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A tale of two cities

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Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday received London's Freedom of the City award while on a visit to the British capital. This is a transcript of his speech.
The Straits Times, 28 Mar 2014





I thank Lord Mayor Woolf for her very kind words.

I am deeply honoured and yet humbled. I would like to dedicate this award to the people of Singapore who have worked so hard to build our nation. Special credit must go to our Pioneer Generation, who dreamt of a far better Singapore when we became independent, and took us a long way along the journey there. This award also reflects the long and close friendship between London and Singapore and between our peoples. I am therefore happy that my colleagues and friends are here to share this occasion with me.

MEMORIES OF LONDON

I FIRST visited London in 1969. I was a teenager, and London seemed marvellous. It was the Swinging Sixties, and London was the capital of cool.

Yet, it was also a time of upheaval: Protests against the Vietnam War, student sit-ins, hippies and flower power. I had an enjoyable but sober time attending plays and concerts, exploring museums and art galleries, and spending hours browsing in the greatest bookshop in the world - Foyles.

Later, I went to university not in London, but in Cambridge, then still in splendid isolation in the Fens. But I would visit London regularly because my late first wife, Ming Yang, was then a medical student at the Middlesex Hospital. Hence, London in the early 1970s held many happy memories for me.

But for Londoners and for Britain, those were difficult times. The British Empire was over, and Britain was adjusting to its new place in the world. Bitter union disputes afflicted the economy and disrupted lives.

I especially remember the miners' strikes because the consequent blackouts caused me to attend supervisions (tutorials) in Cambridge by candlelight.

Global events were also affecting the British economy. In 1973, I arrived at Heathrow Airport having spent the summer back home.

I found a group of Arabs excitedly trying to find out what was happening in the Middle East. The Yom Kippur War had broken out. It led to the first Opec oil shock, which caused inflation and recession worldwide. This worsened England's woes, and cast a pall over London for years.

But by the end of the decade the situation and mood improved. Mrs Margaret Thatcher became prime minister in 1979. Mrs Thatcher's reforms were fiercely contested, but they fundamentally altered Britain's economy and society.

Britain's victory in the Falklands War in 1982 boosted national pride and restored belief to your people. That year, my father, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, became an Honorary Freeman. In his speech, he spoke of his experiences of London since World War II, and challenged Britain to draw on the spirit of the Falklands War to rejuvenate and transform itself.

And so Britain did. In the decades that followed, Mrs Thatcher and her successors - from both parties - oversaw a steady revival in Britain's fortunes. Britain outperformed many continental economies, reversing the situation in 1960s and 1970s. Optimism returned, and Britain's international standing rose.

Resurgence of London

EVEN more than the rest of Britain, London did well and emerged as one of the world's great cities. It attracted talent and capital from many countries, and rejuvenated its urban and cultural landscape. London was cool again.

A big factor in London's resurgence was financial services. London had long been a financial centre. But by the 1980s, banking was changing. New technology, ingenious new approaches to risk, credit, and derivatives, and freer capital flows, were transforming the business. London responded faster than most centres. It progressively deregulated and liberalised the industry, culminating in the Big Bang of 1986.

Financial services took off, and became a major contributor to the British economy for the next two decades. The City of London became a cosmopolitan, vibrant centre of world finance and wealth.

These were decades when Singapore was developing rapidly. Asia was on the move, and we were lucky to catch the winds. We broadened our economic links beyond our old colonial connections to attract investments from Europe, US and Japan, and develop new markets in these countries. We seized opportunities in China and India as they opened up to the world. We integrated more closely with our South-east Asian neighbours in Asean.

At the same time, we continued to nurture and strengthen our historical friendship with Britain and London, which is stronger now than ever. British companies like Rolls-Royce and GSK have made major investments in Singapore, while more Singaporean companies are investing in the UK. Temasek Holdings has decided to site its European office in London, and will be opening it tomorrow. ComfortDelgro is operating buses and cabs in London, so now, a Singaporean company has The Knowledge!

Our ties are not just about business. In May, Singapore will host a stage performance of one of Britain's most important cultural exports - Yes, Prime Minister. Singaporeans now form one of the biggest foreign student contingents in Britain, despite our small population. Thousands of Singaporeans study, work and live in Britain, which is why we are holding our Singapore Day in Victoria Park this Saturday.

One trend we have tracked closely is London's emergence as a global financial centre. Unlike London, Singapore has not always been a financial centre. But after independence, we studied how London had carved out a role for itself as a centre for offshore US dollar business, servicing Europe.

So, Singapore started the Asian dollar market to service Asian countries around us, emulating London's Eurodollar market. That was how we became a financial centre.

By the late 1990s, this strategy was reaching its limits. It was time to take another step forward. Again, London was our model.

We felt that Singapore could be the "Lon-rich" (London + Zurich) of the East. Hence, we liberalised our regulations, opened up our markets and accepted more risks, in a controlled way. But we were less experienced and established than London, and had less margin to recover from a major setback. Therefore, we did not go as far as London did in letting go, which in hindsight was just as well.

I was then responsible for the Monetary Authority of Singapore. So, I often visited London to understand your thinking, study how your system worked and explore how we could cooperate in financial services. I would visit not just the Square Mile, but also Canary Wharf, which had become a vibrant new centre.

So, when Singapore built the Marina Bay Financial Centre in our new downtown, we picked up many ideas from Canary Wharf, and thus fortunately avoided the early difficulties that Canary Wharf encountered.

A global city

TODAY, London is not just a financial hub, but a global city for talent, innovation and culture.

Each time I visit - most recently in 2009 - I feel the energy and verve of the city. Were Wordsworth to visit Westminster Bridge today, he would surely sense that all that mighty heart is not lying still, but pulsing powerfully!

London's global standing is an enormous advantage both for itself and for the UK. But it also brings stresses and strains: Higher property prices, challenges in social integration and the nagging worry that London no longer feels like an English city.

Singapore, too, is striving to be a global city, offering a high-quality living and cultural environment at the crossroads of East and West. Like London, we, too, must manage the stresses and strains of being a global city.

But unlike London, we have no larger country which is our hinterland. Our city is our country. Hence, we must get the balance just right - between national identity and cosmopolitan openness, between free market competition and social solidarity.

London and Singapore are now both at a crossroads.

In London, financial services have brought you a long way since the Big Bang. But as is wont to happen, a good thing went too far. After the global financial crisis, you have spent six lean years putting things right.

There has been much soul-searching about the future of the financial industry and the role and ethics of bankers. You must find a new operating model to remain a financial hub while avoiding the excesses of the past.

More broadly, to thrive, London has to remain open and continue welcoming talent, whether they are bankers or plumbers, whether they are from Europe or the rest of the world. For like all global cities, London depends on talent to stay ahead and to be globally competitive, and no lead is permanent.

Singapore, too, is making our way forward. We are pursuing economic growth based on productivity and innovation, in order to uplift our people's lives. We are sparing no effort to educate Singaporeans, both the young and those already working. We are addressing growing social needs, while maintaining our drive and elan.

The opportunities are all around us, as Asia continues to rise. We strive to stay cohesive and united as we continue pursuing excellence, so that we can stay up there with London and other top cities in the world.

I am optimistic that London will grow from strength to strength with quintessential British resourcefulness and resolve.

I am equally confident that we in Singapore will build a brighter future for ourselves and our children.

Singapore and London are two cities, perched off the shores of two continents, but connected by an intertwined history and many personal ties and friendships.

As your newest Freeman, I look forward to building on our close and longstanding friendship, so that this happy Tale of Two Cities will long endure.



Singapore pioneers' exploits unearthed

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Pioneer JC team pens new book on contributions of 12 buried at Bt Brown
By Melody Zaccheus, The Straits Times, 29 Mar 2014

BUS tycoon Tay Koh Yat was good at moving people: he pulled together a 10,000-strong Chinese Civil Defence force to keep peace and order before the Japanese troops invaded Singapore in 1942.

And after the war, as chairman of the Singapore Chinese Appeal Committee, Tay submitted evidence which led to the punishment of Japanese generals and officials responsible for the massacre of the Chinese on the island.

The Kinmen-born Tay was also part of the overseas Chinese movement involved in the 1911 revolution against the Qing Dynasty.

He is one of 12 trailblazers featured in a new book, 1911 Revolution: Singapore Pioneers In Bukit Brown, by a team of 23 students of Pioneer Junior College.

The 60-page book has old photos, illustrations and sketches of their graves at Bukit Brown, and serves as a record of the 1922 municipal cemetery, part of which will be making way for a highway.

Available at Kinokuniya for $15, the book has had "promising sales", said the college, though the bookstore could not give figures. The college said it is also considering using it for teaching.

Tay's contributions and patriotism left a deep impression on former Pioneer Junior College student Lim Hyesu, 19, part of the team behind the book. "He struck me as a caring and compassionate man, who put the welfare of his fellow countrymen first."

The students - from the college's History, China Studies in English programmes and Art Club - delved into the National Archives of Singapore, and scoured journals, news articles and the Internet. They also made trips to Bukit Brown cemetery to unearth stories about these stalwarts.

Said Madam Carolyn Ng, 37, one of the teachers in charge: "One of the objectives of the books was to also enable students to gain a deeper understanding of Singapore's history and to introduce them to heritage sites here."

The project, which was not part of academic course work, falls under the college's Engaging China Programme in collaboration with the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall. The e-book version can be viewed on the museum's website.

The book starts with Chinese revolutionary Sun Yat Sen, who came here between 1900 and 1911 to garner the support of overseas Chinese against the Qing Dynasty. It then zooms in on the individual efforts of pioneers here who helped in the 1911 revolution.

It also highlights the contributions of various pioneers to Singapore. Some were business leaders and others were education and welfare advocates.

National serviceman Gabriel Lim, 19, said while there were challenges such as getting pictures and data from the 1910s, the effort was worth it. "The book helps make history accessible to many... hopefully this will create a greater awareness of our past and our heritage as Singaporeans."





Two trailblazers

Khoo Kay Hian (1878 to 1966)

The rubber broker was a dedicated member of the Chinese Revolutionary Alliance led by Sun Yat Sen, the founding father of the Chinese Republic. Khoo raised money with other Chinese leaders to help maintain law and order in Fujian and Guangdong provinces as revolutionaries fought to overthrow the Qing Dynasty.

Khoo also set up Chinese stock-broking firm Kay Hian and Co in 1921 - known as the UOB Kay Hian Holdings today. He donated generously to the construction of StAndrew's Hospital in 1923 and the Nanyang University Fund in the late 1950s.

He was also assistant secretary of the Ee Hoe Hean Club, one of Singapore's oldest millionaire clubs that was founded in 1895.


Lim Keng Chiew (date of birth unknown; died on Feb 29, 1942)

One of the earliest members of Sun's Chinese Revolutionary Alliance, Lim was also its first secretary. As an ardent supporter of Sun, Lim wrote articles promoting Sun's political ideas in pre-war newspapers such as the Chong Shing Yit Pao.

The classical scholar, who wrote poetry and calligraphy, came to Singapore after the death of his father. He worked as a Chinese teacher and also started the Zhe Zhe Gong Leather Shoe Shop, which was well known in South-east Asia for producing shoes of exquisite quality.


Easier, faster Wireless@SG log-in from April 1

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Number of hot spots for free Wi-Fi access will be doubled by next year
By Kenny Chee, The Straits Times, 29 Mar 2014

AN EASIER and faster way to log into Wireless@SG, Singapore's free national Wi-Fi network, will be introduced next Tuesday.

This change is part of the Government's goal to create an overarching network for mobile gadget users to move smoothly among 3G, 4G and Wi-Fi networks, said the telecoms regulator, the Infocomm Development Authority (IDA).


The free Wi-Fi will also be more widely available as the Government will double the number of hot spots to 10,000 by next year, and 20,000 by 2016.

The enhancements were cheered by users and analysts such as Ms Khin Sandi Lynn.

Having more hot spots and swifter log-in will "reduce network congestion during peak periods and major events as it would be hassle-free to log into the Wi-Fi network", said Ms Lynn, industry analyst for forecasting at market research firm ABI Research.

In short, sending and receiving information would be smoother with fewer slowdown periods.

The improvements were announced yesterday by Minister for Communications and Information Yaacob Ibrahim at an IDA exhibition at Esplanade Xchange.

Calling it timely, he said public Wi-Fi services, including Wire-less@SG, will meet the growing demand for free Wi-Fi in the wake of the pervasive use of mobile devices.

To obtain swift access on Wireless@SG, phone users just have to do a one-time log-in, using identification data already stored on their SIM cards. This can be done in seconds.

Currently, users have to create and key in user names and passwords to sign in, and this could take minutes.

With the SIM log-in method, a user entering a Wireless@SG hot spot can also automatically connect to the network after the one-time set-up is done.

From June, tourists too can enjoy the swifter Wireless@SG log-in method. But there is a slight difference. When they use their foreign phone numbers to log into Wireless@SG, a password will be sent to them via a text message.

Currently, they have to register their foreign mobile numbers, such as at an airport counter, before they can get the password to use Wireless@SG.

New hot spots are set to include train stations and industrial parks, which will bolster the list now that includes fast-food outlets, shopping malls and Changi Airport. This widespread mobile network will further help operators to offer consumers and firms those services that require information on a consumer's location, noted Dr Yaacob.

