Education and career counsellors assigned to all schools now

October 24, 2017, 7:38 pm

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They will provide support to students in secondary schools, junior colleges and post-secondary institutions
By Amelia Teng, Education Correspondent, The Straits Times, 24 Oct 2017

All schools now have education and career guidance (ECG) counsellors assigned to them, giving students better support in making choices about their future.

As of the second half of the year, the Ministry of Education (MOE) has completed the deployment of 97 such counsellors to secondary schools, junior colleges and post-secondary education institutions.

Trained in career facilitation and counselling skills, these counsellors seek to help students explore their strengths and interests.

Mr Wong Siew Hoong, MOE's director-general of education, gave this update at an ECG seminar last Friday, urging counsellors to support teachers in shaping students' understanding of the changing world of work, and enlightening parents in the process.

A 2009 study by MOE found that close to half of young people here chose their courses or careers without sufficient exploration.

All three Institute of Technical Education colleges and the five polytechnics now have six ECG counsellors each, while the counsellors for MOE schools are each attached to four secondary schools or pre-university schools on a roving arrangement.

The counsellors undergo 120 hours of training in career development facilitation and another six months in counselling skills.

They also work closely with teachers and industry partners to plan programmes for students, such as career fairs, talks and workshops.

Ms Chew Leng Leng, an ECG counsellor at Singapore Polytechnic, worked in the real estate industry for some 20 years before making a switch. Now she is part of a team that organises sessions on interview skills, preparing resumes and admission criteria of the universities.

Said the 49-year-old: "Some students at this stage are looking for work experience or internships, while some are seeking higher education.

"We have conversations with them, help them gather information about themselves, what kind of jobs are a good fit… We also help them see that their skills are not limited to a certain course and can be expanded to other jobs."

Mr J. Subramaniyam joined MOE in July as an ECG counsellor after being an engineering consultant for the last eight years. The 34-year-old, who was involved in healthcare and airport projects, said he wanted to play a part in influencing young people. He spends his week at four schools - Singapore Sports School, Woodlands Secondary, Marsiling Secondary and Fuchun Secondary.

Another person who made a switch last year to guiding students in their careers is Ms Tay Geok Lian, a former school counsellor for nearly five years.

The 47-year-old, who also has 18 years of work experience in the finance sector, is attached to four schools in the east - Ping Yi Secondary, Bedok Green Secondary, Bedok View Secondary and Bedok South Secondary.

She works with the schools to set up spaces where students can get more information on post-secondary courses and career options.

"It's important to help them think about their future and strive towards it," she said. "My new role allows me to make use of my industry experience and counselling skills."

Parents said having greater support in schools will benefit students, especially those whose families are not able to provide career guidance.

Said Madam Lillian Tng, 42: "Most children know only about common occupations like teacher, doctor, policeman… Having a counsellor who can tell them about other career paths would be good." The housewife said her 18-year-old son, who is in his second year of junior college, is still undecided on his course and career options, although he recently developed a flair for writing.

"Parents play a very important part… They should be trying to understand their children, their strengths and interests instead of being kiasu and pushing them to do things they might not want to do," she added.

Students now get proper career guidance
By Amelia Teng, Education Correspondent, The Straits Times, 25 Oct 2017

A 2009 study by the Ministry of Education (MOE) found that close to half of the young people here chose their courses or careers without "sufficient exploration". Many relied on general suggestions from friends and family rather than researching and making choices based on their interests and skills.

Going by recommendations might have worked for people in the past, but students now face a rapidly evolving world with a plethora of options.

It can be overwhelming for students, parents and even teachers to navigate the diverse education and career pathways available today and in the future.

Career guidance can make an impact in young people's lives, through providing them with reliable industry information and helping them relate schooling to potential career pathways.

All schools now have education and career guidance (ECG) counsellors to help students make better choices about their future.

As of the second half of the year, MOE has deployed 97 such counsellors to secondary schools, junior colleges and post-secondary education institutions. This builds on ECG lessons that have been part of the school curriculum in recent years.

All three Institute of Technical Education colleges and the five polytechnics now have six ECG counsellors each, while the counsellors for MOE schools are each attached to four secondary schools or pre-university schools on a roving arrangement.

These counsellors - many of whom were industry professionals - undergo training in career facilitation and counselling skills, and are meant to help students make sense of the ever-changing job and education landscape. The counsellors organise workshops and talks and connect industry partners to schools. Their work will go a long way towards making students think further beyond their classroom studies, and enlightening parents in the process. With more professional guidance, parents and students can be made to understand that there are multiple routes to realising aspirations for different individuals.

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LTA to cut vehicle growth rate to zero from February 2018

October 24, 2017, 7:45 pm

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Govt to remove vehicle growth rate factor, citing land constraints and commitment to improve public transport
Fewer COEs for cars, motorbikes from Feb 2018
By Christopher Tan, Senior Transport Correspondent, The Straits Times, 24 Oct 2017

Car and motorcycle buyers will have to contend with fewer certificates of entitlement (COEs) from next February as the Government removes a growth rate factor that has been part of the supply formula since 1990.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said yesterday that it will lower the vehicle growth rate from the current 0.25 per cent per annum to zero per cent with effect from February next year for COE Categories A (cars up to 1,600cc and 130bhp), B (cars above 1,600cc or 130bhp) and D (motorcycles).

It cited Singapore's land constraints and a commitment to continually improve the public transport system as reasons.

The LTA, however, is making an exception for commercial vehicle COE supply. Its growth rate will remain unchanged at 0.25 per cent until the first quarter of 2021.

This is to provide businesses with more time to improve the efficiency of their logistics operations and reduce the number of commercial vehicles that they require, it said.

The Government had previously said it would not remove the growth rate component in the COE supply formula. But in 2015, it reversed this by announcing that the growth cap was likely to go down to zero.

Motor industry players said such a move would push up COE premiums, especially during cyclically low-supply years.

Dr Park Byung Joon, a transport researcher at the Singapore University of Social Sciences, said the current 0.25 per cent growth rate represents fewer than 100 COEs per month.

"It should not have a significant impact on COE premiums in the long run," he said.

"In the short term, it may be a possibility that people show some irrational reaction of panic buying. But when the cap was cut from 0.5 per cent to 0.25 per cent in 2014, I did not observe such behaviour."

Mr Nicholas Wong, general manager of Honda agent Kah Motor, said the motor industry should be able to cope with the cut, although the impact may be felt more sharply when COE supply dries up towards 2020 on the back of fewer cars expected to be scrapped.

Meanwhile, the LTA said there will be fewer COEs available for all vehicles except motorcycles for the November to January quota period.

Overall, the COE supply will fall from 9,122 a month currently to 8,635.

There will be 6,108 COEs a month for cars, down from 6,200. The Open COE category will have a quota of 1,025, down from 1,080. This category can be used for any vehicle type except motorcycles.

Hardest hit will be the supply for commercial vehicles, which will plunge from 888 to 485 a month.

Motor traders expect the commercial vehicle premium to climb on the back of this huge shrinkage.

Motorcycle buyers, however, will see an increase in available COEs, with 1,017 certificates a month, up from 954.

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Why Singapore needs to make nuclear power work

October 24, 2017, 8:08 pm

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Other sources of energy such as natural gas, petrol and solar all have drawbacks here
By Lim Soon Heng, Published The Straits Times, 24 Oct 2017

As a pioneer generation Singaporean, two subjects keep my neurons firing in overdrive: floating structures for space creation, and nuclear power to boost the country's energy resilience.

Following on my article in The Straits Times ("Time for Singapore to say 'Yes' to nuclear"; March 15), here is a breakdown on why nuclear power - in the form of floating power plants - is a viable option for Singapore.

In March this year, Singapore debated passionately in Parliament and on social media about the need to be self-sufficient in water. But what seemed to be forgotten is that energy is even more crucial for our survival.

If we have access to energy, we will have access to potable water; the reverse is not true. We can desalinate water with energy but we cannot make energy out of imported water. Every joule of energy has to be imported - but what if water agreements fall through? However, a resilient energy supply chain will enable us to manufacture potable water.

Unlike other countries, Singapore is woefully short of renewable energy resources. We have no hydro, wave, tidal or geothermal potential. Strong wind occurs only in the monsoon months. Wind turbines require large land areas. Even solar energy cannot be counted on.

NATURAL GAS VULNERABILITY

Few countries depend on imported energy products as exclusively as Singapore does on natural gas.

Up until 2014, Singapore's economy was kept alive by two pipelines - in effect umbilical cords - supplying energy to gas-fired power plants.

Realising this, the Government has added another supply chain: the import of liquefied gas by ships. However, with the world economy expanding at an exponential pace and fossil fuels a finite resource, importing liquefied natural gas (LNG) is a short-term solution.

The scramble for the remaining reserves of fossil energy such as natural gas and petroleum has already begun. The United States and Russia are fighting proxy wars in the Middle East. China has claimed the lion's share of the South China Sea.

Natural gas, unlike coal and oil, is a hazardous energy to store on a mega scale, especially for a small city-state. It is also risky to transmit in pipelines. Apart from these being an attractive terrorist target, human error can result in massive loss of life and property. Reminders of this include a 97,000-tonne methane leak in California; a gas explosion at a utility resulting in a US$1.6 billion (S$2.2 billion) fine; an explosion in an unfinished plant in Connecticut; and the Taiwan gas explosion in 2014.

To serve east Singapore, as well as to strategically diversify gas terminals, plans are being considered to build more gas terminals there. This is close to flight paths of one of the world's busiest airports, as well as to an air defence base, not to mention the high population density.

All told, it would become a high-value terrorist target. To minimise risks, subsea storage and floating regasification units should be considered.

IS SOLAR ENERGY A VIABLE SOLUTION?

Solar is hyped as Singapore's renewable solution, but the maths proves otherwise.

A study by the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore shows that it would take all the roof spaces, facades of buildings, inland water bodies, islets and MRT tracks in Singapore to generate about 4TWh of electricity - less than 10 per cent of current demand.

It proposes boosting capacity by installing floating systems out at sea. In a busy port that would be impractical. A 40MW floating solar farm in Huainan, China, has a footprint larger than 160 American football fields - 85.6ha - which is 10 times the footprint of a conventional power plant.

Germany, the showpiece for solar energy proponents, produces only 7 per cent of its energy needs with solar in spite of its enormous land mass.

STRATEGIC PETROL RESERVES

Forecasts of world oil and gas reserves vary wildly, from infinite to total depletion in less than 50 years, based on current rates of extraction.

Singapore has rock caverns with a storage capacity of 1.47 million cubic m in the first phase. This is not large enough for strategic reserves either in the form of gas or oil.

Our limited land makes both solar energy and stockpiling oil meagre solutions for the country's energy security. The last remaining option is to stockpile fissile materials.

ADVANTAGES OF URANIUM

Uranium is incredibly energy-dense.

One tonne of 3.5 per cent-enriched uranium has the same energy content as 71,000 tonnes of natural gas.

Singapore imported 19.3 million cubic m of LNG last year. The uranium with the same energy is 104 tonnes in mass and 5.5 cubic m in volume.

Several years' reserves may be packed into a small, sand-shielded bunker underground.

Low-enriched uranium (LEU) may be stored indefinitely and safely with minimal risk of endangering life.

The cost of such a storage facility is insignificant.

LEU is traded around the world. The LEU Bank of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an assurance of supply mechanism of last resort, and will be a physical reserve available for eligible IAEA member states.

With energy assured, generations of Singaporeans could sleep easy. Electricity would desalinate water for consumption and produce hydrogen for transportation.

Uranium will never be exhausted. There are an estimated 4 billiontonnes of it in the ocean and research is ongoing to mine it economically.

NUCLEAR IS SAFE

There are more than 450 nuclear power plants (NPPs) in operation and 60 under development. France produces 72 per cent of its energy with nuclear material - and is quietly selling it to Germany. Eleven other European countries produce 29 to 54 per cent of their power with nuclear.

South Korea leads Asia with a figure of 30 per cent. The US leads the world with an NPP capacity of 100GW. Former US president Barack Obama and current President Donald Trump have been reviving NPP initiatives. China leads the world in researching and developing new nuclear technologies. India is not far behind.

Fears about radioactive waste and reactor meltdowns are founded on ignorance. Sadly, little is done to correct the misconceptions. Schools and universities need to introduce modules on carbon emission and climate change, dispel misconceived notions of radiation and inculcate awareness that fossil fuels could be depleted before the end of this century.

Contrary to popular belief, nuclear is the safest of all energy. NPPs cause 90 deaths per trillion-kWh (including Fukushima and Chernobyl). The corresponding figures for oil, natural gas and solar plants are 36,000, 4,000 and 440 deaths respectively. The low rate of death is all the more remarkable considering half the reactors surveyed are older than the average hydrocarbon power plant.

DEPLOYABLE NPP

Unless vast empty land is available, floating NPPs are the solution of choice.

It is faster and less costly to move an NPP than to evacuate thousands of people around it. Besides, tsunamis, earthquakes and rising sea levels make land-based NPPs vulnerable. NPPs mounted on floating structures are feasible.

An NPP submerged in water has no possibility of incurring a runaway heat escalation in its reactor core since it is easy to include redundant passive cooling systems that activate naturally by laws of physics. There are also robust solutions to address issues of terrorism, spent fuel disposal, proliferation, tsunamis, and objections from neighbouring countries, radiation poisoning and danger to port activities.

Floating NPPs are on drawing boards, production lines and launching berths in China, Russia, the US, France and South Korea. The myths about the oceans being radioactively poisoned are just that: myths. The reality is that conventional power plants are wreaking havoc in our biosphere.

Can Singapore build these?

Singapore has the necessary expertise and facilities to collaborate with an organisation in the US, France or China to develop, construct, manage and deliver such assets globally. The Economic Development Board could play an important role to forge links between these potential partners and our shipyards, which badly need a second wind.

The writer is the managing director of Emas Consultants, a shipyard planning company.

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President Donald Trump welcomes PM Lee Hsien Loong to the White House

October 25, 2017, 6:59 am

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Singapore-US friendship has never been stronger, says Trump
US President lauds ties, calling Republic one of America's closest strategic partners in Asia
By Zakir Hussain, Political Editor In Washington, The Straits Times, 25 Oct 2017

The friendship between Singapore and the United States "has never been stronger than it is right now", President Donald Trump said after hosting Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the White House.

"Singapore is one of our closest strategic partners in Asia," he said after a four-eye meeting with PM Lee and a working lunch which included Vice-President Mike Pence and ministers from both sides.

"The US-Singapore relationship has made both of our peoples far more prosperous and secure, and our values have made us longstanding friends. We are fortunate to have such a wonderful and loyal partner."

