Tag: PAP

Housewife In ICU After E-Scooter Hits Her

In the next two days, her loved ones must make what could be a life-or-death decision – whether to take her off life support.

The last time they saw her conscious was last Saturday when she left their Pasir Ris home with her bicycle to shop for groceries.

It was her Saturday routine, but on this fateful day, Madam Ang Liu Kiow, a 53-year-old housewife, met with an accident involving a 17-year-old on an electric scooter.

She was still awake after the accident but lost consciousness in the ambulance while being taken to Changi General Hospital (CGH), where she underwent two operations on her brain.

Not only has she not woken up, but her condition has since worsened. Her husband and children – two sons and a daughter – are bracing themselves for the worst.

The circumstances surrounding the accident, which happened around 10am on a pavement in Pasir Ris Drive 1, remain unclear.

But Madam Ang’s son, Mr Wilson Leong, believes the e-scooter crashed into her. The 22-year-old student told The New Paper on Monday: “My mother rides her bicycle to buy groceries every Saturday, so I think the accident must have happened then.”

TNP understands that Madam Ang was not on her bicycle when the accident happened.

Mr Leong said his father received a call from the hospital around noon telling him about Madam Ang.

“We rushed over and were told that there was a blood clot at the back of her brain that required immediate surgery,” he said.

“The surgery was supposed to take three hours but because of complications, it took almost six. She used up about two bags of blood.”

Just when the family thought the worst was over, they were told on Sunday morning that there were further problems.

“We were told that they needed to do another operation to drain out brain fluid that was building up,” he said.

“They put a tube into her brain. She was heavily sedated, and I haven’t been able to speak to her.”

APPEAL

Mr Leong said that when he posted an appeal on Facebook for witnesses to the accident, a woman told him that she had seen five youths tending to Madam Ang. The e-scooterist was believed to be among them.

He understands the e-scooterist called for an ambulance for his mother, but his family have yet to hear from the teen, who did not give them his contact number.

“My mother never did anything to hurt anyone,” said Mr Leong.

The e-scooterist was arrested yesterday. The police have classified the case as a rash act causing grievous hurt and are investigating.

Mr James Bay, 73, a retiree who lives in the area, told TNP that he was cycling when he saw the aftermath of the accident on Saturday morning.

“I saw a woman sitting at the bus stop with five young guys around her,” he said.

“There was also a dark-coloured e-scooter on the ground nearby. It was a big scooter.”

Mr Bay added that many youngsters ride e-scooters, bikes and skates, some of them at fast speeds, in the area.

“There are a lot of old people here, so it can be quite dangerous.”

Lawyers said that it might be difficult to get compensation in accidents involving personal mobility devices (PMDs), such as e-scooters, e-skates and hoverboards.

PMDs are currently not allowed on pavements, roads and park connectors, only on private premises.

This is set to change by year end when new rules kick in.

Member of Parliament for Pasir Ris-Punggol Zainal Sapari was shocked to learn of the accident.

“We need to look into legislation to make it compulsory for riders of personal mobility devices to have third-party insurance,” he said.

“Despite our best efforts at education, there are still users who do not adhere to guidelines that have been prescribed.

REVIEW

“I hope this incident will trigger the relevant authority to review its position with regard to making third-party insurance mandatory.”

He will be alerting Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, who is the MP for that area, and they will be reaching out to the family to provide assistance.

He added that enforcement must also continue to ensure the safety of pedestrians.

But any new measure may come too late for Madam Ang and her family.

Mr Leong said: “I cannot describe the feeling in words. My father has been crying often and hasn’t been eating since the accident.”

“The doctor told us my mother has had multiple strokes in the brain due to a lack of oxygen. We have to decide whether to take (her) off life support and see if she comes to,” he said.

“But when the time comes, if needed, we want to let her go peacefully. We can’t bear to see her suffer any more.”

15kmh too fast for the elderly to react: Expert

The 17-year-old rider of the e-scooter was arrested yesterday for a rash act causing grievous hurt.

Criminal lawyer Ravinderpal Singh of Kalco Law said the penalty for this offence is a jail term of up to four years, a fine of up to $10,000, or both.

