Category: Singapuraku

Did The People’s Association Reserve Tickets To Own Members Only?

“The idea was good but shame it ended up as an ugly spat between the haves and the haves-not,” said one person.

He was referring to the much anticipated SG50 barbeque (BBQ) organised by the Australian High Commission here in Singapore.

The island-wide event by the Australians, to celebrate the two countries’ bilateral ties and to show solidarity in celebration of S’pore’s 50^th year as an independent state, would see the bbq take place at 50 locations in Singapore.

The event also coincided with the visit of Australian Prime Minister, Tony Abbot.

All seemed to go well, with many looking forward to being among those who would get to taste the 10,000 steaks which would be dished out on Sunday, 28 June.

PM Abbot and his Singapore counterpart, Lee Hsien Loong, themselves were at the BBQ in Bishan Park on Sunday.

It was, as believed, a free non-ticketed event.

However, on the day of the event itself, the Australia in Singapore Facebook page dropped a bombshell – tickets would be required to participate in the feast.

It said:

“This is IT. Tonight’s the night of our long awaited ’50 BBQs’!”

“Many locations are ticketed by the People’s Association to ensure there’s enough food for all. But we’ve been told some spare coupons are set aside for those who just show up. We can’t wait to cook for you.”

Questions soon started to be raised about the ticket requirement.

“Hi mates, pls clarify on confusing sudden PA tickets issue,” Cp Tan posted on the page.

“We don’t even know where to get the tickets because it wasn’t stated we need to get the tickets,” Jey Yeo said. “And now, like you said, tickets are all taken.”

Candy Foowitu posted: “Turned up early only to be disappointed later on when they started distributing the food when our group were asked to produce tickets? Why wasn’t this announced earlier that those ticketless residents from neighbouring estates were only entitled to leftovers from 8.30pm onwards? Disappointing.”

Some who attended the event on Sunday confirmed that tickets were required.

Davis Yin: “Seriously, the Aussie BBQ event was poorly organised!! I was looking forward to enjoy my Aussie BBQ dinner with a friend. But in the end, an event staff told me that a ticket is required to claim the food. The website stated that the Aussie BBQ event is opened to the public. Well, I was rejected and turned away because I didn’t have a ticket to claim my food.

“Frankly, you all wasted my time by going down to Bishan Park. I demand an explanation!!!”

“All are just inaccurate information passed down,” Junn Chin Teo said. “I was rejected right in the face at Bishan Park. Seriously waste my bloody time. You’re welcome.”

Soon, the anger was directed at the People’s Association, as criticisms and questions started to flow in on the Australia in Singapore page.

Some asked if the People’s Association had reserved the tickets for their own members, such as grassroots members, with none issued to the public.

Some complained that there were no public announcements of where to collect the tickets.

“A fantastic initiative undermined by the ruthlessly mechanical PA machine rejecting all non invitees,” Nicky Hamster Goh said.

Aileen Lee: “It’s 28 June 6:35pm, we dropped by Bukit Batok East Community and were surprised that ticket was required to attend. We were told by volunteers.. tixs were free but all given away by Tuesday! My kids are very disappointed.”

Richard Toh: “Same same ticket only thing at Bishan Pk at 7.30pm. Asked 3 separate Teck Gee T shirt wearing “officials” and they said no tickets available as they are given to “Grassroots members only”.”

“PA, you should clearly state its for your selected members AND NOT OPEN TO PUBLIC,” he said.

Tan Wan Qi: “Don’t understand why the sudden PA intervention, turning such awesome event as if their own event. We went down at 7.30pm with our family as well to Bishan Park, only to be turned away by the grassroots members. Feels terrible.”

Jonathan Goh: “Isnt this a walk in event? Why must it be ticketed, the CC near me didnt even publicise anything about this event.”

Dudu Kenny Xie: “I when over to punggol hardcourt. And those PA members rejected us to be participate. I even asked the lady in charge. Basically just brushed off us and she continue entertaining their dearest MP Ms Penny Low.”

Khor Fujie: “I emailed one of the CC(Admiralty) for information of the event and tickets distribution. I only got the reply yesterday that the tickets were out. No prior notifications/information given to residents on their FB page, but yet the tickets were out. Were the tickets being circulated internally to PA members only?”

Tina Hashim said:

Another person posted:

The incident is also being discussed at the Hardware Zone forum.

The Online Citizen (TOC) will be contacting the People’s Association for clarification on the allegations that it had reserved the tickets for its own members.

Source: www.theonlinecitizen.com

June 29, 2015
The 3 M’s Of Healthcare In Singapore

Many of us know we are covered by some health insurance under our CPF scheme, but do we know enough to make use of it?

Do you understand the difference between Medishield, Medisave and Medifund? How can these help Singaporeans with our hospitalisation and medical bills?

MediShield

MediShield is a basic medical insurance plan that helps cover large hospital bills and selected outpatient treatments. MediShield premiums can be paid using Medisave, and it will be changed to become MediShield Life by end of 2015.

