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I took it off Yahoo. A long read, but very well written. ======================== COMMENTARY By Catherine Lim For 17 years, since 1994, I had been writing commentaries on various issues in the Singapore political scene. Whether these were long-standing problems such as the emotional divide between the PAP leadership and the people, or specific issues such as the controversial increase in ministerial salaries, the articles invariably identified the underlying cause as the unrelenting authoritarianism of the PAP government, with all that this implies of stern, punitive measures used by the leaders, and of timid compliance shown by the led. Even as I made a plea for a political opening up, I could not shake off the pessimism that the PAP's obsession with control would at best allow only a very limited version or, worse, only a semblance of it. Now GE 2011 has changed all that. There were four distinct issues that I had brought up in my commentaries, in all of which I had been proved wrong by GE 2011. 1) A climate of fear. I had come to believe that the PAP's systematic use of fear as a strategy to silence critics was so successful that it had become a permanent feature of the Singapore political landscape. During election time, it would spawn all sorts of rumours about how a powerful and vindictive government could find out who you voted for, and punish you accordingly. But the climate of GE 2011 was far from fearful. I saw to my amazement, in the days leading up to the election, the emergence of a large group of young Singaporeans who were articulate, confident and bold, speaking their minds freely and fearlessly in the mainstream and social media, and showing open, unabashed support for the opposition. Their confidence seemed infectious, spreading quickly among the people. Never again can I write about a population muted by fear and its contemptible off-shoot, self censorship. 2) A politically na

hey guys check what Catherine lim has written Below is a article, written 8 May by well-known Singaporean author Catherine Lim, on her reaction following the recent GE 2011. This was forwarded to the ST Forum which requires her to make major amendments before publication. In response she has decided to post it in her blog site instead. GE 2011--Catherine Lim For 17 years, since 1994, I had been writing commentaries on various issues in the Singapore political scene. Whether these were long-standing problems such as the emotional divide between the PAP leadership and the people, or specific issues such as the controversial increase in ministerial salaries, the articles invariably identified the underlying cause as the unrelenting authoritarianism of the PAP government, with all that this implies of stern, punitive measures used by the leaders, and of timid compliance shown by the led. Even as I made a plea for a political opening up, I could not shake off the pessimism that the PAP

There was a discussion here last week why HDB only summon him $50 instead of $400. Online forum has its positive effect! Driver parks at space for disabled to protest lack of lots TO DRIVE home his point to HDB that there is a shortage of parking spaces in his area for residents, a man resorted to hogging a disabled parking lot in the estate, according to The Straits Times (ST). Businessman Yew Chee Heng has parked his white BMW in the handicap lot for the past two months even though he does not have a handicap label. The 34-year-old said he has no place to park in the Bukit Purmei estate every night and he did it because the parking problem has been there since he moved in. Checks by ST showed that he had seven unpaid summonses issued between March 16 and April 1, each amounting to a fine of $50. But the man has not approached his MP or HDB about the parking crunch because he is afraid that they would not hear him out. He explained to ST that they might not listen to him because he is not 'an educated person' and he has a criminal record. According to the report, his 'protests' first started back in 2006 when he just moved into the area. Then, he was driving a Toyota Mark X and he would park along the double yellow lines or in the handicap lot whenever he couldn't find a lot. Mr Yew claimed he has since incurred over $3,000 in fines for such behaviour. Is he right? The report said residents living in Blocks 112 to 115 in Bukit Purmei Road agreed that there is a lack of parking lots. One housewife said the spaces around Block 115 are filled up by 9pm and it is impossible to find a lot nearby. But the interviewed residents also disagreed with Mr Yew's actions. Another housewife S. Wong, 50, said the actions were selfish. 'Everyone faces the same problem, not just him, but he shouldn't park at the handicap lot,' she told ST. Since the first report that came out on Sunday, Mr Yew has paid all the fines for his parking offences. According to a HDB spokesman, they issued him a higher fine of $400 for his most recent offence on Sunday, the report said. The report added that Mr Yew has stopped parking illegally since Sunday - not because he is remorseful. On the contrary he stopped because his wife was angry with him after photographs of her and their children were discovered and posted on online forums, where they have been the subjects of online abuse.