Possible applications include letting retailers find out the demographics of customers visiting their stores, should they use the new Wireless@SG log-in.

Wireless@SG offers typical Internet access speeds of 1 to 2Mbps. Speeds for 4G mobile services can be faster. SingTel's 150Mbps 4G service has typical speeds of 7.5 to 50Mbps.

Project engineer Calvin Wai, 30, is looking forward to the new log-in.

"Often, I can't remember my Wireless@SG password or the operator I'd signed up with for the network. So I've been stuck using 3G instead," he said.





How to log into the network
By Kenny Chee, The Straits Times, 29 Mar 2014

ONLY mobile devices with SIM cards, such as smartphones and tablets, can enjoy the swift new way of logging into the free national Wi-Fi network: Wireless@SG

How to set up your phone for the new log-in method:
- Go to "Settings" in the mobile device and turn on Wi-Fi.
- Select Wireless@SGx.
- Select options like "connect to network" or "modify network config".
- The final step: Select SIM.
Extra step for iPhone and iPad users:
Download a file that facilitates the log-in process from the Infocomm Development Authority's (IDA) website.
When connecting at a hot spot, the Wireless@SG portal will also give users the link to the IDA website. Users of laptops, older devices and some lower-end gadgets should refer to the IDA site.

For Windows phone users, an upcoming upgrade will pave the way for them to use the SIM log-in method.

Meanwhile, laptop users have to settle for the slower, existing log-in method: Create a Wireless@SG account, and key in a user name and password into a Web portal, or in the device's Wi-Fi settings.


35 foreign workers arrested for rioting at dormitory

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14 workers charged with rioting at dorm
Bangladeshi men and 3 others from India among 35 foreign workers held
By Hoe Pei Shan, The Straits Times, 29 Mar 2014

FOURTEEN men from Bangladesh were charged in court yesterday with rioting at a workers' dormitory in Kaki Bukit.

Three others from India, allegedly involved in the same fracas, each face a single charge of affray.

The two groups were among 35 foreign workers who were arrested after a mass brawl broke out on Tuesday night at the Homestay Residence Dormitory in Kaki Bukit Avenue 3.

The first group of 14 were accused of having been part of "an unlawful assembly whose common object was to cause hurt" to the three Indian workers.

If convicted of affray, the three from India could be imprisoned for up to a year and/or fined, while the 14 others could face a maximum of seven years in prison if they are found guilty of rioting.



In a statement on Thursday night, the police said the fight took place during the screening of a live cricket match, understood to have been between Bangladesh and the West Indies.

The violence apparently erupted after Bangladesh lost the game.

The police were alerted to the incident at 11.22pm on Tuesday.

Officers from Bedok Police Division, as well as troops from the Special Operation Command and Police Dog Unit were called in.

Bedok Police Division commander, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Alvin Moh, commended his officers for their swift response and follow-up actions.

He said the police "will not condone such lawless and violent behaviour in public affecting the sense of security of the community". "We will hunt down the perpetrators of such crimes and ensure they face the full brunt of the law," he added.

The 35 men were rounded up by the police between Tuesday and Thursday.

The case against the 14 Bangladeshis, aged 25 to 38, will be heard in court on April 14, pending the medical reports of their victims, the court heard. The case against the three Indian workers - aged 25 to 33 - will be next mentioned on April 2.

Investigations against the other suspects are ongoing, said the police.





University places rise to 14,000 this year

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Target to offer admission to 30% of cohort reached a year ahead of plan
By Sandra Davie, The Straits Times, 29 Mar 2014

THE Ministry of Education (MOE) will open up more university places this year, bringing the number of places at the six universities, including the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) and SIM University (UniSIM), to 14,000.

This means the Government's target of providing university places for 30 per cent of an age group will be reached a year earlier than planned.

Education Minister Heng Swee Keat announced this in a Facebook post yesterday as he congratulated SIT on officially becoming an autonomous university. With the new status, five-year-old SIT can confer its own degrees. Previously, it could award only joint degrees with overseas institutions.


About one in five polytechnic graduates is expected to win a place in the publicly funded universities this year, said an MOE spokesman.

Most of the new varsity places are being created from the expansion of SIT and UniSIM.

UniSIM in Clementi will add three full-time degrees to its part-time offerings. The courses in marketing, finance and accountancy will offer 200 places.

SIT, which offers niche degrees from overseas universities, will run its own programmes this year in infrastructure engineering, software development and accountancy and add another 200 places.

The other four varsities, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) and Singapore Management University (SMU), are also adding places with new courses.

Launching three new undergraduate degrees in August, NTU is offering nearly 100 places in philosophy and earth science and one course merging engineering with business. Yale-NUS College is increasing its intake from 150 last year to 170 this year, while SMU and SUTD are jointly offering a dual-degree programme in technology and management for 45 people.

Mr Heng stressed that quality will not be affected. "Even as we create more places, we want our students to be able to meet the rigours of the programmes, and at the same time, to make the best use of opportunities as our economy grows and becomes more diverse," he said in his post.

He also highlighted SIT and UniSIM's applied learning approach, noting the increasing diversity of higher education here.

There are other ways young people can build deep skills and knowledge, he said. "If the best path for you is to take some time to work and gain experience - do that!" he advised, adding that MOE will press on to offer publicly funded university spaces for 40 per cent of every cohort by 2020.

With 10 per cent of each cohort earning a degree from part-time courses, up to half of each age group could enjoy a government- subsidised degree education.

Parents welcomed the news.

Widow Diana Seah, 45, hopes the extra places mean a higher chance for her son, who wants to study business, and her daughter, who is interested in studying disasters and volcanoes. "On my pay as an admin manager, I cannot afford to send my kids overseas. So, it is good that the Government is opening up more places and courses that our kids are interested in."


S'pore ranked 60th among major cities for average residents' cost of living

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Think-tank ranks S’pore 60th most costly city for residents
Local institute says findings from its 2012 annual living cost survey put Republic on par with cities in the region
By Xue Jianyue, TODAY, 29 Mar 2014

To better reflect the cost of living for average citizens, a local think-tank is considering the creation of a new affordability index that measures transport, housing, healthcare and education costs.

The announcement yesterday by the Asia Competitiveness Institute (ACI), a research centre at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, came amid a renewed debate on the rising cost of living in Singapore.


It led Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam to explain during the Budget debate in Parliament that the EIU report had measured the cost of higher-end products, such as imported cheese, filet mignon and branded raincoats. These items are typically bought by expatriates.

Thus, the cost of living differs between expats and locals due to currency movements and the different goods and services consumed, said Mr Tharman.

ACI academics yesterday also released the findings from their annual cost of living index, which showed that, in terms of affordability for residents, Singapore ranked 60th among 109 major cities in 2012, after taking into account the consumption habits of average residents.

The ACI’s findings put Singapore’s cost of living similar to that in Seoul (59) and Hong Kong (58), said economist and ACI Co-Director Tan Khee Giap.

The institute also found that compared with New York, housing in Singapore for average residents was 27 per cent cheaper; medical costs were 75 per cent lower; and education costs were 73 per cent lower.

However, the costs of alcohol and tobacco as well as transport costs were higher in Singapore by 86 per cent and 22 per cent, respectively.

“This is because we have years of (government) subsidies on these three areas and I think after 2011, we found even more targeted subsidies for these three areas,” said Dr Tan.

On the higher cost of living for expats in Singapore, he said: “It is most expensive for expats who have high-end consumption with a very high quality of life, made possible by their company to compensate for the fact that they were relocated from their country. So, that shouldn’t be confused with the cost of living for average citizens.”

He added that Asian cities, in particular, have a lower cost of living for average citizens, in contrast to cities in developed Western countries, such as New York.

ACI research also revealed that rising costs for expatriates were almost entirely due to the appreciation of the Singapore dollar by 25 per cent against the US dollar from 2005 to 2012. If such appreciation had not occurred, Singapore would only be the 16th most costly city for expatriates.

As for the ACI’s proposed new affordability index, healthcare, education, housing and transport have been chosen because they have public services that the Government facilitates, said Dr Tan.

Since education, healthcare and housing in Singapore are subsidised, the Government has to monitor the cost of these items and work out how much funds are needed from its coffers.

“Subsidising education is an investment, not welfare ... Healthcare is also investing in people and sometimes to recognise their contributions,” said Dr Tan.

Hence, the index could help the Government monitor costs of living and plan subsidies in a sustainable way, he added.





S'pore 'likely to stay pricey for expats but okay for citizens'
By Chia Yan Min, The Straits Times, 29 Mar 2014

SINGAPORE is likely to remain one of the world's most expensive cities for expatriates due to its strong currency, said the Asia Competitiveness Institute (ACI).

However, the cost of living for the average Singaporean is expected to remain manageable as long as the Government continues to keep a close eye on the prices of essentials like education, health care and housing, said the think-tank.

The ACI, a research centre at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, releases an annual cost of living index that distinguishes between living costs for expats and average residents.

Its 2012 study ranked Singapore the most expensive among 109 cities for expats, but when living costs for average residents were measured, it came in 60th. The rankings for 2013 will be released in November.

An Economist Intelligence Unit survey released earlier this month raised eyebrows for naming Singapore the world's costliest city. That survey was targeted more at expats and was for 2013. Although the Singapore dollar weakened against the greenback last year, the Japanese yen weakened far more, making Tokyo for example, relatively cheaper.

"As far as expat cost of living is concerned, Singapore will stay at the top since our currency is unlikely to weaken any time soon," said ACI co-director Tan Khee Giap. The Singapore dollar, which appreciated 25 per cent against the United States dollar between 2005 and 2012, bumped up the cost of living for expats, who are usually remunerated in foreign currencies.

If the exchange rate had held steady at 2005 levels, Singapore would have been the 16th most expensive city for expats in 2012. The Republic still remains much cheaper for the man in the street than cities such as New York, Paris, Tokyo and London - largely due to lower prices of education, housing and health care - the study showed.

"This is likely to remain the case as long as the Government remains committed to subsidising these essential services," said Dr Tan, who conducted the study with fellow co-director Tan Kong Yam and adjunct research fellow Grace Aw.

The difference between the cost of living for expats and Singaporeans is partly due to characteristics peculiar to Asian cities, he added."For example, in Asian cities, cheap food is more readily available," Dr Tan said.

At yesterday's briefing to announce next month's launch of a book on the study, both co-directors emphasised that the indices are not intended as a measure of income or wealth disparity.



Criticism of Malaysia's handling of missing MH370 plane 'unfair': Shanmugam

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By Leonard Lim, The Straits Times, 29 Mar 2014

SOME of the criticism levelled at Malaysia on how it has been handling the disappearance of Flight MH370 is unfair, Singapore's Foreign Minister K. Shanmugam said yesterday.

Calling the mystery of the missing Malaysia Airlines plane a "most unusual, bizarre situation", he noted that many theories have been put forth on what could have happened.

"I don't think enough account has been taken of the fact that there was very little to go on, very little that the Malaysians or anyone knew of the matter," he told journalists during a lunch of the Singapore Foreign Correspondents Association (FCA) at Shangri-La Hotel.

The Malaysian government has come under fire, both at home and abroad, since the Beijing- bound plane went missing after taking off from Kuala Lumpur on March 8.

Some criticised its leaders for releasing information too slowly, while others said Prime Minister Najib Razak had jumped the gun when he announced on Monday that the plane was lost at sea in the Indian Ocean, but did not provide further verifiable proof.

China has also called for more transparency in the ongoing investigation.

Mr Shanmugam was also asked about the apparent lack of cooperation among ASEAN members during search efforts for the jet, and perceptions that there was a lack of unity due to countries' competing territorial claims in the South China Sea.

He disagreed with the suggestion, saying that there was "no lack of will" in wanting to cooperate.

The responses, Mr Shanmugam added, must also be seen in the context of the resources these countries have.

Singapore dispatched a Fokker-50 maritime patrol aircraft, a naval helicopter, two C-130 transport planes, two warships and a submarine support and rescue vessel.

Other ASEAN countries provided whatever assets they had, the minister noted, and there was no evidence to suggest any were "tardy" in their response.






ASEAN not tardy in MH370 crisis, says Shanmugam
By Imelda Saad, Channel NewsAsia, 28 Mar 2014

There was no lack of cooperation in ASEAN's response to the MH370 crisis.

Singapore's Law and Foreign Affairs Minister K Shanmugam made this point in refuting criticisms of poor coordination among ASEAN members.

Speaking at a dialogue organised by the Foreign Correspondents Association, Mr Shanmugam said he does not believe that any of the ASEAN countries were tardy in their response and pointed to the sheer number of countries who came forward to help almost immediately.

Describing the tragedy as a "most unusual bizarre situation", Mr Shanmugam said the international community needs to recognise that it is not an easy situation for Malaysian authorities, who had very little to go on.

Mr Shanmugam was asked for his assessment on the level of cooperation among ASEAN member states in the search for the ill-fated flight and on his thoughts on international perceptions that the region was not united due to underlying tensions among several ASEAN members over the South China Sea.

He answered that there was no lack of cooperation in the way countries, not just ASEAN members, helped immediately.

