Think Centre Members Make News on Local Press
25 May 2001

On 25 May 2001, four members of the "Think Team" hit four different local newspapers - SPH's The Straits Times, The New Paper, Project Eyeball and MediaCorp's Today - all on the same day!

Appearing in the news is not a first for the Centre, yet this was rare for an occasion without a ground activity. The reports are each based on a different theme.

Think Centre's Executive Director Sinapan Samydorai was featured in the most-read paper in Singapore - The Straits Times (Home, P.16). The article introduced the new head's personal profile and plans to launch human rights awareness programmes in Singapore.

Senior Director James Gomez made big waves again; although he was given brief mention in Project Eyeball (P.2) with negligible readership, the report was on his entry into the list on Asiaweek's Power 50. Among 35 newcomers into the list, they booted out what Asiaweek described to be "old-style politicians and tycoons", including Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong!

A small column in MediaCorp's Today (Letters, P.6) carried Think Centre co-ordinator Irvin Lim's letter, who wrote on Singaporeans' preferential attitude in watching politics from a sideline and hence materialising into "A Nation of Watchers".

Communications Director Melvin Tan's take was The New Paper report "Is MVC the least of all evils?" (P.8 & 9). In his personal capacity, he attended a small-scale discussion forum on 8 May 2001, organised by The New Paper to gather feedback on the Monthly Variable Component (MVC) policy. As this was in his personal capacity, the column will not be made available for transcript.