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GE2015: PAP unveils Aljunied GRC team

August 30, 2015, 8:54 am
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PAP team has a fighting chance, says Tharman
Candidates can stand up to WP with 'mindset of being underdogs'
By Charissa Yong, The Straits Times, 29 Aug 2015

The People's Action Party's Aljunied GRC team has a fighting chance of winning the constituency back from the Workers' Party, second assistant secretary-general Tharman Shanmugaratnam said yesterday as he unveiled its candidates.



The team comprises four-term veteran MP Yeo Guat Kwang who moves in from Ang Mo Kio GRC, insurance firm manager Victor Lye, lawyer K. Muralidharan Pillai, private banker Chua Eng Leong and former teacher Shamsul Kamar.

"I think this team has a fighting chance. They go in with the mindset of being underdogs because they've got incumbents at present. They go in with a mindset of being humble at everything they do," said Mr Tharman, who is Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister.

Former PAP chairman Lim Boon Heng also suggested why the PAP reckons the team can stand up to the WP's "A" team of incumbents that includes WP chief Low Thia Khiang and chairman Sylvia Lim.

Mr Lim recounted how residents in the GRC were hostile to PAP activists in 2011, after the WP won Aljunied at the polls with 54.7 per cent of the vote.

But things have not been going well in the GRC, he said at a press conference at the PAP's Serangoon branch, citing issues from town council finances to estate maintenance.

Residents have noticed and have become friendlier and more welcoming towards the PAP, he added.

"People told us that they were disappointed with the performance of their (WP) MPs in Parliament. They didn't make any major contributions to the creation of national policies in Government," said Mr Lim.



The PAP candidates zoomed in especially on the WP's management of town council finances as being an issue that is of concern to residents. Asked if such lapses have gained traction with residents, Mr Lye said that going by feedback from residents and non-residents that he met on walkabouts, they had.

"There is obviously a sense on the ground, not only in Aljunied but throughout Singapore, that something isn't quite right," he said.

Although it is difficult for most people to understand the nitty-gritty details of the town council accounts, those who are able to do so "came away with a very different sense that there is indeed something wrong", he added.

Mr Tharman also underlined the gravity of the town council lapses.

"I think you know me. You know my personality, you know my views. You know that I've never been against the idea of an opposition in Singapore. People know," he said.

"So when I speak about an issue, it is because I'm really worried. It is not because I'm trying to put an opposition down or the WP down.

"The town council issue is, for us, not a political game. I want to make sure we have responsible and honest politics in Singapore."

This applied to the PAP and the opposition alike, he added.

"When the Government does wrong, expose us, criticise us. We must get it right and we expect the same of everyone else," he said.

On a similar note, Mr Lye urged voters to apply the same standards when weighing candidates from the PAP against those from the WP.

Voters should look at the WP's performance since the 2011 polls and "go by their performance as you would go by our performance", he said.



"Be objective, recognise the sacrifices and the willingness of our candidates to serve you and do better for you. Don't be taken in by other people's ambitions. You have done it for 41/2 years. It's time to bring us home to Aljunied."

He added: "I only ask that you measure all of us by the same yardstick that you measure others. It's only fair."




RECAP: "When I speak about an issue, this is because I am worried and I want to make sure a responsible and honest...
Posted by People's Action Party on Friday, August 28, 2015





PAP team 'no suicide squad'
By Rachel Au-Yong, The Straits Times, 29 Aug 2015

The People's Action Party (PAP) candidates for Aljunied GRC rejected being labelled a "suicide squad" in their face-off against the Worker's Party's "A" team, and asked voters to measure them with the same yardstick as that applied to the incumbents.

In response to questions about why the PAP had not fielded a "heavyweight" in the Aljunied slate, candidate Victor Lye took issue with the traditional definition of heavyweight as a minister or well-known politician.

A true heavyweight "should be defined by how much he is willing to sacrifice", said the insurance firm director, who has been on the ground in Bedok Reservoir-Punggol ward for 16 years.

Referring to the WP incumbents led by party chief Low Thia Khiang, he said: "With all due respect to the other team, why do we anoint them and say that they are the heavyweights?"

Both slates should be measured according to the same yardstick, he said: "Judge their performance as you would judge ours."



His teammate, lawyer K. Muralidharan Pillai, noted that traditional "heavyweights" on the PAP slate had not prevented votes from swinging against the ruling party in the 2011 General Election.

Then, residents chose the WP team over two ministers, a senior minister of state and a potential minister, he noted.

"What they want are people who can connect with them, who know their concerns, and that's what we've been doing," the longtime grassroots volunteer said.

Former PAP chairman Lim Boon Heng, who has been advising the candidates for the past few years, emphasised their credentials and ability.

Mr Pillai heads the commercial litigation department at Rajah & Tann, one of Singapore's biggest law firms, and has 100 lawyers reporting to him, said Mr Lim.

"You're telling me he is not a heavyweight?"

The rest of the slate comprises labour MP Yeo Guat Kwang, private banker Chua Eng Leong and former teacher Shamsul Kamar.



They were introduced yesterday at the PAP's branch in Paya Lebar by Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, a gesture to show how much the party cares for Aljunied, said Mr Lim.

Mr Tharman, who is the PAP's second assistant secretary-general, said that the candidates were chosen "because they are credible, honest and dedicated people, and each of them knows the people of Aljunied well".

Besides being able to tackle local issues and advance areas of concern in Parliament, he said the candidates would also be able to "straighten out the town council finances in the interest of residents".

This was a reference to the lapses in governance and compliance found by the Auditor-General at the WP-run Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council.

Veteran politician Mr Yeo, for example, was once the chairman of the Aljunied Town Council, when the constituency was under the PAP, Mr Tharman noted.

Speaking about his and his teammates' abilities to run a town council earlier, Mr Lye said he was adroit with accounts.

He added that Mr Pillai would handle the legal aspects and Mr Chua was well-placed to make decisions on what funds to invest in, due to his career in the finance industry.

Mr Lye added that Mr Shamsul would "bring heart" to the policies the team hopes to put in place, if elected.

Making a final pitch to voters, he said: "Be objective, recognise the sacrifices and the willingness of our candidates here to serve you and do better for you."

"It is time to bring us home to Aljunied."





Turned down chance to enter politics in 1996
The Straits Times, 29 Aug 2015

Victor Lye, 52

Occupation: Chief executive of Shenton Insurance

Family: Married to a 46-year-old housewife. They have two children aged 17 and 21.

Education: Bachelor of Economics, first-class honours, from University of Adelaide

Hobbies: Cycling and jogging



Why politics?

I had the chance to enter politics in 1996 but I declined. I believe in stepping forward on my own time and of my choosing. In 1999, I helped then minister George Yeo in Aljunied GRC because I saw how Singaporeans were affected by the Asian financial crisis. After 2011, when Aljunied was lost to WP, it would have been easy to walk away but I said to myself I was here for the people.

Why you?

I have looked after many businesses in leadership positions. I've looked after the welfare of my employees and the interests of my customers. For Aljunied GRC, I have the financial background and business experience. And I know what is wrong with the town council. I believe I can contribute, with my comrades, to do better for the people of Aljunied GRC.

What issues will you focus on?

The widening income gap and helping lower-income groups. I grew up in a poor family and we didn't have a permanent home. As a full-time national serviceman, I actually asked for guard duty so that I could stay in camp with a bed to sleep on and some quiet time. I could not afford a university education but the Government gave me a Colombo Plan scholarship.

Favourite spot in Singapore?

Home, eating and chatting with my family.






Serving the people through positive change
The Straits Times, 29 Aug 2015

Chua Eng Leong, 44

Occupation: Executive director at Standard Chartered Private Bank

Family: Married to a housewife, 44. They have two sons, aged nine and 14

Education: Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from University of San Francisco

Hobbies: Playing and watching soccer



Why politics?

Politics is really service to the nation. I think being able to make changes, positive changes, is the main thing I want to do. I make it a point to meet more residents outside my Meet-the-People Sessions. For those who can't come down, I go to their homes.

Why you?

I bring to the table sincerity... wanting to serve. The passion to serve is very much a higher calling. I take this lesson from my late father (former Cabinet minister Chua Sian Chin). I want to fulfil his wish that his children give back to society and the community. This is the best way to pay tribute to him.

What issues will you focus on?

I have a soft spot for youth, being a young parent myself. More help can be given to such parents. And with both husband and wife working, who looks after aged parents? We need more eldercare facilities.

I'd like to do this in Eunos, but I'm constrained by space. If we win, I'll be able to get more space and serve residents better by providing such facilities.

Favourite spot in Singapore?

Petal Garden in Eunos. In the morning, the elderly do qigong; in the evening, kids and teenagers come for sports. It pulls the Eunos community together.





Reaching out to disadvantaged kids
The Straits Times, 29 Aug 2015

Shamsul Kamar Mohamed Razali, 43

Occupation: Previously head of student management at Spectra Secondary School. Now unemployed and focusing on the elections.

Family: Married to a travel agency coordinator, 39.

Education: Master's in South-east Asian Studies from National University of Singapore

Hobbies: Snorkelling, swimming, watching movies



Why politics?

About 30 per cent of the residents in Kaki Bukit are elderly and many of their children have moved out.

I'm bringing back the Wellness Bus Programme (where) we bring healthcare services to the residents, and doing a Befrienders project targeted at the elderly.

As a politician, you may be able to make a difference, by making the right connections and connecting with the right agency and people.

Why you?

I am passionate and sincere about making a difference.

What issues will you focus on?

As a volunteer with the Ministry of Social and Family Development, I found that many children from dysfunctional families are residing in welfare homes, juvenile homes and orphanages. As an educator, I also taught Normal (Technical) kids.

So how can we ensure they finish their education, reach a certain level and live a life of their own?

I feel there is still some disconnect (in reaching out) despite us having a many-helping-hands approach and the programmes available.

Favourite spot in Singapore?

I go to this Indian-Muslim restaurant in Joo Chiat called Al Aziz. It is very quaint and quiet.





Keen to help families who are dysfunctional
The Straits Times, 29 Aug 2015

K. Muralidharan Pillai, 47

Occupation: Head of commercial litigation at Rajah & Tann

Family: Married to Dr N. Gowri, 43, a geography teacher in Innova Junior College. They have twin sons, aged 15, and two daughters, aged seven and five.

Education: Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and Master of Laws from the National University of Singapore (NUS), and Master of Business Administration from the University of California, Los Angeles and NUS.

Hobbies: Hockey



Why politics?

This is not a career advancement. Aljunied residents should not be treated as political football. Rather, it's about getting to know their families and see how their futures can be improved.

Why you?

I didn't volunteer for this post but I agreed to serve when asked, without hesitation. By then, I felt that I understood the residents well enough to identify their concerns. I'm also honoured that the party decided to field me despite my background as the son of former political detainee P.K. Pillai.

What issues will you focus on?

Social mobility. The Government has done a lot to enhance social mobility but I've encountered some families who are so dysfunctional that they cannot help themselves.

Favourite spot in Singapore?

I love walking in MacRitchie Reservoir. There's no better place to contemplate things.






Lawyer's late father was a political detainee
By Rachel Au-Yong, The Straits Times, 29 Aug 2015

With a left-leaning, former political detainee for a father, lawyer K. Muralidharan Pillai is an unlikely candidate for the ruling People's Action Party (PAP).

After all, his late father P.K. Pillai was a unionist who counted leftist Barisan Socialis leader Lim Chin Siong among his closest friends. "They were so close that he shed tears when Mr Lim died in 1996," said Mr Pillai yesterday. "My father didn't even cry at his own brother's funeral."

He said his father and Mr Lim, a bitter foe of Singapore's founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, were against the merger with Malaya. On Feb 2, 1963, hundreds of armed policemen raided the homes and offices of leftist leaders like Mr Lim and trade unionists, detaining 107 of them. Among them was Mr Pillai's father.

The operation, codenamed Coldstore, was a major crackdown on communists and leftists, in the name of national security. Some, however, have always maintained it was politically motivated.

Mr Pillai's father was to have been banished to India, but he was released by Malaysia's then Home Affairs Minister Ismail Abdul Rahman, before Singapore separated from Malaysia in August 1965.

In 2001, a 34-year-old Mr Pillai became serious about joining the PAP, but he was concerned that his father, then 75, would have reservations. But his father surprised him. "He just wanted to make sure I wasn't doing it to enhance my career, or any such collateral reasons," said Mr Pillai. "'Just make sure you leave with the shirt on your back,' he said to me, and it's been my motto ever since."

In his later years, his father credited the PAP Government with Singapore's prosperity, said Mr Pillai. "It was clear to him that if Barisan was in charge, we would have 'Robin Hood economics' - taking from the rich to give to the poor," he said.

The older Mr Pillai passed away in 2007.

Yesterday, his son was introduced as a PAP candidate for Aljunied GRC. Former Cabinet minister and mentor Lim Boon Heng choked up as he described Mr Pillai as a committed volunteer who served with a heart, and who also had the potential to be an office- holder.

Mr Pillai said he did not know how long his political career would last. "If I get to the start line, it could be over in 10 days. It could be longer," he said, adding that he was not fazed by the odds.

"I will fight this election with all my heart. I hope Aljunied residents give us a chance."

He is not the only one in the latest crop of PAP candidates to be fielded at the coming polls with a former Barisan Socialis father.

The fathers of Sembawang GRC candidate Ong Ye Kung and Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC incumbent Janil Puthucheary were also Barisan Socialis members.


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'Expect more to be self-radicalised', warns DPM Teo

August 30, 2015, 11:36 pm
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Anyone susceptible to ISIS rhetoric and more will be drawn to violence, warns DPM Teo
By Janice Tai, The Sunday Times, 30 Aug 2015

The persistent conflict in Syria and Iraq will draw more individuals to violence and more self-radicalised cases can be expected in Singapore, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean warned yesterday.

He was speaking at an appreciation lunch for volunteers from the Inter-Agency Aftercare Group (ACG) and Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG) who have provided religious and social rehabilitation to radicalised individuals detained for terrorism-related activities.

Terima kasih kepada para relawan Kumpulan Jagaan Lanjut Antara Agensi (ACG) dan Kumpulan Pemulihan Keagamaan (RRG). ...
Posted by Teo Chee Hean on Saturday, August 29, 2015


Such individuals or "lone wolves" pose a growing threat in many countries, including Singapore, he said.


In the last few months, the Internal Security Department has detained two people and issued a restriction order against another.

A 51-year-old Singaporean who was on his way to Syria to join militant group Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) was detained last month. In April, a 19-year-old student was detained for making plans to join ISIS in Syria, and in June, a 17-year-old was placed under a restriction order for the same reason.

Mr Teo said this shows that anyone is susceptible to the appeal of online extremist rhetoric by ISIS.

In his speech, he thanked volunteers from the groups who also helped to address the practical and emotional needs of detainees' families. As of April, 66 people have been arrested on suspicion of terror activities since 2001, with all but nine deemed to have been sufficiently rehabilitated and freed.

The ACG has expanded the scope of its work from helping families to making youth aware of the dangers of radical influences.

Last month, the RRG launched a helpline through which counsellors can clarify religious concepts misused by extremists or guide callers who suspect someone is being radicalised. It has also uploaded videos explaining how ISIS has misinterpreted Islamic teachings.

Mr Teo launched a coffee-table book titled Inter-Agency Aftercare Group, which captures contributions over the past 13 years in rehabilitating detainees and providing support to their families.

This includes how the ACG has helped the school-going children of those detained. Volunteers acted as mentors and linked families facing financial difficulties to funding sources. With their help, three students completed their tertiary education with grade point averages of 3.8 out of 4. One completed her degree in medicine and another is currently pursuing a medical degree.

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To what end, all the President's Scholars?

August 30, 2015, 11:46 pm
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By Lee Wei Ling, Published The Sunday Times, 30 Aug 2015

When the A-level results of my cohort were announced in 1973, I was named the top science student. I did not expect it and was pleased and surprised. I remembered feeling that I had performed extremely inadequately after completing every paper.

My results also earned me a President's Scholarship. I don't know where the scroll is now, nor does it matter. I wonder as well now whether the scholarship had a positive effect on my life's journey subsequently. That may astonish some, given the acute prestige associated with being a President's Scholar. Yet, the same prestige exerts extra pressure on the recipient to perform. Winning the scholarship attracts jealousy as well, and I have experienced both.

I was among 11 students in the class of 1972 who received the scholarship. Since then, I am aware of the progress of six. Three - Teo Chee Hean, George Yeo and Lim Hng Kiang - were also Singapore Armed Forces scholars. As many Singaporeans know, the trio became household names after they entered politics and rose to become senior Cabinet ministers. A fourth boy, Chan Seng Onn, is currently a Supreme Court justice.

As for the female recipients I know, Lee Bee Wah and Yap Hui Kim, like me, joined the medical faculty of the University of Singapore (now the National University of Singapore). After obtaining our basic degree, all three of us specialised in paediatrics. 

Bee Wah and Hui Kim were inseparable best friends who had studied in Methodist Girls' School and National Junior College. By contrast, I was dubbed a "Martian" - a term medical students in the 1970s coined to describe students who went it alone. While I knew my classmates, I did not forge deep friendships until after medical school.

I don't know how others felt about me when I graduated top of my class with MBBS Honours. But I certainly knew that news of the only examination I have ever failed, a requisite part of the Membership of the Royal College of Physicians (MRCP) which led to a post-graduate diploma, spread swiftly here as soon as the results were announced in Edinburgh where I had sat the test. People were glad that I failed and subsequently decided I was likeable after all.

In my contacts with other President's Scholars over the years, I discovered that some did as well as they expected while others did not. One observation that dawned on me was that several of these scholars as well as their circle of family, friends and community expected comparable achievements to continue by default. If a scholar did not do well, or as well as perceived, a sense of betrayal over what was deemed an entitlement to success crept in.

Yet, receiving a President's Scholarship is not a guarantee of life-long success. Furthermore, we all gauge success differently. I abide by my own rules, but these may not be what most members of my society hold. So, passing a tough examination may be a yardstick for success to them, or being named head of a hospital, or being appointed to the highest court in the land, or attaining senior ministerial status, or becoming a billionaire businessman.

