Dear Mr Goh,

I am writing to you as I have failed in my bid to appeal for financial assistance for my aged and ailing mother from my MP of Aljunied who then refer me to CDC.

I visited him on October 1, 2014 for help as I am the sole breadwinner of the family and finding it very hard to make ends meet. My elder brother has been unable to work as he has had to supervise and look/clean after my mum.

My household is surviving only on my gross salary of $1,400 excluding my mum’s hefty medical expenses.

Our application for the blue CHAS Card has also not met any response ever since I applied for it early last year. I myself too am suffering from blood in the stools but really cannot afford the medical costs from CGH or Bedok Polyclinic.

The SSO (from CDC) deemed that my family is “well to do” as we have paid off our Bedok Reservoir 4 room flat of 1985.

Hence, they hastened to reject our application accordingly, leaving us in the lurch to fend for ourselves as per the policy of MSF – more so for opposition wards.

They have even refused to issue a letter for me to open a penalty-free POSB Account, considering that I do not have one.

My family also does not have a functioning water heater required for my mum and the tiles in her room has worn off rendering her prone to cuts and injuries.

The staff of Eunos CC which is aware of my plea, has rudely snubbed a proposed house visit and stated that I have to possess a full set of documents that I do not have first before they can commence anything.

I do not know who else I can turn to hence a colleague of mine suggested I approach you after learning about your work from media reports.

Yours faithfully,

Chris Hon
Bedok Reservoir Rd

Transitioning Editor’s note: SSO refers to social service officers who work with Ministry of Social and Family Development and usually sit in our Community Development Council (CDC) when helping clients.

A video of a 58 year-old woman being slapped by her daughter has attracted the attention of Singapore netizens, many of whom have come out to condemn the actions of the woman who slapped the elderly lady - apparently her own daughter.

According to their neighbour, 25 year-old Mohd Juani Ali, who filmed the incident in secret outside their flat at Block 48 Lower Delta Road on Monday. the abuse happened "frequently" for as long as six months, but he only managed to capture their act when he chanced upon the scene.

"In front of other people they never do this. When there are no people around, they would start to hit the aunty.

“Actually, I don’t want to be involved in this matter, but I can’t bear to see the aunty like this, so It thought I should report it to the authorities," Mohd Juani said. “Before this, she was healthy, unlike the state she is in, as seen in the video. Now, her head is even shaved botak and I pity her.”

Several people on Facebook have hailed Mohd Juani as a hero for blowing the whistle on the assault, but he shrugged it off, saying he did not do it for fame. “Actually, I don’t need all that,” he said. “As a human being, I think we should all help each other because I can't bear to see the pain she suffered."

He added that the expose was a combined effort. "If I didn't share it, and you didn't help me share it, we wouldn't have helped the aunty." His initial video, uploaded on Monday night, has been shared more than 28,600 times and garnered more than 600,000 views.

The daughter in the video is currently assisting the police with investigations and the case has been classified as voluntarily causing hurt.

No one appeared to be at home when the news team visited the flat. A note on a wall near the gate, apparently written by the daughter, said that the family owed people money and that her father had left the family.

Findings highlighting several lapses at Admiralty Citizen’s Consultative Committee (CCC) in the Auditor-General’s Report are being taken seriously, said Members of Parliament for Sembawang GRC Khaw Boon Wan and Vikram Nair*.

The grassroots leader “resigned” from his post but going by the u/m post on Facebook, Khaw and Nair should take responsibility Japanese style (something Khaw, who asked the WP’s leaders to commit hari kiri over the issues at their town council**. and the PAP – think ESM– advocate when it doesn’t involve a PAPpy or a scholar:

https://atans1.wordpress.com/2011/03/14/learn-from-japanese-set-example-...

https://atans1.wordpress.com/2011/03/15/pap-pls-do-not-use-tragedy-to-pu...)

I was in grassroots from 1992 til mid 2008.. I held positions ranging from Exco, Secretary, Treasurer n Auditor.. If the cc n the adviser were doing their respective jobs.. This cannot happen.. We needed to submit reports, accounts n statements for everything.. We had only certain banks which we could deposit our monies into n a minimum of two signatures was ALWAYS required.. We were always fearful of being audited and found to be dishonest n so we would work into the night to ensure our submissions were fit for clearance..

