OTBM Media Watch Day 5
Ramping it up just a little, but, we have broken down the articles into positive, neutral and negative for each of the parties (incumbent and opposition). Check it.
February 29th
New Straits Times
BN – 21 (Positive=7,Negative=3, Neutral=11)
Opp – 16 (Positive=3,Negative=7, Neutral=6)
Both – 6
Total: 43
The Star
BN – 7 (Positive=0,Negative=0, Neutral=7)
Opp –2 (Positive=0,Negative=1, Neutral=1)
Both – 2
Total: 11
Sun Daily
BN – 2 (Positive=1,Negative=0, Neutral=1)
Opp –1 (Positive=0,Negative=0, Neutral=1)
Both – 1
Total: 4
Malaysia Kini
BN – 5 (Positive=2,Negative=2, Neutral=1)
Opp – 3 (Positive=1,Negative=2, Neutral=0)
Both – 3
Total: 11
Utusan Malaysia
BN – 11 (Positive=5,Negative=0, Neutral=6)
Opp – 10 (Positive=4, Negative=3, Neutral=3)
Both – 3
Total: 24
The Edge Daily
BN – 3 (Positive=1,Negative=0, Neutral=2)
Opp – 0 (Positive=0,Negative=0, Neutral=0)
Both – 1
Total: 4
Berita Harian
BN –9 (Positive=2,Negative=0, Neutral=7)
Opp – 5 (Positive=0,Negative=5, Neutral=0)
Both – 2
Total: 16
Breakdown By Parties
BN: 58(51%)
Opp: 37 (32%)
Both: 18(16%)
Friday, February 29, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
OTBM Media Watch Day 4
From today onwards, we shall add the Berita Harian into our count. Things are shaping up interestingly enough.
February 28th
New Straits Times
BN – 15
Opp – 0
Both – 6
Total: 21
The Star
BN – 14
Opp –9
Both – 2
Total: 25
Sun Daily
BN – 2
Opp –0
Both – 2
Total: 4
Malaysia Kini
BN – 6
Opp – 4
Both – 0
Total: 10
Utusan Malaysia
BN – 12
Opp – 13
Both – 1
Total: 26
The Edge Daily
BN – 1
Opp – 1
Both – 0
Total: 2
Berita Harian
BN – 17
Opp – 8
Both – 5
Total: 2
Breakdown By Parties
BN: 67(57%)
Opp: 35 (30%)
Both: 16 (13%)
From today onwards, we shall add the Berita Harian into our count. Things are shaping up interestingly enough.
February 28th
New Straits Times
BN – 15
Opp – 0
Both – 6
Total: 21
The Star
BN – 14
Opp –9
Both – 2
Total: 25
Sun Daily
BN – 2
Opp –0
Both – 2
Total: 4
Malaysia Kini
BN – 6
Opp – 4
Both – 0
Total: 10
Utusan Malaysia
BN – 12
Opp – 13
Both – 1
Total: 26
The Edge Daily
BN – 1
Opp – 1
Both – 0
Total: 2
Berita Harian
BN – 17
Opp – 8
Both – 5
Total: 2
Breakdown By Parties
BN: 67(57%)
Opp: 35 (30%)
Both: 16 (13%)
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
OTBM Media Watch Day 3
Our findings so far are somewhat surprising...in that there has been a lot more coverage on the opposition than we thought there would be. So we are going to try something different tomorrow, and see what we come up with.
February 27th
New Straits Times
BN – 19
Opp – 23
Both – 6
Total: 48
The Star
BN – 16
Opp –8
Both – 2
Total: 26
Sun Daily
BN – 2
Opp –1
Both – 2
Total: 5
Malaysia Kini
BN – 4
Opp – 4
Both – 1
Total: 9
Utusan Malaysia
BN – 4
Opp – 1
Both – 0
Total: 5
The Edge Daily
BN – 1
Opp – 1
Both – 0
Total: 2
Breakdown By Parties
BN: 46 (48%)
Opp: 38 (40%)
Both: 11 (12%)
Our findings so far are somewhat surprising...in that there has been a lot more coverage on the opposition than we thought there would be. So we are going to try something different tomorrow, and see what we come up with.
