Category: Singapuraku

Most Singaporeans Want Someone Of Same Race As Prime Minister, President: CNA-IPS Survey

If given a choice, most Singaporeans prefer someone of the same race as the nation’s Prime Minister or President.

This was one of the findings in a nationwide survey of 2,000 citizens and permanent residents on their views on relations between the country’s four major races. The survey was commissioned by Channel NewsAsia in partnership with the Institute of Policy Studies, and was one of the largest of its kind.

The survey, conducted between June and July this year, was done through a random sampling of dwelling types. Malay and Indian respondents were oversampled to ensure sufficient minority representation. Selected households completed a survey questionnaire then returned it to a surveyor at a stipulated time, to reduce the possibility of interviewer bias.

The results were then statistically weighted to ensure that the final sample resembled the national population in terms of racial composition, dwelling type and gender.

According to the survey, the vast majority of Chinese respondents – 98 per cent – would accept a Singaporean Chinese as Prime Minister, while 96 per cent preferred a Singaporean Chinese as President.

Malay respondents also overwhelmingly wanted a Singaporean Malay to be Prime Minister or President. A total of 93 per cent of Malays surveyed said they preferred a Singaporean Malay to be Prime Minister, while 94 per cent would accept a Malay as President.

Among Indian respondents, 89 per cent would accept a Singaporean Indian as Prime Minister and 92 per cent said the same for the role of the President.

The majority of respondents of all races were agreeable to a Singaporean Chinese in both positions, with more than 80 per cent of Malays, Indians and Others saying they would accept a Singaporean Chinese as Prime Minister and as President.

A smaller number of respondents said they would accept a minority race in the positions – around 60 per cent of Chinese, 75 per cent of Malays and around 68 per cent of Others said yes to a Singaporean Indian Prime Minister or President. When it came to a Singaporean Malay Prime Minister or President, just over half of Chinese, around 70 per cent of Indians and about 80 per cent of Others said yes.

The older a respondent, the less likely he or she would accept someone of a different race to hold the nation’s highest positions, the survey found.

Among Chinese respondents who were below 30 years old, more than 60 per cent would accept a Singaporean Malay as Prime Minister or President, while more than 70 per cent would accept a Singaporean Indian.

Among those over 60 years old, about 40 to 42 per cent would accept a Singaporean Malay, while between 45 and 50 per cent would accept a Singaporean Indian in the two positions.

Source: ChannelNewsAsia

August 18, 2016
This Singaporean Has Caught Them All!

Less than two weeks after the release of the Pokemon Go game in Singapore, a 39-year-old app developer has claimed to have caught them all, including the rarest and most powerful ones.

Mr Terence Ho told The New Paper he has caught all 145 available Pokemon in the game within 10 days of playing it. He showed TNP a live video of his Pokedex as proof.

His captures do not include the six legendary Pokemon – Ditto, Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, Mewtwo and Mew – which have not been released in the game yet.

So far, only two other people in the world have reportedly caught all 145 – Mr Nick Johnson from the United States and Mr Ahmed Ali from the United Kingdom.

Business Insider reported on July 22 that Mr Johnson from Brooklyn was the first person in the world to catch all the Pokemon, accomplishing this just 16 days after the game’s release in the US on July 6.

Mr Ahmed also caught all the Pokemon in two weeks, according to The Sun.

This could mean that Mr Ho, who took just 10 days since the game’s launch in Singapore on Aug 6 to get them all, could be the player who did so in the shortest time so far.

Mr Ho said: “It’s always been the goal of every Pokemon trainer to catch all the Pokemon in the Pokedex. I’m no different.”

Mr Ho was unaware that he could be the fastest player in the world and seemed surprised at the possibility. “Wow! I didn’t know that! But I’m sure other players may not believe me and claim that I ‘cheated’ to catch all 145 of them,” he said.

The bachelor works as an app-developer at THWL Apps, which recently released an app which compiles worldwide news onto a single app.

He said news was an integral part of his Pokemon-hunting process.

“Before you catch any Pokemon, you should always read up on the latest news so that you know where the rare Pokemon are going to spawn.”

Mr Ho also started the SG Pokemon Go Singapore Facebook group and has been updating the page with locations of the various Pokemon that he caught.

His first Pokemon was the starter fire-type Pokemon Charmander, and his last was the grass-type Victreebel which evolved early Tuesday (August 16) morning at 12.05am.

