1. "Protest conveyed to Singapore Environment Minister: Indonesia - CNA 16 May 2016
JAKARTA: Indonesia has rejected claims by the Singapore Government that an official complaint was not received by the city-state over plans to prosecute Indonesian businessmen for their alleged involvement in the forest fires last year.
"The Indonesian ambassador has conveyed (a protest) to the Singaporean environment minister," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Arrmanatha Nasir told the Jakarta Post on Sunday (May 15).
Last Wednesday, Singapore's National Environment Agency (NEA) obtained a court warrant against the director of an Indonesian company linked to haze-causing forest fires. He failed to turn up for an interview with authorities in Singapore despite being served a legal notice to do so when he was in the country.
Indonesia disagreed with this move and Mr Arrmanatha said Jakarta had then sent an official protest through its embassy in Singapore. The Jakarta Post quoted another senior Indonesian diplomat as saying that the Indonesian ambassador conveyed the protest on May 6.
However, a spokesperson for the Singapore Foreign Affairs Ministry denied receiving any such protest. "Mr Arrmanatha’s remarks are puzzling. He reportedly said that the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore had ‘strongly protested’ against the NEA’s actions. We have, however, not yet received any representation from the Indonesian Embassy,” an NEA spokesperson said last week.
On Saturday, Indonesian Minister of the Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya said Indonesia is reportedly reviewing all existing, planned and future bilateral cooperation in environment and forestry matters with Singapore."
Err, what's up neighbour? What happen to the Asean Spirit? Thought there was this 'Asean Meeting of Minds on regional air pollution caused by haze from slash-and-burn of plantation and peat lands' after many rounds of consultations, discussions, proclamations and joint announcements?
Does the local ground-zero Indonesians' voices not count? Is this issue putting President Jokowi in a difficult position since he had publicly declared 'war' against such blatant disregard of massive environmental pollutions and killing innocent residents and other around the region?
There is no desire to challenge the legal rights of our neighbour's government to prosecute the culprits at their own time own target. Singapore is just trying to prosecute those responsible, if proved guilty as charged, for the massive haze pollution that caused billions to Singapore AND Indonesia and Malaysia, even Thailand!
May there be 'present of clear mind' unbiased by 'misplaced sense of being slighted'.
2. "Do we expect too much of our ministers and MPs? - The Straits Times 15 May 2016
It all adds up to a very difficult environment in which to be a minister or MP: under constant, intense scrutiny by a demanding, complaining electorate.
I don’t know how they do it, frankly, these politicians. I sometimes think voters should moderate our expectations, and not expect our MPs and ministers to do so much, and be everywhere."
In the light of Finance Minister's collapse at the Weekly Cabinet Meeting due to a stroke, this question was raised and written about by the Straits Times Opinion Editor, Ms Chua Mui Hoong.
For me, the voters can expect a lot of things from the ministers and MPs. It is for the minsters and MPs to decide what is realistic vs. what is simply 'a sure way to die ugly' expectations!
Minister Heng is one of the few I admired as I had repeated a few times in the past comments on REACH and other online forums. He can do much. The MP that Ms Chua met when accompanying her friend on a 'driving issue', Dr Amy Khor, is one of the few that enjoy huge popularity with the public. She is indeed very friendly, professional and effective.
So, what we need are MORE ministers and MPs like Minister Heng and Dr Khor who are able to handle the multitude of work and tasks professionally and effectively. Minister Heng's unfortunate stroke must not be the reason to RELAX the expectations, those genuine ones, of our ministers and MPs.
In the light of this revelation, perhaps we need to KNOW a bit MORE whatever happened to our world class civil services? are they NOT the helpers of the ministers to research and draft policies?
I had helped with an opposition MP at the MPS for almost a year. I found that MOST of the issues are trivial and FAIRLY standard: help with traffic offenses, application of HDB/kids' place in schools, neighbours from hell!, use of CPF money, foreign spouses, unable to pay for utilities, etc. Rarely do you get a POLICY type complaints. So, let's be clear about these.
As for the strategic thingy like: FutureEconomy, FutureJobs, etc. etc. these are BEYOND the controls of ANY human officials as Singapore is so tiny. Plan with certain assumptions made and go. There is NO guarantee that plans will go as plan. In fact, plans will ALWAYS be derailed and on-the-fly generation of on-the-spot solutions may be required. However, IF the long term assumptions changed due to factors beyond our control, it does not mean the ministers or country has failed. It simply just mean the issues are BIGGER than Singapore!