I failed one exam once and was adjudged to have failed regardless of the reason I failed. So I repeated the test to prove I could pass it. If I were not Lee Kuan Yew's daughter, I would not have needed to do so publicly. But I am, and am a President's Scholar to boot, so passing an exam I failed the first time assumed an exaggerated importance.

Truth be told, the subsequent outcome of being bestowed the President's Scholarship depends almost entirely on the recipient. After all, the scholarship represents a person's achievement for, at most, the first 20 years of his life, or roughly a quarter of the average lifespan of a Singaporean. So, the scholarship is hardly a predictable indicator of a recipient's long-term future, good or bad.

What that future should be depends on a person's personality and priorities. For me, it means valuable interpersonal relationships, as well as being a doctor because the outcome is almost immediate and beneficial to the patient.

While I may not benefit Singapore as much as being a minister does, it does not matter. There are others who are as happy and feel as productive being a minister as I do being a doctor.

I am also happy writing a column which many Singaporeans seem to enjoy reading. I know my achievements are minuscule compared to those of senior judges, successful politicians and high-flying businessmen, but my capabilities do not match theirs and my personal inclinations differ. 

To me, the President's Scholarship was a little award I picked up on my way to learning what I wanted out of life and how I would repay my country for the opportunities it gave me.

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Mood swings can lead to vote swings

August 30, 2015, 11:54 pm
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Research says a negative mood has a stronger impact on elections than positive sentiment
By Han Fook Kwang, Editor-at-large, The Sunday Times, 30 Aug 2015

Here is a numbers quiz: 70, 74, 78, 65, 63, 61, 65, 75, 67, 60. (Hint: It is not about maths.)

If you have been following the political news closely, it is not hard to guess that the figures represent the People's Action Party's (PAP's) percentage share of the valid votes in past elections.

With campaigning for the Sept 11 General Election set to intensify in the coming week, this numbers game will be making the rounds. How many seats will the PAP and opposition parties get, how much share of the popular vote, and what sort of swing will we see, if any?

While the general election is serious business about issues concerning Singapore's leadership, the future of multiparty politics, and even about the next 50 years, the reality is that when the ballots are finally counted, all eyes will be on these numbers.

And indeed when you look closely at the 10 numbers listed, they tell quite a story.

Here is one observation: There were four large swings in those 10 general elections.

In 1984, the ruling party suffered a 13-percentage-point swing against it, down from 78 per cent to 65 per cent.

That was the year it failed to regain Anson, which the Workers' Party (WP) represented by Mr J.B. Jeyaretnam had won in a by-election in 1981, and it lost Potong Pasir to the resolute Mr Chiam See Tong.

Its share of the votes then continued to fall in the next two general elections.

But it bounced sky high to 75 per cent in 2001, a huge swing of 10 percentage points.

This was followed by two other large swings, but this time downwards, of 8 and 7 percentage points in 2006 and 2011.

Here are the numbers again with those swings in brackets: 70, 74, 78, 65 (-13), 63, 61, 65, 75 (+10), 67 (-8), 60 (-7).

What can we draw from this?

It has been said that Singapore is a politically flat country, meaning that, unlike in some geographically big places where there are politically diverse areas, Singapore is so small and homogeneous, you cannot tell the difference between Jurong and East Coast in the same way you could between liberal New York and conservative Texas. New York will almost certainly vote Democratic, while Texas will go Republican.

For Singapore, there is no such division. It also means that if there was one big issue in an election, it could affect every constituency the same way, thus resulting in those big swings nationwide.

That was how the 10-percentage- point surge in PAP's vote in 2001 was explained - fear gripped the country after the Sept 11 attack in the United States, and voters fled to the safety of the ruling party.

One issue, one large swing.

It was also how the 2011 swing against the PAP was accounted for - widespread unhappiness over its immigration, housing and transport policies, and significant numbers switched to the WP.

These type of large swings seldom result from voters making rational and deliberate calculations about the pluses and minuses of policies or the manifestos of the different parties.

There are too many people with different ideas about which policies they like or dislike to cause all of them to think alike.

Instead, they are about sentiment and mood, about emotions that have to do with trust or distrust, happiness or disgust, like or dislike, and all those other feelings that make up how a person feels about something or somebody.

When the mood was nervous anxiety over whether global terrorism would prevail in 2001, or when it turned sour in 2011 against the ruling party, the numbers swung upwards and downwards accordingly.

So, what is the likelihood of the electoral needle swinging wildly this general election?

Given what has happened this year, the conditions do exist for a mood change.

After all, the country had never experienced such a collective and public outpouring of emotion when its founding prime minister, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, died in March.

Then, there were the Jubilee year celebrations with goodies to go, including those mentioned by the Prime Minister last Sunday at the National Day Rally.

Would they work up a feel-good attitude towards the party?

There is one problem with this view, though.

Research has shown that there is a negative bias in how people vote, meaning that they are more likely to be influenced by what they do not like about a candidate or a party than what they like about them.

In many years of study and experiments on this, political scientist Jon Krosnick at Stanford University has shown that if you like two candidates equally, there is little motivation to go out and vote for either one of them.

That is not surprising. Even when you like them unequally, you will not feel very strongly about voting for the one you like more.

But when you dislike one of them, that is when you become a very engaged voter.

Here is how he puts it: "If you dislike at least one of the two candidates, then you really are motivated to participate - so, in other words, it is really disliking the candidate that motivates turnout."

Negative mood has a stronger impact on election results than positive sentiment, and it explains those large swings in the past.

This has important implications for the Sept 11 polls.

For the PAP, it means moderating expectations on how the Jubilee year celebrations might sway voters. It also means not doing anything that will bring forth negative perceptions of the party, which might trigger the "dislike" behaviour that Mr Krosnick referred to.

This includes toning down personal attacks on political opponents, which it sometimes did in past elections, causing a voter backlash.

For a dominant party like the PAP, coming across as a big bully can cause an adverse mood change.

For the opposition, you can expect it to play up the ruling party's perceived failings and try to get voters to dislike the PAP.

But while negative campaigning might seem the more effective strategy in theory, there is also the possibility that it can backfire and lose votes.

How the parties balance the urge to attack their opponents without damaging their own cause will be an interesting aspect of the campaigning.

Watch out for those mood swings in the next 12 days.

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GE2015: PAP not taking vote of Pioneer Generation for granted

August 31, 2015, 12:10 am
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Slew of goodies for the over-65s comes amid shifting political landscape, Insight finds
By Aaron Low, Deputy News Editor and Aw Cheng Wei, The Sunday Times, 30 Aug 2015

It was more than 50 years ago, but Mr Sayuti Dahlan - then in his 30s - still clearly remembers standing in the jostling crowd, his whole body drenched in sweat.

He was listening to a young man with fierce eyes telling them why the people of Singapore should stand up to the mighty British.

"Mr Lee Kuan Yew would stand on an open-top lorry, shout to all of us and say in Malay: The British think we are stupid. But we will have freedom and I will show you how," says Mr Sayuti, 82.

Cycling from Pasir Panjang to Tanjong Pagar, Mr Sayuti would make it a point to listen to the late former prime minister, whenever he gave speeches.

"The speeches were always powerful; we believed him and we followed. After Singapore was formed, I voted for him. No problem," says the Tanglin Halt resident.

Mr Sayuti belongs to a group of voters who went through the uncertain pre-independence period, weathered the economic shocks of 1984 and 1997, and retired in a global city completely transformed.

These voters aged 65 and up have traditionally given their support to the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) and are seen as its bastion. But they are also a bloc of voters that the PAP is not taking for granted, judging from the raft of policies that have been targeted at them.

The most substantial of the lot was the $8 billion Pioneer Generation package rolled out last year. The huge package, paid for upfront by surpluses generated by the Government, greatly subsidises healthcare for seniors and will benefit 450,000 people.

All Singaporeans above the age of 65 as at last year are eligible for the subsidies, regardless of income.

Last week, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong introduced a $3 billion package to help seniors age well.

The new Action Plan for Successful Ageing will open senior centres for social activities as well as daycare in at least 10 upcoming HDB projects, among others.

The Government also implemented a state-funded income supplement for low-income seniors.

Current and future low-income senior citizens will receive these payouts under the Silver Support Scheme, a permanent initiative which aims to help the bottom 20 per cent of Singaporeans aged 65 and above. They will receive between $300 and $750 every three months in payouts.

The scheme is expected to cost the Government $350 million in its first full year.

NOT JUST GETTING THEIR VOTE

On top of that, seniors also received smaller goodies such as discounts, free entry to places such as the zoo and even a $50 top-up to their ez-link cards, used to pay for public transport trips.

National University of Singapore sociologist Tan Ern Ser said that there is nothing sinister about helping seniors in their old age.

"A large proportion of seniors do not have health insurance. This can be a time bomb waiting to explode on the sandwiched generation, the adult children on whom they are dependent," he says.

"So whether it is about getting seniors' votes or not, it makes sense for a responsible government which plans to stay in office to prevent a time bomb and not kick the can down the road."

But some observers believe that there are other reasons to pay close attention to this group of voters.

One is simply that the bloc of voters has grown, and will grow, in numbers and influence.

There were about 414,800 citizens aged 65 and above as at June last year, according to the latest official data, or about 16.8 per cent of the total number of eligible voters.

But this is expected to grow over time, with the fast-ageing population. The 1999 Inter-Ministerial Committee Report on the Ageing Population flagged the "powerful political role" that senior citizens could play by 2030, when they are projected to form one in five of the population.

The second is that even though the perception is that older voters form a solid vote bank for the PAP, the reality is that the landscape could be shifting.

A survey of voters after the last General Election in 2011 by the Institute of Policy Studies at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy showed that while most seniors aged 65 and above voted conservatively in 2006, this was no longer the case in 2011.

In 2006, the survey showed that 46.5 per cent of those those 65 and above voted conservatively - that is, for the status quo. By 2011, just 28 per cent of this group did so, the largest drop among all age groups in this category.

WORRIES STILL EXIST

But will the goodies handed out of late work to sway or reaffirm the ballot-box inclinations of these seniors?

Some retirees appreciate the effort that has gone into looking after some of their greatest worries, especially over healthcare costs.

Madam Sarah Yeo, 67, says that the extra help given by the Government has been a long time coming, but she appreciates them.

"They gave cash through the GST Vouchers and now medical costs are manageable. In that way, they've done a good job," she says.

Others, such as former manager Tan Hoe Chuan, 67, still worry about ageing. "When I retired (seven years ago), I didn't know what to do next," he says. "I kept working until I injured my knee and had to stop because I didn't feel that the Government was going to take care of me."

He adds: "Medical bills were very high, and I had to pay for my diabetic wife's treatment. She later died in 2009 because of kidney problems... we don't have children."

Similarly, many older voters also worry about the same issues that younger voters face, like jobs and the economy.

Madam Chua Lay Oon, 79, said that a good government should be one with an eye on the future, making sure that residents have good-paying jobs so that they can survive - and so can their children. "I think the current (one) does that well," she said in Mandarin.

But the housewife is worried that her children and grandchildren may not be able to cope with rising costs in Singapore. "Houses today are so expensive. I am worried on the behalf of my next generation."

So, while it is important to pay attention to the needs of the older generation, Associate Professor Tan of NUS also believes it is equally important for the PAP to not neglect the needs of younger voters.

"If it hopes to get 65 per cent of the votes, it'd still need to reach out to Gen X and Gen Y voters. I agree that these younger voters believe in greater diversity in Parliament, but they also care about having good jobs and quality of life. The latter is critical," he says.

VITAL BANK OF VOTES

What is clear is that the PAP cannot afford to lose the support of seniors who have traditionally been the party's vote bank .

Political scientist Ho Khai Leong says that it is logical for a political party or candidate to appeal to its traditional support base, and consolidating votes in this sector.

"From this perspective, the PAP's emphasis on PG is a classic example of appealing to the traditional support of older voters who, in comparison to the younger generations, are more vulnerable to issues like rising healthcare costs and inflation," says Dr Ho, who is vice-president of the Southern University College in Johor.

Similarly, Singapore Management University law professor Eugene Tan says that any drop in support from this group could be "detrimental" for the PAP.

This is because, in many ways, helping older folk with their medical bills is also helping their children.

In this way, older folk are also "vote influencers", says Associate Professor Tan.

"It's not just the mere loss of their support, but also how they could influence their children on who to vote for. If children of a Pioneer Generation voter see how their parents have turned from 'conservative' to 'swing' or 'pluralistic', that has a powerful effect.

"Although not determinative, this bloc of senior voters is crucial to the PAP's electoral fortunes. It stems from the recognition that it is better to have the Pioneer Generation on your side," he says.





Young voters say they will cast their votes with care
By Aaron Low, Deputy News Editor and Aw Cheng Wei, The Sunday Times, 30 Aug 2015

First-time voter Tan Yu Jun, 22 is excited about casting his first ballot. The economics undergraduate and West Coast GRC resident says: "I feel privileged to have a say in the direction Singapore will be taking."

Law undergraduate Ian Low, also 22, and who lives in Tanjong Pagar GRC - which saw a walkover in GE2011 - agrees: "I finally have the right to suffrage, and I have a say in who governs my country."

This year, there will be an estimated 245,500 young voters aged from 21-25, most of whom will be voting for the first time, and 220,700 voters aged 26-30, according to the population census figures of citizens as of June 2014.

Of the 25 first-time voters Insight spoke to, issues like the accessibility of education and social welfare are what they would like to see politicians address on the hustings.

Part-time relief teacher Francoise Lee, 23, who lives in Hougang SMC, appreciates the education policies that have allowed her to earn a degree in sports science and management. But business student Joshua Wong, 24, who is in East Coast GRC, thinks more can be done, saying there is still a stigma surrounding polytechnics and the Institute of Technical Education (ITE).

Referring to upgrades such as a $380-million ITE mega campus that opened two years ago, he says: "Just revamping these schools and providing financial support is not sufficient. More has to be done with employers to ensure it is not a paper chase."

Mr Tan, meanwhile, wants to hear more about social welfare policies. More can be done to help less fortunate Singaporeans, especially "those struggling to keep a roof over their head and make ends meet", he says.

Physics undergraduate Jackson Leow, 24, who lives in Ang Mo Kio GRC, admits some policies for the lowest tier of society are comprehensive, but " the middle-class earners are left by themselves".

National University of Singapore (NUS) political scientist Reuben Wong thinks education, jobs and housing will be the key issues among youth. "I am not sure Singaporeans aged 21-30 are so much more confident about their jobs and future as they were in 2011," he says.

East Coast GRC resident and law student Godwin Tan, 22, says it is untrue that only the older generation appreciates the People's Action Party's (PAP's) work. He says: "The peace and prosperity in Singapore do not go unnoticed, especially among the younger generation."

Young voters have been a concern for the PAP, as they prefer more diverse views in politics, which is seen as a disadvantage for the ruling party.

NUS sociologist Tan Ern Ser believes that young voters want greater diversity in Parliament, but they will vote only for credible opposition parties.

"It matters to them that whichever government they vote in must deliver stability, good jobs and a decent standard of living," he says.

Similarly, political science undergraduate Henry Lim, 24, of Sembawang GRC, believes his peers will be discerning: "We are not anti-establishment. While conservatives may worry that youth will opt for the opposition for the sake of (it), many young voters also recognise that many opposition parties are just not there yet."

But some first-time voters are concerned about having enough opposition voices in Parliament.

Singapore Management University law undergraduate Benedict Chan, 22, of Aljunied GRC, says: "While I do believe that healthy debate can occur within a single party, having two parties of different values does contribute greatly to having differing, but not necessarily opposing, views."

Jurong GRC resident Amanda Yeo, 21, an accounting undergraduate, says: "Although the opposition is not as strong as the PAP, they are capable and persuasive. Also, it helps to keep PAP on its toes if they do not want to be overtaken by the opposition in the future."

However, biological sciences student Benjamin Goh, 22, a Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC resident, feels opposition voices should not come at the expense of residents' well-being. He says: "The most important thing for an MP has to be the capability to work for your voters."

Ultimately, the youth Insight spoke to emphasised candidate quality rather than political party branding. Mr Chan of Aljunied GRC says: "Candidates should be able to communicate their ideas well but, more importantly, communicate well with residents and translate their opinions in Parliament."

Computer science undergraduate Wong Jing Yao, 22, of Sengkang West SMC, says: "It is not about PAP or the opposition parties, but the components and talents that make up these parties. I will vote for those who can lead us, regardless of their party."

Miss Dew Yang, 23, a pharmacist from Sembawang GRC, says: "My vote, though small, can affect the future of Singapore. With that in mind, I will vote wisely for the most deserving candidates who will be able to lead Singapore for another 50 years."


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GE2015: PAP launches manifesto, With You, For You, For Singapore

August 31, 2015, 3:04 am
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Vote for party you want to form govt: PM
Election not about 'sending a message' to ruling party, he says, but picking leaders
By Rachel Chang, Assistant Political Editor, The Sunday Times, 30 Aug 2015

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has asked voters to back the People's Action Party (PAP) if they wanted it to form the government and not "live dangerously" by giving their vote to the opposition even while hoping that the PAP would be returned to power.

Launching the ruling party's campaign manifesto and slogan yesterday, he refuted the opposition line urging voters to cast dissenting votes to send a message to the Government to work harder.

Cautioning that the Sept 11 polls were not a by-election but a general election, in which every seat would be contested and the party forming the government was not guaranteed, he said in Mandarin: "If you support the PAP, vote PAP. If you support opposition, vote opposition.

"But if you think that by voting for the opposition, you can get the PAP to work harder - when you regret it, it might be too late."



Speaking in English later, he said: "Be very careful not to live dangerously (by) wanting one party but voting for a different one. Please take this GE very, very seriously."

Mr Lee also quoted Manpower Minister Lim Swee Say's response when asked last week about the thinking that a vote for the opposition would "send a message" to the PAP.

Mr Lim's East Coast GRC team saw a 9 percentage point drop in vote share in 2011 and garnered just 54.8 per cent of the vote to beat a Workers' Party team.

