Come and support our Income Inequality forum this coming Saturday 30 May from 230pm to 5pm at 04-41 Bras Basah Complex.
We face a crisis situation now whereby our income growth lags behind that of inflation for the past decade. Our cost of living is also at the world’s highest this year.
More than 200,000 Singaporeans still earn $1000 and below a month putting them very close to the poverty line.
Yet, we have the highest number of millionaires in the world exaceberating the income gap we have between the have’s and the have not’s.
A high income gap not only inhibits social mobility but also encourages social class division and strife.
Madam Leong Lai Yee, the woman at the centre of an alleged million-dollar ponzi scam who has been uncontactable for more than a week, has been reported missing.
Investors who say they are owed a total of $60 million fear that she has left the country.
Madam Leong’s sister Veronica had reported to the police last Saturday that she was missing.
Last week, about 60 investors came forward to say they had given Madam Leong money, which she said would be used to buy distressed properties in prime districts to be sold at a profit to overseas buyers. They were promised payments on May 18, after several months of postponements.
But when the day came, several of them received not money but a letter from Madam Leong in which she said she would take her life.
An investor who gave his name only as Mr Ong went to her house in Tanah Merah on May 16 after she did not reply to text messages, and calls to her and her husband’s phones could not get through.
“The lights were on and both cars were seen,” Mr Ong told The Straits Times, adding that no one responded when he pressed the doorbell.
He said he contacted “all those people close to her to ask them if they know where they are, as it’s weird to have the whole family go overseas at this stressful period of time when she promised payment to investors”.
The Straits Times called Madam Leong, her husband, two of their children and Madam Leong’s sister, but could not get through to them.
Madam Leong and her husband Lim Eng Soon were believed to be former property agents. Mr Lim later traded in foreign exchange, investors said.
The couple had owned or managed a total of 11 companies, including an educational consultancy, a real estate company and an investment holding company, at various times from as far back as 1983.
All have since been cancelled, terminated or struck off, according to records from the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority.
The newest one, Golden Space Investment, was registered in November 2009 and struck off 11/2 years later.
The couple are known for being generous.
At least two investors attended a Chinese New Year party this year where guests were treated to a lavish buffet spread including wine and crayfish. One of them, Mr S. Goh, 58, a businessman who has known the family for 14 years, said the family regularly hosts Chinese New Year gatherings and birthday parties at their three-storey semi-detached house.
“It’s posh. There are plenty of art pieces and she even had a bamboo garden which she said cost more than $15,000,” he told The Straits Times last week.
Mr Goh was also told by Madam Leong that she owned five other condominium units. He visited two of them, in Simei and Orchard Road. But he believes she has since sold all five.
The Tanah Merah property had been renovated recently and was listed for sale online last month.When The Straits Times visited the house yesterday evening, a Mercedes-Benz and a BMW, which neighbours said belonged to the family, were parked there. Investors say the couple live with their son and daughter. Another daughter is overseas.
What appeared to be a week’s worth of newspapers were strewn about the front porch.
Neighbours said they have not seen the family in two or three weeks, but described them as friendly. “The husband would give us starfruit from their tree,” said Madam Pan Lay Choo, 59, a housewife.
She said she has known Madam Leong’s family since they moved in about eight years ago, and her son is friends with one of Madam Leong’s two daughters, although the two families are not close.
A car used by one of the daughters had not returned to the house recently, Madam Pan said, adding that the family’s maid and dog were nowhere to be seen. The police were seen at the house last week.
Operating heavy machinery takes finesse, but one man takes it to the next level. A video of him using a forklift to pick up a 20 cent coin from the floor and transferring it into a container, posted on Labour Chief Chan Chun Sing’s Facebook page, has chalked up nearly 83,000 views and 1,000 likes in just under a month. Impressed netizens lauded the forklift operator for his “hole in one” trick, with some saying “Wow”, and others commenting that that “Singapore’s got talent”.
In reality, the smooth moves are not a trick, but an activity designed for students who take a course in forklift operations at the NTUC LearningHub – also known as LHUB.
The man behind it is Mr Ronald Khoo – a trainer with more than 20 years of experience under his belt. He came up with the coin exercise about 10 years ago when he realised that students learned best by applying technical know-how with practical skills.
“I hope that I can impart all these skills, the correct attitude and knowledge so I can make training and learning fun,” Mr Khoo said.
Typically, students will exert some pressure on the coin using the fork, in order to flip the coin onto it. Then, students will have to control the speed of the lever in order to move the coin to the edge of the fork, before it can be deposited into the container.
During a demonstration for Channel NewsAsia, Mr Khoo took it up a notch. Instead of using a 20 cent coin, he used a 10-cent coin – and successfully deposited it into a water bottle, with a much smaller opening. “Yes!” he would shout after each successful attempt, complete with a fist pump.
The aim of the exercise is to help trainees adapt to different types of situations and cargo. “After coming up with this activity, I feel that when participants go back to the practical aspect of their job, subconsciously, they are able to do the job,” he said with pride.
He also has another exercise called the “Figure 8”, which involves picking up a crate with a ball sitting atop a cone, and then wending around obstacles. Mr Khoo said a “Japanese master” taught him the exercise when he first started as a junior trainer in 1993.
“This trains us on speed control, on the position of the vehicle, and on the correct time to turn the steering wheel,” he revealed. “It can also train a participant with no driving knowledge on how to turn left, right, and how to make a U-turn.”
