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Public must accept rise in hawker food prices

August 15, 2014, 10:54 pm
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By Elizabeth Bennett, Published The Straits Times, 15 Aug 2014

FROM 2009 to 2010, I studied hawker centres in Singapore while on a Fulbright Fellowship. Before I even arrived, I came across articles suggesting that first-generation hawkers were dying or retiring, but their children were not taking over. These articles focused on the loss of certain foods and did not consider the potential effect on hawker centres. During my research, I concluded that hawker centres were endangered, though everyone I spoke with believed they would always exist.

Since 2010, there have been positive signs: The Government has improved stall rental policies, developed a training programme with master chefs and is building the first new hawker centres since 1986.

While these actions will help, I do not believe they are enough. Even the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan has admitted that while it is easy to build new hawker centres, the "key challenge is to find enough Singaporeans willing to enter this profession, which is a difficult, challenging one".

For my research, I interviewed about 100 hawkers at 26 different centres across Singapore. The average age of my interviewees was 50, with a range from 33 to 82.

I quickly stopped asking about profits because no one wanted to discuss them. A newspaper article earlier this year ("Hawkers unsure of not-for-profit model"; Jan 13) referred to a man who made only slightly more than $10,000 last year. Based on my research, I suspect such low levels of profit are relatively common.

Part of the problem is that hawker food is too cheap. While there has been dismay over price increases, in reality they have not increased significantly in recent years. An article last year ("Serving up a good deal for hawkers"; May 30, 2013) noted that overall, the price of chicken rice has increased a mere 50 cents since 1993.

In 20 years, the cost of everything else has risen - fuel, raw ingredients, utilities and so on. It is impossible for hawkers to make decent profit margins if public opinion does not allow them to raise their prices to keep pace.

Beyond this financial reality, the reasons people become hawkers are also posing additional challenges for the long-term outlook of hawker centres. The overwhelming majority (69 per cent) of those I interviewed had entered the trade because of family. Only 6 per cent quoted a passion for cooking as their motivation.

There was a notable level of dissatisfaction among hawkers, mainly among those who had switched from other careers. I spoke to a 37-year-old engineer who had taken over his father's stall against his father's wishes. When I asked the son what he liked best, he responded: "Actually, I don't like anything." He cited the long hours and resulting loss of a social life as the most difficult aspect.

This dissatisfaction is understandable, given that 70 per cent of the hawkers I interviewed worked at least 12 hours per day and 38 per cent of those worked at least 14 hours per day. No one I interviewed worked fewer than nine hours per day.

In addition to the long hours and low profit margins, being a hawker involves physically exhausting work in a hot environment. Consequently, it is not seen as a career path for those with higher levels of education. Many of my interviewees did not know what would happen to their stalls in the future, but 32 per cent told me their children would not take over, pointing out that they were better-educated and could therefore get better jobs.

If the main reason people become hawkers is to help their families, and that trend is declining as education and corresponding opportunities for better jobs are increasing, where will the next generation of hawkers come from?

I'm just an ang moh (Caucasian foreigner) and I can't claim to know what's best for Singapore. But I do know that more action is needed to save hawker centres. And it's not the Government's responsibility to try to save them - it's everyone's.

First, the public should accept moderate price increases so that hawkers can make decent profits and have a higher quality of life.

If this would make food too expensive for low-income citizens, perhaps the Government could offer them subsidised food cards.

Similarly, perhaps the Government could consider offering all hawkers subsidised rental rates. This could make entering the profession more appealing by increasing the potential for profits and the ability to achieve a work-life balance.

Others have suggested that raising the profile of hawkers might encourage people to enter the profession. The government could apply for hawker centre culture to be added to Unesco's Intangible Cultural Heritage List. If successful, this designation would significantly raise the profile of hawkers and hawker centres both abroad and at home. Recent television shows such as Wok Stars, in which celebrity chefs Alvin Leung and Willin Low whip into shape a handful of hawker-wannabes, have already attempted to glamorise the hawker profession. However, I would encourage the organisers to offer a prize of free rent at an actual hawker centre, rather than a private food court.

If all else fails, serious consideration should be given to allowing foreigners to become hawkers, provided they have completed the training programme. While there is an inherent irony in turning over a cultural institution to foreigners, cooking skills and recipes can be taught. Besides, foreigners already cook in private food centres and coffee shops.

Ultimately, whatever path is chosen, hawkers and hawker centres are endangered and should be treated with the respect and acclaim accorded to any other cultural treasure.

The writer holds a BA in History from Cornell University and an MA in the Anthropology of Food from the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies. She currently works for a non-profit in Washington, DC, that helps restaurants address nutrition and sustainability.


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Salary hikes for 5,000 lower-wage healthcare support staff

August 16, 2014, 9:11 am
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Increase follows move by NTUC to train all support staff in the sector
By Amelia Tan, The Straits Times, 16 Aug 2014

FOR the past decade or so, Madam V. Inthira's monthly pay as a service executive at the National University Hospital (NUH) had stayed at around $2,000.

But in the past two years, the 47-year-old's salary has jumped to more than $2,500 a month after she was trained as a supervisor under a labour movement programme aimed at raising the pay of low-wage health-care workers.

In fact, the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) progressive wage model for the public health-care sector - which was launched two years ago - has been so successful that by the end of this year, all 5,000 low-wage health-care support workers in the sector would have seen a 15 per cent pay rise.

This surpasses its target of raising salaries of about 2,000 low-wage staff in public hospitals, polyclinics and national health centres. These are people who work as health attendants and assistants in hospital wards or as patient service associates doing customer service. They typically earn less than $1,700 a month.

The programme hit the 2,500 mark last year, and this year, the union has covered all the workers in the industry, said NTUC assistant secretary-general Patrick Tay.

With the 15 per cent pay hike, a junior patient service associate will earn between $1,265 and $1,725 now, up from $1,100 to $1,500 two years ago.

The pay hike comes after the workers were put through training to do their jobs better.

Mr Tay said yesterday at a National Day observance ceremony at NUH that he is happy the labour movement has achieved its target.

NTUC will now look to expand the programme to other health-care institutions such as nursing homes, he added.

"We are now looking at raising wages at places such as nursing homes and community hospitals, which are increasingly important as Singapore ages," said Mr Tay.

He added that in the past two years, the labour movement has helped about 3,000 mid-career, back-to-work mothers and young professionals find jobs in public health-care institutions.

Workers who have received salary raises said they are more motivated. Madam Inthira said: "I manage a team of eight and have taken on more responsibilities like training. I feel that I have a brighter future."

Her colleague June Chua, 27, who is a senior service team leader, agreed. She plans to apply for a scholarship from the hospital to study for a degree in business management.

"My goal is to become a manager in the future and inspire other patient service associates," she said.


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National Youth Internship Programme: New opportunity for teenagers to give back to society

August 16, 2014, 8:23 pm
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They can take up internships with VWOs under national programme
By Amelia Teng, The Straits Times, 16 Aug 2014

TEENAGERS will soon have a new avenue to help them serve the community, even after they leave secondary school.

The new National Youth Internship Programme will give teens the opportunity to take up internships with groups like voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs) and those in the youth sector.

The stints - which could involve helping the needy, people with special needs or younger students - will last two to six months, with interns receiving a monthly stipend of up to $480.

The scheme is targeted at those 17 and over who are waiting to join junior colleges, polytechnics, the Institute of Technical Education and universities.

Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Lawrence Wong announced the new initiative at a camp for students from uniformed groups yesterday.

The programme will begin with a pilot intake of 60 members this year from uniformed groups such as the National Police Cadet Corps and Singapore Scouts Association.

Mr Wong said they were chosen as they have "a very strong ethos of service learning", plus the capabilities and resources to develop fulfilling programmes for young people.

The first batch will go through an induction programme at Outward Bound Singapore before starting their internships from January next year.

Yesterday, Mr Wong told 600 secondary school students attending the camp at the Home Team Academy in Choa Chu Kang: "When you serve, your life will be richer, your community will be happier and our nation will be stronger."

The new initiative by the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth and the National Youth Council (NYC) aims to provide ways for young people to give back to society and hone their leadership skills outside of school.

It comes on top of the existing Youth Corps Singapore run by the NYC for those aged 15 to 35.

This programme, which involves a year-long commitment to local and overseas volunteering stints, had a first intake of 90 who started their training in June.

"In between the schools and the Youth Corps, we think there's a bit of a gap," said Mr Wong.

"They want to do more to serve, and they'll like to find some programmes and pathways to do it in a meaningful way."

Secondary 3 student and scout Lee Kee Hon is interested in signing up for the internship.

He said: "It would be a good chance to share my knowledge and skills with younger students.

"Contributing to the community is also important, so having such a programme motivates me to be involved.

"Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to find time."


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New maps, old compass

August 16, 2014, 8:24 pm
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Born amid hostility, Singapore benefited from an external environment that turned benign. Today, many Singaporeans have a reduced sense of external threat. But it bears repeating that a benign world can turn nasty in a flash.
By Barry Desker, Published The Straits Times, 16 Aug 2014

AS SINGAPORE heads towards its 50th year of independence, we will witness events celebrating challenges overcome, ambitions surpassed and opportunities seized. We must also recognise that we have been fortunate.

After all, it was not just good domestic governance that enabled Singapore to prosper. Even as we celebrate the present, we should also remember that success has bred new challenges.

In August 1965, as I was completing my A levels, press reports and news broadcasts did not inspire confidence in the future of the country. Friends who had left school after their O levels were still jobless. Unemployment was at 12.3 per cent. President Sukarno's ban on Indonesian trade with Singapore hit our entrepot economy hard. The trauma of race riots in 1964 and the sharp ideological conflicts of the 1950s and 1960s shaped the memories of many who lived through that period. Pessimists were migrating as Singapore's future seemed bleak and uncertain.

Readers of The Straits Times in 1965 would have been struck by the dismal regional outlook. Harsh rhetoric was exchanged between Malaysian and Singapore leaders. Front page reports highlighted the worsening conflict in Vietnam, with growing instability in the countryside, mounting pressure from the Viet Cong insurgent movement, spillover effects in Laos and Cambodia and sharp increases in the deployment of American troops.

There was also good coverage of the bloodletting in Indonesia following the Oct 1 attempted coup involving the Indonesian Communist Party and factions in the Indonesian military. Considerable attention was given to the communist insurgencies in Malaysia, Thailand and Burma. Southeast Asia seemed to be a hotbed of conflict, riot and revolution.

In retrospect, the government in Singapore did remarkably well in responding to post-independence challenges. The Housing Board's (HDB's) public housing programme and home ownership policies transformed a restless population into conservative homeowners.

The provision of education to the generation born in the 1960s equipped Singaporeans for a world which increasingly used English and required familiarity with science and mathematics.

A Singapore identity was fostered, even as ethnic and cultural differences continued to be celebrated. The build-up of defence capabilities strengthened confidence in Singapore's future, while the introduction of national service created bonds of friendship resulting from a shared experience.

These domestic trends were underpinned by an economic strategy aimed at opening Singapore to the global economy and welcoming transnational corporations at a time when protectionist economic policies and import substitution were in vogue among policymakers in the developing world. Like other newly industrialising economies in East Asia, Singapore benefited from the openness of the American economy and the phenomenal rise in electronics exports. Over the years, growing self-confidence resulted in the shedding of the acute sense of vulnerability which many in Singapore felt in 1965.

Regional order

BUT Singapore was also fortunate that there was a sharp improvement in the regional security environment. Under president Suharto, Indonesia moved decisively in favour of foreign investment, strengthening links with the West while emphasising domestic stability and good neighbour policies. Indonesia's low-key leadership of Asean in its early years provided space for the growth of mutual confidence.

Indonesia's Confrontation policies under Sukarno bred suspicion and fear, which had to be overcome. Over time, Singapore's leaders recognised that Suharto could be trusted.

In the 1980s, China under Deng Xiaoping's leadership opened its economy. Thirty years later, the country became the world's second largest economy and Singapore's leading trading partner.

Deng's decision to turn away from supporting communist insurgent movements in the region, together with the collapse of the Soviet Union, resulted in the demise of the region's communist insurgencies.

While Vietnam's invasion in December 1978 and the occupation of Cambodia through the 1980s had been a source of worry, Asean's firm response resulted in the new regional institution developing credibility.

With the end of the Cold War in 1991, and the discrediting of autarkic economic policies, states in the region adopted policies welcoming foreign investment and reducing barriers to trade. Such openness helped produce a V-shaped recovery from the Asian financial crisis of 1997-98.

Singapore benefited from a more benign environment at the turn of the century, even as the pronouncements of its leaders instilled among Singaporeans a consciousness that we live in an uncertain world and that national security and personal safety should not be taken for granted.

Relations with Malaysia improved significantly during Prime Minister Najib Razak's tenure. Worries about an unstable Indonesia after the end of the Suharto regime in 1998 have also been replaced by expanding cooperation with a newly democratic Indonesia, which will soon see its fourth president since Suharto, Joko Widodo, and the first leader not from the Suharto era elite.

Reduced sense of threat

HOWEVER, new challenges face Singapore today. A younger generation of Singaporeans has emerged that has had its formative experiences in an era of full employment, an emerging Singapore identity and a reduced sense of external threat.

The sharp increase in Singapore's population through liberal immigration policies and the growing numbers of foreign contract workers over the past two decades has also increased the insecurity of those who are less well-off and especially the new middle class that benefited from Singapore's rapid economic growth since independence.

They feel that their job opportunities have eroded, they are priced out of the property market and they worry that they carry the responsibilities of citizenship while the newer arrivals have benefited from the prosperity and security that they and their families have helped to create.

Perceptions shape reality and cannot be dismissed.

Dealing with such perceptions will be the key challenge of the decade ahead.

But younger Singaporeans must be reminded that while Singapore has been fortunate that the external environment made turns for the better at opportune times in our history, we cannot count on that forever.

Today, tensions over East and South China Sea maritime disputes threaten to turn ugly anytime. A more assertive China is playing hardball with rival South China Sea claimants in our backyard. Singapore is not party to these disputes but cannot avoid being affected, if conflict flares up that threatens regional trade routes.

