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Liquor Control Act to take effect from 1 April 2015

April 2, 2015, 6:36 am
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New liquor laws: What's ok, what's not
Curbs kick in today; police will take 'calibrated' approach in enforcement
By Lim Yi Han, The Straits Times, 1 Apr 2015

THE new alcohol laws that apply from today will not stop people from having a tipple if they fire up a barbecue in a park.

As long as you have a permit from the National Parks Board to organise the barbecue in a park, including East Coast Park, you can pop the corks.

But drinking must be within the "immediate vicinity" of the barbecue area and only during the permit duration, according to the police website.

Several Members of Parliament previously expressed concern about whether it would be easy to apply for a consumption permit that would allow drinking at an event held in a public place.

Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC MP Hri Kumar Nair had suggested that a person should be allowed to ask for a permit as part of the application for the barbecue pit itself.

Drinking is also allowed during restricted hours at events held by the Government or statutory boards for a public purpose.

The new restrictions are part of the Liquor Control (Supply and Consumption) Act, which bans drinking in all public places from 10.30pm to 7am every day.

Places with free access such as parks and Housing Board void decks are deemed public places while condominiums and chalets are regarded as private.

Retail outlets such as convenience stores or supermarkets are barred from selling takeaway alcohol from 10.30pm to 7am.

People can drink in licensed premises such as restaurants and pubs, which can sell alcohol according to its licence.


Organisers of events to be held in public places can apply for a "consumption permit" from the police if drinking during restricted hours may occur.

Police can extend retail sale hours on a case-by-case basis after considering "the propensity for public disorder and disamenities" in the area and what measures the licensees are prepared to put in place to reduce drinking-related problems.

MHA also outlined the stricter rules for Geylang and Little India, which are designated as Liquor Control Zones - places with a higher risk of public disorder associated with excessive drinking.

Public drinking is banned in Geylang and Little India from 7am on Saturdays to 7am on Mondays. The ban also applies from 7pm on the eve of a public holiday to 7am on the day after the holiday. This is similar to the temporary measures introduced to curb excessive drinking in Little India after the riot in 2013. Shops within the zones are also not allowed to sell takeaway alcohol from 7pm on weekends and the eve of a public holiday and the holiday itself.

Anyone drinking illegally can be fined up to $1,000 and repeat offenders may be fined up to $2,000 and jailed for up to three months. A shop selling alcohol after the permitted hours could be fined up to $10,000.

MHA stressed that police will take a "calibrated" approach in enforcement.

Mr Nair, who chairs the Government Parliamentary Committee for Home Affairs and Law, said that while there have been some negative reactions to the law, it has received "very strong support" among his residents.

He added: "This is a practical response to a longstanding issue on the ground. So, we need to give this some time to work, and then assess if there needs to be any change in approach."







Revellers still drinking after liquor law kicked in
Some drinkers in Clarke Quay area say they were not aware of the curbs
By Lim Yi Han, The Straits Times, 2 Apr 2015

IT SEEMS as if the curbs on consuming alcohol in public places, which kicked in yesterday, may take some getting used to.

Scores of revellers were still seen knocking back beers on Read Bridge at Clarke Quay past midnight early yesterday morning, even after the new law had come into force.

Under the Liquor Control (Supply and Consumption) Act, the drinking of alcohol is not allowed in all public places from 10.30pm to 7am. Retail outlets such as convenience stores or supermarkets are also barred from selling takeaway alcohol during the same hours. Stricter rules apply in Geylang and Little India, as they are designated Liquor Control Zones.

At least 200 people - mostly tourists and expatriates - were seen drinking at Clarke Quay's Read Bridge in the early hours of April 1, even though posters about the regulations were put up on the bridge's lamp posts.

Some said they were not aware of the rules, while others said they did not know the restrictions took effect immediately.

Mongolian tourist Batbold G., 32, said: "I didn't know about the rules, and I'll continue to drink since there are so many people here. I'm leaving Singapore and I want to enjoy myself first.

Anyone drinking illegally can be fined up to $1,000 and repeat offenders may be fined up to $2,000 and jailed for up to three months. A shop selling alcohol after the permitted hours could be fined up to $10,000.

The Ministry of Home Affairs said on Tuesday that the police will take a "calibrated and even- handed" approach when it comes to enforcing the law.

A 43-year-old British expatriate who did not want to be named said he did not know the restriction took effect immediately.

He said: "I will finish it up then. But I believe 99.9 per cent of people don't go out and create trouble when they drink, so why would you legislate against the majority?"

Student Rahul R., 21, who comes from India, also said he would quickly finish up his drink when told of the new law.

"It is the law and we have to follow it," he added.

"But I am a little upset. This is a happening place, and it will not be like this anymore."

Others questioned if the restrictions were necessary.

Mr Blake Osborne, 28, a tourist from Britain who has been to Singapore five times, said he drinks at the bridge every time he visits.

He added that there was "no issue" there and it was safe.

"This is something I am very fond of and enjoy... This should still be allowed here," he said.

Meanwhile, staff at shops like 7-Eleven and Cheers at Clarke Quay said they knew about the ban and would stop selling alcohol by midnight.

At 12am, they were seen turning away customers who offered to pay twice the price.

At Robertson Bridge, things were quieter with no one drinking in its vicinity.

A 10-minute walk from popular nightclub Zouk, the area is typically packed with young party-goers on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights when more clubs are open.

Tampines GRC MP Baey Yam Keng, who had called the law "overly restrictive", told The Straits Times: "It seems unclear as to the time it takes effect and it can be a little confusing.

"I don't think the police went around after midnight on April 1 to catch people flouting this new law. But over the next few days, I believe it'll be quite clear and the police should be ready to enforce it, or at least tell people it's not right."





Frequently asked questions

THE Liquor Control (Supply and Consumption) Act came into force yesterday, and bans drinking in public places from 10.30pm to 7am. Here are some frequently asked questions about the new law:


What is a public place?

A public place is where a person has free access to, such as Housing Board void decks, parks or beaches. Condominiums and chalets are considered private places.


Is there any exception to the law?

You can continue to drink beyond the restricted hours if you have a valid permit from the National Parks Board to hold a barbecue at a park. But you must drink in the immediate vicinity of the barbecue pit, and can drink only during the duration of the permit, which is valid from 12pm on the day of the permit to 4am the following day.

Drinking after 10.30pm is also allowed at government or statutory board events held for a public purpose, though it is understood that such events typically do not end after 10.30pm.


How about at other events?

Event organisers may apply for a "consumption permit" from the police to allow drinking beyond the restricted hours.


Does it mean duty-free shops are not allowed to sell alcohol from 10.30pm?

Yes, duty-free shops are considered retail shops, but they may apply for an extension of retail sale hours from the police.


What will the police consider in granting a retail shop an extension?

Police will consider the propensity for public disorder and disamenities in the area, and the measures that licensees are prepared to put in place to reduce drinking-related problems.


How about at pubs or restaurants or coffee shops?

People can continue to drink at these licensed premises, which can sell alcohol according to their licences.



Related
Liquor Control (Supply and Consumption) Act to Take Effect from 1 April 2015
New alcohol laws passed - drinking in public places banned from 10.30pm to 7am
Liquor Control (Supply and Consumption) Act -Frequently Asked Questions
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New Lease Buyback Scheme takes effect 1 April 2015

April 2, 2015, 7:01 am
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HDB lease buyback changes kick in
The Straits Times, 1 Apr 2015

MORE elderly Housing Board (HDB) flat owners can apply for the Lease Buyback Scheme under rule changes that kick in today.

The scheme involves owners selling part of their lease back to the Government to generate retirement income.

Four changes that were announced last September have now taken effect.

Four-room flats are now eligible and the monthly household income ceiling has been raised to $10,000 from $3,000.

In households with two or more owners, each one will need to top up his or her Central Provident Fund (CPF) Retirement Account only to the current basic age-adjusted retirement sum, instead of the full retirement sum.

Another change allows households to choose how long a lease to retain. These can be 15, 20, 25, 30 or 35 years, provided that the lease covers the youngest owner until the age of 95.

Previously owners had to retain a 30-year lease.



The scheme is open to households in which at least one owner is a Singapore citizen and all owners are at least at the CPF payout eligibility age of 64.

Applicants must apply on the HDB's website, but can approach an HDB branch for help to do so.

Once an application has been lodged, the HDB will conduct a one-to-one financial counselling session to help owners better understand the scheme and other monetisation options.

For more information, call the HDB Branch Service Line on 1800-225-5432 between 8am and 5pm, Monday to Friday.



From today (1 Apr), eligible seniors can apply for the new Lease Buyback Scheme, with the following enhancements made:•...
Posted by Ministry of National Development on Tuesday, March 31, 2015




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800,000 HDB households to receive $80 million of S&CC rebates in 2015

April 3, 2015, 5:31 am
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$80m worth of S&CC rebates to start this month
The Straits Times, 2 Apr 2015

ABOUT 800,000 Singaporean households in Housing Board flats will get around $80 million in service and conservancy charges (S&CC) rebates this year, as earlier announced in the Budget.

Eligible households will receive a letter this month with more details, the Ministry of Finance said in a statement yesterday. The rebate is to help households cope with increases in the cost of living. Each household will get one to three months' worth of rebates in total, depending on the type of flat. These will be disbursed over April, July and October.

Households in one- and two-room flats will receive a one-month rebate each time, for a total of three months' worth.

Those in three- and four-room flats will receive a one-month rebate this month, and a half-month rebate in the other two months. Households in five-room flats will get half-month rebate each time, for a total of 11/2 months' worth.

Those in executive and multi-generation flats will get a half-month rebate each in April and July only, for a total of one month's rebate.

The rebate will directly offset a household's S&CC payment.

For households who pay through Giro or any electronic mode of payment, town councils will arrange with the banks to take the rebates into account.

Residents with inquiries can contact their respective town councils; call 1800-866-3078, from 8.30am to 5pm, Mondays to Fridays; or they can e-mail sccrebates@mailbox.hdb.gov.sg


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Malaysia's GST kicks in amid teething problems

April 3, 2015, 5:48 am
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By Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani, Malaysia Correspondent In Kuala Lumpur, The Straits Times, 2 Apr 2015

PRIME Minister Najib Razak went shopping at a local supermarket to see how Malaysians are taking to the switch to a 6 per cent goods and services tax (GST) that kicked in yesterday.

There has been some confusion among consumers and businesses over which goods are subject to GST and which are not.

Some 4,000 officers from the Customs Department and the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry were sent out to ensure that retailers and traders complied with the new tax regime on its first day yesterday, according to Customs GST director Subromaniam Tholasy.

The GST was implemented after a nearly two- decade delay.

Set at 6 per cent - the lowest among ASEAN countries that have GST - it is aimed at making taxes fairer and more transparent, given that only an estimated 1.7 million Malaysians out of a workforce of 12 million pay income tax.

Finance Ministry figures show that in 2012, only about 2.2 million salaried workers out of more than 13 million paid tax. At the same time, only 15.6 per cent of more than one million firms registered with the Companies Commission of Malaysia to pay tax.

Datuk Seri Najib, who is facing pressure from his own party to reverse the GST, yesterday called on Muslims in the country to embrace the new tax reform.

"It's confirmed by our fatwa (religious edict). The National Fatwa Council has said that GST is halal… It is to ensure a more efficient taxation system that is also effective, transparent, easy to use and which will contribute to ensuring that Malaysia achieves its goal of being a high-income nation by 2020," he said in his keynote address at the World Halal Summit here yesterday morning.

Still, the long lists of GST-exempt and zero-rated items have caused teething problems. Officials said the GST hotline received more than 400 calls yesterday.

