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🧵on #Covid19 tech + surveillance in 🇸🇬
1/ Unlike this time last year, when Singapore's epidemic curve shot up and we were seeing new cases in the 100s/1000s (mostly within migrant worker dorms), the number of cases have come right down now, and tend to be mostly imported cases.
1/ Unlike this time last year, when Singapore's epidemic curve shot up and we were seeing new cases in the 100s/1000s (mostly within migrant worker dorms), the number of cases have come right down now, and tend to be mostly imported cases.
2/ Of course, this drop in cases + vaccination roll-out doesn't mean that we should get complacent and think that #Covid19 is over, because it isn't.
But what are we doing doubling down so hard on #Covid19 tech and surveillance?
But what are we doing doubling down so hard on #Covid19 tech and surveillance?
3/ Early last year, the government introduced TraceTogether, a contact-tracing app that works via Bluetooth to ping close contacts.
This is a #wethecitizens issue I wrote with support from privacy conscious friends in March 2020: wethecitizens.net/tracetogether-…
This is a #wethecitizens issue I wrote with support from privacy conscious friends in March 2020: wethecitizens.net/tracetogether-…
When the ruling party in your effectively one-party state country sees its succession plan go up in smoke, you don't wait until the regular Saturday slot to send out your newsletter weekly wrap. Here we go with this week's #wethecitizens: wethecitizens.ghost.io/not-according-…
One thing I didn't add about Lawrence Wong was that he was the minister who talked about "culture wars" when asked about MOE's policy re: transgender students. That's one black mark against his name, although I'm not sure how many (esp. older) Singaporeans would make a note.
With HSK out of the running for the premiership, people are now going to be reading tea leaves and placing (real/figurative) bets on who’s up.
I argued in #wethecitizens that this isn’t the most important question for Singapore.
I argued in #wethecitizens that this isn’t the most important question for Singapore.
Heng Swee Keat no longer in the running to be Singapore’s next prime minister. He says the result his team got in East Coast GRC in the last general election is not the reason why he chose to step aside.
Sure thing, buddy channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore…
Sure thing, buddy channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore…
What’s not mentioned here is that LHL *could* have stuck to the schedule of stepping down in 2022; some have argued that his pledge to remain (made in the middle of the GE2020 campaign) was a response to lacklustre public enthusiasm for Heng and the 4G.
After all, LHL had already allowed the 4G to oversee the #Covid19 situation, which is why we kept seeing Lawrence Wong at those briefings. If there was confidence in the 4G, LHL could have stepped down at 70 as promised. straitstimes.com/politics/4g-le…
Today: A protest by Singaporeans against transphobia in the education system.
They've issued a statement and are using the hashtag #FixSchoolsNotStudents
Within minutes security officers have shown up saying that photos can't be taken and asking them to leave. 2 protesters have left but 3 remain. #FixSchoolsNotStudents
In all my experience of going to police stations to wait for people and follow cases, I think this one takes the crown as the stupidest yet
I’m saying this as the person who compiled this thread 👇🏼
I wrote this #wethecitizens issue in March to provide more detail (and tips from those of us who’ve been there) about what it’s like to get called in for a police investigation (based on civil society experiences): wethecitizens.substack.com/p/whats-it-lik…
For ease of reference, I'm putting together a master thread on the acquittal of Parti Liyani and all the interest and questions it has generated in #Singapore about #justice, #migrantworkers, and due process.
This case has dragged on for years. Parti was sacked and repatriated on 28 October 2016. Two days later, her employer Liew Mun Leong filed a police report against her for theft. She was arrested when she returned to #Singapore on 2 December 2016, and only acquitted last week.
One of the reasons this case had garnered a huge amount of attention is because Liew Mun Leong is big fish in #Singapore. He was the founding president and CEO of @CapitaLand, and currently chairman of @ChangiAirport Group and @SurbanaJurong.
This is a very common argument about the conditions migrant workers face in #Singapore: that they chose to come here, that they can leave, that we give them a better life than they had in their home countries.