He said last week: "We do not need another drop of 5 percentage points for us to continue to improve. In fact, if there's another drop of 9 percentage points, we won't be their MP any more."

Mr Lee yesterday emphasised the possibility that "I won't be here to receive the message", if enough voters used their ballots that way.

He said opposition parties used such psychological tactics knowing that they would not win votes if they said they wanted to form the government, given their lack of credibility.

Mr Lee spoke plainly when he referred to lapses in governance and compliance found at the Workers' Party-run Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council (AHPETC) and reminded voters that the opposition candidates they voted in would be responsible for running their town council.

"And when they run it like AHPETC, then I don't know where your S&CC money is going to go," he said, referring to the service and conservancy charges which residents pay to the town council. "Surpluses will turn into deficits. You will have problems for many years to come.

"The opposition asked to be given a chance to prove themselves. But the one place where they are given the responsibility and the chance to prove themselves, they have failed the voters.

"And do you really want to give them more responsibility, and trust them with more of your hard-earned money?

"If you vote for the opposition and they win many constituencies combined, enough to run the government, then I think Singapore is sunk."







Singapore's next PM to be elected this GE
PM Lee says time is running out to pick successor and get him ready to take over
By Rachel Chang and Charissa Yong, The Sunday Times, 30 Aug 2015

Singapore's next prime minister is likely to be drawn from among the MPs elected in the coming general election, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said yesterday.

Stressing that political succession is an urgent matter, he said the next prime minister must stand in the current general election to gain enough experience.

"Whoever is the next prime minister will most likely be one of the MPs who will be elected into the next Parliament because if it's a new face after that, there's no time already," said Mr Lee.

Speaking candidly of his bout with prostate cancer earlier this year, he added "it's an absolutely serious matter" that a younger team be put in place. This is why the election is about picking leaders who can take Singapore forward over the next 15 to 20 years.

He was addressing 1,000 party activists at the launch of the PAP's election manifesto yesterday.

The ruling party will fight the coming election on the slogan "With you, for you, for Singapore", said Mr Lee, its secretary-general.

Good leadership has helped Singapore arrive at SG50. It started with late founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew and his team, then Mr Goh Chok Tong and his team, and then himself and his team, he added.

Today's Cabinet team, built up over many years, is also growing older, he noted.

They did not become Cabinet members straightaway, but rose over the course of many years.

Time is running out to assemble the next team, which he has been gradually bringing into Parliament over the course of the 2006, 2011 and 2015 General Elections, he said.

Several of the new candidates have the potential to be office-holders, said Mr Lee before he introduced all of them.






Manifesto: Five chapters
The Sunday Times, 30 Aug 2015

WITH YOU, FOR YOU, FOR SINGAPORE

The PAP will work with Singaporeans to achieve the vision for Singapore, which includes:

• Enabling every Singaporean to realise their full potential, regardless of the starting point

• Investing in every Singaporean to help them get good jobs and upgrade themselves

• Supporting and caring for the less fortunate, disadvantaged and vulnerable

• Building affordable, quality public housing

• Encouraging and supporting strong families

• Providing affordable, high-quality healthcare

• Solving transport issues

• Keeping Singapore safe and secure

WHAT WE HAVE ACHIEVED TOGETHER

Achievements in 50 years include:

• From 22 per cent home ownership in 1965 to 90 per cent of Singaporeans now owning their homes, 82 per cent of which is HDB housing

• From a small number with formal education to very child getting a good education

• From a low skills base to a highly skilled workforce

• From depending on Johor for water to becoming a world leader in water technology

• From defenceless to having SAF protect Singapore

WHAT WE ARE DOING TOGETHER

• Involve Singaporeans in shaping policies such as the Our Singapore Conversation

• Bring out the best in every child through education

• Create opportunities for higher income and expand social safety nets

• Support families and seniors and develop a vibrant city

WHAT WE FACE TOGETHER

• Internal challenges include more diverse society, ageing population and low birth rate

• External challenges include uncertain world economic outlook, international competition, and security threats from extremism and terrorism

WHAT WE CAN BUILD TOGETHER

• Education: Help students to learn, and provide options for progression

• Economy: Provide opportunities for all

• Family: Give support to families

• Health: Provide assurance in sickness and old age

• Social: Build a compassionate society that leaves no one behind

• Transport: Make land transport system one of the most modern, efficient and green systems in the world

• Security: Keep Singapore safe and secure

• Living environment: Building a City of Hope, Heart and Home





PAP has kept all its promises, says PM Lee
Party's election manifesto 'tells S'poreans what we have achieved together, what more we can do to build together'
By Toh Yong Chuan, The Sunday Times, 30 Aug 2015

When the People's Action Party (PAP) draws up its election manifesto, it is not about making promises but keeping them, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

And the PAP has kept them all, including those made at the 2011 General Election (GE), he said.

"We've been able to keep our promises and do right by Singaporeans because we have had a good team," he added at yesterday's launch of the PAP manifesto for the coming GE.

The 88-page manifesto, in the four official languages, is titled "With You, For You, For Singapore" and is printed to look like a magazine with pictures on every other page.

"The manifesto shows our ideas, our plans, our dreams, our vision," Mr Lee, the PAP's secretary-general, told 1,000 party members.

"It tells Singaporeans what we have achieved together, what we are doing together, the challenges we face together and what more we can do to build together," he added.

The PAP also produced a 21/2-minute video narrated by Mr Lee to accompany the written manifesto.

The video traces the progress Singapore has made in the last 50 years and outlines the PAP's vision for Singapore in the future.

"There will be challenges ahead, but whatever the world throws at us, we will overcome," an upbeat Mr Lee declared in the video.

"Singapore will be a city of hope, heart and home for all of us," he said.

"We remember how we got here, we do what we say we'll do. We will build a bright future together."

Separately, a press statement listed the PAP's achievements since the 2011 GE.

These included launching 100,000 Housing Board flats, improvements in the public transport network, helping elderly Singaporeans through the Pioneer Generation Package and Silver Support schemes, and creating MediShield Life to reduce worries about healthcare costs.

In a symbolic move, Mr Lee presented the manifesto to nine Singaporeans representing various segments of Singapore society: the boss of a small and medium-sized enterprise, a middle-aged professional, a young married couple, an elderly person, a student and a mother of two young children aged three and six.

Senior Minister of State (Law and Education) Indranee Rajah, who was part of the team that produced the manifesto, told The Sunday Times that the writing of the manifesto started a few months ago.

"We got inputs from ministries on the policy changes they have made, " said Ms Indranee. "I also read the manifestos that the PAP put out in the past. If you put them side by side, they tell the PAP and Singapore story."

The manifesto and video can be read and seen at the PAP's website: www.pap.org.sg





Troubles in region a worry for Singapore: PM
By Lydia Lim, The Sunday Times, 30 Aug 2015

Singapore hopes no trouble breaks out in Malaysia as a result of clashes between those marching in the Bersih 4.0 and anti-Bersih rallies this weekend but if it does, "we will be on full alert", Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said yesterday.

He said he had watched online videos of the anti-Bersih group practising "gongfu moves", and it was no laughing matter.

The political troubles in neighbouring Malaysia and Thailand are a cause for worry, as are anti-Singapore sentiments in Indonesia which could derail good ties with Jakarta, he said as he outlined the challenges arising from regional and global uncertainties.

The economy too has been hit by an unsettled world economy and volatile financial markets. "We can see our own economy slowing down. This year, we get 2.5 per cent growth, I think we are doing well.

"We will have to work hard because unless we continue to grow, I don't think we are going to have tomorrow for our people," he said at the People's Action Party rally to unveil its manifesto for the coming election.



Among the uncertainties are the security threat arising from terrorism in the region. This year, Malaysia has arrested nearly 100 Malaysians on suspicion of links with ISIS, including 12 members of its armed forces.

There are several hundred Indonesians in Iraq and Syria fighting for ISIS. Singapore has also detained several of its citizens who tried to go to join ISIS or, in one case, was stopped at the border by the Turkish authorities and sent back.

On the recent bombing at Bangkok's Erawan Shrine, Mr Lee said: "Could it happen in Singapore? We take security very seriously... but we can never say it will not happen."

As for Malaysia, he said the exchange rate of RM3 to S$1 may be good for shoppers heading to Johor Baru, but it suggests a loss of international confidence in Malaysia that is of concern here.

In Indonesia, some are quick to spring on his comments for their own political purposes, he said. His recent observation that Singapore was Indonesia's largest investor, for example, was used to criticise President Jokowi for inviting Singapore to dominate Indonesia's economy.

"So, we have warm relations with them, we have good ties with the government but there are these sentiments in the Indonesian society and our good relations can easily be derailed," he said.





The young 'will have opportunities'
By Nur Asyiqin Mohamad Salleh, The Sunday Times, 30 Aug 2015

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had a message for young Singaporeans worried they may not enjoy the same opportunities their parents had. "We are creating these opportunities for you," said Mr Lee, who was speaking at yesterday's release of the People's Action Party (PAP) election manifesto.

"The young will have the opportunity to study, the young will have the opportunity to find their jobs, and the young will have the opportunity - having gotten a job - to keep on upgrading year by year," he said. "And we can hold our own against the competition and earn a living for ourselves."

On education, Mr Lee said more university and polytechnic places have been added and more pathways opened up. The Singapore Institute of Technology, for instance, will have a new campus in Punggol but it does not stop there. New and exciting jobs are being created as well, added Mr Lee.

SkillsFuture is another key initiative which will ensure workers, young or old, have the chance to upgrade and move up the job ladder at any stage in their career.

Singapore has, with its 50th birthday this year, reached a turning point, Mr Lee noted.

The country's pioneer generation is fading; Singapore's founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew himself died this March at age 91.

Meanwhile, those born after World War II, and who lived through the turbulent years before Singapore's independence and then embarked on the entire SG50 journey, are now a minority.

Mr Lee said that those born after independence make up the majority of voters now. And they come armed with different life experiences as well as higher expectations of a First World country. This means "good jobs, good homes and a good future", he added.

While Mr Lee and his team have been listening to the needs of Singaporeans and worked with them, he said: "We have much more to be done and much more that we can do together."

Even as he sought to give young voters assurances about their future, he also highlighted that his team is responsible for policies and initiatives put in place that benefit Singaporeans. The country, he added, had arrived at SG50 "because of good leadership".

"Some people say we're already an advanced country... so we don't need to work so hard to find the best possible leaders... because our system can run itself," said Mr Lee.

But he asked: "Really? Our social policies and schemes, could we have done all of them without Tharman (Shanmugaratnam), without (Gan) Kim Yong, without Heng Swee Keat, without Grace Fu or Chan Chun Sing putting them together? They just happened?

"Our housing - record BTOs, our plans for Punggol, for the new towns - would they happen without Khaw Boon Wan? A safe and secure Singapore - would that happen without Teo Chee Hean, Ng Eng Hen, Shanmugam, Tharman? So you need the team to make it happen."





Praise for members taking on opposition-held wards
By Rachel Au-Yong, The Sunday Times, 30 Aug 2015

Veteran MPs Charles Chong and Yeo Guat Kwang earned praise from Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday for their willingness to do battle in Workers' Party-held areas.

Mr Chong will contest the Sept 11 election in Punggol East single-member constituency while Mr Yeo is leading a team hoping to wrest back Aljunied GRC for the People's Action Party.

It is the first time that sitting PAP MPs will be contesting in opposition wards.

"When I asked them (to go), neither hesitated for a moment," Mr Lee told yesterday's party rally. "They said, 'Where the party needs me, I will serve.' I told them, 'You're the right person and you make me proud to be a PAP member."

Mr Chong, 62, leaves now-defunct Joo Chiat SMC to fight for a seventh term in Parliament. Mr Yeo, 54, a four-term labour MP, is moving from Ang Mo Kio GRC.

"They know the ground well... and they have the spirit to take the fight to the opposition," Mr Lee said, assuring the two men that they would have full party backing during the campaign.

"We will hold a rally in the opposition wards and I will visit them," he promised.

PAP candidates in opposition wards had the "most challenging task", he said: "You need courage, perseverance, thick skin. You need a stout heart. You need to be prepared to fight, and push and push and push again."

He said that the reception was initially hostile in the constituencies, but that the PAP candidates have made headway.

Besides Mr Yeo, the other candidates in Aljunied GRC are lawyer K. Muralidharan Pillai, 47; insurance firm manager Victor Lye, 53; private banker Chua Eng Leong, 44; and former teacher Shamsul Kamar, 43.

Mr Lee said of Mr Murali, a long-time grassroots leader: "If you need somebody to be charging beside you on a battlefield, I would like to have Murali next to me."

He also highlighted the sacrifice made by Mr Lye, who quit his job to walk the ground in Bedok Reservoir-Punggol ward full-time, unpaid, for 11/2 years after the 2011 election.

He praised senior IT manager Lee Hong Chuang, 45, for going into the WP stronghold of Hougang to persuade hardcore opposition supporters to vote for the PAP.

Hougang SMC is represented by WP MP Png Eng Huat.

"He told me that first they were hostile. Now they tell him, 'We have our loyalties, but we like you, and you're presenting us with a difficult choice'," Mr Lee said.

He was confident the seven candidates would do a good job, win over voters, run a town council "efficiently and honestly", solve residents' problems, and voice voters' concerns and aspirations in Parliament.

"That is why we are fielding them. That is why we will support them, fight for them and make them win," he said to rousing applause from PAP activists.





Big thank-you to former ministers
By Nur Asyiqin Mohamad Salleh, The Sunday Times, 30 Aug 2015

Former ministers Wong Kan Seng and Mah Bow Tan, who are bowing out of politics after three decades, have weathered ups and downs with Singaporeans and helped lay the foundation for what the country has today, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

He paid the pair, who fought alongside him in the 1984 General Election, a warm tribute when saying farewell to retiring MPs and thanking them for their service.

In all, 14 MPs are stepping down to make way for new blood.

The PAP, said Mr Lee, has been able to keep its promises and do right by Singaporeans because it has had a good team.

"The MPs are an important part of this time and they've made many sacrifices - family, often careers, health and time. But they did it passionately because Singaporeans and Singapore were their first concern."

Mr Lee also pledged that "after the excitement is over, when the hurly-burly is done and the battles lost and won, we will hold a proper party and we will thank all the retiring MPs".

He said Mr Wong and Mr Mah "gave their heart and soul" in doing their duties. Both, he noted, had handled difficult portfolios. Mr Mah, who lost in the 1984 election but was elected as MP of Tampines GRC in the next polls, had helmed housing and transport.

Mr Wong, a former deputy prime minister, had been in charge of foreign affairs and home affairs, and helped keep Singapore safe and secure - especially after the Sept 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, Mr Lee said.

"Together with Singaporeans, they weathered ups and downs. They have guts, staying power and good hearts."

He also tipped his hat to Mr Lui Tuck Yew and Mr Raymond Lim, both of whom were in charge of transport. "This is a job where people don't thank you when you're doing it. When you leave, they say 'Thank you, you tried hard'.

"But it's many years later that they say, 'Well, it's just as well we had the right men there to make the right decision. And we're benefiting from it now'."

Two of Mr Lee's team-mates in Ang Mo Kio GRC are also leaving politics: veteran MPs Inderjit Singh and Seng Han Thong.

Mr Singh, known for his bold speeches, entered Parliament in 1997 with Mr Seng, who in 2009 suffered burns on his body after a manpoured thinner on him and set him ablaze at a community event. "But he recovered, and continued serving residents just like before," said Mr Lee, to applause.

But retired MPs are still hard at work, and have remained on the ground to lend a hand, he added. Among them is former senior minister of state Zainul Abidin Rasheed, who has been helping the new PAP candidates in Aljunied GRC, which he and his team lost to the Workers' Party in the 2011 polls.

"They know that what is at stake is the future of Singapore and opportunities and the future of Singaporeans," said Mr Lee.






Charles Chong takes a dig at WP slogan
By Toh Yong Chuan, The Sunday Times, 30 Aug 2015

Veteran PAP MP Charles Chong pounced on the Workers' Party (WP) slogan, "Empower Your Future", yesterday, saying there will be no future for Singapore if voters empower the wrong people to lead the country.

The six-term PAP veteran, who is seeking to unseat WP's Ms Lee Li Lian in Punggol East SMC, said the general election is an opportunity for voters to express their views on the performance of not just the Government but also the opposition.



The outspoken PAP MP noted that the party has always held itself to high standards.

"We have been upfront about who we are and what we stand for. We have been transparent about our plans for the various constituencies," he said. "We have been honest about ourselves and, where we have fallen short of our own standards, we have taken decisive action to right any wrongs."

Mr Chong, 62, asked rhetorically whether the same standards also apply to other political parties.

"Take away the backbiting, the infighting, the sniping and the one-upmanship - you may be left with parties who are evasive, who twist words and facts, who deliberately misunderstand clear statements, who are less than honest with the people who have elected them, and some who without any shame claim credit for the hard work done by others," said Mr Chong, without naming anyone.

"After Polling Day, we also want to be able to eat orh luak (oyster omelette) or orh neng (oyster egg omelette) - whatever you call it - with residents at Aljunied, Hougang and Punggol East. And the dish will taste better if we are their elected representatives," he said in a reference to recent social media postings by WP chairman Sylvia Lim. He was one of five PAP candidates who spoke before Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong launched the PAP manifesto yesterday.

In a separate speech, PAP's candidate in Aljunied GRC, lawyer K. Muralidharan Pillai, 47, said the PAP had stayed put in the GRC to serve residents despite people saying that doing so means residents get two parties - PAP and WP - serving them for the price of one.

"Voting is not... a purchase at a supermarket. It is an exercise that affects residents - their homes and their estates. It is important to vote for the right leaders with the right values and attitudes. No one has the divine right to be employed or for our wages to go up every year," he said, linking good leaders to economic growth.

Former defence force chief Ng Chee Meng, 47, who is touted as having ministerial potential, spoke of Singapore's success factors and overcoming the challenges ahead, while lawyer Rahayu Mahzam, 35, described how volunteer work drew her into politics .