To be fair we had access to plenty of training as to how to discharge our various duties n so I’m shocked .. As for the monies involved.. We had a balance of several tens of thousands n a monthly accounts of several thousands.. We not only ran several classes n day care (and we were not even that busy or aggressive) and we could bank in some hundreds every month easily. And we also used to receive funds from the various affiliates n grassroots organizations n eve the near by temple would donate funds for community events. Also the monies involved are not surprising for Why do you think the PA’s annual budget is so huge.. I quit coz I got disillusioned with the grassroots.. I felt I was no longer serving my residents but the .. Ahhh but then that’s another story..

*please note that this sharing is based to the best of my recollection and it’s not meant to disparage anyone fingered and I don’t in any way mean to cast aspersions on those folks especially since they’ve resigned :)) WAhahahahahah :)) T

What the post implies is that if Vikram and Khaw had been “on the ball” in carrying out their duties, the incident should not have arisen. It was a failure of the managers, not a system failure.

They also have to take responsibility for not ensuring that staff were trained to follow the “right” procedures. CNA reported that only after the report was released, did staff and volunteers at Admiralty CCC familiarise themselves with the financial procedures.

Again if Khaw and Vikram had been more on the ball … But let’s be fair to both of them. Vikram may still be suffering from the after-effects of drinking water from the tank where an FT went swimming and drowned, polluting the water supply of residents. And Khaw had a lot of work recently:

— Fernvale

— Fixing the WP

— Mourner in chief

— GE planning.

———

*Mr Khaw, who is also National Development Minister, said Admiralty CCC fully cooperated with the People’s Association investigation Panel. The report highlighted that the CCC chairman had awarded two contracts worth S$32,000 to a company at which he was linked to. He had also approved S$114,767 of his own claims.

The grassroots leader involved has stepped down and Mr Khaw said he was “glad” the Investigation Panel found no evidence of dishonesty.

Mr Nair said he was “saddened” to learn of the findings and said the grassroots leader concerned has served with distinction for many years. “I am relieved to note that there was no dishonesty found on his part by the investigation,” he said.

The PA said the non-declaration of conflict of interest is a serious lapse and that the staff involved have been reprimanded.

(CNA)

**Ok, OK I exaggerate.

In an update yesterday on the Singaporeans First Party (SingFirst) website, SingFirst informed its supporters that it had conducted walkabouts in 6 wards in Marine Parade and Tampines GRC in preparation for upcoming elections - which are expected anytime soon with the impending release of the Electoral Boundaries Commission.

Read the full statement from SingFirst here:

It was definitely a fruitful night for SingFirst on their walkabouts in both Tampines and Marine Parade GRC’s yesterday. We were warmly received in all the six wards that we went to, especially in Chai Chee where 4 members of the public spontaneously joined in our door to door visits.

The majority of the residents who were at home gamely took our pamphlets. Some even asked if election is around the corner and when is the exact date. There were also residents who invited us into their home for a chit chat. A lot of introduction about SingFirst was also communicated in different languages and dialects.

With these visits, more voters are now aware of and familiar with the name and logo of our party, what we stand for and what we intend to do for Singaporeans when we get into Parliament. We will step up our walkabouts in the weeks and months ahead.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has been resisting calls from real estate developers to ease off cooling measures. The Real Estate Developers’ Association of Singapore has repeatedly called on the Government to ease some of the cooling measures, especially the additional buyer's stamp duty. It said earlier this year that the ABSD on the high-end housing market “runs counter to the Government’s efforts to encourage foreign investment flows into the country”.

Housing prices sharply increased in the middle of 2009 as confidence returned to the market after the global financial crisis. Prices reached exorbitant levels in the third quarter of 2013, putting many housing options out of the reach of average Singaporeans. With the introduction of the cooling measures from MAS, the market has since fallen steadily but gradually since June 2013.

