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Workers’ Party Lee Li Lian Mooted Idea Of More Aid For Single Mothers In 2013 By-Election Rally

Social and Family Development Minister Tan Chuan-Jin’s new agenda for his ministry is to put vulnerable children high on the priority list of those to receive help.

Currently, a review is being conducted by MSF so that unwed working mothers may soon get the same benefits as married ones.

This was revealed in an interview with Channel News Asia on July 29, 2015:

REVIEWING BENEFITS FOR UNWED MOTHERS

Besides vulnerable groups in society, Mr Tan also revealed that unwed working mothers may soon get the same benefits as married ones under a review being conducted by MSF.

It is the lament of unwed mothers that they do not get the same benefits as married mums. And that just because they are single, why should their children be penalised, is their argument.

Among the differences is how unwed mothers get eight weeks of maternity leave paid for by their employers, while married mothers get 16 weeks. Unwed mothers do not benefit from the Handicapped Child Relief, nor the Baby Bonus cash gift.

The minister asked for a review of current policies: “My sense is that the public understands and sympathises with single unwed mothers; I see it on the ground. When I came in, I asked my colleagues to see whether we can review some of these things. Some of the differentiation that exists, could we harmonise it?”

SINGLE PARENTS STILL NOT THE NORM

It has been a long-standing principle of the Singapore Government that policies should support and encourage parenthood within the context of marriage. But as traditional family structures change, policies too need to be re-looked, he said.

But Mr Tan said he is mindful about the kind of signalling any change in policy sends: “Is it an indication or signal that we condone single-parenthood? That is something that you bear in mind. I do believe that society is sympathetic to single mums but we also need to be careful not to appear to encourage it as something that you could do.

“We do see in other countries, individuals choosing as a matter of lifestyle: ‘It’s ok, I’m not married, but I don’t mind having a child.’ I don’t think we are there yet as a society. I’m sure there will be individuals and some who may disagree, but I don’t see that as a norm and I don’t personally feel that some of these changes would open the floodgates if you will, for that particular lifestyle to develop.

“But be that as it may, it remains one consideration. But recognising that single mothers do have vulnerabilities, how best do we support?”

Mr Tan said the review involves a whole-of-Government approach, bringing together agencies that take care of housing and manpower policies.

He said the help rendered needs to be holistic: “The support provided for single parents, single mothers, unwed mothers really isn’t just about that Baby Bonus – I know there are differences, but actually the help extended needs to be much more extensive.

“It’s about healthcare availability, it’s about education opportunities and the support that comes with it. So, on the one hand, while there are some differences that exist today the help isn’t just in those areas. Actually the more fundamental issue is that broader extent of help.”

For example, all mothers, including unwed ones are currently eligible for infant care and childcare subsidies. Government-funded education programmes are also extended to all children.

“I’ve not met a single child who is not going to school because they couldn’t pay school fees,” said Mr Tan. “Schools fees are provided for. Uniforms are provided for. School books are provided for. Pocket money. Consistently. And that has been really encouraging for me.”

Mr Tan did not say when the review will be completed, just that an announcement will be made soon and it will likely be before Budget 2016.

However, the idea that single parents should receive same benefits as married ones was mooted by Workers’ Party Lee Li Lian in 2013 during a rally speech for the Punggol East SMC by-election:

Our inclusive society has also forgotten the 2nd group, single parents, who are Singapore citizens and whose daughter and son will bear and nurture future generations as well as serve National Service.

Did you know that single parents can only purchase HDB BTO Flats only when they are 35 and above? Regardless of marital status, all parents love and want to provide their children with the best they possibly can. Some single parents need caregivers too, but they are excluded from working mothers’ child relief, grandparent caregiver relief and foreign maid-levy relief.

Babies from single parents are also not eligible for Baby Bonus.

While having children outside of marriage should continue to be discouraged in our society, children born to single parents should not be denied the benefits that children of married parents receive. The children are innocent parties and should not start life being disadvantaged. Single parents should receive the same parenthood benefits packages as married parents.

Allow me to quote our pledge, ‘happiness, prosperity and progress for our nation.’ How can there be actual progress when stay at home parents and single parents are being left behind! We, the citizens of Singapore should move together as one people under one Flag!