Rounding up the five speeches, Ms Tin Pei Ling, 31, who gave birth just three weeks ago, said she was concerned about the future of her son, Ng Kee Hau. It is the PAP, she said, that will make sure Singapore continues to do well for future generations like her son.









New PAP faces
The Sunday Times, 30 Aug 2015

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong introduced the PAP's slate of 24 new candidates for the SG50 General Election. A good number are grassroots leaders and party activists. There is also a good mix of civil servants, an SAF officer and people from the private sector, he said as he spoke briefly about each of the new candidates.

MR AMRIN AMIN, 36, LAWYER, SEMBAWANG GRC

From a humble family, he holds law degrees from the National University of Singapore and Columbia University and wants to give back to society. He has been a grassroots volunteer for more than 10 years.

MS CHERYL CHAN, 38, ENGINEER, FENGSHAN SMC

Active in Fengshan for 10 years, she exuded quiet confidence at her candidate interview and is "ready for any opposition parachutists", male or female, who come to challenge her.

MR CHEE HONG TAT, 41, FORMER CIVIL SERVANT, BISHAN-TOA PAYOH GRC

As Second Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, he worked closely with SMEs. A "capable officer", he is strongly bilingual and speaks dialect.

MS CHENG LI HUI, 39, RUNS A CONSTRUCTION FIRM, TAMPINES GRC

With experience getting foreign workers to work to deadline, under her smiling exterior, "she is a lady with guts and steel".

MR DESMOND CHOO, 36, NTUC DEPUTY DIRECTOR, TAMPINES GRC

He lost twice in Hougang but stayed on. He has "staying power, ideas and can connect with people of different backgrounds and ages".

MR CHONG KEE HIONG, 49, CHIEF EXECUTIVE IN HOSPITALITY SECTOR, BISHAN-TOA PAYOH GRC

He knows the business world and both his subordinates and bosses regard him highly. He has served in Bishan for two years.

MR DARRYL DAVID, 44, DEPUTY DIRECTOR IN A POLYTECHNIC, ANG MO KIO GRC

A former TV host, he is a natural with people and passionate about youth community work.

DR KOH POH KOON, 43, COLORECTAL SURGEON, ANG MO KIO GRC

He lost in the Punggol East by-election in 2013 but soldiered on. He is well respected as an NS commander.

MR HENRY KWEK, 39, FUND MANAGER, NEE SOON GRC

He grew up in a poor family, won an EDB scholarship and later worked in the private sector. He gave up his job and served full-time in Chong Pang for the past couple of years.

MR NG CHEE MENG, 47, FORMER CHIEF OF DEFENCE FORCE PASIR RIS-PUNGGOL GRC

He organised the State Funeral for Mr Lee Kuan Yew and oversaw this year's National Day Parade; a man who rolls up his sleeves to get things done.



MR LOUIS NG, 37, ANIMAL RIGHTS ACTIVIST, NEE SOON GRC

He is so intense that, at his interview, PM Lee took 20 minutes to get him to smile. He is committed and has fire in his belly.

MR ONG YE KUNG, 45, DIRECTOR OF GROUP STRATEGY AT KEPPEL CORP, SEMBAWANG GRC

He stood in Aljunied GRC in 2011 and lost. He has experience working in the civil service, unions and now private sector. "If you hear him make a speech at a rally, you will hear the fire in him," PM Lee said.

MS JOAN PEREIRA, 48, WORKS AT CHARITY ARM OF TEMASEK HOLDINGS, TANJONG PAGAR GRC

She ran the People's Association's Wellness Programme, which now reaches half a million people, and is naturally warm with people.

MS RAHAYU MAHZAM, 35, LAWYER, JURONG GRC

She represents the new generation of successful Malay professionals who are giving back to the community.



MR SAKTIANDI SUPAAT, 41, EXECUTIVE VICE-PRESIDENT AT MAYBANK, BISHAN-TOA PAYOH GRC

A volunteer at Kolam Ayer since 2008 and a Pioneer Generation Ambassador, he grew up in a kampung and believes in the Kampung Spirit.

MS SUN XUELING, 36, TEMASEK HOLDINGS INVESTMENT DIRECTOR, PASIR RIS-PUNGGOL GRC

A dedicated party activist for 14 years, she will speak up for young families like her own.

DR TAN WU MENG, 40, ONCOLOGIST, JURONG GRC

A long-time Young PAP activist, he cares for people, thinks straight and writes well.

MR YEE CHIA HSING, 44, BANKING EXECUTIVE AT CIMB, CHUA CHU KANG GRC

He works with SMEs and, as a volunteer in Punggol East, started practical programmes such as getting people to donate wheelchairs for loan by residents.

MR MELVIN YONG, 43, RETIRED SENIOR POLICE OFFICER, TANJONG PAGAR GRC

As a former police commander, he has good ground sense and knows how to work with people.

OPPOSITION-WARD CANDIDATES

MR CHUA ENG LEONG, 44, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AT STANDARD CHARTERED, ALJUNIED GRC

After the last GE, he volunteered to win Aljunied GRC back for the PAP.

MR LEE HONG CHUANG, 45, SENIOR IT MANAGER, HOUGANG SMC

A former national gymnast, he has been a volunteer since age 19. He is not afraid to go into Workers' Party territory to persuade hard-core WP supporters.

MR VICTOR LYE, 52, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF SHENTON INSURANCE, ALJUNIED GRC

He has served in Aljunied since 1999 and, after 2011, quit his job for 1½ years to work the ground full-time in Aljunied GRC on an unpaid basis before returning to the private sector.

MR K. MURALIDHARAN PILLAY, 47, LAWYER, ALJUNIED GRC

He was PAP branch secretary in Bukit Batok for many years. If PM Lee needed someone to charge beside him on a battlefield, "I would like to have Murali next to me", he said.



MR SHAMSUL KAMAR, 43, TEACHER, ALJUNIED GRC

A natural people person, he cares especially for the down-and-out. He is also a story-teller who gives people hope and courage to improve.




From our Secretary General Lee Hsien Loong:50 years ago, we dared to dream when most would have despaired. We worked...
Posted by People's Action Party on Friday, August 28, 2015




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Workers' Party town council managing agent FMSS has been "grossly profiteering" off AHPETC: MND

August 31, 2015, 9:09 am
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AHPETC faced losses while agent's profits jumped 300%: MND
Such levels of profit margin are abnormal, says MND, which also says there was "gross profiteering" on the part of FMSS from its only client
By Walter Sim, The Sunday Times, 30 Aug 2015

The Ministry of National Development (MND) yesterday produced figures which show that in one year, the managing agent for the Workers' Party (WP) town council made a 300 per cent jump in profit after tax.

Its profit was around $510,000 in financial year 2012/13, and rose to over $2 million the following year.

But in this same period, the revenue of FM Solutions and Services (FMSS) rose by only 30 per cent, from $6.7 million to $8.8 million.

The ministry also noted that total payments by the town council to FMSS owners, who were at the time also senior officers of the town council, amounted to 22 per cent of the revenue in financial year 2012/2013 - and 36 per cent a year later.

Such levels of profit margin are "abnormal", said MND, which also said there was "gross profiteering" on the part of FMSS from its only client: the Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council (AHPETC).

"Had the town council not overpaid FMSS, it might well have had been able to break even."

FMSS, which was appointed by AHPETC from July 2011 until last month, is owned by long-time WP supporters Danny Loh and his wife How Weng Fan. Both were senior officers at the town council.

Two hours after MND issued its statement, Law Minister K. Shanmugam told reporters at a community event that AHPETC has stayed silent on related party transactions involving FMSS.

To prove his point, he pointed to statements by WP MPs that show their stance on the matter, including remarks by Mr Pritam Singh during a parliamentary debate in February on the findings of a special audit by the Auditor-General's Office. It detailed major lapses in accounting and governance at AHPETC.



Several other People's Action Party (PAP) leaders have also weighed in on the issue of AHPETC's financial mismanagement, which is shaping up to be a hot-button issue at the Sept 11 General Election.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who is PAP secretary-general, said at the launch of the party's manifesto yesterday morning that if an opposition party runs a town council like AHPETC, "I don't know where your service and conservancy charges (S&CC) money is going to go. Surpluses will turn into deficits. You will have problems for many years to come".

Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, PAP's second assistant secretary-general, also underlined the gravity of the town council lapses last Friday, when he unveiled the PAP's slate for Aljunied GRC.

MND's statement came two days after the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) submitted its findings of an ad hoc review into FMSS' auditor, Teo Liang Chye & Co, to look into the quality of the managing agent's accounts and audit process.

The ministry had written to ACRA on July 9, shortly after getting AHPETC's financial statements and reports for FY2013/2014. It asked ACRA if it had any concerns about the quality of FMSS' accounts and the audit process. It did so after noting that AHPETC's auditors for FY2013/2014 found that AHPETC's then deputy general manager Yeo Soon Fei, who owns shares in FMSS, had certified FMSS invoices totalling $2.1 million on behalf of the town council. He subsequently approved related payment vouchers by the town council to FMSS, with no segregation of duties.

"This reinforced MND's concerns about the town council's state of financial management and, in particular, whether payments made by the town council were valid and proper," the ministry said.

ACRA started its review on Aug 14, after giving FMSS' auditor the required one month's notice, and submitted its report to MND on Aug 27.

MND then wrote to WP chairman Sylvia Lim to ask, among other things, if she was aware of the extent of profiteering in FMSS and, if so, when she had known and what she had done about it. It also asked how she intends to recover the monies lost due to overpayment.

"As FMSS was paid using S&CC collections from residents and operating grants from the MND, public monies are at stake," MND said.

"What happened between the town council and FMSS is not a private matter, but one which MND needs to look into."



The former managing agent of Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council (AHPETC) has sent a letter of demand, saying the...
Posted by The New Paper on Sunday, August 30, 2015





FMSS issues legal letter to AHPETC, says it is owed $3.5m
The New Paper, 31 Aug 2015

The former managing agent of Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council (AHPETC) has sent a letter of demand, saying the town council owes it more than $3.5 million.

The New Paper has learnt that the managing agent, FM Solutions & Services (FMSS), sent the letter, dated July 20, through its lawyers, Netto & Magin.

This comes at a time when the Ministry of National Development is asking AHPETC whether it overpaid FMSS and, if so, how it plans to claim back public monies that allowed FMSS to make huge profits.

FMSS was incorporated in 2011 soon after the Workers' Party (WP) won the Aljunied group representation constituency in the 2011 General Election.

The company was the managing agent for the town council between July 15, 2011, and July 14 this year.

The relationship between the two parties soured following the Auditor-General's Office (AGO) report in March.

Six days after WP did not renew FMSS's contract, the company demanded to be paid monies owed between April and July 14.

Town council staff said AHPETC and FMSS had been locked in talks over financial matters for several months.

AHPETC had initially tried to claw back $250,000, which was later raised to $450,000, from monies paid to FMSS.

FMSS, in turn, is claiming not to have been paid for services provided between April and July 14, when its contract with the town council was not renewed.

The talks broke down when one of the four FMSS directors, Mr Danny Loh, died on June 27 while holidaying in Japan.

The letter of demand, which TNP saw last week, said: "Our clients instruct us that despite repeated requests and demands, you have neglected, failed and/or refused to pay the amounts due fully, in time, as and when invoices and statements of accounts were sent to you from time to time, particulars of which you are fully aware of.

WITHIN SEVEN DAYS

"Take notice that if the sum of $3,520,722.13 together with further interests as aforesaid, are not paid by you directly to our clients or to us as solicitors for our clients within SEVEN (7) days from the date hereof, we have firm instructions to commence proceedings against you without further reference to you.

"In that event you shall also be liable for legal costs incurred by our client."

TNP understands that AHPETC is trying for a mediation session with FMSS over the letter of demand.

The AGO report in March had found accounting and governance lapses in the town council when FMSS was the managing agent.

AHPETC had also submitted its accounts to its own auditors, Audit Alliance, who highlighted several areas of concern in its report, including that of related-party transactions to do with FMSS.

All four directors behind FMSS also held key positions in AHPETC.

Following a separate ad-hoc review of FMSS auditor Teo Liang Chye & Co, the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority found that FMSS had made a handsome profit.

The WP has been running AHPETC on its own since last month when it failed to find a managing agent in its three-week tender last November.

The tender did not attract a single bid, not even from FMSS.

Would AHPETC continue to work with FMSS, TNP asked AHPETC vice-chairman Png Eng Huat.

He said: "Ah, no, no. I think we are on self-management, so we will give self-management a run."

TNP approached the three remaining directors of FMSS but they declined comment.

AHPETC also declined comment when asked about the letter of demand.



"In addition, MND notes that AHPETC had an operating deficit of $1.5 million in financial year 2012/2013 and a further deficit of $2 million in financial year 2013/2014."

- Ministry of National Development in its statement on Saturday



BY THE numbers

$3,520,722.13 - Amount of money that FMSS is asking for in its letter of demand to AHPETC




What do you think of the AHPETC saga? Is it something more or less than what it's made out to be by the two opposing parties? Here're some questions you might want to consider before deciding.
Posted by The Middle Ground on Monday, August 31, 2015





WP hits back at MND, denying it overpaid
By Tham Yuen-C, The Sunday Times, 30 Aug 2015

The Workers' Party (WP) yesterday hit back at the Ministry of National Development (MND) over claims that its town council had overpaid its managing agent.

In a strongly worded letter, party chairman Sylvia Lim said she was appalled at the ministry's "series of careless accusations" aimed at discrediting her party politically.

Dismissing the accusation of overpayment, she said the Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council (AHPETC) had paid its managing agent based on its contractual rates. "It is shocking that despite our clarifications on your allegations relating to lost monies and overpayment, your ministry continues to make spurious statements to distract the public and aimed at politically discrediting AHPETC," she said.

She was responding after the ministry issued a statement yesterday accusing FM Solutions & Services (FMSS) of profiteering at the expense of the WP-run town council.

The ministry also wrote to Ms Lim to ask if she intended to recover the "monies lost due to overpayment".

The town council was the only client of FMSS in the financial years 2012/2013 and 2013/2014, when the company's owners received about $1.5 million and $3.2 million. This works out to 22 per cent and 36 per cent respectively of the company's revenue in those years.

Calling this profit margin "abnormal", the ministry reiterated its concerns that the town council had "overpaid FMSS excessively".



Ms Lim refuted this in her letter, which she made public on the WP website. She said the town council did not overpay FMSS, and asked what the ministry meant by an "abnormal" profit margin. She noted that managing agents of other town councils had not made known their profit levels.

She added that FMSS was appointed managing agent from 2012 to 2015 after a public tender. The company's contract to provide essential maintenance services to the town council was also awarded in a public tender.

The town council paid FMSS in line with contractual rates, and "payment in accordance with contracts cannot be overpayment", said Ms Lim, the immediate past chairman of the town council.

The ministry had also taken issue with the fees and salaries paid to key town council officers who were also the owners of FMSS.

The late Mr Danny Loh, his wife How Weng Fan, Mr Yeo Soon Fei, and Mr Johnson Lieow Chong Sern were paid about $1.1 million in FY 2013/2014 alone. On that point, Ms Lim said what FMSS paid its employees was not within the town council's control. The town council also "does not ask its contractors about their profitability or internal arrangements", she added.

She also said it is "misleading and unfair" to compare the rates charged by FMSS with rates charged by managing agents of People's Action Party town councils.

When FMSS put in a bid for the job in 2012, it had no competitors. Thus, its bid was assessed based on rates charged by CPG Facilities Management, which was the town council's managing agent when Aljunied GRC was under the PAP, said Ms Lim.

Pointing to this, she said the political environment here had put "non-PAP town councils" at a financial disadvantage as companies were less likely to bid for their jobs. "Your ministry ought to recognise the existence of an imbalanced system and take into consideration the political reality of the situation," she said.

The ministry had also said that the latest findings - following an ad hoc review by the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) of FMSS' auditor Teo Liang Chye & Co - underscored the need for independent accountants to be appointed to AHPETC. There is a pending judgment from the Court of Appeal on this.

But Ms Lim said there was no basis for it, adding: "We also question your ministry's political motivation for issuing a public release on this matter at such a premature stage, when you say that your ministry has not even completed a review of the findings by ACRA."

When asked by The Sunday Times, the ministry said ACRA had made known its findings last Thursday. MND then "made a public statement immediately, as this is a matter of public interest involving public and residents' monies".








One can perhaps say that Sylvia Lim, chairman of Workers' Party, has perfected the art of lying with an earnest face and...
Posted by Singapore Matters on Sunday, August 30, 2015




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Integrity critical in political parties: Ng Eng Hen

September 1, 2015, 7:54 pm
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Safeguarding public monies is something all parties must do, not only the PAP, he says
By Charissa Yong, The Straits Times, 31 Aug 2015

The People's Action Party expects its candidates to have high standards of integrity, and to go out of their way to send a signal that even the slightest whiff of wrongdoing will not be tolerated.

"When it comes to issues of integrity, if there are questions raised that certain things were missed, even if it's within the law, if we find that our processes are not up to scratch, we do not hide behind the law," said party organising secretary Ng Eng Hen yesterday.

"We will tell our candidates, we expect you to have higher standards," he said, adding that this should be the case for all political leaders regardless of their party affiliation.



Dr Ng, who is Defence Minister, was replying to a question on the Workers' Party-run town council, which has come under fire from the Ministry of National Development (MND) for overpaying its former managing agent, FM Solutions and Services (FMSS).

MND had written to Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council (AHPETC) chairman Sylvia Lim on Saturday and issued a statement to say a regulatory review of FMSS' auditor found it had been grossly profiteering off its sole client, AHPETC.

In reply, Ms Lim, who is WP chairman, said payments made to FMSS were in accordance with contracts, and cannot be overpayment.

Dr Ng said yesterday that when things go wrong, it is not enough to simply comply with the letter of the law. Instead, it is crucial to tackle the issue thoroughly in order to send the signal that high standards of integrity must be upheld.

"When things go wrong... the way you address it is crucial not only for Singaporeans but for the own people you lead, your own organisation, the signals you send," he said.

"Are they just going to comply with the letter of the law or are they going to go the extra mile to not only be doing the right thing, but be seen to be doing the right thing?"