According to flash estimates released by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) earlier this month, prices of private residential properties fell by 0.9 per cent in the second quarter, marking the seventh continuous quarter of price declines since the record high in 2013. However, prices have corrected less than 7 per cent from their peak, and hence, the cooling measures introduced in 2009 such as the additional buyer’s stamp duty (ABSD) and the seller’s stamp duty are unlikely to be rolled back.

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam said in October last year that “prices have some distance to go in achieving a meaningful correction”. Earlier that same month, National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan had also said it was not the right time to wind down cooling measures and there is still room for prices to moderate.

While many Singaporeans have expressed outrage at the slapping incident especially of a daughter against her own mother, MSF Minister Tan Chuan Jin however gave an ambiguous comment saying it could just be a family petty quarrel:

“It’s a fine line. We all know you have altercations and tiffs within families and you want to respect the family’s space, but I think we do need to raise awareness and step in when we need to. A lot of it has to do with the community, people who observe this. Do we just let it pass? Sometimes we may find it difficult to step in, but that’s where perhaps we should flag it.”

The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) said that they will ensure the elderly woman’s safety, but did not explain how.

As of now, it appears the 25 year old woman is now back at home with her mother who is likely to suffer more physical abuse. According to their neighbour, the 58 year old mother was last seen taken to a hospital with a bandaged head.

The Singapore Police today did not arrest the 25 year old woman who was caught on video slapping her 58 year old mother because “voluntarily causing hurt is not an arrestable offence”, according to Singapore Government-controlled media, Channel News Asia (CNA).

However, this slapping incident is similar to Amos Yee’s slapping incident yet his assailant was arrested on the following day. The Singapore Police did not explain why there is a discrepancy in arrestable offence between the two incidents.

According to the Straits Times news report “Higher salary bar for foreigners seeking family visas” (Jul 22) – “From Sept 1, they will have to earn at least $5,000 a month if they want to apply for Dependant’s Passes (DPs) for their spouses and children to join them in Singapore. This is up from the current $4,000.

Those who want to bring their parents to Singapore on Long Term Visit Passes (LTVPs) face an even higher minimum salary bar of $10,000 a month, up from $8,000.

349,000 E & S-Pass holders

The move will affect foreigners on S Passes and Employment Passes (EPs). According to the MOM’s website, there were 178,900 people on EPs and 170,100 on S Passes as of December last year.

Minimum salary was only $2,800 for foreigner family visas

The minimum salaries for foreigners bringing in their families were last adjusted in 2012. Before that, S Pass holders who earned more than $2,800 and EP holders could bring in their spouses and children.”

Don’t you find the earlier criteria of just $2,800 income kind of low? It may be tough for a family with children to make ends meet. As foreigners would typically have to rent – it may not leave much for living expenses.

Some become cardboard collectors?

So, perhaps this may be a contributory reason for reports of foreigners increasingly competing with elderly Singaporean cardboard collectors and tissue sellers.

Compete unfairly for jobs?

Also, foreign dependents can apply for a Letter of Consent from MOM and compete with Singaporeans for jobs. Moreover, they are not counted in the foreign workers’ quota.

Foreigners grew 59%?

According to the Department of Statistics’ Monthly Digest of Statistics – the foreign population grew by about a whopping 59 per cent from 2008 to 1,598,985 in 2014.

PRs grew 18%?

PRs grew by about 18 per cent to 527,709.

Singaporeans grew 7%

Against this, Singaporeans only grew by about a paltry 7 per cent to 3,343,030.

In other words, non-citizens now comprise about 39 per cent (2,216,694) of the total population of 5,469,724.

348,654 new PRs, 153,923 new citizens

A total of 348,654 new PRs and 153,923 new citizens were granted from 2007 to 2014.

Win battles lose war

According to The New Paper, a famous Japanese adult video studio RADIX has announced the latest additions to its growing list of adult video stars - a pair of 61 year-old twin sisters known as the Tomita sisters.

This is not the first time Japan, known for its risque and sometimes outright bizarre adult entertainment industry, has featured elderly women in pornography. However, it is a novelty for two biological twin sisters of an advanced age to be featured in a pornographic film.

Perhaps more shockingly, as demand for their first film was considerable, the twins are expected to film yet another adult movie together soon, said the studio RADIX.

