A Reporter at Large: The Black Sites: Reporting & Essays: The New Yorker

A Reporter at Large: The Black Sites: Reporting & Essays: The New Yorker

Merger details revealed

To enable a one-stop shop blog, this blog will be merged with the one at offthebeatenpath. Posts will be transferred over gradually.

Moscow tops in cost of living; London close behind

Moscow tops in cost of living; London close behind

AlterNet: A Call for Direct Action

AlterNet: A Call for Direct Action

PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE

the 3 words above are very important...the above committee recently revealed that a statutory board was vetted for the first time by the auditor general in 46 years...what a statistic...

Great Satan sits down with the Axis of Evil

News-World-Middle East-TimesOnline
What a juicy headline...

Web Mashups Turn Citizens Into Washington's Newest Watchdogs -

Wired
Well this is quite wicked, can we have one for Singapore?

Interactive Constitution

National Constitution Center

Government Clarifies AGO'S Findings on Sentosa Cove Land Sales

Ministry of Trade and Industry
--------------------------------
GOVERNMENT CLARIFIES AGO’S FINDINGS ON SENTOSA COVE LAND SALES

1. On 5 Mar 2007, the Minister for Trade & Industry, in his reply to questions at the Committee of Supply for his Ministry’s budget, explained the background on Auditor-General’s findings of the deficiencies in land sales procedures in Sentosa Cove. This press release sets out the facts on the issues highlighted by Auditor-General.

Sentosa Cove

2. Sentosa Cove is a unique development comprising not just condominium parcels, but also individual bungalow lots, hotels, shops and even a marina.

3. Based on past experiences, selling land in such a complex mixed development using the normal government methods would not achieve the best value. Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) therefore formed a private sector company, Sentosa Cove Private Limited (SCPL), to undertake the land sale, adopting practices commonly used in the private sector to better meet market needs. These have proven to be effective, and Sentosa Cove has done well over the past few years.

4. However, Auditor-General found that such practices do not comply with the Government’s Instruction Manual (IM), which SDC as a statutory board has to follow.

Lapse in land sales procedures

5. There were three non-compliance incidents cited in the Auditor-General’s report.

Audit observation 1

6. For the first incident, 24 bungalow parcels were awarded to a sole bidder, Ho Bee Investments Pte Ltd, at a price below valuation. This tender exercise took place in November 2004, the year after the SARS outbreak. As it was the first en-bloc sale of bungalow plots, it was then unclear how much risk premium developers were prepared to bear for such en- bloc sites.

7. The SCPL thus made a commercial decision, which took into consideration the prevailing market sentiment and the fact that the bid price was still substantially higher than what SDC had paid the State for the land. In addition, being the first en-bloc sale, the valuation process may not have adjusted adequately for the higher perceived risks and uncertainties.

8. SCPL’s key consideration was to maximize the returns from the overall portfolio of land sites in Sentosa Cove, and not that of individual plots. What happened subsequently bears out SCPL’s judgement, as their decision to proceed with the award was followed by the steady build up of market confidence and sales momentum for Sentosa Cove.

Audit observation 2

9. The second incident involved the sale of 33 bungalow land parcels in August 2005 using an “Expression of Interest (EOI)” - an approach commonly practiced in the private sector. SCPL had sent a letter of invitation to all 170 REDAS developers to participate in this exercise, of which only 15 developers indicated interest and subsequently obtained the marketing brief and EOI kit from SCPL. These 15 developers were thus informed of the EOI details, including the award criteria as well as the subsequent extension of the deadline. This is similar to normal tendering procedures, where the practice is to notify only the registered prospects of changes in specifications.

10. In addition, in response to a specific query by some REDAS members during the EOI exercise, SCPL clarified, before the EOI deadline, that they reserved the right to make a counter-offer to the highest bidder should the received bids were below expectations. This was duly made known to all 170 REDAS developers on the same day that the query was received.

Audit Observation 3

11. The third incident involved a former board director who participated in an open tender for land sales at Sentosa Cove after he had retired from the SCPL Board. The tender was launched on 22 October 2003.

12. To put things in context, SDC and SCPL Board members are not disqualified from participating in Sentosa Cove land sales. It would not be fair or practical to do so since we had invited respected individuals with real estate experience to sit on the Board. Instead, to ensure transparency and fair competition, Board members wishing to participate in any sale of sites have to declare their interest in writing, and submit a confidentiality undertaking.

13. In this particular instance, the said director, Mr Chua Thian Poh, completed his term of duty as a board member on 31 Oct 2003. He was thus no longer subject to the disclosure requirement. Notwithstanding that, he declared his interest and submitted a confidentiality undertaking on 2 December 2003, and participated in the open land tender exercise that closed on 3 December 2003. Mr Chua’s company, Ho Bee Developments Pte Ltd, submitted bids for 4 land parcels, and won the tender for 2 plots, as it was the highest bidder (out of at least 3 bids for each parcel).

