Tag: Singapore

Female Driver Threatens Suicide After Parking Dispute In Woodlands

A female driver flew into a rage, gestured violently and called the other driver names after getting into a parking dispute in Woodlands yesterday (July 20).

Stomper Sha sent in footage of the incident.

The Stomper said:

“Please help.

“This Nissan Latio driver was tailgating at a carpark in Woodlands at 3.30pm yesterday (July 20).

“According to her, we were driving very slowly, but it was in the carpark.

“Driver claimed to have lots of problems and even said she wants to kill herself.

“She cursed, accused us of being handicapped while she’s the one who parked at the handicapped lot. #AFriendlyNeighbourhoodStomped”

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

July 21, 2015
Aaron Aziz Bidas Erwin Shah Dawson

KUALA LUMPUR : Pelakon dan pengarah dari Singapura, Aaron Aziz, membidas pelakon baharu senegaranya, Erwin Dawson, 26, berikutan kenyatan beliau mengenai Islam.

Erwin menerusi sebuah portal tempatan menyatakan beliau boleh mengamalkan ajaran Islam secara bebas di Malaysia berbanding di negara asalnya.

Tegas Aaron, kenyataan yang dibuat oleh Erwin itu kurang matang dan boleh mendatangkan pelbagai persepsi negatif terhadap umat Islam di Singapura.

“Sebagai seorang yang lebih ‘senior’ saya menasihatkan kepada awak supaya lebih berhati-hati sebelum mengeluarkan sebarang kenyataan kepada pihak media.

“Kenyataan yang dibuat boleh membuatkan orang ramai lebih menyampah dengan artis Singapura, sekali gus membuatkan orang ramai bergaduh, mencaci dan mengutuk sesama sendiri di laman sosial,” tulis Aaron menerusi status Instagramnya.

Selang beberapa minit kemudian, Erwin pula memuat naik kenyataan balas, yang menganggap cara Aaron menegurnya sebagai kurang sesuai. “Anda lebih ‘senior’ dan seharusnya lebih tahu cara baik untuk menegur saya.

Bukan dengan cara memuat naik di laman sosial yang boleh mendatangkan banyak masalah.

“Namun, jika saya salah, maafkan saya kerana sebagai pendatang baharu. Lebih banyak yang perlu saya belajar,” tulis Erwin.

Erwin atau nama sebenarnya Erwin Shah Dawson mula membina nama di Malaysia menerusi drama bersiri Dunia Generasi Baru dan Bencinta.

Source: www.bharian.com.my

July 21, 2015
The Singapore Exception

AT 50, ACCORDING to George Orwell, everyone has the face he deserves. Singapore, which on August 9th marks its 50th anniversary as an independent country, can be proud of its youthful vigour. The view from the infinity pool on the roof of Marina Bay Sands, a three-towered hotel, casino and convention centre, is futuristic. A forest of skyscrapers glints in the sunlight, temples to globalisation bearing the names of some of its prophets—HSBC, UBS, Allianz, Citi. They tower over busy streets where, mostly, traffic flows smoothly. Below is the Marina Barrage, keeping the sea out of a reservoir built at the end of the Singapore River, which winds its way through what is left of the old colonial city centre. Into the distance stretch clusters of high-rise blocks, where most Singaporeans live. The sea teems with tankers, ferries and container ships. To the west is one of Asia’s busiest container ports and a huge refinery and petrochemical complex; on Singapore’s eastern tip, perhaps the world’s most efficient airport. But the vista remains surprisingly green. The government’s boast of making this “a city in a garden” does not seem so fanciful.

Singapore is, to use a word its leaders favour, an “exceptional” place: the world’s only fully functioning city-state; a truly global hub for commerce, finance, shipping and travel; and the only one among the world’s richest countries never to have changed its ruling party. At a May Day rally this year, its prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong, asserted that “to survive you have to be exceptional.” This special report will examine different aspects of Singaporean exceptionalism and ask whether its survival really is under threat. It will argue that Singapore is well placed to thrive, but that in its second half-century it will face threats very different from those it confronted at its unplanned, accidental birth 50 years ago. They will require very different responses. The biggest danger Singapore faces may be complacency—the belief that policies that have proved so successful for so long can help it negotiate a new world.

