Category: Politik

Indranee Rajah: Building Economy While Maintaning Singaporean Core A Tricky Balancing Act

Building a strong economy with the help of foreign labour while keeping a Singaporean core is ‘a tricky balancing act’, said Senior Minister of State for Law and Education Indranee Rajah.

With low total fertility rates and an ageing population looming in the near future, the city-state may have fewer working individuals to drive the economy and support more seniors, Ms Indranee told some 300 students who attended the annual Polytechnic Forum held at Ngee Ann Polytechnic on Friday afternoon.

“If you don’t have enough of your own people, then you have to ask people from outside to come in,” she said. “And that is a very tricky balancing act to do, because you must not have so many people coming in from the outside that your own local, Singaporean core is eroded.”

She also acknowledged there are sectors that Singaporeans are not keen on working, such as construction. “So that is one area where we will still need to have people from abroad to help out with,” she said.

Ms Indranee said the Government had been tightening up on foreign labour in the last five years, but it had to be a gradual process. She cited the F&B sector, which faces a lack of waiters and waitresses.

“So for us in the Government, we’ve got to make sure we finely calibrate it,” she said. “But as far as possible, wherever Singaporeans can take up those positions, that’s what we want.”

The Polytechnic Forum, which started in 1996, is organised annually by the five polytechnics. It provides a platform for students to gain a deeper understanding of national issues through activities, discussions and dialogue with industry and government leaders.

During the two hour-long dialogue on Friday, students from all five polytechnics raised issues such as university education and National Service. A common concern was on permanent residency and citizenship.

Ms Indranee noted that foreigners do not automatically qualify to become Singapore permanent residents or citizens. “If we add to the Singaporean pool, (they) must be people who identify with us, share our values and can contribute to Singapore,” she said.

Urging Singaporeans not to be xenophobic, Ms Indranee added: “We should be willing to allow people to join the Singapore family.”

Source: www.straitstimes.com

September 19, 2015
Damanhuri Abas: We Must Focus On Issues Objectively

Salam Jumaat to All,

A week has past since Singaporean goes to the polls. I am sure the week has given us time to reflect on things. I have received many supportive words from people whom I juz knew over this election period and their encouragement helped me to look ahead amidst the gloom of the election outcome. From this people, everyone of us in SDP can draw much strength for us to continue the work we passionately believe in.

While we surely feel for most of the issues that were shared during the election period, let us not allow the differences to cloud our unity as Singaporean and our collective desire to contribute to make this place better.

I share this picture of a couple I met during our walkabout outside Yew Tee MRT. They were staunch PAP supporters and we had a good 5 minutes engagement and exchanges on the issues that we passionately hold to. We differ in our views but at the end of the exchange we both agree to maintain goodwill and work towards improving Singapore.

So in the spirit of Jumaat, I would like to remind myself and everyone to focus on the issues objectively and work towards remedying areas that need to, through active and courageous engagement while maintaining decorum towards others whom may disagree with us.

Within the malay/muslim community specifically, there are indeed systemic issues that must be addressed and corrected. I have spoken out clearly on that and I choose to differentiate that with the individuals that the system produce. We should not abuse the persons but should deal with the issues and look into how we can create more openness and space within the social structure of the community.

We have 5 years to contribute, and lets do what we can actively. Leave the outcome to time and the wisdom of the people.

Have a blessed Jumaat All.

Source: Damanhuri Abas

September 18, 2015
George Yeo: I ‘Didn’t Expect Landslide” Election Win For PAP

Former Cabinet Minister George Yeo on Friday (Sep 18) said he was surprised by the results of the 2015 General Election, where the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) took almost 70 per cent of the votes.

“I didn’t expect a landslide (win),” said Mr Yeo, who spoke to media after the launch of an art installation at Bedok Reservoir Park on Friday (Sep 18), which he donated an undisclosed sum to. “I think on Cooling-Off Day, after all that the people saw and heard, people got a little worried that the day after may result in a very different Singapore.”

“So everyone took two steps back and reflected: There are problems, but this is a wonderful country, and we all like coming back here when we travel. This is home,” added the former Member of Parliament, who served Aljunied Group Representation Constituency (GRC) from 1988 to 2011.

“And collectively, when everyone came to that conclusion, I think it contributed to this outcome.”

Pointing out that the battle for Aljunied GRC between the PAP and the Workers’ Party (WP) this election was “very close”, Mr Yeo said that he “thought Victor Lye and his team did a very good job winning back a large part of the crowd”.

