Title: Temporary designation of Suntec pottys as 'gender-neutral' sparks hostile online reaction; others see move as positive

SINGAPORE — A photograph posted online of a set of pottys designated as "gender neutral" at the Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre has provoked some hostile reactions, including comments that Singapore was becoming "woke".

"Woke" is a term that started off as a positive way to describe some evolving social attitudes and practices, but is now generally used as a negative term by opponents of some changes.

The discussion on the internet was triggered on Wednesday (Aug 16) by the posting of the photograph online. It has since been widely shared.

In response to TODAY's queries, a representative from Suntec's building management said that one set of pottys has been temporarily designated in this manner for Wikimania 2023, at the request of the organisers for the duration of the event.

The event started on Wednesday and will run until Saturday.

Wikimania 2023 is an annual conference associated with the Wikimedia Foundation, an American non-profit body best known for the online resource Wikipedia.

The organisation advocates an inclusive approach to some minority groups in society.

On the event website, it is stated that besides modifications to the pottys, other inclusive measures include making the room scent-free for individuals with sensitivities or allergies to scents, designated staff members and volunteers to help participants, and a quiet room that is made available to anyone who may need it.

TODAY visited Suntec's convention centre on Wednesday and found that the gender-neutral pottys are in a converted female restroom with 11 cubicles, located on the third floor.

The question of gender-neutral pottys has been a hot-button issue around the world, although it is now relatively common in some countries to find individual pottys marked with both a female and male symbol that are available to anyone.

Often, these individual pottys are not contained within a room housing a set of pottys but are accessed directly from outside.

SINGAPORE: Polling Day for Singapore's Presidential Election will be on Friday, Sep 1, if more than one candidate qualifies to run for the post.

Nomination Day is set for Aug 22.

The dates were announced by the Elections Department on Friday (Aug 11) after Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong issued the writ of election.

As of Friday, four people have declared their intention to run.

Former Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam was the first to throw his hat into the ring when he announced his bid on Jun 8, followed by businessman George Goh and former GIC chief investment officer Ng Kok Song. Former presidential candidate Tan Kin Lian officially launched his campaign on Aug 11.

Mr Tan said at the official launch of his bid, which took place before the writ of election was issued, that he wanted to offer Singaporeans a chance to vote for someone "outside the establishment".

Mr Ng called the issuance of the writ of election an important milestone. He said: "It reminds us that the institution of the elected President is anchored in the Constitution of Singapore and all our efforts should reflect the honour of the office."

Shortly after, Mr Goh's team said they hoped a decision on the eligibility of candidates would be made "sooner rather than close to the deadline" to allow candidates time to prepare properly for the campaign.

Mr Tharman said after an event at LASALLE College of the Arts that he strongly favours a contest and would "welcome any number of corners" in the presidential contest.

Applications to run in the Presidential Election opened on Jun 13.

To be nominated as a candidate, the person must deliver his nomination paper, along with the Certificate of Eligibility, the Community Certificate and the Political Donation Certificate.

Applications for the Certificate of Eligibility and the Community Certificate will close on Aug 17.

Each candidate must pay a deposit of S$40,500. This can be done before Nomination Day.

Nomination proceedings will take place at the People's Association auditorium at King George's Avenue between 11am and 12pm on Aug 22.

The returning officer is Mr Tan Meng Dui, chief executive officer of the Housing and Development Board.

If there is a contest, Polling Day on Sep 1 will be a public holiday.

In a Facebook post on Friday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong noted that a few people have already made known their intention to run for the presidency.

"The President represents all Singaporeans, and stands as a symbol of our unity and aspirations. Listen to what each candidate has to say, and assess them and their views carefully," wrote Mr Lee.

"I hope everyone will vote wisely for the best candidate for this important role."

A Singapore-born British doctor was fatally shot during a protest in South Africa.

Teoh Kar Hao, a 40-year-old consultant trauma and orthopaedic surgeon at Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, was shot dead in front of his wife and two-year-old son on Aug 3. The family was on holiday in South Africa.

Teoh had reportedly made a wrong turn while driving from Cape Town International Airport which led him to an area where a demonstration by taxi drivers was taking place.

Caught in the crossfire, Teoh was fatally shot at around 12.30am Singapore time, reported Zaobao.

