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Upgrading coffee-shop talk - and public policymaking

July 14, 2017, 1:53 am
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A better grasp of economic thinking can help us come to better decisions, from understanding what is 'value' in a cost-benefit analysis of the MacRitchie MRT proposal, to public online input on broken street lamps
By Euston Quah and Jonathan Tan, Published The Straits Times, 13 Jul 2017

The Government has been increasing its engagement with the public. In turn, as a people, we have the responsibility to help make better decisions.

This is especially important as good public policy processes place value on social impact and seek to understand the behaviour of Singapore's diverse society, as well as make sense and use of increasingly abundant behavioural data.

As Singapore gets more complex, and citizens get better educated and informed, more public voices are able to offer more informed views, drawing from academic disciplines. However, this can be strengthened further through sound economic thinking. Singapore must move towards more rigorous reasoning across all levels of public choice, starting from the grassroots - including at the coffee-shop level.

Here are some principles, drawn from the study of economics, that show how public policymaking can be enhanced, including how the public's views and perceptions on an issue can be more informed in giving feedback.

1. WIN SOME, LOSE SOME

Should we tunnel the Cross Island MRT Line through MacRitchie Reservoir? Let's think beyond the cost of construction and service benefits of the new line. Soil investigations present the risk of pollution despite costly mitigation measures. Aquatic habitats and animals, including the globally vulnerable Johnson's freshwater crab found nowhere else on our planet, are at risk.

The systematic analytical technique of cost-benefit analysis (CBA) can be used to evaluate the desirability of alternatives - including building around MacRitchie - by comparing their costs and benefits in social welfare terms.

Indeed, CBA is fundamental to governmental decisions on how to use society's scarce resources, such as whether a project or programme is worthwhile, and its optimal scale or constraints. It steers our transportation, environmental, agricultural, land-use, urban-renewal, educational and health policy choices.

Monetary and non-monetary incentives drive economic decisions in households, organisations and public policy. The concept of welfare, rather than mere money, is the currency of economic analysis.

Good policy must recognise the trade-offs of available options.

2. UPGRADE COFFEE-SHOP TALK

The Government is a global pioneer in opening up more than 5,000 of its data sets on Data.gov.sg to the public. The keyboard warrior can now engage and contribute on the basis of deeper analytical insight relevant to the heart of our society.

Many of us grew up in coffee shops where policy views were shared as a love language for Singapore. This digital age of intentional public engagement empowers us to contribute much more to collective decisions now. If the public embraces the use of new tools such as Data.gov.sg, the future is set for better-informed public policy decisions.

3. VALUE PEOPLE'S WELFARE

Economics goes beyond accounting for profit and loss to consider the impact on the wider society. While it matters how much a business profits from a project, we also consider net welfare benefits to the people, and to society as a whole.

When reducing air pollution to comply with increasingly stringent World Health Organisation guidelines, we must weigh its cost to taxpayers and the probable loss of economic competitiveness against its benefits to productivity and health.

In attempting to minimise transboundary haze pollution, Singapore might offer both monetary and non-monetary assistance to Indonesia. In such negotiations, it is critical to estimate the damage to Singapore. As a gentle reminder, the "bill" for the 1997 haze was $383 million.

Similarly, we must not neglect the irreversible welfare losses of building on ecologically rich heritage sites. CBA measures social impact with non-market valuation techniques. So now, it is not "what price", but "what value" MacRitchie?

Hence, it is useful for people to realise that good policy should be driven by its welfare implications for society.

4. HELP PEOPLE HELP SOCIETY

Someone recently asked how we predict behaviour without studying psychology. "By analysing incentives," was the reply, "and even psychological incentives can be quantified."

To enrich our analysis of intangibles and intrinsic values, behavioural economics blends insights from psychology with the rigour of economic modelling. It studies reasoning processes and cognitive limitations; preferences for risk, time, social norms, image or others' welfare.



Who dares to misbehave? Today's society will judge, sentence and punish the guilty on Stomp.com.sg and other social media outlets. Cases even escalate to apologies or public prosecution.

Professors Ernst Fehr and Simon Gachter explain that public sanctions on anti-social behaviour are due to the phenomenon of "altruistic punishment". People are willing to bear a cost to punish social injustice.

Just as Fixmystreet.com in the UK provides a platform for reporting local problems such as broken lamps or fences, thanks to the public, the couple shown pushing an old uncle at a Toa Payoh hawker centre in a viral video were identified and arrested. Likewise, the otherwise onerous task of detecting socially "bad" fake news can be crowdsourced and complemented with the threat of legal penalties.

Good policy will support society in enforcing its good norms.

5. SAFETY FIRST - TEST POLICY

Behavioural economics can also guide policy choice. Why risk it on society when policies can be safely tested with laboratory experiments, randomised controlled trials (RCTs) or computer simulations prior to launch?

Instead of incurring high social costs by trying the wrong mechanisms on the public, many universities run experiments in laboratories to test policies by simulating the desired conditions in artificial economies made of test subjects.

The UK's Behavioural Insights Team, which has a Singapore office, works with the British and Singapore governments to run RCTs on sub-populations. It tests how the introduction of measures such as, for example, the presentation of choices for electricity usage, influences behaviour.

Future RCTs can factor economic incentives and strategic concerns into policies.

6. UPCYCLE KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

The sole purpose of experiments or RCTs is to generate testable data, which is analysed with econometric methods. That said, econometrics was developed to tackle messier data sets: the sort organisations and businesses collect from much of what we do every day.

Investors are set on big data. Alibaba Holdings founder Jack Ma put US$1 billion (S$1.38 billion) on cloud computing with a statement to match: "With computing capabilities and data, mankind will go through changes that flip heaven and earth."

Big data centres with high-powered computers are springing up in commercial and university locations.

Mr Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Energy confidently invested in Mr Brad Keywell's Uptake Technologies, an analytics firm worth US$2 billion.

Governments, non-profit organisations, airlines, financial services, retailers, manufacturers and researchers have started to embrace big data analytics. Just as with production materials and machines, data and computers need people to operate them. The ubiquity of data analytics spells the advent of a new sector for Singapore. Why waste our publicly invested resource of highly educated people?

By pivoting our skills towards analytics with accessible online courses by EdX and DataCamp, for example, we can future-proof our comparative advantage. Tap into the global market as an analytics expert.

As this list shows, economics offers a useful toolkit to analyse and make policy decisions that lead to better outcomes.

Cost-benefit analysis compares the pros and cons of available choices. Behavioural economics enriches our understanding of humans by factoring in diverse psychological influences. Econometrics crunches data for vital information.

Euston Quah is professor of cost-benefit analysis and head of economics at Nanyang Technological University. He is also president of the Economic Society of Singapore.

Jonathan Tan is associate professor of economics at the University of Nottingham, and visiting scholar at NTU's Economic Growth Centre.


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NTUC Returners Programme: Help for PMETs who return to work after career break

July 14, 2017, 10:01 pm
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NTUC to match 'latent talent pool' with firms offering job trials
By Joanna Seow, The Straits Times, 14 Jul 2017

Mothers and other professionals who took a break from the workforce can look forward to getting more help to restart their careers.

The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) is trying out what it calls a Returners Programme to match economically inactive professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) with companies offering paid job trials.

These trials will lead to a permanent position if both parties agree, labour MP Desmond Choo said in a Facebook post yesterday, calling on employers to join the initiative.

The out-of-work PMETs are a "latent talent pool" who may have years of experience from their former careers, he said. "Additionally, they have also gained newfound perspectives and strengths - such as resourcefulness, resilience and heightened multi-tasking abilities - during the time they spent on personal commitments," he said.

Mr Choo, NTUC's spokesman on women and family matters, added that employers may need support to implement workplace practices and schemes to attract and retain the new hires. He said he hopes the Manpower Ministry, which NTUC is in discussions with, will give funding support to employers who offer permanent positions to those who successfully complete the job trials.

Second Minister for Manpower Josephine Teo also voiced support for the programme on Facebook, saying her ministry is looking into supporting companies which offer job-sharing opportunities.

The Straits Times understands NTUC's U Family unit has been approaching employers for the pilot run of the scheme since early this year, after the labour movement mooted the idea in its recommendations for this year's Budget. It also holds networking sessions for PMETs and potential employers.

NTUC did not provide the number of PMETs and employers involved in the pilot run.



In her post, Mrs Teo listed some of the feedback gathered at a focus group discussion she attended with 12 parents on Wednesday evening. Most parents who stayed home were keen to return to work when their children were older, and those who were professionals recognised they needed to brush up on their skills. Both men and women also hoped employers would offer some form of flexible work arrangement when they returned to work.

The ministry also plans to launch tripartite standards on flexible work arrangements to help jobseekers identify good employers with progressive practices.

"We hope to drum up companies' support for working parents and make inclusive workplaces a norm in Singapore," said Mrs Teo, who invited members of the public to give their views.

Parenting blogger Liang May, 35, a stay-at-home mum who used to work in the hotel industry, hopes "returnships" will help her in future.

She hopes to rejoin the corporate world when her two children, now aged three and five, are in upper primary, and worries that her age then and long period out of the industry may hamper her chances.

She said of the scheme: "It gives the employers an incentive to see how much we can add value, and gives me a chance to prove myself."














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Highway viaduct structure under construction collapses at Pan-Island Expressway worksite

July 16, 2017, 5:20 am
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Safety review at all road, rail sites after viaduct collapse kills 1, injures 10
Work at Upper Changi Road East suspended after accident leaves 1 worker dead, 10 injured
By Christopher Tan, Senior Transport Correspondent, The Straits Times, 15 Jul 2017

Work at all public road and rail worksites was suspended for half a day yesterday after part of a new viaduct that was being built collapsed early in the morning, killing one worker and injuring 10.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) used this "timeout" to review safety measures at all its rail and road projects all morning, before work resumed at 1pm.

Work remains suspended, however, at the $94.6 million project to build the viaduct in Upper Changi Road East, where a portion of the structure collapsed in the early hours of yesterday morning. The Building and Construction Authority revoked the permit for works at the project as the authorities conducted their investigations.

The project had been awarded to Or Kim Peow (OKP) Contractors, which was expected to complete it by the first quarter of 2020.

Shares of the mainboard-listed OKP crashed 8 per cent in the wake of the accident, before trading was halted at 10.15am.

OKP has been pulled up for safety lapses previously, and was blacklisted between January and April this year.



The latest accident took place at around 3.30am, when a portion of the structure collapsed. Eleven workers who had been working on it fell from a height of around 4m.

Preliminary investigations by the LTA showed that corbels - structures put in place to support the weight of precast beams between two sections - had collapsed.

A 31-year-old Chinese national was pronounced dead at the scene, while 10 others were taken to Changi General Hospital. Seven remained warded, with two in intensive care, while three were discharged after treatment.

OKP, which has been in construction since the 1960s, said in a statement to the Singapore Exchange that it was "deeply saddened" by the accident. It said it would "assist and cooperate fully with the authorities in their investigations".

Just three days earlier, OKP was fined $250,000 in connection with another incident on Sept 22, 2015. Four workers fell 6.4m after a section of the working platform they were standing on - under a flyover being constructed in Yio Chu Kang - became dislodged.

Between January and April this year, OKP was put on a Ministry of Manpower blacklist after receiving 25 demerit points for lapses.

Yesterday's incident brought the number of reported worksite fatalities to 20 this year. There were 66 fatalities last year.

Second Minister for Transport Ng Chee Meng said yesterday's incident was very unfortunate, and he was "saddened" by it.

Speaking on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of the ninth Asean Schools Games yesterday, Mr Ng, who is also Minister for Education (Schools), said: "I have told LTA to extend the best assistance we can to the workers who are injured.

"Investigations are ongoing, the LTA is looking into what has happened together with the Ministry of Manpower, and we will get to the root of the causes so that we can learn the lessons to prevent another such incident from happening."



Meanwhile, the LTA is building a temporary road alongside the slip road below the viaduct which had been made impassable by debris after the collapse.

This is so that SBS Transit's bus service 24, which had been diverted because of the incident, can revert to its original route.

LTA added that it will carry out a thorough safety and design review of the temporary road before opening it for public use by noon today.





















Or Kim Peow (OKP) Holdings' shares hit after accident at unit's worksite
Subsidiary was found guilty of safety breach in a 2015 worksite accident just three days before viaduct collapse
By Ng Jun Sen, The Straits Times, 15 Jul 2017

Or Kim Peow (OKP) Holdings' shares had soared some 45 per cent this year before losing 8 per cent yesterday to 39.5 cents before trading was halted less than six hours after the collapse of a structure at its subsidiary's Upper Changi Road East viaduct project site yesterday morning.

Brokerage KGI Securities last month had called the counter a "buy" given that OKP was in a good position to bid for contracts under the North-South Corridor project as it is a Building and Construction Authority-registered Grade 1 civil engineering contractor. Contractors with such a grading are not limited to project cost when bidding for public-sector civil engineering projects.

Yesterday's accident was the latest involving the firm's wholly owned subsidiary, OKP Contractors, which was found guilty of a 2015 safety breach, just three days before the structure collapsed.



In that case, one worker had died, while three others were injured after they fell more than 6m from a dislodged platform.

The firm failed to ensure the working platform erected by the company was safe for use. Mr Chan Yew Kwong, Ministry of Manpower's (MOM) director of occupational safety and health inspectorate, said of the firm then: "This is a clear case of a company that does not take workplace safety seriously.

"MOM will not hesitate to take punitive actions on companies and individuals who knowingly put workers at risk. There is no excuse for companies who fail to take ownership of workplace safety."

Before that incident, MOM had also hit the firm with 25 demerit points and blacklisted it from January to April this year, when it was barred from employing foreign workers. In its statement, OKP's group managing director, Mr Or Toh Wat, said it "deeply regrets" the accident.

The company had won the $94.6 million tender in November 2015 to construct a one-way, two-lane viaduct from the Tampines Expressway to the Pan-Island Expressway and Upper Changi Road East. Together with project consultants CPG Consultants, OKP was expected to complete the viaduct and the surrounding road works in early 2020.

As the client, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) maintains a site office at the worksite. Its officers were present when the accident happened.



According to LTA's website, OKP and CPG beat three other groups which had tendered bids ranging from $129.7 million to $193.7 million, for the project, two months after the fatal incident in 2015.

In 2015, LTA also awarded OKP two contracts worth $143.8 million to build more than 200km of new sheltered walkways around key public transport nodes by 2018.

OKP has an existing net construction order book of $306.1 million, excluding two new contracts worth $20.5 million awarded last month.

Founded by the Or family 50 years ago, OKP's board of directors include former minister of state for national development, communications and information technology John Chen Seow Phun, senior director of corporate law firm Niru & Co Nirumalan V. Kanapathi Pillai, and former president of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Singapore Tan Boen Eng.

Said Mr Or: "The (OKP board of directors) is deeply saddened by this unfortunate incident and wishes to express the company's heartfelt sympathies to the families of the deceased and others injured in the incident. Meanwhile, the group will ensure that the needs of the affected workers are fully taken care of."

The firm did not comment on its recent track record when asked.



The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) has instructed the project's qualified person (QP), from CPG, to inspect the remaining supporting structures at the viaduct. A QP is someone registered as either an architect or an engineer with the Board of Architects or Professional Engineers Board respectively. CPG declined to elaborate on the incident, but said it is "working closely with the relevant authorities to carry out detailed investigations".

BCA has also revoked the permit for the construction works, and "will be investigating the cause of the incident".

"As a safety precaution, the adjacent girders will be propped and supported," it said in a statement. "Nevertheless, we noted that the rest of the constructed viaducts are not above any public roads and will not pose a risk to the public."

As regulators of building and workplace safety, inspectors from BCA and MOM conduct spot checks from time to time.

Said an MOM spokesman: "MOM has issued a full stop-work order and is currently investigating the situation. MOM is also working with the Migrant Workers' Centre and the employer to render assistance to the workers and their families."

LTA lifted a "safety timeout" at all road and rail construction sites under the authority at 1pm yesterday following the accident.























PIE work site collapse: Workers were nearly finished with task
They fell 4m to the ground when beam on which they were standing collapsed
By Zaihan Mohamed Yusof, Melissa Lin and Seow Bei Yi, The Straits Times, 15 Jul 2017

It was the wee hours of the morning and the workers were almost done with casting the deck of a new viaduct using cement.

They were supposed to pour 60 cubic m of cement onto a slab and had just 10 cubic m to go when the beam they were standing on collapsed, sending them falling 4m to the ground.

The incident at 3.30am yesterday at a viaduct in Upper Changi Road East left Chinese national Chen Yinchuan, 31, dead and 10 others injured. The workers were employed by subcontractors of construction firm OKP Contractors. One of the injured workers was from Transit- Mixed Concrete, while the other 10 workers were from Tongda Construction & Engineering.

An employee of Tongda, who declined to be named, told The Straits Times at its Ubi office: "According to my boss, they had almost finished. There was just another 10 cubic m (of cement) to go."

Mr Chen had arrived in Singapore for work in April this year. Records showed that he had been certified "competent" after he was assessed on April 24 for a workers' construction safety orientation course.

The Tongda employee repeatedly asked about the condition of the other workers, most of whom are believed to be in their early 20s.

"Is everyone okay?" the employee asked. "I am concerned about the workers right now because I am quite close with the supervisor who is now in ICU (intensive care unit)."

The injured included site supervisor Gao Liqin from China, whose right hip was impaled by a reinforcement bar.

The Tongda employee said: "I am close to some of the workers, not that I always see them, but I have been working at the company for some years." He said the company boss had called yesterday morning to say the beam had "gone down".

When contacted, the employee's superior said he had "no time to talk" and hung up.

At the accident site, a worker said the injured included a man who broke his leg, and another who was impaled.



The hours following the incident saw grim, frenzied activity in Upper Changi Road East. Police and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) personnel were seen rushing around at 4.30am, with SCDF's Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team officers present as well. They were conducting a search in the rubble and used search dogs as well.

Most of the workers at the scene had rushed down from their dormitories to check on their friends after learning of the accident.

The 10 injured workers were taken to Changi General Hospital. As of 7am, search and rescue operations had been completed.

Residents at a nearby block reported hearing a loud noise, but many were unaware of the extent of the accident. "There was a notice to say they would be working in the night for two days this month, so I didn't think too much about it," said Ms Koh Geok Lan, 60, who lives across the accident site, at Block 346, Tampines Street 33.

But in the morning, she realised the structure connecting the uncompleted bridge was gone. "The red structure (connecting the uncompleted parts of the bridge) had been up for a while, and I have seen many men working on top of it every day," said Ms Koh.

Ms Shriya Sriram, 20, a university student who lives in the same block, said: "It was a very loud sound - there was a screech. It was very metallic-sounding, but I assumed that they were moving something and it dropped."










Pre-dawn work common to avoid traffic disruptions
By Ng Jun Sen, The Straits Times, 15 Jul 2017

There was nothing unusual about the early morning construction work at the site where part of the structure collapsed yesterday. The Land Transport Authority explained that the timing had been scheduled.

To facilitate the works, a slip road from the Pan-Island Expressway to the Tampines Expressway (TPE) and Upper Changi Road North and East was closed between 1am and 5am on several days in the past three months.

The Straits Times understands that some roadworks have to take place in the early hours of the morning as it might be the only available time for certain major operations such as concrete casting.

Closing the slip road at night would allow heavy equipment to deliver construction materials to the work site without disrupting daytime traffic.

Pre-dawn works are a common practice in the construction industry, though there may be some additional challenges, such as the lack of light.

Singapore Contractors Association president Kenneth Loo said: "Certainly, there are more challenges to working at night, but it is possible to plan for them, for example by scheduling night shifts and having flood lights."

For works occurring at night, there will be stricter noise control requirements to reduce disruption to residents.

Fatigue levels of those working in these shifts should also be accounted for, as outlined in the Workplace Safety and Health Guidelines on Fatigue Management.











Seven workers admitted to hospital; two in intensive care
By Tan Tam Mei and Seow Bei Yi, The Straits Times, 15 Jul 2017

One of the two workers seriously injured when an uncompleted highway structure collapsed in the wee hours yesterday was impaled through his hip by a reinforcing bar.

The Straits Times understands that he was still in surgery yesterday evening at Changi General Hospital (CGH) and had been warded in the intensive care unit (ICU) along with another worker, whose injuries were unknown.

Both were hurt when an incomplete road viaduct linking the Tampines Expressway to the Pan-Island Expressway collapsed, leaving 10 injured and one dead. All 10 were taken to CGH, with seven admitted and three discharged after receiving treatment, said a CGH spokesman.

The affected workers came from Bangladesh, China and India, and were aged between 22 and 49.

The worker who died was identified as Chinese national Chen Yinchuan, 31. He had arrived in Singapore to work just three months ago, in April. ST understands that the two men in the ICU are Bangladeshi worker Alam Shah and Chinese worker Gao Liqin, whose right hip was impaled.



The affected workers were employed by three different companies. These companies were sub- contractors on the worksite, said Mr Yeo Guat Kwang, chairman of the Migrant Workers' Centre, which had a team at the hospital to assist the workers.

Mr Yeo said that all three employers had provided the necessary guarantees to CGH to bear the treatment costs for their workers, or were in the process of doing so.

The employer of the dead worker was also making plans with the Chinese Embassy here to facilitate repatriation arrangements.

Yesterday afternoon, Minister of State for Manpower Sam Tan and Senior Minister of State for Transport Lam Pin Min visited the injured workers at CGH.

Dr Lam later said in a Facebook post that the Transport Ministry was in touch with the workers' families and would provide the necessary assistance.

Yesterday's incident brought the number of reported worksite fatalities to 20 this year. There were 66 fatalities last year.










Human error looms large as possible cause of work site collapse near PIE
Experts point to a number of likely reasons for the corbels giving way
By Christopher Tan, Senior Transport Correspondent, The Straits Times, 15 Jul 2017

In most construction failures, human error ranks high as a probable cause. Yesterday's worksite collapse in Upper Changi Road East is unlikely to be an exception.

Local listed construction firm Or Kim Peow (OKP) was casting a section of the viaduct adjacent to a slip road from Upper Changi Road East to the Pan-Island Expressway when it gave way, killing one worker and injuring 10.

OKP, which clinched a $94.6 million contract to build the viaduct in November 2015, was scheduled to complete it by the first quarter of 2020. If it was falling behind schedule, as is the case with a number of other infrastructural projects here, it was not apparent. The worksite had a clean safety record until yesterday.

While the risk of accidents happening tends to increase if a builder is rushing, it exists even if a builder is well on time.

Lapses in design, work processes, supervision, procurement of materials and safety protocols would inevitably have been some of the many failures unearthed by investigators in past incidents.

In the case of the Nicoll Highway cave-in of April 2004 - which claimed four lives - persistent ground movements were systematically ignored during the construction of MRT's Circle Line.

Among several wilful missteps, a public inquiry found that the builders were adjusting the parameters of ground movement readings so as to be able to continue working.



While accidents are not always avoidable, they come under an unnatural glare in well-regulated Singapore when a road caves in or a viaduct collapses.

Especially when it appears that the industry, and indeed the regulatory regime, has not learnt from recent past mistakes.

In the case of yesterday's tragedy, preliminary investigations found that failed corbels were responsible for the viaduct section collapsing. But why or how did the corbels give way?

Engineering experts point to a number of possible reasons.

Former Institution of Engineers Singapore president Chong Kee Sen said corbels should be able to carry the weight of the viaduct section, with some of the load being shared with scaffolds and other supporting structures on the ground.

Mr Chong said it was possible for an "unforeseen impact load" to overwhelm the corbels as well as the other supports. This could be owing to overloading, ground movements or other construction activities.

Vertes Technologies director Chiam Soon Kiam said the corbels - made of reinforced concrete - might not have been given enough time to strengthen after they were cast.

Singapore Contractors Association president Kenneth Loo said that in most cases, concrete would take 28 days to reach its full strength, although contractors might take samples of the concrete on the seventh day to determine if it is strong enough.

A veteran civil engineer told The Straits Times that corbels are usually "extremely strong structures" which do not give way "just like that".

So, what caused them to give way?