While consumers rushed to stock up on non-perishable goods in the run-up to the implementation of GST, businesses have been griping over the anticipated paperwork. Some small retailers, fearful of onerous tax-filing demands, have even chosen to close for good.

Some retailers have sought to cushion the impact of GST on customers.

Eight Ounce Coffee in Suria KLCC suspended its service charge temporarily, although it raised the prices of cold drinks slightly.

Dr Yeah Kim Leng, an economist, believes the GST's negative impact on growth will not be too great.

"There will be some inflationary impact in terms of higher prices as businesses will have to pass on the GST, especially for items that are not taxable," said Dr Yeah, who is also dean of the School of Business at the Malaysia University of Science and Tech- nology.

"We initially expected a large price increase but it has been lower than expected."

What appeared to cause the most confusion yesterday was the 6 per cent increase in prepaid phone card top-ups. About 30 million mobile phones use prepaid cards.

The Consumer Affairs Ministry said it would investigate.

Additional reporting by Shannon Teoh





Most shoppers take GST impact in their stride
By Melissa Lin, The Straits Times, 2 Apr 2015

TWO major supermarkets in Johor Baru were noticeably less crowded yesterday, when Malaysia's 6 per cent goods and services tax (GST) kicked in.

The Straits Times had seen a lot more shoppers at the same supermarkets just the day before.

The prices of most products at the supermarkets, including shampoo, toilet rolls and cosmetics, have risen. But some items popular with Singaporean shoppers, such as milk powder, cooking oil and baby diapers, still cost the same.

At the Aeon supermarket in Bukit Indah, a pack of 10 rolls of Kleenex ultra soft toilet paper costs RM19.50 (S$7.20), up from RM17.90 the day before. The price of a 2.4kg pack of Enfagrow A+ Step 3 Original milk formula remains unchanged at RM159.99 at the same supermarket.

Staff were seen restocking the shelves and putting up new tags indicating the prices inclusive of GST yesterday afternoon.

Unlike the day before, when shoppers were busily filling their trolleys with bottles of ketchup and packs of diapers, the mood was more relaxed yesterday.

"To be honest, I don't really care much," said a 60-year-old Malaysian manager who gave his name only as Mr Weng. His shopping basket was empty as he scanned the new price tags.

"Prices of imported products were already going up before the GST kicked in because the ringgit has depreciated a lot," he said. "A crate of apples already cost RM8 to RM9 more."

Some, however, were confused by the prices as certain items were part of an in-store promotion and cheaper than what their tags indicated.

Several shoppers were seen scanning their items on machines which showed the updated prices.

Singaporean housewife Lilian Choong, 60, who stocked up on noodles, bread and instant oatmeal at Aeon, said: "I know the prices of daily essentials are supposed to be unchanged. But even if they increase, the items are still cheaper than in Singapore."

At Tesco supermarket, also in Bukit Indah, updated price tags were in place when The Straits Times visited before noon.

Receipts showed the total price before GST and the tax amount.

"The prices I've seen so far are quite reasonable," said Ms Siti Khatijah, 25, a Malaysian customer service engineer who was buying a packet of milk.

But she is "worried that some retailers will take advantage of people who don't understand the GST and simply increase prices".


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Science Centre Singapore and KidsSTOP admission fees reduced

April 3, 2015, 6:05 am
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A Science Centre outing costs less now
By Priscilla Goy, The Straits Times, 2 Apr 2015

A TRIP to the Science Centre Singapore is now much cheaper, and even free on weekdays.

Admission fees to the centre and its children's attraction KidsSTOP have been reduced by at least 30 per cent, starting yesterday.

Fees to enter KidsSTOP, which caters to children aged 18 months to eight years, have been slashed by more than half. They now range from $2 to $10 for children and adults, down from $10 to $23.

For a family of two pre-school children and their parents, a visit to KidsSTOP during peak periods - weekends, public holidays and school holidays - would now cost them $42 less than before.

Also, admission is now free for Singaporeans, permanent residents and local school groups to the Science Centre during weekdays, with the exception of public holidays and school holidays.

Tickets previously cost $10 for adults, $6 for children aged three to 12, and $2 per student for local school groups on weekdays. During peak periods, children now pay $4, down from $6, and adults $6, down from $10. The lower fees are possible with higher subsidies from the Education Ministry.

Speaking at the launch of a community initiative at the centre yesterday, Education Minister Heng Swee Keat urged parents to take their children there.

"In that way, we can stimulate the curiosity and imagination of our children, and this also helps the family to bond," he said.

Science Centre Singapore CEO Lim Tit Meng said: "The lower admission fees is our way of giving back to the community, and we hope it will allow even more Singaporeans to benefit."

There have been almost a million visitors to the centre in the latest financial year and about 105,000 visitors to KidsSTOP since it opened last June.



With effect from today, admission fees to Science Centre Singapore and KidsSTOP will be reduced for Singaporeans,...
Posted by Science Centre Singapore on Tuesday, March 31, 2015




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Chinese museum devoted to promoting filial piety

April 3, 2015, 6:06 am
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The Straits Times, 31 Mar 2015

GUYI (China) - What makes a good son or daughter? At China's first museum dedicated to the topic of filial piety, the answer seems to be: almost superhuman levels of devotion and sacrifice.

The Modern Filial Piety Culture Museum, situated on a riverbank in the backwater town of Guyi in the south-western province of Sichuan, is part of government-backed efforts to "pass on the value" - as a banner over the entrance exhorts.



The museum opened four months ago and the local authorities provided at least a quarter of its 8 million yuan (S$1.8 million) construction costs, said its businessman founder, Mr Liao Lin.

In a grey brick courtyard building inspired by traditional Chinese architecture, slick panels and exhibits in gleaming glass cases tell of more than a dozen modern- day filial role models.

An introductory panel features equal-sized portraits of Confucius and President Xi Jinping, with a quote from Mr Xi urging officials to read the Standards For Being A Good Pupil And Child, a collection of Confucian sayings.

One featured role model is policeman Wang Chunlai, who gave his bedridden parents years of medical care, injections and blood transfusions. "This man is a classic example of filial piety," said museum volunteer Zeng Yan, standing in front of the Wangs' tattered beds and discoloured bedpans donated after their deaths.

Among the artefacts are a cart in which two sons pulled their mother to more than 600 towns and cities across China to fulfil her dying wish to travel, wearing out 12 pairs of shoes in the process - several of them on display.

Filial piety was the core value of Confucius, and outlandish tales have been used for centuries to spur readers to show parental devotion. But China's three decades of rapid economic growth have put families under unprecedented strain, with millions leaving their parents behind as they migrate to find work. The "one-child policy" family planning rule also means the burden of care will usually fall on a single offspring.

"People will see these perfect examples, and be inspired to do even better," Mr Liao said of his exhibits. "They may feel guilty that they don't care enough for their parents, and return home... That's the kind of result we are hoping for."

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE


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First S'porean nurse to be honoured by Florence Nightingale foundation

April 3, 2015, 6:28 am
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'Bringing dignity to fellow human beings'
By Andrea Ng, The Straits Times, 2 Apr 2015

WHEN Dr Subadhra Devi Rai first arrived in a refugee camp near the Thai-Myanmar border in 2005, she noticed women doing fine needlework by candlelight.

Worried for their eyesight, the 51-year-old immediately started working with NGOs in the area to ensure the women received regular eye checkups.

Dr Rai was then a health coordinator with Women's Education for Advancement and Empowerment - an organisation that empowers and supports the needs and basic human rights of indigenous women.

Apart from arranging for the eye checks, she also made other assessments and provided health education materials for non-governmental groups in Thailand as well as several other areas thereafter, to address their pressing needs.

For her extensive work, the senior lecturer at Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) has become the first Singaporean nurse to be named a recipient of the 2015 International Achievement Award by the International Council of Nurses'Florence Nightingale International Foundation.

The biennale award will be presented to Dr Rai on June 21, in Seoul, South Korea, in recognition of her work on the health of women and refugees.

"Subadhra Rai has shown dedication in providing nursing care to vulnerable populations since the beginning of her career," said the foundation's president Judith Shamian.

"Her special focus on issues such as gender-based violence, sexual health and reintegration of refugees is particularly topical."

Growing up, Dr Rai sometimes read stories about Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. When she turned 18, she decided to go into nursing.

In 1997, she went to the Edmonton Centre for Survivors of Torture and Trauma in Canada for further education. While there, she decided to focus on health issues regarding women and refugees.

Since then, she has gone on to work and volunteer in several places, including Chiang Mai in Thailand and Gujarat in India, where she did her PhD fieldwork.

She returned to Singapore in 2010, after working overseas for 21 years.

While she is no longer out in the field, her efforts have not stopped. As a senior lecturer at NYP's School of Health Sciences (Nursing), she continues to keep herself busy, training the next generation of nurses.

"She believes that nursing is about bringing dignity to a fellow human being," said the School of Health Sciences (Nursing) director Wong Luan Wah, who nominated Dr Rai for the award.

"And she uses that belief to teach her students, to tell them what nursing is."

For example, she teaches her students to ask their patients for permission before touching them, and to consider the financial background of their patients before advising them to buy organic food.

"I use my experiences to teach them the values I believe they should have," said Dr Rai. "I want them to be caring individuals who are sensitive towards their patients."

With this award, the nurse now hopes to also send the message to other nurses that "the sky's the limit".


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New strategic govt unit to tackle critical issues

April 3, 2015, 6:52 am
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Move to improve coordination among ministries and agencies
By Rachel Chang, Assistant Political Editor And Charissa Yong, The Straits Times, 2 Apr 2015

A NEW government unit will be set up to identify the most critical issues facing Singapore and come up with action plans that draw on resources across its agencies.

Called the strategic policy unit, it will tackle issues over a horizon of three, five, 10 years and even beyond, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean said yesterday.

The unit is a major push in the Government's ongoing effort to improve coordination among ministries and agencies.

With the better coordination at "the centre of government", these organisations can better develop policies and programmes which are in line with overall government objectives, Mr Teo added.

It will be formed in July, come under the Prime Minister's Office and be led by the head of the civil service, Mr Peter Ong.

Mr Teo, who is the Minister-in-charge of the civil service, was speaking at the annual Administrative Service Dinner and Promotion Ceremony last night.

He told the audience of elite public servants that the unit will be kept "small and nimble".

In particular, it will look at how a certain policy has knock-on effects, trade-offs or synergistic possibilities with other government programmes or services.

In recent years, new units to lead and coordinate whole-of-government work on specific areas like population, climate change and municipal issues have been set up, noted Mr Teo.

"But as issues become more complex and inter-connected... it may not be tenable or desirable to keep setting up new outfits for each area," he said.

The strategic policy unit will play three primary roles.

One, it will "anticipate and tackle" medium to long-term national issues, and be responsible for strategically allocating resources in terms of budget, manpower, and even land to meet the priorities.

While ministries will remain responsible for policies in their own areas, the unit will "join the dots" across initiatives, said Mr Teo.

Two, it will nurture new functions and capabilities required in the public sector.

DPM Teo gave the example of the current need to build up engineering capabilities in the public service.

Three, it will take the lead on issues which do not now fall under any ministry or agency.

The unit will provide a platform for different agencies to come together to resolve current issues, and where appropriate, identify the agency most appropriate to spearhead the work.

In his speech, Mr Teo also called on the administrative service officers to live up to the values of excellence, incorruptibility and meritocracy that founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, who died on March 23, instilled in the public sector.

A total of 73 administrative officers will be promoted this year.