“If you use the old-school methods of teaching, they may feel bored. This will make it fun and enjoyable,” said Mr Khoo, adding that he has also trained ex-offenders, who find this approach useful.
BEING A TEACHER IS A ‘DREAM COME TRUE’
Mr Khoo’s colleagues said he is always jolly and incredibly passionate about his job.
Describing himself as a “humble kampong boy” who was “born next to a drain”, Mr Khoo said his passion stems from a driving instructor whom he felt did not teach him in a way that was applicable. As a result, he needed to take 10 driving tests before obtaining his licence. From then on, he wanted to be a teacher, so others would not have to endure the same agony.
“My mum said no, you come from a humble village background, you don’t have a chance to become a teacher, especially if you don’t study hard,” he said. “I don’t like studying. When I study, I get a headache.”
Despite not completing his O-levels, Mr Khoo said Workforce Skills Qualifications courses gave him the opportunity to become a trainer. “I enjoy doing all of this because I partially take it as a passion, and partially I fulfilled my mum’s dream for me to be a teacher,” he said.
“I am grateful to everyone who supported my training. It makes a difference in my life,” Mr Khoo said. “When my students go out there, they can earn a living, so I feel even better.”
As for the praise for his skills on Facebook, Mr Khoo said it was unexpected. He also did not know that the video was a hit to begin with.
“I don’t have Facebook,” he admitted, followed by a huge belly laugh.
A domestic maid who strangled her employer’s 16-year-old daughter with the girl’s own school pinafore while the teenager was asleep, was on Monday jailed for 12 years.
Indonesian Tuti Aeliyah, 30, pleaded guilty in the High Court to one charge of culpable homicide for killing Shameera Basha Noor Basha, a Secondary 4 student at Tanjong Katong Girls’ School, on Nov 14, 2013.
Tuti was originally charged with murder, but the charge was reduced after she was diagnosed to be suffering from severe depression with psychotic symptoms at the time. Her mental condition was found to have significantly impaired her judgment.
The High Court heard on Monday that Tuti, who started working for the teen’s family of four in April 2012, was not abused or ill-treated by her employers.
But several months before the killing, she started behaving strangely. She lost weight, did not want to call home and cried frequently. Two weeks before the incident, she told a neighbour’s maid that she wanted to commit suicide.
She told a psychiatrist that the night before the killing, she tried to kill herself but failed.
The next morning, Shameera was still asleep and alone at home with the maid after her parents and brother left their Tampines flat. The maid claimed that while she was in the toilet, she saw a ghost which told her to kill the teenager.
At 8am, armed with a kitchen knife, she went into the teen’s room and tried to smother her with a pillow. After Shameera woke up and struggled, the maid stabbed her in the abdomen and chest. The maid then looped Shameera’s dark green pinafore around her neck a few times and pulled both ends until the teen stopped moving.
Tuti then drank half a capful of fabric softener, made superficial cuts on her wrist with a knife and tried to hang herself from from a toilet pipe but failed to kill herself.
Half an hour past noon, when the teen’s mother returned home, the maid told her employer that she had killed Shameera. Shocked, the 47-year-old woman sought help from a neighbour, who called the police.
The SDA outreach walkabout for this morning was anchored by Mr. Desmond Lim himself, conducted at Block 610 Elias Road. The session kick-started at 10.00am sharp.
As per standard protocol, the members and shadow town councillors started from level 18 and slowly made their way down, interacting with all the residents staying in this block.
It was another fruitful session today; many residents were at home this morning to the members’ pleasant surprise, allowing them to have quality interaction and communication.
Leaflets were being distributed and discussed as the members explained its contents to the dwellers in this block. There were questions being asked by the residents, who were curious to know what SDA’s next step would be.
After engaging the residents in further conversation, the general consensus was that many of them harboured concerns over companies (and now even governmental organisations) employing foreign talents with fake degrees.
“Let’s not talk about fake degrees alone,” quipped one *Mr. Wong (name changed to protect privacy). “I feel strongly that it doesn’t matter whether the foreign applicant has an excellent or mediocre degree – priority for a job should be given to Singaporeans first!”
Another young resident, one *Mr. Abdul (name changed to protect privacy) brought up another very good point. “I feel that many Singaporeans seem to confuse ‘foreign talents’ with ‘foreign workers’ – they constantly mention that we need ‘foreign talents’ to sweep floors and work in construction sites!” He laughed in irony. “Is it the picture being painted, that blurs the true meaning between a ‘worker’ and a ‘talent’?
There were a couple of residents who feedback that the amenities in this area were inadequate, such as eateries. *Mdm Teng (name changed to protect privacy) expressed concern that the plans to build MRT station at Elias area would only be completed in around 2030. “I don’t even know if I would live to be able to see it by then.”
A *Mrs. Ratna expressed concern that there is limitation to what one dares to voice out in Singapore. She pointed out that she has her thoughts and views, but is afraid to address them for fear that they may be deemed unsuitable and she might get into trouble with the Law.
Other than that, the residents agreed that opposition parties are needed in parliament to keep the ruling parties in check. The opposition parties should also introduce new policies and strategies for the citizens – policies that are outside the scope of what is currently being implemented.
It was yet another meaningful session today, refreshing the residents on SDA’s ever-present concern for them, as well as gaining understanding on what the people need. The graceful residents thanked the members for taking time to do these house visits and listen to them, become their voices. SDA in turn appreciate the candid feedback from the people.