In 1965 Singapore was forced to leave a short-lived federation with Malaysia, the country to its north, to which it is joined by a causeway and a bridge. Lee Kuan Yew, Lee Hsien Loong’s father, who became Singapore’s prime minister on its winning self-government from Britain in 1959, had always seen its future as part of Malaysia, leading his country into a federation with its neighbour in 1963. He had to lead it out again when Singapore was expelled in 1965. By then he had become convinced that Chinese-majority Singapore would always be at a disadvantage in a Malay-dominated polity.

Mr Lee’s death in March this year, aged 91, drew tributes from around the world. But Mr Lee would have been prouder of the reaction in Singapore itself. Tens of thousands queued for hours in sultry heat or pouring rain to file past his casket in tribute. The turnout hinted at another miracle: that Singapore, a country that was never meant to be, made up of racially diverse immigrants—a Chinese majority (about 74%) with substantial minorities of Malays (13%) and Indians (9%)—had acquired a national identity. The crowds were not just mourning Mr Lee; they were celebrating an improbable patriotism.

Lee Kuan Yew himself defined the Singapore exception. As prime minister until 1990, he built a political system in his image. In line with his maxim that “poetry is a luxury we cannot afford,” it was ruthlessly pragmatic, enabling him to rule almost as a (mostly) benevolent dictator. The colonial-era Internal Security Act helped crush opposition from the 1960s on. Parliament has been more of an echo-chamber than a check on executive power. No opposition candidate won a seat until 1981. The domestic press toes the government line; defamation suits have intimidated and sometimes bankrupted opposition politicians and hit the bottom line of the foreign press (including The Economist).

Singapore, it is sometimes joked, is “Asia-lite”, at the geographical heart of the continent but without the chaos, the dirt, the undrinkable tap water and the gridlocked traffic. It has also been a “democracy-lite”, with all the forms of democratic competition but shorn of the unruly hubbub—and without the substance. Part of the “Singapore exception” is a system of one-party rule legitimised at the polls and, 56 years after Mr Lee’s People’s Action Party (PAP) took power, facing little immediate threat of losing it. The system has many defenders at home and abroad. Singapore has very little crime and virtually no official corruption. It ranks towards the top on most “human-development” indicators such as life expectancy, infant mortality and income per person. Its leaders hold themselves to high standards. But it is debatable whether the system Mr Lee built can survive in its present form.

It faces two separate challenges. One is the lack of checks and balances in the shape of a strong political opposition. Under the influence of the incorruptible Lees and their colleagues, government remains clean, efficient and imaginative; but to ensure it stays that way, substantive democracy may be the best hope. Second, confidence in the PAP, as the most recent election in 2011 showed, has waned somewhat. The party has been damaged by two of its own successes. One is in education, where its much-admired schools, colleges and universities have produced a generation of highly educated, comfortably off global citizens who do not have much tolerance for the PAP’s mother-knows-best style of governance. In a jubilant annual rally to campaign for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights on June 13th, a crowd estimated at 28,000 showed its amused contempt for the illiberal social conservatism the PAP has enforced. Younger Singaporeans also chafe at censorship and are no longer so scared of the consequences of opposing the PAP.

The PAP’s second success that has turned against it is a big rise in life expectancy, now among the world’s longest. This has swelled the numbers of the elderly, some of whom now feel that the PAP has broken a central promise it had made to them: that in return for being obliged to save a large part of their earnings, they would enjoy a carefree retirement. And it is not just old people who have begun to question PAP policies. Many Singaporeans are uncomfortable with a rapid influx of immigrants. These worries point to Singapore’s two biggest, and linked, problems: a shortage of space and a rapidly ageing population.

Source: www.economist.com

July 21, 2015
OCT Ahmad Arif Ibrahim Cemerlang, Raih Pedang Kehormatan Dan Anugerah Bayonet Emas

Hasil prestasi cemerlang, seorang pegawai kadet Angkatan Bersenjata Singapura (SAF) Melayu menerima Pedang Kehormatan.

Ia diberikan kepada pegawai-pegawai kadet yang menunjukkan prestasi terbaik.

Ahmad Arif Ibrahim, 22 tahun, juga menerima anugerah Bayonet Emas yang berprestij, satu anugerah yang diberikan kepada 10 peratus kadet terbaik dalam satu-satu kohort.

Beliau juga boleh berbangga kerana dinobatkan sebagai kadet terbaik dalam latihan fizikal.

Semalam, Ahmad Arif menjadi antara 568 pegawai kadet yang ditauliahkan sebagai pegawai SAF selepas menjalani latihan selama 38 minggu dalam Kursus Pegawai Kadet.

