THE UMBRELLA REVOLUTION: a blog post worth reading

1 What is the relationship between HK and China? What is occupy central?

HK was given to the United Kingdom in 1842 due to the treaty of Nanjing. In 1997, they were given back to Mainland China. Together with Macau, they are a Special Administrative Region (SAR) 中華人民共和國特別行政區 where they have their own government.

During these few years of absence, Hong Kong people developed their own identity and culture. They flourished under freedom of speech etc. They picked up western ways of doing things and integrated them into their Chinese culture. As such, the cultural differences between Mainland China and HK is very great, I would say even more so than Singapore and China. 

There have been several conflicts between PRCs and HK over the past few decades. Hong Kongers were rather unhappy with Mainland pregnant mums going to HK to give birth; taking up school spaces; buying tons of milk powder to sell in China and behaving rudely as tourists. Many Hong Kong residents do not identify with the whole PRC culture and with HK instead. 

Hong Kong people also want to nominate their own leaders and vote. However, currently in selecting their own chief executive, Beijing gives them three candidates for them to choose from. Hk people see this as a violation of basic law and their rights to choose their own leader. They liken this process to North Korea and Iran who also have one person, one vote but a restricted list of candidates.



Occupy Central is a peaceful civil disobedience campaign in which the leaders would mobilise protesters to stage a mass sit-in to blockade Central district as a means to force Beijing to allow Hong Kong what they consider genuine universal suffrage.

Occupy Central is led by University of Hong Kong law professor Benny Tai Yiu-ting, Chinese University sociologist Dr Chan Kin-man, and Baptist minister Reverend Chu Yiu-ming. Meanwhile, students’ groups – the Federation of Students and Scholarism – are also key drivers of this campaign.

Initially there was only 30,000 people. However, publicity of the event grew rapidly and more people joined in as people got upset of the police use of tear gas against unarmed peaceful protesters. They believe that the decision to use violence against the protesters was politically motivated by the central Beijing government. 

2. But don’t all protests cause trouble and create social instability??

This is not true. Most Singaporeans have never lived overseas in a real democratic country or experienced what real democracy is like. They have been told since secondary school in our social studies textbook that protests are bad and evil, they will ruin our economy, no one will want to invest blah blah.

So, when it comes to news about other cities having protests, they simply reiterate this opinion without questioning if it is true or not. That is the way our education system is like, teaching us to remember things without questioning it.

The truth is protests are really a normal part of every democratic country. When done peacefully, they don't harm the economy. Other countries like Japan, Taiwan, Germany, Switzerland and the USA have protests regularly but are doing quite well. It is simply people's rights to express their views and fight for what they want in a non-violent manner. If they don't do it, who would?

HK’s protests were done in a very peaceful way. Over 50,000 people were on the street but there were no looting, fires, fights among protesters or anything else which were were taught about protests. 

Photo credit: Jason Ng

And even recycling

Photo credit: Rosalind Chen

Hong Kong protesters modeled the values that they are striving to see in their society, namely “equality, tolerance, love, and care" and avoided confrontation and "developing hatred in [their] heart".

They understand that these values will not only help win over sympathizers, but lay bare the illegitimacy of the regime if it moves against them with excessive force. These aren't youthful idealists; these are savvy political operators who understand the secrets of successful nonviolent resistance.

Rather than HK protestors being violent, it was the police who sprayed pepper and tear gas at them. However, these protesters did not respond in violence and even sheltered the police during the rain.

Photo credit: Hk Allies

3. These activists in HK are similar to the ones in Singapore who only know how to kaopeh from behind the keyboard, flame others online and stir up trouble in charity events

While the Hong Lim Park incident took place during the same time as Occupy Central, I think it is totally unfair to liken the ongoing incident and student activists in HK to those in Singapore.

Having interacted with both activists in HK and Singapore, I can attest that civil society culture here in Singapore is really still in its infancy and pretty immature. 

With the exception of some proactive and outstanding individuals, it is on the whole very emotionally driven, reactive and people are sometimes more interested in their own ego issues rather than the cause they claim to fight for. 

They aren’t really good in engaging the public, media and officials to support their causes. They simply treat another person rudely just because they hold a different view or political affiliation. The range of acceptable ideas and approach to activism is very narrow, you either join in their condemnation or you are condemned via personal attacks and flaming. 