The danger is that a generation bred in peace and plenty forget that a benign environment can turn difficult in a flash.

A successful response from policy-makers will require a willingness to move beyond repeating the policy formulas that have been successful in the past.

Thinking afresh and discarding sacred cows will be essential. New mental maps are needed to deal with a new world. But old compasses showing the geopolitical lay of the land are still needed.

The writer is dean of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University


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Alex Yam: People stepping forward as they care about S'pore

August 16, 2014, 8:26 pm
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It may be one of the longest continuously ruling political parties in the world but Alex Yam, the head honcho of internal communications for the People's Action Party (PAP), says it can't be stuck in the past, but must evolve. The Chua Chu Kang GRC MP also tells Maryam Mokhtar about how the silent majority is finding its voice and the challenges of that for the PAP today.
The Straits Times, 16 Aug 2014


It's August and we just celebrated National Day. In recent months the online sphere has been pulled in different directions over issues like the National Library Board's (NLB) initial plans to remove and pulp two children's books. What do you make of this?

It's a sign that people are more passionate about our country - regardless of whether you're for or against the Government.

The mere fact that you are willing to step forward to say something shows that people do care for the future of Singapore, just that you may have very different opinions of what that future is.

What you need to do is to find that balance, that sweet spot, so that we don't have two growing groups of people who are on extreme ends.

With the NLB issue, the worry perhaps would be that people are moving to the peripheries.

But again that's a sign that people do care and want their views to be heard. So the Government, community and grassroots need to then make use of this opportunity to reach out to more people and try to find that middle ground.

This is not to say that people should just accept what the Government has decided - that the two of you should stop going to the extreme and just focus on what Big Brother is telling you. But more of, "I'm not asking you to change your point of view. I'm asking you to not take it too far".

My fear is that we've discovered our passion for our country, but we may have also found a road without return that's taking us farther apart.


But what if these voices are just those of the vocal minority?

We've very often spoken about the vocal minority and what we call the silent majority. I'm beginning to see that distinction disappearing.

As voices get a little bit louder, what we used to refer to as the silent majority is also starting to find its voice. You can see it from a number of different areas - in the recent discussions on the Central Provident Fund (CPF), in the NLB issue, between the Wear White group and the Pink Dot.

So more and more people are stepping forward, even when we say silent majority, you're a silent majority only on single issues.

You could be a very vocal minority when someone rubs you the wrong way. In 2011 (at the General Election), we started seeing this dichotomy of silent versus the vocal; majority being understated by minority. But if you look at the NLB issue, the people who are coming out to speak aren't from the same group of people.

We are starting to see a fresh group of voices emerge from what we used to regard as the silent majority. The same people who are vocal about the Bukit Brown Cemetery aren't necessarily the same people who are shouting down the CPF system. So where this silent majority is, actually if you add up all these different interest groups, they could technically all be the vocal majority, just on some very different issues.







How does that change the way the Government reacts?

The engagement that we need to do on the ground isn't so much for the Government or for us as politicians to try to suss out where our chances lie. Should I take this stance because this particular majority seems to be larger? But then this particular group may disagree with another point I hold on another issue.

I think we need to start to be a little bit more objective in our engagement. At the end of the day, aren't we all Singaporeans? Sink or swim, we need to depend on each other. I have my own social values. They may not be the same as yours. But it doesn't mean we can't sit down to have a meal together, doesn't mean we can't have a decent conversation without starting a fight.


Will there be a change in the party's overall approach when deciding which stance to take over various issues?

We are often told that the PAP should represent the silent majority, but having been in the party for the last 11/2 decades, the party's strength isn't in having an entire machinery of people who say yes to everything we say.

Our biggest advantage is actually having had people who are willing to disagree with you but remain committed to a cause.

I don't expect everyone within the party will agree with everything that the Government puts up but despite the disagreement on that, they're willing to make a change and make a stand constructively and remain committed to the cause.

We need more diversity in the party and lots of it, but communication needs to be across the board and everyone needs to have that same message.

Gone are the days where the Government would look at you and say "Yes, this is the way we should go forward". We needed that in the past, if not we wouldn't have survived.

Today the ability to communicate, the ability to get feedback, work on the feedback and give feedback on that feedback becomes very important.

A truly successful party isn't one that is on the left or on the right or sitting on the fence in the centre, a truly successful political party is when its views always occupy the centre (of the political spectrum).


Even if these views are contrary or controversial?

If the country has moved to a stage where on a certain issue the population has moved there, as long as it does not run counter to our core values as a party, I think we must be prepared to take that shift, because even if internally there are people who disagree, we have a broad enough scope to allow for the diversity of views - it's not a party of compunction. So that's perhaps the state of a little of the maturity that we need to move towards at the end of the day.


You took over as executive director of PAP headquarters last year, after the Punggol East by-election defeat. What have you been busy with?

The main role at the HQ is to improve communication within the party as the first priority. We have been beefing up our internal correspondences in terms of getting information out to our own people so we can help make an informed explanation to other Singaporeans.


Would you say there have been improvements since the by-election?

We now have more feet on the ground and better communication out there. There is still a lot more room for improvement - things will take time and what had worked for us in the past may not work as well for us now. As our country progresses and changes along the way, as a political party we can't be stuck in the past, we've got to evolve as well.


You said after that by-election, that it was a reminder that hard work, a common touch and a gentle heart will be needed "more than ever". What has changed in the PAP's approach since then?

By the time we reached the first by-election (Hougang by-election won by the Workers' Party's Png Eng Huat in 2012), the Government was already taking its first steps in trying to evolve that system based on the lessons we learnt from (the General Election in) 2011 - this idea of perceived arrogance and looking a bit too paternalistic on decisions.

Even from the very early days after the discussion on ministerial salaries, you started to see that shift. But to shift takes time and it's even more difficult for a government and for a political party. So the baby steps were perhaps insufficient at that time.


Are they sufficient now?

We've seen those baby steps mature a little bit over the last year with the Pioneer Generation Package, with the softer touch on many issues. Even with MPs on the ground, the mode of communication and engagement with the residents has changed.

The new team that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has brought in has seen some good movement there. I don't think many people expected that they would see reforms of our education system move so quickly or even in sensitive no-go areas like defence.

We have seen the Committee to Strengthen National Service and the changes in the Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT). For it to evolve very dramatically over the last two to three years is a sign that while we've always been taking things seriously, we are taking it even more seriously now and at a faster pace than we did before.

We will probably see a lot more private member Bills coming up as well and getting MPs who are passionate about certain issues to pursue them.


This is your first year you've celebrated National Day as a father. How has that changed your perspectives on life?

During the Punggol East by-election (last year), my wife had a miscarriage, so we lost our first child (they have since gone on to have a son). I think that was an experience that most people can live without.

We now run a support group for parents who have either miscarriages, stillbirths or even some families who in the past had to go for abortion. We found it difficult, but having found a community that was supportive we realised the importance of it, and so that's been quite fulfilling for us.

I now feel a lot more responsible for the actions that we take collectively as a Government because I know that at the end of the day the future of the country is not mine alone any more, I've got a kid who's going to outlive me by a mile and the future is for him and his generation. The decisions become a lot weightier, they're not as simple to make.

But on the other extreme, I find myself a lot more relaxed. In the past, by the time you go home you get tired, you usually don't want to talk any more - just take your shower and makan, but now less so, because I know apart from my wife and my family, there's someone else who I'm going home to, and the reason why I'm working hard now is because he depends on that.


This Sunday is the second time PM Lee is speaking at the ITE College Central for the National Day Rally. What is the significance of this?

I think it is important to look back at what the PM said last year: "I brought the Rally to ITE for a serious purpose - to underscore my longstanding commitment to investing in every person, every Singaporean, to his full potential. And also to signal a change, to emphasise that this is not the usual NDR. Singapore is at a turning point."

He could simply have gone to ITE once and then said move on. But the significance is to me much deeper than that. We are still at ITE because we continue to value every Singaporean's aspirations. But also importantly, the signal of change is not just superficial, change is still happening, we haven't gone round the curve yet and that turning point will still need careful and steady driving.



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Thomson-East Coast Line: New MRT Links in the East

August 16, 2014, 8:26 pm
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$6.8b East Coast line by 2024
9-station extension of Thomson Line will provide access to East Coast Park
By Christopher Tan, The Straits Times, 16 Aug 2014

A NEW addition to Singapore's expanding rail network was announced yesterday - a 13km, nine-station line tracing the east coast shoreline which, for the first time, will allow picnickers to get to East Coast Park by MRT.

Extending from the recently announced Thomson Line - which has now been renamed the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) - it is scheduled to be completed by 2024.

Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew revealed the plans yesterday at the Marina South Pier station - an extension of the North-South Line which will open soon. He said the eastern leg of the TEL is expected to cost $6.8 billion.

Mr Lui said the line will "run almost parallel" to the East-West Line and the future Downtown Line 3, adding: "When completed, rail capacity along the East-West corridor will increase by about 45 per cent."

Travel pattern studies have shown that this corridor accounts for the bulk of morning peak period volume.

First announced by then Communications Minister Yeo Cheow Tong in 2001, the eastern leg of the TEL will go through areas such as Tanjong Rhu, Marine Parade and Siglap. It will serve several residential estates, such as condos in Tanjong Rhu and Bayshore, Housing Board flats in Marine Parade and Bedok South, and low-rise developments in Amber and Tanjong Katong roads.

Schools near the line include St Patrick's, CHIJ Katong, Tao Nan, Victoria School and St Andrew's Autism School. The line will also serve commercial and recreational facilities, such as the Singapore Indoor Stadium and Parkway Parade shopping centre.

Land Transport Authority chief executive Chew Hock Yong said there will be an underground walkway from Parkway Parade to the Marine Parade Community Building two streets away.

Using existing pedestrian underpasses, commuters will be able to get to East Coast Park, which is currently not near any MRT line.

The line will be the first in Singapore to offer underground bicycle parks at stations in Marine Parade, Marine Terrace, Bayshore and Sungei Bedok.

Stations from Tanjong Rhu to Bayshore will be completed by 2023, while Bedok South and Sungei Bedok stations will be ready by 2024 - along with a massive depot to be built next to the existing East-West Line depot in Upper Changi.

The facility will hold 220 trains from the East-West, Downtown and Thomson-East Coast lines, as well as 550 buses.

At its eastern tip, the TEL will have an interchange with Downtown Line 3, which will extend by 2.2km and have a station in Xilin. This extension will be completed by 2024. The TEL may eventually be extended to join Changi Airport's planned Terminal 5.

Tenders are expected to be called next year with construction starting in 2016.

The project will require more than 24,000 sq m of land to be acquired. The Singapore Land Authority said residential and industrial properties account for only about a quarter of that. The rest will be from the Laguna National Golf and Country Club.

Mr Kevin Kwee, the club's executive director, said the groundskeeping building, nursery and service areas will have to be moved.

But overall, the development "should be highly positive" as the club will have access to two MRT stations - Xilin and Sungei Bedok.




TEL will cut travel time for residents in east
New MRT line will shorten commute to areas like Orchard and the CBD
By Priscilla Goy And Lester Hio, The Straits Times, 16 Aug 2014

COMMUTERS living in the east can expect significantly shorter travelling times to the city and north when the new Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) opens in 2024.

A trip from East Coast Park to Orchard should take just 45 minutes, down from the current 75 minutes by bus.

Those commuting from Marine Parade to the central business district (CBD) by bus and train will halve their travel time to 20 minutes.

Ms Hazwani Lee, 29, an accounts executive, who lives in Upper East Coast, said that she will be glad not to have to squeeze with other commuters on the way to work in Raffles Place.

"There's only the East-West line to Raffles Place from the east, and it's always crowded in the morning," she said.

Mountbatten MP Lim Biow Chuan said that the new line is an exciting development for residents in his constituency, including those who own cars.

"There are hardly any buses in these areas and residents have told me that they'd be willing to switch to public transport if MRT stations are built nearby," he said.

Three stations of the TEL - the Tanjong Rhu, Katong Park and Amber stations - are in his constituency. "Even if they have cars, we should promote the use of public transport," he added.

Rail connectivity has been a bugbear of commuters in the area.

Currently, residents have to take a bus to their destination or find their way to an East-West Line station.

"It takes me about 20 minutes to take a bus to Tanah Merah MRT station but in the future I just need five minutes to walk to Bayshore station," said recent university graduate Adam He, 24. He lives across from the new Bayshore station and is starting work near one-north in Buona Vista.

Even some property owners affected by land acquisition welcomed the new line.

St Patrick's School principal Adolphus Tan said the new line would benefit staff and students.

The new Marine Terrace station will be sited in a corner of the school.

But his school will have to give up some of its land - about 411 sq m or the size of two tennis courts - for the new MRT line.

Mr Patrick Mowe, a member of the management committee at Laguna Park condominium in Marine Parade, also welcomed the development despite having to give up 744 sq m of land.

The condominium's main entrance will have to be relocated but no homes will be affected.

"With the convenience of having a station right at our doorstep, I think there'd be hardly any hesitation in giving up that small plot of land," he said.





Affected residents sad but resigned to moving out
By Lester Hio And Priscilla Goy, The Straits Times, 16 Aug 2014

EVERY morning for the last 50 years or so, Mr Sim Chiang Lee has walked down a flight of stairs from his apartment to the ground floor to lift the metal shutters of his provision shop.

The owner of Sin Aik Provision Store along Tanjong Katong Road has affectionately been known by residents in the area as "er ge" or second elder brother in Mandarin.

By February next year, however, the 79-year-old will have to find both a new home and a way to make a living.

His provision shop and apartment sit in a three-storey apartment block that will have to make way for the Amber station of the new Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL).

"Where do you want me to move to? I've been living and working here since 1957," he said.

"Everyone knows me here. I can't bear to just pack up and leave my store and home."

The apartment block, which has a total of nine units, is one of the seven properties that will be fully acquired for the new MRT line, which will open in 2024. A total of over 24,000 sq m will be acquired from 15 properties.