14. Following the Auditor-General’s observations, SDC has reconciled its sale practices with the requirements of the Government’s Instruction Manual (IM), and obtained MOF’s exemption from certain provisions. SDC will also further review and tighten the procedures for its Sentosa Cove land sales.

Ministry of Trade and Industry
6 Mar 2007

Action stations

Ethical living | Guardian Unlimited Environment

Human Rights Video Project

Human Rights Video Project

Autocratic democracy worked, but will it continue to work?

ST Forum online

2nd Feb 2007

I refer to the article 'Singapore's style of government delivers the goods' (Online forum, Jan 31) by Reza Shifdar Buang. In the article, the writer defends the Singapore Government's adoption of autocratic democracy as producing efficient and effective results.

I agree that liberal democracy is merely one of the many types of political systems that exist. Singapore should not follow Western liberal democracy blindly without having regard to local customs. The Singapore Government has strived to fine-tune policies to suit the distinct needs of Singaporeans. It has developed a form of paternalistic, often described as autocratic, governance which it feels is best suited for society. This has yielded excellent economic results, responsible for the rising standard of living.

Having regard to Singapore's historical context and how the Government came into power, it is understandable that between the competing national interests of economic progress and protection of political liberty, the Government chose the former. As a young nation, Singapore needed strong and fast reforms to curb racial and communist threats. Autocratic democracy and communitarian policies were perhaps the best ways of dealing with the needs of Singapore at that time. For example, it is perfectly reasonable that, unlike Malaysians, Singaporeans do not have a constitutional right to property. It was a necessity to leave that particular right out of Singapore's Constitution because of fears of excessive litigation in the midst of large-scale land acquisition for development. This is especially so because of Singapore's small land size.

However, as the standard of living in Singapore improves dramatically over the past few decades, it appears that the Government's stance in politics has remained stagnant. Undoubtedly, the form of autocratic democracy that the Government has adopted has, up till now, yielded excellent economic results.

Nevertheless, as the electorate matures and Singapore reaches the level of an economically developed country, it is necessary to evaluate whether the current political stance of Singapore continues to serve the needs of society. For example, should Singapore continue to subordinate individual fundamental rights to communitarian values? Should the Government continue to be allowed to act without the checks and balances usually present in a Western democracy?

Without answering these questions, it might be increasingly difficult for the Government to convince the electorate that an autocratic democracy is the best political system for Singapore. To merely gain legitimacy from past economic performance will hardly suffice.

Simply put - autocratic democracy worked, but will it continue to work?

Adrienne Ng Qian Wen (Ms

Football saga imitates real life

Football saga imitates real life

Scientists offered cash to dispute climate study

Guardian Unlimited Environment
Once again, the oil industry has been caught trying to influence scientific research into climate change...

'National interest' halts arms corruption inquiry

Guardian Unlimited
It could have been such a great success story of "no one is above the law"...

TODAYonline

TODAYonline
Interesting report done by SIIA regarding transparency...now where does evozero go to read the report?...

another death on the tracks

very sad...another death on the MRT tracks...see straits times article below.

----------------------

Dec 3, 2006
Train hits man, service disrupted

THE southbound train service was disrupted yesterday when a man was hit by a train at Admiralty station.

According to an SMRT spokesman, the incident occurred at 2.08pm.

This disrupted the service between Woodlands and Sembawang stations, and affected about 6,000 passengers.

Service resumed at 3.22pm.

The police were notified at around 2.15pm and found a body, believed to be that of a Chinese man in his mid-20s, under the train carriage.

He was clad in a white T-shirt and grey bermudas and pronounced dead on the spot at about 2.40pm.

Police are investigating the unnatural death.

SMRT passengers who were unable to complete their journey due to the disruption can claim a full fare refund.

They can do so from the passenger service centre at any of the 51 SMRT stations within the next three working days.

Gala dinners, jive bands and Tom Cruise: how the Scientologists woo City police | Special reports | Guardian Unlimited

Gala dinners, jive bands and Tom Cruise: how the Scientologists woo City police | Special reports | Guardian Unlimited

· Unlikely relationship has blossomed since July 7
· Contacts are mutually beneficial, claims group

Sandra Laville
Wednesday November 22, 2006
The Guardian

It began with tea and biscuits for constables at the police cordon after the July 7 terrorist attacks, progressed to lunches with senior officers and continues with regular invitations to gala nights and jive concerts.

The Church of Scientology appears to be involved in an effort to woo officers from the City of London police - an unlikely partnership perhaps, but one that seems to be blossoming. Details of how more than 20 officers, from constables to chief superintendents, have been invited to a series of engagements by the scientologists over the last 15 months have been revealed by a freedom of information inquiry by the Guardian.

Article continues

---

---

The hospitality included guest invitations in May for two constables and a sergeant to attend the premiere of Mission Impossible 3 in Leicester Square, where they were able to rub shoulders with the best known Scientologist of all and the star of the film, Tom Cruise.