In a Japanese language interview, it was reported that the sisters had both dreamed of starring in an adult movie for quite some time, although they have different taste in men. One sister likes gentlemen who have a sense of humour, while the other prefers men who have a strong character.

Dear ASS,

I read your article about the rich tai tai who scolded her children for not clearing their own mess after dining at McDonalds. First I like to applaud her for the good parenting but there are problems with this approach too.

The disadvantage of clearing up after ourselves is we may be depriving a much needed job for the aunties and uncle hoping to gain employment after retirement.

If we clear and tidy up the tables chairs and return it ourselves, there would be no need to hire cleaners. Instead, what I usually do is to tidy up the trash on the service tray and leave everything nicely on the table. This makes it easier for aunties and uncles to clear up.

This way McDonalds still have a reason or need to give more employment to the needy aunties or uncle out there. These food outlets are making huge profits and employment costs are already factored into the margins.

If you do the cleaning for the companies, only the company will be happy as they are making more money. The elderly who need a part time job to kill time or make ends meet will end up jobless.

We as the consumers must decide whether we can to enrich the companies or help the needy auntie and uncles.

Fred Wong

A.S.S. Contributor

A netizen Mr Rizuan suffered a horrific injury after the stool he was sitting on at a hawker center in Changi Village broke. He had been breaking fast with his family at the hawker center on 26th Jun when the incident happened.

What happened next was nothing if not excruciating. As he fell backwards, his left calf struck the exposed metal spine of the seat and was impaled, leaving him bleeding and in severe pain.

"The top part of the seat fell off, my left calf was stuck on the metal part," he said.

The result was a horrific 10cm gash that left Rizuan bleeding profusely.

The injury is so bad that Rizuan is still unable to walk and has to take hospitalisation leave from work.

Rizuan said that he went public with his unfortunate accident because he wanted others to be careful of faulty equipment in public hawker centers and for public agencies to look into the safety of all hawker center customers.

"This time it happened to me, next time it could be children, pregnant women or old people. You will never know," he said.

He added that he is seeking legal advice on how he can proceed to file claims for his injury.

In the best interest of Singaporeans

According to the Allsingaporestuff news report “LEE HSIENLOONG: GOVT HAS THE BEST INTERESTS OF S’POREANS AT HEART” (Jul 22) – “while there may be differing views on the matter, he hoped that Singaporeansrealise the Government’s motivation was always in the best interest of Singapore and Singaporeans”.

Really?

• Is it in the best interest of Singaporeans to increase the number of non-Singaporean workers to an estimated 47 per cent (not including new citizens) of the total workforce?
• Is it in the best interest of Singaporeans to have hardly any real increase in the basic, gross and total wage (excluding employer CPF contribution) of all Singaporean workers, in the last 16 years or so?
• Is it in the best interest of Singaporeans to increase the non-Singaporean population to about 39 per cent (excluding new citizens) of the total population?
• Is it in the best interest of Singaporeans to keep an estimated at least 3 per cent of the annualised returns derived from our CPF funds historically, instead of returning it to CPF members, like all othe national pension funds in the world?
• Is it in the best interest of Singaporeans to have the most expensive public housing in the world?
• Is it in the best interest of Singaporeans to not spend any money on healthcare from a cashflow perspective – as annual Medisave contributions and annual Medisave interest always exceed annual public healthcare spending and withdrawals from Medisave?
• Is it in the best interest of Singaporeans to spend an estimated $400 million a year on non-Singaporean students at all educational levels – and increase the fees of Singaporeans practically every year in recent years?

Win battles lose war

An Open Letter to the Prime Minister

Dear Mr Prime Minister

This open letter is a plea which, as an affected and concerned Singaporean, my following private attempts at lee_hsien_loong@pmo.gov.sg to surface issues of financial irregularities being experienced at one of the Private Nursing Homes under the Ministry of Health (MOH) portable subsidy scheme fell on deaf ears at the MOH:
- Subject: Mr Prime Minister, I did not manage to meet you on 30 April 2014 Meet-The-People session dated 6 May 2014; and
- Subject 1: MOH lied brazenly to the PMO QSM卫生部竟然对总理公署撒谎来掩盖包庇贪婪的受政府津贴安老院 and Subject 2: EM/14/May/00307 Feedback on UMC dated 29 June 2015.

