Update: 16 May 2020:
Lee Bee Wah 16 May at 19:32
I received some feedback regarding a Hari Raya banner that featured me in a Malay baju with tudung.
As residents know, every year for Hari Raya, I celebrate it at Ahmad Ibrahim Mosque. I normally wear traditional Malay baju with tudung to show respect for their religion. In the initial years, it was the members of the Mosque who loaned me the baju and tudung. I have checked with the religious teacher and also the chairman of Ahmad Ibrahim Mosque, and they said that what I was wearing was OK.
The photo on the banner was taken on one of these occasions. In previous years, my banner shows me and a few residents. But this year, to be sensitive to residents who cannot gather during Circuit Breaker, we did not use a group photo.
There’s no stopping Yishun’s sanitary pad litterbug, period
The issue of high-rise littering stirred up a lively exchange in Parliament on Tuesday (Sept 3), with Ms Lee Bee Wah (Nee Soon GRC) throwing light on a peculiar form of high-rise litter that has been a persistent issue in the past few years: soiled sanitary pads.
Ms Lee, who does monthly litter-picking with residents in her constituency, was among a handful of MPs who expressed concern about enforcement actions taken by the National Environment Agency against high-rise litterbugs. She pointed out that deploying surveillance cameras for a short period of time hardly addresses the problem.
- "There were several high-rise littering of sanitary pads for many years and, until today, it is still not solved. And why? Because NEA deploys CCTV (cameras) only for a few days. And the problem persists," she said.
- "Actually, if you have...an ambition to catch the culprit, I'm sure we'll be able to catch (him or her)."
- "Otherwise, (it) looks like this problem will disappear only when the litterbug (enters) menopause."
As MPs burst into laughter, Senior Minister of State for the Environment and Water Resources Amy Khor assured the House that "resources are never unlimited", and that "surveillance cameras are deployed where it is possible and where it needs to be done".
Ah Mah and Ah Hwa
Lee Bee Wah to S’poreans: You have such a good Ah Kong and you still don’t know “what is death”
At the recent Budget 2019 debate in Parliament, MP Lee Bee Wah paid tribute to the Budget 2019 drawn up by the PAP government.
Speaking in Mandarin, she told an “Ah Kong and Ah Seng” story to remind Singaporeans how generous and caring “Ah Kong” is to “Ah Seng”.
Her parliamentary performance was captured on video which was widely circulated on social media:
Lee Bee Wah’s ‘Si Gui Kia’ story made into short film about old man & his wretched grandson
One of the greatest storytellers in Singapore right now is Lee Bee Wah, the MP for Nee Soon GRC. And the potency of great storytelling coupled with the limitless creativity of Singaporeans has resulted in one of the greatest short films ever made in Singapore’s short history as a nation.
What is going on? A two-minute-49-second video has been uploaded to YouTube and Facebook by video creator, Lup Sup.
The short film is a visual representation of the anecdote Lee told in Parliament recently: The now-infamous “Si Gui Kia” story about an elderly man and his ingrate of a grandson who keeps asking for money.
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Sorry Lee Bee Wah, but the Government is #notmyAhGong
Hokkien is rarely heard in Parliament so when Nee Soon GRC MP Lee Bee Wah uttered the phrase si gui kia, used to describe ungrateful children, it got people talking.
All the more because she did so during the recent debate on the Government's Budget and in a way that seemed to equate Singaporeans who were critical of the Budget with ingrates.
Video clips of her relating a story in Mandarin about a grandson named Ah Seng and his grandfather or Ah Gong, have since gone viral.
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Lee Bee Wah slammed for portraying the Govt as one that “scrimps on itself” to provide for “stupid wastrels”
Lee concluded her story as Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat was seen smiling
The specific phrases Lee used to characterize his grandson, were phrases like “si gui kia” which means stupid kid, “bai jia zi” which means wastrel. Pointing out that such harsh words characterise critics of the budget as “ungrateful louts,” award-winning cartoonist Sonny Liew wrote: “The analogy reduces any critics of the budget to the status of ungrateful louts (“si gui kia” – stupid kid, “bai jia zi” – wastrel) who “um zai si” (don’t know what’s good for them, literally “don’t know death”), which is unkind at best.”
Liew also highlighted that the story is “problematic” because of the odd allusion that the Government, like the grandfather in the story, “scrimps” on itself. He said:
“The insistence on benchmarking public sector wages to top private sector salaries makes the narrative about Ah Gong’s “scrimping” (“seng jiak seng cheng” – scrimping on food and clothes) rather odd.”He also stressed that the story is contentious because “comparisons between household and state finances aren’t as clear cut as sometimes believed.” Echoing Liew’s views, hundreds of Singaporeans have blasted Lee Bee Wah for the boastful story that openly praises her own party.
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Ownself praise ownself?
The Nee Soon GRC parliamentarian expressed her support for the budget with an analogy of a grandfather who scrimps on himself to provide for his grandson as Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat can be seen smiling
Nee Soon GRC parliamentarian Lee Bee Wah has drawn immense criticism online, after a recent parliamentary speech in which she reminded the people to be grateful to their generous Government.
During the recent Budget 2019 debate, Lee expressed her support for the budget with a story in which she compared the Government to a generous grandfather who spends so much money on his grandson and yet the grandson is “ungrateful”.
Alluding that the ungrateful grandson could be the people, Lee very emphatically shared this story in Mandarin.
During the recent Budget 2019 debate, Lee expressed her support for the budget with a story in which she compared the Government to a generous grandfather who spends so much money on his grandson and yet the grandson is “ungrateful”.
Alluding that the ungrateful grandson could be the people, Lee very emphatically shared this story in Mandarin.
MP Lee Bee Wah uses Hokkien phrase ‘Si Gui Kia’ to label ‘ungrateful’ S’poreans, raises eyebrows
A tale of Ah Gong, Ah Seng, and angry Singaporeans
Lee Bee Wah, MP for Nee Soon GRC, spoke on easing the diesel tax hike impact during the Budget debate in Parliament on Feb. 27. As per her usual parliamentary delivery, Lee employed a fictional story to end her speech — a narrative that has attracted much debate from Singaporeans.
What was the story? In essence, it was the story of Ah Seng, who is unhappy with his grandfather Ah Gong. This was despite the elderly man saving money to give to his grandson, but the money was not given out every year.
The clip of Lee narrating the story, which originated from Channel NewsAsia, has since been viewed widely in Singapore.
One rule for PAP the “Ah Gong”, another for everyone else the “Ah Seng”
The “Ah Gong, Ah Seng” story told by Member of Parliament Lee Bee Wah perfectly illustrates how the People’s Action Party treats the citizens of Singapore.
After decades of unfettered one-party rule, the PAP sees itself as “Ah Gong” and the rest of the country as “Ah Seng.” The PAP as “Ah Gong” decides its own set of rules while dictating that “Ah Seng” abides by another set.
This is manifested in so many ways.
Water price increase just to bring up awareness of importance of water
"I think the increase in water prices is just to bring up awareness of the importance of water”: MP Lee Bee Wah on the 30% hike in water prices announced in #SGBudget2017. "I'm sure there will be families who need help," she says. "It's a good gesture to help."
