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Senior Civil Servant Resigns, Hints At Entering Politics

The Second Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI), Mr Chee Hong Tat, has indicated that he is leaving the civil service to enter politics in the coming general election.

The 41-year-old, whose resignation was announced yesterday, told The Straits Times: “I hope to have the opportunity to continue serving Singapore and Singaporeans.”

In response to whether he was leaving to enter politics, he said that he enjoyed public sector work. “I find it is very meaningful.”

The Public Service Division, in announcing his departure, said his last day of work is Aug 11.

Public servants are required to resign before they can enter politics, so they are traditionally the last to be unveiled as election candidates by political parties.

The announcement of Mr Chee’s exit from the civil service came ahead of a meeting of People’s Action Party (PAP) branch secretaries from across the island at the party headquarters in Bedok last night.

Though they meet regularly, sources told The Straits Times that last night’s meeting had a decidedly election feel.

For example, the branch secretaries – the men and women who run ground operations in the PAP’s 87 branches – were told by party leaders to “expect momentum to pick up after National Day”.

They were urged to ensure that logistics, like activists’ roles during the campaign period, are settled soon. The branch secretaries also discussed where opposition parties had been sighted, and potential problems that could arise during the campaign.

One branch secretary, for example, feared that his team may suffer burnout before the polls take place, as they have been in “election mode” for a while.

The ruling party looks to be in the final stages of electoral preparation, with Mr Chee likely to be the last of its public sector candidates to tender his resignation.

The others include Ms Rahayu Mahzam, 35, the outgoing deputy registrar of the Syariah Court, and teacher Shamsul Kamar, 43, who is also serving out his notice period.

Another high-flier likely to enter politics is Chief of Defence Force, Lieutenant-General Ng Chee Meng, 47, who announced last Friday that he will retire from the Singapore Armed Forces on Aug 18.

Mr Chee has recently been attending community events with Bishan- Toa Payoh GRC MP Hri Kumar Nair, who is expected to retire from politics at the next polls.

An officer of the elite Administrative Service since 1998, Mr Chee graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with degrees in electrical engineering and computer science as well as in economics. He has held various appointments in such ministries as Home Affairs, Finance, Transport and Education.

He was Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s principal private secretary in 2008 when the late founding Prime Minister was Minister Mentor. He was also chief executive of the Energy Market Authority (EMA) from 2011 to April this year.

Mr Chee was appointed Second Permanent Secretary at the Trade and Industry Ministry last year.

His responsibilities included international trade policies, tourism, competition policy, entrepreneurship and enterprise development.

The Public Service Division said he was active in promoting a business-friendly environment and helping small and medium-sized enterprises, or SMEs, to raise their competitiveness through innovation, market access and developing their capability.

Source: www.straitstimes.com

August 5, 2015
Goh Chok Tong To Stand In Marine Parade, Reveals ‘Likely Team’

Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, who has been an MP in Marine Parade since 1976, said on Tuesday (Aug 4) that he will likely stand in the next election.

In a post on the Marine Parade Facebook page, he revealed the People’s Action Party (PAP)’s likely line-up in his five-member GRC for the next election.

Four of the five members of the current team will remain, except Ms Tin Pei Ling, whose MacPherson ward will be carved out as a single seat in the next General Election (GE).

The fifth member of ESM Goh’s team is likely to be first-term MP Edwin Tong, whose current Jalan Besar ward is part of the soon-to-be-dissolved Moulmein-Kallang GRC.

He will likely be fielded in the Joo Chiat division, a closely-contested single seat that will be absorbed into Marine Parade GRC for the next GE. Joo Chiat’s current MP, Charles Chong, is expected to contest the Workers’ Party-held single seat of Punggol East.

Mr Tong attended his first public event at the constituency, a National Day celebratory parade, on Sunday. He also attended the Joo Chiat National Day dinner the same day.

Said ESM Goh: “At my request, (the) party sent Edwin Tong to Marine Parade GRC to be tested for Joo Chiat.”

