essay.

Newspapers should beware of being shunned by the intelligent

Just looking at the stuff about 377A in the newspapers and the blogosphere, a trend becomes noticeable, and it's not an auspicious one for the mainstream print media. Full essay.

Wednesday's little things

We make countless observations as we go about our daily business, but because we tend to mind our own business, we don't give much thought to what we see. Yet, little things can point to larger social trends. Full essay.

Singapore squirms as Burmese protest

This is a piece I wrote recently for The Asia Times, on how the expatriate Burmese community in Singapore and their local sympathisers experience the Singapore government's heavy hand. External story.

When warnings go unheeded

It's getting harder for the government to ban public protests. People are increasingly likely to defy or circumvent warnings, and the cost of a crackdown is rising. Full essay.

Straight thoughts on 377A

Sam, a university student, asks his friends to sign the petition to repeal Section 377A of the Penal Code. Guest essay.

Is there really a race called 'Malays'?

This guest piece by Michael from Malaysia looks at the inconsistent use of the term 'Malay', and how it is contested by the very people often classified as 'Malay'. Guest essay.

Southeast Asian royal families and West Asian links

A guest piece by Dreamhunter throws light into how, centuries ago, princes and mercenaries from West Asia found their way into the early royal houses of some Southeast Asian states. Guest essay.

Black and blue

The New Zealand rugby team does a Maori haka before each match. What do the words mean? Full essay.

Petition to the prime minister: repeal 377A now

An online petition is open until 19 October to ask the government to repeal Section 377A of the Penal Code forthwith. Alas, too many signatories have chosen to use pseudonyms. Full essay.