Medisave

Medisave is a national healthcare savings scheme where a portion of your CPF savings goes into the account to help you build up your savings for healthcare purposes.

You can use your Medisave to pay for your own and your immediate family members’ hospitalisation payments. You can also use your Medisave savings to pay the premiums of MediShield and Medisave-approved Integrated Shield Plans.

Coverage includes hospitalisation, day surgery and certain outpatient treatments, including health screening and vaccinations for selected groups.

Medisave can be used at public hospitals, Medisave-accredited private hospitals and outpatient clinics.

Medifund

Medifund is an endowment fund that works like a financial safety net to help needy Singaporeans who cannot afford hospital expenses despite Medisave and MediShield.

The CPF Board administers the Medisave and MediShield schemes while there are other medisave-approved integrated shield plans that work with private insurers to provide a more comprehensive coverage.

More than 80 percent of Singaporeans use Medisave to pay for their hospitalisation expenses and about 75 percent of Singaporeans are covered under MediShield and other approved insurance plans.

Unlike some other countries where healthcare benefits enjoy a large government subsidy, the Singapore government emphasises on individual responsibility with some government support.

As we all know how huge hospitalisation bills can be in Singapore, how then can we ensure we have a better coverage?

Changes in Medishield starting from December 2007 ensure all new-born Singaporeans are automatically covered by the programme, helping policyholders to pay for large hospitalisation bills at Class B2/C level.

Medishield has deductible and co-insurance features, which means you need to pay an initial amount once in a policy year before you can make a claim.

Having said this, you may notice that medical bills are still not cheap and not comprehensively covered even under the Medishield.

That’s where the Medisave-approved Shield plans come in.

These policies ensure that you enjoy the benefits of coverage both from your private insurers as well as MediShield. Annual premiums average about $300 for the age band of 31 to 40.

These Private Integrated Shield Plans are offered by 5 insurers:

Great Eastern Life

NTUC Income

Aviva

Prudential Assurance

American International Assurance

Given the fact that Medisave-approved Shield plans are largely popular, you can guess that the basic coverage of Medisave for our healthcare is definitely not enough for most Singaporeans.

Be prudent and do consider buying a private insurance plan to top it up because the last thing you want to worry about when you are sick or hospitalised is borrowing money to pay for the hefty bills!

Source: https://sg.finance.yahoo.com

June 29, 2015
Singapore-Australia Strengthens Ties Over BBQ

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott on Sunday (Jun 28) began his two-day official visit in Singapore, which came as Singapore celebrates its Golden Jubilee and 50 years of bilateral relations with Australia this year.

On Sunday evening, Mr Abbott and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong presided over a special barbecue at Bishan Park.

The barbecue event was part of the 50 Bridges programme – an arts and community engagement programme meant to celebrate Singapore’s Golden Jubilee, as well as 50 years of diplomatic relations between the Republic and Australia.

Fifty Aussie barbecues involving 10,000 beef and lamb steaks were set up across 22 locations in Singapore. About 1,000 people turned up at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park.

“I think it’s a great way that the Australians and Singaporeans mix together and we have barbecue beef from Australia, it’s great,” said Mr Francis Tan, a Bishan resident.

Ms Cherly Anne, a fellow Bishan resident, added: “It’s fantastic, it’s a really a good way for Singaporeans and Australians to bond and also a good way to celebrate SG50.”

Mr Lee and Mr Abbott also joined in the festivities. They had earlier gone on a walk in the park where they met some residents.

Mr Abbott then planted a tree – the “Melaleuca cajuputi” – a tree which is native to Singapore and can be found in Australia too. The two prime ministers then made their way to the barbecue area where they also barbecued some steaks.

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (centre R) and Australia’s Prime Minister Tony Abbott (centre L) grill meat over a barbecue during a visit to Bishan Park in Singapore on Jun 28, 2015. (Photo: AFP/Mohd Fyrol)

Mr Abbott is on his first official visit at the invitation of Mr Lee. Australia was one of the first countries to recognise Singapore’s independence in 1965. Since then, relations between the two nations have grown in areas such as security as well as arts and culture.

Singapore’s Foreign Affairs Ministry says the visit underscores the deep and longstanding ties between the two countries.

The highlight of the visit will be signing of the Singapore-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership by the two prime ministers. It will see the two countries cooperating more closely across sectors such as economic, foreign affairs, defence and security and people-to-people ties.

An official welcome ceremony will be held for Mr Abbott in Monday. He will also visit the Singapore Botanical Gardens, where an orchid hybrid will be named in honour of the relationship between both countries.

Mr Abbott will also deliver the 35th Singapore Lecture which addresses the issue of strengthening security in the region.

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (R) and Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott (L) don balloon hats as they visit Bishan Park in Singapore, Jun 28, 2015. (Photo: AP/Joseph Nair)

Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

June 29, 2015
Downtown Line 2 To Open In December

Residents in Bukit Timah and Bukit Panjang will get to enjoy the convenience of the Downtown Line 2 (DTL2) earlier than expected, when it opens in December.