Both Mr Trump and PM Lee also spoke of the robust and enduring relationship between the two countries and of their commitment to build on these ties in statements made on Monday at the Rose Garden of the White House.

PM Lee said: "It is a deep and wide relationship with substantial cooperation in economic, defence and security spheres. We also discussed what more we could do to take it forward."

They also witnessed the signing of a US$13.8 billion (S$19 billion) agreement between Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Boeing for 39 new planes.

Mr Trump, who said the deal would create some 70,000 jobs, also noted that Singapore's commitment to the rule of law, intellectual property protection and to being fair and reciprocal had attracted more than 4,000 US companies to Singapore.

PM Lee said the aircraft deal would enable SIA to further modernise its fleet.

He also thanked the US for hosting more than 1,000 Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) personnel each year in detachments in Arizona, Idaho, Oklahoma and Texas.

Mr Trump, in turn, thanked Singapore for deploying its Texas-based Chinook helicopters for relief efforts after Hurricane Harvey, and for Singapore's help after the USS John S. McCain collided with a tanker off Singapore in late August.

PM Lee replied: "We are glad to have been of some help to our very gracious hosts."

PM Lee also announced that Singapore will extend its deployment of SAF assets and personnel to the global coalition against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria terror group into next year.

Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said in Manila, after meeting his US counterpart James Mattis, that Singapore will continue to contribute a KC-135R tanker aircraft, an Imagery Analysis Team and a medical team for an additional year.

In Washington, Mr Trump and PM Lee also discussed regional security.

"Our two nations also share an unwavering commitment to countering the North Korean threat and promoting freedom of navigation in the South China Sea," said Mr Trump.

PM Lee said Singapore strongly opposes the nuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, as it affects the region's peace and stability.

He shared what Singapore had done to pressure and isolate North Korea, but said there is no quick and easy solution.

"Pressure is necessary, but so is dialogue. The US will need to work with others, including China, South Korea and Japan, and Russia, to resolve the issue," he said.

PM Lee's visit comes ahead of Mr Trump's first trip to Asia.

The Prime Minister said that he hopes the US will maintain good relations with China as this will enable countries in the region to enjoy peace and prosperity.

He also looked forward to seeing Mr Trump at next month's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Vietnam, and at the ASEAN and East Asia summits in the Philippines, saying: "His presence in Asia will mean a lot to America's many friends and allies in the region, and it will open doors and develop markets for US exporters and investors."

Mr Trump acceptedPM Lee's invitation to visit next year, when Singapore chairs ASEAN and hosts its annual meetings.

PM Lee later met Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, and they reaffirmed the strong and mutually beneficial Singapore-US trade and investment links, as well as the importance of continued US economic engagement of the Asia-Pacific.

Today, PM Lee speaks at the Council on Foreign Relations and meets key congressional leaders.

SIA-Boeing $19 billion deal a 'win-win' for both sides
By Zakir Hussain, Political Editor, The Straits Times, 25 Oct 2017

WASHINGTON • Singapore Airlines (SIA) has signed a deal with American aircraft manufacturer Boeing to buy 39 aeroplanes worth almost US$14 billion (S$19 billion).

The signing ceremony at the White House's Roosevelt Room on Monday was witnessed by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who is on an official working visit to the United States, and President Donald Trump, who said the deal would create some 70,000 American jobs.

Boeing said the transaction will sustain thousands of US suppliers as well as 70,000 direct and indirect US jobs during the delivery period of the contract.

PM Lee later said: "It is a win-win for both sides. It will further modernise SIA's fleet and will also support many American jobs."

Under the deal, SIA will buy 20 Boeing 777-9s and 19 787-10 Dreamliners over the next decade.

SIA chief executive officer Goh Choon Phong and Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO and president Kevin McAllister signed the agreement, with SIA chairman Peter Seah present.

Mr Goh said the major order would enable the airline to continue operating a modern and fuel-efficient fleet. "These new aircraft will also provide the SIA Group with new growth opportunities, allowing us to expand our network and offer even more travel options for our customers," he added.

The 777-9s, intended mainly for long-haul routes, are due for delivery from the 2021/22 financial year, while the 787-10s, for medium-range routes, are due from the 2020/21 financial year.

SIA's first 787-10, from a previous order in 2013 for 30 aircraft, is due to be delivered in the first half of next year.

"We are thrilled to finalise their purchase," said Mr McAllister, adding that Boeing and SIA have been strong partners since the airline's first operations 70 years ago.

The deal was highlighted as a demonstration of the strong commercial ties between both countries, at a working lunch attended by PM Lee and Mr Trump, Vice-President Mike Pence, as well as Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry) S. Iswaran and Second Minister for Defence Ong Ye Kung. Also at the lunch were US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster, Undersecretary of State Thomas Shannon and senior adviser to the President Jared Kushner.

Mr Trump told the press later: "I want to thank the Singaporean people for their faith in the American engineering and American workers. And our American workers deliver the best product, by far."

Describing Singapore as a magnet for business, he added: "Today, over 4,000 American companies are operating in Singapore, and we have a very large trading relationship with Singapore."

PM Lee said the US is an important economic partner for many countries in Asia, just as countries in the region are important economic partners for the US.

"Singapore is a small country - we are just 5.5 million - but we have sizeable investments and trade with the US, which continue to grow," he added.

Singapore is the second-largest Asian investor in the US, with over US$70 billion in stock investments. Total trade in goods and services between both countries amounted to more than US$68 billion last year.

The US has also consistently run a trade surplus with Singapore, which stood at over US$18 billion last year, and America exported US$43 billion of goods and services to Singapore in the same period.

PM Lee said Singapore must be one of the "highest buying American customers in the world" on a per capita basis, with each person consuming on average about US$7,500 worth of American goods and services yearly.

He listed iPhones, pharmaceutical products, tyres, financial and consultancy services and golf clubs, and said to laughter: "I mean the sticks, not the associations."

Mr Trump is an avid golfer who owns several clubs.

PM Lee said he also discovered recently that his New Balance sports shoes - "which are very good" - are made in the US, probably in New England.

Singapore to extend SAF contribution to counter-ISIS coalition, says PM Lee Hsien Loong at meeting with President Trump
By Zakir Hussain, Political Editor, in Washington, The Straits Times, 25 Oct 2017

Singapore will extend to next year its existing deployment of Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) assets and personnel to the global coalition to defeat the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terror group, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said.

He gave this commitment to US President Donald Trump during their meetings at the White House on Monday (Oct 23, US time), Mr Lee said at a joint press conference after both leaders met.

Singapore and the United States have strong defence ties, Mr Lee said, adding that Singapore supports the US military presence in the region, and has hosted US Air Force and US Navy aircraft and ships on rotational deployments since 1990.

He also thanked the US for hosting over 1,000 Singapore military personnel each year in training detachments - in Luke Air Force Base in Phoenix and Marana, Arizona, at Mountain Home Air Base in Idaho, at Grand Prairie, Texas, and in Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

Republic of Singapore Air Forces (RSAF) Chinooks and military personnel in Grand Prairie were deployed to assist in disaster relief operations in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.

"We are glad to have been of help," PM Lee said.

This close partnership extends to other areas of security cooperation - including transnational security, terrorism and cybersecurity, he noted.

Singapore has lent early and consistent support to the Defeat-ISIS Coalition, he added.

It is the only Asian country to contribute both military assets and personnel.

Singapore first announced its intention to contribute to the coalition in 2014.

The SAF has since deployed troops to provide imagery and intelligence analysis support to the coalition's Combined Joint Task Force, as well as a KC-135R tanker aircraft to support air-to-air refuelling operations for coalition aircraft.

The tanker squadron's contributions came during a crucial period leading up to the liberation of Mosul from ISIS in July, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen noted recently.

A SAF medical team in Iraq is also part of this effort to support coalition forces in the fight against terrorism.

Earlier in the day, PM Lee spoke at the Economic Club of Washington D.C. The session was moderated by President of the Economic Club of Washington D.C. and CEO of The Carlyle Group David Rubenstein.

In the afternoon, following their four-eye meeting in the Oval Office, PM Lee and President Trump witnessed the signing ceremony between Singapore Airlines and Boeing for the purchase of 39 Boeing planes at the White House.

President Trump subsequently hosted a working luncheon for PM Lee together with Cabinet Secretaries and key White House officials.

President Trump accepted PM Lee’s invitation to visit Singapore next year, the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement.

PM Lee also met Secretary of the Treasury Steve Mnuchin, during which they reaffirmed the strong and mutually beneficial trade and investment linkages between Singapore and the US, and the importance of continued US economic engagement of the Asia-Pacific, the statement said.

PM Lee urges US to sustain economic ties with Asia
Region holds many opportunities for American businesses, he says
By Zakir Hussain, Political Editor In Washington, The Straits Times, 24 Oct 2017

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday urged the United States to sustain its economic engagement of Asia, which continues to hold many opportunities for American businesses.

He also highlighted how the peace and stability of the Asia-Pacific, which were shaped by decades of such engagement, are vital US national security interests.

Speaking at the Economic Club of Washington, PM Lee noted that a new administration with a radically different approach has not changed the substance of US relations with Asia.

He later called on President Donald Trump at the White House in the afternoon.

PM Lee told American business leaders during the dialogue that US trade with the Asia-Pacific exceeds that with Europe, and US multinationals have major investments in the region.

There are investment and technological gaps American companies can fill, growing middle classes to purchase US products, and great scope for US businesses to grow new markets and create prosperity on both sides of the Pacific, he said.

On the strategic front, the US has major allies in Asia, and US-China ties remain the most important bilateral relationship in the world. And successive US administrations have built up ties with the region and sought to ensure its stability.

America's recent turn inwards, away from multilateralism, has prompted concerns about weakened prospects for growth and stability among many countries, and US business leaders as well.

Yesterday, PM Lee called on the US to still uphold free trade and tackle issues that arise in cooperation with its partners.

America's attitude on these issues is key, and has implications for the entire world, he added.

"Do you still believe that it has the most to gain from an interdependent world, open exchanges and multilateral rules? In particular, how will your relations with China develop?" he asked.

"How America answers these questions will determine not just prosperity, but war and peace - not just in Asia, but the world."

Asia's economies are among the fastest growing and account for two-thirds of global growth today, PM Lee noted. Chinese companies such as Alibaba and Huawei, or Indian firms like Bharti Enterprises, are world-class multinational corporations. The region as a whole is also becoming more integrated and interdependent, he said, citing how ASEAN has formed an economic community that will be the fourth-largest single market by 2030.

And it is pushing ahead on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, a free trade pact that brings together the grouping and six key trading partners - including China and India - that together cover half the world's population and a third of its gross domestic product. Meanwhile, India has been making progress opening up. And China, the single most important driver of Asia's prosperity and integration, has been enhancing its interlinkages with the region.

"Asian countries want to benefit from the trade and economic opportunities China offers," PM Lee said, adding that, at the same time, they do not want a world divided into rival blocs.

Having prospered under a global, multilateral system of trade and finance, they have substantial economic links with Europe and the US - and want to maintain and grow these even as they deepen cooperation within Asia, he said.

Economic Club president David Rubenstein later asked PM Lee what was the main message he wanted to convey to Mr Trump.

Asia is important to the US, PM Lee replied, adding: "There is a lot we can do together."

On Sunday, he told 250 Singaporeans at a reception that Singapore's economy is expected to grow by close to 3 per cent this year.

PM Lee Hsien Loong Speech and Dialogue at the Economic Club of Washington, D.C.

Singapore succeeded by staying open to MNCs: PM Lee

By Zakir Hussain, Political Editor, The Straits Times, 25 Oct 2017

WASHINGTON • Singapore's decision to allow itself to be "exploited" by multinational companies from its early days of independence played a key role in its economic growth and success, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said yesterday.

"We decided if by exploiting us they created jobs for us, and they generated markets for us, and they brought technology and organisation... so be it," he said of the decision which went against conventional wisdom for newly independent former colonies in the 1960s.

PM Lee was speaking at a session with American business leaders and foreign diplomats based in Washington hosted by the Economic Club of Washington.

Club president David Rubenstein, chief executive of investment firm The Carlyle Group, had asked him what factors made Singapore succeed economically beyond its size.

The other factor, PM Lee said, was its decision to build a credible armed forces through national service, which showed Singapore could be defended.

"In the process... we also built a nation," he added, noting that conscription brought people from different walks of life together.

PM Lee was also asked about Singapore's stellar performance in international maths and science tests, its experience with gaming companies and whether he could see Singapore reunite with Malaysia.

"We don't often discuss such possibilities," he said of reunification.

"There was a fork in the road 52 years ago, we went one way, they went another," he added. "I think there is no turning back."

PM Lee attributed Singapore's good maths and science scores to its students working very hard and to parents placing a lot of emphasis on education.

On the integrated resorts, he felt they had worked well. While they were still contentious, he said they were comprehensive resorts that helped boost tourism, and measures have been put in place to limit the impact on society.

PM Lee was also asked about his plans to step down some time after the next election. He did not want to stay the full term, he replied, adding that he hoped to not stay on beyond the age of 70 - in 2022.

What about his greatest pleasure in being Prime Minister? asked Mr Rubenstein.

"To feel that you have made some contribution to a country which has been stable, which has been united, and which has been making progress steadily now for more than a decade," PM Lee said. The job gets harder in a way because expectations are higher, he added.

Asked if his children would enter politics, he said it was up to them - but noted they have not shown any interest. "They have to have the right combination of temperament, character and ability," he said.

Singapore economy to grow by nearly 3% this year: PM Lee
He cites Q3 performance in giving upbeat assessment to 250 Singaporeans in Washington
By Zakir Hussain, Political Editor In Washington, The Straits Times, 24 Oct 2017

Singapore's economy should grow by close to 3 per cent this year, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Sunday.

He gave his upbeat assessment of the country's growth prospects to more than 250 Singaporeans living in and around Washington at a reception at the Singapore Embassy in the United States.

It comes as advance estimates from the Ministry of Trade and Industry this month put year-on-year growth for the third quarter at 4.6 per cent.

PM Lee noted that this was due to a strong showing by the manufacturing sector, and added that services performed "sort of okay" as well.

The Government had in August revised its growth estimates for this year to between 2 per cent and 3 per cent, and PM Lee said on Sunday: "I expect it will be at the upper end of this because the third-quarter results look good, and I hope that it will continue."

While services are not as strong as they could be and construction has been slow, PM Lee noted that the latter sector could be lifted - "if we need to build more, we can build more".

PM Lee, who is on a six-day visit to the US, also gave an update on Singapore's strong relations with America - ranging from the economy to defence to security, as well as education, culture and the arts.

"These go on, whoever is in the White House and whichever administration is in power or whichever party is in the administration," he said.