February 27th
New Straits Times
BN – 19
Opp – 23
Both – 6
Total: 48
The Star
BN – 16
Opp –8
Both – 2
Total: 26
Sun Daily
BN – 2
Opp –1
Both – 2
Total: 5
Malaysia Kini
BN – 4
Opp – 4
Both – 1
Total: 9
Utusan Malaysia
BN – 4
Opp – 1
Both – 0
Total: 5
The Edge Daily
BN – 1
Opp – 1
Both – 0
Total: 2
Breakdown By Parties
BN: 46 (48%)
Opp: 38 (40%)
Both: 11 (12%)
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
OTBM Media Watch Day 2
We encountered our first little glitch today. Since we cannot buy any of the Malaysian newspapers in Singapore, we rely on the websites to update their online versions, and some newspapers are a bit slack doing that. But no matter, since we count the percentage of articles instead of the absolute number. And also because the ones that didnt update tended to be smaller papers with fewer articles.
Anyways...here you go!
February 26th
New Straits Times
BN – 19
Opp – 15
Both – 13
Total: 47
The Star
BN – 17
Opp –13
Both – 0
Total: 30
Sun Daily
not updated
Malaysia Kini
BN – 1
Opp – 4
Both – 4
Total: 9
Utusan Malaysia
BN – 4
Opp – 1
Both – 0
Total: 5
The Edge Daily
not updated
Breakdown By Parties
BN: 41 (45%)
Opp: 33 (36%)
Both: 17 (18%)
We encountered our first little glitch today. Since we cannot buy any of the Malaysian newspapers in Singapore, we rely on the websites to update their online versions, and some newspapers are a bit slack doing that. But no matter, since we count the percentage of articles instead of the absolute number. And also because the ones that didnt update tended to be smaller papers with fewer articles.
Anyways...here you go!
February 26th
New Straits Times
BN – 19
Opp – 15
Both – 13
Total: 47
The Star
BN – 17
Opp –13
Both – 0
Total: 30
Sun Daily
not updated
Malaysia Kini
BN – 1
Opp – 4
Both – 4
Total: 9
Utusan Malaysia
BN – 4
Opp – 1
Both – 0
Total: 5
The Edge Daily
not updated
Breakdown By Parties
BN: 41 (45%)
Opp: 33 (36%)
Both: 17 (18%)
Monday, February 25, 2008
OTBM Media Watch
As promised, here is our media counter. We have put it into three categories, based on the papers we could read online. We count articles that feature BN exclusively, articles that feature the opposition exclusively and articles that feature both. Of course, it is an imperfect measure, since
Have a look and see how this develops.
25 February 2008
New Straits Times
BN – 35
Opp – 28
Both – 39
Total: 102
The Star
BN – 32
Opp – 8
Both – 25
Total: 65
Sun Daily
BN – 1
Opp – 0
Both – 4
Total: 5
Malaysia Kini
BN – 3
Opp – 3
Both – 0
Total: 6
Utusan Malaysia
BN – 3
Opp – 1
Both – 0
Total: 4
The Edge Daily
BN- 1
Opp – 0
Both – 4
Total: 4
Breakdown By Parties
BN: 75 (40%)
Opp: 40 (20%)
Both: 72 (38%)
As promised, here is our media counter. We have put it into three categories, based on the papers we could read online. We count articles that feature BN exclusively, articles that feature the opposition exclusively and articles that feature both. Of course, it is an imperfect measure, since
Have a look and see how this develops.
