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New Global Navigation Satellite System in Place of ERP

A new road pricing system that relies on Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) technology can help traffic management in many ways, said Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew on Monday (Nov 3), who told Parliament that it would not financially prudent to continue with the current Electronic Road Pricing gantry system in the long term.

GNSS technology allows for distance-based pricing along congested roads, thus making it more equitable for motorists, Mr Lui said. Under such a system, every vehicle becomes a sensor, which will allow the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to develop a more accurate picture of the traffic situation and intervene if necessary.

The LTA can then broadcast this data to motorists to help them plan their journeys and avoid congested roads, he said. This data will also be aggregated and anonymised – which means it will not infringe on the privacy of motorists. LTA is planning to implement the system by around 2020, he noted.

Mr Lui was speaking in response to questions posed by MP for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC Zainal Sapari about the new road pricing system.

Last month, the LTA called a tender to develop this system; the tender is still ongoing, Mr Lui said. What is clear is that maintaining the current gantry system – in place since 1998 – will not be financially prudent, he added.

“The annual operating cost has risen by 80 per cent over the last decade, and a large part of the system is coming to the end of its cycle, and it will have to be replaced, even if we do not move to a GNSS-based system,” said Mr Lui, adding that physical gantries also take up land that could otherwise be freed up for more roadside greenery.

But Mr Lui cautioned that while a GNSS-based road pricing system may improve traffic management, it alone cannot ensure that Singapore’s roads continue to be relatively smooth-flowing.

The minister said this would require a holistic approach involving vehicle growth, population controls, as well as enhancing and promoting public transport

Source: http://news.asiaone.com

November 4, 2014
Malay Language Could Face Extinction

THE Malay language could be heading towards extinction due to globalisation, warned the acting director of Language and Literature Bureau yesterday.

During the seventh Brunei Darussalam – Indonesia – Malaysia Language Council (MABBIM) Lecture, Hjh Nortijah Hj Mohd Hassan said the Malay language is being marginalised and overshadowed by other world languages.

“It is not impossible that the Malay language will reach the brink of extinction if we do not make serious efforts to protect it,” she said.

In the pursuit of learning other languages, the acting director said Malays have started to forget they need to uphold the Malay language.

Some individuals think that the language is one-dimensional, that it only aims to be spoken and not support the development of Malay as the official language, she added.

“The Malay language must be accompanied with a sense of spirituality and purity of the soul towards accepting the language so that it is able to shape the personality, character and intellect of an individual.

“It also depends on how we, the speakers, respond and act towards the native language…,” Hjh Nortijah added.

She went on to say that strategic plans and sustainable support from all parties need to be created to develop intensive efforts to realise the empowerment of the Malay language.

In his lecture, Director of Continuing Education at Universiti Brunei Darussalam Dr Yabit Alas said one of the main challenges of the Malay language in the globalisation and technological era is pressure from the English language.

“Even though I mentioned that the Malay/ Indonesian language had its glory days, however due to various political and cultural developments such as colonialism, the development of the Malay/Indonesian language had slowed down,” he said.

He added that other languages such as English had expanded and evolved, but the Malay language’s expansion process was halted for around 600 years during the British rule of Malaysia and Brunei, while Indonesia was under the Dutch.

To enhance the role of the Malay language, Dr Yabit suggested increasing the publication of scientific books, which is what gets universities ranked.

He also recommended the introduction of rules where publishers are required to have at least 50 per cent of what they publish a year in Malay, adding that Indonesia practises such rules.

“The correct and proper use of a language actually mirrors how civilised the country is,” he added.

About 300 government officers and students attended the lecture. MABBIM was established in 1972 to empower the use of Malay language.

Source: http://www.bt.com.bn/

November 4, 2014
Good News for Fresh Engineering Graduates

This year’s fresh graduates in Singapore can expect minimal pay rises in starting salaries for degree holders.

According to Hay Group’s annual Fresh Graduate Pay Survey – which is based on the salary expectations of 95 organisations in Singapore – local graduates can expect 2-3% increments in starting salaries, compared with last year.

The average monthly starting salary for degree holders in the three qualification categories — without Honors, with Honors (Second Lower) and with Honors (Second Upper) — is $2,741, $2,853 and $2,939 respectively, for 2014.

