Hi Phúc:
Cám ơn em đã gởi bài viết của anh Tạ Quang Sum cho anh đọc. Khi
đọc đến “Up an On” anh mắc cười rồi, bởi vì người Mỹ thì nghĩ khác, không phãi “đứng
dậy và lên đường”; cũng như là anh đã lăn ra cười khi đi mua một bộ khăn trãi
giường hiệu “Everon”, hàng của Đại hàn bán ở Sài Gòn với người bạn! Để ý đến
hiện tình kinh tế của Singapare thì quá đắt khi đọc thấy là một gói sôi bắp giá
là một sd, một tô mì hoành thánh giá là bốn sd, một lon bia heineken giá 10
sd...thật là kinh khủng. Một đất nước mà đến 90% dân chúng sống trong những
chung cư, làm cho phải đặt một câu hỏi là nếu thiên tai xãy đến như là động đất,
sóng thần, bảo lửa...thì sẽ ra sao? Đọc đến nền giáo dục của họ, cách quản lý
các trường, cách đào tạo giáo viên, học sinh bị đánh, tiền phạt các mục vi phạm...anh
có cảm tưởng Singapore là một đất nước dưới sự cai trị của Fascist và với một
Dynasty cha truyền con nối thì đúng hơn. Vừa mới đây, Singapore được xếp hàng thứ
133 trong số 175 nước toàn cầu, thua cả nước Kenya bên Phi châu về tự do báo chí.
Anh gởi kèm thêm vài tài liệu để em đọc để xem dân trí người dân Singapore thế
nào rồi! Thân mến, Anh Long
Why
the Singapore
government is bruised by the world press freedom index ranking
By
Manisha Kumari, Managing Editor
Singapore
boasts of being number one country. It is number one in almost everything.
Recently Changi
Airport received the best airport in the
world award. It received another five awards, including four ‘
Best Airport ’
titles, in September 2009. Not only this, Singapore Airlines Ltd. is the
world’s biggest carrier by market value.
The
Port of Singapore
is the busiest in the world, surpassing Rotterdam
and Hong Kong . When it comes to cleanliness,
Singapore again
takes the trophy for being the cleanest country in the world.
Singapore ’s
education system acknowledged as the world’s best by President Obama and US
educators.
The
economy of Singapore
is a highly developed state capitalist mixed economy. It has an open business
environment, relatively corruption-free and transparent, stable prices and one
of the highest per capita gross domestic products (GDP) in the world.
The
country projects a state of utopia where everything seems to be so perfect.
Nothing less than perfect is acceptable here. So when Paris-based international
watchdog – Reporters without Borders (RSF) ranked
Singapore at 133th position in
World Press Index, the image of Number 1 country is distorted. It gives the
picture to the world that everything is not as good as is being projected to
the world.
Singapore ’s
press freedom ranking does not quite commensurate with its lofty status as a
modern developed country.
This
is a good enough reason to feel bruised
This year
Singapore was ranked 133th
out of 175 countries below Kenya
– which saw riots following a disputed election – and
Congo – which
continues to struggle with the aftermath of an armed conflict that has claimed
more than 5 million lives.
Though
Singapore moved up from 144th spot to 133rd, it
was still behind Thailand
(130th) and Malaysia
(131st). The neighbouring countries are much below in terms of financial
quotient but are higher in terms of freedom of press.
The 175
countries ranked are those for which Reporters without Borders received
completed questionnaires from independent sources. Singapore
is the only developed country in the world which is ranked outside the top 100
positions along with the likes of Chad ,
Nigeria and
Zimbabwe .
In Asia,
Japan is ranked 17th, followed by Hong Kong
(48th), Taiwan (59th) and
South Korea
(69th).
According
to RSF, Singapore ’s
low ranking was due to the complete absence of independent newspapers, radio
stations and TV stations, the application of prison sentences for press
offences, media self-censorship and the opposition’s lack of access to the
state media.
The
ruling party has consistently dismissed the findings of RSF on the grounds that
the“western-style” journalism which is inherently “antagonistic and
confrontational” in nature does not suit
Singapore ’s interests.
The
Singapore media
has long been relegated to become a mouthpiece for the government.