Lawyer Raphael Louis of Ray Louis Law said it could be hard for Madam Ang’s family to seek compensation because “e-scooters are usually not insured, unlike cars”.

He added: “Even if the person responsible is prosecuted, the compensation paid will be minimal. The criminal aspect doesn’t help the victim much in terms of compensation.”

For compensation cases, the victim or the victim’s family must take up a civil suit against the alleged culprit.

Mr Louis said that the plaintiff must engage a lawyer, which may be expensive, to handle the suit.

But if the defendant has no assets, it may not be useful to sue, because it will be difficult to get payment even if the suit is successful.

There are new rules and a code of conduct for the safe use of footpaths, cycling paths and shared paths, which will come into effect by the end of the year.

Road safety expert Gerard Pereira, a manager at Singapore Safety Driving Centre, felt that the 15kmh speed limit for personal mobility devices, which include e-scooters, on footpaths is still too fast for the elderly to react in time,

He felt more measures need to be put in place.

“Especially around bus stops, there should be more ‘Stop and push’ signs,” he said.

“When the equipment is sold, there should be some form of rules to follow. Riders should also have to undergo training and know how to handle the vehicle in order to get it.”

Similar previous incidents

In March, Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan said the number of power-assisted bike accidents increased from six in 2013 to 27 last year, five of which were fatal.

Previous cases of accidents involving personal mobility devices and electric bicycles include:

JUNE 2016

A stall helper riding an e-bike lost the lower half of his right leg after colliding with a car in Bendemeer Road. He was on his way to pick up his step-grandsons from school.

MARCH 2016

A man riding an e-scooter suffered serious head injuries after he fell at East Coast Park Service Road. He was taken to hospital where he died without regaining consciousness.

FEBRUARY 2016

Two boys were flung onto the bonnet of a car in Ang Mo Kio after their e-bike crashed into the car. They were taken to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital for treatment and later discharged.

DECEMBER 2015

An odd-job labourer died two days after his e-bike collided with a lorry at Jurong West.

NOVEMBER 2015

A French national died five days after falling from his electric skateboard at East Coast Park Service Road. His death was ruled a misadventure.

APRIL 2015

A coffee shop helper riding an e-bike knocked down and injured a pedestrian near Paya Lebar Way. He was jailed for five weeks.

Source: The New Paper

September 22, 2016
Family Mourning Father’s Death Scramble To Find Venue For Wake After Rejected By Marine Parade Town Council

For a long time, I have refrained from posting unless necessary. Pondered long and hard about this before deciding to post this. I hope friends will help to share this reflection as there is a pertinent issue which the future young leaders of Singapore need to understand this fundamental value system and review the workings of the people under them. Only then will we see a better Singapore that we can truly belong to. These are facts with no added imagination.

A good friend’s father passed away suddenly on the late night of 26 Aug 2016, Fri. Those who have experienced the unfortunate demise of a loved one would know that it is a race against time to secure a location and inform the undertaker for the wake to proceed smoothly and immediately once the dawn breaks.

Her family stays in Serangoon Avenue 4, under Aljunied GRC management. But due to current home improvement works, showflats occupied their block’s and vicinity blocks’ void decks. Her dad’s wake cannot take place at their house void deck or immediate adjacent blocks as a result. They have no choice but to apply for the multipurpose hall opposite their flat, across a main road which is managed by Marine Parade GRC.

They called Marine Parade Town Council of that area and was told that the venue for the 4 days which her family needs (27th, 28th, 29th, 30th Aug) IS AVAILABLE, but the booking is still subject to the approval of the senior officer who can only revert the following day by 730am (27th Aug– first day of the wake), leaving the family with very little time to confirm with the undertaker where to setup.

The next morning (27th Aug), lo and behold, she was told that her request is not approved because they are “not resident of that area”!!!! (Quite frankly, if it were me, I would have sworn with the most beautiful language in that the exasperated and ridiculous situation.) Their family has no time but to scramble to look for a farther venue within Aljunied GRC.

And the most mind boggling call event took place on the third day of the wake when she received a call from the same officer who rejected her booking as he wanted to update her about the fact that the request is not approved. Upon clarification, it turns out that what he meant by “not a resident of the area” was that her HDB estate does not belong to the Marine Parade GRC because her estate is from the Aljunied GRC.