Among them is Dr Fereen Liew, 35, director of operations at Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

Reflecting on the importance of cross-government work, she said: "In today's context, health care policy is no longer purely a healthcare issue. During a disease outbreak for example, there are security concerns, economic considerations, and more often than not, social issues."





How Mr Lee shaped the public service
The Straits Times, 2 Apr 2015

DEPUTY Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean spoke yesterday about how the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew shaped the public service.

Here is an extract of the remarks he made at the annual dinner of the Administrative Service.

"Mr Lee shaped the ethos of the Singapore Public Service. He instilled the values of excellence, incorruptibility and meritocracy that we have preserved to this day.

He was a powerful orator, but for him, Government was not just about rhetoric. He lived up to what he said. He delivered on his promises. He led by example and set high standards - working hard to get things done for Singaporeans.

He had an eye for detail, getting the small things right, along with the big things... For him, any policy or programme was only as good as its implementation. For him, if something was worth doing for Singapore, it was worth doing very well.

His commitment to clean government is legendary. In the early days, corruption was rampant. When Mr Lee won the mandate to form the government, he strengthened our anti-corruption laws and gave the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau wider powers to investigate and eradicate corruption.

Today, it is not just the Public Service, but Singaporeans as a whole who are committed to maintaining a corruption-free society.

Mr Lee believed strongly in meritocracy. He was adamant that public officers should be appointed, and advance, on the basis of their abilities, effort and achievements, not connections. For Singapore to succeed, he believed in picking the best person for the job, regardless of race or family background.

Mr Lee established the practice of paying public officers market- competitive salaries that move with the market - a practice which we still maintain today. There is no "iron rice bowl", as poor performers are exited...

Mr Lee believed that public officers needed to understand the ground, in order to hold the trust of Singaporeans.

In 1960, he told public officers that he expected them to know the problems facing citizens, whether they were city-dwellers, farmers, or fishermen. He wanted a government that grows "from the ground up", putting Singaporeans at the centre of all that he did. He expected public officers to communicate clearly and simply, especially to citizens...

Mr Lee also spoke about how public officers should work with the political leadership - offering frank and impartial advice to ministers, so that ministers could make sound decisions.

Mr Lee and his Cabinet continually emphasised that public officers should consider more than just the technical aspects of policymaking, but also ground realities - whose interests are affected, how the policy fits into the Government's long-term objectives, what the reactions might be, and how to communicate the policy.

Once the decisions were made, it was the duty of public officers to implement them well."





'Stay anchored to core values but be adaptable'
That's how to tackle new realities in policymaking, says Civil Service head
By Rachel Chang, Assistant Political Editor, The Straits Times, 2 Apr 2015

AS ISSUES in policymaking become more complex, public servants need to build up a wider range of skills and nurture their "ground feel" and empathy, Head of Civil Service Peter Ong said yesterday.

Speaking to an audience of administrative service officers (AOs), the cream of the public sector, Mr Ong urged them to "be anchored on values" of integrity, service and excellence.

The issues facing civil servants "are becoming more complex, more conflated and conjoined", he said. "New divides like class, values and political leanings may reduce our policy manoeuvring space." To meet this challenge, its institutions and its people need to stay adaptable while holding fast to its core values, Mr Ong said in his speech at the annual Administrative Service Dinner and Promotion Ceremony.

The Government has consistently reorganised ministries and agencies - such as creating the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth - to meet new realities and priorities, he noted.

Its push to have more top public servants know the ground better is also bearing fruit, he added.

More than half of all its 344 AOs have experienced at least one operational posting, like working with, say, patients in a hospital to improve service.

More are also being sent to the private sector or for unorthodox training programmes.

For example, one AO did an attachment at a design consultancy and later came up with the idea of a football-themed train cabin during the World Cup.

The Land Transport Authority found the cabin made 80 per cent of commuters smile, noted Mr Ong.

He also said that communicating policy well is increasingly important.

In today's hyper-connected age, agencies that excel at connecting with the people "will be those that empower their officers to make decisions without going through layers of clearance''.

The public sector will also open its doors wider for those from non-traditional backgrounds, such as non-degree holders.

Last month, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean said the Management Executive Scheme will be extended for non-degree holders with adequate capabilities and potential to go on the same track as degree-holders.

Last night, he said the public service is studying ways to apply this principle to other schemes.


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Reining in the tribal instinct

April 3, 2015, 7:17 am
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The worst riots in Singapore happened 161 years ago. They were between Hokkien and Teochew groups and killed 600 people. Such dialect wars seem unthinkable today due to concerted efforts to rein in the tribal instinct. Racial and tribal harmony need vigilance to maintain.
By Tommy Koh, Published The Straits Times, 1 Apr 2015


IN MY last column, "Miracle on Waterloo Street" (Feb 21), I described our religious harmony as one of Singapore's greatest achievements of the past 50 years. In this column, I want to highlight another great achievement: our racial and tribal harmony. I want also to say that they are part of the legacy of our founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.

Racism and tribalism are two of the world's evils. Discrimination against persons on the basis of their race has ancient roots. It had led to many human tragedies, such as slavery and the Holocaust. Although racial discrimination has been repudiated by the UN Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other instruments of international law, it still exists in many parts of the world.

In recent months, in the United States, several unarmed black men and boys had been killed by police officers. The US Justice Department has accused the police in Ferguson, Missouri, of racism.

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Selma civil rights march in Alabama, President Barack Obama observed: "This nation's long racial history still casts its long shadow upon us. We know the march is not yet over, the race is not yet won."

I can't help thinking that some of the Obama haters are racists who reject him because of the colour of his skin and not his policies.

Tribalism is as ancient as racism. Discrimination against persons based on their tribe is practised universally but has a special virulence in Africa. The hatred between the Hutus and Tutsis led to a genocide in Rwanda and Burundi. Kenya was nearly torn apart by the rivalry between the Kikuyus and the Luos.

Worst riots in Singapore's history

I SHALL use the word "tribe" in the Singapore context to refer to the intra-ethnic groups, for example, the Chinese clans.

Relations between the clans are so good today most readers will be shocked to learn the worst riots in Singapore's history were between the Hokkiens and Teochews. They occurred in 1854, lasted 10 days and killed 600 people.

Singapore's population consists of people of many races and tribes. Seventy-six per cent are Chinese. However, the Chinese come from different clans and dialect groups. A further 14 per cent are Malays.

Apart from the orang Melayu, they include the Javanese, Sundanese, Minang, Boyanese, Acehnese, Bataks, Bugis, etc. Seven per cent are Indians. The Indians comprise Tamils, Malayalees, Bengalis, Sikhs, Punjabis, Gujaratis, Sindhis, etc.

The remaining 3 per cent of the population consists of Eurasians, Jews, Arabs, Armenians and many others. The population of Singapore is therefore one of the most diverse in the world.

Maintaining unity and harmony

IN 1965, newly independent Singapore was faced with the enormous challenge of uniting this microcosm of humanity into one nation and maintaining peace and harmony among the different races and tribes.

The prospects were not promising because a year earlier, on July 21, 1964, during the celebration of Prophet Muhammad's birthday, an incident turned into a riot between the Malays and the Chinese.

Twenty-three people were killed and 454 were injured. Later that year, on Sept 2, another riot occurred. This one killed 13 people and injured 106 others. These two racial riots of 1964 were seared into the collective memories of Singaporeans who were determined to prevent their recurrence. What are the most important steps which Singapore has taken to secure racial and tribal harmony?
- Equal protection and non-discrimination
First, Singapore has used its Constitution and legal system to prohibit racial discrimination and to ensure that all persons are equal before the law and entitled to the equal protection of the law. No one in Singapore has any doubt that the law in the books is the law in practice.
- Presidential Council for Minority Rights
Second, the rights of minorities are protected by the Presidential Council for Minority Rights. The council has the power to scrutinise all proposed legislation in order to ensure that it does not discriminate against the members of any minority.

The council has been criticised for not having issued any adverse report to date. I think we should be pleased because there has been no need for it to do so.
- Ethnic quotas
Third, the State has taken a proactive and interventionist policy on encouraging citizens of different races to live together and not in racial ghettos.

Since 1989, the Housing and Development Board (HDB) has implemented a policy to ensure that the population in each block and each neighbourhood of public housing estates is made up of Chinese, Malays, Indians and others in the same ratios as in the general population.

Since 85 per cent of Singaporeans live in HDB housing, this means that a whole generation of Singaporeans has grown up living next door or in close proximity to neighbours of different races. HDB is therefore not just a developer and landlord. It has also played a significant role in nation-building.
- National service
Fourth, I believe that national service has played a very important role in nation-building. In Singapore, national service is compulsory and universal. All young men have to spend two years in national service. The experience of training and living together with comrades of different races in their platoons, sections and companies is a life-changing experience.

When they complete their training, they not only feel more patriotic but also more bonded as fellow Singaporeans. NS has probably contributed more than any other experience to the rapid evolution of our common identity as Singaporeans and to mutual understanding between Singaporeans of different races.
- Racial Harmony Day
Fifth, the first racial riot of 1964 was on July 21. Each year, students in all our schools celebrate Racial Harmony Day on July 21. We also have formed inter-racial confidence circles and harmony circles to promote inter-racial understanding and reduce mistrust, especially between Malays and non-Malays. Due to these initiatives, Singapore has developed a strong cultural norm in favour of such understanding. This is why the public reacted so strongly to Ms Amy Cheong when she made a pejorative comment about Malay weddings.
- Meritocracy
Sixth, the meritocratic system in Singapore is the best assurance to minorities that they compete with the majority on equal terms. A Malaysian friend once asked me why there were so many Indians in high places in Singapore. My answer was that they were there on merit and it was proof that Singapore is not a racist country.

We live in a troubled world. Racism and tribalism continue to bedevil many countries. We are very fortunate that we have enjoyed 50 years of racial and tribal peace and harmony.

We must treasure this precious achievement.

The writer is special adviser, Institute of Policy Studies, of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore.


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3 religious leaders appointed to minority rights council

April 4, 2015, 5:06 am
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By Rachel Au-Yong, The Straits Times, 3 Apr 2015

THREE new members have been named to the Presidential Council for Minority Rights (PCMR).

They are the Catholic Church's Archbishop William Goh, former mufti Shaikh Syed Isa Mohamed Semait and former Sikh Advisory Board chairman Surjit Singh.

Their three-year appointments took effect on Wednesday.

The council, created in 1973, ensures that laws passed in Parliament do not discriminate against any racial or religious community.

It also advises the President on nominees to the Presidential Council for Religious Harmony, the Malay Community Committee and the Indian and Other Minority Communities Committee. The two committees certify minority candidates for parliamentary elections.

Archbishop Goh was sworn in by Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon, who chairs the PCMR, on Wednesday. Mr Syed Isa and Mr Singh were sworn in at the Istana yesterday.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who attended yesterday's swearing-in ceremony, said on Facebook that the three new members "are all respected religious and community leaders" and will strengthen the PCMR. He added that the PCMR is another legacy of his father, the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew. It was born out of a review of Singapore's Constitution that the elder Mr Lee ordered after separation from Malaysia in 1965.

Apart from Chief Justice Menon, the council comprises five permanent members - PM Lee, Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, Law and Foreign Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam and former Cabinet ministers Othman Wok and S. Dhanabalan -and 13 other members.

The late Mr Lee, who died on March 23, had also been a permanent member.

The other members are Attorney-General V. K. Rajah, Justice Steven Chong, Mr J. Y. Pillay, Archbishop Emeritus Nicholas Chia, Mr Othman Haron Eusofe, Mr Timothy James de Souza, Mr Abdullah Tarmugi, Professor Chan Heng Chee, Mr Barry Desker and Mr Philip Jeyaretnam.