Law
minister, Mr K Shanmugam has a good enough reason to feel hurt at
Singapore
media’s pathetic rankings on the World Press Freedom Index. He even lashed
out at what he perceived as an “unfair” assessment of the
Singapore media’s
pathetic ranking on the world press freedom index.
According
to him, the Press Freedom Index compiled by the organization Reporters without
Borders is “quite absurd and divorced from reality”.
The
minister seemed to be highly bruised by the ranking. Instead of complaining at
the rankings, Mr Shanmugam should seriously reflect on the reason as to why the
Singapore
media has acquired such an unsavoury reputation in the international arena. It
wouldn’t be difficult at all for the minister to reach the conclusion.
As we all
know, there is no free or independent press in
Singapore . All the major
publications are controlled by one single media company – the Singapore Press
Holdings whose current Chairman is a former PAP minister Dr Tony Tan.
The
online media is heavily scrutinized by the police as well that leads to
self-censorship among the country’s bloggers.
Singapore ’s
leaders continue to make use of defamation lawsuits to silence the foreign
media, the latest victims being Wall Street Journal and Far Eastern Economic
Review.
The world
press has often accused Singapore
government of being tyrant when it comes to freedom of press.
Foreign
media is often being sued for not being adhering to
Singapore ’s rules and regulations.
“It is a privilege and not a right for foreign newspapers to circulate in
Singapore .” “If
any foreign newspaper fails to comply with the law, they cannot expect to enjoy
this privilege.”
Criticisms
of government leaders and policies are unheard of in the mainstream media.
In a
recent third edition of the Legatum Prosperity Index ranks 104 countries
(covering 90% of the world’s population), based on a definition of prosperity
that combines economic growth together with measures of happiness and quality
of life, Singapore ranked at 23. The report said that it would rank even higher
if not for weak democratic institutions and reduced personal freedoms, which
are vital for the holistic prosperity.
The
Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts is the government’s
regulatory body imposes and enforces regulation over locally-produced media
content. It also decides on the availability of published media from abroad.
Most of
the local media are directly or indirectly controlled by the government through
shareholdings of these media entities by the state’s investment arm Temasek
Holdings, which are often perceived as pro-government.
State-owned
MediaCorp operates all seven free-to-air terrestrial local television channels
licensed to broadcast in Singapore ,
as well as 14 radio channels. Radio and television stations are all
government-owned entities. All seven television channels are owned by
MediaCorp.
The idea
that Singapore
is first-world in economic competitiveness but third-world in press freedom and
civil liberties has already become an over-sung tune.
In spite
of enjoying the first status in almost all the thing,
Singapore will
continue to be the laughing stock in front of the world press and the ranking
will only get worse if media continues to be in such a dilapidated state.
Source: http://www.temasekreview.com/2009/11/02/why-singapore-government-is-bruised-by-the-world-press-freedom-index-ranking/
3
Reasons Why Singapore
Is The Most Unromantic City Ever
I
recently realized that its better not to pop the big question in
Singapore .
Romantic dates wont be a good thing to do in
Singapore either. And if you are
Single but actually you don’t want to be, ask the government, they have some
romantic “scripts” and “plans” for you. This whole “romantic thing” isn’t
really working out here yet.
Continue
Reading To Find Out Why
Singapore Is A So Incredible
Not Romantic
City !
1.
No Romantic Spots - Then Let’s Catch A Movie!
I will
never forget walking along the lonely, white beaches on the
Philippines ,
the sunshine in front of me and the little, but more then comfi hut right
behind me. The special atmosphere of the old and narrow alleys in
Barcelona or I walked
through the endless fields of my hometown.
Now in
Singapore most
dates or romantic occasions will go like this, “Ok lah, wanna catch a movie?“. (How
To Survive A Night A Singapore’s Cinemas)
That’s
it. Sorry but there wont be more. Maybe having dinner or going for desert, but
really (like seariously) romantic spots? Well some might say for example
sitting on the (dirty and artificial) beaches and watching freighters go by or
taking a overpriced ride in the Singapore Flyer (with 20 other people in your
cabin), but for me, a real romantic spot still has to be found in Singapore.