25 February 2008
New Straits Times
BN – 35
Opp – 28
Both – 39
Total: 102
The Star
BN – 32
Opp – 8
Both – 25
Total: 65
Sun Daily
BN – 1
Opp – 0
Both – 4
Total: 5
Malaysia Kini
BN – 3
Opp – 3
Both – 0
Total: 6
Utusan Malaysia
BN – 3
Opp – 1
Both – 0
Total: 4
The Edge Daily
BN- 1
Opp – 0
Both – 4
Total: 4
Breakdown By Parties
BN: 75 (40%)
Opp: 40 (20%)
Both: 72 (38%)
Sunday, February 24, 2008
All Rivers Run To The Mainstream
The Asia Sentinel published an interesting though somewhat obvious article about the media in Malaysia, following the Berjaya Group buyout of one of the more independent newspapers . It could be interpreted as an act of sedition to criticise the government in a newspaper, although it is unlikely to get even there, since all it really takes is for the government to refuse the annual license renewal on a publication.
OTBM thinks there are several good uses to this. The main one is that it is a check on any racial "profiteering" (in the electoral sense) that may cause unwanted conflagrations. But the result of more mainstream news should be the proliferation of websites/blogs - or any other alternative source of news.
However, even those have been warned by both the Youth Minister and the Information Minister. What does this choke entail? We dont know for sure.
But we are going to start an election count. Since we cannot get Malaysian newspapers in Singapore, we shall have to rely on the net, and so our count may not be that accurate, but we are going to count the number of articles that feature the opposition and the number of articles that feature the incumbents everday, starting from the first day of campaigning.
Watch for it.
The Asia Sentinel published an interesting though somewhat obvious article about the media in Malaysia, following the Berjaya Group buyout of one of the more independent newspapers . It could be interpreted as an act of sedition to criticise the government in a newspaper, although it is unlikely to get even there, since all it really takes is for the government to refuse the annual license renewal on a publication.
OTBM thinks there are several good uses to this. The main one is that it is a check on any racial "profiteering" (in the electoral sense) that may cause unwanted conflagrations. But the result of more mainstream news should be the proliferation of websites/blogs - or any other alternative source of news.
However, even those have been warned by both the Youth Minister and the Information Minister. What does this choke entail? We dont know for sure.
But we are going to start an election count. Since we cannot get Malaysian newspapers in Singapore, we shall have to rely on the net, and so our count may not be that accurate, but we are going to count the number of articles that feature the opposition and the number of articles that feature the incumbents everday, starting from the first day of campaigning.
Watch for it.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Life inside a Durian: A Treatise on Thumb Thumping, Head Bobbing and Anti-Rock Culture
The defining moment: Rollins Band comes to Singapore somewhere in the mid-1990s. Surprisingly, the venue for this concert is the Singapore Labour Foundation building along Thomson Road.
The result? A hard rocking, loud concert, complete with body slamming, crowd surfing and a mosh pit. Someone privy to this occasion said that it was, and here a quote is necessary, “Fun.”
The fallout: Shortly after, Singapore bans mosh pitting and its allies. Comrades, keep your steel toed shoes at home.
Set the dials on your DeLorean to the future, step on the accelerator and leave Doc with his Syrian uranium suppliers. The concert landscape in Singapore has changed. We have music festivals, big artists coming to our small town (but not to settle down) and even a small but thriving local ‘scene.’
Just for good measure, you could throw in a few new nightclubs and entertainment spots that play CDs, MP3s and the odd vinyl of soulless music in the midst of over-priced alcohol. Minimally additive, they still tally to this amorphous, loosely defined: SCENE, Local (Exhibit 1(a), Submitted by Defence, Music Scene vs The Unbelievers, 2008).
Beautifully constructed, attracting players and musicians worldwide with its pungent aroma of perfect pitch reverberance, the Esplanade (does it end like escalade or avant garde – this discussion frequently proceeds the talk about its shapely oddities) is the architectural and ideological spear thrusting the move into SCENE, Local (Exhibit 1(b)).
In fact, efforts to get Bond, James Bond to hightail out of a sticky situation and down the sides of the Esplanade where soon to die Bond Girl in skimpy yet surprisingly maneuverable outfit waits in the next installment of the series should be supported. Opening scene, one would think.