“This is likely to be the MP GRC team for GE,” he added, referring to a picture of himself, Mr Tong, Minister for Social and Family Development Tan Chuan-Jin and veteran backbenchers Fatimah Lateef and Mr Seah Kian Peng

“As for me, a few friends have suggested that I retire as I have done enough for the country. But Marine Parade residents and many others urge me to stay on. They say the country and Marine Parade still need me.”

He added that he will explain his decision at the GRC’s National Day dinner to be held on Aug 14.

The PAP slate won 56.7 per cent of the vote against the National Solidarity Party (NSP) in 2011, which was the ruling party’s second-closest shave in a group representation constituency, after East Coast.

It was also the first contest the constituency had seen since 1992 by-election, and the first time the vote share in its history had fallen below 70 per cent.

The constituency is also shaping up for a tough fight in the next hustings, with both the Workers’ Party (WP) and NSP having said they intend to contest there. The Straits Times also understands that this was one of the flashpoints at an opposition meeting on Monday, with neither party wanting to budge.

Also on Tuesday, Mr Tan posted about the Joo Chiat National Day dinner on his Facebook page: “Appreciate the hospitality shown to both ESM and myself! We’d miss Charles but welcome Edwin Tong who will get to know all of you better, along with us in the team.”

Source: www.straitstimes.com

August 5, 2015
SingFirst’s Latest Plans Create Crowded Field In 3 GRCs

Following the talks among the opposition parties on Monday, the Singaporeans First (SingFirst) party said yesterday it has made substantial changes to its plans, potentially giving rise to more complicated negotiations at the second round of horse-trading talks tomorrow.

Of the four Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs) it had expressed an interest in, it will relinquish Marine Parade and Pasir Ris-Punggol. But it is now casting its eyes on three new constituencies, SingFirst secretary-general Tan Jee Say told TODAY.

“We are discussing about Jurong, West Coast and Holland-Bukit Timah … We will probably not end up with all, but we’re now negotiating,” he said.

Tanjong Pagar GRC, one of its original targets, is off the negotiating table too, said Mr Tan, although he will listen to an idea mooted by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to send a joint team there. Tampines is the remaining GRC SingFirst had staked its claim on, alongside the National Solidarity Party (NSP) — the People’s Power Party has since backed out.

With these changes, SingFirst has, for the moment, cleared a multi-way fight in one constituency, but created a crowded field in three others.

Its exit sets the stage for the Singapore Democratic Alliance to go head-to-head with the incumbent People’s Action Party in Pasir Ris-Punggol. Marine Parade, however, is still being claimed by the Workers’ Party and the NSP. For the new GRCs SingFirst is aiming for: The NSP has staked its claim on Jurong, the Reform Party (RP) on West Coast, and the Singapore Democratic Party on Holland-Bukit Timah.

Asked about the likelihood that SingFirst and DPP would field a joint team in Tanjong Pagar GRC, Mr Tan said it was an initiative from DPP that has yet to come up with a proposal.

“It’s always good to consider somebody’s offer … but we have a complete team (for the GRC) … so we have to see what they have in mind,” he said.

Meanwhile, RP chairman Andy Zhu said the party will stand its ground in wards it had contested in the 2011 General Election, such as Ang Mo Kio and West Coast GRCs, as well as the Radin Mas single seat. RP is also interested in Jurong GRC, which has absorbed the Clementi ward it had fought in.

Mr Zhu said the party will not hold bilateral meetings ahead of tomorrow’s meeting of opposition parties, so any resolution of issues or compromises to be struck will only be discussed then.

Source: www.todayonline.com

August 5, 2015
Opposition Parties Optimistic Issues Will Be Resolved By Thursday

Opposition parties said they made progress in avoiding three-cornered fights at a meeting on Monday night (Aug 3). They are optimistic that outstanding issues will be resolved at the next meeting, scheduled for Thursday.