Another resident, who wanted to be known only as Mr Cheng, shared Mr Sim's sentiments. Said the 66-year-old retiree: "I've lived here for over 40 years and watched all my children grow up here."

Six houses along Amber Road will also be fully acquired.

While residents declined to be quoted, the general sentiment was one of resignation, even from those who renovated their homes recently.

One resident, who has been living there for six years, said: "I just can't see myself living anywhere else."

Property owners affected by partial land acquisition, however, were more welcoming of the new MRT line.

Eight plots will be partially acquired, including 17,656 sq m - or about the size of two football fields - from Laguna National Golf & Country Club.

While their golf courses will not be affected, the club will have to move a maintenance shed.

When the line is completed, the club will have two stations nearby - Sungei Bedok of the new TEL line, and Xilin of the new Downtown Line extension.

"The land plot acquired is just 0.01 per cent of our total land area and the upsides outweigh the downsides," said Mr Patrick Bowers, the club's chief executive and managing director.





$6.2b four-in-one depot
By Christopher Tan, The Straits Times, 16 Aug 2014

AN ARTIST'S impression of the "four-in-one" depot to be built next to the Laguna National Golf and Country Club.

It will hold 220 trains from three MRT lines - the East-West, Downtown and Thomson-East Coast - as well as 550 buses.


At 36ha, it is also three times the size of the underground Kim Chuan depot, for trains from the Circle Line.

The LTA pointed out that the new depot - which will have underground, surface and elevated levels - will save 44ha of land that would have been required if separate facilities were to be built.

Part of this space is a plot currently occupied by the East-West Line depot.

The new depot will cost $6.2 billion.




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National Day Rally: A decade of change

August 16, 2014, 8:29 pm
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10 years of bold moves... and babies
From casinos in his first National Day Rally speech to softening 'tough love' economics, PM Lee is willing to embrace new ideas, an Insight analysis finds
By Robin Chan Assistant Political Editor And Lim Yan Liang, The Straits Times, 16 Aug 2014

AUGUST 20, 2004: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, dressed in a maroon shirt and wearing wire-framed glasses, takes to the rostrum in the hallowed halls of a venerable Singapore academic institution.

While observers have expected a cautious first speech, PM Lee surprises in his delivery at the National University of Singapore by broaching controversial topics like casinos, speaking assuredly with the air of a man in charge as he heralds a more open and inclusive Singapore.

"This is not just a change of the PMs. It's a generational change to the post-Independence generation," he says.

Ten years later, and PM Lee has made another bold decision - he will hold the rally for a second consecutive year tomorrow at the Institute of Technical Education.

It is a tertiary institution that has long been seen as the end of the line for less academically capable students. But PM Lee's government wants it to be at the vanguard of a new generation of workers in a restructured Singapore economy that does not just reward academic excellence.

In last year's speech, he declared that Singapore is at a turning point, with a more diverse and vocal populace and contested political landscape, and a maturing economy that must be less reliant on cheap labour as it tries to stay ahead in a fast-growing region.

Singapore needs a new way forward, he said, and the Government will take on more responsibility to strengthen social safety nets, provide affordable health care and housing and more opportunities from birth to death as it steers Singapore into uncharted waters.

From throwing down the gauntlet about casinos to last year's ground-breaking speech, PM Lee's National Day Rally (NDR) speeches have evolved over time, just as Singapore has.

Insight analysed all 10 of his rally speeches and found that from the economy to babies, some subjects and issues have changed, while others have remained the same.

Shift from economy

OVER the last decade, one of the most noticeable changes has been the priority given to the economy in PM Lee's speeches.

Typically, they used to devote a large section to ideas to grow the economy, but since 2012, PM Lee's speeches have touched on economic growth much less.

This is borne out in Insight's analysis of the time he has dedicated to each broad subject over the years.

The length of time he has spent dwelling on the economy, which includes topics like jobs, research and development and productivity ideas, has waned.

From averaging about 10 to 12 per cent of the time of an NDR speech, it fell to just 4 per cent in 2011, then was barely mentioned in 2012 and not mentioned at all last year.

Indeed, it is the first thing many of the MPs and political observers pointed out when asked by Insight what the most significant change has been in PM Lee's NDR speeches.

"In terms of substance, the economy does not dominate the NDR speeches as it did in the 2000s," says Singapore Management University law don and former Nominated MP Eugene Tan.

Institute of Policy Studies senior research fellow Gillian Koh says that the focus has shifted to social programmes.

"The question of economic vibrancy, while fundamental to Singapore's interest, is arguably a second order consideration compared with the primary questions of how Singaporeans' lives can be better and our community life be strengthened," she says.

But Dr Koh argues that it does not mean that PM Lee no longer considers the economy important.

"While PAP leadership has always assumed that people know that Singapore can survive only if we can earn our way in the world, by the late noughties citizens were concerned that prosperity had preceded the other national goals of progress, happiness, justice and equality.

"That's never been the case, but the speeches now take as their starting point the question of what our nation is about and the issue of economic growth then feeds into it."

Indeed, where once how fast the economy grew, and how many new and exciting jobs were being created, would have been top of the agenda, nowadays PM Lee has made a conscious effort in the crafting of his NDR speech to steer away from the emphasis on economic growth.

This has been motivated by concerns over widening income inequality and slowing social mobility, and a yearning for a more inclusive society in recent years.

A look back to his NDR speeches in 2005 and 2006 shows that he kicked off by talking about the economy. Indeed, he said that he had wanted to in his inaugural speech, too, because "that's the root of how we will solve all our other problems".

As the global financial crisis began to unfold in 2007, he continued to lead off with the economy that year (although his focus was income inequality), and, as the world was thrown into a long, arduous recovery, from 2008 to 2011 as well.

There was a marked shift thereafter, though.

A year after the 2011 landmark General Election in which Aljunied GRC was won by the Workers' Party, PM Lee began by asking Singaporeans to look further ahead, with a simple question: "What is the next chapter of this story? Where do we want Singapore to be 20 years from now?"

Last year, after a year of engaging the population in the Our Singapore Conversation exercise, his government was ready to make "strategic shifts" in national policy to spend a lot more on social schemes across housing, health care and social security.

Prof Tan says these shifts reflect "deep social policy restructuring" in Singapore.

"We have become more of a social investment state. There is increasing recognition that social spending for some purposes is not only necessary, but can contribute to both economic growth and social development."

Emotion, urban redesign

PEOPLE who watch the rallies closely point to a prime minister who has become more comfortable and personally engaging on the stage over the years.

Several MPs recall watching tears well up in PM Lee's eyes as he shared personal memories of growing up in Singapore.

Seeing a red-eyed PM Lee recall participating in a rainy National Day parade in 1968 - Singapore's second under wet skies, two years after rain fell during the first official parade - was a poignant moment for Tampines GRC MP Baey Yam Keng.

"The whole flow of it felt like a very personal and sincere account of something that he was sharing with us," he says. "I was watching that on TV. It resonated with me. It signalled that he would approach NDR differently from his predecessors."

Former Nominated MP Zulkifli Baharudin says of another speech in 2009, in which PM Lee spoke emotionally as he warned of potential religious fault lines that could tear the country apart: "That sticks out until today. It's not just him talking through his brain, he's engaging emotionally."

In comparison, the speeches of the PM's father, former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, were "high-octane ideological, political talk", says Mr Zulkifli, as the elder Mr Lee sought to rally people around a certain ideology.

And while PM Lee's predecessor, Mr Goh Chok Tong, spoke of a kinder, gentler society, "the emotion didn't come out as strong", he adds.

PM Lee also left his personal stamp on the NDR with his love for new technology and eye for urban planning.

In 2005, he unveiled never-before-seen plans to remake the Singapore skyline, from renewing HDB estates to rejuvenating Orchard Road, speaking in remarkable detail.

The centrepiece and the one that created the most sparkle in his eye was Marina Bay. He promised gardens in the city centre, an integrated resort and a bustling commercial district all together.

"We are embarking on the journey now. It will take many years to complete but in five to 10 years' time, you can see it taking shape. And the Bayfront will be the signature image of Singapore," he said then.

"And on 9 August 2015, our 50th birthday, it will look like this," he said, revealing a final slide, with fireworks shooting into the sky over the Marina Bay.

And he has delivered. These urban creations have been a hallmark of many of PM Lee's NDRs, from the Punggol waterways to last year's Project Jewel - a design that will link up Terminals 1 to 3 that is expected to leave an iconic imprint on Changi Airport.

As such, Mr Baey says that NDRs under PM Lee have become "more of a spectacle because of the images and technology".

Over the 10 years, PM Lee explored the use of videos and other media to reach out to more Singaporeans, often to showcase the urban developments he has pushed hard for in order to transform Singapore's living environment into that of a vibrant, global city.

From first using Powerpoint slides with pictures, he progressed to videos, and then 3D modelling of future developments like Changi airport.

As Mr Zulkifli puts it: "The first thing I noticed immediately when he took over from Goh Chok Tong was the comprehensive and detailed way he communicated, not just his policies, but what's going to happen in Punggol, the waterways, Marina Bay - it was very detailed.

"It was like a briefing by the chief architect of HDB, but instead it was given by PM."

Foreigners and babies

SEEMINGLY perennial NDR topics are immigrants and babies.

Though the subject matter of each sits at opposite sides of the population spectrum, they are equally important to Singapore's future.

PM Lee's approach to immigration has changed quite drastically.

In the 2006 NDR, he set up a unit to look at attracting talent to Singapore, urging for Singapore to "look for all kinds of talent".

But by 2010, he was assuring Singaporeans that they come first, after concerns that the mass inflow of foreigners across all levels was putting a strain on infrastructure and increasing competition for jobs.

While immigration has in a way, come full circle, what has been consistent, however, is his call for more babies.

In his first NDR, PM Lee brought up the subject as he wrapped up his nearly three-hour-long speech.

He noted that his predecessors waited longer than that before broaching the sensitive topic.

"My people tell me, Mr Lee (Kuan Yew) raised it in his 18th National Day Rally. What about Goh Chok Tong? He waited for his 10th National Day Rally. This is my first one. So, new baby, please be understanding," he said to laughter.

It would be a topic he returned to in a big way in 2008, when he unveiled a raft of measures to encourage baby-making.

That year, he spent a whole 37 minutes - more than on any other topic - talking about babies as he played family planner, armed with slides packed full of graphs and charts explaining Singapore's declining total fertility rate, and the different policies the Government has tried to induce people to procreate.

Like a concerned uncle, he said to those still unmarried: "Young people themselves should take the first step. Don't leave it to too late. Make time, go out, meet new friends, join a dating agency... You may find someone you are attracted to, then you can marry the person you love and then you can love the person you marry."

Technological revolution

ONE topic that has never failed to excite him is the Internet and technology. From often celebrating students' wins in robotics competitions overseas to remarking on Singaporeans' seemingly natural inclination towards IT, PM Lee's views grew over the years to include exhorting the Government to engage citizens more online.

While he vowed in 2006 that Singapore would become a wired - and wireless - city, with schemes to ensure that neither the poor nor the old would be left behind, he also recognised the pitfalls that unfettered communications would wrought and urged Singaporeans to be sceptical online.

"You must learn how to be savvy cyber-citizens. Don't get taken in, be discerning about what you see on the Internet," he said in 2008.

But behind his marvelling of UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) and 3D printers that could print bone tissue was the parable that Singaporeans had to stay on top of technology and how to harness it, or face obsolescence.

The Singapore spirit

BEYOND the frequent mention of hongbao - an Insight word-count found this to be a pet term of his over the years to refer to policy goodies - and the socio-economic shift leftwards, one dominant theme in his speeches was always of self-reliance and personal responsibility.

Whether it was having a social conscience and giving back to society with one's energy, a push for greater service excellence or even simply taking charge of one's own health, he has never failed to encourage the growth of what he calls "heartware" and the Singapore Spirit.

The overarching message was that in place of natural resources, Singapore only has its people and they make or break the island. And also, one must give back to society.

"We may be a small island (but) we cannot be small-minded. We cannot just be a prosperous and successful country," he said in 2011. "We have also got to be a caring, a generous, a decent people."

And it is this same spirit he has sought to imbue in how he conducts his rallies.

From first inviting along ordinary folk, then opposition MPs, and now his Facebook friends and Twitter followers, the man who has transformed Singapore's skyline over 10 years has stayed true to his intention expressed in his very first speech, of trying to draw everyone forward, together.





AUG 22, 2004

FRESH, BOLD IDEAS NEEDED
- Civil service to get a five-day work week
- Speakers' Corner to allow performances and exhibitions, and not just speeches
- Proposed idea of casinos
DID YOU KNOW?

This was PM's first NDR

HE SAID:

"I can't promise air-con coaches to take us to the destination in comfort. But we can provide everyone with good coaching, running shoes, water to drink, and first-aid stations along the way."



AUG 21, 2005

BUILDING A GLOBAL CITY
- Set up a Research, Innovation and Enterprise Council to steer future research and development strategies
- Announced plans to build a new downtown at Marina Bay
DID YOU KNOW?

NDR start time was moved to 6.45pm from 8pm, to give viewers a break in between the Chinese and English speeches

HE SAID:

"We are aiming for a mountain range, not a pinnacle. We want many routes up, many ways to succeed."



AUG 20, 2006

WOOING TALENT, BOOSTING GROWTH
- To encourage more immigration, set up a new Citizenship and Population Unit under the Prime Minister's Office
- Emphasised the need to catch the winds of economic growth
DID YOU KNOW?

In using more videos to accompany his speech, PM Lee showed two video clips produced by students from CHIJ St Joseph's Convent to document social cohesion in Singapore

HE SAID:

"Countries know, people know Singapore. They no longer think that Singapore is somewhere in China."



AUG 19, 2007

TACKLING AGEING AND THE INCOME GAP
- Raised CPF returns by one percentage point and pushed back Minimum Sum drawdown age to 63, while re-employment age was raised to 65
- More housing grants for the poor
- Expand number of universities to four or more
DID YOU KNOW?

Opposition MPs were invited to attend the NDR for the first time

HE SAID:

"The wind is filling our sails, let's catch the wind, set the course ahead and go for it."



