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Singapore offers to be test bed for urban solutions

April 22, 2015, 7:06 am
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PM invites technopreneurs across the globe to join Smart Nation journey
By Grace Chng, Senior Correspondent, The Straits Times, 21 Apr 2015

PRIME Minister Lee Hsien Loong has called on leading entrepreneurs and investors from around the world to use Singapore as a test bed for solutions to urban challenges such as healthcare, transport and an ageing population.

While other countries face similar challenges, he said Singapore has an edge as it can quickly test prototypes and scale up projects because of its compact size and ability to get such scaling done.


This was how Singapore pioneered electronic road pricing and carved out a niche in water-purification technologies, which became examples for others to follow, he said. "We are embarking on our Smart Nation journey with the same determination."



Mr Lee was speaking to more than 200 local and foreign investors, entrepreneurs and corporate bigwigs at a dinner last night to launch an event called Founders Forum Smart Nation Singapore, to be held at Raffles Hotel today.

He did his wooing on the verdant grounds of the Istana. Fleshing out Singapore's Smart Nation initiative launched last year to find ways for technology to solve social and economic problems, he said it has three key areas.

These are healthcare for the elderly, transport, and a safe and secure data marketplace.

With technology, the elderly can live independently when sensors, mobile apps and remote monitoring are integrated for them to connect with one another as well as stay in touch with relatives.

For commuters, it can give reliable and timely transport information for them to plan their journeys efficiently.

And for firms, Singapore wants to be a centre where they can easily and safely tap data to get insights on, say, consumer trends.

But for Singapore to make a quantum leap to becoming a Smart Nation, an entrepreneurial culture is crucial, said Mr Lee, adding that it is starting to flourish.

The Launchpad, Singapore's start-up enclave in Ayer Rajah, is "almost full, with start-ups, incubators and venture capitalists".

But he wants even more talent, noting that many Singaporeans hold key engineering positions in Silicon Valley in California.

"We need more of them back home. We have to attract the best and the most dynamic - Singaporeans and non-Singaporeans - to come to tackle ambitious projects and to start up their companies here," Mr Lee said.

The Government is leading the way by upgrading its engineering and IT schemes, and changing the way organisations work by creating small teams to work on interesting problems.

Company founders at the dinner, which is part of a series of events this week to advance Singapore's goal to be a Smart Nation, said Mr Lee's words had inspired them to look at the Republic as a destination for tech innovation and investment.

Ms Viktoriya Tigipko, founding partner of venture capital firm TA Ventures, said her discussions with venture capitalists and entrepreneurs here confirmed Singapore had many opportunities in her interest areas of healthcare for the elderly, transport and financial technology.

"I will fund start-ups here focused on doing business in South-east Asia. Singapore is a good hub for the region, the Government is supportive and there is affordable office space and other services," she said.

Mr Michael Birch, co-founder of social network Bebo, said Singapore is on the right track in making it very apparent that it wants investors and entrepreneurs to come here and do business.

"The Prime Minister's speech is also very clear the Government supports entrepreneurship."




The prestigious Founders Forum (www.ff.co) event is being held in Asia and Singapore for the first time. The Founders...
Posted by IDA Singapore on Monday, April 20, 2015





Turning tech innovators into entrepreneurs
IDA unit in talks with British group to offer six-month course in S'pore
By Grace Chng, Senior Correspondent, The Straits Times, 21 Apr 2015

COMPUTER scientists, engineers and software developers in Singapore will soon be able to take lessons on how to be an entrepreneur.

An intensive six-month course is in the offing to help them turn their innovations into products for the commercial market.

The Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) said that its investment arm, Infocomm Investments, is in talks with Britain-based Entrepreneur First to introduce the programme in Singapore.

Entrepreneur First is an organisation that recruits tech talents and gives them the time and space to experiment with new projects. It then helps them to form a commercial company to sell their innovations.

The tie-up was announced by IDA as the Founders Forum Smart Nation Singapore kicked off at the Istana last night, marking the start of a series of events this week to promote innovations for Singapore to become a smart nation.

The programme is aimed at plugging a gap, as few technical professionals here make the leap into becoming entrepreneurs. The reason, said industry observers, is they are either not business-minded or do not know what it takes to be an entrepreneur.

Entrepreneur First has helped engineers, computer scientists and hackers from across Europe.

At the end of the programme, participants will pitch their innovations to investors for start-up funding.

In the last two years, Entrepreneur First has supported 60 innovators working in fields as diverse as drones, 3D printing, artificial intelligence, Bitcoin and marketplaces, IDA said in a statement.

The innovators have raised US$20 million (S$27 million) in external funding and have built 20 technology companies that are valued at more than US$100 million.

Founders Forum Smart Nation Singapore is a collaboration between IDA and Founders Forum, a London-based organisation for entrepreneurs to discuss new business ideas.

It is the organisation's first meeting in Asia, and will continue today with top tech entrepreneurs, investors and innovators holding discussions about urban trends and problems and how to use technology to solve them.

Some of the bigger names gathered here for the tech event include Sir Mark Walport, the British government's chief scientific adviser; Mr Walter de Brouwer, founder and chief executive of Silicon Valley-based medical technology company Scanadu; and Mr Michael Lynch, founder of technology investment and advisory firm Invoke Capital.

Singapore is excited to welcome these "leaders in tech" to discuss the world's most critical challenges, which the Republic is tackling in its smart nation initiative, said IDA executive deputy chairman Steve Leonard yesterday.

He noted that Singapore has what it takes to become "a great place for tech companies to build solutions that serve the global markets".

The Republic's assets include strong universities, deep investments in research and development, a growing community of tech start-ups, plenty of investment capital and the commitment of the public and private sectors.





Talent shortage ‘among obstacles’ in Smart Nation quest
By Tan Weizhen, TODAY, 22 Apr 2015

Foreign and Singapore companies attending a conference on the Republic’s Smart Nation drive said today (April 21) that they are eager to be part of it, but highlighted several kinks that they felt have to be ironed out for the initiative to take off.

These include a shortage of talent in coding as well as the accessibility and availability of government data.

On Monday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong called on the private sector and members of the public to come forward to be part of the vision.

Mr Azmat Yusuf, founder of London-based transport app Citymapper, said overseas technology firms will be drawn here if key conditions are right. “Everyone sees this as an easy place (to do business) ... But they are researching the viability. If the data are available and it looks like more of it is coming, then they will come,” he said.

Mr Yusuf, who took part in a brainstorming session at the Founders Forum Smart Nation Singapore with representatives of other start-ups, added: “Another thing I want to hear from the government agencies is that the environment will not be restrictive — that we can do cool things, such as make everyone’s smartphone or smart watch a sensor. Then we can, for instance, tell how crowded a bus or train station is.”

Dr Jeffrey Rayport, a faculty member in the entrepreneurship unit at Harvard Business School, noted that raw data released by the Government is not immediately useful without an application programming interface (API) to build software applications. “The government digital systems are also uneven. The tax and healthcare systems are advanced, but other aspects of government should be made as digitally sophisticated,” he said.

In his speech on Monday, Mr Lee acknowledged that the Government does not always release data in the best way, although it has an open data portal, http://www.data.gov.sg. He added that the APIs were not as polished and standardised as they should be, but the authorities were working on this.

Singapore entrepreneur Eddie Chau said it could take up to two years for all data from the Government to be rendered usable. Both Mr Chau, who owns a few start-ups, and Ms Viktoriya Tigipko, a venture capitalist from Luxembourg, felt a shortage of talent could hamper the Smart Nation drive. Mr Chau said: “As recently as five years ago, the computer science faculty did not have mobile development courses. Now we are starting to train, but it is not fast enough for the market.”

In a recent study conducted by Microsoft, 1,850 students under 24 were surveyed on their interest in coding in eight countries across the Asia-Pacific, including 250 students in Singapore. The survey showed that 76 per cent of students here want to know more about coding and two-thirds wished that it was offered as a core subject in school. However, less than half of the students, one of the lowest proportions among the countries surveyed, said they have an opportunity to learn coding in school, whether as a core subject or an extracurricular activity.

The Government has said it wants to make it easier for homegrown firms to enter the industry and the Smart Nation transformation will focus on these companies, among other groups.

Overseas firms interviewed said they would consider collaborating with start-ups here. Mr Yusuf said Citymapper is looking to work with third-party taxi booking app GrabTaxi — whose parent firm is based in Malaysia — to integrate taxi information into its app for the Singapore market. Ms Tigipko suggested that for a start, Singapore should import business models from smart cities in Europe, as a way to kick-start the ecosystem. “Singapore should bring in teams which have had successful products, then add local entrepreneurs to these teams. From there, the solutions can be expanded to the whole Asia region.”


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Wanted: Experts to give rail network thorough health check

April 23, 2015, 12:02 am
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As glitches persist, LTA calls for tenders to assess system
By Christopher Tan, Senior Transport Correspondent

THE Land Transport Authority (LTA) is looking for experts to assess the health of the entire rail network as the regulator and operators grapple with glitches that do not seem to go away.

The authority has called one tender inviting parties to analyse the condition of the operating system, and another to look at the state of the infrastructure.

An LTA spokesman said the move is part of "continuous efforts to ensure the safety and reliability of rail services".

"The assessment builds on the studies that LTA conducted two years ago," she added.

In 2013, the authority conducted an assessment of the North-South and East-West lines' maintenance regimen.

A separate study assessed the condition of the North-East Line and Sengkang-Punggol LRT.

Observers welcome the new check as the number of major breakdowns - those lasting more than half an hour - hit a four-year high of 12 last year.

Veteran transport consultant Bruno Wildermuth said: "We obviously need an independent assessment. To what degree outsiders can give a valid opinion will depend a lot on the access that they will have to the systems, the operators' staff as well as maintenance records.

"But equally important will be the background experience of the outside consultant. Somebody like the British Rail Inspectorate or an experienced operator such as the Hong Kong MTR might be able to do the job."

According to the LTA, 73 per cent of delays lasting more than five minutes last year were caused by train and signalling faults - down from 79 per cent in 2011. Power supply and track problems accounted for 19 per cent of delays, up from 18 per cent in 2011.

But external causes - such as poor weather and track intrusions - shot up from 3 per cent in 2011 to 8 per cent last year.

The network health check could also help operators understand why certain stretches are problematic.

For instance, both SMRT and the LTA are baffled as to why the Kranji-Yew Tee stretch is the most problematic section of the North-South Line. So far this year, there have been seven breakdowns arising from faults there, lasting between five minutes and nearly five hours.

The last one happened on Monday, which lasted around 20 minutes but had ripple effects across the network.

Commuter Ethan Guo, who travels from Eunos to Orchard for work, said it caused him to miss a 50 per cent fare discount granted to travellers who exit at selected stations before 8am.

"I've always been able to get the discount," said the civil servant, who is in his 30s. "But the connecting train at City Hall took much longer to arrive than usual."

Mr William Lee, an adviser to the National University of Singapore's engineering faculty, said that to improve cost efficiency and technical expertise, Singapore should buy a single train model, instead of the current four.

"A mechanic might be able to work with various Japanese cars, but to have him also work on German, American and Korean makes is very challenging," he said. "It also makes skills upgrading more difficult."

