Wanted: Maid... or master of all trades?

March 13, 2017, 7:32 am

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More helpers taking on extra roles with no proper training or compensation
By Kok Xing Hui, The Sunday Times, 12 Mar 2017

Four decades ago, there were 5,000 foreign women working in Singapore as domestic help - cooking, cleaning and minding children. Today, there are 237,100.

As their numbers swelled, so have their duties. Maids today are employed for roles as varied as chauffering their employers to tutoring children or even illegally working in businesses. As Singapore's population ages, they are increasingly hired to care for the elderly or the disabled, and perform medical duties.

Indonesian Kusrini Caslan Arja, 37, for example, had to suction phlegm from the windpipe of her disabled four-year-old charge.

While doing so last November, Kusrini got a suction cap lodged in his throat. On Monday, she pleaded guilty to ill-treating the boy.

Her case has been adjourned to March 23, but District Judge Low Wee Ping, in unexpectedly sharp comments, pointed to the system as one possible culprit.

Singaporeans use maids "too generally", he said, adding that "it may be the system's fault" for allowing domestic workers to perform medical care even though they are not trained to. "We employ domestic maids to be car washers, gardeners, plumbers, nurses, when they should not. When they do something wrong, we point fault at them."

Maids' job scopes have indeed expanded, said migrant-workers groups. Yet, they are not adequately trained or compensated for the extra work they are doing, they say.

"Maids are not masters of all trades," said Mr Yeo Guat Kwang, chairman of the Centre for Domestic Employees. "Employers should be cognisant that some of these tasks should be done by a trained professional."

Mr John Gee, executive committee member at Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) said: "Training centres in workers' countries of origin normally train women to be general purpose domestic workers. We should be aiming to recruit specialised care workers... with other duties limited and with set hours and decent salaries."

The reason why Singaporeans resort to maids is clear: It is far cheaper than to hire professional nurses.

For instance, hiring a maid costs about $600 a month, as opposed to the $14 to $65 per hour it costs, depending on subsidy amounts, to hire a nurse to come to one's home.

Mr Jolovan Wham, acting executive director for Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (HOME), noted that there are also no rules against maids taking on additional roles.

Experts said one solution could be in defining their responsibilities more clearly, especially in their employment contracts. But Mr Gee said that is provided "the workers really have the power to insist on the terms, including having time off and access to a phone so that they can seek help or complain if the terms are violated".

In response to queries from The Sunday Times, the Manpower Ministry said employers can send their domestic workers for relevant caregiver training. This includes approved training courses under the Agency for Integrated Care's (AIC) Caregivers Training Grant which provides an annual $200 subsidy for caregivers of seniors and the disabled. This includes foreign domestic workers. Employers can also hire domestic helpers who have been trained by the AIC.

But Association of Employment Agencies (Singapore) president K. Jayaprema said: "I'm not sure if it is enough to just go through a two-day or a one-week course." It is not just physical skills that are needed, but also mental resilience when caring for an elderly person with dementia or a disabled child who needs constant attention, she said.

Mr Wham said that each week, about three to five domestic workers caring for the elderly or the disabled come to HOME for help. "They are all very tired and exhausted when they come to us."

Ms Jayaprema said there are maids with caregiving certificates and that agencies do recommend those. They would cost $650 to $1,000 a month, compared with regular maids who command $550.

But many families are unwilling to pay the higher fees.

Mr Gee added: "Social attitudes will need to change: those who have relatives who need care need to be convinced of the advantages of hiring dedicated care workers."

TRAINED IN ELDERCARE

Every day, Indonesian maid Ema Yulia, 28, carefully monitors Mr Soh Bock Hiang's many pills of various colours. There are six different ones that the 84-year-old has to take five times a day.

Meanwhile, his wife Huan Soo Kiaw's back hurts. She cooks and cleans and raised 10 children. But now, at 82, she has finally agreed to their children's pleas to have a helper at home.

And so, Ms Ema arrived 21/2 weeks ago.

Madam Huan said: "My children kept wanting to get me a helper, but I never wanted one. But now he's sick I've no choice."

Ms Ema had attended a basic eldercare course at the Ang Mo Kio - Thye Hua Kwan Hospital and knows how to safely transfer an old person from bed to wheelchair, shower him and feed him, among other skills. She is one of the maids from a scheme that has them trained in eldercare before they are matched with a family.

She is paid $640 a month, higher than the average of $500 or so that others get.

ADVANCED TUTORING TOO TOUGH

Every weekday afternoon, she would help a four-year-old with his maths, reading and writing, art and motor skills.

Some days, she would even use Japanese teaching methods called Herugu and Shichida.

But Miss Margie Laguit, 36, is no superstar tutor. She did not even finish primary school in the Philippines.

"They said it is part of my work," she said, of her employers. She started working for them in December 2015.

According to the timetables Ms Laguit showed The Sunday Times, she would be out of bed by 5.45am to get the two children ready for school. She would then clean the four-room HDB flat and cook. But the household chores did not bother her.

"Just don't force me to teach the kids. Mathematics and English I can do, but Shichida, I cannot do."

There is no law prohibiting domestic helpers from tutoring, but Mr Jolovan Wham, acting executive director for Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics, said employers cannot expect advanced tutoring.

Miss Laguit asked to be sent home multiple times, but said her employers kept delaying. Frustrated, she ran away from her employers last month. "I just want to go home," she said.

ASKED TO WORK AT EMPLOYER'S RESTAURANT TOO

All was well when Ms Tusriyati, 31, joined her fifth employer last June.

But, in December, came an odd request. Ms Tusriyati's employer took her to his new restaurant and asked her to clean the place. Soon, she was working there full time, serving food and handling the cash register like a regular employee. This continued till she ran away on Feb 23.

"I was scared the Government (would) catch me. I know my work permit is only for working in the home," she said.

Foreigners employed as domestic workers can only " perform household and domestic duties at the residential address as stated in the work permit", states the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act.

Friendly patrons of the restaurant would make conversation and she worried that she would let the truth slip. "My employer said, don't tell anyone you are a maid. Say you're married to a Singaporean," she said.

Ms Tusriyati, who is at a shelter now, said that the work at home was also tough. Her employers, a couple in their 30s, were particular about cleanliness. The car had to be washed daily, the floors swept, mopped and vacuumed twice a day.

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What a cobra bounty says about unintended policy consequences

March 13, 2017, 7:44 am

≫ Next: Keeping Singapore's taps flowing in the quest for a robust water supply

≪ Previous: Wanted: Maid... or master of all trades?

Even the most well-planned policy can end up with unintended consequences. But it's possible to anticipate them, and counter their effects.
By David Chan, Published The Straits Times, 11 Mar 2017

In colonial India, free-roaming cobras posed a danger to the public. British government officials hit on the solution: Offer a monetary reward to any local who brings in a dead cobra.

It appeared to work: Many dead snakes were presented, and the reward money was duly given out.

But soon, the government found out that people were breeding cobras to get the reward - and it dutifully ended the programme. Left with worthless cobras, the locals released them into the wild.

The policy had cost a small fortune; and instead of reducing the cobra population, the bounty probably increased it.

Every policy or programme planned can have intended and unintended consequences.

Another example: In America, some states have what is called "three-strikes laws" - where individuals can be given a very severe prison sentence when convicted for a third time, even if the third offence is relatively minor.

Studies showed that instead of being a deterrent, enforcing three-strikes laws led to an increase in violent crime, especially against law enforcement officers.

This was because of an unintended consequence - those who already had prior convictions would fight violently not to be arrested, especially for a third time.

The true stories of cobras and criminals illustrate the fact that policies can lead to outcomes directly opposite to what was intended.

Or they may, at the very least, result in some unexpected drawback even when the intended goal was partially achieved.

Take, for example, a social security policy that enforces savings for retirement. Its mandatory nature means the goal is achieved to some extent. But that enforced savings may lead to an inflated sense of security in many who then save and invest less for the long term.

The problem is compounded when the policy has multiple objectives.

In Singapore, people can use Central Provident Fund (CPF) money to fund a property purchase. When they retire, they may not have enough CPF savings to live on in their old age, unless they can convert their property from asset to cash.

One can say that one unintended consequence of liberalising the use of CPF for property purchases is poorer retirement adequacy for CPF members.

Having unintended outcomes does not mean that the policy is flawed or should not be implemented.

The larger point here is that translations from policy intent to content to outcome are often not straightforward.

The outcome may be different from, or opposite to, what was intended. Nor are unintended negative consequences the result of poor planning: They can happen even when policymakers are competent and cautious.

So what are policymakers to do, to try to reduce unintended consequences, and respond to them when they do crop up?

First, dispel the myth that unintended consequences from policies cannot be anticipated.

When unintended consequences arise, it is easy to blame changing and complex circumstances beyond one's control.

Policymakers do indeed operate in an uncertain and complex environment. But unintended consequences can also result from internal factors.

INADEQUATE COORDINATION AND CONFIRMATORY BIAS

In the public policy context, unintended consequences often arise due to some common factors.

One is inadequate coordination across agencies. The public service is organised into distinct agencies, but people's problems and lived experiences are not similarly compartmentalised. So policies need to be developed holistically, rather than in an issue-specific manner, and supported by all agencies so that they cohere.

It is important to refine structures and develop working norms that support whole-of-government approaches. This means identifying and addressing the barriers to information sharing and collaboration.

These could be bureaucratic procedures, work processes, decision-making authority, incentive system, fear of errors, organisational cynicism, and conflicting needs of the agencies, sectors or stakeholders involved.

Unintended consequences may also be traced to human cognitive biases that policymakers are not immune to. The most widespread is the tendency to seek out, interpret and remember information that confirms existing beliefs or actions.

The problem of confirmatory bias gets more severe if the authority structure and dynamics in the policy team encourage groupthink, where members of a highly cohesive group withhold dissenting views to go along with majority opinion.

That is why it is critical for policymakers to have the character, in addition to the competence, for public service. They need moral courage to speak up for what they believe is right, and the practical skills to surface alternative views constructively and effectively.

In this regard, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong emphasised, in a recent dialogue, that leaders must not surround themselves with yes-men who paint only a positive picture.

He went on to say leaders should seek out people who can engage in productive disagreement, so that better views can emerge and better decisions can result.

These are important principles that Singapore policymakers should seriously practise.

UNINTENDED, BUT NOT UNANTICIPATED

One key myth about unintended consequences is that they were always unanticipated by the policymakers.

In fact, many unintended consequences of policies were likely anticipated by policymakers, especially in Singapore where policies are typically rolled out only after detailed analyses and robust internal discussions.

Take, for example, Singapore's population policies which had allowed a large and rapid intake of foreigners to meet the needs for labour and economic growth.

They led to unintended consequences of crowding and discontent among Singaporeans.

But policymakers probably had considered and concluded that the trade-off was necessary and justified. The problem was not that policymakers failed to anticipate unintended consequences, but that they underestimated their extent and impact associated with infrastructure, uneven quality of foreigners, foreigner fit in Singapore society and tension in local-foreigner relations.

Two lessons here are worth reflecting on. First, unintended but anticipated negative consequences tend to occur when policymakers approach difficult issues in a zero-sum dichotomous way, seeing the situation as making necessary trade-offs in policy decisions.

Instead of assuming that trade-off is the only approach to adopt, policymakers should think in a more paradoxical manner, to identify approaches that can achieve seemingly opposing goals, especially economic versus social ones, at the same time.

Second, when unintentional consequences that were anticipated but underestimated occur, it is best for policymakers to openly discuss what in fact happened.

This was what Singapore policymakers tried to do in the case of the population problem.

They explained the need for foreigners, acknowledged that the pace of population growth should have been more calibrated and took concrete actions to slow population growth. They also introduced measures to improve infrastructure, address workplace fairness and promote local-foreigner integration. Of course, acknowledging mistakes and explicating policy deliberation processes may carry political cost.

But it is good for policymakers to be explicit to the public about their positions, and transparent about the thought process behind policymaking. It will help prevent erosion of public trust in policymakers' competence, integrity and benevolence.

In sum, unintended negative consequences can be anticipated and minimised, and positive outcomes from policies are likely to occur when policymakers and the public adopt complementary mindsets.

On the part of policymakers, they must continue to seek inputs and remain open to alternative views from different sources, because they do not have a monopoly over wisdom and solutions. On the part of experts, employers, unions and the public, they must be willing to speak up, and persevere in providing honest feedback and constructive perspectives.

When both policymakers and the public learn to see things from the other's perspective, engage each other constructively and build mutual trust, they can co-create truly people-centric policies that are likely to achieve the intended outcomes.

The writer is director of the Behavioural Sciences Institute, and Lee Kuan Yew Fellow and professor of psychology at the Singapore Management University.

Ensure conditions of experimentation can be realistically replicated

It is possible to anticipate and try to prevent negative outcomes from happening, and help bring about positive ones, even though policymakers do not have full control over them.

It is in this spirit of responsibility and rational optimism that we can examine the potential unintended consequences from the policies and plans in Budget 2017, including their design and execution.

Take, for example, the plan to create more space for innovation through regulatory sandboxes in various areas, where boundaries are set within which some rules can be suspended.

This forward-looking idea is now being applied to financial technology and testing of self-driving vehicles on roads in specific zones.

With more regulatory sandboxes to be implemented in different areas, policymakers should ensure that the conditions of the experimentation can be realistically replicated in the target situations to which the experimental results are intended to apply.

These include the resources and support provided to facilitate effective functioning in the sandbox. Otherwise, the ostensibly successful findings from a regulatory sandbox that, in fact, is not representative of the real-world situation, will misinform policy decisions on what regulations to retain, revise or remove.

↧

Keeping Singapore's taps flowing in the quest for a robust water supply

March 14, 2017, 6:53 am

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Securing our next drop: Millions are being invested in producing and conveying water. Insight looks at Singapore's quest for a robust supply.
By Lin Yangchen, The Sunday Times, 12 Mar 2017

On a stretch of reclaimed land in Tuas, a water factory is taking shape. Singapore's third desalination plant, expected to be ready later this year, is one of several infrastructure projects in the pipeline to ensure a nation surrounded by water has enough to meet its needs.

At two older plants nearby, sea water is already filtered and passed through membranes to remove dissolved salts and minerals, as part of a process to get water fit to drink.

Singapore's fourth national tap - desalinated water - is part of a long, and often little-heard, story of this nation's quest for self-sufficiency in man's most valuable resource.

Tap one: Catchment areas were expanded, and new storm drains and reservoirs built over the years.

Tap two: Imported water, made possible through two agreements with Malaysia that Singapore leaders made sure were guaranteed in the 1965 Separation Agreement.

Tap three: NEWater - high-grade recycled water - launched in 2003 with two plants in Bedok and Kranji. Three more have since opened.

Tap four was turned on in 2005, with the opening of SingSpring desalination plant in Tuas made possible by advances in technology.

Today, NEWater meets up to 40 per cent of Singapore's water demand and desalination 25 per cent.

And plans are under way to boost capacity so both meet 55 per cent and 30 per cent of water needs respectively by 2060, before the second water agreement expires.

But the cost of operating and maintaining the water system has risen over the years, prompting the Government to review the price of water - and raise it by 30 per cent over two phases, this July and next.

It is the first price hike in 17 years.

The previous hike, phased in from 1997 to 2000, saw tariffs go up by 20 per cent to 100 per cent on a scale depending on usage.

Costs have gone up sharply since then. Last month, national water agency PUB said it cost about $500 million to run the system in 2000. By 2015, this had risen to $1.3 billion. This includes collecting used water, treating water, producing NEWater and desalination, as well as maintaining water pipelines.