"It is also important for us to establish working relationships with the key people in every administration, to get them to know us, to understand them, to appreciate their perspectives, to be able to work together and to take the relationship forward."

Much is at stake in ties with the US, he said, noting that America is a big factor in the region and it was important to know what it is thinking and which way things are going.

It was also important for Singapore to put its point of view across to US business and opinion leaders so they have a feel of what is happening in Asia, he added.

As for Singapore's economy, PM Lee said one difficult aspect is the need to work on improving productivity, especially in services.

"If you have a haircut, you have a haircut. It is very hard for the barber to cut your hair 20 per cent faster than last year," he said. "And yet, we would like barbers to also improve their lives and have better incomes."

"We have to work at it patiently, sector by sector," he added, noting that 23 Industry Transformation Maps are being rolled out to help.

ANZ economist Ng Weiwen said Singapore's economy has largely been driven by a pickup in advanced economies this year, which has fuelled trade activity.

The bank has revised its gross domestic product forecast for the year from 2.6 per cent to 3 per cent after the third-quarter GDP numbers were released.

"The strength in the external sector has surprised us, but it masks the weaknesses in the domestic sector, particularly in the labour and property markets," Mr Ng said.

"Property is showing signs of recovery but if you look at its peak in 2013 compared to now, prices are still 10 per cent lower. The labour market is still subdued - there are still more job seekers than there are job vacancies. So, the external strength hasn't filtered through to the broader economy."

Additional reporting by Yasmine Yahya

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Construction sector to train 80,000 Singaporeans in new tech under Industry Transformation Map

October 26, 2017, 6:28 am

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Jobs in construction sector to go high-tech
BCA plans for 80,000 trained in cutting-edge technology as part of industry transformation
By Ng Jun Sen, The Straits Times, 25 Oct 2017

Instead of sweat, mud and grime, Singaporeans joining the construction industry in the near future may be greeted with digital design and cutting-edge technologies, as the Government embarks on an overhaul of a sector that has long struggled to attract local workers.

"Essentially, we are speaking about transformation of the whole construction sector - the entire process and value chain, from end to end,"Second Minister for National Development Desmond Lee said at the opening ceremony of the Singapore Construction Productivity Week yesterday.

The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) is aiming to have 80,000 personnel trained in construction technology - which prioritises productivity and innovation over manual work - enter the industry by 2025. There are currently 32,600 trained in these areas.

The move is part of the newly launched Construction Industry Transformation Map (ITM), which is designed to pave the way for more attractive and highly skilled construction jobs in the sector. The move will also mean holding steady the figure of nearly 300,000 foreign workers the sector now relies on.

BCA chief executive officer Hugh Lim said: "We want to try to maintain the number of foreign workers at the current level, yet be able to cope with an increase in output as more big projects start kicking in."

BCA started to explore the feasibility of using new construction paradigms, such as Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DfMA), a decade ago in order to boost productivity rates and change the industry into one that resembles a highly productive manufacturing line.

This is achieved through technology such as prefabricated prefinished volumetric construction (PPVC), where large building modules manufactured in factories are assembled in a Lego-like manner.

Built this way, construction sites can see up to 40 per cent in manpower savings, which could mean faster completion times, fewer work incidents and a cleaner site.

BCA targets 40 per cent of all projects to adopt DfMA by 2020, up from the 10 per cent now. For HDB flats, 35 per cent of dwelling units will use concrete PPVC by 2019, making HDB one of the biggest adopters of the technology.

The ITM also charts the adoption of other high-tech methods in the construction pipeline, including green building technologies, and a move to integrate designers, builders, subcontractors and facility managers in the building's life cycle through an approach known as Integrated Digital Delivery (IDD).

Operations and maintenance of a building can cost up to four to five times more than actual construction, so with IDD, potential life cycle savings will be considerable.

Out of the 80,000 people to enter the industry, 35,000 will be trained in DfMA, 20,000 in IDD and 25,000 in green building technologies.

These high-tech methods are still more expensive, putting small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) at a disadvantage when it comes to early adoption. Reactions were generally positive, but a few SMEs had their qualms.

Said business development manager Lim Wei Chian of Tong Hai Yang Construction, an SME: " It will take some time for everyone to familiarise themselves with it, but we will get there."

Key transformation moves
The Straits Times, 25 Oct 2017

Build a higher-skilled workforce focused on digital technologies:

• To attract more IT-savvy Singaporeans, jobs will involve higher skills training in construction technologies, and offer more competitive salaries and a better work environment.

• More structured internships and a comprehensive training pathway for people to pick up new building technologies will be developed by a task force, comprising BCA, institutes of higher learning and industry associations.

Increase the use of more productive construction methods:

• Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DfMA) - a highly productive method of construction which moves traditional on-site work into off-site factory environments - should see 40 per cent adoption in all projects by 2020. The Government will also continue to roll out private land sales that specify the use of DfMA. There will also be up to 10 local prefabrication hubs by 2020.

• Construction processes are digitised through Building Information Modelling, which allows various stakeholders to collaborate from an early stage. This has been progressively mandated for certain key projects. BCA will develop standards to ensure interoperability of the Integrated Digital Delivery system which integrates designers, builders, subcontractors and facility managers in the building's life cycle.

Build progressive and collaborative firms:

• The Government will review public procurement practices to place higher weighting on non-price components such as productivity and quality scores. A working committee will be set up to look at collaborative contracting models to facilitate greater cooperation among firms.

Tech can boost construction sector's appeal, say observers
They highlight skills training and other changes as ways to attract more young people to the field
By Joanna Seow, The Straits Times, 25 Oct 2017

Structural engineer Colin Yip moved to the Amsterdam office of his employer, engineering consultancy Arup, in 2011. He was shocked to discover how high-tech his field could be.

For example, his team would carry out complex engineering calculations not manually, but by writing computer programs.

Back from the year-long stint, Mr Yip, 38, now promotes the use of such technology in the Singapore office. Gone are the days of spending a day or two on calculations when a change in building geometry must be analysed. He simply runs the configurations through a program, and is done within minutes.

"I can spend quality time on designing rather than on laborious work," he said.

The smarter use of technology is an important focus of the Construction Industry Transformation Map launched yesterday. The road map also looks to encourage greener buildings. Steps in the plan include the training of 80,000 workers with relevant new skills by 2025.

Observers say these changes can draw more young people to jobs in the construction sector.

"As they learn about the technology, students begin to realise the built environment sector can be as modern as any other sector," said Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) president Tan Thiam Soon.

To prepare people for new jobs in the sector like design engineers and logistics planners, the Built Environment SkillsFuture Tripartite Taskforce is charting training paths that involve institutes of higher learning (IHLs), internships and continuing education. The group will set up, among other things, a framework to update IHLs on industry developments, a capstone programme for final-year students and scholarships to attract students to the sector.

Courses at IHLs are now being updated to equip students with the latest skills. SIT, for example, is developing a new Design for Manufacturing and Assembly module for its civil engineering course.

National Trades Union Congress assistant secretary-general Zainal Sapari said the unions will guide workers on how to get trained in the new skills. They will also build a pool of mentors for students, and professionals, managers and executives, keen to join the sector. Mr Zainal is also executive secretary of the Building Construction and Timber Industries Employees' Union, which has about 6,000 workers in the construction sector.

He said some roles may change due to new technology, but he does not expect many to be out of work, as there is a shortage of Singaporeans in the industry.

Specialists Trade Alliance of Singapore president Nelson Tee added that older staff are willing to learn new technological skills, but must be given enough time. "In this line... we can have young, tech-savvy people as well as older workers with a lot of experience from different projects and from life," he said.

But technology can go only so far in raising the sector's appeal, said human resource expert David Leong of PeopleWorldwide Consulting, as a great deal of work is still done outdoors, such as the laying of pipes when pre-fabricated building components are assembled.

The key is to specify challenges that people are excited to solve: One example might be building subterranean cities, he suggested.

No faster homes for now, but a future-proof industry
By Rachel Au-Yong, The Straits Times, 25 Oct 2017

Singaporeans hoping that the new road map to transform the construction industry would lead to lower home prices or shorter construction periods may have to wait a while to reap those dividends.

Though observers say that home owners and buyers will eventually see some tangible benefits, the ambitious Industry Transformation Map (ITM) unveiled yesterday is focused first on ensuring the sustainability of the worst-performing sector in Singapore, which was forecast to grow just 0.3 per cent this year.

Part of a national economic restructuring strategy, the ITM hopes to boost productivity through the use of more digital technology and sophisticated pre-fabrication methods, among other things.

To that end, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) aims to attract another 50,000 people to new construction technology jobs by 2025, bringing the total to 80,000.

It is also emphasising Design for Manufacturing and Assembly principles, which often rely on off-site pre-fabrication methods . By 2020, the ITM targets to increase the adoption of such projects to 40 per cent, up from the current 10 per cent.

The digital push is meant to eliminate redundant jobs, ensure greater efficiency and lift the sluggish construction sector.

None of this will make much difference to the man on the street soon.

For starters, the new technologies are more costly than traditional methods, requiring huge capital investments for machinery and robotics, which are then passed down the supply chain.

Experts cite the cost premium for pre-fabrication technology over traditional construction methods as being around 8 per cent to 10 per cent currently.

But it is heartening that this has already fallen from about 10 per cent to 20 per cent five years ago.

And this is expected to come down further, as builders gain confidence in the technology over time, said BCA deputy chief executive of industry development Neo Choon Keong.

Another item on the wishlists of many is speedier construction time. But while it is true that technology will likely lead to some time savings, the BCA is not specifying any goals - for now.

That, however, may be a good thing as it gives companies with different roles - like contractor and consultant - time to adjust to the new digital demands.

Currently, firms use a host of planning methods, from 2D paper plans to 3D modelling software to plan buildings, said Nanyang Technological University engineering professor Robert Tiong.

"We will need time to get everyone speaking the same language, but the good news is that a wider adoption of pre-fabrication methods should help to save on construction time, and balance out the learning curve in the meantime," he said.

Looking at the next five to 10 years, industry players are optimistic that the changes will make costs come down and buildings go up faster.

Home buyers can also anticipate more reliable, better-quality buildings, as pre-fabricated units built off-site in sheltered conditions can be assembled and inspected more thoroughly.

But what is even more important about the ITM is that it promises that the industry is not driven to extinction.

Currently heavily reliant on foreign labour, the construction industry has long had trouble luring Singaporeans to take on jobs associated with dirt and toil.

But by keeping current foreign worker limits stable and encouraging new jobs at the same time, the authorities are nudging more young blood towards an elevated industry that now demands more technical know-how, and also offers a slightly more comfortable working environment.

As Singapore Contractors Association Limited president Kenneth Loo put it: "If you have a completely backwards industry that no one wants to join, nothing can ever be cheaper or faster. We are pumping in a bit more now, but that is to keep this industry alive and sustainable."

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Decking HDB halls with the kampung spirit

October 26, 2017, 11:34 pm

≫ Next: Local singers, regional wonders

≪ Previous: Construction sector to train 80,000 Singaporeans in new tech under Industry Transformation Map

By Rachel Au-Yong, The Straits Times, 26 Oct 2017

In various parts of the island, a new type of community space is popping up in Housing Board estates.

Some districts call them "community halls", others, "covered basketball courts". Most of the happy residents eager to get to their next bonding activity simply refer to them as "the place downstairs".

Whatever the name, these halls have emerged to provide residents a space for large-scale events.

Unlike void decks or stand-alone pavilions, these halls are often built some time after HDB blocks have been completed. They are also larger, often come in the form of permanent shelters erected over open land or basketball courts, and are not air-conditioned - unlike those found in community clubs.

As a result, they are most likely found in older estates, built in response to the neighbourhood's luxury of space but without modern amenities that residents in newer estates enjoy.

Amid the Government's push to re-foster that elusive "kampung spirit" - the HDB signed a $6 million agreement with the Singapore University of Technology and Design last month to encourage better social interaction among residents - the community hall has emerged as a grassroots solution.

MP Teo Ho Pin, whose Bukit Panjang single-member constituency boasts four community halls, said the multi-purpose spaces give residents another area to bond over different types of activities - from weddings or temple-hosted dinners during the Hungry Ghost Festival on weekends, to taiji or line-dancing sessions in the day.

The halls in his ward, formerly empty spaces or hard courts, were erected from as early as March 2014 to as recently as June this year. They range from 500 sq m to 800 sq m - which can fit 40 to 60 round tables. The halls are sometimes booked for up to 80 per cent of the 52 weekends in a year.

Mr Teo, who is a mayor as well as the People's Action Party's coordinating chairman for town councils, said he has seen human traffic and participation in community activities double or triple since the shelters were installed.

"In the past, interest groups using the open space had to stand aside and wait if it was raining or too hot. Some people also didn't bother coming down," he said.

"But now that the hall is built, and everything in our estate is connected by sheltered walkways, the community is almost always there. Being able to beat the weather matters to kampung spirit," Mr Teo said.

The new spaces arose from feedback sessions over how to use Neighbourhood Renewal Programme grants, given out by the HDB for residents to choose what sort of upgrading projects they want to spruce up their estates, he said.

The halls cost about $260,000 each, but many residents have found the investment an improvement to their lives.

Among them is lifelong Bukit Panjang resident and public servant Asri Asman, 30, who booked the Block 229, Pending Road community hall for three days for his wedding earlier this month.

"At most Malay weddings, you get about 500 guests over the course of the day and even then, a void deck can barely hold them. We had about 1,500 guests and I'm glad that most of them had a chance to sit and have their meal," he said.

Over in Nee Soon GRC, Nee Soon South ward may have what is the largest community hall in Singapore - a covered basketball court outside Block 838, Yishun Street 81 that can hold up to 100 tables.

"Instead of erecting a tent for every event, which can cost tens of thousands of dollars each time and takes up a huge chunk of our event budget, we wanted something permanent," MP Lee Bee Wah said of the town council's investment, adding that the shelter means that residents can also play ball games come rain or shine.

Located between Khatib MRT and a nexus of supermarkets and coffee shops, it is used at least once a month for major events, including an upcoming New Year's Eve party expected to host 15,000 residents.

In addition, it is used to host health and environment lectures, as well as to distribute necessities to needy residents.

Said Ms Lee: "The shelter frees up funds for us to do better events and benefit more needy residents."

National University of Singapore urban sociologist Ho Kong Chong said having covered spaces that can cater to a multitude of events is a good thing in tropical, land-scarce Singapore. "If you have a covered area that can scale up to accommodate a large dinner or down to a smaller basketball game, and it is used often enough, I have no complaints," he said.

