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Did Budget 2017 do enough to help SMEs prepare for the future?

April 3, 2017, 10:15 pm
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By Chia Yan Min, Economics Correspondent, The Straits Times, 3 Apr 2017

Companies across all industries have had to grapple with the onslaught of disruptive technologies, but small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have probably been hit the hardest.

Sandwiched between established multimillion-dollar companies and nimbler, more innovative start-ups, SMEs often lack the resources or know-how to take advantage of new technologies or the digital economy.

In addition, many Singapore SMEs are already struggling to stay afloat amid a slowing economy, which has been weighing on sales and profit margins even as high costs continue to bite.

Amid these challenges, did Budget 2017 do enough to help SMEs?

WHY DO SMALLER FIRMS NEED HELP?

SMEs - defined by the Ministry of Trade and Industry as companies with annual sales turnover under $100 million, or employing fewer than 200 workers - are the beating heart of Singapore's economy.

There are nearly 190,000 local SMEs, making up 99 per cent of enterprises here and contributing nearly half of the gross domestic product.

SMEs also employ about 70 per cent of Singapore's workforce, making them crucial to the functioning of Singapore's economy and a key driving force behind growth.

This is why the bulk of government efforts to raise productivity and encourage companies to adopt new technologies are targeted at SMEs.

In recent years, SMEs have been hard-hit by the lacklustre pace of economic growth amid a broader global slowdown. The Singapore economy spent much of 2016 in an extended funk, gradually picking up speed only in the last three months of the year.

The economy expanded a modest 2 per cent last year, which also saw the highest number of retrenchments since the global financial crisis in 2009.

The gloomy outlook weighed heavily on SMEs - a quarterly index released in December by the Singapore Business Federation and DP Information Group showed that SMEs were pessimistic about the first six months of 2017 and expected a reduction in both turnover and profitability.

This comes on top of rising business costs such as rent, and a tight labour market which makes it tough for companies to hire and retain talent.

These short-term woes often leave cash- and resource-strapped SMEs with little time to consider long-term strategies. But it is becoming increasingly imperative for companies in all industries to restructure and transform to keep up with the rapid pace of technological change.

Innovation cycles are now shorter and new technologies can supersede entire industries even as they create new opportunities.

WHAT DID THE BUDGET DO TO HELP SMALLER FIRMS?

Budget 2017 sought to ease immediate pain points for sectors struggling against economic headwinds, without losing sight of the longer-term need to help businesses transform.

Foreign worker levy increases for the marine and process sectors - hit by an extended global oil price slump - were deferred by one more year, in view of the continued weakness in these industries.

The construction sector was also given a boost - the start dates for about $700 million worth of public-sector infrastructure projects were brought forward to this year and 2018.

"Given the uneven performance across different sectors, we need to go beyond general stimulus, and target the specific issues faced by different sectors," said Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat in his Budget speech.

The Budget also contained other measures to support businesses, including a move to enhance and extend the corporate income tax rebate. Existing schemes - such as the Wage Credit Scheme and Special Employment Credit - will also continue to help companies manage wage costs and cash flow.

The SME Working Capital Loan, where the Government co-shares 50 per cent of the default risk for loans of up to $300,000 for each SME, will also remain available for the next two years. Besides noting these short-term measures, Mr Heng also devoted a significant portion of his speech to the importance of preparing SMEs for the future economy.

The Government will spend more than $80 million on programmes to help SMEs go digital and to boost Singapore's capabilities in data and cyber security, he said.

There are plans for a new SME Technology Hub for companies to get advice on both off-the-shelf and customised tech solutions.

They will also get step-by-step advice on the technologies they can use through industry digital plans for specific sectors such as retail, food services, cleaning and security.

DID THE BUDGET DO ENOUGH TO HELP SMALLER FIRMS?

Many companies and business associations said they were underwhelmed by the measures for businesses unveiled in this year's Budget. SMEs, in particular, had been hoping for more help amid the tough economic outlook.

In a statement released after the Budget, the Singapore Business Federation said it was "disappointed" with the lack of short-term measures for companies this year, given that rising business costs have been a persistent concern.

"For example, the deferment of foreign worker levy (increases) by one year for only the marine and process sectors should have been extended across other sectors that are still experiencing cost challenges," it said.

"There is also an absence of measures on rental rebates for businesses in general."

During the Budget debate in Parliament, several MPs lamented the lack of financial relief for struggling SMEs.

In response, Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry) S. Iswaran said the Budget contained short-term relief measures for the hardest-hit industries, such as the marine and process sectors.

Singapore's maturing economy is adjusting to a slower pace of growth, but there are still significant opportunities available for companies keen on innovating and expanding abroad, he added.

This means companies need to gear up for the long term and be prepared to take advantage of emerging opportunities in key sectors.

Singapore's long-term prosperity hinges on it being able to nurture and grow innovative companies, especially SMEs, the minister said.

He listed a plethora of schemes to help companies expand overseas, innovate and deepen their capabilities. These include:

• $400 million in grants to companies going international

• The $36 million Technology Adoption Programme and the $45 million Get-Up scheme to build up innovation capabilities by seconding public-sector researchers to SMEs

• A suite of loan programmes that will collectively catalyse $5 billion in loans up to 2020.

Mr Iswaran said: "The Government is resolute in our commitment to help our SMEs (transform) successfully. Large companies do not necessarily need this breadth of support. It is the small companies that need them."

In addition, road maps for the development of each sector, called Industry Transformation Maps, are being rolled out. They will chart strategies for 23 industries, covering over four-fifths of the nation's gross domestic product.

Six sector maps have been launched, for the logistics, hotels, precision engineering, food manufacturing, food services and retail industries.

SHOULD COMPANIES DO MORE TO HELP THEMSELVES?

However, there is only so much the Government can do to help companies.

Ultimately, SMEs which want to remain viable have to chart their own course for long-term growth.

There are myriad schemes available for companies but they have to be the ones to take that first step.

Trade associations and chambers (TACs) also have a role to play and can act as multipliers to drive change in their sectors.

For instance, they can encourage companies in their industry to collaborate with each other - large players venturing abroad can bring along smaller ones as part of a consortium. Companies can also work together to come up with new technologies.

In addition, TACs can develop industry-specific resources or training tools that can be shared by companies in the sector.

This would be especially useful for SMEs, which tend to have limited access to market resources and expertise, compared with large companies.


This is the second of 12 primers on current affairs issues that are part of the outreach programme for The Straits Times-Ministry of Education National Current Affairs Quiz.


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Hougang MRT security incident: Man arrested after bag left unattended forces station to shut

April 4, 2017, 1:57 am
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By Ng Jun Sen, The Straits Times, 3 Apr 2017

A 39-year-old man who intentionally left his bag at the platform of Hougang MRT Station while he ran an errand yesterday was arrested for causing alarm to the public, said police. The incident triggered a temporary 20-minute closure of the MRT station as commuters were told to leave for their own safety.

Trains continued running along the North-East Line but skipped Hougang, the first time such a measure was taken due to an emergency.



Only household items were found inside the bag, the police said. "The police treat all security threats seriously and will not hesitate to take action against anyone who intentionally causes public alarm," police said, adding that people should avoid leaving personal belongings unattended and to report any suspicious items or behaviour.









Quick action, calm evacuation at Hougang MRT station after alert over suspicious bag
Station closed temporarily for 20 minutes; man who left bag traced quickly and arrested
By Ng Jun Sen and Chew Hui Min, The Straits Times, 3 Apr 2017

When Mr Lau Pak Seng, 69, got an alert on the Government's SGSecuremobile app yesterday urging the public to stay away from Hougang MRT station, which he lives next to, he got a shock.

The retiree said: "I genuinely thought there had been an attack. I dared to go over to take a look only after my daughter's SGSecure app said it was safe."

The station was temporarily closed for 20 minutes because an unattended bag had been found. Staff from the North East Line's operator, SBS Transit, had found it at Hougang station at about 2.40pm.

"For the safety of all passengers, trains were made to bypass Hougang station and police were alerted," said an SBS Transit spokesman.



When The Straits Times arrived at the station at around 3.30pm, staff and police officers had begun ushering commuters out of the place. Those who stopped to ask about the closure left promptly and calmly after they were told it was unsafe to enter the station. Commuters were redirected to bus services or other train stations.

An elderly woman was injured in the process. She was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital to treat a laceration to the back of her head and pain on her right elbow, said the Singapore Civil Defence Force.

Train services resumed, and the station was reopened at 4.03pm after there was no danger detected.

In the station control room, police officers and SBS Transit staff were seen huddled over screens that showed several closed-circuit television feeds.

"Officers from the Ang Mo Kio Police Division and Public Transport Security Command, with the assistance of SBS Transit, quickly traced the owner of the bag and he was arrested at Hougang MRT (station) at about 4.35pm," said a police statement. This was within two hours from when the bag was first found.

The man, who was dressed in a white singlet, camouflage-patterned shorts and orange slippers, smiled sheepishly at cameras as officers led him out of the gantry into a secure staff area of the station.



There, he was detained for almost three hours before he was led out to a police car in handcuffs. Officers were seen carrying away a luggage- size package, believed to be his bag.

The police said preliminary investigations showed that the man had "intentionally left his bag inside Hougang MRT station while he ran an errand". He was arrested for an offence of public nuisance.

The incident comes during a time of heightened security owing to recent terror attacks, such as last month's London incident. Four people were killed and dozens more injured when a man ploughed through a crowd of pedestrians and fatally stabbed a policeman just inside the gates of the British Parliament before being shot dead.



Some commuters here were impressed by the quick reaction from the police and station staff, even though they were inconvenienced.

Said administrative assistant Albert Yeo, 31, who wanted to ride the train home but chose a cab instead: "Even if they need to shut the whole train system down, so be it. It is better to be safe than sorry."

Ang Mo Kio GRC MP Darryl David commended the swift police response: "It is better to err on the side of caution because we won't know if it is a false alarm or not until we do our checks."



Tanjong Pagar GRC MP Melvin Yong thanked SBS Transit staff in a Facebook post, praising their actions as "professional and commendable". He said: "This is a reminder that beyond the work of transporting people, our public transport workers are important eyes on the ground. As first responders, their alertness and quick response are crucial to ensure the safety of commuters."

An SBS Transit staff member, who declined to be named, said the incident shows that their training in vigilance has paid off. "What you see today tells others that we don't take these things lightly. Once we detect a threat, we escalate it to the police. Everyone does their part."









































Security scare: Prudent to shut Hougang MRT station, say experts
They say it is essential to err on the side of caution, given rise in terror threat in region
By Ng Huiwen, The Straits Times, 4 Apr 2017

It was prudent and necessary for police and SBS Transit to react the way they did after an unattended bag was found at Hougang MRT station on Sunday, security experts said.

A 39-year-old Chinese national caused a security scare after he left a bag at the train platform while running an errand. The bag was later found to contain household items.

The experts said the incident happened during a period of heightened threat of terrorism in the region.

"Trains and train stations... are 'target-rich environments' for terrorists to inflict maximum casualties," said Associate Professor Kumar Ramakrishna, head of policy studies and coordinator of the National Security Studies Programme at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS).

"It was prudent to close the station to ensure no civilians would have been injured in the worst-case scenario of a bomb going off," he added, citing terror attacks on transport networks in the past, such as Mumbai in 2008 and London in 2005.

The station on the North-East Line (NEL) was shut for about 20 minutes after emergency forces were activated. The man has been arrested for public nuisance, with investigations ongoing.



Professor Rohan Gunaratna, who heads the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research at RSIS, said the authorities did not overreact. He added that it was essential to err on the side of caution, given the emergence of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria terrorist group in the region.

"The Government will not take any risks and it will not relax its security after this incident," he said, although he noted that responses to such incidents should be calibrated.

Criminal lawyer Amolat Singh called for laws relating to such incidents to be sharpened to reflect the security climate.

"Currently, there is no such notice that you cannot leave your items unattended. It is arguable that this guy simply did not think it was wrong. Pinning him with an offence or punishments requires more clarity," he said.

Experts agreed the actions taken were in line with the national SGSecure efforts, with possible security threats at key infrastructure here.

Launched last September, the SGSecure movement aims to mobilise people to be more aware of security, respond to a terror attack and stay united after it.

Said RSIS associate research fellow Abdul Basit: "At the end of the day, no matter how prepared the forces are, commuters have to be alert as extra eyes on the ground."

In response to media queries, SBS Transit, which runs the NEL, said current security measures at its MRT stations and bus interchanges include deploying transit security officers and installing surveillance cameras.

"We also continue to review our security measures to ensure these are relevant in a dynamic security climate," said Ms Tammy Tan, SBS Transit's senior vice-president for corporate communications.

Transport operator SMRT said it works closely with the authorities, including participating in regular emergency preparedness exercises to practise response protocols.
























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Singapore maths inspires UK educators

April 5, 2017, 12:03 am
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Study finds that British children made more progress in subject when teachers used Singapore-style methods
By Sandra Davie, Senior Education Correspondent, The Straits Times, 4 Apr 2017

The Singapore style of teaching mathematics is already being used in thousands of schools across the United States. Now, it is making inroads into British schools as well.

The Inspire Maths series of textbooks, adapted from the books here, were trialled in 70 British primary schools by the Department for Education over the past two years.

A study found that they were effective in helping children master the subject better.

Now, with another £41 million (S$72 million) from the British government - to fund a network of "mastery specialist teachers" - the Singapore style of teaching maths may reach as many as 8,000 primary schools in Britain over the next few years.

The Inspire Maths series published by Oxford University Press was adapted from the My Pals Are Here! textbooks published by Marshall Cavendish Education for schools here.

Independent research conducted by the Oxford University Department of Education last year found that British schoolchildren made more progress in maths when teachers used Singapore-style methods.

Researchers found that pupils shot ahead of their peers when taught the Singapore way, which focuses on mastering core principles as "building blocks".

The "mastery" method, as Singapore's approach is called in Britain, introduces core concepts such as times tables, addition and subtraction gradually, until learners are confident. Ideas are broken down into small steps, using real-life objects such as cubes and beads to illustrate a point, before moving on to drawings and then concepts.

The research combined child assessments with classroom observations and interviews with teachers.

Teachers reported that the programme could boost children's motivation and engagement, and the evaluation found that it could be used creatively and flexibly.

Researchers also found that teachers value the professional development provided to support their use of the Inspire Maths resources.

Professor James Hall, lead author of the study and now a lecturer at the University of Exeter, said: "This boost to progress was surprising because pupils had been in a classroom setting for only a short period and because it often takes time to embed new teaching approaches."

The study involved two groups of children aged five to six - a total of 550 - learning maths in 12 English schools in 2015 to last year.

The first group learnt maths the normal British way for the first term, then switched to using the Inspire Maths textbook in the second term. The second group used the textbook for both terms, and made better overall progress than the first group.

Oxford University Press' editorial director for primary maths Jill Cornish said: "We now have clear evidence that a mastery approach can make a real difference to maths classrooms."

But, she said, Singapore maths cannot be a "quick fix".

First, the pressure on schools in England to cover a large number of maths topics in the national curriculum each year creates tension with the Singapore maths approach, which emphasises building solid foundations before moving on.

She added that teachers need more professional development and that school management teams need to be brought on board.

Marshall Cavendish Education's head of publishing Lee Fei Chen said: "We are excited about this research and that it demonstrates the effectiveness of a mastery method of teaching mathematics in UK classrooms that has been so successful in Singapore."

The Singapore style of teaching maths has gained attention because of the Republic's high placings in global benchmarking tests.

Singapore students were ranked No. 1 in maths, science and reading in the 2015 Programme for International Student Assessment test results released in December last year. Britain was ranked 27th in maths.

Besides Britain and the US, 15 countries - including South Africa, Brunei and the Netherlands - are using customised textbooks based on Singapore maths produced by Marshall Cavendish Education.


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Law passed to boost security at large events: Public Order (Amendment) Bill 2017

April 5, 2017, 12:49 am
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Organisers have to consult police on security as part of changes in response to terror threat
By Danson Cheong, The Straits Times, 4 Apr 2017

Organisers of large-scale public events are required to inform the police at least 28 days before they are held, under a new law passed by Parliament yesterday.

The organisers also have to put in place stringent security measures the police deem necessary.

The event can be cancelled, postponed or moved to other venues if the security is severely inadequate or a terror threat is imminent.

These are among the wide-ranging powers accorded to the police by the amended Public Order Act, in a move to better protect Singaporeans at a time when the terror threat is at its highest in the region and terror groups are going for soft targets such as concerts and football matches.

Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam, in launching the two-hour debate on the changes, noted that the police now work with event organisers on a voluntary basis on such security measures.

While most organisers are cooperative, "the time has come to give the police the powers to require such measures", he said.

Hence, it is mandatory for organisers to consult the police on security needs for public events that draw crowds of more than 5,000, and private events where the crowd size is projected to exceed 10,000.

The police will make an assessment, following which the commissioner of police can declare the event a "special event" if there is a risk of a terror attack or public order incident. The organisers will then be directed to put in place security measures, said Mr Shanmugam.

The measures include placing anti-vehicle barricades, engaging armed auxiliary police officers and carrying out bag checks on those attending.

Organisers that fail to notify the police if they expect large crowds can be fined up to $20,000, jailed for up to a year, or given both punishments.

Noting how terrorists are focusing more on "soft targets", such as in the Nice truck attack during the French national day celebrations last July, Mr Shanmugam said: "When there is a risk of a potential terrorist attack at an event... it's really in the public interest that the Government does something about it, that the necessary security measures are taken. Otherwise, we are putting lives at risk."

About 200 public events attracting crowds of 5,000 or more are held in Singapore each year, with many of these security measures in place, he said. The changes will raise costs for event organisers. But it is a cost that terrorists have imposed on the whole of society, and which the Government and taxpayers are already paying, he added.

The changes to the Act also give the police commissioner the power to reject applications for public assemblies and processions involving foreigners with a political agenda.

Nominated MP Kok Heng Leun argued that the change could stifle political discourse as public forums with foreign experts could fall within its ambit.

Mr Shanmugam said events will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

"The Government's position has always been that foreigners and foreign entities should not import their politics into Singapore nor should they interfere in our domestic politics, especially on issues of a political or controversial nature," he said.









Singaporeans can fight a cause without foreign aid: Shanmugam
By Danson Cheong, The Straits Times, 4 Apr 2017

Have faith in Singaporeans' ability to fight a cause without foreign help, Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam said with a smile yesterday, when a member of the House took issue with a change in the Public Order Act.

Nominated MP Kok Heng Leun protested against giving the police commissioner the power to reject applications for public assemblies and processions involving foreigners with a political agenda.

He said this would include a broad swathe of civil society events, ranging from public panel discussions involving foreign experts on animal abuse to a public lecture on health policy by a foreign expert.

He asked if the changes to the law could be made clear to ensure such events, which do not have public order or safety concerns, are free from "unnecessary scrutiny".

Otherwise, he suggested, the amendment would curtail "active citizenry" or participation in Singaporean civil society.

Mr Shanmugam responded with a smile: "I wonder if we are moving like ships in the dark (at) sea - the Bill says one thing and Mr Kok's speech pretty much has nothing to do with the Bill."

The minister said Singapore civil society groups should not "just hope for foreign involvement in organising events".

"Why don't we have confidence that our people can organise and take part in civic activities?"

He cited the example of Pink Dot, the annual rally held at Speakers' Corner to support the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.

Pink Dot organisers have reportedly already raised for the July event about 70per cent of what was collected last year. And the money came entirely from local companies.

In the past, foreign companies formed the majority of its sponsors, but last October, the Home Affairs Ministry said only local entities can sponsor, promote or get their employees to participate in events at Speakers' Corner.

Pointing out that the Government took no position on LGBT issues, Mr Shanmugam said the matter was one for "Singaporeans, Singapore companies and Singapore entities to discuss without involvement of foreign culture wars".

The amendments to the Act were not relevant to encouraging the local political discourse that Mr Kok spoke about, he added.

The Government, however, needed to ensure that foreigners did not take Singapore's public space for granted to advocate political causes.

Mr Kok and Mr Louis Ng (Nee Soon GRC) also asked whether the police commissioner would have the institutional competence to decide if an event served a "political end", and whether the police's political neutrality would be compromised in making these decisions.

Mr Shanmugam said any attempt to define whether an event was political or not would run into "shades of complexity".

"All you will end up doing is creating alleyways and byways in which your definition will be made useless and you will be made a laughing stock," he said.

To drive home his point, he described four hypothetical events and wondered aloud: Do you think we should agree to such events?