The line’s opening had been pushed back in July 2013 after its main contractor, Alpine Bau — which was contracted to work on the King Albert Park, Sixth Avenue and Tan Kah Kee stations for S$670.74 million — became insolvent. However, during a community visit today (June 28) to the Zhenghua division, Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew announced that the resulting six-month delay has since been completely recovered.

Additional manpower and tweaks to work processes have helped bring forward the opening date to the first quarter of next year.

As a result of the stepping up of construction as well as electrical and mechanical installation work —with round-the-clock operations on some days — construction of the 12 DTL stations is now more than 95 per cent complete, the LTA said.

A control station has also been set up at Little India Station to enable basic testing for the stations to be conducted earlier.

When completed, the DTL2 will allow residents in the north-western and western regions of Singapore to get to the city centre in a shorter span of time and will ramp up public transit capacity in those areas by about 50 per cent.

Residents whom TODAY spoke to welcomed the news, noting that the DTL2 would help ease commuter crowd on buses.

“With many flats coming up in the area, I’m hoping the Downtown Line will share the commuter load during the morning and peak hours. Bukit Panjang residents have had to commute by buses, so this alternative option is a timely one,” said Ms Rachel Tan, a communications executive who has lived in Bukit Panjang for more than 25 years.

Ms Alice Ho, who resides in Segar Gardens, said she would still choose to commute by bus service 972, which plies estates further away from Bukit Panjang Road. “But DTL2 may help split the passenger load and increase the likelihood of commuters getting on earlier and less crowded buses,” she said.

Source: www.todayonline.com

June 29, 2015
Kenyataan Balas Sultan Brunei Kepada Para Pengkritik Dari Media Barat

CNN dan media Barat kini sibuk mengancam Brunei disebabkan pelaksanaan Undang-undang Syariah.

Mereka memboikot semua hotel dan kepentingan Brunei. Berikut adalah jawapan kerajaan Brunei kepada mereka:

“DALAM negara-negara kamu, kamu mengamalkan kebebasan bersuara, kebebasan media, kebebasan beragama dan lain-lain. Ianya di dalam Perlembagaan kamu, ianya sistem politik kamu, identiti negara kamu, hak kamu, aturan cara hidup kamu.

“Dalam negara saya, kami mempraktikkan kemelayuan, Islamik, sistem Monarki dan kami akan mula mengamalkan Undang-undang Islam, Undang-undang Syariah. Islam berada di dalam Perlembagaan kami, identiti negara kami, hak kami, aturan cara hidup kami.

“Kami mungkin menjumpai kelopongan-kelopongan dalam undang-undang dan sistem keadilan kamu dan kamu mungkin menjumpai kelopongan-kelopongan pada kami pula, akan tetapi ini adalah Negara kami.

“Seperti mana kamu mengamalkan hak kamu untuk Gay dan lain-lain. Kamu lakukannya untuk dunia ini yang kamu diami sekarang, sedang kami mengamalkan hak kami menjadi Muslim untuk dunia ini dan dunia selepasnya. Ini adalah Negara Islam yang mengamalkan Undang-undang Islam.

“Mengapa tidak kamu risaukan anak-anak kamu yang ditembak di sekolah-sekolah kamu, penjara kamu yang gagal menempatkan orang-orang yang tertuduh, kadar ketinggian jenayah dan DUIs, kadar bunuh diri dan pengguguran yang tinggi dan apa-apa yang patut dirisaukan DI SANA. Banyak agama yang menentang Homoseksualiti, ianya bukan sesuatu yang baru.

“Saat kamu mendengar bahawa Islam dan Muslim membuat pendirian dan meneguhkan kepercayaan mereka, kamu menghakimi, kamu memboikot, kamu katakan ianya salah, ianya bodoh, ianya kejam. Sekali lagi, pergilah kepada kebimbangan yang kamu patut tumpukan pada yang telah saya beritahu sebelum ini.

“Tidak salahkah membenarkan senjata-senjata membunuh, tidak salahkah membenarkan bayi yang belum lahir dibunuh, tidak salahkah membenarkan gaya hidup yang membawa pada AIDS dan kerencatan pada generasi baru?

“Mengapa terlalu risaukan tentang apa yang terjadi di sini, di dalam negara Islam sedang kamu tidak pun membuka mata tentang apa yang berlaku di Syria, Bosnia, Rohingnya, Palestin dan lain-lain. Ribuan terbunuh di sana dan kamu masih tidak peduli, tiada seorang pun yang terbunuh di sini di bawah Undang-undang Syariah dan kamu kecoh menggembar-gemburkan ia, walaupun penduduk di sini yang secara langsung terkesan darinya, menerimanya dengan aman.

“Hukuman mungkin sedikit keras, tidak bermakna ianya mudah untuk dilaksanakan. Di sana ada proses-proses yang perlu dijalani sebelum boleh disabit bersalah. Kami baik-baik saja dengannya, malah gembira.”

OLEH | Ke bawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia Paduka Seri Baginda Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah Ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien | SULTAN DAN YANG DIPERTUAN NEGARA BRUNEI DARUSSALAM

June 28, 2015