He stressed that his call to keep to higher standards was not specific to AHPETC, but applied more broadly. "Whenever we are in charge of public monies or have public trust, let's go the extra mile in reassuring Singaporeans that we're going to keep to the high standards of honesty, integrity, accountability that our founding fathers put in place."

Dr Ng, a cancer surgeon, also said that once people are lax, things start to slide, and likened corruption to cancer, which must not take root.

"If you let corruption or cancer grow, by the time you try to take the cancer out it's already metastasised ... So you nip it in the bud, you catch it very early, you root it out systematically with full force," he said.

The PAP and all its 89 candidates, who have been unveiled over the past fortnight, see honesty and integrity as the core foundation Singapore was built on, he added.

Dr Ng also said the elections will be about "hope and trust" - the hope that Singapore can do even better than its progress in the past 50 years, and the trust of Singaporeans in their elected representatives.

"This election is about whether you can trust the people you vote for, to deliver what we promise, to be open and honest in our dealings, to be fair, and to take into account Singaporeans' wishes and ideas," he added after meeting residents and shopkeepers in Bishan with his Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC teammates.

He also sensed that the mood on the ground towards the PAP is better than during the 2011 polls, he said, but stressed that the party does not take any votes for granted.

"When we walk around, people are more direct. They come and tell us openly, we're going to support you and the party and we're happy with what you've done," said Dr Ng.

"But if you've done enough elections, you take nothing for granted... We leave ourselves to the good hands of our voters, and let them judge."




<<Sagely Advice>>During the week of national mourning, I shared how a frail Mr Lee Kuan Yew kept his word against the...
Posted by Ng Eng Hen on Sunday, August 30, 2015





NO 'ONE SIZE FITS ALL' POLICY

When (opposition parties) and other Singaporeans say that Government doesn't have all the answers, I think they are absolutely right. We don't have all the answers, and you can't have all the answers, because you can't have a single policy that is "one size fits all" and meets all the needs of Singaporeans.

The PAP Government has always taken the attitude that we should be open to ideas, and we've asked: What ideas do you have?

So, from my point of view, I'll take the ideas from these manifestos and study and consider them.

If we have not studied them before, we'll ask ourselves why. If we have studied them before, we'll ask: Are they more relevant now?

I think we should be open to the ideas of manifestos of opposition parties. If we are not going to accept them, we should have a good reason why not, and I think Singaporeans will want to know.

I find it good, useful... that they bring it up, and we can put these ideas to Singaporeans to decide.

- PAP ORGANISING SECRETARY NG ENG HEN, when asked about the manifestos of opposition parties


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GE2015 Nomination Day

September 2, 2015, 12:08 am
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No walkovers, 2.46m to vote on Sept 11
PAP, WP to hold rallies today as campaigning kicks off, with several 'hot contests' expected
By Zakir Hussain, Deputy Political Editor, The Straits Times, 2 Sep 2015

All Singaporeans eligible to vote will be able to cast their ballot in a general election for the first time in the nation's history next Friday.

Nomination Day yesterday saw 181 candidates file their papers successfully to contest all 89 seats in 16 group representation constituencies (GRCs) and 13 single-member constituencies (SMCs).

With no walkovers, it means all 2.46 million eligible voters will soon receive polling cards to let them vote on Sept 11.



Campaigning begins in earnest today, with the People's Action Party (PAP) and Workers' Party (WP) the first to hold rallies - the PAP in Tanjong Pagar GRC with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong speaking, and the WP in Hougang.

Candidates from both parties and seven other opposition parties will also be fanning out across their constituencies to start wooing voters.

The PAP is the only party with candidates for all seats. Hot contests are anticipated in at least five GRCs - Aljunied, East Coast, Marine Parade, Holland-Bukit Timah and Tanjong Pagar.

At least five SMC contests will be closely watched - Fengshan, Punggol East, Sengkang West, Mountbatten and Potong Pasir. Three SMCs will see three-cornered fights.

The largest opposition party, the WP, is fielding 28 candidates in five GRCs and five SMCs.



The polls come soon after Singapore celebrated its Golden Jubilee, and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday described it as "an SG50 election" with much at stake.

Speaking at an evening press conference at the PAP headquarters in Bedok, he said voters will be choosing not only the Government for the next five years, but also the leaders to set the direction for the country in the next 50 years.

"There is a lot at stake and we have to take very seriously people's concerns, people's aspirations, their outlook in a new world, and also the way the election is going to be fought. We take this as very likely to be a hard-fought election," he said.

The PAP won 60.1 per cent of the popular vote in the 2011 General Election, where it won 81 out of 87 seats but lost two ministers after a WP team led by secretary-general Low Thia Khiang won Aljunied GRC with 54.7 per cent of the vote.

That made the WP the first opposition party to win a GRC since the team constituencies were formed in 1988 to ensure minority representation in Parliament.

In a message on the WP website yesterday, Mr Low spoke of how the 2011 Aljunied win had changed the PAP and "today, we have a more responsive government that is more sensitive to the needs and struggles of the people". He asked voters if they wanted to send a signal to the PAP that the Government should continue on this path, and if they wanted to empower themselves to shape their future.

But Mr Lee told reporters that policy changes made by the Government "didn't start in 2011" after the outcome of the 2011 polls. The Government aimed to do what was right and needed to be done, and some policies, such as those to strengthen safety nets, had been started 10 years ago at least.

He also said that although there were more opposition MPs, their performance in Parliament had been disappointing, and in contrast to the fierce campaign speeches they made at election time, they tended to keep quiet in Parliament.

"You voted for a tiger in the chamber and you got a mouse in the House," he said.

The PAP has served notice that it will go on the offensive about the WP's running of its Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council.

Among other things, the PAP has questioned the competence and integrity of the WP MPs, pointing to how the town council accounts have not received a clean bill of health from their auditors. The WP has stuck to the position that the PAP charges are politically driven.

Voters can expect to hear more about this in the coming days.



Much of the battle over the next eight days is set to revolve around winning the hearts and minds of younger voters, observers say.

Said Iseas-Yusof Ishak Institute fellow Norshahril Saat: "The PAP's narrative is, let's not destroy what we have built in the last 50 years, but it must be careful not to play this card too much, as young voters also want to see what lies ahead in the next 50 years."













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GE2015: TV forums in English and Mandarin

September 2, 2015, 12:14 am
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PAP, Opposition in spirited debate on cost of living, foreign manpower issues
By Kelly Ng, TODAY, 2 Sep 2015

Members of the Opposition and the People’s Action Party (PAP) clashed live on television yesterday in an energetic debate over issues such as the high cost of living and the influx of foreign manpower.



In back-to-back televised forums - one in Mandarin, one in English - on MediaCorp channels yesterday, election candidates from the Workers’ Party (WP), Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), Reform Party (RP), National Solidarity Party (NSP) and Singaporeans First (SingFirst) hit out at what they called the PAP’s failure to address these issues, while accusing the party of riding on past successes.



The PAP - represented by Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Lawrence Wong and Ms Denise Phua in the English forum — responded by laying out the measures it has taken to address the issues, while arguing that some of the moves advocated by the various parties would do more harm than good.

On the cost of living - one of the topics set by moderator Steven Chia - SDP chief Chee Soon Juan said the Government had launched a “double whammy” on Singaporeans by allowing in the “super rich” and importing low-wage professionals into Singapore. “This artificially depresses wages and makes life very difficult for Singaporeans,” he said.

SingFirst secretary-general Tan Jee Say pointed out that inflation was not solely to blame for the rising cost of living here, and prices of commodities, such as oil, had in fact fallen over the years. Mr Tan and RP chief Kenneth Jeyaretnam also called for a national minimum wage.

In response, Mr Wong said the Government has been doing its best to “keep essentials affordable”. “We are open to new ideas, but on ideas like, say, the minimum wage, I think we just have to be careful, because if it is done incorrectly, it can lead to more unemployment and worser (worse) outcomes for Singaporeans.”


#GE2015 #YourVoteMatters forum: People's Action Party's Lawrence Wong and the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP)'s Chee Soon Juan cross swords over Dr Chee's past. http://bit.ly/1KCu2lU
Posted by Channel NewsAsia Singapore on Tuesday, September 1, 2015


During the Mandarin forum, labour chief Chan Chun Sing, representing the PAP, reiterated the Government’s efforts such as keeping the Singapore dollar strong to keep imported inflation in check. Ms Phua, in the English forum, cited examples of the Government’s targeted approach towards assistance, such as enhanced support for the pioneers and the elderly. “Are we perfect yet? No, I think we have some more to do, but we really want to make sure that these basic services are affordable and accessible,” she said.

Mr Wong also pointed out that foreign inflows have already been significantly tightened. “In fact, the population growth over the past decade is at its lowest,” he said. He also criticised a WP proposal for zero per cent foreign population growth as one that will cause a “huge jam-break” on the economy.

WP’s Leon Perera, a fresh entrant to politics, also observed that the PAP manifesto - released last week - emphasised what it has achieved, and lacked concrete policies for the future. “(This) seems to suggest that (the PAP) wants (the) election to give (it) a blank cheque, blind faith that (the PAP) will do the right thing.”

On the Opposition’s role in the Government, NSP’s new acting secretary-general Lim Tean felt there is a need for more “robust” Opposition voices in Parliament, and Singaporeans are not voting for estate managers. Noting that some PAP Members of Parliament (MPs) rarely spoke over the last four-and-a-half years, he asked: “Do they really qualify for the seat, then?”

Ms Phua said an MP must be good at both running a town council and raising issues in Parliament. She added: “The MP represents the needs and the voices of people ... (and) also the party, the philosophy, the fundamental values, the vision, where we are taking the country, I think that is really important as well.”


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SPP’s Chong-Aruldoss plans to make managing town council her priority

September 2, 2015, 12:18 am
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Looking after residents living conditions come ahead of being their voice in Parliament
By Lee Yen Nee, TODAY, 31 Aug 2015

If she is elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Mounbatten, Mrs Jeannette Chong-Aruldoss aims to ensure that an “orderly” handover of the town council will be done within the first 30 days, and a procurement committee with at least one chartered public accountant will be set up within 60 days.

These are among her plans for the single-seat ward, which are listed in the manifesto launched by the 52-year-old lawyer today (Aug 31).

Mrs Chong-Aruldoss, a Singapore People’s Party (SPP) candidate, told reporters that while an MP has the dual roles of managing the town council and representing the people’s voice in Parliament, she plans to make the former role her priority.



“If elected, I will take seriously ... the role of chairman as town council because our living environment is something that residents face on a daily basis. We have to put that as priority to get the house in order,” she said at the launch of her manifesto in an open-air amphitheatre at Kampong Arang.

On the issues that she will champion in Parliament, Mrs Chong-Aruldoss said accountability and transparency will take centre stage.

One specific issue she has in mind is to query the annual report issued by the Public Transport Council to ensure that fares are not increased without an improvement in service reliability.

“In this day and age ... the job of holding the Government accountable, the job of checks and balances are shouldered by a very miniscule number of opposition MPs,” she said.

“Being an MP who is not from the ruling party, I would have the freedom to talk about legislation,” she added.

Mrs Chong-Aruldoss cited SPP chief and veteran Opposition politician Chiam See Tong, who was also Potong Pasir MP for 27 years until 2011, as an inspiration for his ability to manage the dual roles of an MP well.

“When Mr Chiam handed over the town council to his successor, his books were in order and the accounts were in surplus,” she said.

If elected, Mrs Chong-Aruldoss also plans to establish a Mountbatten Social Mobility Bursary to help students, aged 15 to 21, who want to make the transition from an Institute of Technical Education to polytechnic, or from polytechnic to university.

To improve connectivity in the constituency, she plans to enhance feeder bus services.

She also wants to push for the conservation of at least three blocks of the iconic Dakota Crescent Residences and the Dakota Dove Playground, as well as work with government agencies to ensure rentals for hawkers are kept affordable.

Mrs Chong-Aruldoss is expected to face the ruling People’s Action Party’s (PAP) Lim Biow Chuan in the Sept 11 polls, in a repeat of their 2011 election face-off.

In the previous General Election, Mrs Chong-Aruldoss, who contested under a National Solidarity Party’s (NSP) ticket, garnered 41.35 per cent of the votes.

Asked how ground sentiments have changed since then, she would only say: “I have not stopped working so the difference between now and before is five years of work.”

Mrs Chong-Aruldoss joined the SPP early this year after leaving the NSP, where she served as its secretary-general from October 2013 to January this year.


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GE2015: Ng Eng Hen unfazed by jeers from Workers' Party supporters

September 2, 2015, 12:50 am
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Minister says his team will improve the lives of all Singaporeans, including WP backers who heckled them
By Melody Zaccheus and Danson Cheong, The Straits Times, 2 Sep 2015

When faced with jeers from supporters of the Workers' Party (WP) while delivering his speech yesterday, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen stood firm and took them on.


"Even if you jeer us, we will improve your lives ... because we believe in Singapore!": Ng Eng Hen and his Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC team for #GE2015 address People's Action Party supporters at the Nomination Centre.
Posted by Channel NewsAsia Singapore on Monday, August 31, 2015


"We have educated Singaporeans who behave in a way that is right, not like these supporters who are just jeering. All they can do is jeer!" said Dr Ng, who is contesting with four other People's Action Party (PAP) members in Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC.

"Even if you jeer against us, we will improve your lives! And the more you jeer, the more we will improve even more because we believe in Singapore," he said at the Raffles Institution nomination centre.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who is leading a six-man team against the Reform Party's six candidates in Ang Mo Kio GRC, was not spared the jeering from the opposition supporters.

The crowd at the nomination centre in Bishan was split into two large groups, with the WP and PAP on either side of the field and mostly keeping to themselves until the candidates came up to speak.

It was then that some party supporters would jeer at candidates they opposed.

Supporters from both parties, armed with party flags and umbrellas emblazoned with party symbols, had waited for almost two hours in the scorching sun.

Some PAP supporters also came prepared with lyric sheets and sang medleys, including the song Home.

PAP supporter Gladys Lim, 69, a retired insurance agent, said she was there to support the party because it has "contributed a lot to the nation".

Meanwhile, the WP crowd kept the atmosphere amped by chanting the party's name and "huat ah" - which means "prosper" in Hokkien - repeatedly.

We can cheer! We can Jeer!
What we think of PAP Aljunid team!
Posted by WP Fan Club on Tuesday, September 1, 2015


Many of them, including Madam M.T. Seet, had come with friends and family. They held up blue umbrellas to shield themselves from the midday sun.

"We turned up here to soak in the atmosphere," said Madam Seet, 61, an administrator who came all the way from Yew Tee. "The Aljunied residents had the courage to vote for the opposition, coming here to support is the least I could do."

Early on, WP activists had reminded their supporters to be cordial and not to jeer or boo other candidates. They were asked instead to reserve their cheers and energy for WP candidates "in the spirit of loving Singapore".

WP supporter Christina Tan, 40, said: "We might be dressed in blue, but we are here to support both Mr Low Thia Khiang and Mr Lee Hsien Loong... this is going to be an exciting election."



<< GE Day 2 - We will continue to improve Singaporeans' lives >>#GE2015Saw this cartoon. Hmm....an interesting take on my nomination speech from Mothership.sg. #PAPWITHU #PAPFORU #PAP4SG
Posted by Ng Eng Hen on Wednesday, September 2, 2015



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GE2015: Future of Singapore at stake in this general election, PM Lee Hsien Loong

September 2, 2015, 2:03 am
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Singapore is at a turning point, question is which way we go: PM Lee
General election will answer this question, he says, adding that he does not think his party will have 'an easy election'
By Rachel Chang, Assistant Political Editor, The Straits Times, 2 Sep 2015

There may be a celebratory SG50 mood sweetening the ground, but Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong made clear yesterday (Tuesday) that the ruling party does not think it is headed into "an easy election" on Sept 11.

Factors like the electorate's aspirations and "outlook in a new world" will make this election a hard-fought one, he said, emphasising that it is not guaranteed that the People's Action Party will be returned to power.

It is the first time since independence that all parliamentary seats in Singapore are being contested.

"I think there's a lot at stake because this is an SG50 election," said PM Lee, speaking at a customary post-Nomination press conference yesterday. "The country is at a turning point. Question is, in what direction do we now go?"



Regional neighbours, foreign powers and international investors are also watching the polls, he said, for signs on whether Singapore will remain politically stable and open.

PM Lee and senior members of his team rubbished the suggestion that opposition breakthroughs in the 2011 General Election had resulted in the PAP "working harder".

PM Lee repeated Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam's argument that "the world did not begin in 2011" and widened it, noting that the Government has, actually, gradually built up stronger social safety nets since the days of Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong.

Secondly, he said the thinking that opposition votes put pressure on the ruling party to please the people reduces the relationship between Government and people into a "game".

This undermines and repudiates the system that has allowed Singapore to become one of a kind - a "unicorn" among nations, he said.

"It's not a game where 'I threaten you a little bit, and then you do a bit more,'" PM Lee said.

"(Or) on the other hand, the Government threatens back a little bit, and then the voters shrink back. "If you play that kind of game, you will very soon be in the same kind of jam as other countries which do this."

Singapore has not followed that formula of contention and antagonism in its politics and that is how it has carved out its place in the world, said PM Lee.

Citing a report from political risk consultancy Eurasia Group that describes Singapore as a "unicorn", he said: "(We are a) one of a kind, miraculous animal. There's no other unicorn in the world. And it works well, it has unique solutions and the rest of the world is not sure what to make of it."

While Singapore also faces problems like others such as income inequality, its unicorn trait is in how the problems are tackled, he said.

"Our formula has been to work together, build the trust. The Government does the right things for voters to the best of our ability. Sometimes we make mistakes, sometimes it falls short of what the voters expect because it's harder to do than we imagined.

"But overall, there is that basic trust that I'm doing this on your behalf, otherwise I wouldn't be doing this," he said.

Referring to a Mandarin saying that means "to become an official is to become rich," PM Lee emphasised that in Singapore, "there's no money in this".

Senior Minister of State for Education and Law Indranee Rajah, who is standing for re-election in Tanjong Pagar GRC, added: "In order to achieve all those things that we've achieved, you need a strong government with a strong mandate and with good people to do the things that need to be done."