Currently, the Parliament is made up of 80 PAP MPs vs 6 elected Opposition MPs. There is a great imbalance in Parliament right now. That is why there is an urgent need to vote more Workers’ Party candidates into Parliament.

Source: http://mothership.sg

July 31, 2015
S$104,000 Raised For Yusof Ishak Mosque Building Fund

About 3,500 Woodlands residents turned up on Saturday (Jul 25) and walked along Champions Way in tribute to the Republic’s first President Yusof Ishak. At the event, National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan presented S$104,000 to the Chairman of the Yusof Ishak Mosque Building Fund, Mohamed Ayub Johari.

The funds were raised from a series of the events led by Sembawang GRC MPs in the past two months for the new 4,500-capacity mosque in Woodlands which is due to open late 2016.

Among those who participated in the tribute walk were students from Raffles Institution, which was Mr Yusof’s alma mater, PCF pre-school students, footballers from the LionsXII and volunteers from the Yusof Ishak Mosque. Mr Khaw and his fellow MPs from Sembawang GRC Ellen Lee and Vikram Nair also joined in the walk.

The walking route was near the Yusof Ishak mosque site and the Singapore Sports School, in remembrance of Mr Yusof’s passion for sports.

Mr Mohamed Ayub said a total of S$3.2 million, out of a targeted S$3.5 million, has been collected so far.

Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

July 31, 2015
Vivian Balakrishnan Callous To Difficulties Of Ordinary Singaporeans

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan’s response to a complaint by a hawker clearly demonstrated the Minister’s lack of empathy for the difficulties that ordinary Singaporeans face.

Mr Douglas Ng, a young hawker who sold fishball noodles, had complained about the PAP government setting ceiling prices for hawker food at NTUC-run stalls.

Mr Ng said that it is unfair to cap prices as basic ingredients are expensive. He wrote in his Facebook: “How can we expect hawkers to make a decent living?”

But instead of helping him resolve the problem, Dr Balakrishnan said that rental rates of hawker stalls are low. He ignores other costs.

For example, Mr Ng’s noodle supplier has to pay high rent for his shop (the landlord, by the way, is probably the PAP government) and he is going to pass the cost on to Mr Ng. And what about utilities? Electricity tariffs was raised in June this year and gas tariffs just went up today. Then there is transportation cost. Hawkers and other small businesses need vehicles to ferry their goods and supplies. With COEs at the current rate, how does one run a business and make it profitable?

To be absolutely clear, these problems are all PAP made.

And yet, Dr Balakrishnan avoids mentioning them, choosing to tell the young hawker that his rent is low. How does this help Mr Ng who still faces the problem of trying to make a living from hawking?

Businesses, especially small businesses, are finding it hard to survive because of high shop-rent – much of which is collected by Government-owned real estate conglomerates like MapleTree and CapitaLand.

The cost from the high rentals is then passed on to the consumer. This is why Singapore has become the most expensive city in the world.

Yet, we have ministers who live in a world of their own, unable to understand the hardships of the average Singaporean.

In 2007, for example, when PAP MP Dr Lily Neo pointed out that meals at hawker centres were too expensive for the poor, Dr Balakrishnan haughtily replied: “How much do you want? Do you want three meals in a hawker centre, food court or restaurant? ”

His colleague Minister for Social and Family Development Mr Tan Chuan Jin mused that some of our elderly poor collected cardboard because they wanted to “exercise”.

To top it off, Mr Lee Hsien Loong said that Singapore needed “natural aristocrats” without which society would fail. On another occasion, he said it was “not fun”to be poor.

All these are indicative of the mindset of PAP ministers who, with their astronomical salaries, have become out of touch with – and even callous to – the everyday problems that ordinary Singaporeans face.

Singapore needs a government that cares.

Source: http://yoursdp.org

July 31, 2015
David Cameron Challenges Najib Razak On Corruption

David Cameron has confronted Najib Razak, the Malaysian prime minister, over the deepening corruption scandal that threatens to bring down his government.

Allegations that $700 million (£450 million) in state development funds ended up in Mr Najib’s personal bank accounts overshadowed a visit by the Prime Minister designed to build trade ties.

During a long, one-to-one meeting, Mr Cameron on Thursday urged Mr Najib to clean up his government.