Mr Ho bought ‘coins’ in the game to buy incense, lucky eggs and lures, in order to progress faster in the game. He claims to have spent $150 on these in-app purchases.

Mr Ho admits that he spent many hours after work catching Pokemon at the nearby park and would play till even after 1am on many nights.

He has also been to locations all around the island, including Punggol, where he finally caught the rarest of all Pokemon, a Cloyster.

Since completing the whole set of Pokemon, he has cut down his play time by at least half after achieving his goal.

He said with a laugh: “It’s time for me to get back to proper work!”

Mr Ho caught all his Pokemon when he was at level 24, but crossed level 25 late on Tuesday. The highest level in the game is 40.

He had decided to use his ‘candy’ in the game to evolve into new Pokemon rather than to power up his Pokemon to higher combat levels.

“My focus has been catching all the different types of Pokemon and filling the Pokedex,” he said.

As for the best spots to go to catch the rare ones, Mr Ho said Sentosa was a “nest for Pikachus”. “Occasionally, a Raichu may be spotted too!”

To complete his set of 145, Mr Ho had to catch Pokemon in region-exclusive spots – North America, Europe, Australia and certain areas of Asia.

These Pokemon are Tauros (US exclusive), Farfetch’d (Asia exclusive), Mr Mime (Europe exclusive) and Kangaskhan (Australia and New Zealand exclusive).

When asked how he caught these virtual creatures from Singapore, Mr Ho said he got friends living in these regions to log in for him to catch them.

Mr Ho said this was a “creative way” to catch Pokemon without breaking the rules, even though some players would consider this cheating.

“Every one of us use our own unique and creative ways to solve each problem. All players have this problem of catching region-exclusive Pokemon,” he said.

“What I did was to think out of the box, devise a possible solution and executed it. I only have every supportive friend around me to thank for this accomplishment.”

Source: The New Paper

August 18, 2016
Singapore To Assess Need To Send Forces To Frontlines To Fight IS

If Singapore faces a direct security threat, forces might be sent to the frontlines for counter-terrorism efforts, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said in Parliament on Monday (Aug 15).

This comes after Member of Parliament Lim Wee Kiak (Sembawang GRC) asked Dr Ng for an update on how Singapore can directly contribute to support the multinational coalition against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group.

He said that should Singapore face a direct security threat, the country would fight to make a “real difference”, and not just a “token” contribution.

Dr Ng also added that a Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) medical support team will be deployed to Iraq for about three months next year.

“The exact size, composition, and capabilities of the medical support team will be determined after our needs assessment and survey team assesses the situation,” he said.

He added that the medical team will take care of injured soldiers and civilians in the event of a battle against ISIS.

It was first announced in November 2014 by Dr Ng that Singapore will participate in the multinational coalition against ISIS.

In 2007, Singapore sent 492 SAF servicemen to Afghanistan during a six-year deployment to the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force, which ended in 2013. It was the SAF’s longest overseas deployment, The Straits Times reported.

Source: AsiaOne

August 18, 2016
Penggiat Seni Zai Kuning Dipilih Wakili Singapura Di Venice Biennale

Penggiat seni pelbagai disiplin, Zai Kuning serta kurator dan sejarawan seni, June Yap dipilih oleh Majlis Seni Kebangsaan (NAC) bagi mewakili Singapura di pameran Venice Biennale, pada tahun depan.

Hasil kerja seni dipanggil “Dapunta Hyang”, nama Maharaja pertama kerajaan Srivijaya yang berkuasa di Asia Tenggara pada kurun ketujuh.

Struktur itu diperbuat daripada rotan dan benang disaluti lilin.

Ia merupakan sebahagian hasil kerja awal Zai dan memberi sedikit gambaran mengenai kerja seni yang bakal dipamerkan di Venice Biennale.

Ruang itulah di mana Zai dan June akan menghabiskan masa enam bulan selanjutnya bagi mempersiapkan kerja seni itu sebelum ia dipindahkan ke Venice.

Berbekalkan lebih 20 tahun penyelidikan tentang budaya, sejarah dan bahasa Melayu di Asia Tenggara, Zai berharap para pengunjung asing akan melihat Singapura dan rantau ini dengan perspektif berbeza.