National University of Singapore transport researcher Lee Der-Horng said getting an external party to assess the system is "a positive move".

"It will allow the LTA to tap the best available expertise and technology to keep our rail network up to date."


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The allure of cinematic violence in ISIS

April 23, 2015, 12:09 am
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Those attracted to ISIS may be less drawn to its religious ideology than to the spectacle and glorification of its violence.
By Farish A. Noor, Published The Straits Times, 22 Apr 2015

THE most harrowing thing I have ever witnessed in the course of my field research on religious and political violence was the sight of young boys being made to watch a video of someone being decapitated and dismembered in a religious school in a South Asian country.

That the video was gory was upsetting enough; but even more disconcerting was the fact that the children who were made to watch it were unmoved, even jaded, by the spectacle of violence that was enacted before them.

Some of them joked about, others played by themselves, while the video played on the television set before them. It convinced me that for some people today, violence has become so normalised and commonplace that watching a person being killed before you is no different from watching an advertisement for shampoo or a cartoon show.

For more than a year now, we have all become the members of a captive audience, stunned and stupefied by the excessive violence of the group calling itself the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

That ISIS has chosen to assault our senses on an almost daily basis through its use of gratuitous violence reminds us of the fact that we live in an age of spectacular excess, where many people live lives that are vicarious through the medium of popular entertainment, reality shows, sports and video games. That ISIS has chosen to broadcast its violence tells us much about the modalities of the movement, but also locates it historically in the immediate present, as a product and symptom of the age of mass popular media.

That ISIS is a problem and a threat is something most sane and sensible people would agree upon. The question is how this threat is to be contained and neutralised, and what are the appropriate means to do so effectively.

Here, we need to remember that radical movements - like any mass-based organisation - are complex composite entities that are made up of many different human subjectivities. In the same way that we do not assume that all members of the Democratic party of America or the Conservative party of Britain think alike, we should also not assume that all the members and supporters of ISIS share a common universal subjectivity.

Nor should we try to analyse a movement like ISIS simply through a single analytical lens that can try to explain the phenomenon in a totalised, exhaustive manner. ISIS is a complex entity and it is evident that its complexity lies in its plural and hybrid composition.

Beyond religious lens

I AM particularly concerned that movements like ISIS, which justify their actions on the basis of religion, should not be seen and understood simply through the lens of religion or theological discourse.

The reasons for this are many: For starters, throughout human history, a plethora of groups and movements have justified their deeds - including violent deeds - via the recourse of a final religious vocabulary. We know that the Crusades were fought in the name of religion, though no serious scholar would argue that there was anything Christian in the conduct of the combatants themselves.

And Europe has witnessed a range of intra-religious conflicts such as the Thirty Years' War in the 17th century where Christians slaughtered Christians, with both sides claiming that the other was heretical and deviant.

Similarly, the use and abuse of religious symbolism has sadly been a trait of every major faith community in the world and, thus, it is vital at this stage not to fall into the trap of over-particularising the phenomenon of ISIS as something exceptional and unique.

Second, scholars and analysts who have been following the rise and spread of ISIS from the beginning have also noted that some of its recruits seem to have scant knowledge of the religion they profess.

Images of ISIS members engaged in acts of worship have emerged - again, on the Internet - which show ISIS members praying in different directions: A laughable error that even Muslim children would be able to correct. So much for their claims to piety and a holy life, then.

A simpler, though unpalatable, fact that has to be considered at this stage is that ISIS may well be a product of the modern age of televisual violence we live in.

We are surrounded and bombarded by images of violence on a daily, almost hourly, basis today; and violence permeates almost every aspect of our lives from TV shows to video games.

Living as we do at a time when parents have no problem whatsoever with their children watching violent movies or playing violent video games - some of which effectively encourage violence, and even criminal behaviour such as theft in order to win - should we be surprised if some of the recruits of movements like ISIS are drawn to that organisation simply for the promise of unrestrained and carefree wanton destruction and mayhem?

(Again, this is not a unique phenomenon: A number of right-wing neo-Nazi fascist movements in Europe lure new recruits with the promise of gang violence as an inducement to join.)

Packaging violence

HERE is where an academic- analytical disconnect seems to have appeared: For decades, the fields of anthropology and sociology have taken the phenomenon of violence as a serious subject for study.

Today, there are many good works on the sociology and anthropology of violence in war zones and conflict situations that have studied patterns of violent behaviour among soldiers and civilian combatants alike.

There are also many excellent studies of violence in the media and the mechanics of violence- normalisation in the world of televisual entertainment and popular culture. Such studies have been used to explain and analyse the occurrence of violence in different situations, ranging from soccer-pitch violence to domestic abuse.

Yet as long as ISIS is seen as a religious phenomenon that is defined primarily by religiosity, such analytical tools will not be brought to bear upon the movement and the actions of its members, impoverishing and weakening our own understanding of it and its appeal to some.

I would argue that the complexity of ISIS, and the fact that it is many different things to its many different recruits, requires us to apply as many different tools of analysis in order to get a more comprehensive picture of the thing-in-itself, seen from a range of possible angles.

While some ISIS members may have deep religious beliefs, there are also many who are simply attracted to violence and see it as a means of opting out of mainstream society in the most radical manner.

Addressing ISIS' use of violence, and how it has packaged that violence in the form of a mediated spectacle, would be part and parcel of understanding it.

It also entails the acknowledgement of the sad fact that in this age of normalised violence, we have collectively created the conditions where violence is glorified, valorised and even celebrated as adventurous and exciting.

Such a complex and nuanced approach to studying ISIS and the modalities of religiously-justified violence would entail going beyond mere religious semantics and symbolism, and addressing the deeper questions of where humanity stands at the moment, and what kind of society we have created in the age of popular entertainment and normalised brutality.

It may disturb some of us to think that ISIS is not, after all, a unique phenomenon that can be quietly tucked away at the corner of our world as an aberration of human nature, but rather a feature of the skewed modernity we inhabit.

But that is unfortunately the case. The next time you watch an action movie, just count the number of bodies you are likely to see, and realise that we have grown immune to images of killing and suffering around us.

Perhaps the hardest thing for us to accept is the possibility that the hoodlums and psychopaths who have joined ISIS are not individuals of real religious conviction after all, but the wayward children of the age of popular violence that now passes as entertainment.

The writer is associate professor at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University.


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Historic images get fresh breath of life

April 23, 2015, 12:20 am
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Stills taken by late historian dating from 1965 to 1995 collected in book
By Melody Zaccheus, The Straits Times, 22 Apr 2015

A COLLECTION of 14,500 images charting the transformation of Singapore has been largely unseen by the general public for up to half a century.

The slides, dating from 1965 to 1995 and taken by the late architectural historian Lee Kip Lin, capture memories such as the city centre's inter-connected five- foot-ways, which were designed to shade pedestrians from the tropical weather, as mandated by the 1822 colonial town plan.

Many have since been replaced by modern towers and complexes.

In 2009, two years before Mr Lee died at age 86, his family donated the collection to the National Library Board (NLB).

About 500 of these stills have now been given a fresh breath of life in an NLB-commissioned book by architectural historian Lai Chee Kien.

Dr Lai worked for a year on the project - titled Through The Lens Of Lee Kip Lin: Photographs Of Singapore 1965-1995 - categorising the images into chapters such as landscapes and streetscapes, houses and residential forms, and other buildings and structures.

The themes are in sync with Mr Lee's conservation role with the Preservation of Monuments Board, which is known as the Preservation of Sites and Monuments today. Some of his shots helped to justify the conservation of areas such as Kampong Glam.

"The photos document a period of physical transformation and urban renewal in Singapore," said Dr Lai.

"For Mr Lee to have taken the thousands of photos in such a sustained, consistent and meticulous manner over three decades is very impressive.

"Many of the stills are in black and white to show contrast in the details. They were also taken from angles that only a practised eye such as an architectural historian can capture."

Highlights in the book include a feature on the reclamation of parts of East Coast beginning in mid-1965.

Mr Lee's photos serve as a record of the various steps of the reclamation process, including the introduction of a sandbar in 1969 to mark out the Amber Road reclamation project's boundary.

Later photos show the nearby Chinese Swimming Club, which was engulfed by the reclamation.

Another section in the book is dedicated to reconstructing the now expunged Chong Pang Village, which was part of the estate of rubber plantation owner Lim Nee Soon.

Dr Lai pieced together Mr Lee's 1985 photos according to an earlier map of the village.

The final chapter is dedicated to reviewing the various building forms that used to be a feature of Singapore. These include the rarely documented compound houses and warehouses built with archways for boats to pass through.

The $42 (excluding goods and services tax) book, published by NLB and EDM Books, is on sale at major bookshops.

It will be launched officially next Tuesday at the National Library Building in Victoria Street.


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New heritage trail brings to light little-known parts of Jurong's history

April 23, 2015, 12:34 am
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Traipse through pre-industrial Jurong
Drive-in cinema, spy camp among highlights of new heritage trail
By Olivia Ho, The Straits Times, 22 Apr 2015

AS A young woman, Ms Cecilia Choo queued with colleagues to get into Singapore's first and only drive-in cinema in Jurong.

"The whole road was jammed when Bruce Lee's movie The Big Boss came," recalled the 60-year-old senior administration executive. "People would sit on top of their cars to watch."

Opened in 1971 by Cathay Organisation, the cinema could squeeze in up to 900 cars. But crowds dwindled with the rise of video piracy, as well as gatecrashers and illegal circuit racing. The cinema finally shut in 1985, after which the Fairway (golf) Club took over the grounds.

The cinema may no longer be standing, but visitors can learn about it from a marker at the site, which is one of the highlights of a new National Heritage Board (NHB) trail.

Developed in partnership with the Taman Jurong Citizens' Consultative Committee, the trail showcases little-known facets of Jurong's history. It will be launched on Saturday as part of the Singapore HeritageFest at the Taman Jurong Community Club by Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who is also MP for Jurong GRC.

The trail is the NHB's 13th and will highlight 12 heritage spots, including the old Jurong Railway, which transported raw materials and goods to and from Malaysia, and the former Jurong Town Hall with its 58m-high clock tower.

NHB spokesman Stefanie Tham said: "The stereotype of Jurong is that it is merely an industrial town, but through our research we realised there is so much more."

Before factories, shipyards and large malls filled Jurong, the area was home to gambier and rubber plantations. It also hosted a spy and guerilla training camp, where the Japanese tried to build a submarine base during World War II.

Resident Soh Ah Choo, 71, recalled how as a child of eight she would walk barefoot from her kampung to the rubber plantation where her mother worked to take her lunch. The retired cleaner added that she misses her old kampung, which was demolished to make way for Jurong Road.

She said in Mandarin: "We kept pigs, we kept chickens, we planted trees. We were very poor, but we had so many friends."

Memories of residents such as Madam Soh were an important factor in the trail's design, said Ms Tham. "It's the residents' stories that made this trail come alive, how they felt so much fondness towards the place."

This Saturday's free NHB tours were fully booked within three weeks of registration.

Heritage buffs can also do a self-guided trail using a booklet published by NHB. It is available for download from the HeritageFest website or in hard copy at community centres in Jurong.