Monday’s meeting lasted almost three hours and described by party representatives as one that was amicable and cooperative. They also said most of the issues involving the Single-Member and Group-Representation Constituencies have been resolved.

But some sticking points remain, and it is understood that Marine Parade GRC is one of them. It is the stomping ground of the National Solidarity Party – which contested there in 2011 – and the party is keen to return.

But the Workers’ Party (WP) has indicated interest – especially now that Joo Chiat SMC will be absorbed into Marine Parade GRC in the next General Election.

In the 2011 General Election, the WP’s Yee Jenn Jong lost the seat in Joo Chiat to the ruling People’s Action Party’s Charles Chong by just 388 votes.

Whether either party will budge on their decision to contest in that constituency is anyone’s guess for now. A consensus might not even reached at Thursday’s meeting. A source told Channel NewsAsia several more private meetings between various parties might be needed to iron things out. Even so, political analysts say such meetings indicate a maturity in the way opposition parties interact with one another.

Dr Gillian Koh, senior research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies said: “You have the Workers’ Party making a big breakthrough in 2011, so it’s really the leading Opposition party, and it probably feels the obligation to carry on, and go bigger and better. But then you’ve seen many little new parties bubbling up, and old parties being revived.”

“And so, the general landscape of the Opposition party space in Singapore is becoming more complex, and just becoming more interesting and really more mature. Getting together, meeting, and discussing whether they’ll be able to avoid three-cornered fights is actually a very mature process of negotiation and engagement. It’s a far more complex landscape than we faced say, in 2006 – when we only had two opposition MPs,” she added.

But another expert said it remains to be seen whether this amicability among the opposition could play out.

Dr Alan Chong, coordinator of the International Relations Programme at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies said: “They realise that in order to gain the same level of prominence and success as WP, the rest of them are still very small fish. So for their electoral survivability, they have to form some kind of alliance. Then again, you never know if they are going to descend into petty bickering the moment Nomination Day is announced.”

Dr Chong said that while it may seem hopeful that the Opposition Parties can sort out their differences, all bets could be off come Nomination Day.

Source: www.channlnewsasia.com

August 5, 2015
It’s The Singapore Way: Very Wealthy And Still Living With Mum

Everyone knows Singapore is an expensive country that’s transforming itself into a smart city. Here are five less-known facts about the island nation as it marks its 50th year of independence.

Costly cars

Car buyers in Singapore must bid for a limited number of permits — called Certificates of Entitlement — that are auctioned by the government. It’s tool used to control pollution and congestion and can more than double the vehicle’s market value. Consequently, an average family sedan can cost almost as much as a home in the U.S.

Economic miracle

The country went from third world to first in two generations. Singapore took 22 years to double its GDP per capita, about half the time of other developed economies including Australia. Its GDP per capita was S$71,318 ($52,000) in 2014, among the highest in the world. The island also has among the highest proportions of millionaire households, according to Boston Consulting Group.

Living at home

The majority of housing in Singapore is built by the government. More than 80 percent of the resident population lives in such accommodation, which is typically cheaper than privately developed properties. Because of these dynamics and a rule that prohibits most single Singaporeans from buying a public housing apartment while single — unless they are at least 35 years old — an overwhelming majority of unmarried adults live with their parents. And are big fans of Airbnb.

Mandatory military service

Singapore is among a handful of developed nations with compulsory military service for its male residents and citizens. The National Service is for a period of about two years, and typically begins at age 18, unless there are exceptional circumstances — like training for the Olympics, for example.

Highly paid ministers

Singapore’s prime minister is among the world’s highest paid heads of state. The government has justified his and other ministers’ salaries on the grounds that it helps attract top talent that might otherwise be lost to the private sector, and that it discourages corruption. It cut ministers’ salaries in 2012 after voter unhappiness over a widening income gap in the country. But they’re still very comfortably off.

Source: http://english.astroawani.com

August 5, 2015