Thu, May 17, 2012
Not too long ago, a minister – as our ministers are wont to do rather regularly – praised the local mainstream media as “accurate, timely and balanced.”
I hope the mainstream media will live up to such lofty claims and gold standard accolades.
He told reporters that he will focus on convincing voters that it is important for The Workers' Party to retain the seat of Hougang on Polling Day.
既然国民服役人员中每五人就有一人患有哮喘病，比例如此之高，当局是否能制订一套针对有哮喘病史的服役人员适合的训练方案呢？这样既能达到强身健体，将来一旦需要又能保家卫国的目的，又能宽慰所有正在或即将进行国民服役的孩子和父母。
我儿子现年17岁，眼看就要到国民服役的年龄了，而且他也有哮喘病史，所以我非常地担心。希望当局能够重视这20%，不算低的比例，尽快出台比较完善的预防和应对措施。亡羊补牢，犹未晚也。
Although the figures shown here is a very raw form of illustration, it serves to highlight the fact that our workers generally are at a losing end where wage increase is subject totally to the mercy of business owners or top executives. And there is no organization or a strong and independent trade union, much less the ruling party, to literally fight for the welfare of our workers who were shortchanged in the first place.
Having never heard of supper clubs, I was intrigued when I came across Plusixfive. Gozgozgoz, the guy behind Plusixfive (dialling code for Singapore actually…) holds a supper club at his home in Islington serving: “badass Singaporean street food cooked the good ol’ way, presented with minimum fuss and maximum taste.”
SMRT on Wednesday gave the assurance that the hairline cracks discovered on some third rail joints on the North-South and East-West lines do not affect the integrity of its rail or pose safety concerns.
But it said it will take the additional precaution of checking all 13,000 pairs of third rail joints that are in similar conditions to where the hairline cracks were found.
A party that had members being sacked or quitting due to unhappiness with its leadership, he said, would find it difficult to run a country.
'If within the party, you cannot remain united, can you imagine if you're in power?' asked the national development minister. 'How do you run a country?'
随着这一番解释，“傅日源风波”算是有个了结，但我始终搞不清楚他这么一闹，究竟是开了自己一个玩笑，或者是在开工人党的玩笑。
Insurance is fundamentally designed to cover against the unknown. Once a condition is diagnosed or detected, it is uninsurable because the likelihood of claims arising from it becomes much higher or even a certainty. In doing so, we are protecting the interests of all our policyholders.
Our philosophy of 'People before profits' does not mean we do not underwrite according to sound insurance principles.
By early next year, we will roll out the travel time display along arterial roads on the Emas arterial signboards that we recently installed along six major arterial corridors.
I am not a driver, but I think Emas is a useless feature. It requires one thing from drivers that you really don't want the drivers to do: think and make mathematical calculations while driving.
We apologise and take full responsibility for the incident. We are sorry for letting our customers down and certainly do not blame them in any way.
The intense channel switching was understandable and we anticipated a surge, but not of this magnitude.
No weasel apologies here.
I hope the authorities and all major political parties can come together to condemn these negative remarks as well as content providers who condone such postings.
Wen Penghui, Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Singapore,
Straits Times:
We are saddened and regret this unfortunate accident.
We offer our sincere and deep condolences to the victims and their families.
We hope that Chinese citizens living in Singapore will respect life, value the safety of themselves and others, abide by its laws and regulations, and live responsibly and gracefully.
It's not about how many citations or high-impact papers we can garner. It's about whether we can build a self-sustaining research community that will renew itself by training new scientists. Instead of importing "big names" (the top-down model), let's find a better way to nurture the talent we already have (the bottom-up model).
Protocols should be reviewed and changes implemented with regard to PES classification and triage when accidents occur during training.
Edwin Seah, Energy Market Authority,
Today:
Tariffs do fall in tandem with decreases in fuel prices. Fuel cost accounts for about half the tariff. It is therefore logical for the change in electricity tariff to be smaller than the change in fuel prices.
Electricity tariffs are also affected by quarterly fluctuations in the non-fuel cost components, such as capital and operating costs, as well as an adjustment component to account for the variation between forecasted and actual electricity consumption.
"After Dr Goh retired from the Government in 1986, there is no one to replace him as our wealth creator," he added. "The Government of Singapore Investment Corporation and Temasek (Holdings) are sovereign wealth managers for our national savings and reserves. They are not wealth creators."