I lost my beloved 88 year-old father on 23 March 2014 - four months after he was nursed at the Hospice in Bright Vision Hospital (BVH).
Between 28 January and 14 February 2013, my father was admitted to the acute hospital due to fever. Though he presented signs of weakening both physically and cognitively, my siblings and I did not want to give up hope of bringing him home with a foreign domestic helper to assist his daily living (as we had done between November 2009 and January 2013). Therefore we decided to transfer him to BVH on 14 February 2013 for slow stream rehabilitation…thinking hopefully that he may need more time to practice walking.

On 8 March 2013, during the family conference at BVH, my family was advised to accept the fact that professional nursing care at the nursing home was an optimal choice given my father’s gradually deteriorating medical conditions.

After the medical social worker at BVH submitted our application for a nursing home to the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC), I also explained (supported with my father’s specialist medical memo) the challenging situations we had undergone in my e-mail to the AIC on 8 April 2013. Barely two weeks later, the medical social worker at BVH informed me that the AIC had assigned my father to the United Medicare Centre (hereinafter referred to as “UMC” or “Home”) at Elizabeth Drive - a Private Nursing Home under MOH portable subsidy scheme.

Although it took me approximately three hours travelling to and fro visiting my father and UMC charged comparatively higher (which was beyond our budget) than the Voluntary Welfare Organisation (VWO) Nursing Homes receiving MOH subsidies, my siblings and I had no choice but to meticulously pool our resources and sent him to UMC because he truly needed proper medical care and attention. Plus, BVH needed to discharge him anytime. The medical social worker at BVH gave me the contact information of UMC and got me to liaise directly with the Home.

Between 24 April and 18 October 2013, my father was admitted to UMC. I paid S$180 per month for his diapers in addition to the fixed monthly maintenance fee of S$893. Later, the nursing director at UMC advised me that my father needed a reclining wheelchair. I immediately paid S$481.50 to acquire the prescribed wheelchair to ensure that he had the most effective therapy aid.

Between 10 and 26 August 2013 my father was admitted to the acute hospital due to high fever. According to UMC's Manager, I must pay for his fixed monthly maintenance fee during his hospitalisation leave because the Home reserved his bed! Ironically, MOH confirmed the same in its e-mail reply to me on 16 September 2013. Shortly thereafter, the following two sets of conventional MOH’s documents landed on my hands:

- The 65-page Provision of Subsidised Nursing Home Care Services (MH RFP 4 of 13); and
- Circular FCM 1-2013 “Funding for Bed Reservation for Home Leave” dated 4 February 2013 (3-page).

Having perused the 65-page MOH RFP and circular carefully, to my conundrum, my situation of predicament and anguish had been used to exploit me and others in the similar state, financially!

The contents of the four-page agreement I signed with UMC contradict the Clauses stipulated in the said two sets of MOH’s documents, particularly:
- the consumables such as diapers and therapy aid such as wheelchair I had paid in addition to the fixed monthly maintenance fee imposed by UMC actually come under LIST OF STANDARD SERVICES FOR NURSING HOMES per the MOH RFP ANNEX E-2 page 54 Clause B “Medical Equipment, Supplies and Medication”; and
- between 10 and 26 August 2013 and from 19 October to 13 November 2013 when my father was admitted to the acute hospital for emergency treatments, MOH’s funding shall take effect to defray a subsidised elderly’s fixed monthly maintenance fee. This means that my father should not have been charged for his fixed monthly maintenance fee at UMC because in page one, paragraph one of MOH circular FCM 1-2013, it states that “Nursing Homes typically reserve beds for the period that patients are hospitalised or on home leave. Since Jul 2010, MOH has been providing funding for bed reservation when patients go on hospitalisation leave”! This directive is in absolute congruence with MOH RFP page 62, Clause 18 (a) “Proposed patient charges on an average daily basis”.