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Malaysia faces rising Islamic conservatism

April 4, 2015, 5:19 am
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By Amy Chew, Regional Correspondent In Kuala Lumpur, The Straits Times, 3 Apr 2015

AS A student in Cairo, 25-year-old Mohamad pays the equivalent of RM23 (S$8.50) in monthly rent for accommodation at the government-subsidised Malaysian Hall.

Despite the facilities extended to him, the Islamic studies undergraduate does not support the Umno-led government.

"I am anti-Umno because it does not rule the country with syariah law," Mohamad says, adding that there are many more like-minded Malaysians.

He reckons that 95 per cent of Malaysians taking Islamic studies there are against Umno, while it is around 50 per cent for those doing medicine.

Malaysia bills itself as a moderate and progressive Muslim-majority country. But the events of recent years have seen this nation of 30 million move towards Islamic conservatism.

A combination of domestic factors, Islamic revivalism on local university campuses and the Middle East influence brought back by thousands of returning students all play a major role in the shift.

According to the Malaysian Embassy in Cairo, there are currently 11,000 Malaysians studying in Egypt, making them the largest foreign student population in the country.

Corruption allegations against the Umno-led Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, which has ruled since independence in 1957, are secondary to Mohamad.

"Yes, corruption is an issue but it is not the main reason why I don't support the government. The main reason is that the country's Constitution is secular," he says.

Not all Malaysian students in Egypt agree, however. But those who choose to remain politically neutral find themselves coming under pressure from the anti-government students.

Dentistry undergraduate Mimi, 21, says: "I am neutral. I am not anti-Umno because, at the end of the day, I am grateful to the government for giving me this chance to further my education.

"But I have to say many Malaysian students here are anti-government and they try to get me to go along with their views."

The growing conservatism and desire for religion-based rule in Malaysia came to the fore a fortnight ago, when the opposition Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) put forward a Bill to implement hudud, or the Islamic penal code, in the state of Kelantan.

The proposal was supported by state assemblymen from Umno and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), the party of jailed opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim. Under hudud law, the penalty for adulterers and apostates is death, while thieves will have their hands amputated.

PAS, founded in 1951, is the country's oldest and largest opposition party, drawing inspiration from Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood. PAS and PKR formed the Pakatan Rakyat alliance together with the secular, Chinese-dominated Democratic Action Party (DAP), which is fiercely opposed to the hudud Bill.

"The Constitution as it currently stands, to my mind, is one which preserves Malaysia as a secular state," says DAP MP Gobind Singh Deo. "So it's really a question of whether one believes in secularism, which is supported by the current constitutional framework."

Mr Gobind adds: "Prime Minister Najib Razak seems afraid of dealing with this issue and has not taken a stand on it."

A survey conducted by independent pollster Merdeka Centre published last July found that 71 per cent of Malay voters expressed support for hudud law. It was a high 83 per cent for Malays aged between 21 and 30.

For Malays with access to alternative media and those with a monthly household income of more than RM5,000, the proportion who support hudud rose to a whopping 90 per cent and 86 per cent respectively.

Politicians and analysts see the efforts to introduce hudud in Kelantan as both a reflection of the conservative mood and a political ploy to court Muslim voters.

They say that the Islamisation of Malaysia's education system since the 1980s has helped to shape the conservative outlook among many Muslims, who make up 61 per cent of the nation's population.

"Decades of Islamisation of the education system, increased use of Islam in identity politics as well as the lack of space for freedom of speech mean that other discourses affecting the welfare of Muslims in the country have been retarded," says Mr Ibrahim Suffian, director of Merdeka Centre.

"Younger Muslims in Malaysia are displaying a more overt social conservatism and a more 'Islamic' outlook. In part, this is due to the Islamisation policies of the government in the past… It probably also reflects the growing use of Islam as an identity tag, both culturally and politically, in Malaysia," adds Mr Ibrahim.

A 29-year Malay-Muslim woman educated in Kuala Lumpur agrees, saying her religious classes were highly conservative.

"When I was 15, I was taught in school, for example, that it was haram, or forbidden, to say 'rest in peace' to a non-Muslim friend's loved one who had died," says the public relations executive who declined to be named. I was also taught in my religious class that it is wrong and sinful to question anything to do with my religion."

Former law minister Zaid Ibrahim says Anwar played a big role in the Islamisation of the education system when he was education minister in the 1980s. "Anwar is an Islamist. He helped Islamise the whole government system when he joined the government," he adds.

Mr Zaid, who hails from Kelantan, warns that the introduction of hudud is a threat to the whole system of government.

"As Malaysia becomes more developed and advanced, it throws up more economic, social, racial and religious issues," he says.

"The government and PAS just try to find a simple solution and the easiest solution is to choose an Islamic state a la the Iran model. I call this a cop-out by the government."

Just as Iran appears to be a model for fundamentalists, the country's Nobel Peace laureate and human rights lawyer Shirin Ebadi once said: "Radicals will use democracy to come into power. Once they come into power, they will never allow democracy."





PAS wants hudud laws for Kelantan: What you need to know about the laws
By Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani, Malaysia Correspondent In Kuala Lumpur, The Straits Times, 20 Mar  2015

Malaysia's opposition Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) is pushing for approval from Parliament to implement strict hudud laws in the north-eastern state of Kelantan, which it has ruled since 1990.

The Kelantan assembly on Thursday (March 19, 2015) unanimously passed amendments to the Shariah Criminal Code approving hudud in the state. PAS now needs the support of other parties in Parliament before it can implement hudud.

Here's what you should know about the hudud laws:


What is hudud?

Hudud is a set of laws and punishments set out in the Quran that could allow for flogging and amputation, among other forms of punishment that are illegal under Malaysia's federal laws.

Hudud falls within the broader Shariah law, the Islamic criminal code that prescribes how Muslims should best conduct their lives. It was originally conceived to regulate all aspects of life in Muslim societies, from the behaviour and habits of individuals to the workings of the criminal justice system and financial institutions. It stipulates, for instance, that men and women must dress modestly, refrain from alcohol and pray five times per day. It also prohibits banks from collecting interest.


What are hudud offences?

1. Sariqah or theft - Two adult male witnesses are required to prove the offence. The punishment is to cut off the thief's hands.

2. Zina or extramarital sex - Four adult male witnesses are required.The penalty is 100 lashes if the person is unmarried and stoning to death if the person is married.

3 Al-Hirabah or robbery with violence: Two adult male witnesses are required. Punishment ranges from imprisonment and cutting off of limbs, to the death penalty if a victim is killed.

4. Qazaf or false accusation/slandering - Four adult male witnesses are needed. The punishment is 80 lashes.

5. Khamar or drinking intoxicating substances: Two adult male witnesses are needed. The penalty is between 40 and 80 lashes.

6. Irtidad or apostasy: Two adult male witnesses are needed to the act of renouncing Islam. The Quran does not explicitly state that apostasy is punishable by death.


Who does the law apply to?

Hudud would be applicable only to all Muslims of sound mind and who have attained puberty and thereby deemed to be able to discern right from wrong.

The laws will also apply to Muslim foreigners who commit a hudud offence in Kelantan.


Can hudud laws be applied to non-Muslims?

Hudud laws will not be applicable to non-Muslims because Malaysia has a dual justice system - civil courts for non-Muslims and Shariah courts for Muslims.


Which other countries practise hudud?

Hudud has been implemented in countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Somalia and northern Nigeria. Many predominantly Muslim countries, such as Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon and Syria, have not adopted the hudud penalties in their criminal justice systems.


What are the political implications of PAS' move?

PAS' move to implement hudud in Kelantan has threatened to split the fragile opposition coalition and could also strain relations in the multi-racial country.

With the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) coalition leader, Anwar Ibrahim, jailed for five years on a sodomy charge, any hope that the alliance could hold together without Anwar looks doomed with PAS bent on implementing hudud. Anwar's Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and the secular Democratic Action Party (DAP) both oppose the enforcement of hudud, saying it is against the common policy framework of the PR coalition. They warn the move by PAS could mean the end of PR.

PKR and DAP have also accused ruling party Umno of using the hudud issue to split the PR coalition, after all 12 Umno state assemblymen in Kelantan supported the amendment by PAS that was unanimously passed in the state assembly. PKR and DAP have demanded that Umno chairman Najib Razak clarify the party's stance on the issue.

Contrary to earlier media reports, Mr Najib did not release an official statement on Friday. This was confirmed by the Prime Minister's Office.


Will the Bill become law?

PAS will now need to find the numbers in the Federal Parliament to amend the Syariah Courts Act to allow the implementation of hudud in Kelantan through a private member's Bill - a Bill or proposed law introduced by a Member of Parliament who is not acting on behalf of the government.

The private member's Bill will need a simple majority of 112 Members of Parliament, out of the 222-member legislature, for it to be passed. There are 136 Muslim MPs in Parliament. PAS has 21 seats; its opposition allies PKR and DAP have 14 and two respectively; and the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN), 97.

However, it is very unlikely that the 10 Muslim MPs from Sarawak's Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu will vote in favour, especially with state elections due in 2016.

If all 87 Muslim MPs from the ruling Umno party together with PAS vote for the Bill, they will still be short of four votes.

Analysts believe that the DAP and PKR have been too quick in criticising the Islamist party. They also do not believe PAS has the numbers in Parliament.

"Hudud is not on the mind of the p eople in the state. It is not a key issue for the ordinary Kelantanese. It could be a matter of pride for PAS and what the grassroots demand," said law professor Azmi Sharom.


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ISIS attack on Malaysia imminent, says top counterterror official

April 4, 2015, 5:50 am
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TODAY, 3 Apr 2015

KUALA LUMPUR — Evidence gathered so far of Malaysian involvement in the Islamic State has led the police to warn that attacks by the group on Malaysian soil are imminent, the country’s counterterrorism director, Mr Ayub Khan Mydin, said yesterday.

In a special briefing on the threats of Islamic extremism in the country, Mr Ayub said police intelligence has indicated that it was only a matter of time before an attack is launched.

“It is not a matter of if we will be attacked, but when,” he told the executive briefing.

Mr Ayub said Malaysian Islamic State members have made direct threats to attack Malaysia, including plans to bomb entertainment spots as part of a plan by the group, also known as ISIS, to “punish” Malaysia for being an “apostate” country.

“They view us as apostates. First they deem us bidaah (deviant), then they say we are apostates and then next thing is to say our blood is halal,” Mr Ayub said.

The warnings come only days after Malaysia began debating new anti-terror laws in Parliament that would empower the government to detain, impose harsher penalties on, and seize travel documents of suspects amid the rising threat of the Islamic State.

The Malaysian government said late last year that it would introduce new measures after arresting dozens of Malaysians suspected of supporting the Islamic State.

A group of radicals arrested last year were planning to attack several targets in Malaysia and had their sights set on a wider campaign — the creation of an Islamic Caliphate that includes Singapore.

In Singapore, Mr Rohan Gunaratna, the head of the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, told TODAY that the assessment by Mr Ayub “is accurate”.

“ISIS cells in South-east Asia are planning to mount attacks in the region,” said Prof Gunaratna, using the acronym for Islamic State.

“Thus, there should be a concerted effort to dismantle both the platforms, groups disseminating ISIS ideology, and those operationally and ideologically linked to ISIS,” he said.

To date, there are an estimated 63 Malaysians in Syria fighting with Islamic State.

As many as 240 Malaysians have been identified and were arrested from 2001 to 2009 for links to Jemaah Islamiyah, a group with an extensive network in Malaysia, Indonesia and the southern Philippines that has professed support for Islamic State.

Mr Ayub said Malaysians are drawn to the group’s ideology that those who fight with them are guaranteed a place in “jannah” (heaven) and that those who go against them are considered as apostates that Islam ordains to kill.