"There could have been an error in the design, or the structures were not constructed to design specifications," the engineer, a member of the Institution of Engineers, Singapore, ventured.

Either of these could have happened despite the stringent checks and counter-checks in place, where civil work designs are scrutinised and signed off by independent qualified third parties.

"In some cases, temporary structures are not allowed to rest on corbels," the engineer said.

"This is because when concrete is being cast, it does not have any strength, and the whole thing becomes dead weight. The moisture of uncured concrete also adds to this weight."

"To be fair, we don't know at this point if this was the case," he noted.

Another possible reason for the structural failure is ground movement.

"If the temporary structure was supported by ground structures and, if the ground sank, it could cause a collapse," he said, but noted that builders would have also tested the ground for stability before setting up the supports.

Asked if workers are supposed to be on top of a structure when it is being cast, the civil engineer said: "On paper, they are not supposed to be, for safety reasons. But in practice, it is usual for men to carry out checks during casting to spot and rectify any mistakes along the way."

If what these experts are saying holds water, human error as a root cause looms large once again.

Additional reporting by Ng Jun Sen






PIE work site collapse: Questions loom over collapse of viaduct segment
The collapse of a 40m segment of a viaduct being constructed in Upper Changi Road East killed one worker and injured 10 others on Friday. While the authorities are investigating the accident, questions have been raised about the tender process and the design of the project. Correspondents Ng Jun Sen and Zaihan Mohamed Yusof attempt to answer the questions raised.
The Sunday Times, 16 Jul 2017


Q Why did the Land Transport Authority (LTA) award the contract to build the PIE-TPE viaduct to Or Kim Peow (OKP) Contractors? Was it based on OKP's lowest bid?

A With a bid of $94.6 million for the tender, OKP submitted the lowest bid for the Design and Build contract in November 2015, which was 27 per cent lower than the next lowest bid of $129.7 million by Yongnam Engineering.

But an LTA spokesman said it considers more than just price in assessing tender proposals, citing other "quality aspects", such as the relevant experience of the participating contractors, their safety management systems and practices, track record, project-specific technical, risk management and resource management proposals.

"All these quality aspects would be considered together with the price proposal to determine the award of the tender," he added.

For all construction tenders, the price-quality method is used by agencies as a framework. The price-quality weighting used for Design and Build projects before January last year is between 60:40 and 70:30.

An OKP spokesman said that despite its lower bid relative to the competition, there was "no compromise on the project's safety".

"With more than 50 years' track record in the industry, we are committed to ensuring project quality and workplace safety for projects that we undertake. For every tender bid that we participate in, we will evaluate and submit a bid which we feel is competitive and offers us reasonable profit margins."


Q Why was OKP, which was given 25 demerit points by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and blacklisted for three months earlier this year, allowed to work on a government project?

A In September 2015, OKP was involved in an incident in which one worker was killed and four injured after they fell more than 6m from a dislodged platform. The firm was found to have breached the Workplace Safety and Health Act for failing to ensure the working platform erected was safe for use.

According to the MOM website, 25 demerit points are issued to contractors for an accident that leads to death of one person. The points were given this January after the firm was prosecuted in court.

The Straits Times understands that when OKP was awarded the tender, its involvement in the 2015 fatal incident was still being investigated. OKP and one of its site supervisors were convicted of safety breaches only last Tuesday.

Firms that accumulate 25 points will be blacklisted for three months, which bars the contractor from bringing in foreign workers as all work passes will be rejected by MOM during the blacklist period.

They will still be allowed to renew passes for existing workers.

But Lian Beng construction manager Shie Chee Hwa said being on the MOM blacklist has the effect of limiting the firms' ability to tender for new projects. He said: "They will face more targeted and unannounced spot checks for their existing projects too, which can be several times in a month."

But he added that firms can still bid for public sector projects with their existing workforce, though they would have the spectre of the blacklist hanging over them.





Q Why did the corbels holding up the rest of the structure give way?

A The use of corbels in building elevated roads is a standard practice here and around the world, said Mr Chong Kee Sen, former president of the Institution of Engineers, Singapore.

Corbels are support structures designed to hold only a temporary load at the early construction stage, sharing the load with the rest of the scaffolding. When the concrete in the rest of the structure has set, it becomes self-supporting and most of the load is lifted from the corbels, he said. "During construction, corbels are designed to factor in the amount of load that engineers foresee it will carry during this phase, with around 10 per cent tolerance for the typical load it is expected to take."

Foreseeable activities include the weight of the concrete as well as all additional manpower and equipment needed on top of the structure. The task of calculating the load factors falls on the designers or engineers, which in this case will refer to CPG Consultants.

Mr Chong said corbels can fail in scenarios such as ground movements, overloading or design flaws, though he warned against jumping to conclusions before the investigations are complete.


Q What are the measures in place to prevent workplace deaths?

A While there have been 21 workplace deaths this year, only four occurred in the construction sector. There were 66 workplace accidents last year.

MOM conducts more than 6,000 worksite inspections every year, with some firms selected more than others, its spokesman said.

Those found with safety breaches will be taken to task, as "employers bear primary responsibility for managing risks at work and have to take full ownership of the safety and health matters of their employees".

In OKP's case, MOM officers had stepped up inspections on OKP's worksites after the 2015 accident.

Said the spokesman: "Our officers identified minor WSH (workplace safety and health) infractions on OKP's worksites, and have worked with OKP to rectify them immediately."

The last time MOM inspected OKP's worksite at the flyover viaduct was on April 3 - the day before it was removed from the blacklist, he revealed. At the time, the beams and deck slabs had not been installed at the site where the accident occurred. No infringements were found, said the spokesman.


Q Why did LTA stop work at all its worksites for half a day, and what was done during this time?

A All public road and rail worksites under LTA had to observe a "safety time-out" on Friday after the accident, according to its statement.

The Straits Times understands that the time-out ended around 1pm after all contractors carried out a voluntary review of their safety practices.

The Workplace Safety and Health Council has led several planned safety time-outs after a spate of accidents or dangerous occurrences. A time-out differs from a stop-work order, which only MOM can issue and was meted out on the Upper Changi Road East site on Friday.











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PM Lee Hsien Loong dialogue at FutureChina Global Forum 2017

July 16, 2017, 6:48 am
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PM Lee underlines Singapore's policy towards superpowers
Being good friends with both China and US is the right position to take, he says
By Charissa Yong, The Straits Times, 15 Jul 2017

Singapore is good friends with China and America, and this is the right position to take, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

"Those in the foreign policy establishments will appreciate where we stand even though they may wish us to tilt towards one end or the other," he told 700 business leaders, academics and policymakers last night.



Mr Lee laid out the principles behind Singapore's foreign policy on both superpowers, in a 30-minute dialogue at the FutureChina Global Forum.

Newly returned from the Group of 20 (G-20) summit in Germany last weekend, he also gave his reading of global trade winds and the business opportunities Singapore can seize amid China's growth.

He recounted his meeting and "good discussion" with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G-20 summit, during which they talked about bilateral issues and areas for cooperation, such as the large projects between both governments and in human resources.



China may be world-class in many areas, but Singapore can still find niches in which to work with China, Mr Lee said at the forum organised by Business China, which aims to connect Singaporean and Chinese businesses and marks its 10th anniversary this year.

"I do not accept the principle that anything I can do, they can do better. The world is not like that, he said. "If you are strong at something, you are relatively less strong at other things, and there are other centres of prosperity, ingenuity and energy in the world. It will be like that with China also."

For instance, Singapore as a financial services hub is a natural base for infrastructure financing needed under China's massive Belt and Road initiative, he said when asked to give advice to local businesses keen to get a piece of the action.

The proposed Belt and Road infrastructure network aims to create land and sea trade routes to link Asia with Europe and Africa.

Moderator and Business China board director Robin Hu noted that some observers saw it as China's attempt at creating a Chinese economy outside of China, making nations beholden to it. Mr Lee replied that the Belt and Road was a constructive way for China to grow its place and influence in the world.



"It is win-win, linking to the countries around the region with infrastructure projects... in a way which enables the region to benefit from China's prosperity but at the same time to maintain the region's links with the rest of the world," he said.

The initiative is also open, he noted. "China will enhance its links with other countries. At the same time, other countries can do business with anybody in the world. It is not a closed group. It is an open, welcoming, intensification of mutually beneficial linkages," he added.

But its success hinges on the free flow of trade and goods, said Mr Lee, stressing a point Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean made a day before at the same forum.

"Singapore depends on trade. It is our lifeblood. If the lines are cut, we die," he said, noting that Singapore's trade is more than 31/2 times its gross domestic product.

Singapore therefore has a vested interest in making sure the seas remain open, particularly narrow straits like the Strait of Malacca and Strait of Singapore.

"If any country tries to restrict or go through with (restrictions) unilaterally or selectively... we would be completely opposed to that," said Mr Lee.

Asked if there was a danger of this happening, he said: "I don't think we are at risk of it happening, but I think some countries do worry that it could happen to them."

As for global trade, Mr Lee said: "We hope the US will... be prepared to see that trade is not win-lose, it is win-win. And you don't have to only do business one on one. You can do business with a group, or a regional union."

Both the 11-member Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact without the United States, as well as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership between ASEAN and six of its close partner countries, are still on the table, he said.

"I hope both will make progress. In the interests of Singapore, the region and the world," he added.
















SINGAPORE'S LIFEBLOOD



Singapore depends on trade. It is our lifeblood. If the lines are cut, we die. Because our international trade is 31/2 times our GDP, the highest ratio in the world... we have a vested interest in keeping trade routes open and in having freedom of navigation on the seas. And in having an international rule of law which applies to freedom of navigation and making sure that the seas remain open. ''

- PRIME MINISTER LEE HSIEN LOONG, on why it is important to ensure the Strait of Malacca and Strait of Singapore stay open for the safe and free flow of goods.




ADAPTING TO CHANGE



As (countries) grow more prosperous, capable, more open to the world, what we used to do and they used to find us useful for will change... As others progress, we continue to make progress with and in some aspects ahead of them. And then we remain useful to them. ''

- PM LEE, on Singapore's foreign policy principle and how bilateral ties evolve to adapt to the needs of both countries over time.




BUSINESS PERSPECTIVE



For a country to be successful, you have to maintain good relations with other countries, but also on the basis of mutual respect and cooperation. Businessmen have to take a different approach because you are not in the position of deciding what is best for your country - you are just looking for opportunities for your company. The more favourable conditions are, the more opportunities you have. Businesses can understand what the Government is trying to do, so that after the dinner over the maotai, if somebody asks you, you have a good answer. ''

- PM LEE, on how businessmen can uphold Singapore's interests when they face pressure from their foreign counterparts during times of tension.





Singapore pledges to work with China on Belt, Road vision: DPM Teo Chee Hean
Key to success is ensuring safe and free flow of goods overland and across seas: DPM Teo
By Danson Cheong, The Straits Times, 14 Jul 2017

Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean has pledged that Singapore will work with China to realise the full potential of the Belt and Road initiative.

One important way is to ensure the safe and free flow of goods overland and across the seas, including the Strait of Malacca and the Strait of Singapore, he said.

For this reason, "Singapore will continue to uphold this right of transit passage for ships and aircraft of all countries, and will not support any attempt to restrict transit passage to ships or aircraft from any country". He also said that working together to provide safe and unimpeded passage to all is a key prerequisite for the modern Maritime Silk Road.

Mr Teo was setting out how Singapore can contribute to boosting connectivity among the hubs of the Belt and Road initiative, of which the Maritime Silk Road is a part. It was one of three areas of cooperation he identified yesterday, when opening the FutureChina Global Forum.



The Belt and Road initiative, the brainchild of Chinese President Xi Jinping, envisions connecting Asia, Europe and Africa through a network of roads, ports, bridges, tunnels, pipelines and other projects involving almost 70 nations and two- thirds of the world's population.

This "grand vision... has the potential to bring long-lasting benefits for regional development and integration, uplifting the economies and people across this whole vast region", said Mr Teo.

Singapore supports it, he added, noting that both countries have strong ties which have adapted with their needs over the years.

Mr Chen Deming, standing committee member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and Mr Lan Tianli, first vice- governor of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, also lauded the bilateral ties in their keynote addresses.

Mr Chen said the deep relationship was initiated by Singapore's founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew and Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, adding: "Recently, with the joint efforts of the later generations of the leaders of both countries, this relationship has been further strengthened."

Mr Teo noted that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Mr Xi, who met last week in Hamburg before the Group of 20 Leaders' Summit, had affirmed the substantive relationship between their countries, the frequent high-level exchanges and good progress in cooperation.

Cooperation on the Belt and Road is a key example of close ties, and is a crucial area of work for the Singapore-China Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation, he said, referring to the council he co-chairs with Chinese Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli.

He added that there is "much potential for broadening and deepening our relationship and taking it to the next level".

The two other ways Singapore can contribute to the Belt and Road initiative are financing and human capital development.

In financing, opportunities exist to support new projects and the internationalisation of China's currency, he said. For instance, financial institutions with major operations in Singapore can actively finance trade and investments between China and ASEAN.

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank can also work with other multilateral financing institutions here, he added.

Singapore and China can also help other nations along the Belt and Road develop human capital, "in line with the Silk Road spirit of peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefit".

To illustrate, Mr Teo said Singapore and China can share their experience in areas such as project preparation, gleaned from three joint government projects: the Chongqing Connectivity Initiative, Suzhou Industrial Park and Tianjin Eco-City.

Summing up, he said: "While we have often focused on the physical infrastructure of the Belt and Road, other dimensions and layers are also important to realise the full potential of the initiative."

















Vital to keep Malacca, Singapore straits open and safe: DPM Teo
Singapore a strong proponent of right of passage and sticking to this principle is key for Maritime Silk Road, he says
By Danson Cheong, The Straits Times, 14 Jul 2017

A key requirement for the success of the Maritime Silk Road - which envisions linking China by sea with Europe by way of various Asian and African countries - is to keep critical sea lanes open and safe for shipping, said Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean.

This involves making sure that transit passage through the straits of Malacca and Singapore is not suspended or impeded, as these waters are crucial to connecting the Pacific and Indian oceans and are used by vessels from all countries.

Also, the straits of Malacca and Singapore hold the status of "straits used for international navigation", which means passage through them is provided for in international law, he added.

Mr Teo made these points in his opening address at the FutureChina Global Forum yesterday, when he gave Singapore's position on the right of transit passage for ships and planes of all countries through the straits of Malacca and Singapore.

The forum, which was organised by Business China and attended by more than 500 business leaders and academics, also discussed topics such as the future economy and China's Belt and Road initiative.

Mr Teo said that Singapore is a strong proponent of the right of transit passage, adding: "This is a key principle of vital interest to us as trade is our lifeblood."

He said that sticking to this principle is key to the success of the Maritime Silk Road as it ensures smooth flow of trade and traffic through the straits of Malacca and Singapore.

"Singapore will continue to uphold this right of transit passage for ships and aircraft of all countries, and will not support any attempt to restrict transit passage to ships or aircraft from any country," Mr Teo said.

The Maritime Silk Road is part of China's Belt and Road initiative, which envisions connecting Asia, Europe and Africa through a network of roads, ports, bridges, tunnels, pipelines and other projects.

Mr Teo pointed out that in 2006, Singapore disagreed with Australia's proposal to place certain restrictions on vessels transiting through the Torres Strait between Papua New Guinea and Australia.

The restrictions require ships of more than 70m in length or loaded with certain cargo to have a licensed coastal pilot to guide the ship through the strait, and were meant to protect the sensitive marine environment in those waters.

Singapore disagreed with this, he said, even though it is a strong advocate of marine environmental protection. China had also disagreed with the Australian proposal, he noted.

Mr Teo added that Singapore naval ships and aircraft also work together in the Gulf of Aden with ships from the navies of China, the United States, North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) members, Japan, South Korea and other countries, to ensure sea lanes there remain safe from piracy.

Similarly, "working together to keep the key sea lanes open and safe for shipping from all countries, and for all countries, is a key prerequisite for the modern Maritime Silk Road", he noted.

Yesterday, 10 agreements in areas such as finance and technology were signed between Business China and various Chinese organisations.


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Early action to break cycle of poverty in Singapore: Tan Chuan-Jin

July 18, 2017, 7:54 am
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Disadvantaged children will get a leg up as pilot scheme KidStart is made permanent
By Priscilla Goy and Janice Tai, Social Affairs Correspondent, The Straits Times, 17 Jul 2017

A pilot scheme KidStart, which aims to level the playing field for disadvantaged children, will be made permanent in a bid by the Government to break the cycle of poverty in Singapore.

It is among a series of moves that the authorities want to make to intervene earlier to prevent social problems, such as inequality and family dysfunction, from becoming entrenched, said Social and Family Development Minister Tan Chuan-Jin in an interview with The Straits Times last week.

Another is to develop early intervention programmes for at-risk youth and adults.



The shift upstream to tackle social challenges comes as Mr Tan expressed concern about intergenerational poverty in Singapore.

While the Gini coefficient shrank slightly from 0.463 in 2015 to 0.458 last year - suggesting that the rich-poor gap is narrowing - it remains stubbornly among the highest in developed countries. Some children from poor families find it tough to move out of the poverty trap, said the minister.

"Certainly, anecdotally we see that (intergenerational poverty) happening," he said. "For certain family circumstances, we know it is challenging and the probability of perhaps poorer outcomes for the children as they grow up will be higher. So we want to make sure that we intervene."

Last year, his ministry piloted KidStart, a three-year scheme to help 1,000 disadvantaged children aged up to six. Mr Tan said he wants to expand it beyond the five locations where it is now in place even before the pilot ends, depending on resources available.

The Government is also stepping in earlier to help workers and families who are showing signs of financial struggle yet would not usually qualify for ComCare aid.

Last year, nearly half of approved applications for short- to medium-term aid were granted to such beneficiaries, said the Ministry of Social and Family Development. Some were offered a higher cash quantum or had their period of aid extended if they still could not find jobs.

Mr Tan said such flexibility is especially important today when many Singaporeans are finding their livelihoods affected by disruption due to technology. "I think we will continue to see this affecting us for years to come. Some jobs will disappear from the market."

Social service experts welcomed the move to go further upstream.

Singapore Children's Society lead social worker Gracia Goh said: "A good outcome of preventive work is that there is no problem, and that may make it harder to justify its importance. It requires moral courage to invest resources before a social problem gets worse, or even starts."











Online pleas for aid: Govt may step in with details, says Tan Chuan-Jin
It will set record straight if those seeking help online give misleading or one-sided accounts
By Janice Tai, Social Affairs Correspondent, The Straits Times, 17 Jul 2017

The authorities will be stepping in earlier to set the record straight - including by disseminating information about cases - should individuals give what they deem misleading or one-sided accounts when appealing for donations online.

"We may desensitise the information, perhaps anonymise it somewhat, without going into too many details, to help the public understand the context," said Social and Family Development Minister Tan Chuan-Jin.

This comes at a time when individual appeals online, especially those with heartrending circumstances, have managed to garner six-figure sums in donations.

In April, a single mother with Stage 4 ovarian cancer raised $771,962 from 7,419 people for her medical bills. That month, a daughter's plea for donations to medically evacuate her father from Japan, where he had a heart attack, raised $239,047 from 3,029 people. Both appeals were made on crowdfunding website Give.asia.

The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) stepped in to clarify facts when a 20-year-old woman shared on Give.asia in May about having to be the breadwinner for 11 family members, as her cancer-stricken father could work only part-time as a security guard, saying a social worker provided her family with only dry rations. MSF said it had been assisting the family for 51/2 years, and they also get ComCare and other aid.



In January, MSF also made public details of aid given to a homeless man seen at a Bugis fast-food outlet when an article by website All Singapore Stuff claimed he was denied aid by Social Service Office staff and other agencies.

Mr Tan said his ministry has the right to come out and highlight details when individuals misrepresent and exploit a situation, or when public officers are attacked online for doing their duty, such as removing children from abusive homes. Sometimes, there are also questions about whether donated funds are used properly.

"We're also evolving the way in which we want to approach this... You will see more contestation on this front, a lot more issues being played up. The encouraging thing is Singaporeans are very generous and do want to step forward and help. So in a way, it's a good problem," said Mr Tan.

Still, he acknowledged a balance must be struck to protect a person's privacy. "We are also very wary because some of this is information that's confidential," he said.

Ms Julia Lee, senior director of social work and programme development at Touch Community Services, said it is useful for the Government to clarify any misrepresentation. She added: "Ultimately, netizens can learn to be more discerning and do more research before they respond to the appeals. Perhaps concerned members of the public can be directed to an agency or call in to seek verification of the legitimacy of the story."





Tan Chuan-Jin undeterred by online comments
By Priscilla Goy, The Straits Times, 17 Jul 2017

With posts of anything ranging from photos of the cinnamon buns his daughter baked to thoughts on why some working adults still need financial aid, Minister for Social and Family Development Tan Chuan-Jin has one of the most prolific online presences among Singapore's Cabinet ministers.

He can also laugh at himself - in a post in April, he called himself a "suaku" ("country bumpkin" in Hokkien) for having not tasted Chinese preserved olive vegetables before.

But his candid nature has put him in a spot at times. For instance, in 2015, critics branded him insensitive for saying that some elderly people collect cardboard, not to earn a living, but to get extra income or as "a form of exercise and activity, rather than being cooped up at home".

In an interview with The Straits Times last week, Mr Tan said: "Actually - and not just on that particular issue - many things I have said were taken out of context, twisted... Unfortunately, I don't think this is going to change.

"It's not just happening here, it's happening everywhere else. People sometimes don't always read the articles themselves - they just see the headlines and get angry."

Despite this, he does not intend to simply keep quiet either.

"Does it mean that we (should) become afraid to say anything, because the best thing is not to say anything, then we won't get caught up in any controversy whatsoever? But these are issues which I feel very strongly about and I do think that we need to reach out."

Regarding his comments on cardboard collectors, he said he was encouraged then to see youth volunteers befriending the collectors to understand their challenges.

He said: "The key message really was: Please talk to them, find out, let us know so that we can follow up.

"The point I made was that there are various reasons (why people collect cardboard). Some of them need help, and some are people whom we are already helping but prefer to continue for various reasons."



When asked if he personally monitors certain websites or Facebook pages, he said he does not.

"I just read what pops up in my Facebook news feed, or when people send me links and say, 'Did you see this? They attributed it to you'. Then you read it and get horrified and just sigh. What to do?" he said.

There will be some people who think he is "completely out of touch", he noted, despite his efforts to understand challenges and craft policies to address these.

But he remains undeterred.

"If all people look at is just one reference point and judge you on that, well, that's life in a public space. It can't be helped, but that should not put us off from wanting to understand situations better and being involved, which is fundamentally important, because you can't create policies in isolation."





Tan Chuan-Jin on workfare, income inequality and flats for unwed mums
By Priscilla Goy, The Straits Times, 17 Jul 2017

Here is an edited excerpt from some of the questions posed to Minister for Social and Family Development Tan Chuan-Jin, and his responses.


Q AMONG THE YOUNG POOR, SOME ARE WORKING YET STILL NEED FINANCIAL AID. ARE YOU LOOKING INTO EXTENDING WORKFARE (WHICH TOPS UP THE INCOME OF LOW-WAGE WORKERS) TO PEOPLE AGED BELOW 35? WHY IS THE CUT-OFF AGE 35?

A Young people's employability is better, so there isn't a great need to augment that.

We have quite a lot of jobs, so I think people believe they can find jobs, but I'd urge them to try securing a job before quitting. Some young people don't, and they come under some financial duress as a result.

But right now, going by data that we see, there's no need to lower the cut-off age.


Q A RECENT WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM REPORT SHOWED THAT SINGAPORE HAD THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF NET INCOME INEQUALITY AMONG 30 ADVANCED ECONOMIES (IT SCORED NEAR THE BOTTOM IN THREE AREAS: ACCESS TO EDUCATION AND SKILLS; HOW CONCENTRATED WEALTH IS; AND SOCIAL WELFARE). WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS?

A There are many surveys out there. This survey was done by business leaders, and I think it was for them to fill up the survey based on what they think. I'm not sure whether the report necessarily reflects what the reality is, and whether the respondents were fully au fait with the help schemes available.