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IKEA to continue tie-up with magic show despite gay activists' opposition

April 23, 2015, 1:30 am
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By Nur Asyiqin Mohamad Salleh And Rachel Au-yong, The Straits Times, 22 Apr 2015

FURNITURE retailer IKEA Singapore will not pull out of a tie-up with a magic show that features a pastor known for his views against homosexuality.

Despite opposition from gay rights activists, IKEA Singapore said after a one-day review that it would continue to offer members of its loyalty programme discounted rates for Vision.

This is a magic show featuring pastor Lawrence Khong of Faith Community Baptist Church and his daughter Priscilla.

Mr Khong is known for his outspoken views against homosexuals and support for a controversial law that criminalises gay sex.

Dear IKEA fans, thanks for your patience while we took time to come to an informed decision on an issue that has raised...
Posted by IKEA Singapore on Tuesday, April 21, 2015


The decision to continue the promotion comes after a thorough review, said IKEA Singapore in a statement yesterday.

It said: "We have spoken directly with the organisers, reviewed the content and confirmed that the Vision show offers high family entertainment value and, on that basis, we are continuing our promotional collaboration."

Vision will be held at the Esplanade in July.

IKEA Singapore spokesman Sandra Keasberry later told The Straits Times that the furniture retailer reviewed all the promotions under its membership programme, not just the one that offers a discount for Vision.

These include discounts for fengshui consultation, pest management services from Rentokill and tickets to theatre company Wild Rice's Public Enemy production.

"We stick by all our partners as they provide good value and good entertainment," she said.

In its statement, IKEA added that it respects the diversity and equality of all people in the community.

"We also respect that all individuals have a right to their opinions and personal choices, including the freedom to choose their preferred entertainment."

The company thanked customers for their patience as it deliberated over an issue that had "raised sensitivities in our community".

The decision drew both cheers and criticism on IKEA Singapore's Facebook page last night. There were netizens who applauded IKEA for "not bowing to pressure". But others were disappointed as the company, which is headquartered in Sweden, had said in the past that it prides itself on inclusivity.

Gateway Entertainment, the media arm of Mr Khong's church that is producing the show, said yesterday that it would not be responding to queries on the matter.




Furniture retailer IKEA Singapore has decided not to pull out of a tie-up with a show that features a pastor known for...
Posted by The Straits Times on Tuesday, April 21, 2015





"We have spoken directly with the organizers, reviewed the content and confirmed that the Vision show offers high family...
Posted by Channel NewsAsia Singapore on Tuesday, April 21, 2015





Death of tolerance under guise of diversity

PASTOR Lawrence Khong has said that he does not believe in discriminating against anybody in terms of basic human rights ("'I told the minister to send me to jail'"; Sept 7, 2013).

He said in the 2013 report that more than half of the dancers for his magic show were living the homosexual lifestyle, and that it was not a problem as they were good dancers, but that he disagreed with the lifestyle.

The problem with the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) debate lies with different communities' definition of diversity ("IKEA working on solution for magic show"; yesterday).

Gay activists imply that the definition of diversity is a diversity of human sexual behavioural patterns, contrary to the traditional view of a family. Never the twain shall meet, in this fundamental difference of definition.

Therefore, this is where our laws protect our freedom of speech in the name of tolerance.

However, tolerance has been sacrificed on the altar of hypocrisy. Tolerance means: "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."

Tolerance is what IKEA is embodying, by recognising and promoting a magic show which offers high family entertainment value, regardless of the personal beliefs of its main performer.

The backlash from gay rights groups has revealed the double standard they hold in the name of diversity, through pressure tactics and emotional rhetoric which produces more heat than light.

This is detrimental behaviour which discourages civil dialogue and careful deliberation, which are key in a democratic society.

Thus, we ought to support IKEA's efforts and reject hypocrisy in the name of tolerance and protecting the true freedom of expression.

Loy Hwa Wei
ST Forum, 22 Apr 2015




"IKEA incorporated Mr Khong’s magic show as part of its loyalty programme of discounted rates for members. That, it...
Posted by Yahoo Singapore on Wednesday, April 22, 2015





Ideological conformity cannot exist in a truly inclusive society
Darius Lee, TODAY Voices, 22 Apr 2015

I refer to the criticism levelled at IKEA Singapore due to its tie-up with pastor Lawrence Khong’s magic show, Vision (“Flak from gay groups sees IKEA relook tie-up with pastor”, April 21)

The fundamental freedoms of speech and conscience are the lifeblood of a healthy democracy and the cornerstones of true tolerance and viewpoint diversity.

Though individuals may hold that their own views are true and those of their opponents are mistaken, they should still respect their opponents as persons and their corresponding right to express their views. True tolerance is summed up in the saying: I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.

While gay rights advocates have called for tolerance, imposing conformity of thought on others is a hegemonic inversion of true tolerance.

IKEA Singapore has also offered discounted rates for its loyalty programme members for Public Enemy, a production by W!ld Rice. The play’s synopsis states that it raises “thought-provoking questions about democracy and the freedom of expression” and what it means “to hold firmly to an unpopular opinion in a world where it’s easier to conform”.

Efforts to mark Mr Khong as a “public enemy” on account of his views on homosexuality are the opposite of what it means to live harmoniously in a pluralistic society.

To build a truly inclusive, tolerant and diverse Singapore, Singaporeans of all creeds and stripes should take a firm stand against such calls for ideological conformity.




http://tdy.sg/1DDYhUq - After some netizens took to IKEA Singapore's Facebook page over the weekend to criticise its...
Posted by TODAY on Monday, April 20, 2015





IKEA working on solution for magic show
Activists had criticised its support for show staged by anti-gay pastor
By Rachel Au-Yong, The Straits Times, 21 Apr 2015

IKEA Singapore has responded to complaints from activists for its support of a magic show by a pastor known for his views against homosexuality, saying it is working to find an acceptable solution.

Gay rights activists were up in arms about a tie-up that allows members of IKEA Family - the retailer's loyalty programme - to obtain discounted rates for Vision, a magic show featuring pastor-magician Lawrence Khong of Faith Community Baptist Church.

A spokesman for the furniture retailer told The Straits Times last night it recognises that "the promotional collaboration with Vision has raised sensitivities among members of the public".

"We have been in contact with the show's organisers today and hope to find a resolution that is agreeable to both parties."

Dear IKEA fans, we at IKEA Singapore recognise that the promotional collaboration with the Vision show has raised...
Posted by IKEA Singapore on Monday, April 20, 2015


IKEA Singapore said earlier that its management was assessing the situation. It also posted an apology on its Facebook page in response to an upset customer, saying: "We are really sorry for the unhappiness this has caused."

Among activists who spoke against IKEA's decision was Ms Jean Chong, co-founder of women's gay rights group Sayoni, who said she wanted to encourage the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community "not to patronise businesses that promote homophobia".

Ms Olivia Chiong, who blogs about same-sex parenting, said IKEA Singapore's support "contradicts the brand's public and global stand for diversity and equal rights over the last 20 years".

An IKEA spokesman told international LGBT news portal Gay Star News that while IKEA Family is promoting the show on its website, it is not funding it: "Vision is offering our Family members a discount on tickets to a theatrical illusion performance that offers high family entertainment value."

Vision's main sponsor, IPP Financial Advisors, defended its support for the show in July, which features Mr Khong and his daughter Priscilla. Its managing director for marketing and investments, Mr Albert Lam, said: "We sponsored the show because we are proud of our Singaporean talent, and this is a world-class show. What Lawrence Khong believes is not part of our criteria for good entertainment value."

Others also praised IKEA for supporting the show. Mr Thio Gim Hock, chief executive of real estate developer OUE Limited, thanked IKEA on Facebook, saying: "The normal family - man, woman and child - are in the majority and are the ones who need to buy furniture to start their home."

Mr Khong, 63, could not respond to queries by press time, said a spokesman for Gateway Entertainment, his church's media arm that is producing the show.

He has been outspoken against homosexuality. Last year, he pledged support for a campaign to "wear white" to protest against the LGBT picnic Pink Dot.

This is not the first time a company has come under fire for supporting certain organisations. In 2008, DBS Bank drew flak for picking Focus on the Family - seen by some as an anti-gay, anti-abortion organisation - as a target charity. The bank dropped the charity's name from its advertisements, but restored it later.




"Olivia Chiong, who co-parents a two-year-old daughter with her wife in Singapore and an Ikea customer for 20 years,...
Posted by Pink Dot SG on Sunday, April 19, 2015






Let's salute those who are strong enough to resist the IKEA Singapore meatballs and cheap furniture.
Posted by Mothership.sg on Wednesday, April 22, 2015




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'Be ready to ride wave' of maritime growth

April 23, 2015, 7:40 am
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By Jacqueline Woo, The Straits Times, 22 Apr 2015

ASIA'S fast-expanding economy will drive the shipping industry in coming years so Singapore must be ready to "ride on (this) wave of growth", said Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew yesterday.

Mr Lui told the opening of Sea Asia, an anchor event at Singapore Maritime Week, that Asia accounted for almost 80 per cent of global container throughput at the world's top 30 ports last year, with this share tipped to expand. "We need to ensure there is sufficient capacity to meet the growth in shipping demand, and support the proliferation of mega vessels," said Mr Lui.

He added that Singapore has already invested significantly to increase port capacity.

When the third and fourth phases for Pasir Panjang Terminal are fully operational by the end of 2017, Singapore's total port capacity will increase by more than 40 per cent to 50 million 20-foot equivalent units.



Mr Lui also said that the Government will ensure that the maritime industry will grow in "a sustainable and responsible way" - such as introducing liquefied natural gas bunkering by 2017, in line with global efforts to use cleaner and sulphur-free fuels.

It will also take steps to develop maritime talent, he said.

The Maritime and Port Authority will roll out a career conversion scheme for Singaporeans to undertake mid-career switches into the maritime sector.

"We will continue to ensure that Singapore remains a prime location... so that maritime companies which are already here, or are looking for a landing spot in Asia, can continue to look to Singapore as a potential base to tap immense opportunities in Asia and beyond," said Mr Lui.

Industry leaders at the conference also discussed the future of Asia's shipping and offshore industry against the backdrop of falling oil prices.

"It's a question of survival over the next few years," said Mr Khalid Hashim, managing director of Thai dry bulk shipping firm Precious Shipping, who was one of five panellists at the Sea Asia Global Forum. Companies need to "do some things right" in order to be successful, namely scrapping old rigs, getting rid of non-core assets, raising finances and cutting costs, he said.

Pacific International Lines managing director Teo Siong Seng said shipowners should be more "responsible" when it comes to newbuilds. "There is too much newbuilding still."

Most of the panellists, however, remained optimistic about the medium to longer-term outlook, citing the projected growth of shipping volume, on the back of Asia's burgeoning middle class.

Singapore Maritime Week, much of which is held at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre, ends on Friday.





'No containing' Singapore's shipping capacity
MPA's growth plans may leave rivals trailing in its wake: HK shipping boss
By Jacqueline Woo, The Straits Times, 23 Apr 2015

SINGAPORE'S plans to expand its container shipping capacity could allow it to "pull away" from its competitors, said shipping magnate Tung Chee Chen yesterday.