He added that this has driven them to believe that their own country is a part of an international conspiracy by infidels bent on preventing the rise of the Islamic caliphate as supposedly promised by Prophet Muhammad.

“They really view us as infidels. And they believe that as infidels, we deserved to be sembelih (decapitated),” he said, pointing to one Facebook threat made by a Malaysian Islamic State member who said that he would not hesitate to murder his own family members if they too supported the government’s fight against IS.

In Singapore, Home Affairs Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean said last month that the growing threat posed by Islamic State was real and was a threat to South-east Asia.

“Self-radicalised individuals may also be influenced by (Islamic State) to carry out attacks in their home countries. Such attacks are often opportunistic, and therefore, difficult to detect and prevent”, he said.

To combat this threat, he said Singapore’s borders, infrastructure and intelligence capabilities will be strengthened and the Government will work with international partners to identify and pre-empt terrorist threats

AGENCIES





UN warns of threat from 25,000 foreign fighters
Syria, Iraq now 'veritable finishing school for extremists'
The Straits Times, 3 Apr 2015

NEW YORK - More than 25,000 foreign fighters from 100 countries have travelled to join militant groups such as ISIS and Al-Qaeda, posing an immediate and long-term threat to global security, a United Nations report has warned.

The report estimated that the number of foreign fighters rose by 71 per cent between the middle of last year and last month.

With most of them in Syria and Iraq, the two countries have become a "veritable finishing school for extremists", said the report by experts monitoring UN sanctions against Al-Qaeda.

Defeating the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in the two countries could also lead to the dispersal of experienced fighters across the world, it added.

The experts said in their report that along with some 22,000 foreign fighters in Syria and Iraq, there were also 6,500 in Afghanistan and hundreds more in Yemen, Libya, Pakistan and Somalia.

At a meeting of the 15-member Security Council chaired by US President Barack Obama in September, the experts were asked to report within six months on the threat from foreign fighters joining ISIS, which has declared a caliphate in Syria and Iraq, Nusra Front in Syria and other Al-Qaeda-linked groups. "For the thousands of (foreign fighters) who travelled to the Syrian Arab Republic and Iraq... they live and work in a veritable 'international finishing school' for extremists as it was in the case in Afghanistan during the 1990s," the experts wrote in their report, submitted to the council late last month.

Al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden found refuge in Afghanistan in the 1990s, where the militant group ran training camps.

The UN experts said Libya had increasingly become a training base for fighters bound for the Middle East but since this year, there had been a reverse flow from the Middle East to Libya. "Those who eat together and bond together can bomb together," they wrote. "The globalisation of Al-Qaeda and associates, particularly visible with (ISIS), but also evident with Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (in Yemen), creates a deepening array of transnational social networks."

The report warned of a medium-term threat from the new crop of fighters via "plug and play social networks for future attack planning - linking diverse foreign fighters from different communities across the globe".

In the report, the experts said the most effective policy that governments can implement is prevention of radicalisation, recruitment, and travel of would-be fighters, reported Associated Press. They noted that less than 10 per cent of basic data for identifying foreign fighters was being shared and called for more cooperation. The report gave the positive example of the "watch list" in Turkey - a key transit point to Syria and Iraq - which has grown to include 12,500 individuals.

The Security Council adopted a resolution in September demanding that all states make it a serious criminal offence for citizens to go abroad to fight with militants, or recruit and fund others to do so.

REUTERS


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Corruption complaints at 30-year low: CPIB

April 4, 2015, 6:06 am
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Release of detailed statistics part of move to maintain strong anti-graft culture in Singapore
By Ng Siqi Kelly, TODAY, 3 Apr 2015

Traditionally an organisation that keeps its workings away from the public eye, the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) yesterday released for the first time detailed statistics, which showed that the number of complaints it received fell to a 30-year low last year.

Among these, the number of complaints containing enough information for investigations to be carried out is also at the lowest in three decades, showing that the corruption situation in Singapore remains stable, the bureau said in a press release yesterday.

The CPIB received 736 complaints last year, 7 per cent lower than the 792 in 2013. Of these, 136 cases were logged for graft investigations. Of the rest, some complaints were not able to be acted on because of scanty information, while others pertained to other kinds of offences, such as cheating and misappropriation of funds.

A total of 168 cases were prosecuted in court last year, although the figure could include cases that the CPIB had started work on in preceding years. The conviction rate was 96 per cent.

The lifting of the veil of secrecy is, in part, to maintain a strong anti-graft culture, CPIB said.

The move comes after Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced stronger measures to fight corruption in January, as he noted that high-profile cases in recent years have hurt Singapore’s pristine reputation not just in the eyes of the public but also among the international community.

While these cases involving prominent and senior public officers are fresh in the memory, CPIB’s statistics showed that the bulk of the investigable complaints last year actually involved the private sector (85 per cent).

The CPIB flagged three areas of concerns from the private employees it prosecuted last year — construction; sales of household goods in departmental stores; and warehouse and logistics services.

Other than a review of anti-graft laws and beefing up of CPIB’s manpower, Mr Lee had also announced that a new one-stop centre will be set up in the city centre, which will allow whistle-blowers to come forward in a discreet manner. This centre is expected to be ready in one year’s time, CPIB said, without revealing more details.

The bureau’s inaugural statistics report also showed that complaints lodged in person are the most likely to result in investigation. However, only 8 per cent of complaints last year were walk-ins.

Out of the 59 complaints made in person, 63 per cent of them resulted in investigations. In contrast, only 6 per cent of the 280 complaints via email and fax — the predominant mode — had enough details for investigators to work with.

To encourage more walk-ins from whistle-blowers, better protection is needed, said corporate governance experts. In the United States and the United Kingdom, for instance, protection for whistle-blowers is legislated, they noted.

Professor Mak Yuen Teen from National University of Singapore said the one-stop centre to allow for more discreet reporting is not enough assurance for whistle-blowers.

While the Prevention of Corruption Act currently offers some protection — such as the withholding of names and addresses of informants — there should be a comprehensive piece of legislation protecting from reprisals or potentially defamatory actions, he said.

What whistle-blowers fear most, said lawyer Daniel Chia from Morgan Lewis Stamford, is that the affected party may sue for defamation if the complaint is dismissed. This has a “chilling effect” on complaints, he added.

Prof Mak added that some countries such as the UK also have an Ombudsman to whom protected disclosures can be made.

Without the level of assurance that legislation can provide, certain disclosures may not be forthcoming, said Singapore Management University law don Eugene Tan, citing subordinates who hold back on reporting their bosses for suspected corrupt acts out of fear of repercussions.

“These are precisely the people in best positions to sense when something is amiss, but the power difference causes them to hold back on complaints. This is where greater assurance of protection will help,” he said.

However, Associate Professor Tan noted that laws meant to protect whistleblowers may also be abused by some to mount personal attacks.

“There must be sufficient sanctions and a clear definition of a ‘whistle-blower’ to prevent abuse,” he said.

Most of the experts said that complaints should not be anonymous to allow for more effective investigations.

Allowing anonymity will lead to unsubstantiated complaints which may result in a waste of time and resources, said lawyer Raj Mannar from Peter Low LLC.

The CPIB, however, said all complaints will be deliberated upon in the same manner regardless of whether the complainant has identified himself or chooses to remain anonymous.

Reiterating its zero-tolerance stance, CPIB director Wong Hong Kuan added: “No amount is too trivial. Even if it involves a S$1 bribe, the CPIB has and will not hesitate to investigate and get to the root of the matter.”


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Cancer patients 'prefer to die at home than extend life'

April 4, 2015, 6:15 am
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They are willing to pay more for it than other options, study shows
By Andrea Ng, The Straits Times, 3 Apr 2015

CANCER patients reaching the end of their lives would rather pay more to die at home than spend on treatment to extend their lives or avoid severe pain.

This was the finding of a recent study which was detailed yesterday by researchers from the Lien Centre for Palliative Care at Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School.

They surveyed 211 patients with advanced cancer at the National Cancer Centre Singapore and their informal caregivers and got participants to choose from different hypothetical scenarios to find out more about their end-of-life preferences.

Each scenario included trading off an end-of-life preference in exchange for another.

The results showed that patients and caregivers placed the most emphasis on being able to die at home.

Twenty-nine per cent of patients and 24 per cent of caregivers were willing to sacrifice other options - such as quality of care and amount of care needed - in exchange for the patient being able to die at home.

They would also prefer to make treatment decisions based on where the patient ends his life.

When the results were quantified, patients were only willing to pay up to $18,600 to extend their lives by a year, compared with $31,000 to die at home.

Professor Eric Finkelstein, who led the team along with Assistant Professor Chetna Malhotra, said the results showed that "the healthcare system currently focuses a lot on extending life".

Physicians often offer life-extending treatments, for which health insurance is typically drawn up to help finance.

But with life extension not always the biggest thing on patients' minds, "patients may not be getting the type of care they want", he said.

"What patients want may not matter in Singapore as their voices are last heard."

Prof Finkelstein said the culture here involves caregivers making the decision for their loved ones, unlike in the West.

He cautioned that caregivers may not be the best proxies to make such decisions.

Indeed, the survey found that only 19 per cent of patients and caregivers made decisions based on the same end-of-life preference.

It was found that caregivers had a threefold greater willingness than patients to pay to extend life by one year and for most of the other features considered.

These include the severity of pain, amount of care needed, expected length of survival, quality of healthcare, expected cost of treatment and the place of death.

The researchers hope to shine more light on palliative care and pain management, in addition to current efforts to extend life.

They are also working to develop decision aids for patients to convey to doctors their preferences.

This could take the form of a questionnaire that helps doctors summarise their needs and recommend appropriate care.

Dr Malhotra said: "We hope this research helps foster greater communication between patients, caregivers and doctors."


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Home prices and inequality: Singapore versus other 'global superstar cities'

April 4, 2015, 6:52 am
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The bottom half here own a quarter of gross housing wealth, a more equal distribution than in other cities with higher-than-average house price growth
By Phang Sock Yong, Published The Straits Times, 3 Apr 2015


Republic's housing kept affordable

THE topics "superstar cities", "inequality" and "housing policy" are often discussed separately.

I will focus on the area where they overlap - in particular, how housing policy has been used to mitigate inequality in the context of Singapore, a global superstar city.

The Global City concept originates from the work of sociologist Saskia Sassen, which dates back to the 1980s. In an age of globalisation, division of labour is international in scope and production activities are distributed across the world. A global city is a significant point where the internationally oriented financial and producer services that make the global economy run choose to agglomerate.

In the Economist Intelligence Unit's Global City Competitiveness Index, Singapore is ranked third in global competitiveness after New York and London, and the most globally competitive in Asia. The fourth position is shared by Paris and Hong Kong, and Tokyo is ranked sixth.

Superstar cities

THE term "superstar cities" is a more recent concept and is the title of a study of United States cities by urban economists Joseph Gyourko, Christopher Mayer and Todd Sinai. Their paper notes the considerable differences in long- run house price appreciation rates across US metropolitan areas and towns after World War II.

These differences led to an ever-widening gap in housing prices between the most expensive metropolitan areas and the average ones. They define locations that experience persistently higher-than-average house price growth as "superstar cities".

From the housing price appreciation perspective, Tokyo is a global city but is not a superstar city.

Chart 1 shows the housing price trends in the top five global cities, namely, New York, London, Singapore, Paris and Hong Kong. The superstar prize goes to Paris, and Singapore comes in last among the top five global cities.

Besides having higher than average house price growth, global superstar cities also have higher levels of economic inequality. Income inequality has been increasing in most of the developed countries in the past few decades.