Q ON UNWED MOTHERS NOT BEING ELIGIBLE TO BUY SUBSIDISED HDB FLATS: PEOPLE SAY IT COMPOUNDS PROBLEMS AS HOUSING AFFECTS WHERE KIDS STUDY. IS THERE SCOPE TO RELAX THIS POLICY? IS THE WORRY THAT DOING SO WILL ENCOURAGE HAVING KIDS OUT OF WEDLOCK?

A I agree housing is a fundamental building block... But we need to look at every specific circumstance because some unwed mums can stay with their families. We have supported those who need housing, but there are others who don't quite need it. I've looked at all the cases surfaced and sometimes it isn't always apparent they actually have other housing options too.

The criteria we have today allow for even unmarried individuals to exercise options: If they are above 35, they can buy. So there are no plans to change that policy now because we do believe there's enough space. I know it's challenging, I know some of them do feel the stresses. But the stories aren't always fully complete.


Q AS FAMILY SIZES SHRINK, ARE YOU LOOKING INTO EXTENDING POLICIES TO INCLUDE EXTENDED FAMILY MEMBERS AS ELIGIBLE NEXT OF KIN?

A It is complex because not everyone feels that they should provide for their aunts, for instance. Some would say, "She's not quite my mum or my immediate sibling. Should we be expected to carry that burden?"

But it's something that we would probably have to look at, whether we want to expand the definition of "family" to include relatives.


Q YOU'VE SAID YOU USED TO HAVE BEER AND COFFEE WITH THE FOURTH-GENERATION LEADERS. IS THAT STILL ONGOING?

A I think it's important for us to build a relationship not just among a few, but the entire team, so I think that's something that we've got to continue to do. And because there's a lot more cross-ministry work together, we're also developing that relationship on that front.


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Parents' Perceptions of the Singapore Primary School System: Institute of Policy Studies Survey

July 18, 2017, 8:03 am
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Parents happy with their children's schooling: IPS poll
Survey of 1,500 shows over 90% are satisfied with quality of schools, education system
By Amelia Teng, The Straits Times, 17 Jul 2017

Some people may doubt the slogan "Every school, a good school", but most parents in a recent poll do believe it.

More than 90 per cent of them felt that Singapore's education system is among the best worldwide and were satisfied with their children's primary schools, according to an Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) survey. But the results also show that about a quarter of parents had trouble enrolling their children into a school of their choice.

They also felt fairly stressed about helping their children with school examinations and syllabuses, and large amounts of homework.

IPS senior research fellow Mathew Mathews, who led the survey - the first of its kind here - said the findings dispelled the myth that many parents are very unhappy with the education system.

In his research on marriage, parenthood and singles, he had observed that people sometimes said they hesitate to have children partly because of the stress of the education system. He wanted to hear from parents if the school system is really as "daunting" as it is made out to be. The survey of 1,500 Singaporean and permanent resident parents conducted last year, however, found that most were contented with their children's primary schools, he said.

The sample of parents, whose median age was 42, had a proportionate number of children in almost all the 180 or so primary schools here.

Dr Mathews said: "Most people do feel that the school their kid goes to is a good school. Even if they didn't think so, they are satisfied with the (school) quality.

"(The results) also busted the myth that most parents are in a mad rush to get (their children) into a good school by volunteering and moving house to get a place in that school," he said. "Sometimes, we play up the notion that most of our parents are 'kiasu' (Hokkien for competitive). That may not be the case for many, at least now."

Close to three-quarters (73.6 per cent) of parents said they could enrol their child in a school of their choice. More than three in four respondents did not undertake activities such as volunteering to secure a school for their child.

However, about 28 per cent of parents said they had experienced challenges in enrolling their child in a school of their choice. Of this group, more than half said there were too many applications to the school. More than 30 per cent also felt places for children with no alumni links were limited and there were few "good" schools nearby.

Dr Mathews said the overall findings are a reflection of the gradual shift in parents' mindsets. "Many of us as parents grew up in a system that placed a lot of emphasis on examinations and grades, so that pattern is still prominent in our mind."

But parents today are also concerned about their children's character and socio-emotional development, he added.

Almost all parents - 94 per cent - listed teacher quality and an emphasis on character building as important reasons for picking a school. Factors such as a competitive environment, affiliation with a good secondary school and parents' alma mater were ranked lower.

At least 97 per cent indicated that the features of a good school included having teachers who cared about the socio-emotional development of students, and providing opportunities for students from different family backgrounds.

Slightly fewer - about 73 per cent - said a record of high Primary School Leaving Examination scores made for a good school, and only 24 per cent considered having a huge amount of homework as important.

In response to queries, the Ministry of Education said it is "heartened" that parents "have confidence in our education system, and are increasingly supportive of schools' efforts to provide a holistic education for their children".

"We are encouraged that they themselves are putting more emphasis on character development, and considering broader factors when choosing schools for their children," said a spokesman.

Dr Mathews said parents' attitudes play an important role in their children's education, especially in primary school.

"If a parent thinks that the school is bad, there's a high chance the kid will also think the school is bad. If parents think the school will not help the child, you can be sure that the child will believe so too."









Torn by conflicting desires, goals for their kids
By Amelia Teng, The Straits Times, 17 Jul 2017

Parents want everything, it seems.

Over half of those surveyed wished for schools to focus more on moral education, but also wanted them to put greater emphasis on academic subjects such as English and mathematics.

They said they were satisfied with their children's schools and teachers, but also wanted school curricula to be more manageable.

These desires might seem contradictory but people do have many considerations to weigh, noted Dr Mathew Mathews, a senior research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies.

On the one hand, he said, they would like the school system to be more manageable.

"At the same time, they don't want to lose out. They know the reality is that their kid needs good proficiency in academics, even IT skills and many soft skills."

Parents face a tussle between wanting their child to be both academically competent and an all-rounder, one whose moral values and development are not neglected, he added.

When asked about their child's future, about 66 per cent believed university qualifications would still be more important in securing better work opportunities, compared with acquiring skills through schemes such as SkillsFuture.

"This suggests that many parents still cling to the traditional Singaporean mindset that a prerequisite for a successful career is getting a first degree," said Dr Mathews.

Ms Jamie Chan, 36, a corporate communications officer, said she makes a "conscious effort not to impose my expectations on my children, and to appreciate them for who they are".

Said the mother of two daughters, aged six and eight: "As parents, our job is to get to know our children, and help them discover their strengths."

Ms Mabelyn Ow, 45, who works in the creative industry and has two sons, aged five and 11, said: "There's always this sense of conflict.

"You feel so much for your child when you see him tired and crying from juggling everything - co-curricular activities, supplementary classes, trying to finish his homework.

"Yet, you want the best for him - you want him to do well so he is not left behind."










Many parents say PSLE necessary, but helping kids study is stressful
By Amelia Teng, The Straits Times, 17 Jul 2017

The Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) is still seen by many parents as necessary.

A slight majority of those surveyed by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) did not agree that it should be postponed to a later age.

There had been calls to do away with or postpone the exam, which some say leads to unnecessary pressure for young pupils who are sorted into secondary schools and academic streams.

But IPS senior research fellow Mathew Mathews said the survey results show there is "no clear consensus" on the PSLE. Less than half of respondents agreed or strongly agreed it should be postponed.

"Most people are not against the idea of high-stakes exams, a good proportion of Singaporeans still accept that," said Dr Mathews.

Last year, the Ministry of Education announced that come 2021, the PSLE would use wider scoring bands, instead of a precise aggregate T-score, to reduce the obsession with academic grades.

Meanwhile, schoolwork, exams and the syllabus were common concerns for parents in the IPS survey.

About 71 per cent of parents said helping their child with numerous tests and exams was stressful, while almost 60 per cent felt anxious as they did not know how to help their child with the challenging syllabus.

About half of the parents said they were concerned their child could not keep up with what was taught or was not achieving the grades he was capable of.

Ms Jamie Chan, 36, a corporate communications officer, said her Primary 2 daughter has good teachers, but she also hopes the school syllabus will not get too tough.

"Her Chinese teacher, for instance, is doing a good job in capturing her interest in the subject, but the syllabus looks harder than what I recall from my time.

"I am concerned that it will get exponentially harder in the years ahead," said Ms Chan.










Alumni, clan links least of considerations
By Amelia Teng, The Straits Times, 17 Jul 2017

Alumni links and affiliations with religious organisations or clans were the least of most parents' considerations when it comes to picking a primary school for their children, according to a survey by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS).

This is contrary to the perception that such connections are important in getting children into good schools, said Dr Mathew Mathews, who led the study.

Factors related to a school's external network were less important than attributes such as teacher quality, emphasis on character building and proximity to home. More parents - about seven to nine in 10 - also indicated that support for weaker students, facilities and infrastructure, and range and performance of co-curricular activities were essential qualities.


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As a small state, Singapore must not be bullied: Vivian Balakrishnan

July 19, 2017, 1:06 am
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Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan outlines core principles guiding Singapore's foreign policy
Republic will be friends with all, and also advance own interests
By Danson Cheong, The Straits Times, 18 Jul 2017

The ultimate goals of Singapore's foreign policy are to protect its independence and sovereignty, and to expand opportunities for its citizens, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said yesterday.

To achieve this as a small country, Singapore will be friends with everyone and, at the same time, must also advance its own interests, he added.

He was speaking at a townhall with about 200 foreign service officers and other civil servants at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).

"There is no contradiction between a realistic appreciation of realpolitik and doing whatever it takes to protect our sovereignty, maintain and expand our relevance, and to create political and economic space for ourselves," he said.

Dr Balakrishnan outlined five core principles that guide Singapore's foreign policy, underlining points Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had made recently.

He said the principles have served Singapore well since independence.

First, it is important to keep the economy vibrant and successful, and society stable and united.

Without this, Singapore will be completely irrelevant. "All of us in this room have all witnessed how delegations of less successful small states are ignored at international meetings," he said.

Second, Singapore must not be a vassal state and needs to show it cannot be bought or bullied.

For this reason, Singapore has built up a credible armed forces that is taken seriously, he said.



Third, Singapore must aim to be a friend to all, and an enemy to none.

This means working to ensure peace and stability in the immediate neighbourhood and also building political and economic relationships with superpowers and other regional powers so that "they will find our success in their own interest", said Dr Balakrishnan.

He added that this "delicate balancing act" becomes more difficult when the superpowers and regional powers "contend with one another", which is why it is important to avoid taking sides.

While Singapore spares no effort to develop a wide network of relations, he said, these must be based on mutual respect "for each other's sovereignty and the equality of nation states, regardless of size".

He added: "We don't compromise our national interests in order to have good relations... so when others make unreasonable demands that hurt or compromise our national interests, we need to state our position and stand our ground in a firm and principled manner."

Fourth, Singapore must promote a global order governed by the rule of law, international norms and the peaceful resolution of disputes.

Without such a system, small states like Singapore have "very little chance of survival", he said, stressing the importance of Singapore speaking with conviction on these issues.

That is why Singapore has always participated actively at the United Nations and in the formulation of international regimes and norms, he added.

Dr Balakrishnan also warned against appeasement, saying that Singapore must be clear about its long-term interests, and "have the gumption to make our foreign policy decisions accordingly".

He said Singapore stood firm to protect its interests even when it was inconvenient, such as when it caned American teenager Michael Fay in 1994 for vandalism, and when it hanged two Indonesian marines in 1968 for bombing MacDonald House during Konfrontasi. The hangings happened in the early years of independence when Singapore was fighting the communists, and the British said it planned to withdraw its forces from Singapore.

"Can you imagine the guts it took for the leaders in 1968, facing such circumstances, to stand up and do the right thing?" he said.

He added that these were "painful" episodes, but they established clear red lines and sent a strong message that Singapore would uphold its laws and safeguard its independence and its citizens' safety, no matter its size.

"We cannot afford to ever be intimidated into acquiescence," he said.

Fifth, Singapore must also be a "credible and consistent" partner.

Countries take Singapore seriously because it does not "tell them what they want to hear", he said. "They try harder to make Singapore take their side precisely because they know that our words mean something. We are honest brokers. We deal fairly and openly with all parties."

This credibility has allowed Singapore to play a constructive role in international affairs, he added.



Dr Balakrishnan also referred to a recent debate by some academics and retired officials on how Singapore should behave as a small state.

He told MFA officers that they conduct foreign policy on a daily basis, adding: "The deliberations today are not a theoretical debate, and this is not an academic word-spinning exercise on a lecture circuit."

Wrapping up, he said the nature of geopolitics will become more uncertain and unpredictable, and Singapore would have to ensure that its foreign policies reflect this.

He called on MFA officers to "anticipate frictions and difficulties from time to time" and to be prepared, when necessary, to "disagree with others without being gratuitously disagreeable".

He said Singapore's approach to diplomacy cannot be like that of a private company as the country's interests go far beyond short-term losses or gains.

"We may always be a small state, but all the more reason we need the courage of our convictions and the resolution to secure the long-term interests of all our citizens," he said.
















Vital to have consensus at home on foreign policy priorities
Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan sets out the core principles amid a debate over how a small state should conduct itself in a world of changing geopolitics. This is an edited excerpt from his speech on Monday to MFA officers.
The Straits Times, 19 Jul 2017

Some questions that have been raised include: Has Singapore overreached and forgotten its permanent status as a small state in the large dangerous world and tough region? Should Singapore adjust its foreign policy posture given changing geopolitics, or even because of leadership changes in Singapore? Has our insistence on a consistent and principled approach limited our ability to adapt to new circumstances?

We need to go back to first principles. The ultimate objectives of our foreign policy are to protect our independence and sovereignty, and expand opportunities for our citizens to overcome our geographical limits. The existential challenge is how we achieve this, given that we will always be a tiny city state in South-east Asia with a multiracial population.



We must not harbour any illusions about our place in the world. History is replete with examples of failed small states. Our founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew always reminded us that we have to take the world as it is, not as we wish it to be. But that does not mean that the late Mr Lee advocated a "do nothing, say nothing" approach whose outcome is for Singapore to simply surrender to our fates.

As Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has reminded us, on issues where our national interests are at stake, we must be prepared to "stand up and be counted". Some people have suggested that Singapore lay low and "suffer what we must". On the contrary, it is precisely because we are a small state that we have to stand up and be counted when we need to do so.

There is no contradiction between having a realistic understanding of realpolitik and doing whatever it takes to protect our own sovereignty, maintain and expand our relevance, and create political and economic space for ourselves. The founding fathers of our foreign policy - Mr Lee Kuan Yew, Dr Goh Keng Swee and Mr S. Rajaratnam and their team - understood this acutely and formulated a few core foreign policy principles, which have served Singapore well since our independence.

So, what are these principles?

1 Singapore must have a successful and vibrant economy, stable politics and a united society. Otherwise, we would be completely irrelevant. We only merit attention because everyone knows that Singapore has made a success of itself despite its size- and that we have smart, honest, serious and constructive diplomats representing us.

2 We must not become a vassal state. We cannot be bought or bullied. We must be prepared to defend our territory, assets and way of life. That is why we just celebrated 50 years of national service, and we maintain at great effort an SAF that everybody takes seriously. This does not just depend on the military technology that the SAF has, but the courage and resolve of our soldiers, particularly NSmen, to defend what we have and fight for what we hold dear.

3 We aim to be a friend to all, but an enemy of none. This is especially so for our immediate neighbourhood where peace and stability are absolutely essential. Consequently, Singapore was a founding member of Asean and remains a strong advocate of Asean unity and centrality.

With superpowers and other regional powers, our aim is to expand our relationships, both political and economic, so that we will be relevant to them and they will find our success to be in their interest. This delicate balancing act is easier in good and peaceful times, and obviously more difficult when the powers contend with one another. Nevertheless, our basic reflex should be to aim for balance and promote an inclusive architecture and avoid siding with one side against the other.

While we spare no effort to develop a wide network of relations, these relations must be based on mutual respect, for each other's sovereignty and the equality of nation states, regardless of size. Diplomacy is not just about having "friendly" relations, at all costs. It is about promoting friendly relations as a way to protect and advance our important interests. When others make unreasonable demands that hurt our national interests, we need to state our position and stand our ground in a firm and principled manner.

4 We must promote a global order governed by the rule of law and international norms. In a system where "might is right" and the laws of the jungle prevail, small states have little chance of survival. Instead, a more promising system for small states, and a better system overall for the comity of nations, is one that upholds the rights and sovereignty of all states and the rule of law. Bigger powers will still have more influence and say, but they do not get a free pass to do as they please. In exchange, they benefit from an orderly global environment, and do not have to resort to force or arms to get their way.

Singapore must support a rules-based global community, promote the rule of international law and the peaceful resolution of disputes. These are fundamental priorities. They reflect our vital interests, and affect our position in the world. We must stand up on these issues, and speak with conviction, so that people know our position. And we must actively counter the tactics of other powers who may try to influence our domestic constituencies in order to make our foreign policy better suit their interests. Ultimately, we must be clear-minded about Singapore's long-term interests, and have the gumption to make our foreign policy decisions accordingly.

When American teenager Michael Fay was sentenced to caning for vandalism in 1994, we upheld our court's decision, even under great pressure from the US.

In 1968, we proceeded to hang two Indonesian marines for the bombing of MacDonald House during Konfrontasi. Bear in mind the events surrounding 1968. We had just been kicked out of Malaysia. The British had announced their intention to withdraw their forces from Singapore. We were still fighting a communist insurgency. Can you imagine the guts it took for our leaders to stand up and do the right thing?

These were episodes that established clear red lines and boundaries. The message was clear: Singapore may be small, but upholding our laws and safeguarding our independence, citizens' safety and security were of overriding importance. We cannot afford to be intimidated into acquiescence. That ultimately put our relationships on a more solid and equal footing.

And this is why we speak up whenever these basic principles are challenged. When Russian troops took control of Crimea, Singapore strongly objected to the invasion. We publicly expressed our view that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and international law, had to be respected.

5 Which brings me to my fifth point - we must be a credible and consistent partner. Our views are taken seriously because countries know that we always take a long-term, constructive view of issues. Bigger countries engage Singapore because we do not just tell them what they want to hear. In fact, they try harder to make Singapore take their side precisely because our words mean something.

We are an honest broker, dealing fairly and openly with all parties. There is a sense of strategic predictability, which has enabled us to build up trust and goodwill with our partners over the decades. Because we are credible, Singapore has been able to play a constructive role in international affairs, in Asean and at the UN.

We have helped create platforms for countries with similar interests. Singapore helped establish the Forum of Small States in 1992. We also launched the Global Governance Group, to ensure that the voices of small states are heard, and to serve as a bridge between the G-20 and UN membership.

Our credibility has won us a seat at the table, even when our relevance is not immediately obvious. When we first expressed interest in the Arctic Council, there were many who wondered what role a small equatorial country could play on Arctic matters! But rising sea levels and the possibility of new shipping routes impact our position as a transshipment hub, so it is useful for us to be on the Arctic Council. We gained observer status in the Arctic Council in May 2013. And we participate actively and contribute our expertise on maritime matters.

Let me round off my remarks with these observations. Small states are inconsequential unless we are able to offer a value proposition and make ourselves relevant. Singapore's economic success, political stability and social harmony has attracted others to do business with us, and to examine our developmental model. Singapore's position is far more secure today than in 1965.

But the challenges of small states are perennial. They cannot be ignored, or wished away. A strong, credible SAF is an important deterrence. Foreign policy, as they say, begins at home. Our diplomacy is only credible if we are able to maintain a domestic consensus on Singapore's core interests and foreign policy priorities, and if our politics do not become fractious, or our society divided.

Geopolitics are becoming more uncertain and unpredictable. We will need to ensure that our foreign policy positions reflect changing strategic realities while maintaining the freedom to be an independent nation, with our own foreign policy.

We must anticipate frictions and difficulties from time to time. But our task is to manage this while keeping in mind the broader relationships. We may always be a small state, but that is all the more reason we need the courage of our convictions and the resolution to secure the long-term good of all our citizens.
















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Singapore’s first First Lady: Puan Noor Aishah

July 19, 2017, 7:30 pm
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New book launched on Puan Noor Aishah, wife of Singapore's first President Yusof Ishak
By Nur Asyiqin Mohamad Salleh, The Straits Times, 19 Jul 2017

When Japanese troops invaded Penang in 1941, Puan Noor Aishah left primary school and learnt instead to cook and sew to supplement her family's income.

She peddled nasi lemak with her mother, took orders for embroidery and tried to pick up new skills, hungry to make up for the abrupt end to her formal education. This eagerness to learn put her in good stead when her husband Yusof Ishak was made Yang di-Pertuan Negara in 1959. Puan Noor Aishah was just 26.

Her role as spouse of Singapore's head of state put her in completely uncharted waters, she recalls in a new 200-page biographyPuan Noor Aishah: Singapore's First Lady, published by Straits Times Press and launched at The Arts House by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday.



Written by legal scholar and historian Kevin Y.L. Tan, the book also contains photos of Puan Noor Aishah and her family, including those from her private albums.

She said of her rapid adjustment: "I was not given any instructions or briefing at all; no guidelines. I had no task lists and no one briefed me on things like etiquette, dress codes and protocol. We had to learn and manage on our own."

She made her mark. She figured out the Istana's workings, and soon breathed new life into it by teaching its cooks - who were still preparing English classics like roast beef and Yorkshire pudding - her own recipes for local favourites like beef rendang.

She went for English lessons, organised events for dignitaries and became involved with voluntary organisations. And when her husband's health began to decline after a heart attack in 1968, she shouldered some of his social responsibilities.

PM Lee, who grew up playing with her three children, said of the book: "It will record for generations of Singaporeans her life story, the role she played and her contributions to our early nation-building days."

Since her husband died in 1970 of heart failure, Puan Noor Aishah, now 84, has largely kept out of the limelight, and the book offers a precious glimpse into her eventful life.

Born in 1933, she was adopted by Fatimah Ali and Mohammad Salim Jusoh, who was formerly known as Barney Perkins and had converted to Islam. They lived an unassuming life in Penang - until Puan Noor Aishah caught the eye of Mr Yusof. At 39, he was ready to settle down after years of rebuffing matchmaking attempts to focus on Utusan Melayu, the Malay daily he co-founded.

A close friend coaxed him into looking through photos of potential brides, and the last was of Puan Noor Aishah. Something about her face intrigued Mr Yusof, who told his friend: "This one, I agree."

He was whisked away to Penang for a first meeting. But, recalls Puan Noor Aishah, although her older sister took her to a garden one day to meet "a good man", all she did was sit at a table sipping tea. She never saw Mr Yusof, who was seated nearby so he could steal glances at her and was too shy to take a good look. Still, he wanted to marry her. They had their first proper meeting two days later, on their wedding day.



Puan Noor Aishah also shares details about her life with Mr Yusof: His favourite dish was rendang kerang (cockles rendang), and his pet name for her was "Teh", short for "Cik Puteh" (fair-skinned lady).

Their first home was in a small kampung with no running water or electricity. But these were tumultuous times for Singapore, and Puan Noor Aishah and Mr Yusof would soon find their lives upended.

When the People's Action Party won the 1959 General Election, Mr Yusof was first prime minister Lee Kuan Yew's pick for Yang di-Pertuan Negara. PM Lee noted Mr Lee wanted a distinguished Malay as the first head of state, to show the federation that Singaporeans accepted Malays as their leaders, and to forge good relations with Tunku Abdul Rahman and other Malay leaders.

PM Lee said Mr Yusof answered the call of duty, continuing as first president on independence, and discharged his duties with dedication and dignity while standing for the enduring values that underpin Singapore's success - meritocracy, multiracialism and modernisation - with Puan Noor Aishah by his side.

She insisted on living simply so their children's lives were as "normal" as possible. They lived in a small bungalow on the Istana grounds, and Mr Yusof paid the rent out of his salary. And while the family would lunch at the dining table using porcelain crockery and cutlery, they would roll out a carpet for dinner, and sit on the floor eating with their fingers, in the traditional way.