WHAT PRICE, WATER?

As Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat and Environment and Water Resources Minister Masagos Zulkifli reminded Parliament this month, the cornerstone of Singapore's water policy is the pricing of water on sound economic principles to reflect what is called its Long Run Marginal Cost (LRMC).

This reflects the cost of supplying the next available drop of water, which is likely to come from NEWater and desalination plants, and enabling investments in such plants.

Mr Masagos noted the first-year price of the first desalination plant, SingSpring, which opened in 2005, was 78 cents per cubic m. By comparison, the first-year price of the latest plant in Marina East, set to open in 2020, is $1.08 per cubic m - an increase of some 40 per cent.

"It is only through right pricing that we can have everyone valuing water as a strategic resource and consciously conserving it," he said.

Understandably, the price hike generated much discussion on the ground, prompting ministers to point out that, in reality, most businesses will see a rise of less than $1 a day, and for most households, a jump of less than $12 a month.

And at the start of a month-long water conservation campaign, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean pointed out that a 330ml bottle of water costing $1 from a supermarket will pay for 1,000 bottles of clean water from the tap after the full price rise.

It is a price comparable to that in major cities in developed countries with large rivers to draw from. It is also a price that makes possible considerable investments in the future.

The years from 2000 to 2015 saw $7 billion invested in water infrastructure - or $430 million a year. PUB expects this to almost double to $800 million every year from this year to 2021, to fund major investments in strengthening the third and fourth taps, and build and repair pipes and pumps. There are also higher costs of manpower, materials and chemicals, and more difficult and expensive developments needed, such as having to dig deeper underground to lay pipelines.

Less noticed but equally crucial to water management are several intangible aspects of Singapore's approach to water.

One is minimising leakage. Only 5 per cent of treated water in Singapore is lost through leakages - a figure bested by Tokyo but ahead of the United States and Hong Kong.

Some developing cities can lose as much as 60 per cent of their water through leaks, notes water expert Asit Biswas at the National University of Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.

Another not-so-visible reward of Singapore's meticulous water planning is that two-thirds of the country serves as a catchment area for drinking water supply, among the highest in the world.

Furthermore, the price of water enables not just the production and delivery of potable water, but also the treatment of sewage and industrial waste water so it can safely go back into the environment.

One fact not often appreciated is that Singapore has separate systems for drainage and sewage, a more efficient set-up than a system in which everything flows into sewage, such as in London.

PUB said sudden surges of water caused by stormwater flowing through a combined system will reduce the effectiveness of the microorganisms used for biological treatment in water reclamation plants.

A Deep Tunnel Sewerage System is also being built to collect, treat, reclaim and dispose of used water from industries, homes and businesses, that will feed into a water reclamation plant and NEWater factory, and should be ready by 2025.

This determination to make every last drop of water matter has seen other countries wanting to learn from Singapore's experience, and spawned opportunities for home-grown water companies.

In California, water managers are adapting a technology refined in Singapore - the membrane bioreactor - to treat industrial waste water and use the treated water to directly replenish the water-stressed state's freshwater aquifers instead of discharging it into the sea.

They are doing this with the help of international environmental engineering company CH2M, which is designing the new Tuas Water Reclamation Plant. The membrane bioreactor combines filtration with biological breakdown of organic matter by microorganisms.

Said Mr Peter Nicol, CH2M's senior vice-president and global director of water: "Singapore has identified the areas it would like to see improvement in, and put challenges out to the private sector to come and work with them aggressively on piloting technologies full-scale. It then shares that information with the global water market."

Even as Singapore builds a robust, diversified water supply across its national taps, a key complementary strategy has been to drive home the importance of conserving water. Public education has seen results: Between 2003 and 2015, households cut their water use per person per day from 165 litres to 151 litres. The PUB's long-term goal is to see this lowered to 140 litres by 2030.

Observers say there are several cities from whose books Singapore could take a leaf from in the "softer" side of water conservation. In Sao Paulo, which experienced a drought from 2014 to 2015, water use fell 30 per cent in a year, helped by discounts given to people who reduced consumption. Prof Biswas says Singapore could benefit from such financial incentives for reducing water use. "Sao Paulo is growing much faster than Singapore," he says. "The government went to the people saying: 'Look, we cannot solve the problem until you change your behaviour.' People realised water was becoming scarce and they had to do something," he said.

Namibia's capital Windhoek has another lesson. Situated in an arid climate with frequent droughts, it has been treating its waste water and putting it directly back into taps, because it has no other choice.

CHANGING BEHAVIOUR

There are other ways to encourage people to value water more and use less of it, such as having multiple tiers in water charging.

Singapore has a two-tier system of domestic potable water tariffs, with one price per cubic m for the first 40 cubic m and a higher price for anything beyond. PUB says the 40 cubic m limit meets most needs as 94 per cent of households consume less than that volume every month.

Therein lies the problem, says Prof Biswas, as most people won't feel the pain of the more expensive tier. He feels the first tier should be much lower in consumption, closer to the reasonable water use expected of an average household, and usage beyond that split into three more tiers to penalise high water usage. "You can use more water, but you have to pay more for it. Society does not owe you as much water as you want," he says.

However, PUB said properly multi-tiering the water tariff would require a complicated system to accurately determine the number of people per household and how it changes over time. It would also mean applying different thresholds for different household sizes and this would raise costs, it added.

One thing is clear: Singapore should not go the way of others and underprice water. Observers cite how India, for instance, has difficulty developing water infrastructure, or Qatar has a hard time cutting consumption as water is free for locals.

Mr Subbu Kanakasabapathy, CH2M's regional managing director for the Asia-Pacific, says this has resulted in the poor paying more for water in India than if it were priced properly, because they are forced to buy water at a high price from private water trucks.

The unreliable water supply also compromises health.

Which is why Prof Biswas feels if Singapore adds a fifth national tap, it should be a very different kind of tap from the first four - to reduce demand for water, rather than increasing supply as civilisations have been doing for centuries. It can be done, as others have shown.

The World Health Organisation says only 50 to 100 litres of water are needed per person per day for basic needs. If Singapore cuts its per capita daily consumption from the current 148 litres to 100 litres, it would save 240 million litres every day for a population of five million.

"Technology is not going to solve our problems as it did in the past. The next breakthrough has to come from the behavioural sciences. The water industry needs more psychologists and behavioural economists," said Prof Biswas. "We have to try everything."

In a primer on water in the Singapore Chronicles series published last year, PUB chairman Tan Gee Paw notes that two big challenges of water management Singapore is likely to face in future are climate change and complacency.

"In less than a lifetime, Singapore's efforts at water management have come a long way," he wrote. "It is the enduring legacy of a small, dry island that such efforts remain unceasing, unrelenting and ever more vigilant."

The attention water has had in the headlines in recent weeks is thus a reminder that Singapore's water journey is far from over, even as it works towards self-sufficiency before the end of the water agreement in 2061.

Feeling the heat after drying up of 'water is precious' message
There can be no let-up in long struggle to break out of the water vulnerability Singaporeans once bemoaned
By Warren Fernandez, Editor, The Sunday Times, 12 Mar 2017

"Potong, potong, potong."

Led by then Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, Umno hotheads chanted this cry to cut, cut, cut water supplies to Singapore at a rally in Johor Baru, right on the Republic's doorstep.

That was in 1998.

Here's how a neutral observer reported the incident in Britain's Independent newspaper on Aug 8 that year: "Gripped by a severe economic recession, mortified by a bungled opening of the new international airport, confronted by mounting anger over water shortages in the capital, and facing deep divisions in the ruling party, Malaysia's prime minister badly needs an issue to unite the nation.

"Fortunately for him, the issue lies close at hand and can always be relied upon to stir passion in Malaysia. That issue is Singapore."

Malaysia's "abrasive leader", the paper continued, had told crowds at the rally that "Malaysia's nature is to be good to all... but don't take for granted our good nature".

The crowd responded eagerly with cries of "cut, cut, cut", meaning they wanted Malaysia to cut off the water supplies on which Singapore is totally dependent for its survival.

Singapore's response? A Ministry of Foreign Affairs official was quoted as saying laconically: "We have lived with this for many years."

Indeed we had. So much so that it began to grate, and many Singaporeans began to yearn for something to be done to break out of the country's heavy reliance on its neighbour for such a critical resource.

At the time, I wrote a column on the issue, which was headlined "Big thirst for water solution", arguing that the day had come for the Government to take the plunge and invest heavily in building desalination plants.

It read: "Cost, it seems, rather than the lack of know-how, is the reason the authorities chose to proceed with caution. Apart from the initial investment, it is estimated that the cost of producing a cubic metre of desalinated water is $3 to $3.50, about seven or eight times the cost of treating freshwater now.

"Assuming that Singapore's water demand stays at the current 270 million gallons per day (mgd) and domestic supply remains at 150 mgd, four of such distillation plants will be needed to make up the remaining 120 mgd. This would cost a total of $4 billion.

"Yet, this is less than the $5 billion being spent to build the North-East MRT line or the planned underground road system, and a quarter of the $20 billion set aside for the Housing Board's Main Upgrading Programme to spruce up older HDB estates.

"Indeed, if Singapore could invest millions to develop and pioneer technology for its Electronic Road Pricing system to ensure that highways in the land-scarce country remain unclogged, why baulk at spending to develop the means to overcome its lack of an even more critical resource - water?"

Many readers seemed to agree, going by the number who wrote in to our Forum pages, some suggesting solutions and others, invoking that famous John F. Kennedy line, insisting that the country stood ready to "pay any price, or bear any burden" to free itself from having to live with the unremitting threats from politicians up north.

Thankfully, Singapore pressed ahead, not only with desalination - the first plant to purify sea water was embarked on soon afterwards and completed in 2005 - but also by harnessing the technology to reclaim used water in 2003.

The latter, dubbed NEWater, proved to be a trump card in the Republic's interminable negotiations with Malaysia for new sources of water to meet Singapore's future needs.

Indeed, as my colleague Dominic Nathan wrote in this newspaper in 2003: "Although PUB has never revealed the price of NEWater, it has said that it is 50 to 60 per cent cheaper than desalted water. This means that if Malaysia is serious about wanting to return to the negotiating table, it will have to do better than Dr Mahathir's March 4 offer of about RM10 per thousand gallons for treated water, or around $1 per cubic m.

"Singapore's cards are now on the table. And if Malaysian leaders were under the impression that the gamble on NEWater was a bluff, they now know that it is the ace in Singapore's royal flush."

In other words, through sheer wit and will, Singapore had not only shaken off its water vulnerability but turned adversity to advantage through the development of its water technology. You can read more on this amazing water journey in our Insight special on water on pages B4 to B6.

So, what happened? How did we go from the high level of public consciousness on the water issue, and a national eagerness to tackle it decisively in the late 1990s, to the present angst and anger over the impending water price hike?

Indeed, it might be asked, why were prices left untouched for 17 years, even as demand for the precious resource continued to shoot up, and with it, the investments needed to prevent the hard- earned sense of water security from drying up.

Why did we let up on efforts to keep drumming home the "water is a precious, strategic resource" message, including through the use of proper pricing to reflect its value?

To be fair, political leaders did touch on this from time to time, posting photos of declining water levels in Johor's Linggui reservoir online and warning about the impact this might have on Singapore. But these efforts, alas, failed to make much of a splash.

Perhaps there were other more pressing challenges - the Sars crisis of 2003, the 2008 financial meltdown, the 2011 General Election setback for the ruling party, the bust-up over immigration in 2013 - which focused minds elsewhere, and made any notion of raising water prices seem foolhardy?

Or, did we grow complacent, falling for the rather over-hyped notion that the existential issue of dependence on Malaysia for water had been "solved" by Singaporean ingenuity.

Hopefully not, for that would have been delusional, as even with Singapore's much trumpeted "four taps" - rain, imported water, desalination and NEWater - the Republic remains dependent on Malaysia for the lion's share of our water supply. And that's not even mentioning the likely growth in future water demand or the need to prepare for 2061, when the second water pact with Malaysia runs out.

Indeed, even while water prices were kept constant since 2000, demand continued to surge, from 270 mgd in the late 1990s to 430 mgd today, with this expected to almost double by 2060.

And, as more of our water is likely to come from desalination and recycling, both highly energy-intensive, the overall cost of water will inevitably rise too.

So, most adult Singaporeans know that, like it or not, these costs will have to be borne, one way or the other - through tariffs or taxes - and the only mitigation possible is to ensure that the most well-off pay a bigger share, while those most in need are given the greatest help to cope with the cost.

Yet, who can blame the public for being perturbed by the sudden announcement of a hefty 30 per cent hike after the long hiatus in discussions about water pricing and conservation?

In contrast, recent weeks have seen a deluge of information on the billions that the authorities have been spending to build and maintain Singapore's water infrastructure over the years.

But, alas, coming as it did after public anger had flared up on the issue, has left officials swimming against the tide with what seemed to many like post-facto justifications.

Contrast this with the approach taken by Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat in signalling that taxes will have to rise as government spending continues to mount, or Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan alluding to how public transport fares will eventually have to go up.

They have sounded the alarm early, promised wide consultation and begun the long process of getting the necessary buy-in from the public for these unpopular but inevitable moves.

There is indeed never a good time to raise the prices of essential services. But experience has shown that the way to minimise the angst is to give people as much information on the need for the increase up front, and where possible, spread out the rise in small doses over the years. Successive Cost Review Committees have said as much.

Beyond this, on an issue as sensitive as water, a constant drip-feed on the relentless struggle required to ensure sufficient supplies, both for today and tomorrow, is needed.

Doing so will help make clear to everyone that cries of "potong" simply cut no ice with Singaporeans - past or present - who remain resolved to do whatever it takes to secure this precious necessity.

Singapore at the front line of water innovation
In its desire to boost water security, it has become a hub for tech tie-ups and exchanges
By Lin Yangchen, The Sunday Times, 12 Mar 2017

The so-called water industry is much more than about making money, because a clean and reliable water supply is vital not just to business but also mankind's survival.

For this reason, Singapore is at the front line of water innovation, becoming a hub for mutually beneficial technology collaborations and exchanges as it shores up its own water security.

"We're in that pivotal moment where we're building on data, robotics, smart manufacturing, nanotechnology, biotechnology, materials science, energy storage," Mr Subbu Kanakasabapathy, regional managing director for Asia Pacific at international environmental engineering company CH2M, tells Insight.

"The entire industry is changing. There is a beautiful fusion of physical, digital and biological knowledge."

Playing a key role in stimulating this exchange of ideas from multiple disciplines is the Singapore International Water Week, an annual convention started in 2008 where people and organisations from all over the world meet and share the latest ideas in water technology, management and education.

At present, there are 180 water companies in Singapore, and national water agency PUB has collaborated with more than 170 businesses, academic institutions or government agencies in just about every region of the world.

In terms of technology, Mr Kanakasabapathy says Singapore is moving towards a "water, energy and waste nexus" to increase water production while reducing energy consumption and waste generation.

For example, from the breakdown of waterborne biodegradable material in water reclamation plants (WRPs), the PUB has been able to generate biogas, which powers one-quarter of the energy needed by WRPs in Singapore. It is now considering the possibility of adding food waste to the mix to increase the amount of biogas produced.

"The technology may have originated elsewhere, but Singapore is a fantastic test bed. Singapore has always reached out to other countries for cool technologies, and then said 'How do I embrace it, how do I optimise it'," says Mr Kanakasabapathy.