Once again, may Minister Heng recovers well.
JAKARTA: Indonesia has rejected claims by the Singapore Government that an official complaint was not received by the city-state over plans to prosecute Indonesian businessmen for their alleged involvement in the forest fires last year.
"The Indonesian ambassador has conveyed (a protest) to the Singaporean environment minister," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Arrmanatha Nasir told the Jakarta Post on Sunday (May 15).
Last Wednesday, Singapore's National Environment Agency (NEA) obtained a court warrant against the director of an Indonesian company linked to haze-causing forest fires. He failed to turn up for an interview with authorities in Singapore despite being served a legal notice to do so when he was in the country.
Indonesia disagreed with this move and Mr Arrmanatha said Jakarta had then sent an official protest through its embassy in Singapore. The Jakarta Post quoted another senior Indonesian diplomat as saying that the Indonesian ambassador conveyed the protest on May 6.
However, a spokesperson for the Singapore Foreign Affairs Ministry denied receiving any such protest. "Mr Arrmanatha’s remarks are puzzling. He reportedly said that the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore had ‘strongly protested’ against the NEA’s actions. We have, however, not yet received any representation from the Indonesian Embassy,” an NEA spokesperson said last week.
On Saturday, Indonesian Minister of the Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya said Indonesia is reportedly reviewing all existing, planned and future bilateral cooperation in environment and forestry matters with Singapore."
Err, what's up neighbour? What happen to the Asean Spirit? Thought there was this 'Asean Meeting of Minds on regional air pollution caused by haze from slash-and-burn of plantation and peat lands' after many rounds of consultations, discussions, proclamations and joint announcements?
Does the local ground-zero Indonesians' voices not count? Is this issue putting President Jokowi in a difficult position since he had publicly declared 'war' against such blatant disregard of massive environmental pollutions and killing innocent residents and other around the region?
There is no desire to challenge the legal rights of our neighbour's government to prosecute the culprits at their own time own target. Singapore is just trying to prosecute those responsible, if proved guilty as charged, for the massive haze pollution that caused billions to Singapore AND Indonesia and Malaysia, even Thailand!
May there be 'present of clear mind' unbiased by 'misplaced sense of being slighted'.
2. "Do we expect too much of our ministers and MPs? - The Straits Times 15 May 2016
It all adds up to a very difficult environment in which to be a minister or MP: under constant, intense scrutiny by a demanding, complaining electorate.
I don’t know how they do it, frankly, these politicians. I sometimes think voters should moderate our expectations, and not expect our MPs and ministers to do so much, and be everywhere."
In the light of Finance Minister's collapse at the Weekly Cabinet Meeting due to a stroke, this question was raised and written about by the Straits Times Opinion Editor, Ms Chua Mui Hoong.
For me, the voters can expect a lot of things from the ministers and MPs. It is for the minsters and MPs to decide what is realistic vs. what is simply 'a sure way to die ugly' expectations!
Minister Heng is one of the few I admired as I had repeated a few times in the past comments on REACH and other online forums. He can do much. The MP that Ms Chua met when accompanying her friend on a 'driving issue', Dr Amy Khor, is one of the few that enjoy huge popularity with the public. She is indeed very friendly, professional and effective.
So, what we need are MORE ministers and MPs like Minister Heng and Dr Khor who are able to handle the multitude of work and tasks professionally and effectively. Minister Heng's unfortunate stroke must not be the reason to RELAX the expectations, those genuine ones, of our ministers and MPs.
In the light of this revelation, perhaps we need to KNOW a bit MORE whatever happened to our world class civil services? are they NOT the helpers of the ministers to research and draft policies?
I had helped with an opposition MP at the MPS for almost a year. I found that MOST of the issues are trivial and FAIRLY standard: help with traffic offenses, application of HDB/kids' place in schools, neighbours from hell!, use of CPF money, foreign spouses, unable to pay for utilities, etc. Rarely do you get a POLICY type complaints. So, let's be clear about these.
As for the strategic thingy like: FutureEconomy, FutureJobs, etc. etc. these are BEYOND the controls of ANY human officials as Singapore is so tiny. Plan with certain assumptions made and go. There is NO guarantee that plans will go as plan. In fact, plans will ALWAYS be derailed and on-the-fly generation of on-the-spot solutions may be required. However, IF the long term assumptions changed due to factors beyond our control, it does not mean the ministers or country has failed. It simply just mean the issues are BIGGER than Singapore!
Once again, may Minister Heng recovers well.
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