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Local singers, regional wonders

October 27, 2017, 12:09 am

≫ Next: Singapore Passport is World's Most Powerful: 2017 Global Passport Power Rank Index; Passport to get new design and additional security features

≪ Previous: Decking HDB halls with the kampung spirit

Before Joanna Dong and Nathan Hartono, many other Singapore artists shone overseas
By Eddino Abdul Hadi, Music Correspondent, The Straits Times, 26 Oct 2017

The past year has seen several relatively new names from the home-grown music scene find success in regional talent shows.

Jazz singers Joanna Dong and Nathan Hartono became famous among Chinese pop audiences when they reached the finals of reality singing series Sing! China.

By appearing on the show, both Dong and Hartono have now been exposed to a music market far larger than the one back home as Sing! China is massively popular in China and the region.

The first season of the singing competition last year that featured Hartono topped the ratings and broke viewing records, registering billions of online views, according to broadcaster Star China.

This year's recently concluded season also consistently ranked at the top of China's ratings charts.

On a smaller scale, but no less impressive, was 21-year-old national serviceman Akif Halqi, who won Best Vocal Award at a competition that is part of the major South Korean music event KBS K-pop World Festival.

Singing a Korean song - Eyes, Nose, Lips by popular South Korean singer Taeyang - Akif's performance was streamed live on social media, with the concert's official hashtag registering over eight million tweets.

The last decade has seen many similar stories.

In 2007, former Singapore Idol Hady Mirza won Asian Idol.

Singer Ling Kai became the only female finalist on China's reality contest Sing My Song in 2014, while local singer Sufie Rashid, also known as Sufi, became the first Singaporean to win the popular and long-running Malaysian singing show Akademi Fantasia in 2015.

HOME-GROWN TALENTS GO REGIONAL

While their regional achievements might have boosted their profiles among the public, many of these singers were already known names in the local music community.

Dong and Hartono, for example, have years of singing experience and have performed in major venues like the Esplanade Concert Hall.

Away from the mainstream, many home-grown acts playing niche genres have also made their mark beyond Singapore.

Wormrot, a band that plays grindcore, a genre that fuses harsh music styles like heavy metal and punk, was invited to play at the Glastonbury Festival in Britain in June, one of the biggest and most prominent music festivals in the world.

Made up of vocalist Mohammad Arif Suhaimi, guitarist Mohammad Nurrasyid Juraimi and drummer Vijesh Ashok Ghariwala, the band are signed to respected British music label Earache Records.

Voices, their third album released last year, received rave reviews and earned a 10/10 score on music website Metal Injection.

Last year, indie-pop act Gentle Bones was featured in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for entertainment and sports personalities in Asia.

The singer-songwriter, whose real name is Joel Tan, has got over three million views on YouTube for the music videos of self-penned tunes like Until We Die.

The last two decades have seen Singapore singers who gained success in the region - household names like Stefanie Sun, JJ Lin, Mavis Hee and and Kit Chan - before the proliferation of platforms like Sing! China.

In fact, Singapore singers have done well regionally for decades.

Back in the 1960s, many local singers and bands like The Quests had ardent followings in the region, and would get mobbed when they performed in places like Hong Kong.

The Quests, whose line-up included bassist Henry Chua, singer Vernon Cornelius and the late guitarist Reggie Verghese, are known for original songs like Shanty, a tune that knocked the Beatles off the No. 1 spot in the local charts back in 1964.

MULTICULTURAL MILIEU A BOON FOR SINGERS

For local musicians, growing up in a multicultural and cosmopolitan society like Singapore seems to have worked in their favour.

Dr Edmund Lam, chief executive and director of the Composers and Authors Society of Singapore (Compass), says: "Singapore, being a metropolitan city with a very diverse cultural environment, will naturally throw up exciting musical talents, especially songwriters and arrangers, who are uniquely different from their counterparts in similar ethnic countries."

Growing up in a multicultural setting can allow them to be a bridge between the West and the rest of Asia.

Says acting chairman of the Music Society, Singapore (SGMUSO), Mr Kevin Foo: "Artists like Nathan and Joanna have had a lifetime of access to genres and music, in their case quite specifically jazz, that's still referred to as being unique, different and niche in the Chinese markets.

"They are able to express it in a language that's understandable in China and Taiwan."

The Singaporean identity was a big advantage for music icon Dick Lee who gained fame in Japan, and subsequently other parts of the region, through seminal album Mad Chinaman in the early 1990s, a time when Japanese pop reigned supreme across Asia.

"Back then, coming from Singapore was the strongest selling point for me," he says.

"It was almost a novelty, the fact that someone from Singapore turned up with this type of pop music, when all they thought that we had was ethnic music."

While the recent achievements of the likes of Dong, Hartono and Akif have helped boost the profile of local singers outside of Singapore, it remains to be seen if doing well at such singing contests can translate to a long and viable music career in the region.

Singapore's multicultural background becomes an advantage only if the singers use it to stand apart from their peers overseas.

The ubiquity of the Internet has ensured that aspiring singers from any city around Asia are exposed to the same global influences.

Says Lee: "I feel they need to find a Singapore identity through the music.

"The problem we have is that we don't have our own language.

"If (we) want to get abroad, we have to (take) something that is 'us'. "We are not K-pop, we are not J-pop, we need to have an identity different from those two. And if (we) keep mimicking Western music without this thought, we will never be different."

GOING BEYOND WINNING CONTESTS

Doing well in a contest like Sing! China may open doors, but the artists need to do more than just wait for opportunities to come knocking.

As SGMUSO vice-president Mohamed Shahid Isahak, known in the industry as Syaheed, puts it: "A reality show provided focused attention on and quick validation of Joanna and Nathan, and that helped us rally behind their efforts. But it's been some years in the making for the both of them."

Prolific producer and songwriter Billy Koh says that to break into the huge Chinese pop market, for example, learning the Chinese language and culture in depth is essential.

"Move to one of the cities in China and live there like a local for a year or more," suggests Koh, who has helped Mandopop stars like Chan and Lin achieve success in the region.

"Learn the culture and explore opportunities."

In the local music scene, there already exists a network of organisations and companies like the National Arts Council (NAC), the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), record labels, music schools, music management companies and studios that are taking steps to help local singers venture overseas.

The NAC provides grants for artists performing overseas, while SGMUSO and STB have got three Singaporean artists, Sam Rui, Linying and MAS1A, to perform in the Sydney edition of Singapore: Inside Out, from Nov 3 to 5.

Compass supports major music events like Mediacorp's Anugerah Planet Muzik (APM), a regional Malay music awards show whose most recent instalment saw Aisyah Aziz become the first Singapore artist to win one of its major prizes, Best APM Song.

The Jazz Association (Singapore) recently sent its jazz orchestra to the JZ Shanghai Jazz Festival, helping it to collaborate and network with its counterparts in China.

The Musicians Guild of Singapore organises events like its annual Clapps Songwriting Conference, and provides access to affordable legal assistance for local artists.

The chairman of the Musicians Guild of Singapore, Professor Bernard Tan, says: "We have a strong infrastructure in place.

"We hope artists will be proactive and source for all available networks, channels and platforms to maximise all opportunities and avenues available. "

It remains to be seen if all the infrastructure and initiatives will translate to more Singapore singers and musicians gaining prominence and having viable and long careers in music overseas.

But perhaps the home crowd should also recognise the wealth of music talent right here in Singapore, and not only when they hit the limelight through prominent, region-wide platforms like Sing! China.

Every week sees new music releases by Singapore artists and musicians.

Gig venues like the Esplanade regularly host ticketed and free shows featuring home-grown music talents. So there are plenty of opportunities to appreciate and support their work.

Free music festivals like the Esplanade's Baybeats draw up to 80,000 over three days.

More importantly, ticketed shows have also sold well.

Last year, for example, Gentle Bones sold out two nights at the Esplanade Concert Hall, drawing 1,500 each night.

He was the first solo singer from the indie scene here to achieve such a feat.

Music websites like SingaporeGigs.com provide comprehensive listings of shows around the island at venues ranging from the Substation Theatre to the Aliwal Arts Centre.

Every year, the NAC's Noise Music Mentorship programme for budding musicians uncovers gems like jazz-pop singer Miss Lou (real name Lou Peixin) and folk-pop singer LEW (real name Lewis Loh), both of whom could well win over regional fans in the future with their distinctive voices and songwriting chops.

Having support from a strong fan base back home can be a big boost of confidence for local artists trying to make it outside of Singapore.

↧

Singapore Passport is World's Most Powerful: 2017 Global Passport Power Rank Index; Passport to get new design and additional security features

October 27, 2017, 2:16 am

≫ Next: PM Lee Hsien Loong's Dialogue at the Council on Foreign Relations, 25 October 2017

≪ Previous: Local singers, regional wonders

Singapore has the 'most powerful' passport in the world
Republic's inclusive diplomacy cited as it pips Germany to be first Asian nation to top index
By Seow Bei Yi, The Straits Times, 26 Oct 2017

With Paraguay removing visa requirements for Singaporeans, the Singapore passport is now the "most powerful" in the world, with a visa-free score of 159.

This marks the first time an Asian country has the most powerful passport, according to the index, which was developed by global advisory firm Arton Capital.

"It is a testament of Singapore's inclusive diplomatic relations and effective foreign policy," managing director of Arton Capital's Singapore office Philippe May said of the development.

The index ranks national passports by the cross-border access they bring, assigning a "visa-free score" based on the number of countries a passport holder can visit visa-free, or with a visa on arrival.

Passports of 193 United Nations member countries and six territories were considered.

Historically, the top 10 most powerful passports in the world tend to be European, with Germany in the lead for the past two years, according to a press statement issued yesterday.

Since early this year, Germany's No. 1 position had been shared with Singapore, which was steadily moving up the ranks.

Other Asian passports in the top 20 include those of South Korea, Japan and Malaysia.

The United States passport has fallen in ranking since US President Donald Trump took office, according to the index. Most recently, Turkey and the Central African Republic revoked their visa-free status for US passport holders.

"Visa-free global mobility has become an important factor in today's world," founder and president of Arton Capital Armand Arton said at the recently held Global Citizen Forum in Montenegro.

"More and more people every year invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in a second passport to offer better opportunity and security for their families," he added.

Singapore was also fourth this year in the Visa Restrictions Index, another ranking of travel freedom, which uses a different method of calculating how "powerful" a passport is. The index says that Singapore passport holders enjoy visa-free access to 173 countries.

Germany is No. 1 on this year's Visa Restrictions Index, which is published by Henley & Partners. It has visa-free access to 176 countries out of a possible 218, according to the index.

Singapore passports to sport new design and security features from 21 October 2017
They will be tougher to forge or tamper with; documents with new design for applications from Oct 21
By Lee Min Kok, The Straits Times, 27 Oct 2017

The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) is introducing a new design for the Singapore biometric passport, which comes with additional security features.

This will make the Singapore passport harder to forge or tamper with, ICA said yesterday.

There are two new security features - the image of the passport holder inside a window which can be viewed as a positive or negative portrait when tilted and viewed in transmitted light; and a surface transformation design in the shape of the national flower, which displays reflective and animation effects at different angles.

Enhanced features that provide additional security include the multiple laser image in the shape of the Singapore map and an embossed tactile design.

The passport's visa pages will also sport new designs featuring six iconic landmarks - the Singapore Botanic Gardens, Esplanade, Marina Barrage, Gardens by the Bay, Singapore Sports Hub and Punggol New Town. These will replace the existing image of the Central Business District skyline and Esplanade.

ICA said those whose passport applications were received from Oct 21 will be issued with the new passports, which will be available for collection from Monday.

Those collecting their passports between Monday and Nov 15 will need to go to the ICA Building in Kallang. After that, passports can also be collected at selected post offices.

Singaporeans with existing valid passports do not need to replace their current ones.

More details on the new design can be found on the ICA website.

ICA also said there is no change to the passport application fee, which remains at $80. Applicants who apply for the passport online, by post or through a deposit box will enjoy a rebate of $10, and pay $70 instead.

This week, a passport index ranked the Singapore passport as the "most powerful" in the world, ahead of countries such as Germany, Sweden and South Korea.

↧

PM Lee Hsien Loong's Dialogue at the Council on Foreign Relations, 25 October 2017

October 28, 2017, 8:00 am

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US must stay engaged in Asia, seek understanding with China
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong shared his views on China, North Korea and United States engagement in Asia during a dialogue at the US Council on Foreign Relations earlier this week. The session was moderated by New Yorker staff writer Evan Osnos. This is an edited transcript.
The Straits Times, 28 Oct 2017

OSNOS: You have met over the course of the past few days with President Donald Trump and members of the National Security team. You have been on Capitol Hill (where Congress is). What have you gained from your interactions so far when it comes to the key message about the importance of the US in the region?

PM LEE: I take comfort from the fact that nobody is talking about disengaging. They are talking about engaging in a different way; there is a feeling in the administration somehow that America has not quite got as long an end of the stick as it ought to, and they would like to rebalance.

But I am reassured that they know that America's fate depends on what happens in the rest of the world. You have been the most open market in the world, and now the Americans are saying why should that be so - the others should be as open as us. I can tolerate the Japanese, I could accept the Europeans, but now the Chinese are a different order of magnitude - they ought to be like us. And I think it is reasonable to push for that but if you want that to happen overnight it may well come to grief.

OSNOS: You were last here in August last year. Quite a bit of it has changed since then. Do you sense that there is a fundamental change in America's approach to Asia?

PM LEE: Well, it is a result of an election process, those were your rules, this is your outcome - and the fact that you now have this outcome has created a new fact. In politics, no party stays in power forever; at some point another party will come in and another mood will take over in the country and you will have a president who will pursue a different approach. But this would have become part of the discourse, part of the expectations, and I think it will be very, very difficult to go back to where you were on Nov 1 last year.

OSNOS: Your late father, Lee Kuan Yew, used to talk about the balance of power. China is your greatest trading partner, but the United States is your greatest security partner. Is that balance of power becoming more difficult now?

PM LEE: It depends on how you work out your relationship with the Chinese. You need them to deal with a lot of issues. They have become stronger. They have become bigger. It means that you need their cooperation more, not just on bilateral issues, but on strategic things. To do climate change you must have them, otherwise no deal is reachable. To do nuclear non-proliferation, you must have them on board. To deal with North Korea, you must have them on board. So if you are able to work with them on a stable, gradually evolving relationship which gives them the space to grow their influence, but in a benign way, then we are fine. We remain friends with both. If you have a tense relationship, and one or both of the parties say, "You're either with me, or you're against me", then we're in a difficult spot. It could happen.

OSNOS: The Chinese talk about the Belt and Road Initiative which (President) Xi Jinping has overseen as a new basis for stability and security in the region. How does it feel to you in the region?