The benefits of global exchange are evident. Dutch water technology company PWN Technologies (PWNT) is fitting Japan-made ceramic membranes at Choa Chu Kang Water Works, a first in Singapore for treating reservoir water.

These membranes are more durable than conventional polymer membranes and can be used and cleaned at higher pressure to produce more water over a longer lifetime, with fewer costly plant breakdowns.

Although they cost much more up front than conventional membranes, they will result in lower costs in the long run, said PWNT, which is also exploring the use of ceramic membranes in desalination.

For smaller companies too, Singapore is a gateway to the global water playground.

De.mem, a Singapore-based small and medium-sized enterprise specialising in industrial waste water treatment, already has overseas offices in Australia and Vietnam, and is exploring potential markets in China and Germany.

A 2014 spinoff from Nanyang Technological University, De.mem counts among its clients multinational corporations in industries from food and beverage to oil and gas, a testament to how essential water is to other industries.

The company is developing a nano-filtration membrane - which has pores 10,000 times smaller than the diameter of human hair - that is cheaper to produce and can be used at much lower pressure than existing membranes of its kind. This saves energy and reduces system cost by up to 30 per cent. A pilot facility will be set up late next month.

De.mem chief executive Andreas Kroell says membrane technology, in general, has come a long way in achieving higher efficiency at lower cost, and sees it remaining the predominant technology in water treatment.

"Membrane technologies were developed over many decades," he says. "There haven't been overnight disruptions because technologies have to be tested and proven and that normally takes a while."

Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli told Parliament during the debate on the Budget this year: "Technologically, we have squeezed everything we can from the current water processing technology. It will take several more years to achieve the next breakthrough and bring it to a deployable scale."

An upcoming technology for desalination is electro-deionisation, which uses an electric field to "pull" salt from sea water. It consumes less energy than the current method of reverse osmosis, which relies on high pressure to push water molecules (not salt) through a membrane. PUB is testing the new technology in a small pilot plant in Tuas.

But while technology continues to improve the efficiency of water production, this does not mean the cost of water treatment will go down for the people treating it, says CH2M's senior vice-president and global director of water, Mr Peter Nicol.

There are many other factors in the equation that could make it more costly, such as the rising cost of power and the need to safeguard the system against increasingly temperamental weather, for instance.

PUB is already looking well ahead. For example, it is studying whether groundwater could be extracted for use on a regular basis, or during periods of drought. It is installing more monitoring wells and sensors to better understand Singapore's groundwater system.

The agency is also working with research institutions to look at novel, experimental ways of water production, such as using mangrove plants to convert sea water into freshwater.

But no matter the innovations to squeeze out every drop, water is a finite resource and Singapore's - and the world's - growing population would do well to use it judiciously.

Mr Jagadish CV, chief executive of semiconductor firm Systems on Silicon Manufacturing Company, says: "Technology and engineering will help recover more water, increase efficiency, even reduce usage... but to do that, the trigger is the mindset.

"It's the mindset of the common man, the mindset of the industry leaders, the mindset of the society - this is what's going to influence what we're going to do about it (water security)."

Centre monitors water supply and drainage flows
By Lin Yangchen, The Sunday Times, 12 Mar 2017

When a major fire broke out at a toxic waste management plant in Tuas last month, PUB engineers monitored the water supply to the hydrants to ensure firefighters had enough water to combat the blaze.

They also tracked drainage flows in the area, to check if any contaminated water from the fire was flowing to parts of the sea from which nearby desalination plants were drawing water.

They did so with a sophisticated real-time monitoring system in the national water agency's control centre, nestled somewhere in the Environment Building in Scotts Road.

The centre has 12 large screens and 16 smaller ones mounted on the wall, and many more on rows of consoles manned by engineers.

The screens display information on Singapore's water infrastructure in real-time - from detailed maps of water pipes and valves, to data on water pump pressure, flow rates and water quality. Set up in 2012 as part of PUB's Water Systems Unit, the control centre also draws information from other government agencies, like the National Environment Agency's weather radar.

When there is heavy rain and sensors in the canal warn of flooding, PUB engineers can take direct control of the Land Transport Authority's (LTA) traffic surveillance cameras via a console and joystick, to monitor and better manage the flood.

It is reminiscent of a scene in spy movie Jason Bourne, where the US Central Intelligence Agency takes control of the surveillance camera system in Athens to track down the renegade agent played by actor Matt Damon in real-time. "But we have LTA's permission," Mr Bernard Koh, the water agency's director of Water Supply (Plants), said with a laugh.

The Republic's water network is dispersed islandwide - from desalination plants in the west to reservoirs in the forested interior and the Changi Water Reclamation Plant in the east, linked by thousands of kilometres of drains and pipes.

All of it has to be monitored round-the-clock by at least one engineer and two assistant engineers in the control centre, to ensure the system runs like clockwork.

Mr Koh recalled getting occasional phone calls at 3am when there were plant disruptions due to equipment failure.

His staff needed him to assess the risk and decide how to respond.

The 47-year-old can securely log in to the system from anywhere using his iPad. "You check that the water levels at the affected service reservoirs are still okay, and how long you need to recover the plant (that supplies water to them). If you cannot do it by next morning's peak water use at 6am, you need other plants to come in and augment the supply," he said.

Water flows between plants and service reservoirs via multiple routes, making the system robust to the failure of any one part of it.

Mr Koh said his gynaecologist wife understands his occasionally erratic schedule, as she sometimes has to rush to hospital at odd hours too. "Both of us get called in the middle of the night," he quipped.

The centre's Web-based information technology also allows engineers to keep tabs on the water pipes buried in the ground.

There are 5,500km of potable water pipes and 3,500km of sewage pipes, including those extending to offshore islands such as Jurong Island and Sentosa, which are connected to the Singapore's main water grid. The potable water pipes are equipped with sensors that measure subtle changes in water pressure over time. This data is transmitted back to the control centre and compared to a baseline using data analytics, to detect anomalies that could indicate leaks.

Meanwhile, sewage pipes are equipped with sensors that detect chokages, allowing PUB to send men down to clear them before the sewage overflows onto the streets and becomes a health hazard.

For Mr Koh, water is a way of life. Although he is constantly on the alert for things like changes in the quality of reservoir water, he still finds it soothing to take a stroll with his daughter at MacRitchie Reservoir. "You can't really get away from water wherever you go, be it a drain, a (sewer) manhole, people using water. Water is part and parcel of our lives," he says.

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Grab bars, handrails in some cells as number of elderly prisoners rises

March 15, 2017, 1:08 am

≫ Next: Mindfulness in Schools: Kids find inner calm through mindful breathing

≪ Previous: Keeping Singapore's taps flowing in the quest for a robust water supply

By Theresa Tan, The Straits Times, 13 Mar 2017

The number of elderly prisoners has almost doubled in the past five years, and the Singapore Prison Service (SPS) has retrofitted some prison cells with senior-friendly features like grab bars and handrails.

Last year, there were 651 inmates above 60 years old - almost double the 359 in 2012, an SPS spokesman told The Straits Times.

These elderly inmates comprised 5.3 per cent of the total prison population last year. This is almost double the 2.8 per cent in 2012.

The proportion of inmates over 60 years of age has increased each year in the past five years, said the spokesman.

Criminal lawyers interviewed attributed the rise to the ageing population in general.

"Singapore's population is ageing, and prisoners are no exception. There is no age limit to crime," said veteran criminal lawyer Edmond Pereira.

In 2015, the SPS retrofitted 25 cells within the prison institutions to cater to inmates with mobility problems. Besides the elderly, such prisoners also include those who find it hard to get around because they have lost the use of their legs, for instance.

Hence, prison cells in the Assisted Living Housing Unit are equipped with features such as handrails and grab bars.

When deemed necessary by a prison medical officer, inmates are also allowed the use of walking aids such as walking frames and crutches.

However, most of those above 60 are physically fit and able to be housed in regular prison cells, the spokesman said.

"While our prison institutions are necessarily spartan, all basic needs, including medical needs, of inmates are met," the spokesman added.

Ms Saleemah Ismail, who co-founded New Life Stories, a charity that helps incarcerated mothers and their children, noted that some prisons overseas also have facilities for elderly prisoners.

For example, some jails in Britain have equipped shower areas with safety handles and non-slip flooring. In Japan, some prisons have geriatric cells with ramps for the disabled and rubber flooring.

In countries such as Japan, the United States and Britain, the number of greying convicts has swelled in the past decade.

In Singapore, criminal lawyers interviewed said the crimes committed by senior citizens span the whole range, from sexual offences to assault and money laundering.

There are also drug offenders who have spent decades of their lives in and out of jail, said the Association of Criminal Lawyers of Singapore president Sunil Sudheesan.

Cases of elderly criminals reported by the media recently include an 82-year-old man who assaulted his neighbour and fractured her ribs and a 77-year-old grandfather who molested a teenage girl on a bus.

For lawyer Josephus Tan, his oldest client was a 75-year-old widower who befriended a Thai woman in her 40s online. The retired hawker helped the woman launder a few hundred thousand dollars in return for monetary benefit and with the hope of romance.

He was jailed for six months.

Lawyers and those who volunteer in the prisons applauded the SPS' move to make some cells senior-friendly. They noted that features such as anti-slip flooring make it safer for frail inmates, protecting them against falls.

Mr Tan said: "Even if the prisoners have done something wrong, they also have their rights. It does not mean we should not look after them in jail."

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Mindfulness in Schools: Kids find inner calm through mindful breathing

March 15, 2017, 1:20 am

≫ Next: AGC orders blogger Han Hui Hui to take down scurrilous posts

≪ Previous: Grab bars, handrails in some cells as number of elderly prisoners rises

More than 10 schools here have introduced this practice and say children are more focused, calm and alert
By Toh Wen Li, The Straits Times, 14 Mar 2017

It was five minutes before the end of recess at Westwood Primary School on Thursday.

A hush descended over the canteen as pupils seated on benches began a "mindful breathing" session.

"Sit quietly, close your eyes... Keep breathing in and out, slowly," said a woman's voice on the speaker system, guiding them through the two-minute exercise.

Some children were fidgety, their eyes darting around as they tried to grab the attention of their friends.

Others, however, took the activity more seriously, closing their eyes and sitting up straight while being aware of their thoughts, and then letting go of them.

Primary 4 pupil Solomon Lim, 10, was a picture of calm. He later told The Straits Times: "It helps me when I'm stressed. I take deep breaths and cool down."

Following a trial last year, Westwood Primary has since January introduced "mindful breathing" sessions at the end of recess daily for all pupils as part of a broader "positive education" framework.

Mindfulness is a state of being aware of one's thoughts, sensations and surroundings in the present, and accepting them without judging them. Mindfulness, which can be achieved by taking deep breaths and focusing on them, has been known to calm people down and reduce stress in their daily lives.

Ms Sophia Tan, the teacher in charge at Westwood, said this was to help pupils re-focus before returning to lessons. "Mindfulness helps children regulate their emotions and thoughts. As it becomes a routine and habit, they can use it in other aspects of their lives," she said.

Over the past two years, more than 10 primary and secondary schools here have introduced mindfulness practices, something which has already caught on in schools in countries such as Britain.

Recent studies suggest that mindfulness can have a positive effect on the mental, emotional, social and physical health of young people.

MORE SCHOOLS SIGNING UP FOR PROGRAMME

A study examining the effectiveness of the Mindfulness in Schools Programme in several British secondary schools showed that the more often students used mindfulness practices, the higher their levels of well-being. Students involved in it also reported significantly less stress and fewer depressive symptoms than those not involved. The findings were published in The British Journal Of Psychiatry in 2013.

The five schools which agreed to speak to ST cited benefits such as increased focus, better mood regulation and greater self-awareness as reasons for introducing their students to mindfulness.

At Damai Primary, pupils have been doing three-minute deep breathing sessions since January. They have also been encouraged to spend more time reflecting on class work.

International school UWCSEA East introduced its students to mindfulness three years ago, teaching them breathing techniques and encouraging them to notice and accept their thoughts and emotions.

Three mindfulness centres told ST they are seeing a growing number of school clients in recent years. In almost all the cases, the cost is covered by the school.

Ms Angie Chew, 53, the executive director and principal mindfulness trainer at Brahm Centre, said the centre sees at least one new request from a school a month, mostly for an eight-week programme.

Ms Dawn Sim, 43, the director of The Open Centre, which runs mindfulness programmes in schools as part of The Mindfulness Collective, said that over the past three years, the number of schools approaching her has gone up by about 20 per cent.

Ms Chew said that mindfulness is a secular practice. She added: "People of different faiths are embracing it. Yesterday, we had a (sign-up) who turned out to be the pastor of a Baptist church."

Parent Jane Divakar, 48, said that after the mindful breathing routine was introduced at Westwood Primary, her children are "now more calm and relaxed, more aware and alert".

She added that this encouraged her to practise mindfulness at home with them and become more aware of her own behaviour.

Simple activities at home to keep kids focused
By Toh Wen Li, The Straits Times, 14 Mar 2017

Parents can help children with cultivating mindfulness by doing simple everyday things.

Ms Dawn Sim, director, counsellor and psychotherapist at The Open Centre, urges parents to practise deep breathing exercises with their children.

Parents can get their children to count how many breaths they take in a minute, and try this together during different times of the day, for instance, before bedtime or before doing homework.

Ms Sim also said parents can begin mealtimes with three minutes of silent eating, asking their child to be more aware of the sensation of chewing and taste.

"Mindful walks", even around a familiar estate, can also encourage children to be more observant of their surroundings. Parents can ask their child to spot five objects that are of a specific colour and share what they see.

Ms Angie Chew, executive director at Brahm Centre, said parents should not rush or distract their children when they are focusing on a task. They should also let older kids learn to take charge of their own timetable. If they have too much on their plate, parents can offer to help them prioritise and reduce their to-do list.

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AGC orders blogger Han Hui Hui to take down scurrilous posts

March 16, 2017, 12:15 am

≫ Next: Lim Swee Say at Kent Ridge Ministerial Forum 2017

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Han Hui Hui's allegations of prison treatment 'baseless and false': MHA
By Chong Zi Liang, Political Correspondent, The Straits Times, 15 Mar 2017

The Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) has asked blogger Han Hui Hui to remove a series of online posts in which she alleged judges had lied to persecute her politically.

The AGC wrote to her on Monday and gave her seven days to take down the posts and apologise for her allegations on all her social media accounts.

If she fails to comply, the AGC will file contempt of court proceedings against her, an AGC spokesman told The Straits Times yesterday.

Ms Han, 25, had posted a video on YouTube and made five Facebook postings between Jan 21 and Feb 25 about her brush with the law.

Last June, she was fined $3,100 for co-organising a protest rally in 2014 that disrupted a charity event in Hong Lim Park and organising a demonstration without approval.

Last month, the High Court rejected her appeal against the ruling.

The AGC said on Monday the online posts are in contempt of court.

For instance, a Jan 22 post "wrongfully states that you and the other co-accused persons tried jointly with you were convicted because the court wanted to politically persecute you and your co-accused".

"In addition, it wrongfully insinuates the court secured your convictions by deliberately finding fault with you on unimportant issues."

Ms Han had written in the Jan 22 post that the court's ruling was "a blatant case of political persecution". She said her fine had "the sole intention of political persecution to disqualify me from standing for parliamentary election".

A person convicted of an offence and fined $2,000 or more is disqualified from being an election candidate. Ms Han stood in Radin Mas in the 2015 General Election.