DISPARITY IN PERFORMANCE

You voted for a tiger in the chamber and you got a mouse in the House... It's one of these Frankenstein monsters ... Every night, it turns into a tiger and every day, it turns into a mouse.

- PM LEE HSIEN LOONG, saying that the performance of the opposition in Parliament "frankly, has been disappointing"




The PAP - Pluralism in Parliament

It's the quality that counts, not the quantity
By Charissa Yong, The Straits Times, 2 Sep 2015

More is not better when it comes to the Opposition in Parliament, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday.

"It's the quality which counts. It's not the numbers," he said at a People's Action Party (PAP) press conference, hours after candidate nominations closed at noon.

He set out this argument in response to a question on the growing desire among Singaporeans for greater pluralism in Parliament.



Mr Lee, who is the ruling party's secretary-general, pointed out that the PAP had only three members elected to the legislative assembly in the 1955 General Election: Mr Lee Kuan Yew, Mr Lim Chin Siong and Mr Goh Chew Chua.

"They established such a reputation for themselves, especially Mr Lee Kuan Yew, that in 1959, they swept the general election and formed the Government," he said.

The PAP won 43 out of the 51 seats in the legislative assembly general election that year.

In contrast, the last Parliament had 10 opposition MPs.

Seven were elected MPs from the Workers' Party, two were WP Non-Constituency MPs (NCMPs), and one was an NCMP from the Singapore People's Party.

The performance of the opposition, said Mr Lee, "frankly, has been disappointing".

He highlighted what he saw as a disparity between their fierce speeches on the hustings and their low-key Parliament performance. "You voted for a tiger in the chamber and you got a mouse in the House," he told voters.

The "fierce, rousing" arguments made during rallies are not brought up by the same opposition politicians in parliamentary sittings, he said.

"They know that in Parliament, if they raise those issues, face to face in debate, they will be pinned down and the fallacies and the insincerities and the untruths will be exposed... So they remain quiet.

"It's one of these Frankenstein monsters... Every night, it turns into a tiger and every day, it turns into a mouse," he said.

But Mr Lee also acknowledged that political moods change, and the current PAP has to forge its own relationship with the electorate.

The bond that Singapore's pioneer generation had with the founding members of the PAP is not easily replicated, as it emerged through the crucible of nation-building, he said.

These included going through crises, solving problems and experiencing success together.

"The new Government and a new population have to find their own ways to bond together, through new experiences," said Mr Lee.





The PAP - Reaching out to youth

Young voters seek human connection and understanding
By Janice Heng, The Straits Times, 2 Sep 2015

Young voters want a human connection, not just abstract policies, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong when asked what issues the People's Action Party (PAP) might face in reaching out to this group.

Noting that young people form the majority of his nearly 844,000 Facebook fans, Mr Lee said that besides following political news, they enjoy "soft" topics such as nature or cultural events.

"They want to know that there's a person there... whom they can connect with, whom they can understand and who understands what they want," said Mr Lee, secretary-general of the PAP, at a party press conference yesterday.

As for what exactly young people want, he said: "They have that ability and that potential to go far, and they are anxious that they should be able actually to make it."

The PAP's approach has always been to invest in the young, he said. "That's what motivates our whole venture."

Senior Minister of State for Finance and Transport Josephine Teo said most young Singaporeans want the same thing as their parents' generation - a better life - but also want to take part in creating this. "We have heard young Singaporeans say that they don't just want to be served, on a platter, policies ready-made. They want to be participants in the creation of those policies."

To fulfil their aspirations, the Government has broadened the suite of educational and skills training programmes available, she said. It has also updated its outreach policies and put up more policies for public consultation.

But one challenge the PAP faces is that young people "consume content" largely through social media rather than newspapers or television news, noted Mrs Teo. The PAP has put in more effort to reach out on such platforms, though it is a work-in-progress, she said.

Senior Minister of State for Law and Education Indranee Rajah wanted young voters to think seriously about the future.

She repeated Mr Lee's point that Singapore's future will be determined by its Government, its leaders and its direction.

And those three things, in turn, will be determined by the votes of Singaporeans - including young voters - in this general election.

"Especially first-time voters who have not voted before, I would ask you to think about this issue, because what is really being put before you is: How are you going to determine the future of the country?" said Ms Indranee. "And that choice, that direction, lies in your hands."






The PAP - Selection process

Candidates assessed for office continually
By Janice Heng, The Straits Times, 2 Sep 2015

Among the People's Action Party's (PAP) 21 new candidates, there are some potential office holders from obvious backgrounds. But others are from different backgrounds who can offer new perspectives and experiences, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Speaking yesterday at a PAP press conference, he added that MPs' prospects of being office holders are not decided only when they first enter politics.

Asked which of the ruling party's new candidates were of ministerial calibre, Mr Lee said some had "more obviously... appropriate and relevant backgrounds". But he added: "Others may have come from different backgrounds but will be able to make very interesting additions to the team and provide new perspectives and new experiences."

One new face who has already been tipped for office is former defence chief Ng Chee Meng, part of the PAP's six-member slate for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC, whose military background fits the ministerial mould.

Yet Mr Lee added that PAP candidates are assessed for office not just upon being elected, but continually.

"As long as they are in Parliament, we look at it and see where they can make their best contribution," he said. "And if you look at my track record, you will see that I have very often promoted from the backbenches."

He highlighted three examples: Senior Minister of State for Law and Education Indranee Rajah, Minister for Communications and Information Yaacob Ibrahim, and Senior Minister of State for Finance and Transport Josephine Teo.

"So it's like SkillsFuture, you know, it's never a single point," he said, referring to the programme to help students and workers develop specialised skills throughout their lives.

"One day we'll have an upgrading programme for MPs."





Duty of regulators to call out lapses in governance: DPM Teo
By Charissa Yong, The Straits Times, 2 Sep 2015

Government agencies are only doing their duty in taking the Workers' Party-run town council to task over its lapses in finances, said Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister Teo Chee Hean yesterday.

At a People's Action Party (PAP) press conference, Mr Teo rebutted the WP's charge that government departments are targeting the ruling party's political opponents.

Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council (AHPETC) chairman Sylvia Lim made this argument on Sunday, after the Ministry of National Development (MND) produced figures that it said showed that AHPETC's former managing agent had been "grossly profiteering" off its sole client.

Yesterday, Mr Teo said that calling out lapses in governance was the duty of regulators like the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (Acra), which did an ad-hoc review of the managing agent's auditor after the MND flagged its concerns.

It was Acra which found that FM Solutions and Services, AHPETC's then managing agent, had turned a net profit of $2 million in the same year that the town council had an operating deficit of $2 million.

"That's their duty, whether it is a PAP town council, a government agency, a private company or a statutory board. And we expect no less from them when it comes to an opposition-run town council," said Mr Teo, who is in charge of the civil service.

Weighing in at the same press conference, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong stressed that government agencies "have the responsibility to investigate the facts if there are mistakes".

"And if there is a need to take corrective actions or legal actions, they will have to do so.

"We have to deal with this issue fairly. We cannot say just because it is the opposition's town council, and that the problem may be politicised, so we give them special treatment by not checking the details of their operation or some of their internal problems," said Mr Lee, speaking in Mandarin.

"Whether the problems exist is an objective fact. It will be good if the problems can be found out. Everyone should welcome it."

If there were problems in a PAP-run town council, that would be his problem as well as the MND's, said Mr Lee, because as party secretary-general, he "takes the final responsibility".

He also said that AHPETC's issues were serious ones which raised questions about its governance, profitability, viability and propriety. The WP will have to explain these issues to voters, he added.

"It's regrettable that it has not been satisfactorily addressed and explained until now, but I think these are things which voters will take note of," he said.





Longer-term view on wages needed: Tharman
By Chia Yan Min and K.C. Vijayan, Senior Law Correspondent, The Straits Times, 2 Sep 2015

Foreign labour inflows have been tightened significantly in recent years but this will not be enough to raise incomes for Singaporean workers in the long term, Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam said yesterday.

For that to happen, Singapore must be able to continue to hold its own in an increasingly challenging international environment.

This means companies have to be able to upgrade and create good jobs, even as Singaporeans at all stages of life are given opportunities to actively develop and deepen their skills, he added.

Mr Tharman, who is leading the five-member People's Action Party (PAP) team in Jurong GRC, was speaking to the media yesterday at the Keming Primary School nomination centre in Bukit Batok.

The team also includes Mr Desmond Lee, Mr Ang Wei Neng and newcomers, Mr Tan Wu Meng and Ms Rahayu Mahzam.

They will face five candidates from the Singaporeans First party (SingFirst). They are: information technology consultant Wong Chee Wai, retired army colonel Tan Peng Ann, sales director Wong Soon Hong, chemist David Foo and retired police officer Sukdeu Singh.

Mr Tharman said he welcomed the contest. "We wish them well, and we take every voter very seriously. We've been working in Jurong for a long time, we've achieved something in building a strong and caring community.

"But there's a lot more that we want to do," he said.

He added that he is "glad that (SingFirst) shares our views and priorities, particularly on having a level playing field for Singaporeans".

"That's foremost in our minds. We're concerned especially about middle-aged, mid-career Singaporeans," Mr Tharman said.

There are no "extreme solutions" to the challenge of creating opportunities for Singaporeans at all stages of life and ensuring that incomes continue to rise, he added.

"People know we've been making significant moves. Singaporeans are able to judge for themselves. They know that solutions don't work instantly, in any country," he said.

He added that Singapore is starting from a strong position, with much lower unemployment than other countries, and wages still rising for the lower- and middle-income groups.

On the PAP team's plans during the nine-day campaign period, Mr Tharman said: "We are not nine-day people... We've been working since the end of the last nine days. On the ground, quietly, no cameras - that's our style in Jurong."

Jurong was the second-best performing group representation constituency for the PAP in the 2011 polls. It won 67.0 per cent of the votes against a team from the National Solidarity Party.

When asked if they were intimidated by the incumbent's strong showing in the 2011 election, SingFirst's Mr Tan said: "Why should we be intimidated? Let's take a look at what they have done, and what we are going to do. We are confident enough to give them a good fight. History is no indicator."

He added that his party believes that Singapore's senior citizens should be given "a better position in life".

"Generally we need to raise the self-esteem of senior citizens... If you walk around Jurong, you see many old ladies who are cleaning tables, and these are the people we want to help," he said.

His teammate, Dr Foo, said: "What we are asking for is transparency in immigration, and (for the Government to) list out the skill sets that are required by the country."


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GE2015: The key issues

September 3, 2015, 12:12 am
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Foreign worker numbers likely to be a hot topic
Opposition parties blame foreigners for competition for jobs, places in good schools, crowding in public transport
By Aaron Low, Deputy News Editor, The Straits Times, 2 Sep 2015

Immigration and the large number of foreign workers are likely to be among the hottest topics the opposition parties will raise during the nine days of election campaigning that started yesterday.

The ruling People's Action Party's policies on immigration will be scrutinised and criticised by opposition parties looking to capitalise on the anti-foreigner sentiment in Singapore, said analysts.

This is because the issue of immigration "is most visible and directly experienced by Singaporeans", said National University of Singapore sociologist Tan Ern Ser.

There were some 1.6 million foreigners in Singapore last year, making up about 29.3 per cent of the 5.47-million population.

Many opposition parties blamed this large contingent of foreign workers for taking away jobs from Singaporeans, raising competition for places in good schools and the overcrowded public transport system.

Among the most vocal of the parties is SingFirst, whose secretary- general Tan Jee Say said at a press conference last week that the influx of foreigners is "a very sad thing".

SingFirst wants to "take back our country from the Government that has given the country away to foreigners", he said. The party did not have firm plans on how it wants to do this, nor did it have a manifesto to elaborate on solutions.

The Workers' Party (WP) and the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) took a more measured approach, calling for policies to be tweaked, and offered alternative policies.

The WP, for instance, said that it is not "anti-immigration or anti-immigrant" but instead wants to strengthen the Singapore core by raising birth rates.

It proposed a zero-growth strategy in foreign workers if the local resident labour force can grow by 1 per cent every year.

It also wants to introduce a 10-year through-train programme for schoolchildren from Primary 1 to Secondary 4 so as to remove the focus on big examinations.

The SDP, in its manifesto, blames the immigration policy for having led to massive overcrowding in Singapore, which in turn has caused property prices to escalate and COE prices to skyrocket.

To prevent the foreign worker contingent from growing, the SDP wants all foreign workers to be assessed based on a point system and put into a pool.

Only those short-listed for this pool can be hired by firms, which also have to prove that local workers do not have the skills these foreign workers have.

Other parties are saving their ammunition for issues relating to CPF, housing and building a stronger social welfare net.

The Reform Party is gunning for more transparency in the way the CPF funds are used.

It also wants to give an old-age pension to older Singaporeans and a fixed monthly child-benefit cash grant for all children under the age of 16 years.





Where major parties stand on key issues
The nine days of campaigning will see parties sparring on issues they consider as the most important for voters to consider. The Straits Times takes a look at the major parties' manifestos to find out where they stand on some hot-button issues.


The People's Action Party


LEADERSHIP AND THE FUTURE OF THE COUNTRY

At the heart of this general election is the decision by voters on where they want the country to head, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said.

Voters are not only choosing who will lead the country for the next five years but the vote will also determine where the country will be headed over the next 50 years.
- Next PM will likely come from those elected at this general election, said PM Lee.
- Several potential political office-holders were drafted in this general election. Former chief of defence force Ng Chee Meng will stand in Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC, while former senior civil servant Chee Hong Tat will contest Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC.
ECONOMY

Ministers have repeatedly stressed that for Singapore to succeed, the economy must continue to grow. To this end, the PAP will push ahead with its plan to restructure the economy and invest in Singaporeans. Among the initiatives launched:
- A decade-long economic restructuring which is aimed at raising productivity and transforming the economy.
- Push to help equip Singaporeans with skills to prepare for the future through the national SkillsFuture programme.
- Job assistance to PMETs, through training and job matching services such as the Singapore Jobs Bank.
GROWING THE SINGAPOREAN CORE

To help nudge Singaporeans to have more babies, it is promising to make it easier for young couples to have children.
- The PAP will work to increase the birth rate. Last month, the Baby Bonus cash gift for children of married couples was increased by $2,000, bringing the amount they will receive to at least $8,000. It also introduced longer paternity leave and gave extra financial grants to help families move closer to their parents.
- Expand childcare and pre-school support.



The Workers' Party


BUILDING A SINGAPORE CORE

The WP has said that it is not against immigration but believes that relying on foreigners to boost Singapore's economy and fix population woes is not the solution.

Instead, it wants to:
- Increase birth rates by creating a less stressful education system.
- Help boost flexiwork arrangements and family care leave, and create a better work-life balance.
- If the resident labour workforce can grow at 1 per cent a year, WP is proposing to cap foreign worker numbers at the current level, or introduce a zero foreign worker growth policy.
RETIREMENT ADEQUACY

The WP wants to improve the retirement adequacy of Singaporeans by tweaking the CPF system. Among the things it is proposing to do:
- Lower the CPF Payout Eligibility Age to 60 from 65.
- Delink the Payout Eligibility Age from the Retirement Age and the Re-employment Age.
- Give full transparency on how CPF funds are invested and refund the difference between the investment returns made on CPF funds and the interest payable on CPF balances.
- Introduce corporate pension plans and peg CPF Life payouts to inflation.
EDUCATION

The WP wants to move the education system away from the current focus on exams and help equip Singaporeans with critical thinking skills and values.

It aims to do this by:
Reducing class size to 20 students and moving away from an exam-focused system.Introducing a 10-year through-train school programme from Primary 1 to Secondary 4.Giving neighbourhood schools additional funding to narrow the gap between neighbourhood and good schools.


The Singapore Democratic Party


IMMIGRATION

The SDP blames high property prices, rising COE prices and overcrowding on the loose immigration policies put in place by the Government.

To correct this, it wants:
- Firms to show that foreigners they intend to hire have skills that Singaporean workers lack before being allowed to hire them.
- Foreigners who want to work here to be screened and placed on a point system. Only those shortlisted from this pool may be hired.
- Non-Singaporeans to be retrenched before locals.
HEALTHCARE

The SDP proposes to overhaul the healthcare system.
- Do away completely with the "3M" - Medisave, Medifund and MediShield - system. Monies in Medisave get refunded to the CPF members.
- Replace it with a single pool of funds to which the Government contributes 84 per cent. Singaporeans to pay an average of $400 a year to the National Health Investment Fund, depending on income levels. Individuals earning less than $800 are exempt from paying.
- Build new hospitals and medical infrastructure while hiring more doctors and nurses. Budget: $1.5 billion a year.
ECONOMY

The SDP is proposing a different model of economic growth. It wants to:
- Replace gross domestic product as a measure of the economy with a Genuine Progress Indicator that also takes into account Singaporeans' quality of life and overall happiness.
- Legislate a minimum wage to combat the rising wage gap.
- Divest of government-linked companies such as Singtel and grow local small and medium-sized enterprises to encourage entrepreneurship.


The Singapore Democratic Alliance


POPULATION

The SDA believes that with the increase of foreigners here, "true blue Singaporeans" will be in the minority. It defines a true blue Singaporean as being locally born.

"We will preserve a 'Singapore for Singaporeans' value strongly, where in everything essential and beneficial, it will always be 'Singaporeans first'," said SDA in its manifesto.
- It will spell out what a true blue Singaporean is in the Constitution and ensure that the highest political offices can be held only by local-born Singaporeans.
- New schemes to take care of mothers. Build new childcare centres and give more incentives to families with children.
- Extend the same benefits, grants and welfare to single parents.
RETIREMENT PLANNING

SDA believes the CPF system is flawed and does not provide enough for retirement.


It wants to change the system:
- Prevent CPF monies from being used to pay for education, housing and healthcare costs.
- Excess returns earned by investment firms investing the CPF monies should be shared with CPF members.
PUBLIC HOUSING

The cost of owning a public flat today is too high and should be immediately fixed, said SDA.