As the president's wife, Puan Noor Aishah kept traditions alive, from putting Malay dishes and kuih on the Istana menu to wearing kebaya - which she sewed herself - at state events. She transformed the tenor and feel of the Istana. In the colonial era, it was a "staid, stuffy, officious and distant place", the book notes, but by the end of 1960, it was "elegant, traditional, Asian, full of charm, warm and welcoming".

Puan Noor Aishah, who was at the launch with family members, including daughter Zuriana and granddaughter Fatimah Imran, said she was grateful for the effort behind the book. She was initially reluctant to have it, but friend and long-time neighbour T.P.B. Menon persuaded her to share her "unique and extraordinary" life story.









SHE WITNESSED SINGAPORE'S GROWTH

He did not live to see the development and transformation of the Singapore which he had played such an important part in creating. But Puan Noor Aishah has witnessed how Singapore, after its tentative beginnings as a nation, has prospered over the last 50 years.

She celebrated SG50 with us, and she should soon see Singapore have another Malay president, if all goes well. I hope it will be a president who will bring as much distinction and honour to the office, and will be as well loved and remembered by Singaporeans as Encik Yusof Ishak.

- PRIME MINISTER LEE HSIEN LOONG, on Mr Yusof Ishak and Puan Noor Aishah.
















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Auditor-General's Report FY 2016/17: Financial and IT lapses found in government agencies

July 19, 2017, 9:26 pm
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Auditor-General raps government agencies for lapses
Government agencies taking action to fix lapses flagged by AGO
By Toh Yong Chuan, Manpower Correspondent, The Straits Times, 18 Jul 2017

Several government ministries and agencies have been rapped by the Auditor-General for weaknesses in controls over information technology (IT) systems, lack of financial controls and inadequate oversight over large-scale development projects.

These lapses were discovered by the Auditor-General's Office (AGO) in the latest annual audit of government accounts for Financial Year 2016/17.

In response, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said the public sector's overall system of managing public funds remains sound, but acknowledged there are areas where agencies can do better by strengthening their financial governance.

"The Public Service is taking a concerted effort to address the issues identified," it said.

"Heads of the agencies responsible have reviewed each case and where warranted, appropriate actions have been or will be taken against those responsible."

In the report released on Tuesday (July 18), the AGO found that the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) did not track how its staff and vendors use the IT systems that run the Baby Bonus, child care and infant care subsidy schemes. The systems were accessed 4,920 times over an 11-month period, but 595 of these were "inappropriate" logins that "would warrant further investigation". Among them, 560 logins were made by MSF's IT contractor who "had used a privileged system user account which did not belong to them"

The National Parks Board (NParks) did not remove the access rights of 104 accounts of staff who have quit, some as far back as 10 years, while the Singapore Corporation of Rehabilitative Enterprises (SCORE) had weak controls over its payroll system.



The agency with the most lapses in its IT systems was the Central Provident Fund (CPF) Board. It did not track its monitoring systems for unauthorised access to the computers. In one of its IT systems, nearly 89 per cent of changes made by the system administrator over a three-month period were not backed by proper approvals. In another IT system, the alerts meant to pop up when there was unauthorised access were incomplete.

"These lapses could affect the effectiveness of the two IT security-monitoring systems in detecting IT security violations," the AGO said. The CPF Board also did not revoke IT access granted to temporary staff and could not identify who used the accounts after they quit.

As for financial controls, the AGO found lapses in the Economic Development Board (EDB), Sport Singapore (formerly the Singapore Sports Council) and SCORE.

The EDB had given out grants totalling $2.59 million for eight projects even though information on these projects was inaccurate and incomplete. In six of these projects, EDB misrepresented them as being on track even though the grant recipients did not meet or faced difficulties in meeting the project conditions.

In SCORE, payments amounting to about $710,000 were made to contractors even though the invoices were not properly certified by its staff. A staff who was authorised to approve payments of up to only $1 million was found to have approved payment of up to $15.88 million.

Sport Singapore was found to have dragged its feet in paying contractors. It paid about $970,700 to vendors more than a year after the invoices were received. The longest it took to pay a contractor was more than three years and six months. The national sports body also could not account for how it used some of the sponsored items that it received, AGO noted.

On management of projects, the AGO singled out the Ministry of Health (MOH) for "irregularities" in many multi-million dollar contracts that it oversees. For example, the ministry paid $4.08 million for site supervisors for the building of the Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, but the ministry did not verify the need for the staff or the reasonableness of the cost, the AGO noted. It also did not get proper approvals and made the payment solely based on the agent's claims.

The MOH also made 40 changes to contracts amounting to $3.76 million without approval, including 32 changes for 10 projects valued at $2.17 million where the changes were made after the projects were completed or had started.

In response to the AGO report, MOH said it has worked to strengthen project oversight and management, as well as controls and checks on infrastructure projects to prevent lapses.

It will also train officers on public procurement procedures in a more structured way, and hold regular briefings on the contract variation process.

It noted AGO found "there was no indication of fraud or corrupt practices which warrant further investigation, or deliberate wrongdoing by the persons involved in the projects."

On the lapses of control over large scale projects, the AGO said: "Such lapses were found across different public sector entities over the last few years, indicating that more could be done to strengthen these areas."

MINISTRY OF FINANCE RESPONSE

In its response to the report, MOF noted that AGO had given an unmodified audit opinion on the Government Financial Statements for FY 2016/17. "This gives assurance that public funds have been independently verified to be properly accounted for, and the accounts are reliable and prepared in accordance with the law," the ministry said.

It also said the Public Service is taking steps to address issues raised in a systemic way.

On enhancing financial controls over grants, the Accountant-General's Department has been consulting government agencies and developing a guide that will help them put in place appropriate control procedures to ensure better accountability and efficiency. This guide will be given to agencies by the end of this year.

On better management of projects and contracts, a new Building & Infrastructure Centre of Excellence under JTC Corporation will advise government agencies and strengthen their capabilities in managing infrastructure projects. Project management training for public officers has also been enhanced, and MOF has worked with agencies on further guidelines on managing contract variations for development projects, which were issued last month.

On strengthening audits and policies for better IT governance, MOF said there are IT policies to ensure proper controls are in place so as to safeguard the integrity of public sector IT systems and the data within. "These policies have been continually strengthened over the years to improve the IT security posture of the public sector. Internal audits are also conducted from time to time against these policies to help agencies identify shortcomings for remediation," it said.

The newly-formed Smart Nation and Digital Government Group in the Prime Minister's Office will also strengthen the internal IT audit regime so that agencies can better identify and rectify any gaps in compliance. It will also continue to refine policies and share best practices to raise the governance and performance of public sector IT systems.

Said MOF: "Improving financial governance and accountability of government agencies... is a journey of continuous improvement."

















AGO report: MOH rapped over hospital in Jurong
By Salma Khalik, Senior Health Correspondent, The Straits Times, 19 Jul 2017

The Auditor-General's Office (AGO) has taken the Ministry of Health (MOH) to task for the way tens of millions of dollars were spent in the building of the $800 million Ng Teng Fong General Hospital.

The 700-bed hospital in Jurong was completed in 2015 - about half a year behind schedule.

The AGO's latest annual report criticised the ministry for "lack of controls and inadequate oversight" of the project.

The ministry said yesterday it will strengthen its project oversight processes and management controls.

But there was no wrongdoing, it added. "There was no indication of fraud or corrupt practices which warrant further investigation, or deliberate wrongdoing by the persons involved in the projects."

The AGO's report found that the ministry had paid $4.08 million for supervisory staff without ensuring that they were needed.

It was done although the ministry had already hired a contractor for $8.16 million to provide site supervisory services, it noted.

When asked about it by the AGO, the ministry said it was "not aware" its agent had separately hired site supervisory staff. It later told the AGO there was no duplication as the contractor's staff number fell by five, which corresponded with the five the ministry hired.

But this was incorrect. The AGO found that the contractor had cut only three, not five, workers. Also, it had hired six, not five, people, resulting in a net increase of three workers.

The ministry also paid one of the three people, who was "supposedly reduced" from the contract, for about two years.

In fact, the ministry was uncertain if it had to pay for the supervisory services after March 2015.



The AGO also flagged irregularities in seeking approvals when changes were made to the hospital contract. The changes involved $30.09 million. It said: "The lack of the required level of checks increased the risk of fraud."

There was "no assurance that MOH had exercised financial prudence in the use of public funds" or that the changes in the contract were scrutinised before approval was given, said the report.

The AGO also found lapses in approvals for 40 changes to contracts of 10 other projects that involve $3.76 million.

Approvals were either not obtained, sought after work had started or were submitted to the wrong authorities.

In some cases, approvals were obtained "before the relevant assessment and recommendations were made", the AGO said.

As a result, they cast doubts on whether the changes were properly assessed, it added.

The ministry said yesterday that it will work to "improve the competencies of our officers through more structured training on public procurement procedures".









CPF Board says data not compromised by security lapses
By Joanna Seow, The Straits Times, 19 Jul 2017

For 1-1/2 years, the Central Provident Fund (CPF) Board did not review the changes made to one of its systems that monitors IT security. As a result, there is no way to find out if unauthorised changes had been made during that time.

The Auditor-General's Office (AGO) flagged this in its audit of the board, which was found to have several lapses in IT security management.

A problem area discovered had to do with two of the board's IT security monitoring systems which track the activities of the CPF Board's databases and systems.

One of the systems was not configured properly and could not alert the board to IT security violations that happen on a particular day each week. For the other system, the AGO found that changes made to it were not supported by approved change requests.

"These lapses could affect the effectiveness of the two IT security monitoring systems in detecting IT security violations," the AGO said in its report.

The board said the lapses did not compromise CPF members' data, as there were no unauthorised activities or transactions in members' databases.

In its response yesterday, it said the various layers of IT defences in place mutually reinforce one another and protect against different types of security threats. There is also a clear segregation of duties between the administrators of the IT security monitoring system, the IT system and database.

"Together, these measures strengthen our prevention, detection, monitoring and response capabilities against cyber-security threats. CPF Board is committed to safeguarding the security and integrity of our IT systems and databases, and will continue to implement additional measures where necessary," the board said in a statement. It has done a thorough review and improved the management of the two systems.

Another concern of the AGO was lapses in the management of IT accounts of the board's temporary staff in the department that administers its GST Voucher scheme. Some accounts were used by unidentified users after the last working day of the temporary staff, or were not deleted within seven working days as required by the board.

The board said it did a thorough review and members' data was not compromised by the lapse.

It has also tightened access controls by putting in place a three-level check for all IT system access given to temporary staff. "This ensures that IT system access is granted on an as-needed basis and is promptly deleted when it is no longer required," said the board.











Lapses in checks and controls
By Joanna Seow, The Straits Times, 19 Jul 2017

In its annual report, the Auditor-General's Office (AGO) found weaknesses in IT controls at the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF), National Parks Board (NParks) and the Singapore Corporation of Rehabilitative Enterprises (SCORE).

This is worrying as IT is used extensively in public sector bodies to manage financial transactions and deliver services, as well as to hold vast amounts of personal and other sensitive data, the AGO said. IT security threats are also growing.

It also found inadequate financial controls by SCORE, Sport Singapore and the Economic Development Board (EDB).


MSF: LACK OF CHECKS ON ACTIVITIES BY IT VENDORS WORKING ON SYSTEMS FOR CHILDCARE/INFANTCARE SUBSIDY AND BABY BONUS SCHEMES

This meant data could be leaked, or bonuses or subsidies calculated wrongly. Vendors had accessed IT systems inappropriately nearly 600 times between April last year and February this year, using accounts belonging to others, the AGO found.

MSF also gave the CPF Board the wrong formula to calculate reimbursements to employers for paid paternity leave, resulting in 717 wrong payouts in 2014 and 2015.

In response, MSF said it is correcting the formula and has contacted affected employers. It has also tightened control over IT vendor user accounts and started reviewing user access and logs monthly.


NPARKS: IT USER ACCOUNTS NOT MANAGED PROPERLY

Almost all the user accounts in the human resource, finance and procurement system were not reviewed, and access rights for 104 accounts of former NParks staff were not removed, the AGO found.

NParks said the risk of unauthorised access to its systems was mitigated as staff who leave have to return their computer devices. Their user accounts and access to the NParks intranet are also suspended.

NParks will conduct annual reviews of all user accounts in the IT system, as well as monthly reviews of inactive user accounts and accounts of staff who have left NParks or changed their roles.


SCORE: PAYROLL PROCESSING, PROCUREMENT, PAYMENT PROBLEMS

Access to the Human Resource Information System was not properly managed and payroll records could be tampered with undetected.

There were also issues with SCORE's tender process, such as contracts worth $49.6 million in all being signed by an unauthorised person, and overpayment for additional manpower.

In response, SCORE said it has taken action to improve documentation of systems and staff training. It is also migrating to the Civil Service-wide HR and payroll system, which has better internal controls, and will complete the move by 2018.


SPORT SINGAPORE: LATE PAYMENTS TO SUPPLIERS; MISSING DEVICES

Some vendors were made to wait one to 3.6 years for payments from Sport Singapore, an "unfair business practice", said the AGO. This happened for 299 payments totalling $661,900, made between January 2014 and June last year.

The AGO also checked records for 2,790 sponsored electronic devices, such as mobile phones and smartwatches, given for two major sporting events in 2015. About half of them, worth $224,700, were unaccounted for.

Sport Singapore said it has no outstanding cases of late payments and is reviewing its processes to ensure the lapses do not recur. It has also started disciplinary inquiries where necessary.


EDB: GRANT PROJECTS AND TENDERS NOT EVALUATED PROPERLY

After giving out grants, EDB failed to adequately monitor project progress for some of them. This could lead to public funds being wasted if the objectives of the grant schemes are not achieved.

Three of the 14 tenders checked were not evaluated well, with inconsistencies in the way EDB scored or treated different parties. In one case where EDB gave the successful party a wrong score for the financial solvency criterion, the correct score would have changed the winner of the tender exercise.

EDB acknowledged the scoring process can be improved, and said it will review tender processes . It is also developing a new system that will enable grant recipients to submit timely progress reports.





Counting the cost of repeated public sector audit lapses
Public servants do not seem to be learning from the mistakes of others, and that needs addressing
By Toh Yong Chuan, Manpower Correspondent, The Straits Times, 20 Jul 2017

Once a year, the image of Singapore's ultra-efficient public service takes a hit when the Auditor-General publishes the findings of its annual audit of government accounts.

The exercise by the Auditor-General's Office (AGO) invariably throws up lapses in the processes of government ministries and statutory boards. The latest audit report released on Tuesday was no different.

The report found shortcomings in controls over information technology systems, lack of financial controls and inadequate oversight of large-scale development projects.

The government agencies named in the latest AGO report were the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF), Sport Singapore (the former Singapore Sports Council), Singapore Corporation of Rehabilitative Enterprises, Central Provident Fund (CPF) Board, National Parks Board and Economic Development Board. They have acknowledged their lapses and promised to fix them, if they have not already done or started doing so.

Still, one can expect similar lapses in the future, perhaps not at these government bodies - the spotlight on them will surely motivate them to buck up and avoid repeating their mistakes - but possibly in other agencies. That is not speculation but a statement backed by past records.

The AGO posts on its website audit reports dating as far back as 2008/2009. These reports show some telling trends. For example, in the 2008/2009 report, then Auditor-General Lim Soo Ping said: "Every year, we see instances of lack of financial prudence in procurement and poor management of contracts."

Consider the latest report, which says: "The AGO found instances of inadequate financial controls over payments, management of assets and contracting in public sector entities."

If the two statements sound similar, that's because they are.

Another common theme in the AGO reports over the years is that despite proper procedures and systems of checks in place, public servants were found not to have followed them. In other words, lapses occurred due to human error.

One cannot help but wonder: Why do the same mistakes keep being made? One of the stated aims of the public release of the AGO report is for agencies to learn from one another's mistakes, so why have the lessons not sunk in?

REPEATED MISTAKES

The causes of repeated lapses may be many but here are three observations, based on my 18-year stint in the public sector, including seven years as a director, before I joined The Straits Times in 2011.

The first is that public policies and programmes have expanded and that means more scope for error.

Take as an example the Baby Bonus, a scheme that was named in this year's AGO report. The AGO found that the MSF, which is responsible for Baby Bonus payments, did not track how its staff and vendors use the IT systems that run the scheme, giving rise to the possibility that confidential information is leaked or data corrupted when subsidies are computed.

The Baby Bonus Scheme, which was first introduced in 2001, has grown substantially over the years. The latest update of March last year means qualifying babies now automatically receive $3,000 in their Child Development Accounts.

Workfare is another example. The AGO found in its 2013/2014 report that the CPF Board, which runs the Workfare Income Supplement Scheme, was given incomplete data by other government bodies, possibly leading to eligible workers not getting their payments. Workfare was introduced in 2007.

And the expansion of programmes is set to continue, especially in the social affairs sector, as the population ages.

My second observation is that even as policies and programmes have expanded, the number of public servants has not ballooned.

The Singapore Public Service is 145,000-strong, up from 124,000 in 2010, or about 17 per cent bigger. Over the same period, government expenditure - an indicator of what the Government spends on policies and programmes - grew 62 per cent from $46.39 billion in the 2010 financial year to an estimated $75.07 billion this financial year.

Essentially, public officials are now expected to do more or manage more resources. That means more room for error.

A third reason for mistakes by public servants is the sector's policy of rotating its staff. New staff coming through the doors are more prone to making mistakes.

In my 18 years in the civil service, I had seven different postings of between one and five years each. When I was first appointed to the equivalent of a director's post in 2004, I became nervous when I had to pay a contractor more than $100,000 for a project. I studied endless pages of what civil servants call the "instruction manual" before I mustered the confidence to sign the payment order.

In the end, apart from the manual, I also learnt from a veteran colleague who told me: "Do not do anything in private that you are not prepared to explain in public." In other words, expect to be scrutinised. That was what he meant. I benefited from his generous mentoring.

Apart from understanding the causes of the lapses, it is important to also put them in proper context. The latest AGO audit found no criminal wrongdoing. The lapses were silly, but not part of a larger criminal enterprise.

That said, some of the reactions of the agencies named in the latest audit bother me. While all of them acknowledged the lapses highlighted by the AGO and pledged to tighten their internal processes, none apologised for its mistakes. Only the MSF came close to an apology, saying it "regrets that some employers were incorrectly reimbursed".

Some agencies even issued qualified responses. For example, national sports body Sport Singapore, which dragged its feet in paying contractors for more than three years, said: "Where necessary, disciplinary inquiries have been initiated."

That suggests inquiries in some instances are not necessary.

Such half-hearted and even defensive attitudes will not do.

WAYS TO REDUCE LAPSES

There are at least three ways to reduce future lapses. For a start, government agencies can ditch defensiveness and say sorry for their mistakes. If they do not apologise for their shortcomings, sceptics will understandably doubt their desire to change.

Also, I found it shocking that some of the lapses took so long to come to light. For example, Sport Singapore took more than a year to pay nearly $1 million to contractors who did work for the 2015 28th SEA Games and the 8th Asean Para Games. One wonders why the contractors kept quiet for so long.

There ought to be more channels, including confidential hotlines, for contractors and the public to report lapses to the Ministry of Finance.

A third way to reduce mistakes is to use both carrot and stick. The annual expose by the AGO puts pressure on the agencies which have made mistakes to correct them, buck up and avoid future mistakes. In a similar vein, the AGO can consider highlighting those agencies that have done well in fixing their mistakes or in staying off the annual lists.

The public sector is such a huge body - it is the largest employer in Singapore - and one cannot expect it to be perfect. That said, while there may be mitigating factors for the lapses, the importance of audit findings cannot be overestimated. After all, public servants are essentially guardians of public money.

If public sector agencies cannot give the assurance that they can learn from past mistakes and avoid them in future, it is not just the image of the public sector that takes a hit, public confidence in the Government may take a beating too.

That is the real cost of such repeated mistakes, and it is not the path the public sector wants to go down.



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Tengah Air Base to be expanded; more than 80,000 graves exhumed, 4 farms to be acquired

July 20, 2017, 12:41 am
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Graves, farms to make way for larger Tengah base
Area quarter the size of Clementi town will be added to take in Paya Lebar Air Base assets
By Rachel Au-Yong, The Straits Times, 19 Jul 2017

An air base in the north-western part of Singapore will get new facilities and a substantial injection of land to spread its wings.

To make way, some 80,000 graves will be exhumed, while six farms will be acquired or not have their leases renewed.

The exercise will yield more than 106ha of land - a quarter the size of Clementi town - to enable the 78-year-old Tengah Air Base to expand. It, together with Changi Air Base, will take in the assets of the Paya Lebar Air Base (PLAB), which will move out from 2030.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said last night that the expansion will allow Tengah Air Base to house aircraft assets, operational flying and support squadrons and other facilities from PLAB.

There will also be a new runway at Tengah Air Base, he said, adding that there will be "net land savings" from the relocation.

The plan to move PLAB was first announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in 2013 when he said it would free up 800ha in Paya Lebar for new homes, offices, factories and parks, and also remove height restrictions around the base.

To accommodate a bigger Tengah Air Base, Choa Chu Kang Cemetery, the only active burial ground and the biggest cemetery here, will lose 100ha, a third of its 318ha area.

Some 45,500 Chinese graves and 35,000 Muslim graves will be exhumed in several phases.

Graves older than 17 years will be exhumed first - from the last quarter of 2018 onwards - while newer graves will be exhumed from a date to be announced later.

The Government will bear the costs of exhumation, as well as cremation for Chinese remains and reinternment for Muslim ones.

Meanwhile, the owners of four plots of private land - affecting three fish farms and a nursery - were notified yesterday that they have been acquired, and will have to be handed over by January 2019. They will be compensated based on market value on the date of acquisition.

A vegetable farm whose lease expires in June 2019 will not have it renewed. Egg farm Chew's Agriculture had sold its remaining lease to the Government in May last year, and its lease will lapse in May 2019.

The total affected farm area adds up to about 6.3ha. Some of the farms are worried about finding alternative sites within 18 months. Said Mr Bernard Goh, a supervisor at Sevenseas Fisheries at 17, Murai Farm- way: "It is difficult to find a suitable plot with the right water quality."



A third change will see the existing Lim Chu Kang Road realigned. The affected portion includes a 1.8km heritage road, one of five in Singapore characterised by their tall, mature trees with overarching tree canopies. Agencies are looking at mitigation strategies, including transplanting the trees.

In a joint statement, the Ministry of National Development, National Environment Agency and Singapore Land Authority said the Government had "considered all alternatives" in developing this plan, and taken into account "our national defence and security needs, as well as the overall benefits of moving PLAB in the longer term".

"Government agencies have, as far as possible, tried to minimise the impact of these works, and affected stakeholders will be given advance notice to make alternative arrangements," they said.

MP Vikram Nair, who heads the Government Parliamentary Committee for Defence, said: "This is an optimal use of our scarce resources - the military needs land for defence purposes, and we need prime land for other development uses.

"There will be some unhappiness, but hopefully there is enough time for people to make the changes."

Additional reporting by Yuen Sin















Size of Choa Chu Kang Cemetery to be cut by one-third to make way for Tengah expansion
By Rachel Au-Yong and Yuen Sin, The Straits Times, 19 Jul 2017

Singapore's biggest and only active public cemetery - Choa Chu Kang Cemetery - will have its size cut down by a third, from 318ha to 200ha.

Some 80,500 Chinese and Muslim graves will be exhumed progressively to expand Tengah Air Base, which in turn is to accommodate the relocation of Paya Lebar Air Base from 2030 onwards.

Those affected can have their relatives' remains cremated at Choa Chu Kang Crematorium.

For those whose religions require their dead to be buried, like Islam, the remains can be reinterred elsewhere in the cemetery.

The authorities will pay for the moves, though additional rituals or requirements will have to be borne by the affected relatives.

Owing to space constraints, the Government in 1998 imposed a burial period of 15 years for all graves in Choa Chu Kang, after which the remains would be exhumed.

Since December 2004, the National Environment Agency (NEA) has been exhuming graves at the 70-year-old cemetery in phases.

This is the largest exhumation there to date, though there have been larger-scale ones at other cemeteries, such as in Bishan or Bidadari, which made way for new homes and towns.