Don’t get it wrong, the Esplanade, and all the wonderful people that work for it have brought us acts that we could not even imagine a few years ago. Femi Kuti came to the Mosaic Music Festival in 2007. He doesn’t even perform frequently anymore.
Stop. You Unbeliever, (part of Party for Defence, Music Scene vs The Unbelievers, 2007), Femi will not perform for loads of money either, it was not as simple as that. He is an artist that needs to be convinced that there is some point in performing. Being a political dissident and/or son thereof, that does not smack world tour. He’s got Nigerian politics to contend with. That speaks volumes for Mosaic and the Esplanade.
But let’s examine the Rollins Band effect.
Yo La Tengo performed at the Esplanade (does it end like evade or fascade – this discussion never gets tiresome) at the Mosaic Music Festival. Context: Yo La Tengo, despite its Spanish name, has no linguistic inclinations. They are an American indie rock band. They are definitely not Vomit Pop (See “Oops!...I Did It Again [Japan Bonus Track], Britney Spears).
Described simultaneously as visionary, spiritual and spontaneous – they are essentially the critics band. Good music, without much financial reward. The antithesis of Vomit Pop. They do have some qualities that befit a great musical act.
To put it into context, the great musical act that is Yo La Tengo took about ten years to reap the same financial reward as ‘Hit Me Baby, One More Time’ (see “Britney Spears Greatest Hits: My Perogative, Sony/BMG), but such is the usual price of musical talent.
The members of Yo La Tengo are each, music producers forbid, musicians. They play merry go round on their various instruments, each take their turn at percussion, bass, piano and various other sound producing machines to produce performance vignettes that will blow the pop mind whilst displaying nimble musical dexterity.
They even take turns singing, and they do so without doing the juvenile patterned song and dance of say Take That (Live in Aruba, 1999). The husband, wife (not divorced yet) and best mate team have always ventured into adventurous, imaginative landscapes, performing hauntingly scarce tunes and psychedelic instrumental excursions.
In other words, they are a perfect band for Mosaic. As good as they were, they did still perform at the Esplanade (the phonetic discussion has since moved on). And what is the effect of this imposing theatre?
Head Bobbing and Thumb Thumping (Exhibit 1(c), Submitted by Prosecution, Music Scene vs The Unbelievers, 2007). The theoretical reasons vary from the Rollins effect (mosh pit and allies ban), the corporate tickets, the seating arrangements, the ushers – but in essence, there is a collective undeclared sense of Shhh! Quiet Please at the Esplanade (its like lard, ask a speech sounds afficionado) that should be studied for the Save Our Umpires Throats campaign at Grand Slam tennis events.
At the Yo La Tengo concert this was apparent. Despite a rocking rousing wow pedal opener, no rears found gravitational abandonment of their seats. Posteriors nested, the effect of an onslaught of Hard Rocking Good Times that ensued would, in the language of a Darfur dealing diplomat, be described as “peculiar and odd, yet not yet to the level that would be described as unadulterated madness. They may be termed as acts of head bobbing, but not head bobbing in a broad sense.” Note that this quote is entirely hypothetical, yet somewhat probable in the conflict resolution circles.
Head Bobbing and Thumb Thumping are the bastard child cousins of pure physical musical expression. They might work well in an elevator situation, where one random cranium lets loose to a familiar tune, or in a strip joint situation, where head bobbing might be done by the strip joint culture erotic escapist who wants instead to award the DJ instead of the other bobbers, but it parks not itself in the same league as say the balanced ballet pirouette or the moonwalk.
One would even place the ‘Running Man’ (see Bobby Brown World Tour, Singapore, 1989) on a higher artistic plane than head bobbing, although head bobbing has the advantage and flexibility of ubiquity.
Head Bobbing has several physical constraints. It moves not as much as the musical chord or the lyrical jowl. One is even inhibited by the three dimensional plane. Up and Down. Left and Right. Combine. Repeat. These are head bobbing’s basic moves.