Temasek in particular, Mr Ngiam felt, is supposed to be a wealth creator, but are just being "fund managers"
I think similar things can also be said about the difference between the three prime ministers.
The deaths have little to do with the driver's nationality and everything to do with his horrific driving skills and state of mind right there.
It is a mathematically simple proof really. The votes of the minority are subjected to the tyranny of the majority. So, even if the minority community vote in an overwhelmingly majority fashion for a political party because the former likes the party’s programmes, everything can still be undone as the ultimate result is influenced by majority of the voters.
Unless a by-election can affect a ruling party’s 2/3rd majority in Parliament or in some way challenge the authority of a ruling party in Parliament, there is no reason why anyone should look at the big picture when electing his replacement MP.
Unless a by-election can affect a ruling party’s 2/3rd majority in Parliament or in some way challenge the authority of a ruling party in Parliament, there is no reason why anyone should look at the big picture when electing his replacement MP.
"Are you here to support the PAP?" I asked one of them.
"No…I just happen to be in the area…"
"But you're carrying a white PAP flag!"
"Is it a PAP flag? I don't think so…"
Wed, May 16, 2012
At Wednesday's hearing, the experts said they believe the use of cable ties to secure rail claws on the MRT lines is acceptable.
But they added that it must not be a permanent solution.
Mr Desmond Choo, the People's Action Party candidate for the Hougang by-election, said he was going to fight for every single vote in Hougang to win a mandate to do more for voters in the constituency.
Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin intends to stay in Singapore but has no plans to take up citizenship .
Relying less on social media, Mr Png said he prefers to speak to residents personally, going door-to-door.
No date has been fixed yet.
Singaporeans will soon get a taste of Chickenjoy, Yum burger and Jolly Spaghetti, as the Philippines' biggest fast food chain Jollibee is laying the groundwork to finally open a store in the city-state.
These sites are the Hougang stadium and the open field in front of Blk 837, bounded by Hougang Ave 4 and Hougang Central.
"People saying WP is splitting are just people from the outside trying to break the party up," said Mr Low today at a press conference after the by-election candidates were announced.
He said Dr Poh had not told the WP leadership of his plans to be an "unofficial backup" candidate but he should have so that they "would not have been caught by surprise".
The Hougang by-election on May 26 is set to be a straight fight between Mr Png Eng Huat of the Workers' Party (WP) and Mr Desmond Choo of the People's Action Party (PAP) after nomination closed at noon on Wednesday.
Mr Zeng tells media that he was barred from running because of a fine in 2008. He had verbally abused police officers when they entered a shophouse he was in in 2008.
When asked if he was afraid the WP will take action against him, with suggestions he might be given the boot, Dr Poh said: "We'll see about that later, but I'm doing this for the party."
The index measures how easy and inexpensive it is to move goods through a country based on several criteria, including the quality of ports and rail, competence of transport companies, the ability to track goods, and prevalence of bribe solicitation. Singapore scored the top score of 4.13 out of 5. Hong Kong was just behind with 4.12. Japan was 8th overall with a score of 3.93, the same as the U.S.
SMRT will be replacing, with immediate effect, the power-supplying third rail at locations where hairline cracks on some parts of third rail joints are visible, a press statement from the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said.
以下的一些“小贴士”，是我累积在路上骑脚踏车5万公里所得到的一些心得，希望可以帮助大家趋吉避凶。
Tips for riding bicycles safely on Singapore roads.
Anti-Chinese sentiment in Singapore is up following the accident, and outraged netizens have left thousands of angry comments on websites, bulletin boards and social networks.
The Temasek Times, a widely-read and largely anti-foreign news website, lambasted journalists from the mainstream media who "did not think nationality is an issue".
While Asian giants China and India rapidly build up their already huge military arsenals, the tiny, prosperous Southeast Asian city-state of Singapore has been quietly ramping up defense expenditures at a rate disproportionate to its size and population.
Almost one-fourth of Singapore's national budget will be spent on defense this year, making the Defense Ministry the No. 1 recipient of the budget allocation.
NS-liable PRs who fail to register or enlist for national service will be treated as national service defaulters. PRs who renounce their PR status without serving national service will also face adverse consequences. Their failure to serve national service will be taken into account when they subsequently apply to study or work in Singapore, or when they try to have their PR status reinstated.