The Guardian requested details of meetings between police and scientologists after a senior officer from the City appeared as a guest speaker at the opening of the £23m Scientology centre near St Paul's Cathedral last month.

At the lavish ceremony, Chief Superintendent Kevin Hurley, the fourth most senior officer in the force, praised the scientologists for the support they had provided after the July 7 attacks, when followers of L Ron Hubbard's movement appeared at the police cordons of the Aldgate bomb site offering help to those involved in the emergency operation. The relationship flourished in the following months, according to the City police's register of hospitality, which all officers are required to fill out.

Since July 7 the Church of Scientology has invited four police constables, an inspector and a chief superintendent to a charity dinner at their British headquarters, Saint Hill Manor in East Grinstead, West Sussex, where the officers received a donation of £5,000 for a City of London children's charity.

The hospitality continued with a member of the Hubbard Foundation buying lunch for about £20 for a chief superintendent at Boisdale restaurant in Bishopsgate, central London, where the £28 set menu currently includes mini-Macsween haggis, fish or meat of the day and raspberry cranachan.

Most of the engagements detailed in the register of hospitality were approved by a senior officer: either Frank Armstrong, the assistant commissioner of City police, Mr Hurley or his colleague Chief Superintendent Ken Stewart.

But the register of hospitality contains gaps on at least two occasions, where it is not known which officer attended an event or who authorised it.

The invitations to the Mission Impossible 3 premiere in May for three officers were followed in August by another event at the East Grinstead centre for an unknown number of officers. In September the register does not specify how many officers attended a concert at Bishopsgate police station by the Jive Aces; a band made up of Scientologists whose advertising states that they play "hot jive" and "big band swing".

The night before last month's grand opening of the Church of Scientology's centre in the City, one of the force's two chief superintendents joined a detective superintendent, a uniformed constable and a detective constable at a star-studded charity dinner at Saint Hill Manor, where prizes are awarded to followers who donate the biggest sums to the movement.

The dinner was attended by Cruise, who sat at a special table nearest the past year's biggest donors.

The next day, Sunday October 22, a sergeant recorded being offered refreshments worth between £3 and £5 by scientologists as he was policing the opening of the London centre. Another officer, a constable, was a guest at a charity gala in East Grinstead the following night, where he recorded receiving £50 worth of hospitality. Most recently, on October 24, two sergeants and two constables attended a Jive Aces concert at Saint Hill.

The relationship between the police and the scientologists comes despite controversy that the tactics adopted by the church are akin to that of a cult and the Charity Commission's refusal to recognise it as a religion in the UK.

The scientologists have also been criticised in the US over their role in counselling firefighters and police officers after the September 11 attacks when they set up a a medical clinic two blocks from Ground Zero in New York for professionals involved in the emergency operation.

Inside the centre some firefighters abandoned the medical care and emotional counselling provided to them by the fire department's doctors, and instead took up a treatment devised by Hubbard. This included saunas, physical workouts and taking pills; a treatment which constitutes the scientologists controversial detoxification programme.

Mark Salter, a London-based psychiatrist said the scientologists were trying to replicate their ideology by disseminating it as widely as possible.

"You may well find that one or two police officers become followers. Look at the masons, I am sure they are well represented inside the police force," he said.

"They are a cult who are trying to maximise their influence by putting feelers out and using spin to make contacts and network in quite dangerous ways."

Janet Kenyon-Laveau, spokeswoman for the Church of Scientology in the UK, said the relationship between the police and followers was mutually beneficial, with followers engaged in clean-up campaigns in drug ridden inner city areas, which were praised by the police.

The City of London police declined to comment.

Singapore Idiot

adapted from green day's song...not meant to be sung...

Don't want to be a Singapore idiot.
Don't want a nation under the new media
And can you hear the sound of hysteria?
The subliminal mind fuck Singapore.

Welcome to a new kind of tension.
All across the alien nation.
Where everything isn't meant to be okay.
Television dreams of tomorrow.
We're not the ones who're meant to follow.
For that's enough to argue.

Well maybe I'm the faggot Singapore.
I'm not a part of a redneck agenda.
Now everybody do the propaganda.
And sing along to the age of paranoia.

Welcome to a new kind of tension.
All across the alien nation.
Where everything isn't meant to be okay.
Television dreams of tomorrow.
We're not the ones who're meant to follow.
For that's enough to argue.

Don't want to be a Singapore idiot.
One nation controlled by the media.
Information age of hysteria.
It's calling out to idiot Singapore.

Welcome to a new kind of tension.
All across the alien nation.
Where everything isn't meant to be okay.
Television dreams of tomorrow.
We're not the ones who're meant to follow.
For that's enough to argue.

Philippines: Abolition of the death penalty

Amnesty International
Good news from the Philippines, who have decided to abolish the death penalty.