2.
No Romantic People - Let The Government Handle It
I hadn’t
come over a place yet where the government (which is supposed to be like the
ultimate not romantic organization ever) officially had to run mating-campaigns, offer free dating services for local people and
let the newspaper print articles about how to spice up your sex life. Now, if the government has to take the role of the
love-guru, what does that tell us about the people?
I guess you shouldn’t expect to find your personal Romeo nearby soon…
However, just drop your regional council a SMS if you are single, I’m sure they
will organize some speed-dating for you to go during your lunch break.
(The 5
Best Places To Have Sex In Your Car In Singapore)
3.
No Romantic Life - The Ultimate Reason
Don’t
blame the boys. Again the government shows how much of a romantic institution
they are by only allowing local couples to purchase their own home, once they
are married. Now this confronts the man-loves-girl-wants-to-propose person with
some serious issues:
- • Buying your own home must be planned very well
and far in advance. Completion time from the date of purchase is in
average 2-3 years. This means, you have to “guess” that everything will be
still alright in 2-3 years from the moment you start looking for your
home-sweet-home.
- • But, assuming you are a mid-twenty couple and
you don’t really have planned to marry yet (which is totally reasonable).
You already have to consider buying the place so its ready once you turn
the age you have chosen to say the words.
- • Once you “think” everything will still be
alright in 2-3 years, and you have figured out it would be best to start
looking for that place, for not being bound under Daddy and Mummy’s roof
once you got married… Well, there is no real surprise for the big question
left anymore… right?
- • So in
fact, the romantic question popped below the Eiffeltower or the place
where you two met first, “Will You Marry Me?” turns into a rather rational
“Shall we check out the catalogues of the upcoming HDB projects this afternoon?” after coming out of the cinema from point 1.
- • The real question will be some “super duper
surprising” (planned) event later, and presumingly short before the flat is
completed. Wow. How romantic!
Written
on May 28th, 2009 by AngryAngMo
Why
Singapore ’s
“Excuse Me” Doesn’t Mean “Sorry”
One might assume that
Singapore is a country full of
friendly and polite people. You can hear them apologizing the whole time.
Morning till night. “Excuus”, “Scuss”, “Escuss Eh” or all of them in a volume
increasing row. However adoring Singaporeans kindness and thinking about my older post on Weird
Singaporean Habits, I came to question myself if an excuse in
Singapore
really means “Sorry”.
“Get
Out Of My Way!” - I Mean “Excuse Me”
You have
probably realized quite quick that “Excuse Me” in
Singapore is being used as the universal term for everything,
despite.. really apologizing of course.
I was
firstly confused about the hundreds of different forms and ways of pronouncing
“Excuse Me” in Singapore, but soon realized, that its not really about the
direct meaning of the words “Excuse Me”, no, its much more just about the tone
and sound of it and what the people here have developed to imply with it when
hearing that sound. (The
Secret And Unique Side Of Singapore)
My
general understanding of how people here use “Excuse Me” after 2 years in
Singapore is
not of an appologizing one, but much
more of a way to demand something.
Sorry…
uhm … Could you please?
I wrote
earlier about how I sense and see Singaporeans
very often as to be impolite till the point of being rude. And we broke it
down to several reasons, one being the nature of not losing your face in the Asian
culture and another being the general Singaporean “Kiasuness“.
However…
I still get irritated when someone bumps into me (I repeat, bumps into me) and
gives me the typical “Tsk” sound or that
weird-completely-non-interpretable-look instead of an apology, but 10 minutes
later in my MRT
ride home someone yells “EXCUUUS ME” in my ear, 2 minutes before we have even
arrived at the station. (The
Most Annoying Sound Of Singapore)
And that
“Excuse Me” is not to be compared to any kind form of really asking for
“Sorry”, its more a camouflaged version of “Let Me through or I poke you with my wet umbrella!”
The
Good And The Bad
Two
examples from opposite sides very well display the twist in
Singapore ’s
system of politeness and why the “Kindness
Campaign” hasn’t really worked out yet in my opinion. (The
6 Most Weird Campaigns In Singapore)
- 1. The Bad
As usually I walk down the escalator (on the right side) until the point
where someone blocks my way (as usual).
