KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 9 — The National University of Singapore (NUS) has drawn public ire in its refusal to disclose how it is punishing its sex-blogging Malaysian scholar Alvin Tan Jye Yee that it found guilty of damaging its reputation, the Straits Times (ST) reported today.
Both sides have kept their lips tightly zipped over Tan’s punishment, with the university saying matters relating to disciplinary proceedings are confidential.
Singapore citizens, however, feel otherwise, with nine out of 10 university students polled by the newspaper saying NUS should be upfront about punishment, ST reported. Full story
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NUS and the Alvin Tan dilemma
Savour the irony: A saga that started with one of the most brazen acts of exhibitionism Singapore has ever seen may now end under a cloak of privacy.
The cloak I am referring to is the one that renders disciplinary proceedings in the National University of Singapore confidential.
It is why though the university said that it has decided to punish sex blogger Alvin Tan, it would not reveal what the punishment is.
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NUS imposes gag order on the disciplinary action taken against sex blogger/scholar Alvin Tan
The National University of Singapore (NUS) has meted out disciplinary action against a law student who posted offensive material online.
Alvin Tan Jye Yee posted explicit videos and pictures of himself and his girlfriend on his blog in October, which eventually found its way into local news headlines. NUS did not specify the nature of the action, when contacted by Channel NewsAsia.
A spokesperson said all matters relating to NUS disciplinary proceedings are confidential. Full story
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Why is Alvin Tan's punishment confidential when NUS made China scholar's public?
The National University of Singapore is keeping mum about the punishment meted out to sex blogger Alvin Tan Jye Yee, 24, (right) raising the question as to why this is so when the punishment against NUS China scholar Sun Xu (left) who insulted Singaporeans, was made public.
Alvin Tan shot to notoriety when his shared blog that showed his girlfriend, Vivian Lee, 23, and him engaging in explicit sex acts and their naked photos went viral. It was also revealed that it was the third time the law undergraduate had posted sexual content online, and had been reprimanded twice before.
An NUS spokesperson said in a statement yesterday that the university's board of discipline had concluded Mr Tan's "inappropriate conduct was detrimental to the reputation and dignity of the university".
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WHY IS ALVIN TAN'S PUNISHMENT CONFIDENTIAL WHEN NUS MADE CHINA SCHOLAR'S PUBLIC?
The National University of Singapore is
keeping mum about the punishment meted out to sex blogger Alvin Tan Jye
Yee, 24, raising the question as to why this is so when the punishment
against NUS China scholar Sun Xu who insulted Singaporeans, was made
public.
Alvin Tan shot to notoriety when his
shared blog that showed his girlfriend, Vivian Lee, 23, and him engaging
in explicit sex acts and their naked photos went viral. It was also
revealed that it was the third time the law undergraduate had posted
sexual content online, and had been reprimanded twice before.
An NUS spokesperson said in a statement
yesterday that the university's board of discipline had concluded Mr
Tan's "inappropriate conduct was detrimental to the reputation and
dignity of the university".
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Not Disclosing Punishment is as Good as No Punishment
Those shameless douche bags Alvin Tan and Vivian Lee have already explicitly exposed close-ups of their horrendously ugly nether regions for the world to see in the videos and photos they posted online of themselves copulating like cum-soaked feral animals and now the National University of Singapore, where Tan is a scholarship student, has refused to disclose the nature of punishment it has decided to mete out on him, saying that “matters relating to disciplinary proceedings are confidential.”
Confidential my big, fat, hairy ass!
In my humble opinion, the stupidity of NUS’ board of discipline is only exceeded by that of Tan and his girlfriend. Divulging the terms of the punishment is part and parcel of the act of punishment itself, otherwise it diminishes its effectiveness and whatever learning points, if any, will be lost. In hushing up the details of the punishment, NUS is partner to Tan’s misdemeanor. It is sweeping dirt under the carpet. Is the punishment simply a slap on the wrist? Why the cover up?
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The Vagueness Of Law
The National University of Singapore (NUS) decision to stonewall public demands for the details of the punishment meted out to Asean scholar and sex fiend Alvin Tan of Malaysia, we are given to understand, is protected by a confidential undertaking.
