[MyAppleMenu] May 15, 2011

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** Family Values By Wendy Cope <http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/may/15/family-values-wendy-cope-poetry?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+theguardian%2Fbooks%2Frss+%28Books%29>
Kate Kellaway, The Guardian

Wendy Cope's first new collection of poems in a decade finds her focusing on death, in deadpan style.

**** Eat, Pray, Love, Rinse, Repeat <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/15/magazine/a-memoir-of-a-cameo-in-eat-pray-love.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all>
Sam Anderson, New York Times

It has a strange integrity: the purity of an actual, unremarkable guy telling his actual, (mostly) unremarkable story.



SingaporeSurf
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**** On Ministers Leaving The Cabinet <http://mollymeek.wordpress.com/2011/05/14/on-ministers-leaving-the-cabinet/>
Molitics

The move by the two established politicians seems somewhat disingenuous especially for Goh Chok Tong as many Marine Parade GRC voters must have voted for the PAP team because they did not want to lose a minister.

**** My Take On MM Lee And SM Goh Stepping Down From Cabinet <http://www.sgpolitics.net/?p=6846>
Ng E-Jay, Sgpolitics.net

But regardless of the real motivation for MM Lee and SM Goh departing from the cabinet together, it is clear that the PAP feels the need for change in order to address its eroding popularity. But whether it will really change for the better and start to implement policies that take care of Singaporeans rather than treat them as mere economic digits remains to be seen.

**** Two Less Lions In Lion City <http://singaporesojourn.blogspot.com/2011/05/two-less-lions-in-lion-city.html>
Singapore Sojourn

**** Majority Vote <http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2011/5/15/lifefocus/8677424&sec=lifefocus>
Andrew Sia, The Star

The bottom line is this: elections are far from perfect. Therefore it is up to the people to examine whether the system they have can be improved, to ensure that the governent that gets elected reflects the true will of the majority.

**** Transparency Of Government <http://tankinlian.blogspot.com/2011/05/transparency-of-government.html>
Tan Kin Lian

**** Ethnic Integration Singapore Way… <http://warisantmk.wordpress.com/2011/05/15/ethnic-integration-singapore-way/>
Warisan Tanah Melayu Kita

In the eye of the ruling Singapore government, a ‘balanced ethnic mix’ is only achieved when the minority races remain minority in each and every neighborhood, with the Chinese making up 80% of the residents. This is ‘social integration’ Singapore way’.

**** More Volunteers And Members For SDP <http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_668851.html>
Tessa Wong, Straits Times

The Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) saw a surge in volunteer and membership sign-ups over the election period - a pool that it hopes to tap for the next general election (GE) five years down the road, said party leader Chee Soon Juan on Saturday.

**** The Long Farewell Finally Ends <http://satayclub.net/2011/05/the-long-farewell-finally-ends/>
Cheryl Chan, Satayclub.net

**** A New Dawn In Parliament <http://newasiarepublic.com/?p=28956>
Chan Jia Hui, New Asia Republic

It started with Yeo’s acknowledgement for the need of transformation within the party and now we are seeing the stepping down of senior Lee and Goh in acknowledgement that a new style of governance is required. Though the former stated that the ruling party is not adverse to change, it remains to be seen how the party itself will evolve. However, the writing is already on the wall with the departure of the two former leaders that we are seeing a new dawn in our parliament.

**** Paptism No More!!! <http://feedmetothefish.blogspot.com/2011/05/paptism-no-more.html>
Feed Me To The Fish

**** SDP Welcomes Resignations, Calls For Further Cuts In PMO <http://yoursdp.org/index.php/news/singapore/4830-sdp-welcomes-resignations-calls-for-further-cuts-in-pmo>
Singapore Democratic Party

The Singapore Democratic Party welcomes the resignation of the minister mentor Lee Kuan Yew and senior minister Goh Chok Tong from cabinet. The SDP has, in our Shadow Budget 2011, called for the posts created in the Prime Minister's Office to be abolished as they serve no useful purpose except to drain the national budget. 

We call on the prime minister to make these removals permanent as well as to go one step further to also abolish the positions of the ministers-without-portfolio. The government has never adequately explained to the people what these ministerial posts are for and why they are needed for the efficient running of the country.

**** No Real Change In Policies With MM Lee And SM Goh Leaving Cabinet: Kenneth Jeyaretnam <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1128976/1/.html>
Hetty Musfirah, Channel NewsAsia

**** Singapore's Lee Steps Down, But Not Full Break With Past <http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/05/15/idINIndia-57023820110515>
Raju Gopalakrishnan, Reuters

No one is predicting that Lee's exit will bring a shake-up of the tightly managed political system that helped turn Singapore from an economic backwater at independence in 1965 to a roaring success and moulded it into a world-class financial hub.

Rather, there was a sense that the blunt-speaking Lee, with his impatience of dissent, was out of touch with the mood and expectations of the people of Singapore, and it was time to move on.

**** Singapore’​s Human Rights Record Under The Universal Periodic Review <http://trulysingapore.wordpress.com/2011/05/14/singapore%E2%80%8Bs-human-rights-record-under-the-universal-periodic-review/>
Yours Truly Singapore

To award Singapore high marks for human rights is to condemn Singaporeans to many more decades of sub-standard human rights.

**** PM Lee’s Tasks Ahead <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2011/05/toc-editorial-pm-lee’s-tasks-ahead/>
The Online Citizen

One of the most sensitive issue which PM Lee will face is ministerial salaries. The government is expected to raise these by another 10 per cent to bring it to its goal of 88 per cent of the benchmark, pegged to the salaries of top earners in the private sector. It currently stands at 77 per cent. Will PM Lee ignore once again unhappiness on the ground and proceed with this? If he does, Singaporeans may accuse him of reneging on his promise of listening to the ground.

The biggest challenge facing PM Lee in the coming years, however, is to lay out the path his government will take in addressing the groundswell of discontent which was evident during the elections. It is not an easy job to achieve this with a more vocal population, and with unhappiness cutting across a whole spectrum of issues – from immigration to employment, from wages to social security, from housing to retirement concerns.