PM LEE: Our view in Singapore, which is shared by many in the region, is that it is a positive thing. The Chinese are going to grow their influence. It is going to happen. How is it going to fit in? And this is one coherent framework within which the Asian countries - Central Asian, South-east Asian, South Asian - can participate in. It means infrastructure, it means financing, it means connectivity, it also means influence and if you ask any of the countries in the region, they will say, "Yes, I want to participate. I want to trade. I want to do the business. I would like them to invest."

There are political sensitivities, but subject to that, there is a lot of business which needs to be done. At the same time, the region has prospered not by doing business only with China, but also by doing business with America, with Europe and the rest of the world and I do not think any of the countries in the region would like to give that up, so provided the Belt and Road Initiative happens in such a way that all these external links stay open and the region remains an open region, I think it is a good thing.

OSNOS: Does the Belt and Road Initiative pose a challenge to the United States?

PM LEE: Well, it is not whether Belt and Road poses a challenge to the United States - the question is how are you going to respond to a China which has got a gross domestic product which will, within the next decade, or two at most, be as big as yours, world trade which is considerable, financial resources which are considerable. You cannot say I will deal with them on the basis that they will have an armed force the size of a middling European country and a global influence the size of - I think it will be invidious to name anybody - but you know what I mean. It cannot be. They are going to be a power. They want to be a big power. Question is, how can that happen constructively and benignly. I think Belt and Road is a constructive way to do it.

OSNOS: Singapore will be the chairman of ASEAN beginning next year. When you look at South-east Asia today, are two camps in effect forming? One camp, whether it is the Philippines and Malaysia, that is creating greater, stronger relationships with China, and another camp.

PM LEE: I think ASEAN works on the basis of consensus. It is not the 50 states of the United States of America, neither is it the 20-odd states of the European Union. These are 10 sovereign countries which have come together in an association. Where there is an alignment of interests, and a consensus, of views, then there is an ASEAN position; where there is not, then we agree to disagree and we will discuss the matter again one day.

On strategic issues there is no single strategic perspective. The threat assessments, the fundamental interests, the due political positions of the countries are very different. And on some issues, the lowest common denominator is basic, but still worth having.

OSNOS: This week is a big week in Beijing. A lot of people here would be curious for your assessment on what it means to have the 19th Party Congress introduce the new generation of leaders. Xi Jinping is now enshrined in office, and has opened the next chapter of his leadership.

PM LEE: I do not think he was enshrined in office, only his words. Xi Jinping has consolidated his position. He has got a new line-up in the core leadership of the Politburo, the standing committee, also in the central military commission. He has got his "Xi Jinping's thought" inscribed in the Constitution. His own leadership position is pre-eminent. At the same time, I think there is a purpose to this which is to signal that this is the start of a new phase for China.

They said a new era. That means Mao's era, Deng's era and now Xi's era and an era which he envisages extending not just for the next five years or even 10 years of two terms, but extending to 2050 and taking China to 100 years after the revolution. If you look for difference in emphasis, it is what the Chinese themselves say that with Mao Zedong, China stood up; with Deng Xiaoping, they got wealthy; and now with Xi, to get strong. What does strong mean? That is what everybody will be watching carefully.

OSNOS: What do you think it means?

PM LEE: He has set it out in his 14 points in his opening long speech, and none of them are completely new, starting with the fact that the party must be fully in charge and it includes economic growth, environmental considerations, welfare and the lives of people, strength internationally, and including strong armed forces. So all the ingredients are there which any normal great power would have to pay attention to. What you do not know is the balance, the tone, and the wisdom with which these elements will unfold and we will have to wait and see.

With the generation which has grown up through the Cultural Revolution, they have known hardship and turmoil. They greatly treasure peace and stability. With the next generation, which has grown up during the period of reform and opening up, that means since 1980-ish, and have only seen continuing progress, will they be a generation which you might say well - it is from warriors to engineers to poets and artists, or will it be that having not known the turbulence, they will feel that now that I am strong, let me show the world what I can do. And I think that is a big question. If you ask the present generation, they will swear to you that the next generation will make their calculations and know that peace is important. I hope so.

OSNOS: Singapore is one of the largest foreign investors in China. So you are in an especially good position to help us try and gauge the health of the Chinese economy; their strength, their weakness. How do you assess that?

PM LEE: I think there is a lot of energy and vibrancy. You have to look at it qualitatively, the sort of companies which are generating the sort of innovation which is fermenting in Beijing, in Zhong Guan Cun near the university, in Shenzhen where people come from all over China and start up companies, the mood is not very different from Silicon Valley, and the quality of the people and in fact, the quality of the companies which have been generating technology, they are equal to any in the world. They may not have as many companies which are like Google or Facebook, but if you look at Tencent or Alibaba or Huawei, they are not just copying others' technology. So I think the talent is there, the energy is there. There are structural issues which have to be dealt with - the SOEs (state-owned enterprises), the taxes, the household registration system, what do we do with it; the agricultural sector, how do you manage the exchange rate, the banks and your loans and debts. But these things take time to handle.

On the one hand, having talked to their professionals in economic management, we know that they have very competent people who understand all these issues. The question is whether you have got the right combination at the political-economic level. That means in the Politburo or among the top leaders who put this quite high up in their agenda and can make the political decisions and trade-offs in order to stage and to manage very delicate transformations which economically are critical but politically are very hard to do.

OSNOS: There has been a lot of hope that perhaps as Xi enters his second term of office, they may begin to undertake more of this kind of structural reforms?

PM LEE: I think that he wants to do many things and he will balance these off against his social objectives, political objectives. He has got other strategic preoccupations. If you look at his speeches at the Congress and also when he announced his list, economics is there but it is not the first big item.

OSNOS: On North Korea, this is the crisis of the moment in the region. How serious do you think the risk of military confrontation is and what do you think the US should be doing to avoid it?

PM LEE: You will always have the risk of a miscalculation. This administration has made some very strong statements but at the same time you have made clear that you do not want to go to war. The North Koreans are not suicidal. They are past masters at thunder and alarums and not without success. If you are lucky, that is how you can get past this hard point. If you are not, you could have a miscalculation. I think so far, you have not had a miscalculation. We hope that will continue so.

The difference this time is they now have more nuclear weapons and more powerful missiles, intercontinental ballistic missiles. So that raises the stakes but it does not yet qualitatively and suddenly change the picture. Because you have never been able to say you were completely without risk, before the latest missile tests. So it is up to the US how you want to respond, and what pressure you want to apply on them. You have to apply pressure, you also have to talk. You cannot not talk because if you do not talk, you cannot get anywhere. If you only talk, then nothing will happen. You will just be strung out. You have gone through this so many times before. But to play this game, you need to work with the Chinese, and the Russians must be somewhere in the picture. Most of all, you must have the South Koreans and the Japanese on your side. And if they are not on your side, you will have a hard spot. But even if you want to do something decisive, if the South Koreans are not with you, you cannot do that. So you have to have that diplomacy as well as that realpolitik.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR:

Presidents Trump and Xi will be meeting soon. What are your near-term expectations for that important US-China bilateral relationship?

PM LEE: I think what we hope we will be able to do is not to solve problems overnight but to begin to establish a shared frame of reference - a mutual understanding, how does he think, how do I think, where are the areas where we can work together. And then over time we can work things out. I think if you try to work deals immediately, you can get them and I am quite sure that the Chinese side, they will have some ready and have worked some out. But I am not sure if you make quick deals with them that you will, first, have a fundamental breakthrough and second, that you have the basis for a long-term sound relationship.

You must have a clear understanding, they must have a clear understanding where you stand, and you must know, have some idea of what engagement you have with them. I mean, you will not be able to get his bottom card, but you must have some idea whether you can talk to him, whether you have a line to him, whether this is somebody you can do business with or not. I think this is important. So, when Xi Jinping went to Mar-a-Lago, there were all kinds of naysayers of how unwise it was of Trump to do this and so on. But I thought no harm could come from it because you cannot come to a sudden deal and it is good that the two presidents get to talk together and understand one another. And I think it turned out well. It does not mean you make a breakthrough but it was the basis on which thereafter they can talk about many issues. And I understand they ring up each other quite frequently, and there is a line - you need that line.

One of the things which Henry Kissinger regularly laments is that the Chinese have a strategic view and the American presidents do not. And to some extent he is right but there is an exculpation which is that an American president cannot commit his successor. So, short of committing your successor at the beginning of the term, you have the chance to set the tone and to establish an understanding, what are you trying to do and then let us work together. The Chinese tell us explicitly that they are looking at the new administration, that this is an administration which they say is is looking to deal with items one by one, and they are not quite sure how to figure you out and they are looking for a way to understand you. So, if you find them inscrutable, you must realise that Westerners can be inscrutable too.

OSNOS: Earlier you said that in politics, no party remains in power forever. Does that apply to Singapore?

PM LEE: I am sure it does. I do not know when it will happen but I will not make it happen sooner than it needs to.

OSNOS: You have said before that you may not stay in office after the age of 70. Do you have thoughts about the next Prime Minister?

PM LEE: My aim is not to be Prime Minister beyond 70. I am trying very hard, I have got a team in Cabinet; I have got strong people in the team, and among themselves, they have to take a little bit of time to sort out who should be the next leader.

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SkillsFuture Series: Universities, polytechnics and ITE to train 50,000 annually in eight priority and emerging skills areas

October 29, 2017, 8:15 pm

≫ Next: MySkillsFuture: New career and training website launched for students and working adults

≪ Previous: PM Lee Hsien Loong's Dialogue at the Council on Foreign Relations, 25 October 2017

Higher learning institutes to train more adults
Universities, polys and ITE to take in 50,000 trainees a year by 2020
By Yuen Sin, The Sunday Times, 29 Oct 2017

A major revamp of how working adults are trained for the new economy is under way, with more courses, more funding and a more significant role for Singapore's institutes of higher learning (IHLs).

From an initial 10,000, universities, polytechnics and the Institute of Technical Education will take in 50,000 trainees annually for a new series of subsidised bite-sized modules by 2020.

Total training capacity for the scheme, known as SkillsFuture Series, will also grow from 440,000 hours now to 2.2 million hours over the same period.

The Ministry of Education is pumping in $70 million towards this effort over the next three years, with IHLs expected to spend $40 million a year on the SkillsFuture Series by 2020, compared to less than $5 million now.

For a start, each institute will focus on one of eight emerging areas of growth. They include data analytics, which will come under the National University of Singapore, finance (Singapore Management University) and entrepreneurship (Ngee Ann Polytechnic).

More than 400 courses, averaging 25 hours each, have been lined up to kick off the SkillsFuture Series.

The programmes will be delivered as short modules, making them easier for working adults to take. They will be subsidised up to 70 per cent for Singaporeans and permanent residents. The rest of the fee can be paid using the $500 SkillsFuture credit given to every Singaporean above the age of 25 from last year onwards.

Announcing this yesterday, Education Minister (Higher Education and Skills) Ong Ye Kung said the institutions will take the lead in their sector of focus. They will ensure that there are enough training places and programmes to meet the needs of industries.

While the move is a major transformation for the IHLs, it is a necessary one, he said.

Training provided by employers and private operators have become two key pillars of the Continuing Education and Training (CET) landscape, but the institutes of higher learning have lagged behind, he said at the launch of the Lifelong Learning Festival at the Devan Nair Institute for Employment and Employability.

IHLs account for just 8 per cent of CET currently, excluding programmes which may be more academic in nature such as part-time diplomas, master's and PhDs.

"It is a pity, given the tremendous delivery capability of the IHLs," he said. But it was also understandable because continuing education and training has never been the remit of IHLs, whose primary mission is to educate students.

That has now changed, he added, with CET now part of the expanded mission of the institutions of higher learning.

The hope is that "the new and unknown can be demystified, and Singaporeans can pick up relevant skills and knowledge of this era, and face the future with greater confidence and enthusiasm".

Courses will be available across basic, intermediate and advanced levels. The bulk of basic courses will cost participants less than $500.

"There will be something for everyone," said Mr Ong, who also pointed out the challenges IHLs will face as they embrace adult learning.

For one thing, they will have to build up expertise in training adults, given that their learning needs are "fundamentally different" from those of students.

In the light of the ministry's finite budget, it will also review the funding of master's programmes that are "purely academic" in nature.

Funding for master's courses to be reviewed
This is partly for redirecting over $70 million for continuing education and training under a new scheme
By Yuen Sin, The Sunday Times, 29 Oct 2017

The Ministry of Education (MOE) will be reviewing the funding and delivery arrangements of master's programmes at the autonomous universities.

This is partly due to the fact that funding of over $70 million will be redirected towards providing continuing education and training under a new SkillsFuture scheme over the next three years.

Education Minister (Higher Education and Skills) Ong Ye Kung announced this at the Lifelong Learning Festival yesterday, where the new SkillsFuture Series of bite-sized courses targeting key sectors of growth was launched.

"As we invest more in industry-relevant, modular training for adult workers, we face the reality of a finite budget, and the need for prioritisation," he said, noting that the changes will take place no earlier than 2019.

Funding levels for programmes with coursework components that are "purely academic" in nature will have to be relooked, while coursework that could be vocation-based could be delivered in a bite-sized format that can be accumulated and lead to graduate certifications.

Some of the universities, such as Singapore Management University (SMU), are already doing this. SMU Academy, the university's lifelong learning unit, will be offering financial technology modules that can be "stacked up" towards a Master of IT in Business.

SMU provost Lily Kong said the university expects adults pursuing non degree-awarding professional continuing education to make up about two-thirds of SMU's student population by 2025. Undergraduates will make up from a fifth to a quarter of the population, with the rest in postgraduate study at the master's or doctoral level.

At SMU Academy, about two-thirds of its 80 or so courses will be offered under the SkillsFuture Series and enrolment is likely to hit 5,000 by the end of next March.

Professor Ho Yew Kee, Singapore Institute of Technology's associate provost for SkillsFuture and staff development, said the university is exploring the possibility of a stack-up model for its bite-sized continuing education courses that may eventually lead to an academic qualification that is recognised by the industry.

National University of Singapore economics lecturer Kelvin Seah said that the expansion of skills-based continuing education does not necessarily have to come at the expense of the production of academic research, or the delivery of more academic-based programmes. Fruitful research projects could develop when there is a deeper understanding of the evolving needs of industries, he said.

"Just as research informs teaching, teaching necessarily also informs research. Through the course of working with adult learners and having a deeper understanding of the evolving needs of industries, fruitful research projects in many areas may develop," added Dr Seah.

Mr Felix Tan, managing director of corporate financial technology accelerator The FinLab, said that such bite-sized courses can offer potential industry entrants an understanding of what the job may entail.

"Unless you've had strong prior work experience, it's hard to expect someone new (to the industry) to be able to hit the ground running after attending these short courses."