For all we know, the contracting parties could be construed as the NUS, the dean of law, the sex blogger or even members of the public, if the latter's interest in the matter is even considered material at all.
What is not vague is that a precedent was set when provost Tan Eng Chye did detail the fine ($3,000) and community service obligation imposed on another scholarship holder without actually disclosing the name of the offender (spoiler alert: Sun Xu), thus maintaining the "confidentiality" agreement with that scallywag. He was simply referred to in the internal circular distributed to students as "an undergraduate at the Faculty of Engineering" who "posted offensive remarks about Singaporeans online".
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Alex Ong charged in court for shoving elderly lady off the bus
He was filmed pushing an elder off a bus along Upper Thomson Road, and the YouTube video of it went viral in June and made headlines (see video above). Now, Alex Ong Kok Hao, 25, has been charged in court. Channel NewsAsia reported that Ong was charged for hurting Hwang Li Lian, 76, on bus service 167.
The incident happened at around 3pm on 5 June 2012. Full story
Related:
25-year-old Alex Ong blames job stress for verbally abusing and pushing elderly woman off the bus
Elderly woman abused by 25-year-old man on SMRT bus
Video: Netizens' reaction to Alex Ong
25-year-old Alex Ong blames job stress for verbally abusing and pushing elderly woman off the bus
Elderly woman abused by 25-year-old man on SMRT bus
Video: Netizens' reaction to Alex Ong
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AG appeals against Justice Pillai’s historic ruling
The Honourable Justice Philip Pillai
The Attorney-General (AG) has appealed
against the High Court’s decision to reject its claim for legal costs in
the Hougang by-election case.
In a historic decision on the case, Justice Pillai of The High Court ruled on 1 Nov that no order of cost will be levied against applicant Mdm Vellama, as she has no private interest in her Constitutional Challenge.
Mdm Vellama, a Hougang resident, filed a High Court application earlier this year in Mar seeking to have the Court reviewed the Constitution and declared that Prime Minister Lee does not have “unfettered discretion” in deciding whether and when to call a by-election after the Hougang seat became vacant.
In a historic decision on the case, Justice Pillai of The High Court ruled on 1 Nov that no order of cost will be levied against applicant Mdm Vellama, as she has no private interest in her Constitutional Challenge.
Mdm Vellama, a Hougang resident, filed a High Court application earlier this year in Mar seeking to have the Court reviewed the Constitution and declared that Prime Minister Lee does not have “unfettered discretion” in deciding whether and when to call a by-election after the Hougang seat became vacant.
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Singapore's Tamil Law Minister K Shamugam praises retiring Lee's attack dog, Judge Chan Sek Kiong
And Singapore's Minister for Law, a Tamil, in a predominantly ethnic Chinese island naturally has flowing praise for him, surely. What else did you expect? All these characters such as this Tamil Minister for law and the retiring Chief Justice don't have any legal acumen in any sense of the word, as they have done nothing to further the citizens’ rights, in their entire career. Instead they have made sure that anyone who criticizes the Lee Ruling Family for whom these characters really work, are promptly destroyed by bending the law to any extent necessary for the dirty work to be accomplished.
The report says "The changeover of Chief Justice will see the office pass from one of Singapore's top jurists to one with a track record that few here can match. Law Minister K. Shanmugam, commenting on the change, said CJ Chan Sek Keong "had achieved everything a lawyer can hope to achieve".
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The Problem with Porn is that which isn’t
I think the problem with porn is not, generally, its content, but teens
getting sexualised far more, and over, the compassionate, adaptive, and
intellectual aspects of their potentials, and of a relationship. It is
not only how they view the other sex, but most importantly, how they
view themselves - as sexual creatures rather than intellectual,
creative, compassionate human beings.
This potentially exploitative slant is further exacerbated or reinforced by teens also being taught to view themselves as economic units, and others, as opportunities for exploitation within a capitalist state of affairs. And we also have lots of ‘reality’ shows that also pits people against each other in a mutually antagonistic and competitive posture don’t we. All these, amongst a slew of others, basically instill a sense of mutual alienation and exploitative or/and competitive streak within teens. And it is within this context that porn can have the untoward impact that it does.