In due compliance with the said conventional MOH’s documents, UMC had overcharged my father a sum of S$3,678.52 between 24 April and 18 October 2013!
Mr Prime Minister, following what have been outlined above together with my detailed justifications and all the concrete/factual supporting documents aggregate to more than 25 megabytes attached in my two e-mails to you, I like to think that you are just waiting for the right time to step in and step up, and show Singaporeans (especially the uninformed subsidised elderlies) and the world your zero tolerance for wrongdoing - in this instance, the financial lapses in the Private Nursing Homes under MOH portable subsidy scheme.

Although you did not elaborate to Singaporeans during the very difficult trying periods when you managed your elderly parents who were weakening gradually... from my personal experience with my father, I have no doubt that from the bottom of your heart, you truly apprehend every challenging circumstance facing the frail elderly Singaporeans and their family members/caregivers in that they have to cope with their emotional vulnerability of the apparently unpredictable medical conditions. In addition to their psychological stress, they also must ensure their continuous stable employments in order to make ends meet.

As Singaporeans and the world shared your grief on the passing of your late parents particularly on 23 March 2015 when you silently wept while announcing the passing of our founding Prime Minister, the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew - all we saw was a warm, affectionate and filial son who had just lost his loving Papa and not solely as a leader of Singapore... The emotive pictures captured along the way where you were connecting and interacting with the elderly Singaporeans that you posted to your Facebook further manifested your compassion and loving kindness towards the vulnerable Elderlies in our inclusive society... Based on these observations, I have every reasonable ground to believe that a man with such a caring heart will not just simply sit back and allow the unjust mercenary to continue concealing under the mask of a sympathetic nursing home operator in order to mislead our susceptible elderlies!

I must say that the Private Nursing Homes under MOH portable subsidy scheme is a commendable initiative by the government and I was impressed with the speed at which your government announced and implemented the national healthcare subsidy for our Senior Citizens. However, I cannot say that the implementation of the said subsidy scheme has indeed achieved its desired effects following my experience of various non-compliances committed by UMC as emphasised above. And, I earnestly reckon that we can restore the integrity of the said subsidy scheme that you have fastidiously implemented with a determined objective of benefiting our needy elderly Singaporeans.
Mr Prime Minister, I have due faith in the watch of your esteemed leadership in that all the uninformed subsidised elderlies who should be benefiting from what the state orginally intended to grant them will eventually receive their full entitlements. And, the investigative authority will bring all the Private Nursing Homes under MOH portable subsidy scheme that have violated the MOH RFP and circular (include but are not limited to), manipulated the trust of the state, ripped financial advantages off the uninformed subsidised elderlies and our country’s taxpayers’ money will be dealt with swiftly, transparently, objectively and appropriately in accordance with Clause 20 in page 63 of the MOH RFP.

Yours sincerely and respectfully
Kezia Tay

The internet is not always about negative stories and unhappy rants - at least not all the time.

In a heartwarming story that has gone viral among Malaysian Facebook users, a netizen, Victor Chan, shared that he had donated a small hamper to a group of on-duty policemen over the Hari Raya holiday.

His reason? To appreciate the good done by the officers, who had sacrificed their time with family and loved ones and put themselves on the front line for the safety of others.

Although initially surprised, the officer's surprise turned to a smile as can be seen in the photo.

See Victor Chan's post:

Was driving home from the gym this morning. There was a roadblock on the opposite direction.

I saw 4 policemen sitting on the table and having a lunch break, then I thought to myself " Why on earth are they working on Hari Raya ? " .

I felt really bad for them, so I decided to drive around and look for a shop so I can purchase a hamper.

I usually avoid roadblocks at all costs. But I did something unusual today, so I was quite nervous. I stop and got down from the car, walk towards the officer. I handed him the hamper, he was very confused and he ask whom is this for ?

I said " This is for you and your colleagues, it's festive season, you should be with your family and not working. So this is my way of thanking you for doing your duty as a policeman."

No one has ever become poor by giving.

To change the world you must first start with yourself.

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri to all and Salam Satu Malaysia.

Foreigners who bring their families over under the Dependant or Long Term Visit Pass from 1st September this year will need to be paid a higher salary in order to do so, says the Ministry of Manpower website.