Mr Tung pointed to the trend of mega-vessels and added: "If Singapore is actually looking into the future and thinking that the big ships are here to stay, then its transhipment operations could be the key to success."

Singapore's port authorities have already announced long- term plans to increase container handling capacity - there will be a new port in Tuas as well as new facilities at the Pasir Panjang Terminal to accommodate up to 65 million twenty-foot equivalent units from 2027.

This will be almost double the current handling capacity.

"Relatively speaking, no other country, or no other neighbouring port, is actually contemplating investing or trying to catch up," said Mr Tung, who is chairman of Hong Kong shipping group Orient Overseas International.

He noted that more shipping companies are turning to bigger vessels, which also require "a new set of facilities to take care of them".

"The terminal must know how to manage without any hiccups. If you have congestion and delays, you create dislocation in the system, which is not good for the customer (or for yourself as an operator).

"Terminals have to continue with investments and keep pace with the changes."

Mr Tung, who was delivering the Singapore Maritime Lecture at the Fullerton Hotel, said firms may need to "look beyond our usual industry parameters" given the challenging conditions still facing global shippers.

This could involve extending a business' operations to land activity or ensuring the co-existence and cooperation of carriers, both big and small.

Mr Tung noted that China's new "Silk Road" strategy could boost close cooperation among nations and bring "new energy" to global maritime trade.

"The word cooperation seems to be really hitting home as the common denominator," he pointed out.

"It is becoming an increasing necessity in the global village that we have built. As a villager, we must focus more of our efforts on cultivating success."

The lecture, which was organised by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), is a key feature of Singapore Maritime Week, which ends tomorrow. About 450 maritime industry delegates attended yesterday's lecture, the ninth such.

Meanwhile, the MPA Academy - the training arm of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore - inked an agreement with the World Maritime University (WMU) yesterday to cooperate in the grooming of talent.

The WMU is a post-graduate university founded by the International Maritime Organisation, a United Nations agency.

The memorandum of understanding involves the two organisations collaborating on leadership development programmes and exchanging faculty members.

MPA said in a statement that the agreement was in line with MPA Academy's efforts to reposition itself as a centre of excellence in global maritime leadership training.




"On their own, the steps that the Government took and our investments, while necessary, would not have been sufficient...
Posted by Ministry of Transport, Singapore on Tuesday, April 21, 2015





Shipping magnate lauded for helping to steer sector
By Jacqueline Woo, The Straits Times, 22 Apr 2015

BEFORE starting his own shipping line in 1967, magnate Teo Woon Tiong, widely known as YC Chang, sailed cargo between Malacca and Indonesia on Chinese junks.

A pirate attack caused the Fujian-born businessman to lose his fortune, but not his drive. Mr Teo later came to Singapore and joined a local trading firm, before setting up Pacific International Lines (PIL).

Mr Teo, now 96, is not one to be deterred by challenges, his son and PIL managing director Teo Siong Seng told The Straits Times yesterday.

As other firms avoided China at the height of the Cold War, he made his way into the closed market, a move that later paved the way for Sino-Singapore bilateral ties.

PIL is now the world's No. 18 container ship operator, with a fleet of 200 vessels, and a presence across 100 countries.

For his contributions to Singapore's shipping industry, Mr Teo was conferred the prestigious International Maritime Centre (Individual) award at the Singapore International Maritime Awards last night. His son received the award for him at a gala dinner at Ritz-Carlton Hotel.

In an opening address to some 630 maritime leaders, Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew hailed Mr Teo as a pioneer of the maritime industry here. He also paid tribute to Pacific Carriers, one of the oldest shipping companies here, and Thome Group executive chairman Olav Thorstensen.

Besides Mr Teo, 10 other industry partners were lauded last night, including Mitsui O.S.K Bulk Shipping (Asia Oceania), which received the corporate award for helping Singapore develop as an international maritime centre.

BP Singapore won for its quality bunkering services, while Keppel Offshore & Marine Technology Centre snagged an award for innovation in research and development of maritime industry technology.

Sembcorp Marine was awarded for driving the development of the offshore and marine engineering sector.

The biennial awards, organised by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, are held in conjunction with the week-long Singapore Maritime Week, in its 10th edition.



A video tribute to our maritime pioneers! Thank you for your contributions! http://youtu.be/f060vyh5m0w
Posted by Singapore Maritime Week on Tuesday, April 21, 2015






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Hubble Telescope clocks up 25 years

April 23, 2015, 9:13 pm
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Iconic space observatory has proved a spectacular success after bad start
The Straits Times, 21 Apr 2015

NEW YORK - The world's most famous telescope, which NASA has called "the most significant advance in astronomy since Galileo's telescope", is celebrating its 25th year in space.

The powerful Hubble telescope has provided more than one million observations to date, allowing scientists to make groundbreaking observations about distant galaxies, black holes and supernovas, fundamentally altering man's understanding of the universe.



But the telescope, named after late astronomer Edwin Hubble, was the butt of jokes when it was launched 25 years ago.

Just weeks after it was put into orbit, the makers of the US$1.5 billion "time machine" realised that they got one of their measurements wrong - the Hubble's mirror was a tiny bit flatter than it should have been.

The measurement was off by about one-fiftieth the thickness of a piece of paper, but it meant that the telescope sent back nothing but blurry images of deep space, rendering it virtually useless - a huge embarrassment for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

To mark the anniversary of the telescope, National Geographic made the documentary Hubble's Comic Journey and spoke to the engineers and scientists about the telescope's rocky start.

Mr Charlie Pellerin, NASA's head of astrophysics between 1983 and 1993, was candid about his feelings, saying "I looked back on this and wondered how could I have been so stupid. It was leadership failure and I was leader of the team".

"I was 38 years old when I got that job and I had never managed a multi-hundred-million-dollar project before, and so I assumed the people before me knew how to do it and they didn't," he told the documentary makers.

He also recalled a confrontation with senior senator Barbara Mikulski, who had fought hard for government funding to build the Hubble.

"She's mad and she's screaming with invectives and puts her finger in my chest, 'Charlie, you need to understand that this is a mess that's just gotta go away. We're gonna forget this nightmare ever happened'," he said.

But NASA did not give up. After three years of brainstorming, it sent seven astronauts in a space shuttle to repair the telescope.

It was an extremely difficult task, as the astronauts had to wear full space suits and leave the shuttle to do the repairs.

Astronauts likened the work to fixing a car while hanging upside down, wearing ski mittens and travelling at 27,000kmh.

Fortunately, the space agency's hard work paid off, fixing the mistake by correcting the optics with lenses and mirrors designed to be just as perfectly at fault - but in the opposite way.

NASA calls the Hubble telescope "one of the most productive instruments ever built" as its data has been used in more than 12,700 scientific papers.

Its groundbreaking revelations include discovering the oldest galaxy ever seen, dating back 13 billion years, as well as confirming that the Jupiter-orbiting moon has an ocean beneath its surface, raising the prospects for life.

So far, the Hubble has exceeded expectations of how long it can last. Its components were expected to degrade by 2013, but it is still going strong.



NASA officials say they want the iconic space observatory to go on working for as long as possible and expect it to last until 2018, reported Space.com.

NASA had hoped to use a shuttle to bring the Hubble back to Earth to be a museum exhibit, but the telescope outlived the shuttle programme, CNN reported.

To replace the Hubble, NASA will reportedly launch the James Webb telescope in 2018.










 









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LTA to install more sensors to monitor tremors

April 23, 2015, 11:45 pm
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By Christopher Tan, Senior Transport Correspondent, The Straits Times, 23 Apr 2015

TREMOR monitoring systems will be installed at 18 transport structures across the island, more than treble the number already monitored by earthquake sensors.

While Singapore has been quake-free so far, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) explained that enhanced surveillance is required because of tremors from nearby quakes.

Observers said that the increase is likely to be tied to recent recognition that the island is not entirely immune to seismic risks.

Two years ago, for instance, the Building and Construction Authority adopted new building codes that include guidelines on making buildings more quake-resistant.


To be better prepared, the LTA has called a tender for contractors to install the tremor monitors at places such as Tuas Second Link, West Coast Highway, Kranji Expressway near Yew Tee Flyover, the Clementi-Jurong East MRT viaduct, Queenstown-Redhill MRT viaduct and Punggol LRT near Riviera station.

It will also replace monitors at five locations where tremor monitors were installed between 2008 and 2011. They are Jurong East MRT, Kallang MRT, the Circle Line's Dakota tunnel, Benjamin Sheares Bridge and Tanah Merah Flyover.

The contractor will also supply new software and a central control system.

An LTA spokesman said that even though Singapore is not in an earthquake zone, tremors from nearby quakes are felt here.

"The expanded coverage will enable engineers to retrieve information required to facilitate planning and deployment of engineers to inspect specific structures quickly if warranted," she said.

Professor Li Bing, director of the Nanyang Technological University's Natural Hazard Research Centre, said that the move is "necessary".

"We seem to be in a very safe zone, but we also have a very short history," he said, explaining that earthquake studies usually span hundreds of years.

"Earthquakes are black swan events," he said, citing recent quakes that devastated cities like Hiroshima, Japan and Christchurch, New Zealand, which were previously not deemed risk-prone.

"I grew up in Christchurch, and nobody talked about earthquake back then," he said.

Assistant Professor Wei Shengji, from NTU's Asian School of the Environment, said that tremor monitoring systems have been in use since the early 20th century, in places such as Los Angeles, Mexico City, Beijing, Rome and almost every city in Japan.

Prof Li, however, said a drawback of monitoring systems is in "what you do with the big data".

"You need specially trained people to analyse the data properly," he said.


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Indian Heritage Centre to open to the public on May 8

April 23, 2015, 11:59 pm
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Indian Heritage Centre opens on May 8 with more than 440 artefacts
By Melody Zaccheus, The Straits Times, 23 Apr 2015

NESTLED in the heart of Little India, amid its busy streets and alleyways, is a new museum that houses ancient artefacts dating back to Indian empires of yore.

The treasure trove of historic items includes a 5th century red sandstone head of Buddha from the Gupta empire and a 10th century granite statue of Hindu deity Vishnu from the Chola period.

The new Indian Heritage Centre in Campbell Lane is the first museum here dedicated to Indian history.

The centre cost $16 million to build, another $5 million to fit out, and will have more than 440 artefacts on display when it opens to the public on May 8.

It is run by the National Heritage Board (NHB), which operates two other existing heritage institutions - the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall and the Malay Heritage Centre.

Centre director Gauri Krishnan said that the museum "can help foster a greater sense of pride and identity in the Indian community".

Mr Alvin Tan, NHB's assistant chief executive of policy and development, said that the centre "contributes to a better understanding of Singapore's multiracial and multi-cultural society".

First mooted in 2008, the 3,090 sq m, four-storey centre is a culmination of about seven years of work.

The centre has two levels of permanent exhibition space, divided into five themes.

Organised chronologically, it starts with the early interactions between South Asia and South-east Asia, and goes on to feature the origins and movement of Indians from the 19th century to the 21st century.