Selepas tamat latihan, mereka akan menyandang jawatan pegawai komand, pegawai pemberi arahan dan pegawai staf di unit-unit SAF.

Berucap di majlis tamat kursus SAF, Timbalan Perdana Menteri Teo Chee Hean menggesa para pegawai supaya meneruskan usaha generasi anggota perkhidmatan yang terdahulu.

Sementara itu, meskipun diiktiraf sebagai antara pegawai kadet terbaik dalam kohortnya, Arif mengakui beliau mulanya sukar menyesuaikan diri semasa beberapa hari pertama menjalani kursus tersebut.

Ahmad Arif Ibrahim. (Gambar: Channel NewsAsia)

“Semasa saya sertai BMT, peralihan daripada gaya hidup orang awam kepada gaya hidup seorang askar agak perlahan, dan lebih mudah untuk saya menyesuaikan diri.

“Tetapi di OCS, mereka mahu kami bukan menjadi orang awam, tetapi menjadi seorang askar, menjadi seorang pemimpin,” ujarnya.

Untuk mengongsi pengalaman para pegawai kadet, edisi kedua buku ‘One of A Kind’ juga dilancarkan semalam. Edisi pertama diterbitkan pada 2007.

Source: http://berita.mediacorp.sg

July 21, 2015
3000+ Punggol Residents Fed-Up With Their BTO Flats

In Parliament yesterday (13 Jul), Minister of State for National Development Desmond Lee, who is the son of former PAP cabinet minister Lee Yock Suan, told the House that the quality of BTO flats undertaken by HDB has actually improved.

He cited the CONQUAS score which measures the quality of buildings, showing that the quality of BTO flats has improved 13% from a score of 79 in 2003 to 89 in 2014.

The quality of the flats has not been compromised despite a ramping up of BTO projects over the last 4 years, Mr Lee claimed. “It (quality) continues to rise and is comparable to that in private developments,” he said.

He said that the majority of complaints with regard to the defects in new BTO flats are about “surface imperfections” such as hairline cracks on walls, scratches on timber floor, or uneven tile joints.

“Such imperfections are mostly within acceptable industry norms and these are also common in private developments. They can and should be rectified quickly by the contractors, and do not affect the structural integrity or safety of the building.”

Mr Lee argued that sometimes, it’s due to “differences in the understanding of what constitutes a defect”.

“For example, some owners have given feedback on colour inconsistencies for floors with timber finishes. As timber is a natural product, it is not possible to achieve a perfectly homogenous look,” he said.

Mr Lee assured the House that HDB has “zero tolerance” for defects which may compromise structural or safety standards.

“Flooding” at Punggol Waterway Terraces BTO flats

Just when Mr Lee tried to assure the House that BTO flats from HDB are of “high quality”, residents at the new Punggol Waterway Terraces BTO flats posted comments today (14 Jul) on their resident Facebook group, Punggol Waterway Terraces I [Link], complaining about rain water seeping into their flats from last night’s heavy downpour. Not only that, lift alarm was triggered waking everyone up.

Resident, Johnny Chiang of Blk 308A wrote the following letter to their PAP MP Janil Puthucheary highlighting the problems the residents are facing with their BTO flats:

Sir, I trust that everything is good and well on your side. It is with a heavy heart I Pen this issue on behalf of 3000+ residents because very obviously – Everything is NOT going well for the residents of Waterway Terraces 1.

Apart from the previous issues including the 4 pipes placed awkwardly etc which we did not get much resolution from.

Last night’s heavy downpour had caused several issues for many of us.

At approx 2 am rain started pouring in and it seeped into the homes of many of our residents.

This was accompanied by the ringing of lift alarm which woke most residents up. The Fire brigade were activated by our residents because we had to ensure if it was a no duff situation then help was rendered.

Yes I agree that when mother nature decides to make her point, there isnt much anybody can do. But it also sets many of us wondering why many of our homes came with so much flaws.

BSC has not been the best source of resolutions.

I tag you here on social media on considerations for your administrators, because if we were to all write in, you would receive tons of the same email.

For one, I do not believe in 200 emails to make a point across and sincerely seek your understanding on our intentions and voices together with much frustrations.

I now invite all the affected residents to post their images and videos of the happenings last night and request that your good self, Our Honourable MP respond with your opinions.