This is compared with 2013′s average starting salaries at $2,683 for Bachelor Degree (without honors), $2,795 for Bachelor Degree (honors, second lower) and $2,892 for Bachelor Degree (honors, second upper).

Additionally, one fifth of employers placed an average premium of $214 per month for local university graduates, compared with non-local university graduates.

As for diploma holders, they can look forward to a 2% increase in average starting salaries this year as well – increasing from $1,840 per month in 2013 to $1,878 this year.

The survey found the top paying jobs for degree holders (without honors) were mostly in engineering, which commanded the top average starting salary of $2,888 per month. This was followed by jobs in the legal sector at $2,856 per month and the IT sector at $2,816 per month.

Engineering jobs also topped the starting salaries for diploma holders at $1,976 per month, with marketing graduates coming in second at $1,938 per month and administration/ support/service graduates taking third place at $1,925 per month.

“Accelerated career development and not just money is the primary motivation for fresh graduates to work for a company. New entrants now have a wide spectrum of opportunities to choose from – from start-ups to entrepreneurial ventures to freelancing and contract work,” said Andrew How, managing director at Hay Group.

“With this widening range of choices, individuals are expecting acceptance and freedom to be themselves with the emphasis shifting to more cerebral needs, such as belonging, autonomy, and self-expression in the workplace.”

The research also showed employers are likely to pay up to 46% more in starting salaries for average degree holders versus diploma holders.

Top paying jobs for degree holders (without honours)

1. Engineering – $2,888
2. Legal – $2,856
3. Information Technology – $2,816
4. Project Management – $2,813
5. Production – $2,767
6. Finance and Accounting – $2,765
7. Corporate Affairs – $2,755
8. Property Management – $2,750
9. Research and Development – $2,738
10. Quality Assurance – $2,708

Top paying jobs for diploma holders

1. Engineering – $1,976
2. Marketing – $1,938
3. Administration/Support/Service – $1,925
4. Information Technology – $1,920
5. Finance and Accounting – $1,906
6. Logistics/Supply chain – $1,900
7. Property Management – $1,894
8. Human Resources – $1,884
9. Corporate Affairs – $1,881
10. Health and Environment – $1,865

Source: www.humanresourcesonline.net

November 4, 2014
AWARE Not Really Aware Of The Principle of Equality

Feminist Naomi Wolf has met her match in Singapore.

The outspoken advocate against cosmetics and plastic surgery industries could not persuade women rights group Aware (Association of Women for Action and Research) to change their minds about adopting a more inclusive attitude towards men in their membership.

The best-selling author of The Beauty Myth and The End of America was invited as a guest speaker at the annual Singapore Writers Festival on Nov. 1, 2014. She gave a lecture on feminism and her dialogue session was moderated by former Aware President Dana Lam.

In Aware, ordinary membership is only open to women. Male members can be associate members of Aware with fewer participation rights.

Below is a transcript of the full exchange between Lam and Wolf:

Caleb, a male participant in the audience: How do you think that men can be more involved in feminism, and perhaps a remark to Dana, given what she (Naomi Wolf) said about feminism having to be more inclusive, would Aware consider including men as full members? (gasps from the crowd, followed by applause)

Dana Lam was silent for a while.

Constance Singam, a former Aware President: I like to answer that question…which is why it was taken over by the group of women, who took over Aware in 2009. Because we have that as part of our constitutional review. We want to include men.*

*Singam was referring to the March 2009 takeover of AWARE by a group of conservative Christians led by Thio Su-Mien and Josie Lau.

Lam: We were, we were considering it. (laughter in reaction to Lam’s hesitance)

Naomi Wolf: How can you legally exclude men?

Silence in the crowd.

Wolf: Well, that was a weird vibe. (Laughter in the crowd)

Lam: If you identify as a feminist, which is you believe in the equality of the rights of the individual, I think that is more important a commitment than to point finger at one organisation, which is set out specifically, for the objective of correcting the imbalance that exists in the society.

Wolf: I did that. He (the audience) didn’t do that. I’m the one who did that. He didn’t do that. (more laughter in the crowd)

Lam: No, no, no. Because Aware has always been taken to task for not admitting male members in the leadership especially. For some time now, we do have male members as associate members, they don’t have full membership rights. So this has been taken against us. But this is an organisation set up by women to correct the imbalance that exists in society. So until that problem is resolved, I think it’s too early for us to think of us involving men.