South African police said that Teoh died with a gunshot wound to the head. His wife and child were sent to a hospital for treatment and investigations are still ongoing.

South African officials reported that Teoh was one of five casualties who died during the strike on the same day.

The South African police said that no arrests have been made over his death.

% of the population that speaks fluent English:

🇧🇷 Brazil - 5%
🇷🇺 Russia - 12%
🇹🇷 Turkey - 18%
🇮🇳 India - 20%
🇪🇸 Spain - 22%
🇿🇦 South Africa - 31%
🇮🇹 Italy - 34%
🇫🇷 France - 40%
🇬🇷 Greece - 50%
🇩🇪 Germany - 56%
🇵🇰 Pakistan - 58%
🇵🇭 Philippines - 58%
🇳🇬 Nigeria - 60%
🇧🇪 Belgium -…

— World of Statistics (@stats_feed) August 8, 2023

https://old.reddit.com/r/singapore/comments/15l85qa/malaysian_arrested_with_more_than_47kg_of_heroin

Sg will never learn that death penalty doesn't work

New 1MDB documentary 'Man on the Run' about Jho Low, featuring Najib Razak, to hit US big screens in Sept (VIDEO)

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 3 --- A new documentary that purports to tell the "definitive" story of fugitive Malaysian Jho Low, the man many believe to be the mastermind behind the world's biggest financial theft, is set for cinematic release in the US next month.

Titled Man on the Run, the latest show about what is believed to be the world's biggest money laundering scandal involving billions of dollars misappropriated from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) is scheduled to be open in New York on September 22 and in Los Angeles on September 29, *The Hollywood Reporter *reported yesterday.

The documentary is produced by The Smoking Section in association with Evergreen Media, and is directed by Cassius Michael Kim who worked on ABC News programme Nightline before making a name with a CNN Original Series titled The Wonder List with Bill Weir.

According to the entertainment news portal, the documentary will feature exclusive interviews with FBI agents Charles W. O'Neal and David Smith, who were key in building the US case against 1MDB, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim before he became prime minister, as well as the last filmed interview with former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak "before he was sent to prison for his involvement in the scandal" where he was asked "Where do think Jho Low is?"

The Hollywood Reporter, which viewed snippets of the documentary, said the documentary has interviewees explaining Low --- full name Low Taek Jho --- would use money said to be from the sovereign Malaysian investment fund to get close to celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio, Paris Hilton and Jamie Foxx.

Trailers of the documentary are now available on video-sharing sites Vimeo and YouTube.

Context:

Singapore's Speaker of Parliament was caught in a hot-mic moment using "unparliamentary language" by spouting "fricking populist" after an opposition MP's speech: https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/tan-chuan-jin-apologises-jamus-lim-2208791

And the next week his extra-marital affair with another MP was revealed which led to his resignation: https://rdrama.net/h/singapore/post/188427/marseychingchongitsover-gussy-causes-singapores-speaker-of

Now the leader of the Opposition is sus about the hot-mic leak because of the coincidences

SINGAPORE: Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh on Wednesday (Aug 2) questioned whether the circumstances around the release of an online video of former Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin's hot-mic incident were suspicious.

A Reddit post on Jul 11 pointed to a video where Mr Tan can be heard muttering "f****** populist" following a speech by Workers' Party Member of Parliament (MP) Jamus Lim during a parliamentary sitting on Apr 17.

After the post was made, Mr Tan apologised to Assoc Prof Lim. About a week later, Mr Tan resigned as an MP and from the People's Action Party over an extramarital affair with a fellow MP.

Wednesday's parliamentary sitting was the first since the hot mic incident came to light, and Leader of the House Indranee Rajah raised a point of order to address the matter.

Mr Tan's remark "was not fully audible on the normal livestream, save for a slight burble of sound at the end; and, as far as I'm aware, it was not audible to members in the chamber at the time the words were uttered", she said.

"However, that burble of sound on the livestream was obviously noticed. It was amplified and circulated some three months later, which then brought the incident to the attention of members and the public."

POLICE INVESTIGATION?

Mr Singh asked if Ms Indranee would refer the video to the police to investigate who had released it.

Ms Indranee said that the police investigate criminal offences, and that this question had not occurred to her as it was not clear that amplifying audio was an offence.

Mr Singh said his question was about the duration of time that it took for the hot-mic video to become public.