A ‘major’ train disruption lasting more than thirty minutes occurred yesterday evening along the North-South line with no services between Khatib and Yio Chu Kang stations at around 6pm yesterday evening, causing thousands of commuters to be stranded on their way home.
Previous:
Govt To Minimise Major MRT Disruptions: Lui Tuck Yew (Straits Times, Apr 9, 2012): The Government will try to minimise major disruptions of more than 30 minutes, Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew said on Monday, even as he warned that some disruptions and defects on the heavily-used MRT were 'unavoidable'.
Government must get back to basics and become a neutral referee rather than a shareholder with a vested interest in one side of the game. It’s only then that people will start believing that the government has its interest at heart and interested in looking after all parties.
A six-member team of technical experts told the Committee of Inquiry on Tuesday that the power-supplying third rail of the North-South and East-West train lines could have hairline cracks. It is therefore asking for immediate checks to be carried out.
Nomination papers can be filed between 11am and 12pm. Half an hour is then set aside for any objections to be raised.
The outcome of the nomination proceedings is expected to be known just after 12.30pm, when Returning Officer Yam Ah Mee will declare the results of the nomination procedures.
Sandra Alison Jayandran,
Today:
Having heavy morning traffic on the CTE is normal and one would be hard-pressed to call it a traffic jam. Once past a certain point on the CTE, the traffic speeds up.
Doesn't the MRT problems teach us that it is not okay to call "heavy morning traffic" normal?
Ng Jing Yng And Teo Xuanwei,
Today:
Dr Poh's move - coming days after former WP GE candidate Sanjiv Kamalasanan had resigned from the party and publicly criticised its leadership - has raised longer-term questions on the unity within the Opposition party.
Issues affecting all Singaporeans - such as the cost of living and the influx of foreigners - are weighing on the minds of Hougang residents as they prepare to head to the ballot box in less than two weeks, at least going by a majority of those Today spoke to.
"Singapore is so small that it will be absurd to discuss 'local' issues without any consideration of national policies," said freelance writer Dorothy Tan, 28.
If, as the professor asks, the Singapore government enjoyed free cash flow from budget surpluses and borrowing totaling S$512 billion between 1991 and 2002, where did the money go?
Tue, May 15, 2012
As we celebrate the International Day of Families on May 15, it is time to recognise the increasingly important role singles in Singapore play when it comes to caring for a rapidly greying population.
The Singapore Land Authority said it's processing an application from the Bukit Timah Citizens Consultative Committee for a three-year Temporary Occupation Licence for a plot of State land at Clementi Avenue 4 for the farm.
Users of the community farm will pay an annual maintenance fee of S$60 to defray costs.
Many of the food here can be found in the homes of our ancestors in China, India and Malaysia, but they have been modified and now have a uniquely Singapore taste, even if they have been tweaked just slightly.
Based on news that has filtered through this afternoon, it does seem that a somewhat positive outcome has emerged out of the discussion. While it does not seem to be entirely what the occupants had hoped for, it appears that a certain level of farming activities will be tolerated in the area on a 50 by 25 metre plot of land that will be divided into 30 parcels each measuring 8 by 4 metres for which a nominal annual fee for usage will be charged.
In Singapore, the PAP has made taxes for the rich a thing of the past. In 2008, for example, it abruptly and inexplicably abolished the estate duty. It has ensured that there is no capital gains tax and inheritance tax. Corporate tax is one of the lowest in the world.
The party sees no inequity when the wealthy investor is exempt from paying 7 percent GST when he buys investment-grade gold while the struggling mother pays the tax to buy a loaf of bread.
The truth is that the much of the wealth of the richest one percent did not come just by hard work. It came also from the rewriting and abolishing of laws, policies and regulations.
It is time that Singaporeans call out the hypocrisy.
据报道，事件随后还在新加坡社会引发巨大反响，并引发当地民众的排外情绪。网上甚至出现了“将中国人赶出新加坡”的声音。
新加坡当地互联网论坛上大量涌现攻击中国侨民的帖子，甚至称其为“富豪蝗虫”。
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) is groaning under the weight of foreign manpower-related cases. There are all sorts of job scams going on, and thousands of short-payment and work injury claims. In its latest attempt to address the problem, the ministry has proposed, in a consultation paper, to amend the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act (EFMA), but the changes seem to me to be more concerned with punishing those who flout the ministry’s rules than those who abuse workers.