• Malaysians financing and encouraging Singaporeans to take part in an event calling for syariah law to be imposed

• Foreign Christian groups organising an event with locals, calling for an anti-LGBT rally

• Myanmar Buddhists organising an event here with local Buddhists to protest against the Rohingya issue in Myanmar

• Hindus from India financing an animal welfare event in Singapore protesting against the sale of beef here.

Said Mr Shanmugam: "Singaporeans organising protests is one thing; foreign-financed, foreign-participated protests are a completely different ball game. We have been successful by being very firm about that, let's not change the rules."




Related
Public Order (Amendment) Bill 2017
Transcript of Second Reading Speech of Public Order (Amendment) Bill 2017 by Mr K Shanmugam, Minister for Home Affairs & Minister for Law
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Fake news: Government to review laws to tackle falsehoods

April 5, 2017, 2:06 am
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Fake news: Current laws 'offer limited remedies'
Examples show falsehoods can cause real harm, says Shanmugam
By Rachel Au-Yong, The Straits Times, 4 Apr 2017

The Government is seriously considering how to address the issue of fake news, and will announce its position once a review is completed, Law Minister K. Shanmugam told Parliament yesterday.

There are limited remedies to deal with falsehoods under current laws, he said. For example, it is an offence under the Telecommunications Act to transmit a message knowing that it is false.

But, he added: "The circulation of falsehoods can go viral today very quickly. So we need to do more."

Chua Chu Kang GRC MPs Yee Chia Hsing and Zaqy Mohamad had asked about fake news, which has become a global concern of late.

Mr Shanmugam said one had to assume it "can be used as an offensive weapon by foreign agencies and foreign countries".

"We have already seen examples of that - to get into your public's mind, to destabilise your public, to psychologically weaken them and impact your agencies," he said. "That is a very serious threat, and it will be naive for us to believe that governments or state agencies do not engage in this. There is enough evidence that they do."



He cited examples to show fake news was not about "trivial factual inaccuracies, but falsehoods that can cause real harm". Last year, a man opened fire on a pizza restaurant in the United States after a fake news story claimed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton ran a paedophilia ring there. Commentators have suggested it can be a powerful tool to interfere in domestic politics, with misleading stories fuelling xenophobia and anti-immigrant sentiments before the Brexit referendum, and attempts to sway upcoming polls in Germany and France.

"These are not isolated incidents," the minister said, noting that other countries may be involved.

"The whole idea is to spread sensational news, sensational headlines, influence the population, and arrive at the outcome that is wanted by a certain country outside," he added.

That is why several countries have called for a tough stance against fake news, he said. Germany is considering a draft law requiring social networks like Facebook to remove fake news from their platforms, or risk fines of up to €50 million (S$75 million). United Kingdom MPs have begun a probe into fake news, calling it a threat to democracy.

He also cited local examples of false news from sites The Real Singapore, States Times Review and All Singapore Stuff to illustrate how the trend, if unchecked, can cause harm to innocent Singaporeans, alarm to the public, and damage to reputations.

While fake news has been a problem here, it has not had that much of an impact yet, he noted.

But, he added: "You can predict the same sequence of actors - foreign countries, foreign agencies, people sitting outside Singapore - using it to either destabilise our society, or not caring whether it destabilises but doing it to make a lot of money."















Examples of falsehoods in Singapore and other countries
The Straits Times, 4 Apr 2017

IN SINGAPORE

Fake: On Nov 22 last year, All Singapore Stuff website published an article with the headline "S'pore new citizen feels cheated, now wants his old citizenship back". The article was accompanied by an unrelated photograph of a Mr Prakash Hetamsaria.

Fact: The person in the photo was not the new citizen mentioned in the headline. Many netizens, however, did not click on the article to read that it was submitted by "Fernandez", and assumed the new citizen was the person whose photo appeared in the article. The photo was later replaced with one of Chinese actress Gong Li receiving her Singapore citizenship papers from MP Lee Bee Wah in 2008.


Fake: In November last year, All Singapore Stuff published an article saying the rooftop of Punggol Waterway Terraces had collapsed.

Fact: Police and civil defence were mobilised and deployed to investigate the claim, which turned out to be a hoax.


Fake: In January, messages circulated on social media and messaging platforms, claiming supermarket chain FairPrice's house brand jasmine rice was made from plastic.

Fact: FairPrice said on its Facebook page that its rice had passed safety checks by the authorities. FairPrice made a police report on the matter.


Fake: In February, an anonymous post widely circulated on social media claimed that a childcare centre in River Valley Road made children sleep on the floor and eat rotten fruit, with photographs as "evidence".

Fact: The Early Childhood Development Agency said, following investigations, that the centre had complied with regulatory requirements and the photos appeared to have been taken out of context.





AROUND THE WORLD

Fake: Last August, American sociopolitical site The Political Insider published an article with the headline: "WikiLeaks CONFIRMS Hillary Sold Weapons to ISIS... Then Drops Another BOMBSHELL!"

Fact: No WikiLeaks e-mails confirm that US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton directly and knowingly "sold weapons to ISIS".


Fake: Last October, Russian TV network Russia Today published a video, ahead of the Italian constitutional referendum of Dec 4, purporting to show thousands of people protesting against Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.

Fact: The people had gathered in support of Mr Renzi, not to protest against him.


Fake: In January, Breitbart News, of the United States, published an article reporting that at the New Year's Eve celebrations in Dortmund, Germany, a mob of more than 1,000 men chanting "Allahu Akhbar" launched fireworks at the police and set fire to a historic church.

Fact: The German police said no "extraordinary or spectacular" incidents marred the festivities. Scaffolding covering the church caught fire from a stray firecracker, but it was put out in 12 minutes.


Fake: In February, the claim that Bata shoes had the Arabic word "Allah" on its soles went viral in Malaysia. Bata withdrew 70,000 pairs from its stores in Malaysia, losing more than RM500,000 (S$158,000).

Fact: Bata was cleared of the allegations by the Al-Quran Printing Control and Licensing Board of Malaysia's Home Ministry.



WHAT COUNTRIES ARE DOING TO COMBAT FAKE NEWS

Germany: Considering a law that will require social networks like Facebook to remove fake news. Those that fail to do it promptly can face fines of up to €50 million (S$75 million).





Britain: Considering whether fake news spreaders can be blocked or closed down, or if genuine news outlets can be given a special verification mark. Also, it is urging tech companies to help tackle the problem on social media platforms as they have done in combating piracy, illegal content sharing, hate speech and cyber bullying.










Spread falsehoods about police? Action will be taken
By Rachel Au-Yong, The Straits Times, 4 Apr 2017

Those who deliberately spread falsehoods about the police and other public institutions will soon be taken to task, Minister for Home Affairs K. Shanmugam said yesterday.

"The time has come for us not to simply rebut, but to actively deal with it, so that the people who seek to profit from such conduct will actually feel the pain of it," he said. "We are looking at it and something will be done."

He was replying to Mr Lim Biow Chuan (Mountbatten), who asked if the police would consider taking action to protect their reputation when false and malicious allegations are made.

Mr Shanmugam, who is also Law Minister, cited a recent public perception survey where over nine in 10 people said the police demonstrated core values of courage, loyalty and integrity. This has led to an "enormous reservoir of trust".

Consequently, the police will investigate any allegation thoroughly and issue a public response rebutting the allegations if they are untrue, he said. He noted that sociopolitical website The Online Citizen "in particular glorifies in running the police down with a series of untrue stories", and cited a recent instance where it falsely alleged that police officers had accused a wheelchair user of motorcycle theft.

Mr Shanmugam noted that the police are not immune to making mistakes, saying public servants who commit crimes have faced the consequences. Genuine feedback could sometimes be made in error.

But what is objectionable are deliberate falsehoods, he stressed.

"If there is no wrongdoing or misconduct and you deliberately accuse to pull down the institution by manufacturing lies, and if public trust in police is eroded and they can no longer enforce rule of law effectively, all of us will be the worse for it," he said.

















Britain takes aim at fake news bubble
Parliamentary probe launched to examine the issue, which is 'a threat to democracy'
The Straits Times, 3 Apr 2017

LONDON • The rise of fake news has been a hot topic in Britain this year, with lawmakers leading a probe into the phenomenon and warning it is "a threat to democracy".

As well as the inquiry, British journalism schools have begun to adapt their teaching, while national broadcaster BBC has issued prevention guidelines for children in an attempt to reverse the trend.

Mr Damian Collins, head of the parliamentary probe, said fake news undermined trust in the media in general, with the explosion of social media making political issues particularly sensitive.

Fake news represents "a threat to democracy... if people are deliberately using it on social media platforms to spread misinformation around an election", he said.

The panel is considering whether fake news spreaders could be blocked or closed down, or genuine news outlets be given a special verification mark.

Mr Collins urged tech companies to help tackle the problem on social media platforms as they had done in combating piracy, illegal content sharing, cyber bullying and hate speech.

But the tech giants had moved only "in response to pressure, and reluctantly", the MP warned.



BBC television's Newsround, a news bulletin for children, explained fake news to youngsters in February.

The programme created Think Before You Click clips informing youngsters of how to spot false stories, using invented tales of yellow pandas, robot head-teachers and unidentified flying objects.

Fake news is not a 21st-century phenomenon, but what is new is its scale, said Dr James Rodgers, senior lecturer in journalism at the City University of London.

"Before, being published relied on getting into an established medium. It no longer does," he said.

City University of London runs some of Britain's most prestigious journalism courses.

The former BBC and Reuters journalist said three main factors seem to create the conditions for a fake news surge.

"These spikes seem to occur at times of political uncertainty, armed conflict and new technology. We have all of those three at the moment," he said.

In Britain, there is a fine tradition of humorous spoof news. It reaches a crescendo on April 1, April Fools' Day, when newspapers and broadcasters traditionally try to catch their audience out.

The pick of last Saturday's crop included Prince Harry's quickie wedding in Las Vegas and a new fashion range launched by former finance minister George Osborne.

A Daily Express piece saying that the European Union was to demand the recall of every British number plate following Brexit provoked anger among readers, with one commenter writing "the EU can shove their dumb number plates where the sun don't shine".

A fake news producer explained that as demonstrated by the Express report, the key to getting stories to go viral was to appeal to people's emotions.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

















Related
Oral Answer by Minister for Law, Mr K Shanmugam, to Parliamentary Questions on Fake News -3 April 2017
Oral Reply to Parliamentary Question on False and Malicious Allegations Against the Police by Mr K Shanmugam, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law -3 Apr 2017
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Immunity for marital rape being reviewed

April 5, 2017, 11:45 pm
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Married women should have same protection from violence as unmarried women: Tan Chuan-Jin
By Rachel Au-Yong, The Straits Times, 5 Apr 2017

Married women should have the same access to protection from violence as unmarried women, Social and Family Development Minister Tan Chuan-Jin said yesterday.

To that end, the Government is "actively reviewing" the issue of marital immunity for rape, and will give an update once it is completed.

In one of the firmest statements from the Government on the subject, Mr Tan emphatically told Parliament that violence against women is "unequivocally wrong".

"Although married persons have conjugal rights over each other, such rights should be exercised within reasonable behaviour," he told the House during a debate on a proposal to express support for women's aspirations in Singapore.

He also noted that existing laws have made Singapore a safer place for women, but at the same time, "we have to shape society's ideas about what is not acceptable".

The minister was responding to MPs' concerns about violence against women.

Nominated MP Kok Heng Leun urged the House to be less tolerant of all sorts of violence. "How can we turn a blind eye towards brutal acts of violence like rape simply because it is committed by a family member? How can we as a society or as policymakers protect vulnerable members of our society?"

The current review of the law signals a further change on what constitutes marital rape. Up until 2007, Singapore did not recognise the concept of marital rape - that a husband could rape his wife.

That year, the law was amended to recognise marital rape under certain circumstances, such as if the husband and wife were living apart under an interim judgment of divorce or written separation agreement, or if divorce proceedings had begun, or if the wife had already obtained a personal protection order against her husband.

But such qualifiers are not satisfactory to advocates like Ms Jolene Tan, head of advocacy and research at AWARE, who has seen such cases at the group from time to time.

She welcomed the review, saying: "If it is non-consensual penetration, it is rape. There should not be any legal distinction between marital rape and other kinds of rape."

Ms Tan hopes the law can be changed by October, when Singapore is up for review by the United Nations' Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, which takes stock of progress on women's rights issues.

National University of Singapore sociologist Paulin Straughan also said the law review was a step in the right direction, and would empower victims to step forward to reclaim their dignity.

There is still a high degree of social stigmatisation surrounding marital rape cases, she said, adding: "The afflicted party would find it very difficult to raise a public case against the spouse. Having a law in place would point our moral compass in the right direction, so that for those who are afflicted, they know the law is on their side and (this would) dispel any misperceptions that just because he or she is your spouse, he or she can do anything to you."

Agreeing, Mr Kok said he hoped the Government would consult women's organisations like AWARE to get more input on the matter.

Ms Tin Pei Ling (MacPherson), who tabled the motion on women, said the review was timely and necessary. "Men and women enter marriage as life partners. Thus, mutual respect is paramount to the sanctity and longevity of the relationship."





























 









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Wearing of tudung at work: Masagos questions Faisal Manap's motives for raising divisive issues in Parliament

April 6, 2017, 12:24 am
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Masagos criticises Faisal for raising divisive issues
By Charissa Yong, The Straits Times, 5 Apr 2017

Environment and Water Resources Minister Masagos Zulkifli yesterday criticised an opposition MP's tendency to raise divisive issues relating to the Malay/Muslim community in Parliament.

At the debate on supporting the aspirations of women in Singapore, Workers' Party MP Faisal Manap (Aljunied GRC) called for Muslim nurses and uniformed officers to be allowed to wear the tudung at work.

He said countries like Australia and Britain allowed this, and asked when Singapore would do so.

Responding, Mr Masagos said he found Mr Faisal's approach "worrisome", as he had used the motion "to focus on differences instead of rallying people to be united".

"He dwells on issues that can injure or hurt the feelings of the community rather than inspire them. In fact, Mr Faisal has used many occasions to raise potentially discordant issues in this House," he said.



He cited issues Mr Faisal raised in past sittings, such as the need for halal kitchens in navy ships and the perceived discrimination against Malays in the armed forces.

He asked: "Is it his or his party's position that these issues are the top concerns of the community?"

The minister said Mr Faisal's approach needled the community's sensitivity "subtly and frequently".

"It leaves a lingering feeling of (something) unsolved and unsolvable, and impatience that one day I believe will explode. Is that what Mr Faisal wants?" he asked.

Mr Masagos noted that the Government had replied to Mr Faisal's queries before. He would not say more but stressed that "we are in a multiracial society and we all have a role to play to enlarge our common space".

Religion is important, he said.

"I, too, want to see progress in the tudung issue and religious matters that are dear to Muslims," he added.

But government and community leaders of all races and faiths were discussing such deeply emotive matters behind closed doors.

"There is a right time, a right place and right way to discuss this," he said. "The way to make progress is gradually and quietly, working under the radar to strengthen mutual trust and understanding among Singaporeans, so that we can move forward step by step."



In contrast, championing issues "in a higher-profile way like the member always does once in a while, using them to score political points, will not strengthen trust".

"It will only raise the temperature and actually make the problems harder to solve," Mr Masagos said.

He cited an old social media post by Mr Faisal, in which he posed for a photo during the Wear White campaign in 2014 with Zulfikar Shariff, who was arrested under the Internal Security Act last year for his support for the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Mr Masagos said: "It makes us wonder whether it is Mr Faisal who is supporting Mr Zulfikar or Mr Zulfikar supporting Mr Faisal, or are they together in this because of a common cause."

Mr Faisal replied that he was there to support only Wear White, which opposes homosexuality. "I'm not so sure what's behind (the) minister's mind when he tried to link me to Zulfikar, and I'm a bit distraught by his effort to paint me negatively."

He disagreed he was sowing discord and said that as an elected MP, he had the right to voice the concerns of his community in Parliament.

Mr Masagos said Mr Faisal was "not repentant or apologetic", and "insists his strident approach is the correct way", although it puts Singapore's racial harmony at risk.

"If each community pushes its own claims aggressively, there will be pushback, there will be animosity," said the minister.

Citing the case of the imam who was on Monday found guilty of offensive remarks on Christians and Jews and fined, and the ensuing calm reaction all round, he added that this was because Singapore had tended to its racial and religious harmony fastidiously.

Mr Faisal replied that all he had been asking since he was elected was for the Government to address the issue: "How does that cause divisiveness and discord?"

Mr Masagos pointed to his "practice of subtly and frequently bringing issues that are sensitive to the community, knowing (they are) not easy to resolve and cleverly turning it into a state versus religion issue."

"These are all very dangerous moves. I actually wonder whether the WP and its leadership are committed to the racial and religious harmony which underpins the security of this country," he added.

"Do you want to go back to the politics of race and religion of the 1960s, the politics we wanted to avoid when we left Malaysia? If we don't want that, why do we let a member constantly raise these issues to stir the community?"









NOT THE WAY TO GO

Parliament is the forum for serious discussion on important issues. This Parliament has not shied away from discussing difficult or contentious matters - last November we had a vigorous debate on changes to the Elected Presidency.

However, some sensitive issues of race and religion have no easy or immediate solutions. The best way to make progress on them is quietly, outside the glare of publicity. Championing divisive issues publicly, to pressure the Government and win communal votes, will only stir up emotions and damage our multiracial harmony.

In the debate on Aspirations Of Singapore Women, WP MP Faisal Manap brought up the tudung issue again. Minister Masagos Zulkifli challenged Mr Faisal and explained why this was unwise. He spoke with courage and conviction.

PRIME MINISTER LEE HSIEN LOONG









Championing divisive issues publicly could damage Singapore's harmony: PM Lee
Channel NewsAsia, 5 Apr 2017

Championing divisive issues publicly, to pressure the Government and win communal votes, will only stir up emotions and damage Singapore's multi-racial harmony, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said late Tuesday (Apr 4).

Mr Lee was commenting on an exchange in Parliament between Workers’ Party (WP) Member of Parliament Faisal Manap and Environment and Water Resources Minister Masagos Zulkifli on the issue of Muslim women not being allowed to wear headscarves in uniformed services.

The exchange on Tuesday, took place during the debate in parliament on the proposal to express support for women in Singapore.

“Parliament is the forum for serious discussion on important issues. This Parliament has not shied away from discussing difficult or contentious matters,” Mr Lee wrote on Facebook, citing vigorous debate on changes to the Elected Presidency. But he said some sensitive issues of race and religion “have no easy or immediate solutions.”

“The best way to make progress on them is quietly, outside the glare of publicity,” he said.

MP Faisal Manap, in his speech during the debate, noted that many Members of Parliament had called for unanimous support for the motion to affirm the role of Singaporean women in fulfilling their career and familial aspirations.

Mr Faisal said he hoped they would not exclude Singaporean Muslim women who also want to fulfill their career aspirations in line with their religious obligations "which is in allowing the wearing of the headscarf in the nursing and uniform vocations such as in the Home Team and armed forces."



The WP MP was then asked by MP Tan Wu Meng whether the tudung issue is the most important faced by Muslim women today and for his personal and his party's views.

"As a Muslim husband, and father to a daughter, yes it is obligation for Muslim women to don a hijab in whatever circumstances,” Mr Faisal replied. “In terms of the party stand on this, Workers' Party had actually issued a statement in November 2013, where the gist of the statement is that WP does not oppose wearing of the tudung, but we call for more dialogues among stakeholders, as well as larger community and it should be based on mutual understanding.”

Mr Masagos labelled Mr Faisal’s approach “worrisome”. “He has used this motion, which is focused on the aspirations of all women in Singapore to raise again the issue of the tudung, to focus on differences instead of rallying people to be united. He dwells on issues that can injure or hurt the feelings of the community rather than to inspire them,” he said.

He also said the WP MP has used many occasions to raise “politically discordant” issues in the House.

“I sat and listened to him many times, champion divisive issues many times - like the need for Halal kitchens in our naval ships, and his perceived discrimination of the Malays in the army. Is it his or his party's position that these issues are the top concerns of the community? There are real socio-economic problems we have to deal with in our community -education, housing, jobs,” Mr Masagos said.

Government leaders and community leaders of all races and religions have been actively discussing sensitive and deeply emotive matters in a number of closed-door platforms, he said. “I caution the member against making this a state versus religion issue," he stated.