At Bishan, around 100,000 Chinese graves dating from 1870 were exhumed between 1982 and 1984.

In Bidadari, 126,000 Christian and Muslim graves dating from 1907 were exhumed between 1996 and 2006.

The NEA said it will continue to exhume graves which have met the 15-year burial period to ensure there is sufficient supply to meet burial demand.

"While there is sufficient land in the foreseeable future, NEA will continue to work with land use planners to explore options for future generations," it said.

In 2007, it introduced a new interment system for Muslims, where concrete crypts built below ground replaced traditional earth plots.

Modelled after similar graves in Saudi Arabia, the system helps to save space as it allows the bodies interred to be arranged in a more compact way, and was reported to help keep the grounds open until at least 2130.

The latest round of exhumations will take place in several phases.

About 45,000 Chinese graves and 5,000 Muslim ones older than 17 years will be exhumed first, with the earliest beginning in the last quarter of next year.

Newer graves - with some buried as recently as three years ago - will be exhumed later, after they meet the minimum 15-year burial period.



Yesterday, retiree Norani Masuni, 59, whose sister's grave at the N-1-3 plot will be eventually exhumed after the burial period, said: "We feel sad, but what can we do? A decision has been made."

She said it is likely that her sister's remains, which were buried six years ago, would be buried with other family members.

"It has happened to us before at other graves, so we are prepared for this," she said.

Chua Chu Kang GRC MP Yee Chia Hsing, whose Nanyang ward includes the air base, said he believes that while the changes may be disruptive, most will take it in their stride as they are aware of the land constraints in Singapore.

"That is why those who can accept it will have their loved ones cremated, while those who bury their relatives know full well it cannot be for forever," he said.










Farms affected by Tengah expansion fret about moving
By Yuen Sin, The Straits Times, 19 Jul 2017

For the past 30 years, Mr Mac Teo has lived and grown up on the site of his family's nursery in Lim Chu Kang.

"It is not just a business, but a home to me," said Mr Teo, 41, a project manager at Koon Lee Nursery, which takes up a 2ha plot of land in Murai Farmway.

Yesterday morning, he was told by government officers that the family business has to move in 18 months.

The authorities have acquired its land, along with that of three fish farms, for the expansion of Tengah Air Base. The handover will have to take place by January 2019. The four farms will be compensated based on market value.

Another two farms - which produce vegetables and eggs - will not have their leases renewed once they expire.

Mr Bernard Goh, a supervisor at Sevenseas Fisheries at 17, Murai Farmway, said it was taken aback by the news. The farm, which supplies produce such as snakehead fish and frogs to wet markets, had about 10 years more on its lease.

"When the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) came for an inspection a few months ago, they even made recommendations for us to increase our productivity by upgrading the water filter and redesigning the ponds.

"We had already started some works, but there is no use doing that now," said Mr Goh, 31.

He added that the company might have to wind up operations on the farm and focus on its seafood distribution business if it cannot find a good alternative site. "It is difficult to find a suitable plot of land with the right water quality," he said.

The Singapore Land Authority (SLA), AVA and National Parks Board (NParks) said they will work closely with the affected owners and assist them in the process.

New farm plots for food fish farming will be available in October, while AVA and NParks will release details on tenders for spaces for ornamental fish farms and nurseries when they are available.

But some of the farmers wonder if they will have enough time to move and start anew at a new site. They have to stop operations at the current spots by January 2019.

Koon Lee Nursery's Mr Teo said: "If we manage to bid for a piece of land tomorrow, we will have enough time to move and set up our business elsewhere. But I am not confident that we will be able to get a new piece of land in time."

He said 18 months is too short a timeframe to find an alternative site because of the effort and labour needed to relocate and set up operations from scratch. "But (SLA) did say that it is willing to accommodate our requirements, such as the time required to move and set up if we go to a new place," he added.

Mr Teo's family had invested over $1 million in the business, including land costs and other facilities. It has about 10 years left on the lease.

The owner of an affected fish farm in his 60s, who declined to be named, also said he was shocked at the news that he has to move out of his plot in 18 months. "We were not mentally prepared for this," he said.

His 1.2ha tropical fish farm, which exports fish to Europe, has been around for over 20 years. It has over 10 years left on its lease.

He said: "We have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars into this. Even if you tell us to move, where can we go to?"

He said that the farmers will be meeting the authorities in the coming weeks to discuss the issue, adding: "We only just got the news, so it is very uncertain and we are still not sure what we can do."

Chua Chu Kang GRC MP Yee Chia Hsing, whose Nanyang ward includes the air base, said he has asked the authorities to compensate the farms fairly.

"Hopefully, the valuation will take into the account the money they have invested into the facilities and land. I have been assured they will try," he said.

Additional reporting by Rachel Au-Yong






Benefits for Paya Lebar will take time: Experts
By Sean Lim, The Straits Times, 19 Jul 2017

It will take a while before Paya Lebar reaps the benefits of having the Paya Lebar Air Base relocated, say property experts.

The relocation of the air base from 2030 will free up 800ha of land - bigger than Bishan. Height restrictions to ensure navigational safety for aircraft will also be relaxed, meaning low-rise buildings may be redeveloped.

When he first announced this in 2013, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the land will be used to "build new homes, new offices, new factories, new parks, new living environments and new communities".

But moving out the air base may not directly lead to a boom in property prices in the area, say analysts.

SLP International executive director Nicholas Mak said there are many factors to be considered, such as the timing and market conditions at the point of the move.

He also said that if the land is being redeveloped for residences, it might lead to an increase in the supply of homes, and this would "put a cap on property prices". Even if there is any price increase, it will only "rise at a moderate pace", he added.

International Property Advisor chief executive Ku Swee Yong noted that what is significant is that current height restrictions will be relaxed, meaning there will be "greater room for development of a higher density neighbourhood".

Existing flats, for example, will have the potential to be redeveloped and built higher.

Mr Ku said that it is too early to speculate about how the landscape of Paya Lebar will be, as there are other existing towns that have yet to reach their full potential, citing Jurong West as an example.

The lack of basic utilities in the land currently occupied by the air base, such as sewage, gas and telecommunications, is something that will take years to address, he added. After all, the land has been used as an air base for decades, and the capacity for those utilities is lower.

"After the land has been returned to the authorities, it will take many years for basic infrastructure to be laid out first, before redevelopment can take place," Mr Ku said.










Impact on new town a worry
By Rachel Au-Yong, The Straits Times, 19 Jul 2017

The westward expansion of Tengah Air Base has raised some concerns about how it might affect future residents of a new town on its eastern side, observers said yesterday.

The new residential area located between Jurong, Choa Chu Kang and Bukit Batok, currently a forest mass, will become a new town called Tengah, providing 30,000 public housing units and 12,000 private ones when completed.

The first batch of flats on the 700ha plot - equivalent to Bishan in size - will be launched next year.



Property consultancy Chris International director Chris Koh said there may be some noise issues, similar to those faced by people living near Paya Lebar Air Base.

But he also noted that Tengah town will boast a 100m-wide and 5km-long forest corridor, adding: "It has been known that greens absorb noise, so it won't be too bad.

"Also, the town will be on the other side of the air base, farther away from the runways."

Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC MP Alex Yam, whose Yew Tee ward is close to the affected area, said he has filed a parliamentary question on how the Defence Ministry will mitigate noise issues and assure residents that increased air traffic and training exercises in the area will not affect their safety.

Tengah is the first Housing Board town to be developed since Punggol two decades ago.





Century-old heritage road in way of Tengah air base expansion
But portions of Lim Chu Kang road could yet survive if ways are found to retain them
By Toh Wen Li, The Straits Times, 20 Jul 2017

Parts of a century-old road may have to be sacrificed to make way for the Tengah Air Base expansion.

However, portions of the Lim Chu Kang heritage road could yet survive, with The Straits Times understanding that the authorities are looking at how they can be retained.

On Tuesday, the Ministry of National Development (MND) said that Lim Chu Kang Road will be realigned to make way for a bigger air base.

It told The Straits Times yesterday that construction of the new road is expected to begin by next year. When the 9km road is completed, the existing Lim Chu Kang Road will be closed and traffic will be diverted to the new one.

Lim Chu Kang Road is home to one of Singapore's five heritage roads, stretching 1.8km from the Sungei Gedong Road junction to the junction of Ama Keng Road.

It will be the first heritage road to have trees removed or transplanted as a result of urban developments. These roads were gazetted in 2006 and are characterised by their tall, mature walls of vegetation and overarching tree canopies.

The Lim Chu Kang heritage road, now lined with some 330 trees, was built in the 1800s to serve the gambier, pepper and rubber plantations in the north-western countryside. As the population in the area grew, it served as a link between the villages and the city-bound roads of Choa Chu Kang and Bukit Timah.



Today, the heritage road's green buffer, spanning 10m on both sides, is dominated by Broad-leafed Mahogany (Swietenia macophylla), a common roadside tree, and self-sown exotic tree species such as the Albizia and African Tulip.

A spokesman for MND and National Parks Board (NParks) said mitigation strategies could include transplanting affected trees to the new road where possible.

Dr Shawn Lum, president of the Nature Society (Singapore), said of the realignment: "At face value, we are looking at aesthetic loss, and some limited localised biodiversity impact if we do lose habitat."

But "anywhere where wildlife can make a home has value".

The fast-growing Albizia, for instance, is often a home for woodpeckers, parrots and eagles.

Dr Lum said a survey should be done to assess what sorts of wildlife are in the area - and if these include endangered species such as pangolins and leopard cats, both found in nearby Jalan Bahar.

The imminent realignment of Lim Chu Kang Road is part of an ongoing trade-off between nature and development in Singapore.

In March, The Straits Times reported that 10,000 to 13,000 trees could be removed over the next 15 years to make way for transport and housing projects.

NParks stressed that all the affected trees would be replaced at least one-for-one.





The free Air Show Tengah residents would rather shun
By Rachel Au-Yong, The Straits Times, 20 Jul 2017

Ever so often, the roar of fighter jets breaks insurance sales manager Derrick Ng's concentration at home.

But the Jurong West Street 25 resident, who lives 5km away from Tengah Air Base, has resigned himself to the piercing noise over the eight years he has lived there.


With a second runway coming - part of the air base's expansion to accommodate the relocation of Paya Lebar Air Base from 2030 - he is bracing himself for even more interruptions.

"The planes fly so close to us that I tell my friends I enjoy a free Air Show," he told The Straits Times.

"When they fly, it's this loud zoom-zoom sound, which is disruptive when it comes at 9pm and your family is trying to sleep," the 44-year-old father of two added.

For some neighbours, the noise is enough to drive them in search of other options. Chemical processing technician W. K. Cheng, 37, said that while the jets do not fly every day, their 140- to 160-decibel roar has had an impact on his family's quality of life, especially his three-year-old daughter's.

By comparison, the limit for construction work near residential sites is 90 decibels, about the level of noise a passing truck makes.

"It is a good reason to sell the place," said Mr Cheng, who plans to put his flat on the market.

When told of the expansion of Tengah Air Base, Mr Ng's jaw dropped in dismay. "It's already so noisy, there will be another runway?"



Jurong West residents are particularly affected by the Tengah jets, partially due to the proximity of their homes to the base. The runway in Tengah also has a north-south orientation - in line with the prevailing wind direction in Singapore, making Jurong West a prime target for noise pollution.

In contrast, Paya Lebar Air Base is separated by factories and parks while Changi Air Base is shielded by the commercial Changi Airport.

Hong Kah North MP Amy Khor, whose ward the affected residents are in, said noise complaints are common, but added that the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) has taken steps to mitigate the problem.

For example, it works with schools and avoids flying planes during the examination period.

It has also reduced the number of night flights, "but we cannot not have them at all, because the pilots still need to train", she said.

Residents in the area are also occasionally invited to the air base to understand how operations are conducted and to meet the pilots - a privilege not usually extended to those living elsewhere, she added.She said: "Agencies must look at how to mitigate the noise when another runway comes up, but for some residents, it is more of a challenge."

The Ministry of National Development, which announced Tengah's expansion on Tuesday, told The Straits Times public housing developments take into consideration surrounding noise sources and permissible noise levels.

MINDEF said the Republic of Singapore Air Force is "constantly exploring ways to minimise the inconveniences to the public while still meeting operational and training requirements".




Related
Tengah Air Base to be expanded to free up Paya Lebar Air Base for future development -18 Jul 2017
- Annex A: Location map of graves affected by the expansion of Tengah Airbase
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Collect your medicine at a 7-Eleven store

July 20, 2017, 8:56 pm
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Your medicine is ready for collection - at a 7-Eleven store
By Linette Lai, The Straits Times, 20 Jul 2017

Skip the polyclinic visit and collect your medicine at a nearby convenience store instead.

That is what some chronic disease patients under the National Healthcare Group's (NHG) chain of nine polyclinics have been able to do in recent months.

The system, which started in March, allows such patients to pick up medication from 34 7-Eleven stores across Singapore.



The drugs are packed in the polyclinic pharmacy before being delivered to lockers in the stores.

Patients receive a text message when their medicine has arrived, and access the lockers with a one-time code delivered to their mobile phones.

The idea is to offer patients the convenience of being able to collect their medication round the clock, rather than being constrained by the polyclinics' operating hours.

Polyclinics under NHG typically close at 4.30pm on weekdays and 12.30pm on Saturdays. They are not open on Sundays and public holidays.

The service is available only for patients with chronic diseases such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol who have an NHG doctor's prescription.

Such patients tend to already be familiar with their medication, and would probably not need to talk to a pharmacist, said Dr Lim Ziliang, the deputy head of Yishun Polyclinic.

"Patients with chronic medication need to take it regularly," he said. "Once they have taken the medication, they are familiar with it."

Each locker delivery costs $4 - the same as what NHG polyclinics charge patients for delivering medication directly to their doorsteps.

However, said Ms Chan Soo Chung, executive director of NHG Pharmacy, the home delivery timings do not suit everyone.

"There are patients who, due to their lifestyles, do not have the time to sit at home and wait (for deliveries)," she said. "(The new service is meant) to provide more options for such patients."

Medicine is packed in tamper- proof bags to protect the patients' privacy. If it is not picked up within 48 hours, it is sent back to the polyclinic.

Patients can then arrange for a second delivery, or simply go to the polyclinic to pick it up.

Only about 10 patients have opted for the service so far, although Ms Chan and her team hope that numbers will grow as more people become aware of the service.

One of those using the service is Mr Maslan Ahamad, 48, who used to travel to Yishun Polyclinic from his home in Sembawang to collect his medicine for diabetes.

Now, the security officer simply picks up his prescription from a 7-Eleven store near his home.

"It is very good - about a five- to 10-minute walk," he said. "It saves my time."









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Five growth industries picked for more focused job help

July 21, 2017, 12:05 am
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Drive to match PMETs to jobs in growth sectors facing disruption
Five political office holders to helm efforts in sectors that employ almost a million workers
By Joanna Seow, The Straits Times, 20 Jul 2017

Five political office holders, including a Cabinet minister, will coordinate efforts to match Singaporeans to jobs in industries that hold the promise of growth, but where higher-skilled workers may need help to adapt to the sweeping changes coming their way.

Manpower Minister Lim Swee Say said yesterday that the five industries were chosen as they were likely to be the most affected by disruptive technology.

At the same time, they have tremendous potential for job growth, he added. Between them, these industries currently employ almost a million workers.

Second Minister for Manpower Josephine Teo will lead the effort. The growth sectors, which will be overseen by four senior ministers of state, are: healthcare (headed by Dr Amy Khor); infocomm and media (Dr Janil Puthucheary); wholesale trade (Dr Koh Poh Koon); professional services; and financial services. The latter two will be overseen by Ms Indranee Rajah.

New sectors may be added to the list later on, Mr Lim told reporters at the opening of the Careers Connect centre at the Lifelong Learning Institute in Paya Lebar.

This latest move will also help tackle the growing risk of job loss faced by professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs). This group makes up about seven out of 10 residents made redundant.

Mrs Teo noted in a Facebook post yesterday that in the next few years, about half of the 25,000 to 40,000 PMET jobs created each year are expected to be in the five growth sectors.

Already, they employ more than half a million local PMETs.

"Even against global headwinds, these five sectors in Singapore are growing and creating new jobs for PMETs. Our goal is to help Singaporeans access these opportunities," she said.

The five ministers have started working with agencies, such as the Monetary Authority of Singapore, Economic Development Board, Infocomm Media Development Authority, Health Ministry and International Enterprise Singapore, to systematically identify job openings and the skill requirements.

Mr Lim also said that the Government, employers and unions in each of the sectors will look at how workers will be affected by industry changes.

They will also explore ways to retrain them for new jobs by, for instance, using Adapt and Grow schemes, including Professional Conversion Programmes.

In the finance sector, jobs in areas such as asset and wealth management, as well as finance- related IT jobs such as data analytics and machine learning, are expected, Ms Indranee, Senior Minister of State for Finance and Law, said in a Facebook post.

She added that her workgroup aims to more effectively match people to jobs they are best suited for.

Dr Koh, Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry, said wholesale trade is a diverse industry with an international component, "so PMEs must be prepared to take on regional roles and understand regional market needs".

More help to connect job seekers with jobs was also launched yesterday by statutory board Workforce Singapore (WSG).

It added five new free programmes at its career centres. These include one-on-one career guidance for job seekers and counselling for those struggling to cope emotionally with job loss.

Employers can turn to workshops on writing job descriptions with clear skills-based requirements to attract the right talent.

WSG has also redesigned its three career centres to make them more user-friendly. Now called Careers Connect, they are located in Paya Lebar, Tampines and Woodlands.
















Help for those in five industries
By Joanna Seow, The Straits Times, 20 Jul 2017

HEALTHCARE

Singapore's ageing population will require more healthcare workers in both clinical and non-clinical roles. Clinical jobs include diagnostic radiographers and dental surgery assistants, while non-clinical staff include care managers.

Employs: 91,000 workers.

Job vacancies: 2,700 (includes social services). Professional Conversion Programmes (PCPs) include those for physiotherapists and registered nurses.


INFOCOMM AND MEDIA

Technology has been a gamechanger in connectivity and the way people consume media. Workers with skills in using data and new media are in demand.

Employs: 128,600 workers.

Job vacancies: 2,600. PCPs include those for data analysts and business intelligence architects.


WHOLESALE TRADE

Wholesale trade is a diverse sector that ranges from commodities trading and machinery and equipment, to household goods and general merchandise. It has about 34,000 companies.

Employs: 324,400 workers.

Job vacancies: 2,900. PCPs include that for international trading executives.


FINANCIAL AND INSURANCE SERVICES

Financial advice may be offered by chatbots in the future. Already, technology is automating job functions such as trading. Experts are needed to guard against cyber threats.

Employs: 207,500 workers.

Job vacancies: 3,700. PCPs include that for compliance professionals.


PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

These include legal, accounting and management as well as architectural and engineering services. Many processes like human resource management are being automated, and workers need the skills for new technology.

Employs: 247,100 workers.

Job vacancies: 2,600. PCPs include that for professional services executives.

















Peer support and career coach help in job switch
By Joanna Seow, The Straits Times, 20 Jul 2017

After 20 years of being a product engineer in manufacturing, Mr Chong Choon Yew felt a strong urge to switch to social work.

The passion to do good had been growing in him for 10 years, since he began volunteering at Buddhist foundation Tzu Chi Singapore.

Also, he struggled to balance work and family as he had to be on standby every weekend.

In April,the 45-year-old father of a 13-year-old boy quit his job and went in search of work in the social services sector.

But without relevant professional experience, his three- month search led nowhere until a career coach with Workforce Singapore (WSG) advised him to include his volunteer experience in his resume.

Coupled with help from another WSG career coach, Mr Chong passed an interview to be a care coordinator at the North East Community Development Council, where he will manage a team of volunteers who organise activities for the elderly.

Said Mr Andrew Er, 30, the career coach who helped Mr Chong improve his interview skills: "Mr Chong's years of volunteer experience are valuable in his new job."

As a Tzu Chi volunteer, Mr Chong would visit families on financial aid to assess their situation. He also set up recycling centres for residents.

Mr Chong said: "I am grateful for this new opportunity. I hope my passion will help me in my new role, and I plan to upgrade myself along the way."

He also gave credit to WSG's new Career 360 programme, which connected him with others seeking work in the same field. They would meet every fortnight to discuss their job search progress and share tips.

"It is good to have such support because it is lonely looking for a job on your own," said Mr Chong.

Career 360 is among four new programmes for job seekers announced by the WSG yesterday.

The others include Career Catalyst and Career Recharger, both of which began in April as pilot runs.

Career Catalyst, which gives one-on-one career guidance to help job seekers plan their career goals, has been attended by 150 people.

Career Recharger provides one-on-one counselling sessions for those struggling to cope emotionally with job loss. It has helped seven people so far.

The fourth programme comprises workshops on delivering a good "elevator pitch". In other words, to market oneself effectively in the amount of time it takes for a ride in a lift.

The programmes are free.

Meanwhile, WSG's Careers Connect centre at the Lifelong Learning Institute in Paya Lebar has been redesigned, with rooms for job interviews and 20 desktop computers for job seekers to access online career resources.

The opening hours of a lobby area with computer terminals and information on jobs in demand will be extended. It will be open from 7am to 10pm, instead of 9am to 5pm.

The Tampines and Woodlands Careers Connect centres have also been redesigned to be more user-friendly.


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HDB helping young couples get their flats sooner with two new options

July 21, 2017, 12:30 am
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Get flat faster under two new schemes
By Ng Jun Sen, The Straits Times, 20 Jul 2017

A total of 1,000 Build-To-Order flats in Sembawang, Sengkang and Yishun will be made available to home buyers quicker, with a wait time of 2½ years compared with the typical three to four years.

They will be put up for sale in the second half of next year, and buyers can begin collecting their keys between the fourth quarter of 2020 and the first quarter of 2021.

In a statement yesterday, the Housing Board said this is aimed at helping young couples get their flats faster.

This is achieved not by speeding up the construction. Instead, HDB will begin building the selected projects before the flats are sold. This is unlike the usual process where they are built to order, that is, after they have been bought.

A tender for this batch of 1,000 flats will be called this month. Construction is expected to start at the end of the year.

Another measure to reduce the wait for home buyers is the doubling of the number of times a year when they get a shot at buying unsold units from previous sales launches.

A new sales mode, known as the Re-Offer of Balance Flats (ROF), will pool unsold units from past Sale of Balance Flats (SBF) exercises. ROFs will take place every February and August. This is on top of SBFs, which are alongside BTO exercises in May and November.

The first ROF will take place next month, with 1,394 units. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to select and book a flat if there are available units. At least 95 per cent of the units will be set aside for first- timer families.

"This will help those with more urgent housing needs and/or are less particular about location and attributes to have quicker access to a flat," said HDB.

The two measures were first announced during the debate over the Ministry of National Development's annual budget in March.

National Development Minister Lawrence Wong said in a blog post yesterday: "I hope the wider range of options and more regular offer of flats will help home buyers find a home that best suits their needs."





















Shorter waiting time: New class of flats likely to be popular, say analysts
By Ng Jun Sen, The Straits Times, 20 Jul 2017

One Build-To-Order (BTO) site is in the far eastern side of Yishun, while the other two in Sengkang and Sembawang are several kilometres away from the nearest MRT stations and town centres.

But with a wait time of 2 1/2 years, compared with the current three- to four-year period, these Housing Board flats will likely be popular despite their relatively far-flung locations when they are offered for sale next year, property analysts told The Straits Times.

Chief executive officer of PropNex Realty Ismail Gafoor said: "We can expect 50 per cent more subscription for flats in these three sites (than in typical BTO flats in the same locations)."

He was reacting to HDB's announcement yesterday about the pioneer batch of BTO flats that home buyers can expect to get sooner.

A total of 1,000 units in the three sites will be launched next year, and be ready as soon as 2020.

ERA Realty key executive officer Eugene Lim explained that the unique attributes for this new class of BTO flats - shorter waits and higher priority for first-timer applicants - make them ideal for home buyers who need a flat quickly to start their families and are less picky about locations.

At least 95 per cent of the four-room or bigger flats will be set aside for first-timer applicants, up from the current quota of 85 per cent in non-mature estates.

