Tag: Singapore

Singapore Sees Influx Of Foreign Beggars

Able-bodied foreigners are flying in to Singapore on a tourist visa selling tissue paper on the streets. At 3 packets for S$1, these foreign beggers compete with Singaporean poor for street donations, who unlike them, are licensed by the National Environment Agency (NEA).

Under the NEA, Singaporean poor, who are often handicapped and elderly unable to find employment, are only allowed to peddle tissue paper in specific areas and have to pay S$120 annual license upfront. Foreign tissue peddlers are however not entitled to these “privileges” and they will make a quick buck in and out avoiding the authorities whose resources are already overstrained by the increase in crime rate.

For the first six months of 2015, NEA caught 72 foreign illegal peddlers selling tissue paper, mobile phone accessories, clothes and other goods. Those who were caught at fined S$300 for the first offense and this applies to Singaporeans as well.

Foreign tissue peddlers who are usually from China, Vietnam, Thailand and Myanmar would trawl local coffee shops and fastfood restaurants, or simply loiter at one spot half-begging. They would earn between S$20 to S$100 for a few hours of “work”. According to The Straits TImes, a 65 year old Thai woman said that she earned S$50 in a few hours.

According to the NEA, there are only 11 licensed street tissue peddlers in Singapore which means the hundreds, if not thousands, in Singapore streets are mostly illegal. In an interview with the media, 65 year old tissue paper seller Goh Say Lian who is blind in one eye and having kidney failure lambaste the foreign tissue peddlers:

“They are able-bodied and can walk, yet they come here to sell tissue paper and snatch business from us”

The Singapore PAP government has just been returned to power with a strong mandate of 69.86%. It is unlikely the government will enforce stricter immigration laws now that the election is just over. Singaporean poor will likely see greater foreign competition which the government often attributed to “globalization”.

Source: http://statestimesreview.com

September 17, 2015
Tommy Koh: 10 Reflections On GE2015
On Cooling-off Day, a good friend invited me to lunch with a group of eminent Singaporeans. I decided to use them as a focus group and asked them to predict whether the PAP’s popular vote would go up or down.

The majority said it would go down. I asked them whether the PAP would lose any more seats to the opposition. The majority predicted that the PAP would lose one group representation constituency (GRC) and one single-member constituency (SMC).

Like the pundits and the bookies, my friends at lunch were wrong in their prognosis. The following are 10 of my reflections on the People’s Action Party’s surprising and extraordinary victory.

SG50

First, 2015 is not an ordinary year. It is our Golden Jubilee year. Singaporeans from all walks of life, and of different political persuasions, are very proud of what we have achieved in the past 50 years.

ST ILLUSTRATION: MIEL

The SG50 Steering Committee has adopted a low-key, bottoms-up and people-centric approach to the year-long celebrations. The positive mood was boosted by the excellent performance of our athletes at the SEA Games, and by the conferment of World Heritage status on our beloved Botanic Gardens by Unesco.

Anyone who attended the National Day Parade would have been inspired by the pride, patriotism and unity of the occasion. I am sure that SG50 increased the popularity of the PAP at the polls.

THE LEE KUAN YEW FACTOR

Second, I think that the Lee Kuan Yew factor played a part in the electoral success of the PAP. Mr Lee’s passing triggered a spontaneous outpouring of love and respect for him by Singaporeans. The people of Singapore acknowledged that the success of Singapore was due, in large part, to the vision, courage and determination of Mr Lee and the other founding fathers.

I am sure that some of the goodwill for Mr Lee was transferred to the political party that he founded and led. The combination of the first and second factors made 2015 an exceptionally good year for the PAP. Tactically, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was right to hold the election this year, instead of next year.

FEAR OF A FREAK ELECTION

Third, the opposition made a big mistake in contesting all 89 seats in Parliament. Although many of the candidates, from parties other than the Workers’ Party (WP) and the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), had no prospect of winning, the fact that all seats were contested made it possible for the PAP to warn against a freak election.

The bottom line is that, while the electorate wants a credible, constructive and responsible opposition in Parliament, it also wants the PAP to continue to form the government. If the opposition had been wiser, it would have refrained from contesting 45 of the 89 seats so that, on Nomination Day, the PAP would have won enough seats to form the government. In such a scenario, the electorate would have been more at ease in voting for good opposition candidates.

THE SILVER VOTE

Fourth, since 2011, the Government has done several very significant things to win the hearts and minds of senior citizens. The Pioneer Generation Package, MediShield Life, and the Silver Support Scheme have been very well received. The belated recognition of the pioneers and their contributions to Singapore has touched the hearts of many older Singaporeans.

The SG50 Steering Committee has adopted a low-key, bottoms-up and people-centric approach to the year-long celebrations… I am sure that SG50 increased the popularity of the PAP at the polls.

My hypothesis is that the majority of the half a million voters, over the age of 65, would have voted for the PAP.

REMEDYING THE PAIN POINTS

Fifth, the PAP has brought relief to three of the pain points that emerged in the 2011 General Election. These are housing, immigration and transport. National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan has increased the supply of public housing, and cooled the overheated property market.