AUG 17, 2008

GROWING THE FAMILY
- Announced a raft of measures to promote marriage and parenthood such as more maternity leave for mothers and more subsidies for childcare
- Opened up Speakers' Corner for demonstrations
DID YOU KNOW?

PM interrupted his National Day Rally to update the audience on the results of the women's table-tennis final in the Olympics. Singapore lost 0-3 to the Chinese

HE SAID:

"Please put emphasis on marriage, on family: Make these your priorities, have a full and happy life."



AUG 16, 2009

WATCHING RELIGIOUS FAULT-LINES
- Against a rising global tide of religious fervour, PM Lee devoted a large part of his speech to addressing the issue. He reminded Singaporeans to keep race and religion out of politics, and offered up basic rules to maintain religious harmony
DID YOU KNOW?

For the first time, the NDR was shared on new media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook

HE SAID:

"People may assume that we do not have a problem since we have lived in harmony for so long."



AUG 29, 2010

CITIZENS COME FIRST
- Measures to ensure public housing remains affordable and to cool the red-hot private property market
- Gave a National Service Recognition Award of $9,000 for every national serviceman
DID YOU KNOW?

The National Day Rally was streamed live on smartphones for the first time

HE SAID:

"Now I think we should consolidate, slow down the pace. We can't continue going like this and increasing our population 100,000 to 150,000 a year indefinitely."



AUG 14, 2011

STRENGTHENING SAFETY NETS
- Strengthen social safety nets by making medication more affordable (above) to lower-income, older Singaporeans and providing more school places for children with special education needs
- Income ceiling for HDB flats raised
DID YOU KNOW?

This was the first rally after GE2011 in May, when the PAP lost Aljunied GRC, recording its lowest share of the vote

HE SAID:

"As we keep up our effort to help the poor and make sure that nobody is left behind, we have to be very careful we don't become a welfare state."



AUG 26, 2012

STARTING A NATIONAL CONVERSATION
- Government to hold a national conversation led by Education Minister Heng Swee Keat
- To have six universities offering full-time degree programmes by 2020
DID YOU KNOW?

The rally took on a new format with three ministers speaking before PM Lee did. They were Mr Heng Swee Keat, Mr Lawrence Wong and Madam Halimah Yacob

HE SAID:

"We may be a small island but we cannot be small minded... We must also be a caring, generous and decent people."



AUG 18, 2013

A NEW WAY FORWARD
- Announced sweeping changes to expand social safety nets and make society more equitable
- These included the introduction of the new, universal medical insurance MediShield Life, extending more HDB grants to the middle-income, and replacing the PSLE T-score with grades
DID YOU KNOW?

The NDR was held at ITE College Central campus for the first time, after nine years at the NUS University Cultural Centre

HE SAID:

"I brought the Rally to ITE for a serious purpose - to underscore my longstanding commitment to investing in every person, every Singaporean, to his full potential. And also to signal a change, to emphasise that this is not the usual NDR. Singapore is at a turning point."





The focus this year: CPF and job skills for the young
By Robin Chan, The Straits Times, 16 Aug 2014

AFTER last year's National Day Rally in which Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong mapped out plans for a new way forward for the country, he is expected tomorrow to continue with these social shifts.

The rally will be held for the second straight year at the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) College Central campus, instead of the National University of Singapore, which was the venue in the past - a symbol of Mr Lee's commitment to creating more pathways for all students.

The Prime Minister is expected to share more details on what the Applied Study in Polytechnics and ITE Review (Aspire) committee - headed by Senior Minister of State for Education Indranee Rajah - has in mind for ITE and polytechnic students. The committee's report is due this year.

In his National Day message last week, Mr Lee said that for these students, even after they graduate, the Government wants to help them learn new skills and gain higher qualifications while they work "as the academic route is not the only way up".

The pursuit of academic degrees is a concern for the Government. In Parliament in May, Ms Indranee shared survey findings of the Aspire committee which found that almost six in 10 ITE students and four in 10 polytechnic students want to get their next qualification right after graduating. They fear that if they do not do so straight away, they will lose their chance.

The Aspire committee is also looking at planning work study programmes and internships, so that what is taught in the classrooms matches what is required at the workplace.

This may be similar to the German model of apprenticeships for students to develop deep technical skills rather than just academic ability.

Tampines GRC MP Irene Ng, who is a member of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Education, says Aspire aims "to change the landscape for ITE and poly graduates, and to make their skills a source of pride".

"It is part of (PM Lee's) vision for Singapore to create a more equal society with opportunities for all," she adds.

"In such a society, a university degree is not a must-have to advance in life and do well. This will require quite a cultural shift in a society which has traditionally placed top emphasis on academic qualifications."

Another key theme is likely to be providing assurance to older folk, centred on the Central Provident Fund scheme.

The forced savings scheme has come under scrutiny, with some experts questioning its ability to provide enough funds for retirement, as well as calling for greater flexibility in how these funds can be used.

Ang Mo Kio GRC MP Inderjit Singh says that the scheme has evolved too much from a simple retirement scheme to one "loaded with medical, housing, investment and education", which has resulted in a lack of savings for some groups.

"CPF needs a thorough review and this is also a good time to reassure Singaporeans of the strength of the CPF, since the debate in the last few weeks has led to some confusion among a group of Singaporeans," he says.

And as Singapore looks forward to its 50th year of independence, Mr Lee is likely to continue to honour the pioneers who helped to build modern Singapore, as well as to unveil new urban developments, to show that Singapore will not remain static and that there will be more to look forward to for the young.


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Down Toa Payoh's memory lane

August 17, 2014, 4:28 pm
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Self-guided heritage trail of Singapore's first HDB estate launches today
By Melody Zaccheus, The Sunday Times, 17 Aug 2014

Long-time residents and others with links to Toa Payoh have come forward to share their memories of the estate as part of a heritage trail launched today.

Temple caretaker Ng Giak Hai, 65, who grew up in Toa Payoh, shared a photo of a religious celebration at United Temple from the 1980s.

This photo is now featured on a marker erected outside the Lorong 7 temple, which was completed in 1974 and houses five different temples from the estate's kampung days.

It pioneered the combined temple model which eventually led to the establishment of 68 combined temples from the 1970s to 2012.

"Our temple continues to be a centre of activity for worshippers and residents, just as it used to be in the old days," said Mr Ng proudly.

Developed by the National Heritage Board (NHB), the self-guided trail comes with a detailed 64-page booklet and comprises nine heritage markers and 23 sites with historical and social significance.

Its spokesman said its team took a year to piece the trail together.

Along the way, researchers gathered anecdotes from residents and included them in the trail's booklet to "better convey the estate's social memory and vibrancy", she said.

This is the 12th national heritage trail launched by NHB since the first one on the Civic District was developed in 1999 as part of the country's millennium celebrations.

Heritage blogger and naval architect Jerome Lim, 49, who grew up in Toa Payoh and contributed photos of Queen Elizabeth II's visit to his family's three-room Toa Payoh flat in 1972, said the trail has been a long time coming.

"It has been under the radar compared to older estates like Tiong Bahru and Queenstown," said Mr Lim, adding that Toa Payoh is rich in history.

In the early 1900s, the swampland became home to villages, alongside large swathes of plantations from the 19th century.

By the 1950s, the colonial government began acquiring land in the area for housing.

This marked the start of the estate's journey to modernisation, as the first housing estate planned and built by the Housing Board (HDB) in the 1960s.

Two of the markers on the trail are the Toa Payoh dragon playground in Lorong 6 and the Toa Payoh Town Park at the junction of Lorong 2 and Lorong 6.

They are among some of HDB's celebrated works.

Mr Lim said: "The HDB's approach was a rather integrated one and the estate was regarded as the jewel in the Housing Board's crown."

Toa Payoh was also the site of many firsts - it was where the first NTUC Welcome Supermarket and the first fully air-conditioned POSB branch were set up.

Mr Lim also noted the numerous religious institutions scattered across the neighbourhood that were built to serve the community.

Volunteer guide Vasanthi Veera, 43, an administrative executive who studied in the now-defunct East Payoh Secondary School, said the tour will be useful for both residents and visitors.

She added: "Hundreds of people from across Singapore flock to the HDB Hub (in Toa Payoh) every day but have little idea about its role in Singapore's housing history and the changes the place has undergone.

"The trail and the markers will help raise awareness and leave a lasting legacy for future generations."




Post by National Heritage Board.



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How hard disk drive sector lost its mojo

August 17, 2014, 4:29 pm
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Twenty years ago, Singapore accounted for up to half the hard disk drives shipped across the globe. Soon, the last hard disk drive assembly plant will shut down. The Sunday Times traces the rise and fall of the industry and the lessons it holds for the electronics sector.
By Chia Yan Min, The Sunday Times, 17 Aug 2014

It was a perfect match: a small nation with no natural resources seeking compatible new industries for a long-term relationship and a cutting-edge technology looking for hard-working, reliable partners to help it take the next step forward.

It was the 1980s, and Singapore and the hard disk drive industry looked made for each other.

Their relationship moved quickly. From 1986 to 1996, Singapore accounted for up to half of the hard disk drives shipped across the globe and employed around 80,000 people in the industry. One academic called Singapore the "single most important location in the world for hard disk drive assembly".

Sadly, that match made in cyber heaven has hit the rocks.

While dozens of hard disk drive manufacturers planted their flags in Singapore in those heady years, now there is only one assembly facility left - HGST, a unit of United States-based Western Digital.

But even this final flame is flickering. HGST plans to eventually shift its disk drive assembly operations to Thailand due to cost concerns.

The company's remaining Singapore operations will focus on the research and development (R&D) of new hard disk drives.

Last year, HGST laid off 530 workers as part of these restructuring efforts, three years after rival disk drive maker Seagate Technologies shut its factory in Ang Mo Kio and retrenched 2,000 workers.

These are stark illustrations of how rising land and labour costs here are changing Singapore's role in the industry's global supply chain.

It's not just Singapore's love affair with disk drive assembly that is fading. The nation's electronics sector, once the pulsating beat of its economic heart, has been lagging other industries for years and dragging on growth.

Some economists cite irreconcilable differences: Singapore's currency is too strong, its domestic costs too high and its reliance on the personal computer segment too irrelevant in the age of smartphones and tablets.

As the hard disk drive era in Singapore comes to a close, it is worth examining the lessons the industry's rise and decline hold for the broader electronics sector.

A perfect match

One clear takeaway is that relationships - and industries - need the right conditions to flourish.

Like many good matches, the one between Singapore and the hard disk drive industry started with an element of serendipity, when each needed the other the most.

In 1982, manufacturing manager Tien Sing Cheong was at work on a Saturday when his eye was caught by a job advertisement calling for a materials procurement manager.

He went straight for the interview at the Shangri-La Hotel in his weekend work outfit - shorts and slippers.

As it turned out, the interview was with Seagate, founded just three years earlier. The company owned a new technology called the disk drive - a hardware device used to store all the information on a computer - and was seeking new opportunities to expand its production outside the US.

Mr Tien was just the Singaporean Seagate wanted. The 34-year-old had two degrees in engineering - a bachelor's from Hong Kong University and a master's from Stanford University - and had worked for General Electric, IBM and start-ups in California.

"I believe the company's initial plans might have been to first start a procurement office in Singapore and then eventually move into manufacturing," recalled Mr Tien, now 66 and the executive chairman of CEI Contract Manufacturing, which makes industrial and analytical equipment.

"Perhaps I was able to convince (Seagate co-founder Tom) Mitchell that it made sense to begin manufacturing right away," he said.

After a four-hour interview with Mr Mitchell, Mr Tien was offered the job of starting up Seagate's large-scale disk drive assembly operations in Singapore, the first factory of its kind here.

The job offer, handwritten on Shangri-La note paper, heralded the beginning of Singapore's role in the surge of an industry that would revolutionise personal computing.

In the book Heart Work, former Economic Development Board (EDB) officer Ong Choon Hwa outlined the mutual benefits of Seagate's investment in Singapore.

"A manufacturing facility in a productive and low-cost location such as Singapore would undoubtedly sharpen Seagate's cost-competitiveness," wrote Mr Ong.

In turn, Seagate's venture was part of a wider effort by the EDB to develop high-technology industries in Singapore as these products "would be less vulnerable to trade protectionism from developed countries", he added.

The country was especially keen to attract companies making computers and computer peripherals - fast-growing sectors in the 1980s. In 1981, Apple Computer had become the first company to manufacture PCs in Singapore for world markets.

There were many "pull" factors here for makers of disk drives and other high-tech products, Mr Ong wrote, including a strong base of supporting industries, tax incentives, modern infrastructure, cost-competitiveness and a skilled workforce.

Former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew recalls in his memoirs that 4,000 Singapore workers trained in precision engineering by German camera maker Rollei were primed for disk drive work when Rollei failed in the early 1980s.

As a result, Seagate's move to Singapore was quickly followed by other hard disk drive makers, including Maxtor, Miniscribe, Microscience, Conner, Rodime, Western Digital and IBM.

Booting up, shutting down

FOR his part, Mr Tien put together a senior management team at Seagate's new Singapore facility. One recruit was Mr Lee Seng Chean, previously Mr Tien's colleague at a major electronics firm.

"I was unsure about the move initially... When Mr Tien and I first started talking about Seagate, he didn't even have a hard disk drive to show me because the technology was still so new," said Mr Lee, now 61 and vice-president of business process and re-engineering at hard disk drive component maker Broadway Industrial Group.

Early hard disk drives looked like "large boxes" and could store a laughably small amount by today's standards, but still required "a lot of technology", said Mr Lee, also the committee chairman of the Asia-Pacific arm of the International Disk Drive Equipment and Materials Association.

Over the years, hard disk drives shrank, their storage capacity grew and the technology became ubiquitous in PCs.

By the mid-1990s, Seagate's Singapore facility had 18,000 workers and was the second-largest private-sector employer here.

Each of the world's largest hard disk drive firms had also set up a significant manufacturing presence here, making Singapore a dominant regional hub for hard disk drive assembly, wrote National University of Singapore (NUS) Business School Professor Wong Poh Kam in a 1999 paper about the industry.