"(The shorter wait times) would make them more attractive to prospective home owners who are not so particular and have more urgent housing needs," said Mr Lim. "Given their combination of affordability, shorter waiting time and higher probability of success, they are expected to be popular."

They will also come with floor finishes, internal doors and sanitary fittings, similar to those of current BTO buyers who pick these furnishings as an option under the Optional Component Scheme (OCS).

This will reduce the renovation works required and enable home buyers to move into their new flats sooner, HDB added.

Two-room Flexi flats, meant for elderly buyers, will continue to come with elderly fittings and furnishings.

The HDB statement said: "Home seekers who prefer the flexibility of choosing their desired finishes and fittings under the OCS can apply for other BTO projects with the typical waiting time."

But a shorter wait time could mean a possible premium in cost over typical BTO projects, though a HDB spokesman said the difference "is not likely to be significant".

International Property Advisor chief executive Ku Swee Yong said these subsidised BTO flats should be priced far lower than resale HDB flats, which is what most home buyers with an urgent need for flats would go for.

Mr Ku said: "You now have a new category of BTO flats that are not only faster to complete, but come with HDB-contracted finishes that can put some private developers to shame. It is a big deal."

Prospective BTO home buyers such as Mr Pooi Ching Kwek, 29, said they will be casting an eager eye over these units when they are offered for sale in the later half of next year.

The National University of Singapore researcher said: "I am willing to pay extra to move in faster, so long as there is no compromise to the infrastructure such as the recent lift and rubbish chute issues."

But he added that the shorter wait time might not be suitable for every young couple as it means less time saving up for marriage or renovation costs.

Tax auditor Cherish Goh, 26, said: "Personally, I think the current waiting time of four years is okay as it gives me more time to work and save up first before moving into the new flat."



Related
Helping Young Couples Get Their Homes Sooner
New Options to Get HDB Flats Sooner
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Singapore a rare, precious example of harmonious multiracial, multi-religious society: PM Lee

July 21, 2017, 1:24 am
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Telok Ayer St a nod to Singapore's religious diversity
Singapore's racial harmony a rare and precious thing, PM says on tour of area
By Nur Asyiqin Mohamad Salleh, The Straits Times, 21 Jul 2017

Telok Ayer Street was once part of Singapore's shoreline, and migrants who arrived by sea built their places of worship nearby.

The area displays remarkable religious diversity even now, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in a Facebook post yesterday.

He went on a walking tour of five places of worship along the street on Wednesday, and met leaders of the church, temples, mosque and shrine that have been there for more than a century.

Race, language and religion are faultlines that have torn many societies apart, Mr Lee noted in his post, which came on the eve of Racial Harmony Day.

"Singapore is a rare and precious example of a multi-racial, multi-lingual and multi-religious society where people live harmoniously together," he wrote.

"This is not by chance. The government and the different communities worked hard together to make this happen."



The Harmony in Diversity Gallery, which houses exhibits and interactive features that highlight the common thread among the different religions, is one such collaboration, said Mr Lee.

He stopped at the gallery in Maxwell Road, where he met members of the Inter-Religious Organisation (IRO), and wrote: "Long may we live peacefully and harmoniously in multi-racial and multi-religious Singapore."

He also posted a photo of one of its exhibits, a trick-eye mural of a kopitiam, which he said was an important common space for Singaporeans of all races and religions.

Mr Lee's first stop on Wednesday was the Telok Ayer Chinese Methodist Church, where services are still conducted in Hokkien. It was set up for immigrants from China's Fujian province, and during the Japanese Occupation provided them refuge.

Mr Lee then went to the Al-Abrar Mosque, which served the Chulias - Tamil Muslims who were among Singapore's earliest immigrants.

He next visited the Thian Hock Keng Temple, one of the country's oldest Hokkien temples, then moved next door to Taoist temple Singapore Yu Huang Gong.

The Taoist temple was previously the site of Keng Teck Whay Association, which was started in 1831 by 36 Hokkien Peranakan merchants from Melaka. It still houses the Peranakan ancestral hall and clan complex.

Mr Lee ended his tour at the Nagore Dargah Indian Muslim Heritage Centre. Originally a shrine built in honour of holy man Shahul Hamid from India, the centre now has an exhibition that pays tribute to the contributions of Indian Muslim pioneers here.

Mr Lee wrote: "My thanks to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Inter-Religious Organisation and members of the different faith communities in Singapore for helping to build a harmonious and peaceful Singapore."










Valuing everyday race relations
Editorial, The Straits Times, 21 Jul 2017

Some Singaporeans who have no direct knowledge of wrenching past events may see the observance of Racial Harmony Day today as a politically correct annual ritual that is conducted more for form's sake. Just as no one doubts the capabilities of the institutions and people behind the security of the nation, the resilience of the bonds that have brought the communities closer over time is taken for granted. Indeed, Singapore's achievement of security on the foreign and domestic fronts, as well as the state of race relations, is a key marker of its arrival as a nation-state. In a sense, the experience of everyday life bears testimony to the reality of total defence and racial harmony.



Yet, there is value in remembering the past out of which the present has been moulded through sheer strength of political and social will. The fall of colonial Singapore to the Japanese on Feb 15, 1942, was a moment like no other in the strategic history of the island. And the race riots that began on July 21, 1964, when Singapore was a part of Malaysia, threatened the viability of what would become a sovereign nation the following year.

To observe Racial Harmony Day is to recall a time when peace, to say nothing of harmony, had fallen apart so badly that the front-page headline of this paper on Sept 5, 1964, read: Singapore a 'danger zone'. Ethnic violence questioned the degree to which the social fabric had been mended since the Maria Hertogh riots of 1950. The wounds had never really healed as 1969 also saw race riots. The social progress achieved since then created confidence in the nation's resilience. But the Little India riots of 2013 sprung an ugly surprise on Singaporeans who believed that they had put lawlessness on the streets behind them.



Hence the need to regularly commemorate the social peace Singaporeans enjoy today. The depredations of global terrorists today threaten not just the lives of people - "enemies" and co-religionists alike - but also the collective identity of communities that have learnt to live together. Suicide bombings and targeted killings can drive them apart. In such circumstances, the fearful might look for security and succour among their ethnic own. Yet, it is precisely this ability to drive inclusive people into exclusively tribal enclaves that gives terrorism its terrifyingly regressive historical power.

The challenge is to ensure that Singaporeans will not move backwards should terror strike here one day. Racial harmony cannot be taken for granted, any more than national survival can. Foreign invasions draw communities together against a common enemy. Racial strife fuelled by terror, however, is insidious. It creates mass suspicion and fear that make citizens their own worst enemies. The hard-earned peace that Singapore enjoys today remains something precious and vulnerable, to be cherished and nurtured.









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Stricter rules for jackpot machines in clubs

July 23, 2017, 7:09 am
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Tougher rules soon to curb jackpot machines in clubs
Measures to protect vulnerable from ills of gambling will be rolled out over next 2 years
By Seow Bei Yi, The Straits Times, 21 Jul 2017

The number of jackpot machines in Singapore could go down sharply as the football and social clubs operating them will soon have tougher rules to contend with.

The new regime, to be rolled out over the next two years, will raise the bar for securing jackpot machine permits, and there will be tighter quotas for the number of machines a club can operate.

The minimum age for entering jackpot rooms will be raised from 18 to 21, and their operating hours will be restricted as the measures aim to protect the vulnerable from the ills of gambling.

The new rules were announced by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) yesterday and target machines outside the two casinos.

They could have a major impact on the fortunes of some of the clubs running jackpot machines - including football clubs that have earned millions from this while not even fielding professional teams.

The aim is to ensure that jackpot rooms provide no more than an ancillary part of wider activities at clubs with a real social purpose and genuine membership, Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam said at a briefing yesterday.

"Our sense is that some (operators) sort of pay lip service to the need to provide other services and focus on the jackpot machines as their primary objective. That, we cannot allow," he added.



Mr Shanmugam also said that the quota for jackpot machines will also be cut over the next two years, without giving details of the reduction.

There are now about 82 jackpot venues and almost 1,900 jackpot machines. The number of machines could drop by around a third with the new rules, said MHA.

Currently, a club may operate jackpot machines if it has at least two other recreational facilities, among other factors.

In future, to renew such permits or apply for fresh ones, a club will have to show that it provides a "suitably wide range" of social and recreational services to members. The amount of income that a club derives from jackpot machines, compared to its total income, will also be examined. Those that do not meet the tighter criteria will have to stop operating such machines by April 30 next year.

All private clubs with such machines will also need to adopt a self-exclusion scheme from next May that allows individuals with a serious gambling habit to bar themselves from entering jackpot rooms.

Those who flout criteria may be penalised under the Private Lotteries Act and face fines of up to $20,000 and jail of up to a year.



The issue of whether rules for jackpot venues should be tightened came under the spotlight in April, after reports of Tiong Bahru Football Club's $36.8 million annual takings last year from its 29 jackpot machines. This was more than the Football Association of Singapore's (FAS) budget in the same period.

Reports also revealed that several football clubs which have not played in the S-League for some years continued running jackpot rooms with gross incomes ranging from $165,000 to $11.3 million.

Mr Shanmugam pointed out that the review that led to the new measures was announced on April 6 last year - well before the S-League saga erupted.

FAS said yesterday it would have to "review the measures in greater detail", while HomeTeamNS, which has five clubhouses and 120 fruit machines, said it would "endeavour" to meet the new requirements. Others such as NTUC Club said they would support, or have in place, measures that promote responsible gaming.

Additional reporting by Wang Meng Meng










Stricter rules for jackpot machines: Football clubs worry as jackpot revenue looks set to shrink
One club that left S-League over debts says it may be harder to run a professional team
By Wang Meng Meng, The Straits Times, 21 Jul 2017

Ever since Gombak United pulled out of the S-League in 2013 on account of financial difficulties, its chairman John Yap has wanted to get the club back into professional football.

Having cleared most of its debts by now, Mr Yap had been feeling positive that 2018 could be the year Gombak returned to the fold.

But the tougher rules on operating jackpot rooms at clubhouses announced by the Ministry of Home Affairs yesterday have put a question mark over the return.

Mr Yap, whose club operates a jackpot room in Kitchener Road, feels that the changes will curb social ills, but they could also hit Gombak's main income stream hard.

He said: "The shorter operating hours and the reduction in the number of machines will lower revenue. It will be a harder job to marry running a professional team and operating a jackpot room in the future."

Things could get even harder - he calls it a double whammy - if there is any cut in subsidies from national sports agency SportSG, Mr Yap said.

But Mr Yap still dreams of propelling Gombak back into the S-League.

"It is a big challenge but not impossible," he said. "The changes will make the clubs even more conscious of how much they spend.

"It will be up to the FAS (Football Association of Singapore) and the clubs to make the S-League even more attractive and competitive."



Sinchi FC, a team made up of Chinese nationals, played in the S-League from 2003 to 2005. It has attracted flak for continuing to operate a jackpot room with six machines at Sultan Plaza, despite not fielding a team for more than a decade.

Its vice-chairman Wang Jinhui said he welcomes the regulation changes and will strive to offer sporting activities. And although Sinchi is unable to afford a professional team, which typically costs about $1.2 million a year, the 56-year-old official believes he can retain the jackpot permit through sports and recreational activities.

He said: "Sinchi actually has organised football activities, even though we have been inactive in the S-League since 2005. For example, we organised an outreach programme for children in 2007, where the kids were trained by Singapore's former national coach Jan Poulsen."

The issue of jackpot rooms was highlighted in the build-up to the FAS' inaugural council election on April 29. Then, it was revealed that Tiong Bahru FC, an amateur National Football League club whose chairman was election presidential candidate Bill Ng, raked in $36.8 million from its jackpot room operations for the 2015/2016 financial year.

The amount eclipsed FAS' annual budget of $35.8 million from the same period.



The police also raided the clubhouses of Tiong Bahru, S-League sit-out club Woodlands Wellington and S-League side Hougang United, removing boxes of documents and computers on April 20. This came after SportSG filed a police report alleging the misuse of funds at Tiong Bahru and a club official attempted to obstruct an FAS audit. The FAS office at Jalan Besar Stadium was also raided.

But both Mr Yap and Mr Wang explained that the clubs sitting out the S-League needed the jackpot income to clear debts incurred from their days of playing professional football.

Since pulling out in 2013, Mr Yap revealed that Gombak has repaid about $2 million and is now "in a healthy financial situation".

Similarly, Mr Wang said: "We still owe creditors $170,000. But the integrated resorts (Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa) have affected our takings. Our annual profit is only about $10,000.

"But we support the Government's policies and we will try our best to come up with sports and recreation activities to keep our jackpot permit."

A spokesman for FAS said: "The FAS would need to review the measures in greater detail before responding to queries on them."

FAS officials will also meet their SportSG counterparts next month to find out the quantum of subsidies they will receive from the Tote Board for the next financial year.





Clubs to take steps to meet stricter rules
By Seow Bei Yi and Lim Min Zhang, The Straits Times, 21 Jul 2017

Several social clubs operating jackpot machines say they are already complying with certain new measures for jackpot rooms, while others say they will take steps to meet the tighter rules.

The changes, announced yesterday by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and set to take effect over the next two years, include more stringent criteria in the renewal and application of jackpot permits.

Also, those with casino exclusions due to financial situations or family objections will be excluded from the jackpot machine rooms starting in May next year.

In response to media queries, NTUC Club, which has jackpot rooms in four of its clubhouses and a facility in Downtown East, said it has already adopted the voluntary Centralised Self-Exclusion Scheme, facilitated by the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG), since May 2014.

Currently, a total of 25 private clubs have done so but from May next year, all such clubs operating jackpot rooms will be required to take on the scheme and offer self-exclusion, said the NCPG.

An NTUC Club spokesman added that it is also a member of the Responsible Gambling Forum, supporting responsible gaming initiatives. It will work with the authorities to implement the new measures in the next months, he said.

Despite the potential impact on its operations, a HomeTeamNS spokesman said it understands the need for more stringent criteria and tighter operating conditions.

"Notwithstanding the potential impact on our operations, we will endeavour to meet the new regulatory requirements in the next few months," he added.

It has 120 fruit machines in four of its clubhouses, said the spokesman. Jackpot machine takings accounted for 38.5 per cent of its total revenue in its last financial year.

Meanwhile, Safra, which has six clubhouses in areas such as Yishun and Toa Payoh, said it would study the potential impact of regulations on its operations, and how to fulfil the regulatory requirements. Its spokesman said it has an average of 20 jackpot machines per club.

There are currently about 82 jackpot venues, operating nearly 1,900 jackpot machines, a spike from 1,600 in 1996.

In recent years, private lotteries duties from jackpot machine operations have amounted to about $210 million annually, said MHA.

But "over time, a number of clubs have relied on fruit machines as a major activity", it added.

Some clubs said they do not depend on income from jackpot machines. Singapore Island Country Club's director of marketing and communications Cheang Sai Ming said SICC has "many operational income streams" and offers "various sport and recreational activities" for members' use, and it will comply with the additional measures.





Club patrons welcome new self-exclusion rules
By Seow Bei Yi, Alvin Chia and Lim Min Zhang, The Straits Times, 21 Jul 2017

Around three years ago, Benjamin (not his real name) lost $60,000 at the casino tables.

He placed himself on "self-exclusion" from casinos and jackpot rooms but, around three months ago, felt the urge to try his hand at the jackpot machines again.

"I saw my wife's NTUC membership card and used it to gain access to the jackpot machines at an NTUC Club near my home," said the 39-year-old sales manager. "I have been stopped before, but sometimes they never really check whose card I am using."

Thrice a week, he was at the jackpot machines from morning to evening. Within two months, he had lost around $7,000 and found himself borrowing money from friends.

Benjamin, whose wife does not know about his troubles, said he wished there were tighter regulations to prevent access to those like himself who are on exclusion lists.

"I think the biggest challenge for me is the temptation of all these places. Even if there were no casinos, or you excluded yourself from them, there are many clubhouses which have such jackpot rooms," said Benjamin, a father of two sons aged eight and 10.

He has now got his wish, after the Ministry of Home Affairs announced yesterday that it is tightening regulations over the operation of jackpot machines by clubs.

One key change is that access will be restricted, particularly for those on exclusion lists.

However, not everybody is convinced it is a good deal.

Mr Jimmy Hua, 83, who makes coffee at a coffee shop in Toa Payoh and claims he has lost "about $500,000" since he started playing jackpot machines in the 1960s, said he cannot control his addiction.

"I know that I will lose money, but I must still come whenever I am free or I have time," said Mr Hua, who was at the Tiong Bahru Football Club's clubhouse at People's Park Centre yesterday.

He does not intend to put himself on the self-exclusion list, noting: "I think the Government controls a bit too much and doesn't give us old people an avenue to use our time. I hope Tiong Bahru continues to operate because they are good and cheap."

Retiree Thor Saw Kim, 78, who visits Tiong Bahru's clubhouse daily, spending up to eight hours there at times, said jackpot machines are better than mahjong. "In mahjong, I will get scolded by others when I don't play well. But here, I play by myself and winning a little makes me feel happy," she added.

But others, like retired technician Jason Koh, 66, who spends five hours daily watching others play jackpot machines at Scarlet City at AMK Hub, welcomed the self-exclusion move.

He said: "Now, it is so easy for old folk to get an NTUC card and just enter to play... It is a pity all these regulars come here to waste their children's money, since they are mostly people in their 70s."

Part-time cleaner Oei Li Na, 60, who spends $100 to $200 each time punting at Scarlet City, recounted how she has seen some people losing $1,000 within two hours at the jackpot machines.

"If the Government closes more places, then it is good for these people. I would just find other places to pass my time," she added.

Mr Desmond Choo, who sits on the Government Parliamentary Committee for Home Affairs and Law, said raising the age limit and allowing those with one year of membership to enter jackpot rooms would compel businesses to pursue sustainable initiatives and not rely on fruit machines as an easy source of sustenance.





S-League clubs steel themselves for leaner times ahead
Resigned to jackpot curbs affecting earnings, they are hunting for sponsors, seeking to operate more efficiently
By Alvin Chia and John Pravin Kanesan, The Straits Times, 22 Jul 2017

S-League clubs are bracing themselves for tougher times ahead.

Most of the local clubs with jackpot operations are expecting their earnings to drop following Thursday's news that the Ministry of Home Affairs is tightening regulations surrounding jackpot operations. The new rules will be rolled out over the next two years.

With some of the moves aimed at restricting access, the clubs are resigned to losing a chunk of their jackpot takings.

Clubs typically spend between $1 million and $1.2 million a year, with $800,000 from Football Association of Singapore (FAS) subsidies. The rest is raised through sponsorship and jackpot operations.

The FAS council will meet national sports agency Sport Singapore (SportSG) next month to find out how much funding it will receive for the 2018 S-League season.

SportSG is now the gatekeeper of the subsidies the FAS receives annually from the Tote Board, which are reportedly worth $25 million, and the quantum of funding that clubs will receive is uncertain thus far.

Geylang International's general manager Andrew Ang called the situation a double whammy.

He said: "It is a dark cloud that is hanging ahead of us on the horizon.

"We will have to take a more conservative approach when we plan the budget for next year. We need to take a hard look at where our revenues are coming from and then plan our budget, given these uncertainties we face in our funding.

"If our funds are cut, then ultimately, the players and staff would suffer."

He said that in recent years, the Bedok-based club has been trying to reduce its reliance on jackpot takings, of which 30 per cent, or about $300,000, goes towards player salaries.

He added that Geylang has already made moves to wean itself off jackpot operations.

"We have been engaging and finding more sponsors," he said. "Next year, we have got small companies to advertise with us in smaller amounts, from $3,000 to $5,000. So, we are looking to do more in this approach."

Balestier Khalsa chairman S. Thavaneson, who is also an FAS vice-president, agreed that the clubs will be forced to tighten their purse strings.

He said: "All of us will be affected by these new regulations. Incomes will drop, but we will have to work within this. We need to cut our budget and be more efficient in our club operations and manpower."

Associate Professor Ang Swee Hoon of the National University of Singapore Business School said the clubs have their work cut out for them.

She said: "The short period of time doesn't help and, with so many clubs affected at one go and seeking other funding sources, the competition (for sponsorship support) will be stiff."

She suggested clubs diversify their business streams and explore projects such as starting a cafe business, noting: "Depending on one source (of income) is not advisable. Having said that, the club should not diversify too much such that it puts a strain on its resources."

She also noted that "each club must find a distinctive advantage that it may have over other clubs", whether it be a proximity advantage if it is targeting people who live close to the club, or a project that the club is known for or specialises in, such as coaching services.

The expected budget cuts will also add to the worries of S-League players, who already face uncertainty in their careers because many are signed on either one- or two-year contracts.

While Home United's national winger Faris Ramli, 24, believes his club will manage the issue well, he noted: "Most of us players are concerned with what is going to happen next season and about our future."

Hougang United's Fabian Kwok, 28, who also works as a marketing executive at Komoco Motors, said the uncertainly over wages will hurt the image of the sport.

He said: "It will affect the people who want to play football as a career.

"Football in Singapore is not that attractive as a career, so if the wages are lower, then definitely it will turn more people away."

Additional reporting by Nicholas De Silva






Clubs must do more to curb problem gambling: Experts
By Seow Bei Yi, The Straits Times, 22 Jul 2017

It is not enough for clubs to follow just the letter of the new rules on jackpot rooms. They should be proactive in tackling problem gambling, say addiction experts.

This could include training staff to identify tell-tale signs of addiction, and programming fruit machines to stop after a certain amount of money has been spent.

Currently, clubs may voluntarily adopt the Centralised Self-Exclusion Scheme, facilitated by the National Council on Problem Gambling, where members may apply to bar themselves from the specific club. But only 25 of about 82 clubs operating such machines here have taken up the scheme.

This comes up to about 1,500 self-exclusions as of May, with individual clubs enforcing the list, said a Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) spokesman.

If a club detects an individual on self-exclusion inside the jackpot machine room, it must ask the individual to leave immediately, or it may be penalised under the Private Lotteries Act, said the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). If the individual refuses to leave, he would have committed house trespass, and the club must call the police.

Mr Billy Lee, executive director of non-profit group Blessed Grace Social Services (BGSS), said: "As the exclusion doesn't cover all the clubs, there was no point in advising people to exclude themselves from the jackpot rooms."

The situation is set to change next May, with all clubs required to offer self-exclusion - to be applied across all their fruit machine rooms. It is among measures to be rolled out in the next two years aimed at protecting individuals from the ills of gambling.

But there are limits to what regulations can do, said addiction specialist Dr Thomas Lee, noting a person can easily choose not to apply for self-exclusion. Even the new rules to restrict operating hours of jackpot rooms may not help as patrons can return another day, he said.

Operators could train some staff to look out for patrons who may be in trouble by watching for tell-tale signs, Dr Lee suggested.

Currently, some clubs like NTUC Club, HomeTeamNS and Safra offer measures such as patron education and employee training to identify problem gamblers.

Under the new regime, requirements such as restricting advertising of fruit machines and enforcing exclusions are part of the permit conditions, said MSF. After implementation, MSF will work with MHA to review and consider new measures where necessary, it said.

But BGSS' Mr Lee added that a loophole remains as gamblers can sign up as club members to use the machines. He suggested having an entry fee for fruit machine rooms.

Mr Lawrence Tan, senior psychologist at the National Addictions Management Service (Nams), said operators can take steps such as configuring machines to stop play after a length of time or if a certain sum of money has been spent. "In addition, the jackpot machines can push out personalised messages to warn patrons of risky levels of play," he said.

From 2010 to last year, about 14 per cent of the gamblers Nams saw gambled on jackpot machines.












Missing the jackpot - and companionship of the clubhouse
By Alvin Chia, Seow Bei Yi and Lim Min Zhang, The Straits Times, 22 Jul 2017

As many jackpot machines in Singapore clubhouses face the prospect of being eased out over the next two years, one particular group of patrons will mourn their passing: Not the die-hard gamblers, but those who throng such places for refreshments and companionship.