"These are very serious allegations which scandalise our courts. They are scurrilous, false and made without any rational basis," the AGC said in its letter to Ms Han.

Ms Han posted on her Facebook page on Monday that the AGC had written to her. But she has not taken down the posts the AGC says are in contempt of court.

In a separate statement yesterday, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) refuted Ms Han's claims that she had been mistreated in a State Courts cell. Prisons found the allegations "baseless and false" after interviewing officers and reviewing CCTV footage.

She alleged, among other things, that she was subject to a strip search while male officers walked by. MHA said she was clothed when she was searched by a woman officer. Also, she was held in the women's wing of the lock-up, which male officers cannot access.

MHA noted Ms Han could have raised issues about her treatment while she was in custody.

"Instead, she chose to publish the fabricated, false and misleading accounts on social media.

"MHA takes all allegations seriously and will investigate them thoroughly. We will also vigorously defend our officers from baseless attacks to ensure that the integrity of our law enforcement agencies is not undermined," it said.

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Lim Swee Say at Kent Ridge Ministerial Forum 2017

March 16, 2017, 12:45 am

≫ Next: Tough job market amid brighter signs for economy in 2017

≪ Previous: AGC orders blogger Han Hui Hui to take down scurrilous posts

Manpower Minister: To do well in future, adapt and learn
By Danson Cheong, The Straits Times, 15 Mar 2017

Manpower Minister Lim Swee Say yesterday declared that the idea of doing the same job for life is obsolete.

In tomorrow's working world, employees will be required to pursue different careers throughout their working life, he said.

The reason: As companies and the economy restructure, sometimes forced by disruptive technology, workers will have to adapt and continually learn new skills.

Mr Lim painted this picture of the future economy to 150 students and guests at the annual Kent Ridge Ministerial Forum held at the National University of Singapore last night.

Offering his advice on how they could stay employed and do well, he said: "You must be prepared that you might have to change from one career to another... even if you continue working for the same employer."

He cited the example of a company that was moving into advanced manufacturing and needed fewer engineers but more data scientists.

"This company told its engineers and technicians, 'Instead of our retrenching you, why don't we retrain you to become data scientists?'" he recalled.

Under the Professional Conversion Programme, the Government gave funding for the engineers to be trained in data analytics.

It was one of the ways the Government was helping Singapore workers adapt to changes, said Mr Lim, as he urged students to stay versatile while pursuing their passions.

Mr Lim set the theme for the evening with a question on many young minds: "As students, you must be worrying - by the time you enter the workforce, will there be enough good jobs for all of you?"

Pointing to the Singapore economy, he noted that it was undergoing rapid transformation, amid slower workforce growth and a push for greater productivity in order to continue growing the economy.

One way to overcome these "bottlenecks" in manpower and productivity is to adopt technology and automate.

This will help produce good jobs but it requires workers to stay nimble and flexible, Mr Lim said.

At the forum yesterday, being adaptable was a key focus.

During the question-and-answer session, a student wanted to know what workers of the future need.

It is important to be open to change, Mr Lim said.

Citing his own university and career experiences, he recounted that he had to study management, economics and human resources while studying for a degree in electronics, computer and systems engineering in England.

He returned to be a computer engineer at the Defence Ministry, but his career has seen him holding posts at the then National Computer Board and the Economic Development Board before he entered politics in 1996.

Gone are the days when a single employer would take care of a worker for his entire life, he added.

When asked whether increased automation would displace jobs, Mr Lim said that adopting it would help Singapore remain competitive by raising productivity.

A student who said he had seen foreign workers living in "abysmal" conditions asked what Singapore was doing for their welfare.

Mr Lim replied that the authorities send inspectors regularly to inspect foreign worker dormitories. Also, workers injured on the job would be compensated because of mandatory insurance.

He also asked the student to write to him if he knew of workers living in dismal conditions.

"I want to assure you that we take the welfare of foreign workers seriously," said Mr Lim.

Technology key to solving manpower crunch: Swee Say
By Valerie Koh, TODAY, 15 Mar 2017

While there are legitimate concerns in countries about technology putting workers out of jobs, such a worry would be largely unfounded in Singapore, said Manpower Minister Lim Swee Say yesterday, as he assured undergraduates who had the job market and economy on the top of their minds.

The challenge facing the Republic is the shortage of workers, and technology will in fact help overcome this bottleneck, said Mr Lim.

Speaking at the annual Kent Ridge Ministerial Forum held at the National University of Singapore, Mr Lim fielded a host of questions from an audience of about 150 people — comprising mainly undergraduates — including what are the type of skills that undergraduates should equip themselves with, which industries will have talent shortages and the concept of job rotation within a company.

During the question and answer session, Mr Lim was asked about Microsoft founder Bill Gates’ recent suggestion of imposing a “robot tax” to mitigate the impact of automation technology on human job.

In response, Mr Lim noted that Mr Gates’ idea had been met with criticism. And as far as Singapore is concerned, he said, its stance is clear: Automation would be advantageous. “Our bottleneck is not jobs. Our bottleneck is manpower,” he reiterated.

Technology could help the workforce become more manpower-lean, and improve the quality of jobs, stressed Mr Lim.

“Instead of being fearful of technology, even if technology takes away jobs, (let’s) make sure that it takes away jobs from our competitors, not from us. So let’s run with the technology,” he said.

A student was also eager to know what skills one should have to thrive in the future economy. Mr Lim’s advice? Develop a strong foundation through a broad-based education, but “be good in something”.

Sharing his own experience, he recalled that during his undergraduate years at Loughborough University in the United Kingdom, he was horrified to learn that the electronics and computer systems engineering course that he was taking had a sizeable component on seemingly-unrelated subjects such as macroeconomics and human resources.

Together with his peers, they complained to the university. However, Mr Lim recalled, a representative simply told them: “Today, you’ll be upset with me. Ten years from now, one day, you’ll be grateful to me. I don’t foresee all of you remaining as engineers all your life.”

Looking back on his eventful career — he was with the National Computer Board as a software engineer before taking on roles at the Economic Development Board and the labour movement, and then becoming a Cabinet Minister — Mr Lim said he had realised the truth in those words.

He said: “At the end of the day, you do not know where your life will lead you. By having a foundation, it’ll be very useful.”

As to whether companies should provide job rotation for employees to pick up a wide range of skills, Mr Lim said that this was not practical from the firms’ perspective. Workers should not see job rotation as a “career objective”, he said.

Instead, they should focus on doing well and opportunities will arise, he noted.

Driving home the point that adaptability was key in the future economy, Mr Lim alluded to how small retailers at Queensway Shopping Centre banded together when Nike decided to stop supplying products to them from this year.

Without naming Nike, Mr Lim noted that the retailers approached a competitor and offered to promote their wares instead. “As an economy, we have to keep adapting,” said Mr Lim.

He added: “As a country, I can assure you, we’ll make sure that there are enough career opportunities ... But who will end up with which career, which job, I think a lot depends on you. If you’re flexible, adaptable and, hopefully, passionate about what you do, I’m sure your future will be bright.”

The theme of the forum was Singapore’s Changing Demographics — Maintaining a Thriving Economy with a Diversified Workforce.

In his speech, Mr Lim spoke about economic slowdown and its impact on employment growth. Among other things, he also discussed his ministry’s strategy for addressing the manpower bottleneck, starting with the transformation of all sectors of the economy using technology.

↧

Tough job market amid brighter signs for economy in 2017

March 16, 2017, 1:59 am

≫ Next: Singapore city infrastructure No. 1: Mercer 2017 Quality of Living Survey

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Those out of work taking longer to find jobs, though 2017 economy expected to grow 2.3%
By Joanna Seow and Wong Wei Han, The Straits Times, 16 Mar 2017

There are good prospects flagged for the economy, but less so for the job market, as Singapore enters a tricky phase of growth.

The slowing economy has been taking its toll on job seekers, with those out of work taking longer to find jobs, data released by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) yesterday showed. Nor is the job market expected to get any easier this year.

In contrast, private-sector economists are now far more bullish about Singapore's economy than they were three months ago.

The local economy is expected to expand 2.3 per cent this year, according to the latest quarterly survey of economists by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). That is a healthier rate than the 1.5 per cent median forecast in December.

The 23 economists responding to the latest survey see manufacturing powering ahead by 4.5 per cent this year, far more optimistic than their 1.1 per cent estimate in December.

This, however, will not necessarily translate into more jobs. "While the near-term growth outlook for manufacturing has improved, the hiring outlook for 2017 remains cautious, as performance is likely to be uneven across clusters," MOM said.

Its data showed that employment growth slowed last year and the struggle to find new jobs was even harder for older workers, degree holders and PMETs (professionals, managers, executives and technicians) who get laid off. In all, some 19,170 people were laid off last year. Around half managed to find new jobs, but the rate of re-entry was lowest for those aged 50 or older (40 per cent), degree holders (42 per cent) and PMETs (44 per cent).

The first two groups were also at the receiving end of the rising long-term unemployment rate - the proportion of residents who could not find a job for 25 weeks or more.

This has risen to 0.8 per cent - the highest in seven years - and was even higher, at 1 per cent, for those aged 50 and older, and for those with a degree.

There were fewer job vacancies to go around too - around 77 for every 100 job seekers. The total number of vacancies in December fell to 47,600 - a four-year low.

Total employment expanded by 8,600 workers last year, excluding maids, and the ministry has indicated that such modest expansion could be the norm. It does not expect a return to the early part of the decade, when 120,000 workers were added on average each year.

One bright spot was that productivity rose by 1.4 per cent last year, up from 1 per cent in 2015.

"Businesses should press on with transformation efforts so that they can continue to grow in a... manpower-lean environment," said MOM.

Growth could indeed be on the cards. DBS economist Irvin Seah has forecast a strong 2.8 per cent full-year growth for the economy.

"We are seeing strength in the United States recovery and stabilisation in the Chinese economy. This has manifested in the significantly stronger manufacturing performance, particularly in the electronics cluster," he told The Straits Times.

Singapore's trade figures have turned positive. In January, total non-oil domestic exports surged 8.6 per cent, backing up two previous months of growth. Electronics exports rose by 6.1 per cent, accelerating from December's 5.7 per cent.

Export momentum is set to continue, with the latest MAS survey showing a median forecast of 6.1 per cent growth - well above the 0.3 per cent previous estimate.

But economists still expect the labour market pains to stretch on.

"With unemployment partly structural, improvements in external demand - even if sustained - may take longer to filter through to the jobs market," said Citi economist Kit Wei Zheng.

PMETs 'need to embrace changes, train for new jobs'
They comprise 72% of local residents made redundant, more than their share of 55% of resident workforce
By Joanna Seow, The Straits Times, 16 Mar 2017

On the last day of 2015, before he was to greet the new year, Mr Nicholas Tan, 48, lost his job.

His company, an electronics multinational, had shut down its Singapore operations, causing about 300 people to be jobless, including Mr Tan, who was the marketing manager for the Asia-Pacific region.

Initially, he looked for a similar role in the same industry, but months of failure forced him to lower his expectations to include executive-level roles as well.

"I thought, with my experience, I could get a job easily, but I was wrong. After four months, I got more and more demoralised."

He sent out about 70 job applications but received only two replies. He did not get the jobs after the interviews.

Finally, in May, he landed a job as a regional product sales manager at a local electronics firm - on the recommendation of a friend.

He struggled to adapt to a smaller company, so he attended a P-Max programme under the SkillsFuture initiative, which helped him understand the work practices better.

The experience has convinced Mr Tan that PMETs like him "must accept that the job market has changed". He said: "(We must) lower our expectations, or retrain ourselves to move into a different job."

Professionals, managers, executives and technicians, or PMETs, form an unusually large proportion of those asked to go as businesses restructure. Official figures released yesterday show that PMETs comprise 72 per cent of local residents made redundant. This is far higher than their share of 55 per cent of the resident workforce, excluding full-time national servicemen.

They were mainly displaced from the professional services and financial and insurance services industries, based on figures from the Manpower Ministry.

For non-PMETs, among clerical, sales and services workers, the most redundancies were in the wholesale and retail trade. Among production and related workers, the most redundancies were in manufacturing.

Locals were less vulnerable to layoffs than foreigners: Of the 19,170 workers who lost their jobs last year, 8,090, or 42 per cent, were foreigners, higher than their one-third share of the workforce.

Returning to the job market was also tough. The proportion of residents who got a job within six months was 47.9 per cent on average, the first time in at least seven years that it fell below 50 per cent.

PMETs and degree holders fared worse than average, with re-entry rates of 43.9 per cent and 42.5 per cent respectively.

DBS economist Irvin Seah said this group is particularly affected as industries like financial services are driven by external demand, making them more volatile than industries employing more lower- skilled local workers.

"Education should no longer be just about degrees but about skill sets, life skills and building resilience," he said.

There are several programmes to help job seekers. These include enhanced Adapt and Grow schemes to help them overcome job mismatches in the labour market as the economy restructures.

People long unemployed can tap the Career Support Programme for PMETs or the Work Trial programme for rank-and-file workers.

Both will offer added salary subsidies from next month, especially to employers who hire Singaporeans out of work for at least a year.

A new Attach and Train scheme will help workers get training while on attachment in sunrise industries that have yet to hire actively.

The labour movement's new Pivot programme offers vulnerable professionals greater peer support.

Said labour MP Patrick Tay: "I urge workers and employers to tap all these schemes and embrace the changes before the change (overwhelms) them."

Two-track labour market emerging
By Toh Yong Chuan, Manpower Correspondent, The Straits Times, 16 Mar 2017

The latest official figures released yesterday paint a gloomy picture and reflect a worrying situation: The emergence of a two-track labour market.

On one track are the jobless who face an uphill task in finding work. On the other track are people with jobs that give them a steady rise in income.

The growing divide between these two groups is becoming noticeable, and gives cause for concern.

Track one: Local unemployment rose last year. There were more local workers - Singaporeans and permanent residents - who want to work but could not find work. Last year's 3 per cent resident unemployment rate is the highest since 2010, when Singapore was hit by the global financial crisis.

Also, there were fewer jobs for the bigger pool of unemployed. For every 100 unemployed last December, there were only 77 vacancies, down from 91 three months earlier. This job vacancy ratio of 0.77 is the lowest since September 2009, when the global financial crisis resulted in a ratio of 0.54, meaning every 100 jobless were chasing 54 jobs.

Put both together - higher unemployment and fewer jobs - and it shows out-of-work locals are taking longer to return to the job market.

For every 100 jobless locals last year, 26 had no job for 25 weeks or more, up from 21 in 2015.

Worse, the proportion of these long-term unemployed rose last year to the highest since 2004. The hardest hit were degree holders and those aged 50 and older.

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has this assessment: "The labour market weakened in 2016, reflecting subdued conditions in several segments of the economy." On the outlook for this year, MOM "expects labour demand to remain modest".

The assessment does not mask the starkness of the bad news for those out of work. This is a bad time to be without a job.

Track two: Those on the payroll of employers fared well last year.

The median monthly income of Singaporeans holding full-time jobs rose 0.7 per cent from $3,798 in 2015 to $3,823. After adjusting for the lower costs of living last year, the rise is steeper, at 1.3 per cent.

Workers were also more productive last year. Labour productivity inched up by about 1 per cent, reversing declines in 2014 and 2015.

But even as unemployment rose, so did employment. Employers added 11,200 more local workers to their payrolls last year.

This may seem contradictory at first glance, but what happened was that the growth in the number of jobs could not keep up with the growth in the workforce. So even as more local workers found jobs, even more could not find work.