Singapore's Gini coefficient for resident households last year after taxes and transfers was 0.412, which is higher that most of the high-income OECD countries. But comparing Singapore's Gini coefficient with country-level Gini coefficients may not be entirely appropriate.

National inequality measures mask considerable variations across cities within the same country. Studies have shown that within the same country, income inequality can be expected to increase with the size of the city.

A larger city size increases productivity as more skilled people are attracted to the location, and higher urban productivity further incentivises migration from rural areas, smaller cities and across borders. The global superstar cities New York and London have income Gini coefficients (after taxes and transfers) in the 0.4 to 0.5 range. Singapore's Gini coefficient is comparable to other cities of similar size and lower than the Gini coefficients of New York, London and Hong Kong (see Chart 2).

Thomas Piketty

POST-2014, it is impossible to discuss economic inequality without referring to Thomas Piketty's book, Capital In The Twenty- First Century, which won numerous awards last year. Piketty highlights rising income inequality as a major problem, focusing on the increasing share enjoyed by the top 1 per cent and top 10 per cent.

My estimates for income shares for the top five global cities show Singapore's income distribution to be less equal than Paris', but more equal than those of London, Hong Kong and New York City (see Chart 3).

Piketty's greater concern, however, is with the distribution of wealth - that capital or wealth ownership is much more concentrated than the distribution of income from work. His data for the US indicates that the top decile own 72 per cent of America's wealth, while the bottom half's claim is just 2 per cent.

In most European countries, the richest 10 per cent own around 60 per cent of national wealth, the poorest 50 per cent invariably own less than 5 per cent. In his view, it is this unequal ownership of capital that is a prime driver of income disparities.

Piketty also includes in his book his view of capital ownership distribution in an "ideal society". To quote Piketty: "To my knowledge, no society has ever existed in which ownership of capital can reasonably be described as 'mildly' inegalitarian, by which I mean a distribution in which the poorest half of society would own a significant share (say one-fifth to one-quarter) of total wealth… Of course, how one might go about establishing such an 'ideal society' - assuming that such low inequality of wealth is indeed a desirable goal - remains to be seen."

Not only is present capital ownership very unequal, but Piketty also expects the inequality to increase over time as the rate of return on capital - generally 4 to 5 per cent - has throughout history been greater than the global growth rate, except during the second half of the 20th century.

This inequality results in redistribution of income towards holders of capital and increasing inequality of wealth. Adding to this force for divergence is the rise of super-salaries of corporate chief executive officers, which, according to Piketty, is determined more by social and political norms rather than economic forces.

To regain control of capitalism without giving up its benefits, he advocates more progressive income taxes with the top marginal tax rate of 80 per cent for incomes above US$500,000 (S$682,000) to US$1 million, and a utopian idea - a global capital tax ranging from 0.1 per cent to 10 per cent on the total wealth to restrain the growing power of inherited wealth.

From Piketty to George

PIKETTY adopts a very broad definition of capital and does not treat land or real estate assets differently from other forms of capital. As Singaporeans know only too well, land does deserve special treatment, and should be treated as distinct from globally mobile capital for policy purposes - especially in a land-constrained global superstar city.

The ideas of another economist, Henry George, who proposed a quite different utopian idea over a century ago, are more relevant in the context of superstar cities. George's 1879 book, Progress And Poverty, was a bestseller on both sides of the Atlantic in the 1890s. In his time, the rapid development of cities in 19th-century America caused substantial increases in land prices. This had large wealth and income redistribution effects as landowners and land speculators enjoyed huge windfalls. These windfalls, in turn, fuelled expectations for future price increases, resulting in speculative bubbles.

The crash that inevitably followed would wipe out vast amounts of asset values - creating another set of winners and losers which may not necessarily match the first set of winners and losers. Unlike Marx, George held nothing against the capitalists. Instead, his remedy was that any increase in land rents should be shared by society rather than fall into private hands. ("We must make land common property"). To effect this, he advocated a 100 per cent land value tax on the annual value of unimproved land held as private property.

What this meant was that buildings and other improvements (the product of the efforts of capital and labour) would not be included in the tax base. The proposed tax was called the single tax as, in his view, it would be sufficient to support all levels of government, thus permitting all other taxes on labour, capital and production to be abolished.

Prominent fans of George have included personalities as diverse as Leo Tolstoy, Winston Churchill, Sun Yat Sen, Milton Friedman, and Joseph E. Stiglitz. Modern-day Georgists advocate partial land value capture taxes as a less extreme form of George's land tax.

The few jurisdictions that have implemented site value taxation separate the property tax base into an unimproved land value component and improvements, and tax property owners at a higher rate on the unimproved land value. In the urban transport sector, land value capture through a betterment tax is often proposed as a means of funding the cost of expensive transport infrastructure such as urban rail transit.

Singapore's housing wealth redistribution framework can be interpreted as containing elements of George's land value capture tax and Piketty's progressive wealth tax, in addition to other significant and innovative institutions and policies.

1960s: Framework for housing provision

SOON after independence, the Land Acquisition Act was passed in 1966, which gave the state broad powers to acquire land. In 1973, the concept of a statutory date was introduced, which fixed compensation values for land acquired at the statutory date, Nov 30, 1973. State land as a proportion of total land grew from 44 per cent to 76 per cent by 1985 and is currently around 90 per cent. A significant portion of the increase is from land reclamation as about 20 per cent of Singa- pore's land is reclaimed land.

Subsequent amendments to the Act changed the statutory date for purposes of valuation for compensation. In 2007, the use of historical statutory date was removed by Parliament, and compensation has since been pegged to full market value.

The Land Acquisition Act was one of three important pieces of legislation passed in the 1960s when the foundations of Singapore's policies for urban transformation were being laid.

The other two important components of these foundations (created by the respective legislation) were the Housing and Development Board (HDB) in 1960, and the expansion of the role of the Central Provident Fund (CPF) to include housing finance in 1968.

Through a carefully structured housing system which was established by 1968, land resources and domestic savings were channelled into the HDB home ownership sector. The HDB played an important role in resettlement, land use planning as well as the development of new towns with comprehensive public amenities.

As the economy grew, its primary role in the construction of high-rise HDB housing and making home ownership affordable helped to ensure that the benefits of economic growth were widely distributed and shared. By 1990, 87 per cent of the resident population were already housed by the HDB, and the home ownership rate had increased to 88 per cent. The property-owning democracy was not a mere utopian ideal but had, instead, become a reality.

1990s: Growth in value of HDB housing assets

IN THE 1990s, the focus took on a qualitative shift instead; in particular, it shifted to enabling upgrading to larger and better-quality flats, the deregulation of the HDB resale market, including opening the market to permanent residents, increased housing loans for HDB resale flats, physical upgrading of HDB flats and neighbourhoods, as well as the introduction of CPF housing grants.

These policies contributed, in part, to the rapid increase of HDB flat values in the early half of the 1990s. HDB resale price increases were higher than private housing price increases in the 1990s.

The wealth-share effects of these differential price movements show up clearly in the household sector balance sheets. From zero share of housing wealth in 1965, HDB households' share of gross housing wealth exceeded 50 per cent at the peak of the housing boom, and increased further to 60 per cent during the Asian financial crisis. In the past decade, the share has been about 50-50. Despite the volatility of asset prices and values, by 2005, 85 per cent of the resident population (HDB households) enjoyed a share of about 50 per cent of the gross housing wealth.

From 2005: Housing wealth redistribution

SINCE 2009, under the Lease Buyback Scheme, elderly home owners residing in three-room (or smaller) HDB flats have been able to monetise their HDB assets for the purpose of retirement financing. Last August, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong expanded the scheme to include HDB four-room flats.

Using the same illustration, an HDB four-room flat, bought for about $24,200 in 1980, lived in for 34 years, is now worth $450,000. It can be retained for the next 30 years, and the HDB this year buys back the 35 years of the end lease for $190,000 to help the elderly household finance retirement. This is the provision of a retirement safety net for elderly households based on their ownership of a four-room or smaller flat - at significant interest rate risk and house price depreciation risk for up to 30 years for the HDB.

Why, then, is there the need to "cool" the housing market in recent years? There are at least four reasons.
- First, I use the George Effect to refer to the "unearned increments" that accrue to property owners and those who were "lucky" based on when they entered and exited the market, as well as to speculators and investors who contribute to market exuberance and bubbles.
- Second, the persistence of house price appreciation that exceeds wage growth in the longer term could also lead to the entrenchment of what I call the Piketty effect - growing inequalities in incomes and wealth from inheritance flows and a growing rentier class.
- Third, the house price level is a key economic variable that affects the lives, happiness and wealth of Singapore households. It should not become a variable that is determined by the actions of foreign speculators, global liquidity and the agendas and monetary policies of foreign governments.
- Fourth, it is now widely accepted that housing bubbles can pose a threat to financial and macroeconomic stability. The numerous housing market cooling measures that have been introduced after the global financial crisis in Singapore as well as in numerous other countries are also known as prudential regulations.
Micro-prudential supervision aims to ensure the resilience of individual financial institutions to shocks and include regulatory standards on bank capital adequacy, leverage ratios and liquidity.

Macro-prudential regulations of the housing sector aim at increasing the resilience of the financial system as a whole and include caps on loan-to-value ratios, total debt service to income ratios, as well as stamp duties to curb speculation by the cash rich.

I would like to include another category of prudential regulation - social-prudential regulations which ensure the resilience of society and the country as a whole. This category of housing regulations includes affordable home ownership policies, as well as the integration of various income groups and races in the same housing estates.

The housing tax regime has been made more progressive, with higher transaction taxes for foreigners and investors, and owners of higher value properties paying higher property tax rates. (Stamp duties, however, can reduce transaction volumes and lead to potential sellers withholding supply. At the appropriate time, it would be good to gradually reduce these and replace them with property tax increases which should aim to have a similar effect on house price appreciation.)

In what can be described as a retreat from the market, new HDB flats are now offered at affordable prices that are "delinked" from market prices. Taxing wealthy property owners and investors at a higher rate and simultaneously subsiding entry into home ownership for lower-income households have created a housing tax and subsidy code that is highly progressive and more complex than the income tax code. At the point of purchase, the range is from 15 per cent additional buyer's stamp duty for foreigners, to price subsidies for HDB two-room flats that can be as high as 50 per cent (based on the difference between resale and new flat prices).

In addition to the price discount for each household purchasing an HDB flat, the effective housing subsidy is further carefully calibrated through a system of differential housing grants (from $0 to $80,000) based on a host of criteria. Housing wealth redistribution has become much more targeted, nuanced and fairer in approach.

Comparison across cities

AS A global superstar city as well as a nation state, Singapore has harnessed the entire spectrum of land and housing policies to keep housing prices affordable. Singapore's house price to income ratio of five is the lowest among the global superstar cities, with Hong Kong's ratio at 17 (see Charts 4 and 5).

Singapore's resident home ownership rate of 91 per cent is also an outlier, with Hong Kong, Paris and London relying on social rental housing to meet the housing needs of lower-income households. New York City has a small public-housing sector but relies on rent vouchers as well as rent control regulation of nearly half of its private rental housing stock.

Based on my estimates, the low inequality that has been achieved in the distribution of Singapore's gross housing asset comes close to capital distribution in Piketty's "ideal society". The bottom 50 per cent owns one quarter of the gross housing wealth (see Chart 6).

If the data for overall household wealth distribution were available, the overall wealth distribution would probably approximate the Scandinavian wealth distribution in the 1970s and 1980s.

This aspect of housing achievement has been arrived at through astute political decisions, an effective and non-corrupt government, and the hard work of government agencies such as the HDB and Urban Redevelopment Authority.