I addressed it in this #wethecitizens issue: wethecitizens.substack.com/p/migrant-work…
I addressed it in this #wethecitizens issue: wethecitizens.substack.com/p/migrant-work…
Yes, it's true that #Singapore offers hundreds of thousands of migrant workers the opportunity to earn a higher income than they'd be getting if they stayed in their home countries. But that's no excuse for the treatment they're subjected to in Singapore.
Our baseline for how we should treat workers (regardless of nationality) should be pegged to Singaporean standards, not pegged against standards in poorer, developing nations. Otherwise we're just exploiting regional inequalities (i.e. what we're doing right now).
THREAD
It's been a crappy time in general but migrant workers have borne the brunt of the suffering from #COVID19 in #Singapore. In this piece for @thenation I argue that the changes that need to happen must go far beyond tweaks to dormitory standards. thenation.com/article/world/…
It's been a crappy time in general but migrant workers have borne the brunt of the suffering from #COVID19 in #Singapore. In this piece for @thenation I argue that the changes that need to happen must go far beyond tweaks to dormitory standards. thenation.com/article/world/…
I referenced this report by @IsabelleLimCNA, where a migrant worker likened being in isolation to being in jail, and NGO HealthServe said some of the workers in isolation weren't allowed "to even crack open a window just to have a breath of fresh air".
Also read @incoherentboy's report on concerns over mental health and stress among dormitory residents, after a series of attempted suicides and workers who have taken their own lives. sg.news.yahoo.com/at-breaking-po…
Here's this week's #wethecitizens round-up! You'll notice that it has new art! @feever_dreem made the newsletter a new banner, logo, and portrait photo 😍wethecitizens.substack.com/p/dormitoriesp…
We all know 2020 sucks, but it's also the year I decided to take a plunge with #wethecitizens. I've been really encouraged by the response — thank you everyone! Milo Peng Funders help keep my work independent, and it's also enabled me to devote some time to *writing a book* 😬
After stopping and starting and, at one point this year, essentially deleting 18,000 words I'd written in 2019, I finally feel like I'm on an actual path to writing my book now. And I couldn't have done it without Milo Peng Funders.
Here's the #GE2020 #wethecitizens wrap-up. Back to regular programming after this. Thank you all for supporting this newsletter throughout the election period! 🙏🏼 wethecitizens.substack.com/p/ge2020-the-w…
"We would not have come this far without your support."
“We”?! Who is “we”? There is no “we”, Ivan Lim! You didn’t run in GE2020 — remember why? Because Singaporeans pointed out that nobody likes you, that’s why! #GE2020 #Singapore #ByeIvan
“We”?! Who is “we”? There is no “we”, Ivan Lim! You didn’t run in GE2020 — remember why? Because Singaporeans pointed out that nobody likes you, that’s why! #GE2020 #Singapore #ByeIvan
For those of us who were wondering:
This headline is nonsense, have you ever seen political candidates say they can't serve voters better than their opponents?
This is also ridiculous. Yes, people need jobs. But it's not the constituency MPs who create jobs — that's government policy, and all citizens should be covered regardless of who they've voted for in their specific constituencies.
And again, pushing the message about NCMPs even if there aren't any opposition candidates elected. I wrote about NCMPs in last night's #wethecitizens: wethecitizens.substack.com/p/ge2020-freak…
tl;dr It wasn't introduced as a way to develop #Singapore's democracy.
tl;dr It wasn't introduced as a way to develop #Singapore's democracy.
I've been up to my eyeballs in manifestos all day today and when was surprised by how quickly I got through the Progress Singapore Party one. #GE2020 #SingaporeVotes
The People's Action Party one is also quite brief, with a number of motherhood statements. The Workers' Party one, on the other hand, is like something done by that classmate who always does the extra 10-Year Series papers
(Still working on the other parties)
(Still working on the other parties)
Okay the SDP manifesto is also very "extra credit student" energy, but it's split into different articles/PDFs—the only way to get it compiled is to buy the $42 book. I understand the need for $$$, but if there's one thing that should be foolproof for a voter, it's the manifesto.
It's @PinkDotSG tomorrow! Since we can't gathering in the park as we usually do, I'm republishing a two-parter originally written for @NewNaratif and sending it out via #wethecitizens, so we can think about how far things have come, and how much further there is to go.