This gives a hint on what is needed to fix the problem of the tepid labour market - job creation.

It is the key solution - and the only solution.

Those with jobs are faring well. They earn more and are more productive. The same cannot be said for the unemployed.

But there will always be people with and without work, regardless of the state of the economy. This is also the reason economists regard full employment as the state where all eligible people who want to work can find work at prevailing wage rates. Full employment does not mean zero unemployment.

But what would be most worrying is when the lives of employed workers improve while the jobless sink into debt and depression. This is the "jobs divide", and there are signs of it happening here.

Government measures, however, are in place to prevent it from taking root. This month, MOM announced measures to help the long-term unemployed and mature workers. These include more subsidies for training, job trials and more salary support for employers who hire them.

There are also moves to help jobless workers switch careers. The Ministry of Health last week said it would spend $24 million to help mid-career workers switch and fill the 9,000 jobs being created in the public healthcare and community care sectors in the next three years.

These moves will not solve the problems of unemployed workers overnight, or even in the near term. But they give them a better shot at going back to work and riding out the economic uncertainties.

They also ensure the "jobs divide" does not add to pressures that can divide society.

Related
MOM Statement on Labour Market Developments -15 Mar 2017

↧

Singapore city infrastructure No. 1: Mercer 2017 Quality of Living Survey

March 16, 2017, 7:13 pm

≫ Next: PM Lee opens SMU's School of Law building and Kwa Geok Choo Law Library

≪ Previous: Tough job market amid brighter signs for economy in 2017

Republic is also top Asian city in Mercer's global survey on quality of living
By Ann Williams, The Straits Times, 15 Mar 2017

Singapore has topped a ranking of more than 200 cities around the world in terms of offering the best infrastructure.

This was the first time that city infrastructure has been rated separately in consulting firm Mercer's annual ranking. Frankfurt and Munich were both placed second.

City infrastructure is an important factor when multinational corporations decide where to establish operations abroad and where to send expatriate workers.

Easy access to transportation, reliable electricity, and drinkable water are all key considerations when determining hardship allowances based on differences between a given worker's home and host locations, Mercer said.

The firm's 2017 Quality of Living survey of 231 cities helps companies and organisations determine compensation and hardship allowances for international staff. It uses dozens of criteria such as political stability, healthcare, education, crime, recreation and transport.

In terms of the overall quality-of-living survey, Vienna in Austria came in tops for the eighth year in a row, while Baghdad in Iraq was again considered the worst.

Globally, Singapore was ranked No. 25 and was the top-rated among Asian cities. Hong Kong was ranked at No. 71.

The big financial centres such as London, Paris, Tokyo and New York City did not feature high on the list while the top performers came mainly from the major German, Scandinavian, Canadian, New Zealand and Australian cities.

The United States' highest entry was San Francisco at No. 29 while London, Britain's highest-ranked city, came in at No. 40.

Even with the prevailing political and economic turbulence, Western European cities continue to enjoy some of the highest quality of living worldwide. Mercer said they remained attractive destinations for expanding business operations and sending expatriates on assignment.

Vienna's 1.8 million inhabitants enjoy the city's cafe culture and museums, theatres and operas.

Rents and public transport costs in the city - whose architecture is marked by its past as the centre of the Habsburg empire - are cheap compared with other Western capitals, noted Reuters.

Six years into Syria's bloody war, Damascus was ranked seventh from the bottom of the list, with Bangui in the Central African Republic, Yemeni capital Sanaa, Haiti's Port-au-Prince, Sudan's Khartoum and Chad's N'Djamena filling out the end of the list ahead of Baghdad, said Reuters.

Related
Mercer 2017 Quality of Living Survey

↧

PM Lee opens SMU's School of Law building and Kwa Geok Choo Law Library

March 16, 2017, 9:04 pm

≫ Next: RSAF's new surveillance drone Heron 1 now combat-ready

≪ Previous: Singapore city infrastructure No. 1: Mercer 2017 Quality of Living Survey

School lawyers of tomorrow in many fields: PM Lee
Encourage more cross-disciplinary learning to keep up with changing law practice, he says
By Ng Huiwen, The Straits Times, 16 Mar 2017

Singapore's law schools need to produce lawyers who are prepared for the demands of a new working environment marked by disruption and new technologies, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said yesterday.

Speaking at the official opening of the Singapore Management University's (SMU) new law school building, Mr Lee said the way law is being practised will change in the future, and more cross-disciplinary learning should be encouraged.

He said the Government will be supporting the bigger law firms to venture into new areas of legal practice while helping the smaller ones raise their productivity and deliver better services to clients.

Mr Lee said the SMU School of Law, Singapore's second law school, was set up in 2007 not just to increase the number of law graduates. "We wanted a law school that would provide a rigorous legal education, coupled with exposure to other disciplines, such as business, economics, accountancy, social sciences or information systems."

He added: "We hoped that the graduates will be more versatile, able to apply their knowledge of the law in many different fields, and to contribute to our economy."

He was speaking to some 800 guests at the school's function hall, where future convocation and commencement ceremonies can now be held in-house for up to 1,400 people.

Mr Lee later toured the new 23,000 sq m School of Law building, located at the junction of Armenian Street and Stamford Road. The building was completed last December at a cost of $165 million.

Previously, law students and faculty members shared facilities across the road with SMU's accountancy and business schools.

The building features the Kwa Geok Choo Law Library. Madam Kwa, a lawyer, was one of the founders of Lee & Lee, one of Singapore's oldest firms. Madam Kwa, who died in 2010, is PM Lee's mother.

SMU chairman Ho Kwon Ping, in his speech, said the 2,200 sq m Kwa Geok Choo Law Library will be "at the heart of legal education and scholarship in Singapore".

He added: "Universities around the world are known for their iconic libraries, and this one is strategically placed at the high point of the site next to Stamford Green."

The three-storey library, which can seat more than 500 people, will focus on developing special collections in commercial law, dispute resolution and ASEAN law, among other areas.

Mr Ho also said students can now better prepare for law competitions with the new David Marshall Moot Court, which simulates a courtroom or arbitration chamber.

Said third-year law student Shriram Jayakumar, 24: "Now with the proper infrastructure in place, more students will be motivated to go further, knowing that the school is behind us."

Mr Jayakumar is part of a five-man team from SMU which will be representing Singapore at the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition in Washington next month.

In addition, a new pro bono centre in the law school will allow legal clinics conducted by volunteer lawyers and assisted by SMU law undergraduates to be held weekly.

Previously, legal clinics were held fortnightly at the school's administration building.

SMU's law school dean Yeo Tiong Min said that the centre "sensitises law students to social justice issues" and allows them to "appreciate and integrate academic work with real-life experience".

PM Lee shares anecdotes about his mother
By Ng Huiwen, The Straits Times, 16 Mar 2017

Over her three decades as a conveyancing lawyer, the late Madam Kwa Geok Choo took a close interest in nurturing young lawyers, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said yesterday.

But while she had one eye on developing talent, she also recognised the importance of work-life balance, even in the early 1980s. She paid special attention to the female lawyers in her firm.

"In the early 1980s, when a 51/2-day work week was the norm, she declared a five-day week for all married female lawyers in her firm," he said, adding that Madam Kwa believed a happy family was a priority for all working mothers.

Mr Lee shared these anecdotes about his mother in his speech at the official opening of the Singapore Management University's new law school building, which features a dome-shaped law library named in her memory.

Mr Lee also said Madam Kwa kept a small personal library in her office that included a "dog-eared green hardcover book brought back from her student days in Cambridge".

The book, Law Property In Land by Henry Gibson Rivington, was her "constant companion", and on her desk was a copy of the Estate Duty Act for advising clients in structuring trusts and wills.

To keep abreast of new legislation at a time when statutes were not yet available online, she had a complete set of all the ordinances, which she physically updated.

"She flagged the relevant pages with bookmarks that she made herself, out of old Christmas cards, because these were ancient times, even before Post-its and sticky notes existed," Mr Lee said.

When amendments were passed, the Bills would arrive by mail and she would "literally cut and paste them into her set", he said.

Snapped this black and white photo in January. #Guesswhere? – LHL (Photo by me) ------ Many of you got it right! This is the Kwa Geok Choo Law Library, named after my mother. The Singapore Management University has dedicated it in her name to honour her life and contributions to the legal profession. I was at the opening of the Library and new @sgsmu School of Law building this morning; you can see more photos in my next post.
A post shared by Lee Hsien Loong (@leehsienloong) on Mar 14, 2017 at 7:08pm PDT

Given her dedication to her profession, Mr Lee said his mother would have been proud to have a law library named after her. Adding that he first saw the completed law library on a walk at Fort Canning Park one night, he said: "The lighted dome glowed like a jewel in the dark - the architects have done a brilliant job."

Bust of David Marshall in 'the right place'
By K.C. Vijayan, Senior Law Correspondent, The Straits Times, 16 Mar 2017

He grew up seeing his father's picture appear regularly in The Straits Times and assumed it was the same for everyone else.

"I thought it was because you purchased the paper, you got your face sometimes on the front page," Dr Jonathan Marshall said yesterday. His father was Mr David Marshall, Singapore's first chief minister, from April 1955 to June 1956.

He had already grown accustomed to living with his father's constant presence. After all, in the family house stood a large bronze bust of his father. That bust is now on permanent loan from the family and is placed in the David Marshall Moot Court at the Singapore Management University's (SMU) School of Law, which was officially opened by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday.

Sunday was the 109th anniversary of Mr Marshall's birth. A top-notch criminal lawyer in his day, he served as a diplomat from 1978 to 1993. He died in 1995.

Dr Marshall said: "After he died, I would often look at the bust and think of him. And it was pleasant, it was a lovely thing to be able to reflect on my father while looking at an image of him which contained some of his fire and some of his strength and ruggedness.

"I don't think my father was particularly into images of himself. It is a special piece and I am very glad that it is available for others to see in an environment which he would be surprised and delighted."

The bust of the man once described by then Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong in 2008 as "undoubtedly the greatest criminal advocate that has ever graced the halls of justice in Singapore and Malaya", was sculpted by London-based Peter Lambda after the 1956 constitutional talks there that Mr Marshall attended, said his widow Jean.

"David never spoke about it and when I married him in 1961, it was already there, being commissioned in 1956," she added, noting that the bust was "rather big" for the private flat where they lived.

The works of Lambda, a famed Hungarian sculptor-writer, included busts of renowned thespian Laurence Olivier and founder of psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud.

Mrs Marshall said that when she heard SMU's Moot Court was named after Mr Marshall, she thought the bust should go there.

She added: "It is a very powerful piece and gives a forceful impression of David, and has a good likeness, except the chin is not quite right. We are all very happy - it is going to the right place and embodies David's legacy cast in bronze."

SMU law school's feats, at home and abroad
By K.C. Vijayan, Senior Law Correspondent, The Straits Times, 16 Mar 2017

In the decade since it started in 2007 with the first batch of 116 students, SMU's law school has helped boost the legal profession and chalked up several feats, both here and abroad.

A precursor of dominance to come was seen in the law heavyweights that staffed the law school's first advisory board in 2007. It was chaired by former chief justice Yong Pung How.

The founding members included the present Chief Justice, Mr Sundaresh Menon, who was himself chairman of the board from 2011-2012, former Court of Appeal judge and attorney-general V. K. Rajah, present Court of Appeal judge Andrew Phang, former attorney-general Walter Woon, Senior Counsel Michael Hwang, Senior Counsel Davinder Singh and top corporate lawyer Lee Suet Fern.

The board's role was to advise on the School of Law's academic programmes, curriculum development and graduate employment, among other things.

Law dean Yeo Tiong Min pointed out that one indicator of its signal success was seen last December in the results of the Part B professional examination which all law graduates have to clear as part of requirements to practise in Singapore.

SMU graduates won nine out of 14 prizes awarded for the exam, in competition with graduates from all law schools qualified under the Legal Profession Act.

SMU law students also raised their profile abroad, having reached 37 international mooting championship finals and winning 18 of them since 2007.

The latest win occurred last week in Germany where an SMU law school quartet emerged champions in the 10th edition of the Frankfurt Investment Arbitration Moot and one of the team members was named Best Oralist of the competition.

The team won all eight matches en route to the championship - presided by International Court of Justice Judge Christopher Greenwood - defeating the likes of George Washington, NLU Delhi and Lomonosov university law schools. This year saw a turnout of more than 60 teams from around the world.

"Anecdotal evidence points to increasing appreciation by law firms of the soft skills of our law graduates. Some of our graduates compete head to head with the best for the top jobs in the industry," added Professor Yeo.

Prof Yeo attributed the school's continuing success to several factors, including the "strong collective effort by the professors and administrators, powerful support from industry stakeholders and donors as well as highly motivated students and a young but strongly supportive alumni".

↧

RSAF's new surveillance drone Heron 1 now combat-ready

March 17, 2017, 4:45 am

≫ Next: HDB artists: Authorisation does not kill creativity

≪ Previous: PM Lee opens SMU's School of Law building and Kwa Geok Choo Law Library

NSFs to help fly RSAF's new drone, Heron 1
The drone, which earned combat-ready status, will have NSFs as co-pilots alongside regulars
By Adrian Lim, The Straits Times, 16 Mar 2017

Singapore's new "eye in the sky", the Heron 1 drone which earned its combat-ready status yesterday, has full-time national servicemen (NSFs) serving as pilots - a first for the airforce's unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), it was revealed.

In a ceremony held at Murai Camp, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen marked the Heron 1's achievement of the Full Operational Capability (FOC) status by the Republic of Singapore Air Force's (RSAF) 119 and 128 Squadrons. "It's a significant milestone.

The FOC of the Heron brings RSAF's (unmanned) aerial capabilities to the level of advanced militaries globally," Dr Ng said in a speech. He called the deployment of NSFs as UAV pilots in the airforce a "significant first". "We have the same exacting standards for NSFs as we do for regular pilots," he added. The NSFs serve as co-pilots, alongside the regulars, who are aircraft captains.

Major John Samuel, the commanding officer of 119 SQN, said the airforce has been looking at tapping on NSFs to fulfil its "manpower needs over the longer term".

The RSAF declined to reveal how many NSF UAV pilots it has, but said it started training them in 2014.

Candidates have to undergo medical and psycho-motor tests and interviews, and it takes about 18 months to be trained as an operationally ready UAV pilot.

NSF Lieutenant Marcus Chia, 20, a UAV pilot, said: "It has been special and meaningful for me. I get to be an aviator (and) operate such a highly advanced platform."

Earlier this month, the Defence Ministry announced that a new cyber-defence vocation for NSFs and operationally ready NSmen had been created with deployment from August.

The Heron 1 provides ground forces with a real-time, bird's-eye view of the battlefield with its advanced imaging sensors. Using its laser designator, the drone can also work with attack helicopters and fighters to guide munitions to targets precisely.

The Heron 1 can also perform counter-terrorism operations, such as tracking suspicious vehicles.

It will replace the Searcher-class UAV, which has been in service since 1994.

The Heron 1 can stay in the air three times longer, for up to 24 hours, fly two times higher at 20,000 feet, and also send sharper video footage in colour.

The drone was inaugurated into the RSAF in 2012. To achieve FOC, the squadrons' personnel have to be trained to operate, maintain and deploy the Heron 1 in operations. Its capabilities were also validated in local and overseas exercises.