The third section charts the contributions of early Indian pioneers in Singapore and Malaya, while the fourth showcases the social and political awakening of Indians here. The final section showcases the contributions of Indians in Singapore from the late 1950s to the 1980s.

The centre had received a $10 million grant from the Government to acquire artefacts, which include a two-storey glazed ceramic tile mosque facade from Multan, Pakistan, dating back to the 1890s.

The artefact came partially assembled with some loose tiles. Mounters and conservators had to work on it like a jigsaw puzzle, said curator Nalina Gopal.

To mark its opening, the centre will organise a CultureFest from May 8 to 31. Activities such as street fairs, performances and outdoor film screenings will spill out onto the newly pedestrianised Campbell Lane.

Shopkeeper Siva Selvarasi, 50, who owns a handicraft shop opposite the centre, said that Indian culture is colourful and exciting. She believes that the centre could draw all segments of the public and benefit businesses.

"There's so much potential for it to be a vibrant space in the already lively Little India neighbourhood.

"I hope it can take off and succeed because everyone can benefit from it," she said.


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Singapore: Inside Out - Showcase of creative S'pore makes global debut in Beijing

April 24, 2015, 12:16 am
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Five-day event features performances, talks as part of festivities to mark SG50
By Esther Teo, China Correspondent In Beijing, The Straits Times, 23 Apr 2015

SINGAPOREAN playwright Joel Tan is interested in how people from different cultures identify with the struggles of local artists in a theatre piece he wrote as part of a global showcase of the city-state's creative talents.

His work, The Actor's Tour, made its debut yesterday as part of Singapore: Inside Out - a showcase of contemporary creative disciplines in Beijing's 751 D.Park art district.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/people-in-beijing-first/1801868.htmlI was very pleased to launch the...
Posted by Tan Chuan-Jin on Thursday, April 23, 2015


The script of the performance, which consists of a series of monologues, is taken verbatim from interviews that the 28-year-old did with artists involved in the showcase beforehand. It is then performed by professional actors on stage.

"I want to see how people identify with making art in different cultures. We don't assume it's exactly the same, but hope that the stories told have some resonance with various audiences," said Mr Tan, who is staging his first overseas performance with Singaporean director Tan Kheng Hua.

Helmed by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), the five-day showcase that ends on Sunday is making its international debut in Beijing as part of celebrations for Singapore's 50th birthday.

Apart from local artists participating - such as chef Janice Wong, whose edible art installation will allow visitors to enjoy "laksa chocolate" - China and Singapore artists will collaborate in panel talks, live music showcases and other presentations.

The event will travel to London in June and New York in September, before returning to Singapore for its homecoming in November.

Minister for Manpower and Social and Family Development Tan Chuan-Jin, who officiated at the event's launch, said he hoped the exhibition would allow "both foreigners and Singaporeans to view Singapore from a different perspective and to better understand the country".

"There are many layers to Singapore, whether state-sanctioned, state-sponsored or otherwise... It is very difficult to pigeonhole what Singapore is and what it is not.

"The range of (SG50) celebrations reflects the range of activities we relate to... Singapore: Inside Out was meant to be an effort to showcase something that's different," he said.

While there are occasionally tensions between the Government and the artistic circle, Mr Tan said it is important to recognise that these frictions are also "part of the story".

He added that the local art scene is thriving and, with many Singaporeans active in the art scenes in other countries, this is something to be proud of.

STB chief executive Lionel Yeo said Beijing was chosen as a venue for the showcase as it is "a media capital and the gateway to Greater China and north-east Asia". It was also a way to mark the 25th anniversary of Sino-Singapore ties this year.

"Many people here and around the world know Singapore as an efficient business hub and a financial centre, but the artistic and quirky sides of Singapore are less well known. Through this showcase, we hope to raise awareness and generate interest in this area," he said.





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NUH patient service associates to be trained to draw blood

April 24, 2015, 12:33 am
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By Jean Khoo, TODAY, 22 Apr 2015

Patients who need to fast for certain tests, such as blood glucose and cholesterol testing, can expect a shorter waiting period at the National University Hospital (NUH) before they have their blood drawn by qualified personnel.

To help save patients’ time, NUH is expanding the work scope of its patient service associates (PSAs) to enable them to perform phlebotomy — the medical procedure of drawing blood samples.

"Patient Service Associates (PSAs) are an important member of the public healthcare team in delivering quality care to...
Posted by National University Hospital on Wednesday, April 22, 2015


As the hospital’s frontline staff, the basic duties of PSAs include registering patients, scheduling appointments and collecting payment.

NUH will have 19 PSAs trained to perform phlebotomy this year, and about 20 per cent of the 470 PSAs from its specialist outpatient clinics trained over the next three years, said the hospital, which celebrated its inaugural PSA Day today (April 22).

To mark the occasion, a carnival was held this morning, while Health Minister Gan Kim Yong presented the Model PSA Award to Ms Nagoormeera Syed Masood at a ceremony in the evening.

Ms Elaine Chua, a 23-year-old PSA, said she had volunteered to attend the phlebotomy training because she wanted to be more directly involved in patient care.

“Also, because I used to have a fear of needles, I can understand what a patient is going through,” she added.

Phlebotomy training requires PSAs to go through three days of theory lessons, which include topics on safety measures and proper vein selection.

After that, they will have to go through a practical course, during which they will perform the procedure on 50 patients under the supervision of a trained staff member.

NUH assistant chief operating officer Clara Sin said: “Throughout the course, there is an emphasis on patient and staff safety. Hence, patients should feel assured that any staff member assigned for the role of blood drawing is fully competent in his or her role.”

She added that having PSAs do phlebotomy would help patients who need to fast and arrive early in the morning for a blood test.

“Having more staff trained to draw blood will enable us to channel more resources to blood drawing in the morning. Staff can move on to other roles in the later part of the day,” Ms Sin said.


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Business advisers and HR services to help SMEs

April 24, 2015, 12:49 am
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Minister gives details of support schemes small firms have access to
By Stephanie Heng, The Straits Times, 23 Apr 2015

MORE details on the assistance schemes that smaller businesses have access to as they tackle the challenges of a volatile and uncertain global economy were unveiled yesterday.

Mr Teo Ser Luck, the Minister of State for Trade and Industry, shed more light on the various Budget support programmes in a speech at the SME Centre Conference at Max Atria, Singapore Expo yesterday.

The Workforce Development Agency (WDA) will provide each of the five main SME Centres with a business adviser from next month.

The advisers will give specialised guidance on staff development as well as more information about WDA manpower development schemes.

They are expected to help around 700 SMEs over the next two years.

SPRING Singapore has also appointed 11 human resource service providers to offer companies shared access to systems and other services as part of the HR Shared Services initiative, which will be available from May 1.

The services include outsourcing administrative work such as payroll and claims processing, reorganising HR structures, and adopting an information system to complement existing HR processes.

SPRING will provide SMEs with funding support of up to 70 per cent of qualifying costs, including a one-time set-up expense and up to 12 months of subscription costs.

Mr Teo told the 850 people at the conference that micro and small enterprises often do not have the scale to have a specialised unit to support their HR needs, so the SPRING initiative will allow them to focus on their core business.

Ms Judy Yeong, owner of software development firm xEdge Consultancy, said day-to-day operations get "quite busy", leaving little time for small businesses to invest in HR operations.

Mr William Thien, EON Consulting and Training's principal consultant, noted that smaller organisations with fewer than 50 employees often cannot manage their HR operations effectively.

EON Consulting and Training is one of the 11 HR firms that will offer their services under the HR Shared Services initiative.

However, Ms Sharon Ng, owner of Pastry Mart, a distributor of confectionery and baking supplies, said that "small companies can't spend too much, especially in the current economy".

This may inhibit micro SMEs from outsourcing their HR operations.

Mr Louis Tan, manager of business development at TLG Technology, mentioned that "implementation may be difficult" as the firm would need to work with an external agency.

A panel discussion was held at the conference to discuss concerns that SMEs may have in developing their staff.

Panellists such as Mr Joseph Foo, founder and executive chairman of Jason Marine Group, emphasised the importance of treating employees like "family" and recognising the potential in each individual, but participants raised concerns about the labour crunch, with firms unable to attract Singaporeans.

While there was no clear solution, the panellists said there was a need to build a strong employer branding.

Panellist Edward Chua, co-founder and managing director of music and lifestyle company Timbre Group, said that a "sense of fulfilment", not high pay, is the main priority of the younger generation.

Constant innovation is an option for firms as it will contribute to better branding and attract more individuals keen to participate in this development process, Mr Chua added.

Policies such as SPRING's SME Talent Programme will support this by promoting internships in SMEs, exposing students to the work environment and offering incentives to join the companies after graduation.

The one-day conference was hosted by the SME Centre@Singapore Manufacturing Federation.


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Singapore thanks champions of its interests abroad

April 24, 2015, 1:09 am
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By Hoe Pei Shan, The Straits Times, 23 Apr 2015

STOLEN passports, murder investigations and evacuating Singaporeans from war-torn areas - these are just some of the issues that Singapore's honorary consuls-general (HCGs) deal with.

Since 1974, 31 HCGs have been appointed in 26 countries.

Foreign Minister K. Shanmugam said that their growing number reflects the evolution of Singapore's interests abroad and the demand for consular services by the city-state's travellers and overseas diaspora.

"If you look at, say, 40 years ago, our interactions with Latin America, Central America... Africa... would have been limited," he told reporters at the 7th Meeting of Singapore Honorary Consuls-General at the Shangri-La Hotel yesterday. "Today, politically and strategically, we have strong linkages with many of the countries in Latin America and Africa simply because... it's a more interconnected world," he said.

He added that the world's "economic power centres" have also shifted, and Singapore's economic interests are now "much greater".

With Singaporeans making more than 25 million overseas trips last year alone and another 200,000 residing abroad, there is also a need for consular services across the globe.

Most HCGs are influential natives of their countries who help to further Singapore's economic, political and strategic interests without receiving payment. They include businessmen, lawyers and engineers. Some accept the positions because of personal affinity with Singapore, and many see it as an honour to be selected.

Three months ago, Singapore's Papua New Guinea HCG, Sir Henry Chow, found himself assisting in a murder investigation and the repatriation of a body.

The Singaporean managing director of Morobe Stationery, Mr Tan Tiam Teng, 69, was found dead in his Lae home with a gash in his neck on Jan 4. He was a friend of Sir Henry. In another incident, Lebanese HCG Joseph Salim Habis took two Singaporeans out of a war zone through his network of contacts.

HCGs "perform very valuable services", said Mr Shanmugam. "You exist and you survive by being connected, and the HCGs help us in that role because... we're simply too small to have embassies on the ground in many, many countries."



Had a good meeting with our Honorary Consuls-General (HCGs) before lunch. They are foreign citizens who represent...
Posted by Lee Hsien Loong on Thursday, April 23, 2015




Honorary citizen: No divorcing 'second wife'
By Hoe Pei Shan, The Straits Times, 23 Apr 2015

TWO Singaporeans trapped in Lebanon during the 2006 war had no one to turn to as Singapore did not have an embassy there.

Then Foreign Minister George Yeo called Singapore's honorary consul-general (HCG) in Lebanon, Mr Joseph Salim Habis, asking him for urgent help.