But the party did not last long. Technological advances lowered barriers to entry, sent prices and margins plunging and sparked widespread consolidation.

Disk drive makers fell on hard times amid fierce pricing strategies and formidable competition, particularly from Japan and South Korea. The industry's supplier base began moving out of Singapore to countries with lower labour costs, said Mr Lee.

"From a manufacturing standpoint, it was hard for companies to stay here... There was very intense price competition among the disk drive companies, which were all trying to eliminate each other," he added.

A major casualty was Singapore-owned Micropolis, which was wound up in 1997, losing $575 million in investments and loans.

In 1998, Seagate retrenched 1,800 employees - a tenth of its local workforce - as part of a US$300 million ($528 million) global restructuring. Western Digital axed 500 jobs in 1998 and 450 in 1999, also as part of restructuring.

American disk drive maker Integral Peripherals shut down all its operations in Singapore in 1998, just weeks after it laid off a quarter of its 300-strong workforce.

The fierce shake-out in those years has left just three major hard disk drive makers: Western Digital, Toshiba and Seagate, the largest.

And Singapore is no longer a significant disk drive assembly location for any of them, though Seagate and Western Digital both maintain a strong R&D presence here.

Mr Tien left Seagate after six years for trading firm Intraco and then joined CEI in 1995.

The grandfather of three is still in touch with old friends from the industry, including former EDB officers Mr Ong and Mr Liow Voon Kheong, who were among those directly involved in convincing Seagate to set up shop here.

The way forward

For those committed to Singapore's electronics sector, reflecting on the trajectory of the hard disk drive industry is about more than nostalgia.

The industry has been plagued by rising business costs and competition from countries with cheaper land and labour - the same issues that eventually forced hard disk drive assembly plants to shift elsewhere.

This raises the spectre that the local electronics industry could he hollowed out amid ongoing restructuring efforts.

To survive, Singapore will have to be nimble and adaptable and willing to train a skilled workforce that can attract strong and committed partners.

New relationships have already been formed. In the 2000s, the focus here shifted to higher value-added segments of data storage: assembling enterprise drives and making hard disk media.

The Lion City is now the world's top hard disk media manufacturing location, making up more than 40 per cent of global hard disk media output.

Seagate and Western Digital, as well as Japan's Showa Denko, have together invested close to $2 billion over the years in hard disk media manufacturing here.

Companies in Singapore that sprang up to support the hard disk drive industry have also diversified into new areas of business.

Armstrong Industrial, which makes foam and rubber parts used by the automotive and electronics sectors, derived 79 per cent of its business from the hard disk drive industry in 1998, but only 18 per cent last year.

"It is an industry that has not been growing much, but it still has steady volumes. We must continuously improve our processes to maintain profitability," said deputy chief executive Steven Koh.

As costs went up over the years, Singapore moved from the low-level assembly of PCs to the relatively capital-intensive business of producing high-end chips, said Barclays economist Leong Wai Ho.

Now with China and Taiwan "building monster-sized plants" in North Asia, the need to constantly upgrade into higher value-added activities is intensifying.

"It has been a journey of constant change and upgrading," said Mr Leong, acknowledging that "it is hard for Singapore to compete on costs and scale".

"But with good intellectual property protection laws and supportive regulators, Singapore has evolved into a place where you can test and develop new frontier technologies - like nanotech," he added.

He and other economists believe that as long as the country continues to "push the curve", electronics will retain a role in Singapore's economy - and its position in the heart of the manufacturing sector.


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S'pore facing a glut of lawyers

August 17, 2014, 4:30 pm
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Shanmugam urges law students to temper expectations or pursue other career choices
By Feng Zengkun, The Sunday Times, 17 Aug 2014

Over just four years up to March last year, the number of practising lawyers here leapt by nearly 25 per cent to more than 4,400.

Another 1,500 are expected to join them in the next three years. And there has been a sharp rise in those heading overseas to study law. In Britain alone, the number of Singapore law students more than doubled from 510 to 1,142 between 2010 and last year.

Law Minister K. Shanmugam dished out these numbers yesterday as he warned that Singapore could soon have more lawyers than jobs for them all.

He urged law students to temper career and salary expectations, and maybe even consider other jobs.

Speaking at the Criminal Justice Conference organised by the Singapore Management University (SMU) and National University of Singapore, which both have law schools, he said the number of lawyers is expected to grow by nearly a third in the next three years.

But "the market is not going to grow by 30 per cent", he said, pointing out that this year, nearly 650 graduates will compete for about 490 practice training contracts at law firms, to get the training they need before being admitted to the Singapore Bar.

"About 150 students will have difficulty getting a training contract, let alone employment after that," said Mr Shanmugam, who is a senior counsel himself. "The study of law provides an excellent training of the mind, so I don't want to be seen as discouraging people... but you have to have a realistic understanding of the market, the economy, the total structure."

While Singapore is trying to "grow the legal market" through initiatives such as the Singapore International Commercial Court to handle dispute resolution, students could go into fields like banking, business, public service and even politics with their law degrees, he suggested.

Rules governing training contracts could be changed to make it easier for more students to get them, "but there is a limit to how much the Government can intervene in the market", he said.

He added that those who do get jobs should be realistic about their salaries: "You see headlines that top lawyers make 'x' million dollars, but there is a huge difference between what the top two or three lawyers make, and what everyone else makes."

Lawyers and academics whom The Sunday Times spoke to admitted that future lawyers should be prepared to face a lot of competition from their peers in the marketplace.

SMU law lecturer Eugene Tan said "the days of law firms chasing law graduates are now over".

"Grades are helpful but students should also hone skills like writing and crafting legal arguments and research to improve their chances of being hired," he added.

Veteran lawyer Chia Boon Teck said law graduates could consider joining multinational companies with large legal departments. "If you want to join a law firm, study very very hard and aim to be among the top few graduates. Also, make as many friends who are lawyers as possible," he advised.

Ms Lynn Kan, who is starting her second year at SMU's post-graduate law programme, said some of her classmates are already considering taking on more internships to improve their prospects. The 27-year-old said: "I've got my training contract already but I was really lucky."


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ESM Goh: People, Govt 'must stay united as family'

August 17, 2014, 4:31 pm
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By Nur Asyiqin Mohamad Salleh, The Sunday Times, 17 Aug 2014

Loosening ties between people and government could pull Singapore apart unless Singaporeans demand as much of themselves as they do of the Government, Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong warned yesterday.

Unrealistic demands and frequent criticism of the Government are straining the cohesiveness of the Singapore family, he said.

"This state of relationship between the people and the Government is part of the so-called new normal," he said. "But if this new normal leads to fractiousness, divisiveness and estrangement in the Singapore family, then we will be undoing what the pioneer generation had painfully and diligently built over many decades."

He was addressing about 1,000 residents and volunteers from his Marine Parade constituency at a National Day dinner at Roland restaurant. Manpower Minister and Marine Parade GRC MP Tan Chuan-Jin was also present.

Mr Goh said a good bond between people and government was one of four "goods" crucial to a country's success. The others are good leaders, good governance and good social cohesion. These qualities paved the way for Singapore's survival, he said, but being man-made, they could also be "unmade by man".

Speaking at length on people-government ties in family terms, he said that just as parents do for their children, the Government imparts values and sets norms for society through its policies and creates opportunities for people.

People cannot choose their parents but they can choose their government - a privilege they do not always value and "sometimes decide with less care than we should".

Singaporeans also demand much more from the Government than their parents, accepting their family's situation but not the constraints faced by the Government.

And while they do not criticise their parents' imperfections, when it comes to the Government, they "see only warts... and freely criticise it for its slightest mistakes or when we disagree with it".

Mr Goh worried that people today are pulling in different directions, there is more navel-gazing, and the common space for all is shrinking instead of getting bigger. If this continues, he warned, there will be a high price to pay.

"That is how many countries fail. Across the world, intractable political gridlocks and a deficit of leadership have become the new normal. Countries lurch from crisis to crisis," he said.

To get through the challenges that lie ahead, the Government must prove itself worthy of its citizens by being compassionate, willing to listen and engage, yet also be firm enough to do what is right.

But the next generation of Singaporeans must also pass the "family test". "They must demand as much of themselves as they do of the Government," he said. "As a family, we must also pull together, accommodate and look out for each other, and trust one another."

Mr Goh said that he had no doubt Singapore would continue to succeed, provided Singaporeans stay together as a family.

Speaking to reporters at the event, Mr Goh also said that his Marine Parade residents are happy about the upcoming Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL), as they have long felt that they were "outside the planning" for a new MRT line.

Two MRT stations will make their debut in Marine Parade, which means that the estate "now is connected to all the lines in Singapore", he said.

Praising the design and planning of the line, he said that the acquisition of properties will be kept to a minimum, therefore those in Marine Parade will not be affected, although some residents in Mountbatten will have to make way.


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National Day Rally 2014

August 17, 2014, 4:45 pm
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PA rolls out first CC on wheels

August 19, 2014, 12:06 am
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By Melody Zaccheus, The Sunday Times, 17 Aug 2014

Singapore's first Community Club (CC) on wheels was set in motion yesterday at Bedok Mall.

The roving vehicle, called the CC Xpress, will be making its rounds to different parts of Singapore, popping up in neighbourhood parks, town centres, common public spaces and private estates.

Post by The People's Association.


It will bring the People's Association's (PA) programmes, interest groups and courses - like balloon sculpting and gardening workshops such as those involving terrarium, a container which encloses a mini garden - closer to residents of both private and public estates.

Courses can be held on or outside the vehicle, which is smaller than a public bus.

"Our new CC Xpress will bring the best of our CCs to where our residents stay and make it easier for them to find out about our programmes and sign up for them," said PA chief executive director Ang Hak Seng.

Residents at the launch welcomed the initiative. Some said they usually head straight home after work and rarely step into these clubs.

Bedok North resident Tan Cheng See, 46, a financial planner, said: "The centre's activities are usually behind closed doors, so it's refreshing that the various programmes will be on showcase to the rest of the neighbourhood."

The PA said the aim is to reach out to 30,000 residents through more than 30 events by end-November. It plans to roll out another two such vehicles by the middle of next year.

Mr Ang said the CC Xpress will be useful to residents who may not have the time or chance to visit Community Clubs, and that it will reach out to senior citizens who have difficulty travelling.

He said: "We hope that more residents will take part in our activities, engage their minds and bodies and make more friends."


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Memory Project to preserve pioneers' stories

August 19, 2014, 12:28 am
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MR JASON Ingham ("Preserve accounts of pioneers"; last Tuesday) suggested having an online repository of the verbal and written accounts from the pioneer generation, to serve as a poignant reminder of their lives.

The Singapore Memory Project (SMP) is one such repository for us to preserve the thoughts and reflections of the pioneer generation.

It is a nationwide movement launched in August 2011 that aims to capture and document precious moments and memories related to Singapore.

These recollections are not limited to those from individual Singaporeans, but also organisations and groups.

The SMP has been engaging and reaching out to the pioneer generation to collect their stories and memories, and to showcase them.

A recent campaign, A Tribute To Our Pioneer Generation, ran from February to June and saw members of the pioneer generation sharing their experiences about Singapore's early years of independence, and other members of the public sharing their memories about loved ones who are pioneers.

Another good example is the Hands: Gift Of A Generation project, where more than 400 pioneers were interviewed and their memories captured in various formats, including video and text.

The SMP has also created an inter-generational dialogue platform for students from many schools to interview seniors citizens from all walks of life.

Examples of these stories can be seen at the Singapore Memory Portal

We welcome members of the pioneer generation and the public to continue to deposit their memories and stories (whether in the form of text, video files or images) on the Web portal.

The public can also submit their memories for the project by downloading the free SG Memory iPhone application from the iTunes app store.

We thank Mr Ingham for the opportunity to share more information on the SMP.

Gene Tan
Director, National Library
National Library Board
ST Forum, 18 Aug 2014





Preserve accounts of pioneers

WATCHING the National Day Parade last Saturday, I was amazed at how much effort went into featuring the lives and times of the average Singaporean family.

It was touching to see members of the pioneer generation being featured so prominently.

I would love for my son to grow up being proud of the nation of his birth and of being Singaporean.

I hope he has the opportunity to listen to the stories of the pioneer generation - stories that speak of their sacrifice, dedication, tenacity and single-mindedness towards making this nation thrive and become the envy of the world.

Hence, I wonder if we could create an online repository of the verbal and written accounts from members of this generation.

It can form an oral archive to serve as a poignant reminder of the ordinary lives of the pioneer generation and the difficulties that needed to be overcome.

History will always remember our leaders but their plans were enacted through individuals. It would be good to preserve their thoughts and reflections before it is too late.

Jason Ingham
ST Forum, 12 Aug 2014


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CPF Life is sustainable

August 19, 2014, 12:54 am
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MR WILFRED Ling wrote about the solvency of CPF Life ("Guarantee CPF Life solvency for peace of mind"; last Wednesday).

We assure him that the CPF Life scheme is designed to be fully sustainable.

First, monies in the CPF Lifelong Income Fund and interest paid on the monies are already fully guaranteed by the Government.

Second, if interest rates or life expectancies change significantly from what is expected, payouts can be adjusted to keep the fund solvent. This is in line with the best practices of well-run and sustainable pension schemes.

For these reasons, CPF Life does not need to be covered by the Policy Owners' Protection Scheme in Singapore, which covers insurance policies written by private insurers.

CPF Life members can be assured that they will receive payouts for as long as they live.

Musa Fazal
Divisional Director
Income Security Policy Division
Ministry of Manpower
ST Forum, 18 Aug 2014





Guarantee CPF Life solvency for peace of mind

THERE is merit in removing the Central Provident Fund Minimum Sum cap ("Call to remove cap on CPF Life top-ups"; last Wednesday).

There are those who have met their Minimum Sum but wish the cap can be removed, so they can get bigger payouts from CPF Life.

However, what will deter many people from contributing more to CPF Life is that the scheme's solvency is not guaranteed by the Government. This is spelt out under the CPF Act Section 27N(7), which states that no payment shall be made unless the fund remains solvent.