However, even the professional bobber of heads is constrained. There is chin on hand bobbing which connotes stylistic Rodin consideration. Culturally influenced head bobbing includes the Indian influenced version – forward and back – but this technique does not lend itself to rock music. Beyond that, even the best head bobbers struggle to find new frontiers.
The bad news is that individual head bobbing is really the pinnacle of that particular art form. Collective head bobbing is cultish at best and manic at worst. Perhaps this is a peculiarity of head bobbing, but rhythmically, heads find it hard to achieve consensus (see hypothetical ‘Darfur Dealing Diplomats, above). And just you try to bob your head for the duration of a concert without letting the more dance inclined body parts take lead.
And so what was experienced at Yo La Tengo @ Mosaic was collective head bobbing at its worst. Out of sync, random bobs of a collectively rooted to their seats audience.
This is precisely the kind of communal act that should spark an anti-seat rock revolution. A hark back to the pre-Rollins Band effect. For all it would take is the curiously simple venture into standing. Clapping, shoulder movement, foot thumping and dancing may follow, even side to side movement, but the first step in the revolution is to remove buttock from seat.
And before you tell haunting tales of personal safety liability and the archetypal Usher as Enforcer, revolutions need volume. Individuals who want to rebel against the head bobbing effect of the Esplanade will remain weak and be easy targets for ushers who are simply doing their jobs as long as they remain isolated. Every concert hall in the world has a ruling that states seating is necessary for your personal safety but standing is de facto nonetheless.
One problem is that this is not necessarily a revolution of the masses, it is more one of those trickle down bourgeoisie led revolutions. It has to begin at the front row. Yet front row tickets are the most expensive, offer the best views and the best perks. Nobody except the band can rise to block your view.
Its not exactly ‘Hasta la Victoria Siempre’ stuff, but do take a stand. Banish the Rollins Band effect. Otherwise, just watch a play.
The defining moment: Rollins Band comes to Singapore somewhere in the mid-1990s. Surprisingly, the venue for this concert is the Singapore Labour Foundation building along Thomson Road.
The result? A hard rocking, loud concert, complete with body slamming, crowd surfing and a mosh pit. Someone privy to this occasion said that it was, and here a quote is necessary, “Fun.”
The fallout: Shortly after, Singapore bans mosh pitting and its allies. Comrades, keep your steel toed shoes at home.
Set the dials on your DeLorean to the future, step on the accelerator and leave Doc with his Syrian uranium suppliers. The concert landscape in Singapore has changed. We have music festivals, big artists coming to our small town (but not to settle down) and even a small but thriving local ‘scene.’
Just for good measure, you could throw in a few new nightclubs and entertainment spots that play CDs, MP3s and the odd vinyl of soulless music in the midst of over-priced alcohol. Minimally additive, they still tally to this amorphous, loosely defined: SCENE, Local (Exhibit 1(a), Submitted by Defence, Music Scene vs The Unbelievers, 2008).
Beautifully constructed, attracting players and musicians worldwide with its pungent aroma of perfect pitch reverberance, the Esplanade (does it end like escalade or avant garde – this discussion frequently proceeds the talk about its shapely oddities) is the architectural and ideological spear thrusting the move into SCENE, Local (Exhibit 1(b)).
In fact, efforts to get Bond, James Bond to hightail out of a sticky situation and down the sides of the Esplanade where soon to die Bond Girl in skimpy yet surprisingly maneuverable outfit waits in the next installment of the series should be supported. Opening scene, one would think.
Don’t get it wrong, the Esplanade, and all the wonderful people that work for it have brought us acts that we could not even imagine a few years ago. Femi Kuti came to the Mosaic Music Festival in 2007. He doesn’t even perform frequently anymore.
Stop. You Unbeliever, (part of Party for Defence, Music Scene vs The Unbelievers, 2007), Femi will not perform for loads of money either, it was not as simple as that. He is an artist that needs to be convinced that there is some point in performing. Being a political dissident and/or son thereof, that does not smack world tour. He’s got Nigerian politics to contend with. That speaks volumes for Mosaic and the Esplanade.