So I say “Sorry“.
- Nothing Happens.
I repeat “Sorry, may I?“.
- Nothing happens. The two ladies happily blocking my way are having a
vivid and nice conversation completely ignoring me.
So I give it a last try again “Sorry,
can I please pass?”
- And now… the lady on the right side turns around with a furious face
shouting at me… “YOU HAVE TO SAY
“EXCUSE ME“…
Oh.. uhm.. ok, I thought I did!
- NO YOU DIDNT!
- 2. The Good
I had both hands full with bags and just leaving space for a very thin
person I squeezed myself into the escalator of my new HDB block. The only person with me is a small, approx 8 year
old school boy.
As i prepare to put down my many bags to press the button for my floor the
boy goes
“Which floor sir?”
And upon me telling him which one and saying “Thank You“, I even (and that
something really special) get a “You
Are Welcome“. Wow. I was so stunned I forgot to get out.
It
Feels … Wrong
Despite
the fact that many people here don’t even dare to say “Excuse Me” out loud
anymore, but much more whisper it behind your back expecting you to jump out of
their way, the way it is used by everyone without even contemplating the real
meaning of it, feels wrong.
I think
the government should start a new campaign about “How
To Use “Excuse-Me” In The Right
Way And When To Use “Sorry“.
That
would be a perfect addition to the “Kindness
Campaign“, the “Hello
Campaign” and the (unfortunately not yet existing) “Leave
People out of the MRT first Campaign“.
Have
a good day, excuse me, I have some work to do…
Written
on April 14th, 2009 by AngryAngMo
The 6
Most Weird Campaigns Seen In Singapore
…In
line with Mr Goh’s (former Singapore Prime Minister) call to build a gracious
society, the Singapore Kindness Movement (SKM) aims to encourage
Singaporeans to make a positive commitment to gracious living through simple
acts of kindness in their daily activities” - Singapore,2009
Singapore
has a strange ability to launch very weird (educational) campaigns with a serious background on a more then humorous
level.
Continue reading for a list of the
strangest campaigns launched by Singapore
during the last years.
Photo by Peterthefat
Singapore ’s
approach to promote its country for tourism around the world and especially
throughout Asia , is currently running under
the topic of “Beyond Words”.
“Beyond Words” first let me think of “Beyond Words Bad”, “Not Mentioning Worth”
etc. and then made me realize that the campaign probably aims at the direct opposite.
However
in my personal opinion the campaign represents Singapore for what I wouldn’t
actually book my ticket and come here, of course you have the typical touristy landmarks, but if I name my campaign already “Beyond Words”, why not looking beyond the usual Sightseeing Spots
and promoting Singapore for some adventures that most people wont have heard of
yet!?
(Read:
10 Really Unique Things To Do In Singapore)
Imagine
“Speak Proper German Movement” signs, placed in the Beer-Tents on the
Oktoberfest in Bavaria .
Cannot? Cannot!
I must
admit that I still get annoyed about cab uncles not getting my destination or
aunties getting annoyed with me not understanding their fluent mix of Mandarin
and English, just two days ago I had a 2 minutes standout a the 7-11 cashier
until I realized that my opposite wasn’t asking for something weird but just
wishing me a ‘apee easta you!’ (Happy Easter To You!).
But
well, its obviously part of the already small Singaporean culture,so
why not just let it be. It should be enough if parents speak proper English to
their children and teachers in school. Can?
4.
Singapore
Can Lah Campaign
And in
total contradiction to the above “Speak Good English Campaign”, the government
launches another campaign, although directed towards the minimization and
stopping of the SARS outbreak, but titled in perfect “Singlish”.
The exact Singlish they are trying to get rid of in the above campaign. “Yeah, what do we do if we don’t have anything to do, we
start campaigns against campaigns we started before, wohoo!”
3.
Singapore
Toilet Campaigns
Just like
the above picture, you will find many alike posters hanging in public and
private bathrooms in Singapore .
They are not there to amuse people, they are meant serious. Seriously!
I had a
good laugh spotting such a “Comic Strip” in our offices wash rooms for the
first time and felt reminded of my
Kindergarten times when we had similar pictures hanging
next to the tiny toilet bowls.