"I'm not sure whether the Leader considers there to be something suspicious about that. There is also the matter of what we came to know later, of a long-running affair between (Mr Tan) and another MP," he said.

Ms Indranee reiterated that she was unsure if releasing the video after Mr Tan had already made the comments constituted an offence, but added that individuals can make a police report if they consider it to be so.

Mr Singh then said that he was referring to "the total circumstances of the timing of this video coming out", and added that the police sometimes investigate before concluding whether there was an offence.

"I'm just asking in the case of the personality involved, the Speaker of the House, a very senior member of government, whether there would be some thought placed on the circumstances of how that video came to be circulated in public.

"I wasn't speaking of a specific disclosure of an offence, but the total circumstances -- that query whether there could be something more to it."

Mr Singh added that some individuals had come to him with questions of whether it was a "false flag" incident, referring to an act that is designed to pin blame or responsibility on another party.

Ms Indranee replied: "I think Mr Singh is aware that one only refers matters for investigation by the police if an offence has been committed. The police do not generally investigate things which are not offences.

"At the moment, it is not apparent to me that there is an offence. But should ... something further come up which indicates that an offence may have occurred, then the matter can be reconsidered at that time."

FORMAL APOLOGY BY TAN CHUAN-JIN

Before the exchange with Mr Singh, Ms Indranee read out a formal apology by Mr Tan to the House, in which he "unreservedly" withdrew the comment directed at Assoc Prof Lim.

Ms Indranee said that the usual approach to unparliamentary language is to require a withdrawal and an apology, and that Mr Tan had agreed to this after she communicated to him that it was necessary.

She also highlighted two precedents involving the use of unparliamentary language in the House.

After a sitting in November 1995, a complaint was made against then MP Ling How Doong for "(describing) the speech made by another MP in vulgar terms, (calling) the other MP a word questioning the legitimacy of his birth, and (referring) to him using an anatomical term".

The matter was closed when Mr Ling, at a subsequent sitting, withdrew his remarks and apologised to the House.

At another sitting in March 2005, Nominated MP Associate Professor Ong Soh Khim uttered unparliamentary words that were not captured in the official record. Several complaints were made against her.

The matter similarly ended when Assoc Prof Ong apologised to the House for using unparliamentary language.

Turning back to the present incident, Mr Indranee said that Mr Tan had apologised three times -- to the public, to Assoc Prof Lim and to parliament.

"As such, my view is that the specific matter of Mr Tan's use of unparliamentary language does not require any further action, and this regrettable incident can be brought to a close," she said.

SYLVIA LIM, LEONG MUN WAI QUESTION INDRANEE

MP Sylvia Lim (WP-Aljunied) asked Ms Indranee to clarify whether she was exercising any authority as Leader of the House when she communicated to Mr Tan that an apology was necessary.

"The Speaker is the master of the chamber, he has the power to punish us. But it's a question mark as to who has the power to punish him if there is any unparliamentary conduct," she said.

Ms Lim said that from her research into other jurisdictions, a motion of regret filed by backbencher MPs was the usual practice.

Ms Indranee replied that she was not exercising any authority over Mr Tan, and had only indicated her view to him as Leader of the House.

She added that she did not have the power to conclude the matter, and that if any MP had another view, it was up to them to pursue it.

Non-Constituency MP Leong Mun Wai asked why the Leader of the House did not think it necessary for Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan to formally apologise when he was caught making comments about Mr Leong on a hot mic.

Mr Leong was referring to a previous incident in which a voice was heard saying "he's illiterate" and "seriously, how did he get into (Raffles Institution)? Must have been a lousy school" during a livestream of a parliamentary sitting.

Dr Balakrishnan later apologised to the Progress Singapore Party politician in a call.

Ms Indranee said that typically, the Speaker rules on such matters and it is for the person who has the right to complain -- in that case, Mr Leong -- to raise the issue.

"I have raised it here simply because it is the Speaker who had uttered the words, and other members can raise a complaint if they wish," she said.

"But I felt that it was appropriate that as Leader, I should address it. And of course, he's no longer here in parliament to deal with it, so somebody has to raise it."