The Government has also reduced the intake of foreign workers. Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew worked very hard on both the bus system and the MRT system. He has brought relief to the bus system. The problem of the frequent breakdown of our train system has, however, not yet been solved, in spite of his best efforts.

On the three pain points, the PAP has brought relief to two-and-a-half of them. The electorate, which is fair-minded, has therefore decided to reward the PAP for having listened to its concerns and for responding to them.

THE CHALLENGE OF INEQUALITY

Sixth, the PAP has also responded to the growing concerns about inequality in Singapore. It has introduced schemes like Workfare and the Progressive Wage Model.

It has opened two schools for students who failed their Primary School Leaving Examination, or PSLE. It has upgraded the quality of technical and vocational education offered by our Institute of Technical Education. It has introduced a new educational initiative called SkillsFuture, based on the successful apprenticeship system in Germany and Switzerland. It has expanded its support for early education.

It has also reassured the public that social mobility is well, and stronger, in Singapore than in Europe and America. Therefore, although Singapore continues to be a very unequal society, and life is hard for the bottom 30 per cent of our population, the Government was given credit by the electorate for the many initiatives it has taken to address the problem.

CREDIBILITY OF THE WORKERS’ PARTY

Seventh, the ascendance of the WP was seriously affected by the PAP’s allegation that it had mismanaged the Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council, and that it had exposed an integrity issue.

Although the WP rebutted the PAP’s allegation and had, in turn, accused the PAP of bullying and using the town council system to impede the progress of the opposition, the exchange left some voters in doubt about the competence and integrity of the WP. This factor could have explained the loss of Punggol East, the drop in the support for the WP in Hougang and Aljunied GRC, and its failure to capture East Coast GRC and Fengshan SMC.

Going forward, it is important for the WP to clear its name, and to restore the electorate’s faith in its competence and integrity.

PAP’S ELECTORAL STRATEGY

Eighth, the PAP did a better job managing the electoral campaign this year than in 2011.

PAP organising secretary Ng Eng Hen proved to be a capable campaign manager. Although the PAP was outgunned by the opposition in the staging of rallies, it devoted more manpower and resources to door-to-door campaigning and retail diplomacy. The party also decided to capitalise on the popularity of PM Lee by putting up his poster in every constituency.

It was like a referendum on him, and it could have backfired. Fortunately for the PAP, the strategy seemed to have paid off.

AN INSECURE WORLD

Ninth, the sentiments of the electorate have always been affected by the external environment. The 2001 GE is a case in point.

Following the Sept 11 terrorist attacks in the United States, the electorate rallied to the PAP, which has a good track record of keeping peace at home, and a strong defence against any external threat. In that election, the PAP’s popular vote was 75.3 per cent.

In this election, the PAP’s narrative about the terrorist threat from ISIS and the uncertain global economy worked to its advantage.

VOICE OF REASON

Tenth, I am glad that the PAP leader whose team scored the highest popular vote of 79 per cent was Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam. He was always calm and measured.

He never uttered an insult or a threat.

Instead, he explained the PAP’s policies and rebutted the alternatives put forward by the opposition in a clear and rational way. He was intellectually brilliant but came across as humble and open-minded.

I hope other politicians would seek to emulate him.
- The writer is a Special Adviser at the Institute of Policy Studies, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore.
Source: www.straitstimes.com
September 17, 2015
Singaporean Man Found Murdered In Malaysia

The body of a 52-year-old Singaporean was found off a highway in Bukit Kayu Hitam, Kedah, on Sunday morning.

At least 13 slash wounds were found on the man’s forehead, the back of his head, and arms.

The slash wounds on the victim’s head were so deep that his skull was visible and his head was almost hacked in half, reported Kwong Wah Daily.

Malaysian police discovered the body at 9.30am in a bushy area off the North-South Expressway near the Malaysia-Thailand border after receiving a tip-off from a member of the public.

The body was sent to Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital in Alor Setar, Kedah, for a post-mortem.

Kedah Criminal Investigation Department (CID) chief, Assistant Commissioner Mohd Nashir Ya, told the New Straits Times (NST) that the man died from multiple knife wounds.

Police believe that the man, who was wearing a long sleeved shirt and trousers, died between six and 12 hours before he was found, reported NST.

Lianhe Wanbao reported that two police dogs and 30 policemen, including CID and forensics officers, were activated to comb the scene.

A cigarette box was also found at the scene and taken away for investigation. Aside from a mobile phone and a bunch of keys, no personal identification documents were found on the man’s body, reported The Star Online. Through the phone’s contents, police identified the dead man as a Singaporean Chinese, according to Lianhe Wanbao.

A police spokesman told Lianhe Wanbao that the victim’s family had been contacted and they identified the body yesterday afternoon.

Even though the victim is a Singaporean, police said the man had been staying in Hat Yai – a southern Thailand city near the Malaysian border – for many years.

The case is being investigated under the Penal Code for murder and no one has been arrested yet.