What is the point of “updating” her on the third day into the wake when people are mourning? In the family’s moment of need and bereavement, no help or compassion was offered from MPGRC. In fact, the rejection of the booking led to a lot of stress and a mad rush.
Dear friends….i try to be as objective as possible in this. But there is obviously politics in play here. Or are we reading too much in this?

The reason for not approving it is simply unacceptable especially given that the venue is available. Just because their residence belongs to the Aljunied GRC (run by Worker’s Party), they are not allowed to use PAP run facilities? Am I assuming too much political play in this? I do not think so. Are we back to the whole game of “ïf you vote for me, then you will enjoy privileges?” tactics which the old regime is so fond of using?

Why is there the biased assumption that just because their residence is in Aljunied GRC, they voted for the Workers’ Party? We are all Singaporeans. Sure, Politics is a dirty game. But there are OB markers as to where games cannot be played. A bereaving moment qualifies!

Utterly disappointed, I hope the relevant party reflect on its discriminatory practices and have some compassion.

Connect, not divide.

Source: Sanson Ng

September 20, 2016
EP Voting Process ‘Must Not Be Turned Into A Farce’

Should an election still be held for an unopposed presidential candidate? Would some Singaporeans view the proposed changes to the Elected Presidency (EP) as the Government facilitating a preferred candidate next year?

These were among the questions raised on Sunday (Sept 18) in the latest of a series of dialogues on the EP scheme and the Government’s White Paper released on Thursday.

Responding to the question on whether an unopposed candidate should still secure a majority vote to become the President, Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said Singapore must ensure the voting process is not opened up to criticism and ridicule.

The scenario of an individual who steps forward to run for the position but does not get a majority vote could make Singapore a “laughing stock”, he said, as the country would not have a President and would have to call another election.

“We must balance between the ability to represent and also make the process something that doesn’t turn into a farce,” Mr Shanmugam said to the 1,300 residents and grassroots leaders from Central Singapore District who attended the dialogue.

He referred to how founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew had won elections unopposed, with no question whether Mr Lee lacked the moral authority, given that he had presented himself for elections but no one wanted to contest against him.

“We have the rules — people can take part. If they don’t take part, then whoever takes part becomes the President. I think it’s a neater process,” he said.

Mr Shanmugam had spent about 40 minutes of the two-hour session at the Institute of Technical Education College Central explaining the Government’s response to the Constitutional Commission’s recommendations.

In response to a participant who doubted Singaporeans would vote for a minority candidate, Mr Shanmugam said that while the majority of Singaporeans are capable of voting for a minority President, race remains a factor within a segment of the population.

Referring to the Group Representation Constituency system, which guarantees minority representation in Parliament, he noted how it prevented people from discussing race during elections.

Another question asked was whether five terms, or 30 years, is too long before a reserved election is called for a particular race that has not had an Elected President.

To this, Mr Shanmugam said: “Many people would say we don’t need (a reserved election), many people will say we need it, and it cannot be 30 years (or) five terms — it should be shorter. The Government is trying to do what is right here.”

And on whether the Elected President from a reserved election would have the moral authority to disagree with the Government, he noted that regardless of race, the President has to meet the same qualifying criteria.

These candidates would also have to prove themselves and win the most number of votes if there is a contest. “I think such a person will have the credibility and competence to say no to the Government when necessary,” he added.

While there are potential minority candidates from the private sector, Mr Shanmugam declined to name any when asked if he could identify some potential Malay candidates under the higher qualifying threshold, given that it has been a while since Singapore had a Malay president.

To another question, he said the Council of Presidential Advisers should not be elected to avoid politicising their roles.

And on the suggestion that the qualifying criteria be pegged to a percentage of the country’s Gross Domestic Product, Mr Shanmugam said there could be other qualifying criteria to consider in future.

Speaking to TODAY, Bizlink senior trainer Zainbu Mohamed Ghouse, 57, felt that the session seemed to centre on the Government’s plans for the EP rather than on reaching out to the ground.