"He said, 'Joseph, you have to do your utmost because this is very dangerous, and these people, they have their parents here (in Singapore) crying,'" recalled Mr Habis, who then made some calls to "very important people".

He successfully located the two, who had been hiding in an underground shelter.

The airport in Beirut was closed and ships other countries had sent did not have room for the Singaporeans, so Mr Habis arranged transport from Lebanon to the border of Syria, with convoys for protection because it was a "very dangerous" route.

From Syria, the pair then flew to Singapore. It took them 10 days, from the time Mr Habis got the call, to get home safely.

For his efforts, Mr Habis, Singapore's first and longest-serving HCG, received a letter of appreciation from the Government of Singapore.

The 71-year-old said he has come a long way from when he was first asked to be HCG in 1974. Back then, his first reaction was "Where is Singapore?"

Now he takes great pride in being an "honorary citizen" of the country, and calls the Republic his "second wife".

He added: "There will be no divorce."



Mary and I hosted 25 of our Honorary Consuls-General (HCGs) to a tea reception at the Istana this morning. Our HCGs help...
Posted by Dr Tony Tan on Thursday, April 23, 2015




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PM Lee joins well-wishers in expressing concern for former president S R Nathan

April 24, 2015, 1:20 am
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By Nur Asyiqin Mohamad Salleh, The Straits Times, 23 Apr 2015

Good wishes have poured in for former president S R Nathan, after news broke of his hospitalisation following a stroke last Tuesday.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong joined the well-wishers on Thursday, saying in a Facebook post that he was saddened to learn last week that Mr Nathan had suffered a stroke.

Was saddened to learn last week that Mr S R Nathan had suffered a stroke. Ho Ching and I visited him in hospital on...
Posted by Lee Hsien Loong on Wednesday, April 22, 2015


He and his wife Ho Ching visited Mr Nathan at the Singapore General Hospital last Friday.

"We were glad to see him sitting up, and in good spirits. He has always been a fighter," wrote Mr Lee. "Hope he continues to recover well."

Was saddened to learn last week that Mr S R Nathan had suffered a stroke. Ho Ching and I visited him in hospital on...

The post gained over 13,000 likes and more than 400 comments, with netizens wishing Mr Nathan well.

Others also took to social media to express their concern for Mr Nathan and to wish him a speedy recovery.

On Wednesday, President Tony Tan said on Facebook that he and his wife had earlier this week visited Mr Nathan, who was "in good spirits and looking forward to being discharged".

My wife and I were both very concerned when we learnt that former President Mr S R Nathan was warded last Tuesday for...

Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, too, visited Mr Nathan in the hospital, and found him alert and clear-headed, he said on Facebook.

Mr Nathan is also able to speak normally and move his hands freely.

"He is making good recovery from his stroke and should be discharged soon," said Mr Goh.

Visited S R Nathan in hospital and happy to find him alert, clear-headed and able to speak normally. He is also able to...

The People's Action Party has started a #getwellsoonSRNathan hashtag on its social media accounts.





Former president Nathan in hospital after stroke
By Walter Sim, The Straits Times, 23 Apr 2015

FORMER president S R Nathan, 90, has been warded in Singapore General Hospital after he suffered a stroke on April 14.

"He is recovering and is now undergoing therapy," his family said in a statement yesterday.

President Tony Tan Keng Yam and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong have both visited Mr Nathan in hospital.

In a Facebook post last night, Dr Tan said he and his wife were "very concerned" after learning that Mr Nathan had suffered a haemorrhage in the brain, one of the causes of stroke.

"We are relieved that his condition has since stabilised. When we visited him at the hospital earlier this week, we were happy to see that he was in good spirits and looking forward to being discharged," Dr Tan said.

He added: "We wish Mr Nathan a speedy and full recovery and the very best of health."

A source close to Mr Nathan told The Straits Times yesterday: "He's doing well. But just like before, his ability to walk is not so strong. The therapists are trying to make him stronger."

Mr Nathan, who had often been seen taking walks in East Coast Park, told The Straits Times in an interview earlier this year that he had not been able to take such walks for more than six months.

He said at the time: "I cannot walk any distance. My health is not good. I became breathless and tired. But my mind is okay."

In the interview, which was published in February, he said he had been "free of all the responsibilities" since stepping down as president in August 2011, but added: "I kill time by keeping myself engaged and my mind occupied."

Mr Nathan's public service career spanned five decades, culminating in his election as president in 1999, at age 75.

He went on to become the country's longest-serving head of state, serving two six-year terms until he stepped down in 2011.

Before that, Mr Nathan had been a social worker, trade union activist and diplomat.

When the Laju passenger ferry was hijacked in 1974, Mr Nathan led the negotiations to secure the eventual release of all the hostages on board.

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1955 Bandung meet with Africa 'inspired struggles for nationhood': PM Lee

April 24, 2015, 2:10 am
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Africa contributed to Singapore's fight for independence
By Zakir Hussain, Deputy Political Editor In Jakarta, The Straits Times, 23 Apr 2015

SINGAPORE'S relations with countries in Africa date back to before independence.

They can be traced to the 1955 Asian-African Conference in Bandung, which Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday described as a "landmark" that inspired the struggles for nationhood by many new countries.

In a speech at the second Asian-African Summit marking the 60th anniversary of the Bandung conference, PM Lee said the meeting "connected Asian and African countries together, under common values of non-alignment and self-determination".

Had a full day at the Asian-African Summit yesterday. Africa seems far away from us, yet in a globalised world we...
Posted by Lee Hsien Loong on Wednesday, April 22, 2015


Africa, he added, also contributed to Singapore's independence struggle. In January 1964, then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew began a month-long mission to 17 African capitals to explain the concept of Malaysia, of which Singapore had then just become a part.

"The solidarity we got from our African friends at the United Nations and in international fora played an important role in securing support for Malaysia. Many of the friends Mr Lee made more than half a century ago are still our friends today," PM Lee said.

He also thanked many of the leaders who had conveyed their condolences on the death of Mr Lee Kuan Yew last month.

PM Lee noted that after becoming independent in 1965, Singapore sent missions to Africa to explore trade and business links.

But these were slow to take off. "Perhaps we were ahead of our time," he added.

Sixty years on, relations between both sides are picking up.

"Asian countries are realising the many bright spots and vibrant development centres of growth which exist and are taking off in Africa," he said.

A third Africa-Singapore business forum was held last year.

But he felt more could be done. "Speaking from an East Asian perspective, we still don't understand Africa enough, so we need to work hard to appreciate this diverse, enormous and tremendously vibrant continent better."

He noted that the New Asian-African Strategic Partnership, chaired by Indonesia and South Africa, was seeing greater cooperation between the two continents. Both have become interdependent and can tackle common challenges like terrorism, pandemics and climate change together.

They can also exchange ideas on meeting sustainable development goals ahead of a UN meeting this year, he added.

PM Lee also spoke about the Singapore Cooperation Programme through which Singapore shares its experience with friends.

"We had benefited from such partnerships earlier in our economic development, when many other countries provided technical assistance and helped to train Singaporeans," he said.

"So we are glad that now... we are able to do likewise for other countries." In the past two decades, it has led to the training of 8,000 African officials.

Singapore Cooperation Programme (SCP) African Video
Leaders from Asia and Africa are assembled in Jakarta, Indonesia for the Asian-African Conference Commemoration 2015. Together, they will celebrate the “Spirit of Bandung”, which commemorates the gathering of leaders from several newly independent states in 1955. This current meeting aims to strengthen South-South cooperation and inter-regional dialogue between Asian and African countries. Here in Singapore, we are also happy to conduct a course from 20 to 24 April 2015 on “Technical and Vocational Education and Training for Principals and Leaders” for African officials, under our technical assistance package to the African Union. Watch our latest Singapore Cooperation Programme (SCP) publicity video on our outreach to Africa here.
Posted by SCP Friends on Tuesday, April 21, 2015


He later told Singapore media that 60 years after Bandung, countries are talking about opportunities for cooperation and sharing experiences on dealing with globalisation and uncertainties.

In his meetings with various leaders, issues such as education, sovereign wealth funds and the Singapore model came up.

"While the specific issues change, the need for us to engage one another remains the same. So in that broad sense, what started at Bandung continues," he added.

PM Lee attended a gala dinner for visiting leaders last night, before leaving for Singapore.





S'pore 'happy to encourage investment in Indonesia'
By Zakir Hussain, The Straits Times, 23 Apr 2015

JAKARTA - Singapore is happy to encourage investments in Indonesia, but Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said much would depend on the specifics of the projects, among other things.

Speaking to the Singapore media about his talks with President Joko Widodo, he said the Indonesian leader was focused on developing infrastructure and would like Singapore to encourage investors to come to Indonesia.

"I said yes, we have good relations with Indonesia, we are happy to have our investments grow. But it will depend on the specifics of each project and investors will have to be convinced that these are projects which will make good sense to them," Mr Lee said.

He also met other leaders, including Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Rwandan Prime Minister Anastase Murekezi, South African Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, Angolan Deputy President Manuel Vicente, South Korean Deputy Prime Minister Hwang Woo Yea and Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.

At talks with Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah, Mr Lee invited him to Singapore and said he hoped President Mahmoud Abbas would also consider a visit.

Mr Lee said Singapore remains committed to supporting the Palestinian National Authority's efforts to build capacity, and welcomed more officials to visit.

"PM noted the positive bilateral relations and that it was a two-way learning process," his press secretary Chang Li Lin said.

He also met Egyptian Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahleb and welcomed ongoing cooperation between the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore and Al-Azhar University, expressing hope that its Grand Imam, Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, would visit Singapore.

Mr Lee recalled the good discussions he previously had with the muftis, Ms Chang said, adding that "both Singapore and Egypt have a common interest in combating extremism".

Mr Lee told reporters that extremism was also on the minds of leaders: "We all know that this is a problem and each of us has to do our part within our countries to tackle it. But it will be with us for quite some time to come."





Why Bandung mattered
By Zakir Hussain, The Straits Times, 22 Apr 2015

GATHERING in the Indonesian city of Bandung, leaders of 29 countries in Asia and Africa, many newly independent, were keen to find ways to work closer together and make a statement of solidarity against colonialism.

The year was 1955.

The meeting subsequently led to the formation in 1961 of the Non-Aligned Movement in Belgrade, capital of the former Yugoslavia and now, of Serbia.

This is a grouping of countries that did not want to take sides in the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union.

Its prominence, however, has waned since the end of the Cold War 25 years ago.

But for many leaders and representatives of the 100 nations or so that have gathered in Jakarta this week, the "Bandung spirit" remains just as relevant despite the tensions from territorial disputes and extremist terrorism.

Sukarno, Indonesia's first president, told the delegates in 1955: "We can mobilise all the spiritual, all the moral, and all the political strength of Asia and Africa on the side of peace."

It is a call that resonated with Dr Rizal Sukma, executive director of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Jakarta.

This week, he wrote in a commentary in Indonesia's Tempo news magazine that, without peace and security, implementing the Bandung spirit to tackle the challenges of the 21st century will remain a pipe dream.

These challenges are to create prosperity and improve the welfare of people on both continents.