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MySkillsFuture: New career and training website launched for students and working adults

October 31, 2017, 1:26 am

≫ Next: Changi Airport's Terminal 4 opens 31 October 2017

≪ Previous: SkillsFuture Series: Universities, polytechnics and ITE to train 50,000 annually in eight priority and emerging skills areas

Skills portal to guide Singaporeans from age 11
Students and adults can use MySkillsFuture website to plan training and career paths
By Toh Yong Chuan, Senior Correspondent, The Straits Times, 30 Oct 2017

Primary 5 is the year that most pupils start to learn about fractions and decimals, and now it will also be the year that they can start to chart their future career.

A new website has been launched to help Singaporeans plan for their training and career needs from as young as 11 into adulthood, as people are encouraged to think about the learning process as a lifelong one.

Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam launched the MySkillsFuture website yesterday, as well as SkillsFuture Advice, a new public outreach programme.

Together, the two initiatives are supposed to "provide Singaporeans with both online and offline access to information about skills and training, as well as job opportunities, so that they can actively acquire and deepen their skills, and plan their careers", said the Ministry of Education (MOE), Workforce Singapore (WSG) and SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) in a joint statement.

The website replaces two separate sites - a career guidance website run by MOE for students, and a jobs and training website run by WSG for working adults.

The three government agencies behind MySkillsFuture said that each person will have a personalised account, which he can use throughout his lifetime.

For primary school pupils, the website provides features such as games that help them find out what industry sectors they may like, while older users can use the self-assessment features to figure out their work values and career interests.

Working adults can use the website to find jobs and sign up for courses which they can pay for using their SkillsFuture credits, said the agencies.

MOE will issue accounts to all students from Primary 5 onwards, while adults can log in using their SingPass accounts, the national common password scheme to access government services.

Education Minister (Higher Education and Skills) Ong Ye Kung, who was at the launch, said that the website will allow workers to "self-navigate and find out what are the jobs available, what are the skills requirements, what are the gaps and what are the training (courses) they can attend".

On why the website targets children from the age of 11, Mr Ong said that Primary 5 and 6 is about the time some start thinking about what they want to do in the future, especially for those who mature faster.

Temasek Junior College student Venkatesh Babu Dakshitaa, 17, was among those who have found the website useful since it was made available to schools in August.

She said she had been confused about what she wanted to do in future, and took a test on the portal that told her she was suited for a "design and creative thinking" type of career, like architecture.

Meanwhile, under the SkillsFuture Advice programme, Singaporeans and permanent residents can attend free 90-minute talks conducted in English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil at community centres and clubs on skills upgrading and career planning.

Some 1,000 Singaporeans have already attended the talks and another 80,000 are expected to do so over the next three years, said MOE, WSG and SSG.

Yesterday's announcement came a day after Mr Ong announced a major revamp of training schemes for working adults, with more courses and funding and a bigger role for institutes of higher learning in the works.

On whether this will lead to a cut in subsidies for master's programmes, he said yesterday that MOE is conducting a "holistic review" of the funding policy and no action will be taken until 2019.

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Changi Airport's Terminal 4 opens 31 October 2017

October 31, 2017, 2:24 am

≫ Next: Marina Bay floating platform to be renamed NS Square, be primary venue for National Day Parades

≪ Previous: MySkillsFuture: New career and training website launched for students and working adults

Changi Airport's Terminal 4 opens for business; smooth operations for first arriving and departing flights
By Tan Tam Mei and Adrian Lim, Transport Correspondent, The Straits Times, 31 Oct 2017

Changi Airport's newest terminal - T4 - started its first day of operations early Tuesday (Oct 31) morning, marking a critical milestone in Singapore's aviation history.

Airport operations went off without a hitch, with passengers for the first flight out to Hong Kong streaming in as early as 4am to the departure hall to use the self-check-in facilities. Airport staff were on hand to guide them through the process.

The first arriving and departing flights at T4 were operated by Cathay Pacific - CX659 from Hong Kong arrived at 5.40am and CX650 departed Singapore for Hong Kong at 6.50am.

Nurse Minee Moh, 29, was at the airport around 5am to check in for her flight to Hong Kong for a five-day holiday.

"The check-in and baggage-drop experience was very good and very smooth. Other airports and T1 have the self-check-in system. It saves time, and I'm very honoured to be on the first flight out," she said.

Mr C.S. Tan, an IT professional in his 40s, and his family, who were heading to Hong Kong for a week-long holiday, were impressed by the airport facilities and self-check-in services.

"Everything is automated and very intuitive. We didn't know we were the first passengers, but it's nice," said Mr Tan.

His wife, Madam Angela Tan, also an IT professional in her 40s, said of the immigration clearance and security systems: "It's definitely higher security, but it wasn't a hassle. The full-body scanning machines are quite cool, like you're in a Mission Impossible movie."

Meanwhile, passengers arriving from Hong Kong on CX659 were greeted at the arrival gate by airport staff with orchids and goodie bags. At the baggage collection area, they were entertained by an instrumental quartet, and also treated to coffee and breakfast.

Passengers said the arrival hall was spacious, adding that the walk from the arrival gate to immigration was fuss-free, with clear signage.

Retiree Zhao Chuan Xin, 65, who is from Henan, China, said: “At other airport terminals, we have to walk around to find our way. But at T4, it’s a simple and direct walk from the airplane to arrivals. I’m very pleased.”

Cabin crew member Tan Yu Ling, 27, a Singaporean who was returning from a vacation in Hong Kong, said: “The new terminal feels very spacious. The automated immigration clearance system also looks very high-tech and futuristic.”

Mr Mohamad Hossenbux, 51, a managing director of an aerospace company, also said: “The ergonomics, in terms of the lighting and decor, is very subtle and pleasing.” Added Mr Hossenbux, who is from Canada: “After a long trip, it feels relaxing and peaceful."

Speaking to reporters soon after the first flight took off, managing director of airport operations management Jayson Goh said he was happy with the overall smooth operations and passengers' satisfaction with the new systems and amenities.

"(Besides the new automated system), engaging the passengers, creating new experiences and new options for them to have a memorable experience at Changi will remain a key area we focus on to strengthen the competitiveness of Changi Airport."

When asked about some feedback from passengers who faced difficulties with the automated bag-drop system, Mr Goh said in Mandarin: "For the new facilities, we will have staff to help teach the passengers how to use them. In the meantime, we will be sending more staff to each check-in counter; there are currently about six to eight staff at each counter."

T4 is the newest terminal for Changi in nearly 10 years after Terminal 3 was opened in 2008.

The new terminal features new technologies, systems and procedures, such as a facial recognition system that will capture a passenger's photo at different stations, centralised security screening, as well as start-to-end self-service options for check-in.

To ensure that the high-tech systems were up to speed to handle passengers, a total of 150 trials involving 10,000 volunteers and airport staff to test different systems and processes were carried out before the terminal's opening.

Cathay Pacific and Korean Air are the first airlines to operate out of T4. The remaining airlines, including Cebu Pacific, Spring Airlines, the AirAsia group and Vietnam Airlines, will progressively move from other terminals over a week.

With T4, Changi Airport will be able to handle up to 16 million passengers a year, increasing its overall annual capacity to 82 million passengers.

This will provide the necessary capacity until the next major injection comes in about 10 to 12 years through the opening of Terminal 5.

In the first half of this year, Changi handled 5.7 per cent more passengers at 30.4 million, boosted by growth to and from South-east Asia, North-east Asia and South Asia.

The airport will add a third runway around 2020, while T5 - due to open some time in the late 2020s - will enable the airport to handle another 50 million passengers.

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Marina Bay floating platform to be renamed NS Square, be primary venue for National Day Parades

October 31, 2017, 7:15 pm

≫ Next: Chan Chun Sing dialogue with Foreign Correspondents Association of Singapore

≪ Previous: Changi Airport's Terminal 4 opens 31 October 2017

Marina Bay site will be expanded and become primary NDP venue, with new gallery on NS
By Danson Cheong, The Straits Times, 31 Oct 2017

The temporary floating platform at Marina Bay will be developed into a permanent space to commemorate national service as well as be the primary venue for future National Day Parades (NDPs).

The platform will be expanded and more seats added, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said yesterday.

Its current name, Float@Marina Bay, will be changed to NS Square, with a gallery that will showcase the evolution of NS.

"Its permanence and prominence in Marina Bay will reflect the central role that national service plays in our lives," said PM Lee.

The new venue can be used for parades, as well as community events such as arts performances, weekend markets and the River Hongbao, the Prime Minister said at a dinner reception for national servicemen to mark 50 years of NS.

The Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) said in a statement that the new NS Square will continue to be the venue for basic military training graduation parades. Parades for military units that complete their operationally ready national service will also be held there.

Details on its expansion are being finalised and will be announced later, MINDEF added.

The floating platform - which has hosted seven NDPs since 2007, including this year's edition - is a crowd favourite, as it is set against the backdrop of the city skyline and offers the public multiple vantage points to enjoy the fireworks. Built initially as a temporary NDP venue while the new National Stadium was under construction, the floating platform can seat 27,000 spectators.

Yesterday's dinner was the culmination of a year-long series of events to celebrate NS50. It was attended by 1,500 guests, including operationally ready national servicemen (NSmen), full-time national servicemen (NSFs), employers and Cabinet ministers such as Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen and Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam.

PM Lee, in his speech, paid tribute to servicemen and dwelt on the importance of NS in keeping Singapore safe. "Your contributions and sacrifices have enabled Singaporeans to enjoy decades of peace, and a safe and secure home," he said, noting that more than a million Singaporeans have served NS since it began in 1967.

He also said the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) is a credible defence force that is taken seriously, while the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) continue to keep Singapore safe. All three - the SAF, police and SCDF - depend on a mix of regulars, NSFs and NSmen.

"Without NSFs and NSmen who serve willingly, take their training seriously and perform operational duties day after day, the SAF, SPF and SCDF could not exist," he said.

PM Lee recounted the difficulty of convincing young men and their families in the early years of NS that conscription was "the only way to build up a defence force".

"Fortunately, Singaporeans understood the urgency and gave their support. Over the years, Singaporeans have accepted national service. It's become a national institution, a rite of passage," he said.

National servicemen told The Straits Times that the symbolic gesture of renaming the floating platform, a landmark in the heart of the city, would cement the importance of NS in the minds of Singaporeans.

Deputy Superintendent (NS) Mohammed Nazly Mohammed Taha said: "It will motivate our younger generation to think about what NS means to them."

PM Lee was 'a humble officer with no airs'
By Danson Cheong, The Straits Times, 31 Oct 2017

It is often said that national service is where young Singaporean men form bonds that last for life.

For the men who served with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in the artillery decades ago, he was a humble officer with no airs, who had a taste for mee siam and kambing soup.

Lieutenant-Colonel (Ret) Tan Seng Poh, 65, remembered how he and other officers would go for supper with PM Lee at the old Chong Pang Village after strenuous training. "He had no airs, he was always very sociable."

He was among several of PM Lee's former army buddies who related their experience serving with him in the 70s and 80s, during an NS50 dinner reception yesterday.

Senior Warrant Officer (Ret) Lau Peck Woh, 63, said PM Lee was an officer who had the welfare of his men at heart.

He recounted how PM Lee, then a platoon commander in 24th Battalion Singapore Artillery, once noticed that the soles of his men's shoes had split and hung "open like crocodiles". He asked SWO Lau, his then platoon sergeant, why this was so.

The men kept missing the dates to exchange their kit because they were always out in the field for exercises, SWO Lau replied. This led PM Lee to arrange with the unit's quartermaster for new gear.

"In less than one week's time, all of us had exchanged our shoes for new kit," said SWO Lau. "When (PM Lee) was around, the morale of the men was very high."

During his speech yesterday, PM Lee said he was happy that he could meet some of his old artillery comrades.

He pointed out that he would bump into old army friends from time to time in public, and they would catch up. "The years would melt away and vivid memories come flooding back," he said.

↧

Chan Chun Sing dialogue with Foreign Correspondents Association of Singapore

November 1, 2017, 12:38 am

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'Business continuity' no matter who's next Prime Minister, says Chan Chun Sing
By Elgin Toh, Insight Editor, The Straits Times, 31 Oct 2017

No matter who becomes the next prime minister from the team of fourth-generation leaders, there will be "business continuity" in Singapore, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Chan Chun Sing said yesterday.

This is because the overall set of policies would have been "thought through by the team, carried by the team, owned by the team", said Mr Chan, one of the leading prospects for the post.

Factors such as personality and style make a difference "at the margins", but they do not affect the country's overall policy direction, he added.

"You are not going to expect that if Person A becomes the prime minister (instead of) Person B, the direction is going to be so diametrically opposite as to cause a huge discontinuity or disruption."

He also said the members of the current fourth-generation team can cover each other as their strengths and weaknesses overlap, "as in playing football".

Mr Chan was speaking at a dialogue with members of the Foreign Correspondents Association (FCA), during which he was asked for his views on the next prime minister.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had said recently that the next PM is likely to be in the current Cabinet.

Those seen as front runners for the top job include Mr Chan, Minister for Finance Heng Swee Keat and Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills) Ong Ye Kung.

When FCA president Sharanjit Leyl of BBC asked him point blank: "Would you like the job?", Mr Chan said: "All of us have to be prepared to do the job when called upon."

Repeating a quote by Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan, he said: "'In Singapore, leadership is a responsibility to be borne, not a position to be sought.' You might think that we sound very cliche but I think I can speak for my fellow colleagues that we all believe in this."

He added: "We all are where we are because of what the Singapore system has given us... But all of us know that when called upon, we must not shirk from our responsibility."

The "bigger challenge" Singapore should focus on, he added, is not the fourth generation of leaders, but whether younger people beyond the fourth generation will step into politics.

He said: "If the country is at war, there's an epidemic, there's a famine, there's a recession, the whole place is upside down, maybe you will have people who are very passionate who will come forth, sacrifice their personal aspirations, family and so forth, to govern the country, very much like the 1965 generation.

"But it is a fact that in every successful country, the more successful you are, the more difficult it is to find people... to come forth to serve, over and beyond what they want to do for themselves."

Last night, the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) said the Reuters wire agency "ran a fabricated headline alleging Minister Chan Chun Sing had said he is prepared to serve as PM".

Reuters claimed Mr Chan said "he is prepared to become next PM if called upon".

Mr Chan had in fact said: "All of us have to be prepared to do the job when called upon." He was referring to the entire fourth-generation leadership, and not to himself, said MCI.

The ministry statement added: "It is irresponsible of a wire agency like Reuters to fabricate quotes like this".

Singapore must work hard at staying relevant: Chan Chun Sing
This means capitalising fully on global network of ideas, he says
By Elgin Toh, Insight Editor, The Straits Times, 31 Oct 2017

For Singapore to continue transcending its geographical limits, it must work hard at staying relevant to the world and never take that relevance for granted, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Chan Chun Sing said yesterday.