The real danger is not in porn, which many can view as a bit seedy of a pastime, but in mainstream movies, series, comedies, game shows, competitive shows, reality shows, etc, that transmit the selfsame self-absorption-inducing message but which isn't seen as equally seedy but comparatively normal. It complements porn in its base and primitive content. And this is when porn becomes just one artist within a singular genre.
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This potentially exploitative slant is further exacerbated or reinforced by teens also being taught to view themselves as economic units, and others, as opportunities for exploitation within a capitalist state of affairs. And we also have lots of ‘reality’ shows that also pits people against each other in a mutually antagonistic and competitive posture don’t we. All these, amongst a slew of others, basically instill a sense of mutual alienation and exploitative or/and competitive streak within teens. And it is within this context that porn can have the untoward impact that it does.
The real danger is not in porn, which many can view as a bit seedy of a pastime, but in mainstream movies, series, comedies, game shows, competitive shows, reality shows, etc, that transmit the selfsame self-absorption-inducing message but which isn't seen as equally seedy but comparatively normal. It complements porn in its base and primitive content. And this is when porn becomes just one artist within a singular genre.
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Premium Employment Pass: Was only $34,000?
I refer to the article “MOM tightens criteria for premium employment passes” (Channel NewsAsia, Nov 7).
It states that “Starting next month, foreign professionals applying for a personalised employment pass (PEP) – which among other things, allows them to stay here continuously for six months while being unemployed – will have to meet more stringent criteria that includes a minimum annual fixed salary of S$144,000, up four-fold from the existing S$34,000 a year.
The validity of PEPs – which are non-renewable – will also be reduced from five years to three years. The new criteria was put up recently on the Ministry of Manpower’s (MOM) website. The MOM said that the changes ensure that the PEP “remains a premium pass for top-tier foreign talent working in Singapore and is in line with recent moves to raise the quality of Employment Pass holders”.
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OPINION: What was the previous Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong doing all this while?
The question one needs to ask is under the previous MOM regime, why was
MOM setting $2,833 as the minimum monthly fixed salary for giving out
PEP? This amount is about the pay of a fresh graduate from our local
universities. Can foreigners with PEP earning this much be considered
“highly-skilled foreigners”? And we have to “facilitate their continued
stay” here in Singapore?
Obviously, the new MOM regime must have felt ridiculous for setting such a low-entry barrier for applicants to obtain PEP in the first place and decided to overhaul the PEP scheme. In fact, it increased the minimum annual fixed salary requirement 4 times to $12,000 per month. This reflects the gross inadequacy of the old PEP scheme.
The previous MOM regime was run by Minister Gan Kim Yong. It then begs the question of what he was doing all this while in MOM? Full story
Obviously, the new MOM regime must have felt ridiculous for setting such a low-entry barrier for applicants to obtain PEP in the first place and decided to overhaul the PEP scheme. In fact, it increased the minimum annual fixed salary requirement 4 times to $12,000 per month. This reflects the gross inadequacy of the old PEP scheme.
The previous MOM regime was run by Minister Gan Kim Yong. It then begs the question of what he was doing all this while in MOM? Full story
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Calling the thinkers for Natcon
My earlier post calling for the elite to step forward to share their brilliant minds for the good of the nation is likely to prove in vain. Who am I to make such a call but a noise in the wilderness of insanity. I am pleasantly surprised to read in the media that Ngiam Tong Dow has stepped up to the podium to make the same call.
This time he was addressing the academia, the place called Ivory Tower, where brains are made of ivory unlike the peasants that are made of mud. Ngiam is inviting the intellectuals, the thinkers, huddling in their Ivory Tower to speak up, to share their precious wisdom and knowledge with the govt for a better future for all citizens.
Then I was slammed right in the face by the comments coming out of the Ivory Tower. Read these words very very carefully. I am quoting them from the Today paper. Eugene Tan, the SMU law professor, ‘cited the fear factor as a possible deterrent for academics to speak out.’ My eyeballs are rolling. Eugene also said, ‘some senior faculty “frown upon their colleagues being involved”, …They regard such involvement as purely non academic and not in keeping with the academic norms.”’
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