Mr Faisal defended his move, pointing to the sensitive issues of race being touched on in parliamentary debates on changes to the Elected Presidency. “If not, where else can I as an elected MP voice out the concerns of the community?"

In response, Mr Masagos said he personally has spoken about the issue as far back as 2002 and was involved in discussions with the Government on similar issues about uniforms in schools. “Did I have a platform? Yes I do. Did I have to go out and try to wreak havoc? I did not.”

He continued: “Finally, the outcome of that episode was one that the Mufti - knowing very well what is the priority of our community - made a statement to tell us that knowledge is important for us to pursue, and not just covering of heads.”

The community moved on because community leaders came together to calm the situation down, Mr Masagos said. “I bet you a similar situation elsewhere will not happen. It will continue to rile the community, it will continue to make the community upset because nobody will cede what is their right." 




















Related
Government position on tudung 'not static'
PM Lee meets MPs over headscarf issue
Use legitimate ways to push tudung issue: MP
Imam case: Islamic religious teacher from India apologises for offensive remarks about Christians and Jews, gets charged, fined $4K and is repatriated
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Strengthening Singapore's fight against drugs

April 6, 2017, 1:40 am
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New anti-drug strategy to meet rising challenges
More young addicts, threat of more potent substances available online among concerns
By Seow Bei Yi, The Straits Times, 5 Apr 2017

A new wave of younger, better-educated addicts, more potent psychoactive substances that could be made available online and a region flush with the supply of drugs have made it necessary for the Government to review its strategy for the war on drugs, Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam in Parliament said yesterday.

In its arsenal will be possibly new legislation as well as new ways to reach out to young people, with the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) launching a new United Against Drugs Coalition later this month.

One thing that will not change - Singapore's tough stand on drugs and the death penalty for traffickers, especially amid international pressure to decriminalise drugs.

Mr Shanmugam called for the anti-drug fight to be made a "national priority" as he responded to a motion tabled by Mr Christopher De Souza (Holland-Bukit Timah GRC) in Parliament on drug issues.



The growing number of young addicts was a top concern. He said more than 350 students have been caught for drug abuse over the past three years. Also, 70 professionals and managers were arrested for such offences last year, dispelling the notion that it was a problem that affected only certain segments of the community.

The risk of a new generation of drug abusers stems from changing attitudes among the youth, who think that drugs are cool and that cannabis is not addictive.

"The situation can again become more troublesome even if it doesn't get out of control," he said.

Providing more details, the Home Affairs Ministry said 151 Singaporeans and permanent residents studying in primary to tertiary public educational institutions were caught for drug offences last year, up from 83 in 2014. The number of professionals or managers caught rose from 49 in 2014 to 70 last year.

Mr Shanmugam added that drug offenders were responsible for 12 per cent of 32,964 non-drug crimes committed last year and that some 83 per cent of the prison population have histories of substance abuse, though some may have committed a crime not related to drugs.

To tackle the trends of younger abusers and online drug buying, Mr De Souza called for regular reviews to the Misuse of Drugs Act - in particular, making drug crimes involving the use of the Internet a unique offence.

Mr Shanmugam said the authorities will be reviewing the strategy and be more targeted in the fight against drugs to differentiate between those who supply drugs and those who consume them, employing data and a science-based approach.

This comes as South-east Asia is the fastest-growing market for methamphetamine. The global conversation now is also "about a softer stance on drugs". "Seductive arguments, using pseudo science and glamorising drugs," he said.

Among 10 other MPs who spoke in support of the motion yesterday was Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar (Ang Mo Kio GRC), who recounted how her 18-year-old son, while studying in a polytechnic, was offered marijuana by his friends, who seemed to think it was not a big deal.

But the most spirited part of the debate was on the death penalty, with two MPs speaking against it.










Death penalty 'a powerful deterrent'
By Shaffiq Idris Alkhatib, The Straits Times, 5 Apr 2017

Information from drug couriers has helped nab almost 90 traffickers since 2012, Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam said yesterday, as he defended the use of the death penalty for drug cases as a powerful deterrent against drug kingpins operating here.

He dismissed arguments by Nominated MP Kok Heng Leun and MP Alex Yam (Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC) against capital punishment, saying they should focus on the victims instead of "just crying with the people in the death row".

Mr Kok argued that "however much trust we have in our system... mistakes are unavoidable" and once execution takes place, "mistakes made cannot be corrected". Mr Yam said "the ultimate perpetrators... are often not the ones standing frightened at the gallows".

Pointing to the opioid crisis in America, Mr Shanmugam said the scourge causes 33,000 deaths a year. "For those with bleeding hearts... they should think about these 33,000 deaths. What percentage do you want in Singapore?"

He cited the 2006 murder of two- year-old Nurasyura, known as Nonoi, whose stepfather, a drug abuser, dunked her into a pail because he could not stand her crying. In 2009,six-year-old Edy was dumped in the Kallang River by a drug user who was caring for him while his parents were in jail for drugs.

"Those who think we should go soft on drugs... what is your solution to the thousands of Edys and Nonois around the world who are neglected, abused and suffering?"

He added: "In public policymaking, you need a soft heart, you need compassion, and that is what defines a civilised human being, but you can never have a soft head. If the heart alone rules policy, you are done for."










MPs outline ways to strengthen Singapore's fight against drugs
One way: Base penalties on drugs' potential for harm, not just the weight
By Seow Bei Yi, The Straits Times, 5 Apr 2017

As drugs can be mixed with other substances to increase their potency and addictiveness, this potential for harm should be taken into consideration when determining penalties for drug offences, and not simply their weight, Mr Christopher De Souza (Holland- Bukit Timah GRC) said yesterday.

Tabling a motion in Parliament on strengthening Singapore's fight against drugs - for which 10 MPs spoke in support - Mr De Souza outlined this as one of several ways to improve the Misuse of Drugs Act.

He also called for the Act to be regularly reviewed to ensure that it has the "legal muscle it needs" to deter supply and demand of controlled substances.

Mr De Souza, who is the chairman of the Home Affairs and Law Government Parliamentary Committee and a lawyer, noted that in the United States, heroin has been mixed with elephant tranquilliser to create a deadly mixture that has caused many to overdose.

"This contamination is driven by greed - more effect, with lower cost to produce," he said.

His second suggestion was to incorporate controlled drugs more quickly under the First Schedule, which lists the most harmful and addictive drugs and attracts the most severe penalties. A swift reaction is needed as syndicates are constantly attempting to come up with new types of substances, added Mr De Souza.

Third, the sale of drugs over the Internet should be made a unique offence, attracting a higher penalty, as should recruiting people online to traffic in drugs.

This proposal follows a spike in the number of people arrested for buying drugs and related paraphernalia online. According to the Central Narcotics Bureau, the figure rose from 30 in 2015 to 201 last year. Significantly more young abusers - aged under 30 - have also been arrested since 2014, said Mr De Souza.

With more youth experimenting with drugs and the Internet able to facilitate sales, Singapore should consider how to legislate an aggravated offence if social media or the Internet is used to procure sales, he said.

"This may deter drug traffickers from using the Internet to advertise sales, potentially leading to reduced drug sales to youth," he said.

Mr De Souza also proposed a different tier of punishment for traffickers who target abusers under 30, as well as those who use the Internet to do so. "The Internet" could mean websites, social media and mobile apps such as WhatsApp, he said.

Other MPs stressed the need to focus on rehabilitation on top of enforcement, suggesting initiatives to help tackle drug abuse in schools, communities and families.

Nominated MP Kok Heng Leun suggested using the arts, such as drama, to occupy inmates' minds. This could help them spend less time thinking of ways to beat the system, and more time thinking about what they can do for others.

Ms Tin Pei Ling (MacPherson) suggested adapting innovative ways of preventive drug education. In some kindergartens in Germany, for example, children are placed in a toy-free environment for a short period of time to strengthen them against addictive behaviour.

Responding to Mr De Souza's motion, Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam said the Government was reviewing its strategy on the war on drugs.

In arguing for a tough stance, MPs stressed the impact of drugs on families, among other issues.

Mr De Souza noted, for example, that 15g of diamorphine feeds about 180 abusers for a week. This translates to about 900 people affected if each addict has four family members.

He said: "That is equivalent to about 30 platoons. If a person ran towards 30 platoons with a grenade, should not a lethal shot be fired to protect the 900 people?"
















Singapore studying best practices overseas, building anti-drug coalition
By Shaffiq Idris Alkhatib and Seow Bei Yi, The Straits Times, 5 Apr 2017

Singapore is studying efforts by Finland and Iceland in getting their youth away from drugs, and in shaping and presenting messages in ways they find acceptable and accessible, said Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam.

He also said the Government has been "taking an active profile internationally" and creating a "coalition of countries... which take the view that each country should decide on its drug laws", as Singapore seeks to fend off international pressure to decriminalise drugs.

Mr Shanmugam was outlining in a recent interview how Singapore adopts best practices and avoids bad practices from other countries in its fight against drugs, as latest data showed new worrying trends.

Close to two-thirds of the 1,347 new drug abusers arrested last year were aged below 30, according to Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) numbers. The number of people arrested for buying drugs and drug- related paraphernalia online rose from 30 in 2015 to 201 last year - more than a six-fold increase.

These are major areas of concern in Singapore's fight against narcotics, said Mr Shanmugam, adding that as generations change, it needs to keep the anti-drug message attractive, accessible and relevant.

He said: "Today's young people are different from yesterday's young people. The way they access information is different. What they consider to be attractive, what they consider to be cool, is different. So we have to shape the message and present it in a form that they find acceptable and they find accessible."

Mr Shanmugam added that some models around the world have worked well in educating young people about drugs.

One such country is Finland. Its Ministry of Social Affairs and Health said on its website that a multidisciplinary approach to drug prevention and early intervention is particularly important for young people.

This involves preventing drug use through school and student welfare teams, which collaborate with parents, substance abuse services, social workers, youth services and the police. Its efforts seem to have paid off. Young people in Finland reportedly use less alcohol and illegal drugs than their European counterparts on average.

Yesterday in Parliament, Mr Shanmugam said Singapore would also be studying Iceland's anti-drug efforts, which adopt a youth-centric approach that has helped lower the proportion of 15- and 16-year-old cannabis abusers from 17 per cent to 7 per cent between 1998 and last year.

Similarly in Singapore, efforts have been made to better reach out to members of the public, especially young people. For example, the Singapore Anti-Narcotics Association announced on March 24 that it is offering new services to tackle the drug threat - top of which is an online counselling service. The www.talk2sana.com portal went online the following day with information on drugs and drug abuse, and the consequences.

Although education remains Singapore's first line of defence in the fight against drugs locally, calls to decriminalise drugs internationally are also a cause for concern.

Mr Shanmugam said: "So we have been taking an active profile internationally, creating a coalition of countries, a network of countries which take the view that each country should decide on its drug laws.

"It is good that there are other countries that say, in their own experience, it is better that we keep it criminalised, to make drugs freely available is worse for society."

Mr Shanmugam said Singapore has to take a tough anti-drug stance because it is what a responsible government would do. Stressing that narcotics are harmful and can cause a lot of damage, he added that a rise in other acts of crime can also be attributed to drug abuse.

"With those facts, a responsible government will then say, I need to then limit the problem, roll it back, so that my young people do not get into this habit, and my society is safe," he said.











Standing firm against pressure to soften stance on drugs
Minister for Law and Home Affairs K. Shanmugam set out how Singapore is strengthening its fight against drugs during a debate in Parliament on Tuesday. Below is an excerpt of his speech.
The Straits Times, 6 Apr 2017

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimated that in 2014, there were nearly 250 million drug abusers in the world and 200,000 died from drug-related causes.

The global conversation is about a softer stance on drugs. Seductive arguments, using pseudo-science and glamourising drugs. They do create a challenging environment for us to keep Singapore drug-free. But if you look at evidence, if you look at the US, for opioid abuse, the prescriptions went up threefold since 1999, fuelled by people relying on and accepting questionable evidence that these are benign pain remedies. And because of diversions and misuse, thousands get hooked onto it and then guess what happens? They move on to heroin. Now you get - as The New York Times published - 33,000 deaths per year, 90 a day.

For those with bleeding hearts who talk about the inmates on death row, I think they should think about these 33,000 deaths. What percentage do you want in Singapore? What about their families, their children? Why not spend some time with them, rather than just crying with the people on the death row?

The same arguments that were used to try and get opioids allowed are now being used for cannabis legislation. The arguments if you look at them - evocative but little clinical evidence.

I said at the United Nations, I do not want human rights groups preaching to me about the medical value of cannabis. If a respectable medical association is prepared to tell me that this ought to be prescribed as medicine, we will look at it. But what did the American Medical Association say? That there is inconclusive evidence for this.

Now, science is always evolving, and if science evolves to a different stage, we are practical people and we rely on facts. But today, this is the science.

Even when we go to these international conferences, the NGOs which support legalisation come out with brochures which are glitzy, which are very attractive, evocative. They are all financed by the pharmaceutical companies. Those who oppose legalisation, those who take a stand similar to Singapore's, if you look at the material you would not want to look at them again because no one is financing them. There is a huge commercial motive for legalisation and that is driving this in many countries. There are other factors. Many countries have lost the fight. They cannot control domestic drug abuse and so after having lost tens of thousands of lives, they move to focusing on public health issues - HIV.

So you gather an alliance with commercial interests and countries saying we cannot handle this anymore. They are now saying, let us create a new international norm. Well, I do not have a problem if they change their rules. But I do have a problem if they want to change international norms and say every country should follow that. We will not be pressured. That is the international situation.

NEW LOCAL CHALLENGES

What is the local situation? We have some challenges. The first challenge is increased supply. We are near the Golden Triangle, which is the second-largest opium source in the world. And Afghanistan has become a major producer. In order to get its stock to the West, sometimes, or quite often, they seem to want to take the route through South-east Asia.

Our region is the fastest growing methamphetamine market. We are a major transport hub. Two hundred million people go through our shores - airports, shores, land checkpoints. Because of the wealth factor, our people can pay. Therefore, it is an attractive destination, both as a transhipment and as a destination source. That is one major challenge.

The second major challenge is drug peddling sales online. You can have anonymous transactions. You can have parcels coming in from any part of the world. That creates a challenge.

We also face a challenge from new drugs - new psychoactive substances where people take drugs and mix them with contaminants to lower the cost. There are rogue chemists who modify pharmaceuticals. Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB), for example, in the past two years, has seized more than 3.5kg and 4,000 tablets of New Psychoactive Substances, which have been falsely marketed as both being legal and safe.

Another separate challenge is the new attitudes of our young people. There is a certain perception, glamourised through media, and outside of this country, that drugs are cool and cannabis is non-addictive. If we are not careful, they can become our next generation of abusers.

And there is a changing profile of abusers. Last year, 40 per cent of those who were arrested for abuse were less than 30 years old. They are mixed - they are students, professionals, people who are well-educated, good jobs, new groups of Singaporeans trying drugs. Parents may think it is not their children. But in the past three years, we have picked up more than 350 students. All levels - from primary schools to tertiary - and all backgrounds, with as well as without, a background of substance abuse in the family. Working professionals - last year, more than 70 in professional jobs, managers, including accountants and engineers.

Drug abusers committed 12 per cent of other crimes. That is another worrying statistic. Eighty-three per cent of those in our prison are in there for either substance abuse, or they have a history of substance abuse even though the particular crime they committed was not related to drugs. So you can see how much drugs can impact our lives. It destroys you. These are all statistics, facts.

Let me give you an example of what it does. They call him "Edy" - a young boy, six years old. Both parents jailed for drugs. He happened to be in the care of another person called Johan. Johan was also a drug abuser. It forms an ecosystem, a separate subculture. Johan slapped Edy around, stomped on him repeatedly, a six-year-old boy, and killed him. He dumped his body by the Kallang River.

You know there are thousands of such cases, not in Singapore, but around the world. Most of you might have heard of "Noinoi". She had a stepfather - Johari - abusing cannabis, cough syrups. He brought her home as a shield to hide his own abuse. He thought that having her there with him would prevent detection. She was only two years old. She was crying and he could not take it. He dumped her in a pail and killed her.

Those who think we should go soft on drugs, on punishment, what is your solution to the thousands of "Edys" and "Noinois" around the world, who are neglected, abused and suffering?

SINGAPORE'S STRATEGY

We will maintain a tough stance, and we will step up. We will review our strategy for the new challenges. It will be targeted, it will differentiate between those who supply and cause harm, versus those who are abusers. Where possible, we will employ a data-based and science-based approach.

1st defence: Preventive drug education

Our first line of defence has got to be education - preventive drug education. So we work, and we have worked for decades, with the Ministry of Education (MOE) - school talks, lesson plans, so that our young people understand.

Our people are going over to Iceland to look at how they send the messages across.

We have to work with parents because the parents are key influencers. The National Council Against Drug Abuse survey shows that if a parent interacts with children about drugs, they talk to their children, the risk that the child will take drugs is much lower. We have produced a parents' toolkit for that.

Young people are also heavily influenced by peer influence and environmental influence. We need to grow a pool of anti-drug advocates amongst their peers, amongst young people's peers. We need volunteers, we need more individuals, we need more organisations, societies, interest groups, businesses.

CNB will launch a United Against Drugs Coalition later this month, and also review the way it puts across messages. We need to mobilise the ground. First, education. Second, effective enforcement and tough laws are part of it.

Last year, CNB crippled 23 syndicates. We have to increase our partnerships with overseas counterparts and we have to tackle the new online supply menace. Keeping our laws effective for deterrence and enforcement is a top priority.

The current survey that I referred to also shows the very strong support for our tough laws. And people want us to be tougher on those who harm society and those who bring drugs in, and those who provided to others, especially young people, those who encourage others. And we will have to study how we deal with these New Psychoactive Substances, how we amend the schedules and what we need to do.

Members spoke about the amendments in 2012 to the mandatory death penalty scheme in the context of drug trafficking. We gave the courts more discretion where the courier is certified to have provided substantial assistance. It has been helpful, the information provided has contributed to the arrests of almost 90 drug traffickers.

What role does the death penalty play in this? It is an important part of our comprehensive anti-drug regime. And as I said, part of the overall approach which would not work on its own, but is a part of an overall set of measures. Good judicial process, rule of law, enforcement, tough laws, education, rehabilitation, and also DRC (Drug Rehabilitation Centre) and LT (Long-Term Imprisonment regime).

Remember, this fight is never won. We are in a difficult situation, being close to drug producing countries and we have maintained the death penalty as deterrence against trafficking. The quantity of drugs that you need to have in your possession before the death penalty kicks in, before the presumption clause kicks in, is enough heroin to supply 180 people for seven days. That is a large amount of drugs, that is a large amount of people whose lives you are willing to destroy, and you multiply that by their family members.

And what is the regional situation? In Malaysia, registered drug abusers numbered 280,000, as reported by The New Straits Times. In Indonesia, 5.9 million drug abusers.

What is the nature of the drug trade today? The financing comes from one country, could be manufactured somewhere in some terrace house somewhere nearby Singapore, and couriers are easily available because they want to make some money.

Do you believe the death penalty has some deterrent value? If you are somewhere outside Singapore, maybe Malaysia or Indonesia, and if you knew that the likelihood of being caught is pretty high and that if you are caught with that amount of drugs, you are most likely to face the death penalty, does that or does that not amount to deterrence? It is a matter of common sense. Why do you think the drug kingpins are not in Singapore?

Just remember that trafficking is a cold, calculated offence. It is a transaction. The person decides to take a risk with his life when he comes to Singapore for the sake of money. So do not tell me that they are poor, impecunious and desperate. They make a calculation. They do not mind impacting the lives of 180 people each time.

2nd defence: Effective enforcement, tough laws

In the early 1990s, we were arresting between 6,000 and 7,000 people per year. Today, we are arresting between 2,000 and 3,000 per year. Even if you take the lower end of the figures, 3,000 now and 6,000 then. That is 3,000 less per year over a 20-year period and assuming it came down, you are talking about tens of thousands - maybe forty, fifty thousand lives saved because our enforcement ability has not gone down. We are arresting less people. That means our demand for drugs has gone down. Every person not arrested, who has not become an abuser, is a life saved. So we have saved maybe forty, maybe fifty thousand lives, maybe more.

If all things were equal between the 1990s and today, we were arresting six to seven thousand then, the number should be higher now, right, since we are wealthier now and the drug production has increased and it has become more of a multinational enterprise. So perhaps it should have doubled, we should be arresting about 18,000. But we are actually arresting less people. We have saved lives.