↧

HDB artists: Authorisation does not kill creativity

March 17, 2017, 7:57 am

≫ Next: Custody of elderly woman: Family finds closure after viewing police video

≪ Previous: RSAF's new surveillance drone Heron 1 now combat-ready

One resident who sought official approval for his displays even got support from the town council
By Ng Jun Sen, The Straits Times, 16 Mar 2017

The authorities must be informed if artists want to build public displays responsibly, said Woodlands resident Tan Koon Tat.

The 56-year-old carpenter has been constructing festive displays at the carpark near Block 179, Woodlands Street 13, for the past decade, even making artificial snow last Christmas.

All these were done with the blessing of the Marsiling-Yew Tee Town Council, said Mr Tan.

In Mandarin, he told The Straits Times that he knows the authorities have to account to residents if it goes awry.

Said Mr Tan: "They are in charge of the space, and they have to take responsibility if something bad happens. These rules are meant to protect the residents and we must respect that."

It is also not true that support from officials mean the work is any less genuine, he said.

The town council does not dictate how he conducts his public decorations as long as they fit certain safety and hygiene requirements and do not inconvenience others.

"The town council even volunteered to provide electrical points to power some of my displays, such as the snow machine, which I rejected because I don't think the public should pay for my decorations," said Mr Tan.

While the tableaus may be subjective and might inevitably offend others, Mr Tan said he tries to mitigate this by talking to various neighbours and sharing his plans with them. If there are any concerns, he would alter them.

Every year, he designs and builds displays to celebrate five occasions - National Day, Deepavali, Hari Raya, Christmas and Chinese New Year.

This is so that it is inclusive of all races and religions, he said.

When it comes to the clean-up, he knows he cannot shirk responsibility because of the assurances he has given to the town council, as it should rightly be.

Said Mr Tan: "How do you think the authorities would react if the artist left a mess? Or if the decorations were done improperly and cannot be removed easily?

"These are all things that he or she should expect and the best way to avoid these issues is to inform the town council first."

MyTurf is a fortnightly series that aims to tell the untold stories of our neighbourhoods. In this fifth instalment, The Straits Times catches up with three decorators of public corridors or void decks, and takes a look at the tensions between them and the authorities. While approval is needed for public displays, some decorators prefer to skip that step

Finding common ground over public decorations
By Ng Jun Sen, The Straits Times, 16 Mar 2017

Among retiree Mark Tham's arsenal of "art" tools, there are two unusual items: fire-retardant paint and a fire extinguisher.

This is because his canvas is the public corridor outside his HDB flat at Block 28D, Dover Crescent.

For the past six years, Mr Tham, 69, has been giving the common space facelifts with elaborate festival displays without asking the authorities for permission.

Instead of a grey wall, residents are greeted by a sea of colour when they step out of the lift on the 19th floor during Chinese New Year and Christmas.

Despite not seeking prior approval for the works, Mr Tham said he has never encountered problems with the authorities.

The special paint and the firefighting equipment help prevent the removal of his public displays by the town council, he believes.

Mr Tham, a former director in a food and beverage company, said: "Everyone has the best intentions when making art, but perhaps artists sometimes (don't realise) that their work might create real hazards for other people."

The issue of unsanctioned public displays was sparked by Lasalle student Priyageetha Dia's now-famous golden staircase, which was not authorised by the town council.

The 25-year-old had plastered a flight of a Jalan Rajah HDB staircase with gold foil as part of her final-year project. She voluntarily removed it on Sunday, leaving only a small gold foil on the bottom step as a memento.

While the staircase grabbed much public attention in the past week, decorators of public spaces have long thrived - some with the explicit permission, and even support, of the authorities and some who fly under the radar.

The HDB, for instance, has a Friendly Faces, Lively Places Fund that provides up to $5,000 for those who want to do public art installations.

But there are some who prefer not to go through the authorities.

Besides Mr Tham, another aspiring artist is retired contractor Or Beng Kooi, 76. Three years ago, he began constructing a pagoda-like tower of items - dolls, toys, figurines and sculptures - at the void deck of his home at Block 108, Yishun Ring Road. Mr Or said his work would likely not have existed if he had gone to the authorities first. "Even if I wanted to build another display, I don't think they will approve it now. The need to seek permission stifles well-meaning creativity," he said.

But Woodlands resident Tan Koon Tat disagrees. The 56-year-old carpenter, who creates ambitious displays at the carpark near his home, says the authorities have to account to residents if things go awry.

That was how MP Louis Ng explained Nee Soon Town Council's removal of Mr Or's display earlier this month. While some described it as an installation worthy of the Singapore Biennale, a major art exhibition organised by the Singapore Art Museum, it had to go due to fire safety concerns, he said.

So where is the line drawn?

Mr Tham said he puts in great effort to plan, prepare and execute his festive displays without inconveniencing or endangering others.

Beyond fire safety considerations, he also makes sure others are not obstructed by the installation.

The installation occupies a sizeable plot at the lift lobby, measuring around 5m by 0.5m. But its placement at the far wall does not block any human passage.

Cultural sensitivities are observed too, said Mr Tham. When the Year of the Pig swings around in 2019, he will not feature any porcine characters, to avoid offending his Muslim neighbours. "It's about being considerate to the other residents who use the space," he said.

Instead of complaints, he gets praises from his MPs when they conduct house visits or from grassroots leaders at the Telok Blangah Dover Crescent Residents' Committee.

"I know it is in a public space and there are rules, but no one has ever threatened to remove the display. In fact, I feel very encouraged by all the (accolades) it gets," said Mr Tham, who is already planning the next tableau for Christmas.

Mr Or, meanwhile, has diverted his attention to growing plants near the seniors corner.

He said: "I built (the old display) for the elderly folk here, not to cause problems for people. It is a great pity that it had to go. But our society is like that, there are rules to follow."

↧

Custody of elderly woman: Family finds closure after viewing police video

March 19, 2017, 12:21 am

≫ Next: Singapore rebuts Economist report on free speech for misrepresenting protesters

≪ Previous: HDB artists: Authorisation does not kill creativity

By K.C. Vijayan, Senior Law Correspondent, The Straits Times, 18 Mar 2017

The woman whose 73-year-old mother was arrested for a municipal offence viewed police footage yesterday and accepted that it clearly showed her mother was not physically restrained at any time while in police custody.

Madam Gertrude Simon, 55, who had all along maintained that her mother had been handcuffed by the police, attended a briefing with her mother at the Ang Mo Kio South Neighbourhood Police Centre (NPC).

Madam Simon said: "I appreciate the unprecedented gesture made by the police to show me the video recordings of the sequence of events during the time when my mother was in police custody."

She added: "Based on the police video shown, it is clear that my mum was not physically restrained at any time when she was in their custody."

Singapore Prison Service (SPS) officers, who were also at the briefing, had clarified that physical restraints were used by their officers in accordance with current SPS procedures during the two occasions when her mother, Madam Josephine Savarimuthu, was transported between the State Courts and Changi Women's Prison.

Madam Simon said she was gratified by the transparency displayed by the authorities in coming forward to share their footage and information.

"It has helped to bring a good closure to this unfortunate episode of events," she added.

Madam Savarimuthu was arrested by police on March 4 at the same NPC while making a report for a lost pawn ticket. There, it emerged that there was an outstanding warrant of arrest against her issued by the court last year.

It was for failing to attend court, relating to a town council summons for $400 - for the wrongful placement of potted plants outside her flat.

Madam Simon explained that her mother was still traumatised and could have mixed up the details of what she went through.

She said: "I do understand that if my mother had been able to provide details of her relatives earlier at the police centre, then we could have bailed her immediately and avoided this suffering for her."

Madam Simon urged the authorities to review whether elderly persons can be exempted from physical restraints when in custody.

"Law enforcement officers must also be able to exercise discretion for varying situations on the ground," she said.

Custody of elderly woman: Questions over discretion
Observers suggest looking at alternatives when handling seniors who are arrested
By K.C. Vijayan, Senior Law Correspondent, The Straits Times, 17 Mar 2017

The arrest of a 73-year-old woman and the subsequent use of hand and leg restraints on her has raised the question of whether more discretion should be used in the handling of elderly persons in custody.

Several lawyers and observers suggest that the police consider alternatives when dealing with an elderly person such as Madam Josephine Savarimuthu. They also question the need to use security devices in escorting her from prison to court for a low-risk municipal offence.

Madam Savarimuthu was arrested by police on March 4 at a neighbourhood police centre while making a report for a lost pawn ticket.

It emerged there that there was an outstanding warrant of arrest issued by the court last year. This was for failing to attend court relating to a town council summons - for the wrongful placement of potted plants outside her flat.

In a statement yesterday, police maintained she was not restrained while in custody and appeared alert, coherent and communicative.

She was asked if she wanted to call someone to bail her out, once at the police station, and then in court. She declined both times.

It was only when she was being escorted between the courts and Changi Women's Prison (CWP) that she was restrained at the hands and legs. This is part of the prison service's standard operating procedures, which include preventing people in custody from harming themselves.

Her daughter Gertrude Simon, 55, expressed dismay about her mother's treatment and urged a review of procedures. She came to learn of her mother's case after Madam Savarimuthu was remanded in CWP, about seven hours after the arrest.

Commenting on the case yesterday, Association of Criminal Lawyers of Singapore president Sunil Sudheesan said "sensitivity in dealing with the elderly is vital, but this has to be balanced against the protection of the detained persons from themselves and those escorting such persons".

He added: " I do see the merit of having the next of kin informed within a reasonable time frame. This is, of course, mired in its own difficulties. I have sympathies for both sides."

Veteran lawyer Singa Retnam said it would have been better if police had the discretion to go to her house at the time of arrest to verify who was her next of kin and alert them even if she refused bail.

He said such exceptions could be considered given that she was an elderly person with medical conditions, and her arrest was in relation to a municipal offence.

Ms Jolene Tan, head of civic body Aware's Advocacy and Research Group, said given that Madam Savarimuthu was an elderly woman arrested for a non-serious, non-violent offence and no information had been given about particular risks she posed, neither handcuffs nor leg restraints appear appropriate.

Restraints can be very stressful and intimidating, especially for vulnerable groups.

"In our view, SOPs should not automatically prescribe the use of restraints for people in custody," she said. "Instead, there should be a decision-making process which considers factors such as the severity of the offence, whether it is violent or non-violent, and characteristics of the suspect such as age, gender and disability."

Former civil servant Sheikh Ahmad Adam, 70, who has worked in the security sector, said he was "very disappointed" at seeing a 73-year-old woman in such circumstances, adding that more discretionary measures should have been taken.

But Mr Sunil said:" The problem with discretion is that when things go wrong, the individual officer who decided to exercise an amount of discretion will take the brunt of the blame. So I can understand why there is a strict adherence to established procedures.

"I think procedures were correctly followed here, but we can study the need to handcuff and restrain the elderly, especially in minor cases, and review the arrest process.

"The balance, as always, rests somewhere in between, and I am confident that considered thought will be put into this."

Video shows senior was not restrained in police custody
By K. C. Vijayan, The Straits Times, 17 Mar 2017

Video footage from closed-circuit television cameras and cameras worn by police officers show that Madam Josephine Savarimuthu was not restrained by police at any point in time while in their custody.

The police said in a statement yesterday that they have invited the family of the 73-year-old woman to view the footage at their convenience.

They added that the video footage also showed that Madam Savarimuthu was alert, coherent and communicative when in police custody and did not appear to be distressed.

In a Straits Times Forum letter published on Wednesday, Madam Gertrude Simon wrote that her mother, Madam Savarimuthu, was handcuffed and had leg restraints on when she was moved between the police station, Changi Women's Prison and the court.

Madam Simon, 55, had, in an interview with The Straits Times, added that her mother - who lives alone - was also stressed and overwhelmed throughout the ordeal.

The authorities, in a statement on Wednesday, said that only in her transfer to the prison was Madam Savarimuthu restrained at the hands and legs - in line with standard Singapore Prison Service operating procedures.

Madam Savarimuthu was arrested after she lodged a police report at a neighbourhood police centre.

While processing her report, the police officer discovered that there was an outstanding warrant of arrest against her issued by the court last year for failing to attend court relating to a town council summons.

74-year-old in custody: Procedures followed, say authorities
Police, prison service respond to woman's letter on treatment of detained mother
By K.C. Vijayan, Senior Law Correspondent, The Straits Times, 16 Mar 2017

Standard procedures were followed and several opportunities were given for a 74-year-old woman to contact her family during her arrest, said the prison service and police force.

They were responding to a letter published on Wednesday in The Straits Times Forum pageby Madam Gertrude Simon that her mother Josephine Savarimuthu was handcuffed and had leg restraints on when she was moved between the police station, Changi Women's Prison (CWP) and the court.

She wrote that there was a need for the police and government agencies to re-examine the procedures involving elderly suspects, and that factors like their age, health and mental state, along with the seriousness of the offence, had to be considered.

A joint statement by the Singapore Prison Service (SPS) and Singapore Police Force (SPF) last night said she was not restrained by the police, and this was done only when she was transferred to prison as part of standard procedures.

"Throughout her time with the police, Madam Simon's mother was not restrained, and was offered food and water. She did not show any sign of being traumatised, and was alert when in police custody," it added.

The statement said Madam Savarimuthu had lodged a police report at Ang Mo Kio South Neighbourhood Police Centre on March 4 - a Saturday - for a missing pawn ticket. While processing her report, the police officer discovered that Madam Savarimuthu had an outstanding warrant of arrest issued by the court in 2016 for failing to attend court relating to a town council summons.

It added that Madam Savarimuthu admitted she had an outstanding case with the town council. She was placed under arrest and transferred to Ang Mo Kio Police Division, where she was allowed to call a bailor but declined to do so, said the agencies, adding that she was transferred to the State Courts the same morning to process her outstanding arrest warrant.

The statement said that at the State Courts, Madam Savarimuthu was again asked if she wished to contact anyone for bail, but she declined again.

"If she had accepted the bail offer, she would have been released that day, and attended court another day," it added.

Madam Savarimuthu was then escorted by SPS officers to CWP to be remanded until March 6, a Monday, which was the next available date for court mention.

In her transfer to prison, Madam Savarimuthu was restrained at the hands and legs, which is part of SPS' standard operating procedures, which include preventing persons in custody from harming themselves, the agencies said.

At the prison, Madam Savarimuthu provided the contact details of her granddaughter, who was reached on the same day about what had happened, the next court date and procedure for bail.

The agencies said Madam Simon went to CWP and was informed by SPS officers on the court procedures for bailing out her mother.

"She was also reassured that SPS was aware of her mother's pre-existing medical condition and that she was being provided with the necessary medication and assistance," it added.

"The police and SPS have a duty to enforce the law and to ensure that the rule of law is respected. At the same time, we are committed to ensuring the well-being and safety of persons in our custody."

Speaking to The Straits Times last night at her Ang Mo Kio flat with Madam Simon by her side, the elderly woman said the town council matter involved the wrongful placement of potted plants outside her flat, which amounted to an offence involving a $400 fine.

Of her encounter, she said: "I feel very sad. Why did they do this to an old woman?"

She added of her experience at the police station: "I was confused, I did not know what to say."

Madam Simon, 55, said her mother - who lives alone - could not recall the contact details of any relatives while in custody as she was "stressed and overwhelmed". As a result, the family found out only later that day after a CWP officer contacted them.

Despite the agencies' account, Madam Simon said her mother was handcuffed and restrained when she was moved from the police post to the police division and to the courts. But she said her mother, who suffers from several illness, was thankfully placed in the medical ward in prison, where she received her daily doses of medicine.