“Kalau kita cakap Melayu, mereka cakap Malaysia. Tetapi, Melayu lebih lebar, lebih besar daripada itu. Melayu daripada Sumatera, Melayu daripada Filipina, Melayu daripada Thailand, Melayu itu lebih luas daripada apa yang orang tahu tentang dunia Melayu,” kata Zai.

Source: Berita MediaCorp

August 18, 2016
Peniaga Melayu Tutup Kedai, Perniagaan Di East Village Kurang Rancak

Perniagaan di pusat beli-belah East Village kurang rancak dua tahun selepas ia dibuka.

Lokasinya di kawasan Simpang Bedok, yang popular di kalangan penduduk di daerah timur, awalnya dianggap berpotensi. Ia mendorong ramai peniaga Melayu untuk mencuba peluang perniagaan di situ.

Namun kini, sebahagian pemilik melaporkan perniagaan yang lembab, bahkan ada yang terpaksa gulung tikar.

Sekitar 80 peratus daripada perniagaan di East Village dimiliki peniaga Melayu. Salah satunya ialah Cloud 9 Studio yang bermula sebagai perniagaan dalam talian menjual pakaian Muslimah.

LOKASI EAST VILLAGE “KURANG MENARIK”

Pemiliknya, Norazman Johari membuka kedainya yang pertama di East Village selepas beberapa rakan niaga turut membuka kedai di situ. Namun setahun kemudian, perniagaannya merosot sebanyak 50 peratus.

Menurut beliau, lokasi pusat beli-belah East Village yang digabungkan dalam sebuah projek kondominium, kurang menarik perhatian pengunjung.

Encik Norazman berkata: “Kalau kita naik teksi dan cakap hendak ke East Village, pemandu teksi akan cakap East Village atau Changi Village? Jadi mereka keliru, tidak tahu perbezaan East Village dengan Changi Village.

“Mungkin lokasinya ada orang yang tidak berapa tahu, mungkin penduduk dari daerah barat atau tengah tidak berapa tahu. Kebanyakan orang yang lalu di sini, mungkin mereka fikir ada apartmen di atas dan tidak tahu yang ada pusat beli-belah di sini.”

Sebenarnya East Village menempatkan sekitar 100 unit komersil termasuk banyak perniagaan F&B.

Watsub, yang menjual beraneka sandwic premium, mencatat penjualan laris sehingga 120 sandwic sehari ketika dibuka Mac tahun lalu. Namun sekarang ia menjual sekitar 80 keping sandwic sehari.

CABARAN HAK MILIK STRATA

Cabaran berniaga di East Village adalah pembangunan jenis hak milik strata, dengan setiap peniaga menyewa daripada pemilik hartanah yang berbeza. Ini bermakna para peniaga tidak boleh bergantung pada pihak pengurusan East Village untuk melakukan kegiatan pemasaran bagi perniagaan mereka.

Pemilik Watsub, Norizam Jafar, berkata: “Kami ada beberapa pilihan untuk teruskan di sini atau pun untuk keluar dari East Village. Kami ada banyak tawaran juga di luar, di tempat-tempat yang lain tetapi satu faktor yang kuat ialah sewanya.”

Para peniaga di East Village yang ditemui BERITAMediacorp membayar sewa kedai antara S$2,000 hingga S$7,000 sebulan. Sebahagian mereka berunding dengan pemilik hartanah untuk menurunkan harga sewa namun tidak semua yang berjaya.

BEBERAPA PERNIAGAAN MELAYU TIDAK LAGI BEROPERASI DI SITU

Antara perniagaan milik Melayu yang tidak lagi beroperasi di situ ialah Sarah’s the Pancake Cafe, Tasconi’s Pizza, Cookwerx, Perghh dan Salty Peanut.

Pengurus Operasi Salty Peanut, Zukiflee Othman, berkata: “Untuk usahawan baru, saya rasa lagi baik mereka fikirkan kolaborasi dengan beberapa jenis bisnes, kalau kita satukan dua atau tiga jenis bisnes dalam satu unit, saya rasa itu lagi bermanfaat.”

Meskipun pada umumnya para peniaga mempunyai persamaan dalam memenuhi keperluan pelanggan Melayu, mereka percaya produk dan barang yang diketengahkan setiap peniaga mempunyai kekuatan tersendiri dan berharap perniagaan mereka akan bertahan.

Source: http://berita.mediacorp.sg

August 17, 2016