The will, he said, was there, even if the ability, resources and assets varied.

"I don't believe that and I don't think that there's anything on the facts that… suggest that any of the ASEAN countries were tardy in their response in any way,” said Mr Shanmugam.

“But to put it more directly, one of the assets that you need really to locate bits and pieces of this plane or the blackbox would have been a vessel. Not a submarine, but a vessel which is submersible and can look for things under water. You ask around how many countries have that resource."

Mr Shanmugam said Singapore has such a vessel and had deployed it in the search efforts.

The dialogue, which lasted for about two hours, also touched on some local issues, such as the Singapore government's handling of the December riot in Little India and Mr Shanmugam's assessment of the support the ruling People's Action Party has, leading up to the 2016 general election.

He said what is important for the government is not a numbers game in garnering support.

"I don't want to get into a numbers game,” said Mr Shanmugam.

“I think the last thing I want to do is to say that we want to have policies in order to get from a purely political perspective, some numbers back. I think the moment you start doing that, the country will go down. We need to do what is right."

He pointed to the S$8 billion Pioneer Generation package -- a commitment by the government to pay for the healthcare costs of the first generation of Singaporeans.

"A lot of countries do these things but they make the next generation pay or they make future governments pay because they simply borrow the money. We decided we will not do that,” said Mr Shanmugam.

“We will take it out of our current account surplus and fund forward the entire cost of this universal health coverage for people above 65.

“Again, if you were thinking purely in terms of electoral calculations, you will probably not do it because a lot of governments might calculate, ‘well, if I leave open the question of whether it might be funded, then people will be more concerned’, but here everyone knows it's going to be funded. So that's now removed from the political equation.”

Responding to suggestions by some foreign media that one reason for the Little India riot was unhappiness among foreign workers, Mr Shanmugam said the fact is they chose to come and stay in Singapore.

"I'm talking about systems. What is it systematically, that makes it worse off for workers in Singapore compared with other countries?” asked Mr Shanmugam.

“With full knowledge of the facts that they want to come here and they want to stay here, and they prefer Singapore to Malaysia, to anywhere else, I would politely say, the assumptions in your questions are all not accurate.

"The point is it (a riot) has not happened here in a long time. We don't want it happening again but I do want you to look at it with perspective before you start characterising (that) this is a new Singapore, that there's a foreign worker problem.

“One of the narratives I've seen in the international media is that this shows either it is a sign of angst with the government or it's an angst with Singapore or it's an angst with the employer. I say look at the facts."

The dialogue was attended by members of the diplomatic corps and media professionals.



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Effective policies matter more than courting popularity: Shanmugam

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By Leonard Lim, The Straits Times, 29 Mar 2014

SINGAPORE'S leaders need to do the right thing by their people in policy-making, said Foreign Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam yesterday, rather than get caught up in "the numbers game".

He made the point at a Foreign Correspondents Association (FCA) lunch, when asked for his sense of the level of support for the ruling People's Action Party.

"The last thing I want to do is to say that we want to have policies in order to get, from a purely political perspective, some numbers back. I think the moment you start doing that, the country will go down."

For instance, with a rapidly ageing population and concerns over health-care costs, the right thing to do was to introduce universal health-care coverage, said Mr Shanmugam, who is also the Law Minister. This will be in the form of the new MediShield Life, which will replace the national health insurance scheme next year and cover citizens for life.

Premiums are expected to be substantially higher than those for the current MediShield, but the Government has announced permanent subsidies for both low- and middle-income Singaporeans.

The pioneer generation, who are 65 years and older this year, will also receive hefty subsidies of between 40 and 60 per cent.

Many other countries have universal health coverage and the financial burden falls on future generations as the cost is funded by borrowing. But Singapore is careful not to take this path, Mr Shanmugam said.

So, the costs of funding premiums for those 65 and older is being drawn from this year's Budget that provides for an $8billion Pioneer Generation Package.

Health-care policy in this case was necessitated by population changes, Mr Shanmugam said, and Singapore could not be ideological about it. "Be honest and upfront. Explain the cost, explain the trade-offs... and on the whole you will be all right."

Doing the responsible thing also extended to how the Government responded to the Little India riot, he said. It took the "hard political calculation" - despite being politically costly - to put in place temporary measures to keep the peace in the heritage neighbourhood, even before a Committee of Inquiry (COI) had completed its investigations.

Alcohol sales were banned on weekends, for instance. The measures were to ensure there would be no repeat of the Dec 8 mayhem, he said, adding that this was the Government's responsibility to citizens.

"To leave it to the COI and refuse to do anything is an abdication of responsibility, which a lot of governments do," he added. "Then they cannot be criticised."

Last month, Parliament also passed a temporary Bill to curtail the authorities' powers in Little India. It had been relying, after the riots, on an emergency-type law that conferred wide-ranging powers - including the use of lethal force - to maintain order.

Mr Shanmugam took issue with a suggestion that foreign worker rights did not rank highly in Singapore. Workers choose to come, and want to stay here, he said.

"Do you think he (a worker) chooses to come to Singapore because we treat him worse than any other country that can take him?" he asked. "Many of the statements that have appeared in the international media don't bear a moment's scrutiny."






'Small tiffs but deep ties'
By Leonard Lim, The Straits Times, 29 Mar 2014

ARGUMENTS may happen from day to day between neighbouring countries but Singapore will ride them out, Foreign Minister K. Shanmugam said yesterday.

This is because underlying its relationships with Indonesia and Malaysia are strong links in trade, investment and people-to-people flows, he told the Foreign Correspondents Association, when asked to assess Singapore's state of relations with its closest neighbours.

"Day to day things may happen, there could be arguments, there could be kerfuffles, there could be some fights but...there are sensible people on all sides," he said.

He is confident Singapore will ride it out each time "because we know underlying it is a far more important relationship." The "fundamental relationship" with Indonesia and Malaysia is very good, he added.

Last month, Singapore had a spat with Indonesia over a warship being named after two of its soldiers who had bombed MacDonald House in 1965, during Konfrontasi.

And last week, two Indonesian marines posed as the bombers at an international defence event in Jakarta.

As for Malaysia, the issue was over water it sells to Singapore. Mr Shanmugam had said in Parliament on March 6 that Malaysia had no right to review the price of water unilaterally, and its government understood this.

A pact between the two countries provided for a review after 25 years, but Malaysia consciously chose not to review the price in 1987 as it benefited greatly from the pricing then, he added.


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Is there an ideological cleavage in S’pore?

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Singaporeans still support free trade and investment, meritocracy and free enterprise, but want to see a greater emphasis on fairness in society
By Tommy Koh, Published The Straits Times, 29 Mar 2014

FOR a very long time, Singaporeans appear to have had a shared belief in the following values and principles:
- Free trade and investment
- Market economy
- Globalisation
- Foreign talent
- Meritocracy
Several recent events, however, have prompted thoughtful Singaporeans to wonder whether that consensus is breaking down.

Speaking in London on Thursday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong hinted at the problem.

Unlike many other global cities, he noted, Singapore has no hinterland. This made getting the balance "between national identity and cosmopolitan openness, between free market competition and social solidarity" especially important.

Are the stresses and strains associated with the drive to be a global city producing a potentially destabilising ideological cleavage?

Free trade and investment

I AM quite confident that Singaporeans believe in free trade and investment. Singaporeans know that our policy of free trade and investment, beginning in 1819, has brought jobs and prosperity. As a consequence, there is no protectionist sentiment in Singapore.

This explains why Singaporeans have reacted with equanimity when iconic landmarks, such as Raffles Hotel, and iconic brands and businesses, such as Robinsons, Tiger Beer and F&N, are sold to foreigners.

I wish, however, to make a point here. Singapore is a nation of traders, willing to sell such landmarks and icons without compunction. In that sense, Singapore is more like the British than the Swiss. The British have sold all their great auto companies to foreigners, while the great Swiss companies remain in the hands of the Swiss.

Do we want to be like the United Kingdom or Switzerland?

Market economy

SINGAPOREANS, unlike the Americans, are not an ideological people. They are pragmatists. They believe that both the private and public sectors have a legitimate role in the economy.

Singaporeans accept that the market economy is the most efficient model for the allocation of investment and for the production and distribution of goods and services, as well as for determining prices.

However, they also recognise that the market is imperfect and the Government has to intervene when there is market failure. Singaporeans do not believe in a winner-takes-all model of capitalism. They want the Government to intervene in order to ensure justice and fairness.

Singaporeans want to live in a market economy. They do not, however, want to live in a market society. That is, they do not want to live in a society in which everything is for sale, where everything is monetised, and where the making of money is a key performance indicator of both the private and public sectors.

Thoughtful Singaporeans remember the warning contained in one of the holy books that the love of money is the root of all evil. They fear that Singapore has already become or is in danger of becoming a market society.

Globalisation

GLOBALISATION is an irresistible force. It is driven by technology, open borders, human mobility, trade, capital, business, culture and religion.

Globalisation is both a force for good and a force for evil. Small and open economies, such as Singapore, have benefited enormously from globalisation. We should therefore support and defend globalisation.

One of our ambitions is to be a global city. To be a global city, our doors must be open to the inflow of people from all over the world. Our windows must be open to ideas from all quarters.

Singapore is, however, not just a city. It is also a country, a home for 3.5 million Singaporeans. Is it possible to be both a country and a global city? I think it is possible, but we have to manage the contradictions.

For example, we welcome the many wealthy foreigners who have come to live and work here or to buy a second or a third home. One negative consequence is that they have raised property prices and the cost of living.

Another example is the growing resentment felt by many Singaporeans that wealthy foreigners are free-riders. They come here to make money and lead very comfortable lives, but give little or nothing back in return. To make matters worse, some of them have a disrespectful attitude towards Singaporeans.

Foreign talent

AMERICAN business school gurus such as Dr Gary Hamel have managed to convince Singapore's leaders that there is a global competition for talent. In order to succeed, Singapore cannot rely only on its home-grown talent. It must look outward and recruit talented people from all over the world, to key positions in both our public and private sectors.

The hunt for foreign talent became a national obsession. As a result, Singapore was in danger of overlooking its own talent.

I am glad that there is a more balanced attitude today. This is the result of two developments. First, Singapore discovered that some so-called foreign talent was not really very talented. Second, there was the discovery that, in some cases, when a foreign chief executive officer was hired, he or she discriminated against Singaporeans when hiring staff.

My conclusion is that Singapore should continue to welcome foreign talent. But it should do so to complement Singaporean talent, not to supplant it. Everything being equal, Singapore should give priority to its own talent.

Meritocracy

ONE of the cardinal principles of Singapore's public policy is meritocracy. I believe that our adherence to meritocracy, together with a firm stance against corruption, is one of the secrets of Singapore's success.

My sense is that there has been no retreat from our commitment to these principles. Singaporeans do, however, have some concerns. They want to be assured that meritocracy is accompanied by social mobility.

They would be unhappy if talented children from humble families do not have the opportunity to rise to the top.

In order to level the playing field, most Singaporeans support the view that the Government should play a role to ensure that good quality and affordable childcare and early education are available to all Singaporeans, and not just to the rich.

Conclusion

IS THERE an ideological cleavage in Singapore? I do not think so. I think there is still a consensus to support free trade and investment, meritocracy and free enterprise.

I do not see a rejection of the market economy, but I do see a rejection of the market society.

People want to see a greater emphasis on fairness in our society.

I think the greatest challenge is to manage the contradictions between our ambition to be a global city and our ambition to make Singapore an inclusive society based on justice and equality.

But Singapore has to do a better job in managing the rising cost of living, the inflation of property prices and escalating rentals.

It is important to ensure Singaporeans continue to feel that this is their country, and foreigners, though welcome, are our guests.


The writer is the rector of Tembusu College at the National University of Singapore.

PM Lee at Chatham House

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Outlook for PAP rests on performance: PM Lee
It also depends on what S'poreans want, he says at dialogue in London
By Zuraidah Ibrahim, The Straits Times, 29 Mar 2014

WHETHER or not the People's Action Party (PAP) can continue to run the Government depends on how well it acquits itself and continues to build on the successes of the past, and on Singaporeans themselves, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Similarly, there can be no straight-line predictions that because the opposition has 40 per cent of the vote, it will not be long before it takes over government, he said, during a dialogue at Chatham House, a think-tank, yesterday.

He was responding to dialogue chairman and former British secretary of defence and transport Malcolm Rifkind, who commented that given that the opposition had scored 40 per cent of the vote in the last general election in 2011, it was "not a long way from overtaking you and taking over power".

Mr Lee replied: "I don't think you can draw straight lines like that. In politics, things never progress in linear fashion. In the end, people will have to decide in Singapore on what government they want and whom they want to run their government.

"And the opposition in the last election did not stand to run for government, in fact the contrary, they made a point to say they are not going to run for government, please vote for me."

To this, Mr Rifkind said it was either not to be believed, or there was a "very odd thing going on".

Mr Lee's rejoinder: "The odd thing going on is that in Singapore, people actually know that the Government generally is doing the right thing.

"But they'd like somebody to be there to put a bit more chilli on the Government's tail."

The exchange began when Mr Rifkind noted that the PAP had been in power for more than half a century and if this was healthy.