Besides being unable to engage the public, they are also bad in engaging one another. Many see activism as just an ego thing and get upset when other activists or bloggers do better than them or receive more publicity. Even female activists who claim to be feminist are being unhappy when other women do well and better than them. 

This isn’t the right way. Activism is about fighting for others and a cause you believe in, not about shooting other activists down or getting more attention and admiration than other activists. 

Sadly, many of these activists are those who are not excelling in other areas in life. As such they place all their self-esteem on the attention they receive for their activism work. 

4. I read The Straits Times that HK’s economy has been badly affected. Why are these people so selfish and irrational

Business man stands in front of barricade in HK. Photo credit: Tyrone Siu

You must understand that Singapore’s news is pretty much state controlled. Things that get published there are meant to contribute to supporting an existing ideology and way of thinking. Our government discourages protests.

As such when things like that happen in other countries, the news companies do their best to paint things in the most negative light possible. The day after occupy central protests, HK’s newspaper and western media focused on the injuries and injustice to protestors. However, Singapore’s newspapers only reported about the damage to the economy.

So if you want a more holistic view of this event, I encourage you to not just read Singapore’s papers but also stories written by Hong Kong and other international media.

Furthermore, the idea that MNCs will stop investing and shift their HQ away is simply exaggerated. HK has way too much financial and political incentives for people to withdraw their business. Furthermore, other cities have protests all the time but are still receiving strong foreign investment. 

Even if it may have an impact, is the economic growth or justice more important?

Additionally, I don’t think the Occupy Central protests are undermining HK’s international image. As Blogger Wong Sze Wai on South China Morning Post says: 

Freedom, judicial independence and a clean government have always been the qualities which uphold Hong Kong’s international image. It is the authorities who more and more blatantly undermine these qualities, while the people are defending them in their own ways. Who are the ones who are actually undermining Hong Kong’s international image?
There are a lot more demonstrations, protests and marches in London than in Hong Kong. These protests have not seemed to cause any damage to London’s economy or its international image.

5. The students shouldn't protest. It will affect their grades and learning.

The dumbest comments I have seen so far is those about how students are compromising their education.

Firstly their studies are not being affected. Students are bringing their homework to the protest

Photo credit: BBC

Teachers also conduct lessons during the protest

Students taking note during lesson conducted at the protest site. Photo credit: Tyrone Siu

People offering help

Author and lawyer Jason Ng providing help to students during the protest

What you have to really think about is the point of education. Is it doing well in exams? Getting good marks? Being an obedient kid who takes orders without questioning?

Or, is it being a useful person who speaks up for others and contributes to society? 

Personally, I like the attitude of HK students more than Singapore students in general. While we often criticize them for being materialistic, most of them are a lot more concerned about society as compared to Singaporean students. They also have the courage to stand for the things they believe in.

I have seen this spirit when thousands turned up to show their support against the Tiananmen Square incident despite the super heavy rain. It really touched me. I have never seen a Singaporean student fight for a cause in a peaceful way like that.

Quoting popular Hong Kong blogger Jason Y Ng:

There were casual conversations about the Sunday crackdown and the government’s next move. What were once talk-of-the-town topics like the new iPhone 6 and tabloid rumors about actor Nicolas Tse are now completely irrelevant. Even Facebook walls received a facelift: food porn, selfies and narcissistic rants have all given way to protest updates and stories of random acts of kindness.

Three days in, the Umbrella Revolution has already elevated the intellect of an entire generation. In all, it took 87 canisters of tear gas to jolt our youths out of their political apathy. Many now realize that politics affects them personally and that the subject is not as untouchable as their parents and peers had made it out to be. They also realize that video games, karaoke and television shows may have been social anesthesia designed to divert their attention from what matters and turn them into a bunch of fai tsing (廢青; literally, useless youths) who follow rules that they had no part in setting up. Awoken and armed with a new sense of purpose, these students have risen to the occasion and reclaimed their future.

Really liked the way he described it and hopefully Singaporean students will be able to be like this too some day. 