It wants to put in place several new policies:
- Build more rental units and allow people, especially younger couples, to rent them without rigid application guidelines.
- Build flats that are sold to lower-income Singaporeans who cannot afford a flat under the current Build-To-Order scheme or the resale market. These flats can be sold back only to the HDB and not on the open market.

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Singapore becomes venue for settling sea disputes

September 3, 2015, 12:18 am
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By Zhaki Abdullah, The Straits Times, 1 Sep 2015

Singapore has become a venue in Asia to settle disputes arising from the Law of the Sea.

It signed a joint declaration yesterday to allow the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (Itlos) to hear such proceedings here. The tribunal is an independent judicial body established by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Singapore became a party to the Convention on Nov 17, 1994.

Under the declaration, signed by Ministry of Law Permanent Secretary Ng How Yue and tribunal president Vladimir Golitsyn, the Government would provide facilities to the tribunal or a special chamber of the tribunal, for it to hold proceedings or exercise its other functions here.

In a statement, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Law K. Shanmugam said: "The Joint Declaration is a clear endorsement of Singapore as a neutral venue for the effective settlement of international disputes.

"It also demonstrates Singapore's commitment to the international rule of law by facilitating access to Itlos in order to serve the needs of the states of this region, with a view to promoting the peaceful settlement of disputes relating to the Law of the Sea."

Said Judge Golitsyn: "I am extremely grateful to the Government of Singapore for its willingness to assist the tribunal in the provision of appropriate facilities whenever the tribunal considers it desirable for a special chamber of the tribunal or the tribunal to sit or exercise its functions in Singapore."
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Singapore navy warship scares off sea robbers

September 3, 2015, 12:24 am
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The Straits Times, 2 Sep 2015

The sight of a warship from the Republic of Singapore Navy's (RSN) Maritime Security Task Force sent sea robbers who had boarded a tugboat in the Singapore Strait fleeing yesterday.

The Ministry of Defence said in a statement that the RSN worked closely with the Indonesian navy to apprehend the robbers.

The Malaysian-flagged tugboat Permata 1 was then escorted safely to Singapore waters by the RSS Resilience, a Fearless-class patrol vessel.

RSS Resilience successfully disrupted a sea robbery in the Singapore Strait this morning.At 9.07am, a...
Posted by Republic of Singapore Navy on Tuesday, September 1, 2015


The alarm was raised at 9.07am, when the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore's Port Operations Control Centre received a report from the barge, Permata 1, that robbers were boarding the vessel.

The Maritime Security Task Force, which protects the Republic's waters, immediately deployed the RSS Resilience, which arrived in the vicinity of the incident at 9.21am.

The robbers fled towards Indonesian waters at the sight of the Singapore warship.

The RSN's Information Fusion Centre shared information about the incident and the perpetrators with the Indonesian navy's Western Fleet Sea Security Group, and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, which then deployed their naval assets to assist in the search for the robbers.

Three robbers were apprehended and the stolen cargo was recovered.

The RSS Resilience accompanied Permata 1 to Singapore waters, where the Police Coast Guard boarded the tugboat for investigations. All the crew on board the tugboat were unharmed, Mindef said.

Speaking about the incident, Rear-Admiral Frederick Chew, commander of the Maritime Security Task Force, said: "I am heartened to see the good cooperation between Singaporean, Indonesian and Malaysian enforcement agencies in disrupting the sea robbery attempt on Permata 1."

He added: "In particular, the close cooperation between the RSN and TNI AL (Indonesian navy) is a reflection of the strong ties between our navies.

"We need to continue working closely together to keep up the pressure on sea robbers and to bring sea robbery incidents down."


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Singapore Savings Bonds: First issue open for application

September 3, 2015, 12:36 am
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$1.2 billion worth of bonds available with promise of 2.63% average annual return over 10 years
By Wong Wei Han, The Straits Times, 2 Sep 2015

The first issue of Singapore Savings Bonds (SSB) opened for application yesterday with an average annual return of 2.63 per cent promised for those who hold the instrument for the full 10-year tenor.

There are $1.2 billion worth of bonds in the first issue, which closes for applications at 9pm on Sept 25. Successful applicants will be notified by letter after the allotment results are announced on Sept 28.

The interest rate - or rate of return - of the first issue starts at 0.96 per cent for the first year, rising to 1.09 per cent in the second year and 1.93 per cent in the third. This gives an average annual return of 1.32 per cent over three years.

The rates will be stepped up over subsequent years, reaching 3.7 per cent for the tenth year, giving an average annual return of 2.63 per cent.



So the longer the bonds are held, the better the return.

A $10,000 investment, for example, will give a return of $96 in the first year, a further $109 in the second year, and so on. If you hold this amount for the 10 years, you will reap a total return of $2,691.

Returns are paid out every April and October.

The first issue rates were calculated from the average Singapore Government Securities interest rates over August, said the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) yesterday.

Mr Wong Sui Jau, Fundsupermart retirement planning ambassador, told The Straits Times: "These rates are actually quite competitive compared with the one-year and 10-year government bonds. But more importantly, for retail investors, they offer the flexibility to redeem early without penalty."

Unlike regular bonds, the Singapore Savings Bonds offer accrued returns to investors who redeem the bonds ahead of the full 10-year tenor. As the bonds are not tradable, they are also not affected by market fluctuations and are hence capital-guaranteed.

People can apply in multiples of $500 up to a maximum of $50,000 in a single issue, but they will need an individual Central Depository securities account complete with direct crediting service.

Applications can be lodged through ATMs of DBS, POSB, OCBC and UOB, or through Internet banking services of DBS and POSB. More banks may be included as the programme progresses.

The MAS plans to issue a total of $2 billion to $4 billion of Singapore Savings Bonds this year in three tranches. They will then be issued monthly for at least the next five years, so there is no need to rush.


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GE2015: SDP policies will set Singapore on the road to Greece, says Vivian Balakrishnan

September 3, 2015, 12:55 am
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By Yeo Sam Jo, The Straits Times, 1 Sep 2015

Holland-Bukit Timah GRC incumbent Vivian Balakrishnan has launched the first salvo against the Singapore Democratic Party, saying that its policies would set Singapore "on the road to Greece".

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Dr Balakrishnan said his team will show, over the next nine days, that the SDP has copied policy prescriptions that have already failed elsewhere. His PAP team will face off against a SDP team led by party chief Chee Soon Juan at the polls.

The SDP has proposed several economic measures, including having a minimum wage, raising personal income taxes for the top 1 per cent of earners, and increasing social spending.



On those proposals, Dr Balakrishnan said: "The SDP will set us on the road to Greece, and it is the duty of my team to awaken Singaporeans to the dangers of such policy prescriptions."

The anchor minister for the group representation constituency, Dr Balakrishnan's teammates are Minister of State Sim Ann, 40, DBS Bank managing director Liang Eng Hwa, 51, and lawyer Christopher De Souza, 39.

They are challenged by a SDP team comprising Dr Chee, 53, compliance auditor Sidek Mallek, 55, healthcare administrator Chong Wai Fung, 45, and National University of Singapore professor Paul Tambyah, 50.

Dr Balakrishnan said his team is "quietly confident" because of their "solid track record".

He added that he is glad to go up against the SDP again, but noted that all the previous opponents have either moved or left politics.

In the 2011 election, his PAP team won the GRC with a vote share of 60.1 per cent against a SDP team.




Some awkward questions for Dr Chee Soon Juan. How much will Dr Chee Soon Juan spend and on what?Will Dr Chee Soon...
Posted by Vivian Balakrishnan on Wednesday, September 2, 2015





Chee defends SDP’s ‘sound policy proposals’
By Neo Chai Chin and Laura Philomin, TODAY, 2 Sep 2015

The Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) does not believe in overspending, and its policy proposals are balanced, said the opposition party today (Sept 2) as it hit back at the People’s Action Party’s (PAP) charge that its proposed policy changes would lead the country to bankruptcy.

“The PAP has an almost-knee-jerk reaction — anything that the SDP proposes cannot be good,” said secretary-general Chee Soon Juan during a press conference with Professor Paul Ananth Tambyah, his running mate in the party’s contest for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC.

After submitting his nomination papers yesterday, the PAP’s Holland-Bukit Timah team anchor, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, said the SDP’s policies involved “tax-and-spend” programmes that would put Singapore at risk. They were copied from other countries, where they have been proven to fail, and in adopting them, Singapore would end up passing the bill to future generations, said Dr Balakrishnan, who also promised to dissect the policies in the next few days.

Dr Chee today responded by saying the PAP had previously criticised the SDP’s ideas, only to adopt them later. For example, the SDP had in the past proposed pooling individual healthcare risks, an idea that is now being adopted by the Government, through the implementation of the MediShield Life universal healthcare insurance scheme, he said. The Government’s Fair Consideration Framework, too, is also an adoption of the SDP’s proposal that employers must try hiring Singaporeans first before considering foreigners, he added.



On Dr Balakrishnan’s statement that the SDP’s policies would set Sing­apore “on the road to Greece”, Prof Tambyah said “it appears that the Minister has an incomplete understanding of the Greek crisis”. The beleaguered eurozone nation is facing a sovereign debt crisis.

“The Greeks actually spend below the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development average on healthcare and have levels of social spending far below the Nordic countries or even Germany. The reason for the Greek crisis is thought to be primarily a profligate approach to spending,” he said. “This is quite different from the SDP’s proposals, which are well-thought-out and balanced. We do not believe in uncontrolled overspending.”

He said the cuts on defence spending suggested by the SDP in its healthcare proposal are a “minuscule reduction”, and added that health is essential to the defence of Singapore.

The party also reiterated its call for minimum wage to be implemented, saying it would neither adversely affect the economy’s performance, nor become the “maximum wage” — as some have feared — with “independent trade unions”. Minimum wage applied to workers regardless of nationality would also mean that Singa­poreans’ jobs would not be threatened by foreigners, who could otherwise be lowballed, Prof Tambyah said.

Dr Balakrishnan fired another salvo this evening, questioning Dr Chee on the “total bill” the SDP’s proposals would incur and the taxes he would choose to raise to fund them.

The Minister for the Environment and Water Resources also questioned if it would be responsible to ask for a “huge cut” of S$5.75 billion, which is at least 40 per cent of Singapore’s defence budget, given the current global and regional climate.

Referring to the SDP’s assertion that its proposed healthcare policy is modelled after the French system, Dr Balakrishnan asked Dr Chee to inform Singaporeans about the French rates for personal income tax, corporate tax and GST (known as VAT, or value-added tax, in France).

“Dr Chee’s ideas will lead Singapore on the path of much higher taxes, higher national debts for our children, and put our national security at risk,” he added.


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Beware the welfarism trap

September 3, 2015, 1:24 am
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By Ker Sin Tze, Published The Straits Times, 1 Sep 2015

The major goals of the Government, as illustrated by Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Tharman Shanmugaratnam in his speech at the Economic Society of Singapore SG50 Distinguished Lecture, are to sustain income growth, mitigate income inequality and enhance social mobility.

The Government has systematically devised a series of plans to achieve these, particularly since 2006, he said.

After a decade of policy implementation, Singapore has managed to sustain income growth across the board, including the low-income households. The bottom 20 per cent of employed citizen households saw their incomes per household member from work rise 37 per cent from 2004 to 2014 (after taxes and transfers).

With the use of government transfers from tax revenues, income inequality has been mitigated. The long-term solution for the uplifting of low-income households is to maintain social mobility through education and skills training.

On top of attaining the three goals, the overall objective is to develop Singapore into an innovative and inclusive society.



In his National Day Rally speech on Aug 23, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced more schemes to help low-income and middle-income households. These include higher housing grants, more generous Baby Bonus payments and an extra week of paternity leave. The income ceilings for couples to purchase Housing Board flats and executive condominiums were also raised.

All these mean more expenses to be financed by government transfers through tax revenues.

Using tax revenues from the rich to help the poor is a common practice across the developed world, notably in European and Scandinavian countries.

The state imposes highly progressive tax rates to pay for health expenses, education costs, unemployment benefits and other social benefits. The marginal tax rates are steep, and attract criticism that they discourage people from working harder in these welfare states.

Welfare benefits, once given, are not easily withdrawn without dampening popular support. High tax rates are necessary to keep on providing welfare benefits, and the two are closely intertwined.

The welfarism trap weakens work incentive and hobbles the development of entrepreneurship. In his speech at the British Chamber of Commerce in Singapore in 2004, Mr Lee Kuan Yew said: "Cradle-to-grave welfarism blunted the ambition of many budding entrepreneurs. Worse, high personal taxes dampened the desire of many to achieve wealth and success."


Although his comments were made in a different context, they may still be relevant in the discussion of policy formulation in Singapore.

EROSION ON WORK ETHICS

There is no free lunch and everyone should work and earn his or her own living. The Government has rejected the idea of welfarism since our independence.

After a few decades of development, the economy has grown substantially but the distribution of the fruits of growth has not been even, which is to be expected in a competitive meritocracy where greater rewards go to those who succeed.

Income disparity hence becomes greater, and the divide between the successful and the poor becomes more evident. The Government has mitigated the inequality by providing affordable housing and public transport, better healthcare and the Workfare supplement to help low-wage workers.

The Government also encourages the successful to help those who have lagged behind. After the General Election in 2011, it has obviously changed its approach, and dished out more goodies to help the low- and middle-income groups. HDB grants, healthcare benefits, baby bonuses and other subsidies have increased. This gives an impression that the Government has been moving towards welfarism in recent years.

DPM Tharman acknowledges that government transfers have been deployed to subsidise low-income households for nearly a decade, and explains that it helps to narrow the inequality gap and yields a lower Gini coefficient after taxes and transfers.

While Mr Tharman is mindful to keep the overall tax burden low, particularly for the middle-income group, the increasing freebies given now and in the future will drive up tax rates to be more progressive. The change in property taxes from a flat rate to progressive ones in the past few years is one example.

Is this approach of taxing more, either in rates or in form, and giving more to citizens, a move towards creating a welfare state?

The Government's answer, I believe, is definitely no. Some critics, however, call Singapore a welfare state that works.

DEBT BURDEN FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS

In the traditional welfare state, the state adopts populist policies in providing goodies to such an extent that the present generation might go bankrupt, leaving debt burdens to future generations.

This is certainly not the case for Singapore, whose Budgets remain healthy with surpluses in most years, going into occasional minor deficits in past decades. No debt burdens are likely to be carried forward to future generations. The Government also does not need to draw on past reserves or Budget surpluses from earlier generations to pay for current expenditure.

The fear of falling into the traditional welfarism trap is unfounded, which is true at least in the present and next few years.

But how long can this happy state of affairs remain?

With the income inequality gap widening in the past decade, the amounts of government transfers needed to reduce inequalities have been on the rise year after year.

People's desire for a change of lifestyle and an increase in living standards will force the Government to increase the types and amounts of transfers over the years. For instance, every resident household member received an average of $3,370 in transfers from the Government in 2014, compared with $2,700 in 2009, an increase of 25 per cent.

This is particularly true in a democratic regime where the electorate can use votes to make demands.

The Government will have to either increase marginal tax rates, making income taxes and property taxes more progressive, and/or levy new taxes to finance the ever increasing transfers and freebies.

The rich will probably have no qualms about paying more taxes here, which are still relatively low compared with high taxes in other countries, but the middle-income earners, especially fixed-income employees, will suffer.

As in Hong Kong, the present low personal and corporate income taxes regime is Singapore's advantage over countries with high taxes such as Britain, Australia and the Scandinavian countries. If the taxes are raised to be more progressive, the advantage may gradually vanish. The goods and services tax (GST), Certificate of Entitlement (COE) premiums and import duties for motor vehicles, stamp duties for property transactions and all kind of levies have increased costs and made Singapore a costly and expensive city for all residents, local as well as foreign. These will further reduce Singapore's comparative advantage, which may impact income growth adversely.

We have come a long way to reach where we are today. The sustained economic growth over the years has transformed Singapore into a First World nation.

With the development of a knowledge-based economy, those who possess advanced knowledge, new skills and high technologies are greatly rewarded and earn more. Income disparity has become stark as a result. There is no question that the successful should help the less privileged through taxes and government transfers.

But the Government should be mindful to avoid falling into the welfarism trap as voters' demands may be insatiable and transfers can over the years snowball into unbearable burdens.

The Government should, therefore, dampen the request for more transfers and keep Singapore far away from becoming a welfare state similar to those in the West.

The writer, a former People's Action Party MP, is an adjunct professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore.


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Fresh Start Housing Scheme: New hope for families with new grant

September 3, 2015, 3:17 am
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By Radha Basu, Senior Correspondent, The Sunday Times, 30 Aug 2015

Families who may have sold their flats and are living in rental housing will soon get a Fresh Start Housing Grant to help buy their own two-room flats, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced during the National Day Rally last week.

They will also get counselling to resolve family, employment and other problems they may be facing. He said the grant will be given if they show they are determined to get back on their feet.



Project 4650 in Siglap has been quietly helping down-and- out families get a fresh start for the past three years. Social service agency Pave and various community groups have been working together to help families without homes become self-reliant, sorting out their housing, employment and childcare needs.

The families live in the Housing Board's Interim Rental Housing (IRH) blocks while awaiting more permanent homes in rental flats or flats of their own.

Some arrived in the IRH after selling their flats when they could not cope with mortgage arrears. Others include downgraders waiting for smaller flats being built or those waiting for rental flats.

The IRH scheme was introduced in 2009 to provide temporary shelter for financially strapped families with nowhere to live. The rule for most is that two families share a unit, usually a three-bedroom flat. Families are matched by race, religion and family size. Utility bills are split between the families.

Mired in numerous problems, some are among Singapore's poorest families, with a monthly per capita income of less than $150 when they first moved in.

Over the past three years, most of the 1,000 or so families in the two blocks have moved out. About half have gone to rental flats and a third now have their own homes - a distant dream when they first moved in.

To Pave executive director Sudha Nair, the new Fresh Start Housing Grant is a "fantastic scheme" that will give some of the remaining residents the leg up they need.

"It's like the collective voice of these blocks has been heard," she says.