Source: www.tnp.sg

September 17, 2015
Two Reasons Why PAP Won So Handsomely In The Recent Elections

Mr Goh,

That is a very good analysis, but you missed two important points.

The first is the external factor, namely all the things that are happening outside Singapore. Over the past year the world has gotten a whole lot more dangerous, politically and financially.

The political paralysis in US, ISIS in the Middle East, the financial and refugees crises in Europe, the China’s economic slowdown that may lead to a world’s recession, Russia’s re-asserting itself, climate change, the gyrating stock markets, and others all add to a sense of an uncertain future. As the saying go, “you do not change horses at mid-stream”.

Many feel that you do not want to leadership in the middle of a crisis, especially when the alternative only brings in more uncertainty.

Which brings me to the second point, the oppositions. It is pointless to blame the ruling party to handing out goodies to get votes. That happens is every democracy, we hear it every time there is an election in the UK.

Yet the government changes hand on a regular basis. For the opposition, it is not enough to offer candidates that are “as good as” the other side and hope that the “throw out the bastard” sentiment will carry the day.

The opposition needs to have someone better. But honestly, are the opposition candidates in this election really significant better than their PAP counterparts? Do they really have a coherent plan of how to govern? Can they provide a compelling vision? Can they help Singapore, a small country, navigate in the choppy uncharted water?

Let’s take your team as an example. In the last four years, how many times have the team walk through Ang Mo Kio talking to the residents and learning about their concerns? What do you really have to offer besides a distaste for the PAP?

Singapore opposition parties need to build themselves up slowly. It may make you feel good to say that every seat is contested. But it is a warning sign to the voters. The PAP members may be a bunch of yahoos.

But many who would cast a protest in order to have more opposition voices in the parliament voted for PAP instead just so that there would not be a fluke and a bunch of unknown and inexperienced yahoos ended up running the country.

So the opposition parties need to reflect and come up with a better strategy. You did some analysis of the percents of swing votes that could have been the result of one action or the other by the ruling party.

Here is another way to look at it. If those constituencies where the PAP won more than 75% (which meant they were PAP strongholds where the opposition parties have no chance) were uncontested, the PAP majority would have been only 67%, meaning that the decision of the opposition to contest every seat actually gave the PAP at least a 2% margin.

Your own slate contributed 0.72% to that 2%. So the delusion of grandeur of the oppositions actually contributed to the PAP landslide.

Thistoo Shallpass

Source: www.transitioning.org

September 17, 2015
PAP Voter: I Did Not Vote PAP Out Of Fear

To the oppies,

I did not vote for PAP out of fear. I voted for PAP because your ideas did not take into account of global trends.

I did not vote for PAP thinking they can resolve the problems of the world, I do expect them to make the transition more painless for Singaporeans.

If Foreign Talent is to get the job, at least allocate enough money for Singaporeans to upgrade their skills so that they can remain competitive.

I did not vote for PAP because I liked them, I voted for PAP because I think for now they can do the job best. The rest just talk (and anyone can do that).

In fact, I feel that Worker’s Party fashion sense seems to be better. At least there are some colours. White shirts easy to get dirty, hard to maintain.

I am aware that our government may have lost some money in some investment, but I think that is part of the game of investment.

As long as the investment is not lost through dishonesty but through inevitable global / market / business trends, I am fine.

I don’t think I deserve to receive any part of the reserves, I am just wondering why do the oppies feel so dignified and justified that they deserve our reserves.

The reserves (through our fixed asset) should be used for the betterment of our country, provide infrastructural framework for our learning, leisure & work.

I feel very amused that the oppies say that the whole country is against 6.9 million white paper, but I am very happy with the white paper.

There are people who say I am happy with the white paper because I am a businessman and will benefit by having more customers in the country.

Actually that is true as well, but what is more true is that with more population, it will drive business cost down, and some business will provide services / products affordably to the less well off segment.

With no big population to support businesses, no businesses can afford to help the poor. The oppies are understanding this so so wrong.

It is true that higher population will drive certain segment’s goods prices up, but it will also drive certain products and services’ prices down as well.

Higher population is good for the poor.

The oppies, think again of those people voting for the white uniformed PAP. It is not because we are upper class and want to maintain our edge over the poorer half of the population.

We are voting for PAP because it will take care of the whole country. The oppies need to polish up their plans.

And don’t get me started on the CPF problem. Yes, it is true that the government is increasing the age to withdraw CPF, and there is a logical reason to it, we are living longer.

Also, as a funding guy, I have seen millions of dollars or hundreds of thousands at one shot. Most people in the working class has never held 100-200k in their hands before, what do you think would happen when they hold that amount of money?

The money would be squandered. Cheated by some younger women / men. The country is doing you a favour by safeguarding for you.

If you know how to handle the finance, the minimum sum of 100+ K is not going to make a difference to your lifestyle. If you do not know how to handle finance, then the 100+ K is better off safeguarded by the government of Singapore.

Thanks.

Yours Loyally,

Source: Raymond Ng

September 17, 2015