In a move to tackle the harms of gambling and to crack down on clubs that have been using these machines as their main activity and source of income, the Ministry of Home Affairs announced tougher rules for machine permits and quotas on Thursday.

It will also curb access to such machines, and said that while there are almost 1,900 machines in 82 clubs now, the number could drop by a third as tighter rules kick in.

The rules could take a toll on some clubs, with Gombak United chairman John Yap saying they could also hit Gombak's main income stream hard.

Among the Gombak clubhouse's regular patrons is a 33-year-old warehouse assistant who declined to be named: "I will feel sad if this place is forced to close (its machines)... this is a place where I can meet people, talk to them, drink coffee with them - it is a social thing."

Retiree Thor Saw Kim, 78, who visits Tiong Bahru Football Club every day, said: "I am an old person. What do you expect me to do if I don't come here? This is one of the better clubs because they provide food like red bean soup and free drinks like Ovaltine."

She added that she has seen family members visiting the clubhouse together as well: She once saw a 95-year-old man accompanied by his daughter when playing the jackpot machines.

A 63-year-old cleaner who wanted to be known only as Madam Ong said she visits the Tiong Bahru clubhouse to watch others gamble, and to enjoy the free air-conditioning and coffee.

But unlike others, she will not be too sorry to see it go, as it can cause "many people to suffer big losses".

Meanwhile, some said it does not matter if one club closes, as there are other options. An odd-job worker in his 50s who wanted to be known only as Ah Quee said even if the Tanjong Pagar United clubhouse, where he has a membership, closed its jackpot room, he could still visit other places like an NTUC Club near his home.

With some patrons, including elderly residents, standing to lose a social pastime if their clubhouse stops operating jackpot machines, MPs said it will be a community effort to engage them in other stimulating activities.

MacPherson MP Tin Pei Ling, who is deputy chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Social and Family Development, said: "Helping the elderly stay connected to social networks is important because we want to make sure they remain active and are not isolated. This has an impact on their health as well."

Mr Seah Kian Peng, who is GPC chairman for Social and Family Development, said grassroots organisations should step up their outreach to those who may be affected by the tighter regulations. "One way is to make sure that there are alternatives and diversity in activities offered, to cater to people with different interests," he said. "We can improve our outreach, make them even more accessible and lower the barrier of entry for participants."

Additional reporting by Nicholas de Silva










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Restrictions on Indian IT professionals moving to Singapore; Wrong to have total free flow of people: DPM Tharman

July 23, 2017, 11:58 pm
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It's not just wrong politics but also wrong economics, DPM says at a forum in New Delhi
By Nirmala Ganapathy, India Bureau Chief In New Delhi, The Sunday Times, 23 Jul 2017

Singapore has been one of the strongest advocates when it comes to the free flow of goods and services, but there must be limits to the movement of people.

Otherwise there will be less push for businesses to be more productive, and "more fundamentally, you become a society where people don't feel it's their own society", said Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam yesterday at an economics forum in India.

"This is a reality not just because of (President Donald) Trump in the US or Brexit in UK. It is a reality all over the world,'' he said when asked a question about tighter restrictions on Indian professionals moving to Singapore.

Noting that a third of Singapore's workforce is already made up of foreigners, he added: "It would be mindless to have an open border without any policy framework to govern and constrain the flow of people into your job market. It will not just be wrong politics but wrong economics."

Mr Tharman, who is in India on a three-day visit ending today, was speaking at the Delhi Economics Conclave held by the Indian Finance Ministry.

Earlier this year, India had expressed concern that curbs on the movement of Indian professionals to Singapore violate the terms of the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) signed by the two countries in 2005. A review of the agreement to update the terms has been under negotiation for more than six years as India seeks more access for its professionals and banks.

India's National Association of Software and Services Companies said earlier this year that the movement of Indian software professionals to Singapore has been "reduced to an insignificant trickle" and that it was becoming tough for Indian software firms to operate in the Republic. Its president, Mr R. Chandrashekhar, estimated that there are fewer than 10,000 Indian software workers in Singapore.

The topic of the CECA review came up yesterday when Mr Tharman called on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who "expressed support for the expeditious conclusion of the Second CECA Review", said a statement from the Prime Minister's Office in Singapore last night.

The two leaders discussed the India-Singapore Strategic Partnership, agreeing that cooperation between the two countries should be deepened in future. A small team of officials from Singapore and India will be formed to explore new areas of cooperation in digital finance, while there is also scope to strengthen air connectivity between the two countries.

Mr Tharman expressed confidence in India's future despite the complex challenges it faces, including the shift from a labour-intensive economy to one which embraces technology.

The two countries have worked together to set up two vocational skills training centres in India and both Mr Modi and Mr Tharman were hopeful that these could be examples of how skills training in India can be linked closely to jobs.



On Friday, Mr Tharman met India's Minister of Finance, Defence and Corporate Affairs Arun Jaitley.

They discussed ways to strengthen relations in banking and finance, and encourage Singapore investments in India.

Singapore is India's top investor for the financial year from May 2015 to end April 2016, investing US$13.7 billion (S$18.7 billion).














Joint skills centre in Delhi 'a success'
By Nirmala Ganapathy, India Bureau Chief In New Delhi, The Sunday Times, 23 Jul 2017

A vocational skills centre in New Delhi, a Singapore-India collaboration, has been a success. All graduating trainees have found jobs, many earning wages above the average.

This was disclosed in a statement after Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi yesterday.

The statement from the Prime Minister's Office said both leaders discussed challenges in skills development, and the progress of Singapore's collaboration with India in vocational skills training - including the two institutes established in New Delhi and Udaipur, Rajasthan, and the prospect of a North East Skills Centre in Guwahati, Assam.

Mr Tharman and Mr Modi expressed hope that the centres could be examples of how skills training in India could be linked closely to jobs.

At a forum earlier yesterday, Mr Tharman warned that without improving the quality of education and skills training, India's "demographic dividend that comes from a youthful population will become a major social and political deficit".

Mr Tharman, who is in India on a three-day visit ending today, had noted that creating jobs is a challenge for the South Asian country at the Delhi Economics Conclave held by the Indian Finance Ministry.

"You have an education system that does not prepare people for the needs of modern economy, and employment legislation which is, in effect, anti-employment. And it's now a race against technology, which we all face," he said.

"The window of opportunity for labour-intensive activities is narrowing. I would say if India doesn't make urgent and major changes in the next 10 years, there is a real problem on our hands," he added.

However, Mr Tharman also noted that India was moving forward in spite of the challenges.

He said: "I am optimistic about India because of the new pace of change, and most fundamentally, the new culture being created - a culture where there is growing political support for good economics, and good economics is rewarded with political support."

In his speech, Mr Tharman also praised the Indian government for the goods and services tax (GST), which took effect on July 1.

The introduction of the GST, which was stalled for nearly a decade due to a lack of political consensus, has simplified India's labyrinthine system of state and federal taxes.


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Racial Harmony Day in Singapore: 20 years on

July 24, 2017, 12:32 am
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July 21 is Racial Harmony Day, which schools started observing in 1997. On the 20th anniversary of Racial Harmony Day, Senior Correspondent Toh Yong Chuan reports on efforts to build and boost trust among people of different races and religions in Singapore. Here are 20 items on issues and policies to do with racial and religious harmony.
By Toh Yong Chuan, Manpower Correspondent, The Sunday Times, 23 Jul 2017


TWO RACIAL RIOTS

A couple of riots broke out in Singapore in 1964 - the first of which took place on July 21, which is today marked as Racial Harmony Day.

Amid rising communal tensions following the Malaysian general election in May that year, a procession celebrating Prophet Muhammad's birthday was disrupted by clashes between Chinese and Malays.

The first day of rioting saw four killed and 178 injured.

The authorities imposed night curfews island-wide and set up goodwill committees of community leaders to calm the situation.

But clashes continued through July, and by the time the situation calmed down in early August, 23 had died and 454 were injured.

The calm did not last long.

On Sept 2, 1964, fighting broke out after a Malay trishaw rider was found dead in Geylang Serai.

The fighting that lasted over a week left 13 dead and 106 injured.

In 1997, the Ministry of Education began marking July 21 as Racial Harmony Day. On this day, schools hold activities to teach students the importance of maintaining racial and religious harmony.


ZERO TOLERANCE FOR RACISM

There is zero tolerance for racial incidents here, but once in a while, they happen and go viral.

In a Facebook post in May this year, Singaporean actor Shrey Bhargava alleged he was a target of racism during an audition for a Jack Neo movie.

In April last year, local bakery chain PrimaDeli apologised and sacked a staff member who allegedly made racist remarks to a candidate during a job interview.

In October 2012, the National Trades Union Congress fired assistant director of membership Amy Cheong, a 38-year-old Australian and Singapore permanent resident, over her expletive-filled racist rant on Facebook. Police also issued a stern warning to her in March 2013, after an investigation.

However, not all racial incidents that went viral have been negative.

In January this year, former senior parliamentary secretary Maidin Packer shared how Malay wedding guests at an HDB void deck in Pasir Ris stood to pay their respects to a passing Chinese funeral procession.

"This is so Singapore," he wrote on Facebook.


TERRORISM

Terrorism has changed the face of racial harmony in Singapore.

The Sept 11, 2001 attacks on the United States killed nearly 3,000 people and injured more than 6,000.

In Singapore, the Internal Security Department (ISD) crippled a local cell of regional terror network Jemaah Islamiah (JI), arresting 13 members in December 2001 and 19 in August 2002.

The group wanted to create an Islamic State in the region, and was plotting to bomb foreign embassies and government buildings here.

After its plans here were foiled, the group staged the Bali bombings in October 2012 that killed more 200 people.

Although JI has been weakened, its ideology remains and radicals have pledged allegiance to terror group Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

In the past three years, the ISD has detected and detained 15 self-radicalised Singaporeans who were seduced by ISIS' propaganda, including some who were planning to travel overseas to fight.

The latest cases involved an infant care assistant, the first woman to be detained for radicalisation, and two auxiliary police officers.


HARMONY CENTRE

The Harmony Centre is tucked within the premises of the modern-looking An-Nahdhah Mosque in heartland Bishan.

The centre houses artefacts and information about Islam, as well as other major religions in Singapore.

It also organises inter-faith programmes, such as dialogues with leaders from other religious groups.

Run by the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS), the centre was set up to promote a greater understanding of Islam and Muslims among Singapore's multiracial and multi-religious society.

Its programmes include talks and open houses, and it regularly hosts visitors from local groups and abroad.

When Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong opened the centre on Oct 7, 2006, he said: "It aims to be a one-stop centre to promote inter-religious dialogue, and to explain the true teachings of Islam."

He added that its opening was "a significant step forward in continuing efforts to bring Singaporeans of different faiths closer together".


RACE

Race is one of the three key potential fault lines in Singapore.

The National Pledge starts with this sentence: "We, the citizens of Singapore, pledge ourselves as one united people, regardless of race, language or religion..."

It is a recognition that race, language and religion are forces that can divide Singaporeans.

Of the 3,408,900 Singapore citizens, 2,595,800 (76.1 per cent) are Chinese; 510,200 (15 per cent) are Malays; 253,300 (7.4 per cent) are Indians; and 49,700 (1.5 per cent), including Eurasians, are classified as "Others".

Although the Chinese are the overwhelming majority, the Singapore Constitution guarantees that all persons are equal before the law and that there shall be no discrimination on the basis of, among other things, race.

It also states that the Government has the responsibility to constantly care for the interests of racial and religious minorities.

The Constitution also recognises that the Malays have a "special position", because they are "the indigenous people of Singapore", and that the Government has a responsibility to safeguard their interests and language.


ATTITUDES

Several surveys in the past few years have shed light on Singaporeans' attitudes towards racial harmony.

In August last year, broadcaster Channel NewsAsia and the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) - a think-tank - published a survey which found Singaporeans strongly support multiracialism and meritocracy.

But while nearly all of the 2,000 citizens polled said they respected people from all races and that all races should be treated equally, almost half recognised that racism could be a problem and were aware that a significant number are at least mildly racist.

The IPS also published a survey in 2014 which found that 16 per cent of 4,000 Singapore residents polled felt that racial prejudice had grown over the preceding five years, while 46.8 per cent said it had not changed.

These findings share a common thread: Singaporeans recognise that racism, in some form, still exists here, and should be countered.


CONFIDENCE-BUILDING

Community confidence-building is a tool Singapore has consistently used to promote racial harmony.

An army of more than 38,000 volunteers recruited by the People's Association (PA) run activities that promote social cohesion and bonding in all the constituencies.

One such grassroots leader is Mr K. Gopal. The 66-year-old has experienced racial riots first-hand - the 1964 riots took place when he was 13 and living in the quarters of the Royal Air Force base in Changi. His father worked there as a technical officer.

"We were frightened," he said. "My parents did not allow me to go to school for several days."

He started volunteering with the PA in the late 1980s and has served on committees such as the residents' committee and citizens' consultative committee.

He is now the honorary chairman of the Nee Soon East Community Club Management Committee.

A grassroots leader helps promote bonding and builds trust among people living in the community, he said.

"The riots were violent and there was bloodshed. We cannot let it happen again."


ISLAMOPHOBIA

Islamophobia is the dislike or fear of Islam, arising from prejudiced views against the religion.

Muslims here and abroad have been put under the spotlight each time terrorists abuse the faith and invoke its teachings to commit terror acts. And Islamic scholars and community leaders have consistently condemned terrorists who use Islam to justify their violent acts.



Singapore's top Islamic scholar, Mufti Fatris Bakaram, said in his Hari Raya Aidilfitri sermon last month that the faith respects local cultures, and the traditions and cultures in Singapore do not conflict with the Prophet's teachings.

Playing a key role in preventing Islamophobia from sinking its roots here are the Inter-Racial and Religious Confidence Circles (IRCC) in all constituencies here. These local-level, inter-faith groupings were set up to promote racial and religious harmony, including by getting people to better understand various faiths and their teachings.

Several government leaders have spoken up against Islamophobia recently. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said last month that Islamophobia is as bad and unacceptable as radical terrorism, adding: "We have to make sure that none of that happens."


AFFIRMATIVE ACTION

Affirmative action is a broad term to describe positive discrimination, or efforts to assist a group that has been under-represented in a particular role. The term has been used to describe changes to the Constitution to guarantee minority representation in the presidency. These will see this year's presidential election reserved for Malay candidates.

"There is an element of affirmative action in the approach," former Cabinet minister S. Dhanabalan said at a public hearing when the changes were being considered by a commission set up to review the elected presidency.

Some analysts have pointed out the pitfalls of such action. Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) deputy director Gillian Koh noted: "The moment you institute this, you are saying certain communities cannot make it and they require certain help."

Such affirmative action is uncommon in Singapore, and some see it as going against the principle of meritocracy. But others have said the move upholds the equally important principle of multiracialism.

IPS' Mathew Mathews says the same eligibility criteria apply to all candidates regardless of race, adding: "The reserved election serves to eliminate the possibility that racial biases may disadvantage minorities who are exceptionally qualified for the presidency."


LANGUAGE

Like race and religion, language can divide Singaporeans.

There are four official languages in Singapore - English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil.

English is the language of government administration. The laws are written in English. The primary language of instruction in schools is also English.

While there are four official languages, there is only one national language, which is Malay. The words of the National Anthem, Majulah Singapura, are in Malay.

The language issue crops up from time to time on the jobs front. While few employers now advertise that they want "Chinese employees", some jobseekers feel they use "Chinese-speaking employees" as a proxy.

The Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices, the national anti-workplace discrimination watchdog, says employers should look at jobseekers' skills and state the reason why proficiency in a particular language is needed. For example, a Chinese, Malay or Tamil language teacher is needed to teach the subject in a pre-school centre.


HOUSING BOARD QUOTAS

More than 80 per cent of Singaporeans live in Housing Board flats. In 1989, the Government introduced an Ethnic Integration Policy (EIP) to prevent racial enclaves from emerging, by setting limits according to race on the proportion of flats in a block and a neighbourhood.

In 1989, the caps were set at:

• 22 per cent of flats in a neighbourhood for Malays, and 25 per cent in each block;

• 84 per cent of flats in a neighbourhood and 87 per cent in each block for Chinese;

• 10 per cent in a neighbourhood and 13 per cent in each block for Indians and other minority groups.

In 2010, the caps for Indians and other minorities were raised to 12 per cent of flats in a neighbourhood and 15 per cent in each block.

Under the policy, owners are free to sell their flat to a buyer of any race, as long as the racial limits are kept.

The Government also introduced caps in 2010 on non-Malaysian permanent residents. They cannot occupy more than 5 per cent of flats in a neighbourhood and 8 per cent in a block.

The EIP is the Government's way of maintaining a balanced, multiracial mix in the community.


A SPIRIT OF GIVE-AND-TAKE

Observers and politicians have noted that Singapore is a small country and Singaporeans live in close proximity to one another. Friction, including between people of different races, cannot be avoided.

Institute of Policy Studies deputy director Gillian Koh wrote in The Straits Times last month: "Different groups and their practices bump into each other in the heartland, at work... When conflict arises, we can resort to taking or giving offence, or turn these incidents into opportunities to deepen understanding and strengthen cohesion."

The spirit of give-and-take also requires responsible religious leaders who are able to handle sensitive issues, noted Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in 2015. "From time to time, we will have prickly issues, we have incidents with a racial tinge.

"For example, when you are dealing with families where there have been conversions, where there have been inter-religious marriages, where there are children involved... It is very sensitive, emotions are up, everybody is already upset, and something like this comes along, it can easily become a problem.

"And so we have responsible religious leaders... they set the example, and so we have been able to have amicable, compromise solutions with a spirit of give-and-take."


RELIGION

Religion is a major potential fault line in Singapore.

Recognising that religion can divide Singaporeans, Parliament passed the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Bill in 1990.

When the proposed law was debated, then Home Affairs Minister S. Jayakumar said that it was "preventive" in nature. It was meant "to nip problems in the bud... to prevent matters from escalating and creating tensions, frictions and conflicts between different religious groups", he added.

The Act gives powers to the Government to issue restraining orders against any person who causes ill feelings between different religious groups. Those who violate the restraining orders may be fined or jailed, or both.

A Presidential Council for Religious Harmony was also set up to advise the Minister for Home Affairs on matters that affect religious harmony in Singapore.

The current 10-member council is chaired by former Supreme Court judge Goh Joon Seng.


MERITOCRACY

Meritocracy has always been a key pillar of Singapore's policies.

The idea is that success is not tied to one's background, such as race, and opportunities are given to everyone to succeed on his own merits.

This idea is important for preserving racial harmony because it means that no racial group will be given special treatment and neither will any be put at a disadvantage.

But Dr Norshahril Saat, a fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, said in a commentary in The Straits Times last year that meritocracy in Singapore was not perfect.

The "abridged" version has ensured minority representation in Parliament and stabilised race relations.

Reserving the next presidential election for Malays was necessary to develop trust among the races, he added.


ONEPEOPLE.SG

OnePeople.sg is the national body that promotes racial and religious harmony. It says on its website that it "champions racial harmony initiatives in Singapore".

Its current chairman is Dr Janil Puthucheary, Senior Minister of State for Education, and Communications and Information.

Its founding members are the People's Association, all five Community Development Councils and five ethnic-based self-help groups.

OnePeople.sg's predecessor was the Central Singapore Joint Social Service Centre set up in 1997 to coordinate the resources of the CDCs and self-help groups in reaching out to Singaporeans. The centre took on the role of promoting racial harmony in 2001, coordinating such activities with PA. It was renamed OnePeople.sg in 2007.

The organisation is particularly known for the month-long Orange Ribbon activities that it has organised every July since 2008 to promote racial harmony.


NEW FAULT LINES

On Racial Harmony Day in July 2012, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong warned of new fault lines emerging in Singapore.

On top of race and religion, he highlighted rising tensions between citizens and new immigrants as a cause of worry.

His warning came at a time when anti-foreigner sentiments were rising and locals perceived new immigrants and foreigners as causing social problems and snatching jobs.

It was not just a one-way street. In September 2015, a 28-year-old Filipino nurse was sentenced to four months' jail for making xenophobic and inflammatory remarks about Singaporeans and lying to the police.

The most high-profile anti-foreigner case was arguably that of Singaporean Yang Kaiheng, 28, and his wife Ai Takagi, 24, an Australian of Japanese descent.

The couple, who were behind socio-political website The Real Singapore, were convicted under the Sedition Act last year for deliberately sowing discord between Singaporeans and foreigners through a series of articles on their website. Yang was sentenced to eight months' jail and Ai, 10 months.


YOUTH AND RACIAL HARMONY

Two weeks ago , the National Youth Council released the findings of a survey that the attitudes of young people towards other races and nationalities have improved.

Of the 3,531 young people aged between 15 and 34 polled, the percentage of those who have a close friend of a different race increased from 53 per cent in 2013, when the last survey was conducted, to 60 per cent last year, while those with a close friend of a different nationality also grew from 42 per cent to 45 per cent.

Dr Janil Puthucheary, chairman of OnePeople.sg, said the nature of what young people see as racial issues has also changed.

"No longer are we worried about race and race bias in terms of access to public services such as education, health and housing," said the Senior Minister of State for Education, and Communications and Information.

Their concerns have taken on an "aspirational tone", such as worrying whether they have friends of other races, he said.

"What they are worried about are issues like: 'Are they friendly to me? Do they make racist jokes? Do they have a stereotype? Do they see me for who I am?'," he added.


DECLARATION OF RELIGIOUS HARMONY

The idea of a code on religious harmony was first suggested by then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong in October 2002, after the two waves of Jemaah Islamiah (JI) arrests in Singapore.

A team headed by then Minister of State Chan Soo Sen worked on the code. Leaders from various faiths were asked to take part.

The code was unveiled in June 2003 and read for the first time at the Racial Harmony Day celebrations a month later. It is now read in schools every year, on July 21.

The declaration says:

"We, the people in Singapore, declare that religious harmony is vital for peace, progress and prosperity in our multiracial and multi-religious Nation.

We resolve to strengthen religious harmony through mutual tolerance, confidence, respect, and understanding.

We shall always:

Recognise the secular nature of our State,

Promote cohesion within our society,

Respect each other's freedom of religion,

Grow our common space while respecting our diversity,

Foster inter-religious communications, and thereby ensure that religion will not be abused to create conflict and disharmony in Singapore."


ACTIVITIES TO MARK RACIAL HARMONY

For Racial Harmony Day, which started in schools 20 years ago, activities were held last Friday to mark the occasion.

At most schools, students donned ethnic clothes to represent diversity. Methodist Girls' School went a step further, however.

It tied up with the People's Association to conduct an art project for which students painted images of samsui women - migrant construction workers in the 1920s to 1940s - on wooden planks that were displayed at the school.

"Samsui women are among the pioneers who built Singapore," said art teacher Natasha Tay. "Pioneers like them also contributed to building racial harmony in Singapore."

Alison Lim, nine, who took part in the project, said: "I learnt the samsui women were resilient." She also learnt to include other races in her circle of friends.

The Primary 4 pupil said she had watched videos in class that showed racial riots of the past. "We were surprised that people were fighting then. It is so peaceful now."


WHY THE NEED FOR RACIAL HARMONY DAY?

When Racial Harmony Day was first observed at the Methodist Girls' School on July 21, 1997, Christina Loong was a 13-year-old Secondary 1 student there.

Fast forward 20 years. She is still in the same school, but she has since shed her school uniform. Instead of sitting at the back of the class facing the blackboard, she now stands in front of the class teaching history and social studies to Secondary 1 and 4 students.

Now 33, Ms Loong has a fuzzy memory of exactly what happened 20 years ago.

But she recalled watching a video of the racial riots in school. "We were horrified by what we saw," she said. "Most of us did not know about the riots until we learnt about them in class and watched the video."

The annual Racial Harmony Day remains relevant, she added.

"The students now are more aware of racial harmony - they have more sources of information and are better informed," said Ms Loong. "But it is still important to have a constant reminder of the importance of racial harmony."








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Singapore a rare, precious example of harmonious multiracial, multi-religious society: PM Lee Hsien Loong
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Why is state funding needed for our arts scene to thrive?