The countries that got the Bandung conference off the ground in 1955 were Indonesia, India, Pakistan, Burma (now Myanmar) and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka).

But more importantly, it was the first major meeting that communist China as well as former occupying power Japan attended alongside their neighbours.

The conference was widely reported globally and fuelled the independence struggles of other colonies, like Malaya and Singapore.

Many sent observers to Bandung. The People's Action Party sent founder member and journalist Samad Ismail, while chief minister David Marshall's Labour Front sent lawyer and party founder C.H. Koh.

The key principles adopted at the meeting included the right of people to rule themselves, respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries, and respect for non-interference in others' internal affairs.

But conflicts and political upheavals in several key players, including Indonesia, meant both regions never quite lived up to the close cooperation that Bandung's founders had hoped for.

However, Associate Professor Tan See Seng of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies told The Straits Times: "Its influence can be found, at least where international order in Asia is concerned, in the way Asian countries subsequently structured their relations with one another, and the conventions they developed in support of that."

Dr Tan co-wrote the 2008 book Bandung Revisited with Professor Amitav Acharya, in which they say that these norms include non-alignment, coexistence and dialogue, which "are of considerable relevance for Asia" in coping with the current rivalry between the United States and China.

But some hope this week's meetings will make greater headway in drawing Asia and Africa closer in more concrete ways.

Said Dr Rizal: "As initiator and host of the 1955 Bandung Conference, we cannot let the achievement we reached 60 years ago remain just a footnote in the history books of international relations."






Reviving the Bandung Spirit
By Luhut B. Pandjaitan, Published The Straits Times, 23 Apr 2015

INDONESIA brought the post-colonial world together when it hosted the first Asia-Africa conference in the town of Bandung in April 1955.

Sixty years later this week, it is marking that historic occasion by gathering nations, both to commemorate the "Bandung Spirit" and to look at the prospects of the developing world.

The Bandung Spirit, which emerged from the 1955 conference, was embodied in what was known as Bandung's Ten Principles. Among these were political self-determination, mutual respect for sovereignty, non-aggression, non-interference in internal affairs, and equality.

These principles might sound like platitudes today, so deeply have they become entrenched in the norms, if not always the practice, of international relations. They were anything but definitive six decades ago.

In the 1950s, a large part of humanity was divided between colonial powers which believed that they were the arbiters of international destiny, and post- colonial states which believed and behaved otherwise. The latter, and other new states, wanted their sovereignty to be recognised as genuine, and their freedom of choice and action to be respected by all.

Twenty-nine of these states were represented by their leaders at the Bandung Conference. The stellar cast included Sukarno of Indonesia, Jawaharlal Nehru of India, Zhou Enlai of China, Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt, Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia and U Nu of Burma (now Myanmar). They spoke on behalf of their own countries as well as colonised nations yet to become independent.

The Bandung Spirit flowered as the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). NAM was a defiant declaration against the international divisions spawned by the Cold War between the United States, the leader of the capitalist world, and the Soviet Union, the leader of the communist world. This ideological East-West divide coincided roughly with a hemispheric divide between the North, home to the colonial or capitalist powers, and the South, the refuge of history's dispossessed whose other name was the Third World.

NAM announced the possibilities of solidarity between the nations of the Third World in the economic, political and cultural spheres. The Bandung Conference had nurtured some of the first stirrings of post-colonial nationalism that took institutional form in NAM, which came into being in Belgrade in 1961. Sukarno, Josip Broz Tito of Yugoslavia, Nasser, Nehru and Kwame Nkrumah from Ghana were instrumental in establishing this movement.

Looking ahead

ALL that occurred then. Why is the Bandung Spirit relevant today? The Cold War is over, the Soviet Union is no more, the East-West conflict has passed into history, and globalisation has erased the sharp contours of the North-South divide. The centre of global economic activity is passing to Asia. Today, Indonesia is a confident member of the Group of 20 sunrise economies, not a newly decolonised nation. Why, then, invoke the spirit of past times? What purpose will this month's gathering serve?

One important purpose is to get countries taking more seriously the divisions that globalisation is creating in the global South. The success stories of China, India or Indonesia are real, but even they do not obscure the wide disparities of wealth and life chances that are created and exacerbated by globalisation. Indeed, the First and Third worlds now exist within nations, if not between them.

At the same time, not all nations can benefit from globalisation equally. There are losers and winners. Unlike the stock or property market, where losing and winning are two sides of the same coin, countries are political and civic entities, not merely markets.

Asia and Africa are witness to the diversity of globalisation. The interaction of leaders from those continents, and elsewhere, would give them an opportunity to begin a conversation on sharing their experience of encountering the global movement of capital, investment, goods and ideas.

South-South cooperation, one of the central themes of the commemorative event this week, is not a fashionable slogan. It is a real attempt to ensure the benefits of globalisation can be shared more equitably among the teeming masses that make up the majority of the world's population.

That effort resonates with the Bandung Spirit.

The well-being of the global South has strategic significance as well. Although a new Cold War is not in the offing - at least, not yet - the contours of great-power rivalry are getting clearer.

Here in Asia, the rise of China has placed its relationship with the United States in clearer perspective. Asians do not want a repeat of US-Soviet rivalry or, later, Sino-Soviet rivalry in the form of having to choose sides between Beijing and Washington today.

This is true of Africa as well. China has extended its economic sphere of influence to the continent, setting the stage for an eventual contest with the West in general and the US in particular. Africans are intensely aware of how great-power rivalry can pull a continent apart, to the detriment of millions.

Here, again, Asians and Africans should engage in a conversation to protect their interests from being overshadowed by great-power rivalry.

This would be in keeping with the Bandung Spirit.

Actually, this is not a new effort. Indonesia hosted a commemorative gathering on the 50th anniversary of the Bandung Conference 10 years ago. It invoked the Bandung Spirit in charting plans for concrete cooperation between Asia and Africa as part of global collaborative efforts. The parleys led to the creation of the New Asian-African Strategic Partnership.

This week's conference must build on that initiative.

One overlapping area of interest between Asia and Africa is the Middle East. The violent upheavals there - including the depredations of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria - are not rooted in Islam but in systemic instability that has twisted religious thinking for political ends. Indonesia has first-hand experience of preventing terrorism from capturing the political agenda while keeping open channels of religious interaction and harmony.

Democracy is key to striking that balance. Indonesia could share its experience with its international partners in the context of an Asian-African dialogue, which would also be a dialogue among world civilisations.

Finally, Indonesia's decision to host the latest conference attests to its free and active foreign policy. That policy remains a centrepiece of its self-perception today, as it was in 1955.

Indonesians hope that their friends from Asia and Africa will join them in celebrating a benchmark gathering in the 1950s that has become synonymous with the desire of the decolonised world to take charge of its own destiny.

Taking charge of one's destiny - now, that is a work always in progress.

The writer is Indonesian President Joko Widodo's Chief of Staff and the overall chairman of the Asian-African Conference 60th Commemoration national committee.


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What happens when China becomes No. 1?

April 25, 2015, 7:41 am
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The answer may well depend on how America acts now, when it is still the world's sole superpower.
By Kishore Mahbubani, Published The Straits Times, 24 Apr 2015

LET me begin with three incontrovertible facts. First, China will become the No. 1 economic power in the world.

Second, most Americans, like most Westerners, view China's rise with great foreboding.

Third, the role that China will play as the No. 1 economic power has not been cast in stone.

How the world, especially America, reacts to China's rise will help to influence China's behaviour in the future.

If we make the right decisions now, China could well emerge as a benign great power (even though most Americans find this virtually inconceivable).

At the same time, many Americans are not aware that some recent American actions have set bad precedents for China to follow when it becomes No. 1.



The first such American action was to launch quantitative easing (QE).

Until the onset of the crisis, Chinese leaders were happy that the United States and China had settled into a comfortable pattern of mutual dependence. China relied on the US markets to generate exports and jobs. The US relied on China to buy US Treasury bills to fund US deficit spending.

This Chinese confidence of mutual interdependence was shattered when the US Fed announced the first round of QE measures in November 2008. The Fed's actions demonstrated that the US did not have to rely on China to buy US Treasury bills.

The second American action was to engage in extraterrestrial application of domestic laws. It did this when it prosecuted several banks, including HSBC, RBS, UBS, Credit Suisse and Standard Chartered.

In 2012, the US fined Standard Chartered US$340 million (about S$450 million) for making payments to Iran. Most Americans reacted with equanimity to the bank being fined for dealing with the "evil" Iranian regime.

But Standard Chartered, domiciled in the United Kingdom, had broken no British laws. Nor had it violated any mandatory sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council.

However, since almost all international payments have to go through the US payment mechanism, Standard Chartered was fined for violating American laws. In short, the US was applying American laws to non-American citizens and non-American corporations operating outside America.

The third American action was to threaten countries by denying them access to the Swift system. Since all international payments have to go through the Swift system, any country denied access to the Swift is thrown into a black hole and denied access to any kind of international trading and investment.

In a recent column, Fareed Zakaria described well the Russian reaction to the possibility of being denied access to the Swift system. In Western media commentaries, President Vladimir Putin is often portrayed as the bad guy and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev is portrayed as the good guy. Yet, it was the "good guy" who said: "Russian response - economically and otherwise - will know no limits."

China's dream of renewal

I TELL these three stories upfront because as Americans ponder how China should behave as a No. 1 power, they should also reflect on the question of whether America has served as a good role model of a No. 1 power. This is the big question I raise in my conclusion.

To get to the conclusion, let me address the first key question: What are the goals and ambitions of China's leaders as China emerges as No. 1?

Unlike the leaders of the erstwhile USSR, the Chinese leaders have no desire to prove the superiority of the Soviet communist system. So if it is not communism that they are trying to promote, what is it? And the simple answer is that they would just like to revive Chinese civilisation.

If there is one thing that motivates China's leaders, it is their memory of the many humiliations that China has suffered over the past 150 years. If there is a credo that drives them, it is a simple one: "No more humiliation". This is why they want to make China a great and powerful nation again.

President Xi Jinping explained this goal well in his address to Unesco on March 27 last year. He said: "The Chinese people are striving to fulfil the Chinese dream of the great renewal of the Chinese nation.

"The Chinese dream is about prosperity of the country, rejuvenation of the nation, and happiness of the people. It reflects both the ideal of the Chinese people today and our time-honoured tradition to seek constant progress.

"The Chinese dream will be realised through balanced development and mutual reinforcement of material and cultural progress.

"Without the continuation and development of civilisation or the promotion and prosperity of culture, the Chinese dream will not come true."

However, many in the West will not rest easy till China transforms itself into a liberal democracy.

They assume that if China's system is changed and a Western-style democracy emerges in China, this will be an unmitigated good. This is a dangerous assumption to make.

A more democratic China is likely to be a more nationalist China. A more nationalist China could well be a more assertive and aggressive China. In this sense, the Chinese Communist Party is delivering a major global public good by restraining nationalist forces and voices in China.

Present calm is a miracle

SO FAR, as we know well, China has emerged peacefully. This is a result of wise Chinese leadership. However, it is also a result of wise American policies towards China.