Mr Lee said that there were advantages in ensuring continuity but also change within that continuity. For a small country, discontinuous change could be disruptive and dangerous.

Importantly, the system has been renewed with several changes of the guard and leaders who can "move with the times with the population".

"Whether we can do that, whether we can maintain that position of trust and dominance in the system over the long term depends on Singaporeans and also how well we acquit ourselves and we establish ourselves in our own rights, not just as heirs to the success, but creators and builders on what the previous generation achieved."

Pressed on whether it was tenable that if 40 per cent of opposition votes still ended with, say 10 seats in Parliament, given the first-past-the-post system, Mr Lee said the system seeks to be representative with Non-Constituency MPs and Nominated MPs.

He said that for the opposition, it was "politic not to propound policies or alternatives" in Parliament but to snipe from time to time and when elections are held, to try and rouse the people.

During the one-hour dialogue, Mr Lee was also asked wide-ranging questions on matters from China-Japan ties, to regional politics in South-east Asia and global economic growth.

On how Singapore managed to survive the global financial crisis of 2008 and whether it would be able to avert future crises such as the effects of a debt crisis in Japan or a banking meltdown in China, Mr Lee said there was "no armour". As a small country, it feels the effects of any global downturn quickly and one result of the outflows of capital from that crisis into Asia has led to Singapore's own property market moving.



"We have had a very tough fight trying to manage this and hold back the waters and stabilise the property market," he said.

Singapore also had resources to quell any sudden panic and to help workers and companies cope, including helping them pay workers Central Provident Fund contributions in the Wage Credit Scheme, for example.

"We sailed through with hardly any increase in unemployment and the storm passed faster than we expected," he said.

On any other "cataclysm" happening any time soon, he said: "It depends what exactly happens; we keep our powder dry, we have reserves, we have people who are hard-working, we have unionists who...work with us to solve problems in a way which is win-win and benefits workers...we are not at odds within ourselves, so we can unite to fight the problems which face us from the rest of the world."






Despite Opposition gain, Singaporeans know Govt doing the right thing: PM Lee
By Lin Yanqin, TODAY, 29 Mar 2014

Singaporeans know the Government has been doing the right things, but they want Opposition representation to add some “chilli” on things, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

While it is up to Singaporeans to decide who they want to run the government, he noted the Workers’ Party made it clear in the last General Election it was not contesting to take over from the People’s Action Party (PAP).

Mr Lee was responding to a question on whether he was concerned about the gains made by the Opposition in the 2011 polls, including winning a GRC for the first time.

Responding to the question from Mr Malcolm Rifkind, a British Member of Parliament, during a dialogue at Chatham House in London yesterday, Mr Lee said: “In Singapore, people actually know the Government generally is doing the right thing, but they like somebody to be there to put a bit more chilli on the Government’s tail.”

When Mr Rifkind asked whether he felt it was healthy for any political party to be in power for more than 50 years — the way the PAP has — Mr Lee said a system should have continuity, as well as change within that continuity.

Noting that the PAP has managed to keep up with the times and ensured the system stayed “renewed” throughout several changes of the guard, Mr Lee added: “Whether we can do that and maintain that position of trust and confidence and dominance in that system over a long term, that depends on Singaporeans and also on how well we acquit ourselves and establish ourselves in our own right, not just as heirs (of the previous generation).”

Several questions on Singapore’s political system peppered the one-hour dialogue, which involved more than 200 academics, diplomats, students and civil servants. Questions such as the lessons China could learn from Singapore’s reputation for clean governance, as well as the road ahead for the Association of South-east Asian Nations (ASEAN), were also raised.

Mr Lee said that while the Chinese leadership recognises the need to clean up its house so as to not jeopardise its legitimacy to run the country, its challenge lies in how to do so “without bringing it down”.

He added that apart from ensuring the mechanics for reporting and punishing wrongdoing exist, a system must also have “honest and resolute people” who will keep it clean “even when it’s politically inconvenient”.

On whether ASEAN could, like in the EU, have free movement of trade, services and people in the future, Mr Lee expressed his doubts.

He said: “If 100 million people came to look for jobs in Singapore, I would have a problem. We have legally one million foreign workers in Singapore. We control those numbers ... because there’s a limit to what society can accommodate.”.

Chatham House is an independent policy institute based in London. It was Mr Lee’s first time speaking at the institute, which has also hosted former Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew.





It is people who keep the system corruption-free: PM
By Zuraidah Ibrahim, The Sunday Times, 30 Mar 2014

Singapore has a strong anti-corruption system and values but it is not the system that will continue keeping it clean. It is the people who run it who will do so, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

He made this point last Friday during a dialogue at independent think-tank Chatham House, while responding to questions from Mr Malcolm Rifkind, the chair, and an audience of academics, diplomats and London's intellectual elite.

Mr Rifkind, a former minister in the Conservative government of prime ministers Margaret Thatcher and John Major, asked what Mr Lee felt was Singapore's unique selling point.

He replied that it was a First World system in a very complicated and non-First World part of the world. Things work, people are well educated and the Government is incorruptible and efficient, and tries to be consistent over a long period.

"So if you come to Singapore, and you want to do business, you can count on what we promise you, and what you see is what you get and that's not bad," Mr Lee said.

Mr Rifkind noted that the abhorrence of corruption went back to the days of former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew. Were there strains in the system now?

Mr Lee said that the system and people's values were fairly well-entrenched. The public's expectations were also such that if something was not quite right, the alarm would be sounded, investigations begun if indeed there was real suspicion, and consequences followed.

"It doesn't mean that the system runs by itself. In the end it is still people and you must have very capable, honest and very resolute people who will operate the system and follow through and keep it clean even when it's politically inconvenient.

"And that's what we tell Singaporeans: You cannot assume that whoever happens to be the minister or prime minister, all will be well because we've got all these rule books and laws built up. It depends on what sort of person he is and who is going to make it work."

On what made it possible for Singapore to be corruption-free when so many others had failed, Mr Lee said that the British did leave behind a system, but the People's Action Party also felt it important to win the first elections in 1959 "because by the second time, the system may well have gone corrupt".

He said that Singapore had an exceptional team with the resolve to keep things clean and build a system to maintain it, and with a track record of investigating anyone at fault, whether a policeman or a minister.

But he acknowledged that it was easier for a small country with just one level of government to weed out corruption. Other countries, he said, can decide to go about it gradually or through revolution.

An audience member asked about China's anti-corruption efforts. Mr Lee said that the Chinese were taking it very seriously because they knew it went beyond administrative efficiency, but to the Chinese Communist Party's authority and legitimacy. The challenge was "how to clean the house without bringing the house down".

On what the Chinese could glean from Singapore's experience, he said that they have to set up a system that minimises the opportunity for arbitrary discretion and rent-seeking behaviour, and to have open, transparent systems. They are moving in this direction, Mr Lee noted.

Also, Singapore opted to pay people properly and ensure they did their jobs properly. "And if you don't, you will be replaced or removed or demoted. And then there will be integrity in the system.

"But to get from a position where people have a low trust in the civil servants, to one where you will be able to pay them properly and people accept that, I think that's a very difficult journey to travel... in China you have to progress gradually."





On China's rise, and more
The Sunday Times, 30 Mar 2014

At the think-tank Chatham House last Friday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong fielded a host of questions, from international relations to domestic issues. Some excerpts:

Q: Is the rise of China causing nervousness among its neighbours?

It's a very big change in landscape. When you see mountains grow, you talk about millions of years. When you see a country rise, here you are talking about less than a century.

A powerful country, a continental power, will have commensurate defence forces. What posture those forces take, whether you are benign, whether you are restrained, whether you take an aggressive approach when issues come, that's a matter of policy and also of history and the thrust of the zeitgeist of the country.

Q: Aren't ties becoming much more fraught between China and Taiwan, Japan and South-east Asia?

I would take a more nuanced view.

First, Taiwan, which a few years ago looked like a real hot spot: Things have stabilised considerably with this KMT (Kuomintang) government over the last couple of terms. It is much less likely now you are going to have some conflagration across the Taiwan Strait. Compared to 10 years ago, I think things are much better today.

China-Japan: Things are worse today.

China-ASEAN: There is the issue of the South China Sea, which is a very serious one with several of the ASEAN countries, but all of the ASEAN countries in fact want good relations with China. And, other than the South China Sea issue, China is actually making a considerable effort to cultivate these countries and to get them on China's side.

So it's a multifaceted relationship. Would we prefer China to be weak and poor? I'm not sure. Different sets of problems will come.

Q: Can Myanmar make the transition to democracy?

They are much better off than they were a few years ago. The leaders know that the old path was a dead end and that they have to move forward, but moving forward goes into quite complicated territory too. Once you have gone for freedom of speech, democracy and elections, Pandora's box is open, you have 135 nationalities, not counting the Rohingyas. You have to count your votes and even Aung San Suu Kyi has to watch her Buddhist votes and can't side with the Rohingyas. In that sort of situation, we wish them well. They have a very difficult task ahead. I think the omens are good, but nothing can ever be certain.

Q: How do you see Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's role in economic policy?

We've had 10 years of stability and growth in Indonesia under President Yudhoyono. And it's been a great benefit to Indonesia, it's been a great benefit to Indonesia's neighbours. And Indonesia has enhanced its standing in the world. It's a member of the G-20, it plays a role in many international affairs.

We hope that whoever comes after President Yudhoyono will establish the same standing and have the same mindset and international outlook to fit Indonesia into an ASEAN and an international environment in a way which will benefit Indonesia and also make your neighbours prosper.

If you look at the popularity polls, (Jakarta Governor) Jokowi is the most popular of the candidates but it's still several steps down the road yet. Whoever he is, he will have to face the same challenges of creating jobs and growth within Indonesia, of holding a complicated country together, which has very different parts.



























 



Singapore Day 2014: Taste of home for Singaporeans in London

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Guests from all over Europe flock to a sunny Singapore Day in Victoria Park
By Zuraidah Ibrahim, The Sunday Times, 30 Mar 2014


London shrugged off its grey blanket of the past week and unfurled rare blue skies as the temperature rose to around 19 deg Celsius. It almost felt like air-conditioned weather back home, but better, as Singaporeans descended onto the sun-drenched park to sample hawker food and enjoy entertainment by home-grown stars such as the Dim Sum Dollies, Gurmit Singh and Hossan Leong and singers Jack and Rai.

Crowds began forming early and by noon, there were more than 10,000 guests soaking up a slice of Singaporeana and colonising a swathe of the sprawling park, named after the queen of the empire that once ruled Singapore.



Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong arrived to cheers and claps and mushrooming smartphones as people snapped pictures of him, but he did one better. He went on stage and took a picture of the waving audience, then turned around to do a selfie with them in the background.

"I am very happy to be here for such a beautiful Singapore Day. Some of you have private messaged me, e-mailed me, commented on my Facebook, liked me... I look forward to enjoying the laksa with you," he told the crowds.

As he left the stage, Mr Lee was mobbed by a surging crowd wanting to take pictures of him or their own selfie with the PM in the background.

The team overseeing the event from the National Population and Talent Division, led by Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean and Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Grace Fu, also mingled with guests, many of whom work, live and study here.

But more than 16 per cent of those present had travelled from all over Europe to be at the park, some as far away as Munich in Germany and Nice in France, for a chance to rekindle their links with Singapore and "relieve some of their homesickness", said Ms Fu.

Student volunteer Bing Xi, a third-year law student at King's College, confessed that all he could think of was "my intense strategising" on which food to queue up for first.

"I am going for the laksa, and then the teh tarik, and then I want the prata," said the 24-year-old, adding these were delights hard to come by for Singaporeans living abroad.

There was all of that on the menu, and more, including chicken rice, satay and bak chor mee from famous stalls in Singapore.

Madam Peggy Quek, 65, came with a party of six friends, including two foreigners from South America and South Africa. "They've heard so much about Singapore and everything about Singapore makes all my friends go 'wah, wah, wah, so good'."

A member of the pioneer generation, Madam Quek, who has lived in London for 38 years but travels home twice a year, said: "Those days, my mother always told me, listen to the Government; this is a good government and she was right."

Said DPM Teo: "I could feel the strong Singapore spirit... I am glad to see that many have a keen interest in what is happening in Singapore and want to contribute to make Singapore a better home for us all."

Earlier in the day, Ms Fu had a dialogue with 40 overseas Singaporeans. Several talked about the 50th-anniversary celebrations for Singapore's independence next year and how they could contribute.

Ms Fu said: "Many are keen to give back and the ideas they shared, such as helping the needy and how to bring new arts and cultural ideas to Singapore, have galvanised them."




Related

Seah Kian Peng: Paying more heed to the short-term humps in life

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Marine Parade GRC MP Seah Kian Peng, 52, introduced the term "hyperopia" to Parliament early this month, when he devoted his Budget debate speech to warning of the dangers of being too far-sighted in policy planning. The two-term MP and Deputy Speaker in Parliament talks to Charissa Yong about striking the right balance, passionate Singaporeans, and how he is open to the idea of dipping into the reserves for the right reasons.
The Straits Times, 29 Mar 2014


Why is extreme long-term planning something that can be a weakness for Singapore?

Too much long-term planning is not good. Make no mistake, I'm not saying we should discard long-term planning.