July 24, 2017, 10:17 pm
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By Olivia Ho, The Straits Times, 24 Jul 2017

It is a universally acknowledged truth that a country in possession of a First World reputation must also have a thriving arts scene.

But when it comes to paying for the arts, people are less quick to reach for the bill. And lately, the dreary economic climate means an increasing reluctance to open wallets.

The arts - which comprise theatre, dance, traditional arts, visual arts, music and literature - in Singapore are mainly funded by the state, unlike in other countries such as the United States, where they are largely supported through private donors and foundations.

In 2015, according to the Singapore Cultural Statistics report, 80 per cent of arts and heritage funding in Singapore, or $595.7 million, was provided by the Government through state agencies such as the National Arts Council (NAC).

This includes $79.4 million under the Cultural Matching Fund, which was set up by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth to match private cash donations to arts and heritage charities and Institutions of Public Character dollar for dollar.

The Government's support for the arts takes various forms, from grants and partnerships to industry facilitation and arts housing.

In the 2015/2016 financial year, for instance, $70.9 million was disbursed through the Grants Framework and $7.4 million through the Arts Housing Scheme, which was implemented in 1985 to provide affordable spaces to arts groups and artists.

An NAC spokesman said investing in the creation and appreciation of the arts "does not only add to the national canon of artwork we can be proud of, it also allows the arts on an individual level to entertain and inspire, and provide an avenue for self-expression, learning and reflection". "On a community and international level, the arts can connect our communities and position Singapore globally," the spokesman added.

The remaining support for arts and culture comes from corporate sponsors and individuals.

Last year, donations in cash and kind to the arts scene fell by half to $64.7 million, down from $136.1 million in 2015.

The gap, said the NAC, was largely due to 2015 being an exceptionally prolific year for arts giving, thanks to Singapore's jubilee celebrations.

While corporate sponsors gave almost two-thirds less, individual contributions - which totalled $19.4 million - were double that of the year before. For the first time last year, contributions in kind, which included artwork loans and donations also peaked at $20.6 million.

Given the number of causes jostling for donors' attention, arts giving tends to fall behind. According to a survey on giving conducted by the NAC last year, 2 per cent of donors in Singapore had given to the arts.

The survey polled 1,035 individuals door to door from January to March last year, and 252 companies which had donated to various causes from October 2015 to April last year.

Most of the individuals surveyed cited low awareness as their reason for not donating, while a quarter said they had no interest in the arts.

Among those who had not donated in the past 12 months, 16 per cent said they would not consider giving to the arts at all, compared with 11 per cent for community and grassroots, and 10 per cent for religious organisations.

As for businesses, large local companies were most likely to support the arts, with 36 per cent preferring them over other causes, compared with 26 per cent for multinational corporations and 16 per cent for small and medium-sized enterprises.

The NAC said that while the state plays a critical role in sustaining the arts, it cannot achieve its mission alone. "The vibrancy in Singapore's arts scene today can be credited to the support of many generous corporate and individual donors who value the impact and role of the arts in all aspects of society."

Greater private patronage and corporate sponsorship is needed, it added - whether financially, in kind through organisational or professional expertise, or even through the provision of spaces for the arts community.

It is difficult for those in the arts industries to turn a profit without funding. Most arts practitioners struggle to cover costs as it is.

As outgoing Singapore International Festival of Arts artistic director Ong Keng Sen said in a 2015 interview, sponsorship is essential to an artist since the arts are not self-sustaining and may never be, given the small market here.

The richest literary prize in Singapore, the Epigram Books Fiction Prize, is privately funded and struggles each year to raise the prize money.

The prize for unpublished manuscripts, which is meant to encourage local writing, awards $25,000 in cash to the winner and $5,000 to three other shortlisted writers. With some major sponsors being less forthcoming this year, Epigram has recently turned to crowdfunding, although so far it is less than halfway to raising the money needed to award the prize at the end of this year.

While founder Edmund Wee says he intends to go ahead with the prize anyway - digging into his own pockets if need be - a lack of long-term sponsorship could mean this year will be its last.

Acquiring funding has become more and more competitive. After the NAC's release of the recipients of its Seed Grant and Major Company scheme in April, some arts groups had to tighten their belts due to funding cuts of less than 10 per cent, following budget reduction across the Government and a number of recipients.

Groups which were dealt cuts or failed to get funding applications approved said they might have to cope by doing fewer shows or outreach, or by cutting their artists' salaries. A total of $16.34 million has been committed to 63 arts groups this year, up from $16.2 million last year for 62 groups.

Arts housing is also becoming more expensive, with rental costs at Goodman Arts Centre having risen since last month, while the NAC has cut subsidies for service charges.

Some might argue that the "survival of the fittest" approach should be applied to the arts as well - that it should be left to the free market to determine which arts groups thrive based on the quality of their output.

Certainly, funding needs to be tied to merit to keep standards high. "Art for art's sake" should not mean people are expected to sustain mediocrity simply because it has been tagged as art. But a natural selection approach also overlooks how the arts are needed to experiment, provoke and break boundaries. Relying on the free market would push artists towards populism and commercial production in order to survive.

Singaporeans, with their reputation for utilitarianism, are also not exactly given to spending liberally on the arts to begin with, whatever their quality.

It is also crucial that outreach continues to be a growing aspect of the local arts scene. Arts and culture cannot be the preserve of the elite if they are to enrich a nation.

Low-income groups, children and those with special needs need more avenues through which they can be exposed to the arts.

State funding makes it possible for Singaporeans to go to museums for free and for events such as the biannual Arts In Your Neighbourhood, which takes experiences such as playground theatre and music walks to the heartland to reach wider audiences around the island.

But for financially strapped independent arts groups to not just survive, but also make their offerings affordable for the masses, greater support is needed not just from the public but also the private sphere.





The Singapore Perspective

Government arts funding comes with rules attached
By Olivia Ho, The Straits Times, 24 Jul 2017

The Government is the common source of funding for the arts in Singapore, but an ongoing concern is the way in which state funding comes with strings attached.

Arts practitioners have decried the denial or withdrawal of funds for works that challenge the establishment as an instrument of censorship. The Government, however, has argued that taxpayers' money should not be used to support works that go against perceived national values.

There have been numerous high-profile cases of arts groups or artists losing funding due to an unwillingness to compromise on artistic expression.

In 2011, theatre company Wild Rice had its funding under the National Arts Council (NAC) Major Grant scheme slashed due to its Singapore Theatre Festival, known for its local plays with a tongue-in-cheek take on political themes. Wild Rice went on to land sponsorship for that year's festival from international fund manager Man Investments.

In 2015, the NAC withdrew an $8,000 grant for artist Sonny Liew's satirical graphic novel The Art Of Charlie Chan Hock Chye, because its content "potentially undermines the authority or legitimacy" of the Government. The public attention garnered by the grant withdrawal worked in the book's favour - it went on to become a bestseller.



Arts practitioners have called for the funding of the arts to be insulated from social or political pressures. During a parliamentary exchange last year, Nominated MP Kok Heng Leun argued that the arts have intrinsic worth, and should not be viewed only in terms of the political purpose they serve.

Minister of Culture, Community and Youth Grace Fu responded that there remains a need for "rules of engagement to safeguard the social harmony that we cherish".


This is the eleventh 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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Terrorists have Singapore in their sights, warns PM Lee Hsien Loong

July 26, 2017, 12:22 am
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Community leaders must ensure social cohesion is not affected
By Danson Cheong, The Straits Times, 25 Jul 2017

Singapore remains a target of terrorists, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said yesterday, as he highlighted how South-east Asia is on the front line of the battle against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terror group.

"They have us in their sights, and we have to know that," said PM Lee, in a speech at ITE College Central where he called on about 300 community leaders to ensure social cohesion is not disrupted by the terror threat.

Singapore might be an "oasis of peace", but it is not disconnected from the rest of the world, he said.

His speech comes a week after he held a dialogue with Malay/Muslim leaders on the issue, to hear their concerns and let them know the Government is on their side as they counter extremism and protect the social fabric.

The fight against terrorism is not theirs alone, he added yesterday, saying: "We are all in this together."



PM Lee pointed out that while ISIS is on the defensive in the Middle East, its followers could disperse and return to South-east Asia. Prominent ISIS fighters have been recruiting more from Malaysia and Indonesia and directing attacks on countries, including Singapore.

In a report last week, the Jakarta-based Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict said the terror network responsible for the ongoing siege of Marawi in the Philippines had urged militants to attack targets in Singapore, Thailand and Myanmar, among other places.

PM Lee said ISIS has been using the fighting in Marawi as propaganda to recruit more fighters, and directing them to the Philippines, where it hopes to set up a wilayat, or province. And it is "unrealistic" for Singapore to think it will be unaffected by this, he said.

He cited a foiled plot by an ISIS-linked group last year to launch a rocket at Marina Bay Sands from Batam. "We know that there are others out there, and we also know of other attacks that had been planned but have not been carried out," said PM Lee. "Singapore is a target, we know it, they've said it, and they've acted on it."

The developments in Singapore are just as worrying, said PM Lee, highlighting three trends.

First, the authorities have detected radicalised foreigners. Several Indonesians, including maids with links to ISIS, have been sent back. Over the last two years, 40 Bangladeshi workers, who had formed a radical group here and were planning attacks in their home country, were also arrested.

Second, Singapore is seeing a steady trickle of self-radicalised citizens. "We pick up one every month or two in recent years," he said.

Last month, three Singaporeans were arrested under the Internal Security Act for terror-related offences. Infantcare assistant Syaikhah Izzah Zahrah Al Ansari, 22, planned to travel to Syria to be a "martyr's widow". Auxiliary police officer Muhammad Khairul Mohamed, 24, was detained for planning to travel there to fight, and his colleague Mohamad Rizal Wahid, 36, was issued a Restriction Order for supporting his plan.



These cases will not be the last, PM Lee warned. He added that the psychological impact would be much worse if Singaporeans carried out a terror attack here, compared to an attack by foreign terrorists.

A third worrying trend is how extremist and exclusivist teachings, which reject accommodation with other faiths and divide Muslims from non-Muslims, are creeping into the mainstream religious narrative here. Such practices could see Muslims told not to shake hands with non-Muslims, forbidden from wishing believers of other faiths well on holidays such as Christmas or Deepavali, and barred from accepting non-Muslim leaders.

If these "exclusivist views" gain ground, it will weaken racial harmony and make Singapore more vulnerable to extremist terrorism, PM Lee said. "It will also encourage a backlash - there will be Islamophobia, non-Muslims will begin to see Muslims in a negative light, and that would be very bad and equally unacceptable," he added.

PM Lee noted that different religions have coexisted in Singapore for more than a hundred years.

He pointed to areas such as Telok Ayer Street and South Bridge Road, where places of worship of different faiths are "all coexisting peacefully, all neighbours and friends".

Such racial and religious harmony was built through years of patience, where people understand the need "to accommodate one another, to exercise give and take", he said.

"Our religious leaders all understand the need for accommodation. They reject extremist ideologies, they oppose exclusivist teachings. And all communities live side by side, interact with one another, each one practising its own faith and customs peacefully."

After his speech, Culture, Community and Youth Minister Grace Fu chaired a panel comprising PM Lee, Deputy PM Teo Chee Hean, and ministers Yaacob Ibrahim, Heng Swee Keat and Masagos Zulkifli.

Jamae Mosque chairman Shaick Fakrudeen told The Straits Times that the session was "fruitful and open". He said: "We understand that we have to support each other and stay united to face these challenges."

Said Eurasian Association president Benett Theseira: "Only through such discussions can people understand what the problems are, and how we can work together to overcome issues and bridge gaps in understanding."
















Don't let foreign conflicts affect harmony here: PM Lee
By Danson Cheong, The Straits Times, 25 Jul 2017

Singapore must not let conflicts elsewhere affect the trust and harmony between different races and religions here, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said yesterday.

The country has to try its best to insulate and inoculate itself against conflicts and quarrels in other countries such as Iraq and Syria, he said.

He noted that attacks by terror groups like the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) can affect attitudes towards Muslims here. "We have to expect the recent spate of ISIS-inspired attacks in the world, the situation in the Middle East, around us, and... even in Singapore, to have caused some doubts and qualms among Singaporeans," he said.

That is why effort must be put in to ensure racial and religious harmony remains strong, he told around 300 community leaders before a closed-door dialogue on terrorism and Islamophobia at ITE College Central.



In his speech, PM Lee highlighted the global threat of terrorism. Terrorists are increasingly carrying out attacks with everyday objects, which are very difficult to detect and prevent, he said.

And while ISIS has lost its stronghold of Mosul in Iraq, it remains "a magnet for religious extremists".

Some of its followers will return to South-east Asia, which PM Lee said is "on the front line" - terror groups are actively recruiting fighters from Malaysia and Indonesia, while terrorist militants are still battling Philippine forces in Marawi.

In Singapore, there are worrying trends of foreign workers being radicalised, and a steady trickle of Singaporeans being self-radicalised. Extremist and exclusivist teachings are creeping into the mainstream and will weaken racial harmony if they take root.

PM Lee urged the community leaders to combat these problems by repairing the harm done by external events, and strengthening trust between the different faiths.

"The racial and religious harmony we have in Singapore is very precious," he said. "What we have didn't happen by chance."









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Video-recorded statements, protection of vulnerable victims among proposed changes to the Criminal Procedure Code and Evidence Act

July 26, 2017, 1:05 am
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More protection for victims under criminal code revamp
Earlier gag orders on identity of abuse victims and closed-door hearings among proposals
By Ng Huiwen, The Straits Times, 25 Jul 2017

The courts will wrap an extra layer of protection around victims of sex crimes or child abuse to spare them any further trauma, if the sweeping changes to improve the criminal justice process are pushed through.

To prevent such vulnerable victims from being identified, a gag order will kick in the moment a case of sexual or child abuse is reported to the police, it has been proposed.

Vulnerable persons will also be able to testify in closed-door hearings, and physical screens can be used to shield them from the accused person.

These are among the 50 changes to the Criminal Procedure Code and Evidence Act proposed by the Ministry of Law (MinLaw) which were announced yesterday.

In a first for Singapore, investigators will also be given the power to take statements from suspects and witnesses in a video recording, instead of relying only on written statements.

Victims of sexual crimes may be able to video-record their testimony instead of having to recount it in person in court, while video recording will be made compulsory for suspects in such crimes.

This will give the court a sense of the suspect's demeanour and help it to gauge how voluntarily the statements were made.



The amendments are aimed at enhancing the fairness, accuracy and equity of the criminal justice system, said MinLaw.

Currently a gag order on the identities of vulnerable victims is issued only when the case goes before a court, but MinLaw wants it to kick in as soon as a police report is made.

Closed-door hearings will also be automatic, unless the victims wish to give their evidence in open court.

To prevent misuse of video-recorded statements, these may be viewed only at police stations or approved places.

Lawyers will also be barred from probing a victim's sexual history unless they obtain permission from the court. This would lessen the ordeal faced by such victims, said lawyers and academics.

National University of Singapore law professor Kumaralingam Amirthalingam said the reforms, if passed, would encourage vulnerable victims to come forward as they will feel better protected, adding that these are "positive steps", when taken together with other recent efforts.

In February, a one-stop centre to provide medical examinations for sexual crime victims was launched. An Appropriate Adult scheme, under which suspects under 16 will be accompanied by trained volunteers during police investigations, kicked in from April.

Association of Women for Action and Research's executive director Corinna Lim said a barrier to victims reporting sexual assaults and seeing the case through is the perception that their behaviour may be "put on trial".

Other proposed changes include expanding the community sentencing regime to include more offences and those who are not habitual offenders.

The eligibility for mandatory treatment orders, where offenders undergo treatment for mental health conditions in lieu of jail time, will include certain offences with sentences of up to seven years. At present, the limit is three years.

The public can give their feedback on the proposed changes until Aug 24.

Additional reporting by Tan Tam Mei





Video recordings will help court assess statements
They will also aid in lessening the trauma vulnerable victims face in recounting ordeal
By Ng Huiwen, The Straits Times, 25 Jul 2017

The use of video recording during interviews will allow a court to consider the demeanour of suspects and witnesses, and assess whether the statements were made voluntarily, and how much weight to place on them.

For vulnerable victims, video-recorded statements are also aimed at minimising the trauma they may face in recounting their ordeal, when these are used in place of testimonies, said the Ministry of Law.

Proposed changes to the Criminal Procedure Code and Evidence Act aim to strengthen the powers of investigators as well as increase the protection for the vulnerable.

It includes allowing a male police or Immigration and Checkpoints Authority officer to search a woman suspected of a terrorist act.

This will enable more effective detection and prevention of terrorist threats, said the Ministry of Law. At present, only a female officer may search a woman suspected of a criminal offence.

Video recording is expected to be introduced in phases, after the laws are passed some time later this year.

Law enforcement officers will be able to decide, based on the suitability of a case, whether to take a statement in writing or via video recording.

Already, officers have been trained on the skills needed for video-recorded interviews, which would be made compulsory for certain crimes, such as for suspects of serious sexual offences.

To prevent the videos from being leaked on the Internet or sold on the black market, several safeguards will be put in place.

Defence lawyers will be able to view a video-recorded statement only at an approved place, such as a police station. The unauthorised copying, use or distribution of the video will also be an offence.

In 2015, the Ministry of Home Affairs said it would study the feasibility of video-recorded interviews with suspects in a pilot programme. But this did not take place, as the appropriate legislative framework was not yet in place.

Lawyer Sui Yi Siong said that currently, if an accused person challenges the voluntariness of a given statement, the courts will have to go through a "somewhat laborious" process known as a "trial within a trial".

"With a video-recorded interview, it will be much easier to verify such challenges," said the associate at Eversheds Harry Elias.

He added that this will also allow the courts to observe the body language of the accused when answering, and hear the nuance or emphasis in the questions asked.

Meanwhile, the proposed changes to the bail regime will require sureties to prove that they can cover the amount forfeited if a person "jumps bail". This may involve producing Central Provident Fund statements or proof of income or assets.

Electronic tagging will also become a possible bail condition for those at a lower risk of absconding.









Greater protection may encourage more victims to report crime
By Ng Huiwen, The Straits Times, 25 Jul 2017

The proposed legal changes that are aimed at protecting vulnerable persons could help more to come forward and minimise further damage to them, said lawyers, law academics and advocacy groups.

Criminal lawyer Hamidul Haq said the automatic issuing of gag orders and in-camera hearing will give victims greater confidence in reporting a crime.

Currently, "gag orders need to be applied for in court and before this can be done, there may be a risk of the information going public", said Mr Haq, a partner at Rajah & Tann Singapore.

He added that social media, in particular, has made it easier to track a person down and may be a platform for "many nasty reactions", causing embarrassment to the victim.

RHTLaw Taylor Wessing family lawyer Michelle Woodworth lauded the move to allow victims to be shielded from the view of the accused person, through a physical screen, while they provide testimony in court.

This would go a long way in reducing stress on the victim, empowering the person to speak without fear and secure redress without reliving the abuse by coming into contact with, or within sight of, the aggressor during the court process, she said.

Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) executive director Corinna Lim said that the recovery process for survivors of sexual assault can be adversely affected if they have to recount their experiences multiple times.

This can be minimised with the introduction of video-recorded statements, which can be used in place of a victim's testimony in court.

Ms Lim said: "Further, taping a victim interview provides a more reliable method of documentation than written notes. In other words, it provides the 'best record' of the interview."

However, she said there is a chance that victims could get confused or block out parts of the incident while giving the video- recorded statement.

A possible option would be for judges to be trained to properly understand victims' behaviour and psychology before the scheme begins, she said.

Other changes in the area of enhancing court procedures include allowing only psychiatrists from a court-administered panel to give evidence on criminal cases.

The courts, in some past cases, have noted that psychiatric expert evidence lacked objectivity and competence. The panel will admit qualified psychiatrists for a term of two years.

Welcoming the move, Dr Lim Boon Leng, a psychiatrist in private practice, said: "This allows for a more mature system, where some psychiatrists can focus on treatment, while others give expert opinion."










Mandatory treatment orders for more offences
By Tan Tam Mei, The Straits Times, 25 Jul 2017

More offences will be eligible for mandatory treatment orders (MTOs), where offenders undergo mental health treatment in lieu of jail time, as part of the proposed legal changes.

The MTO regime will be expanded to include certain offences where sentences can carry up to seven years of imprisonment. At present, the limit is three years.

The maximum duration of MTO sentences will also be increased from 24 to 36 months, for those who need longer treatments. Amendments will also allow the court to order offenders to receive inpatient treatment at the Institute of Mental Health.

The Ministry of Law said amendments to the community sentencing regime, which includes community service orders and day reporting orders, will provide more opportunities for non-habitual offenders to be rehabilitated while remaining in the community.

Those with previous jail terms of up to three months or a previous term of reformative training will be eligible for community sentencing, if the changes are passed.

Changes will allow offenders previously sentenced to rehabilitation centres for drug or inhalant abuse to be given community sentences if their present charge differs. However, those with multiple admissions to rehabilitation centres will not be included.

The courts can also impose a suspended jail sentence with a community sentence. Upon breach of the community sentence, the suspended sentence will kick in. This will encourage compliance with the community sentence.

Most lawyers interviewed lauded the broader approach to include a wider pool of eligible offenders and offences, and give judges greater flexibility in sentencing.

Lawyer Sui Yi Siong said: "Not all cases require a period of incarceration to satisfy sentencing objectives. In some cases, harsh punishment could cause more harm, like in cases of young offenders."

But lawyer Hamidul Haq said there must also be buy-in from the prosecution, which at times "takes a hardline approach to cases". "This will have to change. There must be a balance between punishment and allowing the accused to not face the rigours of jail time if warranted," he added.

The changes will also help victims secure compensation.

Courts have to provide explanations in cases where compensation is not ordered and can order compensation for the dependants of a victim whose death was caused by an offence. Currently, compensation can be ordered only for injury to the victim.





Harder to re-open concluded criminal cases to prevent abuse of court process
Measures to prevent abuse of court process in concluded cases
By Selina Lum, Law Correspondent, The Straits Times, 25 Jul 2017

Robust gatekeeping measures are among the proposed legal changes aimed at preventing abuse of the court process and waste of judicial resources by people trying to reopen their criminal cases after exhausting all avenues of appeal.

Under the proposed procedure, a person who wants to reopen his concluded case has to first apply for leave, or permission, from the court.

Currently, there are no mechanisms to filter applications to reopen concluded cases.

The court will have the power to summarily dismiss the leave application based on written arguments, without a hearing. If leave is granted, the court hearing the substantive matter will have the power to summarily dismiss it.

Each person is allowed only one application to reopen a concluded criminal case, and no further appeal or application is allowed.

Also, to reopen a case, the arguments and evidence raised must be new and must be able to compellingly show there was a miscarriage of justice.

The defence must also show that the court decision being challenged is clearly wrong, tainted by fraud or a breach of natural justice.

The prosecution cannot make use of the procedure to overturn acquittals or seek harsher sentences, unless it is challenging decisions that have compromised the integrity of the judicial process.

The amendments give the court more control, striking a balance between preventing miscarriages of justice and the need for finality in criminal proceedings, said the Ministry of Law.

In recent years, there have been a growing number of applications seeking to reopen criminal cases. In 2015, 11 criminal motions of this nature were filed in the Court of Appeal.

Last year, convicted murderer Jabing Kho's multiple attempts to quash his death sentence were found to be an abuse of process by the Court of Appeal.

He filed an application containing a particular argument, but withdrew the argument before the hearing. After the first application was dismissed, he filed a second one, premised on the withdrawn argument, an approach described by the court as "drip-feeding".

He also mounted a "collateral attack" on the death sentence by filing a civil action. Kho was hanged in May last year.

The proposed procedure will apply where the defence's appeal has already been determined on its merits, where the Court of Appeal has confirmed the imposition of a death sentence or where the defence has failed to reinstate an appeal which was dismissed due to the absence of the accused.

Changes have also been proposed to allow the court to summarily refuse leave for an individual to file a criminal reference, a procedure in which important questions of law are referred to the apex court.

However, the decision must be unanimously made by the judges on the panel.



Related
Public Consultation on Proposed Amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code and Evidence Act
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