“We feel that the purpose of having this session was just for formality, just to let you know that you’re being heard, but it may not be the situation,” said Ms Zainbu, who is also a grassroots member with Jalan Besar Bendemeer Residents’ Committee.

But businessman Terry Lee, 47, who is a grassroots leader with Potong Pasir Neighbourhood Committee, said the session was useful to him, as he will be able to verbalise some of the issues raised to other residents.

Source: TODAY Online

September 19, 2016
Govt Puts Up White Paper On Elected Presidency Scheme

Proposed changes to the Elected Presidency (EP) gathered pace on Thursday (Sept 15), after the Government released a 49-page White Paper on the recommendations by a commission tasked to review specific aspects of the scheme.

The Government has broadly accepted the recommendations — which were released last week — but it disagreed on some of the nuts and bolts, such as the minimum tenure in qualifying office for public-sector candidates, the threshold for Parliamentary override on President’s decisions and when the President’s opinion should be published in the event that he exercises his veto.

The Government also detailed its reasons for rejecting a return to the previous system of having Parliament appoint the Head of State — a recommendation which was beyond the commission’s terms of reference. Among other reasons, it reiterated that a President who is elected, with direct mandate from Singaporeans, would ensure that the office has the moral authority and mandate to disagree with an elected Government. The EP scheme remains the “most workable and effective solution” for Singapore at this moment, the Government said.

The amendments to the scheme will be introduced at the Parliament sitting next month and Members of Parliament will debate on the White Paper in November.

The nine-member Constitutional Commission, headed by Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon, was tasked with studying the eligibility criteria for prospective candidates for the Presidential Election, safeguarding minority representation in the presidency, and the framework governing the exercise of the President’s powers. The commission’s report was submitted last month, after six months of deliberations involving public hearings and written submissions from the public.

Among other proposals, the Government has accepted the recommendation to raise the bar for candidates to keep up with the times: Prospective private sector candidates would have to have helmed companies with S$500 million in shareholders’ equity, up from S$100 million in paid-up capital.

However, the Government will be taking a more cautious approach when it comes to minimum tenure for qualifying offices. While the commission had proposed that the requirement be doubled to at least six years, the Government is retaining the existing minimum tenure of three years.

While the Government agreed with the commission on the need for a currency requirement – which specifies the period where the tenures have to fall wholly or partly within – it said that it would proceed cautiously on this by setting the period at 20 years of a Presidential Election, instead of 15 years as recommended.

For public sector qualifying offices, the Government has opted to retain the offices of Accountant-General and Auditor-General on the list, despite the commission’s suggestion to remove these because they play “ancillary and comparatively narrower roles” compared to other qualifying offices. The Government said would like to consider this recommendation “more carefully” and would retain the status quo for now.

To safeguard minority representation, the Government will adopt the “hiatus triggered” mechanism recommended by the commission where presidential elections will be reserved for a particular race which has not been represented in the office for five consecutive terms. “It strikes an appropriate balance between maintaining the ultimate long-term goal of multi-racialism, and ensuring the representation of minority races in the Presidential office as we progress towards that ideal,” said the Government.

The Government also agreed with the commission that the President should consult the Council of Presidential Advisers (CPA) on all fiscal matters and key public sector appointments, and any disagreement between the President and his advisers will have to be brought before Parliament. But it disagreed with the proposal to calibrate the threshold for Parliamentary override according to the level of support among the council for the President’s decision. Doing so could unintentionally politicise voting patterns within the CPA instead of emphasising “the collective judgement of the council as a whole”, the Government said.

Beyond its terms of reference, the commission called for stricter rules on presidential election campaigns, citing instances of candidates overpromising beyond the powers of the President in the 2011 polls. They proposed, among other things, a clampdown on acts which could divide people or flame emotions. The Government said it would study this carefully and decide on the necessary changes to the rules governing campaign methods and preventing misinformation “in due course”.

Speaking at a dialogue yesterday organised by the South East Community Development Council – which was attended by some 400 grassroots leaders and residents – Law Minister K Shanmugam addressed questions on the White Paper from the participants, such as on the shorter qualifying tenure proposed by the Government, and whether the changes went against the concept of meritocracy and would slow down decision-making processes.