Finding the way home: Four months short of his 21st birthday, Gary Tay is still too young to vote. Yet, he is already a...
Posted by The Straits Times on Sunday, August 30, 2015






Finding the way home
Project aims to help families who are down pick themselves up and be self-reliant
By Radha Basu, Senior Correspondent, The Sunday Times, 30 Aug 2015

Four months short of his 21st birthday, Gary Tay is still too young to vote. Yet, he is already a father.

Chubby, cheerful Stacey was born last October. Mr Tay's wife, Christy Asiddao, a Filipina who grew up in Singapore, was just 17 when she gave birth.

Mr Tay, who dropped out of school after his N levels, works full time as a photographer on Sentosa to support his young family.

His wife, who is on a Long Term Visit Pass, lost her job as a waitress last month. She says the restaurant lost some local workers and could not keep foreigners because of tightened foreign worker quotas.

Her visit pass is up for renewal next month and she needs a new job. Baby Stacey's childcare subsidies also need periodic renewal.


Not yet quite adults themselves, both husband and wife do not have enough parental support. Helping them sort through their various problems are professionals from Pave, a social work agency. The couple live in an HDB "interim rental housing" (IRH) block in Siglap. Like them, the other residents of the subsidised rental flats do not have homes of their own and have nowhere else to live.

Unlike regular HDB rental flats whose occupants can stay indefinitely, the IRH scheme is meant to be temporary accommodation while families sort out the complex challenges they face and move on to more permanent homes, hopefully within a year. But many stay longer, short of cash and support. Help is available, but navigating the schemes can be hard.

Over the past three years, a community project at two IRH blocks in Siglap has given families new hope. It is led by Pave with support from more than 10 community groups and state agencies. The local South East Community Development Council (SE CDC) acts as the key coordinator.

"Many of the families who move into the IRH have been homeless at some point and feel they may never own their own homes again, but this need not be the case," says Pave executive director Sudha Nair, who leads the team.

Since "Project 4650" - named after the blocks - was started in 2012, about 1,000 households have called Blocks 46 and 50 home. Most have since moved out to more permanent rental flats, with a small but significant one in three families achieving what they never thought possible - being home owners again.

The project was initiated by the area's Member of Parliament, Dr Mohamad Maliki Osman, a qualified social worker and Mayor of South East District.

Also Minister of State for National Development, in 2009 he worked on the HDB team that conceived the IRH scheme to deal with some of the most down-and-out cases seeking help with housing.

The idea was to provide rental flats but encourage families to work towards moving out to more permanent homes.

Many families had sold their homes to pay debts and bills. Under HDB rules, those who have sold a flat cannot apply for subsidised rental housing for 30 months after the sale. Before arriving at the IRH, some would have moved many times, staying with relatives or friends for weeks or months.

"With the IRH project, they had a roof over their heads, but the nature and complexity of the problems these families were facing were not properly understood by the community," says Dr Maliki.

He started by getting social workers in three Family Service Centres to help these families but soon realised that due to the nature of the cases, proximity of social services to the families was critical.

He convinced the Ministry of Social and Family Development to fund a dedicated social service agency to work onsite with the families.

"By the time they come to the IRH, these families may have exhausted a lot of the goodwill of family and friends. Many were grappling with uncertainty," he says. "We needed social workers to be anchored in the community to show them support."

Pave, an Ang Mo Kio agency best known for its family violence work, set up office at the Siglap Community Centre, right next to the two blocks. It found many families struggling with three or more underlying problems - short of money, having difficulty with childcare or caregiving arrangements, or dealing with health issues. Also, the children, though living in the east, may still be attending school in the west where they used to live. Single parents and those with mental illnesses had their own sets of difficulties.

The social workers aim to increase the "social functioning" of these families, Dr Nair says. This means, among other things, ensuring children are well looked after, helping the adults with pressing problems, getting appropriate aid, securing better jobs, managing finances better and setting a target to get a flat, if they can afford one.

Fostering self-reliance is important, especially since many families are still young. "The role of social work agencies is not just to connect residents to state aid but to resolve the problems that made them depend on aid in the first place," says Dr Nair.

Social worker Nazeema Bassir Marican says she starts by asking families about their hopes and dreams. "We focus on hopes and goals, not problems," she says. "And then draw up plans to achieve them."

Pave estimates it takes an average of nine months to help a family take the necessary steps to self-reliance.

While families seeking emergency help are not turned away, they have to do their part for the collaboration to work long term. "You have a right to decide if you want to help yourself," says Dr Nair. "But you cannot expect to get handouts continuously unless you work to improve your situation."

General manager Kia Siang Wei of the SE CDC says it is this "focus on personal effort and responsibility" which sets Pave's work apart. "Rather than just provide handouts, Pave takes the harder route, explaining to these families how they can achieve self-reliance."

So instead of automatic Giro transfers from state and charity social assistance schemes, clients get the money only if they comply with what they had agreed to do. For instance, there is help available from The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund, but a family must show that the children are attending school regularly.

Such tough love is fraught with the risk of failure and, indeed, some families rebuff the Pave social workers and say they would rather approach other agencies where it might be easier to get aid.

One man was told he would help his family considerably if he cut his monthly cigarette bill of $330 and Internet charges of $300. He refused. The Pave social worker persisted in calling once a month, just to stay in touch. "The man would often scold my colleague and bang the phone down," says Dr Nair.

But after eight months, he turned up at Pave's office to apologise and seek help. "He had a health scare and wanted to quit smoking. He also wanted to work towards getting a new home," says Dr Nair. It proved to be the turning point.

Arrangements have also been made to help meet the housing, healthcare, employment and childcare needs of residents.

The Pave social workers meet HDB officers at least once a month to work on clients' housing issues and to explain why a family may deserve help despite not meeting HDB's criteria. An HDB spokesman said: "Through these meetings and house visits with social workers, our officers gain a better understanding of the key issues faced by the households."

The CDC also roped in other agencies - including the various Siglap grassroots groups, the Workforce Development Agency and the local Social Service Office. The local grassroots help organise house visits and work with single mothers, among other groups. Malay self- help group Mendaki holds parenting workshops and the Children's Society counsels children with anger-management issues.

People living in the area have pitched in as volunteers. Among the key volunteer-run programmes is the Homework Cafe, where children from the IRH blocks get help with school work.

Mr Lim Yuan Qing, 28, who is studying for a master's degree, has been a regular at the Homework Cafe. He got to know about Project 4650 when he called the CDC to ask about volunteer projects that "mitigate income inequality".

"Before visiting the blocks, I had no idea there was so much need at our doorstep," says the son of a bank officer who grew up in a five-room HDB flat in nearby Fengshan. "Instead of just being concerned about people being left behind, I wanted to help out."

Still, turning lives around is hard work. For every family that successfully relocates to their own home, there are others that move to a rental flat or stay on at the IRH.

Young father Gary Tay, for example, has been living in the Siglap IRH block for more than three years. He moved there in 2012 with his grandmother and two older brothers after their father sold their flat to invest in business.

He says their mother left them when they were small and they were raised by their grandmother, as their father had a second family. The brothers were barely out of their teens when their girlfriends got pregnant. At different times, each lived in the IRH flat with his young family. Last year, the two older brothers and their girlfriends were arrested for having drugs in the flat.

Mr Tay, a hands-on dad when he is home from work, is determined to carve out a different path for his family. Pave social worker Ng Huei Min has been helping to smooth the journey for them.

She first helped Mr Tay's 76-year-old grandmother move to her daughter's place as she was keen to live with her daughter. Then she helped Mr Tay take over the IRH flat, sought aid from the Social Service Office when he was in NS and helped him attend training to improve his job prospects. When his wife was ready to work this June, Ms Ng sourced for infant care.

"We don't apply for them, but we apply with them - showing them how to navigate the processes, so they can do it on their own should the need arise again," says Ms Ng.

Mr Tay is now eager to get a new home. With the grants available for first-time buyers, he reckons his family can get a new home in a year or two. "I just want to ensure that my daughter gets a better life than I did," he says, sitting in his pink-walled bedroom surrounded by photos of little Stacey. "And I am willing to work towards that."





Family sees light at the end of dark tunnel
By Radha Basu, Senior Correspondent, The Sunday Times, 30 Aug 2015

Getting the keys to a new flat is no guarantee that you can move in.

Madam Angelia Tan's two-room flat in Punggol was ready in late 2012. It came with no fixtures such as kitchen cabinets and she did not have the $3,000 needed for renovations before she could move in.

The mother of four had been living at the Siglap IRH with her family ever since they sold their four-room flat in Jurong because of mounting mortgage arrears.

Her husband, who had a longtime alcohol problem, refused to pay the monthly mortgage, she says. He preferred to spend his money on beer and 4-D bets.

Before her eldest child began working last year, the family survived on the $1,000 that Madam Tan, 48, earned as a packer in a logistics company.

Her husband, 53, was a security guard before becoming a cleaner, but kept his earnings to himself. "He would give us around $10 a day," says Madam Tan.

They were referred to Pave in 2012, when they fell behind on the rent for their IRH flat. The agency helped them draw up instalment plans and sourced for rental vouchers.

When Pave learnt about the family's predicament with their new flat, its social workers approached the South East Community Development Council which contacted a community group called Caring Angels, which paid for the renovation.

"It's important for social work agencies to be resourceful, to have their own networks to tap in times of need," says Pave social worker Nazeema Bassir Marican, who worked with the family.

Life in the new flat did not have the most auspicious start. Shortly after they moved in, Madam Tan's husband fell from a ladder while at work, suffered a brain injury and has been in a nursing home since.

Pave is now helping Madam Tan navigate the unfamiliar territory of managing his care needs and the family's financial affairs.

The children, however, are doing well. The eldest, 24, is a polytechnic diploma holder. She works at a childcare centre and is also studying for a certificate in early childhood education.

The older son, 21, has been accepted to study chemical engineering at Nanyang Technological University. The two other children - aged 22 and 17 - are polytechnic students with bursaries.

Sitting in the living room of their new flat, the Singapore flag draped outside their window, Madam Tan lets on that life is easier these days.

When the children were young, she made ends meet by working a variety of part-time jobs - from being an ironing lady to a helper at her daughter's school canteen - to make around $400 per month. She started working full time only after moving to Siglap.

Her eldest child recalls having to share three packets of rice among the five of them.

"And when the electricity was cut off because we could not pay, we would study by candlelight."

People have asked Madam Tan why she did not send her kids out to work earlier to make ends meet. She says: "They worked during holidays, but only through education can they get a good life."

Her children call her a "model mother".

The flat may be small, but she is not complaining. "It will be perfect for me in my old age," she says.






Luxury is a bathroom to call your own
From sleeping on the beach and in a van, single mum now looks forward to own flat
By Radha Basu, Senior Correspondent, The Sunday Times, 30 Aug 2015

A fleeting, furtive affair at the office sent Shidah's quiet comfortable life into a tragic tailspin.

Her husband left her, sold their marital flat in Marsiling and took their two children with him to his native Malaysia.

She turned to her abusive lover, only to end up homeless, pregnant with twins, sleeping on the beach and in a van.

But barely three years on, the 39-year-old has turned her life around and is on her way to owning a four-room Housing Board flat.

Sitting in the living room of her spartan interim rental flat in Siglap, as her 21/2-year-old twins play nearby, the articulate woman exudes an air of quiet confidence.

"It finally feels like my bad times are ending. And I can't wait to get my new home," she says.

Problems began when Ms Shidah, an administrative assistant, had an affair with a colleague in May 2010. When she tried to end it, her lover told her family about their illicit liaison and her marriage was over.

She had paid much of the cost of her marital flat but, mired in shame, she says, she handed her husband all the profit from the sale. Their children, now 15 and five, are with him in Malaysia.

"No one in my family was divorced, so what happened was quite a scandal," she says. Her parents were long dead and she was estranged from her only sibling.

Without a roof over her head, she says she had no choice but to move in with her boyfriend and his family.

For the next year or so, she says, she helped cook, clean and do the household chores for her boyfriend, his mother and stepfather and his 10 younger siblings.

Fourteen of them lived in three rooms of a four-room flat. "I was like a maid to them and had no money and no freedom," she says. "They would taunt me that my own family did not want me and I could be their slave."

Her boyfriend, a van driver and compulsive gambler, also began beating her. In the middle of 2011, they were kicked out of the flat because he owed his family money.

Between June 2011 and October the following year, they lived in his delivery van. Abusive and controlling, he made her accompany him everywhere.

She could have run away, but had nowhere to go, she says. "My family would say I brought all my problems upon myself by having the affair. So there was no point."

When she discovered she was pregnant with twins, she tried to rent a flat from the HDB, but was not eligible because she had sold a flat less than 30 months earlier. The HDB is known to make exceptions for divorced mothers, but she was not divorced yet.

The twins were born premature and she took them along when she went to see her boyfriend's MP, Dr Maliki Osman. She was referred to a shelter and to Pave.

Pave executive director Sudha Nair remembers the first time Ms Shidah came to see her, cradling an infant in each arm. "Both babies had very high fever and were throwing up. Our first task was to send them to hospital."

Social workers at Pave liaised with KK Women's and Children's Hospital. The twins needed a special kind of expensive milk, which the hospital gave free for a year.

Dr Nair also wrote to the HDB asking for a rental flat on compassionate grounds, as Ms Shidah did not meet the rental criteria. She moved into the Siglap IRH (interim rental housing) in April 2013, when her twins were less than a month old. "Having your own bathroom after so many years was a luxury," she says.

The social workers linked her with the Legal Aid Bureau for help with her divorce proceedings and the Social Service Office for aid. She was granted $900 per month, plus rental and utilities vouchers.

But she was not content to live on aid. Even as she tended to her babies, she quickly got to work, baking cookies to sell and ironing clothes for residents in neighbouring blocks. "My boyfriend had emptied my bank account and I wanted to make money quickly to buy another flat," she says.

Dr Nair is impressed with her courageous, can-do spirit. "She's suffered a lot, but never did she wallow in self-pity. It was always, 'How can I get out of this?'"

When the twins were six months old, Pave helped Ms Shidah find an infant care centre within walking distance. The full fees are around $800 per month but, because of her financial woes, she paid only $10 per child through higher ComCare subsidies which Pave applied for.

The Workforce Development Agency helped her get a job as an administrative assistant.

"To me, the biggest advantage of having Pave around was that they could deal with so many problems all at once so I could concentrate on my kids and work," she says.

Recently promoted and earning nearly $2,000 a month now, she is waiting for a four-room flat.

"The main reason I can get it is that I had enough CPF savings from having worked for 15 years during my previous marriage," she says. Although her former boyfriend used up all the money she had in the bank, he could not touch her CPF savings.

The future is uncertain. Her twins have a blood disorder and have been in hospital seven times since they were born. She worries about their healthcare costs.

But there is also plenty to look forward to. Her new flat is being built. She recently re-established contact with her two older children, who are Singaporeans, and hopes to bring them home.

She has also finally broken up with the abusive boyfriend who took her money and damaged her self-respect.

"But he could not take away my education and my determination," Ms Shidah says. "And that is what I need to rebuild my life."





From heartbreak to hopes of a new home
By Radha Basu, Senior Correspondent, The Sunday Times, 30 Aug 2015

It's early on a weekday morning and Madam Noorliah Hawdi, 43, looks dressed for a party.

"Today is special," the factory worker says with a smile, her pink lipstick matching the large pink and white flowers emblazoned on her blouse. "I never thought we will own our home again."

Later that morning, Madam Noorliah, her husband Rosli Jadi, 44, and the youngest of their five children, Nur Syahidah, 11, head from their Siglap Interim Rental Housing (IRH) scheme flat to the Housing Board headquarters in Toa Payoh to sign the contract for their new apartment. The three-room unit in Yishun will be ready in 2017.

Ever since their five-room Yishun flat was taken away by the bank because of mounting arrears in 2009, the family of seven has had no permanent home. They moved six times in three years, staying with relatives, after putting their belongings in storage.

At one point, they stayed with 13 others in a three-room flat in Bedok, while their children continued attending school in Yishun. They tried renting a room with a cousin in Sengkang, but 17 people in a four-room flat did not work out.

When they were cash-strapped and unable to pay the $300 monthly fee for storage, all their belongings were forfeited. Losing the possessions of their past made her feel depressed about the future.

"At that time, I thought our financial situation would improve only when our kids started working," she says.

Tired of their nomadic existence, the couple appealed to the HDB for a rental flat and were referred to the Siglap IRH instead in September 2011. They now have two rooms in a four-room flat.

Their financial woes date back a decade. Mr Rosli was a construction safety supervisor but a knee operation in 2004 left him unable to work for a year. That happened just one year after they bought their five-room flat.

A bank gave them a loan even though Madam Noorliah worked part-time and they earned a combined income of only $2,000 a month. It was their third HDB flat. As the family grew, they had sold their smaller flats.

With Mr Rosli out of work, they lived off their savings and Madam Noorliah's pay of $700 a month as a factory worker. Soon they were falling behind on their monthly loan repayments.

Although Mr Rosli resumed work a year later, he earned around $1,600 a month. By 2009, they had fallen behind on mortgage payments to such an extent that the bank took away their flat.

At the IRH, social workers from Pave, a voluntary welfare organisation, helped them work through their financial woes and linked them with aid from the Social Service Office. The Workforce Development Agency (WDA) also helped them with training and, within a year, the couple secured full-time, better-paying jobs and their monthly family income increased to $3,300. They also began attending parenting workshops.

The HDB assessed the family's finances, including what the couple had in their CPF savings, and suggested that they buy a three-room flat which could be paid for through Mr Rosli's CPF savings.

"Getting Pave to talk to HDB about our problems really helped a lot," said Madam Noorliah. The once-quiet homemaker is a new woman now. She has taken up several courses through the WDA - the latest being a diploma in leadership - and is finally confident at work.

The biggest lesson she learnt, she says, is that hard work pays off. "I have better pay, I have my new diploma and will soon have my new flat," she says, beaming.

The couple recently set aside enough to celebrate their wedding anniversary for the first time.

These days, Madam Noorliah has become a regular volunteer at community-centre activities. "This community helped me," she says. "Now I want to give back."


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