In public policymaking, you need a soft heart. You need compassion and that is what defines a civilised human being. But you can never have a soft head. If the heart alone rules policy, you are done for. As Minister for Home Affairs, I don't have the right to give effect to any suggestion which I believe will harm thousands of people and ruin our society. In fact, it is my duty to do the reverse.

Support for our penalties amongst our population, as you know, as Members know, is very high. Reach did a poll last year. Eighty per cent supported retaining the death penalty. Ten per cent wanted to abolish it. Ten per cent had no position or refused to answer. Eighty-two per cent agreed that it was an important deterrent to keep Singapore safe from serious crimes. National University of Singapore (NUS) conducted a survey on public opinion in 2016. Again, even in their survey, public support for the death penalty was very high. Seventy per cent of the respondents were in favour.

But asked specifically what the penalty should be for intentional murder, trafficking illegal drugs, and discharging a firearm, the proportion in favour of the death penalty was even higher, ranging from 86 per cent to 92 per cent. But the NUS survey also presented a nuanced picture of public support for the death penalty. The support dropped when this question was asked - that if it can be shown that the death penalty was no more effective as a deterrent to others like life imprisonment, or a very long prison sentence, that means it is not effective, you can substitute it with something else - if you ask people that question, the support then drops. When it suggested that innocent people could have been executed, then the support drops.

If a certain framework is put into the question, and you get a number and you come to the Government and say change your policy, we have to look at the questions you asked. But in any event, this is one of those areas where the Government has the duty to assess the facts carefully, the data carefully, and come to the best judgment that it can.

As I have said in public, no government glorifies in having the death penalty or imposing it on anyone. How can anyone be happy about it? If they do it, they do it with a heavy heart. But you do it because of a greater public good. And you do it based on your best judgment and assessment, not on the basis of advice given by people who argue from an ideological point of view. We are not dogmatic about this. We will listen to arguments. We will listen to people. We will listen to anyone with a good point of view, and we will make up our mind.

3rd defence: Rehabilitation

Abusers must be committed to kicking the habit. The incarceration periods are looked at regularly, whether it is for DRC, or whether it is for LT1, LT2. There is a certain reason why we structured it as DRC and then LT1 and LT2. There is some methodology behind it, and we continuously review the methodology. But in the end it has to first serve as a deterrence and second, keep society from being harmed by individuals.

Every abuser has different risk levels and different motivational factors. Our prisons system tailors rehabilitation accordingly. So other programmes include family programmes, skills training, and religious services. For lower risk inmates, they have a day release programme, they go for work or study during the day, minimises disruption. They are placed on community-based programmes to reconnect to the community, to help them transition to normal life. Some are at halfway houses, some go home and community support is instrumental, we recognise that. And since 1995, 15,000 DRC inmates have gone through the community-based programme with an 85 per cent completion rate.

4th defence: Family and community support

There are structured family programmes in prisons, skills to strengthen the bonds, joint sessions with the family. Now I am not saying by all means, any means, that it is perfect and that it cannot be improved or that we are where we want to be. But we have thought about these things, we have introduced these and it continues to be refined, changed, worked on.

Families will also need help. Singapore Prison Service has set up a Family Resource Centre, it's got a Yellow Ribbon community project to encourage families to visit abusers in DRCs. Family relationships are complex, different families, different types of relationships. It requires long-term effort, even after release. So we have volunteers who continue to follow up via Yellow Ribbon community project. We have talked to the Association of Muslim Professionals and they have said they will come in to provide family casework in their new family rehabilitation programme. Let me share a story.

He started abusing drugs in his teens, 20 years. He abused heroin, ice, alcohol. At one point he lost his family support. He couldn't even face himself. Then he went to Pertapis halfway house. Things changed. He was moved and struck by the unwavering support from the staff of Pertapis. He has now been clean for more than two years. And he is paying it forward. He is now the chairman of the family support group for Pertapis. And he strongly believes in not giving up on abusers even when their families have given up on them. He himself has experienced how community support has changed lives.

For young drug abusers, the emphasis has to be on rehabilitation, so that they can have a drug-free life ahead of them. So we have a variety of programmes. If they are below the age of 21, they undergo counselling and casework management for a period of six months, and that's non-residential. If they are of moderate risk, they are then sent to the Community Rehabilitation Centre (CRC). They started operations in 2014 and that allows them to continue with their education and employment in the day with minimal disruption. Higher risk young people who require more intensive rehabilitation, they will be in the DRC. Even in there, we have split it into low risk, moderate risk and high risk and different types of treatment for the three categories.

We also started the Anti-Drug Counselling and Engagement or ACE programme which was started last year for young drug abusers who have confessed to drug abuse but for one reason or another they have tested negative in the urine test. This is a three-month programme and includes counselling and we equip them with skills to cope with their addictions. We keep their parents involved. But two hands need to clap - oftentimes we find that the parents are not willing to come forward. So I've asked my people to consider whether legislatively we can do something, that the parents also have a duty.

On the international front, we don't want to be isolated. Within Asean, members have their domestic situation and they may take different approaches. But they sign up to a stand refusing to accept the legalisation of drugs. They continue to support criminalisation and there's an Asean coalition supporting it and there are a few other countries which adopt the same approach. We cooperate together in the international arena. We have to have a sensible dialogue with others of a different persuasion and perhaps agree that they have their own viewpoint and we have our own viewpoint. Different countries should be allowed to have different viewpoints.



Related
Parliamentary Debate on the Motion on Drugs “Strengthening Singapore’s Fight Against Drugs” - Speech by Mr K Shanmugam, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law -5 April 2017
Drug addicts to get online counselling via live chat service
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Hunting Black Swans & Taming Black Elephants: Peter Ho

April 7, 2017, 1:35 am
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IPS-Nathan Lectures 2016/17: Lecture I - Hunting Black Swans & Taming Black Elephants: Governance in a Complex World


Ex-civil service head Peter Ho: Shape future, don't predict it, this will help Singapore tackle a more complex world
By Charissa Yong, Political Correspondent, The Straits Times, 6 Apr 2017

Before the United Kingdom voted last June on whether to leave the European Union, polls showed that the outcome of the Brexit referendum would be a close call.

Despite this, the UK Treasury did not prepare for the "leave" scenario.

Former civil service head Peter Ho cited this yesterday as an example of a "black elephant" event - "a problem that is actually visible to everyone, but no one wants to deal with it, and so they pretend it is not there".



Speaking at his first lecture as the Institute of Policy Studies' S R Nathan Fellow for the Study of Singapore, he said such occurrences are a cross between a rare and hard-to-predict event, popularly known as a black swan, and the proverbial elephant in the room.

"When it blows up as a problem, we all feign surprise and shock, behaving as if it were a black swan," added Mr Ho, who is a senior adviser to the Centre for Strategic Futures.

Governments today have to grapple with an increasingly complex world with more moving parts, and it has become harder to predict the outcome of the interactions between those parts, he told 490 officials, academics and students at the hour-long lecture.

To minimise the chances of being blindsided in such an environment, policymakers will have to think about how they can shape the future instead of predicting it, he said.

An event Singapore did not predict was the effect of climate change on the drainage systems.

Citing the flash floods that hit Orchard Road in 2010, Mr Ho said during a question-and-answer session that the Government missed the initial warning signs of climate change.

But when the floods persisted, it started looking into the issue and discovered that rising temperatures had made rainfall more intense.

It was then that it realised the drainage system had to be upgraded to cope with the change.

"Every now and then, we will be confronted with these kinds of problems. The question is how long we take to respond," said Mr Ho, who led the civil service from 2005 until his retirement in 2010.

He suggested that one way of dealing with the increased complexity is scenario planning, so policymakers can see their own biases and be more imaginative. Singapore started this 20 years ago and now runs national scenario planning exercises every few years.

Another way is horizon scanning, that is, trying to identify the game-changing events.

For this, Singapore has a set of computer tools, the Risk Assessment and Horizon Scanning system, that use big data to search for trends and issues that could evolve into sudden shocks.

But in tackling such issues, government agencies and ministries must work together and share information, instead of dividing the problem and handling it in silos, said Mr Ho.

He acknowledged that this "whole-of-government" approach requires a difficult cultural shift.

"Often, the leader must nag his people to remind them that the whole-of-government imperative takes precedence over narrow sectoral interests and perspectives."

This is why the Strategy Group was set up under the Prime Minister's Office two years ago to coordinate policies across the Government and make this approach a priority.

"If we look at each issue from a narrow perspective, we will miss the wood for the trees," he said.





The black elephant challenge for governments
This is an excerpt from a speech by Peter Ho, former head of civil service. He was delivering his first lecture on Wednesday as the Institute of Policy Studies' S R Nathan Fellow for the Study of Singapore.
The Straits Times, 7 Apr 2017

Stephen Hawking, the world-famous theoretical physicist, said: "I think the next century (the 21st century) will be the century of complexity." But what is complexity? And what is its relevance to governance?

Complex is different from complicated. An engineering system is merely complicated. It could be an A-380 or a telecommunications satellite. Its inner workings may be very difficult (to understand) for a layman, who is more likely than not to describe it as complex, when it is actually just complicated. Complicated systems have Newtonian characteristics in that they perform pre-determined functions that are predictable and repeatable, in which input leads to a predictable outcome.

In contrast, a complex system will not behave in a repeatable and pre-determined manner. A complex system contains a large number of autonomous parts - agents - connected to one another, and interacting in a great many ways. They often generate their own feedback loops. To understand a complex system, we must understand not only the behaviour of each of these agents but also how they interact with one another, and how they act together as a whole.

Cities - like Singapore - are complex systems. They are made up of hundreds of thousands, even millions, of people - who are the "agents" in the parlance of complexity. Each person interacts with others, producing outcomes that often confound and astonish planners and policymakers.

All human systems are complex, not just cities. Countries are complex, as are political systems. The world as a whole is complex.

There are many definitions of complexity, but all of them agree that complex systems are characterised by the property of emergence. The connections and interactions among the many agents in a complex system lead to outcomes that are inherently unpredictable ex ante, and that are revealed only when they actually occur. So, when something happens, we are surprised.

BLACK SWANS AND BUTTERFLY EFFECT

Nicholas Nassim Taleb famously described one class of such surprises - rare and hard-to- predict events - as black swans. In Taleb's view, black swans are not just surprising, but also have another important characteristic: their impact is large and game-changing.

In 2002, not long after 9/11, Donald Rumsfeld who was then US Secretary of Defence, introduced us to a close relative of the black swan, the unknown unknown. He said: "There are known knowns. These are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns. That is to say we know that there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns, the ones we don't know we don't know."

In this highly-interconnected world, what happens in one part is going to affect other parts - the so-called butterfly effect which postulates that the flap of a butterfly's wings in Brazil can set off a tornado in Texas. This was the title of a lecture by Dr Edward Lorenz.

The butterfly effect is the concept that small changes in initial conditions can produce large effects in a complex system.

COMPLEXITY AND GOVERNMENTS

The rise of complexity will generate more uncertainty, and increase the frequency of black swans and other strategic surprises. In other words, complexity can cause big headaches for governments.

Yet, governments often ignore the complexity of their operating environment. They typically deal with complexity as if it is amenable to simple and deterministic, even linear, policy prescriptions. In a sense, the crux of public policy has been to apply - if not impose - orderly solutions to the myriad of complex problems that afflict our societies, our politics and our lived everyday experiences, in largely vain attempts to make what is complex merely complicated.

We see this in legal systems that are based on uniform punishments for complex and varied crimes, in public health enterprises that treat patients as largely homogenous, and education systems and pedagogies that assume that all children develop uniformly, or ought to.

THE BLACK ELEPHANT

This leads me to another member of my menagerie, the black elephant. The black elephant is the evil spawn of our cognitive biases. It is a cross between a black swan and the proverbial elephant in the room. The black elephant is a problem that is actually visible to everyone, but no one wants to deal with it, and so they pretend it is not there. When it blows up as a problem, we all feign surprise and shock, behaving as if it were a black swan.

Last year, many of us would have been astonished to learn that the Treasury in the United Kingdom had made no contingency plans for Brexit, despite the fact that the polls showed that the outcome of the referendum would be a close call. The British military - which I presume is like most armed forces and makes contingency plans at the drop of the hat - also reportedly did nothing. The UK government looked decidedly flat-footed the day after the referendum.

Surely this is an example of a black elephant? In fact, the only institution that had a Plan B was the Bank of England. My surmise is that because the Governor is not British - Mark Carney is Canadian-Irish - he had no emotional skin in the game, and could take an objective, dispassionate, look at the situation.

GOVERNANCE IN COMPLEXITY

So, what can governments do to improve the way they manage complexity, and at the same time mitigate the effects of the various cognitive biases that afflict them?

We can start by accepting that complexity creates uncertainty. Prediction is not possible.The right approach is an orientation towards thinking about the future in a systematic way.

Clearly, changes need to be made to the way governments organise themselves. Their toolbox must be enlarged. We can adopt methods and processes that help us to reduce the frequency of strategic surprise, and when the inevitable shock occurs, to reduce the amplitude or intensity of its impact. Some of us call this foresight, or futures thinking.

There are foresight methodologies - ways to think about the future systematically, and ways to help overcome some of our latent biases and our inherent cognitive constraints. One of them is the famous scenario planning method, which was developed and pioneered by the oil giant, Shell. Shell famously avoided the impact of the oil shock after an Arab oil embargo imposed in 1973 after the Yom Kippur War.

Today, scenario planning is a key part of the Singapore Government's strategic planning process. National scenario planning exercises are run every few years, and are even incorporated into the annual Budget cycle. The resultant scenarios are used by ministries and agencies as a base reference for their own strategic planning.

The big benefit of scenario planning is that it helps to overcome our cognitive biases by surfacing hidden assumptions and challenging mental models.

Scenario planning helps to inculcate an anticipatory mindset in planners and policymakers so that they instinctively raise "what if" questions on the issues they deal with. It helps them to overcome their blind spots, and to confront or at least be aware of black elephants.

WICKED PROBLEMS

The complexity of our operating environment that produces black swans also produces wicked problems - complex, large and intractable, with no immediate or obvious solutions. They have causes and influencing factors that are not easily determined ex ante. They hardly ever sit conveniently within the responsibility of a single agency. Worse, they have many stakeholders, each of which sees these problems from different perspectives, and who have divergent goals. This means there are no immediate or obvious solutions, because nobody can agree on what the problems are in the first place, never mind what the solutions should be.

Wicked problems include the big challenges of our age, such as climate change, the environment, population, urbanisation, inequality. Most crises are wicked problems. There are many stakeholders, but they have competing perspectives and divergent interests. Please one and you upset many others. Solve one problem and others will arise.

Terrorism is a particularly wicked problem. Even if everyone agreed on how to distinguish terrorists from legitimate freedom fighters, and there was consensus that terrorism should be banished, it is not clear that any policy prescriptions would gain universal acceptance. If that were the case, terrorism would not be the persistent problem that it is today, and the Islamic State would not be such a serious threat.

There is no single agency in government that is really equipped to deal with a wicked problem in its entirety. But, letting departments tackle different parts of a wicked problem on their own often leads to duplication or to waste and sub-optimal policies, and even to new wicked problems.

THE DANGERS OF REDUCTIONISM

Efforts to understand our complex world and to deal with wicked problems often rely on an assumption - that what is complex can be reduced to simpler subsets that are easier to evaluate, and that when re-aggregated, will produce results that approximate the real world.

This approach is reductionism.It led to the tendency to dissect the complex world into smaller and less complex parts, and to favour explanations framed at the lowest level of scale.

Arguably in government, the assumption of reductionism results in a tendency to divide big problems into smaller pieces. It goes a long way to explain the proliferation of agencies and bureaucracies as standard response to emerging and wicked problems.

Despite the enormous importance of this approach, it gives the false impression that investigating things at a holistic level is less informative than investigating the properties of the components. Outside the realm of science, reductionism has not been as effective in explaining phenomena in such areas as ecology and economics.

Complexity science abjures reductionism for the study of how systems interact with other systems, how agents interact with other agents, and then how these lead to emergent, rather than causal, results.

Complexity science tools include agent-based modelling, which examines how autonomous agents interact with one another and influence system behaviour. These tools, when applied to economics and to other areas like urban planning, provide fresh and usable insights that deterministic models have failed to produce. In Singapore, government agencies are beginning to use such tools to address complex problems in areas such as land transportation, health and housing.

EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED

Another way to counter the problems inherent in the reductionist approach is to look at situations more holistically. This is important because in our complex world, "everything is connected to everything else". If we look at each issue from a narrow perspective, we will miss the wood for the trees.

At heart, this is an argument in favour of enlarging our field of vision to see how economics, demographics, societal issues, issues of environment and of technology, interact with each other to produce the complexities of the operating environment. This is a more interdisciplinary and counter-reductionist approach.

Interdisciplinary collaboration is essential for solving the big challenges of today, in science and technology, in the social sciences, in the economy, in urbanisation, and in the environment. Why not also in geopolitics, geo-strategy and geo-economics? It is not possible, for example, to separate the conduct of foreign policy from other large national interests like economics and trade. So, there has to be a lot of internal coordination, and sharing of information.

To this end, inter-agency cooperation requires good leadership to grow. This is, in part, reflected in Singapore's coordinating ministers, a position first established in 2003 with the appointment of the first-ever Coordinating Minister for Security and Defence. Now there are three coordinating ministers, who cover the entire spectrum of government functions - namely national security, economic and social policies, and infrastructure. The establishment of these three positions marks the transformation of the Singapore Government from a traditional hierarchy into a new-age system of government, characterised by a Whole-of-Government approach.

WHOLE-OF-GOVERNMENT

This transformation is significant, because the Whole-of-Government approach is an important response to managing complexity and dealing with wicked problems.

An organisation that breaks down vertical silos encourages the spontaneous horizontal flow of information that will enlarge and enrich the worldview of all agencies. This improves the chances that connections, emergent challenges and opportunities are discovered early.

It is a mindset of willingly working together to achieve common national outcomes, instead of serving the interests of individual agencies.

Take terrorism as an example. No single ministry or government agency - not Mindef (Ministry of Defence) or MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs) - has the full range of competencies or capabilities to deal with this threat on its own. Instead, the efforts of many agencies have to be coordinated and brought to bear on this problem in a Whole-of-Government approach. This insight - and the looming challenge of transnational terrorism - led the Singapore Government to set up the National Security and Coordination Secretariat.

Whole-of-Government looks eminently reasonable - on paper. But it is not easily achieved. Governments, like any large hierarchy, are organised into vertical silos. For Whole-of-Government to work, these vertical silos need to be broken down, so that information can flow horizontally to reach other agencies.

But this is a Sisyphean effort. Whole-of-Government is antithetical to a deeply-ingrained bureaucratic instinct to operate within silos. More insidiously, institutional identity is sometimes so strong that it colours how each agency views or prioritises national interests.

One of the big challenges of government - especially the hierarchical Westminster Western model that the Singapore Government is derived from - is the occurrence of bureaucratic silos, where information and coordination flow vertically, rather than develop horizontally. This is, in turn, an organisational impediment to the sharing of insights and information critical to thinking about the future.

This is a big hurdle to overcome.

It requires not just a lot of effort but also a real change of culture. Often, the leader must nag his people to remind them that the Whole-of-Government imperative takes precedence over narrow sectoral interests and perspectives.

The Whole-of-Government approach is today a priority of the Singapore Government. There are inter-agency platforms that have been established to share information among ministries, statutory boards and other agencies, in order to take in different ideas and insights, so that wicked problems can be viewed in their manifold dimensions.

Coordinating bodies now deal with cross-agency strategic issues, like the National Climate Change Secretariat and the National Population & Talent Division. Two years ago, the Government set up the PMO Strategy Group with the mission of Whole-of-Government policy development and coordination. And most recently, the Government announced the establishment of the Smart Nation & Digital Government Group to give a further Whole-of-Government push to the Smart Nation effort.

URBAN PLANNING

Let me take up the issue of urban planning, a uniquely wicked problem for Singapore. While other countries have large land areas, which allow new cities to develop and replace other cities that may decline in relevance and fortune, Singapore, as a small city-state in an island, does not have that luxury.

Instead, urban planning in Singapore needs to take into account the challenge of packing in housing, green space, industrial land, commercial and retail space, land for transportation needs, and military training areas, all within the confines of a small island of 718 sq km. This is less than half the size of London, and two-thirds the size of New York City.

In Singapore, the entire process of urban planning involves close collaboration among economic, social and development ministries and agencies. It also entails consultations with various stakeholders in the private sector and the general public. This approach enables all stakeholders to better understand interdependencies and implications of land use and strategic decisions.