But if we're overly weighted towards long-term planning, with not enough weight given to short-term goals and medium- term goals, I think the balance is not right. We're all human beings, you tell me the end point is there, but I need to go through shorter-term humps along the way. It's natural for me to worry about these humps.

I think for the present generation, they still look at the long term but I don't think they think so far ahead.

There's no right or wrong, it's just the way they are. We need to make sure we strike a right balance, and recognise that there are certain short-term (concerns).


In what ways have you seen young Singaporeans starting to think more short-term?

Anything that affects them first and the community second. And for that matter, me first, their family and extended family second, and the community third.

If you roll back the clock, I think the previous generation will think first of their family. But I think now, most will think "me" first.

People are so passionate about each of the things that matters to them. Very, very passionate! There are a myriad of issues: how we care for our planet, how we treat animals, amenities, what are we doing for the elderly and the poor? That's a good thing, but at the same time, it also means there is a lot more tension... fault lines open up and this creates a more contentious society.



How can Singapore's policy planning be more short-term?

For example, a very hot issue is overcrowding in transport. We'll be a lot more interconnected with all the new MRT lines coming up... which is a long-term project, 10 to 20 years down the road. But what do we do in the short term?

The Government is funding big bucks (with the $1.1 billion Bus Service Enhancement Programme) for the benefit of commuters in the immediate short term. So these are precisely the things I talk about. We're actually taking money out of the Budget.


You are open to the idea of using the national reserves for some of these programmes to help people in the short term?

I see the current demographic changes of an ageing population, coupled with the low total fertility rate, as danger signs of a crisis in the making. And if you see that coming, are there things that we can do in the short term, while addressing these long-term implications? We have said many times, the reserves are for rainy days, and I consider this as a rainy day in the making.

I support dipping into the reserves for these purposes. We are in a good position to do so. You want to be able to handle problems when you are strong, not weak. You don't want to handle crises when you have no choice.

Our reserves are strong. That doesn't mean we fritter them away. I'm just saying we should entertain this kind of thought.


How would maybe using more of the reserves help us to cope with this demographic crisis?

As it is now, we're short of certain things. Nursing homes, for one, even step-down (care) facilities. We're building more hospitals and community hospitals, but we need to accelerate some of these. Beyond facilities, we also need people. All these will require a major rethink of how to operationalise and execute things, and it will definitely cost some money.


Why did you propose the Government more freely fund ideas from the community?

I see a lot more young people now are very passionate about many social causes like caring about our planet, and that's a very good sign. I talked about giving more space to the community and people, because no one has a monopoly of knowledge and ideas. Good ideas can come from anyone - from groups, individuals and certainly the community.


In your speech, you also mentioned that there could be more Singaporean academics in context-sensitive subjects like political science.

A few months back, I had asked a question in Parliament and was a bit shocked to find out that a significant majority (18 out of 25) of the National University of Singapore's political science faculty members are not from Singapore.

This is a subject I thought needed more locals - people who have been through it here, who can understand all the nuances, who have gone through the experiences themselves.

It goes back to what we want our Singapore to be. What we want our political system to be like, what we want our values to be, must be defined by locals, not non-Singaporean academics.


What do you consider your biggest achievement as chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Social and Family Development?

I don't have a scorecard. But one of the highlights is when we pushed for the amendments to the Maintenance of Parents Act (in 2010) as a team (which encouraged elderly parents and children to resolve their problems with each other through conciliation, and to turn to a tribunal to claim maintenance only as a last resort).

The statistics show that the outcomes are in line with what we set out to do so.

First, the number of cases being heard at the tribunal is down. Second, most of the cases are being settled at the conciliation stage. There is a lot of satisfaction when you see that the results are what you and your team intended.


Is there any area you feel you could have done a bit more in?

If anything, it's paternity leave (married citizen fathers were granted seven days last year). I asked for it (in Parliament) for six years in a row since 2007.

Am I disappointed it took us six years? I'm just glad that now fathers have it. I focus on the glass being half-full. I don't want to spend an inordinate amount of time reflecting on the ifs or buts.


You're known for your gelled-back hair. What gel do you use and why?

The brand doesn't matter, I just need a gel that is strong. I need it because my hair is super soft. Someone told me it's the type that ladies will like. But if I don't have gel, there's really no form to my hair and it'll be just all over the place. So it's an advantage and disadvantage. I can't just wake up and go. Those who sell gel will be quite happy with me because I do use a fair bit.




Step up safety in Geylang, say MPs, grassroots leaders

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Fewer alcohol licences, stricter operating hours for businesses among measures suggested
By Amelia Tan, The Sunday Times, 30 Mar 2014

Geylang Members of Parliament and grassroots leaders want more done to keep the area safe, and say the measures should go beyond ramping up police patrols.

Moulmein-Kallang GRC MP Edwin Tong wants fewer alcohol licences issued, stricter operating hours for businesses near residential estates, and a stop to foreign worker dormitories sprouting near Housing Board flats.

Associate Professor Fatimah Lateef, MP for Marine Parade GRC, who has overseen a series of measures such as lighting up dark alleys, believes a comprehensive review is needed.

Geylang has come under fresh focus after Police Commissioner Ng Joo Hee said last Tuesday that he was more worried about the area than Little India, where a riot involving foreign workers took place last December.



Testifying at the Committee of Inquiry into the Little India riot, he said crime rates in Geylang were disproportionately high and hostility towards the police rife.

Mr Tong told The Sunday Times that the red-light district, with its many bars and lounges, peddlers selling contraband cigarettes and drugs, as well as shops and vendors which stay open late into the night make Geylang more of a potential trouble spot than Little India and increase the risk of violent crime.

"It is difficult for grassroots-driven initiatives to address these problems," he said. As the people who descend on Geylang do not live there or are foreign workers, mostly from China, "the police have to step up", he added.

He also highlighted the predicament of those living in Blocks 38 and 39 Upper Boon Keng Road, off Lorong 3 Geylang. The HDB flats are beside a row of terraced houses which have been converted into dormitories for workers from South Asian countries.

Many of the workers drink alcohol at the void decks of the blocks late into the night and some urinate at the playgrounds. Mr Tong said the problems have not been solved despite his asking police to increase their patrols.

He said: "I think the solution is to stop the houses from being used as dorms. They are just too near the HDB flats."

Grassroots leader Lee Hong Ping, 45, who labelled Geylang "Little Chinatown", said crowds of foreign workers from China can cause traffic jams when too many of them gather on the pavements and spill onto the roads. Residents have also complained about not feeling safe at night.

Prof Fatimah said she has filed a question on security in the area for next month's Parliament sitting. In the meantime, "we will continue to engage the authorities".





Hooligans, prostitutes, gangsters and crooks

"Guest workers of Chinese origin, but also significant numbers of South Asian origin, converge on Geylang, and not just on the weekends - to eat, to meet, to drink and to shop.

"It is also a traditional red-light area which is an attraction in itself, with an attendant set of challenges not found in Little India.

"Geylang is a hot spot for illegal gambling, street cons, pirate cigarette peddling and drug dealing.

"Geylang's nightclubs, beer houses and eating places attract also large numbers of locals...

"Budget hotels advertising hourly rates dot the streetscape of Geylang, which is not the case in Little India.

"And it is common knowledge that the gangsters and the crooks like to congregate in Geylang.

"So all in all, Geylang presents an ecosystem which is complex, which is tinged with a certain criminal undertone, and this is quite in contrast with Little India.

"Unlike Little India, all the indications of potential trouble are there in Geylang. Crime numbers are high and disproportionately so and crimes of particular concern like robbery, rioting, affray remain persistent and always threaten to run away.

"Perhaps most worryingly about Geylang is that there is an overt hostility and antagonism towards the police. You may be alarmed to learn that police officers now and then have been obstructed by hooligan crowds from going about their work in Geylang."






An undercurrent of fear in Geylang
There is more potential for trouble in Geylang than in Little India, according to Singapore's police chief Ng Joo Hee. Walter Sim and Nur Asyiqin Mohd Salleh pay a visit to the red-light district, where some are afraid to talk, for fear of becoming targets themselves
The Sunday Times, 30 Mar 2014

At dusk, like clockwork, streetwalkers in skimpy outfits emerge from alleyways. They flirt with men, both foreign and local, while being watched by minders on the alert for the police.

Off-corner massage parlours and hotels with hourly rates do a roaring trade. Nearby, peddlers sell sex drugs with names such as Super Magic and Tiger's Prestigious Life, while others deal in contraband cigarettes.

This is Geylang, Singapore's notorious red-light district and another foreign worker hot spot now in the spotlight after Police Commissioner Ng Joo Hee said last week that the area was a bigger concern than Little India, where last December's riot took place.

"If Singaporeans are irked by the littering, the noise and the jaywalking in Little India, they'll certainly and quickly sense that there exists a hint of lawlessness in Geylang," he told the Committee of Inquiry into the riot.

It is an area where disproportionately more crime and public order offences take place. Last year, Special Operations Command forces were deployed to Geylang on 41 occasions, compared with 16 in Little India.

Last Friday afternoon, auxiliary policemen were seen taking away illegal cigarettes which had been stowed in trash cans in an alley next to a Buddhist temple.

Crowds of hooligans, Mr Ng said, are not afraid of standing in the way of police work. He recalled how an officer was once beaten up when he tried to detain an illegal gambling stall operator.

Residents say some shops in Geylang are just fronts for criminal activities. Gambling dens, for instance, are set up in small rooms behind the main shop area, or up on the second floor.

Many businesses and residents The Sunday Times spoke to declined to give their full names or to be photographed, worried they might "offend someone".

Yet Geylang is also home to many migrant workers who reside in sometimes overcrowded shophouses offering cheap rent.

Electrician Chai Zhi Yuan, 41, from Jiangsu, China, admits it could get "chaotic" at night and on weekends.

"I don't go out much as it can get very messy. Instead, my friends would come to my place for drinks," he said.

Bangladeshi construction worker Tarikul Islam, 20, also prefers to stay in at night "because there is a lot of trouble outside". Added compatriot Sakil Alam, 25: "Every week, I see fighting here, because of drinking. Maybe sometimes because of the girls."

And then there is the risk of being caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"When I go out to buy food at night, the police often stop me and ask for my permit," said Mr Tarikul. "Maybe I am somewhere, not doing anything bad or causing trouble, but because they see me there, they think I'm also trouble."

Although MPs, grassroots activists and most residents are calling for Geylang to be cleaned up, the businesses - from coffee shops to KTV lounges and liquor shops - have a different perspective.

One provision shop owner said: "I really think no shop in Geylang will tell you, I want all this crime to stop. If they say that, they are lying. All these activities attract people, attract money."

Mr Teh Hock Koon, 50, who runs a bak kut teh stall in a coffee shop at the end of a row of bro-thels, told The Sunday Times: "The more 'complicated' an area is, the better it is to do business."

Since moving there a year ago, his takings have gone up by as much as 40 per cent.

Added a liquor wholesaler along Geylang Road: "Yes, police patrols will be good to bolster security, but it won't do us any good if the vice is completely stamped out either."

Already, five fast response squad cars are routinely deployed in Geylang every weekend - compared to three in Little India and one in most other estates. Two dozen uniformed officers conduct foot patrols, while plain-clothes police conduct checks on clubs and massage joints.

Mr Ng admitted that more could be done to enhance police presence in Geylang, and hopes to deploy 150 more officers there.

Retiree G. Goh, 62, who has lived in Geylang for over 50 years, said: "In the last decade, there were more foreigners coming. But they are not why there is crime now. There has always been crime in Geylang and the kings are your local fellows.

"The police who walk down the street will stop these foreigners, but they are all ikan bilis (small fish). The big fish, the whales, are all behind the scenes."





Unfair to say foreign workers cause trouble in Geylang
By Amelia Tan, The Sunday Times, 30 Mar 2014

It is unfair to jump to the conclusion that foreign workers cause trouble in Geylang, said migrant rights groups.

They also believe an event like last December's Little India riot is less likely to happen in Geylang, as the workers who frequent the area gather in small pockets around the neighbourhood.

In contrast, hundreds congregate in popular spots in Little India such as the junction of Race Course Road and Hampshire Road where the riot took place.

"I think it is a difference in culture. South Asian workers find solidarity in numbers while the Chinese national workers are more independent," said Migrant Workers' Centre (MWC) executive director Bernard Menon.

He believes another key reason workers gather in smaller groups in Geylang is that there are hardly any large open fields in the area.

Instead, workers typically hang out in shaded areas at roadsides or in back alleys of shophouses.

And while Geylang has been a key gathering point for workers from China, not all visit the area. Others prefer to spend time in the heartlands, he said.

"They do not have to worry about not being understood, as many Singaporeans speak Mandarin. Most South Asian workers visit Little India because they know that the people there speak their language."

Staff from MWC and Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (Home), which both have offices in Geylang where foreign workers can get help with employment disputes, said they hardly hear and see foreign workers getting into fights in the area.

Home's executive director Jolovan Wham said: "It is unfair to think that much of the crime and violence in Geylang is caused by foreign workers. This is a place where there are brothels, pubs, karaoke lounges. There are pimps and gangsters everywhere."

Mr Menon added that the majority of foreign workers in Singapore are law-abiding.