But let’s examine the Rollins Band effect.
Yo La Tengo performed at the Esplanade (does it end like evade or fascade – this discussion never gets tiresome) at the Mosaic Music Festival. Context: Yo La Tengo, despite its Spanish name, has no linguistic inclinations. They are an American indie rock band. They are definitely not Vomit Pop (See “Oops!...I Did It Again [Japan Bonus Track], Britney Spears).
Described simultaneously as visionary, spiritual and spontaneous – they are essentially the critics band. Good music, without much financial reward. The antithesis of Vomit Pop. They do have some qualities that befit a great musical act.
To put it into context, the great musical act that is Yo La Tengo took about ten years to reap the same financial reward as ‘Hit Me Baby, One More Time’ (see “Britney Spears Greatest Hits: My Perogative, Sony/BMG), but such is the usual price of musical talent.
The members of Yo La Tengo are each, music producers forbid, musicians. They play merry go round on their various instruments, each take their turn at percussion, bass, piano and various other sound producing machines to produce performance vignettes that will blow the pop mind whilst displaying nimble musical dexterity.
They even take turns singing, and they do so without doing the juvenile patterned song and dance of say Take That (Live in Aruba, 1999). The husband, wife (not divorced yet) and best mate team have always ventured into adventurous, imaginative landscapes, performing hauntingly scarce tunes and psychedelic instrumental excursions.
In other words, they are a perfect band for Mosaic. As good as they were, they did still perform at the Esplanade (the phonetic discussion has since moved on). And what is the effect of this imposing theatre?
Head Bobbing and Thumb Thumping (Exhibit 1(c), Submitted by Prosecution, Music Scene vs The Unbelievers, 2007). The theoretical reasons vary from the Rollins effect (mosh pit and allies ban), the corporate tickets, the seating arrangements, the ushers – but in essence, there is a collective undeclared sense of Shhh! Quiet Please at the Esplanade (its like lard, ask a speech sounds afficionado) that should be studied for the Save Our Umpires Throats campaign at Grand Slam tennis events.
At the Yo La Tengo concert this was apparent. Despite a rocking rousing wow pedal opener, no rears found gravitational abandonment of their seats. Posteriors nested, the effect of an onslaught of Hard Rocking Good Times that ensued would, in the language of a Darfur dealing diplomat, be described as “peculiar and odd, yet not yet to the level that would be described as unadulterated madness. They may be termed as acts of head bobbing, but not head bobbing in a broad sense.” Note that this quote is entirely hypothetical, yet somewhat probable in the conflict resolution circles.
Head Bobbing and Thumb Thumping are the bastard child cousins of pure physical musical expression. They might work well in an elevator situation, where one random cranium lets loose to a familiar tune, or in a strip joint situation, where head bobbing might be done by the strip joint culture erotic escapist who wants instead to award the DJ instead of the other bobbers, but it parks not itself in the same league as say the balanced ballet pirouette or the moonwalk.
One would even place the ‘Running Man’ (see Bobby Brown World Tour, Singapore, 1989) on a higher artistic plane than head bobbing, although head bobbing has the advantage and flexibility of ubiquity.
Head Bobbing has several physical constraints. It moves not as much as the musical chord or the lyrical jowl. One is even inhibited by the three dimensional plane. Up and Down. Left and Right. Combine. Repeat. These are head bobbing’s basic moves.
However, even the professional bobber of heads is constrained. There is chin on hand bobbing which connotes stylistic Rodin consideration. Culturally influenced head bobbing includes the Indian influenced version – forward and back – but this technique does not lend itself to rock music. Beyond that, even the best head bobbers struggle to find new frontiers.
The bad news is that individual head bobbing is really the pinnacle of that particular art form. Collective head bobbing is cultish at best and manic at worst. Perhaps this is a peculiarity of head bobbing, but rhythmically, heads find it hard to achieve consensus (see hypothetical ‘Darfur Dealing Diplomats, above). And just you try to bob your head for the duration of a concert without letting the more dance inclined body parts take lead.