"When I saw her after her release, she was very quiet and when I brought her home, she slept with her hands closed to her face, like in handcuffs," she added.

Additional reporting by Seow Bei Yi

The joint statement

Key points of joint statement from the police and prison service:

• When Madam Josephine Savarimuthu was in police custody after her arrest on March 4, she was not restrained, and was offered food and water. She did not show any sign of being traumatised, and was alert when in police custody.

• She was asked if she wanted to call someone to bail her out, once at the police station and then in court. She declined both times. If she had accepted the bail offer, she would have been released that day, before going to court another day.

• After attending court on the morning of March 4, she was escorted by prison officers to Changi Women's Prison to be remanded until March 6, the next available date for court mention. During her transfer, she was restrained at the hands and legs. This is part of the prison service's standard operating procedures, which include preventing people in custody from harming themselves.

• It was while in remand that she provided the contact number of a family member. The prison made contact on the same day. On March 5, Madam Savarimuthu's daughter went to the prison. She was unable to see her mother as there was no visitation on Sunday. Officers told her that they were aware of her mother's pre-existing medical condition and that she was being provided with the necessary help. The daughter bailed her mother out from the State Courts on March 6.

Relook how elderly suspects are treated when detained

I am deeply saddened and shocked by the events that took place on March 4.

My mother is 73 years old, frail and suffers from a host of medical conditions.

That morning, she went to the Ang Mo Kio South Neighbourhood Police Centre to report a lost pawn shop ticket.

However, the officer-in-charge informed her that there was a warrant of arrest issued against her in 2015 for failing to appear for a court hearing on a town council-related matter.

They did not provide her with any further details of the offence.

She was detained and taken to the Ang Mo Kio Police Station and, from there, to the State Courts, before being remanded at Changi Women's Prison (CWP).

While in custody, my mother was stressed and overwhelmed, and was unable to recall the contact details of any of her relatives.

Hence, it was only later that afternoon, after we were contacted by a CWP staff member, that we found out about my mother's whereabouts.

She was remanded over the weekend and was not allowed any visits. She was taken to the State Courts on March 6, where bail was offered.

Thankfully, the prison officials had placed my mother in the medical ward, so she received her daily doses of medicine.

My elderly mother was traumatised by the incident.

There is a serious need for the police and government agencies to re-examine the procedures involving our elderly.

When elderly suspects are detained, factors like their age, health and mental state, along with the seriousness of the offence, need to be considered.

Their sudden detention and lack of access to their loved ones can be very traumatic.

Their next-of-kin must be contacted; if necessary, the elderly person should be taken home to retrieve phone records.

This would make it easier to make bail arrangements and avoid the need for him to be taken to prison.

Furthermore, when my mother was moved between the police station, CWP and the court, she was handcuffed and had leg restraints on.

It is appalling that a weak old woman was subjected to such harsh treatment.

Law enforcement officers must be empowered to exercise flexibility to handle such cases with empathy and more humane considerations.

I hope our pioneer generation members will not be subjected to such an ordeal in future.

Gertrude Simon (Madam)
ST Forum, 15 Mar 2017

↧

Singapore rebuts Economist report on free speech for misrepresenting protesters

March 19, 2017, 12:58 am

≫ Next: Healthcare Reform: Make America Singapore

≪ Previous: Custody of elderly woman: Family finds closure after viewing police video

Government rebuts Economist report
By Chong Zi Liang, The Straits Times, 18 Mar 2017

The Government has refuted an article in The Economist on free speech in Singapore, which said critics continue to be penalised for speaking out even as leaders called for more naysayers.

The magazine, in its March 11 issue, cited the High Court's recent upholding of the conviction of three people who protested against the CPF in Hong Lim Park in 2014.

In a letter published in The Economist's March 18 issue, Singapore High Commissioner to Britain Foo Chi Hsia said: "They were not charged for criticising the Government, but for loutishly barging into a performance by a group of special education-needs children, frightening them and denying them the right to be heard."

This is the second time in a week that the Government has responded to a foreign publication that misrepresented the case.

On Saturday, Reuters news agency wrote that six people "were charged with creating a public nuisance while protesting against a compulsory tax savings scheme".

But the police clarified a day later that their protest had disrupted a charity event at an adjacent lawn. The six, who included blogger Han Hui Hui, were charged with public nuisance with common intention in October 2014, and later convicted.

Last month, the High Court upheld the convictions and sentences of Han and two others .

In her letter, Ms Foo said The Economist's report, titled "Grumble And Be Damned", had "alleged a lack of free speech in Singapore".

But she noted that Singaporeans have free access to information and the Internet, including to international news outlets such as The Economist and the BBC.

She said: "We do not stifle criticism of the Government. But we will not allow our judiciary to be denigrated under the cover of free speech, nor will we protect hate or libellous speech."

Opposition politicians have also successfully gone to court to defend their integrity and correct falsehoods purveyed against them, she noted.

"In no country is the right to free speech absolute," she said. "When this right is extended to fake news, defamation or hate speech, society pays a price. Witness the Brexit campaign and elections in America and Europe.

"Trust in leaders and institutions, including journalists and the media, has been gravely undermined, as have these democracies. In contrast, international polls show that Singaporeans trust their government, judiciary, police and even media," she added.

"Singapore does not claim to be an example for others, but we do ask to be allowed to work out a system that is best for ourselves," she said.

Free speech in Singapore

“Grumble and be damned” (March 11th) alleged a lack of free speech in Singapore. Yet Singaporeans have free access to information and the internet, including to The Economist and the BBC. We do not stifle criticism of the government. But we will not allow our judiciary to be denigrated under the cover of free speech, nor will we protect hate or libellous speech. People can go to court to defend their integrity and correct falsehoods purveyed against them. Opposition politicians have done this, successfully.

You cited the case of three protesters convicted for creating a public nuisance at Speakers’ Corner. They were not charged for criticising the government, but for loutishly barging into a performance by a group of special-education-needs children, frightening them and denying them the right to be heard.

In no country is the right to free speech absolute. When this right is extended to fake news, defamation or hate speech, society pays a price. Witness the Brexit campaign, and elections in America and Europe. Trust in leaders and institutions, including journalists and the media, has been gravely undermined, as have these democracies. In contrast, international polls show that Singaporeans trust their government, judiciary, police and even media. Singapore does not claim to be an example for others, but we do ask to be allowed to work out a system that is best for ourselves.

Foo Chi Hsia
High Commissioner for Singapore, London
Letters to the editor,
The Economist, 16 Mar 2017

Reuters report on Speakers' Corner protest 'misleading'
By Pearl Lee, The Straits Times, 13 Mar 2017

The Singapore Police Force yesterday said it was "regrettable" that a report by news agency Reuters on a protest held last Saturday contained "unsubstantiated allegations", and described it as an attempt to stoke fears about the use of the Speakers' Corner in Hong Lim Park.

The news agency had published a report last Saturday about a protest over the upcoming water price hike which was attended by about 100 people at the free-speech zone.

A line in the report read: "The organisers of Saturday's protest said more people would have turned up if they had not feared a police crackdown."

It also stated that in 2014, six people "were charged with creating a public nuisance while protesting against a compulsory tax savings scheme".

In a statement last night, police rebutted the two points, saying it was "regrettable" that the news agency ran a report containing "unsubstantiated allegations from the (protest) organisers".

The report presented a "false and misleading picture" on the use of the Speakers' Corner in Singapore, it said, noting that a police permit is not required for events held at the free-speech zone, as long as they do not cause racial or religious enmity, or pose any law-and-order risks.

Many large-scale events involving thousands of participants have been held at the Speakers' Corner, the police added.

On the six people who were charged, the police said their protest had disrupted a charity event at an adjacent lawn.

The six, who included blogger Han Hui Hui, were charged and convicted of public nuisance with common intention in October 2014.

"(The Reuters report) was clearly an attempt to stoke fears about the use of the Speakers' Corner and sow distrust of the police," said the police in their statement.

"A more objective reporting would have shown that the Speakers' Corner has been, and remains, an avenue for Singaporeans to participate freely and responsibly in public speeches and demonstrations."

Reuters could not be reached for comment as at press time last night.

↧

Healthcare Reform: Make America Singapore

March 20, 2017, 8:25 am

≫ Next: Psychological first aid training for grassroots leaders and volunteers

≪ Previous: Singapore rebuts Economist report on free speech for misrepresenting protesters

By Ross Douthat, Published The Straits Times, 20 Mar 2017

I have been devoting this space to deliberately implausible ideas lately, and the time has come to turn to an issue that our politicians are actually debating: healthcare reform. Though "debating" might be a strong word, since the politicians I'm talking about are all Republicans, and it's hard to have a serious argument when almost everyone involved really, really wishes that they could just stop and talk about tax cuts instead.

In theory, there is a coherent vision underlying Republican healthcare policy debates. Health insurance should be, like other forms of insurance, something that protects you against serious illnesses and pays unexpected bills but doesn't cover more everyday expenses. People need catastrophic coverage, but otherwise, they should spend their own money whenever possible, because that's the best way to bring normal market pressures to bear on healthcare services, driving down costs without strangling medical innovation.

This theory - along with, yes, a green-eyeshade attitude towards government expenditures on the working poor - explains why conservatives think a modest subsidy to help people buy health insurance makes more sense than Obamacare's larger subsidies.

Republican politicians may offer pandering promises of lower deductibles and co-pays, but the coherent conservative position is that cheaper plans with higher deductibles are a very good thing, as they're much closer to what insurance ought to be - and the more they proliferate, the cheaper healthcare will ultimately be for all.

Is there an existing health insurance system that vindicates this boast? Yes, in a sense: There is Singapore, whose healthcare system is the marvel of the wealthy world. Singaporeans pay for much of their own care out of their own pockets, and their major insurance programme is designed to cover long-term illnesses and prolonged hospitalisations, not routine care. The combination has produced genuinely extraordinary results: The island state has excellent health outcomes, while spending, as of 2014, is just 5 per cent of gross domestic product on healthcare. (By comparison, a typical Western European country that year spent around 10 per cent; the United States spent 17 per cent.)

However, there has never been a major Republican policy proposal that just imitates what Singapore actually does. That's because the Singaporean vision is built around personal responsibility and private spending, but also a degree of statism and paternalism that present-day American conservatism instinctively rejects.

First, Singaporeans do not spend money voluntarily saved in health-savings accounts. Under their Medisave programme, they spend money saved in mandatory health-savings accounts, to which employers contribute as well. Second, their catastrophic insurance doesn't come from a bevy of competing health insurance companies, but from a government-run single-payer system, MediShield Life. And then, the Government maintains a further safety net, Medifund, for patients who can't cover their bills, while topping off Medisave accounts for poorer, older Singaporeans, and maintaining other supplemental programmes.

So the Singapore structure does not necessarily minimise state involvement or redistribution. It minimises direct public spending and third-party payments, while maximising people's exposure to what treatments actually cost. And the results are, again, impressive: By forcing its citizens to save and manage their own spending, the Singapore system seems to free up an awful lot of money to spend on goods besides healthcare over the longer haul of life.

This is the point in a normal column where I would note the insuperable political obstacles to getting a Singaporean plan through Congress even if Republicans embraced it. (And for the record, I am quite certain that making America Singapore wouldn't generate quite the same cost savings for cultural reasons alone: A sprawling empire of free spenders is never going to be as disciplined as a city-state ruled for 30 years by founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew.) But I'm dealing in political implausibilities these days, and if you simply wish away the hurdles, there is a stronger case by far for trying to get to Singapore than for the jerry-built, incoherent thing that Speaker Paul Ryan is struggling to manoeuvre through the House.

What's more, the federalist healthcare compromise floated recently by senators Bill Cassidy and Susan Collins is a little closer to Singapore's than many Republican plans to date. The senators propose that states be allowed to experiment with an Obamacare alternative that would auto-enrol the uninsured in catastrophic coverage and directly fund health-savings accounts for the working class and the poor. The first isn't MediShield Life (there's no public option) and the second isn't Medisave (no mandatory savings). But together, they're more Singaporean than what Ryancare does and doesn't do.

Of course, they're also a bigger compromise with paternalism than the Republican Party's True Conservatives are currently willing to accept. They have their principles, and making America Singapore is simply a non-starter.

I just hope those principles are a comfort to them when the next wave of liberalism delivers us to a much more plausible health insurance destination than Singapore: straightforward, single-payer, in the form of Medicaid for almost all.

NYTIMES

↧

Psychological first aid training for grassroots leaders and volunteers

March 20, 2017, 9:30 pm

≫ Next: Government moves to speed up smart nation projects

≪ Previous: Healthcare Reform: Make America Singapore

Overcoming trauma of terror attack
Grassroots leaders, volunteers will be taught psychological first aid in new move
By Chong Zi Liang, The Straits Times, 20 Mar 2017

Grassroots leaders and volunteers across Singapore will be trained in psychological first aid, to help residents overcome the shock and mental distress following a terror strike.

Psychologists and counsellors from the newly formed Human Emergency Assistance and Response Teams will teach community responders how to identify and support those suffering from psychological trauma after an attack.

These professionals from the Home Team, Ministry of Social and Family Development and Institute of Mental Health will train responders from all 89 constituencies, to ensure each area can support affected residents and their families.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced the initiative yesterday at an event in Teck Ghee to raise awareness about SGSecure, the national movement to increase the public's preparedness and resilience in the fight against terror.

Recent terror-related incidents in the region show the threat is serious, Mr Lee said, calling on Singaporeans to strengthen community bonds to minimise the repercussions of an attack. Terrorists would aim not just to hurt people, but also to divide Singaporeans, he said.

That is why Singaporeans should get to know their neighbours and make friends with people of other races. Every little act counts, he added, from holding the lift door open to offering snacks to others.

"The stronger our kampung spirit, the less able the terrorists will be to break us," said Mr Lee at Emergency Preparedness Day in his Teck Ghee ward, organised as part of the SGSecure outreach to neighbourhoods.

He encouraged residents to acquire life-saving skills such as using automated external defibrillators (AEDs), which have been installed at 55 housing blocks in Teck Ghee. The Government aims to install one AED for every two blocks islandwide eventually.

General manager Chong Hwa Heng, 48, was among the residents who learnt how to use an AED yesterday. "It's good to be prepared just in case of emergencies, you never know when you might need to use this skill," he said.

Mr Lee also urged residents to download the SGSecure mobile application, which has been updated with new features. The app can now provide users with customised alerts on emergency incidents occurring in specific locations in Singapore - such as office buildings, shopping malls or residential blocks - by keying in the relevant postal codes. This will inform subscribers of any emergency situation near the specified location.

It will also send subscribers news alerts on terror incidents in specific regions that Singaporeans have key interests in, for instance South-east Asia, East Asia and Europe.

Financial administration officer Iliya Shazni, 29, tried the improved app, and said he will use it to keep track of incidents near his home, his mother's workplace, and his younger sister's school. "It'll give me better peace of mind knowing that I'll be informed should any danger arise near them," he said.

Mr Lee also joined residents in viewing an exercise where "terrorists" attacked coffee shop patrons with firearms. It showed residents running for cover, assisting casualties, and calling the police, which dispatched their emergency response teams to take out the threat.

With the terror threat at a high level, the Government has stepped up its outreach to raise awareness and prepare residents to respond effectively in the event of an attack.

Community volunteers and Home Team officers have visited more than 50,000 households since the official launch of the SGSecure movement last September.

The authorities plan to engage schools and workplaces next.