Under Singapore's Policy Owners' Protection Scheme, annuities purchased from Singapore-registered private insurers are protected, subject to an aggregate cap of $100,000 per life assured per insurer. Yet there is no such protection for CPF Life.

In any annuity scheme like CPF Life, it is possible for liabilities to exceed the value of assets. This is called underfunded status - another word for insolvent. It is caused by longer-than-expected life expectancies, insufficient investment returns and duration mismatch.

There are pension schemes in other countries that are underfunded and on the brink of collapse.

Although CPF Life's investments in Special Singapore Government Securities are safe, this does not mean its returns will always be sufficient to meet its long-term liabilities.

Guaranteeing the solvency of CPF Life will provide CPF members with peace of mind. It will also be in line with market practices.

Wilfred Ling
ST Forum, 13 Aug 2014


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NDR 2014: CPF Minimum Sum and retirement

August 19, 2014, 1:37 am
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The Straits Times, 18 Aug 2014

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Sunday tackled criticisms of the Central Provident Fund head-on but with good humour, role-playing a financial planner to a fictitious Mr Tan and advising him on his retirement options.

Mr Lee, who roled-played a housing agent at last year's National Day Rally, quipped: “Last year, I was your real estate agent. This year, the real estate market is no good. I have upgraded myself and become a financial planner.”



Explaining the rationale behind the increase in CPF's Minimum Sum, Mr Lee played "financial planner" to a hypothetical Mr and Mrs Tan, aged 54, with a monthly income of $4,500.

He asked the audience how much this couple would need in retirement: $1,000, $2,000 or $3,000 a month. Most said $2,000.

Mr Lee then used Mr Tan's case to explain how the Minimum Sum of $155,000 was "far from excessive" and might even be insufficient.













3 questions and answers on the Minimum Sum and retirement
By Aaron Low, The Straits Times, 17 Aug 2014


1) What will the Minimum Sum be for those turning 55 next year?

For those turning 55 from July 1 onwards, the Minimum Sum will be $161,000. This is up from the current $155,000 level this year.

The new Minimum Sum level does not apply to older cohorts who turned 55 earlier. CPF members who do not meet the Minimum Sum need not top up the shortfall in cash, or sell their property to meet the Minimum Sum.

The good news is that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that there will not be "any major increases in the Minimum Sum" beyond next year.

He did say that the MS will still be adjusted from "time to time", to cater for higher incomes and spending as well as to protect against longevity.

But chances are the future MS hikes are unlikely to be as high as they have been over the past decade or so, when the MS was on average going up at about 6 per cent a year.


2) Is it easy to achieve the new Minimum Sum level?

It depends very much on one's income and expenditure.

If a CPF member is highly paid, he will reach the Minimum Sum faster than a less-well paid member. Likewise, it also depends greatly on how much one spends. In this case, the big item for most people is housing.

A study conducted by two National University of Singapore academics Associate Professor Chia Ngee Choon and Associate Professor Albert Tsui in 2012 found that most young workers entering the job market today would not have much of a problem meeting the prevailing MS levels.

This is based on the assumption that they do not overspend on housing. For instance, buying a $1 million condominium when one's income is only $2,500 a month.

A similar study done by Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy economist Hui Weng Tat also showed that graduates earning about $2,500 who went on to buy a five room flat worth $560,000 will only get 22 per cent of their last drawn pay at age 62 in CPF payments.


3) If you can't meet the MS, what options do you have?

The easiest option would be to pledge your flat to meet up to half of the MS requirements. For people hitting 55 next year, that would mean pledging $80,500.

But doing that would mean that your monthly payouts from CPF Life when you hit 65 will be half of what you would get if you had kept to the full value of the MS.

Under the default CPF Life plan, you would get between $680 and $750 if you had pledged your flat for half the value of the $161,000 MS. And you would get between $1,240 and $1,372 if you met the full MS level.

Most financial planners would say that even if you had met your MS, it would be unwise to only depend on the CPF for retirement. And if you did not meet the MS, then it would be even more crucial to ensure other streams of income.

There are other ways to supplement your CPF payouts to provide for a more comfortable retirement:

1) Continue to work beyond the retirement age of 65. PM Lee said the Government will look to extend the re-employment age.

2) Depend on your children to support you.

3) Draw on personal savings.

4) Monetise your assets, such as your flat.

This can be done by renting out a room in your flat, or renting the whole flat out.

Or you could sell your flat and buy a smaller apartment which would free up cash.

The Government is also looking to extend a programme which allows older Singaporeans to sell part of the lease of their HDB flats back to the Government.

The Government will pay them a sum of money which can be used for their retirement. The Lease Buyback Scheme also allows Singaporeans to continue staying on in their flat.

PM Lee said that this scheme will now be extended to four-room flats. In all, the expanded Lease Buyback will cover half of all flat owners in Singapore.





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NDR 2014: Jurong Lake District

August 20, 2014, 4:52 am
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First phase of Jurong Lake Gardens to be ready by 2017: Khaw
The Jurong Lake Gardens will retain the heritage elements of the Chinese Garden and the Japanese Garden, but these will be refreshed as part of the overall development, says National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan.
By Sharon See, Channel NewsAsia, 18 Aug 2014

Residents in the city-state, particularly in Jurong, can look forward to enjoying the 70-hectare Jurong Lake Gardens "as early as 2017", said National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan in a blogpost on Monday (Aug 18).

He wrote that heritage elements at the Chinese and Japanese Gardens will be retained, but refreshed as part of Jurong Lake Gardens. The Gardens will be developed in phases, with Jurong Lake Park being the first to be completed in 2017, and implementation plans will dovetail with the greater plans for Jurong Lake District.

Mr Khaw also called on the public to share their ideas with NParks on how it can develop the area. NParks will invite ideas from planning and landscape design professionals and the local community next year for the development of the Gardens, he said.

The Chinese Garden and Japanese Garden were both built in the 1970s, and visitors comprise residents in surrounding neighbourhoods and the occasional tourist. Dr Harvey Neo of the National University of Singapore's (NUS) Geography department said he believes redevelopment would elevate the gardens' standing and create greater national interest in them.

"We're talking about a fairly radical imagination of the gardens, so I won't be surprised if (the gardens) look completely different. But that's almost inevitable because we're really trying to create new space, we're trying to incorporate new ideas," he said. And while he does not feel that the Japanese Garden had any iconic features, Prof Neo said the Chinese Garden's pagoda deserved to be retained. Still, "if they do not want to retain that, I think it's understandable as well because we're really talking about a major shift in how we use the space there," he said.

"JEWEL OF JURONG"

Mr Khaw also reiterated Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's National Day Rally speech, which highlighted the new Science Centre as the "jewel" in Jurong when completed around 2020. The new Centre will be located at the eastern bank of Jurong Lake, next to the Chinese Garden MRT station.

"We will make it fun, educational and spectacular, in keeping with changing times and our achievements over the decades. Its location will enable NParks to integrate the future Science Centre with the new Gardens, combining themes such as science, technology and horticulture in a uniquely Singaporean way," Mr Khaw wrote.

Dr Neo said the site of the future Science Centre next to Jurong Lake presents new opportunities. "I hope they will make full use of the location and think of educational activities that involve the lake," he said. "The sky's the limit here. They can really push the boundaries of scientific learning. This is a unique opportunity for them to think big about the kinds of experiences we want to give to the visitors.

NEW HOUSING POSSIBILITIES

The Ministry of National Development (MND) also provided more details on developing the Jurong Gateway, as indicated by Mr Lee.

One idea being considered is to realign the stretch of the AYE from Yuan Ching Road to Jurong Town Hall Road to free up land south of Jurong Lake for residential development, and to integrate the Pandan Reservoir area with the district to form a larger and more cohesive development area, it said.

"Environmental improvements can be made to the surrounding parks and water bodies such as Jurong River, Pandan River, Pandan Reservoir and Teban Gardens to create an attractive waterfront residential district with good quality living environment amidst lush greenery, similar to those found in Punggol and around Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park," MND said.

But Dr Neo urged caution when it comes to moving the AYE southwards, saying it should be studied further. "Of all the initiatives that were announced, that strikes me as a little bit hard to understand because I cannot see its relative advantage. I don't know how much southwards they want to move," he said. "I assume it is to free up a certain amount of space, so that the entire area can be bigger and development can be more seamless but this freeing up of extra space has to be weighed against the extra cost and the inconvenience."

The cost of the endeavour is hard to estimate without knowing what the freed-up land would be used for, he noted, pointing out that shifting entire expressways is not common abroad due to high costs. "I'm very sceptical. It was mentioned that (the land) will be used for housing in the plan, but how much extra housing are we talking about here? The details are not (furnished) yet."



MAJOR IMPROVEMENTS TO TRANSPORT NETWORKS

Mr Khaw added in his blogpost that there are many other "exciting plans" in store for Jurong, including major improvements to the transportation networks. "All these will take years to realise. We shall stage the implementation," the minister said.

For instance, as part of the Land Transport Authority's (LTA) Land Transport Master Plan 2013, the current East-West and North-South MRT lines serving the region are currently being upgraded. Two new lines - the Cross-Island Line and Jurong Region Line - are expected to be completed by around 2030 and 2025, respectively, MND stated.

It added that agencies will explore building more dedicated cycling paths and park connectors to strengthen connectivity and accessibility between Jurong Lake District and the surrounding residential and business nodes such as Pandan and Teban gardens estates, Tengah New Town, JTC’s proposed integrated R&D and industrial township centred around Clean Tech Park, NTU, and Bulim and Tengah industrial estates.

"This will reduce the need to drive within the district and help promote a healthier lifestyle," MND said.

As for plans to site the future Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail terminus in Jurong East, MND said the Government is currently studying possible locations. These plans will undergo detailed planning and technical studies and will be progressively implemented in the next 20 to 30 years, it added.

LAKE-SIDE LIVING?

Once the Jurong Lake District development is complete, property experts believe there will be high demand for houses near the lake or coastal area, and they expect authorities to continue focusing on infrastructure development in Jurong.

Professor Sing Tien Foo of NUS' Department of Real Estate noted that the the plans for the Cross Island and Jurong Regional lines go hand in hand with the land use plan. "You cannot wait for the area to be developed then you put in all the infrastructure and roads. So some of these developments may have to take place earlier to support the future expansion of the area and land use intensification of the area," he said. "With more businesses and residents moving into the area, I think the demand for infrastructure capacity is also expected to increase. Early planning will actually minimise some of these interruptions in the long term and also allow for smoother transition into more integrated land use."





Jurong makeover 'will breathe new life into estate'
Residents cheer plans, but are disappointed over delay of hospital opening
By Danson Cheong, Lester Hio And Tjoa Shze Hui, The Straits Times, 19 Aug 2014

LAKE gardens in the heartland, a new science centre and maybe even Singapore's first high-speed rail station.

Jurong, the gritty industrial hub of the country, is transforming into a jewel in the west, and residents and workers in the area are cheering the prospect.

Almost all 24 Jurong residents and business owners The Straits Times spoke to said the changes would breathe new life into an old estate, though a few expressed disappointment that a planned hospital will open six months later than originally scheduled.

That aside, new plans for the Jurong Lake District include a new Science Centre, a possible terminus for the Singapore-Malaysia high-speed rail network, and an expanded park that will combine the decades-old Chinese and Japanese gardens, and the Jurong Lake Park, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced on Sunday in his National Day Rally speech.

Taxi driver Patrick Ong, 54, told The Straits Times yesterday: "The upgrade will be good, it will give Jurong a younger feel."

Together, the Jurong East and Jurong West Housing Board estates are home to 358,000 residents. The Jurong constituency spans more than 12 sq km.

One retiree, who wanted to be known only as Mrs Cheong, is looking forward to the new 70ha Jurong Lake Gardens. "The gardens are a national treasure and so beautiful, but so few people come here. It's such a waste," said the 62-year-old.

The new gardens will be completed by 2017, said National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan in his blog yesterday.

Long-time fans of the Science Centre were also excited to find out it will have a new home, on the north of the lake just beside the Chinese Garden MRT station.

Madam Prabavathi Natarajan, 34, started taking her son to the science centre when he was still in a stroller. Now he is six and "knows about motors, electromagnets and things like that", said the housewife, who lives in Jurong Town Hall Road.

She plans to take him and her older son to the new centre even more often.

Over the years, 29.5 million students have visited the Science Centre, which was built in 1977.

The new centre, the "jewel" of the district, said Mr Lee, will be integrated with the lake gardens.

Others were happy that there might soon be one more way to travel to Malaysia. The terminus of the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur high-speed rail link - slated to be completed by 2020 - may be located in Jurong.

It would make life easier for people like Malaysian Sha Chia. The 38-year-old retail associate, who lives in Johor Baru, takes a bus to Woodlands and then the MRT to get to work at a Jurong shopping mall.

"If there is a train, it will be very convenient for me," he said.

Businesses said they were looking forward to increased traffic.

"The new developments will only make the area more exciting," said Mr Tan Jian Da, 26, a deputy assistant outlet manager at Sync restaurant in Westgate mall.

On another note, three of the 24 interviewed were disappointed that the new Ng Teng Fong General Hospital will not be ready this year, because of a shortage of manpower and delay in getting construction parts from Thailand.

"When my son had food poisoning a year ago, we had to rush him to the National University Hospital (in Kent Ridge)," said Mr Lim Swee King, who lives at the Park Vista condominium in Lakeside.

And there were those worried they would be left behind as Jurong modernises and moves ahead.

Mr Tay Lye Whad, 60, who has been running the Bao Sheng Minimart in Jurong Street 13 for more than 30 years, said business has been flagging for more than a decade. "Nowadays people stop and shop at the shopping malls like Jem," he said. "It's hard for shops like us to stay open."

The shops beside his store are shuttered and empty.

"Business was so much better last time. The Government should do something to help old businesses like mine," he said.





Wanted: Big ideas for new Science Centre
By Linette Lai, The Straits Times, 19 Aug 2014

IF YOU have big dreams for the new Science Centre, Education Minister Heng Swee Keat wants to know about them.