Wolf gave an unconvincing laugh.

Lam: You know, you can join in the conversation. You are invited to the roundtable discussion. You are invited to the events, and what we need is an evolution..

Wolf: I guess I will respectfully very very much disagree with what you just said. (To applause in the crowd)

Lam: The problem is we have a situation where what we need is to have the space for women to come together to articulate their problems.

Wolf: I don’t think it’s an either or. I don’t see why it’s an either or. You know, look, I don’t live here, and you are doing very important work and I respect your leadership. That said, I think we are in a turning point. I don’t want to be part of any organisation anywhere that leaves people out on the basis of their gender, or their race, or their religion. (To more applause in the crowd)

Wolf: I understand your comments that women need space on their own or men will take over. My view is a) if we are so passive that allowing men or including men means they are going to take it over, we need to work on ourselves. And b)…

Lam interrupted: We do! That’s why we have an organisation that allows us to work on ourselves.

Wolf: But we shouldn’t, like, keep him (the audience) out if he wants to be a feminist. (laughter in the crowd)

Lam: He doesn’t have to be in Aware to be a feminist.

Wolf: But again, let me circle back because this freaks people out, but I always like to go there. How can you legally exclude someone on the basis of their gender?

Some members of the audience: There is no gender equality under the laws of Singapore.

Wolf: There is no gender equality in Singapore? Really?

Singam: There is (gender equality) in our constitution, which has to be approved by the Registrar of Society.

Wolf: Okay. Is it illegal, like if he shows up and said that ‘I want to come in’?

Lam: That we are against his constitutional right? He could…

Wolf: He could make a lot of friends…

Lam: The gentleman, it was a man who just told me that we have five minutes more…Time’s up. Can we just take one last question?

Wolf: I feel that like, let’s just heal this bridge. (More laughter and applause)

Wolf: I just want to say you know your organisation. But I don’t see any reason you couldn’t have events, spaces, discussions for women, sometimes women do need to talk about things without men being around, and also ways of including men.

Let me give you an example. I was just down the campus in Columbia, and that was covered in the Straits Times. There was this protest that a woman is carrying around a mattress because she was assaulted. And now the whole university has shown support. And all these men are carrying around mattresses. It makes me cry. I was there and I see all these young men dragging around this mattress (laughter in the crowd) all by themselves, as a way to participate and to show support. It was absolutely organic, coherent, humane, healing. As a survivor of sexual violence myself, I found it healing to see these men carrying the stuff around and finding a role. There are so many ways of embracing men as feminists.

Lam: No doubt about it at all. But Ms Wolf, we are an Association of Women for Action and Research. And we work in collaboration with men and other organisations all the time! But we are an Association of Women for Action and Research! So unless we change our constitution, change our names, and the time might come for that. But the time is arguably not now.

Singham and some members of the audience: Yes!

Lam: Erm. Do we call it a day now?

The Straits Times report on this exchange on Nov. 3, 2014 noted that “no knockout punch was delivered” by either women, but featured a quote from an interview with a participant that was supportive of Wolf’s view.

“From that exchange, I think she (Lam) perpetuated the idea that feminism is men-hating, which is exactly what Naomi Wolf was arguing against,” said student Thanusha Raj, 22.

According to Wolf’s Facebook, all seems well regarding her friendship with the Aware members.

“I met a group of inspiring activists for (delicious) Chinese food afterwards in a giant bright mall — everything here is super clean super orderly and super bright…and these women started AWARE, the women’s organization, thirty years ago. They led the fight against policies that paid uneducated women not to reproduce….brought sexual harassment into the discussion…and pioneered other firsts. Humbling.”

Source: http://mothership.sg

November 4, 2014
Forced Into Hijab (Part II)

1) Modesty mustn’t simply be defined in terms of what you’re wearing, but more importantly, how you behave

I don’t know, I don’t think modesty should be as simple as a piece of clothing. I’ve seen women who are truly modest, and they don’t require a Hijab to be so. At the same time, I’ve seen women who dress modestly lead a decadent life. That’s why I think modesty needs to be more than how you dress. It is an entire behaviour. And no amount of clothing could alter that.