In particular, I would like to conclude with a personal tribute to our founding Prime Minister, the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, for his visionary leadership of Singapore during its first critical decades. We are all deeply saddened by his passing.

The writer is Celia Moh Professor and Professor of Economics, Singapore Management University. This article is a summary of a lecture delivered on March 23 at SMU.


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New trail to explore Queenstown's past

April 5, 2015, 7:55 pm
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Participants will learn about estate's military history, hear from residents
By Melody Zaccheus, The Straits Times, 4 Apr 2015

THE empty field next to Alexandra Fire Station in Queensway has a dark history.

In February 1942, it was the site of the British army's Normanton oil depot and, in a vain attempt to stop Japanese soldiers from advancing, troops set fire to its oil silos. Thick plumes of smoke engulfed the nearby Boh Beh Kang and Alexandra villages.

Many residents were massacred as enemy troops marched onwards. The death toll is unknown.

The field is now part of a new history trail of Dawson and Alexandra launched today. It is being organised by civic group My Community, Queenstown Citizens' Consultative Committee and urban explorer group The Other Sites of Singapore.

The trail focuses on the estate's military history and the stories of residents.

It is the second trail to be launched in Queenstown - the other covers community landmarks in Tanglin Halt and Duchess estates - and explains the different layers of history in Singapore's first satellite estate, showing how it has evolved since the colonial period.

My Community founder Kwek Li Yong said the story of the damaged oil silos and the killing of the Boh Beh Kang and Alexandra villagers has often been overshadowed by the 1942 massacre at the British Military Hospital - known as Alexandra Hospital today - where 200 patients and staff members were killed in 30 minutes.

There are 18 stops along the Alexandra and Dawson trail, one of which is hidden in a wooded area in Kay Siang Road, where the remnants of two storage bunkers lie. The bunkers were likely to have been constructed in the 1940s and have features such as double doors to reinforce them against bombings.

The trail also takes participants through community sites such as the Taoist Tiong Ghee Temple, which started as an altar in a villager's hut in 1931; the Housing Board's first point blocks, 160 and 161 in Mei Ling Street; and the site of the 1950s Hock Lee bus riots at the junction of Dawson Road and Alexandra Road.

Ms Badariah Hussein, 65, who lives in one of the point blocks in Queenstown, noted that participants will get to learn a little about Singapore's housing evolution through the trail. Constructed in 1970, the point blocks were designed to give residents more privacy by restricting the number of units to just four per level. "I'm very proud to live in one of Singapore's special blocks and will never sell it off," the former clerk said.

Dr Chia Shi-Lu, MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC, said participants will get to hear first-hand accounts from long-time residents, shopowners and librarians. "Our stories are big in heart and soul, and certainly speak volumes of life in the 1960s and 1970s," he said.

Members of the public can sign up for tours at www.myqueens town.eventbrite.sg. The tours will be held on the last Saturday of each month, starting next month.

Organisers are seeking about 100 volunteers to run the new tour and an existing one in Tiong Bahru over the next few months. Those who are interested can sign up by sending an e-mail to myqueenstown@gmail.com


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Local universities increase fees, citing rising operating costs

April 5, 2015, 7:57 pm
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By Calvin Yang, The Straits Times, 4 Apr 2015

ALL six local universities have raised their tuition fees for the new academic year, largely to pay for rising operating costs, including that of creating online learning systems, they said.

Since 2010, university fees have gone up every year.

The fee hikes for local undergraduates this year range from 0.6 per cent to 8 per cent - similar to previous years.

But for most undergraduate courses, the increase is about 1 to 1.5 per cent for the new intake, the Ministry of Education said.

As with previous hikes, the increase will be bigger for permanent residents and foreigners than for citizens.

At SIM University (UniSIM), fees are based on modules taken in a particular year and fee hikes can affect all students. The remaining five universities use a cohort-based fee model, so only new students will be affected.

Tuition fees for male students who applied for places before national service will be pegged to their date of offer acceptance.

At the National University of Singapore (NUS), fees for most courses will rise by about 1.5 per cent for local undergraduates, but will jump by about 5 to 8 per cent for a handful of courses - dentistry, medicine, law and music.

For instance, fresh law students can expect to pay about $12,400 a year - 6.4 per cent, or $750, more than the previous fee of $11,650, while new music undergraduates will pay $11,950 a year - 8 per cent, or $900, more than the previous fee of $11,050.

Nursing is the only NUS course with no fee increase this year.

Professor Tan Eng Chye, its deputy president of academic affairs and provost, said the cost varies across different degree programmes, depending on the faculty, equipment and operating costs, among other things.

The fee hike at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) is about 1.3 per cent for Singaporeans in most courses. Its biggest rise of 3.8 per cent, or $1,200 a year, is for medicine.

Professor Kam Chan Hin, its senior associate provost of undergraduate education, said the revised fee will partially defray inflationary costs and costs of improving students' learning experience. This includes implementing "flipped classrooms" where students learn content online outside of the classroom and then discuss questions in class.

Freshmen at UniSIM can expect to pay about 2 per cent more for an entire degree course.

The increase was due to higher operating costs, particularly the manpower cost of holding smaller seminar-style classes, and the development cost of its e-learning infrastructure, it said.

All six institutions said that financial help - scholarships, bursaries and loans - is available.

Former Anderson Junior College student Won Jia Min, 19, who plans to study history at NUS or NTU this year, said: "Even though the fees have risen, I will still apply. Singapore universities are reputable and to study at a local university is a privilege."




Fees will go up by...


NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE
Fee hike for most courses: About 1.5 per cent
Bigger fee hikes: About 5 per cent, or $1,200, for dentistry and medicine; 6.4 per cent, or $750, for law; and 8 per cent, or $900, for music


NANYANG TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY
Fee hike for most courses: About 1.3 per cent
Biggest fee hike: About 3.8 per cent, or $1,200, for medicine


SINGAPORE MANAGEMENT UNIVERSITY
Fee hike for most courses: About 1 per cent, or $100


SINGAPORE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AND DESIGN
Fee hike for most courses: About 2.2 per cent, or $250


SINGAPORE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Fee hike for most courses: About 1 per cent
Biggest fee hike: About 3.4 per cent, or $400, for culinary arts management


SIM UNIVERSITY
Fee hike for most courses: About 2 per cent

Note: Fees are for Singaporean undergraduates each year.


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4,700 pioneer educators lauded for can-do spirit

April 5, 2015, 8:17 pm
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Education Minister thanks them for their role in shaping nation in the face of obstacles
By Kok Xing Hui, The Sunday Times, 5 Apr 2015

Highlighting the crucial role Singapore's pioneer educators played in nation-building, Education Minister Heng Swee Keat yesterday urged the education fraternity to build on their determination and can-do spirit.

He was speaking at an SG50 event at Gardens by the Bay, where 4,700 pioneer educators were feted.

Joined more than 11,000 MOE pioneers, seniors and their family members on a beautiful Saturday morning at Gardens by...
Posted by Heng Swee Keat on Sunday, April 5, 2015


Thanking them for their contributions, Mr Heng said: "It is not an overstatement when I say, 'Every person in Singapore today passed through your collective hands. Who we are today is a measure of your achievement.'"

Referring to the memoirs of Singapore's founding father Lee Kuan Yew, Mr Heng recalled how in 1964, the Kuala Lumpur federal government refused Singapore permission to use its police band for the island's State Day celebrations.

In response, Mr Lee told the Education Ministry to get all secondary schools to start a brass band crash course. A year later, several school bands were part of the parade.

From just four brass bands and nine bugle bands in the mid-1960s, the Republic now has almost 240 school bands, said Mr Heng.

"Time and time again, we hear stories of how our pioneers refused to accept the naysayers, dared to dream and defied adversity by turning it into opportunity, resolute to make the impossible, possible."

For instance, there was Mr Lee Seck Kiang, who despite not being able to read a single note of music, came forward in the 1960s when the ministry called for a pioneer batch of band directors to be trained.

Not only did Mr Lee, now 85, start the Crescent Girls' School band, but he also went on to lead it in performing its most challenging repertoire.

Mr Heng also spoke about retired principal Daisie Yip, who started Greenridge Primary School in 1995.

The new school's facilities were not ready. Classes had to be conducted in shipping containers and there was no money for instruments to set up a band her pupils wanted.

So she approached other schools for their old and unwanted instruments.

In 1998, the band was the only one from Asia to perform at Disneyland Paris as part of the World Cup tournament in France.

Mr Heng said such stories of "determination and never-say-die (attitude) illustrate the DNA of the values and work ethic handed down to us by our pioneers".

But even as the country appreciated the work of its pioneers, Singaporeans also need to draw inspiration from them, he said.

"Now, how are we going to make the next 50 years brighter and better together?"

Mr Heng, who is also chairman of the SG50 Steering Committee, launched three commemorative coins marking the role of education here.

The $2, $5 and $50 coins - themed Education, Building our Nation Together - will be issued on May 28. Pre-orders for the coins must reach The Singapore Mint by May 15.





He coached a star athlete
By Kok Xing Hui, The Sunday Times, 5 Apr 2015

In the 1980s, when he was a physical education teacher at Pasir Panjang Secondary, Mr Mohamed Abdullah Mahoo came across a student with a special talent.

"I was teaching him how to throw a discus and he threw it very far. I asked him to throw it again and he did even better," recalled the 70-year-old yesterday at an event to pay tribute to pioneer educators.

That Secondary 2 boy went on to amass 10 SEA Games gold medals.

"I'm still very close to him," said Mr Mohamed Abdullah of Mr James Wong, now 45.

He remembers how he once bought the thrower a pair of shoes when he had to compete overseas.

"I came from a poor family myself and sometimes had no money for recess breaks. My teachers had to help me," he told The Sunday Times.

Mr Mohamed Abdullah started teaching at Labrador Primary School in 1965. While he has retired as a full-time teacher, he is still doing contract teaching at Yusof Ishak Secondary School.

By next month, he would have served 50 years as an educator.




Lab veteran treasures his job
By Kok Xing Hui, The Sunday Times, 5 Apr 2015

In 1970, Mr Ng Yang Ann started working as a school laboratory technician, earning $175 a month to support his parents and eight siblings.

Now 66, he is still in the same job. "My first job was very important to me. I treasure it very much and have had no intentions of job-hopping," he said.

Not only did he stick to one job, he has worked for just two schools - Woodsville Secondary School and his current workplace, MacPherson Secondary School - as he appreciates his colleagues and the schools' work culture.

Mr Ng, who prepares the laboratories for chemistry classes, loves the subject so much that he went out of his way to help a team from MacPherson Secondary prepare for a competition for chemical-powered cars.

"You use acid and bicarbonate to power and move the car," he said. "We managed a podium finish!"

While chemistry is his favourite subject, Mr Ng also prepares the school's labs for physics and biology lessons.

Asked if his two children and wife would like him to retire, Mr Ng said he is still in good health and would like to work for as long as he can.

"I still enjoy my work," he said.


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Education reform in Finland

April 5, 2015, 8:25 pm
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From August next year, schools in Finland will follow a new curriculum that blurs distinctions between subjects. Students will still learn traditional subjects such as mathematics, English and history, "though with less distinct borderlines and with more collaboration in practice between them", the Finnish National Board of Education's head of curriculum development, Ms Irmeli Halinen, wrote.

All schools will have to introduce at least one course of topic- or project-based lessons that cut across traditional subject boundaries, "where several teachers may work with any given number of students simultaneously". Students also have to be involved in the planning of the curriculum. The changes come after Finland fell from second place in 2003 to 12th in 2012, in the international PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) test for students. The change has drawn heated debate.