6. Aren't these people being unpatriotic?

I think we need to differentiate between being unhappy with policies and unhappy with countries. These people are protesting not because they hate Hong Kong but because they love the place and want to protect the rights and freedom of their people. They want to preserve what makes HK special from other Mainland Chinese cities – respect of human rights. 

7. Why can’t they negotiate rationally or try other methods of solving the problem besides protest?

Quoting Wong Sze Wai:

 Before saying that, please spend some time to research what the campaigners have done in trying to "negotiate rationally". Please research how many proposals on political reform they have submitted in the hope that the government will consider. Any negotiation is two-way. If one side has already shut the door, how could the other side continue to "negotiate rationally"? After doing the research, please ask yourself: "If I were them, is there anything I could do to continue the rational negotiation?"

Please also do some research on what they have done all the way through to be constructive. Only then, ask yourself: "On top of all these, is there anything I could do to be constructive?"

If you cannot come up with a proper answer, please don’t criticise these people as "unconstructive".

8. Are these students being idealistic? What makes you think they have a chance against the Chinese Communist Party and People’s Liberation Army?

If everyone thought this way, we will have no progress in our world and society at all. Think about the state of the world a few decades ago and about leaders like Martin Luther King and Gandhi. If these inspirational people given up because they felt they were not strong enough against authority, what kind of life would African-Americans and Indians be living today?

If everyone obeys the authorities because they think fighting against the rich and powerful is futile, there will be no human rights, justice or democracy in the world. We, the common people, would be slaves for them and under their control forever and ever.

9. What is going on in HK isn’t really our business. Why was there a useless event on Wednesday in Hong Lim Park?

I feel that instead of only being concerned about events in Singapore and Singaporeans, a truly global minded individual should also be concerned and care about injustice that is happening around the world. All of us are human beings who need rights, love, autonomy and freedom. The only differentiating factors are skin colour, a human construct like nationality and religion.

The event in Hong Lim park on Wednesday was to provide a platform for HK students to express themselves and show support while overseas. It is also an opportunity for locals here in Singapore to express support for the values they believe in. Not trouble making or anything, just a bunch of people standing in a park to talk about a cause they believe in.

Singapore is not the only one. There are groups in Taiwan, Japan, UK and Australia who are coming forward to gather and show their support. All these are very important because they get media attention. This will to raise global awareness of this issue and contribute to pressuring China to allow Hong Kong to elect their own leaders. So I don’t think it’s slacktivism or anything. 

Solidarity event in Times Square, New York

The author (me) is a popular lifestyle blogger in Singapore who was previously working in Hong Kong's Sing Tao News Corporation as a local news reporter.

putting the forbidden fruit theory to the test

sept 2014

On Friday afternoon several busloads of Singaporeans are expected to make the short journey across the Straits of Johor to Malaysia to watch a documentary they are unable to see in their own country.

The film, To Singapore, with Love, deals, indirectly, with one of the most controversial elements of the island nation’s history - the detention without trial of hundreds of people accused of being Communists and being part of a conspiracy. Lots of people fled to places such as Britain and Thailand to avoid arrest. Some returned, many did not.

The Singaporean filmmaker, Tan Pin Pin, profiles nine people of different political views, aged between 60 to 80, who escaped in the 1960s and 1970s. She talks about their lives, their memories, their hopes for the future. She hears about their food, their families, their habit of keeping up with the news back home by reading Singaporean newspapers online, even though they left up to 50 years ago.

“This film is shot entirely outside the country, in the belief that we can learn something about ourselves by adopting an external view,” wrote the 45-year-old Ms Tan.

Though the film deals with events that happened decades ago, even today they remain hugely controversial. Last week, the government’s Media Development Authority (MDA) refused to grant the film a licence on the grounds that it undermined national security. That means it cannot be shown in Singapore.

“The individuals in the film have given distorted and untruthful accounts of how they came to leave Singapore and remain outside Singapore,” said the MDA.

divide and rule?

problem

To hope that Nuri al-Maliki, Iraq’s prime minister, could form a coalition government of Sunnis, Shias and Kurds to bring about unity and peace ignores two key factors Firstly the incompetence and cronyism of Mr Maliki and secondly the 1300 years of absolute hatred between the Sunnis and the Shias. There is nothing America can do to change, improve or stop this visceral hate.

solution

Dividing Iraq into three seperate and independent countries is the only hope—the Kurds in the north, the Sunnis in the middle and the Shias in the south. Such a division into three countries will combine the aspirations, beliefs, culture and religion into homogeneous entities and there will no longer be any reason for the unending slaughter that is taking place today.

is this a feasible solution? 

do you appreciate your government?