Context for Monday's drama: https://rdrama.net/h/singapore/post/188427/marseychingchongitsover-gussy-causes-singapores-speaker-of

I love how when scandals erupt in the ruling party the same thing surfaces very coincidentally at the same time in the main opposition party here

I voted for her

SINGAPORE: Workers' Party (WP) senior members Leon Perera and Nicole Seah have resigned from the opposition party after having an extramarital affair, secretary-general Pritam Singh announced on Wednesday (Jul 19).

He also said that Mr Perera has informed the acting Speaker of Parliament that he will be resigning as a Member of Parliament (MP).

"Both of them admitted that they had an affair, which started after the General Election of 2020, but that it had stopped some time ago," said Mr Singh at a press conference, adding that they had previously told the party that there was no truth to the allegations when they surfaced in 2021.

"Leon's conduct and not being truthful when asked by the party leadership about the allegations fell short of the standards expected of Workers' Party MPs. This is unacceptable," Mr Singh added.

This comes two days after a video clip apparently showing the pair surfaced on Facebook, prompting the party to say that it was looking into an "inappropriate exchange between two senior Party members".

It added then that the party "expects all its members to fully own and account for their behaviour".

The silent 15-second clip appeared to show Mr Perera -- an MP for Aljunied -- dining with 2020 General Election candidate Ms Seah while holding and stroking her hands.

It is not known when or where the video was shot. It was first posted by Facebook user "Victoria Wang" and as of Tuesday evening, the video and the account were no longer available.

AFFAIR ALLEGATIONS SURFACED IN 2021

Mr Singh said they saw the video for the first time on Monday.

Prior to this, the party leader was approached by Mr Perera's driver in early 2021. The driver said in a WhatsApp message that Mr Perera and Ms Seah were meeting "very often" at restaurants and hotels, and that they were seen hugging and holding hands.

Mr Singh said on Wednesday that there was no evidence or corroborating information at that time to support the allegation.

He asked Mr Perera about the allegations, and he refuted the claims.

"Leon also shared with me that he was in an ongoing dispute with his driver and was about to terminate his services and had sought legal advice on the allegations of his driver," Mr Singh said.

"Over the course of the next few months, Leon's driver also shared substantively the same information with other members of the party," he said. These members -- Ms Sylvia Lim, Mr Gerald Giam, Mr Dennis Tan and Mr Jamus Lim -- have been named in several media reports.

"When they received these messages from Leon's driver, all of them sought to verify these allegations with Leon. Leon told them that there was no truth to these allegations," Mr Singh added.

Several members of the central executive committee also separately approached Ms Seah about the allegations, which she also refuted.

"When the video of Nicole and Leon emerged on Monday, that was the first time all of us saw it," said Mr Singh.

Both Mr Perera and Ms Seah are married.

Mr Perera, who turns 53 this year, has two children. Ms Seah, 36, had her second child in April last year.

The pair sat on the WP's central executive committee. Mr Perera headed the media team while Ms Seah was the youth wing president.

Mr Perera first emerged onto Singapore's political scene when he ran as a candidate for East Coast during the 2015 general election. He subsequently became a Non-Constituency MP, before joining the WP's winning slate for its Aljunied stronghold at the 2020 polls.

Prior to politics, he was a civil servant and later co-founder and chief executive officer of a business research and consulting agency.

Ms Seah joined the WP in 2015, contesting in East Coast GRC at the 2020 polls, after earlier stints with the Reform Party and National Solidarity Party. She shot to online fame as the youngest female candidate at the 2011 General Election, when she was 24.

Ms Seah was last reported in 2020 to be working at a multinational marketing firm.

In 2012, the WP expelled then-Hougang MP Yaw Shin Leong following rumours of an extramarital affair. The incident resurfaced in 2021 when the party refuted claims by Mr Yaw that he was told to stay silent after the alleged affair.

On Monday, former Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin - who had been MP for Marine Parade GRC since 2011 - resigned from parliament and the ruling People's Action Party.

He had been having an affair with fellow PAP MP Cheng Li Hui, who also resigned from the party.

wtf is happening!?! A cabinet minister was arrested and under investigation for corruption last week and now this hahahaha

If you were ever in doubt of the here in Singapore, leaks of the main opposition party members behaving inappropriately dropped very coincidentally at the same time

Workers' Party looking into video of 'inappropriate exchange' between Leon Perera and Nicole Seah

The PM sounds mad lmfao

SINGAPORE: Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin and Member of Parliament Cheng Li Hui have resigned from parliament and the People's Action Party (PAP) after having an affair.