2) Religious decisions should never be forced upon anyone

I always believe that spirituality is a very personal thing. It is something between you and god, and you and god alone. No one should ever, ever come into the picture to influence any of your spiritual and/or religious decisions. I always don’t understand why people see the need to police or ‘save’ other people. Impositions of your own religious beliefs are not only unnecessary, they distance someone else from the religion altogether because it is very off-putting to have someone tell you how to behave. It is also another problem entirely when people tell me to wear the Hijab because they don’t want to be dragged into hell by my sins (i.e my reluctance to wear the Hijab). If anything, what I learnt from my JC experience was that people are able to appreciate the religion even more when they learn it on their own accord. My JC friends are so happy to wear the Hijab because it was never forced upon them.

3) The creation of a dichotomous identity

The person I see wearing the Hijab and my true self – the one who is not defined according to her physical form cannot co-exist. I actually do feel a sense of dissonance and conflict when I have to repress myself in order to maintain the good image of the Hijab. I’ll be honest; by nature I’m quite a free-spirited person who is both sarcastic and enjoys dry humor. I particularly like to make jokes (and crude ones at that) which make many people feel uncomfortable because it’s very unbecoming for a tudung girl to be like that. Due to that I hide my true self and appear to be this seemingly modest person in front of others. And it worked – people describe me as someone they deem ‘gentle’, ‘quiet’ and ‘shy‘. I can’t decide which is worse – being hypocritical by my wearing of the Hijab or simply to act as I like with no regard for it.

4) People define you in terms of your tudung

People being people, they judge you according to your appearance. When it comes to seeing a tudung girl, naturally, people will see a tudung girl first, and, say, a funny girl second. I do this too, because we always think that people who put on the tudung do so because they are motivated by goodness. As you can already tell, this idea doesn’t apply to me at all. Also I honestly feel sad when someone defines me according to my tudung; because I see myself as someone more than that, and I want to be acknowledged for being witty and funny and other things in which I pride myself for. Furthermore, people see you as ‘the other’ when you wear the tudung. They don’t ever see you or treat you as a regular person in society but as ‘the other’ or ‘the tudung girl’. Personally, I too, wish to be noticed (by the object of my affections) as someone who has a unique personality, but that unfortunately never happens because of how I look.

5) People police your behaviour and they see the need to ‘protect you’

This is an entirely problematic way of thinking which has existed since probably the dawn of time. This is linked to how someone has told me that they don’t want to be dragged into hell by my sins. I recall an incident in school whereby someone told me that my hair was showing and he made a deal out of it. He even jokingly asked – ‘You’re not wearing the inner part of the tudung right?‘ When you think about it rationally, how silly that must sound, because after all, it was simply two strands of hair. The world doesn’t stop when my hair shows, and neither will a hole appear before me and swallow me alive when my hair shows. It was then that I asked him why he felt it was such a problem to the point of accusing me of not wearing the inner tudung. He told me that he thought it would be a sin on his part to not tell me, which fairly reminded me of the kind of things other people tell me when they need to justify their policing of my behaviour or other religious decisions. Personally, I don’t believe that Islam, being the fair and merciful religion it is, would hold you accountable for the sins and the mistakes of others in which you do not consciously partake in. I believe that only the individual and the individual himself should be accountable for such, and not only that, it is an insult to the tudung-wearer to always be reminded that her body is a constant object of sin.