Here's Part One, covering @PinkDotSG's beginnings, the choices they had to make, and what that reveals about politics and activism in #Singapore: wethecitizens.substack.com/p/a-look-at-pi…
Happy #PinkDot day! Here’s part two of my story on the development of @PinkDotSG and what it tells us about #activism and #politics in #Singapore. wethecitizens.substack.com/p/a-look-at-pi…
Latest #wethecitizens: information on how to get involved if you'd like to be more hands-on with your #GE2020. Also, how are overseas Singaporeans going to vote? wethecitizens.substack.com/p/ge2020-want-…
As of June 2019, there are over 217,000 Singaporeans living abroad. Of course, not all of them are of voting age, or are registered overseas voters, but the number is likely still significant.
There is so far a lack of guidance on how they can vote safely during #COVID19.
There is so far a lack of guidance on how they can vote safely during #COVID19.
There are only 10 overseas polling stations for Singaporeans, in Washington DC, New York, San Francisco, London, Dubai, Tokyo, Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, Canberra. If you don't live in any of these cities, it might be troublesome to get to at the best of times. Now...
#Singapore goes to the polls on 10 July, even as we take careful steps out of a #COVID19 lockdown. Due to the pandemic, special guidelines will make this election unlike any other that came before. I write a #wethecitizens issue on what this means. wethecitizens.substack.com/p/here-comes-g…
Analysts, observers, and the media have focused a lot on how these #COVID19 restrictions will affect political parties, and who will be at an advantage/disadvantage. This is understandable, but I’d like to highlight the loss to the average Singaporean too.
#Singapore is a country where you can’t usually have large political gatherings in physical spaces. There’s only one park in the country where you can gather for “a cause” (defines broadly) without applying for prior police permission.
So there we have it, Parliament has been dissolved in #Singapore and it's time for elections. And here's a special issue of #wethecitizens looking at what #COVID19 arrangements mean for #GE2020: wethecitizens.substack.com/p/here-comes-g… #sgelection
Proclamation by President Halimah Yacob, dissolving Parliament on 23 June 2020. The Writ of Election is expected to be issued shortly. #GE2020
#SINGAPORE'S GENERAL ELECTION
Nomination Day: 30 June 2020
Polling Day: 10 July 2020
Press release from the Elections Department: eld.gov.sg/press/2020/Pre…
(I deleted my last tweet to avoid confusion 'cos I miscalculated from Nomination Day.)
Nomination Day: 30 June 2020
Polling Day: 10 July 2020
Press release from the Elections Department: eld.gov.sg/press/2020/Pre…
(I deleted my last tweet to avoid confusion 'cos I miscalculated from Nomination Day.)
Perhaps I should be grateful "Journalist" doesn't even appear anywhere in that poll
You can read the article accompanying the poll here: straitstimes.com/singapore/manp…
#wethecitizens today: many work pass holders remain stuck outside #Singapore due to #COVID19 rules that require them to apply for permission to return. But there's a lack of clarity, and families who have been separated feel like there's "no end in sight". wethecitizens.substack.com/p/no-end-in-si…
The announcement of a Reciprocal Green Lane between #Singapore and six provinces/municipalities of #China hasn't brought much relief to this group, because the scheme is only for official/business travel, and doesn't seem to apply to their category.
This has, I think understandably, triggered anger and frustration, because there are people anxious about getting home to families/children, but instead they're seeing the government talk about setting up fast lanes for businessmen. #COVID19
Singaporeans: KRISTEN HAN how dare you say Singapore doesn't treat migrant workers like people, you see what we do for them, what other country in the world treats migrant workers so well YOU TELL ME
Also Singaporeans:
Also Singaporeans:
Since people are still interacting with this tweet I'm going to share the #wethecitizens issue on Black Lives Matter, racism in Singapore, and what we can/should be doing here: wethecitizens.substack.com/p/on-black-liv…
After a migrant worker expressed concern that those cleared of #COVID19 are being moved into rooms as crowded as before (todayonline.com/singapore/clea…), these are some comments from Singaporeans. ⬇️ Thankfully, there are others calling them out and pushing back.