Similar
to the “Aim Right” campaign, there are “Wash Your Hands Right”, “Don’t Wet The
Floor” etc. campaigns teaching you how to properly behave in Singaporeans
bathrooms.
2.
Singapore
Kindness Movement / “Hello” Campaign
If a
government needs to start an official “Kindness” campaign (launched 2009) to
educate their countries population about how to be nice and behave towards
others, you should certainly and rightful be concerned about where and what in
the peoples education went wrong.
In my general understanding of the “growing-up” process, it is an important
part to learn about social/public behavior, kindness and gratefulness.
Aren’t
those foundations a society is build upon?
(Singapore
Is Really Strange - Can You Explain Please?)
This
is my all time favorite.
40 Years ago, when Singapore
was an under developed little country, the government decided that campaigns
would be needed to stop the population of growing, not to burst the obviously (
Singapore is an island) existing borders of how
many people Singapore
could hold.
This was executed through well done AIDS preventive, birth control etc. campaigns,
with a huge success. Mission
completed.
Almost.
Years later the government realized that their campaigns was such a success
that soon the little country would face the problem of getting extinguished
soon. No one was getting babies any more, and the only
real value of an island without any natural reserves is… their people.
(The 5
Best Places In Singapore To Have Sex In Your Car)
So
Singapore
decided to start the “Romancing Singapore Campaign”, which aim simply was to
get couples back in their bedroom and starting to “make more babies again”.
Newspaper printed guides on best ways of how and where to have Sex in the car
while the Playboys magazine web page still was locked on the islands Internet.(3
Reasons Why Singapore Is The Most Unromantic City Ever)
In the end the campaign was a much lesser success then expected and
Singapore faces
serious problems of lagging man/brain power these days.
From: Phuc Cao Nguyen
[mailto: pcne...@yahoo.com ]
Sent: Monday, November 02, 2009
9:08 PM
To: SUM TA QUANG; Vung Nguyen;
Khanh Ly Bui; Duong Nam Khanh; Nguyen Thanh Huyen; Tam HuynhTrung; dinh nguyen;
dinh vi; Dinh HangMinh; ngoc tang hoang; TRAM PHAM; Phuong Bui Thuy; Thanh
TruongNgoc; Truong Ngoc Thanh; Giang Nguyen; GIANG NGUYEN; ha thai; Ha LeDinhThai;
thai...@yahoo.com.vn; SON TRA; Viet LuuTan; Cong ThanhCong; cong le; CHUAN
VUDINH
Cc: Nhan Nguyen; Nhan NguyenTh;
Nhan LyTu; Nhan NguyenThien; LE THI KIM DUNG; Le Thi Kim Dung; ngoc tang hoang;
Vo My Dung; diepdung; Tran Huu Dung; Dung PhanQuang; dung le; HOA HOTAN; Tran
Dinh Hoanh; hoang tu; van Hoang; Tuan Hoang; TUAN HERMANN; MINH TUAN; Tuan
PhanhAnh; Tuan NguyenQuoc; ngo...@yahoo.com
Subject: Fw:
Singapore kí sự
|
Kinh chuyen den cac anh chi nghien cuu bai viet cua
anh Sum.
Kinh gui anh Sum,
Bai viet rat y nghia va ngan gon nhung toi nghi anh nen chuyen sang lam bao,
chac kha hon?
Kinh chuc anh luon khoe va vui tran day may man.
___________________________________________________
PHUC CAO NGUYEN, TRAINING SPECIALIST,
skype: phuccaonguyen 0913 424 640 /
0963 424 649
I cannot spell S_ CCESS without
U!
--- On Mon,
11/2/09, SUM TA QUANG <nhatk...@gmail.com>
wrote:
From: SUM TA QUANG <nhatk...@gmail.com>
Subject: Singapore
kí sự
To: quangth...@vnn.vn
Cc: "Lê Văn Phước" <lvp...@khanhhoa.edu.vn>
Date: Monday, November 2, 2009, 2:48 PM
Kính gửi các bạn với lòng biết ơn về một chuyến đi thú
vị
|