In economics, this means capitalising fully on the global network of ideas - by having Singaporeans spend more time abroad as well as work collaboratively with talent in other countries, he said.

Citing his own experience of working in Jakarta for two years when he was a military officer, he said he learnt a great deal from it.

Singaporeans should be more willing to take up overseas work postings and venture to places others may be less willing to go to, such as cities other than New York, London, Beijing and Tokyo, he said.

"The big multinational corporations and start-ups are looking for people who understand not just the Singapore market but also the regional and global markets.

"So for Singaporeans to get those much-sought-after jobs, you must have an international, regional exposure," said Mr Chan.

At the same time, Singapore needs to stay attractive to talent from overseas, whether they move to Singapore to work or simply "come through" Singapore, he said.

For instance, Singapore will never have enough talent in blockchain in the short term to build up the industry, he said of the up-and-coming disruptive technology. "Then the question is how can you tap the global network to get those ideas."

When asked if Singapore will consider dual citizenship - an issue linked to the global flow of talent - Mr Chan said there are "security considerations" for not having it.

As Singapore is small and vulnerable, citizenship comes with the responsibility to defend the country, he said. While it may be easier to imagine dual citizenship between Singapore and a faraway country like Switzerland, it gets harder for countries close to Singapore, he added.

"I have to be very confident that when we go into operations, we are all aligned in our motivations and our objectives. That must be true for any military," he said.

Mr Chan was speaking at an hour-long dialogue with members of the Foreign Correspondents Association of Singapore. Other topics he covered included the Oxley Road dispute and the fourth generation of political leadership.

On foreign policy, he said staying relevant involves constantly trying to understand what the interests of other nations are, and trying to find common ground between them and Singapore's interests.

It is the reason Singapore chose to open Changi Naval Base to the Americans and the Chinese - to add value to its relations with the two powers, he said.

Noting that Singapore, unlike bigger countries, has no natural right to be invited to international conferences, he said: "We have to earn our keep. And for a small country to earn our keep, it is never easy."

'Silver lining' to Oxley Road dispute
By Elgin Toh, Insight Editor, The Straits Times, 31 Oct 2017

The "silver lining" in the Oxley Road dispute is that it shows Singapore is serious about the rule of law, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Chan Chun Sing said yesterday.

The dispute between Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his siblings over the family house at 38, Oxley Road, also shows Singapore has leaders who tackle difficult issues head on without dodging responsibility, he added, citing the ministerial committee set up to consider options for the house.

Mr Chan made these points at a lunch dialogue with members of the Foreign Correspondents Association, when he was asked by a journalist from The Nikkei of Japan for his views on the saga, which broke in June this year.

On the rule of law, Mr Chan said the incident showed "no man is above the law". "Not even our founding prime minister, the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, put himself above the law," he said, adding that this gave confidence that the rule of law applied to everyone - "regardless of your position in life".

He was referring to how Mr Lee's earlier wish of wanting the house demolished was not executed by default, as it was subject to due processes under the relevant laws.

"If Mr Lee had put himself above the law, I think it will send a very different signal to the international community on what you can look to Singapore for," he said.

On those who ask why the Government could not respect Mr Lee's wishes, Mr Chan said: "We have solutions to achieve both respecting his wish and also the longer term national perspective."

Moving on to the ministerial committee studying options for the house, Mr Chan said it shows the country has leaders who will "take it upon themselves to bear the responsibility for the decisions of their generation".

The committee - headed by Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean - came under criticism from PM Lee's siblings, who questioned its secrecy and the need for its existence.

Mr Chan said: "If Mr Lee has his personal wish and no one in the current or future Cabinet would have the sense of responsibility to think through the issue in context, according to the needs of the society at the time, what would it speak about the quality of leadership in Singapore?"

He added: "The fact that you have people who are prepared to sit down, look at the issue dispassionately, examine the options, put it to the people, it speaks well for the country."

While the Oxley Road incident is "unfortunate", he said the overall response to it bodes well for the country.

"The incident won't define us. Our responses to the incident will define us," he added.

↧

Fare Review Exercise 2017: Tap-in at any rail station before 7.45am and get fare discount of up to 50 cents from 29 December 2017

November 1, 2017, 1:26 am

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Cheaper MRT rides for pre-peak weekday travel
Discount of up to 50 cents will apply from Dec 29 at all stations; two existing trials to end
By Sue-Ann Tan and Zhaki Abdullah, The Straits Times, 31 Oct 2017

From Dec 29, commuters who start their journeys at any of the 157 MRT and LRT stations before 7.45am on weekdays will see their fares discounted by up to 50 cents.

The Public Transport Council (PTC) announced this yesterday as part of its annual transport fare review. It also said other transport fares will not be adjusted for now.

Under the new initiative, a commuter who taps into Beauty World station before 7.45am to travel to Tan Kah Kee station will see his fare reduced from 87 cents to 37 cents.

A student with concession fares, who pays 42 cents for the same journey, will pay nothing for his ride from Dec 29. The same would apply to any commuter whose ride costs less than 50 cents.

The discount is also being extended to low-wage workers and people with disabilities, who already enjoy discounts under two concession schemes.

The new initiative will mark the end of two existing trials to encourage off-peak travel.

One of these is the Free Pre-Peak Travel scheme, which allows those who reach any of 18 MRT stations in the city area before 7.45am to have free rides. It is used by 65,000 commuters and has resulted in a sustained 7 per cent drop in peak-hour rail commutes.

Another 13,000 use the Off-Peak Pass, which, at $80 a month, allows adult commuters to have unlimited bus and train rides during off-peak hours on weekdays and all day on weekends and public holidays.

Both schemes end in December.

PTC chairman Richard Magnus said the move to reduce pre-peak fares across the board will benefit around 300,000 commuters - or about 10 per cent of all rail commuters - who already travel before the morning peak.

The council hopes it will encourage an additional 300,000 to start travelling earlier, said PTC chief executive Tan Kim Hong.

Mr Magnus added: "Spreading out travel demand in this way will also make more efficient use of our public transport system, as capacity during off-peak periods will be better utilised."

Mr Sitoh Yih Pin, chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport, said that while any fare reduction was good, it was too early to say that it would make people change their travel patterns.

"Different commuters will have different considerations," he said, adding that he hoped peak-hour travel would be reduced.

The lower pre-peak rail fares amount to a fare reduction of 2.2 per cent. Another 3.2 per cent fare reduction will be rolled over to next year's fare review exercise.

This year's fare reduction means that fare revenues for the public transport operators could be cut by $40.1 million a year.

Mr Magnus said the council had to balance what commuters paid against factors such as costs to rail operators and the substantial investments made by the Government in public transport.

The two rail operators - SBS Transit and SMRT - had requested no reductions in fares. Still, Mr Magnus said he believed they would not let their standards slip.

Earlier this year, Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan said it was not sustainable for taxpayers to subsidise the increasing costs of the public transport system.

Mr Magnus said a review of the current fare formula - as well as of distance-based fare transfer rules for the MRT - would be completed early next year.

Off-peak perks likely to ease rail crowds, say experts
By Sue-Ann Tan and Zhaki Abdullah, The Straits Times, 31 Oct 2017

Giving subsidies to commuters travelling throughout the MRT network during the morning off-peak period is likely to be an effective move to ease peak-hour crowds, said experts.

The Public Transport Council announced yesterday that commuters who tap in before 7.45am at any train station on weekdays from Dec 29 will receive a discount of up to 50 cents on their fares.

Transport experts say this is an improvement on the existing scheme, which gives free rides to those who tap out before 7.45am at 18 MRT stations in the city area.

Associate Professor Michael Li, a transport economist at Nanyang Technological University, said: "This is the right move. By giving the off-peak incentive, it should encourage people to move towards that time bracket.

"Commuters definitely would respond. If 5 per cent of commuters make the shift, I think it would be a success."

He added, however, that the Government would need to do a trial and error of the discount quantum to reach a price point that is most attractive for commuters to distribute the load more evenly.

Singapore University of Social Sciences economist Walter Theseira agreed that the new scheme would ease peak-hour congestion.

He added that it had a better chance of getting people to travel earlier than the existing free pre-peak period initiative.

"Previously, people had to tap out before 7.45am to get free travel, so it benefits those who already travel very early anyway. Now, by shifting 7.45am to the time people tap in, it is more targeted at those who travel around 8am to 9am, which is when there is a spike in commuters."

He added: "It is now also nationwide rather than just the city area, including congested stations such as Jurong East. There are many travelling to work in commercial areas outside the city, so this will impact them too."

Commuters interviewed had mixed views on whether such a move would make them change their travel patterns.

Ms Nadia Rosli, 24, a project manager at a food manufacturing company, said she would not wake up 30 minutes earlier for a 50-cent reduction. "Maybe I would do it once a week but definitely not every day," she said.

"I would also rather have fast, efficient trains that don't break down as much even if it meant paying slightly higher fares," she added.

Mr Eugene Tay, 42, an executive officer, said: "I tap in at 6.45am, so I will get the discount but it's not a big deal. I would prefer that the trains are more frequent and on time."

Ms Deanna Lim, 23, a lifestyle blog intern, said she would consider travelling earlier for the discount.

"If I get to work an hour or so earlier, I can go to the gym and have breakfast before work. I wake up early anyway, so it isn't such an issue for me," she said.

↧

Keen gardeners can now rent spaces at parks to grow their own crops

November 5, 2017, 1:24 am

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NParks to offer garden plots for rent as interest grows
It will allow users to grow plants of their choice, with aim of building 1,000 such gardens in 10 parks by 2019
By Raffaella Nathan Charles, The Straits Times, 4 Nov 2017

Amid the backdrop of an increasingly eco-conscious Singapore, the National Parks Board (NParks) will for the first time be leasing out garden space in its parks for anyone to grow their own plants.

These 2.5 sq m plots each cost $57 a year, for up to three years. Users can grow any plants of their choice, from blooms to vegetables.

NParks aims to build 1,000 of these "allotment gardens" in 10 parks by 2019.

This move is part of a broader Edible Horticulture Plan launched yesterday that trains and supports gardeners in Singapore.

In recent years, more community gardens have sprouted islandwide, reflecting a keen interest in gardening beyond the professional sphere. Gardening enthusiasts also say that they have observed more aspiring green fingers.

Mr Desmond Lee, Minister for Social and Family Development, noted that gardens have sprung up not only in residential estates, but also in schools, and even indoors.

And residents love the idea of growing their own food, as about 80 per cent of community gardeners under NParks'Community In Bloom (CIB) programme raise edibles in their shared plots, said Mr Lee, who is also Second Minister for National Development.

Mr Lee was speaking yesterday at the launch of the second Community Garden Festival, which runs until tomorrow at HortPark, off Alexandra Road.

In a pilot allotment scheme last year, 80 allotment plots that were made available in HortPark were quickly snapped up.

By the year end, new allotment gardens will be available for rent at Punggol, Clementi Woods and Bishan-Ang Mo Kio parks. Applications can be made during the festival at the Allotment Garden Booth in HortPark.

NParks provides the basics: a raised garden plot at waist level, soil and water. The gardeners simply have to bring their own seeds and tools.

Mrs Emily Fong, a retiree in her 60s, enjoys having her own 2.5 sq m space in HortPark, right next to her niece's.

She said: "There's a sense of ownership. It's a bit hard in the shared community gardens to determine what you own."

NParks said there are now over 1,300 community garden groups.

As part of the Edible Horticulture Plan, it aims to enhance training schemes.

The new three-tiered scheme has a basic training level, an advanced level for ornamental plants, edibles and pollinator-attracting plants, and a final CIB ambassador level to groom a new generation of expert gardeners who can train others.

These new initiatives bank on the widespread interest in gardening, and create a community effort to achieve the City in a Garden vision, NParks said.

Hundreds of people turned up for the festival, attending talks and tours, buying plants at their retail marketplace, and more.

"I'm impressed with the gardens (on display)," said 47-year-old housewife Rosna Hamde, who turned up with her nine-year-old son Rafael Afiq. "I came for the tours and talks, and maybe I'll go for the cooking demonstrations too."

Related
New National Masterplan to Encourage More to Garden

↧

Construction worker writes memoir about working here

November 5, 2017, 1:49 am

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Book contains diary entries and poems by Bangladeshi on his experiences in Singapore since 2008
By Toh Yong Chuan, Manpower Correspondent, The Straits Times, 4 Nov 2017

The sacrifices of migrant workers are written in many parts of Singapore - in the bricks of buildings, ship irons and under the floors of houses.

Mr Md Sharif Uddin, a construction safety supervisor, paints pictures with his words.

The 39-year-old has written several hundred diary entries and poems in a memoir style in chronological order since he first arrived here in October 2008.

Now, more than 100 of his stories and poems written in Bengali have been translated, compiled into a book and published by local publisher Landmark Books.

Mr Md Sharif is believed to be the first Bangladeshi construction worker to publish a memoir in English about his experience working in Singapore.

"The book is (a collection of) my feelings and memories," he said.

To work here, he left behind his newly-wedded wife, who was then three-months pregnant.

He was running a bookshop in Rangpur, but the business failed after the local government declared that the building which housed his bookshop was being used illegally, he said.

He got the idea of working in Singapore from a customer of his bookshop and paid $8,000 to an agent in his country, who arranged for a construction job for him.

"I had no choice," he said.

He earned $18 a day, most of which he saved and sent home to support his wife and son, now eight.

Meanwhile, he took night classes and was qualified to become a safety supervisor in 2009.

But it was not until 2012 that he found work as a safety supervisor and his salary rose.

He now earns about $60 a day for a manpower supply company which sends him to construction sites that need safety supervisors.

While thankful for the opportunity to work here, he said employers and Singaporeans do not understand foreign workers well enough.

"Foreign workers contribute to Singapore," he said. "Some Singaporeans don't understand our sacrifices, feelings and problems. I hope the book can help Singaporeans understand us better," he said.

In his book, Mr Md Sharif writes about his journey to Singapore, how he has missed his family over the years and how upset he gets when employers ill-treat foreign workers.

The book draws its title, Stranger To Myself, from an essay he wrote in 2015.

The essay, The Death Of Dreams, is about how the dreams and hopes of migrant workers were crushed when they found that working in Singapore was not what they imagined it to be, he said.

"It is like the migrant workers don't recognise themselves any more," he said of the book's title.

Landmark Books publisher Goh Eck Kheng said he came to know of Mr Md Sharif's writing through the book Written Country: The History Of Singapore Through Literature, which was released last year.

Mr Md Sharif had been commissioned to pen a poem on the 2013 Little India riot for the anthology.