Planning so far ahead and for multiple possible functions is inherently complex and invariably involves many uncertainties. So, national scenarios are used to factor in these uncertainties. Plans are also regularly reviewed. This process of long-term planning and regular review has enabled Singapore to anticipate its needs far in advance, and provides the flexibility to respond to surprises and to adapt to changes over time.

But such plans are only possible because of the embrace of a Whole-of-Government approach, in which trade-offs in land use are made among agencies. What is protected is not the narrow sectoral interests of the various ministries and agencies, but the larger national interest. It is not just a matter of coordination of roles and actions. At its core, Whole-of-Government means finding consensus on strategic priorities. Consensus is made possible because processes like scenario planning help align the government agencies to the larger national interests.

WHOLE-OF-NATION

But with increasing complexity, the role of the government transforms from being a direct service provider, and becomes more of what the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research describes as a "lever of public value inside the web of multi-organisational, multi-governmental and multi-sectoral relationships".

This is sometimes called networked government, which refers to the management of the webs of relationships within and surrounding government.

For instance, government social services rely on collaboration with non-profit and community-based organisations. Examples like this do not indicate a diminishing importance of the government's role. Instead, government may be understood as having multiplied its capabilities by extending its reach beyond its institutional boundaries.

A government that operates in a networked manner deploys mechanisms that promote reach within the whole nation. Tackling the Jemaah Islamiah (JI) threat is not just about removing the immediate threat that the JI posed to Singapore's security. It also requires engaging multiple stakeholders, including community groups like the religious teachers who started the Religious Rehabilitation Group. It means engaging the private sector to help develop protective systems, processes and security infrastructure. This approach clearly needs not just many agencies of government coming together, but also bringing in the people and the private sectors.

In a way, it is not just a Whole-of-Government approach, but also a Whole-of-Nation effort. This is because the JI poses a multi-dimensional threat that requires not only collaboration among security agencies, but also with social agencies that have oversight of issues affecting local communities. The Singapore approach is to fight the JI network with Whole-of-Nation networks. This is networked government in action.

This Whole-of-Nation approach continues today with the SGSecure initiative, which is specifically targeted at building community networks. The SGSecure national movement aims to "sensitise, train and mobilise the community" as part of its response in the face of national threats.

The rise of complexity in the world today throws up enormous challenges for governments. Black swans will confront them, and they will have to deal with wicked problems. Black elephants will be lurking in the background.

Foresight will help governments to better deal with complexity and its challenges. The concept of governance must also change, in tandem with rising expectations and a more educated and empowered citizenry. Government-by-Agency will evolve into Whole-of-Government, which in turn will embrace the broader Whole-of-Nation approach that includes business, civil society and the man in the street.

Collectively, these multi-sectoral actors will change the concept of governance, even if they are not part of "government", traditionally defined. The future of governance in a world of complexity lies in such systems-level coordination.









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Chan Chun Sing at NTU Ministerial Forum 2017

April 7, 2017, 6:40 am
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Stay adaptable to stay ahead, students urged
Chan Chun Sing highlights trait Singaporeans must have to thrive in new economy, cautions against complacency
By Rachel Au-Yong, The Straits Times, 6 Apr 2017

Minister Chan Chun Sing last night set students a challenge: Get out of their comfort zone and pursue something that is not narrowly tied to their academic subject.

A broad range of knowledge and interests will help them stay ahead in the new economy, where adaptability and versatility are key.

Indeed, in an interactive poll that Mr Chan did during the dialogue at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), many among the 400 students felt adaptability was the most important skill they would get from university to face future challenges.

Adaptability, said the Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and labour chief, will be the most important trait that Singaporeans must have to survive in an evolving economy shaped by technological advancements and changing business models.

"If you can adapt, you won't lose out," he added.

But he is also concerned that one thing that holds people back from being adaptable is complacency.

Mr Chan noted that unlike the pioneer generation, Singaporeans today have far more choices, thanks to better education and a greater amount of resources. But, he said: "Will choices make us complacent? If it does, then we will not do even as well as our forefathers."

He urged students to be "worldly wise, and know what is happening beyond your books", saying this will give them the edge that many employers are looking for.

He cited his own experience as an undergraduate in Cambridge University, where he majored in economics, but also read biology and philosophy in his spare time.

"All that gave me a broad base to cross-pollinate ideas. Did it help me with my exam? Not much," he said.

He cited the example of Israel, which has been dubbed a "start-up nation" for its prowess in innovation and knack for adaptability.

Where most armed forces train with a set of drills, its defence force exposes officers to a variety of situations, because the threat they face is continually evolving, he noted.

And instead of learning drills for one particular response, there are many data points to adapt to, because the one that evolves fastest is the one that survives.

Likewise, Israeli parents do not ask their children what answers they gave in school, but what questions they asked. Mr Chan said: "If we get the questions right, we will get the answers. But if we have the answers, and the questions are wrong, we are completely irrelevant."

In reply to a student's question on how one can serve the community in a changing economy, he told the students that they - and those who are successful - have a duty to take care of the less well-off in society.

"Remember that it is not enough to be successful individually," he said. "Your success is also because of the support of your families. When you remember that, you give back something, you lend your shoulders (for others) to stand taller and see farther... Then, we have every confidence Singapore will also be successful."

Mr Chan noted that slower growth today poses a challenge to many societies, especially where wages of those in the middle stagnate.

One concern is when those who are better off start questioning the need to support the broad middle too, he said.

So far, the Government has managed its Budget carefully and built up its reserves, but to ensure that each generation does not burden the next, the workforce must think bigger than just the country and be "globally competitive", he said.

Mr Chan is optimistic on this front. Noting that many multinationals set up shop here not just to run a local operation, but also a regional or global headquarters, he said: "We have to ask ourselves if we have the multi-cultural skillsets to run those operations, and to get the top job."

"We need to compete in high- growth sectors. You have every chance to be successful," he added.

"We have to keep evolving and learning from the rest of the world, build our own unique business model, products and services... and we will get there."










IMPORTANCE OF GROWTH

Our philosophy is very simple: We ask the top third to do their best to help the bottom third, financially, taxes and what not to equalise it. That is with the assumption the middle third will take care of themselves...

Today, many countries in the West face the same challenge: The people in the middle find their real wages stagnating... Everybody panics and goes out to demand more for himself.

What this means is that the poor will get even less because now there are more to distribute to. And the rich will start to question whether they should continue to support the two-thirds - and that becomes unsustainable.

MR CHAN CHUN SING, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, on the importance of continued economic growth.



MASTERING TECHNOLOGY

Technology is neutral. Whoever masters it, whoever has a better business model, whoever can keep up with the new skillsets required, whoever can use technology to complement them better and evolve their business model, wins.

The same technology, if not well applied, will cause us to be fearful about our jobs, because indeed somebody might steal our lunch over the Internet. But if we master it, we will take other people's lunch.

MR CHAN, on the need to keep abreast of technological changes to stay competitive.










Adaptability key for young Singaporeans: Chan Chun Sing
By Kelly Ng, TODAY, 6 Apr 2017

When asked by labour chief Chan Chun Sing how they would pitch the Republic to potential investors, a vast majority of students at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) students’ union ministerial forum yesterday cited “safety” and “security” as the country’s selling points.

The response, however, revealed a mindset that was “way too conservative”, he told the undergraduates.

“If you are trying to convince people to come because of stability ... (Singapore has) essentially become a bond market,” said Mr Chan, who is also a Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, at the dialogue with 400 undergraduates.

Citing the “winning combination” of an innovative business model, adept use of technology, and skilled talent, he challenged the students: “Isn’t it true ... that if you want to sell an idea to somebody to attract investments here, you have to convince me that you have one or more of (these factors), over and above stability and security?”

The ability to anticipate and adapt to changes around the world is key for the next generation, said Mr Chan.

At the annual forum, which had the theme of Advancing Our Competitiveness in the New Economy, Mr Chan painted the picture of a fast-changing future economy which will require young Singaporeans to be highly adaptive and have a healthy appetite for risk-taking. He posed several questions to the audience, whose responses were compiled into word clouds. The discussion was anchored on the most prevalent words or phrases that came up for each question.

Mr Chan noted that fluctuations in the economy can present “tremendous opportunities” for those who wield them to their advantage. “But if you are on the wrong side of the value chain, you might end up in the minus 2 (per cent), and that is scary,” he said.

Even technology is but a neutral tool that users must learn to master.

“Whoever can use technology to complement them better and evolve their business model wins. The same technology, if not well applied, will cause us to be fearful of our jobs, because indeed, someone might steal our lunch over the Internet,” Mr Chan said.

“Adaptability” was the response that stood out to his question on the “most important skill set for tomorrow” that students hope to graduate with. Agreeing, Mr Chan pointed out that while it takes an average of two years for new skills to be identified and passed on to the students, new technologies and product cycles today can be turned around overnight.

“Many of the things that we learn may belong to the history books quite soon if we are not careful,” he said.

Citing the Israeli Defence Forces’ approach of training versatile combat soldiers to deal with a wide variety of scenarios — with different missions, various enemies, across varied terrains — Mr Chan stressed the importance of continually evolving and not being stuck in tried-and-tested methods of approaching problems.

He then posed a question to the university’s faculty, which sparked laughter from the audience: “Would you dare to set an exam where you don’t have the answer? You should be, because if you only dare to set an exam with a known answer, then that must be a history test. But in the world today, there are many situations where we do not necessarily know the answer, and we have to evolve those answers along the way.”

Mr Chan added: “If we get the questions right, we will find the answers. If we only get the answers right but the question is wrong ... We are completely irrelevant.”

While students here start from a “much higher education base” than others in the region, Mr Chan cautioned that they must not rest on their laurels. “Because someone who is hungrier, someone who can adapt faster, will overtake us,” he said.

Singaporeans must guard against complacency, which poses the greatest threat to competitiveness in the new economy, he said. Urging the students to uphold a “sense of ownership”, Mr Chan said: “So long as we stay hungry, not complacent, always watching out for the next competitor who might take our lunch away ... I have no fear for your generation.”








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A patient, then a volunteer, now also an employee

April 7, 2017, 6:54 am
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In fast-paced Singapore, there are those in need - and those who go out of their way to meet their needs. This is the latest in a series on noteworthy causes that The Straits Times is spotlighting.
By Janice Tai, The Straits Times, 6 Apr 2017

Mr Tan Ann Seng was in a suicidal state when he was admitted to St Luke's Hospital back in 2009.

The then 61-year-old handyman had just had a stroke, and with the right side of his body paralysed, he found life meaningless.

But 2-1/2 years later, he was a changed man. Not only did he drop thoughts of suicide, but he also volunteered to help other stroke patients. This was even though he had managed to recover only the ability to straighten his fingers.

In 2014, five years after his stroke, he was even hired by the hospital to welcome patients and visitors, and assist them with directions and taxi services.

"From being a patient to volunteer to staff, that would have been unthinkable for me back then," said Mr Tan, now 68, in Mandarin.

"But the care and guidance given to me during the period of suffering made me want to use my experience to encourage others," he added.



Mr Tan's experience reflects how community organisations and charities can go a step further to empower the people they help.

Following in his footsteps, 22 other patients at St Luke's have since signed up to volunteer at the hospital. Some play the piano for patients, while others help to take their blood pressure. Those who are mobile accompany patients on neighbourhood walks.

The hospital has been rethinking the concept of rehabilitation.

Ms Chua Pei Shan, a physiotherapist at St Luke's, said: "Rehabilitation is not just about doing exercises. They may have recovered physically but, psychologically and socially, they may not be ready for society as their illnesses can affect their self-esteem and identity.

"We encourage patients who are deemed suited to volunteer to do so. In helping others along the way, they find new meaning in life and, so, become more motivated in doing their own exercises for a quicker recovery."

Some patients recuperate more slowly or get readmitted into the hospital as they do not do the exercise drills consistently at home.

For Mr Tan, the road to recovery was a long one.

In 2009, he had been enjoying doing painting, repair and plumbing jobs. One morning, a wave of nausea hit him as he was brushing his teeth. His right hand and leg lost all strength and he tumbled to the ground.

By the time the doctor at Alexandra Hospital told him he had a stroke, his speech was slurring so much that it was incoherent.

Losing the use of the muscles on the right side of his body hit him hard. From being someone who moved around and made friends easily, he could not sit up or use the bathroom on his own. "I could not even tell the nurses whether it was small or big business I had to do in the toilet," he said.

He was in a slump when he was warded for three weeks at St Luke's. He kept looking at the windows, determined to take his life by jumping down. His biggest dread was being a burden to his family.

Concerned doctors and nurses noticed his mental state and made changes to the type of medicine he was taking, fearing that the former ones may be causing certain side effects affecting his moods. They encouraged him and guided him in setting small goals to work towards, as he did his rehabilitation exercises.

When he was discharged, they taught him how to tie a rope to the ceiling in his home and use it to exercise his right hand.

After five years of disciplining himself to do various exercises every day, he regained most of the use of his right body. His lip no longer droops and he is able to walk, albeit with a slight limp.

Seeing that he was keen to continue working, St Luke's hired him as its service ambassador to greet and assist patients and visitors three years ago. He has also been volunteering and sharing his experiences with stroke patients for the last five years.

Said Mr Tan: "It makes me happy to see the progress of other stroke patients. I have a special relationship with them and it turned out that my experiences can be put to good use."









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US reaffirmed commitment to Asia-Pacific region and bilateral defence ties with Singapore: Ng Eng Hen

April 8, 2017, 2:27 am
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United States Defence Secretary James Mattis reaffirms US commitment to region
Pentagon meeting 'warm and productive'; US wants to deepen bilateral defence ties
By Adrian Lim, The Straits Times, 7 Apr 2017

United States Defence Secretary James Mattis has reaffirmed the US' commitment to the Asia-Pacific region and its desire to deepen bilateral defence ties with Singapore, said Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen.

In a Facebook post yesterday, Dr Ng also confirmed that Mr Mattis will be at the Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual security summit attended by top military brass and defence delegates in Singapore, in early June.

Dr Ng met Mr Mattis at the Pentagon on Wednesday on his working visit to the US, and described their meeting as "warm and productive".

"We discussed common security challenges, including the threat of terrorism and ways to deal with them. I look forward to returning the warm hospitality when Secretary Mattis attends the Shangri-La Dialogue," he wrote.



According to the transcript of an interview with Channel NewsAsia in Washington, Dr Ng described Mr Mattis, a former Marine Corps general, as someone who has strategies and plans, and vast experience in the US military.

"He gave a reassuring calm, and in his words, he has now become the 'Secretary of Reassurance'. So I was very happy with the outcome of that," said Dr Ng.

"I think it bodes well from the security point, America's commitment to the region, and... commitment towards Asia-Pacific stability. He understands the nuances in terms of the tensions, or problems that can arise. There is much reassurance and confidence that Secretary Mattis is there."

Dr Ng added that both countries remain committed to the enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement, signed in 2015, which will advance collaboration in new areas such as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

Singapore also remains committed to facilitating the use of Changi Naval Base and its air bases by American forces, said Dr Ng.

He said the purpose of his trip, which ended on Wednesday, had been to get a better feel of how to engage the US as there had been "several levels of uncertainty, unpredictability" about the new administration under President Donald Trump.

He noted that Mr Trump's team had never held office before and the administration, unlike others before, still had more government positions to fill. There is also a "crowded and challenging domestic journey" ahead.

Dr Ng said Singapore wants to know how to navigate this new political environment "because our strategy for relations with the US, and global relations, where possible, is to help others to shape... the architecture, to allow small countries like Singapore to prosper". The best way, Dr Ng said, was to meet and talk with individuals, ambassadors and "old friends of Singapore" who understand the politics, Singapore's history and relations with the US, and the region.

Dr Ng also spoke about the meeting between Mr Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, calling it a "good development" towards a relationship based on cooperation. He said Singapore hopes the US and China would agree to avoid trade wars and help both sides grow economically. This, in turn, will help global trade, which will benefit Singapore.

He also hopes that there will be "positive steps" from the meeting regarding North Korea.















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City Harvest Church appeal verdict: Kong Hee & Co still going to jail BUT Singapore High Court cuts jail terms

April 8, 2017, 9:11 am
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Six church leaders get reduced jail terms, Kong Hee gets 3.5 years
High Court's split 2-1 ruling on appeal extremely significant, say lawyers
By Selina Lum and Ng Huiwen, The Straits Times, 8 Apr 2017

In a courtroom packed with supporters and a few detractors, City Harvest Church founder Kong Hee sat expressionless when he was told he will serve 31/2 years in jail - the final twist in one of Singapore's longest-running criminal trials.

It was less than half of the original sentence he had been facing, but in a split 2-1 High Court decision on appeal, the bench majority decided to reduce the 52-year-old's criminal breach of trust (CBT) charge to a less serious one.

Five other current and former church leaders, who in 2012 were accused of misappropriating $50 million in church money to fund the Crossover Project in a failed bid to promote the pop music career of Kong's wife Ho Yeow Sun, and then to cover up their tracks, also saw their jail terms slashed - despite the prosecution's appeal for longer terms.

Deputy senior pastor Tan Ye Peng, 44, had his 51/2 years in jail cut to three years and two months.

Former fund manager Chew Eng Han, 56, who originally got six years in jail, had it reduced to three years and four months. Former finance manager Serina Wee, 40, had her five-year jail term halved to 21/2 years.

The three-year sentence of former finance committee member John Lam, 49, was also halved. Former finance manager Sharon Tan, 41, will be jailed for seven months instead of 21 months.



"While the conviction being upheld is not what I have hoped for, I am grateful that the sentence has been reduced," Kong, whom the judges described as the "mastermind", said later.

Yesterday's ruling capped a case which has engrossed the public since 2010, when the authorities started probing the affairs of the City Harvest Church, seven years after a church member first made allegations that building funds were being misused.

The investigations cast a spotlight on Kong's prosperity gospel, which marries materialism with spiritualism, and the attempt by the church, which at its peak had 30,000 congregants, to reach out to the "unchurched" by turning Mandarin pop singer Ho into a star in America.

Ho starred in several racy videos, including China Wine, which featured Wyclef Jean and was widely viewed and criticised on YouTube.



During a marathon 142-day trial, which started in 2013, it was revealed how the six had channelled $24 million from CHC's building fund into sham bonds in music production company Xtron and glass-maker Firna. The money was in fact used to fund the Crossover Project.

Later, another $26 million was used to cover up the sham bond investments.


The prosecution, believing that the 2015 jail terms which ranged from 21 months to eight years were inadequate, filed appeals. All six accused also appealed against their conviction and sentence.

Kong's role as the "spiritual leader of the other appellants", whom he led and mentored, ought to be reflected in the sentences imposed, said the court yesterday, explaining why he received the longest jail term. But "none of the appellants, particularly Eng Han, Ye Peng, John Lam, Serina and Sharon, could be said to have gained anything from what they did other than pursuing the objectives of CHC. Their fault lies in adopting the wrong means", said Judge of Appeal Chao Hick Tin.



The dissenting judge, Justice Chan Seng Onn, however, said it was very clear Kong's wife had benefited directly and Kong indirectly from criminally misappropriated funds to fund her music career. Justice Woo Bih Li was the other judge who ruled on the appeal.

The ruling was described by lawyers as "extremely significant", given that the court departed from a four-decade-old legal position and reinterpreted Section 409 of the Penal Code, the provision governing the role of agents in CBT.










City Harvest appeal: AGC is considering whether it is possible to take further steps, says Shanmugam
By Charissa Yong, The Straits Times, 8 Apr 2017

The Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) is considering whether it is possible to take further steps on the City Harvest Church case and will decide by early next week, said Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam on Saturday (Apr 8).

All six church leaders convicted of criminal breach of trust got their sentences reduced by a three-judge panel under the appeal verdict released a day earlier.

In November 2015, the six, including church founder Kong Hee, were handed jail terms ranging from 21 months to eight years in the largest case of misuse of charitable funds in Singapore history.

All six appealed against their conviction, while the AGC appealed against the sentences for being too low.

Mr Shanmugam, who was at a racial and religious harmony event in Toa Payoh on Saturday, said: "The media is reporting that the matter is over, that this is final. Not quite. The matter is not over yet."

He told reporters that the Government agreed with the AGC's view that the original sentence was too low.



Church founder Kong Hee was originally handed an eight-year jail sentence, which was reduced to 3 1/2 years on Friday. The other five church leaders also had their jail terms reduced after the court, in a split 2-1 decision, found them guilty of a less serious charge of criminal breach of trust.