Yours sincerely

Johnny Chiang
On behalf of my neighbours of blk 308A
And residents affected by the issues

Other residents also joined in the discussion in their Facebook group:

Fabian Lau: Alarm nt happen once already..twice since move in..first one is alarm twice..2am and 3am..last night just lighting and tio alarm..what alarm is that,if 100% move in i dont know what resident will say..this alarm really got problem and linked with wwt2…as for quality wise..the balcony door lock is not good will open itself when u lock other side ever though u lock both side..but i just close one eye..bsc is useless and just bear with it ..i guess all window is not heavy rain proof..just that few unit last night due to wind direction kanna..if next time wind direction change another side..new set of resident complain the window problem..water sit in etc …

Jason Li: Home means the last stronghold for us. No matter how it looks, protecting us from wind and rain is the most basic functionality

Jo Lene: Johnny Chiang thanks for voicing out for us. I have not move into my unit yet but I’m starting to worry about the “not rain proof” Windows n balcony doors… I saw videos n photos of the rain this morning, it was really scary that the rain can just sip in like that…

Zeoane Goh: house living room n service bay slightly flooded. Cleaned up till 230am! :0 Rain was super big and big wind. Water seeped into living room thru the roller door at balcony.

Xue Fang: Our living room, common rooms and master bed room were all affected as well…. can you imagine waking up with rain droplets on your face? Seriously, what premium price we paid to deserve this? Fire alarm goes off in the middle of the night and lasted for a while while we clean up the mess…. what a nightmare!

Eric Loh: Pissed off with the lvl of work and still dare to say in news everything is up to standard in news. What the hell is hdb doing. I doing to support my buddy Johnny Chiang but honestly i don’t think janil puthhcheary will bother. I have come to a point which i have given up hope on all this people which so call said they will “help us”. Dont find reasons for ur mistake, find a solution please. No one in wwt1 which paid 300 over thousand excluding intereste will be happy about it.

Candee Tan: Have anyone consider taking this to the media??

Benny Ong: If we go on holidays, and another storm comes along while we’re away with electrical appliances on the floor, the house is at Super high risk of catching fire!

Jenny Yang: OMG, I just happily got my keys last week, but now I am so disapointed. Stupid project, should ask them to compensate us for instaling windows at our balcony. Hi Johnny, appreciate your precious voices, hope they will do something about it. Thank you so much.

Li Elle: water bubbling at the rails of 2 common bedrooms connected balcony, sip into our timber wood slightly too.

At 13:52pm today (14 Jul), MP Puthucheary finally responded. He said he had contacted HDB and the town council:

This is not the first time news of defects in Punggol Waterway Terraces surface. Last month, sociopolitical site The Online Citizen reported [Link] a BTO flat owner of Punggol Waterway Terraces, Adrian Chong, complained that the contractors who were supposed to fix the reported defects in his flat, ended up creating even more defects.

Mr Chong noted that his parquet flooring got worse after the contractors tried to rectify some defects. A defective pipe was left unchanged. New defects kept appearing each day as the contractors tried to resolve old problems.

“There are some defects which pictures won’t be able to tell much, like loosening of the rubber tracks for the sliding doors at the balcony and service yards.” said Mr Chong.

“Considering the amount we paid for the flat, we did not expect to see such bad defects or bad workmanship. Water pressure of the tap, shower head and toilet flushing were also weak. Timber skirting around the house were also painted with white paint making it looked so cheapskate,” lamented Mr Chong on the quality of the furnishings.

The defects were submitted to the building service centre set up by the building contractor, and Mr Chong was given an appointment to have a joint inspection with the supervisor to highlight and go through the defects.

However, Mr Chong faced difficulties in getting the contractors to do a decent job without incurring new defects as they tried to rectify existing ones.

“As working personnel, we do not have the luxury of time to keep going down to the unit to rectify the defects and monitor them. They (the contractors) delayed our renovation plans as we cannot start our renovation without having them to rectify the existing defects first.”

He added that as a flat owner, the minimum expectations are to provide his family a unit that is free from defects and good enough to live in comfortably.

This is especially so considering the fact that at Punggol Waterway Terraces, a 3-room flat ranges from $186,000 to $237,000 while a 5-room flat costs between $374,000 and $458,000.

Other netizens wonder why older HDB flats did not seem to have so many problems.

In any case, it’s not known what MP Puthucheary, HDB or the Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council will do about the flooding issue. Pass the buck down to the foreign workers to fix?

Source: www.tremeritus.com

July 15, 2015