Here are two opposing points of view on the reform.
The Straits Times, 1 Apr 2015


Finland giving up excellent education system
By Dennis Hayes

IT IS easy to lampoon education reforms in Finland that aim to scrap the teaching of traditional subjects in favour of broader topics.

The new initiative could see history, geography and languages replaced for periods by interdisciplinary "phenomenon-based" projects on topics such as the European Union. Instead of sitting in rows learning facts about the world, pupils can rush around corridors or the Web and collect information in a spirit of "joyful learning".

Ridicule was my immediate response but what is happening has serious and sad consequences. It will ultimately waste not only children's time, but also their education.

The reasons given in Finland for the reforms are familiar: This set of initiatives is necessary to meet the challenges of working life in "modern society".

What it means is that education is no longer valued for its own sake but is seen as having instrumental value for the economy. This is often supported by claims about how to stop education being boring and make it more relevant through new pedagogic practices.

The pattern is the same across the world and we are seeing a shift from a concern with classroom content to a concern with practice. There is a lesson here for every teacher and parent.

Even in a country often lauded as an educational success story, if you do not understand why your education system was excellent, you can still throw it away.

Knowledge and skills

THE idea of being "modern" and promoting projects, multi-disciplinary activities and communication skills instead of traditional subjects is a rejection of education. But some people, including a few of my colleagues, celebrate this shift and one praised it as "thinking outside of the box".

Any ridicule or celebration needs to be understood in the context of the major educational debate of the 21st century between education as subject-led or as skills-led.

Finland is clearly making a turn towards skills. Despite a recent article in which Harvard scholar Pasi Sahlberg (see other story) argued that subjects in Finland will not be scrapped altogether, we should be worried.

The mistake that educationalists and politicians make about education in Finland, China, or whichever country comes out on top in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) rankings is to assume that the reason has something to do with the peculiarities of the education system.

In Finland's case the quality of teaching, the teacher education system, the absence of examinations, the training, professional freedom and status of teachers, have all been advanced as some of the many and varied reasons why the education system was outstanding.

High expectations matter

BOTH the detractors of the changes in Finland and those who embrace them may think success depends on the technical design and teaching of the educational system. But it is not the activities that go on in the classroom that determine excellent outcomes. I'd argue that it is ultimately down to social and cultural factors.

My view is that the decisive factor in Finland's educational success is the high expectations of children expressed by politicians, teachers, parents and communities.

This is well known since the decision in the 1960s to make education the focus of economic success - although also criticised as Stalinist because of its reliance on teacher-centred, textbook-led education.

Whatever criticisms people make of these developments, what was distinctive about Finland in the latter part of the last century was high educational expectations. There was, however, concern in the mid-1990s that these high expectations were so demanding that they were damaging to pupils' self-esteem.

These cultural expectations will determine the structure of the education system, and subject- based teaching was the form that high educational expectations took in Finland's schools.

The move away from subjects towards topics that is part of Finland's new National Curriculum Framework (NCF) is, therefore, a signal that those high educational expectations are going from Finnish culture.

It is tempting to say that methods don't matter if general expectations are high; but if there are no expectations that children will come away with specific knowledge, then they have little chance of being engaged with learning, however they are taught.

Getting pupils work-ready

THE reforms are an attempt to offer something that just gets pupils ready for work. Those who think that "phenomenon-based" teaching won't get rid of knowledge, but will just restructure the way it is taught for some periods of the year, are turning a blind eye to the fundamental nature of the shift that is occurring.

If it accelerates, as it may without opposition, it will make education in Finland - whether it is labelled "vocational" or "academic" - just training for a job.

Finland may be cut up about its drop in the PISA rankings, but wanting to rise again in a league table is not a sign of high expectations but of panic.

The new policy shift does not focus on education as an important way to transform society but seeks to transform education to meet perceived new economic demands and, perhaps even more narrowly, to remedy Finland's position in the league tables. This may show high expectations of an instrumental sort, but these are not high educational expectations.

If Finnish teachers are as educated and independent as we are told they are, the first step towards defending high educational expectations would be for them to oppose the NCF and campaign to keep knowledge in and kick "phenomenon-based" meddling out of schools.

The writer is Professor of Education at University of Derby in the United Kingdom. This article first appeared on theconversation.com, which carries analysis by academics and researchers in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.





Integrated approach to learning
By Pasi Sahlberg

FINLAND'S plans to replace the teaching of classic school subjects such as history or English with broader, cross-cutting "topics" as part of a major education reform have been getting global attention.

Stay calm: Despite the reforms, Finnish schools will continue to teach mathematics, history, arts, music and other subjects in the future.

But with the new basic school reform, all children will also learn via periods looking at broader topics, such as the European Union, or community and climate change, which would bring in multi-disciplinary modules on languages, geography, sciences and economics.

It is important to underline two fundamental peculiarities of the Finnish education system in order to see the real picture.

First, education governance is highly decentralised, giving Finland's 320 municipalities significant amount of freedom to arrange schooling according to the local circumstances.

Second, Finland's National Curriculum Framework (NCF) is a loose common standard that steers curriculum planning at the level of the municipalities and their schools. It leaves educators with freedom to find the best ways to offer good teaching and learning to all children. Therefore, practices vary from school to school and are often customised to local needs and situations.

The next big reform taking place in Finland is the introduction of a new NCF, due to come into effect in August 2016. It sets the overall goals of schooling, describes the principles of teaching and learning, and provides the guidelines for special education, well-being, support services and student assessment in schools.

The concept of "phenomenon-based" teaching - a move away from "subjects" and towards inter-disciplinary topics - will have a central place in the new NCF.

Integration of subjects and a holistic approach to teaching and learning are not new in Finland.

Since the 1980s, Finnish schools have experimented with this approach and it has been part of the culture of teaching in many schools.

This new reform will bring more changes to Finnish middle-school subject teachers who have traditionally worked more on their own subjects than together with their peers in school. What will change is that all basic schools for seven- to 16-year- olds must have at least one extended period of multi-disciplinary, phenomenon-based teaching and learning in their curricula.

You may wonder why Fin-land's education authorities now insist all schools must spend time on integration and phenomenon-based teaching when Finnish students' test scores have been declining in the most recent international tests. The answer is that educators in Finland think, quite correctly, that schools should teach what young people need in their lives rather than try to bring national test scores back to where they were.

What Finnish youth need more than before are more integrated knowledge and skills about real-world issues, many argue. An integrated approach, based on lessons from some schools with longer experience of that, enhances teacher collaboration in schools and makes learning more meaningful to students.

What most stories about Finland's current education reform have failed to cover is the most surprising aspect of the reform. NCF 2016 states that students must be involved in the planning of phenomenon-based study periods and that they must have a voice in assessing what they have learnt from it.

Some teachers see this current reform as a threat and the wrong way to improve teaching and learning in schools. Other teachers think that breaking down the dominance of traditional subjects and isolation of teaching is an opportunity to bring about more fundamental change in schools.

While some schools will seize the opportunity to redesign teaching and learning with non-traditional forms using the NCF 2016 as a guide, others will choose more moderate ways. In any case, teaching subjects will continue in one way or the other in most of Finland's basic schools for now.

The writer is Visiting Professor of Practice in Education, Graduate School of Education at Harvard University.

This article first appeared on theconversation.com, a website which carries analysis by academics and researchers in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.


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Adult skills test: Dampener for S'pore

April 5, 2015, 8:48 pm
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OECD's education chief says country unlikely to be a star performer, results will be out next year
By Sandra Davie, Senior Education Correspondent, The Sunday Times, 5 Apr 2015

Singapore is well known worldwide for its top placing in the maths, science and literacy tests that the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) runs every three years for 15-year-olds.

But will its adults fare as well in tests on their level of literacy and numeracy skills?

About 5,000 people aged from 16 to 65 in Singapore were picked for the OECD's adult skills test called the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC).

It assesses the literacy, numeracy and problem-solving skills of adults and how well they use these skills at work and at home. The tests were done last year and the results will be out next year.

OECD's education chief Andreas Schleicher told The Sunday Times in an interview he does not expect Singapore to be "a star performer" and the survey is likely to expose gaps in the population's skills level.

"It may not be a pretty picture," he said.

Some countries that took part in the first round of the survey, in 2013, suffered "PIAAC embarrassment", he added.

Japan ranked first in all three areas assessed, but the survey revealed that Japanese employers fared poorly in making use of their workers' skills.

British policymakers got a wake-up call when the survey showed Britain was the only country where the skill levels of young people were below those of older people.

Mr Schleicher predicted that Singapore's results might show a difference in the skill levels of younger and older generations just like in South Korea, which also took part in 2013.

"The Korean data showed a large age-related gap," he said. "Singapore today has one of the greatest school systems in the world, but that was not the case 20 years ago. So you are likely to see lower skill levels among those over 40."

Another part of the survey collects a broad range of information on workers, including how they use their skills at work and in the community.

East Asian nations have fared poorly in this aspect and Singapore may too, as employers here tend to hire and promote their workers based on qualifications instead of skills, Mr Schleicher said.

Using the United States as an example of how skills are used, he said American adults were ranked around the middle in literacy and near the bottom in skills with numbers and technology but PIAAC found that the American economy was exceptionally good at extracting value from workers, including talented foreigners who headed there for further education and jobs.

"The employers there recognise their skills, know how to use them and are willing to pay them a pre-mium for their skills," said Mr Schleicher. "The reverse is true for Japan, where rigid labour market arrangements prevent many skilled individuals, notably women, from going into jobs where their skills can be well used."

He was all praise for Singapore's efforts to foster a skills revolution and open up pathways to encourage employers, workers, parents and students to build up relevant job skills and continue learning throughout their lives.

And while he agreed that it will take time to change the "academic mindset" of people - the preoccupation with exams and grades - he believed that culture could be changed.

Part of the problem is the signals sent out in society.

"If people see that rewards go to people based on qualifications and not their skills, then of course they are going to chase degrees," he said.

Dr Schleicher, who had a stint as a visiting professor at the National Institute of Education, said the shift has to start with the education system.

Although he is not an advocate of doing away with exams altogether, he said there is a downside to relying on examinations too much. "Students and educators focus on things that are being measured," he said.

What needs to change in Singapore, he felt, is how examinations are used for progression through the system, all the way to university.

"There is a need to change the entire system to change the culture. You can't just push one or two levers and expect change to happen," he said.

But he was optimistic that the many changes being made in Singapore can produce results.

He said he was impressed with the "culture of continuous improvement and future orientation" in the country.

"So if there is a country that can show how this shift can be made, then it is Singapore."




ABOUT THE STUDY

About 5,000 people in Singapore aged 16 to 65 took part in the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) last year.

Nine other countries are participating in the second round of the survey, conducted by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The first round involved 23 countries, with the results released in October 2013.

All in, there are 32 countries participating, with the overall findings out next year.

The study aims to analyse the level and distribution of key cognitive and workplace skills.

The data will help countries better understand how education and training can nurture these skills.

Random sampling was used to select participants who are representative of Singapore's adult population.

Those surveyed sat for the test on a computer, or with paper and pencil for those who are not IT-literate. Surveyors also visited their homes to collect a broad range of information, including how skills are used at work and in the community.

In the first round, the OECD assessed skills in literacy and facility with basic mathematics, or numeracy, in all 23 countries. Participants in 19 countries were also assessed on their ability to use digital devices to find and evaluate information, communicate and perform common tasks.

Japan ranked first in all three fields, with Finland second in average scores. The Netherlands, Sweden and Norway were also near the top. Spain, Italy and France were at or near the bottom in literacy and numeracy.


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