"Most of them would rather fly under the radar and not be noticed. They definitely do not want to court trouble. It would mean being sent home and not being able to earn money."

Ms Debbie Fordyce, a volunteer at Transient Workers Count Too, agreed that the foreign workers in Geylang want to avoid trouble.

"They go there because there are many restaurants selling cuisine from their hometowns. There are also grocery stores catering to them. Importantly, it is a meeting place where they can socialise with their friends."

The activists pointed out, however, that they see some problems because of the lack of amenities to accommodate the larger crowds on weekends.

Crowds spill out onto the roads and many pedestrians jay-walk - raising the risk of accidents. They suggested that more pedestrian crossings be introduced and some parks and benches built.

Ms Fordyce added that while facilities are important, workers must also feel that they are free to relax and be themselves. "They should not feel like they are constantly under surveillance."





'If you have a daughter, you worry, worry, worry'
By Nur Asyiqin Mohamad Salleh, The Sunday Times, 30 Mar 2014

Engineer John Yeo moved to Geylang as a newly-wed 15 years ago. Now a father of two, the 42-year-old cannot wait to move out.

He and his wife never used to mind walking down streets filled with sex workers, pirated CD sellers and gamblers.

As a young couple, they found it all novel and appealing.

"I didn't mind it. And my wife's even braver than me," he said.

"When we were younger, sometimes men would stop her to ask, 'How much?' She would scold them!"

Now, the couple have a 12-year-old son and a 13-year-old daughter to worry about and they want to move into a "good neighbourhood".

They would have moved sooner, but his wife was retrenched and he was demoted some years ago and their plans were stalled.

Now they hope to leave for an HDB estate by the end of this year.

He recalled how his daughter was just eight years old when she asked him why there were so many women "waiting for a taxi" by the side of the road. "I was so shocked. I suddenly realised, this is not the place for children."

Mr Yeo, who declined to be photographed for fear of being stalked by "unsavoury characters" in the area, said he has seen Singaporean women who come for a meal in Geylang being propositioned by men.

"If I just had a son, I'd just tell him, don't do naughty things. But my daughter, what if she gets picked up?" he asked.

"Geylang is not the place for fathers with daughters to live. You will have a heart attack one day because you'll just worry, worry, worry."





'Safest place we've lived in so far'
By Nur Asyiqin Mohamad Salleh, The Sunday Times, 30 Mar 2014

Some may see Geylang as an unruly spot in Singapore, but this well-travelled pair is unruffled by its reputation.

American expatriates Lisa and Michael Johnson moved into a row of refurbished shophouses in Lorong 24A back in 2011 - just a street from Lorong 24, where sex workers and their minders line the path.

But the couple, who have lived in America, Japan, India and China, say Singapore is where they have felt safest so far. "Even if this is the most dangerous place in Singapore, it's still a safe place to us," said Mrs Johnson.

Guns were a concern in America, she said, and crime more blatant and widespread outside Singapore. Here, the couple, who both work in finance, have seen police raids that sent crowds of women running past their home in high heels.

"The criminal activities here don't touch us. We see police around and we know they're keeping control. We would never live in a place where we feel in danger," said Mrs Johnson.

They were drawn to Geylang's "culture, colour and chaos", she added, and moved there despite concerns expressed by Singaporean friends. "They'd say, do you know about the neighbourhood? What real estate agent dropped you there?" recalled Mrs Johnson, whose 19-year-old son, their only child, is studying overseas.

"They have this stereotype of the neighbourhood. But there's so much more to Geylang. Good food, lovely people. And it makes good dinner conversation."


Beware growing 'parentocracy': NIE don

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He warns of students who get ahead thanks to parents with more resources, not merit
By Andrea Ong, The Sunday Times, 30 Mar 2014

Parents will play an increasingly vital role as the education system becomes more complex, but a side effect is that their varied backgrounds and means may widen social inequality, a National Institute of Education don said yesterday.

"It seems to me that instead of having a meritocracy, increasingly what we have in Singapore is a parentocracy," Associate Professor Jason Tan said at an Association of Muslim Professionals (AMP) seminar on education.

He described how recent government attempts to recognise more non-academic achievements are viewed by some parents as yet more hoops for their children to jump through.

For instance, the Direct School Admissions scheme was introduced a decade ago to give primary school pupils talented in fields such as arts and sports early placement in a secondary school.

But some tuition agencies now provide coaching on how to prepare portfolios and write admissions essays for the scheme, Prof Tan pointed out. Parents with more financial means will hence have an advantage.

Youngsters also get an edge when parents can tap a strong social network and devise strategies such as polishing extra-curricular talents and preparing impressive portfolios for their children.

So, instead of merit and a child's hard work, parents and the social capital they command now wield greater influence over their offspring's future, he pointed out.

Addressing a 100-strong audience at AMP's annual Community in Review seminar, Prof Tan also dwelt on this year's theme of enhancing social mobility and exploring new approaches to improve Malay-Muslim students' academic performance.

He argued that the introduction of streaming from 1979 has had "very serious societal consequences" in the long run.

It institutionalised existing inequalities by segregating and producing a generation of students with very different educational outcomes, incomes and social networks, he said.

Now, people of that generation who were in less prestigious streams have become parents themselves, and are less equipped to prepare their children for the challenges of today's education system.

AMP leaders at the event expressed concern that while the community's academic performance has improved over the decades, it still lags behind other ethnic groups'.

Dr Mohamad Shamsuri Juhari, director of the Centre for Research on Islamic and Malay Affairs, AMP's research arm, argued for the need to delve into underlying factors that may be holding students back in school.

For instance, poverty can limit students' opportunities by deflating aspirations.

Dr Shamsuri also drew on research showing that poverty can limit people's "bandwidth", or mental capacity, to make decisions that appear routine to others. Even as the education changes open up more pathways, he asked if lower-income parents have the bandwidth and income to consider such options for their children.

Existing schemes by Malay-Muslim organisations may just attract students who are "already in the safe zone", he said. He proposed a "wrap-around" approach to education, where community partners work closely with the school and parents.

Last year, AMP piloted an after-school care scheme using this approach in a primary school. The school provided free lunches, transport and premises. AMP sponsored tutors who worked closely with teachers and supervised the students after school.

Without having to worry about cost and convenience, parents were willing to sign their children up, said Dr Shamsuri.

The seminar's third speaker, business trainer Zainal Abidin Rahman, emphasised the importance of mindsets and attitudes, such as learning to be more assertive as it is a quality employers value.

AMP chairman Azmoon Ahmad said the group intends to make education a priority this year. Another idea, proposed at AMP's 2012 convention, is a "parent school" where volunteers will reach out to parents and tell them about education options available to their children.


Is Singapore too business friendly for local firms?

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With no entry barriers, S'pore companies face full brunt of global competition
By Han Fook Kwang, The Sunday Times, 30 Mar 2014

Singapore is one of the easiest places in the world to do business.

That's an achievement the country is proud of, and it is a key part of its successful economic strategy.

The more attractive it is for companies to set up shop here, the more economic activity will be generated, with more jobs and income for all.

There couldn't be a more straightforward and uncontroversial approach to growing the economy.

The funny thing is that of late, I have been hearing more Singapore companies complain that Singapore has been so successful doing this, the policy is working against them.

And you thought local enterprises should be the first to champion the business-friendly environment.

What's happening?

Local businessmen complain that because there are virtually no barriers to the entry of foreign companies, Singapore firms face the full force of international competition.

The widespread use of the English language, the rule of law, and the open and transparent system level the playing field for all, with local companies enjoying no advantage over foreign ones.

This is unlike in many countries, especially in Asia, where it is notoriously difficult for foreigners to operate.

Japan was a classic example in the early years of its industrialisation after World War II.

In the car industry, the Japanese market was closed to foreign automakers for a long time through a combination of rules and tariffs, all part of a deliberate government policy to help its own manufacturers secure the domestic market first before going on to conquer the world.

When Japan removed these tariffs later, it perfected the art of imposing non-tariff barriers, putting many administrative roadblocks in the way of these imports.

The market is freer now, partly as a result of the World Trade Organisation rules and pressure from exporting countries, especially the United States, but the long years of protection enabled companies like Toyota and Nissan to build their global reputation.

You could say the policies worked during a critical period in Japan's modernisation, though its present economic problems raise questions about their long-term impact.

China is another example where there have been many complaints about how difficult it is for foreign companies to operate.

There is a well-known dictum: When in China, do as the law says, not as the Chinese do, because there is one set of laws for foreigners and another for locals.

Despite it not being an easy place to do business, China continues to be the largest magnet for foreign investment propelling its economic growth over the last few decades.

In both China and Japan, the language barrier is a major impediment that foreign players need to overcome.

Not so in English-speaking Singapore.

Here, the mantra is a familiar one: Singapore is too small, with no domestic market for its local companies to lean on. They need to compete with the rest of the world, and if they can't, no amount of protection will help them. Better to expose them to the harsh world outside and hope they become stronger as a result.

Singapore Airlines (SIA) is perhaps the best example of this approach. So strongly does the Government believe in this that it has the most liberal open skies policy in the world, attracting the world's best airlines to make Singapore an aviation hub of choice.

It is on record as saying that if being so open results in SIA folding up because it cannot compete, so be it.

Making Singapore an air travel hub with all its attendant economic spin-offs is much more important than keeping its own airline flying, even one as iconic for the country as SIA.

Local businesses say this whiter-than-white policy has resulted in the economy dominated by government-linked companies (GLCs) and foreign companies, both of which have the resources and wherewithal to compete against the best.

The construction industry is a good example, with foreign contractors winning most of the large infrastructure projects such as MRT stations and tunnels.

One local contractor complained that many of these foreign firms - dominated by the Japanese, Koreans and Chinese - bid loss-making prices in a race to the bottom to win these contracts.

There's a name for this - social dumping - coined from the term used when companies price their exports lower than in their own countries or below the cost of production.

In social dumping, cheap foreign labour is usually involved, and it is a hot issue in many European countries facing a large influx of migrant workers.

Another SME boss lamented how, when large Singapore companies including GLCs win projects abroad, they almost never favour local companies to sub-contract the work to.

Instead, the local companies have to compete against the rest of the world, including those where the project is based.

There is no Singapore connection to speak of.

The SME boss related how his own business was struggling until he managed to secure an overseas contract in Indonesia which opened the door to other opportunities.

Often it is this one break that companies seek to help them establish the track record they need to secure future business.

They look to the big Singapore boys to give them that helping hand. But here, open tenders and arm's-length relationships rule.

This is in sharp contrast to, say, the way Japanese companies favour their own sub-contractors with whom they have built a long relationship.

Singapore's approach is tied to its long-held belief in keeping everything above board, with no hint of corrupt practices and dubious guanxi or connections.

The policy has many pluses, and has resulted in the efficient, competitive economy we see today.

But can Singapore have its cake and eat it?

Can it give a leg up to local companies yet make the competition fair and avoid the problems associated with a less than open system?

Can it be more nuanced - smarter even? - and take a leaf from some of its Asian competitors which have succeeded in developing world-beaters?

Or will local enterprises continue to face daunting odds in the most open economy in the world?

These questions deserve some airing as Singapore restructures its economy and takes it to the next level - hopefully with world-class local companies in tow.



The future of jobs - The case of the vanishing mid-level skilled worker

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As automation advances, jobs for middle-skilled workers are disappearing. Insight looks at the issue of job polarisation and what might lie ahead for Singapore's labour force.
By Toh Yong Chuan And Tham Yuen-c, The Straits Times, 29 Mar 2014

FOR five years, Mr Norizal Mohamed Hassan's take-home pay as a marine mechanic for a multinational company stagnated at just below $2,000 a month.

"I was frustrated because I was working hard and have a young child," says Mr Norizal, who has a vocational training certificate from the former Vocational and Industrial Training Board.

In January, the full-time employee decided he had had enough and quit - to become a taxi driver. Yes, to be self-employed, with no medical leave and no Central Provident Fund contributions. But the 37-year-old hopes that if he puts in the long hours, he will earn more monthly than in his old job.

The dad of one's switch from a middle-level skilled job to a service sector one that does not require technical training is part of a phenomenon dubbed job polarisation, say economists.

In it, middle-skilled jobs are disappearing while demand for high- and low-skilled workers grows. This has emerged only over the last few years in Singapore, but is a trend that has become established in many industrialised countries as automation replaces workers.

Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam warned about job polarisation when rounding up this year's Budget debate. Referring to the need to "transform" jobs and develop "obsolescence-proof skills", he declared: "We have to prepare for that new world."

Recent advances in technology are making some workers obsolete, yet boosting the efficiency of others. A gulf is forming in both demand for and the wages of those with the right fit and those whose skills have passed their use-by date.

Of course, ever since the Industrial Revolution, technology has displaced workers. But the same technology has often also created new jobs for which the workers can retrain.

This time around, experts are not sure if this wave of progress will be as creative as it will be disruptive.

With technology cycles getting shorter, it has become harder to predict where the future jobs will be. And it also means preparing for jobs that may not exist now.

Insight looks at what this new world might mean for workers, firms and the Government.