And so what was experienced at Yo La Tengo @ Mosaic was collective head bobbing at its worst. Out of sync, random bobs of a collectively rooted to their seats audience.
This is precisely the kind of communal act that should spark an anti-seat rock revolution. A hark back to the pre-Rollins Band effect. For all it would take is the curiously simple venture into standing. Clapping, shoulder movement, foot thumping and dancing may follow, even side to side movement, but the first step in the revolution is to remove buttock from seat.
And before you tell haunting tales of personal safety liability and the archetypal Usher as Enforcer, revolutions need volume. Individuals who want to rebel against the head bobbing effect of the Esplanade will remain weak and be easy targets for ushers who are simply doing their jobs as long as they remain isolated. Every concert hall in the world has a ruling that states seating is necessary for your personal safety but standing is de facto nonetheless.
One problem is that this is not necessarily a revolution of the masses, it is more one of those trickle down bourgeoisie led revolutions. It has to begin at the front row. Yet front row tickets are the most expensive, offer the best views and the best perks. Nobody except the band can rise to block your view.
Its not exactly ‘Hasta la Victoria Siempre’ stuff, but do take a stand. Banish the Rollins Band effect. Otherwise, just watch a play.
Sunday, February 03, 2008
Sound Familiar?
There was election in May and the election was preceded by episodes of violence in KL. The sporadically violent episodes have a racial tinge to them. Campaigning is not along racial lines, but there are some politicians who have displayed overtly racial messages and symbols. Elections were held on May 10th. Both the procession and the election went off peacefully.
They say that their guard was relaxed. But the elections were troubling, creating critical areas of uncertainty. The ruling party, massively successful in the previous election, now lost on several fronts, although it maintained sufficient seats to rule. An elated an apparently surprised opposition, holds victory parades in the capital…and violence breaks out.
Could that be a sound byte from May 2008, assuming elections have been held? We found it a bit too close for comfort. But actually, we just pulled it from the Journal of Asian Studies, but rewrote it so that the tenses were changed and the dates were removed. Ok, so that was a bit of an underhanded trick…we agree.
But it was meant to point out this – the coming election should be one of the most exciting in decades. Racially, there is probably less actual tension than perceived. In fact, the fact that Malaysia went through the Asian Financial Crisis with no racial tension or violence whatsoever is testament to the underlying racial harmony.
Yup, its OTBM’s spider sense again. Here’s the start of our Election Watch.
There was election in May and the election was preceded by episodes of violence in KL. The sporadically violent episodes have a racial tinge to them. Campaigning is not along racial lines, but there are some politicians who have displayed overtly racial messages and symbols. Elections were held on May 10th. Both the procession and the election went off peacefully.
They say that their guard was relaxed. But the elections were troubling, creating critical areas of uncertainty. The ruling party, massively successful in the previous election, now lost on several fronts, although it maintained sufficient seats to rule. An elated an apparently surprised opposition, holds victory parades in the capital…and violence breaks out.
Could that be a sound byte from May 2008, assuming elections have been held? We found it a bit too close for comfort. But actually, we just pulled it from the Journal of Asian Studies, but rewrote it so that the tenses were changed and the dates were removed. Ok, so that was a bit of an underhanded trick…we agree.
But it was meant to point out this – the coming election should be one of the most exciting in decades. Racially, there is probably less actual tension than perceived. In fact, the fact that Malaysia went through the Asian Financial Crisis with no racial tension or violence whatsoever is testament to the underlying racial harmony.
Yup, its OTBM’s spider sense again. Here’s the start of our Election Watch.
“Cost of Living”
We implore you to find the word inflation anywhere in a local article anywhere in the Singapore papers. Maybe the Chinese newspapers are reporting it, but OTBM certainly cannot find it anywhere in the Straits Times or the Business Times. Instead, the lexicon that seems to be in use in inflation’s place is “higher cost of living.”