 In California public education has been starved of money. Many teachers even provide their own classroom supplies

2013 - to what extent is technology a useful tool for governments...

problem



Not a tool but an enemy they have to learn to defend 

themselves against

attempts to bring down government websites, and the

 defacement of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and Istana 

webpages. 


solution


WORK is under way to tighten Singapore's defence against 

attacks that aim to disable government websites


how

This will be done by providing Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) mitigation services.

DDoS attacks work by having thousands of infected computers accessing and overwhelming a targeted site, causing a huge spike in traffic.

DDoS mitigation is a set of techniques that differentiates genuine incoming traffic from that sent by hijacked, infected browsers, so that services to genuine users will not be denied.

media control and sanctions

THE Thai junta has decided to set up four panels to monitor 

various media outlets in the country, despite facing pressure 

from the West for suppressing media freedom. The United 

States, for one, has suspended security-related aid and 

cancelled high-level engagements. 

one issue...many essay questions

1 conflict is avoidable
2 environment and pollution
3 one country's actions/development can spell potential loss for another
4 why singapore has to pedal harder and be super efficient...because we can lose out to malaysia since they are so much cheaper....

Malaysia assured Singapore that it would observe international law, amid concerns over two massive reclamation projects on the Malaysian side of the Johor Strait.

"The Government of Malaysia remains committed to fulfilling its obligations under the general principles of international law and in particular, the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea," Malaysia's Foreign Minister Anifah Aman said in a statement on Tuesday in response to Singapore's concerns.

The minister added that Malaysia has engaged Singapore on the issue through a Joint Committee on the Environment, which was co-chaired by the heads of Malaysia's Department of Environment and Singapore's National Environment Agency.

He also said that Malaysia's federal government has been in close consultation with the Johor state government and the property developers involved, reported the New Straits Times.

One of the two reclamation projects, a 1,410ha man-made island near Jurong Island, is intended to be furnished with oil storage facilities to capture the spillover energy business from Singapore, marine construction firm Benalec told The Straits Times.

The other project, the 2,000ha Forest City near the Second Link, is being developed by China's Country Garden Holdings and a Johor state company, Kumpulan Prasarana Rakyat Johor.

This island is intended to be turned into a tourist hot spot, complete with hotel, luxurious apartments and recreational facilities.

Singapore had last Saturday voiced concern over possible transboundary impact from the massive projects, given its proximity to Johor.

Back in 2002, Malaysia had similarly objected to Singapore's land reclamation works in Tuas and Pulau Tekong, arguing that the projects could potentially impinge on Malaysia's territorial waters, causing pollution and destroying the marine environment in the Strait of Johor.

The dispute was resolved after the two countries appeared before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, and signed an agreement in 2005.

- See more at: http://www.straitstimes.com/premium/top-the-news/story/kl-assures-spore-it-will-observe-rule-law-20140626#sthash.75KxJQbW.dpuf

instead of north korea .... cite this as an example

Zarechny: a rare glimpse into one of Russia's last closed cities

Photographer Ksenia Yurkova provides intimate portraits of life inside a relic of the Soviet era; secret cities. Under Communism these cities were home to sensitive strategic facilities meaning most were wiped off the map, and movement was heavily restricted. Today some, like Zarechny, are gradually opening up, but dozens remain closed to the outside world, The Calvert Journal reports

1 Under Communism, closed cities were usually home to sensitive strategic facilities. Most were not shown on maps, and freedom of movement was heavily restricted.

2 Even today, Zarechny is full of out-of-bounds areas, most notably Rosatom, a state-owned corporation that manufactures parts for nuclear weapons; photography is banned there. 

3 It was only in 1986 that Russians were officially told of the closed cities in their country. More than one million people lived in them.