Mr Goh asked him for more of his work. "He sent in one whole stack of diary entries and poems," Mr Goh said.

On reading them after having them translated, Mr Goh said he decided to publish the writings because "there is a certain honesty in his voice".

"Anyone who reads the book will understand," he said.

The 176-page book, which costs $19.90, will be launched at the National Library today during the Singapore Writers Festival.

↧

The search for meaning amid tasks galore and race to be first

November 5, 2017, 4:23 am

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For most, life is a busy pursuit. But it is good every now and then to take the time to reflect on why you do what you do.
By David Chan, Published The Straits Times, 4 Nov 2017

In a merit-based and achievement-oriented society like Singapore, to succeed in school or at work often means standing out in a crowd and ranking ahead of other competitors. The most common performance indicators of success are tangible ones, defined by societal and group norms.

So, for students and their parents, academic scientists and professors, and people in various occupations and organisations, concrete outcomes like academic grades, journal publications and awards, income and wealth, or promotion and power have become the widely accepted ladder of success that drives what they do, and how they do it.

But the pursuit of success is maladaptive when the competitive comparison with others and the craving for salience dominate how we think and feel, and what we do. It will constantly produce stress and strain at the various stages and moments of our lives. It is easy to end up forgetting why we engaged in an endeavour, joined a community or a cause, or even chose an occupation or organisation in the first place.

SCIENCE AND MEANING

Take, for example, the role of academic scientists and their reason for doing science. In a science feature interview published two weeks ago in The Straits Times, I said: "Why are we doing science? It has to be because we want to solve human problems and enhance human well-being. It cannot be to publish in top journals and win awards. That should be the consequence of good science, not the reason for doing it."

Not surprisingly, I received many responses from academics and users of science including policymakers and leaders of public-sector agencies. These individuals reacted positively because they believe in translational research and evidence-based practice - the need to apply scientific research to address practical issues. They know that good science solves real problems.

But somewhat unexpected was the responses received from those who are not academics, scientists or direct users of scientific findings. They shared with me the things they put effort in and spend their time on, and how they are motivated by the personal meaning they find in doing what they believe in, and care about. Most involve contributing to society and making a positive difference to the lives of others in various ways.

A common theme in the comments of many of these Singaporeans from all walks of life was that their personal sense of meaning and well-being came about after they realised how overly consumed they had been in pursuing a singular dimension of success. These dimensions had to do with academic grades in school, a promotion or political power at work, or more wealth and fame - relative to what others had.

MATTERS OF THE MOMENT

Zero-sum competition and comparison with others can lead to adverse consequences, for self and others. Here are some examples - egocentric thoughts lacking in empathy; negative emotions such as anxiety and anger; social divides that breed elitism, envy, contempt and conflict; and selfish acts that advance oneself at the expense of others.

These consequences make it difficult to build interpersonal trust and good quality social relationships, which are among the strongest predictors of individual well-being, group morale and group cohesion.

But beyond these more obvious consequences, there are silent effects that creep into our daily routines and influence how we think, feel and behave. They proceed quickly, moment by moment, resulting in a negative spiral that becomes harder to stop over time.

Here are some danger signs that we may have "normalised" in our daily lives:

• Undiscerning. Concerned with competition from others, an individual takes on every task assigned or available. He works tirelessly to complete them, often providing more details than necessary and without regard to the distribution of work among co-workers.

• Need to win. Fixated on proving one's superiority, an individual is out to win a debate or argument at all cost - never mind the feelings of others and the adverse effect of his responses on them.

• Risk avoidance. Worried about looking bad relative to others, an individual avoids having to do something new or that might lead to him failing or appearing incompetent. This ends up in missed opportunities, errors of omission, and good advice rendered ineffective due to delayed adoption.

The individual caught in a negative spiral of maladaptive performance could be any one of us. At stake is our physical, mental and social health.

Maladaptive performance episodes, which are momentary threats to our well-being, are mutually and self-reinforcing and thus make up a negative spiral. But we are unaware of the danger because each threat appears as a small and necessary daily burden that we take as a given that we have to bear or live with.

It is like being the victim of an abusive or exploitative close relationship. If we are unable or unwilling to identify the danger signs, take action early and react adaptively, it becomes more difficult to get out of the spiral. We could end up like the metaphoric frog that was slowly boiled alive.

WHAT REALLY MATTERS

The dangers of maladaptive performance goals can be countered with mastery and learning goals. The latter shift one's focus to mastering deep skills in a task domain, instead of trying to outdo everyone in every task. They also encourage a genuine learning orientation that seeks to understand issues, contexts and people.

Research has also identified the job characteristics that help make work meaningful. For example, it is enriching to perform tasks that are complex enough to be challenging but achievable, based on one's competence. We also want some autonomy or control over how to carry out and accomplish the task activities; and we want useful feedback on how we are performing.

Work is also more meaningful when there is a good fit between the person's profile of abilities and needs and what the work demands and offers.

Learning and mastery goals, job characteristics and person-work fit are all important for meaningful work. I call them "process meaning" because they are all about how we do the work. But there is also an equally important aspect of what makes work meaningful, which I call "outcome meaning". This is about why we do what we do, and the impact of what we do.

Outcome meaning is most powerful when it is other-centric, as opposed to centred on oneself. Research has shown that, across many demographics and cultures, people find their lives (and what they do) most meaningful - and they experience good well-being - when they know that they have made a positive difference to other people's lives.

Paradoxically, we achieve personal fulfilment not by putting others down, but uplifting them. Not by comparing ourselves with others, but comparing how others are better off now than before because of what we did. Put in another way, the egocentric pursuit is replaced by a people-centric approach. An approach characterised by passion and purpose, with a genuine desire to enhance the well-being of others, and not a hidden agenda for political gain or to achieve some self-interested goals.

Here is a simple self-test. Are we seeking feedback and finding out other people's needs, concerns, aspirations and viewpoints because we really want to, and not just because we have to?

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Not every matter that we have to deal with truly matters. Of course, it is unrealistic to expect the two to always coincide. But we should distinguish what really matters from matters of the moment.

It is easy to be absorbed in the tasks and matters that require us to work hard to complete, and often to compete. But the outcome of the accomplishment may have little to do with what truly motivates us when we find meaning in doing what really matters. This is important to remember and reflect, especially when we can choose what to devote our time and life to.

Back to the reason for doing science. I asked my academic colleagues and PhD students this question: "When you die, do you want to have beside you a heap of your publications read by a select group of academics, or the peace of mind knowing that your work made a difference to the lives of many?"

The basic issue in this question is relevant to not just academics. We can replace the heap of publications with stacks of cash or collections of symbols of wealth, power and fame. Or anything we accumulated from years of stressful relentless pursuit, driven by a fixation on popular success, prestige and possession, instead of a focus on personal meaning, purpose and passion.

Life is a busy pursuit for most, and a stressful one for many. But life is short and fragile for all. Now and then, we should ask ourselves why we do what we do, and what really matters to us. To pause, remind and reflect, and maybe retrack and redirect.

Competition and comparison are not inherently unhealthy, but it is easy to slip into a negative spiral when we ignore the danger signs.

It is human to want to achieve and accomplish something significant. How then to have a sustained and sustainable sense of personal fulfilment?

Research evidence and anecdotal experiences have provided the answer: when the significance is less about salience in comparison with peers or standing out from them, and more about the positive difference that one makes to other people and the larger community that one is a part of.

The writer is director of the Behavioural Sciences Institute and Professor of Psychology at the Singapore Management University.

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Few willing to take over their parents’ sundry, fresh food stalls; experts suggest making them hip

November 5, 2017, 11:32 pm

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Makeover could could turn things around for trade, say experts
By Linette Lai and Sue-Ann Tan, The Sunday Times, 5 Nov 2017

For nearly half a century, wet market hawker Ong Seng Lip has started work before sunrise.

The 80-year-old is up by 5am every morning to prepare fresh poultry for sale at his stall in Toa Payoh West Market and Food Centre.

Eventually, Mr Ong plans to hand Seng Lip Fresh Chicken and Ducks over to his son, 54-year-old Ong Aik Beng. But among hawkers, he is in the minority.

"Many of the hawkers here have been around for many years," he told The Sunday Times in Mandarin. "But not everyone has children who want to take over."

Indeed, the number of licensed hawkers under the National Environment Agency (NEA) selling market produce, such as fresh meats and vegetables, has fallen over the past decade, going by the latest figures.

Data from the Department of Statistics showed that there were 6,264 NEA-licensed hawkers selling market produce in 2006. Last year, this number fell 12.4 per cent to 5,485.

For NEA-licensed hawkers who sold piece and sundry goods - which include clothing, textiles and toiletries - the figure was 2,497 in 2006, and dipped 3.5 per cent to 2,416 last year.

However, these drops are in contrast with the situation for NEA-licensed hawkers who sell cooked food. In 2006, their numbers stood at 5,585, but rose 6.4 per cent to 5,970 last year.

Business experts said a change of attitudes towards the trade could turn things around for sundry and market-produce hawkers.

Being a next-generation cooked-food hawker is still "cool" in a way that selling fresh food or sundries is not, said Mr Amos Tan, a senior lecturer in Singapore Polytechnic's business school.

He added: "People need to believe in the potential of these old-school shops and make it seem like a fun, exciting platform for the next generation."

So, whether there will be fewer sundry and market-produce hawkers in the future, even as long-time hawkers retire, will depend on whether the trade changes.

Said Ms Esther Ho, who is a deputy director at Nanyang Polytechnic's school of business management: "If the model evolves with value-added services - such as delivery, healthy eating and convenience - there could be some pockets of growth... It all depends on whether these sellers can change the way they deliver services to their customers."

As for why the number of sundry and market-produce hawkers is falling, observers said one reason was greater competition from other choices such as supermarkets or fast-fashion outlets.

Dr Lynda Wee, an adjunct associate professor at the Nanyang Technological University's Nanyang Business School, also said that many people now rarely find time to cook, which means they are less likely to buy raw produce, such as from hawkers.

Dr Teo Ho Pin, coordinating chairman of the People's Action Party town councils and MP for Bukit Panjang, noted that with some hawkers giving up their stalls because of lack of successors, the options available to residents will be reduced.

One customer who enjoys buying produce from traditional markets is housewife Cheo Ah Poh, 61.

"The things here are cheaper and I like being able to pick them for myself," she said.

"In supermarkets, a lot of vegetables are sold in packets. Here, I can choose the pretty ones."

No plans to hand over business to their children
By Linette Lai, The Sunday Times, 5 Nov 2017

At Toa Payoh West Market and Food Centre, the narrow aisles are packed with stalls selling fresh meat, seafood, joss sticks, jade bangles and ornamental fish.

Many stallholders are well into their 60s and 70s, and have been in the same trade most of their lives.

Nearly all those that The Sunday Times spoke to said they have no plans to hand over the business to their children. When they retire, they will simply close shop.

"That happened to the couple who were next door - they worked until they were in their 80s," said Madam Tay Geok Hua, 68, who sells dried foods, preserved vegetables and fresh beancurd at Huat Kueh, Kuay Teow Mee. "They gave up the stall because there was no one to take over from them."

This is amid a falling number of hawkers licensed under the National Environment Agency who sell sundries and market produce in the past decade. The figure was 8,761 in 2006 but it dropped 9.8 per cent to 7,901 last year.

Madam Tay, who has run the stall with her husband for around 40 years, said she plans to retire in a couple of years herself. After all, she said, her children are already grown up and have jobs of their own. "I get up at 1am to prepare for the next day - to peel the beansprouts and so on," she said in Mandarin. "I sleep in the afternoon and when I get up, I start all over again. It's not an easy life."

The same goes for Madam Teo Swee, who rents a poultry stall that she started 40 years ago to support her four children after her husband died. For her, the stall represents a lifetime's worth of work.

"I would want to pass it on to my children, but they wouldn't want to work here," she said.

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Singaporeans must take ownership to make country cleaner: DPM Tharman

November 6, 2017, 12:13 am

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Singaporeans urged to change habits, such as relying on others to clean up after them
By Rachel Au-Yong, The Sunday Times, 5 Nov 2017

Singaporeans rely too much on other people to clean up after them, and this has to change if the country wants to become a cleaner, less wasteful society.

To this effect, Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam yesterday urged Singaporeans to take more ownership in their daily lives.

Speaking at the launch of the annual Clean and Green Singapore carnival at Boon Keng, he noted that the country had made great strides on becoming a garden city with many trees and waterways dotting the island.

But on the cleanliness front, he said: "After 20 to 30 years, we haven't improved in many of our habits."

Mr Tharman also highlighted Singaporeans' reliance on others to clean up after them.

"Today, we are reliant on 50,000 cleaners… We also have our community initiatives, teams of volunteers who go around and help pick up the litter. But that isn't going to solve the problem," he said.

"The only way to solve the problem is habits - habits have to change, and being mindful of our neighbours, being mindful of our fellow citizens, and being public-spirited, is what Singapore has to be all about."

He cited the Ministry of Education's move to get students to have cleaning activities starting this year as a good example of how to get people more involved.

He also noted the advancements in technology that would help more sustainable living, such as cheaper solar panels in the United States.

Environment and Water Resources Minister Masagos Zulkifli later told reporters about the rising number of natural disasters like hurricanes and floods, and how it has prompted accelerated concern about climate change. He added that efforts are under way to get Singaporeans to use cars less frequently, aim at zero-waste lives and recycle more - efforts that would, over time, lead to "less deforestation, pollution and things that contribute to the greenhouse effect".

Public Hygiene Council chairman Edward D'Silva said he believed that Singaporeans may have become lax about public hygiene in recent decades as the authorities tried to steer away from strict penalties like fines and people started to rely more on cleaners and domestic helpers. "It's a natural reaction but a difficult habit to break. We also want to increase awareness, as people don't seem to realise that littering can lead to health hazards like pests," he added.

Mr D'Silva said his council was looking at edgier ways to push Singaporeans to use and waste less, like having a day or two without cleaners, or having no bins at all in a counter-intuitive bid to have less litter - as is the case in Japan.

Progress has been made on some fronts. Last year, the rate of recycling in households inched up to 21 per cent from 19 per cent the year before.

But in other areas, more could be done. The number of fines handed out for littering rose to a seven-year high last year, with the authorities meting out more than 31,000 fines, a 55 per cent jump from 20,000 tickets issued in 2014.

The amount of food waste generated here also climbed by about 40 per cent over the last 10 years. Last year, more than 790,000 tonnes of food was wasted - equivalent to two bowls of rice per person a day.

The Clean and Green festival launched yesterday runs until today for the public. Visitors can pick up tips on how to fight dengue, save energy and aim for zero-waste lives in their homes, at work and in public spaces.

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