It doesn’t take much exaggeration for me to reduce this to one pithy statement: You can abuse your workers as much as you like, just don’t disrespect the government.
No wonder the PAP only wants to talk about local issues at the by-election. They have already reached consensus and group think about low income workers, public transport, housing, education and other national issues.
The Elections Department said on Tuesday that certificates were issued to Mr Desmond Choo, Mr Png Eng Huat, Mr Poh Lee Guan and Mr Zeng Guoyuan.
Dr Poh, an adjunct lecturer, stood in last year's General Election, as part of a five-man Workers' Party team in Nee Soon GRC.
Mr Zeng, a former Workers' Party member, tried unsuccessfully to contest the General Election last year as an independent candidate in Mountbatten.
As a government body working for Singaporeans, LTA is accountable to discuss their construction methods and clearly demarcate the truly affected area as a result of this construction rather than the “beautified” image of a bridge over the landscape. History will repeat itself and the cumulative history of all the 3,746 tombs affected will be replaced by several minutes of highway efficiency.
You know what would be interesting? If he started championing human rights causes in Singapore. Joined local civil society groups and became an activist or something. Why not? Once a citizen, he'd be allowed to comment on Singapore's "internal affairs" and participate in local "cause-related activities." And famous and rich as he is, he probably wouldn't have to worry about the possibility of being detained without trial under the Internal Security Act or getting threatened with defamation suits.
But I doubt this is going to happen. That's too bad.
Public justice is needed to show that justice is not just done, but seen to be done, said law minister K. Shanmugam on Monday, when he explained why the identities of accused persons in most cases cannot be kept a secret.
The safety time-out does nothing to reassure parents whose sons are serving national service that safety is the No. 1 priority.
To be fair to Mindef, the time-out is not the only thing that will be done.
Last Saturday's three-way collision occurred almost at the doorstep of Raffles Hospital.
Considering the seriousness of the injuries, why were the casualties not taken to the nearest hospital, even if it was a private one like Raffles, rather than to the Singapore General Hospital and Tan Tock Seng Hospital farther away?
Subhas Anandan, Association of Criminal Lawyers of Singapore,
Straits Times:
The ACLS clinic will be held notwithstanding the by-election announcement as it has no connection whatsoever with the by-election.
The ACLS is not a political organisation and will not participate in any political activities.
The MP for Moulmein-Kallang GRC has called on the government to study the job scope of cleaners and set a benchmark for their pay.
The benchmark can then be used to calculate how much low-wage workers should receive under Workfare to supplement their incomes, she said on Monday.
This is because inflation is largely driven by imputed rentals from owner-occupied accommodation and car prices, and most Singaporean households own their own homes while new car buyers are in the minority, said Mr Lim Hng Kiang.
However, analysts Today spoke to disagreed, citing spillover effects from these two components into other costs households and businesses face.
When asked whether senior party members approved or agreed with his opinion that Hougang should not be absorbed into a Group Representation Constituency, Mr Choo said "this was not new".
"I've stated my personal opinion on why it should remain as an SMC," he said. "I've stated the reasons on what the residents have conveyed to me. It's out there and, so far, my bosses have not disagreed with that."
Now, the question is: are there any constituency that deserves to be in a GRC?
In response to media queries, WP chairman Sylvia Lim said: "The allegations that I or the WP are racist are baseless and absurd. The WP is a multi-racial party."
The issue is not about how comfortable a unit is, the issue is about the pricing, when floor area is concerned.
The good folks at Jalan Batu are just cheesed off why the elected MP for Mountbatten didn't even know about the development at the void deck, and that there are more viable sites within the same vicinity.
Open space is important to our health. We should spend more money to preserve open spaces.
The three service disruptions last month on the Bukit Panjang LRT, which lasted more than 10 minutes, resulted from signalling and train faults.
Transport minister Lui Tuck Yew said this in a written parliamentary reply to MP for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC Liang Eng Hwa.
In his written reply to parliament, Mr Tharman said it only averaged about 0.28 per cent of the FDW population each year, over the last 2 years.
Dr Balakrishnan said in a written reply to Nominated MP Nicholas Fang that weather conditions may be generally drier compared to the same period last year.