In a pointed move, he then met with civil society leaders, including journalists, the G25 group of campaigners and lawyers, who are campaigning for greater democracy and a free press.

Mr Cameron also challenged Mr Najib over the treatment of Anwar Ibrahim, the opposition leader in jail on sodomy charges.

Sir Kim Darroch, Mr Cameron’s national security adviser, met with Mr Anwar’s daughter who is playing a leading role in the opposition movement.

They discussed building a free press and her father’s treatment.

The encounters followed demands from some opposition figures that Mr Cameron cancel the visit, during which he courted investors to fund the so-called Northern Powerhouse infrastructure projects in Britain.

The Prime Minister said: “It is right to go ahead with the visit, but nothing should be off the table. We should talk about these issues including the specific ones now,” he said.

“We always have discussions with civil society figures, anti-corruption campaigners, opposition leaders and all the rest and that will happen on this visit too.

^{David Cameron meets Najib Razak (centre right) at his offices in Kuala Lumpur (PA)}

“I don’t think it helps not traveling to a country and turning away. It is better to go and talk about these things.”

UK officials stressed the visit was to build relationships between “peoples”, not leaders.

After the one-to-one meeting, Mr Cameron is understood to have repeated the message to a wider gathering of Malaysian government figures in front of Mr Najib.

In an address in Singapore on Tuesday, Mr Cameron denounced corruption as the “enemy of progress” that held back growth and fuelled al-Qaeda and migration.

“We have a strong relationship and that enables us to talk difficult issues. I want to raise some of the issues I raised in my speech earlier in the week, such as ethics in business and fighting corruption,” he is understood to have said.

“We should be working together for an open society and open economy.”

Mr Najib is facing growing calls to resign over the allegations, which he denies. He this week fired attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail, who was investigating the scandal, and Muhyiddin Yassin, who had criticised him over the affair.

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

July 31, 2015
Grabcar Driver Disputes Girl’s Version Of Story

The cabby who allegedly dropped a female passenger off in the middle of Geylang at 4am has responded with his side of the story.

In a Facebook post that has now gone viral, the passenger Adeline A. Lok said the cabby had shouted insults and vulgarities at her after demanding that she get off his cab.

This was allegedly over a dispute about an SG50 promotion that reportedly entitled passengers to a $5 fare discount if a booking was made via the Grab Taxi app. Passengers had to key in a promotional code while making their booking.

The cabby, Mr Tong, clarified that while he knows of the ongoing promotion, he was advised to only give the $5 discount to passengers who had received a notification saying that the promotional code keyed in is valid. The cabby said if the code was valid, he would also have been notified of it via SMS.

However, Mr Tong said that even though the female passenger alleged that she had keyed in a code, she could not show proof that she was entitled to the $5 discount.

Also, he did not receive any SMS notification about this.

He explained he had four cases in the last week where he could not claim the $5 discount back. Hence, he had to bear the $20 discount he had given out and was more careful about the promotion this week.

In a phone conversation with Stomp, he said:

“The passenger kept demanding she get the discount and said she will only pay me $7, instead of the usual fee of about $12.

“I then gave her an alternative. I told her I will drop her off at the next exit if she still refuses to pay me the full fare and I will not take a single cent from her.

“She then shouted vulgarities at me. I was naturally provoked and I scolded her out of anger.

“I know I shouldn’t have done that on hindsight, but she was being very rude.

“The next exit, as I was travelling on the Ubi KPE, was Sims Avenue and that is where I stopped her so that she could get another vehicle.

“It is not at the red light district area but it is the stretch where there is a row of durian stalls and coffee shops. Now, these shops were not closed and the place was brightly lit up.

“I told her to get off my cab and said I will not charge her, but she instead kept saying that she will call the police.

“She also said she will sit in my cab until the police arrived.

“At this juncture, I also called the police and they arrive within 15 minutes.

“When I explained the situation to them, the passenger realised she could not do anything because she did not have proof that she was entitled to the discount in the first place.

“Now, she is trying to “shame” me on the Internet. I did not even realise that she had taken my picture.

“I feel the situation is unfair as I was merely being cautious about the discount as I did not want to bear the cost of it again. I also told her I will not charge her for the journey and dropped her off at a place where she could have easily gotten on another cab.”

Source: http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg

July 31, 2015