'Heart' training kicks in when crisis hits
By Pearl Lee, The Straits Times, 20 Mar 2017

It is a regular weekend at home for Mr and Mrs Lin, until an explosion at a block rocks their estate.

Panicking, they try to contact their son Harry, who occasionally skateboards near the block with his friends. But Harry does not answer his phone.

This scenario was one of several posed to grassroots leaders from Ang Mo Kio GRC during their first training session in psychological first aid on March 12.

"They will be the first responders when a terror attack happens in an estate, said Dr Majeed Khader, 50, chief psychologist at the Ministry of Home Affairs.

During the five-hour course, professional psychologists from the newly formed Human Emergency Assistance and Response Teams (Heart) taught the volunteers how to stabilise situations after a crisis hits, approach the affected people and identify signs of distress.

In small groups, they also role-played different scenarios after a terror attack, and discussed ways to minimise its impact.

In the case of the Lins, where the situation is likely to be chaotic, community responders trained in psychological first aid can move in to assure the family that help is at hand.

Senior psychologist Andrew Neo, 36, who helped to train the Ang Mo Kio group, said: "You want to acknowledge their anxiety and point them to the right avenues for help. But you should not over-promise or exaggerate what you can do, for instance, promising them that their son will be fine."

The training comes under the national SGSecure movement, which aims to prepare Singaporeans to deal with a terrorist attack.

The group of 60 community leaders is among the first batch of volunteers to receive training in psychological first aid.

In time, responders from all 89 constituencies will be trained.

Dr Majeed, who leads the Heart initiative, said community leaders will be taught to practise the "3Ls" - look, link and listen.

This means looking out for people who are affected by the crisis, who may or may not display symptoms; listening to what people are saying; and linking them to professional agencies that can offer more support.

The volunteers also have to be aware of the various religious and cultural differences, especially in bereavement practices, he added.

Lawyer Sathinathan, a long-time grassroots leader who attended the training, said the feeling of uneasiness can spread quickly within a community. "And with social media, misinformation can spread very quickly. Our role is to be there, calm the affected residents, and lead them to proper channels of information," said Mr Sathinathan, who goes by one name.

Business analyst and grassroots leader Ang Kim Long, 36, said community responders also have to think about the best way to reach out to the affected people.

"Some people might be very guarded after something bad has just happened to them. It might be useful to reach out to them through their neighbours, or someone they are familiar with in the community," he said.

↧

Government moves to speed up smart nation projects

March 22, 2017, 1:38 am

≫ Next: Singapore overtakes Silicon Valley as No. 1 for global start-up talent

≪ Previous: Psychological first aid training for grassroots leaders and volunteers

GovTech and two technology planning units to come under PMO to improve coordination
By Irene Tham, Senior Tech Correspondent, The Straits Times, 21 Mar 2017

Smart nation projects such as e-identity, e-payment and an islandwide wireless sensor network have been earmarked for some "turbocharging" following an announcement yesterday to fold a government agency and two technology planning units under the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).

From May 1, the Government Technology Agency (GovTech) - the 1,800 people-strong crack team behind tech transformation in the public sector - will come under the PMO. GovTech is currently a statutory board under the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI).

Whole-of-government technology planning teams from the Ministry of Finance and MCI will also come under the PMO. The teams will join the Smart Nation Programme Office - formed in late 2014 to spearhead smart nation project planning - to form a new Smart Nation and Digital Government Office (SNDGO), which will have a combined headcount of 40.

Both GovTech and SNDGO will report to a new Smart Nation and Digital Government Group (SNDGG).

"In this way, we will be more coordinated and move forward on the key digital government (and smart nation) programmes in the coming year or two," said Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean.

He added that the reorganisation will provide better central management and accountability, and will have "a greater ability to pull together all the government agencies".

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said last month at the annual Camp Sequoia tech summit that Singapore was not moving as fast as it ought to on digital transformation.

A ministerial committee, chaired by DPM Teo, will oversee the new SNDGG. The committee's deputy chairman is Minister for Communications and Information Yaacob Ibrahim. The committee also comprises Minister-in-charge of the Smart Nation Initiative Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills) Ong Ye Kung and Minister of State for Communications and Information Janil Puthucheary.

GovTech chairman Ng Chee Khern will be Permanent Secretary (Smart Nation and Digital Government) while continuing his current role as Permanent Secretary (Defence Development).

Describing the reorganisation as a way of "turbocharging" smart nation projects, Dr Balakrishnan said: "Over the next year, I hope to see major progress in three signature programmes: digital identity, e-payments and a national sensor system."

In July last year, GovTech engaged digital security systems maker Gemalto to trial a mobile digital ID system in the healthcare and banking sectors to securely identify every Internet user, just like the NRIC does.

On the e-payment front, a Central Addressing Scheme is slated for launch by the middle of this year to allow fund transfers to one's mobile number without having to enter a bank account number.

Meanwhile, GovTech is working with the Land Transport Authority to test the concept of a national sensor network for collecting and aggregating all sorts of data, from traffic to temperature and humidity. The project could see sensors deployed on 95,000 street lights islandwide.

↧

Singapore overtakes Silicon Valley as No. 1 for global start-up talent

March 22, 2017, 9:39 pm

≫ Next: PM Lee: Singapore's ties with Vietnam prospering

≪ Previous: Government moves to speed up smart nation projects

Startup Genome Global Startup Ecosystem Report and Ranking 2017: Singapore No. 1 in world for start-up talent
By Ann Williams, The Straits Times, 22 Mar 2017

Perhaps the biggest surprise coming out of a 150-page research report covering 10,000 start-ups and 300 partner companies worldwide is that tiny Singapore has overthrown tech centre Silicon Valley as the world’s No. 1 for start-up talent.

The report by Startup Genome, a US-based organisation, credits Singapore’s innovative policies for its great start-up ecosystem.

While Singapore’s overall ranking this year fell two notches to 12th, this was due to two new Chinese entrants, it said. Singapore’s performance numbers are solid and will probably continue to rise, it added.

Along with a geographical location that offers easy access to up-and-coming tech markets in South-east Asia, Singapore’s 1,600 to 2,400 tech start-ups enjoy significant government subsidies.

Strategies here are working to establish local tech start-ups as globally relevant firms, said the report.

Dr Alex Lin, head of ecosystem development at SGInnovate, said the Republic is evolving at a pace like no other ecosystem.

“Within three years, we are a sustainable ecosystem of accelerators and corporate co-innovation, resulting in a six-fold increase of start-ups raising series A (a type of funding); in a year, venture capital money doubled to US$1.7 billion.”

Singapore’s access to quality talent and its relative cost put it ahead of rivals.

The average software engineer salary here of US$35,000 (S$49,000) per year, for example, is below the US$49,000 global average. High pay is one reason Silicon Valley lost its top talent ranking.

Also, while Singapore trailed behind below the average top 20 nation, in ranking 10th in terms of talent quality, it more than made up for it by being the fourth- and second-best ecosystem for start-ups to access experienced software engineers and growth employees, respectively.

The experience levels of talent here were found to be comparatively strong, with 80 per cent of engineering and 74 per cent of growth teams boasting at least two years of prior start-up experience compared with global averages of 72 per cent and 60 per cent, respectively.

Singapore has the third-highest level of global connectedness of all top 20 ecosystems – outperforming Silicon Valley again.

The Republic also has the sixth-highest percentage of immigrant founders at 35 per cent.

“Singapore is an open society and welcomes entrepreneurs from around the world to create the next big thing here,” said Mr James Tan, managing partner of Asian technology venture fund Quest Ventures.

This is Startup Genome’s third Global Startup Ecosystem Report. The 2017 survey examines how cities help to grow and sustain start-up ecosystems through eight major factors: performance, funding, market reach, talent, start-up experience, resource attraction, ecosystem demographics and founder demographics.

Excited to see This great write up on @TheNextWeb https://t.co/UPEiikAqv8
— Startup Genome (@startupgenome) March 20, 2017

Silicon Valley is still No. 1 overall and in most categories, but the report noted that the US is losing dominance to Asia and Europe. However, the US still has seven top 20 cities.

The Chinese cities of Beijing and Shanghai, absent from previous reports owing to lack of data, debuted at No. 4 and No. 8, respectively.

Mr Lim Der Shing, tech investor and co-founder of JobsCentral Group, said the Asean tech ecosystem is one of the most exciting in terms of risk reward.

“My co-founder and I are putting our money where our mouth is and investing heavily in both Asean start-ups and VCs. And Singapore is where we find all our deals as most start-ups value the talent pool, capital pool, clear corporate governance and intellectual property regime here.”

Mr Tiang Lim Foo, operating partner of Singapore-based early stage venture firm SeedPlus, said challenges remain.

“For one thing, exit options remain limited, thus restricting capital/talent liquidity circulating back into the ecosystem,” he said, adding, “I remain confident that this will be solved in time.”

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PM Lee: Singapore's ties with Vietnam prospering

March 23, 2017, 12:18 am

≫ Next: New 500-bed Tan Tock Seng Hospital rehab complex to open in 2022 at HealthCity Novena

≪ Previous: Singapore overtakes Silicon Valley as No. 1 for global start-up talent

Official Visit by PM Lee Hsien Loong to Vietnam, 21 to 24 March 2017

There are opportunities there, he says, urging Singaporeans to venture out into the region

By Joanna Seow, In Ho Chi Minh City, The Straits Times, 22 Mar 2017

Singapore's ties with Vietnam are prospering and there are opportunities for Singaporeans in the country, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said yesterday.

And as Singapore undergoes economic transformation, it is crucial to seize opportunities in the region in order to grow, he told about 280 Singaporeans living in Ho Chi Minh City at a dinner reception.

"If we are to prosper, we have to be able to go overseas and venture and take opportunities and uncertainties," Mr Lee said.

Deepening Singapore's international connections was one of the strategies set out by the Committee on the Future Economy in its report released last month.

Mr Lee added that Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City have progressed since his last visit to the city more than 10 years ago, and he hopes there will be more flights between Vietnam and Singapore.

He arrived in Vietnam yesterday morning for a four-day visit, and joined Singaporeans for dinner at the InterContinental Asiana Saigon hotel, where they tucked into favourites such as nasi lemak, satay and pandan chiffon cake.

There are 937 Singapore projects and more than 2,000 Singaporeans working in Ho Chi Minh City. "The fact that you are all here shows that the adventurous spirit in Singapore is alive and well," said Mr Lee.

One Singaporean pioneer in Vietnam is Mr Low Kok Chiang, 71, who runs an organic produce business with his son Patrick, 28.

They grow about 120 varieties of fruit and vegetables such as cabbage, tomatoes and kale in Da Lat city in the central highland region of Vietnam, and sell them at their two-year-old outlet called 5th Element in Ho Chi Minh City.

Another outlet is opening this weekend, and the Lows hope to have a third by the middle of this year. Their goal is to scale up production eventually so that they can export vegetables back to Singapore and open an outlet there.

"We see the Mekong delta as the last frontier for major food sources in Asia... and we want to make safe and healthy vegetables accessible," said the elder Mr Low, who has lived in Vietnam for 31 years and started growing produce in 2003.

Mr Patrick Low, who moved to Vietnam seven years ago after completing his national service, said they hope to expand their farmland beyond the current 4ha, which lets them harvest about half a tonne of produce a day.

"It is a challenging business if you talk about profitability, so it comes down to passion," he said.

Passion is also what drove Mr Poh Wei Ye, 33, to start an orphanage in the province of Vung Tau in northeast Vietnam. He grew to love helping street children after spending six months backpacking through the developing countries in South- east Asia seven years ago, after losing his mother to cancer. He and a local nun set up an orphanage, which now shelters 20 children.

"I want to see the kids able to continue to go to school, so that they don't have to work in a coffee shop or a factory and be trapped in the poverty cycle," he said.

Earlier in the day, Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong called on Mr Lee and hosted him to lunch.

Both leaders affirmed the strong economic and business links between Singapore and Vietnam's commercial hub.

Singapore remains the top foreign investor in the city of eight million, with investments of US$10.2 billion (S$14.2 billion).

During their meeting, Mr Lee conveyed Singapore's continued interest in expanding investments in the city. Mr Phong updated him on plans for the city's development.

Mr Lee indicated that Singapore is happy to share its experience in urban planning and management, and thanked the city leadership for its support for Singapore and its businesses. Mr Phong said he looked forward to deeper business links with Singapore.

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New 500-bed Tan Tock Seng Hospital rehab complex to open in 2022 at HealthCity Novena

March 23, 2017, 12:49 am

≫ Next: Keeping Hainanese culture alive

≪ Previous: PM Lee: Singapore's ties with Vietnam prospering

Integrated Care Hub to be built next to TTSH; opens in five years
As part of HealthCity Novena, it will add to growing facilities for ageing population

By Linette Lai, The Straits Times, 22 Mar 2017

Tan Tock Seng Hospital's (TTSH) new 500-bed rehabilitation complex, right next to the main hospital in Novena, opens in five years and will add to the growing number of healthcare facilities that cater to the needs of an ageing population.

The new Integrated Care Hub will be part of HealthCity Novena - a mega health complex scheduled for completion by 2030 that will include a hospital, medical school and step-down facilities, as well as the National Centre for Infectious Diseases.

TTSH's hub will take in patients who have complex rehabilitation needs, such as those who have suffered spinal cord injuries or lost their limbs, and also care for those who no longer need the acute services of a general hospital but still require a degree of medical care.

In doing so, it will provide what Senior Minister of State for Health Amy Khor described as "the crucial link between the acute hospital and community care".

Speaking at the hub's ground-breaking ceremony yesterday, she noted that TTSH will also move its current rehabilitation services - including those in Ang Mo Kio - into the new centre when it is ready.

A fifth of the beds at the hub will be used by the Dover Park Hospice, located nearby in Jalan Tan Tock Seng, to care for the terminally ill. The rest of the beds - managed by TTSH - will be for those who need rehabilitation and sub-acute care.

"The Integrated Care Hub is part of our efforts to move beyond hospital-centric healthcare to care in the community," Dr Khor said.

"The elderly are more likely to face complex health issues and are at risk of being readmitted into hospitals if they do not receive proper care within the community and at home."

Dover Park Hospice, which will double its bed capacity after moving into the hub, hopes to benefit from the convenience of being nearer to the services it needs.

Its chairman, Professor Lionel Lee, said: "As it stands, there is still a transportation issue when you send patients for X-rays or physiotherapy, for example. We used to have to bring the therapists over, but now it will be quite easy."

Singapore Hospice Council chairman Angel Lee said this integration will help improve the quality of hospice care, which used to be something of an "orphan discipline".

She said: "What has spurred developments in recent years is the increasing recognition that it is an essential part of the whole healthcare landscape... With better support from the public and healthcare leaders, we have seen improvements in care, availability and accessibility."

Yesterday also marked the topping-out ceremony for the new National Centre for Infectious Diseases and the Ng Teng Fong Centre for Healthcare Innovation.

Both centres are expected to open in phases starting from next year.

Dr Khor said: "Given the extent of global travel today, we must always be on our guard against imported cases of infectious diseases of public health concern."

She added that the new infectious diseases centre - which will replace the century-old Communicable Disease Centre (CDC) in Moulmein Road and CDC 2 next to TTSH - will be able to handle large outbreaks and highly infectious diseases safely.

When there are no outbreaks, the centre will also take in patients from TTSH when appropriate.

Dr Khor said: "The new facility will integrate multiple functions - from public health surveillance to clinical disease management, to national research and training of healthcare professionals in the field of infectious diseases."

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