Has the cost of living gone up? According to the IHT, inflation has been steadily increasing in Singapore since 2005, although there was a slight dip in 2006 (that’s according to the Monetary Authority of Singapore). A strong economy provides some natural inflationary pressure, and according to the MAS again, the year and year increase in 2007 was around 3.6%. That is just a bit above what you want it to be, and is not too much cause for alarm, even if it was a 16 year high. Check the latest figures on inflation and see whether the record has been broken. We think it has been smashed.
Why do the main broadsheets insist on calling it the “higher cost of living?” Is it because the think we have some magical control over our economy and that using the word inflation would cause some sort of irrational outcome? Like people queuing to buy oil or withdraw their money? Nobody knows.
Many people have been documenting the rising cost of living in Singapore. Daniel Chin, who writes a blog on land transport in Singapore, says that bus fares are increasing, and that Singapore might even have created a first by being the only place in the world where bus fares are more expensive that train fares.
Everybody knows about the recent taxi fare hikes and the accompanying “mass boycott” of taxis. OTBM spoke to a taxi driver but a week ago who said that it was the first time in 15 years during his evening shift that he left the CBD without picking up a passenger.
The bundle of taxi fare increases means that it is impossible to determine what the average increase is, but people put it anywhere between 10-35%. ERP gantries are taking on the characteristics of the highway bougainvilleas – they are popping up over the place. All in, the point is that transport fares have increased significantly. And rightly so, pushed by increased fuel costs and rising demand.
We are years ahead of other cities by introducing the ERP, in fact, we are big supporters of it, since it is the most progressive form of road taxation. We say ERP-ise the whole island and abolish road tax.
More importantly, household items are on the rise as well.
So inflation is on the rise, so what? Well, OTBM are just a couple of untrained economists, but our spider-sense is tingling. And it is telling us that inflation will rise even further. Let the inflation watch begin.
We implore you to find the word inflation anywhere in a local article anywhere in the Singapore papers. Maybe the Chinese newspapers are reporting it, but OTBM certainly cannot find it anywhere in the Straits Times or the Business Times. Instead, the lexicon that seems to be in use in inflation’s place is “higher cost of living.”
Has the cost of living gone up? According to the IHT, inflation has been steadily increasing in Singapore since 2005, although there was a slight dip in 2006 (that’s according to the Monetary Authority of Singapore). A strong economy provides some natural inflationary pressure, and according to the MAS again, the year and year increase in 2007 was around 3.6%. That is just a bit above what you want it to be, and is not too much cause for alarm, even if it was a 16 year high. Check the latest figures on inflation and see whether the record has been broken. We think it has been smashed.
Why do the main broadsheets insist on calling it the “higher cost of living?” Is it because the think we have some magical control over our economy and that using the word inflation would cause some sort of irrational outcome? Like people queuing to buy oil or withdraw their money? Nobody knows.
Many people have been documenting the rising cost of living in Singapore. Daniel Chin, who writes a blog on land transport in Singapore, says that bus fares are increasing, and that Singapore might even have created a first by being the only place in the world where bus fares are more expensive that train fares.
Everybody knows about the recent taxi fare hikes and the accompanying “mass boycott” of taxis. OTBM spoke to a taxi driver but a week ago who said that it was the first time in 15 years during his evening shift that he left the CBD without picking up a passenger.
The bundle of taxi fare increases means that it is impossible to determine what the average increase is, but people put it anywhere between 10-35%. ERP gantries are taking on the characteristics of the highway bougainvilleas – they are popping up over the place. All in, the point is that transport fares have increased significantly. And rightly so, pushed by increased fuel costs and rising demand.
We are years ahead of other cities by introducing the ERP, in fact, we are big supporters of it, since it is the most progressive form of road taxation. We say ERP-ise the whole island and abolish road tax.
More importantly, household items are on the rise as well.
So inflation is on the rise, so what? Well, OTBM are just a couple of untrained economists, but our spider-sense is tingling. And it is telling us that inflation will rise even further. Let the inflation watch begin.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