Referring to three High Court judges and one State Court judge who heard the case, Mr Shanmugam said that in terms of judges, two judges had thought that the sentences should stay or be raised. Another two judges thought the sentences should be lower, which resulted in the eventual decision to reduce the sentence.

The key reason was that the church directors were not considered to be agents, as laid out under Section 409 of the Penal Code which deals with criminal breach of trust. The judges thus found them guilty of a reduced charge of criminal breach of trust.

Said Mr Shanmugam: "From the Government's point of view, this reasoning, this legal reasoning has serious implications in other cases, including corruption cases and our zero-tolerance approach for the future.

"We will have to consider as a matter of policy what other steps to take because we cannot relax our stand on that," he said, citing as examples where directors take bribes. The minister said he had "asked AGC to advise whether we need to do anything".

But he also sounded a note of caution as he said:"I can understand that people have different views on the High Court judgment." Mr Shanmugam said that while people have a right to have their views on the judgment, they should be careful about abusing judges personally or "casting improper ulterior motives" on the judgments.

"The reasoning is there, they set it out, we agree, disagree, and from a Government point of view if we disagree then we always consider what we do. If necessary we legislate through Parliament," he said.

The six church leaders had channelled $24 million from CHC's building fund into sham bonds in music production company Xtron and glass-maker Firna. They used the money to fund the singing career of Kong's wife, Ms Ho Yeow Sun, as part of the Crossover Project, a church mission which they said was to evangelise through Ms Ho's music.

Later, another $26 million was used to cover up the sham bond investments.

Mr Shanmugam said he has "also noted the court's comments on the way the matter was handled by the prosecution".

The High Court had, in its judgment, commented on how the prosecution had run its case.

The court noted that the prosecution had not focused on any gain to third parties due to the church leaders' actions, even though this may have been suggested in the charges.

While the prosecution did attempt to touch on the gains by Kong's wife, Ms Sun, this point was not raised in its written submissions for the appeal and was also not raised before the Judge.

"In the circumstances, we approach the sentencing in this case as one without any element of wrongful gain or personal financial benefit, either direct or indirect," said the judgment.

Mr Shanmugam said that he had asked the new Attorney-General Lucien Wong and deputy Attorney-Generals to look into the matter.

"It may take time but we have good people at the top and they should be able to deal with that," he told reporters.

















Six not motivated by personal gain: Judges
By Ng Huiwen, The Straits Times, 8 Apr 2017

They were not motivated by personal gain and they thought they were acting in the best interests of City Harvest Church (CHC).

Ultimately, the church leaders believed their actions would advance the Crossover Project, a church mission to spread the Gospel through pop music, and this was generally supported by the congregation.

These were the "exceptional" mitigating factors considered by a three-judge panel, in reducing the jail terms for the six convicted CHC leaders yesterday.

In a 304-page written judgment, the judges noted that the case should not be seen as a "sinister and malicious attempt" by the six to use the church's funds for their own purposes, despite the huge sum of about $50 million involved.

Rather, they had "resorted to deceit and lies", such as hiding the truth of their transactions from auditors and lawyers, because they wanted to keep the use of the church's monies for the Crossover Project confidential.

They also feared questions would be asked, the judges said, adding that "their fault lies in adopting the wrong means".



On the issue of personal gain, the judges said that while the prosecution noted in its oral submissions that there was benefit accrued to Kong Hee's wife, Ms Ho Yeow Sun, this was not raised in its written submissions for the appeal. The issue of personal benefit was, therefore, not factored into the sentencing.

The prosecution, calling for stiffer sentences, stressed the misappropriation of charity funds as among the aggravating factors.

But the court clarified that while CHC is a charity organisation, it is not a charity that is also an Institution of a Public Character. This means that donations to the church are not tax-deductible. Thus, donations to church funds "are invariably made by its members for the benefit of the church" and do not serve the community as a whole.

In addition, the six, though "reckless" with the funds, had no intention of causing permanent financial loss to the church.

"The appellants had, at all times, intended for the funds... to be eventually returned to CHC with the stated interest even if they might not have been entirely sure as to how or when they could do so at the time," the judges said.

In meting out the harshest sentence among the six to Kong, the judges agreed that he was the "ultimate leader" of the five others.









Five key highlights of the judgment
By Ng Huiwen, The Straits Times, 8 Apr 2017

WHY WERE THE CBT CHARGES REDUCED?

The court found that City Harvest Church founder Kong Hee, 52, deputy senior pastor Tan Ye Peng, 44, and former finance committee member John Lam, 49, were not "agents" entrusted with dominion over CHC's funds.

While they held important positions in the church, it does not mean they were offering their "services as an agent to the community at large" or making their living as an agent. This is unlike a banker, a broker or a lawyer.

With this, the aggravated charge of CBT under Section 409 of the Penal Code, which involves CBT by a public servant, banker, merchant or agent, was reduced to a simpler charge under Section 406.

The lesser charge of CBT had a "significant impact" in the reduction of the sentences, as the maximum punishments of the two are "markedly different", the court said. The maximum jail terms under Section 406 are less than half that for those under Section 409.

Despite the huge sum of about $50 million involved, the court recognised that there had been no personal gain, among other mitigating factors, and "their fault lies in adopting the wrong means".


WHY WERE THE ACCOUNT FALSIFICATION CHARGES UPHELD?

These were related to entries recorded in the church's accounts in October and early November 2009 showing that the sham bonds purchased by the church's building funds were redeemed. The court held that the accused were aware the entries were false and they intended to defraud.





WHAT DID JUDGES SAY ABOUT KONG HEE?

Kong's role was that of "spiritual leader" of the five others, providing the "overall direction and moral assurance for their actions". Thus, his overall culpability was the greatest.

He was also one of the main players - if not the main one - who had influenced the others into using the church's funds to purchase sham bonds, even if he did not directly participate in redeeming them.


WHAT DID THE DIFFERING JUDGE SAY?

Justice Chan Seng Onn, in differing from Judge of Appeal Chao Hick Tin and Justice Woo Bih Li, noted there were elements of benefit to Kong and his wife, Ms Ho Yeow Sun. There was also permanent financial loss to the church.

Justice Chan called for a dismissal of the appeals for the six accused and prosecution.
















Ruling may set new legal position on CBT
Decision departs from 1970s precedent in interpreting criminal breach of trust
By Selina Lum, The Straits Times, 8 Apr 2017

A key aspect of the verdict in the City Harvest Church (CHC) case could have wider ramifications for future criminal breach of trust cases, said lawyers.

CHC founder Kong Hee and five other church leaders had their sentences reduced because - while they were found guilty of criminal breach of trust (CBT) - they were cleared of the more serious charge of committing CBT as "agents".

Instead, they were convicted on plain CBT under Section 406 of the Penal Code, under which the maximum penalty is less than half of that for aggravated CBT under Section 409.

In reaching this conclusion, the High Court broke away from a legal position - based on the 1970s High Court case of Tay Choo Wah - that has prevailed in Singapore for the past 40 years.

Till now, directors who misappropriate the property of the company they are entrusted with are liable for the more serious offence of CBT as agents, under Section 409 of the Penal Code.

Section 409 makes it an offence for a person who misappropriates property that is entrusted to him "in the way of his business as a banker, a merchant, a factor, a broker, an attorney or an agent".

But yesterday, two judges out of a three-judge High Court panel ruled that directors such as the CHC leaders cannot be considered "agents" under Section 409.

The majority interpreted the provision to mean that in order to be found guilty under Section 409, the accused must be "in the business of an agent" at the time the property is entrusted to him.

Judge of Appeal Chao Hick Tin said the provision applies only to a "professional agent" who offers his services as an agent or makes his living as an agent.

In addition, the relationship between a director, who is entrusted with the property, and the company, which is the one entrusting the property, is an internal one. This stands in stark contrast, he said, to the external nature of the relationship that "a banker, a merchant, a factor, a broker (or) an attorney" shares with his customer who entrusts the property to him.

The second judge, Justice Woo Bih Li, agreed with him. The third, Justice Chan Seng Onn, disagreed.

Justice Chao stressed that the judge who convicted the CHC leaders was not wrong. This is because, as a lower court judge, he was legally bound by the Tay Choo Wah case.

The decision has significant ramifications, say lawyers.

"It will impact the way company directors who commit CBT of company funds are charged in future," said Mr Lee Teck Leng of Lee Chambers, who has been a criminal lawyer for over 20 years.

Mr Shashi Nathan, a partner at Withers KhattarWong, said: "There will be a rethink on how to prosecute accused persons in the future. For defence lawyers, there will be a seismic shift in how we pitch our cases."

Mr Lee said that as there are now two conflicting High Court decisions, the matter could go up to the Court of Appeal by way of a criminal reference on a question of law of public interest.
































































Teary eyes after court hands down verdict
By Melody Zaccheus and Yuen Sin, The Straits Times, 8 Apr 2017

Eyes turned red and filled with tears after the six City Harvest Church (CHC) leaders at the centre of a long saga heard the verdict handed down by the High Court.

The reality of a jail term hit CHC leaders Sharon Tan, 41, and Serina Wee, 40, particularly hard as they teared up while exiting court.

Meanwhile, Tan Ye Peng, 44, looking contrite, hugged and shook hands with supporters who respectfully addressed him as "pastor". Tan's lawyer N. Sreenivasan said he "regrets the turmoil the church has gone through".

The six sat behind a glass screen in court yesterday, stoic and solemn, as the verdict was delivered.

Church founder Kong Hee, 52, later took to social media to say: "I know that many of you have been praying and fasting for the team and (me). I am very thankful for the support and prayers that have been shown to our families."



Speaking softly over the phone to The Straits Times, his wife, CHC executive director Ho Yeow Sun, said: "Keep my family in prayer. It is a difficult time for us."

Mr Kenny Low, husband of former finance manager Wee, said they have mixed feelings over the decision. On her reduced sentence, he said: "It is just a number. It is still time lost and the opportunity to be with your loved ones taken away."

Five of the leaders had asked for two weeks of deferment in serving their sentences, citing reasons such as spending time with family over Easter on April 16, and the need for time to consider legal options.

Former CHC finance manager Sharon Tan's husband and two children will be relocating to the United States on an expatriate package, and she sought to have the sentence deferred by two months.

Although disappointed that there was no acquittal, Tan recognised that her sentence was cut from 21 months to seven months. Her lawyer Paul Seah said: "Now, it will be time for Sharon to pray and spend time with family."

Meanwhile, former CHC finance committee member John Lam, 49, said: "(I am) obviously sad... Ultimately, we did it for the church, for the Crossover (Project)."

Cell group leader and finance manager Lim Choon Kiong, 38, told The Straits Times: "I do know a couple of the leaders personally... Most of them have children or are sole breadwinners. Their jail terms will impact their families a lot."

Former CHC fund manager Chew Eng Han, 56, who has left the church, said he had expected his conviction to be overturned. "I will spend the next few days thinking about my grounds for appealing."

Responding to The Straits Times, the National Council of Churches of Singapore, which represents over 250 churches, reiterated the need for churches to be "extra vigilant about matters of sound governance". It said its president Rennis Ponniah, on behalf of the council, "will be sending a personal message to express our continued prayers for Pastor Kong Hee, his family and CHC, and also assuring him and (CHC of) continued fellowship with us as part of the body of Christ".

Additional reporting by Toh Wen Li, Abigail Ng, Raynold Toh, Zhao Jiayi











 





 


































 















































 











 
































City Harvest trial: A very extravagant way to spread gospel, says judge
It could have used ads or concerts, instead of spending $24m on Ho's music career, he says
By Danson Cheong, The Straits Times, 22 Sep 2016

There are cheaper ways to evangelise than the $24 million that City Harvest Church (CHC) spent on Ms Ho Yeow Sun's pop music career.

The church could have bought television or newspaper advertisements. Or it could have organised Korean pop concerts, with CHC senior pastor Kong Hee preaching afterwards.

Instead the way it went about spreading its gospel was "very extravagant", said Justice Chan Seng Onn in the High Court yesterday.

Justice Chan is one of three judges hearing the appeal of the six CHC leaders convicted of misappropriating millions in church funds to promote Ms Ho's career in a mission known as the Crossover Project. Yesterday was the close of the five-day hearing, and a judgment will be delivered at a later, as yet unknown, date.

Of the many ways to evangelise, Justice Chan said: "It can be through Sun Ho singing, (or) it could be engaging, at a much cheaper cost, maybe K-pop (singers) and Kong Hee can come to the concert and then preach."

He spoke as the prosecution was presenting its arguments. It wants longer sentences for all six CHC leaders, who face terms of between 21 months and eight years. It is asking for terms of between five and 12 years instead.

The six CHC leaders are appealing against their conviction and sentences.

In October last year, the lower court found the CHC leaders had ploughed $24 million from CHC's building fund into bogus bonds used to fund the music career of Ms Ho, who is Kong's wife. Another $26 million was used to cover up the initial misdeed.



Justice Chan asked if members had supported the means in which the Crossover was carried out.

They did, said deputy public prosecutor (DPP) Christopher Ong, but "what they didn't know was how much the means was costing and they didn't know who was paying for that cost".

Later, Judge of Appeal Chao Hick Tin also asked if the CHC leaders had been carrying out what they thought was a church purpose - "only they took the wrong route or the wrong means".

But DPP Ong said it was more important for the court to ask if church members supported the Crossover because they were not given the full facts about it.

Offering an analogy, he said: "If I were to offer you a Ferrari and I tell you that it is free of charge, you might well take it because, why not, it's free.

"If I tell you that I'm going to give you a Ferrari but use your money to pay for it, you may not be so supportive of the idea of my giving you a Ferrari."

He also told the court the six had not shown remorse - which ordinarily would be a mitigating factor.

"Restitution amounts to saying 'I am sorry', and this is not something we have heard from the offenders in this case," he said.

During the five-day hearing, lawyers for the five CHC leaders, and former CHC fund manager Chew Eng Han, who is representing himself, delivered impassioned arguments - often before a courtroom packed with over 50 people.

They stressed that the bonds used to fund the Crossover were genuine investments. Furthermore, the Crossover, which aimed to create "a megastar" in Ms Ho - who would attract non-Christians who could be preached to at her concerts - was a project that was supported by the church, said the lawyers.

At the close of yesterday's hearing, Justice Chao adjourned the case to give the judges time to go through the trial's voluminous record.

No date for a judgment was given by Justice Chao, who said: "This is something we need to give special consideration to... we can only promise you a judgment ASAP."
























City Harvest trial: Church leaders showed no remorse, says DPP as he calls for harsher sentences
By Danson Cheong, The Straits Times, 21 Sep 2016

Was the City Harvest Church (CHC) project to evangelise through the pop music of Ms Ho Yeow Sun a church purpose, or one that CHC leaders had foisted upon the congregation?

Deputy Public Prosecutor Christopher Ong asked the High Court this on Wednesday (Sept 21) in the ongoing appeal of the six CHC leaders at the centre of a multi-million dollar financial scandal.

In October last year, the six CHC leaders were convicted of misappropriating millions in church funds to fuel the pop music career of Ms Ho, the wife of CHC senior pastor Kong Hee, in a church mission known as the Crossover Project.

The court found that they had invested $24 million from CHC's building fund in bogus bonds from music production company Xtron and glass-maker Firna, but this money was, in fact, used to fund the Crossover Project.

Later, another $26 million was used to cover up the initial misdeed.

The six, including Kong, are appealing against their convictions and sentences, while the prosecution is also appealing - for longer sentences.



The lower court had found that the Crossover Project was "indisputably a church purpose", but DPP Ong pointed out that it was the six CHC leaders who determined what was in the church's interests and has silenced dissenting points of view.

"What this calls into question is whether they can really say they were pursuing CHC's objectives or they were really pursuing a mandate that they had created and then foisted upon CHC," said DPP Ong.

Rebutting the point made by the six that the Crossover Project was supported by the majority of church members, DPP Ong said the support for the Crossover Project must be viewed in the context of what members were told about the project.

"They were not told who would be footing the bill," said DPP Ong.

He pointed out that the offenders had not shown remorse - which ordinarily could be a mitigating factor.

"Restitution amounts to saying 'I am sorry', and this is not something we have heard from the offenders in this case," he said.

"What we submit is, this is not a case of altruistic individuals who nobly set out to fulfil the goals of CHC."



The prosecution asked for much harsher sentences - jail terms of 11 to 12 years jail for Kong, CHC deputy senior pastor Tan Ye Peng, former CHC fund manager Chew Eng Han and former CHC finance manager Serina Wee; eight to nine years for former CHC finance committee member John Lam; and five to six years for former CHC finance manager Sharon Tan.

The lower court handed out much lower terms in part because it found that the six had not been motivated by personal gain, and the church had not suffered any wrongful loss.

The six were given jail terms of between 21 months and eight years, with Kong facing the longest term.

The appeal, which ended at about 5.30pm, was heard by Judge of Appeal Chao Hick Tin, and Justices Woo Bih Li and Chan Seng Onn.

"We can only promise you a judgment asap," said Judge Chao, who added that the trial's record was voluminous.









City Harvest leaders deceived members, auditors, lawyers: DPP
They subverted church's internal governance bodies, used positions of trust to misspend funds, court hears
By Danson Cheong, The Straits Times, 21 Sep 2016

The six City Harvest Church (CHC) leaders deceived church members, auditors and lawyers, and subverted the church's internal governance bodies, the High Court heard yesterday.

They used their positions of trust to misspend millions of dollars in charity funds - the largest amount in such a case in Singapore's legal history - on a pop singer's music career, according to Deputy Public Prosecutor Christopher Ong.

He was responding to the arguments against conviction put forth by the six CHC leaders at the centre of the financial scandal.

In October last year, the six were convicted of misappropriating millions in church funds to fuel the pop music career of CHC senior pastor Kong Hee's wife, Ms Ho Yeow Sun, in a church mission known as the Crossover Project.

The court found that they had invested $24 million from CHC's building fund in bogus bonds from music production firm Xtron and glass-maker Firna, and the money was used to fund the Crossover Project. Later, another $26 million was used to cover up the initial misdeed.

The six, including Kong, are appealing against their convictions and sentences - ranging from 21 months' to eight years' jail - while the prosecution is appealing for longer sentences.



DPP Ong said the CHC leaders knew the bonds were "excuses to expend building fund money on (Ms Ho's) music career" and not investments.

Addressing the arguments by the CHC leaders that there was a need for secrecy in carrying out the Crossover Project in order to avoid uncomfortable public scrutiny, DPP Ong said it was strange since the only thing needing to be "secret" was the fact that Ms Ho was funded by the church's building fund - which was "buried so deep that even the auditors don't know about it".

He said it was public knowledge that Ms Ho was "famous pastor Kong Hee's wife", and Kong would come out to preach at the end of her concerts.

"Where is the secrecy in this?" asked DPP Ong, adding that Kong and his conspirators also controlled the bond proceeds, choosing to spend them on the Crossover Project and deciding how and when they would be repaid to the church.

Justice Chan Seng Onn asked: "If I put out the money and eventually pay back to it myself, just sweeping around, playing around it myself, having full control of it, how can you call it an investment?"

DPP Ong replied: "Yes, your Honour, that is exactly our point."

Another issue discussed in court yesterday was whether the offences committed by the six CHC leaders fell under the ambit of Section 409 of the Penal Code that they were charged under.

This is the most aggravated form of criminal breach of trust, and sets out the offence as one committed by a person "in the way of his business as a banker, a merchant, a factor, a broker, an attorney or an agent banker, merchant or agent".

In this context, Justice Chan asked if "the church, as a society, is in the business of courting donations", with agents of the church then being seen as agents carrying out such business. DPP Ong disagreed. But he said Section 409 concerns individuals who "customarily and regularly are entrusted with funds which they are then supposed to take responsibility for".

Judge of Appeal Chao Hick Tin said that if the elements of Section 409 are not satisfied, the charges could be reduced. Arguments for the appeal will continue today.














































































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Why football legend Fandi Ahmad will always say 'hi'

April 10, 2017, 1:33 am
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His talent brought him fame, and he believes he should use his fame to make people happy
By Sumiko Tan, Executive Editor, The Sunday Times, 9 Apr 2017

If you've always thought that Fandi Ahmad lives, eats and breathes football, think again.

"If I'm at home, I don't talk football, " says Singapore's most famous footballer when I ask if his mind is always on the game.

He hardly watches football on TV, too. He might catch a crucial match, but even then, don't expect him to stay up for 3am games.