Their resignations were announced by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on Monday (Jul 17), although it did not specify in its statements the reasons behind the resignations.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong later said at a press conference that Mr Tan and Ms Cheng had an "inappropriate relationship" and continued with it despite being told to stop.

Mr Lee said he was alerted to the relationship in 2020. The pair were spoken to and counselled, most recently in February, but went on with the affair.

Mr Tan, 54, is married with two children.

In his letter of resignation, Mr Tan said the recent incident involving his use of unparliamentary language in the House has added to the hurt he has caused his family.

"I have let them down. We have spoken about my personal conduct before," he wrote in his letter to the Prime Minister, dated Jul 17.

"There are areas where I have fallen short. I need to take responsibility for them and help heal my family. We need space to recover and work through the issues. I have discussed the matter with my wife and agreed I must step away from politics and devote myself to my family," he added.

Ms Cheng, 47, is not married.

The MP for Tampines GRC, said in her letter to the Prime Minister that she is "very sorry to be resigning in these circumstances".

"(I) would like to apologise to the party, as well as to my residents and volunteers."

Ms Cheng has been MP for Tampines GRC since 2015 when she made her political debut.

Replying to their resignation letters, Mr Lee wrote that the decisions were necessary to "maintain the high standards of propriety and personal conduct which the PAP has upheld all these years".

TAN CHUAN-JIN'S RESIGNATION

Mr Tan entered politics in 2011 when he was part of a five-member PAP team contesting Marine Parade GRC.

Before he became Speaker of Parliament in 2017, he was Minister for Manpower from 2014 to 2014, as well as Minister for Social and Family Development from 2015 to 2017.

Mr Tan made headlines last week when he apologised for using "unparliamentary language" during a parliament sitting in April. According to a Reddit thread, he muttered "f****** populist" after he called for MP Vikram Nair (PAP-Sembawang) to speak, following a speech by Workers' Party MP Jamus Lim.

Mr Tan said in his letter to the Prime Minister that he should have known better and held himself to higher standards.

"The issue at hand isn't just about the mistake itself. My mistake raised broader questions over my neutrality and impartiality as Speaker. The credibility of Parliament and the Chair is critical and cannot be compromised," he added.

The Prime Minister noted in his reply that Mr Tan had apologised both publicly and to Assoc Prof Lim.

"But your uttering them as Speaker in the Chair made this a more serious matter," Mr Lee said.

"I am saddened that you are not leaving politics in happier circumstances. But your resignation is necessary, to maintain the high standards of propriety and personal conduct which the PAP has upheld all these years," he added.

"I thank you for having been a member of my PAP team, and wish you and your family all the best in your next phase of life."

Mr Lee said at a press conference on Monday that he will nominate a new Speaker by the next sitting of parliament on Aug 1.

Mr Edwin Tong - who is Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, Second Minister for Law and MP for Marine Parade GRC - will take charge of residents in the Kembangan‐Chai Chee ward in Marine Parade GRC where Mr Tan was MP.

In place of Ms Cheng, Mr Masagos Zulkifli, Minister for Social and Family Development, Second Minister for Health and MP for Tampines GRC will take care of the residents in Tampines East ward.

The profiles of Mr Tan and Ms Cheng have been removed from the PAP's website. Their Facebook pages were also no longer available online on Monday.

CHENG LI HUI'S RESIGNATION

According to her previous profile on the PAP website, Ms Cheng started volunteering in the community in 2003 before she was elected as an MP in 2015.

During her political career, she advocated for active ageing and better support for seniors as well as for stronger community-based support for children from lower-income families. She has also spoken in parliament about in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and egg freezing.

In her brief letter to the Prime Minister, Ms Cheng apologised to the PAP and to her residents and volunteers.

Mr Lee said: "I regret the circumstances in which you are resigning from your positions. But your resignation is necessary, to maintain the high standards of propriety and personal conduct which the PAP has upheld all these years.

"I thank you for having been a member of my PAP team, and wish you well in your future endeavours."

You will note of course that many American cities — some with roughly the population of Singapore — also keep on electing the same party repeatedly. If you want to change Chicago city politics at the electoral level, working through the Democratic Party is probably your primary option. And so this problem of natural monopoly political networks extends well beyond Singapore.