According to the MOM advisory, work pass holders will need to earn a minimum fixed monthly salary of $5,000 to sponsor their spouse or children to stay in Singapore on the dependant's pass, up from the current $4,000.

Work pass holders will also need to earn at least $10,000 to sponsor the stay of their parents here on the Long Term Visit Pass, up from the current $8,000.

There are 178,900 Employment Pass holders and 170,100 S Pass holders here as of December 2014, according to the ministry's website.

The last time a similar review was carried out was in September 2012, when MOM said S Pass and EP holders who earn at least S$4,000 can sponsor their spouses and children, while only P1 Pass holders can sponsor their parents.

Hi A.S.S.,

At around afternoon yesterday, I bought Mee Hong Kong from Afghanistan Family Restaurant, along Tampines St 23, and discovered that there was a maggot on one of the sliced beef.

That seriously freaked me out as I had just eaten less than three scoops of the noodles and one of the sliced beef.

I contacted the number given on the plastic bag and a man answered. He said sorry and that he would investigate, without mentioning about wanting to replace anything.

Just be careful before you eat anything now.

Ismail
A.S.S. Reader

Following reports of pond water meat, bleach-soaked pigs' feet and fake duck blood products, we now have to worry about steering clear of gelatin-filled shrimp. Yes, a vendor in Zhejiang is now under investigation after the tiny crustaceans at his shop were found to be injected with gelatin.

The shrimps were recently purchased in a market in Wenzhou. The buyer, surnamed Zheng, said she saw a blob of jello-like substance fall off from the head and body of the shrimps. Uncertain whether it was edible, Zheng did not dare to try it.

She exposed the story to the media, and the case soon came to the attention of authorities, who are now conducting investigations.

Some netizens believe the unidentified product is gelatin, while others worry that it might be adhesive plastic glass.

Click on the link below to read more.

I read with great interest, your publication of a letter by Transitioning.org http://www.allsingaporestuff.com/article/ailing-resident-opposition-alju... and would like to share a similar experience I had with all readers too.

In February this year, Mr Victor Lye visited my home to find out more about my financial difficulties caused by my life savings being cheated from a former assistant director of MAS who ran a scam in conjunction with "Datuks Sri" Ray and Bryannz Fan of Cuffz Holdings Pte Ltd in which police have yet to commence any action since June 2013 when the first report was made.

Mr Lye then gave me some rations, NTUC vouchers and wrote to SSO Bedok. That was the last I heard of him or received assistance from the Punggol C.C. A few weeks later, I received the rejection letter listing almost exactly the same reasons in Chris's letter, albeit a little different in that it sarcastically states I am able to afford buying a subsidized 4 room flat directly from the HDB and should not be having any problems supporting my 2 daughters (1 autistic) as a single parent.

I just threw the letter away and struggled on until I met Mr Gilbert Goh who kindly helped my child and I and did many kind Singaporeans who came forward to offer us much needed aid.

That was not the end of the story, lo and behold, I met Mr Lye again on another of his fruitless house visits and was told the SSO informed his branch that I had loads of cash stashed from the en-bloc of my previous flat and I am rich. Upon hearing that, I don't what to say as I've stressed time and again to Mr Lye, that my entire savings have been cheated by his Young PAP Harold Fook in a fix deposit scam.

Either he's not listening or simply does not wish to highlight this for fear of further implicating the already bad reputation of his party's youth wing who I have reasons to believe, are behind the "Fabrications About the PAP" page. Do not doubt our political acumen as we were the first in the country to cause a GRC to fall and kicked out 2 serving ministers, a speaker of parliament and a potential office holder now moved to a safer seat in Sembawang. Hope Sembawang will find our rejected second hand good, useful for them.

The problem with the WP is that they're not prepared to win a GRC and run a Town Council and are thus, overwhelmed by these issues to spare enough time to look into resident's welfare besides the occasional kopi sessions and free hair cut. They also do not have a comprehensive backup plan when the PAP advisers cut off the local ComCare assistance following the WP victory. Our plight will go on and on with many more of such stories until the rest of the 60% wake up and put a stop to all these!

Yours faithfully,
Ms SH Chow
A.S.S. Contributor

About 10 days after the stage play, “Singapura”, abruptly ended its run amidst controversial circumstances, another play is mired in controversy as well.