"I'm not that type. I've been asked a few times to go for a night game and I said, 'No, no, night I cannot because I will sleep.'"

What he does watch a lot on TV is basketball. "I'm a big fan," he says, smiling. "I love basketball so much because I learn how they defend. Even though it's a small area, it's very tough."

We're having lunch at Warong Nasi Pariaman, a coffee shop in North Bridge Road near the Sultan Mosque. The eatery opened in 1948 and is said to be one of the oldest nasi padang restaurants around.

It's noon and the place is bustling. We're seated at a table facing a busy and noisy street. It's a hot day and even though a fan is blowing at us, I'm sweating buckets. Fandi, though, is looking cool as a cucumber as he holds court.

Holding court, I think, is an accurate way to describe lunch with him. We're joined by Dominic Leong, a media officer from the Football Association of Singapore (FAS), and I've asked Wang Meng Meng, my colleague at The Straits Times' sports desk who has known Fandi for a long time, to come along.

When photographer Kua Chee Siong arrives, Fandi urges him to join us, and so there we are, four pairs of eyes trained on him as he talks. And talk he does.

When I go back and listen to the recording of the interview, I'm struck by how lengthy his answers are - some running up to three minutes - and the range of topics each answer traverses.

A reply to a question on why he's so obliging with his fans segues into an anecdote about a friend, then to how he has fans in prison, his coaching days, his childhood growing up in Kaki Bukit, giving talks to prisoners and, finally, how he visualises goals before a match.

The answers are animatedly and charmingly stitched together, although I find myself struggling to follow his train of thought sometimes. In between, he's distracted by a phone call, people coming up to greet him, as well as people he recognises and shouts out a greeting to.

It's fair to say Fandi is Singapore's most famous footballer, if not sportsman. He joined the national team in 1979 when he was 17.

The next year, he scored the winning goal in the Malaysia Cup final where Singapore beat Selangor 2-1. He's never been out of the limelight since, whether as a footballer - from 1979 to 1997, he made 101 appearances for Singapore and scored 55 goals - businessman, coach, husband or father.

Last October, Fandi, who was then national assistant football coach, was named the FAS' head coach of youth, a new position.

He oversees the development of the youth teams bound for the 2018 Asian Games and the 2019 SEA Games.

He and Dominic are already at the restaurant when I arrive, and he greets me with a smile and firm handshake. He's dressed sportily in a dark blue adidas shirt, black pants and adidas shoes. Time has been kind to him. He's trim and, save for a smattering of crow's feet and some white in his goatee, looks younger than his 54 years.

I leave him to order and he gets us a delicious spread of sotong, fish and chicken dishes which arrive in quick succession.

He's in an expansive mood. "Makan first," he says. "Don't worry. Anything you can ask. I talk, you all eat. Don't worry I can talk. Please," he gestures at the dishes.

HE HAS chosen Warong Nasi Pariaman because he has good memories of the area.

He used to hang out in nearby Bussorah Street with friends to "makan, talk, talk, talk together, relax". They were a mix of footballers, artists, politicians and even an Internal Security Department officer.

I ask what it's like living a life in the public eye. He laughs and says he sometimes feels bad when he's with friends because they have to wait for him while he talks to his fans. There was a recent match where it took half an hour before he could untangle himself.

There are two reasons he is so obliging with his fans - one has to do with God, and the other with Argentinian footballer Diego Maradona.

"I believe we are born with a purpose," he says. "He gave me that special talent, I use it, if not I waste it. After that, He gave me this fame, and I try to give to people."

He goes on to recount how, when he was in his late teens, his team was invited to play in Selangor in Malaysia. Maradona, just two years older than him but already famous, was staying at the same hotel, Federal Hotel.

"We asked for signature, he refused. I was disappointed. Our group, all youngsters, were all disappointed. We worshipped him," he says.

"So I told myself, I cannot do this because, you know, you are born to make people happy. I believe in that. When people see me, they talk to me, even the Nonya, the aachi, the makcik, everybody, take photo.

"For me, I (feel) proud not because I take photo but because I know they are happy because they see me. I always try to make people happy. That's very important for me."

It's a belief he tries to pass on to his children and young players.

"Don't walk away when people ask you (for an autograph). Try to do your best, to at least acknowledge," he says. "They love you because you serve the country, you play, not because you got money or what, but because they are proud of you."

He continues: "Until today, God willing, so far still busy with signing autographs." He smiles and repeats: "I believe I was born to make people happy."

Our conversation inevitably turns to the FAS' election on April 29.

This is the association's first open election, after a provision that let the Government appoint its leaders was reviewed at the request of football world governing body Fifa.

He is well placed to give his views on this, but is clearly mindful about not treading on sensitive ground. "This election is very important for the future of football" is all he says.

Does football in Singapore have a future, I ask. After all, we are a football-mad country whose national team ranks a dismal 159 in the world and whose home league has failed to attract audiences.

"At the end of the day, it depends on our organisation of football," he says, picking his words carefully.

"For me, there's still hope."

But how can the sport grow? From his rather meandering answers, I distil at least four ways.

One, get the right people to run football. "The structure must be strong. The people running it must have that passion and love for the sport and want to provide support for the teams and to lift football up."

Two, more facilities. He laments how, other than Jalan Besar, there are no stadiums or training centres devoted to football, and that footballers have to share the grounds with other users.

Three, more support for players such as making it easier for them to travel to and from training sessions.

Four, footballers must get exposure overseas. He's a firm believer that players will learn mental toughness when pitted against better players. When they come back to Singapore, their new attitude will rub off on the rest.

"It takes one to help the others, so we need to send a few out."

Olympic swimmer Joseph Schooling, he notes, had to get exposure outside to improve.

We move on to young footballers, a topic he has strong views on.

In terms of physical qualities like fitness and strength, they are getting fitter and stronger because of today's scientific ways of training, he says. But compared with footballers in the past, they lag in technical skills.

"Last time, we don't need the coach to tell us how to play. They see you cannot play, out straightaway. No chance...

"But now, we don't have many skilful, talented players. We have many players, but we don't have that intelligence."

Footballers seem to have "lost a lot of creativity", and he puts it down to how, in the past, 15 to 20 children would be chasing and fighting for one football or basketball, whether in school, the kampungs or HDB void decks.

"That's where you learn your skill automatically."

In that sense, he says, coaches of earlier years had an easier time. In fact, he believes that if players of that era had the sort of training footballers today get, Singapore would have been one of the top footballing teams in Asia.



He is also perplexed by why there are so many cases of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries among youth players in the last 15 years and wonders if it could be due to the use of synthetic grass on pitches.

"In our day, we never heard of ACL. In the 80s, 90s, we got worse tackles, got punched, and the boys, because they played on the street, they learnt all the hard way.

"But now, I don't know why so many ACL. It's a career-threatening injury which no players like, no coaches like. ''

I ask about his coaching style and he guffaws: "Me? Not fatherly, definitely not, but a flexible coach. Time to scr** them, I will scr**. Time to be good to them, I joke with them."

Does he think Singapore will ever produce a world-class team? He thinks it is easier to develop a world-class player than a team.

"Everywhere there is one. But whether he will make it, outshine others, I don't know. Even if you bring world-class coaches, you might not succeed. What is important is the player himself, whether he wants to achieve."

His four sons have inherited his football skills. Irfan, 19, and Ikhsan, 17, are now in national service and have done stints in Chile. Ilhan, 14, and Iryan, 10, play for their school. Daughter Iman, 16, was an athlete.

He praises his wife, former model Wendy Jacobs, 42, for being "very, very understanding and very responsible". She has had health issues following a fall in 2009 when they were based in Indonesia.

"Besides loving me, she is very thorough about helping the kids. She makes sure everything happens."

His day starts early with sending his younger children to school from their Yio Chu Kang home. He's in the office by about 9.30am for meetings, and there's training with the youth team from the late afternoon. He reaches home after 10pm most weeknights, and also does training on Saturday mornings.

His own exercise of choice is gym work and he reveals that he recently lost 3kg by controlling his meals and is down to about 80kg.

"When I was playing, I was only 74kg. Now much older, very hard, food also nice." But he has barely eaten at our lunch, and there's quite a bit of food left.

"All finish?" he asks as the meal winds to a close. When we nod, he says of the remaining food: "I pack, give people."

I wonder what he does with the food and find out later from Meng Meng that he gives it to a homeless man who hangs around Jalan Besar Stadium.

Is it any wonder, really, that Fandi Ahmad remains Singapore's favourite football star?


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CPF withdrawals from age 55: Something to plan for when you're 54

April 10, 2017, 2:33 am
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By Lorna Tan, Invest Editor/Senior Correspondent, The Sunday Times, 9 Apr 2017

CPF members who turn 54 this year are eligible for a new CPF Retirement Planning Service (CRPS) offered by the CPF Board.

These one-on-one sessions aim to help members understand the CPF schemes and plan ahead for the options available to them when they turn 55.

The new service is part of the CPF Board's continuing efforts to help Singaporeans better understand their options, particularly with the various CPF enhancements introduced in the last few years.


Details of the new service can be found in a brochure to be mailed to members when they turn 54.

This initiative is going into full swing after a successful pilot exercise last year. That was when the CPF Board invited 1,200 members to test out the service - and 95 per cent said they would recommend it to their friends.

Out of the cohort of about 60,000 members turning 54 this year, an estimated 20,000 who are servicing their housing loan balances will receive invitation letters to attend the CRPS. This means that if you are 54 and not one of the 20,000 members, you would have to make an appointment with the CPF Board for the new CRPS.

Mr Wong Yan Jun, group director of customer relations at the CPF Board, said: "Through the CPF Retirement Planning Service, we walk CPF members through the CPF policies that affect them and options they have at age 55 so they can better prepare for retirement.

"We are heartened that the service has been well received by members, who appreciate our efforts to help them make informed decisions using personalised information in a one-on-one setting."

Many CPF members are overwhelmed by the various CPF schemes and options, and find them difficult to understand. A recent talk at the National Library on CPF by The Sunday Times Invest drew 1,500 viewers via live streaming, in addition to the 250 who managed to get seats at the event.

Here are some things you should know about CPF as you turn 54.

What to expect at a CRPS session

The new CRPS arises out of a recognition that Singaporeans prefer a personalised session before making a financial decision. During the one-on-one session, which typically takes an hour, a CPF officer would help the member better understand the various CPF options and decide on which option best suits his individual needs and circumstances.

Besides English, CRPS is available in the other main languages here. Both the session and the infographics contained in a customised brochure for each CRPS attendee will be prepared in the language that the member is most comfortable in.

With the help of the customised brochure, the member will have a better understanding on how much he has in his accounts and how much he can withdraw.

One of his options at 55 is to consider the retirement sums he needs to set aside in his Retirement Account (RA) so as to achieve his desired amount of monthly payouts that will commence when he turns 65.

Another consideration is topping up his and his loved ones' accounts so as to build up retirement savings and hence enjoy higher monthly payouts later.

A top concern for a member at age 55 is the future payments that he will be making from his Ordinary Account (OA) savings, since some or all of it may be transferred to the RA.

The CPF Board said it has taken great care in designing the CRPS invitation letters and the infographics incorporating design thinking strategies. For instance, instead of the usual textual contents, side-by-side bar charts were utilised to visually illustrate the changes to members' CPF accounts before and after they turn 55.

Colours have been used to differentiate the OA, Special Account (SA), Medisave Account (MA) and RA. Coloured boxes are also used in the letters to help members focus on the key messages and actions they are required to take.

The board says it has received positive feedback on the simple and clear visuals from members who have attended the CRPS.

Setting aside your Retirement Sum

On your 55th birthday, an RA is created for you. This is where savings from your SA and OA, up to the prevailing Full Retirement Sum of $166,000, will be transferred to your RA to form your retirement sum which will provide you with monthly payouts.

For higher monthly payouts, you may top up your RA up to the Enhanced Retirement Sum, which is a new option made available last year as part of enhancements to the CPF system.

Your Medisave savings will remain in your MA to pay for future healthcare expenses.

Your retirement sum will provide you with a monthly payout from your payout eligibility age, which is currently age 65 for members who were born in 1954 or later.

If you have $60,000 or more in your RA when you are near your payout eligibility age, you will be automatically placed under the national annuity CPF Life scheme, which provides you with monthly payouts for as long as you live.

You can choose your desired amount of monthly payouts to meet your retirement needs. The payouts you will receive depend on the retirement sum you set aside in your RA. The more you set aside, the higher your payouts.

How much can I withdraw from my CPF at age 55? The amount you can withdraw at age 55 depends on how much you have in your OA and SA.

Expect to receive a letter from the CPF Board six months before your 55th birthday. You can apply to withdraw your CPF savings once you receive the letter and payment will be made to you within a week from your 55th birthday.

Here are four scenarios:

SCENARIO 1

Mr Raju's OA savings at age 55 amount to $100,000 while his SA savings are $180,000, which is a total of $280,000.

The Full Retirement Sum of $166,000 will be set aside in his RA, which will provide him with a monthly payout of $1,380 from age 65 for life.

He can withdraw the remaining amount of $114,000 in his OA and SA. If he owns a property with sufficient property charge/pledge, he can also choose to set aside his Basic Retirement Sum of $83,000 in his RA and receive a correspondingly lower monthly payout of $750 from age 65 for life. In this case, he can withdraw $114,000 from his OA and SA, and an additional $83,000 from his RA.

SCENARIO 2

At 55, Mr Ahmad has $45,000 in his OA and $55,000 in his SA, or a total of $100,000.

From this, $95,000 will be set aside in his RA to form his retirement sum which will provide him with $840 monthly from age 65 for life. He can withdraw the remaining amount of $5,000 in his OA.

If he owns a property with sufficient property charge/pledge, he can choose to set aside his Basic Retirement Sum of $83,000 in his RA and receive a correspondingly lower monthly payout of $750 from age 65 for life. In this case, he can withdraw $5,000 from his OA, and an additional $12,000 from his RA.

SCENARIO 3

Mr Lim's OA savings are $25,000 while his SA savings are $35,000 - a total sum of $60,000.

An amount of $55,000 will be set aside in his RA to form his retirement sum which will provide him with $530 a month from age 65 for life.

He can withdraw the remaining amount of $5,000 in his OA.

SCENARIO 4

Mr Robert's OA savings at 55 are $3,000 while his SA savings amount to $1,000. As Mr Robert has less than $5,000, he can withdraw all the balances amounting to $4,000.

How to apply for withdrawal

There are two options. For the online application, apply at www.cpf.gov.sg. You will need your SingPass and a bank account with OCBC, POSB or United Overseas Bank.

Alternatively, download the relevant form from the CPF website and mail it to the board.

The online application process is about five days. It will take about 10 days if you mail in the form.

What if I don't withdraw my savings?

It is not compulsory to withdraw your CPF savings once you turn 55.

In fact, more members now prefer to leave their CPF money in their CPF accounts so that they can continue to earn the attractive interest and grow their nest egg. With the recent CPF enhancements, after you turn 55, your CPF accounts can earn up to 6 per cent interest per year (the first $30,000 earns 6 per cent), certainly not something we can sniff at.

For a member with $30,000 in his RA at age 55, the additional 1 percentage point in extra interest amounts to about a 15 per cent increase in his monthly payout, or about $40 more each month, for the rest of his life.

It helps to understand that you can still make a withdrawal later. So if you do not need the money, you need not withdraw your CPF savings at 55 years of age.

There is no limit to the number of times you can withdraw in a year for those who are eligible to do so. So you can still make a withdrawal at a later date, or withdraw only part of your savings.





CPF Life and Medisave
By Lorna Tan, Invest Editor/Senior Correspondent, The Sunday Times, 9 Apr 2017

The Sunday Times outlines the CPF Life scheme and the Medisave Account.

JOINING CPF LIFE

CPF Life is a national annuity scheme that provides monthly payouts for as long as you live. This gives you greater peace of mind in retirement as you do not have to worry about outliving your savings. This is especially important as Singaporeans are living longer.

About half of Singaporeans who are 65 today are expected to live beyond the age of 85 and a third of them will live beyond 90. Having an income that will last you for as long as you live is more vital than ever.

You will be placed on CPF Life if you are a Singapore citizen or permanent resident born in 1958 or after, and have $60,000 or more in your Retirement Account (RA) when you turn 65.

If you are not placed on CPF Life, you can apply to join the scheme any time from age 65 to before you turn 80. Alternatively, you can remain on the Retirement Sum Scheme (formerly known as the Minimum Sum Scheme), where you will receive a monthly payout until your RA balance runs out.

The CPF Board will write to you again nearer to your 65th birthday to explain the decisions you need to make.

While you do not need to make any decision or take any action now, it is good to understand what CPF Life plans are available. There are three plans under CPF Life, known as Standard, Basic and Escalating plans.

Each CPF Life plan provides a different combination of trade-offs between the amount of monthly payouts you will receive and the bequest you will leave for your beneficiaries.

MEDISAVE SAVINGS

Your Medisave contributions will go into your Medisave Account (MA) until the balance reaches the Basic Healthcare Sum (BHS) for that year.

Amounts above this sum will be transferred to your RA or Ordinary Account (OA) to boost your monthly payouts in retirement.

The BHS is the estimated savings you need for your basic subsidised healthcare needs in old age. It will be adjusted annually, in January, to keep pace with the growth in Medisave use by the elderly. The BHS for this year is $52,000.

Once you reach age 65, your BHS will be fixed at that year's BHS for the rest of your life.

BUILDING UP YOUR AND YOUR LOVED ONES' MA

If you have not met your BHS, you may apply to transfer the savings in your Special Account (SA) and/or OA to your MA, up to your BHS.

To do so, you have to be aged 55 and above and have the Full Retirement Sum or Basic Retirement Sum with sufficient property charge/ pledge in your RA.

You may also apply to transfer the savings in your SA and/or OA to the MA of your loved ones aged 55 and above, up to their BHS. Loved ones refer to spouses, siblings, parents, parents-in-law, grandparents and grandparents-in-law.

The savings which you transfer to your loved ones' MA can be used to pay for their own and their immediate family members' medical expenses, as well as the premiums of approved medical insurance schemes such as MediShield Life.





Using CPF to pay for housing and insurance after age 55
By Lorna Tan, Invest Editor/Senior Correspondent, The Sunday Times, 9 Apr 2017

Central Provident Fund (CPF) members can continue to use the remaining savings in their Ordinary Account (OA), including future working contributions, to pay for their outstanding housing loans.

USING CPF FOR HOUSING REPAYMENTS AFTER AGE 55

It is prudent to consider if you need to apply to reserve some OA savings for this purpose, before the savings are transferred to your Retirement Account (RA).

However, this means that you will be setting aside a lower retirement sum. As a result, your monthly payouts will also be lower.

Note that the employer and employee CPF contributions to the OA will be lower, and this may affect how you manage your housing loan payments. So, if possible, try to pay off your housing loan by the time you turn 55.

You can also use your RA savings (excluding top-up monies, interest earned, and any government grants received) above your Basic Retirement Sum for your housing needs.

WHAT HAPPENS IF I SELL MY PROPERTY AFTER I TURN 55?

CPF savings are important not just for your housing needs, but also your retirement needs.

To ensure you have enough savings for your retirement, when you sell or transfer your property, the amount you have withdrawn from your CPF account to pay for the property, as well as the accrued interest you would have earned on the sum, will have to be refunded to your CPF account.

If you had also withdrawn from your RA by pledging your property, you need to refund the pledged amount too. The amount refunded will then be used to restore your RA up to your Full Retirement Sum, so that you can get higher monthly payouts in retirement. The balance of the housing refunds will then be paid to you.

If you own an HDB flat, you can generate income from it for your retirement needs by taking one of these three options:

• Move to a smaller flat or short-lease a two-room Flexi flat and sign up for the Silver Housing Bonus to get a cash bonus when you top up your RA.

• Sign up for the Lease Buyback Scheme and top up your RA to get a cash bonus.

• Rent out your flat or room(s).

WHAT ABOUT MY INSURANCE PREMIUMS?

You can continue to use your OA savings for insurance premiums under the Home Protection Scheme and the Dependants' Protection Scheme, after setting aside your retirement sum at age 55.

However, if you do not have enough savings in your OA, it would be advisable to ensure that you have alternative funding, such as relying on cash payments instead of your CPF savings. This is to avoid the undesirable situation where your insurance plans lapse, because there are insufficient CPF savings for premium deductions.





Where to get CPF information
By Lorna Tan, Invest Editor/Senior Correspondent, The Sunday Times, 9 Apr 2017

The CPF Board has been stepping up its efforts to help Singaporeans better understand the options they have.