Mid-level workers squeezed

MR NORIZAL'S former job as a marine mechanic falls within a classification known as production craftsmen, and those jobs are shrinking. They fell from 101,500 in 2001 to 90,600 in 2012, even as the labour force grew. It was a similar story with semi-skilled factory workers.

And while the number of clerical workers grew from 231,500 in 2001 to 262,200 in 2012, their proportion of the labour force shrank from 14.6 per cent to 12.8 per cent in the same period.

Workers at the wrong end of this polarisation gap face a double whammy - there are fewer jobs for them, and the declining demand for their skills has contributed to slower wage growth.

The median monthly gross salary of "production craftsmen" and related workers - such as electricians, mechanics and carpenters - grew by 17 per cent from $2,051 in 2001 to $2,400 in 2012, before adjusting for inflation.

This is much slower than the 46 per cent increase for all workers - from $2,387 to $3,480 over the same period.

In contrast, professionals, executives and managers are doing nicely. The median gross monthly pay of managers grew from $5,807 in 2001 to $7,000 in 2012.

And high-level jobs are growing. There are more professionals and managers in the resident labour force, up from about one in four in 2001 to about one in three last year.

So what would you do if you were at the wrong end of this polarisation gap? "People may have to prepare for having two different careers," says National University of Singapore labour economist Shandre Thangavelu. "The ability to acquire a new skill becomes very important, because you have to think about moving people across industries."

One worker displaying such nimbleness is Mr Jonathan Wong. Until last December, he was a production technician for hard disk maker HGST Singapore. That month, he was retrenched when the firm decided to move production to Thailand.

It was the fourth time he had been retrenched in 10 years - so the 35-year-old decided it was time to get out of the manufacturing industry. "I better do it when I am still young," says the diploma holder, who now works as a maintenance technician at a hotel.

Such was the attitude of Mr Low Weng Hoe four years ago when, spurred by the fear of being made irrelevant, he quit his job as a technical support staff member at a bank to get a diploma in physiotherapy. "My industry has a lot of outsourcing and I was worried that if I lose my job in my 40s, I may not be able to get another one," says the 38-year-old.

Member of Parliament Zainudin Nordin says such career or sector switches help minimise the impact of retrenchments when jobs disappear. "But it is easier said than done," adds the chairman of the Parliamentary Committee for Manpower.

The key, he stresses, is to ensure jobs are created in growth areas and that Singaporeans, including those in mid-career, are trained to do them.

To achieve this would require a redefinition of education. Mr Tharman said in his round-up that it involves seeing education as a "continuum", where people learn new skills over the course of their lives, instead of just during the school years.

When technology races ahead, jobs are lost. Education is the way for people to catch up, says Associate Professor Thangavelu, who is also a consultant to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).

An idea gaining credence in Singapore is for schools to prepare students for life, instead of just for jobs.

Education Minister Heng Swee Keat outlined last year, and during his Budget speech, how schools would do this through building character and values. The aim is to help students develop qualities such as grit and resilience, which will see them through the increasingly complex world.

Take Mr Low, who gave up IT for physiotherapy. Going back to school for retraining was tough. "I didn't have a very strong science and biology background, so I had to start from scratch. Academic-wise, it was quite tough," he says.

While experts may not be able to predict with as much accuracy as they can now where future jobs lie, they agree it is those jobs which require the personal touch - like Mr Low's venture into physiotherapy - which will be in demand.

Bosses turn to automation

BOSSES, too, benefit, from workers being open to acquiring new skills. President of the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises Kurt Wee says: "For SMEs to survive, it is quite critical for workers to be multi-disciplinary.

"You still need traditional values like hard work, honesty and reliability, but we need to mix them with skilfulness, creativity and awareness of the current market."

Indeed, for companies, this rapid innovation could not have come at a better time. As globalisation heightens competition, businesses welcome productivity gains from automation.

Ms Angie Tay, vice-chairman of the Contact Centre Association of Singapore, estimates that technology has helped to cut back some telemarketing teams by 10 to 20 per cent.

In an industry where wages are "rather high" - pay starts at $2,200 for newbies - and competition from call centres in India, the Philippines and China is fierce, this has helped companies stay afloat, she says.

Last year, Oxford professors Carl Benedikt Frey and Michael A.Osborne published a landmark study on the likelihood of jobs being computerised, predicting that about 50 per cent of jobs in the United States are at high risk of being replaced by automation over the next two decades.

In Singapore, such findings highlight the need for the economy to remain competitive so that more jobs can be created.

For several years, the Government has been trying to coax firms to boost productivity through automation. The banking and real estate sectors were cited by Mr Tharman as examples where labour can be cut by allowing people to serve themselves through technology. Singapore's challenge, though, is in lifting productivity without shedding jobs, said Mr Tharman.

Singapore Management University economics don Hoon Hian Teck thinks it is possible. He notes that while industries in the future may depend more on machines, workers will still be needed. In fact, they will likely be more highly skilled and paid better. He says: "If there are factories, there will be jobs. Somebody still has to oversee the robots."

The Government acts

SO JUST how bad is the situation in Singapore? After all, the country has managed to keep unemployment low - at below 4 per cent for the past 10 years.

Judging by the tight labour market and low unemployment, it appears that those displaced so far have managed to find jobs.

"Our economy is still creating more jobs than Singaporeans can fill," says the MOM's divisional director of manpower planning and policy, Mr Adrian Chua. "(And) within the next decade, more Singaporeans will retire and leave the labour force than there are young Singaporeans joining it."

But there is the nagging fear that this wave of progress will bring with it greater inequality. While structural unemployment has not set in here, the income gap between the top and bottom has widened.

At 0.412 (after government transfers), Singapore's Gini coefficient - a measure of income inequality that ranges from zero to one, with higher values indicating more inequality - is among the highest in the world for a country.

But so far, the effects of job polarisation have been much less pronounced here compared with the US and Britain.

Economists, such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor David Autor, put this down to the country's good education system, political stability and geographic centrality in Asia.

Prof Autor, a pioneer in the research of job polarisation, said during a talk at the Civil Service College in 2012 that Singapore is in an "enviable" position to deal with the problems of polarisation of jobs and wages.

One way the Government is achieving this is ensuring Singapore attracts industries and companies that can provide jobs.

Advanced manufacturing is one such industry the Economic Development Board (EDB) has identified. Chairman Leo Yip tells Insight: "We aim to have Singapore ready to seize future growth opportunities and anchor our position as the advanced manufacturing hub in Asia."

The EDB is working with research institutes to develop new technologies in the field, and with Singapore-based companies to build a competitive supplier base, he adds.

The Government is also stepping up re-training efforts. MOM's Mr Chua says that the national continuing education and training system is under review to make it more responsive in meeting future training needs.

Experts agree training is the way to go.

UniSIM labour economist Randolph Tan suggests a "formalised structure of apprenticeship training" to channel middle-skilled aspirants to jobs that are in demand.

But Singapore Workforce Development Agency chief executive Ng Cher Pong warns that training takes time: "(We) do need time to build up the emerging skills."

Unionists say workers must also help themselves. "(They) must constantly enhance their skills to enhance their competitive advantage and stay employable," says National Trades Union Congress assistant secretary-general Cham Hui Fong.

While the numbers show that Singapore has not suffered much from job polarisation, experts say the situation has to be continually managed.

MOM's Mr Chua acknowledges: "Globalisation and technology will continue to change Singapore's economic and employment landscape. We will not be immune from these driving forces."

It is still too early to say what the impact of job polarisation will be on Singapore. But there are no less than three government agencies and unions attuned to its issues and risks, which augurs well in mapping out a future in the labour force's "new world".





How safe is your job?
By Toh Yong Chuan, The Straits Times, 29 Mar 2014

FOR clues about what jobs are a safe haven amid automation, consider this: Sure, data-crunching is simple for a computer. But would you get a machine to file your nails and paint them?

The task may not require complicated training, yet it is not something machines can do. The personal touch is needed, plus a flair for design and fashion.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology economist David Autor, during a talk at the Civil Service College, explained the marketplace of the new world by dividing jobs into three categories - those with manual, routine and abstract content.

Jobs that involve routine, repetitive tasks, which machines can be programmed to do, are the most vulnerable. Think factory workers being phased out in favour of robots.With the rise in processing power, even tasks such as accounting and visual analysis of health scans and security footage are being computerised.

The proliferation of general-purpose technology also makes self-service an option. Ticketing agents and cashiers, for example, are replaced by websites and supermarket self-checkout counters.

But it is not all gloom. Occupations requiring more manual and abstract input are set to grow. These require personal interaction, perception and creativity, and social skills. They range from dog-walkers and gardeners to teachers and CEOs.

An Oxford University study on jobs in the United States worked out the probability of computerisation for 702 occupations, indicating how likely these jobs would be lost to automation within the next 20 years. The authors ranked the jobs based on how easy it would be for a computer programmer to break them down and specify them, with a probability of 1 meaning certain computerisation.





Longer hours now, but higher pay
By Toh Yong Chuan, The Straits Times, 29 Mar 2014

MR NORIZAL Mohamed Hassan may be part of a trend of mid-level workers with skill sets moving to the service sector, but he is unfazed.

He used to repair ship engines for a living, but now he plies the roads as a cab driver.

But Mr Norizal does not see his career switch as a downgrade, moving from a skilled job to taxi driving where all that is needed is to attend a two-week course and pass a test.

"It is a respectable job," he says, adding: "And I am working to provide for my family."

He drives about 14 hours a day, earning more than $100 each day after covering the daily rental for the taxi and fuel.

The income is more than in his old job and allows him to save up for his three-year-old daughter's education and support his wife who works as a secretary.

He used to take home less than $2,000 each month, after five years in the marine sector.

Now, "I work longer hours, but my income is higher", says the 37-year-old.

He admits that his career options are limited because he only has a vocational certificate from the former Vocational and Industrial Training Board.

But who can argue with this rationale for being a cabby: "I won't be out of a job as long as people take taxis and I continue to work hard."





In search of long-term security
By Tham Yuen-c, The Straits Times, 29 Mar 2014

FROM being a technical support engineer to being a physiotherapist, Mr Low Weng Hoe, 38, made a big career move.

Though both jobs involve fixing things - troubleshooting computer bugs before, and helping to address his patients' physical problems now - they couldn't be more different in nature. While the first paid him well enough - his last drawn pay was about $3,000 a month - it lacked the fulfilment he sought. It also did not provide certainty, he says.

After 10 years in the industry, he was all too aware of how easily jobs like his could be outsourced to a cheaper country. The prospect of losing his job in mid-life, combined with his soft spot for old folk, pushed him to seek out a career in the health-care sector. So in 2010, he got an award from the Singapore Workforce Development Agency to go back to school and took a 20 per cent pay cut to become a physiotherapist.

His current job at Alexandra Hospital is precisely the type that experts think will be in demand with the health-care industry booming. It requires human interaction and a good degree of interpersonal skills, and is automation-proof for now. Says Mr Low: "I'm not just looking at helping people walk if they cannot walk. I also need to coax them to do the exercises and chat with them to cheer them up," he says. "With computers, it's either the thing works or it doesn't work - with human beings, I need care about their well-being."






POLARISATION AT WORK

From 2001 to 2012, the proportion of managers and professionals in Singapore’s labour force rose, reflecting an increase in high-end jobs.

Over the same period, the proportion of workers in middle-level jobs such as clerks and production craftsmen fell. The sharpest dive was in the proportion of machine operators working in factories – tumbling from 11.2 per cent in 2001 to 7.2 per cent in 2012. This corresponds with the shrinking of the manufacturing sector in Singapore. The proportion of workers in the services sector fluctuated within a band of 11.2 to 14.5 per cent.






IT PAYS TO BE A BOSS

WHILE median monthly gross salaries of all workers rose between 2001 and 2012, the rate of growth varied.

Managers and professionals saw sharp increases.

But the salary increases for workers holding middle-level jobs such as clerks, factory workers and craftsmen were more moderate.

Cleaners and low-wage workers saw their salaries dive. Their median monthly gross pay was $1,282 in 2001. It plummeted to $1,000 in 2012.

In contrast, over that period, the median monthly gross salary of all workers rose from $2,387 to $3,480, including employers’ Central Provident Fund contributions.

The figures exclude government aid such as Workfare, introduced in 2006 to supplement the wages of low-income workers. They were also not adjusted for inflation.



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Replaced by robots? The challenges and opportunities of automation for the workforce

Hong Kong to overhaul vocational training

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Move targets shortage in skilled technical staff, stigma towards them
By Li Xueying and Pearl Liu, The Straits times, 31 Mar 2014

WITHIN Hong Kong's dense thicket of skyscrapers and other buildings, there are 60,000 lifts. But the city has just 5,000 mechanics trained to service them, whether for routine maintenance or emergencies when lifts malfunction and people get stuck.

Because few locals want to get their hands greasy, Hong Kong is short of 2,000 lift mechanics, estimates Mr Charles Wong, who is in charge of training them at the Vocational Training Council (VTC).

"The lift companies tell us that there is a shortage," he says. "So while we should be sending two workers for every inspection job, sometimes they send just one."

In Hong Kong, where heavily used lifts range from the ostentatiously zippy - swooshing at up to 12m per second in steel-clad skyscrapers - to the judderingly cranky ones in old tenements with average speeds of 1.5m per second, the shortage of lift mechanics is clearly dire.

