Right after a massive five-day seminar which involved 30,000 people including foreign evangelists, police rounded up several individuals linked to the church for alleged misuse of church funds.
The 17 people who are 'assisting police with investigations' included the megachurch's founder and Senior Pastor Kong Hee, who was picked up early Monday morning. Police also took away financial records and computers from the homes and offices of the people involved.
The church members were taken by surprise, but they united together to rally around their leaders to show support and enoucragement. Followers said they were praying and confident that the church of 33,000 worshippers would ride out the storm. A group pledging support has been set up on Facebook.
I personally got a shock when i read this piece of news as well. Could this be another NKF or Ren Ci Hospital incident where funds were being misused? If it is, this might cause 30 000 Christians to lose their faith. I used to attend City Harvest Church, and i also have faith that the church would not misuse their funds. I also have faith in the investigators to conduct a thorough investigation to prove what the church innocent.
Link: http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_534327.html
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Great place to live, work, play
Do you find Singapore a vibrant and exciting city to live in?
More and more people find Singapore a great place to live in. 84 per cent of 4,000 residents here gave the thumbs up to the city state lifestyle survey carried out by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) this year. There is a 10.2 per cent jump compared to the survey carried out in 2006. The government has always been improving the living environment, working environment and leisure offerings of Singapore and the results are pleasing to Mr Mah Bao Tan. With more and more Singaporeans traveling around the world, Singapore must still mean something special, as home, to our people. Simply having a good living environment and first world infrastructure will not create an endearing home.To create a city with distinctive character and establish a personality of their own in peoples' minds, the work is still a on-going process that cannot be neglected.
This article appealed to me because i always have friends who always complain about how 'fine' a country Singapore is, how humid and warm the weather is melting them down and so on. So i surprised that more Singaporean like their own city more.
I have doubts about the writer's point of view. His point of view favors and puts Singapore in a better light. Out of those people being surveyed, how many of them actually travelled a lot and seen a lot of other cities? And did the survey find out on areas to improve the city of Singapore?
But i do not deny that the government had done a great job in improving Singapore as a great place to live, work and play. Maybe it's just the nature of Singaporeans who loves to complain about the bad and forget about the good.
Link to this article http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_521001.html
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
"We're not Bali gigolos!"
A documentary, Cowboys In Paradise by Singapore-based writer and director Amid Virmani stirred up a wave of panic and commotion among Bali tourism officials and foreigners who visits Bali. The documentary is about love and relationships between locals and foreigner, that there were males offering sexual favours in return for money. Its candid interviews with the local men who flirt with and seduce foreign tourists has tainted the Spiritual island. And government officials have rounded up almost 30 so-called beach 'cowboys' in a bid to 'clean up the beach of prostitution".
This article has a controversial topic about how a film made on a one sided point of view can have such a big effect on a island's economy.
I agree with the writer's point of view. For those tourist who have not been to Bali and do not understand the culture of Bali before, watching that documentary can set an impression on the viewers believing that Bali is really a island with beach 'cowboys' making their earning.
Did the writer interview the writer and director who made the film? Why and what gave him the idea to make such a documentary? And does he really believe that Bali is really an island that has beach 'cowboys'?
If i were incharge, i would have done the same.