He will be setting up a committee to "re-imagine and develop" the new centre, and is encouraging the public to contribute ideas.

"If you have any ideas, I would love to hear them," he said in a Facebook post yesterday.

The Science Centre, he observed, is "a good place where many generations of Singaporeans have been able to imagine, experience, discover and dream".

Speaking about the make-up of the committee, he added: "I hope to have a diverse group of talented and passionate people on the committee."

These include educators, researchers, industry practitioners and people "with a deep sense of wonder and love to share this".

On Sunday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in his National Day Rally speech that a new Science Centre will be built on the north shore of Jurong Lake.

It will be part of the expanded Jurong Lake Gardens, which will combine the existing Chinese and Japanese gardens and Jurong Lake Park.

Science Centre Singapore chief executive Lim Tit Meng said yesterday: "We will take this opportunity to see how the Science Centre can leverage themes such as science, technology and horticulture to integrate with the surrounding environment at the new site."

In the meantime, he added, the centre will continue to "regularly review and refresh" its exhibits.

For instance, it is planning new attractions such as a digital planetarium and a virtual aquarium.

It also launched a new children's science centre in June, which has more than 6,000 members so far.





Business-leisure hub plans will boost home prices: Experts
By Rennie Whang, The Straits Times, 19 Aug 2014

AMBITIOUS new plans to make Jurong a business and leisure centre will likely boost home prices, property consultants told The Straits Times yesterday.

Optimism about the area was lifted with the Sunday announcement that a new Jurong Lake Gardens will be developed in conjunction with other projects already under way nearby.

A Science Centre will also be built and there is also a possibility that the terminal for the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur High Speed Rail will be in Jurong.

The new plans underscore Jurong's development as the largest commercial hub outside the Central Business District (CBD), which has been going on apace for some years.

"It's going to be an all-encompassing township where a person can work for a multinational corporation two MRT stations from his doorstep, get home in less than 10 minutes and enjoy the leisure lifestyle by the lake," said PropNex chief executive Mohamed Ismail Gafoor.

Housing Board flats in the area may command a premium of about 20 per cent once plans for the district materialise, he added.

That is similar to the premium paid in estates like Bishan with its major park and schools, and Queenstown, which is close to the CBD.

Jurong rents could be pushed up by about 20 per cent over the next three years, partly because the Ng Teng Fong General Hospital is due to open in the middle of next year. That, in turn, should boost housing values.

Lakeside, which along with Jurong Gateway forms the Jurong Lake District, has become a "significantly private residential" area, said R'ST Research director Ong Kah Seng.

Most of the newly completed 99-year leasehold condominiums are priced about $1,000 per sq ft (psf), with more recent launches like Lakeville in May at about $1,300 psf.

But the key game-changer is the possibility of the rail terminal.

"This would put it above other regional centres in Singapore. Tampines is near the airport, but that's not as direct as having a terminus regionally linking a capital city to another," said Dr Chua Yang Liang, Jones Lang LaSalle's head of research for Singapore and South-east Asia.

Singapore Business Federation chief operating officer Victor Tay added: "The longer-term prospect that the rail will cut across more than 10 Asean countries, linking to Guangxi in China, presents immense trade potential for businesses.

"Many will look to Jurong as a strategic gateway to Asean and China."





Jurong Lake area to be new draw for developers
Leisure elements, potential high-speed rail terminus to boost area's value
By Kalpana Rashiwala, The Business Times, 19 Aug 2014

Developers are expected to take a keener interest in future state land tenders in Jurong Lake District - whether for residential, commercial or hotel projects.

The buzz created from efforts for greenery attractions in the area is expected to give a fillip to home values there.

Attention will be heightened further if a decision is made to house the future Kuala Lumpur-Singapore high-speed rail terminus in Jurong Gateway, said property consultants yesterday. They were giving their views on plans announced on Sunday night by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to liven up Jurong Lake District.

"Going forward, the plans to realign Ayer Rajah Expressway, convert some of the old industrial estates to waterfront housing, etc, could greatly enhance the liveability of Jurong as it enjoys an image overhaul, thanks to all the leisure elements that the government will put in place," said Christine Li, research head at OrangeTee.

"Existing property owners can look forward to one of the most liveable housing estates in Singapore outside the central and fringe areas," she added.

CBRE' Singapore research head Desmond Sim too thought the changes will "remove the stigma of an industrial township that Jurong was originally planned for".

National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan blogged yesterday: "Since 2008, Jurong has made steady progress to be our largest regional centre, outside of the city."

Jurong Lake Gardens, spanning over 70 hectares, will integrate the revitalised Jurong Lake Park (to be completed by 2017), as well as the Chinese and Japanese Gardens which are set to be spruced up, and not forgetting the new Science Centre, which will emerge next to the Chinese Garden MRT Station around 2020.

Giving her take on the announcements on residential property values, DTZ's regional head (SEA) research, Lee Lay Keng, said: "Even though the overall conditions in the residential property market remain tepid, the buzz created could provide a minor boost to existing projects and help support prices and transaction volumes in the area."

"In the longer term, the development of Jurong Lake Gardens will enhance the living environment for residents, similar to the Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park, and increase interest in the area," she added.

The plans are expected to fuel developers' interest in a 99-year private housing site just above Jurong Lake - between The Lakeshore and Lakeville condos - that will be launched in December through the confirmed list of the Government Land Sales Programme. Said CBRE's Mr Sim: "While the number of bids is expected to be high..bid prices are expected to be dampened by current market sentiment and confidence."

Ms Li of OrangeTee expects development sites for residential, commercial as well as integrated uses (eg office, retail and residential elements) to whet developers' appetite - if they are released over the next year or two. "Hotel sites are also likely to be released once the terminus of the high-speed rail is confirmed," she added.

Mr Sim added that should the terminus be located in Jurong Gateway, it could further boost the currently nascent office market in the area, he added. "The inclusion of the high-speed rail terminus will be the final jigsaw piece to cement Jurong Regional Centre as a unique lakeside destination for business and leisure."

JLL's head of research, SE Asia, Chua Yang Liang, said the realignment of the AYE will generate the opportunity to develop "more lakefront homes for the masses". "Beyond the current slowdown in the residential market, the opportunity would be much sought after by developers in future...We can expect the regenerative efforts by the state to be capitalised into higher real estate values in the long term."



Related
National Day Rally 2014
Re-imagining Jurong
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Chinese graduates face tough job market with low pay

August 20, 2014, 5:10 am
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Only 14% found work by graduation month, the lowest in a decade
By Esther Teo China Correspondent In Beijing, The Straits Times, 18 Aug 2014

CHINESE graduate Wang Xiaoqing, 23, earns barely 2,000 yuan (S$405) a month at an environmental services firm and has no savings to speak of.

A recent marketing graduate from the Northwest University of Politics and Law in Xi'an, the capital of northern Shaanxi province, Mr Wang even relies on his parents for handouts occasionally.

"I sent my resume out to more than 10 firms over the past three months before I got a job," he told The Straits Times.

"I knew it would be hard and was mentally prepared, but I worry about how I am going to get married or buy a house in the future."



While the rapid expansion of higher education in China has led to a sharp rise in the number of unemployed and underemployed graduates over the past few years, the situation has gotten worse this year.

Just 14 per cent of graduates had found work by June, the month of graduation, the lowest in a decade.

China's growing ranks of fresh graduates like Mr Wang are struggling to find jobs and make ends meet amid stiff competition from a record 7.3 million graduates this year - more than seven times the number 15 years ago.

According to a new survey by Peking University, more than a third of fresh graduates continue to live off their parents while another 40 per cent live from pay cheque to pay cheque.

This comes as no surprise, considering that starting monthly salaries for graduates this year in 68 Chinese cities averaged just 2,443 yuan - about the cost of half an iPhone in China, according to the Post-90s Graduates Employment Report released last month.

But the issue has raised concerns beyond just bread and butter worries, experts say.

As frustrations among this large group of overqualified and underpaid educated young Chinese simmer, they could serve as a source of instability in the event of an economic crisis.

Beijing is also worried that graduate unemployment could trigger unrest of the kind that led to the bloody 1989 Tiananmen crackdown on protesting students, some experts add.

Professor Joseph Cheng of the City University of Hong Kong estimates that 30 per cent of fresh graduates might still be jobless by the end of the year.

"While we are not seeing this group becoming a source of instability as yet, there are certainly grievances accumulating," he said.

But the mismatch between graduates and the country's economic boom is not a new problem, with China's trade and investment-led growth model producing insufficient white-collar jobs.

Already, the term "ant tribe" was coined to describe the plight of China's post-1980s generation of low-income graduates who often lived in cramped and squalid conditions in large cities like Beijing and Shanghai.

China Youth Development Foundation estimates that more than 160,000 "ant tribe" members live in Beijing alone, about a third of whom have graduated from prestigious universities.

Mr Zhao Chen, 26, is one such example. He graduated two years ago from a university in Harbin in north-eastern Heilongjiang province and now earns about 3,500 yuan as a freelance computer programmer in Beijing. He lives with five other people in a three-bedroom apartment.

"Life has been tougher than I imagined when I was in college. I thought a degree might help, but everyone has one nowadays," he said.

The Education Ministry has said it will turn 600 universities into polytechnics, providing more technical and employment-related courses, rather than academic courses.

But Renmin University education expert Cheng Fangping said China should also give its graduates more support, such as giving them loans to start businesses and making the competition for jobs a level playing field, rather than based on connections.

"Many graduates want to become civil servants or white-collar workers, but they should be encouraged to... pursue paths that can create wealth instead," he told The Straits Times.

"The distinction between white- and blue-collar workers doesn't need to be so clear. As long as you work hard, you should be able to win the respect of society."

Some are doing just that.

Mr Zhao said: "I have had to adjust my expectations, but I am not afraid of hard work, so I am not that worried."

Additional reporting by Carol Feng


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NDR 2014: More Opportunities for Non-Graduates

August 20, 2014, 6:34 am
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Panel to implement work & study path on national scale
By Kimberly Spykerman, Channel NewsAsia, 18 Aug 2014

To help Singaporeans succeed regardless of their paper qualifications, the Government is implementing a work and study path on a national scale. However, this requires a culture shift and involves multiple stakeholders, so a tripartite committee involving the government, employers and unions will be set up to drive support for this.

For the second year running, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong delivered his National Day Rally Speech on Sunday (Aug 17) at the ITE College Central. He explained that this is partly because one of his themes this year is on opening up pathways for ITE and polytechnic students.

Helping Polytechnic and ITE students find jobs well-suited to their skills, helping people progress and upgrade after they have graduated and started work, as well as developing structured career paths for them - these will broadly form the recommendations to be announced by a committee led by Senior Minister of State for Law and Education Indranee Rajah, tasked with looking at how to create this work and study path.

However, Prime Minister Lee said implementing this on a national scale will not be easy. He noted that the natural agency to take the lead is an expanded Workforce Development Agency, but acknowledged that it will need strong support from other agencies, like the Education Ministry and the Manpower Ministry, employers, and unions.

To drive support for this initiative, a tripartite committee involving the government, employers, and unions will be set up. It will be led by Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam. Mr Lee said: "It will develop an integrated system of education, training, and progression for all Singaporeans, and promote industry support and social recognition for individuals to advance, based on their skills."

In that respect, Mr Lee said the Public Service is doing its part, offering fulfilling careers to non-graduates. He cited the Singapore Armed Forces as an example of an institution which offers many paths upwards for non-graduates and military experts. He said this shows that beyond academic qualifications, the SAF also recognises leadership and abilities.

Another example is in the nursing profession, where many senior nurses started their careers without a degree, and worked their way up, said Mr Lee. He then pointed to recent enhancements to improve the pay and career development of those in the profession.

Even so, Mr Lee reassured Singaporeans that the Public Service can and will do more - for example, by giving more weight to job performance and relevant skills rather than qualifications, and promoting non-graduates more quickly to what used to be considered graduate level jobs, once they have proven their capabilities.

Mr Lee emphasised that two strategic factors are needed for everyone to achieve their potential - economic growth, which will create opportunities for workers, and a cultural change in how people are valued. "We must have growth in order to look after our people well. So we have to be hard-headed in order to be good-hearted," he noted.

"Singapore must always be a place where everyone can feel proud of what they do, where you're respected for your contributions and character. Anyone can improve his life if he works hard, and everyone can hope for a better future," Mr Lee added. With the right support at work, said Mr Lee, a person can achieve career advancement - whether or not he is a graduate.














Rising up Keppel’s ranks without stellar academic qualifications
PM Lee shares success stories of several staff who advanced via training, skill acquisition
By Tan Shi Wei and Laura Philomin, TODAY, 18 Aug 2014

Graduating from Singapore Polytechnic, Mr Abu Bakar joined Keppel Shipyard as an assistant safety officer in 1990. Today, he is the chief executive officer of Nakilat-Keppel Offshore and Marine, a Keppel joint venture in Qatar.

His story was one of several told by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Keppel staff who have risen through the ranks through training and acquisition of new skills, though they did not have stellar academic qualifications.

Mr Abu Bakar recently graduated from Singapore Management University with an Executive MBA, which was made possible only after former Keppel chief executive Choo Chiau Beng wrote him a testimonial — as he did not have any degree qualifications.

The Applied Study in Polytechnics and ITE Review (ASPIRE) committee hopes to help more polytechnic and Institute of Technical Education (ITE) graduates tread the path charted by Mr Abu Bakar, with more emphasis on mastering skills and gaining relevant qualifications along the way.

In his National Day Rally speech, Mr Lee said: “There are different ways to deepen one’s skills and knowledge, by learning on the job or going for higher qualifications as you work, progressively, or both. You should look for the best ways to learn. Learn what is relevant and apply that. Don’t go on a paper chase for qualifications or degrees.”

Mr Lee pointed out that Mr Abu Bakar did not need a degree to be promoted to a colonel as an operationally-ready National Serviceman, commanding an infantry brigade.