6) Paranoia, awareness of social judgment, and objectification of the self

A few months ago, I decided to do a project on the Hijab, where I challenged myself not to wear the Hijab to see how I would react, since I’ve always wanted to take it off anyway. I always thought it would be easy to take it off, being someone who’s always been reluctant to wear it. It was however, startling to see that it was extremely hard to do. When I didn’t have my tudung on I started feeling paranoid. I remembered taking it off in the toilet and having this intense urge to put it back on the moment I got out of the toilet. I feared someone would see me, someone would come to me and ask me why I am not wearing the tudung, and would then frown upon me. I also felt insecure showing a small part of my neck, and my hair, although the rest of my body was covered. I was experiencing a combination of confusion, insecurity and dissonance within myself. I thought I would feel liberated if I didn’t wear it but what ensued instead was only paranoia. It was amusing to see that when I wore the Hijab, my personality was at odds with my Hijab identity but when I took it off, my Hijab identity in turn was at odds with my personality. That was also when I discovered the idea of a dichotomous identity within myself, which could in no way, merge or be one with the other. Also, that whole experience taught me that objectification must be so prevalent in society when you out of all people, objectify yourself. I’ve always thought I was insecure of my features because I hid my hair, but after years of being conditioned to wear the Hijab, the reverse happened. I was now insecure of my features because I was used to hiding it. It doesn’t do anything for your self-esteem and doesn’t promote a healthy body image at all.

7) Having to compensate

I don’t think wearing the Hijab necessarily equates to a modest way of living. Initially, one of the reasons why the Hijab was so ideal was because it was supposed to shift the emphasis away from how you looked so you could focus on other more important things, like faith, the religion, and ultimately, God. However, if you look at the way things are presently, the Hijab no longer functions that way. It was also supposed to steer the emphasis away from materialism and consumerism, which, as we now know, is simply an ideal. The Hijab market is definitely on the rise now, as we see fashion shows dedicated to not only Hijab and clothing for veiled women but also fashion shows for theTelekung, which is a prayer gown. It is ridiculous to think that a modest piece of fabric that was once supposed to allow women to lead a modest lifestyle now becomes an industry in which people profit from. Furthermore, sometimes, as women wearing the Hijab, we feel the need to compensate, or to make up for what we lack through various means. I’m not saying this is true for everyone but at the very least it is true for myself. I find myself having to dress up more because I want to present myself better because I wear the tudung. Although I know it defeats the purpose of the tudung, I can’t help but to do what I do – because honestly, who doesn’t want others to see the best version of themselves? Dressing up is not about impressing other people but more about making yourself feel better. And this whole process of having to compensate – because I wear the tudung, does take its toll on me. I constantly think that if I don’t wear the tudung, I wouldn’t have to go through so much trouble — because with the tudung, you constantly have to be creative in the way you put your clothes together and you have to work around many things. After you get used to it, it is not much of a hassle, but it definitely isn’t the best way to live, and it definitely isn’t the best attitude to have when you wear the Hijab.

8) No good intentions

I find myself to be, quite frankly, a rather horrible person and because of that, I don’t think I deserve to or am ready to wear something like the Hijab which is a symbol of goodness in society’s eyes. Also, a person such as myself should not be wearing the tudung simply because I don’t believe in it and don’t have any strong convictions to wear it. Furthermore, I don’t think the Hijab or any other religious practice should be done when you’re not sincere about it. Although I wear the tudung everyday, every time I start putting it on the only thing I can think about is how much I dislike wearing it and how I wish I don’t have to. Because of this, my wearing of the tudung is no longer a kind of service to God but is reduced to a pointless ritual which benefits neither myself nor my relationship to God. It is also not of any justice to god, and it defeats the purpose entirely. At this point someone will ask “Why don’t you take it off then“, to which my answer would be – ‘I just can’t‘, as I’ve explained earlier on.

9) Endless questioning

Whether you wear the Tudung or not, as a Muslim woman, you will constantly be subjected to questions your entire life.

What initially drove me to write about this was because of my deep yearning to have my hair seen, after watching the television yesterday and observing the way this lady’s haircut perfectly framed and somehow enhanced her face. It was the kind of yearning that made me feel pathetic, knowing that having your hair shown is such a natural thing in which many people take for granted. I always wondered what life would be like if my hair could be seen. I always envisioned it to be a much better life, because it seems like I will be free from the many responsibilities, expectations, judgments, hypocrisy and confusion which I have now.

I would like to renounce it, if I could, but that is definitely not within my power.

I would like to say that these experiences are not just my own, but that I am very certain that many of us who have tried wearing the Hijab, or any Muslim woman for that matter, has felt similar sentiments.

To be honest, I am uncertain of where my life will head after I’m done publishing this and if small changes will slowly happen in my life, but I have this sinking feeling that nothing will change – I will forever don the Hijab because I don’t know how to live my life otherwise.

Source: http://beyondhijabsg.wordpress.com

November 4, 2014