But it is not the only area in which the city is short of workers, as a result of an entrenched stigma attached to skilled technical work. Others range from construction workers and electricians to aircraft and IT technicians.

To try to lick the problem, Hong Kong is introducing a new pilot scheme called "Earn and Learn" that combines vocational schooling and paid on-the-job training along the lines of Germany's famed apprenticeships.

VTC chairman Clement Chen tells The Straits Times it is part of a larger plan to overhaul vocation education in a city that traditionally places great store by "face", or prestige.

Chief executive Leung Chun Ying said during his annual policy address in January that "the government should re-establish the positioning of vocational education in our education system and guide the younger generation in choosing their career".

It is an urgent issue. Hong Kong faces a labour crunch, with the number of jobs in the private sector waiting to be filled jumping 11 per cent to 72,380 last December, from the previous year. Of these, many vacancies are in industries from construction to catering.

While the government is mulling over making it easier to import labour, it is politically contentious. In fact, there is a ready pool of workers at home. While unemployment in Hong Kong is a low 3.1 per cent, it suffers from an unusually high jobless rate among its young - 11.5 per cent for those aged between 15 and 19.

But the mismatch comes from a a deep-seated prejudice - as in many Asian societies - towards hands-on, albeit skilled, jobs, observes Mr Chen. This, in turn, is reflected in the resources for vocational education.

Despite encompassing 13 institutes with some 250,000 students - VTC takes on the combined role of Singapore's polytechnics and the Institute of Technical Education - its budget from the government is just one-third that given to Hong Kong's eight public universities with 76,000 undergraduates.

"We need to put a lot more emphasis on vocational education, and elevate the status of a vocational profession so that people will look at a chef or a designer no differently from lawyers and accountants," declares Mr Chen.

The new apprenticeship programme will, he hopes, go some way in helping to achieve that.

While the VTC has an existing trainee scheme, it is less structured, without government subsidies or guaranteed salaries upon graduation.

The new programme, adapted from the German and Swiss experience, begins with a one-year foundation course, then three years of work training.

The apprentice receives a HK$30,800 (S$5,000) stipend from the employer and then a monthly HK$8,000 salary plus HK$2,000 from the government. Upon graduation, he is guaranteed a job, with a guaranteed salary of no less than HK$10,500.

This will hopefully provide an incentive for young Hong Kongers - often in a rush to start work as, say, a phone salesman, so to earn an income - to spend the time learning a craft instead, says Mr Chen.

Beyond that, the companies need to draw up structured career paths for the apprentice, who must be promoted to certain levels within a time frame. They can also opt for further studies. The idea: These are not dead-end jobs.

"In Germany for instance, high-school students often choose vocational education as a prelude to entering universities," he notes.

The programme will start small with HK$140 million for 2,000 apprentices. Already, an industry cluster representing 130 companies in electrical and mechanical services like lift and air-conditioner repair has signed up. Other industries which the VTC is lining up include printing, aircraft and car repair, retail and eldercare. The new scheme begins in the school year starting in September.

On how big it will grow, Mr Chen says the VTC - while promised funding for just 2,000 spots so far - "has been assured by the government that if we make it successful, there will be more money". "The goal is to satisfy the needs of the sectors until the industry says enough," he says.

Companies such as the Express Lift Company, whose clients include Citygate mall, say the key problem is that very few youngsters enter the industry. "We are not familiar with the new scheme but we hope it can bring in new blood," says a spokesman.

The ebullience aside, Mr Chen knows it can be an uphill task. Students may drop out from a vocational scheme that lasts as long as an undergraduate programme - and his personal take is that it should be shortened to 2.5 years.

More also needs to be done to overhaul VTC campuses, though he notes ruefully the competition for limited land in Hong Kong.

Ultimately, to fundamentally change how a society views skilled manual work takes more than a training scheme, he admits. "Status and prospects are the bigger issues. So we need to tell our students, you are not bound to be just a car mechanic - you can be your own boss in future."




CHANGING MINDSETS

We need to put a lot more emphasis on vocational education, and elevate the status of a vocational profession so that people will look at a chef or a designer no differently from lawyers and accountants.

- Vocational Training Council chairman Clement Chen, who hopes its new apprenticeship programme will go some way in helping to achieve that





Hands-on approach to realising their dreams
By Pearl Liu, The Straits times, 31 Mar 2014

THE kitchen is hot, the oil is splattering and, outside, hungry customers wait.

This is no ordinary kitchen in a restaurant though.

Instead, it is a training kitchen in Hong Kong's Vocational Training Council campus in Pok Fu Lam where young students - their faces glistening with perspiration - are wielding heavy woks, preparing Cantonese classics such as fried prawn balls with snap peas.

One of them, Mr Daniel Chan, 21, son of a washer- woman and a security guard, dreams of opening his own Chinese restaurant one day in Vancouver.

On another floor in the building, 16-year-old Wong Sheung Man demonstrates how he would repair an escalator if a child's rubber sandal were caught at its sides.

As a VTC trainee, the teen is already helping to maintain five to six escalators in shopping malls and residential buildings in Tsing Yi, while also attending classes at the VTC. His short-term goal is to work at the Hong Kong airport.

He started the programme a year ago. "I was not good at studying subjects like Chinese, English and maths, and every time I read a textbook, I get a headache," he says. "I did not know what I could do and my parents were very worried."

Now, he takes pride in servicing escalators that run smoothly, seeing his work experience as a stepping stone to his dream of becoming a lift engineer.

Yet, both trainees say they have had to grapple with comments from relatives and neighbours who thought that they were doing "dirty and low-class work".

"My neighbour asked me what I was doing and was shocked," recounts Mr Chan. "He asked me to join him in becoming a gym trainer instead.

"But I have my dream. I love cooking and I want to be a good cook."


Past key to understanding China's territorial claims

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By Lee Kuan Yew, Published The Straits Times, 29 Mar 2014

A RISING China is seeking to assert its sea boundary claims. It is naive to believe that a strong China will accept the conventional definition of what parts of the sea around it are under its jurisdiction.

This should come as no surprise, but it has been uncomfortable for some of China's neighbours and other stakeholders, including the US.

China, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam are engaged in long-standing territorial and maritime disputes in the South China Sea.

The Philippines, under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos), has initiated international arbitration. The arbitral tribunal is proceeding, even though China has decided not to participate in the hearings.

If a negotiated agreement cannot be reached, the ideal solution would be to resolve the dispute based on international law and legal principles, including Unclos, that have been established in many other such cases.

Can this be done through a juridical platform such as the International Court of Justice (ICJ)?

Keep in mind that major powers, including China and the US, do not generally submit to the jurisdiction of the ICJ or other such forums. A resurgent China is not going to allow its sea boundaries to once again be decided by external parties.

Therefore, I do not believe the Chinese will submit their claims, which are based primarily on China's historical presence in these waters, to be decided by rules that were defined at a time when China was weak.

And China has judged that the United States will not risk its present good relations with China over a dispute between the Philippines and China.

Why this sudden interest in some outcroppings in the South China Sea? What gas or oil can be drilled or fish caught around these rocks?

Much more is at stake than rocks and resources.

China sees the South China Sea as one of its key interests. A rising China is asserting its position by claiming historical rights to these waters. And the disputes, which arise from claims based on different principles, are unlikely to be resolved.

One-third of the world's trade passes through the South China Sea, a vital sea line of communications. Many other countries also have important interests there. These include the freedom of navigation and overflight, as well as the peaceful management of disputes.

Quite apart from preventing mishaps and incidents, a framework to manage the different interests should be established.

Looking to the past

CHINA'S reliance on historical claims necessitates considering what its fleets did in the past, way before Christopher Columbus landed in the Americas and Vasco da Gama arrived in India.

More than six centuries ago, Emperor Zhu Di of the Ming Dynasty sent out a large fleet of trading ships to explore and trade with the rest of the world. His choice to command the expedition was Grand Eunuch Zheng He (1371-1433).

Zheng He was born and raised a Muslim in what is now Kunming city in Yunnan province.

He was captured by Ming Dynasty forces around 1381 and taken to Nanjing, where he was castrated and subsequently sent to serve in the palace of Zhu Di, then the Prince of Yan and later Yongle Emperor.

Over the course of nearly three decades (1405-33), Zheng He led seven westward expeditions, which were unprecedented in size and range. They spanned the South China Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf, and reached as far as the east coast of Africa.

The ships used for these expeditions - more than 120m in length, based on archaeological evidence - were many times the size of those Columbus used to sail across the Atlantic.

These expeditions amply demonstrated the power and wealth of the Ming Dynasty.

More important, they left a lasting impact on the countries visited: Numerous mosques in the region are named after Zheng He, commemorating his contributions to the local communities.

If historical claims can define jurisdiction over waters and oceans, the Chinese can point to the fact that 600 years ago, they sailed these waters unchallenged.


The writer is the former prime minister of Singapore. This commentary was sourced from the upcoming April issue of Forbes Asia.

More social initiatives when Parliament reopens in May: PM

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By Zuraidah Ibrahim, The Straits Times, 31 Mar 2014

IN THE wake of the well-received Pioneer Generation Package, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has promised "a few more pieces" of social policy to be announced after Parliament reopens in May.

Parliament will be prorogued after its April 14 sitting and reconvene in May, when the President's speech will set out the Government's programme for the rest of its term, Mr Lee told reporters last Saturday at the end of his week-long European visit.



"But the broad scope of it, I have already sketched out at last year's (National Day) Rally, which is our rebalancing towards stronger social safety nets, towards making sure the paths upwards are open towards helping everyone to level up and improve their quality of life as well as standard of living in Singapore," he said.

"How do we make that into programmes? We have started, we have already got MediShield Life, we have got a Pioneer Generation Package. I think these are two major components, and there will be a few more pieces to come."

He described the policy reforms as having to achieve a "dynamic balance" between free market economics and social security. Shifts would have to be done step by step, "in order to strengthen the social safety nets while doing our best to maintain that sense of initiative and personal responsibility and family responsibility".

The theme of balance also featured prominently during his acceptance speech for a Freedom of the City award in London on Thursday. He noted that while Singapore strives to be a global city like London, its small size with no hinterland means it has to strike the right balance between cosmopolitan openness and national identity, and between free market competition and social solidarity.

On the pioneer package, which gives health benefits to those who are 65 or older this year and became citizens before 1987, he told reporters: "I think it has gone down very well."

Beyond the dollars and cents - which he acknowledged not every senior citizen may find crucial - the package made the pioneer generation feel "special in our society". "I think that makes a very big difference," he said.

Mr Lee noted that when he held a pioneers' tribute event at the Istana last month, he could not invite all 450,000 of them. There will be other tribute events, he said, such as at the constituency level, and by the Singapore Armed Forces and others.

He said that at the Istana event, he had mentioned the Singapore vigilante corps, but should have also paid tribute to the People's Defence Forces 1 and 2. "These were the first battalions of volunteers who came, put on uniforms, drilled with whatever weapons they had then, marched with pride on the first National Day," he said.

They included ministers and MPs such as Mr Othman Wok and the late Mr Fong Sip Chee. "I think for all these people, that was a very special moment in their lives," he said.

Mr Lee spent last week in Europe, as part of the Government's continuing effort to create more economic and political space for Singapore. He started in the Netherlands for the third Nuclear Security Summit before a stop in Luxembourg, and then a packed three-day visit to London.

He said he was more active on Facebook on this trip, to help followers understand its objectives. "In Singapore, we are usually caught up with domestic issues, in some sense, I think we somewhat neglect to notice external trends and global developments."


500 women 'befrienders' to be deployed to heartland

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Grassroots leaders will reach out to residents, explain Govt help schemes
By Carolyn Khew, The Straits Times, 31 Mar 2014

ABOUT 500 women grassroots leaders will fan out across the heartland from May to reach out to residents who may not know about government help schemes.

The women will be trained to explain policies such as the recent Pioneer Generation package under an initiative launched yesterday by the People's Association Women's Integration Network Council.


The aim is to have at least 1,000 members of the PA's Women Executive Committee (WEC) become befrienders, said Dr Amy Khor, who is the council's adviser.

This is about half of about 2,400 members from 105 such committees across the island.

Dr Khor, who is also the MP for Hong Kah North and chairman of feedback unit REACH, said the programme is "timely" as a REACH poll last year had showed that the elderly and low-income earners were less likely to be aware of government policies and schemes.

She said: "The WEC befrienders will not only explain major government schemes to residents but also provide a social support network by befriending them, especially the elderly, and sharing useful information that can benefit them."

About 400 WEC members hail from the pioneer generation. Last year, WEC members formed 500 interest groups.

Launching the befriender programme at Orchid Country Club last night, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam said it was an "excellent initiative". WEC members are "well-placed to do this on the ground as they are often in touch with residents", he added.

The launch was held in conjunction with the annual Win Awards Dinner, where the PA women committees were awarded for their contributions towards efforts to help women in the community.

Private education institution director Joanna Portilla, 42, who has signed up to become a befriender, said the women were in a good position to reach out to residents. "Some of them could be unsure or unfamilar with the policies but if we tell them about it, they can in turn share it with neighbours and friends," she said.


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