Other Keppel success stories Mr Lee highlighted included that of Ms Dorothy Han, an ITE graduate who rose to lead 62 people in the pipe design section of the engineering department, and Mr Roy Lim’s, a secondary school drop-out who became one of two shipyard managers of Keppel FELS. The pair together manage 12,000 workers in Keppel’s two biggest yards in Tuas.

“Keppel illustrates that you can progress by acquiring deep skills and knowledge throughout your career,” said Mr Lee. “Pathway and opportunities to upgrade and to get better qualifications will remain open throughout your career.”

At the same time, employers must value staff and develop them to take on higher responsibilities. “With the right support at work, you can advance in your careers whether or not you are a graduate. This is the culture shift which we need,” he said.

Keppel Offshore and Marine’s (Keppel O&M) campus recruitment efforts include active collaborations such as internship programmes and regular talks at educational institutions such as ITEs and polytechnics.

Structured development schemes for new employees, ranging from those who have completed N-Levels to fresh graduates with diplomas or degrees, are also in place to provide them with the knowledge and skills to have a good head start in the company.

For example, the Management Traineeship Scheme is a two-year intensive development programme that Keppel O&M has for fresh graduates with diplomas or degrees, which comprises classroom training, job rotation and networking opportunities. Keppel O&M also has an Employee Development Scheme to sponsor employees who wish to further their education regardless of their educational level.

When asked what he thought of society’s fixation with academic grades, Mr Abu Bakar said: “There are some merits, although being too focused on academic qualifications can cause us to stereotype.

“We all go through experiences in life and I believe it is these experiences that make a person complete.”





No degrees, but they succeeded in their careers
By Sandra Davie, Amelia Teng And Priscilla Goy, The Straits Times, 19 Aug 2014

MS RACHEL Aw, 28, took the road less travelled when she went to work in the Les Amis Group of restaurants after completing her polytechnic studies. She went from trainee to sommelier in five years before she took a degree partly paid for by her employer.

Mr Muhammad Munir Ahmad, 29, chose to work as a trainee technician at Rolls-Royce on graduating from Temasek Polytechnic. He did so well he is now finishing a degree through night classes.

Both these young people said going out to work first helped them discover their passions and talents, and honed skills they can now take to a higher level.

Employers and job recruiters responding to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's call to set up schemes to allow non-graduates to rise in their careers said that not every young person is willing to take the route chosen by these two. Many prefer the more conventional path of chasing a degree before joining the workforce.

For Institute of Technical Education (ITE) and polytechnic graduates who have always lagged behind university graduates in career prospects, Mr Lee said on Sunday they will get a boost through a tripartite committee chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam to help match their skills to the right jobs so they can move up.

The committee will put in place an integrated system of education, training and career progression for all Singaporeans.

Currently, around 30 per cent of a cohort go on to study in local universities. Others go abroad or to a private school to get a degree.

Employers welcome the move to help more young people without degrees rise through job performance and skills, but said one thing that must change is the common belief that a degree is the only fast track to a good career.

Mr David Leong, managing director of recruitment firm PeopleWorldwide, said: "The myth that you need a degree to be successful has to be debunked."

Job recruiters say some firms do place more weight on skills and experience when promoting staff than on paper qualifications.

In restaurants and hotels, for instance, ITE and poly graduates can work their way up to become managers, said Restaurant Association of Singapore president Andrew Tjioe.

Food and Beverage Managers' Association president Cheong Hai Poh agreed but said a degree would help for some top positions, like chief executive of a hotel group. "At that level, some further education is important to increase your knowledge of the industry."

Still, recruiters noted that bosses must be willing to pay ITE and poly graduates accordingly.

"Firms need to move them up the ranks if they perform well and give them graduate-level salaries," said Mr Leong.

He agrees with PM Lee, who said a societal shift can come about only when people respect blue-collar and technical jobs.

"This effort to educate people must start from a young age. We must ensure no jobs are scorned," said Mr Leong.





Taking the road less travelled pays off
By Sandra Davie, The Straits Times, 19 Aug 2014

MANY of her peers in the hospitality management course were heading straight to university after completing their diploma studies, but Temasek Polytechnic graduate Rachel Aw decided to take on a job as management trainee at the Les Amis Group of restaurants after completing her three years of study.

Now, Ms Aw, the franchise operations manager for the group, also has a hotel administration degree under her belt - from the renowned Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, no less.

The 28-year-old is glad that she took the path less travelled by working for five years before heading for a degree. "Now, looking back, I am glad I went out to work first. It allowed me to hone my skills and knowledge and discover where my interest and talents lie in the industry," she said.

After just six months at Les Amis, her employers recognised her interest and knowledge of wines, and made her a commis (assistant) sommelier. Then, in August 2007, she became a fully fledged sommelier at La Strada, the group's Italian restaurant.

Just 22 then, she was one of the youngest people here to become a fully fledged sommelier. The group also agreed to co-fund her education at Cornell when she told them of her plans to study for a degree.

"By then, I knew I wanted to stay in the industry, but I also wanted to learn more so that I can do more. That's why I decided to go for a degree. The scholarship from Les Amis helped me get into one of the best hospitality schools, which I could not have afforded financially," she said.

When she came back after 21/2 years at Cornell, she was made assistant general manager of Canele Patisserie, the group's pastry arm. Recently, she was moved to the franchising business arm of the group.

She believes it is possible for young people to progress in the workplace, but stresses that bosses must provide support. "I was lucky to have started with a company that believes in investing in its people. You need that if you are going to persuade young people to stay and grow with a company."





Flying high with dream career
By Amelia Teng, The Straits Times, 19 Aug 2014

AFTER four years of studying computing systems at Temasek Polytechnic and not doing well in it, Mr Muhammad Munir Ahmad decided to pursue his dreams and fly high.

"I love airplanes and things associated with them, such as engines and aircraft models," said the 29-year-old who decided to switch to a course in mechatronics.

Working in the aviation industry was his dream, so when he graduated, he applied for a job at global engineering company Rolls-Royce Singapore as a trainee technician instead of pursuing a degree.

After three years, he was promoted to become a test engineer - a position usually for degree-holders - in January this year.

His job is to run tests for production engines such as the Trent 900 which powers the Airbus A-380, the world's largest passenger plane, after they are assembled.

"I didn't think I would be promoted so fast. The company really looks at our abilities and performance on the job, and our willingness to learn new skills," he said.

The company has also provided on-the-job training for him, by sending him to Derby, its manufacturing facility in Britain, for six months in 2012.

To deepen his knowledge, he has been attending night classes since August last year, about two to three times a week at the Air Transport Training College, an aerospace training school in Seletar.

He will graduate from the University of Technology, Sydney next year with a bachelor of engineering science in aerospace operations.

"In this industry, skills-based experience is very important, and that comes on the job. That's why I chose to work first. Upgrading opportunities will always be there," he said.





Cultural shift in way people are valued ‘long overdue’
MPs and observers are unanimous in asking Public Service to take the lead, saying it has much room for improvement
By Joy Fang, TODAY 19 Aug 2014

The Prime Minister’s call for a cultural change in the way Singapore values its people has been backed by several Members of Parliament and observers.

Describing such a shift as long overdue, they were unanimous in asking the Public Service to take the lead, saying it has much room for improvement in this area.

During his National Day Rally speech on Sunday (Aug 17), Mr Lee Hsien Loong said a cultural shift is needed to ensure Singapore remains a place where everyone can feel proud of what they do and is respected for their contributions and character. The Public Service will do its part, he added, such as by placing greater weight on job performance and relevant skills instead of just starting qualifications. The Public Service Division said on Monday that it will provide more information soon.

PUBLIC SERVICE TO DO MORE

MPs and observers made several suggestions: For example, an apprenticeship scheme could be set up in the Public Service for talented non-graduates. There could also be a deliberate effort to recruit more polytechnic graduates. Institute of Technical Education scholarships or bursaries could also be offered to students interested in pursuing blue-collar jobs in the Public Service.

Tampines GRC MP Irene Ng said non-graduates could be put through a period of structured training under the apprenticeship scheme. If they prove themselves on the job, they should be fast-tracked into graduate-career jobs, she proposed.

Suggesting that the Public Service does more to hire non-graduates, Mr David Ang, director of capability and business development for Human Capital Singapore, nevertheless acknowledged that there might not be many takers for ITE scholarships or bursaries as few Singaporeans are attracted to blue-collar jobs.

During the rally, Mr Lee noted that the Public Service already offers fulfilling careers to non-graduates. For example, the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) recognises leadership and abilities, and not just academic qualifications. Still, the Public Service can and will do more, he said.

Indeed, the MPs and observers cited numerous HR practices that the Public Service should re-examine: Different pay scales pegged according to a public servant’s academic qualifications, the use of Current Estimated Potential to determine how high an employee can rise, and a preference for scholars, among other things.

MINDSET CHANGE

Joo Chiat MP Charles Chong, a diploma holder who rose through the ranks in the private sector, said that with more Singaporeans getting a tertiary education, a mindset change “should have taken place a long time ago”.

Ang Mo Kio GRC MP Inderjit Singh said the Public Service’s emphasis on academic results is deeply entrenched. He cited the example of the uniformed services, pointing out that he had seen many good commanders who were replaced by returning scholars. “I’ve seen scholars who are poor ground commanders and yet they get promoted,” he said.

Writing on Facebook, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said the SAF has “many examples of commanders without degrees or even diplomas who rose up the ranks because of the value they bring”. He cited Second Warrant Officer Bobby Lin, 43, who joined the Army 25 years ago with three O-Level passes.

He is currently the Command and Control Intel System Warrant Officer at Headquarters, Army Intelligence. 2WO Lin recently obtained a Diploma in Business and Management Studies. “But it was not paper qualifications that enabled Bobby to do his job well or gain respect, but his skills, attitude and positive values,” said Mr Ng.


Related
National Day Rally 2014
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Rahmat Yusak: A father, a driver and a pioneer who gave to S'pore

August 20, 2014, 7:57 am
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At the National Day Rally on Sunday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong paid tribute to Mr Rahmat Yusak, former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew's driver in the 1960s.

Mr Rahmat's son, Mr Mohd Zulkifli Rahmat, night editor of Berita Harian, had written an e-mail to PM Lee to say: "My father was only a driver, but I hope people like him will not be forgotten when Singapore honours its pioneer generation." Mr Zulkifli said he wrote to Mr Lee on the spur of the moment, when his ailing father, 95, was into his fourth week in hospital for lung infection. "On the night I was alone with him, watching him sleep, I felt so sorry that we could not do much to help him recover. Doctors had given him only days to live."

Mr Zulkifli then picked up his mobile phone and wrote an e-mail to Mr Lee about his father's condition on Aug 4. The spontaneous e-mail got a response from the Prime Minister, who asked Mr Zulkifli for his permission to mention his father in the National Day Rally speech.



Mr Lee's moving tribute during the speech was "truly unexpected", said Mr Zulkifli, whose father died on Aug 5.

Mr Zulkifli wrote about his late father in an article published in Berita Harian yesterday. Here is a translation of the article.

By Mohd Zulkifli Rahmat, Published The Straits Times, 19 Aug 2014

IN KAMPUNG Chantek Lama, which was also called Kampung Wayang Satu, in the early 1960s, a Land Rover was often parked along the road near my house.

I felt excited every time I saw it. As a child, I waited for a chance to go for a ride in the Land Rover, even for just a short trip. We could not afford to own the vehicle then.

The Land Rover, which belonged to the Primary Production Department (PPD), was driven by my father, Mr Rahmat Yusak, to take PPD staff to crop and livestock farms.

He drove the vehicle home when he was able to return for lunch.

Sometimes, the Land Rover was driven home late at night or early in the morning. Inside, there were pieces of firecrackers and garlands.

I was too young, so I did not understand the circumstances then. My father seldom talked about his job.

When I got older, I knew that the Land Rover with firecrackers and garlands was used during the then Prime Minister's general election campaign.

It turned out that my father was the driver of a very famous individual - Mr Lee Kuan Yew.

But my father never boasted about his job.

He also did not tell other people. He did not share private matters that I am sure he knew while he was in service.

Even if he did, it was just to express his gratitude about being well treated by Mr Lee and his wife, and how they were always concerned about his welfare.

Also fresh in my father's memory was when our current Prime Minister, Mr Lee Hsien Loong, as a child, also accompanied Mr Lee Kuan Yew during his general election campaign.

While his father made speeches to would-be voters, Mr Lee Hsien Loong usually sat still beside my father in the Land Rover.

Although he was not boastful, my father was proud of his job and diligent in carrying out his duties.

I could see his pride from the way he carefully kept old photographs and documents.

Among the materials I discovered my father had kept: an official employment letter from the PPD, an invitation card and a ceremony programme booklet when he was conferred a medal by Mr Yusof Ishak in 1964, several invitation cards to dinner events at Sri Temasek at the Istana, a letter of appreciation from the Defence Minister for his excellent service as a driver for dignitaries during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 1971, and a Hari Raya card and a personal letter from Mr Lee Kuan Yew in 1998.

With his job as a driver, my father, together with my mother, Madam Tafilah Said, brought up six children.

He did not have a formal education but still wanted his children to study at the highest level possible.

When I failed to get a scholarship and refused to go to university to avoid burdening the family, my father, at 62, was willing to pay for my studies for the next four years.

He was firm in wanting his children to avoid negative influences. For example, when we just moved from the village to a public flat in Tanglin Halt in the late 1960s, he quickly warned us "not to mix with the drug addict kids at the void deck".

Throughout his career, his work ethic was recognised by his colleagues and supervisors. It was said he almost never took medical leave.

According to a former colleague, when Minister E.W. Barker needed a driver, he once looked for my father. When he was told that my father had retired, Mr Barker said: "How can Rahmat retire?"

How true - after he retired from public service at 60, my father became the driver of a surgeon for around 10 years.

In his old age, he was always active, preferring to be self-reliant and moving around without anyone's help.

"I don't want to burden my children," he said.

He died on Aug 5. He was 95.

As a member of the pioneer generation, my father's sacrifices and hard work in successfully raising a family, I think, also benefited the community.

He, too, certainly contributed to the country's well-being.

BERITA HARIAN

Translated from Malay by Norzulriyah Haron


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