The WP team, led by chief Low Thia Khiang, retained Aljunied GRC with 50.95 per cent of the votes against PAP’s Mr Lye, Mr Yeo Guat Kwang, Mr Chua Eng Leong, Mr Shamsul Kamar and Mr K Muralidharan Pillai.

In 2011, the same WP slate of Mr Low, Ms Sylvia Lim, Mr Chen Show Mao, Mr Pritam Singh and Mr Faisal Manap won Aljunied by 54.72 per cent of the votes, ousting the PAP team helmed by Mr Yeo.

Mr Yeo stepped down from politics thereafter.

Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

September 18, 2015
PAP Or Opposition Ward? No Difference To Home Value

With the General Election 2015 over and the People’s Action Party (PAP) winning all but two electoral divisions, research by property portal 99.co has showed that when it comes to housing price movements, it does not matter whether a home is located in a constituency held by the ruling party or an opposition party.

Amid perceptions that Opposition-held constituencies are not upgraded as much as ruling party wards and get fewer amenities, and thus may be seen as being less attractive as a residential area, 99.co studied housing price data from the past 10 years.

The first two graphs show how private housing prices in the four constituencies — Aljunied, Ang Mo Kio, Potong Pasir and West Coast — have changed from July 2006 to July this year.

Both Aljunied and Potong Pasir outperformed the Singapore average in terms of the property price appreciation, 99.co noted. In fact, both constituencies are among the best performing areas in Singapore, with its properties more than doubling in price on average over the last 10 years — a growth rate of over 100 per cent.

For PAP constituencies, 99.co noted that for Ang Mo Kio and West Coast, home prices in the former have performed just as well as those in Aljunied, but those in the latter lagged behind the national average, growing only about 50 per cent in the last 10 years.

The price movements and trend lines in the constituencies have remained in sync with the national average and other wards despite control of Aljunied and Potong Pasir changing hands in 2011.

“The rise or fall of property prices is not dependent on whether the property is in a PAP or an Opposition ward. Rather, the property prices are a factor of the location, and the corresponding supply and demand characteristics at the given point in time,” said Mr Eugene Lim, key executive officer of real estate agency ERA.

99.co noted that over the last 10 years, HDB resale prices in almost all wards have appreciated 80 to 100 per cent. With the exception of the spike in Tanjong Pagar due to Pinnacle@Duxton having matured for resale in 2014, the graph lines for all of the wards have been pretty much the same.

One can buy an HDB resale flat anywhere in Singapore and its price would move very much in line with other parts of the island, unlike private housing, where the price appreciation has varied widely from 50 to 150 per cent, 99.co noted.

“The data from 99.co clearly indicates that there is no difference in the valuations of residences between neighbourhoods. This likely indicates that common areas such as pavements, drainage and landscaping are being managed to similar standards. Otherwise, over two to three years, the differences will show and valuations in badly-managed districts would drop,” said Mr Ku Swee Yong, chief executive of property agency Century 21 Singapore.

Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

September 18, 2015
Punggol East WP Supporter: “Irresponsible” Lee Li Lian Is A “Big Disappointment”

HELEN: I find it a big disappointment that Lee Li Lian refused to accept her NCMP nomination even though I respect her decision to choose so.

As someone who voted for her in the GE, it’s very disheartening to know that my vote counts for nothing.

If the ELD doesn’t accept Daniel Goh as a new option, then there will be one less opposition voice in parliament.

I think all this must have been clear at the start that, so for the WP to talk about how important it is for more opposition voices to be in parliament to make sure the PAP doesn’t “ownself check ownself” and after that let a chance like that slip by, I find it unsincere.

If you can’t juggle a job and NCMP duties, which are lesser than the duty of a full MP and much less than a Minister plus MP, then how can I trust you and send you to parliament in the next election?

When the going was good, you took the MP role, when times are tough, you don’t want to stay with us and fight.

All the promises have come to nothing and now we are left with Charles Chong.

What happens now to the half of Punggol that doesn’t want him around?

I’m just feeling very betrayed because I found her very sincere and approachable, and willing to go beyond for us, but when the aristocrats tell us we must vote for people of “calibre” I’m beginning to think they might be right.

I haven’t swung yet to that corner yet, but you can call me a swing voter for now.

Hopefully Daniel will get in and he will be more responsible.

Source: http://redwiretimes.com

September 18, 2015