In response, Mr Shanmugam pointed out that all candidates, regardless of race, will have to possess certain qualifications before they can run for President. Replying to a question on whether the changes were meant to prevent certain individuals from contesting in the next presidential election, which must be held by August next year, Mr Shanmugam reiterated that Singaporeans need to ask themselves if the changes being made are valid and in the interests of Singapore. The vast majority of the participants agreed with him that the President should hold custodial powers and be elected, and successful candidates should meet some criteria and these should be reviewed regularly. “Do we as a Government do what is right, based on the system, or do we worry (that) some people are going to say this is to knock out people we don’t like?” he said.

Source: TODAY Online

September 16, 2016
Victim’s Family Questions Sacking Of MRT Driver

The families of the victims in the fatal SMRT accident in March have questioned the operator’s sacking of the train driver involved in the tragedy, before investigations by the relevant authorities are complete and the Coroner’s Inquiry is held.

Expressing their sympathies for the sacked driver, they reiterated the need for the full picture to emerge. Amid concerns that the sacking could prejudice the ongoing probes, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said in response to TODAY’s queries that the sacking was “an internal decision by SMRT”.

“Investigations by MOM and LTA are ongoing and will be based on the facts of the case,” they added.

On Wednesday (Sept 14), The Straits Times reported that Mr Rahmat Mohd, 49, was dismissed on Tuesday after an internal disciplinary inquiry. Citing sources, it added that an operations control centre staff member had also left the company earlier on account of the incident, which occurred on March 22.

Muhammad Asyraf Ahmad Buhari, 24, and Nasrulhudin Najumudin, 26, were killed by an oncoming train while on their way, as part of a team of 15, to check on a warning signal from a monitoring device.

Speaking to TODAY, Nasrulhudin’s eldest brother Nasrifudin, 33, said his family was shocked to hear about the sacking of Mr Rahmat. “He could be the breadwinner of the family so we are also sad for him,” said the civil servant.

Asyraf’s cousin, who wished to be known only as Mr Khai, noted that all the staff involved in the accident as well as their colleagues would have been “affected emotionally and mentally”.

While he felt that SMRT had its own reasons for dismissing the driver, it would have been better if the operator based its disciplinary actions on the Coroner’s Inquiry, which would uncover the “real sequence of events”.

“They should wait (for the inquiry),” he said. Nevertheless, he said the family is thankful for SMRT’s support following the tragedy. “We have to accept the situation as it is … The takeaway from all this is that hopefully, none of this happens again,” he added.

Mr Melvin Yong, the National Transport Workers’ Union (NTWU) executive secretary, said that the union had previously written to SMRT, asking it to withhold any disciplinary action until official investigations are complete, so as to not prejudice the outcome.

“We will now review the situation, study the grounds for SMRT dismissal, and work with the affected staff on the next steps. The union will continue to render affected staff the necessary support and assistance during this difficult time, as we have since the incident,” he added.

In April, SMRT shared the findings by an independent panel on the accident. The panel found that the team involved had stepped onto the train track before “vital” protection measures were implemented. Also, a speed limit to prevent trains from entering the track area on automated mode was not set, and watchmen were not deployed to look out for and warn of approaching trains, “directly causing” the accident.

The report was submitted to LTA, MOM and the police to assist with their statutory investigations. A Coroner’s Inquiry will be held after official investigations conclude. LTA had earlier said that its investigations would be completed in the third quarter of this year.

When contacted, SMRT spokesman Patrick Nathan reiterated that the company does not comment on staff disciplinary measures.

The sacking of Mr Rahmat also drew flak online.

Writing on Facebook, prominent blogger Andrew Loh said the firing was a case of “scapegoating”. He asked if the sacked train driver was really at fault, and even if he was, whether he should be made to bear the full responsibility. He added: “Amazing that, at the other end, despite years of failures, disruptions, delays and all sorts of incidents on our trains, affecting millions of commuters, NOT A SINGLE higher-up has ever been held accountable.”

Referring to Mr Rahmat, Ms Emily Chong wrote on SMRT’s Facebook page: “At 49 years old, he now has to find a new job to support himself and his family — for a mistake that was not his to bear.”

Source: www.todayonline.com

September 15, 2016