An actor in the stage production, “The LKY Musical”, has removed his blog article in which he had alleged Government interference with the production.

The play, to mark Singapore’s 50th year of independence from Malaysia, comes less than six months after the death of Singapore’s former prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew.

The musical premiered on Tuesday and runs till 16 August at the Sands Theatre in Marina Bay Sands.

“Central to the play is the figure of Lee Kuan Yew whose life, political battles and enduring relationship with his wife form the crux of the story,” says SISTIC, the ticketing company.

In the performance, the late Mr Lee is played by actor Adrian Pang, while Mrs Lee is played by well-known artist, Sharon Au.

Tan Shou Chen, the actor who plays former deputy prime minister Toh Chin Chye, removed his post on Wednesday morning.

Mr Tan’s blog post, titled “LKY Musical Some Thoughts”, was a self reflection piece about his role and involvement in the play, the actor wrote.

“When I was offered the role of Toh Chin Chye, I didn’t automatically say yes,” Mr Tan said. “Frankly, when I first heard about the production, I had serious qualms.”

He said he found it “strange” to be in a “song and dance” about Singapore’s “pragmatic leader” who “never thought much about theatre and artists.”

“What was a bigger concern for me was that doing such a piece would mean my art will become propaganda,” Mr Tan wrote. “Censorship is a sure thing for this piece.”

He added that Tony Petito, who wrote the musical, has given a historical biopic treatment to the piece, and “has been extremely open to inputs from a government official, Janandas Devan [sic].”

Mr Janadas is the Chief of Government Communications, a new position established sometime in 2012 under the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI).

Mr Tan wrote:

“Factual corrections were made to the script, including the late hour (4 days before previews) addition of the latter part of the famous broadcast of Mr Lee crying. Dex [the director] communicated to the company of actors that this was suggested to Tony to be added to the script when it was communicated that speech will be broadcast again in it’s [sic] entirety nationwide on Aug 9th, and that there will be a concerted effort to share the latter part of that broadcast.

“To put it extremely bluntly, it reeks of the oily propaganda machine.”

Mr Tan then added:

“When government and art decide to be bed partners, this is the child that is born.”

According to the Straits Times, however, a spokesman for Metropolitan Productions, which is producing the musical, said:

“As with all plays and musicals in Singapore, the script was submitted to MDA for an Arts Entertainment License, which was approved. We were very fortunate to get feedback on correcting inaccuracies such as dates of events. At no time were we asked to change the content or storyline of the musical.”

When contacted by the newspaper, Mr Tan declined comment.

“My question is how much influence (not authority) has the government had on the artistic process and how much have been unquestioned,” Mr Tan had written in his blog article. “I would have liked more sensitivity to the larger socio-political environment of which Singaporean artists work in.”

Mr Tan ended his article with some questions about the whole episode.

“Is the LKY musical the example where government and art are finally at a compromise? Or is this an example of the state of art making here, that we align our works to government suggestions as it is the path of least resistance that will ensure that a work will be seen? Is this precedence being set?”

It is not known why he removed his blog post.

Article first appeared on The Online Citizen

Dear ASS,

Recently, some online netizens were complaining about the SAF exploiting our NSFs and volunteers to pack the #SG50goodiebags for NDP this year.

But these people don't realise that it is not just the NSFs but all the regulars as well. This includes all the regular specialists, warrant officers and even officers. Not just any officer but the biggest officer of the unit incharge of getting the goodie bags packed and ready for our national day.

If you see the middle aged man in the photo, he is BG Lam Sheau Kai, the Commander of the Combat Services Support Command HQ. He is down there with his men, getting his hands dirty, getting things done. He is not blowing aircon in his office and sitting on his hands. 

I know we always kpkb that all these paper generals are useless and detached from the ground but I hope you will give credit when due. How many superscale generals will get all sweaty and dirty with his men doing such menial tasks?

This is a good example of the SAF Officer's Creed which reminds all officers to "Lead my men by example". I hope you will publish this and praise the good example demonstrated by this humble and down to earth man. 

Tony Pua

A.S.S. Contributor