4 Visitors to closed cities had to be invited by residents, and even then it wasn't guaranteed they would be allowed a permit to enter

5 Zarechny’s 62,000 inhabitants are now free to come and go, but still live encircled by barbed wire fence

6 Closed cities were nicknamed “post boxes” because mail for the inhabitants would have to be sent to special post boxes in nearby towns rather than delivered directly. 

7 With cheap food and low salaries and the absence of political tensions either with nationalists or the opposition, Zarechny looks like a model Socialist wonderland

8 Though closed cities like Zarechny have gradually been opening up, dozens of others remain disconnected from the outside world.

9 “As long as Russia remains the target of aggression, we will need to test our rockets and keep the tests behind the wall to provide secrecy,” Sergey Markov, a former Duma deputy, said in 2009. 

hope the cartoonist does not mind...for the sake of education...the syrian conflict

does education make people more educated?

Controversial columnist Dr Ridhuan Tee Abdullah is now perturbed by the size of the Calvary Convention Centre (CCC) in Bukit Jalil, the largest church in Southeast Asia, saying that Christians did not deserve such a big place of worship given that they only make up 10% of Malaysia's population.

The lecturer said instead, Buddhists deserved bigger temples because they accounted for 20% of the population.

"We have been too good in allowing them to build the biggest church here when they make up less than 10% of the population.

"This does not include the churches in each state, district and also those in shophouses and in Orang Asli settlements.

"To be fair, the Buddhist deserve more as they make up more than 20%," he said in his article in Sinar Harian titled “What is fair and what is not”.

The RM200 million 55,700-square-metre building which began operations in July last year, boasts a 5,000-seat auditorium, as well as a multi-purpose hall, classrooms, lecture halls, a nursery and retail stores and cafes.

According to Ridhuan, Muslims in Malaysia were so good, adding that the comfortable conditions enjoyed by the non-Muslims here did not exist in neighbouring countries.

He added that the government has given a lot of leeway to other groups to air their views to the extent it was now posing a problem.

"I remember the saying, 10% of conflicts arise from opposing views, 90% from the wrong voices.

"What is happening today is that we have given freedom to the 90% immoral voices that keep talking about their rights. In the end, we feel pressured."

The Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia lecturer also reminded Muslims not to be too trusting towards the “ultra kiasu” as they might find themselves trapped in the end.

He said there ought to be suspicion as it was the strategy of the “ultra kiasu” who hold the view that there was no 

"Ultra kiasu" is Ridhuan’s favourite euphemism for those deemed as going against the Malays.

He also called for the powers of the Bar Council to be curbed, so that it did not behave like the opposition.

He added that those leading the Bar Council were made up of “ultra kiasu lawyers” and it was only they who attended the Bar's AGM.

The Bar had urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to withdraw his suit against online news portal Malaysiakini and its editors, saying that it set a bad precedent as Najib was, in effect, suing the media for the views and comments of the public to whom he was accountable.

Bar chairman Christopher Leong had also said public officials, especially those holding high public offices, and political parties should not resort to defamation suits as an answer to criticism or comment.

just saying

The American government shutdown

The effects of the two-week government shutdown were widespread. In addition to national parks, museums, memorials and monuments were off-limits to visitors. Workers at government-run organizations like NASA and the Environmental Protection Agency were furloughed. Part of the new legislation will pay back the 800,000 workers who were without pay during the shutdown.

prisoner exchange... should it be encouraged?

President Barack Obama is defending his administration's operation to rescue army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl from Taliban captivity, saying the United States is committed to freeing its prisoners of war regardless of the circumstances of their capture.

• Bowe Bergdahl, U.S. soldier held in Afghanistan, in poor health before release

Obama also acknowledged that the Taliban fighters who were freed from the U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in exchange for Bergdahl could engage in efforts detrimental to U.S. security again. But he said he was confident the United States could go after those individuals if that were the case.

• 

1 of 13

Bergdahl has not met with his family yet and is not being interrogated, Obama said.

The president also responded to criticism that his administration may have violated a law requiring it to give Congress notice of 30 days before moving any prisoner out of Guantanamo Bay.

“We have consulted with Congress for quite some time about the possibility that we might need to execute a prisoner exchange in order to recover Bergdahl,” Obama said during a visit to Poland, where he's attending talks on eastern European security.

