Letters to Straits Times not published

robertteh SG

deleted

robertteh SG

Jul 1, 2007

To: The Editor Straits Times,

Dear Sir,

The Straits Times,(22.12.2006) claimed in an article in Insight page entitled "People & Politics - 7 highly visible types in Singapore politics" it has published readers' letters to the forum page from writers who have "the knack of raising issues in a timely and coherent manner."

It cited the writings of Mr. Michael Loh, Mr. Leong Sze Hian and Dr. Lim Boon Hee and gave an impression that the Straits Times has been objective in publishing letters from its readers with mention that writer Michael Loh has scored some kinds of record in the Guiness Book of record being the most prolific newspaper's forum writers.

May I ask the Straits Times to show whether it has published well-articulated letters from writers on serious social or political issues or problems in the past and how many of such letters have been published and rejected in order to back up its point that Straits Times has been objective and welcoming enough to publish well-written or coherent letters from its readers.

Let me ask why my letters to the Straits Times on "High costs of living" or "Proposed Revision of the Constitution"; were less coherent and were rejected from publication.

A reader I happened to be acquainted with Mr. Cheong Chee Mun earlier this year wrote a letter to the Forum page questioning HDB's claim that it has subsidised the HDB sale flats when in actual fact HDB merely gave a discount, HDB replied to this letter by restating its old position that it has subsidised such flats without substance. Cheong subsequently sent a rejoinder clearly showing HDB's pricing formula had omitted profits from land acquisition but this rebuttal which was important enough to correct HDB's wrongful presentation or creative accounting of facts was similarly rejected.

Will the Straits Times be objective enough to publish such readers' feedbacks in its forum page on important national issues instead of publishing the relatively harmless and innocuous letters.

I am sure Straits Times has a more important role to play in nation building and not to play the pussycat to molly-coddle serious issues and problems affecting the countries like quoted in the foregoing.

robertteh SG

Date: Jul 1 2007

TO: The Editor, The Straits Times,

Dear Sir,

The recent outbreak of dengue could have been prevented in view of the previous outbreak which has occurred only about a year ago.

The key issue raised by Minister in charge is that people have been spreading mosquito by their inconsiderate habits of various kind. But is this assumption proven. No doubt there may be cases of negligence among the people but was the latest outbreak caused by such habits?

I feel that the key issue here is how the ministries and the government should coordinate and take serious preemptive measures to deal with a problem of such nature.

It is pertinent perhaps at this stage of evolvement to a more inclusive and caring society that various ministries and the government as a whole should tackle issues and problems holistically. In the past, it would appear that there has been manoerving of issues and problems with legalistic wrangling of laws and regulations on the assumptions or presumptions that someone is at fault and to pass certain duties and responsibilities to citizens.

Over the years, we have already seen too many such laws and regulations passed on presumptions of such nature with penalties imposed on citizens for its own negligence and inefficiencies from HDB's own poorly designed windows, lack of structural checking on buildings to illegal immigration where old lady landlords were presumed guilty of habouring illegal to mosquito breeding attributable to insufficient preemptive measures by NEA.

It is my humble view that government should take on the larger role of looking into all problems holistically and solve them by preemptive measures instead of legalistically passing more laws and regulations to presume responsibilities by citizens to solve problems.

Atobe SG

Even if you were to keep to their standard of being economical with your words - limiting it to 400 words - the final say still rest with them.

They have the ''Editorial Right Not to Print Your Letter''.

Better for you that they do not print your letter, than for them to do so AFTER editting it by rephrasing certain sentences, or remove whole paragraphs.

It is better to have some consolation for you to publish in the various public forums on the various websites to publicise your views.

robertteh SG

In other words, many letters written on NKF before the SPH court case were not published so finally NKF exploded.

Rephidim SG

I'm not defending the "States" Times, because they are obvious to all, more a company newslatter of Singapore Pte Ltd than a media paper. However....

Dude, your language is accusing. No papers including the New York Times or Washington Post will allow publishing of anything that will draw flak to itself.

ndmmxiaomayi SG

What do you think? Also, it's not nice to pick on others' wounds. I'm not interested in talking about this particular issue anymore.

Just as top civil servant pay rise resulted in other normal civil servants getting hurt, the top management who have been making errors are making the ones at the bottom scapegoats.

You think by making this incident public, punishing the criminals will make them happy? I can tell you, it's a plain NO.

You guys want transparency, spare a thought for those at the bottom. They know nothing about what's going on at the top management level, yet when things broke out, they are the ones who have to bear all the abuse hurled.

robertteh SG

I can see the correlation between the top abusing their powers and the bottom getting all the brickbats.

This fact however should not deter right-thinking civil servants at the bottom rung to speak up.

Why go on supporting their superior's pretentious behavior which were the root cause of so many problems and yet they have had to bear with all public contempt for such wrongs which were not caused by them.

It is time all civil servants learn how to be objective and point out wrong policies and not stay servile for they do not really benefit very much in the final analysis.

ndmmxiaomayi SG

You and I know very well how this system works. Unless it topples, there's no chance of that. Even if there are, one can almost guarantee that they will be the first to be kicked out once restructuring is in progress.

In Singapore, if any companies are using illegal products, employees can blow the whistle and they are protected. The same should be applied to the civil service. They shouldn't be kicked out, rather, made known that such a suggestion has been made.

It's not that we support their behaviour, but how many suggestions based on public feedback, based on employees' feedback are ever implemented?

I won't say it's none, because it isn't true. It's only a few here and there, which still isn't enough.

robertteh SG

It is a small group of civil servants who would give feedbacks on unpopular policies back to the top. This group is the group which really contributes but they were being suppressed.

However, this group eventually will have to be the one to make the change from inside with a whistle-blowers act to protect them for speaking up on wrong policies or wrong doings.

zix1 SG

how sure are you on Just as top civil servant pay rise resulted in other normal civil servants getting hurt, the top management who have been making errors are making the ones at the bottom scapegoats? Is purely your assumption, your own perception. Show proof.

zix1 SG

The press is working very closely with the ruling party and may have a set of guidelines to comply with on publishing of articles. They are made to protect the interest of the govt. Perhaps that explains why your letters are not published. The media/press in our country is one of the tools of propaganda. I hope both locals and foreigners who read the local papers will be aware that the press is exercising propaganda and it only report what they and the ruling party want people to know. Perhaps, we should post in both local and foreign forums to let people know of whatever important news that the local press does not publish.

ndmmxiaomayi SG

Since you ask, why not go join the civil service, let the top make some decisions and have the public talk to you?

zix1 SG

read that you are in support of having some kind of back up when statements are made. So it would be helpful if you can show proof.

ndmmxiaomayi SG

My proof has always been practical. Practical in terms of experience, not words, not numbers, not data, but Experience.

zix1 SG

So I suppose when others base on experience it is good enough. But don't mistaken others' experiences as their own perception without proof.

Why ah, you from civil service ah? Civil service very boring one, was in it and aiyo what to say ah!!! They work like the present g_ _ vt (fill in the blanks, not convenient to tell all). Sorry robert, I side track a little.

ndmmxiaomayi SG

Yes. And no, I'm not from civil service.

Since you have been part of it, then I've nothing much to say. You already experienced it, you know how it works, there's no need for proof to show himself.

Chin Eng SG

letters don’t get published for many reasons. no sweat. more than half my letters go unpublished. big fat hairy deal!