This explains the unusual calm we see in Sino-American relations. Normally, when the world's largest emerging power is about to pass the world's greatest power, we should be seeing a rising level of tensions between the two. It would therefore be perfectly normal to see rising tensions between the US and China today.

Instead, we see the exact opposite: perfectly normal and calm relations.

The US began engaging China seriously during the Cold War when China became a valuable ally against the Soviet Union.

However, it continued even after the Cold War ended. Despite tensions in the 1990s due to the Tiananmen Square episode, both sides made efforts to keep the relationship on an even keel.

When President Bill Clinton took office in January 1993, after having described the leaders of China as the "butchers of Beijing", one could easily have predicted a far bumpier road. Fortunately, Mr Clinton reacted wisely.

I was present at the first Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders' meeting on Blake Island in November 1993 and saw with my own eyes how Mr Clinton and President Jiang Zemin made an enormous effort to reach out to each other. By the end of the day, their mutual wariness was replaced by a significant degree of personal bonhomie.

The US helped China to gain membership to the World Trade Organisation.

And the US has also helped China by being sensitive to the issues in Taiwan - indeed, coming down very hard on the leaders of Taiwan when they tried to push for independence.

The US has also been extraordinarily generous to open the doors of its prestigious educational institutions to students from China.

In the 2013-2014 academic year, 275,000 Chinese students were enrolled at American universities. Future historians will be puzzled by this massive act of generosity as many of these students then return to China to propel China forward in areas ranging from space exploration to defence.

All these wise American actions have resulted in a miracle: a calm US-China relationship.

However, miracles are by definition historical aberrations. They don't last.

Soon, we will revert to the historical norm and see rising competition between the world's two greatest powers. An early example of the new form of competition was provided by the recent American efforts to persuade countries from joining China's initiative in the setting up of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. Even the United Kingdom was accused of "constant accommodation of China, which is not the best way to engage a rising power".

To avoid rising competition, both sides need to learn from the mistakes they have made. China needs to learn lessons from its assertiveness vis-a-vis Japan and its Asean neighbours. America needs to ask whether its recent actions have served as a good role model for China.

This is why I began with the three stories on QE, extra-territorial application of domestic laws and denying access to Swift.

They illustrate why America should study its own recent deeds through a simple lens: Would it like China to replicate these deeds when China becomes No. 1? The reason for using this lens is that when China clearly becomes No. 1, it is likely to replicate America's deeds, not its words.

America was able to and could threaten to act unilaterally in the three cases I cited because it is clear that America is still the reigning Emperor of the global financial system.

It unilaterally controls the global reserve currency, the US dollar. In theory, the US dollar is a global public good but, in practice, it is an instrument of American domestic and foreign policies.

There is therefore the big danger of the US using global public goods, like the US dollar, international banking transactions, and the Swift system, for unilateral purposes and ends.

It will encourage the world, especially China, to work towards creating an alternative global order. If that happens, the world will become a far messier place.

One reason why the world has been remarkably stable and peaceful over the past few decades is that the rest of the world, especially Asians, had agreed to accept and work with the Western-created family of global institutions, including the UN, International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

They agreed to do so because they believed that these institutions were serving global interests, not Western interests. However, the US has on several occasions made unwise moves to undermine these global institutions. And every action that the US makes to undermine these institutions could now be replicated by China.

If America seeks to strengthen a global order that serves global interests, China will do the same.

If this happens, nothing will change fundamentally when China becomes No. 1. We will continue to live in a safe and predictable world. In other words, China could emerge as a stakeholder that is as responsible as the US.

Since America is still the No. 1 power in the world, the big question that America should ask itself is a simple one: Would it feel comfortable living in a world where China behaves just as America did when it was the sole superpower?

The writer is dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore. This essay is based on the Albert H. Gordon lecture he delivered at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government on April 8.


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Aussie blogger admits she faked cancer

April 25, 2015, 7:58 am
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Belle Gibson's business built on the lie collapses amid widespread outrage
By Jonathan Pearlman, Published The Straits Times In Sydney, 24 Apr 2015

AN AUSTRALIAN "wellness" blogger who attracted a global following by claiming she miraculously survived brain cancer has ignited widespread outrage after admitting that none of it is true.

The confession completed the collapse of 23-year-old Belle Gibson's business and finally confirmed that her much-told tale was far too good to be true.



A remarkably healthy-looking mother of a four-year-old son, Ms Gibson used a blog to chronicle how she was given months to live due to brain cancer, but survived by abandoning chemotherapy and turning to whole foods and natural therapies.

She quickly developed a large online following, including hundreds of thousands of followers on social media. She launched an app and a popular recipe book called The Whole Pantry.

But as doubts about her fantastical claims surfaced, she admitted what many had long suspected.

"None of it is true," she revealed in an interview with Australia's Women's Weekly magazine.

"I don't want forgiveness. I just think (speaking out) was the responsible thing. Above anything, I would like people to say 'okay, she is human'." 

Ms Gibson's admission caused anger in her home country and on social media. Adding to the fury, it emerged that Ms Gibson had failed to hand over about A$300,000 (S$314,000) which she reportedly said she was raising for charity.

In her confessional interview, Ms Gibson said her "troubled" childhood may have prompted her to lie about her condition.

"I am still jumping between what I think I know and what is reality," she said.

"I think my life has just got so many complexities around it and within it, that it is just easier to assume (I am lying)."

The Women's Weekly magazine, which was published yesterday, suggested that Ms Gibson may have a psychological condition called factitious disorder or Munchausen syndrome - where sufferers pretend they are ill to gain attention. 

"She says she is passionate about avoiding gluten, dairy and coffee, but doesn't really understand how cancer works," the magazine said.

The young entrepreneur rose to prominence in 2013 as she began to chronicle her survival story online. 

But the empire began to crumble as journalists in recent months began to question her medical records - or lack thereof - and her alleged efforts for charity.

When she failed to substantiate her claims, her publisher Penguin withdrew her book from sale and cancelled plans to publish it internationally. 

Her app was featured on Apple's website for its Apple Watch, but has since been dropped. 

It remains to be seen whether her followers - including cancer sufferers - will be as quick to forgive as she may hope. 

A cancer sufferer and author, Ms Yvonne Hughes, said that Ms Gibson's fraud could have endangered lives because people made choices about their treatment based on her advice. 


Ms Gibson's magazine interview was her first after going to ground when suspicions first emerged that she was a fraud. 

"Her story of deceit on a grand scale, for personal profit, highlights everything wrong with our cult of personality," columnist Wendy Tuohy wrote in The Herald Sun newspaper.

"Yet, she also confesses today to being a seriously damaged individual, one whose mental stability has at times been a source of great concern."


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Man charged under new anti-human trafficking law

April 25, 2015, 8:06 am
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By Danson Cheong, The Straits Times, 24 Apr 2015

A 24-YEAR-OLD Singaporean man has become the first person here to be charged under the Prevention of Human Trafficking Act, which went into force last month.

According to court documents, Muhammad Khairulanwar Rohmat allegedly recruited a 15-year-old with the purpose of exploiting her.

The girl cannot be named because of a gag order.

The offence reportedly took place on April 15 between 3.30pm and 5.30pm at a Starbucks cafe in Orchard Road. At about 4.30pm, he allegedly had consensual sex with her in a men's toilet in Cuppage Plaza.

For this offence, he faces a second charge of having sex with a minor under the Penal Code.

Yesterday, Khairulanwar appeared in court dressed in a black T-shirt. He was calm and silent as the charges were read to him. He was remanded for a week for further investigations.

The case will be heard again next Wednesday.

Under the Prevention of Human Trafficking Act, anyone who recruits, transports, transfers, harbours or receives a child for the purpose of exploitation, whether here or abroad, is guilty of an offence.

First-time offenders can be fined up to $100,000, jailed for up to 10 years and caned a maximum of six strokes.

For sexually penetrating a minor, he could be jailed for up to 10 years, fined, or both.

The new Prevention of Human Trafficking Act began as a Private Member's Bill proposed by MP Christopher de Souza in 2013. He was given the go-ahead from the Ministry of Home Affairs to table it in Parliament, which was done last October and, after a series of heated debates, the Bill was passed into law last November.

Yesterday, Mr de Souza told The Straits Times that the landmark Act had two aims.

He said: "One aim of the Act is to strongly empower ground enforcement against human trafficking. This will help deter acts of trafficking. The other aim is to protect victims. Both are equally important aims. It is for the courts to decide whether the facts of any particular case meet the legal elements under the Act."


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Star Pals a lifeline for critically ill kids and their caregivers

April 25, 2015, 8:17 am
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Scheme has medical staff, therapists, social workers making home visits
By Janice Tai, The Straits Times, 24 Apr 2015

SEVEN-YEAR-OLD Danielle Seah may be bedridden with three tubes sticking out of her throat and stomach, but she is still able to respond to the beat of her favourite song, The Wheels On The Bus Go Round And Round.

During a music therapy session on April 11 in her home, her eyes darted between her father, who was beating a drum, and her sister, Beth, 11, who was strumming a ukelele. Moving in time to the rhythm of the catchy song, her tongue flicked up and down.

"She has lost almost all her ability to move, so we hope to slow down the progress of the disease and retain her remaining functions through music," said her father, engineer Frederick Seah, 40.

Danielle has spinal muscular atrophy, a disorder that causes muscles to weaken until it becomes hard to move or even breathe.

She is one of the 140 critically ill children that HCA Hospice Care has helped care for in the comfort of their homes since its Star Pals (Paediatric Advanced Life Support) programme started in 2012. So far, it is the only home palliative care service here for children with life-limiting conditions such as childhood cancers.

The programme aims to improve the quality of life of sick children by supporting them at home so that they do not have to be hospitalised.

Its team of doctors, nurses, social workers and therapists work to prevent and reduce symptoms through regular home visits. Caregivers can call a 24-hour emergency helpline.

Art and music therapy sessions are arranged for the children and family members for them to de-stress, express their feelings and bond with one another.

Trained volunteers "babysit" the sick child so that caretakers can get time off.

When the child dies, bereavement care is extended to family members.

On average, the children and their families use the Star Pals service for about a year.

Dr Chong Poh Heng, programme director of Star Pals, said about 2,000 patients aged 19 and below have life-limiting conditions. "About 250 children die in Singapore every year, so we hope to reach out to more of these families to help them cope better," he said.

Said Danielle's mother, Ms Rebekah Choong, 38: "We were going in and out of hospital and were like headless chickens trying to do all we can for her but tiring everyone out in the process."

So the family was grateful to have a doctor go to their house and guide them through advance care planning.

For the last two years, Star Pals staff has visited the family every week and, subsequently, every few weeks.

They could also call the helpline to get medical advice whenever Danielle gets short of breath or when the feeding tube bursts.

When Ms Choong quit her finance job last year to care for her daughter, the family worried about medical expenses. After means testing, Star Pals offered them the service for free. Otherwise, the service would have cost $30 to $90 a month.

The Tote Board Community Healthcare Fund has injected $3 million to cover most of the cost of the three-year pilot programme.

Mr Seah said: "We are no longer struggling alone and now have the confidence and peace to enjoy the journey and care for Danielle ourselves at home.

"It is a godsend and we hope more children can be supported at home in their last days."


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