“We saw an opportunity, and we were concerned about Bergdahl’s health. We had the co-operation of the Qataris to execute an exchange and we seized that opportunity.” He added that “the process was truncated because we wanted to make sure we would not miss that window.”

• Kidnapped: Do governments pay ransoms to militants?

Bergdahl, 28, spent five years in captivity at the hands of the Taliban in Afghanistan before his release over the weekend. He continues to be looked after at an American military hospital in Germany.

Officials say the Hailey, Idaho man was in stable condition. He is yet to be reunited with his parents, Bob and Jani Bergdahl, also of Hailey.

In exchange for his freedom, five Taliban detainees were transferred from the military prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba to custody in Doha, Qatar.

An official in that country was quoted in media reports Tuesday as saying those five men will live in a residential compound in Doha with their families and they will be allowed to move freely in the country. They are banned from leaving Qatar for at least one year.

roy ngerng and crowdfunding

Blogger Roy Ngerng’s crowdfunding efforts to help pay for his legal battle with the PM got many ordinary Singaporeans contributing to the cause.

And the amount collected came to more than $81,000 in four days- $10,000 more than what he had asked for.

The highest amount given was $2,000 and the lowest $0.01. Most of them contributed small sums. Altogether more than 1,200 people chipped in.

We spoke to five of them and their bottled-up grievances were evident.

Take the case of this 55-year-old fashion designer, who did not want her name revealed. She wants to go on a religious pilgrimage to Mecca with her CPF savings but is worried she might not be able to achieve it.

She said:  “I am 100 per cent worried that what I can draw out from my CPF savings at my age will not be enough to go for my pilgrimage.

“I want the whole lump sum back. I have my own plans. Don’t treat us like children. I can manage my own money. I feel that the CPF savings should be allowed to be drawn out with fewer restrictions.”

She gave Ngerng $100.

Another donor who only want to be known as Wong, 41, does not live here and has no intention of returning to Singapore.

“I detest oppression. When I was a young boy in Singapore, I felt my speech had been silenced. That was during the 80s and I was only a teenager.

“People kept telling me to shut up and not to bad-mouth the PAP. And I did not appreciate the chewing gum ban,” said Wong who works in the Asian region now.

“I see Roy as a common Singaporean. He is speaking on behalf of all of us. By suing Roy, the Prime Minister is telling all of us to shut up. In the 80s, I had to shut up, this time we do not have to.”

Wong gave $1,000.

However, some donors said they do not agree with all of Ngerng’s arguments. Yet, they will support him – partly out of admiration for Ngerng’s courage to speak up, partly out of scepticism of the ruling government.

Wong said:  “I do not think it was unnecessary to link Lee Hsien Loong with the City Harvest scandal. But since Roy has done it, we will support him anyway. Like I said, I admire his courage for writing that article and speaking up for all of us.”

Jay Lee, who wanted his age and occupation not used in this article, added: “Perhaps the statistics provided by Ngerng may not be entirely accurate. But then, only the government has all the detailed information. If public have no access to such information, then they will try to work out the closest they can get from all the sources which might turn out to be inaccurate.”

Lee sent $100 to Ngerng.

Other donors said their own hardship in life got them rooting for Ngerng.

Ryan, 33 and who didn’t want his full name used, is a system operator.  He said: “I believe in Roy Ngerng’s cause. My whole family works so hard. Even my elderly parents have to work every day.

“I think CPF should be made more accessible for genuine reasons. The government should appoint counsellors to evaluate and provide genuine help through CPF for every individual.”

Ryan made a small contribution of  $50.

The people we spoke have reached a single conclusion: Lee Hsien Loong should not have reacted so harshly towards the political blogger. Many of the donors pointed out that Ngerng had already apologised to Lee.

Augustine Lee, 41, who is a real estate agent said: “I give you an example. You did not submit your homework in time, and your teacher caned you. I think that is not equitable punishment. You should have just been made to stand for 15 minutes outside the classroom.”

Augustine chipped in with $100.

Jay Lee added:  “What the Prime Minister could have done was to ask Ngerng to make a second written note, declaring he would not make such baseless allegations again.

“That will buy the Prime Minister a lot of goodwill. Public opinion would be on Lee Hsien Loong’s side if he had decided against going to court in the first instance. But when he decided to do so, he lost it all.”