Here are some of the ways that CPF members can ensure they are well informed and actively plan for their retirement.

YEARLY STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTS (YSOA)

Last year, the YSOA was enhanced by introducing an illustrated summary. CPF members would have received their YSOA over January and February, and the accompanying illustrated summary which is meant to help members better understand their CPF savings.

Features include a snapshot of the various contributions to their CPF savings in the year, as well as how they have used their CPF savings for important needs, such as housing, healthcare and retirement. Targeted financial tips on how they can grow their CPF savings are also included.

But there is still room for improvement as some CPF members have been confused when they did not see the amounts that had been deducted from their Retirement Account (RA) as premium deductions for the CPF Life scheme.

FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NOT ATTENDED THE CPF RETIREMENT PLANNING SERVICE (CRPS)

These members can learn about their options by visiting the CPF website and the various social media channels. Members are also encouraged to drop by the CPF Mobile Service Centres (SCs) introduced last year. The Mobile SCs help reach out to heartland members.

At the centres, members can make inquiries and perform a range of CPF-related transactions, such as apply for CPF Life, make changes to their housing repayment and top-ups to their CPF accounts.

Members can even opt to have their CRPS session at Mobile SCs. Look out for the Mobile SCs at Bukit Merah Community Centre from now until April 28, and at Anchorvale Community Centre from May 2 to June 30.

PHONE SERVICES

This year, the CPF Board rolled out a new "Call Authentication" service which allows members to receive personal information using SingPass 2-Factor Authentication (2FA) over the phone securely. This means the customer service executive will be able to provide personalised guidance to the member based on his confidential information.

This provides greater convenience to members, as well as reduces the need for them to visit the CPF Service Centres or write in to the board.

NEW MAXWELL SERVICE CENTRE

The former CPF Service Centre in Robinson Road was relocated to The URA Centre on Feb 20. The design of the new centre incorporates elements, such as the use of colours to differentiate counters for different services.

You will also find pod-like sitting counters and panels between standing counters to provide privacy for members while they are being served. The SMS system is deployed so that you can run personal errands before your number is called.

The Jurong Service Centre was upgraded last year and there will be progressive upgrading of all CPF Service Centres over the next few years.


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Parents to get online Gateway to settle kids' school matters

April 11, 2017, 12:24 am
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By Calvin Yang, The Straits Times, 10 Apr 2017

From paying fees to granting permission for activities, parents can soon settle their children's school matters online.

They will be able to carry out these tasks and more on a new digital platform, known as the Parents Gateway, which aims to bring them greater convenience.

The concept, one of the citizen friendly initiatives announced at the launch of the Government Technology Agency - the agency behind tech transformation in the public sector - last October, has since been tested out at five schools here.

It is now undergoing further review before being progressively rolled out to all schools from the later part of next year, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said.

Available via mobile devices or on a Web browser, the platform will allow parents to engage with their children's schools. For instance, they can receive information about school events, grant permission for their children's participation in activities and carry out transactions such as making payment for school-related programmes.

"The Parents Gateway provides an alternative to paper forms and enables parents to interact with schools more conveniently on key administrative and financial issues," an MOE spokesman said.

Parents interviewed have largely welcomed the initiative.

Ms Lim Ren Sing, 45, who has four children aged between eight and 15, said it will streamline parents' transactions on their children's school matters.

"Sometimes, the kids may forget to ask us to sign their consent forms or they may lose those documents," said Ms Lim, a music teacher.

Mr Loh Tian How, who has three sons aged 10, 13 and 16, said the platform could help parents keep track of activities their children are involved in, such as co-curricular activities and remedial classes.

"The good thing is that everything can be consolidated onto a single platform, and can be retrieved at the click on a button," added the 44-year-old director of an education centre.

"However, a platform is still a platform. The most important thing is how judiciously schools put in the effort to share information."

Observers believe this digital platform is a step in the right direction.

Dr Timothy Chan, director of SIM Global Education's academic division, said that schools have to keep pace with the digital world that parents live in.

"Parents would like to have access to regular feedback on their child's development in school on a continual and timely basis, which an online system can make possible," he explained, adding that the platform can also be a powerful tool to engage busy parents.

National University of Singapore lecturer Kelvin Seah said the online system will likely cut down manual administrative work and reduce the costs incurred by schools.

"It also lessens the risk that physical copies of forms containing sensitive information would be displaced," he added.

"More importantly, teachers will be better able to focus on their primary roles as educators, rather than be burdened by administrative tasks like collecting consent forms."


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Eurasian community has made many contributions to Singapore: PM Lee

April 11, 2017, 1:27 am
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It is one of the smallest ethnic groups, but has produced several prominent people, he says
By Danson Cheong, The Straits Times, 10 Apr 2017

At 102, Mrs Therese Stewart is the oldest Eurasian in Singapore - four years older than even the Eurasian Association here.

Yesterday morning, the sprightly woman stood on her feet and patted Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on the shoulders when she met him at the Eurasian Festival at Tampines Hub, before hugging him.

Moments earlier, Mr Lee had paid tribute to her late husband Stanley Stewart - a former head of the civil service who died in 1992 - and other prominent Eurasians who have left their mark on the country.

While the Eurasian community may be one of the smallest ethnic groups here, it has made many contributions to Singapore, said Mr Lee in a speech at the festival.

He also cited other prominent Eurasians such as Singapore's second president, Dr Benjamin Sheares; Justice Judith Prakash, the first woman appointed as a Judge of Appeal; Mr E.W. Barker, the country's first law minister; jazz musician Jeremy Monteiro; and Olympic gold medallist Joseph Schooling.



Speaking at the festival, Mr Lee said he was very happy to see a new generation of Eurasians doing well in many professions across society, establishing and making a name for themselves.


Eurasians have been in South-east Asia for 500 years, the descendants of Europeans from countries including Portugal, Holland and Britain.

These pioneers intermarried with locals and, over time, evolved their own culture and characteristics, and became a distinct community, Mr Lee said.

There were about 8,000 Eurasians in Singapore before World War II, he noted. The community has grown to nearly 17,000 now.

He also highlighted the work done by the Eurasian Association, which he said has been very active in rallying the community to serve one another.

The association provides aid to students through scholarships, bursaries and mentorship programmes, while its family support services arm also helps many disadvantaged families and seniors, he said.

It is also making a special effort to preserve Eurasian tradition and culture for all Singaporeans, and yesterday's festival organised together with the People's Association is a good step forward, he added.

Later, Mr Lee toured exhibition booths, where people painted Easter eggs and played childhood games such as hopscotch and five stones.

Mrs Stewart, who was with her daughter Olivia, 74, said events like the festival showed how people must be "open to other cultures and embrace others".

Mr Benett Theseira, president of the Eurasian Association, said many Singaporeans were not familiar with Eurasian culture because of the community's small size.

The festival was one way to change this, he said, adding that there are plans to have a series of smaller events at other community venues.

Eurasians such as Mr Kevin Martens Wong, 24, hope that more people will get to learn about little-known aspects of Eurasian culture such as the language Kristang, a creole comprising Portuguese and local dialects.

He said: "This is part of Singapore's shared heritage, and part of what makes us all Singaporean."
























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Why was the elected presidency changed?

April 11, 2017, 6:38 am
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By Charissa Yong, The Straits Times, 10 Apr 2017

Singaporeans will elect a president this September, in the first election since changes to the Constitution were passed last November.

All the candidates will have to be from the Malay community this round, under a new rule that reserves presidential elections for candidates from a particular racial group, if there has not been a president from the group for a period of time.

The criterion to qualify to run for president was also tightened, and candidates from the private sector will have to have experience helming companies that are worth a lot more.

Political observers have called these amendments to the elected presidency one of the biggest political changes in recent years.

Why were they made in the first place, and how big a deal are they?

WHAT DOES THE ELECTED PRESIDENT DO?

Singaporeans did not always elect their president. Before 1990, presidents were appointed by Parliament and had a mostly ceremonial role, save for some discretionary powers.

But as Singapore prospered, first prime minister Lee Kuan Yew feared that the reserves Singapore had accumulated so far could be "ruined in one election term".

So the Government made the case for an elected president, to protect Singapore's national reserves and the integrity of its public services. For the president to be able to stand up to the elected government of the day, he would need a popular mandate.

The late Mr Lee likened an elected president to a goalkeeper, the last line of defence against a rogue government wanting to squander the country's hard-earned reserves or install cronies in key public positions.

The Constitution was amended in 1990 to set up the elected presidency, under which the president is elected for a term of six years and can veto the Government's drawdown of past reserves and the appointment of key public-office holders.

He or she can also block, among others, preventive detentions under the Internal Security Act and refusals of corruption probes.

The elected presidency went beyond just one man or woman, and was an institution that would ensure stability for Singapore.

At the same time, the president would continue to be a unifying symbol for all Singaporeans.

WHAT PROMPTED THE CHANGES?

Since then, the elected presidency system had been tweaked along the way. But 25 years later, three political and socioeconomic trends have prompted the Government to make a major update.

First, presidents and candidates from minority communities have been relatively scarce. Singapore has not had a Malay president - or even a Malay candidate for president - since the elected presidency took effect in 1991.

The only Malay president so far, the late Mr Yusof Ishak, was appointed head of state in 1959 and became the first president from independence in 1965 till 1970.

Singapore had an Indian president, the late Mr S R Nathan, from 1999 to 2011, but he was unopposed in the 1999 and 2005 elections.

In 2011, all four candidates in the presidential election were Chinese.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said a minority candidate who runs for president will find it hard to beat a rival from the majority race, all else being equal.

Race still matters at the ballot box, he said, and a significant number of people prefer a president or prime minister to be of their race, as a Channel NewsAsia-Institute of Policy Studies survey last year found.

If the system went unchanged, Singapore would not have a non-Chinese president for a long time, and national cohesion would be harmed if minorities felt they had no chance of being president, said Mr Lee.

To the Government, this under-representation of minority communities is exacerbated by the second trend - that elections these days are hotly contested.

The 2011 presidential election saw President Tony Tan Keng Yam elected in a four-way contest by a slim margin of 7,382 votes.

A third and separate trend was identified: that the size and the complexity of the economy and the organisations safeguarded by the president have grown tremendously.

Originally, candidates from the private sector were considered to have enough experience, if they have run large and complex companies that have at least $100 million in paid-up capital. But this threshold of $100 million is outdated and too low to guarantee that anyone who meets it will have the experience to make complex decisions, said Mr Lee.

Today, the total value of Singapore's reserves is more than $700 billion. And as of last year, there were 2,114 companies that met the threhold, compared to 158 in 1993.

To study these issues, a Constitutional Commission was set up in February last year. It received submissions from the public and held public hearings in April and May last year to hear from some of the groups and individuals who submitted their views.

The panel also looked at strengthening the Council of Presidential Advisers (CPA) and giving its advice greater weight.

WHAT IS NEW ABOUT THIS YEAR'S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION?

Three key changes were made to the elected presidency.

One, an election will be reserved for a particular racial group if there has not been a president from the group for the five most recent presidential terms.

This applies to the Chinese, Malay and "Indian and other minority" communities.

Any non-reserved election will be open to people of all races.

For the purpose of determining when a reserved election must be held, the Government started counting from the term of former president Wee Kim Wee, who was the first president to exercise the powers of the elected president.

As there has been no Malay president for the latest five presidential terms - after Mr Wee were Mr Ong Teng Cheong; Mr Nathan, who served two terms; and Dr Tan - candidates for the upcoming election must be from the Malay community.

Two, a candidate from the private sector must have helmed a company with at least $500 million in shareholder equity to qualify.

This threshold will be reviewed at least once every 12 years by the Presidential Elections Committee.

Three, the CPA will be enlarged to include two more members, bringing the total to eight. And the president must now consult the CPA on all matters related to safeguarding Singapore's assets and appointing key public officers.

HOW DIFFERENT WILL CAMPAIGNING BE?

Campaign rules were also changed to discourage divisive electioneering. There will no longer be designated election-rally sites. Instead, candidates who want to hold rallies can pick their preferred sites, but must apply to the police for a rally permit.

They will also have more TV airtime, and can hold indoor private meetings with specific groups of voters.

Explaining the rationale for the changes, Minister Chan Chun Sing said campaigning "must not inflame emotions and must be in keeping with the decorum and dignity of the office of the president".

A presidential hopeful must also make a statutory declaration that he understands the role of the president as spelt out in the Constitution. This arose after several candidates made certain claims and promises in the 2011 election, suggesting that they may not have been clear about the powers and scope of the president.

HOW CONTROVERSIAL ARE THE CHANGES?

The idea of reserved elections was by far the most contentious change.

One key concern of some law dons and political scientists was that a president chosen in such an election may be viewed as a token president who lacks legitimacy.

They also felt it is a form of affirmative action that could undermine meritocracy.

But the Government stressed that the eligibility criteria will not be lowered for minority candidates. Ministers also pointed out that reserved elections will kick in only if a community goes five terms without seeing one of its own as president. This may not happen as Singapore becomes more race-blind.

Another concern, voiced by the Workers' Party (WP), which voted against the changes in Parliament, was that raising the eligibility criteria may shrink the pool of candidates and limit it to senior public officers.

This dovetailed with the criticism levelled by some on social media that the changes were meant to keep out non-establishment candidates.

The tighter criteria could mean those with a public sector background are more likely to get elected, and such a person might find it harder to be a check on the Government, they argued.

But others countered that the late Mr Ong's background as a deputy prime minister and former member of the People's Action Party (PAP) did not stop him from being an independent president.

Lastly, the debate highlighted the disconnect between the purpose of the elected president and the process of electing one.

The commission noted the contradiction between a necessarily apolitical president, and choosing him via an election, an inevitably political process.

There were also contradictions between his role of being a symbol of national unity and acting as a check on the Government.

Hence, the panel raised the question of whether the president should eventually be an appointed post once more.

During the debate in Parliament on the changes, the WP proposed splitting the symbolic and custodial roles of the president, and having an appointed president and an elected eight-member senate that would oversee the reserves.

But the PAP called the idea flawed and unworkable, saying that having eight elected individuals will lead to more politicisation.

While an election could be politicised, the changes to campaign rules will go some way towards lowering temperatures.

And while the review generated a fair amount of public debate and interest over the past year, the changes generally appear to have been accepted by the public.


This is the third of 12 primers on current affairs issues that are part of the outreach programme for The Straits Times-Ministry of Education National Current Affairs Quiz


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Driverless buses on Singapore roads by 2020

April 12, 2017, 5:27 am
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Commuters can catch a driverless public bus by 2020
Consortium led by ST Kinetics expects to unveil battery-powered prototype by early next year
By Christopher Tan, Senior Transport Correspondent, The Straits Times, 11 Apr 2017

From as early as October 2020, commuters will be able to hop on to one of two driverless public buses here.

A newly formed consortium led by ST Kinetics, which is building the autonomous battery-powered buses, expects to unveil a prototype by early next year.

The Singapore Autonomous Vehicles Consortium includes the Agency for Science, Technology and Research, National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore University of Technology and Design, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and Singapore Institute of Technology.


It will also launch four driverless on-demand minibuses on Sentosa next year.

ST Engineering, ST Kinetics' parent group, announced this yesterday - six months after NTU said it planned to roll out a driverless shuttle between its campus and nearby CleanTech Park by 2018.

ST Kinetics president Lee Shiang Long told The Straits Times that the group decided to develop its own autonomous buses because the ones tested here previously "were not working that well".

"When we were trialling those vehicles, we actually had many (sales) inquiries from neighbouring countries," Dr Lee said. "But I asked myself, 'Do we want to be merely a middleman or do we want to build our own capability?'

"It's not a 100 per cent sure-win, but it's something we must bet on."

Dr Lee revealed that the bus chassis will be from a supplier which has agreed to allow ST Kinetics access to the vehicle's electronic and communications network.

The driverless bus will have an all-aluminium body to keep it light and it will be electrically powered.

Besides lithium-ion batteries, Dr Lee said the team is also looking at another newer form of batteries.

The buses will have Level 4 autonomy initially. Level 4 is when a vehicle can drive by itself but is still manned, whereas Level 5 is the highest level of autonomy when the vehicle can operate on its own with no one on board.

A number of other countries have started autonomous bus trials, but none with full-sized buses. They include Japan, the United States and Switzerland.

Last September, a driverless minibus in the Swiss city of Sion hit the opened tailgate of a parked van.

No one was hurt, but the incident again highlighted the shortcomings of autonomous technology in recognising unusual circumstances.

Dr Lee said the route on which the autonomous buses ply will be "scanned and mapped regularly" to ensure changes such as roadworks and diversions are accounted for.

The buses will also be engineered to navigate in rainfall of up to 30mm per hour, which means they might not be able to operate in a torrential storm.

NUS transport researcher Lee Der-Horng said that autonomous buses would be most suitable for "trunk services with minimum turning requirements and with bus lanes to enable better right of way".

"Since it is to be an electric bus, the route should ideally not be distant from depots for charging purposes," he added.








































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Palliative care for dementia patients at Assisi Hospice

April 12, 2017, 5:59 am
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At Assisi Hospice's new ward, they can live out their last days in comfort and dignity
By Janice Tai, The Straits Times, 11 Apr 2017

Madam Liow Ah Tay, 87, has struggled with dementia for the last decade. Now as her health declines further, she had been admitted into the first hospice ward here for dementia patients.

In 2007, the former vegetable seller started displaying strange behaviour. At 3am every day, she would wake up to prepare to go to the market to open her stall, even though by then she had long retired from the trade.

Her children refused to let her go out at that hour and she would force open the door with a pair of scissors or a knife. They discovered then that she had mild dementia.

Five years later, her condition deteriorated further. She accused people of stealing her things. Whenever her children - those who did not live with her - went to visit her, she treated them as guests and entertained them.

Today, Madam Liow has advanced dementia - the feisty woman has become quiet and no longer recognises her daughters.

On some days, she even has trouble sitting up.

Her two daughters who look after her are relieved that she is among the pioneer batch of patients to be cared for in the first hospice ward here dedicated to people with advanced dementia. She was admitted in January.

Dr Shirlynn Ho from Assisi Hospice said not many people know that dementia does kill and that palliative care could be needed.

"People don't usually recognise dementia as a terminal illness that one can die from because it is a long and progressive disease," she said.

The hospice opened a dementia ward which has a capacity of 16 beds in January. It provides palliative care that specially caters to people with severe dementia so that they can spend their last days in comfort and dignity.

The ward will be officially launched tomorrow.

Temasek Foundation Cares donated $1.6 million to support the programme. Patients pay $295 a day, before subsidies. Ten beds have already been taken.

More people are likely to need such a service, given the country's galloping rates of dementia. The disease affects about 40,000 people in Singapore, and the number is expected to double by 2030.

Prior to the setting up of this ward, those with advanced dementia mostly live and die at home or in nursing homes.

Even though the number of dementia patients is soaring, one reason why hospices globally do not support enough of them is that it is particularly challenging for doctors to determine with much precision how long a person with advanced dementia can expect to live.

In the United States, for instance, hospices admit only people who have six months or less to live. Dementia patients are under-enrolled in hospice programmes there because doctors cannot identify those likely to die within that time span.

The programme at Assisi Hospice takes in dementia patients with a prognosis of three months - meaning those with advanced dementia or those with mild to moderate dementia and other life-limiting diseases that give them that prognosis.

"Dementia shortens life expectancy, but it is very difficult to know how long they will live. As the end of life approaches, they experience symptoms similar to those of persons dying of more commonly recognised terminal illnesses such as cancer," said Dr Ho.

Dementia is an illness which affects the brain. Brain cells die at a faster rate than normal and those with advanced dementia usually have memory loss and lose the ability to shower, walk, talk or even eat. They become frail, bed-bound and prone to infections.

They die when they get a major infection such as pneumonia or when their body systems shut down.

The dementia programme at Assisi provides the usual palliative care of pain and symptom relief.

Staff also try to understand the patient's past and needs in order to address challenging behaviour.

For instance, Madam Liow used to insist on entering the kitchen at 6pm every day, wanting to cook dinner for her children. So nurses at the hospice gave her bowls and plates to play with safely instead.

As dementia patients tend to wander around and get lost, the ward doors are locked automatically. Slim grilles are fitted at the balcony to ensure safety but allow for unobstructed views.

Said Ms Lee Poh Peng, 48, Madam Liow's daughter: "She used to be very agitated but she is much calmer and at peace now. We still worry for her but we worry less now."





























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